OCTOBER 18, 2024

Vol. 9 No. 612

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CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONWIDE FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER

PBBM inks ARAL law to address

learning gaps
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-CARLOS, PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY STORY ON PAGE 3

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A group of friends watches the Manila Bay sunset along Roxas
Boulevard on Thursday (Oct. 17, 2024). Save for short bursts
of rain, Metro Manila has been enjoying fair weather the entire
week. (JOAN BONDOC/PNA)

9 14 20 27

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 2 PHILIPPINE NEWS FRIDAY October 18, 2024

Senate Blue Ribbon likely to handle drug war probe

By Wilnard Bacelonia on the issue, considering that Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III budget hearings. Convening the Committee of
Philippine News Agency Congress is still on recess. chairs the Senate Committee He will also ask the two sen- the Whole, as first broached by
"Hindi pa naman pinal, ang on Justice. ators about the direction of the Senate Deputy Minority Leader
direksyon ay parang Blue-Rib- Pimentel, in a message to re- inquiry. Risa Hontiveros, is also anoth-
MANILA – The Senate Com- bon Committee ang mag-motu porters, assured that he is ready Go earlier filed a resolution er option that he would discuss
mittee on Accountability of proprio investigation habang re- to handle the proposed probe if seeking to direct the Commit- with other senators, he said.
Public Officers and Investiga- cess. Pero kung magre-resume, referred to his committee. tee on Public Order and Dan- Hontiveros earlier said it is
tions, more popularly known malamang ang Committee on "I will have to handle it like the gerous Drugs to handle the better and fairer if the leader-
as the Blue-Ribbon Committee, Justice ang maghe-hearing (It's professional that I am," he said. drug war probe. ship convenes the Committee
will most likely be the one to not yet final but the direction is Meanwhile, Escudero said he Dela Rosa also said earlier of the Whole to investigate the
handle the proposed inquiry the Blue-Ribbon Committee will is set to talk to Senators Ronald that the committee, which he war on drugs of the previous
on former president Rodrigo handle the motu propio investi- Dela Rosa and Christopher Law- chairs, has the option to open administration.
Duterte's war on drugs, Senate gation while in recess. But once rence Go during the weekend to the investigation before the She said this would give
President Francis "Chiz" Escu- sessions resume, the Committee ask them whether they prefer to regular session resumes. each senator “equal rights” to
dero said on Friday. on Justice will hear it)," he said. open the investigation this re- Escudero said he advised Dela investigate the issue, as well
In a radio interview, Escude- Senator Pia Cayetano chairs cess or later in the resumption Rosa and Go to divest from lead- as assure and encourage vic-
ro explained that only this com- the Blue-Ribbon Committee, of the regular session, which is ing the probe to make sure that tim-survivors to join and testify
mittee could act motu propio while Senate Minority Leader expected to be jampacked with it would be “fair and unbiased.” in the proceedings. ■

Sedition raps filed Quadcom to trace money trail

vs. KOJC lawyers, in Duterte drug war
execs By Zaldy De Layola “The Quad Comm will leave involved a chance to help clear
Philippine News Agency no stone unturned. Those who the air and ensure justice is
By Benjamin Pulta respondents in the sedition case profited from the killings must served.
Philippine News Agency were lawyers Israelito Torreon be held accountable, and the The panels led by Abante
and Marie DInag Fuentes, as MANILA – The next step of AMLC is key to tracking down and Fernandez, along with
well as Lorraine Badoy-Parto- the House Quad Committee these illicit transactions that the Committees on Dangerous
MANILA – The Philippine Na- sa, Jeffrey Celis, Carlo Catiil, (Quadcom) investigating the led to the deaths of innocent Drugs and Public Accounts
tional Police - Criminal Inves- Eleanor Cardona, Kathleen extrajudicial killings (EJKs) civilians,” Abante said. chaired by Surigao 2nd Dis-
tigation and Detection Group Laurente, Trinidad Arafol, Lord during the Duterte administra- Fernandez, on the other trict Rep. Robert Ace Barbers
(PNP-CIDG) on Thursday filed Byron Cristobal, Joey Sun, Este- tion is to trace the money trail hand, added that “the use of and Abang Lingkod Party-list
sedition and inciting to sedition ban C. Lava, and Jose Lim. used to incentivize police offi- financial institutions for illegal Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano,
charges before the Department He said they would also include cers in the bloody war on drugs. activities is a serious crime. respectively, vowed to see the
of Justice (DOJ) against 12 indi- several John and Jane Does. This is according to Quad- “We will follow every lead to investigation through.
viduals in relation to the serving “That is aside from the other com co-chairs Reps. Bienveni- ensure that those responsible They stressed that no one is
of arrest warrants against Pas- cases that we filed, like direct do “Benny” Abante Jr. and face justice,” he added. above the law and that all respon-
tor Apollo Quiboloy inside the assault, physical injuries sa Dan Fernandez, who said on The Quadcom plans to for- sible will be held accountable, re-
Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) ating mga pulis (inflicted on Wednesday that the mega-pan- mally request AMLC’s assis- gardless of rank or station.
compound in Davao City. our policemen), disobedience, el is seeking assistance from the tance within the week. “The financial probe is a key
CIDG Director, Brig. Gen. Anti-Money Laundering Coun- Lawmakers believe the fi- step in the committee’s inves-
Nicolas Torre III, said named PAGE 12 Sedition raps filed cil (AMLC) to track the cash nancial probe will shed light tigation into the thousands of
flow tied to these operations. on the full extent of the money deaths during Duterte’s an-
The move comes after the trail behind Duterte’s violent ti-drug campaign. By deter-
testimony of former Philip- anti-drug campaign. mining the source of the funds
pine Charity Sweepstakes Of- Abante and Fernandez called and identifying the recipients,
fice General Manager Royina on police officers who may the Quad Committee seeks to
Garma, who alleged that cash have received cash rewards to reveal the financial networks
rewards for carrying out EJKs come forward. behind the extrajudicial kill-
were funneled through the “Your testimony could be ings, potentially exposing key
banking system. critical to uncovering the truth. figures who profited from the
A retired police colonel with This is the time to speak up,” violence. This deeper look
close ties to former President said Abante, who chairs the at financial flows could link
Rodrigo Duterte, Garma ex- House Committee on Human high-ranking officials to the
posed the reward system be- Rights. operations, uncovering the full
hind the killings and detailed Fernandez, who heads the extent of accountability in the
the roles of Duterte and his Committee on Public Order drug war,” they said. ■
Units from the Philippine National Police troop to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ close aide, Senator Christopher and Safety, assured that those
(KOJC) compound in Davao City on Monday (June 10, 2024), to serve an arrest “Bong” Go, in overseeing the who cooperate would be treat-
warrant against its leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. (ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PNA)
lethal anti-drug operations. ed fairly and promised those
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 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 PHILIPPINE NEWS 3

1
PBBM inks ARAL law to address learning gaps
By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos as well that it is accessible to numeracy competencies. tion at a time when education help to address our long-stand-
Philippine News Agency all,” he added. To ensure the effectiveness needs the most support. ing problem of students who
Marcos said the ARAL Law and accessibility of learning, "This law demonstrates our cannot read properly and have
seeks to confront the broader tutorial sessions will be con- collective resolve to uplift the difficulty in math and science),"
MANILA – President Ferdi- challenges of mastering essential ducted in three flexible deliv- state of education in the Philip- Escudero said in a statement.
nand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday competencies and recovering ery modes. pines. With ARAL, we can help "Proficiency in these essen-
signed the Republic Act (RA) from the learning loss through Learners have the option to students regain their momentum tial learning competencies will
12028 or the Academic Recovery structured tutorial sessions. choose either face-to-face tuto- and achieve the learning mile- serve as the foundation for in-
and Accessible Learning (ARAL) The ARAL Law, a priority rials, online tutorials, or blend- stones they deserve," he said. dividuals to become productive
Law to accelerate learning re- measure Identified by the Leg- ed learning, depending on Senate President Francis "Chiz" members of society,” he added.
covery and improve the quality islative-Executive Development their needs and circumstances. Escudero and Senator Sherwin In a separate statement,
of education in the country. Advisory Council (LEDAC), An annual evaluation is need- Gatchalian cited the ARAL law as Gatchalian, who authored and
During the ceremonial sign- aims to create a national learn- ed to collect comparable data for a critical intervention, particular- sponsored the bill in the Sen-
ing at Malacañan Palace in ing intervention program de- the purpose of determining the ly in the wake of pandemic-relat- ate, said the ARAL Program
Manila, Marcos stressed the signed to help struggling learn- impact of the program, while the ed learning losses. seeks to improve students' pro-
importance of RA 12028 in ad- ers catch up with the required impact evaluation will be sub- “Malaki ang magiging tu- ficiency in these subjects and
dressing the learning gaps, as standards for their grade levels. mitted to Congress not later than long nitong ARAL Program prepare them for higher educa-
he cited the 2018 Program for Under the law, the Depart- six months after the end of every para matugunan ang matagal tion or the workforce.
International Student Assess- ment of Education (DepEd) will school year of implementation. na nating problema tungkol sa “The ARAL law will boost
ment which showed that the spearhead the ARAL Program, DepEd Secretary Sonny An- mga mag-aaral na hindi maka- efforts to address learning
staggering 75 percent of Filipi- a free national learning inter- gara thanked Marcos for the pagbasa nang maayos at hirap loss and the education crisis
no learners “fell below the min- vention program that will tap passage of the law, stressing sa matematika at agham (This hounding the country,” he said.
imum proficiency levels in read- teachers and para-teachers, and that it is a critical interven- ARAL Program will be of great All students in the public and
ing, mathematics and science.” pre-service teachers or those stu- private education system lag-
“This disheartening trend re- dents enrolled in a teacher de- ging in their learning process
mained alarmingly the same, gree program offered by Teach- are included in the ARAL law.
highlighting the urgency of the er Education Institutions to help “The law is consistent with the
learning crisis that we confront struggling learners attain the economic development mantra
today. It is imperative therefore competencies set by the agency. of the Marcos administration
that we acknowledge this mas- The program will focus on that calls for giving every Filipi-
sive challenge, determine the improving students' competen- no the opportunity to improve
necessary steps, and prioritize cies in essential learning areas, so that he catches up with the
the implementation of learning including reading and mathe- rest of our population in terms
interventions,” Marcos said. matics for Grades 1 to 10, and of making life better for them-
“With the signing of the science for Grades 3 to 10. selves,” House of Representa-
ARAL Law, we embark on a The ARAL Program will focus President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday called on stakeholders in the aca- tives Ferdinand Martin Romual-
definite journey to champion on building foundational skills demic sector, the local government units (LGUs), government agencies and the dez said in a statement. (with a
the right of every Filipino child of the Kindergarten learners to national government to actively participate in the successful implementation of report from Wilnard Bacelonia/
to quality education, ensuring strengthen their literacy and the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Law. (PCO)
Jose Cielito Reganit/PNA) ■

Marcos meets Robredo in Sorsogon event

By Darryl John Esguerra Communications Secretary the Republic.
Philippine News Agency Cesar Chavez, who was also in This is the first time the two
the event with Marcos, said Ro- were seen together in public
bredo welcomed the President after the 2022 polls.
MANILA – President Ferdi- at the entrance of the venue. In a media interview after the
nand R. Marcos Jr. on Thurs- "She welcomed the President program, Escudero said Robre-
day met with former Vice Presi- at the entrance of the sports do was supposed to join Marcos
dent Leni Robredo in Sorsogon arena. Katabi ni former VP Leni and other officials on stage.
province. si former Sen. Bam Aquino sa However, the former vice
Marcos briefly shook the pag-welcome kay PBBM (For- president had to leave for an-
hands of Robredo and former mer Sen. Bam Aquino was at other appointment in Naga City President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. shakes the hand of former Vice President Leni
Senator Bam Aquino at the the side of former VP Leni to where she is running for mayor. Robredo during the inauguration of the Sorsogon Sports Arena on Thursday

venue's holding area. welcome PBBM)," he told Pal- Despite their brief interaction, (Oct. 17, 2024). (PCO)

According to Senate President ace reporters in a text message. Escudero said he believes that it
Francis “Chiz" Escudero, he invit- Marcos lost to Robredo in could be the start of “healing” mang debate o pagkakaiba differences we may have, noth-
ed Robredo to welcome Marcos the 2016 vice presidential race. for Marcos and Robredo. natin ng pananaw ay pulitikal, ing is personal),” he said.
on behalf of the Bicol Region. The two faced off again six “Tingin ko ito ay unang hak- hindi personal (I think this “So mas madaling maghilom
Escudero served as Sorsogon years later in the 2022 pres- bang tungo nga sa, ika nga, is the start of the healing of yun. Mas madaling maayos sig-
governor from 2019 to 2022 idential elections, this time paghilom ng mga sugat, ano wounds, whatever misunder- uro yun kesa personal (That is
and initiated the construction Marcos won convincingly to mang hindi pagkakaunawaan standing, because remember, easier to mend than a personal
of the new arena. become the 17th President of dahil alalahanin nyo – anu- whatever debate or political one).” ■
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 4 PHILIPPINE NEWS FRIDAY October 18, 2024

PBBM: Sorsogon Sports Women, children 14

Arena vital in maximizing times more likely
PH athletes’ potential to die in crisis
By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos Sorsogon Sports Complex. and national governments to By Ma. Teresa Montemayor women-led efforts.
Philippine News Agency The SSA was initially intend- provide beneficiaries from Sam- Philippine News Agency "Less than half of national
ed for the province’s hosting paloc village in Sorsogon City action plans on climate adap-
of the Palarong Pambansa in with safe and secured shelters. tation in the region recognize
MANILA – The newly inau- 2021. It has a seating capac- Palarong Pambansa 2027 MANILA – Women and chil- women as leaders and only
gurated Sorsogon Sports Arena ity of 12,000 and can accom- Meanwhile, Senate Presi- dren are 14 times more likely seven commit to targeting
(SSA) will give the Philippines a modate up to 20,000 for full- dent Francis "Chiz" Escudero to die in crisis, ActionAid Aus- funding to gender-responsive
big boost amid its quest for Olym- house sports activities, making announced that Sorsogon is tralia chief executive officer outcomes," Higgelin said.
pic glory, President Ferdinand R. it capable of hosting local and gunning to host the Palarong Michelle Higgelin said Tuesday. "More than a third of nation-
Marcos Jr. said Thursday. international events. Pambansa in 2027. In a press conference during ally determined contributions
In his keynote speech during The SSA also has various “Kasya ang mahigit-kumulang the ongoing 2024 Asia-Pacific on climate change are com-
the inauguration of the SSA in amenities, such as an Athletics na 54,000 na katao kung pu- Ministerial Conference on Di- pletely gender-blind."
Sorsogon City, Marcos said the Oval and a three-story facility punuin pati ‘yung grounds ng saster Risk Reduction (APMC- To ensure gender-responsive
PHP1.2 billion sports facility will that can accommodate athletes arena. Ito ang pinakamalaking DRR) in Pasay City on Tuesday, disaster risk reduction in every
serve as a training camp for Fil- and guests in its 139 rooms, venue sa buong Bicol region at Higgelin said women and chil- country, Higgelin recommend-
ipino athletes joining national including 39 dorm-type rooms marahil nasa top 10 sa buong dren are more vulnerable than ed improvement in data col-
and international competitions. with 560-bed capacity. Pilipinas (Around 54,000 peo- men in times of crisis, especially lection for all climate change
He said the SSA is crucial in It has two infirmaries, an ple can be accommodated if the in areas devasted by natural di- and disaster-related activities
empowering the athletes and eight-lane rubberized track grounds of the arena will also be sasters due to climate change. to better target efforts to the
maximizing their potential. and field area, and a huge filled. This is the largest venue in "Women are four times more most vulnerable.
“Ito po ay isang mahalagang space for other sporting events. the entire Bicol region and prob- likely to be displaced in a di- She also recommended in-
hakbang upang maitaguyod na- Marcos said the sports arena ably in the top 10 in the entire saster. In every crisis, violence creased funding for women-led
tin ang ating mga kababayan also has multiple functions, as Philippines). This is something against women and women's un- and gender-responsive climate
na may angking galing sa la- it could also be used for hold- indeed to be proud of,” he said paid work increases," she said. action.
rangan ng palakasan. Sa tulong ing summits, concerts, and in a statement. "Climate change is exacerbat- Local disaster risk reduction
nito, mabibigyan sila ng pagka- other competitions. Escudero said he will also ing gender equalities, increas- Zamboanga del Sur Disaster
kataon upang mahasa pa ang More projects seek the Philippine Sports ing women's vulnerability and Risk Reduction officer Noriben
kanilang mga talent (This is an Meanwhile, Marcos pledged Commission’s approval to resulting in greater economic Jay Luguban said the Phil-
important step so that we can that more programs and proj- make the massive facility a losses among women because ippines' commitment to this
promote our countrymen who ects would be undertaken in national sports training camp they are concentrated in inse- initiative at the local level is
have talent in the field of sports. the province under his watch considering that the Sorsogon cure jobs or informal labor." translated into actions.
Through this, they will be given as he touted several projects in Sports Complex has a geo- Action Aid is a global feder- Citing the activities of their
the opportunity to further hone the province as examples of his graphical advantage. ation that aims to build inter- local government, Luguban
their talents),” Marcos said. administration’s fulfilled goals “Ngayon nasa Baguio, nasa national momentum for social, noted that gender equality is
“Tulad din ng mga Olympians of providing the public with norte. Malayo sa Visayas, ma- economic, and environmental practiced in all aspects of the
natin na lumahok nitong 2024 sa easy access to government ser- layo sa Mindanao. Sorsogon justice. development process.
Paris Olympics, hangarin natin vices and creating more invest- is in the Southernmost tip of Its offices in 45 countries "In disaster area vulnera-
sa pamamagitan ng arena na ito, ment opportunities. Luzon, medyo nasa gitna. Dito receive funding from individ- bility, increased assessment,
lalo pang dumami ang mga ka- He cited that the Sorsogon lang kumpleto ang facilities at ual giving, philanthropy and and in all the dramatic areas,
babayan natin na magbibigay ng National Government Center lahat ay pag-aari ng (Now it's in partnerships, and institutions we should have women in the
dangal sa ating bansa (Just like was launched to serve as a one- Baguio, in the north. Far from among others to respond to leadership position," he said.
our Olympians who participated stop shop government center the Visayas, far from Mindanao. emergencies, promote wom- "In allocating the funds, for
in the 2024 Paris Olympics, let that facilitates improved and Sorsogon is in the southern- en's rights, and challenge cli- instance, 5 percent of the total
us hope that through this arena, faster services. most tip of Luzon, somewhat in mate crisis and its impacts. annual appropriation, in order
more of our countrymen would He also mentioned the Sam- the middle. Only here are the Higgelin said women play an to ensure that issues with re-
bring our country honor).” paloc Tenement, a housing important role in transforming gards to gender sensitivity shall
The President mentioned project backed by both local PAGE 12 PBBM: Sorsogon Sports disaster response and leading be addressed, and consistently
sprinter Isidro Del Prado of more equitable climate solu- apply policies in the parties for
Cagang village in Barcelona, tions in Asia and the Pacific. the participation women.”
Sorsogon who competed in the She emphasized that such A year after the Philippine Di-
400-meter event in the 1984 solutions build community and saster Risk Reduction and Man-
Olympics in Los Angeles. economic resilience, create agement Act of 2010 was ap-
Prado, who held the 400-me- more sustainable livelihoods, proved, the local government of
ter record in Philippine athletics, and reduce gender inequality Zamboanga del Sur established
had demonstrated courage, resil- violence and conflict. its own disaster risk reduction
ience, and determination during Governments in the region and management unit.
the Olympic competition, he said, are urged to establish greater Luguban said this unit has
noting that these are the charac- policy coherence to achieve been active in providing emer-
teristics that bind Filipinos. gender equality across the cli- gency assistance to their residents
Patterned after Rome’s famous mate and disaster scenes. who became victims of major ty-
Colosseum landmark, the SSA, They are also urged to pri- phoons, such as Pablo in 2011,
situated at the heart of Sorsogon oritize support for the leader-
City, is part of the 7.1-hectare Sorsogon Sports Arena (CONNIE CALIPAY/PNA)
ship of women and resourcing PAGE 12 Women, children 14

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 6 PHILIPPINE NEWS FRIDAY October 18, 2024

Shared responsibilities ‘essential’ in

disaster risk governance: DENR
By Ma. Teresa Montemayor, cific to accelerate disaster risk cal and sustainable strategies.
Marita Moaje reduction.” The private sector can also
Philippine News Agency Individual discussions gave adopt and integrate DRR in busi-
participants insights on strength- ness models, practices, and sup-
ening their commitment to ac- ply chains beyond business con-
MANILA – Department of En- celerate the implementation of tinuity planning and corporate
vironment and Natural Resourc- the Sendai Framework for Disas- social responsibility, she said.
es (DENR) Secretary Maria Anto- ter Risk Reduction (2015-2030) Citing the need for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia

nia Yulo Loyzaga has emphasized in the region. DRR to be gender-responsive, Yulo Loyzaga (AVITO C. DALAN/PNA)

the role of the public sector in "The Gender Action Plan to Loyzaga said women, girls, and
creating an environment for support the implementation of individuals of diverse genders said that the Philippines has been The draft article will go be-
all stakeholders to deliver their the Sendai Framework offers must be included in every level leading the development of a yond the framework of the
shared responsibilities; establish- a set of practical recommend- of decision-making. Draft Articles on the Protection of provision of relief assistance,
ing inclusive disaster risk gover- ed actions to substantially in- Apart from the discussions, Persons in the Event of Disasters. which then, would just become
nance mechanisms; and adopt- crease resource allocations, the delegates exchanged knowl- Manantan cited the signif- a component of the protection
ing concrete, structural, and activities, and impacts of gen- edge, networked, raised aware- icance of the draft articles in of persons.
non-structural measures. der-responsive DRR," she said. ness, and promoted multidis- protecting persons in disasters, “So really the focus now
"Local action is essential to Gender stakeholders are ciplinary and interdisciplinary emphasizing their potential to are persons and the protec-
advance disaster risk reduc- also urged to support nation- DRR through exhibitions. bridge gaps in international tion, and again, the other layer
tion, including active, mean- al and local authorities and A total of 80 exhibitors from disaster response laws, human there in the protection is the
ingful participation of those at all stakeholders in the overall the government, non-govern- rights, and humanitarian laws. focus on human rights, human-
greatest risk," Loyzaga said in implementation of the Sendai ment organizations, private The Philippines, which chairs itarian principles, and human
her speech at the closing cer- Framework. sector, and educational institu- the United Nations General As- dignity,” she said.
emony of the Asia-Pacific Min- The Sendai Framework aims tions shared their DRR initia- sembly (UNGA) sixth commit- Moreover, the draft also fo-
isterial Conference on Disaster to achieve a substantial reduc- tives for four days at the PICC. tee working group, highlighted cuses on the role of the affected
Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) tion in disaster risk and losses A field trip to cultural heri- the draft's 18 articles clustered state, balancing it with the notion
at the Philippine International by the year 2030 and works tage sites, national and local into five categories, which in- of sovereignty, and then giving
Convention Center (PICC) in hand in hand with the 2030 monitoring centers, city-lev- clude the general provisions, focus to the right of the state to
Pasay City on Thursday. Agenda for Sustainable Devel- el DRR areas, and communi- core obligations of internation- consent to external assistance.
The five-day conference opment and the Paris Agree- ty-based DRR initiatives is set al cooperation, the role of the “Perhaps, I will also flag that
gathered 4,000 ministers and ment on Climate Change. for the delegates on Friday. affected state, and the facilita- for the first time, we’re intend-
delegates from across the re- Loyzaga said the protection of Protection of people pushed tion of external assistance. ing to have a legally binding
gion to address the critical ecological systems and biodiver- Meanwhile, Johaira Wa- Key points included the in- instrument defining disasters,
need for enhanced action on sity is essential in disaster risk hab-Manantan, director of the clusion of a duty to protect and so that is also a very im-
disaster risk reduction under reduction and climate change United Nations and Other In- human dignity and the recog- portant conversation that's go-
the theme, “Surge to 2030: En- adaptation and must be inte- ternational Organizations of the nition of non-state actors, such ing on in the working group,”
hancing ambition in Asia-Pa- grated in the creation of practi- Department of Foreign Affairs, as the Red Cross. Manantan said. ■

House panel to refine bill on new migrant

workers commission
By Filane Mikee Cervantes meet with migrant organiza- cess to the services of the POLO tinue its overseas consultations in commission will focus on han-
Philippine News Agency tions, Philippine Overseas La- and Philippine embassies and the coming weeks as it fine-tunes dling labor disputes involving
bor Officers (POLO), and em- consulates," he said. the bill aimed at improving labor OFWs and will operate as a
bassy officials. Flores underscored the im- protections for the millions of Fil- quasi-judicial body with deci-
MANILA – The House Com- Flores said the goal is to en- portance of maintaining open ipinos working abroad. sions appealable to the Court
mittee on Government Reorga- sure that there are accessible lines of communication be- "We will travel to more coun- of Appeals.
nization is conducting consul- and efficient mechanisms in tween workers, POLO officials, tries where there are many The commission will also be
tations with overseas Filipino place to assist OFWs regarding and labor arbiters. OFWs so we can, through face- attached to the Department of
workers (OFWs) abroad to re- their concerns about their work- The delegation is led by Tin- to-face meetings, hear their con- Migrant Workers.
fine a measure seeking to cre- ing conditions or employers. gog Partylist Rep. Jude Acidre, cerns and suggestions," he said. The House Committee on
ate the Migrant Workers Rela- "I am of the opinion that who chairs the House Commit- The MWRC, as envisioned Government Reorganization is
tions Commission (MWRC), its many of the problems undocu- tee on Overseas Workers Af- under House Bill 8805, will responsible for evaluating the
chairperson said on Tuesday. mented OFWs face abroad can fairs. Other members include serve as the overseas coun- structure and functions of pro-
Committee chair and Bukid- be addressed when they change General Santos City Rep. Loreto terpart to the National Labor posed agencies like the MWRC
non Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores their status from undocument- Acharon, Kabayan Partylist Rep. Relations Commission (NLRC) to ensure their effectiveness
on Tuesday said the legislative ed to documented when they Ron Salo, and Coop- Natcco under the Department of Labor and alignment with existing
delegation recently traveled reach any foreign country. That Partylist Rep. Felimon Espares. and Employment. frameworks. ■
to the Hague, Netherlands, to change of status gives them ac- Flores said his panel will con- Flores said the proposed
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 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 PHILIPPINE NEWS 7

Marcos OKs P27.92-B project for

resilient health system
By Darryl John Esguerra on Wednesday the Department response in vulnerable areas in not a general ... (it is) specific monitoring and evaluation, and
Philippine News Agency of Health’s (DOH) flagship pro- the country. even to the area," Marcos told Contingency Emergency Re-
gram to rebuild a resilient and According to the President, the Health Secretary Teodoro Her- sponse Component (CERC).
responsive healthcare system. PHP27.921-billion project serves bosa who presented the project Likewise, it will prioritize
MANILA – Serving as chair Dubbed the Philippines: as an “application of lessons during the NEDA Board Meet- areas in the country with poor
of the National Economic Health System Resilience Proj- learned during the pandemic.” ing at the Malacañan Palace. access to healthcare.
and Development Authority ect, Phase 1, the program seeks “Maganda ito kasi specif- The program is also geared to- The health department has
(NEDA) Board, President Fer- to enhance health emergency ic (This is great because it is ward building an enabling envi- already identified 17 provinces
dinand R. Marcos Jr. approved prevention, preparedness, and specific) to the Philippines. It’s ronment, project management, for its pilot run. ■

OVP spends P16-M on safehouse

rentals for 11 days: COA
By Filane Mikee Cervantes tioned the nature and rental COA has no way of knowing if
Philippine News Agency prices of the safehouses, which the acknowledgment receipts
cost up to PHP91,000 per day submitted were just fabricat-
– more than the rates at luxury ed)? Would my statement be
MANILA – The Office of the resorts like Shangri-La Bora- correct?" Acop asked.
Vice President (OVP) spent cay, where a stay costs about "Yes, Mr. Chair," Camora re-
PHP16 million on the rental of PHP25,000 per night. plied, admitting that the re-
34 safehouses for just 11 days “Hindi po ba kayo nagtaka ceipts provided were the only
in December 2022, according kung bakit ganoon kamahal? basis for validating the rental
to its accomplishment report Wala po kayong information payments. HOUSE PROBE. Lawyer Gloria Camora, Commission on Audit (COA) Intelligence
submitted to the Commission kung gaano kalaki ang build- The receipts were often un- and Confidential Funds Audit Officer, answers questions during the House Com-
on Audit (COA). ing? (Did you not wonder why signed, illegible, or missing names mittee on Good Government hearing on Thursday (Oct. 17, 2024). (HOUSE PRESS

The report on the OVP's use it was so expensive? Did you and lacked supporting docu- AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS BUREAU)

of PHP125 million in confi- not have any information on ments, such as lease contracts.
dential and intelligence funds how big the building was)?” Manila 1st District Rep. Er- just mathematics) – 11 days issue, agreeing that the 2022
(CIFs) over just 11 days was Chua asked Camora. nesto Dionisio Jr., meanwhile, versus 53 days,” Dionisio said. spending appeared dispropor-
presented before the House of Camora admitted that the noted the inconsistencies in He further highlighted the tionately high.
Representatives Committee on audit team had no information the OVP’s safehouse rental apparent disparity in spending "Steep nga po lalo na po
Good Government and Public regarding the size or location spending between the fourth across different quarters. 'yung sa 2022 since 11 days
Accountability on Thursday. of the rented properties. quarter of 2022 and the first “Hindi po ba na parang na- lang po siya (It was indeed
Lawyer Gloria Camora, COA Antipolo City 2nd District three quarters of 2023. kakapagtaka na 5 million (pe- steep, especially in 2022 since
Intelligence and Confidential Rep. Romeo Acop expressed Despite the high rental prices sos) napagkasya sa 79 days it was only 11 days)," she said.
Funds Audit Officer, said the frustration over COA’s capacity in the last quarter of 2022, the tapos medyo extreme kumpa- Dionisio called for stricter over-
rental payments were backed to verify the authenticity of the OVP spent the same amount – ra sa Quarter 4 ng 2022 na 16 sight of public funds and more
by acknowledgment receipts information on the acknowl- PHP16 million – for safehouse million for 11 days (Isn't it a bit comprehensive documentation.
covering the dates Dec. 21 to edgment receipts as the agency rentals in both the first and sec- strange that PHP5 million last- “That’s the reason why im-
31, 2022, noting that these com- depended primarily on docu- ond quarters of 2023, covering ed 79 days, and it is quite ex- portante itong Committee ng
plied with the documentary re- mentary proof of payment. 53 days and 67 days, respectively. treme compared to the fourth Blue Ribbon (this Committee
quirements outlined in the COA "So, walang paraan ang COA For the third quarter of 2023, quarter of 2022 where PHP16 of Blue Ribbon is important),
joint circular on the use of CIFs. para malaman kung gawa-ga- Camora confirmed the OVP million lasted 11 days)?” Di- in aid of legislation, so we can
Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel wa lang ang mga acknowledg- spent PHP5 million in 79 days. onisio said. craft laws to prevent this from
Chua, committee chair, ques- ment receipts na sinubmit (So, "Mathematics lang eh (It's Camora acknowledged the happening again,” he said. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net
8 PHILIPPINE NEWS FRIDAY October 18, 2024

PH needs to work double time on

disaster response efforts
By Priam Nepomuceno of the anticipated “Big One” earthquake the intensification of disaster prepared-
Philippine News Agency is "unacceptable". ness efforts utilizing science-based
"It is unbearable to contemplate tens solutions. However, he emphasized that
CORRESPONDENT/HOSTS of thousands of fatalities. We are not individual responsibility is paramount.
Arianne Grace Lacanilao MANILA – The Office of Civil Defense adequately prepared for this scenario,” “It is our job to assist you, but ulti-
Matte Laurel-Zalko
Violeta Arevalo
(OCD) said the country must work dou- he added. mately, the responsibility for your safe-
Babes Newland ble time to further enhance disaster re- Nepomuceno also asserted that true ty lies with you. The government may
sponse capabilities despite the improve- readiness for the “Big One,” which is not always be by your side, so it is
GRAPHIC DESIGN
ments it has implemented. feared to strike Metro Manila, can only crucial that you are equipped with the
Ginno Alcantara "We have made some gains but we be achieved when the potential casualty necessary knowledge and technology to
Colleene T. Singca should not stop because the typhoons are figures are reduced to a bare minimum. take appropriate action. Preparedness
also stronger. We should check if we have “We must all work together to ad- is key,” Nepomuceno concluded.
ACCOUNT MANAGER enough systems in place. If not, we must dress this urgent concern,” he urged. Integrate disaster response in
Kristopher Yong continuously improve,” OCD administra- The OCD chief also called upon all planning, LGUs told
tor Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno stakeholders to intensify their efforts, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remul-
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER said in a statement Thursday night. emphasizing the need for a multifac- la called on local government units
Boom Dayupay He added that these measures are eted approach that includes engineer- (LGUs) to implement disaster risk re-
needed considering that global disas- ing solutions, rigorous enforcement of duction planning as a means to protect
PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER ters are expected to worsen in the com- building regulations, and a commit- themselves against calamities.
Ginno Alcantara ing years. ment to discipline among the populace. In a news release on Friday, Remulla
“I wish it weren’t true but it is a sci- “We need robust structures for said the Department of the Interior and
MANAGEMENT ence-based prediction,” Nepomuceno homes, buildings, bridges, schools, hos- Local Government (DILG) recognizes
Alan Yong said, referring to the United Nations pitals, and other critical infrastructure. the importance of mainstreaming disas-
Office for Disaster Risk Reduction's pro- It is essential for everyone to comply ter risk reduction and climate change
jection that disasters will increase by 40 with the Structural Code of the Phil- adaptation in local planning.
•••
percent by 2030. ippines and adhere to building permit “Proper land use planning is crucial
“So we must give this primary impor- requirements,” he stated. in determining how communities de-
tance and a sense of urgency. We must Recognizing the Philippines as one of velop and in reducing their vulnerabili-
do what we can before it gets too late,” the most disaster-prone countries glob- ty to hazards like floods, landslides, and
For photo submissions, please email
[email protected]
he added. ally, he underscored the importance of storms,” he said during the 3rd plenary
Underscoring the importance of col- prioritizing disaster preparedness. session on localization and urban and
For general inquiries, please email
[email protected]
laboration and cooperation during di- “This is a shared responsibility. We rural resilience of the Asia-Pacific Min-
sasters, Nepomuceno added that the urge everyone, especially the media, to isterial Conference on Disaster Risk Re-
For sales inquiries, please email
[email protected]
or visit Philippines is eager to share its knowl- raise awareness about the escalating duction (APMCDRR) 2024 at the Phil-
edge and experiences in disaster man- risks associated with disasters. It is vital ippine International Convention Center
www.canadianinquirer.net/advertise-with-us

Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at agement with other countries. that the public is informed about avail- in Pasay City on Thursday.
200-13888 Wireless Way,
Richmond, BC
“Not a single country in the world able technologies that can aid in their He also shared that the DILG has
can face disasters alone. Even a rich preparation for, and response to, calam- been helping LGUs achieve full compli-
country like Turkey needed assistance ities,” Nepomuceno added. ance on the preparation, updating, and
••• in dealing with a major disaster,” he He cited tools like Hazard Hunter, strict implementation of their Compre-
said, referring to the devastating 2023 a publicly available platform that pro- hensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).
earthquake that resulted in more than vides information on the proximity of “Beyond warning systems, prepared-
Philippine Canadian Inquirer 50,000 deaths and countless injuries. homes to potential earthquake and tsu- ness drills, and emergency response,
Nepomuceno also cited the signifi- nami hazards. strategic land use planning can help
is published daily online, 24/7.

Copies are distributed free throughout cance of investing in disaster mitigation Nepomuceno noted that President
to reduce the impact of future calamities. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has mandated
Metro Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and
Greater Toronto. PAGE 15 PH needs to
“We should not regret our investments
in disaster resilience. These investments
The views and opinions expressed in the
articles (including opinions expressed in
ads herein) are those of authors named, will save our lives, ” he added.
The Philippines hosted for the first
and are not necessarily those of
Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editorial
Team. time the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Con-
PCI reserves the right to reject any ference in Disaster Risk Reduction (AP-
advertising which it considers to contain MCDRR) this week, gathering govern-
false or misleading information or
involves unfair or unethical practices. The
ments, civil society organizations, the
advertiser agrees the publisher shall not private sector, science, academe, and
be liable for damages arising out of error
in any advertisment.
stakeholder groups to strengthen coop-
eration on disaster resilience and risk
MEMBER
reduction in the Asia-Pacific region.
About 4,000 delegates from 70 coun-
tries gathered in Manila to put urgency
on strengthening regional efforts to en-
sure a safer future for all.
Death toll for 'Big One' unacceptable
Meanwhile, Nepomuceno said the
alarming projection of 30,000 to
50,000 potential fatalities in the event
Office of Civil Defense Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno (CIVIL DEFENSE PH/FACEBOOK)

www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 9

CANADA NEWS
Canada’s agricultural policies are falling short
of health and sustainability goals
By Kathleen Kevany, As climate change intensifies, global-industrial food systems
Dalhousie University, bringing more frequent and se- can feed the world.
Howard Nye, University of vere wildfires, droughts, floods, In fact, smaller-scale agro-
Alberta, Mark Kent Mullinix, and heat domes , agriculture ecological farmers operating
Kwantlen Polytechnic is being impacted. Instability in bioregional food systems are
University, Talan B. Iscan, in weather patterns threatens key. Achieving our broader so-
Dalhousie University regional and global social sta- cietal goals means thinking of
The Conversation bility and may require Canada food through agriculture, hu-
to rethink the dominant role of man health and environmental
international trade in shaping sustainability lenses.
Oct. 16 marks World Food its current agricultural policies. Canada needs a new vision of
Day, a global initiative drawing Government policies that agriculture that connects health
attention to the “right to foods largely support input-inten- and environment goals with
for a better life and a better fu- sive crops and animal agricul- sustainable diets and prosper-
ture.” However, Canada’s food ture contribute significantly ous family farming. This vision
and agricultural policies are to methane and nitrous oxide must prioritize nutritious di-
falling short of this objective. emissions and global warming. ets, human and environmental
Canada’s current agricultur- Despite these concerns, Can- health, and the overall well-be-
al policies are not serving the ada is not investing strategical- farmers are already leading the that farmers are not only just ing of society beyond profits,
well-being of the public. Canada’s ly or sufficiently in agriculture. way by incorporating principles business operators; they are market share and food exports.
agricultural program payments Despite $12.5 billion dollars in of sustainability into their prac- our neighbours, and are in- Also it must be formed collec-
and subsidies are not aligned annual agricultural supports, a tices. And the good news is that tegral to our communities. tively by decision-makers, farm-
with the government’s dietary surprising portion of Canadian healthy diets are also environ- Supporting them with better ers, food processors, communi-
guidelines and health goals. farmers continue to financially mentally sustainable. policies and giving everyone ty groups and the public.
Very few agriculture invest- struggle to survive. According Food outlets and school equitable access to nourishing In Canada, governments,
ments go to the production to the National Farmers Union: cafeterias can play a role in and sustainable foods will en- organizations and citizens
of fruits and vegetables, even “Over the last three decades, reducing inefficiencies in the sure a healthier, more resilient must work together to create a
though Canadians under-con- the agribusiness corporations that food system, like food waste, future for all Canadians. food system vision for Canada,
sume them. Instead, financial supply fertilizers, chemicals, ma- and improving sustainability Canada needs to provide much like Food Secure Can-
support overwhelmingly goes to chinery, fuels, technologies, ser- by promoting healthy eating. stronger support for family ada’s Resetting the Table pro-
feed crops, agricultural export vices, credit, and other materials To make this happen, schools farms practising agroecologi- cess previously did.
crops and foods high in saturated and services have captured 95 per need more resources and au- cally sound production meth- Further collaboration among
fat. This is particularly troubling, cent of all farm revenues, leaving tonomy to counter misinforma- ods. Government programs that agriculture, environment and
given the rise of food and lifestyle farmers just five per cent.” tion about food and position support greater production and health professionals can arise
diseases in Canada, such as dia- In 2016, 66 per cent of all Canadians for success by mak- purchasing of grains, fruits and from these efforts, as can be seen
betes, obesity, coronary heart dis- farms in Canada were in the ing healthy choices attractive. vegetables for direct human with Canada’s National School
ease and high cholesterol. revenue class of $10,000 to Many Canadians support lo- consumption are also needed. Food program, which is aligning
The health-care costs of di- $249,999. On average, these cal, bioregional food systems as These initiatives would reduce local farmers and suppliers of lo-
et-related diseases from not farms had expenses exceeding an alternative to anonymous, Canada’s reliance on imports of cal options to meet Canada’s Food
meeting the dietary guidelines their revenue by a large margin. transnational food systems. these critical foods. Guide. This is also an opportunity
are at least two per cent of all While Canada spends a large However, these local initiatives In addition, federal and mu- for Canada’s Food Policy Advisory
health-care costs in Canada, share of its budget on address- are not enough on their own to nicipal governments should Council to gain greater influence
with some estimates putting ing the negative outcomes of meet our health, community vi- strengthen and broaden Can- in shaping policy.
it as high as 19 per cent. Agri- how we produce and consume tality and environmental goals. ada’s bioregional food systems Just as calls for health-care
cultural policy is not just about food, there remain greater op- To truly make an impact, local while also fostering the growth reform often focus on improv-
food; it influences health, the portunities for investing in pre- food movements must be part of of small- and medium-sized ing services, Canadians have the
economy and the environment. ventive measures that promote a larger, co-ordinated effort sup- food businesses. It’s also im- right to expect better outcomes
Climate change and agri- a healthier, more sustainable ported by policies that align agri- portant to reduce the political from agricultural subsidies. By
culture food system. Canada’s 20th cen- cultural production with healthy and market power of oligopo- prioritizing economic, environ-
Trying to address green- tury agriculture policy regime diets. A new approach to food lies in Canada’s food system. mental and public health sus-
house gas emissions without is woefully insufficient for the policies that considers them from A call for change tainability, Canada can ensure
paying attention to agriculture challenges of the 21st century. a holistic perspective, beyond None of these changes can its agricultural policy is fit for
is like heating your home while Solutions to the crisis GDP, and respects farmers while happen without moving be- its 21st-century food system. ■
not ensuring doors and win- Transforming our food sys- creating food systems based on yond the current, outdated
dows are closed. Agriculture is tems will help to avert devastat- the One Planet and One Health productionist model that views This article is republished
a big contributor to Canada’s ing climate change and ecologi- frameworks is needed. agriculture in isolation and from The Conversation under a
greenhouse gas emissions. cal devastation. Many Canadian It’s important to recognize relies on the belief that only Creative Commons license.
www.canadianinquirer.net
 10 CANADA NEWS FRIDAY October 18, 2024

B.C. election tests new policies to protect

elections from digital threats
By Jenina Ibañez, Spencer near-term transformational persuasive. However, concerns nine per cent found it accept- B.C. also created a special
McKay, Chris Tenove power is being exaggerated by about this new technology may able. The rest were unsure. government unit to provide
Policy Options both enthusiasts and critics. This heighten distrust of democratic In addition, the B.C. leg- psychological, legal and other
is particularly true in elections, governments and elections. islature passed the Election forms of support to victims.
where some have suggested that B.C.’s new policies do not fo- Amendment Act in 2023 to Privacy protections that help
Election-related disinforma- AI-generated deepfakes, along cus on the use of AI, but may empower Election to curb the prevent unauthorized data col-
tion, harassment and privacy vi- with sophisticated and person- still alleviate some of these con- spread of certain forms of mis- lection and safeguard voters’
olations have occurred in recent alized message targeting, could cerns by addressing the spread information, including false in- personal information can reduce
votes in other countries. How “take over elections.” of election-related disinforma- formation about the voting pro- risks of manipulation by help-
do we prevent them in Canada? AI lowers the cost of pro- tion; the use of digital media cess or clear misrepresentations ing people understand how and
Election integrity has re- ducing disinformation to defame, threaten or harass of candidates, such as whether why they are being targeted by
emerged as a serious concern Our August report from UBC’s election participants; and the they were charged with a crime. campaigners or campaign ads.
for established democracies, Centre for the Study of Demo- misuse of citizens’ data that can Elections BC can require me- Artificial intelligence height-
including Canada. cratic Institutions argues that heighten these and other risks. dia organizations and social ens the risks of these manipu-
There are worries about for- beneficial uses of generative AI in In our pre-election survey, 60 media platforms to stop trans- lative, personalized messages,
eign influence, rampant mis- elections exist but have not been per cent of respondents agreed mitting such content and can especially if AI systems are
information and campaigns to proven effective. On the other that “misinformation is a seri- impose monetary penalties or trained on data that includes
sow distrust in electoral insti- hand, while harmful AI uses are ous problem for the 2024 Brit- pursue regulatory prosecution if sensitive information.
tutions. The rapid rise of gen- unlikely to be catastrophic for ish Columbia election,” com- adequate actions are not taken. In Canada, voter privacy pro-
erative artificial intelligence election integrity, they warrant pared to 24.6 per cent who did While the code of practice aims tections often fall short because
has heightened these concerns scrutiny and preparation. not believe it would be a serious to make campaigns accountable federal privacy law does not ex-
and 2024 has been billed as the We identify three catego- problem and a further 15.3 per to shared commitments around tend to political parties. The fed-
“year of deepfake elections.” ries of harmful uses and show cent who were not sure. fair elections, the amendments eral Elections Act regulates only
In the United States, AI-gen- how they have been pursued in Moreover, 66.8 per cent seek to reduce election disinfor- how the list of registered voters
erated audio of President elections around the world: were significantly concerned mation by directly penalizing its is distributed to, and used by,
Biden’s voice was used to • Deception, such as the that AI would produce more dissemination. political parties. Other forms of
spread false information about deepfake audio of Biden; convincing misinformation in Voters favour enforcement personal data collected by these
voting in the January primaries • Harassment, such as the elections, while 25.1 per cent over voluntary codes parties are mostly unregulated.
in New Hampshire. During this creation of non-consensual in- expressed little or no concern It remains to be seen if and Unlike the federal level, B.C.
year’s United Kingdom election, timate images of politicians; and 8.1 per cent didn’t know. how Elections BC will enforce law requires political parties to
an investigation found hun- • Pollution of the informa- Political parties in B.C. these new rules, but voters ap- obtain consent to collect per-
dreds of online images of fe- tion environment, such as the agreed to follow a code of pear to have more confidence sonal information. Despite this,
male politicians that had been thousands of TikTok videos practice for political cam- in this approach than in a vol- a 2019 investigation by the
manipulated or AI-generated to created using AI in the run-up paigns, which they developed untary code of conduct for the privacy commissioner found
make them sexually explicit. to France’s election, or inaccu- along with Elections BC and misuse of AI. that B.C. “political parties are
The current provincial elec- racies from chatbots regarding the Office of the Information In our survey, 34.7 per cent generally collecting too much
tion in British Columbia pro- election information in the Eu- and Privacy Commissioner. In of respondents believed a vol- information from potential
vides an opportunity to assess ropean Parliament, U.K. and it, they pledged to avoid mis- untary code would be very or voters, without getting prop-
whether several recent provin- U.S. elections, particularly for leading the public through im- somewhat effective, while 63 er consent” and sometimes
cial policies can address these voters with disabilities. personations of politicians or per cent thought laws enforced collect information indirectly,
problems and potentially serve In all these cases, generative misrepresentations of AI-gen- by a government body such as such as through data brokers.
as a model for Canada and oth- AI is lowering the cost and speed- erated content as having been Elections BC would be very or The code of practice in B.C.
er provinces to follow. ing up the pace at which decep- created by humans. somewhat effective. commits the parties to collect
These include countering tive, harassing or low-quality In our survey, 85.1 per cent B.C. also has some rules to personal information directly
election-related misinforma- material is produced. of respondents thought it was help prevent politically mo- from individuals, to get their
tion, limiting misuse of citizens’ These are not new problems unacceptable to create deep- tivated harassment of candi- consent, and to report any pri-
data by political parties and re- and it’s not clear that AI-generat- fakes that misrepresent their dates and voters, which partic- vacy breaches that could harm
sponding to online harassment ed material is significantly more political opponents, while just ularly affects women and other individuals. The code also re-
that involves posting or sharing under-represented groups. quires parties to provide infor-
non-consensual intimate images. There appears to be wide- mation about the models and
A survey of British Columbi- spread public disapproval of this data they use to understand
ans that we conducted with the tactic. In our survey, 85.4 per and predict voter behaviour.
Media Ecosystem Observatory cent indicated it was unaccept- Questions remain with
shortly before the official elec- able to create deepfakes of a po- B.C.’s blueprint
tion period found public support litical opponent with intimate or While B.C.’s efforts to protect
for the policies adopted in B.C. sexualized content, while only elections from digital threats
But even if B.C.’s policies 7.5 per cent found it acceptable, could serve as a blueprint for
prove effective, more needs to with the rest unsure. the rest of Canada, their effec-
be done. In particular, the fed- Although not specifically tiveness remains to be proven.
eral government has greater targeted to election contexts, Will the voluntary code of
capacity to require social media the B.C. Intimate Images Pro- practice actually shape the be-
platforms to proactively combat tection Act makes it easier for haviour of provincial political
intimate image abuse and com- individuals to seek financial parties and candidates, includ-
prehensively regulate AI. damages or demand take- ing their use of private data
There is a lot of hype around downs if intimate images are
artificial intelligence, and its shared without their consent. PAGE 21 B.C. election tests

www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 CANADA NEWS 11

Canada’s medical cannabis system changed but

didn’t disappear after recreational legalization
By Michael J. Armstrong, could then register to buy prod- Evolving system usage medical producers offering few Kingdom, for example, much
Brock University ucts online from licensed can- I found that as soon as par- edibles lost their patients to the like in Canada 20 years ago. And
The Conversation nabis producers. Online orders liament passed the new canna- recreational shops and their France has only conducted a few
could not exceed a 30-day supply. bis law, medical registrations vast product assortments. medical cannabis trials.
(Instead of buying cannabis began slowing down, despite In summary, Canada’s med- Other countries, like Australia
When Canada legalized rec- products, some patients grew recreational legalization still ical cannabis system experi- and New Zealand, are some-
reational cannabis use on Oct. their own plants instead. My being four months away. enced big changes after rec- where in between. They’re see-
17, 2018, there were concerns research hasn’t examined that.) But the response differed no- reational legalization. But it ing rapid growth in legal med-
about the potential impacts. Under this new procedure, ticeably between provinces. For didn’t disappear. ical use and illegal recreational
Would it trigger greater canna- the number of patients regis- example, registrations kept grow- Will other countries see sim- use, but haven’t legalized recre-
bis use, boost economic growth tering to buy cannabis soared. ing steadily in Québec but plum- ilar outcomes if they allow rec- ationally. That’s roughly where
or otherwise affect the country’s They grew from 7,914 in June meted rapidly in Alberta. Other reational cannabis? Canada was 10 years ago.
health, safety and finances? 2014 to 330,344 in June 2018, provinces were in between. A changing world Will Canada’s medical and
Patients already using can- nearly one per cent of Canada’s My data doesn’t say why In Europe, for example, The recreational cannabis experi-
nabis legally for medical pur- population. those changes occurred. Per- Netherlands is experimenting ences make these other coun-
poses were especially con- However, registration levels haps Alberta, with its copious with recreational sales. Mean- tries more interested in legal-
cerned. They worried that differed greatly between prov- cannabis clinics, had many pa- while, Germany has legalized ization, or less? Either way, I
recreational legalization might inces. In June 2018, registra- tients only mildly interested in recreational use but not re- hope they can learn from our
prompt physicians to stop au- tions represented almost three using cannabis medically. Con- tail sales. Will those countries experiences as they chart their
thorizing cannabis treatments. per cent of Alberta’s popula- versely, maybe Québec was still experience medical cannabis own cannabis paths. ■
Or that cannabis producers tion, versus only 0.1 per cent catching up with other prov- changes like Canada did?
would abandon the small med- of Québec’s. inces on medical use. Conversely, some countries This article is republished
ical market to pursue the larg- Interestingly, less than half When recreational sales barely tolerate even medical use. from The Conversation under a
er recreational one. of registrants bought medical started in October 2018, pa- It is very difficult to legally obtain Creative Commons license.
After recreational legaliza- cannabis in any given month. tient registrations seemed medical cannabis in the United
tion, the medical cannabis sys- Perhaps they simply didn’t unaffected. Their average
tem did see declines. Between need the full dose. Or maybe purchase sizes didn’t change
June 2018 and December they found it too expensive, in- either. But they bought medical
2022, the number of registered convenient or ineffective. cannabis slightly less often.
patients fell 32 per cent, while June 2018 was also when This might have been due to
product sales fell 29 per cent. the federal government passed retail convenience. At that time,
Some people thought the med- its new cannabis legislation. medical producers and recre-
ical cannabis system had failed The law took effect in October ational stores were selling sim-
or become obsolete. 2018, when recreational sales ilar products: dried cannabis
As someone who studies the of dried cannabis and cannabis and cannabis oils. So, perhaps
business aspects of cannabis oils began. After initial product some patients started topping
legalization, I wondered about shortages were overcome, rec- up their supplies occasionally at
these issues, too. It wasn’t reational cannabis sales grew recreational stores but saw no
clear how patients, producers rapidly as more stores opened, reason to leave the online med-
or health-care providers would even during the COVID-19 ical system completely.
react to recreational legaliza- pandemic. Consumer choice When edibles and other pro-
tion. Legal medical use itself expanded in December 2019 cessed products began selling in
had only become accessible a when edibles and vapes be- December 2019, registrations
few years earlier. came available. dropped further. But the patients
Accessing medical cannabis This is where my new study who remained bought medical
Canada began allowing med- came in. I analyzed govern- cannabis slightly more often and
ical use of cannabis in 1999. ment data on patients’ use of in increasingly larger quantities.
But it remained difficult to Canada’s medical cannabis sys- Product selections might ex-
get until regulations changed tem between 2017 and 2022. plain this patient split. Perhaps
during 2014-15. This included how many pa- producers with good edible
The new rules allowed any tients registered, how often products retained their custom-
physician to authorize patients they placed orders, and how ers and received larger orders
to use cannabis. Those patients much cannabis they bought. from them. Conversely, maybe

www.canadianinquirer.net
 12 CANADA NEWS FRIDAY October 18, 2024

Latest Canada-India diplomatic tensions are

another serious obstacle to an improved relationship
By Saira Bano, Thompson tember 2023, when he accused India’s strategic calculations in defence technology. cism over its handling of pro-
Rivers University India of being involved in the India’s strategic significance, India also plays a central Khalistani activists abroad.
The Conversation assassination of Hardeep Singh particularly in counterbalanc- role in Canada’s Indo-Pacific However, the unequivocal re-
Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan leader ing China’s growing assertive- strategy, unveiled in 2022. In sponse from both the U.S. and
based in Canada. ness in the Indo-Pacific region, the official document outlining Canada suggests otherwise,
Canada-India relations have The Khalistan movement is a adds complexity to its diplo- the strategy, Ottawa described with the West making it clear
suffered a major setback after separatist movement that aims matic relations. China as a “disruptive power” that such actions are unaccept-
Canadian law enforcement au- to establish an independent India views its alliance with and emphasized the need to able, regardless of India’s stra-
thorities accused Indian agents Sikh state in northern India. the United States as essential strengthen ties with Indo-Pa- tegic significance.
of involvement in “homicides, The assassination led to the for safeguarding its interests, cific nations, particularly India. India will probably continue
extortion, and violent acts” on expulsion of a senior Indian given the power imbalance to deny Canada’s accusa-
Canadian soil. diplomat linked to the case with China. The U.S., in tions and further sever
In response, Canada ex- and a rapid deterioration of turn, sees India as a cor- diplomatic ties in an en-
pelled six Indian diplomats, bilateral ties, with India expel- nerstone of its Indo-Pacif- during dispute that will
including High Commissioner ling Canadian diplomats and ic strategy, with initiatives affect all aspects of the bi-
Sanjay Kumar Verma. suspending visa services. India like the Quadrilateral Se- India has lateral relationship.
In a tit-for-tat move, India later demanded the repatria- curity Dialogue (Quad). It long accused From Canada’s perspec-
expelled six Canadian diplo- tion of 41 Canadian diplomats, includes the U.S., India, tive, Indian actions on
mats, rejecting Canada’s alle- citing the principle of diplo- Japan and Australia and Canada Canadian soil represent a
gations as “preposterous” and matic parity. is designed to promote the of being blatant violation of sov-
politically motivated, particu- India has long accused Can- region as an “arc of de- ereignty. Ottawa expects
larly given the Sikh diaspora’s ada of being too lenient on the mocracy.” too lenient co-operation and assur-
political significance as a key Khalistan movement, which it Bipartisan support in on the ances from India that such
voting bloc for Justin Trudeau’s views as a serious threat to its the U.S. for deepening ties transnational repression
Liberal government. national security and territorial with India has led to ex- Khalistan will not occur in the fu-
India has consistently denied integrity. panding defence and eco- movement... ture. From India’s point
the accusations and refused to The Sikh diaspora in Canada, nomic partnerships, with a of view, it’s a matter of
co-operate with the Canadian in- the largest in the world, includes growing emphasis on tech- national security issue
vestigation, which ultimately com- elements that have supported nology transfer as a critical as Canada appeases pro-
pelled the federal government to the pro-Khalistan cause, fuelling pillar of this relationship. Khalistan elements.
make these allegations public. India’s concerns. Canada, how- During Indian Prime While the Indian diaspo-
Trudeau has acknowledged ever, emphasizes the right to Minister Narendra Modi’s The strategy highlights “In- ra has generally been an asset
the importance of maintaining freedom of expression, includ- state visit to Washington, D.C. dia’s growing strategic, eco- for the Modi government in
strong relations with India, but ing peaceful protests, as a core in June 2023, President Joe nomic, and demographic im- fostering relations with west-
condemned India’s actions tar- tenet of its democratic values. Biden’s administration final- portance” as key to achieving ern countries, the Sikh diaspo-
geting pro-Khalistan leaders as In a related incident, the ized an agreement for the joint Canada’s geo-strategic objec- ra in Canada has been a signif-
“unacceptable.” United States revealed in production of General Electric tives. As part of this approach, icant hurdle in improving ties.
But without a shared under- November 2023 that it had (GE) F-414 jet engines. Canada committed to negotiat- Without a common denomi-
standing of the pro-Khalistan thwarted an alleged Indian At present, only four nations ing a Comprehensive Econom- nator to reconcile these differ-
issue, the relationship between plot to assassinate a Sikh sepa- — the U.S., U.K., Russia and ic Partnership Agreement with ing perspectives, the relation-
the two countries is likely to ratist leader in New York. This France — have the capability India. But due to the diplomat- ship between the two countries
remain strained. Both nations development, coupled with to manufacture jet engines, ic tensions sparked by Canada’s is likely to remain strained, de-
continue to approach the situ- Trudeau’s statement in 2023 with China still lacking this allegations, these negotiations spite broader strategic factors
ation from fundamentally dif- that there was “credible evi- advanced technology. The GE have been suspended. that would otherwise encour-
ferent perspectives. dence” linking India to Nijjar’s F-414 collaboration is intend- The West’s disapproval age closer ties. ■
Nijjar’s assassination fallout slaying, has further substanti- ed to strengthen U.S.-India The Modi government may
Canada-India relations have ated concerns over India’s al- defence co-operation and im- have calculated that India’s This article is republished
been strained since Trudeau’s leged covert actions targeting prove their collective ability to strategic value to the West from The Conversation under a
bombshell statement in Sep- pro-Khalistan activists. counter China’s advancements would shield it from criti- Creative Commons license.

Sedition raps filed.. Women, children 14.. PBBM: Sorsogon Sports..

2 and other crimes na tigation. But initially, ang mga 4 Sendong in 2012, and "Apart from bamboo crafts, 4 facilities complete and
inihain natin sa ibang in-allege natin doon ang kanil- Vinta in 2017. the noodle-making out of veg- all owned by the) De-
mga korte sa Pilipi- ang mga ginawa (what we al- He added that their etables, in partnership with partment of Education
nas (that we filed before other leged there is what they did), local government invested in the Center for Disaster Pre- (DepEd),” he said.
Philippine courts),” Torre said like calling on the people to rise early warning systems and pro- paredness, is the most famous With the continued support
in an ambush interview. against the government to pre- vided livelihood projects, espe- livelihood activity among the of the Marcos administration,
He said they would leave vent the police from serving the cially for women in partnership women in our area because Escudero believes that Sorso-
it to prosecutors to weigh the warrant of arrest, and many oth- with the Department of Science it increases the shelf life of gon will be able to accomplish
charges. ers,” Torre said when asked what and Technology, Department of our vegetables and it provides more in the years to come.
“That will be threshed out na those charges would cover. ■ Trade and Industry, and other good nutrition for our fami- (with reports from Wilnard
sa ating (in our) formal inves- concerned agencies. lies," he said. ■ Bacelonia/PNA) ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 13

WORLD NEWS
On crime and justice, Trump and Harris
records differ widely
By Austin Sarat, Amherst the state’s attorney general, “the heinous the crime. She stuck Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s" Trump supported the so-called
College violent crime rate in the state was to that promise, but as attor- and more than the prior 10 “First Step Act,” which passed
The Conversation 439.6 per 100,000 residents the ney general she went to court presidents combined. Congress with bipartisan sup-
year before she took office and to defend death sentences that In other areas, the Trump port. It funded efforts to reduce
fell to 396.4 by 2014. … Howev- had been imposed under prior administration stepped in to the likelihood that inmates
Though crime and criminal er, violent crime surged to 444.8 administrations. stop some criminal justice would be convicted again af-
justice policy are central issues in 2016 during her last year in The Los Angeles Times said reform initiatives. For exam- ter their release, including by
in many elections, that’s not office to a six-year high,” Axios her decision to do so was an ple, according to ABC News, providing addiction treatment,
true in 2024. Surveys show reported. appropriate one for the attor- Trump’s first attorney general, mental health care, education
that relatively few American In both offices, Harris under- ney general, ”putting profes- Jeff Sessions, stopped former and job training.
voters rank crime as their most took a number of reforms in sional responsibility over per- President Barack Obama’s ef- Trump also commuted the
important concern. criminal justice policy. sonal politics.“ fort to end prison privatiza- sentences of more than 90 peo-
Yet both former President For example, in San Francis- CNN summarized her record tion, and then began distribut- ple and pardoned more than
Donald Trump and Vice Pres- co she developed a “Back on on capital punishment by saying ing contracts for new privately 140 others. His use of clemency
ident Kamala Harris say they Track” initiative“ that aimed to it ”broke hearts on both sides.“ run detention centers. power was quite controversial,
take those problems seriously. help nonviolent drug offenders Donald Trump’s record as But during his presiden- as some of its beneficiaries were
Trump and the Republicans between the ages of 18 and 30. president cy, Trump was not consistent Trump associates, such as Steve
have focused attention on the According to The New York Trump, by contrast, was a in being tough on crime. For Bannon and Paul Manafort,
problem of illegal immigration Times, its key promise was strong proponent of the death instance, in March 2018, he who led Trump’s 2016 presi-
and the crimes that he says im- that ”after a full year of em- penalty during his time in the signed an executive order cre- dential campaign and had com-
migrants commit. ployment, education, commu- Oval Office. In March 2018, ating the Federal Interagen- mitted financial fraud.
Harris, as The Economist nity service, regular meetings he directed the Department of cy Crime Prevention and Im- As far as the crime rate
noted, “is using her history as with a supervising judge and Justice to seek the death penal- proving Reentry Council. He during Trump’s presidency,
a prosecutor in San Francisco crime-free behavior, the charge ty in cases involving drug traf- charged it with identifying ways the Dallas Morning News re-
to burnish her tough-on-crime would be expunged from the fickers. The department also “to provide those who have en- ported that “During the first
bona fides.” She has mentioned offender’s record.“ It was gen- vigorously pursued new death gaged in criminal activity with three years of Trump’s presi-
that background in connection erally well received, especially penalty prosecutions in other greater opportunities to lead dency, the violent crime rate
with immigration, drug policy among progressives. areas and defended existing productive lives” and to devel- per 100,000 population … fell
and corporate wrongdoing. When Harris became the death sentences in court. op “a comprehensive strategy each year. But, the Morning
As someone who studies crime state’s attorney general, she re- After a long time without that addresses a range of issues, News – citing Politifact – said
and justice in the United States, formed California’s approach to any federal executions, the including mental health, vo- that in 2020, "the violent crime
it is clear to me that there are school truancy by focusing on Trump administration carried cational training, job creation, rate spiked,” though it was
substantial differences between the parents of truant children. out 13 of them in the last seven after-school programming, sub- slightly lower than it had been
the two candidates, though each As The New York Times report- months of his term. ProPubli- stance abuse, and mentoring.” in Obama’s final year in office.
of their records contains some ed, she threatened them ”with ca said Trump’s administration The Biden administration built Crime and criminal justice
interesting twists and turns. fines or even imprisonment if ”executed more federal prison- on and extended those efforts. in the next administration
Kamala Harris, the prosecutor they did not ensure that their ers than any presidency since And in December 2018, The next president will have
Harris has a long record of children attended class.“ Fact- choices to make about the crime
working in the criminal justice Check.org found that as a result and justice policies that the fed-
system. She worked in the Ala- of her policy, ”district attorneys eral government will pursue
meda County district attorney’s reported prosecuting 3 to 6 … and about whether to empha-
office in California, starting in cases per year,“ on average. size reform or harsh punish-
1990, where she specialized in Considering Harris’ record ment. He or she will also have
child sexual assault cases. She in California, The Desert Sun to decide whether, and how,
then served as district attorney (Palm Springs, California) said the federal government should
in San Francisco from 2004 to Harris ”earned a reputation use grants and other funding,
2010 and as attorney gener- as tough on sexual abuse, hu- guidelines and enforcement to
al of California from 2010 to man trafficking and organized further those goals.
2017, when she was elected to crime, and did not shy away Their records suggest that
the U.S. Senate. from pursuing incarceration.“ Harris and Trump would make
Axios reported that during Throughout her career, Har- very different choices about
her term as district attorney, “the ris has been an opponent of the those and other crime and
number of violent crimes rose death penalty. During her first criminal justice issues. ■
steadily in the city of San Francis- campaign for San Francisco
co during her first five years in of- district attorney, she promised This article is republished
fice then fell 15% in her last two that she would never seek a from The Conversation under a
years.” And when she served as death sentence no matter how Creative Commons license.
www.canadianinquirer.net
 14 WORLD NEWS FRIDAY October 18, 2024

Why China now wants to put some limits on its

‘no limits’ friendship with Russia
By Guangyi Pan, UNSW language quietly vanished stance on issues. As a result, Central Asia Study Centre, ar- While Russia-China trade
Sydney from a Sino-Russian joint state- subtle shifts in their commen- gued, the Wagner rebellion reached a record US$240 bil-
The Conversation ment in May. tary provide insights into the was a reflection of Russia’s in- lion (A$360 billion) in 2023, it
And Beijing’s response to strategic mindset in Beijing. ternal conflicts and domestic has slowed so far this year, as
Russian President Vladimir Pu- Why China is rethinking its security challenges. He noted Chinese financial institutions
Just before Russia’s invasion tin’s visit that month was nota- ‘no-limits’ friendship? every time Russia has faced have sought to limit connec-
of Ukraine, China announced to bly subdued. Putin ingratiated There are three elements both internal and external cri- tions with Russia.
much fanfare a “no-limits friend- himself with Xi, saying they driving this re-evaluation of ses in history, its regimes have The relationship still heav-
ship” with Russia, suggesting a were “as close as brothers”. Xi’s the Russia-China alignment. become less stable. ily favours Beijing. Russia ac-
future of close collaboration in response was more perfuncto- First, there is growing scep- More recently, Feng has counts for only 4% of China’s
trade, energy and, perhaps most ry – he called Putin a “good ticism of Russia’s state capaci- been even bolder, predicting trade, while China accounts for
importantly, security. friend and a good neighbour”. ties. The mutiny by the Wagner Russian defeat in Ukraine. He nearly 22% of Russia’s trade.
Now, more than two years Scholars are also articulating Group last year and Ukraine’s argued China should keep its Many Chinese experts
into the war, the meaning and their concerns about China’s recent incursion into Russia’s distance from Moscow and are now warning against an
interpretation of this “no-lim- political and economic invest- Kursk region have prompted resume a policy of “non-align- over-dependence on Russia,
its” commitment has evolved. ments in Russia, both publicly critical reassessments in Bei- ment, non-confrontation and instead calling for more co-
There has been much de- and privately. jing of Russia’s political stabil- non-partisanship”. operation with neighbouring
bate in Chinese society in re- Shen Dingli, a leading schol- ity and military preparedness, Second, China’s sluggish countries. This echoes a recent
cent months about Beijing’s ar of Chinese security strategy as well as the growing anti-war economy and its underwhelm- concern Russia has been using
alignment with Moscow. While at Fudan University in Shang- sentiment in Russia. ing trade with Russia have fur- its natural resources as a bar-
some have advocated for a hai, said China doesn’t want to As Feng Yujun, director of ther exposed how dependent gaining chip to extract greater
more formal alliance with Rus- be seen as collaborating with Fudan University’s Russia and both countries are on the West. benefits from China.
sia, others have taken a more Russia against Ukraine or any Russia’s value as a military ally
cautious stance. other country. Finally, there are rising Chinese
In sharp contrast to 2022, He also quoted Fu Cong, Chi- concerns its international outlook
China’s growing wariness is na’s former ambassador to the does not align with Russia’s.
increasingly being discussed European Union, who said last Zhao Long, deputy director of
in the open, even among those year the “no-limits” [friend- the Shanghai Institute of Inter-
who were previously censored. ship] is “nothing but rhetoric”. national Relations, says there is
In early 2022, for instance, And in August, after Putin an important difference in how
a joint letter by six Chinese referred to China as an “ally” they view the world:
emeritus historians opposing during a visit to far-east- Russia wants to destroy the cur-
Russia’s invasion was censored ern Russia, Chinese scholars rent international system to build
by the government. The schol- promptly sought to clarify this a new one. China wants to trans-
ars were also warned. statement to prevent any mis- form the current system by taking
Now, however, it appears the understanding China wants a a more prominent place in it.
government is seeking to bal- formal alliance with Russia. Shi Yinhong, a strategist at
ance its relationships with both These statements carry Renmin University in Beijing,
Russia and the West. Beijing weight. In many respects, lead- has highlighted an unbridge-
may not want to be seen as a ing Chinese scholars at the gov- able gap preventing a stronger
“decisive enabler” of the war. ernment-affiliated universities China-Russia alliance. He says
For example, the once-prom- act as propagandists to convey
inent “no-limits” friendship and justify the government’s Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin (KREMLIN.RU, CC BY 4.0)
PAGE 18 Why China now

China sends 2 giant pandas to Washington

in fresh 'diplomacy' move
Anadolu The China Wildlife Conser- tween the two nations focused a steady bamboo supply to meet “Panda diplomacy,” a practice
Philippine News Agency vation Association announced on panda conservation. the pandas' dietary needs. that dates back to 1941, involves
Monday that Baoli, a male panda In preparation for the pan- The collaboration aims to China sending pandas to other
born in August 2021, and Qing- das' journey, both countries advance research on disease countries as a symbol of goodwill
ISTANBUL – China has re- bao, a female born in Septem- worked meticulously to ensure prevention, epidemic control, and conservation partnership.
ignited its "panda diplomacy" ber 2021, have embarked on a a smooth transition. and scientific exchanges re- The arrival of Baoli and
by sending two giant pandas 10-year stay in the US capital as China conducted health checks lated to giant panda conser- Qingbao is expected to serve
to the Smithsonian's National part of a Cooperative Research on the pandas and provided tech- vation, while also promoting as a soft-power tool for China,
Zoo in Washington, marking a Agreement signed in April. nical guidance for the US team. global biodiversity and en- showcasing its commitment to
new phase in Sino-US wildlife The agreement continues a Meanwhile, the National Zoo up- hancing goodwill between the international collaboration and
conservation cooperation. decades-long partnership be- graded its facilities and secured Chinese and American people. wildlife conservation. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 WORLD NEWS 15

Ukraine faces worsening odds on the battlefield

and a struggle on the diplomatic front
after Biden postpones summit
By Stefan Wolff, University postponed. recent trip to New York and has been key in ensuring that launched in November 2022
of Birmingham This has deprived the Washington in mid-September. the two most recent Nato sum- and has trained some 60,000
The Conversation Ukrainian president of the The Ukrainian president man- mits in Vilnius in 2023 and troops to date. That’s about
chance to pitch his victory plan aged to get his US counterpart Washington in 2024 only re-af- half of all Ukrainian soldiers
to his more important allies. So to authorise US$8 billion (£6.12 firmed that “Ukraine’s future is trained abroad – and three
In May 2023, Ukraine’s pres- he has been unable to get them billion) in further security as- in Nato” but failed to attach a times the number who received
ident, Volodymyr Zelensky, em- to commit to the support that will sistance. But there has been no clear timeline to it. training from the US.
barked on a whistle-stop tour of be necessary to implement it. progress on lifting the restric- Kyiv’s allies need to double The EU’s overall aid to
European capitals to shore up We don’t yet know much tions that the US and other allies down – now Ukraine now stands at €162 bil-
support from his western part- about the Ukrainian victory are placing on Ukraine’s use of At the end of his meeting lion since the beginning of the
ners in the run-up to Ukraine’s plan. From what has been re- western military aid against Rus- with the German chancellor, war in 2022, compared to €84
summer offensive that year. His leased or leaked, it appears to sian territory. Olaf Scholz, on October 11, billion from the US. Two-thirds
tour was a relative success – the boil down to five key demands. The western alliance re- Zelensky secured another €1.4 of US aid is military in nature,
subsequent offensive less so. Zelensky wants an accelerat- mains divided on this. And the billion (£1.17 billion) worth of and with almost €57 billion to
Fast forward 18 months, ed path to Nato membership. US is particularly sceptical of air defences, tanks, drones and date, it dwarfs the contributions
and Zelensky has once again He is also asking for a Nato-en- its strategic value. artillery, to be jointly delivered by Germany and the UK, the
been visiting London, Paris, forced no-fly zone over west- Similarly, the prospect of by Germany, Belgium, Den- two next-largest donors with
Rome and Berlin in search for ern Ukraine and more air-de- Ukraine joining Nato continues mark and Norway. around €10 billion each.
western support. This time, he fence systems for the country to be remote – not least as it But Taurus ballistic missiles – These are impressive num-
sought backing for his victory to better protect its own skies. would require the consent of all top of Kyiv’s shopping list – are bers and there can be no doubt
plan. But the odds now are Other key elements of the plan 32 current member states. The not included in this package. that Ukraine would have lost
clearly stacked against Ukraine involve permission to use west- Slovak prime minister, Robert While predictable, this was a this war long ago without
on the battlefield. And Zelen- ern-supplied long-range missiles Fico, has openly stated that he major disappointment for Zel- support from its western al-
sky also faces an uphill strug- against targets deep inside Rus- will veto Ukraine’s accession ensky. As was the fact that he lies. Yet, the fact is that what
gle on the diplomatic front. sia, the delivery of long-range to the alliance. His Hungarian essentially walked away emp- Ukraine’s western partners cur-
The initial plan for Zelen- German Taurus ballistic missiles counterpart, Victor Orban, is ty-handed from his meetings in rently provide is barely enough
sky and his allies had been to and significant investment into also well known for his opposi- London, Paris and Rome. to prevent a Ukrainian defeat,
convene at a meeting of the Ukraine’s defence industry. tion to Kyiv joining the alliance. There is no indication that let alone enable Ukraine to im-
Ramstein group. This is the Most of these demands are More damaging to Ukraine’s any of these major allies are plement its victory plan.
loose configuration of some 50 non-starters in western capi- Nato aspirations, however, is likely to withdraw their sup- Vladimir Putin has consis-
countries who have supported tals. That much was already a similar reluctance in both port. But it is equally clear that tently raised his country’s war
Ukraine’s defence efforts since made clear during Zelensky’s Washington and Berlin. This they are not prepared to in- effort to meet any challenges
the start of the full-scale Russian crease it decisively. presented over the course of the
aggression in February 2022. This was also evident during conflict. Unless the west doubles
With the US president, Joe the visit to Kyiv of the new down on its support to allow
Biden, scheduled to attend af- Nato secretary-general, Mark Kyiv to do the same, not only
ter a state visit to Germany, the Rutte, on October 3. Rutte trav- will Ukraine not win this war, it
gathering at Ramstein Air Base elled to Ukraine within days of is in serious danger of losing it.
in Germany had been pitched assuming the role to reiterate The high-level meeting
at the level of heads of state the continuation of the alli- planned for Ramstein would
and government. It was expect- ance’s support. But as symboli- have been the opportunity for
ed that there were to be some cally important as this was, he the west to change gear deci-
big announcements of continu- merely confirmed what had al- sively. Ukraine can only hope
ing support for Ukraine. ready been agreed rather than that its postponement, rath-
But with hurricane Milton announcing anything new. er than outright cancellation,
scheduled to hit Florida, Biden The EU did marginally bet- means its allies may yet step
was forced to cancel his trip. ter. On October 10 it was an- up to the plate. ■
While Biden’s visit to Germany nounced the bloc was set to ex-
has apparently been resched- tend the training programme This article is republished
uled for October 18, 2024, for Ukrainian troops until the from The Conversation under a
the Ramstein meeting remains end of 2026. The mission was Creative Commons license.

PH needs to..
8 achieve climate and cities and municipalities have He likewise called for con- not have the luxury of time be- tivity will trigger concrete ac-
disaster resilience,” updated their CLUPs; 837 or crete plans amid growing is- cause climate change is here, tions that will strengthen local
said Remulla. 51 percent are up for updating; sues on climate change, citing it's here now.” capacities and build resilient
According to Remulla, a total and the remaining 146 or 9 per- proactivity and strategy as key “We still have a lot of ground communities,” he added. (With
of 651 or around 39 percent of cent still have no CLUPs. to long-term resilience. “We do to cover. We hope that this ac- Lloyd Caliwan/PNA) ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
 16 WORLD NEWS FRIDAY October 18, 2024

IDF actions against UN peacekeepers suggest

Israel may be considering occupying
part of southern Lebanon
By Vanessa Newby, Leiden tanks entered a UN compound post. Throughout Unifil’s de- cial to monitor the hostilities ployed is upwards of 15,000
University, Chiara Ruffa, for 45 minutes and set off ployment, IDF has put it un- and wherever possible, pro- suggesting this incursion is
Sciences Po smoke bombs. der pressure both directly and vide civilian protection and more than a limited operation.
The Conversation The same day Israel request- through a proxy force, the humanitarian assistance. But Second, 29 Unifil com-
ed that Unifil withdraw five South Lebanon Army (SLA). As for that to be possible, Israel’s pounds lie along the blue line.
kilometres back from the blue such Unifil has a strong insti- allies must continue to exert Were they to be evacuated by
The United Nations security line which constitutes the de tutional memory of staying put pressure to ensure that the IDF the UN, there would be noth-
council has expressed strong facto border between Israel in the direst of circumstances ceases all attacks on Unifil. ing to stop the IDF from mov-
concern for the safety of peace- and Lebanon, to keep them which makes it unlikely to rec- A new ‘zone of security’? ing in and developing them
keepers in Lebanon after a se- “out of harm’s way”. ommend a drawdown. One possible reason for the into their own strongholds.
ries of incidents over the past On each occasion, the IDF What’s more, the security attacks is that the IDF believes While UN positions would
week in which UN positions has either claimed it was act- council is aware that if Unifil ridding the area of Unifil ex- need reinforcement and pro-
have come under fire from ing in self-defence against Hez- leaves the area, an- tection equipment,
the Israel Defense Forces as bollah or that its actions were other UN-led conflict they would nonethe-
they continue their push in the accidental. These explanations resolution mechanism less remain useful.
south of the country. have failed to convince the rest is likely to be required Third, in 2006 the
“UN peacekeepers and UN of the world. in future. This logic IDF tried to destroy
premises must never be the The US, several European is why Unifil man- ... the IDF has either Hezbollah from the air
target of an attack,” the secu- countries and the EU have all dates have always and deployed limited
rity council said on October stated that UN peacekeepers been renewed – albeit claimed it was acting haphazard ground in-
14 in a statement adopted by must not be harmed. The UN sometimes for three in self-defence against cursions. These tactics
consensus of the 15-member secretary general, António Gu- months or less. failed and the prevail-
council. It urged all parties to terres, contends these attacks The biggest threat Hezbollah or that its ing view may now be
respect the security and safety may constitute war crimes and to Unifil’s deployment actions were accidental. that the only way to
of the United Nations Interim are a breach of both interna- is if one or more troop guarantee the safe re-
Force in Lebanon (Unifil) oper- tional law and international contributing countries turn of 65,000 Israelis
ating in south Lebanon. humanitarian law. decide the risks are to their homes in north-
In recent days, the Israel De- Since 1978, Unifil has lost too high and with- ern Israel is through an
fense Forces (IDF) have struck 337 peacekeepers, making Leb- draw their contin- occupation.
the Unifil on several occasions, anon the most costly, in human gents. The post-2006 But unlike the pre-
damaging cameras, shooting terms, of all the UN peacekeep- Unifil mission comprises the poses Hezbollah and will en- vious occupation, where the
directly at peacekeepers and, ing operations. But despite highest number of European able the IDF to continue their IDF was aided by the SLA, Is-
on October 13, two Israeli these risks it has remained in troop contingents of all peace incursion unhindered by the rael currently has no partner
operations worldwide with the watchful eyes of an interna- in Lebanon, and it is unlikely
main contributors being Italy, tional observer. to find a willing accomplice
Spain, Ireland, and France. But there’s another possibil- among the Lebanese popula-
The two sectors that com- ity. During the Lebanese civil tion to help them manage the
prise the mission – sector west war, the IDF occupied a section security of a buffer zone. This
and sector east – are led by It- of Lebanese land bordering means IDF troops would di-
aly and Spain respectively. The Israel that was known as the rectly bear the brunt of attacks
biggest non-EU contributors “zone of security”. Its purpose from resistance groups, and the
are India, Ghana, Indonesia was to serve as a buffer zone northern Israeli villages would
and Malaysia. If one or more of for northern Israel, initially be unlikely to remain secure.
these countries were to decide designed to protect Israeli cit- The Netanyahu govern-
to withdraw troops, this could izens from Palestinian militia, ment’s continued use of mili-
trigger a reevaluation of the and later also from the Shia tary solutions to solve political
mission’s ability to deploy. resistance groups Amal and problems has worrying impli-
If Unifil were to leave, it is Hezbollah. cations for Israel, Lebanon and
worth noting that their com- The Israeli request for Uni- the Middle East as a whole. At
pounds have a large amount of fil to move five kilometres this stage, Israel looks as if it
expensive equipment – much back from the blue line could might be settling back into a
of it owned nationally by the mean Israel is considering conflict that could become an-
troop contributing countries. reestablishing some kind of other “forever war”.
The logistical challenge of buffer zone. Several factors Thus far, the tactics used by
moving troops and equipment point to this being a possibili- the IDF would imply they are
in a battle zone would be very ty – although the IDF and the not thinking ahead to “the day
difficult and dangerous. Israeli government may not be after” and the cost to Israel that
Despite the intense fighting, aligned on this issue as recent would come with the prolonged
many civilians still remain. The tensions suggest. occupation of a buffer zone. ■
death toll from the hostilities First, the IDF has now de-
is now estimated to be 2,306 ployed units from at least four This article is republished
dead and 10,698 wounded. divisions into Lebanon. The from The Conversation under a
Unifil’s presence remains cru- volume of troop numbers de- Creative Commons license.
www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 17

ENTERTAINMENT
Godzilla at 70: The monster’s warning
to humanity is still urgent
By Amanda Kennell, When the U.S. tested the the movie’s crew while he was and the film’s audience. The mes- the damaged nuclear plant con-
University of Notre Dame, world’s first hydrogen bomb in promoting a recently complet- sage is clear: Don’t just lazily sing tinues, amid controversies around
Jessica McManus Warnell, 1954, its devastation reached ed documentary about natural about imminent doom – shape ongoing releases of radioactive
University of Notre Dame far outside the expected dam- disasters. That experience in- up and do something. water used to cool the plant.
The Conversation age zone. Though it was far spired him to redirect Godzilla “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” Some residents are allowed to vis-
from the restricted zone, the from nuclear issues to pollution. bombed at the box office but it their homes but can’t move back
Lucky Dragon No. 5 Japanese World War II was fading from became a cult hit over time. Its there while thousands of workers
The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize fishing boat and its crew were public memory. So were the mas- positioning of Godzilla between remove topsoil, branches and
has been awarded to Nihon Hi- doused with irradiated ash. All sive Anpo protests of 1959 and Earth and those who would other materials to decontaminate
dankyo, the Japan Confedera- fell ill, and one fisherman died 1960, which had mobilized up to harm it resonates today in two these areas.
tion of A- and H-bomb Sufferers within the year. Their tragedy one-third of the Japanese people separate Godzilla franchises. Before Fukushima, Japan de-
Organizations. Many of these was widely covered in the Jap- to oppose renewal of the U.S.-Ja- One line of movies comes from rived one-third of its electrici-
witnesses have spent their lives anese press as it unfolded. pan security treaty. Participants the original Japanese studio that tyfrom nuclear power. Public
warning of the dangers of nu- This event is echoed in a scene included housewives concerned produced “Godzilla.” The other attitudes toward nuclear en-
clear war – but initially, much of at the beginning of “Godzilla” in by the news that fish caught by line is produced by U.S. licen- ergy hardened after the disas-
the world didn’t want to hear it. which helpless Japanese boats are the Lucky Dragon No. 5 had been sorsmaking eco-blockbusters that ter, especially as investigations
“The fates of those who sur- destroyed by an invisible force. sold in Japanese grocery stores. merge the environmentalism of showed that regulators had un-
vived the infernos of Hiroshi- “Godzilla” is full of deep social At the same time, pollution “Godzilla” with the spectacle of derestimated risks at the site.
ma and Nagasaki were long debates, complex characters and was soaring. In 1969, Michiko “King of the Monsters.” Although Japan needs to im-
concealed and neglected,” the cutting-edge special effects for its Ishimure published “Paradise in A meltdown of public trust port about 90% of the energy
Nobel committee noted in its time. Much of the film involves the Sea of Sorrow: Our Minama- The 2011 Fukushima disaster it uses, today over 70% of the
announcement. Local groups characters discussing their re- ta Disease,” a book that’s often has now become part of the Jap- public opposes nuclear power.
of nuclear survivors created Ni- sponsibilities – to each other, to viewed as a Japanese counter- anese people’s collective memory.
hon Hidankyo in 1956 to fight society and to the environment. part to “Silent Spring,” Rachel Cleanup and decommissioning of PAGE 19 Godzilla at 70:
back against this erasure. This seriousness, like the film Carson’s environmental classic.
Around the same time that itself, was practically buried out- Ishimure’s poetic descriptions of
Nihon Hidankyo was formed, side of Japan by an alter ego, lives ruined by the Chisso Corp.’s
Japan produced another warn- 1956’s “Godzilla, King of the dumping of methyl mercury into
ing: a towering monster who Monsters!” American licensors the Shiranui Sea awoke many
topples Tokyo with blasts of ir- cut the 1954 film apart, removed in Japan to their government’s
radiated breath. The 1954 film slow scenes, shot new footage numerous failures to protect the
“Godzilla” launched a franchise featuring Canadian actor Ray- public from industrial pollution.
that has been warning viewers mond Burr, spliced it all togeth- “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” is
to take better care of the Earth er and dubbed their creation in about Godzilla’s battles against
for the past 70 years. English with an action-oriented Hedorah, a crash-landed alien
We study popular Japanese script they wrote themselves. that grows to monstrous size
media and business ethics and This version was what peo- by feeding on toxic sludge and
sustainability, but we found a ple outside of Japan knew as other forms of pollution. The
common interest in Godzilla “Godzilla” until the Japanese film opens with a woman sing-
after the 2011 earthquake, tsu- film was released internationally ing jazzily about environmen-
nami and meltdown at Japan’s for its 50th anniversary in 2004. tal apocalypse as young people
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear From radiation to pollution dance with abandon in an un-
plant. In our view, these films While “King of the Mon- derground club.
convey a vital message about sters!” traveled the world, This combination of hopeless-
Earth’s creeping environmental “Godzilla” spawned dozens of ness and hedonism continues in
catastrophe. Few survivors are Japanese sequels and spinoffs. an uneven film that includes
left to warn humanity about Godzilla slowly morphed from everything from an extended
the effects of nuclear weapons, a murderous monster into a shot of an oil slick-covered kit-
but Godzilla remains eternal. monstrous defender of hu- ten to an animated sequence to
Into the atomic age manity in the Japanese films, a Godzilla awkwardly levitating
By 1954, Japan had survived transition that was also reflect- itself with its irradiated breath.
almost a decade of nuclear ed in the later U.S.-made films. After Godzilla defeats Hedorah
exposure. In addition to the In 1971, a new, younger at the end of the film, it pulls a
bombings of Hiroshima and creative team tried to define handful of toxic sludge out of He-
Nagasaki, the Japanese people Godzilla for a new era with dorah’s torso, gazes at the sludge,
were affected by a series of U.S. “Godzilla vs. Hedorah.” Direc- then turns to stare at its human
nuclear tests in the Bikini Atoll. tor Yoshimitsu Banno joined spectators – both those onscreen Godzilla statue in Tokyo, Japan (MOHAMED JAMIL LATRACH/UNSPLASH)

www.canadianinquirer.net
 18 ENTERTAINMENT FRIDAY October 18, 2024

A brief history of deadly dolls in horror

cinema – from Annabelle to M3gan
By Sandra Mills, University of both antagonist and hero. hosts and purging the suscepti-
of Hull The suggestion that these dolls ble victims of their own auton-
The Conversation possess a morality – however omy in the process.
erroneous that morality may Annabelle, Chucky and other
be – adds an additional dimen- lesser-known icons of the dead-
From Longlegs (2024) to sion to the killer doll archetype ly dolls horror subgenre, typify
M3GAN (2022) to Annabelle presented to genre fans so far. our enduring cultural fascina-
Comes Home (2019), creepy Indeed, Dolls actively en- tion with animism (the attri-
dolls are eerily at home on the courages the viewer to fa- bution of life, and on occasion
big screen. Their cinematic his- vour these murderous dolls a soul, to an inanimate object)
tory can be traced back to The over their human victims. and anthropomorphism (the at-
Doll’s Revenge (1907) in which The transgressions these mor- tribution of human-like charac-
a young boy witnesses his pre- tals commit, including theft teristics or personality traits to
viously destroyed sister’s doll and parental neglect, make an inanimate object). And more
reassemble itself, before tearing them seemingly worthy of this recent films, including M3GAN,
him apart and devouring him. unique form of punishment. are articulating new anxieties
Over the course of the 20th These dolls are not the surrounding digital surveillance
century, cinematic dolls became glossy, mass-produced figures and artificial intelligence.
more aggressively homicidal of Child’s Play. Instead they are Chucky (NONG/UNSPLASH)
The horror of “living” dolls,
and the 1980s saw a significant humans metamorphosed into after all, lies in their uncanny
shift in the killer toy sub-genre dolls as penance for their indis- decades and six direct cinematic exists primarily as a conduit – resemblance to something that
of horror cinema. Previously cretions. There is an inherent sequels alongside a TV series and a haunted object that can ma- it is inherently not human.
governed by puppets and ven- sentimentality to Dolls, echoes film reboot. And a new Chucky nipulate the people and objects Their faces, whether of porce-
triloquist dummies, as seen in of which can be found in An- film is anticipated in 2026. around her to do her macabre lain or plastic, mimic our own
Dead of Night (1945) and Mag- nabelle (2014), Robert (2015) In the 2000s, cinema-go- bidding. and so are imbued with an ee-
ic (1978), in the eighties, the and The Boy (2016). ers were gripped by haunted Annabelle is notable for rily uncanny hue.
horror output spotlighted ma- Dolls of the 2000s house horror, as seen in The both her stillness and silence – While the fantasy of a trea-
levolent dolls, as can be seen in Child’s Play was the first Others (2001) and Paranormal something of an anomaly in a sured toy coming to life may be
Curtains (1983) and Black Dev- instalment in the “living doll” Activity (2007) and exorcism subgenre that tends to favour a a bewitching possibility, horror
il Doll from Hell (1984). sub-genre’s most prevalent and horror, as seen in The Exorcism “they walk, they talk, they kill” cinema directly threatens that
It was the latter part of the durable cinematic franchise – of Emily Rose (2005) and The approach. The doll’s motion is notion as the childhood play-
decade though, specifically the Chucky. Charles Lee Ray, nick- Last Exorcism (2010). largely limited to occasional things it portrays become sourc-
release of Dolls (1987) and named “Chucky”, is a serial The Conjuring (2013) deftly subtle movements of the head, es of suspicion, trepidation and
Child’s Play (1988), that really killer who moves his life-force married these two subgenres to and she doesn’t speak through- terror, rather than pleasure. ■
won over horror fans. into a doll, and persistently at- produce a purportedly true ac- out the series.
Dolls is a somewhat unique tempts to transfer his soul from count of domestic horror that Instead, Annabelle prefers This article is republished
film in that the other-worldly the toy to a mortal body. introduced viewers to demonic to occupy others, carrying out from The Conversation under a
dolls it spotlights play the part The Chucky films span five doll, Annabelle. The doll here her will through unsuspecting Creative Commons license.

Romantic Comedy Series Why China now..

‘Mr. Plankton’ to Warm 14 there’s a deep mutual

mistrust on regional
security. Russia has
China to maintain its long-term
partnership with Russia with-
out undermining its construc-

Hearts on November 8 never promised support for

China in the event of a conflict
tive relationship with the West.
Russia has arguably benefited
over Taiwan, just as China has from the current competition
avoided involvement in the between the US and China, as it
Netflix on the final journey of his life. wearing part of the same track- war in Ukraine. has sought to exploit the rivalry
Directed by Hong Jong-chan suit set — Hae Jo in the pants As Russia’s war in Ukraine for its own benefit. But this has
(Juvenile Justice) and written and Jae-mi in the jacket. Yet the reaches a stalemate, its value also led to uncertainty in the
This November 8, Netflix by Jo Yong (It’s Okay to Not two gaze in opposite directions, as a military ally is increasingly China-Russia relationship.
invites viewers to embark on Be Okay), the teaser poster maintaining a distance that hints being questioned in China. As another analyst, Ji Zhiye,
a heartwarming journey with and trailer present an exciting at their complex relationship. Recently, Feng Yujun warned argues, relying too heavily on
Mr. Plankton, a story filled glimpse of the charming Woo The teaser trailer begins with China risks being led by the Russia will leave China isolated
with wanderlust, laughter, and Do-hwan (Bloodhounds, The the shocking truths for both char- nose by Russia, despite being and vulnerable. And this is not a
tears. The romantic comedy Divine Fury) as Hae Jo and acters. Hae Jo discovers he has the stronger economic partner. position China wants to be in. ■
series follows the story of Hae loveable Lee You-mi (Strong brain tumors and little time left He says every time China has
Jo, a man born from a mistake, Girl Nam-soon, All of Us Are to live, while Jae-mi experiences attempted an alliance with Rus- This article is republished
and Jae-mi, the unluckiest Dead, Squid Game) as Jae-mi. premature menopause when she sia in history, it has had nega- from The Conversation under a
woman in the world, who in- In the teaser poster, Hae Jo and tive consequences for China. Creative Commons license.
advertently accompanies him Jae-mi walk side by side, each PAGE 27 Romantic Comedy Consequently, it is crucial for
www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 19

LIFESTYLE
Does drinking coffee while pregnant cause ADHD?
Our study shows there’s no strong link
By Gunn-Helen Moen, The Past research has identified studies may be explained by
University of Queensland, a link between drinking coffee our work separating the effect
Shannon D'Urso, The during pregnancy and a child’s of coffee from the effect of oth-
University of Queensland neurodevelopmental difficulties. er variables, as well as genetic
The Conversation But it hasn’t been able to estab- predisposition to neurodevel-
lish caffeine as the direct cause. opmental conditions.
Biological changes during Our study has limitations.
International guidelines pregnancy reduce caffeine me- Importantly, we were only able
recommend people limit how tabolism. This means the caffeine to rule out strong effects of
much coffee they drink during molecules and metabolites (the coffee on neurodevelopmental
pregnancy. Consuming caffeine molecules produced while break- difficulties, and it is possible
– a stimulant – while pregnant ing down the caffeine) take lon- small effects may exist.
has been linked to how the ba- ger to be cleared from the body. We only investigated offspring
by’s brain develops. Additionally, past studies neurodevelopmental traits, and
Some studies have shown have shown caffeine and its coffee consumption during preg-
increased coffee consumption by-products can cross the pla- nancy could impact the mother
during pregnancy is associated centa. The fetus does not have or child in other ways.
with the child having neurode- the necessary enzymes to clear However we have previous-
velopmental difficulties. These them, and so it was thought founding factors. traits, including difficulties with ly shown coffee consumption
may include traits linked to that caffeine metabolites may What we did attention, communication, be- during pregnancy did not have
attention-deficit hyperactivity impact the developing baby. We know genes play a role havioural flexibility, regulation strong causal effects on birth
disorder (ADHD), such as dif- However it can be hard to iden- in how many cups of coffee a of activity and impulses, as well weight, gestational duration,
ficulties with language, motor tify whether coffee directly caus- person consumes per day. Our as motor and language skills. risk of miscarriage or stillbirth.
skills, attention, hyperactivity es changes to the fetus’s brain study used genetics to compare The parents and children also But other outcomes – such as
and impulsive behaviour. development. Pregnant women the development of children provided genetic samples. This mental health or a child’s risk for
But is coffee the cause? Our who drink coffee may differ from whose mothers did and did not allowed us to control for genetic heart disease and stroke later in
new research aimed to clear those who don’t in a number of carry genes linked to increased variants shared between moth- life – should be investigated.
up the sometimes confusing other ways. And it could be these coffee consumption. er and child and isolate the be- Overall, our study supports
advice about drinking coffee variables – not coffee – that affect The study looked at tens of haviour of coffee drinking. current clinical guidelines
during pregnancy. neurodevelopment. thousands of families registered What we found that state low to moderate
We studied tens of thousands These variables, known as in the Norwegian Mother, Father We were able to look at consumption of coffee during
of pregnant women over two “confounding factors” might and Child Cohort Study. All preg- causality through this method pregnancy is safe for the moth-
decades. The results showed – include how much people drink nant women in Norway between of adjusting for potential con- er and developing baby.
when other factors like genes or smoke while pregnant, or a 1999 and 2008 were invited to founding factors in the envi- For most people, that means
and income were accounted parent’s income and education. participate and 58,694 women ronment (the mother smoking sticking below 200mg of caf-
for – no causal link between For example, we know people took part with their child. or drinking alcohol, the par- feine per day – usually equiva-
drinking coffee during preg- who tend to drink coffee also Parents reported how much ents’ education and income). lent to one espresso or two in-
nancy and a child’s neurode- tend to drink more alcohol and coffee they drank before and The results showed no strong stant coffees – should be safe.
velopmental difficulties. That smoke more cigarettes than during pregnancy. Mothers causal link between increased If you have concerns, it’s best
means it’s safe to keep drink- those who don’t drink coffee. also completed questionnaires maternal coffee consumption to speak to your clinician. ■
ing your daily latte according Our study aimed to look at about their child’s neurodevel- and children’s neurodevelop-
to current recommendations. the effect of drinking coffee on opmental traits between six mental difficulties. This article is republished
What we were trying to neurodevelopmental difficul- months and eight years of age. The difference in findings from The Conversation under a
find out ties, isolated from these con- The questions covered many between our and previous Creative Commons license.

Godzilla at 70:..
17 The first Japa- pan with a new type of Godzilla, disarray following initial coun- fearful world unleashes its nu- requires people who are empow-
nese “Godzilla” film in an eerie echo of the damages terattacks on Godzilla, a Japa- clear weapons once again. ered to act as individuals. ■
released after the of and governmental response nese government official teams Their success suggests that
Fukushima disaster, “Shin to Fukushima’s triple disaster. up with an American special en- while national governments have This article is republished
Godzilla” (2016), reboots the When the Japanese govern- voy to freeze the newly named an important role to play in ma- from The Conversation under a
franchise in a contemporary Ja- ment is left leaderless and in Godzilla in its tracks, before a jor disasters, successful recovery Creative Commons license
www.canadianinquirer.net
 20 LIFESTYLE FRIDAY October 18, 2024

Color complexity in social media posts leads to

more engagement, new research shows
By Vamsi Kanuri, University colorfulness, but it’s not quite looking at both real-world prominence of posts play a role The importance of color in
of Notre Dame the same: It’s measured as col- Facebook posts from two firms in maximizing engagement. marketing, and its influence
The Conversation or variation across pixels in an and experimental data using In addition, when images on everything from brand per-
image, and our brains process biometric eye-tracking. On the were paired with negative, ception to purchase intentions,
it subliminally. The more the whole, we found that more feel-bad text, color complexity has long been well document-
If you work in digital mar- brain has to decipher color vari- complex images in social me- made less of a difference. ed. Much less is known, how-
keting, you don’t need to be ations across neighboring pix- dia posts tended to capture We also found that pairing ever, about the role of color
told a picture’s worth a thou- els, the harder it has to work. greater attention. images with complex texts can complexity in social media en-
sand words. More than half of Fortunately, advanced com- However, there were some actually strengthen the link gagement. Our research is be-
content marketers say images puter vision technology makes caveats. between color complexity and ginning to fill that gap.
are crucial for achieving their it easier than ever to measure For instance, posts made lat- user engagement. This sur- Overall, our findings under-
social media goals, and a stag- color complexity, and biomet- er in the day and those with im- prising finding suggests that score the importance of stra-
gering 70% of users prefer im- ric eye-tracking makes it pos- ages that took up more screen more intricate language might tegic image design in social
age-based posts over text, sur- sible to see what images grab space tended to benefit more encourage people to pay more media marketing. They sug-
veys have found. people’s attention in real time. from color complexity. This sug- attention to the images. gest that a nuanced approach
But which types of visuals We conducted four studies, gests that the timing and visual The complexities of color to image design, incorporating
work best? While anecdotal high color complexity where
evidence abounds, systematic appropriate, can significantly
research on this topic is scarce. enhance user engagement.
As a professor of business For marketers and content
who knows the issues social creators, the implications are
media managers face while clear: Investing in the careful
picking images for their posts curation of social media imag-
– and who collected thousands es, especially those with high
of Facebook posts from two or- color complexity, can lead to
ganizations in different indus- better user engagement. Just
tries – I saw an opportunity. be mindful of the timing and
Pigments and pixels context, too. ■
Together with my colleagues
Christian Hughes and Brady This article is republished
Hodges, I looked at what re- from The Conversation under a
searchers call “color complexity.” Creative Commons license
Color complexity is similar to

Practice proper handwashing

to defend vs. diseases: DOH
By Ma. Teresa Montemayor supplies to improve sanitation- mentation of handwashing in
Philippine News Agency and hygiene in communities. toilets and handwashing facili-
"Local leaders who prioritize ties; installation of group hand-
access to clean and safe water washing facilities; and daily
MANILA – The Department for everyone in their commu- handwashing drills in schools.
of Health on Tuesday encour- nities make clean hands the The DOH is also involved in
aged the public to observe first line of defense against dis- crafting and refining of the Glob-
proper handwashing to prevent ease," DOH Secretary Teodoro al Guidelines for Hand Hygiene
diseases and save lives especial- Herbosa said in a news release. in Community Settings, an ini-
ly in vulnerable communities. "In our communities especial- tiative led by the World Health
The DOH has included water ly those affected by floods or Organization (WHO) and the quality care and patient safe- Covid-19 and tuberculosis by
supply, sanitation and hygiene where access to clean water is United Nation's International ty, ultimately ensuring better 20 percent.
(WASH) as one of its eight pri- a challenge, handwashing with- Children's Emergency Fund. health for all," he said. Mpox and infection from sal-
ority health outcomes with the soap saves lives," he added. WHO Representative to the According to US Centers for monella and soil-transmitted
goal to increase the percentage To support the WASH in Philippines Rui Paulo said hand Disease Control and Preven- parasites and worms are pre-
of population with access to Schools program of the Depart- hygiene is essential in achiev- tion, clean hands reduce the vented by proper handwashing
clean water, from 88 percent to ment of Education, the DOH ing Universal Health Care. transmission of diarrhea diseas- as well.
100 percent. provided schools technical and "By prioritizing infection pre- es such as typhoid, cholera, and The DOH and the WHO join
The agency urged local lead- financial assistance for mainte- vention and control, especially gastroenteritis by 30 percent. nations in celebrating Global
ers to invest and prioritize hand nance and repair of toilets and through effective hand hygiene, They also reduce respirato- Handwashing Day, observed
hygiene, infrastructure and other water facilities; imple- we can significantly enhance ry infections such as colds, flu, annually every Oct. 15. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 LIFESTYLE 21

Five simple questions can help spot exaggerated

research claims over sex differences in the brain
By Gina Rippon, Aston Magic: spotting the spin differences as prominent. In two different samples – admit- or suggest other factors that
University My colleagues and I recent- this study, they weren’t. tedly selected from an ongoing might need to be investigated
The Conversation ly published a set of guidelines The next question is to do with longitudinal study. Nonethe- in further studies.
which offer just such assistance, accuracy. Are techniques and vari- less, it is not clear that like was Suppose, for example, they
identifying five sources of po- ables clearly defined and carefully compared with like. are looking at the allegedly
In the last ten years, some tential misrepresentation to used in the interpretation of re- The third question has to robust sex differences in visu-
20,000 or so academic papers look out for. The initials helpful- sults? It should be really clear how do with generalisability. Are ospatial skills, which include
have been published on the neu- ly form the acronym “Magic”, the study was run, what measures authors cautious about how things like visual perception
roscience of sex and gender. Per- which is short for magnitude, were taken, and why. widely the results might be ap- and spatial awareness. Have
haps you have read the media accuracy, generalisability, infla- For example, a recent paper plied? Here we encounter the the authors acknowledged
coverage of such papers, sug- tion and credibility. suggesting that the Covid lock- problem with many scientific research suggesting that the
gesting there’s finally proof that For magnitude, the question down effects had a more pro- studies being carried out on amount of time people spend
stereotypical abilities such as is: is the extent of any differences nounced effect on adolescent carefully selected and screened on practising this skill, such as
men being good at reading maps clearly and accurately described? girls’ brain structure than boys’ groups of participants – some- when playing video games, has
or women excelling at nurturing Take this 2015 study on sex dif- fell at this hurdle. The abstract times just their own students. been shown to be more signif-
can be pinpointed in the brain. ferences in the human brain. referred to “longitudinal mea- Care should be taken to en- icant than biological sex in de-
Given the sheer quantity of out- It reported on 34,716 different sures” and much of the narra- sure this is clear to the reader, termining such differences?
put in this area, how can you tell patterns of functional brain con- tive was couched in longitudinal who shouldn’t be left with the If gamers are more likely to
what is really groundbreaking re- nectivity, and found statistical “pre- and post-Covid” terms. Lon- impression that one or more be boys, that doesn’t necessar-
search, and what is an overenthu- differences between females and gitudinal studies –– which follow sets of participants can be tak- ily mean their brains are wired
siastic application of hype? males in 178 of them. the same group of people over en to be fully representative of for them – it could equally well
Misleading spin is often Yet given that less than time –– are great as they can dis- (say) all females or all males. be reflecting gendered pres-
blamed on university PR teams, 0.5% of all possible differences cover crucial changes in them. If all study participants are sures that make such games a
non-specialist science writers they were measuring actually But if you peer closely at the selected from the same single popular, culturally comfortable
in mainstream newspapers, or turned out to be statistically paper, it emerges that the pre- community, then referring to pastime among boys.
social media. But the source significant, they wouldn’t real- and post-Covid lockdown com- “hundreds of millions of peo- The focus of these guidelines
of deceptive impressions may ly be justified in reporting sex parisons appear to be between ple” in interpreting the rele- is on sex/gender brain imaging
sometimes be the research pa- vance of the results is some- studies, but they could well be
pers themselves. thing of an overstatement. applied to other areas of research.
For example, researchers The fourth category, infla- Post-lockdown surveys have
may hyper-focus on a limited tion, is to do with whether the suggested that the public has
set of findings. They may fail authors avoid language that greater trust in what scientists
to report that many of the dif- overstates the importance of are saying than they did before
ferences they were looking for their results. Terms such as the pandemic. Scientists need
didn’t make the statistical cut. “profound” and “fundamental” to be careful that they retain
Or they may be less than cau- may be misplaced, for instance. that trust by ensuring that
tious in discussing the impact Remember, James Watson and what they report is unambigu-
of their findings. Francis Crick merely described ous and free from hype.
Just as much as researchers their discovery of DNA’s double Hopefully the Magic guide-
need to be meticulous about helix structure as of “consider- lines will help them and their
the best methodology and the able biological interest”. editors achieve this; if they
most powerful statistics, they Finally, we should consider don’t, then eagle-eyed readers,
need to manage the impres- credibility: are authors careful Magic-ally armed, will be on
sions they make when commu- to acknowledge how their find- their guard. ■
nicating their research. And, if ings do or do not fit with exist-
they don’t, then the interest- ing research? Authors should This article is republished
ed but non-expert reader may be up front about alternative from The Conversation under a
need help to spot this. explanations for their findings, Creative Commons license.

B.C. election tests..

10 and generative AI? prove effective, the federal also needs to take the lead on broader information environ- vey panel provider. The margin
Can Elections BC government must do more strengthening personal data ment in Canada. The current of error for a comparable prob-
identify and address than simply catch up with B.C. protection, including by po- B.C. election gives us a chance ability-based random sample of
clear electoral disinformation? Only the federal government litical parties, and regulating to assess what works and what the same size is +/-3.09 per cent,
Will non-consensual inti- can directly regulate social me- AI to reduce risks of discrimi- still needs to be done. ■ 19 times out of 20. All results are
mate content be used to ha- dia platforms to prevent and nation and other harms. Bills weighted by age and gender.
rass candidates and does the mitigate the risks of non-consen- have been put forward for Methodology note: Survey find-
Intimate Images Protection Act sual intimate images and other these issues, though improve- ings for this report draw upon This article first appeared on
provide remedies that work in clear harms, as the federal On- ments are needed. responses from 1,005 B.C.-based Policy Options and is repub-
the election context? line Harms Act seeks to do. Much remains to be done to adults conducted from Aug. 28 to lished here under a Creative
Even if these policies do The federal government fortify election integrity and the Sept. 5 using a commercial sur- Commons license.
www.canadianinquirer.net
 22 FRIDAY October 18, 2024

SPORTS
PH's strong performance at Asian Kickboxing
Championship lauded
By Leonel Abasola athletes' skills, heart, and huge champion in vovinam, and ifying event for the 2025 World Games to be held in China. ■
Philippine News Agency potential in the sport." world silver medalist in wushu.
Jovan Medallo led the team by "Given sufficient training and
clinching two gold medals, while support, Filipinos can be very
MANILA – Senate Majority Hergie Bacyadan, Gina Araos, competitive in combat sports,
Leader Francis Tolentino on and Carlo Von Buminaang won as Hergie Bacyadan has contin-
Monday hailed the strong per- one gold medal each. uously proven," he added.
formance of the Philippines at Tolentino cited Bacyadan, Meanwhile, the country's
the recently concluded Asian who bagged the gold in the silver medal was delivered
Kickboxing Championship held women's 70-kilogram K1 divi- by Honorio Banario, the for-
in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. sion, for displaying her versa- mer ONE Featherweight MMA
In a statement, Tolentino, tility by excelling in four differ- World Champion who is mak-
the President of the Samahang ent combat sports. ing a comeback to active com-
Kickboxing ng Pilipinas (SKP), He said Bacyadan, who pre- petition via kickboxing.
said the 16 medals won by the viously represented the coun- The Philippine team also
Filipino kickboxers in the re- try in boxing in the Paris Olym- clinched 10 bronze medals in the
gional competition "shows our pics, was also a former world regional championships, a qual-

Padel Pilipinas eyes more success on world stage

By Jean Malanum ed in by 165 players from 32 Open champion. you were watching live, send- more amazing," he said.
Philippine News Agency countries, was held Oct. 3-6. “There’s a quote: it takes a ing messages, or cheering us Head coach Bryan Casao com-
"I am so thankful for all the village to build a champion. on from afar, your energy kept mended Capadocia and Tan.
love, support, and encourage- This is it. The padel commu- us going throughout the tour- “Their training has paid off in
MANILA – The country's title ment the Padel Pilipinas team nity, Senator Pia Cayetano, Sir nament. It reminds us how the best way possible. They went
victory at the recent Asia Pacific and Play Padel Community Derrick Santos, Sir Duane San- special and close our padel in mentally, emotionally, and
Padel Tour (APPT) Grand Slam have shown me and Coach Tao tos, and all the coaches and family is, and we're so proud to physically ready. It’s not only a
in Singapore hopes to inspire Yee during our finals match in teammates. This is where I feel represent you all," she said. win for Padel Pilipinas but for
the youth to learn the sport. APPT Singapore," Capadocia that I have a village to lean on. Padel Pilipinas secretary gen- the whole country,” Casao said.
Padel is a racket sport of Mex- said in a press conference at the We are very thankful sa (to) eral, lawyer Duane Santos, noted The triumph in Singapore
ican origin. It is a mix of tennis Padel Play court in Mandaluy- Play Padel and Padel Pilipinas.” that Capadocia and Tan have only and the silver finish of the na-
and squash and is usually played ong City Thursday afternoon. Tan also thanked the Padel been playing padel for a com- tional team at the Asia Pacific
in doubles on an enclosed court She acknowledged the support Pilipinas community. bined three years more or less. Padel Cup in Bali, Indonesia
surrounded by walls of glass and of Senator Pia Cayetano, presi- "To the entire Padel Pilipinas "Tao Yee with two years and highlighted the country's fu-
metallic mesh. dent of the Padel Pilipinas, which community, thank you from the Marian with less than one. ture success on the interna-
Last week, Marian Capado- is recognized by the Philippine bottom of our hearts! Whether That's the reason why it's even tional stage.
cia, a seasoned tennis player, Olympic Committee and the Phil- “So happy for our girls, Tao
and Tao Yee Tan defeated Jap- ippine Sports Commission. Yee and Marian. I couldn’t
anese Kotomi Ozawa and Indo- "A huge thank you to Sena- be more proud of what they
nesian Beatrice Gumulya, 6-2, tor Pia whose presence, both achieved – the first All-Filipina
1-6, 7-5, in the Pro female cat- on and off the court, gave us champs in the APPT!” Cayetano
egory finals. strength. She cheered with so said. “This win inspires not only
To reach the championship much passion and belief in us, our country’s padel community
round, the Filipinas conquered which helped push us to com- but also the new generation of
Russian pair Victoria Fedorova pete at our best. Facing the young girls watching this.”
and Anastasiia Ryzhova, 6-2, top seed was tough, but hav- Padel Pilipinas, which is com-
6-2, in the quarterfinals, then ing such an incredible group mitted to discovering talents
clobbered Brazilian Natalia of friends, family, and padel from the countryside and train-
Oxley and Portuguese Con- fans behind us made it an ex- HISTORIC WIN. Padel champions Marian Capadocia and Tao Yee Tan (2nd and 3rd ing them to become world-class
stanza Kokorelis in the semifi- perience we will never forget," from left), winners of the Pro female category of the Asia Pacific Padel Tour (APPT) athletes, will hold an Open
nals, 6-2, 6-3. said the eight-time Philippine Grand Slam in Singapore on Oct. 3-6, pose for a photo during a press conference at tournament at the Padel Play
The tournament, participat- Columbian Association (PCA) the Play Padel in Mandaluyong City on Thursday (Oct. 10, 2024). (JEAN MALANUM/PNA)
court this weekend. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 SPORTS 23

Caitlin Clark, Christine Brennan and how racial

stereotypes persist in the media’s WNBA coverage
By Molly Yanity, University of land has caused many new base has “gotten whiter” since In sports, you sometimes For example, early in their
Rhode Island WNBA fans to pick sides that Clark’s debut this past sum- see that come to light through careers, Bird and Johnson re-
The Conversation fall along racial lines. Bren- mer, as The Wall Street Jour- what media scholars call “the ceived different journalistic
nan’s critics claim she was nal pointed out in July. Those stereotypical narrative” – a treatment. In Ferrucci and
pushing a line of questioning white viewers of college wom- style of reporting and writing Perry’s article, they explain
The “Caitlin Clark effect,” or that has dogged Black athletes en’s basketball have emphat- that relies on old tropes. how coverage of Bird “fit the
the impact on women’s basket- for decades: that they are ag- ically turned their attention Scholars who study sports dominant narrative of the time
ball from a ponytailed rookie gressive and undisciplined. to the pro game, in large part media have found that report- perfectly … exhibiting a hard-
phenomenon from America’s Because of that, her defense due to Clark’s popularity at the ers routinely fall back on racial working and intelligent game
heartland, is real: The 2024 of her questions – and her un- University of Iowa. stereotypes. For example, cov- that succeeded despite a lack
WNBA season shattered view- willingness to acknowledge the Money is also pouring into erage of Black quarterbacks in of athletic prowess.” When the
ership, attendance and mer- complexities – has left this pro- the league through a lucrative the NFL as less intelligent and “flashy” Lakers and Johnson
chandise sales records. fessor disappointed in one of media rights deal and new more innately gifted would go won, they wrote, it was be-
Clark, however, didn’t get a her journalistic heroes. sponsorship partners. on to hinder the progress of cause of “superior skill.”
chance to compete for a league title. Brennan and much of the While the rising tide follow- Black quarterbacks. When they lost to Bird’s Celt-
The Connecticut Sun elim- mainstream sports media, par- ing Clark’s transition to the In Brennan’s coverage of ics, they were “outworked.”
inated Clark’s team, the Indi- ticularly those who cover profes- WNBA is certainly lifting all the Carrington-Clark incident, Framing matters
ana Fever, in the first round of sional women’s basketball, still boats, it is also bringing detri- there appear to be echoes of the Let’s go back to Brennan.
the playoffs with a two-game seem to have a racial blind spot. tus to the surface in the form of way the media covered Los An- Few have done more for
sweep, ending her record rook- The emergence of a Black, racist jeers from the stands and geles Lakers point guard Magic young women in the sports
ie-of-the-year campaign. queer league on social media. Johnson and Boston Celtics for- media industry than Brennan.
And it may be just the latest When the WNBA launched in After the Sun dispatched the ward Larry Bird in the 1980s. In time, energy and money, she
chapter in a complicated saga 1997 in the wake of the success Fever, All-WNBA forward Alys- The battles between two has mentored and supported
steeped in race. of the 1996 Olympic gold-med- sa Thomas, who seldom speaks of the sport’s greatest players young women trying to break
During the first game of the al-winning U.S. women’s bas- beyond soundbites, said in a – one Black, the other white into the field. She has used her
series, the fingers of Sun guard ketball team, it did so under the postgame news conference: “I – was a windfall for the NBA, platform to expand the cover-
DiJonai Carrington hit Clark in watch of the NBA. think in my 11-year career I’ve lifting the league into financial age of women’s sports.
the eye as Carrington followed The NBA set out to market never experienced the racial sustainability. Brennan defended herself
through on a block attempt of its new product, in part, to a comments from the Indiana Fe- But to many reporters who in a lengthy interview on the
a Clark shot. white, heterosexual fan base. ver fan base. … I’ve never been leaned on the dominant narra- podcast “Good Game with Sar-
During the next day’s media The plan didn’t take hold. called the things that I’ve been tive of the time, the two stars ah Spain”:
availability, USA Today colum- While the league experi- called on social media, and also served as stand-ins for the “I think [critics are] missing the
nist Christine Brennan record- enced fits and starts in atten- there’s no place for it.” racial tensions of the post-civil fact of what I’m trying to do, what
ed and posted an exchange be- dance and TV ratings over Echoes of Bird and Magic rights era. During the 1980s, I am doing, what I understand
tween herself and Carrington. its lifetime, the demographic In “Manufacturing Consent,” Bird and Magic didn’t simply clearly as a journalist, asking ques-
In the brief clip, the veteran makeup of its players is unde- a seminal work about the U.S. hoop; they were the “embod- tions and putting things out there
sports writer asks Carrington, niable: The WNBA is, by and news business, Edward Herman iments of their races and liv- so that athletes can then have an
who is Black, if she purposely large, a Black, queer league. and Noam Chomsky argued that ing symbols of how blacks and opportunity to answer issues that
hit Clark in the eye during the In 2020, the Women’s Na- media in capitalist environments whites lived in America,” as are being discussed or out there.”
previous night’s game. Though tional Basketball Players As- do not exist to impartially report scholars Patrick Ferrucci and I don’t think Brennan asking
Carrington insisted she didn’t sociation reported that 83% the news, but to reinforce domi- Earnest Perry wrote. Carrington about the foul was
intentionally hit Clark, Bren- of its members were people nant narratives of the time, even The media gatekeepers of problematic. Persisting with
nan persisted, asking the guard of color, with 67% self-report- if they are false. Most journalists, the Magic-Bird era often relied the narrative was.
if she and a teammate had ing as “Black/African-Ameri- they theorized, work to support on racial stereotypes that ulti- Leaning into racial stereo-
laughed about the incident. can.” While gender and sexual the status quo. mately distorted both athletes. types is not simply about the
The questions sparked social identity hasn’t been officially language used anymore. Bren-
media outrage, statements reported, a “substantial pro- nan’s video of her persistent line
from the players union and portion,” the WNBPA reported, of questioning pitted Carrington
the league, media personalities identify as LBGTQ+. against Clark. It could be argued
weighing in and more. In 2020, the league’s diver- that it used the stereotype of the
Hit the pause button here. sity was celebrated as play- overly physical, aggressive Black
As a longtime sports writer ers competed in a “bubble” in athlete, as well.
who has covered the WNBA Bradenton, Florida, due to the At best, Brennan has a blind
– and as a journalism scholar COVID-19 pandemic. They pro- spot to the strain racism is put-
who studies women’s sports tested racial injustice, helped ting on Black athletes today –
and fandom – I’ll concede that unseat a U.S. senator who also particularly in the WNBA. At
Brennan’s line of questioning owned Atlanta’s WNBA fran- worst, she is digging in on that
seems, on its face, like business chise, and urged voters to oust tired trope.
as usual in sports journalism. former President Donald Trump A blind spot can be addressed
After all, haven’t most baseball from the White House. and seen. An unacknowledged
fans seen a scribe ask a pitcher if Racial tensions bubble to racist narrative, however, will
he intentionally beaned a batter? the surface persist. ■
But Brennan’s questions In the middle of it all, the
were not asked in a vacuum. WNBA has more eyeballs on This article is republished
The emergence of a young, it than ever before. And, with- from The Conversation under a
white superstar from the heart- out mincing words, the fan Creative Commons license
www.canadianinquirer.net
 24 FRIDAY October 18, 2024

BUSINESS
NEDA confident inflation will
settle within target in 2024
By Anna Leah Gonzales nand R. Marcos Jr.'s move to regular meetings and then we
Philippine News Agency create the Inter-Agency Com- have a list of recommendations
mittee on Inflation and Market of what should be done, what
Outlook (IAC-IMO), helped in should be prioritized to lower
MANILA – The National Eco- easing inflation. inflation)," she said.
nomic and Development Au- Under Marcos’ Executive Or- Edillon said the easing infla- Buyers check out the fresh produce sold at the San Andres Public Market in Ma-

thority (NEDA) is confident that der (EO) 28 issued in May last tion also contributed to a hike nila on Friday (Sept. 6, 2024). (YANCY LIM/PNA)

inflation will settle within the year, the IAC-IMO is tasked to in employment.
government's target this year. monitor the main drivers of rising Latest data from the Phil- wa tumataas iyong demand so Corporation chief economist
"So, if you would recall, ang prices of basic goods, particular- ippine Statistics Authority may karampatang increase din Michael Ricafort said the BSP
target natin is between 2 and ly of food and energy, and their showed that the country's em- in employment. (Then, other will likely further cut key in-
4 percent na average for the proximate sources and causes. ployment rate rose to 96 per- sectors like wholesale and retail terest rates by at least 25 basis
year at, yes, malaki ang tiwa- "Nakita namin na nag-work cent in August this year from trade activities also helped in points on Oct. 16.
la namin na talagang mahi-hit naman itong ganitong klaseng 95.6 percent last year while the growth of employment. We Ricafort said that the 1.9 per-
natin iyong target na iyan.(So, mekanismo na anticipated unemployment rate fell to 4.0 think that inflation also helped. cent inflation rate in September
if you would recall, our target namin iyong mga develop- percent from 4.4 percent. Because of the easing inflation, which was better than market es-
is between 2 to 4 percent av- ments and then agad, parang Edillon said the recovery in consumers were able to spend timates, can "justify further mon-
erage for the year and yes, we may direct line kami kay Presi- the tourism industry and the more. Of course, for example etary easing or even more ag-
are confident that we can real- dente eh. Laging regular iyong easing inflation helped create when demand increases, there gressive local policy rate cut/s."
ly hit that target)," NEDA Un- nagiging meeting tapos nag- more jobs. is also an increase in employ- "For the coming months, it
dersecretary Rosemarie Edillon kakaroon kami ng listahan ng "Tapos, iyong ibang sector like ment)," said Edillon. is possible for inflation to sus-
said at the the Bagong Pilipinas recommendation ng ano-ano wholesale and retail trade activ- Policy easing tain at 2 percent levels for the
Ngayon briefing on Friday. iyong mga dapat na mai-prior- ities ay nakatulong din sa pagla- An economist, meanwhile, rest of 2024, or well within
Inflation fell to a four-year itize para maipababa nga itong go ng employment. Tapos ang believed that the further eas- the BSP inflation target range
low of 1.9 percent in Septem- inflation. (We saw that this tingin namin dito, nakatulong ing of inflation will allow the of 2 percent to 4 percent that
ber this year, bringing the year- kind of mechanism worked, din dito iyong inflation kasi nga Monetary Board of the Bangko could justify further BSP rate
to-date inflation figure to 3.4 we were able to anticipate de- dahil sa easing iyong ating in- Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to cuts that would match any fu-
percent which is well within velopments and then immedi- flation so mas naging kampante further ease policy rates during ture Fed rate cuts from 2024 to
the government's target. ately, we have a direct line to iyong mga consumers to spend. the next meeting next week. 2026," he said. ■
Edillon said President Ferdi- the President. We always have Tapos siyempre, kapag halimba- Rizal Commercial Banking

PH inks protocol to amend ASEAN Comprehensive

Investment Agreement
By Kris Crismundo Roque said the Philippines signed Gepty said in a separate mes- Gepty added that signing the also had a discussion with some
Philippine News Agency the 5th Protocol to Amend ASE- sage that the Protocol presents 5th Protocol to Amend ACIA Southeast Asian companies.
AN Comprehensive Investment a more stable and predictable aligns with the administration’s Aside from biggest Thai fiber
Agreement (ACIA) last week. business environment neces- policy to pursue advanced, cement manufacturer Shera,
MANILA – Department of “The ASEAN made significant sary to attract more capital purposive and forward-looking Roque also made a follow-up
Trade and Industry (DTI) Acting progress in several areas of eco- into the country. agreement. on investment plans of AirAsia
Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque nomic integration. Notably, we “The submission of the “The ACIA sends also a operator Capital A of Malaysia
identified that one of the high- signed the 5th protocol to amend Schedule of Reservations pur- strong signal to the investment and the Vingroup, which is one
lights of the recently concluded the ASEAN Comprehensive In- suant to the Fifth Protocol community of the country’s of the largest conglomerates in
Association of Southeast Asian vestment Agreement,” Roque would provide greater certain- readiness to serve as invest- Vietnam.
Nations (ASEAN) Summit in said, adding this agreement will ty and transparency in deter- ment hub in the region, espe- Roque said the country’s atten-
Vientiane, Laos is the signing of make it easier for investors to mining which sectors are open cially for smart and sustainable dance in the 45th ASEAN Sum-
the document that will enhance identify sectors open for invest- for investments because those manufacturing,” he said. mit is “very successful” as Presi-
the certainty and transparency ments in the Philippines. sectors with market access re- Talk with investors dent Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. was
of investing in the region. DTI Undersecretary for In- strictions or limitations will be On the sidelines of the ASE- able to convey that the Philip-
In a press briefing Monday, ternational Trade Group Allan accordingly listed,” he said. AN Summit, the acting DTI chief pines is open for business. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 BUSINESS 25

As OpenAI attracts billions in new investment,

its goal of balancing profit with purpose
is getting more challenging to pull off
By Alnoor Ebrahim, Tufts tial harms posed by AI. unnamed sources. craft marketplace Etsy did in profits than ensuring AI’s safety, I
University Over a dozen senior staff mem- That arrangement is not al- 2017, two years after becom- believe that these dangers could
The Conversation bers have quit since then, includ- lowed for nonprofit executives, ing a publicly traded company. get worse. Geoffrey Hinton,
ing several other co-founders according to BoardSource, an In my view, any attempt to who won the 2024 Nobel Prize
and executives responsible for association of nonprofit board convert a nonprofit into a pub- in physics for his artificial intel-
OpenAI, the artificial intelli- overseeing OpenAI’s safety pol- members and executives. In- lic benefit corporation is a clear ligence research, has cautioned
gence company that developed icies and practices. At least two stead, the association explains, move away from focusing on that AI may exacerbate inequal-
the popular ChatGPT chatbot of them have joined Anthropic, nonprofits “must reinvest sur- the nonprofit’s mission. And ity by replacing “lots of mundane
and the text-to-art program a rival founded by a former Ope- pluses back into the organization there will be a risk that becom- jobs.” He believes that there’s a
Dall-E, is at a crossroads. On nAI executive responsible for AI and its tax-exempt purpose.” ing a benefit corporation would 50% probability “that we’ll have
Oct. 2, 2024, it announced that safety. Some of the departing What kind of company just be a ploy to mask a shift to confront the problem of AI try-
it had obtained US$6.6 billion in executives say that Altman has might OpenAI become? toward focusing on revenue ing to take over” from humanity.
new funding from investors and pushed the company to launch The Washington Post and growth and investors’ profits. And even if OpenAI did re-
that the business was worth an products prematurely. other media outlets have re- Many legal scholars and oth- tain board members for whom
estimated $157 billion – making Safety “has taken a backseat ported, also citing unnamed er experts are predicting that safety is a top concern, the
it only the second startup ever to to shiny products,” said OpenAI’s sources, that OpenAI might be- OpenAI will not do away with only common denominator for
be valued at over $100 billion. former safety team leader Jan come a “public benefit corpora- its hybrid ownership model en- the members of its new corpo-
Unlike other big tech compa- Leike, who quit in May 2024. tion” – a business that aims to tirely because of legal restric- rate board would be their obli-
nies, OpenAI is a nonprofit with Why would OpenAI’s struc- benefit society and earn profits. tions on the placement of non- gation to protect the interests
a for-profit subsidiary that is ture change? Examples of businesses with profit assets in private hands. of the company’s shareholders,
overseen by a nonprofit board of OpenAI’s deep-pocketed inves- this status, known as B Corps., But I think OpenAI has a pos- who would expect to earn a
directors. Since its founding in tors cannot own shares in the or- include outdoor clothing and sible workaround: It could try to profit. While such expectations
2015, OpenAI’s official mission ganization under its existing non- gear company Patagonia and dilute the nonprofit’s control by are common on a for-profit
has been “to build artificial gen- profit governance structure, nor eyewear maker Warby Parker. making it a minority sharehold- board, they constitute a con-
eral intelligence (AGI) that is safe can they get a seat on its board It’s more typical that a er in a new for-profit structure. flict of interest on a nonprof-
and benefits all of humanity.” of directors. That’s because Ope- for-profit business – not a non- This would effectively eliminate it board where mission must
By late September 2024, The nAI is incorporated as a nonprofit profit – becomes a benefit corpo- the nonprofit board’s power to come first and board members
Associated Press, Reuters, The whose purpose is to benefit soci- ration, according to the B Lab, a hold the company accountable. cannot benefit financially from
Wall Street Journal and many ety rather than private interests. network that sets standards and Such a move could lead to an the organization’s work.
other media outlets were report- Until now, all rounds of invest- offers certification for B Corps. investigation by the office of the The arrangement would, no
ing that OpenAI plans to discard ments, including a reported total It is unusual for a nonprofit to relevant state attorney general doubt, please OpenAI’s inves-
its nonprofit status and become a of $13 billion from Microsoft, do this because nonprofit gov- and potentially by the Internal tors. But would it be good for so-
for-profit tech company managed have been channeled through a ernance already requires those Revenue Service. ciety? The purpose of nonprofit
by investors. These stories have for-profit subsidiary that belongs groups to benefit society. What could happen if Ope- control over a for-profit subsid-
all cited anonymous sources. The to the nonprofit. Boards of companies with nAI turns into a for-profit iary is to ensure that profit does
New York Times, referencing doc- The current structure allows this legal status are free to con- company? not interfere with the nonprofit’s
uments from the recent funding OpenAI to accept money from sider the interests of society, The stakes for society are high. mission. Without guardrails to
round, reported that unless this private investors in exchange the environment and people AI’s potential harms are ensure that the board seeks to
change happens within two years, for a future portion of its prof- who aren’t its shareholders, but wide-ranging, and some are al- limit harm to humanity from AI,
the $6.6 billion in equity would its. But those investors do not that is not required. The board ready apparent, such as decep- there would be little reason for
become debt owed to the investors get a voting seat on the board, may still choose to make prof- tive political campaigns and it to prevent the company from
who provided that funding. and their profits are “capped.” its a top priority and can drop bias in health care. maximizing profit, even if its
The Conversation U.S. asked According to information pre- its benefit status to satisfy its If OpenAI, an industry leader, chatbots and other AI products
Alnoor Ebrahim, a Tufts Uni- viously made public, OpenAI’s investors. That is what online begins to focus more on earning endanger society.
versity management scholar, to original investors can’t earn Regardless of what OpenAI
explain why OpenAI’s leaders’ more than 100 times the mon- does, most artificial intelligence
reported plans to change its ey they provided. The goal of companies are already for-profit
structure would be significant this hybrid governance model businesses. So, in my view, the
and potentially problematic. is to balance profits with Ope- only way to manage the potential
How have its top executives nAI’s safety-focused mission. harms is through better industry
and board members responded? Becoming a for-profit en- standards and regulations that
There has been a lot of lead- terprise would make it possi- are starting to take shape.
ership turmoil at OpenAI. The ble for its investors to acquire California’s governor vetoed
disagreements boiled over in ownership stakes in OpenAI such a bill in September 2024
November 2023, when its board and no longer have to face a on the grounds it would slow
briefly ousted Sam Altman, its cap on their potential profits. innovation – but I believe slow-
CEO. He got his job back in less Down the road, OpenAI could ing it down is exactly what is
than a week, and then three also go public and raise capital needed, given the dangers AI
board members resigned. The on the stock market. already poses to society. ■
departing directors were advo- Altman reportedly seeks to
cates for building stronger guard- personally acquire a 7% equity This article is republished
rails and encouraging regulation stake in OpenAI, according to from The Conversation under a
to protect humanity from poten- a Bloomberg article that cited Creative Commons license.
www.canadianinquirer.net
 26 BUSINESS FRIDAY October 18, 2024

If you think grocery prices take a big bite out of your

paycheck in the US, check out the rest of the world
By Peter A. Coclanis, term is usually invoked after — relatively speaking — are restaurants and the like. Inter- ter all, you can only eat so much
University of North Carolina a supply or demand shock of the cheapest in the world, and estingly, the “away” component no matter how rich you are.
at Chapel Hill some kind, when sellers are have been for a long time. This has been growing as a propor- Scholars have found that En-
The Conversation said to take advantage and is the case whether measured in tion of total food spending since gel’s insight still applies in the
jack up prices, particularly for terms of disposable personal in- the onset of COVID-19. contemporary world, which
basics such as food or gasoline. come or in terms of percentage Grocery prices around the provides context for the sharp
Though cynics may question Concern over “gouging” goes of household expenditures. world distinctions between low-in-
her motives, Kamala Harris’ re- way back – in some ways, it For example, U.S. Depart- No one likes to pay more for come and middle-income
cent call to ban price gouging on can be seen as an outgrowth of ment of Agriculture data shows food, but a little comparative countries and the U.S.
groceries has received a lot of medieval Christian injunctions that in 2023 — the most recent data can reduce one’s sense of That said, however, there
attention – and for good reason. against mercantile greed. year for which data are avail- victimization, if not alleviate are big differences between
The cost of food has been a Although many states have able — Americans spent about the pocketbook pain. the U.S. and other high-income
big concern for Americans since laws on the books against price 11.2% of their disposable per- Cross-national data com- countries such as Japan, Swe-
the height of the COVID-19 gouging, such laws have proved sonal income – or income after piled by the USDA shows that den, Norway, France and Italy,
pandemic, with U.S. food prices difficult to enforce. In the case taxes – on food. That was un- in 2022, Americans spent less with the U.S. percentage spent
rising 25% between 2019 and of the U.S. grocery industry, changed from 2022. on food as a proportion of total on food considerably low-
2023. While U.S. food inflation profit margins — traditionally This includes expenditures consumer expenditures than er than in any of these other
slowed considerably in 2024, razor-thin at about 1% or 2% for both food at home — gen- people in any other country. rich countries. This is because
grocery prices are still up from — remain small even today. erally purchased at supermar- People in many other nations economies of scale are more
prepandemic numbers. What’s more, it’s important to kets and other grocery stores — spent two, three or four times important in American agricul-
Price hikes like this are as note that food prices in the U.S. and food purchased “away” at as much in percentage terms, ture, among other reasons.
painful as they are aggravating, and sometimes even more. To be sure, if so inclined, one
and they can have real effects on The differences were great- can point to certain negative
both household spending and est between the U.S. and environmental externalities
the broader economy. So it’s not low-income countries in South in American food production
surprising that the topic is com- Asia and Africa – Bangladesh, and question the ways animals
ing up on the campaign trail. Myanmar and Ethiopia, for and laborers are treated in the
But oftentimes, complexity example – but were also quite American food system, which
can get lost amid the politick- sizable between the U.S. and prizes efficiency — or at least
ing. Here, economic history – middle-income countries such low prices — above all else.
and economic historians like as Argentina, Brazil, China, But food that is dirt cheap
me – can provide some context. Costa Rica and Mexico. in comparative terms, even in
How Americans spend These differences aren’t al- a time of rising food prices, is
their food dollars together surprising. Why not? a problem virtually every other
For starters, despite the run-up Because as the German statis- nation in the world would love
in food prices in the U.S., there’s tician Ernst Engel first noted in to have. ■
little evidence of price gouging in the middle of the 19th century,
the grocery industry today. as family or household income This article is republished
“Price gouging” is notorious- increases, the proportion of the from The Conversation under a
ly difficult to define, but the total spent on food declines. Af- Creative Commons license

TikTok slashes hundreds of jobs in AI shift

AZERTAC Less than 500 jobs in Malay- content posted on the platform. since asked social media plat- crime, including online fraud,
Philippine News Agency sia are expected to be affected The restructuring follows forms to apply for an operating sexual crimes against children,
by the move. months of speculation that Tik- license to tackle rising cyber- and cyberbullying. ■
A TikTok spokesperson said that Tok was planning to reduce its
BAKU – Social media plat- the job cuts were part of an effort global operations and market-
form TikTok said it will slash to boost content moderation. ing workforce significantly.
hundreds of jobs, with a sig- "We expect to invest USD2 According to the company
nificant number of employees billion globally in trust and website, ByteDance has over
in Malaysia expected to be af- safety in 2024 alone and are 110,000 employees based in
fected, as the company shifts continuing to improve the ef- more than 200 cities globally.
to AI-assisted content modera- ficacy of our efforts, with 80 The layoffs also come as tech
tion, AFP reports. percent of violative content giants face increased regulato-
TikTok, owned by Chi- now removed by automated ry pressure in Malaysia, where
na-based ByteDance, said Fri- technologies," the spokesper- a surge of malicious content on
day it would cut several hun- son said in a brief statement. social media was reported ear-
dred jobs around the world, The company uses a combina- lier this year.
without providing a break- tion of human moderators and The government of the
down by country. automated detection to review Southeast Asian country has
www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 27

TECHNOLOGY
How AI can help you make a computer game
without knowing anything about coding
By Daniel Zhou Hao, Three Broomsticks. platform game where the plat-
University of Leicester For those that already know forms are made of sweet treats”.
The Conversation how to code, numerous AI apps Step 3: See what it’s like:
have become incredibly helpful Click “run” or “preview” to see
too. At the other extreme from what you’ve created (depend-
Just as calculators took over the natural language coding ing on which system you are
the tedious number-crunching apps described above, tools using, you may have to do this
in maths a few decades ago, ar- like Tabnine and GitHub Copi- in the source code editor). You
tificial intelligence (AI) is trans- lot act as intelligent assistants, should see platforms made of
forming coding. Take Kyo, an predicting and autocompleting candy or cakes.
eight-year-old boy in Singapore code as you type. Step 4: Make some changes:
who developed a simple plat- Alternatives such as Sourcery Let’s say we change the main
form game in just two hours, at- and DeepCode go a step further, character into a parrot. Simply
tracting over 500,000 players. offering real-time code clean- type into the prompt: “Make
Using nothing but simple up, suggesting improvements the avatar a green parrot”.
instructions in English, Kyo and fixing vulnerabilities. New Step 5: Add features: Now
brought his vision to life lever- tools are emerging weekly, are doing much of the work. necessary standards. No doubt type into the prompt: “Let the
aging the coding app Cursor such as OpenAI’s GPT Canvas, Today’s limitations in future we may see AI coding parrot be controlled by the cursor
and also Claude, a general pur- a new GPT version designed to As exciting as all this is, AI tools designed to handle every- arrows, insert some sweets for it
pose AI. Although his dad is a help with sophisticated coding. coding is still in its infancy. thing from security issues to to collect and add a score counter
coder, Kyo didn’t get any help Many of these tools can also At this stage it can only help highly specialised subject matter. for how many it has collected”.
from him to design the game translate code from one pro- non-coders to build simple ap- Their ability to help non-coders Step 6: Test and tweak: Click
and has no formal coding ed- gramming language to another, plications or games. It can’t yet to build apps will also only im- “run” or “preview” again to test
ucation himself. He went on to say from JavaScript to Python. oversee big complex IT proj- prove. For now at least, howev- the updated game. Make chang-
build another game, an anima- The productivity gains that ects by understanding the big er, AI coding is still amplifying es by typing things like, “Insert
tion app, a drawing app and these tools offer are revolu- picture in a way that a human the skills of coders rather than a black crow that will chase the
a chatbot, taking about two tionising the software industry. coder would. replacing them altogether. parrot around the screen. If the
hours for each. As many as 70% of companies It can’t yet invent new ways How to build your own game crow touches the parrot, freeze
This shows how AI is dramat- have already adopted the likes to solve problems either, and is All the same, it’s incredible the screen and display a mes-
ically lowering the barrier to of GitHub Copilot, with coders still more likely to lag in areas what you can do with these sage in the middle of the screen
software development, bridg- reporting that AI is enabling like, say, spacecraft navigation tools as a non-coder already. saying ‘Too Bad!!!’”. Keep re-
ing the gap between creativity them to write software that is that require highly specialised Here’s a quick guide to making peating these steps until you’re
and technical skill. Among the more reliable and bug free. knowledge. a simple platform game: happy with the results.
range of apps and platforms By removing the need to Many tools also don’t write Step 1: Sign up for an AI Step 7: Get it out there: You
dedicated to this purpose, oth- spend so many hours ironing out perfect code: a program will of- tool: Create an account with, might now want to share your
ers include Google’s AlphaC- human errors, coders are able to ten work but won’t be efficient say, Cursor or AlphaCode 2 and game with friends or online
ode 2 and Replit’s Ghostwriter. spend more time focusing on or secure enough for use in the follow the setup instructions. via an app store. It must be
In another example of the higher value tasks such as de- real world. Similarly, AI tools Depending on which tool you said that AI coders are not yet
power of these apps, an eight- signing system architecture and don’t inherently understand the choose, you may need to do a doing this well, so you may
year-old American girl called collaborating with colleagues. context of the data they pro- quick install. You may also need find this trickier without prior
Fay built a chatbot that pur- It is also changing the game cess, so may mishandle sensi- to install a programming lan- knowledge. One option is to
ported to be Harry Potter. She for university educators like my- tive information or perpetuate guage such as Python, as well as deploy the game online via a
had it up and running in just self as we race to keep up. We’ve biases present in the data on a source code editor such as VS free platform such as Zeabur,
45 minutes, at which point it been having to rethink teaching which they were trained. Studio Code 2 – the coding plat- as explained here. ■
asked if she had heard the ru- materials and also assessment For all these reasons, in pro- form will keep you right on this.
mours about the Deathly Hal- methods, wrestling with how fessional situations there’s still Step 2: Start your game: Open This article is republished
lows and suggested they dis- exactly to grade a student’s cod- a need for a coder to make sure a new project in the tool. Into the from The Conversation under a
cuss it over a butterbeer at the ing in situations where AI tools that everything is meeting the prompt, type: “Create a simple Creative Commons license

Romantic Comedy..
18 is expected to give birth and Hae Jo appears on Jae-mi’s enters Eo Heung (Oh Jung-se), A drifting soul, a stolen Join the journey with Mr.
to a son. The two are re- wedding day, either to steal her Jae-mi’s bewildered and adoring bride, and one last ride. Seri- Plankton. on November 8, only
vealed to be ex-lovers, away or help her escape. Here husband-to-be. ously, what could go wrong? on Netflix.■
www.canadianinquirer.net
 28 TECHNOLOGY FRIDAY October 18, 2024

When AI plays favourites: How algorithmic

bias shapes the hiring process
By Mehnaz Rafi, University a growing concern in recruit- AI can create bias in hiring: Flawed data sampling occurs among certain demographics.
of Calgary ment and selection: while 1. Bias in training data. AI when the dataset used to train This problem is compounded
The Conversation some companies are using AI to systems rely on large datasets an algorithm is not representa- when the features selected are
remove human bias from hir- — referred to as training data tive of the broader population proxies for protected character-
ing, it can often reinforce and — to learn patterns and make it’s meant to serve. In the con- istics, such as zip code, which
A public interest group filed amplify existing inequalities. decisions, but their accuracy text of hiring, this can happen can be strongly related to race
a U.S. federal complaint against Given the rapid integration of and fairness are only as good as if training data over-represents and socioeconomic status due to
artificial intelligence hiring tool, AI into human resource man- the data they are trained on. If certain groups —typically white historical housing segregation.
HireVue, in 2019 for deceptive agement across many organi- this data contains historical hir- men — while under-represent- 4. Lack of transparency.
hiring practices. The software, zations, it’s important to raise ing biases that favour specific ing marginalized candidates. Many AI systems function as
which has been adopted by hun- awareness about the complex demographics, the AI will adopt As a result, the AI may learn “black boxes,” meaning their
dreds of companies, favoured ethical challenges it presents. and reproduce those same bi- to favour the characteristics and decision-making processes are
certain facial expressions, speak- Ways AI can create bias ases. Amazon’s AI tool, for ex- experiences of the over-rep- opaque. This lack of transpar-
ing styles and tones of voice, dis- As companies increasingly ample, was trained on resumes resented group while penaliz- ency makes it difficult for orga-
proportionately disadvantaging rely on algorithms to make criti- from a male-dominated indus- ing or overlooking those from nizations to identify where bias
minority candidates. cal hiring decisions, it’s crucial to try, which led to gender bias. underrepresented groups. For might exist and how it affects
The Electronic Privacy Infor- be aware of the following ways 2. Flawed data sampling. example, facial analysis tech- hiring decisions.
mation Center argued HireV- nologies have shown to have Without insight into how an
ue’s results were “biased, un- higher error rates for racialized AI tool makes decisions, it’s dif-
provable and not replicable.” individuals, particularly racial- ficult to correct biased outcomes
Though the company has since ized women, because they are or ensure fairness. Both Amazon
stopped using facial recogni- underrepresented in the data and HireVue faced this issue; us-
tion, concerns remain about used to train these systems. ers and developers struggled to
biases in other biometric data, 3. Bias in feature selection. understand how the systems as-
such as speech patterns. When designing AI systems, de- sessed candidates and why cer-
Similarly, Amazon stopped velopers choose certain features, tain groups were excluded.
using its AI recruitment tool, as attributes or characteristics to 5. Lack of human oversight.
reported in 2018, after discover- be prioritized or weighed more While AI plays an important
ing it was biased against wom- heavily when the AI is making role in many decision-making
en. The algorithm, trained on decisions. But these selected processes, it should augment,
male-dominated resumes sub- features can lead to unfair, bi- rather than replace, human
mitted over 10 years, favoured ased outcomes and perpetuate judgment. Over-reliance on AI
male candidates by downgrad- pre-existing inequalities. without adequate human over-
ing applications that included For example, AI might dis- sight can lead to unchecked
the word “women’s” and penal- proportionately value gradu- biases. This problem is exacer-
izing graduates of women’s col- ates from prestigious univer- bated when hiring profession-
leges. Engineers tried to address sities, which have historically als trust AI more than their
these biases, but could not guar- been attended by people from own judgment, believing in the
antee neutrality, leading to the privileged backgrounds. Or, it technology’s infallibility.
project’s cancellation. might prioritize work experi-
These examples highlight ences that are more common PAGE 30 When AI plays

News media should commit to 'people-first'

approach in AI era: Report
Anadolu to enhance journalistic standards. The report urges that AI be use of AI tools, underscoring abusive customer interactions.
Philippine News Agency The report, prepared by Xin- used to improve news produc- that "humans must ultimately NTT Communications has
hua Institute and presented at tion and distribution while be responsible for the editorial introduced a support system
the Belt and Road Forum for In- safeguarding accuracy, fair- process." that monitors conversations
ISTANBUL – News media ternational Cooperation in Bei- ness, and trust. “AI is a tool, but journalism’s and offers suggestions for re-
should commit to a 'people-first' jing, highlights the importance It also warns of potential mission to serve the public and al-time response.
approach in the era of artificial of embracing technological risks, noting: "AI-driven con- uphold the truth must remain SoftBank, meanwhile, is de-
intelligence (AI), according to a progress without losing sight of tent could lead to a loss of con- unchanged,” it added. veloping AI technology that
report released Monday. core journalistic principles. trol over information accuracy Meanwhile, Japanese tech can modify the tone of custom-
Amid AI’s growing influence, “Media organizations should and an increase in misinforma- companies NTT Communica- er voices, with plans to com-
the report emphasizes that me- embrace the technological prog- tion if not properly managed." tions Corp. and SoftBank Corp. mercialize it by fiscal 2025. ■
dia outlets must prioritize hu- ress brought by AI, but always It stresses the need for robust are developing AI systems to
man-centric values while using AI put people at the center,” it said. systems to ensure the ethical help call center workers handle
www.canadianinquirer.net
 FRIDAY October 18, 2024 29

TRAVEL
“Grocery Store Tourism” - Booking.com Takes
Travelers on a Grocery Aisle Adventure
BOOKING.COM with a Whole Foods Market and fully equipped kitchen, cooking stocks; or pick up a comal, the Grand Lucky and Pepito Market,
Ralphs within walking distance. up regional classics while enjoy- ultimate utensil, a flat, round, travelers will wish they brought
Providing a shared lounge and ing the comfort of the property's heavy griddle that you can use a bigger suitcase. Some of the
Grocery stores are having kitchen, with some rooms even cozy amenities including a fire- to roast tomatoes and chiles for local delicacies include the Bali
a moment on social media as having their own sea-view bal- place and living area. salsa, and to warm tortillas. Banana and the Beng-Beng, a
they are fast becoming the must conies, this property is within Mexico City, Mexico Where to stay: Enjoy a stay local chocolate bar. After the fun
visit attraction for travelers. touching distance of the hustle One of the largest cities on the at Casa de la Luz Hotel Bou- of the supermarkets, travelers
‘Shelf browsing’ is the new and and bustle of the city, providing planet, this metropolis is home tique, featuring 1500s historic can expand their food knowl-
delicious way to explore a des- the ultimate Los Angeles travel to a vibrant food heritage filled architecture, a bar, terrace and edge even further with this
tination’s culture, uncovering experience. with Spanish, Chinese, French views of the city. An à la carte Street Food Tour, and be chauf-
local foods and flavors, the new Lyon, France and Arabic culinary influenc- breakfast menu is offered to feured around Bali whilst testing
brands to try out or analyzing Known as the gastronomi- es. Foodies who love sampling guests staying in this property and trying all different types of
the contrasting aisle configura- cal capital of France, Lyon has local flavors will be pleased to daily, with lunch and dinner specialities, from Babi Guling
tions that just make sense. With more restaurants per head than hear its streets are dotted with also served on site, dishing up (suckling pig) to Balinese cake.
78%* of travelers agreeing that any other city in the country, 14 a plethora of farmers markets local and international delica- Where to stay: Providing
trying new foods is a big part of of which are Michelin starred. and gourmet food halls featur- cies. This Travel Proud property travelers with everything they
their travel experience, hitting To the French, eating and in- ing authentic native delicacies is in close proximity to a range could need all in one space, Kan-
the grocery shops is becoming dulging in the wonders of food such as chilaquiles, tamales of the city’s popular sights in- vaz Village Resort Seminyak is
the first stop on the itinerary, is an experience in itself, mak- and quesadillas. This Mexico cluding Metropolitan Cathedral an ideal accommodation option.
so to help, we have identified ing the country a must-visit City Market and Salsa Making of Mexico City, Mexico City Mu- Just 700 meters from Batu Be-
the top destinations around the for any foodie looking to enjoy Secrets with Local Family gives seum and National Palace. lig Beach, the resort features an
world for this new travel trend. the art of feast. Along with fine travelers the chance to go gro- Bali, Indonesia outdoor swimming pool, a fit-
Los Angeles, United States dining, its streets are dotted cery shopping in two off-the- As an affordable destination ness center and a terrace to ad-
Los Angeles is glitz, glam- with famous supermarkets also beaten-path street markets, the for travelers, Bali’s supermar- mire the beautiful Bali views. A
or and a food lover’s paradise. known as hypermarchés that Mural and the Flower, to learn ket shopping experience is also variety of cafes and restaurants
Since opening its doors to LA’s include Monoprix, which com- more about the city’s history, light on the wallet. Across social are on this hotel’s doorstep, not
locals in 1969, the bougie Ere- bines food retail with beauty, culture and politics, and after- media, content creators have forgetting Bintang Supermarket
whon grocery store has become fashion and home products, wards finish with an interactive shown how much people can just a short drive away from all
a tourist hotspot, drawing vis- and Carrefour, renowned for its salsa making lesson with the buy with a single Pound, Dol- those Beng-Beng bars.
itors intrigued by the outra- well-stocked meat and produce help of a local expert. Shop for lar or Euro in a Bali supermar- Bologna, Italy
geous prices and unique finds. departments. While browsing the regions lesser-known chiles, ket, from skincare products and With its nickname of ‘La
Shoppers will be wowed by the its many aisles, visitors can buy chile de árbol, chile manzano, coffee beans to soft drinks and Grassa’ (the Fat One’), Bolo-
sushi sandwiches and celeb- fresh ingredients and prepare and chile habanero, perfect for beer. Offering a great selection gna is known as Italy’s culinary
rity-designed smoothies that delicacies such as the petit salé, adding into any roast meats or of grocery stores, from 7/11 to capital and is home to some of
brighten any social media pho- one of the region’s most tradi- the most world renowned food,
to dump. The store even offers tional dishes made from lentils including tagliatelle al ragu,
valet parking, making it a whole cooked with sausages and veg- tortellini and Parmigiano Reg-
5* experience from arrival to etables. Crown this meal with giano. While not the tradition-
departure. Some of the city’s a visit to Pralus to try out the al grocery store destination,
it grocery shop spots include famous praline tart made with Bologna’s residents enjoy a
Bristol Farmers, a gourmet gro- red almond candies. Alterna- range of gourmet delis and in-
cer with its color-coordinated tively, those who prefer dis- dependent boutiques to source
vegetables and boasting a poke covering this city’s gastronomy the best quality produce. The
bar; Andrew’s Cheese Shop for with an expert should try out a Quadrilatero is the oldest food
wine, beer and speciality meats Guided Food Tour where guests market in the city, spanning an
and cheeses; and Farmshop, can visit a variety of restaurants array of streets and bursting
dedicated to showcasing Cal- in Lyon’s Old Town and sample with several indoor stalls and
ifornia-inspired fare serving cheese platters and praline pie market spots. Foodies will love
breakfast, lunch and dinner us- along with a glass of wine. strolling through the city’s first
ing locally sourced ingredients Where to stay: In the heart covered market, Mercato di
in the on-site restaurant. of Lyon lies MOHOM - Belle- Mezzo, an indoor food haven
Where to stay: Located be- cordière which boasts intimate offering a pizzeria, beer pub,
tween Venice Beach and Santa street views from elegant rooms, pasta bar and restaurant. An-
Monica Beach, STAY OPEN Ven- with enough space for a whole other must-see is Via Pescherie
ice Beach is the perfect environ- family to enjoy Lyon’s culinary Vecchie, located on the corner
ment to bond with like-minded scene. While here guests can
travelers over a love of food, make full use of the apartment’s PAGE 30 “Grocery Store Tourism”

www.canadianinquirer.net
 30 FRIDAY October 18, 2024

FOOD
Bacolod City gears up for hosting of
Terra Madre Asia-Pacific in 2025
By Nanette Guadalquiver Terra Madre is considered Slow Food programs in Negros.
Philippine News Agency “the largest event dedicated to It includes the promotion of
food politics, sustainable agri- food education, building net-
culture and the environment,” works, hosting of events and the
BACOLOD CITY – Positioned Benitez said. establishment of a Slow Food In-
as a global food hub for slow Bacolod and Negros Occi- ternational office in this city.
food, this city is gearing up to dental featured coffee, cacao, Elmer Cato, consul general at
host the maiden edition of the lechon heirloom rice, langka the Philippine Consulate in Milan,
Terra Madre Asia-Pacific in No- (jackfruit) salad, and chick- commended “the work done by
vember 2025. en inasal (marinated chicken Slow Food Philippines in advocat-
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo roast) at the booth opening of ing for and creating solutions to
COLLABORATION. Bacolod City officials and Slow Food International representatives
Benitez has signed a memoran- the “Salu-Salo (eating togeth- protect the environment, cultural pose for a photo at the signing of the memorandum of agreement to establish Bacolod
dum of agreement with Slow er): Philippines Good, Clean heritage, and food accessibility.” as the slow food hub in Asia-Pacific in Turin, Italy on Sept. 27, 2024. The agreement
Food International for the stag- and Fair Fiesta!” in Turin. Negros Occidental Governor covers the development of Slow Food programs in Negros, which includes the promo-
ing of the event during the Ter- The agreement among Ba- Eugenio Jose Lacson, who ex- tion of food education, building networks, hosting of events, and the establishment of a

ra Madre Salone del Gusto held colod City, Slow Food Interna- pressed the province’s support Slow Food International office in the city. (BACOLOD CITY COUNCILOR EM ANG)

in Turin, Italy late September. tional represented by director for the agreement, said the
“Slow Food is a movement general Paolo di Croce and Ne- “slow food movement is not “It celebrates our proud Di Croce said in a statement
that started in Europe that is gros Island Community Promot- just a welcome campaign, but Negrense food heritage while that the “Terra Madre Asia-Pacif-
promoting sustainable gastron- ing and Preserving Traditional rather a timely and necessary protecting our biodiversity and ic will become a key hub for Slow
omy,” Benitez said in his radio Food Inc. led by Doreen Alicia shift towards a sustainable and uplifting our local communi- Food -- recognized and valued in
program Friday night. Peña covers the development of improved food system.” ties,” he added. every corner of the world.” ■

“Grocery Store Tourism”.. When AI plays..

29 of the Quadrilatero; plan to travel for business or lei- 28 Overcoming algo- 3. Implement fair- view AI-driven decisions, espe-
one of the best gour- sure in the next 12-24 months. In rithmic bias in hiring ness-aware algorithms. Use AI cially when making final hiring
met delis in Bologna total, 27,730 respondents across To mitigate these software that incorporates fair- choices. Emerging research
with fresh bread and take-out 33 countries and territories were issues, companies must adopt ness constraints and is designed highlights the critical role of
heaped sandwiches filled with polled (including 1008 from Ar- strategies that prioritize in- to consider and mitigate bias by human oversight in safeguard-
delights such as mortadella and gentina, 1012 from Australia, clusivity and transparency in balancing outcomes for under- ing against the risks posed by AI
chunks of burratina. And don’t 505 from Austria, 1001 from AI-driven hiring processes. Be- represented groups. This can applications. However, for this
forget to pick up some cured Belgium, 1002 from Brazil, 1009 low are some key solutions for include integrating fairness met- oversight to be effective and
meats and local balsamic vin- from Canada, 1009 from Chi- overcoming AI bias: rics such as equal opportunity, meaningful, leaders must en-
egar from Modena at Salume- na, 1002 from Colombia, 508 1. Diversify training data. modifying training data to show sure that ethical considerations
ria Simoni, a gourmet grocery from Croatia, 504 from Den- One of the most effective ways less bias and adjusting model are part of the hiring process
shop known for having some of mark, 1011 from France, 1011 to combat AI bias is to ensure predictions based on fairness and promote the responsible,
the best food in the city. from Germany, 1016 from Hong training data is inclusive, di- criteria to increase equity. inclusive and ethical use of AI.
Where to stay: Five minutes’ Kong, 1004 from India, 510 from verse and representative of a 4. Increase transparency. Bias in hiring algorithms rais-
walk away from Bologna’s food Ireland, 504 from Israel, 1014 wide range of candidates. This Seek AI solutions that offer in- es serious ethical concerns and
haven is Casa Andromeda in from Italy, 1004 from Japan, means including data from di- sight into their algorithms and demands greater attention to-
Canton de’ Fiori, a charming 1009 from Mexico, 1014 from verse racial, ethnic, gender, so- decision-making processes to ward the mindful, responsible
one-bedroom apartment in the The Netherlands, 1015 from cioeconomic and educational make it easier to identify and and inclusive use of AI. Under-
center of the city. Guests can New Zealand, 500 from Portugal, backgrounds. address potential biases. Addi- standing and addressing the eth-
enjoy a spacious area to cook 502 from Singapore, 1010 from 2. Conduct regular bias au- tionally, make sure to disclose ical considerations and biases of
up and feast on locally sourced South Korea, 1009 from Spain, dits. Frequent and thorough any use of AI in the hiring pro- AI-driven hiring is essential to
produce, while overlooking the 502 from Sweden, 507 from audits of AI systems should be cess to candidates to maintain ensuring fairer hiring outcomes
picturesque city views from a Switzerland, 504 from Taiwan, conducted to identify patterns transparency with your job ap- and preventing technology from
floor-to-ceiling window. ■ 1003 from Thailand, 502 from of bias and discrimination. This plicants and other stakeholders. reinforcing systemic bias. ■
the UAE, 1007 from the UK, 1005 includes examining the algo- 5. Maintain human over-
*Research commissioned by from the US and 1007 from Viet- rithm’s outputs, decision-mak- sight. To maintain control over This article is republished
Booking.com and conducted nam). Respondents completed an ing processes and its impact on hiring algorithms, managers from The Conversation under a
among a sample of adults who online survey in July 2023. different demographic groups. and leaders must actively re- Creative Commons license
www.canadianinquirer.net
 BIZClass FRIDAY DECEMBER
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October 1, 2020
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and not frozen dim sum allday who w ant more!
Good time management skills and can work unsupervised
Have your own transportation $10.99 only More hou
rs
Iron Platter Style (w ith rice & veg in soup)
Competitive Pay Rates Tonkatsu Com bo (Chicken or Pork)
Spicy Ram en Pot
$500 Signing Bonus
Pay Via Direct Deposit

6455 Macleod Trail SW, Unit 192A, Calgary, AB T2H 0K9

(Located inside Chinook Mall)
Please email your resume to S ec uredG ro u p
[email protected] or fax 604-239-0251 securedsecurity.com
(403) 253-7742 Learn mo
re atw w w.spectrumhealth
care.com

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