20 Ecological Concerns to Restore Our Earth's Health and Balance (UN International Mother Earth Day - April 22, 2022)

                 UN International Mother Earth Day - April 22, 2022 

20 Ecological Concerns to Restore Our Earth's Health and Balance 

"In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed." - Charles Darwin

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog

1. Changing Environment, influenced by man, breeds a variety of ailments and diseases. Nature-Man Balance, the key to good health is being threatened.

2. What and Where is the so-called Good Life? The Good Life is shifting with the transformation of agricultural to industrial economy.

3. The Good Life is synonymous to Affluence. People want goods and services beyond what they actually need. Want leads to luxury - to waste.

Global warming causes flood, wildfire, species extinction, desertification, 

and many other consequences. Acrylic painting by AV Rotor..

4. The world’s population is 7.7 billion. Another billion will be added in less than 10 years. Runaway population is the mother of human miseries

5. The proliferation of cities, growth of cities to metropolises and megapolises, each with 10 to 20 million people ensconced in cramped condition. Cities breed marginal communities
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“People, people everywhere, but not a kindred to keep," in condominiums, malls, schools, churches, parks, sharing common lifestyles and socio-economic conditions. They are predisposed to common health problems and vulnerabilities from brownouts to food and fuel shortage, force majeure notwithstanding.

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6. Loss of Natural Environment – loss of productivity, loss of farmlands, and wildlife. Destruction of ecosystems - lakes, rivers, forests, coral reefs, grasslands, etc. Destruction of ecosystems is irreversible.

7. Species are threatened, many are now extinct, narrowing down the range of biodiversity. Human health depends largely on a complex interrelationship of the living world. No place on earth is safe from human abuse. Coral Reef – bastion of terrestrial and marine life, is now in distress.

8. Wildlife shares with our homes, backyards and farms, transmitting deadly diseases like SARS, HIV-AIDS, Mad-Cow, FMD, Ebola, and Bird Flu which can now infect humans, allergies notwithstanding.

9. “Good Life” cradles and nurses obesity and other overweight conditions. Millions of people around the world are obese, with 34% of Americans in the US obese.

10. Global warming stirs climatic disturbance, changes the face of the earth.

11. Globalization packages the major aspects of human activity – trade, commerce, industry, agriculture, the arts, education, science and technology, politics, religion and the like.

Dying Earth wooden chandelier by AV Rotor 2021

12. . Mélange of races - pooling of genes through inter-racial and inter-cultural marriages produces various mixed lines or “mestizos” - Eurasian, Afro-Asian, Afro-American, Amerasian, and the like. Native genes provide resistance to diseases, adverse conditions of the environment. But will this advantage hold on even as the native gene pools are thinned out?

13. Modern medicine is responsible in reducing mortality and increasing longevity. It has also preserved genetically linked abnormalities; it cradles senility related ailments. It made possible the exchange of organs and tissues through transplantation, and soon tissue cloning. It has changed Evolution that is supposed to cull out the unfit and misfits. Man has Darwinism in his hands.

14. The first scientific breakthrough is the splitting of the atom that led to the development of the atomic bomb as the most potent tool of war as evidenced by its destruction at Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and the nuclear reactor which still holds the promise of providing incessant energy to mankind. The second scientific breakthrough – Microchip led to the development of the Internet which “shrunk the world into a village.”

16. The third breakthrough in science, Genetic Engineering, changed our concept of life - and life forms. It has enabled man to tinker with life itself. Revolutionary industries Examples: In vitro fertilization, surrogate motherhood, Human Genome Project (HGP or gene mapping), multiple childbirth, post-menopausal childbirth, DNA mapping, etc. Birth of the prototype human robot – pampered, he lives a very dependent life.

17. Genetic Engineering gave rise to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and Gene Therapy. It has also primed Biological Warfare into a more terrifying threat to mankind and the environment. On the other hand Gene Therapy aims at preventing gene-link diseases even before they are expressed; it has actually revolutionized medicine. More and more countries are banning GMO crops and animals through legislative measures and conservation programs, including protection against “biopiracy”

18. Today’s Green Revolution opened up non-conventional frontiers of production – mariculture, desalination, desert farming, swamp reclamation, aerophonics (rooftop farming), hydroponics, urban farming, organic farming, Green Revolution adapts genetic engineering to produce GMOs and Frankenfoods. We may not be aware, but many of us are eating genetically modified food (GMF or Frankenfood) everyday – meat, milk, chicken, corn, potato and soya products, and the like mainly from the US. Many food additives and adjuncts are harmful, from salitre in longganiza to pesticide residue in fruits and vegetables, aspartame in fruit juice to MSG in noodles, formalin in fish to dioxin in plastics, bromate in bread to sulfite in sugar, antibiotic residue in meat to radiation in milk.

            A return to marginal existence after destroying the natural environment

Hydroponics or soilless culture makes farming feasible in cramped quarters, and it increases effective area of farming.

Aeroponics or Multi-storey farming Vertical Farming Farming in the city on high rise buildings• Post Harvest Technology. is critical to Food Production. PHT bridges production and consumption, farm and market, thus the proliferation of processed goods, supermarket, fast food chains, food irradiation, ready-to-eat packs, etc.

19. Exploration into the depth of the sea and expanse of the Solar System - and beyond. We probe the hadal depth of the ocean. We build cities in space - the Skylab. Soon we will live outside of the confines of our planet earth. Now we aim at conquering another planet, another Solar System to assure continuity of mankind after the demise of the earth.

20. Regional and International Cooperation is key to global cooperation: EU, ASEAN, APEC, CGIAR, ICRISAT, WTO, WHO, UNEP, WFO, FAO, like fighting pandemic diseases – HIV-AIDS, SARS, Dengue, Hepatitis, Bird Flu, etc.

Yeast - the Ubiquitous, Universal Fermenter

 Yeast - the Ubiquitous, Universal Fermenter  

Dr Abe V Rotor

Basi wine making, first day of fermentation. Note evolving gas - carbon dioxide. Wine is produced by anaerobic fermentation.

Bottled basi wine for tourists shops and for export. Basi was among the items carried between the Philippines and Europe via Acapulco, Mexico, during the Galleon Trade era (17th and 18th century) when the Philippines was a colony of Spain, so with Mexico. Old folks attribute the unique fine taste of basi to bubud (homemade yeast).

All kinds of alcoholic drink contain ethanol or ethyl alcohol - the only edible alcohol. Wine is as old as civilization. Serendipity must have led to early wine making techniques, the key being the domestication of  the first microorganism - Saccharomyces, the ubiquitous yeast.

Wine making is converting sugar into ethanol. Ethanol or ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) is universal in all alcoholic drinks from beer to table wine to liquor, irrespective of generic or brand name. The strength of wine is indicated by proof, which is actually twice that of its percentage content.

Thus, 80 proof is 40 percent ethanol, which is the strength of Vodka, some Brandy, Cognac, Whiskey, and the like. The strength of beer normally ranges from 3 to 5 percent, unless fortified with distilled ethanol to raise it to say, 7 percent. Fortified wine is also common.

Natural table wine such as Basi of the Ilocos region, table wine from grapes and other fruits, normally contain 10 to 12 percent ethanol. Beyond this level, the fermenting yeasts simply die off from the accumulation of ethanol - a biological phenomenon called autotoxicity. It means that the yeasts are killed by their own product, often leaving behind the unfermented sugar. It is this residual sugar that makes a wine sweet - naturally, that is.

Ripe leaves of samat or binuga (Cananga tenarius) is used in making basi. 

Yeast is found in ripening leaves. Here the leaves contain the highest level of sugar which the plant did not use or store. The yeast acts of the sugar and as the leaves fall to the ground, a myriad of microorganisms and animals (from fungi to earthworms and grazing animals) obtain their energy from them. Ultimately the organic matter left behind becomes part of the soil, releases the needed nutrients to the growing plants and those in the next generation.

Yeast is ubiquitous, it is found in flowers, ripening fruits, honeydew, ripening leaves. It comes in different species under the genus Saccharomyces, among them cerevisiae and ellipsoides. There are also other genera such as Brettanomyces and Debaryomyces. Not all yeasts make good wine. But one thing is universal to them. It is Nature's way of converting sugar molecules (C6H12O6) back to their elemental form.  Oxidation often accompanies such process, thus converting ethanol to acetic acid (CH3COOH), which is vinegar. Vinegar actually is a term, vin-egar, which means sour wine.

Natural vinegar is oxidized ethanol, usually with the aid of bacteria, principally Acetobacter and Leuconostoc. The latter forms gelatinous capsule that accumulates into a transparent to white layer we call nata. This is the principle involved in making Nata de coco and nata de piña.

So, even before sugar ferments to vinegar, nata bacteria and other contaminants can spoil wine and vinegar making. A host of organisms are soon attracted such as Drosophila flies, blue bottle flies, wasps, moths and butterflies that feed on the spoiled must. This is happening to unharvested fruits in the field, to remnants of pollination and fertilization, It is true in ponds and lakes where biomass of algae die of algal bloom. Ultimately the product is simply water, evaporating into the air or settling down into a pool or seeping into the ground, and all the organic compounds once part of the living world are back to their elemental components ready to be reassembled into the next living generation. Indeed this a great wonder on how Nature keeps a dynamic balance of the environment called homeostasis.

We can only imagine the ingenuity of wine makers far back during the Epyptian civilization, and in the Orient, the Chinese civilization. I had a chance to visit the ruins of an Assyrian fort outside Tel-Aviv. There, our guide pointing at broken tall jars, said, "The Assyrians were among the best wine makers in the ancient world." The Assyrians were powerful, not even Ramses could conquer them, They had a flourishing economy. Their vineyards can be glimpsed from the vineyards around the place Lakish today. Lakish wine is well-known all over the world, perhaps as famous as the Bordeaux in France.

Without yeast, our world would be a less happy one. Perhaps many organisms wouldn't be around in the first place, including us humans.

Here's a toast to the wonderful yeast. Cheers! Kampai! Mabuhay!~

Part 2  Basi: Preparation of Bubod – Yeast Complex

                                Closeup of bubud, homemade yeast complex.

Here is a list of yeast isolates from plants growing at the SPCQ garden. The author developed the combined process of isolation, multiplication, identification and banking.

Researcher/Plant Source/Wild Yeast

1.Muega, N Basil (Ocimun basilicum), Debaryomyces,
Indonesian Queen - Justicia (Trichosporon genderossa), 

and kamuning Kloerckera
(Murraya pinnaculata)

2.Valdez, M.M Guava (Psidium guajava) Brettanomyces
Powderpuff (Calliandra cergenila) Debaryomyces
Aratilis (Muntigia calabura) Saccharomyces ,
Trichosporon

3.Lacap, DC Duhat (S. cumini) Saccharomyces
Saccharomycodes, Debaryomyces,
Hansenula
Kloeckera
Nematospora

4. Ngo, LM Coconut (Cocos nucifera) Cryptoccocus, 
Hansenula

The isolation of these wild yeasts was made possible using a technique developed in the laboratory of SPUQC. Food Development Center of NFA analyzed and identified the yeast isolates.

The Protocol named after the author is summarized in three parts, as as follows:

Part 1 - Isolation and Identification of Wild Yeasts from Plants

1. Determination of possible sources of wild yeasts. Since yeast is ubiquitous, it is likely found in places where there is a ready supply of sugar. Pollen and nectarines of flowers offer such as an ideal place.

2. Yeast cells are isolated from these floral parts and inoculated in a 15 percent sucrose solution contained in sterilized bottles (3/4 volume). Beer bottles are preferred because their brown or green color protects the isolates from UV radiation.

3. The bottles are plugged with sterilized cotton and are kept in a dark, cool chamber for at least three days.

4. As fermentation takes place, carbon dioxide evolves and in the process creates a CO2-rich chamber in the bottle that serves as an aseptic blanket especially against aerobic bacteria.

5. The culture is then analyzed in the laboratory. Identification of the yeast isolates is done using the standard procedure of FDC. Yeast isolates by Muega et al at SPUQ were obtained using this procedure.

6. The next step is the isolation and culture of the desired yeast isolates for specific purposes. However, the yeast complex as a whole, after proper identification, can be propagated for commercial use.

Part 2 – Propagation and Banking/Storage of the Yeast Isolates

1. The yeast complex is allowed to multiply for another 5 days in the culture bottles. Detection of any contaminant necessitates the discarding the culture, and the procedure is repeated.

2. Rice flour is heated to 100 degrees Celsius and allowed to cool to 50 to 60 degrees Celsius (equivalent to pasteurization). The fermenting sugar solution is the mixed with the flour to make dough. Ground dry ginger is added at the rate of 1 part to 4 parts rice flour. The dough is mashed thoroughly and made into balls, two inches in diameter.

3. The balls are laid on cheesecloth, lined with clean rice straw, and incubated in a wooden box for 5 to 6 days in a dark, enclosed chamber, at 35 to 40 degree Celsius.

4. The balls are air-dried for 3 to 5 days, or until they are dry enough to be pulverized. Direct sunlight may kill the yeast cells. This is now the inoculant that is used in basi fermentation. The rate of inoculation is equivalent to 10 balls to a standard size jar.

5. The powdered inoculant can be stored in an airtight glass container and placed in the vegetable section of a refrigerator. Viable storage time is around 6 months.

Part 3 – Alternative Procedures and Other Applications of the Protocol

1. Substrates may vary, according to the microorganisms to be propagated and banked. Papaya pulp is commonly used for Aspergillus niger as shown in the experiment of Marasigan, 1995.

2. Papaya pulp is also recommended in the preparation of Rhizobium inoculant for soybeans and other legumes (Jacob 1997)

3. Other fruit pulps such as citrus and mango have been tried successfully in the propagation of food-fermenting organisms such as Leuconostoc mesenteroides (nata de coco), Lactobacillus (yogurt), Micrococcus and Pediococcus (patis), and other Halobacteria (bacteria responsible in bagoong making). (8)

4. Other alternatives the protocol can adopt are in the propagation of
cellulose-breaking bacteria such as Trichoderma, and biological pesticide such as Bacillus thuringiensis. 

Part 3 - A visit to an 18th century Basi wine cellar 

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur 

 

Dr Abe V Rotor

Original basi wine cellar and jars (burnay) date back to the

 18th century across six generations of continuous operation, 

interrupted only by the Second World War for five years. 

 

The cellar attracts researchers, students and tourists for its historical 

significance with the Spanish Galleon Trade, and technology of 

the old folks in making basi and its related products, principally 

vinegar (sukang Iloko).  

By now this jar of basi is 13 years old.  Unless opened, it remains longer 

in aging. The general rule is, the longer wine is aged, the more mellow it 

becomes.  It's not really so.  There are other factors to consider like 

damaged clay cap and leaching.  And there's the basic rule that "only 

good wine mellows with age" (So with man, they add.) 

Crystalline golden color and pleasant wine aroma meet the happy

connoisseur after the desired aging period is reached (at least two 

years in the case of Rotor basi). Fresh and direct from the jar, the 

harvest is bottled, sealed and labelled (as shown below), according

 to customers' specifications intended for an occasion like

 wedding, Christmas, exhibit, and the like. 

House guest picks a fruit wine of his choice,  Fruit wine making 

follows the basic fermentation-aging process in basi making.

There are 20 kinds of fruit wine developed in this cellar from different 

fruits growing locally like macopa, aratiles, duhat and guyabano. 

Stamp commemorating the Galleon Trade. 

Scene of a Galleon trading post in Ciudad de Vigan in Spanish time. 

"The Manila-Acapulco galleon trade* in the 18th century was undertaken by Vigan Chinese mestizo traders who exported local products such as basi, tobacco and abel to Europe and other parts of Asia..." Pia Roces Morato, Thorns and Roses

                                      * Manila-Acapulco galleon trade 1565–1815

                                

Basi jar lying on the sea floor where a galleon ship was wrecked. 

Basi sparked one of the major revolts against Spanish rule by the natives when wine monopoly was declared by the government. This meant virtually taking the industry from the hands of the natives. The short-lived uprising took place in Ilocos, with the final battle fought on both sides of the Bantaoay River which runs through the towns of San Vicente up to San Ildefonso, which are today the major suppliers of Basi principally to tourists in Vigan, UNESCO's world heritage city, and one of the cultural wonders of the world.

                             

Legacy of an Eighteenth-Century Well (Bubon') SV2W Series

                                         Legacy of Old Faithful Bubon'  

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Composite views of an 18th century well at San Vicente Botanical Garden,

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur 

Old Faithful Bubon' now a ruin, intermittently flooded in monsoon, damp and dry in summer, speaks of old days in Spanish time, Commonwealth era, World War II, fledging Republic - and now faces postmodernism's abandon and neglect;

Old Faithful Bubon', abode of toads and frogs, trapped in their search for water or mate, or simply fell in, croak in unison or alternate calls, inside and outside of the well,  fill the night air with scary tales of old folks, or children's bedtime stories;  

Old Faithful Bubon', source of water for drinking, for the kitchen and garden through generations, was once fitted with a bamboo lever-on-fulcrum (babatwagan Ilk), an indigenous version of the pulley-and-wheel, later replaced by bucket tied to a rope.  

Old Faithful Bubon', a greenery of algae and mosses, epiphytes and annual plants, makes a unique garden, representing the phylogeny of the plant kingdom on the lower scale, offers a unique study of plant diversity and evolution in an isolated environment;  

Old Faithful Bubon', seat of Darwinian evolution in microcosm; trapped organisms like shrimps, fish and protists, evolve independently, detached from their populations in the open, to become ultimately through time new species, a process called speciation.   

Old Faithful Bubon', indicator of underground water volume and quality by its water level, clarity, smell and taste -  fresh, clean and sweet as old folks would guarantee its potable use, even without undergoing water treatment we do today; 

Old Faithful Bubon', setting of movies and stories, of hideouts and "bahay-bahayan" (housing game), fascinates old and young alike, in tales and fiction, like A Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne, and prospective treasure-hunting stories; 

Old Faithful Bubon', once its crystal-clear water reflected the blue sky, flying birds, and nearby tree tops, in a perfect scenery of a pristine landscape, with a young boy seated on its rim, looking downward, his face reflecting lofty dreams and thoughts deep and far beyond. 

Old Faithful Bubon', three generations later, fell into obsolescence, losing aesthetics and function, replaced by modern water system; its water no longer potable due to pollution generated by industrialization, and affluent living;   

Old  Faithful Bubon', now a ruin, repository of fragments of history and technology, anecdotes and legends, ancestral socio-economics, now an attraction to tourists, among them an old pilgrim who once sat at its rim dreaming of the world on its water. ~

AgroEcology for the Ilocos Region

Convergence: 8-Program Proposal

AgroEcology for the Ilocos Region

Dr Abe V Rotor  

Living with Nature - School on Blog

1. Coastal Greening
Coconut and orchard trees, with cover crops 

 Mainly coconut planting on multiple rows, quincunx, mixed with halophytic 

       (salt-loving and salt-resistant) trees

·     Mangroves (3 genera) along intertidal zone and estuary

·     Serves as windbreak, buffer against tidal wave; filters salty breeze and sand

            and dust storm

·     Source of food, feed, fuel, local industry

·     Stabilizes shifting sand dunes, establishes foothold for other plants 

2. Roadside and Highway Greening with Acacia, Gmelina, mahogany, other forest trees

·       Provides aesthetics and shade

·       Ripraps road shoulders

·       Serves as windbreak and natural sun visor

·       Extends life of infrastructure

·       Source of wood, fuel, food, feeds 

3. Backyard Green Revolution
Vegetables (leafy, root, fruit and seed vegetables)

        Direct source of fresh food

·       Integrates cleanliness, sanitation, recycling, savings, exercise, family unity, 

            and the like

·       Bahay Kubo model (all vegetables)

·       Herbal-ornamental-vegetable combination

·       Orchard Model

·       Homelot (semi commercial, combination of crops, animals and/or fish)

4. Riverbank Greening
Kamachile, aroma, mimosa, ipil-ipil (Trees with deep and spreading roots)

        Provides natural riprap, shade and natural fertilizer

·       Prevents cutbank erosion, traps sand, silt and clay, thus extends life of river

·       Improves biological life of river, increase catch, enhances biodiversity

·       Source of firewood, food and feeds

5. Fence Greening
Mainly orchard trees

        Serves as “borrowed landscape”, adds aesthetics to home and surroundings

·       Provides shade, creates favorable mini-climate for the home and community

·       Source of food, medicine, feeds, other materials

·       Serves as windbreak, noise buffer, improves air quality

·       Serves as local wildlife sanctuary

6. Mudflat Reclamation
Mangrove species (Rhizophora Ceriops, Brugiera, Avecinia)  Mangrove arrests shifting mudflat, helps delta formation
· Mangrove forest stabilizes intertidal zone, serves as buffer against tidal wave 

      and tsunami 
· Improves water navigation
· Creates marine sanctuary 
· Source of timber, firewood and other materials
· Supplies valuable detritus (organic fertilizer), natural food of marine life

7. Watershed Rehabilitation
Mainly forest trees with orchard trees,
simulated tropical rainforest (multi-storey)· Reforestation restores green cover that enhances the integrity of watershed
· Minimizes erosion and siltation, restores natural soil fertility 
· Protects waterfalls, springs, rivers and lakes, 
· Increases stored water supply (ground water and aquifers)
· Source of timber, firewood, other materials
· Creates/restores wildlife sanctuary, increases biodiversity
· Prevents forest and brush fire

8. Woodland Hedgerow

Two models of woodland hedgerows 

(Acknowledgement: Internet)

Mixed orchard and forest trees with shrubs (2- or 3-storey) 

· European model of hedge forest, broad strip of woodland/forest separating fields
· Serves as wildlife sanctuary
· Sanctuary of biological agents that control pest
· Conserves water, prevents erosion and siltation
· Increases organic matter supply, reduces oxidation of organic matter
· Source of firewood, timber, other materials
· Serves as recreation area, adds aesthetics
· Creates mini-climate, serves as buffer zone

Fruits with Economic Potential in the Ilocos Region

Of the 200 kinds of fruits in the Philippines, 40 to 50 species are grown to some extent for their edible fruits and other uses.The rest are still found in the wild, or if already domesticated are not given significant attention.

Convergence 8 encourages in the propagation/production of indigenous fruit trees. Evaluation of these species is based on these characteristics.
· Nutritional value
· Domestic and export potential
· Diversity of Uses
· Potentials for primary and secondary processing
· High yield and good income
· Potential for creating new employment
· Ecological significance
· Medicinal and industrial uses as well

Here is a list of potential fruits in the Ilocos Region. There are many others of minor importance.
Coconut Balimbing Kamias Mango Cashew Chico Duhat Cacao Guava Atis Guyabano Suha Nangka Rimas Kamansi Caramay Santol Siniguelas Tamarind Camuyao Tiessa Mabolo  Makopa Caimito Kamachile Bignay Sapote Anonang
Battocanag Tampoy Manzanitas Avocado Coffee Achuete Tea Betel nut

Pomegranate

Firewood Farming (Green Energy)·For more than a third of the world’s population, the real energy crisis is a daily scramble to find wood to cook meals. In the Third World 90 percent of the people depend on firewood. 

· Firewood scarcity is most acute in arid and semi arid regions, but is now felt in logged over areas and growing urban centers. Price of firewood has increased as much as the price of fossil fuels.

· In the sixties and seventies the Philippines introduced giant ipil-ipil, but monocropping resulted in fatal insect infestation. There is a need of systematic management in the culture of wood crops.

· Here is a list of firewood crops known to be adapted in the Ilocos region. Many of these are also valuable for timber and construction materials.
Acacia (Samanea saman and Acacia auriculiformis)
Agoho (Casuarina equisitifolia)
Madre de cacao or kakawate (Gliricidia sepium)
Talisay (Terminalia catappa)
Katuray (Sesbania grandiflora)
Mangroves (Rhizophora, Brugiera, Avicennia)
Bamboo (Bambusa spp.)
Gmelina (G. arborea)
Alagao (Trema odorata)
Eucalyptus (E. globulus, E. grandis)
Bitaog (Callophyllum innophylum)
Kamachile (Pithecolobium dulce)
Golden shower (Cassia fistula)
Ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucacephala or L. glauca)
Aratiles (Muntingia calabura)
Duhat (Syzygium cumini)
Albizia or kariskis (A. lebbekoides)
Aroma or candaroma (Acacia farnesiana)
Firetree (Delonix regia)

There are many others that include kapok, mulberry, alokong, ilang-ilang, and lanute. Firewood also comes from shrubs like pandakaki or busbusilac, pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and other plant residues (e.g. dried coconut palm, tobacco stalk). All over the world, there are 1,200 firewood species listed, with 700 given top ranking.

Greening with Malunggay and Kakawate through Stem Cuttings       

Malunggay is the most nutritious local vegetable (leaves and fruits)
Kakawate is the most versatile wood crop (renewable firewood, construction material for dwelling and fence)

· Easy to propagate through stem cuttings
· Same soil (well-drained) and climatic requirements (onset of the rainy season)
· Procedure is basically the same. 

Available POTs for Convergence 8
Packages of Technology and References
Hillyland Farming Systems in the Philippines
Farm systems and Soil Resources Institute, UPLB 1986

KABASAKA: A program to increase income of rainfed rice farmers, PCARRD, 1979

The Philippines Recommends: Corn, Mango, Pineapple, Grapes, Coffee, Cacao, Ginger, Mungo, Water Impounding, Agroforestry, Bamboo, Production of Fast Growing Hardwoods, Irrigation Management, PCARRD (1970-80)

Success Stories of Farmer-Managed Coconut-Based Farming Systems
(Vols. 1 & 2) PCARRD, 1991; Measuring the Economic Viability of Agricultural Technologies, PCARRD 1991; Technology Transfer for Sustainable Development; DOST-PCARRD-PCAMRD 1989

Firewood Crops – Shrub and Tree Species for Energy Production
National Academy of Sciences, Washington DC 1980

Promising Fruits of the Philippines – R.E. Carbonel (UPLB)

Technology! (Copra Dryer, Banana Rejects for Cattle, Multi-purpose Farm Pond, Ipil-ipil Meal, Coco Timber, Corn and Ipil-ipil Farming, Backyard Fattening of Cattle, Rice-fish Culture), PCARRD (1970-1990)

Extension Bulletin of Food and Fertilizer Technology Center ASPAC (100 volumes of varied topics) 1960 to 2000

Plants of the Philippines (1971) – UP Diliman; Useful Plants of the Philippines (3 volumes, original 1938)) by William H. Brown

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM, 8-9 evening class Monday to Friday Saemaul Undong (New Community Movement in South Korea) FFTC 1970

Note: Convergence 8 Program was presented in a briefing with Congressman Salacnib Baterina, Ist District of Ilocos Sur some years ago. I am posting the outline of the proposed program after it was recently presented in a lecture in the academe. It may also serve as reference for development planners. ~

Loving God through Nature. When a pair of butterflies alights on your hands, you are blest...

 Loving God through Nature 

When a pair of butterflies alights on your hands, you are blest, for you must have the hands that work, the hands that write truth and love, the hands that take care of the young, old, and the less fortunate, that light a candle in he night and in prayer, for the butterflies are emissaries of God to remind us all, that Nature and Man and all Creation, are one under His guidance and care.

NOTE:  A good number of these articles maybe opened in this Blog avrotor.blogspot.com or its extension Naturalism - the Eighth Sense.  Search by typing the title of the article you wish to open. ~

Rip van Winkle Junior

Rip van Winkle Junior

Dr Abe V Rotor


Rip Van Winkle, the legendary character in Washington Irving's short story of the same title. Acknowledgment: Wikipedia, Internet.

A balikbayan was visiting his hometown. He wanted to relive his pleasant childhood. There is something irresistible, a homing instinct that draws many balikbayan to come home in the later years of their lives. Some wish to be buried in the town of their birth.

His townmates called him Tatang, a courtesy to a much older person who is like a father. In fact Tatang means father. To earn this title is not easy.

“You must be part of the people,” a Filipino sociologist said. “And you must have the respectability and touch.” But the most important qualification he mentioned is that you have to have children of your own who call you tatang in the biological sense. In the case of Tatang Ramon, his title is sociological.

Which gives essence to the term kapamilya, connoting extended family. Indeed that’s how small the hometown of Tatang Ramon is. Kinship is by consanguinity, affinity and by being a kababayan, rolled in one.

Tatang Ramon felt easy with the people especially the children, and he felt reciprocated. Well, this is what you call touch. Tatang Ramon had the touch when he talked, even with a slight slang that gives an inkling he is a balikbayan from the states. He had the touch when greeting his kababayan and talking to them. And he had a good memory; he could relate people to one another, at least people in his generation, with something interesting about them.

He is indeed a balikbayan – he is bringing out beautiful memories weaving them with the happenings of a changing world. He even talked of post-modern living, giving emphasis to the prefix, to stress the fact that we are "living in the future." What with space exploration, the Internet and cloning - but he did not dwell much on these for fear he might not be understood.

One day Tatang Ramon found a young man scratching the ground with a stick. He was reminded of his bible. There is a part where Christ was meditating scratching the ground with a stick – which up to now no one knows what He wrote. Around him were angry people who were about to stone a woman to death because she committed a grave sin. Christ rose and said, “He who has no sin casts the first stone.” No one dared. The people left and Christ said to the woman, “Go and sin no more.”

Tatang Ramon approached the fellow who was seemingly in deep reflection. He didn’t know what attracted him to do so. Apparently the fellow was sad and lonely. He needed comfort, at least company. He was writing something on the ground which could not be deciphered. To his surprise, he found out that the fellow is the son of a classmate of his in the elementary.

“What’s you name, young man?” he asked

“Jun,” he quipped, “Jun po … Tang.” Short for tatang. And he talked about his father.

“Why, you look like your father.”

You can imagine how the two fell into a familiar conversation, such as what Tatang Ramon and Jun’s father Tatang Juan had in common, what they did in school, but more important what they did after school. Oh, they fished in the river, rode bicycle together, played sipa and competed in nearby towns. It’s a novel if you are patient to hear everything. Tatang Ramon cut the story, “…then I left for the states … finished college … raised a family … found a good job … my children are on their own now… and here I am, a balikbayan.”

Jun did not say a thing. He heard Tatang Ramon all right.

One qualification how the title Tatang is earned is to be able to advise effectively. Even if you are not a sociologist this is basic. And what do you think Tatang Ramon did?

He gave an unsolicited advice. He cleared his throat, sat beside Jun like a father should to a troubled son.

“You see Jun, when you finish college you will meet people and visit different places. You will find a good job. And you will free yourself from the cares and worries of the world.” He paused, waiting for a response. There was none.

“You will simply enjoy the leisure of life.” The balikbayan flashed a friendly grin, thinking he had driven well his point.

The simpleton momentarily stopped scratching the ground, looked at his new mentor and casually spoke.

“And what do you think I’m doing now, 'Tang?"

Tatang Ramon felt he does not deserve the title – what with Jun’s response?

His mind found solace in his readings. He realized Rip van Winkle is still alive. He is in our midst.

Rip van Winkle is the principal character of a short story of the same title written by Washington Irving in the late 17th century.

Rip van Winkle was a very lazy person, a henpeck husband who left home and went up the mountain on a leisurely hunting and did not return until twenty years later. He fell asleep for twenty long years!

“Who am I?” He asked the villagers when he found his way back to his village. Everything had changed, it was a new era. America was now an independent nation. Madam Winkle had long been gone. When he finally reached his old home, a young man was scratching the ground with a stick. His house was still there but was falling apart.

“I am Rip Van Winkle!” The old man cried. “Can’t anyone recognize me?” He paused and got closer to the young man and examined him from head to foot. He looked familiar. "And who are you?"

“I am Rip van Winkle,” came a wry answer.

x x x

Dimorphism

Dimorphism

Dimorphism 1. (Botany) the occurrence within a plant of two distinct forms of any part, such as the leaves of some aquatic plants 2. (Zoology) the occurrence in an animal or plant species of two distinct types of individual 3. (Chemistry) a property of certain substances that enables them to exist in two distinct crystalline forms

                         Dimorphism in an echinoderm: four- and five-arm starfish

Dimorphism in a plant with two distinct flowers: yellow male and red female

Dimorphism in insects: winged male and wingless female Orgya bagworm

Dimorphism in fowls: peacock displays highly decorated plumes to woe a peahen. ~

Living with the Lighter Side of Human Nature

 Living with the Lighter Side of Human Nature 

Lighten your load. Brighten up. You have been too serious in life and everyday living. Shift to your right brain more often - the seat of the lighter side of human nature, and the spring of happiness. Happiness is the most basic freedom. It is the primordial right of every human being.

Contents

1. Wit is the soul of humor
2. Practice the art of telling jokes
3. Take a break with jokes
4. Religious humor and wit
5. Feeling great with great men in the museum
6. Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy
7. Nahulog sa tulay (He fell off the bridge)
8. The art of loafing
9. The fine edge of awareness
10. Communion with Nature - 10 ways
11. The power of stillness
12. Piece of Eden and peace of mind
13. Respite with nature in painting
14. Halloween - celebration with the dead, ghosts and spirits
15. Nature comes alive with children on a wall mural
16. Bring home the waterfalls
17. Ode to a stream on the wall
18. A kid's adventure with nature on a wall
19. The moon in the garden
20. Three anecdotes on friendship and career
21. Two anecdotes on reaching destination fast & "too many cooks"
22. Dialogue with the butterfly
23. Black cat before a waterfall
24. Dolls simply don't die, they just outgrow us
25. Listen to the sea in the city
26. Living with superstitious belief in two parts
27. Christmas stories, events, jokes and quotes
28. Tempering childhood with nature
29. Young musicians 
30. Kites and dreams
31. Giants - real or imaginary - mingle with us
32. Life is beautiful
33. Second time around in my prime through art
34. Bring home the raincloud
35. Waterfall in our dreams
36. Mural, mural on the wall - who is the fairest of all
37. The sound of nature
38. Wish by the sea
39. Meditation - reflection and relaxation
40. Plot the earth as it moves around the sun 
41. Auguries of solitude
42. Ageing is like good wine; it becomes mellow with age
43. Do you have a happy love life?
44. Gross National Happiness (GNH)
45. Books written by Dr Abe V Rotor

NOTE: A good number of these articles maybe sourced from this Blog avrotor.blogspot.com or its extension Naturalism - the Eighth Sense. Open the blog and type the article you wish to open.