MikeLigalig.com

The following list of cat breeds includes domestic cat breeds and domestic/wild hybrids. The list includes established breeds recognized by various cat registries, new and experimental breeds, distinct domestic population not being actively developed and lapsed breeds. (wikipedia)

now pa ko.  mao diay nay jejemon? C4N R34D 17!  but why man lisodlisoron pa man nga naa may sayon nga alpabit?

(let me guess, it's for the young.  as for my little kid, i strongly warned her against texting me in jejemon.  just the former english teacher in me reacting...)

naa koy kaila sa una sa germany nga nagpadala ug balikbayan box.  pinalit ang mga items gikan ug mga flohmarkt.  bisag flohmarkt, di baya basta-basta. 

usa sa mga items adidas shoes nga good as new.  aguy, pag-abot sa hingtungdan sa pilipinas, nahimong sapatos nga never heard ang brand.  the unkindest cut of all--ang kolor nahimong green, usa pa gyod ka buok, way paris.  purya intawon.

may puruhan pa intawon nga tibuok tuig gihinayhinay ug palit ang mga gifts.

Quote from: hubag bohol on January 19, 2014, 02:47:56 PM

i wondered over what they're doing here, and checked.  they're making 'sago', their staple.

uh-huh, i read a long article by a guy from the smithsonian magazine.  the koroway are cannibals.  i hope sleep won't be difficult tonight.

for sheer horror, the link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/sleeping-with-cannibals-128958913/

hahaha!  about to travel in style pa si manang.

btw, i'm interested in the travel scrabble...

Lilac colored adult Scottish Fold, displaying round face, large round eyes and forward-folded ears.

/wikipedia

the breed of dr. no ears

The Scottish Fold is a breed of cat with a natural dominant-gene mutation that makes its ear cartilage contain a fold, causing the ears to bend forward and down towards the front of their head, which gives the cat what is often described as an "owl-like" appearance.

Originally called lop-eared or just lops after the lop-eared rabbit, Scottish Fold became the breed's name in 1966. Depending on registries, longhaired Scottish Folds are varyingly known as Highland Fold, Scottish Fold Longhair, Longhair Fold and Coupari. (wikipedia)

no ears, sure, but at least he has a good butt to sit on.

note that some entrepreneurial filipinos put up balikbayan cargo firms abroad and victimize, sometimes unwittingly, sometimes wittingly so, their fellow filipinos.

The complete list of the DTI Advisory is updated weekly and can be downloaded at

http://www.dti.gov.ph/dti/index.php?p=779

Also in the same website is the list of 615 DTI-accredited sea freight forwarders as of 31 December 2013.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE, KABAYANS. to repeat, in a DTI advisory last 10 January 2014, WARNINGS have been issued against the following cargo forwarders:

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)-based forwarders

Caravan Cargo Agency
Cargo Net Worldwide Services (formerly FAL-World Express Cargo)
Global Cargo
Jonar Cargo
Kabalen Forwarders
North and South Express Cargo
PC Worldwide Cargo
Sir Cargo Forwarders
WRJ Freight Forwarders (A Division of Al-Zagel Cargo)
Mohsen Cargo Services
Fil-Arab International Cargo

The Philippine agents of these foreign consolidators (not accredited with the DTI and should not engage in the freight forwarding business)

Megatop Express Cargo Forwarder
Manila Broker
J.J. Transglobal Brokerage
Jonar Cargo
RGC Green Logistics
Kabalen Forwarders
R&M Cargo Services
Sir2Go Forwarders

Accredited companies (implicated in the complaints and are now facing revocation of their accreditation with DTI)

DXL International Freight Forwarder, Inc.
ECFS International Forwarding, Inc.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based forwarders

Al Rodah Marine Cargo
Cityline Cargo
Dagupan Cargo Packaging Services
Express Link Cargo Services
Smooth Express
Grace Express Cargo

Philippine cargo agents not accredited with DTI

Rodah Cargo Manila
VCG Customs Brokerage

the above list shows what cargo forwarding firms should not be trusted by our OFWs.

Also in the list are DTI-accredited Aeroworld Logistics Phil., Inc. and D’ Winner Logistics Phils., Inc., but which are being petitioned to have its accreditation revoked on some complaints.

The consistently high number of complaints on balikbayan box shipments coming from these countries since 2008 has prompted the DTI to conduct the Roadshow on Balikbayan Box Shipments in Dubai, UAE last 12-13 November 2014 and in Riyadh, KSA last 15 November 2013. The same roadshow was also held in Hongkong and Singapore last 19-21 October 2013 and 25-27 October 2013, respectively.

The Roadshow consisted of awareness sessions, dialogues and consultations with overseas Filipinos as individuals, associations or organizations, embassy and consular officials, foreign service officers, overseas welfare officers, and, legitimate freight forwarders on the problem on hand, fraudulent activities, actual and resolved cases, assistance programs, and, promotional materials.

The complete list of the DTI Advisory is updated weekly and can be downloaded at http://www.dti.gov.ph/dti/index.php?p=779. Also in the same website is the list of 615 DTI-accredited sea freight forwarders as of 31 December 2013.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/

In its advisory last 10 January 2014, 11 KSA-based foreign consolidators/ principals are included in the list for not remitting the necessary funds to their Philippine agents to effect the release of containers where usually, Balikbayan boxes are part of the cargoes. They are: Caravan Cargo Agency; Cargo Net Worldwide Services formerly FAL-World Express Cargo; Global Cargo; Jonar Cargo; Kabalen Forwarders, North and South Express Cargo; PC Worldwide Cargo; Sir Cargo Forwarders, WRJ Freight Forwarders (A Division of Al-Zagel Cargo), Mohsen Cargo Services, and, Fil-Arab International Cargo.

The Philippine agents of these foreign consolidators - Megatop Express Cargo Forwarder; Manila Broker; J.J. Transglobal Brokerage; Jonar Cargo; RGC Green Logistics; Kabalen Forwarders; R&M Cargo Services; and Sir2Go Forwarders are not accredited with the DTI and should not engage in the freight forwarding business. Meanwhile, some accredited companies namely, DXL International Freight Forwarder, Inc., and, ECFS International Forwarding, Inc. that are implicated in the complaints are now facing revocation of their accreditation with DTI.

On the other hand, 6 UAE-based companies are also in the advisory due to non-remittance of funds for Philippine agents. They are: Al Rodah Marine Cargo, Cityline Cargo, Dagupan Cargo Packaging Services, Express Link Cargo Services, Smooth Express, and, Grace Express Cargo. Also, some Philippine agents have been identified in the complaints, namely, Rodah Cargo Manila and VCG Customs Brokerage that are not accredited with DTI.

“Non-delivery of Balikbayan box usually occurs when incoming shipments of balikbayan boxes are abandoned at the Philippine ports for failure of unscrupulous foreign consolidators to remit necessary funds to their Philippine agents for the delivery of cargoes to consignees,” explained Dimagiba.

Dimagiba has been advising the public, specially the OFWs in the countries mentioned, to send their hard-earned balikbayan boxes only to foreign consolidators which have agents or freight forwarders in the Philippines that are DTI-accredited to be certain that their cargoes will be received by their loved ones.

As complaints of undelivered Balikbayan box shipments have become prevalent, the DTI-PSB issues its weekly advisory on foreign consolidators/ principals and freight forwarders with cases elevated to the Department of Justice (DOJ), operating without the DTI accreditation, issued with formal charges, and with pending complaints.

Undelivered Balikbayan boxes mostly from Saudi Arabia, UAE

Manila Bulletin
January 19, 2014   

   
Warning vs balikbayan cargo firms issued

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) have the most number of complaints of undelivered Balikbayan box shipments by sea in 2013, the Department of  Trade and Industry reported.

DTI -Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Officer-in-Charge Atty. Victorio Mario A. Dimagiba said that 37 or 25 percent out of the 149 total complaints received by the Philippine Shippers Bureau  pertaining to Balikbayan boxes which were not delivered to rightful owners or consignees came from KSA while 31 or 21% were shipped from the UAE.

Undelivered Balikbayan boxes from the USA, Kuwait, United Kingdom (UK) and Singapore follow with 22, 19, 11 and 7 complaints that are equivalent to 15%, 13%, 5% and 7%, respectively.

please introduce me to his frenemy...

por santo, puro diay bol-anon.  sad.

danke sa info, hof.

A man rides his horse through the flames during the "Luminarias" annual religious celebration on the night before the day of Saint Anthony's, patron of animals, in the village of San Bartolome de los Pinares, about 100 km northwest of Madrid, January 16, 2014. According to tradition that dates back 500 years ago, people ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of this small village to purify the animals with the smoke of the bonfires. REUTERS/Juan Medina

http://www.reuters.com/

A priest blesses a mouse inside a cage outside Madrid's San Anton Church, January 17, 2014. Hundreds of pet owners bring their animals to be blessed every year on the day of Saint Anthony, patron saint of animals. REUTERS/Andrea Comas

http://www.reuters.com/

A priest blesses parakeets outside Madrid's San Anton Church, January 17, 2014. Hundreds of pet owners bring their animals to be blessed every year on the day of Saint Anthony, patron saint of animals. REUTERS/Andrea Comas

http://www.reuters.com/

A dog takes part in a mass at San Anton Church in Madrid, January 17, 2014. Hundreds of pet owners bring their animals to be blessed every year on the day of Saint Anthony, patron saint of animals. REUTERS/Andrea Comas

http://www.reuters.com/

A man kisses his dog before his pet was blessed by a priest outside of San Anton church in Churriana, near Malaga, southern Spain, January 17, 2014. Pet owners bring their animals to be blessed every year on the day of Saint Anthony, patron saint of animals. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

http://www.reuters.com/

Pet dogs, Kitty (L-R), Toby, Luna and Ariel, are placed on a bench by their owners before they are blessed by a priest outside San Anton church in Churriana, near Malaga, southern Spain, January 17, 2014. Pet owners bring their animals to be blessed every year on the day of Saint Anthony, patron saint of animals. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

http://www.reuters.com/

A traditional Sicilian chariot with a horse is seen in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, January 17, 2014. Animals, including pigs, chickens, horses, cats and dogs, were at St. Peter's Square to mark the feast of St. Anthony the Abbot, the third-century holy man who is the Catholic Church's patron of animals. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

http://www.reuters.com/

A smiley face is left in the skies by the DHL Extra 300 aerobatic plane during the Bahrain International Air Show held at the Sakir airbase south of Manama, January 17, 2014. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

http://www.reuters.com/

An Afghan policeman keeps watch at the site of an explosion in Kabul January 17, 2014. A suicide bomber blew himself up near a popular Lebanese restaurant frequented by foreigners in the Afghan capital Kabul on Friday and bursts of intense gunfire ensued. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

http://www.reuters.com/

Anti-government protesters help a fellow protester injured in a grenade attack during a rally in Bangkok January 17, 2014. A bomb went off as anti-government protesters marched in central Bangkok, spurring fears about rising political tension. Police and health officials said a bomb exploded near the area where protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban was marching on a road in central Bangkok, injuring at least 28 demonstrators. REUTERS/Stringer

http://www.reuters.com/

A dog stretches on the red carpet ahead of the arrival of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the parliament in Caracas.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/

saludo ko niya. what a soldier.

torturers, be gone.

kanyahay ra gustong ilaon ang tibuok west philippine sea.  kini gyong kaliwat ni mao, tse...

A brief discussion on ‘word limit of a review’ was also held towards the end of the session.

Shedding light on his own virtues, Hensher said he once wrote a review in just 120 words and “it is an art to make a point in 120 words”.

While most of the experts unanimously expressed their disliking for critics, Hensher went a step ahead and declared, “I hate writing. If someone gives me $20 million, then I won’t write. I would rather like to be written about.” And the audience was in splits yet again. What a session it was…

http://www.dnaindia.com/

While Dasgupta admitted that he doesn’t read reviews of his work because reviewers are mostly academics, Jensen said, “I personally don’t have respect for critics; but criticism is a dirty job and someone has to do it.”

Hensher, whose witty one-liners kept the audiences in good humour throughout the 1-hour session, said he likes the reviews which get the characters’ names correct.

When moderator Bhabha reminded the novelists on the dais that public needs reviews for getting ‘an introduction to the subject’, Jensen seconded his opinion saying, “Criticism and literature are part of the same dialogue. But criticism should be a good argumentative piece.”

Jaipur Literature Festival: Criticism is a dirty job but someone has to do it

Sunil Kumar Kumawat
Saturday, Jan 18, 2014 

Do authors really hate critics? Yes, if you go by the interaction between authors Chandrahas Choudhury, Carsten Jensen, Geoff Dyer, Rana Dasgupta and Philip Hensher during ‘Litcrit’ session on the inaugural day of Jaipur Literature Festival on Friday. The session was held in Mughal Tent on Diggi Palace premises. It was moderated (or rather dominated) by literary theorist Homi K Bhabha.

aw, salamat kay prisint kah.  and now for bai tigs...

Quote from: hubag bohol on January 18, 2014, 05:24:38 PM
"I do everything twice as fast so I can make up for the 30 years," Onoda said. "I wish someone could eat and sleep for me so I can work 24 hours a day."

i wish i could volunteer...

winning contestants: "secret"

nangita bitaw kog kurikungon.  daot na gyod tingali kog mata, hihihi.

Macalintal is right and I think it is a reasonable demand to “abolish Congress.” But there is a caveat and that is what I want to warn my readers about. It may be true that we spend a shocking amount for a useless Congress but abolishing that branch of government is not enough.

On the contrary, it has its dangerous streak. Lurking at the back of what looks like a good thing is something that can even be more tragic to Filipinos â€" absolute control of government by the executive. If you consider that it is the executive that corrupts Congress with PDAF and DAP, then it would be a mistake. Why remove one and not the other? The briber in fact is more reprehensible than the bribed.

I am glad that he adds, however, that given our predicament we ought to consider seriously the need to amend our Constitution. But I do not agree with him that “the abolition of Congress should be its first priority. “ Indeed that would be dangerous and reckless if in the interim we would be left with the dictatorship of the executive. Piecemeal amendments will not solve the evil governance that the 1987 Constitution has spurred and sustained to the detriment of the Filipino nation. We need to change the entire Constitution for a new politics with a new governmental structure.

http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2014/01/18/1280094/change-constitution-political-change

He cites even more shocking details like “P500 million was the annual budget of the Commission on Appointments made up also of senators and representatives.”

“The annual pork barrel of a senator is P200 million or a total of P4.8 billion for 24 senators; while the annual pork barrel per representative is P70 million or a total of P20.2 billion for 289 representatives.”

In effect we spent P35.2 billion for that one law passed in 2013. The one page law was RA 10632 which suspended the 2013 Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

-emphasis mine

from a Philippine Star columnist:

Change the Constitution for political change


FROM A DISTANCE
By Carmen N. Pedrosa (The Philippine Star)
January 18, 2014

I received an interesting posting from election lawyer Romulo Macalintal. He said “With only one law passed, it’s time to abolish Congress.“

He goes on to say just how much was spent by Filipino taxpayers to have that one law passed. “The very dismal performance of our legislators in 2013 with only one insignificant law enacted for that year with a whopping P35.2 billion budget, is enough justification to call for a Charter change to abolish Congress and let the provincial governors and mayors of highly urbanized cities to form the legislative assembly.“

Worse he adds that “based on the 2013 budget of Congress, the annual appropriation for the Senate and the House of Representatives was P3.3 billion and P6.4 billion respectively.”

-emphasis mine

Friends raising money to ship body of Filipina nurse slain by husband

By Bert Eljera
INQUIRER.net US Bureau
January 17th, 2014


Slain victim Daisy Casanta Dahan PHOTO FROM ELIZABETH FISHER’S FACEBOOK PAGE

LAS VEGASâ€"Friends are scrambling to raise money to send home to the Philippines the body of a Filipina nurse slain a week ago by her husband in a horrific killing in their Las Vegas home.

Elizabeth Fisher, a friend of the victim, Daisy Casanta Dahan, posted a message on her Facebook page on Wednesday asking for donations to send the slain woman’s body to her home in Bohol.

“I am again asking all my friends, family and co-workers to please, please help us raise money so we can send Daisy’s remains to her family in the Philippines,” Fisher posted on her page.

“Another devastating news we just received todayâ€"Daisy’s grandmother in the Philippines just passed away today. This is hard for the family back in the Philippines.”

Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/96945/friends-raising-money-to-ship-body-of-filipina-nurse-slain-by-husband#ixzz2qi9M4cKz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6TsA3Oomp0#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-XwxYTte6U#ws

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH2MLsWEIgg#ws

Camposano and Ann Marie said they had yet to talk to Fostanes since she won the contest early Wednesday morning, Philippine time. Most of the family watched the live-streamed contest online. Their other sister, Nancy, and Fontanes’ girlfriend, Melinda Adel, were the only ones flown off to Israel for the finals.

Fostanes’ family members noted with pride that she has joined the rank of beauty queens and athletes who have lifted the Filipinos’ spirits by making a mark on the international stage. “She’s also lifted the curse on ‘My Way,’” Ann Marie joked, referring to Fostanes’ winning Frank Sinatra cover for the finals. The song is notorious in the Philippines for causing brawls in karaoke joints.

“For everything she’s given, finally, it’s her turn to taste the good life,” Camposano said.

In a statement, Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano also praised Fostanes: “We are all so proud of Osang here in Taguig. She is indeed an epitome of hope, her powerful voice touching hearts not only of Israelis, but of all of us.”

She added: “We hope that she serves as an inspiration to all of us to reach out for their dreams.”

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/

Ann Marie said that as teens, they would sell fruits in Manila city for cash. “But singing was really her passion. Even when we were selling fruits for a living, she would sometimes join contests, or sing in restaurants. Singing was how she relaxed,” the cousin recalled.

Fostanes started working abroad at 23, first as a househelp in Egypt. She then spent a decade in Lebanon, before spending the last seven years in Israel.

In all this time, she continued to send money home to her family, having their old house in Taguig expanded. “She couldn’t really save for herself. Everything went to us,” Ann Marie said.

She added that Fostanes rarely went back home to the Philippines, because it was too expensive. The last time Fostanes was able to make it home was in January 2011, for her birthday.

With show business usually favoring only the fair, “I was scared that if she lost, that would make her depressed or give her an inferiority complex,” Camposano admitted.

“It’s not that I underestimated her. I knew she was good. But let’s admit it: these contests usually look for the whole package,” Camposano said, narrating previous local contests in which the audience would jeer at her eldest sister, even call her “a pig.”

But Camposano was firm in so far as her “Ate Osang’s” good qualities were concerned: “She is loving and generous. Everything she earned, she would spend on us, for our family’s food, medicines and house, and for our education.”

Fostanes was the eldest in a brood of four and was prompted to become the breadwinner of the family at a young age after their father left them with a sickly mother.

In an interview at Fostanes’ home community in Barangay (village) Calzada-Tipas, Taguig, Fostanes’ younger sister Gina Camposano, 45, said the family was initially shocked at the win, despite their confidence in Fostanes’ “No. 1″ voice.

“We were surprised, since usually these contests look for the ‘package deal,’ someone who also looks like an actress,” Camposano said in Tagalog, describing the usual “young and sexy” women sought by judges in these competitions.

Fostanes’ cousin Ann Marie, 40, recalled that while Fostanes had been joining local singing contests since she was four, “she would lose sometimes just because her opponent was fairer or thinner.”

‘X-Factor Israel’ winner Fostanes suffered humiliation in her country

By Jaymee T. Gamil
Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 16th, 2014


TOAST OF ISRAEL Rose Fostanes, a Filipino caregiver from Taguig, wins the first season of Israel’s “X-Factor,” with her rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” X-FACTOR ISRAEL FACEBOOK

MANILA, Philippinesâ€"”Baboy! Bumaba ka diyan! Magigiba ang stage! (Hey, pig! Get off! The stage might collapse!).”

This was the heckling suffered by Rose Fostanes, 47, back when she was joining local singing contests in the Philippines.

Now the caregiver in the Middle East is garnering only praises, after being declared the winner, despite being the lone foreign contender in the singing contest “X-Factor Israel.”

i didn't mind her story in the beginning, until i got curious because it was all over for days...

whew!  power.  what a great singer she is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WxKZIVkk5U#ws

Naga Fireballs



The Naga fireballs are a natural, inexplicable phenomenon witnessed along the Mekong River, in Thailand and Laos. They refer to the glowing, reddish balls, which vary in size and rise from the water into the air, before disappearing. The bizarre event takes place every October during the full moon. It is estimated between tens and thousands of fireballs shoot from the river, some reaching a hundred meters in height.



Though many scientists have attempted to explain the phenomenon (commonly as a spontaneous ignition of gases from the river), there is no substantial evidence to back their theories. Instead, the legend by locals â€" involving a river-haunting serpent, Naga, who shoots fireballs to celebrate the end of Buddhist lent â€" is given more credence. An annual festival is held to celebrate the Naga fireballs, one of the most beautiful natural phenomena on the planet.



http://all-that-is-interesting.com/

Moonbow



The closet relative to a rainbow, the moonbow (or lunar rainbow) is a formation of water droplets, mist and light. Unlike a rainbow, a moonbow is produced by light reflected from the moon, which mingles with the droplets of water and spraying mist, usually from a waterfall. Because of the faint light emitted from the moon, moonbows are extremely elusive, and their colors hard to discern. However, there have been many sightings, particularly at Yosemite Falls in California, Cumberland Falls in Kentucky, Victoria Falls Zambia/Zimbabwe, and Waimea on Hawaii. Moonbows are also easily viewed when the moon is full, and can also be produced when the moon is low in the sky, and the rain is falling opposite.

Fire Whirls



The fire whirls, fire devil or fire tornado, is a rare natural phenomenon. It occurs when a fire, combined by certain air temperature and currents, forms a whirl that rises into the air like a tornado. They can be actual whirlwinds that disengage from the flames, or else can become a vortex of flame. The fire whirl usually occurs during bush fires.

Red Tides



Also known as the algal bloom, the Red Tide is the rapid accumulation of estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae in a water column, which tints the water red.



When the algae, or phytoplankton, accumulate in such a manner, they form dense clouds near the water’s surface. Since the phytoplankton is usually brown, red and green, the water, naturally, reflects this color on the surface.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py-J1ZazHDM#ws

Catatumbo Lightning



The Catatumbo Lighting occurs on the mouth of the Catatumbo River at Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. It is an atmospheric delight, which creates incessant, powerful flashes of lightning. The phenomenon occurs because of a mass of storm clouds that form a voltage arc more than three miles high.

The incessant storm clouds are the result of strong winds blowing across the lake and the surrounding plains, colliding with the high mountain ridges of the surrounding Andes, Perija Mountains and Meridas Cordillera. The lightning is visible 140 to 160 nights a year, for ten hours per day, and up to 280 times every hour. This equates to over a million electrical discharges per year.







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLWIBrweSU8#t=43

Black Sun



The Black Sun is the phenomenon in Denmark, which occurs just before sunset in spring and autumn. It describes an enormous flock of European starlings (numbering hundreds of thousands), who gather from varying corners, creating an amazing pattern in the sky, almost entirely blocking the sun.

Man-made miracles, move over! These beautiful natural phenomena prove that Mother Nature is the ultimate creator:

Fire Rainbow



The Fire Rainbow is the colloquial term for the atmospheric phenomenon, circumhorizontal arc. The rainbow occurs when the sun is more than 58 degrees above the horizon, and the light emitted passes through a cirrus clouds. Cirrus clouds, which are made up of hexagonal ice crystals, must be shaped like plates parallel to the ground for the effect to occur.





When the sun’s light enters the cloud vertically, the light leaves the ice crystal from the bottom, and the crystal bends the light to form the rainbow arc. The effect is similar to what you would witness when a light is filtered through a prism, making it a beautiful natural phenomena.

Madrid, January 2014

Madrid, January 2014

A female participant reading on her tablet, tries to keep a straight face as she takes part in the “No Pants Subway Ride” in Copenhagen. Gonzales Photo/Martin Fält.

A female participant reading on her tablet, tries to keep a straight face as she takes part in the “No Pants Subway Ride” in Copenhagen. Gonzales Photo/Martin Fält.

Participants in the No Trousers on the Tube Day on the platform of Oxford Circus underground station without their trousers on.

No Trousers Tube Ride, London, January 2014

No Trousers Tube Ride, London, January 2014

Star Wars No Pants Subway Ride, Mexico City, January 2013

Mexico City, January 2013

New York, January 2012

Sydney, January 2013

mas kuyaw diay ato kay nag-run, sila nag-ride lang.

Charlie Todd, the organizer of Improv Everywhere and thus the brains behind No Pants Subway Ride

(was this image cropped to hide his 'pantlessness'?)

what's it for?  let's have a look at its organizer...

Improv Everywhere (often abbreviated IE) is a comedic performance art group based in New York City, formed in 2001 by Charlie Todd. Its slogan is "We Cause Scenes."

The group carries out pranks, which they call "missions", in public places. The stated goal of these missions is to cause scenes of "chaos and joy." Some of the group's missions use hundreds or even thousands of performers and are similar to flash mobs, while other missions utilize only a handful of performers. Improv Everywhere has stated that they do not identify their work with the term flash mob, in part because the group was created two years prior to the flash mob trend. (wikipedia)

january or may, no pants or no trousers or no subway or no metro, what it all means is that some people in some cities in the world spend the day with legs bared.

just parsing the difference...

No Pants Day is an event celebrated on the first Friday of May each year.

No Pants Subway Ride is an annual event in which transit passengers ride trains without wearing pants in January.

It is organized by Improv Everywhere and observed in dozens of cities worldwide. In the UK, where the word pants refers to underwear, the event has been translated as "No Trousers Subway Ride". In 2013, sixty cities participated in the event.

The first No Pants Subway Ride began with seven riders in 2002 in New York City. In 2006, 150 riders in New York City participated, where eight were handcuffed for disorderly conduct, but in court the charges were dismissed.

/wikipedia

Participants play a game of bubble bump soccer during an amateur championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Jan. 11, 2014. The game is played by five-a-side teams wearing inflatable balls trying to score goals against the opposing team.

http://www.voanews.com/

A combination picture shows a car, driven by stunt driver Xie Yujun, hitting carton boxes upon landing after it leaped over a section of the frozen Songhua River in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, near the border of China and Russia. Xie successfully leaped over an approximately 40 m (131 ft) wide section of the Songhua River where temperatures hit - 40°C (- 40°F), local media reported.

http://www.voanews.com/

This NASA TV handout image shows the Orbital Sciences Corporation's unmanned Cygnus cargo ship arriving at the International Space Station on the company's first regular supply mission to the research outpost.

http://www.voanews.com/

Participants of a flashmob throw pillows and feathers on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg, Germany. A few hundred people took part in the pillow fight to protest against the "danger zone" set up by the police.

http://www.voanews.com/

People walk outside T2, the new integrated terminal at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, during its inauguration in Mumbai, India. India’s overcrowded financial capital unveiled its long-awaited $2 billion new airport terminal Friday.

http://www.voanews.com/

A procession of people dressed as Santa Claus walk down the main street of Oslo, Norway. The people were headed to the Norwegian Parliament building to promote the upcoming "Santa’s Winter Games".

http://www.voanews.com/

Tibet's third holiest man, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorjee, performs a Vajra dance during the 31st Kagyu Monlam for World Peace in Bodhgaya. The Kagyu Monlam is an annual prayer festival in Bodhgaya.

http://www.voanews.com/

Pilgrims make their way to attend mass at the baptism site in Bethany, Jordan. Thousands of Catholics flocked to the site on the banks of the Jordan River to kick start the pilgrimage.

http://www.voanews.com/

Egyptian security forces clash with supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi in the Nasr City district of Cairo. Hundreds of Islamists rallied in Cairo and across the country, calling for a boycott of an upcoming constitutional referendum. 

http://www.voanews.com/

Mourners read the Koran beside the grave of Pakistani student Aitzaz Hassan, 15, who was killed in a suicide attack outside his school Thursday in Hangu district. Police have recommended the teenager, who was killed stopping a suicide bomber from attacking a school, for a top civilian honor.

http://www.voanews.com/

On Wednesday, Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista said Filipino fishermen should not give in to China threats or intimidation.

He said the fishermen should stand up for their rights and go about their normal lives.

Gazmin said a superpower like the United States should stand up against China aggressive acts.

Someone has to demonstrate strength because China has been very aggressive lately. It started with the ADIZ (air defense identification zone), and now the fishing laws, the defense chief said.

Republican Rep. Steve Chabot said China is dangerously trying to take disputed territories by gradual force with the misguided hope that Japan, Southeast Asian nations and the US will just grudgingly accept it.

http://www.philstar.com/

Officials said they would disregard the latest effort by China to assert its territorial claim.

The Philippines has warned China that the new fishing policy could escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

It added that the fishery law, which reinforces China expansive claim under the nine-dash line, is a gross violation of the international law.

China nine-dash line covers more than 100 islets, atolls and reefs and overlaps with the claims of the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei and Vietnam.

Why do we have to secure permission from other countries when they do not own our fishing grounds? he added.

When asked if the government would provide security to fishermen if the need arises, Gazmin said: Kung kinakailangan (If necessary).

China is seeking to enforce a new law requiring foreign fishing boats to seek its permission before operating in the West Philippine Sea.

The new law issued by the Hainan Provincial People Congress took effect last month and covered two million hectares of the area.

Gov’t troops ready to escort Pinoy fishermen at sea

By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star)
January 17, 2014


A view of Pag-asa Island of the Municipality of Kalayaan, Palawan. (photo from http://defenders-philippine-sovereignty.blogspot.com)/

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija, Philippines â€" The government is ready to provide security escorts to Filipino fishermen who will operate in the West Philippine Sea as the government continues to ignore China new fishing policy in the disputed area.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin stressed that the Philippines would not comply with the rules set by China, which has been shoring up its presence in the region.

We have the capability to secure them (fishermen). As said before, we would not follow their rules in our own territory, Gazmin told reporters yesterday on the sidelines of the anniversary of the Special Operations Command.

pinch-hitting usa ko for weather report samtang hilom pa si taga tigs ug bai hubs...

asa na man mo uy?

The weather bureau warned that Agaton will bring moderate to occasionally heavy rains and thunderstorms over the Eastern and Central Visayas.

Sea travel is risky over the seaboards of Luzon, Visayas and the Caraga region, PAGASA said.

Agaton is expected to be at 40 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur tomorrow morning.

By Sunday morning, it will be at 13 kilometers northeast of Davao City and at 45 kilometers northwest of General Santos City by Monday morning.

http://www.philstar.com/

PAGASA has raised public storm warning signal no. 1 over Surigao del Norte including Siargao Island, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Province, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao Oriental and Compostella Valley.

The agency said winds of 30 to 60 kilometers per hour is expected in at least 36 hours in these areas.

Moderate to heavy rainfall (five to 15 millimeters per hour) is also expected within the 300-kilometer of the first tropical depression to hit the country this year.

2014's first cyclone develops near Yolanda-hit Eastern Visayas

By Louis Bacani (philstar.com)
January 17, 2014

MANILA, Philippines - The low pressure area (LPA) that has brought rains in the Visayas and Mindanao has intensified into Tropical Depression "Agaton," the state weather bureau said before Friday noon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Agaton was spotted at 260 kilometers southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar or 130 kilometers northeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.

Agaton is packed with maximum winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center and is projected to move southwest at five kilometers per hour.

MANILA â€" Students from the Philippines won a total of 745 medals and trophies in various math competitions abroad in 2013, the highest since 1996.

According to the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines (MTG), the medal haul consists of 120 gold medals or trophies, 273 silver medals or trophies, and 352 medals or trophies in ten international math contests.

“This is the biggest medal haul of the Philippines since 1996,” MTG president Dr. Simon Chua said in a statement released Thursday.

It was 1996 when MTG started sending Filipino students to math contests abroad.

Last year, the group sent Filipino delegates to math contests in Bulgaria, China, Turkey, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

“Despite our meager resources, we continue to train Filipino students for international math contests. We surpassed our goals last year and we hope that we will continue our success this year,” Chua said.

In 2012, the Philippines won a total of 183 medals in math contests abroad.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

PH won 745 awards from math contests in 2013

ABS-CBNnews.com
01/16/2014


Filipino students and coaches show the awards they have received in various competitions abroad. Photo courtesy of MTG

hahay, what people will do just to sell...

hinaot pizot nga amerikano.

thanks for the prayers, loll and chigs.

i know that this is a myth; way beyond science.  ambot ba ngano intawon nga my oldest cat in cebu, at 11 years old, naa tawoy cancerous tumor.  the vet had told me to just give her the best to ease the pain.  di na ma-operahan kay more than 5 years old na kuno, lisod na.  human na kog hilak.  nitugon na lang ko nga kun maglisod na gani, bring her to the vet and have her put down painlessly.

they say that pets save humans by taking some of the sting of their diseases away.  naluoy tawon pag-ayo akong sister sa among iring.  (my sister is with my cats more than i am.) 

this is not the first time.  the years have shown me that even if all our pets were actually mine, every time my sister was hospitalized, a dog or a cat also got sick.

uuuyyy, ka-cute ninyong duha uy.  ichigo truly likes you, that's why bag-id-bag-id siya.

all alone am i na ko sa manila.  the banana left on a trip yesterday.  mahadlok baya ko, mao nga when fear grips me, mangadye na lang ko dayon.  at least, i am assured that our place here has 24-hour security.