What do stars tell us? Is it has connection to destiny?
I wonder how things came to be, such things that goes beyond my imaginations. Like the gift of God, the nature, the trees, animals, the beauty of the sky at night and the stars. I look at the sky at night when I've nothing to do and many things are bothering me inside. As I watch the sky, I sometimes compare things that are in reality. Like the sky, it’s like it tells the whole of my life where worst things and sometimes most memorable things happen. I found happiness in life and somehow struggles about problems just as what is happening in the sky. When there is a typhoon and thunderstorms is coming , there would be a great damage on the beauty of the sky same as in my life, when problems come, I'm going to be almost crazy thinking on how could it be solve and sometimes I could hardly give up but I'm thankful that i could still overcome those things until now. There are also times that I 'm, happy about things that happened to me and to the people who always I keep on smiling and laughing and I'm referring it to my friends who have been faithful and funny to me. My life is just like 0f what is happening in my stars, when the storms came, I began to struggle all the time but when the sky looks brightly with the stars all around, I am then having then a beautiful day full of laughter. But for me, stars are my friends. If stars gave light in the night sky same as my friends they make my life more bright and fun! My friends are always shining to their support me in everything that I do especially in deciding serious things. Stars are just like my friends who give me hope in reaching my dreams and support me emotionally when I have problems that could not be solve by myself. Through them, I'm now tougher, stronger and definitely cuter just like my ultimate crush, Secret! My friends shine brightly same as the stars because they always gave me advise when I needed so and they make me realize about the things that are wrong and teaches me what is the right thing. They also make me realize that there are no people in this world don’t have problems. Together with them, I would always laugh and made me feel that they are just behind me to help you not just in problems but also in how to laugh and to carry a joke. They are the stars in my life because they tell me the right and the wrong. They tell me that life is so short so drink all you can instead of live life to the fullest because they always say that I'm always dying for water every time we are together with my classmates, section” I- Bartlett” which composed of thirty five students. Without these classmates, I could never enjoy my life here in UP and would not strive hard to study.Friends are my treasures that could not be replace by anything else. Stars in my life are my friends that always lead me to the bright way and are always good influence. They serve as the light in my life like the stars who gives light in the night sky. They gave beauty in my life and so as the stars in the sky. They make me realize that even though time may pass and they may also end their life just like the stars, they would always remain in my heart even though they have faded away but still always been a great gift from God and thankful for having them. And I never hope that time would come that each of us would say goodbye but let us just be happy and live life to the fullest.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
On Being by Students
Have you experience of being a teacher? If you experience it how would you feel?
They say “Learning is Fun” but if I were to ask, I could say yes and I could say no. I could say yes because while you are learning, you are able to meet different people and make new friends and I could say no because it too hard especially in projects, assignments and other requirements needed. But no matter what it is and how hard it is, we always cannot deny that through learning, a brighter future awaits for us.The (UPHS) or the University of the Philippines High School celebrated the teacher’s day in not just ordinary activities. The school celebrated the day for our teacher’s through a program called (KYSD) or also known as Know Your School Day. It is a program made by students, teachers, faculty members or our dear teachers. It is a program where a certain faculty member or a teacher will have his/her rest day by the help of the students. This is a program where students serve as teacher or a faculty member o any other positions. Student here also serves as applicant coz’ before they could replace a certain position, they need to undergo first on an interview. Students are only required to apply 2 desired subjects and only 1 position as a faculty member. Through this activity, students are practiced and exposed on how to apply a job someday. They are practiced on speaking through the interview especially in teaching in front of students and other kills that are applied.Even though, this was my first time to encountered that celebration I tried to apply some subjects but I failed. So I didn’t experienced on teaching my classmates at least I have experienced being taught by a teacher who is actually is also a student or in short as student teacher. I could really make a big difference on being taught by a professional teacher and just a student. Being taught by a student is fun. It’s because you are free to speak to everyone your opinion, you have this kind of freedom because we all know that our teacher is just our classmate. Even though our student teachers have not mastered the subjects unlike the teachers, they still try to make us understand about the topic. As our students tries to explain the lesson, we understand more the topic in a simple way because they taught us in a way where we understand more just like them when they study. We probably have the same opinions and understandings because we are of the same age. They used techniques that somehow we do in studying. It is fun because the teacher can do anything especially when we requested an activity like playing. But being also taught by a student is also difficult coz’ you cannot understand further the lesson because the student are so noisy because they have the freedom to speak. I somehow do not want to listen to the teacher because everybody is noisy and it seems that as the student teacher is having his/her lessons, nobody is listening. The student teacher could not discipline the students who are noisy because they are just afraid (not to mention any). But being taught by a student is a great experienced of both student and the teacher because we a re skilled into different field and we realized each other’s potential in teaching and listening and learning a lot from this great experience. Even though there is a big difference in between a professional teacher and just an ordinary student, I was still happy because they did the great job.I can say that “Learning is more Fun” especially when an experience in bei9ng taught by a students happens coz no matter how hard it is, I knew that being a teacher is more difficult and challenging than just being a student.When the program KYD ended, the student teachers received certificates but for me, being taught by a student was the best moment I ever had with my classmates.
They say “Learning is Fun” but if I were to ask, I could say yes and I could say no. I could say yes because while you are learning, you are able to meet different people and make new friends and I could say no because it too hard especially in projects, assignments and other requirements needed. But no matter what it is and how hard it is, we always cannot deny that through learning, a brighter future awaits for us.The (UPHS) or the University of the Philippines High School celebrated the teacher’s day in not just ordinary activities. The school celebrated the day for our teacher’s through a program called (KYSD) or also known as Know Your School Day. It is a program made by students, teachers, faculty members or our dear teachers. It is a program where a certain faculty member or a teacher will have his/her rest day by the help of the students. This is a program where students serve as teacher or a faculty member o any other positions. Student here also serves as applicant coz’ before they could replace a certain position, they need to undergo first on an interview. Students are only required to apply 2 desired subjects and only 1 position as a faculty member. Through this activity, students are practiced and exposed on how to apply a job someday. They are practiced on speaking through the interview especially in teaching in front of students and other kills that are applied.Even though, this was my first time to encountered that celebration I tried to apply some subjects but I failed. So I didn’t experienced on teaching my classmates at least I have experienced being taught by a teacher who is actually is also a student or in short as student teacher. I could really make a big difference on being taught by a professional teacher and just a student. Being taught by a student is fun. It’s because you are free to speak to everyone your opinion, you have this kind of freedom because we all know that our teacher is just our classmate. Even though our student teachers have not mastered the subjects unlike the teachers, they still try to make us understand about the topic. As our students tries to explain the lesson, we understand more the topic in a simple way because they taught us in a way where we understand more just like them when they study. We probably have the same opinions and understandings because we are of the same age. They used techniques that somehow we do in studying. It is fun because the teacher can do anything especially when we requested an activity like playing. But being also taught by a student is also difficult coz’ you cannot understand further the lesson because the student are so noisy because they have the freedom to speak. I somehow do not want to listen to the teacher because everybody is noisy and it seems that as the student teacher is having his/her lessons, nobody is listening. The student teacher could not discipline the students who are noisy because they are just afraid (not to mention any). But being taught by a student is a great experienced of both student and the teacher because we a re skilled into different field and we realized each other’s potential in teaching and listening and learning a lot from this great experience. Even though there is a big difference in between a professional teacher and just an ordinary student, I was still happy because they did the great job.I can say that “Learning is more Fun” especially when an experience in bei9ng taught by a students happens coz no matter how hard it is, I knew that being a teacher is more difficult and challenging than just being a student.When the program KYD ended, the student teachers received certificates but for me, being taught by a student was the best moment I ever had with my classmates.
Love Affair in MV Doulos
If television is the tool for entertainment, then book is the tool for a wider knowledge.Everything in this world that surrounds us gives us knowledge. We may not know that by just observing things, we are developing our minds and forming so many questions that lead to our curiosity and we are going to find some ways to know why it happened and how it’s like that. By that simple way, we are learning to educate ourselves and observing is just one way to give us more information about things that we want to know. One way also is the most common to all and that is reading. Through reading, it enhances our reading skills; on how deep our imaginations are; and most of all educates us. Book is the most important thing when we want to learn. It is where we sometimes depend on through reading. Book are found everywhere especially in schools but not to mention that our government has not comply enough books for the public students and I hope someday this problem could be solved. We sometimes want to read book when we want to; as part of our hobby and many reasons. Even though most students now depend on the Internet for their assignments and projects, the most pure source of information are the books.A great opportunity came when the school decided to let the students come to the ship also known as MV Doulos bringing lots of books. For me it was an opportunity because the books in there are sometimes not available in our library and even though it’s in bookstores but you cannot read it. In MV Doulos, you are free to read the books and you can even buy it if you have your money. The view was nice and I was well entertained by the people who were in-charge. The people in-charge was nice to us and the others also but they were very strict. I could say that they were very strict because after you have read the books and tour around the ship just where the books were, you may go out but you can never go back again to that place and I think I could say that everything was just for the security of the people in it. I enjoyed reading the books and somehow got afraid because of the moving of the ship even though it was not really moving in the sea. I was afraid that maybe my things would fall and when I was there to watch the sea, I could not take on looking on it because it was really deep because the ship was so big. Some of the books were expensive and there are also the cheap ones like the puzzles; sudoku in a pocket-size books for only 50 pesos but I have bring small my money so I decided to buy a dictionary which is P100. Of all the books, I like the best waste book where you are going to spy the thing required. What I mean is the book where you are going to find a thing in a page where there are so many things in the page. I was so happy having my tour in MV Doulos with my buddy which Mdm. Gallo assigned to us my buddy was Mark Anthony Esperida and friends who are always laughing just to make each of us smile and forget problems. After we have read the books, we went to the exit and ate Ice cream which was P30 with my buddy . Almost of us already went outside and we decided to go down the ship with the advice of our teacher. The most unforgettable thing that happened to me in MV Doulos was when I was taking the ladders up coz I was very afraid with their ladders because it had a sound if u step.The most unforgettable experience also was when we went o the ship for the second time and we went to a room where there are many students squatting and I think having an activity. We went inside and joined them. We watched a film about the history of MV Doulos and there were contests and the representatives from us were Paolo Valley; Reiner Siega and in the contest that Reiner joined, he won and we were so proud about that. After all the things we did, we were given some books that served as souvenirs and it was also happy about that at least having something to remember about my experience in MV Doulos.This was the most enjoyable day I ever had in a ship with lots of books surrounding you. I think, MV Doulos is the best “book-carrier” because it gives every people and even students a chance to feel free to read books in a shi and this kind of experience is really fun and great and most of all memorable. I was thankful that I was given the opportunity to tour and visit this kind of place with lots of books. This is a thing I could not forget for it really helped a lot to students like me because while you are on the ship, you are having fun and somehow learning because you are free to read the books but you don't have the right to destroy it of course. I could now really say that “LEARNING is FUN".
Poverty
Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? What about their government? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. But often less discussed are deeper and more global causes of poverty.
Behind the increasing interconnectedness promised by globalization, are global decisions, policies, and practices. These are typically influenced, driven, or formulated by the rich and powerful. These can be leaders of rich countries or other global actors such as multinational corporations, institutions, and influential people.
In the face of such enormous external influence, the governments of poor nations and their people are often powerless. As a result, in the global context, a few get wealthy while the majority struggle.
These next few articles and sections explore various poverty issues in more depth:
Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty
Cutbacks in health, education and other vital social services around the world have resulted from International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank-prescribed structural adjustment policies as condition for loans and repayment. In addition, developing nation governments are required to open their economies to compete with each other and with more powerful and established industrialized nations. To attract investment, poor countries enter a spiraling race to the bottom to see who can provide lower standards, reduced wages and cheaper resources. This has increased poverty and inequality for most people. It also forms a backbone to what we today call globalization. As a result, it maintains the historic unequal rules of trade. Last updated Sunday, November 20, 2005.
Read article: Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty
Poverty Around The World
Inequality is increasing around the world while the world appears to globalize. Even the wealthiest nation has the largest gap between rich and poor compared to other developed nations. In many cases, international politics and various interests have led to a diversion of available resources from domestic needs to western markets. Historically, politics and power play by the elite leaders and rulers have increased poverty and dependency. These have often manifested themselves in wars, hot and cold, which have often been trade and resource-related. Mercantilist practices, while presented as free trade, still happen today. Poverty is therefore not just an economic issue, it is also an issue of political economics. Last updated Thursday, February 15, 2007.
Read article: Poverty Around The World
Economic Democracy
This next page is a reposting of a flyer about a new book from J.W. Smith and the Institute for Economic Democracy, whom I thank for their kind permission. The book is called Economic Democracy: The Political Struggle Of The 21st Century. Typically on this site, I do not advertise books etc, (although I will cite from and link to some, where relevant). However, in this case, I found that just the text in this flyer alone to provide an excellent summary of the multitude of issues that cause poverty and its historic roots. (Please also note that I do not make any proceeds from the sale of this book in any way.) Posted Sunday, November 26, 2000.
Read article: Economic Democracy
World Hunger and Poverty
People are hungry not because of lack of availability of food, or “over” population, but because they are too poor to afford the food. Politics and economic conditions have led to poverty and dependency around the world. Addressing world hunger therefore implies addressing world poverty as well. If food production is further increased and provided to more people while the underlying causes of poverty are not addressed, hunger will still continue because people will not be able to purchase food. Last updated Thursday, February 15, 2007.
Read article: World Hunger and Poverty
Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty
Even non-emergency food aid, which seems a noble cause, is destructive, as it under-sells local farmers and can ultimately affect the entire economy of a poor nation. If the poorer nations are not given the sufficient means to produce their own food and other items then poverty and dependency may continue. In this section you will also find a chapter from a book which describes this situation in detail and looks at the myth that “more US aid will help the hungry” as the chapter is titled. A must read! Last updated Saturday, June 25, 2005.
Read article: Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty
Corruption
We often hear leaders from rich countries telling poor countries that aid and loans will only be given when they show they are stamping out corruption. While that definitely needs to happen, the rich countries themselves are often active in the largest forms of corruption in those poor countries, and many economic policies they prescribe have exacerbated the problem. Corruption in developing countries definitely must be high on the priority list, but so too must it be on the priority list of rich countries. Last updated Saturday, April 15, 2006.
Read article: Corruption
United Nations World Summit 2005
The UN World Summit for September 2005 is supposed to review progress since the Millennium Declaration, adopted by all Member States in 2000. However, the US has proposed enormous changes to an outcome document that is to be signed by all members. There are changes on almost all accounts, including striking any mention of the Millennium Development Goals, that aim for example, to halve poverty and world hunger by 2015. This has led to concerns that the outcome document will be weakened. Developing countries are also worried about stronger text on human rights and about giving the UN Security Council more powers. Last updated Sunday, September 18, 2005.
Read article: United Nations World Summit 2005
IMF & World Bank Protests, Washington D.C.
To complement the public protests in Seattle, the week leading up to April 16th/17th 2000 saw the other two global institutions, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, as the focus of renewed protests and criticisms, in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the mass demonstrations were to protest against the current form of globalization, which is seen as unaccountable, corporate-led, and non-democratic and to show the link with poverty due to the various policies of the IMF and World Bank. Last updated Friday, July 13, 2001.
Read article: IMF & World Bank Protests, Washington D.C.
Poverty Facts and Stats
While the world is globalizing and the mainstream media in many developed nations point out that economies are booming (or, in periods of downturns, that the current forms of “development” and economic policies are the only ways for people to prosper), there are an increasing number of poor people who are missing out on this apparent boom, while increasingly less people are becoming far more wealthy. Some of these facts and figures are an eye-opener to say the least.
Behind the increasing interconnectedness promised by globalization, are global decisions, policies, and practices. These are typically influenced, driven, or formulated by the rich and powerful. These can be leaders of rich countries or other global actors such as multinational corporations, institutions, and influential people.
In the face of such enormous external influence, the governments of poor nations and their people are often powerless. As a result, in the global context, a few get wealthy while the majority struggle.
These next few articles and sections explore various poverty issues in more depth:
Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty
Cutbacks in health, education and other vital social services around the world have resulted from International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank-prescribed structural adjustment policies as condition for loans and repayment. In addition, developing nation governments are required to open their economies to compete with each other and with more powerful and established industrialized nations. To attract investment, poor countries enter a spiraling race to the bottom to see who can provide lower standards, reduced wages and cheaper resources. This has increased poverty and inequality for most people. It also forms a backbone to what we today call globalization. As a result, it maintains the historic unequal rules of trade. Last updated Sunday, November 20, 2005.
Read article: Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty
Poverty Around The World
Inequality is increasing around the world while the world appears to globalize. Even the wealthiest nation has the largest gap between rich and poor compared to other developed nations. In many cases, international politics and various interests have led to a diversion of available resources from domestic needs to western markets. Historically, politics and power play by the elite leaders and rulers have increased poverty and dependency. These have often manifested themselves in wars, hot and cold, which have often been trade and resource-related. Mercantilist practices, while presented as free trade, still happen today. Poverty is therefore not just an economic issue, it is also an issue of political economics. Last updated Thursday, February 15, 2007.
Read article: Poverty Around The World
Economic Democracy
This next page is a reposting of a flyer about a new book from J.W. Smith and the Institute for Economic Democracy, whom I thank for their kind permission. The book is called Economic Democracy: The Political Struggle Of The 21st Century. Typically on this site, I do not advertise books etc, (although I will cite from and link to some, where relevant). However, in this case, I found that just the text in this flyer alone to provide an excellent summary of the multitude of issues that cause poverty and its historic roots. (Please also note that I do not make any proceeds from the sale of this book in any way.) Posted Sunday, November 26, 2000.
Read article: Economic Democracy
World Hunger and Poverty
People are hungry not because of lack of availability of food, or “over” population, but because they are too poor to afford the food. Politics and economic conditions have led to poverty and dependency around the world. Addressing world hunger therefore implies addressing world poverty as well. If food production is further increased and provided to more people while the underlying causes of poverty are not addressed, hunger will still continue because people will not be able to purchase food. Last updated Thursday, February 15, 2007.
Read article: World Hunger and Poverty
Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty
Even non-emergency food aid, which seems a noble cause, is destructive, as it under-sells local farmers and can ultimately affect the entire economy of a poor nation. If the poorer nations are not given the sufficient means to produce their own food and other items then poverty and dependency may continue. In this section you will also find a chapter from a book which describes this situation in detail and looks at the myth that “more US aid will help the hungry” as the chapter is titled. A must read! Last updated Saturday, June 25, 2005.
Read article: Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty
Corruption
We often hear leaders from rich countries telling poor countries that aid and loans will only be given when they show they are stamping out corruption. While that definitely needs to happen, the rich countries themselves are often active in the largest forms of corruption in those poor countries, and many economic policies they prescribe have exacerbated the problem. Corruption in developing countries definitely must be high on the priority list, but so too must it be on the priority list of rich countries. Last updated Saturday, April 15, 2006.
Read article: Corruption
United Nations World Summit 2005
The UN World Summit for September 2005 is supposed to review progress since the Millennium Declaration, adopted by all Member States in 2000. However, the US has proposed enormous changes to an outcome document that is to be signed by all members. There are changes on almost all accounts, including striking any mention of the Millennium Development Goals, that aim for example, to halve poverty and world hunger by 2015. This has led to concerns that the outcome document will be weakened. Developing countries are also worried about stronger text on human rights and about giving the UN Security Council more powers. Last updated Sunday, September 18, 2005.
Read article: United Nations World Summit 2005
IMF & World Bank Protests, Washington D.C.
To complement the public protests in Seattle, the week leading up to April 16th/17th 2000 saw the other two global institutions, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, as the focus of renewed protests and criticisms, in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the mass demonstrations were to protest against the current form of globalization, which is seen as unaccountable, corporate-led, and non-democratic and to show the link with poverty due to the various policies of the IMF and World Bank. Last updated Friday, July 13, 2001.
Read article: IMF & World Bank Protests, Washington D.C.
Poverty Facts and Stats
While the world is globalizing and the mainstream media in many developed nations point out that economies are booming (or, in periods of downturns, that the current forms of “development” and economic policies are the only ways for people to prosper), there are an increasing number of poor people who are missing out on this apparent boom, while increasingly less people are becoming far more wealthy. Some of these facts and figures are an eye-opener to say the least.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
All About the Greengouse Effect
Is the end of the world coming? Can we prevent it? How? How serious is the effects of Global warming?
The main problem of the world is Global warming:
Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans. Although global warming has occurred in the past, the term is often used to describe future anticipated warming of the earth due to greenhouse gasses.
Global average air temperature near Earth's surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °Celsius (1.3 ± 0.32 °Fahrenheit) in the last century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes, "most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations," which leads to warming of the surface and lower atmosphere by increasing the greenhouse effect. While this conclusion has been endorsed by certain scientific societies and academies of science, other scientists disagree about the primary causes of the observed warming.
Models referenced by the IPCC predict that global temperatures are likely to increase by 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) between 1990 and 2100. The range of values reflects the use of differing scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions as well as uncertainties regarding climate sensitivity. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming and sea level rise are expected to continue for more than a millennium even if no further greenhouse gases are released after this date. This reflects the long average atmospheric lifetime of carbon dioxide (CO2).
An increase in global temperatures can in turn cause other changes, including a rising sea level and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation. There may also be increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, though it is difficult to connect specific events to global warming. Other consequences include changes in agricultural yields, glacier retreat, reduced summer streamflows, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.
Remaining scientific uncertainties include the exact degree of climate change expected in the future, and especially how changes will vary from region to region across the globe. A hotly contested political and public debate also has yet to be resolved, regarding whether anything should be done, and what could be cost-effectively done to reduce or reverse future warming, or to deal with the expected consequences. Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at combating greenhouse gas emissions.
What are the signs:
Direct manifestations of a widespread and long-term trend toward warmer global temperatures
Heat waves and periods of unusually warm weather
Ocean warming, sea-level rise and coastal flooding
Glaciers melting
Arctic and Antarctic warming
Events that foreshadow the types of impacts likely to become more frequent and widespread with continued warming.
Spreading disease
Earlier spring arrival
Plant and animal range shifts and population changes
Coral reef bleaching
Downpours, heavy snowfalls, and flooding
Droughts and fires
The map of early warning signs clearly illustrates the global nature of climate changes. In its 2001 assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that, an increasing body of observations gives a collective picture of a warming world and other changes in the climate system."
While North America and Europe—where the science is strongest—exhibit the highest density of indicators, scientists have made a great effort in recent years to document the early impacts of global warming on other continents. Our map update reflects this emerging knowledge from all parts of the world.
Although factors other than climate may have intensified the severity of some of the events on the map, scientists predict such problems will increase if emissions of heat-trapping gases are not brought under control.
Effects:
The predicted effects for the environment and for human life are numerous and varied. The main effect is an increasing global average temperature. From this flow a variety of resulting effects, namely, rising sea levels, altered patterns of agriculture, increased extreme weather events, and the expansion of the range of tropical diseases. In some cases, the effects may already be occurring, although it is generally difficult to attribute specific natural phenomena to long-term global warming.
A summary of possible effects and our current understanding can be found in the report of the IPCC Working Group II; a discussion of projected climate changes is found in WG I. The more recent IPCC Fourth Assessment Report outlines the latest agreed international thinking, but omits more controversial ongoing work, particularly in respect of positive feedback mechanisms that might ultimately have the potential to lead to a runaway greenhouse effect.
Proposed responses to the effects of global warming fall into two categories: mitigation and adaptation.
And last prevention:
We can prevent global warming through loving and caring the natural resources that we have.
Now we know all about the main issue of the Earth, the greenhouse effect. Now we must prevent it to maintain the evolution of people and to mainatin the normality of the world.
The main problem of the world is Global warming:
Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans. Although global warming has occurred in the past, the term is often used to describe future anticipated warming of the earth due to greenhouse gasses.
Global average air temperature near Earth's surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °Celsius (1.3 ± 0.32 °Fahrenheit) in the last century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes, "most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations," which leads to warming of the surface and lower atmosphere by increasing the greenhouse effect. While this conclusion has been endorsed by certain scientific societies and academies of science, other scientists disagree about the primary causes of the observed warming.
Models referenced by the IPCC predict that global temperatures are likely to increase by 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) between 1990 and 2100. The range of values reflects the use of differing scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions as well as uncertainties regarding climate sensitivity. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming and sea level rise are expected to continue for more than a millennium even if no further greenhouse gases are released after this date. This reflects the long average atmospheric lifetime of carbon dioxide (CO2).
An increase in global temperatures can in turn cause other changes, including a rising sea level and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation. There may also be increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, though it is difficult to connect specific events to global warming. Other consequences include changes in agricultural yields, glacier retreat, reduced summer streamflows, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.
Remaining scientific uncertainties include the exact degree of climate change expected in the future, and especially how changes will vary from region to region across the globe. A hotly contested political and public debate also has yet to be resolved, regarding whether anything should be done, and what could be cost-effectively done to reduce or reverse future warming, or to deal with the expected consequences. Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at combating greenhouse gas emissions.
What are the signs:
Direct manifestations of a widespread and long-term trend toward warmer global temperatures
Heat waves and periods of unusually warm weather
Ocean warming, sea-level rise and coastal flooding
Glaciers melting
Arctic and Antarctic warming
Events that foreshadow the types of impacts likely to become more frequent and widespread with continued warming.
Spreading disease
Earlier spring arrival
Plant and animal range shifts and population changes
Coral reef bleaching
Downpours, heavy snowfalls, and flooding
Droughts and fires
The map of early warning signs clearly illustrates the global nature of climate changes. In its 2001 assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that, an increasing body of observations gives a collective picture of a warming world and other changes in the climate system."
While North America and Europe—where the science is strongest—exhibit the highest density of indicators, scientists have made a great effort in recent years to document the early impacts of global warming on other continents. Our map update reflects this emerging knowledge from all parts of the world.
Although factors other than climate may have intensified the severity of some of the events on the map, scientists predict such problems will increase if emissions of heat-trapping gases are not brought under control.
Effects:
The predicted effects for the environment and for human life are numerous and varied. The main effect is an increasing global average temperature. From this flow a variety of resulting effects, namely, rising sea levels, altered patterns of agriculture, increased extreme weather events, and the expansion of the range of tropical diseases. In some cases, the effects may already be occurring, although it is generally difficult to attribute specific natural phenomena to long-term global warming.
A summary of possible effects and our current understanding can be found in the report of the IPCC Working Group II; a discussion of projected climate changes is found in WG I. The more recent IPCC Fourth Assessment Report outlines the latest agreed international thinking, but omits more controversial ongoing work, particularly in respect of positive feedback mechanisms that might ultimately have the potential to lead to a runaway greenhouse effect.
Proposed responses to the effects of global warming fall into two categories: mitigation and adaptation.
And last prevention:
We can prevent global warming through loving and caring the natural resources that we have.
Now we know all about the main issue of the Earth, the greenhouse effect. Now we must prevent it to maintain the evolution of people and to mainatin the normality of the world.
Importance of a Teacher
Who are so called secondary mother? Are they the teachers? Are they important? Can we learn immediately without the help of our second mother?
In education, teachers are those who help students or pupils learn, often in a school. The objective is typically a course of study, lesson plan, or a practical skill, including learning and thinking skills. The different ways to teach are often referred to as the teacher's pedagogy. When deciding what teaching method to use, a teacher will need to consider students' background knowledge, environment, and their learning goals as well as standardized curricula as determined by the relevant authority. The teacher should also be able to deal with students with different abilities and should also be able to deal with learning disabilities. Many times, teachers assist in learning outside of the classroom by accompanying students on field trips. They also supervise study halls, help with the organization of school functions, and serve as supervisors for extracurricular activities.
Teaching may occur face-to-face or via some other modality, e.g. through distance education or e-learning. Teaching can also be mixed with entertainment. When the term education is combined with entertainment, the term edutainment is coined.
Primary and Secondary School Teachers
Perhaps the most significant difference between primary and secondary teaching in the UK is the relationship between teachers and children. In primary schools each class has a teacher who stays with them for most of the week and will teach them the whole curriculum. In secondary schools they will be taught by different subject specialists each session during the week and may have 10 or more different teachers. The relationship between children and their teachers tends to be closer in the primary school where they act as form tutor, specialist teacher and surrogate parent during the course of the day.
This is true throughout most of the United States as well. However, alternative approaches for primary education do exist. One of these, sometimes referred to as a "platoon" system, involves placing a group of students together in one class that moves from one specialist to another for every subject. The advantage here is that students learn from teachers who specialize in one subject and who tend to be more knowledgeable in that one area than a teacher who teaches many subjects. Students still derive a strong sense of security by staying with the same group of peers for all classes.
University teachers
Teachers in college are called instructors or lecturers. In the United States, the term "professor" is usually applied to college or University teachers who have received their Ph.D., while instructors or lecturers have received their Masters degree, and usually are pursuing their Ph.D. Professorial rankings from Assistant Professor through Full Professor that may be defined differently at various institutions. The rank of American university instructors depends in part on the amount of relevant and publishable research completed over time.
An "assistant professor" is typically required to have completed extensive research seminars at the post-graduate level and have written and defended the dissertation. The Ph.D. is almost always required. Assistant professors are similar to lecturers or readers in the United Kingdom. Their initial preparation for the profession takes between eight and twelve years.
An "associate professor" must typically have completed five or more years of additional research, published articles in national and international journals, developed syllabi for the teaching of various courses, provided services to the University (i.e., committee member, faculty senate member, etc.), and in most cases have published refereed books.
The "full professor" in the United States would be the equivalent of the "Professor" in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. It is not typical to achieve the title of "full professor" within the first fifteen to twenty years as an educator and researcher at a university in the United States. It requires dedication to the discipline and eminent, original scholarship, as shown through published works and a diverse curriculum vitae.
In the United Kingdom the title 'Professor' is restricted to university teachers who have been granted a 'chair'. Others are known as lecturers or readers and usually carry the title "Dr." by virtue of having a PhD. A very small number of lecturers, particularly on social science and arts fields, may be titled "Mr/Mrs" etc as they may only have a Masters degree.
Senior teachers
Teachers who look after the whole school are called head teachers, school principals, headmasters or headmistresses. The equivalent in colleges and universities is called the dean, principal or vice-chancellor. See also school leadership.Teachers of this status rarely teach students. A teacher in a grammar or public school in Britain may also be a Head of House. Houses were also used in secondary and comprehensive schools.
As with most large organizations a school needs a hierarchical structure of command, allowing matters to be delegated to a specific department or the senior teachers of the school. In many cases there are deputy headteachers, heads of department (or subject, such as science or history) and heads of year. A head of year is in charge of the pastoral care of one year group.
Every school has a disciplinary procedure which dictates how punishments should be given to misbehaving students. One common method of coping with problems is the idea of escalation whereby the classroom teacher attempts to deal with the student(s) themselves before passing it on to a more senior teacher. Eventually, should the situation not be resolved, the headmaster becomes involved.
Now we all know the importance of a teachers in primary, secondary. University and the seniors. Without them there are no educated people and respected people.
In education, teachers are those who help students or pupils learn, often in a school. The objective is typically a course of study, lesson plan, or a practical skill, including learning and thinking skills. The different ways to teach are often referred to as the teacher's pedagogy. When deciding what teaching method to use, a teacher will need to consider students' background knowledge, environment, and their learning goals as well as standardized curricula as determined by the relevant authority. The teacher should also be able to deal with students with different abilities and should also be able to deal with learning disabilities. Many times, teachers assist in learning outside of the classroom by accompanying students on field trips. They also supervise study halls, help with the organization of school functions, and serve as supervisors for extracurricular activities.
Teaching may occur face-to-face or via some other modality, e.g. through distance education or e-learning. Teaching can also be mixed with entertainment. When the term education is combined with entertainment, the term edutainment is coined.
Primary and Secondary School Teachers
Perhaps the most significant difference between primary and secondary teaching in the UK is the relationship between teachers and children. In primary schools each class has a teacher who stays with them for most of the week and will teach them the whole curriculum. In secondary schools they will be taught by different subject specialists each session during the week and may have 10 or more different teachers. The relationship between children and their teachers tends to be closer in the primary school where they act as form tutor, specialist teacher and surrogate parent during the course of the day.
This is true throughout most of the United States as well. However, alternative approaches for primary education do exist. One of these, sometimes referred to as a "platoon" system, involves placing a group of students together in one class that moves from one specialist to another for every subject. The advantage here is that students learn from teachers who specialize in one subject and who tend to be more knowledgeable in that one area than a teacher who teaches many subjects. Students still derive a strong sense of security by staying with the same group of peers for all classes.
University teachers
Teachers in college are called instructors or lecturers. In the United States, the term "professor" is usually applied to college or University teachers who have received their Ph.D., while instructors or lecturers have received their Masters degree, and usually are pursuing their Ph.D. Professorial rankings from Assistant Professor through Full Professor that may be defined differently at various institutions. The rank of American university instructors depends in part on the amount of relevant and publishable research completed over time.
An "assistant professor" is typically required to have completed extensive research seminars at the post-graduate level and have written and defended the dissertation. The Ph.D. is almost always required. Assistant professors are similar to lecturers or readers in the United Kingdom. Their initial preparation for the profession takes between eight and twelve years.
An "associate professor" must typically have completed five or more years of additional research, published articles in national and international journals, developed syllabi for the teaching of various courses, provided services to the University (i.e., committee member, faculty senate member, etc.), and in most cases have published refereed books.
The "full professor" in the United States would be the equivalent of the "Professor" in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. It is not typical to achieve the title of "full professor" within the first fifteen to twenty years as an educator and researcher at a university in the United States. It requires dedication to the discipline and eminent, original scholarship, as shown through published works and a diverse curriculum vitae.
In the United Kingdom the title 'Professor' is restricted to university teachers who have been granted a 'chair'. Others are known as lecturers or readers and usually carry the title "Dr." by virtue of having a PhD. A very small number of lecturers, particularly on social science and arts fields, may be titled "Mr/Mrs" etc as they may only have a Masters degree.
Senior teachers
Teachers who look after the whole school are called head teachers, school principals, headmasters or headmistresses. The equivalent in colleges and universities is called the dean, principal or vice-chancellor. See also school leadership.Teachers of this status rarely teach students. A teacher in a grammar or public school in Britain may also be a Head of House. Houses were also used in secondary and comprehensive schools.
As with most large organizations a school needs a hierarchical structure of command, allowing matters to be delegated to a specific department or the senior teachers of the school. In many cases there are deputy headteachers, heads of department (or subject, such as science or history) and heads of year. A head of year is in charge of the pastoral care of one year group.
Every school has a disciplinary procedure which dictates how punishments should be given to misbehaving students. One common method of coping with problems is the idea of escalation whereby the classroom teacher attempts to deal with the student(s) themselves before passing it on to a more senior teacher. Eventually, should the situation not be resolved, the headmaster becomes involved.
Now we all know the importance of a teachers in primary, secondary. University and the seniors. Without them there are no educated people and respected people.
From seed to tree
Oh! Hi! How’s your life? Have you ever wondered where trees come from? How they become so big things, trees come from something very small: seeds. From a little seed to a giant tree – that is truly a great journey. How did that come out?
I asked this question to myself because on last December 22, 2005 we went to my lolo’s place where there were many trees which my lolo take good care of. I their see many big trees and I asked my lolo how it big? Then he said that it came from seeds.
Seeds come from flowers, or from inside fruits. Though they don’t have legs or fins or wings, seeds can travel far. Some are blown by the wind. Some are carried by rivers and streams. Others are brought by humans for example when we walk and animals to faraway places.
When a seed finds itself on the ground, it has a chance of becoming a tree. All it needs are the things that most living things need: water, air, sunlight, and food.
When the seed is soaked in enough water from rain, water gets inside the seed and wakes up the tiny tree in it. The tiny tree is so small that it doesn’t look like a tree at all. It does not have branches or leaves or roots. And it is not called a tree but a plant cell. Once the plant cell wakes up, it can eat the food that is stored inside the seed. After it has eaten, something mysterious happens.
A tiny root pushes down into the soil, and a tiny shoot makes its way above the soil. The seed has becoming a seedling! Now it looks more like a little plant.
The root then gets food from the soil, because by this time the food inside the seed has already ran out. The tiny shoot gets air and sunlight from above the ground. With enough food, air and sunlight, more roots will grow, and the shoot will begin to grow leaves. Now it really looks like a plant.
With more roots and more leaves, the plant grows heavier. It has to grow bigger stem, which then becomes a trunk. Some trees grow branches so they can have more leaves. The plant’s skin will also harden into what is called the bark so that it can support itself better. Now our plant has become a young tree.
After some more time, the young tree becomes adult. The adult tree produces flowers and the flowers bear fruit. From the flowers or the fruits come new seeds, which can then become new trees.
“Oh! I’m very tired.” While we were in a trip going back to Mandaue City, I learned another values from one of the most important living things, the trees..
To me all things have their own journey and life. Like the tree it has a great tree. The next time you see a small seed, think of what a big tree it could be!
I asked this question to myself because on last December 22, 2005 we went to my lolo’s place where there were many trees which my lolo take good care of. I their see many big trees and I asked my lolo how it big? Then he said that it came from seeds.
Seeds come from flowers, or from inside fruits. Though they don’t have legs or fins or wings, seeds can travel far. Some are blown by the wind. Some are carried by rivers and streams. Others are brought by humans for example when we walk and animals to faraway places.
When a seed finds itself on the ground, it has a chance of becoming a tree. All it needs are the things that most living things need: water, air, sunlight, and food.
When the seed is soaked in enough water from rain, water gets inside the seed and wakes up the tiny tree in it. The tiny tree is so small that it doesn’t look like a tree at all. It does not have branches or leaves or roots. And it is not called a tree but a plant cell. Once the plant cell wakes up, it can eat the food that is stored inside the seed. After it has eaten, something mysterious happens.
A tiny root pushes down into the soil, and a tiny shoot makes its way above the soil. The seed has becoming a seedling! Now it looks more like a little plant.
The root then gets food from the soil, because by this time the food inside the seed has already ran out. The tiny shoot gets air and sunlight from above the ground. With enough food, air and sunlight, more roots will grow, and the shoot will begin to grow leaves. Now it really looks like a plant.
With more roots and more leaves, the plant grows heavier. It has to grow bigger stem, which then becomes a trunk. Some trees grow branches so they can have more leaves. The plant’s skin will also harden into what is called the bark so that it can support itself better. Now our plant has become a young tree.
After some more time, the young tree becomes adult. The adult tree produces flowers and the flowers bear fruit. From the flowers or the fruits come new seeds, which can then become new trees.
“Oh! I’m very tired.” While we were in a trip going back to Mandaue City, I learned another values from one of the most important living things, the trees..
To me all things have their own journey and life. Like the tree it has a great tree. The next time you see a small seed, think of what a big tree it could be!
Is the Earth Dying
As we all know the Earth is the only planet in our solar system that can support life. But it seems that we humans have been ungrateful to our planet. Our activities are endangering the well of being of our home. This raises the question-“Is the Earth dying?”
Humans use many things from the Earth for our consumption, such as food, water, gas, and wood. Using these things is okay, so long as we can assure that the future generations will still be able to enjoy these gifts of nature. But our actions have been very abusive. Here are some of the bad things that humans have done on Earth.
1. Destruction of the Rainforests
Rainforests aren’t just patches of land that happen to have many trees on it. Many plants and animals that can’t be found anywhere else live in rainforests. In fact, more than 60 percent of the Earth’s species can be found here. Humans use woods as a raw material for many products such as paper and furniture. Rainforests are good sources of wood. However, many wood companies are cutting too many trees. Cutting too many trees will prevent the rainforests from recovering the cut trees. This leads to the extinction of many plants and animals because the trees are also their homes.
2. Abuse of the Bodies of Water
Our sees and oceans are home to many plants and animals, just like the rainforests. Bodies of water have provided us with food and of course, water for drinking and washing. But again, humans are abusing these by over fishing, by destroying the fishes’ home (coral reefs) and by dumping and by dumping garbage on it. Just look at the rivers and creeks around the city; many people are even disgusted to go near them because of the foul smell. Many see these bodies of water merely as a dumping area for household and industrial waste.
3. Air Pollution
The air supplies us with oxygen and nitrogen so that we’ll be able to breathe. Several human activities release harmful gases to the atmosphere, which threaten the environment. Gases from factories, cigarettes and vehicles are the main causes of air pollution. The combination of all these harmful gases causes smog, which look like fog from afar, only much darker because it’s dirty.
The Earth is dying, and it’s al our fault. Our population is growing so fast, so is our demand for space, food and convenience, which has led to the destruction of the environment. But this can be stopped, if we all work together. Here are some of activities that can help.
1. As much as possible, buy products that are recycled.
2. When going camping, make sure to bring plastic bags for your trash.
3. Dispose your trash properly.
4. Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!
5. Report smoke belching vehicles to the authorities.
6. As much as possible, try to take public transportation such as the MRT or FX taxis to reduce pollution. Leaving your vehicle at home will not only save some money, it will also save the environment.
7. Plant trees. Trees can catch the harmful gases that vehicles, factories and cigarettes produce.
8. When buying appliances and aerosols, tell your parents to check if the label reads “CFC- free”. If not, tell them not to buy it. CFCs are harmful to the environment.
We only have one Earth. If many of us concerned enough to act, our planet will live much longer. Don’t let the Mother Earth die; she’s counting on you for help.
Humans use many things from the Earth for our consumption, such as food, water, gas, and wood. Using these things is okay, so long as we can assure that the future generations will still be able to enjoy these gifts of nature. But our actions have been very abusive. Here are some of the bad things that humans have done on Earth.
1. Destruction of the Rainforests
Rainforests aren’t just patches of land that happen to have many trees on it. Many plants and animals that can’t be found anywhere else live in rainforests. In fact, more than 60 percent of the Earth’s species can be found here. Humans use woods as a raw material for many products such as paper and furniture. Rainforests are good sources of wood. However, many wood companies are cutting too many trees. Cutting too many trees will prevent the rainforests from recovering the cut trees. This leads to the extinction of many plants and animals because the trees are also their homes.
2. Abuse of the Bodies of Water
Our sees and oceans are home to many plants and animals, just like the rainforests. Bodies of water have provided us with food and of course, water for drinking and washing. But again, humans are abusing these by over fishing, by destroying the fishes’ home (coral reefs) and by dumping and by dumping garbage on it. Just look at the rivers and creeks around the city; many people are even disgusted to go near them because of the foul smell. Many see these bodies of water merely as a dumping area for household and industrial waste.
3. Air Pollution
The air supplies us with oxygen and nitrogen so that we’ll be able to breathe. Several human activities release harmful gases to the atmosphere, which threaten the environment. Gases from factories, cigarettes and vehicles are the main causes of air pollution. The combination of all these harmful gases causes smog, which look like fog from afar, only much darker because it’s dirty.
The Earth is dying, and it’s al our fault. Our population is growing so fast, so is our demand for space, food and convenience, which has led to the destruction of the environment. But this can be stopped, if we all work together. Here are some of activities that can help.
1. As much as possible, buy products that are recycled.
2. When going camping, make sure to bring plastic bags for your trash.
3. Dispose your trash properly.
4. Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!
5. Report smoke belching vehicles to the authorities.
6. As much as possible, try to take public transportation such as the MRT or FX taxis to reduce pollution. Leaving your vehicle at home will not only save some money, it will also save the environment.
7. Plant trees. Trees can catch the harmful gases that vehicles, factories and cigarettes produce.
8. When buying appliances and aerosols, tell your parents to check if the label reads “CFC- free”. If not, tell them not to buy it. CFCs are harmful to the environment.
We only have one Earth. If many of us concerned enough to act, our planet will live much longer. Don’t let the Mother Earth die; she’s counting on you for help.
Blogging is great
Do you easily forget things that happen in the past? Are tired writing in a diary book, which deacy later if not use? I have something for you it is called Blogging.
Blogging is posting important moments in your life not only the important moments but you can also post the moments that happens daily in the web! Web?
It come from the word blog. A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of most early blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual although some focus on photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media.
The term "blog" is a portmanteau, or, in other words, a blend of the words web and log (Web log). "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
In November 2006, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 57 million blogs.
Yes in the web, but first you must register. You go to blogspot.com, where you can log in with your
People have, since it started, complained about the fact that there is junk on the web. And as a universal medium, of course, it is important that the web itself doesn't try to decide what is publishable. The way quality works on the web is through links.
It works because reputable writers make links to things they consider reputable sources. So readers, when they find something distasteful or unreliable, don't just hit the back button once, they hit it twice. They remember not to follow links again through the page which took them there. One's chosen starting page, and a nurtured set of bookmarks, are the entrance points, then, to a selected subweb of information which one is generally inclined to trust and find valuable.
A great example of course is the blogging world. Blogs provide a gently evolving network of pointers of interest. As do FOAF files. I've always thought that FOAF could be extended to provide a trust infrastructure for (e..g.) spam filtering and OpenID-style single sign-on and its good to see things happening in that space.
In a recent interview with the Guardian, alas, my attempt to explain this was turned upside down into a "blogging is one of the biggest perils" message. Sigh. I think they took their lead from an unfortunate BBC article, which for some reason stressed concerns about the web rather than excitement, failure modes rather than opportunities. (This happens, because when you launch a Web Science Research Initiative, people ask what the opportunities are and what the dangers are for the future. And some editors are tempted to just edit out the opportunities and headline the fears to get the eyeballs, which is old and boring newspaper practice. We expect better from the Guardian and BBC, generally very reputable sources)
In fact, it is a really positive time for the web. Startups are launching, and being sold [Disclaimer: people I know] again, academics are excited about new systems and ideas, conferences and camps and wikis and chat channels and are hopping with energy, and every morning demands an excruciating choice of which exciting link to follow first.
And, fortunately, we have blogs. We can publish what we actually think, even when misreported.
Blogging is posting important moments in your life not only the important moments but you can also post the moments that happens daily in the web! Web?
It come from the word blog. A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of most early blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual although some focus on photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media.
The term "blog" is a portmanteau, or, in other words, a blend of the words web and log (Web log). "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
In November 2006, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 57 million blogs.
Yes in the web, but first you must register. You go to blogspot.com, where you can log in with your
People have, since it started, complained about the fact that there is junk on the web. And as a universal medium, of course, it is important that the web itself doesn't try to decide what is publishable. The way quality works on the web is through links.
It works because reputable writers make links to things they consider reputable sources. So readers, when they find something distasteful or unreliable, don't just hit the back button once, they hit it twice. They remember not to follow links again through the page which took them there. One's chosen starting page, and a nurtured set of bookmarks, are the entrance points, then, to a selected subweb of information which one is generally inclined to trust and find valuable.
A great example of course is the blogging world. Blogs provide a gently evolving network of pointers of interest. As do FOAF files. I've always thought that FOAF could be extended to provide a trust infrastructure for (e..g.) spam filtering and OpenID-style single sign-on and its good to see things happening in that space.
In a recent interview with the Guardian, alas, my attempt to explain this was turned upside down into a "blogging is one of the biggest perils" message. Sigh. I think they took their lead from an unfortunate BBC article, which for some reason stressed concerns about the web rather than excitement, failure modes rather than opportunities. (This happens, because when you launch a Web Science Research Initiative, people ask what the opportunities are and what the dangers are for the future. And some editors are tempted to just edit out the opportunities and headline the fears to get the eyeballs, which is old and boring newspaper practice. We expect better from the Guardian and BBC, generally very reputable sources)
In fact, it is a really positive time for the web. Startups are launching, and being sold [Disclaimer: people I know] again, academics are excited about new systems and ideas, conferences and camps and wikis and chat channels and are hopping with energy, and every morning demands an excruciating choice of which exciting link to follow first.
And, fortunately, we have blogs. We can publish what we actually think, even when misreported.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Who will save the saviors of the Philippine economy?
In deniably, the $5.3 billion in remittances of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in 1997 and their remittances in 1998 have helped save the peso from further collapse amid the Asian financial crisis. However, the same financial crisis is threatening their jobs abroad. Will the government help them get through this labor crisis? In a press conference on the rights of migrants held last December 17, participants of the "Rights and Roots Campaign and Regional Consultation on Migrants’ Savings for Alternative Investment" expressed their disappointment over the absence of government in reintegration processes. __ "What infrastructure support can government gives migrant workers? What financial channels? What production incentives so that our savings create value added production, instead of being squandered on apples, 21-inch TV sets, chocolates and other imported goods?" they asked. _The consultation gathered 60 grassroots migrant workers, unionists, migrant families, advocates and support groups from Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and the Philippines. The event was organized by the Asian Migrant Center (AMC), Kanlungan Center Foundation (Kanlungan), Kapisanan ng mga Kamag-anak ng Manggagawang Pilipino (Kakammpi), and Unlad Kabayan (UK). The organizers said that it was a pioneering endeavor aimed at upholding migrants’ rights and demand for jobs in their homelands. Overseas migration of Filipino labor dates back to 1972, when the Philippine government adopted labor migration as a temporary measure due to an economic slump which increased unemployment. For the government as well as the families of OFWs, overseas migration has been an economic plus. Even former President Fidel Ramos recognized this and consequently raised the status of labor export, coining the term "modern-day heroes" to describe migrant workers. But along with the dollar remittances and the short-term luxury that money can afford is the brutal reality of migration’s ugly side. Maricris Sioson, Flor Contemplacion, Sarah Balabagan, Heidi Juperatum and all the other victims of injustice and violence whose names didn’t make it to the headlines are among the grimmest pictures of migration. Some 700 workers, mostly women, die each year following mistreatment by their employers, according to recent figures released by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Overseas Foreign Workers. Women activists say the mortality figure is likely to be even higher. An anonymous source at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport said that 40 foreign workers arrive home in coffins each week.
___With the economic crisis continuing to engulf Asia, thousands of Filipinos are terminated from work. Organizers of the consultation reported that in Malaysia, thousands of Filipino domestic helpers will have to return to the country in line with that government ‘s policy passed last October not to approve new work permits, and limited existing work permits to a maximum of six years. In Hong Kong, more than 25,000 foreign domestic helpers have already been terminated due to the crisis; 160,000 others experienced a 36 per cent wage reduction last December.
___Deported migrants are not welcome in their home countries, said Rex Varona, AMC executive director. The Philippine government, for instance, has encouraged OFWs hit by crisis to find work in other countries – instead of coming back to the country.
___"For those who ultimately return, it will be like jumping from the frying pan to the fire – no jobs, no property or land to farm on, huge debts to pay and a family to feed. Those who are allowed to remain in the receiving countries are re-deployed in 3-D jobs (dirty, dangerous, demeaning) as in Malaysia. Many have been cheated out of their wages and benefits (e.g., in South Korea) or can’t find work (e.g., in Japan, Korea)," wrote Varona in his article "A Year After: Surveying the Impact of the Asian Crisis on Migrant Workers" published in the Asian Migrant 1998 Yearbook.
___"The era of export of Philippine labor has to end," the consultation participants declared in a statement. Varona said that the government is on a denial stage when it claims that "there is no policy on labor export." "It has to fully accept the diaspora that it has created, and account for the thousands of OFW lives that have been sacrificed."
___While the organizers recognize the efforts of the government in protecting OFWs, they are also resigned to the fact that these efforts are "too weak, too inadequate, too late."
___"We demand more resolute and aggressive initiatives by the government to institute bilateral, international and national protection mechanisms, laws and agreements for Filipino migrants," the participants said.
___More importantly, the participants emphasized, the government must address the root cause of overseas migration. "Staving off attacks and abuses on migrants’ rights is not enough nor sustainable. The real, substantial protection for OFWs is to provide decent jobs for them at home."
___"No amount of paper protection nor government pleading will stop the abuses against the OFWs. We are hired abroad precisely because we are cheaper, more exploitable than local workers."
___The era of Filipino dominance in the international labor market, according to them, is drawing to a close. The international labor market has been saturated. The economic crisis has further narrowed down opportunities, and created a ‘double push’ pressure. Even Korea, a destination for Filipina domestic workers, is reportedly planning to export its own migrant workers. Other sending countries like Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have been aggressively exporting their labor.
___And like goods in a globalized market, there is a stiff competition in terms of cost and quality. As the organizers said, "In order to gain market hold, there is intense undercutting – migrant labor from other countries are offering themselves at cheaper rates, in worse working conditions, in more vulnerable situations."
___If the Philippines wants to maintain its level of deployment, it has to accept reductions in migrants’ wages, benefits, rights and protection. OFWs will therefore be exposed to more abuses. "The worse can be expected," lamented Tolentino of her constituents in Japan.
___At present, the only "semi-protection" that OFWs have is the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families promulgated by the United Nations in 1991. However, only 10 countries have so far ratified it. A minimum of 20 signatory countries is required for the covenant to be enforceable among member countries.
___Uncertain of their future abroad, not to mention the poignant feeling of homesickness, participants declared: "We demand our right to work, our right to life and to be with our families. We demand that the government start creating reintegration processes and mechanisms now so that there can be jobs and opportunities later that we can return to."
___As the Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong said: "We sell only our labor but not our rights and dignity."
___With the economic crisis continuing to engulf Asia, thousands of Filipinos are terminated from work. Organizers of the consultation reported that in Malaysia, thousands of Filipino domestic helpers will have to return to the country in line with that government ‘s policy passed last October not to approve new work permits, and limited existing work permits to a maximum of six years. In Hong Kong, more than 25,000 foreign domestic helpers have already been terminated due to the crisis; 160,000 others experienced a 36 per cent wage reduction last December.
___Deported migrants are not welcome in their home countries, said Rex Varona, AMC executive director. The Philippine government, for instance, has encouraged OFWs hit by crisis to find work in other countries – instead of coming back to the country.
___"For those who ultimately return, it will be like jumping from the frying pan to the fire – no jobs, no property or land to farm on, huge debts to pay and a family to feed. Those who are allowed to remain in the receiving countries are re-deployed in 3-D jobs (dirty, dangerous, demeaning) as in Malaysia. Many have been cheated out of their wages and benefits (e.g., in South Korea) or can’t find work (e.g., in Japan, Korea)," wrote Varona in his article "A Year After: Surveying the Impact of the Asian Crisis on Migrant Workers" published in the Asian Migrant 1998 Yearbook.
___"The era of export of Philippine labor has to end," the consultation participants declared in a statement. Varona said that the government is on a denial stage when it claims that "there is no policy on labor export." "It has to fully accept the diaspora that it has created, and account for the thousands of OFW lives that have been sacrificed."
___While the organizers recognize the efforts of the government in protecting OFWs, they are also resigned to the fact that these efforts are "too weak, too inadequate, too late."
___"We demand more resolute and aggressive initiatives by the government to institute bilateral, international and national protection mechanisms, laws and agreements for Filipino migrants," the participants said.
___More importantly, the participants emphasized, the government must address the root cause of overseas migration. "Staving off attacks and abuses on migrants’ rights is not enough nor sustainable. The real, substantial protection for OFWs is to provide decent jobs for them at home."
___"No amount of paper protection nor government pleading will stop the abuses against the OFWs. We are hired abroad precisely because we are cheaper, more exploitable than local workers."
___The era of Filipino dominance in the international labor market, according to them, is drawing to a close. The international labor market has been saturated. The economic crisis has further narrowed down opportunities, and created a ‘double push’ pressure. Even Korea, a destination for Filipina domestic workers, is reportedly planning to export its own migrant workers. Other sending countries like Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have been aggressively exporting their labor.
___And like goods in a globalized market, there is a stiff competition in terms of cost and quality. As the organizers said, "In order to gain market hold, there is intense undercutting – migrant labor from other countries are offering themselves at cheaper rates, in worse working conditions, in more vulnerable situations."
___If the Philippines wants to maintain its level of deployment, it has to accept reductions in migrants’ wages, benefits, rights and protection. OFWs will therefore be exposed to more abuses. "The worse can be expected," lamented Tolentino of her constituents in Japan.
___At present, the only "semi-protection" that OFWs have is the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families promulgated by the United Nations in 1991. However, only 10 countries have so far ratified it. A minimum of 20 signatory countries is required for the covenant to be enforceable among member countries.
___Uncertain of their future abroad, not to mention the poignant feeling of homesickness, participants declared: "We demand our right to work, our right to life and to be with our families. We demand that the government start creating reintegration processes and mechanisms now so that there can be jobs and opportunities later that we can return to."
___As the Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong said: "We sell only our labor but not our rights and dignity."
March for Women?
March is Women's History Month, a fine time to celebrate the historic achievements of women -- in politics, culture, and, of course, WORDS! In honor of this event, I thought it might be fun to write a series of posts all month long ... about women authors and artists or fascinating female characters in books I come across this month. So far, I know that over the next two weeks, I'm going to tell you about the amazing author Jhumpa Lahiri, about a new website for gutsy girls who love to read, and about an artist who plays with words. I'm also going to keep my eyes open and see what else comes up because this is the way it goes with being an editor: Once you have a topic or theme on your mind, everywhere you turn, you see things and people that remind you of it. Anyway, enough tangents! Today, I want to tell you about a fabulous new book I recently read. Flora Segunda, by Ysabeau S. Wilce, is about an adventurous, spirited girl (named Flora) who lives in a country called Califa in a house (called Crackpot Hall) that has eleven thousand rooms and a red dog. Flora is almost 14 years old and one of the few remaining members of the once-glorious Fyrdraaca family - her mother is the Commanding General of the Army of Califa and her father, a wounded warrior/soldier is there, but not quite there (if you know what I mean). Crackpot Hall used to be an enchanted mansion where rooms appeared, disappeared, and shifted shapes. It was a living being with an elevator that had its own mind and could carry you to far, unknown corners of the house. Now, it is a ghost of a home, falling apart. Unlike the other great homes of Califa, it has a banished and vanishing magical butler named Valefor who wants Flora to help him get his powers (and rule) back. On the eve of her 14th birthday, Flora is dismayed. She's about to be initiated into the world of soldiers: "When Fyrdraacas turn fourteen and celebrate ... off we go to Benica Barracks to learn to march, to learn to ride, to learn to shoot, to learn to die," she tells us. Flora doesn't want this. "I want to be a ranger, a scout, a spy. Rangers don't follow orders; they slide around the rules, scoot around the edges of the law. They hide and they listen and they uncover things that are concealed. They discover the truth though it be surrounded by a bodyguard of lies," she says. And, so the drama begins:
Flora Fyrdraaca knows taking shortcuts in Crackpot Hall can be risky. After all, when a House has eleven thousand decaying rooms that shift about at random, there's no telling where a person might end up. But it's not just household confusion that vexes Flora, what with Mamma always away being Commanding General of the Army, Poppy drowning his sorrows in drink, and Crackpot Hall too broken down to magickally provide the clean towels and hot waffles that are a Fyrdraaca's birthright.Yet Flora is nothing if not a Girl of Spirit. So when she takes a forbidden shortcut and stumbles upon her family's biggest secret--Valefor, the banished Butler--she and her best friend Udo plunge happily into the grand adventure of restoring Valefor to his rightful (or so he says) position. If only Flora knew that meddling with a magickal being can go terribly awry--and that soon she will have to find a way to restore herself before it is Too Late.
Flora Segunda is a fantasy novel written in an original voice and filled with quirky characters. I was immediately captivated by Flora's character and if you're like me, you'll identify with her intense desire to be true to herself and her willingness to take risks, even if it means having a bit of explaining to do to her Army General mother! The world of Califa is imaginary, but somehow it seems very real too and is one that I'd love to visit again (thankfully, there's a sequel on the way!).I had the chance to have lunch with the author Ysabeau Wilce a few weeks ago and was fascinated to learn that she based the world of Califa on a real city in which she used to live and that she drew maps for every part of this world she created. If you plan on reading the book or have read it, I wonder if you can guess what city that is? (Yes, this seems to be the week of blog posts about cities!). If you guess right (click on comment below), I'll see what I can do about getting you an autographed copy of Flora Segunda.
Flora Fyrdraaca knows taking shortcuts in Crackpot Hall can be risky. After all, when a House has eleven thousand decaying rooms that shift about at random, there's no telling where a person might end up. But it's not just household confusion that vexes Flora, what with Mamma always away being Commanding General of the Army, Poppy drowning his sorrows in drink, and Crackpot Hall too broken down to magickally provide the clean towels and hot waffles that are a Fyrdraaca's birthright.Yet Flora is nothing if not a Girl of Spirit. So when she takes a forbidden shortcut and stumbles upon her family's biggest secret--Valefor, the banished Butler--she and her best friend Udo plunge happily into the grand adventure of restoring Valefor to his rightful (or so he says) position. If only Flora knew that meddling with a magickal being can go terribly awry--and that soon she will have to find a way to restore herself before it is Too Late.
Flora Segunda is a fantasy novel written in an original voice and filled with quirky characters. I was immediately captivated by Flora's character and if you're like me, you'll identify with her intense desire to be true to herself and her willingness to take risks, even if it means having a bit of explaining to do to her Army General mother! The world of Califa is imaginary, but somehow it seems very real too and is one that I'd love to visit again (thankfully, there's a sequel on the way!).I had the chance to have lunch with the author Ysabeau Wilce a few weeks ago and was fascinated to learn that she based the world of Califa on a real city in which she used to live and that she drew maps for every part of this world she created. If you plan on reading the book or have read it, I wonder if you can guess what city that is? (Yes, this seems to be the week of blog posts about cities!). If you guess right (click on comment below), I'll see what I can do about getting you an autographed copy of Flora Segunda.
All About Hulk
Hulk does not like change very much because every time somebody thinks Hulk should change it is things like "Hulk should smash less" and "Hulk should not watch Dora the Explorer and should instead go and fight stupid Stilt-Man" and let Hulk tell you that fighting Stilt Man is a problem for Daredevil or Spider-Man!!!!Also: Hulk thinks you should read good article that was written on the internet where Hulk and the rest of the people he worked with for a while called The Defenders answered questions. OK? OK!
Hulk has gotten a lot of emails and comments wanting to know why Hulk hasn't updated his diary that is on the internet lately and Hulk wanted to also address some rumors that have been floating around about Hulk that need to be talked about because people need to know the truth about what has happened to Hulk of late, ok? OK! Hulk will put the things Hulk will say in a list because Hulk learned from Iron Man that it is the best way to tell people what is going on with Hulk and other things that need to be put in language that is clear.
1. Hulk is not dating crazy Lindsay Lohan. Hulk only wanted to help the nice girl from that movie about mean girls get from the nightclub she was in back to her limousine. She kissed Hulk on the cheek and all of the papers in New York City (yes, I am talking about you, J. Jonah Jameson and stupid Peter Parker at the Daily Bugle!!!!) decided to run a picture of it like it was a fact that Hulk was spending time with her. Hulk only was nice to her that one time and Hulk really hopes that she enjoys her time in Wonderland. Hulk read about Wonderland in Peter Pan (or maybe Hulk saw the movie) and it sounds like a nice place to learn to stop drinking that stuff that looks like water but really isn't!!!!
2. Hulk is not in outer space. That is a story in comic books that Marvel Comics puts out about Hulk. Hulk knows this is hard to understand, but COMIC BOOKS ARE NOT REAL. Hulk has had to move to "Brooklyn" because Hulk can't afford the place Hulk had in "Greenwich Village," but Hulk has a nice neighborhood and nobody stares at Hulk too much because compared to some of his neighbors, Hulk is quiet and nice.
3. Hulk is not dead. Hulk just has been busy saving the world instead of writing in his internet diary! Did any of you hear about Hulk stopping The Leader's stupid beam that erased people's brains and made them all his slaves? That is what Hulk spent time doing instead of typing in the computer internet! Hulk also punched out a big monster in Tokyo after Doctor Strange sent him there and played golf with Thor (who is not dead either so stop asking Hulk about that) in ASGARD, which is a very nice place to play golf but Hulk thinks you may have a tough time getting there.
There. That is what Hulk has been up to lately! What have you been doing?!?!?
Hulk has gotten a lot of emails and comments wanting to know why Hulk hasn't updated his diary that is on the internet lately and Hulk wanted to also address some rumors that have been floating around about Hulk that need to be talked about because people need to know the truth about what has happened to Hulk of late, ok? OK! Hulk will put the things Hulk will say in a list because Hulk learned from Iron Man that it is the best way to tell people what is going on with Hulk and other things that need to be put in language that is clear.
1. Hulk is not dating crazy Lindsay Lohan. Hulk only wanted to help the nice girl from that movie about mean girls get from the nightclub she was in back to her limousine. She kissed Hulk on the cheek and all of the papers in New York City (yes, I am talking about you, J. Jonah Jameson and stupid Peter Parker at the Daily Bugle!!!!) decided to run a picture of it like it was a fact that Hulk was spending time with her. Hulk only was nice to her that one time and Hulk really hopes that she enjoys her time in Wonderland. Hulk read about Wonderland in Peter Pan (or maybe Hulk saw the movie) and it sounds like a nice place to learn to stop drinking that stuff that looks like water but really isn't!!!!
2. Hulk is not in outer space. That is a story in comic books that Marvel Comics puts out about Hulk. Hulk knows this is hard to understand, but COMIC BOOKS ARE NOT REAL. Hulk has had to move to "Brooklyn" because Hulk can't afford the place Hulk had in "Greenwich Village," but Hulk has a nice neighborhood and nobody stares at Hulk too much because compared to some of his neighbors, Hulk is quiet and nice.
3. Hulk is not dead. Hulk just has been busy saving the world instead of writing in his internet diary! Did any of you hear about Hulk stopping The Leader's stupid beam that erased people's brains and made them all his slaves? That is what Hulk spent time doing instead of typing in the computer internet! Hulk also punched out a big monster in Tokyo after Doctor Strange sent him there and played golf with Thor (who is not dead either so stop asking Hulk about that) in ASGARD, which is a very nice place to play golf but Hulk thinks you may have a tough time getting there.
There. That is what Hulk has been up to lately! What have you been doing?!?!?
Monday, February 19, 2007
If I were an Astronomer
What if one day an ant would say, “I want to know what is going on in the world? I also want to know where everything comes from!” Do you think that an ant, with its size, could learn everything about the Earth? You would probably say, “What an ambitious ant!”
If I am like the ant or in a simple way, if I would like to know the entire thing going on in world or where everything comes from, what things I must know or learn?; what interesting things must I discover?; and how could I discover these things?
In some ways an astronomer is like a tiny ant trying to figure out what is going on in the universe. An astronomer studies the space beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. The space is a mighty big place. The Earth is just a dot compared to the seize of the Sun. The Sun on the other hand, is just a tiny speck in the arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. There are millions of other galaxies in space.
Astronomers are scientists in the field of science called astronomy. Astronomy is the scientific study of everything in the universe beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. Astronomy has different areas of study. There are astronomers that concentrate on the study on the stars and interplanetary dust; other astronomers study the galaxies; while others study the solar system. As most of the people get ready for bed at night, astronomers are just starting their work. Although the stars are still up in the sky during daytime, we cannot see them too clearly. It is because the sun’s light is much brighter than the light of the other stars. This is why most astronomers like to work at night.
The workplace of astronomers is called an observatory. Here, powerful telescopes are used to study stars and other heavenly bodies. The word “telescope” literally means seeing far. The telescope is probably the most important instrument of astronomers.
Observatories are usually built in high places with dry climate. These high places usually are above the densest, dustiest, and dampest part of our atmosphere thus, they provide clearer views of the heavens.
Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is composed of around 100,000 million stars. Some are dwarfs, which are much dimmer than our Sun while some are giants, which are far brighter than the Sun. If our own Sun is so much bigger than Earth that Earth appears as a small dot compared to it, can you just imagine how huge the space is which is occupied by 100,000 million stars? And what’s more, there are millions of other galaxies.
Astronomers have a lot of interesting things to study. There are millions of galaxies that contain millions of stars; some of the stars even have their own planets. Astronomers, just like an ambitious and curious ant, look for clues to answer the question: “How did the universe begin? Where did everything come from?”
Ahhh… I know all these longings would forever remain dreams in my imagination. They’ll remain part of my imaginations for I know that I could never be an Astronomer. Thanks for reading, anyway.
If I am like the ant or in a simple way, if I would like to know the entire thing going on in world or where everything comes from, what things I must know or learn?; what interesting things must I discover?; and how could I discover these things?
In some ways an astronomer is like a tiny ant trying to figure out what is going on in the universe. An astronomer studies the space beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. The space is a mighty big place. The Earth is just a dot compared to the seize of the Sun. The Sun on the other hand, is just a tiny speck in the arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. There are millions of other galaxies in space.
Astronomers are scientists in the field of science called astronomy. Astronomy is the scientific study of everything in the universe beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. Astronomy has different areas of study. There are astronomers that concentrate on the study on the stars and interplanetary dust; other astronomers study the galaxies; while others study the solar system. As most of the people get ready for bed at night, astronomers are just starting their work. Although the stars are still up in the sky during daytime, we cannot see them too clearly. It is because the sun’s light is much brighter than the light of the other stars. This is why most astronomers like to work at night.
The workplace of astronomers is called an observatory. Here, powerful telescopes are used to study stars and other heavenly bodies. The word “telescope” literally means seeing far. The telescope is probably the most important instrument of astronomers.
Observatories are usually built in high places with dry climate. These high places usually are above the densest, dustiest, and dampest part of our atmosphere thus, they provide clearer views of the heavens.
Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is composed of around 100,000 million stars. Some are dwarfs, which are much dimmer than our Sun while some are giants, which are far brighter than the Sun. If our own Sun is so much bigger than Earth that Earth appears as a small dot compared to it, can you just imagine how huge the space is which is occupied by 100,000 million stars? And what’s more, there are millions of other galaxies.
Astronomers have a lot of interesting things to study. There are millions of galaxies that contain millions of stars; some of the stars even have their own planets. Astronomers, just like an ambitious and curious ant, look for clues to answer the question: “How did the universe begin? Where did everything come from?”
Ahhh… I know all these longings would forever remain dreams in my imagination. They’ll remain part of my imaginations for I know that I could never be an Astronomer. Thanks for reading, anyway.
Ms. Muffet's Guest
You remember the rhyme about Little Miss Muffet? She was sitting on a tuffet, having a snack, when she had an unexpected guest that scared her so. Her surprise visitor was, you guessed right, a spider. Like Miss Muffet, many people are afraid of spiders because of the way these animals look.
I remember this rhyme because when I see big spiders in our province which my brother afraid of. Anyway, what is a spider?
Spiders have eight legs and most of them have bodies covered with hair. Spiders may be short and fat, long and thin, round or flat. They are usually colored brown, grey or black, but some are s colorful as butterflies.
Spiders are not insects. They have eight legs, while insects like ants and beetles have six. Also, most insects have wings and feelers or antennae. Spiders have none of these.
There at least 29,000 kinds of spiders. Some of them are as small as pinheads, while the larger ones, like the tarantula of South America, are about 10 inches long.
A spider’s body has two main parts. One part is made up of the head and the chest, and the other apart is the abdomen. Each of these sections has appendages or attached parts. The pedicels, or the spider’s waist, connect the two main sections.
If you were to look at a spider face-to-face, you’d find that a spider’s face has several parts. You’d find that a spider’s face has a several parts. You would find a spider’s eyes, some kind of mouth opening, then the chelicerae, and fangs.
Most spiders have eight eyes arranged on the top of their heads in two rows of four eyes each. But some spiders have only two eyes, while others have four or six. Some spiders, which live in caves and other dark places, do not have eyes.
A spider’s mouth is just below its eyes. They do not chew and can eat some solid parts of their victim’s body by dissolving these parts with digestive juice and then sucking them. This juice is so strong that a tarantula, for example, can turn a mouse into a pile of hair and bones in about 36 hours.
The chelicerae, which are also just under the eyes, are a pair of appendages that a spider uses to catch and kill its prey. Each chelicera ends in a claw, which are the spider’s fangs. The tips of the fangs have openings, which are connected to the spider’s poison glands. When hunting other insects, spiders use the chelicerae for stabbing, and then let the poison flow to the victims through their fangs.
Each spider has four pairs of legs. Each leg has seven parts. The last part of the spider’s leg has two or three claws at a tip. A pad of hair surrounds the claws; these help the spider hold on to ceilings or walls.
Spiders also have spinnerets, which are like fingers attached to the end part of their abdomen. Most spiders have six spinnerets but others have four, and still others only two. These spinnerets are what the spiders use to spin silk. Liquid silk from the abdomen of the spiders flows through spinning tubes at the tip of the spinnerets. When this liquid silk flows outside the body of a spider, it hardens into thread. This thread is used in making webs.
All spiders spin silk, but not all spiders make webs. Spiders make webs in the air so they can trap flying insects. Web- spinning spiders make different kinds of webs. Webs may look like curtains, bowls, domes, tubes, circular mazes, triangles, or sheets. A spider avoids getting trapped in its own web by using the special claws on its feet.
Spiders are helpful to people because they eat harmful insects. A spider’s bite is deadly for insects, but only few spiders are harmful to human beings. These are mostly the “widow” spiders – the black widow, the brown widow, the red-legged widow, and the varied widow.
Many spiders live only a year but the large wolf spider can live up to several years. Tarantulas are believed to live the longest among spiders. Some can last for more than 20 years.
Now I know about these spiders. You must not be afraid of spiders; spiders are not like monsters that eat us like other animals they harm us when we harm them first. Spiders are like us so you must not fear them.
I remember this rhyme because when I see big spiders in our province which my brother afraid of. Anyway, what is a spider?
Spiders have eight legs and most of them have bodies covered with hair. Spiders may be short and fat, long and thin, round or flat. They are usually colored brown, grey or black, but some are s colorful as butterflies.
Spiders are not insects. They have eight legs, while insects like ants and beetles have six. Also, most insects have wings and feelers or antennae. Spiders have none of these.
There at least 29,000 kinds of spiders. Some of them are as small as pinheads, while the larger ones, like the tarantula of South America, are about 10 inches long.
A spider’s body has two main parts. One part is made up of the head and the chest, and the other apart is the abdomen. Each of these sections has appendages or attached parts. The pedicels, or the spider’s waist, connect the two main sections.
If you were to look at a spider face-to-face, you’d find that a spider’s face has several parts. You’d find that a spider’s face has a several parts. You would find a spider’s eyes, some kind of mouth opening, then the chelicerae, and fangs.
Most spiders have eight eyes arranged on the top of their heads in two rows of four eyes each. But some spiders have only two eyes, while others have four or six. Some spiders, which live in caves and other dark places, do not have eyes.
A spider’s mouth is just below its eyes. They do not chew and can eat some solid parts of their victim’s body by dissolving these parts with digestive juice and then sucking them. This juice is so strong that a tarantula, for example, can turn a mouse into a pile of hair and bones in about 36 hours.
The chelicerae, which are also just under the eyes, are a pair of appendages that a spider uses to catch and kill its prey. Each chelicera ends in a claw, which are the spider’s fangs. The tips of the fangs have openings, which are connected to the spider’s poison glands. When hunting other insects, spiders use the chelicerae for stabbing, and then let the poison flow to the victims through their fangs.
Each spider has four pairs of legs. Each leg has seven parts. The last part of the spider’s leg has two or three claws at a tip. A pad of hair surrounds the claws; these help the spider hold on to ceilings or walls.
Spiders also have spinnerets, which are like fingers attached to the end part of their abdomen. Most spiders have six spinnerets but others have four, and still others only two. These spinnerets are what the spiders use to spin silk. Liquid silk from the abdomen of the spiders flows through spinning tubes at the tip of the spinnerets. When this liquid silk flows outside the body of a spider, it hardens into thread. This thread is used in making webs.
All spiders spin silk, but not all spiders make webs. Spiders make webs in the air so they can trap flying insects. Web- spinning spiders make different kinds of webs. Webs may look like curtains, bowls, domes, tubes, circular mazes, triangles, or sheets. A spider avoids getting trapped in its own web by using the special claws on its feet.
Spiders are helpful to people because they eat harmful insects. A spider’s bite is deadly for insects, but only few spiders are harmful to human beings. These are mostly the “widow” spiders – the black widow, the brown widow, the red-legged widow, and the varied widow.
Many spiders live only a year but the large wolf spider can live up to several years. Tarantulas are believed to live the longest among spiders. Some can last for more than 20 years.
Now I know about these spiders. You must not be afraid of spiders; spiders are not like monsters that eat us like other animals they harm us when we harm them first. Spiders are like us so you must not fear them.
If I were the President
What if one day a little child would say, “I want to lead the whole country. I want to manage everything about the whole land.” Then you would probably say “What an ambitious child!”
All of us know that being a president of a country is not an easy task. It needs a strong, intelligent, preserving and hard – working person to rule a nation of 7,100 islands with all eyes of the world observing your administration. But even then, I wish I were the President so that I could restore order to this very chaotic society we are in, now.
A President is head of state and chief political executive, of a republic. It is also the highest-ranking member of an organization or institution; the highest-ranking executive officer of a business or corporation; the highest-ranking executive officer of some universities, colleges, government departments, legal divisions, and other public offices; somebody who is appointed or elected to oversee a meeting; in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a man who is a member of the church's governing board. Together with counselors and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, he makes major church policy and decisions.
And if I am the President of the Philippines:
I want to make our surroundings clear, orderly, presentable and pleasant to live in. It’s so frustrating to see all these ‘ukay-ukays’ displayed everywhere! In this hi-tech world, we should not have retreated backward. Why have our people resorted to these surplus, goods which make us look the more miserable! These ‘ukay-ukays’ should have been distributed for free to our people in the hinterlands. The Mangyans, the Timawas, the T’bolis, etc.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Nature has blessed us with beautiful seas, rivers and falls. There should have been a law passed prohibiting people to build their houses in the seas or along the shores. These are eye sores to our shoreline aside from the fact that they are health hazard. Their wastes go directly to the sea since they only holed their floors as their comfort rooms. Why has the health authorities allowed this very unsanitary practice?
If I were the president, I would also see to it that all college graduates every school year could be given jobs so as to sustain their hopes and idealism in finishing their studies. I would create more jobs with the help of all sectors to minimize brain drain. We could achieve this if our leaders would eradicate graft and corruption and if our lawmakers would sacrifice their pork barrels as alibis for their corruption. Their pork barrel this time should be used for income-generating projects.
Foremost, if I were the president, I would create a law banning married Filipino women or mothers to work abroad leaving the family. Mothers’ role in rearing children greatly affects the quality of our future generation. Their absence in the Filipino homes results to many of our youth indulging drugs, crime and vices since the light of the home is extinguish by this desire to earn much. The law would preserve the sanctity of the Filipino home and minimize the emergence of broken homes.
Ahhh…I know that all this longings would forever remains dreams in my imagination. They’ll remain sand castles for I know that I could never be a president. Thanks for reading, anyway.
All of us know that being a president of a country is not an easy task. It needs a strong, intelligent, preserving and hard – working person to rule a nation of 7,100 islands with all eyes of the world observing your administration. But even then, I wish I were the President so that I could restore order to this very chaotic society we are in, now.
A President is head of state and chief political executive, of a republic. It is also the highest-ranking member of an organization or institution; the highest-ranking executive officer of a business or corporation; the highest-ranking executive officer of some universities, colleges, government departments, legal divisions, and other public offices; somebody who is appointed or elected to oversee a meeting; in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a man who is a member of the church's governing board. Together with counselors and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, he makes major church policy and decisions.
And if I am the President of the Philippines:
I want to make our surroundings clear, orderly, presentable and pleasant to live in. It’s so frustrating to see all these ‘ukay-ukays’ displayed everywhere! In this hi-tech world, we should not have retreated backward. Why have our people resorted to these surplus, goods which make us look the more miserable! These ‘ukay-ukays’ should have been distributed for free to our people in the hinterlands. The Mangyans, the Timawas, the T’bolis, etc.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Nature has blessed us with beautiful seas, rivers and falls. There should have been a law passed prohibiting people to build their houses in the seas or along the shores. These are eye sores to our shoreline aside from the fact that they are health hazard. Their wastes go directly to the sea since they only holed their floors as their comfort rooms. Why has the health authorities allowed this very unsanitary practice?
If I were the president, I would also see to it that all college graduates every school year could be given jobs so as to sustain their hopes and idealism in finishing their studies. I would create more jobs with the help of all sectors to minimize brain drain. We could achieve this if our leaders would eradicate graft and corruption and if our lawmakers would sacrifice their pork barrels as alibis for their corruption. Their pork barrel this time should be used for income-generating projects.
Foremost, if I were the president, I would create a law banning married Filipino women or mothers to work abroad leaving the family. Mothers’ role in rearing children greatly affects the quality of our future generation. Their absence in the Filipino homes results to many of our youth indulging drugs, crime and vices since the light of the home is extinguish by this desire to earn much. The law would preserve the sanctity of the Filipino home and minimize the emergence of broken homes.
Ahhh…I know that all this longings would forever remains dreams in my imagination. They’ll remain sand castles for I know that I could never be a president. Thanks for reading, anyway.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
My Thumb Makes Me Special
Take a look at your hands. Have you ever wondered why four of the fingers seem to be in one bunch, while the thumb is on its own? If you spread your fingers, four of them will point in one direction, while the thumb points another way.
The thumb that is opposite the other fingers, or digits, is a sign that humans are primates. Examples of other primates are tarsiers, lemurs, gibbons, aye-ayes, and macaques. It is because of the opposed thumb that primates can grasp objects. The opposed thumb has been very useful for primates. For example, monkeys are able to climb trees or swing from branches because of this special digit. This finger also makes it easy for primates to bring food to their mouth.
The opposed thumb has made humans a special set of primates. It is what sets humans apart from animals.Our thumb makes us special to all organisms.
With this special finger, early humans like the Neanderthals, or the Old Stone Age People, were able to make tools to make life easier.
They were able to make tools for hunting, cooking and fishing. They had axes, cleavers, knives, spears and even needles made out of stone, wood, or animal bone. They were able to make clothes out of animal skin because of their stone tools.
As time passed, ancient humans made better tools. They were able to make thinner and thinner weapons from stone. They invented finer weapons like wooden arrows and bone fishhooks. Later on, humans were able to make other tools and gadgets like spoons, sickles, and bowls and pots made up of clay. As more time passed, metal tools replaced the stone ones. Human also made more and more inventions such as the wheel, which led to carts and wagons. Itinerant became easy and humans were able to reach farther and farther places.
Because they had tools, early humans eventually learned how to farm. Once they learned farming, they no longer had to go from one place to another to find food. They were able to choose a place to live in and plant crops there. This was the start of villages, which grew and grew until they became cities. Humans began building bigger and stronger homes. Later on, they built temples, palaces, and other huge buildings.
Man’s special finger also allowed him to write and draw figures. From the cave paintings of animals made by their ancestors, human beings can now make beautiful paintings and sculptures. From writing with simple tools, humans now use all sorts of pencils and pens. Today, modern humans write with typewriters and computers.
Because of the special thumb, humans have really come a long way. It has set us so far apart from other animals. Who among the early humans could have thought that because of the thumb, we would even be able to travel away from Earth to the moon and other planets? Maybe, because of this thumb, we would able to send not just machines but human beings farther into outer space one day.
The thumb that is opposite the other fingers, or digits, is a sign that humans are primates. Examples of other primates are tarsiers, lemurs, gibbons, aye-ayes, and macaques. It is because of the opposed thumb that primates can grasp objects. The opposed thumb has been very useful for primates. For example, monkeys are able to climb trees or swing from branches because of this special digit. This finger also makes it easy for primates to bring food to their mouth.
The opposed thumb has made humans a special set of primates. It is what sets humans apart from animals.Our thumb makes us special to all organisms.
With this special finger, early humans like the Neanderthals, or the Old Stone Age People, were able to make tools to make life easier.
They were able to make tools for hunting, cooking and fishing. They had axes, cleavers, knives, spears and even needles made out of stone, wood, or animal bone. They were able to make clothes out of animal skin because of their stone tools.
As time passed, ancient humans made better tools. They were able to make thinner and thinner weapons from stone. They invented finer weapons like wooden arrows and bone fishhooks. Later on, humans were able to make other tools and gadgets like spoons, sickles, and bowls and pots made up of clay. As more time passed, metal tools replaced the stone ones. Human also made more and more inventions such as the wheel, which led to carts and wagons. Itinerant became easy and humans were able to reach farther and farther places.
Because they had tools, early humans eventually learned how to farm. Once they learned farming, they no longer had to go from one place to another to find food. They were able to choose a place to live in and plant crops there. This was the start of villages, which grew and grew until they became cities. Humans began building bigger and stronger homes. Later on, they built temples, palaces, and other huge buildings.
Man’s special finger also allowed him to write and draw figures. From the cave paintings of animals made by their ancestors, human beings can now make beautiful paintings and sculptures. From writing with simple tools, humans now use all sorts of pencils and pens. Today, modern humans write with typewriters and computers.
Because of the special thumb, humans have really come a long way. It has set us so far apart from other animals. Who among the early humans could have thought that because of the thumb, we would even be able to travel away from Earth to the moon and other planets? Maybe, because of this thumb, we would able to send not just machines but human beings farther into outer space one day.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
The Bohol Sojourn
Time stood still for a day last April 26, Wednesday when twenty-two teachers of Maguikay Elementary School and three students including me went on leisure tour. We had long planned the summer sight-seeing and was finally hatched when our dearest principal arrived from Tagbilaran City and surprised us for her announcement to personally act as tourist guide to Bohol.
We left from Pier1, Cebu city at 7:30 p.m. of Tuesday via our destination. We felt so happy and carefree as we huddled together in near- by cots. How fast has time flown when everyone was chatting (with one another) during the cruise that we forgot that Cokaliong Ship had landed at the Tagbilaran City port, at 11:30 midnight. We only disembarked from the ship at 6:00 o’clock am of Wednesday.
We had breakfast of rice, chorizo and coffee or milk at the Pasalubong Port at the Tagbilaran City. And others shared their packed lunch. We had several lively picture-taking while others bought the Bohol delicacy called ‘kalamay’. Suddenly the two tourist buses (which our principal had contacted) arrived and off we went for the real sight-seeing.
Nature has bestowed this beautiful island with exotic rich and historical places which are not found in other places in our country. And we are very fortunate to be given that special privilege as domestic tourist for the day.
Our first stop- over was the Shrine of the Blood Compact situated just a short drive from the Tagbilaran City Port. The shrine depicted the Blood Compact between Rajah Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez De Legaspi in the earlier time of the Spanish dominion in our shore. We had a jolly picture- taking in this historical spot each vying a statue like pose. The group then proceeded to the Baclayon Church which is believed to be the oldest church in the Philippines built in 1595. we got inside the Baclayon Church Museum and then, at the ancient Baclayon church where we saw rare and exquisite religious relics. We also took a few pictures of the historical church. We passed by the Cabilakan Island where whale-watchers are frequenting. However, due time constraint, we decided not to drop by that tourist attraction. We then proceeded to the famous Loboc River where we, (in two hired bancas wearing orange life jackets) cruised happily along the cool, serene blue waters of the beautiful river. We passed – by the Busay Springs along sides of the river and Mrs. Gimoros, Mr. Rebacca, Mrs. Malazarte and I had the experience of climbing the trocky cliffs above the flowing springs. We disembarked on that side of the river where few of the ‘tourist’ bought ‘honey’ by the river bank. And for our last trip the world- famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol. It was such an awesome sight, looking down at the 1000 more or less scattered hills below , as we climbed up at the tallest hill to view this wondrous work of nature. We climbed atop where we tossed a coin at a wishing well . Then we ate lunch at the only restaurant in that one hill. Afterwards, we proceeded to another beautifully developed and landscaped hill not so far- The Sagbayan Peak. There, we saw the spreading ornamental scattered in wide plains where we could stroll. The view is so inviting that even with our tired limbs, we pretended to be sustainingly ‘able’ just to join the other people to savor the beauty of the place. There for the second time, we saw and met the tarsiers. A few of my teachers also viewed the Beautiful Garden where the multi- colored butterflies hovered among pretty flowers. Standing atop the Sagbayan peak overlooking the beautiful green hills around the vicinity makes us think and realize of the existence of an ‘Almighty Being’ who could create such wondrous exhilarating sights.
We could have stayed a little longer but when we disembarked at Tubigon wharf we knew that we are heading home. As awakened from a mesmerizing sleep, we let our memory freely whirl in reminiscence of the trip as the ship sailed back to Cebu. That question raised by my teacher during the presentation of the itinery as how to visit such many places in just a day, was well answered. What with a superbly dynamic principal around, nothing is impossible.
We left from Pier1, Cebu city at 7:30 p.m. of Tuesday via our destination. We felt so happy and carefree as we huddled together in near- by cots. How fast has time flown when everyone was chatting (with one another) during the cruise that we forgot that Cokaliong Ship had landed at the Tagbilaran City port, at 11:30 midnight. We only disembarked from the ship at 6:00 o’clock am of Wednesday.
We had breakfast of rice, chorizo and coffee or milk at the Pasalubong Port at the Tagbilaran City. And others shared their packed lunch. We had several lively picture-taking while others bought the Bohol delicacy called ‘kalamay’. Suddenly the two tourist buses (which our principal had contacted) arrived and off we went for the real sight-seeing.
Nature has bestowed this beautiful island with exotic rich and historical places which are not found in other places in our country. And we are very fortunate to be given that special privilege as domestic tourist for the day.
Our first stop- over was the Shrine of the Blood Compact situated just a short drive from the Tagbilaran City Port. The shrine depicted the Blood Compact between Rajah Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez De Legaspi in the earlier time of the Spanish dominion in our shore. We had a jolly picture- taking in this historical spot each vying a statue like pose. The group then proceeded to the Baclayon Church which is believed to be the oldest church in the Philippines built in 1595. we got inside the Baclayon Church Museum and then, at the ancient Baclayon church where we saw rare and exquisite religious relics. We also took a few pictures of the historical church. We passed by the Cabilakan Island where whale-watchers are frequenting. However, due time constraint, we decided not to drop by that tourist attraction. We then proceeded to the famous Loboc River where we, (in two hired bancas wearing orange life jackets) cruised happily along the cool, serene blue waters of the beautiful river. We passed – by the Busay Springs along sides of the river and Mrs. Gimoros, Mr. Rebacca, Mrs. Malazarte and I had the experience of climbing the trocky cliffs above the flowing springs. We disembarked on that side of the river where few of the ‘tourist’ bought ‘honey’ by the river bank. And for our last trip the world- famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol. It was such an awesome sight, looking down at the 1000 more or less scattered hills below , as we climbed up at the tallest hill to view this wondrous work of nature. We climbed atop where we tossed a coin at a wishing well . Then we ate lunch at the only restaurant in that one hill. Afterwards, we proceeded to another beautifully developed and landscaped hill not so far- The Sagbayan Peak. There, we saw the spreading ornamental scattered in wide plains where we could stroll. The view is so inviting that even with our tired limbs, we pretended to be sustainingly ‘able’ just to join the other people to savor the beauty of the place. There for the second time, we saw and met the tarsiers. A few of my teachers also viewed the Beautiful Garden where the multi- colored butterflies hovered among pretty flowers. Standing atop the Sagbayan peak overlooking the beautiful green hills around the vicinity makes us think and realize of the existence of an ‘Almighty Being’ who could create such wondrous exhilarating sights.
We could have stayed a little longer but when we disembarked at Tubigon wharf we knew that we are heading home. As awakened from a mesmerizing sleep, we let our memory freely whirl in reminiscence of the trip as the ship sailed back to Cebu. That question raised by my teacher during the presentation of the itinery as how to visit such many places in just a day, was well answered. What with a superbly dynamic principal around, nothing is impossible.
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