Blog Action Day 2009: IP's Trade Fair and Exhibit

I have been contemplating on what to post about climate change, and I’ve been seriously considering a not-so-profound-and-intimidating write-up on climate justice (or the social justice issues surrounding climate change). But the topic’s too serious that I will have to study it more lest I make a superficial (and therefore careless) take on the issue.

However, I found an interesting email from one of my SOLAIR egroups, and I’m posting it here as part of my Blog Action Day 2009 commitment. The post is an advertisement of the Indigenous Knowledge Trade Fair and Exhibit. The email says:

Our Indigenous Peoples have so much to teach us about caring for our environment and living sustainably, but they need us to advocate with them so that more people can know about it.

See and experience the life of IPs... Explore partnerships with them... Patronize their products... Protect the environment with them.

Wine making and tasting, cultural presentations, night market of organic goods and IP products, film showing, solidarity concert

WHEN: October 16-18, 2009
WHERE: Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City

FREE ADMISSION!

The post seems to be concerned more about the cause of indigenous peoples than about climate change. But I’d like to emphasize that climate change affects everyone -- even those who benefit very little from the industrialization and other environment-destructive activities that the modern man has initiated.

We take for granted that we in the cities buy vehicles and products manufactured in factories and simply say that these pollute the air and destroy our environment. Yet we sometimes fail to see that while we enjoy the modern life’s pleasures, certain marginalized members of society such as indigenous peoples are unable to enjoy them in the same way or even benefit from the so-called industrialization and economic growth that it supposedly provides. Even worse, they suffer the same consequences that global warming delivers.

They have become victims of calamities too but help could not come easily because there are no paved roads that lead you to the indigenous peoples’ homes.

They are suffering from the effects of climate change, yet they have not benefited from the industrialization that has caused global warming.

That is why supporting their sustainable ways of living should be appreciated and supported.

Personally, I find indigenous products VERY cool. I love shopping in Baguio, Bicol and Cebu and native products are of course at the top of my list. And if they could bring their products here, right near my workplace, who am I to resist?




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NOTE TO READERS:
Blog Action Day is about creating a conversation about issues like climate change. So please don't hesitate to comment about this post. Let me know if you have an opinion about climate change (whether you agree with me or not), if you are willing to support the exhibit, or even if you simply wanna join me as I tour the Quezon Memorial Circle on Oct 16! Thank you!

OCT 15 is Blog Action Day!

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. The aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

In 2007, I proudly participated in Blog Action Day (Environment) with my post Biodiversity Is Life Itself. In 2008, I advocated for Blog Action Day (Poverty) but failed in my commitment to post.

This year, Blog Action Day tackles the issue of Climate Change -- a concern for so many Filipinos today considering what we have all been through when typhoon Ondoy hit us like nothing we've ever experienced.

Climate change is the most urgent threat we face and on October 15 you can help confront the issue and show the world that we care about finding lasting solutions.

I encourage everyone to participate and take action. To all bloggers who have not yet registered, just go to the official Blog Action Day 2009 website to register you blog. Once you've signed up you can download badges from the site and get ideas about how to connect your interests to climate change.

Now is the time to make our voices heard.

Blog Action Day '09 from Benjamin Rattray on Vimeo.

triplets!

(click image to enlarge)

POKERSTARS VIDS

I first saw these TV ads by Pokerstars while watching reruns of the Filipino Poker Tour. The ads are sooo amazing, I had to share it with fellow Triplejack addicts.

This one is my favorite. It's called SAMURAI featuring Isabelle Mercier. I'd like to dedicate this one to friends from Clan GRDO specifically to the head honcho bossing and other clan pioneers shaun, nakedEYE, chakkie and wakas. (Bagay na himuon ug GRDO Godess si Isabelle "No Mercy" Mercier kay hangol kaayo siya! Hahaha!)

Here's another video called HOCKEY featuring my favorite Daniel Negreanu. This one's lovingly dedicated to all TJ clowns who are too hangol for their own good. Mwahahahaha!

enjoy!

NIN in Manila Setlist

I was in a roller coaster of emotions as I anticipated going to the Nine Inch Nails concert right here in Manila on August 5, 2009. Ever since I found out about it, I knew I had to do this one selfish thing for myself: enjoy the concert, feel the blastin’ beat in my chest and bleed my ears to death.

And so the ache began…

I scouted for old old friends who used to enjoy deep, dark and heavy music as much as I did back in the days. I contacted friends who watched Rage Against the Machine and Pearl Jam with me. One by one, however, they backed out because of work commitments…

Nine Inch Nails was not particularly in the shortlist of my all-time-favorite rock bands. But they were a pretty hard rockin’ band – the type that gave me a natural high. And I DID love a lot of their more popular songs like Piggy, Hurt, Head Like a Hole, Dead Souls and of course the wild and haunting Closer. Soren, another old friend who already had tickets, gave me a copy of the complete NIN discography. Listening to NIN music in full blast speakers and louder-than-loud earphones slowly drew me in, making me want nothing more than to witness the pure music of NIN live.

But even as I was willing to pay for the quite-expensive ticket, logistics just didn’t seem to work.

And so on that 5th day of August, I resorted to sulking and distracting myself with just playing online poker. But then Soren suddenly texted me: “You’re in luck! My friend can’t make it because of the heavy traffic in Las Piñas. So tag along with us, I have a lower box ticket with your name on it!”

It was already 7:00 PM and I was far away in Novaliches. But who’s gonna keep me from going?! NOBODY!!!!

And so I arrived just in time for the first NIN song, had a blast and bled my ears! Hell, yeahhhhhh!!!

I’m no expert and this is not a concert review. I’ll point you instead to interesting reads:

• Inquirer: Nine Inch Nails still a formidable force
• NIN Forum (comments and photos from fans who actually saw the show --> kakaadik basahin!)
  
• Nine Inch Nails in Manila! (by Pau Araos, includes some concert photos)
• Nine Inch Nails Live in Manila (a few more up-close photos)

More Links:

• NIN.com Photo Gallery of the Wave Goodbye Tour in Manila
  
• NIN.com Video Gallery of the Wave Goodbye Tour in Manila
  

Here's the NIN in Manila setlist (August 5, 2009, Araneta Coliseum):

1. Somewhat Damaged
2. Terrible Lie
3. Heresy
4. March of the Pigs
5. Piggy
6. Closer
7. Reptile
8. The Becoming
9. I'm Afraid of the Americans (David Bowie cover)
   
10. Burn
11. Gave Up
12. La Mer
13. The Fragile
14. Non Entity
15. Gone, Still
16. The Downward Spiral
17. Wish
18. Survivalism
19. Echoplex
20. The Day the World Went Away
21. Deadsouls
22. The Hands that Feeds
23. Head Like a Hole
24. Hurt (Encore)
    

I have uploaded these MP3s at my Multiply site, in case anyone's interested to listen.

Oh, and by the way, Pinoys are so lucky NIN played Closer. Apparently, Trent Reznor previously stated in an interview that the song is not included in the Wave Goodbye setlist. Now doesn’t it make you feel better?




Nine Inch Nails - Closer (UnCut)

these are the words

and they're MY words now...


you in the dark, you in the pain, you on the run
living a hell, living your ghost, living your end
whatever you say, it’s alright
whatever you do, it’s all good
whatever you say, it’s alright
but silence is not the way, we need to talk about it
if heaven is on the way, we’ll wrap the world around it

i don't want to be the one who has to fill the silence
the quiet scares me because it screams the truth
please don't tell me that we had that conversation
when i won't remember, save your breath, what's the use?

won’t you save me from this world of mine?
before i get myself arrested with this expectation
you are the one, look what you’ve done, what have you done?
this is not some kind of joke, you’re just a kid
you weren’t ready for what you did

i’ll have to try to find my way back to sanity again
though i don’t really know what i’m gonna do when i get there
take a breath and hold on tight, spin around one more time
and gracefully fall back to the arms of grace

i was hanging on every word you say
if you don’t want to speak tonight, i can't just sit outside heaven’s door
cause i don’t want to keep waiting for the scraps to fall off your table

this is not the way i'll let my story end...


[listen here]

on october 15th, change the conversation

spot the difference II

jaime and i were watching wanted last night when i first saw the trailer of the dark knight. as soon as i saw heath ledger as the joker, brandon lee as the crow came to mind. here are a couple of videos paying tribute to both actors.

Heath Ledger (1979-2008)
as the Joker in Dark Knight (2008)



Brandon Lee (1965-1993)
as Eric Draven in The Crow (1994)

Balik U.P.

I’m almost 30 and I’m proud to say that I’m still a student. Perhaps I should’ve finished my master’s degree a long time ago, and I should be holding a supervisory position by now. Yet I have no shame with the work I have now, and I feel a tingle at the thought of being enrolled right in time for UP’s centennial year celebration.

A lot has changed in the UP Diliman campus since I graduated in my bachelor’s degree in 1999. But young or old, the heart of an authentic UP student doesn’t change. I immediately felt the familiarity when I enrolled last week. From the feel of pretending not to be a little lost while riding the TOKI jeep, to making sense of the unspoken rules in the confusing University of Pila at the new Registrar’s office, the feeling of being a UP student has not really changed.

Proud that I am not only for being a true iskolar ng bayan but also a SOLAIR student, I am hopeful that I could become a worthy labor rights advocate and a valuable contributor to this country’s development.

And so I share this remarkable and haunting text that I found in a comic strip at the back page of the Philippine Collegian (No. 29-30, 14 May 2008).

PA’NO

Pa’no kung biniyayaan ka ng magandang tahanan
Na hindi mo naman kayang alagaan.
At ang paborito mong pasyalan?
Kahit sa’n basta ’di dito sa ’Pinas.
Pa’no kung si John -- na dating si Juan,
Ang idolo’y si Lebron, Superman at si Jackie Chan
Na kundiman ang pinakamadunong na bata’y ang pinakamabait naman!
At may tunay na pangarap: “Ang maging samurai!”

Pa’no kung may dugo ang bawat pagkaing nakahain?
Pa’no kung ngiti na lang ang maisasagot mo sa iyak ng ’yong sikmura?
Pa’no kung nagkakasakit ka na sa kahihithit ng “pag-asa”?
At pa’no kung ang iyong madrasta ay puta ng iba, pati ng iyong tito-tituhan?

Pa’no na?

Pa’no kung ikaw si Oble at dinig mo ang hiyaw ng pagpapatiwakal?
Lalagapak na si John, anong balak mong gawin?
Isang rebulto ka na lang ba na simbulo "lang" o bababa ka sa iyong pedestal at pangangatawanan ang iyong ipinopustura kung kailan ito kailangan?

Ano na?

Today is International Day for Biodiversity!

The United Nations proclaimed May 22 the International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.


This year’s theme, “Biodiversity and Agriculture,” seeks to highlight the importance of sustainable agriculture not only to preserve biodiversity, but also to ensure that we will be able to feed the world, maintain agricultural livelihoods, and enhance human well being into the 21st century and beyond.

Below are the Key Messages from the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Biodiversity is the basis of agriculture. Its maintenance is essential for the production of food and other agricultural goods and the benefits these provide humanity, including food security, nutrition and livelihoods.

Biodiversity is the origin of all crops and domesticated livestock and the variety within them. Biodiversity in agricultural and associated landscapes provides and maintains ecosystem services essential to agriculture.

Agriculture contributes to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity but is also a major driver of biodiversity loss. Farmers and agricultural producers are custodians of agricultural biodiversity and possess the knowledge needed to manage and sustain it.

Sustainable agriculture both promotes and is enhanced by biodiversity. Sustainable agriculture uses water, land and nutrients efficiently, while producing lasting economic and social benefits. Barriers inhibiting its widespread adoption need to be reduced.

Agricultural producers respond to consumer demands and government policies. To ensure food security, adequate nutrition and stable livelihoods for all, now and in the future, we must increase food production while adopting sustainable and efficient agriculture, sustainable consumption, and landscape-level planning that ensure the preservation of biodiversity.

BIODIVERSITY IS THE BASIS OF AGRICULTURE.

Biodiversity, at all three levels – genes, species and ecosystems – is the basis for the sustainability, productivity and resilience of agricultural systems, and is the foundation of ecosystem services essential to agriculture and human well being. Biodiversity is the origin of all crops and domesticated livestock (species) and the variety within them (genes).

Agriculture is an integral part of every person’s life as it provides us with food, raw materials for goods – such as cotton for clothing, wood for shelter and fuel, roots for medicines – as well as incomes and livelihoods for many. From the earliest examples of the domestication of plants and animals, farmers and their communities have used a rich diversity of wild species to facilitate agriculture and in the process have modified the diversity of domesticated species, landscapes and environments.


Source:
Convention on Biological Diversity
DENR Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau