Blatant Display of Abuse of Power

                                                     By Vic Odarve

Sometimes we have to pay attention to tiresome people that hit world headlines. Authoritarian rule continues sacking political rivals who are threat to his government; political warlords and members of their dynasty break the rules of legal regulations and ordinances; and wealthy business moguls and their family members seem to be worshipped like God. These pictures and many incidents are examples of blatant oppression of the poor by the powerful.

Mr Putin

Recently, Russian President Putin has acted an iron hand to its political opponent Alexei Navalny. In the final judgment, Alexie was sentenced to five-year prisons on fabricated charges with stealing a small amount of money on the sale of timber. This man is really a thorn to Putin; responsible in exposing high level of corruption in the country; organizers of anti-Putin demonstrations following the disputed parliamentary and presidential elections; and charismatic blogger and activist-thus plenty of followers. As such he could not run for public office; thus Putin has successfully removed Navalny from formal politics.

North Korea president's uncle on trial

While in North Korea, Dictator Kim Jong II brutally killed his powerful uncle, who had been considered as second in command, for allegedly attempting to overthrow the state; his uncle was stripped naked, thrown into a cage, and eaten alive by a pack of ravenous dogs. These are blatant display of abuse of power.

Not only the authoritarian rulers demonstrate their abusive powers, Philippine political warlords and dynasty, sometimes close their eyes to the established laws and regulations. Last Nov. 30, 2013, as the main gate was

Uncle executed and eaten by dogs

already closed after 10 PM, Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, together with his sister, Senator Nancy, was advised to use the other exit gate at the posh Dasmariñas Village in Makati City.

 

“Don’t you know me?” Mayor Junjun Binay said.  The mayor berated the gate guards, and his escort brandishing firearms as they got down from their vehicles. The three security guards were reportedly arrested and detained by officers of the Makati Police on orders of the Mayor. And finally, after the incident, the father who is the Vice President, merely said” A little courtesy for the mayor, please.” It is a blatant oppression of the poor by the powerful.

VP Binay

Sometimes even the family members of influential business tycoon feel themselves worthy of worship… live higher than Pharaohs and kings. A month ago, a Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-ah berated a flight attendant in front of other passengers, made him kneel before her and ordered the pilot to take the plane back to the gate to let him off. The plane was about to take off at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport. After the incident, her father who is the owner and chair of the airline company, apologized in public and called her daughter “foolish.” A display of abuse of power!

Since biblical times, the mighty and powerful live in a fabulous and lavish lifestyle, and have the power over life and death of an individual. Some of these men don't even deserve pity; they stain themselves with the blood of the innocents; they live like a king and princes, but like everyone else, they will perish and return to the dusts.

Harmattan- a Season of Dry and Dusty Wind

                                                       By Vic Odarve

Unlike most tropical countries which feature distinct wet and dry climates, some African countries meet this unique season called Harmattan- a season of dry and dust wind. These extremely dust laden winds block out the sun for days and severely limit visibility like a heavy fog or cloudy mists and bring wide fluctuations in the surroundings  between days and nights.

Fog of dusts over the Catholic Prayer Ministry

The Harmattan is a seasonal wind, which is an extremely dry and dusty that blows at intermittent strengths from the Sahara toward the westerly coast of Africa every year from November through March. This wind builds up during the dry season when a high pressure system of the subtropical ridge stays over the central Sahara Desert and a low pressure system of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) stays over the Gulf of Guinea. The wind picks up fine dust and sand particles (0.5 – 10 micrometers) as it passes over the Sahara, and brings it all the way to Nigeria and its neighboring countries on the western coast 

Clouds of dust over the tennis court

of Africa. Every morning seems misty with fogs hovering the buildings and mountain ranges. The fogs are formed from minute suspended dust particles which find its way into homes, regardless of keeping them close. Dusts deposit on the floors, rooms, and almost all parts inside the house can be observed every day.

The foggy atmosphere sometimes causes the visibility less than 500 m and vehicles have to put their lights on during the daytime. When visibility becomes a problem, some flights are cancelled or diverted to other routes which cause airlines millions of dollars.

Air humidity oftentimes drops to as low as 15 percent, which in effect, cause the season’s temperature widely fluctuates; it is usually cool at night with temperatures can be as low as 9 °C (48 °F) and can soar to 30C (86F) during the afternoon. There are reports that due to low humidity some people suffered nose bleeding.

Due to the wind laden with dust, some varieties of crops  severely damaged; its interaction with monsoon wind reportedly caused tornadoes; and interrupt commerce and daily life for days.

As we love to see the beautiful mists and fogs crowning mountain ranges and meet all fairies and magical creatures way back to Asian and western countries, this Harmattan-a dust laden misty fog affects peoples' lives. Some people view these things differently and alter their lives – sometimes in very subtle ways, sometimes more obviously. This season brings bad tempers and poor decisions making, and worse, get their lives irritable.

Nigerian Fluted Pumpkin; Health Benefits

By Vic Odarve

If Asian and western countries have their own exotic and nourishing green leafy vegetables, Nigeria has fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis), a vegetable whose leaves and seeds becomes a part of their daily food preparation. Not only known as essential ingredients for their specialty pepper soup, this dark green leafy vegetable has medicinal and commercial values.

Nigerian Fluted Pumpkin

Fluted pumpkin is a tropical climber leafy vegetables belong to a family of “cucurbitaceae". In Nigeria, these plants are widely cultivated in the eastern part of the country by an Igbo tribe. These climbing vines are widely cultivated for its leaves. The fruit is big and sometimes weigh as much as 14 kilograms. It looks like a giant fruit from a cocoa tree… dark

At our backyard

and chalky color with a thick outer covering. The seeds are red blood in color and can be boiled or roasted for eating. It contains protein, potassium, iron, and other nutritious substance.

Nigerians, particularly the Igbo tribe, used the leaves as the main ingredients in making pepper soup. Since yams are one of the most important staple foods of Nigeria, this pepper soup serves as a sauce during eating. It is as important as fish and meat by Western and Asian people.  The young shoots and tender stem of the plants are also nutritious and delicious to eat. Almost all restaurants serve pepper soup as

Leaves are used as pepper soup

you order any foodstuff from the counter. And tasting this native sauce enjoyed by the native population is an experience that should not be missed for an expatriate.

The plant has many medicinal values. Several studies from various Nigerian universities showed the fluted pumpkin leaves can be used to lower diabetes and heart disease risks, including hypertensions; contains lots of phytonutrients which are thought to reduce the risks of breast and stomach cancers, and useful therapy for hypercholesterolemia through reducing oxidative stress and cholesterol levels. Lately, the pumpkin extract is one of the ingredients in the herbal preparations in African Traditional medicine.

In addition to its medicinal values, it can be produced commercially. Its leaves are exported to western countries, particularly England. These leaves can now be found in some European markets for research, consumption, and ingredients in some food preparations. The fresh leaves can be stored for a month in the market and retain its freshness.

This Nigerian fluted pumpkin, a nutritious vegetable with plenty of health benefits, is not grown in Western and Asian countries. And perhaps someday, they can be cultivated in their backyards, as what Igbo tribes in Nigeria are doing.

Join our Jogging, Please!

By Vic Odarve

How to get the students in shape, stay fit, and have fun? Madonna University has an answer… jogging! Every Monday morning for girls and Tuesday for boys! At 7am, around 5000 students must go out from the hostels and prepare for a 1.0 kilometer run affair. It’s a jogging time! Jogging keeps students always in shape; thus, promotes healthy life, and improves study concentration. It also keeps students stay fit; burning excess fat and enhancing the immune system. It is fun, and promotes camaraderie, as well. Now, join our jogging, please!

Morning Jogging-Madonna University,Africa

Jogging is running at a slow or leisurely pace; thus, increasing physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running, or to maintain students always in shape for healthy life.  Virtually all the students can do it. The school, on the other hand, believes that regular exercise enhances the student’s mental well-being along with their physical health. In fact, numerous studies indicate that a student’s achievement and physical fitness are positively related. It also helps to boost self-esteem, relieve depression, and improve concentration. That’s the way the students should be!

About 5000 students jogging

 It also keeps students stay fit; may enhance the immune system. It stimulates the brain to release chemicals which reduce anxiety and create a sense of well-being. The study demonstrated that regular exercise such as jogging brings considerable health gains that emphasized cardiovascular fitness. During jogging, sympathetic nerve fibers increase heart rate. For a 90- kg students running at 9 km/h (5.5 mph),

Manny Pacquiao jogs before fights

approximately 880 calories are burned per hour.

But for some of the students who joined jogging with thousands of their classmates are for fun. After a few minutes of important announcement the game started by stretching exercises evidently to loosen their muscles prior jogging properly. Then the students, with a loud voice chanting jogging along the 1.0 km circuitous paths in an oval university playground,

Bruce Lee jogs to keep his fighting form

offered the visitors a thousand smiling faces; and laughter could be heard along the way. It promotes camaraderie and friendship.

Today, jogging is established as both a recreational pursuit and a training tool; it is practiced by boxers and martial artists and similar sports minded individuals to get in shape, stay fit, and have fun. Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino professional boxer,  the first and only eight-division world champion, in which he has won ten world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes, used to jog everyday in a high altitude mountain in Baguio City, Philippines months before the fights. Martial artists Bruce Lee preferred to run every day, rain or shine to maintain his fighting form. He used to run at Big Bear Lake because of the altitude-- it makes it an ideal location to train for any event. Running at high altitudes is one secret to building endurance for any fight.

For the students, jogging, as a physical education course, forms part of their curriculum. But the benefits are keeping the students in shape, stay fit, and have fun. Since physical exercise such as jogging and spiritual health are both important, one need to strike a healthy balance. 1 Timothy 4:8 puts it,” For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all affairs, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come”. So, it is clear that jogging is not only for students. God wants all people from all walks of life to have physical exercise to become physically and spiritually fit. So, join our jogging, please!

Why Workbook is Important in Math?

By Vic Odarve

Although usually smaller and lighter than textbooks, workbooks serve as an extension in classroom lecture on large class size, determine the quality of teaching and learning topics, and facilitate homework. Math courses with a class size of hundreds of students, which teachers have difficulty to facilitate a good interaction with the students, workbooks effectively filled the inadequacy. Workbooks, being a condensed course outlines from a standard textbook, serve as a teachers’ roadmap in classroom discussion and guide for the students on what topics to follow next. Further, workbook facilitates homework for the students to study at home and allow the teachers to monitor their progress.

Math Workbooks for Engineering Students

Unlike in most colleges and universities in western and eastern part of the globe, some African schools allow having larger class sizes. Here, schools allowed 200 to 1500 student class size for the general math courses in 100 levels. For engineering, mathematics 200 and up levels, schools usually have 200-500 students per class. Even with the aid of modern available equipments such as power points or slides and sound devices, a number of students which must listen and do some interaction during discussion already pose a problem. Some failed to catch up the lesson discussed on the presented slides or materials written on the board and others may not hear properly the discussion or explanation. With all these problems, workbook seems to fill up by reviewing and reworking exercises at home. Students who were less fortunate to grasp the discussion must look on the workbook and copy notes from their classmates. A scenario common in big African universities!

Workbooks for Computer  Science and Engineering

Most workbook topics are presented chronologically since math is cumulative. It is written in a clear, precise, and easy to understand as compared to textbooks. Each lesson carefully builds on the concepts students learned previously, with the problems and illustrations discussed steps by steps. Thus, this book guides the students on how the course discussion is pacing. The workbook serves as a road map for the teacher and a helpful aid for substitute teachers. Further, it provides information on the quality of teaching materials that lecturers or teachers must inculcate in the minds of the students, Students, too, would notice what is expected to learn for this semester in Math course.

As this book is also specifically designed for student’s activity at home, workbooks are usually filled with illustrative examples from simple to complex problems presented in clear, step by step manner. Practice problems, which usually followed after the completion of each topic, can be worked out and  the answers can be written directly in the book. Often times these practice problems are taken as assignments or homeworks where teachers can follow up at classrooms. Workbooks allow students to compare their solution steps from the classroom lectures; use as reference when they got stuck on the topic discussed; and offer an opportunity for easy learning outside the classroom at the own pace. The homework activities motivate and challenge students; thus math becomes useful and enjoyable…never a dull and boring! The workbook is a haven for gifted students where they can enjoy the challenge of solving the difficult math exercises and problems on their own.

 What, then if the teacher is the one who wrote the workbook?  The results are simply amazing as workbook and teacher are helping the students in unison! The workbook they are using is the language of his mind…a best picture and the most effective means of transfer of knowledge. Everybody can expect the best results; maximizing the best potential for the good of the students. Workbook and teacher are one! Thus, workbook is necessary in math!

Dummies and Bribes; Corruption

Dummies and Bribes; Gates to Corruption

by Vic Odarve

Every day, we read and see in newspapers, televisions, and tabloids highlighting corruption. Main culprits; dummies and bribes! These are, indeed, instruments to hide hidden wealth and elude authorities for investigation especially taxation. Dummies and bribes are really gates to corruption. Dummies are persons or organizations serving as a front for another while pretending to be independent. On the other hand, bribes are to give somebody money or some other incentive to do something, especially something illegal or dishonest. With a masterful stroke from the government investigators for hidden wealth from among our politicians and public officials, these dummies and bribes are actually the gates of corruptions.

VP Jejomar Binay

Dummies, like wormholes, are done in stealth manner that detection to get a clue requires expertise. Politicians and other wealthy personalities, while amassing wealth due to the position in government offices, used “dummies” to corner government contracts and conceal the assets acquired while still in government office.  Such was the case of VP Jejomar Binay who allegedly earned something on the graft-ridden P2. 3-billion Makati parking building. Investigation pointed out that a company that won contracts is a front. He is also believed to be the owner of 350 hectares Batangas property fronted by a businessman Tiu. VP Binay who was a poor human rights lawyer during the dark days of martial law is now very rich, as reflected in his own declaration in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. With no family business, incomes come mainly derived from the salary as public servants. This makes it difficult to explain how he amassed his wealth.

Like dummies, bribes which often develop from personal connections also lead to corruption. Such connections are important in getting things done within the public sector, and a majority of bribes going toward speeding up a service. It is a form of corruption! Receiving a big discount on their own purchases and receiving gifts or millions of dollars in the form of donations are also indirect bribery. Accepting such lucrative offers while in position meant to create an obligation on behalf of the public official to provide some benefit in return at some point in time. Diversion of the public fund to ghost projects also results to kickbacks or bribes. That was what happened to Ji Jianye, the mayor of Nanjing, a major city in eastern China, was arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes worth about 20 million yuan ($3.3 million). Mohamed Suharto, too, President of Indonesia from 1967-98, allegedly embezzled $ 15 billion to $35 billion according to Transparency International report 2004. One would recognize bribery easily, but many a time bribery makes its debut under the cloak of gifts.

Anti-corruption nonprofit Transparency International has released its 2013 Global Corruption Barometer, showed that for countries with more than 100 million populations, Mexico, Nigeria and Russia were considered as the world’s most corrupt nations. Residents reported corruptions in the public sector are very serious problems. Transparency groups blamed politicians for encouraging corruptions; corrupt political parties; and companies underreporting the value of the resources they extract and the tax incurred amounting to billions of dollars.

Corrupt practices may affect the reputation and further erode the people’s trust in the government officials. Parents must have an active role in raising children to instill honesty; schools must share the value of moral ascendancy; and government officials must engage in soul searching and examine their conscience and purify their culture.

It has been said that in these corrupt countries, every single law enacted by lawmakers presents an opportunity for someone to make money, directly or indirectly. Much more, corrupt people are proven smarter than government regulations, but dummies and bribes are always the components of corruption.

Quiz Measures and Promotes Learning in Math

Quiz Measures and Promotes Learning in Math

                                                                        By Vic Odarve

Although much of the math classroom activity such as lectures and board works is aimed at helping students acquire and store knowledge, a quiz measures learning as well as to promote it. Quiz, as a measuring educational tool, enables the teacher to gage how far the students learn the course topic and if ready for the next course to be taken up. In addition, a quiz also promotes stronger learning as students have improved retention of the topic and store it more securely in their memory. Quiz, therefore, as a part of a classroom routine, is yardstick on how far are our students learn as well as sort of mechanism in promoting stronger learning.

Quiz in Engineering Mathematics

Although quiz puts the students under pressure, it allows the teacher to measure their progress in a particular topic, locking in learning along the way, and redirecting effort to areas of weakness where more work and review are needed to achieve proficiency. It also yields hints for the teachers who the weaker and stronger students are - who requires extra attention and who needs more of a challenge. In math, it can change the calculus in time table that is, allowing the teacher a flexible time for discussion. Without it, teachers cannot evaluate whether the educational goals and standards of the lessons are being met. 

Pilgrimage Center at University Campus, Nigeria,Africa

In addition to as a measuring tool, quiz promotes stronger learning by encouraging students to practice their valuable skill of retrieving and using the stored knowledge. Several studies reveal that much of what we learn is quickly forgotten, but there is an improved retention of knowledge after taking a quiz. 

Studies further show that quiz serves students best when they are incorporated into the regular classroom classes. This takes into account, among other matters, the students to overcome anxiety when getting up for and taking government standardized exams or practice long examinations such as close of semester examinations. By putting into practice the accessing or applying the stored knowledge, the students build mastery of the course. 

Although this requires an ample time for the teachers to deal out and marking the scripts, quiz measures and encourages effective learning at all grade levels in math. So, the quiz is not just a tool to quantify and measure how effective the teaching method is, but also promotes students learning in Math.