MikeLigalig.com

(From left) British businessman Neil Heywood, Gu Kailai with her husband Bo Xilai
and son Bo Guagua Photo: Reuters

when this political scandal rocked the highest powers of china some months ago, one was sometimes apt to conclude that china's aggressive behavior over the west philippine sea (south china sea) against its smaller neighbors was a way to fan chinese nationalism away from its domestic political turmoil.  otherwise, the timing was just odd.

Police officers stand outside the Hefei intermediate people's court,
where Gu Kailai was tried for murder, in Hefei, Anhui province.
Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

"The accused (Gu) Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun did not raise objections to the facts and the charges of intentional homicide."

Gu's trial is seen by many Chinese as part of a push against Bo, an ambitious populist who made powerful enemies as he campaigned to join the next generation of top central leaders.

Bo was formerly considered a contender for the inner sanctum of power - the party's Politburo Standing Committee - in a once-in-a-decade leadership transition that is currently underway. The new leadership is expected to be unveiled in October.

Gu and her co-accused were charged with poisoning Briton Neil Heywood, a family friend, last year. The official said the court was told Zhang, the family aide, had put poison in a drink of water that Gu then gave to Heywood who was drunk at the time.

His body was found last November in a hotel in Chongqing, the city where Bo was the Communist Party chief.

Gu and Zhang face the death penalty if convicted. But many legal experts expect Gu will be convicted but only sentenced to a lengthy jail term.

more at http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/09/us-china-trial-idUSBRE87718320120809

Gu Kailai 's murder trial ends; verdict later

By John Ruwitch

HEFEI, China | Thu Aug 9, 2012

(Reuters) - China's most politically sensitive trial in three decades ended in just about seven hours on Thursday after the wife of ousted Politburo member Bo Xilai did not contest charges of murdering a British businessman, a court official said.

A verdict will be delivered at a later date.

The official's account of the closed-door hearing in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei signals that Gu Kailai and a family aide are sure to be convicted in a case that has ended her husband's career and rocked China's leadership.

"The trial finished this afternoon and the court adjourned," official Tang Yigan told reporters. "The trial committee will announce the verdict after discussion. The date of the verdict will be announced.

wow!  that's good news.

you just may wish to check, vrglguaps.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/268760/news/metromanila/list-of-flooded-areas-in-metro-manila-as-of-august-8

let us hope nga apil to sa 20% nga unaffected.  usahay, molihay ang katalagman kay maikog sa tag-iya. 

http://www.globalpost.com/

http://www.globalpost.com/

thus, to Lt. Commander Todd Endicott, may we inform you that we're still smiling.  wish you were here...


Meet the waterproof Filipinos

Knee-deep in floodwater, Filipinos find a way to share hope and humor via Instagram.

As many as 50 deaths have been attributed to flooding and heavy rains in the Philippines over the last 10 days. The capital, Manila, is still submerged, and more than 154,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes.

But the rain hasn't dampened spirits everywhere. Many young Filipinos find time to splash around and share a smile through the social media service, Instagram.

Here are a few of the best pictures GlobalPost found under the hashtags #Flood and #Philippines.







http://www.globalpost.com/

Quote from: vrglguapo on August 09, 2012, 03:52:55 PM
Ang pilipino bisan kasab-an sa iyang Boss mo smile lang gihapon ,Unya ang Boss musulti ...stop smilling like an idiot..mo smile lang gihapon ang pinoy..LOL

our best weapon against tyranny.  masuya ug samot ang boss.

needless to say, we mourn over losses.  the real ones, like the loss of life.  but when the danger has passed, we know we can pick up the pieces and go on as before.

we are by nature forgiving.  we forgave the marcoses.  (romania, for one, didn't forgive the ceausescus.)  of course, we have forgiven them; they're back to politics, right?  there are even more of them now.  so how can we not forgive mother nature?

others would say it's because we're fatalistic.  i guess the better word would be accepting.  we're more accepting of the blows we're dealt with, and somehow manage to stand again.

we have the ability to laugh at ourselves.

sometimes, the smile can serve as a cover to our embarrassment.  we hate being embarrassed.  it's worse than being dirt poor.  look at how we laugh at someone in an embarrassing situation, like pants that are split right at the crotch, the banana republic said.  chances are the victim will end up laughing as well, with a funny statement to boot.  but it's a good enough cover as any.  again, why make it worse with a sour face?

lucky to be a filipino!

the banana republic and i had the same observation, discussed over lunch a few hours ago.  our shared thoughts, obviously pedestrian (as in experience with human nature and being filipinos ourselves), not the expert psychologist's kind :

we have an intrinsically sunny disposition.

we're not high-strung as a people.

our sense of humor makes us easy to please.  it happens to be humor that is just as easily given, and displayed. 

we know we can prevail.  we have overcome the real threat of death of the calamity.  what is current is just an inconvenience.  why make it worse with a sour face?

a present inconvenience may just be a break from the humdrum of daily life.

Endicott also shared one interesting observation: We all wonder how
Filipinos keep smiling through all this.

Americans probably wouldn't handle this as well. Here, people are smiling, saying "Hi" to us, giving us high-fives. This is a pretty miserable situation, how people keep smiling, I don't know. It's probably a testament to the culture, Endicott said.

more at http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091003-228116/US-GIs-wonder-Filipinos-still-smiling

At least 27 members of the 3rd US Marine Expeditionary Force, composed of doctors, nurses, medical aides and a chaplain, the other day conducted a medical and dental mission at Nangka Elementary School, which sheltered thousands displaced by the massive floods in Marikina City.

We've seen things here (in terms of the destruction) that we haven't seen before. This is really the least we can do. We wish we could stay longer, said Lt. Commander Todd Endicott, the mission's leader.

an item from the past told of such...

US GIs wonder Filipinos still smiling

By Beverly T. Natividad
Philippine Daily Inquirer
10/03/2009

MANILA, Philippines - A team of American soldiers got a first-hand look at the devastation wrought by tropical storm "Ondoy" and ended up wondering how Filipinos could still smile and give them "high-fives" amid a terrible calamity.


American marines and Filipino soldiers bring relief
to typhoon victims (picture source: http://article.wn.com/)

Quote from: taga tigbao on August 09, 2012, 02:36:43 PM
As Bay Bugs, Lorenzo and Fr. Chic would do it:



source: wheninmanila.com

now pa ko nga fans diay ning 3 muskeeters nato ug congressman.

Quote from: taga tigbao on August 09, 2012, 02:36:43 PM
As Te Islex would do it:


source: cherubcow.com

wa koy makit-an.  unsa kahay akong buhaton according to tigs?

Quote from: taga tigbao on August 09, 2012, 02:36:43 PM
As Bay Hubs would do it:


source: http://www.chinasmack.com

hahaha!  kita ang scattered, as bugsay would say it.

Quote from: taga tigbao on August 09, 2012, 02:36:43 PM
Naa ra bay itoy oh! Wooh!

Nakarelate pud jud ko kay sa tanang butang nga kinahanglan isakaay sa taas sa dihang miatake ang baha, ang karton sa mga kuting maoy nauna kay dali ra ba tugnawon ug mamatay ning mga kutinga.

how reassuring.

we do.  as strange as it may seem to other people, some pictures of the recent floods in manila can attest to this.  so do those pictures of calamities past.  children laugh and play, adults do what they can.  smiling.





even tb's own taga tigbao--the middle one in the picture below--is smiling while knee-deep in floodwaters.  (i know he's smiling because if he were not, his posing would have been that of bruce lee ready with a fatal blow. )

arang-arang na ang langit, bai tigs.  wa gihapoy sunlight, but the rain is gentler now, if at all there's some rain.  nikilhob na ba ang floodwaters dinha sa inyo?

hey, jim, she may not really be a stradivarius, but he's still a gorilla.

masabtan.  aswang pod ko ani.  mahadlok lang ko sa bone marrow kay di ko kasabot unsay lami.  pero ang sabaw ug ang mais ug saging, wowie!

gondola, philippine version

tigpatanto tingali nang naglisod.  may puruhan pa tingali nga kanang iyang motorcycle nga unique siniklot gikan sa wa makabayad.

in mindanao, a year ago

elsewhere in the country's north, recently

and more...

more of the same bai tigs

as bai tigs will continue to do it

or maybe a code blue patient is at the e.r.  or was at the e.r. and is now on the way to the morgue.  

oh-oh.  catching a few winks while standing.  after a 48-hour duty perhaps, whew.

the best piece, so far:

(3)
Anthritis is when you loses this gummy lifesavors feeling that stop your bones from banging together. But when you loses that feeling between your bone s they bang together and that causes you pain .what you can do to get the pain to cease is you can : a) get a new knee or b) ask your doctor what to do

http://wiki.answers.com/

(2)
I have recently been disclosed that I'm suffering from reactive anthritis.

I have it's symptoms too like I have a joint swollen up, I have my eyes burning and sored all day long, my face is pale and also I feel very dizzy and lazy all the day.

My ASOT is 450 iu/ml. (HIGH)
My C Reactive Protein is 24 mg/l. (HIGH)
My Rheumatoid factor is 2.50 iu/ml (NORMAL)
My ANF is NEGATIVE
My Haemoglobin's value is 13.80 g/dl.

The reason for my mailing is that I am 22, and doing job as a Software Engineer and I have to do a lot of work, is there any way that I can do to relieve my dizzyness, which makes me lazy all day long ?
and also the the above 2 tests have very high values, can I do something about them?
Is it dangerous having these high values?
What should be my diet in order to overcome this?

Thank you very much for your time.
I'll really appreiate your reply.

http://www.healthboards.com/

i keep mistaking one for the other, that's why.  some interesting pieces:

(1)
I'm assuming a typo as there is no such condition as anthritis.
Arthritis is an inflammatory disease which affects the joints making them still and painful. It is mainly associated with aging but young people can have it too (Juvenile arthritis).
The causes and treatment can be found at the link below.
Source(s):
http://www.arthritis.org/

(http://answers.yahoo.com/)

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 09, 2012, 06:17:14 AM
Kalami sa bone marrow!

forever yours, until gout or arthritis.

touching!

superman

kumander kulafu

bisag asa man ni sa bohol.  daghan mag ingon ani.

nanawag na tawon akong mga igsoon kun naunsa na mi diri.  natarantar diay kuno sila sa ilang nakit-an sa tv.  ako nga way tv way kalibotan sa extent sa horror. 

i would presume nga naa nay floaters.  naa tuod garden nga mga lusay nga di na buboan ug tubig, pero di ta kabuhi ug hayop.  aw, kun naay nagtuyoktuyok nga whale, payts na. 

interesting data, bai tigs.  thanks.  i've been looking for the comparison, and now it's here.

so sorry about this, bai tigs.  well, at least nag-smile mo sa picture.  aw, ana man gyod ning pinoy.  smile gihapon magkainunsa.  sama nimo, tan-awa, nanambok man hinoon ka.  di pod tingali na hupong tungod sa baha.  

bitaw, you seem happy despite this calamity.  bintaha gyod diay ning suod sa ginoo ang kasingkasing.

ooops, that's a pillowcase that walks by itself.  no suspenders needed there.

Quote from: chicogon on July 26, 2012, 05:56:40 AM
The perfect sunset is...

kun naay adlaw.

duda kog hasta ang kaldero gipang-it ani.

opkors not.  wa koy baby pacifier nga ingon ana ang design.

what is good for the human eye may not be good for the dog's paw.  he'll have a problem scratching himself. 

now the hermit kingdom has an exposed first lady.

nice.  nakapacharming pa siya sa photo op.

if disbelief be suspended, you can always pretend that you are that boy climbing the elephant, kiddo.  i had enough problem suspending my belief over this.

haha!  the battle of bitches.  sabunotan na sana agad.

hala, paskang si tubagbohol.com kanang tapad niya sa?

Quote from: taga tigbao on August 08, 2012, 02:33:21 PM
Name: Taga Tigbao

Location: Espana Boulevard, Metro Manila

Condition: Kahibawo na mo! Hahaha

goodness!  naa man gyod diay ka sa heart of the floods.  ang espana blvd. kay synonymous intawon ug baha.  hinaot nga makalingkawas dayon mo ani at the fastest possible time, bai tigs.  ugma dayon unta.

serado man diay ang bangko nga akong tuyo.  workers are on half-day diay karon.

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 08, 2012, 01:26:47 PM
Piglet safe from floodwaters with a little help from friends...

di gyod ni taga-mandaue.  ang taga-didto kay ang famous man nga anay nga nagbakya.  kini kay piglet nga nagboots.  taga-makati tingali ni.

paskang kusoga na sad sa uwan uy.  makalakaw ba kaha ko ani...

maatol ba kaha nakog taod ang mga iring ani?  sayon ra ang iro, ang iring arang lisora gyod.  i hope the need never presents itself.  god bless us all.

wa nay sulod uy.  mas maayo molutaw kun way sulod.  

thank goodness they're okay.  nag-post kog hotline sa animal rescue.

okay mi diri, bai tigs.  thanks.  molakaw ko ron taod-taod mao nga mo-parking usa ko.  moadto kog bangko kay morag sinselyo na lay nabilin diri nako.  hinaot nga di ko makakita ug galisod nga iring sa sidewalk kay arang paita gyod.

my bad!  maayo gani kay mora siyag rubber.  whew!

one block away ra man diay intawon mi sa flooding sa roxas boulevard.  patara ra ko diri sa sulod, nagsalig nga wa mabahai. 

kalami na lang unta iapil ug animal rescue group, pero dali na man ko mapukan ron uy.  di na kaya sa likod, ambot ba uroy.  how frustrating.  mangita na lang kog laing paagi nga makatabang gamay uy.  bisag hatag na lag kape sa makit-an nga gitugnaw nga homeless.  ambot asa kaha ni sila ron.  mora mag nanago.  naa baya pod na silay buhi nga pets.    

kumusta man intawon si budinggit ug catarina ug iyang mga babies?

Animal rescue hotline 817-5292
Don’t leave your pets behind




A stray dog hitching a ride on a jeepney. He’s one of the smart ones. He would move to the side when people would come on or off.

saving pets

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 08, 2012, 12:39:25 PM



Dia diay full size...

yes!  thanks.  kuyawa nimog costume uy...

hehe, di ni pinas.  tan-awa ra god ang plate number sa awto.  diin man tuod ka ani naglaroylaroy?

of course, it's mere child's play...

it goes back to man who made these contributing culprits to the floods:

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 08, 2012, 10:28:37 AM
Oh, well, I'm sure you can handle aliens, Ms. Isle...

yeah.  in fact, i'm chatting with one right now at tb.

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 08, 2012, 10:20:48 AM



Hala! Naa pay lain! 

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 08, 2012, 10:22:11 AM



Hmm, I wonder asa ni nga hotel or mall lobby...

c'mon.  bogolbogolon ay.  imo bitaw nang mga buhi, you gyod...

Quote from: hubag bohol on August 08, 2012, 10:19:09 AM



Which part of Manila?

i can't see anything in your picture frame so i can't answer your question.

Residents ride on a rubber boat after being evacuated from their flooded homes in Marikina, Metro Manila August 7, 2012. Deadly torrential rains submerged much of the Philippine capital and surrounding areas on Tuesday, forcing nearly 270,000 people to flee their homes with more flooding expected in the north of the country as a tropical storm passes through the region, officials said. REUTERS/Erik De Castro (PHILIPPINES - Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER SOCIETY)


Motorists and passengers are trapped in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) as heavy rains continue in Valenzuela City, Metro Manila August 7, 2012. Deadly torrential rains submerged much of the Philippine capital and surrounding areas on Tuesday, forcing nearly 270,000 people to flee their homes with more flooding expected in the north of the country as a tropical storm passes through the region, officials said. REUTERS/Stringer (PHILIPPINES - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY)


Filipino rescuers dig for survivors where four homes collapsed in a landslide incident in Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines, on Tuesday Aug. 7, 2012. Relentless rains submerged half of the sprawling Philippine capital, triggered a landslide that killed eight people and sent emergency crews scrambling Tuesday to rescue and evacuate tens of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Mike Alquinto)

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/

Amid disaster, heroes are made
Pinoys from all walks of life extend kindness during calamities


A man with two kids on his shoulders cross a flooded Roosevelt Avenue in Quezon City on Tuesday. More rainfall over Metro Manila and Luzon is expected on Wednesday. (Eddxer Valenzuela via YouScoop)


Bystanders help pull a scavenger's cart that got stuck in flood along the railroad crossing on España Boulevard in Manila on Tuesday. (Danny Pata)


Rescuers struggle as they pull a rubber boat loaded with residents saved from their flooded homes in Marikina City on Tuesday. Torrential rains submerged many parts of Metro Manila and surrounding areas, forcing nearly 270,000 people to flee their homes. (Reuters/Erik De Castro)

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/photo/

Quote from: TUBAGBOHOL.com on August 08, 2012, 09:48:33 AM
the government has to fix this mess. all our economic efforts would be useless if this flooding remains a big headache in NCR.

let's hope that a framework for solutions, even just at the pipeline stage, would be out soon because we cannot wait for a bigger disaster to happen. 

Residents of Brgy. Landayan near the Pacita complex in San Pedro, Laguna on Tuesday afternoon wade in knee-deep flood as they carry supplies for more hours or days of rain. (Joseph Watiwat via YouScoop)


The basketball court of a tenement building near the Pasig River in Punta, Sta. Ana, Manila on Tuesday remain submerged in flood as heavy rains continue to drench most of Luzon late Tuesday afternoon. (Amie Gillego)


Rampaging floodwater rush through the Manggahan floodway along the Marikina River as seen in this photo taken from Ortigas Avenue extension on Tuesday afternoon. People living near the floodway have been evacuated to safer ground. (Twinsy Adajar via YouScoop)

The swelling Marikina River is seen in this photo taken from a village along Dr. Sixto Antonio Avenue in Pasig City on Tuesday afternoon. (Dino Amparo)


The University of Sto. Tomas campus grounds and España Boulevard have become a lake as floods spawned by a southwest monsoon continue to dump rain on Manila and other parts of the country Tuesday. (James Bringas via YouScoop)


People wade in chest-deep flood along Araneta Avenue in Quezon City early Tuesday morning as heavy rains continue to submerge many parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Classes in all private and public school levels in the NCR and nearby provinces have been suspended. (GMA News)

very, very inspiring.  viva, human kindness! 

poor spiderman isn't spared...

schade, hof.  di nako makit-an ang flickr pic.

this may have been copied from the goddesses of mt olympus.



Duda ko ani. Di kaha ni stuffed toy? 

Quote from: Mike Ortega Ligalig on July 28, 2012, 06:31:52 AM

Amazing Elephant Tree

title: Underpass
by ematoma123
1st place entry in Urban Evolution 7

this turned out to be the winning entry of a photo effects contest of the website "worth1000" (http://www.worth1000.com/entries/676244/underpass)

dugay nakong nasakpan kay lugar may akong gipangita.  i thought this really existed, manmade it may be.

a pluralistic society

another elephant tree

Measuring 7ft 3in nose-to-tail and weighing in at 17st, Giant George is declared the world's tallest dog.

Giant' George claimed the prestigious title after Guinness Records officials measured him up at 43 inches from paw to shoulder, or 7ft 3in when 'standing' on his back legs.

The four-year-old great dane weighs a staggering 17.5 stone and consumes 110lb of food each week.

http://fbtimepass.com/

minus tb humor aka hubag, the real one:


elephant tree at Cerro Colorado in Baja California, Mexico

i'm going to look for the reason why mol's elephant tree looks like the way it is.  i suspect some sculpting guy with a sense of humor had gone too literal.    

taga tigs, baha ba sa inyo?  hinaot nga naayo ka na sa imong hilanat.  naunsa na man tawon ning manila, bai tigs?

it's midnight here.  i feel alone with the sound of the rain, downhearted over how heavy the downpour is right now.  the street where i live is supposed to be alive and irritatingly noisy at this time.  from our sixth floor perch, i can see it's eerily empty, devoid of those street people who sleep by the sidewalk.  i wonder where they and their pets are now. 

oh-oh, there's a series of thunder and lightning...  too bad i'm so awake now because i slept the whole day.  it's not pleasant to bear witness to nature's fury.

wa ba kaha intawoy makoryentehan ani?