Go for MSG-Free food - always!

 Go for MSG-Free food - always:

when ordering food in a restaurant, buying food items in the supermarket, above all, by making it a rule at home NO MSG and its clandestine trade names. 

MSG and BRAIN DAMAGE

What are the other names for monosodium glutamate?

Hidden Names For MSG And Free Glutamic Acid:

·         Glutamate (E 620)

·         Monosodium Glutamate (E 621)

·         Monopotassium Glutamate (E 622)

·         Calcium Glutamate (E 623)

·         Monoammonium Glutamate (E 624)

·         Magnesium Glutamate (E 625)

·         Natrium Glutamate.

·         Yeast Extract.

 
MANY DECEIVING NAMES OF MSG

        MSG and CANCER

EVERYDAY COMMON SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

FROM MSG-FOOD CONSUMPTION

 
MANY SIDE EFFECTS

 MSG and OBESITY

MSG and "JUNK FOODS"

MSG IS EVERYWHERE - BEWARE!

FOOD and POISON

A compilation from the Internet and other sources.

I can “cure” a person who is "naan-annungan".

I can “cure” a person who is naan-annungan.
Dr Abe V Rotor

An-annung is the Ilocano of nasapi-an. Spirits cast spell on a person, the old folks say. The victim may suffer of stomachache or headache  accompanied by cold sweat, body weakness or feeling of exhaustion.

Well, take this case.  It was dusk when a tenant of ours insisted of climbing a betel, Areca catechu to gather its nuts (nga-nga). My dad objected to it, but somehow the young man prevailed. 

The stubborn young man was profusely sweating and was obviously in pain, pressing his stomach against the tree trunk. Dad called for me. I examined my “patient” and assured him he will be all right. And like a passing ill wind, the spell was cast away. Dad and the people around believed I had supernatural power.

There had been a number of cases I “succeeded” in healing the naan-annungan But I could also induce – unknowingly - the same effect on some one else.  That too, my dad and old folks believed.  They would sought for my “power” to cast the spell away from - this time – no other than my “victim”.  What a paradox!   When I grew older and finished by studies, I began to understand that having an out-of-this-world power is a myth.

I read something about Alexander the Great consulting the Oracle at Siwa to find out if indeed he is a god-sent son. “The Pharaoh will bow to you, ” the priestess told him.  And it did happen - the pharaoh kissed Alexander’s feet.  The great warrior died before he was 33.

     

A Visit to Nature's Gardens Series in Murals (Part 1)

A Visit to Nature's Gardens Series in Murals (Part 1)

Mural Paintings of Dr Abe V Rotor

Living With Nature Center

Author's Residence, San Vicente, Ilocos Sur 

Western Edge of the Cordillera, Santa Paradise, Ilocos Sur

The rocky shores of Santa is a favorite stopover of travelers for respite and relaxation. A popular lore tells us that when the scribe of the Spanish explorers was naming the places where they already established settlements, the scribe had a difficult time of thinking of a Catholic Saint's name of saints to name the place (Santa Catalina, Santa Lucia, and Santa Maria were already taken), so the town was simply named "Santa." (Some versions of the story say that the scribe fell asleep or was drunk when he was writing a name for the town and just wrote "Santa".)

Eroded Shoreline of  Palauig, Zambales

Continuous battering of waves and tides where every day the sea and river meet,
where runoff after rain flows down, rills to gullies grow, soil washed away and the bedrock exposed, seemingly beautiful, serene, strong.  But it is not, it is a landscape changing, now in the making, now in a state of ruin, typical in many parts of the world where man has laid his hands on Nature's architecture in pursuit of agriculture and industry, and lately settlement and tourism.

Watershed Stream,  Mt Makiling, Laguna

A watershed is an area of land that feeds all the water running under it and draining off of it into a body of water. It combines with other watersheds to form a network of rivers and streams that progressively drain into larger water areas. Topography determines where and how water flows. Mount Makiling is an important catchment area for Laguna de Bay providing a water supply for industrial, agricultural and residential sectors of the CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) region.

Hornbill Sanctuary, Northern Tip of Luzon, between Ilocos Norte and Cagayan

The Luzon hornbill (Penelopides manillae), sometimes called Luzon tarictic hornbill, is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is endemic to forests on Luzon and nearby islands in the northern Philippines. As is the case with all Philippine tarictic hornbills, it has been considered a subspecies of P. panini.

Underground River, Puerto Princesa, Palawan 

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a protected area of the Philippines. The park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the western coast of the island of Palawan, about 80 kilometres north of the city centre of Puerto Princesa, and contains the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River.

Pinsal Falls, Sta Maria, Ilocos Sur

In Ilocano mythology the giant Angalo passed by the mountains of Pinsal in search
for Aran, leaving a large mark of his footprints that locals call as “Tugot ni Angalo”.
The said footprint is now a naturally-made pool.

Tabon Cave, Rizal, Palawan 

The Tabon Caves, dubbed as the Philippines' Cradle of Civilization, are a group of caves located on Lipuun Point, north of Quezon municipality, in the south western part of the province of Palawan on Palawan Island, in the Philippines.

Indigenous Tools and Equipment

Indigenous Tools and Equipment

Dr Abe V Rotor
"A tool is but the extension of a man's hand, and a machine is but a complex tool. He that invents a machine augments the power of a man and the well being of mankind."
— Henry Ward Beecher

Sled or pasagad, bullock drawn

These are indigenous tools and equipment, many of them are now rare. The younger generation may not be familiar with many of these in the list. Others have simply evolved into new designs or tools which are difficult to trace as to their origin. There are regional variations and have adopted distinct cultural traits. In fact, there are universal inventions which cannot be claimed by a specific country or culture.

1. Trowel (Barrusot Ilk)
2. Hand palay harvester (rakem)
3. Laying hen’s crib (baki)
4. Farmer’s backpack (kuribot)
5. Boat sled (takuli)
6. Bullock Sled (pasagad)
7. Bare bull cart (partigo)
8. Bull cart with sides (kariton)
9. Sledge hammer (maso)
10. Dike (pilapil) bolo (pangtabas)
11. Heavy duty bolo (badang)
12. Everyday bolo (buneng)
13. Dagger (balisong Tag; daga Ilk)
14. Iron nail remover (kabra)
15. Crowbar (bareta)
16. Log saw (sarrotso)
17. Ax (wasay Ilk)
18. Wide brimmed hat (payabyab)
19. Woven hat (kallugong)
20. Planting pole (tik-tak mechanism)
21. Fish basket (alat)
22. Chewing nut bag (tampipi)
23. Scythe (kumpay)
24. Fishing pole (banni-it)
25. Slingshot (palsi-it)
26. Toy hand cannon (palsu-ot)
27. Blowgun (salbatana)
28. Threshing rope with handle (hawak)
29. Threshing board
30. Woven mat (banig)
31. Coconut midrib broom (walis tingting)
32. Soft grass broom (walis tambo)
33. Coco shell cup (ungot)
34. Earthen water pot (calamba, caramba)
35. Earthen pot (for cooking) (palayok, banga)
36. Fish fence (tarit)
37. Fish trap (salakab)
38. Bottom fish trap (kudagdag)
39. Fish net with x-frame (salloy)
40. Throw net (tabukol)
41. Fixed fish trap (bubo)
42. Bird pole trap (taay)
43. Bird loop net (singgapong)
44. Spear (pika)
45. Dugout trap (palab-og)
46. Bow and arrow (pana)
47. Coconut grater (gadgaran)
48. Curve bolo for trimming levees (panabas)
49. Hammer or mallet (martilyo)
50. Lever to draw water from well (babatwagan)

NOTE: Add other tools to this list and arrange them according to use/s.  

Forest Pond 2

Forest Pond 2
Dr Abe V Rotor

 Forest Pond, painting in acrylic by AV Rotor

It is not the Walden Pond of Thoreau;

it is not the mirror pond of Narcissus;

but a pond somewhere in the forest 

in the mind, away from others' views.

A pond in silence and in song all day;

a pond that reflects the stars at night;

and in summer air shimmers the sun,
and from heaven a magnificent sight. ~

A dozen sayings to live by, anonymous

A dozen sayings to live by, anonymous

Compiled by Abe V Rotor

Respite under the coconut tree. Tacloban, Leyte

1. When you stop pedaling your bicycle, you fall off.

2. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether you are busy as you think, or just confused.

3. All work and no play makes it hard to know what to do with your leisure.

4. It is not the whistle that pulls the train.

5. It is very embarrassing to be mistaken at the top of your voice.

6. If you never make a mistake, you may live and die without anyone ever noticing you.

7. Some persons have trouble telling the difference between being tired and being lazy.

8. It's not the hours you put in your work, but the work you put in your hours.

9. To leave footprints on the sands of time, you have to keep on going.

10. Most of us can do more than we think we can, but we actually do less than we think we do.

11. The philosopher who said that work well done never needs doing over never weeded a garden.

12. Many fishermen catch their fish by the tale.

Life on the Farm mural speaks

Life on the Farm mural speaks

Dr Abe V Rotor

Life on the Farm, mural by AVR circa 1995

       The mural speaks of 

- the fields turning gold in the sun at harvest time;

- the wind carrying colorful kites, big and small;

- the stream hissing on its path, murmuring on the rocks;

- the clouds carving faces and creatures to children's delight; 

- birds in the trees chirping at sunrise and at sundown; 

- the carabao being led from the pasture to its shed;

- haystacks growing at harvest like giant mushrooms;

- duhat time and the trees bearing children in their branches; 

- trees whispering in the breeze and cools its shade;

- old trees regarded sacred, home of the unseen spirits;

- mushrooms growing on punso guarded by dwendes;  

- a full moon and one swears he saw a kapre up in a tree;  

- frogs croaking for rain; soon the ponds and rivers are full;   

- the waterhole shrinking, and its fish being caught for viand;  

- herons flying and alighting among the carabao herd; 

- the kingfisher singing in sonorous and unwelcome tune;
- rain coming in downpour, the wind blowing - then calm;
- little helping hands make farm and household work light; 
- work and play on the farm are the same - they are all game;  
- the family gathers for the Angelus and at supper time. ~