The Root of All Our Woes

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 1 comments


According to the best estimates of a number of respected international geologists, including the French Petroleum Institute, Colorado School of Mines, Uppsala University and Petroconsultants in Geneva, the world will likely feel the impact of the peaking of most of the present large oil fields and the dramatic fall in supply by the end of this decade, 2010, or possibly even several years sooner. At that point, the world economy will face shocks which will make the oil price rises of the 1970's pale by contrast. In other words, we face a major global energy shortage for the prime fuel of our entire economy within about seven years. Could it be that the oil reserves in the middle east and in the US are running low? Experts believe there is no relief to what is happening in the economies of the world. As the oil reserves now experience its production to peak, barrels of oil will become more difficult to exploit, and more costly, as internal well pressures decline or other problems make recovery more expensive for each barrel. The oil is there but not at all easy to extract. The cost of each barrel past peak is increasingly higher as artificial means are employed to extract it. After a certain point it becomes uneconomical to continue to try to extract this peak oil. The world now has a false sense of energy supply security and the truth is anything but secure. The thing that built nations to prosper will in the future cause its downfall, unless we take action now. Can we slowly separate ourselves from oil? Can we reduce our dependency from it? This of course entails a lot of research and is certainly a possibility. I think that the answer to this problem is renewable energy. If we exploit and produce enough renewable energy then we can curb our dependency from oil and eventually address the root of all our woes.

State of the Nation Folly

Thursday, July 24, 2008 0 comments


On Monday, July 28, 2008, the president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be giving her state of the nation address as promises fulfilled or somewhat in the process of fulfillment. What has happened since her last SONA? Have there been any progress in the general stature of our country?
The people have grown weary of her broken promises. It is evident in her latest public trust rating, because people today are more aware of the dirty tricks she has on her sleeve.
On Monday, she will deliver again what might seem just gibberish told in a common tongue, promises not fulfilled or half fulfilled but is it still necessary? Nothing can be done really when the root of all our woes is not addressed. The collective ideals of the Filipino people are somewhat divided now, like before. Until we remain divided we will still suffer the same fate.
I just hope that this Monday a ray of hope will come because I believe there is still hope for the Filipino people. Change is possible said Obama, and I believe him, all we need is a catalyst to start the process.

Brad Blogging: A wonder of the blogosphere

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 1 comments

I recently stumbled upon Brad Blogging hoping to find answers on how to increase my technorati authority and here's what I got. Brad blogging is really a great help to newbie bloggers like me. Check his website. http://bradblogging.com/ Here's the ever growing list of bloggers that support Brad blogging.
1. Brad Blogging.com - Personal Blog Tips And Blog Help
2. Daily Blogging Tips At The Daily Rambler
3. Blog Chews - Blog About Anything
4. Steve v4.6 - Big Made Small
5. GIVEAWAY CITY
6. Indo Contest.com - Find the Latest Contest Here
7. POTPOLITICS-We Smoke the Competition
8. ATA - AskTheAdmin.com
9. Dolly’s Daily Diary
10. The Tech Juice - Tech Tips And More
11. Wendy’s OBA, Blog Tips & Tricks
12. Wendy’s Reel - Fact And Fancy
13. A Grateful Heart
14. 50+Whatever..Just some Ramblings in Life
16. The Blog for DesignCreatology
17. Contest Whiz - The Blog Contest Expert
18. About Blog Contests
19. Esmeraldasblog - Como aumentar la Authority de Technorati
20. Best Widgets for free - Blog Widgets
21. New life by Pitonizza
22. Todo Seiya - Como aumentar la Authority de Technorati
23. Blog for Spanish Readers
24. The Blogger And The Blog
25. Hero Help
26. Makmalcyber
27. Forex Study
28. Techyplus
29. 8
30. Darn Good Reviews
31. Blogger Tips - DotBlogger
32. Lilyruths This and That
33. That Blog 4 Me
34. Pinoytek - Make Money Online and SEO Blog
35. Snigit(blogspot)
36. Snigit(.com)
37. Best Of The Web
38. Swat the Fly
39. Area3000
40. Shut Up And Eat
41. Find Torrent Blog
42. Cebu in the World
43. Web Design
44. Trestin Adventures
45. Ask Trestin
46. Trestin Autobiography
47. Trestin Ideas
48. Trestin Gallery
49. Trestin Games
50.Trestin Hall Of Fame
51. Trestin History
52. Parnell Forever
53. Trestin Political
54. Trestin Spiritual
55. Trestin Sports
56. Trestin Store - Yep, Each One Of These Are Different Blogs.
57. The Ordinary Agung
58. Il blog di Luca Marchi
59. What About Brazil?
60. Shri Radha Krishna Blog
61. Hawaiian Travel Blog
62. Hawaii Cruise Superstore
64. Over The Sky
65. Yavinator log
66. I Travel to Work do you?
67. The Home Page of Tony Smith, Writer of Comic Books, Articles & Screenplays
68. Ultimate Credit Online
69. The Rhythm of Write
70. A Hoosier Family
71. Analyzed Marketing Solutions
72. O2S Media
73. Project Swole - Fitness and Nutrition
74. Life is simple, Don’t make it complicated
75. Yet Another Blog from Marco Ciacci
76. Freebies, Making money and More
77. Babysitter On Board
78.Vhiel’s Corner
79. Anything and Everything in Between
80. Designs By Vhiel
81. Can of Thoughts
82. Only in Silence
83. Everything Nice!
84.Reference Notes
85. It’s a woman’s world!
86. Ramki’s Blog
87. THE MOM WITH BROWNIES
88. Picture Clusters
89. Maiylah’s Snippets
90. My Wanderings
91. Confessions of a Supermodel Wannabe
92. Tiklaton: We are the Witness!
93. Aeirin Collections
94. The Big Dog
95. O’Joy of my life…
96. Through the Rain
97. More Than A Mom
98. Say Cheese
99. The Journey
100. Photo Hook
101. Life Quest
102. Dew Drops - Making Sense… Somehow
103. The Small Business Marketing Blog
104. TheSuburbanFarmer
105. Konaini Blog
106. Worldly Economic Thoughts
107. Esperto Seo
108. gd labs gianfranco davide reppucci Blog
109. insidetheworld Italian Linux and Security Blog team
110. The Back Forty
111. studentefreelance
112. The Barber Bunch
113. Doremixy
114. CoffeeCoffeeCoffee
115. This Side of Eternity
116. Think Creative
117. Moomettesgram’s Musings
118.The Daily Dollar Report
119. The Sweet Life
120. Box 5150
121. Your Fun Family
122. No Nonsense Internet Tips
123. Brazoscowgirl
124. Pandu Cari Duit Blogging For Profit
125. Cash In Style - Making Money Online
126. Speedcat
127. The4thWall
128. Sconicle
129. Heap Up
130. Zchelle’s World
131. My Life…. My Journey!
132. God’s Creation
133. Family Health & Relationships
134. My Inner Feelings
135. PICTURE THIS !!!
136. Ezekun
137. Welcome To Our Homeschool Adventures
138. Schlossy’s Blog
139. Teasas Tips
140. Affiliate Revenue Resources
141. DouDy Sketche Watercolor Paintings
142. Pictures in Egypt
143. Painting Artworks
144. Optimizing for Search Engines
145. Creaky Easel
146. The Loquatious Artist
147. Straight from the Heart
148. Advertising for Success
149. Take It To The Limit
150. Il Migratore
151. MsTrisMusic.Com
152. Viaggi
153. Monkey Giggles
154. Supla Online
155. Daily Reflection
156. Techno Zone
157. Free Blogging Resources - Blogoninja
158. Wcgiligan
159. Stranger
160. Runjun Blog
161. Scelto
162. GBLOGS
163. Rajiv’s Blog!
164. Codexofdreams
165. Flotsam and Jetsam
166. Benefit everyone on this list. Join Today!
http://bradblogging.com/ - We Update The List Daily.
Thanks to Can Of Thoughts for the scrolling list

Saving the Endangered Species of the Philippines

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 0 comments

The endangered species of the Philippines are threatened once more as their dwindling numbers steadily decrease. Is the government doing something about it? Are we doing something to prevent their extinction? These are the questions that boggled me when I heard the news (24 oras) a while ago.
50% of the animal species here in the Philippines belong now in the ever growing endangered list as more forests are razed and formed into agricultural and residential areas to sustain our constantly swelling population. Is this the consequence of our ignorance? Is this the price we have to pay for our blatant apathy not only towards animals but also to the environment as a whole? How much more filthy rivers, denuded mountains, industrial waste spillage, coral reef destruction, extinct animal species and deaths by flash flood, land slide, famine and drought must happen before we even begin to think of our future?
I dare say that in order for this to stop, we have to act now. We need to start becoming sympathetic to our environment. I recently joined Greenpeace and became an online activist because I wanted to act, I wanted to do something before things go out of hand. I think that this one simple step to achieving a greener Philippines. One that we Filipinos can be truly proud of. I will be honest here, when I was young I never dreamed of living my whole lifetime here, I saw myself living abroad. But then again, when I travelled to Pagudpud in the far north of the Philippines, I realized the natural splendor of my own country and how much potential it has. I just hope that each and every Filipino will somehow discover this as well.
I believe that by doing small things we can do away with the big things that bug the country, the world and even the universe. Small things like conserving energy, conserving water, becoming more environmentally conscious will save the big issues of environmental degradation and climate change. In this context, I say our country should begin thinking about saving the forests of our country to stop the growing number of endangered species here. Why not suggest ideas like trading and recycling paper, so that demand for it will decrease, and thus save forests in the end. The recycling issue here is controversial and more likely to fail because we failed to inculcate in the youth the importance of our environment. Even worse they see us doing nothing about our environment, they somehow see it as 'natural' and thus see it as good.
This got to end and it has to end now. Like what I have said before in my past entries, we can do something about this and I really need the help of guys like you. Let's make our world a better place for the next generation to come.

Discovering Renewable Energy Sources

Monday, July 21, 2008 1 comments

I have always pondered on the solution for the energy crisis that seems to loom all over us since the oil prices have steadily swelled since february of this year, and I can't help but think is the government doing something about it? Have they thought of renewable energy sources? If so, what are the renewable energy sources they are planning to take?

Wikipedia.org defines Renewable Energy as energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat—which are renewable (naturally replenished). Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/micro hydro, biomass and biofuels for transportation. Market for these renewable energy sources have been steadily rising in the past few decades especially now that oil prices are steadily rising due to it's dwindling supply but constantly swelling demand. People are more wary now of the use of the ever-so-precious oil and its effects in the environment. But the question remains, what is the most effective renewable energy source for the Philippines?

The Philippines is among the few countries that lie in the so-called ring of fire and knowing this one would deduce that the answer to the question which renewable energy source would be most effective here would be Geothermal energy. The Philippines has plenty numerous active volcanoes, where the geothermal energy is harnessed. There are a lot of geothermal power plants here, in fact the Philippines is the second largest geothermal energy producer in the world, behind the US.

The country aims to double its renewable energy capacity by 2013, from 30 to 60 percent. To this end, the Philippines' Department of Energy (DOE) set the following goals:

  • 1. To be the largest geothermal energy producer in the world
  • 2. To be the leading wind energy producer in Southeast Asia
  • 3. To install 130-250 MW of biomass, solar, and ocean capacity.
  • 4. To become the solar manufacturing export hub of the Association of Southeast

This is all possible only corruption threatens this mere possibility. If only government officials and those people of power veer away from corruption we will somehow find ourselves outwinning the US as the largest geothermal energy producing country in the world.

Next is solar energy. The Philippines lying somewhat near the equator, receives a lot of sunshine and therefore is suited for solar energy plants. Solar energy can be harnessed through panels converting heat and light from the sun into electricity and also through steam that would power turbines (solar thermal). At present, our country is using solar panels, and not solar thermal.

The world's largest solar project is the Philippine National Oil Company's (PNOCs) solar home system in Luzon. In the past two years, it has been providing electricity to 2,160 households in the Cordillera, the Visayas, and remote areas in Mindanao. The PNOC's solar home system targets 15,000 households in 2007. Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, the Philippines' cleanest and greenest city, expects to complete a solar utility project that promises to be larger than PNOcs. Twenty-five thousand solar panels covering 20-hectares of land will be installed to support the city's energy supply. In Mindanao, at least four solar power projects are in progress.

Third, the Philippines has untapped wind resources. Wind-based power is a very practical way of electrifying remote and far-flung areas that are off the power grid. Studies of the World Wildlife Fund and the University of the Philippines cite 1,038 wind sites in the country with a potential capacity of 7,404 MW. Potential sites considered feasible for using wind energy include 686 sites in Luzon and 305 in Visayas. The Philippines plan to install wind-based power projects with a capacity of at least 417 MW in the next 10 years. One of these, the Bangui Bay project, will generate 25 MW.

One still unexplored area that may finally be the key to energy independence is ocean wave energy. Studies done in collaboration with Japanese scientists show that there are 16 potential areas for ocean thermal energy conversion. The Philippines may become the first to use this form of energy - using tidal and marine current to generate electricity. This has a potential of supplying the country with 170,000 MW of energy.

Fourth, the controversial and yet useful biomass fuel. The Philippines discovered alternative source of renewable energy that uses wood, straw, animal manure, rice husks, and sugar cane. Burning these agricultural wastes generates heat, steam, and energy able to operate a 30-megawatt (MW) biomass plant, which provides electricity to several towns and generates savings worth thousands of barrels of fuel oil. Coming up are two more biomass plants. UK-based Bronzeoak, which operates a Biomass plant in Talisay Batangas, plans to put in US$100 million in the next three years to expand its operations. The other is an experiment project in Isabela using rice hulls to produce biomass.The Department of Agriculture and Department of Environment and natural Resources estimates that the Philippines biomass energy will reach an equivalent of 301.5 million barrels of fuel oil in 2008. Some people disagree using biomass fuel because somehow the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages of using this kind of energy. Crop lands used for farming rice and other sources of food will be turned into lands that will cultivate plants that will provide biofuel.

It is clear that there are a lot of possibilities for the Philippines when it comes to renewable energy, it is debatable however if the mere possibilty will remain only a possibility through dirty politics, greed and corruption.

*Data from http://www.selectphilippines.com/renewable-energy.html

Taking a stance

Thursday, July 17, 2008 0 comments

I was reading the Manila Bulletin when I stumbled upon the article of former president Fidel V. Ramos in his speech at the World Population Day 2008 Forum on Population and the Millenium Development Goals held at EDSA Shanri-la Plaza, Mandaluyong City on July 11, 2008 and felt compelled to write what I think is an important issue all filipinos must become aware of.
The ruckus has been all over the media these past few days about the church's defiant stance against the house bill about family planning and contraceptive methods and I can't help but feel inept and powerless to do something, voice out my sentiments and choose a side to support, until I came upon the article and decided I had to write something about it.
I was once a roman catholic that decided to become agnostic because I believe that the religion itself is tainted by politics. I once believed that religion should unite peopleregardless of race, gender and social background but instead it divides people and cause disparity. "Religion should guide us to do the right and moral thing..." and "...must always seek the greater good of all our people." said Ramos and I believe him but that is not the case here. The church does not represent the voice of the poor nor does it realize the situation the poor face. They say the "natural method" is the way to go but do the poor understand? Our population is constantly swelling and all the church can do is stand there and say that the "natural method" is the answer. I strongly disagree.
The church is somehow oblivious to the real situation our country is facing. Do they know that in the latest SWS (Social Weather Station) survey, they found out that during the first quarter of 2008, 2 out of 5 filipino families, a total of 7.1 million families, considered themselves poor in terms of food? These numbers will certainly rise now that there is a surge in oil prices, transport, food and other basic commodities.
Do the church also know that researches done between the 1960s and 1980s about the correlation of family size and poverty concluded that "rapid population growth was more likely to hinder than to foster economic development"?
Do they also know that a recent study by the Asian Development Bank showed that only 23.8 percent of filipino families with 4 children are poor compared with 48.7 percent of families with 7 children?
A 2006 study done jointly by the UP Population Institute and the Alan Guttmacher Institute reported that "ignorance of family planning methods leads to 6 in 10 filipino women having unintended pregnancy at some point in their lives. This figure translates into a total of 1.43 million unintended pregnancies yearly." More than 1 million babies added to the population which stands at some 88.6 million and still counting so as we speak. UNICEF also stated that 225 filipino children die daily because of poverty-related diseases.
Is the church somehow playing oblivious to these statistics or are they just blatantly ignorant? What is obvious however, is the govenrment's inexplicable insensitivity to the issue by playing subservient to the catholic church inspite of all these reports coming into their senses.
The 2004 UN Development Report stated that "the predominantly catholic countries - from Ireland down to Mexico - enjoy high human development while maintaining very low population growth rates and fertility rates but the Philippines however stands out as a predominantly catholic country with a low human development index and finds itself in the same league as Bangladesh, an impoverished country. This is very dismal indeed.
The Arroyo administration has declared that the UN funding will be used to promote natural family planning methods under its responsible parenthood slogan, but does the message go across or fall on deaf ears? How many more of our money will be wasted or go on somebody else's pocket while our people especially the poor suffer? The government is not aware of their preposterous distortion of the concept of reponsible parenthood and the church is playing obstructionist status quo.
I decided that I can't stay silent about this issue. I made this article to voice out that I am not staying inept and I am taking a side, a side to save as many filipino lives and futures as I can. I support the congressmen that proposed and are fighting for the family planning house bill. I have the right to make an informed choice and I am doing it right now.
It is my hope that this message will be spread and like me, you can do something about it. Let us support the congressmen and the family planning champions to serve as channels for change for a better future. Let us support contraceptive methods for family planning and let us act now.
(Statistical data are taken from the Population Growth and Universal Right to Family Planning by former president Fidel V. Ramos at the Manila Bulletin Editorial Section dated July 17, 2008)

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