There’s a thrilla going on in Manila. No, Muhammad Ali hasn’t returned from the fray to reclaim his fighting day glory, but instead this fight is against a bigger opponent: getting older.

I have observed a resurgence of athleticism among 30 year olds in Manila. Weekly sponsored runs, bike fests and triathlons are now commonplace in The Philippines thru establishments like Pinoy Fitness. It used to be that the 2nd or 3rd decade of a person’s life was dedicated to living life without thinking or fear of consequences. Now It seems like “Six Degrees of Separation” applies to health concerns. There are only six degrees of separation between a healthy 30 year old and his 30 year old acquaintance with diabetes, heart problems and/or high blood pressure.

Turning to athletics is a 30 year old’s response to this reality. Yes, athleticism is still about the physical challenge, but it is no longer a competition of physical skill and prowess as it was during collegiate days. It is has become a statement of a person’s health status. Health really is the new status symbol.

http://daytripped-running.blogspot.com/

Most days, I wake up pretty early. Early-Bird early. Before-the-sun-rises early. I have a window of time, a magic few hours, utterly to myself, before the sun fully paints the sky. In New York City, at this hour, the streets are utilitarian and the air, pregnant with a day’s possibility. Sometimes, it’s as if nothing moves. Yet, even in a time so seemingly sacred, so quasi-religious in its weight, an act of sacrilege takes place: A cloying glow of a computer screen illuminates my work area, my hand fumbles, reaching for my mobile, retrieving a cross-Atlantic sms, a television suddenly activated, diligently eats silence. I’m . . . connected.

But, this feels wrong. While “sacrilege” may be an indulgence of language on my part, awaking to this much connectivity is definitely kinda bad, right? It is kinda bad to feel alien without a screen present. It is kinda bad to feel foreign to the alterity of zoning out.

But why? Why is this “bad”?

New York Times Technology Journalist Matt Ritchel thinks that when our beloved communication devices inundate us from all directions, ironically we feel more disconnected and less able to focus. He thinks we shouldn’t. This is why it is bad.

This morning I received a Facebook invitation to join a group called “Libraries Across Africa”. Now, I don’t know what “Libraries Across Africa” exactly is, but I quickly clicked the link, glazed over some copy about wanting to “radically accelerate the construction of public libraries in Africa in order to provide information access, for the largest number, at the least cost” and clicked “Like”. I thought, ‘It’s Africa. I like Africa. It’s libraries. I also happen to like libraries. It’s a seemingly innocent, well-intentioned attempt to bring light to a situation that if remedied would have significant and long lasting effects on the entire continents present and future. I’m in!’ I clicked “Like”. I felt better. I’m think my voice was heard.

But in truth, that elated feeling of pride in action, was fleeting. Soon after my morning foray into ‘feel good activism’, I was checking movie times; illegally downloading music and trying to find a good thesaurus app for my phone that’ll make me sound smarter. This is when I realized I’d committed an egregious act of “Clicktivism”.

Let’s do some quick reflection.

Traditionally the preserve of 'underground' music fans 'zines, those Xeroxed journals often found lingering around the flier rack of independent bookshops and underground record purveyors, are making a significant comeback. Whether this is partly driven by nostalgia, the rise of DIY culture or an innate desire for tactile sources of information and inspiration, I'm not sure. But whatever the drivers behind this resurgence there, seems to be an endless stream of new and very well thought out 'zines available, and most have little to do with music!

This recent emergence is very much in line with 'Pastoral Life', our recent Future Sign that tracks the growing number of people in urban environment who are finding ways to reconnect with their pastoral roots. From urban gardens to city bee keeping we are witnessing an explosion of people advocating a return to a more gentle and civilized age, where people were more closely connected to their natural environment.

This is now reflected in the growth of independent food oriented 'zines. Whilst mainstream food publications are going under, these independent publishers are filling the void with locally focused and more personal titles.