. . .FIREBERT

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Rotterdam to stimulate city agriculture.

City farm.

Home growing, quite the opposite from what's happening in some parts of the world. Hé, we Dutch know what that means..! But NO, I'm not talking growing your own weed....

Rotterdam is planning to stimulate City-agriculture (fruits and fegs) on suitable places in and around town. Even rooftops were mentioned. The harvested products may be used for personal consumption or to be sold on the local markets and canteens..! First estimates go as far as 5-10% of the total turn over. I personaly would prefer to consume these local products, cos most, if not ALL imported fuits and vegetables, especially those from outside the EU, are 'treated' with heavy fertilizer boosts, pesticides and anti-fungi chemicals.

Did you notice the apples in your supermarket? Do you ever find a wormhole in it nowadays ? If you find one, take it, that's a GOOD one. This apple didn't kill the worm so it probably won't harm you either...!!! And when the worm is still inside, eat it, it's nutricious and rich in protein. Don't say 'yak' now, say it when you're chewing poisoned peels...

That would mean a tremendous cut in transportation costs and air pollution by delivering trucks. CO2 levels will drop cos all these plants love to 'inhale' the carbons and 'exhale' oxygen after photo synthesis .

Yes, I see the benefits. Healthier and cheaper fruits and food, less traffic and cleaner air..

I adopted this plan. Great, Rotterdam...!!

Friday, September 17, 2010

'Tawa-tawa' weed a cure vs. Dengue? (knokkelkoorts)

By Rudy A. Fernandez (The Philippine Star) Updated September 17, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (5)

UST researchers found mice treated with the decoction of ‘tawa-tawa’ had an increase in blood platelets essential for blood clotting or anti-bleeding.

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines – A common weed named “tawa-tawa” has been said to be an effective cure for dengue. (knokkelkoorts)

Attesting to this are some villagers in Mindanao, who believe that decoction of “tawa-tawa” (scientific name: euphoria hirta) is said to be an antidote to dengue.
Is there any scientific evidence to such a claim?
Dr. Rafael Guerrero III, academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), cited the study of a research team of the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
According to Guerrero, Hazel Lopez and her co-workers at the UST College of Pharmacy have published a poster showing that laboratory mice treated with the decoction of “tawa-tawa” had an increase in blood platelets which are essential for blood clotting or anti-bleeding.
“Moreover, they found that the decoction was not toxic to the test animals even at a dosage of 483 milligrams per kilogram,” said Guerrero, who retired not too long ago as executive director of the Los Baños-based Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development.
In preparing the decoction, the research team washed and boiled 100 grams of fresh, whole “tawa-tawa” plant (including roots) in half a liter (500 milliliters) of water for 15 minutes.
“After cooling and paper filtration, the decoction is taken by the patient at one glass every hour until the fever subsides,” Guerrero said in a published report entitled “The Farm as Pharmacy.”
In the old days when pharmacies were not yet heard of, forests, farms, and unmanicured gardens were the drugstores, said the academician of NAST, the country’s highest advisory and recommendatory body in science and technology.
“Except that nobody really buys the herbs and medicinal plants. They can just be freely picked from their stems as they grow in wild abandon everywhere,” he added.
Today, as the world screams for natural healing, plants, herbs, and weeds are slowly becoming alternatives for synthetic tablets and capsules.
“Sometimes, without us knowing it, what reside in our backyard or neighbors’ gardens can just be the perfect antidotes to your lingering illness,” he said.
Every year, Guerrero said thousands of Filipinos die of dengue or hemorrhagic fever caused by a virus transmitted by the Aedes egypti mosquito. The disease is characterized by rashes, high fever, bleeding, and drop in the blood platelet count of patients.
Can “tawa-tawa” eventually become an antidote to dengue? Over time, further research can provide the answer to this question.

But it probably ends on the blacklist of forbidden herbs, like so many....

AND:

There's Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes_released_in_Malaysia_to_help_fight_dengue_fever

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

A Dangerous Life.

Ruben Rustia as Ferdinand Marcos in "A Dangerous Life"

I did a lot of shooting in the movies, most of the time with guns. But this time it was a camera. I play one of the reporters during the revolution in the Philippines. The People Power Revolution, Gary Busy does the lead in this TV documentary that takes about 8 hours to view...

Working title: The 4 day Revolution, but released as: A Dangerous Life.

This movie was special to me 'cause I was on the spot of action at the time it's referring to...in the middle of the Revolution, that is: 1986. Then I followed the news on TV and didn't go to Manila anymore, hell no. I stayed in the province..!!!. It was an exciting period, with lots of action, millions of people in the streets and speeches from mr. president: Ferdinand Marcos live on TV.. Oh, he was a master in speeches and did so for hours, all by heart. It was fascinating to hear him speak but it was also obvious he'd lost support from the pinoy people.

I remember the commelec farce, the hilarious vote-counting and the protesting people on EDSA. ( Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue). Tanks at camp Aguinaldo, tanks in the streets. But hardly any bloodshed.. Henry Strzalkowski told me recently he had to duck and run to prevent to get hit by (stray) bullets.

Henry Strzalkowski:

"I and some close friends got a full adult dose when on the third day, Marcos loyalist troops opened fire on us from the Channel 9 tower. A young teen was struck by M16 fire just a few feet from me, and I and my friend Steve Rogers rushed him to a jeepney and tried to get him to East Avenue Medical Center emergency. He bled out in my arms. It was a time I won't soon forget."

Until the last minute the cameras were rolling at Malacañang Palace, Marcos tried to convince the nation, but he couldn't anymore. He was too ill. The helicopter took off for Hawaii, loaded with gold bars, no room for Imelda's shoes...! A house wife became president...Corry Aquino.
It was suppose to be a turn in history, but not much really changed.

The shooting of this movie was like a 'deja vu'. Just the bullets weren't real......(Some shots were taken in other Asian countries, even Australia.)

It was an outstanding cast to work with, Gary turned out to be a great guy with sence of humor, I liked him.
The lead actress who also played a foreign correspondent and girlfriend of Bussey was Rebecca Gilling, an Australian who was known for her role as a protagonist who was thought to have been killed by a crocodile who came back with a vengeance in “Return to Eden”. As correspondents in the movie, they were able to dramatize the historical events that happened between 1983 up to 1986 and interacted with the characters who were based on real people. They were able to find leads with the help of their contact with the U.S. Embassy who sometimes helped them when they were caught in dangerous situations. Many risks are encountered by foreign correspondents then and now where ever in the world.
It's only a small part for me in this movie. I'm a press photographer like a dozen others and we follow the scene, shouting and shooting our cameras. Trying to get as close as we can...

Gary Busy.

Pinoy cast:
1. Dina Bonnevie – Cecille Balamo,
2. Laurice Guillen – Cory Aquino
3. Tessie Tomas – Imelda Marcos
4. Ruben Rustia – President Ferdinand Marcos
5. Mervin Samson – General Fabian Ver
6. Joonee Gamboa – Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile
7. Ray Ventura – Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos
8. Rolly Gruta – Col. Antonio Sotelo
9. Cris Vertido – Doy Laurel
10. Tony Carreon – Monching Mitra
11. Rolando Tinio – Cardinal Jaime Sin
12. Wilson Go – Butz Aquino
13. Rez Cortez – Lt. Col. Gringo Honasan
14. Johnny Delgado – Lt. Col. Red Kapunan
15. Roy Alvarez – Col. Tiger Tecson
16. Vic Diaz – Metrocom Gen. Prospero Olivas
17. Noel Trinidad – Jimmy Ongpin
18. Junix Inocian – Governor Evelio Javier
19. Odette Khan – June Keithley
20. Robert Talabis – Joker Arroyo
21. Jaime Fabregas – Ben Balamo, journalist friend of Bussey’s
22. Spanky Manikan – Assistant of Bussey’s
23. Val Victa – brother of Dina Bonnevie’s
24. Dave Brodette – Rolando Galman
25. Pen Medina – Captain Ricardo Morales
26. Mona Lisa – Woman in Wheelchair
27. Betty Mae Piccio – Computer Operator
who led the walkout during the canvassing of votes at PICC

There's a lot more material on Youtube. The total documentary lasts some 8 hrs....!

.

Grape seed extract kills cancer cells...

Nature's Way Grape Seed Ext Standardzd - 30 count

An extract from grape seeds can kill cancer cells. This is the result of a research done at the University of Kentucky.
“Within 24 hours 76 percent of the leukemia cells had died, while the healthy cells were not effected at all”, reports the scientific magazine Clinical Cancer Research.
It has been known for a longer time that antioxidants in grape seeds fight cancer, but this is the first time that their effects on leukemia were measured.
The researchers saw the the grape seed extract activated a protein that regulates apoptosis. Apoptosis or the programmed death of cells is a natural way to kill damaged or dangerous cells.
This study can possibly lead to new ways of treating cancer, but scientists say that it is still too early to recommend eating grapes as a way of preventing cancer.
“Although it is very interresting, there is still a long way to go before this can be used as a cancer treatment, says cancer specialist Kat Arney.

Better don't chew the seeds from your grapes, they're bitter and it irritates you're gums..

A must read is: Kurkuma...

and

Ginger

Seed oil info:

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