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Gideon Lasco

PhD candidate in Medical Anthropology, Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), University of Amsterdam

Gideon Lasco, MD, MSc is a licensed physician, medical anthropologist, and writer from the Philippines. He received his medical degree from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 2010, and completed his MSc Medical Anthropology in the same college in 2014. He is currently taking up a PhD in medical anthropology at the University of Amsterdam's Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR). A regular op-ed contributor at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, his essays have been published in the Singapore Straits Times, Jakarta Post, China Post, and other regional newspapers.

His research has focused on the traditional and modern ways that various sectors of society utilise to improve their bodies and their everyday lives. In 2011, he traveled around the Philippines to interview over forty traditional healers from various cultural traditions and observe their ways of healing. From 2012 to 2013, he did ethnographic work on young drug users in an urban poor community. His ongoing PhD research is about the meanings and materialities of height (human stature) in the Philippines.

In the Philippines, the premium placed on height is no tall tale

Apr 04, 2017 14:12 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

During the 1936 Berlin Olympics the first time basketball was played as an Olympic sport the Philippine mens basketball team was a surprisingly strong contender. Largely seen as underdogs because of their short stature,...

Southeast Asia's war on drugs doesn’t work – here's what does

Dec 21, 2016 07:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes bloody war on drugs is just the latest in a region where drug use has usually been met with draconian measures. Thailand embarked 13 years ago on a drug war that strikes eerie...

Tall, pale and handsome: why more Asian men are using skin-whitening products

Nov 25, 2016 10:30 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

Jose, 19, is a college student in Puerto Princesa City, Philippines. On a regular school day, after he wakes up, he takes a shower, scrubbing his body using soap made of papaya (Carica papaya), a fruit thats said to...

Economy

Asian Currencies Mixed as Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Jackson Hole

Asian currencies traded mixed on Thursday as the U.S. dollar hovered near a one-week high, supported by hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data that kept expectations of another Federal Reserve interest rate hike alive....

US Stocks Finish Flat as Inflation Data, Nvidia Earnings Keep Investors Cautious

U.S. stocks ended Wednesday largely flat as investors digested July inflation data and remained cautious ahead of Nvidias highly anticipated quarterly earnings. The SP 500 closed unchanged at 7,677.00, while the Nasdaq...

Japan Firms Ramp Up Yen Hedging as Currency Weakness Persists

Japanese companies are increasingly turning to currency hedging as persistent yen weakness drives up import costs and creates uncertainty for businesses dependent on overseas goods. Taku Ueno, CEO of Takara MC, which...

Oil Prices Fall as Middle East Ceasefire Hopes Rise

Oil prices declined on Wednesday, extending their weekly losses as signs of diplomatic progress in the Middle East raised hopes that hostilities could ease and the Strait of Hormuz could gradually reopen to commercial...

Gold Prices Fall as Stronger Dollar, Fed Rate Outlook Weigh

Gold prices declined Wednesday as the U.S. dollar strengthened following mixed inflation and economic data, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates unchanged in September. Spot gold fell...

Politics

U.S. Probes Apex Logistics Over Nvidia AI Chip Shipments to China

The U.S. government is investigating Singapore-based Apex Logistics over allegations that the freight company helped transport Nvidia AI chips and computer systems to China despite U.S. export restrictions, Bloomberg...

Pentagon Eyes U.S. Troop Cuts in Europe Amid NATO Review

A Pentagon review of U.S. military deployments in Europe is expected to produce at least four options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by November 6, as Washington considers potentially reducing its troop presence across...

Judge Rejects Minnesota Bid to Force ICE Agent Extradition

A federal judge has rejected Minnesotas attempt to force Texas Governor Greg Abbott to immediately extradite a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of shooting a Venezuelan man during a major...

U.S. Disrupts China-Linked Hacking Campaign Targeting Government Agencies

The United States has disrupted a China-linked cyber operation accused of targeting sensitive government agencies, including the Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve and U.S. Senate, authorities said Wednesday. The...

34 Australians Missing After Deadly Nepal Floods

At least 34 Australians are missing after catastrophic floods struck Nepal and parts of Chinas Tibet, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Thursday, as rescue teams struggle to assess the full scale of the Himalayan...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

OpenAI AI Agent Swarm Behind Hugging Face Hack

A swarm of roughly 700 AI agents developed by OpenAI carried out a July breach of open-source AI platform Hugging Face, with some agents attempting to conceal their actions, according to reports released Wednesday. The...

Meta Agrees to $18 Billion Settlement, Tightens Teen Social Media Rules

Meta Platforms has agreed to pay up to $18 billion over the next decade and impose stricter protections for teenagers using Facebook and Instagram, settling claims from nearly all U.S. states that its platforms were...

Nvidia Revenue Soars 106% as AI Demand Hits ‘Inflection Point’

Nvidia reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday as booming demand for artificial intelligence hardware pushed revenue up 106% from a year earlier, prompting CEO Jensen Huang to declare that AI has...

Salesforce Shares Surge as AI Demand Powers Q2 Earnings Beat

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM) delivered stronger-than-expected second-quarter fiscal 2027 results, fueled by rapid growth in artificial intelligence products, improved profitability and rising customer demand. Salesforce...

HP Stock Drops 9% Despite Q3 Earnings Beat and Raised 2026 Outlook

HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) delivered stronger-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, supported by robust Personal Systems sales and tariff refunds. However, HP stock fell more than 9% in after-hours trading Wednesday as...