This is a listing of selected news articles and pictures. The newspapers here sometimes have a humorous presentation of their newsworthy events. Many times the local sensationalistic daily would have articles and pictures of death and destruction. I even joked with John about starting my own death and destruction page. However, one of the major newspapers beat me to it, as one of the pictures below shows. So for your enjoyment, here are the articles that kept me smiling as we barreled to work on our daily morning F-ticket taxi ride. They also kept me from looking out the windows! And lest John thinks the daily rags had exclusive contracts with the more colorful penmen, some of these articles are from the Manila Bulletin, and the Philippine Enquirer, their two major daily papers. And it was the Manila Bulletin that scooped my death and destruction idea!
Clicking on any picture will get you a larger version for your detailed reading pleasure!! And all of them should be able to be enlarged for readability.
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This is a whole lot of beautiful booty! What a way to start the day! |
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Yes, I've been scooped. Someone overheard me discussing my idea. Bet it was the cab driver! |
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Now, they've got some interesting ads and commercials here. |
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I love the part about flaking flesh, sounds like tuna. Probably tastes like chicken. And the bit about an argument ensuing until someone got stabbed is odd. A bit of background. There are lots of arguments here. Metro Manila is some 6 million or more people, 80% of whom are near or below poverty range. Like so many rats jammed in a cage, certain parts of the city are prone to violence. And some of the treatments given these events by local newsmen show they may have a dictionary, but not an understanding of the nuances of English. They have favorite phases and descriptions too. Lots of "bathing in blood" and "poking of guns" and "died from broken bones and stab wounds". And everyone seems to get around on scooters to perpetrate their crimes. |
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Very dramatic. In general the reporting will comment on emotional aspects as lavishly as the gruesome ones. |
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I hope they find Mr. Inside Job. |
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This is a great example of the emotional background reporting. Half of the story is on her anguish, I felt like contributing myself! |
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I see very few Black-Anythings here. Maybe a dozen
men, less than half a dozen women, in my 2 months here. And never
any mention in the news except for the incessant basketball
coverage. They really like their B-Ball here. Anyway, the
first time something is in the news, I can't believe it. All the
stereotypes rolled into one person!!! Athlete, Drug Addict, Thief,
Destruction of Property, and Comic Relief. Was this scripted,
you couldn't have written it any sadder than this.
I can also assure that no cab in this city is capable of 120 anything per hour, nor is there ever light enough traffic to have that much free road space. The comic relief is in the last sentence of the article. |
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Another thing that seems to happen here is incessant drinking. There are drinking bouts, drinking sessions, drinking sprees. Most seem to end in disaster for some or all participants. This guy was so drunk he didn't recognize his buddies. Well, what can you say when you can buy an entire fifth of bad rum (spelled 'rhum', I guess that's the queen's olde english) for only 60 pesos, about a dollar and five cents. And staring at someone is a really big deal here. Very impolite. |
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Too funny! Caught on top of his wife, someone wasn't listening at the door. And was that the two liter bottle, or what?? Couldn't have done more damage if it had been a rhum bottle! |
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Just sad, never see pictures like this in the states on that
sweetly euphemistic atrocity called "The Middle East Conflict".
But he does resemble Michael Jackson... |
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All kinds of fun here. Someone being "divested" of their cell phone. I never thought of being robbed as a divestment, but I guess I wasn't forced to give up market share in South Africa a few years back. Maybe those companies thought they were being robbed too! And a dead body for John. They later found out this guy died after a drinking session, when he came in drunk and started wailing on his stepmother. Stepbrother was having none of it, and stabbed him on the front porch. There's also hapless treachery, and more drinking. Another thing that seems a constant is people dying from massive somethings happening to their face, back or otherwise unidentified portions of their bodies. Bullets, knives, and lots of succumbing and languishing in hospitals, on sidewalks in pools and baths of blood. Sweeeet. |
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This is crazy. Guy kills his nephew for making
unauthorized repairs to his house. Amazingly, no alcohol was
involved.
The under headline promised to be grim. They like to use abbreviations, and have a great affinity for acronyms. President Gloria M Arroyo is GMA, kidnapping for ransom gangs become KFR gangs, scene of the crime officer becomes SCO, and so on. Bro, Sis, there's so little time, and so much to report on! |
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Absolute must read! This my friends, is how much of the rest of the world sees good ol' California! At least during the recall and elections. Hell, I had a DVD sales person try to sell me some copies of Terminator 3 when she found I was from CA. Thought I wanted some collector items. Yeah, right up there with my Jessie Ventura wrestling trunks and wrist bands! My only problem is, who's the bold star, Arnie or Mary Carey? |
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And this is becoming a trend?!?!?! |
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Need I say more? This was around the time of his great 8 hour Manila stopover, Air Force One had a plugged toilet, and he heard in the Philippines it's okay for guys to pee in public. Couldn't resist the chance. Poor guy, let's buy him a souvenir Little League baseball bat. Then beat some sense into his lost looking head. Suddenly, I think I prefer the porn peddler view of CA! Remember, click on the picture at left to see his truly puzzled face! Now his only obsession is Shazzam, uh, I mean Saddam!! |
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Who indeed? |
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This needs no introduction. Clark, is this why golf is so much fun? And before someone draws a parallel, Sta is short for Saint. |
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I'm not sure this makes me feel better. These navy guys were the same ones protecting us during our stay at Club Noah, which I'll write about soon. And Palawan is where the resort was. Navy guys with shotguns and side arms were on every boat we took that weekend. More on that later though. But if a boatload of contraband sugar went floating by, would have been on our own? Oh, and 120,000 pesos is about 2,200 dollars. That sugar getting in would have disrupted the economy for sure! |
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More drinking, more disaster! Two drinking sprees for the price of one!! |
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Another sad picture. We passed a place with a pile
larger than this right next to the road, with several children playing/scavenging/"making
the most of their isolated moments" on our way to a museum memorial
for the first president of the republic. They still have such a long way
to go...
By the way, many of the local seafood selections come from this bay. You can see all the fish farms from the air. |
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This poor guy wasn't even the intended target. But I tell you, those drinking sprees are dangerous. |
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Too good! Poking in the title, and a police officer to boot! Don't ask me what a "kagawad" is, but a barangay is a sort of village based administrative district. Manila, and most of the cities in the Philippines, are all composed of dozens of barangays, each with their own political and security apparatus. Whatever the kagawad is in that apparatus, they must be badass if two of them can apprehend a cop with a poked-out gun! |
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John, I saved the best for last. Whatever it takes to sell the paper, especially if the ladies are off that day! Hope you enjoyed this! |