Read BANNAWAG (Light of Dawn) the Flagship of Ilocano Language and Culture

Read BANNAWAG (Light of Dawn) 

the Flagship of Ilocano Language and Culture 

Dr Abe V Rotor

Columnist (Okeyka Apong)

Bannawag Magazine

Author (right) with Managing Editor Cles B Rambaud

Read Bannawag, it is the Ilocano magazine with the largest circulation, in the Philippines and in Ilocano communities abroad - from Hawaii, Middle East on to Europe.

Read Bannawag, and learn a language learned at birth, by affinity and association, a beautiful language - both exotic and ethnic, rich, musical, expressive, a language Ilocanos carry with pride to the corners of the earth.

Read Bannawag, it is the flagship and conservator of Ilocano culture, the GI (Genuine Ilocano) imprimatur, trademark of beautiful traits and values - the Ilocano tool of survival and dominance, at home and away from home.

Read Bannawag, it is a trail blazer of the migratory and transient characteristic of the Ilocano, of his homely nature, and his homing instinct, returning to his native region in the true sense of a balikbayan.

Read Bannawag, it has the uniqueness of the super-superlative, like beauty begetting beauty ad infinitum, so to speak. (napintas, napinpintas, kapintasan - and kapipintasan) - the last word means "most, most beautiful", a rare language phenomenon.

Read Bannawag, its tonality is akin to the natural environment - tone of tenderness or firmness, tone that pierces distance or keeps closeness sacred, echoing tone over fields and rolling hills, prayerful, romantic, dirgeful.

Read Bannawag, and learn by intonation the speaker's origin, the naturalness of his accent, clear syllabication, distinct "R" and nasal contraption (likened to German) - variations indigenous to a place or extent of influence by other languages.

Read Bannawag and enjoy the myths and legends from Lam-ang the epic hero, to Angalo the legendary giant, the biblical Lakay-lakay whirlpool, and many folk tales Ilocano counterpart of the Arabian Nights and the Grimm brothers stories.

Read Bannawag, and live in the era of the Zarzuela (homegrown drama) and Moro-moro (stage play, musical comedy of Christians fighting the Moors in medieval times) , enjoy the unique musical qualities of Bannatiran (kingfisher), O, Naranniag a Bulan (Moonlight serenade), Pamulinawen (a love song) and Ayat ti Maysa nga Ubbing (Love of a Lass and an Old Man), among many compositions, original and adapted.

Read Bannawag, in an armchair travelogue of history and arts, of scenic beauty, rich biodiversity, home of living tradition, a piece of Eden created by the edges of the Cordillera range and the South China Sea meeting on a narrow strip of land like a hollow - kuloong, from which the word Iloco is derived .

Read Bannawag, and meet the great Ilocanos who led the country to greatness from Ramon Magsaysay to Ferdinand Marcos; poetess Leona Florentino, heroes Antonio and Juan Luna, and Fr Jose Burgos whose ancestral home in Vigan is now a museum; met many other great Ilocanos, old and contemporary.

Read Bannawag, and it will take you back to the homeland of the simple sturdy and frugal, industrious and persistent, where brain and brawn are welded in a sturdy body, determined mind, and throbbing heart of joy and fulfillment. ~

Living Pendulum

                                                       Living Pendulum

Dr Abe V Rotor

This cherry dangles free like a pendulum against the sun,

clings to the vine, ripening, and soon falls to the ground;

ephemeral are beauty and freedom to its Creator bound.  ~

Painting in acrylic by the author with grandson Laurence, 7

Life is Synergy

                                              Life is Synergy

       Abe V Rotor

Jungle in acrylic AVR

Life ‘s more than the sum of its parts,

as each creature comes and departs;

synergy the key to unity,

diversity and harmony

and seat of a great mystery.

False Inflorescence

                                                  San Vicente Botanical Garden

False Inflorescence

Dr Abe V Rotor

Deceiving flowers - but for what reason?

Fancy though elegant looking; 

Nature's full of conceit, deceit, and joke

to the unwary and unbelieving.

Bougainvillea atop Norfolk Pine

Spike inflorescence over Agave

“Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues 

all the utilities of the world.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Kitchen Garden: Grow onion leek, kamote tops, garlic sprouts, talinum, alugbati

Kitchen Garden: Grow onion leek, kamote tops, garlic sprouts, talinum, alugbati

Dr Abe V Rotor

Part 1 - Onion Leek

 

Native onion grown in pot provides ready fresh onion leek for a number of recipes like fried eggs, soup, omelet, kilawin, porridge (lugaw), arroz caldo.

This is one way to encourage kids to have a daily supplement of vegetables. Vary the use of leek in their diet. Onion leek is rich in vitamin K, A, C and B6, manganese, folate, iron, fiber, magnesium, molybdenum, copper, calcium, and potassium. It also contains thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin, and antibiotic substances like Allicin and Alliin - from Allium, the genus of onion (A. cepa), garlic (A. sativum), kutchay (A tuberosum), and the original leek (A. ampeloprasum). Leeks generally have also high calorie value, and fair amounts of protein and fat. It is no wonder onion is the most important vegetable in the world.

 

Spouting bulb of shallot or bulb variety (Red Creole). Gather only what you need for the moment using scissor. Don't cut the entire stem - only mature leaves.

Grow leek where there is sufficient sunlight, preferably on an elevated place. It's easy to grow leek from shallot (Sibuyas Tagalog) and from bulb onions (Granex or Creole). Staggered planting assures continuous supply of leek for the family - and for neighbors too.

A pot of onion leek makes a unique gift to friends who love to cook, those in their senior years, and those convalescing. Don't forget to add a little ribbon and a personal message. Make this as project in school and community. ~

Part 2 - Practical Hydroponics 

Three-week old kitchen garden of sweet potato (kamote) tops

You can grow kamote or sweet potato tops* in the kitchen. It also serves as a greenery of sort on the window sill.

Fill to three-fourth a convenient glass jar with tap water. Place a healthy tuber on the mouth of the jar. To keep it steady, stick three pieces of toothpick like a tripod. Add water daily as roots develop. Be sure to replace water weekly to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the jar.

In a week's time or two you can start harvesting. At first allow the tops to extend. Just clip the leaves you need in your cooking. Rotate the position of the tuber towards the source of light, so that you will have more shoots, and greener and bigger leaves.

Now you have a dish garden for a whole month or longer. You can grow fresh onion leaves with this technique. Try it on garlic.

You see, this is simple hydroponics - soil-less gardening. It is introduction to the science of hydroponics and aeroponics. For school children, why don't you try this as your project?

Read more about hydroponics and aeroponics. Happy gardening! 

(Model: Miss Gelyn S Gabao, 19 Filipina)

Kamote (Ipomea batatas) tops contain more minerals and vitamins than any other vegetables, or its equivalent weight in meat and poultry. It is a glow food that enhances natural beauty and health, and gives that gait, poise and stride that many beauties display. It is the secret to acquiring and maintaining natural immunity and high resistance against diseases and other ailments. It contains substances that sharpen the brain and quicken responses to situations and the environment. 

It is a vegetable all year round. In summer kamote is grown in the fields and gardens for its enlarged roots or tubers which are rich in carbohydrates (go food) and rich in protein (grow food). In the habagat, it grows wild and luxuriant on hilltops, on levees and dikes, on the uplands, covering wide areas, keeping weeds down and protecting the soil from erosion. 

Kamote tops make an excellent dish with mungo and pork, bulanglang with shrimp or fish, and mushroom, or cooked in other recipes, or served as salad, blanched with red, ripe tomatoes and sliced onions, with a dash of salt, or a dip of fish sauce - bagoong or patis. Or cooked in tinola in place of pepper leaves, and green papaya. Why not blanch the tops on rice in its final stage of cooking? Add bagoong squeezed with calamansi or lemon. 

Kamote tops, maligned for being a poor man's food, rise to the apex of the food pyramid, top the list health programs, and doctors' prescription. Kamote tops occupies the rank of malunggay, alugbati, talinum, and spinach, relegating lettuce and other crucifers - cabbage and cauliflower and pechay - to the backseat.

Kamote tops are safe to health and the environment because they don't carry residues of pesticides applied on the field on many crops, and also those of toxic metals like lead, mercury and cadmium. Damaged parts are simply discarded, harvesting only the succulent and healthy leaves for further safety and better presentation.

Kamote tops come in green and purple, characteristic of the plant varieties, but in both cases, the same nutritive values are derived, with some advantage from the purple variety which contains xanthophyll in addition to chlorophyll. Both are recommended for anemic persons for their high iron content, and to those suffering from poor bone development, poor eyesight, and poor metabolism.

Kamote tops are used as planting materials, a case of cloning in the plant world, each stem becoming a new plant rejuvenated and true to type genetically - and younger than the parent source.  The new plant is capable of carrying all processes that constitute the plant's cycle.  It is a phenomenon known in variable observations in the living world, which heretofore remains unsolved by science.

Beauties come naturally with good food, simple and active lifestyle, in the rural areas where sunshine, clean air and surrounding, make a perfect combination from which spring the true beauty of man and woman, as compared to the makeup beauty from cosmetics, expensive salons, and by the so-called wonders of science and technology like liposuction and surgery. Why can't we simply eat kamote tops more often?

Part 3 - Garlic Sprouts, Anyone?

 Husked cloves of garlic sprouted in a refrigerator, 10 to 20 degrees Celsius (vegetables shelf), for a period of two weeks.  

Sprouted garlic has higher anti-oxidant properties. This process is cleaner than directly sprouting garlic exposed to sunlight.  Ref-sprouted garlic sprouts develop chlorophyll and turn green just after a few hours of indirect sunlight. Conventional garlic sprouts are green, harvested from  germinating bulbs. or bulbs raised in the garden or pots. These are popularly called garlic shoots. Ideally, their flavor is best appreciated eaten fresh.  Garlic sprouts are excellent on top of baked potatoes, green salads, vegetable salads, or stirred into egg salads, pasta salads, dips, and garnish. (Photos taken from actual result of home experiment in the author's residence. Model is Miss Resabel "Isang" Dimalanta, 18.) 

Part 4 - Talinum in Pots

(Talinum fruticosum = T. tiangulare). 

Other names: Ceylon spinach, Fame flower, Surinam Purslane.  While it is cultivated as a leafy vegetable in Africa and South and Southeast Asia, it generally grows as an annual weed in fields and gardens during the monsoon season.  .   

Potted talinum at home 

Talinum is propagated by cutting. Plant in pots if you have no space in the garden. Use the lower half of one-gallon PET bottles. (Or any convenient improvised pot.)  Punch 3 or 4 holes on the side, an inch above the bottom to drain excess water, but to store water as well. 

You may buy ready made garden pots (photos). Be sure they fit into the place like window sill, fence, patio, and other locations where the plant receives adequate sunlight, and is safe from animals, sudden changes of weather, and pollution. 

On reaching 4 to 6 inches, harvest the succulent shoots, wait for new shoots to develop for the next harvest, at two weeks interval.  Replace spent soil with new garden soil, preferably with compost, after 4 or 5 harvests. Staggered planting schedule in different pots will assure a continuous supply of fresh talinum year round.  

Author with talinum harvest. Pick only the leaves and let the shoots to grow new leaves. If you wish to have more shoots, harvest the succulent tops, like kamote tops.

 ~

Part 5 - Alugbati - Versatile Leafy Vegetable 

There are three common types of alugbati: Basella alba with green stem and oval to almost round leaves; Basella rubra with red stems and green, oval to round leaves; and a third type, which is a hybrid of the two.

Angie Tobias, author's niece, gathers alubati tops 

 from climbing vine.  

 

 

Ginisang alugbati with pork is a popular dish among Filipinos. The easiest preparation is steamed salad with tomato, onions and a dash of salt.

At home, we cook alugbati with ground mungo, with pork or fish (roasted tilapia or hito).  "Ulam na, sabaw pa."  When conditions are pressing, ginisang alugbati with sardinas is a good alternative. There are other culinary preparations found in the cookbook, local and foreign. 

Alugbati (Basella rubra), is rich in Calories 19, Carbohydrate 3.4 gr, Fat 0.3 gr, Protein 1.8 gr, Vitamin A 160%, Magnesium 16%, Vitamin C 170%, Iron 6%, Vitamin B6 10%, Sodium 24 mg, Potassium 510 mg, and Calcium 10%. ~

Tamales - steamed fish in banana wrapper

         Tamales - steamed fish in banana wrapper 

All over the world the trend of cooking is to go back to simple, 

natural and inexpensive way. 

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Home recipe tamales. The rule is to cook naturally. Wash fresh fish, liberally add sliced ginger, onion (shallot of sibuyas Tagalog), a dash of salt. Wrap with wilted banana leaves, each equivalent to one serving.   

Fish with ingredients before wrapping.  To prevent crust, place banana leaf stalks at the bottom of the pan as shown here.   

 

Fresh dilis cooked in tamales, a simplified recipe from the original Mesoamerican tamale made of meat, corn starch and other ingredients. Other fish like tamban, anchovies, ipon, are also cooked this way. 

 Another fish, Ayungin, is also steamed but without banana wrapper.  ~

Take Heed - A Storm is Coming

                      Take Heed - A Storm  is Coming

Dr Abe V Rotor

 Coming Storm in acrylic by AV Rotor, 

Brisbane, Australia August 5 2023

 

Old folks warn of a coming storm:

     one side is quiet and placid, 

the other disturbing and eerily calm;

     there's but little time to bid.  

Soon the sky closes into darkness,

     the valley a roaring river;

 fowls to their coops take shelter,

     hurry up the children for cover.

Before the forecast flashes on screen,

     parents on top of their voice,

urge the boys to immediately get home;

     but boys are always boys.

Braving the wind, singing in the rain,

     in the flood wading, giggling;

wait until they too, grow up like us,

     guided by our warning.  ~

Environment and Art: A Lesson on Ecology Through Art: Make This Tree Live Again

                  Environment and Art: A Lesson on Ecology Through Art

Make This Tree Live Again

Dr. Abe V. Rotor

Allow me to start with a simple drawing exercise. The exercise is about a dying tree. I invite everyone to complete the scenario, using the attached outline of a tree skeleton. The idea is to bring back the life of the tree. Hence, the little of this exercise is “ Make This Tree Live Again.” This exercise introduces us to understand the basic nature of living things, and the essence of ecology as a subject.

As a guide let us imagine that solar energy is transformed by plants into chemical energy which is then shared by different organisms. organisms interact with each other, and with their environment, and that man plays a very important role in keeping his environment in a dynamic balance.

How much are we aware of this knowledge? We will know by evaluating the drawing once it is finished using ten (10) criteria scored on the Likert scale (5 is very good, 4 good, 3 fair, 2 poor and 1 very poor).

But I suggest that the following criteria should be consulted only after you have finished with your drawing to evaluate and give it a score and rating. So, stop reading right now and work on your drawing.

x x x x x x

1. There is the sun in the drawing. The sun is the source of life, the source of energy- solar energy- where is then transformed into chemical energy.

2. Presence of water. Water is manifested in the drawing as cloud, rain, river, and pond. Water is the second most important element of life, after the sun.

3. The tree is has leaves, branches, flowers and fruits. The tree is not only a living thing, it is a tree of life, the source of food and oxygen, and other things, aesthetic beauty, notwithstanding.

4. There are other trees of its kind. There are other trees and plants as well. They form a natural community.

5. There are animals and other living creatures. This shows relationships such as mutualism or symbiosis, commensalism (e.g. a bird’s nest, ferns and orchids on the tree), and competition (e.g. insects feeding). Certain relationships may be interpreted on a philosophical level such as benevolence, unity, cooperation and altruism.

6. The tree is part of the landscape. The drawing has a perspective of a larger whole, it is an integral part of Nature represented by mountains, rivers, fields, etc.

7. Man’s presence is important. The drawing may show a happy family, children playing, man taking care of the tree, or his presence manifested by a drawing of a house or community.

8. There is life in the drawing. The drawing is natural. The imagery it creates is real - not cartoon, so with the subject. I call this aspect naturalism.

9. Artistic quality. Is the drawing appealing? Does it conform with a good sense of balance, harmony, contrast, and perspective?

10. Maximum use of space. The whole world of the tree. It is the total “ view from the window”, the vantage point the participant views his subject and the world. Did the participant use the space wisely?

The scores of the ten criteria are added. To get the average divide the total with 10. A score of, say 3.6 to 4.4 is Good, while 2.5 to 3.4 is fair.

This exercise requires exposure to nature and imagination as well, other than logical thinking, especially for a serious theme such as this. In a number of cases the drawing shows the influence of cartoon and advertisements. This exercise follows a deductive- retrospective approach, which fits well with the use of art medium. During the 10-minute exercise I suggest that a background music be played from pre-recorded Nature sounds (e.g. birds singing and running stream). These compositions are also recommended as musical background.

A. Hating Gabi by Antonio Molina

B. Maalaala Mo Kaya by Mike Velarde

C. Meditation from the Thais by Massenet

D. Serenade by Tosselli

E. On Wing of Song by Felix Mendelssohn

What contributions have the arts to effective teaching of science? I consider the following premises important.

1. Fuller use of the senses. Art provides other than visual and auditory, an opportunity to use touch and smell, say on the specimens during hands-on and field observation.

2. Amalgamation of knowledge and imagination, a concept of learning where facts and experiences rise to a level of thought or theory level, yet sets the boundaries of fantasy. Art provides a better means of expression of the imagination.

3. Search for Formula-Value relationship. I call this concept valuing, that is, answering the question, “For what purpose?” on a higher plane over material or physical. Art discusses Renaissance, the revival of culture and values. Art talks of harmony and unity. Can science adopt art in creating subject appeal?

4. Left brain- right brain tandem. Logical and creative integration is important, the left brains thinks and reasons, while the right brain images, creates.

5. Mind- Feeling Duo (Head-Heart). “Science is reason, art is emotion.” It is true. Art appeals to the emotion. One must “feel” a work of art such as the climax of a story, the color of sunset, the graceful movement of a ballet dancer, or Rodin’s melting human figures symbolizing suffering.

6. Skill is applied knowledge and art is basically skill. Studying art is merely the pathway to its application. Art is an excellent medium of applied science.

After evaluating the exercise, “ Make this tree live again,” we can try similar exercises in ecology.

These were selected from a manual in three volumes which I wrote and use in conducting Art Workshops.

1. Green Valley- this shows the structure of a watershed in relation to a valley. How can one efficiently keep the valley green and productive? How good are we as managers of the environment?

2. Waterfalls- the river drops and continues down below the fall - so is life. How wide, how high, is our own waterfall? It is a good lesson in analogy and resolve- the ecology of our life.

3. Let’s build a house- but where are the neighbors? A lesson of human ecology, the concept of community.

4. Make this dog happy- this exercise a sharpens our values of kindness and concern. Ecology has a heart.

5. Road of Life- by tracing our own road of life, we know what we want in life, where we are going and how we get there. Here we plot our future. The human side of ecology is apparent in this exercise.

The criteria for scoring these exercises can be devised by the teacher or resource person, using the first exercise as a general guide. For specific purposes he can emphasize on certain aspects he deems necessary to arrive at his objectives. The idea why I am presenting these exercises, is that a teacher can prepare similar exercises whereby art can be integrated with the subject of science, and “valuing” is incorporated in the lesson.

But first, let us make the tree live again. ~

APOLINARIO MABINI DAY - July 23, 2024. .Famous People With Disabilities

 Remembering the Sublime Paralytic.

Famous People With Disabilities 

  Apolinario Mabini Day is observed on July 23 every year in the Philippines. Apolinario Mabini was a Filipino National Hero born on July 23 in the city of Tanuan, Batangas, Philippines. He is famous for being the theoretician and spokesman of the Philippine Revolution. If there was a man in the history of the Philippines, who despite his physical debility and poverty, dedicated his life to the welfare of his country and people, that man was Apolinario Mabini, the intellectual force behind the Philippine Revolution, popularly known in florid language as the “Sublime Paralytic."

Dr Abe V Rotor

A classical painting, Death of Socrates

,
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder that is characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms due to abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Epilepsy is usually controlled, but not cured, with medication, although surgery may be considered in difficult cases.

Epilepsy is usually treated with medication prescribed by a physician; primary caregivers, neurologists, and neurosurgeons all frequently care for people with epilepsy. In some cases the implantation of a stimulator of the vagus nerve, or a special diet can be helpful. Neurosurgical operations for epilepsy can be palliative, reducing the frequency or severity of seizures; or, in some patients, an operation can be curative.

There are many different epilepsy syndromes, each presenting with its own unique combination of seizure type, typical age of onset, EEG findings, treatment, and prognosis. Famous People with epilepsy include:

1. Vincent van Gogh - (1853 - 1890) Vincent Van Gogh was a passionate artist who strongly believed that all expressions should be expressed through colors. He was heard saying that all he ever wanted to do with his life was paint all that came to his mind. He also said that when he would be deceased he would look back at his life and cry for the paintings that he could have created. Being the loving and creative man that he was his epilepsy had once caused him to run after his friends with an open razor, he ended up cutting his own ear lobe off. He eventually shot himself "For the good of all" leaving behind all the colorful paintings he had made.

2. Sir Isaac Newton - (4 January 1643 - 31 March 1727) A very important scientist who is responsible for founding the three laws of motion along with studies concerning Universal Gravitation. He studied many scientific disciplines but mainly stayed inside the field of mechanics. It is said that Newton had mainly discovered gravity by examining a falling apple, that would have been one of the major reasons for him to start his researches in the subject. Was thought by many a product of psychosis but he may just have been in his right mind.

3. Napoleon Bonaparte - (15 August 1769-5 May 1821) An Italian General with many victories, also later becoming 1st consul of France. He played a great role in many wars and was a shining sword of honor for all of the French. Since his youth Napoleon had always given all his efforts to rise in military grades until he finally became emperor seated on his imperial throne. Many books today claim that Napoleon Bonaparte might have suffered from epilepsy throughout his lifetime. Although many have stood up to say that there is no valid proof and that it is but a myth.

4. Agatha Christie - Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 - 12 January 1976), commonly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. She also wrote romance novels under the name Mary Westmacott, but is best remembered for her 80 detective novels and her successful West End theatre plays. Agatha Christie is world famous for her brilliantly crafted mysteries. During the 1920s and 1930s, she created the enduring detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. The details of Christie's personal life, however, have rarely been documented.

5. Charles Dickens - Charles John Huffam Dickens, FRSA (17 February 1812 - 9 June 1870), pen-name "Boz", was the foremost English novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous social campaigner. The Victorian author of such classic books as A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist had epilepsy, as did several of the characters in his books. The medical accuracy of Dickens's descriptions of epilepsy has amazed the doctors who read him today. Through some characters in his novels, Charles Dickens recorded observations on the nature of epileptic seizures, their causes and provocation, and their consequences. Three of his main characters, Monks, Guster, and Bradley Headstone, had seizures which Dickens realistically described.

6. Alexander the Great - Alexander the Great (July 20, 356 BC - June 10, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, was an ancient Greek king (basileus) of Macedon (336-323 BC). Alexander died after twelve years of constant military campaigning, possibly as a result of malaria, poisoning, typhoid fever, viral encephalitis or the consequences of alcoholism. Born in Pella, capital of Macedon, Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedon and of his fourth wife Olympias, an Epirote princess. Alexander the Great had epilepsy, however at during his time epilepsy was known as "the sacred disease" because of the belief that those who had seizures were possessed by evil spirits or touched by the gods and should be treated by invoking mystical powers.

7. Alfred Nobel - Alfred Bernhard Nobel (October 21, 1833, Stockholm, Sweden - December 10, 1896, Sanremo, Italy) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, armaments manufacturer and the inventor of dynamite. By the time of his death he held more than 350 patents and controlled factories and laboratories in 20 countries. William Gordon Lennox wrote that "Nobel was subject to migraines and convulsions from infancy." Nobel had epileptic seizures as a young child, which later made him write of convulsions and agony in a poem. The foundations of the Nobel Prize were laid in 1895 when Alfred Nobel wrote his last will, leaving much of his wealth for its establishment. Since 1901, the prize has honored men and women for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and for work in peace.

8. Michelangelo - (March 6, 1475 - February 18, 1564) The sculptor of many of the most renowned sculptures of all times. Michaelangelo was a respected renaissance man only rivaled by Leonardo Da Vinci. Striving to excel in numerous disciplines he is also responsible for the paintings inside many famous cathedrals and the construction of some of the most respected buildings. Projects such as St.Peters basilica, basilica of San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapel which will forever leave Michaelangelo and his works a legend in all history.

9. Leonardo Da Vinci - (April 15, 1452 - May 2, 1519) The man responsible for some of the greatest religious paintings in history Leonardo Da Vinci excelled not only in painting but in numerous other disciplines as well. He was a Tuscan polymath: architect, botanist, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, and writer. His most famous work is definetely the paintings of both Mona Lisa and the Last Supper of Jesus Christ which have both been the most reproduced religious paintings of all times.

10. Julius Caesar - (July 13, 100 BC - March 15, 44 BC), One of the most influential men in world history, Caesar participated in the army with distinction constantly excelling in leadership skills. He had a ruthless personality and thought of himself as far superior. A perfect example of this is when Julius had gotten captured by pirates, the pirates demanded a ransom of twenty talents of gold. Julius then laughed and demanded that they ask for fifty, he then promised them that he would chase them down once freed. Which he did, raising a fleet to chase the pirates and capture them. He then crucified them under his law once he had caught up to them.

11. Edgar Allen Poe - (January 19, 1809 - October 7, 1849) Edgar Allen Poe is a member of the Romantic Movement, mostly as an author and literacy critic. He has written books and short stories and he is best known for his macabre and mysteries, he is the one who invented the Detective-Fiction genre. For many years people have referred his mental problems to alcohol and drug abuse but, today many believe that he was not well diagnosed. Many now believe he may have been epileptic which would sometimes explain his frequent confusion.

12. Aristotle - (384 BC - 322 BC) Aristotle was a Greek philosopher writing on many different subjects including zoology, biology, ethics, government, politics, physics, metaphysics, music, poetry and theater. He was also a great teacher for Alexander the Great. Aristotle was one of the first to point out that epilepsy and genius were often closely connected. He found that the seizure disorders may have the ability to increase brain activity in specific places and maybe also enhance a persons natural abilities to a certain extent.

13. Theodore Roosevelt - 26th President of the U.S. (October 27, 1858 - January 6, 1919) Roosevelt was a soldier , historian, explorer, naturalist, author, and Governor of New York later becoming the President of the United States at the age of 42 years old. He was well known for having a vast range of objectives and achievements, all with an energetic determination and a hard ''cowboy'' persona. He was subject to epileptic seizures, his eyesight was bad, and he also suffered from asthma, but was still a man of courage and strength appreciated by many.

14. Alfred the Great - (c. 849 - 26 October 899) Alfred the Great was king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. In his life Alfred highly valued education and wanted his kingdom to be rich with knowledge. He improved his Kingdom's law as well as it's military structure. Although Alfred had epilepsy it did not keep him from doing good for his kingdom and making one of the best books of laws of his time. He was very catholic and by the time of his death he had helped increase the quality and amount of churches and schools from all over his lands.

15. Richard Burton - (November 10, 1925 - August 5, 1984) Being at one time the highest paid Hollywood actor, Richard was well known for his distinctive voice. He was crippled all his life by epilepsy and was extremely deep into alcoholism to try and prevent the seizures. Eventually this led him to manic depression but he would never go to see a doctor because he did not trust them one bit. At times he seemed to be more scared of being crazy then having epilepsy. Throughout his entire life he had never went to get diagnosed by a doctor.

16. George Frederick Handel - (Friday 23 February 1685 - Saturday 14 April 1759) was a German-born Baroque composer who is famous for his operas, oratorios and concerti grossi. Since the 1960s, with the revival of interest in baroque music, original instrument playing styles, and the prevalence of countertenors who could more accurately replicate castrato roles, interest has revived in Handel's Italian operas, and many have been recorded and performed onstage.

17. Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky - (1821 - 1881) - Russian writer and essayist, known for his novels Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoyevsky had epilepsy and his first seizure occurred when he was nine years old. Epileptic seizures recurred sporadically throughout his life, and Dostoyevsky's experiences are thought to have formed the basis for his description of Prince Myshkin's epilepsy in his novel The Idiot and that of Smerdyakov in The Brothers Karamazov, among others.

18. Charles V of Spain - Charles V (24 February 1500 - 21 September 1558) was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 until his abdication in 1556 and also ruler of the Spanish realms from 1516 until 1556. Charles V suffered from epilepsy and from an enlarged lower jaw. He struggled to chew his food properly and consequently experienced bad indigestion for much of his life. also He suffered from joint pain, presumed to be gout, according to his 16th century doctors. In his retirement, he was carried around the monastery of St. Yuste in a sedan chair. He was greatly interested in clocks, instructing his servants to take them apart and reassemble them in his presence.

19. Pythagoras - Pythagoras was the first man to call himself a philosopher, ''lover of wisdom'' and was the most able philosopher among the Greeks. He was know as ''the father of numbers'' and greatly contributed to mathematics. It is even said that many of his ideas had directly influenced Plato. Many of his teachings were only passed down by some of his students, none of his work had seen the day and none can be sure of exactly how wise Pythagoras was. Although he had made huge contributions to both philosophy and religion in the late 6th century BC.

20. Hannibal - Carthaginian military commander and tactician, later also working in other professions, who is popularly credited as one of the finest commanders in history. He lived during a period of tension in the Mediterranean, when Rome (then the Roman Republic) established its supremacy over other great powers such as Carthage, Macedon, Syracuse, and the Seleucid empire. His most famous achievement was at the outbreak of the Second Punic War, when he marched an army, which included war elephants, from Iberia over the Pyrenees and the Alps into northern Italy.

21. Hector Berlioz - Louis Hector Berlioz (December 11, 1803 - March 8, 1869) was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande Messe des morts (Requiem). Berlioz made great contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation and by utilizing huge orchestral forces for his works, sometimes calling for over 1,000 performers.

22. Lord Byron (1788- 1824) of Rochdale in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1643, by letters patent, for Sir John Byron, a Cavalier general and former Member of Parliament. Some biographies suggest that Lord Byron experienced epileptic seizures and in various passages he writes of symptoms reminiscent of epilepsy.
Quotes from Byron 

Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey.

Sorrow is knowledge, those that know the most must mourn the deepest, the tree of knowledge is not the tree of life.

Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.

23. Louis XIII of France - (September 27, 1601 - May 14, 1643) ruled as King of France and Navarre from 1610 to 1643. Louis XIII ascended to the throne in 1610, at the age of eight and a half, upon the assassination of his father.

24. Martin Luther - (November 10, 1483-February 18, 1546) was a German monk, theologian, and church reformer. Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the sole source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians are a priesthood of believers. Luther had many documented illnesses, but any recurrent attacks were probably due to Meniere's disease.

25. Nicolo Paganini - (October 27, 1782 - May 27, 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest violinist who ever lived and it is believed to he had epilepsy.

26. Peter Tchaikovsky - Russian composer of the Romantic era. Tchaikovsky, is believed to have had epilepsy. Pyotr began piano lessons at age five with a local woman, Mariya Palchikova within three years he read music as well as his teacher. Tchaikovsky died on November 6, 1893, nine days after the premiere of his Sixth Symphony, the Pathetique. His death has traditionally been attributed to cholera, most probably contracted through drinking contaminated water several days earlier.

27. Peter the Great - Peter I the Great or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov (9 June 1672 - 8 February 1725) Both Peter's hands and feet were small, and his shoulders narrow for his height; likewise, his head was also small for his tall body. Added to this were Peter's facial tics, and, judging by descriptions handed down, he may have suffered from petit mal, a form of epilepsy.

28. Robert Schumann - (June 8, 1810 - July 29, 1856) was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is one of the most famous Romantic composers of the 19th century.

29. Sir Walter Scott - (15 August 1771 - 21 September 1832) was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet popular throughout Europe during his time. Walter Scott survived a childhood bout of polio in 1773 that would leave him lame. In 1778 Scott returned to Edinburgh for private education to prepare him for school, he was now well able to walk and explore the city as well as the surrounding countryside. His reading included chivalric romances, poems, history and travel books.

30. Socrates - (470 BCE-399 BCE) was a Classical Greek philosopher. He is best known for the creation of Socratic irony and the Socratic Method, or elenchus. Socrates developed the practice of a philosophical type of pedagogy, in which the teacher asks questions of the students to elicit the best answer, and fundamental insight, on the part of the student.

Acknowledgment: Home - Neurological Conditions
By Disabled World - 2008-01-17
Read more: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/epilepsy-famous.shtml#ixzz1XEYAd7aS

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