MikeLigalig.com

"In essence, the prosperity gospels appeal to the culture of self-improvement and upward social mobility in capitalist societies," Chong said, adding that the followers tend to come mostly from the "emergent middle class".

The church's website exhorts members to donate money as a "form of worship" and lists acceptable credit cards.

"As we give, we have faith that He will never shortchange us," the website says.

"He will certainly bless our lives abundantly in return, because we can never out-give God!"

Give and you shall receive

Terence Chong, a sociologist at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said some independent churches like City Harvest preach the "prosperity gospels" which seek to convince followers that offerings made to God through donations and voluntarism will be rewarded with spiritual and material blessings.

Singapore is one of the world’s wealthiest societies, with a per capita income of Sg$65,048 ($51,800) in 2012 according to official data.

"Whatever’s in fashion, whatever’s stylish, whatever looks cool is used and infused in megachurch practice," Yip said.

"Because of the religious and humanitarian element to giving, I do not think churchgoers generally question or pay attention to how the funds are managed," said Yip, a lecturer at the University of Sydney Business School.

"The issue is not in the giving; it is in the management of the funds received that deserves accountability and transparency."

City Harvest, which has 20,000 followers in Singapore and 49 affiliates in eight Asian territories, acquired a stake in one of the city-state's biggest convention centres in 2010 for Sg$310 million and holds its weekly services there.

The trial, which went into recess on September 20 and will resume in January, exposed complex money dealings and drew attention to the financial might of evangelical Christian churches in the largely Buddhist and Taoist city-state.

The trial also created a buzz in the mainstream press and on social media thanks to the church's photogenic former financial manager, Serina Wee, a 36-year-old mother of three whose stylish courtroom outfits have turned her into a fashion icon.

Wee faces six charges of criminal breach of trust for her role in the alleged scam, and four other charges for falsifying accounts.

Jeaney Yip, an Australia-based academic who has studied the marketing methods of fast-growing churches, said they make Christian teachings attractive by drawing on pop culture.

Channeled funds

The church has defended Ho’s attempt to become an international music star as part of a “crossover” campaign to spread God's message to the secular world through pop music.

But prosecutors say Kong and his subordinates engaged in a practice called "round-tripping" by channelling money allotted for a church building fund into sham bonds in church-linked companies so they could finance Ho's music career.

They falsified church accounts to make it appear the bonds were redeemed, prosecutors say. All six accused deny the charges.

In another video, the reggae-tinged "Mr Bill", she plays a skimpily-clad Asian wife who calls herself a geisha and sings about killing her African-American husband, played by the male supermodel Tyson Beckford.

Ho also posed for numerous pictures at exclusive events with American celebrities as part of her image-building campaign.

Evidence reportedly produced in court showed that the church had earmarked more than US$10 million as its marketing budget -- "in line with Shakira's marketing budget and less than the budget for Beyonce" -- to boost her Hollywood foray.

The Straits Times said the documents also showed more than US$1.6 million was spent on production fees for Wyclef Jean.

Ho, 41, an established Mandarin pop singer who co-founded the evangelical megachurch with her husband in 1989, moved to Los Angeles in 2009 to launch an English-language singing career before the scandal scuttled her showbiz ambitions.

She does not face any charges herself, appearing stoically with her husband for his court appearances as her music videos continue to draw hits on video-sharing site YouTube.

The video for her song "China Wine" -- in which she dances in a nightclub alongside the rapper Wyclef Jean -- has attracted more than one million views so far.

Bhavan JAIPRAGAS 4 hours ago



City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee and his pop-singer wife Ho Yeow Sun leave court in Singapore during his fraud trial on September 9, 2013.


Singapore (AFP) - A multimillion-dollar scandal involving a Christian pastor, his singer wife and a glamorous financial executive has gripped Singapore, with allegations of fraud and tantalising glimpses into the expensive process of making a pop star.

Kong Hee, 47, the pastor and founder of the 20,000-strong City Harvest Church, is on trial alongside five other church officials for an alleged scheme to siphon off Sg$24 million ($19 million) to finance the singing career of his wife Sun Ho.

The accused allegedly misappropriated another Sg$26 million to cover up the original diversion.

Quote from: fdaray on October 06, 2013, 01:28:08 PM
The moon is a pale yellow orange disc.

Hmm, all along I thought the moon is made of green cheese...

Hi, Sir FD, long time no read. Welcome back to TB.

Quote from: bugsay on October 06, 2013, 12:19:57 PM
wa nay tagay si bugsay
sa payag nga gamay
sige lang ug laylay
birabira sa lagay...

Sa tanto nimong bira-bira sa lagay
Samtang nag-inusara sa imong sibay
Kuydawo nga matangtang ang imong itlog
Ug mawad-an na hinuon ka sa kaisog.

http://thechive.com/

What happens if you are in a car going the speed of light...


...and you turn the headlights on?

He he...

Quote from: hubag bohol on October 06, 2013, 04:55:22 AM
Typhoon Quedan left the country yesterday afternoon, but another storm, named Ramil, is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility today.

Agoi, letter "r" na, sa ato pa ika-18 na ni nga bagyo karong tuiga?

Quote from: bugsay on October 06, 2013, 12:19:57 PM
wa nay tagay si bugsay
sa payag nga gamay
sige lang ug laylay
birabira sa lagay...

Sa tanto nimong bira-bira sa lagay
Samtang nag-inusara sa imong sibay
Ideya sa negosyo ikaw kunsaran
Ug di madugay ikaw maadunahan.

MULTI-STAGE PROCESS

IPCC’s reports are meant to provide policymakers with regular assessment of the scientific basis of impact and future risks of climate change and, thereby, decide on options for mitigation and adaptation.

The IPCC is designed as a broad-based body, with 195 countries as members. Its scientists are selected from across the world and from multiple disciplines to draft the reports that give cutting-edge analyses on climate science.

Each of the working groups goes through a multi-stage drafting process for preparing their Summary for Policymakers. This finally concludes in the meeting for the approval process where delegated officials from the IPCC member countries go through the report line-by-line along with the scientists who drafted the report, to validate and finalise the text.

This process was short-circuited when the draft came out in the public domain in early September. The result was that critical information was reported out of context and the world imagined a hiatus in warming that never was.

(The author is regional environment manager with Panos South Asia. The views are personal.)

(This article was published on October 4, 2013)

MYTH OR REALITY?

Assessment reports from IPCC have always created intense global interest, discussions and debate. There are two reasons for this. One, the subject of whether global climate is changing is one of intense discussion and the IPCC is the only world body that has the competence to declare scientific opinion on whether this is a myth or reality. Two, IPCC’s assessment reports take many years in preparation and publication, and therefore the world waits to see what the latest in climate science it unravels. The draft gave a peek into what the world body was thinking even before the meeting for the approval process had taken place.

In the excitement of reporting this insight, it was forgotten that the draft was only the first one of a series of documents that the IPCC would be producing over the next year. Working Group 1, which looks at the physical science basis of climate change, is one of the three such groups. Working Group 2 will deal with impacts, adaptation and vulnerability; and Working Group 3 will look into mitigation of climate change. The Synthesis Report of the Assessment Report 5 will be released only in October 2014.

Even if one were to discount conspiracy theories, the premature release of the draft has raised confusion on a subject that is inherently difficult to communicate. There are still many uncertainties related to the science of climate change, and much understanding is still evolving in the scientific world.

It was the first time that good news was coming from the IPCC. However, even in the leaked draft, the hiatus looked like an aberration.

The approved Summary confirmed these statements. “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, sea level has risen, and the concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased,” it stated.

“The human influence on the climate system is clear. This is evident from the increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, positive radiative forcing, observed warming, and understanding of the climate system,” the approved Summary observed. It also added that the number and frequency of extreme weather events have increased.

THE GOOD NEWS

The IPCC’s previous document â€" Assessment Report 4 â€" was released in 2007, and in the six years, the world’s political economy has changed.

The US went through an economic slowdown and is just recovering, whereas much of Europe is still under economic distress. Pressure to cut down emissions at this stage can affect this recovery process, and thus the news of the hiatus in global warming was a welcome relief.

Even in the emergent economy of India, news of the hiatus provided relief. With the international climate change negotiations working to develop a new instrument to replace the Kyoto Protocol by 2020, the Indian negotiators are under pressure to announce caps to the emission of greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

It read: “Due to natural variability, trends based on short records are very sensitive to the beginning and end dates and do not in general reflect long-term climate trends. As one example, the rate of warming over the past 15 years, which begins with a strong El Niño, is smaller than the rate calculated since 1951.”

As an explanation, a footnote stated that “trends for 15-year periods starting in 1995, 1996, and 1997 are 0.13, 0.14, and 0.07°C per decade, respectively.” So, when the experts and policymakers added the relevant perspective, the picture looked different.

However, in the three weeks between the leaked draft and when the approved Summary for Policymakers was released, the world was agog with news of a slowdown in global warming.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/
S. GOPIKRISHNA WARRIER


The world imagined a ‘hiatus’ in global warming. Mired in economic crisis, that was simply what it wanted to hear.
In the past 15 years, the world has not warmed in the same scale as it has been doing since 1951, read headlines across the world in the first week of September. There is a “hiatus” in global warming, media reports stated, quoting a draft of an upcoming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

A source in the know of the drafting process at the IPCC had leaked the draft of the Summary for Policymakers of the Working Group 1 to Assessment Report 5. This draft contained the assertion on the hiatus.

It read: “Global mean surface temperature trends exhibit substantial decadal variability despite the robust multi-decadal warming since 1901. The rate of warming over the past 15 years (1998-2012; 0.05 °C per decade) is smaller than the trend since 1951 (1951-2012; 0.12°C per decade).”

However, when experts and policymakers met in Stockholm, Sweden, from September 23-26 and released the approved Summary for Policymakers after reviewing the draft line-by-line, there was a technical disclaimer.

There is hope...

6. Rewrite

Good writing is the craft of re-writing. Without it your story will not be bought to perfection. Great writersrepeat the process many and many times until they’re satisfied.

Thanks for reading. I wish you good luck with your story. Make sure to visit the truelegend.org website to learn more about how to write a story or a movie script.

5. Expand the outline

Once you have your characters, the great structure from Joseph Cambell now you’re ready to expand every single scene in a chapter. It will be very easy for you to complete the whole step because now you know where you story is leading and how it’s about to end. If you’re satisfied with the project put some hours to get id done.

4. Define characters

Knowing everything about your characters is crucial. Make sure you write down all their background and goals and weakness. This will give you great ideas in the process of writing the story.

3. Create a structure

Start yous story with a problem that the protagonist is facing and lead the story towards the resolution of the problem. Create the points in which your protagonist will be facing an antagonist. Look more for Joseph Cambell’s structure to learn more about story structure.

2. Create an outline

This is a part that’s usually skipped by many amateur writers and when this step is not applied it usually leads your project to become uncompleted. Make a list of all your chapters and scenes of your story before you write a single paragraph. You must know how your story is going to begin, where it will lead and how it would end. Without this you’ll get really lost in the process of writing.

1. Pick a subject

Whatever you story is made of you must have a theme for it. It can be a story about poverty, a love story, a war story or a story about a long distance relationships. You must know what’s your story is about before you start writing it. And you must be able to describe it in one single line. Whenever somebody asks you â€" What’s your story about?

http://seemoreclicks.com/
Posted on 18 September 2013 by Staff Reporter


Stories are the daily food for our inspiration. We tell them everyday. Sometimes without even noticing. It’s what makes our life more interesting and meaningful. This article it’s all about how to perfect them to a level of which they touch to the souls of endless number of people.

Let’s dive into how to write a story that matters. A a story that will be worth to be told. Fallow the tasks below and you will have a great short story.

Human rights groups have called Eritrea one of the world's most repressive regimes. Increasingly isolated, Eritrea is under sanctions imposed by the African Union and the United Nations. In late 2011 the U.N. Security Council expanded an arms embargo against the president's regime. The country is accused of supporting al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants in Somalia.

___

AP writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.

Boldrini said the wave of migrants needs to be tackled in the countries of origin â€" and not with punitive measures against those fleeing misery and violence.

She cited an Italian law that makes entering Italy a crime. In keeping with the law, a prosecutor in Sicily has confirmed he is preparing paperwork against the migrants â€" a procedure hampered by their poor Italian and lack of documents.

"We won't ever solve the problem with repressive measures," Boldrini said. "It is unthinkable that someone who flees wars or death will stop in front of the hypothesis of a crime."

She said she spoke to one 27-year-old who had been forced to serve in the Eritrean military for eight years.

"They said how much they paid, how families indebted themselves, how they flee to find a life to find a life of peace and security, and also to pay back their families," Boldrini said.

"They do it (help) all the time, it's unthinkable that a fisherman of Lampedusa would pretend to see nothing!"

Fiorini, who has said he was the first to reach the fiery wreck and sounded the alarm, said some of the 47 migrants he pulled from the sea had been stripped of their clothing, possibly by the current. Some were so slippery from being covered in gasoline that it was hard to pull them onboard.

Humanitarian agencies say 41 of the survivors are minors between the ages of 11 and 17 -- and all but one of them was unaccompanied by a parent. Survivors said they spent between two and four months in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, awaiting passage to Europe, much of that time spent confined.

At the refugee center, Awet, an Eritrean survivor who lost a friend in a shipwreck, told the AP he paid $1,600 to smugglers for the trip. He claimed the captain had a phone, but had thrown it into the sea.

Thousands make the perilous crossing each year, seeking a new life in the prosperous European Union. Smugglers charge thousands of dollars a head for the journey aboard overcrowded, barely seaworthy boats that lack life vests. Each year hundreds die undertaking the crossing.

The surviving migrants asked the lawmakers to be allowed to identify the deceased, to repatriate their remains to Eritrea and to be moved to centers away from Lampedusa as soon as possible, Boldrini said.

Lampedusa's mayor said that identifications would be made through photographs.

Earlier, about 10 fishing vessels headed out to the site of the shipwreck in choppy seas to drop the flowers and blast their horns in honor of the migrants who died.

Fishermen, including one who saved several dozen of the migrants from the shipwreck, said offering help to those in need is part of their code.

"It's the law of the sea!" Vito Fiorini said. "If you find somebody in need you must immediately help. How could you turn away when you see a person who needs help?

Italian lawmaker Pia Locatelli, part of the delegation, told The Associated Press the migrants reported that a boat circled them with a light and then went away. They also saw one or perhaps two more boats in the distance before the fire.

"They were absolutely sure in telling the boat went around their own boat," Locatelli said, but they were unable to offer a further description.

The migrants found themselves in a rocky bay and couldn't make the shore, according to humanitarian organizations. Locatelli said their engine hadn't broken down, contrary to other reports, and the migrants were unclear on why they didn't try to find a landing point with the boat.

Normally, migrants who are seeking refugee status have phones they use to contact authorities when they reach shore, but officials say this group was forced to give up their phones in Libya.

More than 20 survivors attended a private ceremony in a hangar where caskets containing the bodies of those recovered were prepared.

"To come to rescue is a duty. Not to come to rescue is a crime," Laura Boldrini, the Italian house speaker who previously and for many years was the U.N. Refugee Agency spokeswoman in Italy, told reporters in Lampedusa after visiting the survivors.

The 20-meter (65-foot) migrant boat sank Thursday after a fire was set onboard to attract attention of any passing boats or people on shore when they ran into trouble. They had traveled for two full days and thought they had reached safety when they saw the lights of Lampedusa.

Instead, at least 111 drowned and 155 survived, some of whom were in the water for three hours, clinging to anything buoyant â€" even empty water bottles.

Boat captains in Italian waters have been dissuaded in the past from helping migrants in distress because they fear prosecution under an Italian law aimed at curbing illegal migration. But Boldrini said the law of the sea requires assistance to be given to anyone in need.

Reports that a boat didn't help the stranded migrants prompted a Dutch lawmaker to call for an investigation. While survivors have told authorities that a boat passed, there has been no single vessel identified nor have prosecutors launched a formal investigation.

Associated Press LUCA BRUNO and ANDREA ROSA 1 hour ago


LAMPEDUSA, Italy (AP) â€" The coffins of African migrants killed in a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa were lined up in long rows inside an airport hangar where survivors of the tragedy paid their respects Saturday. All of the caskets had a single rose on top except for the four of the youngest victims, which had stuffed animals.

The 111 coffins were numbered â€" a teddy bear wearing a smile and a blue shirt with a heart was placed above casket No. 92.

The ceremony took place hours after Italian fishermen threw a bouquet of yellow flowers near the exact spot where the migrant boat sank, honking their foghorns in tribute to the dead and up to 250 migrants who may still be missing.

The search to recover more bodies, meanwhile, was called off for a second day because of choppy waters and strong currents.

A parliamentary delegation visited the survivors amid reports that a boat may have violated the "law of the sea" by failing to help the migrant ship packed with 500 migrants, nearly all from Eritrea, about 600 meters (650 yards) from shore.

Lugwa intawon ang kalimutaw...

Quote from: islander on October 05, 2013, 11:15:49 PM
nursery rhyme, hihihi.

Inspired man gud ni nimo as a Balingsyanhon...

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 05, 2013, 11:02:41 PM
bwahaha, na mingaw diay ka ni bai bugsay, nong hubs?

Dugay na man gud ming wa katagay...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lemreyes/4133499160/#

Winter Dunes

Starburst Spider

Vertical Horizon

Eberswalde Crater

Dali's Clock Further In Time

Florida, di ba within the US of A adto didto gusto mopuyo ang senior citizens?

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 06, 2013, 07:40:31 AM
purse diay. kujawa pod. kuliretzzz!

Dapat lang, aron bagay sa ijang red lips...

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 06, 2013, 07:37:54 AM
luoy pod noh og naa na siya'y early onset of dementia.

Dementia na jud bitaw kay naa man kuno sijay $800 sa iyang pocket...

Associated Press ESAM MOHAMED 41 minutes ago


TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) â€" Relatives of a Libyan al-Qaida leader, wanted for his role in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in East Africa, says the 49-year-old has been kidnapped in Tripoli.

Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, known by his alias Anas al-Libi, is believed to have returned to Libya during the 2011 civil war that led to the ouster and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

His brother, Nabih, said al-Libi was parking outside his house early Saturday after dawn prayers, when three vehicles encircled him, smashed the car's window and seized his gun before grabbing him and fleeing. The brother said el-Libi's wife saw the kidnapping from her window and described the abductors as foreign-looking armed "commandos."

Al-Libi is on the FBI's most-wanted list with a $ 5 million bounty on his head.

Southern Swiss Cheese

Veins of Water

Victoria Crater

Botoy sleeping off some recent waking nightmares...

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 06, 2013, 06:31:46 AM
meow-mobile? bwahaha. i think she owns a mini pickup-truck/van called "bluey".

Hmm, basin transformer si Bluey, usahay mahimong Pinky...

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 06, 2013, 06:30:44 AM
bwa ha he ha! unsay ngalan aning kotse?

Ang tawag ani kay Volkswa-diri-wa-didto...

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 06, 2013, 06:29:48 AM
Hesus Marihosep! Na unsa man jud intawon si manong!

Hmm, malagmit bored lang sa ijang lonely life...

Hi there, mi casa su casa!

Indeed.

An elderly cross-dresser got attention not for his blush, but his bluff.

An 80-year-old Florida man allegedly told police he didn't know why he was stealing, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Dressed as a woman and accessorized with makeup and lipstick, he tried shoving $87 worth of Walmart items in his purse, according to a Marion County Sheriff's Office report.

Bizarrely, he allegedly had more than $800 on him at the time of the theft, according to the Sun Sentinel.

He was charged with petty theft and booked into jail still wearing lipstick. (The Huffington Post)

Hmm, Islander's car?

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Quedan left the Philippine area of responsibility at around 4 p.m. yesterday as it moved toward the northern part of Taiwan.

PAGASA weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said Ramil, another storm from the Pacific Ocean is expected to enter the Philippines, this afternoon.

Ramil (international name Danas) was moving at 30 kilometers per hour (kph) and has maximum sustained winds of 65 kph, PAGASA said.

Aurelio said Ramil was expected to follow the track of Quedan and would not make landfall, although it would affect the country.

Quedan was moving northwest toward southern Japan.

At 5 p.m. yesterday, the eye of the typhoon was spotted at 610 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes or 410 kilometers east of northern Taiwan.

It has maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of 185 kph. It was moving west-northwest at 15 kph.

By this afternoon, Quedan is expected to be 540 kilometers north of Itbayat, Batanes.

Hi there, folks! Your part time weatherman Tagatigbotoy standing in for Tagatigbao once again to bring you the latest typhoon, er, latest update on the weather in Phl.   

   
Ramil expected today
By Evelyn Macairan (The Philippine Star) | Updated October 6, 2013 - 12:00am





MANILA, Philippines - Typhoon Quedan left the country yesterday afternoon, but another storm, named Ramil, is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility today.

Quote from: islander on September 22, 2013, 12:12:16 PM
mahinumdom man lang ko ani from way, way back nga kanang donations in kind from foreign countries during our calamities di na maghitsura pag-abot sa intended beneficiaries.  ang canned corned beef and bacon nahimong ligo sardines pag-abot sa beneficiaries.  kuno.

Kuyawa. Mora diayg currency exchange, from dollar to peso.

I trust in his guts. Kaliwat gud ni Lapulapu...

Quote from: islander on October 05, 2013, 10:28:58 AM
A “safe and effective” herbal treatment for depression

In the new study, researchers conducted a clinical trial that included 60 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The patients were randomly divided into three groups, with one receiving 20 mg of fluoxetine (the generic form of Prozac) daily, another getting 500 mg of curcumin twice a day, and the third group receiving both treatments.

Neither the researchers nor the patients knew which treatment they were taking. After six weeks, the curcumin and fluoxetine groups had comparable improvements in mood, based on their score on a standard rating scale for depression that evaluates mood, feelings of guilt, suicidal ideation, insomnia, anxiety and other symptoms.

Oi, hala! OK kaayo ni...

Quote from: islander on October 05, 2013, 10:29:13 PM
nangita bitaw ko sa akong piborit jedi; wa man uy.  sayang...

Hmm, offhand, how about Count Ducku or Mace Winduck?

Quote from: hubag bohol on October 03, 2013, 11:46:26 AM
Agoi, si Bugsay maoy klarong champion ani. Chess wizard ra ba ning akong amigo. (Ayaw lang padimdimag bahal.)

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 03, 2013, 01:28:27 PM
bwahahaha mao ba?

Mo lang. Kaya gani niya ang simultaneous blindfold...

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 04, 2013, 11:50:17 PM
silent hunter si inday

Pwede pud serial killer...

How cute naman...

Quote from: islander on October 05, 2013, 01:47:36 PM

...this rubber ducky.

The plot thickens...

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 05, 2013, 11:57:18 AM
5.  Ang salapi makapalit og kalingawan apan dili makapalit og kalipay!

Daghan jud hinuong mapalit nga kalingawan...

Quote from: islander on October 05, 2013, 02:09:45 PM
pond wars


luke pondwalker

He he... Hmm, unsa kahay hitsura ni Master Yoduck?

Quote from: bugsay on October 05, 2013, 09:45:06 PM
busy intawon sa inadlaw adlaw nga bugno sa kinabuhi....;)

Hmm, inigkagabii, human sa bugno batok sa ungo sa kinabuhi
Ginagmayng lingalingaw sa kaugalingon imo ba diayng gidumili?

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 04, 2013, 11:50:17 PM
look in the slight left, naa poy baje, gi pikyuran nija ning tawhana...

Aron himoong kataw-anan...