MikeLigalig.com

In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration said a fistful of nuts a day as part of a low-fat diet may reduce the risk of heart disease. The heart association recommends four servings of unsalted, unoiled nuts a week and warns against eating too many, since they are dense in calories.

The new research combines two studies that started in the 1980s on 76,464 female nurses and 42,498 male health professionals. They filled out surveys on food and lifestyle habits every two to four years, including how often they ate a serving (1 ounce) of nuts.

Study participants who often ate nuts were healthier â€" they weighed less, exercised more and were less likely to smoke, among other things. After taking these and other things into account, researchers still saw a strong benefit from nuts.

"Sometimes when you eat nuts you eat less of something else like potato chips," so the benefit may come from avoiding an unhealthy food, Sacco said.

The Harvard group has long been known for solid science on diets. Its findings build on a major study earlier this year â€" a rigorous experiment that found a Mediterranean-style diet supplemented with nuts cuts the chance of heart-related problems, especially strokes, in older people at high risk of them.

Many previous studies tie nut consumption to lower risks of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and other maladies.

Observational studies like this one can't prove cause and effect, only suggest a connection. Research on diets is especially tough, because it can be difficult to single out the effects of any one food.

People who eat more nuts may eat them on salads, for example, and some of the benefit may come from the leafy greens, said Dr. Robert Eckel, a University of Colorado cardiologist and former president of the American Heart Association.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, a University of Miami neurologist who also is a former heart association president, agreed.

"There's a general perception that if you eat more nuts you're going to get fat. Our results show the opposite," said Dr. Ying Bao of Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

She led the study, published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. The National Institutes of Health and the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation sponsored the study, but the nut group had no role in designing it or reporting the results.

Researchers don't know why nuts may boost health. It could be that their unsaturated fatty acids, minerals and other nutrients lower cholesterol and inflammation and reduce other problems, as earlier studies seemed to show.

The risk of dying of heart disease dropped 29 percent and the risk of dying of cancer fell 11 percent among those who had nuts seven or more times a week compared with people who never ate them.

The benefits were seen from peanuts as well as from pistachios, almonds, walnuts and other tree nuts. The researchers did not look at how the nuts were prepared â€" oiled or salted, raw or roasted.

A bonus: Nut eaters stayed slimmer.

Study ties nuts to lower cancer, heart death risk

By Marilynn Marchione (Associated Press)
November 23, 2013


Shelled pecans at Navarro Pecan Company in Corsicana, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

DALLAS â€" Help yourself to some nuts this holiday season: Regular nut eaters were less likely to die of cancer or heart disease â€" in fact, were less likely to die of any cause â€" during a 30-year Harvard study.

Nuts have long been called heart-healthy, and the study is the largest ever done on whether eating them affects mortality.

Researchers tracked 119,000 men and women and found that those who ate nuts roughly every day were 20 percent less likely to die during the study period than those who never ate nuts. Eating nuts less often also appeared to lower the death risk, in direct proportion to consumption.

Would there be dissent now from Wyoming veterans about dismantling the memorial at Warren? Sestak doesn’t think so.

“There are 55,000 veterans in Wyoming,” he noted. “I don’t think there’s 100 of them who know enough about the bells to carry on a conversation about them.”

Kerry Drake is the Star-Tribune opinion editor. Write to him at kerry.drake@trib.com.

Copyright 2013 Casper Star-Tribune Online. All rights reserved.

http://trib.com/opinion/

Another person who changed her mind about the fate of the bells is E. Jean Wall, daughter of the sentry, Gamlin, who was overpowered by the Balangiga police chief. She long believed the bells should stay in U.S. hands, but a trip to Balangiga helped convince her they belonged there.


U.P. NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON THE BALANGIGA ATTACK OF 1901. Jean Wall, daughter of Pvt. Adolph Gamlin, receives a present from U.P. Tacloban College Dean Viola Siozon. (http://www.oocities.org/)

Wall, who made an impassioned plea to the veterans commission in 2005 to return the bells, was instrumental in converting Sestak to her cause. He said he still keeps in touch with the Phoenix woman, and shares her dream.

“Do I think the bells should go back to the Philippines, just so they can be put in a museum in Manila? No,” Sestak said emphatically. “They belong in Balangiga, in the church belfry.”

With renewed interest from the Philippines in seeking the bells again, the issue is back in the news.

The Catholic church has long maintained that it is the rightful owner of the bells, which it believes should never have become war trophies.

Sestak said the people of Balangiga were poor, but the church managed to raise enough money to have the bells cast.


Balangiga's memorial marking the Balangiga massacre 112 years ago. Picture by JR Espejo

At some point, the Fort Russell bells and cannon were relegated to a basement, where they stayed for the next 50 years until a local gunsmith expressed interest in restoring the cannon. When military historians rediscovered the forgotten relics, there was a push to again display them as a memorial to the fallen Americans.

But Sestak said no one from Wyoming was involved in the Battle of Balangiga.

“Wyoming has no connection at all with the bells,” he recalled. “The 11th Infantry just brought them here and left.”

Why did the state’s staunchest opponent of returning the bells change his mind? Sestak said as he learned more about what actually happened in Balangiga, it became clear this wasn’t just about the Wyoming memorial.

When the 11th Infantry returned from the Philippines, its first post was Fort D.A. Russell, which later became F.E. Warren AFB. The bells, along with a cannon also taken from Balangiga, were put on display at Fort Russell in 1904.



When the regiment left the fort, though, they left their war booty behind. The 9th Infantry, which had captured a third bell at Balangiga, has taken it to every new post since. This bell, which is believed to be the one that actually signaled Filipinos to attack, is now in a military museum in South Korea.

The retired officer explained last week that his biggest objection then was that Ramos only wanted to obtain the bells for political reasons, to help keep his party in power. “(Ramos’) requests were denied for the right reasons,” Sestak said.

But Philippine officials didn’t give up their quest, and to the shock of many observers, in 2005 the Wyoming Veterans Affairs Commission voted 7-4 to recommend returning the bells. Sestak, a member of the commission, voted in favor of the move.

Citing continued opposition from other veterans, though, then-Gov. Dave Freudenthal rejected the advice.

“We’re opposed to dismantling memorials to our fallen comrades,” Sestak told Wyoming officials back in 1997.

He particularly didn’t like a compromise plan that would have allowed both the military base and the Philippines to keep one bell and one replica.

“In 100 years, are we going to dismantle the Vietnam Wall and send half of it to Vietnam?” Sestak asked.

Wyoming’s veterans service organizations unanimously opposed returning the bells, and the state’s congressional delegation agreed. The two bells at F.E. Warren stayed put at Trophy Park on the parade ground.

Disguised as women, the Filipinos stashed their weapons in the coffins of children who they said died of cholera. Fearing the plague, the soldiers didn’t inspect the coffins as they were carried to the Catholic church.

Once the “mourners” were in the church, a 23-year-old sentry, Adolph Gamlin, walked past the Balangiga police chief. The Filipino suddenly grabbed the soldier’s rifle and smashed the butt across his head.

The church bell rang out, signaling the Filipino forces to attack. Gamlin was one of the few who survived without serious injury, but all of the officers were killed.

Sestak, a retired Air Force colonel who lives in Laramie, didn’t always feel this way. In fact, while he was serving as the department commander of the Wyoming American Legion 15 years ago, he firmly believed it would be a grave injustice for his nation to acquiesce to Philippine President Fidel Ramos’ request to ship the bells back.

After all, two of the three bells that had been taken were on display at F.E. Warren Air Force Base near Cheyenne, as a symbol of the brave Americans who were slaughtered that morning in the previously peaceful town of Balangiga.

Veteran now wants bells back in Balangiga

KERRY DRAKE
June 17, 2012

Joe Sestak believes Wyoming’s controversial Bells of Balangiga belong in only one place.

Balangiga.

Specifically, the church in the Philippine village where the bells were seized in 1901 by American troops after Filipino freedom fighters ambushed an army regiment, killing 48 of the 78 men as they ate breakfast.

Balangiga Church

balangiga.co.nr
Two of the three Bells of Balangiga are displayed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne. They’re part of a memorial to 46 U.S. troops killed by Filipino insurgents in 1901. A third bell is with a U.S. Army regiment in South Korea.

syalan ba... arang gajod, hahaha!

will this make them better shooters?

on sekandtots, anha ra ko motuo kun no chests push ups.

great! bisan na man lang ako, makakita kog bata, labi na kun mosimos pero listo mo-amen, aw, di gyod nako makalimtan ang ginikanan.  doble respeto.

kanyahay ra nagpasalamat sa tabang, unya wa gyoy reklamo nga focused sa yolanda disaster ang national consciousness bisan tuod ug tabangonon pa hangtod karon.  makasabot.  it's more fun in...

...being boholano.

they can eat although their meals may never be feasts.  as yet.  they may have access to drinking water now and then.  they may have their bath in rivers and wells if ever there are wells.  but where in the world could they comfortably dispose of their body wastes?   

humbling.  how can i ever complain about anything when i'm beyond all this?  i need to thank god more...

bohol earthquake aftermath (chicogon/photobucket.com/albums/ae252/roromusic2009)

Quote from: chicogon on November 23, 2013, 06:48:05 AM


Young kid by the outdoor abuhan

love this.  not the situation but the artistry of the shot.  may i post this in another thread here, fr chic.  on 'innocence amidst devastation...'

Quote from: chicogon on November 23, 2013, 06:45:09 AM


A little debriefing sessions with barrio folks based on my Hurricane Katrina experiences

Quote from: chicogon on November 23, 2013, 06:46:45 AM


Pose with folks who knew my dad and grandfather, the former mayor

wow!  touching.

to date, china had made and continues to make moves at the following:

Panganiban (Mischief) Reef - since 1995
distance from palawan (philippines): 112 nautical miles
distance from hainan island (china): 335 nautical miles

Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag Shoal, Scarborough Shoal) - alleged effective occupation since last year
distance from zambales (philippines): 137 nautical miles
distance from hainan island (china): at least 500 nautical miles

Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal - recent moves
distance from palawan and pag-asa (philippines) - 105.77 nautical miles and 97 nautical miles
distance from hainan island (china) - 800 nautical miles

note: though distance is not usually a factor in territorial claims, it is so in this particular case of claims by the philippines because these disputed territories are within the 200-nautical mile distance of the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

understanding a bit the philippines claim

The Philippines had been seeking to align its position in the WPS (West Philippine Sea) with international law. In 2009, the country passed its baselines law, wherein the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc were placed under a “regime of islands” consistent with UNCLOS, signaling that Manila has no interest in drawing EEZs (Exclusive Economic Zone) and ECSs ( Extended Continental Shelf ) for its WPS features, which would excessively expand the country’s maritime entitlements and cause it to overlap with the maritime claims of other SCS (South China Sea) disputants. The Philippines is also advocating a rules-based approach that calls for the delineation of areas under dispute from those that are undisputed, to facilitate talks on functional cooperation or joint development in disputed areas. This position had been communicated at regional meetings and summits on the SCS issue. The recent filing of a legal challenge against China’s claims in the WPS can also be understood as resorting to international law to encourage a rival claimant to clarify the extent, nature and bases of its claims. 

Lucio Blanco Pitlo III is an MA Asian Studies student from the University of the Philippines Asian Center specializing in maritime security issues and Philippine foreign policy. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

for the whole article, the link: http://thediplomat.com/2013/10/the-philippines-and-the-west-philippine-sea/1/

ICJ Judge Xue Hanqin


Prof. Herminio Harry L. Roque Jr.

addendum: if china feels so right about their territorial claims, does it mean that all other countries around it that are in various stages of territorial disputes with it, are all wrong?  consider these countries: russia, india, japan, the various other claimants of certain islands and islets of the spratlys---vietnam, brunei, taiwan, malaysia and the philippines.  and over and above them all, it's china that's right?

hehehe, sounds like a german jew ug kaliwat, considered kuno as one of the diaspora surnames.  he must have a historic family line. 

so this judge xue hanqin is the chinese female judge in the international court of justice (ICJ).   

our own miriam defensor santiago is a judge in the international criminal court (ICC).

never the twain shall meet as judges.

Quote from: islander on November 22, 2013, 07:13:57 PM
Her first was that the Philippine claim involved territorial claims which is outside the purview of UNCLOS.

ooops.  are we then, on the right track?  and why did our american arbitration lawyer accept the job?  he must know something...

QuoteShe added though that “since the end of World War II, the international community, has acknowledged the existence of China’s nine-dash lines with no country ever questioning it until oil resources were discovered in the area.”

and i thought the world knew about the nine-dash line only when china started moving in, when they learned about the existence of oil resources in the area.

QuoteWithout expounding on the nature of the lines, she claimed that it is “not considered as a boundary line” and they “have not affected international navigation in the area.” She claimed that there was “”no international law applied in this regard to the region.”

if the lines are not boundary lines, why claim what's bound by those lines as their own?

While Judge Xue’s intervention made our panel, without a doubt, the most memorable exchange in the conference, her declarations provided us with many answers that China has refused to give us.

We have Judge Xue to thank for this. â€" KDM, GMA News


Prof. H. Harry L. Roque, Jr. is an Associate Professor at the UP College of Law and the Chairperson of the Center For International Law. This piece originally appeared in his website on November 21. We are re-posting it here with his permission. (GMA News)

What the Philippines did “was to begin with the “complicated part of the South China Sea dispute” rather then with easier ones such as “disaster management.” This later pronouncement all but confirmed that the very limited humanitarian assistance extended to the Philippines by China in the aftermath of Yolanda was because of the Philippine resort to arbitration.

Judge Xue ended her intervention by exhorting the Philippines to consider joint use of the disputed waters, a matter that, according to her, has been successfully resorted to by China and Vietnam.

Fourth, Judge Xue explained that China opted out of the arbitration because “no country can fail to see the design” of the Philippine claim which she described as having “mixed up jurisdiction with the merits.”

She opined that the Philippines’ resort to arbitration complicated what she described as an “impressive process between Asean and China.”

Third, she said that, as China’s first Ambassador to Asean, she knows that the countries of Asean and China have agreed to a code of conduct relating to the South China Sea. Under this code, disputes must be resolved through negotiations and not through arbitration. She claimed that this obligation was “a substantive obligation binding on all claimant states.”

Second, Judge Xue argued that 40 countries, including China, made declarations to the dispute settlement procedure of the UNCLOS. According to her, this means “these 40 states have not accepted the dispute settlement of the Convention as being compulsory”. She added that “when countries joined UNCLOS I, they are not deemed to have given up all their previous territorial claims.”

Her first was that the Philippine claim involved territorial claims which is outside the purview of UNCLOS. She added though that “since the end of World War II, the international community, has acknowledged the existence of China’s nine-dash lines with no country ever questioning it until oil resources were discovered in the area.”

Without expounding on the nature of the lines, she claimed that it is “not considered as a boundary line” and they “have not affected international navigation in the area.” She claimed that there was “”no international law applied in this regard to the region.”

Judge Xue explained that, since she was the only Chinese present in the conference because the Chinese delegates were denied visas by Indian authorities, took the floor for the next 20 minutes and for the first time expounded extensively on the Chinese position on the Philippine arbitral claim.

This was unusual because magistrates, be it from domestic or international courts, will normally refuse to comment on an actual dispute, which could come to their court for adjudication. This certainly applies to the West Philippines Sea dispute.

Judge Xue raised four crucial points.

underscoring is the poster's

The Chinese Judge to the International Court of Justice, Judge Xue Hanqin, was present in the conference. Judge Xue is the highest woman official in China prior to her election to the Court.

Previously, she served as chief legal adviser and head of the treaties office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Ambassador to the Netherlands and Asean. She is said to have been groomed to be part of the Central Bureau of China’s People’s Party had she not opted to join the ICJ.

While Judge Xue and I have been good friends, having served together in the Executive Council of the Asian Society of International Law for the past six years, I knew it would still be awkward to have her listening to my paper. But the most unusual thing happened after my 25-minute presentation.

Further, while I acknowledged that China’s reservations on maritime delimitation and law enforcement activities in the exercise of sovereign rights were more challenging obstacles to hurdle, they were not insurmountable because the language of the Philippine claim does not call for a ruling involving any of the reservations made by China.



My paper assumed that the Tribunal’s jurisdiction over China as party to the proceedings was well settled. This is because China, as a party to the UNCLOS, has accepted the dispute settlement procedure of the Convention, together with all the provisions of the Convention which were all adopted on the basis of consensus.

My paper argued that the issues that the Philippines brought to the arbitral claims, to wit, the validity of China’s nine-dash lines, whether certain low-tide elevations where China has built installations pertain to the Philippines as part of its continental shelf; and whether the waters surrounding the territorial sea of Panatag form part of the Philippines EEZ are issues of interpretation of specific provisions of the UNCLOS and hence, were within the compulsory and binding dispute settlement procedure of the UNCLOS.

A judge from China speaks up on our arbitral claim on the West Philippine Sea

By HARRY ROQUE
November 22, 2013

Author's Note: Participants to the recently concluded 4th biennial Conference of the Asian Society of International Law in New Delhi, India last November 15, 2017 for the first time heard the Chinese position on the Philippine arbitral claim on the West Philippines Sea dispute.

In the said conference, I delivered a paper entitled “What next after the Chinese Snub? Examining the UNCLOS dispute settlement procedure: Philippines vs. China.”

Quote from: Lorenzo on November 22, 2013, 05:43:16 PM
Let's hope he doesn't involve himself in supporting insurgents and pro-autonomy political entities in the south. I have my doubts on this guy, however.

my sense is that he won't.  we have no ethnic cleansing here, unlike kosovo and bolivia.  besides, our government is always u.s.-friendly.  no evo morales here, no slobodan milosivic.  he can talk to nur misuari for all we care.

quite a character.  and résumé.

A child plays with a used tire in Salvacion, Basey.

that croc is on stem cell therapy.

congrats!  hinaot di halang your eyes.

Quote from: hubag bohol on November 22, 2013, 04:37:39 PM
Inosente kuno sa strategic relevance sa itlog, ay...

not at all, sir.  got to believe in magic... kun molugwa, ayaw pagkarsones aron way molugwa.  kun mahadlok nga mapilasan ang lubot kay way karsones, pwes, ibilin ang itlog sa balay, ibutang ug kaang, tabuni ug plato nga sartin, aron di tangagon sa inyong iring.  

basa tuod.  but there seems to be no strong winds, at least. 

what a beautiful workplace you have there, loll.  such peace and quiet and pleasant a sight.

ambassador nga nakatilaw ug "expulsion" even if the reason is to please local politics must be a war veteran in the figurative sense.

cool.

Quote from: hubag bohol on November 22, 2013, 04:20:45 PM
Molugwa man pud atong itlog sa pagsinikad ani...

itlog ba diay isikad...

Quote from: hubag bohol on November 22, 2013, 04:23:29 PM
"Think again, Nancy." --Sluggo

my vote is for nancy and sluggo.

issuing a written statement again, for the media to base their news stories on.

give her credit for hiring good spinmeisters.  the timing of her issuances have been good.  so are most of the contents.  one never hears her talk or give a speech articulating such ideas.  her image makers must be top-of-the-line.

vox populi, vox dei, nancy?  hah!  deus patris tui erit vester.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives committee on suffrage and electoral reforms unanimously approved the Anti-Political Dynasty Act of 2013.

The measure seeks to ban the relatives of an incumbent official up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity from running in the same elections.


http://www.philstar.com/

The neophyte senator's family is one of the known political dynasties in the country. Her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, was the Makati City mayor for several years before being elected as the second highest executive official in the land.

Her brother Junjun Binay is now the Makati mayor while her sister, Abigail, is a congresswoman representing the city's second district.

well, someone is starting to fire off as her foot had been stepped on.

Quote from: islander on November 21, 2013, 10:27:17 PMDeputy Majority Leader Abigail Binay
daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay
sister to Senator Nancy Binay
(sister to Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay)

Nancy Binay criticizes anti-political dynasty bill

By Louis Bacani (philstar.com)
November 22, 2013



MANILA, Philippines - Senator Nancy Binay railed against the Anti-Political Dynasty bill after it finally hurdled the committee level at the House of Representatives earlier this week.

"The Anti-political dynasty bill may limit what the Constitution says about who can run. It may also go against the principle of Vox Populi, Vox Dei," the senator said in a statement.

Binay said what the public should instead be watchful of is the appointing of members of one family to key and high positions in the government.

Red tape

Asked how the MNCC handles the notoriously slow bureaucratic system in the Philippines, Batino said: “We have to process the military support. We have our rules to follow. We have to issue clearances and government agency permits.”

“These are the things that we want to coordinate to accelerate the [delivery] of government support,” Batino said.


http://globalnation.inquirer.net/

Seven C-130s from the United States, Australia and Japan and several foreign helicopters have been flying relief missions with others standing by “for immediate deployment if necessary,” Bautista added.

US Lt. Gen. John Wissler, head of the US military contingent, said that after Yolanda struck Eastern Visayas, “the situation on the ground was chaotic but would be chaotic in any part of the world because of the tremendous devastation.”

He said coordination with the Philippine government allowed the foreign countries wanting to help to hit the ground running when they arrived in the typhoon-hit areas.

“It was not a happy scene by any stretch, but the force that came on the ground was ready to be employed quickly,” Wissler said.

Muscle

AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista said the foreign contingents had a total of 61 airplanes and 14 naval vessels, aside from hundreds of rescue and medical personnel responding “swiftly and regularly to areas of critical and immediate needs for resource and relief.”

The United States has 13 naval vessels positioned southeast of Samar Island and east of Leyte Island to augment relief operations in Tacloban City, Guiuan, Palo, Borongan and Kalikawan, Bautista said.

The HMAS Daring of the United Kingdom is anchored northeast of Panay Island servicing the relief operations in Capiz province.

The Israeli Defense Force has a composite team of medical personnel, engineers and search-and-rescue personnel, according to Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Menashe Bar-On.

Israel has also dispatched an advanced mobile hospital with 100 tons of humanitarian and medical supplies, which will be based in Bago, Cebu province, to attend to the medical needs of typhoon survivors.

The Australian government has also sent a hospital ship, which has already served hundreds of survivors, some of whom sustained severe injuries that needed surgeries, Barta said.

The council was organized on Nov. 16 “to coordinate and synchronize military-to-military operations between member countries along with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),” Batino said.

It is the first time for the AFP to work with foreign militaries on the same council to “accelerate humanitarian and disaster relief operations and to fully maximize” each country’s efforts, he said.

The Israeli government has called its help mission, “Operation: Islands of Hope.”

‘Starting point’

The Philippines and China have been embroiled in a territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) for decades, with tensions rising in January after Manila took their dispute to the United Nations for arbitration.

Asked at a news conference about China’s absence from the council, Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino said the 16 countries were a “starting point.”

“We expect that there are foreign militaries that want to take advantage of the MNCC. We will welcome all the support that we will be getting, specifically for the MNCC, all the military support,” Batino said.

“Our friendship has been long term. Our commitment remains long term and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people of the Philippines. After a formal request from the government of the Philippines, the United States arrived and ready to help along with other nations,” said Tina Malone, spokesperson for the US Embassy.

“Our role was to amplify the government of the Philippines’ response by providing extra help in a time of need in the spirit of damayan,” Malone added.

China, which has one of the world’s biggest and most capable militaries, has already sent aid to the typhoon survivors but is not yet on the MNCC list.

“Our shared histories with the Philippines go a long way back. Friendship is not just about the good times. Friendship is also about the bad times, too,” Lt. Col. Paul Barta told the Inquirer.

The 16 countries on the council are the Philippines, Australia, United States, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Sweden, Vietnam, South Korea, New Zealand, Spain, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel.

16 foreign armed forces helping PH

By Nikko Dizon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Friday, November 22nd, 2013


A FIRST FOR SINO SHIP Peace Ark, a Chinese Navy hospital ship, leaves a base in Zhoushan, east of Shanghai, for a relief mission to the typhoon-devastated Philippines. It is considered the first Chinese Navy ship to enter Philippine waters with Manila’s “consent” since the maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea between the two countries ensued. AP/EUGENE HOSHIKO

Friends in good times and bad.

This was how the Australian defense attaché summed up Thursday the Multinational Coordinating Council (MNCC) of the Philippine government and the armed forces of 16 countries working together for faster and more efficient distribution of relief to the survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in the Eastern Visayas.

spared diay mo sa inyong dapit sa gi-news nga baha sa davao, loll.  salamat sa kalangitan.

The official death toll stands at 3,976 with 1,602 people missing. The United Nations estimates up to four million people have been displaced, of whom only 350,000 have found shelter in evacuation centers.

Goldberg said he was taking up his new diplomatic posting with “mixed emotions.”

While he was honored to be the next US ambassador, “it’s hard to think of the suffering of so many people in the Philippines in recent weeks and all they’ve endured without a touch of sadness and without being moved,” Goldberg said.

But he paid tribute to the Filipino spirit, saying the people are “warm, but they’re also tough and resilient. There should be no doubt that they will bounce back. I have no doubt.”


http://globalnation.inquirer.net/

US Embassy in Manila, Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO

So far, the US has delivered about 1,780 tons of food, with about 13,000 US forces helping to deliver the goods to the stricken areas devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan on November 8.

“We are going to continue to work to try to reach these devastated areas,” Kerry said, adding that Goldberg had accelerated his departure to leave for Manila on Monday.

The top US diplomat also thanked the Senate for rushing through Goldberg’s confirmation, “because we want to have our ambassador on the ground in the Philippines to deal with the challenges of emergency assistance.”

New US envoy to Philippines sworn in

Agence France-Presse
Friday, November 22nd, 2013


US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg
PHOTO FROM STATE.GOV

WASHINGTON â€" US Ambassador to the Philippines Phil Goldberg hastily took his new post Thursday so he could head to Manila and help coordinate America’s aid to the typhoon-shattered nation.

“As we struggle to respond to this human disaster, we’re proud that we’re sending to the Philippines the right person for the job,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said as he swore in Goldberg.

Possed by evil?
How do u know if ur possed by the devil, are their any signs??

A: Inability to spell.

***

Did I get bit by a spider?
So I was sitting around then i get a tinkling pain on my toe, i looked seeing a very small cut with 2 small holes one redder than the other also looks connected with a skined line. I tryed taking a pic but was to blurry. was it a bite? was it just a house hold spider?

A: Try jumping from a roof to another roof. If you make it, you were bit by a spider, but if you don't, then it won't matter anymore.

***

This question is for the boys?
What do you do to show a girl you like them?

A: I pee on them to let them know they are mine.

BEST ANSWERS TO BEST STUPID QUESTIONS
(from various sources)


Why doesn't the earth fall down?

A: Because it can fly.

***

How do I ask a question on Yahoo Answers?

A: You just did, Nostradamus!

***

My bro has not got his first period yet?
I'm 11 and I have mine and my brothers 17 and he hasn't got his yet?  Takes longer because he's a boy?

A: Yeah it just takes longer for boys.

at least, no gasoline expense, hehe.

Quote from: islander on November 22, 2013, 01:35:12 PMIf a cat always lands on its feet, and buttered bread always lands butter side down, what would happen if you tied buttered bread on top of a cat?

A: truth be told, buttered bread will remain on top of the cat.  cats rule, you know.  in fact, if you do this to a cat, you can be sure he'll land right smack on your face.

Quote from: islander on November 22, 2013, 01:35:12 PMWhy does Donald Duck wear a towel when he comes out of the shower, when he doesn't usually wear any pants?

A: an expert who doesn't wear pants can answer this best.  pikoy, asa ra ka?

Quote from: Lorenzo on November 22, 2013, 01:45:27 PM
bwahahaha! clostridium tetani be damnned, ma tiklo lagi ni sila sa formalin.      

oh, you want to embalm them first then?

Quote from: islander on November 22, 2013, 01:35:12 PM
If you mated a bull dog and a shitsu, would it be called a b_llsh_t?

A: a better option is two take the last two syllables of the names of the two breeds instead.  that would spare the dog from being mistaken for a philippine legislator.  dogsu is fine.  to make it more exotic, reverse it.  usdog.  wow!  it speaks of your family.

Quote from: islander on November 22, 2013, 01:31:06 PMWhy do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but people don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?

A: pointing to the crotch won't help you tell the time, okay?  meanwhile, do watch out that when you point to your wrist, you don't make the mistake of wetting your pants, okay?

Quote from: islander on November 22, 2013, 01:31:06 PM
Why do they sterilize needles for lethal injections?

A: it's called a humane act.  the condemned may die, but please, let's spare them from tetanus.

Quote from: islander on November 22, 2013, 01:31:06 PM
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

A: not necessarily. morons can also electrify.

If you mated a bull dog and a shitsu, would it be called a b_llsh_t?

Why does Donald Duck wear a towel when he comes out of the shower, when he doesn't usually wear any pants?

If a cat always lands on its feet, and buttered bread always lands butter side down, what would happen if you tied buttered bread on top of a cat?

IN NEED OF INTELLIGENT ANSWERS

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Why do they sterilize needles for lethal injections?

Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but people don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?

tagpila?  i want a dozen.

naa baya pod taas kaayo nga bisaya nga word...

this is according to a priest friend who finished his theology in the u.s. and was assigned to a hospital for special training on clinical-pastoral psychology:

he fell in love with a nurse.  suwat tawon siya sa iyang mama nga di na lang siya magpari.  aguy, gitubag man kuno siya ug taas kaayo nga suwat.  way laing gisuwat ang inahan kundi sumpay-sumpay sa tanang balikas nga nahibaw-an.  tua, napari lagi siyag dayon, hahaha! 

p.s. he turned out to be a real and popular good priest in cebu.

1. 
[Titin’s Chemical Name]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx0kMizIioI#

This 189,819-letter word shall not be printed in its entirety, partially because it is literally too big to print (without filling the space of a short novella that is), and would be a waste of time and hard drive space.  Along the same lines as the last example, it is a derivation of the chemical components that comprise the protein; abridged, the word is “Methionylthreonylthreonyl…isoleucine,” really not worth seeing sprawled-out if for a single-purpose novelty (the only real purpose a chemical name could possibly serve).


Written By Ryan Thomas
http://www.toptenz.net/

2.
Methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucylphenyl-
alanylalanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysylglutamyl-
glycylalanylphenylalanylvalylprolylphenylalanylvalylthreonyl-
leucylglycylaspartylprolylglycylisoleucylglutamylglutaminyl-
serylleucyllysylisoleucylaspartylthreonylleucylisoleucylglutamy-
lalanylglycylalanylaspartylalanylleucylglutamylleucylglycylisoleucyl-
prolylphenylalanylserylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylproly-
lthreonylisoleucylglutaminylaspfraginylalanylthreonylleucylarginy-
lalanylphenylalanylalanylalanylglycylvalylthreonylprolylalanyl-
glutaminylcysteinylphenylalanylglutamylmethionylleucylalany-
lleucylisoleucylarginylglutaminyllysylhistidylprolylthreonylisoleucyl-
prolylisoleucylglycylleucylleucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginy-
lleucylvalylphenylalanylasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartyl-glutamylphenylalanyltyrosylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamylly-sylvalylglycylvalylaspartylserylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalyl-prolylvalylglutaminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphenylalanylarginyl-glutaminylalanylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginylvalylalanyl-prolylisoleucylphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspartylalanyl-aspartylaspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginylglutaminylisoleucylalanyl-seryltyrosylglycylarginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrosylleucylleucylseryl-arginylalanylglycylvalylthreonylglycylalanylglutamylasparaginyl-arginylalanylalanylleucylprolylleucylasparaginylhistidylleucylvalyl-alanyllysylleucyllysylglutamyltyrosylasparaginylalanylalanylprolyl-prolylleucylglutaminylglycylphenylalanylglycylisoleucylserylalanyl-prolylaspartylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylaspartylalanyl-glycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylserylalanylisoleucyl-valyllysylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhistidylasparaginy-lisoleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethionylleucylalanylalanyl-leucyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylprolylmethionyllysylalanyl-alanylthreonylarginylserine

What you just stared at is the 1913-letter chemical name for tryptophan synthetase, a protein (an enzyme, to be exact) with 267 amino acids.  Of course, it’s completely impractical to actually utter this prankster’s approach to making huge words (the largest one in print), and just looking at it for too long might even lead you to believe there are words and phrases hidden in there like a word search (if you look closely the word “party” shows up a few times, as does something resembling “asparagus”).  Of course, when you cut-and-paste such a word (rather than risk missing even a single letter, for accuracy’s sake), you risk looking like an ass by not thoroughly combing through that contrived brick-o’-letters.

you ain't seen nutin' yet.

3.
Lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphioparaomelito-katakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptekephalliokigklopeleiolagoio-siraiobaphetraganopterygon

This word, which shan’t be uttered twice, is a transliteration of a word coined by Greek author Aristophanes in his comic play Assemblywomen.  Containing 171 letters, it is the longest word appearing in literature and refers to a fictional dish; the word quite literally is just the smooshing together of the 17 ingredients contained within (including sharks, pigeons, honey, and various unappetizing animal parts).  Don’t expect to see this listed on any menu, as there surely wouldn’t be enough room to list anything else.

Quote from: Lorenzo on November 22, 2013, 11:24:17 AM
ahahaha! aw, pwede ni i use sa examples sa medical term class.

yeah.  you'll grade your students for correct spelling and not for diagnosing correctly.

4.
Aequeosalinocalcalinoceraceoaluminosocupreovitriolic

This 52-letter word was engendered by Dr. Edward Strother in order to describe spa waters of Bath, England in a single word.  The sum of individually-meaningful parts, the word altogether means roughly, “equally salty, calcium-rich, waxy, containing aluminum and copper, and vitriolic.”  Of course this word has very few applications elsewhere.  Unless maybe you were talking about some kind of 9V-battery-powered robotic chicken wing.

5.  Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

The term refers to a kind of lung disease caused by a finely-powdered silica dust.  This word, containing 45 letters, does appear in the dictionary, but was created primarily just for the sake of a long word.  An equivalent of what the word is going for, albeit by taking the long way home, is a condition simply called silicosis.  Any doctor diagnosing the former is obviously getting paid by the hour.