Category: Science

Duterte’s next ‘solution’: Will it make life for Filipinos worse or better?

Published by Ellen on June 14, 2020

Our lives have been drastically altered by the rigid measures the government has imposed to stop the spread of Covid-19 the last four months.

The new quarantine classifications that President Duterte is going to announce Monday, June 15 will further affect our lives. Will it make life worse or better?

The study done by a group of professors from the University of the Philippines on the situation in Metro Manila and Cebu related to Covid-19 released last June 8 would help us deal with whatever Duterte will decide.

The UP professors said based on the trends that they have observed since March 1 to June 8, 2020, they forecast that “the number of Covid-19 cases, assuming a continuation of current trends, is a total of 40,000 Covid-19 cases by June 30, and 1,850 total deaths due to Covid-19.”

Azerbaijan oil fuels Nobel Peace prize; Filipino part of winning group

Published by Ellen on October 13, 2013

OPCW Director-Gneral Ahmet Uzumcu in a presscon oct 9 in The Hague on their winning the Nobel Prize.

A Filipino is a member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons which won the highly prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for this year.

His name is Franz Ontal, head of the inspector training of the United Nations-backed chemical weapons international watchdog, which oversaw the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons.

Ontal is from Negros Occidental. An article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer said studied in La Salle Bacolod where he completed his undergraduate course in biology. He immigrated to the United States in the 1980s and worked in New York where he held jobs related to medical services. In 2005, he joined the OPWC in The Hague. Netherlands first as a medic for the chemical weapons inspector and disposal teams. He now holds the position of head of inspector training.

An afternoon of Laughter Yoga

Published by Ellen on September 18, 2011

Laughing with RRR — This was not the Laughter Yoga session. But we were laughing and having a good time.

I came across two articles on the benefits of laughter last week.

One was through e-mail about a study conducted by the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine which was presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris last August 28.

The article written by Rick Nauert PhD, senior news editor of psychcentral.com, it said volunteers watched segments of a funny movie, such as “There’s Something About Mary” on one day and on another day watched the violent opening segment of the stressful movie “Saving Private Ryan.”

The study revealed that when volunteers watched “Saving Private Ryan,”, their blood vessel lining developed a potentially unhealthy response called vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow. “This finding confirms previous studies, which suggested there was a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels,” the article said.

UP study: BNPP is on a volcano

Published by Ellen on March 22, 2011

Justifying the Activation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant: More Official Abuse of Scientific Data by Dr. Kevin Rodolfo

No distinct evidence of geological structures like fault and fractures are identified BNPP -Geologist

Advocates for the rehabilitation of the long- mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant led by former Rep. Mark Cojuangco and his wife, Kimi, the incumbent representative of the 5th district of Tarlac have been quoted as undaunted by what happened to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant which is now beleaguered after its stability was shaken by the 8.9 intensity earthquake and tsunami that followed the tremor that hit Japan last March 11.

Mark Cojuangco was quoted by Kyodo News as saying, “The design for BNPP is more earthquake resistant than Fukushima. What I’m telling you is that the Bataan plant is a better power plant (design) than Fukushima, although we really need to look at Fukushima as a benchmark.”

Amazing possibilities

Published by Ellen on March 13, 2011

Click on photo to view it enlarged. From msn.com
I’m fascinated by reports that last Friday’s Japan earth earthquake moved some the location of some cities a bit and that there’s a possibility that million years from now, the world’s geography will not be the same at it is today.

We have been educated that the earth’s crust is made up of dozens of tectonic plates that solidified for billions of years. An article I found in the internet likened the earth’s plates to “giant rafts which often slide next to, collide with, and are forced underneath other plates. There is a tremendous amount of energy created by the movements of these plates. Thus we have volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.”

The most volatile of those tectonic plates is the Pacific Plate which “ covers almost the entire floor of the Pacific Ocean, making it the largest plate on the planet.”

Nakakayanig

Published by Ellen on March 12, 2011

Habang pinagdadasal natin ang mga na-apektuhan ng lindol at tsunami, ipagdasal rin nating ang ating sarili.

Paala-ala ito sa bawa’t isa sa atin na pahalagahan at gamitin sa kabutihan ang buhay na binigay sa atin ng Panginoon dahil kahit anong oras, pwede na tayong tawagin.

Nakakayanig ang lindol na nangyari sa Japan noong Biyernes. Sabi sa report 8.9 ang intensity. May sukatan ang mga eksperto sa mga lindol at isa na ito sa pinakamalakas sa buong mundo.(Noong Disyembre 2004, ang lindol na nangyari sa Indonesia kung saan mga 220,000 na mga tao ang namatay ay 9.1 ang intensity.)

DOJ, CHR urged to investigate death of botanist, 2 others

Published by Ellen on November 24, 2010

By VERA Files The parents of slain botanist Leonardo Co have asked the Department of Justice to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death and that…

Ang kahalagahan ng ginagawa ni Professor Leonardo Co

Published by Ellen on November 20, 2010

rafflesia-arnoldi — Thanks to Arnoldi blogspot

Ang rafflesia ay ang pinakamalaking bulaklak sa mundo na naitala ngayon. Maaring merong mas malaki pa ngunit hindi pa nadidiskubre.

Ang rafflesia ay sobra isang metro ang laki kaya nasa lupa lang siya nakalatag. Parang red-orange ang kulay. Hindi maganda ang amoy dahil kumakain ng mga kung ano-anong mga insekto o mali-liit na hayop. Matatagpuan ito sa kabundukan ng Antique,ang aking probinsya, at Mindanao dito sa Pilipinas. Meron din daw sa Malaysia, sa gubat ng Sarawak.

Ang rafflesia ay isa sa ipinag-mamalaki ng Antique. Ngunit hindi pa ako nakakita ang aktuwal na rafflesia dahil sa gubat ng Sibalom at San Remigio yun matatagpuan. Sinabi sa akin na sa kabundukan yun at aabutin daw kalahating araw na paglalakad bago makarating doon. At medyo delikado daw pumunta doon basta-basta dahil may mga nakatira doon na mga kababayan nating No Permanent Address. Alam nyo na.

Ngayon ko lang nalaman na si Prof, Leonardo Co pala ang nakadiskubre ng rafflesia dito sa Pilipinas kaya nakapunta na sya doon sa kabundukan ng Antique. Ang pang-apat na Rafflesia na nadiskubre ay ipinangalan sa kanya: Rafflesia Leonensis.

Noong Lunes, Nobyembre 15, napatay si Co at ang kanyang dalawang kasama na sina Sofronio G. Cortez, forest guard day of ng EDC-Environmental Management Division a pag-aari ng pamilyang Lopez at Julius Borromeo, miyembro ng Tongonan Farmers Association (Tofa) sa Kananga, Leyte .Nakalibre ang isa nilang kasama na si Policarpio Balute.

Thanks, Professor Co

Published by Ellen on November 20, 2010

Leonardo L. Co, 56, one of the country’s top botanist ,who was serving as biodiversity consultant of Lopez-owned Energy Development Corp. (EDC), was killed together with his two companions Nov 15 while gathering specimen seedlings of endangered trees with a five-member team of civilians in Kananga, Leyte.

Manuel Paete, EDC resident manager identified identified the other fatalities as Sofronio G. Cortez, a forest guard day of EDC-Environmental Management Division, and Julius Borromeo, a member of the Tongonan Farmers Association (Tofa).

Co is a specialist in plant taxonomy and ethnobotany.

Early reports said Co’s team was caught in a cross fire. Later reports said there was no cross fire and that they were mistaken as NPA’s

Slain botanist heard begging for mercy: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20101119-304043/Slain-botanist-heard-begging-for-mercy

His remains lie at the Funeraria Paz on Araneta Avenue. It will be brought to UP this afternoon for the wake until Sunday.

Following is Business Mirror’s editorial last Nov. 17 which encapsulates our sentiments:

Thanks, Professor Co

It’s hard to find words to capture the sense of loss of the Philippine science community, not only for themselves but for the future of this country, at the untimely, tragic demise of University of the Philippines botany professor Leonardo Co, in an unfortunate crossfire between soldiers and rebels in Leyte this week. Indeed, as some reports go, the military unit that might have (the shooting-by-friendly-fire angle is still being investigated) snuffed out his life was filled with deep remorse on knowing the encounter had claimed an innocent life—and what a life it was.

Weder-weder lang

Published by Ellen on August 8, 2010

Hindi sang-ayon ang grupo ng mga scientists,Agham (Advocates of Science and Technology for the People) sa pagsibak kay Dr. Prisco Nilo, director ng Pag-asa.

Sabi ng Agham dapat ay ipinaliwanag kay Pangulong Aquino na tingnan ang kaso ng pagkamali ng weather forecast sa bagyong “Basyang” sa dalawang punto.

Dapat, maintindihan kung ano ang bagyo. Iyon ay lakas ng kalikasan. Nagbibigay ang Pagasa ng kanilang assessment sa pagkilos ng bagyo tuwing anim na oras. Ang pagiging eksakto ng pagbasa ng bagyo ay depende sa kakayahan ng instrument na gamit.