Hindi Tayo Nag-iisa

Supplier Under Scrutiny on Arms for Afghans

"...to arm the Afghan forces that it hopes will lead this fight, the American military has relied since early last year on a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president was a licensed masseur.

With the award last January of a federal contract worth as much as nearly $300 million, the company, AEY Inc., which operates out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan’s army and police forces.

Since then, the company has provided ammunition that is more than 40 years old and in decomposing packaging, according to an examination of the munitions by The New York Times and interviews with American and Afghan officials. Much of the ammunition comes from the aging stockpiles of the old Communist bloc, including stockpiles that the State Department and NATO have determined to be unreliable and obsolete, and have spent millions of dollars to have destroyed."

Galing sa Dispatches from the Culture Wars

Nagtatanong lang

Nung isang araw, pinakiusapan ni Senador Pimentel si Agriculture Secretary Yap na patotohanan kung ang kanyang biyenan ay kasama sa mga rice traders. Kung kasama daw ang biyenan ni Sec. Yap, siguro daw dapat umalis ang biyenan nito sa gawaing ito para walang conflict of interest si Sec. Yap.

Na marinig ni Sec. Yap ang pakiusap ni Sen Pimentel, sabi niya na hindi nangangalakal ng bigas ang kanyang biyenan at hiniling ni Sec. Yap kay Sen. Pimentel sana ay kumuha muna siya ng katibayan bago siya magsalita.

Sa huli sabi ni Sen. Pimentel na wala naman daw siyang ginawang masama dahil nagtatanong lang siya.

Sa kontrobersiyang ito, pumapanig ako kay Sen. Pimentel, nagtatanong nga lang naman siya, ano ba naman ang masama doon? Kung tanungin ba kita kung magnanakaw ang tatay mo, ibig bang sabihin noon ay sinasabi ko na magnanakaw ang tatay mo? Hindi naman di ba? Nagtatanong lang. Ganoon din ang ginawa ni Sen Pimentel, wala namang masama sa pagtatanong di ba?

Censored

I admit it, I'm behind my reading list. I just came across this PDI article about Liveleak hosting a video critical of Islam and the swirling controversy around it. I liked the quote from the Liveleak site

"A person has a simple, clear choice about whether to view this film ... If you click on media simply to be annoyed, it is pointless to blame others for your choice."

Precisely the point. If your a Muslim and do not wish to be offended, then do not watch the film. Unfortunately, there were still people who chose to watch the film and be offended.

Rather than stop watching the film or rebutting the allegations one by one, they preferred no one watches the film altogether. These people threatened the staff of the site so they would remove the offending material. When I tried today to see what the brouhaha was all about, I see this.


Trying to dispel the image of Islam as a violent religion by threatening violence against people seems to me to be counterproductive. But hey, that's just me.

Pity the Skeptic

Nakita ko to sa isang comment sa denialism blog

Skeptic Pitied

FAYETTEVILLE, AR-Craig Schaffner, 46, a Fayetteville-area computer consultant, has earned the pity of friends and acquaintances for his tragic reluctance to embrace the unverifiable, sources reported Monday.

UNO asks Arroyo: Do a Spitzer

So they want President Arroyo to hire prostitutes?

20 Years Ago TODAY (3/12) "Never Gonna Give You Up" hit #1 !

Let's celebrate with some creative rickrolls!

read more | digg story

Hindi sila nakakita ng Dancing Sun

At least 50 people in Kottayam district have reportedly lost their vision after gazing at the sun looking for an image of Virgin Mary. Though alarmed health authorities have installed a signboard to counter the rumor that a solar image of Virgin Mary appeared to the believers, curious onlookers, including foreign travelers, have been thronging...

read more | digg story

E-books

I forgot to bring my books yesterday so I started to read an e-book sent by TOR books. The book "An Old Man's War" by John Scalzi tells of a future Earth where old people enlists to fight for Earth's colonies in return for being made young again. It's an interesting premise, and Mr. Scalzi's novel entertained me enough that I finished it in two days.

I would not have been able to read the book if not for the fact the TOR books have followed in Baen books footsteps and is giving away free e-books of some if its authors for readers to enjoy. I discovered David Weber and John Ringo from Baen's Free Library and I think I will be looking for Mr. Scalzi's novels from here on.

140-year-old math problem - finally solved

A problem, the Schwarz-Christoffel formula which has defeated mathematicians for almost 140 years has been solved by a researcher at Imperial College London.

read more | digg story

I will now wait of Ed Escultura to disprove this. :)

My Irony Meter just Exploded

Honasan cautions anti-Arroyo forces on seeking military help

"Sen. Gringo Honasan said: "The most important thing to do is that we should not divide the military. Do not expect the military and the police to abandon entirely the administration. If you do get some faction, you will divide the only legally armed group in our society.''

Honasan was bothered by how leaders of protest rallies had been irresponsibly calling for the military to initiate a third People Power.

"To those inciting the military, are you wiling to take responsibility in case of an armed confrontation? If it becomes bloody, whether we like it or not, are you all going to stand in the front lines for your beliefs at all cost to find for the truth,'' said Honasan.

Honasan said the military factor was the reason why he chose to remain quiet whenever asked to comment on calls for the President to resign. "I'm not hastening to make any decision whether for or against because I am not ready to take responsibility for what I will say. What if they misinterpret me again?" he said."