There's gold in eucalyptus!

The eucalyptus bears the proverbial  golden leaves - pure gold particles one-fifth the diameter of human hair  embedded in the leaf veins! 

                           

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), relative of the macopa (Eugenia jambalana) and duhat (Syzigium cumini) under Family Myrtaceae. Lagro QC 

 This towering eucalyptus Eucalyptus globulus dwarfs the adjacent barangay hall, covered court, and high school buildings, yet she is unassuming. Her lanky nature with dull green foliage with a tinge of blue flimsily hanging like the weeping willow (Salix sp), does not stir much attention of passersby, not even residents around.  

No, she does not exude the regal pose of the narra (Dipterocarpus indicus), the Philippine national tree; the shady crown of the acacia (Samanea saman), the biggest legume in the world; and the coconut (Cocos nucifera), the miracle tree.  Paradoxically all these trees occupy the same compound, the center of barangay activities.

Even as the wind blows the eucalyptus has little confetti to throw, few notes to whistle, little shade to draw on the ground. Yet she is a living Panacea, the Greek goddess of universal remedy from insect bite to asthma to alleviation of mental and physical fatigue.  Her leaves have virtual cure-all power: antiviral, antibacterial, anti-fungal, and they exude volatile oil into the air and even as they lay on the ground. She keeps at bay vermin from mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, flea,ticks, to rodents.  Yet, unlike other pesticides, the volatile oil of eucalyptus is refreshing, soothing to the lungs, increasing oxygenation and blood circulation. 

Why, Indisposed feelings are gone! That pep is back! Where have all the flies gone? 
If there is a tree that is a must in the neighborhood, better on the backyard, it is this goddess tree Panacea.   

But wait, there is a hidden treasure in the leaves of eucalyptus, the proverbial "gold leaves," as shown by this photomicrograph.   Gold vein! Microdeposits of pure gold.  This new discovery is more important in gold prospecting where eucalyptus grows, indicating deep beneath the earth lies a "pot of gold."  Asked if it's worth collecting the leaves for gold - Australian scientists wryly said no.  The amount is too little to be worth the effort. Well, gold is gold.

Every time I look at a eucalyptus tree I see Panacea holding a gold leaf.  

Cybergods in the Living Room

Cybergods in the Living Room
Dr Abe V Rotor

  Michelangelo's Creation in postmodern version (Source: Internet)

Kingdom and Eternity – these they say

    Are too far out, they raise the brow,

From mountain tops to where the rivers flow,

    Yet we’ve learned to accept them though.

Skeptical does the world grow each day,

     As rituals of faith cease to be sane,

The day shall come when reason shall reign,

     And the spirit has but li’l to gain.

For the world has grown to be vigilant

     Of the sword and cross sat on the throne;

The subjects, once oppressed, again question,

     If God is doing right or doing wrong.

Gone is the Aztec’s sun god long time ago,

     And the kindly deities no longer roam.

Will the Vatican still glow at sunset,

     While cybergods crowd the living room?

                   

 

Green Revolution in our Postmodern Era

Green Revolution in our Postmodern Era 

Lab-grown meat, or cultivated meat, is produced by extracting stem cells from live animals and multiplying them in bioreactors using a nutrient-rich culture medium. These cells grow into muscle and fat tissue, offering a sustainable, slaughter-free alternative to traditional livestock farming.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Never in the history of agriculture, or the history of man for that matter, had we experienced five simultaneous and overlapping farming movements that constitute the Green Revolution in our Postmodern era:

• Stem Cell Farming (SCF), the latest.
• Farming of GMO plants and animals
• Single Cell Protein (SCP) farming
• Hydroponics and aeroponics
• Natural and Indigenous Farming

Here are ten scenarios on the current trend of agriculture:

1. Stem cell farming will ignite rage and ethico-moral controversy. What with the wild thought of human stem cell hamburger!

2. GMO farming has stirred worldwide controversy since its early stage. Worldwide, countries and organizations are calling for its restriction, if not total ban.

3. Genetic engineering has given rise to a new and most destructive form of pollution to the living world - Genetic Pollution, which is destroying the integrity of natural gene pools of plants, animals, and microorganisms.

4. Genetic pollution spreads through pollination in plants and mating in animals, albeit induced mutation. GM plants can pollute whole fields. The mechanism is true to animals, consequently populations. There is no way of stop genetic pollution once it has set in, unlike conventional pollution.

5. Farming the sea will continue with harmful ecological consequences. Like deforestation on land, marine vegetation, from mangrove to seaweeds and sea grasses will greatly suffer, even as the cultivation of seaweeds like Eucheuma and Calerpa, is now a lucrative industry.

6. Fish farming of marine and freshwater species has expanded into off shore floating cages and plantation-size fish pens. Wild species in captivity proved to be successful in groupers, mullets, and lately, the salmon which has virtually lost its homing instinct through genetic manipulation.

7. Hydroponics (soiless farming) and aeroponics (farming on multi-storey buildings) continue to "bring agriculture into the city," as more and more people move into urban centers.

8. Home gardening and backyard orchards are back with the objectives of recycling, self-sufficiency and sanitation, not to mention aesthetic beauty. This trend goes hand in hand with the revival of traditional societies, as people are tired living in the city.

9. People are becoming conscious of their health by avoiding chemically grown plants and animals, aware of the harmful effects of chemical residues, "Frankenfood" (GMOs), toxic metals and antibiotic residues, among others.

10. Wild food plants like Amaranthus, Portulaca, Corchorus and Mollogo have found their way to the dining table and market. So with many native varieties of fruits and vegetables on one hand, and native breeds of animals and poultry, on the other.

 

Aeroponics, farming in the city

                      Acknowledgement: Internet Photos; Living with Nature AVRotor

Converse with Verse Part 2: "Whisper of summer rain soothes a longing pain..."

Part 2 - Converse with Verse 

     "Whisper of summer rain soothes a longing pain..."          Dr Abe V Rotor

1. The valley is still, the fog thick and gray;
many a dream is born and gone astray;
once a beacon now ringed with light
where once a moth died in a noble fight.

2. The sail must catch the wind
like a bird; the boat glides free,
for nothing is more fearful
than doldrums in the sea.

3. Lemonade is sweet
even without tasting it,
sans test or any gadget;
seeds float, they rarely sink.

4. The spider protects her brood in tempest,
shepherds her tiny ones from the nest.
Ask Charles Darwin the explanation,
and Robert Bruce the exclamation.

5. Whisper of summer rain
soothes a longing pain
sending a chord fresh and cool
that hums through the soul.

6. Keener the senses are at the end,
deeper kinship lies at the bend;
everyone a friend after the Fall,
the past we bid, welcome to all.

7. Life comes from colors, colors in light,
light from the sun, light to the plant,
plant to animal, whale or the ant -
and life goes on throughout the night.

8. On the Rice Terraces where I stand,

golden are the grains in the setting sun;
on the Great Wall where I walk back in time
roars a dragon amid a mournful chime.

Creative Writing: The Butterfly and the House Lizard.

 Dr Abe V Rotor 

 There are pictures that lend themselves to imagination on a higher plane, which provide good  topics for  creative writing.  This is truly inviting.   

Oh, butterfly brave you think you are;

     your enemy lurks behind bar; 

Lizard, your meal is so near yet so far,

     foolish wishing upon a star.   

Why don't you express you own creative thoughts?