Notes to self

Scientific American Top 10 Myths about Sustainability by Michael D. Lemonick: "Even advocates for more responsible, environmentally benign ways of life harbor misunderstandings of what "sustainability" is all about" (via PP list)

Claim: "Myth 9: Sustainability is ultimately a population problem.* This is not a myth, but it represents a false solution. Every environmental problem is ultimately a population problem. If the world’s population were only 100 million people, we would be hard-pressed to generate enough waste to overwhelm nature’s cleanup systems. We could dump all our trash in a landfill in some remote area, and nobody would notice. Population experts agree that the best way to limit population is to educate women and raise the standard of living generally in developing countries. But that strategy cannot possibly happen quickly enough to put a dent in the population on any useful timescale. The U.N. projects that the planet will have to sustain another 2.6 billion people by 2050. But even at the current population level of 6.5 billion, we’re using up resources at an unsustainable rate. There is no way to reduce the population significantly without trampling egregiously on individual rights (as China has done with its one-child policy), encouraging mass suicide or worse. None of those proposals seems preferable to focusing directly on less wasteful use of resources."

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In Philstar, William Esposo tries to detail here some of the foul things that the Americans did to us that our history books don't tell -- not that we're trying to be anti-American commies, we're just trying to be more fair, balanced, objective, and historically accurate, says he. Amen. (via chance encounter)

Abstract: "Many Filipinos still live with the illusion of a benevolent US as colonizer, a US that liberated us from the brutal Japanese during World War II in the Pacific and a US that always championed democracy. In fact, the US was no less exploitative than our previous colonial masters. Had the US respected the neutrality provisions of the Tydings-McDuffie Act, Japan would not have justification to attack us in 1942. It was the US who wanted Ferdinand Marcos to impose martial law in 1972. During that period when martial law was declared here, there was a series of dictatorships that sprouted in Asia and the Americas which were sponsored by the US. The US feared the Domino Theory — the spread of Communism and the overwhelming of many weak democracies. Now, a US that is waging war against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan is also a US that is siring the birth of a Moro Homeland in the Philippines. Today, the dwindling oil reserves in the world and the fear of China becoming more powerful than the US are two major factors that are pushing American policy makers to resort anew to employing unconventional means. To be able to check China, the US must have access and control of the South China Sea. Control of the South China Sea enables the US to cut off China from its main shipping lanes. It also gives the US the presence to be able to possess the suspected big oil reserves in the South China Sea. US power extends only up to the Pacific Ocean. Study the layout of the aborted BJE (Bangsamoro Juridical Entity) and there you will see the importance of the Moro Homeland in facilitating US geopolitical objectives. Without the BJE, there can be no US presence and control of the South China Sea. Clearly, the future of US domination in Asia rests heavily on the BJE. The Americans have been known to do worse things for lesser objectives."

However, Mr. Esposo, would you rebut the argument that, without US's interventionist policy, we would've been a communist state? Hope you'll have a separate column on this.

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Bo Sanchez wants to hug you. Moving, eye-opening, and profound thoughts. Sample: "When it comes to death, I’ve realized that there are only two kinds of people: Those who are afraid to die. And those who are not afraid to die. All classifications disappear. Rich. Poor. Educated. Not educated. When it comes to death, they’re all the same. They’re either afraid or not afraid to die. I’ve noticed that when a person’s heart is filled with love, he isn’t afraid to die. But a person whose heart lacks love has great fear of death. I’ve noticed that many of them, as children, weren’t loved. Or they experienced traumas early in life, making them fearful people. I’ve realized that behind all our minor fears is really The One Great Fear: The Fear of Death. If you fear rejection, you actually fear social death. If you fear heights, or sickness, or anything else in this world, you actually fear the loss of self—which is another word for death. Here’s what the Bible says: Perfect love casts out all fear. I’ve noticed that people whose hearts are filled with God’s love aren’t afraid to die. They know death will bring them more of God and more of love." (via Lito)