MikeLigalig.com

3. Rapid weight loss


Rapid weight loss could be a sign of diabetes | Source: iStock

Not every type of weight loss is healthy. While being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes, it is not common to see rapid weight loss in those with diabetes. Overly high blood sugar levels can cause rapid weight loss, like 10 to 20 pounds over a time period of two or three months. The reason behind this significant loss of weight is that the insulin hormone isn’t doing its job of getting glucose or sugar into the cells where it can be used as energy. In response, the body thinks it’s starving and starts breaking down protein from the muscles for fuel.

2. Constant hunger

When you have high blood sugar, your body will have challenges regulating its glucose. If you’ve eaten something that is high in carbohydrates, your body will make too much insulin while your glucose tends to drop quickly. This will impact you by making you feel shaky and hungry, especially for carbs or sugar that will drive up your glucose levels again.

1. Thirst and excessive pee breaks


People who have diabetes may pee more than someone who is healthy | Source: iStock

People who have diabetes may pee more than someone who is healthy. The average person pees between four and seven times in a 24-hour period. Typically your body will reabsorb glucose as it passes through your kidneys. When you have diabetes, your blood sugar will rise and your body may not be able to bring it back in. Your body will try to get rid of the extra glucose by producing more urine. If you notice you’re constantly thirsty or using the bathroom more than most, you may want to visit your doctor.

Diabetes Symptoms: 5 Signs You Should Not Ignore

Evie Carrick
October 02, 2016

Diabetes is often called the silent killer because of its easy to miss symptoms. Of the estimated 24 million people in the U.S. with the disease (including several notable athletes), only 18 million are aware that they have it, leaving six million Americans who have no idea that they are living with diabetes. People with diabetes are not able to use the hormone insulin properly. Insulin is necessary to get sugar from your blood to your cells so they can use it as energy.

When the insulin doesn’t function as it should, the sugar accumulates in the blood instead of being used by the cells. The symptoms can be mild enough that unless you’re aware of the signs, you may live years without knowing that your body is functioning improperly. Watch for these warning signs, pay attention to gradual changes, and if something seems off, see your doctor for a blood sugar test. The longer you go without treating the disease the greater your risk for heart disease, kidney disease, amputation, blindness, and other serious complications.

Finally, a security relationship makes America at least indirectly culpable for the domestic behavior of the client regime. Throughout the Cold War, Washington embarrassed itself (if not shamed itself) by its close relationships with an assortment of thuggish “allies.” American officials may have deluded themselves into believing that such relationships were essential for the republic’s security, but in the vast majority of cases, that simply was not true. Now in the absence of the kind of existential threat that the Soviet Union posed, the justification for tossing basic moral values overboard is even weaker.

The United States needs to take an immediate stand regarding the Philippines. It is absurd for America to be putting its security on the line to defend a country ruled by an individual who is showing his unreliability on foreign policy issues and engages in utterly odious domestic behavior. Washington should suspend the alliance with Manila indefinitely. In the 1980s, the United States suspended its defense commitment to New Zealand through the ANZUS pact because Wellington would not allow U.S. nuclear vessels to operate in its waters. Duterte’s actions are vastly worse than that and at least warrant a similar response.

Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute and a contributing editor at The National Interest, is the author of 10 books and more than 600 articles on international affairs.

http://nationalinterest.org/

That is an unwise position for several reasons. First, it is generally a bad idea for a great power to pass out security guarantees in a promiscuous manner, since any one of them has the potential to entangle it in a dubious military confrontation. The United States has violated that rule in a spectacular fashion, undertaking explicit, treaty-bound security obligations to more than four dozen countries and implicit commitments to many more. The “mutual” defense treaty with Manila is actually one of the older obligations, having been concluded when the Philippines were granted independence in the late 1940s. But the venerable nature of the treaty does not make it a wise one.

A second reason a great power should avoid alliances like the relationship with Manila is that the security client’s agenda can create embarrassments or even great dangers. The Philippines have ambitious territorial claims in the volatile South China Seaâ€"along with several other countries. At a minimum, having a treaty ally in that position creates a headache for the United States.

Since I wrote that article, his erratic behavior, both domestically and internationally, has grown worse. After indicating that he wished to conclude alliances with both Russia and China, Duterte stated that there will be no further military exercises with U.S. forces because China objects to such exercises. Now he has compared himself to Adolf Hitler, affirming that he was gladly slaughtering thousands of alleged drug dealers and drug usersâ€"all without the inconvenient obstacles of due processâ€"and would like to kill millions, just like Hitler killed millions of Jews.

U.S. officials seem strangely tone-deaf to the outrages of their East Asian ally. Even as Duterte was cozying up to China and waxing about Hitler, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter was affirming that Washington’s alliance with the Philippines was nothing less than “ironclad.”

It’s Time to Suspend America's Alliance with the Philippines


An F/A-18E Super Hornet refuels from a KC-130T Hercules. Flickr/U.S. Navy

Ted Galen Carpenter
October 1, 2016

The United States has an unfortunate history of acquiring ugly authoritarian allies even when America’s security interests do not justify making such moral compromises. Malou Innocent and I described many of those unfortunate relationships in our book Perilous Partners, noting that a majority of the security relationships did not involve situations in which America’s vital interests were imperiled.

Washington faces another increasingly problematic relationship: its alliance with the Philippines. As I’ve noted previously on this site, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is the personification of a “loose-cannon” ally. Among other things, he referred to President Obama as “a son of a bitch,” and made it clear that he had no intention of necessarily following Washington’s lead on foreign policy.

Q. What does the word ‘benign’ mean?

A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight. (Brilliant)

source: tickld
http://www.worthytoshare.com/

Q. What does ‘varicose’ mean?

A. Nearby.

Q. What is the most common form of birth control

A. Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium. (That would work)

Q. Give the meaning of the term ‘Caesarean section’

A. The caesarean section is a district in Rome.

Q. What is a seizure?

A. A Roman Emperor. (Julius Seizure, I came, I saw, I had a fit)

Q. What is a terminal illness

A. When you are sick at the airport. (Irrefutable)

Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body categorized (e.g. The abdomen)

A. The body is consisted into 3 parts â€" the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain,the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A,E,I,O,U (wtf!)

Q. Name the four seasons

A. Salt,pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q. Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.

A. Premature death.

Q. What is artificial insemination

A. When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow.

Q. How can you delay milk turning sour

A. Keep it in the cow. (Simple, but brilliant)

Q. What is the fibula?

A. A small lie.

Q. What happens to your body as you age

A. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.

Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on.

A. If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed.

Q. In a democratic society, how important are elections

A Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election.

Q. What are steroids

A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

She Was Asked Why She Drinks After Checking Her Student’s Test Papers, So She Showed Them Their Answers.



Why Teachers Drink…

The following questions were set in last year’s GCSE examination. These are genuine answers from 16 year olds…

Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty

A. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery. (So true)

Q. How is dew formed.

A. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

the links for the DIY instructions for these vertical gardens:

http://akadesign.ca/diy-vertical-garden/

http://www.instructables.com/id/VERTICAL-VEGETABLES-quotGrow-upquot-in-a-smal/

https://urbangreenspace.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/how-to-make-a-vertical-strawberry-tube-planter/

http://www.shelterness.com/diy-colorful-vertical-garden-on-a-fence/

http://littlegreendot.com/edible-garden-project/

http://camillestyles.com/uncategorized/transformed-mason-jar-herb-garden/

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/container/plans-ideas/trellis-vertical-container-garden/#page=0

http://www.urbangardensweb.com/2011/07/15/cinderfellas-vertical-garden-planter/

https://brightnest.com/posts/learn-to-make-a-pallet-garden-in-7-easy-steps?utm_source=BNMarketing&utm_medium=ht&utm_campaign=lcHT122914-learn-to-make-a-pallet-garden-in-7-easy-steps-HT

http://www.smalltownrambler.com/diy-ladder-herb-garden/

http://survivallife.com/indoor-vertical-herb-garden/

http://juneauempire.com/stories/072508/nei_309624417.shtml#.V-61wPB97IX

http://www.luna-see.com/2010/11/diy-tutorial-vertical-framed-succulent.html

http://www.manmadediy.com/users/chris/posts/3582-how-to-make-a-modern-space-saving-vertical-vegetable-garden

http://decorandthedog.net/decorandthedog/2013/05/how-to-build-vertical-garden-tutorial.html

http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/outdoor/diy-garden-planter-birds-bath.html

Flower Pot Tower



http://shareably.net/

Charming Lattice Garden

Minimalist Garden

Living Wall

Rain Gutter Crops

Hanging Garden

Flower Ladder

Pallet Garden

Cinder Block Wall

Trellises

Mason Jar Planters

Stacked Crate Nursery

Fence Garden

Plant Tower

Pocket Planters

Wire Wall

Post Script

I do not remember the first time I finally was able to use putang ina in a conversation but I will never forget the feeling I still get up to now: empowered and free. It must be the same feeling many people share when they hear cuss words nowadays in the mainstream media live, uncensored, unfiltered, raw. After discovering the history of these curse words and how deeply-rooted they are in the control and oppression of women, there’s more reason for these to be subjected to intellectual discourse as this could pave the way for reclaiming what once belonged to women and ultimately, to the Filipino people.

Then again, these are still curse words. Mindful speaking is still the key to civility and meaningful discourse.

[Entry 153, The SubSelfie Blog]

A classic example of such is the Niños Inosentes Day also dubbed as “y@w@-y@w@” or “devil-devil” festival held in Aklan every December. The festival re-enacts King Herod’s order to kill the infant Jesus Christ, which resulted in a mass murder of male children. An activity somewhat similar to trick or treat is also reportedly held where people dress up in devil costumes to ask for money or goods from households.

Anthropologist Susan Russell, in her lecture Christianity in the Philippines prepared for the Center for Southeast Asian Studies of Northern Illinois University, said that most of our ancestors were easy prey for colonizers due to decentralized power and lack of political organizations:

“Most Philippine communities, with the exception of the Muslim sultanates in the Sulu archipelago and Mindanao, were fairly small without a great deal of centralized authority. Authority was wielded by a variety of individuals, including 1) headmen, or datu; 2) warriors of great military prowess; and 3) individuals who possessed spiritual power or magical healing abilities.”

“The absence of centralized power meant that a small number of Spaniards were able to convert a large number of Filipinos living in politically autonomous units more easily than they could have, say, converted people living in large, organized, complex kingdoms.”

The attachment of meanings by friars to once neutral names were easily embraced by the locals for according to an account of Ruth Elynia S. Mabanglo, in the book The Age of Discovery: Impact on Philippine Culture and Society published in 1993, the friars “were the only people in direct contact with the natives during the colonial period” and were instrumental in shaping the behavior of the Christianized Filipinos:

“Literature as a form of art was used by the Spanish colonial regime to further its interests in the Philippines. This was done principally by ‘Christianizing’ the oral literature of the natives. Various indigenous epics were replaced by the Pasyon, the life of Jesus Christ sang in the major languages during the Lenten season, and by awits and corridos which heavily reflected adaptations of European metric romances. Folk narratives echoed European virtues and traditions, while folksongs and proverbs became the vehicle for teaching Christian ideals and values. These folksongs, narratives and adaptations were even performed on stages in churches and outside through rituals and religious entertainments, such as the comedia, santacruzan, senakulo, flores de mayo, and pastores.”

In UP Diksyunaryong Filipino 2010 edition, “y@w@” is defined as an exclamatory expression meaning “demonyo” or “pahayag ng pagkainis, pagkainip, at ibang di-pangkaraniwang damdamin”. “Buyung” on the other hand is an anatomical term meaning “bayag” (scrotum).

From powerful mythical beings, their names became associated with the devil and the male sex organ.

This of course did not sit well with the Spaniards who also used literature to impose their religion and patriarchal culture. Thus, the oppression of women and the damnation of Malitong Y@w@ and her male persona, Buyung Sunmasakay.

Acuña cited the findings of Dr. Rosario Cruz-Lucero of the UP Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas on the evolution of word meanings from folk epic Hinilawod in particular:

“For instance, y@w@ from Malitung Y@w@, Labaw Donggon’s third wife, was originally the baylan (priestess) with the most powerful pamlang (magic), while the Buyung is a leader of warriors who go downhill to attack pueblos. The friars then began using y@w@ and buyung as derogatory terms or cuss words.”

Before the patriarchal Spaniards set foot in Cebu, women and men were of equal footing. If folk epics were indeed telling of our indigenous culture, Hinilawod‘s Malitong Y@w@ represents the prowess wielded by women in pre-colonial Visayas. While Labaw Donggon had the choice to acquire as many wives as he pleased, Malitong Y@w@ had the choice to flee from him; while Humadapnon had the prerogative to go on another quest just after getting married, Malitong Y@w@ had the option to move on and remarry; and while Humadapnon had the strength to end Malitong Y@w@‘s life, it was a goddess who had the power to resurrect the latter. In the end, it was also a female character, the goddess Alunsina, who was able to resolve the conflict and restore peace in the Sulod nation.

Humadapnon went after her but was challenged to a fight by Amarotha, another demigod who was also pursuing Malitong Y@w@. They fought for seven years until Alunsina, the goddess of the eastern sky got tired of watching them and decided to cut Malitong Y@w@ into two. The duelling demigods went home each with a bride and Humadapnon ruled Panay with his wife for centuries.

In an analysis published in UP Forum in 2012 entitled “Beyond the Bark: Reexamining Our Roots,” Arbeen Acuña asserted: “Indigenous practices, knowledge and belief systems are preservedâ€"or perhaps hiddenâ€"deep in their folk epics.”

The powerful enchantress also figured in the epic’s second part which talks about the adventures of Humadapnon â€" the chief of the Sulod people and Labaw Donggon‘s younger brother. According to the story, Humadapnon saw the lovely Malitong Y@w@ in his dream. When he woke up, he decided to go to Halawod river where Malitong Y@w@ lives to ask for her hand in marriage. Along the way, Humadapnon was lured and captured by an evil sorceress. With the help of Humadapnon‘s spirit-friends, Malitong Y@w@ learned of Humadapnon‘s capture. So she disguised herself as a man named Buyung Sunmasakay and rescued Humadapnon. Upon revealing herself, Humadapnon was said to have been struck by the deity’s beauty.

They went to Halawod river together, got married but had to part ways again when Humadapnon decided to accompany his brother Dumadalpdap to a journey to the Upper World to ask for a maiden’s hand in marriage. The journey took seven years that Humadapnon‘s mother, Matan-ayon thought her son was not coming back so she told Malitong Y@w@ to remarry instead. The latter heeded the suggestion. Just as when the marriage ceremony between Malitong Y@w@ and her new husband-to-be was about to start, Humadapnon and Dumalapdap arrived. Humadapnon killed everyone and stabbed Malitong Y@w@ to death. Realizing later that what happened was a mistake, Humadapnon summoned the help of his sister, Labin Anyag to bring Malitong Y@w@ back to life. But Malitong Y@w@ felt humiliated so she ran away from Humadapnon and sought refuge in the Underworld ruled by her uncle.

According to the epic as recounted by anthropologist Dr. F. Landa Jocano, Malitong Y@w@ or Nagmalitong Y@w@ Sinagmaling Diwata is the young and beautiful wife of the powerful lord of darkness, Saragnayon. This, however, did not prevent a demigod, named Labaw Donggon, who already had two wives by then, to pursue Saragnayon‘s wife.

A battle ensued between the two that resulted in Labaw Donggon‘s defeat and imprisonment. He was saved later on by his two firstborns. Upon his rescue, however, Labaw Donggon had lost his mind because Malitong Y@w@ had cursed him. According to the legend, it took long before Labaw Donggon‘s first two wives were able to break the curse.

Y@w@

Filipinos who have no Visayan roots probably wouldn’t notice whenever the President would utter y@w@ in his pronouncements. But it is a word also used as a curse. Its English translation is devil.

Where did this word come from?

Of all places where Spain established its stronghold for colonizing the Philippines, it had to be Cebu in the Visayas. Of all places the first holy mass was to be held, it had to be, according to disputing local historians, in Limasawa or Masaoa that are, either way, still in the Visayas. Among the first Filipinos to be baptized, it had to be the Visayans. And among the many Visayan words that are to be relegated to eternal damnation, it had to be y@w@ â€" a word that is said to have originated from a Visayan goddess named Malitong Y@w@, a character in one of the world’s longest epics, Hinilawod.

The entry “puta” in the same dictionary has more surprising definitions. One definition classified it as a noun that means, “ritwal na pag-aalay sa mga espiritu.” In colloquial terms, “puta” means “lalaki o babaeng binabayaran upang makipagtalik.” An ancient Tagalog (Sinaunang Tagalog) definition of “puta” uses the word as an adjective that means “natapos ang isang gawain, gaya ng pista o kasal.” Another entry of “puta” can be found but the stress is on the second syllable. This word is also an adjective but has totally different definitions, which are: “nakaligtas mula sa bagyo” and “mag-iba ng kilos mula sa matagal na ginagawa, gaya sa paglalaro o pag-uusap.”


Islas Filipinas. The influence of the Spaniards run deep in our culture, including our curse words.

My professor in Latin back in college would always tell the class that language anchors itself on culture and its rules are formulated through social conventions. When the vast Roman Empire fell, Latin use in its classic form gradually faded away. What emerged was the Latin language that is more culture-specific for Spaniards, Portuguese, Italians and French. The same thing happened to Spanish curses when their colonization of the Philippines had ended. While the cultural undertones of these insults found its comfortable place in our society, our Tagalog ancestors found it rightful to mix in some of our own conventions. Thus, hijo de p**t became putang ina and putang ina mo.

UP Diksyunaryong Filipino 2010 Edition defines “Putang ina!” as an exclamatory remark (padamdam), a shortened form of “puta ang ina”, and is: “isa sa pinakamasamang mura laban sa kaaway;” and “ekspresyong bunga ng pagkainis, pagkabigo at katulad.”

James Harbeck’s article “Mind your Language! Swearing Around the World” published in March 2015 for BBC provided an analysis on why “the most transgressive language in many cultures involves sexual acts on a person’s mother (sometimes specifying her genitalia).”

According to Harbeck: “Morality is a control system maintaining male dominance but also some level of security for a wife. Prostitutes defy a wife’s exclusivity and a man’s ownership, which is likely why words for ‘whore’ are also very common strong language in many parts of the world â€" and in some languages (such as Luganda) why words for genitalia are avoided: prostitutes use them. In fact, the cultures that swear the most about mothers tend to swear about prostitutes a lot too.” The Latin culture has also been specified by Harbeck as among those that has the mother involved most in its list of offensive language. He also noted that these cultures “tend to be extended-family rather than nuclear-family societies.” Hello, Philippines.

Among the countless things the Spaniards left behind after 300 years of colonizing the Philippines are its curse words that insult and demean mothers. A non-exhaustive list prepared by Michael A. Estrada entitled Profanities, Insults, etc. Across Spanish-speaking Countries published online back in August 2011 shows that most Spanish curses are “mother-directed” such as hijo de put* (son of a bitch), put* madre (bitch mother) and tu put* madre me la chupa (your bitch mother sucks me). There were nineteen of these insults compared to sixteen that belittle a person’s intelligence or character.

13 curse words were found to be “religion-based”, 11 fall under a “general” category [which includes put* (bitch) and zorra (slut)], 8 are “attacks on the person’s indolence/laziness”, 6 were seen as “sexually-based” insults and 5 were categorized as “homosexual insults”.

“The charge of oral defamation stemmed from the utterance of the words, ‘Agustin, putang ina mo.’ This is a common enough expression in the dialect that is often employed, not really to slander but rather to express anger or displeasure. It is seldom, if ever, taken in its literal sense by the hearer, that is, as a reflection on the virtues of a mother. In the instant case, it should be viewed as part of the threats voiced by appellant against Agustin Hallare, evidently to make the same more emphatic. In the case of Yebra, G.R. No. L-14348, Sept. 30, 1960, this Court said: The letter containing the allegedly libelous remarks is more threatening than libelous and the intent to threaten is the principal aim and object to the letter. The libelous remarks contained in the letter, if so they be considered, are merely preparatory remarks culminating in the final threat. In other words, the libelous remarks express the beat of passion which engulfs the writer of the letter, which heat of passion in the latter part of the letter culminates into a threat.This is the more important and serious offense committed by the accused. Under the circumstances the Court believes, after the study of the whole letter, that the offense committed therein is clearly and principally that of threats and that the statements therein derogatory to the person named do not constitute an independent crime of libel, for which the writer maybe prosecuted separately from the threats and which should be considered as part of the more important offense of threats.”

Putang Ina Mo (Your Mother Is a Whore)

In the 1960’s, the municipal trial court of Cavite City convicted a person named Rosauro Reyes of grave threats and grave oral defamation for cursing Agustin Hallare. Reyes was upset for having been terminated from the Naval Exchange at Sangley Point as a civilian employee and conducted protest actions in front of the office and at the residence of Hallare who Reyes believed had influenced his dismissal.

In June 1961, at Hallare’s residence, Reyes shouted the words: “Agustin, putang ina mo. Agustin, mawawala ka. Agustin lumabas ka, papatayin kita.” Hallare sued Reyes. The case reached the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s decision. In the high court’s ruling, however, while the conviction of Reyes for grave threats was upheld, he was acquitted of grave oral defamation:

I summoned this memory as SubSelfie.com attempts to trace the history of curses that are usually uttered by our new President. Among these are putang ina mo, putang ina, ‘tang ina and its other derivatives; the utterance of which probably leads to a tidal wave of dopamine in the brain thus leaving the best feeling in the mouth afterwards â€" especially after 1969 when the Supreme Court absolved putang ina mo of slanderous character.

Oral Origins: The Etymology of Putang Ina and Y@w@

by TRICIA ZAFRA
JUNE 30, 2016



I faintly remember what led to our teacher’s ire that afternoon and why she was scolding the class. All I can clearly recall now were the dusty black shoes I was wearing. They were the first things I saw when I looked down in shame upon hearing my classmate swore in class in the presence of our teacher: “’Tang ina mo!” (Your mother is a whore.) I flinched. This was in high school. It was a stage in my life where I was still practicing these expletives in my mind and to utter them, even when no one was hearing, felt so wrong. It clearly wasn’t directed at our teacher who I remember yelling afterwards: “Nakita mo bang nag-p**t ang nanay niya? Paninirang puri ‘yan!” (Have you seen her mother become a whore? That’s slander!) I don’t remember what happened after that.

‘Stupid is Forever’

In 2005, she relaunched her best-selling book, “Stupid is Forevermore,” a sequel to “Stupid is Forever.” The books are compilations of her witty one-liners on a range of topics, including politics, religion, morality and romance.

Commenting on her appeal to the youth, Santiago said: “I think that they like the idea that there is a person who prefers to stand against the tide if that is dictated by the rule of law.”

Santiago earned her bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, and her bachelor of laws, cum laude, from the University of the Philippines. She earned the graduate degrees of master of laws and doctor of juridicial science from the University of Michigan where she was a Barbour Scholar and DeWitt Fellow. She also finished master of arts in religious studies at Maryhill School of Theology.

Among the citations she received include one of “The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World” by The Australian magazine in 1996; Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 1988 “for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a graft-ridden government agency.”

Santiago was born on June 15, 1945, in Iloilo City to Benjamin Defensor, a presiding judge at a regional trial court, and Dimpna Palma, a college dean.

She was married to Narciso Santiago Jr. and had two sons, Narciso III and Alexander (deceased).

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

Death threats

“I eat death threats for breakfast,” she once famously said, earning her a reputation as a tough, no-nonsense official battling the Japanese Yakuza gangsters.

Santiago served as presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court in Quezon City in 1983-1987, was appointed immigration commissioner in 1988-1989 and later as agrarian reform secretary in 1989. She was elected senator for three six-year termsâ€"1995-2001, 2004-2010, and 2010-2016.

As a lawmaker, she  filed the highest number of bills and authored some of the most important laws. Her most important pending bills included the antidynasty bill; an act institutionalizing an age-appropriate curriculum to prevent the abduction, exploitation and sexual abuse of children; freedom of information bill; and Magna Carta for Philippine internet freedom.

In December 2011, Santiago was the first Filipino and Asian from a developing state to be elected judge to the International Criminal Court for a nine-year term. In June 2014, however, she waived the privilege after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Claiming that she had “licked” cancer, Santiago ran for President in May 2016 under the People’s Reform Party. She ran and lost in 1992 and in 1998.

“I won in the voting but lost in the counting,” Santiago recalled when she finished a very close second to President Fidel Ramos 24 years ago. Ramos garnered 5.34 million votes while she collected 4.47 millionâ€"a difference of less than a million.

On the presidency

The senator recalled how the initial cancer treatment drained her to a point she thought about giving up her candidacy. “I knew I can afford it at the initial stages, but it will leave me broke and dying anyway. So I said (to the Lord), take me now,” she said, gripping the bottom of her chair and looking up.

Had she won, Santiago said she would have run the country “like a strict mother,” who placed a premium on discipline, the civic spirit and nationhood. She quipped “Wala (nobody)!” when asked who among the other presidential candidates was best qualified for the job.

“[The next President] should have academic excellence, professional excellence and moral excellence or no record of corruption,” Santiago said in February.

As immigration commissioner, Santiago ordered the arrest and deportation of criminal syndicates, including those engaged in illegally procuring infants for adoption in Europe and those procuring “mail-order brides” and “entertainers” for prostitution abroad.

“She died peacefully in her sleep. That is all I want to remember,” he said.

The remains will be moved to Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral in Cubao, Quezon City.

At the Meet Inquirer Multimedia forum on May 3, Santiago appeared in top form, a far cry from her distracted demeanor and subdued sound bites during the campaign. She said she had been in remission. “It means the cancer cells, which are normally repugnant because they eat everybody around them,” she began, before putting in: “Some people are like cancer cells.”

The crowd roared.

Miriam Santiago; 71

By: Cynthia D. Balana, Inquirer Research, Rafael L. Antonio
@inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer
September 30th, 2016


THEN Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago makes one of her last public appearances at the INQUIRER in May. INQUIRER PHOTO

Former Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, who as commissioner cleaned up the corruption-ridden immigration bureau and battled Yakuza criminal gangs, earning for her the Asian version of the Nobel Prize and the adulation of a grateful nation that voted her to the Senate three times but thrice rejected her as possibly the best President the country never had, died on Thursday. She was 71.

The senator’s death, after a two-year bout with lung cancer, was announced by her husband, Narciso Santiago.

“I accept this. I do not want to do anything heroic,” the husband quoted Santiago as saying before she succumbed in her final battle against the Big C that hobbled her last campaign for the presidency in May. She had been unconscious for several days before that.

In 2012, Santiago became the first Filipina and the first Asian from a developing country to be elected a judge of the International Criminal Court. She later resigned the post, citing chronic fatigue syndrome, which turned out to be lung cancer.

In 2016, she became part of the International Advisory Council of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), an intergovernmental body that promotes the rule of law.

Santiago served three terms in the Philippine Senate. On 13 October 2015, Santiago declared her candidacy for President of the Philippines in the 2016 elections after her doctors from the United States declared her cancer 'stable' and 'receded', but lost in the elections. She was immortalized by her supporters as 'the best president we never had'.

Santiago was known as the Dragon Lady, the Platinum Lady, the Incorruptible Lady, the Tiger Lady, and most popularly, the Iron Lady of Asia. (wikipedia)

Santiago was named one of The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World in 1997 by The Australian magazine. In 1988, Santiago was named laureate of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service, with a citation "for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a graft-ridden government agency." She ran in the 1992 presidential elections but was defeated in an election marred by allegations of impropriety by the victor. The quote, 'Miriam won in the elections, but lost in the counting.' became popular nationwide.

Santiago became senator of the republic in 1995 and authored the most number of laws and bills in the entire history of the Philippines. She ran again for president in the 1998 presidential elections but lost after heavy black propaganda against her which were eventually proven false. She continued her work as senator - exposed and lambasted numerous government scandals, such as the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, which led to massive outrage and triggered major reforms throughout the country. She became an icon of incorruptibility, honest government service, and constitutional law. She was given numerous awards and recognition for her fight against corruption in the country.

Miriam Palma Defensor Santiago
15 June 1945 â€" 29 September 2016

[...] was a Filipino politician who served in all three branches of the Philippine government â€" judicial, executive, and legislative.

Some of her alma maters include University of the Philippines, University of Michigan, Oxford University, Maryhill School of Theology, University of California, Harvard University, and Cambridge University.

it did not sail to brazil, after all.

as of 04 july 2016, from the Ark of Noah Foundation facebook account:

Important UPDATE!
There has been a change to the Ark of Noah travel itinerary. 🌍âš"️🚧
Due to the current state of affairs and the challenges facing Brazil (i.e. the Olympics), political, economical, and personal safety as well as the Zika virus uncertainty, key supporters of the Ark have expressed grave concern about sailing to Rio at this moment in time. The board of directors in consultation with Johan Huibers have decided that it is in the best interest of the Ark of Noah project and its entire team to postpone its voyage to Brazil.
We are currently in the process of planning the next destination of the Ark. To see the full press release as well as to stay updated with upcoming news, visit our website www.arkofnoah.org or access the LINK IN BIO. #supporttheark

more about johan's ark:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3574830/Life-sized-replica-Noah-s-Ark-complete-wooden-animals-heading-Brazil-Olympic-games-needs-donation-Biblical-proportions-fund-voyage.html

In 2007 Huibers opened the doors to visitors. After a few months the vessel was towed by tugboat through the canals and moored in 21 harbors in the Netherlands. The ark was sold to Dutch artist Aad Peters in 2010. He tours through Germany, Denmark and Norway. Although the ark isn't really seaworthy and can't handle waves higher than two meters, he was successfully towed across the sea from Denmark to Norway. On 10 June 2016, the ark collided with a moored vessel (NoCGV Nornen) while under tow in Oslo harbor. The ark suffered severe damage to its wooden cladding. (wikipedia)

But given his amount of self-belief, it’s doubtful that this worries Huibers. In fact, he’s even said that he’d like to get Israel and the Arab states to work together to construct a water pipe between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. Let’s just hope he manages it before the flood hits.

http://nextinvesting.com/

On the way, Huibers plans to stop off in the United States, dropping anchor at San Francisco and Seattle, among other places. It’s a huge undertaking, and he’s still well shy of the funding he needs to make the project happen.

In summer 2016 he wants to sail the ark some 5,000 miles over the Atlantic to Brazil, where he hopes to arrive in good time for the Olympic and Paralympic games. Once there, he aims to provide spiritual and “practical support for the underprivileged” people in the country.

The awesome vessel is currently moored at the town of Dordrecht in the Netherlands, but perhaps not for much longer. Never afraid of thinking big, Huibers is planning something even more ambitious for his ark.

In case passengers get bored of petting the bunnies during the apocalyptic deluge, however, Huibers has made room for some other diversions too. For example, the ark also houses a restaurant and two cinemas, along with plenty of information relating to the flood story.

Huibers didn’t just put plastic animals on the ark, though. It also houses a number of real animals, although nothing as big as an elephant. Most of the live creatures are birds, such as parrots, peacocks and pheasants, but there are also some rabbits on the vessel.

The plastic animals, as you might imagine, were seriously costly. Indeed, just one of the life-size elephants that Huibers installed on the ark cost him $11,000. Ouch.

He filled the structure to the rafters with life-size plastic sculptures of the animals that Noah is supposed to have saved. You can’t deny that this guy is a real stickler for detail.

Every school kid knows that in the Bible, God tells Noah to build an ark large enough to house two of every animal on earth. Well, Huibers followed that part of the plan too. Kind of.

But how did Huibers plan to truly amaze visitors to the ark? And how did he think it best to educate people about the message of the Bible?

Alas, some Biblical instructions had been impossible to follow. While in Genesis, Noah uses “gopher wood” to build his ship, Huibers combined the metal hulls of a few old barges to create his ark, before cladding it with Scandinavian pine wood.

When he finished the ark in 2012, though, Huibers was keen to share his awesome creation with the world. Well, it was built to hold 5,000 people, so there was plenty of space on board.

And Huibers wasn’t afraid to put some hard graft in himself. After all, this dedicated Christian â€" who perhaps follows in the steps of his idol a little too closely â€" is actually a carpenter.

Naturally, the mammoth task of creating a flood-proof, live-in ark called for a lot of materials. The finished product, then, weighs in at 2,500 tons, with the ark boasting five decks.

And when the project was finally completed, the structure was gigantic; Huibers followed the Biblical blueprint to the detail. Indeed, he converted cubits into modern measurements, and the new ark came in at a whopping 430 feet long, 100 feet wide and 75 feet high.

The project took three years to complete, costing around $1.6 million. Money wasn’t too much of an object for Huibers, it seems.

But Huibers’ creationist itch, it seems, hadn’t been properly scratched. In 2009, he set about realizing his true ambition: he wanted to construct an ark the same size as the one written about in the Bible. Exactly the same size.

Inspired by the Bible, and specifically God’s instructions to Noah in chapters six to nine of Genesis, Huibers set about building a real ark in 2005. It was about 230 feet long, and he used it to sail the seas around the Netherlands for three and a half years.

The story begins in 1992. Johan Huibers, a millionaire and a hardcore creationist, had an apocalyptic dream that the low-lying Dutch coastlands would be inundated by seawater. The flood dream never left him, and he felt compelled to begin what he saw as his life’s work.

Somewhere along the Merwede river in the Netherlands lies a hulking colossus. A man-made giant of literally Biblical proportions. But who built it â€" and why?

A Millionaire Spent Years Building a Full-Scale Ark. The Inside Is What’s Truly Mindblowing



When religion and piles of money collide, things can get pretty crazy. But fear not, this isn’t going to be a heavy op-ed about Saudi Arabia or Ted Cruz. This is the story of how one man used his wealth to realize a massively ambitious spiritual goal, with amazing results.

Peres became director general of the nascent defense ministry at just 29 years old.

Beyond his accomplishments in the public eye, he was also seen as a driving force in the development of Israel’s undeclared nuclear program.

Peres once confided that the secret to his longevity was daily exercise, eating little and drinking one or two glasses of good wine.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

In March, he met British supermodel Naomi Campbell at his Peres Center for Peace during an event linked to International Women’s Day. On the same day, he met visiting US Vice President Joe Biden.

Born in Poland in 1923, Peres emigrated to what was then British-mandated Palestine when he was 11.

He joined the Zionist struggle and met David Ben-Gurion, who would become his mentor and Israel’s first prime minister.

He was rushed to hospital a second time just days later with chest pains and an irregular heartbeat.

Peres had sought to maintain an active schedule despite his age, particularly through events related to his Peres Center for Peace.

When leaving hospital on January 19, Peres said he was keen to get back to work.

“I’m so happy to return to work, that was the whole purpose of this operation,” he said.

His personal physician and son-in-law Rafi Walden had said at the time that Peres had seen “very slow, moderate improvement”.

But on Tuesday, a source close to Peres said his condition had taken a downturn and he was “fighting for his life”. Family members arrived at the hospital.

In January, Peres was hospitalised twice because of heart trouble.

In the first case, the hospital said he had suffered a “mild cardiac event” and underwent catheterization to widen an artery.

After suffering the stroke, he received an outpouring of support from across the world, including from Pope Francis, US President Barack Obama, the Clinton family, Donald Trump, Britain’s ex-premier Tony Blair and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called him “tireless in seeking peace between Israelis and Palestinians”.

Previous heart trouble

There had been signs of improvement last week.

On September 18, Peres’s office said doctors planned to gradually reduce his sedation and respiratory support to judge his response.

Peres held nearly every major office in the country, serving twice as prime minister and also as president, a mostly ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014.

He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo Accords, which envisioned an independent Palestinian state.

The former hawk turned dove was widely respected both in Israel and abroad.

A press conference was being planned for around 7:00 am (0400 GMT).

Peres had been in hospital near Tel Aviv since September 13, when he was admitted feeling unwell and suffered the stroke with internal bleeding.

Israel has been on edge over the health of its last remaining founding father, who had been under sedation and respiratory support in intensive care.

Israeli ex-president and Nobel laureate Shimon Peres diesâ€"doctor

@inquirerdotnet
Agence France-Presse
September 28th, 2016
 

Former Israel President Shimon Peres. AP FILE PHOTO

(Updated) RAMAT GAN, Israelâ€"Israeli ex-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres died on Wednesday, his personal doctor told Agence France-Presse (AFP), some two weeks after suffering a major stroke.

The 93-year-old died in his sleep at around 3:00 am (0000 GMT), Rafi Walden, who is also Peres’s son-in-law, told AFP.

He died surrounded by family members, a source close to Peres told AFP.

11. Spider Bites


Flickr / Amy Stephenson

As I mentioned before, this is something I’ve used with success myself! Potatoes not only possess anti-itching and anti-inflammatory properties, but they will keep your skin from drying out and becoming more irritated.

http://www.littlethings.com/

10. Warts


Flickr / Joe Loong

Covering your warts with duct tape will suffocate the skin virus, sometimes in a matter of just a few days.

9. Indigestion


Flickr / miheco

Feeling bloated after enjoying a nice meal? Pop a couple of these fiber- and potassium-filled apricots for dessert and you won’t have to worry about undoing the top button of your pants.

8. Urinary Tract Infection


Flickr / aqua.mech

Adding a tiny sprinkle of baking soda to a glass of water will make your bladder more alkaline, which makes it more difficult for the uncomfortable bacteria to multiply.

7. Motion Sickness And Nausea



Flickr / Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine

The woozy feeling gets worse when you start producing too much saliva, something the tannins in olives can help air out.

6. Calluses And Corns


Flickr / Incase

Mash some Red Vines together with a little petroleum jelly to smooth out those rough patches thanks to the estrogen-like ingredients found in the sweet treat.

5. Menopause


Flickr / lynn Dombrowski

Adding yams to your diet regularly will help support your hormones with plenty of vitamin A and antioxidants, and help lower your cholesterol. Just be sure to get real yams, not sweet potatoes.

4. Hair Loss


Flickr / Calsidyrose

Brew a pot of some nettle or horsetail herbal tea, both of which have high levels of silica, a chemical that can help strengthen the hair tissue you still have. Be careful not to go overboard, though, as silica can have toxic effects on your kidneys in high volumes.

3. Earache


Flickr / Rebecca Siegel

I can verify this handy trick myself as my ears frequently like to torture me when I get even the slightest cold. Squeezing lemon juice onto a Q-tip or cotton ball and gently applying just inside your ear will help restore the pH balance and neutralize the icky bacteria.

2. Bad Breath


Flickr / Zaskoda

Instead of popping a piece of gum in your mouth to mask the stinky scent, grab some celery or parsley to chew on to really clean your pearly whites and freshen your breath. They also help with digestion!