Mark Barnes

Trash in Moonee Ponds Creek, Melbourne

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Moonee Ponds Creek from Flemington Bridge Station down to Docklands, in Melbourne, is filled with litter. It runs along side a train line, underneath City Link, and is a receptacle for much of the inner city storm water. This piece addresses the issue of litter in Melbourne’s waterways. It includes interviews with Kaye Oddie of … Read more

The value of Marcos jewels according to the Philippine government

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This article was published in Rappler. MANILA, Philippines – What is the value of a ruby that was once owned by Imelda Marcos? Approximately 52,000 textbooks, according to the anti-corruption agency Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). The PCGG recently published a photo album of Imelda’s jewels, a part of a collection sequestered by government because the … Read more

Duterte operates in zone of ‘cursed and sacred’

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This article was published in Rappler. MANILA, Philippines – Homo sacer: Sacred and cursed. This was how host Joseph Mabilog Jr described presidential bet Rodrigo Duterte at the Scintilla Juris fraternity and Astrum Scientis Sorority’s Alternative Class Learning Experience on Thursday, March 31. The event, held at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, aimed to strip … Read more

Too frequent fires at UP Diliman?

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This article was published on Rappler. Here’s a history of recent fires in UP Diliman, the last one being in July 2015 only MANILA, Philippines – The blaze that broke out at the University of the Philippines (UP) Faculty Center early morning Friday, April 1, is another in a string of fires to hit the … Read more

Go back to ‘roots’ – TEDx Miriam College speakers

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This article was published in Rappler. MANILA, Philippines – It was all about getting back to the “roots” or “rediscovering who we are as individuals” on Saturday, March 5, at Miriam College’s first TEDx forum. The concept was simple and provocative, and the ideas it brought up came thick and fast with 7 speakers taking … Read more

Recalling the past, looking to the future: X users react to #EDSA30

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This article was published in Rappler. MANILA, Philippines – It was 30 years ago when over two million Filipinos rallied at EDSA to say enough is enough, that the regime of Ferdinand Marcos had run its course, and that democracy had to be restored. The 30th anniversary of the EDSA revolution came at a tumultuous … Read more