Lauding Quezon City and other cities banning plastic bags

lookit all the germs in the article below.  yucccch!
plastic is forever.  read'em and weep,

the only thing i worry about using those paper bags are the trees they are felling to make into paper. but that's another post, for another day.


Click here to read the germ-ridden-consequences-of-plastic-bag-bans

Renewable Energy

The Philippines is a tropical country, with lots of sunshine - and let us face it - the country is extremely hot these days.  With climate change, the situation has only exacerbated.  Temps are climbing higher.  Why cant we harness our weather and parlay it into cheaper, okay, less expensive power?  Why cant the government - say through agencies like SSS or GSIS offer loans so that the regular houseowner can afford to install solar power.  

we can put the solar cells on our roofs, and use the energy those generate for our home use.  Any excess can be sold to the power company.  there is a location in Japan (i cant find my bookmark in my pc!) that has implemented this strategy.  Very symbiotic. a win-win.

in a study we made, no - not an extensive one - since most of the Sakonits have regular job hours and cant pursue all of our ideals, we figured the major cost lies in the generator .... to store the energy generated by the sun.  the solar cells by themselves is not that expensive.

well, of course the power company would have less income, right?  is this what is stopping support for solar? betch by golly wow, it better NOT be.  we have to stop depending on fossil fuels.  

am i shouting uselessly to the world? better than be silent and allow chaos to take over without a fight.

then, we'd have a worst case .... and we arent skilled yet with terraforming like in StarTrek

Click here to read 3-conservative-friendly-reasons-to-support-solar

SSS will establish a provident fund this year

SSS will establish a Provident Fund this 2013 for all members aged below 55, with a maximum SSS contribution of 1,560 under the present situation (15,000 is the current maximum MSC, with a rate of 104 pesos/1000 MSC.  If the SSS proposal gets approved, this will change to Maximum MSC 20,000, with 110/1000).  

Maximum contribution to the Provident Fund is 100,000 per year, with a minimum contribution of 1,000 per year, and payments can increase/decrease in multiples of 100.  Payments to the Provident Fund, like the OFW Flexifund must be over and above the maximum contribution to the SSS. 

The funds will be earmarked as 65% for retirement, 25% for medical, and 10% personal.  Withdrawals within the 5-year retention period will be subject to charges and penalties.  why, you ask? because it defeats the purpose.

Interest will be computed on this basis:

retirement and disability portion (65%) - guaranteed earnings based on the 5-year Treasury bond rate

the remaining 35% will be guaranteed earnings based on the 364-day Treasury bill rate

Retirees may opt to withdraw the savings in full or as a monthly pension.

This will work similarly to the PERA (Personal Equity and Retirement Account), only SSS Style. As you can see limitations are similar, although SSS cannot make the promise of tax benefits - only the Government can do that.

well, i recommend that non-financial savvy persons got for this.  Actually, even if you are financially savvy, it would be nice to have something like this that does not require constant monitoring - makes for a less stressful life.

remember, climate change is real and you need real savings for the future.  why climate change? you may need upgrades to your home because of environmental changes by the time you are retired so this might be a little (emphasis on the little) nest egg you can use.

Comments on the End of the World post by Conrad de Quiros

i read his take on the Philippine Daily Inquirer today about the Mayan End of the World prophecy.  there are, of course, many end-of-the-world prophecies but few prophecies have a track record of sorts.

click here for the post of Conrado de Quiros

The Mayan prophecy has a track record of true prophecies, or so they say.  But still, it is one of those remarkable ones that it singles out a date, and the date is verifiable by different experts.  Fascinating, Spock might say.  And it truly is, for me.

Still, the physicality of the world has changed much.  One need only point out the climate changes apparent to any person who is aware of himself and the world around him.  One who is not just thinking of himself and what he can get out of this world - during his oh-so-brief existence.  Earthquakes, frequent now.  Hurricanes and tornadoes in places where they havent occurred before.  Icebergs melting.  The signs of change are rampant.

Religious figures have warned of end-of-the-world, too.  Lucia of Fatima, for example.  St. Bridget of Sweden. One of the caveats is that if we - the people of this earth - can change, then we can avert disaster.

I agree with Conrado de Quiros's statement below although he says it differently.  Man is truly unique.  He can do the greatest good and yet, also do the greatest evil.  May Man in general do his greatest good.

"I may not believe in the predictability of the Mayan calendar and the Bible, but I do believe in the unpredictability of human nature. Good question to ask: What does it take for all of us to catch up with the reality of a threatened world?

The end of the world?"

The Sky is Falling

Remember this little ditty that was the refrain of Chicken Little?

Well, ladies and gentlemen, lapis and fountain pens

The Sky is Falling.  Climate Change is upon us - all of us.  Not just people in the USA, or people in Europe, or other far-flung places, but here - on the street where we live.

I am not a calling doom soothsayer.  But doom, as Frodo said to his faithful Sam, is upon us.  The moment of Choice.  Now. This moment.  Not tomorrow.  Choose wisely. Choose correctly.  For Chaos is an unforgiving entity.  Already the ice has receded by 18%.  Dont believe me.  Read about it. Google it. see the pictures for yourself. 

read about animals needlessly dying.

let us each do something, no matter how small. Even if it is just your garbage and recycling.