MikeLigalig.com

Quote from: Lorenzo on September 30, 2013, 02:57:44 AM
Hoping to see your postings here soon.

Soon, yes, soon...

Quote from: hubag bohol on October 05, 2013, 09:31:16 PM
Running against the tide of concern, leaders in the Philippines are banking on its most important ally to protect it from China's assertive claims in the South China Sea. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Manila still views the U.S. as a dependable ally despite the many challenges it is facing.

"We should understand that all nations face some kind of problems, but in terms of our relationship with the United States, she continues to be there when we need her," Gazmin said.

But as Cordesman said, "The rhetoric of diplomacy is just wonderful but it almost never describes the reality."

That reality worldwide, he said, "is a real concern about where is the U.S. going. There is a question of trust. And I think there is an increasing feeling that the United States is pulling back, and its internal politics are more isolationist so that they can't necessarily trust what U.S. officials say, even if the officials mean it."

Bingo. Reality (and realpolitik) check.

Running against the tide of concern, leaders in the Philippines are banking on its most important ally to protect it from China's assertive claims in the South China Sea. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Manila still views the U.S. as a dependable ally despite the many challenges it is facing.

"We should understand that all nations face some kind of problems, but in terms of our relationship with the United States, she continues to be there when we need her," Gazmin said.

But as Cordesman said, "The rhetoric of diplomacy is just wonderful but it almost never describes the reality."

That reality worldwide, he said, "is a real concern about where is the U.S. going. There is a question of trust. And I think there is an increasing feeling that the United States is pulling back, and its internal politics are more isolationist so that they can't necessarily trust what U.S. officials say, even if the officials mean it."

In response to the new U.S. opening to Iran to deal with its suspected nuclear weapons program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the U.N. General Assembly that his country remained ready to act alone to prevent Tehran from building a bomb. He indicated a willingness to allow some time for further diplomacy but not much. He also excoriated new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as a "wolf in sheep's clothing."

Kerry defended the engagement effort, saying the U.S. would not be played for "suckers" by Iran. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful energy production, while the U.S. and other countries suspect it is aimed at achieving atomic weapons capability.

McKinley, the Australian expert, said Syria and the U.S. budget crisis have shaken Australians' faith in their alliance with Washington.

"It means that those who rely on the alliance as the cornerstone of all Australian foreign policy and particularly security policy are less certain â€" it's created an element of uncertainty in their calculations," he said.

The White House contends that its threat of a military strike against Assad was what caused him to change course and agree to plan reached by Moscow and Washington to hand its chemical weapons over to international inspectors for destruction. That's a far better outcome than resorting to military action, Obama administration officials insist.

Gulf rulers also have grown suddenly uneasy over the U.S. outreach to their regional rival Iran.

Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said Gulf states "must be in the picture" on any attempts by the U.S. and Iran to open sustained dialogue or reach settlement over Tehran's nuclear program.

He was quoted Tuesday by the London-based Al Hayat newspaper as saying Kerry has promised to consult with his Gulf "friends" on any significant policy shifts over Iran.

This message suggested Gulf states are worried about being left on the sidelines in potentially history-shaping developments in their region.

The U.S. had said Assad must be removed from power and then threatened military strikes over his government's alleged chemical weapons attack. Now, the U.S. is working with Russia and the U.N. to collect and destroy Damascus' chemical weapons stockpile. That assures Assad will remain in power for now and perhaps the long term.

Danny Yatom, a former director of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, said the U.S. handling of the Syrian crisis and its decision not to attack after declaring "red lines" on chemical weapons has hurt Washington's credibility.

"I think in the eyes of the Syrians and the Iranians, and the rivals of the United States, it was a signal of weakness, and credibility was deteriorated," he said.

The Syrian rebels, who were promised U.S. arms, say they feel deserted by the Americans, adding that they have lost faith and respect for Obama.

But the worries go far deeper.

"I think there are a lot of broader concerns about the United States. They aren't triggered simply by Syria. The reaction the United States had from the start to events in Egypt created a great deal of concern among the Gulf and the Arab states," said Anthony Cordesman, a military affairs specialist at the Center for International Studies.

Kings and princes throughout the Persian Gulf were deeply unsettled when Washington turned its back on Egypt's dictator and U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak during the 2011 uprising in the largest Arab country.

Now, Arab allies in the Gulf voice dismay over the rapid policy redirection from Obama over Syria, where rebel factions have critical money and weapons channels from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states.

It has stirred a rare public dispute with Washington, whose differences with Gulf allies are often worked out behind closed doors. Last month, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal warned that the renewed emphasis on diplomacy with Assad would allow the Syrian president to "impose more killing."

Obama finds himself at the nexus of a government in chaos at home and a wave of foreign policy challenges.

He has been battered by the upheaval in the Middle East from the Arab Spring revolts after managing to extricate the U.S. from its long and largely failed attempt to establish democracy in Iraq.

He is drawing down U.S. forces from a more than decade-long war in Afghanistan with no real victory in sight. He leads a country whose people have no interest in taking any more military action abroad.

As Europe frets about economics, Asian allies watch in some confusion about what the U.S. is up to with its promise to rebalance military forces and diplomacy in the face of an increasingly robust China.

Global concerns about U.S. policy came to a head with Obama's handling of the civil war in Syria and the alleged use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Assad's government.

Germany's influential newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung bemoaned the U.S. political chaos.

"At the moment, Washington is fighting over the budget and nobody knows if the country will still be solvent in three weeks. What is clear, though, is that America is already politically bankrupt," it said.

Secretary of State John Kerry has tried to make the case that the partial government shutdown would do nothing to reduce America's global economic, military or diplomatic strength.

"To all of our friends and foes around the world: Do not mistake this momentary episode in American politics for anything less than a moment of politics or anything more than a moment of politics," Kerry told reporters Saturday on the sidelines of the APEC meeting.

"When we get this moment of political silliness behind us, we will get back on a track the world will respect and want to be part of," he said.

The U.S. is still a pillar of defense for places in Asia such as Taiwan and South Korea, providing a vital security umbrella against China. It has strong allies in the Middle East, including Israel and the Gulf Arab states arrayed against al-Qaida and Iran.

But faith that the U.S. will always be there is fraying more than a little, according to interviews with academics, government leaders and diplomats.

"The paralysis of the American government, where a rump in Congress is holding the whole place to ransom, doesn't really jibe with the notion of the United States as a global leader," said Michael McKinley, an expert on global relations at the Australian National University.

The political turbulence in Washington and potential economic bombshells yet to come from the U.S. government shutdown and a possible debt default this month have sent shivers through Europe. The head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, worried about the continent's rebound from the 2008 economic downturn.

"We view this recovery as weak, as fragile, as uneven," Draghi said at a news conference.

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 05, 2013, 11:57:43 AM
6. Ang salapi makapalit og mga barkada o mga kauban apan dili makapalit og higala.

Sakto kaayo...

Hi, Bay Vots! Long time no read! Dalikyat pud diris TB usahay, my friend...

Quote from: islander on October 05, 2013, 02:30:14 PM

william shakesduck

Bwahaha!

"Alas, poor Yoduck! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at
it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know
not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your
gambols? your quacks?"

Allies worried US turning inward to handle political chaos at home
By Steven r. Hurst, Associated Press â€" 29 minutes ago


An unmistakable sense of unease is growing in global capitals as the U.S. government from afar looks increasingly befuddled. America is shirking from a military confrontation in Syria, stymied at home by a gridlocked Congress and in danger of defaulting on sovereign debt, which could plunge the world's financial system into chaos.

While each may be unrelated to the direct exercise of U.S. foreign policy, taken together they give some allies the sense that Washington is not as firm as it used to be in its resolve and its financial capacity, providing an opening for China or Russia to fill the void, an Asian foreign minister told a group of journalists in New York this past week.

Concerns will only deepen now that President Barack Obama canceled travel this weekend to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Bali and the East Asia Summit in Brunei. He decided to stay home to deal with the government shutdown and looming fears that Congress will block an increase in U.S. borrowing power, a move that could lead to a U.S. default.

Parehas nga tag-as og liog...

Indeed. Genius has its limits, genius knows when to stop.

Avalanche Clouds

Dust-Devil Tattoo

Lovely Layers


http://thechive.com/

Duckling, yes. Giant, obviously.

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 05, 2013, 11:58:25 AM
7. Ang salapi makapalit og pamulatik apan dili makapalit og pagtahod.

Yes!

Olmec Rituals


Of Diehl's five foundations of Olmec religion, the rituals are the least known to modern researchers. The presence of ceremonial objects, such as stingray spines for bloodletting, indicate that there were, indeed, important rituals, but any details of said ceremonies have been lost to time. Human bones - particularly of infants - have been found at some sites, suggesting human sacrifice, which was later important among the Maya, Aztec and other cultures. The presence of rubber balls indicates that the Olmec played this game. Later cultures would assign a religious and ceremonial context to the game, and it is reasonable to suspect that the Olmec did as well.

Olmec Shamans


There is strong evidence that the Olmec had a shaman class in their society. Later Mesoamerican cultures which derived from the Olmec had full-time priests who acted as intermediaries between the common people and the divine. There are sculptures of shamans apparently transforming from humans into were-jaguars. Bones of toads with hallucinogenic properties have been found at Olmec sites: the mind-altering drugs were presumably used by shamans. The rulers of Olmec cities probably served as shamans as well: rulers were likely considered to have a special relationship with the gods and many of their ceremonial functions were religious. Sharp objects, such as stingray spines, have been found at Olmec sites and were most likely used in sacrificial bloodletting rituals.

The Olmec venerated natural sites as well. El Manatí is a bog where offerings were left by the Olmecs, probably those who lived at San Lorenzo. Offerings included wooden carvings, rubber balls, figurines, knives, axes and more. Although caves are rare in the Olmec region, some of their carvings indicate a reverence for them: in some stonecarvings the cave is the mouth of the Olmec Dragon. Caves in Guerrero state have paintings inside which are associated with the Olmec. Like many ancient cultures, the Olmecs venerated mountains: an Olmec sculpture was found close to the summit of the San Martín Pajapan Volcano, and many archaeologists believe that man-made hills at sites such as La Venta are meant to represent sacred mountains for rituals.

Olmec Sacred Places


The Olmecs considered certain man-made and natural places sacred. Man-made places included temples, plazas and ball courts and natural places included springs, caves, mountaintops and rivers. No building easily identifiable as an Olmec temple has been discovered; nevertheless, there are many raised platforms which probably served as bases upon which temples were built of some perishable material such as wood. Complex A at La Venta archaeological site is commonly accepted as a religious complex. Although the only ballcourt identified at an Olmec site comes from the post-Olmec era at San Lorenzo, there is nevertheless much evidence that the Olmecs played the game, including carved likenesses of players and preserved rubber balls found at the El Manatí site.

Olmec Deities


The Olmec had several deities whose images repeatedly appear in surviving sculptures, stonecarvings and other artistic forms. Their names have been lost to time, but archaeologists identify them by their characteristics. No fewer than eight regularly-appearing Olmec deities have been identified. These are the designations given to them by Joralemon:

The Olmec Dragon

The Bird Monster

The Fish Monster

The Banded-eye God

The Maize God

The Water God

The Were-jaguar

The Feathered Serpent

Most of these gods would later figure prominently in other cultures, such as the Maya. Currently, there is insufficient information about the roles these gods played in Olmec society or specifically how each was worshipped.

Olmec Cosmology


Like many early Mesoamerican cultures, the Olmec believed in three tiers of existence: the physical realm they inhabited, an underworld and a sky realm, home of most of the gods. Their world was bound together by the four cardinal points and natural boundaries such as rivers, the ocean and mountains. The most important aspect of Olmec life was agriculture, so it is no surprise that the Olmec agricultural/fertility cult, gods and rituals were extremely important. The rulers and kings of the Olmec had an important role to play as intermediaries between the realms, although it is unknown exactly what relationship to their gods they claimed.

The Olmec "Tree of Life" (Mesoamerican Cosmology).
The lineage founder, 2 Grass, is being born from a twisting World Tree.  Detail from Selden Codex page 2.  Source: FAMSI

The Five Aspects of Olmec Religion

Archaeologist Richard Diehl has identified five elements associated with Olmec Religion. These include:

A cosmos which identifies the socio-cultural context within which Gods and man interacted

Divine beings and gods who controlled the universe and interacted with men

A shaman or priest class who acted as intermediaries between the common Olmec people and their gods and spirits

Rituals enacted by shamans and/or rulers that reinforced the concepts of the cosmos

Sacred sites, both natural and man-made

Experts who have studied the Aztecs, Maya and other ancient Mesoamerican religions have come to an interesting conclusion: these religions share certain characteristics, indicating a much older, foundational system of belief. Peter Joralemon proposed the Continuity Hypothesis to fill in the gaps left by incomplete records and studies. According to Joralemon "there is a basic religious system common to all Mesoamerican peoples. This system took shape long before it was given monumental expression in Olmec art and survived long after the Spanish conquered the New World's major political and religious centers." (Joralemon quoted in Diehl, 98). In other words, other cultures can fill in the blanks in regards to Olmec society. One example is the Popol Vuh. Although it is normally associated with the Maya, there are nevertheless many instances of Olmec art and sculpture that seemingly show images or scenes from the Popol Vuh. One instance is the nearly identical statues of the Hero Twins at the Azuzul archaeological site.

The Continuity Hypothesis


Archaeologists have struggled to put together the few clues that remain today from the Olmec culture which vanished well over 2,000 years ago. Facts about the ancient Olmec are hard to come by. Modern researchers must use three sources for information on the religion of ancient Mesoamerican cultures:

Analysis of relics including sculpture, buildings and ancient texts when available

Early Spanish reports of religious and cultural practices

Ethnographic studies of modern-day traditional religious practices in certain communities

The Olmec Culture


The Olmec culture lasted roughly from 1200 B.C. to 400 B.C. and flourished along Mexico's Gulf coast. The Olmec built major cities at San Lorenzo and La Venta, in the present day states of Veracruz and Tabasco respectively. The Olmec were farmers, warriors and traders, and the few clues they left behind indicate a rich culture. Their civilization collapsed by 400 A. D. - archaeologists are unsure as to why - but several later cultures, including the Aztec and the Maya, were profoundly influenced by the Olmec.

http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/


Olmec Religion


The Olmec civilization (1200-400 B.C.) was the first major Mesoamerican culture and laid the foundation for several later civilizations. Many aspects of Olmec culture remain a mystery, which is not surprising considering how long ago their society went into decline. Nevertheless, archaeologists have been able to make surprising progress in learning about the religion of the ancient Olmec people.

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 05, 2013, 09:05:22 AM
Indeed, the spirit of anger is used by the enemy to trick us into sinning, and hurting others.

Very true. But justice will surely prevail in the end...

Wrong partner...

Otro pud nga di gustong padag-on kini nga contestant...

Bwahaha! Libog ang kutaw ni Ondoy.

Wrong species...

Influence of the Olmecs

So aside from trade and carving, how did the Olmecs influence Mexico, and eventually the Aztec empire?  We're uncertain, but it's believed that they may have been early adopters of the complex religious system that the Mayans and the Aztecs would use.  Temple mounds, jaguars, many gods, and perhaps even human sacrifice were used by the Olmec society.  The jaguar is a common figure in Olmec religion - especially combined with a snake or human child.

The layout of their newer city (after the decline of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán), La Venta, would be copied by future societies.

The calendar used for centuries in Mexico may also have originated with the Olmec.  Their astronomy was also carried on by later groups.  They were probably obsess with the timing of religious ritual, as the Mayans and Aztec would be after them.

Even the ritual ball game so popular among the Aztecs is believed to have been played in the ancient Olmec civilization.

What other Olmec influences were still felt in the Aztec empire?  Music?  The hierarchy of society?  Laws?  It may be that the influence of the ancient Olmec civilization is far greater than we now understand.

Another Olmec head, courtesy of Wikipedia

Olmec civilization


The major Olmec urban area in early times was San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, at the time the largest city in Mesoamerica.  This was probably a ritual and political place, housing thousands and using an elaborate water and drainage system.  The city and in fact the ancient Olmec civilization is often remembered because of the gigantic stone heads that have been found here.

There are a couple of reasons why the Olmecs are so important.  First, they used and perhaps developed many things culturally and religiously that were later used by the Mayans and Aztecs and many other cultures.  Second, they had a wide influence in their day, which gives us reason to believe that they may be responsible for spreading some of these ideas.

The Olmecs carved stone, jade, and the volcanic rock basalt (used for the great stone heads).  The stone was quarried and imported.

We can see similar types of sculpture as far away as central Mexico (the land of the Aztecs) and the states of Oaxaca, Morelos, Guerrero, perhaps even farther.

In 2006, archaeologists unearthed a city that they believed was influenced by the Olmecs, only 40km / 25mi south of Mexico City.  A new urban society related to the Olmecs suggests that their influence may have been stronger than we ever suspected.  Read more about the city of Zazacatla and the ancient Olmec civilization.

The Olmecs had a rich society, traded with far away peoples and ate a wide variety of foods (did they pioneer some dishes of Aztec food?).

Kaluoy bitaw. Maybe this explains its aggressive behavior.

Ah, the funny bone is dulled by constant tickling. But scratch a scar a bit too deeply, and the wound opens again.

 

Happy days are here again!

The world of words continues to evolve...


IN THE WAKEFULNESS OF SANE GARDENS, MAY YOU BE BOMBARDED WITH THE GENTLENESS OF COCONUTS.

Bwahaha! Thank you for your version, my coco nut friend!

Na hala, compromised na man jud ning akong innocent thread, here's spoiler alert, part 2...

The basics


The ancient Olmec civilization is believed to have been centred around the southern Gulf Coast of Mexico area (today the states of Veracruz and Tabasco) - further south east than the heart of the Aztec empire.  The Olmec culture developed in the centuries before 1200BC (BCE), and declined around 400BC.

We know far less about the Olmecs than we do about, for example, the Aztecs and Mayans.  There are very few written records to tell us about the culture.  In fact, at first Olmec artifacts were thought to be Mayan, and the Mayans were thought to be the first great culture in the area.  The generally accepted belief is that the culture arose from people in the area, although some have suggested that the Olmecs may have originally come from Africa.

A great stone head from the Olmec civilization at the Smithsonian Institution

http://www.aztec-history.com/


The ancient Olmec civilization is now considered to be one of the earliest great civilizations in Mesoamerica.  This civilization came and went long before the Aztec empire was even thought of, and yet they left their mark on the peoples of Mexico and beyond, and developed a complex culture which is still echoed today, probably in ways we don't yet even realize.

Botoy's version:


IN THE GARDEN OF GENTLE WAKEFULNESS, MAY YOU BE BOMBARDED WITH COCONUTS OF SANITY.

ANC â€" 16 hours ago





Being a senior citizen is more fun in the Philippines.
The Global Age Watch Index revealed that the Philippines ranked 7th among 21 Asian countries as the best country for older people.

It also ranked the country 44th out of the 91 countries worldwide.

Sweden topped the list worldwide while Japan ranked first in Asia.

Among the Asian countries, Israel, China, Sri Lanka, Georgia, Thailand, Philippines, Armenia, Tajikistan, Vietnam got the 2nd to 10th spots respectively.

The index is said to be the first ever tool to measure the quality of life and well-being of older people around the world.

Meanwhile, in celebration of the Elderly Filipino week, senior citizens in the country can enjoy free rides in the LRT and MRT on Saturday.

A senior citizens ID should be presented to avail of the free ride.

The Social Welfare and Development Department meanwhile is set to conduct activities such as an annual walking event and a forum to enhance public awareness on the well-being of the older people.

In the Philippines, ages 60 years old and above are classified as senior citizens and are entitled discounts and freebies.

By Louis Bacani (philstar.com) | Updated October 4, 2013 - 2:00pm


(UPDATED) MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III has declared October 15 a regular holiday nationwide in observance of Eidul Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice among Muslims.

Deputy President Spokesperson Abigail Valte said Aquino signed on Thursday Proclamation No. 658 declaring the said Islamic holiday.

Republic Act 9849, which was signed in 2009, already included Eidul Adha among the country’s regular holidays because of the significance of the date for the members of the Islamic faith.

But a presidential proclamation is still needed to declare it a holiday every year since its date will be determined in accordance with the Islamic calendar.

The proclamation order said Eidul Adha is one of the two greatest feasts of Islam and its date is based on the declaration made by Saudi Arabia’s highest religious body.

Giingon sa mga residente nga daw nakapatay ug samot sa biktima ang backhoe human naigo sa likod niini.

Matud sab ni Labor nga adunay posibilidad nga sa pagrescue niini, nasamad kini sa backhoe o ang ulo niini posibleng natagakan sa bato.

Dili kumbinsido ang pamilya, labina ang amahan niini, sa pagkakita nila sa patayng lawas ni Perez tungod kay daw ang samad niini sa likod nga bahin napikas ug daw agi sa tinigbasan. Naabhak sab ang ulo niini.

Gisuwayan pa og dala si Perez sa duol nga balay tambalanan apan dead on arrival kining gideklarar sa doctor.

Gipapriso sab sa amahan niini ang backhoe operator ug gikatakdang pasakaan og kasong reckless imprudence resulting to homicide.

Buot sab sa pamilya nga masuta gyod kung ang gikamatyan ba gyod niini ang pagkatabunan sa yuta o gitigbas kini tungod sa mga samad nga naangkon.

Sa pagsulat ning balita anaa na gidala sa punerarya ang patayng lawas samtang gihulat na usab nila ang resulta sa otopsiya nga gihimo Huwebes sa hapon.

Giingon sa mga residente nga daw nakapatay ug samot sa biktima ang backhoe human naigo sa likod niini.

Matud sab ni Labor nga adunay posibilidad nga sa pagrescue niini, nasamad kini sa backhoe o ang ulo niini posibleng natagakan sa bato.

Dili kumbinsido ang pamilya, labina ang amahan niini, sa pagkakita nila sa patayng lawas ni Perez tungod kay daw ang samad niini sa likod nga bahin napikas ug daw agi sa tinigbasan. Naabhak sab ang ulo niini.

Gisuwayan pa og dala si Perez sa duol nga balay tambalanan apan dead on arrival kining gideklarar sa doctor.

Gipapriso sab sa amahan niini ang backhoe operator ug gikatakdang pasakaan og kasong reckless imprudence resulting to homicide.

Buot sab sa pamilya nga masuta gyod kung ang gikamatyan ba gyod niini ang pagkatabunan sa yuta o gitigbas kini tungod sa mga samad nga naangkon.

Sa pagsulat ning balita anaa na gidala sa punerarya ang patayng lawas samtang gihulat na usab nila ang resulta sa otopsiya nga gihimo Huwebes sa hapon.

SuperBalita Cagayan de Oro
Ni Stephanie Viovicente-Berganio
Friday, October 4, 2013


DAKO ang pagtuo sa pamilya nga gitigbas ug gituyo pagtabon sa yuta ang biktima nga namatay niadtong Huwebes mga alas 2:00 sa hapon sa lungsod sa Claveria, Misamis Oriental.

Si Police Superintendent Rogelio Labor, hepe sa Villanueva Police Station, niila sa biktima nga si Jeren Perez, hingkod ang edad, minyo, residente sa Claveria, ug nagtrabaho sa usa ka local government unit (LGU) sa susamang lungsod.

Gisaysay ni Labor nga mga alas 2:00 sa hapon dunay nanawag kanila nga adunay nahugno nga yuta sa dapit mao nga ilang girespondehan.

Paghidangat sa quarry area, nasuta sa kapulisan nga ang maong quarry gihimo sa LGU aron mobakbak og yuta sa dapit gamit ang backhoe nga gi-operate ni Mark Anthony Lusterio, nagpuyo sa susamang dapit.

Si Lusterio namahayag nga sa iyang pagbakbak, giingong kalit lang nahugno ang nagbukid nga yuta ug samtang nagpalandong sa likod nga bahin si Perez ug nahugnoan kini ug natabunan.

Tungod kay daw nalubong naman si Perez gikalot na sab kini sa backhoe.

The law is part of a broader effort to expand immigrant rights in strongly Democratic California, where 2.6 million people - most of them Latino - lack legal status, according to a recent study by the University of Southern California.

About 38 percent of California's population of 38 million is of Hispanic descent, state figures show, representing a potentially enormous number of voters with an interest in immigrant issues.

The move by California stands in stark contrast to policy in states like neighboring Arizona, long at odds with Washington over immigration reform. Earlier this month, Arizona widened its ban on licenses for illegal immigrants, including those granted temporary relief from deportation.

California, where two decades ago voters sought to bar illegal immigrants from public services including education, now allows college students brought to the United States as children to pay in-state tuition at California public universities to help defray the costs of higher education.

Bills awaiting the governor's signature would allow non-citizens to serve on juries, let undocumented immigrants practice law, and make it illegal for employers to retaliate against workers by threatening to report them to immigration authorities.

By SHARON BERNSTEIN, Reuters
October 4, 2013 9:26am


SACRAMENTO â€" Illegal immigrants living in California will be eligible to apply for driver's licenses under a law signed on Thursday by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, in the latest action to expand privileges for such immigrants in the most populous US state.

The legislation marks a major victory for Latino and other immigration rights activists, who have fought for decades for such a law. The state says it is expected to spur 1.4 million people to apply for licenses over three years.

The law, passed with substantial Republican support, marks a significant departure from past policy in California, which will join at least nine other states that allow undocumented immigrants to drive legally when the law takes effect in 2015.

"Millions of immigrant families have been looking forward to this day," said Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo, who sponsored the bill. "It will allow them to go to work, go to school, take their kids to a doctor's appointment without fear that they are going to have their car taken away from them, or worse, be put into immigration proceedings."

Dagloc was convicted of two counts of violating Section 3(a) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits the persuading and influencing public officer to commit a violation.

He was sentenced to imprisonment of minimum six years and one month to maximum 10 years for each count, and a perpetual disqualification from public office.

Both Dagloc and Zailon were also found guilty of malversation of public funds under the Revised Penal Code, and were each sentenced to imprisonment of minimum 10 years and a day as prision mayor to maximum 16 years, five months, and 11 days of reclusion temporal.

They were also penalized with a P14,229 fine each and a perpetual disqualification from public office.

The court ruled that Dagloc and Zailon were to pay Bagundang P14,229 in compensation with 12 percent legal annual interest and with April 2000 as date of reckoning until the amount is fully paid.

The Sandiganbayan ruling was penned by  Associate Justice Oscar Herrera, Jr. and concurred in by Associate Justices Teresita Diaz-Baldoz and Napoleon Inoturan. -- Marc Jayson Cayabyab/KBK, GMA News

October 2, 2013 8:33pm
 

The Sandiganbayan has found a former Maguindanao mayor and his treasurer guilty of graft and malversation of public funds for pocketing the salary of a councilor in 2000.

Councilor Bhernie Bagundang, as private complainant, said he did not receive his April 2000 salary, which the court said went to erstwhile Kabuntalan mayor Salipongan Dagloc.

In a 22-page decision, the anti-graft court said Dagloc influenced then acting municipal treasurer Usman Zailon to release Bagundang's salary to him.

The court ruled that Dagloc and Zailon failed to present evidence to prove their innocence. Both also failed to appear in court after posting bail and have since remained at large with warrants of arrest against them.

"This, the court holds, constitutes flight which is an indication of guilt," a portion of the ruling said.

Some kind of health soup. Pangutan-on nato si Bugsay kay iya man ning paborito...

The main difference is that Issa does not think taxpayers should subsidize insurance purchases: “I’m not proposing subsidies, but giving Americans access to affordable insurance,” he said. The problem with that idea is that there are no provisions to convince individuals to purchase insurance so that the marketplaces have broad risk pools and avoid the so-called “death spiral.” By rewarding enrollees with subsidies, like the health care reform, or paying 75 percent of employee FEHBP premiums as the federal government does, more people sign up and premiums are kept more affordable.

This system is similar to the Affordable Care Act in that it will set up a marketplace for private insurers to compete for customers’ business. Insurers who participate in the FEHBP marketplace are also prohibited from excluding those with pre-existing conditions, must accept applicants “without regard to age, race, sex, health status, or hazardous nature of employment,” and charge all applicants the same premium for a given plan, just like Obamacare.

“Federal employees have long enjoyed high-quality, affordable health care benefits through this free market, consumer based system,” tweeted Issa. “I want to open up the plans to all Americans without expanding subsidies.” Yet, his proposal is very similar to the Affordable Care Act in its basics. The Federal Employee Health Benefits program, or FEHBP, is a system of “managed competition” through which employee health benefits are provided to civilian government employees of the U.S. government, and the government pays about 75 percent of the premiums of all plans.

But central to the arguments surrounding the Affordable Care Act is the question of whether health care, and specifically affordable health care, is a right or a privilege.

After this week’s stalemate in Washington over a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government into the next fiscal year, with Republicans and Democrats clashing over the funding of the Affordable Care Act, it may seem surprising that some congress members are veering away from the party line. Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California has suggested via Twitter that Americans should be offered the same benefits that Congress has.

The Republican Party continues to be staunchly opposed the law even though the individual mandate made its first legislative appearance as part of the party’s alternative to President Clinton’s health reform bill. It was included in the 1993 Health Equity and Access Reform Today Act that was sponsored by John Chafee, of Rhode Island, and co-sponsored by 18 Republicans, including Bob Dole, who was the Senate Minority Leader at the time.

While it can be argued that Obamacare might not be the most well-crafted piece of legislation, the concept that all Americans should have basic insurance is not outlandish. “Many states now require passengers in automobiles to wear seat-belts for their own protection,” Stuart Butler, a health care expert for the Heritage Foundation, wrote in a 1989 brief titled Assuring Affordable Health Care for All Americans. “Many others require anybody driving a car to have liability insurance. But neither the federal government nor any state requires all households to protect themselves from the potentially catastrophic costs of a serious accident or illness.” Just as legally mandated insurance makes economic sense for automobiles, it makes sense for health care, as well.

Still, Republican opposition of the Affordable Care Act has become standard party position. Some have argued the law is a “jobs killer.” Others have said that the Founding Fathers would not approve it; Sen. Orrin Hatch wrote in The Hill that that to come to “any other conclusion” than that the mandate is unconstitutional “requires treating the Constitution as the servant, rather than the master, of Congress.” Still, others â€" including Mitt Romney, who passed an individual insurance mandate as governor of Massachusetts â€" have asserted that Obamacare is an “unconstitutional power grab from the states.”

When President Obama signed the health care reform into law on March 23, 2010, fourteen state attorneys general filed lawsuits against the law’s requirement that most Americans purchase health insurance on the grounds that it was unconstitutional, even though the idea had been central to the GOP’s health care reforms for two decades.

In response to the legal opposition, Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the law school at the University of California at Irvine, told The New York Times, “There is no case law, post 1937, that would support an individual’s right not to buy health care if the government wants to mandate it.” And, indeed, in July 2012, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, and Elena Kagan in deciding the law as a valid exercise of Congress’s power to tax.

Source: “Tracing the Flow of Policy Ideas in Legislatures:
A Text Reuse Approach” by J. Wilkerson, D. Smith, N. Stramp, 2013

That irony led John Wilkerson of the University of Washington and his colleagues David Smith and Nick Stramp to study the legislative history of the health care reform law using a text-analysis system to understand its origins.

Scholars rely almost exclusively on floor roll call voting patterns to assess partisan cooperation in Congress, according to findings in the paper, Tracing the Flow of Policy Ideas in Legislatures: A Text Reuse Approach. By that standard, the Affordable Care was a highly partisan bill. Yet a different story emerges when the source of the reform’s policy is analyzed. The authors’ findings showed that a number of GOP policy ideas overlap with provisions in the Affordable Care Act: Of the 906-page law, 3 percent of the “policy ideas” used wording similar to bills sponsored by House Republicans and 8 percent used wording similar to bills sponsored by Senate Republicans.

Excluding “markup” bills, or amendments and legislative rewrites, 11 percent and 28 percent of policy ideas came from Congressional and Senate Republicans, respectively. For example, a proposal for nursing home transparency made by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa in March 2009 eventually appeared in the the health care reform law’s language.

http://wallstcheatsheet.com/
MEGHAN FOLEY
OCTOBER 04, 2013


“An irony of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is that one of its key provisions, the individual insurance mandate, has conservative origins. In Congress, the requirement that individuals to purchase health insurance first emerged in Republican health care reform bills introduced in 1993 as alternatives to the Clinton plan. The mandate was also a prominent feature of the Massachusetts plan passed under Governor Mitt Romney in 2006. According to Romney, ‘we got the idea of an individual mandate from [Newt Gingrich], and [Newt] got it from the Heritage Foundation.’”

â€" Tracing the Flow of Policy Ideas in Legislatures: A Text Reuse Approach

All the more beautiful, being ephemeral...