29 February
2020. “Leap Of Kindness Day,” says the above message from Rockport Fulton[1]. Me,
yes I’m doing something kind for my country the Philippines starting today. I’m
making a Leap of Faith and starting a digital popular magazine.
This is not
my first time to start and edit a publication – I founded and edited the 3
publications of the Forest Research Institute 1975-1981: monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical journal Sylvatrop, and quarterly popular color
magazine Habitat. During The
Age Of Dinosaurs (Typewriters).
Already, I am an old hand with digital works. I began
self-learning digital writing, editing and desktop publishing on Innocents Day,
1985. In 2007, as Editor In Chief I made world-class or ISI the 25-year old Philippine Journal of Crop Science owned
by the Crop Science Society of the Philippines based at UP Los Baños.
I have desktop-published many books; the one I love best is
the coffee-table book of ACPC: The
Filipino Farmer Is Bankable, 150 pages. I wrote the text; 50% of the
photographs are mine.
Today, the
magazine I’m thinking of, Ammom,
Philippines, is dedicated to the Inclusive & Sustainable Development of
my country, via Agriculture, following the precepts of Secretary of Agriculture
William Dar/Manong Willie in his “New Thinking for Agriculture” with its
embedded “The Eight Paradigms” from which we are to derive our initiatives in
programs and projects for the good of the Filipino people, especially the poor
farmers and fishers.
“Inclusive
Development” means the poor farmers and fishers are recipients of the values
along the value chain, minus usurers and merchants. “Sustainable Development” means
that the results of technologies and systems employed by society show technical feasibility, economical viability,
environmental soundness, and social acceptability[2].
Why a
magazine? Here is a list:
1. Opportunity for thousands more
readers.
2. We can publish original,
thought-provoking ideas.
3. Readers can go back to an article
and be convinced.
4. Cultural values can be explored
more.
5. Continuity.
6. Art is best appreciated, because you
can easily go back to the paper or page.
7. For cultivating habits, including
checking facts.
8. For promoting campaigns of any kind.
9. For celebrations, including the
scientific and intellectual.
10. For interviews – and therefore
cultivating loyal readers.
11. For nurturing cultural values.
12. Magazines “provide the reader with
in-depth and concise information, in a portable and readable form” – Donna Halper,
Professor of political communication, media historian, author, former reporter[3].
And Susanna
Schrobsdorff, an executive editor for TIME, mentions the “symbolic role of the
magazine’s cover[4],”
the Person of the Year, in Influence. Copying, I will have in Ammom Pilipinas my own Citizen
Of The Year, COTY, in Kindness.
I got the idea from the Facebook sharing of my son Jomar just as I finalize
this; his source is blogger Ursula, who says, “Kind people are the smartest of
all.[5]”
She says Richard Davidson “explains that kindness requires an ability to think
not just of yourself, but of others as well.” That’s smart!@517
[1] http://members.rockport-fulton.org/events/details/leap-of-kindness-day-46957
[2] http://www.fao.org/3/ai388e/AI388E05.htm
[3] https://www.quora.com/Why-is-a-magazine-very-important
[4] https://www.gwhatchet.com/2019/10/23/time-magazine-executive-editor-talks-publications-role-in-politics-culture/
[5] https://www.creativehealthyfamily.com/goodness-takes-intelligence-why-kind-people-are-the-smartest-of-all/
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