ALGOREBAL WARMING, A MAN-MADE HAPPENING

Global warming issues aroused our consciousness and thus show that we, as people of the earth, really care and very much concerned with our Earth. But global warming is a natural phenomenon, a “great rhythm” at the earth. We happen to be living in this cycle where Mother Earth is experiencing a “slight fever". The unusual warming being felt today is dictated by the sun’s surges of activity, as expert says, and/or nearing alignment with the earth’s magnetic field thereby combining their magnetic forces and sending heat into the earth’s atmosphere, increasing heat in the air, and wind shifting. With these processes, abrupt changes in the weather conditions such as strong typhoons or hurricanes, tornadoes, floodings and/or droughts will be experienced and sending earth untold calamities. Let it be known and it is a general knowledge, that the earth's core is composed of molten rocks as evidence by the lava flows being thrown up by erupting volcano. Too much heat are stored in the earth's core and continues to accumulate to a superheat stages that no instrument made by man can measure its intensity. When the time comes that it can no longer hold the accumulated intense heat and enormous pressure, the molten lava and liquified elements will find its way to the soft volcano openning of the earth and eject it in a form of volcanic eruption -the explosion of a dormant volcano is more powerful (e.g. the Mt. Pinatubo volcano) than the active volcano since the latter is regularly emitting heat and the pressure is lesser. In this process, so much heat are thrown out until the normal temperature level is reached in the earth's core, then the erupting volcano will stop throwing away red-hot rocks. The smoke you see is water from the hydrosphere on the upper surface of the earth which is converted into steam to form a water vapor in its association with the escaping heat. The water vapor in a form of a cloud is then stored in the atmosphere to combine with the greenhouse gases which, according to scientists, is one hundred times more than the carbon dioxide, fossil fuels, ozone, methane, and nitrous oxide; the global warming advocates are now barking on. The earth's atmosphere, on the otherhand, is a layer of gases that surround the earth and retain its gravity. Its thickness is about 10,845 kms. -up to the peak of Mt. Everest which is the land surface reference. These layer of gases are composed of nitrogen, 78 per cent; oxygen, 20 per cent; water vapor, 1.00 per cent; argon, 0.93 per cent; carbon dioxide, 0.038 per cent; and other gases, 0.032 per cent. The mixture of these gases are commonly called air. The atmosphere protects life on earth by absorbing ultraviolet rays or solar radiation and regulates the temperature between day and night. Except nitrogen and oxygen, all other mentioned gases contribute to the greenhouse effect which is the natural process that maintains the earth's temperature levels to support life. The greenhouse gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, nitrous oxide, and the groups of flourinated gases are about one percent only of the earth's atmosphere. These greenhouse gases are the ones responsible to the greenhouse effect which reflects the heat back to earth. Carbon dioxide is a mere 0.038 per cent of the greenhouse gases which is being pinpointed as the main culprit for global warming. While water vapor, which accounts for the largest percentage of the greenhouse effect at about 66 per cent, was not made suspect for global warming. On the opposite sense, these greenhouse gases are more beneficial to humans as it maintains the average temperature of the atmosphere at around 15 degrees centigrade or 59 degrees fahrenheit. Without the greenhouse gases, the earth is uninhabitable because its mean temperature is only negative 19 degrees C or negative 2 degrees F. The water vapor, which is the major component of the greenhouse gases, comes from natural sources such as oceans, sea ice, and polar ice caps. While carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone; which are the minor component of greenhouse gases and come also from natural sources such as erupting volcanoes and decomposing organic matters; are from the minimal sources which are attributable to human activity. Indeed, water vapor is the more important greenhouse gas and contributes more to the greenhouse effect. An increase of water vapor means an increase of greenhouse effect and thereby increasing the atmospheric temperature. Further increasing the temperature of the atmosphere would require an increase of water vapor and the cycle goes on maintaining the equilibrium. Thus, the more carbon dioxide, the more water vapor is needed to normalize the greenhouse effect in the earth's atmosphere in maintaining the temperature supporting the life on earth. Without the greenhouse effect, our earth will be freezing as the planet mars is. Mars has a very thin atmosphere and cannot support greenhouse effect. If our earth is very, very cold, we will be celebrating white christmas throughout the year . . . . . maybe in some other place. (Data source: Wikipedia) Read more on this article...

Global Warming: The Greatest Scam in History by John Coleman

John Coleman, the weather channel boss calls Global Warming, the greatest scam in history and accused global media of colluding with "environmental extremists" to alarm the public. This was published on ICECAP (International Climate and Environment Change Assessment Project). I agree with Mr. Coleman, global warming is a natural phenomenon. It is going to happen but not with the misdeeds of humans. Carbon dioxidse and fossil fuels are not the culprits either. Water vapor is hundred times more abundant in the greenhouse gases that maintain the warm temperature of our earth. In reducing greenhouse gases, our earth will becomes cold and may not be inhabitable as the planet Mars is. The sun's surges of heat is the result of its nearing alignment with the earth's magnetic field thus inducing more heat on the earth's atmosphere, as I previously stated in my post "The Melting of the Ice. Also, heat will intensify with the coming of solar maximum where the sunspot and solar flares are in abundance. "There is no run away climate change. Impact on human is not catastrophic. Our planet is not in peril." concluded by Mr. Coleman. Read more on this article...

THE MELTING OF THE ICE

Climate change and global warming are now the talks of the day. All are pointing to carbon dioxide released by fossil fuels, man-made chemicals, volcanic eruption, and other related pollutants resulting to the formation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere thereby blocking the heat and send it back to earth. If this is the case, how is the heat generated by the sun will penetrate the greenhouse gases to illuminate the earth? It maybe assumed that greenhouse gases may also serves as strainer to block the harmful effects of ultra-rays emitted by the sun. And what is the U.S. Administration doing when they rejected the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas-reduction schemes? The United States is considered to possess the most advance technology and science researches and it appears that they are not alarmed on global warming. Only Al Gore, who missed the US presidency in 2000, is spearheading the campaign against climate change. Carbon dioxide and other contributing pollutants originate from within and not from any other planet, and has been associated with the planet earth ever since its existence. Human race inhabited the earth in a very short period of time. The early history, as manifested by geologic fossils and strange debris of prehistoric plants and animals, is estimated to be some 50 million years ago; and as shown by rocks and limestone, the earth has undergone three climatic changes and we are on the fourth climatic change which began thousand of years ago and happens to be on our time. We must be glad instead, the next generation will know what we did to avert any abrupt changes and the care we did to save our earth. We are fortunate enough for we have the rarity to observe the great rhythms of the planet earth phenomenon. From the book of Rachel L. Carson, "The Sea Around Us", she mentioned a Swedish Oceanographer, Otto Petterson, who developed the theory of alternating periods of mild and severe climate change associated with the great tides... "of warm Atlantic water pressed into the Arctic Sea at deep levels, moving in under the ice", .... and resulted to the melting of the ice cap and glaciers down to the Atlantic Ocean. Petterson surmised that "about every 18 centuries the sun and the moon come into such position that they exert the greatest possible attracting force upon the sea and induced a maximum tide which last occurred about 1433." According to Carson, "there are also rhythmically occurring periods that fall at varying intervals -for example, every nine, 18 or 36 years- and these correspond to other tidal cycles and produce briefer and less drastic climatic variations." At the time of maximum tides, the mass of warm water that originates from the Southern Hemisphere moves gradually through the Atlantic Ocean up to Labrador Sea and Norwegian, Greenland, and Barents Seas; melting the Arctic Sea ice, the accumulated winter snows in the northern lands, and the polar ice cap, in the process. Thirteen years from now or by the year 2020, as maybe deduced, the melting of the ice will be more pronounced and it will induce rains and floodings -its awesome force no one can imagin- and disintegrating land oozing to the rivers and seawards causing a corresponding displacement of water overflowing the sea basins. Million of square kilometers of open water shall be added to the area occupied by the sea thereby raising the sea level. As a sign of this unusual occurence, in the year 2002, NASA scientists were alarmed after sighting that the Arctic Sea ice is melting through satellite images and thus evidencing that the warm current is gradually flowing underneath the sea ice. As a result of the intrusion of warm climate in the northern lands, Norway shall be experiencing better cropping harvest as well as Canada, Alaska, Russia, and other associated states in that area. While Greenland, Iceland, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and other northern islands shall be inhabited by seabirds and other flying species not usually seen in these places. Fishing industry shall also be flourishing in countries along the Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea, and Kara Sea. Meanwhile, thousand of islets shall be reclaimed by the sea. The low-laying cities and towns along the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, the Carribean Sea, the lower part of Mississippi to Florida would all submerge, underwater. With this great rhythm of the earth and the cycle of climate change which began thousand of years ago, as previously stated, -and so happens in so short span of human life and that we live in an age of rising seas, as Rachel Carson observed- we have no reason to be so alarmed or be frightened as Mother Nature will always be our guide. There will come a time that the earth, in its rotary motion, will tilt toward its opposite position and human, with his survival instinct behavior as he is already exploring the outer space, will just migrate towards the other side . . . . other Moises will lead them with God's will. Rmagin Read more on this article...

VILLAGE'S VANISHING FEATURES OF "ALL SAINTS' DAY"

Recalling our early days in remembering the passed away love ones in peace, the practices in our village is quite unusual compared to other parts of the Philippines. Although we may say that it is almost pass'e, its cultural feature is of real worth and signifies our unique identity as people of the world. A vivid example goes like this: the parading of a look alike, live statue of a saint painted with gray clay all over his body -resembling a soul wandering in purgatory before being admitted to the Kingdom of Heaven, as in the belief of the Roman Catholics- is carried by four men in a makeshift support and presented house to house. The four men represent the relatives of the soul begging for prayers so that their dead will be finally forgiven and gain entrance to heaven. In return the householder will give donations or a form of prayer. This is done a day before "All Saints' Day". Another is, the serenading of the houses by reciting a repetitive lines of verse in a Filipino dialect as follows: "Pispis ng pikoy, talisaying bulik; Humapon sa kahoy, ang hingi ay barek. . . . .Barek!" This will start at the middle of the night until dawn of "All Saints' Day". There are chances, however, that when the householder refused to acknowledge the serenaders, they will steal the fruits, vegetables, or even chicken raised at the backyard. They will cook it and invite the owner to eat with them at daytime. When they finished eating, it's the time they will tell the truth that . . . "The fried chicken you ate is your fighting cock," and laughters will follow or they scampered to safety to avoid reprisals. Going to the village cemetery which is located near the river -there is a sayings that you should not fish near the site as you might caught a wandering soul- our elders selected the place for accessibility so they can visit, by boat or by foot, their dead anytime they wish. During this time people troops to the cemetery -in urban towns, congestion of traffic is in the worst and too much irritating- and it is also an occasion where relocated relatives, either abroad or to any other place, met and got together after a long time of absence. To some of our folks, it is the time where they engaged in conversation, gossip, and everything to talk about. However, upon reaching the respective niches or tomb sites, they exercised strict movement and silence. . . the immediate relative of the dead will light a candle and all the members of the clan will solemnly offer prayers for the eternal repose of the soul in heaven. They remain in the graveyard until sunset. As they do not practice eating at the cemetery, they prepare native foods at home such as: "biko", "suman sa ibos", "kalamay," and others. (These are foods consisting mostly of starchy rice, mascuvado sugar, coconut milk, and "pandan" leaves as taste enhancer; they differ only in the preparation and cooking systems.) . . . And they partook it with laughters! These practices and traditions are now vanishing. The western style of Halloween predominates the activities of the youth, though they still bring flowers as offering to their departed love ones in the cemetery. Blog Rmagin Read more on this article...

LOOKING FOR YOU, MOTHER NATURE

Global warming, environmental degradation, erodation of polar ice cap, carbon dioxide emission, greenhouse gases blockade, rising sea level, catastrophe, holocaust, or even doomsday are issues for greater understanding and awareness. What measures are to be adopted to avert universal problems and ..... extinction? Oh, no! On this part of our globe, we village people are just looking for Mother Nature who always cares, as we also care for. But time has changed, .. . and where are you now Mother Nature? We are watching out and searching beyond the horizon as we whisper words of hope . . . that you are back! Oh! Mother Nature, where have you been? We looked for you in the woods where denuded forest stared us; we looked for you in the rivers where rusty-brown muds and faulty smell engulfed us; we looked for you in the vast terrain where fossil grass and desert fumes hounded us; we looked for you in the caves and waterfalls where vandals prevented us; we looked for you in the mountains where deforestations and wildfires suffocated us; and we looked for you in the oceans and coral reefs where jellyfishes abound and swarmed us due to climate change. We found you in our village accessible by foot, where: no engine roaring to blast your ear; no smoke-belching factory to bloat your lungs; no man-made chemicals to deform your hair or irritate your skin; and no welding rod to make you blind. Backed in the city, we looked for you: we saw the metro beach full of plastics, whereas in our village beach, it is full of fish; we raised our heads up high, we saw the sky full of smudges and confetti, whereas in our village it is full of birds; and when the night comes, the city is full of pyrotechnics, in our village it is full of fireflies. Oh Mother Nature! it is looking for you, why we are going back. . . . to the village. Blog Action Day Blog Rmagin Read more on this article...

Boo-rangay Election

Baranggay is the smallest local self-government unit in the Philippines. It is headed by a Baranggay Captain, Baranggay Kagawad, and Baranggay Secretary, Treasurer, and Lupong Tagapamayapa. It is compose of 2000 or more inhabitants and whose activities are independent of the municipalities. A problem or any disputes of its populace are being resolved first by the Baranggay Captain and his decision is binding thus relieving the national justice system of backlog cases. But when it comes to election it is being utilized by the politicians who mingled, usurped, or encroached in their territories and enforced their will to gain votes. Thus, the Baranggay Captain is being influenced by these political shenanigans and applied deception or any trickery to insure their post. This blog observed this maneuvering in a remote baranggay and he just made fun of them instead of trying to correct these maladies of a baranggay society. Months before election, through the funds provided by their political sponsors, aspiring Baranggay Captain gathers certain group of settlers and feed them in their lair for a day with sumptuous meal including wines without telling the purpose of such show of good will. These settlers head a group of no-read-no-write natives which they can lure or manipulate to vote whoever they dictate. On the date of registration, the political machinery starts to grind. They provide logging trucks or any means of transportation to register these natives in as many precinct as possible with different assumed names through the leader-settler who kept the copy of such registrations. A leader is assigned to maintain ten natives. Three days before election this mentally deranged aspirant will call again these settlers with the same luxuriant treatment and promises of personal gains if elected. A day before election, these leaders- sometimes called as "Cabo" of the illegal "witing" or lottery game- return to their lair, gather again the natives and feed them, and give instructions on how to behave while voting. On election day, they make sure to be at the polling place as early as possible. At the poll, the leader will introduce the name of the native as appearing in the list of voters and as a representative, vote for the natives whose only part is to bow for whatever the leader said. This is allowed by the election laws to ensure majority participation. And after signing by means of thumb-print they proceed to other polling site after washing their hands with some kind of plant sap to erase whatever voting marks. In remote areas, special ink is substituted by ordinary ink by unscrupulous politicians to suit their purpose. Again the leader introduce the natives with another name, vote the same candidate and go to another site. So simple but it works. What a shameful acts that such activities are still going on every time election is conducted. There are those proposing that squatters who are non-payer-of-taxes, or no-read-no-write natives should not be allowed to vote. This move should be supported as these groups of people are only being utilized as cheerers/audiences in speech gatherings and are open to abuse by those in power. For a mere few pesos they sell their votes. They are swarming the metropolis, thereby posing hazards on the streets, sources of unsanitation as they dispose their waste in their surroundings, and lair of nuisant activities. And they decide the fate of the people. These unschooled or less educated majority imposed their will instead of knowledgeable few. This is the system flaws of a democracy. And how will you eradicate global poverty as envisioned by the group of haves countries under United Nations or of Geoffrey Sachs concept, when the less educated rules the land. We experienced this when a highschool drop-out took the shot by calling his cohorts at night and decide the fate of the nation through the bottles of wines. Baranggay election is scheduled on October 29, 2007, "Oh my tribe, when will you ever learn." Blog Rmagin Read more on this article...

REWARD OR RETRIBUTION

(The Missing One Thousand) In this age of machine, seldom you will encounter a manifestation of honesty through a computer aided transactions in every business establishment where what you feed is what you get. How will you gratify the acts of good will and reclaim the lost goods as a result of manual maneuvering or finger-flip faulty inputs. Unlike in the lost-and-found, where what you found can be claimed by the owner. Or a case of taxi-driver returning a bag containing a complete cash, except when it passed through the hands of a crooked policeman, and claim it after showing proofs related to the found items, and then rewarding.

A case of my wife, Sebia, is quite different and very hard to show a proof to claim the missing item. In this instance, Sebia paid a phone bill to Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) cashier and received a computer generated cash receipt. Without any glimpse on the transaction made, she put the receipt in her bag and left.

After a month and a half, the phone services and the broadband connectivity failed and upon inquiry, she was informed that the services was cut due to unsettled amount. She was furious and the harm is done! She has been paying the monthly bill regularly ever since the phone is installed and why the reason of unpaid account. She took all the files of phone receipts and examined the amount paid for each month. She noticed that one of the receipt bore small amount that she surmised is not sufficient for the monthly bill she has been paying. She recalled that for the bill amounting one thousand nine hundred fifty-five, she gave two thousands plus five pesos. But the receipt showed that she tendered only one thousand five, cash payment is nine hundred fifty-five, and the change cash amount is fifty pesos. She paused and thought analytically: “Where did the one thousand pesos go?”

Resigned of the thought that she cannot contest the cashier for the missing one thousand, she decided to pay the unsettled amount and the current bill required of her.

On the way to PLDT, she found out that her cash money is not enough. Her son, who is studying in college, asked for additional allowance reasoning out that he had to stay overnight with his classmates to research a subject on the Internet. Our service provider, PLDT thru myDSL, a broadband access to the internet, was also disabled with these circumstances. So when she glanced a pawnshop on the sideways, she alighted from a jeepney and pawned a ring to avert any deficiency in the payment of the bill. Upon entering the PLDT reception room, the guard gave her the usual queuing number and was offered to take her seat. While waiting, she tried to recognize the cashier in the paying window and made again an effort to refresh herself of what transpired when she paid the said bill. In calling back her mind, it is clear to her that she paid the right amount and instead of confronting the cashier she talked with the complaint receptionist and raised the questionable receipt. The lady reasoned out that upon receiving the payment, the cashier echoed the exact amount what the customer handed to her so that the payer can right away correct if the amount tendered is inconsistent, as what Sebia heard for every customer the cashier served in the payment window.

The supervisor in the nearby table, who is listening, presented a balance book showing a well-accounted transaction on the said date. Sebia countered that she always pay the exact current amount stated in the bill ever since the line was installed and never pay the half amount as she will be excepting the payment for myDSL. And also the cashier write a note on the billing sheet of the agreed amount the customer should pay. The lady insisted that she had the receipt and it is binding.

The cashier, however, overheard the discussions and immediately get out of her booth showing Sebia the record book of the missing one thousand pesos and the cash amount she had clipped in it as she uttered: “Sorry it’s my fault, I apologize for the shortcomings. It took me late at night trying to find as to where the excess money came from after depositing to the bank the collections on the said date.”

Appreciating the humble behavior, good will, sincere intent, and the gesture of honesty, Sebia thanked the cashier instead. Seldom we expressed gratitude to the acts of humility committed from a mistake. We retorted by counteracting, either to get even or scold them and make them realized that the shortcomings should not be repeated to avoid any inconveniences to the good-natured clients. We resorted further as a form of vindictiveness: by making them pay for the damage inflicted; or requiring contrition before forgiving; or pardon with reservation; or forgiveness with retribution; and or amnesty with conditions.

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