Saturday, December 28, 2024
Take this Literacy Test on Life Science (True or False, 25 Items)
Literacy Test on Life Science
Dr Abe V Rotor
a leaning century-old mango tree at Florida Blanca, Pampanga
1. "Going back to nature” means we have to live the lives of our ancestors and renounce our modern living.
2. We can actually transfer genetic materials from one organism to another irrespective of species or class or subkingdom by means of genetic engineering, resulting in the formation of what we call as GMO.
3. Genetic engineering actually started with Gregor Mendel, the father of the science of genetics and heredity nearly two hundred years ago.
4. There is no question about a human clone of not having a soul because, the soul of the parent transcends to offspring which is the clone.
5. We live under different ages all at a given time - atomic age, computer age, age of genetic engineering, and space age – all rolled into what scientists called the age of postmodernism.
2. We can actually transfer genetic materials from one organism to another irrespective of species or class or subkingdom by means of genetic engineering, resulting in the formation of what we call as GMO.
3. Genetic engineering actually started with Gregor Mendel, the father of the science of genetics and heredity nearly two hundred years ago.
4. There is no question about a human clone of not having a soul because, the soul of the parent transcends to offspring which is the clone.
5. We live under different ages all at a given time - atomic age, computer age, age of genetic engineering, and space age – all rolled into what scientists called the age of postmodernism.
6. Man is a recent creature on Earth. If the 5 billion years of the earth’s existence is compared to a calendar (365 days), man came into this world only in the eve of December 30. Man is only one-day old on earth.
7. Toxic metals abound on land, sea and air – from kangkong to tuna to fowls – unless we control the emission and spread of these toxic metals.
8. Even without the human species, Planet Earth will continue to “go round” so to speak in the same way as it did in the last 5 billion years – and perhaps go on for another 5 billion years.
9. Penguins and white bears are drowning in the Arctic region because of the melting of ice.
10. The least sprayed vegetables – that is, vegetables that do not necessarily require the application of pesticides – are those that grow wild.
11. Converting corn into ethanol requires more energy in the process than the net energy output/ produce.
12. Cicada or kuliglig emerges singing on trees at the start of the amihan.
13. The name Rachel Carson rings every time we talk about pollution, a subject in her book, “Silent Spring”.
14. When you introduce a new plant in your garden – a plant that has not been tried before – you are sure it is virtually free of pests, firstly because it did not bring with it the pests from its origin, and second, the local pests would take time to develop the taste for it.
15. Homeostasis means dynamic balance – Nature’s way of renewal, renaissance, seeking stability as continuing goal.
16. The coconut crab is the biggest crab in the world.
17. The whale has a good memory. Beware if you injure a whale; it may have its revenge someday.
18. Chicken soup is best for convalescent.
19. Banana with freckles and discolorations means it is sweet.
20. Pulling out a gray or while hair will cause ten more to grow in its place.
21. Of the 12 warmest years on record, 11 occurred in the last 20 years, mainly from 1995 to 2004.
22. Asia is the last region to clean up its cities – Orientals are not as meticulously clean as Occidentals.
23. It is now accepted unanimously that industrialization is the culprit of global warming.
24. Global warming has something to do with the disturbance of the tectonic plates leading to more frequent and stronger earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruption.
25. Kugtong - giant lapu-lapu - really exists. Its mouth is so big, a man’s head could get through it.Please exchange papers with the one in front of you, write your name as the corrector of the other’s paper. Put a check on the correct answers, and X for the wrong ones.
Count the number of correct answers and rate it accordingly.
True: 2,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,15,16,17,18,21,23,24,25
False: 1,3,4,12,14,19,20,22
22-25 Outstanding 18 - 21 Very good 14 – 17 Good 10 – 13 Passing
Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid in Biology
True: 2,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,15,16,17,18,21,23,24,25
False: 1,3,4,12,14,19,20,22
22-25 Outstanding 18 - 21 Very good 14 – 17 Good 10 – 13 Passing
Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid in Biology
Resurrection and Regeneration. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
Resurrection and Regeneration
Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
Dr Abe V Rotor
Field cricket (Acheta bimaculata) and sand crab can regenerate a lost leg or two, including the large hind legs, and pincers (crab). Starfish when cut in half through the central disk will regenerate into two, each with complete arms. House lizard loses tail only to grow back later.
Old folks tell us of the magic of lizards growing new tails, crabs regaining lost claws, starfish arising from body pieces. How can we explain the mystery behind these stories?
The biological phenomenon behind these stories is called regeneration.
The male deer (PHOTO) grows a new set of anthers, and lose them after the mating season.
Old folks tell us of the magic of lizards growing new tails, crabs regaining lost claws, starfish arising from body pieces. How can we explain the mystery behind these stories?
The biological phenomenon behind these stories is called regeneration.
The male deer (PHOTO) grows a new set of anthers, and lose them after the mating season.
Sea squirts and hydras are produced from tiny buds, so with yeast forming buds. This is the same way plants grow from cuttings, seaweeds grow from fragments, and algae from filaments. New worms may regenerate from just pieces of the body, and some fish can sprout new fins to replace the ones that have been bitten off.
Experiments demonstrated that the forelimb of a salamander severed midway between the elbow and the wrist, can actually grow into a new one exactly the same as the lost parts. The stump re-forms the missing forelimb, wrist, and digits within a few months.
In biology this is called re-differentiation, which means that the new tissues are capable of reproducing the actual structure and attendant function of the original tissues.
Studies on children who lose fingertips in accidents can regrow the tip of the digit provided their wounds are not sealed up with flaps of skin. They normally won't have a finger print, and if there is any piece of the finger nail left it will grow back as well, usually in a square shape rather than round.
Curious the kid I was, I examined a twitching piece of tail, without any trace of its owner. I was puzzled at what I saw. My father explained how the lizard, a skink or bubuli (alibut' Ilk), escaped its would-be predator by leaving its tail twitching to attract its enemy, while its tailless body stealthily went into hiding.
Experiments demonstrated that the forelimb of a salamander severed midway between the elbow and the wrist, can actually grow into a new one exactly the same as the lost parts. The stump re-forms the missing forelimb, wrist, and digits within a few months.
In biology this is called re-differentiation, which means that the new tissues are capable of reproducing the actual structure and attendant function of the original tissues.
Studies on children who lose fingertips in accidents can regrow the tip of the digit provided their wounds are not sealed up with flaps of skin. They normally won't have a finger print, and if there is any piece of the finger nail left it will grow back as well, usually in a square shape rather than round.
Curious the kid I was, I examined a twitching piece of tail, without any trace of its owner. I was puzzled at what I saw. My father explained how the lizard, a skink or bubuli (alibut' Ilk), escaped its would-be predator by leaving its tail twitching to attract its enemy, while its tailless body stealthily went into hiding.
Regeneration is a survival mechanism of many organisms. Even if you have successfully subdued a live crab you might end up holding only its pincers while the canny creature has gone back into the water. This is true also to grasshoppers; they escape by pulling away from their captors, leaving their large trapped hind legs behind. But soon, like their crustacean relatives, new appendages will start growing to replace the lost ones.
Another kind of regeneration is compensatory hypertrophy, a kind of temporary growth response that occurs in such organs as the liver and kidney when they are damaged. If a surgeon removes up to 70 percent of a diseased liver, the remaining liver tissues undergo rapid mitosis (multiplication of cells) until almost the original liver mass is restored. Similarly, if one kidney is removed, the other enlarges greatly to compensate for its lost partner.
Regeneration of the kidney is in the nephron, which is composed of the glomerulus, tubules, the collecting duct and peritubular capillaries. The regenerative capacity of the mammalian kidney however, is limited as compared to that of lower vertebrates.
How about the human skeleton? The ribs can regenerate with the periosteum, the membrane that surrounds the rib, is left intact. A research was conducted on rib material being used for skull reconstruction. In that particular operation, all 12 patients had complete regeneration of the resected rib. I would not however, relate this feat to Genesis on the theory of creation.
Hospital scene of organ transplantation; stem cell regeneration Internet
Organ transplantation in higher animals has thus succeeded extensively and is now a regular part in medical practice. Resurrecting the dead however, remains a mystery. Stories in the bible of the raising of Lazarus and the dead little girl remain a matter of faith.
Yet in our postmodern times, a hundred or so ultra rich people lie in cryonics tanks awaiting the time when science shall then have the power to resurrect them. Then there is a short cut to resurrection, so the movie Jurassic Park, make people believe - the reconstruction of the total organism from a piece of its DNA (deoxyribose nucleic acid).
Why such wide and varied aims of man? Not because of man's unending desire for wealth and power, but the belief that the living world has common answer to present day inquiries. For example, is vegetative reproduction limited to plants and protists, why not to mammals?
Why such wide and varied aims of man? Not because of man's unending desire for wealth and power, but the belief that the living world has common answer to present day inquiries. For example, is vegetative reproduction limited to plants and protists, why not to mammals?
Why are lichens (PHOTO) older than most organisms, outliving them by years, if not centuries? Why is a single tissue capable of complete growth to form an entire organism, and that, from this organism another generation arises? If such is the case, then there is no real death of that organism after all. For is it not that life is a continuing process; the DNA is but a continuous stream from one generation to the next, ever young and vibrant, spreading into numbers we call population, and types we call diversity?
Then, if this is so, there is but a shade that separates regeneration and resurrection - or whatever terms we describe the continuity of life on earth. ~
Acknowledgement: Internet photos as indicated.
Friday, December 27, 2024
Take heed of your biological clock. Year 2025 Resolution
Take heed of your biological clock
"Living organisms take heed of their biological clock
- except humans, in many cases." avr
Dr Abe V. Rotor
Author left) takes time out with his students.
UST Graduate School Manila 2010
Each one of us is governed by a built-in clock within us. Everything we do is “timed;” it has a schedule. And this living clock controls our actions and behaviors. It is the key to survival; a tool in evolution so that it is ingrained in our genes. If that is so, are our biological clocks then synchronized?
Generally, yes. And that is why we all respond to common rules that society has set for us. We respond to the seasons of the year, each characterized by events we celebrate. We have standard working hours, and curfew. Weekends are set aside for rest and leisure. Summer means vacation. We observe three meals a day, coffee breaks, siestas, and the like.
Menstrual cycle, estrus periods, stages in growth and development – all these are controlled by inner rhythms dictated by that biological clock. So patterned are our laws and rules that we know well the best season to plant or to hunt, to plan weddings and inaugurations, to travel, to go to school, to have a date, to meditate, to be merry.
“There’s time for everything.”
To every thing there is a season, and a time toevery purpose under the heaven.A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant,and a time to pluck up that which is planted;A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time tobreak down, and a time to build up;A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time tomourn, and a time to dance;A time to cast away stones, and a time togather stones together; a time to embrace,and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep,and a time to cast away;A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keepsilence, and time to speak;A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war,and a time of peace.- Ecclesiastes
Yes, we are governed by inner rhythms which are classified into the following:
Ultradian - Less than a heartbeat
Ultradian - Less than a heartbeat
Fluctuation of energyAttention spanBrain waves
Circadian (daily) day
Blood pressure levelSleep wake cycleCell division
Circaseptan (weekly ) about a week
Rejection of kidney, heart, and pancreas transplants
Circatrigintan (monthly) about a month
Menstrual Cycle
Circannual (annual) about a year
Seasonal depressionSusceptibility to some diseases
Living organisms take heed of their biological clock - except humans, in many cases. ~
Capture Happiness through the Lens
Capture Happiness through the Lens
30 Scenes (Unedited)
Dr Abe V Rotor
“Happiness is already there. It is within us. We have just forgotten it and need to remember it again.” – Socrates
"Two heads are better than one," but one is for the stomach.
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.”
– Dalai Lama
"All for one and one for all," may be an overkill to a poor monkey on the wall.
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”
– Albert Einstein
"If you can't go to where Nature is, bring Nature home."
Floor-to-wall-to-ceiling mural. Living with Nature Center,
San Vicente, Ilocos Sur
“Knowing something is not as good as liking it. Liking something is not as good as rejoicing in it.” ~ Confucius
"Truly, a rose is a rose is a rose," said Gertrude Stein.
In children's art, beauty, purity and innocence are but one.
“The Constitution only guarantees you the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
V-sign is an expression of both victory and joy to these kids.
“There is only one happiness in this life: to love and be loved.”
– George Sand
House guests delight in imagining a spring coming out of a wall.
Markus and Mackie ((author's grandchildren) pose with medals
they won in Rubix Cube and gymnastics, respectively.
Brisbane, Australia.
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Wooden head of Philippine deer (as if alive), and real feline
pet greet these house guests at the Center.
“Being happy never goes out of style.” – Lilly Pulitzer
"Don't sit on the stairs," old folks say. You may be
blocking the unseen passing through.
“Nothing in the world is as contagious as laughter and good humor.”
– Charles Dickens
Two mothers inside and outside the wall, respectively.
“There’s no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.” – Buddha
A smile means a lot. I can only guess what these two are thinking.
“The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer someone else up.” – Mark Twain
All smile - one-two-three. Perfect.
“It is not easy to find happiness within yourself, but impossible to find it elsewhere.” – Agnes Repplier
Marley's twin? She is just one dog with two masters.
“The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters.” – Audrey Hepburn
Eureka! Eureka! (I found it! 2x,) is the ultimate cry of success.
Jose Pepito Rojas, inventor of the mobile chair from virtual junks.
“Happiness is not a goal… it’s a by-product of a life well lived.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
Wonder how cork is made and where. Cork tree.
Brisbane, Australia
“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
― Marthe Troly-Curtin
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"I am the way, the life and the truth." (John 14:6). Children's interpretations
in an art workshop attract local and foreign guests alike. San Vicente Parish.
“I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.” – Voltaire
If there's twin-finger banana, there's also twin-bunch banana.
“If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow.”
~ Buddha
~ Buddha
Fear does not only scare, it is also contagious.
“Happiness comes from you. No one else can make you happy.
You make you happy.” – Beyoncé
Resurrection is the image of a growing child amid an aging
population in our time.
“It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness.
We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.”
― Chuck Palahniuk,
Husband and wife - a happy tandem as ambulant vendors,
our suki of fresh farm products.
“Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.”
― Ernest Hemingway,
Catch the butterflies with care, then let them go.
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Whose candid view? Theirs or mine?
“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of.
You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”
― Albert Camus
The Garden may be a far replica of the lost Eden,
but what is important is that we have found Eden
“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”
― Abraham Lincoln
The cat is the embodiment of relaxation - she even feigns dead
and pretends being asleep.
“Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” - Aristotle
Welcome to the Center's modern art gallery. Be our guest and muse.
“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one remembers to turn on the light.” – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Evolving Art Series 4 Global Warming is creating a new Art Movement
Evolving Art Series 4
Global Warming is creating a new Art Movement
Paintings and Verses by Dr Abe V Rotor
Coral Reef Deforestation. Eye of the Coral Reef.
When the sea rises and buries the shoals and sandbars,
the sea grass and coral reef;
when the sun bears hard on the fringes of sea and land,
requiem hums eerie and grief.
Oh, Art - what gift do you bring in suffering and lament,
but catharsis however brief.
Mountain Desertification
When the wind hot and dry sweeps over hills and mountains
all day long, freezing cold in the night;
and rain after a long absence brings gales and hurricanes;
the landscape turns into a pitiful sight.
What movement can a artist recall in the long history of art?
too far out romanticism and classicism;
realism lost to the lens, impressionism to varied abstract art -
welcome Dali-Miro'-Ernst surrealism. ~
Is it Summer or Autumn?
Global warming is destroying the orderly march of seasons,
worst it is destroying the setting of this magnificent drama of nature.
Neither!
Summer is when the sun is brighestto nourish the plants into full bloom;the fields transform green to golden,haystacks growing like mushroom.
Autumn is when the wind gets chilly,birds in the sky migrate southward,among stars and kites and fireflies,and trees wear their brightest ward.
Neither!
Never again will summer or autumncome, the march of seasons gonewhere once Paradise stood proud,prouder a rational wandering son.
Mutation (Mutilation) by Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering has put into man’s hands the path and nature of evolution, creating heretofore unnatural organisms leading to speciation (species formation) under the dictate of the new science. Here, the god in man is taking over God’s power over creation. In this painting one can subjectively identify organisms fused into an unorderly fashion yet revealing basic identities.
It's a riddle, shocking, senseless and cruel,seeking answer not only to what but why;an elephant, a hog, a bull, save your guess,science knows no limit like the endless sky.neither direction nor purpose, obedienceto sacredness of creation nor of humanity.Frankenstein's regret too late to destroywhat he created, a fiend to life's sanctity.It's a riddle, more than the Sphinx's threat,the key to safe passage in ones journey;move over robot, we may say to strangers,yet strangers we are seen too, by many.Where now leads the path of evolutionof millions of years to what all the livingare today? Move over Darwin, Mendel et al;your time is up, it's genetic engineering!Did man destroy Eden on purpose then?knowledge and disobedience on one table,then to build and to destroy are also one;beauty in his eyes and heart insatiable.
Kaleidoscope in Nature in acrylic (20" x 24") AVR 2015
A world of colors in splendor and grandeur ,in magnificence and glory;the mountains in summer, the trees in autumn;the sky at sunset over the sea.Undulating hills, meandering rivers,flowing down through the mist;the valley wakes up to the magic of sunrise,in living colors that never cease.Coral reefs, counterpart of gardens on land,untouched this submarine parkin luxurious colors and hues in the day,hauntingly glow in the dark.The rainbow grows in the sky with dreams,romance in the air in colors divinefor a lovely pair bound by love and care,with nature's beauty they enshrine. ~
Birds of Paradise in acrylic,
Brisbane, Australia, July 31, 2023
Red, blue and green, and black hidden,crowd the Heliconia bushland;home of birds driven from a lost Garden,save on make-believe art of man. ~
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Rizal's Masterpiece NOLI ME TANGERE (Latin "Touch me not.") - a Review
Rizal's Masterpiece NOLI ME TANGERE
(Latin "Touch me not.") - a Review
In commemoration of our national hero's 128th Death Anniversary, December 30, 2024Noli turned out to produce a far reaching consequence. It stirred up the Filipino's sense of national identity which consequently led to the Philippine Revolution which culminated in independence from Spain on June 12, 1898.
Dr Abe V Rotor
Professor, Rizal Course, UST, SPU-QC
Living with Nature - School on Blog (avrotor.blogspot.com)
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM, [www.pbs.gov.ph] 8-9 evening class Monday to Friday
Students both in high school and college who are taking up the subject about Dr. Jose Rizal, national hero of the Philippines may find this outline as a handy reference. This may serve as a review material for those taking the forthcoming final examination on the subject which is divided into four series.
2. Similarly Noli was planned to expose the abuses committed by Spanish friars and authorities on the natives, the Indios, of the Philippines.
3. He proposed the idea to his Filipino friends in Madrid in 1884 that they collaborate in writing a novel on the Philippines, but it was to no avail.
4. Ultimately Rizal decided to write the entire book himself. He was 26.
5. Rizal began writing Noli in Madrid, continued on in Paris, and finished it in Berlin.
6. The book was finished in December 1886, but Rizal was penniless and despaired of ever publishing it.
7. The novel might never have seen print if it were not for Maximo Viola. Viola lent Rizal P300 for 2,000 copies. The book came off the press on 29 March 1887, ahead of schedule.
8. Noli me tangere means in Latin "Touch me not." (John 20:13-17). The newly-risen Christ says to Mary Magdalene: "Touch me not; I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God."
9. French writer D. Blumenstihl noted that "Noli me tangere" is a medical term used by ophthalmologists for cancer of the eyelids. This presented the idea of the book's theme - "social cancer."
10. This is an excerpt from the book's dedication (The Social Cancer). "Recorded in the history of human sufferings is a cancer of so malignant a character that the least touch irritates it and awakens in it the sharpest pains. Thus, how many times, when in the midst of modern civilizations I have wished to call thee before me, now to accompany me in memories, now to compare thee with other countries, hath thy dear image presented itself showing a social cancer like to that other!"
11. The book advocated for direct representation to the Spanish government and larger role of the Philippines inside the Spaniard political affairs.
12. But Noli turned out to produce a far reaching consequence. It stirred up the Filipino's sense of national identity which consequently led to the Philippine Revolution which culminated in independence from Spain on June 12, 1898.
13. The novel was written in Spanish, the language of the educated at a time when Filipinos were segregated by diverse native languages and regional cultures.
14. The Noli has since been adapted in many art forms. A 180-minute film of the same name was produced in 1961. Two movies followed: Rizal in Dapitan (Albert Martinez), and the multi-awarded Jose Rizal, played by Cesar Montano.
Sisa and her children Basilio and Crispin,
UP Theatre
15. Noli the Musical spearheaded by Ryan Cayabyab et al became a hit on the stage, screen, and TV (series). There are various adaptations of Noli - a comic book and several simplified versions for students and children.
16. Noli was recently published internationally by Penguin Australia and US. It has been translated in major languages that the mere mention of Noli rings a familiar tune to millions of people around the world. Textbooks designed for students were made by various publishers, and the text itself is oftentimes condensed or shortened to facilitate learning among students.
17. Noli me Tangere and its sequel, El Filibusterismo, are studied by Third Year and Fourth Year secondary school students in the Philippines as part of the curriculum. Rizal's Life and Works is required as a 3-unit subject in various courses in tertiary education.
18. In Rizal's time Noli and Fili were banned because of their portrayal of corruption and abuse by the country's Spanish government and clergy. The church and many consevative people did not favor the the reading of Noli and Fili, until a law was passed making the teaching of Rizal compulsory.
19. Copies of the two books were smuggled in nevertheless, and when Rizal returned to the Philippines after completing medical studies, he was arrested and exiled to Dapitan.
20. A character which has become a classic in the Philippines is "Maria Clara" who has become a personification of the ideal Filipino woman, loving and unwavering in her loyalty to her spouse.
21. Another classic character is the priest "Father Dámaso" which reflects, other than their blatant abuse of power, the covert fathering of illegitimate children by members of the Spanish clergy.
22.The novel created so much controversy. Rizal wrote, "My book made a lot of noise; everywhere, I am asked about it. They wanted to anathematize me ['to excommunicate me'] because of it ... I am considered a German spy, an agent of Bismarck, they say I am a Protestant, a free mason, a sorcerer, a damned soul and evil. It is whispered that I want to draw plans, that I have a foreign passport and that I wander through the streets by night ..."
23. The Church exerted pressure on the State over Rizal's fate. Rizal was convicted for "inciting rebellion" based largely on his writings. Rizal was executed in Manila on December 30, 1896 at the age of thirty-five.
24. Rizal depiction of nationality by emphasizing the qualities of Filipinos: devotion of a Filipina and her influence to a man's life, the deep sense of gratitude, and the solid common sense of the Filipinos under the Spanish regime.
25. The book was instrumental in creating a unified Filipino national identity and consciousness, as many Filipinos previously identified with their respective regions to the advantage of the Spanish authorities. It lampooned, caricatured and exposed various elements in the colonial society.~ Rizal death anniversary Dec 30 2016
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog (avrotor.blogspot.com)
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM, [www.pbs.gov.ph] 8-9 evening class Monday to Friday
Having completed his studies in Europe, young Juan Crisostomo Ibarra comes back to the Philippines after a 7-year absence. In his honor, Captain Tiago throws a get-together party, which is attended by friars and other prominent figures. In an unfortunate incident, former curate Father Dámaso belittles and slanders Ibarra. But Ibarra brushes off the insult and takes no offense; he instead politely excuses himself and leaves the party because of an allegedly important task.
The day after the humbling party, Ibarra goes to see MarÃa Clara, his love interest, a beautiful daughter of Captain Tiago and an affluent resident of Binondo, Manila. Their long-standing love is clearly manifested in this meeting, and MarÃa Clara cannot help but reread the letters her sweetheart had written her before he went to Europe. Before Ibarra left for San Diego, Lieutenant Guevara, a guardia civil, reveals to him the incidents preceding the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a rich hacendero of the town.
Noli me tangere (Touch me not), biblical source of Rizal's novel, one of the world's greatest novels is ranked with War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Le Miserables by Victor Hugo, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, among others. Noli me tangere, meaning "don't touch me" or "don't tread on me", is the Latin version of words spoken, according to John 20:17, by Jesus to Mary Magdalene when she recognized him after his resurrection.
According to the Lieutenant, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being a heretic, in addition to being a filibuster—an allegation brought forth by Father Dámaso because of Don Rafael's non-participation in the Sacraments, such as Confession and Mass. Father Dámaso's animosity against Ibarra's father is aggravated by another incident when Don Rafael helped out on a fight between a tax collector and a student fighting, and the former's death was blamed on him, although it was not deliberate. Suddenly, all of those who thought ill of him surfaced with additional complaints. He was imprisoned, and just when the matter was almost settled, he got sick and died in jail. Still not content with what he had done, Father Dámaso arranged for Don Rafael's corpse to be dug up and transferred from the Catholic cemetery to the Chinese cemetery, because he thought it inappropriate to allow a heretic such as Don Rafael a Catholic burial ground. Unfortunately, it was raining and because of the bothersome weight of the cadaver, the men in charge of the burial decided to throw the corpse into the lake.
Revenge was not in Ibarra's plans; instead he carries through his father's plan of putting up a school, since he believes that education would pave the way to his country's progress (all over the novel the author refers to both Spain and the Philippines as two different countries which form part of a same nation or family, being Spain the mother and the Philippines the daughter). During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage had ElÃas—a mysterious man who had warned Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him—not saved him. Instead the hired killer met an unfortunate incident and died. The sequence of events proved to be too traumatic for MarÃa Clara who got seriously ill but was luckily cured by the medicine Ibarra sent herAfter the inauguration, Ibarra hosts a luncheon during which Father Dámaso, uninvited and gate-crashing the luncheon, again insults him. Ibarra ignores the priest's insolence, but when the latter slanders the memory of his dead father, he is no longer able to restrain himself and lunges at Father Dámaso, prepared to stab the latter for his impudence. As a consequence, Dámaso excommunicates Ibarra. Father Dámaso takes this opportunity to persuade the already-hesitant father of MarÃa Clara to forbid his daughter from marrying Ibarra. The friar wishes MarÃa Clara to marry a Peninsular named Linares who just arrived from Spain.
With the help of the Captain-General, Ibarra's excommunication is nullified and the Archbishop decides to accept him as a member of the Church once again. But, as fate would have it, some incident of which Ibarra had known nothing about is blamed on him, and he is wrongly arrested and imprisoned. But the accusation against him is overruled because during the litigation that followed, nobody could testify that he was indeed involved. Unfortunately, his letter to MarÃa Clara somehow gets into the hands of the jury and is manipulated such that it then becomes evidence against him.
Meanwhile, in Captain Tiago's residence, a party is being held to announce the upcoming wedding of MarÃa Clara and Linares. Ibarra, with the help of ElÃas, takes this opportunity and escapes from prison. But before leaving, Ibarra talks to MarÃa Clara and accuses her of betraying him, thinking that she gave the letter he wrote her to the jury. MarÃa Clara explains to Ibarra that she will never conspire against him but that she was forced to surrender Ibarra's letter to her in exchange for the letters written by her mother even before she, MarÃa Clara, was born. The letters were from her mother, PÃa Alba, to Father Dámaso alluding to their unborn child; and that she, MarÃa Clara, is therefore not the daughter of Captain Tiago, but of Father Dámaso.
Afterwards, Ibarra and ElÃas board a boat and flee the place. ElÃas instructs Ibarra to lie down and the former covers the latter with grass to conceal the latter's presence. As luck would have it, they are spotted by their enemies. ElÃas thinks he could outsmart them and jumps into the water. The guards rain shots on the person in the water, all the while not knowing that they are aiming at the wrong man.
MarÃa Clara, thinking that Ibarra has been killed in the shooting incident, is greatly overcome with grief. Robbed of hope and severely disillusioned, she asks Father Dámaso to confine her into a nunnery. Father Dámaso reluctantly agrees when MarÃa Clara threatens to take her own life. demanding, "the nunnery or death!" taken the shots. It is Christmas Eve when Ibarra wakes up in the forest, gravely wounded and barely alive. It is in this forest that Ibarra finds Basilio and his lifeless mother, Sisa.
-----------------------------
References: Light from the Old Arch, AVRotor; and Wikipedia
Musical versions of Noli on stage and screen.
Professor, Rizal Course, UST, SPU-QC
Living with Nature - School on Blog (avrotor.blogspot.com)
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM, [www.pbs.gov.ph] 8-9 evening class Monday to Friday
Students both in high school and college who are taking up the subject about Dr. Jose Rizal, national hero of the Philippines may find this outline as a handy reference. This may serve as a review material for those taking the forthcoming final examination on the subject which is divided into four series.
- Review in brief
- Synopsis of Noli Me Tangere
- Characters in Noli
- Living up with Rizal.
2. Similarly Noli was planned to expose the abuses committed by Spanish friars and authorities on the natives, the Indios, of the Philippines.
3. He proposed the idea to his Filipino friends in Madrid in 1884 that they collaborate in writing a novel on the Philippines, but it was to no avail.
4. Ultimately Rizal decided to write the entire book himself. He was 26.
5. Rizal began writing Noli in Madrid, continued on in Paris, and finished it in Berlin.
6. The book was finished in December 1886, but Rizal was penniless and despaired of ever publishing it.
7. The novel might never have seen print if it were not for Maximo Viola. Viola lent Rizal P300 for 2,000 copies. The book came off the press on 29 March 1887, ahead of schedule.
8. Noli me tangere means in Latin "Touch me not." (John 20:13-17). The newly-risen Christ says to Mary Magdalene: "Touch me not; I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God."
9. French writer D. Blumenstihl noted that "Noli me tangere" is a medical term used by ophthalmologists for cancer of the eyelids. This presented the idea of the book's theme - "social cancer."
10. This is an excerpt from the book's dedication (The Social Cancer). "Recorded in the history of human sufferings is a cancer of so malignant a character that the least touch irritates it and awakens in it the sharpest pains. Thus, how many times, when in the midst of modern civilizations I have wished to call thee before me, now to accompany me in memories, now to compare thee with other countries, hath thy dear image presented itself showing a social cancer like to that other!"
11. The book advocated for direct representation to the Spanish government and larger role of the Philippines inside the Spaniard political affairs.
12. But Noli turned out to produce a far reaching consequence. It stirred up the Filipino's sense of national identity which consequently led to the Philippine Revolution which culminated in independence from Spain on June 12, 1898.
13. The novel was written in Spanish, the language of the educated at a time when Filipinos were segregated by diverse native languages and regional cultures.
14. The Noli has since been adapted in many art forms. A 180-minute film of the same name was produced in 1961. Two movies followed: Rizal in Dapitan (Albert Martinez), and the multi-awarded Jose Rizal, played by Cesar Montano.
Sisa and her children Basilio and Crispin,
UP Theatre
15. Noli the Musical spearheaded by Ryan Cayabyab et al became a hit on the stage, screen, and TV (series). There are various adaptations of Noli - a comic book and several simplified versions for students and children.
16. Noli was recently published internationally by Penguin Australia and US. It has been translated in major languages that the mere mention of Noli rings a familiar tune to millions of people around the world. Textbooks designed for students were made by various publishers, and the text itself is oftentimes condensed or shortened to facilitate learning among students.
17. Noli me Tangere and its sequel, El Filibusterismo, are studied by Third Year and Fourth Year secondary school students in the Philippines as part of the curriculum. Rizal's Life and Works is required as a 3-unit subject in various courses in tertiary education.
18. In Rizal's time Noli and Fili were banned because of their portrayal of corruption and abuse by the country's Spanish government and clergy. The church and many consevative people did not favor the the reading of Noli and Fili, until a law was passed making the teaching of Rizal compulsory.
19. Copies of the two books were smuggled in nevertheless, and when Rizal returned to the Philippines after completing medical studies, he was arrested and exiled to Dapitan.
20. A character which has become a classic in the Philippines is "Maria Clara" who has become a personification of the ideal Filipino woman, loving and unwavering in her loyalty to her spouse.
21. Another classic character is the priest "Father Dámaso" which reflects, other than their blatant abuse of power, the covert fathering of illegitimate children by members of the Spanish clergy.
22.The novel created so much controversy. Rizal wrote, "My book made a lot of noise; everywhere, I am asked about it. They wanted to anathematize me ['to excommunicate me'] because of it ... I am considered a German spy, an agent of Bismarck, they say I am a Protestant, a free mason, a sorcerer, a damned soul and evil. It is whispered that I want to draw plans, that I have a foreign passport and that I wander through the streets by night ..."
Rizal is executed by a firing squad at Bagumbayan, now Luneta Park, a re-enactment.
23. The Church exerted pressure on the State over Rizal's fate. Rizal was convicted for "inciting rebellion" based largely on his writings. Rizal was executed in Manila on December 30, 1896 at the age of thirty-five.
24. Rizal depiction of nationality by emphasizing the qualities of Filipinos: devotion of a Filipina and her influence to a man's life, the deep sense of gratitude, and the solid common sense of the Filipinos under the Spanish regime.
25. The book was instrumental in creating a unified Filipino national identity and consciousness, as many Filipinos previously identified with their respective regions to the advantage of the Spanish authorities. It lampooned, caricatured and exposed various elements in the colonial society.~ Rizal death anniversary Dec 30 2016
Synopsis of NOLI ME TANGERE- By Dr Jose Rizal
In more than a century since its appearance, José Rizal's Noli Me Tangere has become widely known as the great novel of the Philippines. A passionate love story set against the ugly political backdrop of repression, torture, and murder, "The Noli," as it is called in the Philippines, was the first major artistic manifestation of Asian resistance to European colonialism, and Rizal became a guiding conscience—and martyr—for the revolution that would subsequently rise up in the Spanish province. - Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal, Harold Augenbraum (Translator) Penguin Books
Dr Abe V Rotor
Former Professor, Rizal Course, UST, SPU-QC
Living with Nature - School on Blog (avrotor.blogspot.com)
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM, [www.pbs.gov.ph] 8-9 evening class Monday to Friday
Having completed his studies in Europe, young Juan Crisostomo Ibarra comes back to the Philippines after a 7-year absence. In his honor, Captain Tiago throws a get-together party, which is attended by friars and other prominent figures. In an unfortunate incident, former curate Father Dámaso belittles and slanders Ibarra. But Ibarra brushes off the insult and takes no offense; he instead politely excuses himself and leaves the party because of an allegedly important task.
The day after the humbling party, Ibarra goes to see MarÃa Clara, his love interest, a beautiful daughter of Captain Tiago and an affluent resident of Binondo, Manila. Their long-standing love is clearly manifested in this meeting, and MarÃa Clara cannot help but reread the letters her sweetheart had written her before he went to Europe. Before Ibarra left for San Diego, Lieutenant Guevara, a guardia civil, reveals to him the incidents preceding the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a rich hacendero of the town.
Noli me tangere (Touch me not), biblical source of Rizal's novel, one of the world's greatest novels is ranked with War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Le Miserables by Victor Hugo, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, among others. Noli me tangere, meaning "don't touch me" or "don't tread on me", is the Latin version of words spoken, according to John 20:17, by Jesus to Mary Magdalene when she recognized him after his resurrection.According to the Lieutenant, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being a heretic, in addition to being a filibuster—an allegation brought forth by Father Dámaso because of Don Rafael's non-participation in the Sacraments, such as Confession and Mass. Father Dámaso's animosity against Ibarra's father is aggravated by another incident when Don Rafael helped out on a fight between a tax collector and a student fighting, and the former's death was blamed on him, although it was not deliberate. Suddenly, all of those who thought ill of him surfaced with additional complaints. He was imprisoned, and just when the matter was almost settled, he got sick and died in jail. Still not content with what he had done, Father Dámaso arranged for Don Rafael's corpse to be dug up and transferred from the Catholic cemetery to the Chinese cemetery, because he thought it inappropriate to allow a heretic such as Don Rafael a Catholic burial ground. Unfortunately, it was raining and because of the bothersome weight of the cadaver, the men in charge of the burial decided to throw the corpse into the lake.
Revenge was not in Ibarra's plans; instead he carries through his father's plan of putting up a school, since he believes that education would pave the way to his country's progress (all over the novel the author refers to both Spain and the Philippines as two different countries which form part of a same nation or family, being Spain the mother and the Philippines the daughter). During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage had ElÃas—a mysterious man who had warned Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him—not saved him. Instead the hired killer met an unfortunate incident and died. The sequence of events proved to be too traumatic for MarÃa Clara who got seriously ill but was luckily cured by the medicine Ibarra sent her
With the help of the Captain-General, Ibarra's excommunication is nullified and the Archbishop decides to accept him as a member of the Church once again. But, as fate would have it, some incident of which Ibarra had known nothing about is blamed on him, and he is wrongly arrested and imprisoned. But the accusation against him is overruled because during the litigation that followed, nobody could testify that he was indeed involved. Unfortunately, his letter to MarÃa Clara somehow gets into the hands of the jury and is manipulated such that it then becomes evidence against him.
Meanwhile, in Captain Tiago's residence, a party is being held to announce the upcoming wedding of MarÃa Clara and Linares. Ibarra, with the help of ElÃas, takes this opportunity and escapes from prison. But before leaving, Ibarra talks to MarÃa Clara and accuses her of betraying him, thinking that she gave the letter he wrote her to the jury. MarÃa Clara explains to Ibarra that she will never conspire against him but that she was forced to surrender Ibarra's letter to her in exchange for the letters written by her mother even before she, MarÃa Clara, was born. The letters were from her mother, PÃa Alba, to Father Dámaso alluding to their unborn child; and that she, MarÃa Clara, is therefore not the daughter of Captain Tiago, but of Father Dámaso.
Afterwards, Ibarra and ElÃas board a boat and flee the place. ElÃas instructs Ibarra to lie down and the former covers the latter with grass to conceal the latter's presence. As luck would have it, they are spotted by their enemies. ElÃas thinks he could outsmart them and jumps into the water. The guards rain shots on the person in the water, all the while not knowing that they are aiming at the wrong man.
MarÃa Clara, thinking that Ibarra has been killed in the shooting incident, is greatly overcome with grief. Robbed of hope and severely disillusioned, she asks Father Dámaso to confine her into a nunnery. Father Dámaso reluctantly agrees when MarÃa Clara threatens to take her own life. demanding, "the nunnery or death!" taken the shots. It is Christmas Eve when Ibarra wakes up in the forest, gravely wounded and barely alive. It is in this forest that Ibarra finds Basilio and his lifeless mother, Sisa.
-----------------------------
References: Light from the Old Arch, AVRotor; and Wikipedia
Musical versions of Noli on stage and screen.
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