Frog Season

Abe V Rotor

Green Pond Frog

Tukak Ba-ug

Tree Frog

You live on land, you live in water;
Amphibian is your name.
You sleep in summer, wake up to the rain;
Vital link of the food chain.

You are a friend to every farmer
But you scare the children;
Research and service you offer
Your whole life to the end.~


Living with Nature, 3 AVR

Not all wastes can be recycled. They lead to autotoxicity.

Site of biggest oil spill in the Philippines, 2006. Guimaras Island is Paradise Lost

Oil spill!

If we can't prevent it, can we effectively recycle spilled oil? Not with hydrocarbon compounds; not in the case of oil spill.

The Petron oil spill in Guimaras in 2006 destroyed thousands of hectares of marine and terrestrial areas irreversibly upsetting ecosystems and depriving the residents of their livelihood.

Similar oil spills of major proportion also occurred this year in Bataan and San Fernando, La Union.

But the biggest oil spill ever in history, spilling some 100,000 barrels of oil a day since the incident early this year is still taking place in the Gulp of Mexico. Unless the submarine well is effectively capped by BP, the owner, a British based company, the whole length of the US southern coastline and the western coast of Mexico will become ecologically endangered.

Spilled oil is difficult to gather and to refine. Recovery is measly and very costly. The unrecovered oil continues to cause havoc to livelihood, wildlife, transportation, and coastline communities. The toll is heavy and damage is usually irreversible.

Not all wastes can be recycled.

1. Recyling is not recommended where pollution is heavy and unabated such as a mudflat.

2. Watch out for toxic materials

• Toxic metals: Cadmium, Mercury, Lead
• Hospital and medical wastes, including radioactive materials
• Pesticide residues, especially dioxin
• Industrial wastes, like acids, Freon, alkalies

3. Chemical pesticides are concentrated in food chains by biological magnification, which means that the toxic material can accumulate in the body of a predator. Frogs succumb slowly through cumulative poisoning from sprayed insects, Tuna accumulates from the toxic residues of its preys. Net accumulation of pesticide residues is the cause of many ailments in humans heretofore undetermined.

Wastes that cannot be recycled will certainly poison the earth. We call this autotoxicity, which means we humans are poisoning ourselves - and the whole biosphere for that matter. ~

Part 1: Sustainable Farm Productivity through Recycling

Abe V Rotor

“How wonderful is creation when we realize in a miniscule
the universality of the simple linked to the complex,
where every living thing is part of life’s interrelating;
like a chain, its strength shared by each link cooperating.” AVR

Everything on earth and in the universe undergoes a cycle, a beginning and an end, and in between a period of growth, stability and senescence Yet no cycle could succeed unless it is part of an interrelationship with and among other cycles in the biological and physical world, each lending a vital role aimed at a holistic and perpetual oneness apparently designed by an unknown hand.

Cycle and recycle is the principle key to homeostasis that maintains the integrity of the biosphere, and the whole Planet Earth . Everything is tuned to a cycle - the passing of seasons, alternation of generations, food web and food chain, “natural” clocks, ecosystem seres, etc. And none of these can work without being part of a complex pattern of inter-relationships.

Recycle Farm Wastes

1. The moist common materials for composting in the farm are rice straw, peanut and mungo hay, banana stalk, corn stover, Azolla, ipil-ipil, wood and coconut shavings, livestock wastes and chicken droppings, pond scum, water lily and weeds.

2. Actually we get so little of the fertilizer value we put into a crop as shown by this typical fertilizer efficiencies.
• 30 to 60 % for N,
• 10 to 35 % for P, and
• 15 to 30% for K.

3. There are more nutrients removed from the soil that go into the straw than the grain. Here is a comparison. (Grain versus straw, kg nutrient/MT)
• Nitrogen: 10.5 - 7.0
• Phosphorus: 4.6 – 2.3
• Potassium: 3.0 – 17.5
• Magnesium: 1.5 – 2.0
• Calcium: 0.5 - 3.5

4. Rice straw contains 85-90 percent of potassium (K) of the biomass. Thus much greater amounts of K must be applied to maintain soil supply where straw is removed.

5. Small Water Impounding Projects (SWIP) are popular in many parts of the world where water is seasonal. Bigger ones can even generate electricity for locality.

6. Recycle crop residues to raise livestock. Our Philippine carabao is perhaps the most efficient feed converter. Of the ruminant animals it has a digestive system that can extract sufficient nutrients from roughage, enabling them to survive long dry spells.

7. Recycling with poultry makes use of farm by-products such as rice and corn bran, and reduces wastage in crops. Upgraded native chicken are more resistant than pure breeds, and are more resistant to pest and unfavorable weather. These chickens thrive on palay and corn; they forage in the filed, and glean on leftovers. They are therefore, more economical to produce, tastier and free of antibiotic residues and artificial growth hormones.

8. Recycling with goats makes use of farm by-products and plants. Practically anything that grows in the field is food for goats, be it weed or crop. Thus they are very destructive to plants that they must be restrained in pens or tethered.

9. Recycle wastes from market and kitchen Vegetable trimmings, and waste from fish and animals require efficient collection, segregation and processing into biogas and organic fertilizer.

10. Recycling leads to the development of many products. Fruits in season that otherwise go to waste are made into table wine of different flavors. Typhoon or drought affected sugarcane make excellent natural vinegar and molasses.

11. Another recycling project is vermiculture, the culture of earthworms for game fishing and protein supplement in feeds. Earthworm casting are excellent soil additives and conditioners for ornamental and garden crops.

12. Hydroponics or soiless culture of crops, and organic farming are becoming popular worldwide. Strict quality control is required, insuring consumers that the products were not treated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and should not contain a trace of toxic metals, radiation and dangerous contaminants.

13. Don’t throw away Nature’s Gifts, but tap them instead. Examples: Lantana camara as natural pesticide; oregano as natural medicine cough and sore throat; chichirica as drug against cancer; pandan as spice and condiment; eucalyptus as liniment and cold drops; bunga de China for toothpaste, lagundi for fever and flu. Many of these plants are taken for granted and many of them are considered weeds.

Part 2: Recycling: Key to Self-reliance, Homeostasis and Sustainability

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal that can save material and help lower greenhouse gas emissions (compared to plastic production, for example). (Wikipedia)

Dr Abe V Rotor

1. Recycling helps moderate global warming, the buildup of heat in the environment from increased human activity in a postmodern world. Recycling offers opportunity to everyone in doing his part in combating global warming, and the effects of El Niño.

2. Recycling corrects the growing imbalance of acidity and alkalinity of the soil and water (pH value). Too acidic or alkaline conditions lock up available nutrients useful to life, affect the physiology of living things. Recycling buffers acid rain which is responsible for the death of whole ecosystems like forests, coral reefs, and destruction of fields, pasture, seas, and even valuable pieces of art.

3. Recycling is not ideal where monoculture is practiced, thus it aims to lead farming back to a system of multiple cropping and integrated farming. Tri-commodity farms – production of crops, animals and fish – are best suited to recycling, and guarantee the gains in recycling itself.

4. Self-contained farming is therefore an important condition for recycling to succeed - and that recycling in return insures the success of the other. It is in principal and practice imitating nature. There is no formula in keeping our environment healthy and balance. This is indeed the answer to spiraling prices if farm inputs, and the decreasing productivity of farms.

5. E. Schumacher pointed out in his thesis and book, Small is Beautiful, that being small after all, is the alternative to corporate failure, the inability of bigness to adjust to change, analogously like “dinosaur syndrome”, which explains the failure of these primitive giants to survive abrupt change of their environment.

Continued

Part 2: Recycling: Key to Self-reliance, Homeostasis and Sustainability

Dr Abe V Rotor

1. Recycling helps moderate global warming, the buildup of heat in the environment from increased human activity in a postmodern world. Recycling offers opportunity to everyone
in doing his part in combating global warming, and the effects of El Niño

2. Recycling corrects the growing imbalance of acidity and alkalinity of the soil and water (pH value). Too acidic or alkaline conditions lock up available nutrients useful to life, affect the physiology of living things. Recycling buffers acid rain which is responsible for the death of whole ecosystems like forests, coral reefs, and destruction of fields, pasture, seas, and even valuable pieces of art.

3. Recycling is not ideal where monoculture is practiced, thus it aims to lead farming back to a system of multiple cropping and integrated farming. Tri-commodity farms – production of crops, animals and fish – are best suited to recycling, and guarantee the gains in recycling itself.

4. Self-contained farming is therefore an important condition for recycling to succeed - and that recycling in return insures the success of the other. It is in principal and practice imitating nature. There is no formula in keeping our environment healthy and balance. This is indeed the answer to spiraling prices if farm inputs, and the decreasing productivity of farms.

5. E. Schumacher pointed out in his thesis and book, Small is Beautiful, that being small after all, is the alternative to corporate failure, the inability of bigness to adjust to change, analogously like “dinosaur syndrome”, which explains the failure of these primitive giants to survive abrupt change of their environment.

Continued

Beware of Lead (Pb) poisoning!

Abe V Rotor

NOTE: This is a lesson in Advanced Ecology, UST Graduate School. Read more about lead poisoning, so with other toxic metals, like Mercury and Cadmium. This topic was discussed on Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, Please refer to previous posts in this Blog.

The case of the sickly boy.

Here is a case of slow lead poisoning. He was a boy of five, and the kindly old family doctor was puzzled of his sickly condition. Then on a fine Sunday morning the doctor happened to drop at the boy’s residence. While having coffee with the family the doctor exclaimed, “Now I know why my young patient is sickly!”

It was like Archimedes who got out of the bathtub shouting, “Eureka! Eureka!” (I found it, I found it) He pointed at the gold lining on the rim of the coffee cup which has faded which means that the user is slowly taking in the lead-rich paint. On inspecting the other china the doctor found the same condition.

Lead is generally used to fix many kinds of paints. For years lead is mixed with gasoline to improve combustion and reduce engine knock. Today the use of lead is strictly regulated all over the world. Look for the lead-free label when buying paints for school use or as house paint. Use only unleaded gasoline. And fix that crumbling wall paint.

Mass lead poisoning stakes the cities.

As people move from the countryside to live in cities, among the risks they encounter is lead poisoning. Our old folks seldom suffered from this malady because they were living in a more pristine environment, and technology then was not as developed as it is today.

The first case of mass lead poisoning occurred among the Romans started coating their cups and vessels, which were made of bronze, with lead. Mysterious illnesses and deaths due lead poisoning never occurred to them for a long time.

Today it is estimated that over 400,000 children in the US have an excess of lead in their systems. This cumulative poisoning affects the brain, the nervous system, the blood, and the abdominal system characterized by severe stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, weakness and confusion combined with decreased alertness. Lead in the bone marrow interferes with the formation of red blood cells as well as damaging existing ones leading to anemia, pallor and weakness, and to a severe extent, delirium, coma and even death.

Lead poisoning is associated with the Good Life.

Avoid the following to get rid or at least minimize intake of lead.
• Automobile exhaust fumes
• Industrial wastes and air pollutants
• Paint of toys, walls, and windowsill
• Eating food or liquor prepared in lead containers
• Prolonged job contact with lead paints, batteries, solder.
• Eating food tainted with lead passed on through the food chain. Kangkong (Ipomea aquatica) has high lead residue. Fish liver contains lead more than any part of its body.

Living with Folk Wisdom, UST-AVR

Quotations to live by

“Everywhere people ask: ‘What can I actually do?’ The answer is as simple as it is disconcerting: we can, each of us, work to put our own inner house in order. The guidance we need for this work cannot be found in science and technology, the value of which utterly depends on the ends they serve; but it can still be found in the traditional wisdom of mankind.”

E.F. Schumacher
Small is Beautiful.


“It may lack professional sophistication, nonetheless it is the product of a wise soul, one which shrewdly insisted on moderation, preservation, and gradualism. It is economics of, for and by the people because it starts and ends with people, with their need for strong morale and their desire to be self-determining. xxx Poor countries slip, and are pushed, into the adoption of production methods and consumption standards which destroy the possibilities of self-reliance and self-help. The results are unintentional neocolonialism and hopelessness.”

Gandhian philosophy on Economics
Mohandas Gandhi


“The Planet Earth does not know which came first among the seasons. The only thing is that there is a reason. Love is the reason … first as a seed, became youth and turned man who surrenders life in dying without certainty of resurrection; and love again rekindles life in the veins of the newborn.”

Sedfrey A Ordoñez, Life Cycle

Asian Conference of Religions for Peace

7th Assembly at Manila , Philippines 2008.

Theme: Peacemaking in Asia. Sponsored jointly by ACRP Philippine Chapter, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, and University of Santo Tomas. It attended by 350 delegates representing twenty countries.

Abe V Rotor

What is ACRP?

I am presenting this capsule information about ACRP, per request of our readers and a number of inquirers. I had the opportunity as one of the editors of the proceeding of the 7th conference - Peacemaking in Asia - held in Manila, October 17 to 21, 2008.

Asia accounts for one third of the world continent and half of the global population and is the home of many outstanding civilizations, including those of ancient Mesopotamia, and the Indus and Yellow River valley. Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam all originated in Asia. ACRP has the mission of using Asia's spiritual talent to serve as model in showing the rest of the world what it means to live in harmony, and to bring out the best of our human nature.

The aims and aspirations of ACRP are: 1. to re-vitalize Asian religious heritage and to promote a creative and critical awareness of religious people in Asia in pursuit of peace, justice and human dignity; and 2. to motivate the people of Asia and the Pacific region to make concerted efforts in promoting peace.

Foundation of ACRP

The idea of ACRP started in September 1974 at Louvain, Belgium, among Asian delegates attending the Second Assembly of the World Conference on Religion and Peace. The ensuing two years' laborious preparation gave birth to the Organization. With ACRP having been formally formed, Asian religious people now have a visible manifestation of their own fellowship and concern for peace.

General Assemblies of ACRP

1st Assembly at Singapore in 1976. The Assembly attracted 400 participants from 17 countries representing 10 religions under the theme "Peace Through Religion." Soon after the first assembly, the Boat People Project was started to help refugees from Indo-China in response to an emergency call and action of the assembly.

2nd Assembly at New Delhi in 1981. The Assembly gathered 450 participants from 20 countries representing 10 religions under the theme, "Religion in Action for Peace."

3rd Assembly at Seoul in 1986. The Seoul Assembly involved 240 participants from 22 countries representing 10 religions under the theme "Bridge of Peace in Asia." The assembly gave birth to the Center for Peace Education that was established in Seoul in 1987.

4th Assembly at Kathmandu in 1991. The theme of this Assembly "Asian Religions Toward The 21st Century." It gathered 300 delegates from 21 countries representing 16 religious groups.

5th Assembly at Ayufthaya in 1996. Under the theme "OurAsian Neighborhood," the Assembly involved more than 270 participants from 25 countries.

6th Assembly at Jogjakarta in 2002. This Assembly had for its theme "Asia the Reconciler. Some 300 delegates from 28 countries participated in the Jogjakarta Assembly.

7th Assembly at Manila , Philippines 2008. The theme is “Peacemaking in Asia.”. It was sponsored jointly by ACRP Philippine Chapter, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, and University of Santo Tomas, attended by 350 delegates representing twenty countries.

Activities of ACRP

1. Project of Rebuilding Peace in Iraq. In May 2005, ACRP invited Iraqi religious leaders to discuss a project that could help rebuild peace in Iraq. As a result of that discussion, the Korean-Iraq Peace Project was launched by ACRP. The project includes among others the training of Iraqi medical doctors at medical centers in Korea and the treatment of Iraqi injured children in Korean hospitals.

2. Relief of Earthquake Victims in Pakistan. ACRP donated relief goods and funds for the Feb-ruary 2006 earthquake victims in Pakistan through the support of ACRP chapters in China, Japan and Korea.

3. Relief of Earthquake Victims in Indonesia. ACRP launched a humanitarian aid project to help the victims of earthquakes that hit Indonesia in 2005 and 2006. ACRP built 200 residential houses for victims in one village through the support of Japan, China and Korea.

Structure of ACRP

ACRP consists of sixteen (16) chapters in Asia and the Pacific areas: Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, China, DPR of Korea, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Cambodia ~

Part 1: Treaty of Man and Nature

Abe V Rotor

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. Similar tragedies occurred in Maasin, Southern Leyte, and in Real, Quezon, resulting in the death hundreds of people due to flood and landslide.

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.

Continued

Misaligned Tapir

Abe V Rotor

Malaysian Tapir, Avilon Zoo, Rizal

Half elephant, half bull, half smiling, half sad;

Half your body white, half black, half bear, half hog;

Tell me whoever are you, where did you hide?

Were you in Noah Ark or left in the wild?

Home, Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

Meet the Iguana

Abe V Rotor

Spiny iguana, Avilon Zoo, San Mateo Rizal

Iguanas originate in Central and South America and are tropical, arboreal lizards. They are herbivorous, feeding on leaves, fruits and flowers in the wild.

The family of Iguanidae includes all lizards commonly called “iguanas” with eight groups genera :
Iguana - Iguana delicatissima, and Iguana iguana – the green iguana.
Ctenosauria – spiny tailed iguanas, such as those in the photos.
Brachylophus – Fijian banded iguana, native to Fiji and Tonga islands.
Cyclura – rock iguanas found in the Caribbean.
Amblyrhyncus – Galápagos marine iguanas, feed on marine algae.
Conolophus – Galápagos land iguanas, feed on plants, including cacti.
Dipsosaurus – desert iguanas of the Southwestern United States and Mexico.
Sauromalus – chuckwalla, found in the Southwestern United States, Mexico and on islands in the Gulf of California.

Acknowledgment: Avillon Zoo

Some traffic rules of life

Take time with life

Abe V Rotor

Don't ride on the waves, and sail out. Ahoy!
Don't go with the wind in blinding rain;
Don't go out to the deep across the buoy;
Don't go on fast car, or bullet train.

Do find the crossroad, know where you're bound;
Do read Stop or Dead End on the lane;
Do heed the whistle and the siren sound;
Do heed the old, the wise and the sane.

Home, Sweet Home with Nature, AVR; acknowledgment: Avilon Zoo, Rizal

Dugout

Photos by Marlo R Rotor

Indigenous dugouts, Tacloban, Leyte

Abe V Rotor

Serendipity they say, is accidental discovery or invention. Should I say providential?

If the idea of a wheel came from a rolling stone, the idea of a banca or canoe came from a floating log.

These stories need no proof, and children before bedtime don't only believe in them, they put themselves into the shoes of the inventors, whoever they were. This is why the wheel or the boat never stopped evolving, and never will. Because children don't differentiate a real thing from a toy, neither the boundaries of work and game.

Look at the photo of a father and son. I like to think that the father made the dugout, and the boy, when he grows up, will make the outrigger and the sail. Imagine what the third and fourth generations will make. That's how the boat became a steamboat into a steamer. Even a failed invention led to the making of the submarine - which proved even more versatile than the battle ship in times of war and in probing the depth of the sea.

And can you imagine how the right side of the brain brought imagination into invention? A flying boat! An airplane, to a jet plane to a space ship!

Lucky that I am, and humanity. Eureka! Eureka! God's genius in man - through Serendipity. ~

Home, Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

Freak Coconut

Photo by Marlo R Rotor

Freaks do occur in nature. They are individual members of a species "gone stray."

A number of things can happen to a freak. It succumbs early and will not pass on the bad gene to the next generation - which is an advantage of the species.

A freak may be the result of extreme environmental condition, such as this coconut growing on a decapitated coconut as it seems. The explanation to this however is that a typhoon severely damaged the tree. From its injury roots formed. It is like marcotting. Injured stems tend to produce roots to augment food and water supply, and give a second life to the plant, or that branch which may become a scion. This acquired character is not heritable.

Third, a freak is a result of mutation, which means that the chromosomes which contain the genes - and ultimately the DNA - suffered of irreversible change, and therefore miscoding of the DNA. Here a freak is part of speciation, the formation of a new species. There is no guarantee though, if the resulting mutation is favorable or not to the organism. In any case, if the altered gene is passed on to the next generation the "freak" trait will reappear. Which brings to question, "When is a freak, a freak?" Which becomes academic if it becomes persistent in the succeeding generations.

It is Nature's tool in "purifying" the species. Albinism for one - the lack of melanin skin pigment reduces the chance that the carrier will survive and carry on the gene in the next generation. It is Nature's mysterious way of homeostasis, the dynamic balance in the living world - the biosphere.~

Home, Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

Sleeping Santo Niño on Jade

Photos by Marlo R Rotor

Part 2 Test on Simple Living

Dr Abe V Rotor
Lesson Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid
738 DZRB AM 8 to 9 evening Mon to Fri

Part A “Odd-man out” Pick out the unrelated word.

1. Asceticism, simplicity, materialism, austerity (simple living)

2. Tolstoy, Schweitzer, Gandhi, Hemingway (Disciples of simple living)

3. Darwin, Rousseau, Marx, Thoreau (Philosophers of simplicity in living)

4. Pinakbet, karekare, bagnet, bulanglang (vegetable recipe)

5. Bangos, tilapia, dalagang bukid, hito (one is not freshwater fish)

6. Gabi, kamote, cassava, katuray (root crops)

7. Kalabasa, malunggay, pipino, ampalaya (Family of Cucurbits)

8. Lato, nori, lumot, sea cucumber (edible sea weeds)

9. Kamatis, luya, sibuyas, paminta (sinigang recipe)

10. Luya, tanglad, pandan mabango, gabi (food spices, additive)

Part B True or False

1. Although asceticism generally promotes living simply and refraining from luxury and indulgence, not all proponents of simple living are ascetics
2.
3. Home gardening could be the layman’s answer to food shortage affecting worldwide.

4. Global Warming is a culprit to projected food shortage because of the erratic behavior of our climate, worsened by increasing frequency and intensity of force majeure.

5. Chemical pesticides and fertilizers has improved productivity of farmlands as well as enhanced sustainable production.

6. Farmers and their families live on edible wild life species of freshwater fish, crustaceans, mollusk and amphibians.

7. Decrease in food production is also a result of increasing price of fuel, so that when price of food goes up, increase in fuel follows.

8. For this matter (referring to the previous statement), the world’s population can safely increase further without fear of shortage in food and other needs. It is only a matter of improve technology and direct it to this purpose.

9. Vitamins and minerals are concentrated in the vegetable, not in its rind or skin. Thus you have to peel kalabasa, pipino, talong, patola and the like.

10. The sea is nearly 4 km deep, and up to 12 km at its deepest – which means that fishing has barely scratched the surface of the sea, thus there is no felt danger of depletion of resources.

11. GM rice or golden rice contains yellow pigment of daffodils which is rich in Vit A. Vit A may be needed by the body but an overdose of it may be deleterious to health such as allergy. This is the first case of “biopharming” – implanting drugs and medicine in food plants to act as food and medicine at the same time.

12. What economists insist that the road to good life is a economic development, and any country that remains underdeveloped will never have a taste of it.

13. There is limit to growth; it cannot be a perfect progression. Somehow the curve becomes an inverted C – which means that the factors of growths become the antithesis of growth itself.

14. Buy only reliable brands of tools, and if your budget allows, invest in lifetime tools such as Rigid, Stanley, Makita, Black and Decker, Bosch, Coleman, Crossman, Dremel, Sandvik, El Toro, to name a few. Be sure these are not imitations.

15. Home for the Golden Years must be kept as simple as possible, orderly, clean and healthy, removing things that may cause accidents.

16. Austerity brings awareness, it gives us time to plan out, to review our goals.

17. HiTech is expensive and it is the consumer who ultimately pays it. It is to the people the users of Hi Tech charge its cost. Austerity calls for a moderation in technology. Austerity and innovative technology are compatible. Innotech is people’s technology.

18. Modeling of successful projects such as coops (farmers multipurpose cops), agro-eco center (Cabiokid), Kabsaka (Sta. Barbara, Iloilo), mangrove farming, seaweed farming, Irrigators’ association, Dr. Parra of Iloilo – these must ride on Filipino trait of gaya-gaya. Gaya-gaya put to good use. Peer teaching and learning is effective among the masses, and should be complementary with formal education. Austerity opens a gateway to look into models we can adopt under our local conditions.

19. “Necessity is the mother of invention, so “crisis is the sphinx of survival.” (Story of the Sphinx.) What is it that walks on all fours in the morning, two at noon and three in the evening?”) Crisis is Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest. It rewards the strong, eliminates the weak, humbles the proud, deepens the soul, and elevates the spirit. - of those who can make it.” Crisis is the time to test man’s soul.” Soul is the ultimate of man’s capacity to survive. (Thesis of Victor Frankl – A Search for Meaning)

20. You practice the 7Rs in Waste Management: Reduce, Recycle, Refurbish, Renovate, Restore,
Reserve, Revere (and Rotor – Rotate). These 7Rs are vital tool in living an austere life.

21. The more closely related supply and demand cycle in a given community, the more self reliant the community is. This means that in that community, people produce what they consume; consumption motivates production and vice versa. This according to Dr. Anselmo Cabigan is a basic tenet of austerity, because the self-reliant community becomes less dependent on external factors and the vagaries of the larger environment.

TRIVIA: What is Epicureanism?


Based on the teachings of the Athens-based philosopher Epicurus flourished from about the fourth century BC to the third century AD. Epicureanism upheld the untroubled life as the paradigm of happiness, made possible by carefully considered choices. Specifically, Epicurus pointed out that troubles entailed by maintaining an extravagant lifestyle tend to outweigh the pleasure of partaking in it. He therefore concluded that what is necessary for happiness, bodily comfort, and life itself should be maintained at minimal cost, while all things beyond what is necessary for these should either be tempered by moderation or completely avoided.

NOTE: Answers will be posted soon.

San Juanico Bridge

San Juanico Bridge spans across the strait dividing two of the country's large islands - Leyte and Samar - a stretch of some two kilometers including the approaches. It was built during the time of President Ferdinand E Marcos in the sixties and seventies. The First Lady, Imelda Romualdez Marcos, comes from Leyte. She is now congresswoman of Ilocos Norte, the president's home province.

Bridge of love, two islands into one,

of one people, one country;
Built before its time, a dream come true -
Land of freedom and bounty.

Credit for the photos: Marlo R Rotor, and The House Keeper

Fisherman's Delight

 Fisherman's Delight
Abe V Rotor

I envy you my good friend, yours is freedom,

And there's no urgency even in the twilight;

I envy you like Hemingway's old fisherman,

Though his prize catch had never been known;

For I haven't caught a big one or known freedom. ~

Home. Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

Baribari’ : In Deference to the Spirits

Say bari-bari to appease the spirits of the place.

Abe V Rotor

Tudo ken init

Agparruar iti igges,
Rasut ti kalgaw.
Raining while the sun is up breeds insects. (This condition wakes the aestivating insects in summer.)

Bari-bari.
Sabali nga parsua.
Agpa-igidda.

Reverent expression to let a person pass through a thicket to appease the spirits guarding the place. (tabi-tabi, in Tagalog)

Aglawlaw pan-aw,
Saanmonto’t araduen.
Subliamto laeng.
Why farm a cogonal land when you can harvest the grass later? (Cogon grass is good for roofing or thatching)

Singin nga saba,
Singin met anakenna,
No mamatika.
Eat twin bananas if you want to give birth to twins. (A superstitious belief.)

Awan makitam,
angot langka agtaud
Uneg daga.
Jackfruit or nangka may bear fruits underground. (It's true. You can detect it by the aroma of the ripening fruit, and the earth mound under the tree.)

Buok ti mais
maanger ket inumen,
Bato marunaw.
Corn silk dissolves kidney stones. (An old herbal cure with scientific basis.)

Pagsinaem pay
sakbay nga aramatem.
Kuna ti Intsik
You can't use a pair of chopsticks unless you separate it. (a riddle and tool in teaching values)

Lulukisen no
kimmimbot,
Kasasam-itan.
Orange with indented bottom is sweeter than one with plain or protruding bottom. (Why don't you find it out yourself?)

Marsaba, asin
ti mangpaluom.
Agin-inaw.
A conceiving mother craves for sour and ripening fruits . (It's a physiologic response of many would-be mothers. Such natural response enhances nutrition for both mother and child.)

Trivia: Salt hastens ripening of fruits, just rub it on the cut stem.

Aglati daras,
Ka-uy-uyos nga dagum,
No mumalmalem.
Sewing needle not in use will finally rust. (Figuratively, lost opportunity, lost investment, lost time, and the like)

Akasem amin,
Agit-itlog
Pumanaw.

Don't gather all the eggs from the nest of a laying hen. It's likely that she will abandon her nest. Just leave one or two eggs. There are hens though that know simple arithmetic.)

Home, Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

Ügot ken Atab’(Ebb and Flow)

Sunken Pier, Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur

Abe V. Rotor

Agsinsinnublat,
Agmalmalem, agpatpatnag,
Ugot, atab’.
Tides come and go, day and night through.

Maisa kaniada,
Pobre agparti’t manok,
Iti masakit.
When a poor man eats chicken, one of them is sick.

Panaginnayat
Diay bassit a kalapaw
Napudno unay.
Love is truer in simple life.

Rupat’ arigna
Uray nakakidemka,
Panagsarita.
Without looking you know the character of a person the way he talks.

Karraragsakan
Mangparagsak dagiti
Malmalday unay.
He who makes those sad happy is the happiest.

Agbiddut ngata,
Ti awan aramidna,
Agmaymaysa?
Does one who hasn't done anything commit any mistake?

Awan agpada:
Bul-bulong, bit-bituen,
Kapanunutan.
No two leaves or stars are the same, so with human thoughts and ideas.

Napnuan saririt,
Kabusor, rig-rigat,
Pannakaabak.
Wisdom is gained from trials, sufferings and failures.

Lukipem sakbay
Lukatam ti panunot,
Usisaem pay.
Study a thing first before you make your mind.

Ad-adut’ matay
Iti lamut ngem bisin.
Nakababain.
More die of gluttony than hunger. What a shame.

Natalna unay,
Tarampo wenno pilid,
Kaar-aramid.
Spinning top or wheel - works perfectly well when new.

Agbilangkanto’t
Sangagasot ket maysa,
Oras panagdua-dua.
Count to one-hundred-and-one the time you are in doubt.

Atiddag iti biag
No dakkel iti lapayag.
Agkalkal-lingag.
He who has big ears live long. He is alert to sound.

Maturog kadi’t
Karasaen ken buaya?
Agan-annadka.
The wicked never sleeps. Beware!

Home, Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

University of Santo Tomas in respite

Bonus Assignment: Photography students in Communication Art. (4CA2 and 4CA4) Write a verse to capture the ambiance shown by this photo. Please see other assignment. (Canon Winning Photos.)

The Fire of Reason and Passion

Abe V Rotor

Famous mural of HR Ocampo, Cultural Center of the Philippines

Revolution divided the gods and stirred humans,

When Mt Olympus raged against the gift of fire;

Zeus roared, "The world will never be the same again!"

Hence the fire in man's heart and fire of reason.

Either through serendipity or invention,

Men are put to the test by their own creation;

Kings, philosophers and artists vying for power,

With the fire in man's rage and fire of his passion.~

Home, Sweet Home with Nature, AVR

Wild Geese in V Formation

Abe V Rotor

Those who watched the movie Fly Away Home know why wild geese fly in V formation. Using a motorized glider as the lead, the home grown flock followed it all the way along the migratory route.

The working principle of the V formation may be illustrated by the body shape of a fighter jet, particularly the stealth. The nose of the plane breaks the air barrier. Likewise the lead bird bears the same brunt, relieving much pressure on the members of the flock.

Now and then the leader falls back to rest, with the bird next in position taking over the lead. This relay takes place many times during the non-stop flight covering hundreds of miles. Those that cannot endure the long journey break away and make it to land where they may recover and later join the flight of succeeding flocks. Many don't make it, while others adapt to the place as their new home. Our native duck (itik) was introduced this way, which interbreed with local breeds. ~

Living with Folk Wisdom, AVR; Wikipedia

Glowing Spider

Abe V Rotor

You glow to decoy your prey

into your arms and fang;

or lurk in the magic glow

of phosphorescence

to mimic your surroundings

- an invincible knight you are!

Then throw a thousand spears

like the Spartans at siege,

glowing best in victory.~