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SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PAYDAY LOANS?

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RANDOM THOUGHTS FOR CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS

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2 bomb blasts hit south Philippine city, killing 2

Digg Facebook Newsvine del.icio.us Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks Print By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer Jim Gomez, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 6 mins ago AP – Debris are scattered outside the JBC Bargain Center department store following an explosion Thursday … MANILA, Philippines – Two crude bombs packed with nails exploded minutes apart Thursday at a department store and a nearby clothing shop packed with Christmas shoppers in the southern Philippines, killing two people and wounding 48, officials said.

No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts in Iligan, a predominantly Christian city, but officials have blamed Muslim rebels for similar attacks in the volatile region in the past few months.

The homemade bombs were both placed at the baggage counters of the two stores, which are about 100 feet (30 meters) apart, said Iligan city police chief Virgilio Ranes.

Two workers were killed and 48 people were wounded, including two in critical condition, hospital officials told The Associated Press.

Roger Alforque said his wife was handing some belongings to an attendant at the baggage counter of the Uni City department store in Iligan's busy downtown area when an explosion rocked the counter.

The blast sounded like a powerful firecracker "but it caused a lot of damage," he told the AP by telephone from an Iligan hospital. The blast knocked his wife unconscious and wounded him and his 10-year-old daughter.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is scheduled to visit Iligan on Friday to inaugurate a vinegar processing plant, condemned the bombings.

"The government will not stop hunting these terrorists until they are put behind bars," Arroyo spokesman Anthony Golez said.

Iligan Mayor Lawrence Cruz said security cameras at one store captured images of a man and woman suspected of depositing the bag that contained the bomb.

He said the city government in the past two weeks received threats warning of bombings in Iligan's shopping malls and other public areas.

Ranes said police have been on alert for months in Iligan, about 485 miles (780 kilometers) southeast of Manila, due to threats from Muslim rebels.

Sporadic clashes between government troops and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an 11,000-strong rebel group fighting for self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation's south, erupted in August after the country's top court scrapped a preliminary accord on an expanded Muslim autonomous region.

More than 100 civilians and dozens of combatants have been killed.

Rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu condemned the attacks and said the government should investigate the blasts before blaming Muslim guerrillas.

"We condemn this to the highest degree," he said. "We won't pursue our cause by killing innocent people."

Officials of Iligan, an industrial hub of more than 300,000 people, have strongly objected to a plan to annex a part of their city to the Muslim region.

The government has subsequently put peace talks on hold, although it recently indicated it was ready to restart negotiations.

___

Associated Press writers Hrvoje Hranjski and Oliver Teves contributed to this report.

CHRISTMAS

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Two types of jealousy

Most people don't know there are two types of jealousy: reactive and suspicious. Reactive jealousy is when you become aware of an actual threat to your relationship. This threat could have happened years go or it may be anticipated in the future, but the feeling always occurs in response to a realistic danger. Suspicious jealousy arises when your partner hasn't done anything wrong and your suspicions or feelings do not fit the facts at hand.
Suspicious jealousy leads to anger or mistrustful behaviors to confirm your thoughts and suspicions. This distinction is important, because everybody feels reactive jealousy when they realize their partner has been unfaithful or may be distancing themselves from the relationship.
However, people vary in their tendencies to feel suspicious jealousy in the absence of any real danger.
However, people vary in their tendencies to feel suspicious jealousy in the absence of any real danger.

Rob Pattinson---Bite --- Me----Please

CHRISTMAS

Tell me Something that I don't know

The Good News and Bad News About Being Highly Sensitive

The Pros

What this difference in arousability [remember, we're not talking sex--in that category I'm looking for things to fire me up, not calm me down] means is that you notice levels of stimulation that go unobserved by others. This is true whether we are talking about subtle sounds, sights, or physical sensations like pain. It is not that your hearing, vision, or other senses are more acute (plenty of HSPs wear glasses). The difference seems to lie somewhere on the way to the brain or in the brain, in a more careful processing of information. We reflect more on everything. And we sort things into finer distinctions [like analyzing where, exactly, whistling Elmo was made, and where he will end up once his batteries run out]. Like those machines that grade fruit by size--we sort into ten sizes while others sort into two or three.

This greater awareness of the subtle tends to make you more intuitive [don't you love it when people tell you that?...you're so intuitive....], which simply means picking up and working through information in a semiconscious or unconscious way. The result is that you often "just know" without realizing how. Furthermore, this deeper processing of subtle details causes you to consider the past or future more. You "just know" how things got to be the way they are or how they are going to turn out. This is that "sixth sense" people talk about. It can be wrong, of course, just as your eyes and ears can be wrong, but your intuition is right often enough that HSPs tend to be visionaries, high intuitive artists, or inventors, as well as more conscientious, cautious, and wise people [the same reason that cheating in school gave me stomach and head aches, whereas my sister could do it pretty naturally].

The Cons

The downside of the trait shows up at more intense levels of stimulation [like at Disney World or Toys-R-Us]. What is moderately arousing for most people is highly arousing for HSPs. What is highly arousing for most people [Chuck E. Cheese] causes an HSP to become very frazzled indeed [running to the restroom to have a panic attack], until they reach a shutdown point called "transmarginal inhibition" [lecturing a spouse about the crisis of consumerisim, global warming, and landfills in aisle five of Toys-R-Us]. Transmarginal inhibition was first discussed around the turn of the century by the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, who was convinced that the most basic inherited difference among people was how soon they reach this shutdown point and that the quick-to-shut-down have a fundamentally different type of nervous system.

The Package Deal

No one likes being overaroused [nonsexually], HSP or not. A person feels out of control, and the whole body warns that it is in trouble. Overarousal often means failing to perform at one's best. Of course, it can also mean danger. An extra dread of overarousal may even be built into all of us. Since a newborn cannot run or fight or even recognize danger, it is best if it howls at anything new, anything arousing at all, so that grown-ups can come and rescue it.

Like the fire department, we HSPs mostly respond to false alarms. But if our sensitivity saves a life even once, it is a trait that has a genetic payoff. So, yes, when our trait leads to overarousal, it is a nuisance. But it is part of a package deal with many advantages.

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ANIMALS IN THE ZOO

MOVIES

RP's best teachers are leaving in droves

For hundreds of Filipino teachers who have given up on their disproportionate salaries in the country, a future in the United States seems to be the best option. And then, there's also China.

Filipino teachers are highly esteemed abroad and are paid up to 10 times their salaries in the Philippines.

Because of the attractive salary rates and other incentives for their families, there has been an increasing number of Filipinos pursuing teaching jobs overseas. In the process, the Philippines is losing many of its better, if not the best, teachers in specialty subjects like Science, Mathematics and English.

Emerita Cervantes took a one-year leave from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños and accepted a teaching job in a university in Fujian province, China.

"I'm proud of what I'm doing in China," she declared. "I can still recall that on my first day at the university, my students asked me where I come from. When I answered, 'Philippines,' they asked, 'Where is the Philippines?' Not one in my six classes (total of 270 students) knew anything about the Philippines. Now, it's a different story. Little by little the Filipino English teacher is gaining respect," she said.

"Even on the train, I often get requests (through some Chinese passengers who speak a little English) to teach English, on the spot. The train often becomes an 'English Corner.'

"I am proud to be a Filipino and to do my share in improving other countries' perception of the Philippines. I hope, though, that the Philippine government, through the Department of Labor and Employment, will be a little stricter in screening overseas job applicants, especially professionals, to make sure that only the qualified ones are sent for overseas work," Cervantes said.

In an attempt to somehow curb the trend of the country's best teachers leaving for overseas jobs, bills have been filed in Congress seeking to upgrade the salary rates of teachers. However, the proposed rates still pales in comparison with the salary offers overseas.

House Bill No. 800 or the “Act Upgrading the Minimum Salary Grade Level of Public School Teachers in the Elementary And Secondary Levels from Grade 10 to 15" is geared towards providing public school teachers a much-needed wage hike.

"Our teachers are not accorded due recognition and importance they deserve, their salaries are insultingly low and with the high cost of living today, it is no wonder that the best and brightest among them are now teaching abroad, or worse, have migrated to work as caregivers or domestic helpers," said Caloocan City Rep. Mary Mitzi L. Cajayon, author of HB 800 at the House of Representatives.

Cajayon airs the side of the much underpaid yet overworked professionals in the country who, aside from performing their jobs as teachers, would also endanger their lives when being called to serve during local and national elections.

"This could be done by giving our public school teachers --who are unappreciated, overworked, and underpaid -- proper incentives, such as increasing their minimum salary grade level from Grade 10 to 15," said Cajayon.

A similar bill is introduced at the Senate by Senator Edgardo Angara but with a bigger adjustment of salary rates from Grade 10 to 19.

A public school teacher under a Salary Grade 10 receives a gross pay of P9, 939 a month.

A Salary Grade 15 teacher gets P12, 546 a month and a Salary Grade 19 teacher is entitled to a monthly salary of P16, 792.

“There is a need to upgrade the minimum salary grade level of teachers from Salary Grade 10 to 19, which corresponds to almost P6,000 increase in their monthly basic salaries. With this increase in salaries, more qualified and competent educators will be attracted to teach in public schools," wrote Angara in his bill’s explanatory note.

The proposed salary adjustment does not seem adequate to entice emigrating teachers to just stay or come back home.

In the United States, for instance, a Filipino teacher in Maryland is offered a starting annual salary of $43,481 (roughly equivalent to P1.8 million), making it a much coveted slot for many teachers from the Philippines.

Greener pastures in the US

In October 2004, Ireneo Abadejos and Julieta Perez were among Prince George’s County School System's “lucky 30" Filipino teachers recruited to Maryland.

And what was meant to be an experiment by Maryland officials to fill the big teacher shortage proved to be a success, with 100 more Filipino teachers arriving this month before the opening of classes in September.

“We're going to continue to look for teachers in innovative places," said Prince George County’s recruitment officer, Robert Gaskin, who is still searching to fill up the 1,000 vacancies mid-August this year.

Three years ago, Gaskin selected 30 teachers from the Philippines to come to the US as temporary workers on H-1B visas. The visa allowed the employer to later on sponsor the Filipinos' residency in the country.

The 41-year-old Abadejos left his job as a science teacher at Ateneo de Manila University to teach physics at Suitland High School, a part of the Prince George County school system.

“We survived. Filipinos are very pliant. As pliant as bamboo," Abadejos said, recalling how a guidance counselor there initially told him that he will be ‘eaten alive’ in the American classroom.

Perez, 35 years old, teaches at Oxon Hill Elementary and had to overcome cultural challenges such as the American lingo.

Both have acclimatized well with the culture and have moved their families to Maryland. They have to remain with Prince George’s school system for three more years to secure their permanent US residency.

In 2005, a critical teacher shortage has forced Baltimore educators to look overseas for help. WBAL-TV 11 News education reporter Tim Tooten reported that almost 60 new teachers from the Philippines arrived in Baltimore in July 2005 to prepare for their first day on the job.

The teachers -- most with 10, 15 and 20 years of experience -- believe their new jobs will be worth the challenge and the sacrifice of being away from home, family and friends.
Maryland’s second largest school district has hired almost 200 teachers from the Philippines to fill up vacancies in the next 12 months.

Twenty-eight of the new recruits started in Prince George’s County schools this month while another 170 will be coming in for the 2008- 2009 academic year beginning August next year.

Maryland’s Gazette recently reported that the teachers can teach in the county for six years with temporary citizenship. After the term, they can either apply for US citizenship or return to the Philippines.

Last year, Prince George’s County hired 107 Filipino teachers and 80 in 2005.

Maryland universities and colleges graduate about 2,500 teachers annually. Prince George’s County, which hires more than 1,000 new teachers every year, must compete with 23 other state school districts for those new teachers, according to the Gazette.

Filipino teachers are said to be preferred in US schools because accreditation requirements are very similar to the American requirements.

‘‘We’re not training the teachers in the United States, so we need to start looking at places where there are more teachers," said school board chairman Owen Johnson, who helped interview teacher candidates. ‘‘They recognize our shortages. ... They have been very aggressive in getting us to come and recruit."

School officials of the school district personnel went to the Philippines earlier this year to screen more than 300 applicants and 198 were offered a contract to teach at prince George’s, the second largest school district in Maryland and the 17th largest in the United States.

Since 2002, Prince George’s has recruited more than 400 Filipino educators.

The average starting salary in Prince George’s for a teacher with an undergraduate degree is $43,841, leaving foreign-born teachers with much more to support family members.

Kansas hires 40 Pinoy teachers

In Kansas, Maria Santiago was among the 40 Filipino teachers who arrived in the US state to fill teaching vacancies in Math, Science and special education classes. During the summer break, she took her children from the Philippines to live with her in the US.

According to Superintendent Winston Brooks, they choose Filipino teachers over other nationalities because most regular teachers in the Philippines are also college professors. Many have applied for overseas jobs to earn better wages and provide well for their families in the Philippines.

In January, representatives of Topeka Unified School District 501 will be traveling to the Philippines to recruit teachers who can provide instruction in areas where US schools are finding it increasingly difficult to fill for the next school year.

Springfield, Missouri-based HealthQuest Enterprises will finance the recruitment trip.

Currently, 18 teachers from the Philippines are employed in 11 other district schools in Kansas. Seven of them work as middle or high school science teachers, four as math teachers, five as special education teachers and two as elementary teachers, one of whom is certified to teach English second language learners and the other with math concentration, the report said.

Of the 18 Filipino teachers, 13 had a master's degree or have completed one since being hired.

Alabama hires more Pinoy mentors

School officials in Alabama recruited 14 Filipino teachers this school year to teach Math, Science and special-education instructions there.

Baldwin County is the first school system in Alabama to lure in foreign teachers to the state. It sent two officials to the Philippines to recruit competent teachers.

The school system offered jobs for 16 teachers from the Philippines but only 14 of the applicants met the requirements.

Filipino teachers in Georgia

The acceptance of Filipino teachers in the US is also seen in Georgia where 41 Filipino teachers who took up residence there last August were given boxes of foodstuffs and supplies from the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System that hired them.

The Filipino teachers including Ammi Hernandez and Girlie Acasio helped fill the school’s teacher vacancies for the current school year.

The teachers were given boxes of materials with toiletries, paper products and nearly everything they would need to start their kitchens - from flour and sugar to canned goods, rice, oil, salt and pepper.

Savannah-Chatham County Public School System has at least 49 schools and satellite facilities in the district with over 34, 500 students in pre-kindergarten to Grade 12. It is one of the largest school systems in the state of Georgia.

It offers foreign teachers $1,800 signing bonus for a 190-day contract for fully certified Math, Science, Foreign Language and Technology Education or Special Education teacher relocating to Savannah.

Under its Alternative Education Program, foreign teachers are given $900 monthly salary plus incentives.

Smuggling of teachers to Texas

However, not all Filipino teachers leaving for the US and elsewhere are lucky. In El Paso, Texas, Filipino couple Noel Cedro Tolentino and Angelica Tolentino, and his mother, Florita Tolentino were put on trial early this year for about 40 counts of criminal offenses including conspiracy to smuggle aliens, visa fraud and money laundering in connection with the recruitment of teachers from the Philippines.

The Tolentinos' placement company, OMNI Consortium, provided teachers for Socorro, Ysleta, Canutillo and El Paso independent school districts with fraudulent visas. The Tolentinos have pleaded not guilty.

A teacher from Bacolod said more than 200 teachers from the Philippines were recruited for jobs in Texas between 2001 and 2003 but when they arrived, many did not have jobs waiting for them as promised.

Two other teachers from Bacolod City said they were promised jobs in Texas but were brought instead to McAllen, about 14 kilometers away by bus.

The US government case against the Tolentinos included a series of alleged junkets to the Philippines, all-expenses paid trips during which US school administrators were expected to offer Filipino applicants teaching jobs in Texas. Those involved in the alleged junkets said those were working trips to recruit Filipino teachers.

In some cases, the job orders turned out to have been canceled when school districts scaled down their request for teachers, but the Tolentinos did not cancel the H-1 visa applicants for the unwanted teachers.

Government action

The human capital theory stipulates that the more and better educated a people, the greater the chances of economic development.

However, the exodus of Filipino educators to other countries like the United States, has created a vacuum in the education sector. The best teachers in English, Science and Math are leaving in droves, and many of those remaining in the country are those often ill-trained, if not incompetent.

One of the thrusts of Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus for this year includes the forming of a core staff of Science and Mathematics supervisors and master teachers, train education managers throughout the country, and hone the skills of non-teaching personnel.

"Our schools are only as good as our teachers," Lapus said, "and while we do have many good teachers throughout the country, we need to improve the skills of many others, especially those who are non-majors in English, Science and Math."

Many Filipino teachers have also left for China and Thailand, which may not be offering salaries as high as the US, but still way above the salary rates in the Philippines.

Scores of school teachers have also left to take on jobs as domestic helpers or caregivers in Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Canada, among other destinations.

Annie Enriquez-Geron, general secretary of the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLink), said widespread corruption, deplorable working conditions and low pay in the education sector has pushed many Filipino teachers, particularly young women educators, to work overseas.

"The exodus has contributed to the shortage in teachers. Moreover, the teaching profession is no longer attractive to the youth," Enriquez- Geron lamented.

Without a competitive salary, the best teachers in the country will remain teaching somewhere else.

the starbucks

DEPRESSION and ANXIETY

Depression is not simply an “emotional problem” that people can overcome on their own. Rather, depression is a real medical illness – one that needs to be diagnosed and properly treated. It is not a sign of weakness, nor is it something to be ashamed of. The good news is that with proper diagnosis and medical attention, depression can be treated effectively. Antidepressant treatment, with a medication such as LEXAPRO®, can help effectively combat depression.

Using backup files

2008 presidential election

Politics

Hello my dearest readers, how are you today? Good!
Everybody knows about the upcoming election,2008 for president. Who do you think will become the next US president? McCain or Obama? Well, when you look at the political dashboard you will see that the projected winner is Obama. McCain is still fighting for good. There are still weeks more to go before Nov. 4. We can not deny that there are still people right now who are undecided, don't know to whom their votes will be given. I just want to say good luck for your votes. Choose the right person to be the next president in this country who is ready to protect the people and his country.

SOCIAL INFLUENCE

WINE

CREDIT UNION

Dneero conversation

Nine Ways to Find Peace of Mind

We are an anxious nation...in fact, we are an anxious world. There is no question that uncertainty seems to have increased dramatically in the last few years. We worry about terrorism. We worry about war. We worry about losing our jobs. We worry about the dangers confronting our children. And on and on and on.

This worry is understandable, given the state of the world at the present time, but there is no question in my mind that, with the right tools...

All of us can rise above any situation that life hands us. All of us can live a fulfilling life in the middle of the turmoil.

All of us can find a sense of peace and purpose.

In my newest book, Embracing Uncertainty, I provide the tools that I have found most effective in helping us see the world in a more life-affirming and powerful way.

Begin your journey to inner peace...

4 Steps to Better Boundaries

Categories: Depression, Mental Health, Relationships
My second job out of college was with a religious giftware company. I was a product-development coordinator for "inspirational" brands, which meant I was required to do things like write directions on how to bury St. Joseph for a "St. Joseph Home Sales Kit." My boss sat me down a few weeks into the job and explained that there were four stages to becoming a competent employee. She said I was at number one. (You'll know what that means in a second.)

I've thought a lot about these four steps because they apply also to building personal boundaries.

1. At first, you are unconsciously incompetent.

Say what??? Yep. You don't know how much you don't know. And the ignorance can be bliss until you get sick or suffer from stress-related symptoms like dizziness, a weird rash, a neurological disorder, or chronic fatigue. You're baffled as to why you're always run down, because you don't realize how much energy you're expending in stuff that's not your problem. I just have too much to do! you say to yourself. And there is no way around it. Right? Wrong. Time to wake up to your boundaries problem.

2. Then you become consciously incompetent.

Holy boundaries! you wake up one day and say to yourself. I have leaks of energy all over and I don't have the faintest idea how to plug them all. Now you're getting somewhere! Now you can do something about your fatigue because you've identified the problem...boundaries that look like your grandmother's window screens: with more holes than wire, and totally ineffective. In twelve-step language, I guess this would be the first step: We admitted we had no boundaries--that our lives had become unmanageable.

3. Third, you become unconsciously competent.

It's a little confusing, I know. All four steps only use two words. In the third stage, you start to erect boundaries and to take care of yourself but you don't realize it yet. Actually, I think this is where I am. All I know is that I'm using the word "no" a lot lately and I'm feeling extremely selfish, sometimes cruel. And yet I think I must be doing something right because I have more energy and friends are telling me that I look good, even relaxed! Plus my feelings of guilt have subsided a little.

4. Finally, you are consciously competent.

Yah! This is the goal: to be so confident in our boundaries skills that we no longer worry about not being nice or generous or Christian. Our boundaries automatically erect in dangerous (energy-leaking) situations, so that we don't need to expend so much energy and time analyzing them, or whether or not we are building them the right way. The person at stage four is proof that the stuff of the serenity prayer is really possible: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference

Obama and McCain

Presidential Election

Rain

Again, we are experiencing without rain. In other words,drought. My friends, let us help one another to heartily pray to our God almighty that he will give us a lot of rain. We do need a lot of rain. If we look at our lakes,ponds and creeks, they are almost dried out. I do believe in prayer. Only God can solve this critical problem that we are facing right now specially here in the South United States. Here in the state of Georgia, we did not receive enough rain. Today,October 08,2008,Wednesday, it is raining right now here in Bremen. It rained since this morning until now. But,I don't think so this rain will fill up our ponds and lakes. We still need enough rain. We hope we are getting enough rain by this month.

happy birthday

TV Shows

House sells for $1.75

A home is seen Sept. 17, 2008, in Saginaw, Mich. With a winning bid of just $1.75, a Chicago woman has won an auction for the abandoned home in Saginaw. Joanne Smith, 30, recently was the top bidder for the home during an auction on eBay, The Saginaw News reported, in September 2008. Her bid was one of eight for the home. She must pay about $850 in back taxes and yard cleanup costs.

Dneero conversation

Citigroup to buy Wachovia banking operations

NEW YORK - In the latest byproduct of the widening global financial crisis, Citigroup Inc. will acquire the banking operations of Wachovia Corp. in a deal facilitated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.


Citigroup will absorb up to $42 billion of losses from Wachovia's $312 billion loan portfolio, with the FDIC covering any remaining losses, the government agency said Monday. Citigroup also will issue $12 billion in preferred stock and warrants to the FDIC.

The deal greatly expands Citigroup's retail outlets and secures its place among the U.S. banking industry's Big Three, along with Bank of America Corp. and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. But it comes at a cost — Citigroup said Monday it will seek to sell $10 billion in common stock and slashed its quarterly dividend in half to 16 cents to shore up its capital position.

The agreement comes after a fevered weekend courtship in which Citigroup and Wells Fargo & Co. both were reportedly studying the books of Wachovia, which suffers from mounting losses linked to its ill-timed 2006 acquisition of mortgage lender Golden West Financial Corp.

Wachovia, like Washington Mutual Inc., which was seized by the federal government last week, was a big originator of option adjustable-rate mortgages, which offer very low introductory payments and let borrowers defer some interest payments until later years. Delinquencies and defaults on these types of mortgages have skyrocketed in recent months, causing big losses for the banks.

The FDIC asserted Monday that Wachovia did not fail, and that all depositors are protected and there will be no cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, in a statement Monday, said he supports the "timely actions" taken by the FDIC "which demonstrate our government's unwavering commitment to financial and economic stability."

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson also welcomed the sale of Wachovia to Citigroup, saying it would "mitigate potential market disruptions." Paulson said he agreed with the FDIC and the Fed that a "failure of Wachovia would have posed a systemic risk" to the nation's financial system.

"As I have said before, in this period of market stress, we are committed to taking all actions necessary to protect our financial system and our economy," Paulson said.

As details of its takeover unfolded, Wachovia shares plunged 91 percent to 94 cents. The stock had closed Friday at $10, down 74 percent for the year.

Now that a deal for Wachovia is complete, the most troubled of the nation's largest financial institutions have been dealt with. However, the FDIC estimated there were 117 banks and thrifts in trouble during the second quarter, the highest level since 2003. And that number is likely to have increased during the third quarter.

With the acquisition of Wachovia, Citigroup has reclaimed its title as the biggest U.S. bank by total assets. Including Wachovia, the bank now has assets of $2.91 trillion, as of June 30. That could change, however, as Citigroup shrinks its balance sheet, a decision Chief Executive Vikram Pandit made in May to rid the bank's books of risky debt.

In terms of current market capitalization, Bank of America Corp. remains the largest U.S. bank, followed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in second and Citigroup in third place.

Just a short time ago, Citigroup was under the scrutiny of investors who worried about the possibility of its collapse given its massive exposure to mortgage-backed securities. The New York-based bank has not turned a profit for three straight quarters, and lost a total of $17.4 billion during that period after writing down its assets by about $46 billion. That's the most write-downs of any U.S. bank.

But the government's proposed $700 billion bailout plan could prove to be the deal's silver lining.

While the plan broadly aims to prevent banks from profiting on the sale of troubled assets to the government, there is an exception made for assets acquired in a merger or buyout, or from companies that have filed for bankruptcy.

This detail could allow Citigroup to sell toxic mortgages and other assets it gained from Wachovia for a higher price than the bank actually paid for them.

The Wachovia deal caps a wave of unprecedented upheaval in the financial sector in the past six months that has redefined the banking industry, starting with the government-led forced sale of Bear Stearns Cos. to JPMorgan in March.

The failure of IndyMac Bancorp in July reignited investors' fears about the stability of the financial sector, which led to the eventual takeover of struggling mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Earlier this month, officials seized both Fannie and Freddie, temporarily putting them in a government conservatorship, replacing their chief executives and taking a financial stake in the mortgage finance companies.

After U.S. regulators made it clear that they would not bail out struggling investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., rival Merrill Lynch & Co. arranged a hasty deal to be bought by Bank of America Corp. for $50 billion in stock.

Lehman Brothers was subsequently forced to declare bankruptcy, the largest ever in the United States. Investor concerns quickly turned to American International Group Inc., the nation's largest insurer. Staving off a failure that could have sent shock waves throughout the global markets, the federal government injected an $85 billion emergency loan into the insurer.

Just days later, the government seized Seattle-based Washington Mutual, marking the largest bank failure in U.S. history. WaMu's deposits and assets were acquired by JPMorgan for $1.9 billion.

These events have now culminated in extraordinary moves by the federal government to try to fix the financial crisis that began more than a year ago. Lawmakers are to vote Monday on an unpopular $700 billion plan to rescue troubled financial companies.

Wachovia's problems stem largely from its acquisition of mortgage lender Golden West Financial Corp. in 2006 for roughly $25 billion at the height of the nation's housing boom. With that purchase, Wachovia inherited a deteriorating $122 billion portfolio of Pick-A-Payment loans, Golden West's specialty, which let borrowers skip some payments.

This summer, Wachovia reported a $9.11 billion loss for the second quarter, announced plans to cut 11,350 jobs — mostly in its mortgage business — and slashed its dividend. Wachovia also boosted its provision for loan losses to $5.57 billion during the second quarter, up from $179 million in the year-ago period.

Presidential election

WaMu becomes biggest bank to fail in US history

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NEW YORK - As the debate over a $700 billion bank bailout rages on in Washington, one of the nation's largest banks — Washington Mutual Inc. — has collapsed under the weight of its enormous bad bets on the mortgage market.




The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. seized WaMu on Thursday, and then sold the thrift's banking assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co. for $1.9 billion.

Seattle-based WaMu, which was founded in 1889, is the largest bank to fail by far in the country's history. Its $307 billion in assets eclipse the $40 billion of Continental Illinois National Bank, which failed in 1984, and the $32 billion of IndyMac, which the government seized in July.

One positive is that the sale of WaMu's assets to JPMorgan Chase prevents the thrift's collapse from depleting the FDIC's insurance fund. But that detail is likely to give only marginal solace to Americans facing tighter lending and watching their stock portfolios plunge in the wake of the nation's most momentous financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Because of WaMu's souring mortgages and other risky debt, JPMorgan plans to write down WaMu's loan portfolio by about $31 billion — a figure that could change if the government goes through with its bailout plan and JPMorgan decides to take advantage of it.

"We're in favor of what the government is doing, but we're not relying on what the government is doing. We would've done it anyway," JPMorgan's Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said in a conference call Thursday night, referring to the acquisition. Dimon said he does not know if JPMorgan will take advantage of the bailout.

WaMu is JPMorgan Chase's second acquisition this year of a major financial institution hobbled by losing bets on mortgages. In March, JPMorgan bought the investment bank Bear Stearns Cos. for about $1.4 billion, plus another $900 million in stock ahead of the deal to secure it.

JPMorgan Chase is now the second-largest bank in the United States after Bank of America Corp., which recently bought Merrill Lynch in a flurry of events that included Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. going bankrupt and American International Group Inc., the world's largest insurer, getting taken over by the government.

JPMorgan also said Thursday it plans to sell $8 billion in common stock to raise capital.

The downfall of WaMu has been widely anticipated for some time because of the company's heavy mortgage-related losses. As investors grew nervous about the bank's health, its stock price plummeted 95 percent from a 52-week high of $36.47 to its close of $1.69 Thursday. On Wednesday, it suffered a ratings downgrade by Standard & Poor's that put it in danger of collapse.

WaMu "was under severe liquidity pressure," FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair told reporters in a conference call.

"For all depositors and other customers of Washington Mutual Bank, this is simply a combination of two banks," Bair said in a statement. "For bank customers, it will be a seamless transition. There will be no interruption in services and bank customers should expect business as usual come Friday morning."

Besides JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo & Co., Citigroup Inc., HSBC, Spain's Banco Santander and Toronto-Dominion Bank of Canada were also reportedly possible suitors. WaMu was believed to be talking to private equity firms as well.

The seizure by the government means shareholders' equity in WaMu was wiped out. The deal leaves private equity investors including the firm TPG Capital, which led a $7 billion cash infusion in the bank this spring, on the sidelines empty handed.

WaMu ran into trouble after it got caught up in the once-booming subprime mortgage business. Troubles then spread to other parts of WaMu's home loan portfolio, namely its "option" adjustable-rate mortgage loans. Option ARM loans offer very low introductory payments and let borrowers defer some interest payments until later years. The bank stopped originating those loans in June.

Problems in WaMu's home loan business began to surface in 2006, when the bank reported that the division lost $48 million, compared with net income of about $1 billion in 2005.

At the start of 2007, following the release of the company's annual financial report, then-CEO Kerry Killinger said the bank had prepared for a slowdown in its housing business by sharply reducing its subprime mortgage lending and servicing of loans. Alan H. Fishman, the former president and chief operating officer of Sovereign Bank and president and CEO of Independence Community Bank, replaced Killinger earlier this month.

As more borrowers became delinquent on their mortgages, WaMu worked to help troubled customers refinance their loans as a way to avoid default and foreclosure, committing $2 billion to the effort last April. But that proved to be too little, too late.

At the same time, fears of growing credit problems kept investors from purchasing debt backed by those loans, drying up a source of cash flow for banks that made subprime loans.

In December, WaMu said it would shutter its subprime lending business and reduce expenses with layoffs and a dividend cut.

The bank in July reported a $3 billion second-quarter loss — the biggest in its history — as it boosted its reserves to more than $8 billion to cover losses on bad loans. Over the last three quarters, it added $10.9 billion to its loan-loss provisions.

JPMorgan Chase said it was not acquiring any senior unsecured debt, subordinated debt, and preferred stock of WaMu's banks, or any assets or liabilities of the holding company, Washington Mutual Inc. JPMorgan also said it will not take on the lawsuits facing the holding company.

JPMorgan Chase said the acquisition will give it 5,400 branches in 23 states, and that it plans to close less than 10 percent of the two companies' branches.

The WaMu acquisition would add 50 cents per share to JPMorgan's earnings in 2009, the bank said, adding that it expects to have pretax merger costs of approximately $1.5 billion while achieving pretax savings of approximately $1.5 billion by 2010.

"This is a definite win for JPMorgan," said Sebastian Hindman, an analyst at SNL Financial, who said JPMorgan should be able to shoulder the $31 billion writedown to WaMu's portfolio.

VISUAL TALKING

Turkey Cutlets with Peas and Spring Onions

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound 1/4-inch-thick turkey breast cutlets or steaks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 bunch spring onions or scallions, sliced, whites and greens separated
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen, thawed
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest




2. Cooking Directions
Whisk flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge each turkey cutlet (or steak) in the flour mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; cover with foil to keep warm.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion (or scallion) whites and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are browned and the whites are slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add broth, wine and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in peas and onion (or scallion) greens and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon zest. Nestle the turkey into the vegetables along with any accumulated juices from the plate. Cook, turning the cutlets once, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings

primetime movies

Ike helps uncover mystery vessel on Ala. coast

FORT MORGAN, Ala. - When the waves from Hurricane Ike receded, they left behind a mystery — a ragged shipwreck that archeologists say could be a two-masted Civil War schooner that ran aground in 1862 or another ship from some 70 years later. The



Researchers at the time identified it as the Monticello, a battleship that partially burned when it crashed trying to get past the U.S. Navy and into Mobile Bay during the Civil War.

After examining photos of the wreck post-Ike, Museum of Mobile marine archaeologist Shea McLean agreed it is likely the Monticello, which ran aground in 1862 after sailing from Havana, according to Navy records.

"Based on what we know of ships lost in that area and what I've seen, the Monticello is by far the most likely candidate," McLean said. "You can never be 100 percent certain unless you find the bell with 'Monticello' on it, but this definitely fits."

Other clues indicate it could be an early 20th century schooner that ran aground on the Alabama coast in 1933.

The wrecked ship is 136.9 feet long and 25 feet wide, according to Mike Bailey, site curator at Fort Morgan, who examined it this week. The Monticello was listed in shipping records as 136 feet long, McLean told the Press-Register of Mobile.

But Bailey said a 2000 report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined the remains were the schooner Rachel, built at Moss Point, Miss., in 1919 and wrecked near Fort Morgan in 1933.

He said the wreckage appears to have components, such as steel cables, that would point to the Rachel rather than an 1860s schooner.

Glenn Forest, another archaeologist who examined the wreck, said a full identification would require an excavation.

"It's a valuable artifact," he said. "They need to get this thing inside before it falls apart or another storm comes along and sends it through those houses there like a bowling ball."

Meanwhile, curious beach-goers have been drawn to the remains of the wooden hull filled with rusted iron fittings. Fort Morgan was used by Confederate soldiers as Union forces attacked in 1864 during the Battle of Mobile Bay.

"It's interesting, I can tell you that," said Terri Williams. "I've lived down here most of my life and I've never seen anything like this, and it's been right here."

television

Devastating Ike roars ashore in Galveston, Texas

GALVESTON, Texas - Massive Hurricane Ike ravaged southeast Texas early Saturday, battering the coast with driving rain and ferocious wind gusts as residents who

Though it would be daybreak before the storm's toll was clear, already, the damage was extensive. Thousands of homes and government buildings had flooded, roads were washed out, 2.9 million people lost power and several fires burned unabated as crews could not reach them. But the biggest fear was that tens of thousands of people had defied orders to flee and would need to be rescued from submerged homes and neighborhoods.

"The unfortunate truth is we're going to have to go in ... and put our people in the tough situation to save people who did not choose wisely. We'll probably do the largest search and rescue operation that's ever been conducted in the state of Texas," said Andrew Barlow, spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry.

Several fires were burning untended across Houston and 911 operators received about 1,250 calls in 24 hours, said Frank Michel, spokesman for Houston Mayor Bill White.

Streets around the city's theater district became rushing streams and shards of glass were falling from the sparkling skyscrapers that define the skyline of America's fourth-largest city. Winds were estimated to be 20-30 mph faster at the top of the steel and glass towers than they were at ground level.

The stubborn storm remained a Category 2 hurricane with winds topping 100 mph, but started moving away from Houston on Saturday morning. It was about 15 miles east-northeast of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and was expected to turn toward Arkansas later in the day.

The eye of the storm powered ashore at 3:10 a.m. EDT at Galveston with 110 mph winds, just shy of a Category 3 storm. Because Ike was so huge — nearly as big as Texas itself — hurricane winds pounded the coast for hours before landfall and would continue through much of the morning, forecasters said.

"For us, it was a 10," Galveston Fire Chief Mike Varela said when asked to compare Ike to earlier hurricanes like 2005's Rita. Varela said firefighters responded to about 60 rescue calls before suspending operations around 8 p.m. Friday.

More than 1.3 million customers — or 2.9 million people — had lost power, and suppliers warned it could be weeks before all the service was restored. The only parts of Houston with power were downtown and the massive medical center section.

Forecasters said the worst winds and rain would come after the center came ashore.

Though 1 million people fled coastal communities near where the storm made landfall, authorities in four counties alone said roughly 140,000 ignored mandatory evacuation orders and stayed behind. Other counties were unable to provide numbers but officials said they were concerned that many decided to brave deadly conditions rather than flee.

As the front of the storm moved into Galveston, fire crews rescued nearly 300 people who changed their minds and fled at the last minute, wading through floodwaters carrying clothes and other possessions.

Even before Ike made landfall, Coast Guard helicopters had rescued 103 people in the Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston Island, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Ayla Stevens.

"Some people were on roofs, some people in cars," she said.

"We don't know what we are going to find. We hope we will find the people who are left here alive and well," Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas said. "We are keeping our fingers crossed all the people who stayed on Galveston Island managed to survive this."

Some 30 miles inland, storm surge pushing up through Galveston Bay was sending water into a neighborhood near Johnson Space Center where White had made rounds earlier with a bullhorn trying to compel people to leave. Nearby, the popular Kemah Boardwalk at the mouth of Galveston Bay, ringed by million-dollar homes, was submerged, state officials said.

Thousands of homes could be damaged, a spokesman for the mayor said, but it was too dangerous to go out to assess the neighborhood at the height of the storm.

A landmark restaurant, Brennan's of Houston, was destroyed by flames when firefighters were thwarted by high winds. Across Houston's downtown, car alarms screeched and light poles swayed like small trees.

On the far east side of Houston, 34-year-old Claudia Macias was awake with her newborn and was trying unsuccessfully not to think about the trees swaying outside her doors, or the wind vibrating through her windows. She had been through other storms, but this time was different because she was a new mother.

"I don't know who's going to sleep here tonight, maybe the baby," Macias said.

Before it came ashore, the storm was 600 miles across. Because of the hurricane's size, the state's shallow coastal waters and its largely unprotected coastline, forecasters said the biggest threat would be flooding and storm surge, with Ike expected to hurl a wall of water two stories high — 20 to 25 feet — at the coast.

Firefighters left three buildings to burn Galveston because water was too high for fire trucks to reach them. Six feet of water had collected in the Galveston County Courthouse on the island's downtown, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston was flooded, according to local storm reports on the National Weather Service's Web site.

But there was some good news: a stranded freighter with 22 men aboard made it through the brunt of the storm safely, and a tugboat was on the way to save them. And an evacuee from Calhoun County gave birth to a baby girl in the restroom of a shelter with the aid of an expert in geriatric psychiatry who delivered his first baby in two decades.

"It's kind of like riding a bike," Dr. Mark Burns told the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung after he helped Ku Paw welcome her fourth child.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said more than 5.5 million prepackaged meals were being sent to the region, along with more than 230 generators and 5.6 million liters of water. At least 3,500 FEMA officials were stationed in Texas and Louisiana.

If Ike is as bad as feared, the storm could travel up Galveston Bay and send a surge up the Houston Ship Channel and into the port of Houston. The port is the nation's second-busiest, and is an economically vital complex of docks, pipelines, depots and warehouses that receives automobiles, consumer products, industrial equipment and other cargo from around the world and ships out vast amounts of petrochemicals and agricultural products.

The storm also could force water up the seven bayous that thread through Houston, swamping neighborhoods so flood-prone that they get inundated during ordinary rainstorms.

The oil and gas industry was closely watching Ike because it was headed straight for the nation's biggest complex of refineries and petrochemical plants. Wholesale gasoline prices jumped to around $4.85 a gallon for fear of shortages.

Ike is the first major hurricane to hit a U.S. metropolitan area since Katrina devastated New Orleans three years ago. For Houston, it would be the first major hurricane since Alicia in August 1983 came ashore on Galveston Island, killing 21 people and causing $2 billion in damage. Houston has since then seen a population explosion, so many of the residents now in the storm's path have never experienced the full wrath of a hurricane.

On its way through the Gulf toward Texas, Ike spawned thunderstorms, shut down schools and knocked out power throughout southern Louisiana on Friday. An estimated 1,200 people were in state shelters in Monroe and Shreveport, and another 220 in medical needs shelters.

In southeastern Louisiana near Houma, Ike breached levees, and flooded more than 1,800 homes. More than 160 people had to be rescued from sites of severe flooding, and Gov. Bobby Jindal said he expected those numbers to grow. In some extreme instances, residents of low-lying communities where waters continued to rise continued to refuse National Guard assistance to flee their homes, authorities said.

No deaths had been officially reported, but crews expected to resume searching at daybreak near Corpus Christi for a man believed swept out to sea as Ike closed in.

___

Juan A. Lozano reported from Galveston. Chris Duncan reported from Houston. Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno and Jay Root in Austin, Eileen Sullivan in Washington, Schuyler Dixon and Paul Weber in Dallas, John Porretto, Monica Rhor and Pauline Arrillaga in Houston, Michael Kunzelman in Lake Charles, La., Brian Skoloff in West Palm Beach, Fla., April Castro and Andre Coe in College Station, and Allen G. Breed and video journalist Rich Matthews in Surfside Beach also contributed.

HURRICANE IKE

This September 12, 2008 NOAA satellite handout photo shows Hurricane Ike located southeast of Galveston, Texas. A strengthening Hurricane Ike bore down on Houston, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee and sparking a dire warning that those remaining in low-lying areas "face certain death

Film shows McCain's release from Vietnamese prison

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Swedish broadcaster SVT on Thursday released a previously unseen film clip purportedly showing the release of presidential candidate John McCain to the U.S. military in Hanoi in 1973.



A former SVT reporter, Erik Eriksson, said he found the video in the network's archives when he was looking for footage for a book he was writing about his experiences as a war correspondent in Vietnam.

SVT posted the edited 39-second clip on its Web site on Thursday. It shows McCain stepping off a bus with other prisoners. He has a pronounced limp but is not using crutches.

It then shows McCain standing in a lineup when his name is called. He walks up to salute and shake hands with U.S. military officers. The last part of the clip shows a U.S. Air Force jet taxiing on a runway.

Eriksson said the footage was filmed in Hanoi on March 14, 1973, by a Vietnamese photographer whom he had contracted to film the release of U.S. prisoners.

"I don't know if there is another film from his release. I haven't seen all the films in the world, but as far as I know there are no others," Eriksson told The Associated Press.

Tina Wolter, an archive sales executive at SVT, said it was not possible to determine the exact date of the McCain sequence. However, she said other clips from the same material were used in a TV news report on March 24, 1973. Those clips showed other U.S. prisoners being released, but not McCain.

Eriksson said the clip was included on a DVD that he released with his book.

"This summer when I was preparing the release of my book we were putting together a DVD with some of my reports from Vietnam and then I thought, 'I wonder if we have McCain here?'" Eriksson said.

Per Yng, head of SVT's national news, confirmed that Eriksson found the film in the network's archives.

"It's our material. So we can confirm its authenticity," Yng said. He could not confirm the date and location of the film, but he said he had no reason to doubt Eriksson's information.

Eriksson said he was covering the Vietnam war for SVT as well as U.S. networks CBS and NBC.

Eriksson could not recall the name of the Vietnamese cameraman and said he had not been in contact with him after finding the clip

My Niece's visit

The airplane in this picture is owned by my niece's boyfriend. They flew from Alabama down here in Bremen,Georgia in order to visit us. We had a great time spending with my niece during their visit. They stayed in our house for two hours and left for Alabama by 7:15 pm. We watched them while they took off. My son was so happy while watching the airplane was taking off.

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream

1. Ingredients2 cups skim milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound cream cheese, cut into cubes, at room temperature
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
12 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar, for serving
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup pecan halves, toasted


2. Cooking Directions
MAKE THE ICE CREAM: In a medium saucepan, warm the milk and cream. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and white chocolate. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until thick and pale. Gradually whisk the hot milk and cream into the yolks. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6 minutes; do not let it boil. Strain through a fine sieve over the cheese and chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Refrigerate until chilled, 4 hours.
Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and churn. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
MEANWHILE, MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12-inch round cake pan. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil with the buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla. Whisk the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes. Transfer the cake to a rack and let it cool completely in the pan, 2 hours.
MAKE THE PECAN PRALINE: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a heavy, medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Cook over moderate heat without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pecans. Pour the praline onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Let cool until hardened, then chop medium-fine and transfer to a bowl.
Line the baking sheet with another sheet of parchment paper. Scoop 12 balls of the cream-cheese ice cream and set them on the baking sheet. Freeze the balls.
Slice the cake into 12 wedges and dust with confectioners' sugar. Transfer to plates. Roll the ice cream balls in the pecan praline. Serve with the cake.
Yield: 12 servings

high-performance apparel

McCain and Palin

Gustav slams Cuba as monster Category 4 storm

HAVANA - Gustav slammed into Cuba's tobacco-growing western tip as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane Saturday while both Cubans and Americans scrambled to flee the storm as it roared toward the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans.



Forecasters said Gustav was just short of becoming a top-scale Category 5 hurricane as it hit Cuba's mainland after passing over its Isla de la Juventud province, where shrieking 150 mph (240 kph) winds toppled telephone poles, mango and almond trees and peeled back the tin roofs of homes.

Isla de la Juventud civil defense chief Ana Isla said there were "many people injured" on the island south of mainland Cuba, but no reports of deaths. She said nearly all its roads were washed out and that some regions were heavily flooded.

"It's been very difficult here," she said on state television.

Authorities evacuated at least 250,000 people from western Cuba, including Isla de la Juventud.

Gustav was projected to plow into the Gulf of Mexico at full force Sunday, and reach the U.S. coast as early as Monday afternoon. A hurricane watch was issued from Texas east to the Florida-Alabama border.

More than a million Americans made wary by Hurricane Katrina took buses, trains, planes and cars as they streamed out of New Orleans and other coastal cities, where Katrina killed about 1,600 people in 2005.

Forecasters warned it was still too soon to say whether New Orleans would take another direct hit, but the bumper-to-bumper traffic pouring from the city suggested residents weren't taking any chances.

Gustav already has killed 81 people by triggering floods and landslides in other Caribbean nations.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Gustav could become a Category 5 hurricane soon, with winds above 155 mph (249 kph).

Cuba's top meteorologist, Jose Rubiera, said the hurricane's massive center made landfall in mainland Cuba near the community of Los Palacios in Pinar del Rio — a region that produces much of Cuba's famed tobacco and cigars.

In Pinar del Rio, the storm knocked down power lines, shattered windows and blew the roofs off some small homes.

Rubiera said the storm would bring hurricane-force winds to much of the western part of Havana, Cuba's capital, where power was knocked out as winds blasted sheets of rain sideways though the streets and whipped angry waves against the famed seaside Malecon boulevard.

Felled tree branches and large chunks of muddy earth littered crowded roads.

Cuba grounded all domestic flights and halted all buses and trains to and from Havana, where some shuttered stores had hand-scrawled "closed for evacuation" signs plastered to their doors.

Authorities boarded up banks, restaurants and hotels, and residents nailed bits of plywood to the windows and doors of their houses and apartments.

"It's very big and we've got to get ready for what's coming," said Jesus Hernandez, a 60-year-old retiree who was using an electric drill to reinforce the roof of his rickety front porch.

The government announced it was stepping up emergency production of bread at state-run bakeries and lines formed all over the city as Cubans waited for loaves.

In tourist-friendly Old Havana, heavy winds and rain battered crumbling historic buildings. There were no immediate reports of major damage, but a scaffolding erected against a building adjacent to the Plaza de Armas was leaning at a dangerous angle.

Lidia Morral and her husband were visiting Cuba from Barcelona. She said Gustav forced officials to close the beaches the couple wanted to visit in Santiago, on the island's eastern tip. The storm also prevented them from catching a ferry from Havana to the Isla de la Juventud on Saturday.

"It's been following us all over Cuba, ruining our vacation," said Morral, who was in line at a travel agency, trying to make other plans. "They have closed everything, hotels, restaurants, bars, museums. There's not much to do but wait."

By Saturday evening, Gustav was about 65 miles (105 kilometers) west-southwest of Havana and it was moving northwest near 15 mph (24 kph).

The U.S. naval base at Guantanamo, Cuba, was hundreds of miles (kilometers) to the east, out of the storm's path.

In the Gulf of Mexico, where about 35,000 people work staffing offshore rigs and production facilities, among other tasks, oil companies wrapped up evacuations in preparation for the storm.

As of midday Saturday, more than three-fourths of the Gulf's oil production and nearly 40 percent of its natural gas output had been shut down, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which oversees offshore activity.

The U.S. Gulf Coast accounts for about 25 percent of domestic oil production and 15 percent of natural gas output, according to the MMS. The Gulf Coast also is home to nearly half the nation's refining capacity.

On Friday, Gustav rolled over the Cayman Islands with fierce winds that tore down trees and power lines while destroying docks and tossing boats ashore, but there was little major damage and no deaths were reported.

Haiti's Interior Ministry on Saturday raised the hurricane death toll there to 66 from 59 and Jamaica raised its count to seven from four. Gustav also killed eight people in the Dominican Republic early in the week.

Meanwhile, the hurricane center said Tropical Storm Hanna was projected to near the Turks and Caicos Islands late Sunday or on Monday, then curl through the Bahamas by early next week before possibly threatening Cuba.

As it spun over open waters, Hanna had sustained winds near 50 mph (85 kph) Saturday evening and the hurricane center warned that it could kick up dangerous rip currents along parts of the southeastern U.S. coast.

The U.S. State Department urged Americans to be aware of the risks caused by Hanna to people traveling to the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It urged U.S. citizens lacking safe shelter to consider leaving while flights are still available

Vigilantes warn MILF: Stop it or else

Thursday, 28 August 2008 09:29





Armed members of the Ilaga, a Christian group known for its bloody attacks and human rights abuses in Mindanao in the 1970s, have resurfaced in this province, warning the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to stop its atrocities against civilians or face the consequences.

“If the fighting will continue, for every civilian killed, we will execute 10 Moro rebels,” Mike Santiago, spokesperson of the Reform Ilaga Movement, told reporters during a press conference yesterday.

Santiago said the Ilaga (Visayan term for “rat”) would defend not only the rights of Christians and lumad (indigenous peoples), but also of Muslims displaced by the attacks of MILF rebels in Central Mindanao.
“The civilians are suffering now. That’s why we are asking the leadership of the MILF to stop its harassment and attacks in Mindanao because it will only complicate the life of the people,” he said.

Why Are 'Mama' and 'Dada' a Baby's First Words? LiveScience Staff

LiveScience.com
Wed Aug 27, 10:25 AM ET



A baby's first words are often "mama" and "dada," much to the delight of parents. Now scientists think they know why.


Beyond the obvious - Mommy and Daddy are around a lot and babies are drawn to them - languages in many cultures have apparently made the task easy by creating words for mothers and fathers that feature patterns of repeating sounds, a new study suggests.


To arrive at this finding, brain scans were made of 22 newborns (age 2 days to 3 days) while they listened to recordings of made-up words. They heard words that end in repeating syllables, such as "mubaba" and "penana," as well as words without them, such as "mubage" and "penaku."


Brain activity increased in the babies' temporal and left frontal areas whenever the repetitious words were played. Words with non-adjacent repetitions ("bamuba" or "napena") elicited no distinctive responses from the brain.


This suggests "mommy" and "daddy" are well-chosen words to teach a baby, and it also indicates that the ability to more easily recognize these sorts of repetitive sounds is hard-wired in the human brain.


The research, led by University of British Columbia post-doctoral fellow Judit Gervain, was published online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


"It's probably no coincidence that many languages around the world have repetitious syllables in their 'child words,'" Gervain said, citing "papa" in Italian and "tata" (grandpa) in Hungarian as examples.


"The language center of most right-handed adults is located on the left side of the brain," Gervain said. "This is consistent with our finding with newborn babies and supports our belief humans are born with abilities that allow us to perceive and learn our mother tongue systematically and efficiently."


"The brain areas that are responsible for language in an adult do not 'learn' how to process language during development, but rather, they are specialized - at least in part - to process language from the start."

EAT HEALTHIER,NOT CHEAPER

VISUAL TALKING

Ledesma: 3 strikes and the MOA is almost out

Source : Sun Star
Monday, 25 August 2008 09:15





OVER a decade of excruciating peace negotiations. Just when we are in the threshold of peace, we slid quickly back to ground zero.

Too many confounding factors came into play. We knew that the issue of ancestral domain had been discussed for quite sometime but the MOA materialized at a bionic speed under the watch of Retired General Jun Esperon, surprising leaders of the local governments units who were taken aback when they discovered that many of their barangays were included in the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity which expanded the area of the present Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.


It was like a subterfuge even as I personally agree that the draft of the MOA on AD was not the end-all document that precedes the final talk on peace accord.

Instead of the MOA becoming an instrument of peace it triggered disenchantment on the part of the affected local government units. On the side of the MILF, adventurous field commanders thought the initialed MOA was a signal for them to intrude into the proposed barangays.

Forces under Kumander Umbra Kato for example brazenly moved into isolated barangays of Aleosan, Pikit and Midsayap in North Cotabato and Maasim in Sarrangani.

Later in Lanao del Norte, Kumander Bravo swooped right into the towns of Kauswagan, Maigo, Bacolod, Linmon and Kolambogan. They massacred and robbed helpless civilians while some were made as human shields when they retreated as military and police forces retook the towns. From being rebels they denigrated themselves into becoming brigands.

Because the MILF to echelon failed to restrain them the government has no other recourse but to take punitive action to neutralize these marauding forces.

As if the situation was not bad enough, politicians, notably those who had presidential ambitions, came into play with all their dramatics and sound bites trying to gain TV mileage in every turn. They knew that the MOA on AD would still pass through congressional scrutiny and finally the affirmation of the people in the affected barangays via the plebiscite. But they went raving all the way to the Supreme Court for a temporary restraining order. The temper and the fighting escalate.

Some interlopers cried "all-out-war" not realizing that a vast majority of the Muslim communities merely want peace. Christians and Muslim civilians are caught in the crossfire. In the melee a TV camera caught the anguish of a Muslim woman crying out loud, "tulungan ninyo kami Madam Presidente."

These faces of desperation and adversities unveil the truth that the vast majority of peace loving Muslims, Lumads, and Christians abhor war and that all they wanted is to be left in peace, never mind if life is sometimes too hard for them.

Moreover, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made it quite clear that the military offensive is only undertaken to deal with Kumanders Kato and Bravo. It is not an all-out war. The message is clearly enunciated by the President: that the pursuit to peace will continue and that the government has not abandoned its goal to secure peace in Mindanao.

The MOA on AD however has to be "reviewed", a semantic that means the document has to be reevaluated to determine why so many had opposed it and why instead of contributing to peace it triggered war.

The sooner the MILF hierarchy impose punishment on Kato and Bravo by whatever means they said they have the better it is for the health of everybody. A protracted action against them will not redound to saving the peace process in Mindanao.

On the other hand, if they can prove that they are sincere in running after the marauding forces the MOA can still be salvaged and peace negotiation can still move forward.

But this one takes a lot of courage on the part of the MILF. In their recent statements, the MILF said they back up the adventurism of Kato, Bravo and their men.

This means that their acts had been sanctioned by the hierarchy. If this is the case how will the peace talk progress to another plane? Already the world community has condemned the atrocities committed by the wayward MILF commander.

It's strike three and there is a strong possibility the MILF might earn for itself the "terrorist" tag. Which is rather sad because we might lose the opportunity of forging a peace pact.

A gallant officer whose death would not be in vain’

A gallant officer whose death would not be in vain’
Source : Inquirer.net
Saturday, 23 August 2008 22:57





ILOILO CITY, Philippines—The way he lived is the way he will be remembered.

Visitors stream in continuously to view the remains of the fallen officer in the white casket flanked by an honor guard.

The modest home is filled with flowers of various colors, sizes and shapes strung with messages of sympathy from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, government officials, military officers and friends.

Lieutenant Colonel Angel Benitez’s death and heroism have brought grief, and pride, to the simple home in the village of Tabuc Suba, Jaro District, Iloilo City.

“We grieve for the loss of a very professional and competent officer,” said Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Alexander Yano at the wake on Thursday.

“His death is a great loss to the armed forces and the government but I know he did not die in vain. We are continuing what he fought for,” Yano said.

Benitez, 40, executive officer of the Army’s 102nd Brigade, was killed along with two soldiers when they were ambushed by Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Lanao del Norte on Aug. 18.

He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Star on Wednesday for bravery and gallantry in action for holding his ground after he and his men shot it out with hundreds of MILF rebels while continuously texting their location to their superiors.

It was a tragic but not surprising end for an officer who dedicated 18 years of his life to the military.

Benitez’s career took off after graduation from the Philippine Military Academy in 1990. He topped the Scout Ranger and military intelligence and psychological-operations courses he took.

Recently, he graduated at the top of his class from the General Staff College (GSC) after taking a course required for promotion to full colonel and to command a battalion.

Benitez, who was commander of various infantry and intelligence units, had also won several awards and medals including the Bronze Cross and Military Merit Medal.

Maj. Dennis Pacis, a classmate at the PMA, said officers and troops who were under Benitez were all praises for the officer.

“He got along well with his troops and led them in achieving their work and mission,” said Pacis, a member of the staff of the Army’s 301st Brigade based in Dingle, Iloilo.

“He was the perfect soldier,” said his widow Maria Elena or “Cookie.”

But despite his achievements and stature, Benitez remained unassuming and lived a simple life.

“He was so frugal and did not want any extravagance,” said Cookie.

She said she opted to hold her husband’s wake at their home instead of a more spacious funeral parlor because that was what he would have wanted.

“He always encouraged us and trained the children to only spend for the essentials and not for what they want,” said Cookie.

Benitez would only buy new school shoes for their children when the old ones could not be worn anymore.

“He told our kids that shoes did not make students excel or do good in school but hard work and intelligence did,” said Cookie.

He also stressed the importance of preparing for the future.

Their four children aged 9 to 15 have bank accounts into which they deposit savings from their allowance and birthday money.

The couple had also invested in a property from his savings after he was assigned to a peacekeeping force in Sudan in 2006.

Despite his frugality, Benitez made sure to fulfill promises he made to the children like a treat to a fast food restaurant or swimming at a resort.

“He did not want to break the trust of our children so he would make sure to fulfill whatever commitment he made,” said Cookie.

“I am happy and proud that he has not been involved in any irregularities in his long years in the service,” she added.