Join MikeLigalig.com!

Why Just Read When You Can Join, Post, and Read!

Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Messages - islander

#7301

#7302

#7303

#7304




images 1-5 from theguardian.com
#7305

#7306

#7307

#7308
Photos Unlimited / New York Halloween Dog Parade 2015
October 26, 2015, 01:24:25 AM

#7309
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:20:05 PM



all dog images from lifewithdogs.tv
#7310
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:19:46 PM

#7311
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:19:28 PM

#7312
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:19:09 PM

#7313
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:18:51 PM

#7314
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:18:33 PM

#7315
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:11:52 PM

#7316
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:11:31 PM

#7317
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:11:00 PM

#7318
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:10:39 PM

#7319
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:10:17 PM

#7320
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 02:06:31 PM

#7321
Photos Unlimited / Re: Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 01:47:35 PM

#7322
Photos Unlimited / Perfect timing
October 25, 2015, 01:47:13 PM

#7323
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 06:04:13 AM



good.barkpost.com
#7324
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 06:04:02 AM

#7325
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 06:03:43 AM

#7326
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 06:03:21 AM

#7327
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 06:02:55 AM

#7328
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 06:02:37 AM

#7329
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 06:02:12 AM

#7330
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 06:01:51 AM

#7331
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 06:01:29 AM

#7332
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 05:58:02 AM

#7333
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 05:57:41 AM

#7334
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 05:57:22 AM

#7335
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 05:56:54 AM

#7336
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 05:56:34 AM

#7337
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 05:56:12 AM

#7338
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / Re: The transformations
October 25, 2015, 05:55:48 AM

#7339

The strange word “AlDub” was in my peripheral vision each time I read news from home.  It was just there, unsought, and may I say unwelcome, just like the word “Gilas” for which basketball was farthest from my mind, that is, until I read about China’s edge over the team.

Then a niece posted something spelled AlDub on FB. Curiosity couldn’t really kill a meticulous cat; I surfed to find out what this strange word is all about. It could be a new energy drink or the latest mobile phone gizmo.  LAB (as in lo and behold!), I was hooked.

Call it anything---classless, tasteless, shallow---as if we never could admit that we’re easy to please and easy with smiles despite adversities.  Besides, isn’t it way, way uncontaminated as entertainment compared to political campaigns with paid celebrities?

In AlDub are the eternal themes of destiny and possibilities, of forked roads and unknown paths, of lessons shared and learned---all in the guise of open entertainment.  Too, in AlDub are the here and now of colloquialisms---kilig pa more, AlDub nation, dabarkads, sa tamang panahon… whew, that’s life! That’s Filipino life!

And there’s technology---dubbed talking, split screen, mash or whatever else it is that I'm trying to make heads or tails of.

But I guess the charm of this TV phenomenon is in the spontaneity of the sum of all its performers, topped by two refreshing young adults who convey decency and vivacity without the slightest tinge of self-consciousness or self-importance, potential or otherwise.
 
So there I was, trying to catch the moonbeams of this homemade fairy tale while they're there, even if these were just seconds of certain scenes; sa tamang panahon, ngayon na more. Laugh and the world laughs with you. AlDub is insanely fun and heady. It's good, clean fun. BTW, here’s my AlDub hand wave…

#7340
Lifestyle, Culture and Arts / The transformations
October 25, 2015, 05:20:15 AM

the transformation of abandoned dogs saved in shelters

#7341
History / Re: Russian writer: Leo Tolstoy
October 25, 2015, 03:33:11 AM

Two months later, Sergei’s book has finally been published, to virtually no acclaim. Sergei represses his disappointment by joining a patriotic upsurge of Russian support for Slavic peoples attempting to free themselves from Turkish rule. Sergei, Vronsky, and others board a train for Serbia to assist in the cause. Levin is skeptical of the Slavic cause, however.

Kitty becomes worried by Levin’s gloomy mood. He has become immersed in questions about the meaning of life but feels unable to answer them. One day, however, a peasant remarks to Levin that the point of life is not to fill one’s belly but to serve God and goodness. Levin receives this advice as gospel, and his life is suddenly transformed by faith.

Later that day, Levin, Dolly, and Dolly’s children seek shelter from a sudden, violent thunderstorm, only to discover that Kitty and Levin’s young son are still outside. Levin runs to the woods and sees a huge oak felled by lightning. He fears the worst, but his wife and child are safe. For the first time, Levin feels real love for his son, and Kitty is pleased. Levin reflects again that the meaning of his life lies in the good that he can put into it.

sparknotes.com
#7342
History / Re: Russian writer: Leo Tolstoy
October 25, 2015, 03:32:17 AM

Kitty discovers she is pregnant. Dolly and her family join Levin and Kitty at Levin’s country estate for the summer. At one point, Stiva visits, bringing along a friend, Veslovsky, who irks Levin by flirting with Kitty. Levin finally asks Veslovsky to leave. Dolly decides to visit Anna, and finds her radiant and seemingly very happy. Dolly is impressed by Anna’s luxurious country home but disturbed by Anna’s dependence on sedatives to sleep. Anna still awaits a divorce.

Levin and Kitty move to Moscow to await the birth of their baby, and they are astonished at the expenses of city life. Levin makes a trip to the provinces to take part in important local elections, in which the vote brings a victory for the young liberals. One day, Stiva takes Levin to visit Anna, whom Levin has never met. Anna enchants Levin, but her success in pleasing Levin only fuels her resentment toward Vronsky. She grows paranoid that Vronsky no longer loves her. Meanwhile, Kitty enters labor and bears a son. Levin is confused by the conflicting emotions he feels toward the infant. Stiva goes to St. Petersburg to seek a cushy job and to beg Karenin to grant Anna the divorce he once promised her. Karenin, following the advice of a questionable French psychic, refuses.

Anna picks a quarrel with Vronsky, accusing him of putting his mother before her and unfairly postponing plans to go to the country. Vronsky tries to be accommodating, but Anna remains angry. When Vronsky leaves on an errand, Anna is tormented. She sends him a telegram urgently calling him home, followed by a profusely apologetic note. In desperation, Anna drives to Dolly’s to say goodbye, and then returns home. She resolves to meet Vronsky at the train station after his errand, and she rides to the station in a stupor. At the station, despairing and dazed by the crowds, Anna throws herself under a train and dies.
#7343
History / Re: Russian writer: Leo Tolstoy
October 25, 2015, 03:31:28 AM

Karenin rejects Anna’s request for a divorce. He insists that they maintain outward appearances by staying together. Anna moves to the family’s country home, however, away from her husband. She encounters Vronsky often, but their relationship becomes clouded after Anna reveals she is pregnant. Vronsky considers resigning his military post, but his old ambitions prevent him.

Karenin, catching Vronsky at the Karenin country home one day, finally agrees to divorce. Anna, in her childbirth agony, begs for Karenin’s forgiveness, and he suddenly grants it. He leaves the divorce decision in her hands, but she resents his generosity and does not ask for a divorce. Instead, Anna and Vronsky go to Italy, where they lead an aimless existence. Eventually, the two return to Russia, where Anna is spurned by society, which considers her adultery disgraceful. Anna and Vronsky withdraw into seclusion, though Anna dares a birthday visit to her young son at Karenin’s home. She begins to feel great jealousy for Vronsky, resenting the fact that he is free to participate in society while she is housebound and scorned.

Married life brings surprises for Levin, including his sudden lack of freedom. When Levin is called away to visit his dying brother Nikolai, Kitty sparks a quarrel by insisting on accompanying him. Levin finally allows her to join him. Ironically, Kitty is more helpful to the dying Nikolai than Levin is, greatly comforting him in his final days.
#7344
History / Re: Russian writer: Leo Tolstoy
October 25, 2015, 03:27:59 AM

Some time later, Vronsky participates in a military officers’ horse race. Though an accomplished horseman, he makes an error during the race, inadvertently breaking his horse’s back. Karenin notices his wife’s intense interest in Vronsky during the race. He confronts Anna afterward, and she candidly admits to Karenin that she is having an affair and that she loves Vronsky. Karenin is stunned.

Kitty, meanwhile, attempts to recover her health at a spa in Germany, where she meets a pious Russian woman and her do-gooder protégée, Varenka. Kitty also meets Levin’s sickly brother Nikolai, who is also recovering at the spa.

Levin’s intellectual half-brother, Sergei Koznyshev, visits Levin in the country and criticizes him for quitting his post on the local administrative council. Levin explains that he resigned because he found the work bureaucratic and useless. Levin works enthusiastically with the peasants on his estate but is frustrated by their resistance to agricultural innovations. He visits Dolly, who tempts him with talk of reviving a relationship with Kitty. Later, Levin meets Kitty at a dinner party at the Oblonsky household, and the two feel their mutual love. They become engaged and marry.
#7345
History / Re: Russian writer: Leo Tolstoy
October 25, 2015, 03:27:22 AM

←Plot Overviewâ†'

The Oblonsky family of Moscow is torn apart by adultery. Dolly Oblonskaya has caught her husband, Stiva, having an affair with their children’s former governess, and threatens to leave him. Stiva is somewhat remorseful but mostly dazed and uncomprehending. Stiva’s sister, Anna Karenina, wife of the St. Petersburg government official Karenin, arrives at the Oblonskys’ to mediate. Eventually, Anna is able to bring Stiva and Dolly to a reconciliation.

Meanwhile, Dolly’s younger sister, Kitty, is courted by two suitors: Konstantin Levin, an awkward landowner, and Alexei Vronsky, a dashing military man. Kitty turns down Levin in favor of Vronsky, but not long after, Vronsky meets Anna Karenina and falls in love with her instead of Kitty. The devastated Kitty falls ill. Levin, depressed after having been rejected by Kitty, withdraws to his estate in the country. Anna returns to St. Petersburg, reflecting on her infatuation with Vronsky, but when she arrives home she dismisses it as a fleeting crush.

Vronsky, however, follows Anna to St. Petersburg, and their mutual attraction intensifies as Anna begins to mix with the freethinking social set of Vronsky’s cousin Betsy Tverskaya. At a party, Anna implores Vronsky to ask Kitty’s forgiveness; in response, he tells Anna that he loves her. Karenin goes home from the party alone, sensing that something is amiss. He speaks to Anna later that night about his suspicions regarding her and Vronsky, but she curtly dismisses his concerns.
#7346
History / Re: Russian writer: Leo Tolstoy
October 25, 2015, 03:23:18 AM

famous opening line of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, regarded as one of the world's best opening line of a book:

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
#7347
History / Russian writer: Leo Tolstoy
October 25, 2015, 03:16:46 AM

Leo Tolstoy
(Russian Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy)

Leo Tolstoy's ANNA KARENINA

Widely regarded as a pinnacle in realist fiction, Tolstoy considered Anna Karenina his first true novel, after he came to consider War and Peace to be more than a novel.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky declared it "flawless as a work of art." His opinion was shared by Vladimir Nabokov, who especially admired "the flawless magic of Tolstoy's style," and by William Faulkner, who described the novel as "the best ever written." The novel remains popular, as demonstrated by a 2007 poll of 125 contemporary authors in Time, which declared that Anna Karenina is the "greatest novel ever written." (wikipedia)
#7348

China had never formally declared a 12-mile territorial zone around the reclamations, so any U.S. show of force was premature, he added.

Sam Bateman, an adviser to Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and a former Australian naval officer, also noted the lack of any formal declaration, adding Washington risked underestimating China's angst over being contained in the South China Sea.

"There is a real risk of a confrontation between China and the U.S. that the U.S. might have to withdraw from," he said, urging more diplomacy instead.

"I'm not sure what their end-game is."

CNBC
#7349

'Dangerous Escalation'


Win McNamee | Getty Images
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state arrival ceremony on the south lawn of the White House grounds September 25, 2015 in Washington, DC.


While China's outposts are seen as vulnerable in a conflict, up until that point they will allow Beijing to extend both civilian activities, such as fishing and oil exploration, as well as military patrols. One airstrip is finished and two others are being built.

Zhang Baohui, a Chinese security expert at Hong Kong's Lingnan University, said he feared a "dangerous escalation", with China likely to react to any attempt to make the patrols routine.

Rather than freedom of navigation, Zhang said he believed Beijing saw the issue as one of great power rivalry.

"It is all about power, and that is what makes this so dangerous," he said.
#7350

Myles Caggins, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, declined to comment when asked whether a U.S. show of force might be more symbolism than substance unless there was a sustained naval effort, or whether the administration was factoring in further Chinese assertiveness.

He said U.S. thinking was illustrated by President Barack Obama's statement at a news conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington last month that "the United States will continue to sail, fly and operate anywhere that international law allows".

Despite Xi's comment at the news conference that the man-made islands would not be militarized, some mainland Chinese analysts believe the reclamations will form the heart of a new military screen protecting Chinese submarines on southern Hainan Island, as well as boasting extensive civilian facilities.

These submarines will soon carry nuclear weapons and represent the core of China's nuclear deterrence, giving it a second strike capability.
#7351

'No-go zone'


A Chinese Navy submarine. (File photo)

Bonnie Glaser, a security expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said U.S. missions would likely be regular, with the navy wanting to ensure it did not become effectively shut out of the area.

"I know the U.S. does not want that outcome. Nobody wants to give the Chinese a new no-go zone and an effective territorial sea they are not entitled to," she said.

Glaser said she believed China would be careful about interfering with a U.S. patrol, despite past frictions.
#7352

Chinese Foreign Ministry officials said this month that Beijing would "never allow any country to violate China's territorial waters and airspace in the Spratly islands in the name of protecting navigation and overflight".

Under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, 12-nautical mile limits cannot be set around man-made islands built on previously submerged reefs.

Four of the seven reefs China has reclaimed over the last two years were completely submerged at high tide before construction began, legal scholars say.

China claims most of the South China Sea. Other claimants are Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
#7353

"The U.S. navy will have to conduct these kinds of patrols on a regular basis to reinforce their message."

The Obama administration has said it would test China's territorial claims to the area after months of pressure from Congress and the U.S. military. It has not given a time frame.

"I think we have been very clear - that we intend to do this," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters last Monday.
#7354

Given months of debate already in Washington over the first such patrol close to the Chinese outposts since 2012, several regional security experts and former naval officers said the U.S. government might be reluctant to do them often.

U.S. allies such as Japan and Australia are unlikely to follow with their own direct challenges to China, despite their concerns over freedom of navigation along vital trade routes, they added.

"This cannot be a one-off," said Ian Storey, a South China Sea expert at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.


Ted Aljibe | AFP | Getty Images
#7355

US patrols to raise stakes with Beijing in South China Sea

24 October 2015
Reuters

U.S. plans to send warships or military aircraft within 12 nautical miles of China's artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, possibly within days, could open a tense new front in Sino-U.S. rivalry.

A range of security experts said Washington's so-called freedom of navigation patrols would have to be regular to be effective, given Chinese ambitions to project power deep into maritime Southeast Asia and beyond.

But China would likely resist attempts to make such U.S. actions routine, some said, raising the political and military stakes. China's navy could for example try to block or attempt to surround U.S. vessels, they said, risking an escalation.
#7356

some other news item had the couple already bound for china.  sorry, mayor.  your stand on this tragedy is too late in the day.
#7357
Book Reviews / Re: Watership Down by Richard Adams
October 25, 2015, 12:34:43 AM



Richard George Adams (born 9 May 1920) is an English novelist who is known as the author of Watership Down. He studied modern history at university before serving in the British Army during World War II. Afterward he completed his studies and then joined the British Civil Service. In 1974, two years after Watership Down was published, Adams became a full-time author. He is now semi-retired. (wikipedia)


in 1972
#7358
Book Reviews / Re: Watership Down by Richard Adams
October 25, 2015, 12:31:03 AM

one of my all-time favorites. a must-read, if i may add.
#7359
Talk of the Town / Re: The best lion-tamer we have
October 24, 2015, 04:10:06 AM

So take heart, those who think that the war against corruption is unwinnable. Great (by the standard of past experience) progress has been made. What the Ombudsman is doing reminds me of what happened in Italy 20 years ago, when the Clean Hands (Mani Pulite) phenomenon took place. A group of magistrates, the most prominent of whom was Antonio di Pietro, carried out a rash of investigations involving political corruptionâ€"“4,472 Italian businessmen, politicians, and others were investigated and 1,188 people, mainly politicians and business administrators, suddenly faced an array of corruption charges.” A lot of suicides resulted, both of politicians and businessmen. At one time, more than half of the Italian parliament were under indictment, and 400 city and town councils were dissolved. It caused the fall of the government.

South Korea underwent a drive similar to Clean Hands 10 years later, and had similar success (or lack of it). But the point is that corruption can be tamed, although one doubts it can be killed. And in the Philippines, Morales is the best lion-tamer we have. She recognizes no political allegiance or loyalties, and is one tough lady. I salute her.

opinion.inquirer.net/
#7360
Talk of the Town / Re: The best lion-tamer we have
October 24, 2015, 04:09:18 AM

Actually, P-Noy has been very lucky with his women appointees (Morales, Sereno, Pulido-Tan, Mendoza, Henares, De Lima, Soliman; his only “palpak” choice was an assistant secretary). They were all excellent choices. And they have done him proud.

But that was another digression.

I checked the Office of the Ombudsman website, which I urge the Reader to likewise do. It is one of the most transparent and reader-friendly websites, which is part of the 7-year roadmap, so don’t be afraid. There, you will find, for instance, that 49 percent of cases filed in the Sandiganbayan are against high-ranking officials (one of the objectives mentioned in the roadmap), with the rest divided among low-ranking officials (28 percent) and private parties (23 percent). As it should be. And 41 percent of the cases filed in or taken cognizance of the Office of the Ombudsman result in penalties of suspension for more than a month, while 28 percent of those cases result in dismissal from service. The Ombudsman is no pushover.
#7361
Talk of the Town / Re: The best lion-tamer we have
October 24, 2015, 04:08:27 AM

What is the secret of her success? Could it be that she was appointed on the basis of what she knew, instead of who she knew? Gutierrez was the classmate of then First Gentleman Mike Arroyo; Marcelo (though he turned out well) belonged to the law firm that serviced the Arroyo needs; Desierto was an insider in the Office of the Ombudsman but was a judge advocate in the AFP Judge Advocate General’s office when Fidel Ramos was around.

Morales, on the other hand, was not a personal friend of President Aquino. In fact she was surprised when he wrote to her, asking her to be the one to swear him in as president. So obviously, he chose her to be ombudsman on the basis of her qualifications alone. And she has guarded her independence ferociously, thank heavens. At the very least, there is no chance for “Hello Garci” type telephone calls and secret deals.
#7362
Talk of the Town / Re: The best lion-tamer we have
October 24, 2015, 04:07:59 AM

But then, the Binays tend to have a humongous persecution complex, as evinced by the spin they put on the serving of the notice of dismissal on Mayor Binayâ€"claiming that the servers (three women) had made something like a public scandal out of the incident for maximum humiliation. It turns out that the women were not even near the Binay house, as they were told (by Binay underlings) to serve the order somewhere else in the vicinity. And Mayor Binay’s children were in school. What scandal and humiliation could have been perpetrated? The only scandal in the neighborhood would be involving the size and luxury of the Binay house compared to his salary as a Makati Council member (before he ran for mayor). And of course, the size and luxury of the Vice President’s house.

But I digress. Morales is the fifth ombudsman we have had since the restoration of democracy, succeeding Merceditas Gutierrez, who succeeded Simeon Marcelo, who succeeded Aniano Desierto, who succeeded Conrado Vasquez. And she has outshone them all (although, admittedly, it is not hard to do, except for Marcelo).
#7363
Talk of the Town / Re: The best lion-tamer we have
October 24, 2015, 04:07:30 AM

This, of course, on top of what she meted out to Makati Mayor Junjun Binay and of course his father, Vice President Jojo Binay, who has been crying political persecution all this time, claiming that what Ombudsman Morales has been doing is aimed only at helping prevent a successful bid for the presidency on his part.

Well, the dismissed Capiz governor is an ally and good friend of another presidential contender (Mar Roxas), so does this mean that the Ombudsman is making it easier for Grace Poe to win? Ridiculous.
#7364
Talk of the Town / The best lion-tamer we have
October 24, 2015, 04:06:32 AM

GET REAL

The best lion-tamer we have


By: Solita Collas-Monsod
@inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 24th, 2015


SCREENGRAB from Office of the Ombudsman website

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales seems to be on a rampage these days, doing an excellent job of leading the country in its fight against corruption, and giving it a well-deserved shot in the arm in the process. The decisions she has made lately would make your head spin.

Consider: She ordered dismissed 19 top officials of the Philippine National Police, including, if I read correctly, two with the equivalent military rank of brigadier general and the rest mostly colonels. Then she also ordered dismissed (and perpetually barred from holding public office) the Capiz governor and his son. She meted out a one-year suspension on the governor of Camarines Norte. The Bacolod City administrator, she suspended for one year (he beat her to the punch, though, because he resigned to run for Congress). And the former head of the Technology Resource Center (and four others) she also barred from public office. All for cause, which the Reader can very well read up on elsewhere.
#7365

the philippines has a total of 3(!) islands that made it to the top 20, wow! but they missed bohol, honest. 
#7366

1. Palawan, Philippines
Overall Rating: 85.937

This small islandâ€"one of the Philippines’ 7,107â€"shot to the top of our list again this year with a recent claim to fame: It’s now home to one of the new seven natural wonders of the world, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River.



cntraveler.com/
#7367

2. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Overall Rating: 84.756

This island was voted the most photogenic place on Earth in 2014, and it’s no wonder. Shielded by a protective barrier reef, Bora Bora’s famous lagoon is all the colors of the rainbow, crisscrossed by (friendly) manta rays and sharks.

#7368

3. Moorea, French Polynesia
Overall Rating: 84.656

Due northwest of Tahiti and surrounded by a bright blue lagoon, this volcanically formed island is comprised of verdant mountains jutting up behind white-sand beaches. In the interior, you can explore the ruins of maraeâ€"crumbling temples built by ancient Polynesians.

#7369

4. Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Overall Rating: 84.447

A mix of Nantucket and Sonoma, with New Zealand charm, the island is a wine-lover’s nirvana. Just over 30 minutes from Auckland by boat, the island hosts a manageable number of vineyards and great restaurants, perfect for a day escape from the mainland. With beaches on the north side of the island and WWII tunnels to explore, there is no lack of excitement on Waiheke.

#7370

5. Bermuda
Overall Rating: 84.245

Though this small island sits in the North Atlantic, its climate is decidedly subtropical. A British Overseas Territory, Bermuda is a melting pot of British, American, and Caribbean cultures, and offers tons of things to do: snorkeling near pink-sand beaches, golfing, shopping, museum hopping, and more.

#7371

6. Great Barrier Reef & Whitsunday Islands, Australia
Overall Rating: 83.420

The Great Barrier Reef consists of more than 3,000 individual reef systems and hundreds of islands, a living structure so vast that it’s visible from outer space. The 74 islands of the Whitsundays offer some of the best snorkeling and sailing in the world.

#7372

7. Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
Overall Rating: 82.495

Vancouver Island is consistently one of our readers' top islands in Canada; they implore you to stay as long as possible, since there is simply "so much to see and do." Pick from salmon fishing, wine tasting, sailing, strolling along beaches and nature trails, or learning about glassblowing.

#7373

8. Bali, Indonesia
Overall Rating: 82.330

"There's nothing quite like Bali," says senior digital editor Laura Dannen Redman. "It's the kind of place where you'll eat the best fresh fish of your life on the beach with your feet in the sand. You'll watch whole families zoom by on motorbikes, or maybe a monkey will steal your glasses at Uluwatu temple. Every experience is memorable."

#7374

9. Santorini, Greece
Overall Rating: 81.947

No island group is so shrouded in myth as this chain in the Aegean Sea. Santorini, on the southernmost end of the Cyclades, is a volcanically formed island with dramatic cliffs, ancient ruins, and picturesque towns that’s said to be the inspiration for Plato’s Atlantis.

#7375

10. Tasmania, Australia
Overall Rating: 81.810

Thrill seekers flock to Tasmania, off the coast of South Australia, for its challenging hikes (and rewarding views).

#7376

11. Cook Islands
Overall Rating: 81.326

Ever dreamed of escaping to a remote island? The Cook Islands, between New Zealand and Hawaii, are a true paradise, with coral lagoons, limestone caves, and pearl fields.

#7377

12. British Virgin Islands
Overall Rating: 80.960

The eastern chunk of the Virgin Islands archipelago is a laid-back, less developed alternative to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Made up of about 60 islandsâ€"many uninhabitedâ€"the beaches, rum bars, and shipwreck sites of the BVI are best explored by boat.

#7378

13. St. John, USVI
Overall Rating: 80.939

This small isle in the Caribbean Sea hasn’t been overrun by development, thanks to the fact that two-thirds of the landmass is national parkland. It makes an ideal getaway for hikers seeking out jungle trails and snorkelers who'll nose down over the surrounding reefs.

#7379

14. Mykonos, Greece
Overall Rating: 80.938

Said to have been where Hercules killed the invincible giants, Mykonos is steeped in mythological history. A popular cruise ship stop, the island is more recently known for its raucous party reputation that would impress even Dionysus.

#7380

15. Boracay, Philippines
Overall Rating: 80.856

This itty-bitty island (just under 4 square miles) in the Western Philippines is as close to the tropical idyll as you’ll find in Southeast Asia, with gentle coastlines and transporting sunsets. Add in a thriving nightlife scene, and you have one of the top tourist spots in the region.

#7381

16. Maldives
Overall Rating: 80.833

There’s more ocean than land in the Maldives, a chain of tiny islands and coral atolls far out in the Indian Ocean. Most of the accommodations are on stilts over the water, in high-end luxury resorts (many eco-friendly) that cater to honeymooners and serious divers alike.

#7382

17. Orkney Islands, Scotland
Overall Rating: 80.603

Find Viking influences alive and well on the archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland. With neolithic UNESCO sites alongside beaches with bright blue water, the islands are dominated by the Mainland, a central island full of lush farmland. The varied landscape across the nearly 70 islands makes it a perfect spot to go to the beach, discover archeological sites, and explore Scottish moorland.

#7383

18. St. Lucia
Overall Rating: 80.569

Nature doesn’t get more photogenic than St. Lucia’s Pitons, two mountainous volcano spires on the southern end of the island. Covered in lush rainforest and luxurious resorts, the Caribbean country is a popular honeymoon spot.

#7384

19. Cebu, Philippines
Overall Rating: 80.404

The most densely populated island in the Philippines, Cebu is famous for its beaches, on the mainland as well as around many of the surrounding islands. Not as wild as Phuket in Thailand, Cebu City is more personal, with plenty of up-and-coming restaurants and shopping.

#7385

Conde Nast Traveler

Best Islands in the World: Readers' Choice Awards 2015

20. Hvar & Dalmatian Islands, Croatia
Overall Rating: 80.264

One of the most glamorous islands in the Adriatic Sea, Hvar plays host to the see-and-be-seen scene of the Dalmatian Islands. The island’s main city, Hvar Town, exudes beauty, too, with 13th-century walls surrounding delicate Venetian architecture and pedestrian-only marble streets.

#7386
Photos Unlimited / Re: Unusual friendship
October 24, 2015, 01:36:01 AM
#7387
Photos Unlimited / Re: Unusual friendship
October 24, 2015, 01:35:35 AM
#7388
Photos Unlimited / Re: Unusual friendship
October 24, 2015, 01:35:01 AM
#7389
Photos Unlimited / Re: Unusual friendship
October 24, 2015, 01:33:14 AM
#7390
Photos Unlimited / Re: Unusual friendship
October 24, 2015, 01:32:46 AM
#7391
Photos Unlimited / Re: Unusual friendship
October 24, 2015, 01:32:03 AM
#7392
Photos Unlimited / Re: Supercute animals, part 2
October 24, 2015, 01:25:07 AM

#7393
Photos Unlimited / Re: Supercute animals, part 2
October 24, 2015, 01:24:39 AM

#7394
Photos Unlimited / Re: Supercute animals, part 2
October 24, 2015, 01:23:28 AM

#7395
Photos Unlimited / Re: Supercute animals, part 2
October 24, 2015, 01:22:57 AM

#7396
Photos Unlimited / Re: Supercute animals, part 2
October 24, 2015, 01:22:30 AM

#7397
Photos Unlimited / Re: Supercute animals, part 2
October 24, 2015, 01:22:05 AM

#7398
Photos Unlimited / Re: Supercute animals, part 2
October 24, 2015, 01:21:29 AM

#7399
History / Re: The Cambridge Spy Ring
October 24, 2015, 01:01:38 AM

John Cairncross
1913â€"1995

John Cairncross was a British civil servant who worked briefly at the foreign office and became an intelligence officer and spy during World War II. As a Soviet double agent, he passed to the Soviet Union the raw Tunny decrypts that influenced the Battle of Kursk.

The "Fifth Man"; MI5 has never acknowledged there was a fifth member of the ring. The prime suspect was John Cairncross, who purportedly made a secret confession to MI5 soon after Burgess defected. He was publicly identified as the Fifth Man in 1990 by KGB defector Oleg Gordievsky. He died in 1995.

BBC, wikipedia/
#7400
History / Re: The Cambridge Spy Ring
October 24, 2015, 12:35:23 AM

Anthony Blunt
1907â€"1983)

Known as Sir Anthony Blunt, KCVO, from 1956 to 1979, he was a leading British art historian who in 1964, after being offered immunity from prosecution, confessed to having been a Soviet spy. A closely held secret for many years, his status was revealed publicly by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in November 1979, and he was stripped of his knighthood immediately thereafter.