“Holy Innocents Day” 1985 – It Just So Happened That This Was The Day Innocent Me From Zero, I Began Learning To Use The Personal Computer

28 December 1985, 37 years ago, a Saturday, I was 100% innocent about the personal computer (PC) when I started learning to use the desktop PC with my first word processing program, “WordStar 1”.  Remember? At that time, I was already a fast & furious typist; I had typed on an IBM Selectric a whole book, “Focus On The Small Farmer,” that was published in 138 pages by the Farming Systems & Soil Resources Institute (FSSRI) of UP Los Baños. I had edited the book by hand and retyped whole pages as necessary. A labor of love, yes – a labor that I did not want to go through again!

“Feast Of The Holy Innocents” (Britannica, britannica.com):
Feast of the Holy Innocents, also called Childermas or Innocents’ Day, Christian feast in remembrance of the massacre of young children in Bethlehem by King Herod the Great in his attempt to kill the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:16–18).
(“Innocent face” from pikapika.ph;

In 1985, I wanted to kill the innocent writer & editor in me and, thanks to FSSRI Director Elpidio L Rosario, I started to suffocate that innocence with the tool called the PC.
“Old computer” clalliance.org; inset, my PC circa 2017)

“Massacre Of The Innocents” (Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org):
The Massacre of the Innocents is the incident described in the nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew (2:16–18) in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children who are two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The Catholic Church regards them as the first Christian martyrs, and their feast – Holy Innocents' Day (or the Feast of the Holy Innocents) – is celebrated on 28 December. A majority of Herod biographers, and "probably a majority of biblical scholars," hold the event to be myth, or legend.

What I am writing about me is not myth but is legend – I can say that because I have through the years trained myself; I have shown that I can be a one-man band digital Editor In Chief of any technical newsletter, journal or magazine – a legendary Ilocano PC-based writer, editor and desktop publisher!

From Innocents Day 1985, slowly through the years, because I wanted to, I learned the whole digital process from typing the draft to editing to formatting the text to sectioning, assigning running pages, etcetera.

“Feast Of The Holy Innocents” (Catholics & Cultures, catholicsandcultures.org):
The Feast of the Holy Innocents, also called Childermas or Innocents’ Day, is a Christian feast in remembrance of the massacre of young children in Bethlehem by King Herod the Great in his attempt to kill the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:16–18). The day is still observed as a religious feast day and, in Roman Catholic countries, as a day of merrymaking for children.

Me, I celebrate Innocents Day as my liberation from the slavery of the typewriter. A zillion thanks to my digital idols Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak for inventing the PC!@517

Long Ago, PH President GMA Did Champion The Poor – Why Not President BBM Today Championing The Poor Farmers Beyond Pledging P20/kg Rice?

PH history revisited: I am a Filipino. In 2007, the India-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) under Director General William Dar (yes, the former PH Secretary of Agriculture), published my book titled “Team ICRISAT Champions The Poor” (136 big pages). My book said something about my President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) visiting India. That trip was Chapter 3: “GMA’s Indian Summer. Writing The Philippine Story (Revised Edition).”

I wrote:

GMA has been busy writing the next Philippine Story; her detractors have been busy denigrating the size of her frame, using the wrong framework sizing up her failures, never minding her successes. I admire their tenacity, or shall I say their character? Character, I like to say, is stubbornness bordering on stupidity.

Where were they when GMA was in a State Visit recently [2007] and established “a long-term and mutually beneficial trade relationship for import and export of various products” (gmanews.tv) between India and the Philippines? Thank God they did not devise a Senate inquiry in aid of legislation. Well, I don’t hesitate to say the Indians have more faith in the Philippines than many of the Filipinos who keep loudly professing their love of country.

On his part, President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr made a 3-day state visit to Indonesia early this September (Sebastian Strangio, 07 Sept 2022, The Diplomat, thediplomat.com). BBM and Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed “a defense and security cooperation agreement.”

BBM did not explore economics, unlike GMA 15 years earlier. Why not?

At any rate, BBM did promise this July, Christia Marie Ramos says: “Bongbong Marcos Admin Aims To Cut Poverty Rate To 9% By End Of Term – DOF Chief” (06 July 2022, Inquirer, newsinfo.inquirer.net):

The new administration is aiming to reduce the country’s poverty rate to nine percent by the end of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s term in 2028. Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Benjamin Diokno disclosed this Wednesday that such a goal is part of his agency’s medium-term fiscal consolidation framework that was presented during their first Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Good. But not good enough! I want to hear about how BBM and his cabinet, especially the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its numerous attached agencies – how Farmer Poverty is going to be solved.

For the sake of Management, BBM’s promise of a P20/kg rice is a Mission – now, where is that Vision that calls for that Mission?
(“Vision” from kenccid.org)

My favorite “Missionary” is one who showed he was a “Visionary” some 22 years ago. He referred to himself as a “Servant Leader” – that is, his servanthood (service) came first before leadership, or his leadership was for the purpose of servanthood. When William Dar. was the Director General of ICRISAT (based in India) 2000-2014, and when he was PH Secretary of Agriculture 2019-2022 – The ICRISAT Vision/Mission was “Science with a human face.”

For BBM for Agriculture, for the poor farmers, why not this Vision/Mission: “Science with a farmer’s face”? Asking as a friend!@517

 

Need Excellent Editor’s Help For Your BS Or Masteral Thesis Or PhD Dissertation? You Came To The Right Place!

Yes, I am a self-taught one-man band digital editor in Agriculture and related sciences. A little personal history, from typewriter to laptop:

1959-1965: Alumnus of UPCA, now UP Los Baños (BSA major in Ag Edu, Civil Service Professional).
1975-1981: Typewriter-based Writer and Editor In Chief of the technical journal Sylvatrop of FORI (now ERDB) of PH Department of Environment & Natural Resources.
2007-2014: Digital Writer From Home (WFH) for the India-based ICRISAT.
2019-2022: Digital WFH for the PH Department of Agriculture under Secretary William Dar.

No, you did not know that I am self-taught when it comes to writing, editing and desktop publishing whether it’s popular or technical in language. And yes, I began my mastery of English grammar and composition in high school yet, in the early 1950s, or 60+ years ago.

In terms of technical edits, I began in 1975 at the Forest Research Institute (FORI) where I became the founder & Editor In Chief of the monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical journal Sylvatrop, and quarterly color magazine Habitat.

1959-84: Typewriter Days.
1985: I began teaching myself digital skills.

You can do much if you have the attitude and aptitude. Note: I was self-taught in writing and editing. My FORI days happened  during what I call the Era of Dinosaurs – heavy-duty large typewriters. What about quality of editing? Know that Canopy made FORI well-known at UP Los Baños where it was based, and among American and European forestry agencies through exchange publications, And because of Canopy, the maiden issue of Sylvatrop already had a foreigner (from the University of Ibadan) contributing a paper, on forest products.

Between my FORI years and today, I have edited countless BS and Masteral theses, and PhD dissertations in Agriculture and related fields, mostly from UP Los Baños.

I taught myself my digital skills for writing, editing, up to and including desktop publishing (DTP). I often joke, seriously, that I must be an excellent teacher because I taught myself who became excellent in his writing, editing & DTP works!

If  you look at the bottom image, that is a picture of how & why I enjoy my writing, editing & DTP works – I have 2 monitors, the external & bigger monitor for editing, the laptop & smaller monitor for viewing whatever, to entertain or inform me further. How can I lose?

About the top image, ANN says, “The Top 10 Online Thesis Editing And Proofreading Services” (Author Not Named, 14 May 2021, TrueEditors, trueeditors.com); here’s a quote:

Even the most serious students get chills when it comes to writing their [theses]. Temperatures will [rise] high after having to work on a [manuscript] that will eventually be accountable for the “partial completion” of your degree. [For better results], you must submit your thesis to a professional thesis editing service [first].

Notice the 5 [brackets] above? I Filipino edited the American editor! A digital one-man band, I offer a complete set of editing & proofreading services. PM me on Facebook for my email.@517

 

Poor Farmers And Fishers Will Be Always With Us – If The Department Of Agriculture Continues To Ignore Conservation Of Resources!

I write this on Christmas Day, 25 Dec 2022. Do we actually celebrate Christmas with the poor? No. Pope Francis says it is not truly Christmas when poor people remain poor (Christopher White, 24 Dec 2022, “Pope Francis: 'It Is Not Truly Christmas Without The Poor',” National Catholic Reporter, ncronline.org). I Roman Catholic say you are poorer if you celebrate Christmas without the poor in mind, meaning and manner!

(“Poverty” from pinterest.ph)

In his Christmas Eve homily at the Vatican, Pope Francis says, “The church supports and blesses efforts to change the structures of injustice, and sets down but one condition: that social, economic and political change[s] truly benefit the poor.” Above, he is seen carrying an image of the baby Jesus born poor in a manger in Bethlehem.

Mr White says, “Pope Francis marked the start of Christmas at the Vatican by cautioning that it is impossible to celebrate the birth of Jesus without concern for the poor.” Impossible? We Christians do it every year!

And what do the non-religious groups say? Here is from Zacarian Sarao who says, “True Spirit Of Christmas Is Being Mindful Of How We Impact Earth, Ocean – Oceana” (24 Dec 2022, Inquirer, newsinfo.inquirer.net). As a marine conservation collection, “Oceana stressed the importance of taking care of the planet, particularly the ocean… as it recognized the struggles and sacrifices of artisanal fisherfolk in 2022.”

However: While Pope Francis’ and Oceana’s declarations themselves share that “concern for the poor,” they both ignore the fact that the poor themselves are also to blame: thus, the farmers for abusing the soils, and the fishermen for abusing the waters!

And yes, both abuses happen to fall into the responsibility of the government in promoting and pursuing “conservation,” which my favorite American Heritage Dictionary defines as “controlled use and protection of natural resources, as forests, wetlands, endangered species, etc” (TheFreeDictionary, thefreedictionary.com).

And that means, the government is to blame for neglecting to implement the laws of resource conservation – and the farmers and fishers themselves because they have no concern for themselves!

And I must blame the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) for failing to adequately extend the principles and practices of conservation of resources to the people.

Ultimately, as Secretary of Agriculture, I must blame BBM if he does not do anything about the ATI not doing anything to help the farmers and fishers help themselves.

Pope Francis  says:

He who was born in the manger, demands a concrete faith, made up of adoration and charity, not empty words and superficiality. He who lay naked in the manger and hung naked on the cross, asks us for truth, he asks us to go to the bare reality of things…

In the Philippines and in farming and fisheries, how can the ATI promote prosperity among the farmers and fishermen when what the ATI people are all doing is all training, training, training with technology!? What about fisheries exploitation coupled with conservation? What about farming with climate change in mind?@517

 

Did God Send His Son To The World To Show Love? More Than That – He Sent Him To Show How To Share Love!

25 December 2022, Christmas Day in Manila, Sunday; we believers celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Son of God. And now I ask: “Did God send his son to show love?” My Roman Catholic reply: “The only way to show love is to share it.” And not only one day of the year!

Here comes ANN with Rappler and its corporate campaign to “#ShareLove This Holiday Season, One Good Deed At A Time” (Author Not Named, 16 Dec 2022, rappler.com).

Rappler’s #ShareLove considered, how do you react to this news from Africa; ANN says, “Africa Must Heal Itself – And Not Rely On America” (Author Not Named, 22 Dec 2022, The Patriot Post, patriotpost.us/opinion). Do we call America selfish?

Ah, but that exactly is the reason why I began by asking why God sent his son to the world – to show how to share love!

How much you share, that is the measure of your love.
(“Share” from Rappler)

There is poverty in the world because people are selfish. They say they love God, but they do not share their blessings with their fellowmen.
(“Poverty” from christiantruthcenter.com)

And how can Africa heal itself and not rely on America? Same as how the Philippines can heal itself and not rely on America!

Combatting Climate Change – Right now, selfish countries are not paying much attention beyond COP27 claims they are trying to reduce emissions.

Here is what Natalia Alyza et al have to say (08 Dec 2022, “COP27: Key Takeaways And What’s Next,” World Resources Institute, wri.org): “Countries at COP27 agreed to outcomes that reflected only modest, incremental progress on reducing emissions.”

“Only modest, incremental progress” – and this is already the 27^th year that the United Nations is meeting on climate change!

I will now repeat my mantra that Regenerative Agriculture (RA) is what every country in the world, big or small, should apply without paying much attention to the progress of those interminable Conferences of Parties – they are not helping the world cope with climate change!

I see that Organic Agriculture (OA), which is a method of RA, is the one stone that can shoot two birds: Farmer Poverty and Climate Change.

I look at organic farming as sharing:

1.     Sharing the rich soil.
Organic farming results in crops sharing the natural richness of the soil via trash farming – the trash is utilized as wealth, not wasted.

2.     Sharing the rich harvests.
With naturally rich soils, it follows that the harvests of farmers are rich.

3.     Sharing the rich foods.
The harvests are of leaves, stems, root and fruits that are naturally rich in food elements that are good for the body of any consumer.

4.     Sharing the rich incomes.
With low costs of farming, the farmers undoubtedly become richer.

5.     Sharing the rich countryside.
Organic methods do not generate greenhouse gases that generate climate change.

Organic farming is sharing love, sharing the goodness of the Earth with plants and animals and people in the countryside!@517

 

If I Were A Cordilleran, I Would Start A “Save The Cordilleras” And Not Be Limited To “Save The Rice Terraces”!”

I have been wondering about the world wonder called “Ifugao Rice Terraces” and have been looking at them as “improvable,” what with my added knowledge of agroforestry that I obtained between 1975 and 1981 when I was Editor In Chief of the monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical Sylvatrop, and quarterly color magazine Habitat published by the Forest Research Institute (FORI) where I was Editor In Chief from 1975 to 1981. Thus, this agriculturist enjoyed his on-the-job learning!

I am now reading Ronnel W Domingo’s news report, “Ifugao Rice Terraces Land On Another ‘Protection’ List” (23 Dec 2022, Inquirer, newsinfo.inquirer.net). The caption of the above photograph says, “The world-famous Cordillera landscape keeps getting international attention amid increasing climate threats.” And so we learn from Mr Domingo this:

Communities that depend on the Ifugao Rice Terraces for their livelihood will receive support from Canada-based Manulife Financial Corp and National Geographic (NatGeo) Society, which have included the famous Cordillera landmark in a list of 10 heritage sites that must be protected from the impact of climate change.

Eight others on the list, drawn up under the “Preserving Legacies: A Future for Our Past” initiative, are also on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

The 8 others are in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Colombia, Ireland, Fiji, Jordan, Micronesia, and Togo & Benin – the 10^th is the Border Field between Mexico and the United States.

In a joint statement, Manulife and NatGeo said the project could help safeguard these historic and culturally significant sites from the impact of climate change and protect the physical and financial well-being of the communities that rely on them for livelihood. Under the project, it is hoped that the communities can better visualize climate threats on a local scale and be trained in scientific mitigation efforts.

View of Manulife-NatGeo Project – Above, the crucial words are “communities… be trained in scientific mitigation efforts.” Mitigation means “to make less severe or intense” (American Heritage Dictionary, thefreedictionary.com).

My Personal View as Lover of Nature – I would rather that the Cordilleras as one regenerate its historical beauty when the rice terraces were just starting to be constructed on the hillsides – and at the same time combat Climate Change.

I am proceeding from the perspective of Regenerative Agriculture (RA) as the intelligent and complete response to resolve Climate Change! RA is a direct attack on climate change, not simply a reaction like mitigation.

As I see it, the action that is called for the Cordilleras is modern anti-climate change agroforestry: Regenerative Agriculture to return the natural richness of the soil and cultivate not only rice but other suitable crops; and reforestation of denuded Cordillera hillsides

With multi-cropping and agroforestry in and around the rice terraces, as a whole the Cordilleras would be protected as a heritage site, and this will contribute to the conservation of the ancient plant and animal species in the forests in the area. That would be the best World Heritage accomplishment!@517

“Go Negosyo” (“Be Business-Minded”) – My Agriculturist Challenge For Private Firms To Help Growers Go Organic To Help Solve Farmer Poverty And Resolve Climate Change!

The latest news is that, encouraged by founder Joey Concepcion of Go Negosyo (“Be Business-Minded,” my translation), private-sector Philippines is helping mentor groups. I am reading the news specifically dated Tuesday, 20 Dec 2022, on counseling entrepreneurs in agriculture.

Kristina Maralit says “Ex-DA Chief Beefs Up Go Negosyo” (21 Dec 2022, The Manila Times, manilatimes.net):

To further enhance the mentorship program between medium and large corporations and micro and small enterprises, former Agriculture Secretary William Dar has joined Go Negosyo's Kapatid Angat Lahat initiative as head of its agriculture program, founder Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd announced on Tuesday.

Mr Dar is now head of the agriventure program of Go Negosyo’s “Kapatid Angat Lahat” (“Brothers All Uplifted” – my translation).

Ms Kristina further says:

Uplifting the country's agriculture sector is seen as especially crucial to job generation, a key priority of the Marcos administration and the jobs sector led by Concepcion as a member of the Private Sector Advisory Council, and having Dar onboard apparently gives Go Negosyo's efforts to help small agricultural entrepreneurs the much-needed boost.

Mr Dar himself says:

I would like to believe that there are existing models to improve upon. Now, with the coming in of Go Negosyo through the Kapatid Angat Lahat program for agro-micro-entrepreneurship, we need to [be] looking at them through a number of lenses … productivity, value chain analysis, sustainability, resiliency and inclusivity as the main areas of focus.

Emphasis: “Productivity, value chain analysis, sustainability, resiliency and inclusivity as the main areas of focus.” That is all agri-entrepreneurship.

Now I have to interrupt the good news because I know that the kind of agriculture Filipino farmers are practicing right now – Chemical Agriculture (CA) – is also generating greenhouse gases (GHGs) that generate climate change.
(“Climate” image from weforum.org)

That tells me that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has much prior work to do first to convince farmers to adopt Organic Agriculture (OA), which is a method or practice of Regenerative Agriculture (RA). Because, yes, OA is designed to simultaneously solve Farmer Poverty and resolve Climate Change.

Not to worry about Mr Dar. I have written: “William Dar, My Favorite Secretary Of Agriculture, Now Champions ‘Regenerative Agriculture’ – Via Organic Farming, We Should Have Our P20/kg Rice Within 6 Months!” (EarthMinds, blogspot.com). So, Go Negosyo’s “Kapatid Angat Lahat” – that is, improved economic lives for all – can happen only to farmers applying organic agriculture principles and practices.

Why because OA automatically reduces the cost of farming, from expensive chemical fertilizers and pesticides, to inexpensive organic fertilizers (and organic pesticides, when and if necessary).

Low costs = high returns, right?

The problem is that our agricultural institutions, from instruction to research to extension, including my beloved UP Los Baños, are still promoting Chemical Agriculture! “The global food system is responsible for 21-37% of annual [greenhouse gas] emissions” (John Lynch et al 2021, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). We cannot continue to ignore Climate Change and agriculture’s contribution in terms of emissions that exacerbate climate change!@517