Thursday, September 29, 2016

The Worker: What posthumous fate lies in the unfinished work of an artist?

The Worker
Orphaned Icon 
by Sculptor Francisco "Boy" Peralta
"What  posthumous fate lies in the unfinished work of an artist?" - avrotor

Dr Abe V Rotor

                     The Worker 

The artist comes to rest, 
his works unfinished, 
his dreams unfulfilled; 
life, how short it is to the gifted,  
the future his present;

and who would look beyond
with him but prophets?
Or Markham who saw in beauty
injustice in The Man with a Hoe,
of Millet's romantic scenery?

There is no answer, the artist is dead;
he lives on with these unresolved;
time and events shall tell
as his masterpiece crumbles
to dust, to oblivion. 

San Vicente is famous for sculpture, producing important works that decorate many churches and homes today, here and abroad. The town is dubbed the Little Florence, and is acclaimed to be the counterpart of Paete in Laguna and Betis in Pampanga. This article is a tribute to the sculptors of the town, and to those whose memory we their townmates shall remain forever proud and grateful. ~

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Beware of the Higad! (Tussock Moth Caterpillar)

Beware of the Higad! (Tussock Moth Caterpillar)
Dr Abe V Rotor

We call it samrid in Ilocano, higad in Tagalog and Pilipino. It is perhaps the most avoided insect next to the putakti or paper wasp. Unlike the latter, the injury one gets by contact with this spiny caterpillars is far reaching - it can spread to other parts of the body. Thus the rule is: Never rub - not even touch, the affected area. If feasible, light a candle, train the drops on the embedded spines, allow to solidify, then lift off. In this way the spines are pulled out without much damage. Apply vinegar to neutralize the alkaline chemical substance. Taking a bath without vinegar treatment will only spread the minute Neptune spear. There are people who are extremely allergic to higad that they need immediate medical treatment with antihistamine drug.

Rusty Tussock Moth (Orgyia antiqua). This specimen of Tussock Moth caterpillar belongs to Family Lymantiidae, Order Lepidoptera. It is a commonly found on Fire Tree (Delonix regia) which blooms in summer. The colorful caterpillar, about an inch long in its last instar, dangles from the tree with spinneret and sways in the slightest breeze. It often lands on a passerby and causes extreme discomfort that needs immediate medical attention. The rule is to remove the caterpillar immediately without rubbing the affected area. One who is particularly sensitive to higad must get immediate help.

Tussock moth caterpillars are passive and tend to group together. Before they enter pupal stage they descend from their host tree, hide in crevices, and other suitable places where they will later emerge as moths.

Tussock moth caterpillars in three stages (instars), pupa (left, scantily covered with cocoon thread), molted skin (lower left), and frass or waste (right).

Snowy tussock moth mimic the color and pattern of its host tree, and growing lichens.

Tussock moth - a master of camouflage. It can adjust to the color and pattern of its environment.

First aid: Train melted candle over embedded bristles, then carefully peel off. Apply vinegar on the affected area to dissolve remaining bristles. Do not rub.

NOTE: Skin castings of higad can inflict considerable injury. Eliminate castings by burning or burying, just as caterpillars are disposed off. Higad may inflict the same injury on pets. Regular smudging (smoke emitted by burning dead leaves) can effectively reduced higad population. Household insecticide spray can help. Community control using chemicals need
s expert's assistance.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

University of Santo Tomas (1611-2011) Lights the World

University of Santo Tomas (1611-2011) Lights the World


Dr Abe V Rotor

After 400 years, celebration ends, begins a new mark;
UST - pride of the nation and region, of the world;
where great men and women passed under the Arch
of the Centuries, armed with truth and the Word.

Born in the Renaissance, the age of Enlightenment,
bridged Europe across the seas and the Orient;
where cultures clashed, earthly life and the firmament,
humbling them into consequential agreement.

Emerging from the Dark Ages after a thousand years,
you carried on the Greco-Roman influence,
through sword and cross, emblem of your forebears
who forged an East-West confluence.
You lived through trials and triumphed with the nation,
a Lazarus after colonization, two world wars,
of ideologies and faiths, of world order in revolution,
taking neither side but followed the stars.

The world in your campus, long before globalization;
knowledge encompassing in tune with the times,
searching, beyond Galileo, answer to the question,
"Quo vadis humanus?" through inevitable signs.

What bigger challenge UST - idealist, classical, dreamer -
as the world has gone a thousand-fold increase
of man’s expression of sapiens, faber, lugens in that order!
Old but firm stands the Arch of the Centuries. ~

  

Wednesday, September 14, 2016


Brewing into wine, child into man


Dr Abe V Rotor

   Jared, 4, listens to the sparkling of newly brewed wine; 
cellar of basi in jars undergoing ageing.

He can hear deeper and keener,
things we take for granted;
innocence hones what has dulled
us, and had long wanted.

Wonder what he hears in a jar 

of wine in deep slumber,
ageing into its fullest prime,
the pride of the brewer.   

What matters to a young hand 

more than his presence,
but the brewing in him into man
of the finest essence.  ~


  

Friday, September 9, 2016

"A poem that has no title".

In memory of my loyal friend, Cherry.
Charmaine Magsino* 

I came up with words, 
and added some chords...
Let the rain fall on thee
on your grave by a tree.
You'll always be a friend
until we meet again.
Let the angels see me cry
as I turn to say, Goodbye. 


Author's Note: This is an example of a verse written by an ardent student in humanities. It is typically emotional and spontaneous triggered by a very sad experience.  It is compassionate, and if this verse is made into lyrics of a song, the result is a dirge - a sad song. Sometimes feelings and thoughts merge at the boundary  of reality and fantasy. (... until we meet again... thee... Let the angels...) Like passing wind, the opportunity of the artist to capture this rare experience could have been lost, perhaps forever.      
* Mass Communication Student, St Paul University QC circa 2000

Acknowledgement: Internet illustration 

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Turmeric (Luyang dilaw) Curcuma longa - Medicine-and-Spice ^

Turmeric (Luyang dilaw) Curcuma longa 
 Medicine-and-Spice
Luyang dilaw has outstanding medicinal properties that are a potential cure to many ailments and diseases associated with our postmodern living. 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

You may miss the plant on the farm, roadside, pasture, or the garden.  It is because it is unassuming in its vegetative stage - appearing like lily, baston de San Jose, lobster's claw, camia or any of its relatives under Family Zingiberaceae or ginger family.

Miss Jules SM Rojas poses in a garden of luyang dilaw (Curcuma longa) at home in Lagro QC

But no one would miss in its flowing stage, this plant universally known as tumeric,  Its flowers are typical of ginger species led by the popular Zingiber officinale or luya, no kitchen is without it.  

Luyang dilaw is a leafy plant, 1 to 1.5 meters tall, with 5 to 6 leaves. Rhizomes are bright yellow inside, thick and cylindrical. Leaf blade is green, oblong, 30 to 45 centimeters long and 10 to 20 centimeters wide. Petiole is as long as the blade. Peduncle is 15 centimeters or more in length, borne within the tuft of leaves. Spikes are 10 to 20 centimeters in length and about 5 centimeters in diameter. Floral bracts are pale green, ovate, 3 to 4 centimeters long, the comabracts tinged with pink. Flowers are pale yellow to pink, as long as the bracts. Fruits are capsules.

Luyang dilaw is pantropic, native of India, Its rhizomes are contain flavonoid curcumin (diferuloylmethane) and various volatile oils, including tumerone, atlantone, and zingiberone. It contain volatile oil (3-5%), tumerol (alcohol), d-alpha phellandrene, carvone, camphor, curcumone; fat, 3%; starch (30%); resin; curcumin (yellow orange pigment). It is a good source of phosphorus and iron.

As one who grew up on the farm, luyang dilaw is a familiar wild plant which old folk would gather for spice like the local luya. My Auntie Yaya, Basang would dig up a hill even if the rhizomes are still young and small, and would crush them as poultice for minor wounds and insect bites. A decoction would expel bad air, and loosen breathing if you have colds or flu. Little did I know about this annual plant. It aestivates in summer, awaking at the first rain in May, profusely growing to overcome weeds around. It would bloom shortly, then dries up leaving its rhizomes beneath the ground - if not harvested -  only to germinate again the next monsoon season.  

Here is a summary of some distinct characteristics of luyang dilaw, largely from researches I conducted in the university and from the Internet. Thanks to Philippine Medicinal Plants, and Alternative Medicine. Special thanks to the late Dr Eduardo Quisumbing, author of Medicinal Plants of the Philippines, who was then my professor in botany in the early sixties.
            Roots and young rhizomes of Curcuma longa

This list serves only as a guide and does not endorse self-medication. Medical advice is recommended before using the product or any of its preparations. 

1. The rhizome is pungent and bitter tasting, warming, carminative. In Chinese medicine it is , believed to Improve Ch'i circulation.

2. Studies have demonstrated various therapeutics effects: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cholesterol-lowering, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, and anticarcinogenic activity.

3. As a folkloric medicine luyang dilaw is used as antiseptic, anti-contusion, antibacterial, antifungal. This is greatly appreciated with its aromatic, stimulant, tonic, cordial, emmenagogue and astringent properties. It is also used as carminative and for dispelling flatulence. In China used for colic, amenorrhea, congestions.

4. Turmeric paste mixed with a little lime and saltpeter is applied hot to sprains and bruises.
For smallpox and chicken pox, coating of turmeric powder or thin paste applied externally to facilitate scabbing. Paste made from flowers used for ringworm and other parasitic skin infections. Ointment is used in neuralgia and rheumatism.

5. In the Philippines rhizome with coconut oil is used as stomachic and vulnerary (promotes healing of wounds). Internally, juice of fresh rhizome used as anthelminticRhizome is also used for intermittent fevers, flatulence, dyspepsia. (Dyspepsia is a group of symptoms which often include bloating, nausea and burping.  Belching, nausea and a bloated feeling are common symptoms of dyspepsia).

4. As condiment, it is an ingredient of curry powder, and for food coloring In dried or powdered form, used like ginger. 

5. Used for menstrual irregularities, contusions and associated with painful swelling.
Crush rhizome and apply to wounds, insect bites, leech-bites, ringworm, bleeding.

6. Fumes of burning turmeric used as inhalation in catarrh and severe head colds.
·
7. Turmeric is one of the best known of material dyes, used for dyeing silk, wool and cotton. Rhizomes used for dyeing mats in the Philippines.

8. Ointment: Wash the unpeeled ginger. Chop the rhizomes to fill half a glass of water. Sauté with one glass of coconut oil on low heat for five minutes. Place in a clean bottle and label.
- Antiseptic for wounds: Extract juice of the fresh rhizome and apply directly on the wound or swelling.
Gas pain in adults: Decoction from thumb-sized rhizome in a glass of water reduced to half. 
- Turmeric for cough: 
Link provides preparation of turmeric as home remedy for coughs


9. Here is a list of studies on luyang dilaw
  • Tobacco Chewer and Chronic Smoker De-Addiction : 
  • Anti-parasitic, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory
  • Anticancer 
  • Antifungal activities against Trichophyton longifusus.
  • Antibacterial 
  • Antioxidants and showed significant reduction in blood glucose. 
  • Anti-Inflammatory 
  • Peptic Ulcer Healing 
  • Antifertility Effect
  • Radioprotective
  • Antithrombotic 
  • Antiplatelet Effects 
  • Effect on Arsenic Toxicity
  • Reno protective: 
  • Healing Effect on Smoking-Induced Liver Damage 
Continuing researches in these fields or topics challenge the young to pursue medicine, pharmacology, or any related career, including the promotion of alternative medicine and natural healing. ~

Thursday, September 1, 2016

We Can Re-Create the Garden of Eden

Dr Abe V Rotor
Arch of the Centuries and Fountain of Knowledge, University of Santo Tomas, Manila
What really make gardens beautiful may draw two schools of thought – Romanticism and Functionalism. But a typical Philippine garden for one does not take side on the issue – it portrays both schools in an integrated, harmonious design patterned after the richest and the most enviable biome on earth – the Tropical Rainforest.

And here are gardens to see - the Sunken Garden of UP Diliman QC at the back of the Oblation, and the UST Botanical Garden along España in downtown Manila. And for more extensive gardens, go to San Fernando La Union Botanical Garden in Cadaclan at the foothills of Cordillera. When picnicking at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center visit the vegetation along the lakeshore.

There are striking features of a garden. For example at UST, there are man-made waterfalls.  Trace the flow on a meandering rocky stream that ducks under a footbridge before plunging into the depth of a pond, its bottom murky and cool and rich in detritus. Here clams and snails, and other bottom dwellers, mostly decomposers reside, shy from the sun and ensconced in the very food source that settles down. Such is the niche of these sessile, benthos creatures.

A Garden of Algae and Mosses
The running stream at the UP Sunken Garden keeps the environment fresh and cool, lapping on the rocks and sending spray on its banks. Small waterfalls and boulders lay along its path.  Here thick algae and mosses layer after layer form a carpet on which another niche is found - the domain of bryophytes in Lilliputian imagery, or one depicted in the movie, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

But the ultimate source of water is the sky, from clouds that gather and grow atop the forest.  Transpiration from trees on one hand and evaporation on the other attract clouds, pulling them down in shower or downpour at anytime of the day or night. It is for this phenomenon that this biome got its name - rainforest.

The garden’s design simulates this condition. The waterfall, streams, a large fountain and a series of ponds maintain high humidity in their environs. High humidity and continuous supply of water are crucial in the formation of multi-storey vegetation and subsequently the presence of a myriad of resident organisms.

An Evolving Ecosystem
It may take years for a new garden to approximate the structure of a typical rainforest. In the process visitors may not be aware of the slow transformation, one sere after another until a climax community is formed, a true measure of it is homeostasis or dynamic balance. The scientific and aesthetic aspects are interesting to study. Inference can be drawn on the viewpoint of ethico-morals that governs man of his role in God’s creation – and the transformation of man himself as one good and faithful steward of the environment.

A botanical garden is thus transforming deliberately like an evolving ecosystem. It is Nature’s laboratory and a playing field of biological diversity.
Drynaria fern on a tree in acrylic AVR


Biological Diversity
1. As a field laboratory the garden demonstrates ecological cycles – invasion, colonization, competition, and emergence of dominant species, as well as seasonal and long-term succession patterns. We may not have the four distinct seasons, but there are tropical trees that demonstrate some temperate characteristics carried by their ancestral genes, such as the deciduousness of narra (Pterocarpus indicus) and talisay (Terminalia catappa) simulating trees in the temperate region that completely lose their leaves at the onset of winter.

2. The garden is a living manifestation of dynamic balance in a changing environment with the organisms constantly adjusting to the demands of the latter, but at the end they also change the environment itself. The transformation process or seres always leads towards homeostasis and the result is the formation of a climax ecological system.

3. As a showcase of natural habitats, the garden adjusts to the development of niches and diversity indices. The garden never sleeps, so to speak. It is an arena and the drama of life goes on and on.

Energy Flow
4. When we look at life, we look at it in the realm of physics and chemistry – the flow of energy through the food chain, food web and their hierarchic order, the food pyramid. The light energy of the sun is transformed into chemical energy by plants through photosynthesis, and is passed on one after another through the links of a chain until the remaining energy reaches the ultimate member – the decomposers that transform organic substances back into inorganic forms so that the next generation of organisms can start all over again. We can  witness this among the residents in the pond, and among insects, arachnids, birds, reptiles, and others that inhabit the garden.

Plant Physiology and Animal Behavior
5. The garden demonstrates physiologic responses of plants - tropisms or reactions to light, touch, and the other elements on one hand, and animal behavior on the other. Why do plants grow tall, while others do not - even if they belong to the same species? Where do toads and frogs hide in summer? How do they survive without food and extreme hot and arid condition?
Dragonflies hover low before a rain. A preying mantis resembles the leaf or flower on which it waits for its prey. These and many more demonstrate intelligence among animals.

6. There are biological indicators of the state of the environment. The garden has a host of these indicators such as lichens and fireflies. The presence of both attest to the pristine condition of the environment and clean of air around. The garden itself is a barometer of El Niño. There are bamboo species that produce flowers at the onset of the cyclical phenomenon.

Balete trees atop a church ruin, 
Magsingal Museum, Ilocos Sur.

Gene Bank
7. The garden is a sanctuary of wildlife. In spite of the crowded environment and high-rise buildings around, a garden is always with butterflies. Some people say, if you see butterflies there must be a garden nearby. It is because the garden is their natural abode with plants they feed on and rear their young. The ponds and streams are a sanctuary of dragonflies as well, and their waters teem with both phytoplankton and zooplankton that students in biology can study with the use of microscope.

8. As a gene bank, the garden is a depository of biological diversity, providing access to genetic studies, propagation and exchange with other institutions. A garden must aim at expanding its collection of species, even those that are thought to be weeds and volunteer plants. In many ways nature is the principal architect of biodiversity. Birds, water and wind carry seeds into the garden. When we design the garden we follow Nature rules. For example, plants are classified according to water regime, type of growth, sunlight requirement, seasonality, etc.

9. In another article I wrote, I mentioned about the garden as a microcosm of the biosphere, the pond a minuscule of a lake – and now, the new the garden is a replica of the Tropical Rainforest.

10. This miniature replica of a Tropical Rainforest, where living organisms – macroscopic and microscopic – live in a state of unity and harmony is man’s way of redeeming a lost Paradise. There is more than just romanticism and functionalism, not even human imagination can describe it. Indeed we can re-create a Garden of Eden is some little corner of the Earth, the greatest offering we can make to the Creator who gave us the capacity to build it. ~




Paper wasps on the run!

 Or was it the other way around?

Dr Abe V Rotor

This happened to me -  rather, this is what I did, when I was five or six - perhaps younger, because I don’t know up to now why I attacked a colony of putakti or alimpipinig (Ilk). (No reference to Don Quixote attacking a windmill, in a novel of the same title by Miguel de Cervantes.)

It was raw courage called bravado when you put on courage on something without weighing the consequences. It was hatred dominating reason, motivated by revenge. 


I was sweeping the yard near a chico tree when I suddenly felt pain above my eye. No one had ever warned me of paper wasps, and I hadn’t been stung before. I retreated, instinctively got a bikal bamboo and attacked their papery nest, but every time I got close to it I got stung.  I don’t know how many times I attacked the enemy, each time with more fury, and more stings, until dad spotted me to his surprise.  I struggled under his strong arms sobbing. 

I was lucky, kids my size can’t take many stings. There are cases bee poison can cause the heart to stop. ~