Human feces: The meat of the future?

By LAUREN ACURANTES

Mitsuyuki Ikeda shows off his $#@* burger. (Photo from Inhabitat)

With parts of the world classified as ‘food insecure’, it is only a matter of time before science turns to alternative food sources, and, frankly,  it doesn’t get more alternative than this.

A recent report from Digital Trends claims that Japanese researchers have successfully created edible material out of human solid waste.

And if you must know, no, the researchers did not get human waste straight from the toilet bowl.

They had to dig it out of sewage mud; which happens to be the main catalyst for this study.

Tokyo Sewage asked lead researcher, Mitsuyuki Ikeda, and his team if they could possible come up with a way to utilize sewage mud in Tokyo seeing as how there’s just too much of it.

After lab tests, Ikeda found that human waste was very high in protein, thanks to all that bacteria.

The fun part started when the researchers extracted the protein from the sewage mud, worked their scientific magic on it by combining it with some enhancers, added some soy proteins and voila, the “feces steak” was born.

And just to make it more appetizing, they also added some red food coloring, just to give it that ‘medium rare’ feel.

Once you’re done cringing and shaking your head in disbelief (or disgust), it might interest you to know that it has been taste-tested and the consensus is that it tastes just like beef, and is nutritious, to boot.

According to Ikeda, the poop patty is “63% protein, 25% carbohydrates, 3% lipids, and 9% minerals.”

The meat also happens to be better for the environment since it could significantly cut down the greenhouse gas emissions that come from slaughterhouses, according to the report.

All the talk about environmental responsibility and curbing global hunger may all be well and good, but can really get over the ‘eww’ factor of eating burgers made out of one’s own waste?

Ikeda certainly hope so, and is even optimistic that his creation will someday lead the culinary revolution.

Just don’t eat it raw, say food safety experts.

Writers at LiveScience picked up on this story and asked experts if it is feasible to eat human feces, and the answer is a hesitant yes, but it needs to be cooked so one can be sure that all “noxious pathogens” are thoroughly nuked.

Douglas Powell, a professor of food safety at a leading American university, likens it to plants that have been fertilized using manure, “because the nutrients in the poop become part of the plants.”

When put that way, that salad you just had for lunch might just be the tamer cousin of the meat of the future
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PH needs those modular Ro-Ro ports

By: Neal H. Cruz

Philippine Daily Inquirer

One of the tests of the mettle of the Aquino administration is the recommended cancellation of the Ro-Ro Ports Project that the Arroyo administration concluded with the French government. With the accession of President Aquino to Malacañang, it seems that all big-ticket deals concluded by the previous administration were subjected to review, perhaps on the suspicion that they were overpriced like the infamous NBN-ZTE deal. One of these deals reviewed is the Ro-Ro Ports Project.

First off, let me say that the Ro-Ro is one of the best sea vessels to come out of World War II. Ro-Ro stands for “Roll On-Roll Off,” where cargo trucks and other heavy equipment can be driven into and off the hold of the sea vessel. The front of the vessel opens onto the pier, thus saving a lot of time in loading and unloading cargo. The Ro-Ro was first used to deliver tanks, trucks, bulldozers, jeeps and troops to invasion landing beaches during World War II. It was adapted to peacetime use and became the Ro-Ro vessel.

Instead of the many hours and even days it would take gangs of stevedores, trudging up and down gangplanks to and from the hold of the vessel, to load or unload sacks of rice, bananas, vegetables or other heavy cargoes they carry on their backs, loaded cargo trucks now just need minutes to drive into the hold of the Ro-Ro vessel.

Upon reaching its port of call, the Ro-Ro simply opens its front and the trucks drive off. Businessmen like it because it saves plenty of time in loading and unloading cargo, as they attested to in a story on the Inquirer business section a week ago. Boat owners also like it because it reduces the downtime of vessels—the time they have to wait at the ports while they are loaded and unloaded. For boats, every minute spent at the piers is money wasted.

There is a catch to the Ro-Ro, however. It needs a port that is at the same level as the front of the Ro-Ro when it is opened, so that the trucks can drive on or off the vessel to the pier. Since the level of the sea differ at different hours—according to the level of the tides as dictated by the phases of the moon—the Ro-Ro needs a port or pier that has an adjustable ramp that can be raised or lowered according to the level of the tide.

The standard concrete ports constructed by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) won’t do because they have fixed ramps. So when the tide is either too high or too low, the Ro-Ro has to wait for the tide to reach the proper level. Thus, precious time is wasted.

Comes now the French with a design for a modular steel port with adjustable ramps. Besides the adjustable ramps, the modular steel port has many other advantages. Unlike immovable concrete ports, it can easily be moved from one site to another. It needs only two to three months to install (whereas the concrete ports need at least six months to construct). And its steel is guaranteed to last at least 80 years.

What’s more, the French bank, BNP Paribas, offered to grant a loan for the project. So after a review and approval by the proper government agencies, the Department of Finance concluded an agreement with French Matiere S.A.S. as supplier for 72 modular Ro-Ro ports to be installed in different parts of the archipelago as part of the nautical highway.

But as is always the case with the Philippine government, what is concluded by one administration is no good for the next. So P-Noy’s review committee, composed of representatives from the Department of Transportation and Communications, Marina and the PPA, recommended the cancellation of the contract with the French.

However, the Philippines has already paid 15 percent of the contract price (P1.5 billion) and the French corporation has already fabricated approximately half of the steel pipe requirements for 72 ports, and these are ready for delivery to the Philippines. So the committee recommended that the Philippines accept the delivery, including the remaining 50 percent still to be manufactured. The PPA will then install the parts.

“PPA can competently handle any Ro-Ro ports project at a much lower price using locally available materials suitable to each specific port site and to the kind of sea condition we have in the Philippines,” the committee said. “This will give a higher multiplier effect to the economy.”

Unfortunately, experience has taught us that any infrastructure project in the Philippines is never finished at the original cost estimate but at a much higher price. All our public works contracts have escalation clauses and contractors always take advantage of these escalation clauses to increase the cost of the project.

Just one example, the Pulupandan port wharf in Negros Occidental was completed in 2003 to the tune of P333 million, with no less than eight revised project costs, the last one estimated at P416 million!

In contrast, it has time and again been shown that the French government-assisted Modular Ro-Ro Ports Project costs only P83 million at present value, taking into account the life cycle method. Compare this to the P159-million cost of other Ro-Ro ports, when subjected to the same parameters.

The committee also said there is “no demand” for Ro-Ro ports and PPA subsequently revised its original demand projection from 234 Ro-Ro ports to just four! What a comedown.

But the need for ports in archipelagos has been echoed by the Asian Development Bank’s Bridges Across Oceans (2010) and the Japanese International Cooperation Administration.

And Gov. Joey Salceda, for one, has indicated the immediate need for 15 Ro-Ros in the Bicol region. The Ro-Ro Port Project would have provided 11 of those 15.

All things that are Filipino

Art Object

By CARLOMAR A. DAOANA

Meticulously created, this rendition of a kalesa is one of the more interesting pieces that can be found in Tutuban.

MANILA, Philippines -- With the celebration of Philippine Independence being four days away, I decided to drop by Tutuban—that sprawling destination of commerce in Manila that has revolutionized what we know of the market place. Clean, accessible, in some parts airconditioned, Tutuban is the country’s answer to Thailand’s Chatuchak, Malaysia’s Johor Bahru and Singapore’s Tiong Bahru.

I was in the lookout for pieces of handmade décor with which to spruce up my space. They should be solidly built, beautiful and lasting. In short, not kitschy. What I discovered, as I was poring over the pieces, was that there are so many ways with which to define the Filipino look or design. Every province—with its native handicrafts, souvenir items and unique products—seemed to be represented in Tutuban, from Ilocos north to Muslim Mindanao.

One is spoilt for choice when looking for items perfect for the house. There were mirrors, capiz shell clocks, baskets, sinamay wraps, scranch mats, capiz items, mail holders, wooden carved items, native curtains and rattan placemat sets. Inexpensive baskets and hampers—made from wicker, which is the byproduct of rattan—were also available.

Every province takes pride in a particular weave and Tutuban makes sure it highlights each. Sinamay from the Visayas became clothing, curtains, table runners and pillow cases while abaca from Bicol became handbags, pouches and placemats. Jusi from Aklan and hablon from Iloilo were fashioned into long gowns and barongs while Inabel from Ilocos were constructed into blankets and formal outfits.

Of all the things Filipino-made that I saw in Tutuban, it was the tribal sculptures and paintings that attracted my attention. The artisans took pains to imbue their crafts with the delicacy of detail. Scrolls of T’boli and T’nalak fabric from Mindanao were also displayed prominently.

I wouldn’t say that buying Filipino stuff reflects patriotism—for there are deeper and more meaningful ways to show love of country—but to do so would keep many Filipinos in business, especially now that the country is flooded with cheap knock-offs from overseas. To buy a Filipino product is a vote of confidence for Filipino creativity and craftsmanship.

Speaking of love of country, one can see that exemplified in the exhibit of Romulo Galicano on view at the Tall Gallery of Finale Art File (Warehouse 17, La Fuerza Compound, Gate 1, 2241 Pasong Tamo, Makati City). Titled Siete de Agosto: Allegory of a Farce, the show features an epic mural that embodies the artist’s critique of executive interference on the conferment of the National Artists Award. The date in the title points to August 7, 2009 when artists, cultural workers and stakeholders gathered together at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and showed their indignation to what they saw as a rape to the selection process. Modulated by instances of light and shadow, the figures in the painting are poised in the crux of the debacle, tensed in the struggle for the restoration of integrity and fairness.

Exhibiting with Galicano are members of Bag-ong Hinan-aw (Cebuano for “new perspectives”) that include Publio Briones Jr., Carlos Florido, Jonathan Galicano, Luther Galicano II, Florentino Impas Jr., Facundo Tallo Jr. and Jose Villadolid. Still keeping the tradition of craftsmanship and an emphasis in technique, these Cebuano artists are foraging through new modes of representation as they explore abstract and conceptual possibilities
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First you find her, then you train her

Continuing the author’s ‘yaya’ chronicles, she shares tips on how to hire and gauge a ‘yaya’s’ experience and her character. Age is an important factor

By: Jemps Gallegos Yuvienco

Philippine Daily Inquire

In line with my continuing study of how to attract and retain the best yayas, I wanted to know how my peers chose their children’s caretakers. Thirty-two respondents (names disguised) shared their tips and experiences.

Agency

I learned that the quickest option is to get from an agency. “The starting rate is P4,000/month if you’re getting from the agency, but I don’t recommend it,” said entrepreneur and mom of two Mia. “If you’re getting from the province, you can start the yaya at P3,000 and give her increases based on her performance. Oh yes, running a household staff is like running your company, too!”

I have horror stories about agency yayas, so going to an agency will probably be my last resort. Some are made to claim they have experience, even if they have none.

But for some, like working mom of two Eloisa, getting a yaya from the same agency as her friends somehow helped lower the anxiety. “I went through a lot of resumes and did three face-to-face interviews,” she said. “My yaya was not the smartest or the most efficient, but I love her because she loves my baby.”

Referral

The safer option seems to be by referral. “Look for someone whose family background you know or someone connected to you or your family,” said Liza, a recruitment professional and mom of two. “Both of my yayas are from Iloilo, where I’m from. We know their family.”

Usually, employers advance the expenses for the yayas’ trip to Manila. However, some use it as stepping stone to other job opportunities, so it’s a common practice to have them pay for their way if they leave their employment within six months to a year. Liza shouldered her yaya’s airfare to Manila, “With the agreement that she will repay me if she fails to stay within a year.”

While having someone vouch for an applicant or hiring a distant relative can help you avoid getting bad yayas, still, there are no guarantees. Liza agreed: “One yaya we got seemed good at first. She was the daughter of my yaya, a high-school graduate, very efficient, and my kids were comfortable with her. Unfortunately, magnanakaw pala. Another was a distant relative, college undergrad, nice to the kids, pero nagkakalat pala ng tsismis sa neighborhood!”

Experience and training

During the interview, IT executive and mom of two Sophie insists on knowing the yaya’s track record in handling babies. “Some will claim they know, but when you start asking them about a typical day, letting them explain and describe exactly how things are done, you will see the truth.”

In Liza’s case, both her yayas had no experience in childcare. “So, at least three weeks before I returned to work, I started training them, I showed them how things are done, then I watch them do it, like feeding, bathing, playtime. You would know if they’re being good to your child by the way the child behaves around them. Pag hindi ka pinapansin at gusto si yaya, it should be a good sign (again, depending on the stage). I don’t mind that my four-year-old says ‘meror’ (mirror) or ‘melk’ (milk).”

So, Liza stressed: “Invest in training. Moms are good at this. My mom is very straightforward: She would set the rules, expectations, give guidance on how they should manage their tasks, may on-the-job training. She points it out ’pag may hindi tama—the first time and every time. But I also set rules—bawal makipag-tsismisan, kids first before the chores, ang attention sa kids at hindi sa TV or sa cellphone.”

The leaner your household staff, the better. Marissa, an advertising executive and mom of two, advised: “Don’t have a lot of helpers at home; madaming HR issues.”

Working mom of two Dina added: “Treat them like real employees; get their emergency contact numbers. Write down your standard briefing procedure in case you have new maids you need to retrain. Some abuse a friendship, so stay professional.”

Marketing officer and mom of one Rochelle agreed. “Don’t be too chummy-chummy with her, keep your relationship professional.”

Age is a factor

There are always pros and cons in deciding to get a younger or older nanny. Younger ones may be more energetic and trainable, but they can also be flighty, risky and irresponsible.

Older ones can be more experienced if that is what you require, and they are generally more focused on the job since they are usually breadwinners, but they usually are set in their ways, come with expensive medical maladies, have to go home more often, and can have a hard time chasing after your child or keeping up with a newborn’s erratic sleeping schedule.

Said Liza, “I don’t have a specific take on age bracket or profile, because there will always be pros and cons. We’d always prefer those who haven’t been to Manila—bagong salta, para hindi maligalig, and she should at least be a high school graduate. If you have the time and patience to train, it’s okay to get someone with no prior experience, but who is mature. Minsan kasi ang mga senior, matitigas na ang ulo at mas marunong pa sa iyo.”

I could relate to that. My son’s outgoing yaya is 45 years old, and she ignores our instructions when she doesn’t want to do them. I noticed my son’s bottles weren’t being cleaned well, and she complained of headaches. So, we took her to the optometrist and got her prescription glasses, which she refuses to wear because she doesn’t want to adjust to her new specs.

She also insists on being on her cellphone all the time while carrying my son, and insists my son is safe anyway.

This became a deal-breaker for us, so since she doesn’t want to change, she said she’ll just go home to her five kids (at least that’s what she says). It’s a shame, because she seems to really love our son.

Which is why Gianna, a working mom of two, says: “My cut-off will always be my age (mid-30s); anyone older, unless really good, I do not entertain. I believe that the age difference between the yaya and kid (even the parent) will make or break the deal in kid-yaya-parent management.”

Entrepreneur and mom of four Trina shared: “I usually get yayas of any age, but I realized that the ones aged 25 and older jump from one employer to the other. They also usually ask for days off more often, as they have children of their own. I now get yayas who are 18-19 years old. I ask them to report to work two months before my date of delivery or one to two months before the predecessor leaves. That way, I can train them before they’re on their own, and they know and are used to my rules before the babies are born.”

Part-time option

Not crazy about having a stranger staying in?

Doctor and new mom of one Tina had a live-out yaya for only three weeks, from 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m., with days off on Sundays. “I leave my son with my mom while I’m in the clinic. At least I know my baby is in good hands and no child abuse will ever happen, too,” Tina explained. “I don’t have a yaya right now and I probably will not be getting one any time soon.

“Maybe if I become pregnant again, I’ll be forced to get one. My work as a doctor lets me be hands-on with my son. I hold clinic thrice a week, two hours each day. When I get home, I take care of him. Maybe that’s why I’m not so keen on finding a replacement.”

I learned a great deal from my friends’ yaya chronicles. My most important insight was, don’t expect your yaya to be perfect, and be patient with her.

For us yaya-dependents, remember: It’s our good fortune and their misfortune that led them to apply for yaya jobs. No one aspires to be a yaya, which means being uprooted from everything you know, living away from your family and friends, and being at the mercy of your employer.

If their minds were any quicker, they wouldn’t be working at this job. Because of their necessity and sacrifice, we get to enjoy the lifestyle we choose. A little sensitivity goes a long way.

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.