CONGRATULATIONS! Bannawag, the leading Ilokano Magazine, founded November 3, 1934:

Happy 88th Anniversary  

Founding of Bannawag, the leading 

 Ilokano Magazine, November 3, 1934

Dr Abe V Rotor

Columnist (Okeyka Apong)

Bannawag Magazine

On November 3, 1934, Bannawag, a leading Ilokano Magazine which is considered as one foundation of the existence of contemporary Ilokano literature, was founded.

January 1, 1968 cover
Bannawag, an Iloko word meaning "dawn", contains serialized novels/comics, short stories, poetry, essays, news features, and entertainment news, among others.

Every Ilokano writer has proved his mettle by publishing in Bannawag -- either his or her first Iloko short story, poetry, or essay, and thereafter his/her succeeding works in its pages.

Bannawag's first issue had a production run of 10,000 copies with a selling price of 10 centavos per copy.

Magdaleno A. Abaya of Candon, Ilocos Sur, a member of the editorial staff of the then Graphic Magazine, brought the idea of the magazine to Don Ramon Roces, the owner-publisher of Graphic Magazine. Roces also owned other vernacular magazines which included Liwayway, Bisaya, and Hiligaynon. Don Ramon Roces gave his consent on the condition that the first issues were only for a try-out, that after one or two months without improvement in the sales, it would be stopped.

The Bannawag was an instant success beyond Roces' belief.

Through the years, Bannawag underwent significant metamorphosis from its content, color, quality of paper used, page layout, and other aspects to keep up with the needs of the times.

These changes made the magazine more prestigious in its tasks in bringing entertainment, information, and inspiration to millions of readers depicting the different aspects of the Ilokano character.

Notably, Bannawag was picked by the Department of Education as one of the important references of the educational system in Ilocano-speaking areas in the country.

 

Read Bannawag, it is the Ilocano magazine with the largest circulation, in the Philippines and in Ilocano communities abroad - from Hawaii, Middle East on to Europe.

Read Bannawag, and learn a language learned at birth, by affinity and association, a beautiful language - both exotic and ethnic, rich, musical, expressive, a language Ilocanos carry with pride to the corners of the earth.

Read Bannawag, it is the flagship and conservator of Ilocano culture, the GI (Genuine Ilocano) imprimatur, trademark of beautiful traits and values - the Ilocano tool of survival and dominance, at home and away from home.

Read Bannawag, it is a trail blazer of the migratory and transient characteristic of the Ilocano, of his homely nature, and his homing instinct, returning to his native region in the true sense of a balikbayan.

Read Bannawag, it has the uniqueness of the super-superlative, like beauty begetting beauty ad infinitum, so to speak. (napintas, napinpintas, kapintasan - and kapipintasan) - the last word means "most, most beautiful", a rare language phenomenon.

Read Bannawag, its tonality is akin to the natural environment - tone of tenderness or firmness, tone that pierces distance or keeps closeness sacred, echoing tone over fields and rolling hills, prayerful, romantic, dirgefull.

Read Bannawag, and learn by intonation the speaker's origin, the naturalness of his accent, clear syllabication, distinct "R" and nasal contraption (likened to German) - variations indigenous to a place or extent of influence by other languages.

Read Bannawag and enjoy the myths and legends from Lam-ang the epic hero, to Angalo the legendary giant, the biblical Lakay-lakay whirlpool, and many folk tales Ilocano counterpart of the Arabian Nights and the Grimm brothers stories.

Read Bannawag, and live in the era of the Zarzuela (homegrown drama) and Moro-moro (stage play, musical comedy of Christians fighting the Moors in medieval times) , enjoy the unique musical qualities of Bannatiran (kingfisher), O, Naranniag a Bulan (Moonlight serenade), Pamulinawen (a love song) and Ayat ti Maysa nga Ubbing (Love of a Lass and an Old Man), among many compositions, original and adapted.

Read Bannawag, in an armchair travelogue of history and arts, of scenic beauty, rich biodiversity, home of living tradition, a piece of Eden created by the edges of the Cordillera range and the South China Sea meeting on a narrow strip of land like a hollow - kuloong, from which the word Iloco is derived .

Read Bannawag, and meet the great Ilocanos who led the country to greatness from Diego Silang, Ramon Magsaysay to Ferdinand Marcos; poetess Leona Florentino, heroes Antonio and Juan Luna, and Fr Jose Burgos whose ancestral home in Vigan is now a museum; met many other great Ilocanos, old and contemporary.

Read Bannawag, and it will take you back to the homeland of the simple sturdy and frugal, industrious and persistent, where brain and brawn are welded and steeled (paslep) in a sturdy body, determined mind, and throbbing heart of joy and fulfillment. ~

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many articles in Okeyka Apong column came from selected articles from the Living with Nature - School on Blog, Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (738 DZRB AM with Ms Melly C Tenorio), and lectures of the author as professor of UST, DLSU. SPUQC and UPHS. Special thanks to Messrs. Cles B Rambaud and Ariel S Tabag for their valuable assistance in the continuing  publication of Okeyka Apong, 2009 to the present, ~

Cultivate Your Multiple Intelligence (The 8 Realms of Intelligence)

Cultivate Your Multiple Intelligence (The 8 Realms of Intelligence)

Dr Abe V Rotor

All of us are endowed with a wide range of intelligence which is divided into eight domains. It is not only IQ (intelligence quotient) or EQ(emotional quotient) or any single sweeping test that can determine our God-given faculties. Here in the exercise, we will explore these realms. With a piece of paper (1/4) score yourselves in each of these areas. Use Scale of 1 to 10)

Discover and cultivate your multiple intelligence 

1. Interpersonal (human relations)
Sometimes this is referred to as social intelligence. Leaders, politicians excel in this field. “They exude natural warmth, they wear disarming smile,” to quote an expert on human relations. Name your favorite person. I choose Nelson Mandela, Condolezza Rice and Henry Kissinger.

2. Intrapersonal (inner vision self-reflection and meditation) Priests, nuns, poets, yogis, St. Francis of Assisi is a genius in this domain. Didn’t Beethoven compose music with his inner ear? Didn’t Helen Keller “see” from an inner vision?

3. Kinesthetics (athletics, sports, body language, dance, gymnastics)
Michael Jordan excels in this domain. Now think of your idol in the sportsworld, or in the art of dance. Lisa Macuja Elizalde is still the country’s top ballet dancer.

4. Languages or linguistics
There are people who are regarded walking encyclopedia and dictionary. The gift of tongue in the true sense is in being multilingual like Rizal.

5. Logic (dialectics, Mathematics)
Marxism is based on dialectics which is a tool in studying and learning. Likewise, this realm includes the intelligence of numbers – math, accounting, actuarial science, etc. This is the key to IQ test. Einstein, Newton, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle are my choices.

6. Music (auditory art)
Mendelssohn, Mozart, Chopin, Abelardo, Cayabyab, Lea Salonga – name your favorite. Beethoven is one of the world’s great composer, yet he cannot dance. I like to listen to Pangkat Kawayan play Philippine music.

7. Spatial intelligence (drawing, and painting, sculpture, architecture, photography)
The great artist, Pablo Picasso, was robbed in his studio. Hog-tied, he carefully studied the robber, the way an artist studies his model. After the incident he sketched the face of the robber and gave it to the police. The police made a 100 arrests but never succeeded in pinpointing the culprit. The sculptor Rodin wanted his subject to look as if it is melting. What could be a better expression of poverty for his masterpiece, The Burghers of Calais?

8. Naturalism (Green Thumb, Relationship with the Natural World)
There are people who are said to have the “green thumb”. Their gardens are beautiful even with little care. There are those who can predict weather, and tell you if the fish bites, or it is a good hunting day. They pick the reddest watermelon, fullest macapuno nuts, just by feel and sound. Good doctors, I suppose have the green thumb too.

What are your top three? Can you see their relationships? Relate them with your strength. On the other hand, in what ways can you improve on the other realms?

Make full use of your strength. And remember there are early and late bloomers. Nothing is too late to be able to improve on one’s deficiencies.

Maybe you lack a good foundation to explore your talents in a certain domain. But why don’t you catch up? Do you recall late bloomers who succeeded in life? As you reflect on your scores I’ll play for you on the violin On Wings of Song by Felix Mendelssohn. Fly, fly high and be happy like the birds. Just don’t be Icarus.

Reflect on the following:
1. Your strength and you weakness
2. Your “idols” and models
3. Resolution and affirmations ~

Children and Nature - An Omnipotent Treaty (Universal Children's Month and Day, November 20, 2022)

In celebration of the United Nations Children's Day and Month of November 20, 2022

Wall Mural by Dr Abe V Rotor (7ft x 90ft) 

"A thing of beauty is a boy forever." AVR  wall mural at author's residence, 

Barangay Greater Lagro, QC 

Three young musketeers are set to conquer the world 

      away from the mall, home and school;

If Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were real and alive today, 

     we wouldn't know who's genius, who's fool.

Who is the primitive, who is the civilized, oh brother!

      when we prefer the city over the quaint village,

car for walking distance, processed over fresh food,

      philosophy over instinctive knowledge.

Everything defined in rich vocabulary, but a rose is a rose

      and nothing else, energy to matter and back, 

universal cycles no genius will ever truly understand,

     Homo sapiens! it is humility we lack.  

Innocence in children, we make up for the falsehood

      of the world of grownups and sages;

Einstein and Darwin never knew the whys of the world,

      children have been asking for ages.

If genius is reborn in the innocence of children, 

      then knowledge into wisdom distilled, 

compensated in old age for the young ones' sake:

     'tis the fate of humanity in Nature sealed. ~      

“When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.” ― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

 

 

 

  

 

 “I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled. I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I took joy in the things that made me happy.”  ― Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

                            

“and when all the wars are over, a butterfly will still be beautiful.” 

― Ruskin Bond, Scenes from a Writer's Life

 

Children and Nature 

“Because children grow up, we think a child's purpose is to grow up. But a child's purpose is to be a child. Nature doesn't disdain what lives only for a day. It pours the whole of itself into the each moment. We don't value the lily less for not being made of flint and built to last. Life's bounty is in its flow, later is too late. Where is the song when it's been sung? The dance when it's been danced?

It's only we humans who want to own the future, too. We persuade ourselves that the universe is modestly employed in unfolding our destination. We note the haphazard chaos of history by the day, by the hour, but there is something wrong with the picture. Where is the unity, the meaning, of nature's highest creation? Surely those millions of little streams of accident and willfulness have their correction in the vast underground river which, without a doubt, is carrying us to the place where we're expected! But there is no such place, that's why it's called utopia.

The death of a child has no more meaning than the death of armies, of nations. Was the child happy while he lived? That is a proper question, the only question. If we can't arrange our own happiness, it's a conceit beyond vulgarity to arrange the happiness of those who come after us.” ― Tom Stoppard, The Coast of Utopia

“Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.” ― Flannery O'Connor, Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose

Ten (10) Herbal Medicines in the Philippines Approved by the Department of Health (DOH)

Ten (10) Herbal Medicines in the Philippines Approved by the Department of Health (DOH)

“All that man needs for health and healing has been provided by God in nature, the Challenge of science is to find it.” ~ Paracelsus

Dr Abe V Rotor

Here are the ten (10) medicinal plants that the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) through its "Traditional Health Program" have endorsed. All ten (10) herbs have been thoroughly tested and have been clinically proven to have medicinal value in the relief and treatment of various aliments:

1. Akapulko (Cassia alata) - also known as "bayabas-bayabasan" and "ringworm bush" in English, this herbal medicine is used to treat ringworms and skin fungal infections. (photo)

2. Ampalaya (Momordica charantia) - known as "bitter gourd" or "bitter melon" in English, it most known as a treatment of diabetes (diabetes mellitus), for the non-insulin dependent patients.

3. Bawang (Allium sativum) - popularly known as "garlic", it mainly reduces cholesterol in the blood and hence, helps control blood pressure.

4. Bayabas (Psidium guajava) - "guava" in English. It is primarily used as an antiseptic, to disinfect wounds. Also, it can be used as a mouth wash to treat tooth decay and gum infection.

 

 Lagundi (Vitex negundo); Niyog-niyogan (Quisqualis indica L.)

5. Lagundi (Vitex negundo) - known in English as the "5-leaved chaste tree". It's main use is for the relief of coughs and asthma. (Left photo) (le

6. Niyog-niyogan (Quisqualis indica L.) - is a vine known as "Chinese honey suckle". It is effective in the elimination of intestinal worms, particularly the Ascaris and Trichina. Only the dried matured seeds are medicinal -crack and ingest the dried seeds two hours after eating (5 to 7 seeds for children & 8 to 10 seeds for adults). If one dose does not eliminate the worms, wait a week before repeating the dose.

7. Sambong (Blumea balsamifera)- English name: Blumea camphora. A diuretic that helps in the excretion of urinary stones. It can also be used as an edema.

Sambong (Blumea balsamifera)

 

Tsaang Gubat (Ehretia microphylla); Ulasimang Bato | Pansit-Pansitan 

(Peperomia pellucida) 

8. Tsaang Gubat (Ehretia microphylla Lam.) - Prepared like tea, this herbal medicine is effective in treating intestinal motility and also used as a mouth wash since the leaves of this shrub has high fluoride content. (= Carmona retusa)

9. Ulasimang Bato | Pansit-Pansitan (Peperomia pellucida) - It is effective in fighting arthritis and gout. The leaves can be eaten fresh (about a cupful) as salad or like tea. For the decoction, boil a cup of clean chopped leaves in 2 cups of water. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain, let cool and drink a cup after meals (3 times day). (photo)

10. Yerba Buena (Clinopodium douglasii) - commonly known as Peppermint, this vine is used as an analgesic to relive body aches and pain. It can be taken internally as a decoction or externally by pounding the leaves and applied directly on the afflicted area.

“A man may esteem himself happy when that which is his food is also his medicine.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Tips on Handling Medicinal Plants / Herbs:

• If possible, buy herbs that are grown organically - without pesticides. (Or get herbs from your own garden)

• Medicinal parts of plants are best harvested on sunny mornings. Avoid picking leaves, fruits or nuts during and after heavy rainfall.

• Leaves, fruits, flowers or nuts must be mature before harvesting. Less medicinal substances are found on young parts.

• After harvesting, if drying is required, it is advisable to dry the plant parts either in the oven or air-dried on screens above ground and never on concrete floors.

• Store plant parts in sealed plastic bags or brown bottles in a cool dry place without sunlight preferably with a moisture absorbent material like charcoal. Leaves and other plant parts that are prepared properly, well-dried and stored can be used up to six months.

“There are no incurable diseases — only the lack of will. There are no worthless herbs — only the lack of knowledge.” ~ Avicenna

Tips on Preparation for Intake of Herbal Medicines:

• Use only half the dosage prescribed for fresh parts like leaves when using dried parts.

• Do not use stainless steel utensils when boiling decoctions. Only use earthen, enameled, glass or alike utensils.

• As a rule of thumb, when boiling leaves and other plant parts, do not cover the pot, and boil in low flame.

• Decoctions lose potency after some time. Dispose of decoctions after one day. To keep fresh during the day, keep lukewarm in a flask or thermos.

• Always consult with a doctor if symptoms persist or if any sign of allergic reaction develops. ~

Reference: Philippine Herbal Medicine

“What is paradise, but, a garden, an orchard of trees and herbs, full of pleasure and nothing there but delights.” ~ William Lawson, Herb quotes garden

Reminders on the Use of Herbal Medicine

• Avoid the use of insecticide as these may leave poison on plants.
• In the preparation of herbal medicine, use a clay pot and remove cover while boiling at low heat.
• Use only part of the plant being advocated.
• Follow accurate dose of suggested preparation.
• Use only one kind of herbal plant for each type of symptoms or sickness.
• Stop giving the herbal medication in case untoward reaction such as allergy occurs.
• If signs and symptoms are not relieved after 2 to 3 doses of herbal medication, consult a doctor.

Sources: Cuevas, Francis Public Health Nursing in the Philippines. 10th Edition 2007

“Everything on the earth has a purpose, every disease and herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence.” ~ Mourning Dove

Energy Direct from Plants: Can we harness energy from plants, rather than harvest energy from their products?

Energy Direct from Plants:

Can we harness energy from plants, rather than harvest energy from their products? How can we harness solar energy in the plant during photosynthesis?

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

 Architecturally the leaf is like a battery.

Intricate network in a leaf through which energy and materials flow and 

interact during photosynthesis, resulting in the production  of sugar.  

UN-FAO scientist Domingo Tapiador and author (left), examine nuts of bitaog or palomaria (Calophylum inophylum) at the UST Botanical Garden. Nuts contain oil as substitute of fossil-based lubricant and fuel.

Hanga (Pittosporum resiniferum} or resin cheesewood 

or petroleum nut. Ripe berries burn bright yellow. 

DENR Loakan, Baguio City.

Veteran journalist Dell H Grecia and Dr Domingo Tapiador 

examine a stand of stick plant (Euphorbia tirucali) at 

UST Botanical Garden, Manila. The extract is

processed into diesel fuel and motor oil.

Green charcoal from talahib (Saccharum spontaneum)

San Vicente, Botanical Garden, San Vicente Ilocos Sur.

 

Plant residues and farm wastes, as firewood substitute (eg rice hull, coconut coir and sawdust), generation of biogas and composting into organic fertilizer. Landscape supplies, QC

Can we harness energy from plants, rather than harvest energy from their products?

As a simple review, only plants - green plants (those containing chlorophyll which include algae and relatives) - have the ability to capture solar energy and convert it into chemical energy. That is, the light of the sun into sugar (calories), by means of photosynthesis.

Sugar (CHO) is either transformed into energy for the use of the plant itself, or transferred to animals that feed on the plant.

Otherwise this primary product is stored into complex sugar like starch, oil, and more importantly protein (CHON) which is used as "building blocks" in growth and development. Post-photosynthetic processes are specific in the production of resin, gum, cork, wood, and many other organic compounds, which when taken by animals are converted into energy, and compounds needed in their growth and development. Otherwise the unused materials remain at store, or may be lost through oxidation though biological (e.g. fermentation) and physical means (e.g. burning).

Energy is a continuous, incessant flow in the living system, moving in and out in the process. Biologists explain it in terms of metabolism (catabolism or energy-gain, and anabolism or energy loss or respiration), whereas ecologists draw the lines of interrelationships of participating organisms as food chains forming food webs, and food pyramid to indicate hierarchy in energy utilization. 

 
But as a basic principle plants are autotrophs (photosynthesizers), while animals are heterotrophs (consumers in hierarchical order, with man being the ultimate consumer in most cases).

With this in mind, how can we the harness solar energy in the plant during photosynthesis?

How can we create a short circuit in directing the electrons before they are used in the final stage of photosynthesis - and instead, convert it directly into electricity?

We can - theoretically - if we can only develop a method to “interrupt” photosynthesis and redirect the electrons before they are used up to make sugars. So instead of harvesting sugarcane, and make alcohol, and burn it to produce light and heat – or electricity - we might as well invent a living solar panel and directly "harvest" electricity for our domestic and industrial needs.

Sounds futuristic, isn’t? Well, it is. But remember, no one believed in splitting the atom a century ago and produce nuclear energy. There are now hundreds of nuclear plants all over the world, producing electricity to as much as 50 percent of a country’s electricity need. Such is the case of France, Germany and Japan.

How about hydrogen fuel? There are cars - thousands of them running on Hydrogen fuel. And the byproduct is not smoke that add to pollution. It is H2O or water.

Now, hear this. During photosynthesis, the photons that are captured by the plant are used to split water molecules into the component parts of Oxygen and Hydrogen. By doing so, they produce electrons. The electrons are then utilized by the plant to create sugars that are then used by the plant (and the animals that eat it) for growth and reproduction.

Architecturally the leaf is like a battery.

"The technology involves separating out structures in the plant cell called thylakoids, which are responsible for capturing and storing energy from sunlight. Researchers manipulate the proteins contained in the thylakoids, interrupting the pathway along which electrons flow.

These modified thylakoids are then immobilized on a specially designed backing of carbon nanotubes, cylindrical structures that are nearly 50,000 times finer than a human hair. The nanotubes act as an electrical conductor, capturing the electrons from the plant material and sending them along a wire." (Reference: Ramaraja Ramasamy, assistant professor in the University of Georgia and the author of a paper published in the Journal of Energy and Environmental Science.)

Tree-planting project, Mt Makiling, Laguna

This research is important, because photosynthetic plants function at nearly 100% quantum efficiency. Almost every photon of sunlight captured by the plant is converted into an electron. And what do we get in our solar cells today? A measly fraction - 12 to 17 percent. This huge difference propels us to research towards this direction, away from fossil fuels, and even from the circuitous biomass fuel generation.

Harvesting electricity directly from plants may be weird and wild an idea as in Jules Verne fiction novels. But now we can go Around the World in Eighty Days - and even reach the moon and explore outer space. We can now go deeper than Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and even reach the ocean floor.

And how about coming up with a perpetual machine, elusive dreamchild of science?

The answer may lie in Plant-Based Energy Generation. ~

Halloween: Dead Tree Walking

 Halloween: Dead Tree Walking

"I came from Paradise lost;

would you walk with me?"

Dr Abe V Rotor

Limb of a dead tree resembling a headless human figure

I am the ghost that walks from a forest before;

I am the conscience of man sleeping in its core.

I am the memory from the distant past; 

lost among the throng, living in the dust. 

I came from Paradise lost, orphaned by the first sin; 

the hands that cared for me can't now be seen. 

I long for a heaven, too, a gift of being good and true, 

but if heaven is only for man then I did serve him through. 

But I am a ghost now. Would man join me for a walk 

to tell the world the story of a once mighty oak? ~

Sh... Listen to the Music of Nature! It's Therapy.

Sh... Listen to the Music of Nature! It's Therapy

"Classical music is patterned after nature's music." avr

Dr Abe V Rotor

No one tires with the rhythm of nature – the tides, waves, flowing rivulets, gusts of wind, bird songs, the fiddling of crickets, and the shrill of cicada. In the recesses of a happy mind, one could hear the earth waking up in spring, laughing in summer, yawning in autumn and snoring in winter – and waking up again the next year, and so on, ad infinitum.

  

Field cricket (Acheta bimaculata); katydid, a long horned grasshopper (Phaneroptera furcifera) are the most popular fiddlers in the insect world.

Ethnic music makes a wholesome life; it is therapy.

Have you ever noticed village folks singing or humming as they attend to their chores? They have songs when rowing the boat, songs when planting or harvesting, songs of praise at sunrise, songs while walking up and down the trail, etc. Seldom is there an activity without music. To them the sounds of nature make a wholesome music.

According to researcher Leonora Nacorda Collantes, of the UST graduate school, music influences the limbic system, called the “seat of emotions” and causes emotional response and mood change. Musical rhythms synchronize body rhythms, mediate within the sphere of the autonomous nervous and endocrine systems, and change the heart and respiratory rate. Music reduces anxiety and pain, induces relaxation, thus promoting the overall sense of well being of the individual.

Music is closely associated with everyday life among village folks more than it is to us living in the city. The natives find content and relaxation beside a waterfall, on the riverbank, under the trees, in fact there is to them music in silence under the stars, on the meadow, at sunset, at dawn. Breeze, crickets, running water, make a repetitious melody that induces sleep. Humming indicates that one likes his or her work, and can go on for hours without getting tired at it. Boat songs make rowing synchronized. Planting songs make the deities of the field happy, so they believe; and songs at harvest are thanksgiving. Indeed the natives are a happy lot.

Farm animals respond favorably to music, so with plants.

In a holding pen in Lipa, Batangas, where newly arrived heifers from Australia were kept, the head rancher related to his guests the role of music in calming the animals. “We have to acclimatize them first before dispersing them to the pasture and feedlot.” He pointed at the sound system playing melodious music. In the duration of touring the place I was able to pick up the music of Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven and Bach. It is like being in a high rise office in Makati where pipe in music is played to add to pleasant ambiance of working. 

Scientists believe that the effect of music on humans has some similarity with that of animals, and most probably to plants.

Which brings us to the observation of a winemaker in Vienna. A certain Carlo Cagnozzi has been piping Mozart music to his grapevines for the last five years. He claims that playing round the clock to his grapes has a dramatic effect. “The grapes ripen faster,” he said, adding that it also keeps away parasites, fruit bats and birds. Scientists are now studying this claim to enlarge the limited knowledge on the physiological and psychological effects of music on plants and animals.

Once I asked a poultry raiser in Teresa, Rizal, who also believes in music therapy. “The birds grow faster and produce more eggs,” he said. “In fact music has stopped cannibalism.” I got the same positive response from cattle raisers where the animals are tied to their quarters until they are ready for market. “They just doze off, even when they are munching,” he said, adding that tension and unnecessary movement drain the animals wasting feeds that would increase the rate of daily weight gain. In a report from one of the educational TV programs, loud metallic noise stimulates termites to eat faster, and therefore create more havoc.

There is one warning posed by the proponents of music therapy. Rough and blaring music agitates the adrenalin in the same way rock music could bring down the house.

The enchantment of ethnic music is different from that of contemporary music.

Each kind of music has its own quality, but music being a universal language, definitely has commonalities. For example, the indigenous lullaby, quite often an impromptu, has a basic pattern with that of Brahms’s Lullaby and Lucio San Pedro’s Ugoy ng Duyan (Sweet Sound of the Cradle). The range of notes, beat, tone, expression - the naturalness of a mother half-singing, half-talking to her baby, all these create a wholesome effect that binds maternal relationship, brings peace and comfort, care and love.

Serenades from different parts the world have a common touch. Compare Tosselli’sSerenade (renamed, The Nightingale) with that of our Antonio Molina’s Hating Gabi (Midnight) and you will find similarities in pattern and structure, exuding the effect that enhances the mood of lovers. This quality is more appreciated in listening to the Kundiman (Kung Hindi Man, which means, If It Can’t Be). Kundiman is a trademark of classical Filipino composers, the greatest of them, Nicanor Abelardo. His famous compositions are

· Bituin Marikit (Beautiful Star)
· Nasaan Ka Irog (Where are You My Love)
· Mutya ng Pasig (Muse of the River Pasig)
· Pakiusap (I beg to Say)

War drums on the other hand, build passion, heighten courage, and prepare the mind and body to face the challenge. It is said that Napoleon Bonaparte taught only the drumbeat of forward, and never that of retreat, to the legendary Drummer Boy. As a consequence, we know what happened to the drummer boy. Pathetic though it may be, it's one of the favorite songs of Christmas.

Classical music is patterned after natural music.

Filipino composers: Molina, Lucio San Pedro, and Francisco Santiago

The greatest composers are nature lovers – Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and our own Abelardo, Molina, Santiago, and San Pedro. Beethoven, the greatest naturalist among the world’s composers was always passionately fond of nature, spending many long holidays in the country. Always with a notebook in his pocket, he scribbled down ideas, melodies or anything he observed. It was this love of the countryside that inspired him to write his famous Pastoral Symphony. If you listen to it carefully, you can hear the singing of birds, a tumbling waterfall and gamboling lambs. Even if you are casually listening you cannot miss the magnificent thunderstorm when it comes in the fourth movement.

Lately the medical world took notice of Mozart music and found out that the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart music can enhance brain power. In a test conducted, a student who listened to the Sonata in D major for Two Pianos performed better in spatial reason. Mozart music was also found to reduce the frequency of seizure among coma patients, improved the interaction of autistic children, and is a great help to people who are suffering of Alzheimer’s disease. The proponents of Mozart’s music call this therapeutic power Mozart Effect.

What really is this special effect? A closer look at it shows similar therapeutic effect with many sounds like the noise of the surf breaking on the shore, rustling of leaves in the breeze, syncopated movement of a pendulum, cantabile of hammock, and even in the silence of a cumulus cloud building in the sky. It is the same way Mozart repeated his melodies, turning upside down and inside out which the brain loves such a pattern, often repeated regularly. about the same length of time as brain-wave patterns and those that govern regular bodily functions such as breathing and walking. It is this frequency of patterns in Mozart music that moderates irregular patterns of epilepsy patients, tension-building hormones, and unpleasant thoughts.

No one tires with the rhythm of nature – the tides, waves, flowing rivulets, gusts of wind, bird songs, the fiddling of crickets, and the shrill of cicada. In the recesses of a happy mind, one could hear the earth waking up in spring, laughing in summer, yawning in autumn and snoring in winter – and waking up again the next year, and so on, ad infinitum. ~

 Nature: Rivulets and Streams, mural details by AVRotor 2011

Identify the sounds of nature in this painting, translate them into notes. Arrange the notes into melody, and expand it into a composition. Try with an instrument - guitar, piano, violin, flute. This is your composition. 

And, of course the Caruso in the animal kingdom - the frog. Here a pair of green pond frogs, attracted by their songs which are actually mating calls, will soon settle down in silent mating that last for hours.~

Let's Encourage Nature Field Trip

Let's Encourage Nature Field Trip

"There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more." - Lord Byron

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog [ avrotor.blogspot.com ]

"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."

- John Muir

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep."

- Robert Frost

Nature Field Trip, Mt Makiling Botanical Garden, UPLB Laguna

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet

and the winds long to play with your hair." - Khalil Gibran

"The butterfly counts not months but moments,

and has time enough." - Rabindranath Tagore

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand

everything better." - Albert Einstein

Teachers visit the Museum of Natural History, UPLB

"Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual,

cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction." - E. O. Wilson

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel

read only a page." - Saint Augustine

Mt Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna

"Cumulus cloud ...

if one day the water of the sea is not enough,

drink, drink deep from my little cup." - AVRotor

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

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