Firewood and Charcoal - World's most popular fuels

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog 

Firewood and charcoal are still the most popular fuels for cooking in the world. In fact they constitute at least 80 percent of rural households, and even in urban centers, they are preferred for specific uses such as pugon in making pandesal, and barbecue and broiling and roasting. Alternative sources of fuel have lately gained attention in the light of dwindling supply of fossil fuel and increasing cost of electricity, among them is charcoal.

For my students in Earth Science with Ecology: This is your assignment. I also invite followers and viewers of this blog. Write down the advantages of using charcoal. On the opposite side of your paper, write down its disadvantages. Which one weighs more? Write an essay of around 200 words, "To use or not to use charcoal, that's the question."

Truckloads of charcoal at Commonwealth Market, Manggahan QC.

Charcoal is the black residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood, sugar, bone char, or other substances in the absence of oxygen. The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous material resembles coal and is 50% to 95% carbon with the remainder consisting of volatile chemicals and ash.

Takip-kuhol (Centella asiatica) - A Panacean Home Remedy

Takip-kuhol (Centella asiatica)

 - A Panacean Home Remedy

Dr Abe V Rotor

Takip kuhol which means literally the operculum of gastropods or snails, grows wild, often as weeds in the garden and field where the soil is moderately damp.  It is easy to raise it in pots such as this sample (At home, QC)

Takip kuhol is a highly regarded plant of many uses; in fact it has a panacean reputation in folk medicine. Ask an herbolario, a bona fide housewife, or a village elderly. And they would say, "Takip kuhol lang ang kailangan diyan." (All you need is Centella asiatica, the scientific name of the plant.) 

Of course they are talking about common ailments, referring to ordinary colds, fever, flu, skin infection, sore throat, boil (pigsa), headache, constipation, blows and bruises.  The herbal may be prepared as decoction (boiled) or fresh.  It may be toasted and served as tea or infusion.*  For external use, the leaves are crushed and applied as ointment or liniment with vaseline or coconut oil. 

In a research conducted, takip-kuhol leaf extract was found to be an antibacterial agent against three common infectious bacteria, which explains the efficacy on the plant against infectious diseases which these bacteria cause.

• Escherichia coli, a type of bacteria that lives in our intestines. Most types of E. coli are harmless. However, some types can make us sick and cause diarrhea. 
• Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium  frequently found in the human respiratory tract and on the skin. 
• Salmonella enterica. Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps

Pure extract of Takip-kohol leaves is effective against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enteritidis. Boiled extract is not as effective, especially against E coli. 

Panacea is often referred to as cure-all, which is mythological, Panacea being the Greek goddess of healing. There is no single remedy for all ailments. As a caution, takip kuhol should not be used as a prescription to serious ailments and diseases, specially those that require medical attention.~ 

Botany of Takip-kuhol
Family: Apiaceae
Scientific name: Centella asiaticaa (Linn) Urb
Synonym: Hydrocotyle asiaticaa Linn
Other common names: Gotu kola, hydrocotyle, Indian pennywort

   

Illustrated life cycle of Centella asiatica;  plant in bloom (Acknowledgement: Wikipedia)

Traditional Use:  Crushed leaves are commonly consumed by Sri Lankans as salad or hot beverage.  More recently the herb acquired a considerable reputation as an aphrodisiac, a agent that stimulates sexual vitality.

Phytochemicals: ALKALOIDS, ALKALOID CHLORIDES, ASIAtICOSIDE, BRAHMINOSIDE, BRAMOSIDE, CALCIUM, DEXTROSE, Fe2O3, MADECASSOSIDE, MUCILAGE, PECTIN, P2O5, RESIN, SAPONIN, TANNIN, VELLARINE, VITAMIN B

Other properties/actions: Hypotensive, longevity promoter, sclerotic, stimulant, tonic, treatment for abscesses, dysentery, fevers, headaches, high blood pressure, jaundice, leprosy, mental troubles, nervous disorders, rheumatism, skin eruptions, ulcer.

Plant Description:  Slended, creeping plant with stems that root at nodes. Leaves are rounded to kidney- or heart-shaped at the base.  Flowers are 3 sessile.  Fruits are minute, ovoid, white or green and reticulate. 

Reference: Rotor AV, De Castro D and RM Del Rosario, 

Philippine Herbs to Increase Sexual Vitality

*Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An infusion is also the name for the resultant liquid. The process of infusion is distinct from decoction, which involves boiling the plant material, or percolation, in which the water passes through the material as in a coffeemaker. Wikipedia 

Bromeliads form a unique aerial ecosystem

Bromeliads are nature's reservoir of miniature ponds that provide abode to many organisms from insects to fish. 
Dr Abe V Rotor

Brightly colored false petals of bromeliad attract insects and other organisms to fertilize its shy, short-live flowers. The bright pseudo flowers serve as markers in the dense and vast forest high up in the trees. Here bromeliads form colonies with connecting rhizomes, and with other epiphytes - ferns, orchids and lianas - make a unique aerial ecosystem. 

Domesticated bromeliads are popular ornamental plants in gardens and around homes. One disadvantages though is that it becomes a breeding place of mosquitoes and other vermin. It is because we have detached them from their natural habitat where they are part of a complex food web. Here mosquito wrigglers are preyed upon by naiads of Odonatans (dragonflies and damselflies), while the adults are trapped in spider webs. Tree frogs have their fill of flies and other insects.  Fish live in the axil ponds and can even transfer to nearby bromeliads and even to the water below to hunt and to mate.  While reptiles occupy the top of the food pyramid, hawks and eagles come to prey on them. Like a chain, just one link broken, and the system fails. 

Bromeliads, which includes the pineapple (the only edible member in the family), are nature's reservoir of miniature ponds that provide abode to many organisms from insects to fish. The central receptacle collects water from dew and rain which spills over to the adjoining leaf axils, making a contiguous pond. The sequence, like a series of terraces, makes water collection and retention efficient, giving chance for the various resident organisms to complete - and repeat - their life cycles. And for transient organisms to have their regular visit.

In this pond system, detritus accumulates and fertilizes the bromeliad as well as other plants around and below it, including its host tree, in exchange for its foothold and other benefits. And being epiphytic and colonial in growing habit on trunks and limbs of trees, bromeliads  form a unique aerial ecosystem with other epiphytes, and the surrounding trees.~   

Family Bromeliaceae consists of monocot flowering plants of 51 genera and around 3475 known species native mainly to the tropical Americas. Only one species is edible and considered one of the most important fruits in the world – pineapple (Ananas comosus).

 Pineapple plantation in Bukidnon; 

 

Ornamental pineapple and varieties

Pineapple inflorescence, top and side view.

 

The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is Spanish moss. (Tillandsia usneoides) an epiphytic bromeliad. Acknowledgement: Internet source

Scenarios of Current Trends in Agriculture:

Scenarios of Current Trends in Agriculture

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: 

1. Stem Cell Farming (SCF), the latest.
2. Farming of GMO plants and animals 
3. Single Cell Protein (SCP) farming 
4. Hydroponics and aeroponics 
5. 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. 

 Aeroponics, farming in the city 

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 poultAry, on the other. 

cknowledgement: Internet Photos; Living with Nature AVR

Stone Bird

Stone Bird  

Dr Abe V Rotor      

Your wings that everyday flap

     are now in surrender,

And the wind that carried you up
      has left you down under.

Majestic and lovely, oh bird,
     lord of the open skies,
Across the land were once heard,
      your pleading, helpless cries.

Would a monument suffice
      to enthrone your life and deed,
Bestow a posthumous prize,
      to hide man's folly and greed?

The stone bird does not answer,
      its world too, shall soon depart,
And man takes pride in his power
      of make-believe in his art.

Philippine Eagle Monument. Marcos Highway, Agoo, La Union.

Sentry Skippers

Dr Abe V Rotor

Your dainty wings spread shining,

sowing tiny dots in waning light;

if my evening is your morning,

would you be my sentry tonight?

Ten things to see under a microscope (Basic Microscopy for Kids)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Summer Workshop for kids conducted by the author. Lagro QC 2013]

You can't see what is inside a mega mall, 

     but things for granted and so small;  

You can't see a movie or a telenobela,

     but the living world of minutiae;

You can't see Superman and Godzilla,

     but their minuscule Vorticella;

You can't see the beginning and end of time,

    but in between, a moment divine.

You can't see where all the wealth and money 

     come from, but another story.  

You can't see the winning number of a game,

     but a narrow path to fame.

You can't see the source of love and devotion,

     but the beginning of true union.

You can't see Pasteur, Koch and Fleming,

     but their little disciples striving.    

You can't see miracles and great missions,

     but their humble manifestations. 

You can't see God as you would at the Sistine,  

     but His image in every thing. ~   

Oxygen bubbles cling on filamentous green alga, by-product of photosynthesis.  Oxygen is either dissolved in water for fish, or released into the air for land animals, including man. Chlorophyll (green pigment of plants, algae and some monerans like BGA) catches the light energy of the sun, and with CO2, produces food and oxygen which are important to life.  This process is known as photosynthesis.  

    

 Yeast cells actively divide in sugar substrate in fermentation resulting in the production of ethanol or wine, and CO2 as byproduct. When used in baking, the CO2 is trapped in the dough and causes it to rise and form leavened bread. Yeast (Saccharomyces) reproduces rapidly by vegetative means - budding.  Note newly formed buds, and young buds still clinging on mother cells. 

 Protozoans are agents of decomposition, and live on organic debris.  In the process they convert it into detritus or organic matter and ultimately to its elemental composition which the next generation of plants and other life forms utilize. Protozoans or protists are one-celled organisms, having organelles which function like organs of higher animals. Protozoans live in colonies and in association with other living things as symbionts, commensals, and for the pathogenic forms, parasites.    

Oil pastel is best medium for budding artists.

            Dr  Abe V Rotor

Still Life in pastel by Anna Cristina Rotor-Sta Maria

------------------------------
Chalk is made of limestone or gypsum and compressed into powdered sticks. Soft pastels are made from pure mineral pigments. The same pigments are used in oil paint, acrylics, and water color. ... The pigment, is in effect, crystals been spread across the paper. Oil pastel (also called wax oil crayon) is a painting and drawing medium with characteristics similar to pastels and wax crayons. Unlike "soft" or "Japanese" pastelsticks, which are made with a gum or methyl cellulose binder, oil pastels consist of pigment mixed with a non-drying oil and wax binder. Wikipedia

------------------------------

I watched my daughter Anna draw with oil pastel.  She seemed to be playing with colors leisurely, while I, using oil or acrylic on canvas, would labor at my medium for hours. She did this drawing (above) in three or so sittings.  In between she had time to practice her piano lessons, play games, and attend to her pet rabbit. 

What really make things easy for one and difficult for another, even on the same subject?  In this particular case, the art of drawing and painting, an expression of creativity?

Art to the young is pure and simple, to us grownups, it is complex, and oftentimes we have to knock down a wall before we could create our own world. Anna as a budding artist, and I her tutor, found ourselves at a crossroad, before us is an endless horizon where one could find full expression of creativity.

I was more interested in the process she used oil pastels. It is in the combination of colors, not only by choice but blending. She took freedom to experiment with the medium. Here are some techniques she used. 

• Pre-blending on palette by cutting or scraping pieces of oil pastel she wished to blend. With palette knife and fingers the mixture was mixed and applied on the drawing board or canvas. Bright colors are preserved and enhanced this way, such as the oranges in this specimen work.   
• She would directly apply the color of her choice on the board and apply a second color of oil pastel adjacent  the first color, and rub the adjoining edges until the two edges appear smooth. This forms a gradient of colors desired.  This is effective in drawing folds of curtain and cloth, and in drawing a bunch of fruits like bananas as shown in the drawing. 
• She would mix or overlay the color pastels directly on the board, first by generously making a layer  followed by a second layer of a different color. There are instances she would make additional layers to achieve the desired hue, as in the apples and grapes.
• Scrumbling is a method to develop texture and value, done by selecting two or more colors, with one color first applied by scribbling across the board, followed by the other colors in random and overlapping strokes.  This technique was applied on the papaya and curtain.  Modification by cross-hatch to enhance light and shadow can be appreciated in the pineapple and floral drawings. 
• Blending with fingers is often used with oil pastel but extreme care is necessary to prevent smudging.  Fingers must be kept clean before moving to the next part of the drawing.  Avoid finger clots which may have made the watermelon to appear over ripe.   
• One tool Anna used is a pastel shaper, the palette knife being the most popular. I used boy scout knife for ease and emphasis of light and shadow. Observe caution so as not to leave cuts and over-scraped parts. Scrapers include paint brushes, wood, Q-tips, and even sandpaper. Stumps (tightly wound rolls of paper shaped like pencil) are effective in creating fine details and sharp edges.  On the other hand stumps are used in creating smudged effects. 

Experimenting with pastel is joy and challenge; it leads to discovery of techniques in developing one's style, and in coping up with today's various art movements. 

Whenever I conduct drawing and painting workshops for kids I use Anna's Still Life as model. And if she is free, I would invite her to personally explain her techniques to children, who some years ago, were like her - ardent and eager to become artists. ~   

    

Course Syllabus in Photography Today

We are in Photography Revolution!
Virtually everyone all over the world has access to the technology as photographer, photo editor, publisher, producer of documentaries, and even movies. Or, simply through selfie. Although its application has vastly expanded, the objective, art and discipline of photography remain, more so with the code of ethics of journalism to which photography is a principal medium. Here is a guide in preparing a teaching outline for photography in workshops and as an three-unit subject in college.

ABERCIO V. ROTOR, Ph.D.

Professor in photojournalism 

UST Faculty of rts and Letters. and 

St Paul University QC 
Description: This course is specifically designed to meet the needs of modern communication as well as creative writing, making use of conventional and modern tools and equipment which include advanced optical and digital technologies. 
(Photo by Reuters Photographer Damir Sagolj)
The course focuses on the application of photography in the various branches and forms of media. It explores the application of photography in publicity and promotions, newspapers, magazines, and electronic publications, education, photographic arts and other fields, with emphasis on Philippine situation.

Objectives: 

A. General Objective: To develop basic skill in the use of the camera – conventional and digital – combined with the development of journalism skills, as tools for effective communication in print, broadcast and the Internet.

B. Specific Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the student is expected to be able to

1. appreciate and identify the role and application of photography in the various fields of communication;

2. use the camera, principally digital, effectively and accurately;

3. use photography in creative composition, and other artistic expressions;

4. acquire the facility of choosing the right tools and equipment in photography, including those for editing, processing, organization & presentation;

5. prepare photo releases acceptable principally in Philippine newspapers and magazines;

6. develop discipline and cooperation through group work, adherence to the ethic of journalism; and

7. develop a healthy attitude of learning from experts the advances and movements of photography and journalism

8. keep abreast with the development of photography, and its current applications in print and digital media, particularly the Internet. 
 Photojournalist's full gear 

References: 

1. Photo-Journalism Stylebook (1991) - The Associated Press
2. Creative Photography (1991) – Michael Langford. The Reader’s Digest
3. More Joy of Photography (1988) - The Editors of Eastman Kodak Company
4. Digital Portrait Photography (new) – D. Evans
5. Digital Photography (new), Tom Ang and Michael Beazley
6. The Everything Photography Book (2000), Elliot Khuner and Sonie Weiss
7. Digital Camera 3rd edition, 2003, Dave Johnson
8. Black and White Photography (1988) 3rd edition, Henry Horenstein
9. An Illustrated A to Z Digital Photography (2000), Nigel Atherton and Steve Crabb
10. 100 Ways to Take Better Photographs (1998), Michael Busselle
11. Photographing Your Children (new), John Hedgecoe
12. Underwater Photography (new), Annemarie Danja Kohler
13. Secrets to Great Photographs, Zim Zucherman
14. Nature Photography, Learning from an Expert, Gilles Martin and D Boyard
15. People Shots That Sell, Tracy Tannenbaum and Kate Stevens
16. Beginners Guide to Digital Photography, (new) PC World
17. Close-up Photography, Michael Freeman
18. The Photo Book (1996), Phaidon
19. Complete Idiot’s Guide to Photography like a Pro (1997)
20. Through the Lens, National100 Photographs That Changed the World, Life, 2004
21. The World’s Top Photographers in Landscape (new), Terry Hope
22. Geographic Greatest Photographs, 2004
23. The Essentials of Underwater Photography Manual, Denise Nielsen Tachett and Larry Tachett
24. Portrait Photography, David Wilson
25. Philippine Journalism Handbook (1989), 3rd edition – Jaime Ramirez
26. Journalism for Filipinos (2003) - 3rd Edition, Alito Malinao
27. Handbook of Journalism (1994) Victoria Villanueva Sebastian
28. Light in the Woods, Photographs and Poems (1995), Abercio V. Rotor
29. Sunshine on Raindrops (1996), Abercio V. Rotor
30. Light of Dawn (1998), and Genevieve Andrada and Abercio V. Rotor
31. In His Presence, Praises (2003), Belen Tangco and Abercio V. Rotor
37. Rotor AV (2003) Living with Nature Handbook (2 volumes), UST Publishing House
38. Living with Nature Website avrotor.blogspot.com
39. Naturalism – the Eighth Sense - AV Rotor
40. Magnificent Nature - AVRotor (Series) avrotor-blogspot.com
Navy corpsman cradles an Iraqi child 
www.photojournalism.org
www.poynter.org/subject.asp?
www.fotophile.com/links/photojournalism.htm
www.blackstar.com/editorial
markhancock.blogspot.com/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photography
www.photography.com/
www.pinoyphotography.org/
photography.nationalgeographic.com
www.photographytips.com/ photo.net/
www.masters-of-photography.com/ 
Viewings
Dying for the Story,
Shattered Glass,
Features in Photography
Reporters in War
Nature Photography (National Geographic)

Other references can be sourced from libraries,  International Newsmagazines (e.g. Time, Photography), newspapers, Internet and TV programs National Geographic and Discovery Channels, others.

Drip, drip, drip

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog

Lesson: Dirge, music for the dying and the dead. Can you make this poem the lyrics for your composition? Please try it . Refer to some requiem compositions by Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelssohn, our own Santiago, and other composers.


Drip, drip, drip, like tears,
too far out to meet the sea,
in dirge of a dying waterfall
once proud and full and free.

Drip, drip, drip, like rain,
too little to quench the land,
to make the fields green and alive,
and dewdrops to greet the sun.

Drip, drip, drip, the pipes run dry,
no longer music in the park;
behind white walls and rooftops,
and some forgotten arch. ~

Old Waterfall, in acrylic by AVRotor (c.1986)

Painying: Art of the Caterpillar

ART OF THE CATERPILLAR

Dr Abe V Rotor

                               Painting in acrylic (11” x 14”)

Caterpillar, when you are gone

two things come to mind:

the butterfly you have become,

and the damage you have done

and left behind.

Art, art, whatever way defined,

the subject on the wall,

or dripping on the floor,

art, art you aren't hard to find

after all. ~