"Awareness ,The Earth,Our Habitat"

Global warming is perhaps the most important environmental problem in the world today. Levels of greenhouse gases are increasing in the atmosphere due to human activities, and are changing the composition of the atmosphere and global warming. Climate scientists agree that human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels contribute to the problem. Scientists have predicted the phenomemon of global warming for decades. Unfortunately, some of the adverse effects of global warming, they have also predicted begin to occur throughout the world, including:

Growing incidence of droughts in some areas, floods in others;
The rising temperatures of oceans and the sea level;
increase extreme weather events such as tornadoes and hurricanes;

The melting of mountain glaciers and the reduction of snow cover;
Dying coral reefs, and
Coastal erosion, and loss of coastal ecosystems.

While a handful of skeptics continue to discuss science, the World 'scientists agree: science is in. Global warming is happening.

What is global warming

What scientists say: The Intergovernmental Group of Experts on International Climate Change (IPCC), an organization of more than 2000 climate scientists , has produced three scientific assessments concerning climate change and, in each, has concluded that global warming occurs, and is related to human activity. Their latest report (January 2001) stated that: "There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities."

The US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded in June 2001 that: "Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth 'atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing air temperatures on the surface and subsurface of the Ocean temperatures on the rise. Temperatures are, in fact increasing. "And he added: " national policy decisions made now and in the longer-term future will influence the extent of any damage suffered by vulnerable populations and ecosystems later in this century. "The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued an unprecedented alert in July 2003 warning that " Extreme weather events Might Increase "in the world.

The alert tied a record number of extreme weather events such as tornadoes and heat waves in 2003 to global warming. The alert said: "Record extremes in weather and climate events continue to occur around the world. Recent scientific assessments indicate that, as the global temperatures continue to warm due to climate change, the number and intensity of extreme events might increase. "Here in the United States, some states are taking action. The private sector is also responding to this challenge.

What is global warming What is the United States about global warming? The Bush administration, unfortunately, has turned its back on this problem. Shortly after taking office in 2001, President Bush went back on a campaign promise to regulate carbon emissions from the power plants (a major source of pollution to global warming).

The Climate Change Plan announced by President Bush in February 2002, calls for a 18 percent reduction of greenhouse gases "intensity " in 2012, which translates into a 14 per cent more greenhouse gases during this period. As pointed out by the US General Accounting Office (GAO) in October, 2003 report, however, the "plan " represents virtually 'business as usual. 'The report states: "While the emissions of greenhouse gases in the United States rose Significantly, the Energy Information Administration of the United States reported that the emission intensity has been generally declining steadily since 50 years.

"The Bush Climate Change Plan allows greenhouse gases continue to rise while the long decline in emissions intensity is also continued. Fortunately, the United States Congress are beginning to demand action in the light of the continued blocking of the Bush administration. In the very first Senate vote on a mandate of the American policy cuts greenhouse gases, which took place in October 2003, 43 members of the Senate voted in favor of the measure, with 55 voting members of the objection.

The authors of legislation, Senator from Arizona John McCain and Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut have promised to push for another vote on the bill, the Climate Stewardship Act, in 2004, and believe that they may even have enough votes for the measure to pass the Senate.

"To All Filipinos"

My Fellow Filipinos,

When I was small, the Philippine peso was P2 to the $dollar . The president was Diosdado Macapagal . Life was simple. Life was easy. My father was a farmer. My mother kept a small sari-sari store where our neighbors bought sang-perang asin, sang-perang bagoong, sang-perang suka, sang-perang toyo at pahinging isang butil na bawang. Our backyard had kamatis, kalabasa, talong, ampalaya, upo, batao, and okra. Our silong had chicken. We had a pig, dog & cat. And of course, we lived on the farm. During rainy season, my father caught frogs at night which my mother made into batute (stuffed frog), or just plain fried. During the day, he caught hito and dalag from his rice paddies, which he would usually inihaw. During dry season, we relied on the chickens, vegetables, bangus, tuyo, and tinapa. Every now and then, there was pork and beef from the town market. Life was so peaceful , so quiet, no electricity, no TV. Just the radio for Tia Dely, Roman Rapido, Tawag ng Tanghalan and Tang-tarang-tang. And who can forget Leila Benitez on Darigold Jamboree? On weekends, I played with my neighbours (who were all my cousins). Tumbang-preso, taguan, piko, luksong lubid, patintero, at iba pa. I don't know about you, but I miss those days.
These days, we face the TV, Internet, e-mail, newspaper, magazine,grocery catalog, or drive around. The peso is a staggering and incredible P40 to the $dollar. Most people can't have fun anymore. Life has become a battle. We live to work. Work to live. Life is not easy. I was in Saudi Arabia in 1983. It was lonely, difficult, & scary . It didn't matter if you were a man or a woman. You were a target for rape. The salary was cheap & the vacation far between. If the boss didn't want you to go on holiday, you didn't. They had your passport. Oh, and the agency charged you almost 4months of your salary (which, if you had to borrow on a "20% per month arrangement" meant your first year's pay was all gone before you even earned it). The Philippines used to be one of the most important countries in Asia . Before & during my college days, many students from neighboring Asian countries like Malaysia , Indonesia , Japan and China went to the Philippines to get their diplomas. Like Thailand , they went to study agricultures in UP Los Banos and earned their bachelors in the Phils and now we imports rice from them. It's opposite now. Philippines used to be the exporter of any agriculture products but now it's different. We imports because not much land (farms) they can cultivate due to private sectors who focused on developing houses, buildings, supermarkets, mall and others. What happened now? What's the government doing? Checking their own pocket, their own personal interest and pork barrels. Wow!

Until 1972,like President Macapagal, President Marcos was one of the most admired presidents of the world. The Peso had kept its value of P7 to the $dollar until I finished college . Today, the Philippines is famous as the "housemaid" capital of the world. It ranks very high as the "cheapest labor" capital of the world, too. We have maids in Hong Kong , laborers in Saudi Arabia , dancers in Japan ,migrants and TNTs in Australia and the US , and all sorts of other "tricky" jobs in other parts of the globe. Quo Vadis, Pinoy? Is that a wonder or a worry? Are you proud to be a Filipino, or does it even matter anymore? When you see the Filipino flag and hear the Pambansang Awit, do you feel a sense of pride or a sense of defeat & uncertainty? If only things could change for the better....... Hang on for this is a job for Superman. Or whom do you call? Ghostbusters. Joke. Right?

This is one of our problems.

We say "I love the Philippines ... I am proud to be a Filipino."

When I send you a joke, you send it to everyone in your address book even if it kills the Internet. But when I send you a note on how to save our country & ask you to forward it, what do you do?

You chuck it in the bin.

I want to help the maids in Hong Kong .. I want to help the laborers in Saudi Arabia ... I want to help the dancers in Japan ... I want to help the TNTs in America and Australia ...

I want to save the people of the Philippines ... But I cannot do it alone. I need your help and everyone else's.

So please forward this e-mail to your friends. If you say you love the Philippines , prove it. And if you don't agree with me, say something anyway. Indifference is a crime on its own .

Juan Delacruz

"Life and Help"

If there is a future there is time for mending
Time to see your troubles coming to an ending

Life is never helpless however great your sorrows
If you're looking forward to a new tomorrow

If there is time to wishing then there is time for hopping
When through doubt and darkness you are blindly groping

Though the heart be heavy and hurt you may be feeling
If there is time for praying there is time for healing

So if through your window there is new day breaking
Thank God for the promise, though mind and soul be aching

If with harvest over there is grain enough for gleaning
There is new tomorrow and life still has meaning

"Lend A Hand & Change Lives"

The Helping Movement

The Helping Movement is continuing to gain momentum and is proving to be an effective and easy to use resource for people in need as well as providing volunteers a unique opportunity to help their community on an individual basis.

Just recently a local Ithaca resident, Helen, was given until the end of March to remove all of her collected life belongings from her basement or her landlord would have been forced to dispose of the items due to fire code issues. These items meant the world to Helen and to lose any of them would have been devastating.

After extensive searching for a place to store her belongings she was able to secure an affordable storage unit; but her next challenge was moving a completely full basement across town without access to a truck or manpower.

Helen contacted the Helping Movement and explained her dilemma. The Helping Movement was able to recruit six volunteers, including myself, and one truck to move her belongings the morning of March 29th. We arrived at 9:30am and the smile on Helen’s face was amazing.

She was so taken back by the amount of support total strangers were willing to give her without asking for anything in return. The entire move took only about five hours, but the experience will be remembered for a lifetime.

"Let us help all the less fortunate children around the world"

"LEND A HAND & HELP SAVE THE LIVES OF LESS FORTUNATE CHILDREN ALL OVER THE WORLD,ACT NOW & MAKE A DIFFERENCE,EVEN SMALLEST ACT COUNTS"



There is a growing epidemic in Africa that needs serious attention. It is that of children that have been orphaned as a result of AIDS. Today there are over 34 million orphans in Africa. Of those 34 million, over 11 million have been orphaned as a direct result of their parents succumbing to AIDS. In fact, more than 8 out of every 10 children in the world whose parents have died of AIDS live in Africa. In the last 10 years alone, the percentage of children who have been orphaned due to AIDS has risen at an alarming rate from 3.5% to 32%. This tragedy has far greater reaching effects than just that of the children. The burden of raising these children falls on other family members or to orphanages whose funds are severely over-stretched already.

That's where Heart 4 Heart comes in. The primary focus of the Heart 4 Heart Foundation is on easing the financial burden of raising these children through donations made to several organizations and foundations including Children of Hope. These donations come from funds that have been raised through efforts by the "Congress of Kids," the creative arm of Heart 4 Heart. This group of philanthropic-minded young people have set their hearts on answering God's call to help those less fortunate around the world. The ingenuity by which they accomplish this is turning heads and many others are beginning to get on board. As God begins to bless the efforts of these kids who answer His call, let's not forget to thank Him for the ones that are truly being blessed... the orphaned children of Africa.