‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’

In this July 20, 1969 photo, astronaut Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin Jr. poses beside a US flag on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Aldrin and fellow ‘moonwalker’ Neil Armstrong gathered Friday with other Apollo astronauts as part of the first moon landing’s 40th anniversary celebration.

No one can say exactly what it looks like when a planet takes ill, but it probably looks a lot like Earth. Never mind what you’ve heard about global warming as a slow-motion emergency that would take decades to play out. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the crisis is upon us.

Environmentalists and lawmakers spent years shouting at one another about whether the grim forecasts were true, but in the past five years or so, the serious debate has quietly ended. Global warming, even most skeptics have concluded, is the real deal, and human activity has been causing it. If there was any consolation, it was that the glacial pace of nature would give us decades or even centuries to sort out the problem.

Global warming is a typical global phenomenon, where the causer of the emission does not automatically suffer from it himself. Cause and effect are separated both in time as well as with regard to geography.

In the past, there was a more or less direct relation between the energy consumption (mainly fossil fuels) and the welfare of a country.

This makes it very difficult to reach consensus between the countries about the required steps to solve the problem. The Kyoto protocol shows that the following of the agreement will be doubtful at best if no automatic sanctions take into effect for countries violating it.

Given the severe consequences of global warming, the above sounds quite hopeless for our future. Read on to see how we all are involved in this and how we can benefit from taking our personal responsibility.

One of the things climate scientists worry about is feedback mechanisms. Some feedbacks are positive- they amplify warming, and some are negative they suppress warming. Let’s take a quick look at a graphic showing how cold air is made. Basically, what this graphic is showing us is that at this time of the year, when the Arctic is receiving little sunlight, the radiative input is less than the radioactive output. In other words, more energy leaves the Earth than is added by the sun and cooling occurs.

Malnutrition is deadlier than swine flu Accourding to Partylist Representative

Malnutrition is still one of the major health problems in school children and could be considered deadlier than the swine flu plague, a partylist representative said today.

“While swine flu is a threat, malnutrition remains a deadlier menace to students’ well-being this school opening and the government has continuously overlooked this through the years,” Kabataan partylist Rep. Raymund Palatino said.

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Undertaking a viable waste-recycling project for communities will go a long way toward solving the solid waste or garbage problem in Metro Manila and the regions.

One of the more serious problems facing the country today is pollution due to the improper handling and disposal and solid wastes.

Uncollected garbage is left on the streets, dumped into storm drains, esteros, canals, creeks or rivers.

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The decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) yesterday (April 23, 2009) shocked the country as it acquits US Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith as the primary suspect to the Subic-rape case issue.

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Hackers wanted; P100-million reward

Courtesy of Philstar.com

The issue on the automation of the 2010 national elections have reverted all ears as it creates noise. Billions of pesos will be spent for a strategy that is not proven to eliminate the problem of elections, and so, a test is about to be done.

Opposition Senator Allan Peter Cayetano said in a press conference that he is filling a resolution for COMELEC (Commission on Elections) to appropriate an amount of 100 million pesos out of the 11 billion pesos fund on the automation of elections as a reward for anyone who can show and convince the people that the automated elections is also susceptible to dirty tactics such as fraud and tampering of election paraphernalia. If this goes through (the resolution), this will be a test to the automation process’s invulnerability and probably will make the fear of people for any untoward act regarding the elections vanish.

This is why the Commission on Elections (Comelec) challenged hackers to try to hack into the voting and counting machines that will be used in next year’s elections, but expressed confidence that they would fail.

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A history has been made by an American to set record for his country, but not because of honor and pride after all. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently said that they are about to put on the list their 24^th most wanted man. America must have been half lucky because for the first time, it (the next on the list man) will come from their domestic men. Indeed, history has been made.

31-year-old computer specialist Daniel Andreas San Diego of Berkeley, California will be the latest man on the most wanted list of F.B.I. He was the suspect for the alleged bombings at California in 2003 and a reward of no less than $250,000 was released for his capture. He was the one responsible for the bombing that damaged the corporate offices of Chiron Corp., a biotechnology firm, and at Shaklee Corp., a nutrition and cosmetics company. The explosions caused minor damages and no injuries.

For a moment, we thought these events are impossible. But now, America has created its new record, courtesy of Daniel Andreas San Diego-an American terrorist.

To declare that Sulu is the “Hostage taking Capital” of the Philippines might not be just a joke, but a reality as well.

In addition to the many hostage dramas that have happened in Sulu, another hostage taking happened where 3 International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) volunteers has been kidnapped last January 15, 2009. Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni who are both Swiss nationals and Pinay Engineer Marie Jean Lacaba were said to be kidnapped last January 15 at Patikul, Sulu. Abu Sayyaf Commander Al­bader Pa­rad and Doc Abu Pula were said to be the brains in this new hostage crises guarding the hostages at the forest lands of Indanan, Sulu. As usual, this issue have reverted all eyes again especially those of persons in authority. But what’s new with this crisis? It was like the ones that have already happened over the past years. The hostage takers will not demand money, but something else like their freedom, ownership of their land, and others except money. But the truth is that money is being involved under that radar to avoid creating other issues.

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In the midst of the undying issue of global financial crisis, an unexpected seeking of help was received by Philippines from Papua New Guinea asking its full support for their bid of being a full member of the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations).

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