In the beginning there were no people on the earth.

Lumawig, the Great

Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many reeds. He divided these into pairs
which he placed in different parts of the world, and then he said to them, "You
must speak." Immediately the reeds became people, and in each place was a man
and a woman who could talk, but the language of each couple differed from that
of the others.
Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they
did. By and by there were many children, all speaking the same language as their
parents. These, in turn, married and had many children. In this way there came to
be many people on the earth.
Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the
earth needed to use, so he set to work to supply them. He created salt, and told
the inhabitants of one place to boil it down and sell it to their neighbors. But
these people could not understand the directions of the Great Spirit, and the next
time he visited them, they had not touched the salt.
Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called
Mayinit. These did as he directed, and because of this he told them that they
should always be owners of the salt, and that the other peoples must buy of
them.
Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and
make pots. They got the clay, but they did not understand the moulding, and the
jars were not well shaped. Because of their failure, Lumawig told them that they
would always have to buy their jars, and he removed the pottery to Samoki.
When he told the people there what to do, they did just as he said, and their jars
were well shaped and beautiful. Then the Great Spirit saw that they were fit
owners of the pottery, and he told them that they should always make many jars
to sell.
In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things
which they now have.
SOURCE: http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/pft/pft27.htm






















We certainly know that our universe exists, however, this knowledge alone
has not satisfied mankind's quest for further understanding. Our curiosity has led
us to question our place in this universe and furthermore, the place of the
universe itself. Throughout time we have asked ourselves these questions: How
did our universe begin? How old is our universe? How did matter come to exist?
Obviously, these are not simple questions and throughout our brief history on this
planet much time and effort has been spent looking for some clue. Yet, after all
this energy has been expended, much of what we know is still only speculation.
We have, however, come a long way from the mystical beginnings of the
study of cosmology and the origins of the universe. Through the understandings
of modern science we have been able to provide firm theories for some of the
answers we once called hypotheses. True to the nature of science, a majority of
these answers have only led to more intriguing and complex questions. It seems
to be inherent in our search for knowledge that questions will always continue to
exist.
Although in this short chapter it will be impossible to tackle all of the
questions concerning the creation of everything we know as reality, an attempt
will be made to address certain fundamental questions of our being. It will be
important to keep in mind that all of this information is constantly being
questioned and reevaluated in order to understand the universe more clearly. For
our purposes, through an examination of what is known about the Big Bang itself,
the age of the universe, and the synthesis of the first atoms, we believe that we
can begin to answer several of these key questions.
One of the most persistently asked questions has been: How was the
universe created? Many once believed that the universe had no beginning or end
and was truly infinite. Through the inception of the Big Bang theory, however,no
longer could the universe be considered infinite. The universe was forced to take
on the properties of a finite phenomenon, possessing a history and a beginning.
About 15 billion years ago a tremendous explosion started the expansion of
the universe. This explosion is known as the Big Bang. At the point of this event all
of the matter and energy of space was contained at one point. What exisisted
prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation.
This occurance was not a conventional explosion but rather an event filling all of
space with all of the particles of the embryonic universe rushing away from each
other. The Big Bang actually consisted of an explosion of space within itself unlike
an explosion of a bomb were fragments are thrown outward. The galaxies were
not all clumped together, but rather the Big Bang lay the foundations for the
universe.
The origin of the Big Bang theory can be credited to Edwin Hubble. Hubble
made the observation that the universe is continuously expanding. He discovered
that a galaxys velocity is proportional to its distance. Galaxies that are twice as
far from us move twice as fast. Another consequence is that the universe is
expanding in every direction. This observation means that it has taken every
galaxy the same amount of time to move from a common starting position to its
current position. Just as the Big Bang provided for the foundation of the universe,
Hobbles observations provided for the foundation of the Big Bang theory.
Since the Big Bang, the universe has been continuously expanding and,
thus, there has been more and more distance between clusters of galaxies. This
phenomenon of galaxies moving farther away from each other is known as the
red shift. As light from distant galaxies approach earth there is an increase of
space between earth and the galaxy, which leads
to wavelengths being stretched.
In addition to the understanding of the
velocity of galaxies emanating from a single point,
there is further evidence for the Big Bang. In
1964, two astronomers, Arno Penzias and Robert
Wilson, in an attempt to detect microwaves from
outer space, inadvertently discovered a noise of
extraterrestrial origin. The noise did not seem to
emanate from one location but instead, it came
from all directions at once. It became obvious
that what they heard was radiation from the
farthest reaches of the universe which had been
left over from the Big Bang. This discovery of the radioactive aftermath of the
initial explosion lent much credence to the Big Bang theory.
Even more recently, NASAs COBE satellite was able to detect cosmic
microwaves eminating from the outer reaches of the universe. These microwaves
were remarkably uniform which illustrated the homogenity of the early stages of
the universe. However, the satillite also discovered that as the universe began to
cool and was still expanding, small fluctuations began to exist due to temperature
differences. These flucuatuations verified prior calculations of the possible cooling
and development of the universe just fractions of a second after its creation.
These fluctuations in the universe provided a more detailed description of the
first moments after the Big Bang. They also helped to tell the story of the
formation of galaxies which will be discussed in the next chapter.
The Big Bang theory provides a viable solution to one of the most pressing
questions of all time. It is important to understand, however, that the theory itself
is constantly being revised. As more observations are made and more research
conducted, the Big Bang theory becomes more complete and our knowledge of
the origins of the universe more substantial.
Now that an attempt has been made to grapple with the theory of the Big
Bang, the next logical question to ask would be what happened afterward? In the
minuscule fractions of the first second after creation what was once a complete
vacuum began to evolve into what we now know as the universe. In the very
beginning there was nothing except for a plasma soup. What is known of these
brief moments in time, at the start of our study of cosmology, is largely
conjectural. However, science has devised some sketch of what probably
happened, based on what is known about the universe today.
Immediately after the Big Bang, as one might imagine, the universe was
tremendously hot as a result of particles of both matter and antimatter rushing
apart in all directions. As it began to cool, at around 10^-43 seconds after
creation, there existed an almost equal yet asymmetrical amount of matter and
antimatter. As these two materials are created together, they collide and destroy
one another creating pure energy. Fortunately for us, there was an asymmetry in
favor of matter. As a direct result of an excess of about one part per billion, the
universe was able to mature in a way favorable for matter to persist. As the
universe first began to expand, this discrepancy grew larger. The particles which
began to dominate were those of matter. They were created and they decayed
without the accompaniment of an equal creation or decay of an antiparticle.
As the universe expanded further, and thus cooled, common particles
began to form. These particles are called baryons and include photons, neutrinos,
electrons and quarks would become the building blocks of matter and life as we
know it. During the baryon genesis period there were no recognizable heavy
particles such as protons or neutrons because of the still intense heat. At this
moment, there was only a quark soup. As the universe began to cool and expand
even more, we begin to understand more clearly what exactly happened.
After the universe had cooled to about 3000 billion degrees Kelvin, a radical
transition began which has been likened to the phase transition of water turning
to ice. Composite particles such as protons and neutrons, called hadrons, became
the common state of matter after this transition. Still, no matter more complex
could form at these temperatures. Although lighter particles, called leptons, also
existed, they were prohibited from reacting with the hadrons to form more
complex states of matter. These leptons, which include electrons, neutrinos and
photons, would soon be able to join their hadron kin in a union that would define
present-day common matter.
After about one to three minutes had passed since the creation of the
universe, protons and neutrons began to react with each other to form
deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen. Deuterium, or heavy hydrogen, soon
collected another neutron to form tritium. Rapidly following this reaction was the
addition of another proton which produced a helium nucleus. Scientists believe
that there was one helium nucleus for every ten protons within the first three
minutes of the universe. After further cooling, these excess protons would be able
to capture an electron to create common hydrogen. Consequently, the universe
today is observed to contain one helium atom for every ten or eleven atoms of
hydrogen.
While it is true that much of this information is speculative, as the universe
ages we are able to become increasingly confident in our knowledge of its history.
By studying the way in which the universe exists today it is possible to learn a
great deal about its past. Much effort has gone into understanding the formation
and number of baryons present today. Through finding answers to these modern
questions, it is possible to trace their role in the universe back to the Big Bang.
Subsequently, by studying the formation of simple atoms in the laboratory we can
make some educated guesses as to how they formed originally. Only through
further research and discovery will it be possible to completely understand the
creation of the universe and its first atomic structures, however, maybe we will
never know for sure.

SOURCE: http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/bigbang.htm




















Once upon a time when the earth was but a shapeless, formless void
appeared the god called Tungkung Langit ( Pillar of Heaven) and the virgin
goddess of the eastern skies, Alunsina ( The Unmarried One).
The old Visayan folklore states that Tungkung Langit fell in love with Alunsina.
After he had courted her for many years, they married and made their home in
the highest part of heaven. There the water was always warm and the breeze was
forever cool, not a bad weather was in sight, and the couple was happy. In this
place in the heavens, order and regularity began.
Tungkung Langit was a loving, hard-working god. He wanted to impose order over
the confused world. He decided to arrange the world so that the heavenly bodies
would move regularly. On the other hand, Alunsina was a lazy, jealous, selfish
goddess. She sat at the window of their home all day doing nothing but brush her
long beautiful hair. Sometimes she would leave her home, sit down by a pool near
the door, and comb her long, jet-black hair all day long. One day Tungkung Langit
told his wife that he would be away for some time. He said he must make time go
on smoothly and arrange everything in the world and did not return for a long
time. Alunsina thought he was off to see a lover, so she summoned the breeze to
spy on Tungkung Langit. Tungkung Langit caught the spying breeze and he
became very angry with Alunsina. After he returned home, he told her that it was
ungodly of her to be jealous since there were no other gods in the world except
the two of them.
Alunsina resented this reproach, and they quarrelled all day. In his anger,
Tungkung Langit drove his wife away. And with that, Alunsina suddenly
disappeared, without a word or a trace to where she went. A few days passed,
Tungkung Langit felt very lonely and longed for his wife. He realized that he
should not have lost his temper. But it was too late, Alunsina is gone. Their home
which was once vibrant with Alunsina's sweet voice, his home became cold and
desolate. In the morning when he woke up, he would find himself alone. In the
afternoon when he came home, he would feel loneliness creeping deep within
him.
For months Tungkung Langit lived in utter desolation. Try as he did he could not
find Alunsina. And so in his desperation, he decided to do something to forget his
sorrow and win back his wifes favor. So he came down to earth and planted trees
and flowers that she may notice it, but she still didnt come home. Then in
desperation, he took his wife's jewels and scattered them in the sky. He hoped
that when Alunsina should see them she might be induced to return home.
Alunsina's necklace became the stars, her comb the moon, and her crown the
sun. But in spite of all his efforts, Alunsina did not return home. Until now, as the
story goes, Tungkung Langit lives alone in his palace in the skies and sometimes,
he would cry out for Alunsina and his tears would fall down upon the earth as rain
and his loud voice, calling out for his wife, was believed to be the thunder during
storms, begging for her to come back to their heavenly palace once more.

SOURCE: http://vizayanmyths.blogspot.com/2013/05/creation-myth-variant-
1.html















Rain is a form of precipitation, and comes from water that has condensed
into clouds high up in the atmosphere. When the sun shines on the ocean (or on
rivers or lakes), it heats up the water. Just like when you heat up water on the
stove, the hot rays from the sun cause the ocean water to evaporate. This
evaporated water (just like the steam from a pot on the stove!) floats up into the
atmosphere, where it is much cooler than down by the ocean. As the water
vapor cools down, it begins to condense to form clouds. If it condenses enough,
the water vapor will turn back into a liquid and fall to the earth as rain! This is
called the water cycle. Water from the ocean gets evaporated by the sun, and
then condenses into clouds and falls back to earth as precipitation. The water
cycle has been going on for almost as long as the earth has existed. The water
that you drink today may have at one point been in the stomach of a dinosaur!
But without the water cycle, we would not have any fresh water. The water cycle
is how water from the ocean gets recycled and carried up into the mountains to
form rivers and lakes which we can drink from. It is a very important part of life
here on earth.
SOURCE:
https://sites.google.com/site/sciencebushmc/archives/whatcausesrain