Monday, May 12, 2014

STS


Jonathan Rod S. De Guzman
2011-41117
STS X2 Group 5 Mai-team
Reaction Paper on Life of Mammals: Social Climbers and Food for Thought
The documentaries, Social Climbers and Food for Thought, showed many of the similarities of the human race with, according to science and evolutionary biology in particular, our closest relatives, the apes. The first video showed that apes, like humans, are also very social in nature and that they have unique characteristics individually which can define their connections and social standing and, ultimately, their chances of survival and their mortal longevity. It may also give a glimpse of what the primal ‘human’ society looks like—just like in the pre-modern societies of the human race and, to a certain extent, in present times, patriarchy is also the ruling social order. The apes, particularly those who mingle in large social groups, live under a despotic form of leadership wherein the alpha male, usually the biggest, the strongest, and, sometimes, the most ‘beautiful’ male, acts as the despot and exercise full power and authority over the group.
On the other hand, the second video showed a sort of Marxist materialistic take on how apes live and survive—material conditions define how individuals live and act. The second video showed a very good example of how living things adapt in order to survive. One thing I found particularly surprising was the idea that apes could also be omnivores. Since the baboons were living on flatlands, they needed to find a new food source and that food source happened to be flamingos. It, in all probability, is a point for my ignorance but still it is a foreign thought for me that apes could eat animal flesh. The second documentary also refreshed the lesson on the Mayan civilization, particularly environmental breakdown that led to the fall of Tikal and eventually the whole Mayan civilization.
The past is not necessarily a blueprint of what’s to come—in fact the past could better serve as a reminder of humanity’s past mistakes which we in the present could learn from. The flourishing human race could avoid the faith of the Maya should it open its eyes to the signs of deterioration and should it listen to the cries of Mother Nature. Mr Attenborough could not have put it more aptly:
Perhaps the time has now come to put that process into reverse. Instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, perhaps it’s time we control the population to allow the survival of the environment. (David Attenborough)






TRINIDAD, Jonathan T.
2010-04313

#FutureMediaPH
Reaction on The Future of Media – Politics/Social Advocacy Track

The Future of Media is a series of forum on politics and social advocacy, technology, lifestyle, and digital marketing featuring a panel of different iconic personalities for each track of the conference. The one we attended discussed how the current technology and media is used in promoting causes and its impacts on the organizations and the community as a whole.

Throughout the discussion, it has been established that the presence of new media with its wide reach, real-time updates and accessibility, it can be considered to be a very powerful tool for promoting causes and informing people. It has become an avenue for some issues and topics that are underexposed by the “mainstream” media (e.g. TV, radio, newspaper, etc.). With the internet and the multiple social networking sites, we can let more people be informed and be aware with these issues for them to get involved. However, with this great amount of power comes great responsibility. Ideas and details that can be found in the internet is not always correct and reliable. Not all people use the power of connecting and reaching others for good; there are instances wherein false information, hoaxes, and scams are made. It is our responsibility as users of this technology to verify and make sure that what we share to others and what we support is true and is for the greater good.

New media has become a part of our daily life and has become a part of how we interact with the society. It is a powerful tool for communication and spreading information. It could be used to spark change for the better and make us better citizens of our nation. One of the most moving statements made during the discussion was made by Ms. Mae Paner: “be comfortable with the word ‘revolution’”. We must not be afraid of change, we must rise up to the challenge of whatever we think is for the greater good.


TRINIDAD, Jonathan T.
2010-04313

The Life of Mammals
Reaction on The Life of Mammals: Social Climbers and Food for Thought

The Life of Mammals is a series of documentaries discussing various behaviors of mammals. For the class, we watched two episodes – Social Climbers and Food for Thought. Both episodes featured primates’ way of living.

In Social Climbers, it showed how different monkeys interact with each other for survival. It was remarked that they are the most social animals around. Not only that they live in groups, they do a lot of activities together. Another awesome thing is that there are monkeys that exhibit interspecies cooperation. Most activities featured involved food. They showed food and material sharing and gathering among the group. Another cooperative activity featured was for defense against predators, some team up to create a loud noise to fool their predator and some team up with other species in order to create a strategic warning system. They also featured a species where they group up to defend their tree against another group of the same species. The episode also noted the presence of hierarchy and social order among some species. The social ranking plays a very crucial role in mating the females of the group. Some monkeys can climb up the social ladder through social activities such as grooming and speech while others through battle.

In Food for Thought, it featured some of the ways mammals gather food and how they adapt through time. This episode featured the use of tools, migration, and more. It showed how we evolved in order to survive. It also showed the advantages of bipedalism and what circumstances pushed them to evolve that way.

Overall, Social Climbers highlighted brain size while Food for Thought highlighted bipedalism. The documentary related brain size to how large our social group can have. They said that brain size is proportional to how large our group can be and Mr. Sonido also shared a supplementary thought that for humans, we can have up to 150 real and meaningful connections. As for bipedalism, it showed that it is the more efficient than moving with four legs and it allows us to use tools. The documentary shows how even though these characteristics may be considered minor, it has a very large impact on how we live today. It allowed us to advance and evolve to where we are today. However, due to advancements, it was also shown how it negatively affected our environment. The host’s parting words struck me as he said that we should also work not only for our own survival but also for the survival of the environment. And this I think is the most important idea we can take away from watching the documentary.


TRINIDAD, Jonathan T.
2010-04313

John Nash and his best friend
Reaction on A Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Mind is biographical film based on the life of John Nash – a mathematician and a Nobel Prize awardee for Economics. The film featured his university life as a student and teacher and also his life as a husband and father. It also showed his struggle with schizophrenia and how it affected the people around him.

Schizophrenia is a condition wherein the person sees delusions. John Nash was diagnosed with this disorder. According to the film, he imagined he had a roommate and a best friend during his time as a student at the university. And through the years, we also thought he was working with the government in decoding stuff. He was diagnosed long after he experienced these events and these distorted his perception of reality. Even though these were just delusions, it didn’t really became a burden to his scientific career until he thought that his life is threatened. It was deduced that these images manifest when he is stressed, his imagine best friend became his safe haven but the secret agent delusion became problematic for him and his family. Because of this, we has given medication to suppress these thoughts, however the medication also altered his way of thinking in terms of mathematics and problem solving. In the end, he decided not to take in the medication in order to return to his true passion in life which is mathematics and problem solving and continue life trying to learn how to suppress his delusions in which in the end, he ultimately learned how to ignore them and live a normal life. As he learned how to ignore these delusions, he continued his research and his life in the academe.

In the film, it showed how remarkable Nash’s way of thinking is. It was very awesome to see him solve problems mathematically and how great his pattern recognition is. His struggle coming up with a thesis topic and seeing that the main idea for this was because of a girl was entertaining. The film showed how great of a person John Nash is; being a very talented mathematician and being a “survivor” of schizophrenia. His passion for the pursuit of knowledge is very inspiring, he would rather live a life with a very complicated delusions and distractions than a “normal” life free of these complications. In the film, his enthusiasm and curiosity for problem solving and pattern recognition even on some trivial matters (like the pigeon) is also really something people must emulate from his life. We should live curious and never stop learning.



IGNACIO, Cara Isabela D.                                                                         STS-X2
2013-13841                                                                                                  Group 5
Reaction Paper: Dreams
The producers of Inception created a documentary film on dreams. It reveals the meaning, interpretation, and nature of dreams. This paper aims to discuss the things I’ve learned from the documentary. Also, it will include my understanding of the documentary.
A dream, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, is “a series of thoughts, visions, or feelings that happen during sleep.” The mind operates unconsciously while a person is dreaming.
Let me discuss sleep. There are 3 stages of sleep: light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. Dreaming occurs during the called Rapid-Eye Movement, or REM, sleep. A dream may happen in other stages of sleep but it is more vivid during the REM stage. This is because REM sleep is the stage wherein brain activity is high, as if an individual is awake.
People have been wondering whether dreams are scientific or existential. Some say it is either while others say it is both. In my opinion, it is both scientific and existential. Dreams are considered existential because a person uses his creativity and imagination in order to dream. Emotions, memories, feelings, personal experiences, and so much more, are some of the factors that may affect dreaming. It may be considered a science, on the other hand, because science studies dreams. It explains to us how our mind works. Dreaming is not purely science because while someone dreams, he does not use logic. In other words, dreaming is both existential and scientific.
Dreaming is truly wonderful. It may give meaning to some aspects in our lives. For example, in the documentary, there was this girl who would always see the shadow of a man. Slowly the man approached her then he hugged her. A week later, she met a guy and felt the exact way she did in her dream. Another man in the film was a chain smoker. One night he dreamt about getting lung cancer and this became his wake up call to stop smoking.
Dreams prepare us for the worst case scenarios. It is a defense mechanism that helps us practice what to do when in danger, without really being in danger. Dreams allow us to enter dangerous situations in order to be prepared when it happens to us in the real world.
Lucid dreaming is when a person is aware that he is dreaming. This type of dreaming happens when one takes control over his dreams, but it takes a lot of practice. Lucid dreams are very vivid and realistic. Most people remember it easily.
In summary, dreams are truly amazing. First, dreams can give meaning to things in our lives. Second, it may be controlled. Dreams may be affected by external factors when one is asleep. It can also be affected by the dreamer himself. Third, people share dreams. This connects us with people around the world. We may have the same dreams, without knowing each other. Also, dreams serve as our defense mechanism by putting us in worst case scenarios. These are just some of the wonders of dreaming. It is only the tip of the iceberg.


IGNACIO, Cara Isabela D.                                                                                     STS-X2
2013-13841                                                                                                              Group 5
Reaction Paper: The Life of Mammals
The documentary film we watched in class was entitled The Life of Mammals. The film introduced to us the numerous types of monkeys, how they lived, and how they interacted. It was very interesting because it showed the countless similarities we, human beings, have with monkeys.
One of the things I learned from the film is that monkeys have the richest social lives of all animals. Not only that but, they too are the closest to us humans.
Monkeys have amazing color vision. Without this, they would have a hard time distinguishing the things they would eat. Their color vision compensates for their average sense of smell. The Pygmy Marmosets, the smallest monkeys in the world, use their clear color vision to catch insects among the leaves. This helps them detect and even catch their prey. Howler monkeys, on the other hand, use this to distinguish which leaves are poisonous. The color of the leaves indicate which is ready to eat and this is why the howler monkeys need this special ability.
Like humans, monkeys too have a caste system. The Saki, for example, use the different colors on their faces to determine the seniority of an individual. The Toque Macaques of Sri Lanka have another version of a caste system, more similar to ours. They are born into classes and each class gets certain benefits.
Monkeys are very smart. They have large brains. They can learn things by imitating people. The Orangutans are known for this. They have big brains, can imitate people, and can use tools. Orangutans have a sort of mental map and calendar. They live apart due to food scarcity but once a year, there is an abundance of food in the forest, and they know when that is. Orangutans are very sociable and they have an amazing memory. They can recognize their friends even after several years apart.
Chimpanzees are highly sociable and highly political. After catching a prey, they share it very strategically with their clan. They give food to the monkeys that can become their allies. This just shows how clever they are.
Perhaps the time has now come to put that process into reverse. Instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, perhaps it's time we control the population to allow the survival of the environment." – David Attenborough
David Attenborough ended the documentary film with this statement: Perhaps the time has now come to put that process into reverse.” Human beings are too focused on change and development. We create the most outrageous inventions in order to make life easier for us. We have been blinded by the wonders of technology that we can’t see the main issue at hand. We do not need advance machines and equipment for us to survive, what we need is to take care of our environment.
Our world is damaged and global warming is getting worse. If we continue neglecting our planet, we may lose our home. Everyone must act now and help out the environment. Even the little things, like planting a tree or turning of the lights, can contribute to a better tomorrow.
To summarize this paper, I invite everyone to do their part in saving our planet. Prevention is always better than cure. We should act now so that we will have a home to live in tomorrow.


Ladublan Julius Ceazar M.
2012 25 211
STS 9am-11am

                                                            Birding(bird watching)

            Bird watching in U.P Campus has created the campus to Public tourist. There are different species of birds around the campus. Bird watchers took pictures of these birds. Early morning these bird watchers record these birds, habitats and traits. These watchers walk for about 20 minutes in random places around a designated hectares. Every birds they see they try to record and Identify them. Every day for 1 year they always record these birds. U.P campus has different species of Birds around. Most of them are often see early in the morning. Watchers go for walk early morning to take pictures of these birds. But these pictures can’t be sold or use for advertisement, unless they would give part to U.P.
            In order to preserve this birds we should take care of their environtment. We should plant trees and avoid cutting them down. We should take care of these bird so that they remain in within the visibility of U.P campus. Through these we can gain more publicity and to encourage people to know that we have these breed of birds.
            Bird watching is hard to do. In birding you have to devote your time to do these everyday for consistent record. You also need to be quite in order to see these birds. While walking you don’t want to distract the birds so they won’t fly away. Recording can help you to determine their differences. You also have to look closely and focus to these differences.
            Bird live along side us. Our society affects their society. Our environment is their home.  Birds often work early so these watchers should also work early.
            As the time goes by climate change, trees are running dry, in order to preserve these birds we must maintain their homes. We should water and grow trees more. Buildings and renovation takes place, soon trees are gone if we will not preserve this.
            We are the only campus which has this different society of birds. So we should be proud and protect these for the next generations to see.





Ladublan, Julius Ceazar M
2012 25 211
STS 9am-11am

                                                                   Beatiful Mind
            The movie was so interesting. I was amazed how John Nash’s minds work. The first part I enjoyed specially the first scene where he decodes the patterns in another man necktie. The movie tackles how his mind works. I never thought the he would create that Dillussion. It seems to be Reality. John nash’s mind is amazing, he can create another personas and make them real. John nash tried to think and solve life through equations which lead his mind to not function.

            The movie shows how Great our mind work, we may never know what can we create. The movie also shows how to determine what is reality from not. Excessive use of mind may lead to stress. Eyes and brains can’t see  what is true from not but heart can. In life we can always choose to do whatever we want. It is us what truths and false we’ll accept in life. Socializing with people can help our minds to be stress. It also helps us create possibilities of seeing what beautiful mind can do.
The movie beautiful mind is an inspirational movie on how can we define our minds.


Julius Ceazar M Ladublan                                                                                     reaction paper
STS 9-11

                                                            “Social Climber”

            Monkeys tend to work in a group. The group are composed by size and family.  The create their territories. The gathered food in groups to avoid Predetors, these mammals have created society which everyone has its own function in their group/society. These mammals have developed brains through repeated action and pattern of their daily living. Each members help each other. These mammals are closely related to us. They need to eat in order to survive. And they need to defend their selves from other Group, and predator. These mammals also know how to Groom, and make their population large. They use their sound to alert each one in the group to be safe. The use their abilities to climb trees and gather their food. Each of these mammals have different roles and abilities which they have in order to live.

                                                            “Food for Thought”

            As Mammals they need to eat in order to live. Their abilities improve as time goes by. The learn to create ways in order to get food. they learn to create materials using their environtment. As the time Goes by the food in which they are gathering are not enough to sustain their society/Group. They move from one place to another. They have learned to cross the water using their feet. They are now begin to learn by walking with feet. Their brains expands as they learn new things from gathering information and seeing what others do. These is related to our ethnic tribes which pass their culture orally and through actions like dancing and rituals.
           
            the evolution of the world started from experimenting and creating possibilities to create and learn new things. Now we have technology to produce our own need such as need in food. we have now created plantations using technology.  And it is in our nature to explore and expand our society.



Therese Jueves
2013-78725
STS Group 5: Custer Deocaris


            It was a great privilege to have met one of the considered brilliant scientists in our society. During his visit in the university as our resource speaker in STS class-- I listened intently to his stories and I must say that I was somehow influenced to be like him someday in some ways. He is none other than Dr. Custer Deocaris. Mr. Deocaris was able to attain a doctorate degree in Chemistry and Biotechnology. As a young child, he has already shown a preview of what life has in stored for him, at a young age he showed his far advanced thinking skills and love for science. In his first year in high school, he started reading Engineering books and even had a complete collection of planets in his room. His toys were different from the common, he enjoyed playing the microscope, and the reason behind  this was that every summer his father would buy gifts that were related to science. During his high school years, he solely focused on academics only because of the scholarship he was part of, but when college came, his life changed.
            When Dr. Custer Deocrasis entered the University of the Philippines, he felt more “humane” because he was able to exposed his life in different areas which did not only involved academics. He became active in his various organizations and other extra curricular activities. One cool fact about him is that he is not just your ordinary- nerd type of a guy but he also shared that he enrolled himself into speech and drama courses, and was into writing poems. I must say that he is a well-rounded person. Due to his sheer love for science he was able to go to places and even given a chance to study abroad at Tokyo University.
            I admire how passionate and brilliant he is because he was able to put into a good use his brilliance and smart ideas. He mentioned that there is not much money in the world of a scientist but even though he still gives so much effort in that field. I believe we need more of like him in our present society. He is not only a man of great ideas, and a brilliant mind but also a man of action, and an agent of change.


Therese Jueves
2013-78725
STS Group 5: Life of Mammals

David Attenborough, an English broadcaster wrote and presented a nature documentary film called, “Life of Mammals” The documentary had various presentation on mammals and two of this are the monkeys and apes. The first part was the “Social Climbers” which focused on monkeys, Attenborough mentioned how monkeys were very similar to humans-- monkeys are also considered to be “smart” (compared to other animals, determined), observant and patient.  An example from the documentary was that, monkeys showed perseverance in opening the nuts, they tried smashing the nuts on the branches, even biting it and doing almost anything just to open it.  I also learned that they have their own social event activity wherein they put the insect repellant leaves on their body. The documentary showed their way of life, not just in hunting for food, building with relationships with others but also the sense of hierarchy also exists in their nature. One interesting fact about them too is they are very well connected with each other, they recognize voices/ signal from their fellow monkeys in case there is a possible predator around them.
I really enjoyed watching this documentary because I was more enlightened how monkeys and apes are similar to us, humans. One thing that really caught my attention was how the baboons form their friendships with one another, they help each other groom and by looking after each other’s babies. It reflects how we humans also maintain friendships with other people (except the grooming part.)


Jeanne Macalalad
STS Group 5

A Bautiful Mind
            As a student in the field of science the movie A Beautiful Mind is a relevant movie for me. Showing the life of a great scientist, John Nash, I was really motivated to do my best in my field. I like how the movie was made; I was really caught in the moment, carried away in each scene. We have seen his life not only as a scientist but also as a survivor, a fighter of his sickness. We knew from the movie that he had Schizophrenia, and we know that having such illness is not an easy thing from the treatments to the things you can experience because of it. We have seen so much of his struggles and we saw that there are so much beautiful things, positive things that can help us conquer our hardships in life.
            As a student, with no illness like John Nash, I can say that I am not as strong as him. The degree of difficulty I am experiencing is nothing compared to what he has been through but I am still helpless in times I think I am experiencing failure. I complain most of the times I am not in a good situation when in fact I should be thinking positively making ways of how I can fix my problems. Although I am not a pessimist there are still times I experience stress and all I want is just to breakdown. Among my friends I can say that I am the most optimistic and after watching the film I can say that I want to keep this attitude and maybe be more optimistic than ever, so I can become a better person every day. I also can’t deny that I was touched with how his wife bears with him, showing how truly she loves him. Like him I want to find a person who will never give up on me and will just fill up all that I am lacking.  Like John Nash I will work hard for my goals, ignore distractions, conquer whatever comes my way and just stand back up when life knocks me down.

Jeanne Macalalad
STS Group 5
Life of Mammals
            The moment I saw the title “Social Climbers”, I don’t know why but it kind of was funny to me, maybe because I took it literally without having to see the documentary first. Watching the documentary I have observed so much about how monkeys live. Like humans we can see that they live in a society. We saw how different species interact with each other, how some are superior to the other, and how some chose to stay up in the trees while others take risks in the life spent on land. We also watched the next episode of the series which is entitled “Food for Thought”. This wasn’t far from the previous episode because in this we saw how apes are different from us. Also at the end part of this episode a lesson can be picked up about the realtion of the human population with the fate of our world.
            In both episodes we saw how they acquire skills from us to be able to survive. But what I admire most in them is that even though competition can be seen, most of them still choose to help each other to be able to let most survive. People also help each other in times of need and I think it would be better if not only a few knows how to extend their hands to those in need. Power is another issue shown in the documentary. Humans even though we have the ability to think logically still choose to abuse power which is very evident in our society. I think that being the smartest creatures made we should not take chances on showing how superior we are even to our own kind. We should all be treated equally because we are of the same kind.
            The last point I want to give emphasis to was mentioned in the last part of the Food for Thought episode which mentioned things about how we should control population or at least the use of resources for the safety of our environment. I am sensitive when it comes to topics about the world we live in and I was struck with the message, I think that we should take full responsibility with our world and take more care of it to ensure if not a better place to live in at least a decent one not only for us but for the future generation.


ANTONIO, Louise Sigrid C. 2011 - 48992

REACTION PAPER ON THE "LIFE OF MAMMALS: THE SOCIAL CLIMBERS"

 David Attenborough discussed several interesting facts about monkeys and about the traits and characteristics of several of their kind in his documentary. Every specie of monkey has its desirable traits. Every monkey is equipped with their specific talents for their survival in the forest. I have learned a lot from the documentary. I have learned a lot from the activity, one thing I have learned is how interesting monkeys really are. Monkeys are fascinating creatures. They know how to survive and to adapt to their environment. Some monkeys like the one shown in the first part of the documentary had already discovered a way to get through the shell of the clams. They hit the clams in the trees so that it would relax and later on the shell will open. Athough it takes time for monkeys to acquire this skill I am very amazed that they have formed a solution to open the clam.  Other monkeys display their intelligence and skills on finding food for themselves as well as in getting it also. The smallest monkey as discussed by Mr. David Attenborough in the video
has this amazing speed that enables it to catch small insects without that much effort. Also, their nails were specifically designed to make them grasp branches and for them not to fall of. Their small size makes them an easy prey for a lot so they live at the top most branches of the trees to stay away from those wanting to eat them. Another kind of monkeys are able to distinguish the colors of the leaves. With this skill they can ignore the leaves which are poisonous and not edible yet. Monkeys have a lot of traits similar to humans. Like humans, monkeys adapt well to their
environment. An example of this is the scene where Mr. David Attenborough showed a dummy of a tiger and the monkeys started making sounds. This sounds are warning signals for all of the monkeys to stay out of the tigers way. They work in teams. Each sound they make is distinct to every threat that comes. Both humans and monkeys also have their social classes among themselves. They also have this inequality going on in their groups. Monkeys who are in the higher class comes with the benefit of being royalty while the ones at the foot of the pyramid is pitiful. Monkeys from the upper class can get food directly from the mouth of the other monkey in the lower class even though the monkey refuses. Also, upper class male monkeys always chooses first who he mates with. In order for the monkeys included in the lower class to mate, they still need to hide.



ANTONIO, Louise Sigrid C.

2011 - 48992

REACTION PAPER ON THE MOVIE "A BEAUTIFUL MIND"

 At first I was not that interesed in the movie. I was not able to follow the storyline. But then when it came to the end when it was revealed that John Nash is suffering from Schizophrenia, I understood the story already and gained interest in watching it. I saw that people suffering with Schizophrenia before was very unfortunate because of the treatment they undergo. Medicines that are more patient-friendly had not been introduced yet. The film has a very good message to the viewers attitute towards schizophrenic people and to the world itself. It exposes the audiences to the world of the people who suffers from schizophrenia. The movie helps people accept and know more about people who has this kind of mental illness. "A Beautiful Mind" shows the ordinary people the right way on how to deal
with people who experiences schizoprenia. With the help of the people and the loved ones of the person with the disability, the patient can overcome anything. Upon watching this film, people may realize that it is truly the "ability not the disability". Even though people have disabilities they could still contribute something big and something great to this world.  Same goes for the people who have schitzophrenia and other illnesses, the movie serves as an inspiration for them. John Nash serves as an inspiration for the people who suffers from their own diseases. They can still do something about their condition. They should never lose
hope, they should continue life and enjoy it to the fullest.

ANTONIO, Louise Sigrid C. 2011 - 48992

REACTION PAPER ON BIRDING

 I had no idea there were so much bird species in the campus. The only bird I see around everytime are the Mayas. Mayas are the only one I can distinguish, except for the parrots the eagle and the other well-known birds we see in the parks. For one thing, I do not have that of a strong interest in birds. Second, the only bird I can see everyday are the Mayas and the eagle printed on my ID.
The bird watching activity the class made was a real challenge. Birds are very sensitive animals. They are very distant creatures. It's either they are out of our line of sight or they are too quick in flying away whenever people comes or we were just too loud and we were so good at scaring them away.
I thought I was very fortunate that day because I was bringing along my camera and I had the chance to take pictures of these cute little creatures. Unfortunately for me, I was too good of a scarecrow. Only the Mayas were not afraid. There were scarcity of birds other than the Mayas during the activity. The closest thing the group got to interesting is the nest we saw at the top of the tree, but unfortunately the lens of my camera was not prepared for that distance. I cannot do anything. It was out of my line of sight. Some birds that were flying around I cannot distinguish and are also too far above the ground. The environment in the university is no doubt very eco-friendly. The university must be so proud of that. Even though I haven't seen any of the "birds other than Mayas", I believe that they are there. If the university will just continue and protect the environment that they have the future generations, both
humans and birds will be extremely happy.  I have a photo attached below of the brave Mayas who were willing and kind enough to pose for the camera.




Simone Martine Marie Q. Dimalibot                                                                                   May 11, 2014
2012-61190                                                                        Reaction Paper – The Life of Mammals

Monkey Business
            When someone calls another person a “monkey”, it is considered as an insult. Maybe it’s because we see them as not so beautiful creatures compared to other animals that we encounter. Maybe it’s because we are already accustomed to looking at them as lower versions of humans. Nonetheless, we fail to see the wonder monkeys bring into this world.
            “The Life of Mammals” showed its viewers a peek on the lives of different kinds of monkeys. There was a kind of monkeys that recognized seniority through their face colors, and there was another that helped each other when predators were near. Each kind of monkeys also had different ways of getting food, nonetheless all these methods proved to be effective. The two documentaries showed how they survived through their way of life, resourcefulness, intelligence, and their instinct to protect each other. Their different lifestyles were very interesting to watch since they are similar to how humans around the world have different cultures as well.
            Though it is evident that humans are more advanced in terms of knowledge and technology, we lack values that may help in making our society a better one. Monkeys have the ability to catch up to human intellect and it shows how much potential they have as a kind of species. They try to learn what we now know, and hopefully we also learn something from them. It is hard to admit that we can adapt something from the monkeys, but the way they unite for each other’s welfare is something that we humans need to imitate. We tend to disregard each other and use our abilities selfishly. The resourcefulness of the monkeys is also something that we can get from them. The earth is abundant in natural resources but it is obvious that do not use them wisely, leading to poverty and low quality of life.
            As David Attenborough mentioned in his closing speech for “Food for Thought”, instead of us controlling the environment for our benefit, maybe it’s time that we should change ourselves in order for the environment to benefit. It’s amazing how this kind of message is shown to us through taking a look at our mammal friends’ lives.

Simone Martine Marie Q. Dimalibot                                                                                   May 11, 2014
2012-61190                                                                               Reaction Paper – A Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Life
            There’s a certain kind of pressure put into your shoulders when people know how smart you are. They expect you to be all-knowing and almost never to make mistakes. People ask you lots of questions, and demand answers as soon as they end their inquiries.
            “A Beautiful Mind” showed an interesting side of being an intelligent person. The film narrated the life of mathematician John Nash, who won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for the game theory. The pressure he created himself let his life become centered on making an impact in society through contributing breakthrough knowledge in society. People acknowledged his genius, but failed to see that he had a bigger problem to solve within himself.
            Nash is apparently hallucinating and has created three people in his life that had a big impact in his life, but nonetheless are products of his imagination. Alicia, as the girl who vowed to be by his side through thick and thin, was the one who noticed his strange behaviour and made a move to help her husband. She never gave up on him, even if there was a time that he didn’t want to help himself anymore. Eventually, the solution to the problem was thought of by Nash himself despite disobeying orders from the psychiatric center, yet Alicia still agreed to support the decision and continue to be with him for the rest of her days.
            Life brings us to circumstances that we think we can get through on our own because we see ourselves as very capable individuals. We do not acknowledge the fact that our weaknesses exist and can be the cause of a temporary downfall. The people we love are the ones who help us get back up and are there for us no matter what kind of people we become. It is not our ability to become great that makes our life beautiful, but others’ ability to love us for who we are.


           
Mariñas, Anna Beatrice F.                          STS                                                      May 11, 2014
2011-78869                          Social Climbers-Food for Thought                            Prof. Juned Sonido      

Monkeys are highly intelligent creatures that live similarly to how humans do and David Attenborough claims that they do have the richest social lives, (which I cannot (yet) completely agree to since there are much more animals I have yet to learn about). One thing I find to be the most important trait of these monkeys is their ability to be highly inquisitive of their environment. Like humans, they are very observant and investigate everything that cross their paths and construct discoveries to be beneficial for them. What particularly caught my interest was their knack for cracking nuts and coating themselves with insect repellent. This phenomenon describes, in the simplest ways, how nature is in itself a threshold for protecting, providing for and propagating life.
In a land mass where multiple species do live amongst each other, similarly, it also amazes me how they are able to thrive in the same environment while maintaining different ways of surviving, adapting and co-existing within social roles. It seeks to describe how animals are instinctively brilliant in and physically very adaptable to varying changes in their environment. At the same time, it bewilders me how their advanced brains are able to schedule a calendar of seasons for fruit-picking which might probably be similar to how Mayans predict weather through astronomy.  A new idea I’ve acquired is their handedness. I am not aware whether this may indicate the same left-brained or right-brained inclinations as one will find in humans but this is an interesting study to look into.
Another film in relation to this narrates how chimps start to mix their diet with meat and begin to walk upright on two feet; behaviors which they believe may have led to the domestication of animals. The idea of chimps (or any primate for that matter) domesticating any other animal is strange, but fortunately enough, evolutionary theories make this plausible and slightly believable. It remains a question to me as to how advanced primates thought for themselves and the future circumstances such as food preservation and propagation. But I think that such adaptations to the biological and environmental demands would have eventually lead to genetic modifications (e.g. larger brain) that ultimately lead to emergence of culture.
      The spectrum and depth of evolutionary theories and constant research in this field have implied that we do not yet have full answers to our ancestors, and that while we remain to be inquisitive, it is ironic that modern technology can helps us unearth the an untold journey. Despite knowing our present, it must be part of humanity to know where he came from, and these explanations strive to fill that gap of wonder and doubt-for now.
      On a completely different note, the documentary implies that the earth is a temple to sacred and prosperous wild life which remains hidden and unknown to many. The life which thrives beyond the books we’ve grown accustomed to in school and the in-depth documentaries in the university will never be able to encapsulate the life entwined among the branches of the wilderness. Many are not aware of, nor are they interested in our natural resources, but if they knew any of the intricacies of nature, they would not bring about potential threats to these creatures such as construction, hunting practices, poaching and all destructive activities that extend the list. If such reasons are known to them and self-profit remains to be a priority, then we talk of an immorality, or maybe, amorality.
     


Mariñas, Anna Beatrice F.                          STS                                                     May 11, 2014
2011-78869                                      Bird watching                                                     Prof. Juned Sonido                                                                              
Bird watching was and still is one of the most interesting and highly unlikely subjects I came across in UP. It did not surprise me that UP, being among the greenest communities in the metro, housed 56 species of birds. But as soon as the guest speaker flashed a series of pictures of local birds of varying shades, shapes and sizes, I was in disbelief. The thought that those humble creatures were elegantly circling above my head as I was pre-occupied with the pressure of school work and the unbearable heat struck me. The ignorance to tiny creatures was a sin. Suddenly the curiosity and enthusiasm to meet them jolted me. It was an unexpected happy activity for the day to be tasked to walk around campus to spot these birds. But as my group wandered aimlessly to and from unmarked pathways, I never saw any of the birds projected to us, and it felt like an empty promise. I did, however, spot a brood of native hens strutting and clucking, as if annoyed to see me in anticipation to see rarer species, so we helplessly proceeded in hopes of finding one, but we just never were at the right place at the right time.
After this day of bird-watching, I really have taken a huge step to make sure I look up among the tress and listen to the healthy bushes, still in high hopes of finding a bird. Within the week, I did spot a bird. It was sitting on a frail branch beside the College of Science with its back to me. It had a healthy black coat from top to bottom except for a long white strip on its tail-I believe it was a fan-tailed bird. Even if it was not, I was happy for the rest of the day. My attempts of bird-watching were not futile. Since then I remained keen eye and kept a sharp ear to my surroundings. In my tranquil searches, my cluttered mind wondered how scientists regularly visit these creatures for research purposes. Could I have been so drawn and hypnotized towards technological means of entertainment that I fail to find happiness around me and that bird watching, a simple nature activity now seems so noble and unique?
What I take away from this class activity is that we are disconnected from nature. The solace that we find it in seems to be too foreign from the familiarity of technology in our hands. The quiet beauty that surrounds us every day goes by unnoticed and unappreciated, until we come to a conscious effort to look beyond the seemingly empty trees and peaceful air. I also have noticed that people do not behave in correspondence to nature. The boisterous noise we have grown accustomed to from loud music, video games, television shows and etc. have been too tightly pressed in us and as a result, pulled us away from the tranquil corners of Mother Nature.
Finally, as I was contemplating for this paper, I began to conceptualize a possible project for future STS classes. I propose that the professor collaborate with a class and brainstorm on a feasible nature preserving project that would be executed semester after semester until completed, where another consultation shall be arranged., (e.g. tree-planting, recycling, campus clean up, bird-feeder project). This way, as students, we maintain a harmonious ecological environment; improve holistic wellness and hands-on learning.


Apes, Primates, Monkeys
Jiorjohn Aurius Co 2010-25802

            Humans and monkeys belong to the same ape family. Both are using tools to cope with their everyday lives. We just have a larger and a developed brain so we use more advanced tools. It can be said that the monkeys are living in the early years of our old stone age. When they spot an opportunity that can be beneficial, they exploit it. They have also developed culture and tradition. From the video, the rubbing of insect repellent leaves is a social gathering for some monkey species.
            Monkeys are always seen in small or big groups. For me, this is the main point of the video which said that the size of the group depends on the brain size. As for humans, we can have real friends numbering only to 150.
            As I watched the documentary, I remember the movie “The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”. Then I thought that at some point in our future the monkeys could have reached the intelligence level of the monkeys in the movie. It can be supported by the fact that they have the ability to imitate and to apply some basic human skills. The skills they learned are passed on to the next generation. Given the right amount of time, maybe a hundred or a thousand of years, they can learn how to speak or how to talk.
            My main take away from the documentary is that change is really the permanent thing in this world. We could be the chimpanzees from the past. Evolution is a constant process. We just have to be ready for what’s to come to us.


The Great Scientists Jiorjohn Aurius Co 2010-25802 When I was a kid, I watched the cartoon, “Dexter’s Laboratory”, this gave me the idea that scientists are people who create or discover something new in his world. In order to discover new things, they must not think like an average person. John Nash’s condition helped him discover his own theory. There is a point in the movie that he couldn’t solve the problems because he can’t see his delusions. They have also the passion for their study that eats up their time and social life. Without them, our life would be the same as today. Our life would not be better than the ancient past. Their discoveries help to improve our society. Discoveries lead to create new technologies. At some point in the past, I can’t believe that preserving the environment is not their priority. They were not proactive. They became concerned only when the problem lies in front of them. They have also bad inventions and discoveries like the nuclear bomb. Using just one in a particular place, the place will not be habitable for a very long time. Instead of being the protector of this planet, we are destroying it and are making it inhabitable to the future generations. Will the discovery of cure for cancer or the discovery of the right technology to cover farther distance in space travel me it even before the living things in the planet to die.

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