MikeLigalig.com

Another future dancer...

Si Josephine Cabañero, tag-iya sa LA Sculptural Shop sa N. Bacalso Ave., Cebu City, dunay katin-awan gihatag.

Matod niya nga hayan tungod kini sa mga materyales nga gigamit sa paggama sa mga imahen.

“Naa may lain-laing materyales nga gamiton sa mga imahe sa santos. Naay kahoy, fiber glass ug semento (plaster of paris). Tungod man siguro to sa materyales. Kay kon kahoy ang gamit atong mga imahe nga wala naguba, lisod siya gub-on kay bug-at baya ang kahoy ug basin maayo pud ang pagkapwesto sa simbahan,” pasabot ni Cabañero.

Apan, ning maong panghitabo, milagro man o dili, maoy nahimong inspirasyon sa mga Pilipino, labina sa mga biktima, aron mobarog sa mga trahedyang nahitabo kanila ug mas pakusgon ang ilang pagtuo sa Ginuo. (Marian R. Tulabing, USJ-R Masscom Intern,| Sun.Star Superbalita)

Kinabag-an sa mga Pilipinhon nga naila nang mga relihiyuso ug nagsandig kanunay sa Kahitas-an kon dunay katalagman, nagtuo nga kini gipakitang milagro sa Ginuo.

Apan, sa pakighinabi sa Sun.Star Superbalita sa usa ka pari, siya niingon nga di kita makadali-dali og kompirmar kon milagro ba ang nahitabo.

“We can’t confirm if it’s really a miracle, only the church officials in Rome can confirm that. But before that, it will go through a long process of investigation,” matod ni Rev. Fr. Hernando D. Coja, OAR.

Matod niya nga bisan pa di siya makakompirmar nga usa kini ka milagro, nagtuo siya nga kini supernatural nga panghitabo.

“What I believe is that, what happened was not natural. It was supernatural because everything happens for a cause. And God is the cause why the statues were not destroyed. You see, God is infinite, He has no limits.”

Gikuha usab sa Sun.Star Superbalita ang opinyon sa mga eskultor kalabot niini.

SuperBalita Cebu
Friday, December 6, 2013


KARONG tuiga, duha ka sunodsunod nga mga katalagman ang mihampak sa Kabisay-an, ang 7.2 magnitude nga linog ug ang super typhoon Yolanda.

Tungod niining mao nga mga panghitabo, dag­hang mga pamilya ang nawad-an og mga mahal sa kinabuhi ingon man kabtangan nga nangaguba.

Apil usab sa nangaguba ang mga simbahan nga giila nang mga simbolo sa kasaysayan sa Pilipinas. Apan, taliwa sa daghang mga simbahan nga nangaguba, daghan usab ang mga imahen sa mga santos sulod sa mga simbahan nga maunsa.

Ang uban niini way bisan usa tatsa bisan kon ang tibuok estruktura sa simbahan nagun-ob.

Usa niini ang imahen sa Birheng Maria sa Maribojoc Church sa Maribojoc, Bohol nga nagpabiling nagtindog bisan sa pagkagun-ob sa simbahan.

http://www.presstv.ir/
Fri Dec 6, 2013 8:4AM



The site of a car bombing at the Defense Ministry in Sana’a, Yemen, December 5, 2013


The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs says seven Filipino hospital workers including a doctor were killed in a recent terrorist attack on the Yemeni Defense Ministry complex in Sana’a.

Red car for Madame Islander...

A similar hiring phenomenon has occurred in the U.S., and recently. When Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, was preparing to open two Washington, D.C., stores, it received 23,000 applications for about 600 associate positions. That crush of applicants to the stores in the nation's capital comes amid an ongoing debate about low-wage jobs in America â€" those paying the federal minimum rate of $7.25 an hour or a little above that amount. While labor supporters have been advocating for better pay in retail, notably the fast-food industry, opponents have said increased compensation would bring a new set of problems, such as price increases for consumers or some jobs being eliminated altogether in favor of automation.

The U.S. unemployment rate is now 7 percent, the latest report released Friday morning by the Labor Department says. The calculation is based on the number of Americans who are actively seeking employment but failing to find a job; it does not include those who aren't searching.

Jobs in the retail sector historically tend to attract large numbers of people with a high school diploma or less, and those groups have a higher unemployment rate than the national average. As a result, when a big store like Wal-Mart opens, it will likely get more applicants than it can hire, even if the jobs are lower-paying.

Ikea spokesman Rodrigo Sanchez explained to NPR that the company's servers weren't prepared. "After 48 hours, we had to temporarily close the job application process. We're working on a solution to reopen the job page as soon as possible," he said.

What's more, when the application portal's functionality is fully restored, Ikea plans to keep taking submissions until Dec. 31, the report says. In other words, those 1-in-50 odds might get even longer. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that sales at Ikea, known for its giant blue and yellow stores selling boxed furniture that customers assemble at home, exceeded $30 billion in fiscal year 2011.

Spain's economy has started to show a bit of reason for optimism after being one of Europe's main trouble spots the past few years, although, as this Bloomberg report points out, the International Monetary Fund believes unemployment in the country could remain above 25 percent for five more years.

http://finance.yahoo.com/
Fri, Dec 6, 2013, 8:52pm EST
By Chris Nichols
8 hours ago



People walk alongside an IKEA outlet in Prague, February 25, 2013. REUTERS/Petr Josek


Like many countries around the world, Spain has been hit hard by recessionary conditions in recent years, and its unemployment rate currently stands above 25 percent, more than three times that of the United States.

That means when job opportunties come up in the European nation, people who want positions scramble to secure them. But what happened this week at an Ikea store near Valencia should make clear how serious the situation is there. According to an NPR report, the Swedish seller of home furnishings began taking applications on Monday for a new location that's set to open next year. While 400 jobs are going to be filled, so many people applied that Ikea's servers, unable to handle the volume, crashed. In just two days, about 20,000 job seekers had made a bid for the openings. That's 50 applicants per job opening.

Extremest case. Ready for the other kind of chickenini...

Extreme case...

Laing klase sa chickenini...

Sarap to the bones, but start with the skin...

Morag wa may mapili ani nila...

“I also understand that there is no objection from the family of the victim. In fact, I think they joined also the application and that is something important, and it helped in that application for parole,” she said.

But, Parole and Probation Administrator Manuel Co clarified that the granting of parole does not necessarily mean the full restoration of Leviste’s liberty as he has to comply with some conditions or else his parole may be forfeited.

These conditions include reporting  to a parole and probation officer within 15 days after his release; reporting at least once a month in person to the parole and probation officer in the area where he will reside; staying in the same address as approved by the parole and probation regional director; not indulging in any illegal activities; not possessing firearms; not associating with persons or groups engaged in any criminal activities; conducting himself in an orderly manner; if arrested, he shall get in touch with his parole officer within two days; and allowing his parole officer to regularly visit him at his home and/or place of business.

Leviste was found guilty by the Regional Trial Court in Makati City of shooting to death his aide Rafael de las Alas, during an altercation inside his office in Makati City on January 12, 2007.

He was sentenced to serve a minimum of six years and a maximum sentence of 12 years in January 14, 2009, but it was reduced to just a little under five years after he earned “good conduct time allowance.”

Tesoro said such allowance is earned when a prisoner “has no derogatory conduct and record based on presumed prison rules.”

In 2011 Leviste was caught staying inside his office after he was reported to have “escaped” from prison.

After his rearrest, Leviste has since been kept inside the NBP Maximum Security Compound.

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, on the other hand, said Leviste was able to meet the requirements to be eligible for parole.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/
06 Dec 2013 
Written by Joel R. San Juan


FORMER Batangas Gov. Antonio Leviste, who was convicted for homicide in 2009, was released on Friday from the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) after the his parole application was granted by the Board of Pardons Parole (BPP).

NBP Supt. Venancio Tesoro said Leviste was officially released from jail at 11:20 a.m. after completing some documents required for his release.

The BPP granted Leviste’s application for parole on November 19 along with 34 other prisoner-applicants.

“The board granted his parole after he served his minimum sentence and in consideration of his age, 73,” Tesoro told reporters in an interview.

Cool pud ni...

Quote from: Lollapalooza on December 06, 2013, 07:10:35 PM

Cool...

...deretsong na fried egg...

Nakigsulti na siya sa guidance counselor sa tunghaan. Ang maestra giingong gipapirma og suwat aron mahusay na ang reklamo sa inahan.

Apan  sa miaging adlaw, ang manghod na usab ang nakasinati og sagpa sa lain nga maestra tungod kay wa nagsuwat sa papel ang bata sa ilang exam.

Apan si Ann Concepcion, maestro sa bata, nibutyag nga di kadto  ang unang higayon nga nagpabadlong ang mao nga bata.

Dugay na niyang gipugngan ang iyang kaugalingon ug nagpasensya bisan sa kabadlungon sa bata.

Makadaghan na kini niya sultihi nga magsuwat sa papel, apan di maminaw.

Ang prinsipal sa maong eskwelahan nga si Veronica Cabahug nihulagway nga daghan og mga pamaagi sa pagdisiplina sa mga bata.

Apan usa sa mga balaod sa Department of Education (DepEd) nga di mahimong mohatag og corporal punishment ngadto sa mga tinun-an ang mga maestro bisan kon kini nagpabadlong.

Nipasalig ang principal nga mohimo siyag mga lakang labot niini ilabi na ang paghusay sa duha ka mga habig.

Wa hinuon matino kon nagpa-blotter ba ang inahan sa hitabo sa kapulisan alang sa legal nga lakang.

SuperBalita Cebu
Ni Dennes R. Tabar
Thursday, December 5, 2013


DUHA ka mga magsuong lalaki nga mga tinun-an sa Simeon Ayuda Elementary School sa Brgy. Vicente, Liloan, Sugbo giingong gipangsagpa sa duha ka mga magtutudlo sa managlahing mga higayon.

Inahan sa mga bata wa makahibawo niini hangtod nga ang mga classmate nanulti sa gidangatan sa iyang duha ka mga anak.

Ang inahan, kinsang ngan gipugngan ning mantalaan sumala sa gimbut-an sa balaud, nidangop sa sibyaanang dyHP aron isumbong ang nahiaguman sa mga bata ug mangayog tabang.

Matod sa inahan nga unang gisagpa sa usa ka maestra ang 10-anyos nga maguwang niadtong miaging Huwebes.

Ang maestra giingong wa makauyon sa pagtubagtubag sa iyang anak kaniya.

Gibutyag sa inahan nga wa nisulti  kaniya ang iyang anak nga dugay na kining gidumtan sa maestra.

Iya kining nahibaw-an dihang ningsumbong ang mga classmate sa iyang anak kaniya.

Siya nihulagway nga namuwa og maayo ang nawong sa iyang anak tungod sa gibuhat sa maestra.

Tungod niini, iyang gikomprontase ang maestra, kinsa puwerteng pangulipas nga iyang gisagpa ang bata.

According to Preety Bhandari, head of ADB's Climate Change Program Coordination Units, governments across the board have included climate change plan into their development plans and are aware that climate change can influence growth.

Bhandari also welcomed the ASEAN countries' increased cooperation on disaster management and transboundary haze monitoring and their implementation of ASEAN Action Plan for Joint Response on Climate Action.

"This is a sign of their (ASEAN members) commitment and maturity in taking collective action," she said.

Bhandari, however, believes that global investment is needed to mitigate the damages caused by climate change.

She said the most important achievement in the recent UN climate talks is the establishment of an international mechanism to address loss and damage from impacts of climate change even if there were no new financial commitments or a road map to reach the 100 billion U.S. dollar target for this mechanism.

"But the call for a very significant scale of initial funding for the Green Climate Fund and additional pledges for Adaptation Fund is very much welcome," she said.

Benson said the problem with investing on climate change is that policy makers tend to invest on projects that will bring immediate relief, instead of planning for the long term.

"A lot of it comes down to money. If you have a choice between spending on something that reaps immediate benefits -- say, a new health clinic -- or something that may not reap benefits for many years -- such as building a sea wall -- then people often opt for the first one," she said.

Benson said there's a need to educate all stakeholders -- policy makers, the private sector, affected communities -- that investing in disaster risk reduction is important and will save lives -- and money -- in the long run.

Haiyan's devastation may in fact be the wake up call that the policy makers in Asia need to integrate climate change into their long term development plans.

The Britain-based risk analysis firm Maplecroft said South Asia and Southeast Asian countries are the most vulnerable to climate related disasters. This, Maplecroft said, poses obstacles to their sustained growth, and will hurt the poor the most as they're not likely have the resources to cope with these disasters.

Benson said there are several things that can be done now to prepare and mitigate losses that will be caused by disasters.

"We can begin by assessing disaster risk, drawing on local knowledge and experience as well as hazard maps and understanding the risk in our communities. We can take measures to ensure that our schools, homes, places of work and so forth are resilient, both by undertaking structural measures and through environmental measures," she said.

English.news.cn   2013-12-04 18:09:00   
by Prime Sarmiento


MANILA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Developing Asian countries need to invest in disaster risk management as climate change is threatening sustained growth and poverty reduction.

This is especially crucial as typhoon Haiyan, locally named " Yolanda," has shown the devastation wrought by an extreme weather event caused by climate change. Haiyan killed over 5,000 people and damaged more than 30 billion pesos (685.40 million U.S. dollars) worth of crops and property in central Philippines. The country's economic managers also capped its growth target for the Philippines, hailed as one of the fastest rising emerging economies, to 7 percent this year in light of the damages caused by Haiyan.

Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization said while Haiyan's severity can't be definitively linked to climate change, the extensive damage caused by the storm surge resulted from climate related sea-level rise.

"Economic losses are already increasing because not enough attention is being paid to disaster risk (management). In fact, additional risk is being created on a daily basis," said Charlotte Benson, senior disaster risk management specialist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Miriam: Lacson, Enrile have 'relationship with feelings'
ANDREO C. CALONZO, GMA News
December 4, 2013 10:20pm


Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Wednesday did not spare former Senator Panfilo Lacson from her strongly-worded privilege speech against Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce-Enrile.

Santiago said Enrile has "a relationship with feelings" with Lacson, whom she also called as the opposition leader's "attack dog."

Asked to comment on Santiago's remarks, Lacson said he "won't waste time on rubbish."

Santiago further accused Enrile of coddling Lacson when the latter became a fugitive from justice in 2010.

"Many believe that Enrile provided safe haven to Lacson in Cagayan. That is why these two men are so close," Santiago said.

She further said that Lacson got recently appointed as rehabilitation czar "to abort the endless stream of his self-serving press releases whenever there is a vacancy."

Over the weekend, Lacson confirmed that he will head efforts to rebuild communities destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda.

During his Senate stint, Lacson also engaged in a word war with Santiago, calling her a hypocrite and a "crusading crook." Santiago, in return, threatened to expose Lacson's sexuality.  â€" ELR, GMA News

Kon mahutdan, balik sa naandan...

Kini pud, nag-inato nga chicken. Relax jamo, nagpahayahay nga way ipok...

Ari na lang ko sa chickden soup without sotanghon kaysa sotanghon soup nga sotanghon ra jud, way gihugawhugaw...

Naa pa ang sotanghon sa daplin, pinutos pa...

Quote from: bugsay on December 05, 2013, 07:29:36 AM
ngano bitaw nga kon red cars, puwa man jud ang kolor?...

Bwahaha! Bitaw, mas gusto unta ko og red car nga itom...

Humb(le) ang nangka jud bitaw...

Kalami isip alkontra sa hangover...

Diay lami ipares...

Other senators intently listened to Santiago, who seldom appeared in the Senate since the second session opened due to health issues.

Santiago in her speech called Enrile an “incorrigible liar & criminal” as well as a “psychopathic hypersexualized social serial womanizer.”

Enrile earlier delivered a privilege speech hitting Santiago for tagging him as the mastermind of the alleged multi-billion peso pork barrel scam.

The former Senate President questioned Santiago’s credibility and even surfaced old issues hurled against his ally during her stint as regional trial court judge.

After Santiago’s speech she Miriam was met by colleagues Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano and Sonny Angara, but Enrile remained in his seat.

Even Senator Jinggoy Estrada, Enrile’s ally and co-accused in the pork scandal, exchanged pleasantries with Santiago after her speech.

The former Senate President meanwhile belied Santiago's accusations in a speech minutes after Santiago's.

How Enrile reacted to Santiago's privilege speech
By Kim Arveen Patria | Yahoo Southeast Asia Newsroom â€" 14 hours ago


A “clash of titans” was how Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago described the Senate session Wednesday, but her sharp words seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.

As Santiago seethed in anger during her privilege speech, the object of her fury sat nonchalantly, shook his head occasionally and grinned mischievously.

A seemingly disinterested Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, who sat directly in front of Santiago, even tinkered with his tablet during the privilege speech.

Photos which quickly spread via social media showed Enrile playing popular game “Bejeweled” as Santiago responded to the speech he delivered a week earlier.

But he sometimes lifted his head and smiled at Santiago, who at certain points of her speech angrily pointed at the Senate minority leader.

“Enrile is the mastermind of the biggest plunder case in Philippine history,” Santiago said, referring to the pork scam implicating the former Senate president.

In her latest privilege speech, Santiago accused Enrile of being involved in smuggling and gambling activities through the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA).

Santiago said Enrile and some of his relatives illegally brought into the country used cars through Port Irene in Cagayan province. She added that Enrile is also guilty of lobbying for more government funds for the CEZA to finance his “smuggling empire.”

Santiago also criticized Enrile for authorizing online gambling at the CEZA outside the jurisdiction of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

Enrile has denied all accusations and in retort cast doubt on Santiago's mental state.

“Our colleague only confirmed everything I said about her mental health and her propensity to make unfounded accusations,” Enrile said.  â€" MC/ELR, GMA News

In January, Enrile reportedly gave millions of additional budget to senators except his foes, including Santiago.

In his latest privilege speech, Enrile revealed that their fight apparently had deeper roots.

Enrile cited two events that may explain Santiago's "deep-seated animosity against me" - when Enrile opposed Santiago's appointment as agrarian reform secretary during the Cory administration, and when he refused to invite her in the majority bloc in 2008 and 2010.

For Santiago, Enrile's anger toward her started when she as Quezon City Regional Trial Court judge in 1985 decided that Martial Law does not automatically cancel the right to bail of activist students who were ordered arrested by Enrile.

Weeks ago, Santiago alleged that Enrile was the mastermind of the Moro National Liberation Front incursion to Zamboanga city. The  MNLF operation supposedly a tactic to divert public attention away from his alleged involvement in the pork scam.

In December 2012, Enrile returned Santiago's Christmas gift bought from Iloilo city.

"I was shocked right out of my skin because in the Philippines, it's like throwing your glove and slapping somebody's face with it," Santiago had said in an interview.

But for Enrile, he was just keeping his distance from Santiago who has publicly announced his dislike to Enrile.

"She said that her relationship with me is ice-cold... So I said to myself, maybe she doesn't really like me as a person. So why should I impose myself on her?" Enrile had said.

Their political differences also showed in legislation - they bickered during the deliberations of the Reproductive Health law. Santiago was co-author while Enrile opposed it.

Santiago, Enrile were not enemies decades ago
http://www.gmanetwork.com/
December 5, 2013 6:16am


Decades ago, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Miriam Defensor-Santiago were not the bitter enemies they are now.

GMA News "24 Oras" Wednesday evening recalled that in 1969 Enrile hired Santiago to work for him when he was justice department secretary.

Two years later, Enrile was godfather when she got married in 1971.

During the impeachment trial of deposed president Joseph Estrada, Santiago and Enrile were on the same side when they voted not to open the envelope that was said to contain damning evidence against Estrada.

Their falling out became public when Enrile was not at the 40th wedding anniversary of Santiago in June 2011.

Nature presents many examples of organisms evolving to mimic other creatures. For instance, many butterfly species imitate the toxic monarch butterfly, presumably to deter predators from eating them.

A variety of animals impersonate plants, such as the stick insect, which resembles a twig. Several animals color themselves like flowers, such as flower crab spiders and ambush bugs, to camouflage themselves when attacking insects that approach the blossoms.

However, the orchid mantis has a full flowery disguise, complete with legs shaped like petals, that is convincing enough for scientists to suggest this hunter not only uses the masquerade to hide from prey, but also to attract victims. Examples of such aggressive mimicry have been seen before in the wild; for instance, one species of bolas spider is known to attract male moths by imitating female moth sex pheromones.

Found! First Known Predator To Lure Prey By Mimicking Flowers
LiveScience.com
By Charles Q. Choi, LiveScience Contributor
December 2, 2013 7:46 AM


The orchid mantis, which resembles a flower, takes on this appearance in order to lure in prey, researchers say.

In fact, orchid mantises are even better at drawing in insects than some actual blossoms; they not only look like flowers, but they also beat the petally beauties at their own game, scientists added.

Phivolcs said Intensity V, so far the strongest recorded from this quake, is "generally felt by most people indoors and outdoors. Many sleeping people are awakened. Some are frightened, some run outdoors.

"Strong shaking and rocking felt throughout the building. Hanging objects swing violently. Dining utensils clatter and clink; some are broken. Small, light and unstable objects may fall or overturn. Liquids spill from filled open containers. Standing vehicles rock noticeably. Shaking of leaves and twigs of trees are noticeable."

Phivolcs said aftershocks are expected from the quake but no damage has been reported so far. The quake struck at a depth of 52 kilometers.

Speaking to ANC, Phivolcs executive director Renato Solidum said a movement in either the Philippine Fault Zone or the Philippine Trench may have triggered the quake.

He noted that the tremor is not related to the magnitude 7.2 quake that struck Bohol last October 15, and no tsunami alert has been raised so far.

"These are different earthquake generators from the Bohol fault," Solidum said. "The magnitude of the quake is not very large so it is not enough to trigger any tsunami." -- http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

Another early morning quake...

http://news.yahoo.com/
By Tim Sprinkle
3 hours ago


Pope Francis, the worldwide leader of the Catholic Church, used to work as a bouncer.

During a trip to a Rome-area church on Sunday, he revealed that he had once worked as a bouncer at a Buenos Aires nightclub before turning his attention to the church. That’s in addition to his time as a janitor and laboratory assistant.

This biographical tidbit has made the rounds before, but it was the first time the pope had mentioned his past employment since taking over for the retiring Pope Benedict in March 2013.

TANGUB CITY. The City switches on its 21st year of gigantic Christmas symbols festival on December 1. It showcases various countries that attract thousands of local and foreign tourists. The proceeds will be donated to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. (Richel V. Umel)

http://opinion.inquirer.net/
10:03 pm | Monday, December 2nd, 2013


Manny Pacquiao fought for the pride of his country and dedicated his victory to the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” With the world watching his postfight interview, he vowed to go home right away to help the victims of the typhoon. Go home is exactly what Pacquiao did, but something happened or didn’t happen when he arrived in the country, before he could help the typhoon victims: He failed to pay President Aquino a courtesy visit in Malacañang. Which resulted in Pacquiao’s accounts and assets being frozen by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Pacquiao losing access to the billions of pesos that he earned in boxing.

That became news in world media: Pacquiao’s bank accounts have been frozen and he is basically just as poor as those in Tacloban City … well not really, but he certainly can’t touch his money in all his bank accounts.

It’s hard not to think that President Aquino’s PR team was behind this big story. The news coming from the Philippines before this was Yolanda and how bad and inefficient Mr. Aquino was  in handling relief operations in its wake. So it makes total sense that the Aquino administration would use international superstar Manny Pacquiao’s BIR issue to divert attention away from the President’s failed response to Yolanda.

Let’s face it: If the BIR were serious about running after tax evaders, then it would be right on the back of most of today’s senators and of administration officials like Budget Secretary Butch Abad and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. But it’s not. Freezing the accounts of Abad or Alcala won’t catch international media’s attention and won’t take focus away from Mr. Aquino’s disorganized and poorly managed relief efforts.
â€"JOSEPH GELLAR, middlenameross8@gmail.com


Read more: http://opinion.inquirer.net/66589/bir-case-to-divert-attention-from-aquino#ixzz2mUQjTpFQ
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Pope Francis continued, “God, the source of all peace and love, has taught us throughout these years to regard one another as members of the same family. For indeed, we have one Lord and Savior. We belong to him through the gift of the good news of salvation transmitted by the apostles, through the one baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, and through the holy ministry.”

The Pope also referred to the current disconnect between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. “United in Christ, therefore, we already experience the joy of authentic brothers in Christ, while yet fully aware of not having reached the goal of full communion. In anticipation of the day in which we will finally take part together in the Eucharistic feast, Christians are duty-bound to prepare to receive this gift of God through prayer, inner conversion, renewal of life and fraternal dialogue.”

The Pope also mentioned the persecution faced by Christians living in the Middle East, whose plight he has been vocal about before.

“The memory of the martyrdom of the apostle Saint Andrew also makes us think of the many Christians of all the Churches and Ecclesial Communities who in many parts of the world experience discrimination and at times pay with their own blood the price of their profession of faith,” he said.

“Christians of the East and West must give common witness so that, strengthened by the Spirit of the risen Christ, they may disseminate the message of salvation to the entire world.”

Pope Francis Hopes To Reunite With Orthodox Church, Sends Greetings To Archbishop Of Constantinople Bartholomew I
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Posted: 12/02/2013 3:49 pm EST





Pope Francis sent special greetings to Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople that expressed his brotherly love for his fellow spiritual leader. He said that he hoped for continued dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in the missive delivered by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

“Your Holiness, beloved brother in Christ, this is the first time that I address you on the occasion of the feast of the Apostle Andrew, the first-called. I take this opportunity to assure you of my intention to pursue fraternal relations between the Church of Rome and the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” he said on Nov. 30.

Daghan pang kâ±¥wâ±¥tâ±¥n, all the way down...

In a television interview, Lacson said he will aim for “a balance between being dictatorial and being consultative.”

“These are special issues that we have to balance. We can’t be consulting all the time when there are already blatant violations,” he said.

Lacson said he has already discussed with the Land Registration Authority on how to rebuild the land titles and records that were lost during the typhoon.

“All records were washed away. This builds an open opportunity for land grabbers to take advantage of the situation,” Lacson said.

“How can you restore houses and government buildings if you don’t know the owners of the land?” he added.

He said new zoning codes could also affect landowners who own properties in Tacloban City, which was flattened by the super typhoon.

Lacson said he accepted the job as reconstruction czar after a series of consultations with and briefings from experts in reconstruction and rehabilitation over the weekend.

“I have informed the President of my decision and he has acknowledged the same,” said Lacson who said he got the offer from the President on Nov. 29.

He also thanked the President for his trust and the opportunity.

“The only thing I asked the President was if it’s possible to define the extent of my mandate and authority. It is very important. I learned in the military that authority must be commensurate to the responsibility,” he said.

The former two-term senator acknowledged that politics might be a hindrance.

“That’s why I have to stay focussed, if not, the mission will fail,” he said.

He said the task would be difficult also because it is a new area for him, and he will have to start from scratch.

Lacson also warned politicians would face sanctions if they interfere in the use of rehabilitation funds.

“It’s up to them, but there is a law where they can be held liable. We have the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. We also have plunder,” he said.

He promised to look into reports that foreign donations were being replaced by low quality items and supplies.

Under his new mandate, Lacson will not only oversee the gargantuan task of rehabilitating the ravaged areas in the aftermath of Yolanda, but also managing funds, both from the government and international aid bodies, involving millions of dollars.

There is a total of P40.9 billion fund in the 2013 General Appropriations Act and another P14.5 supplemental budget recently passed by the Senate, aside from donations from other countries.

Lacson assured the public that the massive rehabilitation would be completed before the end of President Benigno Aquino III’s term in 2016.

The government has put the damage to agriculture and infrastructure in the calamity-stricken areas at P30 billion.

“If I can accomplish 85 or 90 percent [of the goal], that’s ok with me,” said Lacson, who is an ally of the President.

He said he had consulted with architects, engineers, urban planners and lawyers who told him the reconstruction job would be “difficult but doable.”

“The Important word for me is doable. It is a huge challenge but when you see the destruction even on television, you will feel disheartened and a desire to help,” said Lacson.

His objectives in the Yolanda-hit areas are to rebuild houses, government buildings, roads, airports and seaports and to restore the livelihood of those affected.

Ping vows to use iron fist as new rehab czar
By Macon Ramos-Araneta | Dec. 03, 2013 at 12:01am


NEWLY-APPOINTED rehabilitation czar and former senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday warned he would unleash his wrath on anyone who misuses funds intended for the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in areas devastated by super typhoon Yolanda.

“Every centavo intended for the rehabilitation should go where it is intended,” said Lacson during the “Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel” forum in Manila.

He said the biggest challenge in his new job is to ensure there will be no wastage of rehabilitation funds.

“Our target here is a zero waste fund,” he said.

With the scale of destruction caused by the typhoon, every bit of help, every donation, in cash or in kind, must be given to the victims, Lacson said.

Citing the need for transparency, he said he was prepared for a fight if he sees that funds are being improperly used.

“We need an iron fist for the stubborn,” said Lacson, who served as the chief of the Philippine National Police during the Estrada administration.

A polarizing figure, Lacson says he will head reconstruction of central PHL
http://www.gmanetwork.com/
December 1, 2013 8:36pm
 

Former senator Panfilo Lacson told reporters Sunday that he will lead reconstruction efforts in areas ravaged by super typhoon Yolanda.

"After a series of consultations and briefings from experts in the field of reconstruction and rehabilitation of disaster stricken areas over the weekend, I decided to accept the President's offer to be rehab czar,” Lacson told reporters in a text message on Sunday night, December 1.

The Palace has yet to confirm the appointment.

President Aquino reportedly told a Cabinet meeting on Friday that he had decided to appoint Lacson his rehabilitation "czar." Lacson said he would spend the weekend thinking it over after a lengthy meeting with Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa.

It is still not clear why Aquino would choose Lacson, one of the most controversial and polarizing political figures in the last two decades. As a senator for 12 years, his law-making often took a backseat to highly public word wars with fellow senators, especially Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, and ex-President Joseph Estrada, his former boss with whom he had a falling out during EDSA Dos in 2001.

Lacson also parted ways with his party leader then-Sen. Edgardo Angara in 2004 when the former ran for president.

As the head of rehabilitation dealing with both national and local government officials each with their own priorities and alliances, Lacson will need a deep well of public trust and all the skills of a mediator.

As Estrada's powerful chief operative against organized crime, Lacson was linked to several brutal murders, including those of the well-known publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver.

For more than a year while he was a senator, Lacson was overseas as a fugitive from justice, with Interpol assisting in the search. He returned in March 2011 after being cleared by the courts.

Lacson would still bring to any executive role the reputation for questionable methods as a law enforcer. At the very least, his opponents could harp on his colorful past and cause a distraction.

Lacson served as senator from 2001 to 2013. Prior to that, he was the Philippine National Police director general for two years.

Nakapahiyom siyang gahunahuna nga samtang siya gikaspa, ang iyang bana opaw...

Paul Walker's accident: Death hoax on Friday, dead on Saturday
Agencies | Dec 2, 2013, 12.00 AM IST


It might seem like a cruel quirk of fate, but rumours of Paul Walker's death spread as early as Friday when a social networking page 'R.I.P. Paul Walker' attracted nearly one million likes. Giving a very specific time of death (Nov 30, 11 am ET), the page saw fans reacting with messages of condolence by the hundreds.

The actor's reps were quick to issue an official statement rebutting the rumour the very next day. "He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet," the statement said.

Creepily enough, a few hours later, Paul was dead in a car crash. The rep issued another statement saying they were "stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news."

Ug sa makausa pa, ang makanunayong pangpagana...

Handay2x lang si Don Botoy...

NOAA reported last week that at least “sea surface temperatures across the central Pacific have not been consistently warm or cool since Spring 2012, and we expect this to continue at least through next spring.”

Others suggest the connection between the cold weather and broader climate trends may be more substantial and direct, especially given that the US saw one of the slowest hurricane years on record, with a mere 13 tropical storms, and two Atlantic hurricanes, neither of them major.

“Global warming caused the very cool US summer, and the very cold US winter,” writes warming skeptic and blogger Stephen Goddard, presumably with his tongue in his cheek. “It makes everything more extreme.”

All we know out here in the heartland is that it feels awful cold for this time of year. And it is.

This past week, the US recorded 969 low max temps, 203 record lows, and 205 record snowfalls (many in north Texas), according to reports from HAMweather, a conglomeration of personal weather stations. There were 17 record highs reported in the same time period.

“This winter is shaping up to be a rough one,” Janice Stillman, editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, says on the almanac’s website. “Sweaters and snow shovels should be unpacked early and kept close by throughout the season. The good news is that the extra precipitationâ€"which will fall as rain or snow depending where you areâ€"will help with any drought issues left over from the summer.”

More broadly, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration reports that global mean temperatures were up slightly this year (across the globe, August 2013 tied August 2003 for the sixth-warmest on record). But a UN report earlier this year acknowledged that air temperatures bucked predictions by pretty much flattening after record-hot 1998 even as carbon emissions, which are mostly blamed for warming, continued to rise thanks largely to growing Asian economies.

Some scientists have blamed the surprising non-rise in temperatures over the past decade on a “very plausible scenario” where all that extra heat is being stored a half mile below the surface of the Pacific, from where it could suddenly be released.

But the good folks at the prediction center reeled back some of that earlier prognosis this week, suggesting that “this year’s outlook has proven to be quite challenging … We’re not seeing strong climate signals and patterns that often give us clues as to what the season will bring.”

The new report also addresses the global warming implications, noting that, “While you might expect trends to always be up in a warming climate, the reality is that temperature trends are often different for different regions during different seasons.”

Finally, the center concedes that “atmospheric patterns can change from week to week and have the potential to deliver cold, snowy weather throughout the season.”

The Old Farmer’s Almanac hasn’t been so wishy-washy, noting colloquially that “global warming will soon be taking a vacation.”

Americans aren’t alone in wondering about what’s ahead, given that record lows have largely kept pace with record highs this year. Across the pond, British tabloids, citing a government report, warned Saturday of a “three-month killer freeze” in a series of headlines that the Met climate office quickly criticized as hyperbolic.

True, Seattle saw a record high this week, but most of the rest of the country huffed, puffed, and shivered through Thanksgiving, Gray Thursday and Black Friday, reasserting predictions from several quarters that the coming winter, still three weeks away, could be a doozy.

(More immediately the weekend will warm up in many parts of the country, thanks to a bit of cloud cover and moisture being pulled in behind the big cold front, but another cold, clear Arctic blast is expected to drape across the land late next week.)

Not all weather forecasters are in agreement that a particularly bitter winter is looming, however. Some, including the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, suggested last month that early winter record colds will give way to warmer-than-normal temperatures especially across the southern half of the country starting in January and into the spring.

The US set nearly 1,000 record cold temps over the Thanksgiving break, suggesting to some that the Old Farmer’s Almanac may be right about its prediction of a long, bitter winter.


Christian Science Monitor
By Patrik Jonsson
1 hour ago


Scientists and skeptics continue to quibble over global warming, but meanwhile Americans and Europeans are bracing for what could be a mean ol’ winter, given early signs â€" including 1,000 low temp records set in the US over Thanksgiving break â€" that Winter 2014 could be a real teeth-chatterer.

The trend has been most noticeable here in the South, where an already below-average summer â€" including a stretch of record low max temperatures in the Deep South in late July and August â€" has given way to snow in Texas, ice in Atlanta, and mittens in Jacksonville, Fla.

Tinulang tangigi sa pamahaw. Pinalutawan og usa ka pal-ak nga kamunggay. Paingon pus-an og siling kulikot...