MikeLigalig.com

Quote from: islander on April 04, 2014, 10:06:36 AM
The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa, although one strain has cropped up in the Philippines.

whaaattt?

nice, nice, nice.

What can be done if you catch it?

Not much. There are no vaccines, though some are being tested, along with new drug therapies.

Patients frequently become dehydrated: they should drink solutions containing electrolytes or receive intravenous fluids.

MSF says this outbreak comes from the deadliest and most aggressive strain of the virus, which kills more than 90% of patients.

Other strains are less virulent and have a survival rate of up to 75%.

However, it is not known which factors allow people to recover while others succumb.



http://www.bbc.com/

more readings:

Ebola outbreak unprecedented - MSF
Bat-eating ban to curb Ebola virus
Vaccine developed against Ebola

What is being done?

Avoid contact with Ebola patients and their bodily fluids, advises the WHO. Do not touch anything - such as shared towels - which could have become contaminated in a public place.

Carers should wear gloves and protective equipment, such as masks, and wash their hands regularly.

The WHO also warns against consuming raw bushmeat and any contact with infected bats or monkeys and apes. Fruit bats in particular are considered a delicacy in the area of Guinea where the outbreak started.

Liberia's health minister has advised people to stop having sex, in addition to existing advice not to shake hands or kiss.

A BBC reporter in the Liberian capital Monrovia says many supermarket workers are wearing gloves as a precaution.

Senegal has closed its land border with Guinea. The Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour cancelled his concert last week in Conakry, saying it was not a good idea to bring hundreds or thousands of people together in an enclosed area.


Singer Youssou N'Dour cancelled his concert in Conakry over fears that it could become a site for transmitting the virus

Where did it strike?

Ebola outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, says the WHO.

The most frequently affected countries are further east: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Sudan. This outbreak is unusual because it is centred in Guinea, which has never before been affected and is spreading to urban areas.

This outbreak began in Nzerekore, a remote area of south-eastern Guinea, but has now reached capital Conakry (population: two million). Four people have died in neighbouring Liberia. Sierra Leona has reported five suspected cases, but none has yet been confirmed.

One of the Liberian deaths was of a woman married to a Guinean national. She died in Liberia but caught the disease in Guinea.

The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says the outbreak is "unprecedented" in the way the cases are scattered in multiple locations across Guinea, hundreds of kilometres apart.

The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa, although one strain has cropped up in the Philippines.

Health care workers are at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection.

People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus - in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.


Bushmeat - from animals such as bats, antelopes, porcupines and monkeys - is a prized delicacy in much of West Africa but can also be a source of Ebola

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a viral illness whose initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization. And that is just the beginning: the next stage is vomiting, diarrhoea and - in some cases - both internal and external bleeding.

The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.

It then spreads from one person to another: by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased.


This molecular model shows the parts of the Ebola virus scientists are studying in the hopes of finding drugs that will slow the spread of the disease

1 April 2014

Why Ebola is so dangerous


Health care workers are among those most at risk of catching Ebola

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is taking "very seriously" the current outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa. Out of 122 cases recorded in Guinea so far, at least 80 patients have died, with a further four deaths in Liberia.

glad my cousin has more brains.

aguy.  resort to sour grapes, kiddo.  say that biscuit was stale anyway.  besides, you can easily sit on your owner's lap while that big bully who beat you to the biscuit can only rest his head on it.

hey, nothing more is said about the other 4 dogs and 3 cats left behind in the safe house in sangat, san fernando, cebu.  who's feeding them?  

one can make the difference.  budlat ang iyang pusod.

​AMSA said the change in search areas came from new information based on continuing analysis of radar data between the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca before radar contact was lost with Flight 370 early on March 8.

The analysis indicated the aircraft was travelling faster than previously estimated, resulting in increased fuel use and reducing the possible distance the aircraft could have flown into the Indian Ocean.

"This is our best estimate of the area in which the aircraft is likely to have crashed into the ocean," said Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

The new search area is more than 1,000 kilometres north of an area in which apparently floating objects were spotted by Japanese, Thai and French satellites earlier this week. Most of the objects measured from about one metre to about 20 metres.

more at http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/malaysia-airlines-mh370-new-lead-shifts-search-area-1.2589639

Malaysia Airlines MH370: New lead shifts search area

Search shifted 1,100 kilometres to the northeast by Australian Maritime Safety Authority

The Associated Press
Mar 28, 2014 1:08 AM ET

Planes are searching a new area of the Indian Ocean for possible signs of the Malaysian airliner after a new analysis of radar data suggests the plane flew faster than thought and used up more fuel, which may have reduced the distance it travelled, Australia said Friday.

Based on the new information, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it had shifted the search area for the jet that disappeared nearly three weeks ago to a region 1,100 kilometres to the northeast of where planes and ships had been trying to find any sign of it.

Four search planes were in the area Friday, and six ships were headed there, said John Young, manager of AMSA's emergency response division, adding they had moved on from the previous search area, some 2,500 kilometres southwest of Perth, Australia, the launching base for the search.

tira to, boy oh booy.  ayaw lang gyod tunla ang chicken bones, boy, kay simbakog matupok ang imong tinae, looy fr chic maguol...

sajorn.  kun feeling na man lang, feel na feel nako daghan ko money.  ayaw lang ko paipha ug papalita kay mangluod gyod ko.

hahay.  dinhi lang sa tbland, ubay-ubay na ang estorya akong nabasa kabahin aning triangle-triangle.  moral lesson: likay ug triangle.  himoang square o oblong ba kaha aron ang mga participants malibog kun kinsay sad-an.

congratulations!  the fertility clinic did a fine job.

one best friend must have slept over...

no different from china's one-child policy...

mag-jawk na lang ko...

manoy: o sige, iuli na nako akong gihuwaman nga tsinelas.  ayaw nag hilak diha.

kahilakon ko.

Risks of turmeric supplements

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a warning about the turmeric based food supplement Fortodol (also sold as Miradin). Fortodol has been found to contain the strong anti inflammatory drug nimesulide. Nimesulide can cause serious damage to the liver and is not licensed as a medicine in the UK. The Food Standards Agency in the USA states that taking products that contain unknown amounts of nimesulide could be very harmful.

Fortodol and Miradin are sold in the UK and on the internet as food supplements. The FSA advises anyone taking these products to stop doing so immediately, and contact their doctor if they have any signs of liver disease, such as jaundice, dark urine, nausea, vomiting, unusual tiredness, stomach or abdominal pain, or loss of appetite.

more at http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/cancer-questions/can-turmeric-prevent-bowel-cancer

Side effects of turmeric

It is important to remember that turmeric used in cooking is very safe. But we don't know how safe curcumin is when used for medical reasons. So far, research studies seem to show that it causes few or no side effects. But we don't know much about the side effects of taking it in large amounts to treat or prevent cancer. There have been some reports of stomach pain if too much is swallowed and skin problems if it is taken for a long time. For these reasons we recommend that if you use curcumin for reasons other than in cooking, you should talk to your doctor first.

An American phase 2 study reported in 2008. 25 patients had curcumin treatment and 21 had tumours that could be measured. In 2 patients their tumours shrank or remained stable. In some patients their levels of particular immune system chemicals that destroy cancer cells went up. But the researchers found that blood levels of curcumin were very low because it is not well absorbed from the gut. Scientists have since developed injectable, fat soluble forms of curcumin which may improve the results.

These studies look promising but we need to do more clinical trials in humans before we will know if curcumin has any potential to treat cancer in people.

4. turmeric

Research into preventing cancer

A phase I clinical trial looked at giving curcumin (the other name for turmeric) to 25 patients with pre cancerous changes in different organs. This study seemed to show that curcumin could stop the precancerous changes becoming cancer.

Research has also shown that there are low rates of certain types of cancer in countries where people eat curcumin at levels of about 100 to 200 mg a day over long periods of time.

What are the risks of taking cinnamon?

Side effects. Cinnamon usually causes no side effects. Heavy use of cinnamon may irritate the mouth and lips, causing sores. In some people, it can cause an allergic reaction. Applied to the skin, it might cause redness and irritation.

Risks. Very high quantities of cassia cinnamon may be toxic, particularly in people with liver problems. Because cinnamon may lower blood sugar, people with diabetes may need to adjust their treatment if they use cinnamon supplements. People who have cancer that’s affected by hormone levels, like breast cancer, should not take cinnamon. An ingredient in some cinnamon products, coumarin, may cause liver problems. Given the lack of evidence about its safety, cinnamon -- as a treatment -- is not recommended for children or for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Interactions. If you take any medicines regularly, talk to your doctor before you start using cinnamon supplements. They could interact with antibiotics, diabetes drugs, blood thinners, heart medicines, and others.

more at http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-cinnamon

3. cinnamon

Why do people take cinnamon?

Some research has found that a particular type of cinnamon, cassia cinnamon, may lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. However, other studies have not found a benefit. Studies of cinnamon for lowering cholesterol and treating yeast infections in people with HIV have been inconclusive.

Lab studies have found that cinnamon may reduce inflammation, have antioxidant effects, and fight bacteria. But it’s unclear what the implications are for people.

For now, studies have been mixed, and it’s unclear what role cinnamon may play in improving health.

Are there any possible problems or complications?

[...]
People who have cancer should talk to their doctors before taking ginger, because it has the potential to interfere with blood clotting and prolong bleeding time. There is some disagreement in published studies about the likelihood of this side effect. The risk of serious bleeding may be higher if the person is taking blood-thinning medications such as warfarin (Coumadin) or a medicine that can lower his or her level of platelets (blood cells that help the blood to clot) or interfere with platelet function.

In rare cases, some people have had allergic reactions to ginger. Ginger has also been reported to cause occasional rashes, heartburn, bloating, gas, and mild stomach upset. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health consequences.

more at http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/herbsvitaminsandminerals/ginger

2. ginger

What is the evidence?

[...]
While ginger may be effective in treating nausea and vomiting linked to some cancer treatments, it may also interfere with blood clotting. If this happens, it could be life threatening to some patients receiving chemotherapy.

Recent preliminary results in animals show some effect in slowing or preventing tumor growth. While these results are not well understood, they deserve further study. Still, it is too early in the research process to say whether ginger will have the same effect in humans.

How might garlic prevent cancer?

Several compounds are involved in garlic's possible anticancer effects. Garlic contains allyl sulfur and other compounds that slow or prevent the growth of tumor cells. Allyl sulfur compounds, which occur naturally in garlic and onions, make cells vulnerable to the stress created by products of cell division. Because cancer cells divide very quickly, they generate more stressors than most normal cells. Thus, cancer cells are damaged by the presence of allyl sufur compounds to a much greater extent than normal cells.

more at http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=23591

1. garlic

Does garlic prevent cancer?

A host of studies provide compelling evidence that garlic and its organic allyl sulfur components are effective inhibitors of the cancer process. These studies reveal that the benefits of garlic are not limited to a specific species, to a particular tissue, or to a specific carcinogen. Of 37 observational studies in humans using garlic and related allyl sulfur components, 28 studies showed some cancer preventive effect. The evidence is particularly strong for a link between garlic and prevention of prostate and stomach cancers. However, all of the available information comes from observational studies comparing cancer incidence in populations who consume or do not consume garlic (epidemiologic studies), animal models, or observations with cells in culture. These findings have not yet been verified by clinical trials in humans.

da, da, da!

some husbands though can laugh at themselves.

The United States? I cannot speak for this nation nor would I wish to speculate on what the United States would do in the face of our delicate position today. Will America risk all to defend the Philippines against a nation closest to having military parity with it? Will America be willing to commit its forces in the Pacific when it is in a quandary what to do to help the Ukraine against Russia?

Filipinos for the Philippines, the first path, and maybe the only path. Acceptance of this is the first preparation.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/

This is most unfortunate for Chinoys, but China’s bullying of the Philippines is even more unfortunate for all Filipinos. Many Filipinos have become citizens of many other countries. At least four million of them are citizens of the United States. Should conflict and war loom large between the Philippines and the United States, then Fil-Ams will find themselves forced to show their loyalty to their country of citizenship.

Chinoys have another situation. They control the wealth of the Philippines as gleaned from the latest list of the richest persons in the Philippines. As such, public attention and expectation will be focused on them and their actuation as conflict deepens due to China’s bullying. Loyalty is serious business, and becomes deadly so in times of war.

Filipinos must be the first defenders, the first to give up life and limb, before other nations will intervene. The first courage must be ours, the first sacrifice must be ours â€" no matter how many lives that takes. And we are not prepared to die in bravery, not when most Filipinos do not even realize how close they are to having to do so. That is why we must prepare, and prepare with a clear plan of action. Public awareness is first on the list. Activating the reservist comes next.

This early, too, it may be time to send a quiet message to Chinoys. Chinoys are Filipinos, just as Fil-Ams are Americans. Chinoys may have mixed emotions about going against China, and I cannot blame them for that. Sympathy for one’s original motherland is not wrong. But conflict and war between one’s country, and the Philippines is a Chinoy’s country, and one’s original motherland, China in this case, will force all Chinoys to unequivocally proclaim their absolute loyalty to the Philippines.

I can only assume that the reservists will respond with willing bravery to take on tasks that will prepare them for confronting China. It is not as though they will be sent to invade a country with so many times the number of soldiers and war equipment. But they can take positions in contested islands to signify that Filipinos are willing to defend our territory.

War against China will mean a massacre of Filipino soldiers. If China gets crazy mad, it can bomb and kill even Filipino civilians. After all, China can just declare it is now a 10 dash line to include not only Philippine waters and isolated islands but also Philippine mainlands. Who is to stop them from doing what a bully does from superior military strength anyway? Definitely, not the Philippines. The world of nations can, but not if Filipinos roll over and submit. Syria has lost over 100,000 of its own people to violent death and no one has intervened to physically stop the carnage. Soon, maybe, but not yet.

It might be advisable if government begins to roll out an information campaign via tri-media. Social media has been ahead of the game, so far, and will naturally pick up what government will publicly share. The tone of social media will be much more belligerent than the sobriety that government will expectedly display, but that is par for the course. Without some amount of heat, it will be hard to get through both ignorance and apathy.

While government through tri-media and the private sector through social media drive the information campaign on the bullying of China and the eventual need for Filipinos to defend its territory, the AFP Reserve Command can be placed on a higher state of readiness. Reaching out to the reservists can by itself be a strong information campaign because their families and their neighborhoods will get to know that something is brewing.

And there is tension now. I cannot speak of what is happening inside China but I can definitely speak about our own country. If the tension is not yet palpable, it is only because the Philippine government has deliberately held back from rousing public anger. The news of China’s bullying has been in the news but government has not pounced on the aggression of China to whip up an emotional storm among Filipinos. I can understand why our government chooses moderation, but the game is not up only to us and belongs more to the aggressor.

I do not want to be an alarmist, but I am alarmed. The state of unpreparedness, or naiveté, of the Filipino people will send them to absolute shock if a shot is fired, either by Filipino or Chinese soldiers. Panic is not the best stage from where we can mount our defense. Patriotism is better, and anger instead of fear.

Prepare for China: Part II

Glimpses

By Jose Ma. Montelibano
INQUIRER.net
Friday, March 14th, 2014

It may simply be a game for China. After all, who is the Philippines to fight back? Pushing us away from the sea, water-hosing our fishermen in Scarborough Shoal, blocking our supply ships at Second Thomas Shoal (Ayuningin Reef), China ups the ante in its bullying of the Philippines. And it seems that most Filipinos are not aware how close we are to war.

It is not unusual for war to begin with a single shot. The American Civil War started with a single shot from a mortar. History also says that a Serbian assassin shot an Austrian Archduke Ferdinand  and triggered World War I. It is not so much that shots were fired, but that they were fired when there was already tension between countries.

What is left for us to do?

We have to prepare ourselves for any eventuality. We have to prepare our minds, our hearts, and our bodies. Conflict can escalate in a day from verbal to physical, and we have to prepare to fight and die, in the thousands, in the hundreds of thousands, in the millions.

Because we are Filipinos. Because we remember our ancestors who fought and died, against Spain, against America, against Japan. Because we wish no ill will against any nation but must not run away against ill will directed towards us. Because we are the children of the motherland, the only land in this planet that is meant for Filipinos.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

In defense of its own sovereignty and all territory within the parameters that nations of the world observe, the Philippines is ultimately vulnerable to superior manpower volume and superior firepower. As a quick reaction, psychologically and militarily, the Philippines embraces the American forces in the region, hoping that these will be a strong buffer against more Chinese land-grabbing. Or possibly even invasion.

Dependence, whether to China or to America, is not to the interest of Filipinos. But Filipinos will take America anytime because their sentiments still prefer America today. China has not reached out except in three ways so far ever since independence in 1946. China supported the communist rebellion in the Philippines, exacerbating a domestic problem.  Chinese government owned or controlled corporations got involved with the thieves and plunderers of our government. Lastly, China claims territories we know are ours. How, then, can we recover the lost relationship of history?

Our challenge, though, is not because we do not agree with Senator Shahani, but because we do. And despite all these, including tolerating the collusion between the thieves and plunderers serving in government here and the corruptors serving in the Chinese government and its corporations, China chooses to claim what is ours and takes a bullying role to grab Philippine territory.

Beyond cordoning Scarborough Shoal and preventing Filipino fishermen from partaking of the fruits of their patrimony, and doing this unilaterally from an arrogant military superiority, China has its eyes set on many other pearls of the Philippines. It is not only using belligerent language, it is also flexing its muscles. That is why it is called “bullying.”

If we are to utilize the many facets of our ties with China and America, China has a clear edge. We are fellow Asians. By blood, we have more fusion than any other race in the world. And economically, Chinese interests through their cheaper products and Chinese-blooded taipans control the Philippines. If there is competition between China and America for world dominance, China should use our shared history and blood to woo back the Filipino people if the American influence has become stronger.

Former Senator Leticia Shahani has recently written that the Filipino people should use a multi-dimensional approach in engaging China, that we should use our assets â€" food, language, intermarriage, the rise of taipans â€" to remind the Chinese (I assume she meant the Chinese government) of our long tradition of friendship, peace and tolerance between our peoples.

The occupation of the United States was a sad period of our history, not because the American rule had not brought benefits, but because America chose to use force to impose its will on the Filipino people. Whatever good may have come out of that occupation, it will not erase the bitterness of betrayal, of brutal conquest, of teaching democracy through the ugliest undemocratic manner.

Today, though, 68 years after independence in 1946, Filipinos have a choice. We can choose to forgive America, Spain and Japan for their terrible transgression against Filipinos. We can also choose to forgive China for meddling in an internal conflict that has caused so much death, destruction, and division among the Filipino people.

Patriotism and citizenship, though, may be blood-oriented but not blood-dependent.  By loyalty and my citizenship is Filipino, totally. My citizenship may have been affected by my birthplace and the citizenship of my parents, but my love of country and my loyalty to the Philippines are purely by choice, my choice.

From what I have experienced and observed all my life, most Filipinos are like me. As such, we have no doubt about our identity and about our loyalty. That is the way it should be if one is Filipino, even if one has Chinese blood, has American blood, has Spanish blood mixed with his or her Filipino blood. Or, even without Filipino blood, but by the laws of the Philippines and by the loyalty to this country, one can be a true Filipino as well.

In the last few years, a brewing conflict with China has disturbed us. It is not the first time, of course, as China had once openly chosen to support an internal rebellion in the Philippines. China chose to side with a communist-inspired domestic revolution against the Philippine government. While claiming to be about social justice, that rebellion under a communist ideology has failed to attract the marginalized, also representing the majority of Filipinos, for whom the revolution was supposed to be for.

Glimpses

Prepare for China

By Jose Ma. Montelibano
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Friday, February 14th, 2014

I have Chinese blood. More than 200 years ago, a Chinaman married a native from Iloilo City. From that union, a whole clan was born â€" and that clan keeps growing and growing. I am not against the Chinese. How can I be when we have shared blood?

But I cannot say the same thing of the Chinese government. I have no blood ties with China the government, only with one Chinese native who came here to become Filipino by choice and be an ancestor to new Filipinos by blood. My clan, though, from that first union, has become predominantly Filipino by intermarriage with more Filipino natives than Chinese over the last two centuries.

I know, too, of many other families, of many other clans, who have absorbed Chinese blood among their members throughout history. After all, Chinese presence in the Philippines precedes Spain, Japan and America. If we are to trace the percentage of families with some Chinese blood in them, we might possibly be referring to the majority of Filipinos.

hehehe.  once again, cartoonists are some of the most creative people on earth.

Williams, who entered a hospice in February because of congestive heart failure, was first pronounced dead on February 27 after nurses and a coroner detected no pulse.

He was transferred to a funeral home, only to start rustling inside a body bag â€" prompting duly astonished staff to summon an ambulance to take him back to his hospice bed.

Williams, a father of 11 with six great-grandchildren, said he had merely fallen into a deep sleep, but family members felt God had given him extra time for a reason.

“You’d be surprised how many people this has touched in more ways than we can ever put our hands on,” daughter Mary Williams told the Clarion-Ledger.

“This is a testimony that will live longer than we will.”

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

US farmer dies again… this time for real

Agence France-Presse
Friday, March 14th, 2014

WASHINGTONâ€"A Mississippi farmer who made global headlines two weeks ago when he woke up in a body bag at a funeral home died on Thursday aged 78, local media said.

Walter “Snowball” Williams passed away in the early hours, the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in the state capital Jackson reported.

“Well, they came and got him again around 4:15 am,” said Williams’ nephew Eddie Hester, quoted by Jackson television station WAPT. “I think he’s gone this time.”

meanwhile, here goes:

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients.

more about honey and cinnamon at http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/honeyandcinnamon.html

note that the list of diseases purportedly cured by this home remedy does not include diabetes.  it looks like it's because of the honey.

this was suggested by a pakistani for nasty colds and sinusitis, which i follow religiously: take a mix of warm honey and powdered cinnamon and voila!  i personally swear by this from experience.

An Ukrainian soldier removes a tyre piercing road block at the gate of the Ukrainian infantry base in Perevalne, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 12, 2014. The Group of 7 world leaders said in a statement released from the White House on Wednesday that they won't recognize results of a referendum for the Crimea region to split from Ukraine and join Russia.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

http://news.yahoo.com/

Fireworks thrown by anti-government protesters explode behind riot policemen near central Taksim square in Istanbul March 12, 2014. Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon to push back thousands of demonstrators close to Istanbul's central Taksim square on Wednesday during a protest triggered by the death of a teenager wounded in street clashes last summer. (REUTERS/Murad Sezer)

http://news.yahoo.com/

A New York City firefighter climbs on top of rubble from a building that collapsed following an explosion on Park Ave. and 116th St. in New York City on Wednesday March 12, 2014. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)

http://news.yahoo.com/

HUbag at BUGsay, okay pod hubug.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) â€" Murky satellite images that a Chinese science and defense agency said may show debris from the missing Malaysian Airlines jetliner provided a fresh clue Thursday in the search for the plane, pointing searchers to a location nearer to the plane's original flight path south of Vietnam.

The revelation could provide searchers with a focus that has eluded them since the plane disappeared with 239 people aboard just hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early Saturday. Since then, the search has covered 35,800 square miles (92,600 square kilometers), first east and then west of Malaysia and even expanded toward India on Wednesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/report-chinese-may-show-plane-debris-images-214930324.html

Report: Chinese site may show plane debris images

13 March 2014

Satellite images of suspected debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. (CCTV)

BugHuaon gyod nako nang duruha, hehehe.

hoy, hubsay!  unsa man ni?  waiting for godot?

i understand, lorenz.  sons and fathers relate differently, no matter how close they are.  but sons, for mothers, will always be babies.

as for the opposite... my siblings had always believed that i'm the papa's girl.  i can't help it.  he always took my side.  besides, i was the one who made him laugh the most.  he passed away in 1999.  i miss him.   

cute!

it looks like the calm before the storm in cebu.  no sunshine, no rain, no rustle of leaves.  kind of weird.

September 19, 2013 â€" The Church must change

In his first full interview, Francis says believers should display “mercy” towards homosexuals, divorced people and women who have had abortions. “We must find a new balance, otherwise the Church’s whole moral edifice risks collapsing like a house of cards,” he says.

November 26, 2013 â€" A Marxist pope?

In his first major publication, an “apostolic exhortation” that is described as the manifesto for his papacy, Francis decries the “new, invisible tyranny” of financial markets and reminds the rich of their duty to help the poor. One prominent American right-winger denounces the statement as “pure Marxism.”

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

July 29, 2013 â€" A new approach to homosexuality?

“If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?” â€" on the plane returning from his first overseas trip, to Brazil, Francis responds to a question in terms hailed as marking a shift towards a more conciliatory attitude from the Church towards homosexuality.

September 7, 2013 â€" Prayers for Syria

Heeding a call from their new pope, Catholics all over the world mark a day of prayer and fasting for Syria. The initiative is seen as a sign of the Vatican reclaiming a role on the global stage.

March 28, 2013 â€" Washing feet

On Holy Thursday, the new pope washes the feet of 12 young offenders at a Rome prison in observation of an Easter ritual inspired by Christ washing the feet of his apostles.

“Whoever is the most high up must be at the service of others,” he says. “I do this with all my heart because it is my duty as a priest, as a bishop. I have to be at your service.”

June 7, 2013 â€" Modesty

“Me, I didn’t want to be pope.” Francis responds to a question from a Jesuit student.

July 8, 2013 â€" Solidarity

For his first trip out of Rome, the new pontiff chooses to visit refugees on the Italian island of Lampedusa, highlighting the plight of African migrants who drown trying to cross the Mediterranean every year.

One year of Pope Francis: 10 highlights

Agence France-Presse
Tuesday, March 11th, 2014


Pope Francis. AP FILE PHOTO

VATICAN CITY â€" Ten highlights of Pope Francis’s first year at the helm of the Roman Catholic Church.

March 13, 2013 â€" Election

“I am a great sinner. Trusting in the mercy and patience of God in suffering, I accept,” the new pope strikes a humble tone as he accepts his election. The theme is continued with his choice of the name Francis and his decision to live in a modest Vatican guesthouse.

March 16, 2013 â€" A new credo

The basis of the new pope’s philosophy is outlined to the world’s media: “How I would like a poor Church for the poor!”

March 17, 2013 â€" Mercy matters

The theme of mercy dominates his first Angelus (Sunday) prayers. “The Lord never tires of forgiving. It is we who tire of asking for forgiveness,” he says. “A little mercy makes the world less cold and more just. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness.”

right on!  anything is possible, though being with a fellow doctor might lessen the friction over schedules.  (perhaps only a doctor would understand the demanding schedule of a doctor.)  but who can say?  expat workers may have it worse, yet most of their unions or marriages work out fine.

besides, beyond the comfort zone the space can turn many ways-- heaven on earth, refugee center, or a war zone.

she already thinks i'm too complicated for comfort, hehehe.  she'd rather be with her papa.

i would understand a bullet in the balls.

pinch-hitting again for taga tigbao aka tb weatherman and mr taxman.  i hope he comes back after auditing and taxing citizens for our legislators' pork barrel funds...

“By Wednesday, the estimated center of the LPA is expected to traverse over Southern Mindanao, hence its cloud bands will affect most areas of Mindanao and Visayas which will bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms,” Pagasa said in its weekly weather outlook.

Meanwhile, the northeast monsoonâ€"cold winds from Siberaâ€"continues to affect Luzon and Visayas.

“Over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon particularly the eastern section, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will be experienced with some isolated light rains. This weather scenario will persist until Thursday,” Pagasa said.

Moderate to strong winds from the northeast will prevail over Luzon, Visayas and Eastern Mindanao and coastal waters in these areas will be moderate to rough, Pagasa said.

The weather will gradually improve in the country’s southern parts during the weekend.

“On Friday and Saturday, gradual improvement of weather condition is expected over Visayas and Mindanao,” it said.

But the prevailing northeasterly surface wind flow will continue to spawn isolated
light rains over the eastern sections of Luzon, while Metro Manila and the rest of the country will see generally fair weather, Pagasa said.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

LPA spotted east of General Santos in Mindanaoâ€"Pagasa

By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Tuesday, March 11th, 2014


PAGASA satpic as of 1:30 pm, Monday, March 11, 2014

MANILA, Philippines â€" A low pressure area over the Pacific Ocean is expected to bring bands of clouds and rains to Mindanao and parts of the Visayas, the state weather bureau said Tuesday.

As of early morning Tuesday, the weather disturbance was spotted some 530 kilometers east of General Santos City, according to an advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

Due to the low pressure area, the Caraga and Davao regions of Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms, the weather bureau said.

for using the phrase, vrglguaps had confirmed once more that he's a true-blue nauti boy.

The above was explained, probably better than I just have, in the definitive record of history of nautical language, Admiral W H Smyth’s 1867 encyclopaedia The Sailor’s Word Book. He calls it 'battening of the hatches' but it is clearly the same expression:

    “Battens of the hatches: Long narrow laths serving by the help of nailing to confine the edges of the tarpaulins, and keep them close down to the sides of the hatchways in bad weather.”

The first citation of the explicit use of the phrase 'batten down the hatches' is from the 1883 Chambers Journal:

    "Batten down the hatches - quick, men."

more at http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/batten-down-the-hatches.html

'Hatch' is one of those words with dozens of meanings in the dictionary. In this case we are looking at the 'opening in the deck of a ship' meaning. Ships' hatches, more formally called hatchways, were commonplace on sailing ships and were normally either open or covered with a wooden grating to allow for ventilation of the lower decks. When bad weather was imminent, the hatches were covered with tarpaulin and the covering was edged with wooden strips, known as battens, to prevent it from blowing off. Not surprisingly, sailors called this 'battening down'.

Quote from: vrglguapo on January 31, 2014, 09:00:39 PMBatten down the hatches..

interesting.

Meaning:  Prepare for trouble.

Origin:

In his recent (September 2012) song Tempest, which recounts the story of the Titanic's sinking, Bob Dylan uses the lines:

    They battened down the hatches
    But the hatches wouldn't hold

This has caused a couple of correspondents to write to me asking what 'batten down' means. Many people may know what 'batten down the hatches' means, but some clearly don't, so here goes...

Screencap of a street mural of missing Flight Mh270 posted on Instagram.

Murals, comics, sand art on lost Malaysia plane abound

By Camille Diola (philstar.com)
March 11, 2014

MANILA, Philippines â€" Asians expressed their worry and hope through art as the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with 239 passengers continued for the third day.

Social media saw photos of street murals of the missing plane being carried safely by a giant hand, colored sand art created on a beach and cartoon illustrations.

Legoland theme park in Johor, Malaysia, also made an artwork using the colorful bricks.

Well-designed graphics also abound on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram hoping for the airliner carrying over 200 passengers to be safe.

out of nowhere, thoughts on my exchange with our 12-year-old came back, days after ash wednesday...

girl: where's your ash mark, mom?  auntie's is dark.  it means she has more sins.

me:  and where's yours?  did you have it at school?  i don't see it; it looks like you erased your sins.  come on, tell me your sins.

(she then turned around and ran away from me.)

i'm reminded once more to learn to shut my mouth at times and make life less difficult for our little girl.

wowie.  this is great.

may god in his mercy protect her.  always.  amen.

it's reassuring to know that your friend has balls even if she's a she.

Was she murdered? Before he passed away, in an interview on ABS-CBN that was not aired, self-confessed hitman Kit Mateo intimated as much.

“Eat Bulaga!” is now entering its 35th year as the longest-running noontime variety on air program in the history of television, making millionaires of its comedic stars.

Sen. Tito Sotto is still in the Philippine Senate serving as the proud champion of the Holy Roman Catholic Church in his staunch opposition to the Reproductive Health Act and to all forms of contraception.

Pepsi Paloma would have celebrated her 47th birthday this year.

from:
Global Networking
The rape of Pepsi Paloma
By Rodel Rodis
INQUIRER.net US Bureau
4:32 pm | Wednesday, March 5th, 2014

Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/99861/the-rape-of-pepsi-paloma#ixzz2vgLUvs25

Three years after her rape, on May 31, 1985, Pepsi was found dead in her apartment with a rope looped around her neck. The police concluded that it was a suicide caused by “monetary problems” and this was the official story that appeared in the headlines of the newspapers.

But her manager, Babette Corcuerra, disputed the press account. “She was earning well and was fully booked for dancing performances. She just finished the Pepsi Paloma Show at the Bughaw and 10 other beerhouses,” Corcuerra said, and she had three film offers lined up, she added.

It just did not add up, Corcuerra said. “She was looking forward to celebrating her 18th birthday next year. She made me promise to throw a big party for her at a hotel because it would be her debut,” Corcuerra told the Times Journal.

How was she coerced? In her November 3, 2012 column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rina Jimenez David described this incident as follows: “Paloma eventually dropped the charges after she was allegedly visited by one of the trio who said he had only talked with her, but only after placing a pistol on the table in front of her.”

As a result of Pepsi’s signed affidavit of desistance, no criminal charges were filed against the three comedian rapists even after they went down on their knees on their show “Eat Bulaga!” and asked forgiveness from Pepsi Paloma for raping her when she was only 14.

To prevent the same fate from befalling his younger brother, Sen. Tito Sotto quickly went to see Pepsi Paloma while she was still securing the services of Atty. Cayetano. According to her account of this visit, Sen. Sotto “coerced” her into signing an “Affidavit of Desistance” to drop the rape complaint against his brother and his cohorts.

[But how could that affidavit be legal when she was only 14 when she signed it and she did so without the presence of her attorney?  But this happened in 1982 during martial law and the Sottos were said to be favored by the Marcos dictatorship.]

To prosecute a crime in the Philippines, you cannot just rely on government prosecutors, you have to hire a private prosecutor otherwise the case will be dismissed for lack of prosecution. For this job, Pepsi sought the help of then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile who referred her to the senior partner in the ACCRA law office, Atty.  Rene Cayetano, the father of Sen. Pia Cayetano and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who offered his pro bono services to Pepsi.

If convicted of the rape charge, the three comedians faced the death penalty, a sentence that was meted out previously in 1967 to the four rapists of movie star Maggie dela Riva. Three of the men were executed in 1972 on live TV while the fourth escaped the electric chair by dying in prison.

online excerpts from a u.s.-based columnist:

When Delia was barely 13, her mother introduced her to talent manager Rey dela Cruz who changed her name to “Pepsi Paloma” to join his stable of other “soft drink” beauties which included Sarsi Emmanuel and Cola Nicolas. Dela Cruz secured Pepsi’s starring role in her first movie, a “bold” feature called Brown Emmanuelle in 1981.

Less than a year later, according to her account, while promoting one of her movies, Pepsi met the three comedian hosts of Eat Bulaga â€" Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon and Richie D’Horsey (Richie Reyes). The three men took her out to a bar, drugged her, and then gang raped her in a hotel room. (Because she was only 14 at the time, these comedians were pedophile rapists.)