LP: Teknolohiya [technology]

Isa ang kanyon sa tatlong itinuring na tagumpay ng New Age noong Middle Ages---ang dalawa ay ang compass at printing press.  Unang ginamit ang kanyon ng mga Tsino noong Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) at lumaganap ito sa Europe at sa Middle East sa pamamagitan ng Silk Road.  Magmula Middle Ages hanggang ngayon, patuloy ang paglikha ng teknolohiya sa mas makabagong armas.  Unahan ang mga mayayamang bansa sa pag-imbento ng pinakamalakas  at nakakamatay na armas---hindi lang mortar at baril, kundi pati na rin  sa larangan ng biotechnology. Nagsimula ang tao sa palakol at sibat, ngayon meron ng intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) na ang range ay hanggang 5,500 kilometers, at may  kakayanan sa biological and chemical warfare.  Nakakatakot isipin kung saan tayo hahantong dahil sa teknolohiya.

Sang-ayon ako sa sinabi ni Einstein:  "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

Mga larawan ng mortars sa Corregidor na nilagay ng mga Americano at ginamit noong World War II laban sa mga Hapon.

During the Middle Ages,  there were three inventions that were declared the triumph of the New Age---the cannon, the compass and the printing press.  The cannon was first used by the Chinese during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), and it made its way to Europe and the Middle East through the Silk Road.  Since the Middle Ages,  people continue to create innovative weapons technology.  Rich countries race in the  creation of  the most lethal and powerful weapon--not just firearms, missiles and mortars, but also in the field of biotechnology.  Humans started with axes and spears, now we have the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a range of up to 5,500 kilometers, and have the technology for biological and chemical warfare.  It is scary to think where we are headed because of technology.

Einstein is right when he said, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

These are photos of mortars in Corregidor, installed by the Americans and were used during World War II against the Japanese.

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

Caramoan: Bikal Port [Watery & Outdoor Wednesday]

From Guijalo port, we took a tricycle (a motorcycle mounted with a sidecar) to Bikal port to meet our boatman.  The ride took us across Caramoan town---we passed by the municipal hall, the market and center of town that locals call Centro.   Bikal port is the starting point going to the islets of the Caramoan peninsula.  Bancas (outrigger boats)  docked by the pier  waiting for passengers, and mangrove forest thrives at the port's surrounding areas.  I would have wanted to take more photos but it was getting dark as we hurried to board our banca for Tabgon.

Posted for Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

Cebu Cathedral [My World-Tuesday]

The Philippines is unique in a region that is populated by  Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and other East Asian beliefs.  About 92% of  90 million Filipinos are Roman Catholic, making the Philippines the third largest Catholic nation in the world, after Brazil and Mexico, and the only other predominantly Catholic nation in Asia aside from East Timor.  So if you're a visitor, don't be surprised to see Catholic churches all over the place.  Many of the old Roman Catholic churches that were built during the Spanish colonial period (1521-1898) are still standing across the Philippine archipelago.  And Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is one of the oldest.

It was in Cebu where the first Catholic mission was established.  Cebu City, the oldest city in the Philippines founded in 1565, is also considered the cradle of Christianity in the Far East.  Vicentine diarist Antonio Pigafetta recorded the first Easter Sunday mass held at the island-port named Mazaua  (historians and scientists are still searching for the exact location of the said island depicted in Pigafetta's chronicles; some say it's Limasawa Island in Southern Leyte, others believe it's in Masao, the old name of Mazaua, in Butuan City) on March 31, 1521---possibly the same occasion when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan planted a cross on the island as a symbol of natives' embracing the Christian faith.  

Cebu was established as a diocese in 1595 and initial construction of this church  started in 1689 but typhoons destroyed the incomplete structure.  Funds were not also available  and  it further delayed the completion of the cathedral.  By 1720, preparations for the 4th attempt at construction were underway but funds were again diverted to fight Muslim rebellion in Mindanao.  In 1733, a new bishop started the 5th attempt at construction of the cathedral but he died four years later, leaving the structure unfinished.   The construction was not only plagued by lack of funds but also by the near-absence  of available labor in the city to work on the church. From 1741 to 1886, numerous attempts at finishing the cathedral by various bishops were not successful.  By 1891, the new bishop consecrated the first stone of the new cathedral, it was probably the 7th attempt.  The project proceeds in earnest but halted with the onset of the Revolution in 1898.

In 1904, the only American bishop of Cebu continued the cathedral rebuilding project started by his predecessor.  The cathedral was finally completed in 1909 under the reign of Bishop Gorordo.  The diocese was elevated into an archdiocese in 1934 and the cathedral underwent another renovation.  The newly renovated cathedral was consecrated by Archbishop Reyes in 1940.

The architecture of this church is baroque, with thick walls to withstand typhoons and other natural calamities. The trefoil-shaped pediment is decorated with carved reliefs of floral motifs, an IHS inscription and a pair of griffins.  The Spanish Royal Coat of Arms is emblazoned in low relief above the main entrance owing perhaps to the contribution of the Spanish monarch to its construction.  

A huge part of the cathedral was destroyed by Allied bombings in  1944, with only the belfry, the facade and the walls remaining.  The centuries-old archives and records of the archdiocese were lost forever.  The church was rebuilt in the 1950's. (Sources:  Wikipedia,  Historical Conundrums, CPCBonline)

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral at dusk

Posted for My World-Tuesday

Roxas Bridge [Sunday Bridges]

Viewed from the walls of historic Fort Santiago in Intramuros is Roxas Bridge, formerly called the Del Pan Bridge, one of the 13 bridges that crosses Pasig River.  Pasig River stretches 25 kilometers connecting Laguna de Bay, a freshwater lake, to Manila Bay.  Roxas Bridge is the last bridge near the mouth of the Pasig River that opens to Manila's Port Area.

Posted for Sunday Bridges

Up on the roof [SWF]

When this old world starts a getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I'll climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space...


On the roof, it's peaceful as can be
And there the world below don't bother me...

~ Up On The Roof by Carole King

Sky-watching from the roof top of my apartment on Saturday afternoon.

Posted for Sky-Watch Friday