Every risk is worth taking as long as it's for a good cause, and contributes to a good life.

"Every risk is worth taking as long as it's for a good cause, and contributes to a good life." - Richard Branson -

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate and investor. He is best known as the founder of Virgin Group, which comprises more than 400 companies. Wikipedia

Born: July 18, 1950 (age 64), Blackheath, London, United Kingdom
Education: Stowe School
Spouse: Joan Templeman (m. 1989), Kristen Tomassi (m. 1972–1979)
Books: Losing My Virginity
Children: Holly Branson, Sam Branson, Clare Sarah Branson
Parents: Edward James Branson, Eve Huntley Flindt

Filipina nurse kidnapped, raped in Libya's Tripoli

Image by: Yahoo

Manila - The Philippines renewed calls for thousands of its nationals to leave Libya on Thursday after a Filipina nurse was abducted and gang-raped, following the beheading of a Filipino construction worker.

The foreign department said all 13 000 Filipinos there were to be repatriated as clashes between rival militias threaten to tear the country apart three years after Libyan dictator Muammer Gaddafi was toppled.

"We reiterate our call to our remaining nationals in Libya to immediately get in touch with the Philippine embassy in Tripoli and register for repatriation," said a fresh foreign department advisory issued Thursday.

The call came as the ministry confirmed reports that a Filipina nurse was abducted and gang-raped there on Wednesday.

The woman was seized outside her residence and taken to an unknown location, where she was sexually assaulted by up to six youths, foreign department spokesperson Charles Jose told reporters.

She was released about two hours later and a Filipino consular team took her to hospital for treatment, he added.

The Philippines ordered its nationals out of Libya on July 20, the same day the beheaded remains of a Filipino construction worker were found at a hospital in the port of Benghazi.

The man had been abducted by suspected militiamen on July 15, apparently singled out because he was not a Muslim, according to Jose.

The department said a consular team has stayed behind in Tripoli despite the precarious security situation to coordinate the evacuation of Filipinos by land to Tunisia and Egypt where they will eventually be flown home.

It has also barred its nationals from travelling to Libya.

About 10 million Filipinos live and work abroad, many of them in the Middle East, in search of better-paying jobs.

The Philippines has also ordered about 100 Filipinos living in Gaza to leave the besieged Palestinian territory as Israel presses its offensive against Hamas militants.

Vaccine used in children causing brain damage...

NBC NEWS CHANNEL 5 - Boca Raton father, Ben Zeller, says his son, Ben, Jr., was a normal 11-month-old when he received the Measles, Mump and Rubella shot in November of 2004. Within days, he had a complete febral seizure. "This was a reaction to the MMR shot, there is no doubt in my mind," Zeller said. Zeller was one of the first to prove his case in the Federal Vaccine Court. Last July, the court ruled his son would not have experienced the seizure if it weren't for the MMR vaccine. "We have thousands of cases and we can show all vaccines are causing the exact same problem," said Dr. Andrew Moulden, M.D., a Canadian physician gathering evidence to support a class action lawsuit. ..
Disclaimer: I do not own the video.
Video Source: Via Adres Jimenez (Facebook)

Image by: Accidentally Green

Lyca Gairanod's triumphant 'Voice Kids PH' journey

At only 9 years old, this little girl, who used to scavenge to help her parents with their livelihood, has captured viewers' hearts and emerged the winner of the singing competition.

Lyca before "The Voice Kids Philippines" a God's gifted talent.


Disclaimer: I do not own the video.
Video Source: Via Pauline ConCon Ducat Sevelleno

TRIUMPHANT. Lyca Gairanod sings 'Basang-Basa sa Ulan' with the powerful singers of Aegis.

Paolo Bediones scandal goes viral on social media

TV5, Kapatid Network news anchor Paolo Bediones trends on Twitter amid the 6-minute-44-second bed scene video allegedly featuring Bediones and an unidentified woman.

Image by: Interaksyon

As of posting time Bediones has not yet released his statement regarding the said video.
Online comments have flooded the internet, some are still looking for the source link. One statement says it is Extra Challenge for Paolo Bediones. Another one says, “At least we are now aware that Paolo Bediones is not a gay.”

“Bakit kasi kailangan pa nilang videohan ang mga ganun bagay that should be personal,” 

an online comment says. 

“Hindi ba sila nadala dun sa nangyari kina Chito-Neri, Wally-Yosh, Hayden-Katrina etc. Sira na ang image tapos malaking kahihiyan sa mga nakapaligid sa inyo especially sa pamilya nyo mismo.”

TV5 management released a statement supporting the news anchor. “The recent issue involving our news anchor, Paolo Bediones, on social media is a purely personal and private matter in which TV5 has no involvement or desire to intrude,” TV5 said.

“We accord our employees and talents all respect that are due them for their privacy and personal action or decision.”

“We disapprove strongly the malicious and wanton publication of the video, an act that clearly violates pertinent cybercrime laws.”
“We firmly express our support for our anchor Paolo Bediones in the face of a controversy that represents nothing more than an attempt to smear his reputation,” TV5 noted.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport finished by 2018

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is an existing passenger terminal accepting both

international and domestic flights.
The terminal is designed to accommodate 4.5 million passengers a year, however, starting 2011 it was accommodating 6.2 million passengers per year.

MCIA is the second busiest airport in the country. It was listed in the top 20 ASEAN  airports last 2011. With the said situation, it is indeed timely to rehabilitate and turn the old airport into world-class terminal.

“The project involves the construction of a new world-class passenger terminal building in MCIA, with a capacity of about 8 million passengers per year; and the operation of the old and new facilities. The construction of a new world-class passenger terminal, including all related facilities, is proposed to separately cater to domestic and international operations,” the government said.
Megawide Construction Corp. in partnership with India’s GMR, through public-private partnership, will develop the said airport. It is estimated to be completed coming January 2018.
When finished, it will be the first resort-airport in the world. “The airport terminals will reflect the rich Cebuano heritage in a state of the art design with a soothing resort-like atmosphere conceptualized by international and Cebuano designers,” said Megawide spokesman Louie Ferrer.

Some Perspective Photos for the MCIA.
 

Ridiculously Inappropriate Selfies Taken At The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time.

If there’s one thing that social media had greatly influenced people, that’s gonna be “selfie“. Selfie is just merely taking a photo of yourself, but it has already become an addiction. People can’t seem to get rid of their cameras that every move they make is captured in photographs. These kinds of images have rapidly spread throughout the world wide web. But sometimes, we tend to take it to the limits that our simple action of taking self portraits become so insensitive.

The following photos are just a few examples of selfies taken inappropriately. You’ve got to see it for yourself!

#1. So you’ll see hoe many bulls are chasing me…

#2. She did see that coming that’s why she’s capturing it.

#3. There’s a suicide jumper about to take a leap off the bridge…

#4.So that they could have graphic record of what had happened.

#5. Why not help instead of taking this picture?

#6. You really think it’s a nice background?

#7. The one’s in there must be your mortal enemy! 

#8. Taking selfie with that clueless guy…

#9. What do you think you’re doing guys? Why are you in that room at the same time? 

#10. Nice shot there, sir!

The Voice Kids Philippines winner - Lyca Gairanod

Congratulations to Ms. Lyca Gairanod for winning The Voice Kids Philippines

Plan your vacation: PNoy declares 18 holidays in 2015

President Benigno Aquino III has declared 18 holidays next year, including eight long

weekends.

Through Proclamation No. 831, signed last Thursday, Aquino declared the following days as regular holidays:

• New Year’s Day (Jan. 1, Thursday)
• Maundy Thursday (April 2)
• Good Friday (April 3)  
• Araw ng Kagitingan (April 9, Thursday)                                    
• Labor Day (May 1, Friday)                                   
• Independence Day (June 12, Friday)
• National Heroes Day (Aug. 31, last Monday of August)
• Bonifacio Day (Nov. 30, Monday)
• Christmas Day (Dec. 25, Friday)
• Rizal Day (Dec. 30, Wednesday)

Meanwhile, the following days have been declared as special non-working days:

• Chinese New Year (Feb. 19,. Thursday)
• Black Saturday (April 4)
• Ninoy Aquino Day (Aug. 21, Friday)
• All Saints' Day (Nov. 1, Sunday)
• Additional special (non-working) days (Jan.2, Friday, and Dec. 24, Thursday)                                             
• Last Day of the Year (Dec. 31, Thursday)

February 25 next year, a Wednesday, has been declared a special holiday for all schools to commemorate the EDSA Revolution anniversary.

This list of holidays does not include Eid'l Fitr and Eidul Adha, the dates of which will still be determined by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos.


Via: GMANews

Air Algérie flight AH5017 from Burkina Faso to Algeria disappears from radar

Air Algérie flight AH5017, thought to be carrying 110 passengers and six crew, disappears in early hours of Thursday morning.

A Swiftair MD-83 plane like the one that disappeared from radar on Thursday morning. Photograph: Reuters

A flight operated by Air Algérie carrying 116 people from Burkina Faso toAlgeria's capital disappeared from radar early on Thursday, the plane's owner said.

Air navigation services lost track of the Swiftair MD-83 about 50 minutes after takeoff from Ougadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, at 1.55am GMT the official Algerian news agency said. That means that flight AH5017 had been missing for hours before the news was made public.

The flight path of the plane from Ouagadougou to Algiers wasn't immediately clear. Ougadougou is in a nearly straight line south of Algiers, passing over Mali, where unrest continues in the north.

Swiftair, a private Spanish airline, said the plane carrying 110 passengers and six crew left Burkina Faso for Algiers at 1.17am GMT on Thursday but had not arrived at the scheduled time of 5.10am GMT.

Swiftair said it has not been possible to make contact with the plane. The company said it was trying to ascertain what had happened.

It said the crew included two pilots and four cabin staff. "In keeping with procedures, Air Algérie has launched its emergency plan," the APS news agency quoted the airline as saying.

Via: The Guardian

How to park a Go Kart...

Disclaimer: I do not own the video.

HUGE Earthworm found!

Earthworms are creepy crawlers that give many people the chills upon sight of them. Burrowing deep in the earth and feeding off the remains of the dead, these creatures are amazingly simple. Many people would be surprised to hear that there are earthworms that are nearly 10 feet in length! Many countries around the world are home to these beastly worms.

It is amazing how large they grow because there is so little to them. They have a digestive system that runs from their mouth to anus and two ganglia that enable their senses. They breathe through their skin and are all hermaphroditic.

One species of giant earthworm, called the Giant Gippsland Earthworm is found in Victoria, Australia. With an average length of at least 1 meter to grow up to 3, these worms are longer than many snakes! They live in deep burrow systems and are a species that is currently under a threatened status, so they are rarely seen by most humans.
The Giant Gippsland Earthworm has had such a decrease in numbers as a result of farming. Some scientists contribute it to the act of tilling the land. Another contributor is that these earthworms have a slow reproductive rate, as well as maturation rate. It takes nearly five years for the worms to reach maturity, and they can live up to ten years. This is an astounding life span compared to many other invertebrates.

These worms are greater in diameter than many species of earthworms on the planet. While most worms are only a few inches, amazingly there species of them around the world that are long enough to play jump rope with

Trending Micro-Bikinis in Australia

China Meat Scandal Spreads to Starbucks, Burger King

BEIJING — A suspect meat scandal in China engulfed Starbucks and Burger King on Tuesday and spread to Japan, where McDonald's said the Chinese supplier accused of selling expired beef and chicken had provided 20 percent of the meat for its chicken nuggets. A day after Husi Food Co.'s food processing plant in Shanghai was sealed by the China Food and Drug Administration, the agency said Tuesday that inspectors also will look at its facilities and meat sources in five provinces in central, eastern and southern China. 

Starbucks said it removed from its shelves sandwiches made with chicken that originated at Husi, which is owned by OSI Group of Aurora, Illinois. Burger King said it stopped using hamburger it received from a supplier that used product from Husi. Pizza restaurant chain Papa John's International announced it stopped using meat from Husi. In Japan, McDonald's said it stopped selling McNuggets at more than 1,300 outlets that used chicken supplied by Husi. "Our company management believes this to be an isolated event, but takes full responsibility for the situation and will take appropriate actions swiftly and comprehensively,” Husi said. 

World's largest aquatic insect specimen found in China

The world's largest flying aquatic insect, with huge, nightmarish pincers, has been discovered in China's Sichuan province, experts say.

According to the Insect Museum of West China, local villagers in the outskirts of Chengdu handed over "weird insects that resemble giant dragonflies with long teeth" earlier this month.

Several of these odd critters were examined by the museum and found to be unusually large specimens of the giant dobsonfly, which is native to China and Vietnam.

The largest one measured 21 centimeters (8.27 inches) when its wings were open, according to the museum, busting the original record for largest aquatic insect held by a South American helicopter damselfly, which had a wingspan of 19.1 centimeters (7.5 inches).

Large enough to cover the face of a human adult, this scary-looking insect is also known among entomologists as an indicator of water quality, says the museum.

The giant dobsonfly makes its home in bodies of clean water and is highly sensitive to any changes in the water's pH as well as the presence of trace elements of pollutants. If the water is slightly contaminated, the giant dobsonfly will move on to seek cleaner waters.

The insect can be found in other provinces in China, India's Assam state, and in northern Vietnam. This is the first time it has appeared in Sichuan province.

Wing Insect bigger than hand

 

German thieves stole 10 truckloads of beer during World Cup

German police were hunting Wednesday for thieves who made off with 10 truckloads of beer while the country was distracted by World Cup football fever.

"We're following up on two or three leads," 

said a police spokeswoman from the western city of Krefeld, where the pallets of beer were stolen from a warehouse some time between last Thursday evening and Monday morning.
The thieves carried away some 300,000 litres (80,000 gallons) of canned beer while Germans were transfixed by their team's heroics in Brazil, beating Argentina in the final on Sunday.
Appealing for help from the public, police in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia said:

 "Has anyone noticed a very large amount of beer? Does anyone have information about where it could be stored?"

The police spokeswoman told AFP that there was no indication the beer had ended up in the hands of the vast and jubilant crowds who welcomed the national team home on Tuesday.

Via: MSN News

MH17 shootdown may have been 'mistake': US intel official

Malaysian flight MH17 may have been shot down by "mistake" by ill-trained pro-Russian separatists, US intelligence officials said Tuesday, while dismissing Moscow's accounts of the incident.

A man walks amongst the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 after it crashed, near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine, on July 17, 2014 - by Alexander Khudoteply

Evidence gathered so far suggests separatists launched the SA-11 surface-to-air missile that blew up the Malaysian airliner, but it remains unclear "who pulled the trigger" and why, said a senior intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"The most plausible explanation... was that it was a mistake," and that the missile was fired by "an ill-trained crew" using a system that requires some skill and training, the official said.
The intelligence official cited previous incidents over the years in which both Russian and US forces have mistakenly shot down civilian airliners. A Korean airliner was downed by a Soviet fighter jet in 1983 and US naval forces mistakenly shot down an Iranian civilian passenger plane in 1988.
"We've all seen mistakes in the past," the official told reporters.
Russian operatives have been spotted on the ground in eastern Ukraine but the US intelligence community had no explicit proof that Russians were with the SA-11 unit that fired on the airliner, officials said.
US satellite and other "technical" intelligence confirmed the airliner with 298 people on board was hit by an SA-11 surface-to-air missile from an area controlled by the pro-Russian rebels.
Although the United States had observed a flow of heavy weapons, including air defense systems, into Ukraine from Russia, intelligence agencies had not seen the larger SA-11 missiles being moved into the country before the airliner was downed, officials said.
The Russian military had been training the rebels at a large base in Rostov on various weapons, including air defense systems.
But US officials said there was no explicit evidence of the Russians training the separatists on the SA-11 missile batteries.
The senior intelligence officials said they chose to brief reporters partly to counter what they called misleading propaganda from Russia and its state-controlled media over the incident.
Allegations that the Malaysian Boeing 777 took evasive action in the air, similar to how a military plane might maneuver, had no basis and the reports amounted to "a classic case of blaming the victims," the senior official said.
The claim that the Ukrainian government had shot down the plane was not realistic, as Kiev had no such missile systems in that area, which is clearly under the control of the rebels. 
That scenario would mean Ukrainian government troops would have had to fight their way into the area, fire at the passenger plane and fight their way out again, the official said.
"That is not a plausible scenario to me," the official said.

Nationwide fruit recall issued over possible listeria contamination

A California packing company has voluntarily recalled fruit sold at Trader Joe's, Costco, Food 4 Less, Foods Co. and Ralphs stores due to the possible contamination of Listeria monocytogenes, CBS News reported. The fruit has not been linked to any illnesses at this time.

Wawona Packing Co. in Cutler, Calif., has recalled specific lots of whole white and yellow peaches, white and yellow nectarines, plums and pluots. The products were packaged between June 1 and July 12. A full list of the products can be found online. 
The company has listed specific packages as being affected, but does not know exactly where in the country the fruit was shipped, resulting in a nationwide recall, the company said in a statement. 

A Central California company has issued a voluntary nationwide recall of specific lots of its fresh peaches, plums, nectarines and pluots over concerns of possible listeria contamination. Listeria bacteria can cause a dangerous flu-like illness

The recall also applies to baked goods that were made using peaches, nectarines and plums from Wawona Packing Co. Ralphs and Food 4 Less also included a list of affected products online, including two-layer trays of red plums, two-pound bags of nectarines, two-pound bags of peaches and two-pound bags of plums, all with "sweet to eat" stickers purchased between June 1 and July 20. 

The fruit was recalled as a result of internal company testing. The facility was shut down, sanitized, then retested. All tests for Listeria performed after the sanitation were negative, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.   

"We are aware of no illnesses related to the consumption of these products," Brent Smittcamp, president of Wawona Packing Co., said in a statement. "By taking the precautionary step of recalling product, we will minimize even the slightest risk to public health, and that is our priority."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists Listeria as a serious infection usually caused by consuming food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Listeria can be dangerous for older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems. The CDC notes Listeria can sometimes affect people without these risk factors, causing short-term fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. 
The FDA is asking anyone who purchased the recalled products to not eat them and to throw them away. Consumers with questions can contact Wawona Packing Co. at (888) 232-9912.

More: LATimes

Meet Altynbekova Sabina, from the Kazakhstan National Volleyball Team

Image by: 9GAG.COM

Ken Block in Boobkhana

Disclaimer: I do not own the video.
Video Source: Monster Energy

Dutch cyclist Maarten de Jonge avoids MH370 and MH17, cheats death twice

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia–Dutch cyclist Maarten de Jonge cheated death twice after he

made last-minute changes to his flight tickets for MH370 and MH17.
The 29-year-old cyclist who is a member of the Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) told Dutch television station RTV Oost that he had to change his MH17 ticket to another date because he wanted to save money by getting cheap airfare.

De Jonge, who comes from Oldenzaal, also said he was supposed to board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on March 8 for a competition in Taiwan but changed to another flight to avoid transit.

“It’s hard to believe. I grieve for the passengers and their families but I’m grateful that I escaped the flight,” according to his website.

He also said that he will take Malaysia Airlines to return to Malaysia via Frankfurt and has no worries about it.

De Jonge also said he was overwhelmed by the number of responses that he got after news broke out that he changed his flight.

“What happened is terrible, so many victims, that’s a horrible thing.

“I am happy for myself and my family after these two incidents. However, my story is ultimately nothing compared to the misery faced by the families in this tragic incident.

“Attention should be paid to these families. I wish everyone affected by this disaster to be strong,” he added. 

Flight MH17, carrying 298 passengers and crew, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities believe that the plane was shot down by pro-Russian separatists.

Beijing-bound Flight MH370 with 239 people on board last communicated with the Inmarsat satellite before it went missing on March 8, after taking off from the KL International Airport. 

N Korea wants China to remove this video of Kim Jong-Un dancing

Disclaimer: I do not own the video.
Video Source: Shanghaiist FB Page

Kim Jong-un
Supreme Leader of North Korea

Kim Jong-un is the supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. He is the son of Kim Jong-il and the grandson of Kim Il-sung. Wikipedia 

Born: January 8, 1983 (age 31), Pyongyang, North Korea

Height: 1.75 m

Spouse: Ri Sol-ju (m. 2009)

Parents: Ko Yong-hui, Kim Jong-il

Siblings: Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-chul, Kim Yo-jong, Kim Sul-song

Education: Kim Il-sung University (2002–2007), Kim Il-sung Military University    

The downing of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17

Why fly across a warzone area?

Frankly speaking the airspace MH17 was flying in when it was shot down was not restricted, but airlines had been warned about the potential dangers. 

The Geneva-based group said in a statement: ‘Based on the information currently available, it is believed that the airspace that the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions.’

Ukrainian authorities had barred aircraft from ground level to 32,000 feet but the downed aircraft was cruising at 33,000 feet, still within range of ground-to-air missiles, when it was hit.

Speculation:

The doomed Flight MH17 had taken a short-cut across the disputed region of eastern Ukraine tosave fuel.

As relatives gathered at airports for news of missing loved ones, it emerged that airlines had twice been warned about the risk of flying over an area where two Ukrainian military aircraft had already been shot down this week.

In April, the International Civil Aviation Organisation advised carriers to consider alternative routes after outlining ‘the possible existence of serious risks to the safety of international civil
flights’.

On Monday, Eurocontrol – the body that coordinates all traffic across European airspace – sent out an official note to airmen,known as a Notam, repeating the warning and saying it ‘strongly
advises’ avoiding the airspace.

But many carriers continued to use the route because it was shorter and therefore cheaper.Earlier on Thursday, air accident investigators were planning to inspect the proposed flight plan lodged by pilots on board Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 to see if they flew over a warzone as a cost-cutting measure.

Rudy Duterte - Amazing, Thanks Sweden!

Disclaimer: I do not own the video.
Source: Rudy Duterte FB Page