Is the Good Life synonymous to Affluence?

Is the Good Life synonymous to Affluence?

 "People want goods and services beyond what they actually need. 

Want leads to luxury - to waste." - avr

Dr Abe V Rotor

Reverence for Life - Key to The Good Life - Mural in acrylic by AV Rotor. 

 Courtesy of DV Sabellano 

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.

What is the Good Life when religion becomes an enemy of the environment? 
Millions of trees and palms are sacrificed every Palm Sunday. Potential loss in coconut alone is immeasurably high, affecting farmers and the industry.

4. The world’s population is about 8 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

“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.

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.

Reflection of deer in a fountain, UST Manila 

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, wih 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.

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 actuallty revolutionized medicine. More and more countries are banning GMO crops and animals through legislative measures and conservation programs, including protection against “biopiracy”

No to Genetically Modified Organisms Campaign all over the world

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.

• Hydroponics or soiless 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.

 

   Two views from Antipolo of  Marikina Valley, a dying ecosystem

  

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 F

Arius - Batanes' signature tree

Arius - Batanes' signature tree 

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Batanes State University in cooperation with the Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Science and Technology, is developing the Arius as a signature plant of Batanes in like manner Kiwi fruit is the signature of New Zealand, and Smyrna Fig of  ancient Persia (now Iran). 

Pastry made from the "berries " of Arius, product developed by Batanes State University. Pastry is the name given to various kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder, and eggs. Small tarts and other sweet baked products are called "pastries"

Here is a classical example of a "wild plant" rediscovered for its many potential uses. 

1. Pastries and other bakery products
2. Jam, jelly, "raisin"
3. Fruit wine, natural vinegar
4. Fruit juice, tea
5. Health food - rich in tannin, flavonoid, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, calories and vitamins
6. Enhancement of active long life.
7. Reforestation, watershed, windbreak, ornamental
8. Pesticide - volatile oil is a safe insect repellent.
9. Natural Christmas tree - saves cutting of trees during the Season.
10. Living fossil - helps trace evolution and phylogeny of living things. 

The gymnosperms are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and Gnetales. The term "gymnosperm" comes from the Greek word gymnospermos, meaning "naked seeds", after the unenclosed condition of their seeds.Gymnosperms are much older than angiosperms, they were the dominant plants before and during the time of the dinosaurs (Mesozoic Period)) while the angiosperms began to flourish in the Cenozoic Period when the human species began to develop - and to what we and the living world are at present.

Stages in the development of the cone to berry. NOTE: The term berry is used here for practical reason, not as botanical description; true berries are the fruits of certain flowering plants. (Acknowledgement: Internet, Wikipedia, Missouri Botanical Garden). 

Arius (Podocarpus costalis) a relative of the pine and cypress is a gymnosperm, which is distinct from angiosperms or flowering plants. Many gymnosperms like the redwood, bristle pine and our own Baguio pine are among the longest living organisms on earth. Although it may not live for one thousand to three thousand years like the Sequoia and Bristle Pine, Arius for one has a lifespan of 100 to 300 years for which it earned its name "century plant" in its native habitat - Formosa, now Taiwan and Batanes. To the Ivatans, it is Batanes Pine. 

Arius is listed among the endangered species of the world.  It is because of its limited natural habitat - mainly shrub forests and natural vegetation on limestone formation such as those found in Batanes, such habitat is now facing increasing loss to agriculture, settlements and other forms of land use conversion. Domesticated Arius and those propagated for ornamental and bonsai lose their natural ability to adapt to new environments. Thus they fail to maintain a natural population even with the help of man. But not in Batanes.  This is why Batanes should undertake a conservation program for Arius through reforestation, habitat conservation and large scale planting. A natural gene bank must be established to study its genetic diversity and possible variations with those growing in other countries natural or introduced. Nursery management would be a good base for its propagation through multisectoral  approach, Arius being the very signature of the islands - singular and distinct - worldwide. 

     

 

Closeup of the foliage; medium size trees dominate a local landscape; Arius bonsai 

estimated to be two centuries old or so. (Eastwood bonsai fair. Photo by the author, 2013 )

One of the treasured plants at the former EcoSanctuary of St Paul University QC was a pair of Arius trees until tall buildings took over the garden.  Dr Sel Cabigan and I used to visit the plants when we were professors in that university.  Indeed the Arius is a very curious plant. 

First, it is unsuspecting as a gymnosperm. It does not have needle leaves like the pine. It produces cones becoming berries which ripen into dark purple, its seeds exposed at the bottom like the cashew (kasoy), as shown in the photo. 

Second, as a conifer, it is an evergreen.  The tree remains green throughout the year, its crown full and deep green. It loses its leaves one by one without being noticed, unlike the deciduous narra, talisay, and other flowering plants. Being a non-deciduous, it protects the area from brush fire.  It is efficient as watershed cover to catch and store water, while protecting the soil from erosion and siltation, and unexpected change in pH and fertility.  Its litter serves as mulch that slowly become organic fertilizer while conserving soil moisture in the process.   

Third, it is photoperiodic.  It responds to specific day length that dictates cone bearing and formation of berries. It is climate specific.  Though it may grow vegetatively on the lowland, and at lower latitude, it does not produce cones - and these may not form into "berries" at all.  In Batanes and Taiwan the Arius undergoes the normal cycle, being indigenous in these places. 

Fourth, its essential oil is an insect repellant, as ointment, smudge (katol), or simply by applying fresh leaves where insects abound like in poultry houses, kitchen cabinet, and tents. Try crushed leaves mixed with water for watering garden plants.     

Botany of Podocarpus costalis: Morphology

Shrubs or small trees to 3 m tall; bark greenish, very smooth; branches spreading horizontally. Foliage buds 2-4 × 2-4 mm, of long, triangular scales with spreading apices. Leaves spirally arranged, crowded at apex of branchlets; blade of adult leaves narrowly oblanceolate or linear-oblanceolate, (2.5-)5-7 × (0.5-)0.8-1.2 cm but juvenile leaves larger, leathery, midvein prominent and raised adaxially, less distinct but more broadly raised abaxially, base tapered into short petiole, margin slightly revolute, apex rounded or obtuse, subacute in juvenile leaves, sometimes mucronate. Pollen cones axillary, always solitary, sessile, cylindric or ovoid-cylindric, 3-3.5 cm × ca. 7 mm, surrounded at base by a cluster of membranous scales ca. 2 mm wide. Seed-bearing structures borne on peduncles ca. 1 cm. Receptacle red when ripe, cylindric, 1-1.3 cm, base with 2 deciduous, lanceolate sterile bracts ca. 1.5 mm. Epimatium dark blue when ripe. Seed ellipsoid, (8-)9-10 × 6-7 mm, apex rounded, shortly mucronate, mucro ca. 1 mm. - Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA

-----------------------------
Batanes State University in cooperation with the Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Science and Technology, is developing the Arius as a signature plant of Batanes in like manner Kiwi fruit is the signature of New Zealand, and Smyrna Fig of  ancient Persia (now Iran). The joint undertaking is headed by BSU research and extension director Dr. Robert Baltazar who found the potential value of the carbohydrate-rich berries.  

Special thanks to our relatives who brought to our home in QC pastries made from Arius: Mr and Mrs Werner Arthur and Erlinda Mohr, Jimmy Calucag, and daughters Ma Jennalyn and Ma Jamila Alconis-Calucag. Congratulations to Batanes State University and Dr Robert Baltazar et al. 

I also wish to acknowledge my former professor and co-professor at the UST Graduate School, Dr Florentino H Hornedo, a native of Batanes, for his invaluable achievements as university professor, author, social scientist , and UNICEF commissioner, and most specially as a friend. ~

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid  Dr Abe V Rotor and Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Greeting from a bird one morning

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Perperroka (Ilk) perches on the rear mirror of a car

She came singing sweetly one morning

     after the cock had done his part;

she came all the way from the far North

     to share her language and her art.

Greetings, I said, what is your message?   

     she said something very strange 

half Russian, half Chinese, I supposed  

     from Siberia over the range.

Ah, you came with the High, the cold wind 

     of the amihan blowing hard; 

she said something again, and this time 

     half bird, half human, to be heard.

I'm a traveler too, on rolling wheels

     on narrow road and wide street;

while yours is the sky and all below it,

     yet choose to drop by and to greet. ~  

Brewing into wine, child into man

Brewing into wine, child into man  

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

  Jared, 4, listens to the sparkles of newly brewed wine. .

He can hear deeper and keener,

things we take for granted;

innocence hones what has dulled

us, and had long wanted.

Wonder what he hears in a jar 
of wine in deep slumber,
ageing into its fullest prime,
the pride of the brewer.   

What matters to a young hand 
more than his presence,
but the brewing in him into man
of the finest essence.  ~

  

Tanglad and Soro-soro - best stuff for lechon

Tanglad and Soro-soro - best stuff for lechon

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Lemon Grass or tanglad (Baraniw Ilk) and Sorosoro or karimbuaya (Ilk) are the most popular spices to stuff lechon - baboy, baka, manok, and big fish like bangus.

These are wild plants that do not need cultivation; they simply grow where they are likely useful, indeed an evidence of co-evolution of a man-plant relationship. Tradition and culture evolve this way. Scientists elevated this knowledge to what is called ethnobotany, a subject in the graduate school. Retrieving and conserving traditional knowledge is as important as beating a new path.

For tanglad, all you have to do is gather the mature leaves, sometimes roots, make them into a fishful bundle and pound it to release the aromatic volatile oil. Stuff the whole thing into the dressed chicken or pig or calf to be roasted (lechon). Chop the leaves when broiling fish. Crushed leaves are used to give a final scrub. Tanglad removes the characteristic odor (malansa) and imparts a pleasant aroma and taste.

Tanglad is also used to spice up lemonade and other mixed drinks. It is an excellent deodorizer for bathrooms and kitchen. It is also used in the preparation of aromatic bath.

Not so many perople know that sorosoro makes an excellent stuff for lechon. The mature leaves are chopped tangential and stuffed into the dressed chicken or bangus for broiling.It has high oil content in its milky sap. It leaves a pleasant taste and it serves as a salad itself. It has a slight sour taste. Like tanglad, sorosoro removes the characteristic flesh and fishy odor. Add chopped ginger, onion and garlic as may be desired.

One word of caution: The fresh sap of sorosoro may cause irritation of the eye and skin. Wash hands immediately. Better still, use kitchen gloves.

Happy cooking.

Tanglad - Andropogon citratus DC

Soro-soro - Euphorbia neriifolia

Minerals that increase sexual vitality

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

1. Iodine is associated with the thyroid gland which is called the "emotional gland. An under-active thyroid may be the cause of sterility, depression and unsatisfactory sex life. Iodine helps in the control and balance of other elements in the body, which include calcium, magnesium and certain trace elements. Seafoods constitute the main source of iodine in our diet. Iodized salt is the most practical solution to iodine deficiency

problem.

 Arusip (Caulerpa racemosa) is rich in iodine

2. Okra and celery provide sodium, known as the "youth element." People well provided with this element are usually medium built and very much on the go. They are endowed with great endurance, .strength and passion. They have strong sex appeal. Sodium, together with calcium, magnesium and potassium, neutralize acid in the body. It is found in the blood and all body fluids. It maintains nerve conduction and electromagnetic potential bf tissues.

3. Potassium, which we get from avocado and banana, maintains our heart and muscles healthy and strong, thus keeping us alert and well coordinated. People who have sufficient intake of potassium have positive and diplomatic attitude, and have a

good sense of humor.

 Okra (Abelmoscus esculentus)

4. Iron aids in the oxygenation of the body through the lungs and blood. Since oxygen is essential to life, people who lack iron are anemic, docile and sickly. On the other hand, those who have adequate iron in their systems enjoy life. The most practical source of iron is green leafy vegetables. In fact, chlorophyll and Vitamin C enhance the absorption of iron from many food sources from dried fruits to fish and poultry.

5. Lecithin, vitellin and acetylcholine are organic compounds high in phosphorus content. Phosphorus is important in the proper functioning of the brain and nerves, thus it is referred to as "brain element." Adequate phosphorus is derived from vegetables, meat and fish, grains, seeds and nuts. People who enjoy good health is a result of phosphorus-rich food intake.

6. The main source of magnesium is yellow food. Among the popular food sources of this mineral are banana and avocado. Not many people know that lack of magnesium is manifested by tension and restlessness, which affect our sleep and our personal and social life. Relaxation is closely identified with magnesium. Relaxation is the key to a pleasing personality and an enjoyable love life.

7. Manganese is a catalyst, which enhances enzyme reactions in our brain, particularly the hypothalamus which is the sex center, and our nerves, these being important to the enjoyment of sex life. Foods rich in iron are also rich in manganese. People who are not taking enough of this mineral are cruel and insensitive, forgetful and impatient. Prolonged deficiency may contribute to mental problems and nerve disorders.

8. Sulfur makes us glow, so to speak. It makes our eyes sparkle, our steps quick, and our body movement sexy. Our skin, hair, lips, cheeks may not need any makeup if we eat sulfur-rich foods like onions and garlic, leeks (leaf-onion), radish (photo), cabbage and cauliflower. People who love to eat these foods look healthy and attractive, and really, they are endowed with the gift of emotion and passion, which is a key to the enjoyment of love life.

9. Calcium is important to long life, because it does not only build but also rebuild tissues in the bones and muscles, in fact all cells of the body. Women deplete calcium faster than men, and this is apparent as they approach menopause. General health and long life depend to a large extent on regular intake of calcium-rich foods, such as milk, vegetables, cereals, onions, poultry and fish. It maintains balanced pH and production of hormones. People who are well provided with calcium have large and heavy bones. They are workers and appear serious in life, but in fact, are patient and sexually active.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Green Mussel (tahong) is rich in calcium 

10. Perhaps the most basic of all elements is oxygen. It is the only element that we take in its free state. A slight deprivation of it will send one panting and gasping for air. Imagine if this happens during lovemaking. Oxygen makes 75 per cent of our body; and 20 per cent of our oxygen supply is used by the brain. People who exercise regularly and take balanced diet maintain a good level of oxygen supply.

UST GS Mobile phone towers threaten honeybees

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If the supply of honey in the market is dwindling and its price is going up, blame it to the electromagnetic waves emitted by mobile phone towers and cellphones that adversely affect the navigational skills of the worker bees that go out to collect nectar from flowers and make it into honey. As a result the whole colony starves and dies. This is happening all over the world where cell phones and related devices are being used.

NOTE: In other articles, electromagnetic waves have similarly affected the efficiency of many insects and organisms that are responsible in pollination.  The effect has been noted in the decreasing supply of fruits and vegetables - quality like sweetness, size, texture, nutritional content, and the like, notwithstanding.   
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Honeybee worker gathering nectar and pollen from Kamias flowers.

Mobile phone towers threaten honeybees

NEW DELHI (AFP) - The electromagnetic waves emitted by mobile phone towers and cellphones can pose a threat to honeybees, a study published in India has concluded.

An experiment conducted in the southern state of Kerala found that a sudden fall in the bee population was caused by towers installed across the state by cellphone companies to increase their network.

The electromagnetic waves emitted by the towers crippled the "navigational skills" of the worker bees that go out to collect nectar from flowers to sustain bee colonies, said Dr. Sainuddin Oattazhy, who conducted the study, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

He found out that when a cellphone was kept near a beehive, the worker bees were unable to return, leaving the hives with only the queen and eggs and resulting in the collapse of the colony within 10 days.

Over 100,000 people in Kerala are engaged in apiculture and the dwindling worker bees population poses a threat to their livelihood. The bees also play a vital role in pollinating flowers to sustain vegetation.

If towers and mobile phones further increase, the honeybees may be wiped out, Pattzhy said.~

The Philippine Star

September 5, 2009 Saemaul Undung 

Avoid Recycling Toxic Wastes

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

1. Recyling is not recommended where pollution is heavy and unabated such as this mudflat.  Silt in clean environment is excellent garden soil.

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, alkalis

                                       

3. Oil Spill Recycling? Not with hydrocarbon compounds; not in the case of oil spill. The

Petron oil spill in Guimaras in 2005 and 2013 destroyed thousands of hectares of marine and terrestrial areas irreversibly upsetting ecosystems and depriving the residents of their livelihood.

4. Chemical pesticides are concentrated in food chains by biological magnification. ~

Ad Infinitum to Doom

               Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Ad Infinitum to Doom in acrylic by AVR 

When a tree dies, a rivulet dies;

When a rivulet dies, a stream dies;

When a stream dies, a river dies;

When a river dies, a lake dies;

When a lake dies, a valley dies;

When a valley dies, a town dies;

Ad infinitum to doom.

                                                         AVR 2002

UST-AB Self-Administered Test on Simple Living (25 items, True or False)

Dr Abe V Rotor 
Living with Nature - School on Blog 

 Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio 

738 KHz DZRB AM Band, 8-9 evening class, Monday to Friday

UST-AB DevCom: Bring answers tomorrow's meeting February 21, 2014, AB Dean's Office, together with other assignments. 

Visit a museum rather than spending money in the mall.

Pahiyas in Lucban - a simple attraction every May 15 

1.      The term "voluntary simplicity" is one path to simple living, it emanates from oneself – self discipline.

2.      Simple living as a concept is distinguished from those living in forced poverty, as it is a voluntary lifestyle choice.

3.      Buddha, Francis of Assisi, John the Baptist, did not only live simply, they were early ascetics, and asceticism to them is a way of life.

4.      The best way to save money is to set aside immediately a part of your salary, say 20 percent, and budget strictly the 80 percent. This is more effective than setting 20 percent after having budgeted and spent 80 percent of your salary.

5.      You participate in the informal economy just like the farmer’s wife who goes to market to sell farm products and comes back with various household supplies.  This is contemporary barter system.  This is entrepreneurship on the grassroots.

6.      Food supplementation reduces our dependence on conventional food; discovery of new food sources like seaweeds, wild food plants, as well as the discovery of new ways to prepare food comes at the heels of austere living. Hamburger from banana flower (puso), Ipil-ipil for coffee DON’T – use roasted rice instead or roasted corn, papait vegetable, sea cucumber, kuhol, the many uses of gabi, substitution of wheat flour with rice flour. Substitution of staple food with root crops (camote, cassava) to save on precious rice.

7.      Postharvest losses reduces our supply, in fact to one-half, that by saving even only 10 percent of what is wasted, would be sufficient to fill up our annual deficit in rice and corn. Austerity is reducing our waste on all levels – production, postproduction, food preparation.

8.      You would rather buy things in volume, preferably at wholesale price (paint, cooking oil, rice), or by the dozens (e.g. eggs) for ready supply at home, particularly these days when prices are increasing and supply is unpredictable.

9.      You keep these tools and materials which you personally use now and then in various handiwork such as house repairs and gardening: a pair of pliers, hammer, set of screw driver, nails and screws, GI wires, electrical tester, and the like.

10.   As a general policy of any state, the government should pursue a self sufficiency program in food, particularly staple (rice and corn) as the best way to insure food security, even if there is adequate supply in the world market.

11.  You would rather have your laundry and ironing once a week rather than daily or every other day, scheduling it usually on a weekend, thus saving precious water and electricity, and getting more helping hands from the family.

12.   Family planning refers to limiting the number as well as proper spacing of your children.  If there is a sin of commission or omission, there is also a sin of neglect – and if that neglect is within the knowledge of the sinner, and the consequence is the ruin of the lives of those under his care as parent, atonement is almost unthinkable.

13.  It is easier to meet our needs than our wants to most people although to many, affluence is pursue even before needs are met.

14.  Youth today are torn between choices of white collar jobs and blue collar jobs.  They are lured to easy education – diploma mill, and on the modern method of leaning on the computer which actually does not offer an “end course” that makes one a professional like a doctor, lawyer, agriculturist, and the like. Austerity calls for a re-definition of courses that are functional in nature and p[practical in application, and relevant to the changing times. 

15.  Corn as a whole, tops all rice substitutes, other than the fact that 20 percent (14 million) of our population depends on corn as staple.

16.  In urban areas the most popular rice substitutes are noodle products, followed by pandesal and other wheat products. In rural areas, sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) and cassava (Manihot esculenta) top the list of rootcrops.

17.  Among the legumes, mungo (Phaseolus radiatus) is best known. Generally, consumers of these products are unaware that they are doing a favor to the rice industry, particular during the lean months.

18.   Food management at home was a subject required in the elementary a generation ago which was then called Home Economics.

19.   Save on food if you have less pets.  This is a policy of China even to the present to save on food. 

20.  There are more and more good schools in the provinces and chartered cities.  We would rather send our children in these schools for practical reasons.

For practical reasons prepare food at home. Avoid eating outside.  
If you cannot,  prepare packed meal and snacks (baon).

21.  Grains would rather be used directly as food and lessen the amount of using them in producing animal protein by feeding the grains to poultry and animals. By doing this we maximize the value of food and make them available to ordinary people.

22.  Tragedy of the Commons means that common people who do not wake up to the realities of modern living will be left behind by progress.

23.  Revolutions start with hungry stomach as history can attest.  French Revolution, Russian, Chinese to mention some. These support Marxist philosophy of justifying socialism over aristocracy and capitalism.

24.  Simplification, ruralism, naturalism, philosophy of living in solitude – all point to simple living .

25.  That "bigger the better" is true, as based on E F Schumacher argument in his book Small is Beautiful. 

For viewers and radio listeners, answers will be discussed in a week's time.