Business reports have never been easy to write; they have never been easy to read too, especially when you know little about businesses, investments, stocks and the like. You read the newspaper everyday but do you actually read the business section or skip it? Maybe you’d prefer skipping it. If not, you see numbers but do you actually understand them? Maybe not.
Business reports are really hard to understand, maybe except for the people from the business sector who could make sense of all the numbers and the words.
But besides the importance of the readers’ understanding and appreciation of business reports, there’s one more important thing that should be considered:
Are journalists willing to write business reports?
“But we need to ensure that it keeps on keeping on. We need to ensure that there's a steady flow of eager young reporters who like poring through 10-Ks. How can we do that most efficiently?” George Harmon said in his article, Grading Business Journalism.
Business reporters still do exist but are relatively small as compared to reporters in other beats. I admit even I am not planning to take business writing as my journalism elective, what more to write for the business section after I graduate.
In order to be a good business reporter, you need to understand what businessmen are talking about. You have to understand their language, just as they understand each other. How could you relay the information to the public effectively if even you, yourself, don’t know what you’re talking about? You have to understand how stocks and money work. That’s your job.
If there are no business reporters, how would we know who the countries’ wealthiest are and about the existence of the National Anti-Poverty Commission?
At first, all these may seem irrelevant to people like us, who know little about business stuff. But then we begin to wonder… How do these people earn so much while most of us earn just enough and some just barely enough? Where does our money go when we pay taxes? What happens when we buy and sell bonds? How does money circulate around us?
All of these, as we see, affect us. And I believe what affects our lives are surely important to us.
Friday, September 10, 2010
How much are police earning today?
“Baka mas malaki pa nga baon mo sa take home pay ko eh,” Supt. Teofilo Andrada said.
Andrada has been a police officer since 1991. He first served as a lieutenant for the Armed Forces of the Philippines on 1985. His starting salary was 700 pesos, including his allowance.
As a superintendent, his total earnings a month sum up to 43,565 pesos. This includes his overtime pay and allowances. These are subsistence, clothing and laundry allowances, amounting to 3,050 pesos plus the quarter allowance which is 800 pesos. Subsistence pay is for his personal things while the quarter allowance is the money given for rents.
“Pero ‘di naman makatotohanan ‘di ba? Wala ka namang mauupahan ng 800 lang eh,” he said.
A police’s total earnings may seem large, but with all the deductions from loans and insurances, Andrada’s take home pay is only 3,000 pesos a month.
Since Andrada loaned one million pesos from Savings and Loans Association to put up a motor shop, 21, 476 pesos is deducted from his total earnings a month. This amount will be deducted from his earnings for 44 months more.
Andrada said, “Mahirap kung aasa ka lang sa sweldo. Kanya-kanyang diskarte lang ‘yan. ‘Di naman kasi yayaman sa sweldo namin. Pero siyempre, makikita mo ‘yung ibang officials mayayaman. Kasama na siguro corruption dun.”
Compared to an airport police corporal who works under the Civil Service Commission, Andrada earns less than Cpl. Domingo Caballero whose take home pay is 6, 400 a month. Caballero also gets every 21st of the month his overtime pay which is usually approximately 10,000 pesos.
Caballero also gets up to 18th month bonus, unlike Andrada who receives only 13th month pay.
Andrada also receives a hazard pay of 240 pesos, which is relatively small, considering the police’s job is risky. But police officers receive money if ever they get injuries from police operations or duties.
A police’s total earnings, excluding all deductions from insurances and loans, range from 18,000 to 50,000 pesos. That is from the lowest position, police officer 1 or PO1, to the highest, the director general.
After retirement, a police receives pension every month, the money coming from all the leaves not used up by a police.
But if dismissed from duty due to a criminal offense, a police receives nothing.
“Parang kay Mendoza, dishonorable charge kasi yan eh,” Andrada said.
But if ever charges against a police are lifted, he will be given back salaries and allowances or “a portion of the appropriation authorized herein for payment of prior years’ salaries and allowances,” as stated in the Department of Interior and Local Government’s Official Gazette, General Appropriations Act, FY 2010.
Sheila Reytas, administrative officer in the budget office of DILG, said, “In fairness to us, transparent naman kami.” But she did not want to be interviewed and instead gave documents containing DILG’s budget allocations for the Philippine National Police.
PNP’s expenses include personal services, maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlays. Personal services are for salaries and allowances, MOOE for trainings and travelling expenses, and capital outlays for weapons, trucks, facilities are anything that is bought by the PNP.
For operations and support to operations which include the material developments, health and logistical services, and intelligence and investigation services, plus projects such as construction of police stations, and acquisition of rescue and relief operations equipment, DILG’s budget is approximately 49B pesos.
This money is supposedly intended to improve police’s operations, weapons, facilities, and to facilitate police trainings.
Andrada said, “Ang laki-laki ng budget. Puro sa papel lang naman. Kaya ibig sabihin ng SWAT, ‘Sorry Wala Akong Training’.”
“’Di naman natin masasabi kung kinukurakot nga, pero parang ganun na nga siguro,” he added.
Even if there’s budget for police trainings, Andrada said that when they trained abroad at San Francisco and Los Angeles, they were the ones who spent for their fares, hotels, everything. There were also no reimbursements.
He said, “Supposed to be gastos nila ‘yan. Training nga eh. Ngayon pinapakita sa tv, nagttraining ‘yung SWAT. Ngayon pa eh tapos na ‘yung hostage taking. Matatawa ka na lang eh.”
Andrada has been a police officer since 1991. He first served as a lieutenant for the Armed Forces of the Philippines on 1985. His starting salary was 700 pesos, including his allowance.
As a superintendent, his total earnings a month sum up to 43,565 pesos. This includes his overtime pay and allowances. These are subsistence, clothing and laundry allowances, amounting to 3,050 pesos plus the quarter allowance which is 800 pesos. Subsistence pay is for his personal things while the quarter allowance is the money given for rents.
“Pero ‘di naman makatotohanan ‘di ba? Wala ka namang mauupahan ng 800 lang eh,” he said.
A police’s total earnings may seem large, but with all the deductions from loans and insurances, Andrada’s take home pay is only 3,000 pesos a month.
Since Andrada loaned one million pesos from Savings and Loans Association to put up a motor shop, 21, 476 pesos is deducted from his total earnings a month. This amount will be deducted from his earnings for 44 months more.
Andrada said, “Mahirap kung aasa ka lang sa sweldo. Kanya-kanyang diskarte lang ‘yan. ‘Di naman kasi yayaman sa sweldo namin. Pero siyempre, makikita mo ‘yung ibang officials mayayaman. Kasama na siguro corruption dun.”
Compared to an airport police corporal who works under the Civil Service Commission, Andrada earns less than Cpl. Domingo Caballero whose take home pay is 6, 400 a month. Caballero also gets every 21st of the month his overtime pay which is usually approximately 10,000 pesos.
Caballero also gets up to 18th month bonus, unlike Andrada who receives only 13th month pay.
Andrada also receives a hazard pay of 240 pesos, which is relatively small, considering the police’s job is risky. But police officers receive money if ever they get injuries from police operations or duties.
A police’s total earnings, excluding all deductions from insurances and loans, range from 18,000 to 50,000 pesos. That is from the lowest position, police officer 1 or PO1, to the highest, the director general.
After retirement, a police receives pension every month, the money coming from all the leaves not used up by a police.
But if dismissed from duty due to a criminal offense, a police receives nothing.
“Parang kay Mendoza, dishonorable charge kasi yan eh,” Andrada said.
But if ever charges against a police are lifted, he will be given back salaries and allowances or “a portion of the appropriation authorized herein for payment of prior years’ salaries and allowances,” as stated in the Department of Interior and Local Government’s Official Gazette, General Appropriations Act, FY 2010.
Sheila Reytas, administrative officer in the budget office of DILG, said, “In fairness to us, transparent naman kami.” But she did not want to be interviewed and instead gave documents containing DILG’s budget allocations for the Philippine National Police.
PNP’s expenses include personal services, maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlays. Personal services are for salaries and allowances, MOOE for trainings and travelling expenses, and capital outlays for weapons, trucks, facilities are anything that is bought by the PNP.
For operations and support to operations which include the material developments, health and logistical services, and intelligence and investigation services, plus projects such as construction of police stations, and acquisition of rescue and relief operations equipment, DILG’s budget is approximately 49B pesos.
This money is supposedly intended to improve police’s operations, weapons, facilities, and to facilitate police trainings.
Andrada said, “Ang laki-laki ng budget. Puro sa papel lang naman. Kaya ibig sabihin ng SWAT, ‘Sorry Wala Akong Training’.”
“’Di naman natin masasabi kung kinukurakot nga, pero parang ganun na nga siguro,” he added.
Even if there’s budget for police trainings, Andrada said that when they trained abroad at San Francisco and Los Angeles, they were the ones who spent for their fares, hotels, everything. There were also no reimbursements.
He said, “Supposed to be gastos nila ‘yan. Training nga eh. Ngayon pinapakita sa tv, nagttraining ‘yung SWAT. Ngayon pa eh tapos na ‘yung hostage taking. Matatawa ka na lang eh.”
Friday, August 27, 2010
How RP can Improve its Weather Forecasting
“A forecast is a prediction. Ang pagsasabing inaccurate ang isang forecast ay inappropriate,” said Dr. Josefina Argete, professor of meteorology and deputy director of the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Meteorology at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Dr. Argete also said that to fire former Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) administrator Prisco Nilo was not justifiable. Nilo was fired by Pres. Noynoy Aquino because PAGASA was not able to warn the public that Basyang would hit Metro Manila.
“Konti na nga lang ang trained meteorologists sa bansa, sisibakin pa,” she added.
Dr. Argete believes that PAGASA’s skills are “above average”, especially that the Philippines has a tropical climate which is very hard to predict as compared with the countries along the middle latitude.
PAGASA’s Public Information and International Affairs Staff officer in charge Venus Valdemoro said that their equipment are not old and are continuously upgraded.
“Siyempre kailangan nating makipagsabayan sa standard ng World Meteorological Organization regarding equipment and human resources,” she said.
But Stephanie Abnasan, a junior public health student at UP Manila and secretary of Sibol-PH, a political party geared towards change and development, believes that PAGASA has old equipments and already needs to buy new equipment. This is from what she sees in the television whenever PAGASA’s equipment are shown.
“Government’s task here is to give PAGASA funds, “Abnasan added.
Valdemoro said that PAGASA’s ongoing project to improve their services is the Doppler Radar Program. The Philippines currently has five weather surveillance radars in Aparri, Cagayan; Baguio; Virac, Catanduanes; Baler, Aurora; and Guiuan, Samar to track the location of a typhoon and its wind speed. The radars in Baguio and Baler are currently being upgraded into a Doppler radar. The others will be upgraded with the help of the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Two others are in Subic and Surigao.
Used in meteorological services in other countries, a Doppler radar can predict the amount of rainfall that will come which will be very helpful in warning the people for possible floods.
However, Dr. Argete said, “Kahit ano pang ganda ng technology natin, balewala din kung kulang ang trained personnel. So ang tendency, ‘yung equipment masisira din.”
She said this is due to “piracy” or our trained personnel’s choice to work abroad instead of working here.
Another factor that Dr. Argete and Valdemoro believe as a possible cause of the said “inaccurate” forecast is that PAGASA does not rely on just one tool but on many different instruments.
“Kahit pa sophisticated ang equipment natin, iba-iba pa rin ang forecast ng bawat instrument. Ina-average lang ‘yan ng PAGASA,” Dr. Argete said.
PAGASA’s current sources for weather forecasting are radars, surface data, synoptic observations, upper air data, numerical weather predictions, satellite receiving facilities.
Valdemoro said, “Dapat iniintindi ng public that it’s not 100 % accurate. Kaya nga forecast eh.”
She explained that for example, they predict the center of a typhoon to be 200 kilometers in radius and to hit Metro Manila. If ever the typhoon hits Bulacan the most but still passes over Metro Manila, their forecast is still considered accurate since Metro Manila is still within the 200 km radius of the typhoon.
PAGASA’s current plans are to improve their forecasting capabilities and to focus on their communication with the general public.
Valdemoro said, “Ang tingin kasi ng tao sa PAGASA technical, so we plan the make a separate bulletin in our website for the public para mas maintindihan nila.”
This bulletin would be different to the bulletin posted in their website where their 24-hour public weather forecasts are posted. PAGASA issues their forecast twice a day, 5 a.m . and 5 p.m.
After a forecast, the information goes first to the office of the president, then to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), then to regional DCCs to provincial to municipal, down to the barangay level. The forecast is also relayed to the media for easy dissemination to the public.
Abnasan said, “Dapat laging on time magannounce ang media. Minsan wala ng bagyo saka pa lang sila magaannounce.”
PAGASA is conducting regional media seminar workshops annually to help reporters understand the terms PAGASA uses in its forecasts. This is also to improve PAGASA’s working relationship with the media.
Valdemoro said, “If media undergoes our seminar for 2-3 days, at least ‘pag nagcocover, ‘di na sila masyadong nosebleed.”
PAGASA is now planning to conduct the seminar at least twice a year in the National Capital Region.
Dr. Argete said that the government has always helped PAGASA with its equipment. Since PAGASA is the biggest agency under the Department of Science and Technology, it receives the largest budget from the DOST.
“Pero kahit maging 100 % accurate pa ang isang forecast, babaha pa rin. Ang flood ‘di lang naman dahil sa ulan o sa bagyo; nasa pagmamanage din 'yan ng lupa at mga basura. At ‘yun ang task ng government natin,” Dr. Argete said.
Dr. Argete also said that to fire former Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) administrator Prisco Nilo was not justifiable. Nilo was fired by Pres. Noynoy Aquino because PAGASA was not able to warn the public that Basyang would hit Metro Manila.
“Konti na nga lang ang trained meteorologists sa bansa, sisibakin pa,” she added.
Dr. Argete believes that PAGASA’s skills are “above average”, especially that the Philippines has a tropical climate which is very hard to predict as compared with the countries along the middle latitude.
PAGASA’s Public Information and International Affairs Staff officer in charge Venus Valdemoro said that their equipment are not old and are continuously upgraded.
“Siyempre kailangan nating makipagsabayan sa standard ng World Meteorological Organization regarding equipment and human resources,” she said.
But Stephanie Abnasan, a junior public health student at UP Manila and secretary of Sibol-PH, a political party geared towards change and development, believes that PAGASA has old equipments and already needs to buy new equipment. This is from what she sees in the television whenever PAGASA’s equipment are shown.
“Government’s task here is to give PAGASA funds, “Abnasan added.
Valdemoro said that PAGASA’s ongoing project to improve their services is the Doppler Radar Program. The Philippines currently has five weather surveillance radars in Aparri, Cagayan; Baguio; Virac, Catanduanes; Baler, Aurora; and Guiuan, Samar to track the location of a typhoon and its wind speed. The radars in Baguio and Baler are currently being upgraded into a Doppler radar. The others will be upgraded with the help of the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Two others are in Subic and Surigao.
Used in meteorological services in other countries, a Doppler radar can predict the amount of rainfall that will come which will be very helpful in warning the people for possible floods.
However, Dr. Argete said, “Kahit ano pang ganda ng technology natin, balewala din kung kulang ang trained personnel. So ang tendency, ‘yung equipment masisira din.”
She said this is due to “piracy” or our trained personnel’s choice to work abroad instead of working here.
Another factor that Dr. Argete and Valdemoro believe as a possible cause of the said “inaccurate” forecast is that PAGASA does not rely on just one tool but on many different instruments.
“Kahit pa sophisticated ang equipment natin, iba-iba pa rin ang forecast ng bawat instrument. Ina-average lang ‘yan ng PAGASA,” Dr. Argete said.
PAGASA’s current sources for weather forecasting are radars, surface data, synoptic observations, upper air data, numerical weather predictions, satellite receiving facilities.
Valdemoro said, “Dapat iniintindi ng public that it’s not 100 % accurate. Kaya nga forecast eh.”
She explained that for example, they predict the center of a typhoon to be 200 kilometers in radius and to hit Metro Manila. If ever the typhoon hits Bulacan the most but still passes over Metro Manila, their forecast is still considered accurate since Metro Manila is still within the 200 km radius of the typhoon.
PAGASA’s current plans are to improve their forecasting capabilities and to focus on their communication with the general public.
Valdemoro said, “Ang tingin kasi ng tao sa PAGASA technical, so we plan the make a separate bulletin in our website for the public para mas maintindihan nila.”
This bulletin would be different to the bulletin posted in their website where their 24-hour public weather forecasts are posted. PAGASA issues their forecast twice a day, 5 a.m . and 5 p.m.
After a forecast, the information goes first to the office of the president, then to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), then to regional DCCs to provincial to municipal, down to the barangay level. The forecast is also relayed to the media for easy dissemination to the public.
Abnasan said, “Dapat laging on time magannounce ang media. Minsan wala ng bagyo saka pa lang sila magaannounce.”
PAGASA is conducting regional media seminar workshops annually to help reporters understand the terms PAGASA uses in its forecasts. This is also to improve PAGASA’s working relationship with the media.
Valdemoro said, “If media undergoes our seminar for 2-3 days, at least ‘pag nagcocover, ‘di na sila masyadong nosebleed.”
PAGASA is now planning to conduct the seminar at least twice a year in the National Capital Region.
Dr. Argete said that the government has always helped PAGASA with its equipment. Since PAGASA is the biggest agency under the Department of Science and Technology, it receives the largest budget from the DOST.
“Pero kahit maging 100 % accurate pa ang isang forecast, babaha pa rin. Ang flood ‘di lang naman dahil sa ulan o sa bagyo; nasa pagmamanage din 'yan ng lupa at mga basura. At ‘yun ang task ng government natin,” Dr. Argete said.
What Should Have Been Done
Media coverage of an ongoing crisis such as hostage-taking incidents has always been a challenge to journalists. Though there are existing guidelines to help them decide what to do when placed in that kind of situation, it’s always not easy to stick what is said. It’s different when you have time to think and when you’re put on the scene, live.
But what really could have the media done to minimize the possible harm their coverage could have caused to all the people concerned, especially the hostages?
Two of the principles journalists adhere to have been in conflict here. First, seek truth and report it, and second, minimize harm.
Even though it is the media’s job to convey vital information to the public, media should have taken into consideration what possible consequences disclosing that information may cause to the people involved.
In my Journalism Ethics class, we have recently studied about coverage of sensitive topics and vulnerable groups. In covering an ongoing crisis such as what happened when dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza hijacked a busload of Chinese nationals from Hong Kong near the Quirino Grandstand on Monday, August 23, media should always be careful.
Media should have fought the urge to go live from the scene of the hostage taking crisis and withheld valuable information such as the tactics and the positions of the SWAT members. Reporters should have thought first that Mendoza may have had access to their reports through radio or television. Since Mendoza did have access, he knew exactly what was happening around him through the media’s blow-by-blow accounts of what the policemen were doing and planning to do.
They should have simply told the public the reason why it was necessary to withhold some information, the primary reason being to protect the hostages and to not interfere with the SWAT’s actions. If they did that, I believe the public would have understood why they were doing it.
Also, they should not have shown the arrest and handcuffing of Mendoza’s brother. Many believe that this was the one that caused Mendoza to be outraged, thus fire his gun and start killing some of the hostages. Who would not be outraged when you see your loved one being dragged and handcuffed anyway? It is also very important for media to be extra careful when interviewing family members of the hostage taker.
But media isn’t only the one that should be criticized; there are also the police and SWAT.
The article, Ten things the Philippines bus siege police got wrong, by BBC said it all. Our policemen really lacked both training and equipment.
It seemed as if the policemen were still waiting for Mendoza to shoot someone before they would start taking action. The lack of equipment was clearly shown in their attempt to smash the windows of the bus.
The police also obviously didn’t properly control the crowd. Many bystanders were near the scene; they should have created a barrier or even at least used the yellow tape to make it clear to the public and even to the media that crossing that line wouldn’t be allowable. This action could have at least prevented a bystander from getting shot.
The police should also have set rules on what media could cover and what they should not. This could have controlled the media from interfering with their tactics.
Lastly, one thing that has been going in my mind since that hostage-taking crisis is… Who really shoot the people?
Was it hostage taker Mendoza? Or were the shots from the guns of the policemen themselves?
I believe these questions have been in other people’s minds too. So I believe an investigation is necessary for the said crisis. I line with that investigation, I think it was also acceptable that Manila Police District director Chief Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay requested to temporarily leave his post. Since he was the one who led and gave the assault order, his leave was to ensure impartiality in the investigation.
Many fingers also point to President Noynoy Aquino- his said absence while the hostage-taking crisis was ongoing. It did seem as if Pres. Noynoy lacked competence in this incident. Many people were looking for his leadership in what happened. Now, many are expressing anger over how Noynoy handled the crisis in his fan page.
It may be acceptable that the public is currently outraged. Who would not be?
But come to think of it, what’s been done has been done; no one could really go back and undo what has been already done.
What’s in our hands now are the present and the future. We just got to learn from the past, start moving on, and do better next time.
But what really could have the media done to minimize the possible harm their coverage could have caused to all the people concerned, especially the hostages?
Two of the principles journalists adhere to have been in conflict here. First, seek truth and report it, and second, minimize harm.
Even though it is the media’s job to convey vital information to the public, media should have taken into consideration what possible consequences disclosing that information may cause to the people involved.
In my Journalism Ethics class, we have recently studied about coverage of sensitive topics and vulnerable groups. In covering an ongoing crisis such as what happened when dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza hijacked a busload of Chinese nationals from Hong Kong near the Quirino Grandstand on Monday, August 23, media should always be careful.
Media should have fought the urge to go live from the scene of the hostage taking crisis and withheld valuable information such as the tactics and the positions of the SWAT members. Reporters should have thought first that Mendoza may have had access to their reports through radio or television. Since Mendoza did have access, he knew exactly what was happening around him through the media’s blow-by-blow accounts of what the policemen were doing and planning to do.
They should have simply told the public the reason why it was necessary to withhold some information, the primary reason being to protect the hostages and to not interfere with the SWAT’s actions. If they did that, I believe the public would have understood why they were doing it.
Also, they should not have shown the arrest and handcuffing of Mendoza’s brother. Many believe that this was the one that caused Mendoza to be outraged, thus fire his gun and start killing some of the hostages. Who would not be outraged when you see your loved one being dragged and handcuffed anyway? It is also very important for media to be extra careful when interviewing family members of the hostage taker.
But media isn’t only the one that should be criticized; there are also the police and SWAT.
The article, Ten things the Philippines bus siege police got wrong, by BBC said it all. Our policemen really lacked both training and equipment.
It seemed as if the policemen were still waiting for Mendoza to shoot someone before they would start taking action. The lack of equipment was clearly shown in their attempt to smash the windows of the bus.
The police also obviously didn’t properly control the crowd. Many bystanders were near the scene; they should have created a barrier or even at least used the yellow tape to make it clear to the public and even to the media that crossing that line wouldn’t be allowable. This action could have at least prevented a bystander from getting shot.
The police should also have set rules on what media could cover and what they should not. This could have controlled the media from interfering with their tactics.
Lastly, one thing that has been going in my mind since that hostage-taking crisis is… Who really shoot the people?
Was it hostage taker Mendoza? Or were the shots from the guns of the policemen themselves?
I believe these questions have been in other people’s minds too. So I believe an investigation is necessary for the said crisis. I line with that investigation, I think it was also acceptable that Manila Police District director Chief Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay requested to temporarily leave his post. Since he was the one who led and gave the assault order, his leave was to ensure impartiality in the investigation.
Many fingers also point to President Noynoy Aquino- his said absence while the hostage-taking crisis was ongoing. It did seem as if Pres. Noynoy lacked competence in this incident. Many people were looking for his leadership in what happened. Now, many are expressing anger over how Noynoy handled the crisis in his fan page.
It may be acceptable that the public is currently outraged. Who would not be?
But come to think of it, what’s been done has been done; no one could really go back and undo what has been already done.
What’s in our hands now are the present and the future. We just got to learn from the past, start moving on, and do better next time.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Should We Continue Reading and Writing about Science?
This question has been circling in the minds of journalists and readers alike. As a reader and a soon to be journalist (hopefully), I believe science has always been important and that people have always needed science for their everyday lives.
It's just that journalists nowadays don't focus too much on science and also, readers are starting to take science for granted. But one thing I'm sure of is when the time comes that science writing is gone already, that would be the time people will realize the importance of science. People would ask themselves...
Why haven't I read about science when science articles were still alive?
Why haven't I written about science when no one else were writing about it anymore?
Not all bloggers can be considered journalists. Still, some of them can be considered journalists as long as they also adhere to the principles journalists adhere to- some of which are truthfulness and accountability.
Now that the number of journalists writing about science continues to decline, it is sad to know that even science bloggers are now stopping writing about science.
Though scientists can of course write about science, still not all of them can communicate well with their readers. They are so used to complex ideas and complicated terms that they seldom realize that the world they are writing for is not exactly the same with the world they are working in.
Here enters the job of journalists. That is to know for whom to write, how to write it, and how to connect what they write to the people they are writing for.
All of this is just a matter of connection. How to make it work? It's up to us.
It's just that journalists nowadays don't focus too much on science and also, readers are starting to take science for granted. But one thing I'm sure of is when the time comes that science writing is gone already, that would be the time people will realize the importance of science. People would ask themselves...
Why haven't I read about science when science articles were still alive?
Why haven't I written about science when no one else were writing about it anymore?
Not all bloggers can be considered journalists. Still, some of them can be considered journalists as long as they also adhere to the principles journalists adhere to- some of which are truthfulness and accountability.
Now that the number of journalists writing about science continues to decline, it is sad to know that even science bloggers are now stopping writing about science.
Though scientists can of course write about science, still not all of them can communicate well with their readers. They are so used to complex ideas and complicated terms that they seldom realize that the world they are writing for is not exactly the same with the world they are working in.
Here enters the job of journalists. That is to know for whom to write, how to write it, and how to connect what they write to the people they are writing for.
All of this is just a matter of connection. How to make it work? It's up to us.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
How to Eliminate Depression
Are you feeling down?
Go and grab some chocolate. You’ll feel better.
If your friend is sad because of her grade in an exam, or if your girlfriend is not in the mood and wouldn’t smile even if you try to cheer her up, maybe you should try giving them a bar of chocolate.
Whenever I feel sad or depressed, I don’t deprive myself of anything; instead, I give myself more- more sweets, more chocolates, and more reasons to feel happy again.
You’ll frequently hear the word moody as a description to a woman, not to a man.
Women are really more likely to have mood swings- one moment they’re up and happy; a little later, they’re already down and depressed.
Women like me usually say that they need something sweet to make them feel better. It can be after a day’s work, after a hard-hitting criticism from a professor, after a break-up, or after a two-hour sermon from a father.
Next time you see a woman indulge into the sweetness of chocolates, don’t tell them it’s bad for them; instead, tell them it’s okay an add to their so-called therapy of making one’s self feel better by trying to lift their moods up. Crack a joke, tell a funny story, share your happy experiences and of course, tell them that many happy things are still going to happen to them.
But always keep in mind that anything that is too many is always bad for the health.
This habit of women isn’t because they just want to eat chocolates; it has scientific basis.
How exactly can chocolates serve as an antidepressant?
Chocolates are proven to have phenylethylamine (PEA) which is the chemical our brain produces whenever we feel happy. Our brain also produces this chemical when we’re in love. It also has the same effects of amphetamines; it can cause a feeling of alertness.
Another thing found in chocolates the neurotransmitter serotonin. Neurotransmitters are specialized chemicals that carry information into the brain. Low level of serotonin can cause depression so taking in a good amount of serotonin by eating chocolates is another way of making yourself feel better.
Endorphins which are natural opiates of the body are also found in chocolates. Endorphins are known to elevate the reward or pleasure centers of the brain and shield the body form pain. Eating a bar of chocolate can make you feel pleasure instead of pain.
So don’t forget, next time you court a girl, give her a box of chocolates. Maybe, just maybe, it will make her fall in love with you.
Go and grab some chocolate. You’ll feel better.
If your friend is sad because of her grade in an exam, or if your girlfriend is not in the mood and wouldn’t smile even if you try to cheer her up, maybe you should try giving them a bar of chocolate.
Whenever I feel sad or depressed, I don’t deprive myself of anything; instead, I give myself more- more sweets, more chocolates, and more reasons to feel happy again.
You’ll frequently hear the word moody as a description to a woman, not to a man.
Women are really more likely to have mood swings- one moment they’re up and happy; a little later, they’re already down and depressed.
Women like me usually say that they need something sweet to make them feel better. It can be after a day’s work, after a hard-hitting criticism from a professor, after a break-up, or after a two-hour sermon from a father.
Next time you see a woman indulge into the sweetness of chocolates, don’t tell them it’s bad for them; instead, tell them it’s okay an add to their so-called therapy of making one’s self feel better by trying to lift their moods up. Crack a joke, tell a funny story, share your happy experiences and of course, tell them that many happy things are still going to happen to them.
But always keep in mind that anything that is too many is always bad for the health.
This habit of women isn’t because they just want to eat chocolates; it has scientific basis.
How exactly can chocolates serve as an antidepressant?
Chocolates are proven to have phenylethylamine (PEA) which is the chemical our brain produces whenever we feel happy. Our brain also produces this chemical when we’re in love. It also has the same effects of amphetamines; it can cause a feeling of alertness.
Another thing found in chocolates the neurotransmitter serotonin. Neurotransmitters are specialized chemicals that carry information into the brain. Low level of serotonin can cause depression so taking in a good amount of serotonin by eating chocolates is another way of making yourself feel better.
Endorphins which are natural opiates of the body are also found in chocolates. Endorphins are known to elevate the reward or pleasure centers of the brain and shield the body form pain. Eating a bar of chocolate can make you feel pleasure instead of pain.
So don’t forget, next time you court a girl, give her a box of chocolates. Maybe, just maybe, it will make her fall in love with you.
Science Writing: How?
Maybe most would say writing about science has never been an easy job and will never be, but we could at least try to make it easy for our readers to finish reading our articles.
And understanding it the way we understand it.
Sometimes, we don't find the right words. Sometimes, the first word in our sentence doesn't jive with the next; thus, the words in that sentence don't fit together.
Sometimes, we just don't know how to say what we want to say even though we know the what, when, where and why.
The problem is how. How am I going to write this? How am I going to write this in a way that my readers would get the exact point I am talking about?
There should be communication between the two, not miscommunication as Dave Munger calls it.
"Understanding the audience, determining the message, deciding on strategies, and measuring success."- major components of successful communication
Knowing for whom to write is a huge step towards a successful writing. By knowing who exactly they are, we would know what strategies to use, and how to make these strategies work.
John Timmer said, “It feels like the public has completely lost touch with what science is all about.”
The public has not completely lost touch with science, I believe. People just often don't find science articles that are interesting and easy enough to read.
Our job is to make that kind of articles and make them see it.
And understanding it the way we understand it.
Sometimes, we don't find the right words. Sometimes, the first word in our sentence doesn't jive with the next; thus, the words in that sentence don't fit together.
Sometimes, we just don't know how to say what we want to say even though we know the what, when, where and why.
The problem is how. How am I going to write this? How am I going to write this in a way that my readers would get the exact point I am talking about?
There should be communication between the two, not miscommunication as Dave Munger calls it.
"Understanding the audience, determining the message, deciding on strategies, and measuring success."- major components of successful communication
Knowing for whom to write is a huge step towards a successful writing. By knowing who exactly they are, we would know what strategies to use, and how to make these strategies work.
John Timmer said, “It feels like the public has completely lost touch with what science is all about.”
The public has not completely lost touch with science, I believe. People just often don't find science articles that are interesting and easy enough to read.
Our job is to make that kind of articles and make them see it.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Who Summer Is in terms of Psychology
“Ayoko na. Baka binabasa mo na ‘yung isip ko eh.”
A guy once told her while they were out on a date.
“Yes, nababasa ko sa isip mo na ‘di mo alam ang ibig sabihin ng psych,” Apryl Mae Parcon, whom students call Miss Summer because of her first name, just joked around it. On the first day of our Psych 101 (General Psychology) class, she already told us that psychologists do not read minds. They use psychology concepts and theories as scientific basis for human behavior. These include how the brain works, the complexities of human mind, dreams, psychological disorders, and human development from conception to death.
“That’s the beauty of psych. You can apply it to your everyday life,” she said. She said she could apply it in her family. At 61, her father started to feel and think he was useless. She explained to him that this was the stage in human development where people at his age question themselves if they had contributed something to the society or if they had done nothing. He just needed to overcome this stage.
Since she was a kid, she dreamt of becoming a teacher. “My ultimate dream is to have a school of my own,” she added.
Her parents told her not to take education since she could be a teacher even by not taking education. Inspired with her elementary principal, she decided to do the same thing: take psychology, then work as a teacher.
Miss Summer took BA Developmental Communication in the University of the Philippines Los Banos after not passing for BS Psychology in UP Diliman. But she shifted out from Dev Comm after a year and pursued psychology.
After graduation, she worked as a researcher and technical writer in Malacanang but resigned after a year.
“I really wanted to teach. So I went back to school.”
And so she decided to take her Master’s in UP Diliman while teaching preschool students at St. Mark Learning Center, New Manila.
“They (Kids) are very lovable and very interesting to work with. You learn to deal with them as you actually spend days with them.”
This was what she knew she wanted to do: to be a teacher.
Describing herself as simple, cheerful and optimistic, Miss Summer never forgets to smile. She was smiling throughout our conversation while eating her lunch inside Palma Hall Annex Room 209B. In class, I always feel Miss Summer’s energy and enthusiasm as she speaks. And she really never forgets that smile.
Aside from teaching, she also worked as a researcher assistant in Center for Women’s studies and Center for Educational Measurement.
“Para na lang akong zombie nun, but then you learn to manage your time.”
After finishing her thesis, she worked as an instructor in La Salle and Ateneo for four semesters, teaching General Psychology, Psychological Measurements, and Experimental Psychology. UP, then, told her that if she would teach in UP, her tuition fee for her doctorate would be free. So instead of going to two different schools, she just chose one. And that was UP Diliman.
This was the last time Miss Summer changed her mind.
Now, she is an instructor for General Psychology and Developmental Psychology in the morning and a student by night.
As a teacher, she makes sure she gets the attention of her students. Almost every meeting, she has an activity reserved for us. From drawing to writing, from games to reporting. She also provides her students, acronyms for example, to make it easier for them to memorize concepts. One example is the six approaches to psychology: behaviorism, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral neuroscience, evolutionary, and sociocultural. Just remember BICEPS, but written this way: B2CEPS.
The next question would be, “How would Miss Summer describe herself using these six approaches?”
Behaviorism means you incorporate rewards and punishment to what you decide to do. If as a kid, you were given rewards after doing this, you will continue doing this. But once you get a punishment for doing that, you opt not to do that anymore. As a kid, her parents treated her out for dinner every time she got high grades.
Psychodynamic involves your early family experiences. “I am the way I am now because of how my parents brought me up. They fostered openness, communication and expression.”
Cognitive deals with how you think and solve problems. To memorize concepts, she relates them to her everyday life or makes a story out of it.
Behavioral neuroscience is all about the brain. She believes she mostly uses her cerebral cortex, the one responsible for rational thinking, rather than her instincts and emotions.
Evolutionary is concerned with adaptation, reproduction and survival. She prefers an older man, thinking he can ensure her security and survival.
Sociocultural involves culture, socioeconomic status and gender. Another reason why she wanted to be a teacher was because she also wanted to be a mother who could stay at home most of the time and be able to teach her children.
Some students do open up to her and share their problems. In terms of giving advices, she said, “If they ask for it. But I always listen.”
“Teaching students who really value learning is already a big contribution to the society,” Miss Summer said. Also, she wanted to contribute to the body of knowledge and disseminate information by being a researcher.
But above all these, Miss Summer has an ultimate goal. And that is to be a good mother.
“If I’m able to do my part, I’ll be able to raise up sons and daughters who can then contribute to the society.”
“Ayoko na. Baka binabasa mo na ‘yung isip ko eh.”
A guy once told her while they were out on a date.
“Yes, nababasa ko sa isip mo na ‘di mo alam ang ibig sabihin ng psych,” Apryl Mae Parcon, whom students call Miss Summer because of her first name, just joked around it. On the first day of our Psych 101 (General Psychology) class, she already told us that psychologists do not read minds. They use psychology concepts and theories as scientific basis for human behavior. These include how the brain works, the complexities of human mind, dreams, psychological disorders, and human development from conception to death.
“That’s the beauty of psych. You can apply it to your everyday life,” she said. She said she could apply it in her family. At 61, her father started to feel and think he was useless. She explained to him that this was the stage in human development where people at his age question themselves if they had contributed something to the society or if they had done nothing. He just needed to overcome this stage.
Since she was a kid, she dreamt of becoming a teacher. “My ultimate dream is to have a school of my own,” she added.
Her parents told her not to take education since she could be a teacher even by not taking education. Inspired with her elementary principal, she decided to do the same thing: take psychology, then work as a teacher.
Miss Summer took BA Developmental Communication in the University of the Philippines Los Banos after not passing for BS Psychology in UP Diliman. But she shifted out from Dev Comm after a year and pursued psychology.
After graduation, she worked as a researcher and technical writer in Malacanang but resigned after a year.
“I really wanted to teach. So I went back to school.”
And so she decided to take her Master’s in UP Diliman while teaching preschool students at St. Mark Learning Center, New Manila.
“They (Kids) are very lovable and very interesting to work with. You learn to deal with them as you actually spend days with them.”
This was what she knew she wanted to do: to be a teacher.
Describing herself as simple, cheerful and optimistic, Miss Summer never forgets to smile. She was smiling throughout our conversation while eating her lunch inside Palma Hall Annex Room 209B. In class, I always feel Miss Summer’s energy and enthusiasm as she speaks. And she really never forgets that smile.
Aside from teaching, she also worked as a researcher assistant in Center for Women’s studies and Center for Educational Measurement.
“Para na lang akong zombie nun, but then you learn to manage your time.”
After finishing her thesis, she worked as an instructor in La Salle and Ateneo for four semesters, teaching General Psychology, Psychological Measurements, and Experimental Psychology. UP, then, told her that if she would teach in UP, her tuition fee for her doctorate would be free. So instead of going to two different schools, she just chose one. And that was UP Diliman.
This was the last time Miss Summer changed her mind.
Now, she is an instructor for General Psychology and Developmental Psychology in the morning and a student by night.
As a teacher, she makes sure she gets the attention of her students. Almost every meeting, she has an activity reserved for us. From drawing to writing, from games to reporting. She also provides her students, acronyms for example, to make it easier for them to memorize concepts. One example is the six approaches to psychology: behaviorism, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral neuroscience, evolutionary, and sociocultural. Just remember BICEPS, but written this way: B2CEPS.
The next question would be, “How would Miss Summer describe herself using these six approaches?”
Behaviorism means you incorporate rewards and punishment to what you decide to do. If as a kid, you were given rewards after doing this, you will continue doing this. But once you get a punishment for doing that, you opt not to do that anymore. As a kid, her parents treated her out for dinner every time she got high grades.
Psychodynamic involves your early family experiences. “I am the way I am now because of how my parents brought me up. They fostered openness, communication and expression.”
Cognitive deals with how you think and solve problems. To memorize concepts, she relates them to her everyday life or makes a story out of it.
Behavioral neuroscience is all about the brain. She believes she mostly uses her cerebral cortex, the one responsible for rational thinking, rather than her instincts and emotions.
Evolutionary is concerned with adaptation, reproduction and survival. She prefers an older man, thinking he can ensure her security and survival.
Sociocultural involves culture, socioeconomic status and gender. Another reason why she wanted to be a teacher was because she also wanted to be a mother who could stay at home most of the time and be able to teach her children.
Some students do open up to her and share their problems. In terms of giving advices, she said, “If they ask for it. But I always listen.”
“Teaching students who really value learning is already a big contribution to the society,” Miss Summer said. Also, she wanted to contribute to the body of knowledge and disseminate information by being a researcher.
But above all these, Miss Summer has an ultimate goal. And that is to be a good mother.
“If I’m able to do my part, I’ll be able to raise up sons and daughters who can then contribute to the society.”
Who Summer Is in terms of Psychology
“Ayoko na. Baka binabasa mo na ‘yung isip ko eh.”
A guy once told her while they were out on a date.
“Yes, nababasa ko sa isip mo na ‘di mo alam ang ibig sabihin ng psych,” Apryl Mae Parcon, whom students call Miss Summer because of her first name, just joked around it. On the first day of our Psych 101 (General Psychology) class, she already told us that psychologists do not read minds. They use psychology concepts and theories as scientific basis for human behavior. These include how the brain works, the complexities of human mind, dreams, psychological disorders, and human development from conception to death.
“That’s the beauty of psych. You can apply it to your everyday life,” she said. She said she could apply it in her family. At 61, her father started to feel and think he was useless. She explained to him that this was the stage in human development where people at his age question themselves if they had contributed something to the society or if they had done nothing. He just needed to overcome this stage.
Since she was a kid, she dreamt of becoming a teacher. “My ultimate dream is to have a school of my own,” she added.
Her parents told her not to take education since she could be a teacher even by not taking education. Inspired with her elementary principal, she decided to do the same thing: take psychology, then work as a teacher.
Miss Summer took BA Developmental Communication in the University of the Philippines Los Banos after not passing for BS Psychology in UP Diliman. But she shifted out from Dev Comm after a year and pursued psychology.
After graduation, she worked as a researcher and technical writer in Malacanang but resigned after a year.
“I really wanted to teach. So I went back to school.”
And so she decided to take her Master’s in UP Diliman while teaching preschool students at St. Mark Learning Center, New Manila.
“They (Kids) are very lovable and very interesting to work with. You learn to deal with them as you actually spend days with them.”
This was what she knew she wanted to do: to be a teacher.
Describing herself as simple, cheerful and optimistic, Miss Summer never forgets to smile. She was smiling throughout our conversation while eating her lunch inside Palma Hall Annex Room 209B. In class, I always feel Miss Summer’s energy and enthusiasm as she speaks. And she really never forgets that smile.
Aside from teaching, she also worked as a researcher assistant in Center for Women’s studies and Center for Educational Measurement.
“Para na lang akong zombie nun, but then you learn to manage your time.”
After finishing her thesis, she worked as an instructor in La Salle and Ateneo for four semesters, teaching General Psychology, Psychological Measurements, and Experimental Psychology. UP, then, told her that if she would teach in UP, her tuition fee for her doctorate would be free. So instead of going to two different schools, she just chose one. And that was UP Diliman.
This was the last time Miss Summer changed her mind.
Now, she is an instructor for General Psychology and Developmental Psychology in the morning and a student by night.
As a teacher, she makes sure she gets the attention of her students. Almost every meeting, she has an activity reserved for us. From drawing to writing, from games to reporting. She also provides her students, acronyms for example, to make it easier for them to memorize concepts. One example is the six approaches to psychology: behaviorism, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral neuroscience, evolutionary, and sociocultural. Just remember BICEPS, but written this way: B2CEPS.
The next question would be, “How would Miss Summer describe herself using these six approaches?”
Behaviorism means you incorporate rewards and punishment to what you decide to do. If as a kid, you were given rewards after doing this, you will continue doing this. But once you get a punishment for doing that, you opt not to do that anymore. As a kid, her parents treated her out for dinner every time she got high grades.
Psychodynamic involves your early family experiences. “I am the way I am now because of how my parents brought me up. They fostered openness, communication and expression.”
Cognitive deals with how you think and solve problems. To memorize concepts, she relates them to her everyday life or makes a story out of it.
Behavioral neuroscience is all about the brain. She believes she mostly uses her cerebral cortex, the one responsible for rational thinking, rather than her instincts and emotions.
Evolutionary is concerned with adaptation, reproduction and survival. She prefers an older man, thinking he can ensure her security and survival.
Sociocultural involves culture, socioeconomic status and gender. Another reason why she wanted to be a teacher was because she also wanted to be a mother who could stay at home most of the time and be able to teach her children.
Some students do open up to her and share their problems. In terms of giving advices, she said, “If they ask for it. But I always listen.”
“Teaching students who really value learning is already a big contribution to the society,” Miss Summer said. Also, she wanted to contribute to the body of knowledge and disseminate information by being a researcher.
But above all these, Miss Summer has an ultimate goal. And that is to be a good mother.
“If I’m able to do my part, I’ll be able to raise up sons and daughters who can then contribute to the society.”
A guy once told her while they were out on a date.
“Yes, nababasa ko sa isip mo na ‘di mo alam ang ibig sabihin ng psych,” Apryl Mae Parcon, whom students call Miss Summer because of her first name, just joked around it. On the first day of our Psych 101 (General Psychology) class, she already told us that psychologists do not read minds. They use psychology concepts and theories as scientific basis for human behavior. These include how the brain works, the complexities of human mind, dreams, psychological disorders, and human development from conception to death.
“That’s the beauty of psych. You can apply it to your everyday life,” she said. She said she could apply it in her family. At 61, her father started to feel and think he was useless. She explained to him that this was the stage in human development where people at his age question themselves if they had contributed something to the society or if they had done nothing. He just needed to overcome this stage.
Since she was a kid, she dreamt of becoming a teacher. “My ultimate dream is to have a school of my own,” she added.
Her parents told her not to take education since she could be a teacher even by not taking education. Inspired with her elementary principal, she decided to do the same thing: take psychology, then work as a teacher.
Miss Summer took BA Developmental Communication in the University of the Philippines Los Banos after not passing for BS Psychology in UP Diliman. But she shifted out from Dev Comm after a year and pursued psychology.
After graduation, she worked as a researcher and technical writer in Malacanang but resigned after a year.
“I really wanted to teach. So I went back to school.”
And so she decided to take her Master’s in UP Diliman while teaching preschool students at St. Mark Learning Center, New Manila.
“They (Kids) are very lovable and very interesting to work with. You learn to deal with them as you actually spend days with them.”
This was what she knew she wanted to do: to be a teacher.
Describing herself as simple, cheerful and optimistic, Miss Summer never forgets to smile. She was smiling throughout our conversation while eating her lunch inside Palma Hall Annex Room 209B. In class, I always feel Miss Summer’s energy and enthusiasm as she speaks. And she really never forgets that smile.
Aside from teaching, she also worked as a researcher assistant in Center for Women’s studies and Center for Educational Measurement.
“Para na lang akong zombie nun, but then you learn to manage your time.”
After finishing her thesis, she worked as an instructor in La Salle and Ateneo for four semesters, teaching General Psychology, Psychological Measurements, and Experimental Psychology. UP, then, told her that if she would teach in UP, her tuition fee for her doctorate would be free. So instead of going to two different schools, she just chose one. And that was UP Diliman.
This was the last time Miss Summer changed her mind.
Now, she is an instructor for General Psychology and Developmental Psychology in the morning and a student by night.
As a teacher, she makes sure she gets the attention of her students. Almost every meeting, she has an activity reserved for us. From drawing to writing, from games to reporting. She also provides her students, acronyms for example, to make it easier for them to memorize concepts. One example is the six approaches to psychology: behaviorism, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral neuroscience, evolutionary, and sociocultural. Just remember BICEPS, but written this way: B2CEPS.
The next question would be, “How would Miss Summer describe herself using these six approaches?”
Behaviorism means you incorporate rewards and punishment to what you decide to do. If as a kid, you were given rewards after doing this, you will continue doing this. But once you get a punishment for doing that, you opt not to do that anymore. As a kid, her parents treated her out for dinner every time she got high grades.
Psychodynamic involves your early family experiences. “I am the way I am now because of how my parents brought me up. They fostered openness, communication and expression.”
Cognitive deals with how you think and solve problems. To memorize concepts, she relates them to her everyday life or makes a story out of it.
Behavioral neuroscience is all about the brain. She believes she mostly uses her cerebral cortex, the one responsible for rational thinking, rather than her instincts and emotions.
Evolutionary is concerned with adaptation, reproduction and survival. She prefers an older man, thinking he can ensure her security and survival.
Sociocultural involves culture, socioeconomic status and gender. Another reason why she wanted to be a teacher was because she also wanted to be a mother who could stay at home most of the time and be able to teach her children.
Some students do open up to her and share their problems. In terms of giving advices, she said, “If they ask for it. But I always listen.”
“Teaching students who really value learning is already a big contribution to the society,” Miss Summer said. Also, she wanted to contribute to the body of knowledge and disseminate information by being a researcher.
But above all these, Miss Summer has an ultimate goal. And that is to be a good mother.
“If I’m able to do my part, I’ll be able to raise up sons and daughters who can then contribute to the society.”
Read Again
How would an interviewer know what questions to ask if he doesn't know anything about the interviewee or what his interviewee has done?
Research. Research. Research.
Read. Read. Read.
Then you'll have not only a successful interview but also a meaningful conversation.
Michael Silverblatt said he's first and foremost a reader and a conversationalist. He also asks questions that will lead to answers his interviewee has never said before to any other interviews. That way, people gain something new.
Coturnix is a scientist who writes for Scienceblogs.com. He really writes well. I liked his idea of a scientist as also a journalist and a responsible one. He applies the same principles journalists adhere to.
Truth-telling. Transparency. Credibility. Readers' trust.
To know the truth, he keeps reading and researching. This is to make sure that what he puts on his blog is something readers can verify as true.
Metin Basoglu's You Can't Fight Violence with Violence is a good read. It doesn't simply state the effects of violence to one's social being; it calls for action.
I agree with what William Zinsser said about clutter and simplicity. Most of the time, as writers, we try to please our readers. We do this by using words we think are pleasing to hear or words in which readers may think, "Wow, this writer has a wide vocabulary."
What we don't know is that by not trying to please them, that's actually the time we are able to please them. That's the time we becone who we are, not just as writers, but as individuals. Just like everyone else.
I believe most writers are aware of the rule on not putting too much unnecessary words. We often comment this when we critique other writers' works. Still, many of us keep doing it. We don't often see that we're just doing the same thing. We just realize that when others start to comment on our work.
We don't usually take time to read our own works. That's the problem.
It takes time to read and comment, and to write and revise. But that's how people learn. That's the way writers learn how to write well. Even if it takes too much time.
At least we learn.
And sometimes, we just have to relearn what we already know.
Research. Research. Research.
Read. Read. Read.
Then you'll have not only a successful interview but also a meaningful conversation.
Michael Silverblatt said he's first and foremost a reader and a conversationalist. He also asks questions that will lead to answers his interviewee has never said before to any other interviews. That way, people gain something new.
Coturnix is a scientist who writes for Scienceblogs.com. He really writes well. I liked his idea of a scientist as also a journalist and a responsible one. He applies the same principles journalists adhere to.
Truth-telling. Transparency. Credibility. Readers' trust.
To know the truth, he keeps reading and researching. This is to make sure that what he puts on his blog is something readers can verify as true.
Metin Basoglu's You Can't Fight Violence with Violence is a good read. It doesn't simply state the effects of violence to one's social being; it calls for action.
I agree with what William Zinsser said about clutter and simplicity. Most of the time, as writers, we try to please our readers. We do this by using words we think are pleasing to hear or words in which readers may think, "Wow, this writer has a wide vocabulary."
What we don't know is that by not trying to please them, that's actually the time we are able to please them. That's the time we becone who we are, not just as writers, but as individuals. Just like everyone else.
I believe most writers are aware of the rule on not putting too much unnecessary words. We often comment this when we critique other writers' works. Still, many of us keep doing it. We don't often see that we're just doing the same thing. We just realize that when others start to comment on our work.
We don't usually take time to read our own works. That's the problem.
It takes time to read and comment, and to write and revise. But that's how people learn. That's the way writers learn how to write well. Even if it takes too much time.
At least we learn.
And sometimes, we just have to relearn what we already know.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
On Science Articles
What exactly is a genome?
What is atrial fibrillation?
What is induced pluripotent stem?
I had so many questions in my head while reading Human Genetic Variation-- Science's 'Breakthrough of the Year'. There were so many jargons I couldn't understand. The article would be better if the writer had used simpler terms or at least had explained what exactly was he talking about.
From Museum Basement, a 'New' Dinosaur, on the other hand, was fun to read. It was like I was hearing the words from a good storyteller. It was also interesting to know that this particular scientist, Longrich, is not into discovering new fossils but discovering the new beneath the old.
Realities in RP Science was also a good read. It tackled current issues as to why scientific productivity in the country is low. It is very relevant and very easy to understand.
After reading the last sentence of For Male Finches, Range Comes with Muscle, I was like...
Ha? Tapos na? Wait, baka may kasunod pa.
But it really was the end of the article. It was really bitin. Bitin na bitin.
It's not that articles should be long in order to be understood but articles should be understood, no matter how many words a writer uses. The thought should be there. The significance should be there. And the relevance to its readers should be there.
Why would readers bother to read an article anyway?
What is atrial fibrillation?
What is induced pluripotent stem?
I had so many questions in my head while reading Human Genetic Variation-- Science's 'Breakthrough of the Year'. There were so many jargons I couldn't understand. The article would be better if the writer had used simpler terms or at least had explained what exactly was he talking about.
From Museum Basement, a 'New' Dinosaur, on the other hand, was fun to read. It was like I was hearing the words from a good storyteller. It was also interesting to know that this particular scientist, Longrich, is not into discovering new fossils but discovering the new beneath the old.
Realities in RP Science was also a good read. It tackled current issues as to why scientific productivity in the country is low. It is very relevant and very easy to understand.
After reading the last sentence of For Male Finches, Range Comes with Muscle, I was like...
Ha? Tapos na? Wait, baka may kasunod pa.
But it really was the end of the article. It was really bitin. Bitin na bitin.
It's not that articles should be long in order to be understood but articles should be understood, no matter how many words a writer uses. The thought should be there. The significance should be there. And the relevance to its readers should be there.
Why would readers bother to read an article anyway?
Friday, July 9, 2010
"Pabili po."
“Pabili nga po ng Tata Ritz.”
“Ng ano ‘yun?”
“Ito po oh.”
Then he pointed to the peanuts. So I got one and handed it to boy who was giving me a peso in return. While handing it to him, I saw it. Clear and bold.
It was the factory that manufactures those peanuts. That is why the kids were used to calling it Tata Ritz.
Ate Ging-ging started her small sari-sari store two years ago. There at San Francisco St., San Roque Village, San Dionisio, Parañaque City, houses are built close to each other. And almost everywhere I look at, there would be a store. Just know where you’re heading and you would get what you need and what you want.
Ate Ging-ging’s store is just small, compared to the only sari-sari store we have in Multinational Village. But do not get me wrong.
Need anything?
Just go to Ate Ging-ging.
She has biscuits, candies, chips, pancit canton, coffee, powdered juice, toothpaste, dishwashing liquid, shampoo, sauces and condiments, cooking oil, onion, garlic, tomato, canned goods, soft drinks, beer, cigarettes and even floor wax.
She may have limited quantities for these but she still has enough to give you what you’re looking for.
A friend of mine, Mark, lives two houses far from hers. He was with me the afternoon I became a tindera or vendor for the first time in my whole life.
I spent three hours there, waiting for people to come and buy. If you’re curious about what it was like, it was not that exciting but I tell you, it was not easy as well.
After listing all the products I could see in her store, I asked Ate Ging-ging to put the price beside each product. The list became my guide but it still was not that easy, especially when I had three buyers all at the same time.
It was confusing. Much worse, it was as if I forgot I know mathematics.
When a girl asked for a Tata Ritz and Potato Crisps chips which cost six pesos and handed me a twenty-peso bill, I asked myself, “Twenty minus six?”
Twenty minus six.
Twenty minus six.
The thought went on for about four times in my head. And then I asked myself, “Why was I over-thinking a very simple subtraction?”
After giving her fourteen pesos, I just smiled to myself and thought, “Oh my. Twenty minus six lang, hindi mo alam?”
After one hour of sitting, waiting, and reading a newspaper, I looked at the money I got.
Twenty-six pesos.
Twenty-six pesos only.
Then suddenly, a man came and said, “Aba, may bagong tindera.”
Talking to Ate Ging-ging, he said, “Sigarilyo nga, Fortune.”
“Ayan oh. May tindera kami.”
“Eh di naman marunong yan eh. Pag-seminar niyo muna ‘yan.”
Then I panicked. I wasn’t able to include the cigarettes in my list. It was because they were stored in a jar and I did not think that the jar had something inside it.
I asked Ate Ging-ging where and how much the cigarette was after he had given me two pesos. But since the guy was muttering something I did not bother to understand anymore, I did not clearly hear Ate Ging-ging’s answer. I mistakenly heard her answer, “piso isa” as “Bigyan mo isa.”
“Oy, isa pa! Sus! ‘Di naman marunong eh.”
Then I just said, “Pasensya na, kuya.”
Mark, who was with me, was my best friend since high school so I wasn’t surprised that he knew that I was deeply affected with the man’s words.
“’Wag mong pansinin ‘yun. Ganun lang talaga ‘yun magsalita.”
To be honest, I was about to cry that time.
I felt stupid, not knowing what to do and not knowing what to say. I also did not even know how to take a soft drink bottle’s cap off.
It was hard. Hard for a girl like me who is used to a not-that-cozy-yet-you-have-all-you-need lifestyle.
After an hour and thirty minutes, I already knew that being a vendor isn’t for everyone.
Try memorizing all the prices plus dealing with that kind of people.
It is a skill. A skill not all of us has. A skill I don’t have.
Why I chose this to be my new experience, I still don’t know why.
I just did.
It was already seven o’clock in the evening and I still had sixty-two pesos in my hands, the same amount I had thirty minutes ago.
“Ui Mark, wala ng bumibili sa ‘kin.”
In order not to get bored, I just thought through my head the new experience I was having.
First thing that came into my mind was that almost all who bought gave exact amounts. Thinking of where I was used to, people usually do not give exact amounts when paying. Giving five hundred pesos for buying just 1.5 liters of soft drinks is usual.
But there at San Francisco St., I guess either it seldom happens or it doesn’t happen at all.
Another thing that I observed was the Filipinos’ culture of tingi.
The culture of tingi or pakonti-konti is very evident here in the Philippines. From the toothpaste to the shampoo to the onions to the cooking oil, you can buy them in small amounts. A sachet of toothpaste or shampoo, a piece of onion, or a plastic of cooking oil.
The main reason here why we love buying tingi is because they cost lower. Trying to budget our money everyday, we prefer buying small amounts of everything and paying lower costs rather than getting many of everything and giving more money away.
In doing groceries and shopping, not all Filipinos like one time, big time. Many still prefer the other way around.
Then I was lost with my train of thoughts when Ate Ging-ging said, “Pakiabot naman yung itlog. Magluluto muna ko.”
That's the time I realized the advantage of having your own store. Everything is at your reach. You don't need to go outside and find whatever you need.
Forgetting to go back to my train of thoughts, I just concentrated on the people buying.
Three hours had already passed and it was already eight o'clock. In my hands were one hundred and two pesos.
That was the time I said to Ate Ging-ging that I already need to go, gave her the money, and thanked her.
Walking away from Ate Ging-ging's store, I suddenly thought to myself...
That one hundred and two pesos was just eighty percent of the fare I spend a day when going to school and going back home.
“Ng ano ‘yun?”
“Ito po oh.”
Then he pointed to the peanuts. So I got one and handed it to boy who was giving me a peso in return. While handing it to him, I saw it. Clear and bold.
It was the factory that manufactures those peanuts. That is why the kids were used to calling it Tata Ritz.
Ate Ging-ging started her small sari-sari store two years ago. There at San Francisco St., San Roque Village, San Dionisio, Parañaque City, houses are built close to each other. And almost everywhere I look at, there would be a store. Just know where you’re heading and you would get what you need and what you want.
Ate Ging-ging’s store is just small, compared to the only sari-sari store we have in Multinational Village. But do not get me wrong.
Need anything?
Just go to Ate Ging-ging.
She has biscuits, candies, chips, pancit canton, coffee, powdered juice, toothpaste, dishwashing liquid, shampoo, sauces and condiments, cooking oil, onion, garlic, tomato, canned goods, soft drinks, beer, cigarettes and even floor wax.
She may have limited quantities for these but she still has enough to give you what you’re looking for.
A friend of mine, Mark, lives two houses far from hers. He was with me the afternoon I became a tindera or vendor for the first time in my whole life.
I spent three hours there, waiting for people to come and buy. If you’re curious about what it was like, it was not that exciting but I tell you, it was not easy as well.
After listing all the products I could see in her store, I asked Ate Ging-ging to put the price beside each product. The list became my guide but it still was not that easy, especially when I had three buyers all at the same time.
It was confusing. Much worse, it was as if I forgot I know mathematics.
When a girl asked for a Tata Ritz and Potato Crisps chips which cost six pesos and handed me a twenty-peso bill, I asked myself, “Twenty minus six?”
Twenty minus six.
Twenty minus six.
The thought went on for about four times in my head. And then I asked myself, “Why was I over-thinking a very simple subtraction?”
After giving her fourteen pesos, I just smiled to myself and thought, “Oh my. Twenty minus six lang, hindi mo alam?”
After one hour of sitting, waiting, and reading a newspaper, I looked at the money I got.
Twenty-six pesos.
Twenty-six pesos only.
Then suddenly, a man came and said, “Aba, may bagong tindera.”
Talking to Ate Ging-ging, he said, “Sigarilyo nga, Fortune.”
“Ayan oh. May tindera kami.”
“Eh di naman marunong yan eh. Pag-seminar niyo muna ‘yan.”
Then I panicked. I wasn’t able to include the cigarettes in my list. It was because they were stored in a jar and I did not think that the jar had something inside it.
I asked Ate Ging-ging where and how much the cigarette was after he had given me two pesos. But since the guy was muttering something I did not bother to understand anymore, I did not clearly hear Ate Ging-ging’s answer. I mistakenly heard her answer, “piso isa” as “Bigyan mo isa.”
“Oy, isa pa! Sus! ‘Di naman marunong eh.”
Then I just said, “Pasensya na, kuya.”
Mark, who was with me, was my best friend since high school so I wasn’t surprised that he knew that I was deeply affected with the man’s words.
“’Wag mong pansinin ‘yun. Ganun lang talaga ‘yun magsalita.”
To be honest, I was about to cry that time.
I felt stupid, not knowing what to do and not knowing what to say. I also did not even know how to take a soft drink bottle’s cap off.
It was hard. Hard for a girl like me who is used to a not-that-cozy-yet-you-have-all-you-need lifestyle.
After an hour and thirty minutes, I already knew that being a vendor isn’t for everyone.
Try memorizing all the prices plus dealing with that kind of people.
It is a skill. A skill not all of us has. A skill I don’t have.
Why I chose this to be my new experience, I still don’t know why.
I just did.
It was already seven o’clock in the evening and I still had sixty-two pesos in my hands, the same amount I had thirty minutes ago.
“Ui Mark, wala ng bumibili sa ‘kin.”
In order not to get bored, I just thought through my head the new experience I was having.
First thing that came into my mind was that almost all who bought gave exact amounts. Thinking of where I was used to, people usually do not give exact amounts when paying. Giving five hundred pesos for buying just 1.5 liters of soft drinks is usual.
But there at San Francisco St., I guess either it seldom happens or it doesn’t happen at all.
Another thing that I observed was the Filipinos’ culture of tingi.
The culture of tingi or pakonti-konti is very evident here in the Philippines. From the toothpaste to the shampoo to the onions to the cooking oil, you can buy them in small amounts. A sachet of toothpaste or shampoo, a piece of onion, or a plastic of cooking oil.
The main reason here why we love buying tingi is because they cost lower. Trying to budget our money everyday, we prefer buying small amounts of everything and paying lower costs rather than getting many of everything and giving more money away.
In doing groceries and shopping, not all Filipinos like one time, big time. Many still prefer the other way around.
Then I was lost with my train of thoughts when Ate Ging-ging said, “Pakiabot naman yung itlog. Magluluto muna ko.”
That's the time I realized the advantage of having your own store. Everything is at your reach. You don't need to go outside and find whatever you need.
Forgetting to go back to my train of thoughts, I just concentrated on the people buying.
Three hours had already passed and it was already eight o'clock. In my hands were one hundred and two pesos.
That was the time I said to Ate Ging-ging that I already need to go, gave her the money, and thanked her.
Walking away from Ate Ging-ging's store, I suddenly thought to myself...
That one hundred and two pesos was just eighty percent of the fare I spend a day when going to school and going back home.
The Need to Know
I didn't find these articles very interesting...
Big Phone, Big Screen, Big Pleasure and Riding the Rails of Malaysia, in Singapore.
The first talked about things a not-that-techie girl like me doesn't understand. The second simply narrated what happened. It was lacking the magic words plus a good writer could do.
I didn't feel any connection.
What i found very fun to read were How I Used Tweeter to Live-Blog the Opera and The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.
I liked the way Tweney described what he did and how he actually live-tweeted the opera. I was amazed with how he carefully used his words not just to not exceed the 140-character limit but also to let the readers feel that they were also watching the live opera.
It wasn't just merely reading what was happening, it was as if even I was seeing it in live.
Thompson's use of quotes made his article powerful. He made me feel curious as to what will happen to them.
That's what a good story needs, I guess.
Curiosity. Want to know. Then the need to know.
You just have to keep reading and reading until you already know.
Big Phone, Big Screen, Big Pleasure and Riding the Rails of Malaysia, in Singapore.
The first talked about things a not-that-techie girl like me doesn't understand. The second simply narrated what happened. It was lacking the magic words plus a good writer could do.
I didn't feel any connection.
What i found very fun to read were How I Used Tweeter to Live-Blog the Opera and The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.
I liked the way Tweney described what he did and how he actually live-tweeted the opera. I was amazed with how he carefully used his words not just to not exceed the 140-character limit but also to let the readers feel that they were also watching the live opera.
It wasn't just merely reading what was happening, it was as if even I was seeing it in live.
Thompson's use of quotes made his article powerful. He made me feel curious as to what will happen to them.
That's what a good story needs, I guess.
Curiosity. Want to know. Then the need to know.
You just have to keep reading and reading until you already know.
Friday, July 2, 2010
On "The Biggest Little Man in the World"
Creative. Interesting. Detailed descriptions.
From the way Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao strikes his fist into his opponent...
Down to the way he looks when he is already at rest.
Andrew Corsello did not just write who Manny is, but how he became who he is now and how he represents the Philippines and its people.
Corsello did not write just for the sake of writing and finishing an article; he knew how to communicate with people through his words.
Even those who don't know Manny will, I believe, still find his article interesting. By just reading his article, one can already have a clear picture of who Manny is.
A boxer. A politician. A singer. A God-fearing man. A family man. And a very curious one.
Or rather, not just simply see the picture, but become a part of it.
That's the magic words can do. That's the magic Corsello did. And that's the magic a very good writer can do.
Despite its length, no one can get bored, may he/she be a boxing fan or not, a Pacquiao fan or not.
It doesn't matter. Why?
As Corsello always phrased it...
Because he is Pacquiao.
From the way Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao strikes his fist into his opponent...
Down to the way he looks when he is already at rest.
Andrew Corsello did not just write who Manny is, but how he became who he is now and how he represents the Philippines and its people.
Corsello did not write just for the sake of writing and finishing an article; he knew how to communicate with people through his words.
Even those who don't know Manny will, I believe, still find his article interesting. By just reading his article, one can already have a clear picture of who Manny is.
A boxer. A politician. A singer. A God-fearing man. A family man. And a very curious one.
Or rather, not just simply see the picture, but become a part of it.
That's the magic words can do. That's the magic Corsello did. And that's the magic a very good writer can do.
Despite its length, no one can get bored, may he/she be a boxing fan or not, a Pacquiao fan or not.
It doesn't matter. Why?
As Corsello always phrased it...
Because he is Pacquiao.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Everything makes sense now.
"Someday it's gonna make sense."
A line from Michael Learns to Rock's song.
All my life, I've been wondering why they were who they were, why they were acting the way they did, and why they did what they did (or specifically, why he did what he did one day on December 2004).
I've thought of many reasons as to why these are the things happening to us. But with every answer I can come up with, there's still a question or more left unanswered.
Which means I still haven't made full sense of the world around me. I still haven't made full sense of what our family was and is going through.
I would not go into details talking about what specifically about my family I am talking about.
It's too personal that I couldn't let other people know about it. It seems so huge that I can't even get hold of it.
Information Overload.
Maybe these were also the reasons why no one in the family, even our own parents, told me and my two sisters about this.
It was too big to handle by three little girls.
I don't know why our mom decided to tell us about this on Saturday, June 26. I'm just glad she finally did. I'm just glad I finally understand everything now.
Everything makes sense now.
I know now why they were who they were, why they were acting the way they did, and why they did what they did (or specifically why he did what he did one day on December 2004).
Everything had a reason.
In our hands now are the lost pieces of the puzzle. We now have the answers.
The only question left unanswered is:
Are there any other mysteries yet to be solved?
I don't worry that much now.
Why?
'Cause I know and I believe with all my heart that whatever we go through, wherever we are, and even if whether what happens seem pointless...
Even if we still can't make sense of what's right in front of our eyes...
(as what Michael Learns to Rock said in his song)
"Someday you're gonna find the answers
To all the things you've become
And all they've done at your expense
Someday it's gonna make sense."
A line from Michael Learns to Rock's song.
All my life, I've been wondering why they were who they were, why they were acting the way they did, and why they did what they did (or specifically, why he did what he did one day on December 2004).
I've thought of many reasons as to why these are the things happening to us. But with every answer I can come up with, there's still a question or more left unanswered.
Which means I still haven't made full sense of the world around me. I still haven't made full sense of what our family was and is going through.
I would not go into details talking about what specifically about my family I am talking about.
It's too personal that I couldn't let other people know about it. It seems so huge that I can't even get hold of it.
Information Overload.
Maybe these were also the reasons why no one in the family, even our own parents, told me and my two sisters about this.
It was too big to handle by three little girls.
I don't know why our mom decided to tell us about this on Saturday, June 26. I'm just glad she finally did. I'm just glad I finally understand everything now.
Everything makes sense now.
I know now why they were who they were, why they were acting the way they did, and why they did what they did (or specifically why he did what he did one day on December 2004).
Everything had a reason.
In our hands now are the lost pieces of the puzzle. We now have the answers.
The only question left unanswered is:
Are there any other mysteries yet to be solved?
I don't worry that much now.
Why?
'Cause I know and I believe with all my heart that whatever we go through, wherever we are, and even if whether what happens seem pointless...
Even if we still can't make sense of what's right in front of our eyes...
(as what Michael Learns to Rock said in his song)
"Someday you're gonna find the answers
To all the things you've become
And all they've done at your expense
Someday it's gonna make sense."
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