Lemuel Dave's Blog

Set in present day, people have found a new way to live their lives to the fullest — with surrogate robots. The robots are a sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves. Basically you’re you, only hotter and better at everything that you do. With everyone safe in their homes, free of pain, fear and consequences, the world is a utopia, that is until the first murder occurs and FBI agent Greer (Willis) will have to leave his surrogate behind and risk his life to unravel the mystery.

As expected from a science fiction movie, Surrogates is a movie that simply defies logic. Surrogates are physically better than their human counterparts. They never feel pain, aged, they look better and  they violate the laws of biology.  What more can we ask for?  These surrogates are surely the masterpieces of what technology has to offer us.  Well, these surrogates do have something to offer to us, but can we fulfill certain trade-offs?  These humanoids bred from advanced technology obviously comes with a hefty price tag.  These surrogates may guarantee us safety, but will you be willing to spend cash just to let your surrogate enjoy a vacation at Hawaii? Yes, that sounded ridiculous, all I meant was there are things that can only be appreciated when we ourselves experience it.  Another thing, invulnerable bodies? That would obviously mean crime rate will rise.  And who said only innocent people can use surrogates? Those people with cruel intent can also use them at their own advantage. We may not be hurt, but our surrogates will be destroyed, properties will get damaged – and that will be very costly. Our bodies will also suffer consequences in the long run. Come to think of it, the human body is intended to make motions so that it may not weaken. Letting surrogates do  activities while humans lay still could be the sole cause of our extinction.

And here comes another danger, a weapon that will shut down your surrogate and stress your brain that you will bleed to death. If the surrogates were made for human’s safety, why would the same company create a dangerous weapon that surpasses the safety measures of these surrogates? Stating that it was because of personal motives will be very shallow and thus created a loophole in the plot.

I could reason that having a duplicate you prevent you of any potential physical injuries. That the characters in the movie are scare and concern about their safety, but to trade it in for a false life –life only in the mind like living in a box? That’s just not a real life with the same kinds of experience. Life is sometimes unpredictable but that just makes it much more richer and more exciting to anticipate. Life is full of mysteries to be solved, to be created, to be enjoyed, to be experienced, and to be lived!

I am not in the position to state this but when it comes to graphics, the CGIs are a bit crappy. The scenes are too dark and the only scene I liked was when all those surrogates shut downed . I could say that scene was “well-choreographed” that it was very striking.  Knowing that the movie was based on a long-running novel, two hours will not be enough to reveal background info and twists. The plot was straightforward but it could be enjoyable.

Overall, Surrogates is a good movie. It has given us wild concepts about technology that could be used when the right time comes.  Hoping that we humans will use technology for the benefit of not only ourselves, but the planet as well.

Every student and faculty member of the University of the Philippines Visayas has encountered the acronym UPV CRSIS.  Try to ask any person within the vicinity of UPV Iloilo Campus about UPV CRSIS and you will get a satisfying answer. For those who haven’t come across this acronym, here is a little article about the system that every UP student must know about.

The Computerized Registration and Student Information System of the University of the Philippines Visayas, simply known as UPV CRSIS is a database focused on letting students pick their subjects during pre-registration. It has a lot of side features; in the CRS, we can view announcements and the schedule for the whole academic year. We can also view the different colleges of UPV and their faculty members. But the main feature of the CRSIS is the pre-registration system, that is, during pre-registration, we pick certain subjects that are required for our study plan. This greatly helps in fixing our schedule, avoiding all those terror teachers, and getting all those GE courses that you are good at. It also boasts the Student Information System, that is, after you are enrolled in a certain subject, your proctor has knowledge about his/her students. The Information System also lets you edit personal information.

Aside from avoiding all those long lines, a great advantage of having a CRS is the organization of information. Enrollment and Pre-Enlistment are not so difficult with the help of the CRSIS. Not only students benefit from the CRSIS, also the faculty members. Because of the CRSIS, it is easy for them to check who are those enrolled in their respective classes.

Indeed, the UPV CRSIS is a great tool for the University. It has helped us in a lot of ways, making our college life here in UPV less difficult in a way or another.

“Zephyr”

Just like a zephyr

I am quite gentle and mild

I can blow your mind

“Computers + Humans”

Great help to humans

But will bring us harm some time

Use them with caution

“Zephyr”

Just like a zephyr

I am quite gentle and mild

I can blow your mind

“Wish”

I wished on a star

That sooner you will love me

My wish has come true.

Dole is the world’s largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and fresh cut flowers with a growing line of quality packaged foods. Dole’s dedication to quality is a commitment solidly backed by: comprehensive programs for food safety, scientific crop protection programs, stringent quality control measures, state-of-the-art production and transportation technologies, continuous improvement through research and innovation, and dedication to the safety of our employees, communities and the environment. Dole is committed to nutrition education to communicate to the public the health benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

In the Philippines, Dole Philippines Incorporated (a subsidiary of Dole Food Company) was established in June 26, 1963 and has introduced premium quality, healthy food products in fresh and packaged foods. Its focus on health and nutrition remains strong even as Dole continues to expand its healthy food products. Its product lines range from canned pineapple solids, canned mixed fruits, canned beverages, packaged fruit snacks to tomato sauce. It has been known to export it’s products.

As I have known, it has two different divisions – Dolefil and Stanfilco. Dole-Stanfilco on the southern end end of Mindanao Island is initially operated as banana farming. Dole-Stanfilco recently operates from growing, harvesting, packing to exporting of Dole bananas in various locations within the Philippine archipelago. Dole-Stanfilco products initially sold in the local markets, is now marketed to countries in Asia and Middle East, New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and Europe. Meanwhile, Dolefil is an ISO 14001 certified is engaged in fresh and processed pineapple production, from land preparation and planting, to harvesting and packing, to processing and packaging of canned pineapple products for export. It is primarily engaged in the production and export of bananas to countries such as Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the Middle East.

Actually, I have known a lot of background information about Dole because my father once worked full-time there. I can say there are a lot of benefits given to Dole employees, since I have enjoyed them too. My father was assigned at Kasilak Development Foundation Inc., an NGO partnered by Dole. Since the main office of Dole was located at Davao City, a city five hours away from our house, my father was given a company car, and the fuel expenses are paid by the company. We were also given postpaid cellphones by the company that were insured. I have also enjoyed eating those products made by the company for free and attend social occasions. There are definitely a lot more benefits, but I could not remember them all. I am not definitely bragging, but I just want to inform you that working at Dole Inc. will give you and your family a lot of benefits.

I have also noticed that Dole has a lot of job offers in the main office, plantations, and storage facilities. Even though one is not a college graduate, he/she can still apply at Dole and work at plantations. Dole has been known to give job opportunities to people living around their plantations, human resources is definitely a need for the company. Employment in the company may be contractual or long-term, so employees can become full-time or stop as long as their contract is over.

In terms of resignation and retirement, the employee who has attained a high position may work as a consultant of the company, thus the former employee is still attached to the company and is still paid. This benefit is what I like the most, since one can work full-time at another company while being paid as Dole’s consultant. Isn’t that a good way to earn more money? Absolutely.

There are definitely a lot of good things about Dole Philippines Incorporated. It is the world’s largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and fresh cut flowers. The company is a famous exporter, especially when it comes to fruits. The company is a great help in terms of unemployment. The company gives a lot of benefits to their employees. What more can we ask for?

And so I say, with no bias, Dole Philippines Inc. will become a great name in the next 5-10 years, or more than that.