Planet Earth Part 2: "Are We Not Alone?"

I was silently absorbed about what a CNN anchor was announcing just a few days ago. It has something to do with European astronomers discovering what might be an "extrasolar planet" where life could possibly be existing. Whence as before, scientists were focused on studies about the planet Mars as a probable planet where human being could exist, the discovery of the earthlike planet could spawn another recourse in our astronomer’s efforts.
Truly man’s advancements and the continuous exploration of our space for the past 30 years or so had caused as well major alterations in our science subjects. The satellite shuttles launched into space were armed with high tech facilities that were able to capture more new and accurate perspective that had erased what we can now consider as ancient facts about our solar system. During my grade school days, I was made to believe that earth is not flat and we tend to gravitate toward our planet’s center even if it’s round. Further, our basic knowledge then about the solar system is that it consists of a sun, 9 planets and each planet with corresponding satellites or moons, asteroids, meteors, shooting stars, and zillions upon zillions of stars. The Earth had only one moon while the bigger planets like Jupiter and Saturn have many. We cannot even accept the fact that Mars has two moons while we only have one.
What is this new planet all about? Please take note of the following background about the discovery:
"The planet was discovered by the European Southern Observatory's telescope in La Silla, Chile, which has a special instrument that splits light to find wobbles in different wavelengths. Those wobbles can reveal the existence of other worlds.
What they revealed is a planet circling the red dwarf star, Gliese 581. Red dwarfs are low-energy, tiny stars that give off dim red light and last longer than stars like our sun. Until a few years ago, astronomers didn't consider these stars as possible hosts of planets that might sustain life.The discovery of the new planet, named 581 c, is sure to fuel studies of planets circling similar dim stars. About 80 percent of the stars near Earth are red dwarfs."
Here are more suppositions about the planet that were hypothesized by the observers:
The new planet is about 20 years light away in the constellation of Libra
13 days on that planet is about one year in ours.
A person would weigh a lot more there
Temperature is almost the same as Earth, between 32 and 104 degrees
The planet is about 5 times heavier than Earth
Gravity is 1.6 times stronger
There is still doubts about the atmosphere which could possibly be conducive
It could probably full of liquid water which is critical to life
These findings are of course hypothetical at this stage and needs further evaluation and more efforts, logistics, high tech inventions, and definitely time to confirm. What is amazing about all of this is the capability of the satellites and the high tech gadgets that were launched onto space to explore more and more new discoveries that could cause major alterations about man’s knowledge of astronomy. This would of course have a major offshoot as well in everyone’s future. And in case there will truly be another life out there beyond our planet, what would be its form? Could they possibly the same forms that we see on big budget Hollywood movies depicting alien visits coming from extraterrestrial entities. Or perhaps life there is only about to start forming and would have to undergo more years of evolution until eventually they would also be like intelligent and creative human beings who would continue to cause so much impact perhaps not only on their own planet but on the whole unbounded, and timeless macrocosm called universe.

Pan's Labyrinth

I had been dying to see this movie. I got a pirated copy some weeks ago for fifty bucks. Unfortunately, there were no English subtitles I only viewed the first three minutes. Until last Wednesday, April 25, I was able to catch it last full show with Ross at Megamall.
The movie is basically a fantasy movie and with a surreal touch as experienced by the a young Spanish girl named Ofelia, who would be playing the main character. Having a penchant for fairy tale stories, she soon found herself getting in touch with the underworld creatures. Perhaps it was her disappointment with her mother’s new husband, a powerful and arrogant Spanish civil war officer, that forced her to imagine and experience the fairy tale stories as outlet to escape from the harsh reality. Her mother was pregnant while acceding to the cruel husband’s tyrant disposition. The underworld creatures, in the form of fairies and a fawn would promise her to bring her back to her kingdom as their lost princess. The promise was not however served on a silver platter, as she has to accomplish some tasks that would perhaps challenge her discipline and determination. These would lead her to encounter scary underworld creatures like a monster frog underneath an old huge tree where she would retrieve a golden key and a mutant like being with a pair of eye on its pair of palm and from which she would secure a golden knife. In the meantime, and going back to her reality, Ofelia and her mother would continue to suffer from the hands of her stepfather. The story happened post civil war in Spain circa 40’s. The stepfather has his own men and artillery based on the mountains and where they continuously encounter resistance from the guerillas. Eventually, the guerillas would end victorious, kill the stepfather, and recover Ofelia’s baby brother. But her stepfather would also kill Ofelia after stealing her baby brother. The death of Ofelia would reunite her with her fantasy parents who are the king and the queen of the underworld while she being the lost princess. And she would live happily ever after.
Ivana Vasquez, the young Spanish actress who portrayed Ofelia was convincing in truly expressing innocence amidst the overwhelming power displayed by both her underworld experiences and her miseries under the hands of her vicious stepfather. The latter on the other hand, portrayed by the Spanish actor whose name I momentarily slipped from my memory, was a natural villain, his performance creating an impact on the viewers. I wished I would have a turn shooting him at the end of the story.
Not to be missed in recognition are the technical aspects namely the production design, cinematography, special effects, make up and art direction. No wonder it would eventually be cited by the motion picture of America as the best in as far as the technical aspects or as mentioned earlier.
While it may be true that fantasy movies could help a viewer escape from his or her present reality even within two hours of being absorbed, scary movies about monsters and miseries of war devastation makes a viewer thankful and secure. Advances in special effects, animations, make ups, production designs etc… makes a viewer believe further that what they are seeing on screen are the precise imagery even if these are only the movie creator’s perceptions.
By and large, Pan’s Labyrinth is a movie I can recommend to friends especially those with a knack for a film’s technical aspects.

Beating The Scorching Summer Heat

I can’t appreciate summer anymore as an enjoyable season based on observations for the past two or three years. It’s not because I feel awkward wearing summer outfits that would not fit my al most 40-inch belly. Nor going to spend weekend escapades in beaches or pools, which had, been stressful in all aspects including the pocket. Summer nowadays is so punishing you look forward to ending the season as quickly as possible. Last April 17. Manila registered a scorching temperature of 36.8 degrees, the highest so far this year. While the highest recorded in our country’s history was at 42.2 way back year 1969, this possibility of reaching that point seems not remote as extrinsic contributory factors continue to be the cause of unrelenting climate changes. Talk about global warming, former Vice President Al Gore had been outspoken about the dangers of this phenomenon and had been advocating measures that will minimize and prevent its global effects particularly on the climate. In any case, since we have been an acceding recipient of the intense summer heat for the past weeks, we have no other alternative but take preventive measures that will protect us from probable hazards. Consider the following personal advises that I can share:
Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. This is a very basic measure as more body fluids are lost during summer in the form of sweat. Water would also add coolness inside our body.
Take a bath or shower at least twice in a day. Better still, more than twice as your need will require. It is just unbelievable that sweating becomes evident even without moving your body.
Protect yourself from the sun while outside using hats or umbrellas. If you are male specie and a Pinoy, the practical use of umbrellas not only during the rainy seasons becomes a basic need as a shield. There is nothing to be ashamed about anymore.
Lotions with specific sun block protections would also be a necessity while going to the beach or any summer escapades for that matter. I use petroleum jelly as an additive topical preparation.
Stay indoors most of the day. The heat outside starting from 10 am up to 4 PM is more risk carrying of damaging our skin that could induce aging woes like wrinkles etc…
Save your dark and thick clothes for the cool months while don yourself more with light materials and colors.
Have your hair trimmed or set in styles that would be convenient. Skinheads cut are advisable. Being bald would be much better.
For the rest of the year, consumption of air conditioner units would be more evident during this season. While it could utilize much of your monthly expense budget there will be approaches that could control its use. Of course that would be on a case to case basis.

I assume that many that have read this piece are actually practicing such. Although there could be other advises that I may not yet be cognizant at the moment, I will welcome additional tips that you can share via comments.
Further, cases of hypertension during this season would count to significant numbers so I also advise being cool in every situation and avoid practices that could lead to increased blood level pressure.