State, Church, People – the Reproductive Health Bill

Population in the Philippines is an asset, it is the biggest export of the country, but the population of the country is also somewhat a liability. The population of the country continues to balloon and yet there are no concrete measures that the government is taking to impede the growth. There are many agencies, many programs yet the population is left uncontrolled.

In the 1987 Constitution, it is written that the state is responsible to achieve and maintain population level most conducive for the national welfare. But in the present context we cannot see properly how the state clearly executes this task. The government may speak that the country has a commission that is responsible for the control and study of our population, the Commission on Population, but does the commission that the government is boasting really doing its task? Does the PopCom clearly execute programs to impede the ballooning population of the Philippines? One can say and one can observe that the commission has not clearly executed its tasks to its fullest. One can also say that only some sort of seminars conducted to couples and to some high school students are the undertakings of the PopCom.

But our complaints about the population explosion should not stop to the PopCom and to the executive branch of the government. We must also attack the legislative, the House of the Representatives and the Senate, which its primary role is to create laws and acts that shall protect and promote the welfare of the Filipino people. While we dig information in the undertakings of the legislative regarding acts that will try to control the population explosion, we will encounter the bill, the long debated bill since the Estrada’s Administration, the Reproductive Health Bill.

The Reproductive Health Bill which, since the regime of the ousted Estrada’s administration has been debated by our lawmakers is still pending inside the pillar of the House of the Representative. And now that the new administration has set its foot forward to control the population explosion, Rep. Edcel Lagman has filed again the RH Bill. But what does the RH Bill contain? Does it limit the number of children that the Filipino couple will have? (For more information regarding the bill kindly refer to this link http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/reproductive-health-bill-facts-fallacies/)

The Reproductive Health Bill (Lagman, 2008) emphasizes the details in the natural family planning and modern family planning. The bill also allows women and families to select the appropriate family planning method based on their personal and religious judgments.

In addition to the emphasis stated above, the bill also covers the following:

1. Information and access to natural and modern family planning.

2. Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition.

3. Promotion of breast feeding.

4. Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications.

5. Adolescent and youth health.

6. Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and STD’s.

7. Elimination of violence against women.

8.Counseling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health.

9. Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers.

10.Male involvement and participation in RH.

11. Prevention and treatment of infertility.

12. RH education for the youth.

Clearly, one can say that the bill does promote and protect the welfare of the Filipino. But why does this bill kept not pass? Why is it taking so long for its second reading in the Upper House? Is it the president or is it being predominantly catholic country of the Philippines?

Indeed, the Catholic Church is impeding for the passage of the RH Bill. Priests and Bishops say that RH Bill is immoral and it does not promote life. The CBCP also says that the RH Bill somehow intervene to the decision of the couple whether or not to use artificial contraceptives. This stance of the Philippine Catholic Church has its basis to the encyclical branded Humane Vitae, which states that only natural family planning method should be used by the couples and any unnatural methods are consider illicit and immoral.

Going further, the CBCP, in 2008 and also in 2010, threatens the legislators of excommunication, the highest degree of sanction in the Catholic Church. Priests and bishops are also threatening for civil disobedience if the said bill will be enacted and duly signed by the President.

Stop! What about now? What will happen to the Philippines if population will be kept uncontrolled? Will the Church and the State sacrifice the welfare of the Filipino people? The Church for this once should cooperate to the government for the passage of the bill. The RH Bill is not immoral. The RH Bill does not legalize abortion, as the CBCP clamours. The RH Bill aims to uplift the status of the Filipino in terms of reproductive health. Argument has been too long that the welfare of the Filipino is being compromise.

For the Legislators and the President, why can’t they break their chain from the Catholic Church? If Catholic Church will continue to promote its position as anti-RH Bill why don’t they sacrifice just this once? And to the priests and bishops, why can’t they cooperate now? If they are man of morality why can’t they see the depriving lives of the Filipino? This is now the time for the Reproductive Health Bill! The Filipinos have been longing long enough.

Inventions Through Time Part Two

GERMANY

1. Diesel Engine

Inventor: Rudolf Diesel

Description: A diesel engine (also known as a compression-ignition engine) is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber. This is in contrast to spark-ignition engines such as a petrol engine (gasoline engine) or gas engine (using a gaseous fuel as opposed to gasoline), which uses a spark plug to ignite an air-fuel mixture.

Year Invented: 1893

2. Toepler Pump

Inventor: August Toepler

Description: A Toepler pump is a form of mercury piston pump, invented by August Toepler in 1850.

     The principle is illustrated in the diagram. When reservoir G is lowered, bulb B and tube T are filled with gas from the enclosure being evacuated (through tube A). When G is raised, mercury rises in tube F and cuts off the gas in B and T at C. This gas is then forced through the mercury in tube D into the atmosphere. The end of tube D is bent upward at E to facilitate collection of gas (or vapor). By alternately raising G, a pumping action results. Clearly tubes F and D must be long enough to support mercury columns corresponding to atmospheric pressure (76 cm at sea level). Instead of using mercury to provide a valving action at C, it is possible to use a glass float valve.

Year Invented: 1850

3. Tachometer

Inventor: Dietrich Uhlhorn

Description: A tachometer (revolution-counter, Tach, rev-counter, RPM gauge) is an instrument measuring the rotation speed of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute (RPM) on a calibrated analogue dial, but digital displays are increasingly common. The word comes from Greek Ταχος, tachos, "speed", and metron, "to measure". The first mechanical tachometers were based on measuring the centrifugal force, similar to the operation of a centrifugal governor.

The Scuderi Engine is a split cycle, internal combustion engine invented by Carmelo J. Scuderi (1925 - 2002).Scuderi Group, an engineering and licensing company based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and founded by Carmelo Scuderi’s children, is testing a working prototype of the engine that was officially unveiled to the public on April 20, 2009.

Year Invented: 1817

ITALY

1. Scuderi Engine

Inventor: Carmelo J. Scuderi

Description: The Scuderi Engine is a split cycle, internal combustion engine invented by Carmelo J. Scuderi (1925 - 2002).Scuderi Group, an engineering and licensing company based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and founded by Carmelo Scuderi’s children, is testing a working prototype of the engine that was officially unveiled to the public on April 20, 2009.

Year Invented: 2009

2. Barometer
Inventor: Evangelista Torricelli and Gasparo Berti
Description: A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Numerous measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis to help find surface troughs, high pressure systems, and frontal boundaries. Although Evangelista Torricelli is universally credited with inventing the barometer in 1643,historical documentation also suggests Gasparo Berti, an Italian mathematician and astronomer, unintentionally built a water barometer sometime between 1640 and 1643.
Year Invented: 1643

EGYPT

1. Paper

Inventor: not available

Description: Paper was made out of papyrus, a plant very abundant in the Nile area. First they had to slice the core of the stalk into very fine pieces. These pieces get submerged in water to remove sugar. The they are pounded to drain the water. The strips are  then lay side by side and are weaved into each other. The end result is papyrus paper.

Year Invented: not available

2. Ox-Drawn Plow
Inventor: not available
Description: Using the power of oxen was a great technological advancement in the world of Egypt. They attached ropes from their plows onto the oxen, usually their horns.
Year Invented: 2700 BC

3. Condom
Inventor: not available
Description: Egyptians used a linen sheath during
intercourse for protection against diseases among other things.
Year Invented: 1000BC

INDIA

1. Button, Ornamental

Inventor: First used in  Indus Valley Civilization

Description: Some buttons were carved into geometric shapes and had holes pieced into them so that they could attached to clothing by using a thread.

Year Invented: 2000BCE

2. Crescograph

Inventor: Bengali Scientist Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose

Description: A device for measuring growth in plants.

Year Invented:  Early 20th Century

3. Prefabricated Home and Movable Structure

Inventor: Akbar

Description: Prefabricated homes, often referred to as prefab homes, are specialist dwelling types of prefabricated building, which are manufactured off-site in advance, usually in standard sections that can be easily shipped and assembled.

Year Invented: 16th Century

Inventions Through Time Part One

This blog enumerates different inventions from different countries such as Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, USA, UK, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Egypt and India.

JAPAN

1. Yagi-Uda Array
Inventor: Shintaro Uda

Description: Yagi-Uda array, commonly known simply as a Yagi antenna, is a directional antenna consisting of a driven element (typically a dipole or folded dipole) and additional parasitic elements (usually a so-called reflector and one or more directors). The reflector element is slightly longer (typically 5% longer) than the driven dipole, whereas the so-called directors are a little bit shorter. This design achieves a very substantial increase in the antenna's directionality and gain compared to a simple dipole.

Year Invented: 1926

2. Phototelegraphic

Inventor: Yasujiro Niwa and Masatsugu Kobayashi

Description: Yasujiro Niwa and Masatsugu Kobayashi invented a new type of phototelegraphic device, consisting of a separate transmitter and receiver and using a dedicated line, which would lay the technological foundation for the present-day fax machine. 

     In 1928, the newspaper industry was concerned over how to most quickly print pictures of the Showa Emperor's enthronement ceremony in its newspapers and report the news to the people of Japan. As a result of this competition, newspaper companies imported phototelegraphic devices, which did not perform well when tested. Without further time for development, newspapers bought Niwa and Kobayashi's machines, which were a great success. This was the first commercialization of these devices in Japan. 

     Despite the fact that introduction of technology from America and Europe formed the core of the cutting-edge field of electronics, the phototelegraphic field in Japan was established based on domestic technology. This field later contributed greatly to the development of Japanese fax technology. 

Year Invented: not available

3. Wood Hand Loom

Inventor: Sakichi Toyoda

Description: From an early age Sakichi Toyoda worked on improving looms. In 1891 he obtained his first patent for the Toyoda wooden hand loom. He went on to focus his efforts on the improvement and invention of looms, including a significant number of excellent motive and automatic machines. 

     In 1924, Toyoda invented the Type-G Toyoda automatic loom with non-stop shuttle change motion, the first of its kind in the world. The Type-G Toyoda automatic loom was a groundbreaking invention containing a number of features such as automatic thread replenishment without any drop in the weaving speed. Platt Brothers & Co., Ltd. of England, a world leader in the loom industry of the time, paid the 1929 equivalent of 1 million yen for transfer of the rights to the Type-G loom. Toyoda later used these funds as seed money to found Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. 

     As a result of Toyoda's inventions the quality of Japanese looms and textile products jumped to an internationally competitive level.

Year Invented: 1891

KOREA

1. Cheugugi

Inventor: not available

Description: Cheugugi is a rain gauge. Made in 1441, it was first tool used to measure rainfall. Put on a stand, rainfall was used by a special measuring stick. It was used around the country and government officials would measure the rainfall and report to the government who would record the amounts. The original ones that were the first ever made cannot be found. The oldest ones found date back to 1770.

Year Invented: 1441

2. Myeonje Baegab

Inventor: not available

Description: It was invented following the French Campaign against Korea, 1866 and used in battle during the United States expedition to Korea in 1871. It was made of between 13 and 30 folds of cotton fabric and covered the upper torso.

Year Invented: Joseon Dynasty

CHINA

1. Hybrid Rice

Inventor: Yuan Longping

Description: Hybrid rice developed by famous Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping since the early 1970s is widely grown in China, with yields up to 12,000 kg per hectare. It has greatly increased yield on China's limited amount of arable land and been introduced to some Asian and African countries.

Year Invented: 1970

2. Compass

Inventor: not available

Description: For most of Chinese history, the compass that remained in use was in the form of a magnetic needle floating in a bowl of water. According to Needham, the Chinese in the Song Dynasty and continuing Yuan Dynasty did make use of a dry compass, although this type never became as widely used in China as the wet compass.

     The dry compass used in China was a dry suspension compass, a wooden frame crafted in the shape of a turtle hung upside down by a board, with the lodestone sealed in by wax, and if rotated, the needle at the tail would always point in the northern cardinal direction. Although the 14th-century European compass-card in box frame and dry pivot needle was adopted in China after its use was taken by Japanese pirates in the 16th century (who had in turn learned of it from Europeans), the Chinese design of the suspended dry compass persisted in use well into the 18th century.
Year Invented: Song – Yuan Dynasty

3. Papermaking
Inventor: Cai Lun
Description: Papermaking has traditionally been traced to China about AD 105, when Cai Lun, an official attached to the Imperial court during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220), created a sheet of paper using mulberry and other bast fibres along with fishnets, old rags, and hemp waste. However a recent archaeological discovery has been reported from Gansu of paper with Chinese characters on it dating to 8 BC.
     While paper used for wrapping and padding was used in China since the 2nd century BC, paper used as a writing medium only became widespread by the 3rd century. By the 6th century in China, sheets of paper were beginning to be used for toilet paper as well. During the Tang Dynasty (AD 618–907) paper was folded and sewn into square bags to preserve the flavor of tea. The Song Dynasty (AD 960–1279) that followed was the first government to issue paper currency.
Year Invented: Han Dynasty

TAIWAN

1. Swimming Trunks Capable of Preventing Swimmers From Drowning

Inventor: Yeh Chi Chang

Description: In an age where eco-friendly waste management is so needed, Yeh Chi Chang managed to create an innovative swimming trunk that was capable of preventing swimmers from drowning once it was inflated. This innovation is particularly noteworthy for South Africa as a large number of children’s lives are lost due to drowning. An item of clothing that doubles up as a life support system, is not only green friendly but truly innovative.

Year Invented: 2010

2. Bluetooth Telephone

Inventor: Cotron Corporation

Description: A telephone set has been composed of a base unit and handset throughout the time since the telephone was invented. The Cordless Earphones for Hands Free phone reception nowadays available in the market are supplemental. They have to adhere to the telephone base unit for control (i.e. to pickup or hang up a line) restricted within the range of the phone.     This invention is to build a Bluetooth Earphone on a handset of a conventional telephone set the existing functions between telephone set and the PABX are kept unchanged. User can use the handset to pickup/end a call or directly pickup the Bluetooth Earphone to talk and end the call or when he docks the earphone to the base unit of the phone during conversation a phone amplifier function will be switched on automatically. (The handset can be built a Bluetooth handset too which will not affect the exiting functions at all.)

Year Invented: 2009

United States of America

1. Rotary Dial

Inventor: Almon Brown Strowger

Description: The rotary dial is a device mounted on or in a telephone or switchboard that is designed to send electrical pulses, known as pulse dialing, corresponding to the number dialed. The early form of the rotary dial used lugs on a finger plate instead of holes.

Year Invented: 1891

2. Ferris Wheel

Inventor: George Washington Gale Ferris 

Description: The Ferris wheel is a non-building structure, consisting of an upright wheel with passenger gondolas attached to the rim. 

Year Invented: 1891

3. Light Emitting Diode

Inventor: Nick Holonyak Jr.

Description: A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor light source.

LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting.
Year Invented: 1962

United Kingdom

1. Kelvin Scale

Inventor: Lord Kelvin

Description: The Kelvin Scale measures the ultimate extremes of hot and cold. 

Kelvin developed the idea of absolute temperature, what is called the "Second Law of Thermodynamics", and developed the dynamical theory of heat.

Year Invented: 1848

2. Coke Smelting

Inventor: Abraham Darby

Description: Coke smelting replaced charcoal with coal in metal foundries during the process of refining metals; and this was important to Britain's future since charcoal at that time was becoming scarce and was more expensive.

Year Invented: 1709