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Europe, the International System and a Generational Shift
By George Friedman | November 8, 2011

Change in the international system comes in large and small doses, but fundamental patterns generally stay consistent. From 1500 to 1991, for example, European global hegemony constituted the world’s operating principle. Within this overarching framework, however, the international system regularly reshuffles the deck in demoting and promoting powers, fragmenting some and empowering others, and so on. Sometimes this happens because of war, and sometimes because of economic and political forces. While the basic structure of the world stays intact, the precise way it works changes.

The fundamental patterns of European domination held for 500 years. That epoch of history ended in 1991, when the Soviet Union â€" the last of the great European empires â€" collapsed with global consequences. In China, Tiananmen Square defined China for a generation. China would continue its process of economic development, but the Chinese Communist Party would remain the dominant force. Japan experienced an economic crisis that ended its period of rapid growth and made the world’s second-largest economy far less dynamic than before. And in 1993, the Maastricht Treaty came into force, creating the contemporary European Union and holding open the possibility of a so-called United States of Europe that could counterbalance the United States of America.

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by Stratfor

While there has been a reshuffling of alliances among Mexican drug cartels since our July cartel update, the trend discussed in the first two updates of the year continues. That is the polarization of cartels and associated sub-groups toward the two largest drug-trafficking organizations, the Sinaloa Federation and Los Zetas. Meanwhile, the three primary conflicts in Mexico’s drug war remain cartel vs. cartel, cartel vs. government and cartel vs. civilians. Operations launched by the military during the second quarter of 2011, primarily against Los Zetas and the Knights Templar, continued through the third quarter as well, and increasing violence in Guerrero, Durango, Veracruz, Coahuila and Jalisco states has resulted in the deployment of more federal troops in those areas.

The northern tier of states has seen a lull in violence, from Tijuana in Baja California state to Juarez in Chihuahua state. Violence in that stretch of northern Mexico subsided enough during the third quarter to allow the military to redeploy forces to other trouble spots. In Tamaulipas state, the military remains in charge of law enforcement in most of the cities, and the replacement of entire police departments that occurred in the state during the second quarter was recently duplicated in Veracruz following an outbreak of violence there (large numbers of law enforcement personnel were found to be in collusion with Los Zetas and were subsequently dismissed).

The battles between the Gulf cartel and Los Zetas for control over northeastern Mexico continue, though a developing rift within Gulf leadership may complicate the cartel’s operations in the near term. While Gulf remains a single entity, we anticipate that, absent a major reconciliation between the Metros and Rojos factions, the cartel may split violently in the next three to eight months. If that happens, alliances in the region will likely get much murkier than they already are.

In central and southern Mexico, fighting for control of the major plazas at Guadalajara, Acapulco, Chilpancingo and Oaxaca continues to involve the major players â€" Sinaloa, Los Zetas and the Knights Templar â€" along with several smaller organizations. This is particularly the case at the Jalisco and Guerrero state plazas, where there are as many as seven distinct organizations battling for control, a situation that will not likely reach any level of stasis or clarity over the next three to six months.

Though our last update suggested the potential for major hurricanes to complicate the drug war in Mexico, the region has avoided the worst of the weather so far. Though the hurricane season lasts until the end of November, the most productive period for major storms tends to be September and early October, so the likelihood of any hurricanes hitting Mexico’s midsection is fairly remote at this point.

Looking ahead toward the end of 2011, STRATFOR expects high levels of cartel violence in the northeastern and southern bicoastal areas of Mexico to continue. The military has deployed more troops in Guadalajara for the Pan-American Games, which run Oct. 14-30, as well as in Veracruz and Coahuila, and any flare-up of violence in those areas will likely be influenced by the military’s presence.

By Scott Stewart | October 27, 2011

Early Oct. 20, a small sedan apparently filled with cartel gunmen rapidly pulled in front of a military vehicle, drawing the military patrol into a car chase in downtown Monterrey, Mexico. After a brief pursuit, the vehicle carrying the cartel gunmen turned at an intersection. As the military vehicle slowed to negotiate the turn, an improvised explosive device (IED) concealed in a parked car at the intersection detonated. The incident appears to have been intended to lure the military patrol into a designated attack zone. While the ambush did not kill any soldiers, it did cause them to break off their chase.

Though this IED ambush is interesting in itself for a number of reasons, we would like to use it as a lens to explore a deeper topic, namely, how STRATFOR analyses a tactical incident like this.

By George Friedman | October 25, 2011

In a week when the European crisis continued building, the White House chose publicly to focus on announcements about the end of wars. The death of Moammar Gadhafi was said to mark the end of the war in Libya, and excitement about a new democratic Libya abounded. In Iraq, the White House transformed the refusal of the Iraqi government to permit U.S. troops to remain into a decision by Washington instead of an Iraqi rebuff.

Though in both cases, there was an identical sense of “mission accomplished,” the matter was not nearly as clear-cut. The withdrawal from Iraq creates enormous strategic complexities rather than closure. While the complexities in Libya are real, but hardly strategic, the two events share certain characteristics and are instructive.

by PNA

Google is mulling a plan to offer paid cable-TV services to consumers, a move that could flare up a new wave of competition in the traditional TV business, U.S. media reported on Friday.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Internet search giant has considered adding video and phone services to a previously announced high-speed Internet service in two U.S. cities.

People briefed on the plan told the newspaper that Google has discussed distributing major TV channels from companies like Walt Disney, Time Warner and Discovery Communications as part of the video service. The discussions were still exploratory and no final decisions have been made, said the report.

Google said it does not comment on rumor or speculation.

Whether it is a speculation or not, the reported plan reflects possible innovation and revolution for the traditional TV experience with the growth of high-speed Internet, which may become another lucrative battlefield all the technology giants will fight for.

With the growth of home and mobile broadband services, more and more video contents become available for rental, purchase and streaming on desktop computers, tablet computers and smartphones.

Competitions on the video streaming market have been increasingly fierce this year, among such services as Apple's iTunes, Amazon's Prime Video, NetFlix, Hulu Plus and Vudu, which is owned by Wal-Mart.

Cable companies, facing a grim picture of being kicked out in the decades to come, also fought back with their own mobile apps and online streaming services.

A new Steve Jobs biography revealed that the late Apple co- founder had been working on an Apple television.

"It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud. It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it," Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson in the book.

Some analysts said the introduction of an Apple smart TV could bring a 100-billion-U.S.-dollar revenue opportunity for the Cupertino, California-based company.

Last Friday, Google-owned YouTube announced a plan to launch 100 channels on its site with original professionally produced content. A new version of Google TV was also launched with new search tools that expand results from shows on cable to web-based services like NetFlix and Amazon.

by PNA

On November 3, 1986, President Corazon C. Aquino ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to go on full alert after the discovery of the “God Save the Queen” plot which aimed to overthrow the first Aquino presidency.

She sounded the alarm three weeks before she went to Japan for a state visit.

The “politically”-motivated move was one of seven coup attempts which were quashed by the authorities before they could be operationalized.

Also, on this same day in 1934, Bannawag, a weekly leading Ilokano Magazine which is considered as one foundation of the existence of contemporary Ilokano literature, was founded.

Bannawag, an Iloko word meaning "dawn," contains serialized novels/comics, short stories, poetry, essays, news features, and entertainment news, among others.

Every Ilokano writer has proved his mettle by publishing in Bannawag -- either his or her first Iloko short story, poetry, or essay, and thereafter his/her succeeding works in its pages.

Bannawag's first issue had a production run of 10,000 copies with a selling price of 10 centavos per copy.

Magdaleno A. Abaya of Candon, Ilocos Sur, a member then of the editorial staff of Graphic Magazine, brought the idea of the magazine to Don Ramos Roces, the owner-publisher of Graphic Magazine. He also owned other vernacular magazines which included Liwayway, Bisaya, and Hiligaynon.

Later on, Don Ramos gave his consent -- with condition that the first issues were only for a try-out, that after one or two months without improvement in the sales, it would be stopped.

He allowed the continued publication of the magazine after it hit an instant success beyond his belief.

Through the years, Bannawag underwent significant metamorphosis from its content, color, quality of paper used, page layout, and other aspects to keep up with the needs of the times.

These changes made the magazine more prestigious in its tasks in bringing entertainment, information, and inspiration to millions of readers in the language spoken by hardly Ilocanos and in depicting the different aspects of the Ilocano character.

Notably, Bannawag was recently picked by the Department of Education as one of the important references of the educational system in Ilocano-speaking areas in the country.

At present, the magazine, which is instrumental in the establishment of GUMIL Filipinas, the umbrella organization of Ilokano writers in the Philippines and in other countries, celebrates its Diamond anniversary.

Also on this same day in 1936, the creation of the National Power Corporation (Napocor) under Commonwealth Act No. 120 was approved by President Manuel L. Quezon.

At present, the Napocor is a state-owned company that serves as the largest provider and generator of electricity in the Philippines. It is also the principal power provider for Manila Electric, the only power distributor in the Metro Manila area. (PNA)
DCT/SDT/mec

Is Barack Obama a One-term US President?

by PNA

The death toll in the road accident in Butuan City on the eve of All Saints' Day rose to four after one of the two critically injured victims, 52-year-old Teresita Lariba, died at the Butuan Doctors' Hospital Monday night.

Hospital officials said the woman's son, 18-year-old Jimjim Lariba, is now out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and recuperating at a private room in BDH.

First reports said three people died after a Nissan Frontier Navarra pick-up bearing plate No. ZTX 677 rammed into a house situated near the national highway in Purok 4, Barangay Sto. Niňo, Butuan City Monday afternoon.

The incident killed the owner of the house and two of his friends.

The Caraga Police Regional Information Office identified the fatalities as Maximo Legitimas Lariba, 60, owner of the house, and his friends, Samuel Duazo Robillos, 53, a resident of Barangay Mabini, Cabadbaran City, and Antonio Buyan, 73, of Barangay La Union, also in Cabadbaran City. They were declared dead on arrival at Butuan Doctors' Hospital.

The two other occupants of the house, Teresita Lariba, 52, and Jimjim Lariba, 18, single, were brought in critical condition to the same hospital.

As this developed, Senior Insp. Romeo Cajutol, Butuan City Police Station 4 chief, said the driver of the ill-fated vehicle, Manuel S. Cayetano, and the owner, Francisco Nonato Sadalam, both of Midsayap, Cotabato, are still in police custody

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by PNA

On October 31, 1988, Gregorio F. Zaide, internationally known Filipino historian who authored some 67 books which were later adopted as textbooks for high schools and colleges, died at the age of 81.

Zaide, popularly referred to as "Goyo" by his town mates in Pagsanjan, Laguna, was one of the most traveled Filipino historians. He also authored more than 500 articles in history published in both national and international newspapers and academic journals.

Among his contributions to Philippine history are the books A Documentary History of the Katipunan, History of the Katipunan, Philippine Political and Cultural History, Great Events in Philippine History, History of the Filipino People, Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings, The Philippine Revolution, Riquezas Filipinas en los Archivos de Mexico, Great Filipinos in History, and The Pageant of Philippine History.

Zaide graduated valedictorian of his class in Laguna High School. He took up his Master in Arts class in 1931 at the University of the Philippines and his A.B. and Ph.D. degrees in 1934 at the University of Santo Tomas.

Notably, Dr. Zaide was the first Filipino exchange professor to the University of Hawaii (1937-1938), the first Asian to win the United Nations Study Award (1957), and the first Filipino to become a member of Argentina's Instituto Historico de la Independencia Americana and Mexico's Instituto Panamericano de Geografia e Historia.

He was the President of the Philippine Historical Association for three terms.

For his extensive researches in foreign archives and numerous books on history (including officially adopted history textbooks), he was given the prestigious Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1968 by the Philippine Republic.

He served as Mayor of his hometown of Pagsanjan (1971-1975). He retired on May 25, 1964, and became the first Professor Emeritus of History at the Far Eastern University.

Zaide's daughter, Sonia Magbanua Zaide, who holds advanced degrees from London School of Economics (LSE), an accomplished historian and writer herself, periodically update Zaide's published works.

Don't Steal A Child's Happiness

by PNA

President Benigno S. Aquino III led the awarding ceremonies for this year’s search for the Child Friendly Municipalities and Cities at Rizal Hall of Malacañang Palace Thursday.

The Presidential Award for the Child Friendly Municipalities and Cities was initiated by the Council for the Welfare of Children and is considered as a self-assessment mechanism of the level of child-friendliness of a particular city or municipality.

The award also recognizes local government units that put in place a “child-friendly” environment and uphold the rights of Filipino children to survival, development, protection and participation.

There are five categories for the Presidential Award, namely â€" 4th to 6th Class Municipality, 1st to 3rd Class Municipality, Component City, Independent Component City and Highly Urbanized City.

The five winners who will each receive a Presidential Trophy and P300,000 cash prize are: the Municipality of Villaverde, Nueva Vizcaya; Mariveles, Bataan; Vigan City, Ilocos Sur; Santiago City, Isabela; and Mandaluyong City, respectively.

In his speech, President Aquino cited the five winners for putting the children’s welfare as a top priority of its governance that he said was in line with the national government’s efforts to protect and uplift the lives of our children.

He said the government’s poverty alleviation programs, namely: the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the national health program Philhealth had steadily been receiving funding to cover more beneficiaries.

He said that as of end of September, some 2.23 million Filipino families are now benefiting from the 4Ps while 5.2 million families now have healthcare.

The President also said that the government had made education a top priority as P1-billion has been raised through the Counter-Parting for Classroom Construction Program to construct 1,300 classrooms nationwide.

by PNA

With the world population projected to reach seven billion in five days, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in a new report on Wednesday that the milestone is a global call to action towards a future to a path to development that is environmentally sustainable and one where opportunities exist for both men and women.

"With these diverse challenges and trends in mind, we must ask ourselves which actions we can take today that will chart a path toward environmentally sustainable development in the future," Richard Kollodge, author of "The State of the World Population 2011" report, at a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York.

The report, also being launched in more than 100 other cities worldwide, looks at population trends ranging from aging to rapidly rising numbers of young people, high population growth rates to shrinking populations, among many.

There are 1.8 billion young people around the world -- the largest youth cohort in history and nearly 900 million people are above the age of 60 with the number expected to grow, Kollodge said.

"First we need to educate and empower girls and women to fully participate in society and to be able to make informed reproductive decisions, and whatever we do, men and boys must be part of the solution," Kollodge said. "A future that is sustainable is one that will be built on equal rights and opportunities."

Kollodge also said investment in health and education of youth of the world, which will yield "enormous returns and economic growth and development for generations to come."

"But much more is needed," he warned. "Consider that, there are still 215 million women of child bearing age in developing countries who would use family planning if only they had access to it."

The report said charting a path now to development that promotes quality, rather than exacerbates or reinforces inequality is more critical than ever.

"With planning and the right investments in people now --to empower them to make choices that are not only good for themselves, but also for our global commons-- our world of 7 billion can have thriving sustainable cities, productive labor forces that fuel economies, and youth populations that contribute to the well-being of their societies," said UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin in the forward of the report.

bane   

bane [bayn]
(plural banes)
noun
1.  something that causes misery: something that continually causes problems or misery
It's the bane of my life.

2.  something that causes ruin: something that causes death, destruction, or ruin (literary or archaic)
3.  deadly poison: a fatal poison (often used in combination in the names of poisonous plants)

[ Old English bana < Germanic]

the bane of somebody's existence or life somebody or something that is a constant source of trouble or annoyance

iconic   

i·con·ic [ī kónnik]
adjective
1.  characterized by fame: relating to or characteristic of somebody or something admired as an icon
Their fame has grown to iconic proportions.

2.  typical of religious icon: relating to or characteristic of a religious icon
iconic images

3.  conventional: made in a conventional style or pose, especially that of ancient Greek statues of athletes

-i·con·i·cal·ly, adverb 

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

firestorm   

fire·storm [fr stàwrm]
(plural fire·storms)
noun

1.  large uncontrollable blaze: a large extremely intense fire sustained by strong inwardly rushing winds that feed a rising column of hot air
2.  U.S. intense disturbance: a strong, sometimes violent, upheaval or outburst
a firestorm of protest

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

innocuous   

in·noc·u·ous [i nókyoo əss]
adjective
1.  unlikely to offend: not intended to cause offense or provoke a strong reaction and unlikely to do so
an innocuous comment

2.  harmless: harmless in effect
an innocuous white powder

[Late 16th century. < Latin innocuus < nocuus "hurtful" < nocere "to harm"]

-in·noc·u·ous·ly, adverb
-in·noc·u·ous·ness, noun 

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Kung Naguol Ka nga Dili Nike Imong Shoes. think again.

by PNA

Simon de Anda, a Spanish governor general who sent a letter to the King of Spain complaining about the irregularities committed by the friars in the Philippines, was born on October 28, 1701.

De Anda, who ruled the Philippines from October 6, 1762 to March 17, 1764, and again from July 1770 to October 30, 1776, was also the Spanish governor during the British occupation.

He engaged in negotiations with the British (1763 to 1764) and received the governor's position of the city from them in April 1764 when they withdrew in accordance with the Treaty of Paris of 1763.

During his second term as governor general of the Philippines from July 1770 to October 30, 1776, De Anda continued reforming the army and engaging in public works, although confronted with problems with the Moros who never stopped from causing troubles during his governorship.

He also opposed the king's order of November 9, 1774 to secularize the curacies held by regulars, and had the order repealed on December 11, 1776.

De Anda died on October 30, 1776, in Cavite at the age of 76 years. A monument to his legacy was erected on Bonifacio Drive in Port Area, Manila.

The towns of San Simon in Pampanga and Anda in Bohol were named after him.

Also on this same day in 1931, Act No. 3827 was approved by the Philippine Legislature, declaring the last Sunday of August of every year as an official holiday known as National Heroes' Day.

continuation
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by PNA

Smart Communications, Inc. said it has accelerated the deployment of high speed mobile broadband base stations nationwide in a bid to provide faster and reliable services.

"We have stepped up our network transformation program. Last month, we had about 500 HSPA+ base stations. It has taken us just a month to more than double that count," Orlando B. Vea, Smart chief wireless advisor said.

At present, Smart has more than 1,200 High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+), a next-generation network technology that can deliver aggregate speeds of up to 42Mbps.

Vea said a total of 120 cities and municipalities nationwide now have HSPA+ coverage, including 50 cities and municipalities in Metro Manila, Rizal, and Bulacan as of mid-October this year.

Key locations in Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos City, and Zamboanga City now also have HSPA+ coverage.

"Our subscribers are already reaping the benefits of the country's most extensive and robust mobile broadband network in the country.

They are enjoying a markedly better mobile Internet experience on the various devices such as the Smart Bro Rocket and the Netphone that we have introduced in the past few months," Vea said.

To fast track the deployment of HSPA+ base stations, Smart has tapped the services of three major international network suppliers.

Nokia Siemens Networks, Ericson, and Huawei are simultaneously building and upgrading base station facilities in various locations across the country.

The coordinated effort allows Smart to introduce newer and faster mobile broadband services to the market more quickly compared to the competition.

"We're doing this so that we could put the enormous power of next-generation Internet connectivity in the hands of every Filipino. Expect improved service and even better products in the coming months," Vea said.

Smart's massive investment in network modernization has already raised network performance, resulting in a significantly improved customer experience.

In a nationwide speed test conducted by an independent engineering firm, it was found that Smart Bro Plug-Its beat the competition by as much as 2.29Mbps. The tests also showed that in the 100 test sites, Smart Bro is faster than its competitors by an average of 0.74Mbps.

The base station upgrades are only one part of the P67-billion system-wide network transformation program being undertaken by Smart and parent company Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).

The program also involves the upgrading and optimization of network elements such mobile switches, fiber optic backbone networks, and international cable networks, among others.

Smart has also introduced advanced HSPA+ devices that enable subscribers to take full advantage of the capabilities of its HSPA+network.

It launched the Smart Bro Rocket Plug-It , a USB broadband stick with speeds of up to 12Mbps, early this year, and more recently, the Smart Bro Rocket WiFi Plus pocket router with speeds of up to 20Mbps.

by PNA

On October 23, 1857, Juan Luna, one of the first internationally-recognized Filipino painters, was born from well-off parents in Badoc, Ilocos Norte.

Don Lorenzo Guerrero, the first painting tutor of Juan Luna, easily recognized the young man's natural talent and persuaded his parents to send him to Spain for advanced painting lessons.

Luna left for Barcelona in 1877, together with his elder brother Manuel, who was a violinist. While there, Luna widened his knowledge of the art and he was exposed to the immortal works of the Renaissance masters. One of his private teachers, Alejo Vera, a famous contemporary painter in Spain, took Luna to Rome to undertake certain commissions.

His artistic talents was established in 1878 with the opening of the first art exposition in Madrid, which was called the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Demonstration of Beautiful Arts).

From then on, Luna became engrossed in painting and produced a collection of paintings that he exhibited in the 1881 Exposition.

The famous masterpieces of Luna include:

* "Spoliarium," a painting he entered in the Exposicion General de Bellas Artes in 1884 in Madrid, where it won a gold medal. It currently hangs in the main gallery at the ground floor of the National Museum of the Philippines.

* "The Battle of Lepanto" commissioned by the Spanish Senate after he developed a friendship with the King of Spain.

* "The Blood Compact," which depicted the blood compact ceremony between the native chieftain Datu Sikatuna and the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, now displayed in Malacanang.

* "Don Miguel de Legazpi," which was burned during the war.

* "Governor Ramon Blanco."

In 1891, Luna returned to Manila. He went on a trip to Japan in 1896, returning in time for the outbreak of the revolution against Spain. Unfortunately, on Sept. 16, 1896, he and his brother Antonio Luna were arrested by the Spanish authorities and accused of organizing a revolution together with the Katipunan Secret Society.

While in prison, Luna was still able to produce a work of art, "Exce Homo."

When he was pardoned by the Spanish monarchy on May 27, 1897 and released from prison, he immediately went to Europe.

Luna also took part in the revolutionary government by accepting appointment by the executive board of the Philippine revolutionary government as member of the Paris delegation working for the diplomatic recognition of the Philippine Republic.

He was also member of the delegation to Washington pressing for the recognition of the Philippine government following the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

His sentiments for the Philippines and the Filipinos made him decide to travel back to the Philippines in December 1899. However, he suffered a severe heart attack and died on December 7, 1899.

fatuity   

fa·tu·i·ty [fÉ™ tï " É™tee]
(plural fa·tu·i·ties)
noun (formal)
1.  self-satisfied unintelligence: a lack of intelligence or thought combined with complacency
2.  unintelligent action: an action or remark that shows a lack of intelligence or thought combined with complacency

-fa·tu·i·tous, adjective 

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

smug   

smug [smug]
(comparative smug·ger, superlative smug·gest)
adjective
self-satisfied: conceited and self-satisfied

[Mid-16th century. Origin ?]

-smug·ly, adverb
-smug·ness, noun 

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

insolent   

in·so·lent [ínssələnt]
adjective
disrespectful: showing an aggressive lack of respect in speech or behavior

[14th century. < Latin insolent- "unusual, arrogant" < solere "be accustomed"]

-in·so·lence, noun
-in·so·lent·ly, adverb 

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

vacuous   

vac·u·ous [vákyoo əss]
adjective
1.  inane: lacking ideas or intelligence, or showing such a lack
a vacuous remark

2.  idle: lacking attention, concentration, or serious thought
a vacuous stare

3.  lacking content: having no content or substance (archaic)

[Mid-17th century. < Latin vacuus "empty"]

-vac·u·ous·ly, adverb
-vac·u·ous·ness, noun 

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

aristocratic   

a·ris·to·crat·ic [ə rìstə kráttik]
adjective
1.  characteristic of established wealth or nobility: characteristic of noble or wealthy families, e.g. in having a grand lifestyle or elegant manners
2.  of class of nobles: relating or belonging to the highest social class, especially the nobility

-a·ris·to·crat·i·cal·ly, adverb 

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

by DJ Yap

Long considered a bastion of machismo, the Philippine National Police  celebrates its 110th year on Monday by honoring a mother with more fire and heart than many of her testosterone-filled colleagues.

Senior Inspector Charity Galvez, chief of police of Trento town in Agusan Del Sur and a former schoolteacher, leads the honorees at the police service’s anniversary in the PNP headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City, officials said.

President Benigno Aquino will bestow on Galvez the PNP Medalya ng Katapangan (Bravery Medal) for her “conspicuous courage and gallantry in action” when she led a handful of her men in pushing back some 250 communist New People’s Army insurgents last July.

After making sure her baby and its nanny were safe, the 39-year-old policewoman and 30 of her men fought back and repelled the NPA dissidents, who went on a shooting and looting rampage.

When the hour-long  battle was over, two civilians lay dead and three others, including two lawmen, were wounded, officials said.

A resident of San Francisco town, also in Agusan del Sur, Galvez became Trento’s top cop after just over a year. She became a junior police officer through the PNP’s lateral entry program in 2008.

“I joined the force in the early 2000s after seven years of teaching at the Father Saturnino Urios University in Butuan. I also studied criminology while making my way in the service and passed the licensure examination and became a criminologist,” she said in an earlier Inquirer interview.

Galvez has one child with her husband, an employee of a water utility company in San Francisco.

Her achievement gives a new female face to the PNP, a traditionally male-dominated institution.

Only one in every 750 police is a woman out of the 140,000-strong police force, PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said.

By Stratfor

Europe faces a banking crisis it has not wanted to admit even exists.

The formal authority on financial stability, International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde, made her institution’s opinion on European banking known back in August when she prompted the European Union to engage in an immediate 200 billion-euro bank recapitalization effort. The response was broad-based derision from Europeans at the local, national and EU bureaucratic levels. The vehemence directed at Lagarde was particularly notable as Lagarde is certainly in a position to know what she was talking about: Until July 5, her title was not IMF chief, but French finance minister. She has seen the books, and the books are bad. Due to European inacfortion, the IMF on Oct. 18 raised its estimate for recapitalization needs from 200 billion euros to 300 billion euros ($274 billion to $410 billion).

wala nay challenge ang moon Kiamz. it's too near for NASA.

The U.S. dollar traded at the upper 76 yen level early Friday morning in Tokyo, slightly changed from its level in New York late Thursday.

At 9 a.m., the dollar was quoted at 76.86-89 yen versus 76.76-86 yen in New York and 76.68-69 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Thursday.

The euro fetched 106.03-05 yen and 1.3793-3794 dollar against 105.76-86 yen and 1.3775-3785 dollar in New York and 105.14-18 yen and 1.3712-3713 dollar in Tokyo late Thursday afternoon. - pna

The Chinese currency Renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 24 basis points to 6.3628 against the U.S. dollar on Friday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trading system.

In China's foreign exchange spot market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 0.5 percent from the central parity rate each trading day.

The central parity rate of the yuan against the U.S. dollar is based on a weighted average of prices before the opening of the market each business day. - PNA

By Stratfor Intelligence Network

Rebel fighters killed former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Oct. 20 outside the town of Sirte. His body was then brought back to Misurata, where it was filmed being dragged through the streets. Several close aides, including family members, have been reported killed or captured as well.

Gadhafi’s death is symbolically important for the rebels, but the fall of Sirte is even more significant for the effect it will have on the future stability of Libya. With the final holdout of the pro-Gadhafi resistance overtaken, the National Transitional Council (NTC) can now move to form a transitional government. But multiple armed groups across the country will demand a significant stake in that government, which will have serious implications for the future unity of the people who heretofore were referred as the Libyan opposition.

Though the Benghazi-based NTC has been widely recognized in the international community as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people, this has long since ceased to be the case in the eyes of many Libyans. The NTC is one of several political forces in the country. Since the rebel forces entered Tripoli on Aug. 21, there has been a steady increase of armed groups hailing from places such as Misurata, Zentan, Tripoli and even eastern Libya itself that have questioned the authority of leading NTC members.

These groups have been occupying different parts of the capital for two months now, despite calls by the NTC (and some of the groups themselves) to vacate. They also have been participating in the sieges of cities in which pro-Gadhafi remnants continued to hold out after the fall of Tripoli. Throughout this period, the NTC has repeatedly delayed the formation of a transitional government, in recent weeks citing the ongoing fight against Gadhafi as the reason. NTC leaders said that once the war was finally over, the official “liberation” of Libya would be declared and a transitional government would be formed. The fall of Sirte means this moment is at hand.

With so many armed groups operating in Tripoli and elsewhere in Libya, a peaceful resolution to the question of who should take power is unlikely. The main groupings come from Benghazi, Misurata, Zentan and Tripoli, but there are other, smaller militias as well that will want to ensure they are represented in the new Libya. The divide is not simply geographic but also exists between Islamists and secularists as well as between Berbers and Arabs.

The shape of the new Libya is highly uncertain, but what is clear is that the NTC is not going to simply take control where Gadhafi left off. Certain members of its leadership may play a key role in any transitional government, but not without serious compromises or, even more likely, violence occurring in the process. Pro-Gadhafi tribal elements in the last region to fall to rebel fighters also will be a potential source of violence in the coming months, as they will fight to make sure they are not left out of the future power structure.

impervious   

im·per·vi·ous [im púrvee əss]
adjective
1.  not responsive: remaining unmoved and unaffected by other people's opinions, arguments, or suggestions
e.g. He was impervious to the growing resentment among the staff.

2.  not letting something through: not allowing passage into or through something
impervious to damp

[Mid-17th century. < Latin impervius < pervius (see pervious)]

-im·per·vi·ous·ly, adverb
-im·per·vi·ous·ness, noun 

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

It should be 1941. I will correct the date.

by PNA

On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur at the head of the largest US fleet of transport and warships, and accompanied by Commonwealth President Sergio Osmeña and Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, landed on Palo, Leyte to reclaim the Philippines from the Japanese.

Gen. MacArthur made true his famous vow "I shall return" following his escape from Corregidor on March 11, 1942 for Australia, together with his wife and four-year-old son, and others on orders of President Franklin D. Roosevelt being overrun by Japanese Forces.

For three years of Japanese occupation (1942 to 1945) of the Philippines, at his headquarters in Australia, Gen. MacArthur received reports on the enemy movements, losses, strengths and disposition of troops.

Likewise, he knew exactly where to land and what to expect from the enemy, thus the date of the invasion of Leyte was approved by President Roosevelt, of which the Battle of Leyte Gulf was considered as the greatest naval battle in history.

Other landings were made in Mindoro, Batangas and Lingayen in subsequent months.

On February 23, 1945, the bloody Battle of Manila ended and pursuit of enemy followed with a series of amphibious landing and air attacks were made in various parts of the Philippines still in Japanese hands.

After four days, MacArthur, who had taken over the government as Military Administrator, turned over the reins of the civil government to President Sergio Osmeña.

On July 4, 1945, he proclaimed the liberation of the entire Philippines from Japanese invasion.

Accordingly, MacArthur proposed that war brought right at the Japan's door -- bombing occurred day and night at mainland of Japan, important Japanese ports and cities like Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Kure as well as the deadly atomic bomb unleashed in Hiroshima, killing thousands of inhabitants.

On September 2, 1945, Japan unconditionally signed the terms of surrender on board the battleship Missouri at Tokyo Bay.

Hence, MacArthur, one of the best-known American military leaders of World War II led occupation forces in the reconstruction of Japan.

foolhardy   

fool·har·dy [fï "l hrdee]
adjective
bold but reckless: showing boldness or courage but not wisdom or good sense

-fool·har·di·ly, adverb
-fool·har·di·ness, noun 
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

fickle   

fick·le [fík'l]
(comparative fick·ler, superlative fick·lest)
adjective
changeable: likely to change, especially in affections, intentions, loyalties, or preferences

[ Old English ficol "deceitful" < Indo-European, "hostile"]

-fick·le·ness, noun 
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

bicker   

bick·er [bíkər]
(past and past participle bick·ered, present participle bick·er·ing, 3rd person present singular bick·ers)
intransitive verb
argue: to argue in a bad-tempered way about something unimportant

[13th century. < Middle Dutch bicken "stab, attack" + English -er "repeatedly"]
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Where the Wild Roses Grow

Nagdumili
sinulat ni Michael Ortega Ligalig

adunay mga gabii,
pagduaw sa kamingaw,
nga nagdumili ka
pagtagik sa balak
nga nagdungaw
sa imong handurawan,
buot mo kalimtan
ang kasakit sa dughan
tungod sa iyang
paglimod sa kamatuoran,
nasayod ka nga ang balak
makapatang-on sa samad
sa pagbudhi, ang balak
imong dalangpanan gikan
sa kangiob sa takna
kansang huna-huna
nagduhiraw, nagpangapkap
sa tubag sa mga pangutana,

giduaw ka sa alimyon
sa balak, gipukaw ang
imong pag-inusara apan
nagdumili ka sa pag-abli
sa bintana sa imong
alimpatakan, mas palabihon
mo nga malimot nga adunay
balak nga nagpaabot
mahimugso sa papel
kay sa pag-utingkay
sa gihayang pagbati.

Wounded Filipino Soldier

by PNA

Jorge Bocobo, who translated Dr. Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo into English, was born on October 19, 1886 in Gerona, Tarlac.

Bocobo, who got an almost perfect score in Civil Law examination in the country, also translated the Code of Kalantiaw, Lupang Hinirang and Andres Bonifacio's Decalogue.

He was one of the 100 Filipino students or so-called "pensionados" who were sent to the United States to study for four years in American School on October 10, 1903.

He helped President Manuel L. Quezon in drafting speeches and statements in connection with the campaign for Philippine independence as a member of four independence commissions to the United States in 1919, 1922, 1923, and 1924.

Bocobo also translated into English Rizal's preface to Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt's book, Filipinas. His legal publications included outlines of the laws on property, obligations, and court decisions from 1924 to 1944.

Notably, Bocobo, who became fifth president of the University of the Philippines from 1934 to 1939, was influential in the development of education in the Philippines.

While in his years of teaching and as acting dean of the U.P. College of Law from 1914 to 1917, he greatly contributed to making U.P. the most outstanding law school in the country and one with the best legal library.

He held several other positions, including justice of the Supreme Court from 1942 to 1944 and chairman of the Code Commission.

He was the principal author of the Civil Code of the Philippines, for which he was given a Presidential Award of Merit by President Elpidio Quirino in 1949.

Bocobo was imprisoned but later cleared of the charges of treason by the Americans on May 17, 1954, because he held office with the government installed by the Japanese during their occupation of the country.

He died on July 23, 1965. (PNA)

Christians Burnt Live by Muslims in Nigeria

by AFP

A nine-year-old girl asked police why they pulled her over when she was “driving good” after her drunken father got her to drive his van in the middle of the night, US media reported Tuesday.

The girl was sitting on a booster seat in the big red van, but somehow managed to reach the pedals and was even careful to use her turn signal.

“I parked!” she can be heard telling the clerk on a gas station’s surveillance video.

Her father, Shawn Weimer, 39, of Brownstown Township, Michigan, bragged openly about his “designated driver” before dancing his way back to the van his daughter parked at a pump just before 3:00 am on October 8.

“Nine years old. Nine! Gas, brake, listen, we’re leaving, and she’s driving. I’m drunk,” the man told the clerk, slurring his words and stumbling around in front of the counter.

A good Samaritan, who was disturbed by how the man was treating what he called his “little angel” called police and followed the van in his car to make sure police could pull them over as soon as possible, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The girl, who could be seen munching on a candy apple in the shop, had apparently driven before, police said.

“She was doing fine,” Brownstown Township Police Detective Lt. Robert Grant told the Free Press.

“And, in fact, as heinous as this is, the little girl looks at the police officer and says, ‘What did you stop me for? I was driving good.’ Incredible. Obviously, the officer told her she was too young to drive.”

The girl’s parents are separated and she was spending the weekend with her father. He told police he was just taking her for a driving lesson and refused a breathalyzer test. She told police he’d been drinking whiskey all night.

The father faces charges of felony child abuse and being a habitual offender.

Manny Pacquiao Knockout Highlights(1995-2000)
Fighting Style of a Young Manny Pacquiao

Pacquiao Vs. Marquez III 24/7 HBO Promo
Manny Pacquiao vs Marquez HBO 24 7

By George Friedman | October 18, 2011
Stratfor

The territory between the Mediterranean and the Hindu Kush has been the main arena for the U.S. intervention that followed the 9/11 attacks. Obviously, the United States had been engaged in this area in previous years, but 9/11 redefined it as the prime region in which it confronted jihadists. That struggle has had many phases, and it appears to have entered a new one over the past few weeks.

Some parts of this shift were expected. STRATFOR had anticipated tensions between Iran and its neighboring countries to rise as the U.S. withdrew from Iraq and Iran became more assertive. And we expected U.S.-Pakistani relations to reach a crisis before viable negotiations with the Afghan Taliban were made possible.

However, other events frankly surprised us. We had expected Hamas to respond to events in Egypt and to the Palestine National Authority’s search for legitimacy through pursuit of U.N. recognition by trying to create a massive crisis with Israel, reasoning that the creation of such a crisis would strengthen anti-government forces in Egypt, increasing the chances for creating a new regime that would end the blockade of Gaza and suspend the peace treaty with Israel. We also thought that intense rocket fire into Israel would force Fatah to support an intifada or be marginalized by Hamas. Here we were clearly wrong; Hamas moved instead to reach a deal for the exchange of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, which has reduced Israeli-Hamas tensions.

by PNA

Carlos V. Ronquillo, a revolutionary chronicler and Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s secretary, died on October 18, 1941.

Raised and grew in the hometown of his father in Kawit, Cavite, Ronquillo became General Emilio Aguinaldo's secretary and later crusading journalist after the outbreak of the revolution in 1896.

And, when Aguinaldo signed a truce of Biyak-na-Bato on December 15, 1897 and voluntarily went into exile in Hongkong on December 27 of the same year, Ronquillo joined the former. He took advantage of his brief stay in the British Crown Colony to study English.

Appointed major in the revolutionary army upon his return, he became the military aide of General Daniel Tria Tirona, commander of the military expedition to the Cagayan Valley.

He organized his own guerilla unit upon Gen. Aguinaldo's instruction when Cagayan fell into the hands of the Americans.

However, he was imprisoned for four months until 1900 when the Americans captured him during the skirmish in the Cordillera Mountains.

He was arrested twice again by the Americans, first on April 16, 1903 for his failure to surrender the Filipino flag used by his Cagayan Battalion, and the second time on March 18, the following year for displaying the Filipino flag.

At that time, displaying of the flag was prohibited until 1919 when the Filipino-controlled Philippine Legislature repealed the Flag Law enacted by the Philippine commission.

Notably proficient in writing in both English and Spanish, Ronquillo had started writing in the Spanish daily, La Verdad (The Truth). Then he became editor of Muling Pagsilang, the Tagalog section of El Renacimiento (The Rebirth), 1905-1910; he also edited the Taliba (The Sentinel), one of the TVT Newspapers (Tribune, Vanguardia, and Taliba) as well as authored several books.

reposted from a PLR article

There are ways that you can avoid debt at Christmas.

1. Open up a 'Christmas Fund'. First of all, draw up your personal budget - list all your outgoings, from your mortgage/rent to insurance to petrol costs, including food, clothing, savings etc. This will show you exactly how much money you have left over each month. Put aside a percentage of this into a high interest instant access account and call this your 'Christmas Fund'. Whether you are the type of person who buys presents throughout the year or at the last minute, only buy if you have the money sitting there in the account Plus, you'll have more to spend as you will be earning interest on your savings!

2. In the shops you will see lots of special offers for credit - for example: 'Buy Now, Pay June!' - don't be tempted unless you already have the money there and you are strong willed enough to leave it in your account until payment is due

3. When buying presents, try not to shop in November or December - this is the time that shops actually over-inflate their prices! Buy during the sales throughout the year. Also, look out for supermarket and shopping catalogue Christmas Savings Schemes.

A Cold Dog and a Hot Woman 

Murag naputlan tingali ug Internet. Naa man siya dri, chriswise, kung makalugar ug huwam ug Internet connection.

A Beautiful Pinay and the Sea

Harmony of Beauty

Facebook Humor - You Can't Hurry Love

Vicki Belo and Hyden Kho - Ice Cream Treat

Will She Box?

Published by the Bohol Chronicle

City Kagawad Baba Yap who landed first in the 10-man councilor's slate in last year's elections was expelled by his local party mates of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC).

Mayor Dan Lim who is the uncle of the young city councilor led the signatories of the ouster move together with Vice Mayor Jaz Montes and their councilor's slate, except for City Kagawad Edgar Bompat who stood by Yap as a sign of sympathy to the young city legislator.

As if timed for his 34th natal day today, Yap was singled out in the ouster move which as far as Bompat is concerned was in "bad taste" considering the flimsy reasons he heard causing the expulsion.

When asked why he did not sign the ouster move, Bompat said he "could not afford to kick out Baba whom he considers as a gentleman and a vibrant public servant even in his youthful age."

Bompat recalled that it was him who endorsed Yap to be included in their slate during last year's election.

"I did not find any valid reason to oust him from the party," Bompat explained while citing his close relationship with both the Yap and Lim families.

"I pity Baba for being a victim of political intrigues," Bompat said while saying that I "stand by my principle" not to sign the ouster move which was peddled by City Barangay Captain Arlene Karaan, former executive assistant of the city mayor.

Yap, when contacted by the Chronicle, declined to issue any reaction to the ouster move initiated by his uncle-mayor. The councilor is the son of Bohol Tropics owners John and Nely Lim-Yap who is the younger sister of the city mayor.

This update in city politics came amid reports that several sectors are endorsing the youthful kagawad to run for mayor in the 2013 elections.

However, Mayor Lim has countered this scenario by anointing his elder brother based in the United States to run for mayor as he will be ending his third term as city chief executive.

ambiguity   

am·bi·gu·i·ty [àmbi gyï " É™tee]
(plural am·bi·gu·i·ties)
noun
1.  doubt about meaning: a situation in which something can be understood in more than one way and it is not clear which meaning is intended
2.  statement with more than one meaning: an expression or statement that has more than one meaning

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

By Jhunnex Napallacan
Inquirer Visayas

A 55-year-old former seaman shot dead his wife, three children and their housemaid before killing himself during breakfast on Sunday in their home in Talisay City, southern Cebu.

Emmanuel “Jet” Ponce, however, spared his youngest daughter whom he ordered to get out of the house while he was about to shoot his son who was kneeling in front of him.

The tragedy shocked their neighbors in Palm View Village at Barangay (village) Tabunok in Talisay, about 12 kilometers south of this city.

While neighbors knew of instances that Emmanuel hit his wife, Melinda, who is Banco de Oro branch manager in Barangay Tabuan, Cebu City,  they didn’t expect that he would snap and kill her, his children and housemaid.

Tabunok Councilor Joy Sabejon said the couple had not been in good terms for almost a decade since Emmanuel lost his job as a seaman following an accident on board the ship that caused him an injury in the head.

The couple, however, continued to live together in one house for the sake of the children, he added.

“The kids were used to seeing (their parents) fight but we didn’t expect that it would turn out like this,” he said.

Aside from Melinda, Emmanuel killed his eldest daughter, Elaine Grace, 26; son Heether Joy, 25; daughter Emlin Bridge, 18; and housemaid Anastacia Deñiega, 30.

Melinda, who started engaging in the sport of running at the age of 48, was training for the Milo Marathon national finals in December in Manila after she qualified. Last weekend, she emerged female champion in the Summit 60K Ultra Marathon Challenge in Cebu.

Elaine Grace was a volunteer nurse at the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation, who was scheduled to work in Canada.

Heether was a nursing graduate while Emlin was a Radio Technology student.

The three were said to be close to Melinda and would side with their mother whenever she would get beaten up.

The lone survivor, Embrelaince Therjoy, 14, a second year high school student, was reportedly closer to Emmanuel.

Embrelaince was inside her room when she heard burst of gunfire past 8 a.m.

She went out of her room and saw her brother kneeling in front of his father who was pointing a gun at him. She also saw two women lying on the floor in the living room.

Emmanuel told Embrelaince to get out of the house because he would kill everyone inside before killing himself.

“Gawas didto ‘day. Pagtawag og polis kay ikaw ra’y mabuhi, kaming tanan mamatay (Get out of the house, my little one. Call the police because you will be the only one who will live. We will all be dead),” he told Embrelaince.

The girl got out of the house and heard bursts of gunfire.

She ran into Yolanda Daan, wife of Provincial Board Member Julian “Teban” Daan, a neighbor and a family friend. She told Daan what happened inside their house.

By then, policemen had already arrived after they received a call from a neighbor at 8:24 a.m. about the bursts of gunfire from the Ponce’s home.

Policemen asked Daan to take care of Embrelaince while they went inside the house.

Senior Police Officer 1 Mikie Espina, investigator of the Talisay City Police Station, said they found the bodies of Emmanuel, Melinda, Heether, Emlin and  Deñiega in the living room.

Elaine was found dead inside her bedroom, he added.

They were all taken to the Talisay City District Hospital but were declared dead by physicians.

Espina said Emmanuel, who had a gunshot wound in the right temple, was still moving when he was taken to the hospital where he died later.

The police recovered seven empty shells from a .45-cal. pistol, one deformed slug, a metal fragment and a .45-cal. pistol still loaded with two bullets.

Daan said she was aware of the couple’s marital woes as Melinda confided to her during their Tabunok Homeowners Association meetings.

She said that Melinda would tell her that Emmanuel would hit her during their fights. At one time, she said Emmanuel poked a knife at her.

Daan said their children would side with Melinda.

The usual cause of their arguments was jealousy as Emmanuel would get mad at Melinda whenever she arrived home late due to her job as BDO branch manager in Tabuan, Cebu City.

But according to Melinda, Emmanuel had extramarital affairs. Melinda once took a call from Emmanuel’s alleged mistress, according to Daan.

Daan said Emmanuel started to change following his accident 10 years ago when he fell on board the ship and hurt his head. He was confined in an intensive care unit after he underwent a surgery in the head.

Although he recovered, Emmanuel was not allowed to return to work.

By then, Emmanuel was able to build his family a house in Talisay and bought them two Toyota Innova vans.

He also bought several pieces of property including a house in Talisay as well as an apartment in Barangay Labangon and a lot in Barangay Mabolo, both in Cebu City. He had these pieces of property rented out.

Daan said Emmanuel might have had problems with his marriage but overall, he was a good man. They didn’t expect him to kill his family, she added.

Daan said she understood why Emmanuel spared his youngest daughter. “Pinangga gyud kaayo niya nang bataa (He loved that girl so much),” she added.

wala na ko kakita didto sa among town, vrl. nindot mag-nap sa lagkaw mahapon.

Naa pa bay lagkaw karon?

Fil-Am Car Plate Number

A Woman's Problem?

By MARVYN N. BENANING
Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines â€" Baggerwerken Decloedt en Zoon (BDC), the Belgian company that proposed the P18.7-billion Laguna Lake Rehabilitation Project (LLRP), is shutting down its Philippine operations while other companies from member-countries of the European Union (EU) are reported to be on the verge of following BDC’s lead.

A top BDC official said he is packing his bags and flying out, weeks after the company filed a P4-billion damage suit against the Aquino government before the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

The company is also seeking payment of P500 million for its work on the Pasig River Rehabilitation Project (PRRP), which was finished in September, 2010, two months ahead of schedule.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the Belgian executive said the top management of the Brussels-based, 150-year-old company came to the conclusion that “it would be impossible to do business in the Philippines since it is ranged against the government before ICSID.”

ICSID, which is based in Washington D.C., ruled thrice against the Philippine government, mostly in cases involving foreign investments in the power sector.

The Belgian executive said his company actually did not believe the Aquino government would be harsh on LLRP and thought a review of the contract, thrice upheld by the Department of Justice (DoJ), was not coming.

BDC established its office here 10 years ago, after the country signed an investment and trade treaty with the Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union.

It terminated 250 personnel and a total of about 550 contractors late last year after President Aquino slammed LLRP twice in major policy speeches and argued that the dredging project was littered with irregularities.

However, the Belgian executive said he was pleasantly surprised why some parties were calling up their office, including the principal owner of a diversifying food and beverage company, several businessmen and companies apparently interested in reclaiming more than 600 hectares of Manila Bay.

He explained that BDC is a dredging company and is not really keen on reclaiming land from the sea, which some Chinese corporations are intent on doing.

pulverize   

pul·ver·ize [púlvə rz]
(past and past participle pul·ver·ized, present participle pul·ver·iz·ing, 3rd person present singular pul·ver·iz·es)
verb
1.  transitive and intransitive verb crush something to powder: to crush or grind something into a powder or dust, or be crushed or ground into a powder or dust
2.  transitive verb destroy something: to demolish something completely (informal)
The storm pulverized the town.

3.  transitive verb defeat somebody: to subject an opponent to a crushing defeat (informal)
We completely pulverized the other team.

[15th century. < late Latin pulverizare < Latin pulver- "powder, dust"]

-pul·ver·i·za·tion [pùlvəri záysh'n], noun
-pul·ver·iz·er, noun 

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

nudge 1   

nudge [nuj]
verb (past and past participle nudged, present participle nudg·ing, 3rd person present singular nudg·es)
1.  transitive verb push or poke somebody: to push or poke somebody gently, usually with a motion of the elbow
2.  transitive verb move something: to move something gently, especially by pushing it slowly and carefully
3.  transitive verb approach level: to have very nearly reached a particular level or standard
Their profits are nudging the 100 million mark.

4.  transitive verb gently persuade somebody: to persuade somebody into an action, gently and delicately
5.  intransitive verb move slowly: to move slowly or little by little

noun (plural nudg·es)
1.  gentle push: a gentle push to get somebody's attention
2.  persuasive act: a gentle act of persuasion

[Late 17th century. Origin ?]
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

percolate   

per·co·late [púrkə làyt]
verb (past and past participle per·co·lat·ed, present participle per·co·lat·ing, 3rd person present singular per·co·lates) or
[púrkə làyt]
1.  transitive and intransitive verb pass through filter: to make a liquid or gas pass through a filter or porous substance, or filter through in this way
2.  intransitive verb pass through slowly: to pass slowly through something or spread throughout a place
I let the idea percolate through my mind.

3.  transitive and intransitive verb make coffee: to prepare coffee in a percolator, or undergo preparation in a percolator
4.  intransitive verb U.S. be lively: to be lively, active, or energetic (informal)

noun (plural per·co·lates) or
[púrkə lət, púrkə làyt]
U.S. something percolated: a liquid that has been percolated

[Early 17th century. < Latin percolat-, past participle of percolare "sieve through" < colare "to sieve" < colum "sieve"]

-per·co·la·ble, adjective
-per·co·la·tion [pùrkə láysh'n], noun
-per·co·la·tive [púrkÉ™ làytiv], adjective 

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

vilify   

vil·i·fy [víllə f]
(past and past participle vil·i·fied, present participle vil·i·fy·ing, 3rd person present singular vil·i·fies)
transitive verb
malign somebody: to make malicious and abusive statements about somebody

[15th century. < late Latin vilificare "hold cheap" < Latin vilis "worthless"]

-vil·i·fi·ca·tion [vìlləfi káysh'n], noun
-vil·i·fi·er [víllə f ər], noun
Word Key: Synonyms

See malign.

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

savvy   

sav·vy [sávvee]
(informal)
noun
shrewdness: shrewdness and practical knowledge

adjective
shrewd: shrewd and well informed

transitive and intransitive verb (past and past participle sav·vied, present participle sav·vy·ing, 3rd person present singular sav·vies)
comprehend something: to understand something, especially what somebody has said

[Late 18th century. < Spanish sabe (usted)? "you know?"]
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

specter   

spec·ter [spéktər]
(plural spec·ters) or spec·tre [spéktər] (plural spec·tres)
noun
1.  ghost: a ghostly presence or apparition
2.  unpleasant prospect: a threat or prospect of something unpleasant
the specter of my performance review

[Early 17th century. Directly or via French < Latin spectrum "image, apparition" (see spectrum)]
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Pagka-graphic pud sa paghulagway sa maong krimen. Ngano nga dili man asawa ang gijer-jer, dili unta makawatan ug P500. Human foolishness.

Lisa Kelly, a Truck Driver

by Maricar Cinco
PDI

A family of five, including a two-month-old baby, was hacked to death in San Pablo City in Laguna in a massacre that left an eight-year-old girl as the sole survivor.

Victims Bay Rendon Jr., 40, his wife Maricel, 24, and their two-month daughter, Marijoy died instantly, while their two children, Jay-em,7, and Jomari, 5, died in the hospital Thursday morning.

Their eight-year old daughter, Margie, survived the attack and was able to identify the suspect.

Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, Laguna police director, in a text message, said the massacre happened around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday while the family was asleep inside their bamboo hut in the remote village of Sta. Filomena.

The suspect was the victims’ neighbor, identified as Ernie Tambuong, 19, a farmer.

“The victims sustained multiple hack wounds from a scythe, mostly in the arms and head. The baby was hacked on her forehead,” said city police chief Supt. Ferdinand de Castro in a phone interview.

De Castro said Margie sustained a hack wound in her left chest but was able to escape and seek help from their relatives in the village.

Police arrested Tambuong in his home at around 1 a.m. Thursday.

De Castro said the suspect was drunk when he carried out the massacre.

by Aquiles Zonio
PDI

A 34-year-old man has admitted to police it was lust for his sister-in-law that drove him to kill his younger brother while he slept in his house in a remote village in Sarangani province, police said.

Inspector Rodel Javison, police chief of the town of Malapatan in Sarangani, told reporters that Ruben Labong  has admitted to investigators he killed his younger brother Ernesto because he was obsessed with taking his wife.

“He was thinking that after killing his own brother, Carmelita would become his wife,” Javison told reporters on Wednesday.

Police said that last Monday afternoon, Ruben sneaked into his brother’s house in the remote village of Tukablao and hacked the sleeping Ernesto, 29, in the neck with a machete.

He then told Carmelita not to say a word or he would kill her too. Ruben then told village officials that another man murdered his brother, Javison said.

But Carmela later told police it was Ruben who killed her husband  and the police subsequently arrested the suspect, Javison said.

by Rey Anthony Chiu

A woven raffia products producer came home to Bohol with P21-M in cash and booked sales bagging the biggest sales generated in the five- day national crafts fair held last week. For that feat, P1 Handicraft, from Inabanga, Bohol won the Top Seller Award for Non-Food Category during the recently concluded 2011 National One-Town-One Product (OTOP) Fair held at Mega Trade Hall, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City, said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Bohol. P1 Handicrafts manufactures loom-woven raffia rolls, placemats, table runners and coasters, wall frames, hanging curtains, buntals, nito and wickers baskets as well as other indigenous-material made souvenir items and novelties. Over the achievement, DTI-Bohol Provincial Office said its is more than happy with the results of the National OTOP Fair. “Our loom-wovens, gift items, home decors, fashion accessories and souvenir items gained interest from both local buyers and exporters”, said DTI Bohol’s Marisol Balistoy, Chief of the DTI’s Business Development Division here. Negotiations on the possible supply of the said products especially the loom-wovens are now on-going, she said hinting the realization of the project goals.

This project aims to promote entrepreneurship and job creation, DTI said. The fair was aimed to bring to local and international buyers the country’s provinces showcasing their best Philippine-made products, according to sources from the DTI. The fair also brought to the taste buds and fashion senses of Filipinos and internationals various delicacies, fresh and processed foods, health and wellness products, fashionable bags, unique handcraft, accessories, all given the shelves to officially display them as the best in their towns, according to DTI. Products under the OTOP banner went through skills, knowledge, and labor of local folk in creative use of easily available indigenous materials, DTI said. The agency also pointed out that the OTOP national expo is a convergence of the  OTOP  Island  fairs conducted during the last three years in Luzon, Visayas, and  Mindanao. Aside from P1 Handicrafts, other Bohol exhibitors include Tubigon Loomweavers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Inc. with total sales of P0.350M and FM Gems Collection with total sales of P0.058M.

by Sunday Post

By AMIELA T. SINGCO-BALABA

JAGNA â€" Bohol’s only community radio, DYJP 100.1 FM celebrated on October 8 its third year of community service to the people of Jagna and the neighboring towns. The DYJP had its very first test broadcast on October 8, 2008 which lasted to more than six months of testing. The product of a partnership forged between the Municipal Government of Jagna and a US based NGO, Philos Health, the community radio’s vision states that “in five years, the Jagna Community Radio shall be an established, sustainable and responsible broadcast institution with a wide listenership and shall be the voice of all sectors in the community actively participating in its management and operation”. The Jagna Community Radio shall serve as the venue to provide the opportunity for timely, relevant and reliable information which will uplift the quality of life of the people especially the marginalized; ensure a balanced programming catering to both entertainment and education; and serve as a catalyst for the empowerment of the disadvantaged and development of the community. All these form the mission of the DYJP.

The acronym JP in DYJP stands for Jagna and Philos to recognize the partnership. DYJP 100.1 FM is an affiliate of Radyo ng Bayan. Owned by the Municipality of Jagna, it is managed by the Jagna Community Radio Council (CRC). The CRC is based on a broad cross-section representation to cater to all sectors in the community. A management committee was established by the CRC to oversee the day-to-day operation and management of the Community Radio with the following composition: station manager; assistant station manager; news and program section; technical section; and administrative section. During the initial stage and the most critical stage of the community radio’s operation, CRC chairperson as well as station manager positions were held by now Municipal Councilor Nimfa A. Lloren. At present the CRC is chaired by Mrs. Rufa C. Pajo, BIT-IC directress while Catalino Berro serves as the station manager. The DYJP 100.1 FM broadcasters are the radio council members and volunteers.

by Sunday Post

A total of 64 bikers joined the fun ride dubbed “Sa Busao Kini” or SBK recently at Plaza Rizal, this city to barangay Busao in Maribojoc town. The ride, which started at 6:00 am, was participated in by members representing the bikers’ groups:  Paseo de Loon, Sequi Usus, Duero Bikers, “P adyakers”, Wahines and the HNU Bikers led by Fr. Vic Uy, SVD, including USEC Mar Relampagos of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The SBK, which traversed a total of 18 kilometers, from this city to Cortes to Maribojoc, was a fund raising for the physical expansion of the San Isidro Labrador Quasi Parish of Busao. It is the only parish in the Diocese of Tagbilaran and the whole Bohol island province administered by the Society of the Divine Word or SVD, the same religious congregation running the Holy Name University (formerly the Divine Word College) and the Holy Name Medical Center. Sponsored by the Society of the Divine Word and the Paseo de Loon, the SBK was also assisted by 15 volunteers.

The registration of the SBK was pegged at P100/rider, generating a total registration of P 6,400. T otal donation to the Busao San Isidro Labrador Quasi Parish amounted to P 156,400, with P100,000.00 from a donor and P56,400 in the name of the bikers. A short program for the bikers was witnessed by the people of Busao headed by Barangay Captain Erico Napiñas and the SVD Community represented by Fr. Florante S. Camacho, SVD, parish priest of San Isidro Labrador Quasi Parish, Fr. Vic Uy, SVD and Fr. Nestor Ubalde, SVD. The donation was presented by David Aliño in behalf of the bikers to Fr. Camacho, SVD, during the program. A raffle was also done as well as the awarding of certificates of participation. A picture-taking was made in front of the church. The bikers attended the Sunday mass in Busao before heading home. Also lending support to the  activity was the Office of the Governor through the Medical Outreach Unit (MOU) and the O ffice of the Provincial PNP through the Maribojoc PNP unit. Providing merienda for the bikers and organizers with butong, biko and others were donations from the Busao community.

by Sunday Post

What has Pilar, Danao, Loboc and Catigbian own in common?

Ziplines. The latest craze in extreme adventure tourism that gives the adventurer the pleasant feeling of freedom, finally swings its momentum and the building speed appears to draw more town-takers of this thrill ride. Ziplines come in a many different names. Pilar calls theirs; the Sky Ride, Danao calls theirs the Suislide, Loboc names theirs, the Zipline while Catigbian calls their ride The mountain Slide. Beyond that, there is not much of a thread that could sew those four names under one heading. Except for Pilar and Danao, which both figured out in the life and exploits of a home-grown hero Boholanos commonly call as Francisco Dagohoy. Both towns share in the golden age of Bohol during the heights of the Francisco Dagohoy uprising in 1744 to 1829.

Francisco Dagohoy earned his nickname from his rare fighting skills lent by an amulet that allows him to waft like the breeze (Dagon sa Hoyohoy) and jump off the cliffs, walk the valleys and forge the Isumod ang Wahig or Pamacsalan Rivers in wild abandon and still live to tell the day he escaped the pursuing Spanish soldiers. While the cliffs of Magtangtang in Danao provide Dagohoy’s lairs, and its network of caves which provide the perfect hide-aways to fight it out, the plains of Pilar, was a source of provision for the insurgents in their sorties against Spanish fortifications. Oral traditions in the valleys of Pilar say that one reason the revolution stretched for 85 years was because during rice planting season, there would be “ceasefires.” This happens accordingly because the warriors would lay down their weapons momentarily to work on their farms. The war continues while the rice is planted and pauses again during harvests. When Danao hosted the anti-Hispanic rebels, history tells that the remnants of the Dagohoy warriors led by his son Estaca, fled Danao and put up ambushcades, rolling huge boulders along the way to the hills of Sigpit; that stretch of mountains from Pamacsalan to Sierra Bullones.

Slowly feeling subdued, the warriors retreated and scampered off to a cave hide-out in Inaghuban. The cave, now called Tugpa, is also named after Dagohoy’s trusted right hand man. Located about a hundred feet from the ground, Tugpa cave can be accessed by climbing the face of the cliff. A cave with countless other chambers, Tugpa still possesses signs on a possible interesting spelunking destination which presents an estimated kilometer-long walk with enough challenge for the uninitiated explorer. A very narrow portion of the cave was said to be where Tugpa, the heavily built warrior stuck on their way to the egress. With him blocking the only way and his inability to backtrack due to his size, the rest of the men could not pass through. History says that the trapped men put up a gallant stand at the mouth of the cave until the pursuing Spaniards built fires at the mouth of the cave and smoke suffocated all the warriors inside. So when Danao’s main eco tourism activity approximates the extreme adventure exploits of the Boholano warrior during the Spanish era, it would be no wonder why Pilarnons, descendants of the warriors, build their zipline to relive the same experience.

The Pilar Sky Ride starts off tower rising 76 feet above the large impounding. Ride assistants strap the adventurer with the harness to secure him to the roller which would also freely swing him on his zip down the other end of the time about 150 meters away. Riding the line is safe, even perhaps, without the harness. The height is not as scary and a falling off ends in the water, but Pilarnons know their courtesies. The zip is only a few seconds but the same feeling of stepping off into full trust of the wonders of technology still sends goosebumps to the first timers. The ride ends in the islet, and from there, a motorized banca gets one back to the parking lot which ends the thrill. Now, when Danao has suislide, Pilar’s sky ride wishes to evoke the pleasant feeling of riding the wind.