Showing posts with label Philippines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philippines. Show all posts

Pigs, Tigers and Doughboys

The upper Midwest is still in the grips of heavy flooding from the Mississippi river. Twenty levees have been overrun this week according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Two levees broke in Illinois today, flooding the town of Meyer. The flood waters have receded in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Behind them is a millions of dollars of damage to 10 square miles of the city.

Quincy, Illinois and Hannibal, Missouri, are two culturally significant towns in the area. Both are threatened by rising waters. I have experience in that area during the the Great Flood of 1993. During the summer that year, I volunteered to may sand bags to reinforce the levees. I urge anyone who reads this and lives near the area, please do what you can to help if you are not in the area affected.


Tiger Woods was able to secure victory at the US Open on Monday. He played 91 holes total to achieve this feat against Rocco Mediate, a 45-year-old golfer who has never won a major and hasn't won a tournament in six years. Prior to the tournament, Tiger Woods had undergone his third surgery on his left knee. He has overstressed his left knee over the years. When he wants more power, i.e. torque, he "snaps" his left knee to make his hips turn faster. This has enabled him to make those stunning drives that he his known for, particularly off the tee.


After the Herculean effort to win the 2008 US Open, which many were comparing to Francis Ouimet's 1913 win US Open (though this comparison was more apt for Rocco Mediate), Woods was found to have torn his ACL and incurred two stress fractures. This makes all those grimaces witnessed during Monday's initial 18 holes telling: Tiger was beating himself up.

Woods is likely going to be out for the remainder of the season. With a tear to the ACL it may be career ending. Love him, hate him or just apathetic, Woods affect on Golf is similar to Ouimet's. In fact, it is likely that Woods would never have played golf if not for that win 95 years ago in Massachusetts. Woods brought many spectators into golf's arena. The interest may linger but some see this as the end of golf's recent renaissance. I'm not willing to declare this. I think interest may continue past any career-ending injury.

But if this is the end, I have to thank Tiger Woods for being a champion in mind, body and spirit. And for bringing the sport to the level of popularity it currently enjoys. Thank You!

(But I think you'll be back)

The President of the United States honored the last living US born WWI veteran today. Frank Woodruff Buckles was born February 1, 1901 in Missouri. When the US entered the war in 1917, Buckles was only 16. He was rejected by the Marines for his weight. So, he signed up for the army and lied about his age claiming he was 21. He served as an ambulance driver in France and after Armistice, he escorted German POWs home. He was discharged in 1920.

After living from 1936 till 1938 in Germany, and seeing the beginnings of Shoa (Holocaust), he relocated to the Philippines. There, during World War II, he was captured by the Japanese and was a prisoner for three years.

His portrait will hang in the US World War I museum as a reminder of our last living link to the Great War. He was awarded the légion d'honneur from then President of France Jacque Chirac in 2003. He has also been after many requests, been accorded the honor of being buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

At the end of ABC's news at 5:30, they had the brains enough to show footage of a rainbow that had just happened during the broadcast. I have to say that is awesome! In the tough times we are going through with everything, it is nice to see something so beautiful. It reminds us all that the simplest things can be some of the most beautiful (not to mention, free). I also may not bea religious, but rainbows are symbolic of hope and remind us to do just that.

Crikey!

Convert now or forever hold your sins. A man calling himself Assam the American called on the US and many non-muslims to convert. As long as Americans are ignorant to Islam, they will accept and even applaud wars and conflicts in Palestine and Lebanon by Israel, according to Assam. He also stated "To Americans and the rest of Christendom we say, either repent [your] misguided ways and enter into the light of truth or keep your poison to yourself", according to the BBC. Assam the Americans' real name is believed to be Adam Gadahn and he is wanted by the FBI for questioning.

Not only does Sudan reject the UN resolution to put Peacekeeping troops on the ground, it also told the African Union, which does have troops there, to leave. Since 2003, fighting between the pro-government military and rebel factions has caused thousands to die, millions to go homeless and suffer hellish conditions. This may indicate that Sudan plans to handle the rebels with military strikes. The AU has reported that rebel held villages in Darfur are already being attacked by troops. Sudan has given the 7,000 strong AU troops till the end of September to leave.

Qatar is sending up to 300 troops to help in Lebanon.

Fresh fighting in the Philippines between Abu Sayyaf rebels and Filipino troops, has claimed five Filipino soldiers and several rebels. The Abu Sayyaf are a militant Muslim terrorists with alleged links to al-Qaeda. According to the BBC, "Troops have been fighting Abu Sayyaf rebels on the remote southern island of Jolo since late July in a bid to flush out leader Khadaffy Janjalani."

India is dealing with floods in two of the strangest places: Rajasthan and Kashmir. Neither know floods intimately. Rajasthan is the Thar Desert, in fact, and usually knows drought. But it was recently flooded by immense monsoon rains and 135 people lost their lives. In Kashmir, 1 person has died after being swept away while 200,000 are effected by the flooding. As many as 200 villages have been "marooned". Villagers are reluctant to leave their homes despite the water. Southern Kashmir and Jammu are the worst effected.

A fire at a chemical plant in the Galicia region in Spain last week, resulted in a highly toxic petroleum spill that is slowy creeping down the Umia river to the Atlantic ocean. Water supplies to residents have been cut off form the river and shell fishing industries have been closed for the interim. In the meantime, the government is trying to prevent the pollution of the Ocean by rigging dams to stop the spill.

Sri Lankan troops have taken control of an area near Trincomalee, a town held by Tamil Tiger rebels. A cease-fire had been declared in 2002 but conflict was sparked earlier this year and continues to excalate.

Two hostages have been taken by inmates in a Russian prison in Moscow. The prison is a pre-trial center. The head of the center is believed to be one of the hostages. The inmates have not made any demands yet

A bomb has gone off at a bar in Bujumbura, Burundi, on the eve of talks reconvening. The National Liberation Forces (FNL) has not signed the peace deal and is the last group. Four people were killed and twelve injured in the explosion.

In Somalia, the provisional government took control of the Baidoa from clan militias. The clans were exacting taxes of $20 on every passenger and $100 on every plane using the airport. After some policement were trying to leave for Kenya for training, conflict broke out. Six died while seven more were left wounded.

In Hyderabad, India, a 60-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her daughter-in-law. Laxmi, the daughter-in-law, supposedly smashed H. Ramabai, the mother-in-law, in the head with a boulder while she slapt. The woman admitted to the Saroornagar police that she had done the deed over criticism on trivial matters. There may have been another motive. Laxmi apparently was having an affair and the older woman discovered it. Desperate Housewives: India?

Gene Therpay has cured two men of skin cancer and may be a highly feasible method of conquering cancer. The method uses T-cells from patients, modifies them and retransfuses them. The cells attack tumor cells rather than ignore them.

Today, Steve Irwin, better known as the Crocodile Hunter, died after being stung by a Sting ray in the shallow waters off Port Douglas, Australia. Reportedly, a barb from the sting ray punctured his heart. Paramedics rushed to the scene but were unable to do anything for the wildlife enthusiast. He is survived by his wife Terri and their two children, Bindi Sue and Robert "Bob" Clarence. He was 44.

On this day back in 1781, Los Angeles was founded by the Spanish.

On this day in 1888, George Eastman registered his Kodak camera that used rolls. It would be 100 years and then some before the next big innovation in cameras: Digital.

34 years ago, Mark Spitz won his seventh gold medal in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. He set a record that still stands today. Many a male swimmer contends to break this record. In 2008, will it be Phelps or Thorpe?