Bones Blog

Recent Empirical Evidence of a Star Trek Style Warp Drive?

2011-04-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

Predicted as one of the only viable means of interstellar travel centuries from now, are there recent phenomena pointing to the possibility of a naturally-occurring Star Trek style Warp Drive?

By: Ringo Bones

I think every physics and science fiction enthusiast can safely blame Prof. Miguel Alcubierre for pointing out the quirks of Einstein’s General Relativity theory that had once again further fuelled our romantic notion for faster-than-light interstellar travel. But is or are there a series of empirical evidence pointing to the possibility – make that natural phenomena – of a viable means of travelling faster-than-light without violating both of Einstein’s general and Special Relativity theories?

If one has to look for empirical evidence of the possibility of an Alcubierre Warp Drive occurring in nature, look no further than the mysterious, strange and wonderful experiences of folks brave or foolhardy enough to have ventured into the Bermuda Triangle. Back in December 5, 1945, the now notorious Flight 19 incident where a squadron of US Navy Avenger torpedo bombers mysteriously vanished after their flight path took them to the heart of the dreaded Bermuda Triangle – there were no survivors.

25 years after the Flight 19 incident, Bruce Gernon – author of The Fog – survives a mysterious occurrence in the Bermuda Triangle when the single-engine prop plane he was piloting that took off from Andros Island, Bimini to Miami International Airport. Gernon experienced first-hand what is now famously referred to as the Electronic Fog phenomena – often characterized by those who experienced it while flying inside the Bermuda Triangle region as akin to flying inside a tunnel and experiencing sudden acceleration and weightlessness.

Gernon later found out that there has been some flight time / flight duration anomalies when he and his plane managed to arrive within Miami International Airport faster than the 190-mph capability would suggest. Surprisingly, the time anomaly suggested that the single-engine prop plane he was piloting at the time with a designed top speed of around 190-mph achieved a flight time from Andros Island to Miami International Airport as if it was travelling at 2,000-mph! Gernon inexplicably managed to travel the 100-mile distance in just 3 minutes and landing with more fuel than expected. Even more curious is that during his mysterious flight into the “Electronic Fog” flight controllers at Miami International had noted that the prop plane piloted by Gernon vanished from their radar screens during that time. Does this phenomena point to the empirical evidence of an Alcubierre or a Star Trek style Warp Drive?

According to the at now famous White Paper that has catapulted Prof. Miguel Alcubierre to scientific fame back in the early 1990s – the initial energy pulse to make spacetime warp in a manner suitable enough for practical Warp Drive travel is about the energy yield of 2 trillion-trillion 50 megaton hydrogen bombs. This is probably the reason why futuristic starship designers of the 1990s suggested that Zero-Point energy could probably serve as the practical power source of the Alcubierre style Warp Drive since even in deep space, a volume of empty space the size of planet Earth contains enough potential Zero-Point energy equivalent to that of a gallon of gasoline.

Though further scientific scrutiny is needed, the strange phenomena experienced by Bruce Gernon while flying from Andros Island to Miami International Airport suggest that he may have flown into a naturally occurring Alcubierre style Warp Field. This might be so because given that Gernon’s 3-minute flight with his prop plane with a top speed of 190-mph allowed him to traverse the 100-mile distance in just 3 minutes with fuel expenditure of just a 3-minute flight. This is like manipulating the spacetime curvature to make it seem that a 190-mph prop plane appears to be travelling at 2,000-mph. Could it be that Mother Nature might allow us to circumvent the ultimate cosmological speed limit to allow us to explore and colonize the stars? Maybe our top physicists should look into the Bermuda Triangle phenomena with the scrutiny that it truly deserves.

Is Star Trek Erotica Part of the Official Canon?

2011-01-12T01:18:00.000-08:00

From the Secret Logs of Mistress Janeway to those 1980s-era Star Trek porn, are the various Star Trek-themed erotica that’s already out there truly part of the official Gene Roddenberry canon?

By: Ringo Bones

From the perspective of the Star Trek pundit, Star Trek-themed erotica – both “official” and “unofficial” - are often perceived to have sprung from Captain Kirk’s role of being a “ladies man” with various females of various alien species. Or maybe it is a critique of the “precocious sexuality “of your typical collectible-obsessed Trekkie or Trekker – but as of present – is probably no longer the case. But it does leave us hardcore Trekkies and Trekkers wondering whether the various Star Trek-themed erotica that’s already out there is part of the official Star Trek canon established by Gene Roddenberry?

Though Roddenberry has been a stickler when it comes to human on human conflict of his utopian 23rd Century United Federation of Planets’ administered universe, strict censorship laws of network TV – in the 1960s and now - has always relegated the “interesting” inter-species sexual practices in the Star Trek universe relegated to the privacy of the Federation crew’s bunk. But this haven’t prevented the release of a slew of Star Trek-themed sexually-explicit hardcore porno during the 1980s – though whether or not they are in violation of Paramount’s taskmasters’ strict copyright laws in another question altogether.

From the Secret logs of Mistress Janeway, Gorn Porn, Klingon Mating Rituals and various elaborately set-up Borg S& M bondage gear to rival Lady Gaga’s concert stage – or the offerings of San Fernando Valley – had slowly infiltrated into the Victorian-like tranquillity of Trekdom since the mid to late 1980s. Sadly, Gene Roddenberry passed away in 1991 before he can formulate guidelines governing evaluation procedures for Star Trek-themed erotica’s inclusion into the official Star Trek canon. Such guidelines governing Star Trek-themed porn would have made today’s Trekdom more interesting.

Is the Star Trek Franchise Pro Dalai Lama and Pro Free Tibet?

2010-08-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

As it was with Gene Roddenberry as it is now with J.J. Abrams, has the Star Trek franchise always been pro Dalai Lama and pro Free Tibet?

By: Ringo Bones

Whether he really intentionally showed it or not, the truth can be self-evident for some Trekkers and Trekkies whether – during his lifetime – Gene Roddemberry was ever sympathetic with the causes of His Holiness, The Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. From Roddenberry’s frequent use of the Sino-Indian War of 1962 as a creative science fiction literary tool to various Star Trek episodes mimicking the Dalai Lama’s exile into Dharamsala, India after Tibet was unlawfully annexed by the Beijing Government back in 1959. But is this proof enough that Gene Roddenberry is pro Dalai Lama and pro free Tibet?

Tales about strategically insignificant political and spiritual figures being pursued by an imperialist power with utter disregard of that imperialist power’s own eventually limited military resource. Like not following aspects of Sun Tsu’s Art of War when it comes to leaving alone strategically insignificant targets to fulfill the desired main objective. Like that Star Trek: Enterprise episode titled Fallen Hero. Where the Vulcan Ambassador named V’Lar - a strategically insignificant target - was pursued by corrupt alien agents with no regards to their limited resource.

J.J. Abrams even exploited this apparently “inexplicable” link of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Freedom cause to the Star Trek franchise. Like his decision to use one of the songs of the Beastie Boys – an unabashed Tibetan Freedom and Milarepa Fund supporters – titled Sabotage as part of the soundtrack of the latest Star Trek movie. Future moves to make the Star Trek franchise even pro Dalai Lama and pro Tibetan Freedom Movement would probably involve guest appearance of traditional Tibetan musicians and dancers. Like Yungchen Lhamo, Nawang Khechog and Chaksampa to make guest appearances in coming Star Trek episodes, movies and even on official Star Trek conventions.

Historicism in Star Trek: A Creative Way to Break Out of the Series Canon?

2010-08-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

J.J. Abrams may have done it to the dismay of long-time Star Trek fans, but is historicism a creatively valid way to break out of the Star Trek series canon?

By: Ringo Bones

Any work of Star Trek not adhering to the established series canon is often seen as an anathema by long-time Trekkies and Trekkers and is more often than not dismissed as nothing more than an aberration usually relegate to the dustbin of failed Star Trek concepts. J.J. Abrams’ rework of the established series canon in the recent Star Trek motion picture may have received howls of derision from veteran Trekkers but its state-of-the-art visual effects allowed it soldier on instead of being relegated to those Star Trek works deemed “too unconventional” for mainstream consumption by self-respecting Trekkies and Trekkers. But can there be a “creative” way to break out of the established Star Trek series canon while still embracing the “soul” that made long-time Trekkies and Trekkers fell in love with Star Trek in the first place?

Historicism is a not so oft used concept that may be already be used in the past – although not very often – Star Trek TV episodes. Historicism is a term derived from the German Historismus, which was first used in 1879 to characterize the mindset of Giovanni Battista Vico. It denotes an attitude which interprets all human concepts, values, and institutions as entirely the products of some individual and unrepeatable historical development, and hence limited and relative, without claim to universal meaning.

Historicism arose during the 19th Century in conscious opposition to the attitude of the Enlightenment, which had emphasized the constant and universal features of human life, and, as David Hume said, wrote history only to exhibit them. Historicism received its primary impetus from the Romantic Movement and was fostered in subsequent years by the great development and increasing specialization of historical studies throughout the civilized world.

Historicism’s impact upon philosophical thought had taken three main forms: a) it impugned the classical philosophy of history, which envisaged human life as a unitary development in time, realizing universal values of exemplifying universal laws; b) it urged that the logic of historical inquiry must differ from that of natural science, for the general laws by which natural science explains repetitive – or repeatable – physical events; c) its assertion of the relativity values seemed to threaten the capacity of mankind for strong conviction and decisive action.

The problem with historical relativism exercised many thinkers, in particular Ernst Troeltsch (1865-1923). On the other hand, Benedetto Croce (1866-1952), a well-known historicist, denied the reality of the problem of historical relativism. In Croce’s view, historicism – far from being a threat to values – protects them from being from abstraction and convention, and assures their continuous efficacy within the living current of history. From the view of pragmatic science fiction creative writing, does historicism have any useful applications?

An aspect of historicism that’s been used in Star Trek storytelling is that particular Next generation episode when the android Lt. Commander Data refused to allow top scientists form the United Federation of Planets to reverse-engineer his positronic brain citing that they may not be able to put him back together again, citing that his sentience and overall cognition is entirely the product of his own individual and unrepeatable historical development. Does this too apply the debate between Nature versus Nurture when it comes to human development?

Another concept found in the Star Trek universe that hopefully has not yet invaded ours is the reality of time travel. Time travel – as seasoned science fiction already know – tend to deny the reality of an unrepeatable historical development. As evident in Star Trek: First Contact where Captain Picard travels back in time to undue what the Borg did when they changed the timeline. The time travel incident behind Star Trek: First Contact somewhat made the established series canon of Star Trek somewhat gain a modicum of flexibility. Like how the last Enterprise series was structured. It looks like historicism might be the useful tool needed to sort out a tangled timeline if time travel ever becomes routine.

Trekkies v. Trekkers

2010-05-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

Former Star Trek TNG star Denise Crosby may have initiated this Kultur Kampf back in a 1996 Star Trek documentary, but which of the two pass muster as the official term for a Star Trek fan?

By: Ringo Bones

The two terminology’s Kultur Kampf probably gained worldwide attention in the 1996 documentary about the universe of Star Trek fans titled Trekkies. Unfortunately, the issue never became fully resolved. Even in the documentaries’ sequel seemed to have devolved into name-calling – i.e. overtly-zealous and overtly-obsessive Star Trek fans should be called Trekkies while serious-but-levelheaded Star Trek fans/enthusiasts should be called Trekkers. But who’s right?

Trekkers may have an unfair advantage over this because most Windows OS equipped computers’ spellchecker accepts the term as legit while Trekkies – especially in older versions of Windows OS – show up as a misspell. The term Trekkies does have the precedent because even as a “mere casual” Star Trek fan, I already heard the term being used in the first few Star Trek conventions during the late 1970s and in the early 1980s. William Shatner (Captain Kirk) and Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) seem to have chosen the term Trekkies out of habit when addressing to their fanbase at every Star Trek convention even though they are increasingly being corrected to use the term Trekkers instead around the mid 1990s.

From my perspective, it does not seem that much relevant to me whether the proper term is Trekkies or Trekkers in describing Star Trek fans. To me there are just two kinds of Star Trek fans – the good ones and the bad ones. Even though I may seem like just one of those “minimalist” Star Trek fans – i.e. purchasing a Star Trek T-shirt or two and buying discounted memorabilia or two. I do draw a line on some obsessive Star trek fans.

Putting on Klingon make-up and reciting Shakespearean sonnets in Klingon is okay with me, but harassing convention-goers on the parking lot by donning full Klingon garb and yelling Klingon expletives and imprecations and passersby is just over the top for me. While some are maybe a tad too unforgiving by declaring that Trekkers means “well-behaved” and mature Star Trek fans while Trekkies should be used to refer to those immature over the top Star Trek fans. A bit harsh, but a lot of Star Trek fans I know seem to agree with this view.

The Alcubierre Equation: Blueprint for a Working Warp Drive?

2010-03-02T02:57:00.000-08:00

Named after a theoretical physicist who got inspired after watching an episode of Star Trek, is the Alcubierre equation a blueprint for a possible faster-than-light interstellar travel?

By: Ringo Bones

A growing number of people in the 21st Century had been starting to believe that it could have been possible for Leonardo da Vinci to be able to invent a working airplane. Unfortunately, given that any piece of advanced technology seems to be very dependent on advanced mathematics – like calculus. Chances of Leonardo da Vinci inventing the airplane without the aid of a form of advanced engineering mathematics that has yet to be invented more than a hundred years in the future would have been very, very close to nonexistent. Even those aviation pioneers that came a few years before the Wright brothers had to wait for the Swiss mathematician named Daniel Bernoulli to publish his paper titled Hydrodynamica in 1738. Given the analogy, would the Alcubierre equation be the Hydrodynamica equivalent in the Star Trek universe where Zefram Cochrane became the warp drive’s version of the Wright brothers achieved in inventing a working Warp Drive before the end of the 21st Century?

Named after a Mexican theoretical physicist named Professor Miguel Alcubierre who in his college days got inspired while watching an episode of Star Trek about how to travel faster than light without breaking the laws of physics. Alcubierre was born in 1964 in Mexico and at the end of 1990, moved to Wales where in the University of Wales received his Ph.D. in Numerical Relativity in 1994. Now permanently tenured at the National University of Mexico, Prof. Alcubierre was best known for his May 1994 paper titled “The Warp Drive: Hyper-Fast Travel within General Relativity”. In which appeared in the science journal Classical and Quantum Gravity after Alcubierre was urged by his college professor due to the sheer brilliance of his insight into this subject.

Using a method first used by Albert Einstein called “thought experiments” to make fairly esoteric mathematical equations understandable to the average person. The Alcubierre equation is now more famously known as the Alcubierre drive due to the fact that it describes how the warp drive in Star trek could actually work given on what we know so far in the field of theoretical physics. In this, Prof. Alcubierre describes the theoretical means of traveling faster than light of his namesake that does not violate the accepted law of Einsteinian physics stating nothing can locally travel faster than light. But how does your typical Alcubierre drive works?

Given our current cosmological knowledge, spacetime has been proven to have the ability to be expanded and contracted faster than the speed of light in a vacuum – i.e. 186,000 miles per second. Because such “superluminal” (faster-than-light) expansion has been postulated to occur during the early “inflation” phase of the Big Bang. This is why the estimated size of our universe is much more than 13 billion light years – being that 13 billion years, give or take a few million – is the age of our universe. Now properly called the Alcubierre Spacetime Inflation Warp Drive, the general relativity equations can be used – from a mathematical perspective - to describe the workings of a faster-than-light warp drive reminiscent of the warp drive being used on the Starship Enterprise.

The key to generate a distortion of the fabric of spacetime is so called “exotic matter”. Exotic matter has the thought-provoking property of having negative energy in which a normal particle and an exotic particle would repel each other, while ordinary or normal particles would attract each other by their gravity. Exotic matter is also closely related to the phenomena called negative energy.

Strong exotic fields with negative energy density are used to “inflate” or expand the space in the back of a starship, increasing the effective distance between the starship and its departure point. While simultaneously also being used to “deflate” or shrink the space in front of the starship, thus decreasing the effective distance to its arrival point.

By properly shaping the exotic fields, the strong tidal effects from the superdense exotic field can be made small near the starship. Although creating and shaping the necessary exotic fields are “engineering details” for some yet to be invented advanced technology to solve. Like the engineering principles behind future Higgs Field manipulation technology.

From the perspective of Einstein’s general relativity, objects being separated by such an inflation process – like the early inflation phase of the Big Bang – are not going faster than light in their local regions. The enormous effective speed of separation comes from the expansion of spacetime itself. Given that a Star Trek-style warp drive was deemed theoretically possible by Prof. Miguel Alcubierre before the end of the 20th Century, he did have a little help on works previously done by other scientists that point to the existence of a strange phenomena called negative energy. Which in the 1990s spurred a mad rush of countless of hapless souls to develop economically viable schemes to harness an also little understood phenomena called zero-point energy.

It all started back in 1948, when Dutch physicists Hendrik B. G. Casimir and Dirk Polder proposed the existence of a mystery force – now known as the Casimir force – when the two of them formulated an experiment to detect in while working at Philips Research Labs. The Casimir force is related to zero-point energy, negative energy, and exotic matter – all of which, at the time, are a hypothetical concept of theoretical physics about subatomic particles darting in and out of existence. Even Stephen Hawking had later proved it mathematically that the phenomena of negative energy is a necessary condition for the creation of a close time-like curve near naturally strong or manipulated gravitational fields.

The actual detection of the phenomena of negative energy was confirmed during routine atomic force microscopy experiments in the late 1980s. The atomic force microscope or AFM was developed from the Scanning Tunneling Microscope, which was developed by Gerd Binning and Heinrich Rohrer in the early 1980s. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) / Scanning Force Microscopy (SFM) is a very high-resolution type of scanning probe microscopy with a demonstrated resolution of fractions of a nanometer. More than 1,000 times better than the optical diffraction limit / Rayleigh Criterion limit of optical telescope. Calvin Quante and Christoph Gerber invented the first AFM device in 1986.

The Atomic Force Microscope gathers data or information by “feeling” the surface with a mechanical probe composed of piezoelectric elements that facilitate tiny but accurate and precise movements via electronic commands to enable very precise scanning. The mechanical probe’s deflection is very dependent on the Casimir force – i.e. a pseudo negative pressure density produced by the Casimir effect. Thus proving the existence of the phenomena of negative energy. Even Prof. Federico Capasso of the Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, who together with Mariangela Lisanti and Davide Iannuzzi. Had recently published a white paper titled “Observation of the Skin-Depth Effect on the Casimir Force Between Metallic Surfaces” only serve as further proof that the phenomena of negative energy / zero-point energy is real.

Sadly, to propel a starship the size of the Enterprise to nearby star systems we need negative energy in quantities the size of the planet Jupiter. Given that we can only produce minuscule amounts of negative energy as a by-product of atomic force microscopy, such form of superluminar interstellar travel won’t be happening anytime soon.

Star Trek-Themed Search Engine Optimization

2010-02-11T02:04:00.000-08:00

For Star Trek enthusiasts desperately seeking on-line exposure and access to interesting Star Trek themed sites, are Star Trek themed search engine optimization techniques the answer?

By: Ringo Bones

Believe it or not, it is still not easy in the digital age for a skilled budding science fiction writer – even those specializing in Star Trek-themed stories – to get the on-line exposure and connections they desperately need in order to gain some form of financial success. Not to mention those who want to set-up a Star Trek-themed on-line memorabilia trading website. But can a Star Trek-themed search engine optimization scheme serve as a solution?

To the uninitiated, search engine optimization - or SEO – is the process of increasing the quantity and improving the quality of traffic to a particular website from search engine search results via natural or unpaid – also known as organic or algorithmic – search results. It is often mistaken for search engine marketing – or SEM – which is a scheme that deals with website inclusions that are often paid by their owner or operator. In actual practice, the earlier or the higher the search rank of a particular website in the search engine result listings, the higher the probability that it will have more visitors it will receive if that particular search engine is used. Search engine optimization may target different kinds of search strategies and methods, including image search (Bing), local search, video search (You Tube) and industry-specific vertical search engines to give a particular website “web-presence”.

The term “search engine friendly” is commonly used to describe website designs, menus, content, management systems, images, videos, shopping carts, and other elements that had been optimized for the purpose of increased probability of search engine exposure. Black hat SEO or spamdexing is a class of SEO techniques that often use methods of questionable legality, such as link farms, keyword stuffing and article spinning. Often found in Friedrich Nietzsche search results when using leading search engines, these SEO “tricks” more often than not tend to degrade both the relevance of the search result and user’s experience (confidence?) of that particular search engine.

Ideally, search engines should be inherently “net-neutral” whenever it is assigned to search a particular subject – i.e. in neither favors or disfavors a particular website and should rank the results according to true algorithmic or organic search ranking criterion. But in the real world, search engines owned by certain search engine providers only practice net neutrality only up to a point. More often than not, search engine providers prioritize search results to websites that have a beneficially lucrative corporate relationship with them. Proving the adage that neutrality – like altruism – is seldom free. And yet some search engine providers do manage to prop-up a semblance of net neutrality by sometimes favoring Bohemian-like specialty websites from time to time.

So what does this leave to your typical Star Trek themed websites that have something more special to say in comparison to the run-of-the-mill sort? Well, if you choose to go via the online world’s equivalent of a word-of-mouth website endorsement – i.e. by checking your online buddy’s roster of Star Trek themed blogs and websites that they are following – then there is little much else to chose from that’s free of charge. Looks like were stuck with the old way of doing things if we want to know which particular literary works by Doris Lessing or Philip K. Dick is ever adapted for a Star Trek episode, we’ll have to ask our not so friendly local eccentric and egocentric grand Trekkie / Trekker. Or even the bluebook pricing of mint-condition late 1960s era Star Trek memorabilia.

Star Trek-Themed Bands: Where No Musician Had Gone Before?

2010-01-05T03:42:00.000-08:00

Most of them are still languishing in relative anonymity, but do Star Trek themed bands have not only musical merit but do they even dare to creatively go where no musician had cone before?

By: Ringo Bones

Maybe it was those records that date back from the 1960s documenting the singing of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy when memories of the original Star Trek series were still fresh that most of us immediately question the musical merits of the singing careers of former Star trek casts. After seeing and hearing Leonard Nimoy singing the Ballad of Bilbo Baggins you would be asking yourself too if records (they have only vinyl LPs back then) made by former Star Trek casts – and William Shatner is probably the most prolific of the bunch - constitute genuine musical merit?

Even recent cast members of the Star Trek universe, like Keith Carradine’s guest appearance in Star Trek: Enterprise had some Trekkies / Trekkers checking out Carradine’s I’m Easy album released back in 1976. Making that notorious Stereo Review September 1976 music review of Keith Carradine’s I’m Easy by Noel Coppage a topic of recent discussion of my local Star Trek fandom. Especially that part when Noel Coppage declared, “An actual musician could have made this recording, but he wouldn’t have.” Given the perennially “low opinion” of Star Trek related music, do Star Trek themed bands and Star Trek tribute bands not only have genuine musical merit, but do they really go – creatively at least – where no musician had gone before?

Star Trek tribute/ themed/ inspired bands whose ontological definition now cover such a large scope that they are as almost as old as Star Trek fandom itself. Back in 1987, a singer or band called T’Pau – named after that Vulcan high priestess who oversaw the death-match between Captain Kirk and Spock – allowed their green eyed redhead of a singer to score a Billboard Chart hit titled Heart and Soul. Even the rise of Techno music during the 1990s hasn’t spared us from the atmospheric and trip-hop remixes of the orchestral Alexander Courage Star Trek musical themes. But do Star Trek themed bands have the potential for artistic and musical merit – let alone popularity?

When Star Trek: The Next Generation alumnus Denise Crosby set out to investigate the global Star Trek phenomenon in Trekkers 2. The musical world was finally introduced to a bunch of Star Trek tribute / theme bands that not only has musical merit, but wrote songs that many non Trekkies and non Trekkers find appealing. The Sacramento, California based Star Trek tribute band called No Kill I whose rockabilly driven punk rock reminiscent of the Ramones and Lunachicks will probably earn them fame beyond the Star Trek universe if major labels in America are adventurous enough to sign them. No Kill I even started a host of variants – like the original Star Trek series achieved – like No Kill I: The Next Generation and No Kill I: Deep Space Nine who are as interesting as the original No Kill I that started it all. Will a No Kill I: Voyager or No Kill I: Enterprise be not that far behind?

Even though I liked all of the Sacramento, California based Star Trek tribute bands interviewed by Denise Crosby, the one I find indispensable is the extreme metal band called Stovokor. Named after the Klingon afterlife where warriors that had died a worthy death are destined to go, Stovokor to me is probably the most likely Star Trek tribute band to attract non Star Trek fans due to their Death / Grindcore / Thrash Metal based stile. Complete with Klingon prosthetic makeup and costumes that would have Heavy Metal Music fans comparing them to 1992 era GWAR, Stovokor is not only a serious metal band loaded with enough low frequencies to stun and even kill your average Star Trek ignorant bystander. Stovokor are probably the only band in active service that’s truly Klingon Opera ready. Will a Klingon Heavy Metal Opera be not that far behind too? Stovokor should give this a try.

For those Star Trek fans who still harbor the perception that the only Star Trek themed band / tribute band in existence is Russell Watson backed by musicians playing a Dianne Warren composition during the opening of Enterprise. There is a wider universe out there populated with Star Trek themed / tribute bands that even though only have a tenuous connection to over 40 years of Star Trek franchise, almost all of them have enough creativity to be worthy of musical merit. Only time will tell if Star Trek tribute bands like No Kill I and its various incarnations and the Klingon themed Heavy Metal band Stovokor ever reach the upper echelons of the Billboard Charts – or just languish in anonymity like some esoteric fad. Like that Klingon Santa Claus from Germany.

The Knighting of Patrick Stewart: Long Time Coming?

2010-01-05T03:29:00.000-08:00

As the venerable Shakespearean actor who gave life to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, did the knighting of Patrick Stewart still came as surprise to most Star Trek fans?

By: Ringo Bones

In our local Star Trek fandom in our own little corner of the world, the news did came as a surprise to us when Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II named the venerable Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart as part of the roster of those to be knighted. We here in our isolated corner of Trekkie / Trekker fandom used to think that that Patrick Stewart was already knighted by HRH Queen Elizabeth II probably after making Star Trek: Generations with William Shatner back in 1995. After confirmation of the said announcement, the now Sir Patrick Stewart does truly deserve the knighthood for giving life to one of the most important characters in the Star Trek universe named Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Although, if Sir Patrick Stewart is knighted for some charitable cause my local Trekkie / Trekker still hasn’t known of, we do apologize to everyone concerned.

Our local Star Trek fandom had reached a somewhat “silent consensus” around 1989 or so that if Captain Picard wasn’t portrayed by someone with Sir Patrick Stewart’s acting prowess, the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation would have been very unlikely. And we here had also reached a “silent consensus” that without the “runaway” success of Star Trek TNG during the late 1980s there would not have been Star Trek Original Series reruns in our neck of the woods. Thus there would have been no Star Trek fandom in our little corner of the world.

The now knighted Sir Patrick Stewart was also very instrumental back then for introducing the venerable works of William Shakespeare to us Trekkies / Trekkers whose former perceptions of the work of that great English bard view it as an “undiscovered country”. Given that he is a venerable member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sir Patrick Stewart did seamlessly manage to not only make a generation of Star Trek fans more familiar to the works of William Shakespeare, but also convinced us that Shakespeare’s works will still be loved centuries from now. This is probably reminiscent of what the famed anti-Apartheid campaigner and former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela did when he introduced the works of Shakespeare to his fellow inmates in the Robben Island Prison Complex during his 27-year incarceration. Remember, without that famed actor who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his love for Shakespeare, we Trekkies / Trekkers would have never seen or heard Shakespearean plays done in the Klingon language.

Non-Roman Lettered Domain Name URLs: More Interesting Star Trek Websites?

2009-12-17T01:37:00.000-08:00

If the planned use of domain names other than one’s currently using Roman or Latin letters gets an ok will the move lead to new, improved and more creative Star Trek websites?

By: Ringo Bones

Even though the various incarnations of Star Trek aired on TV and shown in movie theaters feature sentient beings from other worlds with an excellent grasp of the English language. Other Star Trek fans and I are probably wondering if this “scheme” was done in order to fit the particular episode or feature in the conveniently allotted time, isn’t it? But the existence of a vibrant Klingon language community only shows that the global Star Trek community could creatively exploit the recent ICANN approval of using domain names other than the Latin or Roman letter-based ones that are currently de rigueur.

Back in November 18, 2009, a UN backed conference held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on the use of non-Latin or non-Roman lettered domain names has finally been put forth for serious discussion. Which – to me, and everyone else, can be a good thing since millions of perfectly literate people worldwide still has trouble using the Internet since their native language doesn’t use Latin or roman letters. And most of the folks denied the “convenience” of using the Internet belong to emerging markets and / or economies like China and India. Not to mention Arabic speaking countries who must go through the inconvenience of learning English just to enjoy the privilege of enjoying the fruits of knowledge currently available on the world wide web. Being proficient of languages other than English – especially ones that don’t use Latin or Roman letters – does have its privileges, but how can it help in setting up more interesting, and I mean more “interesting” Star Trek websites?

In the present universe of the Star Trek fan, the only “extra-terrestrial” language currently developed – i.e. both spoken and used for translating Shakespearean works – is Klingon. And those that offer to teach Star Trek fans on how to read and write the Klingon alphabet or letters are few and far between. Imagine in the near future, Klingon language tutorial websites that caters to the typical hardcore Star Trek fan sporting domain name URLs that feature the Klingon alphabet or Klingon letters.

And after that, Vulcan language tutorial websites would emerge. Which will be more interesting since the scant Vulcan writings featured in most Star Trek episodes that I’ve seen so far looks suspiciously like Samaritan writing. Or what about the Romulan language where the sentient android Data with his positronic brain even has trouble mastering the complex verb roots of the language. Whatever happens, I think this would be a boon for us who can now set up our “specialist” websites sporting Cyrillic or Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji domain name URLs.

Is There Still A Need For A Proper Star Trek Canon?

2009-12-09T02:50:00.000-08:00

Given J.J. Abrams somewhat “overtly liberal” rendition of the recent Star Trek motion picture, is there still a need to follow the proper established series’ canon?

By: Ringo Bones

The latest Star Trek movie did manage to earn serious money, but given that it has alienated a significant number of long-time Trekkers by deviating from the long-established Gene Roddenberry canon, can the movie be still considered an indisputable success? After all Trekkies / Trekkers are probably fed up with that “it’s all that we have” excuse, aren’t we?

This hitherto unprecedented breach of established canon had many long-established Star Trek fans up in arms over the latest Star Trek movie despite of its indisputable box office success. J.J. Abrams attempt at a “metaphysical” retelling of Star Trek’s most influential characters – i.e. James T. Kirk has not been to everyone’s taste. James Joyce’s Ulysses it is not, as some fans put it. Some Star Trek fans even suggested using the planned sequel to use as a “metaphorical” platform for the Free Tibet movement, given that the US Government is unable to take a justified stance on the Tibet issue because it is now beholden to the People’s Republic of China’s bond holders. No thanks to the malfeasance of the Bush-Cheney consortium that ran a disastrous “War on Terror” campaign.

If we don’t follow the Star Trek canon established by Gene Roddenberry (even those independent Star Trek-based novels tried to follow it), Spock could easily break out into song by singing the Ballad of Bilbo Baggins or is it the Ballad of Frodo Baggins. Especially during that famous campfire scene in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier just because Leonard Nimoy is a big fan of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Or Captain Kirk singing William Shatner’s “famous” songs committed to vinyl during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Or what about Keith Carradine’s appearance on Star Trek: Enterprise. Does he have to sing a few songs from his I’m Easy album, which was released back in 1976? Maybe, I’ll subject this particular Keith Carradine musical opus to a music review once I get hold of a copy of I’m Easy – hopefully on the much-soulful vinyl format.

In my opinion, the established Gene Roddenberry canon is more than probably what makes those Star Trek TV episodes and movies that had been done before claim the upper echelons of the science fiction universe. J.J. Abrams’ use of inexplicable musical montages – i.e. the extremely youthful James T. Kirk’s joyride with The Beastie Boys’ Sabotage playing in the car stereo to poke fun at the latter Captain Kirk’s somewhat odd pronunciation of the word Sabotage – may work on an episode of Family Guy. But it will not work on a main feature of Star Trek.

Given that the J.J. Abrams Star Trek managed to earn serious money during the summer 2009 season and with a sequel in the works, Abrams could well be directing it. Because the taskmasters at Paramount are still very reluctant to risk hard earned money, especially during the recovery period of an economic recession. Maybe we’ll just hope that the storyline of the sequel will return Star Trek to the original Gene Roddenberry established canon, if not, we’ll there are those DVD remasters of the “glory day” episodes that we’ve grown to love over the years.

The J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek: A Break with Tradition?

2009-11-20T00:41:00.000-08:00

Despite alienating most of the long-time Star Trek fans, does the latest Star Trek motion picture still have something to offer to the venerable 40 year-old or so franchise?

By: Ringo Bones

As one of the major summer blockbusters of 2009, the J.J. Abrams directed Star Trek movie did more than just kept the promise of financial viability to its underwriters. Unfortunately, the movie single-handidly managed to devastate that much-beloved Gene Roddenberry established canon of one of the most beloved works of science fiction of the 20th Century. This time around, the cocky self-styled directorial genius of J.J. Abrams proved to be the undoing of the latest Star Trek motion picture. But could have Abrams done better?

On the sets and special effects side of things, the latest Star Trek movie could be viewed as a proverbial godsend. The Starship Enterprise’s engineering section – and her related sister starships – are no longer the low-ceiling cramped spaces that they used to be in the original series, The Next Generation, Voyager, and even the 21st Century prequel – i.e. Captain Archer era Enterprise - of the original series. Maybe the next step is that they should make the starship engineering section as spacious as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to make it believable that the said vessel could travel faster than the speed of light without moving at the speed of light. And the visual effects are up there with the best that Hollywood can currently produce.

On the established Star Trek canon side of things, I think J.J. Abrams was given a tad too much liberty in making this Star Trek franchise into the multi-worlds theorem image of Lost. Given that Star Trek: First Contact had changed the timeline a bit (blame it on the borg) and became part and parcell of the Captain Jonathan Archer era Enterprise – but the Gene Roddenberry canon busting of Abrams is just too radical for my taste.

From the various books and TV series of Star Trek that stayed in line with the canon, the Cardassians were “discovered” by the United Federation of Planets long after – maybe 5 to 10 years after – Captain James T. Kirk passed away. So how come a Starfleet Academy bar in San Francisco was serving Cardassian drinks while James T. Kirk was yet to earn his commission. Looks like J.J. Abrams failed to keep up with the Cardassians this time. And the original series hinted – somewhat blatantly – of Uhura’s excellent hearing, I found it odd that Abrams haven’t exploited this factoid by making Uhura an audiophile. Think the Charlie’s Angels movie sequel “musical” montages.

The movie also missed some very important vital factoids like planet Vulcan’s (planet Vulcan is Spock’s homeworld by the way) lower than average atmospheric pressure when compared to Earth and a somewhat slightly higher force of gravity when compared to Earth. The “insertion team” should have worn snazzy-looking Dave Clark like partial pressure suits given that they sky-jumped from an orbital height with ablative coatings to withstand the reentry. Think that suit worn by B’Ellana Torres when she took orbital sky-diving as an extreme sport in the Holodeck of Voyager. Sadly, snazzy silver colored Dave Clark partial pressure suits are about as rare today as an airworthy B-47 Stratojet. The “scientific”, “anthropological”, and “historical” errors on the latest Star Trek movie could fill a book with comparable thickness to the Ronald Reagan’s Commission on Pornography report of July 1986.

Compared to other competing science fiction franchises, the Terminator Salvation movie – despite of director Christian Bale’s web-worthy expletives and imprecations – did a much better job of sticking to its established series canon. Even playing the original Guns N’ Roses track - i.e. You Could be Mine circa 1991 - as bait in one of the scenes. Even the Terminator franchise’s first ever TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has so far stuck to the original established canon despite of time travel being the main literary device.

Is there ultimately a method to J.J. Abrams’ madness when it comes to his creative liberties done to the latest Star Trek movie? I don’t know it yet, but if he wants to retain the millions of alienated fans of Star Trek may I suggest using the many-worlds theorem of Lost as a main literary device in making the sequel of his “creatively” ill-advised Star Trek movie. I think it’s a nice way to undo the damage that Abrams had done to the much beloved Gene Roddenberry canon.

The New Star Trek Movie: Good Time to be a Trekkie?

2009-01-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

In it’s 40 years of history of various incarnations of a highly consistent theme; will the latest Star Trek movie attract more fans to the franchise’s ever-growing fan-base?

By: Vanessa Uy

Though I haven’t yet seen the movie despite of my anticipation of it’s purportedly December 25, 2008 release. The latest Star Trek movie really has a lot going for it. Especially in the casting front where they judiciously opted for the “best and brightest” stars currently du jour of the under 25 demographic. Though not everyone agrees that the casting of the latest Star Trek movie has been beyond reproach.

The chatter on the blogosphere throughout 2008 pertaining to the movie suggests that the choice of both Zachary Quinto and John Cho is the one thing that the movie’s casting department had done right. Especially if the aim is to entice a new legion – i.e. ages 25 and younger - of young fans into the wonderful world of Star Trek. Zachary Quinto recently gained fame during the last few years for his role as the villain on the TV series “Heroes” with an infinitely complicated character that would make Friedrich Nietzsche an avid fan. The choice of Zachary Quinto to play the young Spock would not only do wonders for the new Star Trek movie given his under 25 demographic fanbase, But also for his acting career in Hollywood as well. So does the choice of John Cho to reprise the role of the Starship Enterprise’s helmsman Hikaru Sulu after gaining a somewhat fast-tracked worldwide fame – with the help of the Internet - for his roles in the two Harold and Kumar movies.

The casting of Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott – a.k.a. Scotty – probably raised more eyebrows in the Star Trek’s fanbase since the casting of Jerry Ryan as “that sexy borg drone” named Seven of Nine. Given that Simon Pegg is an Englishman – as opposed to the Scottish Scotty – the howls of protests over the casting decision has since reverberated throughout the “Trekkie Universe” for much of 2008. Like the clamor for the role of Scotty should be reserved for an authentic Scottish actor. But given that the original actor who played the famed Starship Enterprise engineer, James Doohan, in the original Star Trek series in the 1960’s was not even Scottish – he was Canadian by the way – only serves to vindicate the decision of the movie’s casting department.

Given the progress achieved in recent years for the movie-crafter’s ability to create even wonderful whiz-bang special effects, will this make the new Star Trek movie the best one in the franchise’s 40-year history? Even though most women that I know of had always had “lingering” doubts over the movie’s director J.J. Abrams “creative aesthetics”. Citing an example on his TV series opus “Alias” and its ilk, where story-craft and literary plot tend to go to the nearest toilet once you give the “leading lady” superhuman-like powers. Or maybe it’s just Abram’s decision to avoid making “Alias” just another copycat version of “Cold Case” or “The FBI Detective Dana Scully Show”.

Given that America and the rest of the world had already been inspired and “energized” by US President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech, especially the part about “putting science back to it’s rightful place”. Anything that serves to renew the freshness of the 40-year old Star Trek franchise should be embraced with open arms by us unapologetic Trekkies. Especially when it attempts – rather unabashedly – to attract a new legion of younger fans. But for now, see you after the show.

What the Ferengi Can Teach Wall Street

2008-12-13T07:28:00.000-08:00

Known in the Star Trek series canon as an ultra-capitalist race of beings, will the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition provide guidance for Wall Street as a way out of it’s current economic slump?

By: Vanessa Uy

The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition is probably the closest thing that passes for as moral law for this “fictitious” ultra-capitalist race of beings. Given that in the Star Trek universe their greediness has not driven their entire race and civilization into extinction, can the Ferengi offer Wall Street some advice – no matter how inane – on how it can get out of it’s current economic slump? But first, here’s a brief primer and refresher on the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition.

Given that their home world – Ferenginar – seems like being forever trapped in an eternal monsoon downpour, the Ferengi’s native environment probably shaped their drive into ultra-capitalism as a “way to get out of the rain”. As their civilization advances the first ad hoc Ferengi Rules of Acquisition was formulated by the first Grand Nagus (sort of like the president of the Ferengi home world) of the Ferengi Alliance named Gint. Primarily as a code of conduct in conducting business transactions with other alien races who are members of the Ferengi Alliance. Grand Nagus Gint chose the title “Rules of Acquisition” as a clever marketing ploy since for all intents and purposes these are just “mere guidelines”.

In the Star Trek series canon, there is a “creative” / “literary” consensus that Grand Nagus Gint numbered his first rule as #162, in order to create a demand for the other 161 rules that had not yet been written. The rules – according to the Ferengi – are said to be divinely inspired and sacred, and thus serve as the closest thing that passes for as a religion in Ferengi society. Also, the profit-obsessed Ferengi’s funeral rights revolved around vacuum-desiccating their “mortal remains” after they die and various mounted slice remains sold to the highest bidder. The amount of funds earned during the sale of their mortal remains determines their status on the “Divine Treasury” – the Ferengi equivalent of Paradise in their afterlife. Here, every Ferengi is held accountable for their adherence to the rules during their “living years”. If the sale of a Ferengi’s vacuum-desiccated mortal remains who has passed-on generates scant revenue, their “souls” are sentenced into “Eternal Destitution” their equivalent of hell in the thereafter.

When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – the particular Star Trek series which highlighted the Ferengi culture and societal structure – aired, there were already 285 Rules of Acquisition currently in place. The “quirky” ones include Rules of Acquisition #34 stating that “War is good for business.” while #35 states that “Peace is good for business.” Which only highlight’s the Ferengi’s acumen for flexibility when it comes to making a profit; Especially on Rules of Acquisition #177 states that “Know your enemies…but do business with them.” Serving as a twist on Sun Tsu’s “The Art of War” – which can also be applied on our existing corporate world. Even the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition #285 – currently their last – stating that “A good deed is it’s own reward.” Only epitomizes the Ferengi’s constant acquisition of profit as their society’s “moral center”. Even the Ferengi Quark – owner and proprietor of DS-9’s “Quark’s Bar” even irreverently created his own Ferengi Rules of Acquisition #286 stating that “When Morn leaves (his best customer with an extremely high-tolerance for intoxicating drinks) it’s all over, highlighting profits above all.

During their darker moments, when the Dominion declared war on the Federation / United Federation of Planets, Quark only mentioned that his home world only has known one major economic collapse. But during the time of the episodes airing, Japan was already reeling in from a recession when their Go-Go 80’s economic bubble went bust, investment guru George Soros was accused of breaking the Bank of England. Plus, Sumitomo was resorting to unfair means of cornering the copper market in the London Metals Exchange and so on. Even though we humans only knew 1929 as our only major market collapse (what about that Carter Administration era “economic malaise”? Reaganomics?), the Ferengi has indeed something to teach us, and even Wall Street. Greed is good, but if profits are acquired at the expense of Main Street, the market will surely collapse.

Of Gene Roddenberry and the Geneva Convention

2008-10-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

Using one of his episodes on the original 1960’s Star Trek series as an example, does Gene Roddenberry have reservations about our currently existing Geneva Convention?

By: Vanessa Uy

I hope that the Gene Roddenberry estate won’t sue me for doing a long-distance psychoanalysis on him akin to what some shrinks did with Barry Goldwater back in the 1960’s. But more often than not, the question whether Gene Roddenberry has reservations about the Geneva Convention does come up in hardcore Trekkie circles.
For the benefit of those Trekkies who still don’t know what Eugene Wesley “Gene” Roddenberry does for a living before the success of Star Trek, here are the pertinent facts, which could also serves as a basis in support of our current discussion.

Gene Roddenberry acquired first-hand knowledge on the action-adventure workings of Star Trek when he joined the US Army Air Corps back in 1941 (the US Air Force is a post-WW II entity). He flew many combat missions on board the B-17 Flying Fortress over the Pacific theatre with the 394th Bomb Squadron 5th Bomber Group which he was honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. After World War II, he enlisted in the police force before quitting to find a more lucrative job to support his family. Then came the successful breakthrough of Star Trek, and the rest is history – so to speak.

Many Trekkies that I know of harbor a belief that Gene Roddenberry is somewhat dissatisfied with our current Geneva Convention because of an episode on the original Star Trek series titled “A Taste of Armageddon”. On this particular episode, two warring parties – through a binding but arcane agreement or treaty – made war neat and painless. Especially when it comes to damage inflicted on their respective cultures and civilizations by sending their citizens – who were designated as dead by a supercomputer modeling a thermonuclear attack – into a “disintegration chamber” were they are killed and their bodies disposed of in a neat and efficient manner. When Captain Kirk, who visited this particular civilization became one of the casualties and was sentenced / designated to die for real in their civilization-safe arcane war. This resulted in Captain Kirk breaking the Prime Directive (a set of protocols Starfleet Personnel must follow like non-interference of alien cultures and practices etc.) to save his crew members who got embroiled in the arcane conflict. Captain Kirk’s “cowboy diplomacy” caused the war between the two civilizations to turn real – as opposed to being just a simulation on a supercomputer. Sadly, Gene Roddenberry have not shown on that particular episode how Starfleet Headquarters reacted on Captain Kirk’s “cowboy diplomacy” or if the captain is ever punished or reprimanded.

Using this example, one might conclude that this is Gene Roddenberry’s critique on the Geneva Convention and it’s effects on every post-World War II low-level conflicts. I too believe that our current Geneva Convention is somewhat hypocritical in it’s oversight and the arbitrary legislation of “Rules of War” on every number of low-level civil conflicts that happen after World War II. Like the prohibition of soldiers to use tear gas to flush out entrenched combatants. The US Army was reprimanded for their violation of the Geneva Convention on their use of tear gas on NVA regulars and the Vietcong during the Vietnam War, while the use of dioxin contaminated defoliants like Agent Orange were allowed. Or why the 5.56mm X 45mm rounds used in M-16 rifles weren’t banned by the Geneva Convention despite causing inhumane levels of suffering by allowing personnel hit by the said round to die slowly. The legal precedents of banning the use of the 5.56mm X 45mm round is already established – i.e. the legislation of banning the use of dum-dum bullets back in 1901 for example. This example even has an analogue in the Star Trek universe like Klingon and Romulan Disruptor-type weapons killing “inhumanely” compared to Federation approved Phasers.

An excellent example of the arcane way the Geneva Convention legislates laws – which gained widespread press exposure during the late 1990’s – was the ban on the use of laser-based weapons in the battlefield that temporarily blinds enemy combatants. Which to me is utter hypocrisy. If I was a soldier for example, it is ok for me to stab my enemy in the heart with a shovel or trowel. But under the Geneva Convention, it is illegal for me to temporarily blind my enemy for half an hour or so that I can take my enemy as a prisoner. During the 1990’s the Geneva Convention’s adverts are all over the major news channels like BBC and CNN with the tagline: “Even wars have limits.” Wars have limits all right, but it is the poor enforcement of existing Geneva Convention legislated laws (the sensible one’s anyway) that’s killing civilians. The April 1994 incident in Rwanda is a case in point.

Star Trek-Based Airsoft Game Scenarios

2008-10-29T05:39:00.000-07:00

Since Star Trek-style “Holodeck” technology is still probably many years off, Trekkies had been content with recreating their favorite battle scenes via airsoft weapons systems. Where no one has gone before?

By: Vanessa Uy

Ever since the release Star Trek-based shoot-em-up type video games like Star Trek Elite Force and it’s subsequent incarnations, Trekkies lucky enough to possess airsoft weapons systems had been replicating their favorite battle scenes found in Star Trek episodes for sometime now. Noting that Star Trek: The Next Generation style holodeck technology - based on photons and force fields - is for all intents and purposes probably centuries off, then airsoft military simulation battle scenarios will have to suffice.

Presently, the leading manufacturer of replica Star Trek weapons and official Starfleet Armory – Masterpiece Models – haven’t yet licensed their Star Trek-based weapons for airsoft use to the major manufacturers of airsoft weapons systems. Like the Type III Phaser Rifle used in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Compression Rifle used in Star Trek: Voyager would be great as a platform in airsoft design given their somewhat large internal volume in comparison to contemporary infantry weapons. Given that the M 41 A Pulse Rifle used in the movie Aliens by the US Marine Expeditionary Force accompanying Lt. Ellen Ripley is already widely available in airsoft gaming world, the dearth of Star Trek based airsoft weapons systems needs to be addressed. Maybe it’s high time for us Trekkies who are airsoft enthusiasts to contact them at www.masterpiecemodels.com on their views about our requests.

Even if most of us will have to settle with contemporary limited production infantry weapons systems that are already manufactured as airsoft replica guns – like the P90 and the XM8 – it does pass muster as a “science fictioney” military simulation a few years before the Captain Archer-era Enterprise. Though, to me at least, the airsoft version of the XM8 is probably the one with the closest resemblance of a Next Generation period Type III Phaser Rifle.

Maybe it is churlish to complain, because even airsoft models that are ubiquitous – like the Operation Iraqi Freedom-era M-4 Carbines can be used in simulating Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict’s Sino-Indian War flashback scenarios. Or if airsoft gaming Trekkies can’t wait a few centuries, they can develop their own holodeck technology right here and right now. All they need is probably a few years of intellectually taxing hard work and countless millions of dollars burning a hole in their pockets.

The Anthropology of Star Trek

2008-09-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ever since the newer incarnations of the TV series Star Trek evolved from the “recycled” prop and set portrayal of alien cultures in the original series only made the franchise better. But can it pass muster a cultural anthropologist’s peer review?

By: Vanessa Uy

The cultural anthropologist Franz Boas has shaped modern anthropology by emphasizing the collection of facts about primitive cultures, instead of resorting to mere speculation. But when it comes to the study of alien or extraterrestrial cultures that live on planets maybe light-years away from us, one can’t help but resort to mere speculation since the technology that allows us to travel to this worlds might still be centuries off. Yet this hasn’t stop science fiction authors from transforming mere speculation into one of the best-loved forms of literature in the past 200 years.

When the science fiction visionary Gene Roddenberry conceptualized the alien beings and their cultures populating on one of his famous works like Star Trek. He did so with an uncannily believable accuracy that many of Roddenberry’s fans probably think that he works as a university-tenured anthropologist as his day job. By just using the data collected by cultural anthropologists of the 19th and 20th Centuries, Gene Roddenberry populated his Star Trek universe with beings that are not only pass muster as speculative anthropological constructs of an organized culture. But also as accurate predictive models of our own still-existing-somewhat-primitive-cultures evolving without outside help into a space-faring civilization.

Take for instance the Vulcans, which Mr. Spock – the famous science officer in the first Star Trek series – is a good example, is based on a prediction on what if post-WWII Tibet and Bhutan were allowed to evolve into a space-faring civilization without outside help or interference.

A race in the Star Trek universe that could qualify as the polar opposite to the Zen-like society of the Vulcans is the one of the Klingons. The Klingon society is based on martial bravado epitomized by their motto “Today is a good day to die”. Despite their bloodthirsty attitude, the Klingon language is probably the only fictional language used in science fiction literature that has developed like a living language. Shakespeare’s Hamlet has even been successfully translated into Klingon. Unlike the more interesting language of the Romulans with its complex system of verb roots would serve as a formidable challenge for linguists that have a “Trekkie” streak to develop. Could make that German verb wheel seems like child’s play by comparison.

Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Ferengi is also one of the most interesting alien races inhabiting Roddenberry’s fictional Star Trek universe. Probably one of the few extraterrestrial / alien races whose creation Roddenberry oversaw before his passing in 1991. The Ferengi may not be pretty by Madison Avenue fashion-ethic standards, but their society is shaped by a ruthless business / mercantile acumen where an individual’s self-worth is measured by how much gold-pressed latinum (the Ferengi monetary standard) they have or can earn. Except that they take their chauvinism to the extreme. Ferengi women are not only subservient they have to chew first the food of the Ferengi men they are indentured to. Also they do not let their women wear clothes which to other races tolerate since Ferengi’s keep their women sequestered in their homes.

But to me the most interesting alien race of all in the Star Trek universe is the Kreetassans. The Kreetassans debuted on the Star Trek TV 's (I hope not) final franchise Enterprise and are well-known for their relatively “eccentric” customs compared to ours like eating in public to a Kreetassan is taboo. Since most Star Trek writers at this point probably pass muster as university tenured cultural anthropologist, the way they created the Kreetassans’ homeworld’s architectural structure. Especially of their buildings is really reminiscent of what might have happened if Native Americans living in the Pacific Northwest region were allowed to independently develop into a space faring civilization.

Sadly, Star Trek writers have not yet created an alien civilization who developed in the southern hemisphere of an Earth-like planet and possessing analog watches / steam gauges that move counter-clockwise. Sadder still, Enterprise was forced to end due to lack of viewer support and escalating costs of production. I wonder how Star Trek writers would have shoehorned into the Star Trek universe the recent Mecca Mean Time controversy as a launching pad for a very interesting Star Trek TV episode?

The Klingon Language: Another Useless Trekkie Extravagance?

2008-08-29T05:21:00.000-07:00

First gained widespread popularity beyond the Trekkie fanbase due to the release of the last Star Trek Original Series motion picture titled The Undiscovered Country. Is the Klingon language useful in our everyday life?

By: Vanessa Uy

Being the last movie of the original series Star Trek, my first impressions of The Undiscovered Country was that William Shatner, who plays Captain James T. Kirk, and the rest of the original series cast, were allowed to have free reign to prove that they are as literate about Shakespeare as Patrick Stewart was. Given that the Next Generation captain was a well-known Shakespearean actor. But it changed further into the thick of things when the Klingons in the Undiscovered Country were unabashed Shakespeare fans and freely quoting his works in both English and Klingon. Given that English language has penetrated every corner of the world, why would anyone bother to learn another language, especially a supposedly fictitious one and not of this Earth?

If you’re concerned that during the last thirty years, half of the world’s 6,000 languages that we no of are either extinct (the native speakers have all passed away) or is dying due to the pressures of globalization to learn the English language at all costs. Or if you live in a “culturally despotic” country like the Philippines were teaching various dialects – especially ones spoken by ethnic Muslims – is about as illegal as making high explosives using household cleaners, then yes, you should be concerned. The good news is that in learning dialects spoken by ethnic Filipino Muslims is possible if you get enrolled in a CIA “spyschool” in Langley, Virginia or study for yourself in the US Library of Congress.

The question now is why learn – as the actors who played Klingon characters on a Star Trek set frequently describe it as - the guttural spit-spaying, made up language? Well, it does lead to authenticity even if it’s “only a movie” to someone who is naturally born for a penchant for languages, my ears (and brain) can easily discern a genuine language with real syntax and grammatical structure as opposed to mere gibberish used in very early Hollywood movies.

And believe it or not, there is already a plethora of Klingon language learning schemes. Plus books like the Klingon Dictionary by Pocket Books, also, an audio-tape by Simon & Schuster on how to learn Conversational Klingon. And also correspondence courses like the Philadelphia-based Klingon Language Institute. Lawrence Schoen, a linguist, psychologist and founder of the Klingon Language Institute has described many of the Institute’s members as those who want to be more authentic while role playing in Klingon persona. Though some of them had played as extra Klingons on an actual Star Trek set, most of them are just happy to wow their fellow Trekkies in Star Trek conventions by performing works of Shakespeare – like Hamlet - in the Klingon language or by giving lessons to interested parties. Lawrence Schoen summarizes their work in the Klingon Language Institute akin to that of a typical linguist approach it’s study to that of a dead language with no living speakers.

The foremost authority of the Klingon language – given actual involvement on an actual shooting of a typical Star Trek episode – is linguist Marc Okrand. He created Klingon for Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, a time before Trekkies dressed as Klingons were performing Shakespeare in their native tongue at Star Trek conventions. Marc Okrand created the Klingon with a much-increased lexicon for Star Trek III based on snippets of Klingon heard in the Original Series and the first Star Trek movie and went from there. By combining sounds heard in Arabic, Yiddish, Japanese, Native American / First Nations tongues, and more. Okrand picked real human sounds, but mixed them in a way that is kind of “ergonomically difficult” for us native earthlings to utter. According to Okrand, the still-limited Klingon vocabulary will keep on expanding as is normal on a still-living language. Or as long as Klingons stay active in the Star Trek universe. Even Klingon enthusiasts are using the existing lexicon to write Klingon fiction based on the anthropological background and history of the Klingon race portrayed in Star Trek. Given the current progress, anthropologists and sociologist thousands of years in the future might probably conclude that the Klingons are a real and distinct race with their own culture if existing records doesn’t state that they are just works of late 20th Century science fiction.

Star Trek Versus Babylon 5: A Futurists Utopian Conflict?

2008-05-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

The two most popular science fiction television series of the 1990’s, did the fan feud between them made these two science fiction series even more popular or did it hurt the respective science fiction enthusiasts’ image as a whole?

By: Vanessa Uy

To outsiders ignorant of the science fiction genre, motion pictures about space faring civilizations in the distant future may look all the same to them. They probably can’t tell the difference between Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek from George Lucas’ Star Wars, and humanity is much poorer because of this oversight. But seriously though, has anyone remembered or still care about that famous feud between fans of Star Trek and Babylon 5 back in the mid-1990’s where everyone is vandalizing each other’s web page with digital graffiti with “BABYLON 5 RULES” or “STAR TREK RULES”? The past might now seemed as if a foreign country to most of those fans but does the reason behind the feud hold something much deeper?

To the uninitiated, Star Trek and Babylon 5 may seem the same. Both are about the future of our civilization a few centuries into the future, and yet these two demarcate the two differing philosophies of the 20th Century, namely the Humanist’s view and the supernaturalism of Protestant Calvinism. And each of these TV series displaying the good – and bad – parts of the social contracts of the two differing philosophies, for better or for worse.

Gene Roddenberry was an unabashed Humanist and his Humanist views are part and parcel of Star Trek since the original series back in the 1960’s. He typified an idealized altruism-leaning version of Marxist-Leninist Socialism that was embraced in Star Trek’s time, even though this ideology is prone to bureaucratic corruption and very much open to abuse at present. Roddenberry’s utopian future would probably be hell for Ayn Rand.

While in Babylon 5, the complexities of laissez-faire mercantile Calvinism / 20th Century American Capitalism is alive and well from wrongful death lawsuits, litigious mindsets (a man suing an alien for damages for abducting his great grandfather and for performing traumatic medical experiments) and more. Plus, the various organized religions that existed in the 20th Century managed to survive in Babylon 5’s time, unashamedly displayed in full glory.

Though I am a fan of both Star Trek and Babylon 5, there seems to be something that these two works seem to agree on, war. Yep, war will still be around in the future with means and complexities that rival what humanity had been dishing out with each other for centuries. It seems as if to make a science fiction serial interesting, there should be a political power struggle to secure the continued existence of a certain sentient race.

Other thing common to the two is ingenious ways to overcome the speed-of-light restrictions of interstellar travel. Though Babylon 5’s jumpgate is somewhat reminiscent of the Panama Canal-type technology by being very dependent on fixed incumbent technological structures, I find it more plausible given current advances in quantum physics. Star Trek’s warp-drive technology has a certain sexy-ness in it though because works without dependence of incumbent structures like exit apertures of artificially created wormholes and Casimir vacuum technology.

As a hole, I have to agree with what the 2007 Nobel Literature laureate Doris Lessing said about science fiction. In that science fiction deals more on the probable social conditions of the future and less on the technology that might be in common use then. I wonder what kind of science fiction stories Friedrich Nietzsche would write if he just had the time?

Captain April: Star Trek’s Man of Mystery?

2008-04-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

Despite the preexisting assumption that Captain April does not belong to the official canon of the Star Trek lore, fans that occasionally miss him have been clamoring for answers lately. But the question is, will Captain April be finally included in the official Star Trek canon?

By: Vanessa Uy

Majority of the Star Trek fans that I know on a first hand basis, first gained acquaintance of Captain Robert T. April when he first appeared in Star Trek: The Animated Series back in 1974. And every time they reminisce about this elusive Captain, they always start to ponder on what ever happened to him. But before we delve any deeper, lets discuss first about the concepts governing behind the official Star Trek canon.

The history of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek now spans a little over 40 years, and its evolutionary development has no end yet in site despite of the latest “Enterprise” series’ somewhat premature conclusion back in 2005. This evolution is more or less (with the emphasis on more) kept true to the creative vision of the “Original Series”. The continuing evolution of the Star Trek series was not only kept in line because Gene Roddenberry wants it to but because the people who belong to Roddenberry’s “creative circle” really loved his vision. To me, it’s a love reminiscent of Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Humanist” description of love. You know the kind that’s beyond the confines of the dichotomy of good and evil. In short only characters who had appeared in a live action television episode or film. The bad news is, if you use this “ironclad” rule as a guide, a lot of other very interesting characters will be excluded from the official Star Trek canon. This includes characters from the 1974 animated series, those comic books and novels published between the end of the original Star Trek series onwards. Even though the animated series, the comics and the various novels featured characters that are always part and parcel of the official Star Trek canon like Captain Kirk, Spock, and Captain Picard to mention just a few.

Another explanation on why the story lines featured in the 1974 animated series, the comics and some of the various novels will never see the “light of the script” never mind being played out in the live action environment of TV and film. This is due to the harsh reality that in the movie and TV world, the final frontier is not space but the budget to be spent on those whiz-bang special effects. The costs might be lower compared to 40 years ago and of much better quality, but these special effects – especially the very good ones – will never ever be cheap. But going back to the “ironclad” rule that I’ve mentioned governing the official Star Trek canon, in practice it’s more of a voluntary code of conduct practiced by writers when contributing to the Star Trek lore. Unfortunately, Captain April’s “shaky” status can also be blamed on one of Gene Roddenberry’s “peculiar habits”.

During the early part of the 1960’s before Roddenberry made Star Trek, he has a peculiar habit of “recycling” his own works – especially when it comes to character’s names. One of these names is April, whose surname made an episodic appearance in Roddenberry’s pre Star Trek TV series “The Lieutenant”. And also on his mid 1960’s TV pilot entitled “The Long Hunt of April Savage”.

Despite being slated as the first to captain the Starship Enterprise, Gene Roddenberry unfortunately chose to drop the Robert T. April name during the shooting of the first Star Trek pilot. Instead, Roddenberry chose the name Christopher R. Pike as the Enterprise’s first captain prior to James T. Kirk becoming captain during the regular run of the original Star Trek series. It seems that the name: Robert T. April - will only be known to Gene Roddenberry and his “creative inner circle” who made the original Star Trek series possible.

Despite of its unfavorable start, the Robert T. April name wasn’t dead yet. Gene Roddenberry’s “choice” for this particular captain’s name was well documented during his formulation of an early outlines of the Star Trek TV series. This well documented fact even made it into Stephen E. Whitfield’s 1968 book “The Making of Star Trek” which has become - by default - as the first reference book defining Gene Roddenberry’s creative vision. This book was also extensively used as a reference during the making of the 1974 Star Trek: The Animated Series - which served as Captain Robert T. April’s debut to the Star Trek fan community. Also, Whitfield’s “The Making of Star Trek” is the oft- quoted book in defending whether or not Captain Robert T. April is part of the official Star Trek canon despite of April’s lack of live-action TV episode or film appearance.

“The Counter- Clock Incident” episode of the 1974 animated Star Trek TV series might be where Captain April made his debut appearance to the “Trekkie Fandom” but it won’t be his last. He appeared in a number of comics and novels during the intervening years. One of Captain April’s finest portrayals – according to a majority of “Trekkies” - is on the novel “Final Frontier” written by Diane Carey, which was published in 1988. And Captain April’s claim as a part of the official Star Trek canon was further reinforced during the publication of Star Trek Chronology: The History of The Future – a “companion” / guidebook of the Star Trek lore written by Michael and Denise Okuda – back in 1993.

A few years ago when a new Star Trek TV series was proposed pertaining to the time in the Trek universe before the time of Captain Kirk. Trekkies around the world were expecting it to be about the adventures of Captain April, yet it was about an even earlier captain, before there was even a “United Federation of Planets” hence Captain Jonathan Archer. But as the current / latest Enterprise series ended in 2005, will we – the Trek community – be finally be able to meet a live action Robert T. April?

Unfortunately, not anytime soon because - to me at least – science fiction is very, very much dependent on the prevailing “social condition”. A few years back, the creators of the movie “Independence Day” were asked if they could have made the movie in post-9/11 America, and their answer is a definite no. I also agree with them because given the austere fiscal environment of the early 1990’s; the move “Independence Day” is more or less paying homage-like “thanks” to the men and women of the US Armed Forces. A thanks for defending our freedom during the first Gulf War despite of the fact that “Uncle Sam” has no money to thoroughly investigate this thing we call Gulf War Syndrome throughout the 1990’s.

To me, the same thing also applies to the Star Trek franchise. Given that the prevailing social condition in Captain April’s time is much, much, much, better and rational than the one we have. And would very much alienate any potential new viewers who can’t very much relate to the series because it’s too far removed from the social conditions that the “new viewer” is accustomed to. It would be a certain financial disaster to network executives if they choose to release a new Star Trek TV series in 2008 that pertains to Captain April’s adventures and times. Star Trek reference books and companion guides are not exactly a part of the US Board of Education’s current curricula. Maybe after Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama have sorted out the mess created by the Bush Administration whose neo-conservatives have very much made White / Aryan Supremacy the official state religion and “Creationism” the official state science of the United States.

Also, delaying the Captain April Star Trek for a few years can benefit the advances that would be made in special effects technology. Maybe a few years from now a realistic looking tail special effects like the ones used in the X-Men trilogy will become cost-effective enough for network TV. Imagine M’Res and the Caitians from the 1974 animated series can finally appear in a live-action Star Trek TV series with organic / realistic looking tails. Realistic looking tails on humanoids can be a pig to reproduce, especially on a network TV special effects budget. I think it’s the primary reason why Trance Gemini – a humanoid alien found in another Gene Roddenberry series titled “Andromeda” – had her tail cut off in a close quarter gunfight in the story line due to special effects budget constraints. Excellent special effects should go hand in hand with the very excellent story line, don’t you think?

Star Trek: The Dallas Connection…and Beyond

2008-03-28T04:13:00.000-07:00

Despite the recent writer’s strike and economic slowdown, can the Star Trek franchise survive such challenges or is it trapped by delusions of a past “Golden Age”?

By: Vanessa Uy

Ever since the Star Trek original series aired in the 1960’s, many have questioned – especially the network executives – about the TV series’ economic viability. Science fiction stories that tackle high brow philosophical debates is the last thing market researchers of the 1960’s will call as “salable” and popular. And yet the series bucked the trend even though it gained fame posthumously through syndicated reruns. Nonetheless, the actors who worked in the original Star Trek series seem to have no trouble in getting lucrative roles once it became part and parcel of their respective CV’s.

Then came the soap opera “Dallas” whose then very famous catchphrase “Who shot JR?” referring to the unexplained crime that concluded the show’s 1979 – 1980 season immortalized the soap in the record books as one of the most watched soap opera of the 20th Century. Coincidentally, quite a number of actors working in “Dallas” first appeared in the original 1960’s Star Trek. And also, a number of actors developed their acting chops in “Dallas” before moving on to more challenging roles in the new generation of Star Trek series like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager. And later the pre-United Federation of Planets era Star Trek: Enterprise TV series.

On the original Star Trek series, four would later play important roles in “Dallas”. Like Glenn Corbett who portrayed the warp-drive pioneer Zefram Cochrane on the original Star Trek series will later cater to a different audience when he appears as Paul Morgan on “Dallas”. Morgan Woodward, who appears as Captain Tracey and Dr. Van Gelder on the original Star Trek series would later give life to the character of Marvin "Punk” Anderson on “Dallas”. Barbara Babcock who made Philana and Mea 3 unforgettable in the original Star Trek TV series was the star behind Liz Craig of “Dallas”. And who can forget Susan Howard who played Mara on the original Star Trek series showed her versatility when she later played Donna Krebbs’ character in “Dallas”.

Interestingly, a number of actors that appeared in newfangled incarnations of the Star Trek TV series franchise first developed there respective acting chops on the famous soap opera “Dallas”. Most famous of the “Dallas” alumnus is Kate Mulgrew who played the country singer Garnet McGee before she played Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager which brought out her now famous trademark "Irish Passion" of her acting roles. Kate Mulgrew later appears in Star Trek Nemesis playing the same role. Her latest appearance is in the TV mini-series “The Black Donnelys”.

James Cromwell is probably the most prolific actor of the “Dallas” alumnus. As the actor behind Dallas’ Gerald Kane, James Cromwell later became the actor of choice when it comes to portraying the warp-drive pioneer Zefram Cochrane in the Star Trek: The Next Generation movie “First Contact” and the Enterprise TV series. Plus various other Star Trek: The Next Generation characters like Nayrock, Jaglom Shrek, and the “Dominion” business representative Hano in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Not content with his Star Trek roles, James Cromwell seems to like scripts with “conspiracies” involved like his starring role on the movie “Babe”, “The People Versus Larry Flynt” as the Reagan-era Savings & Loan chairman Charles Keating, and Jack Bauer’s dad on the latest season of 24.

Chris Demetral who played the role of Christopher Ewing in “Dallas” would later appear as Jean-Luc Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Mary Crosby who gave life to Dallas’ Kristin Shepherd would later play the character of Natima Lang in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Leigh McCloskey who played as Mitch Cooper in “Dallas” would later give life to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Joran Belar and Tieran of Star Trek: Voyager. And almost as prolific as James Cromwell, Lance Le Gault who appears as Al Halliday in “Dallas” would later don Klingon make-up and prosthetics when he plays Captain K’Temoc in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Plus, Lance Le Gault also plays Col. Decker in the famous 1980’s TV series “The A-Team”.

This just goes to show that “old time” Trekkies and newbies should be forever thankful to the soap opera “Dallas” despite the soap’s rather tenuous connection to succeeding Star Trek franchise that began in the late 1980’s. Because without “Dallas” the casting of actors for The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager would be much harder without the actors exposure on “Dallas”. The two are more common than you think if you are familiar with the drama behind “Shakespearean Power Politics”. These two TV series remind us of an “Golden Age” of the American entertainment industry that is now undermined primarily by on-line media piracy.

Gene Roddenberry and the Sino - Indian War: An Unexplained Fixation?

2008-02-29T04:18:00.000-08:00

Is Gene Roddenberry’s somewhat frequent (though never overwrought) references to the Sino – Indian war on his various works somewhat propped up his mythical status?

By: Vanessa Uy

From Star Trek to the Earth: Final Conflict TV series, Gene Roddenberry’s use of the “apocryphal escalation” of the Sino – Indian Border Conflict of late 1962 which he refers to as the “S-I War” has become one of his most distinctive “literary tools”. The “SI War” always fires up my personal imagination because none of the Trekkies (Star Trek fans) I met so far (except one) really know what started this conflict and it’s historical significance. Have I finally found a topic that should be a “required reading” by all Trekkies, yet majority of them squirm away from it? But first, allow me to discuss the historically factual version of the Sino – Indian Conflict.

During the annexation of Tibet by the Peoples Republic of China back in 1951, His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet was forced into exile in India. The Dalai Lama’s choice of seeking political / spiritual asylum in India where many of his followers live angered Beijing because the Dalai Lama’s status as a spiritual leader still continues and thus Beijing labeled him as a “strategic threat”. The Beijing government threatened the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru to surrender the Dalai Lama to them or suffer the consequences. Prime Minister Nehru held his ground even when thousands of Chinese troops massed along the Chinese – Indian border which lead to the largely forgotten Sino – Indian Conflict of late 1962. But it is a big deal back then because the worlds largest democracy by population namely: India and the worlds largest Socialist / Communist country by population namely: China. Are on the brink of full-scale war, which is likely to attract intervention by Cold War era superpowers namely the US and the then USSR.

Does the Sino – Indian Border Conflict of 1962 remind you of how the Trojan War started? The war supposedly revolves around Helen of Troy but in truth the war was really about vying control of the lucrative “trade routes” of the Mediterranean Sea. Adventure stories from the Ancient Greeks which violates every rule of Sun Tsu’s “Art of War” – like conserving precious resources when conducting a campaign – seems to gain “blockbuster status” to us in the Western World. Mao Zedong’s famous “Red Book” was purportedly based on “The Art of War” by Sun Tsu, and yet even the Beijing Government fell into this trap by engaging a border conflict with India with the threat of the US and NATO being drawn into the conflict. Didn’t Sun Tsu point out that the best way to win a war is to deny a battle? By labeling His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet a greater threat than he actually is, China would have squandered precious manpower and materiel on a conflict with dubious political significance. Even today, the Sino – Indian War / Border Conflict of 1962 is largely forgotten unless you are a hard core “Trekky” with serious interest on the subject. The row over the Dalai Lama between China and India did inspire many a Star Trek TV episodes from the Original Series to Star Trek: The Next Generation and other related Star Trek TV series like Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and the latest Enterprise TV series which stars Scott Bakula.

But the “apocryphal escalation” of the Sino – Indian war of 1962 – which is often used by Gene Roddenberry – is what gave the world the story about the “Eugenics Wars” that gave rise to Ricardo Montalban’s character “Khan” of Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan. The “S-I War” in Earth: Final Conflict and related variants of the theme that is used in Enterprise. Like the three – part episode “Borderland,” “Cold Station 12,” and “The Augments” which explained the origin of various Star Trek characters like Khan, Dr. Arik Soong, the great – great – great – grandfather of Data’s creator Dr. Noonien Soong.

In my opinion, every one of us – not just “Trekkies” should re-examine the events surrounding the Sino – Indian War of 1962. This is so because our current “operation” to capture Osama Bin Laden and to restore the Rule of Law in Afghanistan is fought in a terrain not unlike that of the Sino – Indian War of 1962. This terrain is so hostile even for casual tourist and explorers that to conduct military maneuvers on such an environment borders on insanity. I once played a military simulation exercise / game similar to the terrain found on the Khyber pass and trust me, if the overexertion doesn’t wear you down the resulting “minor” injuries will. And we haven’t yet taken into account the low prevailing barometric pressure.

In Gene Roddenberry’s lifetime (sadly, he passed away on October 24, 1991) the geopolitical antics of China almost drove anyone - who cares about these events – into a nervous breakdown of sorts because China invaded Vietnam on February 17, 1979 by launching a major attack along their 500 mile border. Chinese forces supported by artillery and tanks were able to invade four Vietnamese provinces. Plus China’s subsequent claim of the oil rich Spratley Islands which almost give the Beijing Government “reasons” to annex the Philippines. Even at present with the Beijing Government’s complicity of the ongoing genocide in the Darfur Region of Sudan. Yet despite threats of boycotting the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, China continues her intransigence with regards to her “Foreign Policy”. If Gene Roddenberry is following these events from the afterlife, his “I told you so” could probably create a new Sci-Fi TV series.

Some “Trekkies” would be asking right now ”What does this all mean?” Well, even though Gene Roddenberry was only seen as an “entertainer” during the 1960’s. To me, he did contribute something to resolve the bitter issues in one of the most tumultuous period of America’s history. Gene Roddenberry might not be as vocal as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when it comes to Civil Rights issues, yet most of the issues presented in the original Star Trek series were about Civil Rights issues. When the late President John F. Kennedy inspired Americans to go to the Moon, Gene Roddenberry did his part too in inspiring not just the American people but everyone who saw Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry’s views about the Sino – Indian War of 1962 was probably his way of reminding all of us not to forget what George Santayana said about studying history.

Should We Be Investing in Gold

2007-12-21T05:24:00.000-08:00

For the last 30 years or so, it’s a well-known fact that as the value of the US dollar decreases, the price of gold increases. In today’s post-US sub-prime mortgage economic climate, does it still make good fiscal sense to invest in gold?

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

As the price of oil draws ever closer to the 100 US dollar-per-barrel mark, is our present (fiscal year 2007) global economy fast becoming into the economic climate that existed in 1980? Even though there are similarities like the Federal Reserve reigning in on credit and interest rates, the tumultuous political situations in the Middle East. The US$100 in 1980 is still higher in value after FTC algorithm-inflation-adjustments compared to US$100 circa-2007. Armed with this data, will the price of gold do a 1980 era repeat of reaching over the US$800 per-ounce price range?

With an aspect of Sharia Banking Laws fast becoming into vogue in Western financial sectors like the idea of financial institutions should only honor “concrete” or “tangible” forms of collateral, the lure of investing into precious metals –like gold- had recently become the hottest trend in high-yield investments. But the precious metals market is by no means strictly infallible and not immune from unlawful market manipulation. If anyone still remembers-or cares- about the “Hunt-silver debacle” will surely attest to this. At the beginning of the 1970’s the Hunt brothers – heir to the multi-billion dollar fortune of Texas oil/petroleum tycoon H.L. Hunt used their billions to purchase and hoard silver in an attempt to increase the price of silver to be comparable to that of gold. But near the end of March 1980, the Hunt brothers, along with a major Wall Street firm and U.S. securities and commodities markets came almost to the brink of financial disaster. Even though those were different times back then, if most of today’s current billionaires will do a “stunt” similar to what the Hunt brothers did -but to gold- the price of gold could reach US$10,000 per-ounce.

Our current allure of gold and its related retinue of precious metals, stemmed from the US sub-prime mortgage crisis that became news by the end of July 2007. During the succeeding months, the fallout of the US sub-prime mortgage crisis affected the global currency market – with their anchor – the US dollar weakened by inflation due to the Bush administrations current quagmire in Iraq. (At an average cost of US$1billion-per-week, it does seem like Uncle Sam is setting up a colony on a distant earth-like planet orbiting the star Alpha Centauri). Bonds and conventional bank savings accounts quickly lost their appeal as inflation drained their purchasing power. So investors and their dogs everywhere quickly began to turn to the oldest stores of value they can find – gold and related precious metals.

The novice investor may ask: “Why invest in gold?” Well, since the time paper money gained widespread appeal. These “paper money” –by common sense- should be worth just about or lesser than the paper on which it is printed on, unless the paper money’s value is backed-up by “tangible” or “concrete” assets namely gold, silver or the other related precious metals. But it is mainly the “gold standard” i.e. a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined via a stated quantity of gold circulating freely into the international financial system, hence the term “bank notes”. The reason we expend an almost excessive amounts of our mining expertise in obtaining this rare but almost useless metal, which even in “gold rush” days involves the “processing” of a ton of ore just to get 17 grams of gold. At present, even “processing” a ton of ore just to get 3 grams of gold is considered very economically viable. And also, it is because gold is what makes our paper money able to buy things i.e. purchasing power. The other uses of gold is in the jewelry industry, dental “bridgework” and electroplating electrical / electronic components to make them corrosion resistant.

While platinum is far more useful than gold and the gyroscopes of modern bombsights are made from it. Unlike gold or silver, platinum doesn’t occur in its native state in nature i.e. free elemental form. Platinum, and its related metal siblings on the Periodic Table namely rhodium, iridium and palladium are usually refined via proprietary chemical process that is a highly guarded trade secret. Usually a batch of beige - colored mud (ore concentrate) is added with a “secret” chemical mixture to obtain the pure metallic platinum and its metal siblings.

A lesser known metal that is more useful expensive, and rarer than gold is gallium. The main user of gallium is the electronics industry where it is used in making semiconductors with high switching speeds and “solid state” night-vision goggles. Without gallium, the green-tinged Paris Hilton Sex Video would not have been possible. Yet gallium plays no part in backing the value of our paper currency.

So what does this all mean? Being closeted –but fiscally challenged – philanthropists that we are. We do believe in charity –only during those times that we are practically overflowing with money. We’ve read “The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History” by Thomas E. Woods, Jr., Ph.D.. And the part of that book that really speaks to us is about how charitable giving grew at a faster rate during the 1980’s, described as “the decade of greed” (after the movie “Wall Street”?). Statistics had shown that charitable giving during the 1980”s really grew at a faster rate than it had during the previous 25 years. A really “scary” proof to the saying that: “greed is good”. Because of this, its now in the best interest of major charitable organizations like Oxfam and the UN Food Programme for us to “become rich”. With skyrocketing grain / staple crop prices due to the hastily set-up biofuel industry, the United Nations Food Programme's food / grain purchasing power has been drastically reduced. So they need more money just to maintain their existing / basic programs.

Paramore: Getting to the Top the Old Fashion Way?

2007-12-21T05:18:00.000-08:00

Ever since the “unforeseen” success of their headlining single “Misery Business” from their album “Riot!”. Is Paramore here to remind us the “good old days” of punk rock and getting famous the old fashion way?

By: Vanessa Uy

Ever since their MTV debut via the single “Misery Business” aired on our local MTV affiliate, I thought that our local MTV Asia affiliate had mistakenly aired a circa 1989 power pop / punk video of a talented young band. I thought good bands like Paramore only exists15 to 20 years ago. Maybe I’m listening to 24 bit 192 KHz sampled Punk Rock reissues for far too long. Now that almost all of the under 25 “punk rockers” already knew them (I just turned 11 and I only discovered Paramore back in August 2007), here’s a much needed refresher course for the uninitiated. Named after a friend of the band mother’s maiden name Paramore is a Pop Punk (Power Pop?) band which hails from Franklin, Tennessee. Also after finding out that Paramore means “secret lover”, the band chose it. The band’s vocalist and primary center of attention is Haley Williams. Their current line-up by this time of writing includes lead guitarist Josh Farro and his brother Zac Farro on drums and bassist Jeremy Davis. Since today’s MTV – based music is primarily a visual medium the other members of Paramore can only be appreciated by ear because of the band’s “hot” vocalist.

Paramore was already busy “paying their dues” in the touring circuit since 2005. By April 2005, the band already signed to a record label. Then Paramore released their debut “All We Know Is Falling” in July 24, 2005 reaching #30 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart. Later in that year, Paramore was featured on the Shira Girl Stage of the 2005 Warped Tour. In 2006, Paramore released an EP titled “The Summer Tick”. Their first night on the Main Stage was at their hometown show of Nashville. Paramore’s first US headlining tour began on August 2, 2006 to a sold-out audience with support from This Providence. With this under their belts, Paramore was voted “Best New Band” by the readers’ poll of “Kerrang!” magazine.

By the start of 2007, Paramore was named by NME (is this the same NME circa-1980?) as one of ten bands to watch out for in the magazine’s “New Noise 2007” feature (the band Girlschool used to be on that list back in 1980!). In addition to this accolade, the band played an acoustic set for the grand opening of a “Warped Tour” exhibit at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame that opened in January. The dress worn by Paramore’s vocalist Haley Williams for the “Emergency” music video was also put into the exhibit (Queer Eye alert!). And by the recording and release of “Riot!” around June 2007, Paramore already mastered the ropes of studio and live- gigs. By December 7, 2007 CNN ran a news feature about next years Grammy nominees lists Paramore as one of the Best New Artists.

To me, it seems like new bands that seek fame and recognition via the old fashion way i.e. “paying their dues” on the touring circuit and in the studio seems to scare the hell out of MTV’s current incarnation – or is this just endemic in MTV’s ASEAN franchise? Aspiring bands should be exposed to young and gifted talents like the band Paramore in order to end this endemic batch of major label crap (and surprisingly young “talent”) that only current “Media Pirates” seem to cherish because they can earn money from it.

Psychotherapy: Humbug?

2007-11-23T03:45:00.000-08:00

As depression becomes a public health issue, how can an increasingly skeptical public benefit from the fruits of modern psychotherapy?

By: Vanessa Uy

If one dares to point a finger on who destroyed the credibility of modern / contemporary psychotherapy, then the blame should be directed at the current American pop culture. Ever since the TV series “The Sopranos” gained it’s legions of fans, the folks who mistrust modern psychotherapy finally gained a platform in which their “statement” finally got the “sex appeal” it badly deserves. Or is it the “Soprano” – spoof movie “Analyze This” and the sequel “Analyze That” where the Italian-American community’s mistrust of “shrinks” finally got worldwide mass-media attention. And what about the famous actor Tom Cruise airing his views on the science of psychology as a whole during his appearance on the TV talk show “Oprah”. It seems like America has abandoned her faith on psychotherapy, but it isn’t always been this way.

Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s - friends of mine who are old enough to have experienced first hand the worldwide cultural phenomena called Guns N’ Roses - lived through a time where shrinks / counselors / psychotherapists were held in high regard by American pop culture and the American society. My older friends also remembered on how the practice of seeing shrinks / psychotherapists / psychoanalysts became fashionable back then even though those who visit one are not currently suffering any known mental illness. Back to Guns N' Roses circa 1989, the band’s mercurial frontman – W. Axl Rose – never forgot to mention during his press interviews about his personal opinion on the virtues of “shrinks” i.e. psychotherapists. Back then, it’s even fashionable to visit to shrinks and “chill out” with one even though it was (is) a somewhat expensive proposition at 75 to 100 US dollars- an- hour. At that time, Newsweek and Time even criticized the peoples growing over reliance on shrinks. There’s even a blurb about talking someone out of his or her diabetes (!). But during the same time (1989) in the Philippines, the existing sentiments on shrinks are pretty much like / mirroring the TV series “The Sopranos”. Back in 1989- era Philippines, only “crazy people” i.e. the mentally ill went to shrinks. Even though this is my view, I know of native New Yorkers of Filipino ancestry who say that Filipino’s distrust of shrinks / psychotherapists are born of “repressed Catholic anti-Semitism”. Is this because of what Sigmund Freud said that he is Jewish- by- race- and- not-by-religion as an expression of Jewish pride in defiance of Nazi-era Germany? By the way, the New Yorkers of Filipino descent who I am frequently in contact with via "WEB 2.0" are very critical of this "Makati-Corporate-World-Metro-Manila-Castelian-Catholic-Colonial-Chauvanism" that is "conveniently" overlooked (in the name of money) by the Tagalog Media / Cultural elite.

Today, the Filipino society – in general – don’t trust modern psychotherapy. The existing idea that only the mentally ill visit shrinks is still the norm. Ironically, the practice of astrology, fortune telling and other Gypsy / Roma / Romani style mysticism are used as substitute for legitimate psychoanalysis by the very rich and local celebrities i.e. the "Tagalog Cultural Elite". To me, that’s their loss.

Depression: An Overlooked Public Health Crisis?

2007-11-23T03:39:00.001-08:00

From famed artists like Vincent Van Gogh and Edgar Allan Poe to a steadily rising part of the general public, should we adopt a pro-active rather than a reactive response in dealing with this mental health crisis?

By: Vanessa Uy

The inevitability for urgent concern might be a long time coming but a World Health Organization (WHO) study shows that mental health issues like depression is largely ignored by healthcare providers around the world. A WHO report aired in November 13, 2007 shows depression had already reached parity with other “preventable” public health concerns like coronary heart disease and even AIDS. The existing lack of urgency when it comes to dealing with mental health problems like depression is largely due to the pre-existing stigma attached to most mental health disorders in addition to general mistrust of the general public on the science of psychology.

Depression by itself is generally harmless, since most of us live in the Northern Hemisphere and when winter season comes the daylight hours gets shorter and shorter. This gives rise to a melancholic feeling commonly referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The more serious form of depression that could lead to suicides are usually a product of manic – depressive disorder also known by its modern more politically correct name of bipolar disorder. Sufferers of bipolar disorder usually resort to suicide during the depressive part of their mental illness. While in their manic state, the sufferer could be manifesting his or her creative genius in various art forms like music, literature, and other creative outlets in ways far beyond the abilities of “normal” people.

With the aid of the latest existing mental health diagnostic tools like the fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s handbook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, referred to as the DSM-IV, had made analyzing mental illness across cultures much more easier and accurate. The latest WHO report also shows that mainland China probably has 100 million undiagnosed sufferers of depression that if left untreated could lead to suicide. Local studies have shown that rural parts of China has a much higher rates of suicide that urban areas due to increased isolation and hardship in day –to –day living.

Even though the basic facts in overcoming depression rest’s on the individual sufferer, to me, it still takes a skilled psychotherapist / counselor / social worker to bring back someone from the brink. Many of us –including me – had been taking for granted that every time we suffer from “the blues” we don’t wind up killing ourselves. As someone with above average creative skills, it always pays to keep close tabs with one’s selves. After all, you’ll know things are getting out of hand when you become your own worse enemy.

Divorce Insurance: Equitability in Marriage?

2007-11-16T04:33:00.000-08:00

In today’s post-modern society driven by capitalist consumerism, could a divorce insurance with really good provisos be the answer in keeping “modern love” equitable?

By: Vanessa Uy

Ever since Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as a Red Letter Day in honor of St. Valentine back in year 496, anyone from bards to scientists and even lawyers had lend a hand in gaining insight on this thing we call love. Although gaining insight means different things to different people, in this day and age, gaining insight on love usually means making the damned thing equitable to the parties involved. Love used to be the business between two loving couples, but in our present age, greeting card companies and those “weird people” who claim to be close to God by virtue of celibacy all lay claim to be the sole authority on love and marriage. I think these two camps are what’s been making Valentine’s Day a very interesting holiday for over a millennia.

When capitalist consumerism declared that it knew the price of everything – including devotion and obligation – did it made equitable ground rules? Or are we now so cynical that nothing free has value anymore? How could Calvinism put a price on one’s own devotion and obligation? Only the Anglo-Saxon God knows and He’s not talking. To me, this makes it a situation where only lawyers have free reign on arbitrarily deciding what’s equitable or not. I just hope that more prenuptial agreements be offered in pro bono flavor.

To me, it’s just sad that the thing we call money – whose value is backed up by our increasing materialism - is also the very thing that could get us out of this specific dilemma. In this day and age, divorce insurance with proviso for legal separation and prenuptial agreements really has existing demand. Divorce insurance really has legitimacy because the element of gambling – the first essential factor in insurance – is not present. This is so because countless people get married on a regular basis with the knowledge that over half of it will end in divorce and currently divorce proceedings are always messy affairs by judicial standards. Then, only a couple of things are left to be studied to make divorce insurance an integral part of most insurance companies’ / providers’ retinue. Like the possibility in making accurate and scientific calculations of the extent of the hazard, so as to charge a fair premium. Remember, irreconcilable differences causes stress and stress leads to ill health mental or otherwise. The other is the cost of divorce insurance must be within the reach of a large number of people.

Forgive me for being too cynical – even by “Michael Moore Documentary” standards – but divorce insurance, in my opinion, could really revolutionize how our present generation look at and approach “Romantic Love”. Divorce insurance could end once and for all the blatantly ithyphallic way young couple decide to get married – by whim – with utter disregard to the hardships that they will certainly encounter in marriage. Just something to think about during Valentine’s Day.

Remembering Lucky Dube

2007-11-09T03:36:00.000-08:00

A singer / performer with enough clout to temporarily stop on – going civil conflicts, the world and Reggae fans now mourn the passing of Lucky Dube.

By: Vanessa Uy

When the Reggae star Lucky Dube was shot in front of his children on October 18, 2007 after an attempted carjacking, the ongoing epidemic of violent crime in South Africa gained worldwide attention. This incident even casts doubts on South African government’s ability to keep peace and order on the coming 2010 World Cup. Despite meeting an untimely end, Lucky Dube lived a life that’s way more interesting than his death.

With a music career that spans 25 years, Lucky Dube has recorded 20 albums. He sang in Africaan, Zulu and English. Strangely though, he is more famous overseas than in his homeland of South Africa. During the 1980’s Apartheid-era South Africa, Lucky Dube used his music to inspire Black South Africans for a non- violent struggle against Apartheid rule.

Lucky Dube’s finest hour came during the 1990’s when his fame had earned him enough clout to temporarily suspend on-going battles in African conflict zones like Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In June 1999, Lucky Dube performed one of his famed 3-hour long shows in Monrovia, Liberia where the said show allowed a cessation of hostilities between the warring factions. The warring factions are willing to temporarily suspend their fighting just to attend a Lucky Dube concert. These fighters really are dedicated fans. Lucky Dube is also big in the US. He frequently played venues in Miami, Florida and in Atlanta, Georgia.

Despite being regarded as the current “gold standard” when it comes to Reggae music, and Lucky’s fans swear that he’s the spiritual heir of the Reggae legend Bob Marley. Lucky Dube’s allegiance to the Rastafarian faith was more academic than spiritual because in interviews he says he doesn’t use marijuana / cannabis. To the uninitiated, the spiritual side of the Rastafarian faith revolves around Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (the one deposed from power on September 12, 1974) and the Emperors lineage to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba plus the “Lion of Judah” references.

Ever since releasing his debut album “Rastas Never Die”, Lucky Dube has indeed come a long way. When he played in the Live 8 Concert in Johannesburg, South Africa, Lucky Dube indeed took Reggae music back to Africa – the music’s spiritual homeland. I just hope that his latest album “Soul Taker” won’t be used by Lucky Dube’s fans as an epitaph of his music career but rather a celebration of his artistry and his quest for a better world. The official Lucky Dube Website is at www.luckydubemusic.com .

Toilets for the Third World: Necessity or Extravagance?

2007-11-09T03:32:00.000-08:00

The chronic lack of clean and safe drinking water coupled with the ever- growing spread of water – borne diseases. Will the ubiquitous “modern” toilet be the solution to the Third World nation’s water problems?

By: Vanessa Uy

When I heard about the Inaugural World Toilet Summit 2007 and Expo discuss their plans to alleviate the sanitation problems of 2.6 billion people who don’t have access to proper –i.e. hygienic – toilet facilities, I asked myself Why did the “affluent” West took so long in addressing this problem? Is it hard to figure out the link between keeping the communal groundwater safe by keeping the communal toilet hygienic by modern standards? Nonetheless I just hope that the summit achieve it’s “lofty goal” of providing toilets for the Third World “poor”.

One of the problems that needs to be tackled in the World Toilet Summit 2007 so that their goal would succeed is the design of a low-cost toilet design that uses less water than typical toilets used in the “Industrialized West”. A typical Western toilet uses 1.6 gallons of water to flush 250 grams of fecal matter safely. But this kind of toilet needs to be supported by an existing sewage system which most Third World countries don’t have or existing ones are in need of repair. A “modern” toilet that uses the fraction of the water for flushing than a typical “Western” toilet is in the pipeline. And with a cost of US$30 or less, this could well be the “appropriate technology” needed to meet the demands of Third World conditions.

In the past, the peasants of the Orient had used their rice paddies as the communal toilet. Even though this practice has the advantage of using human fecal matter as a source of free organic fertilizer, in densely populated communities the practice could easily initiate cholera epidemics or other water borne diseases. Composting type toilets had since been in current use in some parts of Vietnam and China, but it safely works only in sparsely populated communities.

In affluent societies, we frequently take the humble modern toilet for granted. Since it’s a necessity when it comes to a vital –albeit relatively disgusting – part of human metabolism, toilets are somewhat a taboo topic in the industrial world. The industrialized world’s Victorian-era perception of the ubiquitous toilet had made the affluent citizens of our planet had forgotten that the humble toilet could be a lifesaver in the Third World.

Diversity for the Holidays

2007-10-25T04:58:00.000-07:00

With Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa falling just days apart, December is indeed the “Holiday Season”. But the question is how egalitarian are we making it these days?

By: Vanessa Uy

First of all, I think the entire “consumer world” owe those people who did their Christmas shopping early a debt of gratitude for inadvertently exposing the dangers of toys with high lead content. Now, kids around the world can look forward to a safer – albeit more expensive – alternatives.

As a Catholic - by geography and not by faith – I am quite fascinated on how “other cultures” celebrate their own Holidays that fall on the Festive month of December. Despite of the relentless thrust of “Commercialization” on seasonal holidays, it’s still nice to know that the majority of people I know didn’t become jaded through the years as they celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanzaa. Some Jewish families that I know still invite me to their Chanukah festivities despite of my criticisms on Israel’s PM Ehud Olmert’s disastrous Summer 2006 incursion into Lebanon. But that’s a topic for another blog.

When it comes to finding a “Kultur Kampf” on how to celebrate December holidays, this can be found between the various Christian sects criticizing one another on how to “properly” celebrate Christmas. As I am a product of the Catholic School System even though I’m a practicing Zen Buddhist, it’s only sensible for me to view the various demarcations on how to properly celebrate Christmas from the Catholic Church’s point of view.

When it comes to the “proper” celebration of Christmas, the Catholic Church has for a very long time viewed the various “Scandinavian” influences on Christmas like the overly generous and jolly Scandinavian Saint and the “pagan” tree that symbolizes generosity with both disdain and suspicion. The “disdain and suspicion” part is the reflection of my older friends’ Catechism School lectures on Christmas commercialization during the time when Ronald Reagan ruled the free world by the way. And when the Industrial Age came with the resulting commodification of goods services, the “Saint” and the “Tree” became the Catholic Church’s benchmarks on the extent on how “commercialized” Christmas has become. Or is this the Church’s critique on the Anglo-Saxon Protestants failure to recognize between what is sacred and what is commodified when it comes to Christmas.

While the Catholic Church is busy criticizing the “commercialization” of Christmas, the Church say nothing about how some Fundamentalist Evangelicals harbor this concept of Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. Like these Fundamentalist Evangelicals don’t (won’t?) celebrate Christmas because they see Jesus Christ forever locked in that moment in time feeding the multitudes with a few loaves of bread and a few pieces of fish. This is merely my observation and not a criticism on how to spend ones holidays to reiterate the obvious.

To me, the key in finding – and experiencing – diversity this Holiday Season is by opening up to the wonder of it all. Not too many people enjoy playing Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Party on Christmas morning just to remove the “auditory aftertaste” of those “A Very Special Christmas Albums” that benefit the Special Olympics. And I paid full price for those CDs.

Of Hi – Fi and Humanitarian Relief

2007-10-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

In the service of informing those who ask while risking in reiterating the obvious, the article contributors of this blogspot who are audiophiles DO help the unfortunate. Do our doubters care too?

By: May Anne Uy

As one of the contributors who’s been a hi – fi enthusiasts for more than ten years, I may currently own a stereo set-up that helped CARE and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) back in August of 1998. At that time, The Third Annual Summer Against Hunger was underway. The event’s underwriters were lead by The Cable Company (www.fatwyre.com). The underwriters donated up to 10% of my stereo system’s price to CARE and IRC. Looks like my pride and joy donated 300 US dollars to CARE and IRC back in 1998.

Also, each of us has around 300 US dollars each currently invested in Muhammad Yunus inspired microfinance programs in our country. Like the Sustainable Microfinance Services for the Filipino Entrepreneurial Poor which has been of great help to the small farmers living in rural areas. And also a good reason for going out to the country for the program’s biannual “stockholders” meetings.

Speaking of Burma’s / Miyanmar’s military’s bloody crackdown on dissidents, the two Burmese families presently renting in our apartment had been granted “rent amnesty” for three months. This move –to me - is like hitting two birds with one stone. Because I can help these families alleviate their suffering while exerting moral pressure (a politically correct equivalent to sticking it) to the Burmese military junta by “harboring dissidents”.

Lastly, I purchased that John Lennon inspired Darfur Crisis Relief double CD album even though I liked only three of the artists featured on that CD. I hope Amnesty International will do something about this. By the time the crisis in Darfur ends, I’ll still be very hard – to – please musically that is. I’m just a sucker when it comes to good causes.

Why Al Gore and the IPCC Deserve the Nobel Peace Prize

2007-10-15T05:09:00.000-07:00

Environmentalists winning the Nobel Peace Prize, have we reached the point of waging war over arable land and other resources?

By: Ringo Bones

Today, anti war protestors in America carry signs that read “No Blood For Oil”. In a few years time if we don’t do anything to protect our environment, those signs will read “No Blood For Safe Drinking Water” and believe me, that is NOT a “romantic” notion for the “warmongers” in Capitol Hill or the Pentagon. Will the elected GOP / Republican Party politicians authorize an invasion and occupation of Brazil in order to save the Amazon rain forest 10 years from now? I just hope that the worlds powers-that-be will heed the advice of the IPCC and Al Gore to do their part in limiting the impact of climate change.

Growing up in the 1980’s, there isn’t a day that goes by without hearing news coverage about the swiftly declining state of our environment. From major man-made disasters like the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker running aground, to the burning of the Amazon rain forest. I always wondered why the world’s governments have waited 20 or so years in tackling our planet’s various environmental problems.

Now in 2007(better late than never), Al Gore and Rajendra Pachauri with the 3,000 or so scientists from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC were awarded for this years Nobel Peace Prize. They were awarded for their “heroic” efforts in spreading awareness on the dangers of climate change, global warming and the sea level rise. Since the announcement, a number of “influential people” namely Captains-of-Industry and some politicians have doubts whether the Nobel Committee's decision to award this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore and the IPCC because these two don’t deserve the prize. Some of them said that Al Gore is nothing more than a slick showman while the IPCC –to them - deserve a prize for being a well run organization but not the Nobel Prize for Peace.

Well, that’s those “influential people’s” decisions. To me Al Gore and the IPCC truly deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. Because what the two are essentially doing is laying out plans to limit the impact of climate change on the global economy. IPCC and AL Gore just laid out the groundwork on how future conflicts caused by climate change will be reduced in scale and / or will be even eliminated. Just as Muhammad Yunus deserved his own Nobel Peace Prize because he laid out the groundwork for tackling the root cause of extremism and militancy namely poverty and the lack of income generating opportunities.

I’m just glad that those “influential people” that criticized Al Gore and the IPCC for receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace were not around during my time in high school. Those people would had been over me when I nominated the Afghan Mujahedin as Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” in 1987 for their valiant efforts of resisting Soviet occupation. I even convinced my teacher and a classroom full of people on my case. This was a class project that gained a life of it’s own after President Corazon Aquino became Time magazine’s “Person of the Year”. Mind you this was before I got hold of Osama bin Laden’s or General Abdul Rashid Dostum’s dossier, or knew which from which. Perfect tense doesn’t necessarily mean perfect sense when it comes to history.

The Dot Asia Domain Name: Kickstarting the Region’s Economy?

2007-10-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

The age of Internet domain name real estate has finally arrived. Will you be the next I.T. billionaire?

By: Ringo Bones

There’s a new domain name in our “Internet Town”, its called dot Asia (.asia). One of the latest lines of domain names named after an actual geographic location. It looks like we used up all of those little Pacific Island nations as a source of domain names.

Interested customers to the auction have 6 months to register, so register as soon as humanly possible because these things go out fast. Registration for “dot asia” has opened on: Tuesday October 9, 2007. Protection wanted from cyber-squatters?

Back in August 9, 1995, nobody knew that the dot com boom that started then will eventually go bust five years later. Now, Internet entrepreneurs are more wary on the promise of easy money. Even experienced Internet domain name developers are forever mindful that their “South Sea” domains like Tuvalu’s dot tv and Tokelau’s dot tk might mimic the “South Sea Bubble Burst of 1720”.

To me, the IT / Internet / computer industry – after recovering from the dot com bust of 2000 - has done so much good to those fresh out of college looking for gainful employment, especially those living in the impoverished parts of the world. The industry could essentially fulfil the promise of the Clinton Global Initiative of keeping every batch of fresh graduates securely employed by creating new jobs – like domain name developers – every 5 to 8 years. If all goes well, this mission would be a piece of cake for the industry.

Desperate Housewives: Desperate for Ratings?

2007-10-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that feminism and post-modernist consumerism would result in a very, very ugly dialectic? Is Desperate Housewives “Girl Power” gone wrong?

By: Vanessa Uy

Hi, my name is Vanessa and I never watched a full episode of Desperate Housewives in my entire life, though I’ve watched enough World War II movies that made me extra sensitive to racial epithets. If I had to choose between watching a season of Desperate Housewives and an instructional video from Médecins Sans Frontièrs (MSF or Doctors Without Borders) on how to treat assault rifle trauma, I’d choose the later. Besides Teri Hatcher / Susan Meyer may have a low opinion on non-Hollywood doctors like MSF or Filipino medical personnel for that matter.

The “Desperate Housewives” row over Filipino doctors is about the September 30, 2007 episode of the show. In this particular show is a scene were Teri Hatcher’s character – Susan Meyer – was being confronted by a doctor with the information that she may be experiencing menopause. During the conversation, Susan Meyer (Teri Hatcher’s character) cut the doctor short and this is when she uttered the racial slur. This is the excerpt.

Dr. Mayfair: “I know for a lot of women, the word “menopause” has negative connotations. The heart aging, brittle bones, loss of sexual desire…”

Susan Meyer: “Before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? ‘cause I would like to make sure that they’re not from some “med school” in the Philippines.”

To me, this qualifies as an attack on us Filipinos. The writing staff of Desperate Housewives intentions might just be for the purpose of entertainment but we Filipinos, say that this is really underhanded. We have been offended – if not ridiculed by the said statements.

As "patriotic" Americans, I can assume that the writing staff of Desperate Housewives that their society doesn’t tolerate racial slurs -no matter how benign- and I experienced this first hand. Back in February 2001, while vacationing with my relatives in Wisconsin. I almost got into a fight with a group of African–Americans because I was telling a funny anecdote to my cousin – in a Bavarian dialect – in which a group of African–Americans misinterpreted as a racial slur directed at them. Plus I’m a pale skinned green- eyed redhead (Uzbek-German ancestry) didn’t help matters either. Fortunately, the group understood my pleas in explaining my esoteric language use and the tense situation was peacefully resolved. Understandable since obscure Bavarian dialects is not a major part of the American high school curricula.

Now, for the sake of justice, it’s my time to cast a critical eye on the TV series “Desperate Housewives”. I always view any-town-USA-gated-communities with disdain even if I’m presently residing in one. These “communities” represent the dark side of Capitalist Consumerism (or the "freedoms" of a post-modernist society). These are probably the kind of communities where the malfeasant personnel of the private security contractor “Blackwater” grew up. I think the writing staff of Desperate Housewives should undergo ethnic or cultural sensitivity training by sentencing them to do community service in San Francisco’s Castro Street district, or doing volunteer work in a Turkish-Armenian support group.

Blackwater Security Consulting: Malfeasance in Arms?

2007-10-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

While Blackwater’s notorious September 16, 2007 incident is a day which will “Live in Infamy” for most of Iraq’s civilians, is this another case of “Ways v Means”?

By: Vanessa Uy

The first time I heard of Blackwater was back in April of 2007 when a former “Dogs Of War” neighbor of ours talks about back in the days when they “Liberated” Zimbabwe back in 1979, they weren’t behaving like Blackwater personnel. I think they’re telling the truth because they’re not afraid to post their own pictures on their MYSPACE account. Ah, to not live in fear, priceless.

Known for their close ties to the GOP, Blackwater Security Consulting was founded in 1997 by ex US Navy SEAL Billionaire Erik Prince and Al Clark. As Blackwater’s exploit’s got inadvertently scrutinized by the international media thus gaining their reputation as mercenaries. However under international law, American citizens working for Blackwater are not considered “mercenaries” when they are assisting the US military. While the Organization of the Islamic Conference recently classified Blackwater as a terrorist organization, due to it’s recent excessive use of force on innocent Iraqi civilians.

Blackwater is based in the US State of North Carolina where it operates a tactical training facility - which it claims to be the world’s largest. The company trains more than 40,000 people a year from all of the various military services and a host of other agencies.

Of the US State Department’s three major private security contractors, Blackwater is currently the largest. At least 90% of the company’s revenue comes from government contracts, two-thirds of which are “no-bid contracts”. Blackwater’s current president, Gary Jackson, is also a former US Navy SEAL.

Blackwater was one of the several private security firms employed following the US invasion of Afghanistan. Blackwater was also hired during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by the Department of Homeland Security to maintain order in New Orleans and to “apprehend looters”.

Incidents of misconduct and malfeasance of some Blackwater personnel happened way before the September 16, 2007 “shooting spree” incident. According to the US State Department, on December 24, 2006, a drunken Blackwater employee shot and killed a bodyguard who was protecting the Iraqi vice president. In the weeks after the September 16, 2007 incident, the legal status of Blackwater and other security firms in Iraq is a subject of contention.

I don’t know personally anyone of those currently employed by Blackwater who’s assigned in Iraq but could this be a case of a few bad apples ruining the whole bunch? I mean Blackwater –as a corporate entity – usually does whatever it can to maintain the professionalism of it’s personnel because I question the wisdom of running the company via some kind of Machiavellian machination. Or is their primary mission in Iraq is to rule by fear i.e. “To rule by fear is to rule completely”?

The Brookings Institution: The Real “Men in Black”?

2007-10-05T03:30:00.000-07:00

Is the Brookings Institution – which is primarily an economic security study concern – responsible for the excruciatingly slow scientific progress of space exploration 50 years after Sputnik I?

By: Ringo Bones

In the 20th Century it took us only 44 -or so- years from the first airplane flight to an airplane flying faster than the speed of sound. Why can’t our existing space programs progress just as fast? Ever since that National Geographic documentary about space exploration in which a Brookings Institution report was published. This report advising NASA against reporting findings on the existence of extraterrestrial life to the general public, every coffee shop and internet café in the Far East are now a buzz about the Brookings Institution’s true purpose. But first, here’s a primer on that said institution.

The Brookings Institution is a non- profit public policy “think tank” based in Washington, DC. As the United States of America’s oldest “think tank”, Brookings is devoted (primarily?) to public service through research and education in the social sciences, particularly in economics, government and foreign policy. The Brookings Institution’s stated principal purpose is “to aid in the development of sound public policies and to promote public understanding of issues of national (i.e. the US of A ‘s) importance. Brookings was founded in 1916, when a group of “reformers” (or is that government officials of limited legislative powers dissatisfied with the incumbent administration) founded the Institute for Government Research (IGR), the first private organization in the US devoted to analyzing public policy issues at a national level. The Institutions founder, philanthropist Robert S. Brookings (1850-1952), originally financed the formation of three organizations: The Institute for Government Research, The Institute of Economics, and the Robert Brookings Graduate School. The three were merged into the Brookings Institution in 1927. The Brookings Institute is currently headed by Strobe Talbott a former Clinton administration appointee in the US State Department.

The “mystique” surrounding the Brookings Institution began in 1958 when the United States Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the new Space Act to replace its 1915 predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics or NACA. Throughout the 1960’s, under US Government behest, NASA adopted a very unusual non-disclosure policy that prohibited their management from releasing information concerning the discovery of sentient extraterrestrial life capable of space travel. The policy was created and fashioned after the Brookings Institution report entitled “Peaceful Uses of Outer Space”. In that report, the Brookings Institution recommended prohibition of disclosure with a warning against the revelation of the existence of extraterrestrial life to the people of America and the world. Brookings Institution thinkers feared (vicariously?) social, economic, and religious upeaval could result. Many now believe that the Brookings Institution’s conclusions were based on the now famous events, which transpired in October 30, 1938, the public reaction to Orson Welles’s radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” and the local panic that ensued.

In the 21st Century, humanity’s level of sophistication has surely rose “a few notches” since that 1938 radio broadcast. To me, it’s quite “difficult to understand” how a futuristic agency tasked with the goal of space exploration -like NASA – can be handicapped by a fear, which originated before most of us were born. Are civilian astronauts / “space tourist” immune to the US Government’s “behest” to keep quiet about “ET”? Maybe this is why none of the billionaires are setting up their own space programs in frenzy.

Does extraterrestrial life exist, is the moon landing “staged’? To end the speculation, civilians should be allowed free access to space despite of the dangers and fiscal costs. Sometimes I wonder after all this time there is no photo of the Apollo 11 landing site taken by a space probe –preferably commissioned by a non- US Government entity (Will China or India suffice) - orbiting 100 kilometers above the moon.

In my opinion, it seems like the people in charge of the Brookings Institute were still living in an “Aristotelian Mindset” when they fashioned their “Peaceful Uses of Outer Space” report. It’s a pity that the great literary giants in Europe during the late 15th Century onwards didn’t write “science fiction” the way Gene Roddenberry makes conjectures about “alien civilizations”. I mean, if only William Shakespeare wrote a “story” about how to properly interact with the native peoples of the “New World”, the native people’s interaction with the European Colonizers would surely be more equitable.

In Brookings Institutions defense, they are seldom –if ever – taken seriously by the various US administrations that came and went since the end of World War II. Brookings even made it into then President Richard Nixon’s famous “enemies lists”. Brookings even warned the US Government back in 2000 that if the proper financial reforms aren’t done, a credit crunch – as what is currently happening –can occur.

Basing on the existing facts about the case, the Brookings Institution cannot be held wholly responsible for arresting the development of space travel because they merely work in an advisory capacity. Their “Space” policy may be found wanting but at least some of their ideas keep “minor wars” from getting out of hand while Wall Street goes about like its business as usual.

One very weird fact about the Brookings Institute that I’ve just learned recently is that they were never mentioned – in passing – on Chris Carter’s X-Files TV series. One of my Internet acquaintances tried to Google the two, but the search results points to the X-Files episode where FBI agents Mulder and Schully were assigned to investigate the allegedly supernatural incidents in a gated community called Arcadia.

Avril Lavigne: The Best Damn Thing Ever?

2007-09-29T04:25:00.000-07:00

Did Avril Lavigne inadvertently create an “Edsel” when she set out to write the songs on her third album?

By: Vanessa Uy

The title of this blog would have been “Ten Questions About Avril Lavigne That the Press and Her Fans Were Afraid to Ask”. Those “ten questions” could still crop up as we go along, but first lets take an in-depth view of Avril Lavigne’s third album.

“The Best Damn Thing” (RCA88697 03174-2) is Avril Lavigne’s third and latest release. Also RCA records released her two previous albums – “Let Go” and “Under My Skin” – which I paid full price (I also own a number of rare 7” vinyl of Avril Lavigne’s singles). Luckily I acquired “Best Damn Thing” for free since I won the CD from a local FM radio contest.

Compared to her two previous albums, me – and anyone I knew whose musical tastes more or less mirrors my own – were disappointed by Avril Lavigne’s “Best Damn Thing”. Was it the headline single “Girlfriend”? The answer is a big juicy yes for the reasons not just from the song being overplayed by the local FM stations or the local mall’s P.A. system. To us – especially me – “Girlfriend” has the hallmarks of being a mere “product”, no more or less inspired than a half-decent NBA or NFL halftime show or Britney Spears showing her privates. After the second to third time I heard the song “Girlfriend”, I had a “Road to Damascus Epiphany” on the true meaning of the term bubblegum-pop. Despite the happy “disposition, the “apparently” catchy hooks and lively beats fails to save “Girlfriend” from having the holistic integrity of Avril Lavigne’s “sadder” songs.

All of this made me wonder if the artistic quality / merit of Avril Lavigne’s performance demos being sent to RCA back in 2001 or 2002 sounds like her “Best Damn Thing” album. The A & R executives (talent scouts) of RCA would seriously reconsider about signing Avril Lavigne up – to the point of not signing her up.

The saving grace of this album is the torch song (?) “Pieces of My Heart”. But still I wonder if this song’s beauty is the result of Avril Lavigne’s excellent songcraft or the song’s music video - which is in heavy MTV rotation this past few months since the American “Credit Crunch.”

The way I see it, Avril Lavigne – for reasons that still elude me – has sacrificed her artistic integrity in exchange for more money. I mean she’s quite busy since Memorial Day pandering to the Anglo-Saxon Protestant / Evangelical community of America by implying that she’s a viable, kid-safe replacement for Michael Jackson. The way she talks about “God” in her MTV interviews could “Anglo-Saxonify” Jesus Christ to the point of looking like Conan O’Brien.

I mean if Avril Lavigne was around during that crucial period in 1988–1989. Where the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), which was headed by Tipper Gore - wife of Al “An Inconvenient Truth” Gore. Was then reaching out to the teens of America at that time to help them fulfil their core mission of making the REAGANISM of Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority a way of life to a whole generation of American teenagers. To me back then, Avril Lavigne would have no choice other than to become a herald of Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority’s “Imperial Ambitions” because her “musical” competitions in the pop charts circa 1989 are very weak, which primarily makes Avril very rich. The mediocrity of Milli Vanilli alone would make Avril Lavigne a wholesome, child friendly substitute to Axl Rose. Avril Lavigne would single handedly save PMRC -if only this hypothetical situation can be made real. Except that 99% of her fans don’t even know what PMRC is or if they even care about the time when the game show host Howie Mandel of “Deal or No Deal” was still in “St. Elsewhere”. This makes a good book / novel don’t you think?

But in Avril Lavigne’s defense, living in the “Stepford Wives-ville” that we call Anglo-Saxon America (Sen. John Edward’s “Other America”) had probably made her extremely unhappy. Empty materialism can be such a drag. The way I see it, Avril probably needs the millions of dollars in revenue that her “talent” provides, just to achieve the same levels of happiness experienced by pastoral folk like the Kalahari “Bushmen” of Sub-Saharan Africa. If Avril Lavigne does something similar to what The Beatles did with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi back in 1967 maybe by incorporating Sufi or Druse mysticism into her lifestyle. Will this do wonders to her “creative process” without sacrificing the millions of dollars that she earns? I think –at the present Bush / Neo Conservative administration - its way too risky to her preferred charity organization: War Child. Will Avril Lavigne’s artistic appeal be lost amidst the millions of dollars in royalties? Praise Goddess for my way overplayed Paramore “promotional” DVD.

The Earth’s Ozone Layer: Safe at Last?

2007-09-28T03:23:00.000-07:00

The Montreal Protocol might be working since scientists had observed a steady decline of ozone destroying chemicals in our atmosphere since the 1990’s, is this good news for the ozone layer?

By: Ringo Bones

Compared to the Kyoto Protocol’s mandate of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit the harm that could be caused by climate change. The Montreal Protocol’s mandate (mission?) of eliminating existing chemicals then in use in the industry and in domestic situations that are harmful to the Earth’s ozone layer was perceived as an insurmountable task – by both critics and proponents alike- 20 years ago.

The Montreal Protocol, whose full official title is the Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is a treaty that was established on September 16, 1987 at Montreal, Canada by a 25 nation body who first signed on. Presently, 168 nations are now parties to the accord. The Montreal Protocol’s mandate was to set limits on the production of ozone depleting chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, and related substances that release chlorine or bromine to the ozone layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. But first, a brief description on how the ozone layer of our planet works.

The Earth’s ozone layer –or the part that filters harmful UV rays out- is found in the upper part of the stratosphere at 40 to 50 kilometers up. The ozone found at ground level is a pollutant. Ozone is an allotrope of oxygen. Allotrope is an element in two or more different forms usually in the same phase like the element carbon that can both exist as coal, or a diamond depending on how it’s atoms are arranged. Unlike the ordinary atmospheric i.e. diatomic oxygen that we breathe whose molecular structure is composed of two oxygen atoms, while ozone has three. Even though both are composed of the same elemental oxygen, ozone can irritate –even damage- our lungs in long term exposure. While monatomic oxygen i.e. gaseous oxygen existing as single atoms plays a part in providing color in the aurora borealis and australis as it gets hit by charged particles from the sun. Every time an ozone molecule gets hit by an energetic ultraviolet radiation from the sun like UV-B (cancer causing), UV-C (chromosomal and immune system damage) and UV-A (tans the skin but still harmful in excess), it breaks apart into a diatomic oxygen molecule and a monatomic oxygen. Oddly enough, the same harmful UV rays allow the ripped oxygen molecules to recombine into ozone thus the cycle continues. This is how ozone absorbs UV radiation. While ozone destroying chemicals that reach the stratosphere also break ozone molecules apart, the bad part is the ozone molecule broken by this method didn’t perform it’s duty of absorbing UV rays. If enough ozone is broken apart chemically, levels of harmful UV rays reaching to the Earth’s surface could increase.

The biggest hurdle in the total manufacture and utilization ban of ozone destroying chemicals is that the “miracles” of contemporary society like refrigerants / keeping things cool and putting out “technical” fires will be seriously affected by the ban. The haloalkane / BCF fire suppressant halon had saved countless fighter pilots that served during the Vietnam War. An F-105 Thunderchief survived being hit by a Soviet made surface-to-air missile to return to her home air base thanks to the halon fire suppression system. Next to the modern ejection seat, halon is the modern jet pilot’s “other best friend.”

Under the Montreal Protocol, the ozone depleting potential or ODP, of any substance is measured with respect to an equal molecular mass of CFC-11, which is assigned a value of 1.0. Most other CFC’s have an ODP rating that ranges from 0.5 to about 1.3. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which are being used as transitional replacements until 2020 for CFC’s in refrigeration, have ODP’s that are generally less than 0.5. The problem with hydrochlorofluorocarbons or HCFC’s is that HCFC’s are a very efficient greenhouse gas because of its high specific heat rating. Thus it’s use could contribute to global warming while it’s molecular structure is still under investigation if it chemically breaks down fast enough before it reaches into the stratospheric regions to affect the ozone layer. Hydrofluorocarbons, which are also replacing CFC’s as refrigerants, have an ODP of zero. The molecular structure of HFC’s allows it to chemically break down before it drifts high into the ozone layer. The caveats of hydrofluorocarbons or HFC’s is that the refrigeration system that use HFC’s as a refrigerant are inefficient compared to ones that use CFC or HCFC i.e. it consumes more electricity. Also, ozone-depleting potentials are based on existing scientific knowledge and are to be reviewed and revised periodically. Thus the ODP rating of HFC's could change in the future.

An article published in the March 5, 2007 edition of Science Now about the findings that chlorine based ozone destroying agents are in decline. But the scientists conducting the study are still wary about the future recovery status of our ozone layer because bromine based ozone destroying agents can not yet be tracked with certainty as easily as chlorine based agents using current procedures. The good news is that the preliminary findings suggest that if current preventive measures on ozone depleting chemicals continue, there will be a marked improvement on the status of the Earth’s ozone layer 50 years from now. All of humanity now lives in hope.

Lunachicks: The Epitome of Punk Rock Creativity?

2007-09-25T02:38:00.000-07:00

During this age of “same-sounding-Billboard-chart-downloaded-to-iPod” phase of pop music, one wonders of the existence of an active government conspiracy 10 years ago – a la X-Files – bent on keeping the band Lunachicks in relative obscurity?

By: Vanessa Uy

The first time I listened to Lunachicks was during a point in my life that could be considered “musically” tumultuous. I was 8 at the time when I knew that achieving Joe Satriani like levels of guitar virtuosity is second nature to me. Avril Lavigne’s debut album was conquering the local airwaves unabated when I’m starting to wonder if my newly found virtuosity will only be in vogue in classical music circles (or 1980’s hair metal bands). My guitar skills will always be a legal way for me to achieve easy money by being a session musician, but it’s only fair to thank the band Lunachicks for keeping me sane during this past few years.

First formed way back in 1987 Lunachiks were said to be discovered by Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth at their second gig. The two members of Sonic Youth thought that Lunachicks were a “noise band” – but in actuality- Lunachicks hadn’t learned how to play their instruments yet at the time. A few years later –in 1990 – Lunachicks released their debut album titled “Baby Sitters on Acid” on the record label Blast First. Baby Sitters on Acid “is” the only Lunachicks album that I haven’t heard or owned yet (CD or LP only offers please).

The principal members of Lunachicks are: Theo on lead vocals full name Theo Kogan, stands a full 6 feet and extensively works as a model in the NYC area. Gina (full name Gina Volpe) on guitars and vocals. Squid (Sydney Silver), on bass guitar and vocal duties. Becky Wreck a.k.a. Susan Rebecca Lloyd was their drummer during their first two albums. Chip, (Chip English) replaced Becky about the time when Lunachicks signed up with Go-Kart records – a legendary New York based independent music record label. Sindi, (Sindi Benezra Valsamis) served as the bands other guitarist from 1987 but she’s no longer with the band during the 1998 leg of their tour. Helen Destroy served as the band’s drummer from 2000 to 2001.

After achieving a substantial cult following and critical acclaim from their Baby Sitters on Acid album, Lunachicks released “Binge and Purge” on the Safe House record label in 1992. The album served as a creative template for the succeeding Lunachicks albums. With songs about female masturbation whose lyrical descriptions rival those of Jonathan Swift’s literary description of defecation on his book “Gulliver’s Travels.” As a Punk Rock band, Lunachicks’ uniqueness is the result of their unabashed use of “technical” guitar playing which is the preserve of 1980’s “hair metal” bands.

Lunachicks came into their own when they signed up with Go-Kart records. A friend of Greg Ross once told him to sign Lunachicks because they are NYC’s most popular “indie” band. Around 1995, Go-Kart was still a fledgling record label but as luck would have it Lunachicks signed up with Go-Kart. In May 1, 1995, Go-Kart released Lunachicks’ third full-length album – “Jerk of all Trades.” Because of their popularity, Lunachicks single-handedly became the label’s financial bread-and-butter. During the later half of 1995, Lunachicks toured with “alternative / indie” bands made famous by MTV circa 1995 like Offspring, Marilyn Manson, Luscious Jackson, Rancid, and Reverend Horton Heat.

In February 18,1997, Lunachicks released “Pretty Ugly” on Go-Kart. It’s rare for them to retain the same record label in releasing a new album, but they might have been satisfied on what Go-Kart records did to the band’s career. A quirk about this album is the title track –“Pretty Ugly” was released on a Go-Kart records compilation titled “GO-KART VS. THE CORPORATE GIANT”. Production value-wise, “Pretty Ugly” is somewhat too bass heavy a recording for a Punk Rock band. Either they are following a trend – Massive Attack, Portishead and Trent Reznor / Nine-Inch-Nails - at the time were releasing albums with ridiculous amounts of bass which were selling like hotcakes- or experimenting. Back then, a friend of mine damaged his US$1,500 Velodyne sub woofer during the song “What’s Left” when he played the song at unamplified-drum-kit-sound-pressure-levels. Mind you his audio rig easily passed muster playing other well-recorded drum kit recordings at their natural/unamplified sound pressure levels (105-110 dB SPL). Remember, at that level of loudness the stereo set up should make the recorded sound of the drum kit sound like a real drum kit the way God and Her infinite wisdom intended to sound in nature.

In 1998, Lunachicks released “Drop Dead Live” which to me is probably the best Live Rock Concert album of all time in sound quality terms. Rivaling that of Kiss’ “Alive” and Cheap Trick’s “Live at Budokan”. This is where –as a live band – Lunachicks’ performance rivals that of Iron Maiden circa 1984. This just proves that independent labels –like Go-Kart – good sound quality comes naturally.

In 1999 while still with Go-Kart records, Lunachicks released “Luxury Problem”. I think –as epitomes of the Punk Rock ideal – Lunachicks became somewhat “uncomfortable” with their popularity in the audiophile community chose to record their “Luxury Problem” album with heavy amounts of audio compression and “dry” i.e. no reverb. But the resulting sound quality made the recording sound as if Lunachicks are playing in the cramped confines of a typical Punk Rock venue in New York City like CBGB’s. Are they trying to mimic the godfathers of Punk – The Ramones – on this recording? The tattoo art world / culture references are still present though.

From 2001 onwards, the band’s tour itinerary has gone from few to nonexistent. The band’s members are busy with their “other jobs.” Gina is now the lead singer and guitarist of the band Bantam. Theo now play’s with Theo and the Skyscrapers. Theo also appeared in the movie Zoolander, you know, the tattooed woman in Hansel’s loft. Becky was the drummer for the Blair Bitch Project back in 2000. Helen Destroy plays drums in the all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band Lez Zeppelin (The Lesbian Led Zeppelin?). Squid is currently working as a tattoo artist. I wonder if Squid did Theo’s tattoos?

Despite of their album’s quirks sound quality wise, it’s really hard to pick a single favorite album from Lunachicks. It’s like picking a best Mark Levinson amplifier. To me, Lunachicks’ influence reached beyond the confines of Punk Rock. Theo grazed the cover of Tattoo Magazine’s international edition and probably influenced a generation of women on their taste in fashion. They made some “conventional guys” that I know into loyal fans even though these guys are Soldier of Fortune types who helped Zimbabwe to become independent back in 1980 even though the country has bee going to hell recently. Some used to roam downtown Grozny, Chechnya with Kalashnikovs back in 1992. They don’t care about the “Brickface and Stucco” connotations, to them it’s all about the music and one’s “preferences” is his or her own business not the Government or the Church or whatever.

The songs that stuck on me are “FDS” from Jerk, which sounds like a Broadway show tune Punk Metal hybrid. I also like “Bitterness Barbie” for reasons that might result in me writing a 250 page Doctoral Thesis about what is wrong with George W. Bush and his neo-conservatives. “Spoilt” for it’s critique on Capitol Hill / Wall Street Imperialism that required the sacrifice of working class American blood in running it. And who could forget “Fallopian Rhapsody”, the Roe v Wade question that nobody seems to care or the American women whose voices are silenced by the Moral Majority / Right Wing Christian extremists. Remember the January 16, 1997 Sandy Springs incident?

To me, Lunachicks deserve multi-platinum status. Their drummer Chip’s been playing like they already had one. When the Suicide Girls appeared in Jerry Bruckheimer’s CSI New York, I thought would an appearance by Lunachicks be not far behind? Or is that prospect as viable as a Henry Rollins – Black Flag reunion tour?

Lately, a new band called Paramore whose promotional DVD was given to me from a sympathethic friend who works our local Kuwait Fund facility. To me Paramore's artistry could well rival that of Lunachicks, but it's too soon to tell.

RNAi Therapy: Hope or Hype?

2007-09-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

Touted as the latest cutting-edge therapy to turn the tide of battle against the AIDS pandemic, will RNA interference (RNAi) therapy succeed where protease inhibitor based drugs failed?

By: Ringo Bones

Growing up during the 1980’s, one can’t seem to ignore the doomsayer’s predictions on how humanity will be wiped out by the relentless spread of HIV infection or AIDS. Since at the time the existing therapeutic regimen are next to useless compared to the drugs set to replace them in the coming years. In the 1990’s came protease inhibitor based drugs that proved very promising – albeit very expensive – in saving the lives of AIDS sufferers in the early stages of the disease. Due to the high cost of the therapeutic regimen (Did it used to cost US$30,000 a year per patient?), only the extremely rich like NBA basketball star Magic Johnson can afford the expense. A decade or so later, the cost of the drugs came down dramatically that philanthropic institutions - like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - could provide the same therapy to parts of Africa seriously affected by AIDS at a cost of less than a dollar a day for every patient.

Though somewhat still awaiting field trials, RNA interference or RNAi therapy is the latest cutting edge therapy that has the necessary fighting chance to cure AIDS. RNAi therapy has the capability of switching off the pathogen that causes disease. If successful, RNAi therapy could not only cure AIDS but also hepatitis-C infections and further research could make RNAi therapy as a cure for cancer.

RNAi therapy was pioneered by an Australian biotech company called BENITEC. On July 2007, BENITEC was about to start dosing patients in the first human trials of their RNAi therapy, which attacks HIV infections on three separate fronts. Dr John Rossi from the Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, California, outlined BENITEC’s RNA interference (RNAi) therapy – which he has collaborated on – and said that the first patient in the Phase I clinical trial will be dosed sometime by the end of July 2007.

Although the virus that causes HIV / AIDS can built up resistance to existing protease inhibitor based drugs alarmingly quickly, Dr John Rossi explained that attacking the virus on three separate fronts could enable the RNAi based drug to fend resistance for longer. It’s easy for the AIDS virus to mutate around one thing but much more difficult if there are three factors to contend with. Also, the mutated viruses that he has observed so far are much weaker that their previous “generation / parents” as observed by Dr Rossi. But later, the virus reverted back to its original sequence.

Dr Rossi explained that the RNAi based drug uses a lentivirus vector to deliver the genes that encode for the three different forms of RNA to battle the virus. RNAi in the form of short hairpin RNA (shRNA), that targets an exon in the transactivator or transcription (Tat) and Regulator of Virion (Rev) gene (ShI). A decoy for the HIV TAT – reactive element (TAR) and a ribozyme that targets the host cell CCR5 chemokine receptor (CCR5RZ).

The scientists at BENITEC are using two different techniques to introduce the DNA into the body. The first one is where they remove the patient’s own bone marrow progenitor cells, genetically modifying them using the virus and then reinfuse them into the patient during a bone marrow transplant. BENITEC claims that – if successful – the new treatment could allow patients’ bodies to produce HIV-resistant white blood cells indefinitely.

BENITEC and City of Hope are also using a similar approach, only with T cells instead of stem cells explained Rossi. He went on to explain that the anti-CCR5 ribozyme may prevent the virus from entering the cell but if it does get in and starts to produce RNA’s, the drug will capture that RNA and also move the Tat away from the virus.

Not only does the drug attempt to knock back virus levels, Rossi said it also aims to destroy the lymphoma that develops in many HIV-positive patients. The trial itself will be treating five patients in this subgroup, with the results expected within a year.

From what I learned so far from virus physiology, using the “reproductive” phase of the pathogenic virus to “kill” it or render the virus impotent is a good way to tackle fast mutating RNA based viruses like HIV / AIDS. But a part of me that’s been reading (and watching) far too many science fiction stories find this technology rife for abuse. Especially further on when the science behind RNA interference therapy can be made to make one’s own immune system attack ones own body or make each and every cell in one’s body into a bunch of malignant tumors. As with any scientific “tool”, it’s up to the global community to police its applications.

Domain Names: The Internet’s Real Estate Bonanza?

2007-09-07T04:46:00.000-07:00

From the 1990’s “Dot Com” boom to the bubble bursting in 2000, are domain names the magic bullet that will restore investor confidence on the Web?

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

Touted as the “Real Estate Market of the Future” in the middle of the 1990’s, domain names are now a billion-dollar industry, not only for the major search operators like Google and Yahoo but also to a new breed of Internet real estate developers. Domain names have since become the “bread and butter” of the on line marketing and on line advertising business. Having outgrown the “dot com” slump of 2000, domain name – the real estate of the web – have been delivering far greater returns compared to it’s real world counterpart as reported on CNN.com. For those of you who have the resources to invest in the domain name development business yet don’t know what it is, here’s a primer.

Domain name refers to the first part of a URL - (URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator – the unique address of any Web document that can be keyed in a typical browser’s OPEN or LOCATION / GO TO box to retrieve a document) – on to the first / where the domain and name of the host or SERVER computer are listed. This is usually arranged in reverse i.e. name first, then domain. The domain name gives you the information on who (the origin of) “published” the page i.e. made it public by putting that page on the Web.

In the 1990’s – when the Internet evolved from a mere “academic curiosity” to a telecommunications medium with a promising economic viability – the exclusive right to use Internet domain names became a highly contested issue. Enterprising individuals knew that there’s money to be made in these unique sequences of letters that are divided – by convention – into segments separated by periods that correspond to the numerical Internet Protocol Addresses that identify each of the millions of computers connected to the Internet. Because domain name labels enable packets of information to be sent to their specific destinations across the Internet, the commercial implications are not lost to the world’s various advertising agencies.

Domain name development profits does not only fill the coffers of unscrupulous entrepreneurs, but can also benefit an impoverished country because all countries are designated a top-level domain name on the Internet usually as a suffix to that country’s Internet Address. For example .be for Belgium, .hk for Hong Kong, .ph for the Philippines, .za for South Africa and so on. A number of these domain names have been featured on stamps. During the last few years of the 20th Century, a relatively poor Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu hit the jackpot when it received the .tv domain name, although initially Tuvalu’s citizens didn’t realize that they owned the most recognizable suffix of all, .tv.

Back in 1999, the .tv domain name gained “humanitarian / philanthropic” status when Jason Chapnik – a Canadian businessman- walked into a Tuvalu parliament meeting and pleaded his intentions to buy their domain name. After further negotiations, by the year 2000 Tuvalu decided to sign up with Chapnik to form a new company called Dot TV that’s currently based in Pasadena, California. Tuvalu owns 20% of Dot TV and received US$50 million from the lucrative deal which the country – via structured settlement – receives quarterly payments of US$1 million each over a period of 10 years. Tuvalu recently received a payment of US$18 million that instantly doubled the country’s GDP.

This sudden windfall of revenue allowed Tuvalu to achieve an economically independent status. Ever since gaining independence in 1978, Tuvalu could hardly afford the US$20,000 UN membership fee. It wasn’t until September 5, 2000 where Tuvalu could finally afford being UN’s 189th member nation. The domain name revenue enabled the various islands of Tuvalu the ability to upgrade their public infrastructure like roads, schools and water purification facilities. The upgrading of Tuvalu’s main airport to accommodate larger planes has allowed the country to export food for the first time in history.

Despite of the recently found wealth, the global community is now wondering whether Tuvalu can cope with the challenges of sea level rise due to global warming and the increased typhoons brought about by climate change with “dot com” funds alone. Is Tuvalu now in the front line for the global community’s battle against sea level rise?

Meteorite Strike Insurance: Absolute Necessity or Needless Luxury?

2007-08-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

Will insurance companies provide a proviso on their personal risk insurance for a phenomenon that boarder on the “Act of God”?

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

Throughout recorded history, only one person has been documented to having been hit by a meteorite from space. Fortunately, she survived. Because of this, opinions have always been divided in the insurance underwriters’ community whether the incident with Mrs. Hewlett Hodges should have been treated as a “freak occurrence.” She was extremely lucky though to have survived by being hit with a 10- pound fragment that pierced her roof and struck her left side. But first let us define which is which.

When the “rock” is still moving through the vacuum of space, it’s called a meteoroid. When the “rock” is glowing “pyrotechnically” as it enters the earth’s atmosphere, it’s called a meteor. When the said “rock” or “object” hits the earth surface, a house, or other unfortunate soul, it’s called a meteorite. These are the natural ones, while the increasingly commercial utilization of orbital space has created the problem of “space junk” that are the by - products of the launch of communication satellites which is also a possible source of meteorite strike hazard.

Concerns over the possibility of humans being injured or killed when hit by a meteorite strike usually becomes a topic of conversation during the annual meteor shower season that starts in August all through to mid –to- late November. These annual meteor showers occur in streams with established orbits. These meteor showers are named after the constellation from which they appear to radiate. Like the recent Perseid meteor shower that occurs in early August, which the one that occurred this year received heavy press coverage because of the ideal “viewing” conditions appear to radiate in the constellation Perseus. For those who missed it, don’t worry cause this coming late October the Orionid meteor shower will be radiating in the constellation of Orion. Though most of my buddies prefer the Leonid meteor shower because it’s occurrence from mid – to –late November in the constellation Leo are more likely to provide an ideal “viewing” conditions from our regular vantage point. Recent scientific studies have shown that that all recurrent meteor showers are mostly composed of debris left in the wake of comets, past or present.

Currently, Lloyds of London are the only known major insurance company that provides services on meteorite strike insurance policies. But the firm seriously advises anyone planning to purchase their meteorite strike “policies” to “think it over thoroughly” because these are somewhat expensive and meteorite strikes are statistically evaluated to a degree that their occurrence –in an average human lifetime- borders on the nonexistent. In the UK, meteor strikes (as written on their Webpage) are generally defined as an “Act of God.” According to the Website of Car Insurance in the UK (www.car-insurancefacts.co.uk) which defines “Act of God”; as an event not caused directly by an individual that causes damage to your vehicle. An example (albeit an unlikely one) would be a meteorite strike. More often than not, “Acts of God” are uninsurable.

While the “budget” side of the insurance industry doesn’t do business when it comes to insuring our person and property against meteorite strike insurance. There is also the rigmarole that they also fail to classify meteorites that are made by man i.e. spent rocket parts and other by-products of space travel and commerce (communication satellite launches) from those that are natural i.e. left over material from the creation of our solar system. Most of these insurance companies just classify these occurrences / incidents under the “Act of God” clause.

For all intents and purposes, its in the insurance companies of the world’s best interest to provide an insurance proviso on meteorite strikes, especially objects that are a product of the commercial utilization of space like the regular launching of communication satellites used for cellular phone and Internet data traffic. The profits generated by this activity has the mathematical equitability to make the meteorite insurance proviso economically viable to the average prospective client.

Hybrid Cars versus Electric Cars: Vying for Green Credentials?

2007-08-25T04:23:00.000-07:00

The “Two Major Roads” that lead to a more environmentally friendly motoring are clamoring for our votes, which one will win and which one will you vote for?

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

The two emerging technologies that serve to power a new generation of environmentally friendly cars – namely “hybrid power plant cars” and “pure electric powered cars” – are now clamoring to prospective customers who vote with their wallets and / or checkbooks. Marketing success hinges more on which of the two technologies –hybrid cars or pure electric cars - will be adopted by the major auto- makers. Irreproachable “green credentials” is now a major issue that determines which of the two will sell, and to a more or lesser extent; simplicity of operation and running costs. So here are the merits and faults that accompany the two different technologies.

Ever since the conspiracy theory surfaced to the mainstream media surrounding the “demise” i.e. product recall of GM’s EV1, interests on this sort of technology is in vogue again. The theory states that General Motors was under behest by the “1996 Republican Majority Congress” in collusion with “Big Oil Companies” to “kill” the EV1 because it’s “miraculous” performance could end America’s dependence on “Middle Eastern Petroleum.” Back in 1996, GM’s EV1 was the first pure electric car produced in commercial quantities by a major automobile company. It had pretty good credentials under its belt despite being powered by heavy and “inefficient” lead-acid batteries that could pose it’s own environmental problems. Fully charged, the EV1 has a range of 65 miles.

A lot has happened since then, today, a car that was referred to as the spiritual descendent of the EV1 is the TESLA Roadster. The TESLA Roadster is made by TESLA Motors a small automotive start-up company in San Francisco, California. One advantage that the TESLA Roadster has over GM’s EV1 is weight – or the lack of it. The TESLA Roadster is constructed out of carbon fiber that’s modeled after the Lotus Elise so it’s five times lighter than ordinary steel cars and also five times stronger due to the carbon fiber construction. The TESLA Roadsters claim to fame is it’s advanced lithium ion / lithium polymer battery that’s not only several times lighter than the one’s used in the EV1, it is also more efficient allowing the TESLA Roadster to have a 250 mile range on a single charge. Because of the carbon fiber construction and lithium batteries, the TESLA Roadsters high power –to – weight ratio allows it to accelerate like a high- end conventional internal-combustion-engine-powered-gasoline-fueled racecar.

In the other camp, hybrid cars i.e. cars whose both powered by a fossil-fueled internal combustion engine and storage batteries that drive the electric motors, are now on an uphill battle to gain “green” credentials. The environmental merit of hybrid cars is that the internal combustion engine can be made smaller than that of “conventional” cars because it’s primarily used to recharge the batteries, thus generating lower emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Hybrid cars also have better “mileage” than “conventional” cars because only in demanding situations i.e. going uphill and/or when quick accelerations are required that the two power plants is used in conjunction with each other. The most famous and highly advertised make/model of a hybrid car is the Toyota PRIUS.

While hybrid cars are praised because theoretically they could never ran out of “juice” while on the road due to the current ubiquity of gas / petrol stations over electrical charging stations. Pure electric cars – especially ones using the latest generation of lithium ion batteries – have better performance due to their high power –to – weight ratio compared to current hybrid cars. Also -if major auto makers will start mass producing them again- pure electric cars have the advantage over hybrids in terms of environmental friendliness because it’s much easier and cheaper to place air pollution mitigating devices at the power plant as opposed to every tailpipe of every car that’s running. Borrowing from the “transistor- principle” that a system with fewer moving parts is less prone to breakdown. Pure electric cars has this advantage because it uses only simple electric motors as a primary “engine” as opposed to the hybrid car that still has a conventional internal combustion engine with an inherently inefficient –in energy terms- clutch and gear drive systems. Also pure electric cars can easily tap electricity that’s produced from sustainable and / or non-carbon dioxide generating power plants like wind farms, solar photovoltaic power plants, fuel cell based power plants, etc. Also in the not-so-distant future, carbon offsetting might be legislated to include the transportation sector. Your carbon dioxide generating hybrid car could be singled out by the taxman in the coming years. Also, hybrid cars have “dubious” resale value as reported by Jeremy Clarkson in the 2003 – 2004 season of “Top Gear” an automotive TV show reviewing budget and high-end cars. On one episode, he advises against buying a hybrid car and to choose instead on a conventional car with a better mileage because this fuel- efficient conventional car is not likely to end up lying idly on some junkyard compared to the “hybrid” competition.

Medical Marijuana: Beyond Reproach?

2007-08-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

Is it because of the relentless highly politicized “unscientific” vilification by the Moral Majority on the true nature of cannabis sativa i.e. marijuana during the Reagan Administration that allowed the “drug” to gain it’s unjustly earned “mystique”?

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

In July 2007, the British medical journal Lancet published the result of a study that cannabis / pot users are 40% more likely to develop psychological illness like schizophrenia. Even if those conducting this recent study could refine their methods to a level of absolute certainty that’s beyond reproach, the results / data are likely to fall on deaf ears (or blind eyes) because marijuana has gained somewhat of a saint-like status that can be traced back to 1980’s America.

There are an increasing number of people –like us – who compares marijuana to a criminal who got acquitted from a prima facie case due to shoddy police work. Or maybe these are just people who grew up during the 1980’s being endlessly bombarded on the then politically-motivated-scientific-findings on the “brain-damaging” effects of delta-9 tetra hydro cannabinol, the main psychoactive component of marijuana. Back then, a book titled “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” by Jack Herer – which was secretly published in 1985 to the underground “Hemp” community is the only politically unbiased - albeit pro hemp - source of information on how marijuana affects a relatively large community. This book also serves as a manifesto that indicted the US Government’s hypocritical stance on marijuana use. During the Reagan Administration, there was an established government conspiracy to suppress findings on how hemp could be used as a viable source of BIOMASS to end America’s dependence on Middle Eastern petroleum. This came to pass despite of a well-known historical knowledge that Betsy Ross made the first US Flag “Old Glory” from hemp fiber. In 1942, the United States Department of Agriculture -with behest from the US Government – produced a 30 minute film titled “Hemp for Victory.” The film promotes the positive aspects of the Hemp Plant from the government’s own mouth.

The legislation that brought about the legalization of marijuana use – albeit for medical purpose – was due to scientific findings on it’s therapeutic effects on glaucoma. Facing relentless public pressure due to suppression of scientific results extolling the positive aspects of marijuana plus the relatively “liberal” political climate of the Clinton Administration, the US Government finally started legal proceedings allowing for the legalization of marijuana for medical use despite the protests of the “conservative” States. Though it’s been legal for a long time in “liberal” territories like the Netherlands, marijuana use – especially in the “coffee shops” of Amsterdam – are viewed as nothing more than recreational drug use by the cynical policymakers around the world. As recently as the 21st of August 2007, when a woman in Germany suffering from multiple sclerosis was prescribed with medical marijuana for pain relief after “conventional” pain medications failed to work caused an- uproar in the “conservative” community.

From the Alternative Medicine standpoint, marijuana –like the “perennially experimental” bee venom therapy for multiple sclerosis – still warrants more definitive research. This is so because the medical community could very much benefit on finding out which chemical components of cannabis sativa i.e. marijuana has genuine medicinal / therapeutic properties that can be separated from those components responsible only for psychoactive and / or narcotic effects.

To the rest of the world (except maybe the Netherlands of course), the legitimacy of medical marijuana will be found wanting due to lack of research and due to the political baggage that the plant endured under “REAGANISM.” While a large majority see “Medical Marijuana” as something really beyond reproach like Al Gore supporters conveniently overlooking Tipper Gore’s circa 1989 PMRC in the name of “Political Correctness.” Maybe Abraham Lincoln said it best: “Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason, in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and to make a crime of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.” Except that Lincoln’s GOP is a whole different animal compared to the 21st Century “incarnation.”

Innovations in Pharmacology: An Arrested Development?

2007-08-18T03:53:00.000-07:00

With the recent controversies surrounding the side - effects of BEXTRA and VIOXX, does this mean that recent advances in pharmacology had reached a dead end?

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

The supposedly side – effect free and more effective substitutes for aspirin – BEXTRA and VIOXX- are fast becoming a non-starter for the multi-million dollar pharmaceutical industry. By now, almost all of us are wondering if the “miracles of modern science” has recently abandoned the field of pharmacology. Is this problem truly insurmountable as implied by the latest buzz - words in pharmaceutical / pharmacological publications? Let’s cite some examples.

Before the advent of antibiotics like penicillin, the only cure available for venereal diseases are arsenical compounds (developed during the 19th Century) so toxic that the cure was more likely to kill you than cure you. Now -the problem created by the misuse of our tried-and-true arsenal of antibiotics - are the drug-resistant pathogens engendered by the improper use and administration of antibiotics. That’s why back in the 1990’s arsenicals were re-introduced as a venereal disease cure against multi drug resistant syphilis.

Back in the 1950’s, thalidomide was developed as a much safer substitute for barbiturate-based sleeping pills. It was reported back then that one woman attempted to commit suicide by taking thalidomide based pills and failed to take her own life. Then the teratogenic effects of thalidomide surfaced after the drug was already widely marketed in Europe.

Probably developed during the height of the Cold War i.e. mid to late 1950’s – pyridostigmine bromide – was developed as a substitute for atropine sulfate to counteract the effects of cholinesterase inhibitor based weaponry i.e. nerve gas / nerve agents. Atropine sulfate was known to interfere with the infantry’s physical exertion i.e. dodging bullets upon intramuscular injection. Pyridostigmine bromide was designed to avoid this “inconvenience.” But back in April 1995, pharmacologist Mohamed Abou-Donia, while examining the nature of “Gulf War Syndrome” discovered that pyridostigmine bromide while effective at protecting soldiers against nerve agents by binding to – and shielding – the enzyme that nerve gas attacks. But it also grabs onto enzymes that help break down toxic chemicals thus the probable agent responsible for causing “Gulf War Syndrome.” This is quite the opposite of what atropine sulfate does – by increasing the body’s metabolism so that the nerve agents are flushed out of the body before it can do serious damage.

While a number of pharmaceutical companies choose to wait for unfortunate side – effects to occur before pulling their product off the market. Some – like the ASTRA ZENECA company, choose to voluntarily withdraw their product before a large number of unfortunate side – effects or fatalities could occur. ASTRA ZENECA developed the anticoagulant XIMELAGATRAN - whose trade name is EXTANTA an FDA approved oral anticoagulant - as a less toxic replacement for warfarin. XIMELAGATRAN was the first member of direct thrombin inhibitors that can be taken orally. For the benefit of those who do not know what is warfarin, it is the main ingredient in rat poison. Warfarin kills rats by making them bleed to death due to its anti coagulant effects. Also, warfarin makes a good rat poison / rodenticide because in case of accidental poisoning to humans, Vitamin K tablets can be used as a very effective antidote. In 2006, ASTRA ZENECA – the manufacturer of XIMELAGATRAN – announced that it would not attempt to market XIMELAGATRAN after reports of hepatoxicity (liver damage) during trials,and to discontinue it’s distribution in countries where the drug had been approved.

While in the last week of July 2007, the type-2 diabetes maintenance drug AVANDIA – a ROSIGLITAZONE and METFORMINE combination in one convenient pill - has been under scrutiny because recent studies of 7,500 patients have shown that 1 in 50 developed a heart attack. While some, developed fluid retention problems. One-fourth of their test subjects is aged below 50. This report has caused the stock value of GlaxoSmithKlein – AVANDIA’s manufacturer – to fall. Due to lack of a suitable replacement, and since AVANDIA had become ubiquitous with type-2 diabetes sufferers around the world. Majority of the world’s pharmaceutical regulatory bodies has just advised General Practitioners to closely monitor their patients who are presently taking AVANDIA.

This bothersome phenomena where innovations can no longer improve a trusty –but – rusty “workhorse” has finally invaded the world of pharmacology. This “phenomena” had plagued the hi-fi / audio industry for the past 20 –or so – years. It has the effect of rendering the decade –or more- advances in digital recording unable to “out – beauty” the good ol’ analogue sound recording i.e. 30 in/sec magnetic tape recording.

Will the tropanol derivative atropine – despite its negative physiological effects – be the “better” choice in protecting the fighting men and women the world over against cholinesterase inhibitor based weaponry well into the 22nd Century for the reason that replacements are proven to do more harm than good? And what about aspirin, are we just fortunate that it was discovered and marketed well before draconian laws to govern the pharmaceutical industry were legislated and enforced? From a pharmacological standpoint, it seems that chemical – based pharmaceuticals are inherently toxic to the human physiology. This is why the major pharmaceutical companies the world over are investing millions in their Research and Development department to develop drugs / agents that work using the principles of the science of genetic engineering like BENITEC’s RNA interference therapy. Presently, it seems the careful management of therapeutic regimens is the only viable option. In retrospect, the progress of the science of pharmacology has always been dependent – or hindered depending your point of view – to the current “politics” that engendered the legislation of draconian laws that regulate the pharmaceutical industry.

Does Anyone Need Climate Change Insurance?

2007-08-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Should we all go out and purchase “Climate Change Insurance” –like Life and Car Insurance- to protect our beachfront properties of the inevitable if-and-when?

By: Vanessa Uy

Like the establishment of the US Environmental Protection Agency back in 1970, there -as of yet- no existing legal precedents that allow –let alone to regulate- the sale of “Climate Change Insurance” policies to the average homeowner. Or maybe a homeowners insurance policy with a proviso for climate change / global warming caused damage "payout." These are quite as rare as "hen's teeth" but in Germany, the insurance community is abuzz with activity from Munich Re paying storm damage claims. I mean average because how many of us could afford the insurance premiums of Lloyd’s of London style insurance companies that provides coverage to risk whose mathematical evaluation borders on the non-existent? Also, the existing conservative political climate in the United States could easily allow existing insurance companies to classify the negative effects resulting from climate change –like sea level rise and increased frequency of hurricanes- as “Acts of God” which almost all existing insurance companies around the world won’t settle. And finally, is it wise to use the funds generated from “Carbon Offsetting” that’s already slated to bankroll sustainable / green development programs in “poor” countries be used as funds i.e. as an ethical form of "hedge funds" to settle the damages resulting from Climate Change?

Ever since “modern” insurance companies were established, they declared that the first essential factor in insurance is that the element of gambling must not be present. Since then, insurance companies had been eliminating the “element of gambling” by making it possible –through mathematics- to make accurate and scientific calculations of the extent of the hazard, so as to charge a fair premium. This is why it is important to study all the available scientific data to properly gauge the extent of Climate Change –now and in the future. The study can also be used to gauge if the risk must be important enough to warrant insurance. To make such a venture economically viable, the insurance company must have a large number of risks –spread out geographically- so that it will not have a concentration of risks in one area. And finally, the cost of the insurance –i.e. premiums- must be within the reach of a large number of people.

A couple of leading authorities –namely Michael Schlesinger and Natalia Andronova- professors of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign says that low cost climate-change insurance could help ensure a better future. By implementing a “Carbon Tax” of five US cents per gallon of gasoline and gradually increasing the tax over the next 30 years is the optimal solution, the researchers report. “You can think of the tax as a low- cost insurance policy that protects against climate change,” said Michael Schlesinger. The policy premiums –according to Professor Schlesinger- could be used to develop alternative energy technologies. Doing a little now to mitigate long-term climate change would cost much less than doing nothing and making adjustments in the future.

Because mitigation would impose immediate costs, with any long –term benefit unknown, some scientists and policy-makers have argued that nothing should be done until the “uncertainty surrounding the climate issue” is substantially reduced. But Professor Schlesinger says:” By then, however, it may be too late to and we will have foreclosed certain options. Rather, the uncertainty is the very reason we should implement a climate policy in the near term.”

Professor Michael Schlesinger’s idea of a taxation-bankrolled Climate Change insurance is somewhat similar to a State Insurance where state funds –i.e. tax revenues- are organized for the insurance of the compensation risk. To me, this is more or less similar to Social Security insurance. Like state funds, a government controlled Climate Change insurance has the advantages of costing much less than that of private organizations because no commissions are paid to brokers or agents and the work is handled by state employees. Also, some state funds may not emphasize the prevention of losses. Finally, if the premiums collected are insufficient to pay losses, the state may have to make up the difference if permitted by law.

Despite of all the rigmarole and red tape surrounding the establishment of a Climate Change insurance, the lack of legal precedents is the greatest obstacle for providing a system to mitigate the damages that might be incurred by the effects of Climate Change / Global Warming / sea-level rise. And by increasing the tax on gasoline incrementally over the years for the next 30 years could cause an- uproar to all of the petrochemical companies around the world. But –to me at least- a binding legislation of a Climate Change insurance based on the established principles of the modern insurance company / industry is probably the best solution where conservationist and the corporate / industrial world can reach a common ground.

Astronauts: NASA’s Weakest Link?

2007-08-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

Conventional wisdom states that a system is only as strong as its weakest link. Does this mean that NASA’s greatest asset - human space explorers i.e. astronauts -are also their greatest liability?

By: Vanessa Uy

Ever since NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak’s adult diaper-aided crime-of-passion / escapade became headline news, things have not been going well for NASA’s manned space exploration program. Then came the allegations of the drunkenness of shuttle astronauts slated for current missions – the “bottle to throttle” fiasco. And the most disturbing of all: the pre-flight sabotage of the vibration monitoring / detecting computer that’s slated to be installed in the International Space Station (ISS) which seems like the proverbial “last straw” that NASA won’t be able to recover. Despite a live news conference last 27th of July 2007 that aired on both BBC and CNN about the administrative action that would be taken by NASA to investigate these allegations and the establishment of a “Performance Integrity Criterion” that will be followed rigorously by the astronauts. Despite of the recent successful launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, is NASA’s reputation already tarnished beyond repair?

At the cost of almost a billion dollars per launch, the American taxpayer has every right to be mindful about the professionalism and integrity of their astronauts for a lot of reasons other that the “astronomical” cost of running the best manned space exploration program on the planet. Ever since the 1980’s, there are scientific experiments -whose benefits even includes a cure for cancer- can only be performed in the weightless conditions i.e. in space. So Americans held their astronauts with high regard like some “latter day messiah.” To me, the pre-flight sabotage of the vibration-monitoring computer is the most disturbing of all the “irregularities” that has surfaced in recent investigations. If this is true – and the “tampering” incident had been going on since NASA first started the series of “microgravity environment” experiments back in the 1980’s – then the data obtained during this experiments should be taken with a “grain of salt.” That’s billions of dollars and countless man-hours of drudgery wasted, in other words - one giant “step back” for mankind.

Recently, the “Blog-o-sphere” is abuzz with opinions/suggestions that since NASA launches more unmanned missions like the latest PHOENIX Mars robotic space probe, the administrative body should fire all of their astronauts. To me, the problem with this logic is that at present –or even in the foreseeable future- we still don’t know how to build “robots” that are smart and self-aware enough to replace our “human space explorers.” The “human versus robot” debate extends even to the nurse / caregiver camp, but this is a topic for future discussion.

There exists a “Kultur Kampf” between the two main schools of thought weather it would be ever possible that we humans can ever construct a “robot” that is self-aware and as smart as us. On one camp, Alan Turing – the Great Grandfather of our modern computer technology- believes that by the middle of the 21st Century advancements in computer technology would allow us to design and construct “computers/robots” that are self-aware and as smart as or even smarter than us. Alan Turing even designed a test named after him - the Turing Test - as an evaluation tool to see if a “computer system” has the ability for self-awareness and human like intelligence. Turing “dreamed-up” the concept back in the 1940’s by the way. In the other camp is Roger Penrose – one of the greatest living theoretical physicist today- who theorized that electronic computers can never replicate the process of the human mind that give rise to self-awareness and intelligence. To put it in overly simplistic terms, a skilled blacksmith can create a very beautiful sword but that same sword can never create a blacksmith – even a mediocre one. Sadly, I’m subscribing to Roger Penrose’s view because it’s backed up by my own day –to- day “empirical evidence.” Though the last time I heard from Roger Penrose, he was very optimistic about “quantum computers.” Even if we are fortunate enough to have developed human-like robots -10 years from now- capable of replacing NASA’s astronauts, when was the last time a space probe / robotic spacecraft had a ticker tape parade down Madison Avenue after returning from a successful mission? Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein produced “cartoons” doesn’t count by the way.

Like it or not, humans are way better designed than “robots” when it comes to tackling the unexpected nature of space exploration. The American Taxpayer and the global community of space exploration enthusiasts will just have to live with the “frailties” of our very human astronauts like tendencies to “blow out some steam” once in a while. And there is the ever- present potential to resort to “substance abuse” in an otherwise stress-filled occupation. Despite all of this, there’s one thing we humans have that won’t probably be replicated by our “faux-sentient cybernetic creations” – for centuries to come – is our ability to better ourselves. This is the raison d’être of drug rehab and alcohol treatment centers that guarantees the job security so-to-speak of their counselors and psychotherapists. And I just can’t help but re-emphasize our ability to better ourselves. As proof of this, one of the latest astronauts on the Space Shuttle Endeavor – Barbara Morgan – has transformed herself through training from a “mere” schoolteacher to a full-fledged astronaut. She had done this because current NASA policy doesn’t allow “civilians” to ride in the space shuttle since the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster over twenty years ago.

And let’s not forget that our global overpopulation problem has no other “viable” solution in the foreseeable future other than space colonization. The sooner we develop our space exploration programs into a viable space colonization endeavor the better off humanity could progress without destroying the fragile ecosystem of our planet.

Satellite Gazing: An Alternative to Stargazing?

2007-08-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

With the Leonid meteor shower slated for November still a few months away, are artificial satellites worthy targets for amateur astronomers in our increasingly light polluted urban night sky?

By: Vanessa Uy

Orbiting satellites of various shapes and functions had recently become “prime targets” for the starter-kit-astronomical-telescope-owning-amateur-astronomer in today’s increasingly light polluted urban night sky. The satellite’s much higher “relative brightness” rating when compared to other “dimmer” heavenly bodies like the planets Mars and Jupiter make these objects shine out above the orange barf glow permeating your local city’s night sky. Short of doing LASIK surgery on my trusty-but-rusty mass-market Celestron reflector, there’s not much you can do to alleviate the effects of “light pollution” especially if you live with your telescope in an urban area. I’ve read that there are certain people –especially in the United States- who genuinely believe that lighting up 10 million- candle- power street lamps has the power to render any modern assault rifle impotent and obsolete. You might be unknowingly voting for them into your local city council, so please talk sense into them on your spare time. Or send them to downtown Baghdad to test out their policies.

Ever since the launch of Sputnik back in 1957, the number of “space birds” that orbit our planet has been growing steadily. From those that were prime observing targets during their operational lifetimes like SKYLAB and the manned MIR, that had since crashed back to earth to the MIDAS reconnaissance satellites – because of their high orbits- will still be orbiting our planet 20,000 years from now. Unless somebody uses them for target practice via an anti-satellite missile launched from a high performance supersonic jet fighter flying at 90,000 feet or more.

Touted as the 20th Century invention that made the current Internet revolution possible, communication satellites are more than just a technological conveyance that allow anyone to surf the web and send e-mails across the globe. To us current generation of satellite gazers / space bird watchers, communication satellites have become a major –if not the most dazzling- part of our observational targets. Like the ever growing family of Iridium satellites whose Teflon-coated high gain antenna reflects the ambient light of the moon and the sun into an optical spectacle that never cease to amaze even the most jaded amateur astronomer.

Orbiting satellites seem to arouse interest to the amateur astronomer’s community with the same enthusiasm as Charles Messier’s catalog of 109 objects. But unlike 18th or 19th Century astronomers (they’re pretty much amateurs back then because anyone who can afford to custom built his own astronomical i.e. really big telescope is automatically an astronomer), amateur astronomers today who chooses “space bird” watching has more than 8,000 –and growing- potential targets for observation. From the International Space Station, shiny Iridium satellites to the somewhat “transient light shows” created by manned space vehicles like the space shuttle whose light displays are always eventful even for the naked eye observer. From the shuttle’s launch into the desired “orbit window” dictated by the specified NASA mission to the shuttle’s brilliant re-entry back into the Earth’s atmosphere, a “light show” that could rival the best Leonid meteor shower of recent memory.

These satellites orbiting Earth has advantage to the novice amateur astronomer / prospective “satellite gazer” – other than their relatively close distance in astronomical terms- is that these objects are highly angular in shape with fine detail in comparison to the moon and other natural heavenly bodies visible in the night sky. With this in mind, you can use their angular and detailed structure as a test bed in computing the Raleigh Criterion i.e. resolution limit of your telescope system. See how it compares to the Canary Island based “Grantecan Telescope.” Or you can test out Wien’s Law or Blackbody Radiation principles in practice, especially if you are fortunate enough to live within driving distance from the company who manufactures the specific satellite you are observing. And if you can, be able to arrange a plant tour to see –and even touch- the satellite’s twin in the plant.

For those who are a genuinely “novice” amateur astronomer, you can check out http://www.heavens-above.com. The user-friendliness of this site is comparable to the latest help desk software. On this site, you can input the latitude and longitude of your observatory i.e. “home” (or is that rooftop) and you can search the heavens-above site for the various “satellites” that can be seen from your home and which part of the night sky you should point your telescope to. The heavens-above.com site is not only limited to observing artificial satellites, you can use the site to “ask” which part of the sky should you point your telescope from your house to see Mars, Jupiter, various stars and Messier objects etc. Also, you can check out the US Space Command’s web site at http://www.spacecom.af.mil/usspace. The US Space Command’s primary mission nowadays is to warn the space shuttle to avoid possible incoming meteor strikes and “space junk.” The US Space Command has the most advanced RADAR array in their Cheyenne Mountain complex that it can even “see” baseball-sized objects whose orbital path could hit the space shuttle. Or for a comprehensive list of satellites in current service, go to NSSDC Master Catalogue Spacecraft Query Form at http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/sc-query.html. Also check out the Satellite Tracking Web Page, which is an excellent source of element files and satellite links at http://staff.feldberg.brandeis.edu:80/~progrmer/satellite/satellite.html.

So goodbye and keep on watching the skies.

Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Centers: Fame and Fortune’s Final Destinations

2007-08-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

Not just for movie stars anymore, NASA astronauts could soon be frequenting to a local substance abuse treatment center near you.

By: Vanessa Uy

From Lindsay Loan checking into the “celebrity” substance abuse treatment center called “Promises” located in Malibu (should “they” change their name to “Vague Promises” in lieu of Lohan’s “alcohol treatment” track record) to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears’ “revolution” to establish a “Nation of Inebriation”. Will “famous people” –and these days they now include “allegedly” drunken NASA astronauts- be able to resist the temptations of substance abuse? Or is drug addiction and alcoholism a symptom of a much deeper psychosis of the Western Society’s “Culture of Avarice” that makes it an “uneasy” raison d’être for drug rehab and alcohol treatment facilities?

Older acquaintances of mine that were active feminists during the 1970’s recommended Jaqueline Susann’s “Valley of the Dolls” as required reading. I’m somewhat perplexed by the relevance of the “feminist cause” to this work of literature which is more akin to “E News” / celebrity scandal type topics. It’s only recently came to me that the substance abuse described by Jaqueline Susann in “Valley of the Dolls” is a symptom of a social problem that the capitalist consumerism lifestyle breeds an unhealthy level of unhappiness to the general population. To me, she had no choice but to downplay her critique of capitalism during the time -late 1960’s early 1970’s America-were expressing such views was deemed “unpatriotic.”

After watching the entire series of documentaries on BBC World titled “The Happiness Formula.” I can safely form an opinion that some –if not all- “famous people” at some point in their lives will resort to alcohol and drug abuse as a coping mechanism in our current “Western” society which for all intents and purposes had gradually become the “Stepford Wives” “metaverse.” I can see now the wisdom of the nation of Bhutan’s reluctance to accept Western style consumerism to avoid the “unhappiness” that has plagued Western society.

In today’s hectic society ruled by capitalist consumerism, one could find that it’s getting harder and harder to resist the temptations of substance abuse. A method of ending one’s struggle with substance abuse that is widely adopted by the various “schools of thought” is by avoiding the “negative influence” of certain personal acquaintances. This “idea” is even adopted by one of the most effective “school of thought” that combat’s substance abuse namely Alcoholics Anonymous. If one takes the crucial step of restructuring their “social networks” i.e. avoiding the people who lead them to the path of drug and alcohol-based ruin.

To me, avoiding the influence of “negative people” is the path I took to achieve a relatively happy existence. I believe I’ve established my own “social infrastructure” to avoid substance abuse in the future. I -and the world at large- doesn’t need another Tomás de Torquemada as a friend. And as every counselor, psychotherapist or anyone working in today’s alcohol treatment and drug rehab facility fix society one person at a time. Their biggest wish is that they will no longer be needed when every one lives an addiction-free life.

Lexington Law: Prosperity Tool or Needless Rigmarole

2007-07-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

Now that on-line banking services are now as secure as their traditional equivalent, does the Lexington Law Firm’s service (promise?) of improving one’s credit score help or hinder our goal towards financial security?

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

Since the advent of on-line banking, meeting ones financial needs like e-loans is now only a mouse click away. Some on-line banks have even adopted the concepts of Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus’ “Banking for the Poor.” You can now avail to a socially responsible investing by providing small business loans to the needy via the Internet. But as one’s on-line business keeps on growing, sooner or later, one will encounter “credit report” problems. Fortunately, there are service providers on-line whose business is to provide solutions to these kinds of problems.

As seen on their adverts, Lexington Law firm promises to improve your credit score and provide credit repair. Lexington Law firm has pioneered credit services over the Internet. Lexington Law firm has been providing credit repair services for many years and have a select group of experienced attorneys who specializes in credit repair. The law firm had helped over 90,000 Americans repair their credit by removing inaccurate, misleading or unverifiable items / information from their client’s credit reports. From bankruptcies to charge - off to tax liens, Lexington Law firm have challenged virtually every credit problem under the sun. They’re good at what they do because they believe in their work. Their attorneys enjoy what they do and are committed to their clients. This means they get you results that you –the client-can count on, results that can literally turn your life around.

Lexington Law firm ignited the consumer credit repair revolution in 1991 with their off-line credit repair services, and reinvented the consumer credit repair process in 1997 with it’s e-Client service. Lexington is committed to providing the best and most effective credit repair solutions to consumers through its innovative credit repair and Internet offerings. At present, Lexington has helped over 200,000 Americans repair their “credit reports” by removing inaccurate, misleading, or unverifiable information. The firm also promises 24 hour 7 days a week support, same day service, no hidden fees and their clients can cancel anytime.

Since their establishment in 1991, only a very small minority of Lexington Law firm’s clients experienced dissatisfaction of the services provided. Like the one client who voiced her opinion on creditforum.org, she said Lexington Law firm does “NOT” provide dispute letters to clients? Spam disputes only? While some of Lexington Law firms more extreme critics describe the firm as an “ENRON” waiting to happen.

From what I and my colleague had observed so far, Lexington Law firm provides an invaluable service of improving one’s credit score especially in this age of on-line banking where prospective clients can only “meet” the bank manager in cyberspace. The service they provide could literally save your credit so that when the time comes when you need money in a hurry, there will be no problem asking your on-line bank for an e-loan i.e. to borrow money. My colleague and I wonder if Lexington Law firm also includes credit counseling or a tip to reduce debt as part of their on-line service? Also, one can’t ignore the testimonials of thousands of their satisfied clients, which only serve to strengthen Lexington Law firm’s reputation.

Like all business related firms, only time will tell if Lexington Law firm will boom or bust in this new age of on-line banking where the primary goal of their current and prospective clients is the acquisition of extra money. My colleague and I just hope that they’ll survive the current July 2007 slowing down of America’s credit market.

Vioxx: Beyond Pain Relief?

2007-07-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

Is it due to the current profit driven health care system/industry that drugs with undesirable side effects still manage to enter the market?

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

Ever since the discovery of aspirin over a hundred years ago, medical science had been busy searching / designing for a substitute drug that’s just as effective in managing pain without aspirin’s broad-spectrum somewhat undesirable side effects. One of these drugs is Vioxx whose generic name is rofecoxib. Vioxx / rofecoxib is a non steroidal anti-inflamatory drug (NSAID for short) developed by the drug firm Merck and Company to treat osteoarthritis, acute pain conditions, and dismenorrhoea. Rofecoxib was approved as safe and effective by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 20, 1999 and was subsequently marketed under the brand name Vioxx, Ceoxx, and Ceeoxx.

Ever since FDA approval, rofecoxib gained widespread acceptance. Over 80 million people were prescribed rofecoxib at some time. On September 30, 2004, Merck voluntarily withdrew rofecoxib from the market because of concerns about increased risks of heart attack and stroke associated with long term high-dosage use of the drug. Rofecoxib was one of the most widely used drugs ever to be withdrawn from the market. Vioxx was Merck’s “Golden Goose” because it made them US$ 2.5 billion.

Merck’s withdrawal of Vioxx from the market is by no means an open and shut case. There’s the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) “controversy” on the Vioxx trial where certain data submitted to the FDA were not published in the NEJM article about the evaluation of Vioxx. The risks of prescribing rofecoxib to patients with pre existing cardiovascular disorders was found during the 2000 – 2001 Merck studies to find out if rofecoxib slows down the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or if the drug is a potential cure.

It’s quite unfortunate that Vioxx / rofecoxib was riddled with controversy like the other NSAID type drug Bextra / valdecoxib were the extent of the effects on the human cardiovascular system was not immediately known during the drug’s evaluation process. The rationale behind major drug companies producing and developing these kinds of drugs is sound because the medical community had always been searching for a substitute drug for aspirin in applications where it’s broad- spectrum of physiological effects would make it an undesirable choice. Lets not forget that if aspirin were to go through the stringency of current FDA standards of evaluation, it would never be approved for human use due to its broad –spectrum of physiological effects. Aspirin is primarily used as an analgesic and pain reliever but it also works as a mild anti-coagulant which it is used as a heart attack “preventive” for patients who are at risk for this. But aspirin’s use for this purpose requires a doctor’s supervision.

Despite of a number of drugs with attendant controversies, the medical community can’t immediately rule out their possible future potential applications. Studies have shown that Vioxx / rofecoxib is a potential Alzheimer’s disease preventive and / or possible cure. There was an article in Nature about how the teratogenic effects of thalidomide was “overlooked” because the drug doesn’t affect significantly the developing embryos of rabbits – the standard lab animal then in use back in the 1950’s - while the teratogenic nature of thalidomide was clearly evident in higher primates. Despite of thalidomide’s dangerous side effects, it has been recently used once again but this time it’s in the treatment of heart failure patients. Back in 2005, a BBC World documentary titled “Kill or Cure” featured recent trials of thalidomide being used as treatment of heart failure patients. This caused howls of protests from various thalidomide victims’ organizations around Europe criticizing the medical communities’ “failure to learn from history.”

When it comes to developing new and better drugs, the recent realities of the uneasy “marriage” between the drug industry and the medical community will always result in a “convoluted” path in drug evaluation and marketing. This is due to the results of trying to balance the demands of making a profit while staying true to the “Hippocratic Oath.”

Who Wants SPAM

2007-07-12T05:20:00.000-07:00

No, this is not the tinned meat variety that World War II veterans have grown to love, but the electronic/digital alter ego of the junk mail that litters our household mail- boxes.

By: Vanessa Uy

Even after 7 years into the 21st Century, fistfuls of junk mail are still being sent to our household mail- box. They are about credit card application offers, Publisher’s Clearinghouse type sweepstakes, and the most hackneyed of all is the “You may have already won millions of dollars!” type of junk mail. My eight- month- old e-mail account so far has been spared by the brunt of SPAM, the junk mail’s supposedly more evil digital twin brother. Is my on line life a charmed one? It’s still too soon to tell.

Calling SPAM as an e-mail version of junk mail is probably apt a few years ago but now, they had evolved into something that could seriously inconvenience our enjoyment of the technological fruits of the worldwide web. Traditional guises of SPAM are: An exiled Nigerian businessman who needs your help “unfreezing” his bank account; The improbable low cost surgical phallic enhancement; Viagra or other sidefil type drugs. These are the most common forms of SPAM that litter the inboxes of millions of e-mail accounts around the world, especially those that are active for more than three years according to BBC’s “Click” – a weekly program on what’s new on computers and computer related developments. More recently, creators of SPAM e-mails had “hijacked” important and or legitimate topics like an effective acne cure targeted at teenagers. This “show of desperation” could work because topics about acne are a “link bomb” to complexion conscious teens. Despite of this, should we be afraid of SPAM?

The truth is we should be especially those of the latest incarnation of SPAM e-mails. Pump and dump SPAM advertised stocks reaching your inboxes are more likely to be riddled with “malware.” Thankfully, our fears can be dealt with in a rational manner. An effective course of action would be is when you receive a suspected SPAM e-mail on your inbox is never ever click it. Clicking SPAM e-mails is like triggering your typical anti-personnel mine; the results are devastating especially to your e-mail account. If you are “unlucky” enough to have clicked the latest generation of SPAM e-mails, it takes over one’s e-mail account to send more of itself around like a virus. The latest generation of über-SPAM can access e-mail accounts by brute force methods. So as a precaution, don’t click or double click suspected SPAM messages.

For further protection, you can always download open-source/free anti SPAM software and the latest anti SPAM filters on the internet. Most of the existing anti SPAM software is distributed on-line for free by software companies. Just make sure the software / operating system you are using to run your computer – or the one in use in the internet café - are genuine. Company provided open source software doesn’t work with their pirated counterparts. At present, current SPAM filters in use is still effective for most of the existing SPAM variants out there, but they need constant revamp due to the constantly evolving nature of the SPAM threat. To me, SPAM is just one of the unfortunate by-products of the relatively lawless nature of the worldwide web and should be treated as such.

Live Earth 2007: An Exercise in Hypocrisy?

2007-07-12T05:16:00.000-07:00

Despite the cause’s altruism, are private-jet-flying-I-got-more-than-one-very-fast-car-driving Rock/pop stars good spokespersons for saving the planet?

By: Vanessa Uy

It’s almost tantamount to choosing Paris Hilton as a spokesperson on moral turpitude awareness, but ever since the inception of Live Earth, I’ve always questioned the logic behind the cause’s raison d’être (or more accurately it’s self-parodying stance). Everyone knows that Rock/pop stars are the epitome of Western style capitalist avarice and conspicuous consumption. This little incident of “cognitive dissonance” hasn’t stopped Kevin Wall, Live Earth’s founder from executing this concept – with Al Gore’s blessing of course. For an event that’s billed as “The Greatest Show on Earth to Save the Earth” or “The Greatest Pop Music Event in History” with a mission to spread the message of protecting our environment an estimated audience exceeding 2billion people worldwide. The event will never be free from controversy despite of the organizers’ purchase of “Carbon Offset” funds and the use of environmentally friendly transport like biodiesel powered buses, will biofueled private jets be on offer in the future? As Al Gore unveiled the “7 Point Pledge” in the Live Earth event as a sort of a “checklist” for anyone interested in reducing their “carbon footprint.” Cynics will be saying and thinking that the audiences are more interested in the “acts” than the message Live Earth is trying to get across, but is it right to dismiss the worth of Live Earth?

Ever since the very first Woodstock back in the summer of 1969, Rock/pop stars had always proven their worth in spearheading social revolutions aimed in changing our world for the better. Back in the “Summer of Love”, Rock/pop stars made average suburban white folks more aware of the plight of African-Americans, Dr. Martin Luther King’s message, and the Vietnam War. These “celebrities” provided a platform of informed choice with universal appeal especially to impressionable teenagers. The “Secret Policeman” concert of the early 1980’s where Sting fused his humanitarian concerns with his Rockstar persona for the very first time and quite successful at it even until now. Sir Bob Geldof’s “Live Aid” of 1985 made more young people aware back then in that pre-internet era on the extent of the Ethiopian famine than the traditional news providers ever could. Then came the series of look-how-caring-we-are causes like “A Very Special Christmas” album compilations for the benefit of the Special Olympics.

Basing on this historical track record, I think Rock/pop stars are more successful in earning/generating money/funds for charity than convincing the powers-that-be to end wars and torture. It’s quite sad that convincing “Westernized” people around the world to abandon their pursuit of avarice and conspicuous consumption is almost as futile as convincing the global powers to end all on-going wars around the world. And let’s not forget Live Earth is not the first musical event with an environmental platform. Who among us can still recall the 20th Earth Day TV special back in April 1990 where Bette Middler pleading to all people around the world to be more “Earth Friendly.” Or the Seattle- Music- Scene-movie “Singles” where a bumper sticker reads: “Think Globally, Act Locally” lends a “Dadaist” environmental message in the movie. But earth friendliness never became popular to the 1990’s “Alternative- Grunge-Seattle” music scene. Apparently the “Dadaist Message” was deemed to subtle because the SUV and “cheap” gasoline were the lasting legacy of Clinton-era America. Another environmentalism-driven music scene is “Lilith Fair” but was and always been perceived by the majority as an “alternative lifestyle” venue for American women. And lets not forget that the “Rockstar” lifestyle and excess knows no bounds like the recent incident of Al Gore's son in an “unlawful joyride” with a hybrid car, a Toyota Prius no less.

In spite of it all, to me, any form of spreading awareness on the plight of our environment and what we –the ordinary people- could do in our part to save it should be embraced with open arms because it’s a way a lot better than doing nothing. Rock/pop star fronted causes might work only on “charity cases” but the moral pressure they exerted back in the 1960’s ended the US Government’s involvement in the Vietnam conflict, Civil Rights are no longer a dream but a working reality, but it took time. I think everyone around the world is beginning to realize that environmentalism only works when poverty is reduced to zero, and if the global peace and order situation takes a radical turn for the better.

Bextra: 21st Century Thalidomide

2007-07-06T05:13:00.000-07:00

Despite existing strict safeguards, drugs with unknown side effects still manage to get through current well- established screening programs.

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

It’s quite ironic that a drug formulated to relieve pain became known as: “the cure worse than the disease.” The drug Bextra –also known by its generic name as valdecoxib- that is marketed by the drug firm G.D. Searle and Company, was a popular pain reliever often used to treat the symptoms (i.e. pain) of rheumatoid arthritis and osteo arthritis in adults. The drug was recalled once it was linked to life threatening side effects including the autoimmune disorder Steven-Johnson's syndrome, heart attacks, and strokes. Bextra was recalled from market circulation- however- the action came too late for the thousands of Bextra users who were harmed by the drug.

Drugs that manage to enter the market before their serious side effects are fully known are by no means a recent phenomenon. Back in 1960, thalidomide was this supposedly über-harmless sedative which was later found out to be a serious teratogen i.e. affects fetal development. Physicians in the then West Germany began noticing a spike in the occurrence of birth defects of one particular type. The babies are affected with phocomelia (from the Greek words: phoke, a seal, and melos, a limb). Toward the end of 1961 a persistent German pediatrician, Dr. Widukind Lenz tracked down thalidomide as the agent responsible in the case of the seal babies. Thalidomide usage had then spread from Germany to other European countries as well as to Canada, South America, Japan, and the Near East. In November 1961 the German manufacturer of thalidomide halted production, but the total number of thalidomide affected babies ultimately exceeded 5,000 in Germany and at least 1,000 in other countries.

At the time, American mothers were spared of the “full brunt” of the “thalidomide disaster” through the diligence of Frances Kelsey, a doctor then working for the US Food and Drug Administration. An American drug company had then applied for permission from the FDA to distribute the drug in the US, but Dr. Kelsey repeatedly refused to approve for the application until she had conclusive evidence of thalidomide’s safety. When the news of the “thalidomide disaster” in Germany spread, the manufacturers withdrew their application to market thalidomide. Meanwhile, however, the drug companies had already sent out some thousands of free samples to physicians. Fortunately only a few of those got taken by pregnant women: American thalidomide babies numbered less than ten, and most of them were caused by pills brought in from Europe.

Recently, the drug firm involved with the marketing of Bextra is now resolving personal injury tort claims of the thousands of affected users via structured settlement. Is the Bextra incident a sign of increasing complacency of the established consumer product “watchdog” arm of the FDA? If so, then we the taxpayers deserve something better to get our money’s worth. Isn’t it what our taxes are for in the first place? Do we have to call Michael Moore to save us again?

Structured Settlements: A Barrier to Social Justice?

2007-07-05T04:52:00.000-07:00

Now more than ever, governments worldwide are forced to choose between the welfare of their citizens or in maintaining the “bottom line” of corporate entities.

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

American social justice crusader Michael Moore had criticized structured settlements in his documentary “Bowling for Columbine” citing that -in practice- it is pro-corporation and anti-corporate victim. In the recent Heiligendamm G8, ATTAC-the anti G8 pressure group-are very clear on where they stand on the issue of structured settlements with their motto that states: “The world is not for sale.” But what is a “structured settlement”? A structured settlement is a financial or insurance arrangement- including periodic payments- that a claimant accepts to resolve a personal injury tort claim or to compromise a statutory periodic payment obligation. Structured settlements were first utilized in the US and Canada during the 1970’s as an alternative to lump sum settlements. Structured settlement payments are sometimes called “periodic payments.” A structured settlement that is incorporated into a trial judgment is called “periodic payment judgment.” Almost instantly after being instituted by the major economic powers in their judicial system, structured settlements were later adopted by London, Australia and the rest of the “Industrialized West.” If this form of settlement is being widely adopted by the Western World, then conventional wisdom dictates that this is a good thing – right?

In practice, the equitability of structured settlements - like the laws of physics in a black hole/singularity- break down when the claimant has became terminally ill and doesn’t have much time to live. This works in favor of the corporation responsible for the said injury/damage to the health and well being of the plaintiff. Back in June 2007, the BBC reported on a court appeal in the US to pay compensation to Vietnamese citizens affected by the defoliant “Agent Orange” then in use during the Vietnam War. The claimants lost on the first round of court hearings, but they vow to persevere.

Basing on what we currently know about the “Agent Orange” issue, the Vietnamese victims of the said defoliant face an uphill battle. Since the manufacturers of the “Agent Orange” used during the Vietnam War – DOW Chemical Corporation and Monsanto Corporation – have close ties to the powers-that-be on the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. Even though -at present- DOW and Monsanto are currently involved with structured settlements with American Troops who became chronically ill and developed cancer while being exposed to “Agent Orange” during their “Tour of Duty” in Vietnam during the 1960’s.

DOW and Monsanto’s “delay tactics” will only do the company favors since their yet-to-be-recognized claimants are slowly dying out. This might not pass as justice to most of us civilized folks, but it’s the law!

Wither Air Travel

2007-07-05T04:48:00.000-07:00

Even though air travel produce only 3% of the industrial world’s total carbon dioxide output, why do environmentalists continue to vilify it as the main culprit of global warming?

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

Having seen “The Ethical Man” series of documentaries on the BBC’s world service, both of us had always wondered why air travel receives a disproportionate amount of vilification by the world’s environmentally conscious populace. Is it because of the current reality that biofuels won’t work (they’ll freeze) at the high altitudes frequented by commercial air traffic? Or is it because that the ownership of “private jets” -the perennial (30-year-old?) aspiration- of the ultimate status symbol never goes out of fashion? If these environmentalists hate air travel for these reasons, are they willing to boycott Mid-East oil in order to solve the turmoil in Iraq and put an end to the Bush Administration/Oligarchy’s and Al- Qaeda’s raison d’être? Or should we be asking the question: “Is there an alternative to air travel?”

Since -at present- politics beat environmental concerns, in our opinion there will never be an alternative to air travel unless the worldwide peace and order situation undergoes a radical turn for the better. Land based mass transit systems –like bus and rail- are easy prey for Taliban-style insurgents armed with assault rifles and man-portable artillery. Sea travel fares no better, remember the Achile Lauro incident more than 20 years ago? Even the US Navy’s USS Cole, was seriously damaged by an Al-Qaeda operative sailing a “floating firecracker.” Since 99% of the world’s terrorist organizations don’t have yet the capability to shoot down commercial planes flying at 30,000 feet, then flying is still-for the foreseeable future- the safest way to travel. Even if it’s not quite environmentally friendly.

The 2008 US Presidential Elections are looming on the horizon. Does every one of these presidential candidates need to hop on their individual private jets just to go from one Presidential Debate venue to another? Maybe these presidential candidates do a “carpooling” equivalent on their private jets. Security protocols could still be maintained while reducing the candidate’s carbon footprint. It would be quite hypocritical if these presidential candidates say they are pro-environment yet they use their private jets as if they are bicycles.

The world’s politicians should stop procrastinating when it comes to conflict resolution. Unless they have a vested interest in a “carbon intensive” industry, a more peaceful world means a less energy-intensive world.

Mesothelioma: A 21st Century Pandemic?

2007-06-29T04:59:00.000-07:00

Mesothelioma, a rare and invariably fatal form of cancer that is caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers might become more common by the middle of the 21st Century courtesy of the September 11,2001 attacks.

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

The valiant men and women who helped the victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center that fateful morning of September 11, 2001 may be in for an unpleasant surprise by the middle of the 21st Century. Everyone at “Ground Zero”, victims and rescuers alike might invariably come down with mesothelioma. The “twin towers” of the World Trade Center were built before the comprehensive ban on the use of asbestos fibers for building construction was ratified thus both rescue workers and victims were exposed to large amounts of asbestos fibers. The following months after the September 11, 2001 attacks- New Yorkers were continuously exposed to asbestos fibers wafting around as the clean up at “Ground Zero” went on. The big question is, should everyone be concerned?

A research was conducted at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York 60 years before. The researchers spent 20 years studying 933 workers who produced asbestos insulation at a manufacturing plant in Paterson, New Jersey from 1941 to 1954. The researchers discovered that 186 of the workers had developed a then unique form of lung cancer. In 1973, the researchers began X-ray examinations of some of the worker’s families. The researchers found out that nearly 40 per cent of the 210 families tested had lung abnormalities common to asbestos workers. Four people who had come into contact with asbestos workers when they were children developed mesothelioma, a rare and invariably fatal form of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. Using this “occupational health study” data, the Mount Sinai Medical Center researchers feared that a plague of mesothelioma might break out around the year 2000. The World Trade Center / 9-11 incident could change mesothelioma forecasts for the 21st Century for the worse.

The pathologic description of malignant mesotheliona –according to Robbins’ “Pathologic Basis of Disease”- refers to an uncommon tumor of mesothelial cells. This tumor occurs most often on the pleura and rarely in the peritoneum or other organs. It is associated with exposure to asbestos in 90% of cases, but only 20% of patients have actual pulmonary asbestosis. The lifetime risk in heavily exposed individuals is 7 to 10%, and the latent period between exposure and the development of mesothelioma is 25 to 45 years. Nevertheless, bronchogenic carcinoma remains the most common lung tumor found in asbestos workers. The clinical features of mesothelioma are patients present with chest pain, dyspnea, and recurrent pleural effusions.

Since the recent scandal of soldiers wounded in action in Iraq receiving substandard treatment became headline news during the first few months of 2007. Many are concerned weather firefighters and law enforcement personnel who responded to the World Trade Center attacks will have adequate medical coverage if they develop mesothelioma in the future. Even Michael Moore is rumored to be already planning a sequel to his latest documentary “Sicko” devoted solely to the NYFD and NYPD personnel who will be diagnosed with mesothelioma in the future and how the US Government treats them. We hope that the next administration will take the ramifications of this issue very seriously.

What Drives Our Global Energy Conservation Policies

2007-06-28T04:29:00.000-07:00

When it comes to energy conservation, do the consensus reached by the powers-that-be driven by political or environmental demands?

By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy

In a perfect world, climate and/or environmental protection should dictate our energy conservation policies. But the whole world learned –in a hard way- that this isn’t so. Look at the recent outcome of the Heiligendamm G8. The truth was revealed for the whole world to see that the worlds leading polluters’ reluctance to adapt to “green” technologies is due to their overriding policy of choosing economic growth and poverty eradication over safeguarding our planet’s environment. In our opinion, economic growth doesn’t always translate readily into poverty reduction. In a country like the Philippines where on average the economy grows 1% annually while the annual population growth 2.5%. At this rate poverty always wins hands down.

Our recent Al Gore driven environmental consciousness in almost all levels of society is viewed by the majority of environmentalist that are active since the 1960’s as a “too little too late reaction”, but is it? Plans to make the industrial world’s energy source independent from petroleum had been drawn up since the 1967 Arab – Israeli War. And we always got the same perennial excuse since then: these energy sources can’t compete with cheap Middle Eastern oil. When should the global community take environmental and energy security issues seriously?

Over the years, there had been “missed opportunities” where a charismatic leader of strong political will could expedite during these crucial moments of recent history with a high degree of success of ending the human race’s addiction to petroleum. One of these junctures in history was the very first “Earth Day” back in April 22, 1970. Humor me for a moment; imagine then US Vice President Spiro T. Agnew writing his own version of “An Inconvenient Truth” highlighting the evils of Middle Eastern oil. OPEC would never have come to power in 1973. The OPEC imposed oil embargo on Western nations that happened back in October 17, 1973 and ended on March 18, 1974 could have been just a bad dream. The US Government’s delayed reaction on the OPEC threat by establishing the Department of Energy back in August 4, 1977 would only have only existed in techno thriller – type fiction. Or what if the Operation: Desert Storm veterans voiced their concerns during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) -held in Rio de Janeiro last June 1992- against the needless deaths of enlisted men and women to keep crude oil cheap. Friends of ours who served during Operation: Desert Storm genuinely believed –under enemy fire at that time- that by year 2000 cars will run on stuff- other- than- petrol. Then came September 11, 2001; then the Bush Administration/Oligarchy’s March 2003 invasion of Iraq in search of “Weapons of Mass Destruction”. Despite all of those incidents of the past 30 or so years, energy security was never a serious issue.

Despite of a long list of missed opportunities of ending our petroleum addiction, policymakers around the world still don’t learn about the gravity of the situation. Do they have to wait for an all out nuclear exchange in the Middle East to consider evaluating alternatives to petroleum? It’s getting increasingly hard for anyone around me from ignoring the fact that every time we flick on a light switch or ride on a gasoline- powered vehicle we are rewarding the bad behavior of despotic Middle Eastern states. Renewable energy doesn’t only mean environmentally friendly energy but guilt free as well. Politics truly is the driving force behind our global energy policy, if only the powers-that-be will realize that we don’t have to buy our energy needs from countries that hate our guts.

Rock Against Global Warming

2007-06-22T04:48:00.000-07:00

Will Al Gore score another “first” by holding a Rock concert like “Live Earth” to spread awareness on the dangers of global warming?

By: Vanessa Uy

Al Gore is indeed a pioneering figure. He’s the first politician to use his influence to spread awareness on the possible harm global warming can cause to our planet and to our civilization. Despite of the Bush Administration/Oligarchy’s stance on the contrary, Al Gore successfully influenced most of the world’s policymakers to legislate climate protection laws.

“Live Earth” is a Rock concert slated across seven continents to spread awareness of global warming to the next generation. As of June 20, 2007, Al Gore was reportedly meeting with Madonna to strike a deal for a performance highlighting the seriousness of his efforts.

In the past 20 years, Rock concerts for a cause like Sir Bob Geldof’s “Live Aid” - were held for famine relief and humanitarian efforts for Ethiopia and various “needy” parts of Africa. As does the 2005 “Live 8” as a form of moral pressure to keep the powers-that-be in the Gleneagles G8 to make serious of their sincerity to make poverty history not just in Africa but for the rest of the world.

If it succeeds, “Live Earth” could go down in history – as the 1969 Woodstock does- as a unique musical event. I hope “Live Aid” does to our environment as the 1969 Woodstock did to a generation of young people back then i.e. a revolutionary cultural advancement. Back then Jimi Hendrix made white suburban white teens more aware of Dr. Martin Luther King’s message. Which artist or performer will do the same for the urgency of current environmental causes on this coming “Live Earth” concert?

The Albatross: The 21st Century’s Canary in the Mine?

2007-06-22T04:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the support of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the world –at-large is now more aware of the plight of the albatross.

By: Vanessa Uy

In our celebrity obsessed popular press, concern for animal welfare seldom make it to page two while the impact of human activity on rare and endangered species will be lucky to make it to page 14. But thanks to the support of HRH the Prince of Wales (a.k.a. Prince Charles) the world’s policy makers will be made more aware on the plight of the albatross. An orchestrated campaign was already set up to protect these endangered birds which about 100,000 are needlessly killed annually as a consequence of long line fishing. Also the “Save the Albatross” sailing race was held to spread awareness that the albatross-even in their home territory in the “roaring 40’s”- still need our help.

Biologically, albatross have comparable life span to humans. At 10 years, the albatross can breed. Their slow rate of reproduction at one chick every other year means that they cannot easily recover a population crash.

During the past few years, various researchers have noted a decline in albatross population. Ben Sullivan of Birdlife International notes that the census on albatross population decline over the past few years implies that someday the albatross will become extinct if current trends will continue.

One of the main culprits of the albatross population decline are the long line fishing boats that operate in the southern ocean i.e. "the roaring 40’s.” Equipped with lines up to 120 kilometers long and baited with thousands of fish- hooks. These serve as deathtraps to the albatross that are attracted to the bait. Unable to surface after being trapped, they drown by the thousands. The fishermen manning these vessels are concerned not only on the consequential reduction of catch quotas but also of the needless waste of albatross dying as a result. To avoid albatross by catch, long line fishing reforms such as the use of various mitigation measures like weighing the lines to allow it to sink quickly out of reach of the albatross. Streamers attached to the lines to scare away the albatross are also a success. Since the albatross are diurnal i.e. are active only during daylight ours, laying the lines after sundown are a good way of avoiding an albatross by catch.

Despite of the conservation efforts, albatross still continue to die needlessly due to “pirate fishing vessels.” These “pirate fishing vessels” flying under “flags of convenience”, were responsible for a quarter or more of annual albatross deaths. Currently, they are still very hard to catch/prosecute since albatross protection laws are only heavily enforced in South Georgia waters. Illegal unregulated fisheries (pirate fishermen) are killing the albatross as by catch with impunity.

One solution to stop this carnage is via consumer moral pressure. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) together with the consumers can exert moral pressure to our policymakers to make albatross protection legally binding like the “dolphin friendly tuna campaign” of the 1980’s. Under their mandate, the Marine Stewardship Council also monitors if a batch of fish that enters the market were taken from their point of origin in a sustainable manner.

The relationship between the albatross and mariners are “romanticized” in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of an Ancient Mariner.” In the poem, a sailor kills an albatross. An act that later brought misfortune to the crew. In the 21st Century our concern for the welfare of the albatross goes beyond environmentalism, literary sentimentality or even superstition. This “canary in the mine” so to speak serves also to measure our humanity and on how civilized we are. Can all of us safely say that we are really more civilized today compared to when Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “The Rime of an Ancient Mariner” when it comes to taking stewardship of our planet? Will the albatross someday –like the dodo- only exist in humanity’s collective memory?

Paradise Lost: Global Warming Threatens Tuvalu

2007-06-15T04:34:00.000-07:00

Al Gore has been warning us in his documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” about “climate change refugees,” Tuvalu can be a case in point.

By: Vanessa Uy

If you want proof on the realities of global warming, look no further than Tuvalu. This small Pacific Island nation of about 12,000 inhabitants have already been trying to cope with the effects of sea level rise caused by global warming. Sea- water is already seeping into vulnerable parts of Tuvalu’s ground water table, damaging the nation’s corn and sugarcane farms. As the world’s 4th smallest nation, Tuvalu’s 25 square kilometer land area is principally composed of 9 atolls that barely rises more than 4 meters above sea level. Even during the normal high tide cycle threaten this country with sea- water encroachment, let alone during storm surges of tropical cyclones. Even back in 1989, the UN identified Tuvalu as a nation most likely at risk when global sea levels rise.

Economically, not so much has changed since Tuvalu was granted independence by Great Britain in 1968. Despite having signed a trade deal with Australia and New Zealand back in 1980, the average annual income hovers at around US$1,000 a year. If industrialized nations won’t do their part to combat global warming, Tuvalu’s citizens might become the first batch of “climate change refugees” in search of a new homeland. The two closest nations that have the resources to provide sanctuary to Tuvalu’s citizens if the sea level rise gets worse are Australia and New Zealand. Since Australia and New Zealand has stringent immigration laws which require anyone applying for citizenship should earn on average US$12,000 a year to be safely admitted, or has a bank account with an average daily balance of US$10,000. Unless Australia and New Zealand will amend the rules regarding their immigration policy, this rules out the majority of Tuvalu’s citizens.

Maybe it’s time for the West to give back what they have taken from the Pacific Islanders during the last 500 years or so of oceanographic exploration and colonization. Even during World War II, the Pacific Islanders were instrumental in making possible the Allied victory against the Imperial Japanese expansion. There’s more here at steak than electoral votes when the politicians of industrialized nations adopt a stronger stance on climate protection which might not be popular to the “industry lobbyists.” Or do the world’s top polluters need to wait for international opinion to exert moral pressure.

Our Bees Are Dying

2007-06-15T04:29:00.000-07:00

The idea seems so absurd, but toward the end of 2006, everyone in the United States agricultural community had noticed that bees – especially in America’s Northeast region – are becoming scarce.

By: Vanessa Uy

Albert Einstein once said that if all the bees in the world were to disappear, the human race has only four years to live. Bees are extremely important to agricultural crops because without bees not only will our food crops fail to yield their fruits, our food crops won’t be able to reproduce without the aid of bees in their pollination. Remember apiculture (bee keeping) is more than just producing honey.

The phenomenon that describes the continuing decline of honeybee population in the United States is called: “Colony Collapse Disorder.” Colony Collapse Disorder was first observed in a blueberry farm in the state of Maine. Ken State University had conducted bee “autopsies” in the field where Colony Collapse Disorder had occurred. Dennis Van Engelsdorp, one of the researchers investigating the phenomenon have found out that autopsies conducted on the dead bees show that signs of disease are present but the cause is still a mystery. As of the middle of May 2007 the preliminary findings suggest that “Colony Collapse Disorder” -might be caused -by an agent that affects the bee’s immune system.

Even though the jury is still out, “Colony Collapse Disorder” has already been declared as a “calamity” by various farm and agricultural communities in the US. Watermelons and other honeybee dependent crops have shown decline in their yields during the past two years. This had cost farmers millions of dollars in lost yields. At present, “Colony Collapse Disorder” is still localized in the northeastern part of the United States. If we don’t understand this phenomena and create a solution before this spreads around the world, mankind is doomed.

Extraordinary Renditions: The 21st Century Inquisition?

2007-06-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

As yet another program by the Bush Administration / Oligarchy to turn back the clock on human rights and civil liberties on a global scale.

By: Vanessa Uy

The world owes yet another debt of gratitude to courageous news channels like the BBC who are brave enough to report on the shortcomings of the US Government’s “War on Terror.” It’s a well- accepted conventional wisdom that torture seldom – if ever – works because anyone under the pain and torment of torture will say anything to end it. Thus proving the unreliability of information / intelligence obtained under duress. Even when armed with the foreknowledge on the ineffectiveness of “Ecclesiastical Inquisition” style of torture, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) still practices these “Extraordinary Renditions” on captured Al Qaeda / terrorists suspects. “Extraordinary Rendition” is CIA speak for flying captured terror suspects without trial to another location or country with lax human rights laws to be tortured as to extract “useful information.” As featured in BBC’s “The World Uncovered” documentary about the CIA’s “Extraordinary Renditions”, Ethiopian exile and long time UK resident Binyam Mohammed suffered under the inhuman conditions of the CIA sanctioned torture. Radical Egyptian Cleric Abu Omar was abducted in Milan, now his whereabouts is unknown. While Khaled El Masri was taken to one of the CIA’s secret “Black Sites” then tortured. He was later released due to his innocence but not before enduring “Inquisition” style torture that left him mentally scarred for life.

These “Extraordinary Renditions” had been going on since the succeeding days after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and has been kept out of the prying eyes of the world’s media. Luckily, humble “plane spotters” have photographic proof of the planes used in these “Extraordinary Renditions” like the Gulfstream with registry numbers N379P, thus have blown the cover on the CIA’s “illegal operation.” Dick Marty, the Council of Europe’s chief investigator has already collected enough proof that the CIA ran secret prisons in Europe since 2002. Also, there is enough proof so that the 25 CIA agents can be tried “in absentia” in Milan.

How did it come to this? Has America squandered the world’s sympathy after the September 11, 2001 attacks? Haven’t the last thousand years taught the West about the futility of torture as an intelligence- gathering tool? And by the way, how can arresting Muslim Clerics who are more concerned about how to spend their scant funds on improving their local Mosques cripple Al Qaeda? Had the Bush Administration / Oligarchy came to a point that they think they are so infallible that everything they do for our protection they think is right. Must we stand idly by that for every legitimate Al Qaeda operative that the CIA agents apprehend 50 innocent people have to undergo the CIA’s “Extraordinary Rendition.”

The CIA’s “Extraordinary Rendition” reminds me of the days when the Vatican was still a “superpower.” The Vatican set up the “Inquisition” supposedly to protect mankind from evil, but all that happened was a lot of property confiscated by the Papacy and a lot of people burned at the stake – close if not similar- to the CIA’s “Extraordinary Rendition” of today. Did the burning of Joan of Arc or Giordano Bruno change the Catholic Church for the better? God only knows. And don’t even ask me to try to fathom on how Galileo – by accepting Copernicus’ views- threaten the Catholic Churches “Canon Law.”

The Bush Administration / Oligarchy had ran the “War on Terror” and “Operation: Enduring Freedom” in a way that reflects obsession of turning back the clock to the good or bad old days, depending –of course- if you’re a Democrat or a Republican. Back to the days of the “Ecclesiastical Inquisition” with the CIA’s “Extraordinary Rendition”– or even further- to the days before the existence of the “Magna Carta” with their “warrantless arrests” of terror suspects. Their actions make the Baader-Meinhoff Gang / Red Army Faction seems more humane by comparison.

It’s only in the 21st Century that we now fully realize the extent of damage “Institutionalized Torture” can inflict. Former political prisoners incarcerated during the 1970’s and 1980’s are now speaking out their own individual ordeals and torments. A well-known side effect of this “Institutionalized Torture” is “Indoctrinated Dehumanization” where whole societies forgot what human rights and civil liberties mean. Here in the Philippines, “Indoctrinated Dehumanization” is the resulting side effect of the “Institutionalized Torture” widely used during President Ferdinand Marcos’s regime. At that time, torture was routinely practiced with impunity to suppress political dissent. As a side effect of this, a generation of Filipinos – probably 99% of them- who are in the High School and College-level readily accepts legally/state sanctioned torture as right as long as it saves lives or stops terrorism. I wonder if the Philippine Government has complicity in the CIA’s “Extraordinary Renditions” program. Better brush-up on my Urdu and Pashtun, who knows if you could accidentally meet face-to-face with these “terror suspects.”

When George W. Bush’s term ends, will he gobble up needlessly the Secret Service’s resources because he made so many enemies by allowing the CIA’s “Extraordinary Renditions” to go on? With this issue dogging him, he can never retire quietly and peacefully. There are probably three places when he can retire with guaranteed security with the peace and quiet he so desires. The Chemical Corps section of Fort Bragg amid tanks of dimethyl sulfate. The Groom Lake facility in Nevada officially known as “Area 51” where Hangar 18 is a very good defensible position. Lastly, NORAD the US Space Command complex inside Cheyenne Mountain officially known as “Area 52.”

30 Centuries of Scott Walker

2007-06-15T04:20:00.000-07:00

A retrospective on a career that spans from being a lead singer for the Walker Brothers to “The Drift” album, will a documentary on Scott Walker’s creative process shed more light on his artistry?

By: Vanessa Uy

“Scott Walker: 30 Century Man” a “Rockumentary” released to whet the appetite of dedicated Scott Walker fans. Being young, I’ve only known Scott Walker’s circa 1960’s musical career with the Walker Brothers after seeing this documentary. I never knew that the Walker Brothers’ fame at the time rivaled that of The Beatles. Also, the deep baritone voiced Scott Walker was named as one of the most influential people of Rock music history and one of his famed admirers were David Bowie. Despite of this, Scott Walker is not exactly a household name in either Britain or America. But if you can manage to find a dedicated fan from both sides of the Atlantic (there are more of them than you think), you might gain a first-hand experience of what it means to be a dedicated Scott Walker fan.

After his success during the 1960’s, Scott Walker withdrew from the public limelight. Now 64 years old, Scott Walker still receive god-like devotion from his fans and most of them (even the under 35’s) claim that they stuck by him since the “Walker Brothers” days. “Scott Walker: 30 Century Man” is a documentary directed by Stephen Kijak documenting Scott Walker’s creative genius and his legacy with the attendant live performance footage from the 1960’s to the present. This documentary serves to spread awareness of Scott Walker’s works and even his existence (!) to the uninitiated.

In assessing the merits of “Scott Walker: 30 Century Man”, I also reevaluated my views on Scott Walker’s last two albums: “Tilt” and “The Drift”. I can say that Scott Walker is one of those gifted musicians who are terrified by fame even though he truly deserves praise for his talent. To me, Scott Walker probably single-handedly influenced the “anti-fashion” musical movement of the 1990’s with his Richard Wagner meets Heavy Metal style. After first hearing “Jesse” from Scott Walker’s “The Drift” album, my first impressions are- Did Scott Walker just invented a new genre of music? “Jesse” is a trippy sounding Oriental Modalism meets Guitar-Driven-Rock. This is a very radical departure from the sex-drugs-and-rock n’ roll that we have come to know and love of “conventional” Rock music. “Difficult avant- garde musician” is a description that comes to mind after hearing Scott Walker’s latest album. And the DVD of “Scott Walker: 30 Century Man” is also worth it because it caters to the uninitiated-and successfully-at that. Although the documentary raises more questions than answers about weather Rock music in its current format needs revision beyond its dogmatic “three chords and the truth” format.

If you like Keiji Haino or love those Miles Davis’ albums that are a tribute to the passing of Jimi Hendrix like “Bitches’ Brew” and “Agharta” then you will surely love this documentary and the attendant music. Scott Walker just reminded me why I love listening to music in the first place.

A Run for Clean and Safe Drinking Water

2007-06-08T04:36:00.000-07:00

When it comes to campaigns for social and environmental welfare, you can never have enough of these in the harsh reality of today.

By: Vanessa Uy

Blue Water Run, a campaign to highlight the lack of safe and clean drinking water in the developing world. Over 2 million people a year die due to water borne illnesses. Blue Water Run is supported by film star Hillary Swank.

Blue Water Run is billed as a round the world relay race that involves 20 runners in 60 different countries. The runners will be on the road for 95 days.

To me, it’s quite refreshing when famous celebrities use their influence to fast track campaigns to improve the living conditions of the world’s poor. These problems usually rank at the bottom – if ever discussed at all – of the priorities of the powers-that-be during the previous G8 summits. Will the issue of a steady supply clean drinking water for poor communities be ever discussed on the Heiligendamm G8 summit? The Bush Administration will probably “hog” the summit with the issues concerning their “missile defense program.”

For a minimum donation of US$30, you can lend a helping hand in providing a safe and steady supply of clean drinking water for the world’s poorest communities. For more details, just go to www.blueplanetrun.org.

Renewable Energy: Made in Germany?

2007-06-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

Is the German industry “putting their money where their mouth is” when it comes to renewable energy?

By: Vanessa Uy

As manufacturer of a third of all the world’s solar photo voltaic cells and half of the world’s wind turbines, Germany – or more specifically – the German industry is very serious indeed when it comes to the industrial utilization of renewable energy. NORDEX, a German wind turbine manufacturing company is currently setting up an assembly plant in Beijing, China. In full operation, the Beijing NORDEX plant can produce 400 wind turbines a year. With the attendant technological transfer, wind turbines work very well in China due to large tracks of windswept plains just in the outskirts of every major city there. And wind turbines could serve as a viable alternative to China’s reliance on greenhouse gas producing coal-fired power plants.

As Germany is currently developing ever more efficient solar photo voltaic cells, a day will come when all of our electricity generating systems will not produce even a gram of carbon dioxide. Thus newly industrialized countries like China and India can develop their industry freely without endangering the environment.

Gliese of Orion

2007-06-08T04:28:00.000-07:00

After being scrutinized by astronomers back in December 2006, Gliese 581 – a star in the constellation Orion – has been found to contain a couple of Earth-like planets.

By: Vanessa Uy

Unlike the “romantic” names of the planets of our Solar System - which are named after ancient Roman gods – Gliese 581c might seem “unromantic.” Named after the red dwarf star Gliese 581 in the constellation Orion and the “c” means the third planet from the said star. This planet from outside of our Solar System is the best hope we have so far of finding life outside of our own planet. Discovered by a team of Swiss astronomers, Gliese 581c is one of the latest batches of extrasolar Earth-like planets. Glise 581c is located 20 light-years away from us. It’s radius is 50% larger than that of Earth with a surface temperature of 0 to 40 degrees Celsius which easily allows water to exist in liquid form. Like Earth, Gliese 581c orbits in the region of it’s parent star called the “habitable zone” thus raising the prospects for Earth-like life. Gliese 581c is so far away that it cannot be viewed directly by existing optical telescopes. The data on this planet was recently provided via advanced spectroscopic analyses of the starlight using the European Southern Observatory in Chile. In reality, Gliese 581c was “seen” by noting the parent star’s spectroscopic anomaly on its angular momentum. Dr. Gero Rupprect of the European Southern Observatory in Chile developed the spectrometer that “saw” Gliese 581c.

Another Earth-like planet that orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 581 was also recently discovered. Physicist Werner von Bloh discovered an Earth-sized planet but it orbits much closer to the parent star compared to Gliese 581c. As a consequence, this new planet’s rate of rotation is extremely slow to non-existent that this planet always keeps one side permanently facing it’s parent star while the other side faces away in perpetual darkness causing very extreme climate of cyclones on its sunlit side. This quirk is due to the consequence of the conservation of angular momentum that planets situated very close to their parent stars have an extremely slow rate of rotation-if at all- like our own Mercury.

For the time being, the red dwarf star Gliese 581 in the constellation Orion will be keeping astronomers hunting for Earth-like planets elsewhere in the universe busy for a while. As Mark Snow said: “The truth is out there.”

High Definition Multimedia Content Anyone?

2007-06-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

Does the latest generation of downloadable high definition (HD) multimedia content worth viewing and hearing in our dedicated HD-ready home theater set-ups?

By: Vanessa Uy

Nowadays, HD (high definition) multimedia content (audio and video) that can be downloaded from the net via your own home PC is of such quality that most of them-if not all- deserve to be viewed and heard in your existing HD-ready home theater system. If you’re like me – as most of anyone in the audiophile community- who thinks that your PC and home theater system should not mix (i.e. share the same outlet) because the former can degrade the performance of the latter must face a somewhat insurmountable problem. How to send that high definition movie -with the attendant surround sound data- that you legally downloaded from the net, from your PC to your home theater set up?

There are a number of systems in which you can deliver/send that HD content you have downloaded from the web. One of them is a relatively new technology - which uses your mains/ac line to send your data. Consumer devices that utilize this principle of sending data only came to the market near the end of 1997. So the ones currently available in your local AV/computer store not only works better, it’s likely to be cheaper as well thanks to almost ten years of progress. This has the advantage of avoiding the clutter that can be created when installing the necessary data-transfer cables. The problem with this system is that if you own a state-of-the-art home theater system, you probably bought with it a very good dedicated mains/ac line filter to maintain the consistently good performance of your home theater system while protecting it from electrical interference and lightning strikes. The same mains/ac line conditioner blocks the digital data that you intend to send down your mains/ac lines. Another way to send your multimedia data while avoiding the clutter of additional cables is via WIFI or wireless data transfer systems. The current generation of WIFI systems can easily handle the bandwidth required in sending HD multimedia content but will be easily vulnerable to signal interference especially if you use your mobile phone while using the WIFI system. If you want to maintain signal integrity while transferring HD multimedia data, ethernet networks are a good choice. A word of warning though because these systems involve additional wiring if you are squeamish about the clutter factor. The latest “Cat 6” or category 6 high speed ethernet connections are a good choice and could be a very good investment because of it’s future proof status. This is due to the fact that it can handle data transfer speeds of 10 Gigabits per second and anything faster is yet in the far off future.

I just hope that the circa-2007 PC and AV convergence will bear the fruits of a better audio and video quality that doesn’t cost the earth. Unlike the divergence of 10 or 15 years ago were hi-fi manufacturers have the luxury of producing and selling obscenely expensive AV equipment with impunity. Since all of our present media formats are digital in one form or another, convergence is inevitable due to the fact that digital data is both robust and universal.

Will “We7” Save the Music Industry?

2007-06-08T04:18:00.000-07:00

Will Peter Gabriel’s “We7” make music downloads equitable for musicians, music lovers and record label executives?

By: Vanessa Uy

Slated to be launched on June 2007, Peter Gabriel – supported “We7” not only promises to please musicians and record label executives but also provide a legal and legitimate music download service that’s free of charge for those who have acquired a taste of Napster’s “poisoned fruit.” The music downloads on “We7” are free in the sense that music lovers and/or fans don’t have to pay a single cent to the site. The site itself uses the revenue created by the adverts on the site itself to pay the musicians and record label executives according to how often their “works” are downloaded. Another “Bolshevist” feature of this site is that users are encouraged to share the music that they downloaded to other music lovers so that they will also “fall in love” with “We7”. To me this is a far better proposition than Digital Rights Management or DRM.

Sound quality issues aside, the downloadable music phenomena on the web has the advantage of worldwide accessibility that is quantum leaps ahead compared to traditional music distribution systems like record stores-even specialist ones. For example: the freak commercial success of Ed McMahon’s “Star Search” alumnus Tracey Spencer during 1989 has been a boon to music lovers everywhere who are into the politically-correct-side-of-altruism message. But a follow up of something similar has been slow in coming. The posthumous success of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to American MTV audiences in 1998 was much delayed due to the slowness of traditional music distribution systems back then. Even though a handful of adventurous music lovers has been enjoying the music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in the US since the mid- 1980’s. If you seek to introduce a more adventurous variety to your musical taste, its much easier today via on- line music downloads. The Turkish-German RnB sensation Muhabbet became well known via the internet. Muhabbet means to talk to each other in Turkish, has gained enough fame for his talent to be noticed. And now, Muhabbet has become UNICEF’s goodwill ambassador. Interested parties can contact Muhabbet at www.muhabbet.name.

I just hope that “We7” doesn’t forget the sound quality aspect of their site because as a legal music download site, sound quality can serve as a unique selling point for a site that supports the welfare of hardworking musicians and others in the music biz. As Peter Gabriel is a humanitarian-at-heart, the extent of “We7’s” benefits could put a major dent on extreme poverty. But for now, on line music download services like “We7” provides a level playing field for musicians anywhere in the world who are very talented but still lack the recognition they rightfully deserve.

Sustainable Tropical Hardwoods Anyone?

2007-06-08T04:13:00.000-07:00

While the global powers-that-be wrangle in the Heiligendamm G8 over how the Kyoto Protocol threatens their “industry”, some entrepreneurs are saving the planet via sustainable business practices.

By: Vanessa Uy

Tropical hardwoods harvested by sustainable means and have ecological certification has been in vogue lately with top- notch European furniture designers. These woods are priced by the designers not only for their exquisite quality but also the fact that you can purchase one guilt-free. Finally, we can now experience the pride of ownership of beautiful tropical hardwood furniture in our own homes without the guilt that used to come with these items like deforestation and/or swindling indigenous tribes from an honest and fair transaction.

A German company called Unique Wood imports rare tropical hardwoods from Paraguay that are grown and harvested by sustainable means with the attendant certification. As you know, the concept and practice of sustainable forestry was invented in Germany in the 19th Century. So it’s only right for her to set an example for the rest of the world.

A German business consulting firm, GTZ train the local Paraguayan wood suppliers on sound business practices while maintaining the environmentally friendly ethos that keeps the tropical hardwood supply sustainable. Just as well because the demand in Europe for tropical hardwoods has increased over the past few years. At present, only 5% of Paraguay’s original forest remain today. When Unique Wood’s suppliers harvest tropical hardwoods, nothing is wasted. The excess limbs and branches are turned into charcoal with ecological certification in keeping in line with sustainable development so that the biodiversity of the local forests are preserved. Sadly, not all –if enough- of Paraguay’s forest resources are harvested and managed in a sustainable manner.

Is There an Alternative to the Heiligendamm G8?

2007-06-08T04:08:00.000-07:00

With the somewhat failed promise of the Gleneagles G8 back in 2005 on African aid, will the current G8 be better?

By: Vanessa Uy

Aside from Sir Bob Geldof’s and Bono’s anti-poverty campaigns, nobody today seems to remember – or feign interest – about the hollow rhetoric of the Gleneagles G8. With its failed promise to provide a 50 billion dollar- a- year aid package for Africa. Do we really need an alternative to G8? Since it’s inception back in 1975, G8 – or was it called G7 back then – has always been perceived globally as a “promise formulating” rather than a “problem solving” summit.

Groups who are opposed to G8 range from riot inciting “anarchists” who are not that far removed from your typical European “soccer hooligans”, to legitimate anti-G8 groups like ATTAC, Justice Now, Interventionist Left, and the most famous of them all: Greenpeace. ATTAC with its battle cry of “The world is not for sale!” appeal to those who are disenfranchised with the overly bureaucratic organizations like G8. To me, G8 is a fundamentally flawed organization due to its extremely limited legislative powers. Especially now, with the vastly differing views on how to tackle climate change between the United States and the European Union.

As the United States continues to “hog” the Heiligendamm G8’s proceedings with rhetoric on the justification of the Bush Administration’s “Missile Defense Program” that has increased the tension between Washington and the Kremlin not seen since Cold War days. An alternative summit has started in Rostock to discuss issues that the powers-that-be of the G8 summit are too squeamish to discuss like AIDS, global poverty, fair trade, and human rights to name just a few. Organized by Tillmann Günter, the Alternative Summit 2007 in Rostock serves to empower cause- oriented groups who are voicing their concerns that the global powers- that- be seem – or choose – to ignore.

Thailand’s Birth Control Program: A Model for the Rest of Southeast Asia

2007-06-01T04:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to “Mighty Mechai,” Thailand’s birth/population control program has been a resounding success.

By: Vanessa Uy

Despite of the “American Media’s” perception of 1980’s Bangkok as the world’s largest red-light district. Thailand is generally quite a conservative country, especially in the open discussion of sex education and birth control. But thanks to public health activist Mechai Viravaidya also known as “Mighty Mechai.” He is also dubbed as the “condom king” because of his campaign of freely handing out condoms almost everywhere especially in large social gatherings-except on funerals, which in doing so is a cultural faux pas in Thailand.

As an economist, Mechai Viravaidya was concerned that an unchecked booming birth rate is something that Thailand’s economy just can’t support. His population control program has been considered a resounding success despite of the Thai society’s reluctance to openly discuss birth control and sex education issues. When the AIDS scare of the mid -1980’s came along, the Thai society’s perception of sex education issues change from taboo to a public health issue. At the same time, “Mighty Mechai’s” condom distribution program has an added benefit of curbing the spread of AIDS in Thailand. Since then, Mechai Viravaidya has been credited for raising the conscience of the Thai populace about “human welfare” that an overpopulated country simply just can’t provide. To me, this raises the question why Buddhists-in general-have a more pragmatic view about “human welfare” compared to the Vatican?

Despite of the fame that he earned due to the success of his birth control program, Meccai Viravaidya just wants to be remembered as a self-effacing man. Maybe Mechai Viravaidya should spread his message of birth control here in the Philippines.

Mount Everest Rubbish Problem

2007-06-01T04:01:00.000-07:00

A problem that’s long overdue for a clean- up, can the Japanese team tackle this problem single-handedly?

By: Vanessa Uy

Ever since, mountaineers from distant land’s flock to Nepal to fulfil their ambitions to reach to the summit of Mount Everest. The worlds journalist-at-large continually seem to ignore the rubbish problem that’s been steadily piling up around Mount Everest. Threatening to spoil the pristine nature of the surrounding landscape.This even earned the area surrounding Mount Everest as "The highest garbage dump in the world."

In May 29, 2007-a Japanese team led by acclaimed mountaineer Ken Noguchi is probably the first organized Mount Everest clean-up crew. Ken Noguchi and his team have their work cut out for them. Especially in the “death zone” where the air is so thin no human can survive for prolonged periods. This is where spent oxygen bottles litter the landscape and the odd human remains lay were they originally fell because even top sherpas don’t have enough strength to recover bodies from the “death zone.” Ken Noguchi and team’s commendable efforts are set to coincide with the anniversary of the first successful scaling of Mount Everest back in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and acclaimed sherpa Tensing Norgay.

The Japanese teams efforts will undoubtedly be welcomed with open arms by the global mountaineering community since humanitarian efforts like these around the Himalayas are few and far between. Ken Noguchi and his team’s efforts rank those with Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenseng Norgay’s Educational Fund that the two set up to provide free education to the children of sherpas.

Japan versus the International Whaling Commission

2007-06-01T03:58:00.000-07:00

Is Japan making the International Whaling Commission unable to execute its mandate in maintaining the welfare of the worlds shrinking whale population?

By: Vanessa Uy

The International Whaling Commission’s venue this year: 59th Annual IWC Meeting Anchorage Alaska 2007- promises to improve the present conditions of the world’s whales. Except they had not been able to stop Japan from hunting whales with impunity-all in the name of “scientific research.” Since the 1986 whaling moratorium, Japan has been steadily increasing “scientific catch” quotas that present day quotas are double that of 10 years ago. Japan has been able to do this because of some legal loophole of the IWC “Article 8” which permits scientific whaling. Whaling is never humane though because it results in the whale dying a slow painful death, which usually lasts 90 minutes on average.

Japan’s plea to the International Whaling Commission to restart whaling in the name of tradition only generates worldwide condemnation. This is quite paradoxical because almost all of Japanese youths no longer follow the tradition of eating whale meat. Because of this increasingly large quantities of whale meat now languish in Japan’s cold storage facilities. The Japanese chapter of Greenpeace has been appalled by the Japanese government’s planned resumption of large scale whaling despite of the huge whale meat surplus.

Various environmental groups like Greenpeace are increasingly concerned on the IWC allowing the subsistence whaling of indigenous groups because these groups use vessels intended for large scale industrial whaling. This oversight needs to be reevaluated by the IWC.

Today only 36,000 sperm whales remain in our oceans and the humpback whale-the favorite of whale watchers due to their acrobatic leaps-are only 10,000 strong. And remember; humpback whales are featured in the movie “Star Trek: The Voyage Home.” This movie is considered a beginner’s guide to whale conservation by most environmentalists. The only species of whale whose numbers is on the rise are the minkie whale. Even then, environmental groups doubt that their present population can support the scale of industrial whaling that prevailed in the last century. Japans desperation to restart her whaling industry has forced her to resort to vote buying on poor member countries of the IWC via development aid.

A Ban on Cluster Bombs

2007-06-01T03:55:00.000-07:00

In Lima, Peru a conference was held campaigning for a total ban on cluster bombs by next year. Will it fair better than Princess Diana’s campaign for a global ban on land mines?

By: Vanessa Uy

In the week ending May 26, 2007 – the conference for the comprehensive global ban on the use and production of cluster bombs / sub munitions took place in Lima, Peru. 46 countries have already sign up earlier this year in Norway in support for the campaign, while 20 more countries have sign up during the conference in Lima, Peru as a show of solidarity in banning the use and production of cluster bombs and/or sub munitions. Not surprisingly, the biggest users and producers of cluster bombs and/or sub munitions namely: the US, Russia, China, and of course Israel are absent.

As anti-personnel weapon systems go, cluster bombs don’t work very well militarily. This is due to the inherent manufacturing faults where sometimes 50% of the sub munitions won’t explode immediately upon deployment. These UXO (unexploded ordnance) has a nasty habit of maiming and killing non-combatants/civilians long after the military conflict is over. The UN has even declared that UXO - like land mines are considered as a pollutant because of their ability to render croplands useless. Since the 1980’s, there has already been a global campaign to ban these weapons. In the Vietnam War movie “Bat 21”, the indiscriminate nature of cluster bombs were portrayed on celluloid. Also unexploded ordnance has a nasty habit of being turned into IED (improvised explosive devices) by resourceful “freedom fighters.” It was also known that as late as the mid 1990’s, nomads of the Sub-Saharan region have the misfortune of finding out that anti-personnel mines laid by German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s “Afrika Korps” still work.

Another New Extra Solar Planet Discovered

2007-06-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

Will these series of newly discovered planets renew the public’s interest on astronomy, or allow the US Congress to increase funding on astronomical research?

By: Vanessa Uy

A new Neptune-like extra solar planet with a thick layer of water. As gas giants go, this planet is a class of it’s own because jovian (Jupiter-like) gas giants usually don’t have abundant water. The team of American astronomers who discovered the new planet almost “jumped out of their clothes” in excitement on the discovery. Instruments show the planet to have a rocky core. Spectroscopic anomalies on the planet’s angular momentum show the planet to be covered entirely by a large ocean of liquid water.

The inherent difficulty of finding planets outside of our own solar system makes such discovery a vindication that our latest generation of astronomical instruments such as telescopes really work. The series of newly discovered planets, a number of which only slightly larger than Earth renew humanity’s hopes that there is life elsewhere in the universe.

Pluto No Longer a Planet

2007-06-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

The astronomical community’s consensus to reclassify Pluto’s status as a planet will have repercussions that won’t easily die down.

By: Vanessa Uy

That’s right, Pluto is no longer a planet. Astronomers didn’t have to wait the 248.4 years it takes for Pluto to complete it’s orbit around the sun to reclassify it from a planet to something like one of those large bodies that belong to the Kuiper belt. The Kuiper belt is the region of our solar system where short-period comets originate and this is where material that’s left over from the formation of the planets currently resides.

In 1978, it was found out that Pluto had a moon. The astronomical community named it Charon. Charon is almost the same size as Pluto and this “dumbbell system” has quite a curious effect on Pluto’s angular momentum. Pluto’s highly eccentric orbit will no longer make it as the farthest “planet” from the sun starting 1978. Pluto’s highly eccentric orbit is a consequence of Albert Einstein’s “General Relativity” theory.

How Legitimate is G8 2007?

2007-06-01T03:45:00.000-07:00

This year’s G8 summit concerns primarily on climate protection issues, but there are other pressing issues that need discussion too.

By: Vanessa Uy

The 2007 incarnation of G8, dubbed “G8 Plus 5” has very lofty goals that it promises to achieve. Formulating a binding agreement on climate change protection and a cap on greenhouse gas emissions are on the top of the agenda won’t be easy. And the issue of sustainable development and “carbon credits” need more than good intentions to formulate a binding resolution that the global community would find equitable. The somewhat esoteric issue about “hedge funds” should also be discussed by the conference. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has shown concern over the issue of “hedge funds.” She even proposed a code of conduct on “hedge funds” and a discussion on minimum private quotas. If all goes well, this could make globalization more equitable for the world’s poor.

Germany’s current G8 presidency might result in a significant progress on climate protection issues because Germany-like most of the European Union-is staunchly pro environment and probably the only ones with the political will to meet the 2012 Kyoto Protocol targets on greenhouse gas emissions. This caused howls of protests from the US and China who perceives that Angela Merkel’s pro environment policies-like the rest of the EU states-undermines the economic well being of American and Chinese industries.

While anti-globalization activists defend their view that the G8 lacks legitimacy because it puts first the interests of rich industrialized countries like the US above those of the needs of developing nations. This is the reason why every annual G8 summit draws in it’s fair share of angry demonstrators and activists. And “G8 Plus 5” will be no different because it takes more than good intentions to solve the pressing problems of global warming and extreme poverty.

Planet Vulcan

2007-06-01T03:41:00.000-07:00

Is this a “Tabloid Press” planet, or one of the astronomical community’s honest mistakes?

By: Vanessa Uy

Sometimes a currently held wisdom of astronomy is redefined over time, usually due to recent advances in science. The advancing perihelion of the planet Mercury; was once believed to be caused by as a yet undiscovered planet. Astronomers at that time dubbed the planet Vulcan after the Roman god of fire and due to the planets supposedly close proximity to the sun- closer than Mercury in fact. Even though Vulcan was never directly observed by optical and/or radio telescopes, astronomers at the time were confident of Vulcan’s existence due to its effect on Mercury’s orbit.

It was later proven that the advancing perihelion of the planet Mercury’s orbit is a consequence of Albert Einstein’s “General Relativity” theory. Thus the existence of Vulcan was ruled out. Vulcan was just a fictitious planet that was accidentally “created” by the astronomical community back then to describe a phenomena that’s not yet fully understood at the time.

Mauritius’ Renewable Energy Future

2007-05-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

Mauritius’ policy of increasing renewable energy utilization should serve as an initiative that can be passed on to other countries that are poor in petrochemicals but rich in biodiversity.

By: Vanessa Uy

The Mauritius government program of promoting the increased utilization of renewable energy sources like solar power and biomass was driven in part by the constant rise of petrol prices over the past few years. Also, government revenue that can be saved from reduced dependence on imported petrol could be put to better use in improving the social development programs in Mauritius. As opposed to just using the said funds to allow Middle-Eastern despots to continually build-up their own military might. Contributing further to the instability in the region.

Parts of the sugarcane that’s left over after sugar production is a good source of biomass that Mauritius has in abundance. By using this biomass as a “feed” for biogas digesters can provide 25% more energy than by burning the same biomass directly in an incinerator-type power plant. Currently, 20% of Mauritius’ electricity is generated from renewable biomass systems. Also the Mauritius government are finding ways to make photovoltaic/solar powered electricity production fiscally viable whether in large industrial installations or just small domestic set-ups used to meet typical household needs. A lot is riding on the success on this program because Mauritius doesn’t have local petrol, and a 100% renewable energy source could allow the nation to develop without increasing the effects of global warming.

Jerry Falwell: A Legacy of Hate

2007-05-25T06:16:00.000-07:00

Ever since he founded the “Moral Majority” back in 1979, Jerry Falwell probably has a dubious influence of creating a rift between Islam and the West.

By: Vanessa Uy

When Jerry Falwell passed away last May 16, 2007, all my sentiments point to good riddance. For most rational level- headed Americans, Jerry Falwell may seem no more than a minor irritation to accepted standards of civil liberties. Jerry Falwell influenced the creation of PMRC (parents music resource center) back in the 1980’s which bought us the “Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics” stickers on our records/CDs that are still with us today. But it’s much more serious for us here in parts of South East Asia, where Jerry Falwell’s ideas are used by right wing militants- to murder Socialist/Left Wing activists from 1970’s till the present.

To me, Jerry Falwell’s legacy of his “Moral Dictum” of harassing and vilifying the non-Christian members of the human race is tantamount to “cultural genocide.” His “follower’s” utter disregard for environmental concerns brought us global warming which they claim as their right by virtue of “Anglo-Saxon Manifest Destiny.” Now doubt, Jerry Falwell is Al Qaeda’s raison d’être for without Al Qaeda many young Muslims think that they would be wiped out by people like Jerry Falwell before the end of the 20th Century.

Despite of Jerry Falwell’s passing, there are a lot of “Christian Bigots” lining up to take his place like Ann Coulter. She single handedly started a campaign of “cultural genocide” to anyone who doesn’t subscribe to the “Moral Majority’s” views. If she gets enough political power and clout, Ann Coulter would allow legislation of a law that would outlaw anthropology and shut down the National Geographic Society.

Fahrenheit 911: Did it miss by a Mile?

2007-05-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

Once ridiculed as: “The proof that President George W. Bush piloted the plane that slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center building in September 11, 2001.” Is “Fahrenheit 911” a legitimate critique on the Bush Administration?

By: Vanessa Uy

I don’t know how many people in the United States are kicking themselves for voting Bush another term in office when the Hurricane Katrina/FEMA fiasco came out, are approval ratings a good indicator? Despite of John Ashcroft spontaneously bursting into song, Fahrenheit 911 just missed the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal by just a few months. That story could have added a “sense of legitimacy” to “Fahrenheit 911” that might convince hard core Republicans that they are betting on the wrong horse so to speak. Then came FEMA’s mishandling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, then the sex scandals of Republican Congressmen with their pages with mounting e-mail evidence…then came Reverend Ted Haggard…

In Michael Moore’s credit, he really tried hard to tackle in presenting the evil behind relatively esoteric subjects like Halliburton that can easily hide their scandal via corporate rigmarole that can have most average citizens in need of legal assistance just to keep up. In all of this, I just wonder how many virgins did the Moral Majority/GOP sacrificed in order to postpone the arrival of Hurricane Katrina so that “she” won’t become a 2004-election issue?

Michael Moore versus the US Health Care System

2007-05-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

After “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 911”, Michael Moore is now tackling the US health care system with “Sicko.”

By: Vanessa Uy

Using the 60th Cannes Film Festival - as a springboard- to launch his latest opus, Michael Moore’s latest documentary is no less a “scathing critique” on the US health - care system. To me, Michael Moore has chosen a very good topic with “Sicko” because the US health care system is long overdue for a long hard look.

Ever since the US President Teddy Roosevelt established universal health care for all Americans back in 1912, the lofty goals of the US health care system has been found wanting especially when it comes to results. Fast-forward to the Reagan years, it seems like Roosevelt’s “universal health care for all Americans” is more of a dream than reality. This is so because of the systems arcane bureaucracy has causes more harm- than- good. One of the excerpts of interest of the documentary is the “choosing which finger scene” where the accident victim is asked to decide whether he should choose to attach the middle finger for US$60,000 or choose to attach the ring finger for US$12,000. How can civilized people rationalize to have that kind of situation be accepted as the norm in America’s health care system?

Even though Michael Moore failed to include the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal in “Fahrenheit 911”, because the scandal leaked out-near the end of April 2004- a few months after the release of that documentary. The scandal that surrounds the US health care system probably can be dated back to the Ronald Reagan administration, inspiring songs like Metal Church’s “Fake Healer.” To me, there will probably be no other surprises in store that might suddenly emerge about the US health care system. Even 6 months after the premier of Michael Moore’s “Sicko.”

One of the points-of-contention in “Sicko” is Michael Moore comparing the US health care system with the one that is provided by Fidel Castro’s Cuba. As for anyone who’ve watched that BBC documentary about Cuba’s national health care system back in 2006. Here the BBC journalists were very impressed on Cuba’s national health care program which they described as efficient and very effective despite of operating on a budget that’s only a fraction of it’s American counterpart. And Cuba’s very good national health care system is what allowed Cuban citizens to achieve an average life expectancy that’s better than the US average despite of their national health care system operating on a “shoestring budget.”

Despite of the truth, the US authorities continue to vilify Michael Moore by placing him under arrest. This is due to some violating of some arcane law about prohibiting US citizens from traveling into Cuba or something.

11th Hour: Last Call to Stop Global Warming

2007-05-25T05:55:00.000-07:00

With the box office success and political impact of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” will Leonardo Di Caprio’s “11th Hour” do the same.

By: Vanessa Uy

Another “environmental opus” coming you’re way via the 60th Cannes Film Festival. I just hope that the hype generated by these two environmentally conscientious works doesn’t downplay the seriousness surrounding the issue of climate change and/or global warming. I haven’t yet seen “11th Hour” in it’s entirety, but the trailer suggest it’s about those pro-Bush/pro-Republican climatologists who kept the proof of global warming from reaching the policymakers on Capitol Hill. The film is a very thorough explanation of the world’s policymaker’s current mad-dash to formulate laws to lessen the impact of global warming. Even my friends who served during the 1991 Operation: Desert Storm predicted that by the year 2000, cars will be run by something other than gasoline as they witnessed first hand the carnage caused by the industrialized world’s lust for petroleum.

Germany: Spearheading the Solar Future

2007-05-25T05:51:00.000-07:00

Lately, Germany’s pulling all the stops in an attempt to make solar energy use mainstream.

By: Vanessa Uy

Either by legislation or innovation, Germany is going solar with hopes that her neighbors gain the initiative to do the same. In the innovation front, Oliver Schultz, a 31 year- old German physicist from Freiburg’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Research had developed a photovoltaic solar cell whose efficiency is greater than 20%. This is much greater than existing off-the-shelf solar photovoltaic cells. By using multi crystalline structured silicon photovoltaic cells, Oliver Schultz was able to coax the cells to have an efficiency rating greater than 20%. This type of silicon crystals are much cheaper to manufacture because the purity issue is not very critical when compared to the majority of photovoltaic solar cells in current use. There’s one disadvantage though, multi crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells are high temperature sensitive which could become a problem during fabrication stage – especially if you want to maintain the consistency of it’s high-efficiency characteristic.

Recently, Oliver Schultz has developed an improved low temperature manufacturing and fabrication process for multi crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic cells. These new “class” of multi crystalline silicon cells have efficiencies approaching close to 30%. These crystals - were recently evaluated by independent US laboratories, and their efficiency claims are substantiated. If these new - generation of multi crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic cells gain widespread use, the “carbon footprint” of industrialized nations would further be reduced.

Beyond the Rhetoric: The Philippine Anti-Blast Fishing Campaign

2007-05-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

No longer the “toothless law” it once was, will the Philippine anti-blast fishing law work this time around?

By: Vanessa Uy

Ever since the post World War II economic reconstruction period, blast fishing – a fishing method that’s all but outlawed throughout the civilized world – gained notoriety here in the Philippines. It seems like anyone who can cobble up an ammonium nitrate based IED (improvised explosive device) is “good to go” for blast fishing, despite of the possible fatal injury to the fisherman and the long term damage that’s inflicted to our fragile coral reef systems. Even after years of illegal blast fishing, studies revealed that the seas surrounding the Philippine islands – especially in the Visayan region – are deemed more bio diverse than Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. According to Nygiel B. Armada a FISH fisheries manager, the Visayan seas contain more than 26 tons of fish per square kilometer. Despite of this apparent abundance, marine resources –like fish- need to be managed to maintain sustainability. Illegal fishing methods like blast fishing threaten the sustainability of our fish stocks. The damage caused by blast fishing goes beyond the crater formed by the explosive device, ultra-fine coral fragments created from the resulting blast can smother the surrounding coral bed causing long term damage that can drastically affect the local fishing industry.

Recent anti-blast fishing campaigns- especially those being spearheaded by Jojo de la Victoria and Tony Oposa are seen by local environmental pressure groups as a long-awaited “White Knight” that will eliminate the problem of illegal fishing in one fell swoop. While setting up patrols to police the relatively lawless Visayan seas. Jojo de la Victoria and Tony Oposa’s program of penalizing perpetrators to the full extent of the law, market denial of fish caught by illegal means coupled with an educational campaign explaining to the communities dependent on the fishing industry the follies of blast fishing. Their program proved to be very effective because blast fishing seems to have vanished almost overnight. Unfortunately, this angered the lawless elements that are involved in the illegal blast fishing industry.

Sadly, Jojo de la Victoria was assassinated in a desperate attempt by the organized crime elements involved in the illegal fishing industry to stop the very successful anti-blast fishing campaign that he and Tony Oposa had started. The anti-blast fishing campaign was not daunted by the murder of one of the founders. Instead, it gained the much- needed impetus to stop blast fishing once and for all. Bantay Dagat patrols with the help of NBI personnel equipped with M-16 rifles conduct raids on known blast fishing hot spots/strongholds, and confiscating paraphernalia used for blast fishing. At the same time educating these communities that blast fishing can deprive them of their livelihood by destroying the coral reefs that fishes need to spawn.

Unlike the Marcos-era Bantay Dagat of yore, which are no more than mere rhetoric aimed to please the local and international environmental pressure groups. The campaign established by Jojo de la Victoria and Tony Oposa is more likely to succeed and last because the police action is backed by an effective educational campaign. As Tony Oposa said on the environmental effects of blast fishing: “another blast is one blast too many.”

Is Zimbabwe a Threat?

2007-05-18T04:17:00.001-07:00

Is Zimbabwe qualified to head the UN’s Sustainable Development Program, or are the European Union’s concerns groundless?

By: Vanessa Uy

In May 4, 2007, Zimbabwe was elected to head the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Program via “Secret Ballot.” This made Francie Nhema, Zimbabwe’s environment minister very magnanimous in victory. But there are lingering questions on how Zimbabwe could head this UN program when President Robert Mugabe’s flawed land reform policy has transformed the country from “Africa’s Breadbasket” to a country whose agricultural system can hardly even feed her own people. And for the first time, the US Government showed concern on Zimbabwe’s human rights violations and the Mugabe regime’s treatment of the political opposition. US State Department’s Dan Reifsnyder voiced his concerns over Zimbabwe’s ability and qualifications to run the UN Sustainable Development Program. The British Government and the European Union have always been mindful of Zimbabwe’s human rights record of the past three years or so. Is President Robert Mugabe another Idi Amin in the making? Only time will tell.

Once upon a time, the former British colony called Rhodesia changed her name to Zimbabwe back in 1979 to assert her newly acquired freedom and sovereignty. In 1980, Robert Mugabe was elected president. That’s right people, he’s been running the country since that time. My “dogs-of-war” buddies have viewed Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe –at the time- as a model for African self-determination. But 20 or so years later it’s as if Zimbabwe has fallen from grace. President Mugabe’s heavy-handed approach to quell the political opposition has been criticized by the EU for a number of years now. And President Mugabe’s greatest folly is the expulsion of “white farmers” from their own farmlands. These lands were given to native Zimbabweans with no industrial- scale farming expertise. This policy has decimated Zimbabwe’s agricultural industry since then.

It’s good that the US Government finally gave a damn about this issue and voiced their criticisms over the Mugabe Regime. In the last 4 years, it seems like only 10 Downing Street gives a damn about the course of action President Mugabe takes. It seems that the policymakers on Capitol Hill are willing to overlook one more of Africa’s problems, like they did back in April of 1994.

Al Gore in Bio Fuel Row

2007-05-18T04:13:00.000-07:00

Al Gore, the man who brought the urgency of global warming to the world’s policymakers is now caught in a bio fuel controversy.

By: Vanessa Uy

Anti global warming crusader Al Gore has angered the environmental activists in Argentina last May 13, 2007 due to his relatively culturally insensitive introduction of bio fuel industry in Argentina and the rest of Latin America. Gore’s program of promoting bio fuel production to the rest of South America. Has the intent of lessening their dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Unfortunately caused an- uproar on Argentina’s environmental groups that sparked a series of loud demonstrations, burning of the US flag and chanting of anti- US imperialism slogans. The concerns of the Argentina’s environmentalist were warranted though.

Ever since the Argentina’s government started a program of producing ethanol from locally grown sugarcane. Even though the quantities of ethanol produced is for Argentina’s own domestic use, local sugar prices soared and the mono- culture created by the hundreds of hectares of sugarcane fields are a crop failure disaster waiting to happen. This can get much worse though if most Americans just substitute bio fuel like they waste petroleum based fuels. Energy conservation should be an integral part of every program if the industrialized world wants to reduce their “carbon footprint.”

Poorly conceived bio fuel production methods not only create mono -culture problems, this also increases the retail prices of staple foods in most of South America. If the US Government plans to use the whole of South America to grow the bio fuel quota needed to run their wasteful lifestyle, this could be seen as another form of US imperialism in the region. More importantly, the deeply held pre-Columbian beliefs and culture that recently began to assert despite of more than five centuries of European Christian hegemony failed to quell about the Native Latin American peoples reverence to their food crops. This is the main reason why they oppose the large- scale production of bio fuels using staple food crops. Even Venezuelan President Hugo Chaves and Cuban President Fidel Castro are now up in arms in opposition to this latest incarnation of US imperialism. Looks like Al Gore should have consulted Body Shop’s Anita Roddick first before launching such a venture.

Climate Change Threaten German Beer Festival

2007-05-18T04:09:00.000-07:00

The effects of climate change are more insidious than we presently realize; even beer is threatened by global warming.

By: Vanessa Uy

If you think that global warming can’t possibly affect those traditions-no matter how trivial-that we hold dear, then you’re wrong. When spring arrived early in the heart of Europe this year, most Germans greeted the strange phenomena with much rejoicing and fanfare. But a warmer climate could threaten a much- loved German staple: beer. Whether you believe that the ancestral home of beer is Germany or Ancient Egypt, you should be concerned on how global warming and climate change can affect your cherished “brew.” The type of barley that is used to brew traditional German gourmet beer has not weathered very well to Europe’s increasingly warmer climate. Looks like ski resorts are not the only casualty of global warming.

A decline in barley harvest was noticed in Germany during the past few years. There was also a noted decline in the general health and well being of the kind of barley that is traditionally used in preparing German beer. Where this leads to can only be assessed by on going research on the warming climate’s effects on the barley crop.

Compounding the threat of climate change on Germany’s beer culture is the European Union’s heavy-handed approach in granting financial subsidies. The EU hand these out like their going out of fashion to farmers who comply to their current mission du jour. Crops that can be used to produce bio fuels like the rape plant whose rape seed oil can be easily converted to bio diesel are heavily subsidized. This “free-money” diplomacy can easily make small-scale German farmers to choose “favored” crops as opposed to barley.

Evangelical Christians and Al Qaeda: 21st Century Axis Powers

2007-05-18T04:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered why Osama Bin Laden never specifically vilifies Evangelical Christians? Are they consolidating power like what Hitler and Mussolini did? Take a look at my musings to find out why.

By: Vanessa Uy

That May 14, 2007 BBC news broadcast of Dr. Thomas Ice of Liberty University probably brought a sense of disbelief to millions of BBC’s “level-headed” viewers around the world. While the other million or so was sent on a mad dash to write their own “Techno Thriller” novel to rival the best of what Tom Clancy has offered to date. Does anyone agree with me that the BBC’s news story on Dr. Ice is a good springboard to write a good fictional story? The one that comes to mind is about people like Dr. Ice initiating events that would lead to an all-out nuclear exchange that in our present reality seems indefinitely postponed by the Grace of God and Her Infinite Wisdom.

Did you remember a while back when the Bush Administration invaded the sovereign country of Iraq in search of WMD? A few months afterwards, there was a growing interest on the exploits of the “Baghdad Sniper” who targets American soldiers with impunity via a Dragonov sniper rifle. Dragonovs are basically Kalashnikovs modified to have a much longer range and improved accuracy. Have you noticed that most of the “Baghdad Sniper’s” victims are Mexican or/of Latino descent, and the “white” people who got shot are either Jewish or/of Eastern European descent especially those whose family name ends in “S-K-Y.” The kind of people who are often vilified by “Evangelists.”

Have you ever wondered: Why Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell or any other famous Evangelical religious leaders never got vilified by Osama Bin Laden and/or Al Qaeda? The similarities of their religious ideologies are quite uncanny. They both reject the relevance of rationality and cultural diversity to their religious teachings. They go out of their way to keep women subservient by any means necessary. And the most curious quirk of all: their belief that their “God” only chooses a particular race to be granted salvation. The Evangelical “God” chooses the white Anglo-Saxon race. While Bin Laden/Al Qaeda’s “God” favors Muslims of Arabic descent. They have an unhealthy fixation of rationalizing men’s “rights” to abuse women if it suits their fancy. Looks like half of humanity will be doomed if this “Religious Madness” is allowed to escalate even further.

Are Evangelical Christians Killing Mother Nature

2007-05-18T04:01:00.000-07:00

The proof is provided via BBC’s World Service broadcast on the 14 of May 2007. Looks like people like me are not “that-kind-of-crazy” anymore.

By: Vanessa Uy

At first, it’s kind of hard for me to tell if this is legitimate news broadcast or one of those Tom Clancy novel-made-for-TV-type things. As every Tom Clancy fan can attest the character driven nature style of his works, this particular BBC news broadcast made Dr. Thomas Ice of Liberty University look and act like the “main villain” on “The Sum of All Fears.” Dr. Thomas Ice unabashedly expressed his views on a legitimate news broadcast that Global Warming and other environmental concerns of recent times are just “Hollywood-left-wing-propaganda.” Is Dr. Ice trying really hard to throw out of the window the concerns of the majority of “Rational Americans” want to achieve. The “Rational Americans” want to tell the rest of the world that not all Americans are not egotistical narcissists who want all of the planets natural resources only for themselves. Maybe, Dr. Ice doesn’t want all of America to be environmentally conscious because this is an important stepping stone in establishing a meaningful dialogue between the Islamic World and the West.

Even before the post- September 11, 2001 backlash, the impoverished peoples of the Islamic World has been left “holding the bag” so to speak due to the insensitive energy intensive lifestyles of the more-money-than-sense-Evangelical-Christian-powers-that-be making self-serving policies on Capitol Hill. Even though they are still a minority, they can easily trick Rational Americans like they did in the 2004 US Presidential Elections. The Evangelicals doctrine of greed, exploitation and unbridled materialism are one of-if not the- main reason of the proliferation of misery and suffering in the Islamic World. And I’m beginning to wonder why Osama Bin Laden didn’t specifically mention these people on his “Fatwah.”

Methane Hydrate: A Blessing or a Curse

2007-05-18T03:53:00.000-07:00

A huge reserve of methane found under the sea could ease our current energy problems, or send our planet into a runaway greenhouse effect.

By: Vanessa Uy

Studies show that the amount of methane hydrate that’s currently found under of all the Earth’s oceans is probably twice as large as our current reserves of other fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas combined. Even though all of this methane hydrate has the danger of escaping into the Earth’s atmosphere increasing the effects of global warming, it also has the potential of easing our current energy shortage. Also, methane is the cleanest carbon based fuel in current use.

The mysterious phenomena of deep-sea methane hydrate deposits, is being currently under investigation by marine geologists all over the world. Methane hydrate can also be found in the permafrost layer of the soil in Arctic regions, but deep-sea deposits are more concentrated therefore more economical to mine. Methane hydrate is made up of frozen water or ice that contains large amounts of methane gas trapped in its crystal structure. The chemical process of hydration also contributes to the relative stability of methane hydrate crystals. On extremely rare occasions, methane hydrate fields can suddenly out- gas in huge eruptions. This could explain why some ships mysteriously sank without a trace in the Bermuda Triangle, even on calm weather conditions.

Chemists, geologist and other scientists have now joined forces to study of methane hydrate crystals from its stability aspect to the economics of harvesting it as a source of methane fuel. Certain deep sea beds are now being studied whether the relatively high water pressure of the deep ocean or the relatively low temperature of just a few degrees above freezing are factors that affect the occurrence of methane hydrate crystals.

One of the few research vessels that’s currently studying the phenomena of methane hydrate deposits is the Hamburg-based Meteor. Meteor is a German science vessel that is specially equipped with an autoclave corer that can reach 2000 meters below to extract the methane hydrate seam. This autoclave corer enables her to maintain the ambient water pressure that surrounds the methane hydrate deposits-usually 180 bar- as these samples are brought to the surface to be collected. Then the other samples of methane hydrate are stored in a cryogenic fluid like liquid nitrogen for further analysis in land-based laboratories.

Marine Geologist Gerhard Bormann of Marum Bremen University with a team of chemist and engineers run the research ship Meteor. They are currently involved in the feasibility study of mining methane hydrate from the ocean’s dept without exacerbating the effects of global warming by allowing the methane to leak into the atmosphere. Japanese scientists are also involved in formulating efficient and economical ways of extracting deep-sea methane hydrate deposits.

By melting methane hydrate crystals in the lab, scientists found out that the “frozen” methane expands to 160 times its volume as a gas. Even though by weight, a typical piece of methane hydrate crystal is just made up of 10 to 15 percent methane by weight.

On Line Social Money Lending Networks

2007-05-11T02:33:00.000-07:00

Ever since Muhammad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for proving the fiscal viability of lending money to the poor, are the on line counterparts just as effective?

By: Vanessa Uy

My grandfather’s present financially secure status was due to some big-hearted soul who took a chance by lending him some money as capital for a business start-up. This is just one of the success stories/testimonials that extol the virtues of money lending. But more often than not: Does it help more than it hurts? When Mohamad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his “Banking for the Poor” program. Many of the urban poor in the slums of Bangladesh were very grateful for receiving the much needed start-up money / small business loan, thus getting them out of “the red.”

On the web, you can do your own DIY banking with the help of “Zopa.com.” This is one of the pioneering on line money lending sites, which started operating in England that lends money that is payable on the client’s own terms. A myriad of testimonials on Zopa’s website already professed that they benefited Zopa’s easy to pay terms. Since then, Zopa probably served as a vital lifeline to the majority of England’s “blue collar” population. Despite the risks of phishing, ID theft, and the proliferation of illegal key logging software that continually compromises on line security or just due to the relative lawlessness of the world wide web. “Zopa.com” still manages to provide material gains to their investors while offering a helping hand to those in need of extra cash. James Alexander CEO of Zopa says that his company has enough safeguards to minimize the risks.

If you want to help someone in a poor country to start his or her own enterprise, you should check out Kiva. Kiva is an on line social money lending site that allows you to sponsor an entrepreneur from a third-world country for as little as US$25. What I liked very much about Kiva is that they have a very good “transparency factor.” Thousands of charity cases, which have passed Kiva’s evaluation, are listed on their website. The short video clips contain individual business proposals. If you choose to invest, the maturation period of the loans are usually 6 to 12 months. And you, the investor are contacted via e-mail on your investment’s progress. One of Kiva’s success stories is Angel, a bicycle repairman from Rome, Bulgaria. Angel got booted out of the local bicycle repair shop in which he was previously employed due to “financial restructuring.” With Kiva’s helping hand, Angel now runs his own bicycle repair shop. With additional investments, you can help him expand his business and help to lessen the unemployment problem of his hometown.