MikeLigalig.com

Reported By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

No more "sexy entertainment."

This was the assurance given by Loboc officials and river cruise operators to provincial lawmakers who composed a fact-finding team to investigate into a complaint lodged by tour guides against the reported "cultural desecration" at the Loboc River cruise.

Provincial board members Aster Apalisok-Piollo, Corazon Galbreath, Amalia Tirol and Jose Veloso conducted a hearing at the barangay hall of Jimili-an, Loboc last Friday together with Loboc Vice Mayor Louie Digal and municipal kagawads, tour guides, cruise operators, barangay officials and entertainers.

It was agreed during the hearing that entertainment at the river cruise should conform to eco-cultural tourism.

Instead of three entertainment rafts situated near the river's busai, the board members proposed that only one would be allowed to avoid congestion in the area. The same proposal will be contained in a resolution to be sponsored by the four provincial board members.

SEXY DANCES DENIED

One of the entertainment raft owners, Fely Casuyac, explained during the hearing that she did not allow her female performers to wear skimpy outfits, as alleged by tour guides.

However, during the first day of their performance in July, she admitted that the performers wore shorts and "spaghetti" blouses but never in their succeeding presentations.

The female performers only wore malong, kimona during cultural dances while they change into casual clothings when they perform modern dances.

Casuyac also denied allegations that she employed two prostitutes in her entertainment raft.

She said the two were just hired as dance instructors to kids who also perform part-time.

She said that Henry Calipusan, a brother of Loboc Mayor Leon Calipusan, is her employee who takes charge of her entertainers.

Calipusan was the subject of a complaint of Merlou Reyes, a tour guide, who alleged she was threatened by the former after she refused to allow her tourists aboard floating restaurants to drop stop by the entertainment raft of Casuyac.

Capitol and city hall officials want Camp Crame to address the manpower and mobility incapacities of the police in Bohol, especially in Tagbilaran City, as Boholanos get impatient with how the present litany of killings and armed robberies confront the lawmen and exposes their failures.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan and Sangguniang Panlungsod asked in separate resolutions Philippine National Police (PNP) Director-General Oscar Calderon to field additional policemen and vehicles in the province and its capital even without immediate compliance with the ideal police-population ratio.

Unsolved crimes include robberies and the murder of a resort marketing executive and events director while another in the near rape of a hotel front desk lady.
          
The lack of patrolmen and mobility units, including motorcycles, in the Tagbilaran City Police Office (TCPO) have slowed down police response to crank calls and alarms.

The police should as well have sufficient intelligence fund to effectively pump up campaign against series of crimes.

A lone armed man robbed and injured a lady dentist inside her clinic located a block from the city police station on Monday, followed by a heist victimizing an Italian and his Boholana wife in barangay Ubujan.

Bohol's population now reaches 1,252,282, based on recent statistics, which suggests that there should be at least 1,252 active police officers province-wide.

Ang pait lang kung madip-igan ka sa traysikol sa Tagbilaran and you die. 

Any city official or employee who would refuse to cooperate in a Sangguniang Panlungsod inquiry can be held for contempt, be fined and jailed.

The 2007 Revised Code of Administrative Ordinances of the City of Tagbilaran stipulates provision in dealing with those who may snub a legislative fact-finding, hearing or investigation intended to provide transparency of governance, according to Councilor Mariquit Derikito-Oppus.

Mayor Dan Lim and Oppus, chair of the committee on public accountability and investigations, recently locked horns when the chief executive junked her request for the appearance of two department heads to her committee.

The legislature, which also has an oversight function, would have simply wanted to know how city hall's pro-poor health and hospitalization program called Blue Card has been accomplished or its enabling ordinance executed.

Rule VI, Section 68 (p) of the Code says that in the "failure of any witness to appear in its hearing/meeting, or failure of any person to present /produce documents, papers or records," Oppus' committee can ask the court "to declare such person in direct contempt and to suffer penalties of a fine of not more than three thousand pesos (P3,000) or imprisonment of not more than one month, or both at the discretion of the court."

The public accountability and investigations committee will fully exercise its mandate now that the Blue Card fund itself is involved in the alleged padding of hospital bills.

This most serious expose ever to involve the Blue Card was yet unknown when the mayor then barred concerned department heads to appear in the legislative body on earlier Blue Card concerns.

Lim even declared in his letter to Oppus that the "Sangguniang Panlungsod is not an internal audit department."

--<a href="http://www.boholchronicle.com">The Bohol Chronicle</a>

Written By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Lim is eying for the termination of the hospital building lease agreement between the city government and the Medical Mission Group Hospital and Health Services Cooperative (Coop Hospital).

This, even as six employees of the Coop Hospital have been suspended due to the alleged padding of hospital bills.

The mayor's statement came amid allegations that some "unseen hands at City Hall" has benefited from reported padded claims on the Blue Card hospitalization program.

During his weekly "Mayor's Report", Lim said he also ordered for the suspension of Blue Card claims from Coop Hospital based on a complaint made by one of the hospital's employee, who alleged that her claim was intentionally overstated by employees at the said hospital.
        
Lim said aside from the suspension of the hospital's Blue Card accreditation he "may not renew the use of the Coop Hospital building," which is owned by the city, unless the alleged padding of claims is resolved.

The suspension of the accreditation of Coop Hospital under the Blue Card program will be presented to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), according to the mayor.

Moreover, Lim called for an investigation to identify all the beneficiaries confined at the Coop Hospital to uncover if there is indeed an organized operation to defraud Blue Card claims.

"This could have happened several times," Lim said.

The mayor likewise questioned the billing process and the management control systems of the hospital which allowed for such fraud to happen.

All billings made on the Blue Card, said the mayor, are paid out in check by the city government.

By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

An Italian national and his Filipina wife were robbed inside their home Wednesday night in barangay Ubujan, this city by two still unidentified armed men.

This is the latest to the string of robberies reported in the city added to the unsolved killing of Jack Arat, a Bohol Tropics marketing executive.

The victims were identified as Gino Contenobes, 69, and his wife Agnes Patigue, 35, residents of Sitio Doldol, barangay Ubujan.
          
According to police, the burglars barged into the couple's home around 7:30 p.m.
Both suspects were armed with handguns and wore bonnets to hide their faces.

The robbers took Agnes' bag containing over P20,000 before they fled.

During an interview over dyRD, Agnes said the two robbers were able to enter their residence through a gap in their fence that was ongoing repair.

Police investigators said the suspects could be familiar with the couple's residence which was in a secluded area.

The case is now being followed up the City PNP's Theft and Robbery section.

From the column of Dandan Bantugan
The Bohol Chronicle

The open declaration of support by City Mayor Dan Neri Lim in our bid for the PCL presidency during his weekly “Mayor’s Report” was the turning point in our campaign.

From the very start, the city mayor has been giving us pointers and guidance in our candidacy. He knows whereof he speaks as proven in the role he played during the bid of Lemuel Digal as SK provincial federation president and with that of former City Councilor George Lao as the first PCL president in Bohol.

But we did not expect his open declaration of an all out support yesterday. At this juncture, words will not suffice to thank the city mayor for his generosity. Gratitude is a memory of the heart.

From the Bohol Chronicle
By Kit Bagaipo

Aside from the usual mudslinging, the election for the hotly contested presidency of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) Bohol Chapter has turned into a money contest with three days left into the elections on Wednesday.

Some 482 PCL members which includes municipal councilors, Liga ng Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) presidents will choose from three contenders City Kag. Danilo Bantugan, Garcia Hernandez Kag. Tita Baja-Gallentes and incumbent PCL president, Loay Kag. Brigido Imboy.

Reports reaching the Chronicle bared that some councilors already received the “first wave” from two of the moneyed bets.

According to sources, each aspirant delivered P2,000 for every councilor.

Claus von Stauffenberg, played by Tom Cruise in a new movie, was executed in 1944 after a bomb that he placed almost killed Hitler. His son Berthold explains how his father almost changed history.

Somewhat tiresomely for the subject of this interview, we will begin with Tom Cruise. Right at this moment the bouncy 45-year-old American Scientologist is trussed up in eye-patch and replica German army officer uniform, circa 1944, in the process of completing his own cinematic tribute to Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, the best-known member of the Nazi resistance.

Stauffenberg’s oldest son, Berthold, who turned 73 last month and was 10 when his father was shot for having tried and failed to assassinate Adolf Hitler with a bomb in a briefcase, has already spoken out about what he thinks about Cruise’s decision to direct his interpretive gaze towards his father â€" whether or not Cruise practised for the part by parading in uniform in a suite of the Regent Hotel in Berlin, which he has hired for the duration of filming. Cruise “should go surfing in the Caribbean”.

Today, when the actor’s name surfaces, the younger Stauffenberg first pauses for several seconds, then breaks his own silence with a disparaging: “I’ve heard he is quite small.”

Stauffenberg was, of course, notably tall, not as tall as his firstborn son, who at over 6ft 3in looms while remaining seated in an armchair, but still tall, extremely handsome and charismatic even in photographs. One suspects that the “good Nazi’s” startling looks â€" he was described by his contemporary Colonel General Franz Halder as “magnetically attractive” â€" as well as his intellectual and social pedigree, his vision and bravery, helped to draw Cruise to the role. Still, this father’s son is doubtful.

read the full story here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article2315329.ece

source: http://www.babalublog.com

BREAKING: FIDEL CASTRO IS DEAD

My cellphone has not stopped ringing for the past ten minutes. Various sources inform that an announcement will come within the next few minutes from the Cuban government on Cuban TV and media. Stay tuned and we'll see if we've been manipulated once again or if today is the birth date of Cuba's liberty.

Update: Here's the deal and what I know up to now, as of 1500 hours, August 24, 2007:

First, South Florida Law Enforcement is on alert. An EOC (Emergency Operations Center) has been set-up and manned somewhere in Homestead.

Im also told Local and State government agencies have food, bottled water, and other necessities - valued in the millions - stored and/or staged in Homestead at or near the EOC.

I am presently verifying whether Coast Guard and DHS and Border Patrol agencies are on high alert. (Verified 01445)

Local News stations are abuzz, mostly on reports very much like the above, with massive law enforcemnt mobilizations throughout Dade county.

Local emergency medical services notified to be on alert by law enforcement agencies.

Im told - and still awaiting confirmation - that buses in Havana have been recalled to terminals and that Cuban workers have been sent home. (still unconfirmed 1500)

Again, I am loathe to publish the title as I did in this post, but I would be remiss in not telling you all what I know, right now. All of my sources are good but the Cuban government, as we all know, is masterful at controlling media and information and we should not rule out that this and last Friday's "news" have been and are feelers to see what the reactions are here, as well as who reacts within the island. If we've been duped we've been duped. If not, then bust out the champagne.

Once again, these may all be rumor to discredit us and other media sources. All we can do is exactly what we've been doing for quite some time now: wait and see.

It is a human tragedy if you cannot let your feelings out.

Bahala ug ma-busted basta kay makapahungaw.

What if nagpaabot ra pud siya nimo?

1. Metal Jacket
2. Bazooka
3. Bullet-resistant helmet
4. Metal wallet with time-programmed lock.
5. Metal tupperware
6. Metal plate
7. Paper-made cellphone for emergency calls

Do you want to add to the list?

"Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering." - Paulo Coelho

He should have forged Iraqi passports.

Quote from: Wyble on August 25, 2007, 12:35:40 PM
I live in  Michigan, i was born and cultured as a very Bisaya from Mindanao. I still am very native (Filipino) in nature despite of the length of my stay here. I used to live in Los angeles and hang out with One of your peeps, Mikey Gatal, which is why i landed into this forum.

Hi Belle,

Tubag Bohol's bell is ringing now that you're with us.

Welcome to the land of Chocolates!

Quote from: Capitan Berong on August 14, 2007, 05:54:38 PM


I gathered that both in Davao City and in Cebu City where vigilantes have exacted their brand of public redress, the known criminals and other dregs of society have either gone on the lam or opted to stay put in pokey, however corrupt politicians and crooks in gov't bureaucracy at those places have yet to be dealt with!

Matud pa sa advertisement sauna ni Maricel Soriano, ang bacteria and germs "hindi bini-baby", "pinapatay."

Johnsons Baby products? No. You need Dr. Wong's Sulfur Soap.

Where are the sons and daughters of Dagohoy?

Quote from: kitt962000 on August 25, 2007, 02:59:05 AM
dapat lng nga may death squad sa bohol pra maundang ang mga badlongon sa syudad.

Police authorities have to improve their intelligence network.

Problema man gud ani kay kanang budget sa intelligence daghan ug laing padulngan.

My feeling is that if you live in the Philippines, it'd be better if you buy books from the National Bookstore rather than buy at ebay or amazon or other foreign websites.

I believe that we can help our economy when we patronize our own stores and products.

Here's the url of the National Bookstore:

http://www.nationalbookstore.com.ph

Written By Yolanda Sotelo-Fuertes
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Pangasinan - He's no Doogie Howser, the fictional teenage doctor in the popular '90s American sitcom, but whenever Adrian Paul Rabe makes his rounds at the Philippine General Hospital, he gets questioning looks from patients.

"Are you really a doctor?" some would ask.

No wonder. Rabe, a native of this town, was barely out of his teens when he started out as a medical clerk and intern at the PGH.

At 22, he is the youngest member of Class 2007 of the University of the Philippines' seven-year Integrated Liberal Arts-Medicine (Intarmed) program. He passed the medical licensure examinations this month.

The Intarmed program allows high school graduates to be directly admitted to the UP College of Medicine.

Rabe said that of the original 40 members of his class in the Intarmed program, 37 graduated in April. The 37 were also among the 141 board passers from the UP College of Medicine in 2007.

Rabe turned 23 on Aug. 17, the day after the medical board exam results were released. He said he did not mind when patients expressed doubts upon learning his age.

He said he would tell them they had nothing to worry about because, he may be young but he knew what to do.

"It's an opportunity to be here at a young age. I'm just younger than others, not special at all," says Rabe, who plans to take his residency at PGH, specializing in internal medicine, "most probably cardiology."

Emmanuel Hao II, class president, said Rabe may be the youngest in their class, but he described the young man as "smart, knowledgeable and very mature for his age."

Rabe said his experiences as a boy helped make him a professional and responsible young man.

When he was young, his family lived in Kuwait. His father, Pete, an engineer, was a contract worker while his mother, Zenaida, also an engineer, took care of him and his four siblings.

He was six years old when the Gulf War broke out in August 1990 and the family decided to return to the Philippines.

"As we drove to Jordan, we were stopped by the military and my father was separated from us. We were taken to a desert camp where there were no [toilets] and we had to do it in the desert. We stayed there for some weeks," Rabe recalled.

"It was difficult because it was only my mother who took care of us and we had no idea where my father was. But she was very strong and she told us we would see him soon," he said.

They were back in the Philippines in September 1990. His father arrived a week later. The family decided to settle in this town and start a photo studio and developing business.

"I don't belong to an affluent family. I guess my experiences during the war, in the desert, made me more tolerant and caring," Rabe said.

"The patients who go to the PGH are [mostly] poor, sometimes [they are] unkempt and smelly. Many of them are dying and we can only give them palliative medical care. Most of the time, my classmates would ask me to take over [the care] of these patients because they know I am matiisin (tolerant) and I can keep a happy face," he says.

His mother said Rabe learned to stand up and walk on his own before he turned one.

At three years old, he was reading the labels on milk cartons and, later, Bible stories (his parents are Jehovah's Witnesses).

His mother said Rabe would listen when she would tutor his older siblings.

"That was how he learned how to read and write," she says.

When they returned to the Philippines, his mother enrolled Rabe, then six years old, at the Cherished Moments Montessori School in Mangaldan.

At first he was in a pre-school class but because he could already read and write, he was "accelerated" to Grade 1 after only a month.

He was always at the top of his class, graduating valedictorian in high school.

Rabe said he initially wanted to take up architecture but the UP College Admission Test application form had an item asking the applicant if he wanted to apply for the shortened medical course.

It was his brother, Mark, a UP law graduate, who told him to try out for the program.

Rabe took his advice and ranked fourth in the entrance examination and interview for Intarmed.

Apart from medicine, Rabe devotes his time to other interests like debating and sports.

He was cited the third best speaker during the Asian Universities Debating Championship held in Singapore in May. He was also a member of his class badminton team.

Quote from: Onicul85 on August 25, 2007, 11:30:31 AM
Amen to this, Mike! Thank YOU, Mike for making this site---because of you we all are here discussing this. Now we're all addicted to TB, hahaha!

Sige~

Thanks, Onic. Addiction is perhaps a scary word to some. But if it's used for good purposes, then the word becomes a powerful testimonial.

Let's say one is addicted to helping the poor. That is a good addiction.

Let me cite one: Continuing Education

We believe that knowledge is power and one should not stop acquiring knowledge. Our economy today is based on knowledge. The economists call it "knowledge economy."

The world is changing and we must catch up.

Your brain can only go to two ways: learning and forgetting.

A shared knowledge empowers humanity. This is one of Tubag Bohol's directions.

Written By Jhunnex Napallacan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Visayas Bureau

Many Filipino doctors want to go abroad and earn dollars but the only Cebuano in the top 10 of the 2007 Physician Licensure Examination will stay in Cebu, working in a government hospital.

Dr. Lily Mae Quevedo Dacay, 26, said she preferred working in a government hospital because she felt she would find great fulfillment in serving the poor.

Dacay who graduated from the Cebu Doctors' University in 2006, is the 8th placer in the Physician Licensure Examination, the results of which were announced Wednesday by the Professional Regulation Commission.

She said she would apply for her residency at the government-run Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City to specialize in either obstetrics-gynecology or internal medicine.

Of the 2,666 medical graduates who took the examination held in Manila, Cebu and Davao this month, 1,737 passed.

Dacay said she was surprised when she found out that she made it to the eighth place.

She learned that she passed the board exams at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday and learned from friends two hours later that she made it to the top ten.

Dacay garnered a rating of 85.17 percent to tie with Lowe Lebosada Chiong of the University of the Philippines-Manila. The board topnotcher, Ma. Christina Cedilla Jovida, was a graduate of the Our Lady of Fatima University in Valenzuela City, Bulacan, who garnered a rating of 86.92 percent. Second placers, with a grade of 85.92 percent, were Ansarie Pedrosa Salpin of West Visayas State University in La Paz, Iloilo, and Sherilyn Alvaran Tuazon of University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc, Manila. Diana Rivadelo Tamondong-Lachica, the third placer, is from University of the Philippines in Manila, with 85.75 percent.

She said the examination was difficult and she was lucky that she passed and made it to the top ten. She attributed her success to God.

Dacay, however, was consistently in the dean's list, said Susan Matura of the CDU registrar's office. She was the third top student of the class when she graduated in April 2006.

Dacay is the only daughter, and second of four children of couple Ernesto and Liliosa Dacay of Oppra, Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.

Her father owns the Dacay Security Agency while her mother works at the Cebu Central Post Office.

Dacay said she studied for the board exams in between shifts at the government-run VSMMC.

Dacay said her career in medicine was her mother's choice.

She said her mother "brainwashed" her into taking up medicine by telling her that being a doctor would provide her a stable job in a "noble profession" and provide her an opportunity to serve the people.

She said it was not until she was doing hospital internship that she began to love being a doctor.

The rest of the top 10 successful board examiners were Marjorie Co Golekoh, University of Santo Tomas (85.58): Aries Caesar Patdu Gavino, University of the Philippines-Manila ( 85.33); Jeffrey Palarca Mendoza, University of Santo Tomas (85.25); Ronald Alvin Villanueva, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (85.08); Carmel Gan Gonzales, University of the Philippines Manila (85) and Razel Carlos Siron-Gonzales, Angeles University Foundation (85).

It is normal and in fact healthy to express a dissenting opinion.

We encourage a free flow of opinion.

You may not like the idea or opinion of a Bol-anon here but don't use it against him or her.

Always remember this: focus on the topic, not on the person who disagrees with you. With this, we'll be building meaningful friendships in Tubag Bohol.

Onic, Thaksin now lives in Thailand and he co-owns a football team in England. It is not possible for him to return to Thailand or he might be assassinated. The military is in control of the country at this time.

Last week the Thais voted yes to their new constitution. We expect an election by the end of this year.

Glad to know that you can still trace the roots of your grandfather. Many of us have lost contact with the past.

I envision that Tubag Bohol could help bridging lost friends and relatives across the globe.

Quote from: Onicul85 on August 25, 2007, 09:53:49 AM

The Ayuthayan kingdom was rich in history as well as in culture, but could not have been as great as it was, had it not been for the influence of the Chinese dynasties. The Yuan dynasty played a key role in that it waged a destructive war with the Kingdom of Bagan, which was once a great power in the western parts of south east asia. After the war, Bagan was destroyed and the Thai princely states were able to take control of Mon and Shan regions once ruled by the Bagan power, thus allowing Ayuthaya to grow (Kingsbury 141). Ayuthaya owes a great deal to the Chinese politically. Had the Yuan dynasty not warred with the Burmese, Ayuthaya would have never been able to expand and acquire the man power as well as the rice low lands of the Chao Phraya region, the impetus for future imperialistic growth. Another example of how the Yuan dynasty aided Ayuthaya was when Bagan was destroyed; the Thais were encouraged to attack the Khmer Empire and partitioned old territories that were under the control. This is an example of political pressure from China, forcing the Thai kingdom to act and in doing so expanded and in the process gaining fame and historical reverence (Simkin 153-155). Ayuthaya was influenced culturally in that during the span of the Ming as well as the Qing dynasties, there was observable Chinese immigration into the Thai kingdom of Ayuthaya. After Ayuthaya’s fall, the modern day Siam, commonly referred as Thailand, Chinese immigration continued and resulted in a cultural mix of Chinese and Thai. As a result, the Thai-Chinese minority gained elitist status when they controlled the economy as the trade between Ayuthaya and China continued (Cushman 44-50) (Kahn 7-8).

A native Thai is usually dark. The Chinese had changed all that. This is one apparent reason why there are so many beautiful Thai girls - a mix of Thai and Chinese blood.

Chinese population in Thailand before World War II was nearly 50 percent of the country's total number of inhabitants.

After World War II, there was an anti-Chinese hatred all over Thailand, a national sentiment that forced many Chinese to return to mainland China. Yet the Chinese rule in Thailand. They are the rich, powerful, beautiful, and influential.

Prime Minister Thaksin is half-Chinese.

source: <a href="http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22304224-2,00.html?from=public_rss">news.com.au</a>

A Melbourne schoolboy has cracked the Federal Government's new $84 million internet porn filter in minutes.

Tom Wood, 16, said it took him just over 30 minutes to bypass the Government's filter, released on Tuesday.

Tom, a year 10 student at a southeast Melbourne private school, showed the Herald Sun how to deactivate the filter in a handful of clicks.

Parents easily fooled

His technique ensures the software's toolbar icon is not deleted, leaving parents under the impression the filter is still working.

A former cyber bullying victim, Tom feared a computer-savvy child could work out the bypass and put it on the Internet for others to use.

Tom, who spoke to Communications Minister Helen Coonan about cyber safety during a forum in May, said the Federal Government should have developed a better Australian made filter.

"It's a horrible waste of money," he said.

"They could get a much better filter for a few million dollars made here rather than paying overseas companies for an ineffective one."

source: <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/23/eveningnews/main3199062.shtml">cbsnews.com</a>

(CBS News) In life, Mother Teresa was an icon â€" for believers â€" of God's work on Earth. Her ministry to the poor of Calcutta was a world-renowned symbol of religious compassion. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a rare interview in 1986, Mother Teresa told CBS News she had a calling, based on unquestioned faith.

"They are all children of God, loved and created by the same heart of God," she said.

But now, it has emerged that Mother Teresa was so doubtful of her own faith that she feared being a hypocrite, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips.

In a new book that compiles letters she wrote to friends, superiors and confessors, her doubts are obvious.

Shortly after beginning work in Calcutta's slums, the spirit left Mother Teresa.

"Where is my faith?" she wrote. "Even deep down… there is nothing but emptiness and darkness... If there be God â€" please forgive me."

Eight years later, she was still looking to reclaim her lost faith.

"Such deep longing for God… Repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal," she said.

As her fame increased, her faith refused to return. Her smile, she said, was a mask.

"What do I labor for?" she asked in one letter. "If there be no God, there can be no soul. If there be no soul then, Jesus, You also are not true."

"These are letters that were kept in the archbishop's house," the Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk told Phillips.

The letters were gathered by Rev. Kolodiejchuk, the priest who's making the case to the Vatican for Mother Teresa's proposed sainthood. He said her obvious spiritual torment actually helps her case.

"Now we have this new understanding, this new window into her interior life, and for me this seems to be the most heroic," said Rev. Kolodiejchuk.

According to her letters, Mother Teresa died with her doubts. She had even stopped praying, she once said.

The church decided to keep her letters, even though one of her dying wishes was that they be destroyed. Perhaps now we know why.

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Few stories have touched CNN.com users like that of 5-year-old Youssif, an Iraqi boy who had gone out to play on a January day when he was suddenly grabbed by masked men, doused in gas and set on fire.

CNN.com users responded by the thousands to the story asking how they could help. But there were tricky and difficult issues the family had to suddenly confront, as several aid organizations quickly offered their services.

Specifically, the family had to make a decision on whether to leave their homeland or stay inside Iraq for treatment. If they chose to leave, could they get visas to travel to the United States or leave Iraq safely? Further complicating matters is the fact that few aid organizations remain in Iraq; most moved out months ago due to the constant threat of being targeted.

Leaving one's homeland is never an easy choice to make, even during war. But the family has decided Youssif should seek treatment in the United States.

The Children's Burn Foundation -- a non-profit organization based out of Sherman Oaks, California, that provides support for burn victims locally, nationally and internationally -- has agreed to pay for the transportation for Youssif and his family to come to the United States and to set up a fund so you can donate.

The foundation says it will cover all medical costs -- from surgeries for Youssif to housing costs to any social rehabilitation that might be needed for him. Surgeries will be performed by Dr. Peter Grossman, a plastic surgeon with the affiliated-Grossman Burn Center who is donating his services for Youssif's cause.

Officials are still trying to get the appropriate visas for his travels. Youssif could be in the United States for up to a year for the various treatments he needs.

You can make a donation at the foundation's site by clicking here. There's a drop down menu under the "general donation" area that is marked "Youssif's fund."

When informed of the news in Baghdad, Youssif ran around his house, saying, "Daddy, daddy, am I really going to get on a plane?!"

Youssif's father was also cheered by the news. "I feel like I am going to fly from happiness," his father told CNN's Arwa Damon, who reported the story on what happened to Youssif.

Barbara Friedman, executive director of the Children's Burn Foundation, said she and others at the foundation were deeply moved when they first read the piece.

"In terms of a personal reaction, the only thing I could say is it takes your breath away -- because it's just so unfathomable, that that kind of brutality and violence was undertaken in a premeditated way against a defenseless child," she told CNN.com.

"From the foundation's perspective, our immediate reaction was: Can we help? How can we help? We want to help. This is what we do."

Many of you had the same reaction. "This kind of thing breaks my heart," wrote CNN.com user Jessica Allen. "To see that smiling adorable face before that day that he was so brutally attacked is enough to make you cry. How could someone do this to anyone, let alone a child?"

Others pleaded for CNN to act. "CNN, if you put this on for us to read, then you should allow us to donate," wrote Brian Quinn.

The story -- published and broadcast on Wednesday -- has been one of the most-read, non-breaking news stories in CNN.com's 13-year history.

"We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for Youssif and his family, and are grateful that the Children's Burn Foundation and the Grossman Burn Center have volunteered to help," said Mitch Gelman, CNN.com's senior vice president and senior executive producer.

"It is heart-warming and restorative to see such generosity and goodness emerging from this truly unspeakable horror."

source: www.cnn.com

By Joyce Pangco Pañares
The Manila Standard Today

TAGBILARAN CITYâ€"Police on Wednesday arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf bomber on a ferry in Cebu on his way to Metro Manila with “enough explosives to kill hundreds of people,” an official said yesterday.

Police arrested the man a day before President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo arrived in Bohol Thursday for the first Local Peace and Security Assembly. National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales described him as a Muslim in his early 20s.

“I cannot divulge the name yet because the investigation is still ongoing,” Gonzales said.

“We suspect that he is a member of the Abu Sayyaf and he was on his way from Zamboanga to Manila to meet probably some people there to prepare for an attack.”

Gonzales made his statement even as the head of Metro Manila’s military force deployed more than 2,000 soldiersâ€"including sea marshalsâ€"to fight terrorists planning attacks in the metropolis, where both the police and military are on red alert.

“We have deployed about 100 sea marshals [to ride ferry boats],” Maj. Gen. Ben Mohammed Dolorfino said in Manila.

“The spillover [of the conflict in Mindanao to Metro Manila] is always possible as shown by the bombing incidents in the national capital region in the past,” he said.

Gonzalez denied that the man arrested in Cebu had intended to launch his attack here in Bohol, where the President spent the night to deliver her closing remarks for the assembly today.

“He was carrying enough explosives to kill hundreds of people especially if placed in a mallâ€"enough to do maximum damage,” Gonzales said.

The man’s arrest came days after the President urged the public to be vigilant against retaliatory attacks from people sympathizing with the Abu Sayyaf bandits, who continue to suffer heavy casualties in Basilan and Sulu.

The President first went to Basilan before proceeding to Bohol to praise the soldiers who have been fighting the Abu Sayyaf since last month, and who have killed 81 of the bandits while suffering 57 dead.

Quote from: EL MUNDO on August 24, 2007, 10:29:28 AM
sindikato man dioay pud na sa mga opsital.. imbis nga 12,000 ray bayran the hospital will charge 30,000 or 40,000.00

ang patient dili ra pud morekjlamo why dako ang bill kay libre man.

now, nahibaw-an na ang modus operandi

So, kinsay nakasapi, El Mundo?

Quote from: EL MUNDO on August 24, 2007, 10:26:13 AM
tulis na pud:

august 23-- naay gitulis sa ubujan
august 23- gitulis ang carenderia duol sa alturas (early morning)

Leo, can you give us more details about this report?

By Ronnel Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

European hotel giant Accor -- owner of the Sofitel chain of five-star hotels -- is on the lookout for possible new hotel projects or acquisitions in the Philippines in view of burgeoning tourism businesses here, a company official said.

Bernd Schneider, general manager of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, said the group was in talks with various potential partners, including hotel/property owners and developers.

Accor is "considering expanding its Philippine operations in other cities of Metro Manila and in secondary cities such as Cebu, Davao and Cagayan de Oro,” he said in an interview.

When pressed for details, Schneider said, “Everything is still on discussion.”

He explained that Accor was also looking at opportunities in introducing its other brands into the Philippine market, considering the growth shown by the local tourism sector in the past few years.

He said Accor’s other chain of hotels include the four-star Novotel hotels and resorts; the three-star Mercure chain; All Season Premier (four-star); All Season (three-star); the “value-for-money” Ibis hotels and the trend-setting Formule 1 budget hotel chain.

Sofitel Philippine Plaza is at present renovating some 200 rooms following Accor’s takeover of the sea-front hotel in January 2006.

Schneider said the company had earmarked $20 million for the renovation, including the first batch of 300 rooms done last year.

“Our occupancy rate has increased from the mid-60s [percent] before we took over, to the 70s in the first half of 2007,” he said. “We consider that a healthy number.”

He added that room rates had gone up by half in the past 18 months.

Accor operates 3,800 hotels worldwide, covering all segments -- from economy to upper upscale.

How to Sustain Good Habits
By John Wesley

1. Don’t wait until conditions are perfect - If you’re waiting to start until conditions are perfect, you probably never will. There will always be something that isn’t quite right. Either the timing is off, the market is down, or there’s too much competition. In the real world there is no perfect time to start. You have to take action and deal with problems as they arise. The best time to start was last year. The second best time is right now.

2. Be a doer - Practice doing things rather than thinking about them. Do you want to start exercising? Do you have a great idea to pitch your boss? Do it today. The longer an idea sits in your head without being acted on, the weaker it becomes. After a few days the details gets hazy. After a week it’s forgotten completely. By becoming a doer you’ll get more done and stimulate new ideas in the process.

3. Remember that ideas alone don’t bring success - Ideas are important, but they’re only valuable after they’ve been implemented. One average idea that’s been put into action is more valuable than a dozen brilliant ideas that you’re saving for “some other day” or the “right opportunity”. If you have an idea the you really believe in, do something about it. Unless you take action it will never go anywhere.

4. Use action to cure fear - Have you ever noticed that the most difficult part of public speaking is waiting for your turn to speak? Even professional speakers and actors experience pre-performance anxiety. Once they get started the fear disappears. Action is the best cure for fear. The most difficult time to take action is the very first time. After the ball is rolling, you’ll build confidence and things will keep getting easier. Kill fear by taking action and build on that confidence.

5. Start your creative engine mechanically - One of the biggest misconceptions about creative work is that it can only be done when inspiration strikes. If you wait for inspiration to slap you in the face, your work sessions will be few and far between. Instead of waiting, start your creative motor mechanically. If you need to write something, force yourself to sit down and write. Put pen to paper. Brainstorm. Doodle. By moving your hands you’ll stimulate the flow of ideas and inspire yourself.

6. Think in terms of now - Focus on what you can do in the present moment. Don’t worry about what you should have done last week or what you might be able to do tomorrow. The only time you can affect is the present. If you speculate too much about the past or the future you won’t get anything done. Tomorrow or next week frequently turns into never. As Ben Franklin said, “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

7. Get down to business immediately - It’s common practice for people to socialize and make small talk at the beginning of meetings. The same is true for individual workers. How often do you check email or RSS feeds before doing any real work? These distractions will cost you serious time if you don’t bypass them and get down to business immediately. By becoming someone who gets to the point you’ll be more productive and people will look to you as a leader.

source: www.pickthebrain.com

source: www.news.bbc.co.uk

A Malaysian newspaper is facing calls to shut down after it published an image of Jesus holding a cigarette and what appeared to be a can of beer.

Malaysia's Muslim-led government closed two publications last year for carrying controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Now some members of Malaysia's minority religions say they want the same treatment over this latest incident.

Religion is a famously sensitive subject in Malaysia.

So when Tamil-language newspaper, Makkal Osai, published a picture on its front page apparently showing Jesus smoking and drinking it was bound to cause offence.

Christian groups said that although the Jesus of the Bible was a compassionate figure - who turned water into wine, shared a flagon with his disciples at the Last Supper and mixed with tax collectors and prostitutes - action should still be taken.

The paper has since issued an apology, explaining that a graphics editor had mistakenly taken the image from the internet. Most of Malaysia's churches appear to have been appeased.

Not so though the Malaysian Indian Congress, an ethnic Tamil political party in the governing coalition, most of whose members are Hindu.

A senior party official has demanded that Makkal Osai's editor be sacked and the paper closed.

Interestingly, Makkal Osai has been very critical of the Malaysian Indian Congress, which owns a rival Tamil-language newspaper.

Non-Muslims are also waiting to see how the government responds, given that it took tough action over the publication of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons.

By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- Whereas before it used to sell its old electronic products to junk shops, the Philippine office of Japanese printing and imaging firm Canon is now looking toward a more environment-friendly electronics disposal.

In an interview with INQUIRER.NET, Canon Philippines President Ramon Arteficio said the company wants to improve its electronic waste disposal system in the Philippines as part of their parent company’s global environmental management program.

Arteficio said that while Canon Philippines does have an electronic disposal system for most of its products in China, its printers are mostly sent out to junk shop dealers in the Philippines, with some of the plastics and metal parts being sold and reused to make other items.

The company does have a take-back service wherein old Canon products are traded in for newer models of the same type of device.

“We need to have a better way to dispose of these materials because of environmental concerns. What we’re doing now is to find a third party to do the disposal for us,” Arteficio said.

While not giving other specifics regarding their new disposal plans, he said Canon Philippines might find a third party disposal firm within the year.

The Canon Sustainability Report outlines the company’s entire environmental management program, from the operation side to the disposal. However, only the major manufacturing plants in the US, China, Europe and Australia are utilizing environmental standards.

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net

TAGBILARAN, Bohol -- Officials here are pushing for an amnesty program for communist rebels to completely rid the province of insurgency, a move welcomed by Malacañang.

A resolution by the provincial government on the call for amnesty will be presented before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the ongoing Local Peace and Security Assembly at the Bohol Tropics Resort in this city, Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado said.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the executive would support the move.

"The proposal of Governor Aumentado is based on a very successful experiment at the local level and it is worth considering," he told reporters in an interview.

In a separate news conference, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the proposal should be considered "very, very seriously."

He said the executive branch was prepared to work with Congress for a law on amnesty for political offenders.

Gonzales said he would call a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the details of a proposed law such as who would be included in it, what offenses it would cover, and how it would be defined.

Presidential Management Staff chief Cerge Remonde said the proposal could also be included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

He said Aumentado's proposal could trigger the process of discussions on amnesty among other local officials in other provinces.

Remonde said mini-LEDACs would be held where a more focused discussion on specific issues could take place.

Bohol is being showcased by the government as a province where the problem of insurgency has been curbed.

Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Lasange of the Armed Forces Civil Relations Service of Central Visayas said there were only about 35 to 50 New People's Army in the entire Bohol province.

He said he favored an amnesty to completely wipe out the rebels without using the military's might.

Dr. Asteria Estorion, who works with the Office of the Governor and who has worked for programs on returning rebels, said about 185 NPA have returned to the fold of law since the 90s.

He said the returnees were given livelihood projects and housing.

Quote from: GEC348 on August 24, 2007, 12:26:20 AM
I used to devour
Ludlum, Clancy, Grisham, Clavel...
Then I got hooked with Baigent, Picknet, Knight, Cuello

Now, it's TuBo!

Ah GEC. "By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept"

Galen, Tubag Bohol is powered by an open source software.

Written By Rey Anthony Chiu
Philippine Information Agency

The life of Bohol couple Milagros (52) and Amado (47), former rebels and now government partners in reform could well be translated as miracle of love.

Poor and yet wanting to give a good future to their two children, “Ka Amado” or Francisco Payot left home and family so he could get out of poverty. Along the way, he almost lost it, until love did the rest.

Turning away from the warmth of home, the company of his wife and the joy of being with his two children, Ka Amado drowned the lost comfort with the passion for work. He left home to organize the New People’s Army mass base. He did it knowing it could mean paying with his blood.

In Bohol, the Payots are just some of the 185 persons who, in different stages of their lives, believed a promise told them: equality, land reform, money, security and even free education.

For the Payot’s, the rebel movement gave Amado something that is too good to be refused.

He was told he’d get P3T a month, the rebels would send his two kids to school, the movement would redeem his mortgaged farm lot and if they succeed in toppling the government, there’d be genuine land reform.

Tilling a small lot, Amado knew sending his kids to school is beyond his capacity.

So, joining the movement and leading red fighter units of the Chocolate Hills Command for four years, he soon strengthened his influence and fame as a passionate warrior.

But as years rolled, Ka Amado’s family was even much poorer. The P1T that his family gets is way off the promised P3T.

He slowly realized the promise has not only been empty, it has separated him from his family, a poor Boholano’s very last possession.

While asked to collect revolutionary taxes for the rebels, it dawned upon him that he has also become an oppressor of the poor like his family.

He has always thought of going home, he admitted but he kept the plan to himself.

When the haunting became too heavy and the persistent military calls to peacefully take the way of peace got to him, he decided to go home finally.

In Bohol, instead of going hard against the rebels like then, the military strengthened its civil military operations instead, shared 302nd Brigade Executive Officer Maj. Lao Lucas.

According to 302nd Brigade CMO Officer Maj. Anastacio Suaybaguio Jr., teams joined forces with poverty alleviation community organizers to insurgency affected barangays for a singular vision: to uproot poverty and make people feel the government at work. Such teams directly talked to rebels and succeeded in chipping out the mass base.

Now, Amado and his family has become one of the many who have taken the same paths of peace by responding positively to the government’s call to lay down their arms.

When he realized a silent surrender is not the way to end it all, Amado volunteered to correct the past by joining the government anti-insurgency information campaigns of truth.

Now along with nine former comrades, he speaks where the military conducts civil military operations or where the local government unit conducts civic activities in attempts to rectify the lies they peddled in areas where they once operated as rebels.

He admitted his task earned him threats but that has been a calculated risk since he ran to the hills.

Now, Amado and wife agree that the decision has boded them together as family, their two sons now slowly regaining from the past life.

Tilling a small lot within the military reservation where they are now peacefully settled, life they said has never been made more promising.

“I never saw a fighter so brave and that is his weakness. My advise to him is try not to be fearless all the time, learn to tame your courage. His bravery cost him his victory,” trainer Edito Villamor said.

Team Bautista admitted that fighting de Leon head on in the early parts of the fight was not their game plan.

“The plan was to fight outside, use the distance to frustrate de Leon and go inside in the middle parts. But that did not happen, Boom-Boom came hard at the onset and he paid the prize,” said the younger Aldeguer.

The future of Bautista, however, is still bright.

Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista vows to be a better fighter following his first round defeat at the hands of Mexican WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon last Sunday in the World Cup of Boxing.

Despite his loss to de Leon, Golden Boys Promotion officially signed the three-year contract extension with Bautista.

“Last Monday, when we had a courtesy call to the Golden Boy Promotions in Los Angeles, CEO Richard Schaefer and vice president Eric Gomez told me to tell everybody in the Philippines that they will give Bautista their 100 percent support, that’s why they signed him to a three-year contract extension,” Aldeguer said.

Aside from this, ALA Gym and SGG promotions had officially sealed their partnership with GBP that will last for at least five years.

Bautista, arrived home Wednesday along with fellow ALA Boys Z “The Dream” Gorres and AJ “Bazooka” Banal. Humbled by the defeat, Bautista said he has learned his lessons well and promised to bounce back and become a greater fighter in his quest to win the world title.

“Although I lost my fight, I am still proud that I fought for the Philippines, I am proud that my first loss was handed by a world champion,” Bautista said.

The 21-year-old Boholano fighter, however, admitted that his loss was due to his lack of immaturity inside the ring.

“No I will not retire. I just believed I lost to a greater fighter. I have learned my lessons and I was feeling a little pressure because of my hand injury but that is no excuse, I will definitely bounce back and achieve what I had dreamed of,” said Bautista. (RCM)

source: www.theboholstandard.com

Elements of Special Operations Group of Bohol Police Provincial Office and Sagbayan Police Station led by P/INSP VENER SANTOS arrested an escapee from the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa, Palawan while operating in Poblacion, Sagbayan, Bohol, last August 12, 2007 at around 9:00 in the evening.

The sentenced prisoner who managed to escaped from the penal institution way back on April 16, 1989 was identified as Antonio Torrefranca y Libres, legal age, Filipino and resident of Poblacion, Sagbayan, Bohol.

The arrest was effected by virtue of an Arrest Order from the Bureau of Prisons based in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, per File No. 302231 and Prisoner File No. 129231-P. As remembered, Antonio Torrefranca y Libres was convicted for the crime of Robbery with Homicide and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Presiding Judge of Branch 1, Regional Trial Court of Bohol on June 18, 1987.

The escapee is now detained at the Camp Dagohoy Detention Cell awaiting the arrival of authorities from the Bureau of Prisons who brought him back to the Brureu of Prisons Center to serve his sentenced.

source: www.theboholstandard.com

Ayaw lang sa Starbucks kay labihang mahala.

But I have a feeling this is a paid article.

Marketing strategy of coffee makers.

It looks heavy. The Raptor is light.

The Sukhoi Su-30 (NATO reporting name "Flanker-C") is an agile military aircraft developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation and introduced into operational service in 1996. An air superiority fighter that can also perform ground strikes, the Su-30 is comparable to USA's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-15E Strike Eagle. - wikipedia.org

Tubag Bohol community is sending their "regards" to our President.

The U.S. spends billions and billions of dollars for research and development.

And the Chinese and Russian hackers are hacking into military computers to cart away U.S. weapons secrets.

According to wikipedia.org: "J-10 fighter aircraft, on final apporach Chengdu, China. A family member who was in China to work on the JF-17 project took this."

photo courtesy of wikipedia.org and af.mil

Onic, the U.S. economy is highly dependent on making and selling weapons of mass destruction.

“If you think the Blue Card Health Program is only for my political advantage, then we will close it.”

Furious City Mayor Dan Lim made this threat as he dismissed those who, he branded, as grandstanding and ambitious (ambisyoso). He earlier suspended application for new beneficiaries when opposition councilor Anne Mariquit Oppus pushed for an investigation and subsequent amendment of the ordinance.

“I won by my performance, not on promises,” the mayor declared.

The mayor threw a challenge that for all (politicians) to have equal footing, then he will stop this program.

In last Wednesday’s regular city council session, councilor Oppus submitted her proposed amendment on the Blue Card Program.

Oppus said, “there is a need to revise certain provisions of the ordinance for it to be more responsive to present needs and circumstances, and for the same to be realistic and doable.”

The amendments is on Section 124 (i), Chapter V, Article B of the 2007 Revised Code of the Administrative Ordinances of the City of Tagbilaran, and © sub-paragraph 8.

Oppus wants the status of the funds and the implementation of the health program reported annually to the Committee on Health and Sanitation.

The free room and board shall cover ward only and the coverage of the ordinance shall exclude all diseases and illnesses due to vices, drug addiction, and the like and those not within the competence of hospitals located within the City of Tagbilaran.

The amendment shall also cancel the P100 annual renewal fee for card holders.

The lady councilor explained that she is not against the health program is questioning it not for political mileage but instead trying to improve it.

Oppus chairs the committee on Social Services.

source: <a href="http://www.theboholstandard.com">theboholstandard.com</a>

...Because of the work already done on the F-22, developing the FB-22 might cost about $5 billion to $7 billion â€" a fraction of the price for starting a bomber from scratch.

Quote from: Onicul85 on August 23, 2007, 08:17:36 PM
^ Insnt that insane? The USAF already ordered over 250 more...

At least they are ordered from an American company. Boeing and Lockheed cash registers will be ringing.

source: <a href="http://www.theboholstandard.com">theboholstandard.com</a>

Mayors of the province of Bohol trooped to and gathered at Bohol Tropics on the night of August 11, 2007 to celebrate the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines Bohol Chapter Oath-taking and Inauguration Ceremony and pay tribute to its past presidents.

Hghlight of the affair was the honoring of all past presidents led by a posthumous award for the First National President of the Mayors’ League of the Philippines and longest serving President/Speaker of the Bohol Mayors’ League, late Assemblyman Eladio I. Chatto. The award was received by incumbent Balilihan Mayor Victoria M. Chatto, wife of the late Assemblyman. Gov Erico Aumentado, LMP President Exuperio Lloren and LMP Executive Vice President Roberto Salinas led the awarding ceremonies. First District Congressman Edgar M. Chatto also received his plaque of recognition as President of LMP Bohol Chapter from 1992-1995. He also served as LMP National Secretary General. Other awardees included Vice Gov Julius Cesar Herrera, Immediate Past LMP President Roygie Jumamoy, Former Board Members Concepcion Lim and Felix Uy, Mayor Sylvia Adame, and the late Mayor Troadio Tecson. Congressmen Roberto Cajes and Adam Relson Jala were also present with members of the Provincial Board.

In his speech, Congressman Chatto congratulated the newly elected officers of the organization and challenged them to the serious tasks ahead of them. Being an LMP Official is not mere prestige but rather hard work and perseverance in order to develop a strong organization, in leadership and public service. Though there may be ups and downs in handling a group just like handling a local government unit, still the fundamental purpose of genuine public service should always prevail.

The LMP is one of the Local Government Leagues mandated in the Local Government Code. Its purpose is to give a venue for the Local Chief Executives (LCEs) to strengthen their ranks as partners in National development and growth. It provides LCE’s an opportunity to exchange notes on governance, leadership and service with their peers. It develops programs for capability building towards more effective, efficient and responsive local government administration.

The newly sworn LMP Bohol Chapter officers are:
President - Mayor Exuperio Lloren of Jagna;
Executive Vice President â€" Mayor Roberto Salinas of Catigbian;
Executive Consultant on LMP Affairs â€" Mayor Sylvia Adame of Dimiao;
Legal Counsels â€" Mayors Alvin Uy and Luna Piezas of Baclayon and Tubigon respectively;
Treasurer â€" Mayor Luciano Bongalos of Dauis;
Assistant Treasurer â€" Mayor Luis Thomas R. Gonzaga of Danao;
Secretary â€" Mayor Cecile Rebosura of Antequera;
Assistant Secretary â€" Mayor Sulpicio Yu of Calape;
and Auditor â€" Mayor Theresa M. Camacho of Getafe.
1st District Officers are: Vice President â€" Mayor Victoria Chatto of Balilihan;
Board of Directors (BOD)- Mayor Jasmine Balistoy of Cortes and Mayor Jose Ugdoracion, Jr. of Albur;
PRO â€" Mayor Lloyd Peter Lopez of Loon;
and Sgt at Arms â€" Mayor Vito Rapal of Corella.
2nd District Officers include: Vice President â€" Mayor Jimmy Torrefranca of Sagbayan;
BODs â€" Mayors Hermogenes Diezon of Clarin and Germinio Relampagos of Dagohoy;
PRO â€" Mayor Jose Juno Jumamoy of Inabanga;
and Sgt. At Arms â€" Mayor Rey Nino Boniel of Bien Unido;
For the 3rd District its officials consist of Vice President â€" Mayor Leon Calimpusan of Loboc;
BODs â€" Mayors Paulino Amper, Henrieta Gan and Rosemarie Imboy of Anda, Valencia and Loay respectively;
PRO â€" Mayor Sergio Amora of Candijay;
and Sgt. At Arms â€" Mayor Pedro Miasco of Alicia.

Wow. I love Raptor. Each costs more than 2 billion dollars.

With the overwhelming support of old and new members of the Philippine Councilors League-Bohol Chapter, incumbent President Loay Kagawad Brigido “Boy” Imboy is now all ready to rumble for his reelection bid in the coming August 29 PCL elections.

“I don’t think the elections will be decided on money factors but on the issue of leadership that is needed by the league,” Imboy said.

The three-term Loay kagawad is confident PCL members who have experienced his able stewardship will always look forward for the over-all welfare of the league.

PCL-Bohol has 482 members which include city and municipal councilors, Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) federation presidents and Liga ng Barangay (ABC) presidents. More than half of these are new sanggunian members.

New members said they are impressed of Imboy’s leadership qualities based on the experience shared to them by old PCL members.

As of today, with the initiative of PCL President Imboy, members enjoy medical and death benefits plus calamity assistance, - like in cases when a kagawad is a victim of fire or other natural catastrophe.

--<a href="http://www.theboholstandard.com">theboholstandard.com</a>

Quote from: Onicul85 on August 23, 2007, 08:01:32 PM
Wow...its almost insane that the Ruskies would send those bombers to the air towards UK space---its sending a 2nd generation long range bomber against a 4th-5th generation air superiority fighter...lol.

Britain should've shot that bomber down.

That would have triggered a World War 3.

I don't know why President Prutin is quite aggressive these days.

Look, a Russian flag is already planted in Canada's icy territory!

Written By Fred C. Amora
Associate Editor
The Bohol Standard

This is the problem of translation. Most of the time, the context is lost and wrong impressions are created.

My good friend Dandan Bantugan made it clear last Wednesday, during the city council’s regular session, that he is wrongly branded as mayor Dan Lim’s “faith defender.”

Well, I think I was the one who wrote that line in this column. If I was wrong, mea culpa, mea culpa. I’m sure my good friend Dandan will be always forgiving.

That day, I was flattered. He noticed me and remembered my name!

But he forgot (omitted?) the initials after my name D.D.D. (Dili Doctor of Divinities).

In that session, I heard the councilors’ hush whispers: “Guapo man diay na si Fred Amora?”

Tenk you, puera buyag!

* * * * *

While I sat meek as a lamb in a corner of the session hall, Bantugan stood and took the opportunity chastising me, particularly on the issue that in my column I called him “faith defender.” But I don’t see anything wrong with the name (remember, Catholic faith defender Socrates Fernandez is now mayor of Talisay City).

He explained that his manifestations regarding the move of fellow councilor Anne Mariquit Oppus, who questioned the Blue Card Health Program of the Lim administration, was well meant.

Legislative matters brought before the sanggunian are first discussed in the committee level. That is parliamentary protocol.

Lawyer-councilor Bantugan is right! Those who condemned his stance should apologize.

But joining in duet with Mayor Lim branding the move of Oppus as “pamolitika” is another thing. I don’t know how to translate that one.

We will wait for Bantugan to make the necessary edition.

* * * * *

Indeed there are always discrepancies in translations. One should be cautious.

Look how pastors (religious experts kuno) engage in never-ending debates deducing their own biblical versions.

True biblical scholars say: “The deductions that may be validly drawn from ancient documents all harmonize with biblical records and one has nothing to fear from hostile arguments and challenges of humanistic rationalists or detractors of any and every persuasion.” (Gleason S. Archer, Professor of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois.)

Also, even the Supreme Court had scored the problem of translation.

It said: “No statute can be enacted that can provide all details involved in its application. There is always an omission that may not meet a particular situation. What is thought, at the time of enactment, to be an all-embracing legislation may be inadequate to provide for the unfolding of events in the future. (G.R. No. 161081, May 10, 2005).

See? So, we must also be forgiving. Wala lang ninyo masabta si Kagawad Dandan Bantugan. Kon and tiki (house lizard) mag-usab sa panit depende sa balay nga gipuy-an, tawo pa kaha?

Fake or Faith Defender, they seem to sound the same.

Bantugan’s good intentions were just probably “lost in translation,” so to speak!

Lesson for Today: “Wise men learn from others’ mistakes; fools by their own.”

Among dog named Neptune who lived with us for 13 years dili mokaon pagmolarga nako balik sa Silliman sauna. He won't eat for three days, and my mother had to assure him that I would still be coming back.

Sa Bisaya, gitawag ni ug "nawatas-watas" nga kasing-kasing.

By Denise Gellene, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Sex doesn't stop at age 60, 70, 80 or beyond, according to a study published today that found many Americans stayed surprisingly frisky well into old age.

The study of 3,005 adults ages 57 to 85 found the majority had an active sex life. More than half of sexually active older adults had sex two to three times a month -- the same frequency reported among younger adults in a large 1992 national survey.

The report, in the New England Journal of Medicine, found passions cooled as people aged, but said the declining interest in sex couldn't be attributed to age alone.

A shortage of older men prevented many women in their 70s and 80s from hooking up, researchers said.

In addition, older adults with health problems were far less sexually active.

Participants in the study were considered sexually active if they had any sort of sexual contact with someone else in the preceding 12 months.

The nationwide study is the most comprehensive look yet at sexual activity among older Americans, an area that has received little scientific attention. Researchers said they hoped the findings would dispel commonly held notions that people lose all interest in sex as they age, and that sex is the province of the young.

"Older people are just younger people later in life," said lead author Dr. Stacy Tessler Lindau, a gynecologist at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

Still, Lindau cautioned the study wasn't meant to set a standard for normal sexual behavior that older people should feel compelled to achieve despite their personal preferences or circumstances.

"Certainly many people make a choice not to be sexually active," she said.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, examined the nature and frequency of sexual activity among older adults, including the prevalence of such performance problems as sexual dysfunction. Subjects were interviewed about their sexual practices and researchers also collected information on participants' overall health and intimate relationships.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN(R)) together with Pearson VUE, announce expanded testing availability for the NCLEX(R) examination to Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Exam delivery begins at the Pearson VUE-owned and -operated Pearson Professional Center in Manila on August 23, 2007.

"The NCSBN is pleased to expand availability of the NCLEX examination to Manila. Security of the examination process is a primary concern for the NCSBN. By working collaboratively with Pearson VUE to deliver the NCLEX examination in the Manila Pearson Professional Center, we are able to utilize the latest in biometric technology and security processes. We are confident that we will provide greater customer service and convenience to nursing candidates without compromising the integrity of the NCLEX examination process," said Casey Marks, PhD, Associate Executive Director, Business Operations, NCSBN.

"As the NCSBN continues to expand internationally, we are pleased to be able to offer nursing candidates in the Philippines the most consistent and secure testing experience possible," said Robert Whelan, president of Pearson VUE. "Each Pearson VUE-owned and -operated test center employs an unparalleled, patented security solution and we leave nothing to chance when opening a new test center. We have worked closely with the NCSBN to increase availability of the NCLEX examination internationally and will continue to do so in the future."

The Manila, Philippines, site will join the following international Pearson VUE locations in offering NCLEX testing: London, England; Hong Kong; Sydney, Australia; Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, Canada; Frankfurt, Germany; Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai, India; Mexico City, Mexico; Taipei, Taiwan; and Chiyoda-ku and Yokohama, Japan. The NCLEX examination is also available at over 200 Pearson Professional Centers throughout the United States and its territories.

Intended for the purposes of domestic nurse licensure in U.S. states and territories, all security policies and procedures currently used to administer the NCLEX examination domestically will be fully implemented at the Pearson Professional Center in Manila.

About Pearson VUE

Pearson VUE (http://www.pearsonvue.com) is the global leader in electronic testing services for academic admissions, certification and licensure programs. Pearson VUE offers exams through the world's largest network of test centers in 162 countries, providing testing services for information technology, regulatory and certification boards, academic, government and corporate clients. Its innovative technology offers the security and control required by academic, licensure and certification programs while its commitment to service provides customers with an unmatched testing experience. Pearson acquired Promissor, which is now a business of Pearson VUE, extending its leadership in the testing and certification industry.

Pearson VUE is a business of Pearson , the international media company, whose businesses include the Financial Times Group, Pearson Education, and the Penguin Group.

About the NCSBN

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN) is a not-for-profit organization whose membership comprises the boards of nursing in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories.

Mission: The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), composed of Member Boards, provides leadership to advance regulatory excellence for public protection.

source: http://money.cnn.com

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Five-year-old Youssif is scarred for life, his once beautiful smile turned into a grotesquely disfigured face -- the face of a horrifying act by masked men. They grabbed him on a January day outside his central Baghdad home, doused him with gas and set him ablaze.

It's an act incomprehensibly savage, even by Iraq's standards today. No one has been arrested and the motive remains unknown.

In a war-ravaged city torn by sectarian violence and marked by acts of vengeance, this attack's apparent randomness stands out as an example of what life has become in a place where brutality -- even against young children -- is a constant.

"They dumped gasoline, burned me, and ran," Youssif told CNN, pointing down the street with his scarred hands where his attackers fled.

As he sucked his thumb, he repeated, "I was burning." He tried to put the flames out himself.

It looks as though this boy's face melted and then froze into rivers cutting through swollen hard flesh. It's hard to see the energetic outgoing child his parents describe beneath the sullen demeanor that defines Youssif today.

"He's become spiteful, I am not sure why," said his mother, Zainab. "He is jealous of everyone. If I say the slightest thing to him, he cries. He's sensitive."

source: www.cnn.com

In my school here I am banned from going to the library. Weird.

When you download, choose the latest version at the upper right column.

http://filehippo.com/download_openoffice/

When you download, choose the latest version

http://filehippo.com/download_ewido/

After you installed this software, click Update, then start "Full System Scan."

Your computer will be rejuvenated.

WASHINGTON - There it sits on your night stand, that book you’ve meant to read for who knows how long but haven’t yet cracked open. Tonight, as you feel its stare from beneath that teetering pile of magazines, know one thing â€" you are not alone.

One in four adults read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and older people were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.

The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year â€" half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn’t read any, the usual number read was seven.

“I just get sleepy when I read,” said Richard Bustos of Dallas, a habit with which millions of Americans can doubtless identify. Bustos, a 34-year-old project manager for a telecommunications company, said he had not read any books in the last year and would rather spend time in his backyard pool.

That choice by Bustos and others is reflected in book sales, which have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way indefinitely. Analysts attribute the listlessness to competition from the Internet and other media, the unsteady economy and a well-established industry with limited opportunities for expansion.

When the Gallup Poll asked in 2005 how many books people had at least started â€" a similar but not directly comparable question â€" the typical answer was five. That was down from 10 in 1999, but close to the 1990 response of six.

In 2004, a National Endowment for the Arts report titled “Reading at Risk” found only 57 percent of American adults had read a book in 2002, a four percentage point drop in a decade. The study faulted television, movies and the Internet.

Demographics of non-book readers

Who are the 27 percent of people the AP-Ipsos poll found hadn’t read a single book this year? Nearly a third of men and a quarter of women fit that category. They tend to be older, less educated, lower income, minorities, from rural areas and less religious.

At the same time, book enthusiasts abound. Many in the survey reported reading dozens of books and said they couldn’t do without them.

“I go into another world when I read,” said Charlotte Fuller, 64, a retired nurse from Seminole, Fla., who said she read 70 books in the last year. “I read so many sometimes I get the stories mixed up.”

Among those who said they had read books, the median figure â€" with half reading more, half fewer â€" was nine books for women and five for men. The figures also indicated that those with college degrees read the most, and people aged 50 and up read more than those who are younger.

Pollyann Baird, 84, a retired school librarian in Loveland, Colo., says J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter fantasy series is her favorite. But she has forced herself to not read the latest and final installment, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” because she has yet to file her income taxes this year due to an illness and worries that once she started the book, “I know I’d have to finish it.”

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com

Two new RAF Typhoon jets shadowed a Russian bomber heading for Britain, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The jets were scrambled on Friday 17 August to identify the Russian aircraft, which turned back before it reached UK skies.

The MoD said: "RAF Typhoons from Numbers 3(F) and XI Squadrons launched to shadow a Russian Bear-H aircraft over the North Atlantic Ocean."

The BBC's Gordon Corera said the incident was not a security threat.

Active standby

He said a similar incident occurred in July, but that this represented a new, more provocative Russian foreign policy.

Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, has recently resumed the Soviet-era practice of sending bomber aircraft on long-range flights.

Britain's £67m Typhoons were only put on active standby in July.

Typhoons, the RAF's newest fast jet aircraft - which are based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire - cover the UK Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) commitment together with Tornado F3 aircraft based at RAF Leeming and RAF Leuchars.

Over the next nine months, the Typhoons will progressively replace Tornado F3s, the aircraft which have performed this duty for many years.

The Typhoon was designed during the Cold War, when European leaders looked to the Soviet Union as their main threat from the air.

The RAF has ordered 144 Typhoons, which can accelerate from standing to take-off in under seven seconds.

They were developed by companies in the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy.


source: http://news.bbc.co.uk

THIRTY-TWO WAYS TO CREATE NEWS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

1.  Tie in with news events of the day.
2.  Work with another publicity person.
3.  Tie in with a newspaper or other medium on a mutual project.
4.  Conduct a poll or survey.
5.  Issue a report.

6.  Arrange an interview with a celebrity.
7.  Take part in a controversy.
8.  Arrange for a testimonial.
9.  Arrange a speech.
10. Make an analysis or prediction.

11. Form and announce names for committees.
12. Hold an election.
13. Announce an appointment.
14. Celebrate an anniversary.
15. Issue a summary of facts.

16. Tie in with a holiday.
17. Make a trip.
18. Present an award.
19. Hold a contest.
20. Pass a resolution.

21. Appear before public bodies.
22. Stage a special event.
23. Write a letter.
24. Release a letter you received.
25. Adapt national reports and surveys for local use.

26. Stage a debate.
27. Tie into a well-known week or day.
28. Honor an institution.
29. Organize a tour.
30. Inspect a project.

31. Issue a commendation.
32. Issue a protest.

From Wilcox, Ault and Agee, Public Relations: Strategies & Tactics, 3rd ed. (1992), p. 274.
With permission.

source: http://lamar.colostate.edu

I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who . . . has been a helper of many. â€"Romans 16:1-2

When a special delivery letter is handed to us at the door, it usually means we are receiving something very important. According to many Bible scholars, Phoebe was the one who hand-delivered a letter of immeasurable value to the church in Romeâ€"Paul’s inspired doctrinal masterpiece. It points out how a lost and sinful humanity can find redemption through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Phoebe, whose name means “bright and radiant,” lived in Cenchrea, a harbor village in eastern Corinth where Paul had stopped during his third missionary journey. Because of her kindness to him, he wrote to the Romans, “I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, that you may . . . assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also” (16:1-2). Phoebe had assisted others in getting out the Word of God.

All of us are “spiritual mail carriers.” We have the good news that Paul wrote about so many centuries ago. And like Phoebe, we should assist in delivering it by word and deed to people around us who need its life-giving message. â€"Dennis Fisher

Do good to all and kindness showâ€"
That’s what God’s Word commands;
For when we’re serving in Christ’s name,
We are His feet and hands. â€"Fitzhugh

We serve God by sharing His Word with others.

source: www.rbc.org

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. â€"Philippians 1:3

On a cold, dreary November day, I attended the funeral of a friend. During the eulogy, the widow began to sob loudly. At that point, the pastor spoke odd words meant to comfort: “That’s okay. Someday you’ll be able to forget.”

Able to forget? The widow’s expression made it clear that she had no desire to forget. Cherished memories of her husband provided a comfort and joy she intended to cling to, anticipating a heavenly reunion someday.

One of the most precious gifts God has given us is the ability to remember. There are plenty of hurts and disappointments in life that we should forget. But good memories become a treasure chest of priceless reminders of relationships shared and joys experienced.

Paul felt that way about his time spent with the church in Philippi: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you” (Phil. 1:3). His ability to remember his friends in Philippi brought him great comfort as he awaited trial in Rome, prompting him to joyfully pray for them. You could never have convinced him that comfort was found in being able to forget, because he rejoiced in being able to remember.

God gives us cherished memories. Cling to them when sorrows come. â€"Bill Crowder

Where is the heart that does not keep
Within its inmost store
Some fond remembrance hidden deep
Of days that are no more? â€"Anon.

Never let today’s burden erase yesterday’s blessing.

source: www.rbc.org

Google has already conquered Earth. Now, the world's most popular search engine is turning its attentions to the heavens. The media giant yesterday launched a service called Google Sky that aims to bring the mysteries of distant galaxies to a computer near you.

The add-on to the successful Google Earth whose bird'seye view of the planet is beloved of TV news graphic departments as well as hundreds of millions of internet users, offers a "virtual telescope" into the further reaches of the cosmos.

Using thousands of high-resolution images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope it promises to allow users to float and zoom in on more than 100 million stars and 200 million galaxies.

"Never before has a road map of the entire sky been made so readily available," said Dr Carol Christian of the Space Telescope Science Institute, who co-led the institute's Sky team. "Sky in Google Earth will foster and initiate new understanding of the universe by bringing it to everyone's home computer."

Dr John Mason, of the British Astronomical Association for amateur astronomers, said: "Light pollution and air pollution is now so bad in many areas that all you can see when you look up is a few dozen stars. If this helps people to realise just what they are missing, it is a jolly good thing."

Dr Francisco Diego, from the department of physics and astronomy at University College London, described the program as an "imaginative, powerful and unique tool". He said: "Just as we are about to celebrate the 400th anniversary of telescope astronomy, this initiative will open a new window for anyone to be able to appreciate, explore and discover our fragile position in this vast and amazing universe."

To begin searching the universe online, users can scroll dizzyingly around a 3D map of the constellations from Andromeda to Vulpecula before clicking for a close-up and explanation of what they are seeing.

The images were compiled with the help of Nasa from research by scientists around the world. Among them were the Digital Sky Survey Consortium, the Palomar Observation in California and the United Kingdom Astronomy Technology Centre which provided 20 years worth of images from the skies above Britain. And users can enter their postcode and get a pollution and cloud-free image of what the sky should look like above their home.

Since Google Earth was launched in June 2005, more than 250 million people have downloaded it, combining satellite imagery, maps and 3D graphics to create an interactive atlas of the world now available in 13 different languages. Users can access the new free service by downloading the newest version at www.earth.google.com


source: http://news.independent.co.uk

Quote from: GEC348 on August 23, 2007, 06:51:37 AM
Yahoo!
With Google's GooPhone, lupig Mozilla!
iPhone? Postpone!
Ang GooPhone, para sa mga
       guapohon
       ug guapahon
       nga mga Bol-anon!

Palista na ta!

This makes me laugh. 

Franklin, how about a microwavable food container?
They say it's safe. Really?

1. Whole grains and oats - a five-year Insulin Resistance Athersclerosis Study showed that people whose diets contain the most whole grains “had the thinnest carotid artery walls and showed the slowest progression in artery wall thickness.”

2. Blueberries - a compound in blueberries (pterostilbene) may help lower cholesterol as effectively as commercial drugs with fewer side effects.

3. Pistachios, 4. Walnuts, and 5. Almonds - a Penn State study showed that eating pistachios significantly lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed eating walnuts after a high-fat meal might protect your heart. Omega-3 fats and antioxidants in nuts work to reverse the arterial damage caused by saturated fats.

6. Avocados, 7. Olives, and 8. Olive oil - 26 of the 30 grams of fat in an avocado are heart-healthy, unsaturated fats that can increase your levels of HDL cholesterol. The good fats in avocados, olives, and olive oil protect against heart disease and diabetes. Check out the Mediterranean Diet.

9. Flaxseed oil - flaxseed oil can lower blood pressure in men with high cholesterol. In a three-month study of 59 middle-aged men, those who took daily flaxseed oil supplements (with eight grams of the omega-3 fats, alpha-linoleic acid) experienced significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

10. 100% cranberry-grape juice - antioxidants in grape juice slow down LDL cholesterol oxidation, and cranberry juice raises HDL or “good” cholesterol.

11. Fish and Fish oil - a study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that people with type 2 diabetes who consumed high doses of fish oil over nine weeks lowered the size and concentration of several lipoprotein subclasses (cholesterol) in their bodies.

12. Black soybeans - a study from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture shows that black soybeans may help prevent obesity, lower LDL cholesterol, and reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes.

13. Pomegranate juice - a National Academy of Sciences study showed that pomegranate juice reduces cholesterol plaque buildup and increases nitric oxide production (nitric oxide helps reduce arterial plaque).

14. Yogurt with live active cultures (probiotics) - Vicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN said “several studies have shown that the probiotics Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Lactobacillus Reuteri actually help lower cholesterol. They work by preventing the reabsorption of cholesterol back in to the blood stream.”

You might be a person who is predisposed to high cholesterol, or maybe your diet could use a shape-up. Here are a few key points on cholesterol that I try to focus on:

    * LDL or “bad” cholesterol deposits itself on the walls of your arteries, forming plaques that make them hard and narrow. HDL or “good” cholesterol removes excess LDL in your blood and brings it to your liver for disposal. The more HDL you consume, the less LDL you’ll have in your blood.
    * You may need medication to help reduce your cholesterol, but eating a heart-healthy diet and getting exercise are very important.
    * Everyone should have their cholesterol checked-it doesn’t matter if you are young/old, female/male, or thin/overweight.

source: www.laurelonhealthfood.com.nyud.net

By Eli C. Dalumpines
Philippine Information Agency

Military authorities have expressed confidence that the peace initiative that is proven successful in combating the communist insurgency in Bohol can be replicated in the different provinces in the country that have similar problems.

Maj. Lao A. Lucas, Executive Officer of the Army's 302nd Infantry Brigade based in Camp Rajah Sikatuna, Carmen town, some 56 kilometers northeast from here, said in an interview Tuesday that a successful peace initiative like that of Bohol can be attained if the government's National Internal Security Plan (NISP) gets the support of all sectors, including the local government officials.

According to Maj. Lucas, addressing a complex problem like insurgency calls for a more holistic approach like the one that is outlined in the NISP so that the participation of the different sectors of society is necessary.

"Like for instance, in NISP's 'Clear, Hold, Consolidate and Develop' strategy, the different agencies of the government and the local government units are expected to come in after the military has cleared the area of insurgents to initiate socio-economic interventions," the military officer stressed.

Lucas cited that with the support the provincial government of Bohol has extended to the former rebels to engage in any livelihood activities, the possibility of the people joining the revolutionary movement is remote.

Dr. Asteria Esturion, Bohol's point person in anti-insurgency, who is working with the Kauban sa Reporma, a group of former rebels who are now supporting the government's peace initiative, stressed the importance of adopting the strategy of convergence in ensuring the success of the program.

She said that this is true to Bohol where all government agencies go out to the communities to deliver basic services.

Esturion recounted that it is when the people of the remote communities benefited from these services that they stop entertaining the idea of rebelling against the government.

Maj. Anastacio L. Suaybaguio, 302nd Brigade's Civil Military Operations chief, meanwhile, admitted that the rebel returnees have helped a lot in the province's campaign against insurgency.

The military officer said the testimonies of the former rebels were instrumental in exposing the evils of the communist movement that serves as a warning to others from joining the rebels.

By Mark Henricks
Entrepreneur Magazine

Rather than regarding technology as a monolith, futurists Joel A. Barker and Scott W. Erickson fracture it into a few major subsystems and then use them to divine the future of technological opportunity. In Five Regions of the Future, they identify the biggest region as "Super Tech," which is about being bigger and better, and includes nuclear power plants and SUVs. "Limits Tech" conserves resources by means of, for instance, birth control and recycling. "Local Tech" thinks small, with technology appropriate to local needs, such as Segway scooters. "Nature Tech" emphasizes natural solutions such as ethanol fuel and spider silk-based materials. "Human Tech" operates on and in ourselves with the likes of gene therapy and, in the world of business, microlending.

DESIGN OF THE TIMES

Where did the iPod come from? In The Design of Things to Come (Wharton School Publishing, $26.95), innovation experts Craig M. Vogel, Jonathan Cagan and Peter Boatwright say transformational new products such as Apple Computer's digital music player target customer emotions, self-image and fantasy rather than geewhiz functionality. They look at the iPod, Swifter mops, Ford's F-150 pickup and other successful products to show how nearly any entrepreneur can come up with a redefining innovation.

Quote from: GEC348 on August 23, 2007, 07:23:39 AM
Ako: I want to be deputy governor, Just like nga naay deputy mayor ang tagblaran karon.
I will open : Mall sa Katawhan (instead og botica sa katawhan). Tanan nga baligya libre!

GEC, deputy administrator sa Tubag Bohol?

Written By Yaakov Ariel
Professor of Religious Studies
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Christian Century Magazine

The Alliance between conservative Christians and Jews seems bizarre, even surreal, to many people. Christians and Jews alike have noted that such a development would have been unfathomable throughout most of Christian history. Timothy Weber explores the theological roots and historical evolution of the premillennialist Christian involvement with the Jews and Israel and offers a compelling explanation of the relationship.

Few people are as qualified as he is to write on the subject. An outstanding scholar of the evangelical messianic faith, Weber was one of the first to examine the connection between evangelicals' day-to-day life and their messianic theology. In Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming he offered brilliant insights into how premillennialist Christians reconcile their messianic faith with the demands of life in the late 20th century. That book is a classic, having gone through numerous editions and made its way into the bibliographies of many students of evangelical Christianity and messianic groups. On the Road to Armageddon starts where Living in the Shadow left off.

Weber begins the book with an analysis of dispensational premillennialist theology and the manner in which the Jews fit into the dispensationalist biblical exegesis and messianic faith. Originally a belief of a small, elite group in Britain, messianic dispensationalism arrived in America in the later decades of the 19th century and became part and parcel of the worldview of many conservative Protestants in this country. Breaking away from the traditional understanding that the Christian church inherited God's promises for Israel, dispensationalists have differentiated between the church and Israel. They consider the Jews to be continuers of historical Israel and heirs to the covenant between God and his people, and define the church as the body of true believers, those persons who have undergone genuine experiences of conversion and have accepted Jesus as their personal savior.

Dispensationalists assert that true Christian believers will be removed from earth to heaven at the beginning of the apocalypse, will be spared the turmoil of that tumultuous time, and will come back to earth at the end of the millennial period. For the Jews, however, that period will be "the time of Jacob's trouble" prophesized by Jeremiah (30:7). They will encounter a period of persecutions launched by the Antichrist, a tyrannical Jewish leader and messianic imposter who will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and reinstate the sacrificial system. Following an international battle at Armageddon, a site in northern Israel, the Antichrist's reign will come to an end, and Jesus will come back to earth with the true believers and establish a global righteous kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital.

Weber expertly explores the dispensationalist faith, showing how the newly acquired messianic hope motivated conservative evangelicals to take interest in the Jews and stirred a passion to evangelize them and to support the Zionist movement. Conservative Protestants believed that they must educate the Jews about their real mission in history, and American and British evangelicals promoted diplomatic initiatives intended to restore Palestine to the Jews even before the formation of the Zionist movement.

Weber follows the evangelical premillennialist engagement with the Jews and Israel through the 20th century, bringing the saga up-to-date and offering a background to evangelicals' current political backing of Israeli policies. The developments in the life of the Jewish people in the past century have fitted nicely into evangelical messianic expectations. Evangelicals interpreted the rise of the Zionist movement, the rejuvenation of the Hebrew language, the establishment of Jewish settlements in Palestine, the birth of the state of Israel in 1948, and the Israeli conquest of historical Jerusalem in 1967 as "signs of the time," indications that history is unfolding according to God's plans. In addition, they have seen the Israeli endeavor as preparing the ground for the arrival of the messiah.

Since the Six-Day War of 1967, premillennialist evangelicals have anticipated the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem as the next stage in the advancement of the messianic timetable. They have been encouraged by the formation of Orthodox Jewish groups that work toward this and related aims, including the reconstruction of the temple utensils and artifacts and the reinstatement of the sacrificial system. At the turn of the 21st century, evangelical Christians have found themselves supporting right-wing Israeli causes and distancing themselves from Israeli peace efforts.

Weber's research is phenomenal. It seems as though every time an evangelical leader or thinker has spoken or written about or taken an action regarding the Jews, Weber has been there to record it. The book is also well constructed and well written, so it makes for good and even entertaining reading. Weber lets us know what he thinks about persons, events and ideas in a subtle, almost humorous manner. That he is no fan of dispensational premillennialists comes out in his choice of words. He remarks, for example, that "most of the evangelicals who read and believe the outline of the Left Behind series assume that its plotline is taken more or less out of the Bible;" and he dedicates an entire chapter to "dispensationalism's dark side," recording the less-than-favorable opinions that premillennialist evangelicals have had about Jews. "Dispensationalists could use the same argument as anti-Semites, but claim that they were not being anti-Semites," Weber asserts. He considers the premillennialist evangelical wish to help Jews build the temple dangerous and warns that belief in the apocalypse can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Weber's lack of admiration for dispensational premillennialists notwithstanding, his evaluations are fair, his analysis splendid, and his style lucid and convincing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested, in evangelical Christianity and messianic ideas, and in the way they shape popular opinions and policies. On the Road to Armageddon is an excellent book, and its author deserves every praise and possible prize for his achievement.

By Shannon Brownlee
Washington Monthly

Sometime in the late '80s, the CEO of the drug company Glaxo-SmithKline realized he had a problem. Glaxo's lead drug at the time was Zantac, which accounted for one-third of the company's bottom line and was also the world's bestselling ulcer medicine. Zantac had to stay the world's bestselling ulcer medicine for another few years while Glaxo scientists searched for replacements because the drug was slated to lose its patent protection in 1997.

The problem was, evidence had been accumulating for several years suggesting that ulcers are not caused by an excess of stomach acid, which Zantac was really good at suppressing, but rather by a bacterium known as Helicobacter pylori. "The implication, hopeful for patients," as author Greg Critser puts it, "was also dismal for Glaxo." Scientists from Glaxo and other companies pooh-poohed the bacterial theory, but by the early 1990s, clinical trials had shown that antibiotics could, in fact, effectively clear up ulcers, leaving Glaxo and Zantac in search of a new market.

The company's salvation lay just north of the stomach, with the condition Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD. GERD occurs when the esophageal sphincter, the ring of muscle at the top of the stomach, allows acid to creep up the esophagus. Basically, GERD is chronic heartburn--heart-burn so bad it can eventually damage the cells lining the esophagus. Zantac was great at treating GERD, too, but there was just one problem: GERD isn't common. Heartburn, on the other hand, is; but, unfortunately for Glaxo, most people considered heartburn nothing more than one of the wages of overindulgence, treatable with an over-the-counter remedy or a little more self-control at the dinner table--not with a prescription drug. What Glaxo needed to do was persuade people that ordinary heartburn was an early-warning sign of GERD.

So, Glaxo and its marketing team set about popularizing GERD and its potentially dire consequences through a marketing technique that is now used routinely by drug makers, and which came to be known as "condition branding," or selling a disease along with a drug. To brand GERD, Glaxo launched a public relations campaign called "Heartburn Across America."

The campaign used the graphic of an erupting volcano to illustrate to consumers the severity of GERD. The company also set up the Glaxo Institute for Digestive Health, which funded research as a way to reach out to physicians. It enlisted the help of the American College of Gastroenterology, the professional organization for doctors who specialize in treating diseases of the stomach and gut, a campaign that deliberately and effectively conflated GERD, which is serious, and heartburn, which is not, in the minds of both consumers and doctors.

The rest, as they say, is history. Zantac sales skyrocketed, hitting $2 billion a year at its peak, two-thirds of which was for GERD. Physicians began to view Glaxo as a leader in the field of gastroenterology; consumers started worrying that their heartburn was potentially dangerous. Condition branding was soon being used by other drug makers to sell everything from high-cholesterol medications to Viagra.

And, as writer Greg Critser argues in this fascinating, often funny but ultimately flawed book, the drug industry's brilliant marketing techniques also helped turn Americans into a nation of pill poppers, or "Generation Rx." The book's first half is devoted to a detailed and compellingly told history of the transformation of the pharmaceutical industry from a group of conservative companies, focused on research and development, into marketing powerhouses. Drawing on his decade as a pharmaceutical business reporter, Critser, who is also the author of Fatland: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World, chronicles the rise of DTC, or direct to consumer advertising.

Before the 1980s, the idea of advertising directly to consumers seemed unethical to most drug companies, an attitude that was on display in a remarkable set of letters written to Congress in 1982 by pharmaceutical executives. In one letter, Charles Hagan, vice president and general counsel of American Home Products, wrote, "[Direct to consumer] advertising would make [patients] extraordinarily susceptible to product promises." The head of Smith, Kline & French wrote that "advertising would have the objective of driving patients to their doctors' office," while the head of Abbott Laboratories worried that advertising to consumers would lead them to pressure their doctors to prescribe drugs "that may not be needed."

Drug company executives would change their minds about DTC advertising over the course of the 1980s and 1990s, once a few maverick marketers used DTC ads to drive up sales. A series of Supreme Court cases, brought by consumer groups and the advertising industry, eroded the boundary between commercial speech and individual free speech, and forced the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees drug industry marketing, to change its rules. New, liberalized regulations issued in 1997 sent drug sales through the roof, ironically bringing about many of the pharmaceutical executives' predictions.

The industry now spends on the order of $3 billion on DTC advertising, and sees $4.20 in return on every dollar invested in "driving patients to their doctors' offices." The result has been rapidly rising pharmaceutical drug use. In 1993, the average number of prescriptions filled per person per year was seven. In 2000, it was 11; it was 12 four years later. Some 27 percent of elderly Americans are on nine or more medications simultaneously, compared with 17 percent in 1997.

Quote from: Onicul85 on August 23, 2007, 06:38:53 AM
Teaching? A noble profession, pre. Are you teaching in BKK?

Outside Bangkok, an hour and a half van ride. I've been here since April last year.

Quote from: Onicul85 on August 23, 2007, 06:14:10 AM
@ Mike,

Sawat dee kap! Are you schooling in Thailand, Mike or are you there permanently? Is it just like in our blessed Philippines?

Onic, I'm teaching English here and at the same time completing an MBA degree. Like our country, Thailand is endowed with a bevy of tourism wonders.

Quote from: lumine on August 23, 2007, 12:02:41 AM
if walay mga kakulian, donate ko lechon! go go go!

Pila man ka kilo nang imong lechon, Min?

By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

A fact-finding committee created by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) will conduct an investigation into the reported indecent entertainment at the Loboc River cruise.

The investigating panel, led by 3rd District Board Member Aster Apalisok-Piollo, initially looked into the plight of children and minors who are engaged by river cruise operators to entertain tourists through cultural presentations.

However, Piollo was alarmed with reports that there are women-entertainers at the popular Loboc cruise who are wearing skimpy outfits while performing in front of tourists.
In a privilege speech delivered during the SP session yesterday, Piollo said she "was disturbed by the news that the entertainers are wearing indecent attire."

Piollo, who chairs the SP committee on women and family welfare, said the brand of entertainment is "something which is against our culture and not in consonance with the eco-cultural tourism Bohol is promoting."
          
It may be recalled that last week, Merlou Reyes, a tour guide complained against a brother of Loboc Mayor Leon Calipusan who threatened her after refusing to stop by the latter's entertainment platform where the "indecent entertainers" dance with their "skimpy shorts and undershirt".

By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

False claims on hospitalization payments made on the Blue Card program are exposed as city lawmakers ask for a full-blown inquiry into the reported padding of hospital bills.

City Health Officer Dr. Antonio Porticos revealed to the Chronicle yesterday that investigations are ongoing on the alleged padding by the Medical Mission Group Hospital and Health Services Cooperative (Coop Hospital) as exposed by a Blue Card beneficiary.

The Coop Hospital is among three hospitals accredited under the city's Blue Card program which includes the Gov. Celestino Gallares Regional Hospital and Englewood Hospital.

The case stemmed from a report made by one Anastacia Bertumen, an employee of Coop Hospital, who revealed in a letter to City Mayor Dan Lim and Porticos that she availed of the Blue Card Hospitalization program sometime last May to pay for her maintenance medicines costing a little over P2,000.

The medicines were taken from the Coop Hospital, Bertumen claimed.
          
However, Bertumen alleged she found out from fellow employees at the Coop Hospital that the city government paid P50,000 out of her Blue Card to the Coop Hospital.

Bertumen verified the information since the amount was so huge compared to her account which is only around P2,000.

Accordingly, in a letter submitted by Bertumen to the city mayor and the city health officer, she was denied by hospital authorities access about the details on why the amount is so huge.

One of the hottest issues in Tagbilaran today is that former Bohol Gov. Victor De La Serna has challenged City Mayor Dan Lim, inviting the mayor to reveal his travel expenses in the U.S.

What do you think about this issue?

Quote from: Bambi on August 22, 2007, 11:45:17 PM
Hi!

Was late at work, hungry and sleepless but feeling too high being with you TUBAG BOHOL!!!

and  Y O U??

Bambi, are you a nurse?

The same thing is happening in Anda, a neighbor of Guindulman. In fact drug pushers get supplies from Guindulman.

Quote from: Bambi on August 22, 2007, 10:26:35 PM
Born behind the clouds in Inabanga, abroad to Tagbilaran for study purpose, lucky enough got a good job there, presently sitting here in Germany and answering your post, Mike.

My lola is from Inabanga. Anunciado.

As kids and teens grow chubbier, their blood pressure is rising but often going undiagnosed, finds a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

It's a serious oversight, since high blood pressure can quietly damage the organs, especially the kidneys, the researchers note.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, often signals other health problems such as heart disease.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, led by Dr. Matthew Hansen, examined more than 14,000 young people, aged three to 18. They found 507 cases of hypertension; that's about 3.6 per cent of the group.

Nearly three quarters of that group, or 376 cases, had not been diagnosed, despite at least three previous medical checkups.

Extrapolating the results to the U.S. population suggests that 1.5 million U.S. children have undiagnosed high blood pressure, says study author Dr. David Kaelber of Boston Children's Hospital.

"We're really missing a huge percentage of patients with this disease. In fact the overwhelming majority of patients of this disease... we're not detecting it," Kaelber told CTV News.

Juvenile hypertension is thought to be difficult to confirm because it varies by sex, height and weight. But the researchers found that the criteria for pre-hypertension were met by 485 children (3.4 per cent).

"Identification of elevated blood pressure in children meeting prehypertension or hypertension criteria is important because of the increasing prevalence of pediatric weight problems," the researchers wrote.

"If abnormal blood pressure is not identified by a patient's pediatric clinician, it may be years before the abnormal blood pressure is detected, leading to end-organ damage."

source: <a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070821/blood_pressure_070821/20070821?hub=CTVNewsAt11">CTV.ca</a>

I need to repost this important development in our website.

Jun Ayag, who is based in Saudi Arabia, is offering a round-Bohol tour for Tubag Bohol movers and shakers.

We need to set up a definite schedule for this.

Maayo unta ug dili ko patudluon sa school next summer.

Quote from: lumine on August 22, 2007, 06:05:56 PM
hala btaw! i tried typing my name, and indeed! apil pa ako friendster! sikat!

Min, if you type the phrase lumine bohol, you'll see your name in Tubag Bohol on the first search result.

Quote from: queen on August 22, 2007, 05:40:51 PM
Mao na ni resulta sa CNU, Mike. There's no trace of a teacher in Queen, not even in dressing. Hahaha.

Perhaps CNU is also good at molding a home-based queen.

Quote from: queen on August 22, 2007, 05:35:59 PM
but now...sinaw! hahahahaha. I'm always here Sigbin II, just lurkin' around the corner. The right word might be, stalking.

She has a Ph.D. in stalking.

Fewer Filipino families now consider themselves "poor" compared to the previous quarter of the year, according to a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The Second Quarter 2007 SWS survey conducted in June found that while nearly one in every two Filipino families (47 percent) -- or roughly 3.8 million households nationwide -- still consider themselves poor, this was lower than the 53 percent (over 4.2 million households) who considered themselves poor in February.

Across geographical areas, self-rated poverty was at 52 percent in the Visayas, 49 percent in Mindanao, 47 percent in the rest of Luzon and 36 percent in Metro Manila -- all lower than in the previous three quarters.

It was also lower at 41 percent in urban areas and at 54 percent in rural areas. "From March 2005 to February 2007, urban poverty was between 46 percent to 56 percent, and rural poverty was between 49 percent to 64 percent," the SWS said in a statement released Tuesday.

The private polling firm added that the decline occurred "in the context of a lowering of families' living standards" -- in other words, belt-tightening.

The National Statistical Coordination Board put the official poverty threshold nationwide at P6,195 a month -- the amount needed by a Filipino family of five to meet its most basic food and non-food needs for this year.

The self-rated poverty threshold is defined as the monthly budget that poor households say they need in order not to be poor.

The survey, directed at household heads, first showed the respondents a card that contained the words "Not poor", "On the line" and "Poor" and were asked where they would place their family given the choices.

Those who answered "poor" were then asked, "How much money would your family need for home expenses each month in order not to be called poor anymore?"

Among poor households in Metro Manila, the median poverty threshold was only P9,000, although it had already reached as much as P15,000 several times in the past.

In Luzon outside Metro Manila, the threshold ranged from P5,000 to P7,000 in the past two years, whereas it had reached as high as P10,000 earlier. In the Visayas, the threshold was at P6,000 for the past year, even as it had reached P10,000 previously. In Mindanao, the threshold is currently at P4,000 even though it reached P10,000 before.

"A declining poverty threshold, despite rising cost of living, means that households are lowering their living standards," the SWS said.

It also noted that the current Metro Manila median poverty threshold of P9,000 per month was only equivalent to P6,259 in base year 2000 purchasing power. "The last time that the deflated poverty threshold for [Metro Manila] was below P7,000 per month was twenty years ago, in 1987," the SWS said.

It also noted that in 2000, the median poverty threshold for Metro Manila of P10,000 was now equivalent to P14,380 a month at the June 2007 cost of living. "The difference of... P5,380 between the thresholds of 2000 and June 2007 measures the extent of belt-tightening that took place," SWS added.

The survey was conducted from June 27 to June 30 using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. It had a margin of error of plus-minus 3 percentage points.

The SWS survey questions on poverty were not commissioned.

source: www.inquirer.net

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will lead top government officials in the Local Peace and Security Assembly (LPSA) on August 24 in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

Highlights during the assembly include the presentations and briefings on the current peace and order situation in Central Visayas by Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio Jr., the cost of insurgency in the region by Gov. Gwen Garcia and the role of Central Visayas in the First World Philippines by the National Economic and Development Authority.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process will also give an overview of the government's peace and development initiatives. Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado will discuss peace and development among the local government units in the province.

Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Rolando Puno will give the keynote address while the National Security Council is tasked to give an overview of the assembly.

Vice President Noli de Castro will also accompany President Arroyo in her Bohol trip.

Over 30 Cabinet officials and other government heads will grace the LPSA.

They are Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, National Security Council Secretary Norberto Gonzales, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye and Philippine Information Agency Secretary Conrado Limcaoco Jr.

Workshop group discussions will form part of the program where the respective groups' outputs will be presented afterwards during the plenary session.

The different group reports will be consolidated and integrated for presentation to President Arroyo when she arrives.

President Arroyo is expected to deliver a speech during the assembly.

source: Cebu Daily News

Use the money to improve public security.

Quote from: Sigbin II on August 22, 2007, 04:19:06 PM
For free?  What's the catch?

Free because Google will deliver its Ads to your mobile search engine and browser.

Atong sugdan:

1. Me: from Anda, Bohol, now in Thailand
2.
3.
4.
5.

The al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group are the likely suspects behind a bombing in the southern Philippines that left 14 people injured, a police official said Wednesday.

"They are a suspect," said Chief Superintendent Jaime Karingal.

He said Tuesday night's bomb in Zamboanga city could have been intended to divert government resources from the continuing military operations on nearby Jolo and Basilan island, where troops are pursuing Abu Sayyaf guerrillas.

source: todayonline.com