No to Fogging

Some residents of my village have been trying to put a stop to the useless and highly toxic practice of fogging against mosquitoes. This is done in the hopes of annihilating the dengue virus, but has been proven quite useless. The mosquitoes go away (imagine the size of the mosquitoes against the power of the mist so, yes, they are "blown" away) and then come back once the fogging is done. Those that remain more than likely mutate into even more virulent versions of their former, unsprayed selves.

After a lot of going back and forth, research on the practice, research on dengue, all it took was the DOH's official stand on fogging to convince the committee that we no longer need to do that here. Apparently, it is pretty clear that the Department of Health has a No Fogging Policy. So there. The only reasons they give are that it is useless and expensive. They do not talk about how toxic it is to all of life. Still, I am grateful that the dangerous practice will stop.

Chemical pesticides are designed to kill. That's what they are for. They do not target just mosquitoes. They will kill whatever is there--dragonflies, butterflies, frogs, you name it--everything that is in the environment that is part of creating a healthy ecology. Some of these insects we have to thank for naturally eating mosquitoes and helping us, but we're killing them as well, thereby helping to create the problem we are trying so hard to fight.

I am happy that my village has decided to follow the DOH policy, though I wish more people would see just how toxic pesticides are. The case against fogging is not just a case against uselessness and expense; it is a case against pesticides that kill. We are not there yet. Some people just shrug their shoulders, as if we were inventing what is already proven in so many parts of the world. Pesticides are toxic to all living things. They cause all types of cancers, skin, respiratory and endocrine diseases, etc.

We're so scared of dengue, we think fogging will prevent it (it doesn't), so we allow ourselves and everything living around us, to be exposed to chemicals that will give us serious, terminal illnesses instead. I don't get it at all. But with the end of fogging here, I am hoping that people will notice the restoration of life as well.

In the meantime, gratitude for the death of fogging is in order. YES!

Adios

Yes, I committed suicide. One of my first entries on this blog had to do with Facebook. It took me some time before I jumped in because I felt it was a waste of time, but D. and I thought it might be a good way to get our advocacies across. It turns out it wasn't. Not really. Though we enjoyed it when we were there, appreciating some connections made and fretting over others, we realized that the only time it was really a socially RELEVANT tool was during Ondoy. That was awesome use of Facebook.

From the get go I gave myself a May 10, 2010 deadline. There were times when I felt I would probably stay on but as the date loomed, I felt myself warming to the thought of freedom from Facebook. Part of me felt that it was too much of a false community and it was starting to take over actual human interaction. Facebook gives you a sense of connection that isn't really there. At least I don't think so.

A nephew joined one of those groups on Facebook called, "Yes we're Facebook friends so why is it so awkward in person ?". Or something like that. That sums it up for me. I see people in person and realize I know too much about them, without really knowing them. That gives me the creeps.

I was very careful about my privacy settings, but if you've been in Facebook long enough, you know there is no privacy there. Privacy on Facebook. A friend says that's an oxymoron. I have to agree. And if you're so worried about privacy, why are you on Facebook?

As May 10 loomed, I thought it might be too early to sign off. I wanted to see the after-elections updates. But did I really? On Facebook? Not really. So before I knew it, I left. And I haven't looked back.

I'm hoping 2010 will be a zero-catastrophe year so that I don't have to re-activate it, because Facebook makes it so easy to activate your account again. In the meantime, I'm free and loving it. I'm actually writing more--creating rather than lurking.

Isn't that something?