Hindi na uso ang protesta

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Plant Sunday - Thai lime

Thai limes can be a good alternative to calamansi in cooking. The good news is that it is as adapted to our climate and not really hard to grow. It also seems not to be demanding of care and for as long as it has basic nutrients it seems to bear fruit all year round.

Personal COVID Symptoms monitoring form

Not all of us can get a COVID test and for many of us, it may not really be necessary. But at least each of us should have a personal Covid symptom monitoring form so that if ever we get into quarantine or feel like we have been exposed to COVID and are beginning to feel its symptoms, we can readily note the progress of our suspected infection which may be very helpful to doctors whom we might have to see eventually.

Water plant roots as air layering material

I wish I remembered the name of this water plant which I bought at a Garden show. I was attracted to its flowers which looked like hanging mini orchids. However, I soon found out that it actually grows very fast.

I am trying to think of what economic value this plant can have and so far I have come up with several potential uses.

One idea is as bio remediation plant to clean gray water before it is released to creeks and canals.
Another way is to treat it as an indoor plant and as part of decorative floral arrangement.
And third, its thick root growth might make a good air layering/ rooting substrate.

Am currently experimenting with it.

3 Doctors

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My five quarantine re-read list

1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari

2. Homo Deus - Yuval Harari

3. The Wisest One in the Room -Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross

4. god is not Great - Christopher Hitchens

5. Mind and Brain - Angus Gellatly and Oscar Zarate

I usually do not read books that I have read before. But owing to this long quarantine, I found myself picking up past books that I have read and the above list are those which I found myself picking up rereading the most. 

Yuval Noah Harari is currently my favorite writer. His insights on humanity, our prospect and our future are not just thought provoking but for me, they are a useful guide to living a meaningful life at our specific stage of evolution.

With the disturbing  rise of leaders with autocratic, even despotic tendencies aided by fake news, there is Harari's observation which I would like to quote and share: In the past, censorship works by blocking the flow of information. In the twenty-first century censorship works by flooding people with irrelevant information....In the past, having power means having access to data. Today, having power means knowing what to ignore".

I do not know what other people will make of this, but I completely agree with him.

Thoughts on the franchise renewal woes of ABS CBN

It is outrageous that we can allow politicians to toy with the life of media company. But yes we do. And so here we are, witnesses to the sadistic and ugly torture that ABS-CBN is subjected to by politicians before it is permanently snuffed off the air.

There may be legislative hearings and airing of grievances to justify the travails imposed on ABS CBN. But all that is just drama....

Duterte has spoken. He said he will see to it that "ABS CBN is out" and he suggests that the owners just sell their company. End of story. From here, the minions take over and regale the public with political pornography in gleeful obedience to  their principal's will.

There are many issues and accusations being thrown to justify not renewing the franchise of ABS CBN. But all these are spurious and the company has answered them all. The real issue is simply confiscation of  private property. It is wrong. It is immoral. It is a sick and repugnant display of abuse of power.

Lessons learned from stem cutting propagation of bougainvillea

WIP

Contain, Detect, Isolate ...the virus

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WIP

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