“Commentary 6 (28 July 2013): Rappler writer implies ‘Muslims and Communists’ as responsible for CDO bombing” written by TDP
“Tragedy occurred last 26 July 2013 (Friday) in Cagayan de Oro City as forty-eight (48) were injured and six (6) civilians were killed in a bomb attack at a local bistro. Philippine troops and the police have since then been ordered to tighten security and stay vigilant in lieu of the recent event (France-Presse, 2013). Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and investigators were on site to search for clues on Friday night’s attack: “We are doing everything (to determine the suspects). We have placed the police in Mindanao, the intelligence community, and the army on heightened alert to prevent a similar attack” (France-Presse, 2013). An investigation is ongoing to determine possible motives for the restaurant bombing.
“Despite the lack of substantive evidence to pit a certain person or a certain group as responsible for the attacks, France-Presse of Rappler makes some misleading and judgmental claims about the possible culprits. In the 28 July 2013 article published by rappler the author notes: “Cagayan de Oro is a bustling city that has been relatively unscathed by a decades-old Muslim and communist insurgency that have plagued parts of the south in this largely Catholic country” (France-Presse, 2013). Although the writer notes that “Roxas’s statement suggested the attack may not have been the work of Muslim militants who operate in other parts of the south and are known to use mortar bombs rigged to a timing device”, the writer links specific groups as suspects of the attack. Furthermore, the adjective ‘Muslim’ is used to describe ‘militants’, which is problematic because it unrightfully relegates the act as being religiously, as well as politically motivated.
“According to the Philippine Press Institute (2013), “all efforts must be exerted to make stories fair, accurate, and balanced”, and “language, photographs, visuals, and graphics that are racist, sexist, insensitive, and disrespectful of men, women, and children, religious dominations, cultural communities, and gender and political preferences” should be avoided at all times. By insinuating that the attacks may be politically motivated and by implying that such attacks may be attributed to a particular religious group, France-Presse is guilty of two major unethical practices. Rather than speculate and consequently feed the public unsubstantiated information, it is best to wait for the results of the formal, official investigation.” Posted by TDP.
MaribuBot, my smart robot news aggregator, on her own, gathered these stories for you:
ξ Netizen voters prefer bets with disaster management plans. “Cebu City — Local and national candidates who have concrete programs on disaster risk reduction and proactive plans on mitigating effects of calamities like typhoons, flooding, and earthquake are more likely to get the netizens’ votes this coming May 2013 elections.” Sun Star.
Φ Battery backups offered as solution to massive Mindanao brownouts. An IT expert said, “Critical back-up power or uninterrupted power supply (UPS) for a company’s IT infrastructure is a must to ensure continuity of operations and prevent data loss.” Manila Bulletin thru Yahoo Philippines
♠ “Boy, 2 soldiers killed in Compostela encounter” “Davao City — Two soldiers were killed while six others were wounded in separate encounters between government troops and the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Mabini, Compostela Valley on Wednesday. xxx A nine-year-old boy was also killed in one of the encounters after getting caught in the crossfire.” Sun Star
Χ “Missing boy found decapitated, disemboweled”. abs-cbn
♠ “PH concerned over N. Korea threats, evacuation measures” Kyodo news thru abs-cbn
ς “Angels and demons of Philippine foreign policy”. commentary by Lauro Baja inVERA Files thru Yahoo Philippines
◊ “13 Things an IRS Agent Won’t Tell You About Tax Planning. April 15, easy: Follow these tax advisors’ insider tips for income tax help and stress-free filing.” article from Readers Digest.
Then MabibuBot published these eye-popping health news:
Ω “Cancer and heart disease are bigger killers, but Alzheimer’s is the most expensive malady in the U.S., costing families and society $157 billion to $215 billion a year, according to a new study that looked at this in unprecedented detail.” by “Online” thru Tempo.
Ω “The practice of yoga encourages us to free ourselves from the burden of over-identifying with the physical body. Moreover, yoga asks us to consider that we are not only solely the physical body, we are also not only the thoughts and emotions we experience on a daily basis, but a composite of the finite and the infinite, woven into the fabric of many layers of being. The yogis called these layers koshas… One of these layers is called the prana body. It’s the part of you that is innately intelligent. Prana is the force responsible for the energetic processes that precede physical processes. Let me give you an example: Every night, without you thinking or planning, you go to sleep, and something keeps your blood steadily pumping, your pH levels stable, and the breath flowing in and out. There are literally millions of chemical processes taking place all the time in your being, and all of them occur without you trying. The force responsible for this miracle is prana, an operating intelligence, like an electrical impulse (or a divine messenger!) that keeps things flowing smoothly. ” Yoga Journal. (blog admin’s note: i think physicists would call this “energy” and medical doctors would probably say neurons and synapses, and biologists would not say “miracle” but say these are body processes resulting from millions of years of evolution, etc. Anyway, it’s Friday, read on!)
Ω“Overcoming common running obstacles” “”Hormonal and neurological shifts occur in our body, which can impact how we feel about exercise and how we feel while exercising,” says exercise physiologist Julia Moffitt, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology and pharmacology at Des Moines University. Luckily, you can outsmart these internal power struggles and reduce the temptation of hitting snooze, working through lunch, or cutting a workout short. Here’s how to clear the roadblocks in your running day.” runnersworld. com
Ω “Danger! How Grapefruit and Medications Don’t Mix … 43 different drugs can interact dangerously with grapefruit; here’s what you need to know.” Readers Digest
Ω Plus videos from Chi Running: Uphill running. (blog admin’s note:This video shows running on a ten-degree slope…that’s uphill?…
(muscle-aches from uphill running probably gives a fool the right to whine: Uphill running is like…. pushing your chest against a ton of cement… and making it inch forward. whine, whine)
