[Readings: 08] Business Reporting

In my opinion, like almost any other beat, business reporting can maximize its scope when it could give human interest stories apart fom the usual explanation of the economy, the stock market and so on. Articles such as the ‘10 richest men in the country’ or the ‘20 outstanding young entrepreneur’  and the like almost never fail to get the readers interested because almost everybody fantasizes about being in the list someday.

Business reporting not only informs the public about who’s making the most money. It also interprets the economic realities of common people. This is shown in the article from the New York Times about ‘ordinary people’ looking for jobs whose employments were deeply affected by economic turmoil large in scope.

Skills in business reporting is also an instrument in keeping watch of anomalies or questionable steps taken by the government. Being the society’s watchdog, it is but imperative that the press be prompt and effective in making sure that those holding the public offices and those entrusted by the people to serve are doing right. As in Malou Mangahas’s article on the questionable existence of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, the press is instrumental in pointing out the government’s actions that are “in limbo” and “headless, listless, and without direction.”

So, George Harmon in his article “Grading Business Journalism,” asked, “Who’ll protect the public?” from all these nuances and abuses? “Maybe the press,” he says. Learning business reporting entails sustained interest, training, and practice on the field “poring through 10-Ks.” The field is a complex one and it takes a good deal of dedication on both the parts of the student and the teacher.

But it seems that it’s worth it. Only few journalists are interested in specializing in this area. It’s an advantage to be one of the few who understands the business realities and skilled enough to write about it. It is surely an advantage to be able to relay to people the idea that business and economics affect everybody.

[Readings: 07] The World’s A Bus

Ten things the Philippines bus siege police got wrong

Analysts: Philippine leadership wilts under crisis spotlight

I feel really deprived of news because I was not home when the hostage crisis took place. I went to a place without television and all I had was internet connection. The next few days after, though, made up for what I’d missed during the 10-hour televised coverage of the incident.

When I listened to the stories, I’m not only being told what really happened but I’m already hearing what the person talking to me thinks of the event. For example, on one moment I am inclined to say that the media is at grave fault because they failed to recognize that they are actually hindering the police operations. The supposed discretion of the locations of the police and the snipers were televised by the broadcast networks, which, it goes without saying, gave the hostage taker immense advantage he should not be having at all. The media was not also able to limit themselves, as they were too close to the crime scene that it was also possible they can be harmed.

My ethics professor pointed out that the media seem to have forgotten that they could not be any more ignorant than the viewing public. If they don’t know what’s happening, they can’t go on air and start panicking. It was probably better if they delayed the broadcast or stopped covering altogether. When the public perceives the supposed stewards of information as clueless as they are, the trust vanishes. The hostage taker might even have felt a certain degree of confidence because he was able to put everybody on his wit’s ends.

The major networks all competed to get the most compelling, the most action-filled footage, forgetting their codes of conduct, and their ethical standards, going so close to the scene compromising not only their safety but of the hostages as well. They should have respected the police, no matter how competent or incompetent they perceive the latter to be. As my prof said, “Media people are not trained to be negotiators.”

But I could not put all the blame on the media, of course, no matter how *tongue-in-cheek* the coverage seemed to be. After my ethics prof pointed out the lapses of the media, here comes the ACLe in which our speakers were media practitioners who, unsurprisingly, said that it’s primarily the police force’s fault the crisis ended up so badly. And I agree with some of their points. One of these is the fact that the nature of the media’s profession is to narrate as vividly as possible. Who would want to be outscooped in this jungle called ratings competition? If the police wanted to restrict the media’s access and thereby ensuring that the operations will go according to their prescribed protocols during crisis situations, then the restriction should be all-out—meaning no one gets the footage. Fair and square.

Another lapse is that the police arrived some time AFTER the media did. It’s the media people’s instinct to get as close to the story as possible, and because of arriving late, the police was not even able to cordon-off the place! One speaker int he ACLe said that, however, if those police wanted to get the media away from the scene, they could have done so—they have guns, they can threaten the unarmed reporters even just for posterity’s sake. They are not called the authorities for nothing. But instead, what did they do? They took pictures with them news anchors, followed what the celebrities said and so on.

I could not also blame the media for covering the arrest of Mendoza’s brother, which was said to have triggered the hostage taker’s rampage. As another of our speakers said, “The scene was dramatic, it was colorful. It had to be on the camera.” Now if the scene never happened at all, if the dozens of police present were able to restrain the lone man in a more composed manner, the media wouldn’t have been able to heighten the tension in the incident.

Both sides have lapses. Even the bystanders have lapses. And perhaps, the President himself had a lapse as well. Whereas the media and the police erred because they did certain things they should have not done, P-Noy is now seen as passive in a situation that needed all the attention it could have—including diplomacy. I think it was good if the President immediately dispelled uneasiness in the international community by issuing a statement—an apology, a promise, whatever. But I do understand that he meant it good when he did not intervene during the operations. He was leaving it to the (supposed) experts hands. He does not have to say “This incident will be investigated, those at fault will be punished.” He did not need to say that because  it will happen, it has to happen, naturally—hierarchically if I may say so.  I had to go without saying. But because we are so used to seeing these social institutions not work unless told to do so, the people felt P-Noy was too lax and was taking the issue for granted.

 I am definitely not  defending what the Palace did or did not do. What I’m saying is that the media, the police, and the President all have clearly defined roles. In crisis situations where a minute can make the difference, where an uttered word could trigger gunshots, and some sort of consolation (even half-assed) would be of grave importance, all we could do was trust that the person beside us will do his job, and will perform because it’s what he’s trained for or elected for.

Now, many Hong Kong nationals could not wait to hit some random Filipino guy on the street, or fire their Pinay domestic helper. TT________TT

The fault of one compromised the entire country.
I think it’s about time that  each one think and act for the sake of everybody else.

Yep, sorry for the lame title. XP

It’s been a year.

“No matter how far apart we have been separated from one another, the sky continues on everywhere, so during heartbreaking times, emotionally painful times, sad times, and even happy times, I am always near you.”

– Jasmine You

I actually feel guilty because I have not been immersing myself in the j-rock world anymore lately.

The fact remains, though, that I’m a fan, and I know I’d come back home to the world of hyde and L’Arc~en~Ciel, Gackt, Sadie, Nightmare, and of course, Versailles [Philharmonic Quintet] among others.

However, I cannot miss the fact that it is the morning of this day last year that I was shocked immbolized when I learned the news that the bassplayer of Versailles, Kageyama Yuuichi aka Jasmine You, has died of undisclosed cause. I was so sad that I even refused to believe the news: “Maybe he’s still there, playing his bass, donning his hair with curls and peacock feathers. Maybe we’ll still see Versailles live. Maybe it’s a lie. Maybe scribbling his name over and over will make it unreal…”

But his bandmates have moved on, and the least I can do is support them more than ever. 

No matter where he is now, Yuu will have a special place in the hearts of us jrock fans.

He is now back to where he was sent from. :’(

[Readings:06] Writing about science vis-à-vis science blogging

Airships: a second age

Space-Time “Wrinkles” Igniting Odd Gamma-ray Bursts?

Unnatural Science

Science Blogs=Zombie blogs

To me at least, journalists have vital roles to play in relaying to the public the advances (and mishaps) of science. For example, the Telegraph article on airships might not have succeeded in “getting the message across” about the history and future of the industry had it been written by “an expert.” This expert might more or less have a bias for or against these “hybrid air vehicles,” not to mention that he doesn’t have the automatic knack to make a seemingly boring subject interesting.

This knack also seem to be the key in making the “mulish” lay people/reader get the significance of highly complicated and distant topic, as in the article from the National Geographic. I now dare generalize, but it seemed almost elementary that the experts in the field are not usually keen in “going down the level” of the non-specialists’ understanding of a subject. I presume that since the writer of this article is, well, a writer by profession, he labored to explain the basics of gamma-rays and cosmic strings and describe them in a concrete manner.

The idea of blogging replacing journalism when it comes to reporting science will be an unending debate, the winning side of the moment determined by whoever is trying to make the point. Blogging has become a fertile medium for scientists, or those who purport they are, since the “traditional media” has not been warmly receptive of their endeavors. It has the advantage of being accessible and fast, and its effects as a new media can be exemplified by the success, and now the gradual dying, of ScienceBlogs.com.

But Virginia Heffernan hits home when she said that blogging about science is has become “a form of redundant and effortfully incendiary rhetoric that draws bad-faith moral authority from the word ’science.’” I opine, then, that both those in the journalism profession and those engaged in science blogging strive to develop the competence and ethical standards in their respective fields. Writers don’t have to give up writing about science just because experts are already blogging about the field. Instead, the inherent  skills and orientation of writers—ability to connect, extensive research mindedness, objectivity, knowledge of what a reasonable reader needs from a written piece—will be utilized and highlighted when writing about and trying to make the reader understand science.

How to Get Instantly Stronger: Some Secrets behind the Science of Strength*

[Fourth J109 article — Scientific How-to Article.]

There are times when non-athletic persons (like me) are faced with tasks and instances that make us wish we are stronger than we really are. Fortunately there are ways to significantly improve and boost our strength for times like these.

In school, some physical education courses assess health and skills components of the body such as strength. In “real life,” moments that make us wish we had stayed physically fit and paid more attention to building up our body’s strength always come up, sometimes unexpectedly. We may have to carry heavy things just when there is nobody around to ask help from. There are also times when we wish our lower bodies are more adept at jumping over a considerable distance, such as a hole or a puddle of flood on the road.

Faced with these apparently daunting tasks, we regret not having trained our bodies to becoming stronger. However, weightlifting, which is a sport that relies heavily on explosive strength, can provide us with little secrets that could help us increase the strength of our upper bodies and serve the purpose at hand. And seemingly mundane and unrelated objects such as tape and golf balls can also help improve the strength of our lower bodies and consequently, the distance we can cover in a jump.

If we watch weightlifters in competitions, we can notice the “ritual” they do before performing the lift. Korean weightlifting commentator Lee Hangkyung, in a show about the facts of the human body, explains the rationale of these “rituals.” Doing these steps, no matter how untrained our bodies are, can improve our strength and allow us to lift objects that we are previously not able to.

First, the trainer makes the weightlifter smell something from a bottle. This bottle contains liquid ammonia, which is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. It is colorless and has a very strong pungent odor. Upon smelling ammonia, our concentration level will heighten and produce an awakening effect. It then releases the tension we might feel facing an undoable task.

Next, the trainer hits the muscle of the legs and the face of the weightlifter. More than agitating the athlete and making him want to hit the trainer back, hitting the muscles conditions the brain to make it focus on the task. This also serves as the warm-up for the muscles since lifting is like an instantaneous work-out.
We can also notice that weightlifters wear belt. The athletes are using special weighted belts, but for our purpose, an ordinary belt with decent width and firmness will do. The belt makes the body gather up all the strength and gear it towards the part where it’s needed: the torso. Wearing the belt also helps protect the muscles that are used in lifting.

The fourth and last “ritual” justifies the inherent need for pep rallies in sport competitions. In this case, it is the weightlifter who cheers himself on. The cry full of will power is helpful when faced with a heavy weight that needs lifting. This yell increases the person’s confidence level and shows others that they can do it. Indeed, it’s more often about having a disposition of mind over matter.

These might just be simple tricks but they can really do wonders and make non-athletic persons increase strength just when it is needed the most even without proper and long-term physical training.

The next secret to strength will be able to help non-jumpers cross a considerable distance using simple and seemingly unrelated things. These are the tape and golf balls—or any small balls which could be held inside the hands.

It is rather hard to believe but if one ties the toes together with tape, and then he does the run and jump, he can jump farther. He can tie the feet using the tape in whatever manner he wants to. The difference between distances he can cover without the tape and with the tape is striking—it could increase by up to 20%.  The goal in tying the feet is to make the toes come together. The bones and the ligaments come together and the power in the toes becomes stronger. Therefore, the jump will be more powerful.

The next trick involves holding small balls in both hands. The ball becomes a balance and gives the body a center. Consequently, the hands stimulate our nerves and sensors in the muscles and joints. This revitalizes the brain, specifically the motor cortex, and the electric signal travels faster to the efferent nerves which are responsible for the body’s movements. Thus, the muscles can move easier and stronger. This makes it possible for us to jump further than we originally can.

Of course, impressive results on physical tests such as weightlifting and jumping will not occur out of nowhere. Attaining ability to lift heavy objects and to cover distance in a single jump stems from a fully-functional and healthy body. These steps are by no means the ends to attaining strength that can be used when needed. They certainly are helpful for a purpose at hand or another, but a well-developed and physically fit body would easily do the trick whenever a heavy box needs lifting or a large puddle of water needs jumping over.

*Anchored on the “Strength” episode of the show “Explorations of the Human Body” by SBS (Korea) that aired from November 11, 2007 to February 3, 2008

Thanks to SuperJunior for the inspiration! ♥ Haha.

[Readings:05] On getting the message across

The main goal of both the scholar and the journalist is to disclose valuable information that the public needs for the purpose at hand.

By blogging, scientists finally found a way to “let the public know” about their works and findings through the “new media” mainly by blogging, dissing the “old media” that never seemed to give them the attention and credible coverage they deserved all those times. But this schism betweeen journalists and scientists cannot continue, the article “Science journalism: Supplanting the old media?” seems to say, because the public needs both: “They have to recognize the needs of the journalist, but we have to recognize the needs of the scientists. We’re kind of fusing the two cultures.”

Just the title of another article itself, “Public Praises Science; Scientists Fault Public, Media” indicates that science in relation to journalism and vice versa do not exist in a social vacuum. In a nutshell, the article showed that the rift between scientists and the media and the public may possibly come to mutual understanding, the most important factor being the ability to know more about the realities of their (American) science. Sad as it may, the results of the poll in this article may not be the same in the Philippine context where the culture of science and research has not quite got into the consciousness of the average Pinoy.

Such grim situation probably led the article “Science [Mis]communication” to ask, “So if many readers aren’t paying enough attention to understand the nuances of complex science, is there any point in attempting to report science to non-experts?” To be able to do so, the article noted a four-step strategy: Understanding the audience, determining the message, deciding on strategies, and measuring success. Furthermore, what seemed to be the determing factor is identifying and writing apprpriately for the audience.

One way of reaching to as many people as possible is through informative yet short and engaging articles. Roy Peter Clark, points out (both in “How to Write a Good Story in 800 Words or Less” and “How Humor Can Make Your Writing More Powerful“) that writers sometimes have to take the chance to get their point across more easily–either through humor and/or through thawing the ice cubes of traditional writing and just letting the story flow.

Taking Care of UP’s Trees and Birds

[Third article for J109 — Science article about a UP scientist]

Despite being in the middle of a sprawling metropolis, one of the most remarkable characteristics of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus is the abundance of trees in the area—from the vast green spaces on both sides of the University Avenue to the lush canopies around the Academic Oval. However, the diversity and abundance of birds indicates that rapid urbanization is crawling its way to and within the campus.

Birds are an integral part of our ecosystem. They are vital to the growth of trees and forests which then provides us with medicine, food, and other raw materials. Birds also help in mitigating the effects of pests in agriculture and domestic ecosystems. Bird predators, which are up in the food chain, also depend on the avian fauna for food. Disruptions in this process will ultimately affect humans, who are evidently further up the chain.

Moreover, birds also give us pleasure and inspiration just by simply listening or seeing them flying about. Aside from the implicit roles of birds, they are also instrumental in helping man understand the world he lives in. Disappearance of birds could mean destruction of habitats, pollution, dominance of predators, or inefficiency of existing policies about the environment, particularly in urban ones such as Metro Manila where UP is located.

To know more about the avian fauna in the university, Dr. Benjamin Vallejo Jr., together with other scientists from UP Diliman, conducted a study in 2005. An Associate Professor from the Institute of Environmental Science of the UP College of Science, Dr. Vallejo’s expertise lies in marine biology, aquatic resources, and urban habitats and biogeography.

The 2005 study identified the species of birds in the university, which was divided into four areas. These are the College of Science (where some buildings for academic use are constructed), the Academic Oval (noted for being surrounded with trees), the open field along the University Avenue (with a number trees and vast green spaces), and the residential site (where settlements and other commercial structures are). The birds in these areas were carefully counted and identified through scientific methods, taking note of bird movements across the route.

As a model for Metro Manila’s urbanization, UP’s tropical urban landscape “still harbors a viable complex ecosystem for bird communities.” However, the populations of these birds show that the species which cannot adapt to the urban environment with increased structures and homogenized landscapes cannot compete with birds that live commensally with humans. This homogeneity is evident in the residential areas where identical low-rise buildings are located.

Indeed, the dominance of urban-exploiting species indicates the vulnerability of the endemic bird population even to “slight habitat disturbance or modifications.” These endemic birds, which are existent only in the country, include pink-bellied imperial pigeon, Philippine hanging-parrot or “kulasisi,” Philippine coucal or “kukok,” and Philippine woodpecker sometimes known as “ta-ta-li-lik” or “karpintero-maliit.” Dr. Vallejo remarked that since the study in 2005, “the abundance of these birds including the common maya and yellow vented bulbul (‘luklak/malipago’) has gone down.”

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[Readings:04] "Reading is Writing. Writing is Reading"

Interview with MICHAEL SILVERBLAT

Excerpts from Zinnser’s on Writing Well

A Farewell to Scienceblogs: the Changing Science Blogging Ecosystem

You can fight violence with violence

How to Tell Kooky Nuts in the Addiction Field

The first three articles enlightens readers about the many facets of writing.

The first article about the host of Bookworm, Michael Silverblatt, described what it takes to be a successful interviewer/host like Silverblatt himself. Since one of the basic tool of writers is talking to sources and subjects, it is apparent that, as Silverblatt said, “the last thing you want is to have people say to you what they’ve said to someone else.” I find the flow of the interview definitive of the SIlverblatt’s philosophy in conversing instead of interrogating the subjects. Moreover, it was evident that Silverblatt’s penchant for reading has helped him be the one writers would want to be friends with.

The excerpts from Zinnser’s on Writing Well talked about the “crimes” budding writers have more or less committed. Honestly, I am guilty of them as well. Keeping the written piece simple and free of clutter should be second nature to writers. But, as Zinnser’s examples pointed out, this is not the case. What is most interesting for me, though, is the part about style and Zinnster’s insistence to use “I” (implicitly or not) in writing, because as a reader, “I don’t want to meet ‘one’—he’s a boring guy.”

The third article is about the scientist-writer’s experience in blogging for a science blog network, Scienceblogs.com, and his decision to leave after an unethical article has come out of the site. He said, “What is relevant is that this event severely undermined the reputation of all of us. Who can trust anything we say in the future?” I commend his statement that both scientists and journalist should be committed to “transparency, authenticity and truth-telling.”

The next two articles are science articles which tried to inform the readers about scientific facts and findings. I could see that the “Kooky Nut” article tried to keep the complexity of article as little as possible. But I just don’t get the changing tones throughout the article–I don’t know if he’s joking or not in some points. In some ways, the last article, the one about war violence, seemed clearer to me. It presented the findings of a research about the effects of violence on the people surrounding the “perpetrators” and the affected ones. The article used graphic and concrete examples to help the readers imagine the situation. There were also some calls for action directed to the government, the media , and the general public as well regarding the perceptions and remedies about these “acts of violence.”

[Readings:03] Reporting on Science

Realities in RP science

Human genetic variation — Science’s ‘Breakthrough of the Year’

From Museum Basement, a `New’ Dinosaur

For Male Finches, Range Comes With Muscle

I have always heard it, time and again, that scientists sometimes can not communicate well to non-scientist people. It’s pretty much an overspecialization, but it does seem to me to be true. And so, there goes the need for writers to “translate” what our devoted scholars want the public to know.

Dr. Suarez’s tried to make the non-members of the scientific and research community to empathize with the “Realities in RP Science.” I could see the effort to explain what would have been unfamiliar concepts and processes to the general reading public.

The first half of the second article, “Human genetic variation — Science’s ‘Breakthrough of the Year’” was able to make the reader (or me at least) to understand that these “breakthroughs” are important to my life. However, the latter part seemed to forget that the readers might not actually know what a “spintronic computing equipment” and T cells are.

The style of the third article by Mr. Torbati seemed to be interesting and effective for me. He was able to relate the peculiarity of the name given to a dinosaur genus by Nicholas Longrich to the general state of paleontology practice. Fitting quotes were also effectively used.

As I read the first paragraph of the fourth article, I thought, “Why should I care if these male birds sing higher notes than their female counterparts?” But the article, short as it was, was able to tell the significance of these findings on the voice of finches. (Although I flinched a bit when I came to the sentence “Researchers operated on male and female birds, cutting the nerves that control vocal muscles in the syrinx.” Poor bird.)

On candy wrappers and childhood

[Second J109 assignment: Personal experience]

Under the scorching heat, my broom moves—back and forth, back and forth, trying to collect all the fallen leaves, candy wrappers, pieces of trash that did not get to its proper destination. I never knew I’d be back to this place after a decade as a street sweeper. 

I grew up in Parang. Marikina City. It has this plaza-like ground that the locals refer to as the “playground.” The barangay hall, the covered court, and the open space cum mini-park lie side by side. Nearby, after a block, is the elementary school where I had my first three years of grade school. That day, I came back to this place after ten years since we transferred to San Mateo. It has changed a lot, but I could still remember my younger self being here just the same.

Accompanied by my mother that morning, I first went to my Tito who is an employee of the barangay hall. He was already told that I want to try being a sweeper for a day. But that day, he still kept asking, “Are you sure you want to do this? If you want I could give you a certificate without having to sweep. Show it to your teacher.” I said no, it’s okay. I’d like to try it because I’d be writing about it.

Inside of me though, I was already thinking of ways to avoid doing it considering the number of people around and my inherent shyness kicking in. Nevertheless, he handed me the “uniform” the street sweepers of Parang wear. It’s a long sleeved shirt printed with a huge letter Q, the initial of the name of congressional candidate of the pervious election. Wearing it is like being a walking campaign poster—not to mention that the shirt could fit two of me inside.

While my mother and I were still giggling at my “new look,” Aling Rosa, the one in charge of the surrounding area and the one my uncle asked to accompany me, came to where we were. Shorter than me in height and in her late 50’s, she told me without further ado, “Punta ka don. Do’n ka magsimula. Itumpok mo yung basura at ako na ang magdadakot mamaya.” I haven’t been able to put the cap my mother insists on making me wear to protect my hair from the sun, but I still rushed off towards the place Aling Rosa indicated. It was at the side of the barangay hall, near the market place and I officially started as a street sweeper and Aling Rosa’s assistant for the day.

Markina City is true to its image. There’s not much trash lying around. I may sound like a raving balikbayan, but the place does suggest a feeling of discipline and cooperation between the authorities and the community. The marketplace is just near and yet there were only few litters I had to sweep. Probably the ubiquitous presence of trash bins does help.

After about an hour, Aling Rosa told me that the next stop would be the covered court. The place where my preschool graduation ceremony took place, I reminded myself. A guy with his brother was playing basketball when we came in. The covered court is roomier, the roof looks more stable, and the place is cooler compared to the one I remember from about 13 years ago. This is probably the reason why a handful of people were sleeping on the bleachers, lying on cardboard boxes. Aling Rosa told me to sweep the bleachers from top to bottom. Even if we’re indoors, this one is trickier than my previous assignment. Some people had tucked wrappers and whatnots between the railings, while some trash cannot be removed unless I pick them up with my bare hands. I even spilled an unknown liquid on my pants. When I’m done with the first half going up and down the bleachers sweeping vigorously, I was already sweating profusely.

I was about to start tackling the next half when the wooden handle was detached from my broomstick. I tried fixing it and my mother even came to my aid as well. We managed to put them together but it did not appear like it could handle more of my sweeping. This happened again two more times, but I had to continue. So I bended lower while sweeping, hoping to lessen the pressure on the handle and put more on the broomstick.

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