The “Eighth Sense” - Naturalism

Dell H Grecia
Guest writer

Ka Dell, veteran journalist: columnist,
Women's Journal; co-host, Ating Alamin

To make natural farming and gardening work, one must turn to the so-called “eight senses” - the intelligence of naturalism- which, in turn, makes a green thumb.

My friend, Dr. Abe V. Rotor of the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School and St. Paul University of Quezon City, is a “gold mine” of tips not only in biology and the arts (music and painting, in particular), but also in a totally different turf: agriculture and gardening.

Over lunch at the SPUQC canteen recently, we discussed natural farming and gardening. Abe said this genre of farming and/or gardening is identified with the old school of agriculture, which immediately caught my attention.

Local wine Basi and Sukang Iloko are made from sugarcane - other than sugar and it many confectionery products.

Eucheuma seaweed culture maintains clean environment; it is compatible with fish and shells culture in pens and cages.

Revival of pottery: clay pots, ceramics, decors, figurines; it is a practical livelihood and environment-friendly craft.

According to him, natural farming and/or gardening is described by five principles, to wit:

1. Take advantage of the functions of living things as producers;
2. From a single process, harness two or more products;
3. Use leftovers and wastes as resource for the next process;
4. Remember that the value of a given process can be greater than the sum of its parts; and
5. Capitalize on natural assets of certain organisms and certain environmental factors.

For the first principle, Abe explained that plants grow and produce food by photosynthesis. The efficiency of the process is both genetic and environmental, which means that a potential high yielder is enhanced by favorable agro-climatic conditions. This is the principle of plant breeding and agronomy.

In agronomy, time and space elements are crucial. Proper crop sequence and rotation take advantage of this principle.

In many areas of the country, rice is followed by a cash crop such as corn, legumes and vegetables. When a farmer decides to practice crop rotation, he should identify the proper technology involved and the crops suitable on the farm and salable in the market.

As producing machines, livestock animals should be maintained only during the most economical period in their life cycle, Abe averred. For example, pigs are kept for six to seven months, attaining around 80 kilos when they are sold. Beyond this period, feed conversion ratio decreases.

This is also true with beef cattle raised and fattened to no more than three years, depending on the breed. For poultry, marketing time is programmed according to the desired size of the broiler.

In illustrating the second principle, Abe explained that in rice milling, rice bran is an important byproduct that is used as a main feed component. This is also true with corn and wheat milling. The idea is that we would utilize efficiently both the principal and byproduct of a process.

In Mindanao, pineapple pulp and peelings from the cannery are fermented into vinegar or used directly as livestock feed for cattle. In the banana industry, rejects are converted into catsup and cattle feed.

Nata de coco production and vinegar making can go together. In the process of wine making, alcohol and acetic acid are products derived by distillation.

The idea behind the third principle, according to Abe, is recycling of waste. The biogas digester processes wastes of piggery and poultry into two products- cooking gas and sludge (the latter is used as organic fertilizer). Corn stover and peanut hay are fed to livestock and supplementary forage. Rice hay after harvest maybe used as mulch, mushroom bed or as summer roughage. Hay is also used as binder of clay blocks for rural housing.

Mushroom culture depends largely on the availability of substrates. The Volvaria species of mushroom requires rice straw or banana leaves to grow on, whereas the abalone (Pleurotus) mushroom requires sawdust as substrate.

In the fourth principle, Abe explained vividly that the effective but common practice to suppress obnoxious weeds on ranches and orchards is to grow cover crops such as kudzu, Centosema, and spineless Mimosa. Cover crops, besides being effective in controlling weeds, are also a good forage for cattle and other ruminants; their residues add fertility to the soil. Cover crops also reduce the rate of evaporation of soil moisture and control soil erosion.

Crops protected by cover crops are less vulnerable to the invasion of succeeding weeds through seed dissemination and vegetative reproduction. There are lesser incidents of brush fire.

The idea of burning crop residues after harvest also illustrates this principle, said Abe. This is to get rid of the waste in the quickest way possible. Through burning, the potential nutrient value of hay both as feed and as source of organic matter is lost.

Rice straw is definitely very useful as mulch, explained Abe. Mulch increases production of garlic and onions by as much as 100 percent. With the high price of mushroom, there is money in its production. (A kilo of mushroom in the local market reaches as much as P200.)

On the other hand, the value of compost is not measured by its volume, but on the beneficial effect it contributes to the soil: improving its physical, chemical and biological properties. Crops grown on soil with high organic matter do not only produce higher yields, but have higher food values.

For the fifth principle, Abe illustrates this postulate, thus:

1. Clayish soils have better retention of essential soil nutrients.
2. Closely planted jute and kenaf produce longer and cleaner fibers.
3. Leaves of madre de cacao or kakawate enhance natural ripening of fruits like bananas.
4. Like neem and derris, madre de cacao is a natural pesticide.
5. Chicken dropping has an anti-nematode substance.

Be alert to nature’s warning signals, such as the flowering of bamboos, which signals the coming of severe drought. In the insect world, minor groups called congregans precede the migratory phase of locusts.

These are but some examples to show the silent workings of nature that we can tap. These postulates are important reminders for us to exercise our “eight sense”- the intelligence of naturalism - which, in turn, in the words of Dr. Abe Rotor, makes a green thumb. ~

Living with Nature 3, AVR

First Part: 2011 - Year of Functional Literacy, "A Camilo Osias Story"

Abe V Rotor

RARE 1924 CAMILO OSIAS THE PHILIPPINE READERS

Here is a story about Pedro and Jose I read in the elementary.

One day Pedro approached his boss and complained why his partner Jose is receiving a higher pay when both of them have the same nature of work.

“Ah, Pedro,” sighed the boss with a sheepish smile. “You will come to know the reason.”

Just then the doorbell rang. “Pedro, please find out who is at the gate.”

After some time, Pedro returned, “Someone is looking for you, sir.”

“Ask who he is.” Pedro went to the gate again, and reported back.

“He is a certain Mr. Carlos, sir.”

“Ask him what he wants.” Pedro went to the gate for the third again, and then returned.

“I did not get it well, sir. But he said he sells home appliances…promotion, something like that. He would like to meet the manager.”

“Tell him we do not need appliances.”

The next day the doorbell rang again. This time, both Pedro and Jose were in the office of their boss. Jose promptly rose from his seat to attend to the visitor at the gate. After a while he returned and reported back.

“Our visitor is an insurance agent, sir. He was offering insurance for our building, and knowing that it is already covered, I told him we do need his offer for the moment. He gave me his business card.” Jose handed the card and excused himself for another call.

“Now you understand,” said the boss to Pedro with a sheepish smile.

Continued...

Second Part: 2011 Year of Functional Literacy - Beyond the 3Rs

Hands-on and on-site study enhances practical learning.
UST Graduate Students on a field trip in Amadeo, Cavite

Abe V Rotor
Literacy is a measure of capability rather than just meeting the fundamentals of writing, reading and arithmetic or the so-called 3Rs. For many years this triad dominated the concept and application of literacy.

I grew up with this rule of thumb with my dad as my first teacher. It was a convenient gauge among citizens at large. It was the aim of compulsory basic education, that is six years of elementary, and later four years high school?

But the level of literacy is based on the low end of a longer and wider test for literacy. Ours in more ways is still basically the three “Rs” virtually unchanged. Thus, when a person, irrespective of age, is able to read the newspapers, write legibly the names of candidates of his choice in an election, and can make simple computations, he is considered literate.

But how literate is literate today?

It is viewing literacy in my own time comparing it with literacy in the present generation; literacy on the farm and literacy in the city. How varied is literacy - qualitatively and quantitatively?

Or we may also put it this way, “How different is literacy in theory and literacy in practice?”

Here is a scenario in the movie, The God’s Must be Crazy. Imagine a lady teacher assigned for the first time in a remote village in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, Africa. How could she escape a thorny bush which virtually engulfed her? Can she climb a tree to escape a wild beast? Can she find enough water from dewdrops clinging on grass and leaves? Naturally she cannot. She had never experienced any of these in the city where she grew up.

The Bushman, on the other hand, accustomed to desert life, wonders how illiterate the lady is. In like manner, the Bushman is illiterate to the ways of the civilized world. In fact to him a bird and plane are one and same, it’s only the sound they make that makes a difference. He had never seen a bottle. To him he wondered how water can become so hard. Would he know the concept of ownership? What value is money to him? But would the lady know which path to take and evade ambush by a lion? Does a rhino charge at a fire at night and stump on it until it is extinguish? Or is this only a myth? Ask Andrew, the clumsy researcher conducting a doctoral research in the desert.

In today’s standard this conventional parameter is no longer adequate to enable one to perform efficiently and comfortably the many tasks required of modern living, considering the advances of science and technology, the expansion of the realms of human endeavor, and interdisciplinary concerns.

On the other hand, can a citybred live comfortably on the countryside? Suppose there is force majeure that deprives one the amenities of living? Take the case of the movie Castaway, a story of a survivor who lived all by himself in an island for four years, until he was rescued. Earlier fiction novels tell us of man's resiliency to adapt to sudden change in environment, orphaned from society by circumstance, such as Swiss Family Robinson and Robinson Crusoe. Success in survival in these stories depended on functional or applied literacy, coupled by extreme determination that tests the mind, psyche and spirit.

Continued...

Third Part: 2011 - Year of Functional Literacy in the Cyber Age

Laptop computer, a must in college, office and in the home - soon.

Abe V Rotor

Today, to have a credit card or an ATM card is no easy task; much more if you have both. One must acquire mastery in their uses, and basic knowledge in accounting. But these are only tools used in countless transactions that include electronic marketing, now a booming industry. It is “armchair marketing” whereby all you need is watch the merchandise on TV and dial the number for your order.

• If there is e-marketing, there is also e-learning, that is on-line or distance education using the computer and other media. Here is a chance of increasing the level of literacy for those who failed to complete basic education, and those who aspire to learn more or even earn a degree. But first, one should have basic communication skills before he is admitted into the program.

• Medicines are no longer as simple as they were a generation ago, even if we have a law to label them generically, that is, to include the active principle in universal language. Prescriptions alone are difficult to follow, much more in understanding the mode of action and effects of the medicine. Paracetamol or Alaxan, is there a difference? I know of Cortal during my time. They are all to relieve headache, but why not take Ponstan or simply Aspirin?

• Appliances for the home and office are no longer as simple as switching on and switching off. How do we set the controls for temperature, timing, carbon dioxide level, fire alarm, light intensity? How about operating a camera monitor, microwave oven, automatic dishwashing machine? And we have not yet mentioned attending to their regular maintenance.

• A chauffer or driver, one hired by a family or an executive is required to know basic mechanics as a requirement in proper car maintenance. For his part too, he must learns the cardinal rules of human relations - courteous, respectful, diplomatic in many ways, yet on the other hand, secures the family or his boss from danger, a security guard, and an intelligence agent of sort.

• I have a friend who, like me, belongs to the so-called “old school. This is his confession. “I will e-mail you,” his insurance agent said, “as soon as I get to office.” My friend didn’t understand a thing about e-mail, he is computer illiterate. “May I get you e-mail address?” continued his agent. Still my friend said nothing. “Well, if you don’t remember it now, just text me. Okay?” “How stupid I felt,” my friend confessed to the point of embarrassment. “I guess you need to enroll in a crash program.” I said. He did.

• Opening a Blog on the Internet, is not that easy. But my daughter who was then taking up graduate studies in Information Technology, assured me. “You can do it, Papa.”

I almost gave up. Rather Anna nearly gave up hope teaching a sixty-sixer. Today my Blog is without any added item or two a day. Lately, I realized I haven’t tapped the newer features of the computer. For example, it says, “You can make money in your Blog.” I didn’t know I can compose music and play it on the Blog.” How about if I sing?"

My Blog says, “Certainly.” The next time I knew it, I already had a host of followers. Today I have more than 1,500 posted topics in my School on Blog - in just two years. I requested Anna, “Please unclog my blog.”

“Papa, you are already famous worldwide!” ~

Home, Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

2011 - Year of Environmental Revolution

Garbage City

"Man, being the superior organism, has not only won over his rivals - all organisms that constitute the biosphere. He has also assaulted Nature."

- AV Rotor, Treaty of Nature and Man (Light from the Old Arch)

Frantic exploitation of natural resources through illegal logging operations, followed by slash-and-burn agriculture (kaingin), has brought havoc to the Philippines in the past century. The detrimental results are measured not only by the denudation of once productive forests and hillsides, but also destruction through erosion, flood, drought and even death.

An example of this kind of ruination brought about by abuse of nature is the tragedy in Ormoc City where floodwaters cascading down the denuded watershed, killed hundreds of residents and countless animals. It took ten years for the city to fully recover. Ironically, before the tragedy, Ormoc, from the air, looked like a little village similar to Shangrila, a perfect place for retirement.

Decline in Carrying Capacity

A land area designed by nature to sustain millions of people and countless other organisms, was touched by man and we are now paying the price for it. Man removed the vegetation, cut down trees for his shelter and crafts, and planted cereals and short-growing crops to get immediate returns. He hunted for food and fun, and in many ways, changed the natural contour and topography of the land.

Following years of plenty, however, nature reasserted itself. Water would run unchecked, carrying plant nutrients downhill. On its path are formed rills and gullies that slice through slopes, peeling off the topsoil and making the land unprofitable for agriculture. Since the plants cannot grow, animals gradually perish. Finally, the kaingero abandons the area, leaving it to the mercy of natural elements. It is possible that nature may rebuild itself, but will take years for affected areas to regain their productivity, and for the resident organisms once again attain their self-sustaining population levels.

There are 13.5 million square miles of desert area on earth, representing a third of the total land surface. This large proportion of land may be man-made as history and archeological findings reveal.

Lost Civilizations

Fifteen civilizations, once flourished in Western Sahara, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, the Sinai desert, Mesopotamia, and the deserts of Persia. All of these cultures perished when the people of the area through exploitation, forced nature to react. As a consequence, man was robbed of his only means of sustenance.

History tells us of man’s early abuse of nature in the Fertile Crescent where agriculture began some 3000 years ago. Man-made parallel canals joined the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to irrigate the thirsty fertile valley. In the process, the balance of Nature was overturned when the natural drainage flow was disturbed. Because the treaty was violated, nature revenged. The canal civilization perished in the swamps that later formed. The sluggish water brought malaria and other diseases causing untold number of deaths and migration to the hinterlands. Among its victims was Alexander the Great.

Carthage had another story. Three wars hit Carthage, known as the Punic Wars. On the third one, the Romans plowed through the city, ending reign of this erstwhile mercantile power, and removing the threat to the Roman economy. After the conquest, the Romans pumped salt-water inland and flooded the fertile farms. Today, Carthage exists only in history and in imagination of whoever stands atop a hill overlooking what is now a vast desert.

Omar Khayyam, if alive today, cannot possibly compose verses as beautiful as the Rubaiyat as written in his own time. His birthplace, Nishapur, which up to the time of Genghis Khan, supported a population of 1.5 million people, can only sustain 15,000 people today. Archeologists have just unearthed the Forest of Guir where Hannibal marched with war elephants. The great unconquerable jungle of India grew from waterlogged lowland formed by unwise irrigation management.

It is hard to believe, but true that in the middle of the Sahara desert, 50 million acres of fossil soil are sleeping under layers of sand awaiting water. Surveyors found an underground stream called the Albienne Nappe that runs close to this deposit. Just as plans were laid to “revive” the dead soil by irrigation, the French tested their first atomic bomb. Due to contamination, it is no longer safe to continue on with the project.

The great Pyramids of Egypt could not have been constructed in the middle of an endless desert. The tributaries of the Nile once surrounded these centers of civilization. Jerusalem appears today as a small city on a barren land. It may have been a city with thick vegetation. This was true of Negev and Baghdad.

Need of a Conservation Program

For the Philippines, it is high time we lay out a long-range conservation program to insure the future of the country. This plan should protect the fertility of the fields, wealth of the forests and marine resources, in order to bring prosperity to the people. As of now, the country is being ripped apart by erosion and floods due to unscrupulous exploitation by loggers and kaingeros.

It is only through proper management and effective conservation, such as reforestation, pollution control, erosion control, limited logging, and proper land use, that we can insure the continuity of our race. All we have to do is to keep ourselves faithful to the treaty between nature and man.

X X X

Part 1: Bioethics and Environment - Two Basic Lessons in Life

Abe V Rotor
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This world, which appears to be a great workshop in which knowledge is developed by man – which appears as progress and civilization, as a modern system of communication, as a structure of democratic freedom without any limitations – this world is not capable of making man happy.

- Pope John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope

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Pristine water of Abra River passing through Banaoang Pass, Santa, Ilocos Sur

I thank the International Congress on Bioethics for inviting me through Fr. Tamerlane Lana, to make a commentary on Bioethics and the Environment. Distinguished lecturers, fellow reactors, participants, guests, friends, good morning.

Our resource person, Dr. Michael Cheng-tek Tai, said, “… not only human life is influenced by biological factors but also by social, psychological and even environmental factors.” He asked, “Is our environment in a good condition to fortify a good life for mankind?”

First allow me to me to relate a story before I proceed with my reaction.

But there are no neighbors!

Once there was a workshop for adult leaders somewhere in Asia. The teacher asked the participants to draw on the blackboard a beautiful house, a dream house ideal to live in and raise a family. It was of course, an exercise, which in the minds of the participants was as easy as copying a model from experience and memory. Besides it is a universal dream to own such a house, which allows free interplay of both reason and imagination, using the left and the right brain. The participants formed a queue to allow everyone to contribute his own idea on the blackboard.

The first in the queue drew the posts of the house, on which the succeeding members made the roof and floor. The rest proceeded in making the walls and windows. On the second round the participants added garage, porch, veranda, gate, staircase, fence, swimming pool, TV antennae, and other amenities. Finally their dream house was completed and they returned to their seats. A lively “sharing session” followed and everyone was happy with the outcome of the exercise, including the teacher. Just then a little child happened to be passing by and saw the drawing of the house on the blackboard. He stopped and entered the classroom. He stood there for a long time looking at the drawing and the teacher approached him. The child exclaimed, “But there are no neighbors!”

Human relations is very important. Sociology has become a major field in education. There is a field of biology known as Human Ecology. Economics is rooted into the theory of equitable wealth distribution, where everyone gets a fair share of the pie. Most religions, including ancient religions, are anthropocentric. The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, Matthew 25, Sermon on the Mount, the meaning of Messiah – all these and many more speak of man to be good to his fellowmen. Salvation is not aimed at oneself, but should be one that is collective, which means, “No one goes to heaven alone.” Very little mention is made on the role of the environment, or nature for that matter, in leading man to heaven.

But there are no trees, rivers...

In a another village near the first one I told you, there was a similar workshop. This time the participants were asked to draw a community. So they made a queue for the blackboard and after working together, came up with a beautiful drawing of a community. There are houses - many houses; a church, a school, village hall, plaza. Roads and bridges make a network in the village showing many people. The market is very busy. Anything that makes a typical village is there. The participants discussed, “What constitute a community?” and everyone was so eager and delighted at the result. Just then a little child was passing by, and when he saw the drawing on the backboard, stopped and entered the classroom. The teacher approached him. The child exclaimed, “But there are no trees, no birds; there are no mountains, no fields, no river!”

As no man is an island, so is a village without a natural environment. What good is man living on top of a hill while being surrounded by people in abject poverty? What good is progress – megacities, science and technology, internet, - when progress itself is responsible for the destruction of the land, the seas, and the atmosphere, in short, the Planet Earth.

Many days had passed since the two workshops. Virtually no one ever thought of looking for the little child - who he was or where he lived. Then the whole village suddenly realized, and so they began to search for him, but they never found him – not in the village, not in the neighboring village, not in the town, not in any known place.

Who was the little child? Everyone who saw him never forgot his kindly beautiful and innocent face, and they pondered on his words which remained a puzzle to them for a long, long time.

Environmental Philosophy

What is wrong with our relationship with nature? There are those who believe that nature shall serve humanity. On the other hand there are those who believe that humanity shall serve nature. And there are those who say, it is “something in between”.

We speak about environmental ethics, environmental philosophy, eco-philosophy, and so on, but what do we put into these concepts, and how? Understanding these terms may not solve environmental problems, but on the other hand it is questionable whether we can solve these problems without discussing them on a philosophical level.

There are different views about change. Scientific knowledge and government policies for example, often disagree and run into conflict at each other. Economics and ecology, though they share a common root word and foundation, are strange bedfellows, so to speak. Yet they support common goals geared toward change. But change has to be viewed more than the measures of GNP, currency, balance of trade, and the like, and should not only be confined to Human Development Indices, such as literacy rate, mortality and population. While these are parameters of growth and development, certain questions on sustainability and environmental preservation are left unanswered. How do we ensure future generations? We ask ourselves what is “progress without conscience?” And whose development? What is the relationship between progress and posterity?

Which leads us to Dr. Tai’s paper, Who is man on earth? Is he Master? He proceeded in saying that man is a steward – one who must treat nature with overwhelming respect. Man has responsibility to God, to nature, to his fellowmen, other creatures and the Earth.

It is on this concept that we measure the obedience of man. It is also on this concept that man’s greatest achievement is made, his martyrdom, his heroism. The hero concept revolutionizes traditional and conventional definition of a hero. He is more than a nationalist, an economist, or an ideologist, as we generally know, but a hero for Mother Earth. The late Dr. Dioscorro Umali, national scientist, addressed a graduating class at the University of the Philippines with this statement, “Be the heroes we never were.” The essence of his speech is that his generation left so little of the earth’s resources for the next generations to inherit and enjoy. “We have not only abused the bounties of Nature,” he said, “We have destroyed her as well.” Which leads us to the topic, environmental movement.

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Today, rather than defending himself against nature, man realized, he needed to defend nature against himself.

- AV Rotor, Light from the Old Arch

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Environmental Movement

Environmental movement has roots in ancient cultures as gleamed from such old structures as the Banawe Rice Terraces. Throughout history as civilizations grew and spread the environment became a sacrificial lamb. Such phrases “all roads lead to Rome,” “the glory that was Greece, the grandeur that was Rome,” “the sun never sets on English soil,” and the eight wonders of the ancient world may reflect man’s ultimate achievements, yet all these were ephemeral in the mist of time in man’s dreams. In the end, it is nature that takes them away from the hands of man. The loss of natural environments has led to the decline of civilizations and their subsequent demise.

Revival of environmental awareness came at the heels of the Renaissance. In the 12th century St. Francis of Assisi brought a new concept of devotion. Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and all the creatures on Earth our friends, laid down the foundation of naturalism in the Christian church reviving much of the Aristotelian naturalism, and those in ancient cultures.

It is but fitting that St. Francis of Assisi is regarded as the patron saint of ecology. Time Magazine came up with a list of heroes for Planet Earth, among them are naturalist philosophers or conservationist philosophers are Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, and Rachel Carson. Here is a glimpse at their contributions

• Emerson claimed that “behind nature, throughout nature, spirit is present.”

• Thoreau spoke of the side of “truth in nature and wilderness over the deceits of civilization.”

• Muir believed that “wilderness mirrors divinity, nourishes humanity, and vivifies the spirit.”

• Leopold was behind the policies in wilderness and game management. “Wilderness is the raw material out of which man has hammered the artifact called civilization.”

• Carson published Silent Spring, which dramatized the potential dangers of pesticides to food, wildlife, and humans causing wide spread damage to the ecosystem.

• Chico Mendes was a front liner in environmental conservation. He lost his life defending the concept of “extractive reserves” to conserve the Brazilian Rainforest that provided livelihood of the people against the conversion of the forest into ranches and plantations.

Other heroes of planet Earth cited include Barbara Ward, author of Only One Earth which shaped the UN environmental conference; Ernest Schumacher who did not believe in endless growth, mega-companies and endless consumption, an advocated for Small is Beautiful, a best seller; Jacques-Yves Cousteau, oceanographer who espoused the need to arrest the declining health of the oceans. There many more whom we can compare with the Unknown Soldier, but a soldier in defense of nature.

Continued...

Part 2: Bioethics and Environment - We are in the Age of Environmental Revolution

Global warming, painting by AVR

Abe V Rotor

Some people think that what the world needs is a revolution. Three philosophers have three formulas of an environmental revolution. Rudolf Bahro, author of The Alternative, claims East Europe’s non-capitalist road to industrialization has been shaped by the same growth ideals and methods as has Western capitalism, and that the working classes of both West and East have the exploitation of nature and the Third World as common. Defending their own societies’ privileged positions on the world market, both camps add to global inequity. For which Bahro calls for a new social movement – the environmental movement, a grand coalition of people’s forces, a rebuilding of society from the bottom upwards.

Ivan Illich on the other hand, criticizes modern society and its failure to cater to human needs. He believes that the privileged today are not those who consume most but those who can escape the negative by-products of industrialization – people who can commute outside the rush hours, be born and die at home, cure themselves when ill, breathe fresh air, and build their own dwellings. People must arm themselves with the self-confidence and the means to run their own lives as far as possible, especially as big institutions like schooling, medical care and transport today are creating more problems than they solve. Politics is no longer a simple Left-Right choice; man must have a choice of energy, technology, education, etc., he calls vernacular values.

According to Andre Gorz, the ecology struggle is not as an end in itself but as essential part of the larger struggle against capitalism and technofascism. He champions a civil society shifting power from the State and political parties to local community and the web of social relations that individuals establish amongst themselves. The State’s role is to encourage self-management among the citizens. He envisions a utopian future where “the citizens can do more for less,” and the development of a rich, all-round personality.

What are we really fighting for?

I remember a student of mine asking me this question, “Is it a sin to cut a tree?” On the surface this question does not touch ethics and morals, or social and economic matters. But it does. It also pertains to legislation, such as the issue whether we should advocate total log ban or selective logging. It even boils down to analyzing a syndrome known as “tragedy of the commons.” Let us analyze it based on the three stages of moral judgment, which according to Dr. Tai is based on the Ten Commandments, the first stage being that of moral judgment (man’s duty to man), the second stage (man’s duty to society), and the third (moral neutrality on the environment).

The first and second stages of moral judgment were not the issues in the early development of human society because man was governed by the naturalistic concept, such as trees provide many things that support life. Since evolutionary time, plants have been providing the basic needs of man – food, clothing, shelter, medicine and energy. The harvesting of plants and their products has been part of human sustenance, and as such they must be used properly. This ethnic view was also the basis of early agriculture. It is the key to a sustainable relationship between man and nature that lasted for eons of time.

The essence of naturalism began to fade as communities grew, and as people moved and lived in cities. The concept has been taken for granted even as people became learned. Like a gold rush, new lands became the targets of economic exploitation, until the frontiers were pushed to the limits. New lands were placed under agriculture, which included our own Mindanao. Accessibility to forests and the wildlife became more and more feasible. Original forests were replaced with ranches and plantations. Economics was the name of the game. In spurred the second Green Revolution and agriculture spurred the growth of trade and industry of the world. It eroded the ethnic relationship between man and nature. Beliefs about the tree spirit, forest deities and nature worships became regarded as pure superstitious beliefs and legends relegated only to fiction and comics.

The final blow followed – industrialization. It is not only food that preoccupied man. Want over need has incessantly driven man to convert lands into golf courses, human settlements, industrial sites, and all kinds of infrastructures. Imagine how easy, and how short a time it takes to destroy a whole forest which nature built for hundreds if not thousands of years, with giant machines of today. It is said that by the time we finish reading a paragraph of average length, three hectares of forest shall have been destroyed.

We live in post-modernism

It is a paradox to be living tomorrow today. We grope at the forefront of progressive innovation which usually means “violating traditional norms or ideas in all fields if human concern,” quoting Dr. Florentino H. Hornedo. “The human being who has abandoned his essence, nature and origin has also given up purpose and aim of existence. Life then becomes a “free play” of what forces may come which “construct” existence. Neither is there personhood or self to be ethically responsible for one’s action,” - which Dr. Tai called moral neutrality.

I go back to the question, “Is it a sin to cut a tree?” This time the concept of the act has far reaching consequences based on the above-mentioned premises. I would return the question with reference to actual incidents. Who are responsible for the tragedies caused by mudslide from a logged watershed? In many incidents in China, the Philippines and elsewhere, thousands were killed and millions of dollars were lost. Such tragedies have been repeated even on a larger scale.

Deserts continue to expand as a result of human activities, so with siltation of rivers and lakes, shortening their usefulness and life span. Dams become heavily silted as a result of cutting down of trees on their watershed. All over the world we find similar cases: the shrinking of the Aral Sea in Russia, desertification, and marginalization of farmlands – and the man-made calamities mentioned in Dr. Tai’s paper. The worst result in the endangerment of natural habitats and species, leading to irreversible loss of ecosystems and biodiversity.

Continued...

Part 3: Bioethics and Environment - Quest for Quality of Life

A corner of Eden mural in acrylic, AVR

Abe V Rotor

1. Man has emboldened the causative agents of human diseases – both old and new - into epidemic and pandemic proportions, which include HIV-AIDS, SARS, Ebola, and today’s threats of pandemic diseases, the Avian flu (caused by a new virus H5N1, a hybrid of the human flu virus and the bird fly virus) and obesity (caused by Ad36 virus)

2. Through biological specialization or mutation – natural and man-induced – causative agents have crossed natural barriers of transmission across species, such as bird to man (bird flu), civet cat to man (SARS), and primate to man (HIV-AIDS, and Ebola). Man has built bridges between the non-living to the living as well. We have paved the way for the Prion, an infectious protein, the causative agent of mad cow disease or BSE (Bovine Spongiosform Encephalopathy ) to cross from cattle to man and cause a similar disease affecting humans, the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). Viruses have acquired new ability to infect and spread not only among humans but also in animals and plants. Viral diseases of plants have been responsible for the decrease in agricultural production in many parts of the world.

3. In the midst of enjoying the good life in a postmodern world more and more people are victims of accidents, heart attacks and strokes, anxiety and depression – and various forms of psychosomatic disorder - that often lead to ruined lives and suicides. Cancer, diabetes, and the deleterious consequences of vices (tobacco and alcohol), are on the rise among other modern diseases. Surprisingly, the number of years a person is healthy in proportion to his life span is not significantly longer than that of his predecessors, and that a person’s life span has not significantly increased at all. It is the average longevity of a population that has increased, not the individual’s. The fact is that modern medicine has increased survival of infants and young people, most of them are now in their past fifties, thus gross longevity appears to have increased, up to 78 years in some countries. On the contrary, more and more young people are getting sick and dying.

4. Modern society and science and technology no longer fit into the Darwinian theory of natural selection. There is a growing burden placed on the shoulders of the able and fit in our society who, without choice, is responsible in taking care of the growing number of dependents – many are the infirm and the aged.

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There are few frontiers of production left today. We have virtually pushed back the sea and leveled off the mountain. Prime lands have all been taken, swamps have been drained, and even deserts are being reclaimed. But as we continue to explore the marginal edges of these frontiers the more we are confronted with high cost of production that is levied on the consumer, and more importantly, the danger of destroying the fragile environment. AVR
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All these lead us to re-examine our values. It challenges us to look deeper into a paradigm of salvation through our concern for the environment. The prolificacy of the human species sans war and pestilence, plus growing affluence of our society has led to a population explosion which had doubled in less than fifty years. We are now over six billion. Under this paradigm, there is no master and subject. All must join hands to prevent the exploitation of the earth’s finite resources. Today’s economists must also be good housekeepers of Nature, so with those in the other professions. While man’s aim is directed at the Good Life, he has unwittingly reduced the very foundation of that good life – the productivity and beauty of Mother Earth.

Ecological paradigm endorses an ecocentric approach where all forms of life and non-life are important to human life. Spirituality points out to a unitive force: the sacredness of everything. God’s divinity flows in everything. There is integration in the universe. And we are part of that integration, exceedingly small as we are, notwithstanding. Under ecological paradigm of salvation, the one responsible in the destruction of the environment leading to loss of lives and properties should be held accountable for it to God, nature and fellowmen.

The environment and the economy need not be viewed as opposites. It is possible to have a healthy environment and a healthy economy at the same time. More and more businesses have begun adopting this concept as a business philosophy. People behind business organizations are becoming more aware of the ethical decisions they face, and their responsibility for their consequences.

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Industrialization and urbanization are akin to each other. Industrial growth spurred the building of cities all over the world. Today there are as many people living in cities as those living the rural places. A mega-city like Tokyo has a population of 15 million people. We are 10 million in Metro Manila. Cities are fragile environments. Cities are more prone to epidemics such as the bubonic plague that killed one-third of the population of Europe in the 13th century. Now we are confronted with HIV-AID, SARs, Meningo cochcimia – and the dreaded Avian flu which hovers as the next human pandemic disease. AVR


There are organizations that have set some rules of governance of the environment, among them, GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), CERES (Coalition of Environmental Responsible Economies), and UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program). In line with these a multi- national corporation came up with the following thrusts:
• Restore and preserve the environment
• Reduce waste and pollution
• Education of the public on environmental conservation
• Work with government for sound and responsible environmental program
• Assess impact of business on the environment and communities.
This approach is gaining respect and more and more businesses are looking at this model with favor.

The Question of Governance

Dr. Tai cited three themes in order that man can live in harmony with nature. Man is part of the ecosystem, Man is steward of the earth, and Man is finite. Dr. Tai cited models with which man can change his views about the environment and change his style of living. We have also models in the business world, in the church, and in the government, in fact all sectors of society. There are models everywhere in this or that part of the world, whether developed or underdeveloped. There are as many models in less developed countries as in highly industrialized countries. It could be that the less developed are closer to tradition, and still have strong ethnic roots, like the old civilizations mentioned in the paper – the native cultures of America and Africa.

But the world has never been one. It has become more diverse in views and interests though in many respects share the same aspirations towards progress and development. And this is the problem. Man is always in a race. In that race awaits at the end not a prize mankind is proud of and honorable. It is tragedy, which Garett Hardin calls, the tragedy of the commons. It is a greedy competition for a finite resource, each his own, until it is gone. The forests are disappearing today, the lake are dying, the fields are getting marginal, the pastures are overgrazed, the air is loaded with destructive gases, the sea is over fished. All these point out to the syndrome - tragedy of the commons. And because time is of the essence, many believe that the world needs a new revolution now? Is revolution the only way to solve global problems of the environment today?

Definitely, while we need to reform to save our environment, any means that is contrary to peace and unity, is definitely unacceptable. And we would not adhere to the rule of force or violence just to be able to succeed. It is said, that revolution starts in a small corner. It starts in this congress.

Ethics is the foundation of aesthetics; it is something very difficult to explain that makes beautiful more beautiful, rising to the highest level of philosophy where man find hope, inspiration, and peace. It is a beacon. While ethics sets the direction, aesthetics is its beautiful goal.

In closing I would like to thank Dr. Tai, for his scholarly and incisive paper from which I was not only able to prepare myself as a member of the panel of reactors, but found an opportunity to review and expand my current research works in ecology as well. Lastly, I would like to recite this short prayer I made for this International Congress on Bioethics, and dedicate it through the little child who visited the two workshops in the village and exclaimed. “But there are no neighbors! But there are no trees, birds, fields and mountains!”

Ecology Prayer

When my days are over,
Let me lie down to sleep
on sweet breeze and earth,
in the shade of trees
I planted in my youth;
since I had not done enough,
make, make my kind live
to carry on the torch,
while my dusts fall
to where new life begins –
even only an atom I shall be,
let me be with you,
dear Mother Earth.

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There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings…Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change …Mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens, the cattle and chicken sickened and died …There was a strange stillness… The Few birds seen anywhere were moribund, they trembled violently and could not fly. It is a spring without voices.

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

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Home Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

Sketches and Portraits of Rizal Speak - Marks of a Great Man and Hero

Abe V Rotor

Artist's interpretation on Rizal on his way to execution at

Bagumbayan. Note lively gait and stride, and apparently jovial
conversation with the escorting military officer. It was reported
by an attending doctor that Rizal's pulse rate was normal even
as he faced the firing squad.

Artist Cabrera's study: head profile of Rizal

Rizal: boy and man

Rizal as a student in Europe.

Most popular portrait, in official documents and books.

Rizal, had he reached 90

Acknowledgment: Mr. Philip Cabrera, son of the artist; and National Historical Institute.

Therapy Through Drawing

Drawings and Text by Abe V Rotor

Drawing to calm you down and relax

Drawing to lull you to sleep.

When was the last time you found yourself overactive? Your pulse rate and blood pressure up?
Because you had a bad day in office. Maybe things did not turn out the way you expected. Overworked, or working non-stop. It's indeed a bad day. Or to start a day.

It's so quiet; everyone is asleep, except you. Just don't toss on bed. And don't reach for another shot or bottle of beer. And don't down that sleeping pill. What you need is to relax until your eyelids become the heaviest thing, and the world closes before you.

How can you handle both? Actually the first and second make a continuum of what psychologists call rest. Rest is when the cares and worries of the world take a leave. A vacation. When fatigue and burden leave the body. Wear and tear stops and rehabilitation takes over. And it's your move to make all these happen. Our biological clock signals Nature call for us to stop, resign and forget things around. It tells us to recharge, to gain back that fresh feeling, that glow, that stride, that sharpness of mind, that disarming smile, that friendliness, that confidence - and all that makes us sing in our work and smile at people. Rest is the denominator of a beautiful life.

If you can't settle down to rest, get a piece of paper and pencil or pen.

"But I can't draw?"

Now, this is not drawing. It is drawing out. Draining out the toxins from your systems, nerves and muscles. Toxins are strayed neuro-electrical charges, unwanted adrenaline, substances from too much of the "good life." You need to take them out, and there's only one way - rest, good sleep, total relaxation, or simply, idleness. Let go off - everything.

Draw without effort. Start with the first model. You can modify it and come up with your own. Be original. Imagine the repetitious structures, their outlines, profiles, silhouettes. Don't copy, this is imagery drawing. Surrender. Let your body go limb progressively. Your pulse rate and heartbeat are now slowing down.

Go to the second model - rhythms. Draw the rhythms of the breeze. The rhythms of the waves. Winds blowing over a pasture or rice field, undulating like the sea. Beautiful music makes a harmonious motion of sound waves that is pleasing to hear. Follow the waves with lines.

Now you are completely relaxed. This is true surrender. Good night.

x x x

Christmas Message: Aim for Peace of Mind, Holism, and Selflessness

Dr Abe V Rotor

To our beloved followers and visitors of this Blog, students and radio listeners, friends - and all.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
- Dr Abe and Mrs Cecille Rotor, Marlo and Charisse, Anna and Leo, and Manang Veny.
- Ka Melly and staff of DZRB Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid
- Co-workers and faculty members, UST, SPUQC, DLSU-D, UPH-R, NFA

Wake up every morning a "balanced" person. You must be a perfect square. Look at yourself on the mirror and examine the four attributes of life - mental or intellectual, psychological or emotional, spiritual, and physical well being.

If you are not, be aware of your strength, weaknesses and deficiencies. Learn to adjust, do not delay. If you have colds you need rest. If you feel sad, cheer up. Look at the brighter side of life. Your conscience may be bothering you for whatever reason. Pray. Amend. Seek spiritual advice. Mentally dull? Postpone important decisions. Maybe you need a weekend rest with the family. An outdoor activity? Visit your relatives. Recharge before you run low in energy.

When you have found yourself in a square - perfect or nearly so - you will enjoy Peace of Mind (POM). Peace of mind is the greatest tool in a person's life every day. It is the most potent tool in overcoming tension and stress that we face in our modern world. POM is earned, it does not just come, it is not a matter of luck. It comes after a good rest and sincere prayer. It accompanies joy and hope. And most importantly, it is like light that radiates and shared by others in the family and community.

Our motives in life on the short, medium and long term are defined in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which appears like a stair - actually a ziggurat or tiered pyramid. The physiologic needs form the base. They are survival needs which are often referred to as drives or instincts. They are biological and as such are universal in the living world. So with social motives in many respects.

The primary social unit is the family. It is not made-to-order. It does not come in silver platter. You have to make it yourself. It is in your plan, determination and resolve. Success of the family is the number one criterion to say you are successful in life.

The family expands into community, then into society. Our actions are governed collectively by culture, as a nation, and ultimately, humanity. We are part of that web .

Because we have risen above our instincts and social motives, we search for that elusive meaning of life - life not equated with money and power, but self-actualization and self-fulfillment. When you are there on that pedestal, you among great men and women. You belong to the rank of heroes and martyrs.
How far do we look from where we stand in terms of space and time? Each one has his own perception and perspective. But the general rule is that, the more we have provided ourselves with guarantees in life - job, financial and material things, natural resources around us, concern of others for us, and the like, the farther we look ahead into the future. We look not only for our own good today and tomorrow. We look forward to future of our children, and beyond. We talk of tomorrow when we have enough today. We talk of investment when we have savings.

And the wider our perspective is, the more we expand our concern, concern not about ourselves but for other people we may not even know. We become interested in things happening around the world, even if these do not directly concern us.

We look beyond our fence so to speak, we become interested with what is happening. Not mere spectators but players. Here we realize the meaning of what Shakespeare said, "the world is a stage and each one of us has a role to play."

We no longer live just for life's sake. We make friendship into brotherhood. We care because we love. We are not only citizens of our country, or members of a particular race, religion or creed. We are citizens of the world.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Home, Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

Ways to Attain a More Interesting Lifestyle this 2011

Interview with Dell H. Grecia

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Dell H Grecia is a veteran journalist writing for newspapers and magazines (columnist of Women's Journal and The Filipino Reporter), and appearing on television with Ka Gerry Geronimo's Ating Alamin. At 84 he continues to discuss with his friends current events, his experiences, tradition and values. And most important, how life should be lived. Thus this article.
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Live on the countryside - not in the city.

Here are his suggestions on the ways to attain a more interesting lifestyle. In our conversation Ka Dell cautioned that not all of these suggestions applies to a person. They depend on age, culture, domicile, profession, and the like. In fact this serves more as a checklist rather than rules. One is free to choose, modify or add to the list as he may deem it fit under his situation and needs. What is important, Ka Dell emphasized, is how a person live a life that is happy, healthy, and meaningful. This is his message for the new year.

1. If you can manage, do not live in the city. It’s not a good idea to stay, live and work in Manila. The cost of living here is very high and is very complicated. Why not settle on the countryside?

2. Consider sending your children to schools in the provinces. While Manila is the center of education, there are many good schools in the provinces.

3. For the young, study the course you wish to pursue. Functional courses are becoming more in demand. They prepare you to become practical and opens great opportunities for self-employment.

4. Revive the bayanihan (cooperativism) spirit. For example, pooled transport will help a lot in saving money, gas, effort and labor. Cooperative farming, cleanup, gardening, are examples to apply this Filipino value.

5. Avoid food wastage. It takes a little ingenuity and art to convert leftover foods into new kinds of dish. Plan your menus according to your food budget. Cook at home, prepare the children's baon, and as much as possible, eat with the family.

6. Don't be lavish in everyday meals. Consider the nutritive values of the food served, and its proper distribution to the members of the family.

7. Plant some vegetables on vacant lots or in pots. Include herbals, and orchard trees if feasible. Make a home garden as part of your home.

8. On housing, follow the rules of nature on ventilation, sunlight exposure, and functional design. Your home should be environment-friendly, and "tailored" to enhance the natural landscape.

9. Don’t be too dependent on medicine, specially antibiotics, analgesics, sleeping pills, etc. Instead, take healthful foods and drinks. Don't take junk foods and carbonated drinks. Avoid additives and artificial food like MSG or Monosodium Glutamate (Vetsin), decaffeinated coffee, sugarless sugar (Aspartame, Nutrasweet, saccharin, magic sugar), fatless fat or Olestra .

10. Start an enterprise, proprietorship or family business. Remember the defunct NACIDA (National Cottage Industry Development) in the sixties and seventies that made the Philippines a strong economy. Start with "bottom-up approach." Don't rely on heavy burrowing and high technology.

11. A side line business helps. There are enterprising employees who get extra income through buy-and-sell, while others become agents of goods and services such as life plan and educational plan. Extend your side business with your own products, and those from your community.

12. Limit going to disco houses, fast foods centers, and sauna baths, and to very far places, just for pleasure. Instead, go to the nearest parks in your area and enjoy a weekend or a holiday with your family and friends.

13. Visit museums, painting exhibits, agricultural and industrial fairs, concerts, and the like. Join educational field trips, and continuing education programs.

14. The key to an interesting lifestyle is, “Simplify your lifestyle.” Here are further suggestions.

a. Let’s earn more and spend less. Be simple in everything. Why complicate matters?

b. Sa lahat ng bagay iwasan nating magpabongga. (Avoid ostentatious living.)

c. Learn the art of recycling everything.

d. Let us avoid panic buying. It is useless and self-defeating. Avoid impulse buying. We must study carefully the urgency of all the things we intend to buy.

e. Enjoy the wonders of biking and walking. Spend more time with nature.

f. Give up costly entertainment and celebrations like fiestas, birthdays, baptismal, anniversaries etc.

g. Practice self-discipline especially in spending. Self-control is very important.

h. Don’t rely too much on new technology. Use your creativity and hidden abilities in coming up with simple inventions and innovations, such as building a garden pond to harvest rainwater and raise hito and tilapia.

i. Make use of your talents like teaching children to paint, to play a musical instrument. It is one way of earning money and friends.

j. Give up costly vices, like gambling and smoking; and other cravings.

k. Put yourself in a low profile. Maybe, forget your title and do farming. You will get closer to people and become "at home" in your community.

l. Iwasan natin ang mainggit. Why buy a new model colored TV set when we can’t afford it? What is the point of coming up with the Joneses?

m. Let us forget the “live for today and to hell with tomorrow” attitude.

n. Plant all your vacant lots. There’s nothing impossible in urban food production.

o. For the unemployed, try shifting your gear to an alternative life style. Learn some sacrifices.

Lastly, follow family planning and don’t get married too soon these days.•

Home, Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

Part 1: The Violin - the Soulful Musical Instrument

• Abe V Rotor

The author and his collection of violins.

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The violin, while it has ancient origins, acquired most of its modern characteristics in 16th-century Italy, with some further modifications occurring in the 18th century. Violinists and collectors particularly prize the instruments made by the Gasparo da Salò, Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati families from the 16th to the 18th century in Brescia and Cremona and by Jacob Stainer in Austria. (Wikipedia)
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If there is any musical instrument that appreciates with time, count on the violin. The more antique it is and it is "original" the more it is prized. An original Stradivarius was auctioned in the US for than $3 million. Since then there was a frantic search for the other Stradivarius violins - at least a dozen believed to be still existing.

I received a dozen calls and personal visits from my friends looking for a Stradivarius. One decoyed a ball park price. Who knows if there's one in the Philippines?

To my surprise a religious guest visited me at the museum one early morning and asked me if the old violins there have a hand written certification in ink by the master violin maker Stradivarius. The inscription is supposed to be expertly hidden in the violin's chamber and can be seen only through the sound hole. What a luck if indeed this is true. That would mean a fortune. I related to prominent violinists like Professor Paulino Capitulo of the Manila Symphony of this ambitious quest. He wryly commented, "Treasure hunting, huh!"

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Stradivarius instruments are recognized by their inscription in Latin: Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno [date] Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, [made in the year ...].
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Because of this incident, I am posting an article I sourced from the Internet, "Stradivarius Violin - How Genuine?" See Part 3: The Violin - Beware of "Experts" How do you know if a Stradivarius is Genuine?

My first violin was a three-quarter, then moved on to the standard (4/4) violin. Children can start early with the one-half or the three-fourth violin, to be able to reach the strings and learn the rudiments of this enigmatic classical instrument. The violin was already in its form as we know it today as early as during the Renaissance in Europe.

It was during the Spanish conquest in 1521 and subsequent colonization of the Philippines that the violin - and other classical instruments found their way to the hands of Filipinos - and were passed on through generations. One old violin found its way to my family. My dad got a 1776 Czechoslovakian violin, Guadagnini , which he gave to me as a gift in high school. It is the most treasured of all my violin collections.

Continued...

Part 3: The Violin - Beware of the "Experts." How Genuine are Stradivarius Violins?

NOTE: This article was published in Dr Progresso Reviews on the Internet. I decided to post it in this blog with the aim at making people aware on the genuineness of violins claimed to be original Stradivarius. This is a guide to unwary victims after a guest came to the museum looking for an original Stradivarius. For sixty long years as a violin enthusiast I never had a chance to get hold of a genuine Strad. Beware of "copy" versions. This holds true to other famous brands. - Dr AV Rotor

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Antonio Stradivari (1644? - December 18, 1737) was an Italian luthier (maker of violins and other stringed instruments), the most prominent member of that profession. The Latin form of his surname, "Stradivarius" - sometimes shortened to "Strad" - is often used to refer to his instruments.
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Edgar Bundy (1862-1922) painting of Antonio Stradivari in his workshop.1893

So You Think You’ve Found A Strad? Guess Again!

In 1908 a famous Belgian violinist named Eugene Ysaye was on a concert tour in St. Petersburg in Russia. He had with him four Stradivarius violins. One of the Strads was stolen from his hotel room, and was not recovered.

In 1951 a soldier in the Korean war found a violin hidden in the wall of a rundown farm house. It was subsequently authenticated as a genuine Stradivarius.

Out of such stories as these – which are supposed to be true – has arisen a collectors’ myth. That myth is that you might find an incredibly valuable Strad yourself – hidden away in your attic or basement or perhaps at a yard sale down the block. And many people actually have found violins which carry the name of that master genius of violin-makers, the maestro of Cremona, Antonius Stradivari (whose name some misrepresent as “Stradivarius”). But these people are most often the victims of a cruel, if perhaps unwitting, hoax.

Antonio Stradivari was born in 1644 and set up his shop in Cremona, Italy, where he made violins and other stringed instruments (harps, guitars, violas and cellos) until his death in 1737. He took a basic concept for the violin and refined its geometry and design to produce an instrument which has served violin makers ever since as the standard to strive for. His violins sang as none had before them, with a clearer voice and greater volume, and with a pureness of tone which made them seem almost alive in the hands of a great violinist. His was one of three great families of violin makers in Cremona during the 1700s and 1800s, the other two being those of Guarneri and Amati, but Stradivari’s violins have been judged by history to be the best. Two of Stradivari’s sons continued his work after his death.

Every Strad was made entirely by hand, with a painstaking care devoted to the selection of woods and even the texture of the finishing varnishes. This was no assembly-line operation, and the best estimates have Antonio producing no more than around 1,100 instruments, including the violins, in his entire lifetime. Of these, an estimated 630 to 650 still survive the more than 250 years since they were made. 512 of these survivors are violins. Many others were destroyed in fires or other accidents, were lost at sea or in floods, and some were destroyed by the fire-bombing of Dresden in World War II. Virtually none are unaccounted for. Today a genuine Strad is worth two to three million dollars.

So where did those violins which have turned up in attics and closets all over the world come from? Why would anyone who found one think he had a real Strad? The answer is very simple: copies.

Today master violin-makers are using modern science – including the latest scanning devices and digital imaging techniques – to unlock the “secrets” of Stradivari and recreate instruments of his quality. One Canadian violin-maker, Joseph Curtin, and his American partner, Gregg Alf, created a copy, right down to every scratch and shading of varnish, of a specific instrument known as the Booth Stradivari, which Stradivari made in 1716. It sold at a Sotheby’s auction in 1993 for $42,460 – to a concert violinist.

But for close to two centuries much shabbier copies have been made and sold – bearing “Stradivarius” labels. For this reason, the presence of a Stradivarius label in a violin does not mean the instrument is genuine.

The usual label – both genuine and false – carries the Latin inscription “Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno [date],” which gives the maker (Antonio Stradivari), the place (Cremonia), and the year of manufacture, the actual date either printed or handwritten. It was this Latin label which gave the world the name “Stradivarius.” After 1891, when the United States required it, copies might also have the actual country of origin printed in English at the bottom of the label: “Made in Czechoslovakia,” or just “Germany.”

Hundreds of thousands of these copies were made in Germany, France, central and eastern Europe, England, China, and Japan, starting in the mid-19th century and continuing into current times – and literally millions exist today. They bear counterfeit labels proclaiming them to be by not only Stradivari but Vuillaume, Amati, Bergonzi, Guarneri, Gasparo da Salo, Stainer, and others.

Music shops and mail order houses originally sold these violins at prices which made it plain no deception of the buyer was intended – some were claimed to be “tributes” – they ranged from $8.00 to $27.00 apiece, and were identified in advertisements as “copies” or “models.” But their similarity to the instruments they were copied from is minimal to a trained eye – or ear. While some involved hand-crafting, the vast majority were mass-produced. It was not until 1957 that the words “Copy of” were added to some of the labels.

Even today one can find advertisements for a “Stradivarius Violin” which comes “Complete with Decorative Stand and Bow,” and is claimed to be “a wonderful replica of the eminent Stradivarius violin,” designed for displaying “on the wall or atop a bureau or coffee table” for a mere $29.95.
Once in a while a real Strad turns up – usually after a theft or accidental loss.

In 1967 a 1732 Strad, named for the Duke of Alcantara and owned by UCLA’s Department of Music, was loaned to a member of UCLA’s Roth String Quartet. He apparently either left it on top of his car and drove off, or had it stolen from inside his car. A woman turned up with it in 1994, claiming her former husband’s aunt had given it to her husband, and she had acquired it in a divorce settlement. She said their family lore had it that the aunt had found the violin beside a road. UCLA eventually gave the woman $11,500 to regain the violin and avoid a protracted court fight.

So what should you do if you find a violin with a Stradivarius label – or that of any other famous violin maker from centuries ago? You should have it appraised by an expert, and most such experts are members of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers. Expect to pay for the appraisal. The authentication of a violin can be determined only by a careful examination of such factors as the design, model, craftsmanship, wood, and varnish. It’s not hard to separate out the mass-produced violins from the actual hand-made instruments, but it takes a well-trained violin appraiser to be able to attribute the violin to a specific maker or place of manufacture.

Don’t expect your find to be genuine. The odds against finding the real thing are slim to none. Nevertheless, you might have a decent violin, and if you can play the instrument, that will be its own reward.~

Violin -Stradivarius, Palacio Real, Madrid

Stradivarius violin: front and profile

Messiah Stradivarius violin

Famous violin Composers

• Johann Sebastian Bach
• Ludwig van Beethoven
• Johannes Brahms
• George Enescu
• Fritz Kreisler
• Rodolphe Kreutzer
• Felix Mendelssohn
• Claudio Monteverdi
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Niccolo Paganini

Acknowledgment: Dr Progresso Reviews, Internet