For the benefit of Mel:

Still alive...

This blogger and blog, that is.

I just got home from a trip to Iloilo but getting back to blogging has proven to be rather difficult with some technical issues with my pc. I simply can't login to google.

So just hang on kids and I'll get back to you as soon as I resolve this issue.

These guys should spend more time studying

I think they're spending more time shooting bongs and pipes than hitting the books. It's obvious since they've been making up stuff like these:



The funny part is that they expect the government to give them jobs when they graduate.

I remember reading in one blog an American celebrity saying in effect that they joined protest marches in the 60's and 70's because they were expecting to get laid. I'm sure the real motivation of most members of the League are not far from this.

A thought:

The media, especially the big two golden calves in the country, constantly wants the average Pinoy audience to believe that they are exclusively the defenders of the weak and needy. In order to prove this, they pick on some hapless public official, who, in one of a hundred or so times of threading the straight and narrow path and upholding the best ideals of his office, finds himself in the receiving end of a harsh media campaign due to a small infraction caused by his lousy attempt to entertain temptations.

It happens all the time. So regular is such occurrences that they have lost their shock value and have become stunningly boring. I dunno if the big bosses have noticed this, but apart from the bland showbiz scandals and the political machinations, there isn't much to awaken the slowly drowsing masses apart perhaps from actually airing pornography, but we could easily get them through pirated DVDs and the internet without the annoyingly long advertisements popping in every five minutes or so.

So what to do?

Here's one. How about making another favorite target for constant pounding and incessant grilling, the way journalists do to the President almost daily. But who or what could the new target be?

Hhmmm... Think, think, think... How about Islamists? Yeah! That's it!

I recommend Islamists. And yes, I'm being discriminatory here. It's a bit like being biased against about eating freshly excreted dog pooh and being more inclined towards a nice plate of freshly cooked Risotto from Amici di Don Bosco. I have very discriminating taste. He!

On the other hand, what's wrong with adding a new approved target for your daily breakfast bashing? Mocking PGMA isn't shocking me anymore. Islam not too good for you? Why not? I mean some of you have actually explored the limits of political correctness. You guys just need a little encouraging nudge to explore the depths like these guys attempted to do:



Too bad it didn't go as far as it ought to do. Anyway, it's your right and obligation to do it right? Exposing dangerous groups that are subverting the public good is supposedly your God-given obligation. Exploring and shining the light on the philosophy guiding Islamists is exactly what you're looking for. So I suggest you jump in and do Islam. It's a mountain of opportunity for sensation-hounds like Korina Sanchez. Additionally, explore Islam apart from the phony testimony of Islamic scholars who do nothing but do their Pinocchio song and dance gig and act as PR handlers for the guys who go boom in the public markets and bus terminals in Mindanao. I mean if you're looking for dirt on a politician, you don't make his lawyer your exclusive and infallible source right?

So here's my challenge Korina, Ted and to all square pinoy journalists other there who wants me to make their advertisers happy: expose Jihad and Islam and do it 24/7/365.

PS: Don't blame me or PGMA if you get blown up. Mwah! ^_^

Excellent!

I hope this means that my preparations won't be futile.

Erap's found guilty

And ABS-CBN ain't happy. Funny really how they are unable to hide their bias against PGMA.

Part of me...

was actually wishing that Erap be acquitted, simply to show how the media, which initially divulged Erap's activities, is totally lacking in credibility. Oh well. I can't have everything.

Sandiganbayan finds Erap guilty for plunder

Interesting. Didn't know the evidence was that strong.

9/11...

I wonder...

Last night I contemplated on the problem of perpetual motion machines. The laws of physics, as they are written currently, state that such machines will never run perpetually because they will eventually be overcome by resisting forces like gravity and friction. But if the same motor is used in a moving vehicle, wouldn't it be possible that the inertia and other forces encountered during motion might help "jumpstart" the machine to continue running?

Perhaps a generator based on the concept below could be used:



Update:

Here's another one

Now isn't this refreshing

I'm planning to do something similar...


Hat tip: The New Liturgical Movement

Adam and Eve in Islam

But I can stil see her ankles!

Something does not compute

Opposition leader Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday revealed that three people in the government asked for millions of dollars in kickbacks for the P329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal with China's ZTE Corp.

[...]

NBN project was originally awarded to ZTE Corp. with a $130 million contract price. He said ZTE Corp.'s bid was the lowest compared to the offers made by other firms.

If the Senator's allegation is true, ZTE will be losing money because it's paying more in kickbacks than what it could possibly gain from the project. I don't think it would go that far just to lose money.

Electric and expensive

They should've considered using capacitors.

Things on my head at the moment:

1. In the Erap case, the former President admits signing a trust agreement with what was formerly EPCI Bank. His defense in court says that he signed the document as a "guarantor". That's news to me, since as per my recollection of my Trust Management studies, there's no place for guarantors in trust agreements. Perhaps in a loan agreement, but highly unlikely in trust agreements.
2. Vidal Doble's right. You can wiretap with the help of phone companies, and these companies do wiretap. Two years ago, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company invited my uncle to their office in Makati and I came along. They interrogated him how some international calls originating from the Middle East terminated from his house. They wouldn't get any information on the nature of matter if they didn't listen to the calls being made.
3. DWIZ's Michael Rogas sounds terrible on air. Someone please fire him.
4. Too many Filipinos think in socialist terms, i.e, they expect the government to do everything for them, including providing them with good jobs.

Things all Catholics should think about:

Hat tip to the Western Confucian

So I went to the Shroud exhibition at MOA last night

My first impression: Cheesy. Very.

I won't go into details but I'd wouldn't recommend it to people with some working knowledge of the Shroud. I was very disappointed since I was expecting to find a full-blown exhibit of stuff I haven't yet discovered online.

For those totally uninitiated with the Shroud, however, I would happily recommend it as a sort of introduction into the scientific study of the Shroud of Turin

I'd say that the real highlight of the exhibit were the photographs at the end of the "tour" and some replicas of the crucifixion nails and a flagrum.

The cost of the walk-in ticket for adults is P250.

Finally, something cool:

The Mass according to the Maronite Rite

Comedy TV show team penetrates tight APEC security

Well they weren't that successful, otherwise they wouldn't be caught, right?

The first thing that came to my mind was who will they blame if the security guards decided to use lethal force against the identified threat? These guys are idiots and they're lucky the police didn't fire first.

It seems someone's making progress with the Stirling hybrid

I'm envious of course. But I hope to do something better...

So which is it?

Almost daily last month, DZMM station manager Angelo Palmones made the claim that Romulo Neri was demoted to chair CHED because he, Neri, dared to question Secretary Gary Teves' financial policies and projections and "tell the truth" [TM].

Meanwhile, in an interview with Joel Reyes Zobel a few minutes ago, Iloilo Vice Governor Rolex Suplico says Neri was demoted in order to make the facilitation of the ZTE deal smoother.

So which is it? Finance policy or ZTE? Will Palmones modify his story given Suplico's statement?

Speaking of Joel Reyes Zobel, this radio commentator made some harsh comments against Rolex Suplico last November for the latter's moves in the Commission of Appointments to block Secretary Teves' confirmation as Finance secretary. Today, he was Suplico's close chum on air.

Video from a Medieval Mass

Following a form of the Mass celebrated according to use of that particular Danish diocese, the name of which I can't spell. Interesting that the celebrant covers the chalice and paten with the corporal at the beginning.

Stirling Engine based hybrid car

This is a no-brainer. There's already Stirling-powered submarine in existence making use of the very same concept. You just need to put wheels on the submarine and voila! The real challenge is putting the damn thing into production as most manufacturers are still skeptical of its feasibility.

Is China a golfer's Mecca?

In discussing the ZTE broadband controversy this morning, Senator Lacson asked rhetorically whether China, and Shenzhen in particular, is a golfer's Mecca.

Well, here's one answer for that.

Actually, golfers have known China as one of the leading golfing destination these days. Cheap and diverse golfing opportunities in China are attracting golfers around the world. Last year, I was talking to a current Senator's brother, an avid golfer himself, and he told me that the Philippines is losing its golfing market to China precisely because of the above. He should know: he runs a golf course south of Manila.

So there's your answer Senator Lacson.

So in 666 we find both "Islam" and "in the name of Allah"

[tin foil hat on]

Get with the program people. The beast is the Pope.

In fact the Pope invented Islam according to a very sane and intelligent individual.

Wait, that means Islams deserves to be called the beast too...

Never mind...

[tin foil hat off]

Taliban beat South Korean hostages as punishment for refusing to convert to Islam

Faith is not necessary for conversion to Islam. Just surrender and you're in.

Better late than never

A belated happy feast of St. Augustine of Hippo to you all:

Like shooting fish...

During the last campaign season, the opposition aired TV ads highlighting a report which supposedly rated the Philippines as the most corrupt country in Asia in an attempt to blemish the administration.

This morning, however, I heard the opposition congressman from Makati state the following:

Yeah, but Boying it's dangerous and it's from Thailand. You know that is the most notoriously corrupt government in the world.

So which is it really Cong. Locsin? The Philippines or Thailand?

Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide

Here's one public service announcement I recommend to all people who think that there ought to be an outright ban on any chemical used for producing food:

We're growing in Dubai

But there are many more immigrants than citizens. Foreigners now make up more than 70 percent of the more than 4 million inhabitants, coming from other Arab countries, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines.

More than half of these foreign workers are Christians. Adding up the figures, Christians account for more than 35 percent of the population of the United Arab Emirates. Around a million of them are Catholic. And it's not only in the UAE – in Saudi Arabia, too, it is estimated that there are already about a million Catholics from the Philippines.

Hardly news to us really. Filipinos are some of leading prime movers of the economy of the United Arab Emirates. But despite this, many Filipinos are ill-treated by their employers. I'm actually glad that the article mentions this.

The Filipino worker's role in UAE, and other middle eastern countries, is highly illustrative of how Filipinos can help Europe. It is not unknown that I advocate the immigration of Filipinos to Europe. It's a win-win solution for problems facing the Philippines and Europe. Population control advocates won't have any proper motivation to get contraceptives into the hands of every man, woman and child in the archipelago since a big lot of Pinoys won't be contributing to the alleged "population explosion" in the country; and Europe will be revitalized by a group possessing a culture more akin to West. Plus Filipinos are hardy workers and consumers. The downtrend in Europe's economy will eventually do an about face with their help and in turn help our own improve.

Trade between the Philippines and Europe isn't that strong. Our largest trading partner remains the US. I'm not saying that the US is bad, but it is risky to put all our trading eggs in one economic basket. Hopefully, more Filipinos in Europe would lead to a diversification in trading partners.

And more importantly, Filipinos hopefully would help revitalize the Christian Faith in Europe. Most Filipinos still are molded in the relatively more traditional form of Catholicism. Hopefully they'll infect the more secular parts of Europe with their brand of piety.

Obviously Filipinos are not perfect. I'm sure there will be friction and conflicts when they flood into Europe in great numbers. But I think they're a better option and less dangerous than those that hail from South Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.