Hundreds of birds fall from sky in Australia

SYDNEY -- Australian authorities are investigating the mysterious deaths of hundreds of birds that dropped from the sky over a small coastal town in a period of a few weeks.

Residents of Esperance in Western Australia found their suburban properties littered with the bodies of honeyeaters, wattle birds and yellow-throated miners.

"The loss of birds has been so noticeable people are saying”. The investigator said that the only possible explanations would be a sudden epidemic of disease or a natural or manmade toxic substance. "It doesn't appear to be an infectious cause. Certainly, one thing that is being considered is a toxin".

"The birds are dying around sprinklers, water tanks, and birdbaths. They're seeking water and they're dying around those water points," said district nature conservation coordinator Mike Fitzgerald.

* The earth is becoming very much polluted. Many alien or foreign substances and elements are added destroying up the balance in our nature and these are known as pollutants.

Like what happened in Australia, vast amount of birds of different species have fallen dead from the sky on areas around sprinklers, water tanks and birdbaths. The investigation found out that the reason why this thing had happened is because of toxic. Toxic that came out from different human activities.

Poor innocent birds who are just seeking for water is became victims of man made toxic substances. They have lost their lives because of our negligence and careless acts towards nature.

Does lot of birds have to scarify their lives before we became aware of what we are doing towards nature? Do they have to die before we realize the effects of pollution? Or do we have to loose lives of our relatives or loves ones before we take some actions?


Reference: Inquirer online news
First posted 14:15:07 (Mla time) 2007-01-11 Agence France-Presse

Another virgin birth

Komodo dragon are just few of the animals that are becoming to extinct.

JUST BEFORE Christmas, the media excitedly reported that Flora, the Komodo dragon at the Chester Zoo in England, was due to become a mother. The reason for all the hype, though, is that Flora is a virgin; she’s been at the zoo since she was a year old and hasn’t been exposed to any male Komodo dragons since 1999, as Komodo dragons are supposed to reproduce when a male inseminates a female.

A team of researchers led by Phillip Watts at the University of Liverpool genetically profiled some of Flora’s eggs that had collapsed early on and found that the lizard was indeed the sole genetic parent. In short, the Komodo dragon, isolated from its kind and feeling the need to breed, had parthenogenetically reproduced. Parthenogenesis is the process by which offspring are produced without any male involvement. Very few vertebrate species use this method to reproduce.

This happening really made the zookeeper happier for this simply means that the pregnancy of Flora (Komodo dragon) delays the verge of extinction of Komodo dragon in the world, perhaps parthenogenesis transpires to Flora because she feels that they’re family or kind is one by one diminishing.

Komodo dragons have the unique ability to have existed for as long as they have the unique combination of genes that is given to each child by both its parents’ increases genetic diversity. Interestingly, Flora, the first Komodo dragon chooses this kind of reproductive route.

If Flora’s egg will hatch successfully, like what I have said before it will delay their verge of extinction, but should we rely on Parthenogenesis reproduction or should we ACT and TAKE CARE of this extinct animals so that children of the next generation will be acquainted with them. And that they would enjoy to see the beauty of earth and its nature.

Reference: Inquirer online news
First posted 02:00:38 (Mla time) 2007-01-06 Massie Santos Ballon Inquirer

Seafood restaurant owner faces 10 years in jail

MANILA -- The owner of a seafood restaurant that allegedly defied a government closure order after it allegedly polluted the Manila Bay may be jailed for 10 years and pay fines up to P10 million, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said on Wednesday.

The Seafood Seaside Market on Roxas Boulevard in Parañaque City was ordered closed in October 2006 for allegedly discharging untreated waste water into the bay.

The DENR found during a check in November that the restaurant had removed the government-installed padlocks in the establishment and the seal on its central water valve.

“During the deliberations on the case, the (Pollution Adjudication Board of the DENR) was exasperated by the respondents’ reprehensible act of removing the padlocks and seals placed without prior approval from the DENR secretary,” the board said in its order.

On Tuesday, the National Anti-Environment Crime Task Force and the Environmental Management Bureau in Metro Manila implemented the board order again, placing locks and resealing the water system.

The PAB said that unless the restaurant owners would explain satisfactorily why they defied the cease-and-desist order, they would face fines of up to P200,000 a day from Nov. 17, when the establishment was found to have removed the locks and seal, until they were replaced on Tuesday.

The DENR’s computation showed that the restaurant would pay a total of P10.6 million for the 53 days it was illegally open.

* Stores particularly these seafood restaurants must not only provide satisfying scrumptious foods but also they should play their role in the environment and surroundings from which their livelihood came from. Each should know how to dispose properly their waste/s so that it could not cause harm to other innocent people and natural resources. It is not necessary that the only thing they have focus in mind is how to gain much, much profit for if they neglect their duties and responsibilities to their environment suddenly their resources would be gone and they would have nothing to support their business. Not only would them be affected but also other people and living things that benefit and depend their lives in that body of water.

Reference: Inquirer online news
First posted 23:46:15 (Mla time) 2007-01-10 Norman Bordadora Inquirer

A Cure to Guimaras Oil Spill

MANILA, Philippines -- Seven months after a sunken tanker caused a major oil spill in the Philippine, the tanker spilled some of its cargo of 2 million liters (500,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil off the central island of Guimaras, damaging marine reserves and affecting about 26,000 people who depend on fishing.

Desperate attempts were made to contain the oil in the province, known for beach resorts and a pristine marine environment. The oil recovery is run by Sonsub, an Italian company specializing in deep-water operations.

Since the disaster, the company has embarked on a major public-relations exercise while paying for the cleanup.

Weeks after the August 11 sinking, authorities collected cast-off clippings of human hair from salon owners and volunteers, then put it in permeable sacks and used them as improvised booms to mop up the oil.

* Because of mismanagement of the cargo ship and overloading of the cargo itself, oil spill in Guimaras happened. It may not clearly stated among which party is entirely responsible, it is clearly seen that the ocean of Guimaras is aching from the damage that oil spill may cause not only for now but also in the near future.

It takes a lot of time before the wounds of the Guimaras Ocean totally heals. Much effort are exerted by the authority to clean this mess, they ask help from expert in different countries. High end technologies are used by them but none of them gives immediate cure to ease the pain the Guimaras Ocean are feeling. The authority asks and asks opinions on how to siphon the remaining oil from the tanker.

The Philippines may have low-tech with regards to technology but the finishing touch that ease the pain our nature (Guimaras Ocean) feels are the human hairs donated and collected from different persons and establishment like parlor and salon. Human hairs may seem useless for us but it proves its worth in this tragedy.

Not all things that seem to be useless are totally useless, its just we didn’t perceive to see its real worth like what the human hair does in Guimaras.


Reference: Remaining oil siphoned off from the sunken tanker in Guimaras
First posted 19:05:51 (Mla time) 2007-03-16 associated Press

Unanticipated Natural Calamities

Many are asking why there wasn't a warning system in place or if anything could have been done to warn people before calamities take place.

Scientists knew the earthquake had occurred very soon after the event, but because no international warning system had been put in place in certain country’s Ocean, they didn't know who to contact. The rich countries in the Pacific (such as Australia, Japan and the United States), who also suffer far more from tsunamis, do have such a system in place amongst them.

As a cruel irony, just a month or so before this disaster struck, nations around the Indian Ocean had agreed that they did not need a warning system. The costs for poor countries for such a system are considerable, and the likelihood of a tsunami is very small. Time has provided cruel perception after the fact, and now affected nations in the Indian Ocean will be installing a warning system in the region.

Another instance where a great calamity, preferably tsunami, is in the country of Indonesia wherein a town of it almost disappears because of that tragedy. Many lives are taken as well as infrastructure and source of living. This happens because people are not warned that a tsunami was going to happen at that time and place. If only they have the knowledge to know in advance.

Calamities are unanticipated; no one can tell when it would happen even advanced technology cannot tell the exact time and location when a tsunami or natural calamities will take place. There is something that could give human being signs….who are they…. Well, great heroes that could warn humans about natural calamities are the ANIMALS for they can feel and hear things that we, humans can not sensitively feel and hear. Animals can hear a frequency even from far that’s why they could know when to vacate a place and move to a safer one in advance. They could feel the earth’s lithosphere plate movement.

As a proof, elephants in Indonesia are used for transport but that time when the tsunami was about to happen they are bothered and distress and no one can control them. They make noises as if they want to tell something. Another thing, the main reason why there are birds in the mining tunnels because they can sense whether there are poison or harmful on air. When animals are disturbed or if they feel danger they make unnecessary movements and move to places that are secure. That’s why in case of natural calamities we could observe the animal’s behavior for us to know.

Population - a Stress on the environment and resources!!!

I have read news about the alarming growth of population and this is the reason why my topic for this blog is about POPULATION.


Population or having great number of people in different places is one of the major problem now a days not only here in the Philippines but as well as in other countries in the world, government strive hard create programs that educate individual in order to control the population growth. They even form laws commanding citizens to just have at least two siblings.

It is said to be that Population is a form of stress on the environment and resources!!! Why? Because as many human being are born, many resources are needed in order to supply their living even though they are living in a rich country with full of resources.

Study shows that globally, the 20% of the world's people in the highest-income countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditures - the poorest 20% a minuscule 1.3%. More specifically, the richest fifth:
· Consume 45% of all meat and fish, the poorest fifth 5%.
· Consume 58% of total energy, the poorest fifth less than 4%.
· Have 74% of all telephone lines, the poorest fifth 1.5%.
· Consume 84% of all paper, the poorest fifth 1.1%.
· Own 87% of the world's vehicle fleet, the poorest fifth less than 1%.
Runaway growth in consumption in the past 50 years is putting strains on the environment never before seen.

This study only proves that there will be a time that our resources will not be enough for the gigantic volume of people in the world. And that we have to do something now before time is not too late. We must also know how to consume things properly not only because of population, for when the time comes that our environment becomes tired of supplying our needs we will surely get nothing from it.

THERE SHOULD BE BALANCE ON EVERYTHING AS WELL AS IN HUMAN POPULATION

Agri' Dept Food Depots bring Market the Neighborhood

Business transaction with middleman makes the product price or services becomes more expensive or higher, thats why Taguig authority created a food depot market in their area wherein newly picked and fresh fruits and vegetables are directly delivered sold in their place. This depot serves as a warehouse or drop by area so that wholesalers do not need to go to a far away area in order just to make purchase of the products that they are supposed to sell to the retailers and consumers. This idea was generate for the reason that their enterprenuer has to wake up early like about 1 o'clock in the morning in order to be able to buy the newest fresh fruits and vegetables and also to buy plenty of them without being left over by other wholesalers.

Pro's: The depot creation will make the the business stronger and could make assurance that the people of Taguig buys only the freshest fruits and vegetables at a much lower price. This factor may really look simple for some of us but just try to image the benefit it could generate for the individual people living in the Taguig and other nearby areas.

Con's: Without this depot, wholesalers that comes from far away areas has to sacrifies much of their time in order to purchase good quality products to sell thus if they come late, the quality of the goods are lesser for the bests are already sold to other wholesalers. Prices are higher if there are middleman involve like for example the carrier of the vast volume of goods bought by an individual seller.