Saturday, May 29, 2010

RUNNING FOR TREES - Nature Valley Fun Run 2010

RUNNING.....Running is such a popular fitness activity these days that in spite of the evening heat, I can still see a lot of people running around Global City. Well, actually I am one of them but what I actually do is run a few hundred metres then it would turn into a leisure jog then to a brisk walk before settling into a stroll around Bonifacio Global City. But after 10 to 20 minutes of walking, I would then run again, briefly, then finally jog and crawl back to a leisure walk back to our place. This will go on for a little over an hour two to three times a week.

Why did I go into running (actually jogging)? I joined some fun runs back when I was still in the university and I occasionally jog around the campus and in our subdivision when we still had a house in Antipolo. I usually do it alone and not with anybody else less they see how physically unfit I was. Unfortunately, to this day, I still am. After that, I lost interest and have not picked up running until some people in the place where I work thought of encouraging us to participate in running events as part of the company's regular activities. Of course, the company partly sponsors our participation. So here I am jogging in fun runs! More importantly, I just want to lose weight (my doctor sternly reminded me to engage in regular exercise). Perhaps after I do lose weight, then I can stop punishing myself. But seriously, I hope to keep on jogging and running for fitness and health and I need all the help, prayers, encantations and motivation to keep me from falling back to a sedentary lifestyle.

I digress, this Sunday, 30 May 2010, a few of us will be participating in the Nature Valley (sponsor!!! God bless them!) Run in Bonifacio Global City. As they say in their flyers, ONE RUNNER = ONE TREE. For every registered participant, one tree will be planted in the Ipo Watershed in Norzagaray, Bulacan. This is being done in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Bayanihang Bayan Legacy Project. Of course, any reclaimed hectares of land with planted trees will not survive if not tended to. It is here that we commend the assistance of the Dumagat community who we hope will take care of these trees we help plant. Let us ensure that our sponsors, Nature Valley, the DENR and others will follow through and assist the community in taking care of our trees long after the fun run.

See you in the race. You can see me there, an unfit fellow jogging in the midst of runners!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Manila Temperatures - It's too hot in Manila

If you live in Manila, the city is sizzling with mercury levels topping 35 to 36 degrees celsius around noon to early afternoon. Based on available information from the weather monitoring instruments set up at the Manila airport, Manila temperatures for the last three days beginning Monday, the following temperature highs were recorded (in degrees celsius):

Monday, 24 May, 1400H, 34 deg
Tuesday, 25 May, 1400H, 35 deg
Wednesday, 26 May, 1200H, 36 deg

Whether you believe in global warming and climate change or not, you feel it. As far as I can remember, it has never been this hot in Manila for prolonged periods. At this time, I will be following the temperature highs for the next few weeks until the onset of the rainy season which hopefully will come by June.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Climate Change - Volcanic Eruptions & Global Warming

Climate Change - Volcanic Eruptions & Global Warming - What Do Volcanic Eruptions Really Do?
While we all look on in astonishment at the recent major disruption caused by the Iceland Volcano eruption bellowing its ash cloud high into our skies, there is believe it or not a benefit to be gained from this apparent catastrophe. In reference to Global Warming, volcanic eruptions actually create a cooling effect to the Earth that can reduce climate change, but is the Icelandic volcano eruption big enough?

One such event that climate change gained from was when Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines back in 1991. It is said it reduced the temperature of the Earths' surface by 0.5 degrees Celsius, which offset the greenhouse gases from 1991 to 1993 and a similar event was caused by the Mount St Helens volcanic eruption in Washington USA back in 1980.

This is caused by the volcanic ash particles and sulphur dioxide reaching the stratosphere. There is then a chemical reaction which causes the volcanic particles to create a mirrored effect that reflects the Suns' rays away from the Earth, similar to reflecting the Sun away using a shiny object.

That is of course providing that the ash plume from a volcano is significant enough in dissipating the right quantity of ash and that it reaches the stratosphere. Others such as the Iceland volcanic eruption sometimes only make it into the troposphere where the ash is dispersed over a wide area by very strong winds.
There are volcanic eruptions happening all the time, but it seems you are only aware of them if you live near one or are affected by it erupting. For instance a volcano erupted the same day as the Iceland volcano did, but on the other side of the World in Japan. This was a dormant volcano that has shocked the Japanese, but how many of us either know about it or are affected by it? Very few I suspect.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clive_Anderson

Here's something to think about climate change issues. It is good to know that at least Mount Pinatubo actually reversed for a time climate change issues with regard to global warming trends.