Is this the world's most dangerous construction zone?
In Bacolod City a section of road is being torn up so that the sewage system can be upgraded. Take a look at these photos and tell me this is not the most dangerous and unsafe construction zone you have ever seen. A huge open chasm with no protective barriers. Workers in sandals and shorts. The road literally crumbling and liable to break underneath the weight of traffic.
How is this allowed??? Whoever is responsible for this needs to be fired immediately.
Look at how close we are driving to this deep open hole!
None of these workers are wearing protective gear of any kind! This is a major safety violation.
A deep open chasm with absolutely no protective barriers! Some careless driver, and there are plenty of those to go around, could fall right in! So could any of the numerous stray dogs or even a stray drunk!
The road is literally crumbling away and these drivers don't even realise the danger they are in. The flimsy barrier is not even standing in place.
DANGER DEEP EXCAVATION!!??
Yeah we can all see that but how is that safety tape going to prevent a wayward motorist from falling into the crevice? How will that flimsy string prevent the road from crumbling? Why are there no workers hurrying to finish the job except for a few idiots wearing absolutely no protective gear?
There needs to be concrete safety barriers along the edge of the chasm to prevent anyone from falling in.
Concrete safety barriers
Someone's head should roll for this unsafe and potentially deadly nightmare. This unsafe and dangerous construction zone screams either incompetence or wilful negligence. Someone must be held accountable. Every jeepney, taxi, car, and truck that passes down this road is in grave and immediate danger from the road crumbling beneath them or from falling into the deep open pit!
These pictures show an incredible Philippine Fail!!!
I love coffee. Every morning and in the afternoon I have a very large cup. It's the equivalent of 2.5 cups. Years ago I used to sit in the cafe reading and drinking coffee for hours. Living in the Philippines or anywhere in SEA means access to the world's rarest coffee: Kopi Luwak.
Kopi luwak (Indonesian pronunciation: [ˈkopi ˈlu.aʔ]), or civet coffee, refers to the coffee that includes part-digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus).
Producers of the coffee beans argue that the process may improve coffee through two mechanisms, selection and digestion. Selection occurs if the civets choose to eat cherries. Digestive mechanisms may improve the flavor profile of the coffee beans that have been eaten. The civet eats the cherries for the fleshy pulp, then in the digestive tract, fermentation occurs. The civet's protease enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. Passing through a civet's intestines the cherries are then defecated with other fecal matter and collected.
The first time I drank this coffee was in Manila at a place called the Frazzled Cook.
I don't remember the taste. It was coffee. It was black. That's how it tasted to me. Like black coffee. I could not tell that the beans had passed through the intestines of an animal on its journey to my cup. Look, the cup even has Alamid written beneath a picture of the creature. How cute and authentic. The price was authentic too. I think it was 750 pesos for one cup. I had two and I bought a bag of whole beans for 3000 pesos.
The second time I was able to drink this rare coffee was in Kuala Lumpr.
Again I do not remember the taste. It was coffee. It was black. And it was about $50 for a cup if I recall correctly. I was told by the owner of the cafe that she personally selects the Kopi Luwak beans and that they are authentic. See how they are stored in what looks like a small apothecary's bottle? See how she poured them out onto a plate to inspect like they are magic beans?
It would be inauthentic and suspicious if the beans came in large numbers since the traditional way to gather these beans is to allow the civet to eat what he selects and harvest them from wherever he chooses to drop them. If you ever come across large amounts of civet beans then you can read assure they are either fake or they are not collected the traditional way which is very problematic.
The traditional method of collecting feces from wild civets has given way to intensive farming methods in which civets in battery cage systems are force-fed the cherries. This method of production has raised ethical concerns about the treatment of civets due to "horrific conditions" including isolation, poor diet, small cages and a high mortality rate. Intensive farming is also criticised by traditional farmers because the civets do not select what they eat, so the cherries which are fed to them in order to flavor the coffee are of poor quality compared to those beans collected from the wild. According to an officer from the TRAFFIC conservation programme, the trade in civets to make kopi luwak may constitute a significant threat to wild civet populations.
At a market in Kuala Lumpur I did come across large cans of civet beans for sale which automatically set off my warning radar. It was obviously fake. I asked the seller how they were harvested and he reassured me it was the traditional method and that the coffee was genuine. Very doubtful.
The third time I had the pleasure of drinking a cup of the world's rarest and most expensive coffee was a few days ago. At the mall.
This coffee tasted sharply bitter. A little tangy. I don't know how to describe it really. It tasted like black coffee. The thrill is knowing that you are drinking a coffee brewed from beans which passed through an animal's intestines and then out his butt. Don't tell anyone but harvesting coffee beans from faeces is the only way the slaves were able to obtain beans to drink.
The origin of kopi luwak is closely connected with the history of coffee production in Indonesia. In the early 18th century the Dutch established the cash-crop coffee plantations in their colony in the Dutch East Indies islands of Java and Sumatra, including Arabica coffee introduced from Yemen. During the era of Cultuurstelsel(1830–70), the Dutch prohibited the native farmers and plantation workers from picking coffee fruits for their own use. Still, the native farmers wanted to have a taste of the famed coffee beverage. Soon, the natives learned that certain species of musang or luwak (Asian palm civet) consumed the coffee fruits, yet they left the coffee seeds undigested in their droppings. The natives collected these luwaks' coffee seed droppings, then cleaned, roasted and ground them to make their own coffee beverage. The fame of aromatic civet coffee spread from locals to Dutch plantation owners and soon became their favourite, yet because of its rarity and unusual process, the civet coffee was expensive even during the colonial era.
I am wary of this third experience. 200 pesos for a cup of the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world? I don't believe it. The barista assured me it was genuine. The tiny amount of beans assured me that it was genuine. The relatively high cost, relative to everything else on the menu, assured me that it was genuine. I have passed by this coffee stand many times and I do not recall seeing that they sold civet coffee. It could be that I was not paying attention but it could be that this is a brand new offering.
It's nice to think I can go to the mall and buy a cup of the world's rarest and most expensive coffee for 200 pesos but after all the trouble I have had buying authentic honey I have my doubts and like any good skeptic must suspend my judgement on the matter for now.
Apparently whoever made this sign did not know that April is national and not world haemophilia awareness month. In the USA, for example, haemophilia awareness month is March.
However, April 17th is world haemophilia awareness day.
Month, day, anyone could mix that up quite easily.
"April is world haemophilia month celebration."
Really? Haemophilia celebration? No. April is national haemophilia awareness month and April 17th is international haemophilia awareness day. There is no celebration. Haemophilia is a disease where a person's blood does not clot so they keep bleeding if they are cut. A tiny cut could kill a person with haemophilia. What is there to celebrate about that?
The whole point is awareness.
Sadly, there are many life-threatening medical conditions that many of us know little to nothing about, unless we happen to have a family member who suffers from such a condition. Thankfully, nowadays most people realize how very important it is to get the word out about various diseases in order to raise awareness about the difficulties some of those around us have to deal with every day. Hemophilia Awareness Month was created to do just that: shed some light on a condition that is still unknown to many, and find ways to help hemophiliacs who may feel all alone with their problems, or simply lack the financial means necessary to keep their illness under control. In short, hemophilia is a disease that prevents the blood from clotting after an injury, meaning that a sufferer simply bleeds on and on, something that can easily cause serious health consequences, or even death.
Granted the page linked to tells one how to celebrate haemophilia awareness month but there is still not a celebration and no one calls it World Hemophilia Celebration Day. It's all to raise money for research to find a cure. Every disease has its month or day or week and the point of these days is to raise money for research.
"April is world haemophilia month celebration."
Everything about that statement is wrong. April is national haemophilia awareness month here in the Philippines and April 17th is World Haemophilia Day. There is no celebration. Only awareness and fund raising.
The person who made this banner must be out of their head. The logo of the Haemophilia Advocates Philippines is prominently displayed which means they are likely responsible for the error. How is it possible that a group dedicated solely to raising awareness of haemophilia could mess up this bad? Hopefully they will correct the error before next year's Haemophilia Awareness Month rolls around.
Fake news spread via social media is polluting discourse everywhere. But in the Philippines it is an especially troubling problem. In the USA there are no Senators relying on Facebook posts or dubious news sources to inform them. Certainly you won't find any U.S. Senators accusing their colleagues of plotting their political demise based on some tweet or post.
Senator Cynthia Villar on Wednesday said “someone from social media” warned her about two minority senators who have been plotting to destroy their colleagues in the majority coalition of the Senate.
Villar later identified them to be Senators Bam Aquino and Risa Hontiveros.
Both Aquino and Hontiveros vehemently denied plotting against the Senate majority.
“I just want to make a manifestation. It’s really somebody from social media who told me before long time ago that there are two senators who are going to destroy us,” Villar said during the Senate regular session.
First of all who talks like this? I want to make a manifestation? That is awkward and improper English. I want to make a statement. I want to make a disclosure. Both of those are correct. I want to make a manifestation? That is the speech of someone who is not very bright but wants to be seen as very bright. She is using big words because big words equals smart.
If Sen. Villar wishes to come across as smart she would be better off shutting her mouth.
Proverbs 17:28: Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
Second of all she is making a damning accusation based on nothing more than a Facebook rumour. Who is this somebody who told Sen. Villar that two senators are going to destroy the majority? How long ago did they say this? How exactly are two senators going to destroy the majority?
Let's read some more of this article and try to follow her logic and reasoning process.
Before the session started, Villar said Aquino and Hontiveros were allegedly “out to destroy the majority.” The senator could not say what the intention was behind the alleged demolition job.
She said this as she lamented about the criticisms thrown at her and six other majority senators for allegedly not signing a resolution urging President Duterte to stop the senseless killings, especially of children and minors.
Villar and the rest of the six senators who did not sign the Senate Resolution No. 516, said the document did not reach their office.
When the issue broke out, Villar said she surmised that “maybe this is the beginning” of the demolition plot.
But later in the session, she said she did not believe the warning she has been receiving against Aquino and Hontiveros.
“I didn’t believe it. It’s just that when I saw that blog, then I started thinking that it was really true and I want to clarify with Senators Bam and Risa they told me really that Senators Bam and Risa are trying to destroy us,” she said.
What happened is that a few Senators did not sign a resolution condemning the drug war killings. Those Senators were then criticised for this on a blog. Because Sen. Villar and the others were criticised she immediately thought "maybe this is the beginning" of a demolition plot that somebody on social media told her about "long time ago." And after airing her concerns that Aquino and Hontiveros are out to demolish the majority Sen. Villar claimed she does not even believe her own accusations are true!!!
IF SHE DOES NOT EVEN BELIEVE IT THEN WHY DID SHE BRING IT UP????!!!!!
Dear reader, in the words of Sen. Villar, I want to make a manifestation. Philippine politics is a petty, no-good, circus side-show full of imbeciles, entertainers, corruption, and a blatant disregard for the best interests of the people in favour of the best interests of the politicians bank accounts. Sen. Villar and her ilk, which is to say every single one of her colleagues in the House, the Senate, and Malacañang is a retard. Not a progressive one in the bunch. Every single member of the government from the elected official to the appointed bureaucrat is a retard holding back the Philippines from economic and social progress.
Anyone with any sense would get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick their head out, and yell: ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take this anymore!’
But truth be told Filipinos do not have much of any sense. Sen.Villar is a reflection of the people who voted her into office and sadly Filipinos appear to be the most gullible people group on the face of the earth. Facebook only worsens the problem with people quickly able to spread lies which easily fool the people.
So much for gullible Filipinos who waste their time on Facebook sharing untruths. But how can they trust any source of information when even the mouth of the president is a fount of lies?
Also asked about the propriety of the President giving out wrong information, Abella said that it is just Duterte’s “unorthodox” way of doing things.
Duterte is not a liar. He's just unorthodox. But to be unorthodox is to be a heretic. To be a heretic is to espouse lies. So in the end Duterte is a liar no matter what term they wish to use to clean him up.
Duterte's methods are typical of Philippine politics. Petty, fearful, and ridiculous. Everyone is trying to oust everyone else. There is no reaching across the aisle. There are only calls for impeachment and accusations of graft, conspiracy, and unethicallness.
Sen. Trillanes features prominently in most of the above stories but he is not the only politician accusing others of misconduct and filing cases here and there and everywhere and making a mockery of the government while claiming to be fighting the good fight against corruption. Sen. Risa Hontiveros has also recently had a complaint filed against her for kidnapping and wiretapping.
In an interview after the filing, Paras said he filed the complaint in response to a challenge posed by the senator.
“Since she challenged us to file a case, pinag-aralan namin,” Paras said.
Since she challenged us? It's all a game to these people. I dare you. I double dare you! Oh yeah! Same to you!
Well I triple double dog dare any Philippine Senator or member of the House to launch an investigation into the government's prior knowledge of the Marawi siege.
Go ahead. I dare you! Do it! What are you, some kind of chicken? Bawk-bawk-bawwwwwwk!!!!
It's all to be expected from a nation where any actor with no training in the law or politics can run for office and win simply because he or she were part of a popular love team everyone loves.
The following last bit of information is from 2013 and concerns the 2012 elections. But what has changed substantially in 5 years? Has a system been set in place to weed out convicted criminals and those with criminal cases against them from being able to run for elected office? For all Duterte's talk about rooting out corruption has he even broached this issue of criminals being allowed to run and be elected to office? What kind of nation is it when criminals are allowed to run the government?
The database of the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court on cases filed from 1979 to 2012 shows that at least 504 candidates who ran in last month’s elections are respondents in 1,883 cases for graft and other crimes.
Of the 504 candidates with cases, 256 were elected or re-elected in the latest balloting, which drew a total of 45,147 candidates for all positions.
The charges against the 504 candidates range from plunder to malversation of public funds, usurpation of duties, giving undue advantage to favored or unqualified private parties, soliciting gifts in exchange for favors, and entering into contracts disadvantageous to the government, among others.
A handful of other cases imputed grave crimes against these candidates who are supposed to combat crime: unlawful arrest and arbitrary detention, threat and coercion, physical injuries, obstruction of justice, bribery, estafa, malicious mischief, slander, nepotism, illegal use of alias, and even robbery, homicide, and murder.
Of the winners, 17 had been convicted, while six others had pleaded guilty of the charges leveled against them.
On appeal, however, the Supreme Court subsequently acquitted five of the 17 convicted. In separate rulings though, the high court and the Court of Appeals sustained the conviction of three other candidates.
Of the accused, at least 256 won elective positions, including 19 who ran unopposed. They are respondents in 1,124 cases before the Sandiganbayan.
Among the winners, too, are 77 more candidates with pending cases and still undergoing trial before the Sandiganbayan.
Philippine politics is beyond a joke. And the people love to have it so.
Jeremiah 5:30: ¶A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
Jeremiah 5:31: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
That means: "Don't piss here." Public urination is a problem here in the Philippines. Men, and also women but not as often, simply turn towards a wall or walk towards a bush and start pissing whenever they feel the urge to go. What a public health nuisance. It is impossible to take a picture of a smell so look a these photos and just imagine the horrid, overpowering stench of urine after it has been drying on the sidewalk in the sun.
Dried urine on the sidewalk
Gross! It might not be so bad if these guys pissed in the dirt since the urine would be absorbed into the earth instead of just sitting there stinking up the area. Its not enough that there are literally packs of roaming stray dogs fouling up the roads and sidewalks but grown men are also acting like dogs and pissing wherever they please.
This will be the first of many posts dedicated to documenting this phenomena of public urination in the Philippines.
