We, of course, need to eat bread also. After all, we are also material beings that need to be fed and nourished by material food, such as bread. But since we are also spiritual and supposed to be supernatural beings — in fact, eminently so — we should not limit ourselves to natural food. We …
OPINION
Experts share ways to keep online spaces safe for kids, teens
The digital space has opened more opportunities for the public to express their thoughts, share their work and creativity, and even connect with more people. However, it has also opened its doors to cyberbullying, online identity theft, and sexual abuse and exploitation. During a panel discussion for Safer Internet Day in Taguig City on Thursday, …
Love month and the rising threat of online love scams
By Ignacio R. Bunye February is supposed to be the gentlest month of the year. Hearts decorate storefronts, restaurants fill up with couples, and even the most stoic among us soften a little. But while many celebrate love, others exploit it. And this love month, the Philippine National Police has issued a timely warning: Love …
Bobo 101: A crash course for the ‘smart’
By Herman M. Lagon “I’m dumb,” Ma’am Michelle wrote, with a row of smiling emojis, as if laughing was easier than explaining the weight of the day. “So the smart ones should come and teach how to read, write and count. Come to real life as a teacher.” This is the kind of so-called “stupidity” …
The telephone at 150: Are we hanging up on phone calls?
“Mr. Watson, come here, I want to speak to you.” With these words, Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized communication. They were the first words to be intelligibly transmitted over distance — the first telephone call. On February 14, 1876, Bell applied for a patent for his invention, signaling the rise of spoken communication as the primary …
Ancient teeth reveal new human species (Part 2)
By Dr. Joseph D. Lim Between three million years ago (Ma) and 2.5 Ma, there were as many as four hominin lineages living in eastern Africa. They were the early Homo, Paranthropus, A. garhi, and the newly discovered Ledi-Geraru Australopithecus, according to a study which describes the age, geologic context and dental morphology of the …
Leadership without the spotlight
By Herman M. Lagon Some of the best leaders are not in spotlights or news feeds. You will not always find them behind a podium or flashing credentials. More often, they are quietly doing the work — like the public school teacher in the mountains juggling 60 restless students with a calm voice and tired …
Job threats, rogue bots: Five hot issues in AI
As artificial intelligence (AI) evolves at a blistering pace, world leaders and thousands of other delegates will discuss how to handle the technology at the AI Impact Summit, which opens in New Delhi. Here are five big issues on the agenda: Job loss fears Generative AI threatens to disrupt myriad industries, from software development and …
The ‘red-tagging’ case of detained journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio
By Dennis Gorecho The prolonged detention of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio is “inhumane and has no place in a system that claims to uphold justice and respect media freedom.” This was the declaration of the international media organization Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) as a Philippine court ruled on Cumpio’s first of two cases (illegal …
The spiral progression that slips
By Herman M. Lagon Spiral progression sounds elegant when explained in a conference room: revisit key concepts every year, add complexity gradually, and let repetition build mastery. It is baked into the K-12 architecture through policy and guidance, especially for Science and Mathematics, where topics are arranged, so learners encounter “the same” ideas multiple times …