Friday, June 29, 2018

Petrified Wood

Petrified Wood
Dr Abe V Rotor

Petrified wood (Pietro, rock) is a fossil formed by the infiltration of minerals into cavities between and within cells of natural wood, usually by silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) or calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3). Petrification is a very slow anaerobic process.

The replacement of organic tissue by mineral deposits is so precise that the internal structure as well as the external shape is faithfully represented; sometimes even the cell structure may be determined.

Petrified rocks are cut and polished into many items of commerce and art such as furniture, adornments, and decors.~

Ode to the Lowly Creatures

Dr Abe V Rotor

Haring gagamba (king spider), Amadeo, Cavite

Spider

Your home is the space
where your embroidery sways
and glitters with the rainbow
giving life to shadow.

Redeem your mother Arachne
vanished for her art by Athene;
put the morning star to rest,
and the sun to its crest.

Diatoms

Fortune on the De Beers' wasteland -
diamonds embedded in the rocks,
the greatest wealth of any man,
vast and immeasurable in bucks.

To anyone of us a fortune awaits,
whose skill can too, blaze a trail
on land and sea where man satiates
his craving for the holy grail.

Here's wealth to the researcher;
in Sesame's magic the lens opens
to a world of diatoms everywhere,
a greater wealth that never ends.

Hermit Crab
A rare pet you are -
you never had a home,
now you have two:
you borrowed the one
on your back; the other,
above your head -
that you earned it from
the humility of a pet.
       Hermit crab (Pagarus sp)

Red Algae

You are mistaken
to be aloof and mean;
of all seaweeds
you are the least seen,
for you live in the depth,
in the dimmed coral reef,
clothed in violet or red
which is your greatest gift
to catch the fading light,
to escape the grazers
and to be out of sight.


 Actinotrichia fragilis, red Marine alga


Sargassum
You make a forest on the sea floor
where the fish hide from the storm;
what puzzles those who explore
is your massive yet simple form.

Above: Sargassum; snorkeling on coral reef, Bacnotan, La Union

Tussock Caterpillar

You are Medusa in the garden,
a serpent in garb all golden,
sowing destruction on your way
until Perseus put you awa
y.


Hairy caterpillar (higad)

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Bouquet – Story of Life

"Fresh and lovely, humble at noon,
gleaming still in the setting sun, 

bouquet to wreath is a story -
the beautiful life of man." avr


Abe V. Rotor, Ph.D.
LIVING with NATURE CENTER 
San Vicente, Ilocos Sur 
Bouquet – Living Calendar in acrylic by Dr AV Rotor (21”x32”) June 26, 2018
Courtesy of Mr and Mrs Mario Allan and Monalisa Rigucera.  

Flowers bloom best in spring,
     grains in summer, leaves in fall,
and in the wintry sunset of life,
     violets and roses crowd the pall. 

Flowers offered at the holy altar,
    confetti strewn on the pathway,
roses all lovers pledge their vow,   
   fresh bouquet on wedding day.

Monet’s water lilies at twilight,
      and Van Gogh's sunflower,
speak of the golden years of life,
     faithful to the final hour.     

Fresh and lovely, humble at noon,
     gleaming still in the setting sun,  
bouquet to wreath is a story -
     the beautiful life of man. ~


Sunset across Banaoang Pass

Dr Abe V Rotor
Sunset across Banaoang Pass, Santa Ilocos Sur

How can I pass across without stopping
       to see the sun glow its last ray?
How can I find rest under the reddening
       sky and pause a moment to pray?

Friday, June 22, 2018

Kids' World of Nature

 Kids' World of Nature 
"Where childhood is forever and never dies."
Dr Abe V Rotor 
 Catching land crabs with a bamboo trap. Palauig, Zambales 

How I love to catch gammarong (Ilk) crab 
when I was like my son Leo Carlo;
he learned the skill early from me, passed on
by old folks by the sea; Leo in turn 
shall teach others before the art is lost,
as  treasured trade and  tradition.  
   
 Building sandcastles.  Morong, Rizal 

Building sandcastles, building dreams,
on waking up are gone, but they return  
as. sandcastles and dreams again 
throughout  youth, higher and bigger,
 crumbling leaving ruins of memories, 
ruins where castles once stood proud,
uniting reality and fantasy into a happy,
wonderful and fulfilled life.    

Summer fun on the beach.  San Juan, Ilocos Sur

Frolic in company with the waves and tides, 
when the sea is as blue as the sky, and wish
boyhood is forever and never dies;
or you'll always tarry in later years  if you don't;
for fleeting moments are most precious,
ephemeral yet eternal in that child in you 
who lives into the golden years of life.  
    
 Christmas for under-the-bridge children.  Pasay MM

The bells of Christmas sound louder among the poor;
the Bethlehem star shines brighter, too.  
The angels come earlier in their homes without door.
 in exchange of a simple lantern or two.  

 Instant swimming pool from busted pipe.  Sta. Mesa, MM

A swimming pool in the middle of a street,
a busted pipe blessing to a dozen kids 
in the neighborhood in frolic and laughter;
like a Riviera or Thoreau's Walden;    
it's a children's world, a corner of Eden. 


   
Mushrooms growing on a tree stump.  UP Diliman QC 

Mushrooms on a stump, home of the dwarfs:
 red, yellow, white, or in disguise,
each color a character, a foe or a friend,
to find where the pot of gold lies. 
Nipa Hut by the river, Tagbilaran, Bohol

Frolicking - game of the vibrant and the young,
recreating a primitive social bond;
where innocence meant freedom and bravery, 
In sweet abandon, here and beyond. ~


Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Be vigilant! Don't be a victim of unscrupulous trade practices.

In our age of consumerism, unscrupulous trade practices are getting rampant. Protect yourself and your family.

Don't fall into the tender trap of consumerism. Impulse buying, psychological appetite. Restraint, restraint.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Wa-is, coming from the word wise, is the local parlance to describe a person who puts one over his fellowmen. It is taking advantage of others of their situation, ignorance or weaknesses (lamangan). Here are common cases.



Be sure you know what goes into your coffee. It may be adulterated with ipil-ipil seeds. Likewise, chocolate may contain road dust as filler. Papaya seeds mixed with black pepper is not uncommon. Peanut butter comes from broken and immature seeds; bagoong and patis from unsold fish at the end of the day.

1. Coffee is adulterated with ipil-ipil (Leucaena glauca) seeds. The seeds contain mimosin that retards growth and causes baldness.

2. Broken and inferior peanut is ground into peanut butter. It is high in aflatoxin which causes cirrhosis and cancer. Healthy nuts are sold whole peanut.

3. It is the culled piglets (bansot) that are made into lechon. The robust ones are grown for meat.

4. Papaya seeds are mixed with black pepper. They look similar.

5. Inferior quality fruits such as strawberry, orange and mango are made into jam and puree.

6. Ordinary milkfish (bangos) is passed on as prized Bonoan bangus from Dagupan. The lower tail of Bonoan bangos is shorter than the other tail.

7. Unscrupulous traders add water and salt to bagoong and patis to increase their volume.

8. Premium grade fruits are arranged on top of kaing (basket); inside are of inferior grade.

9. Ordinary rice is mixed with premium rice, and passed on as premium grade.

10. Cabbage grown on the lowlands of Ilocos is brought up to Baguio and passed on as Baguio cabbage which commands a higher price.

11. Before a large animal like cow is sold to the auction market it is first bathed with patis to make its body to swell and appear fat. This is a malpractice observed in Padre Garcia, Batangas, the biggest animal auction market in the Philippines.

12. Tomatoes are forced to ripe when price is high, This is done by uprooting the whole plant laden with fruits and hang it upside down until all the fruits, including the immature ones, are "ripe."

13. Immediately after the Chernobyl nuclear accident fallout-tainted milk found its way to the Philippines. The huge shipment was impounded pending investigation. When the investigation was over, to the surprise of not everyone, milk was gone. To the amazement of housewives - powdered milk and polvoron became so suddenly cheap!

14. Double dead is not a new term. This is meat from already dead animals - poultry and livestock sold clandestinely. It is prevalent during foot-and-mouth epidemic for livestock, and corriza for poultry, usually in the summer months.

15. Check expiration date, also date of manufacture. If there is none - erased or altered - don't buy the commodity. This is specially true with canned goods, bakery products, and other perishable products. Check date of harvesting or slaughter for fresh items. There may be frozen food long overdue for disposal.

16. The most rampant trade malpractice is short selling. Watch out those weighing scales on the sidewalk. You pay for three kilos lanzones when the actual weight is only two. Translate this to bigger volumes.

17. Frozen dressed chicken? After thawing, it shrank by a quarter. So with fish. Sometimes water is injected before freezing.

18. Formalin is added to ice water to preserve fish. Any trace of formalin is enough warning. But not so many people can detect it.

19. Kalamay sa ba-o. How do we know if it's really filled? This is where trust of a suki comes in.

                            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. 

20. Food coloring makes food and drink attractive and inviting. Many food dyes are carcinogenic.

21. Over packaging (e.g. tupig is over wrapped with excessive banana leaves, so with carabao cheese, puto and the like. Too much and elaborate packaging is part of selling strategy. It is a tool of manufacturers of many products from toothpaste to underwear.

22. Davao pomelo, Zambales mango, Laguna lanzones,

23. Nakatikim ka na ba ng kinse años? (Referring to a 15-year old wine). It's a lie; a viable business can't let money sleep that long. And how about the hidden indecency of the message? Would you patronize the product?

24. Made in USA, Made in Japan, But the components of the appliance are made in China. German Design, but locally made. "USA" Translation: Deer

25. Dilution = More Profit, in shampoo, washing detergents, softdrink, fruit juice, whiskey, brandy, rubbing alcohol, perfume, gurgle. We may be buying "water" and least of the product.

26. Fillers in toothpaste, detergents, cosmetics, etc. Breaded fried chicken, fish to make them look bigger - and cheaper.

27. Sale! Sale! Be aware of the original price, and find out if it's really sale.

28. Advance payments. Payment-in-kind. Wholesale price, factory price (really?),

No exchange no return. The customer is always right. I mean, the right of the customer.

29. Smuggled? contraband (guns)? Stolen? Regulated (drugs)? Fenced? The customer must know the law. Ignorance is no excuse. Don't fall victim of illegal activities.

30. Book Cover Syndrome. We are in an age of aesthetic design. Of beautiful facade. Of first impression. Of idol endorsers, of the "in" thing. "Contemporary" means now; tradition is passe. Futurism (Lady Gaga), gender insensitive (Charice).

Don't fall into the tender trap of consumerism. Impulse buying, psychological appetite. Restraint, restraint.

These and many more practices attest to the negative traits of some Filipinos - and other nationalities as well. It is by knowing these unscrupulous trade practices that we are forewarned. "To be forewarned is to be forearmed."

Continue this list and share with others. ~

Respite from a long walk. Take a break. Won't you drop by and say, Hello, to Nature?

"Be a part of the scene for a while and just let time pass you by." avr
        
 
Dr Abe V Rotor
Wall Mural by the author in his residence in QC.
Beat summer heat on the campain trail;
take a break by a living wall:
sailboats riding on the sea breeze, 
dolphins in playful race,
the sea beneath is full of life  -
why all the haste and strife? 

 
  Make believe water flowing to wash your hands
stream running down under your feet;
soothing is the ambiance of nature on a wall . 
having walked long an a busy street

 
Yours is the world of Nature even only for a while;
it invigorates, it recharges, it elevates
the sagging spirit, tired nerves, frayed muscles; 
find rest in the realm the mind creates.
Some food and water to the needy, 
make a oasis in a desolate city;
moreso a helping hand and company
bouy the spirit above pity. 

Refresh by a cold mountain stream
running down the grass;
be a part of the scene for a while 
          and just let time pass.~             
    

Monday, June 18, 2018

What's eating you? Rather, what are you eating?

Dr Abe V Rotor
.
Eating with gusto (Vigan empanada)
In either case, you have a problem. A problem that's bothering you for sometime now. You may have adjusted to it somehow, but you still find difficulty counting sheep to get some sleep, or waking up without the Monday Blues. Time passes slowly in wasted hours and gloom. Even so you think the best healer is time and silence - which indeed may ease, but not erase, your pain and suffering. And prevent you from slipping into untoward consequences.

You lose weight, your eyes are sunken, and happy moods are getting few. You decline invitations, keep distance even from friends.

You lose appetite. Recipes you liked before are no longer appealing. You eat light and miss meals specially after taking a can or two of beer. And don't take one shot too many of that liquor. And stop smoking. You are anemic and suffer from ulcer symptoms. Don't let things get worse while early.

Take a break, a vacation if possible. Go back to your hobbies, your "favorite things." Evaluate your plans and priorities in life. Open up to your family and friends, go to your family doctor and get professional advice. Remember you are not alone with your case. There are millions like you - many even worse - all over the world. Learn from those who found their way out successfully.

Have you read "Hope for the flowers," by Paulas, "A Search for Meaning," by Victor Frankl? Or some classics like "Les Miserables," by Victor Hugo? Go watch good movies and TV programs. Turn on you favorite music. Why don't you write your thoughts and ideas?

Sooner ot later you will get away from what is eating you up.

There are people of your condition who take the other road. They indulge in food to the point that they become food addicts. They gain weight tremendously, many end up obese.

Analogous to the popular adage of knowing who you are by your friends, what you eat, and reveal what you feel at the moment.

For example, when you are angry you crave for meat, hard and crunchy foods. It's like releasing your anger with your teeth. Grrr.. Depression follows and you have sweet tooth. Just anything sweet. Truly, you need calories to perk your mood, and sugar readily goes into your bloodstream.

But in times of loneliness, which may include frustration in love life, you crave for anything that is filling like pasta and pansit. Bottomless iced tea, rice unlimited, anyone?

Your mood sways, this time you are stressed and you reach for anything salty. You can't eat without toyo, patis and a lot spices. Hot chili, please! Ah, tuyo and suka, for breakfast. Dinuguan for dinner. Green mango and bagoong alamang.

People who can't overcome their problems go for food as last resort. Or are they trapped to food addiction? Just being anxious and you look for ice cream, candies and cakes. Why? Isn't anxiety a prelude to discovery? When the brain is stimulated is there need of elevated calories supply?

Maybe, but there is no answer to the claim that a jealous person will crave for anything and everything. Food and others as well, I suppose.

What's really the problem with these two scenarios: What's eating you? and What are you eating that makes you obese? Pogo, a comic character says, "The problem is us."

The Man Who Ate Everything Ma Ceres P Doyo, (Sunday Inquirer Magazine May 29, 2011),

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Noli Me Tangere's Introduction in Rizal's Handwriting

Dedicated to Dr Jose P Rizal on his 157th birth anniversary, June 19, 2018
Researched by Dr Abe V Rotor
Translation:

"What? Does no Caesar, does no Achilles appear on your stage now,
Not an Andromache e'en, not an Orestes, my friend?"
"No! there is naught to be seen there but parsons, and syndics of commerce,
Secretaries perchance, ensigns, and majors of horse."
"But, my good friend, pray tell me, what can such people e'er meet with
That can be truly great? - what that is great can they do?"

- Friedrich Schiller, "Shakespeare's Ghost," translated by John Bowring

Translation:

TO MY COUNTRY

Recorded in the history of human suffering are cancers of such malignant character that even minor contact aggravates them, endangering overwhelming pain. How often, in the midst of modern civilizations have I wanted to bring you into the discussion, sometimes to recall these memories, sometimes to compare you to other countries, so often that your beloved image became to me like a social cancer.

Therefore, because I desire your good health, which is indeed all of ours, and because I seek better stewardship for you, I will do with you what the ancients did with their infirmed: they placed them on the steps of their temples so that each in his own way could invoke a divinity that might offer a cure.

With that in mind, I will try to reproduce your current condition faithfully, without prejudice; I will lift the veil hiding your ills, and sacrifice everything to truth, even my own pride, since, as your son, I, too, suffer your defects and shortcomings.~

Friday, June 8, 2018

Therapeutic Effect of Violin and Nature

Dr Abe V Rotor
Violin and Nature is an experimental approach to music

Therapeutic effect of music to aquarium fish and workshop participants. A trio - violin and flute accompanied by a keyboard.

Music must be elevated from the level of entertainment and expression of skills to one that brings the listener to a state of catharsis, relieving him of the stresses and tensions of daily living. Music therapy is now recognized as part of alternative medicine. There are musical compositions that bring about the so-called Mozart Effect, named after Amadeus Mozart whose compositions are acclaimed by scientists to be the most therapeutic of all musical compositions, even among his contemporaries in the classical and romantic schools.

This article is the result of a research conducted by the author with his class at the UST Graduate School as respondents to the hypothesis that the combination of Violin and Nature sounds has therapeutic effects to the listener. And if so, how? What aspects of our body physiology, mind, psyche, and spirit are affected? In what ways, and how do we measure such effects?
Cover of tape, later copied into CD. Shorter versions are available: Violin and Birds, Violin and Waves
Can auditory art be developed by converting word to music, and re-create the sound of nature to accompany it? The idea is to find a compatible blend of science - the prosaic and formal, with humanities - the entertaining, cultural, and the sounds of nature, definitely a rare   experience that takes place in the inner vision of the mind. Violin and Nature is a CD recording or 32 extemporaneous popular and semi-classical compositions played on the violin by the author with accompaniment of birds, insects, wind, waterfall and running stream.

People say, “ Relaks lang” or “just do it” as part of daily conversation. Either it is taken as advice or compliment, the message is clear: life today is growing tenser. “ Take it easy” has a reassuring note that everybody must learn to live in a stressful world.

Both the poor and rich are subject to different forms of stress, so with the city and village dweller. Ironically, stress does not spare growing affluence. In fact, it persists invariably throughout life, virtually from womb to tomb.

The idea of dealing with tension or stress is how one is able to reduce it effectively so as to enjoy life and get rid of its complications from headaches to various psychosomatic symptoms- and eventual health problems, if it is not checked on time.

One proposal is the use of therapeutic effects of music and nature, thus the rationale of this experiment that employs the combined soothing sound of the violin, and the harmony of nature.

Music is well known to reduce tension. Pipe-in music increases work efficiency in corporate offices, takes out boredom in otherwise monotonous assignments, and fosters proper attitude and disposition, when correctly applied. In fact, scientists have established the biological basis of music by being able to increase the production efficiency in poultry and livestock with the use of background music. The key is the reduction of stress in the animal. The same result has yet to be established in plants.

A stressful life builds tension in the body. Headache, wakefulness, palpitation, indigestion, trembling and many other symptoms, which wear away the life force, accompany tension. Tired nerves need rest and quiet, as nature needs time to recuperate her exhausted energies.

What is tension? It is the effort that is manifested in the shortening of muscle fibers. Physiologists compare muscle tension with “neuromuscular relaxation” to differentiate popular interpretation of relaxation as amusement, recreation, or hobbies. To be relaxed is the direct physiology opposite of being excited or disturbed.

Neurosis and psychoneurosis are at the same time physiological disturbance, for they are forms of tension disorders. Therefore, the key to treatment lies in relaxation.

Who are victims of tension? Everybody is a candidate. These are models of tensed individuals: the “burnt out” housewife, the tagasalo in the family, the gifted child, the dominant lola, the authoritative patriarch. These persons themselves are not only victims of tension; they spread tension among people around them.

Multitudes long for a better life, but they lack courage and resolution to break away from the power of habit. On the other hand, many escape from the harsh realities of life by taking alcohol and drugs.

Hypothesis
The whole idea of relaxation is in disciplining the body to budget life’s energies, and to immerse oneself to relaxing moods. Music and nature are a great inexhaustible source. Plato and Confucius looked at music as a department of ethics. They saw the correspondence between character of man and music. Great music, they believed, is in harmony with the universe, restoring order to the physical world. Aristotle on the other hand, the greatest naturalist of the ancient world supported the platonic view, which through the Renaissance to the present dominate the concept of great composition. Great music has always been associated with God’s creation.

Nature on the other hand, produces calming effects to the nerve. Sightseeing, picnic and camping are a good break to prosaic city life. Different from ordinary amusements in the park or theater, the countryside is one arena of peace and quiet. Features on TV and print media provide but an alternative scenario. Today “canned” Nature is being introduced in many forms such as traveling planetarium, CD-ROM Nature Series, Ecology Village, and the like, to illustrate the growing concern of people to experience the positive effects of Nature in an urban setting characterized by a stressful modern life.

This experiment is based on the premise that the combined effects of music and Nature help reduce tension in daily living, particularly among working students in the city.

Conceptual Framework
A- Tension tends to dominate the body to relax, resulting in tension build-up in the muscles;
B- Music (violin solos) and Nature’s sounds( birds, running stream etc.) make a composition which provides a rare listening experience in varying intensity; and
C- The experience enhances relaxation, reduces tension and its physiologic effects in the individual.


Methodology
The Violin and Nature recorded in compact disc (CD) was then presented for evaluation to students in Research Methodology at the UST Graduate School on two aspects, namely, the content of the tape and the perception of the respondents. Physiologic response was determined by measuring the pulse rate before and after listening to eight sample compositions from the tape for thirty minutes.

These are as follows:

1. Serenade by Toselli (semi- classical)
2. Meditation, from the Thais by Massenet (classical)
3. Lara’s Theme (sound track of the movie, Dr. Zhivago)
4. Beyond the Sunset (ballad)
5. Paper Roses (popular)
6. A Certain Smile (popular)
7. Fascination (popular dance music)
8. Home on the Range (country song)

Respondents Profile

This is the profile of the 42 respondents, which made up one class in research methodology. They are predominantly female students (81%), employed (86%), with ages from 21 to 29 years old (76%).

Content Analysis
The respondents counted eight tunes or pieces, of which 5 are familiar to them. They identified three non-living sounds (running stream, wind, and waterfall, aside from the violin), and two living sounds (mainly birds).

Physiologic Response
The average pulse rates before and after listening to the tape are 79.47 and 73.29 per minute, respectively, or a difference of 6.18. Statistically, the difference is significant, thus confirming the relaxing effects to the respondents after listening to the CD.

Perception
The ten criteria used in rating the perception of the respondents are ranked as follows, adopting the Likert Scale. Note: A scale of 1 to 5 was used, where 1 is very poor, 2 poor, 3 fair, 4 good, and 5 very good.

Criteria Rating Rank
1. One has the feeling of being
transported to a Nature/Wildlife scene. 4.48 1

2. Listening to the tape creates an aura
of peace and serenity. 4.39 2

3. The composition is soothing to hear,
Has calming effect on the nerves. 4.24 3

4. The composition creates a meditative
mood. 3.95 4

5. It brings reminiscence to the
listener of a past experience. 3.64 5

6. It helps one in trying to
forget his problems. 3.59 6

7. One has the felling of being
transported heavenward, to Cloud 9. 3.55 7

8. There is tendency to sleep while
listening to the composition. 3.52 8

9. It brings about a nostalgic feeling. 3.19 9

10. The composition makes one
sad and melancholic. 2.55 10


Analysis and Interpretation
The means the first three criteria fall between good and very good, while the others, except the 10th, are between fair and good. This finding supports the positive relaxing effects of Violin and Nature.

Conclusion and Recommendation
Listening to Violin and Nature slows down pulse rate significantly, thus reducing tension, and brings the listener closer to a state of relaxation. The effects are measured as based on ten criteria. Topping the scores which are classified Very Good are:

1. One has the feeling of being transported to a Nature /Wildlife Scene;
2. Listening to the tape creates an aura of peace and serenity; and
3. The composition is soothing to hear, and has calming effect on the nerves.

There are six other parameters that support the hypothesis that the CD is relaxing. This is different from its effect of bringing nostalgia, sadness and melancholy that received the lowest scores and rankings.

However, there is need to improve the quality of the compositions, and their recording. It is also recommended that similar evaluation be conducted on other age groups and people of different walks of life who are similarly subject to stressful life and environment. ~