MARCELO - The Social Climbers

MARCELO, Lady Princess S.

The Social Climbers

          The Social Climbers was a very informative documentary. Honestly speaking, there were so many “woah!” and “aww!” moments for me while watching the documentary. There are a lot of things showed in there that I didn’t know about monkeys. I have read about them in books, watched them in television shows and learn some things about them in school. What I only know is that apes and monkeys are known as our closest evolutionary cousins. Their physical features are almost like ours. They have brain size relatively bigger than other animals, the reason why they are brighter.

          Monkeys’ society is actually comparable to ours. There is politics, survival of the fittest, allies and others. They almost always make the right decision in order to survive. They are forming allies by being friendly with other groups of monkeys, hunt with them, and share the bounty with them. Maybe they already have this instinct that they will be needing some backups if ever they are attacked by other groups. This is really interesting because this is evidence that they somehow think logically.

The monkeys are so cute, especially those who are trying hard to crack the nuts and shells. I didn’t even know that they are “that” advanced in terms of thinking. Like humans, they use tools to make the work, cracking nuts, easier for them. The younger ones learn from observing the elders but it takes years to be able to master the skill. This is very similar to humans where we are learning skills from observing others, then practice until you master it.

Honestly, I became more interested on monkeys because of the said documentary, The Social Climbers. There is still a lot to learn about monkeys. Who knows, they might be even more advanced as the time goes by. Nothing is impossible for such bright man-like creatures. 

MARCELO - A Beautiful Mind

MARCELO, Lady Princess S.

Reaction on A Beautiful Mind

            The life of the well-known mathematician, John Nash, was portrayed on the movie entitled A Beautiful Mind. It was a great film that I even thought at first that it was the wife who was insane. I even did some research on its synopsis and found out that there were deviations from Nash’s story and the film. For me, it was okay because a film is just a portrayal of a man’s life, we can’t assume that everything shown there is real.

            Because of the movie, I was able to understand what schizophrenia really is and what schizophrenic persons experience. It must have been really hard for them to see and know what is real and what is not. The good thing for John Nash is that he was able to think logically and thought that his imaginary friends are not aging; therefore, they can’t be real. This movie is a great tool to bring awareness about schizophrenia. Persons surrounding them need to be welcoming and more understanding. What they need the most is the love and care from their families and friends. I actually admire Nash’s wife for being so strong for her husband.

            John Nash, being able to fight and overcome his schizophrenia, has really inspired me a lot. His condition did not stop him from coming up with a great idea about equilibrium that even won a Nobel Prize for being so useful in the field of Economics. It is quite amazing that he came up with the idea of equilibrium when he was in the bar just by looking at a girl’s face. Maybe that’s really how it works for mathematicians and scientists. They are able to come up with ideas by mere observation or bright ideas just pop in their out of nowhere. 

            John Nash will serve as an inspiration for me to never give up and keep trying. Believe in yourself and don’t let your condition or disability be a hindrance for you to reach your dreams.

CAMOMOT - A Beautiful Mind

CAMOMOT, Kaia Louise R.
2013-17839 STS X2

     The film A Beautiful Mind is about the life of the mathematician, John Nash. It is about how his work on equilibrium and the game theory earned him a Nobel Prize. But his road to receiving that Nobel Prize wasn’t exactly an easy one. During his college years, John Nash became a schizophrenic. He started seeing people that weren’t exactly there. Imaginary, per se. This was a large hindrance to his career as a mathematician, but it did not stop him from pursuing his career, and it was well worth it.

     I learned quite a lot from this movie. One is that we should never stress ourselves too much on things that are non-existent. One of the dominating factors that triggered Nash’s schizophrenia was how he was so stressed over everything. Over school, over friends, over work, and even over his family. It caused him to start conjuring up imaginary people to suffice for those things that he was stressing about. We should always look at the positive side of things and not focus on the negative because that will always bring you down. It will not get you anywhere. Another lesson is that we should learn how to accept the things that are thrown our way. We should learn how to be content and happy with what we have, and although it is a good thing to strive for better, we should not let failure bring us down. The last thing, and I think the most important thing, that I learned is that we should never give up on the things we want to achieve in life. We should always persevere and take hindrances as challenges, not as encouragement to just drop everything you’ve worked so hard for. As seen in the film, John Nash almost gave up on his work. When he found out he had schizophrenia, all he did was stress over it and stay at home. He couldn’t even help his wife with household chores. But after realizing that what Nash was doing wasn’t really helping their situation, they did something about it. They got him back to working as a professor. It was tough at first, since he was still battling his imaginary friends, but through perseverance, he made it through. He even became a well-respected professor, and eventually, a receiver of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his work on the game theory. As I said earlier, his not giving up became well worth it in the end.

     I think A Beautiful Mind is a beautiful film that can serve as a great inspiration to everyone. It was a tear-jerking film that had its ups and downs, but the happy ending made everything okay. It has a lot of lessons, and you can actually have a lot of realizations in it. For example, if John Nash made it to the end, whilst battling his schizophrenia, then why can’t we make it through the end whilst battling struggles of our own? There is always hope.

Erin Faith C. Miranda - Social Climbers

Erin Faith C. Miranda                                                                                                          Social Climbers

STS

            We watched a documentary titled Life of Mammals: The Social Climbers. I believe that it’s the 9^th episode of a 10-episode documentary about nonetheless, the life of mammals.

            To admit the truth, I’ve never been so fascinated by monkeys my whole life up until I’ve watched this show. What I only know about them is that they can jump from tree to tree, they could catch lice, they could be violent monsters when they’re provoked and they are man’s earliest ancestors. And these facts were what tv shows, people, books, and zoo visits plugged in my mind. So while watching this show, I was really amazed and shocked by what I saw.

            First, whoa, they were really man-like! From their eyes to their mouths, teeth and hands, their fingers and nails, even their movement! They resemble humans in almost every single way! They even think like us in the way that they think LOGICALLY. They can distinguish colors and textures; they know what to do with a thing. They know how to operate and use things; they could tell which is which. They are intelligently smart. And this makes me think, could monkeys be trained so that they could really live, act, speak and think like a human? I guess probably yes. The chances are so big it makes me afraid. Afraid of what? That maybe someday monkeys would think to go into the city and take on our society. You might think that this is a crazy fantasy but what if some group of people utilize these monkeys to take on and lead the world? Nothing is impossible with the advancement of technology today. With what DNA technology, cloning and stem cell technology could do, this scenario is not that far from possible.

            Second, monkeys don’t seem that scary. I guess they could be violent when they’re provoked. Actually I and my classmates found them adorable and cute. And also, there’s a very big difference between the monkeys I’ve seen in the zoo and the monkeys I watched in the show who were in their natural habitat. The zoo monkeys seem to be agitated, lonely and violent at times. I guess it’s because of the visitors in the zoo who made them this way. They poke fun and throw things at the monkey. While on the other hand, the monkeys in the forest seem to be behaving, oblivious to the scientist observing them. They seem to be so free and happy, able to move, eat, and go wherever they want.

Erin Faith C. Miranda - Future of Media

Erin Faith C. Miranda                                                                                                        Future of Media

STS

I was never a fan of politics and activist issues but I certainly enjoyed the discussion between Mae Paner, Inday, Amor and Malou Mangahas last April 29, 2014 at 1^st The Future of Media conference done at the UP-Ayala Technoportal grounds.

For me, the talk was very RED – with red as revolutionary for me. They all wanted a certain change. And it is evident that they want to change the government and the society for a better Philippines, of course with the advent of Social Media. Social media was regarded as the New Media while print, ad, tv, radio were considered as the Traditional Media. Social media boomed because people were naturally born critics. All of us want to be heard, all of us wants to step up and contribute in shaping the future of our nation. And in traditional media, only a few were given a chance to speak up. People needed a platform to voice out their opinions and so Social Media was born.

Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc., everything became instant. In a click, you’ll see the latest updates and happenings, traffic, issues and scandals, weather – basically everything we need is on a smartphone. The only problem though, is the improper usage of social media. Here comes responsible citizenship and responsible use of technology.

Some people nowadays seem to forget that we are the “content creators” of the things we, and other people, including children, see on the internet. We are the ones who control what’s trending, what’s hot and what’s new. The problem is that some people are misguided in using the power of Social Media. Hoaxes, false information, wrong ideas and twisted concepts about things can easily circulate in the internet. And most people are susceptible to believing what they just saw on the internet.

Social Media could be a very powerful tool if it would be utilized in a proper, responsible way. And it could start if people were educated as to what they should be doing with technology.

Andriano - Reaction Paper: People’s Forum on US Militarism and its Impacts on the Philippine Environment (1)

Andriano, Lattice Angelique A.
Reaction paper on People’s Forum on US Militarism and its Impacts on the Philippine Environment

After several years of debates, the US military base in Subic was finally closed in 1992. Now, as if history is repeating itself, US troops are back as the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) was passed last Monday, 28 April 2014.

                  I admit that EDCA has its strong points and will benefit our military if the goals are met. However, compared to US we are at the losing end. A reason would be the risk it poses to our environment which was the main concern at the forum. Dr. Giovanni Tapang, a professor in the University and the chairperson of the organization Agham at Teknolohiya Para sa Sambayanan, stressed that the US military used the Subic waters as a toxic waste dump during their occupation before and at the same time harming the health of the residents near the base. He is concerned of what would happened if another ‘’accident’’ happened in our seas like when the USS Guardian destroyed at least 1000 square meters of coral reefs at the World Heritage Site Tubbataha reef. Should the Philippines just ask for compensation again? But the US Navy has not paid—not even a cent after more than a year!

Despite only making it to Dr. Tapang’s talk, I understood why environmental advocates are strongly against US occupation again because, although there is an environmental provision under the EDCA, there is no guarantee that it will be strictly carried out like the situation at Tubbataha. US troops can get away from harming our environment again.

After hearing the forum and doing some research, I know that I’m against the agreement as well. First is because of the issue on the environment that was discussed. Having the US military exercises in the country will increase our toxic waste. Second, it violates the constitution. From the news, I learned that the Senate was not given the chance to let their voices out on this matter where in fact their approval is needed for any treaty to be passed. Third, this agreement mimics the situation before. They say that the important feature of the agreement is that the US military are not allowed to construct new bases in the country because they can only use existing AFP bases. However, they can still construct infrastructures inside the bases! Another is the upgrade and construction of two naval bases in Palawan which started late last year. Concerned officials said it is part of AFP’s modernization program but I think this is for the US military. A similar situation is happening in South Korea where their government is constructing a military base in Jeju Island for the US military which Dr. Tapang also mentioned in his talk. This “important feature” is just going around the law that the US military can never build a base in the Philippines again.

I’m all for our country’s advancement but not through this agreement where there are many loopholes. I still believe that things will work out for US and the Philippines if only a true compromise is reached that’s favourable for both countries.

Sources:

Ayee, M. (2014, April 28). Miriam: PH-US deal unfair surprise on Senate. Rappler.

Depasupil, W. (2014, March 6). DND to develop second naval facility in Palawan. The Manila Times.

Dulce, L. (2014, April 24). Obama's visit and the 'toxic' legacy of US bases. Rappler.

Sabillo, K. (2012, April 30). 5 things you need to know about EDCA. Inquirer.

Reaction on US Militarism

Maria Fatima R. Vitug
2012-63127
April 30, 2014
Professor Juned Sonido (STS)

Reaction Paper:

Forum on US Militarism and its Impacts on the Philippine Environment

President Barack Obama’s trip in Asia is a way for him to strengthen the military forces of the United States of America. Aside from the Philippines, the President also visited Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. His military pact to the Philippines is what Evan Medeiros, the Senior US National Security Council (NSC) official, would define as “the most significant defense agreement that we have concluded with the Philippines for decades”. This military pact is called the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). According to the news, the US particularly aimed to have military pacts with the said countries because they want to promote peace and stability to countries, which are disconcerted by China’s attempt of claiming disputed territories. On the other hand, there is news circulating that Obama’s trip is mainly towards their country’s betterment. It is said that the military pacts would enable Obama to make economic and strategic moves in the goal of subordinating China.

Obama’s military pact with the Philippines is a big responsibility since there can be a lot of things, both positive and negative, that can happen when the Philippines should agree to this allegiance. The main benefit of this allegiance is the acquirement of more military power for the country that will help for better defense against invaders. However, signing this military pact would not allow the country to impose its laws to the visiting force. For example, according to the constitution, nuclear weapons are banned in the Philippines but there is no assurance whether the US would not use these weapons. Thus, the presence of the US military force threatens to impart environmental and social problems.

The forum on the US Militarism and its Impacts on the Philippine Environment mainly focuses on the environmental effects that could happen to the country caused by the presence of the US military. Mr. Giovanni Tapang, Ph. D., talked about how the environment will be at risk with the agreement on allegiance with the US. He illustrated how the Japanese citizens were affected by the many aircrafts hovering just above the central region of living, work and education. Japan was able to persuade the US military force to transfer somewhere else but the region they chose was the habitat of the endangered Okinawa dugongs. According to National Geographic, scientists believe that only 50 remain from this specie. Dr. Tapang also informed the audience on the Status of Foreign Agreement (SOFA) which discharges the visiting force from doing any action towards the damage they may have caused. This leaves the home country to be liable to what the visiting force has done.

Being informed by these things and all, I am very sad to hear that the Philippines has accepted the offer of the US. I feel like that there has not been adequate time for the leaders of the country to think on whether to accept or not the commitment on being their ally. It is a very big responsibility and entails a lot of risks that could affect the environment and the lives of Filipinos. Whether the results of their presence are good or bad, the effects of having the US military force in the country could be permanent.

Sources:

Roach, John. Rare Japanese Dugong Threatened by U.S. Military Base. National Geographic News, 2007. Web. 30 April 2014.

Superville, Darlene. "Obama headed home after 4-country Asia tour." Yahoo News. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.

Symonds, Peter. "The US to sign major military pact with the Philippines - World Socialist Web Site." World Socialist Web Site - Marxist analysis, international working class struggles & the fight for socialism. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.

"Reject Renewed US Militarism in the Philippines Petition." GoPetition. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2014.