Wednesday, May 15, 2024

New Book: LIVING WITH NATURE IN OUR HOME AND COMMUNITY

Table of Contents

Introduction 

Part 1 – Community Life - Realities and Challenges

1.     Gross National Happiness (GNH): A measure of growth & development 

2.     Twenty philosophies of Ageing Gracefully 

3.     In Search of Meaning in the Golden Years of Life: 30 Scenarios of Our Postmodern World

4.     Optimism: The future is much better than the past and present 

5.     The Power of Mindfulness 

6.     Functional Literacy 

7.     Let's Save our Children from the Tender Trap of Commercialism 

8.     Computer Addiction Leads Us to Vices and Drug 

9.     Life Begins at Retirement

Part 2 – Understanding Nature, the Great Teacher 

1.     Nature is the Mother of Invention and Serendipity 

2.     Ecological Garden as Science Laboratory

3.     Slow Down and Enjoy Life with Peace of Mind 

4.     Applied Chronobiology: Take Heed of Your Biological Clock

5.     Biological Basis of Selfishness and Selflessness 

6.     Devolution of Life

7.     Dimorphism - Functional Anomaly in Nature 

8.     Allergy and the Environment 

Part 3 – Keeping an Environment-Friendly Relationship 

1.     The Making of Nata de Coco Shoes 

2.     Twelve Practical Tips for the Home 

3.     The Practice and Value of Gleaning 

4.     Save those spent ball pens. Refill! 

5.     Harvesting Rainwater: The Art and Practice 

6.     Practical Home Technologies 

· Practical Hydroponics and Aeroponics
· Liquid Fertilizer
· Make your Own Mineral Water
· Natural Kitchen Scrub and Sandpaper
· Multipurpose Banana Leaves
· Grow Native Onion Leek at Home
· Garlic Sprouts, Anyone?
· Boiled Jackfruit Seeds
· Urban Home Composting

Part 4 – Nature – Great Provider of The Good Life 

1.     Banana saved my life and restored my health 

2.     Discovering the Least Known Fruits 

·       Aratiles - petite berry children love

·       Arius - Batanes' signature tree

·       Karmai: the  "Acid Fruit" ?

·       Pomegranate - Ancient, Sacred Fruit

·       Fragrant Limonsito (Triphasia trifolia)

3.     Wild Vegetables in Times of Hunger 

4.     Ludong The tastiest fish in the world and the most expensive, too 

5.     Ipon or dulong - A special delicacy of Ilocanos 

6.     We can grow wheat in the Philippines 

 Part 5 – Conservation of Natural Resources 

1.     La Mesa Dam: Heart of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa Water System 

2.     Lichens and Mosses are Nature's Indicator of a Healthy Environment 

3.     Acacia Tree and Drynaria Fern - More than Commensalism 

4.     A tree fell and took with it its tenants and symbionts 

5.     Death of a Living Fossil - Oliva (Cycad

6.     Forest of the Future: The Ecology of Hedge Forests

7.     We are Living in a Plastic World 

8.     I am Nature Crucified 

9.     The Two Worlds of the House Sparrow 

 Part 6 - Nature and Humanities 

1.     Tranquility Reigns on a Wall Mural 

2.     Grains Museum Re-opened After 30 Years 

3.     Dioramas Depicting the Philippine Grains Industry at NFA Grains Museum 

4.     Books - the Greatest Treasure of Mankind

5.     The Plus Factors of Life

6.     What makes an unfinished work of art a masterpiece? 

Supplemental Articles (Fillers)

1. Living Prism
2. Markus before a Wall Mural 
3. The Blue Stream 
4. Decorative Rug Vendor 
5. “What I lived for.”
6. Buena mano, a happy disposition 
7. A Heart on the Wall 
8. Bleeding Heart of the Forest 
9. Teacher’s Image According to her Pupil
10. Ants in Exodus 
11. The Last Fire Tree in Summer 
12. Takip-Kuhol 

About the Author 198

Abercio V. Rotor, Ph.D.
Books Written by Dr AV Rotor 
Acknowledgment 
Impressions 
Number of Pages - 286

                                                 Introduction

Abercio V. Rotor, Ph.D.

Living with Nature in Our Home and Community is a sequel to Living with Nature Handbook, and Living with Nature in Our Times, published by the University of Santo Tomas.

 This new volume is divided into six parts. Part 1 – Community Life - Realities and Challenges has 8 chapters dealing with Gross National Happiness (GNH), a new measure of growth and development.  There are three articles addressed to those advancing in age: Twenty Philosophies of Ageing Gracefully, In Search for Meaning in the Golden Years of Life, and Life Begins at Retirement.  On the part of the young, there are two articles to caution them of today’s dilemma: Let’s Save Our Children from the Tender Trap of Consumerism, and Computer Addiction Leads to Vices and Drugs. On the other hand, these articles on Optimism, and the Power of Stillness, give a sense of comfort and hope.

 The second part consists of articles on Nature as the Great Teacher, among them are Nature is Mother of Invention, and the Garden as Science Laboratory. Slow Down and Enjoy Life has a parallel message with allergy control through clean environment (Allergy and the Environment).  Understanding Nature explores such topics as Devolution of Life, Dimorphism, and Chronobiology, which is a natural way to maintain good health by taking heed of our biological clock

 The third part reminds us to uphold a friendly relationship with the environment, starting with Practical Home Technologies in nine ways, coupled with 12 Practical Tips in household management.  Save, is a household call through Harvesting Rainwater, Practice and Value of Gleaning, and recycling by Refilling Spent Ballpens, as practical examples every home can implement.

 Part 4 reminds us to recognize and value Nature as Great Provider of The Good Life.  Why not? Even the seemingly weeds in the field and backyard are valuable especially in difficult times.  Wild Vegetables in Times of Hunger are surprisingly plentiful and nutritious, so with certain fruits taken for granted in lieu of commercial ones.  Take the case of Aratiles, Karmai, Pomegranate, Limonsito, and the like. This section endorses the cultivation of new but proven crops (We can grow wheat in the Philippines), and protection of indigenous ones, for their many uses and advantages (Banana saved my life and restored my health). Likewise, the section advocates the protection of our exotic natural resources like Ludong and Ipon.

 Conservation of Natural Resources occupies the fifth section of this book, starting with water resource (La Mesa Dam: Heart of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa Water System).  How aware are we of the conditions of our surroundings? Here are indicators through these three articles:  Lichens and Mosses are Nature’s Indicator of a Healthy Environment, Acacia and Drynaria Fern, Forest of the Future, the last article showing a model combining agriculture and forestry (agro-forestry).  Three articles warn us of the consequences of man’s destructive behavior and folly towards affluence: I am Nature Crucified, Death of a Living Fossil, and We are Living in a Plastic World. 

 The last part of the book opens to the reader, enlarges the realm of art, which when combined with nature in harmonious relationship, is called Humanities. Nature and Humanities is the appropriate title of this final section which consists of these articles: Tranquility Reigns on a Wall Mural, The Plus Factors of Life.  A holistic portrayal of nature in the museum is vividly presented in Grains Museum Re-opened After 30 Years, with accompanying details through Dioramas and Artifacts. The return to books in combination with computers has reached a point of reviving and enlarging the library, and extending and connecting it with home libraries, thus preserving the integrity of Books - the Greatest Treasure of Mankind.  If at the end, one has not finished his work that he has sincerely set to finish, do we consider his work useless?  Read What makes an unfinished work of art a masterpiece?

 Many of the articles in this new volume were derived from three weblogs or (Blog).  avrotor.blogspot.com (Living with Nature School on Blog).  It is extended to Naturalism – the Eighth Sense, and a third, A Naturalist World – Dr Abe V Rotor.  The combined number of posts to date runs to more than 5,000 articles, which pertain directly and indirectly to the titles of these blogs, and based on the concept and realms of Multiple Intelligence. Now and then, articles are re-posted, updated, enriched, combined into a series of lessons for radio broadcast (e.g.TATAKalikasan Ateneo de Manila University broadcast on Radyo Katipunan, and on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid of Radyo ng Bayan). Articles derived from these sources, among others, are organized for Workshop sessions (e.g. Children art workshop, field lectures, demonstration, and exhibits).

 This book is an addition to the present pool of references and collection of library materials in the Living with Nature Center in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur, founded and managed by the Rotor Family.  The features of the center are:  art gallery, library and museum, botanical garden, and livelihood projects.  It receives visitors, mainly researchers and students, and occasionally, tourists.  Activities in the Center include organized educational tour, field lecture and demonstration, art exhibit, research, radio broadcast and publication.  These activities are regularly posted on the Internet via Facebook and Blog, and published in the Bannawag Magazine (Okeyka Apong is a column of Dr. A.V. Rotor).  A good number is in celebration with local, national, and international events, such as Teachers Day, Children’s Month, Family Day, Book month, Arbor Day, and the like, including public holidays.

 The importance of the series of books on Living with Nature, including this new volume, is expounded by Dr. Lilian J. Sison, who was then the dean of the graduate school of UST in the later part of my professorship in that university.  She said in her message in Living with Nature in Our Times, that the book gives us practical knowledge that elevates our awareness on three levels: that of our perception of the things around us by our senses; that of our perception of the inner stimuli that affect not only our physical being but our psyche and emotion; and the third which occupies the highest level of awareness – that which is beyond mere perception because it requires us to imagine, plan and anticipate the future. 

She said that the book cautions us while walking on the busy lane of change, and reminds us to retrain our senses, and hone our sensitivity to better appreciate the best that life can offer.  Only when we are close to nature that we are able to truly appreciate its exquisiteness; only when we heed the old folks’ advice can we truly appreciate the beauty and bounty of nature.  And by Living with Nature in Our Home and Community. ~

Published by Sadiri Publishing
Quezon City, Philippines
sadiri publishing@gmail.com


 

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