MikeLigalig.com

Quote from: islander on August 28, 2014, 07:45:02 PM
oh, in case you forget, unlike hello kitty who is british, i'm maajo mingming from the philippines.  that avatar beside this is just my american disguise.

Ang this one? Your Chinese disguise?

Quote from: islander on August 28, 2014, 07:43:22 PM
so she has no mouth for a noble reason.  but how does she eat her favorite apple pie?

Suspend your disbelief, Philistine!

Para nako, ang usa pa nga lisod sabton, nga nakahunahuna ang bana nga ihian ang nagluib nga asawa ug ang paramour niini...

Ang ihi ray gibantayan, ay. Ang giihian mao ang mastermind nga negosyante, dili ang gunman nga pulis.

- Security fears -

Since the Syrian war erupted in 2011, the plateau has been tense, with a growing number of rockets and mortar rounds hitting the Israeli side, mostly stray, prompting occasional armed responses.

The Philippines, which has 331 troops serving in UNDOF, announced on Saturday that it would pull out of the peace force because of security concerns.

Filipino defence officials said no fresh troops would be sent once the current batch of soldiers returned from duty in October.

Last year, the Philippines said it was considering pulling its Golan peacekeepers out after 25 of them were kidnapped but later freed by Syrian rebels in two separate incidents.

In assessing the latest crisis, UN officials noted the safe release of the Filipino peacekeepers last year.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino described the situation in the Golan Heights as "tense" but also sought to calm fears about the fate of the Filipino troops.

"So far, we should not worry. The news is that the situation looks stable," Aquino said.

However the US State Department said Al-Nusra was definitely involved.

"The United States strongly condemns the detention of UN peacekeepers and ongoing violence targeting the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights by non-state armed groups, including UN Security Council-designated terrorist group Al-Nusra Front," US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

The United States demanded the "unconditional and immediate release" of the Fijian peacekeepers, the statement said.

The UNDOF has been stationed in the buffer zone of the Golan Heights since 1974 to monitor a ceasefire between Syria and Israel.

Israel initially seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War, then annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

There are currently 1,200 peacekeepers: from the Philippines, Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal and the Netherlands.

- Condemnation -

The UN Security Council "strongly condemned" the assaults against the peacekeepers, which it said were carried out by "terrorist groups and by members of non-state armed groups."

The council demanded the "unconditional and immediate release of all the detained United Nations peacekeepers" and urged countries with influence to help win their release.

The Philippine military said the soldiers were occupying two UNDOF posts about four kilometres (2.5 miles) apart.

The United Nations initially said 81 Filipinos were involved in the stand-off, however Filipino commander Ancan said there were 75.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said it was unclear which group had staged the attacks.

"Some groups are self-identified as affiliated to Al-Nusra but we are not able to confirm," he said.

The rebels captured 43 Fijian members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on Thursday, forcing them to surrender their weapons then taking them hostage.

Ancan said the rebels then used an English-speaking Fijian hostage to relay their demand to the Filipino peacekeepers to give up their weapons.

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said Friday that talks were underway to release the hostages, and they were believed to be safe.

"I want to assure the families of the soldiers we are doing everything possible to secure their safe return," Bainimarama said in a statement.

"The latest information we have is that they are safe and I can say now that the negotiations for their release have already begun."

Bainimarama said Fiji was "united as a nation in praying for their safe return".

By Cecil Morella
2 hours ago


Manila (AFP) - Syrian rebels surrounded dozens of defiant Filipino peacekeepers in the Golan Heights on Friday and demanded they give up their weapons, hours after taking 43 Fijian soldiers hostage, authorities said.

Seventy-five Filipino members of a United Nations' peacekeeping force were defending two posts on the Syrian side of Golan Heights, and were prepared to fight back rather than surrender, their commander in Manila said.

"We can use deadly force in defence of the UN facilities," Colonel Roberto Ancan told reporters.

"I (would) just like to emphasise our troops are well-armed, they are well-trained... they are well-disciplined warrior peacekeepers."

Syrian rebels, including fighters from the Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, stormed a Golan Heights crossing at Quneitra on Wednesday, sparking an exchange of gunfire with Israeli troops.

Quneitra is the only crossing between the Syrian and the Israeli-controlled side of the strategic plateau.

6. She loves apple pie made by her mother

Her hobbies also include traveling, listening to music, reading, eating cookies and making new friends. One of her most popular mottos is "You can never have too many friends".

7. She has a pet cat and a pet hamster

Her cat is named Charmmy Kitty and her pet hamster is named Sugar. Charmmy Kitty was a present from her father, while Sugar was given to her by her childhood friend Dear Daniel.

8. She shares a birthday with her creator

Her original creator Yuko Shimizu was born Nov 1, 1946. Hello Kitty has had two other designers to date: Ms Setsuko Yonekubo, and Ms Yuko Yamaguchi. Ms Yamaguchi is the current designer for the Kitty brand.

9. She hasn't worked a day in her life but she is a billionaire

Her image is licensed by Japanese company Sanrio, which says on its website that it makes more than US$5 billion (S$6.25 billion) in retail sales each year.

10. She is everywhere

From Hello Kitty dolls to stationery and household appliances, Kitty has it all. In fact, there are even chequebooks, debit cards and even an airplane with her face on it. The adorable cat has also inspired Hello Kitty themed restaurants and even a maternity hospital.

Here are 10 other things about the pop culture icon:

1. Her full name is Kitty White and she was born on Nov 1, 1974

Her parents' names are George and Mary White. She also has a twin sister named Mimmy. Her grandparents are named Anthony and Margaret. Kitty even has a blood type. She is of the A blood group.

2. She weighs "three apples" and is "five apples" tall

This puts her at 1.8kg and 50cm.

3. Kitty's name was inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland

In a scene early in the book, Alice plays with a cat she calls Kitty. This is said to be the inspiration behind Hello Kitty's name.

4. Kawaii Kitty is in fact British

Although she was conceived of by the Japanese company Sanrio, her story explains that she was born in a suburb outside of London, and even attended a British school.

5. She has no mouth for a reason

According to Sanrio, “Hello Kitty speaks from her heart. She’s Sanrio’s ambassador to the world and isn’t bound to any particular language”. It worked. Kitty has even been named Special Friend of Children by the United Nations Children's Fund.

http://www.straitstimes.com/
PUBLISHED ON JUL 17, 2014 6:20 PM 



Hello Kitty sewing machine. --PHOTO: ST FILE


BY CHEOW SUE ANN


Hello Kitty turns 40 this year!

From attracting long lines at McDonald's to inspiring collectors to buy millions of dollars worth of merchandise, Hello Kitty is one of the most popular cartoon characters in the world. To mark her birthday, a series of celebrations will take place later this year, including the first fan convention, hosted in Los Angeles at the end of October.

Contrary to popular belief, Hello Kitty isn't a cat - at least according to the Japanese company behind the phenomenon. Sanrio corrected anthropologist Christine R. Yano in August when she described Hello Kitty as a cat while curating a Kitty retrospective.

Yano said: "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She's never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature." Who knew?

A less common theory is that the umbrella man used a poison dart to immobilize JFK during the assassination. Another person of interest is the dark-skinned man that is seen standing next to the umbrella man. During the Zapruder film, the dark-skinned man is witnessed making sudden movements toward JFK at frame 202. It almost looks like he makes a Nazi salute motion towards the president. The same dark-skinned man was photographed speaking into a walkie-talkie in Dealey Plaza.

In 1978, after an appeal to the public by the U.S. Committee on Assassinations, a man named Louie Steven Witt came forward and claimed he was the umbrella man. Witt says he brought the umbrella to Dealey Plaza in order to heckle Kennedy. Another theory is that the umbrella man was Cuban American Manuel Artime, who had a close relationship with E. Howard Hunt. Artime died mysteriously in 1977, which is the same time the U.S. assassination committee was investigating the umbrella man. -- http://listverse.com/

Another mysterious figure that was seen during the JFK assassination is the umbrella man. The umbrella man can be seen in several videotapes and photographs of the assassination, including the Zapruder film. He is the only person in Dealey Plaza with an umbrella, which has been deemed unusual because it was a clear day. In the videos, the umbrella man can be seen opening his umbrella and lifting it high above his head as JFK’s limousine approached. He then spun the umbrella clockwise as the limo slowed down and JFK was shot.

In the aftermath of the assassination, the umbrella man sat down on the sidewalk next to the Stemmons Freeway sign. He then got up and walked towards the Texas School Book Depository. The true identity of the umbrella man has never been discovered. His actions have been at the center of multiple movies that examine the JFK conspiracy theory, including Oliver Stone’s film. The theory suggests that the man used the umbrella to signal the shooters. More specifically, he could have been signaling Kennedy’s driver, who was ordered to slow the vehicle. Many people who witnessed the assassination said that Kennedy’s limo came to an almost complete stop in the middle of the street before he was shot.

On the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza, dozens of people captured photographic evidence of the murder. The most important evidence was taken by Abraham Zapruder and shows Kennedy’s fatal head shot. In order to determine exactly what happened that day, government officials have examined and scrutinized every angle of the videos. In some cases, mysterious people of interest have been identified. One of the most famous examples is the Babushka Lady, who was witnessed filming near the assassination, but never identified by the police.

Anthropologist Christine R. Yano from the University of Hawaii, who has spent years studying the popularity of Hello Kitty, is the one who brought the misunderstanding to light, said the Times.

She said Sanrio corrected her "very firmly" when she described Hello Kitty as a cat while curating an upcoming Kitty retrospective at the Japanese American National Museum.

"That's one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show," she told the Times. "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She's never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it's called Charmmy Kitty."

Hello Kitty - a "perpetual third-grader" who "lives outside of London" - was created in the 1970s, when the Japanese loved the idea of Britain, Yano said. "It represented the quintessential idealised childhood, almost like a white picket fence. So the biography was created exactly for the tastes of that time."

On Twitter, singer Josh Groban was among those who reacted strongly to the story, said the Times. He said on Wednesday: "Hello Kitty is a cat. She has whiskers and a cat nose. Girls don't look like that. Stop this nonsense."

Peanuts Worldwide, the company behind the comic strip, confirmed on Twitter that "Snoopy IS a dog".

Hello Kitty is not a cat, she's a British schoolgirl, says Sanrio
http://www.straitstimes.com/
PUBLISHED ON AUG 28, 2014 2:06 PM



Yuko Yamaguchi, the third designer of Japanese cartoon and global mega-brand Hello Kitty, poses with various dolls during a press conference in Hong Kong on July 17, 2014. Hello Kitty is not a cat, says Sanrio. -- PHOTO: AFP


Los Angeles - Hello Kitty is not a cat, says Sanrio.

As preparations are made for the cute white feline character's 40th birthday celebrations, the Japanese company that created the global marketing phenomenon has set the record straight - and caused chaos on the Internet, said the Los Angeles Times.

Hello Kitty is actually a British schoolgirl named Kitty White, said the report. Her origin story includes things such as: She is a Scorpio, she has a twin sister, and their parents are George and Mary White.

"Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She's never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it's called Charmmy Kitty."

Indeed, after rigorously applying a variation of the "Duck test," it all became clear: she only kind of looks like a cat, she doesn't walk like a cat, and she doesn't talk like a cat (although I can't recall her ever making a noise). She's also, according to Yano, British. Huh.

Fear not, though! We did the research, and Keroppi is still a frog.

Breaking news: Hello Kitty is not a cat
Ceci n'est pas un chat
http://www.theverge.com/
By Ross Miller on August 27, 2014 06:03 pm





Your childhood has been torn asunder by the Gods that once gifted you. In preparing a Hello Kitty retrospective for the Japanese American National Museum, University of Hawaii Anthropologist Christine R. Yano was given one major correction by Hello Kitty owners Sanrio (via LA Times):

According to http://justontop.blogspot.com/

Leaders Responsible for the Top 5 Worst Genocides in History

1. Mao Zedong (Responsible for 34,300,000-63,784,000 deaths)
2. Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Responsible for 23,000,000-60,000,000 deaths)
3. Adolf Hitler ( Responsible for 6,000,000 deaths)
4. Hideki Tojo (Responsible for 5,000,000 deaths)
5. Pol Pot (Responsible for 2,500,000 deaths)

According to http://www.topsixlist.com/

Six Worst Genocides In History

6. The Rwandan Massacre (1994)
5. The Armenian Genocide (1915-1923)
4. The Killing Fields of Cambodia (1975-1978)
3. The Holocaust (1939-1945)
2. The Stalinist Era in the USSR (1929-1953)
1. The Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution in China (1949-1976)

According to http://8list.ph/

The eight worst genocides in recent history

According to http://listverse.com/

10 Atrocious Genocides In Human History

10 Al-Anfal Genocide
9 Moriori Genocide
8 Rwandan Genocide
7 Irish Potato Famine
6 Pygmy Genocide
5 Native American Genocide
4 “Stolen Generations” of Aboriginals
3 Armenian Genocide
2 Bosnian Genocide
1 The Holocaust

According to http://www.toptenz.net/

Top 10 Most Horrific Genocides In History

10. Genocides of the Amalekites and Midianites
9. North Korea (1945-present)
8. Expulsion of Ethnic Germans after World War II (1945)
7. Partition of India (1947)
6. The Rwandan Massacre (1994)
5. The Armenian Genocide (1915-1923)
4. The Killing Fields of Cambodia (1975-1978)
3. The Holocaust (1939-1945)
2. The Stalinist Era in the USSR (1929-1953)
1. The Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution in China (1949-1976)

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 28, 2014, 01:26:22 PM
"Nung nakita niya 'yung ganoong scenario na magkatabi nga 'yung asawa niya at si De Guzman, siguro sa galit, he peed on the two," the source said.

Oi, hala! Tsk, tsk, tsk...

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 28, 2014, 01:25:50 PM
A source who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case said the crime was a result of "unfaithfulness and infidelity" of Pastor's wife.

He said Pastor allegedly caught his wife sleeping with De Guzman sometime in 2013.

Hmm, lisod sabton. Si Pastor pa ang giluiban, unya siya pa ang gipatay?

"Nung nakita niya 'yung ganoong scenario na magkatabi nga 'yung asawa niya at si De Guzman, siguro sa galit, he peed on the two," the source said.

Pastor allegedly beat his wife while De Guzman fled.

"I heard din nung wake ni Enzo ang sabi nung kanyang asawa, wala daw siyang balak magsampa ng kaso against the suspects para na rin daw sa security ng kanilang mga anak who is currently in the states," he said.

Meantime, Pastor's father, Thomas, said they have a constant communication with Dahlia until the 40th day of their son's death last July.

Pastor's parents, however, kept their silence since the case is not yet considered solved and investigation is ongoing.

"Happy kami kasi atleast nakikita naming ang hustisya at nakikita naming na gumagalaw ang kaso," Thomas said.

QCPD chief Richard Albano also lauded his men for the arrest of the suspects.

Angel and De Guzman was brought to the Quezon City Regional Trial Court for inquest proceedings. They will be temporarily be detained at Camp Karingal in Quezon City while the other alleged suspect, Dahlia, remains at large. (Sunnex)

Marcelo said Angel, a policeman assigned at the Pasay Police Station, was arrested by the anti-illegal drugs operatives after selling almost 100 grams of suspected shabu to a police poseur buyer in Quezon City on August 23.

After Angel's arrest, Marcelo said a tipster tagged him as suspect in the killing of Pastor.

Angel admitted his participation to the crime and revealed that De Guzman hired him in exchange for P100,000 plus P50,000 as "bonus" after Pastor gets eliminated.

Marcelo said De Guzman was arrested in an entrapment operation on August 26 at the Sto. Nino Village, Muntinlupa City, after he agreed to meet with Angel to award the P50,000 bonus.

Recovered from De Guzman's possession were two hand guns with live ammunition and a Toyota Corona sedan.

Marcelo said Dahlia Guerero-Pastor, wife of the international car racer, is also considered a suspect in the crime.

"Allegedly, ayon doon sa gunman, December pa itong plano na ito pero June na naisagawa," the police official said.

A source who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case said the crime was a result of "unfaithfulness and infidelity" of Pastor's wife.

He said Pastor allegedly caught his wife sleeping with De Guzman sometime in 2013.

Love triangle eyed in Enzo Pastor slay
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/
By Third Anne Peralta
Wednesday, August 27, 2014


THE Quezon City Police District (QCPD) is looking into love-triangle as the possible motive for the killing of car racer Ferdinand "Enzo" Pastor, a police official said Wednesday.

In a media briefing, QCPD criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDG) chief Rodel Marcelo said the alleged mastermind Domingo De Guzman and his hired gun, Police Officer 2 Edgar Angel, were arrested.

On June 12, Pastor was shot dead by motorcycle-riding suspects as he stopped at a traffic light in Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City while transporting a racecar to Pampanga from Batangas.



MANILA. Some of the items recovered from Domingo de Guzman, the alleged mastermind in the killing of car racer Ferdinand "Enzo" Pastor. (Third Anne Peralta/Sunnex)

Disturbing image, not for the faint-hearted: http://www.remate.ph/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/car-racer-dead.jpg

Meanwhile, the parents of Pastor, who were present in the briefing, hailed the Philippine National Police and the Quezon City Police District for solving the crime.

“All we wanted was closure,” Pastor’s mother said. “The PNP has shown their vigilance and professionalism. Justice was served.”

Pastor’s father also thanked Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and President Benigno Aquino III.

Both mastermind and gunman, PO2 Edgar Angel, were arrested by the Quezon City Crime and Investigative and Detention Group (CIDG) Tuesday.

Pastor and his companion were shot inside the former’s car in a Quezon City intersection while on their way to a racing event in June. Pastor’s companion survived the ambush. Kimbo Maglaya

INQUIRER.net
6:57 pm | Wednesday, August 27th, 2014
 
 
MANILA, Philippines â€" Dahlia Guerrero-Pastor, widow and mother of the children of slain Ferdinand “Enzo” Pastor, is a suspect in the killing of the racing driver and is at large.


Suspects in the killing of Enzo Pastor. JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS


Police confirmed the involvement of Dahlia in a press briefing at Camp Karingal in Quezon City.

While also confirming the affair between Dahlia and mastermind Domingo De Guzman, police did not give any details about the alleged illicit affair.

Hmm, is it as cuddly as mine?

Bwahaha!

Meanwhile, in some parallel universe...

Quote from: islander on August 27, 2014, 07:16:41 PM
nothing but a case of drugs surrendering to the body.

Mind you, it was more of mind over body...

As their name suggests, the Cainites were fiercely dedicated to Adam and Eve’s oldest son. They believed the God of the Old Testament was nothing but a lesser deity, a jealous god who punished Cain unjustly. They took Gnosticism one step further, claiming that the creation of the world was itself an act of evil designed to keep man from getting closer to the divine.

Because the God of the Old Testament was seen as a figure of evil, an obstacle to overcome in the pursuit of the true god, Cainites also revered other “bad guys” of the Bible, such as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and Judas Iscariot. They believed Judas possessed knowledge about the truth of God, which was written down in a book called the Gospel of Judas that details Jesus’s teaching of Judas. They even go so far as to say that Judas’s betrayal of Jesus was actually a good deed done on Jesus’s behalf. The relatively small sect flourished during the second century A.D. but slowly died shortly thereafter. -- http://listverse.com/

...while you're driving your Volkswagen Beetle?

Superhero nga wa pa mahinganli...

Too hot silang duha?

Apparently, the port competition is one that they feel they can win, and not just because of bolitas. Filipino sailors take a sort of Pretty Woman tack in their relationships with prostitutes, treating them as more than mere objects in a sexual marketplace -- and above all, the Filipinos think, treating them better than other sailors do. As one Filipino officer told McKay: "'The women prefer Filipinos because we treat them nice, not like other nationalities,'" he said. "'[Sailors from other countries] think because they pay, they can treat them badly ... But the Filipinos -- we treat them like girlfriends. We pay too, but we're nice, we smile, we even court them. That's what makes the Filipino special. We're romantic.'"

The shipping life -- one of constant movement and bleak surroundings -- is, at its core, a job of danger, boredom, and whim. Bolitas and the experiences Filipino seafarers have with them can be a welcome diversion. But it also represents a sort of social gamesmanship, a way to add some confidence to an otherwise unpredictable life. Amid the uncertainties of the maritime labor market, augmenting one's masculinity -- literally -- is at least one sure-fire way to stand out.

But their awareness of ready replacements has also made Filipino crew members insecure and hesitant. Industry insiders and other international crew members have interpreted this caution as effeminate, and a signal that they are good disciplined "followers," according to McKay, but not necessarily natural leaders. That notion, he believes, has stunted their upward mobility. In the mid-1970s, 90 percent of Filipinos working on ships served as lower-level crew members, and 10 percent had junior-level officer jobs. Thirty years later in 2005, those numbers had only shifted slightly: 73 percent were still serving in lower-level roles, 19 percent had clinched junior officer titles, and only 8 percent were at the senior level. Filipino captains are still uncommon.

Viewed in this context, bolitas is more than just a physical oddity adopted for the benefit of port women. It's an important element of the Filipinos' larger battle to assert their masculinity and compensate in a rivalry that they can't always win aboard the ship. "It's part of that competition that starts in the labor market that then bleeds over into culture," McKay said. "They are dealing with how others see them."

Still, many Filipinos are hyper-aware of their own potential displacement. Other low-wage countries, including India, South Korea, and Indonesia, apply for the same jobs. For that reason, McKay argues, the Filipinos have set out to differentiate themselves from crew members of other nationalities.

The special brand the Filipinos have fashioned for themselves revolves around an adventurous spirit, creative troubleshooting with machines, and an eloquent way of communicating the stories they tell about their skills. Onboard and in ports across the world, they weave tales to mark their territory. In one of McKay's papers, he writes about a Filipino captain who gave him a pitch about the handiness of his nationality's sailors, especially when things go awry. "The Filipino, he can fix anything ... Other nationalities, if they see there are no spare parts, they will say, 'okay, that's it, we'll wait 'til we're in port,'" the man told McKay. "But Filipinos somehow will get it working again. They'll make a new part or fix one." A third mate provided a sense of the way adventure fits into the Filipino's occupational identity:

This is a man's job ['barako talaga'].... You are away from your family, you are in the middle of the sea and you see nothing but the sea and the sky for one month. ... If you want adventure, seafaring is your type of job. But given the heavy work, loneliness and the waves, seafaring is really a difficult job....Most land-based jobs are safe, [but] when a seaman boards a ship, one foot is already in the grave.

The Philippines provides more seafarers to the global labor market than any other country in the world, accounting for approximately a fifth of 1.2 million maritime workers. The number of Filipinos currently living on vessels is roughly 240,000. It's as if every person in the entire city of Orlando woke up, drove to Miami, and signed contracts to ship out on cruiseliners.

The industry has not always employed Filipino crew members in these numbers. In the 1960s, only 2,000 Filipinos worked in international waters. But after the oil crisis of the 1970s placed financial pressure on the industry and a shift in maritime regulations allowed ships to hire workers from countries with lower wages, companies set out to reduce labor costs. According to Lamvik, the Filipinos emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the most qualified option for the mostly European-owned businesses. "They are fluent in English, they are Christians, and they accepted cheaper pay," said Lamvik, whose grandfather and great-grandfather both worked on Norwegian ships. The Filipinos also had a built-in nautical legacy, according to McKay. From the 16th through the 19th century, Filipinos were ordered into servitude on Spanish galleons, and in the 1800s, they helped man American whaling ships.

According to University of California, Santa Cruz labor sociologist Steve McKay, who traveled extensively on container ships with Filipino crews in 2005 for his research on the masculine identity in the shipping market, raw materials for the bolitas can range from tiles to plastic chopsticks or toothbrushes. A designated crew member boils them in hot water to sterilize them, and then performs the procedure. There are also different preferred locations for insertion. Some have one on top or bottom, and others have both. One shipmate told McKay that others have four, one on top and bottom and on both sides, "like the sign of the cross." Another said: "I have a friend at home, you know what his nickname is?" McKay recalled. "Seven."

The practice is unique to Southeast Asia and dates back to at least the 16th century, though no one is sure if it has been continuous. Italian scholar Antonio Pigafetta accompanied Ferdinand Magellan and his crew on their explorations and journaled about a similar behavior in what is currently southern Philippines and Borneo. Apparently, it was also practiced in Thailand and Indonesia, but vanished from the historical record in the mid-17th century, when men bowed to the pressures of Islam and Christianity.

Mckay was shocked to learn that it still existed in what, based on his extensive conversations with Filipino seafarers, seemed like great numbers. In the extremely limited body of academic literature on this topic, there aren't many numbers. One 1999 study found that out of 314 randomly selected Filipino seamen in the port of Manila, 180, or 57 percent, said they had them.

According to McKay's interviews, danger of infection and resulting pain seemed to be worth their reception by droves of Brazilian prostitutes. According to one of his papers, one shipmate told him: "'Filipino seaman are famous for them...that's why they [women in port] like us, why they keep asking for us,'" he said. "'When they hear that Filipinos are coming, they're happy.'"

At a raucous karaoke crew member party somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean, it began to happen. He belted out the lyrics to "House of the Rising Sun." Then, he insisted on singing it again. "That was a real ice breaker," he said.

It was in this type of loose, booze-flowing setting that he learned the most about the lives of his shipmates. And soon, conversations turned to perhaps the most fascinating part of the Filipino seafaring identity, the little-known and barely studied sexual practice of "bolitas," or little balls.

Many Filipino sailors make small incisions in their penises and slide tiny plastic or stone balls -- the size of M&M's -- underneath the skin in order to enhance sexual pleasure for prostitutes and other women they encounter in port cities, especially in Rio de Janeiro. "This 'secret weapon of the Filipinos,' as a second mate phrased it, has therefore obviously something to do," Lamvik wrote in his thesis, "'with the fact that 'the Filipinos are so small, and the Brazilian women are so big' as another second mate put it."

The Strange Sexual Quirk of Filipino Seafarers
How the pressures of the shipping industry have shaped everything about this maritime culture. Right down to their penile implants.
http://www.theatlantic.com/
RYAN JACOBS
AUG 9 2013, 9:15 AM ET



The Philippines is a top supplier of seafarers (Wikimedia Commons)


When Norwegian anthropologist Gunnar Lamvik first began living in Iloilo city, a seafaring haven in the southern Philippines, he sensed he wasn't getting the richest and most detailed information about the shipping experience from interviews with his neighbors, who were home on two-month vacations from 10 months at sea. To crack the cultural mystery of any total institution, you have to go inside, he reasoned. "If you [want] a feeling of a seafarer's life, you have to be at sea with them when they are open," said Lamvik, who now studies how cultural differences affect occupational safety at a Norway-based think-tank called SINTEF. "It's important to be on board for some time, and build trust. That's the crucial thing to do."

This 'secret weapon of the Filipinos,' as a second mate phrased it, has therefore obviously something to do, with the fact that 'the Filipinos are so small, and the Brazilian women are so big' as another second mate put it.
For the next three years, he was on and off ships, floating with his subjects from port to port and trying to make that connection.

- Si Botoy ni, otro pud nga born to smile...

DAVAO. A police officer wakes up a man who passed out due to drunkenness along Malvar St., Barangay 74-A, Davao City. Residents called the police as he was sprawled in front of a house. (Seth delos Reyes)

Mao ba? He he, aw, kang kinsa man diay ni nga doggy?

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 26, 2014, 07:30:17 PM
Human nasayri sa pamilyang Emit ang panghitabo, matud pa ni Gennie Jean nga ang iyang inahan nagsige og hilak ug ila pa gyud nakita sa CCTV nga gipatiran ang iro sa mga suspetsado.

"Dili man gani mi mubun-og sa iro bisag unsa pa iyang gub-on nga butang," matud pa ni Gennie.

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 26, 2014, 07:30:17 PM
Dason ni Rajinder nga nawala na ang maong iro tungod kay milayat kini sa ilang motorsiklo nga gisakyan pag-agi nila sa Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

Matud ni Espina nga si Rajinder mao usab mitabang kanila sa pagtudlo sa nahimutangan sa kauban niyang Indian diin duha niini nagpuyo sa Marigondon, dakbayan sa Lapu-Lapu.

Sa pag-adto nila sa dakbayan, wala nila nakita ang maong iro.

Matud ni Rajinder nga dili nila intensyon nga kuhaon ang iro  kay hubog sila atong panahona.

Dason ni Rajinder nga nawala na ang maong iro tungod kay milayat kini sa ilang motorsiklo nga gisakyan pag-agi nila sa Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

Human nasayri sa pamilyang Emit ang panghitabo, matud pa ni Gennie Jean nga ang iyang inahan nagsige og hilak ug ila pa gyud nakita sa CCTV nga gipatiran ang iro sa mga suspetsado.

"Dili man gani mi mubun-og sa iro bisag unsa pa iyang gub-on nga butang," matud pa ni Gennie.

Dason ni Gennie nga ang ilang pamilya mopasaka gyud og kaso batok sa mga suspetsado. - /GMR) (BANAT NEWS)

Ni Garry B. Lao (Banat) | Updated August 26, 2014 - 12:00am


CEBU, Philippines- Pasakaan og kasong pagpangawat ang tulo ka Indian nga nangawat sa iro nga Shitzsu princess type nga nagkantidad og P25,000 nga gipanag-iya ni Konsehal Doroteo Emit sa dakbayan sa Talisay.

Ang pagpangawat nahitabo niadtong Domingo sa gabii sulod mismo sa Aqua Cainta Resort nga gipanag-iya sa konsehal.

Ang mga suspetsado nailhan nga sila si Rajinder Singh, Gurinderpal Singh ug Bhanot Deepak, mga regular customers sa maong resort.

Si Emit kinsa personal nga mitaho sa insidente sa Talisay City Police Station mibutyag human iyang nasayran nga nawala ang iyang iro, dali dayong gitan-aw ang CCTV camera ug iyang nakita ang mga suspetsado nga maoy nagkuha sa ilang iro.

"Kaila na baya mi ani nila kay sige mani sila og ligo sa among resort pero ila gyud nga gituyuan," matud pa sa anak sa konsehal nga si Gennie Jean Emit.

Matud ni SPO1 Mikie Espina nga nakita sa CCTV camera lima ka Indian apan tulo lang ang nagkuha sa iro.

Si Espina ug kaubanan kagahapon sa buntag ilang gipangita si Rajinder nga nagpuyo sa Villa Solana, dili layo sa maong resort.

Ang Sun.Star Superbalita nisuway sa pagkuha sa habig sa konsehal apan igo lang kini nitubag nga ang iyang abogado na lang ang motubag sa mga pan­gu­tana.

Usa ka saksi sa hitabo nga nahinabi sa Sun.Star Superbalita nga nagkanayon nga ang konsehal ug hepe nag-inom ug nagkalalis apan wala siya masayod kon unsay ilang gilalisan.

Dason sa saksi, kalit ang hitabo ug nakadungog na lang siya og butobuto.

Samtang, si Mayor Nick delos Santos nga nisulti sa Sun.Star Superbalita nga bisan ig-agaw niya ang konsehal, apan wala siyay plano nga molaban niini.

Gibutyag sa mayor nga siya mismo nakalitan sanglit didto siya sa gym atol sa hitabo.

Matod sa mayor, hu­bog ang iyang hepe niadtong higayona kinsa giingong nagtsenilas ug nagsando lang.

Ang konsehal gipaubos na sa paraffin test ug gikatakda nga pasakaan og tukmang kaso.

Si Supt. Paul Labra, hepe sa Regional Intelligence Division (RID) sa Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), daling niadto sa police station ug niingon nga ilang paningkamotan nga ma­tabangan ang ilang kau­bang opisyal ilabi na sa pinansyal nga tabang.

Ang inahan sa biktima nga si Florencia Abella niingon nga ang iyang anak nagpangidaron na og 44 ug ikatulo sa dose niya ka mga anak.

Nisaad kini kaniya nga mopauli niadtong Sa­­bado, apan wala na makauli.

Matod sa inahan, iya na lang nga itugyan ngadto sa kapulisan aron makab-ot ang hustisya sa kamatayon sa iyang anak.

Si Geraldine Dosdos, kapuyo ni Abella sulod sa lima na ka tuig apan wala silay anak, niingon nga ka­gahapon unta ang saad sa iyang kapuyo nga dad-on siya sa Alcoy aron isuroy.

Si PO3 Emelio Carun­gay, imbestigador sa kaso nga nahinabi sa Sun.Star Superbalita, ni­ingon nga niadtong Dominggo sa gabii, dunay boksing nga gipahigayon sa gym.

Dason ni Carungay nga pasado alas 11:00 sa gabii, si Abella uban sa iyang mga sakop niadto sa gym alang sa police vi­sibility sa pagmintinar sa kahusay ug kalinaw.

Apan, ang hepe ug konsehal nagkalalis sa wala pa matino nga hinungdan.

Ang hepe nigawas aron pagtu­bag sa sugo sa lawas kilid sa gym apan nisunod ang konsehal ug iyang gipusil ang hepe sulod sa lima ka higayon.

Ang hepe naigo sa bukobuko, tangkugo, tuong tiil, ug ilok.

Nahitabo ang sinukliay sa mga bala tali sa ubang kapulisan ug delos Santos, sumala ni Carungay.

“Murag pelikula sa telebisyon ang nahitabo kay gitapuk-an sa mga osyusero, midugok gyud bisan nagpinusilay hinungdan nga lisod ang sitwasyon kay kuyaw duna pay laing maangol,” dason ni Carungay.

Busa way nahimo sila si P03 Eduardo Santander, P02 Howard Mayno atol sa nahitabo tungod sa kadaghan sa mga tawo nga nagdinaganay.

Ang suspek nga konsehal nisagol sa pagdagan sa mga tawo apan gigukod sa awtoridad hangtod sa ilang balay nga atbang lang sa gym.

Nisukol ang konsehal pinaagi sa pagpusil sa kapulisan apan wala kini makaigo.

Niabot og 45 minutos ang negosasyon una nitahan ang suspek.

Nakuha gikan sa suspek ang usa ka kalibre .45, usa ka magazine ug tulo ka bala.

SuperBalita Cebu
Ni Dennes R. Tabar ug Guam P. Logroño
Monday, August 25, 2014



GIPAUBOS SA PARAFFIN TEST. Ang suspek sa pagpusil-patay ni Insp. Crisanto Abella (gisukip sa wala) nga si Ciriaco delos Santos, Jr. (taas, naglingkod), konsehal sa Barangay Poblacion, lungsod sa Alcoy gipaubos sa aron pagsuta kon nakapabuto ba kini og armas. (Davinci S. Maru/Sun.Star Cebu)


GIPUSIL-PATAY ang hepe sa kapulisan sa lung­­sod sa Alcoy sa konsehal sa Barangay Poblacion niadtong Dominggo sa alas 11:30 sa gabii.

Ang biktima mao si Insp. Crisanto Ronolo Abella, gideklarar nga dead-on-arrival (DO­A) sa Cardinal Rosales Hos­pi­tal sa sili­ngang lungsod sa Dalaguete.

Gitumbok nga nipusil sa hepe mao si Ciriaco Romarate delos Santos Jr., kanhi pulis nga napili sa ikaduhang termino isip konsehal sa Pobla­­c­ion ug ig-agaw ni Mayor Nick delos Santos.

Ang Alcoy magsaulog sa i­lang kapistahan karong Sabado hinungdan nga dunay kalihukan matag gabii sa lungsod.

Quote from: islander on August 24, 2014, 06:00:08 PM
now pa ko nga naa diay doggie nga pole dancer.  tblander ba ang trainor?

Patusotuso, ay. Kay imoha bitaw nang doggyha na...

Quote from: islander on August 24, 2014, 05:53:39 PM
give us mops too!

Hmm, sama ani?

Aw, swerte ang mga pulis nga bag-o pang mata si Ms. Tulin. Wa na ka 100-meter dash...

High cost justified

Two local politicians, Renato Bondal and Nicolas Enciso, both political rivals of the Binays, filed a plunder case against the latter over the allegedly overpriced building. This was what prompted Cayetano and Trillanes to call for a Senate inquiry.

Bondal claimed that the 11-story building, for which P2.7 billion was allocated, cost P45,000 per sq m. By comparison, the 46-story Shang Grand Tower cost P2 billion, or P40,000 per sq m, and the 57-story Greenbelt Residences, P2.8 billion, or P45,000 per sq m.

At last Wednesday’s hearing, Mayor Binay justified the high cost of the parking building, claiming it was “world-class” and a “green building.”

The mayor presented a Commission on Audit (COA) evaluation report clearing the local government of the allegations of overprice. But higher-ranking COA officials said the report was not final.

COA Chair Grace Pulido-Tan told the committee that she had noticed “red flags,” including the fact that the project had been divided into five phases and that the contract had been awarded very fast.

Binay has accused the senators of politicking, referring in particular to Trillanes and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who he said were aspiring for the presidency. Binay has declared his intention to run for president in 2016.

Pimentel said that if the allegations turn out to be baseless, the inquiry should stop.

Pimentel said he would confer with fellow senators on whether to invite the Vice President toward the end of the next hearing on Tuesday next week.

“Let all the evidence come in before we decide whether to invite him,” he said, noting that some new witnesses, including Vice Mayor Romulo Peña Jr. and former Vice Mayor Nestor Mercado, would appear.

Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III said the subcommittee should not invite the Vice President.

“I think that’s no longer necessary. If they have other questions, they can ask the COA. What will he say, yes or no? It will just be a media event,” he said in a phone interview.

Fair treatment

Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, who chairs the blue ribbon subcommittee that is conducting the investigation, assured the Vice President that he could expect to be treated with fairness if and when he makes an appearance at the inquiry into the allegedly overpriced P2.3-billion Makati parking building.

Binay should expect the same treatment that was accorded his son, Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, at the first hearing last Wednesday.

“We treated the mayor fairly, and the assistant city engineer, all the more the Vice President,” Pimentel said in a phone interview.

“We wanted a fair fight, a fair exchange and a fair determination of on whose side the truth is,” he said.

While the blue ribbon sub-committee has yet to decide whether to invite the Vice President, Pimentel stressed the necessity of hearing the elder Binay’s testimony.

He said Binay was Makati mayor when construction began on the 11-story, 31,900-square-meter building in 2007, and that even his own son deferred to him on the matter.

Worse than Arroyo

A prospective Binay presidency “could probably be worse” than that of the much-maligned administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he said.

“There’s a lack of transparency and this is just Makati; what more if he’s in command of the national budget,” Trillanes said.

“I can see how senators are being cowed into not investigating. He’s just the Vice President and they’re already afraid of him,” he said.

He noted that under the Aquino administration, “you can speak up and criticize without fear that you’ll be harassed or even killed.”

Trillanes claimed to have insider information that President Aquino would not endorse Binay as his anointed candidate in 2016.

Binay on Saturday declined to comment on Trillanes’ statements and referred the Inquirer to the statement released yesterday by Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, secretary general of the United Nationalist Alliance.

On comments that the Senate investigation was politically motivated, Trillanes said: “If I fall short on evidence, I will fall flat on my face. The public will not forgive me for instigating the investigation. But if we could come up with evidence, it would justify the investigation.”

Because Binay is a potential president, all the more reason that he should be scrutinized to find out who he is behind the advertisements and media coverage, the senator said.

He justified the Senate hearing into the alleged corruption in the Makati government as being in aid of legislation on how the local government procurement process is being circumvented.

“We’re establishing a pattern of behavior, the propensity to commit corruption,” said Trillanes, the proponent of the Senate investigation into the allegedly overpriced parking/office building of the Makati City Hall that was started when the Vice President was still the Makati mayor.

The Senate hearing has brought out other allegations of overpricing by the Makati local government, such as in Ospital ng Makati, Makati Science High School and complimentary birthday cakes that are given to senior citizens.

“If they can do that to a cake [sic], they can do that to anything,” Trillanes said.

By Erika Sauler and TJ Burgonio |Philippine Daily Inquirer2:20 am | Sunday, August 24th, 2014

   

Vice President Jejomar Binay, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr.. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS


Corruption in Makati probably involves amounts larger than those in the infamous pork barrel scam, according to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

While some senators have been charged with taking hundreds of millions of pesos in kickbacks in the pork barrel scam, Vice President Jejomar Binay is accused of skimming P2 billion from just one project, Trillanes told a media forum in Quezon City on Saturday.

Bwahaha!

Ni Jojo C. Ugdol, EIM (Banat) | Updated August 24, 2014 - 12:00am


CEBU, Philippines - Pwerting nakahilak sa usa ka babayeng gipasanginlang drug pusher human nasikop sa mga sakop sa Carbon Police Station ug nakuhaan og daghang drugas nga iyang gitagoan sa mga imahen sa mga santos sa ilang altar diha sa ilang balay sa Ermita Proper, Cebu City kagahapon sa buntag.

Armado sa search warrant ang kapulisan nga gipangulohan ni SPO1 Artemio Tumacay nga gi-isyu ni Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Wilfredo Navarro sa Branch 19 ning dakbayan sa Sugbo dihang gironda ang balay sa suspek nga si Juliefe Tulin, 33.

Matud pa ni SPO1 Tumacay nga daghan na sila og nadawat nga impormasyon batok sa maong babaye nga way panabi mamaligya og shabu diha sa iyang dapit apan tulin usab kaayong makadagan kon dunay polis.

Wala na nakalihok pa si Tulin nga mao pa gayo’y pagmata dihang misugat kaniya sa gawas ang mga polis.

Nakuha sa kapulisan sulod sa balay sa dinakpan ang tulo ka medium size, 17 ka gagmay nga pakete sa drugas nga mobalor og P30 mil ug cash money nga P800 nga ang uban nakuha nila sa usa ka sekretong butangan sa tiilan sa mga imahen sa santos. Apan hugtanong gihimakak ni Tulin nga iyaha ang maong drugas kay dugay na siyang niundang pagpamaligya niini.  (BANAT NEWS)

Art and Performance

Hijras are performers at points in the life cycle related to reproduction, and thus much of their expressive culture employs fertility symbolism. Hijra performances are burlesques of female behavior. Much of the comedy of their performances derives from the incongruities between their behavior and that of ordinary women, restrained by norms of propriety. Hijras use coarse speech and gestures and make sexual innuendos, teasing the male children present and also making fun of various family members and family relationships. There are some songs and comedic routines that are a traditional part of hijra performances, most notably one in which a hijra acts as a pregnant woman commenting on the difficulties at each state of the pregnancy. In all the performances blessing the newborn male, the hijras inspect the infant's genitals. It is believed that any child born a hermaphrodite will be claimed by the hijras for their own. In addition to traditional elements hijra performances also include popular songs and dances from current favorite films. -- http://www.everyculture.com/

Ceremonies

The central ceremony of hijra lifeâ€"and the one that defines them as a groupâ€"is the emasculation operation in which all or part of the male genitals are removed. This operation is viewed as a rebirth; the new hijra created by it is called a nirvan. For the hijras, emasculation completes the transformation from impotent male to potent hijra. Emasculation links the hijras to both Shiva and the mother goddess and sanctions their performances at births and Weddings, in which they are regarded as vehicles of the goddess's creative power. Bahuchara has a special connection with the hijras as emasculated, impotent men. Hijras believe that any impotent man who resists a call from the goddess to emasculate himself will be born impotent for seven future births. Emasculation increases the identification of the hijras with their goddess, and it is in her name that the operation is ritually performed. A hijra, called a "midwife," performs the operation after receiving sanction from the goddess. The ritual of the surgery and many of the postoperative restrictions involving special diet and seclusion imitate those of a woman who has just given birth. At the end of the forty-day isolation period, the nirvan is dressed as a bride, is taken in procession to a body of water and subsequently to a ritual involving fertility symbolism relating to marriage and childbirth, becomes a hijra, and is then invested with the power of the goddess. In the hijra emasculation ritual, we have a culmination of the paradoxes and contradictions characteristic of Hinduism: impotent, emasculated man, transformed by female generative power into creative ascetics, becomes able to bless others with fertility and fortune.

Religious Beliefs

The power of the hijras as a sexually ambiguous category can only be understood in the religious context of Hinduism. In Hindu mythology, ritual, and art, the power of the combined man/woman, or androgyne, is a frequent and significant theme. Bahuchara Mata, the main object of hijra veneration, is specifically associated with transvestism and transgenderism. All hijra households contain a shrine to the goddess that is used in daily prayer. Hijras also identify with Shiva, a central, sexually ambivalent figure in Hinduism, who combines in himself, as do the hijras, both eroticism and asceticism. One of the most popular forms of Shiva is Ardhanarisvara, or half-man/half-woman, which represents Shiva united with his shakti (female creative power). The hijras identify with this form of Shiva and often worship at Shiva temples. The religious meaning of the hijra role is expressed in stories linking hijras with the major figures of the Hindu Great Tradition, such as Arjuna (who lives for a year as a eunuch in the epic, the Mahabharata ), Shiva, Buhuchara Mata (the mother goddess), and Krishna, all of whom are associated with sexual ambivalence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAvJzClGi80