Written on 9:39 PM by isko b. doo
Stirring the dying
When Mayor Rodrigo Duterte admitted that city government is having a difficult time controlling the harbingers of death roaming the city's streets on board a two-wheel contraption boasting 125 cc of horsepower, I said to myself: finally!
There's nothing whimsical in that statement because it takes a lot of guts/humility for the mayor to concede that a.) the killings might have gotten out of control; b.) the city government has been helpless in curbing the killings.
Yes, he accepted responsibility for the killings but the heroic(?) gesture rings hollow when he exonerated the Davao City Police Office (which incidentally won the best police office in the country) of blame by claiming that killings are not unique to the city and that he was satisfied with its performance, and in the same breath, challenged his critics to produce evidence on the existence of the Davao Death Squad.
I mean, are you kidding me? For all his vaunted obstinacy, bipolar statements like that just leave everybody confused. I think he has become a victim of his own image. That's the only explanation I could think of. Growing up, I've heard the rumors: of death riding on motorcycles, their scythes shooting .45 caliber of hot lead. To this day, I never heard anybody allegedly belonging to the vigilante group (if there ever was one) arrested, much less incarcerated.
Don't get me wrong. To think there's a single organized group out there that's cleaning the streets of criminals would be a stretch even for a paranoid bastard like me. It would be more logical to think the killings are perpetrated on a hit basis in exchange for a monetary reward. But the paranoid in me can't help but think the killings won't last this long without the go signal from the police and, by extension the local government (one of the mayor's famous words was nobody will fart in Davao City without him knowing about it) and sadly, the public itself.
Why else would the killers insist on using the same M.O. and risk arrest when each Pedro and Maria is already familiar with their methods? Unless they were meant to be a warning, a badge of immunity if you will. Back off, or else.
This tacit approval by the public can be gleaned from the comment made by a Ms. Rosie I. Tan who said:
“True the street maintenace is not something to be proud of. The infrastructure needs a little boost. But I’ll take that anytime knowing that my kids are safe when they come out of school to buy project materials in the malls. I’ll accept that as fair trade knowing that my husband will be safe on his way home from work. Maybe Vigilantism is a monster in a bottle. Maybe it has some casualties. But I’d love to hear a Davaoeno lambast the Davao Death Squad, face a kidnapper and say he forgives him for killing a loved one. Criminals harm and kill ordinary citizens. Vigilantes kill criminals. That’s justice for me.”
I'm not going to belabor her point but for a full text of here comment click here. She is right, however, I have yet to hear a massive outrage from ordinary citizens. Duterte has an explanation for it: the culture of violence that started in the late 1970s and early 1980s -- when killings are a daily occurrence and as boring as watching ice melt -- still pervades in the city to this day.
I don't buy it. The killings continue because the public allowed itself to be cowed. In the words of Ms. Tan, the killings are a fair trade to knowing your husband and kids go home safe. She called it a monster in a bottle which presupposes a semblance of control but as I told her, the monster is no longer bottled up. Keeping that monster on a leash gives her a sense of security, but what’s stopping evil men from using that same monster against you and me?
Apart from desensitizing the public, the killings are breeding copycats. And yet the police and the Commission on Human Rights pointed to the lack of witnesses as the main reason why the investigations could not get off the ground. Hmm... ya think anyone likes to get involved if he/she thinks the government is the enemy? Who will protect them then, the criminals?
Let's get it out in the open. Do I believe the city government is behind the killings? I have no proof to categorically say yes. But the funny thing is it doesn't seem too concerned about being seen by everybody as a such, apart from the ministerial denial and directives for investigation. At the most, the local government is guilty of being phlegmatic.
The public and even the media have even stopped making the police accountable. After all, what's the difference between one murder or two?
Now Duterte has directed the police to unmask the killers to dispel the notion that the murders are sanctioned by the state. Knowing the tendencies and bipolar statements of City Hall, I'm going to hold my applause for this one. Let's see how he can control this multi-headed monster.
Posted in
davao city,
in the news,
politics
|
Written on 7:15 PM by isko b. doo
Davao City is abuzz with Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's revelation that a popular parish priest, the spokesperson of Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla, was in fact married. It was bannered by the two community newspapers here (for Sunstar's take on the issue, click here).
Yes, Duterte all but threw the kitchen sink at Fr. Pete Lamata. And for what? Well, apparently the priest was politicking and, according to the mayor, actively blackballing him before the parishioners in his sermons. And horror of all horrors, the priest facetiously referred to Duterte's daughter, Davao City Vice Mayor Sara Duterte, as Inday Badiday.
Now there's nothing wrong with name-calling, he said, if used in the spirit of fun but when laced with mockery, that's a different story altogether. And the mayor's response? He dropped the bomb on the priest' marriage during his public service program “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa.”
And so here we are. Some people have been asking why our paper did not carry the story. For two days in a row, newspapers have been having a heyday writing all the angles to the story. The queries beg an explanation: was it a legitimate story?
I say it is. On any other day, it's a story that warrants a one-column treatment at the very least. I closed the paper on the day the story broke but I decided we wouldn't be dragged down in the muck. Sure, a priest being actually married is a legitimate story but there's something supercilious about the information coming from the mayor with an axe to grind. Duterte's intentions were clear: to sully the name of the priest not at the public's interest but to serve as a warning: he's not beyond kicking you in the balls if you touch any of his children.
True, you wrestle with a pig and you get dirty. And the pig will like it.
I can understand his protectiveness but when you throw your children into politics, you'd expect their immaculate shirts to get dirty, wouldn't you? Duterte is not even beyond reproach, so how can he expect his children, who are holding high positions in the local government riding on his coattails, to be untouchable? In politics, as in love, everything is fair game.
What the story would be about instead is the reaction from priests and explanation from the archbishop.
For one, I didn't know that you can go back to priesthood even if you're married but apparently, based on Capalla's statements, you can.
The archbishop admitted that indeed, Lamata as a young man “had gone through a civil marriage with a woman.”
“According to Church law this is a serious violation which brings about an automatic suspension from the priestly ministry. So Father Lamata was suspended.
“According to the same law, to be forgiven and restored to the priestly ministry, there are steps and procedures to be followed aside from humble repentance and separation,” Capalla said.
Now, that's something I'd expect the public to be interested in rather than the information after the fact, and relayed through very suspicious intentions no less. I wonder though how the Church can accept back a priest separating from his wife in order to serve his parishioners again when it has been savagely denouncing divorce on the argument that marriage is sacred? What about the vow of celibacy then? The priest did dip his peter on somebody's bush. Doesn't that count for something?
Of course, my interest is purely scholarly based on the questions above. I could not care less if the parish priest is married or not. Nor am I advocating for him to be banned from practicing priesthood because that's between him, his parishioners, and their God.
Posted in
in the news,
politics,
religion
|
Written on 9:07 PM by isko b. doo
This news report cracked me up.
Now, I don't mean to make light of the tragic end of the victim, but really, it just shows just how the global community has shrunk over the years.
Who would have thought that the new US president's influence would creep to my city of 1.4 million people, south of Philippines? And who would have thought that two drunks could have a very intelligent conversation? Really now, Obama's bloodline?
That's sick right there!
It's just sad that things took turn for the worse between two friends.
Friend stabbed dead
over Obama debate
By Guy Lorenzo Lao
An argument over United States President Barack Obama lineage led to a death of a 36-year-old farmer last Monday afternoon.
Erlinda Revisa, 49, an owner of a ‘sari-sari’ store in Marilog proper, told PO3 Rolando Mitran of Marilog Police that neighbors, Narciso Amban, 36, and alias ‘Toto’ Rondia were drinking when their topic turned towards the new US president.
The police officer said Rondia and Amban argued whether Obama had a Muslim blood. Amban allegedly insulted his friend in the middle of their argument which prompted Rondia to pull out his hunting knife and stabbed Amban in the chest.
Rondia left the scene while Revisa called help from the Marilog Police. Responding members of Central 911 declared the victim dead on the spot due to a single wound on his chest.
Mitran said they are still tracking down the suspect while Amban’s body now lies at St. Peter Funeral Parlor in Calinan.
Posted in
in the news,
obama
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Written on 4:49 PM by isko b. doo
For most of us, it might be difficult to understand the reason for the downward spin of the global economy but it boils down to overproduction and speculation. While we can point to the highly-excessive US economy and its neo-liberalist policy, which makes it vulnerable to abuse by some enterprising multi-nationals with a lot of grease money to make sure the market forces are artificially stable, we can also cite some countries (led by China), flooding the world with cheap goods and imitations which makes it virtually impossible for small businesses to compete.
Of course, free market forces adhere to the maxim that supply creates demand. What is happening now, however, is not the lack of supply but production is not meeting the demand of quality in products. To put it simply, it's the case of putting the cart before the horse. There are too many cheap products of the same design but nobody is buying after hearing too many horror stories of toxic poisoning in children, breakable products, and unreliable warranty.
This distrust towards cheap products is further aggravated by the economic downturn which creates a vacuum of demand for non-basic products, which leads to retrenchments and profit loss. It's no wonder therefore that China is badly-hit by the global recession since it forces nations to cut down on imports and develop local products.
You have the richest family on the block, which becomes the envy of the neighborhood because the parents, who were savvy entrepreneurs, always had the most beautiful cars and clothes, the kids had the latest toys and gadgets, the mansion covers nearly half the block with a 24-hour security detail.
One day, the rich father showed you how he devised a system through maximized use of credit cards, subprime mortgages, and manipulating the market to keep profits soaring. You tried it and saw your bank account expand, you get a new car, renovate your house, send your kids to exclusive schools. Finally, you're living the American dream.
So what happens when you notice the cars of your neighbor missing one by one? When his kids are now taking buses to school or even transferring to another cheaper school? One day, you see furniture and appliances being wheeled out of the mansion and rumors have it that they are being pawned off. The pool dries up, the dogs stop barking, the security guard goes missing.
You know something is wrong but you're not sure what. Then you start hearing rumors about banks foreclosing properties, loans getting rejected, markets falling, your friend getting fired from his job, and your center of balance start spinning. You hold on to your valuables and hard-earned money hoping to weather the difficult times. But you know in your heart it's only a matter of time before you get what's coming to you.
At work you hear whispers, softly bouncing off walls at first but it gets louder and more persistent. You are next to go.
What do you do?
Our lawmakers found a solution: just add another P2 billion to the pork barrel.
Posted in
economy,
in the news
|
Written on 7:34 PM by isko b. doo
It's it amazing how just barely 54 years ago Rosa Parks refused to yield her seat in a bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama and sparked the modern civil rights movement? With that act of defiance, her name is now forever etched in history while the driver of the bus who threatened to have her arrested will forever be relegated to small script and annotated by an asterisk. The driver's name, by the way, was James Blake.
Nine years earlier, a lesser known act of courage was shown by Irene Morgan, who was jailed in Virginia for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on board a Greyhound bus. She was just 27 years old.
I don't even remember what I did at that age.
And here we are. Standing behind the podium on the steps of the US capitol, a rather lean man in red silk tie. Barack Hussein Obama. The first black president of the most powerful country in the world.
The storied candidacy of Obama from a virtual unknown to the 44th US president has been well-played by the media. Obama knows his history and the significance of his victory. For some, he has ceased to be an individual but became symbol personified. It is to his credit that rather than run away from the overwhelming expectations, he welcomed it. This is evident on his speech, which was filled to the brim with symbolisms, as he weaved from one era to another in the history of America in a preacher's deep voice.
I was impressed by his eloquence but then again, I think part of the reason was watching George W. Bush mangle the English language for the past eight years. That doesn't take away from Obama's command of the language but we have to admit, any politician with an ounce of charisma and articulation will sound like Einstein standing next to Bush (I'm not looking at you Newt Gingrich). Anyway, no sense to step further on already flat shit. Moving on.
Throughout his speech (here's the full text), Obama peddled hope, freedom and responsibility like rare gypsy's potions. I sat in front of the tube entranced, as I watched the crowd cheer while hanging on to his every word like giddy girls over Edward Cullen pasty-white smile.
Yes, I'm even willing to suspend whatever misgivings I had before about how he dropped his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, over his controversial sermons that did not sit well with white America and choosing instead ultra-right Pastor Rick Warren (who himself made inflammatory rhetoric against homosexuals) to deliver the inaugural prayers.
I guess that's the peril of being a president, you have to please each demographic.
At this point, I really hope he can make good on his promise to reclaim the lost faith of the rest of the world on the capacity of America to lead and erase the image of a bully that wedgies school nerds on a whim.
I wonder though, throughout his speech, did anybody notice the color of his skin other than white, red and blue?
Written on 8:22 PM by isko b. doo
...is not vitamins I assure you. In fact, too much dosage is probably bad for your health.
Tatak K is the television (he calls it public service, but I doubt that) program of the de facto congressman of Davao City's first district. The de facto was his father's words, not mine. His father, by the way, is the House Speaker. The number four most important man in the country. And I ranked what, 88,999,999th out of the estimated 89 million Filipinos? I think that's only because I have a skewed sense of self-importance.
That means, ladies and gentlemen, 88,999,998 others are more worthy to swallow his spit.
Tatak K is the brand to sell the son. I would not even guess his political agenda but the word magnanimity was never associated with the father, maybe the son is different? What was the old maxim about the fruit never falling far from the tree or was it shit from the ass?
Tatak K is just the latest venture. There are other indications that the son has a personal agenda. How about his face emblazoned on the side of the multi-cabs donated to the communities in the first district, for example. Or could it be that he inherited his father's penchant to put the family name on projects built “through his own initiative.”
My, my... kids do grow up so fast.
Another indication: the anointed son visited out office one day wanting to write a column. He hobnobs with the boss so no surprise there.
He was introduced to the people at the office. When the name of our chief editor was mentioned by our boss, he said: I don't know her. Okay, how about the managing editor?
“My father doesn't know him.”
Ah.
When my name was mentioned. Well, you could guess the answer. I generally avoid the press conferences they organize like the Black Plague.
Anyway, his request to write a political column was declined. We offered him to write a lifestyle column instead. We all shook hands, I managed a wry grin. Awkward. How about that lifestyle column?Sure, sure, he said.
We never heard from him since.
There's a word associated with the letter K that any self-respecting kolehiyala can blurt out effortlessly.
Kainis.
Written on 7:47 PM by isko b. doo
I wonder why the number of interns have been dwindling?
Before we used to get as many as five interns for training at the same time. Now, we hardly get one. Personally, I prefer it that way because it's not easy to break a student on the realities of working as a journalist on the field and that job falls on me, being the lowest ranked supervisor on the team.
The hardest part I think is how to sustain student interest in print journalism because it certainly lacked the appeal and luster of being seen on TV or heard on radio. And make no mistake about it, it's harder to get your copy published in print because it is more demanding when it comes to grammar, accuracy, and accountability.
The professional part of me, however, wishes there were more students who show interest in pursuing a career in journalism. It is a thankless job, especially more so for community journalists who, ironically, are constantly preyed upon by unscrupulous publishers and broadcast station owners. I think we have one of the highest ratios in terms of labor violations than any other industry: that includes non-payment of wages or benefits, long hours, overtime pay, labor contracting, etc.
Exactly how do you hope to attract new graduates to try their hand in journalism without offering a competitive salary package? And because it is difficult, it would be a better investment for the company to take care of employees because pride is the only thing that prevents writers and editors from going the route of the call center industry, where the dearth of competent agents gave rise to pirating employees from rival companies.
This rivalry thing is so ingrained in us that we wouldn't want to get caught dead working for a rival company that has been the subject of constant ribbing and criticizing during weekly meetings. Right now, however, pride is a luxury that's quickly waning by the minute. An additional P2,000 to your present salary sounds very appetizing especially when your monthly bills mount or your family expands.
The growing popularity of independent films also changed the whole landscape. More and more students now want to become filmmakers and schools have been prodding them even if the teachers do not posses the filmmaking background to impart knowledge while the equipment and machine leave much to be desired. With all those odds, I reckon the chances of success for a budding filmmaker to break the mainstream, where the moolah is, is one in a hundred thousand.
Now I'm not saying the trend is a bad thing, but it does impact on the number of students who want to be print journalists. That burden, however, is on us. As if my monthly bills are not a burden enough, tsk.
Posted in
work
|
Written on 11:02 PM by isko b. doo
Communist rebels finally released 1st Lt. Vicente Cammayo on Tuesday after nearly two months in captivity when he went missing (the military version said he was abducted; the New People's Army claimed he surrendered) in Monkayo, Compostela Valley on November 7 last year.
But I'm not going to write an entry about the circumstances behind his release so for a full report, read here. However, there were some observations that warranted this entry.
We had a correspondent cover the event and it was an interesting experience for him. The coverage was no problem since we had full confidence on his capacity to write in intelligible form whatever transpired during the turnover of the captive soldier from the hands of the NPA, to the International Committee of the Red Cross and finally, to government authorities.
At the Eastern Mindanao Command headquarters, Cammayo was wheeled towards the waiting throng of journalists, government officials, military officers and hangers-on for the ministerial press conference.
During the brief interchange, a military official distributed copies of the NPA statement and being wet behind the ears and because nobody knew him from Adam, our writer was naturally excluded. When he asked for a copy from the writer of a rival paper, he got snubbed instead.
There's something to be said about entitlement. Our correspondent is certainly not entitled any favors from a rival writer. It's their nature to compete and to out-scoop each other. In the same vein, the public is entitled to whatever information that NPA statement might contain. I could not blame the writer for his actions and in the same vein I also could not chide the newbie for his reaction. These are the kind of things he will learn along the way.
We all go through these initiations and there's a good side to that: whatever respect you get later, you are sure you earned it. I just hoped things like these should be taught in schools to fully prepare would-be journalists for what should be expected once they are thrown into the fire, so to speak but how can you expect students to learn when the teachers have not burned a single candle to learn their craft outside of classroom walls? Oh well, c'est la vie.
Posted in
work
|
Written on 9:28 PM by isko b. doo
For first timers, joining trade exhibits could be very difficult. I remember our company participating in an exhibit in Manila last year and we didn’t even know where to begin making all the preparations — like the displays, streamers, even beautifying the booth itself. The result? Well, let’s just say I wish wasn’t there to man that infernal booth.
How I wish we came across something like Camelback earlier. A one-stop shop for everything you could possibly need when you intend to join trade shows, exhibits, expositions, or hold concerts and special events to promote your product or company.
Consider their display trusses for example, which features aluminum and steel structures that could be customized according to your needs. They also have regular or retractable banner stands or life-sized cutouts that will surely catch the attention of potential clients and buyers.
Written on 7:41 PM by isko b. doo
Is it just me or something is off about how Richard Gomez is hosting the Family Feud? I know I have better things to do than criticize the hosting style of some actor but I've watched several episodes now and the way he practically jumps at the women contestants still makes me uncomfortable.
Maybe I have a dirty mind but it's like watching somebody being exploited on primetime.
If anything, doesn't his "touchy" style of hosting must be putting girls at a disadvantage? If he has to be a fair host, shouldn't he also hug and kiss the guys while they were guessing their answers?
Apparently, this is is first time to host a game show and he auditioned for the role, according to GMA News. I wonder who he had to kiss to get the part?
I mean, common people! Did the original host of Family Feud, where Richard's gameshow was patterned after, invade the space of the contestants to reduce them to giddy little girls?
I have to stop now lest I'll be accused of being envious. Just would like to say though I grew up on the original show and the old (dead!) guy, Ray Combs, was much better.
Posted in
TV
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Written on 9:54 PM by isko b. doo
This sucks. My throat is feeling dry, my body is sore and I think I'm coming down with a flu. The cans of beer in my freezer this morning beckons and I still have tons to do. I expect the next few days to be pure torture as I tide this sickness over.
I know I need a lot of bedrest but I have a bad case of insomnia so sleeping early is out of the question. In fact, this flu was probably triggered by several days of only two or three hours of sleep each day. Today, my nose started to run. Tomorrow, or the next day at the most, I'd start coughing and the ensuing discomfort would likely rob me of much-needed sleep.
It's a Catch-22 situation: I don't sleep, I get worse; I get worse, I can' sleep.
There's another problem, I can't swallow a pill. It's probably psychological but I'd like to think it's genetic since my mother is pretty much the same. What we do is drink lots of liquid and, in her case, catch up on sleep.
But what the heck am I thinking? There's beer on my freezer courtesy of San Miguel Beer (thank God for friends holding strategic positions). As always the case, when you got all odds stacked against you, have beer. It won't probably help my situation and more than likely weaken my immune system some more but hey, in a liquor-laced stupor, nothing else matters.
Written on 4:38 PM by isko b. doo
I grew up around chickens. I don't mean the cowards, I'm referring to Col. Sanders' favorite pet, the one with feathers and go clucking at the first sign of trouble.
My father was a hobbyist breeder and very passionate about roosters, so much that he refused to eat any of the chicken that we brought home from cockfights (hey, each battle has its spoils, some get women or gold but we got dressed and muscled cocks instead). Since my father's fighting cocks were quite good, every Sunday was a feast since we always get Tinolang manok for dinner aside from the two liters of Coke. Growing up poor, those things were a luxury.
Mornings and afternoons were torture. I was assigned the task of feeding the cocks and the hens at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the dot. Failure to do so earned me a licking. All the cocks insisted on being the top dog of the coop and fight whoever (dog, cat, me) entered that godforsaken, turd-infested (they're not called fowl for nothing) box. The hostility magnified during breeding period when the cock was all juiced up from pent-up horniness, like the Tasmanian Devil on crack, and any shin or leg was fair game.
And man, you couldn't believe how some cocks got Kung Fu down pat. If you were lucky, you get only a few welts or scratches but there were cases when my leg was pockmarked by sharp talons and beaks. Though we weren't really told to not kick or pummel them to death, it was common understanding that a boy always runs away when confronted by a cock. That maxim holds true on both literal and figurative sense. Unless the boy likes cocks and that's just gay.
As a kid, I did my assignment begrudgingly. I wasn't passionate about chickens. In fact, I thought the only thing they were good for was when they were covered in barbeque sauce. But when I discovered gambling, cockfighting opened a whole new world for me. Good thing my father was such a sport about his sons gambling. My father was never a heavy gambler. I think he gets more kick of his cocks winning only because it's a testament to his methods; just like how gambling was a testament to my madness.
It took me years to rid that vice but last New Year's Day, I went to my first cockfight in years. All the usual suspects were there, the Kristos, bookies, wasted bums, liquors, the adrenaline rush, and even the enterprising man who rents out the metal spurs (also called gaffes or tari in visayan) for a few pesos, and it's like I never left. It's amazing how they put up the cockpit that fast when it was just a few months back when authorities raided the placed and booked a few gamblers.
My father brought along one gamecock. So in keeping with the new year, I wagered P500. I thought that was just enough to scratch a nagging itch but not too much to nag at my conscience for falling off the wagon. As luck would have it, the fight was a draw. I wouldn't have mind losing the money, anything but a draw. I got my P500 back but I was still pissed off. When I handed that money to my father, I already written that off as a lost asset since I learned a long time ago that adopting that mindset helped take the sting off losing. To scratch another itch, the P500 never had a chance. We spent it all on food.
Posted in
musings
|
Written on 3:45 PM by isko b. doo
I was scouring the Net for the ideal digital SLR for me after saving up for what seemed like forever on my meager salary (that means skipping dinner and lunch or relying on good Samaritans to feed me).
And so it happens when you're Googling, you get ping-ponged to different pages and I stumbled upon this site (www.shopwiki.com) which promises to be the biggest platform for linking sellers with online shoppers. How does it work? Think Google for shopaholics. It doesn't take rocket science to understand the first page since every product is categorized for easy browsing. Perfect for the older set who are easily intimidated by complicated layouts and voluminous ads.
The site features easy-to-read guidelines (http://www.shopwiki.com/wiki/Digital+Cameras) for those who are seriously considering to purchase a product but is tied down on budget constraints; for added measure, products are rated according to popularity, reliability, efficiency, and value.
Each product also comes with a review and comment from previous shoppers and owners which greatly helps in making that big jump. Take me for example, I've always been partial to Nikon because I just love it's sleek black look. Although it would be impractical because only Canon has a service center here in Davao City, so if my new Nikon camera acts up, I would have to send it to Manila for repairs. But what the heck, I am anything but practical.
So I just clicked the Nikon D80 below (
http://www.shopwiki.com/search/Nikon+D80) the Prosumer SLRs option to the right and it brought me to this window which allows me to choose what store offers the cheapest cost, rebates or free shipping package, etc. Now, how cool is that?
A quick flip through the list and I immediately found what I want. At about $720 and factoring in the exchange rate at P50.00 against the greenback, I still get to save a few thousand bucks if I purchase a kit here with a price range of not less than P40K.
And it's brand new! Unlike if I bid online for second-hand DLSRs. Born of the previous generation with horrible attention span, it takes a lot to sustain my interest. But the simple layout, minimal ads, and hassle-free steps make this site perfect for the technology-challenged like me. I've never tried shopping online before because I thought it was for sissies but I think this is as good a time as any to get in touch with my feminine side.
