Biotechnology: Taking the might out of the deadly mite

I“Piercinghave read several novels by Frank Peretti to include: “Prophet,” “This Present Darkness,” the Darkness,” “The Oath,” “The Wounded Spirit,” and “Monster.” In a way, that makes me a Peretti fan.

In “Monster” Peretti has written a story of a horrifying predator terrorizing the woods of northern Idaho. The plot and characters try to scare you out of surviving the elements in the calm of the forest as you have always known it in previous outings. The forest is now inhabited by man-made monsters - “relentless, swift, and fast hunters.” Even more important, there are evil forces at play here to keep fiendish secrets from getting out. These same forces are manipulating events and controlling the monsters, if not trying to eliminate them altogether.

Besides an entertaining fiction, the author’s views on evolution, beneficial mutation, and natural selection were asserted in the story.

Interviewed by CBS, about his books, Peretti’s responses provide a glimpse into the workings of his mind. “I really got into monsters, because monsters could control their situation. They were ugly; they were outcast. I could identify with that because I felt like I was a monster too. I wished I could be a monster -- walk around and terrorize somebody for a change instead of them terrorizing me.”

Peretti is read by millions of religious fans worldwide. Personally, I find his books thrilling but in “Monster,” I am a bit disturbed. “You’re stomping around out in the woods, and there are these things out there that are chasing you -- cool suspenseful stuff going on,” Peretti says. “But in the course of this page-turning kind of a story, there is a message there that evolution isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” he added.

First, fiction is not science. Second, what went wrong with “Monster” was not the pursuit of science, but human greed and political ambitions dipping their hands in scientific work and manipulating it to wrong ends. Perretti may have overstepped his authority here with a judgment that he should know is dangerous when taken as truth in its entirety by his innocent fans.

I narrate this story being reminded of this professor from the university who was both religious and a man of science. We were bee- not less than 3% of the annual net surplus and it shall be used for projects or activities which will benefit the community where the cooperative operates. This noble social obligation is the bottom line why cooperatives are exempted from paying taxes.

Among the projects of the cooperatives in the barangays include development in Agriculture, Infrastructure, Tourism, Environment, Health, Education and other sectors in the society.

Further, coops contribute to the employment together some two decades ago before he and his family left for Canada.

Talking about the problems affecting our new beekeeping ventures, I suggested he might as well start breeding super bees that could withstand Varroa mites, a major parasite problem affecting the survival of Asian bees and Apis mellifera (imported European bees) in the Philippines. “And make them bees draw nectar and pollen from all flowering plants,” I added. Bees could not collect nectar and pollen from all flowering plants.

This friend, being a religious fellow, said: “The Bible doesn’t say anything specifically about genetically modified organisms and foods, but I will not definitely engage in altering human and animal genetic make-up.

But pursuing engineering genetics for the benefit of mankind could help us in the long run by giving us drought, pest, and disease resistant plants. He was not giving up on bees so he somehow edited his initial position. Manipulating the gene pool of human beings is evil. Plants and animals are completely different and are subject to humanity’s good stewardship.

I did not desire to pursue how he differentiates both issues. I was simply interested in addressing the problems affecting bees through science. I am like most farming folks who do not desire to become part of a super race of human beings. But having encountered the difficulties of life in the farm, we can understand the need for genetic improvements of food crops with the express purpose of increasing quality food supplies.

Bible scholars acknowledge that plants, animals, and trees today are still suffering the effects of the sin committed by Adam and Eve. Until now, creation groans and longs to be set free from this legacy of death and decay. of residents in the locality. There are 720 employees employed in coops for the past two years, a total of 16, 992, 77. 11 was given to the said employees which covers their salary, honorarium and other benefits.

In the municipality, there are 102 registered coops in the Cooperative Development Authority but only 78 are compliant. Thirty five thousand four hundred seventy three members of the coop sector in 2015 received a total amount of 70, 174, 881. 36 in the form of patronage refund and interest on share capital.

While the coop is doing its part in making changes in the community, La Trinidad is also

data and seek personal financial information and intellectual property. The DICT report also mentioned APT32 Cyber-espionage Collective as one of the world’s most notorious hacker groups that has already made cyberattacks in the country according to cyber-security firm FireEye.

Wrapping up, I concluded may talk with ways to protect oneself in Cyberspace. I gave the following tips. Do not open messages or attachments from unknown sources. Use spam filters to prevent unwanted and dangerous emails. Do not click dubious or unverified links. Change your password/s regularly. Create strong characters and different passwords for your accounts. Be careful in interacting with other people online. As much as possible, don’t give out personal informakeepers

Crops and livestock are very susceptible to the ravages of disease, drought, and pests. Crop harvests may not be eaten because of the action of bacteria on food. One way of offsetting the effects of this curse on farming is for scientists and farmers to alter the genetic makeup of organisms to improve food sources for the world’s population, especially the poor. The behavior of bacteria could also be altered to store and preserve food longer. Some indigenous people have long understood that.

Some people use religion to attack scientific work particularly those that alter the genetic make-up of organisms. Understanding moral ethics and the utility of science should help us realize that either side cannot be arrogant about their position and cause.

Dr. Dazon was so passionate about beekeeping because of its honey and pollen products, and what he called the important economic, social and cultural roles that bees contributed to human civilization because of pollination.

Without bees, so many important food crops (fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and oils) are worthless to food production and human nutrition pursuits and goals. The health of bees is directly linked to our health. So, can human beings manipulate the genes of pollinators like bees so they can keep on performing their natural roles in food production in an imperpect world?

More than three-quarters of the world's food crops, worth between US$235 billion and US$577 billion, rely at least in part on pollination by insects and other animals, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Aside from pollination, bees have also played a role throughout human history “as inspirations for art, music, religion and technology. They are essential in the quest to improve quality of life, FAO explained.

There is a technology being tested in the U.S.A. against varroa mite now. The technology can eliminate the use of pesticide in bee colonies to control this dangerous parasite, and sustain the life of the bees.

A man of God and science, I am sure that my friend, if he is yet alive would not hesitate to experiment and promote this gene altering technology in the Philippines, himself, if it meant taking the might out of the varroa mites. I hope so. -30doing its share in returning back the great contributions of coops in the locality through the allocation of budget for the development of the sector. For this year, the Sangunniang Bayan approved the provision of more than one million pesos for the cooperative development services under the Office of the Mayor. The amount shall be used in the implementation of programs, projects and activities identified in the Medium-Term La Trinidad Cooperative Development Plan.

The strong and solid partnership between the LGU and the cooperatives is what makes La Trinidad different from other municipalities in the region.

tion online. Install security devices like firewalls and anti-virus. Don’t forget to patch your Computer Systems. Be careful of what you plug in to your devices. Do not install 3rd party apps directly from the internet but only through official App stores such as Google Play and i-Tunes. Add only people you know on your Social Media accounts. Don’t pay ransom and report and Ask help from the Authorities. It is important to know your cybercrime investigation and coordination centers in your area. While we both exist in physical and digital world, we must know how to check, balance and secure our daily online transactions. Remember that if it's too good to be true, then it probably is. It simply means that you cannot get something out of nothing.