Eclipse and the International Space Station

In a partial solar eclipse yesterday, our Moon partly covered the sun. Photographer Thierry Legault found something interesting while taking pictures of the eclipse, The International Space Station.

Source: gizmodo.com

Jet-propelled Flying Squid

Looks fake right? We all heard of the flying fish but a flying squid? These are real photos taken south of Japan by British photographer Graham Ekins, a retired deputy head teacher from Boreham, Essex. About 1,000 kilometres off the Bonin Islands in the north Pacific, just in Japanese waters. One of the most bizarre sights you'll ever see in our world.

The flying squid or "Todarodes pacificus" in Latin are eight inch-long blue creatures. The flying squid swim in shoals and leap from the surface of the water which uses jet propulsion to leap out of the sea and fly up to 65feet to avoid predators. The squid fly looking backwards, with their tentacles dangling behind them and fins acting like wings, keeping them balanced in the air.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Being Pro-Active is Metro Manila's Traffic Solution

What is pro-ac·tive? Be definition it means acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty or tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events. This is the attitude that the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) and PNP(Philippine National Police) should have.

I was curious of the word when Lila Delima said in an interview that the police should be pro-active. And after seeing every possible definition, I said to myself, our traffic officials are not pro-active. If you drive in metro manila, you would know what i mean. 

Metro Manila have lots of uneducated, unlicensed and reckless drivers. But does the MMDA and PNP do anything about it? I'll give you scenarios and let us see. 

Pedicab/tricycle counterflowed

Pedicab/tricycle  beats a red light

Pedicab/tricycle swerves in front of you

Public jeepneys and buses beats a red light

Public jeepneys and buses stops in the middle of the road

Public jeepneys and buses swerves from left side to right side of a 4 lane road

You see these things happen while the MMDA and PNP is around. Yet they do nothing. but if a private vehicle does these violations, things would be different. MMDA and PNP are bias to private vehicles. Either they are scared of these violators in the public sector or they are being paid. Either way this is the main causes of traffic jams in Metro Manila. 

This is where pro-active should be practiced. If MMDA and PNP are pro-active and enforce the law and traffic rules to all drivers and vehicles, no matter how small, big, poor, rich, powerful they are, traffic would be smoother in metro manila. Is this too much ask?

Sun Wireless Broadband Very-Slow Download Speed

Sun Wireless Broadband is not worth it! They create false advertising. Maybe at first they really give what they offer on ads, but now I can say despise Sun Broadband. I'm still using Sun Wireless Broadband now because of the 2 years bond. I really regret it. 

At first I was really satisfied and the download speeds was fast. But now its so slow! My top download speed for P2P is 10kbps, unlike before with 100-150kbps. Yes! That's how much they decreased the speed. And not to mention blocking facebook. I hope someone with high power can sue Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc. (DMPI).

Watch the video below and see if you can relate or experienced the same thing.

DO NOT USE OR APPLY FOR A POSTPAID SUN WIRELESS BROADBAND

Show your complains with Sun Wireless Broadband in Twitter @suncelltweets

"TheOxide18" Posted a great video explaining why Sun Broadband creates false advertising on their Sun Broadband ads. "A video documenting the decrease in downlink profile assignments of Plan 799 POSTPAID SBW subscribers from 2048 kbps to only 640 kbps. Speed comparisons between PREPAID SBW and POSTPAID SBW will show that POSTPAID is slower than PREPAID. The PREPAID connection can reach speeds of up to 2 Mbps while the POSTPAID connection never does (only less than 1 Mbps) If you experience the same problems, let the NTC know by sending your complaints to ospac@ntc.gov.ph"

Check your speed by visiting http://speedtest.net/ 

This is my current speed using the Sun Wireless Broadband with full Signal in Metro Manila

Dramatic Animal Fight at Kruger National Park

(Please view the full article if you do not see the video. Some browsers may have compatibility issues.)

Saw this old amateur video showing a battle between pride of lions,  a herd of buffalo and two crocodiles at a watering hole in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Two buffalo and a calf went near the pride, when they were too close, the pride went after the weakest, which was the calf. About when they were about to pull the calf away from the water, two crocodiles appeared and they were playing tag of war, the calf being the rope. The pride got the calf back, but as they turn around, the two parent buffalo called for reinforcements. Hundreds of them surrounded the pride. As to my surprise the calf was still moving. What happened next?

Just watch the video, and your mouth will stay open the whole time. Now I know why it has over 57 Million views of YouTube.

Actor Killed by Barangay Tanod While Filming

Kirk Abella, an actor and full-time waiter was shot last Saturday night while filming in Barangay Parian, Cebu City. The Barangay Tanod Edgardo Cuizon, mistook him for a real criminal and shot him in the back. Abella was 32 and left behind an eight-year-old son with his former girlfriend.

The attack happened in the fifth take of a scene of a documentary film, “Going Somewhere.” In which Abella and his partner dramatized the drive-by shootings that hit the city a few years back. They rode a motorcycle and wore black masks and jackets. Abella was the back rider.

Cuizon then was resting in his home when a neighbor woke him and told him that there were armed persons in the neighborhood. He immediately went to the are where Abella and the crew is filming.  

"He reportedly approached the motorcycle, held on to its rear and introduced himself as a barangay enforcer. But the motorcycle allegedly sped off. Cuizon was dragged and wounded on his knees. When he saw the back rider, Abella, draw out a gun, he also pulled out an unlicensed .357 revolver. He shot Abella, hitting him in the back. Abella was rushed to the Perpetual Succour Hospital, where he later died." [http://www.sunstar.com.ph]

That's the problem with most tanods in our barangays. They lack education and are trying too hard to be police officers. MAYABANG is the word for most of them. Look at Edgardo Cuizon, he owns an unlicensed gun and even if it is licensed, he does not have the right to shoot. If someone tells you there's armed men, you should investigate and call the police if necessary. I hope he goes to jail to teach all barangay tanods to be responsible and teach civilians to assign their tanods carefully. Barangay Tanods are helpful when you put the right people. How about your Barangay? do you have MAYABANG tanods or any barangay officials?

Nothing Wrong With Rich Becoming Richer

Politicians always say that the cause of poverty in the Philippines is the rich are becoming richer. I don't get it. What's wrong with that? Common sense tells me that the rich has more probability of becoming richer because they have the guts and the money to invest on businesses with high probability of huge returns.

Take for example a middle-class man having an idea for a business. If he had pursued that idea, he would have became a millionaire. But he did not pursue it, because of the 20% risk of it not working. But take this scenario and place a upper-class man with the same idea. He would have pursued that idea in a heart-bit, together with necessary research and studies, he would have and will become richer. 

Now for the other side of the coin. The poor is getting poorer. This I think can be avoided. If you think about it, where did the rich came from? most of them came from the poor with nothing. They changed their lives with hard work and one bright idea. We can fix this problem by changing the following:

1. Government being strict on businesses giving the proper minimum wage.

2. Government giving affordable housing. 

3. Government should educate and enforce good family planning.

4. Government should be strict on enforcing the law.

The poor should not look at the rich. They should look at
themselves and the government. I might be wrong. I have no facts or research to back up what I wrote. So feel free to correct me. Cheers!

Are Makati's Smoke-Belching Checkpoints Legal?

Makati ASBU and its officers are full of crap. They have preferences when they apprehend vehicles on their Smoke-Belching check points. They flag down only diesel vehicles, specially delivery aluminum closed vans, L-300s, L-200s. I know this is because delivery vans are the most likely offenders. But don't you think its unfair? They are unfair in so many ways.

They  are bias and don't dare flag down Pajeros, Patrols (Maybe the driver's politician), PUJs and PUBs (Most likely paid them). The people administering the emission tests are not

even qualified. They push the pedal to quickly, which is not the proper way. They don't clean the hose of the emission test machines.

Their aim is not to clean the streets of smoke belchers, but to have a permit to be a smoke belcher! Only in Makati? More on this Click here

image via http://wn.com/

Philippines Sets New World Record for Mentos Soda Geyser/Fountain

The Philippines has broken the world record for the most soda fountains/geysers. The previous record by Mexico is 2,433 soda fountains.

The Philippines now holds the world record and produced exactly 2,856 soda geysers simultaneously. The 2,856 participants are mostly students from Rizal Technical University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Adamson University, University of the Philippines,  Jose Rizal University and

company employees of Benby, Coca-cola and Perfetti Van Melle took part in record-breaking event at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

There was also appearances of Internet sensations, Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz of EepyBird who became famous through their “Extreme Diet Coke and Mentos Experiments” video.

According to the duo, the whole Coke and Mentos experiment came about simply through sheer curiosity, “The phenomenon of Mentos geysers started 20 years ago, we tried it and unlike other people, we actually spent six months coming up with experiments, then 48 hours after making and uploading our first video, our lives were changed forever,” shares Fritz, who was a mathematician and professional juggler before becoming ½ of EepyBird.[www.clickthecity.com]

To produce soda geysers, Mentos candies are drop into a soda bottle causing a physical reaction between the soda and the sugar from the candy, seting off “soda fountains” or "soda geysers".

Watch this video produced by Yahoo! Southeast Asia reporter Jason Domantay.

Philippine Police's Stupid and Insensitive Photos

What the?

What the???

This is a joke!

How can the bloodbath be avoided?

More About the Hostage Crisis 

Philippine Hostage Crisis : What Went Wrong?

Image from in.reuters.com

Mistake 1: Hostage Taker Mendoza asks for a media representative to interview him and share his demands but was denied.

Mistake 2: One of the Hostage Negotiator was the vice mayor of Manila. A former Philippine actor with no experience whatsoever in these situations.

Mistake 3: The Philippine Police did not made an effort to contain the area and give certain safe-zones for media and civilians.

Mistake 4: The Philippine Police did not use

the the freed hostages efficiently to update or come up with a strategy.

Mistake 5: The Philippine Police arrested the brother of the hostage taker. In front of live television. Which the gunman saw on the on-board TV in the bus. Provoking him to fire his M-16.

Mistake 6: Philippine Police shot the Bus's tires, aggravating the hostage taker even further. 

Mistake 7: They assaulted the bus basing and without confirming what a confused and scared driver saying all the hostages are dead. 

Mistake 8: There was no media black out when the decided to assault the bus. Which removes the element of surprise.

Mistake 9: The Philippine Police did not send the SWAT to assault the bus, which was its purpose. But I doubt there would be any difference. 

Mistake 10: The Philippine Police foolishly smashed windows, doors and windshields with a hammer, causing the hostage taker to fire shots and making him confused even more.

Mistake 11: By the looks of the movement of the Philippine Police during assault, there was no Plan B, C or D. Just plan A. So when Plan A failed, all of them didn't know what to do and just did what's the first thing came to their empty heads. 

Mistake 12: The Philippine Police did not plan for the worst. Which I think is a must with this kinds of situations. The Philippine Police should have asks lot of "WHAT IFs". What if negotiations fails? What if a hostage is shot? What if the hostage taker decide to move the bus? What if he shoots warning shots? What if there's a TV in the bus? If the Philippine Police asked these questions, maybe, just maybe the worst could have been avoided.

Stupid and insensitive Pictures

More About the Hostage Crisis 

Neighbor’s Warehouse on Fire Twice in a Week

I have never seen a real fire before and what luck to have a fire right beside my home. The first fire happened on June 4 Friday 2 am I think. We were sleeping then. Our other neighbor was kind enough to press the door bell so many times to wake us up. The fire was small and the fire volunteers were quick to respond. Then when everything seems to be under control we went back to sleep.

Come Sunday lunch, fire started again on the same warehouse. This time the fire was larger. The nearest government fire department responded first this time. I’m guessing its Sunday maybe volunteers are a bit slow to respond.  It took them
almost two hours to control the fire. 

We assumed that the second fire was caused by the first fire. Maybe the fire got trapped and was not seen by the fire bureau. They did not want to let the owner clean up the warehouse and get all of the stocks out because they said it was still under investigation. Note that they were the one who checked and declared the fire was out.  There were still so many stocks that were not damaged after the first fire. Now after the second fire almost all are affected. Hopefully the insurance will cover everything.