Free as the wind blows

This blog supports efforts to curb 

climate change.

Blog Action Day vs. Climate Change, October 15, 2009

http://www.blogactionday.org/

Give kung give

This year, let us not forget the reason for the season: commercialism! If you don't feel any remorse or guilt whatsoever to spend a lot this Christmas for gifts, here are some suggestions. (Note: these are stuff I actually want to buy, or have already).


1. Those plastic thingies called CDs

Ang Bandang Shirley - Theme Songs

Where: http://angbandangshirley.multiply.com/

Eraserheads - 08.30.08

Where: your favorite record store

Kalayo (formerly Pinikpikan) - Sumigla, Sumaya (CD single)
Where: http://kalayoworldmusic.multiply.com/

Lakbay Lahi - Biyaheng Organik

(also available for digital download)
Where: http://lakbaylahi.multiply.com/

Makiling - Malakas at Maganda

(also available as a set with the two previous Makiling Ensemble CDs)
Where: http://themakiling.multiply.com/

Patatag - Nagbabagang Lupa / Batang Clark / Masdan, O Yahweh (box set)
Where: http://patatag.multiply.com/

Pinikpikan - Rhythm Soup For The Tribal Soul (collection)
Where: http://kalayoworldmusic.multiply.com/


The Bembol Rockers - The Fabulous Bembol Rockers

Where: http://bembolrockers.multiply.com/

The Dorques - The Dorques

Where: http://thedorques.multiply.com/

2. Dibidi
Now that you have extra cash (I assume), why don't you, for once, not go to Quiapo to buy stuff from Manong dibidi and instead buy Filipino classic films on DVD, now out (and frankly, you should buy them now or wait another two decades for these babies to be in print).

Where: Powerbooks / Astrovision
For Filipinos overseas, try http://www.regalfilms.com/ and http://www.kabayancentral.com/

John en Marsha

The Philippines' favorite sitcom is now on multiple DVDs! All together now: "Kaya ikaw John, magsumikap ka!"



3. Books (sosyal, you read?)

Where: your favorite bookstore, or at http://www.anvilpublishing.com/

Ricky Lee - Para Kay B (O Kung Paano Dinevastate ng Pag-Ibig

ang 4 Out of 5 Sa Atin)
The first novel from the hands that wrote or co-wrote Himala, Moral, Jaguar, Salome, Brutal, Karnal, Cain at Abel, and Relasyon, people!

Jessica Zafra - Twisted 8

The Flip Reader

Selected articles from the short-lived magazine edited by Jessica Zafra, that ran for 8 issues earlier this decade. Fun, fun, fun. (Trust me, I have all issues).


The Many Ways of Being Muslim
The first ever anthology of short stories from Filipino Muslim writers, spanning seven decades.


Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, The Complete Illustrated Works of Edgar Allan Poe
Instead of buying all those teenage vampire novels which you have been saving your money for, why not go straight to these originals, at a fraction of the price! (But if what you're after is the love angle, well, um, just take a bite out of a chocolate bar every other chapter!)

4. Sari-sari

Night out with your friends wherever Kalayo (formerly Pinikpikan) is playing. The country's best live act. 'Nuff said!
Info: http://kalayoworldmusic.multiply.com/


Night out with your friends, family, or date wherever Olivia is singing. The country's freshest and best jazz vocalist. 'Nuff said!
Info: http://ultimateolivia.multiply.com/


Tired of the usual kakanin during Christmastime? Then let me tell you that Indian desserts are TO DIE FOR! My favorite is the truly sinful gulab jamun (above), which you can even eat with ice cream if you're a big fan of gluttony. You can buy Indian sweets per piece or
in a box by the kilo.
Where: the Indian grocery stores along UN Avenue, Manila,
across Pope Pius XII Catholic Center


Vinyl records are the past and the future. Buy them used in eBay Philippines, or in Tiendesitas. If you want new, head to Fully Booked in Serendra, where they have a limited stock of jazz and rock classics (a bit pricey though).

You need a device to play those vinyl records in (no Junior, they won't play in your dusty Discman). If money is not a problem, get the TEAC GF-350 turntable, which has a bulit in CD writer for easy ripping of grandpa's Mantovani LPs.
Where: audio stores in Shangri-la Plaza Mall and Park Square Makati, or at Amazon.com.



If you are one of those killjoys who actually know what Christmas is all about and the type who gives those envelopes with messages that says I have donated so and so amount on your behalf to so and so charity, then here are some organizations that could use some of that cash:

UNICEF Philippines
Greenpeace Southeast Asia
Wold Wildlife Fund (WWF) Philippines
Philippine Breast Cancer Network
Philippine Diabetes Association
Tahanang Walang Hagdanan
Golden Acres / Home For The Aged

Time to bring out the bayong

If China can ban plastic bags, why can't other countries like the Philippines? The only thing needed really is political will.

There's hope I guess.

* * * * * *

China bans free plastic bags

(CNN) -- China is banning free plastic bags common at shops and supermarkets and ordering customers to be charged for any they use, the government said Wednesday.

The rules, which take effect June 1, come as the country tries to tackle a significant source of litter, a statement on the government's Web site said.

The bags also are banned from all public transportation, including buses, trains and planes and from airports and scenic locations, the government said.

Companies caught breaking the new rules face fines and possible forfeiture of goods, the government said.

Shops have been instructed to mark the price of the plastic bags clearly and not fold them into the cost of other items.

Environmental organizations, including Greenpeace, praised China's move, and Christopher Flavin, president of Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization in Washington, said "China is ahead of the U.S. with this policy," AP reported.

The Chinese use up to 3 billion plastic shopping bags a day.

Often, the flimsy bags are used once and discarded, adding to waste in a country grappling with air and water pollution as a result of rapid economic transformation, officials said.

"Our country consumes a large amount of plastic bags. While convenient for consumers, the bags also lead to a severe waste of resources and environmental pollution because of their excessive use and low rate of recycling," the statement at the Web site Gov.cn said. "The ultra-thin bags are the main source of 'white' pollution as they can easily get broken and end up as litter."

The government statement added, "We should encourage people to return to carrying cloth bags, using baskets for their vegetables."

More durable plastic bags still will be allowed for sale by markets and shops, The Associated Press reported.

When the ban goes into effect, China will join countries such as Uganda and South Africa, the statement said.

Bangladesh banned plastic bags four years ago when officials realized they blocked drains and led to flooding. Since then, customers have taken to using bags made of jute or cloth for shopping.

Last year, San Francisco, California, became the first U.S. city to outlaw plastic checkout bags at supermarkets.

Meanwhile, the world toasts and sinks at the same time...

The United States is the biggest contributor to global warming but it seems to be the least willing to contribute to efforts to come up with solutions to this huge problem. Shame. The UN Climate Change Conference concludes today in Bali but no substantial conclusion could be arrived at because the US reportedly refuses to commit wholeheartedly. Why? When will the US government stop denying that global warming is indeed happening, and at an alarming speed? What are they waiting for, for Michael Moore to step in? (Although that may be a good idea. E-mail Michael Moore at mike@michaelmoore.com).


Know more about the UN Climate Change Conference HERE.

Read the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (which the US refused to ratify) HERE.


From CNN.Com
EU, U.S. in climate deal standoff

BALI, Indonesia (CNN) -- The United Nations climate change conference headed towards its conclusion Friday, with the United States and the European Union at an impasse over how developed nations should tackle global warming.

Negotiations over an agreement to replace the 10-year-old Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012, continued all night, officials told CNN, but disagreements remained.

The Europeans are pushing for an agreement that contains specific numbers for emissions cuts, but Washington wants to leave maneuvering room for future negotiations, including next month's U.S.-sponsored climate talks in Hawaii.

The EU delegation has balked at that stance, saying it would render January's major emitters meeting "meaningless."

"We are disappointed that having reached this stage of the negotiations we still haven't heard from the United States," said said Humberto Rosa, a member of the European delegation and Portuguese secretary of state for the environment.

"What is their exact level of ambition or of engagement in the Bali roadmap?"

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, fresh from accepting the Nobel peace prize for his work on climate change awareness, sided with the Europeans.

"My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali. We all know that," he said. "But my country is not the only one that can take steps to ensure that we move forward in Bali with progress and with hope."

Gore accepted the Nobel peace prize on Monday, alongside the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In an interview with CNN, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leaned toward the United States' position, stressing that Bali negotiations have to be "based on realistic and practical assessment."

"Somewhere down the road, quantifiable targets on emissions reductions" would be discussed, he said, adding that "launching the process [is] very important."

Japan and Canada have taken positions in line with the United States, while Australia's position is uncertain.

Washington is balking at suggestions by the EU that any agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol on global warming should require developed countries to cut their emissions by 25 to 40 percent of 1990 levels by 2020.

The Bush administration says Europe is moving too fast.

"The main effort here in Bali is to get all of the countries to agree, in concept, that they will collectively support a long-term global goal for reducing emissions," said James Connaughton, the chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "That's the first step before you can then sit down and work through the specifics of what that goal might be."

The shrill tone of Thursday's public statements indicated the behind-the-doors negotiations were difficult.

Rosa said the European delegation said it is not "blackmailing" Washington, but said it is "logic[al]" that if no deal is completed in Bali, it cannot be built upon in Hawaii.

The Kyoto Protocol was passed 10 years ago by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with the goal of limiting greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

While 175 nations and the European Economic Community have ratified it, the United States has not.

We're all going to die!

Yesterday, the CNN website had a startling headline news. Excerpt:

Greenland's ice sheet melts as temperatures rise

ILULISSAT, Greenland (CNN) -- From the air, Greenland's ice sheet, the second largest on Earth, appears to be perfectly still.

But below the surface, the ice sheet is in constant motion, as ice built up in the interior pushes toward the coast in the form of massive glaciers. During warmer months, ice from these glaciers melts into the ocean.

It's an age-old process that scientists say has sped up in recent decades because of global warming.

The fear is that melting ice from Greenland and other Arctic areas could cause sea levels to rise enough to flood low-lying cities, such as Shanghai, China, and New York City, displacing millions of people in the process.

A recent report from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, made up of scientists from around the world, estimates the sea level rise by 2100 could be as much as 1½ feet.

"That sea level rise is only based on melt from ice sheets, and does not include a new fast flow of ice we have detected in Greenland that is generating additional icebergs," said Dr. Konrad Steffen, a climate scientist with the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Steffen estimates sea levels could rise three feet over the next century, a stark prediction that could wreak havoc around the world if it comes to pass. Greenland holds enough ice to cause sea levels to rise 23 feet if the entire ice sheet melted, a development few scientists expect to happen anytime soon. But global sea levels have been rising at the rate of three millimeters per year since 1993.

Of course, if you've been following the issue of global warming, this news item isn't entirely new. The effects of global warming have been very obvious these past few years. In the Philippines, every summer is the hottest summer on record. Remember typhoon Milenyo? Global warming. And the rainy season always comes very late into the year. When I was in elementary and high school, it was a given that when schools open in June, it will be rainy, so our raincoats should be in our bags. Now, it doesn't rain until August or September, and when it does, pack the industrial strength umbrella and be ready to lose your shame because you're going to walk through the floods or ride the occasional makeshift boat in the middle of Kalentong (hey, I did it twice!).

It's very easy to ignore the problem of global warming because it is something that is so outside us and our homes. And for people who live in a third world country like ours, it's very difficult to think about melting glaciers when people don't even know if there's gonna be food on the table for dinner.

So what can ordinary people do about this problem? Climatecrisis.net outlines several ways. Follow the links:

	Reduce your impact AT HOME
	Reduce your impact WHILE ON THE MOVE
	Help bring about change LOCALLY, NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY
	Download these 10 SIMPLE TIPS to take with you!

This website is a project of former US Vice-President Al Gore, who was responsible for the fantastic documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature early this year. My, my, look what a few years can do. It wasn't long ago that Al Gore was one of the most despised political figures, a favorite target of late night talk show hosts. Al Gore was said to be a bore, in contrast to Clinton who would occasionally play his sax on TV, and even admitted on MTV that he uses briefs instead of boxers. Plus he knows what to do with a cigar. There was even that time when Al Gore allegedly claimed that he invented the internet. That was a hoot. But now, Al Gore, unexpectedly, has made a dramatic comeback with one of his main advocacies, and I really applaud him for that. Last week he even won the Nobel Peace Prize for his crusade against global warming, making people take notice of this much-misunderstood and neglected problem. Wow. After watching "An Inconvenient Truth," one of my Korean students even exclaimed, "he should be president of the world!"

(Speaking of the documentary feature, I think it's one film that ought to be seen by every human being because it's quite an eye-opener. Okay, so there were portions in the movie in which Gore seem to be campaigning for public office, but honestly I didn't mind. If I were the filmmaker, I probably wouldn't even mind if people buy pirated copies of it to give away to students and politicians so that they would do something. Wink wink.)

However, and as Gore said in the documentary, probably the biggest thing that could contribute to solving the problem of global warming is if countries like the US and China will greatly reduce their carbon emissions. And he's talking to you, George W. Bush! Instead of focusing on getting Middle East oil by "liberating" people, why not spend all that money finding ways on how not to make New York City or the entire country of Maldives submerged in melted glacier?