MikeLigalig.com

unhan na lang nako si bai hubag sa iyang type...

don't know about this...

It is clear that China intends to use its monster white-hulled Coast Guard ships to respond to future US freedom of navigation operations by shouldering smaller U.S. Navy vessels out of illegitimately claimed waters. Such operations would force the U.S. to either accede to Chinese demands or climb the ladder of escalation by forcibly defending themselves with arms, allowing China to play the victim of U.S. aggression. The United States should give some thought to modifying the design of the 60,000 ton afloat forward staging base ships being built in San Diego to allow them to serve as “blockers” for U.S. combatants upholding innocent passage missions. Anticipating China’s next move and providing an option that doesn’t include force will help maintain U.S. leadership and is the surest guarantee of peace in the region.

Jerry Hendrix is the director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security. A retired U.S. Navy captain, he is a former director of the Naval History and Heritage Command.

http://www.defenseone.com/

There are a set of preexisting rules of the road for ships at sea, rules that delineate who is to ‘give way” to the other when ships meet in order to avoid going bump in the night, but there is also an unwritten “law of gross tonnage” that recognizes that larger ships are less maneuverable and that smaller ships should maneuver to avoid. Physics, it seems, has a place on the world’s oceans, and China intends to take advantage of some very hard science.

In October, the guided missile destroyer USS Lassen conducted an innocent passage exercise inside of 12 nautical miles of an artificial island constructed by China in the South China Sea to demonstrate that the United States did not recognize its illegal claims. In January, the destroyer Curtis Wilbur conducted a similar innocent passage maneuver within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in response to China’s attempts to curtail free navigation in that area of the South China Sea. In the first instance the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy sortied two ships to trail, but not interfere with, the American ship. The second event seemingly took the Chinese by surprise and no vessel came out to meet the Americans, and it would not have mattered if they had. At 9,500 tons the Lassen and the Wilbur were just too big for the Chinese navy to move, but that will not be true for much longer.

China has gone head-to-head with other Asian powers over its claims in the South China and East China Seas. Chinese Coast Guard and Marine Surveillance vessels have threatened or shouldered other nations’ vessels throughout the region in attempt to uphold their broader territorial claims. The use of Marine Surveillance and Coast Guard vessels, painted white as distinctive “civilian law enforcement” ships, is part of a strategic communications plan to portray Chinese actions as non-aggressive law enforcement operation even as they threaten to sink and destroy vessels from other countries.  Thus far China has been largely successful in their intimidation techniques, with two exceptions.

Ramming or “shouldering” ships at sea has been a common practice throughout the modern era. During the Cold War, Russian and American ships went “skin-to-skin” more than once, often denting or damaging each other as they contested territorial claims or protested close surveillance during critical exercises. When the Soviet Union made excessive territorial sea claims in the 1980s the United States Navy conducted “innocent passage” exercises by sailing ships within the claimed standoffs to assert the right to operate in international waters. The Soviet Navy responded by attempting to shoulder American ships out of their claimed waters. The Americans, possessing larger ships, maintained their course and departed the waters at the time and place of their own choosing, much to the Soviet’s embarrassment.

We’ve been here before. In 1996, the U.S. sailed two aircraft carriers near Taiwan, which led China to develop the DF-21 carrier-killer anti-ship ballistic missile. Now President Barack Obama’s decision to sail American warships near China’s artificially created and disputed islands in the South China Sea has triggered another sophisticated response. China has announced its intention to build a massive new coast guard ship ostensibly to patrol its territorial waters, protect its fisheries, and uphold its laws. This is a huge ship and its physical characteristics fall far outside the norms associated with the coast guard mission. For instance, the US. Coast Guard’s Legend-class national security cutter is 418 feet long and displaces 4,500 tons of water. The Chinese cutter will be over 500 feet long and displace in excess of 10,000 tons. The ship will be lightly armed, with two 76mm guns and other small arms, but these are not important to its true mission. This ship and its follow on sister ships are built for one purpose, to move other ships out of the way.

China is Cruising for a Bruising

February 22, 2016
By Jerry Hendrix

The U.S. Navy must get ready for new, huge Chinese ships that will try to ram Americans away from their new, fake islands.


U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Corey T. Jones/Released

China is attempting to create a situation wherein the United States to uphold international law will either have to accede to their territorial claims in the South China Sea or openly resort to the use of hostile force, allowing China to publicly portray the U.S. as an imperialist aggressor state. China is betting that the United States will not take this action and that power over the South China Sea and all the resources that lie beneath will pass to Beijing, breaking American influence in the region.

The United States must anticipate China’s next move, get inside its decision loop, and reveal China as the aggressive, would be hegemon that it is.

hi, insy.  if your family's surname is clause, then i'm your long-lost relative, second cousins once removed.  royalty runs in our veins!

Tyson

This Before and Afer photo of a pit bull named Tyson says so much. His head seems hung so low before being adopted in the second photo. Again, whoever said dogs can't smile is crazy.

Pepper

A Reddit user posted a before and after picture of her adopted dog Pepper. In the first photo, it's apparent the pup is not happy as it stares from behind the bars of its cage. But the smile in the After photo is so obviously differentâ€"and renewed.

Coconut

Coconut was on the verge of dying when his new owner adopted him and gave him a loving home to live in. He regained his health back within three months. Now Coconut is the picture of health and happiness.

Benji

Benji was rescued and was put into a good home where he is loved and nurtured. He also has his own Instagram account where followers his owner posts his photos on a day-to-day basis. The drastic difference just in the health of his coat says so much about his happiness.

Spokey

A Reddit user adopted this Labrador-Hound mix named Spokey and shared his picture with the caption, 'What a difference one day can make. Meet Spokey!' The new owner met Spokey at a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals center (SPCA) and said that he looked really sad and shy. However, Spokey's spirit was instantly lifted within 24 hours in his new home.

Pillow

People refused to take Pillow home for a very long time because he was suffering from a tumor in his leg. Reddit user Gniwa is the new owner of Pillow who shared his excitement for adopting the pup the moment she saw an ad for adopting him on Facebook.

weird. my imagination may go to the extreme---why isn't the world's most corrupt country the richest thus?

Aaaand it's 1994.

http://barkpost.com/

Meanwhile, in heaven...

And also this one.

Oh, come on. You knew this was coming.

'Burnt' starring Pugley Cooper: snubbed by Oscars, embraced by pug.

A whole new world...

We'll go to very distant lands...

A portrait of a man with a pug.

A subtle but powerful change.

No dog allowed in the car? No problem.

The greatest pug story ever told.

True love cannot be caged.

See? There really WERE two winners of Miss Universe. Steve Harvey wasn't wrong.

Jabba the Pug.

Noodles never said he was a rescue dog.

Getting carried away by love.

Living the pug life

This Guy And His Pug’s Couple Photoshoot Just Spawned An Epic Photoshop Battle

Katie Kirnan

Remember BarkPost’s own Jonathan Graziano and his Pug, Noodle? Of course you do. They posed for this romantic couples photoshoot in Central Park to celebrate the wonder that is love.



Just like you, the Internet has fallen in love with Jonathan and Noodle, and their bond has created an epic Photoshop battle the likes of which we’ve never seen. After all, great love inspires great art.

Quote“The stunt you may be referring to was by a small group of ex-INC members desperate for attention. And based on their message it is clear who their leader is.”

it is not for the INC authorities to give an inch to those "men in black" in their midst who are not part of them, as referred to in the statement of the spokesperson.  does this guy really believe that the reading public can be so easily swayed by his shallow damage control?

Amounts

It’s unclear what amounts of garlic are best to use in treating cancer, says the American Cancer Society, but eating garlic regularly as part of a diet that includes at least five servings of vegetables a day should help you fight cancer. The National Cancer Institute also reports that it’s difficult to know how much garlic to consume but recommends eating one to two fresh garlic cloves, 0.4 and 1.2 grams of dry garlic powder, or 2 and 5 milligrams of garlic oil every day.

Safety Considerations

You should always talk with your doctor about whether to consume large amounts of garlic, cautions the American Cancer Society, because garlic may affect the way your liver removes chemotherapy and other drugs from your body. Also, garlic has blood-thinning properties, so you shouldn’t ingest large quantities of garlic prior to surgery, the National Cancer Institute says. Finally, if your cancer treatments are causing you to feel nauseous or to vomit, you should be aware that garlic may also cause nausea or vomiting, advises the National Cancer Institute.

http://www.livestrong.com/

Killing Cancer Cells

Cell culture studies have shown that garlic can help cancer cells die off, reports the American Cancer Society. The National Cancer Institute also says that garlic can induce the deaths of cancer cells and that garlic can reduce the rate at which cancer cells proliferate, thereby slowing the progression of cancer in the body. In laboratory studies, garlic has killed leukemia cells, and in animal studies, garlic has killed cancer cells in the lungs, breasts, stomach, esophagus and colon, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Slowing Tumor Growth

Both animal studies and cell culture studies have revealed that garlic may reduce the growth rates of cancerous tumors, the American Cancer Society says. Garlic can either slow down or stop cancerous tumors in the tissue of various body parts, including the stomach, bladder, prostate and colon, reports the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Garlic as Cancer Treatment

Dec 06, 2015 | By Whitney Hopler


Garlic is a small vegetable that may help do a big job: treat cancer. Photo Credit Dariusz Majgier/Hemera/Getty Images

If you have cancer, you’ve probably heard that eating lots of vegetables can fight the disease and give your body the nutritional support it needs to withstand chemotherapy. One vegetable in particularâ€"garlicâ€"contains substances that are especially powerful weapons against cancer, says the American Institute for Cancer Research. So including garlic in your diet may help you treat cancer.

wow, lupig ang three tenors in expression, put together.

for collectors, it's time to hold on to the small denominations of the old banknotes.  except for the 500 and 1k bills (too big to keep as souvenirs), my collection is safe now.  too bad my one and only old 5-peso bill has a small tear. 

Finally, starting January 1, 2017, demonetized banknotes will no longer have monetary value. Only the new bank notes series will remain as legal tender in the country.

Then from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016, the old banknote series can no longer be used for daily transactions and can only be exchanged in authorized agent banks and the BSP Cash Department or any of its Regional Offices or Branches.

in case we forget...

According to BSP Deputy Director for Currency Issue and Integrity Office Maja Gratia Malic, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2015, the old banknote series can still be used for daily transactions.

promises, promises.  talk of ordering disorder... aren't these two such fine examples of verbal pugilists, which cause disorder?

but you are part of government. what else did you do aside from riding on the issue for publicity?

just pray for his soul and stop campaigning, mr opportunist who loves his own voice he has to say something about anything anywhere.

Panicum effusum, commonly known as hairy panic, is a grass native to the inland of Australia.[1] It occurs in every mainland state in Australia.

The leaves have tubercle-based hairs and up to 5â€"30 centimetres (2.0â€"11.8 in) long by 0.4â€"1 centimetre (0.16â€"0.39 in) wide. The seed spikes are typically 5â€"50 centimetres (2.0â€"19.7 in) long, with the spikelets 2â€"3 millimetres (0.079â€"0.118 in) long.

Under extremely dry conditions, it can grow rapidly and become a nuisance for nearby inhabitants due to how much of a mess the fast-growing grass can make. (wikipedia)

Australia: 'Hairy panic' grass takes over rural town

link: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/17/asia/australia-hairy-panic-grass/index.html

i did not take that bite!

cool. gwapo lagi siya.

https://www.yahoo.com/

and they danced the night away.

'diarrhea' ra gyod tawon ang akong nasabtan.

DE FACTO, semel aut bis in anno, fluxus ex persona plerumque patitur ut mos take 2 ad 3 diebus. Integer ut varii sunt impetro rid of ieiunium diarrhea. Sed antequam venias ad curationem, Optimum est primum cognitum tibi ut vadas, quae causae fluxus quodammodo illud a te.

'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.'

when malls give you worms, make a wormburger.

aw, she remains queenly...

imbis lingin unta, gihimo pa gyod nga eskinado. arang gyod ning mga hapon...

salud to the artist and model.

caveat emptor!

nakabawos ang iro. pusilon pa gyod? ngano man diay kun abugon na lang. viva, doggie!

Since 1935, we have had two other chances to rewrite the provisions of our citizenship articles in view of the lot of foundlings, a problem to which the framers of the Constitution were not oblivious.  But we chose to frame the provisions as they now stand.  And so before we want to do favors to those we think deserve them, let us respect the Constitution sufficiently to amend it first as our best lights see fit.  But until we take that step, the fundamental law of the land does not leave its provisions to the whim of the populaceâ€"even if this should be unctuously called “the will of the people.”  These are the technicalities that allow a State to truly claim “a government of laws and not of men.”

http://thestandard.com.ph/

My point should not be too difficult to divine. The Court dealt with Ching as the provisions of the Constitution ordainedâ€"and yet, it was known of Ching without a doubt that his mother was a Filipino, that he never renounced his citizenship, that he never lived abroad, and that he was an elected public official at some time in his life. 

True, Ms. Poe’s case is different.  Only that it is not “better” than Ching’s.  It is more troubled, for in her case, we have absolutely no knowledge of who her parents were, nor of where she was born. Presumptions are never evidence, and it is not even too sure that she is entitled to presumptions in her favor.  There would have been far more reason to allow Ching to take the oath he had labored arduously to recite, but the Court never mistook its role of interpreting the Constitution.  No prejudice was done Ching, the Court held, because he had the chance to elect â€"a chance he forfeited by letting seven years pass by!

Ching invited the Court’s attention to “special circumstances,” not unlike those Ms. Poe now cites: his continuous stay in the Philippines (something Ms. Poe cannot claim), his admission to the practice of accountancy, his status as a registered voter as well as a former elected public official.  In shoving all these considerations aside, the Supreme Court, with utmost serene rationality, ruled: “The special circumstances invoked by Ching cannot vest in him Philippine citizenship as the law specifically laws down the requirements for the acquisition of Philippine citizenship by election.”

Justice Kapunan ended his ponencia on a very instructive noteâ€"shorn of all appeal to pity: “Philippine citizenship can never be treated like a commodity that can be claimed when needed and suppressed when convenient.  One who is privileged to elect Philippine citizenship has only a inchoate right to such citizenship.  As such, he should avail of the right with fervor, enthusiasm and promptitude.  Sadly, in this case, Ching slept on his opportunity to elect Philippine citizenship and, as a result, this golden privilege slipped away from his grasp.”

The 1935 Constitution required children of Filipino mothers and foreigner fathers to elect Philippine citizenship “upon reaching the age of majority.”  While the Court was did not rule that such a person had to elect Philippine citizenship immediately upon reaching 21 â€"the age of majority at the time â€"it did rule that “the extension of the option to elect Philippine citizenship is not indefinite.”  Ching, the Court found, had elected Philippine citizenship seven years after reaching the age of maturity.  This was stretching forbearance inordinately.  The Supreme Court held that Ching had failed to elect Philippine citizenship as required by the Constitution and therefore was not qualified for membership in the Philippine Barâ€"despite four years of law school and a passing grade in the Bar!  Tough decision, it can be rightly said, but one that paid tribute to the intent, the letter and the spirit of the Constitution.

Pensées


by Fr. Ranhilio Aquino
January 22, 2016

Ching and Poe

I have no evidence that Vicente Ching and Senator Grace Poe ever met each other, but the story of one isâ€"or should beâ€" lesson for the other.

Vicente Ching was the legitimate son of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, born in 1964, and therefore under the citizenship provisions of the 1935 Constitution.  He was born in the Philippines, resided here, studied law, and in 1998, sat for the Bar Examination.  He passed the Bar, but then because his status as a citizen remained unresolved, he was not allowed to take the lawyer’s oath, nor to inscribe his name in the Roll of Attorneys.  On October 1, 1999, the Supreme Court finally passed upon the issue of his nationality in the case formally docketed as “In re: Application for Admission to the Philippine Bar of Vicente D. Ching, Bar Matter 914.”