New Year, New Me

It’s that time of year again when we begin to consider all the things we have gone through and done during the last 11 months. Some events we look at with remorse, whereas others elicit a great sense of contentment. While embarking on this intellectual adventure we begin to make all kinds of promises to ourselves regarding which behaviors/events we would like to repeat and which ones should be completely forgotten and sent away into the shredders of Never Never Land!
The New Year always brings with it all kinds of hope and new possibilities. We see it as a chance for making differences in our lives. And when we think of possibilities, we put centralize ourselves in that portrait. We begin to dream of new potential selves and so begin designing the new ‘Me’, creating an image that is in various ways different from what we are now. Some issues we tend to commonly deal with year after year are certain personality eccentricities, physical appearance, activity level, the way you relate to others, the amount of time you spend with the family or friends and perhaps giving up certain habits like smoking and/or eating junk food.
The festive season simply prescribes such fantasies and wishes at this time of year, but they don’t always reach the depths of inner conviction and motivation. Too often they actually gradually fade away like a bad headache. We make some half-hearted resolutions which may be long forgotten after a week or two only to come back and haunt us next December.

Keeping in Mind Our Mother Tongue

Every language spoken in the world represents a special culture, melody, color, and asset and to everyone the mother language is certainly one of the most precious treasures in our lives. It’s a duty and responsibility to preserve it and pass it down from generation to generation. Whether we are urged by necessity or because of other reasons, learning another language brings a lot of advantages in our life. A new language opens a new window in our world view and makes us more aware, open-minded, and respectful to other cultures, lifestyles, customs and beliefs. Moreover, knowing another language has been proven to contribute to helping us understand our mother tongue better. However, much research indicates that most children eventually learn a second, or even more, languages to a native-like fluency level, what immigrant families are not often aware of is that many of their children are at risk of losing their mother tongue.

Equal Rights, Equal Oppurtunities

Gender-based discrimination is irrevocably connected to negative health outcomes for women and girls. Its associated poor health outcomes are often compounded by other forms of inequality related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation or geographical location. While these challenges are imposing, and often encoded in "normalized" ways of living, International Women's Day renews our commitment to denounce violations in human rights and to challenge unequal systems, structures and practices that perpetuate health inequalities across the world.

Climate Change

The Philippines has experienced temperature spikes brought about by climate change. It has been observed that warming is experienced most in the northern and southern regions of the country, while Metro Manila has warmed less than most parts. In addition, the regions that have warmed the most (northern Luzon, Mindanao) have also dried the most. Largest precipitation trends are about 10 percent during the 20th century.
	Hot days and hot nights have become more frequent. Extreme weather events have also occurred more frequently since 1980. These include deadly and damaging typhoons, floods, landslides, severe El Niño and La Niña events, drought, and forest fires. Adversely affected sectors include agriculture, fresh water, coastal and marine resources and health.