Stages of Grief

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Stages of Grief


At one point in our lives, we may experience grief or have experienced grief due to the loss of a loved one, a failed relationship or an end of one’s career.  To better understand grief, we need to know the stages that one undergoes.  These are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.


When something hard hits you, a person feels numb and is in a state of shock.  As reality hits him slowly, he/she then starts to feel the emotions he/she has denied.  

Anger,  the second stage of grief, is an emotion that everyone of us is familiar with.  It can actually give us strength and direction.  It is so much easier to channel our emotions when there is someone to blame for the pain that we are feeling inside.  The best way to go through it is to feel it in order to get to the pain it is covering up.

The third stage in understanding grief is bargaining.  This is the stage where a person goes back to the time before the turmoil happened and asks himself what he could have done to prevent it.  Thoughts such as “what if” and “if only” flood the person’s thoughts and guilt fills his mind.

Depression, the fourth stage, is a natural emotion that comes after a tragedy and must be faced.  This is where you are in the present, facing all the pain. You withdraw from people and ask yourself if things will ever be the same again.

The fifth and last stage is acceptance. Once you have reached this stage, it doesn’t mean that you’re ok.  Things will never be the same again but you start to have better days.  You start reaching out to people and start thinking that things will be better again. You may allow yourself to enjoy life once again.  Acceptance happens when you believe that life will never be the same again and you have to adjust and move on.

We can never go around grief. We have to go through these stages because the more a person avoids going through grief, the longer they stay grieving and the longer the healing process.

Dinosaur Fossil First Ever to be Discovered with Soft-tissue Crest

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                 A mummified fossil of Edmontosaurus regalis has been found to have a crest on its head. Phil Bell, a paleontologist at the University of New England, Australia, discovered the soft-tissue crest on the hadrosaurid (duck-billed dinosaur) fossil while studying it. The discovery of the fleshy crest on this fossil from the Wapiti formation in Alberta, Canada was so unexpected, Bell put his chisel straight through the structure. Many hadrosaurids have been previously described to have bony crests, but CT scans showed the crest on this fossil had no osseous (bony) support, similar to a rooster’s comb. This is the first dinosaur fossil to be found with a fleshy crest. 

                Without an underlying bone support or air passages, the most probable use for the crest was for socio-sexual display. Comparing it with the fleshy combs of present-day roosters, grouse and condors, Bell theorized that the crest might have served the same function: to indicate the strength and fertility of the male. Given also the knowledge that Edmontosaurus was a herding animal, the crest may have also indicated the top male within a herd, he said.

                Aside from the discovery of the soft-tissue crest, the fossil was interesting also for having very well-preserved skin. "For the skin to preserve, these animals had to be buried very rapidly, probably within a day or two after they died, and the chemical environment in the sediment was just right," Bell said.

                Bell speculates the loss of the bony crest of the hadrosaurids’ ancestors and the substitution of the fleshy display structure in Edmontosaurus through evolutionary processes. Creation scientists, who believe in a literal 6-day creation of the universe, point out that these speculations based on evolutionary assumptions are just that: speculations. "The actual bones of Edmontosaurus have absolutely no indication that there's a crest of any sort in this animal, so similar crests or other fleshy structures could have been really widespread among dinosaurs," Bell said. It is then possible that other dinosaurs may have also possessed fleshy crests but simply failed to fossilize and be preserved. Thus, creation scientists point out, guesses on the evolutionary development of the fleshy crest in this dinosaur’s lineage remains speculative since the fossil evidence does not necessarily support them. Though Bell and his colleagues write, “The discovery of a fleshy crest in Edmontosaurus regalis reveals that some later hadrosaurines did not in fact lose their ornamentation but evolved an alternative solution to the bony crests that were widespread within the clade”, creation scientists point out that “the discovery of the fleshy crest ‘reveals’ no such thing.”

                Creation scientists believe that the rapid burial conditions required by such well-preserved specimens were provided by the worldwide flood of Noah’s day. The “undulating and partly wrinkled” skin of the specimen’s neck seems to have resulted from the head of the specimen having arched sharply backward. This and other features consisting of the mouth open and the tail arched upward are part of a characteristic death pose that is so frequent among dinosaur fossils, it has been given a name: the opisthotonic death posture.  Research has suggested that this death posture is associated with immersion in water. “The violent rising waters of the global Flood would have provided the loads of sediment needed to catastrophically bury billions of animals and plants, triggering opisthotonus in dying dinosaurs and ultimately providing the conditions that preserved many as fossils”, creation scientists claim.

                The fossil specimen shows the first ever discovered fleshy crest in a dinosaur fossil. Since there were no evidence of this on its bones, it is absolutely possible for other dinosaurs to have this fleshy structure without revealing it in their fossils. While it is definitely possible for Edmontosaurus to have used this structure for visual socio-sexual display, this behavior does not fossilize; thus this speculation on the structure’s function cannot be conclusively proven with the current fossil evidence. Nor does the fossil evidence show how the structure evolved in the dinosaur’s lineage. Whether the reader holds to evolutionary or biblical assumptions, it is important to discern between what can be clearly observed and which are unsupported speculations.

References:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131212-duckbill-dinosaur-rooster-comb-fossils-paleontology-science/

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2014/01/02/dinosaur-crest

The Impact of Tablets and Smartphones to Children

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Technology today is undeniably developing fast. For many people, especially the younger generation, internet, smart phones, social networks and other new technologies are shaping their lives. For example is the recent statistics about smartphone and tablet ownership. According to BI Intelligence, Business Insider’s subscription research service, by the end of 2013, global smartphone ownership will increase from 5% of the global population in 2009 to 22%. This actually estimates to around 1.3 billion smartphones in just 4 years. On the average, there will be at least two smartphones for every nine people on earth. On the other hand, tablets are showing faster ownership rates than smartphones. It took smartphones four years to reach a 6% ownership when the devices first registered in the global level. Tablets accomplished this in just 2 years. In the Philippines alone, according to Singapore-based research firm GfK, there had been a staggering 326% increase in smartphone sales in 2012, which is the highest jump in smartphone marketing share among its neighbouring countries. With these sample research statistics, you can see how fast and easy people can acquire and use technology today.

Smartphones and tablets are undeniably booming fast. It does not only capture the adult market but it is now slowly turning out as a must have for the younger generation as well. When you’re a busy parent, giving your baby or child a tablet, smartphone or letting him watch television is an easy way to keep them entertained. You may also feel it’s important for your child to get a head start on learning digital skills. But many experts worry that too much screen time may be harmful for babies and for children. The Royal College of Paediatrics, Child Health and Common Sense Media Research Study reports that children are getting more exposed to screen for longer amounts of time than ever before. This widespread of availability of these gadgets is causing concern amongst doctors worldwide.

The key findings were: There has been a huge increase in use of mobile media by young children over the past two years: The average amount of time children spend using mobile devices has tripled, from five minutes a day to 15 minutes a day (the average daily use among all 0- to 8-year-olds); The number of kids who've used mobile devices has nearly doubled (38% to 72%); 38% of toddlers and infants under 2 have used a mobile device, compared to 10% in 2011. The average time spent with "traditional" screen media (TV, DVDs, computers, and video games) has decreased by more than a half-hour a day (though overall screen time is down by 21 minutes, with mobile time up 10 minutes). However, TV viewing on a TV set still makes up half of all screen time. Access to mobile media among poor and minority children is much higher than it was two years ago, but a digital divide persists. Twenty percent of lower-income kids have a tablet compared to 63% of higher-income ones; and 35% of lower-income parents have downloaded educational apps for their kids, compared to 75% of higher-income ones. Despite the dramatic changes of the past two years, television still reigns supreme in children's media lives, though new ways of watching now make up a large portion of viewing. It is the medium children use most frequently, by far: nearly six out of 10 children (58%) watch TV at least once a day, compared to 17% who use mobile devices on an everyday basis, 14% who are daily computer users, and 6% who play video games every day. Even among infants and toddlers, screen media use dwarfs time spent reading. In a typical day, children under 2 spend more than twice as much time watching television and DVDs (55 minutes) as they do reading or being read to (19 minutes). People who conducted the research and survey find the results as an extraordinary shift for the younger generation. In the past they could measure and control exactly where, when and how children are engaging with screens. Now, mobile devices follow children from room to room. No other medium was able to take hold amongst little kids this fast.


Digital media is a part of daily life, and your child is likely to be very adept at using it from a young age. As a parent, you can guide your child by setting rules and expectations early on. Smartphones and tablets are just one part of the media mix that children encounter everyday, so it makes sense to take an overview. Doctors advised some simple steps to keep screen time in check: Limit your toddler’s exposure as much as possible. Bear in mind that, as a busy parent, it is easy to overestimate how active your child is. Second, Keep TV’s and computers out of your child’s bedroom. Third, don’t let your child on screen for more than two hours in a day in total. Help your child to monitor her screen use so that she can develop an awareness of time spent. That way she’ll learn to manage screen time as she grows. Last, choose programs that have an educational element. When you are choosing an app for your child, try to make sure it’s relevant to the things she is learning at home or preschool. That way, the app may help to reinforce her learning.

References:
Zero to Eight:
Children’s Media Use in America 2013  
A Common Sense Media Research Study                                                                                                                                                               


An Information Time Machine

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Have you ever wondered..


..what it would be like to look at information from the past without just reading textbooks or analyzing pictures, but by actually having context at a very close perspective?

Imagine the way we see places from a device such as Google Earth. Google Earth is an incredible invention that lets you view the whole Earth in 2D and 3D images, made possible by satellite technology and geospatial computer programs.

Now, imagine if you could view the Earth this way--but in a different era; a different period of time, holding different information. A few years ago, even the thought seemed impossible.
In present time, however, a project has been started to create such a way--to create an "Information Time Machine".

How could such a project be possible? We have such limited information about the past.
Frederic Kaplan, an inventor, professor, and president of an innovative interface company from EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne), presents his idea for the Venice Time Machine. How would he do it? With the help of an army of archivists, the immense Venetian archives, and the latest technology, Kaplan believes it would be possible through digitization, simulation, and extrapolating.

The project hopes to cover and document the previous thousand years or so in Venice to create a giant information system. It would take (as Kaplan estimates) around 10 years, since every document has to be transcribed, translated, and indexed before it could be digitized into space and time. This "time machine", though, not only plans to document Venice, but to also hopefully put the information in the whole European context.

With this, Kaplan admits it would be very hard--"errors would be everywhere", since not everything is historically trustworthy or correct. There could be mathematical errors, translating errors, and even interpretative biases. A solution Kaplan proposes to this problem is to use meta-data--document the whole process by transforming manuscripts into semantically rich structured data.

You may ask: how would a map of Venice in a space-time context be helpful to us?

It may seem like an impractical decision to spend a huge amount of money and time on a project that isn’t even 100% historically accurate. We have to, however, look ahead and see how this could affect our future. As I said a few paragraphs ago, this project would’ve been impossible 10 years ago. At the rate technology is developing, we can only imagine what could branch out from this project in 20, 30 years from now. In such a contextual setting, we might be able to see details or information in a new perspective and discover new things. Imagine how these would help historians, scientists, students, and a lot more of other fields. Imagine the museums we would have; how easy access would be to such rich information from so far back in the past.
Understanding the past can be our key to the future. 



Source: TED Talks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-Ev4rU27HY

Lunar Halo Madness

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          A sight of the moon gleaming on a dark night can be mesmerizing. But to see the moon surrounded by a halo? Majestic.
          
            Last January 13, 2014, Filipinos witnessed the uncommon spectacle in the sky called the “lunar halo” where the moon is seen to be surrounded by a huge ring that looks like a halo. Many netizens captured this majestic view and started posting pictures on different social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Some people referred to the image as the “moonbow” which spread like wild fire online.


Blame It on the Cirrus Clouds

            According to EarthSky.org, a lunar halo occurs “when high, thin cirrus clouds are drifting high above your head.” There is a belief that lunar halo is a sign of an upcoming storm since cirrus clouds arrives first before a storm but it does not necessarily mean that a storm is really likely to happen.

All About Refraction and Reflection

            The halo is caused by the ice crystals’ refraction which is the “splitting of light” and reflection which is the “glints of light” from the tiny ice crystals. Lunar halo, like the rainbow, is said to be “personal”. This means that if I sit next to you and we both look at the halo at the same time, each of us see the halo differently or in particular.

Jupiter at Sight

            If you looked more closely (probably by using telescopes or binoculars) at the sky, you could also see the planet Jupiter under the moon, near at the bottom part of the ring. Another spectacular view, right?
           
            No one knows when the next lunar halo will happen. So if you have seen it, you are lucky enough to be one of the people who have not missed this extraordinary phenomenon of the year by far. For those who haven’t, better watch out for the night sky!



References:

http://earthsky.org/todays-image/jupiter-airplane-and-lunar-halo-over-manila-on-january-13
http://earthsky.org/space/what-makes-a-halo-around-the-moon


KAPEKONOMIYA: Probing the UP Land Use

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             Our university is facing a number of issues, and as “iskolar ng bayan”, we have to take part on it because we are also the ones being affected by these issues.

            Having Prof. Ruperto Alonzo and Dr. Judy Taguiwalo as speakers for the forum last January 10, 2014, I became more aware of the issue about the use of our land and got better details of it.
            The issue of privatization is nothing new to UP. And the reason for the involvement of private sectors was for the university to focus more on its core mission – the pursuit of academic objectives and academic excellence. And being the national university, it is clearly stated in Section 22 of R.A. 9500 that the state shall support us through land grants, donations, and use of other properties. The income that can be derived from it will be used for the university’s development. Since UP has a vast land area, it is assumed by our government that the income generated from the lands being leased is enough for us to be a self-sufficient university, thus budget cut still continues.

            The use of UP lands has a great connection with the issue of our annual budget. It is said that most of our lands, despite the commercialization that’s happening, are not generating income and the budget we have from the government continues to decrease. If this is what’s happening, then where would we get our budget now? Our administration will then pass the burden to the students and increase tuition fees again. Going back to our core mission, how could we achieve those academic missions if in the very first place, pursuing education for “iskolar ng bayan” becomes a privilege and not a right anymore?

            I strongly agree with what the USC Chairperson said, that with the issue of PDAF, how can the government say that there are no funds? And with the use of our lands, there is the UP Ayala Land and Town Center that is said to be part of the UP Science and Technology Park. It’s said connection with science and technology is indeed questionable especially that the land is mostly occupied by private companies and that UP students are not even benefitting from it. I think that our government and the UP administration are doing the opposite of what is supposed to be done – making quality education accessible for everyone.

            That is why, as students, we should not just simply accept what is being offered to us. For instance, we should not just agree with the increase they wanted for tuition/laboratory fees. We have to be aware with what’s going on in our society. We have to fight for our rights and fight for what really is right.

            I just hope that the UP administration will listen to the voice of Isko and Iska, and that they will promote better use of our lands. And may our government indeed strengthen us and help us in promoting our academic missions as the national university for this is what they should really be doing.

Job Opening, Not for Filipinos

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      I was searching for interesting topics and short articles to read on the internet when suddenly, one of the titles flashing on the screen really caught my attention – “DOLE mulls opening up jobs to foreigners, says PH 'lacks skilled workers'”.

       An article on Yahoo News published last January 14, 2014 says that Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) released a list of local jobs, that is according to them, lack “skilled workers” and instead plan to offer them to the foreigners.  DOLE’s list includes architects, chemical engineers, chemists, geologists, licensed librarians, medical technologists, pilots, and aircraft mechanics. Article XII of the 1987 Philippine Constitution restricts entry of foreign professionals in the country but the government seems to be planning some kind of “brain gain”.


       According to the report of National Statistics Office (NSO), as of October 2013, the unemployment rate of the Philippines is reduced to 6.5% from July 2013’s 7.3 %. Although it is 0.8% lower, it still accounts for almost 2.6 million Filipinos who are unemployed. Out of these 2.6 million unemployed persons, 21.4% were college graduates, 13.9% were college undergraduates, and 33.5% were high school graduates. (Taborda 2013)


       Having this information, why would the government prioritized not its own constituents but rather those foreigners? Instead of giving those jobs to other people, why wouldn’t they give it to the 21.4% of the 2.6 million unemployed Filipinos who were actually college graduates? I don’t think that our country lacks skilled workers because we really aren’t. It just that the salary they offer to Filipinos isn’t enough to sustain our needs. And would you think foreign professionals would dare accept their offer compare to other country’s offer in the same profession? I don’t think so that the primary reason behind this plan is simply lack of professionals.

       For me, DOLE fails to acknowledge our graduates who are struggling to find such jobs. I just hope that they will try look inside here first before turning their heads on other countries for the “skilled workers” they’re searching for is actually just waiting for those jobs. 

 References:
1.  http://anc.yahoo.com/news/dole-mulls-opening-up-jobs-to-foreigners-amid--lack-of-skilled-workers--060451754.html
2. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/philippines/unemployment-rate

What’s your car’s OS?

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The modern times of today has been influenced by technology in ways one cannot even imagine would be possible a few decades ago. Life before was as simple as it could be. From man’s daily life in his home to his work, things are done the way things should be done – that is until technology continued to progress and evolve over the years. Smartphones are a big example of such. Who would have thought cellular phones would have a built-in camera? Or that it could read our mails? Even the existence of cellular phones itself is something that people before did not even thought possible. Nowadays, conglomerates tend to release every so often the newest model, the latest trend and the most up to date operating software to our smartphones. Everything that man does today has been influenced by technology. And who would have thought that cars can have an operating software as well?

In a recent article by Hal Hodson (2014), he stated that Google together with Nvdia has partnered with four major companies such as Audi, General Motors, Honda and Hyundai to introduce the Android operating system in their automobiles. This news was made known to the public at the recently held Consumer Electronic show which was held last January 7-10 in Las Vegas. This alliance, the Open Automotive Alliance aims to provide a built-in 4G internet and other applications such as navigation and entertainment. Surely this development in the world of technology made a lot of noise since cars that are operated by Android – or simply by an operating system which is used on smartphones and computers seems to be unimaginable.

It was also stated in the article that Apple and Microsoft have also partnered with other car companies to introduce such development in automobiles. Surely these conglomerates would be racing once again to see who will be on top of the game. Bryan Reimer (2014) of MIT’s AgeLab as stated by Hodson (2014) said that introducing this technology to cars, mostly if it is activated by voice could lessen the use of phones when driving - which will lead to a safer rod for everyone. I surely agree with his statement. Tragedies caused by irresponsible drivers would definitely lessen once this kind of technology is perfected and introduced to the market.

Technology has indeed greatly affected the lives of men nowadays. Men cannot survive anymore in this day and age without the help of technology. The continuous quest of man to find answers to questions will surely bring in more types of development in technology in the future. Who knows, one day we might be able to find the right formula to develop teleportation?

Reference:
Hodson, H. (2014). Clever cars with Android keep you online as you drive. In NewsScientist. Retrieved on January 10, 2014 from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24856-clever-cars-with-android-keep-you-online-as-you-drive.html#.UtNbe9JDtnG


The Hoax and the Cyber World

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What could be worse than re-experiencing Yolanda? Well, experiencing a stronger super typhoon , of course.

As comprehensively narrated by the Filipino Scribe, the cyber sphere was rattled last January 2 when news broke out that a super typhoon will be approaching the Philippines by January 16 or 17 in this same year. Philippine Storm Update, a Facebook page, published that a low pressure area (LPA) has formed in the Southwest part of the Pacific Ocean and was allegedly said to be as strong as Typhoon Yolanda (International Name: Haiyan) . Following the list of typhoon names for 2014, the said typhoon will be named "Agaton".

The bulletin identified the Visayas and Southern Luzon regions as areas to be affected. Panic was felt and expressed by netizens by sharing the post nearly 20,000 times and commenting with their sentiments. A number of people asked if the news was true. Some cursed whoever shared the news. Others simply called for solidarity in prayers.

It turns out, the news was a hoax.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) rectified the situation to halt the spread of the rumor, clarify what is happening, and pacify the netizens. The agency said that a low pressure area (LPA) was detected but was in fact still far from the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). The typhoon can even weaken and dissipate so there is no evidence that it will be as strong as typhoon Yolanda (yet). However, the typhoon can possibly enter the PAR this month.

This scenario raises important things that we should ponder upon. Aside from the political aspects of disaster preparedness, budget allocations, and government capability (or incapability) of addressing a new typhoon despite having the debris of Yolanda unsettled, I aim to discuss a different side of the story; specifically, the manner netizens accept and reject information.

The power to disseminate information is indeed immense in the cyber world. A single post or tweet can spread faster than the black plague. The downside is, information may or may not be true. Rumor or truth? It doesn't matter. A post that speaks to our emotions and experiences will be easily believed, especially if there is some degree of connectedness or if netizens can easily relate. In the case of the Typhoon Agaton news, what can be observed is the passivity of netizens (particularly Filipino netizens) to information. The scenario is: we read news, we share it, we comment on it. But how many people actually recheck for its validity? Is "Googling" enough as a verifier? Most importantly, public awareness on these matters should be raised, especially on matters like knowing what agencies or institutions are authorities on such issues. A trustworthy friend who reposts some news articles is definitely less credible than persons who are directly involved, more knowledgeable, and immersed in their fields.

This "passivity", the manner we effortlessly accept and churn information, can be related to the article previously assigned for us to read. In our society, the education system for elementary schools (and in some cases, the secondary and tertiary levels) is tailored to feed natural science directly to us for consumption. The point of questioning is non-existent. It was published, and therefore, it follows that it is true. Arguably, this may in fact be true as it is manifested in how "some" (so as to avoid generalizations without actual research) easily believe what is posted on the internet and in other types of media. This is why I am deeply grateful that UP teaches students to be critical thinkers. By critical thinking, you do not act like a sponge absorbing whatever is given to you. You start to question, to doubt, and to challenge its validity by research. You start the quest for the truth, and as the popular cliche goes, the truth may indeed set you free: that is, freedom from ignorance and false beliefs. I believe that every man should be freed from this enslavement. Simply put, think and RETHINK before you act.

REFERENCE:
http://filipinoscribe.com/2014/01/04/typhoon-agaton/