Environmentalists protest against Aboitiz Coal Power Plant in Davao

Hundreds of environmentalists occupy the entrance of Davao City’s Sanggunihang Panglunsod Building as the councilors meet on a special session on Monday to overturn Mayor Sara Duterte’s veto on the land reclassification ordinance that will materialize the proposed establishment of the 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant in the city. .... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/15/environmentalists-protest-against-aboitiz-coal-power-plant-in-davao/

Noche Buena traditions through generations Timpla't Tikim By SOL VANZI

Noche Buena traditions through generations

Timpla't Tikim

By SOL VANZI

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino Noche Buena traditions have evolved through the years, just as the country underwent socio-political changes in the various eras since the start of the 20th century, when the Philippines went through peacetime (before WWII), wartime (the Japanese occupation), liberation (the Commonwealth era under the Americans), independence (1946-1972), martial law, EDSA1 and EDSA2..... MORE

Source:  MB.com

URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/345700/noche-buena-traditions-through-generations

Tracking-all-the-way: NORAD keeps Santa under surveillance

Tracking-all-the-way: NORAD keeps Santa under surveillance

As Santa is once again moving along his annual route around the globe, the penetrating eye of NORAD is tracking his every move. And with Big Brother watching, Old Saint Nick cannot afford to let things slide and leave some good kid without a present.

­During the holidays, the North American Aerospace Defense Command's mission is to make sure Christmas comes with all the trimmings. The operation began on 2am EST on December 24, and the tracking crew will stay on high alert until 3am Mountain Time on December 25..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/norad-santa-route-tracking-605/

Strange natural phenomena observed in North Korea after Kim Jong-il's death

23.12.2011

 

Strange natural phenomena have been seen in North Korea after the death of the country's leader Kim Jong Il, reports state news agency KCNA.

In the morning of December 17, ice cracked with a loud noise at Lake Cheongju, located in the crater of Baekdu mountain. The mountain is sacred to the Koreans: this is the place, where, according to legend, the would-be leader was born. According to the group of researchers studying the "heavenly lake", the sound of the cracking ice sheets surpassed all of the sounds that had emanated from the mountains before...... MORE

Source:  Pravda.ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/conflicts/23-12-2011/120066-kim_jong_il_north_korea-0/

Naval thrills: Iran flexes muscles at world’s key oil transit channel

Naval thrills: Iran flexes muscles at world’s key oil transit channel

Iran is starting ten-day naval exercises in one of the world’s busiest oil passageways – the Strait of Hormuz. These actions have raised fears that the Strait might shut down, disrupting oil transit worldwide.

­The exercises, dubbed “Velayat-e 90”, will take place over a wide area from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Aden and will involve new ground-to-sea missile systems and different classes of submarines, such as the Tareq and the Ghander..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/terrorism-credit-cards-government-613/

Cash is trash: Big American Brother gives hints on how to spot citizen terrorists (w/ Video)

Cash is trash: Big American Brother gives hints on how to spot citizen terrorists

Do you own flashlights? Or pay with cash instead of a credit card? And do grocery shopping for the week? I do. You probably do – and guess what, according to the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, that could make both of us terrorists.

Recently, a Department of Homeland Security video has been making its way around the Internet; it tells people in no mixed terms that “paying cash is suspicious and weird.” In an assertive, yet calm voice, the narrator tells viewers that, “if a patron appears nervous or anxious, or insists on paying cash, contact security personnel. This IS suspicious behavior.”.... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/terrorism-credit-cards-government-613/

DA acts to stop rice bug infestation in Northern Samar

DA acts to stop rice bug infestation in Northern Samar

December 25, 2011, 5:54pm

NORTHERN SAMAR, Philippines (PIA) – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is rushing to implement immediate and extensive measures to mitigate the proliferation of rice black bugs (RBBs) in Northern Samar, a problematic situation with potentials to cause widespread damage to crops in the province.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala has issued the instruction earlier to DA-Region 8 director Antonio Gerundio, after the latter reported that 17 out of 24 municipalities in the province were RBB-affected..... MORE

Source:  MB.com

URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/346015/da-acts-stop-rice-bug-infestation-northern-samar

Pope laments Christmas consumerism and glitter

Pope laments Christmas consumerism and glitter

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI decried the increasing commercialization of Christmas as he celebrated Christmas Eve Mass  Saturday night, urging the faithful to look beyond the holiday’s “superficial glitter” to discover its true meaning.


Benedict presided over the service in a packed St. Peter’s Basilica, kicking off an intense two weeks of Christmas-related public appearances that will test the 84-year-old Pontiff’s stamina amid signs that fatigue is starting to slow him down..... MORE

Source:  MB.com

URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/346015/da-acts-stop-rice-bug-infestation-northern-samar