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Japan's lower house approves change to self-defence law

16 July 2015


There were angry protests outside parliament as the bill was passed, as Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports

The lower house of Japan's parliament has approved two controversial bills that change the country's security laws, despite protests in Tokyo.

The changes would allow Japanese troops to fight overseas for the first time since World War Two.

The bills still need approval from the upper house, but many expect them to eventually be passed into law.

The changes are unpopular and thousands demonstrated outside parliament on Wednesday.

Additional Tips

To tighten your skin, perform facial muscle exercises twice daily.

Exercise regularly for a well-toned look.

Exfoliate your skin once a week to get rid of dead skin cells.

Get eight hours of beauty sleep each night.

Avoid sudden and rapid weight loss.

Use a strong SPF 15 or 30 sunscreen for protection from the sun’s harmful
ultraviolet rays. Avoid exposure to the sun for prolonged periods.

Quit smoking and limit your alcohol intake; cigarette smoking and alcohol speed up the aging process.

Avoid soaps containing harsh chemicals.

Use cosmetic products designed for your skin type.

Avoid refined sugar and highly processed junk food.

Eat lots of fresh fruits and raw vegetables to keep your body nourished.

Take vitamin C, vitamin E and MSM (methylsulfonylmethan) supplements after consulting your doctor.

Keep the skin hydrated and smooth by drinking an ample amount of water.

These home remedies and skin-tightening tips can help prevent and tighten sagging skin. Plus, following a regular and healthy skin care regime will help you maintain a youthful appearance.

http://www.top10homeremedies.com/

9. Fuller’s Earth



Fuller’s earth, also known as multani mitti, stimulates blood circulation and improves skin elasticity.

Mix one tablespoon of fuller’s earth powder with enough water (or rose water) to make a smooth paste. Apply this paste on the face and neck and allow it to dry. Rinse it off with lukewarm water.

You can also mix one tablespoon each of fuller’s earth, glycerin and honey. Then mix in one beaten egg white. Apply this paste on your face and neck and allow it to dry naturally. Wash it off with lukewarm water.

Follow either of these remedies once a week to enjoy firm and youthful skin.

10. Strawberry



Strawberries work like astringents on the skin, and hence are a very good remedy for sagging skin. They have vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that boosts production of collagen fibers that help keep skin smooth and firm.

Plus, the alpha hydroxyl acids in them help improve the appearance of aging skin.

Mash two to three ripe strawberries and mix them with two teaspoons each of yogurt and honey.

Apply the paste on your face and neck.

Leave it on for about five minutes and then rinse it off with lukewarm water.

Follow this remedy once daily for several weeks.

Also include strawberries in your diet to get results faster.

7. Rose Water



Rose water is a natural astringent, thus it is a great toner and helps tighten loose skin. Plus, it is excellent for maintaining clear and glowing skin.

Apply some rose water on your face and neck before going to bed. This will help tighten the pores and prevent premature aging signs.

Another option is to mix one teaspoon each of lemon juice and witch hazel and five drops of almond oil in one cup of rose water. Apply it to your face and neck, leave it on for 20 minutes and then rinse it off. Follow this remedy several times a week.

8. Cinnamon



Another good remedy for sagging skin is cinnamon. It helps accelerate collagen production, which is essential for firm, tight skin.

Mix one teaspoon each of cinnamon powder and turmeric powder with enough olive oil to make a paste. Then mix in one-half teaspoon of sugar or salt.
Gently scrub your face and neck area with this paste for a few minutes.

Wash your face with lukewarm water.

Use this natural scrub once or twice a week.

5. Oil Massage

Massaging your face and neck with a natural oil like olive oil helps tighten loose skin to keep it firm and smooth. Olive oil has antioxidants like vitamins A and E that render anti-aging benefits. It will also help keep your skin well moisturized.

Slightly warm some extra-virgin olive oil in the microwave.

Apply this oil on your face.

Massage gently with your fingertips in circular motions for 10 minutes.
Follow this remedy once daily before going to bed.

You can also use avocado, coconut, grapeseed, jojoba or almond oil to massage your face, neck, arms and legs.

6. Honey

Honey has natural hydrating, antioxidant and anti aging properties that are helpful for treating sagging skin.

Mix two to three teaspoons of honey and a few drops each of lemon juice and olive oil. Apply it on your face and neck, let it dry and then rinse it off with warm water. Do this once or twice daily for best results.

You can also mix together one-half tablespoon each of honey and sour cream. Then mix in one-half teaspoon of turmeric powder. Apply the mixture on your face for 15 minutes. Rinse it off with lukewarm water and then splash some cold water. Use this face mask once a week.

3. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is best when it comes to firming and tightening loose skin. The malic acid in aloe vera gel helps improve the elasticity of your skin and get rid of sagging skin. Plus, it is a natural moisturizer for your skin.

Extract the gel from an aloe vera leaf and smear it on your face and neck. Leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes and then wash it off with lukewarm water. Follow this remedy several times a week.

Another option is to mix together one tablespoon of aloe vera gel and one teaspoon each of mayonnaise and honey. Apply this on your face and neck and leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse it off with warm water and then splash some cold water. Do this once a week.

4. Cucumber

To tighten loose and saggy skin, you can also use cucumber. It is one of the best natural skin toners and has a refreshing and rejuvenating effect on skin.

Grind half a cucumber and squeeze it through a strainer to extract its juice. Apply this juice on your face and leave it on until it dries. Rinse it off with cool water. Follow this remedy once daily.

You can also  combine one tablespoon each of grated cucumber and plain yogurt. Apply the mixture on your face and leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse it off with lukewarm water. Repeat several times a week.

You can also make a face mask with two tablespoons of fresh cucumber juice, one egg white and three to five drops of vitamin E oil. Apply this mask on your face and neck, leave it on for 15 minutes and then wash it off with cool water. Use this mask once a week.

1. Egg Whites

Egg whites are a natural astringent and hence work as a good remedy for sagging skin. Its skin-nourishing ingredient hydro lipids help lift loose skin.

Whisk one to two egg whites until you get a foamy texture. Apply it to the face and neck. Leave it on for about 20 minutes and then rinse it off with cool water.

Another options is to add one tablespoon of plain yogurt to one egg white and whisk it. Apply the mixture to your face and neck and leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes before rinsing it off.

You can use either of these remedies twice a week to enjoy firm, radiant skin.

2. Lemon

The vitamin C in lemon helps boost collagen production. This in turn helps restore elasticity to your skin. Plus, lemon has astringent properties that help tighten the skin and reduce wrinkles and other signs of premature aging.

Extract some fresh lemon juice and rub it gently on your face and neck. Leave it on for five to 10 minutes and then rinse your face with water. Do this two or three times a day and follow up with a good-quality moisturizer.

You can also add the juice of half a lemon to a cup of cold water. Splash this mixture on your freshly washed face. Allow the lemon water to air dry on your face. Follow this remedy once or twice daily for best results.

There are some natural home remedies that can help tighten sagging skin on the face, neck, arms and breasts.



Here are the top 10 remedies for sagging skin:

Time and tide wait for none and so do the aging signs. Due to aging, the elastin and collagen structure of the skin loses elasticity and the skin loses some of its self-moisturizing components making it appeared loose and saggy. Plus, age can make the facial muscles weak, which also contributes to saggy skin.



In addition to aging, skin can lose its elasticity because of excessive exposure to harmful sun rays, excessive smoking, regular intake of alcoholic beverages, obesity, pregnancy, rapid weight loss, a poor diet, use of wrong skin care products,  dehydration and use of harsh chemicals on the skin.

Along with sagging skin, you may also notice an increase in wrinkles and fine lines, especially on your face. Skin may also look paler and more translucent, and it may become more sensitive.

Pluto Resolved
Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research Inst.

Explanation: New Horizons has survived its close encounter with Pluto and has resumed sending back images and data. The robotic spacecraft reported back on time, with all systems working, and with the expected volume of data stored. Featured here is the highest resolution image of Pluto taken before closest approach, an image that really brings Pluto into a satisfying focus. At first glance, Pluto is reddish and has several craters. Toward the image bottom is a surprisingly featureless light-covered region that resembles an iconic heart, and mountainous terrain appears on the lower right. This image, however, is only the beginning. As more images and data pour in today, during the coming week, and over the next year, humanity's understanding of Pluto and its moons will likely become revolutionized.

Pope Francis draws millions to mass in Quito, Ecuador, with a message that embraces everyone. http://news.yahoo.com/

Argentina's fans hold a banner with the images of Argentina's Lionel Messi, right, Pope Francis, center, and Argentina's soccer legend Diego Maradona, during the final Copa America soccer match between Argentina and Chile at the National Stadium in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, July 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Three million young people showed up to see Pope Francis on the beach in Rio de Janeiro this July. http://blogs.vancouversun.com/

Faithful await the arrival of Pope Francis for Mass at the square of Christ the Redeemer in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Aizar Raldes Nunez / AFP/Getty Images

This Tuesday, July 14, 2015 image provided by NASA on Wednesday shows a region near Pluto's equator with a range of mountains captured by the New Horizons spacecraft. (NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-07-mind-peaks-pluto-canyons-charon.html#jCp

Pluto’s largest moon, Charon (New Horizons/NASA)

The latest image from the New Horizons spacecraft that passed with 7,800 miles of Pluto yesterday, is shown during a NASA news conference July 15, 2015 in Laurel, Maryland (Mark Wilson/Getty Images/AFP)

Composition & structure

Atmospheric composition: Methane, nitrogen

Magnetic field: It remains unknown whether Pluto has a magnetic field, but its small size and slow rotation suggest it has little to none.

Chemical composition: Probably a mixture of 70 percent rock and 30 percent water ice.

Internal structure: Probably a rocky core surrounded by a mantle of water ice, with more exotic ices such as methane and nitrogen frost coating its surface.


Credit: Karl Tate, SPACE.com

Orbit & rotation

Average distance from the sun: 3,670,050,000 miles (5,906,380,000 km) â€" 39.482 times that of Earth

Perihelion (closest approach to the sun): 2,756,902,000 miles (4,436,820,000 km) â€" 30.171 times that of Earth

Aphelion (farthest distance from the sun): 4,583,190,000 miles (7,375,930,000 km) â€" 48.481 times that of Earth

more at http://www.space.com/43-pluto-the-ninth-planet-that-was-a-dwarf.html

Pluto, as constructed from multiple NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs taken from 2002 to 2003.  Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute)

on second thoughts, dear earth...

Some craters and other surface features spotted on Pluto by NASA's New Horizons probe in 2015 may end up bearing the name of "Star Trek" characters, as this screenshot from a Google+ Hangout demonstrates.
Credit: SETI Institute (via Google+/YouTube)

 
2011 Jul 20
NASA said that the Hubble Space Telescope has found a 4th moon circling Pluto.



2012 Jul 11
US astronomer Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute said he has detected a 5th moon around Pluto. Showalter used the Hubble Space Telescope and said the new moon, named P-5, is about 6-15 miles across.



2013 Jul 2
The Int’l. Astronomical Union announced the names of Kerberos and Styx for two moons of Pluto.



http://www.timelinesdb.com/, http://www.nature.com/, images from various online sources

PUBLIC REACTIONS TO PLUTO'S DEMOTION (OR HOW EARTHLINGS STOOD UP FOR PLUTONIANS):

 
2006 Aug 24
Leading astronomers meeting in Prague declared that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.




what explains pluto's demotion?

Is Pluto a planet? Does it qualify? For an object to be a planet, it needs to meet these three requirements defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU):

It needs to be in orbit around the Sun â€" Yes, so maybe Pluto is a planet.

It needs to have enough gravity to pull itself into a spherical shape â€" Pluto…check

It needs to have “cleared the neighborhood” of its orbit â€" Uh oh. Here’s the rule breaker. According to this, Pluto is not a planet.

What does “cleared its neighborhood” mean? As planets form, they become the dominant gravitational body in their orbit in the Solar System. As they interact with other, smaller objects, they either consume them, or sling them away with their gravity. Pluto is only 0.07 times the mass of the other objects in its orbit. The Earth, in comparison, has 1.7 million times the mass of the other objects in its orbit.

Any object that doesn’t meet this 3rd criteria is considered a dwarf planet. And so, Pluto is a dwarf planet. There are still many objects with similar size and mass to Pluto jostling around in its orbit. And until Pluto crashes into many of them and gains mass, it will remain a dwarf planet. Eris suffers from the same problem.

It’s not impossible to imagine a future, though, where astronomers discover a large enough object in the distant Solar System that could qualify for planethood status. Then our Solar System would have 9 planets again.

more at http://www.universetoday.com/13573/why-pluto-is-no-longer-a-planet/

 
2006 Feb 1
The journal Nature reported that object UB313 is larger than Pluto according to German heat calculations.



2006 Jun 21
It was reported that the pair of moons orbiting Pluto were officially christened Nix and Hydra last week by the International Astronomical Union, which is in charge of approving celestial names.

 
2005 Oct 31
It was reported that Pluto has three moons, not one, according to new images from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest. Pluto, discovered as the ninth planet in 1930, was thought to be alone until its moon Charon was spotted in 1978.



2006 Jan 19
NASA launched its New Horizons spacecraft on a mission to Pluto following a 2-day delay. Scientists won't be able to receive data on Pluto until at least July 2015, the earliest date the mission is expected to arrive. The spacecraft carried ashes of Clyde Tombaugh (1906-1997), the man who discovered Pluto.

1983 Apr 25
The Pioneer 10 spacecraft crossed Pluto's orbit, speeding on its endless voyage through the Milky Way.


1983: Pioneer 10 becomes the first human-made object to pass outside Pluto's orbit and leave the central solar system.

1997 Jan 17
Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930, died in New Mexico.

 
1978 Jun 22
James Christy, while working at the United States Naval Observatory, discovered that Pluto had a moon, which he named Charon.



1979 Jan 21
Neptune became the outermost planet as Pluto moved closer due to their highly elliptical orbits.

PLUTO TIMELINE

1930 Feb 18
Planet X (Pluto), the ninth planet of our solar system, was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh (1907-1997) at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz. It is 2.76 billion miles (5,888 million km.) from the sun at the closest point of its orbit. Pluto was later designated a "dwarf planet."


Clyde Tombaugh uses the Zeiss Blink Comparator to search for Pluto at Lowell Observatory near Flagstaff, in this file photo circa 1930.

1930 Mar 13
The Lowell Observatory in Arizona announced Clyde Tombaugh’s Feb 18 discovery of a new planet, later named Pluto.

1930 May 1
Pluto was first publicly announced as the name of a newly discovered planet. Venetia Phair had suggested the name to her grandfather, librarian Falconer Madan, who relayed the suggestion to his friend Herbert Hall Turner, professor of astronomy at Oxford. Madan rewarded Phair (1919-2009) with a five-pound note. The same purchasing power in 2009 would be about 230 pounds, or $350.

hey, come on.  sweetening for ofw votes? 

a department for ofw does not only sound funny, it also only adds another layer to an already unwieldy government bureaucracy.  what then happens to the role of the DOLE in this case?  the DOLE which already has the POEA, OWWA, etc., with personnel fielded abroad where the ofws are in great numbers?  even veep binay before his resignation from the cabinet was but another layer in the bureaucracy. 

remember what happened to the erstwhile ministry of youth and sports development (MYSD) of the marcos years?  (if one finds the comparison unfair, just imagine how many youths we have compared to the number of ofws.)  well, the function went back to the DECS (today's DepEd) because it turned out to be just another unnecessary layer in the bureaucracy.

no.

Ear cropping, also known as cosmetic otoplasty, is purely for a perceived image. The practice is cruel, mutilating and painful.

If you don’t think so, cut off part of your ear! (http://www.dogsbestlife.com/)

Head of the UCL research team Professor Michael Heinrich said: "I think some of the suppliers of food supplements are lying. In other cases I think they don't know what they're doing. Many of the botanical drugs come from rare or increasingly rare species, so it makes perfect sense to get something cheaper…which helps to you get a better price at a lower cost."

He warned consumers that a high price tag was no guarantee of quality.
A spokesman for the Food standards Agency said: "The FSA champions the rights of consumers and misleading them in this way is unacceptable."
He said a herbal food supplement would be investigated if a complaint was made about a specific product, if members of the public were to fall ill as a result of taking these products, or if evidence of mislabelling were provided.

The results of the BBC/UCL tests have been passed on to the FSA's Food Crimes Unit.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health

Regulation

Herbal products can be sold either as food supplements, or as Traditional Herbal Registration (THR) remedies.

In every THR tested, the product contained what was claimed on the label.
However, the food supplements showed a wide range of quality. Whilst many contained high amounts of the herbal ingredient as claimed, several had none at all.

The manufacture of THRs falls under regulation by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), but herbal food supplements come under the remit of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Trading Standards at local authority level. Their manufacture is not regulated.

The UCL team tested around 70 products overall, using two methods -
nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high performance thin layer chromatography - to study their composition.

Products purchased from high street shops were generally of higher quality than those purchased from internet retailers. All those products that contained no herbal ingredient whatsoever or unidentified substances, came from internet retailers.

Herbal food supplement labels 'can be misleading'

14 July 2015



Some herbal food supplements do not contain what they claim on the label, a study has found.

The BBC health series 'Trust Me, I'm a Doctor' teamed up with experts from University College London to test a selection of products bought from high street shops or online retailers.

Of 30 ginkgo products tested, eight contained little or no ginkgo extract.

In one case of milk thistle, unidentified substances were present in place of milk thistle.

All the evening primrose products performed well.

Quote from: czarprince on January 08, 2013, 07:55:59 PM
Very profound thoughts mga sirs. Why do you love cat avatars? hehe.. a plea for feline affection?

right on the head, prince.  and it looks like this forum is missing you and your own profound thoughts.  it would be great if you came back soon with your elegant english.

why ka man pa-french-french dinhi?  klingon unta!

Hoch DIl [loD/be']vam.

soli po.  gilisodlisod man hinoon ug samot sa taas nga eksplanisyon.

hopefully, i hope that my hopes have some basis for my being hopeful, otherwise i would be rendered hopeless.

kini na lang uy.  matilawan pa.

Quote from: hubag bohol on July 14, 2015, 10:11:25 AMYet what remains unclear is whether Francis has a clear vision for a systemic alternative to the status quo that he and others criticize. “All these critiques point toward the incoherence of the simple idea of free market economics, but they don’t prescribe a remedy,” said Mr. Johnson, of the Institute for New Economic Thinking.

Francis acknowledged as much, conceding on Wednesday that he had no new “recipe” to quickly change the world. Instead, he spoke about a “process of change” undertaken at the grass-roots level.

maybe charity?  i guess just plain old charity can open the floodgates.

looks like you can't tell the difference between an alimango and an unggoy.

 
kanaaaaa!

First, place the fan upside down on the lid (so the airflow will be directed into the bucket),
trace the outline of the fan on the lid,
and cut it out with a utility knife. If necessary, saw off the fan’s stand or support, then fit your fan securely in the hole.

Next, use the Forstner bit to drill three large holes through the bucket’s side, just wide enough for the PVC pipes you have on hand. Remove the lid in order to line the inside of the bucket with Styrofoam, then repeat with the drill so that the holes go through the lining too. Saw your PVC pipe into three pieces, each three to four inches long, and slide a section snugly into each hole.

The unit works for about six hours at a time, but a tighter seal can extend that span by keeping the ice in the bucket cooler.

Finally, place the frozen jug of water into your bucket and replace the lid. Remember: The fan should be facing down.

Go find the nearest electrical outlet, plug the fan in and switch it on, and your modified appliance will pass air through the cooler to chillâ€"leaving you at a solid 68 degrees of comfortable. Then, grab yourself a chair and enjoy the breeze; all of this hard work deserves a breather.


Photo: ehow.com

https://www.yahoo.com/

Cool Off for Cheap with a DIY Air Conditioner

Bob Vila
July 13, 2015
â€"Rocky Greene

Cooling down in the hot summer months isn’t easyâ€"or cheap. Save on your electric bill this season with a handy DIY that uses only a fan, bucket, and ice to help you chill out.


Photo: ehow.com

We owe a lot to the humble air conditioner. Like most inventions, the idea came from a very real need: relief from extreme temperatures. The quest for cooler air has a venerable history. In ancient Egypt, people hung reeds in windows after dipping them in water; the water evaporated, cooling the air that blew through the window. Over time, innovators in China, England, and the United States transformed this cool idea into our familiar American household staple. But for all their virtues, modern in-window air conditioners are not perfect machines. For one thing, they cost a small fortune to run. With a fan and Debbie Williams’s genius DIY, however, you can get all the benefits of a window AC for far less than a store-bought unit by using that same age-old concept: chilled water, or ice.

Besides an old fan and instructions, you’ll need to round up
a utility knife,
a five-gallon bucket (with lid),
Styrofoam lining,
12 inches of PVC pipe,
a hole saw or Forstner bitâ€"
and a gallon jug of water to freeze for later.

The alleged end of the tunnel through which Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman could have escaped from prison, at a house in Almoloya de Juarez, Mexico, on July 12, 2015 (AFP Photo/)

sajorn.  para dat.  mas bilib ko sa akong ig-agaw nga kusog mangusi nga tudlo sa tiil gamiton.  lupig pay alimango.

'Great Nebula in Carina Bi-Colour' The hypergiant star Eta Carina glows against a background of swirling clouds of dust & gases that form the Carina Nebula (Credit: Terry Robison)

http://www.bbc.com/

'M42 Subtle V1 cropped' One of the best known astronomical objects in our universe is the Orion Nebula, inside this wider Orion Molecular Cloud Complex (Credit: Patrick Gilliland)

'Full Moon over the Alps' Taken in the silent surroundings of Superga hill in Turin, Italy, mere minutes before sunrise (Credit: Stefano De Rosa)

'Roseta-NBv5' Measuring 50 light years in diameter the large Rosette Nebula is found on the edge of a molecular cloud in the constellation Monoceros (Credit: Juan Ignacio Jiminez)

'Aurora Panorama 3' Vivid green Northern Lights dance above Lyngenfjorden, the longest fjord in Norway's Troms county, tracing out Earth’s magnetic field (Credit: Jan R. Olsen)

'Ascent of Angels' The white lights dotted across the face of Mount Rainier in Washington, US are the headlamps of hikers ascending to the 4,392m peak (Credit: Brad Goldpaint)

'Thor's Helmet' The distinctive shape of the nebula NGC 2359 has led to it also being known as Thor’s Helmet, resembling the headgear of the Norse God (Credit: Adam Block)

'Star Trails over Green Lake' Star trails illuminate the night sky over a campfire-lit Green Lake in the Hoover Wilderness of California, US (Credit: Dan Barr)

'The Edge of Aurora' A rare sighting of a red aurora, caused by the emission of high-altitude oxygen, dancing over Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada (Credit: O Chul Kwon)

'The Mirrored Night Sky' Enthralled stargazer immersed in the stars as the purple sky is mirrored in the world’s largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia (Credit: Xiaohua Zhao)

'Solar Prominence' Searing hot loops of plasma radiate from the edge of our local star â€" the Sun â€" in a phenomenon known as a solar prominence (Credit: Gary Palmer)

'Motind' Careening over the peaks of Senja, Norway, oxygen produces the greens and nitrogen the purples, seen in this dazzling display of the Northern Lights (Credit: Rune Engebo)

'Moon and Antelao' The moon shines over Monte Antelao in Italy, bearing a striking resemblance to the snow-covered dolomite ridge of the mountain (Credit: Marcella Giulia)

'IC443' Lying in the constellation of Gemini, IC443 is a galactic supernova remnant, a star that could have exploded as many as 30,000 years ago (Credit: Patrick Gilliland)

'C2014 Q2 Lovejoy' Comet Lovejoy sails through the solar system in a green haze leaving cometary dust in its wake (Credit: Michael Jaeger)

'Calm Before the Storm' A lightning storm emanating from the underside of ominous storm clouds juxtaposed with the gleaming stars of the Milky Way above (Credit: Julie Fletcher)

17 spectacular images of space from Earth

A selection of shortlisted images from the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2015 contest revealing the beauty of our planet, its solar system, the galaxy and the wider universe

Presented by
Ben Aviss

Staring into the night sky to ponder life’s imponderables is all the more enjoyable when the views are like these.

From searing hot loops of plasma radiating from the Sun’s edge to people watching rare red aurora in Canada, take a few moments to explore these incredible images of the world above and beyond us.


'Herschel 36: The Heart of the Lagoon' Situated 5,000 light years away, the stellar nursery of the Lagoon Nebula lies in the constellation Sagittarius (Credit: László Francsics)

labad.  bisan sa grammar na lang, wa mapakgang.

i do not want to believe that it's euthanasia in that image.  pleeeaaassse!

still a no.  when i want to hit a person, i just imagine they're a dog or a cat or a hippo.  i don't want to inflict pain on animals...

Quote from: islander on July 12, 2015, 02:55:31 PM
It is believed to be the first time the Welsh government has chosen to communicate in Klingon.
***
Responding to the government's unusual diversion into trilingualism, Mr Millar said: "I've always suspected that Labour ministers came from another planet. This response confirms it."

yeheeeyyy!

Quote from: islander on July 12, 2015, 02:54:45 PM
A Welsh government spokesman responded with: "jang vIDa je due luq."

The Welsh government statement continued: "'ach ghotvam'e' QI'yaH devolve qaS."

In full it said it translated as: "The minister will reply in due course. However this is a non-devolved matter."

hahaha!  arang gajod.  mao nay gobyerno, naay sense of humor.  di lang kay daghan ug investigations in aid of tv appearances.

Mr Millar asked:

Will the minister make a statement on how many reports of unidentified flying objects there have been at Cardiff Airport since its acquisition by the Welsh government?

What discussions has the Welsh government had with the Ministry of Defence regarding sightings of unidentified flying objects in Wales in each of the past five years?

What consideration has the Welsh government given to the funding of research into sightings of unidentified flying objects in Wales?

http://www.bbc.com/

It is believed to be the first time the Welsh government has chosen to communicate in Klingon.


The Welsh government advised Darren Millar UFOs were not devolved to Wales

Mr Millar, shadow health minister and AM for Clwyd West, submitted three questions to economy, science and transport minister Edwina Hart about UFO reports around the airport and across the rest of Wales.

Responding to the government's unusual diversion into trilingualism, Mr Millar said: "I've always suspected that Labour ministers came from another planet. This response confirms it."

A Welsh government spokesman responded with: "jang vIDa je due luq."

The Welsh government statement continued: "'ach ghotvam'e' QI'yaH devolve qaS."

In full it said it translated as: "The minister will reply in due course. However this is a non-devolved matter."

Welsh government responds in Klingon to UFO airport query

10 July 2015


Computer illustration of UFOs
Edwina Hart is expected to answer questions in more down-to-earth languages on Wednesday

Klingon was the chosen language for the Welsh government in its response to queries about UFO sightings at Cardiff Airport.

While English and Welsh are the usual forms of communications in the Senedd, it opted for the native tongue of the enemies of Star Trek's Captain Kirk.

Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar had asked for details of UFOs sightings and asked if research would be funded.

tua pa tingali sa water closet...

hehehe, sa ing-ana pa kog edad, maybe.  karon, sorry, wa koy dugo ni kris aquino.

People watch huge waves hit the shore near Wenling, east China's Zhejiang province as typhoon Chan-hom approaches on July 10, 2015 (AFP Photo/)

Militia members evacuate residents from a neighborhood flooded by heavy rains from Typhoon Chan-Hom in Shaoxing in eastern China's Zhejiang province Saturday, July 11, 2015. Some 1.1 million people were evacuated from coastal areas of Zhejiang and more than 46,000 in neighboring Jiangsu province ahead of the storm, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. (Chinatopix via AP)

In this photo provided by China's Xinhua News Agency, a resident rides a bicycle on a road submerged by water in Xiangshan county, east China's Zhejiang Province, Saturday, July 11, 2015. Typhoon Chan-hom hit the Chinese coast south of Shanghai on Saturday. Some 1.1 million people were evacuated from coastal areas of Zhejiang and more than 46,000 in neighboring Jiangsu province ahead of the storm, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. (He Yousong/Xinhua News Agency via AP)

Typhoon Chan-Hom edged towards Japan’s southern islands on Friday, July 10. Maximum winds reached 216km/h with speeds of 162km/h near the storm’s center, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The typhoon knocked out power to 19,800 homes in Okinawa Prefecture and was expected to cross the East China Sea and hit Shanghai this weekend.This video shows strong waves slamming the coast of Hachijojima, a island around 180 miles south of Tokyo. Credit: YouTube/Hachijojima Sato Diving (å...«ä¸ˆå³¶ã,µãƒˆã,¦ãƒ€ã,¤ãƒ"ンã,°)

Waves as high as 10 meters batter a seawall in southern China as Typhoon Chan-hom approaches.

The storm killed five people in the Philippines earlier this week, injured at least 18 people in Japan, and left 30,000 people in Okinawa without power. China reported no injuries as of Saturday evening, but the financial repercussions of the storm could prove devastating.

(excerpts from article by Samantha Cowan | Takepart.com
12 July 2015)

Destructive Typhoon That Just Hit China

More than one million people have been evacuated from China’s east coast near Shanghai, as Typhoon Chan-hom struck the region Saturday morning.

With high winds, crashing ocean waves, and inches rain that destroyed farming fields and soaking homes, it could be the worst typhoon to hit the area since 1949, Reuters reports.

you're kind, bai hubs.  nasuko ra man na siya.  hinoon, wa ta kahibawog si litil intsik mokaon bag tawo.  ako kay mangaway man lang.  kun in the mood, aw, magpakatawa na lang, hehehe.

sample true story: ang total sa akong pinalit naay tangag nga .94 centavos.  pissed off ko.  why man na?  ask ko.  smile lang ang tubag.  puwes, ingon ko naa koy 5 centavos.  pasalig ba siya nga sinsilyoan ko ug 1 centavo? 

tubag tawon ang cashier nga di na lang siya tagaan ug 5 centavos.  but as far as i was concerned, that's not the point.  bahalag ingnon ko nga siyaro na man pod kakulisaw ug kadaginotan, there's such a thing as courtesy.  kun ang tindahan makapresyog balikwaot nga .94, andam pod silag sinsilyog balikwaot nga .01, period.

si hubag sa gamay pa ug wa pa siya magpailis sa iyang citizenship.

Quote from: islander on July 12, 2015, 03:13:17 AM
The House of Representatives recently approved on third and final reading House Bill 4730 or the Exact Change Act â€" which seeks to prohibit business establishments from giving insufficient change or no change at all to consumers.

usa ko sa manggubot ug di ko tagaan ug saktong sinsilyo.  ug usa sa purya maninsilyo ang rose pharmacy.  nganong mahimo man kuno ug saktog sinsilyo ang mercury drug?  makauuwaw baya ni nga practice sa atong mga commercial establishments.  way batasan.

finally.  this was long in coming.  glad it's not all televised investigation in congress.  my dream has come true. 

According to Villar, the practice of giving insufficient change or giving no change at all to consumers is something that is "often taken for granted."

If passed into law, violators will be fined from P500 to P25,000 or 3% up to 10% of the gross sales of their business establishment.

Also, a suspension for three months or revocation of the license to operate of the business establishment shall be imposed for succeeding offenses.

http://cnnphilippines.com/

Recent published reports have quoted Rep. Mark Villar of Las Piñas City as saying that he was confident that his bill, the Exact Change Act, would pass into law before 2016.

The House of Representatives recently approved on third and final reading House Bill 4730 or the Exact Change Act â€" which seeks to prohibit business establishments from giving insufficient change or no change at all to consumers.

Villar, chairman of the House Committee on Trade and Industry, said the State should protect consumers from trade malpractices and from substandard or hazardous practices.

Murillo, who commutes daily, said: "The minimum fare is supposed to be P7.50. But most of the time, when I give P10, I only get P2 instead of P2.50."

Murillo added that what irks and bothers him more was when these drivers take advantage of their passengers.

"The most irritating thing is, the driver wouldn't even inform me that he doesn’t have 50 centavos as a form of courtesy," he said.

"I always felt I was ripped off every time I was shortchanged. No matter how small it was, it matters to me," Concepcion said.

Some cashiers, Concepcion disclosed, will even ask him if he would like to donate his change to charity â€" making it appear that there is an unwritten policy that each customer should follow.

Berbom Murillo, meanwhile, recounts his experience with jeepney drivers who deliberately shortchange passengers.

Javellana said: "Just think of a supermarket serving 1,000 customers a day and all of them get a change short of P1. Just for a P1 change, which is not given back, that’s extra income of P360,000 a year for a single establishment."

Javellana said consumers should be protected against unfair and deceptive practices.

Some consumers, however, do not tolerate this trade malpractice.

John Concepcion relates how he always argues every time he was overcharged or shortchanged by establishment cashiers.

What consumers do not realize is that unclaimed change â€" whether big or small â€" means more money for business establishments.

According to Rodolfo Javellana Jr., president of the Union of Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC), it is necessary for all business establishments, retailers, and public utility vehicle drivers to give due change to consumers and commuters.

Shortchanged? Exact Change Act may soon become law

By Clift Daluz, CNN Philippines
July 10, 2015


More often than not, most consumers do not make a big fuss when they get shortchanged.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) â€" We often hear department store cashiers or even public transport drivers reciting this halting and stale excuse: "Sorry po, kulang ang barya ko. Walang panukli. Okay lang po ba?"

More often than not, most consumers do not make a big fuss when they get shortchanged, especially when they are in a hurry or considerate enough to think about the person next to him in a grocery store.

They just walk away and sometimes never count their change.

During the initial round on July 7, Solicitor General Florin Hilbay introduced the case for the Philippines and presented the order of speakers. He was followed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, who made an impassioned plea for the Tribunal to recognize its jurisdiction due to the importance of the case not just to the Philippines but to the entire world owing to its impact on the application of the Rule of Law in maritime disputes.

Next to Del Rosario were Paul Reichler â€" chief counsel for the Philippines â€" who presented the justification for the Tribunal's jurisdiction over the case and Prof. Philippe Sands who said that the Manila did not raise questions of sovereignty over land or about maritime delimitation.

http://cnnphilippines.com/

She added that the Philippine side had undertaken sufficient preparation to ensure that the best answers will be provided to the questions expected to be asked during the second round.

For the coming round, the Tribunal will be asking more questions regarding Manila's petition against Beijing concerning disputed waters. The Philippine delegation is composed of representatives from all three branches of government.

UN court OKs next round of arguments on West PH Sea row

By Alex Ho, CNN Philippines
Sat, July 11, 2015


The Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands is the seat of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) â€" The United Nations Arbitral Tribunal at The Hague has decided to proceed with a second round of oral arguments for the Philippines to present its case regarding a rankling territorial row with China in the West Philippine Sea.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, a member of a high-level Philippine delegation in the Netherlands, said on early Friday evening (July 10) that the five-man Tribunal has instructed the Philippine team to prepare for a second round of presentation to be held on July 13.

"The Philippines received word that the Arbitral Tribunal will conduct a second round of arguments on the issue of jurisdiction," Valte said in a statement.