In his article "Truths of the Information Age" (n.d.

), Robert Harris detailed some facts on the Information

Age.
1. Information must compete. There is a need for information to stand out and be
recognized in the increasing clutter.
2. Newer is equated with truer. We forgot the truth that any fact or value can endure.
3. Selection is a viewpoint. Choose multiple sources for your information if you want to
receive a more balanced view of reality.
4. The media sells what the culture buys. In other words, information is driven by cultural
priorities.
5. The early word gets the perm. The first media channel to expose an issue often defines
the context, terms, and attitudes surrounding it.
6. You are what you eat and so is your brain. Do not draw conclusions unless all ideas and
information are presented to you.
7. Anything in great demand will be counterfeited. The demand for incredible knowledge,
scandals, and secrets is everpresent; hence, many events are fabricated by tabloids, publicists, or other
agents of information fraud.
8. Ideas are seen as controversial. It is almost certainly impossible to make any assertion
that will not find some supporters and some detractors.
9. Undead information walks ever on. Rumors, lies, disinformation and gossips never truly
die down. They persist and continue and continue to circulate.
10. Media presence creates the story. People behave much differently from the way they
would if being filmed when the media are present, especially film news or television media.
11. The medium selects the message. Television is mainly pictorial, partially aural and
slightly textual, so visual stories are emphasized: fires, chases and disasters.
12. The whole truth is a pursuit. The information that reaches us is usually selected, verbally
charged, filtered, slanted and sometimes fabricated. What is neglected is often even more important
than what is included. (Source: Harris, R. (n.d.). "Truths of the Information Age." Accessed February 26,
2017.

HOW TO CHECK THE RELIABILITY OF THE WEB SOURCES

The internet contains a vast collection of highly valuable information but it may also contain unreliable,
biased information that mislead people. The following guidelines can help us check the reliability of web
sources that we gather. It is noteworthy to consider and apply the following guidelines to avoid
misinformation.
1. Who is the author of the article/site? Look for an "About" or "More About the Author"
link at the top, bottom, or sidebar of the webpage. Try searching on the internet for information about
the author.
2. Who published the site? Look at the domain name of the website that will tell you who
is hosting the site. Search the domain name at http://www.whois.sc/. The site provides information
about the owners of the registered domain names. Do not ignore the suffix on the domain name. Here
are some examples:
3. .edu = educational; .com = commercial; .mil = military; .gov = government; .org =
nonprofit
4. What is the main purpose of the site? Why did the author write it and why did the
publisher post it?
 5. Who is the intended audience? (scholars or the general public? Which age group is it
written for? Is it aimed at people from a particular geographic area? Is it aimed at members of a
particular profession or with specific training?)
6. What is the quality of information provided on the website?
Timeliness: When was the website first published? Is it regularly updated? Check for dates at the bottom
of each page on the site.
Does the author cite sources? Just as in print sources, web sources that cite their sources are considered
more reliable.
What type of other sites does the website link to? Are they reputable sites? What types of sites link to
the website are you evaluating? Is the website being cited by others?

USE OF GADGETS, WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Positive Effects
Stimulate senses and imagination, promote listening ability, encourage cognitive learning, develop
analytical skills, improve manual dexterity, etc.

Negative Effects
Difficulty concentrating on studies, less physical activity, health problems (obesity), decreased social
relationship, poor writing skills, etc.

Web Media
- The Web is a collection of interconnected documents
(web pages) and other web resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs.
- the World Wide Web or the Web is only one of a large number of Internet services
- Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP, is the language used on the Web for information transfer

Social Media
- Computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career
interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks.
- User-generated content, such as text posts of comments, digital photos or videos, and data generated
through all online interactions, is the lifeblood of social media.

Nanotechnology is the convergence of science, technology, and engineering where the observation,
characterization, design, and controlled fabrication of materials and devices are at the scale of less than
100 nanometers (1 nanometer = 109 m). The ideas and concepts behind nanoscience and
nanotechnology started with a talk entitled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" by physicist Richard
Feynman (the father of nanotechnology) at an American Physical Society meeting at the California
Institute of Technology (CalTech) on December 29, 1959, long before the term nanotechnology was
used. In his talk, Feynman described a process in which scientists would be able to manipulate and
control individual atoms and molecules. Over a decade later, in his explorations of ultraprecision
machining, Professor Norio Taniguchi coined the term nanotechnology. It wasn't until 1981, with the
development of the scanning tunneling microscope that could "see" individual atoms, that modern
nanotechnology began. There are two fundamental approaches to NANOMANUFACTURING:
1. Bottom-up fabrication - it manufactures products by building them up from atomic- and molecular-
scale components. However, this method can be time-consuming. Scientists and engineers are still in
search for effective ways of putting up together molecular components that self-assemble and from the
bottom-up organized structures.
2. Top-down fabrication- it trims down large pieces of materials into nanoscale. This process needs
larger amounts of material and discards excess raw materials.

Nanotechnology is already making today’s products such as:

1. Medieval strained glass windows
2. Lighter, stronger, faster, smaller and more durable.
3. Transparent conductive coating: photographic film, touchscreen.
4. Sunscreen: provide broad-spectrum UV protection.
5. Nanoplex biomarker detection: robust, ultrasensitive, higly-multiplexed biomarker.

BENIFITS AND CONCERNS OF THE APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

Example of Areas Affected by Nanotechnology

1. Environment - Possible Benefits: Improved detection and removal of contaminants, Development of

benign industrial processes and materials. Concerns: High reactivity and toxicity, Pervasive distribution
in the environment, No nano-specific EPA regulation.
2. Health - Possible Benefits: Improved Medicine. Concerns: Ability to cross cell membranes and
translocate in the body, No FDA approval needed for cosmetics or supplements.
3. Economy - Possible Benefits: Better Products, New Jobs. Concerns: Redistribution of wealth, Potential
cost of cleanups and healthcare, Accessibility to all income levels.

BIODIVERSITY
1. the richness and variety of life - of genes, species and ecosystem
2. maintains the health of the earth and its people.
3. provides us with food & medicine and contributes to our economy.
4. the greater the variety of species, the healthier the biosphere.
5. is not evenly distributed, it varies greatly across the globe as well as within regions; among other
factors, the diversity of all living things depends on temperature, precipitation, altitude, soils, geography
and the presence of other species.
Understanding biodiversity within the concept of ecosystem needs a thorough study on the relationship
of living (biotic) and the nonliving (abiotic)organisms. Interdisciplinary approach is needed to study the
ecosystem. BIODIVERSITY plays a major role in this natural dynamics. For example, a large number of
golden snails in a certain area of a rice field can help predict a low production of rice harvest, since eggs
of the golden snails are considered pest for rice plant. On a positive view, the larger number of different
species in a certain area can be a predictor of sustainable life in that area. Sustainability of the
ecosystem ensures a better survival rate against any natural disaster. Therefore, we, as human
inhabitants of the ecosystem, MUST PRESERVE and CONSERVE THE BIODIVERSITY of all creatures.

CHANGES IN BIODIVERSITY
Alteration in any system could bring varied effects. A change in biodiversity could have erratic effects
not only in wildlife or marine life but also in human beings. For example, humans inhabiting the forest
would disturb the natural order of life. Trees and plants would be affected in the land-clearing
operations where the houses would be built. The animals, insects, and all types of life forms in the
cleared area would be either be displaced or most likely be killed. The loss of these life forms could
affect the entire ecosystem governing that environment. The food chain might be damaged. From this,
we can clearly infer that when our ecosystem is not well taken care of, biodiversity encounters changes
that may impact human health on such different levels.

THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
There are major threats to biodiversity that were identified by the United Nations' Environment
Programme (WHO, n.d.). These are the following:

1. Habitat loss and destruction. Major contributing factor is the inhabitation of human
beings and the use of land for economic gains.
2. Alterations in ecosystem composition. Alterations and sudden changes, either within
species groups or within the environment, could begin to change entire ecosystems. Alterations in
ecosystems are a critical factor contributing to species and habitat loss.
3. Over-exploitation. Over-hunting, overfishing, or over-collecting of species can quickly
lead to its decline. Changing consumption patterns of humans is often cited as the key reason for this
unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.
4. Pollution and contamination. Biological systems respondslowly to changes in their
surrounding environment. Pollution and contamination cause irreversible damage to species and
varieties.
5. Global climate change. Both climate variability and climate change cause biodiversity
loss. Species and populations may be lost permanently if they are not provided with enough time to
adapt to changing climatic conditions.

A breed of rice genetically engineered to combat vitamin A deficiency has received approval from
regulators in the Philippines. Supporters say "Golden Rice" could remedy a condition that kills up to
250,000 children each year worldwide and blinds twice that number, according to the World Health
Organization. It's the first genetically modified organism (GMO) designed to fight a public health issue to
get a green light from food safety officials in the developing world.
Golden Rice has faced vigorous opposition from GMO opponents throughout its development, citing
safety concerns and other issues. Protesters destroyed test fields in the Philippines in 2013. The
Philippine Department of Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry announced Wednesday that Golden Rice
is as safe as conventional rice. in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have also
cleared the grain of safety issues.
After 20 years of development, "it feels absolutely tremendous" to reach this stage, said Adrian Dubock,
Executive Secretary of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board, the nonprofit working to take the crop from
the lab to the field. Two added genes turn rice golden, one from maize and one from a soil bacterium.
Under their direction, rice grains produce beta carotene, the vitamin A precursor that makes carrots and
sweet potatoes orange. A third bacterial gene serves as a traceable marker. In the Philippines, vitamin A
deficiency among children has increased from 15.2% in 2008 to
20.4% in 2013, despite a national supplement program, according to the Philippines-based International
Rice Research Institute, which is developing the crop. Golden Rice could provide up to half of a young
child's daily needs, IRRI says.
GMO corn is transforming farmers' lives in Philippines
BY NKECHI ISAAC; JANUARY 25, 2019
The Philippines is the first country in Southeast Asia to approve the commercial cultivation of a
genetically modified crop for feed and food. Bangladesh was the first country in South Asia to approve
such a crop with its commercialization of pest-resistant Bt brinjal, or eggplant.
Bt corn in the Philippines was designed to be resistant to the Asiatic corn borer. (ACB), Ostrinia
furnacalis (Guenee), one of the nation's most destructive corn pests. The crop also presents a practical
and ecologically sustainable solution for poor corn farmers everywhere to increase their yields and
decrease pesticide use, thus improving their health and livelihoods, alleviating poverty. Paraluman, who
shared his story with an audience at last November's United Nations Conference on Biodiversity, said
that growing Bt corn changed his life. It gave him peace of mind and more time to do other things, like
care for his family and take up side jobs. "In December 2003, Bt corn was commercialized and I was the
first farmer that planted it. The first time I planted Bt corn, I was so amazed that in seven hectares that I
planted I didn't see any corn borer," he recalled. "There was no more damage to my corn. I planted the
corn and it changed my life. Before now my house was just so small but now it is really big. Now, my
income is good and I can make the right budgeting for my family. It increased my income and I am now
going around telling other farmers that this technology is very good."
Paraluman refuted claims that genetically modified crops cause health problems. "The people that were
saying this would make you sick when we started initially have seen it is not true because I have proven
it," he noted. "I have been eating it for the past 14 years and I am still hale and hearty. So, it's 14 years
that I've been planting this corn and there's not been any adverse effect on our health." Adopting Bt
technology has made the Philippines self-sufficient in corn production, he said. The country no longer
imports corn and the farmers are now planning to export the crop because they have surplus.
Genetically modified organism (GMO) is the term used for an organism created through genetic
engineering. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2014) defines GMO as an "organism, either plant,
animal or microorganismin which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not
occur naturally by- mating or natural recombination.?
Genetic engineering is accomplished in three basic steps. These are (1) The isolation of DNA fragments
from a donor organism; (2) The insertion of an isolated donor DNA fragment into a vector genome and
(3) The growth of a recombinant vector in an appropriate host.

Climate change is a worldwide issue that we have to face. It refers to the statistically significant changes
in climate for continuous period of time. Factors that contribute to climate change can be natural
internal process, external forces and persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the
atmosphere or in land use. It can also be due to natural occurrences or contributed by acts of human
beings ?
NATURAL CAUSES
1. Volcanic Eruptions. When volcanoes erupt, it emits different natural aerosols like carbon dioxide,
sulfur dioxides, salt crystals, volcanic ashes or dust, and even microorganisms like bacteria and viruses.
2. Orbital Changes. This was proposed by Milankovitch theory that states that, "as the earth travels
through the space around the sun, cyclical variations in three elements (eccentricity, obliquity,
precession) of earth-sun geometry combine to produce variations in the amount of solar energy that
reaches earth (Academic Emporia, 2017).
3. The Carbon Dioxide Theory. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is added when power and heat are produced by
burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide is transparent to sunshine but not invisible to
infrared (heat) radiation leaving the ground. Carbon dioxide absorbs part of the infrared radiation in the
air and returns it to the ground keeping the air near the surface warmer than it would be if the carbon
dioxide did not act like a blanket. Doubling the carbon dioxide raises the temperature to 2?C to 3?C.
HUMAN ACTIVITIES contribute to climate change. The largest known contribution comes from the
burning of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases and
aerosols affect climate change by altering incoming solar radiation and outgoing infrared (thermal)
radiation that are part of earth's energy balance. Changing the atmospheric abundance or properties of
these gases and particles can lead to a warming or cooling of the climate system.