The term "Holiday Economics" became famous I think during the past administration of former President Gloria Arroyo. The policy is that if a holiday falls on a weekend, the Monday after that becomes a holiday and hence, paid but non-working day. For personnel who have to work on that day, then that is considered as overtime and they get paid the equivalent of 2 days. Another practice is that if a Holiday falls on a Tuesday, holiday is moved to Monday so that people can extend their weekends to 3 days and work 4 days straight the next week.
1. January 21-23 (23, Monday, is Chinese New Year)
2. April 5-9 (Holy Week, April 9 Monday is "Araw ng Kagitingan")
3. April 28-30 (April 30 Monday will take the place of May 1 Labor Day)
4. August 18-21 (Aug. 20 Monday is Eid-al-Fitr, Aug. 21 Tuesday is Ninoy Aquino Day)
5. August 25-27 (Aug. 27 Monday is National Heroes Day)
6. October 26-28 (Oct. 26 Friday is Eid-al-Adha)
7. November 1-4 (Nov. 1-2, Thurs-Friday, are All Souls' and Saints’ Day)
8. November 30-Dec 2 (Nov. 30 Friday is Bonifacio Day)
9. December 22-25 (Dec. 24 and 25, Mon-Tues, are eve of, and Christmas Day)
10. December 29-Jan 1 (Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, Mon-Tues, are New Year's Day)
11. City and/or Province Foundation Day. Some city and provincial governments declare this as a local holiday and hence, another non-working but paid day.
Total number of holidays on weekdays: 17.
That is equivalent to 2 1/2 weeks of working days.
One complaint of some businessmen is that there seems to be so many holidays. Holidays for the Holy Week, Christmas and New Year are understandable since this is a predominantly Catholic country. But extending the holidays nationwide to the start and end of the Ramadan, they say, is not fair since the Muslims comprise something like only 6 percent of the entire population.
For the informal sector, the policy of non-working but paid holidays normally does not apply. That policy applies only to businesses in the formal sector and those in all government offices, local and national.
There are government laws that entitle employees to leaves with pay, like vacation leaves (15 working days), sick leaves (15 working days). In certain government agencies, they have other leaves with pay on top of the two leaves mentioned, like "Legislative leaves" (15 working days) in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
So for lucky employees and personnel of those certain government agencies, they are enjoying 62 working days (17 + 15 + 15 + 15) or almost 3 months of paid leaves, on top of no work on weekends. So these people work only for nine months in a year and they get paid at least 14 months pay (12 + 13th month pay + Christmas bonus).
In the House of Representatives, when I was working there from 1991-99, we actually got 17 months pay. 12 months pay + midyear bonus (May) + "productivity bonus" 2 months (September and October) + 13th month pay (November) + Speaker's bonus (given on December). So we were paid 17 months pay for 9 months of work, cool. The Philippines is among those cool welfare states, at least for some lucky personnel in the government.
In other government agencies and corporations like the Supreme Court, Bangko Sentral (BSP), SSS and GSIS, I heard that they get something like 19 months pay or more, some of those bonuses are in kind, not in cash.
Back to Holiday economics. A compromise formula would be that government can declare all holidays but let the employers decide whether to give pay for some of those holidays or not. For employers who won't pay for some of those holidays, the employees may not report for work but they will suffer a pay cut at the end of that month.
This sounds "heartless" but personnel in the informal sector do not gripe about this practice. In an even worse situation are people who have no jobs at all, or have unstable and irregular work.
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Farming Notes 4: Stone Terraces to Reduce Flash Flood
My article today in the online magazine, thelobbyist.biz.
http://www.thelobbyist.biz/perspectives/less-gorvernment/1256-flooding-and-erosion-control-via-terraces
See also:
Farming Notes 1: Dr. Samran Sombatpanit and WASWC, June 17, 2008
Farming Notes 2: My Treehouse, August 16, 2010
Farming Notes 3: Bt Eggplants vs Environmentalists, December 20, 2010
Climate Stupidity 25: Wetter or Drier, We Send them More Money, December 29, 2011
http://www.thelobbyist.biz/perspectives/less-gorvernment/1256-flooding-and-erosion-control-via-terraces
WEDNESDAY, 04 JANUARY 2012 02:19
With the on-going global cooling – not warming, it’s a scam – we should prepare for more rain and more flood, not more drought; we should prepare for rising rivers and lakes, not rising ocean.
The bad news is that heavy typhoons like Ondoy, Pedring and Sendong are just “intro”. There will be more heavy rains and typhoons to come, not just for the next few years but for decades. I have discussed in various articles here in the past why global cooling will last for many years and decades. It’s the Sun and galactic cosmic rays that mainly determine climate cycles of warming-cooling-warming-cooling in our planet.
One way to reduce – but never stop or control – flash flood during heavy rains, is to trap and impound those rainwater along with eroded organic matter in small tributaries like small creeks and waterways. No need for government to do this, only some hard work, imagination and big number of stones nearby. Below is a mini-dam we constructed near my treehouse in a farm in Bugallon, Pangasinan.
Top photos, left and right as of July and December 2010, respectively. Lower photos as of December 2011. The man standing is our caretaker, Mang Endring. He is old now, so we get some younger guys to help us collect those big number of stones in a nearby creek. So far, this mini-dam, no cement or steel added, only stones and organic matter, has survived several strong typhoons with heavy flash flood in 2010 and 2011. Meaning our design of this stone terrace was good and stable.
Below are what’s at the back of this mini-dam and stone terrace. Top photos as of July 2010, lower photos as of December 2011. Note the big depression at the back, that’s the old waterway that is getting higher as the eroded topsoil and other organic matter from higher grounds are slowly trapped and impounded. This depression becomes a big pool during heavy rains, so you can imagine the big volume of rainwater that is prevented from contributing to flash flood in the nearby creek.
We started building that mini-dam around March 2010, but I forgot to take photos that time. It was just an experimental mini-dam which I thought would just be about two feet high. Now it’s about six feet high and it’s getting wider and taller.
We started building terraces near my treehouse in early 2004. Below, top photos as of 2004, and lower photos as of mid-2010. The mahogany trees are getting larger and taller. These structures have controlled soil erosion and strong water run off during heavy rains in this part of the farm.
We also built stone terraces in other parts of the farm, photos below. The principle is simple. Control or at least reduce soil erosion and flash flooding in sloping land by building stone terraces that will trap and impound temporarily strong water run off. The dried or new leaves and branches that are scattered are gathered and deposited at the back of those stone terraces. These organic matters later decompose and become rich and soft soil
The process should be endless as the trees change their leaves every year, so the organic matter deposit keeps rising each year. By extension, those terraces should be rising too – if we can keep up with the labor-intensive but rewarding activity.
For big waterways and creeks, it is impossible to build many dams, otherwise there will be more flooding of the lower plains. What is needed for those big rivers is continued dredging of the mouth of those rivers to make the river beds become deeper and hence, increasing their water holding capacity and prevent or reduce flooding of lower plains, especially river delta.
Government resources should better be used in such large-scale dredging of big rivers. Government should not waste our tax money conducting those useless climate meetings and climate bureaucracies that tell people to prepare for “more drought, more warming, rising ocean” as these things will not come. We should prepare for more rains, more flood, and rising rivers.
-------See also:
Farming Notes 1: Dr. Samran Sombatpanit and WASWC, June 17, 2008
Farming Notes 2: My Treehouse, August 16, 2010
Farming Notes 3: Bt Eggplants vs Environmentalists, December 20, 2010
Climate Stupidity 25: Wetter or Drier, We Send them More Money, December 29, 2011
IPR and Medicines 19: Miracle Anti-Cancer Drug?
Two days ago, two friends posted this article below in their facebook status. One is a physician, the other is a reporter whose brother is a cancer patient, and they both wonder if this is possible -- a miracle anti-cancer drug. Here's the story:
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/228583-Scientists-cure-cancer-but-no-one-takes-notice
I commented in my friend's wall that this is a weird if not fictional story. No author, no name of "Canadian scientists" given, no name of a research center at the Univ. of Alberta, etc. It also attacks multinational pharma for their "patent greed". But if it is true that it is indeed a powerful and revolutionary drug and treatment and it's not patented, then there are thousands of generic manufacturers worldwide which are more than willing to manufacture and market such drug. So how come that none of the major generic manufacturers at least, are not coming in to develop and market it?
This is more like an urban legend story, like those "cars that run on water, but the big petrol companies are not interested in it." Unless more details are provided.
Another friend gave this link:
This came from snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/cancercure.asp
snopes.com: Scientists Cure Cancer, But No One Takes Notice
www.snopes.com
Snopes.com is for rumors and crackpot stories. If it's indeed true, then it should pass regulatory approvals by FDAs, and big generic companies like Unilab or Ranbaxy or Dr. Reddys will immediately manufacture it. Effective na, zero patent pa, where can you find such story except in rumor mills.
That story can also be compared to those "cure all" food supplement. Like this story which I wrote last year:
Food-Coffee as Drugs
January 18, 2011
Some drugs, food and drink supplements that are said to act like drugs and vaccines, are sold not in drugstores and pharmacies, but in ordinary houses and offices, or sold by ambulant vendors walking in the streets, moving from house to house, the drugs are in their bags.
Quality of these drugs and food supplement is suspect given the way they are stored, handled and transported. Also, their manufacturers and wholesalers are most likely not properly registered with the government's Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), or they do not belong to any of the existing drug manufacturers and traders' associations like PHAP (mostly multinationals) and PCPI (domestic).
Here is an example of those "miracle" drinks and food supplement. A coffee and chocolate that can help prevent more than two dozen type of diseases! I took this and the next 2 pictures of the posters on the wall of a car repair shop in Quezon City last month. I do not know when these posters were put there.
That coffee and chocolate is one of the many food supplements of "DXN Products: One world one market" as shown in this picture. There is no name of the manufacturer, only the name of the seller, a certain "Mar/Luisa" and their telephone number. But the poster said their products have the "Quality Seals (from) BFAD, TGA, USFDA, DSAP, HALAL, ISO".
Here's a close up picture of the diseases that those food and drinks supplement can help prevent: "Cancer,... Tumor, chronic hepatitis, liver cirhosis, varicose veins, renal diseases, tuberculosis, constipation, bronchitis, migraine, sinusitis, obesity, asthma, diabetis, kidney stones".
They are indeed miracle food and drinks -- if they are true. I do not know how many types of cancer, probably a dozen or two, and their food-coffee products can help prevent various types of cancer.
The FDA, DOH, DTI and other government agencies are supposed to check these sellers and producers because it involves public health. A poor man suffering from any or many of the diseases mentioned and is desperate to get well without seeing a doctor, without undergoing expensive laboratory and diagnostic tests, without buying expensive medicines and vaccines, will be tempted to buy their products. If that person will not get well, or if he becomes even more sickly as the disease in his body is not killed or controlled and further evolves and expands, that person would not know. Perhaps he will think that he did not get well because he did not buy the other goods advertised by the sellers of "DXN Products".
But I do not believe that the government agencies mentioned above have the resources or the intention to do that job. The other food and drug manufacturers would have some idea of who these manufacturers are and where they are located, so they can help report these people to government authorities. Or civil society groups and private citizens can report or just expose these firms and their products.
The desire to find "magic" and "miracle" drugs, food and drinks which are cheap and easily available is understandable, especially if one is poor. The government can help attain this goal by drastically cutting or removing all taxes and fees on legitimate drugs and food supplement to make them more affordable. Or by inviting and attracting more producers and sellers of those cheap and effective drugs and food supplement, both domestic and multinationals, provided they are legitimately registered with FDA and/or they belong to any publicly-recognized industry associations. The latter will police their ranks and not accept applicants, or kick out members, that violate their code of ethics and business practices that can endanger public health.
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/228583-Scientists-cure-cancer-but-no-one-takes-notice
Canadian researchers find a simple cure for cancer, but major pharmaceutical companies are not interested.
Researchers at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada have cured cancer last week, yet there is a little ripple in the news or in TV. It is a simple technique using very basic drug. The method employs dichloroacetate, which is currently used to treat metabolic disorders. So, there is no concern of side effects or about their long term effects.
This drug doesn't require a patent, so anyone can employ it widely and cheaply compared to the costly cancer drugs produced by major pharmaceutical companies.
Canadian scientists tested this dichloroacetate (DCA) on human's cells; it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells and left the healthy cells alone. It was tested on Rats inflicted with severe tumors; their cells shrank when they were fed with water supplemented with DCA. The drug is widely available and the technique is easy to use, why the major drug companies are not involved? Or the Media interested in this find?
In human bodies there is a natural cancer fighting human cell, the mitochondria, but they need to be triggered to be effective. Scientists used to think that these mitochondria cells were damaged and thus ineffective against cancer. So they used to focus on glycolysis, which is less effective in curing cancer and more wasteful. The drug manufacturers focused on this glycolysis method to fight cancer. This DCA on the other hand doesn't rely on glycolysis instead on mitochondria; it triggers the mitochondria which in turn fights the cancer cells.
The side effect of this is it also reactivates a process called apoptosis. You see, mitochondria contain an all-too-important self-destruct button that can't be pressed in cancer cells. Without it, tumors grow larger as cells refuse to be extinguished. Fully functioning mitochondria, thanks to DCA, can once again die.
With glycolysis turned off, the body produces less lactic acid, so the bad tissue around cancer cells doesn't break down and seed new tumors.
Pharmaceutical companies are not investing in this research because DCA method cannot be patented, without a patent they can't make money, like they are doing now with their AIDS Patent. Since the pharmaceutical companies won't develop this, the article says other independent laboratories should start producing this drug and do more research to confirm all the above findings and produce drugs. All the groundwork can be done in collaboration with the Universities, who will be glad to assist in such research and can develop an effective drug for curing cancer.
You can access the original research for this cancer here.
This article wants to raise awareness for this study, hope some independent companies and small startup will pick up this idea and produce these drugs, because the big companies won't touch it for a long time.
Researchers at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada have cured cancer last week, yet there is a little ripple in the news or in TV. It is a simple technique using very basic drug. The method employs dichloroacetate, which is currently used to treat metabolic disorders. So, there is no concern of side effects or about their long term effects.
This drug doesn't require a patent, so anyone can employ it widely and cheaply compared to the costly cancer drugs produced by major pharmaceutical companies.
Canadian scientists tested this dichloroacetate (DCA) on human's cells; it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells and left the healthy cells alone. It was tested on Rats inflicted with severe tumors; their cells shrank when they were fed with water supplemented with DCA. The drug is widely available and the technique is easy to use, why the major drug companies are not involved? Or the Media interested in this find?
In human bodies there is a natural cancer fighting human cell, the mitochondria, but they need to be triggered to be effective. Scientists used to think that these mitochondria cells were damaged and thus ineffective against cancer. So they used to focus on glycolysis, which is less effective in curing cancer and more wasteful. The drug manufacturers focused on this glycolysis method to fight cancer. This DCA on the other hand doesn't rely on glycolysis instead on mitochondria; it triggers the mitochondria which in turn fights the cancer cells.
The side effect of this is it also reactivates a process called apoptosis. You see, mitochondria contain an all-too-important self-destruct button that can't be pressed in cancer cells. Without it, tumors grow larger as cells refuse to be extinguished. Fully functioning mitochondria, thanks to DCA, can once again die.
With glycolysis turned off, the body produces less lactic acid, so the bad tissue around cancer cells doesn't break down and seed new tumors.
Pharmaceutical companies are not investing in this research because DCA method cannot be patented, without a patent they can't make money, like they are doing now with their AIDS Patent. Since the pharmaceutical companies won't develop this, the article says other independent laboratories should start producing this drug and do more research to confirm all the above findings and produce drugs. All the groundwork can be done in collaboration with the Universities, who will be glad to assist in such research and can develop an effective drug for curing cancer.
You can access the original research for this cancer here.
This article wants to raise awareness for this study, hope some independent companies and small startup will pick up this idea and produce these drugs, because the big companies won't touch it for a long time.
I commented in my friend's wall that this is a weird if not fictional story. No author, no name of "Canadian scientists" given, no name of a research center at the Univ. of Alberta, etc. It also attacks multinational pharma for their "patent greed". But if it is true that it is indeed a powerful and revolutionary drug and treatment and it's not patented, then there are thousands of generic manufacturers worldwide which are more than willing to manufacture and market such drug. So how come that none of the major generic manufacturers at least, are not coming in to develop and market it?
This is more like an urban legend story, like those "cars that run on water, but the big petrol companies are not interested in it." Unless more details are provided.
Another friend gave this link:
This came from snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/cancercure.asp
snopes.com: Scientists Cure Cancer, But No One Takes Notice
www.snopes.com
Snopes.com is for rumors and crackpot stories. If it's indeed true, then it should pass regulatory approvals by FDAs, and big generic companies like Unilab or Ranbaxy or Dr. Reddys will immediately manufacture it. Effective na, zero patent pa, where can you find such story except in rumor mills.
That story can also be compared to those "cure all" food supplement. Like this story which I wrote last year:
Food-Coffee as Drugs
January 18, 2011
Some drugs, food and drink supplements that are said to act like drugs and vaccines, are sold not in drugstores and pharmacies, but in ordinary houses and offices, or sold by ambulant vendors walking in the streets, moving from house to house, the drugs are in their bags.
Quality of these drugs and food supplement is suspect given the way they are stored, handled and transported. Also, their manufacturers and wholesalers are most likely not properly registered with the government's Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), or they do not belong to any of the existing drug manufacturers and traders' associations like PHAP (mostly multinationals) and PCPI (domestic).
Here is an example of those "miracle" drinks and food supplement. A coffee and chocolate that can help prevent more than two dozen type of diseases! I took this and the next 2 pictures of the posters on the wall of a car repair shop in Quezon City last month. I do not know when these posters were put there.
That coffee and chocolate is one of the many food supplements of "DXN Products: One world one market" as shown in this picture. There is no name of the manufacturer, only the name of the seller, a certain "Mar/Luisa" and their telephone number. But the poster said their products have the "Quality Seals (from) BFAD, TGA, USFDA, DSAP, HALAL, ISO".
Here's a close up picture of the diseases that those food and drinks supplement can help prevent: "Cancer,... Tumor, chronic hepatitis, liver cirhosis, varicose veins, renal diseases, tuberculosis, constipation, bronchitis, migraine, sinusitis, obesity, asthma, diabetis, kidney stones".They are indeed miracle food and drinks -- if they are true. I do not know how many types of cancer, probably a dozen or two, and their food-coffee products can help prevent various types of cancer.
The FDA, DOH, DTI and other government agencies are supposed to check these sellers and producers because it involves public health. A poor man suffering from any or many of the diseases mentioned and is desperate to get well without seeing a doctor, without undergoing expensive laboratory and diagnostic tests, without buying expensive medicines and vaccines, will be tempted to buy their products. If that person will not get well, or if he becomes even more sickly as the disease in his body is not killed or controlled and further evolves and expands, that person would not know. Perhaps he will think that he did not get well because he did not buy the other goods advertised by the sellers of "DXN Products".
But I do not believe that the government agencies mentioned above have the resources or the intention to do that job. The other food and drug manufacturers would have some idea of who these manufacturers are and where they are located, so they can help report these people to government authorities. Or civil society groups and private citizens can report or just expose these firms and their products.
The desire to find "magic" and "miracle" drugs, food and drinks which are cheap and easily available is understandable, especially if one is poor. The government can help attain this goal by drastically cutting or removing all taxes and fees on legitimate drugs and food supplement to make them more affordable. Or by inviting and attracting more producers and sellers of those cheap and effective drugs and food supplement, both domestic and multinationals, provided they are legitimately registered with FDA and/or they belong to any publicly-recognized industry associations. The latter will police their ranks and not accept applicants, or kick out members, that violate their code of ethics and business practices that can endanger public health.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Climate Tricks 1: 4.5 Billion People to Die This Year
Starting this year, I am changing the thread title from "Climate Stupidity" to "Climate Tricks". Some friends suggested that the former sounds too brutal and combative. I agree, somehow, so I will mellow down, will use the latter. After all, AGW has become scary and threatening due to various tricks used by the proponents of that hypothesis, like the "hockey stick" graph of global temperature as tricked by Prof. Michael Mann of Penn State U. And that is why it's also called "Mann-made warming."
This headline from The Canadian made just four years ago is really scary. Some 4.5 billion of us in this planet could die this year because of global warming. Anthony Watts of WUWT made this blog entry two days ago:
Now, aren't you scared?
Also four years ago, Al Gore boldly predicted of an ice-free Arctic by 2014. Steven Goddard posted,
The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
January 3, 2012
Ok, here is the sea ice extent in the Arctic as of yesterday, January 2, 2012. Graph is from the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), Center for Ocean and Ice. The lowest level in 2011 was about 4.2 million sq. kms. of ice sometime in late September. The highest level was about 11.2 million sq. kms. of ice sometime in early March 2011.
The satellite picture as of two days ago, January 1, 2012, is from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
Anything so scary and threatening about the Arctic ice? Hard data says No, while Al Gore and the UN -- IPCC, FCCC, WMO, UNEP, etc. -- say Yes.
Meanwhile, here's the end-December 2011 global air and tropospheric temperature anomaly, from Dr. Roy Spencer of UAH, http://www.drroyspencer.com/
Finally, there will be a symposium on geology and climate (alarmism) on Friday in UP.
“Your Daily Dose of Earth Science” Symposium
January 5, 2012
Audio-Visual Room, National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS)
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
0905 Welcome Remarks
Dean Jose Maria Balmaceda, UP College of Science
0920 Keynote Address
Secretary Mario G. Montejo, Department of Science and Technology
1000 Climate Change after Durban
Dean Antonio G. M. La Viña (Dean, Ateneo School of Government)
1030 Renewable Energy Outlook
Dir. Mario C. Marasigan (Director IV, Renewable Energy Management Bureau, Department of Energy)
1100 Trends in Geosciences Education in the Philippines
Dr. Graciano P. Yumul Jr.
(Undersecretary for Research and Development, Department of Science & Technology)
1130 Promoting a Culture of Safety, Health, Environmental Protection and Social Development (SHES) in the Mining Industry
Engr. Louie R. Sarmiento (President, Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association)
1330 Geology and the Management of Our Water Resources
Dr. Carlos Primo C. David (Professor, UP National Institute of Geological Sciences)
1400 Geology - Main Tool in Mineral Discoveries
Mr. Hernulfo B. Ruelo & Mr. Ciceron A. Angeles Jr. (Consultants)
1430 Can Nuclear Waste be Disposed of Safely?
Dr. Carlo A. Arcilla (Director, UP National Institute of Geological Sciences)
1530 Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study
Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. (Director, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology)
1600 The National Geohazards Mapping & Assessment Program of the Mines & Geosciences Bureau-Department of Environment & Natural Resources
Dr. Karlo L. Queaño (Supervising Science Research Specialist, Mines & Geosciences Bureau)
Be careful today and tonight, billions may die
UPDATE: January 1st, 2012 – still here, no reports of mass deaths at the last minute. – Anthony
Global warming may go on a last minute rampage. Maybe best to just stay at home and lock your doors, bar your windows, and turn your air conditioner on. If you live near the coast, head for high ground. Deaths due to drinking and driving will be nothing compared to this.
This story appeared in The Canadian January 8th, 2007, it’s been a countdown example of stupidity ever since. Unbelievably, it is still on their website. Note today’s date....
Now, aren't you scared?
Also four years ago, Al Gore boldly predicted of an ice-free Arctic by 2014. Steven Goddard posted,
The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
January 3, 2012
The Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2007 was of course sex poodle Al Gore and theHimalayas gone by 2035 IPCC. In his acceptance speech, Al Gore compared his brave work (lying to children for a fast buck) to that of fighting the Nazis. He predicted an ice-free Arctic by 2014.
We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency – a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here. But there is hopeful news as well: we have the ability to solve this crisis and avoid the worst – though not all – of its consequences, if we act boldly, decisively and quickly.However, despite a growing number of honorable exceptions, too many of the world’s leaders are still best described in the words Winston Churchill applied to those who ignored Adolf Hitler’s threat: “They go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all powerful to be impotent.”Last September 21, as the Northern Hemisphere tilted away from the sun, scientists reported with unprecedented distress that the North Polar ice cap is “falling off a cliff.” One …. new study, to be presented by U.S. Navy researchers later this week, warns it could happen in as little as 7 years.Al Gore
Ok, here is the sea ice extent in the Arctic as of yesterday, January 2, 2012. Graph is from the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), Center for Ocean and Ice. The lowest level in 2011 was about 4.2 million sq. kms. of ice sometime in late September. The highest level was about 11.2 million sq. kms. of ice sometime in early March 2011.
The satellite picture as of two days ago, January 1, 2012, is from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
Anything so scary and threatening about the Arctic ice? Hard data says No, while Al Gore and the UN -- IPCC, FCCC, WMO, UNEP, etc. -- say Yes.
Meanwhile, here's the end-December 2011 global air and tropospheric temperature anomaly, from Dr. Roy Spencer of UAH, http://www.drroyspencer.com/
UAH Global Temperature Update for Dec. 2011: +0.13 deg. C
January 3rd, 2012The global average lower tropospheric temperature anomaly for December, 2011 remained about the same November, +0.13 deg. C (click on the image for the full-size version):
The 3rd order polynomial fit to the data (courtesy of Excel) is for entertainment purposes only, and should not be construed as having any predictive value whatsoever.
Here are the monthly stats for 2010 and 2011:
YR MON GLOBAL NH SH TROPICS
2010 1 +0.542 +0.675 +0.410 +0.635
2010 2 +0.510 +0.553 +0.466 +0.759
2010 3 +0.554 +0.665 +0.443 +0.721
2010 4 +0.400 +0.606 +0.193 +0.633
2010 5 +0.454 +0.642 +0.265 +0.706
2010 6 +0.385 +0.482 +0.287 +0.485
2010 7 +0.419 +0.558 +0.280 +0.370
2010 8 +0.441 +0.579 +0.304 +0.321
2010 9 +0.477 +0.410 +0.545 +0.237
2010 10 +0.306 +0.257 +0.356 +0.106
2010 11 +0.273 +0.372 +0.173 -0.117
2010 12 +0.181 +0.217 +0.145 -0.222
2011 1 -0.010 -0.055 +0.036 -0.372
2011 2 -0.020 -0.042 +0.002 -0.348
2011 3 -0.101 -0.073 -0.128 -0.342
2011 4 +0.117 +0.195 +0.039 -0.229
2011 5 +0.133 +0.145 +0.121 -0.043
2011 6 +0.315 +0.379 +0.250 +0.233
2011 7 +0.374 +0.344 +0.404 +0.204
2011 8 +0.327 +0.321 +0.332 +0.155
2011 9 +0.289 +0.304 +0.274 +0.178
2011 10 +0.116 +0.169 +0.062 -0.054
2011 11 +0.123 +0.075 +0.170 +0.024
2011 12 +0.127 +0.197 +0.057 +0.043
YR MON GLOBAL NH SH TROPICS
2010 1 +0.542 +0.675 +0.410 +0.635
2010 2 +0.510 +0.553 +0.466 +0.759
2010 3 +0.554 +0.665 +0.443 +0.721
2010 4 +0.400 +0.606 +0.193 +0.633
2010 5 +0.454 +0.642 +0.265 +0.706
2010 6 +0.385 +0.482 +0.287 +0.485
2010 7 +0.419 +0.558 +0.280 +0.370
2010 8 +0.441 +0.579 +0.304 +0.321
2010 9 +0.477 +0.410 +0.545 +0.237
2010 10 +0.306 +0.257 +0.356 +0.106
2010 11 +0.273 +0.372 +0.173 -0.117
2010 12 +0.181 +0.217 +0.145 -0.222
2011 1 -0.010 -0.055 +0.036 -0.372
2011 2 -0.020 -0.042 +0.002 -0.348
2011 3 -0.101 -0.073 -0.128 -0.342
2011 4 +0.117 +0.195 +0.039 -0.229
2011 5 +0.133 +0.145 +0.121 -0.043
2011 6 +0.315 +0.379 +0.250 +0.233
2011 7 +0.374 +0.344 +0.404 +0.204
2011 8 +0.327 +0.321 +0.332 +0.155
2011 9 +0.289 +0.304 +0.274 +0.178
2011 10 +0.116 +0.169 +0.062 -0.054
2011 11 +0.123 +0.075 +0.170 +0.024
2011 12 +0.127 +0.197 +0.057 +0.043
Finally, there will be a symposium on geology and climate (alarmism) on Friday in UP.
“Your Daily Dose of Earth Science” Symposium
January 5, 2012
Audio-Visual Room, National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS)
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
0905 Welcome Remarks
Dean Jose Maria Balmaceda, UP College of Science
0920 Keynote Address
Secretary Mario G. Montejo, Department of Science and Technology
1000 Climate Change after Durban
Dean Antonio G. M. La Viña (Dean, Ateneo School of Government)
1030 Renewable Energy Outlook
Dir. Mario C. Marasigan (Director IV, Renewable Energy Management Bureau, Department of Energy)
1100 Trends in Geosciences Education in the Philippines
Dr. Graciano P. Yumul Jr.
(Undersecretary for Research and Development, Department of Science & Technology)
1130 Promoting a Culture of Safety, Health, Environmental Protection and Social Development (SHES) in the Mining Industry
Engr. Louie R. Sarmiento (President, Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association)
1330 Geology and the Management of Our Water Resources
Dr. Carlos Primo C. David (Professor, UP National Institute of Geological Sciences)
1400 Geology - Main Tool in Mineral Discoveries
Mr. Hernulfo B. Ruelo & Mr. Ciceron A. Angeles Jr. (Consultants)
1430 Can Nuclear Waste be Disposed of Safely?
Dr. Carlo A. Arcilla (Director, UP National Institute of Geological Sciences)
1530 Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study
Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. (Director, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology)
1600 The National Geohazards Mapping & Assessment Program of the Mines & Geosciences Bureau-Department of Environment & Natural Resources
Dr. Karlo L. Queaño (Supervising Science Research Specialist, Mines & Geosciences Bureau)
Monday, January 02, 2012
Migration and Freedom 15: Visa Free for Filipinos
I saw this interesting info -- some 89 countries do not require any pre-departure visa for Philippine nationals for short visits. For longer stay, a visa will be required.
Personally, I believe that the visa system should be abolished. All travelers will only be required to bring their passports as their "national ID" just to determine that they are a national or resident of a particular country, that they have no outstanding criminal record in their country that their passports have to be cancelled. We do not want murderers, rapists and thieves to be roaming around the world.
What will prevent "abuse" of travel by some people is the prospect of starving and/or harsh weather or cultural conditions in foreign land if the traveler is unskilled or have no definite job or schooling to land there. Governments only have to promulgate the rule of law in their respective countries, and normally there are certain laws that are universal: no killing/murder, no stealing. Protection of citizens' right to private property, right to life.
I'm not sure if this list is found in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website, I think not. But nonetheless, prospective Filipino travelers can check with the embassy or consular offices of their destination country/ies before flying.
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http://twentyfive.hubpages.com/hub/Visa-Exemption-for-Filipinos
Visa Free for Pinoys
By twentyfive
If you’re a Filipino and a holder of Philippine passport who likes traveling and exploring the beauty of the world, but hates the visa requirement to some countries, frown no more for you can still go to wonderful places without hassle-visa-appointments.
The list of countries below doesn’t require a visa for Filipinos prior to arrival. All you need are passport, plane tickets / itinerary, and some money for your tour.
No Visa Required for Filipinos in the Following Countries…
Asia
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
Brunei Darussalam - 14 days
Cambodia - 21 days
Indonesia - 30 days
Laos - 30 days
Malaysia - 30 days
Singapore - 30 days
Thailand - 30 days
Vietnam - 21 days
What will prevent "abuse" of travel by some people is the prospect of starving and/or harsh weather or cultural conditions in foreign land if the traveler is unskilled or have no definite job or schooling to land there. Governments only have to promulgate the rule of law in their respective countries, and normally there are certain laws that are universal: no killing/murder, no stealing. Protection of citizens' right to private property, right to life.
I'm not sure if this list is found in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website, I think not. But nonetheless, prospective Filipino travelers can check with the embassy or consular offices of their destination country/ies before flying.
--------
http://twentyfive.hubpages.com/hub/Visa-Exemption-for-Filipinos
Visa Free for Pinoys
By twentyfive
If you’re a Filipino and a holder of Philippine passport who likes traveling and exploring the beauty of the world, but hates the visa requirement to some countries, frown no more for you can still go to wonderful places without hassle-visa-appointments.
The list of countries below doesn’t require a visa for Filipinos prior to arrival. All you need are passport, plane tickets / itinerary, and some money for your tour.
No Visa Required for Filipinos in the Following Countries…
Asia
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
Brunei Darussalam - 14 days
Cambodia - 21 days
Indonesia - 30 days
Laos - 30 days
Malaysia - 30 days
Singapore - 30 days
Thailand - 30 days
Vietnam - 21 days
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Migration and Freedom 14: Shrink or Abolish the POEA
Employment, whether domestic or foreign, is a private contract between the employers and employees. If the terms and price are right, a contract can be signed between the two; if not, the employers will turn down a job applicant, or the latter will turn down a prospective employer's offer. The role of government is mainly to enforce the rule of law, the private contract between the two, to set transparency mechanisms so that both camps are really what they say they are. That is, a prospective employer is indeed a hotel/restaurant and not a prostitution house looking for innocent women to traffic and victimize.
When a government agency comes in to make such private contract as complicated and as costly as possible by requiring lots of permits and certificates, both from employers and would be employees, that agency is becoming a parasite and hence, should either be drastically shrank or abolished altogether.
Here are three papers that argue for the shrinking or abolition of the Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration (POEA). The first is a newspaper commentary yesterday, the other two are my old papers on the subject.
--------
http://opinion.inquirer.net/20199/second-class-citizens
Commentary
Philippine Daily Inquirer
THIS Christmas season, thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will have had their constitutional rights violated at the world’s worst airport.
I met Marc one Sunday evening at NAIA 1. He skipped dinner with his family, not wanting to risk a long Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) desk queue and miss the 10 p.m. flight back to Singapore. An elite Ateneo Management Engineering graduate now in a global investment bank, he is one of thousands of young professionals in Singapore and Hong Kong juggling priceless short trips home with an international career. He is one of thousands of young professionals resigned to sacrificing brief moments with their families for inane POEA queues.
After my first Christmas home, I found myself begging a POEA officer to issue my clearance because my plane was taking off in 30 minutes. Without looking up, he sternly ordered me to return to the queue and wait. I boarded only after staring down the guard at immigration, claiming to be a tourist.
It is an open secret that the POEA was formed by torturers left jobless by Edsa. In Singapore, I must travel during office hours to our embassy, not the most accessible of places, to purchase an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC). My papers are never checked and I routinely write conflicting information in the forms. (I will try “drug mule” on my next OEC). I must then have the OEC certified at NAIA’s POEA desk because it might be fake.
Being the world’s worst airport, NAIA 1 requires Filipinos to queue outside to enter; foreigners have heralds who shout “Business class, business class!” and ask Filipinos, guards included, to make way. Because the POEA desk is brilliantly located outside the departure area, one better be early to first queue at the POEA desk then queue to enter NAIA 1 before one’s check-in counter closes. One may be forced to queue to enter, queue to check in, exit NAIA 1 to queue at the POEA desk, then queue yet again to reenter. Especially if a 747-load of travelers to Los Angeles intervenes, one can readily miss one’s flight and get fired.
The best part is check in, and immigration officers ask to see my Singapore employment pass anyway. Shown my hard-won OEC, they explain that it and the POEA certification may be fake.
Amid such silliness, picture OFWs clutching thick envelopes of documents and their last shreds of dignity as they make obeisance to the POEA. Picture a Filipino professional, trying to be taken seriously in an international team, forced to beg one’s colleagues to leave early for the airport because his OEC might be declared fake.
When a government agency comes in to make such private contract as complicated and as costly as possible by requiring lots of permits and certificates, both from employers and would be employees, that agency is becoming a parasite and hence, should either be drastically shrank or abolished altogether.
Here are three papers that argue for the shrinking or abolition of the Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration (POEA). The first is a newspaper commentary yesterday, the other two are my old papers on the subject.
--------
http://opinion.inquirer.net/20199/second-class-citizens
Commentary
Second-class citizens
By: Oscar Franklin Tan *Philippine Daily Inquirer
THIS Christmas season, thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will have had their constitutional rights violated at the world’s worst airport.
I met Marc one Sunday evening at NAIA 1. He skipped dinner with his family, not wanting to risk a long Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) desk queue and miss the 10 p.m. flight back to Singapore. An elite Ateneo Management Engineering graduate now in a global investment bank, he is one of thousands of young professionals in Singapore and Hong Kong juggling priceless short trips home with an international career. He is one of thousands of young professionals resigned to sacrificing brief moments with their families for inane POEA queues.
After my first Christmas home, I found myself begging a POEA officer to issue my clearance because my plane was taking off in 30 minutes. Without looking up, he sternly ordered me to return to the queue and wait. I boarded only after staring down the guard at immigration, claiming to be a tourist.
It is an open secret that the POEA was formed by torturers left jobless by Edsa. In Singapore, I must travel during office hours to our embassy, not the most accessible of places, to purchase an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC). My papers are never checked and I routinely write conflicting information in the forms. (I will try “drug mule” on my next OEC). I must then have the OEC certified at NAIA’s POEA desk because it might be fake.
Being the world’s worst airport, NAIA 1 requires Filipinos to queue outside to enter; foreigners have heralds who shout “Business class, business class!” and ask Filipinos, guards included, to make way. Because the POEA desk is brilliantly located outside the departure area, one better be early to first queue at the POEA desk then queue to enter NAIA 1 before one’s check-in counter closes. One may be forced to queue to enter, queue to check in, exit NAIA 1 to queue at the POEA desk, then queue yet again to reenter. Especially if a 747-load of travelers to Los Angeles intervenes, one can readily miss one’s flight and get fired.
The best part is check in, and immigration officers ask to see my Singapore employment pass anyway. Shown my hard-won OEC, they explain that it and the POEA certification may be fake.
Amid such silliness, picture OFWs clutching thick envelopes of documents and their last shreds of dignity as they make obeisance to the POEA. Picture a Filipino professional, trying to be taken seriously in an international team, forced to beg one’s colleagues to leave early for the airport because his OEC might be declared fake.
Fireworks and Liberty: New Year 2012
It's 6am here in Manila as I write this. Europe will have their 12:01 am of January 1, 2012 in two hours. Just one advanctage of being in East Asia, we're +7 to +8 hours GMT.
One good thing this new year -- there are less firecracker explosions than in previous years. Or there may be about the same, but they end quick.
Another is that the gory photos and videos of people who lose their arms and other body parts has scared many people from buying those powerful firecrackers. There are also government campaigns, led by the DOH, to discourage people from lighting those firecrackers.
Fireworks mean glitzy and colorful lights on the evening sky. They also symbolize economic prosperity of the people, or some wealth (even borrowed one) of governments, who sponsor the celebration and light up the sky. And only liberty and economic freedom can guarantee economic prosperity. Economic monopolization and centralization, usually by political dictatorships, always result in disaster and mass poverty.
New year means new challenges. Or looking at old challenges in a newer perspective. Each passing day, month and year is a stepping stone to acquire new knowledge and new perspectives. Slowly we are building a more modern, more plural, more diverse but more peaceful society. There is less war around the world, and any existing wars are always sponsored by BIG governments with big armies and big debts.
And slowly we are building a more free society into the future. For ourselves, our children and the generations to come.
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