MikeLigalig.com

Cars are a lot of things, but “biodegradable” isn’t one of them. Not that car makers haven’t been trying for years: ever since “biodegradable” became a buzz word in the mid-90s, they’ve been doing their best to design a car that will eventually rot away, instead of being unearthed by future civilizations and mistaken for a coffin or something.

Of course, they didn’t go quite as far as the Phoenix, here…

Made entirely out of bamboo, rattan, nylon and a little steel, the Phoenix was built in ten days and is designed to, well, rot eventually. In fact, the skin of the car (i.e., the bamboo part) is only designed to last five to ten years, which is about how long people hang onto cars.

Naturally, a new skin can be attached to the car.

Needless to say, this hasn’t been put through any sort of crash test, which would be our first question if somebody tried to sell us a wicker car: in fact, it doesn’t even have a motor in it yet. It’s been entered in a design competition and mostly exists as just a concept.

But, hey, it looks neat, and it sure beats some of the terrible designs you see at auto shows, anyway.

Choice seats for Pacquiao-Shane May 7 tiff are being sold at P.8-M
By NICK GIONGCO
April 18, 2011, 6:21pm

MANILA, Philippines â€" Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum swears not even his people at Top Rank have tickets to show off to prospective buyers interested in watching the May 7 show starring Manny Pacquiao versus Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“We don’t have tickets in our hands right now,” said Arum over the weekend as he made an official announcement that “not one” ticket is available for purchase. Of course, there are still countless tickets available â€" in the black market.

Since these tickets have become a hot commodity, brokers have priced them beyond the reach of the ordinary wage-earner, leaving these prized passes only sellable to those willing to part ways with as much as $17,995 (P790,000) for a choice, front-row ringside seat that actually costs $1,000.

When Top Rank released the tickets for public sale in the end of January, a near sell out was immediately announced as only a few thousands were left.

Aside from the top-of-the-line $1,000 tickets, others were also sold at $750, $500, $300 and $150.

Arum said those who would be unable to secure tickets from the black market, can still soak up the incomparable Las Vegas fight night atmosphere by watching it on closedcircuit at $50 a pop in all the MGMMirage owned properties that are nicely located on the famed Strip.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena has a seating capacity of around 17,000 and Arum said ringside will be teeming with VIPs from the world of sports, entertainment and politics. Arum said a former US President has also expressed his desire to see the fight.

“The response is just unbelievable,” said Arum, who has been promoting boxing since 1966 starting with Muhammad Ali’s world heavyweight title bout with the iron-chinned Canadian George Chuvalo.

A lady goes to her priest one day and tells him, 'Father, I have a problem. I have two female parrots, But they only know to say one thing.'

'What do they say?' the priest asked.

They say, 'Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?'

'That's obscene!' the priest exclaimed,

Then he thought for a moment. 'You know,' he said, 'I may have a solution to your problem.  I have two male talking parrots, which I have taught to pray and read the Bible... Bring your two parrots over to my house, and we'll put them in the cage with Francis and Peter. My parrots can teach your parrots to pray and worship, And your parrots are sure to stop saying...  That phrase...  In no time.'

'Thank you,' the woman responded, 'this may very well be the solution.'

The next day, She brought her female parrots to the priest's house....

As he ushered her in, She saw that his two male parrots were inside their cage holding rosary beads and praying...

Impressed, She walked over and placed her parrots in with them. After a few minutes, The female parrots cried out in unison: Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?'

There was stunned silence...

Shocked, One male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and says, 'Put the beads away, Frank,
Our prayers have been answered!

Why the Filipino is SPECIAL by Ed Lapiz

Filipinos are Brown. Their color is in the center of
human racial strains.

This point is not an attempt at racism, but just for
many Filipinos to realize that our color should not be
a source of or reason for inferiority complex. While
we pine for a fair complexion, the white people are
religiously tanning themselves, whenever they could,
under the sun or some artificial light, just to
approximate the Filipino complexion.

Filipinos are a touching people. We have lots of love
and are not afraid to show it. We almost inevitably
create human chains with our perennial akbay (putting
an arm around another shoulder), hawak (hold), yakap (embrace),
himas (caressing stroke), kalabit (touch with the tip
of the finger), kalong (sitting on someone else's lap), etc.

We are always reaching out, always seeking interconnection.

Filipinos are linguists. Put a Filipino in any city,
any town around the world. Give him a few months or
even weeks and he will speak the local language there.
Filipinos are adept at learning and speaking
languages. In fact, it is not uncommon for Filipinos
to speak at least three: his dialect, Filipino, and
English. Of course, a lot speak an added language, be
it Chinese, Spanish or, if he works abroad, the
language of his host country.

In addition, Tagalog is not 'sexist.' While many
"conscious" and "enlightened" people of today are just
by now striving to be "politically correct" with their
language and, in the process, bend to absurd depths in
coining "gender sensitive" words, Tagalog has, since
time immemorial, evolved gender-neutral words like
asawa (husband or wife), anak (son or daughter),
magulang (father or mother), kapatid (brother or
sister), biyenan (father-in-law or mother-in-law),
manugang (son or daughter-in-law), bayani (hero or
heroine), etc. Our languages and dialects are advanced
and, indeed, sophisticated! It is no small wonder that
Jose Rizal, the quintessential Filipino, spoke some
twenty-two languages!

Filipinos are groupists. We love human interaction and
company. We always surround ourselves with people and
we hover over them, too. According to Dr. Patricia
Licuanan, a psychologist from Ateneo and Miriam College, an
average Filipino would have and know at least 300 relatives.

At work, we live bayanihan (mutual help); at play, we
want a kalaro (playmate) more than laruan (toy). At
socials, our invitations are open and it is more
common even for guests to invite and bring in other
guests. In transit, we do not want to be separated
from our group. So what do we do when there is no
more space in a vehicle?

Kalung-kalong! (Sit on one another). No one would ever
suggest splitting a group and waiting for another
vehicle with more space!

Filipinos are weavers. One look at our baskets, mats,
clothes, and other crafts will reveal the skill of the
Filipino weaver and his inclination to weaving. This
art is a metaphor of the Filipino trait. We are social
weavers. We weave theirs into ours that we all become
parts of one another. We place a lot of premium on
pakikisama (getting along) and pakikipagkapwa
(relating). Two of the worst labels, walang
pakikipagkapwa (inability to relate), will be avoided
by the Filipino at almost any cost.

We love to blend and harmonize with people, we like to
include them in our "tribe," in our "family"-and we
like to be included in other people's families, too.

Therefore we call our friend's mother nanay or mommy;
we call a friend's sister ate (eldest sister), and so
on. We even call strangers tia (aunt) or tio (uncle),
tatang (grandfather), etc.

So extensive is our social openness and interrelations
that we have specific title for extended relations
like hipag (sister-in-law's spouse), balae
(child-in-law's parents), inaanak (godchild),
ninong/ninang (godparents) kinakapatid (godparent's
child), etc.

In addition, we have the profound 'ka' institution,
loosely translated as "equal to the same kind" as in
kasama (of the same company), kaisa (of the same
cause), kapanalig (of the same belief), etc. In our
social fiber, we treat other people as co-equals.

Filipinos, because of their social "weaving"
traditions, make for excellent team workers.

Filipinos are adventurers. We have a tradition of
separation. Our myths and legends speak of heroes and
heroines who almost always get separated from their
families and loved ones and are taken by circumstances
to far-away lands where they find wealth or power.

Our Spanish colonial history is filled with
separations caused by the reduccion (hamleting), and
the forced migration to build towns, churches,
fortresses or galleons. American occupation enlarged
the space of Filipino wandering, including America,
and there are documented evidences of Filipino
presence in America as far back as 1587.

Now, Filipinos compose the world's largest population
of overseas workers, populating and sometimes
"threshing" major capitals, minor towns and even
remote villages around the world. Filipino adventurism
has made us today's citizens of the world, bringing
the bagoong (salty shrimp paste), pansit (sautéed
noodles), siopao (meat-filled dough), kare-kare
(peanut-flavored dish), dinuguan (innards cooked in
pork blood), balut (unhatched duck egg),
and adobo (meat vinaigrette), including the tabo
(ladle) and tsinelas (slippers) all over the world.

Filipinos are excellent at adjustments and
improvisation, managing to recreate their home, or to
feel at home anywhere.

Filipinos have Pakiramdam (deep feeling/discernment).
We know how to feel what others feel, sometimes even
anticipate what they will feel. Being manhid (dense)
is one of the worst labels anyone could get and will
therefore, avoid at all cost. We know when a guest is
hungry though the insistence on being full is assured.

We can tell if people are lovers even if they are
miles apart. We know if a person is offended though he
may purposely smile. We know because we feel. In our
pakikipagkapwa(relating), we get not only to wear
another man's shoe but also his heart.

We have a superbly developed and honored gift of
discernment, making us excellent leaders, counselors,
and go-betweens.

Filipinos are very spiritual. We are transcendent. We
transcend the physical world, see the unseen and hear
the unheard. We have a deep sense of kaba (premonition)
and kutob (hunch). A Filipino wife will instinctively
feel her husband or child is going astray, whether or not
telltale signs present themselves.

Filipino spirituality makes him invoke divine presence
or intervention at nearly every bend of his journey.
Rightly or wrongly, Filipinos are almost always
acknowledging, invoking or driving away spirits into
and from their lives. Seemingly trivial or even
incoherent events can take on spiritual significance
and will be given such space or consideration.

The Filipino has a sophisticated, developed
pakiramdam. The Filipino, though becoming more and
more modern (hence, materialistic) is still very
spiritual in essence. This inherent and deep
spirituality makes the Filipino, once
correctly Christianized, a major exponent of the
faith.

Filipinos are timeless. Despite the nearly
half-a-millennium encroachment of the western clock
into our lives, Filipinos-unless on very formal or
official functions-still measure time not with hours
and minutes but with feeling. This style is ingrained
deep in our psyche. Our time is diffused, not framed.
Our appointments are defined by umaga (morning),
tanghali (noon ), hapon (afternoon), or gabi
(evening).

Our most exact time reference is probably
katanghaliang-tapat (high noon), which still allows
many minutes of leeway. That is how Filipino trysts
and occasions are timed: there is really no definite
time.

A Filipino event has no clear-cut beginning nor
ending. We have a fiesta, but there is bisperas (eve),
a day after the fiesta is still considered a good time
to visit. The Filipino Christmas is not confined to
December 25th; it somehow begins months before
December and extends up to the first days of January.

Filipinos say good-bye to guests first at the head of
the stairs, then down to the descamo (landing), to the
entresuelo (mezzanine), to the pintuan (doorway), to
the tarangkahan (gate), and if the departing persons
are to take public transportation, up to the bus stop
or bus station.

In a way, other people's tardiness and extended stays
can really be annoying, but this peculiarity is the
same charm of Filipinos who, being governed by
timelessness, can show how to find more time to be
nice, kind, and accommodating than his prompt and
exact brothers elsewhere.

Filipinos are Spaceless. As in the concept of time,
the Filipino concept of space is not numerical. We
will not usually express expanse of space with miles
or kilometers but with feelings in how we say malayo
(far )or malapit (near).

Alongside with numberlessness, Filipino space is also
boundless. Indigenous culture did not divide land into
private lots but kept it open for all to partake of
its abundance.

The Filipino has avidly remained "spaceless" in many
ways. The interior of the bahay-kubo (hut) can easily
become receiving room, sleeping room, kitchen, dining
room, chapel, wake parlor, etc. Depending on the time
of the day or the needs of the moment. The same is
true with the bahay na bato (stone house). Space just
flows into the next space that the divisions between
the sala, caida, comedor, or vilada may only be
faintly suggested by overhead arches of filigree. In
much the same way, Filipino concept of space can be so
diffused that one 's party may creep into and actually
expropriate the street! A family business like a
sari-sari store or talyer may extend to the sidewalk
and street. Provincial folks dry palayan (rice grain)
on the highways! Religious groups of various
persuasions habitually and matter-of-factly commandeer
the streets for processions and parades.

It is not uncommon to close a street to accommodate
private functions. Filipinos eat. sleep, chat,
socialize, quarrel, even urinate, nearly everywhere or
just anywhere!

"Spacelessness," in the face of modern, especially
urban life, can be unlawful and may really be
counter-productive. On the other hand, Filipino
spacelessness, when viewed from his context, is just
another manifestation of his spiritually and communal
values. Adapted well to today's context, which may
mean unstoppable urbanization, Filipino spacelessness
may even be the answer and counter balance to
humanity's greed, selfishness and isolation.

So what makes the Filipino special? We are brown,
spiritual, timeless, spaceless, linguists, groupists,
weavers, adventurers. Seldom do all these profound
qualities find personification in a people. Filipinos
should allow - and should be allowed to contribute
their special traits to the worldwide community of
men- but first, we should know and like ourselves.

usa ka mainitong bag-ong tuig ninyong tanan!!!

 

Jimmy Surprises Bieber Fan

4-Year-Old Goes on Shopping Spree -- on iPhone App

December 10, 2010

NEW YORK â€"  "The Smurfs' Village," a game for the iPhone and other Apple gadgets, was released a month ago and quickly became the highest-grossing application in the iTunes store. Yet it's free to download.

So where does the money come from? Kelly Rummelhart of California has part of the answer. Her 4-year-old son was using her iPad to play the game and racked up $66.88 in charges on her credit card without knowing what he was doing.

Rummelhart had no idea that it was possible to buy things -- buy them with real money -- inside the game. In this case, her son bought one bushel and 11 buckets of "Smurfberries," tokens that speed up gameplay.

"Really, my biggest concern was them scratching the screen. Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would be charging things on it," the 36-year-old mother said.

She counts herself lucky that her son didn't start tapping on another purchase button, like the "wheelbarrow" of Smurfberries for $59.99.

Rummelhart joins a number of parents who have been horrified by purchases of Smurfberries and other virtual items in top App Store games. The 17 highest-rated comments on "The Smurfs' Village" in the App Store all complain about the high cost of the Smurfberries, and two commenters call it a "scam."

Apple introduced "in-app purchases" last year, letting developers use the iTunes billing system to sell items and add-ons in their games and applications.

This year, developers have started to use the system in earnest as the main revenue stream for many games. Of the 10 highest-grossing apps in the App Store, six are games that are free to download but allow in-app purchases. Four of those are easy, child-friendly games. Two of them, "Tap Zoo" and "Bakery Story," have buttons for in-app purchases of $100 in just two taps.

Capcom Entertainment Inc., the publisher of "The Smurfs' Village," says inadvertent purchases by children are "lamentable." When it realized what was happening, it added a warning about the option of in-app purchases to the game's description in the App Store, and it's updating the game to include warnings inside it as well. The game has retreated to being the fourth-highest-grossing app in the App Store.

The warnings may alert parents, but it's doubtful that they'd deter children who can't read and don't understand money. Also, the option to buy $59.99 worth of Smurfberries at a time remains. Capcom spokesman Michael Larson says "Smurfs" is no different from other games in this regard, and the bulk purchasing option is useful to adult "power players."

It's quite likely that most of the money pulled in by these games comes from addicted adults who want to quickly build their Smurf villages, bakeries, zoos and zombie farms. But there's a loophole in the in-app purchase process that children stick their fingers through.

Usually, the purchases require the owner of the device to enter his or her iTunes password. But there is no password challenge if the owner has entered the password in the last 15 minutes for any reason. That means that if a user enters the password for a purchase or a free app upgrade, then hands the phone or iPad over to a kid, the child will not be stopped by a password prompt.

Capcom and other game publishers have no control over the 15-minute password-free period, which is set by Apple.

Apple defends its system. Spokeswoman Trudy Muller says the password system is adequate and points out that parents can restrict in-app purchases. The parents contacted for the story received refunds from Apple after complaining, and praised the company's responsiveness.

However, there's reason to believe that the password timeout doesn't always work.

Andrew Butterworth of Ontario was well aware of how in-app purchases work and of the password-free period. He was careful to let at least 15 minutes pass after a password entry before letting his 5-year-old son play with his iPod Touch. That didn't help, once he'd loaded "The Smurfs' Village."

"He came to me all proud and said he'd figured out a way to get all these Smurfberries," Butterworth says. "And as soon as I saw the Smurfberries, I knew that he'd purchased them using my credit card. I was amazed that he'd figured out a way to do it, because I was sure that he would have needed my password."

He had last entered his password on the iPod four or five hours earlier, he said. His son's shopping spree cost $140.
Chris Gropp, another Canadian, said he had not entered his iTunes password the same day his son bought $67 in Smurfberries, apparently without being asked for the password.

TeamLava LLC, the publisher of "Bakery Story" and "Farm Story," says the games follow all of Apple's rules and restrictions. In either game, it's possible to buy $99.99 worth of "gems" in one go.

The game publishers and Apple point out that device owners can turn off the option to conduct in-app purchases by going to the Settings app, then hitting the General button, then the Restrictions option. The parents contacted for the story had done so after being alerted to the purchases through their iTunes billing statements.

Apple takes requests for refunds through the computer version of the iTunes program. In the "Store" menu, chose "View my account," then click "Purchase History," then "Report a Problem." Then click on the problem purchase.

Butterworth was pleased with the refund, but still thinks "Smurfs" is a "scam."

"They make it a ridiculously difficult game to play, and you can skip all the difficult parts by spending money," he said. "I believe that they know exactly what's going on."

Filipinos and happiness: why we need to be serious about it

Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 7:19 There is enough evidence to suggest that Filipinos in general are preoccupied with the desire to be on a permanent state of euphoria or at least with being perceived to be a “happy-go-lucky” society no matter what circumstances they are in. Unfortunately, this national obsession with being “happy” or having a good time instead actually leads the Filipino people to a permanent state of misery because their pursuit of happiness is shallow and misguided.

The symbol of Filipino happiness

Because of our obsession with being perceived as a “happy-go-lucky” people, we unfortunately also come across as a people who do not take things too seriously even in times of crisis; which is why our social ills stay unresolved. In fact, Filipinos in general don’t even realize that our national psyche needs to be rehabilitated. Most Filipinos are of the belief that our corrupt public officials are solely to blame for the sad state of our nation. This is funny because the Filipino people are free to choose their public servants. And yet they prefer to choose someone incompetent â€" which is why they get the government they deserve.

The country remains Asia’s laggard perhaps partly because most Filipinos don’t have their priorities right. Most of us would rather pursue activities that cater to instant gratification because most of us want to be “masaya” all the time. We get instant gratification when we engage in activities that give us fleeting moments of happiness. Most often these are activities that are not well thought through and may even be impulsive. It could also involve being on a fiesta or celebratory mode more often than necessary even when we don’t deserve it. This also includes not participating in the running of the country and letting our public servants wreak havoc using public funds. Instead of being serious and more assertive about national issues, we dismiss topics pertaining to politics as something that we cannot do anything about or is none of our business.

Because Filipinos love a good time more than anything else, we don’t bother learning a new skill on our spare time. Most Filipinos don’t like the idea of working harder to elevate our status to one of being among the first-class nations in the world; we would rather wait for someone to do it for us. Unfortunately, because our society has become anti-intellectual, the intellectuals are driven to leave the country. The brain drain reduces our chances of competing with other nations whose aim is to be the best at what they do and excel at every endeavor.

It follows that since most Filipinos in general would rather have a good time than work hard, it is no surprise that they also love riding on the success of other Filipinos in the entertainment industry where fame and fortune carry away singers, actors, and even sportsmen â€" boxers in particular. It’s not that there is anything wrong with being happy for someone who achieves international recognition, it’s just that Filipinos tend to take it to the extreme and only idolize those who appear on TV and films due to their fame rather than those who work hard to excel in science and technology â€" those who can actually help elevate the status of the nation.

Too much “pakikisama” can be bad for our society.

Our love for a good time more than serious and reflective time seems to be associated with a uniquely-Filipino flavor of collectivism â€" “pakikisama” in the vernacular. Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao for example, brings temporary joy and induce exaggerated Filipino pride among Filipinos simply by winning a boxing match held in an international arena. Those who do not feel the same level of “pride” when he wins are seen as being unpatriotic, killjoy or worse, “walang pakisama“. The following comment made in the AntiPinoy.com article Those Who Keep Saying “I am Proud to be a Filipino” When Manny Pacquiao Wins are Morons is a case in point:

    Bakit hindi ninyo ba naramdamang “PROUD” kayo at may isang kababayan kayo na nanalo sa ibang lupain at pati hindi ninyo kalahi eh nasisiyahan at humahanga sa galing niya? So that means… naive at somewhat strange ang katwiran ninyo kung ganun! At dapat lang na may halong emosyon sa mga ganitong pangyayari…kung WALA manhid KA!Wala nga sa race yan..pero dahil sa Pinoy ka at Pinoy ang umaani ng tagumpay sa ngayon pagdating sa boxing bakit hindi natin mararamdaman ang pagmamalaki sa pamamagitan ng boxer na ito!

Those who see Pacquaio’s win as an individual achievement rather than a collective achievement also tended to be the same ones who are more concerned about the negative effects this national obsession with a boxing celebrity or any celebrity has on Philippine society. This concern is not without its merit since Filipinos also tend to idolize those with celebrity status and vote them in as public servants even if they are not qualified for public service and Manny Pacquiao having been voted into public office as Congressman is enough proof of this. Alarmingly, there are even some members of the Philippine public who are now supporting the idea of Pacquiao running for the Presidency one day.

It is not an exaggeration therefore to say that Filipinos who are labeled “killjoy” or “walang pakisama” are the same ones who are serious about the state of the nation and use their heads for critical analysis in most situations. Unfortunately, those who apply a critical mind in Philippine society are outnumbered by those who don’t, so the former ends up being bullied to submission or being helpless.

Too much good time can be bad for our society.

Most Filipinos would often say, “It’s better to see the glass half-full than half-empty.” But the more applicable proverbial expression to our society should be, “The glass is not half-full if it isn’t half-empty.” We can’t always pretend not to see the dark side of any given situation. Having an incompetent leader like President Noynoy Aquino for example, is a situation that has more dark side than bright side. If Filipinos continue to refuse to prepare for the worst case scenario, they might just get a rude shock one day upon realizing that they are already stuck between a rock and a hard place. Not that we are not yet stuck in a difficult situation; we already are, except some of us just don’t realize it yet or refuse to accept it and, worse, are not prepared for it.

There is this misconception among Filipinos that if people keep pointing at the facts and discussing the problems of our society, they are perceived as being unproductive or negative. Never mind that discussing our social ills could actually lead to the right solutions.

What is a healthier outlook in life then? Humans have different set of moods. Normal people have a baseline or set point of happiness. We bounce up and down from that baseline in response to short term events depending on the situation, like when we hear some bad news or good news. Most people normally return to their baseline after some time. Unfortunately, some of us think that we have to be above the normal baseline all the time to be considered to be a “happy” person, which is quite an impossible state to achieve because it means that in order to be “high” all the time, the natural tendency to be down after a high needs to be continuously overcome. And if we keep soaring higher, the longer the fall that is sure to come sooner or later.

If we prefer to constantly experience that “high” feeling, we also have to be constantly entertained by outside stimuli. This outside stimuli could come in the form of watching a spectacle on TV, the movies, being on the computer all day playing a video game, or being around a large gathering of family and friends having a party just to be entertained. In short, when our brain is being entertained all the time, we don’t have time to think or engage in self-reflection.

How do we sustain the baseline level of happiness? Being happy does not necessarily mean that we should always be in a gathering with friends having a ball or a party. Being happy does not necessarily mean that we should literally be laughing all the time or making jokes that make light of otherwise serious things. It would be more ideal to find happiness during our spare time doing some productive work that stimulates the imagination â€" like reading a good book or learning a new set of skills to keep our brains occupied and sharp. This sort of baseline happiness is more sustainable and healthier for the brain. It offers greater potential for monetary rewards, which can lead to being in a healthier mood for longer periods of time.

Caroline Hunt, a professor in psychology at the University of Sydney, Australia suggested that society would be better off if people backed away from their obsession with getting more happiness, because the activities to satisfy such an obsession is does more damage in the long-term. To quote what she said in an interview:

    “There are a lot of misconceptions about what makes us happy, often involving unrealistic expectations of just how happy we could be. There’s a small industry suggesting what people should do to make themselves more happy but most of the time it would be more useful for people to accept that being unhappy or being in a state of melancholy some of the time can be OK. In fact it is part of being a human being.

In the book Against Happiness, author Eric Wilson emphasized that he finds it odd that sadness is seen as not a normal part of life but as a weakness, something to be eradicated.

    “You should really embrace those dark parts of your life. They are natural. They are normal. It seems to me those darker sides of experience, those times when we are sad or sorrowful, we often learn things about ourselves that we would not learn had we simply remained content.”

Lack of substance leads to idiotic behavior

No wonder most Filipinos never learn from their mistakes. They never have time to reflect because they are preoccupied with having a good time. After reading the statement above, one cannot help but recall how some Filipinos did not show any sympathy after the deaths of eight Chinese tourists in the Mendoza hostage crisis. School girls and uniformed policemen posed for photos smiling and laughing near the hijacked bus of the scene of the crime and posted the same photos on social networking sites for all the world to see. It exhibits how our society has such an underdeveloped sense of compassion. We just want to have a good time all the time.

One cannot forget too how President Noynoy Aquino (P-Noy) was caught smiling like a dog during a press conference a day after the Mendoza hostage crisis in which eight Chinese tourists died. After being criticized for his smiling face, his only excuse was “… I have several expressions. I smile when I’m happy, I smile when I’m faced with a very absurd situation…” to be fair to P-Noy, he really was caught in a very absurd situation at the time. He probably felt that smiling would lighten up the situation. Unfortunately, it just made it worse.

Where did the concept of being happy start?

It’s been said that the pursuit of happiness started in the United States when the Declaration of Independence guaranteed every individual the right to “pursue happiness”. Since then pop psychology has advocated the notion that in order to live a meaningful life, people should be happy and to be happy, you should always be “positive”.

The concept gave rise to a lot of self-help books written by positive mental attitude gurus who tend to recommend that people see the bright side of things rather than the negative. You could say that the concept is a marketing executive’s dream coming true because advertising agencies can continue to sell more products to make people feel “happy” by creating a need.

Unfortunately, with Filipinos copying anything “in” in American society, Philippine society had embraced this concept without bothering to analyze if the same concept is applicable to us as a people. And because we are such bad copycats, we do not really think about the social impact of adapting a concept that works for other cultures but not for ours. The Presidential system is a classic example of a concept that seems to work fine for Americans but obviously not for Filipinos because of our personality based politics. But I digress…

Americans on their part, have an individualistic society, which means that they pursue their own happiness on individual terms. They acknowledge that what might make someone happy won’t necessarily make others happy. Pursuing intellectual stimulus for example can be gratifying for some while just playing video games all day will have the same effect on others. The long term effect or damage of either activity is debatable but it has been proven time and time again that intellectual pursuits which may seem like such a boring activity to those who prefer to play video games, will yield more positive results in the future for any individual.

Some societies celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and respect the choices each individual makes; this results in a more vibrant and innovative society. In short, you won’t really find Americans who force other fellow Americans to be happy when an American boxer wins boxing matches or label others unpatriotic if they don’t.

The drawback of selling happiness as the key to a meaningful life also gave rise to the use of medication in some parts of the world especially the US. Big pharmaceuticals in the United States jumped on the bandwagon of the self-help gurus and managed to enter the happiness market by selling happy pills or anti-depressants. At least the US has regulations that serve as check-and-balance on the euphoria industry. But this is already capitalism at its finest and luckily enough, Philippine society has not gone down that path due to Filipino consumers lacking the funds to indulge in such products. It’s easy to conclude that the pursuit of feelings of happiness can be costly and dangerous, which really shouldn’t be the case. People just have to embrace the fact that we can’t always be blissfully happy or be in a state of euphoria all the time especially when there are situations when we should be in a somber mood.

Researchers in Melbourne, Australia have discovered that “positive thinking could be helpful, but you shouldn’t force it. For most people, deliberate attempts to be optimistic compromise their wellbeing.” In the book The Negative Side of Positive Thinking the author Simon Moss states “all these theories about positive thinking is overrated. Generally speaking, there are some people that generally think positive but if people are anxious then positive thinking is damaging.”

His statement is proof that Filipinos in general cannot and should not claim to be always “happy” despite their obstacles because the notion of a whole society that is always in a permanent of state of bliss is just pure fantasy. Filipinos who force fellow Filipinos to feel happy and patriotic about shallow achievements like Manny Pacquiao’s win or Charice Pempengo’s guest appearance in Glee are just being bullies.

It’s a shame this obsession with feel good moments lead Filipinos to an unhealthy mindset. We become permanent catatonics whose brains are always tethered to entertaining spectacles. It is for this reason that incompetent public servants keep getting voted in as head of the Republic like President Noynoy Aquino because Filipino voters just accept whatever is being fed to them by the media. They don’t use their critical analysis anymore because they don’t get a chance to when they are always preoccupied with having a good time.

We should learn to be more serious about our life and the condition we are in. At the state our country is in, we can’t always pursue having a good time especially since most of us don’t even have the means to have one or don’t even deserve it. (pasted from antipinoy.com)

(Author: Ilda is agent provocateur, etc...)

Daniel Radcliffe message for Manny Pacquiao

GM recalling 1.4 million vehicles for fire hazard

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- General Motors is recalling 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix a problem in which fires can be caused by a heated windshield washer fluid system.

GM recalled 944,000 vehicles for this same problem in 2008, but now says the fixes it made aren't stopping new fires. Now GM dealers will simply disable the system altogether.

The system is designed to heat windshield washer fluid in order to better clear the vehicles' windshield on cold days..

In a recall action announced in August 2008, GM dealers installed a fuse to shut off the system in the event of a short circuit.

A short circuit in the circuit board that controls the system caused a grounding wire to overheat. That led to smoke and the malfunctioning of other electrical components.

There have new reports of "thermal incidents," including five fires, in vehicles that have had the repair, according to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The problem in the current recall is unrelated to the one involved in the first recall. In the new cases, the overheating is not being stopped by the fuse, GM spokesman Alan Adler said.

"While our analysis shows the number of incidents is very small compared with the number of vehicles on the road, we want our customers to have complete peace of mind," Jeff Boyer, GM's executive director of safety, said in a statement.

There have been no reports of accidents or injuries as a result of the problem, GM said.

The company that originally supplied the system to GM, MicroHeat Inc., was forced into bankruptcy following the 2008 recall. The company reorganized under the name AlphaTherm and now sells heated washer fluid systems directly to vehicle owners.

Joe Trubak, general manager of AlphaTherm, was unaware of the new recall until informed of it by CNNMoney.com. He was not immediately able to comment on the matter.

The vehicles affected by the recall are the Buick Enclave and Lucerne; Cadillac CTS, DTS and Escalade; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe and Traverse; GMC Acadia, Sierra and Yukon; Hummer H2; and Saturn Outlook.

All the vehicles are from 2006 to 2009 model years. Owners will receive $100 from GM to compensate them for loss of the feature.

Owners who think their vehicle may be involved in this recall can call NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 or contact GM customer service for their vehicle brand. To top of page

BILLY GRAHAM --- PRAYER FOR OUR NATION

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.  We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. 
We haveneglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. 
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. 
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. 
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. 

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

How do you 'go' in space?

by Katherine Scarrow

If you've always wanted to know how astronauts take care of business miles above the Earth's surface, you're not alone. According to NASA astronaut , 'how do you go in space?' is the number one question asked by school kids.

In the YouTube clip below, Mike speaks with STS-132 Mission Specialists and as they learn to use the shuttle Atlantis' 'space potty.'

It's a remarkably complex process that involves hoses, mirrors, anatomy-based funnels, toe restraints and an 'alignment camera.'

But it's not necessarily as bad as it sounds. In fact, it might be a bit fun. In a funny moment, Mike compares the motion to Peter Fonda in 'Easy Rider' on a chopper.

Shuttle's Toilet Requires Special Training

 Champ on campus - one of the world's most popular athletes is trading his instruments of ring murder (boxing gloves) for a tablet pc and become the world's most popular . . . student.

WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2) will continue his pursuit of a bachelor's degree by taking part-time classes at the University of the Philippines, specifically at the UP College of Public Administration and Governance.

   The congressman-elect from Saranggani Province (in the southern Philippines), with a constituency of 270,000+ relying on their new representative for a better livelihood, expressed his desire to learn the Philippine Congress' legislative protocols.

Congressmen in the Philippines are introduced with the title "Honorable" in formal legislative and social functions (i.e., "the Honorable, Congressman Manny Pacquiao").

The 15th Philippine Congress is likely to consider critical agendas and reforms over the next three-year cycle as it attempts to work with President-elect Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino.  There are important items on the national budget, education, national security, energy projects, and economic initiatives.  Secondly, current President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a potential Speaker of the House, may re-initiate a charter change drive to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

   Will the boxing champ join a fraternity, or create one?  Unlike the 1986 classic comedy movie "Back to School" featuring comedian Rodney Dangerfield, there probably there is no time for wild parties or keg stands for the Pacman.  And unlike most classmates who will be in their early 20s, Pacquiao can have assistants carry his backpack and school supplies.

In the modern age of the fortunate, however, the pencil sharpener has been replaced by laptops, tablet pc's, and digital recorder.  We are confident that Pacquiao, with his studious preparation, will not be involved in an academic cheating scandal for which one can serve some punitive detention.

Chinese Snap to Attention for Bra-Removing Contest

(May 18) -- Since the dawn of women's apparel, men have been trying to score by unhooking brassieres. This contest, however, brings the game to a whole new level.

A Chinese shopping mall hosted a competition to find out who could unclasp bras the fastest using just one hand.

Competitors raced to undress a line of eight masked women who stood on a stage in the Guangzhou mall wearing bras and short-shorts.

Eager participants entered the contest to fulfill their dreams and have the chance to take home a mall gift certificate for 1,000 yuan -- about $146 -- according to AsianPopular.com.

Event organizers insisted the May 8 event didn't objectify women -- it educated men.

"The workings of a woman's bra are a mystery for many men -- this activity helped more people understand bra culture and explore its secrets," a mall spokesman told the Mumbai Mirror.

That might be the case, considering the fact that a female shopper took top honors by unclasping all eight bras in just 21 seconds.

The victor, who declined to give her name, said she might have had an unfair advantage over her male rivals, according to Fox Chicago.

"I didn't expect to win -- maybe it was because I get so much practice in my everyday life," she said.

Hadza Man, Tanzania

Photograph by Martin Schoeller

This Month in Photo of the Day: National Geographic Magazine Features

Long vistas and the dry season's withered vegetation enable keen eyes to spot game miles away. From a wind-bowed tree on a ridge, a man named Mahiya peers across rough Tanzania terrain where Hadza bands range.

Hot pursuit ninjas save Australia mugging victim


Students at Sydney martial arts school Mr Soto with his ninja trainees saved Sydney mugging victim

Three muggers in Australia got the fright of their lives when their attack was interrupted by five black-clad ninja warriors.

The thieves were assaulting a German medical exchange student in Sydney, but the alleyway where they struck was next to a school for ninja warriors.

One of the pupils raised the alarm after noticing the attack.

Police say they have arrested two men and charged them with robbery, and are still looking for a third suspect.

"We just ran outside and started running at them, yelling and everything," said ninja master Kaylan Soto who instructed his students to take action.

"These guys have turned around and seen five ninjas in black ninja uniforms running towards them. They just bolted."

The victim suffered minor injuries, and the men stole his mobile phone and iPod, according to police.

Mr Soto said the man could have escaped the assault with some training in ninjitsu - a Japanese martial art. As for the attackers, "They just picked the wrong spot," he added.

Pakistan blocks access to YouTube in internet crackdown


Women supporters of Islamic political party Jamaat-e-Islami hold a placard during a protest against Facebook in Karachi May 19, 2010. Many Pakistanis are angry at the 'Draw Muhammad' competition

Pakistan has blocked the popular video sharing website YouTube because of its "growing sacrilegious content".

Access to the social network Facebook has also been barred as part of a crackdown on websites seen to be hosting un-Islamic content.

On Wednesday a Pakistani court ordered Facebook to be blocked because of a page inviting people to draw images of the Prophet Muhammad.

Some Wikipedia pages are also now being restricted, latest reports say.

Correspondents say it remains to be seen how successful the new bans will be in Pakistan and whether citizens find a way round them.

Because YouTube is a platform for free expression of all sorts, we take great care when we enforce our policies.


YouTube says it is "looking into the matter and working to ensure that the service is restored as soon as possible". The site was briefly blocked in Pakistan in 2008 - ostensibly for carrying material deemed offensive to Muslims.

Facebook said on Wednesday that the content did not violate its terms.

There have been protests in several Pakistani cities against the Facebook competition.
'Derogatory material'

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority said it had ordered internet service providers to "completely shut down" YouTube and prevent Facebook from being viewed within Pakistan.

It said the move came only after "all possible avenues" within its jurisdiction had been used.

Countries, companies and even individuals can easily block various websites if they choose. China has a notorious firewall in place to control internet activity and many Western organisations choose to block access to social networks in the office.

In this case, Pakistan will probably have instructed its internet service providers (ISPs) to prevent any pages containing the phrase "youtube.com" in the address from loading on web browsers.

There are various ways of implementing a block and sometimes it can go awry - Pakistan accidentally pulled YouTube offline around the world in 2008 when it tried to implement an internal ban by "hijacking" the youtube.com address in order to re-direct links to a different page.

There are also ways to duck underneath a ban - most commonly by accessing the internet via a "proxy" server based abroad. This can fool an ISP into thinking a computer is actually based in another country and therefore not subject to the ban.

"Before shutting down (YouTube), we did try just to block particular URLs or links, and access to 450 links on the internet were stopped," said PTA spokesman Khurram Ali Mehran.

"But the blasphemous content kept appearing so we ordered a total shut down."

One of the links blocked is to a BBC News website article about Pakistani soldiers apparently beating Taliban suspects in a video posted on Facebook.

A YouTube spokesperson said: "YouTube offers citizens the world over a vital window on cultures and societies and we believe people should not be denied access to information via video.

"Because YouTube is a platform for free expression of all sorts, we take great care when we enforce our policies. Content that violates our guidelines is removed as soon as we become aware of it."

The controversy began with the Facebook feature called "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day". Depictions of the Prophet are forbidden in Islam.

A message on the item's information page said it was not "trying to slander the average Muslim".

"We simply want to show the extremists that threaten to harm people because of their Muhammad depictions that we're not afraid of them."

The page contains drawings and caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad and characters from other religions, including Hinduism and Christianity.

"Such malicious and insulting attacks hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world and cannot be accepted under the garb of freedom of expression," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said about the page.

Facebook said in a statement that it would take action if any content "becomes an attack on anyone, including Muslim people", but that in this case its policies were not violated.

"Facebook values free speech and enables people to express their feelings about a multitude of topics, even some that others may find distasteful or ignorant," the statement said.

A hotline has been set up in Pakistan, asking members of the public to phone in if they see offensive material anywhere.

Islamic parties say they are planning nationwide protests in Pakistan.

Five people were killed in the country in 2006 during violent demonstrations following publication of Muhammad cartoons in a Danish newspaper.

Sergey Brin Says Google 'Screwed Up' as U.S. Weighs WiFi-Spy Probe

But Brin's mea culpa may not damp the outrage spreading from Europe to the U.S. over the breach. Even as he spoke, two U.S. lawmakers wrote the Federal Trade Commission asking whether Google's actions were illegal. And Reuters reported that the Dept. of Justice is also "interested" in looking into the matter.

"We Screwed Up"

Speaking at a Google developer conference in San Francisco Wednesday, Brin used blunt terms to address the growing controversy, which erupted after Google said it had mistakenly collected users' browsing activity over unsecured WiFi networks.

"We screwed up, and I'm not making excuses about it," Brin said, according to multiple reports. "Trust is very important to us, and we're going to do everything we can to preserve it."

"We do have a lot of internal controls in place, but obviously they didn't prevent this error from occurring," Brin said, according to ZDNet. "We are putting more internal controls in place and bringing in third parties to work on this issue, as well."

Lawmakers Call For FTC Probe

Meanwhile, two influential lawmakers, Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, and Rep. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, wrote to the FTC on Wednesday asking the agency to determine whether Google's actions violated the law or consumer protection rules. The two lawmakers are co-chairmen of the House Privacy Caucus.

"Are Google's actions illegal under federal law?" the lawmakers asked in the letter, which included other pointed questions such as, "Do Google's actions form the basis of an unfair or deceptive act or practice that constitutes harm to consumers?"

An FTC spokesperson declined to comment. A Google spokesperson would only say, "We're continuing to talk to the relevant authorities to answer their questions and concerns."

Experts: Don't Destroy Potential Evidence

The possibility that Google's "war driving" may have violated the law heightens the scrutiny of the data Google collected, which could be used as evidence in any legal proceeding. Google has already begun destroying the data -- in some cases at the behest of governments, including Britain's -- but privacy experts told DailyFinance this week that Google should preserve the data and turn it over at government request.

"The problem here is that there are criminal laws at issue, and there is a real question as to whether Google violated those laws," says Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "If it did, the evidence is in the information Google collected. Google has tried to minimize the data it collected, calling it snippets or fragments. But that's a determination that needs to be made by a third party, possibly a prosecutor."

See full article from DailyFinance: http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/sergey-brin-says-google-screwed-up-as-u-s-weighs-wifi-spy-pro/19484338/?icid=sphere_copyright

What causes our silvery strands  is becoming less of a gray area to scientists.

Reported in the science journal Cell, researchers noted that gray hair is indeed a result of stress -- but not necessarily the emotional stress from a demanding job or an unruly teenager. Instead, gray hair can be caused by cell stress.

Stress to the cells surrounding the hair follicles can be caused by damaging agents such as chemicals, ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation. According to the study's lead author, Emi Nishimura, a single cell may encounter up to 100,000 events a day that damage the DNA of these follicles which are responsible for the hair's color. It's this type of "genotoxic stress" that depletes the melanocyte stem cells within hair follicles that are responsible for making pigment-producing cells.

"In this study, we discovered that hair graying, the most obvious aging phenotype, can be caused by the genomic damage response through stem cell differentiation, which suggests that physiological hair graying can be triggered by the accumulation of unavoidable DNA damage and DNA-damage response associated with aging through MSC differentiation," researchers reported in Cell.

And while they state that the majority of this damage is unavoidable, therefore making stress less of a factor in the color of your hair, it can have a significant role in the amount of hair we have. As we previously reported on Stylist, stress can cause hair to fall out, so all the more reason to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Stress aside, many experts agree that genetics still play the largest role in determining when you can expect the grays to start creeping in. "When hair turns gray -- and which hairs turn gray -- is genetically programmed," Jerry Shapiro, M.D., professor of dermatology at New York University's Langone Medical Center told AARP's Bulletin Today.

Other factors that can influence gray hair include: vitamin B12 deficiency, smoking, heart disease, low bone mass, certain tumors or thyroid disease. Vitiligo, a condition where the cells at the base of hair follicles that produce color are damaged or destroyed by an immune system disorder, can also result in premature grays. And, alopecia areata, a disorder where patches of non-gray hair are lost suddenly, can make it appear that someone turned gray overnight.

Young Artists For Haiti - Wavin' Flag

Floyd Landis Admits PED Use, Accuses Lance Armstrong

   
Floyd Landis, the 2006 Tour de France champion who had his title stripped after testing positive for synthetic testosterone, has finally admitted that he was a longtime user of performance-enhancing drugs. And in his confession he has accused other cyclists of cheating, including Lance Armstrong.

"I want to clear my conscience," Landis told ESPN.com. "I don't want to be part of the problem anymore. "With the benefit of hindsight and a somewhat different perspective, I made some misjudgments. And of course, I can sit here and say all day long, 'If I could do it again I'd do something different,' but I just don't have that choice.'"

Landis claims that doping was so rampant in cycling that he had no choice but to cheat if he wanted to participate in the sport at its highest levels.

"I don't feel guilty at all about having doped," Landis told ESPN.com. "I did what I did because that's what we [cyclists] did and it was a choice I had to make after 10 years or 12 years of hard work to get there; and that was a decision I had to make to make the next step. My choices were, do it and see if I can win, or don't do it and I tell people I just don't want to do that, and I decided to do it."

The New York Daily News is separately reporting that Landis has accused Armstrong of doping. Landis wrote letters to cycling officials describing how the U.S. Postal Service pro cycling team used performance-enhancing drugs when Landis was on it from 2002 to 2005. Armstrong was on the team during that time and won the Tour de France all four years. Armstrong has steadfastly denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs.

New Miss USA Rima Fakih knows her way around a stripper pole

In case you missed it, Miss Michigan Rima Fakih, won last night to become the 2010 Miss USA. A nice feather in her cap, no doubt. But does it really compare to winning Mojo In The Morning’s “Stripper 101″ contest in 2007? I think not. Who knew that being well-versed in the art of working a stripper pole could put one on the path to superstardom? Well, okay, semi-famousdom. Either way, God bless America.

DRUGGIE Luke Holmes died in bed after being overcome by the heat from cannabis farms inside his home.

Holmes, 28, set up three foil-lined tents each containing marijuana plants cultivated under a battery of halogen lamps.

The powerful lights sent the temperature in his home soaring to more than 100°F (38°C), an inquest heard.

Holmes died in his sleep and was found three days later when pals broke into his house in Halifax, West Yorks.

Police almost fainted from the heat when they entered the property on a warm day last June.

The inquest in Bradford heard that Holmes was a drug user, although no drugs were found in his system.

He died from hyperthermia, or excessive heat. Verdict: Accident.

Toronto woman sues Rogers after her affair is exposed

Mon May 17 2010

A Toronto woman says the billing practices of Rogers Wireless Inc. led to her husband discovering her extramarital affair.

Now the woman, whose husband walked out, is suing the communications giant for $600,000 for alleged invasion of privacy and breach of contract, the results of which she says have ruined her life.

In 2007, Gabriella Nagy had a cellphone account with Rogers which sent the monthly bill to her home address in her maiden name. Her husband was the account holder for the family's cable TV service at the same address. Around June 4, 2007, he called Rogers to add internet and home phone.

The following month, Rogers mailed a “global” invoice for all of its services to the matrimonial home that included an itemized bill for Nagy's cellular service, according to the statement of claim filed in Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

When Nagy’s husband opened the Rogers invoice, he saw several hour-long phone calls to a single phone number.

“Nobody does business this way and he's not stupid,” says Nagy, who is in her 30s. He called the number, spoke to the “third party” who confirmed the affair, which had lasted only a few weeks, Nagy told the Star.

“My husband didn't tell me that's how he found out, he just left.”

“The husband used the previously private and confidential information that the defendant unilaterally disclosed to the husband to inquire about the people that the plaintiff was telephoning and the nature of such calls,” the statement of claim says.

The statement alleges Rogers “unilaterally terminated its cellular contract with the plaintiff that had been in her maiden name and included it in the husband’s account that was under his surname.

“The plaintiff’s maiden name and the husband's surname were different. Such unilateral action by the defendant was done without the knowledge, information, belief, acquiescence or approval of the plaintiff.”

In a statement of defence, Rogers denies it terminated the contract and says the company "cannot be held responsible for the condition of the marriage, for the plaintiff's affair and consequential marriage break-up, nor the effects the break-up has had on her.

“Rogers is not the cause of these. The marriage break-up and its effects happened, or alternatively would in any event have happened, regardless of the form in which the plaintiff and her husband received their invoices for Rogers services in July 2007.”

Rogers acknowledges it “consolidated the invoicing of the various services being provided to the plaintiff and her husband” so that one monthly invoice would be sent to their home. “Apart from administrative efficiency, doing so would result in savings to the plaintiff and her husband for the services.”

Nagy is deeply embarrassed and ashamed about what happened. “It was a mistake,” she said of the affair. “But I didn’t deserve to lose my life over it.”

After her husband left her and their two children, ages 6 and 7, she was so distraught her work performance suffered and she lost her job as an apartment rental agent that had paid her almost $100,000 until she was let go in Oct. 10, 2007. “The plaintiff wept uncontrollably at her workplace . . . and became incapable of performing her employment duties,” reads the statement of claim. Nagy says the employer was aware of the situation and that she was receiving medical attention.

Nagy’s lawyer, Edward Tonello, says this case is unprecedented in Canada.

“In Ontario, we don’t have a privacy act, unlike British Columbia and other provinces.”

Nagy discovered how her husband found out after Rogers left her a voicemail, in late August 2007, advising that it was about to terminate her cellular services because of unpaid invoices. That’s when she learned Rogers had terminated her account in her maiden name and included it in the global account. Rogers says the invoice was sent to “Ms.” and her husband’s surname.

When she confronted her husband, he said, “Thank god for the Rogers bill. Had it not come bundled in my cable service I would never known. That’s the only way,” Nagy says. She asked that his name not be included in the story to spare him further embarrassment. His name does not appear in the court filing.

“I lost everything,” she says. “I want others to know what a big corporation has done. I trusted Rogers with my personal information. We had a contract â€" and agreement that put my life right in their hands.”

After she terminated her relationship with the “third party” in August 2007, the jilted lover, himself a married father of three, called Rogers and obtained her secret password to her voicemail and used it to access it to harass her and taunt the husband, the statement of claim alleges.

As well, she alleges Rogers disconnected her cellular service in January 2009 and said her cellular phone was being invoiced to her husband's account. The wrongdoing that occurred in 2007 reoccurred, the statement says noting she subsequently switched to another cellular service provider.

Rogers denies those claims.

 

part 1

Newfie Music (Joke - Part I)


part 2

Newfie Music (Joke - Part II)

 

"Space Shuttle Atlantis" Final Flight-May,14 2010 (FULL HD)

a song as a tribute to the Atlantis and its crews

Elton John - Rocket Man

This father is set to become a Father


The Catholic Register



TORONTO - Years of experience as a husband and father provided a natural progression towards the priesthood for Deacon Stephen Crowley, now just days away from his May 1 ordination in Hamilton, Ont.

The father of three adult children lost his wife Maureen, to whom he had been married for 32 years, to muscular dystrophy in 2008.

“I just think that the priesthood now is a logical conclusion or a logical extension of me living out my baptism to the fullest as was my married life,” said Crowley, who worked as a medical laboratory technologist. “I see that they’re both ways of living out my baptism as a Catholic man of God and serving the community, first as a nuclear family and now as a larger family.”
Crowley said he remembers his first inclination to the priesthood, which happened when he was in Grade 4, and reading about the lives of the various saints.

“Especially reading about Fr. John Bosco and thinking ‘Gee I’d like to be a priest like he was,’ ” Crowley said. “I remember being an altar server for many years and my pastors and my family assuming I would enter the seminary and become a priest, but then it came time for high school and I started dating.”

During his youth in his hometown of Peterborough, Ont., he remembers parish-sponsored hockey teams and scout troops, youth Masses, school Masses at St. Peter’s High School and other faith-centred opportunities. He met Maureen when she was in Grade 10 and he in Grade 11.

After they married, it took many years before they would conceive their first child, just after they had begun to consider adoption.

“Those first six or seven years of our marriage where we didn’t have our children allowed us to be rooted in our faith and gave us the graces that we needed to cope with what lay ahead,” Crowley said.

During that time they participated in the Cursillo Movement and various parish missions which helped develop an understanding of church teachings and strengthened their relationship with God.

Signs of Maureen’s illness began to surface after the birth of their first child, but even as her condition worsened, their faith helped them recognize the graces being poured out on their family and on the community. After she had a brain stem lesion in 1992, Crowley asked his priest about becoming a deacon, but was encouraged to wait until his children were older. So he became involved with the Knights of Columbus and helped with various parish ministries, as did his children.

Crowley said because of his obvious passion for serving the church, his decision to study for the priesthood was no surprise to his children. He had already begun taking some theology courses in case the permission to become a priest was given. That happened the day before he left for the Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City in 2008, barely a month after his wife’s death.

Now he looks forward to giving to the parish some of the love he has shared with his family.

“I think it’s the interaction with the people, just the happy, smiling faces in the parish and knowing that you can be there â€" and serve them from when they baptize their children right through the whole sacramental life of the parish until it’s time to bury the dead â€" be there just as a member of this larger family.

“I’m looking forward to the idea of trying to find creative ways of drawing people into the church so that they can experience the love of God through the liturgy and just share in our liturgies and our faith with the people in our parish.”

Crowley said it’s the experience of having been in an intimate family relationship, the co-operation that is required and the sacrificial element of the sacrament that will help him be a good priest.

“It can be a great witness and a great understanding that people can hopefully relate with as well, as they go through their own struggles,” he said.

President Nicolas Sarkozy 'threatened to pull France out of euro'

By a Reuters reporter in Madrid

The newspaper cited comments by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to members of his party on Wednesday as relayed by people present at that meeting.

A spokesman for the Spanish Prime Minister's office confirmed the meeting between Zapatero and other socialist party members on Wednesday, but could not immediately confirm what was said at the meeting.


Sarkozy demanded a "commitment from everyone to suppport Greece...or France would reconsider its position in the euro," according to one source cited by El Pais.

Another source present at the meeting between Zapatero and his party members and cited by the paper said: "Sarkozy ended up banging his fist on the table and threatening to leave the euro...This forced Angela Merkel to give in and reach an agreement."

The European Union and International Monetary Fund agreed a 110 billion euro rescue plan for Greece last week. But Germany, which must shoulder a good deal of the burden, had proven reluctant to commit itself to a plan.

Zapatero told his party members that France, Italy and Spain had formed a united front against Germany at the Brussels meeting and that Sarkozy had threatened to break up a traditional France-Germany "hold" on the rest of Europe, according to El Pais.

The Elysee had no comment on the El Pais article.

Scientist tackles Magnetic Hill mystery


Fri May 14, 7:04 AM

NEW.BRUNSWICK (CBC) - A Japanese scientist has won an award for duplicating the kind of optical illusion that for decades has baffled tourists who visit the fabled Magnetic Hill in Moncton, N.B.

Kokichi Sugihara of the Meiji Institute for Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences won the international competition for Best Visual Illusion of 2010, at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Naples, Fla., for showing how objects can appear to roll uphill, as if they are being pulled by a magnet.

That kind of illusion has been drawing tourists to the southeastern New Brunswick city since the 1930s.

Sugihara's video, "Impossible motion: magnet-like slopes" shows a structure with four slopes. At the start, four wooden balls all appear to roll up the slopes against gravity. But as the camera circles the structure, the slopes are seen to be actually pointed down.

Judy Dougan, manager of Magnetic Hill for the City of Moncton, said the phenomenon related to perspective and background may have been solved but that is unlikely to curb the enthusiasm of people visiting the well-known Maritime attraction.

"The secret's out, but you have to come and experience it," Dougan said. "It's a unique experience."

Here's a video of the famous Magnetic hill 

Magnetic Hill, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

and this is the video explaining the "mystery"..

Impossible motion: magnet-like slopes

New type of sport - Walking on water (Liquid Mountaineering)

ALBULARYONG BUTA

PARENTS: You don't lie to your kids ... do you?

March 30, 2010

If you say you never lie to your kids, you're probably not telling the truth.

From the Easter Bunny to spinach to death, we lie about all sorts of things to give our kids a sense of wonder, encourage them to try different foods and protect them from harsh reality.

I am no exception. Although I avoid some of the whoppers my parents told me - "If you swallow gum it will stick in your stomach," and "If you make a face it will get stuck and stay that way" - I still find little white lies slipping out of my mouth.
   
Some lies we justify as being for our kid's own good. Food lies fall in this category. I'm the queen of the food lie.

"Eating carrots will make you see better." "Those aren't mushrooms, those are noodles." "We're all out of candy."

I got my son to eat cauliflower by telling him it was "white broccoli" and I can get him to try just about any light colored meat if I tell him it's chicken or turkey.

There are the lies I tell to avoid an unpleasant situation.

Anyone who's been to McDonalds knows how those junky little Happy Meal toys pile up. Periodically I clean out the toy box and toss the older ones. Every once in a while he decides to dig one out.

"It's around here somewhere, I'm sure we'll find it later," I say without missing a beat.

"It broke" is the fib I tell after tossing an old toy he stopped playing with or the balloon that lingered too long in the corner.

Some lies are to protect your child or avoid topics you're not ready to deal with.

When I took my son to a play about a troupe of teenage actors, to my surprise, there was a scene in which the older woman director got amorous with one of the teenagers. Frowning my son turned to me and asked "Are they married?" "Yes" I said without a second thought.

And then there are the harmless lies we tell to make kids feel good and encourage them.

"That song sounded beautiful." "Your drawing looks just like a (fill in the blank)." "You did better than you did last time."

One lie has even become such a standard, that it's more of a joke than a real lie. I've said it to my son, but always with tongue-in-cheek.

"When I was kid I used to walk to school through six feet of snow, uphill, both ways!"

What are your white lies?

8-Yr Old Only Potential Survivor of Libyan Plane Crash

An 8-year-old Dutch boy was possibly the only survivor when a Libyan plane exploded during landing at Tripoli airport Wednesday, killing 93 passengers and 11 crew members.

Reports are conflicting with some claiming all 105 on board have died. The most recent statement by the airline indicates survivors have been transported to hospitals:

    “We are very sorry to announce the tragic loss of Afriqiyah airways flight 8u 771 from Johannesburg in an accident during landing at Tripoli international airport at 04:00 UTC. (06:00 am Tripoli time) today Wednesday 12 may. We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the victims the search and rescue mission has now been completed and casualties have been moved to various hospitals. The secretariat of health will issue a statement on the condition of those casualties.”

Local news sources are also reporting that an 8-yr old boy has been transported to a hospital.

“I can confirm the crash but not the number of the dead,” said Bongani Sithole, an official of the airline at Johannesburg airport. “We hear that it happened one metre (yard) away from the runway.”

Afriqiyah Airways said the 8U771 flight crash landed in Tripoli around 5am British time. There were either 93 or 94 passenger and 11 crew. “At this moment we have no information concerning possible casualties or survivors,” the airline said in a statement.

News agencies are scrambling for information, but very little is being revealed by any sources close to the tragedy.

“We know that plane departed from Johannesburg to Libya and we are liaising with both the South African and Libyan civil aviation authorities. They will keep us informed,” said spokeswoman Nomfanelo Kota.

We will update as more information becomes available.

NBA approves Nets sale to Russian
   
NEW YORK (AP) -- The first step in what the New Jersey Nets hope is a quick turnaround is in place.

New owner Mikhail Prokhorov is eager to get started on the rest.

"For those who are already fans of the Nets and the NBA, I intend to give you plenty to cheer about," the Russian billionaire said in a statement.

The Nets are now officially the Nyets.

Prokhorov's purchase of the team was approved Tuesday by NBA's owners, who welcomed the first non-North American into their club.

Russia's richest man agreed to buy 80 percent of the Nets and 45 percent of an arena project in Brooklyn from developer Bruce Ratner late last year. Final approval of the sale was delayed until the state of New York had taken over all the land seized under eminent domain at the site of the team's Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Nets expect that transaction to close Wednesday, and the long-delayed 18,000-seat arena is to open in 2012.

The Nets hope Prokhorov's wealth -- estimated at $9.5 billion through his banking and metals businesses -- will be used to help them bounce back from a 12-70 finish that included an NBA-worst, 18-game losing streak to open the season.

The team was ruined by cost-cutting moves under Ratner, who signed off on the trades of Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. There's money to spend now, with an estimated $23 million in salary cap room heading into free agency this summer, when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are among the players who could be available.

Prokhorov already has proven he can build a winning basketball team, owning a share of European power CSKA Moscow.

"We anticipate that his passion for the game and business acumen will be of considerable value not only to the Nets franchise but to the entire NBA," commissioner David Stern said.

A person with knowledge of the voting results told The Associated Press that NBA owners voted 29-0 to approve the purchase. One team did not vote. The sale had to be approved by three-fourths of the NBA's owners.

The person requested anonymity because the voting totals were not released.

"Today's vote will give the NBA a greater global reach and bring a multitude of new fans to the game of basketball," Prokhorov said."

The next step for the Nets comes next week with the NBA draft lottery, in which they have a 25 percent chance of winning to earn the No. 1 pick and can finish no worse than fourth. Stern previously predicted Prokhorov could represent the team at the lottery.

Prokhorov's arrival in the NBA already has brought plenty of attention to the long-ignored franchise. The 6-foot-6 tycoon was an avid basketball player in his school days, is a fixture in glitzy European resorts and once was held in France for four days of questioning -- but never charged -- in a prostitution investigation.

He's now at the front of a team that will spend the next two years playing in Newark before the anticipated move to Brooklyn. Prokhorov hopes he has built a winning team by then.

"Mikhail and his team will bring tremendous innovation and excitement to the NBA," Ratner said.

Reader Mark Warrick responds to Denny Phillips, Cagefighter Suspect in Brooke Phillips Case, Shot By Police. The retired Tulsa cops said officers purposely fire low to avoid hurting anyone else, and blew off his balls and part of his penis...

"Just to clear up a few things that are reported incorrectly. First of all Phillips was shot by two Tulsa Police Detectives, no SWAT team was involved.

"The reason the shots were low was due to the fact Phillips was standing in front of a large window. The two detectives shot low to prevent any possible injury to innocent citizens.

"Actually the low shots were pretty effective, half of Phillips penis was removed along with both testicles. I am a retired 30 year member of TPD. I am proud to say the guys involved did a wonderful job getting this evil person off the streets."

French prostitutes oppose reopening brothels

By Mildrade Cherfils - GlobalPost
Published: May 12, 2010 06:33 ET

PARIS, France â€" A French lawmaker wants to reopen brothels, outlawed in France since 1946, in order to protect prostitutes from predatory pimps and exploitation. But the sex workers say no thanks.

“All of the prostitutes are against the reopening of the brothels,” said Janine Mossuz-Lavau, a sociologist and expert on sexuality and prostitution.

A 2003 law introduced by then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, which made passive public solicitation a punishable crime, is partly to blame for the impasse. Criminalizing activities around prostitution, which itself is legal for anyone over 18, sent workers underground to massage parlors and bars, but also away from the city centers, to peripheral areas, the woods and the internet. It “rendered exercising this profession much more dangerous” since workers found themselves isolated, Mossuz-Lavau said.

Almost seven years to the day that parliament adopted that law in March 2003, Chantal Brunel, a member of Sarkozy’s UMP party who had voted for it, announced she wants to change the government’s response to prostitution. She envisions reopening the brothels as spaces where workers would be safe from human trafficking and violence, treated with dignity and would even receive medical care. An estimated 59 percent of French citizens support the idea, according to a poll released last month.

But the sex workers’ union, which represents more than 250 prostitutes in France, is adamantly opposed to government meddling in its business and would rather maintain as much independence over its members' livelihoods as possible.

Reached by phone, Tiphaine Besnard, a union spokeswoman, said it had been a while since she heard any news from government officials one way or another about how the matter was progressing. In any case, the workers rarely participate in political discussions or decisions involving them.

“Our elected officials … are doomed to repeat the same failures if they do not consult the people who live prostitution daily and know all the consequences of their policies,” the union said in a March press release. “We alone possess the expertise on our lives.”

If you're one of those people resigned to living with a snoring problem...read on!

Snoring is one of the unfortunate realities of life.  Most of us do it to some degree and generally speaking, the older we get the worse the condition gets.

Snoring can kill

For 1 in 6 people snoring is a serious health issue.

Called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), it's caused by the relaxation of the muscles in the back of the throat and tongue while sleeping which in turn blocks the airway.  That blockage cuts off breathing causing a person to momentarily wake up.  It can literally happen hundreds of times per night.

OSA can have serious health implications including chronic fatigue, high blood pressure, weight gain, and even heart failure and stroke.

Snoring can also put a huge strain on our most important relationship in life, as the person with whom we share our bed often suffers chronically as a result of their partner's snoring.

So treating snoring can make a huge difference in a person's long term health outlook not to mention the more immediate benefits of being able to get a solid night's sleep every night.

The problem with snoring is that effective treatments have been highly intrusive.   They include surgery, in which a doctor cuts away or shrinks tissue in the back of the throat, a CPAP face mask which forces air into the lungs keeping the air passages open while you sleep, or an oral mouthpiece designed to force the lower jaw out during sleep, keeping the airway clear. 

A breakthrough in controlling snoring

But now there's a new product that seems to be the breakthrough so many people have been waiting for.  And like so many great innovations, it's remarkably simple.

The product is an ergonomic strap that fits over the head and chin. It gently holds the jaw in a position that allows the breathing airway to remain clear which virtually eliminates snoring while you sleep.

Although the strap may look somewhat strange, it's actually remarkably comfortable.

Better yet, the chinstrap's effectiveness has been clinically proven.  In a case study by the Eastern Virginia Medical School, it was found to be as effective in treating OSA as expensive CPAP machines.

The chinstrap is offered online through a company called MySnoringSolutions. While most CPAP treatments cost thousands of dollars, the MySnoringSolutions system sells for just $119.97 and it comes with an  unconditional 3 month guarantee, so there is zero risk you will be stuck with something that doesn't work for you. Right now, they are also offering free shipping - which saves new customers $10.

So if you want to get rid of snoring once and for all - this may be the solution you have been waiting for.

Canadiens stun Penguins 5-2 in Game 7

PITTSBURGH â€" Montreal has shed its Cinderella tag once and for all.

All it took was a dominating 5-2 dismantling of the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins in Wednesday night's Game 7 at Mellon Arena â€" the last game in the building's rich hockey history -- to prove that Montreal was better than the best team in hockey league last year, a team that boasts two of the biggest names in the game in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and was the prohibitive favorite to reach a third-straight Eastern Conference Finals.


ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!   

Fast count stuns nation...Faster than you can say ‘Garci’

By Kristine L. Alave, Cathy C. Yamsuan, Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:50:00 05/12/2010

MANILA, Philippinesâ€"Shell-shocked.

Winners and losers did not know what hit them as a barrage of election talliesâ€"first a trickle, then a torrentâ€"confronted them with the reality that the poisoned political environment had nothing to do with Monday’s automated elections, officials said Tuesday.

“It was faster than you can say Garci,” said Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Jose Melo, alluding to disgraced former commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, who was accused of colluding with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to rig the 2004 presidential election, a charge she denies.

The first results came from satellite transmissionsâ€"the VSATs and BGANsâ€"from mountainous regions in northern Luzon where there were no regular cell phone sites and the voting populations were small.

At 3 p.m. on Monday, as attention was riveted on TV coverage of the chaos and confusion in the heavily populated voting centers, the Comelec decided to convene as the National Board of Canvassers.

The first results were coming in from Mountain Province at that time.

From then on, the transmission turned swift and steady, said Henrietta de Villa, chair of the Church-led Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the Comelec’s citizen’s arm.

“It was better than expected,” she said.

At around 7 p.m., officials of Smartmatic-TIM, the Comelec’s automation partner, announced that 10,000 precincts had already transmitted results and had printed 30 election returns. By midnight, 57 percent of the precincts had reported results.

Cesar Flores, the company spokesperson, said that 92 to 95 percent of the results should be in by Tuesday midnight.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said that defeated candidates were “a little shell-shocked” when they realized that they had lost the race in just a few hours.

“The candidates, all of them, were taken by surprise,” Jimenez said.

“In the past, they still had time to manipulate the outcome,” said Ramon Casiple of the Comelec advisory council.

“That is not the case now,” Casiple said, comparing the electronic vote with the previous manual exercise.

Doomsday scenarios

Before Monday’s elections, talk was rife that the President was on overdrive scheming to remain in power beyond her term ending next month, that glitches would reach such a scale that there would be a failure of elections, that an operation plan was in the works for a takeover by a military junta.

The political speculation made preparations for the balloting difficult, Flores conceded.

“Some people said we were going to cheat for somebody,” Flores said. But no politician even attempted to approach the company to rig the vote, he said.

“There was a lot of noise and a lot of wrong accusation. The job speaks for itself. All our projections came true. We never lied to the people. We never overpromised anything,” he added.

Flores said that in spite of the last minute glitchesâ€"the recall and replacement of the memory cards for the 76,300 counting machines at the eleventh hour last weekâ€"the event turned into a “great project.”

“I would say our work in this election would give us credibility,” said Melo at noon Tuesday with around 75 percent, or about 30 million, of ballots cast counted.

Lessons learned

Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said that the quick delivery of results was “a big step forward towards the restoration of the credibility.”

“By this election, we are learning. There are glitches we have to remedy in future elections. In other words, we know now where we were short,” said Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer.

Sarmiento said the complaints about long queues, problems with counting machines and alleged disenfranchisement would all be considered “raw data to improve and enhance our electoral process so that we can provide a robust democracy for the Philippines.”

Turning to recent history, Melo recalled many instances when local Comelec officials were racing to proclaim candidates, even without a sufficient partial count to make this conclusion.

“But here, under this system actually, there can be no proclamation unless there is a 100 percent count,” Melo said.

“The process in 2007 was quite tortuous and cumbersome,” Sarmiento said. “All ballot boxes have to be opened, to be examined carefully piece by piece. It was a very long process and objections were made by lawyers left and right.”

Birth pains

Under automated elections, Sarmiento said the Comelec would now proclaim winners based on electronically transmitted data in a process faster than the old manual system.

Ferrer said he still expected protests. “This is a free country.”

The automation technology worked, said PPCRV’s Clifford Sorita. “Some glitches had to be adjusted, but these are birth pains,” he said. “We are learning.”

At the morning session of the canvassing for senatorial and party-list candidates, Melo abruptly called off the proceedings amid grandstanding by some lawyers.

Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal had suddenly approached the microphone and demanded the examination of the sealed envelopes opened with electronic user’s names and passwords.

“These proceedings are taking longer than the automation,” he said, banging the gavel and suspending the canvassing until the afternoon.

                         

Happy Mothers Day

1 in 3 Women Thinks Her Pet Is a Better Listener Than Her Husband

Our happy hour fact to amaze your drinking buddies with.

33 percent of pet-owning married women believe their furry friends are better listeners than their husbands.

Believing your pet has an attentive ear isn't just a female thing. According to a survey of pet owners by the Associated Press and Petside.com, 24 percent of husbands think their pets are better listeners than their wives. In fact, 8 percent of pet owners claim they first turn to their pets when they have an important personal problem to talk through.

When it comes to talking to your pet, the type of animal matters: 25 percent of dog owners rate their pets better listeners than their spouses, whereas only 14 percent of cat owners feel the same way.

This probably means that if your spouse were a mute who completely depended on you for food, he or she would probably be a pretty fantastic listener, too.

German Man Marries Dying Cat

We all love our pets. But when you're making your cat a miniature veil on your sewing machine and sizing up your dog for a best man's tux, you're probably on the wrong side of love. And the law.

So it went with the German man who, the BBC reports, recently decided to marry his cat. Uwe Mitzscherlich from Possendorf, says he wanted to tie the knot with his cat Cecilia as soon as vets told him she didn't have long to live.

However, because marrying an animal is (quite understandably) illegal in Germany, the 39-year-old Mitzscherlich had to stage a bizarre ceremony, which he paid an actress $395 to officiate.

Actress Christin-Maria Lohri asked him to say "I do" and Cecilia to say "meow" before pronouncing them man and cat. Keep reading to see a video of the "wedding."

German Man Marries His Dying Cat

(We don't have a video of the wedding night -- and we're actually pretty happy about that.)

Circus Guide Entertainment Agency-Chinese Entertainers-Bike Acrobatics


clap(million x)

  What does your sleep position reveal about your personality? 


               

   * Fetus position - A whopping 41% of participants sleep in this curled-up manner. Women are twice as likely to rest like this and it is listed as the most common position. These sleepers are said to have a tough exterior but are still sensitive and may appear to be shy but warm up quickly.

    * Log position - If you sleep on your side with both arms down, you are a social, easy-going person who is trusting, sometimes to the point of being gullible. The study showed 15% of people sleep like a log.

    * Yearner position - A close third is the side-lying position with both arms out in front of the body, with 13% of partipants sleeping like this. Yearners are noted to be open-minded and still cynical, suspicious, and stubborn about sticking to decisions once they are made.

    * Soldier position - These sleepers lie on their backs with arms down and kept close to the body. This 8% study is said to be reserved, quiet, without fuss, and hold themselves and others to a high standard. Soldier sleepers have a higher likelihood for snoring due to the flat-back position, which may not cause them to wake up often but may result in a less restful night's sleep.

    * Freefall position - Those people who lie on their bellies with arms under or wrapped around a pillow with head turned to the side, make up 7% of the population studied. Freefallers are brash, outgoing, and are very uncomfortable with criticism.

    * Starfish position - Sleepers who lie on their backs with arms up near their head or the pillow account for 5% of participants. These people are good listeners, helpful, and are uncomfortable being the center of attention. People who sleep in starfish position are more likely to snore and to suffer from a poor night's sleep more often.

If you think you are one of those people who move through all of these positions, that's not likely to really be the case. Idzikowski said the research reveals most people stay in the same position all night and only 5% lay differently night by night. Also interesting is that the study showed only one in ten people cover their bodies entirely with a blanket, with most people exposing an arm, leg, or both feet.

Aliens May Pose Risks: Stephen Hawking
The Canadian Press

LONDON - British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking says aliens are out there, but it could be too dangerous for humans to interact with extraterrestrial life.

Hawking claims in a new documentary that intelligent alien lifeforms almost certainly exist, but warns that communicating with them could be "too risky."

The 68-year-old scientist says a visit by extraterrestrials to Earth would be like Christopher Columbus arriving in the Americas, "which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans."

He speculates most extraterrestrial life will be similar to microbes, or small animals â€" but adds advanced lifeforms may be "nomads, looking to conquer and colonize."

The Discovery Channel said Sunday it will broadcast "Stephen Hawking's Universe" in Britain next month.

tikyo ug botoy nagkuyog og panglili ni jessa sa banyo.

botoy: akoy una tikyo. kalamiiiiiiii..

ug si jessa nakabantay nga naa diay nanglili sa iya; busa, hinayhinay niyang gikuha
ang inamdan nang daan nga bbq stick. ug kalit niyang gitoplok ang bbq stick sa buho...

botoy: (pinugngan sa hinay ang tingog) arayyyyyyyy!!! akong usa ka mata natuplokan Tikyo!!!

tikyo: nah, daan ko ka pa lagi! ako na poy lili beh, kay natuplokan na imong usa ka mata.

botoy: saba diha! ngano man diay og natoplokan ring usa nako ka mata, dia pa may pikas.

Rosemary for Barbecuing: It's an Herb with Many Health Benefits

by Doug DiPasquale Apr 26th

By far my favourite herb to use in cooking is rosemary. It's in almost everything I make - I just love the taste and that amazing savoury aroma. When I was staying in California, on the hottest days of the year you could smell the wild rosemary all around you. It always made me hungry!

Rosemary has amazing anti-microbial properties. Its essential oils are often used, in more naturally inclined locales, as an antibacterial solvent. It's also an antioxidant and an antispasmodic, relieving cramps and muscle spasms in the digestive tract. It can also be used as a carminative, removing or preventing gas formation in the gastrointestinal tract.

A cup of rosemary tea has been found to be as effective as aspirin for headaches and other inflammatory symptoms. Rosemary can also protect the body from free radical damage caused by radiation. And if your house smells bad, keeping a rosemary plant indoors acts as a natural air freshener.

If the ever improving weather has left you eying your grill, researchers have recently discovered that rosemary has more to offer than delicious flavour when barbecuing. When meats are cooked on the barbecue they create toxic chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). These HCAs have been classified as human carcinogens that increase the risk of cancer. Researchers found that adding rosemary extract to meats reduced the HCA levels from 30 to 100 percent.

It also turns out that rosemary is a potent "brain protector" due to its natural antioxidant capabilities. One component found in rosemary actually prevents free radical damage to the brain. This active ingredient, known as carnosic acid (CA), may be able to protect the brain from stroke and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia.



Other studies on rosemary have found the herb significantly deactivates excess estrogen, making it a possible preventative treatment for breast cancer. It has also been found to have a protective effect on the components of skin cells which may prevent age-related skin damage like wrinkles. Rosemary also helps to detoxify harmful elements and eliminate them from the liver. Its mild diuretic effects also helps the body with water retention. Rosemary may also help protect DNA from free radical damage.

This little herb should be thought of as more than just something to jazz up your dishes - it's a health promoting miracle.

The Healthy Foodie is Doug DiPasquale, Holistic Nutritionist and trained chef, living in Toronto. Doug specializes in private in-home holistic cooking lessons. You can email him with inquiries or questions for the blog at dougthehealthyfoodie@gmail.com.

judge: ikaw, juan, pagasilotan sa pagpatay og tulo ka tawo!!!

juan: unsa? tulo gud tawn. duha ra man sila, akong asawa ug iyang kabit, nga akong nasakpan sa akto sa paghilawas.

judge: tulo lagi. kay nalagbasan sa imong bungay kadtong nanglili sa ilawom sa inyong pajag. tan-awa tong
                   mata ato ay, maayong pagkahiwa. 


whahahahahahahah

 The 2009
World Submarine Racing Championships held in Canada   








Well, ...What did you expect to see??!!

...Hope the rest of your day goes better!

usa ka magtiayon niadto og doctor

bana: doc, nia mi kay magpatabang ko ug akong asawa nga maulian among sex life

doc: ah, sayon ra na. naa koy tambal para ganahan mo.

bana: unsa man na doc?

doc: (mikuha og violen) ako mong tukaran inig-sex ninyo ug mao ni inyong buhaton. inig tukar nako og NGOK, ikaw bana moduso sa imong asawa. inig tukar nako og NGEK, ikaw bana,. imong ituwad imong lobot. klaro?

bana/asawa: ah, sayon ra na doc.

tood man nagsugod na og tukar si doctor. kada, NGOK, duso sad si bana; kada, NGEK, tuwad pod iyang lubot.

nagpadayon ...NGEK, NGOK, NGEK, NGOK, NGEK, NGOK...ug sa dihang giganahan na ang bana og taman..kini gitukar ni doc: NGEK, NGEK NGEK NGEK NGEK NGEK NGEKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.....

bana: (tuwad na kaayo ang lubot ug milingi sa doctor) doc, i-NGOK NA POD.

The world's largest video sharing YouTube now 5 years old. The company Google, which owns the site, said that in 2005 the concept of online video was still quite unusual, whereas now, no video is difficult to imagine a full-fledged Internet. According to recent data, now a day passes YouTube users around the world more than 1 million movies a day, and the total length of deployment of video over 1700 years.
alt

Project YouTube was founded by three former employees of Paypal in San Bruno, California. They used the technology to Flash Video (flv), provide a good quality recording with a small amount of data transmitted. The project was a good means of entertainment, and to form their community, according to statistical data analysis company Alexa, ahead of popular social network MySpace for two years of work.

In November 2006, was completed purchase of YouTube by Google for 1.65 billion dollars. Before buying YouTube by Google was a service similar direction - Google Video. Google representatives did not intend to close it, and will use it as a place for finding videos from across videohostingovym sites. Now search Google Video includes YouTube.

The very first video on YouTube became a 18-second clip amateur shooting Jawed Karim in the Zoo, San Diego, he appeared on YouTube April 23, 2005. November 14, 2007 YouTube has launched a Russian version of the portal, opened a clip of Peter Availability.

YouTube has become so important phenomenon in the media world, that c it has to be considered and television. Many media companies create official accounts on YouTube, in exercise of promoting their products through service. Rollers that have the status of the meme, often fall into the reporting of news. In June 2007, by CNN campaign was carried out to collect questions from the YouTube users for their consideration in the inter-party debates. The campaign also became the object of considerable criticism with charges of fraud and censorship.

Another example of feedback from users of the service may be a video broadcaster Al-Jazeera, in which its representative was trying to ascertain the views of the community about the possibilities of launching a new service in English, specifically created under YouTube. YouTube is very attractive for small, independent television stations and television channels, said CyberSecurity.ru.

Some YouTube users have acquired the status mediaznamenitostey, whose fame crossed the scope of the Internet and thus influenced their fate. For example, a user esmeedenters, a loaded their amateur video with the performance of popular songs, in the end was NB the producer, and signed a music contract with the label Tennman Records, headed by Justin Timberlake. On the contrary, an involuntary hero meme Star Wars kid became the object of ridicule at school, which in turn led to a lawsuit filed against the boy's family, his classmates.

Water Bed Prank

 

THE VOCA PEOPLE - NEW VIDEO LIVE


am planning to watch them soon...LIVE...

Fart gone bad

Kid slaps his mother on live tv dr. phil

Women to Blame for Earthquakes: Iran Cleric
Source: The Canadian Press

A senior Iranian cleric says women who wear revealing clothing and behave promiscuously are to blame for earthquakes.

Iran is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, and the cleric's unusual explanation for why the earth shakes follows a prediction by the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that a quake is certain to hit Tehran and that many of its 12 million inhabitants should relocate.

"Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes," Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi was quoted as saying by Iranian media. Women in the Islamic Republic are required by law to cover from head to toe, but many, especially the young, ignore some of the more strict codes and wear tight coats and scarves pulled back that show much of the hair. "What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble?" Sedighi asked during a prayer sermon last week. "There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes."

Seismologists have warned for at least two decades that it is likely the sprawling capital will be struck by a catastrophic quake in the near future. Some experts have even suggested Iran should move its capital to a less seismically active location. Tehran straddles scores of fault lines, including one more than 50 miles long, though it has not suffered a major quake since 1830.

In 2003, a powerful earthquake hit the southern city of Bam, killing 31,000 people â€" about a quarter of that city's population â€" and destroying its ancient mud-built citadel.

"A divine authority told me to tell the people to make a general repentance. Why? Because calamities threaten us," said Sedighi, Tehran's acting Friday prayer leader. Referring to the violence that followed last June's disputed presidential election, he said: "The political earthquake that occurred was a reaction to some of the actions [that took place]. And now, if a natural earthquake hits Tehran, no one will be able to confront such a calamity but God's power, only God's power ... So let's not disappoint God."

The Iranian government and its security forces have been locked in a bloody battle with a large opposition movement that accuses Ahmadinejad of winning last year's vote by fraud.

Ahmadinejad made his quake prediction two weeks ago but said he could not give an exact date. He acknowledged that he could not order all of Tehran's 12m people to evacuate. "But provisions have to be made ... at least 5 million should leave Tehran so it is less crowded," the president said.

The welfare minister, Sadeq Mahsooli, said prayers and pleas for forgiveness were the best "formulae to repel earthquakes. We cannot invent a system that prevents earthquakes, but God has created this system and that is to avoid sins, to pray, to seek forgiveness, pay alms and self-sacrifice," Mahsooli said.

Skinput makes the entire body a touch interface

1
Dogfights Leyte Gulf 1 of 5

2
Dogfights Leyte Gulf 2 of 5

3
Dogfights Leyte Gulf 3 of 5

Man Steps Forward Claiming He's Oprah's Father

By PopEater Staff 

Oprah WinfreyAn 84-year-old farmer says he's Oprah Winfrey's biological dad.

Nohr Robinson wrote Oprah a letter, agreeing to submit to a paternity test to prove his allegations, The New York Post reports.

"I told her [in a letter], if she wanted, I'd give her one," Robinson told the Post of a DNA test. The talk show host never wrote back, according to the WWII vet.

"I never got no answer. I never did get no answer. If I did, it didn't get to me," he added.

Robinson claims he doesn't want any of Oprah's money, just the chance to speak to the women he believes is his daughter.

"I'd like her to call me," he explained of his motives.

Oprah was raised by her mother, Vernita Lee, and Lee's boyfriend.

The National Enquirer first reported of the alleged ties between Robinson and Oprah.

Four   Worms  and a Lesson to be  learned

A minister decided that a visual demonstration  would add emphasis
to his Sunday sermon.

Four worms were placed  into four separate jars..

The first worm was put into a  container of  alcohol.
The second worm was put  into a container of  cigarette smoke.
The third worm  was put into a container of chocolate syrup.
The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean  soil.

At the conclusion of the  sermon, the Minister reported the following results:

The first worm  in alcohol - Dead.

The  second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead

The Third worm in  chocolate syrup -Dead

Fourth worm in good clean soil  -Alive.

So the Minister asked the congregation, "What did you  learn from this demonstration?"

Bella was sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said,

'As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!'   

The 10 Worst Star Spangled Banner Renditions ever

Why women hoard bras
Fri Apr 09 2010

Lisa Wright Staff Reporter

When times are tough, people scrimp and save. But what’s with all the bras stacked up across the pond?

A new survey has revealed that British women own a staggering 124 million bras â€" enough to stretch nearly three times around the world.

The survey, by market researchers onepoll.com, polled 3,000 women aged 18 to 65. It found that the typical female owns 13 bras but wears only eight of them regularly.

“Most women have a bra for each outfit or occasion, but many get condemned to life in a drawer” after one or two wears, says a website spokeswoman.

At an average cost of 28 British pounds, that means 3.47 billion pounds â€" $5.32 billion â€" of bras never see the light of day, the survey indicates.

Bra hoarding sounds a little odd but it isn’t at all shocking to Liliana Mann, a lifelong lover of lingerie who has kept abreast of the undergarment-wearing trends of women for decades.

Toronto’s resident `boob expert’ says it’s not just Brits who hoard their bras, noting that most women in developed countries do so, particularly in recessionary times.

“It’s an easy pick-me-up and the least expensive luxury for women,” says Mann, who runs four Linea Intima lingerie shops in Toronto. “You may not be able to afford a car or a vacation right now, but you can create a fantasy at home.

“It’s a hard item to resist,” continues Mann, whose stylish and sexy bras run from $60 to $250. “Women usually say they’re shopping for two or three but end up buying five, even now.”

Mann’s 25-year-old business has not sagged but instead has held steady in this recession, to the point where she was able to open up her fifth location in London, Ont. in 2008, “right when all hell broke loose” in the economy. Mann also just put the finishing touches on a renovation to her Bayview Village location to make it look more like a boudoir.

BRA HOARDING also relates to the very practical nature of the fairer sex, whose favourite bras worn in regular rotation still tend to be nude, black and white to match most clothing.

“Women especially don’t like to give up their things, even when they’re old or falling apart or don’t fit anymore, because we always think we can use them again down the road,” says Mann. “And a bra is such a small item that it doesn’t take up hardly any space so it’s easy just to leave them in a drawer.”

She’s not surprised that the poll also revealed 42 per cent of women have never been properly measured for a bra, while many had no idea what their correct size was.

She offers customers professional bra fittings on site and claims to be able to tell in a matter of seconds whether a woman is wearing the right bra for her figure.

“Our breasts have different sizes, shapes and weights. Some women are heavier or have sloped shoulders... That’s really why I’m on a mission here, because it has an effect on your well-being and your self-confidence when you look better, and it all starts under your clothes.”

She never recommends going bra-less after puberty. “It’s okay if you’re in the south of France, or if you’re at home engaging in some hanky-panky. Otherwise, I don’t think so.”

Since the survey relates to women in England, Mann says she suspects a couple of the royals have a few extra bras lying around. They could clearly use some help getting strapped into a proper one, she adds.

“I would love to do a fitting with the Queen of England and Camilla Parker Bowles (Duchess of Cornwall). It’s a shame because they shop at Harrods and Rigby & Peller, which are great, but because they’re royalty, they’re probably being told what they want to hear.

“I tell it like it is because once you find a good bra you never go back. It can make you look up to 10 pounds lighter and 20 years younger.”

Mann would like to help two Americans in particular, Meg Ryan and Laura Bush, noting the former first lady “always has nice lipstick and hair and clothes but her breasts are hanging down around her waist.”

A rule of thumb when you’re unsure is to go for a smaller width and possibly a bigger cup, she tells us. For instance a lot of the women who think they are 34B are often 32C, but they don’t account for the give in elasticity from both washing and wearing.

She equates new bras to new shoes. “A bit tight is better than too wide because they will conform to your shape.”

Apple's latest iPad is flying off store shelves, with an estimated 300,000 already sold in the U.S. But some are fighting back against all the hype over the new touch-screen gadget. In a YouTube video that's quickly become a viral hit, a group of teens take turns smashing up their newly purchased $500 (US) iPad with an aluminum bat and the results aren't pretty. Fans of Apple might want to shield their eyes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGUppxoJUVg&feature=player_embedded#

    13-Year-Old Boy to Attempt Everest Summit
   
    Tue Apr 6, 2010

A 13-year-old California boy plans to try to climb Mount Everest in a quest to reach the summits of the highest peaks on all seven continents.

If Jordan Romero succeeds, he'll become the youngest person to conquer the world's highest mountain.

Jordan will attempt the ascent to 29,035 feet with his father and his father's girlfriend, both experienced outdoors people who have helped train the teenager for top-level mountaineering.

When Jordan was only 9, a school mural of the seven summits inspired his ambitious goal.

"I told my dad about it and he didn't say no. He just explained the difficulties and what I'd have to do. We started training right away," said Jordan, who was scheduled to depart for Nepal Monday night.

At age 10, he became the youngest American to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak. He's steadily checked off four of the tallest peaks since then, including Alaska's Mount McKinley, which many climbers consider to be a more technical climb than Everest.

18 Disastrous Invasive Species (That Happen To Be Delicious)

April 6th, 2010 by Tim

Invasive species are a major problem the world over. They kill local plants and animals, clog streams, destroy habitats, and devastate anything natural in their path. Sometimes they were introduced for a purpose, sometimes they escaped into the wild â€" but they always cause trouble. However, there is sometimes one redeeming feature of the proliferation of an animal in a new environment â€" they can be crazy freaking delicious!

Japanese Knotweed


Snakehead




Grey Squirrel


Silver and Common Carp


Nile Perch


Swan


Green Crabs


Mozambique Tilapia


Red Deer


Chinese Mitten Crab


Largemouth Bass


Blue Mussel


Rainbow Trout


Duck


Feral Cows


Wild Boar


Rabbits


Goat

NBA To Start Charging Teams For Free Throws

April 6, 2010

NEW YORKâ€"In an effort to increase the league's revenue and offset the expensive cost of foul shots, commissioner David Stern announced Monday that the NBA would begin charging teams a $50 fee per free throw attempt. "We just can't afford to keep them free anymore," said Stern, adding that not charging for foul shots was causing the NBA to lose $25 million a year. "We believe this is a fair price. Now, if teams don't want to pay the fee they can just take the ball out-of-bounds." According to Stern, the NBA will now offer free throw insurance throughout the playoffs, allowing players to reshoot missed attempts for an additional $150.

 

7 out of 10 Filipinos will choose partners who love them more, survey shows

By Lawrence de Guzman
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippinesâ€"Would you choose as a lifetime partner the person you love more or the person who loves you more?

For seven out of 10 (71 percent) adult Filipinos, the answer is a partner who loves them more, according to the latest Social Weather Stations survey.

The Fourth Quarter 2009 Social Weather Survey asked respondents, "If you could choose only one among the following as your lifetime partner, which would you pick? (The person who loves me but I love more, or the person I love but who loves me more.)"

Panlilio: They are undoing a miracle

By Tonette Orejas
Central Luzon Desk

CITY OF SAN FERNANDOâ€" Wearing black to symbolize the “death of truth,” supporters of priest-turned-governor Ed Panlilio reacted with anger and indignation to his unseating by the Commission on Elections which declared Lilia Pineda the winner of the 2007 gubernatorial election.

Some 700 supporters of Panlilio gathered at the grounds of the provincial capitol for a prayer-vigil that started a few hours after the Comelec’s 2nd Division announced its decision on Thursday.

Priests, nuns, theologians and pastors wore black shirts. Others covered their mouths with a strip of black cloth.

“How can we entrust the election of 2010 to [the Comelec] if it could not be trusted with its count in 2007?” said Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.

He said the election commissioners will have quite a lot of explaining to do before people can believe that “the wife of Bong Pineda, a veteran in patronage politics, was a victim of cheating by a priest candidate, a total neophyte in politics,” David said.

Time to say goodbye

By Nestor Torre
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Fans of the Apo Hiking Society were recently shocked by the popular singing group’s announcement that it will disband by the middle of the year. Its 40-year career has produced so many great songs and vibrant musical
memories that fans can’t be blamed for wanting the music to go onâ€"and on.

But, Jim, Buboy and Danny now have other priorities and want to make their exit while they’re at the peak of their musical game.

EWAN (Apo Hiking Society)

Coin scam alleged after cities lose $1.5M

Tue Feb 09 2010

Nickels, dimes and quarters at a time, a Toronto company hired to sort through change from parking machines and transit fares is under investigation after at least $1.5 million went unaccounted for in three GTA cities and Hamilton.

Avero Security Inc., an armoured truck company, had been contracted to count, roll and deposit money from Toronto, Vaughan, Mississauga and Hamilton.

But in many cases, funds that were to be deposited never made it in the municipalities' bank accounts.

At the time, in 2007 and 2008, Avero executives apologized and promised to fix the errors. So, while cities waited for their money â€" unaware similar irregularities were occurring across the GTA â€" Avero trucks continued to collect cash for months. Police are investigating.

Trenton commander faces murder charges

Arrest of respected military 'big shot' ends hunt for predator and sends shock waves across Ontario.

He was the model military man, rising quickly through the ranks and enjoying a 23-year career in which he brushed shoulders with top-level government and commanded one of Canada's most important military bases.

But on Monday, Col. Russell Williams' career took an unexpected turn when he appeared in a Belleville courtroom, shackled at the ankles and charged with the first-degree murders of two women.

Williams' arrest was the stunning culmination of a 10-day search for Jessica Lloyd, a 27-year-old woman from the Belleville area who vanished in late January. The 46-year-old colonel also has been charged in the death of Marie-France Comeau, a 37-year-old corporal found dead in November, as well as two counts of sexual assault in connection with two home invasions near Tweed, Ont., last September. (Toronto Star)

So, like, what's up with Tiger Woods this morning?

Valentinestiger Good deal. Apparently all he has to do is keep his paws to himself for six months and all will be well in marriage-ville. He may want to try getting put in a medically-induced coma. NY Post has this lovely, hopeful story:

"Philandering golf legend Tiger Woods is getting a last chance at romance from his betrayed wife. Elin Nordegren has given Woods six months to prove he won't cheat on her - for what would be the umpteenth time - in order to save their troubled marriage, a new report reveals. Elin - who picked up Tiger last week as he left a Mississippi sex-addiction rehab clinic - "has been convinced there is hope for the marriage," a close friend of the wife told Britain's Sunday Mirror newspaper. "The doctors told her she shouldn't underestimate Tiger's ability to learn new coping skills and grow as a person. And they say he has made remarkable progress," the friend said. Elin, 30, visited Woods during his recent stint at the Gentle Path treatment center in Hattiesburg and participated in counseling sessions with him. "It is so hard for Elin," the Swedish stunner's friend told the Mirror. "The reality is there is still a lot of love left for Tiger. That's why she is willing to give him another chance. "She would hate herself if she just gave up on him. But one thing is for sure," warned the pal. "Elin won't be duped twice." Woods, 34, had affairs with up to a dozen or more women during his marriage to Elin. The Mirror reported that Elin's friends have said she has locked up her wedding ring in a safe, with one gal pal saying she will only put it back on her finger "when she has made up her mind what the future holds." Elin has been stung by allegations that she wants to milk Woods for a divorce settlement worth hundreds of millions of dollars. "There is not enough money in the world to buy Elin's love," her friend said. "After five years of marriage, she feels she has to try to make things work." Elin was spotted in Florida yesterday carrying presents - apparently for their son, Charlie, who was celebrating his first birthday. The couple also have a 2-year-old daughter, Sam. Meanwhile, Woods' caddie is shooting down reports that the golfer will return to competition at the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, which begins Feb. 17."

'My Way' can be killer karaoke tune in Philippines

Tue Feb 09 2010 (Toronto Star)

GENERAL SANTOS, PHILIPPINESâ€"After a day of cutting hair, Rodolfo Gregorio went to his neighbourhood karaoke bar. Putting aside his glass of Red Horse Extra Strong beer, he grasped a microphone with a habitué's self-assuredness and briefly stilled the room with "My Prayer," by the Platters.

Next, he belted out crowd-pleasers by Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. But Gregorio, 63, a witness to countless fistfights and occasional stabbings from disputes over karaoke singing, did not dare choose one beloved classic: Frank Sinatra's version of "My Way."

"I used to like 'My Way,' but after all the trouble, I stopped singing it," he said. "You can get killed."

The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling "My Way" in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fuelled.

But the media have recorded at least six victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the "My Way Killings."

The murders have spawned urban legends about the song and left Filipinos grasping for answers. Are the killings the natural by-product of the country's culture of violence, drinking and machismo? Or is there something inherently sinister in the song?

Filipinos, who pride themselves on their singing, may have a lower tolerance for bad singers. Indeed, most of the "My Way" killings have reportedly occurred after the singer sang out of tune, causing other patrons to laugh or jeer. "The trouble with 'My Way,' " said Gregorio, "is that everyone knows it and everyone has an opinion."

Whatever the reason, many karaoke bars have removed the song from their playbooks. And the country's many Sinatra lovers are practising self-censorship out of perceived self-preservation.

Karaoke-related killings are not limited to the Philippines. In the past two years, a Malaysian man was fatally stabbed for monopolizing the microphone at a bar and a Thai man killed eight of his neighbours in a rage after they sang John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads."

Unplanned pregnancy warning to older women over 35

Age alone is not a contraceptive, experts warn

Experts fear older women are ditching contraception in the mistaken belief that they cannot get pregnant past a certain age.

The Family Planning Association (FPA) believes the message on infertility and age has gone "too far".

Although fertility does wane, women can still fall pregnant well into their thirties, forties and even fifties.

Abortion rates for women aged 40 to 44 match those for the under 16s, figures for England and Wales show.

In 2008, both of these groups had an abortion rate of four per 1,000 women.
   
There are many reasons why some women opt for an abortion - including birth abnormalities in the baby, which are more common when the mothers are older.

But FPA says its anecdotal evidence suggests some of the abortions are because women wrongly assumed they could not get pregnant because they were too old.

Aimed at women aged 35 and over, the FPA's new campaign 'Conceivable?' reminds women to stay vigilant about unplanned pregnancy and to keep using contraception until after the menopause if they do not wish to become pregnant.

Chief executive of the FPA Julie Bentley said: "Whilst the message about fertility declining with age is an important one, it is often overplayed, alongside disproportionate messaging about unplanned teenage pregnancies.

"It sends an inaccurate message to women and society that only the young fall pregnant and is leading older women to believe their fertility has gone long before it actually has."

Once is enough

She said women should realise it is entirely conceivable that just one night of unprotected sex in your late 30s, 40s and even 50s can end in an unplanned pregnancy.

"Our helpline receives calls from such women, shocked this has happened to them.

"They thought their age would protect them from becoming pregnant."

She said in general all methods of contraception were suitable for the over-35s.

Women aged 30 to 34 continue to have the highest fertility rate - 113.1 live births per 1,000 women.

But the rate among women aged 40 and over has more than doubled since 1988, from 5.1 to 12.6 per 1,000 women, and there were more than 26,000 live births to women in this age group in 2008, figures from the Office for National Statistics show.

Emily James of Marie Stopes International said: "Many older women facing an unplanned pregnancy are completely shocked to find themselves in this position - many assume that their irregular periods are due to menopause, and are surprised to learn that they are in fact pregnant.

"It is vital that women of all ages are provided with the information, support and advice they need when deciding whether or not to continue with an unplanned pregnancy."

Patients with amygdala injury 'unafraid' to gamble

The amygdala is associated with fear

Californian scientists think they may have discovered the part of the brain which makes people fear losing money.

The study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looked at two patients who had damaged their amygdala, deep within the brain.

These patients were less worried about financial losses than the normal volunteers they were compared with.

The scientists say this could translate to how people make decisions in fields ranging from politics to game shows.

'Loss aversion' describes the avoidance of choices which can lead to losses, even when accompanied by equal or much larger gains.

Game behaviour

"You've just answered the £500,000 question correctly and have moved on to the final question.

"You're down to your 50:50 lifeline but don't know the answer.

"If you get it right, you'll win £1 million; if you get it wrong, you'll drop back to £32,000.

"The vast majority of people would take the 'loss averse option' and walk away with £500,000."

This study, carried out by scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), set out to find out if the amygdala plays a role in causing loss aversion.

It looked at two women who had a rare condition which produced lesions on their amygdalae but no other brain damage.

The lesions prevented them from perceiving, recognising or feeling fear.

The two women were each matched with six control volunteers who had similar age, income and education.

Gambles

The participants were offered a series of gambles to test whether the chance of losing money affected their willingness to gamble.

The study found that healthy volunteers would only opt to gamble if the potential gains were one and a half to two times the size of the potential losses.

But the patients whose amygdalae were damaged would play even if there was a much poorer ratio between gains and losses, and one sometimes played even if the potential loss was greater than the potential gain.

The authors say that a fully functioning amygdala appears to make people more cautious, and afraid of losing money.

"It may be that the amygdala controls a very general biological mechanism for inhibiting risky behaviour when outcomes are potentially negative, such as the monetary loss aversion which shapes our everyday financial decisions," said Dr Benedetto De Martino, who is currently a visiting researcher at University College, London.

He pointed out that loss aversion has been shown in many settings including high stakes game show decisions, financial markets, politics, and also in monkey behaviour.

It probably derives from "a basic evolutionary defence mechanism", he said.

He added that it was helpful to understand its basic biological mechanisms so that policymakers could design policies to address it.

'Elegant experiment'

John Aggleton, Professor of Psychology at Cardiff University, said:

"This is a novel and exciting study. The authors conducted a very elegant and neat experiment.

"The amygdala is an area of the brain that is important for normal emotional responses and for how we perceive our environment.

"It plays a subtle role in helping people to learn the attributes of good things and bad things.

"Most people have been found to have a bias against losses, but this study shows very clearly that when the amygdala is damaged, this "loss aversion" disappears."

The Terminator will run with the Vancouver Olympic torch.

Vancouver Games officials say California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the onetime actor who starred in films such as James Cameron's The Terminator, will carry the torch this Friday, ahead of the 2010 opening ceremony.

The Great One's father, Walter Gretzky, will also take part in the torch relay in its final hours, running in Vancouver.

The star-studded lineup for the final days of the relay also includes astronaut Julie Payette, who will run Wednesday, and singers Jann Arden and Michael Bublé on Thursday.

Rolly Fox, the father of Canadian hero Terry Fox, will bear the torch Friday near English Bay, after Seb Coe, a former Olympian and chairman of the London 2012 organizing committee.

The 106-day relay is in Langley and Surrey on Monday, as it makes it way toward Vancouver for the start of the Games.

Misanag Pagbalik by Del Horest MTV by Rald

Putli by Del Horest MTV by Rald

Nagahulat Ako Pinangga by Del Horest MTV by Rald

what do politicians do to win your votes....?

here's what Loren did...



if you see other ways these politicians can come up doing with...post it here...

"Avatar" inspires China province to rename mountain




BEIJING - A craggy peak in a scenic part of southern China has been renamed after floating mountains featured in Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar," with the province hoping to cash in on the movie's massive success.

The "Southern Sky Column" in Zhangjiajie in southern Hunan province formally had its named changed to "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain" in a ceremony on Monday, according to the Zhangjiajie government's official website.

The government said the floating "Hallelujah Mountains" in the movie were inspired by the "Southern Sky Column," as a Hollywood photographer spent time shooting there in 2008.

"Many pictures he took then become prototypes for various elements in the 'Avatar' movie, including the 'Hallelujah Mountains'," the website said.

"Avatar," directed by James Cameron, has so far sold $1.841 billion worth of tickets worldwide, making it the biggest international release of all time.

Chinese cinemas last week began taking the 2D version of "Avatar" off their screens to make way for domestic movies over the upcoming Chinese new year holiday, though the wildly popular 3D version is still available.

"Avatar" has so far made around $80 million in China, and has become the country's most popular film ever.

Zhangjiajie hopes to capitalize on that fame.

Tourists can now join a "Magical tour to Avatar-Pandora" or a "Miracle tour to Avatar's floating mountain," the Zhangjiajie branch of China International Travel Service Corp said on its website. (www.citszjj.com)

"Pandora is far but Zhangjiajie is near," the municipal government added on its website. "Welcome to Zhangjiajie to see 'Avatar's Hallelujah Mountains' and discover the real world of Pandora."

"Avatar" inspires China province to rename mountain


BEIJING - A craggy peak in a scenic part of southern China has been renamed after floating mountains featured in Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar," with the province hoping to cash in on the movie's massive success.

The "Southern Sky Column" in Zhangjiajie in southern Hunan province formally had its named changed to "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain" in a ceremony on Monday, according to the Zhangjiajie government's official website.

The government said the floating "Hallelujah Mountains" in the movie were inspired by the "Southern Sky Column," as a Hollywood photographer spent time shooting there in 2008.

"Many pictures he took then become prototypes for various elements in the 'Avatar' movie, including the 'Hallelujah Mountains'," the website said.

"Avatar," directed by James Cameron, has so far sold $1.841 billion worth of tickets worldwide, making it the biggest international release of all time.

Chinese cinemas last week began taking the 2D version of "Avatar" off their screens to make way for domestic movies over the upcoming Chinese new year holiday, though the wildly popular 3D version is still available.

"Avatar" has so far made around $80 million in China, and has become the country's most popular film ever.

Zhangjiajie hopes to capitalize on that fame.

Tourists can now join a "Magical tour to Avatar-Pandora" or a "Miracle tour to Avatar's floating mountain," the Zhangjiajie branch of China International Travel Service Corp said on its website. (www.citszjj.com)

"Pandora is far but Zhangjiajie is near," the municipal government added on its website. "Welcome to Zhangjiajie to see 'Avatar's Hallelujah Mountains' and discover the real world of Pandora."

Boy, 7, raises $200,000 for Haiti appeal

By CNN
January 25, 2010 2:49 p.m.

London, England -- He's no Wyclef Jean or George Clooney, but that hasn't stopped seven-year-old Charlie Simpson from raising more than £120,000 ($195,000) for the Haiti earthquake.

Simpson from Fulham, west London had hoped to raise just £500 for UNICEF's earthquake appeal by cycling eight kilometers (five miles)around a local park.

"My name is Charlie Simpson. I want to do a sponsored bike ride for Haiti because there was a big earthquake and loads of people have lost their lives," said Simpson on his JustGiving page, a fundraising site which launched his efforts.

"I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti," he said.

And with that simple call, messages of support flooded the site.

"Such a big heart for a young boy, you're a little star!" wrote one supporter. "Well done Charlie. A real celebrity," said another.

More donations began pouring in after the story caught the attention of the British media -- with many cheering Simpson past the £100,000 mark.

Even British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is spreading the message. His "Downing Street" Twitter alias said: "Amazed by response to the great fundraising efforts of 7 yr old Charlie Simpson for the people of Haiti."

David Bull, UNICEF UK executive director described Simpson's efforts as "very bold and innovative."

"It shows he connects with and not only understands what children his own age must be going through in Haiti," Bull said in a press statement.

"The little seed -- his idea -- that he has planted has grown rapidly and his is a place well deserved in the humanitarian world.

"On behalf of the many children in Haiti, I thank Charlie for his effort."

Money raised by Simpson will go towards UNICEF's Haiti Earthquake Children's Appeal which will provide water, sanitation, education, nutrition as well as supporting child protection.

I saw this topic on a blog and copied it here, for some of you may know this person and priest who died recently due to a motorcycle accident. His name is Fr. Arnold (aka Fr. RR) Goder.

"I got a very sad news today. When I opened my roaming cellphone I got two new messages. Both messages was from my older sisters. They both told me that Fr RR had a motorcycle accident and was declared DOA.

Fr Arnold Goder (Fr. RR as we call him), is a family friend of ours. He was our parish priest like 6 years ago. Like any other priest that were assigned to our parish, he became a family friend. Even when he was reassigned to other parishes in the Diocese of Tagbilaran, we still keep in touch. We sometimes visit him to the parish he was assigned. Every now and then, we see each other with common friends on different parties.

Fr. RR was part of our family... he was with us during the happy times and the sad times. We will surely miss his company and we will miss the fun we shared.

Fr. RR we will surely miss you. Wherever you are.. may you find peace. We love you!"



May He Rest In Peace!!!

How big is Manny Pacquiao? Big enough for other fighters to name a punch after him. Last night, at UFC 107, former heavyweight champion Frank Mir landed a picture-perfect lead straight left that floored his opponent, Chiek Kongo, just 40 seconds into the bout. It was only the second punch that the southpaw heavyweight threw, but it was enough to secure the victory moments later when he locked in the guillotine choke for the submission. Afterwards, Mir revealed that he owed his victory to the power of "The Pacquiao".

"It's something we've been saying the whole training camp. We call it "The Pacquiao" because Manny Pacquiao will step off as a southpaw and throw the overhand left, " Mir told the Daily Telegraph's Gareth A Davies. "As soon as I hit Kongo I went to catch him with the uppercut and I didn't see him, he was on the ground."

Frank Mir vs Cheick Kongo

I'm Yours(ukulele)

 

Manny preps for tougher event: his concert

Lalaki pinatay ng 4 dahil ’di alaM ang ‘Nobody’
   
By: Jerico Javier
SINAKSAK sa tiyan at pinalo sa ulo hanggang mamatay si Leo Santos, 28, ng apat na lalaki sa Tondo, Manila. Iniwan pa ang patalim sa katawan ng biktima na ang tanging kasalanan ay ’di niya alam ang kantang ‘Nobody’ ng Wonder Girls.

Si Santos, electrician, ng Callejon 1, Block 1, Lot 19, Corregidor St., Mahomas Compound, Tondo, Manila, ay sinaksak ng dalawang beses sa tiyan at pinagbubugbog noong Agosto 26 sa Tondo. Siya ay namatay Huwebes sa Jose Memorial Medical Center.

Pinaghahanap na ngayon ng Manila Police District-Homicide Section ang mga suspek na nakilalang sina Jansen Maglanque, Jonar Balagtas, Rodolfo Aguas at alias Joseph, mga residente ng Pilar Street sa Tondo. Sila ay nahaharap sa kasong murder sa City Prosecutor’s Office.

Ayon sa imbestigasyon, naglalakad si Santos bandang 2 a.m. noong Agosto 26 nang madaanan niya ang apat na suspek sa Corregidor St.

Kumakanta umano si Joseph ng ‘Nobody’, ang popular na kanta ng Wonder Girls, nang tanungin siya ng biktima ng, “Ano ang kinakanta mo?”

Nairita diumano ang isa sa mga suspek dahil ’di alam ni Santos ang kanta kung kaya’t sinuntok niya ito. Nakihalo na ang tatlo pang suspek at kinuyog ang biktima.

Isa sa mga suspek ay sinaksak si Santos sa tiyan ng dalawang beses, pagkatapos ay tumakas kasama ng iba pa. Ang kaso ay inireport lang kahapon sa pulisya ng pamilya ng biktima dahil naging abala umano sila sa pagpapagamot at pagpapalibing nito.

Pacman stops traffic!

Manny Pacquiao stopped the flow of traffic late Saturday afternoon on Vine Street in Hollywood as he was about to honor a commitment with Nike. Pacquiao had just wound up his training at the Wild Card Boxing Club as he is revving up for next week’s big clash with Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico in Las Vegas when the crowd started to swell. Members of the LAPD had to be called in to make sure Pacquiao gets out of the Wild Card premises in time for his appointment.

California Governor Arnold Swarzenegger is a ringside fixture at big fights, and attended the Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fight on September 19th.

Jay-Z watched Pacquiao's win over Ricky Hatton in May 2009. The rapper paid tribute to Pacquiao in one of his new songs. Will he bring wife and singer Beyonce?

Bon Jovi recently requested that they watch Pacquiao train. Freddie Roach declined. No more distractions for Team Pacquiao. Manny might do a concert inside the Wild Card Gym.

Comedian Cedric the Entertainer can be found ringside at big fights. He attended the Oscar de la Hoya "Dream Match" fight in December 2008.

Actor ("Batman") Christian Bale was at ringside for Pacquiao's fight against Ricky Hatton in May 2009. He often watches Pacquiao train at the Wild Card Gym.

Actor Danny Devito can be found ringside at major fights.

Actor ("Titanic") Leonardo DiCaprio was ringside for the Mayweather, Jr. vs. de la Hoya fight in 2007.

Businessman Donald Trump (with son Don, Jr., right) can be found ringside at big fights. He has a big financial stake in Trump-owned casinos and hotels on the Las Vegas strip.

Actor Jack Nicholson (left) was at ringside for Pacquiao's fight with Ricky Hatton in May 2009.

Actor ("Entourage") Jeremy Piven watched the Pacquiao-Hatton fight in May. In a television interview, Piven said that whenever he is tired or feels unmotivated, he thinks of Manny Pacquiao and he becomes motivated again.

The band KISS recently requested that they watch Pacquiao train. Freddie Roach declined. Manny might do a concert inside the Wild Card Gym.

Singer Mariah Carey and actor (husband) Nick Cannon watched the Pacquiao-Hatton fight at ringside. In an interview, Carey said it was the first time she had been in such a raucous boxing atmosphere.

Actor Mark Wahlberg (left) is a big Pacquiao fan and attended the Hatton fight in May. During the second knockdown, he was seen jumping up and down. He often watches Manny train at the Wild Card Gym.

Arizona Senator John McCain (left) was at ringside with wife Cindy for the Mayweather, Jr. and de la Hoya fight in 2007. In an interview, he wants to see the Mayweather, Jr. and Pacquiao fight materialize. McCain was an amateur boxer when he was a cadet at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Rapper P Diddy was at ringside for the Pacquiao-Hatton fight in May 2009. He sat a row behind fellow rapper Jay-Z.

Hollywood icons Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie can be found ringside at the biggest fights. They are perhaps the most popular celebrities at any arena event.

Actor ("Rocky") Sylvester Stallone is typically at ringside for big fights. He may work with Manny Pacquiao on a future U.S.-based movie. There is word that he is working on "Rocky 7." He has said that if he does not do it, then he would be miserable.

Actor Bruce Willis is a boxing fan often at ringside.

Filipino-American actress Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lache

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and rapper 50 Cent. The former may be Manny Pacquiao's next opponent. The New York rapper boxed in his younger years.

LA Lakers Ron Artest is a Manny Pacquiao fan and has visited the Filipino icon at the Wild Card Gym. Good times or distractions for Freddie Roach?

The Boston Celtics visited Manny Pacquiao's locker room after the Filipino's win over David Diaz in 2008.

Soccer star David Beckham is often at ringside for boxing events. Will he bring the Spice Girls wife?

Golden Boy Promotions principal Oscar de la Hoya and actress Salma Hayek. De la Hoya is predicting a Miguel Cotto victory on Nov. 14. Is that prediction tainted by the feud with his former promoter Bob Arum?

Evander Holyfield is often at ringside. He recently appeared with one-time foe Mike Tyson on Oprah. The two are now friends.

Juan Manuel Marquez is often at ringside during Pacquiao fights. He is pushing for a third fight with his nemesis.

LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant is a fan of Manny Pacquiao and the two recently met. Both also appear on Nike's recent ad campaigns.

Legendary boxer Lennox Lewis is a fan of Manny Pacquiao and considers the Filipino his favorite fighter.

Legendary boxer Mike Tyson asked Freddie Roach in 2008 if he could help train Manny Pacquiao. Due to another potential distraction, Roach declined. Instead, Tyson got several free tickers to the "Dream Match" fight with de la Hoya.

Comedian George Lopez often emcees for Golden Boy Promotions, and entertained the crowd for the weigh-in on the May 2nd fight between Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton.

NBA great Earvin "Magic" Johnson is often at ringside.

Boxing icon Muhammad Ali was at ringside for Mayweather's fight with de la Hoya in 2007. Will a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight in 2010 be the biggest event since Ali's and Joe Frazier's "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975?

Boxer Ricky Hatton has been at a Pacquiao fight.

Welterweight champion Mosley will be at ringside, pushing for a bout with Pacquiao in 2010.

NBA star Shaquille O'Neal called himself "Manny Shaquiao" in a celebrity match with Oscar de la Hoya. 

Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard is at ringside for any big fight.

Boxing legend Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns is at ringside for any big fight.

(n.b. this topic is culled from Comran's comment.)

boyz....your turn. aw, gurlz diay. 

Aduna koy gikastorya nga tawo nga mipaambit kanako kabahin sa binuhi nga iro sa iyang igsoon. Matud niya nga kadto pa siya kita og iro nga lupig pay tawo ang gigahin nga pag-amoma. Kay ngano? Ang iro aduna niining mga musunod:

2 ka veterinarians
1 ka chiropractor
1 ka psychiatrist (bayran og 85 dollars kada-30 minutos aron lang makig-storya sa iro sa telepono  )

Unsa man poy inyong hunahuna?

A man of our times: Pacquiao on TIME Magazine



November 5, 2:55 PM

Over 20 years after former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson appeared on the U.S. cover of TIME Magazine, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao has achieved the same feat. A month after several typhoons devastated the Philippines, killing hundreds and displacing hundreds of thousands of his fellow countrymen, "Pacman" is featured on the cover of TIME Magazine's Asia edition. (9 Legendary Boxers on TIME Cover)  Pacquiao recently contributed time and money to the relief efforts. All regions of the publication will feature a story on the pound-for-pound boxing icon this weekend.

I’m ashamed, says resigned BIR chief

By Michelle Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer


MANILA, Philippinesâ€"Sixto Esquivias IV has resigned as commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) because, according to him, “it was the honorable thing to do.”

“The BIR has a large tax collection shortfall right now, and I feel ashamed to stay,” Esquivias said in Filipino in a telephone interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer Monday night.

Esquivias, who was appointed to the top BIR post on Nov. 1, 2008, said he found it prudent to resign to give way to anyone who may be better at making the agency meet its tax collection targets.

“If someone can do the job better, then why would I stay?” he said.

He said he exerted his “best, but apparently it was not enough. Resigning was the honorable thing to do.”

Esquivias, the fifth tax chief to be appointed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo since she took office in 2001, was appointed last year to replace Lilian Hefti amid a similar problem of tax collection shortfall.

Resignation accepted

Esquivias tendered his resignation on Friday effective the same day.

“The President has accepted his resignation,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in a statement.

“He has not performed well and he said he takes responsibility for it. He said the President should be given the chance to make changes as she sees best,” Ermita added.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde told reporters that Ms Arroyo would announce on Tuesday the new head of the bureau that brings in three-fourths of government revenues.

Stressful

Esquivias found the job of a BIR commissioner exhausting, saying that last week his blood pressure rose to a level higher than normal because of stress.

Latest data from the Department of Finance
(DoF), mother agency of the BIR, showed that the revenue agency’s tax collection reached P557 billion in January to September.

This fell short of the official target of P596.2 billion for the nine-month period and much lower than the P587.9 billion collected in the same period last year.

Bigger budget deficit

Because the BIR accounts for 75 percent of the revenues generated by the national government, its shortfall will widen the budget deficit.

For this year, the DoF expects the budget deficit to widen to P300 billion largely because of the weaker-than-expected tax collection.

Last year’s deficit stood at P68 billion. As of end-September, the deficit was already P237.5 billion.

Tax collecting in the Philippines has been dogged for years by widespread tax evasion, corruption and inefficient tax administration. The difficulty of the task was made worse this year by the global economic downturn, which adversely affected corporate and household incomes.

Officials had acknowledged that the full-year target would be difficult to reach because of the downturn...

Rafflesia arnoldii
The largest flower in the world is the rare blood-red Rafflesia arnoldii known as largest individual flower on earth which can grow to 3 feet (90 centimeters) across and weigh up to 24 pounds (11 kilos), found growing on the jungle floor in the rainforests of Indonesia, Malaya, Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines.



Amorphophallus â€" Titan Arum
The world’s tallest flower â€" which is actually a cluster of flowers â€" is the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanium), about 10 feet (3 meters) tall fully-grown, also commonly referred to as the “corpse flower.”The enormous flower grows from a corm of up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) diameter, weighing over 110 pounds (50 kilos). After a dormant period of several months, a bud will develop, growing at a rate of 1.5 to 8 inches (4 to 20) centimeters a day.



Corypha umbraculifera â€" Talipot palm

Corypha umbraculifera (Talipot palm) bears the largest inflorescence of any plant at 20 to 26 feet (6 to 8 meters) long, consisting of 1 to several million small flowers borne on a branched stalk that forms at the top of the trunk. The Titan Arum has the largest unbranched inflorescence, and the Rafflesia arnoldii has the world’s largest single flower.



Stapelia â€" Star Flower

Stapelia are small, low growing, spineless, cactus-like succulent carrion flower plants. The flowers are usually flesh-colored, hairy to varying degrees and emit the odor of rotten flesh. Blooms in some species can grow very large, notably Stapelia gigantea which can reach 16 inches (41 centimeters) in diameter.



Hydnora africana

Hydnora africana is a is parasitic plant on the roots of the Euphorbiaceae species that grows underground in arid deserts of South Africa, except for a flower that grows above ground.The fleshy colored flower emerges above the sandy ground which emits an odor of feces to attract its natural pollinators, dung beetles, and carrion beetles in droves



Helicodiceros muscivorus â€" Dead horse arum lily

Helicodiceros muscivorus â€" also known as the Dead horse arum lily â€" is an ornamental plant native to the northwestern Mediterranean region that reproduces the stench of rotting meat, attracting carrion-seeking blowflies which act as pollinators.



Dracunculus vulgaris â€" Voodoo lily

Sometimes known as Voodoo lily, the dracunculus vulgaris is a species of aroid in the genus Dracunculus. The species is distinguished by a large purple spathe and spadix, and gives off a very unpleasant smell reminiscent of a carcass to attract its pollinators of Lucilia flies, amongst others.



Lysichiton americanus â€" Western Skunk Cabbage

Western Skunk Cabbage â€" sometimes called Yellow Skunk Cabbage or Swamp Lantern â€" is known as such due to the malodorous, distinctive “skunky” odor it emits which permeates the area where it grows, and can be detected even in old, dried specimens. The foul odor attracts its pollinators, scavenging flies and beetles. It’s found in swamps and wet woods, along streams and in other wet areas of the Pacific Northwest, U.S.



Aristolochia

Aristolochia is a large plant genus with over 500 species. Collectively known as birthworts, pipevines or Dutchman’s pipes, they’re the namesake of the family Aristolochiaceae. They are widespread and occur in the most diverse climates. Some species, like A. utriformis and A. westlandii, are threatened with extinction.



Ceropegias

Ceropegias are an interesting group of plants that have many common names including lantern flower, parasol flower, parachute flower, bushman’s pipe, string of hearts, snake creeper, wine-glass vine, rosary vine, necklace vine and condom flower which produces striking, malodorous blossoms shaped like a wine glass, often with glistening cilia to attract flies.



Aseroe rubra â€" Anemone stinkhorn

Commonly known as the anemone stinkhorn and sea anemone fungus, Aseroe rubra is a common and widespread Australian basidiomycete fungus recognizable for its foul odor of carrion and its anemone shape when mature that also attracts flies which spread its spores. Found in gardens on mulch and in grassy areas, it resembles a red star-shaped structure covered in brownish slime on a white stalk.



Phallus indusiatus â€" Veiled lady

Phallus indusiatus â€" also called long net stinkhorn and veiled lady â€" is a stinkhorn fungus, eaten as a vegetable (known in English as bamboo fungus or bamboo pith) in some cuisines of southern China, particularly that of the southwestern province of Yunnan, and called zhu sheng or zhu sun in Chinese.

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

(CNN) -- I spoke at TED in 2006, the year they started to put the talks online. I'm told that since then, the talk has been downloaded more than 3.5 million times in more than 200 countries. The number of people who've seen it may be 20 times that or more.

I have a stream of e-mails, tweets and blog posts round the world from young people, parents, students, teachers, cultural activists and business leaders of all sorts. They tell me how deeply they relate to the talk and often that they've seen or shown it many times at meetings, conferences, workshops and retreats.

Parents tell me they've shown it to their children; young people tell me they've shown it to their parents. They say they've laughed and sometimes cried together and had a different sort of conversation as a result. Changing the conversation is one of the primary purposes of TED.

Why has this talk had such an impact? I think there are several reasons.

To begin with, the talk is short. The 18-minute talk is part of the genius of TED. In a world of instant messaging, rampant data and overspecialization, brevity is a virtue. (Even so, I've seen blogs that strongly recommend the talk but warn that it's almost 20 minutes long.)

A second factor is that, based on the audience's reaction, the talk is entertaining and funny at times, which always helps. And I'd just had my hair cut. We may never know how much that simple act contributed to the global appeal of the talk. But the real reason for its impact is that what I'm saying clearly resonates deeply with people of all ages and across many different cultures. I believe that the argument is becoming more urgent by the day.

What is the argument? In a nutshell, it's that we're all born with immense natural talents but our institutions, especially education, tend to stifle many of them and as a result we are fomenting a human and an economic disaster.

In education, this vast waste of talent involves a combination of factors. They include a narrow emphasis on certain sorts of academic work; the exile of arts, humanities and physical education programs from schools; arid approaches to teaching math and sciences; an obsessive culture of standardized testing and tight financial pressures to teach to the tests.

The result is a disastrous waste of talent among students and their teachers. To sense the scale of this disaster, you only have to look at the alarming rates of turnover among faculty and the levels of drop out, disaffection, stress and prescription drug use among students. Even for students who stay the course and do well in education, the rules of success have changed irrevocably. Just look at the plummeting value of college degrees.

The waste of talent in education is not deliberate. Teachers are as anxious about this as everyone else, but many of them feel trapped in the awkward groping of national reform policies, many of which misunderstand the problems as well as the solutions. The waste of talent isn't deliberate, but it is systematic.

It happens in part because the dominant systems of education are rooted in the values and demands of industrialism: they are linear, mechanistic and focused on conformity and standardization. Nowadays, they're buttressed by major commercial interests in mass testing and by the indiscriminate use of prescription drugs that keep students' minds from wandering to things they naturally find more interesting.

The tragedy is that meeting the many social, economic, spiritual and environmental challenges we now face depends absolutely on the very capacities of insight, creativity and innovation that these systems are systematically suppressing in yet another generation of young people.

Reforming these systems is not enough. The truth is that we are caught up in a cultural and economic revolution. This revolution is that is global in scale and unpredictable in nature. To meet it, we need a revolution in the culture of education.

This new culture has to emerge from a richer sense of human ability. To shape it, I believe we have to leave behind the manufacturing principles of industrialism and embrace the organic principles of ecology.

Education is about developing human beings, and human development is not mechanical or linear. It is organic and dynamic.

Like all living forms, we flourish in certain conditions and shrivel in others. Great teachers, great parents and great leaders understand those conditions intuitively; poor ones don't. The answer is not to standardize education, but to personalize and customize it to the needs of each child and community. There is no alternative. There never was.

The good news is that all around the world there are wonderful examples of people and organizations that are making determined efforts to do things differently in education -- and in business, health care, architecture, communities and cultural programs.

There are examples of these all over the TED Web site and in the expanding ripples of the TED prizes. TED itself is a great example of the spirit of collaboration and inter-disciplinarily that is the essential to a genuine culture of creativity.

What are the principles of this culture? Towards the end of my talk, I mention a book I was working on called "Epiphany."

It was published this year under a much better title, "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything" (Viking) and is now in 11 languages. It draws on conversations with people in science, business, education, the arts, sports and more on how they found in themselves the talents and passions that have shaped their lives. But the book is not about them: it's about you and your children, if you have any; and your friends too, if you have any of those.

There's a wealth of talent that lies in all of us. All of us, including those who work in schools, must nurture creativity systematically and not kill it unwittingly.

Glaciers disappearing from Kilimanjaro
By Azadeh Ansari, CNN
November 3, 2009 3:45 a.m. EST

(CNN) -- The ice and snow that cap majestic Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania are vanishing before our eyes.

If current conditions persist, climate change experts say, Kilimanjaro's world-renowned glaciers, which have covered Africa's highest peak for centuries, will be gone within the next two decades.

"In a very real sense, these glaciers are being decapitated from the surface down," said Lonnie Thompson, professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University. Thompson is co-author of a study on Kilimanjaro published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study's authors blame the disappearing ice on increases in global temperatures and diminished snowfall at Kilimanjaro's summit.

Previous studies of Kilimanjaro's glaciers have relied on aerial photographs to measure the rate of the retreating ice. For this new survey, scientists climbed the mountain and drilled deep into the glaciers to measure the volume of the ice fields atop the 19,331-foot (5,892-meter) peak.

The ice sheet that capped Kilimanjaro in 2007 was 85 percent smaller than the one that covered its plateau in 1912, paleoclimatologists explained in the study.

The mountain's ice cover shrank about 1 percent a year from 1912 to 1953, a rate that has accelerated in recent years. From 1989 to 2007, that rate jumped to 2.5 percent a year. Since 2000, the plateau's three remaining ice fields have shrunk by 26 percent, scientists found.

Thompson and his team of researchers have spent seven years measuring the glaciers of Kilimanjaro, whose snow-capped profile rises dramatically over the surrounding tropical plains.

Using 110 "porters," or local residents, they carried 6 tons of equipment to the mountain's plateau. Battling temperatures as low as 35 degrees below zero, and with very little oxygen, Thompson and his crew lived atop Kilimanjaro for nearly two months, drilling and collecting core ice samples buried thousands of feet below the glaciers' surface.

The new data shows that both the Northern and Southern ice fields atop Kilimanjaro have thinned dramatically in recent years, while the smaller Furtwangler Glacier shrank as much as 50 percent between 2000 and 2009.

As the glaciers break up into smaller pieces, more of the darker surface of the crater is exposed. This causes temperatures to rise on the mountain and accelerates the melting of the ice, scientists say.

"The shrinkage and ultimate disappearance of these glaciers will create tremendous ecological and social problems in the near future," said Doug Hardy, senior research fellow in the Climate Systems Research Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Hardy contributed research to the new study.

"The Kilimanjaro glaciers are indicators for a larger-scale process," Thompson said. "It's not just Kilimanjaro, it's every tropical glacier in Africa, in the tropical Andes of South America, it's the glaciers in New Guinea. We are losing all those glaciers in today's world."

A snowless Mount Kilimanjaro also could have economic effects.

Kilimanjaro is a tourist attraction and a crucial revenue generator for Tanzania, one of the world's poorest counties. A study published by the Overseas Development Institute in January estimated that 35,000 to 40,000 people visit Kilimanjaro every year, spending almost $50 million annually in the country.