Yahoo News reports, and I quote, if the Philippines were to join a dating game along w 117 other countries, it is among those who are likely to walk home alone." That's news reporting? Home alone? That's a movie.

The Philippines placed 95 out of 118 in terms of performance down from 78 out of 115 last year. Neighboring Thailand ranked 26, Malaysia 36, Vietnam 69, Indonesia 78, Laos for chrissake 81 and the killing fields of Cambodjah 87.

The report, and I quote, is based on the research and insights of 3,600 opinion-formers, business and leisure travellers assessing countries in terms of value systems (we have no values?), quality of life (we're miserable?), ease of doing business (oh well, they may have something there), heritage and culture as well as tourism. End of quote. Opinion formers? How is opnion former different from opinion-maker?

The report also ranks countries by global awareness, does the planet even know we exist, and if it does, does it care? Apparently not.

Switzerland, from which we stole the slogan it is more fun in Switzerland, ranked no. 1 followed by Japan, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, the US, Finland and Norway where a neo-nazi turned a playground into a killing field.

But we are better off than Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Iran, Libya, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Syria, Bangladesh and Nigeria. And that's nonsense because Iran is a nuclear power. It has the intellectual clout and the industrial know-how to build its own nuclear reactors and weaponize its byproducts if it wants to.

The report has a silver lining. It said that while we are 9 from the bottom of the list, we are rising even though we fell from last year's ranking. The report did say, at least, that the Philippines is perceived to be a harmless enemy and a useless friend.

This is what comes out of playing up country rankings which can go either way up or down. But if you accept the up, you are forced to accept the down. Why don't we just ignore this stuff?

Keep well.