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ZOOMINGOUT
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Tehran, Iran – The International Atomic Energy Agency reported an increase in the country’s production of uranium. 73.7kg of uranium with 20 percent concentration has been produced, almost enough to create a nuclear weapon. Amidst growing concerns, Iran insists their nuclear program was created to provide for an alternative source of electricity.
Louisiana, USA – 2 years after the oil-spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, a trial is to be held. The complainants are mostly Gulf Coast residents and among the companies sued are BP, Transocean and Halliburton. The first part of the trial will deal with who’s liable, followed by addressing solutions to contain the spill and then cleanup efforts.
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Kabul, Afghanistan – Koran burnings by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops caused violent protests from locals wherein US bases were fired at. As a result, 2 US soldiers were killed and 7 more were wounded.
Abbottabad, Pakistan – The government began demolishing Bin Laden’s three-story compound in an effort to erase the symbol of Pakistan’s humiliation in securing its nation and destroying its ties with the US. The locals showed mix emotion at the site—some were happy with it, while some insisted the building should’ve been converted for public use.
Vatican City – In what is dubbed as “VatiLeaks”, a series of confidential letters written by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano to Vatican officials and the Pope himself has been exposed to the public, allegedly declaring corruption in the Holy See. Although Vatican did not deny the allegations they said that issue has been blown out of proportion.
North Korea – After visiting military units in the southern coast, Kim Jongun threatened to attack South Korea in response to the latter’s plans with the US to halt North Korean aggression.
Damascus, Syria – Amidst chaos and violence, Syrians headed to their respective precincts to vote in the constitutional referendum. About 34 civilians were killed since voting started. However in Homs, the center of unrest, residents are trapped in their houses with no electricity, and heavy restriction on foreign media is imposed. Pretoria, South Africa – Former South African President Nelson Mandela was discharged from One Military Hospital after undergoing laparoscopy. The 93 year old Nobel peace laureate suffered from abdominal pain prior to the surgery. A source said of Mandela’s current condition, “He looks very handsome, very healthy. He’s as fine as can be at his age.”
Sanaa, Yemen - Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has been sworn in as Yemen’s new president after Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 22-year rule. According to the electoral commission, 6.6 million of Yemen’s registered voters showed support for Hadi. In his speech Haid said, “Power in Yemen is now based on popular legitimacy and no one can raise doubt about it.” He also promises to continue the battle against al Qaeda.
Bataan and Tarlac - The R. K. Shimizu (Nagasaki) Foundation Inc. donated school buildings to elementary institutions in Bataan and Tarlac, considered a “manifestation of healing” from the past by Education Secretary Armin Luistro on February 22. During the World War II, Japanese soldiers were known to turning women into sex slaves, according to Malaya grandmothers.
We take a step back from focusing on campus news and have a bird’s eye view of happenings beyond the walls of XU. After all, Cagayan de Oro, the Philippines, and the world are but one shared village.
Nepal – 72-year old Nepalese farmer Chandra Bahadur Dangi is now a Guinness World Record holder for being the smallest man in the world. Standing at 21.5 inches Chandra beat former record-holder Junrey Balawing who is 23.5 inches in height. Chandra candidly shares he’s never been seriously ill—his body is greater beyond its size.
DOH, National Office - Catholic bishop proposed to Department of Health (DOH) to avoid giving out free condoms and other forms of artificial contraceptives to couples on Valentine’s Day.
Camarines Norte - The Philippine Army reported 2 rebels and 2 brothers, aged 10 and 7, dead in a hut on February 25 after about 15 rebels opened fire in a remote village in Labo.
Manila - Pasay City Regional Trial Court allowed former President Gloria Arroyo, currently facing electoral sabotage, to visit the wake of her late brother-in-law Rep. Ignacio Arroyo on February 24 for three days in Quezon City.
Manila - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization reported 3,000 languages over the world are in in danger of extinction, and only 171 out of 175 listed languages and dialects are considered “living”.
Tawi-Tawi - Two European birdwatchers, abducted on February 3, are reported to remain captive as of February 26 and have yet to be handed over to the Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu island according to Rappler.
Zamboanga - The Spanish government means to increase financial aid to Mindanao as soon as the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signs a peace agreement. Spanish Ambassador Jorge Domecq is the guest of honor and keynote speaker during Zamboanga’s Charter Day on February 26.
Cebu and Negros - A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the country on February 7 killing 55. Aftershocks were felt all around Visayas and Mindanao, including Cagayan de Oro the same day.
Davao del Sur - A total of 200 volunteers journeyed through 6 of the highest peaks in the Philippines, delivering 500 solar-powered lanterns. Named Hike for Light, the journey aims to promote solar lanterns which, according to Planète d’Entrepreneurs studies, saved families about P4,000 of annual energy costs.
CdeO - An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale hit Misamis Oriental and some parts of Northern Mindanao, including the Caraga Region, on the morning of February 6. The earthquake originated 72 kilometers North of Dumaguete in the Visayas region and was tectonic in origin with a depth of 10 kilometers.
Iponan, CdeO - The Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Region 10 issued a stoppage order of all mining activities along Iponan River and its riverbanks, mandating all persons/organizations engaged in the conduct of illegal mining activities to immediately cease.
Canitoan, CdeO - Some tents in Tent City 2 in Sitio Calaanan, a relocation site for ‘Sendong’ survivors, were submerged in knee-deep water due to continuous rains. However, Councilor Alexander Dacer assured the relocateees that there was only a drainage problem and that they are doing their best to solve the problem.
Isla de Oro, CdeO - Archbishop Antonio Ledesma supported the transfer of the night café to Isla de Oro in support of the National Greening Program of the government that calls for the planting of trees. “Turning this into a recreational park would allow the planting of trees thus help prevent another flood,” he said in a statement.
CdeO The City Government and various fire brigades in the city organized a monthly citywide clean up and flushing drive in the city’s streets, main roads and the two recently constructed flyovers to clean the remnants of ‘Sendong’ and avoid the spread of diseases.
CdeO - The Save CDO Now Movement members Raul Ramon Roa, Dr. Vincent Tero, former city councilor Teodulfo Lao, former Gusa village chief Enrico Salcedo and former city councilor Celestino Ocio III filed an administrative complaint against Mayor Vicente Emano for gross negligence and dereliction of duty in protecting the city’s residents from ‘Sendong’. Lapasan, CdeO - Six police officers from the national headquarters in Camp Crame facilitated a six-day Disaster Preparedness Trainors’ Training to 94 police officers where 21 of them are Barangay Peace Action Teams members at Camp Alagar. Participants learned the basic skills of knot-tying, rappelling, rescue and evacuation, first aid and the handling of rescue boats.
Balulang, CdeO - The Safer River, Life Saver Foundation of Liceo de Cagayan University initiated a cleaning and clearing activity at sitio Tambo to help rehabilitate the Cagayan de Oro River and the 17 riverbank barangays hit by ‘Sendong’. It was participated by the 4th Infantry ‘Diamond’ Division, students and various agencies.
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February 2012 | Vol. 38 No. 9
NEWS
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5th QITC focuses on new technologies, IT trends
By Leasusana C. Ty
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he Quantum and Information Technology Convention (QITC) launches its fifth convention at Marco Polo Hotel on February 2-4, 2012. QITC is a three-day long event which gathers IT enthusiasts all over Visayas and Mindanao. This year’s QITC, with the theme “Discovering New Opportunities in Emerging Technologies”, focuses on “giving updates and maximizing the potentials of IT enthusiasts in the trending advancements in IT,” states their website. This year’s QITC includes delegates from Mindanao State University-Marawi (MSU-Marawi), Mindanao State UniversityIligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), Universidad de Zamboanga (UZ) and Xavier University (XU). Speakers for the event came from Microsoft Philippines, Rain Creative Lab, Global Workforce, Orange & Bronze Software Labs, Inc. and Inovent Inc. “We have a line-up of speakers [who] are very dynamic,” says Michael Dave Tan, chairman of the College of Computer Studies.“Our topics this year are not so technical so [even non-Computer Science
students], pwede rah siya mu-join.” The event garnered mixed feedback from the delegates. While many felt it was a worthwhile experience, others believed it could be have given more substance to the participants. “It was really fun. You actually learn something from the speakers which you do not learn in class and we actually gain knowledge from other schools. It makes me think that QITC really has to go on,” praises Diane Rose Nanolan, a Xavier University delegate. “It would be much more definitive if there would be a learning strategy of 60 – 70% of actual and 30-40% of theory and should be more on how-to… because that would be the core of IT practices,” suggests Mr. Al-Ghaffar Iribani, the chairman of the College of Computer Studies of UZ. The event also encountered problems in the room assignments for the stay-in delegates. “I think we all have to be patient lang. There is always room for human error. Dili gyud nah siya ma-avoid,” defends Tan.C
FOLLOWING #SOCIALMEDIA. Maria Ressa, former CNN Jakarta Bureau Chief and current Rappler CEO, delivers a talk about “Social Media for Social Change” at 1st SIBYA. (L. LIBRES)
Crusader, DevComm hold 1st communication congress with Rappler The
By Bianca C. Malbas
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ebruary 17, 2012 – A mini-team from Rappler consisting of media bigwigs Maria Ressa, Patricia Evangelista, Josh Villanueva, and Chay Hofileña spoke on “Social Media for Social Change” at SIBYA, the first Northern Mindanao Student Communicators Congress, at SM City Cinema 2, Cagayan de Oro. The affair was attended by roughly 500 delegates from colleges/universities, and student/school publications all over northern Mindanao. Referred to as simply “SIBYA”, the oneday congress also featured an open forum on social media, as well as relevant competitions for
writers and artists. The event was a joint effort of The Crusader Publication and Xavier University’s Development Communications department. Rappler is a form of alternative media dedicated to “uncompromised journalism that – hopefully – inspires smart conversations and ignites a thirst for change.” In line with this thrust, the team discussed the power of social media and how it can be used to drastically affect present society. The congress was the first milestone for what is intended to be an annual event for Northern Mindanao communicators. “Sibya” is a Cebuano term for the word “broadcast”.C
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or some reasons political candidates have a thing for acronyms. I’m thinking it could be effective as some sort of prep for finals. My sister used acronyms when she studied for her exams, and her results were always exceptional. Being the nonconformist that I am, I will not subscribe to stitching together random letters that lack chemistry in the beginning but are forced to make sense anyway. I’m going to spare you the technical mumbo jumbo of typical platforms. Save that for your Political Science finals. Oh, did I mention? I’m running for CSG President, Vice-President, and every other position posting vacancies. No, you didn’t just develop dyslexia or something. You read it right. I am running a marathon for love… of service. First thing’s first. Let me address this issue on student apathy because one time in class, this guy behind me insisted there was some sort of apathy mania going on in what he calls “the system”. System my hind, he’s obviously referring to the school in general. I think otherwise. Why, the school is just overflowing with thought trains — scribblings on an old armchair aren’t even enough to convey them. Students do
Cora in Office
voice out, it’s just that the right outlet needs to be tapped to resound them. When I see a freedom wall, I stop for a brief moment to check the things you guys wrote, albeit some of your handwritings are too, err, complex, for mental consumption. Sometimes, though, I wonder if the people who put up those boards actually read it once they take it back down. There’s some good stuff in there. It’s just a matter of actually reading it considering whether you’d be thinking this apathy thing a taboo. I have this story to tell regarding my late acceptance to Hogwarts. I basically gave up getting beta access to Pottermore just to finish this paper my teacher was being demanding about. I passed it on time like the good student that I am. Since I was convinced that that paper was a matter of life or death, I waited for the results. It never came. Our final grades came in late, too. I think it’s unfair how it’s okay for them to be late regarding a lot of things but they couldn’t spare us the same mercy. In addition, people who want to apply for a teaching job in XU should seriously go through some sort of filtering system. Why? Because I didn’t pay every bit of my parents’ blood and sweat just so some new grad from God-knows-where can show me his genuine expertise on downloading
Youtube videos and show it in class like a pro. Yes, I honestly do care about my education—and I care about yours too. I don’t think we deserve teachers with “citations needed”. Maybe I’m just too used to STC302 as my ultimate home, but the second floor of the STC is just downright creepy sometimes. I couldn’t imagine myself knocking on the door of one of the offices when the only thing likely to greet me is the sound of creaking doors and the breeze flipping through book pages. It’s hard to have a student government that promises to give you full services when you need it, anytime and anywhere, but it’s actually getting more difficult to reach them. But wait, I heard they got themselves a new crib. Congratulations on that, but I would’ve appreciated it though if they had a notice of sorts to tell me where to go when I had the slightest concern. I’d run to the freedom wall, but right now that doesn’t necessarily guarantee me anything, huh? More than anything, instead of just sitting cozy and writing articles like a boss I want to do something more with what I can do. I actually want to be the change and at the same time inspire change. No, wait. I think I already have. C