Hong Kong: US Bomb from World War Two Defused by Police

Hong Kong police have successfully defused a 2,000 pound (900kg) bomb from World War Two, described as the biggest wartime bomb to be found in the city.

 More than 2,200 people were evacuated when the bomb was found in a construction site in the city's Happy Valley district on Thursday afternoon.

The AN-M66 bomb contained 1,000 pounds (450kg) of explosives.

The device is believed to have been dropped by the US Navy during WW2, when Japan occupied the then British colony.

Senior bomb disposal officer Jimmy Yuen said the disposal had taken a long time because of "technical problems when drilling holes into the bomb and because of the large amount of explosives inside it".

More than 2,200 people were evacuated on Thursday

"Because the explosive inside was very sensitive, we had to cut the shell in a low-temperature environment, so the process took longer than expected," he added.

On Thursday, he had told reporters that the bomb, if it exploded, could affect a radius of up to 10m (30ft) and damage nearby buildings.
Other unexploded bombs from WW2 have been discovered in Hong Kong in the past.

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How to Get High Score in Flappy Bird

Simple yet challenging. That's how the #1 popular apps games "FLAPPY BIRD".

I downloaded it on my IOS phone now which is widely spread by social media and by word of mouth.

So, I got this simple tips to make this bird upfloating and can pass those up and down pipe line.

-- Relax the finger
-- Keep them quick and light
-- Give a break sometime
-- Bigger screen have the advantage because the small screen its kinda cover by the finger and can't see the flapping bird. LOL
-- Avoid tapping it too hard as it will go up and hit the pipe than syncing it on lower mode
-- Learn the sync
-- Enjoy!

Hope this will help to keep you FLAP FLAP FLAP on the way to the ELUSIVE SCORE TOP!

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Carmela Show Review (GMA7)

We only watched the first two episodes of "Carmela" so the review will be about the main character's origin.

Carmela (played by Marian Rivera) will follow the path of her mom Amanda (Agot Isidro) for being a 'bad omen.' Amanda (played by Agot Isidro) was born with unlucky birth marks, the reason why she was dubbed as 'bad luck' in her town. Luckily, she will be able to meet Ricky Davao, deaf and mute, but will be her husband. Unluckily, the guy who attempted to rape her named Fernando (played by Roi Vinzon), is part of the family circle of her husband. I don't want to spoil, but from here, we will see how the creative behind this series will play the whole story. On how they will put the 'magical realism' by marginalizing the fiction to make the story more realistic than fantasy.

Probably what you watch in primetime night is "The Legal Wife" of Angel Locsin but me I watch "Carmela" of Marian Rivera because it offers more lessons and inspiration than the other one.

The character of Carmela came from a family that maltreated by time, event, and the people around them. Grow up alone and later adopted by a poor old lady, she never loses hope that someday she eventually get revenge to the people that cause her family to breakdown.

But before this she emphasize that she need to enrich herself by good education before making a retaliation. And even-though she struggles to pay her tuition she sells anything to pay for her schooling.

Although revenge is not good I still like the idea that she needs to succeed first in education and career before her ultimate revenge.

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Why Coach Yeng Guiao was Fined P100, 000 and a One-Game Suspension

The Philippine Basketball Association slapped the multi-awarded coach of Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters, Coace Yeng Guiao with a fined of P100, 000 and a one-game suspension for having a two technical foul.

Coach Yeng Guiao committed two technical fouls, the reason why he was ejected and fined of P100,000 and a one-game suspension. First is when flashing a dirty fingers at the commissioner and the committee table and the second was occurred with 1:36 minutes left in the third quarter whereby PETRON BLAZE BOOSTER won with a devastating 33 points lead.
This is not the first time to see coach Yeng Guaio ejected. This was his second straight ejection who failed to finish game4 last Monday after having a two technical foul.

Assistant Coach Caloy Garcia will lead the Elasto Painters for the game 5 of best-of-seven semi-finals series where Elasto Painters were looking for their return in Philippine MyDSL All Filipino Cup conference.

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Gilas Pilipinas Emotional Win Over Jordan

Gilas Pilipinas fed off the energy of the hometown crowd and uncorked a big third-quarter run to rally past stubborn Jordan, 77-71, to notch their second win in the FIBA Asia Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Trailing by as many as 11 points in the second period and still behind by six at 42-36 with 7:55 left in the third period, the Nationals, boosted by a boisterous crowd, dropped a telling 17-0 blast to seize a 53-42 lead and take control of the game for good.

Shooter Jeff Chan waxed hot from the outside all game long while pint-sized Jayson Castro ran rings around his defenders as the two combined for 33 points and helped fuel that big third-quarter rally that left the Jordanians stunned.
Jordan rallied to within six a couple of times in the fourth, but Jimmy Alapag buried a dagger triple with 1:45 left to push Gilas ahead 73-64 and virtually seal the win.
Although Jordan is missing the services of ace playmaker Sam Daghlas, forward Zaid Abbas and former naturalized player Rasheim Wright, the Nationals gained some measure of vengeance against the Middle East squad that knocked them out in the semifinals of the same tourney in Wuhan.

Gilas goes for a sweep of Group A against Chinese Taipei in what is expected to be a highly emotional match. Jordan fell to 0-2 and needs to beat Saudi Arabia to advance to the next round.

The Main Man: Jayson Castro William is not called “The Blur” for nothing.
Although standing a mere 5-foot-11, the Talk ‘N Text guard dazzled his Jordanian defenders throughout as he finished with 16 points, seven coming in that decisive 17-0 blast in the third canto.

Aside from his offensive prowess, Castro also put the clamps down on counterpart Wesam Al-Sous, who could only score two in the second half after racking up 11 points in the first half.

Honorable Mentions: For the second straight game, Jeff Chan provided the needed firepower from beyond the arc for Gilas Pilipinas.

The southpaw gunner of Rain or Shine waxed hot with a team-high 17 markers, highlighted by five big triples including a big one that ignited the team’s breakaway in the third canto.

Also coming up big for the Nationals was Gabe Norwood, who had a solid all-around outing of eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and as many blocks in 37 minutes of action.

More importantly, the 6-foot-5 Rain or Shine forward also made life miserable for Jordan’s naturalized guard Jimmy Baxter, who could only come up with 14 points after sizzling with 30 in the team’s 87-91 setback against Chinese-Taipei.

Game Turning Point: Pouncing on the Nationals’ slow start, the Jordanians banked on the exploits of Wesam Al-Sous and forward Mohammad Hadrab in taking an early 20-9 cushion.

Jordan restored its big advantage late in the second canto off a lay-up by Mohammad Shaher Hussein for a 36-25 edge, keeping the Nationals and the considerable crowd relatively stunned into the break.

The Nationals, however, showed up with fire in their eyes in the third, wiping out a 36-42 deficit by scoring 17 unanswered points, capped by back-to-back buckets from forward Japeth Aguilar.

Two made freebies by the 6-foot-9 Aguilar gave Gilas its biggest lead at 61-47 early in the fourth canto before the Jordanians kept coming back and pulled within six off Hadrab’s pair of charities with 2:03 to play.

Calm and composed, skipper Jimmy Alapag restored order on the Nationals by hitting a clutch corner triple for a 73-64 cushion.

Jordan scored the next four points, still entertaining some glimmer of hope going to the last 35 seconds, but Gary David and Castro nailed four big free throws to put the result beyond the doubt.


They Said It:
Jeff Chan: “Malaking tulong talaga ‘yung crowd kasi nakakapag-boost ng energy.”

Jayson Castro: “Sobrang relaxed ‘yung depensa namin nung first half. Pero nung second half, lahat ng player nag-usap-usap na.”

Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes: “The crowd really gave us a big lift. Gabe Norwood did a hell of a job against Jimmy Baxter tonight. (Mohammad) Hadrab really hurt us in the first half. He (Castro) struggled at the start so I pulled him out after making a couple of mistakes. He settled down when he came back in and we saw his real game. Aside from his ablity to put the pressure defensively, he also puts the offensive pressure against the other team.”

Jordan coach Evangelos Alexandris: “We are an inexeperenced team. We made some progress in the last two months. But it’s hard to play before these raucous fans. I believe we can get better and better in the future. They (Filipinos) made threes and the atmosphere was against us. We missed easy baskets and had easy turnovers.”

The scores:
Philippines (77) - Chan 17, Castro 16, De Ocampo 11, Douthit 11, Norwood 8, Aguilar 6, Alapag 3, Tenorio 3, David 2, Fajardo 0, Fonacier 0, Pingris 0.

Jordan (71) - Hadrab 19, Baxter 14, Al-Sous 13, Hussein 9, Abdeen 6, Abu Ruqayah 3, Alhamarsheh 3, Abuqoura 2, Zaghab 2, Alnajjar 0, Alfaraj 0.

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Yamashita's Gold, Also Referred to as the Yamashita Treasure

Yamashita's gold, also referred to as the Yamashita treasure, is the name given to the alleged war loot stolen in Southeast Asia by Japanese forces during World War II and hidden in caves, tunnels and underground complexes in the Philippines. It is named for the Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita, nicknamed "The Tiger of Malaya". Though accounts that the treasure remains hidden in Philippines have lured treasure hunters from around the world for over fifty years, its existence is dismissed by most experts. The rumored treasure has been the subject of a complex lawsuit that was filed in a Hawaiian state court in 1988 involving a Filipino treasure hunter, Rogelio Roxas, and the former Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos.

The looting and the alleged cover-up
Prominent among those arguing for the existence of Yamashita's gold are Sterling Seagrave and Peggy Seagrave, who have written two books relating to the subject: The Yamato Dynasty: the Secret History of Japan's Imperial Family (2000) and Gold Warriors: America's Secret Recovery of Yamashita's Gold (2003). The Seagraves contend that looting was organized on a massive scale, by both yakuza gangsters such as Yoshio Kodama, and the highest levels of Japanese society, including Emperor Hirohito. The Japanese government intended that loot from Southeast Asia would finance Japan's war effort The Seagraves allege that Hirohito appointed his brother, Prince Yasuhito Chichibu, to head a secret organization called Kin no yuri ("Golden Lily"), for this purpose. It is purported that many of those who knew the locations of the loot were killed during the war, or later tried by the Allies for war crimes and executed or incarcerated. Yamashita himself was (controversially) convicted of war crimes and executed by the U.S. Army on February 23, 1946.

The stolen property reportedly included many different kinds of valuables looted from banks, depositories, temples, churches, other commercial premises, mosques, museums and private homes. It takes its name from General Tomoyuki Yamashita, who assumed command of Japanese forces in the Philippines in 1944.

According to various accounts, the loot was initially concentrated in Singapore, and later transported to the Philippines. The Japanese hoped to ship the treasure from the Philippines to the Japanese Home Islands after the war ended. As the War in the Pacific progressed, U.S. Navy submarines and Allied warplanes inflicted increasingly heavy sinkings of Japanese merchant shipping. Some of the ships carrying the war booty back to Japan were sunk in combat.

The Seagraves and a few others have claimed that American military intelligence operatives located much of the loot; they colluded with Hirohito and other senior Japanese figures to conceal its existence, and they used it to finance American covert intelligence operations around the world during the Cold War. These rumors have inspired many hopeful treasure hunters, but most experts and Filipino historians say there is no credible evidence behind these claims.

In 1992, Imelda Marcos claimed that Yamashita's gold accounted for the bulk of the wealth of her husband, Ferdinand Marcos.

Many individuals and consortia, both Philippine and foreign, continue to search for treasure sites. A number of accidental deaths, injuries and financial losses incurred by treasure hunters have been reported.

At present, the Mines & Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Natural Resources of the Philippines is the Filipino government agency that grants treasure permits.
Treasure skeptics

University of the Philippines professor Rico Jose has questioned the theory that treasure from mainland South East Asia was transported to the Philippines: "By 1943 the Japanese were no longer in control of the seas... It doesn't make sense to bring in something that valuable here when you know it's going to be lost to the Americans anyway. The more rational thing would have been to send it to Taiwan or China."

Philippines National Historical Institute chairman and historian Ambeth Ocampo commented: “Two of the wealth myths I usually encounter are the Yamashita treasure and gossip that the Cojuangco fortune was founded on a bag of money…” Ocampo also said: "For the past 50 years many people, both Filipinos and foreigners, have spent their time, money and energy in search of Yamashita's elusive treasure.” Professor Ocampo noted “What makes me wonder is that for the past 50 years, despite all the treasure hunters, their maps, oral testimony and sophisticated metal detectors, nobody has found a thing.”
Rogelio Roxas lawsuit

In March 1988, a Filipino treasure hunter named Rogelio Roxas filed a lawsuit in the state of Hawaii against the former president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos for theft and human rights abuses. Roxas claimed that in Baguio City in 1961 he met the son of a former member of the Japanese army who mapped for him the location of the legendary Yamashita Treasure. Roxas claimed a second man, who served as Yamashita's interpreter during the Second World War, told him of visiting an underground chamber there where stores of gold and silver were kept, and who told of a golden buddha kept at a convent located near the underground chambers. Roxas claimed that within the next few years he formed a group to search for the treasure, and obtained a permit for the purpose from a relative of Ferdinand, Judge Pio Marcos. In 1971, Roxas claimed, he and his group uncovered an enclosed chamber on state lands near Baguio City where he found bayonets, samurai swords, radios, and skeletal remains dressed in a Japanese military uniform. Also found in the chamber, Roxas claimed, were a 3-foot-high (0.91 m) golden-colored Buddha and numerous stacked crates which filled an area approximately 6 feet x 6 feet x 35 feet. He claimed he opened just one of the boxes, and found it packed with gold bullion. He said he took from the chamber the golden Buddha, which he estimated to weigh 1,000 kilograms, and one box with twenty-four gold bars, and hid them in his home. He claimed he resealed the chamber for safekeeping until he could arrange the removal of the remaining boxes, which he suspected were also filled with gold bars. Roxas said he sold seven of the gold bars from the opened box, and sought potential buyers for the golden Buddha. Two individuals representing prospective buyers examined and tested the metal in the Buddha, Roxas said, and reported it was made of solid, 20-carat gold. It was soon after this, Roxas claimed, that President Ferdinand Marcos learned of Roxas' discovery and ordered him arrested, beaten, and the Buddha and remaining gold seized. Roxas alleged that in retaliation to his vocal campaign to reclaim the Buddha and the remainder of the treasure taken from him, Ferdinand continued to have Roxas threatened, beaten and eventually incarcerated for over a year.

Following his release, Roxas put his claims against Marcos on hold until Ferdinand lost the presidency in 1986. But in 1988, Roxas and the Golden Budha Corporation, which now held the ownership rights to the treasure Roxas claims was stolen from him, filed suit against Ferdinand and wife Imelda in a Hawaiian state court seeking damages for the theft and the surrounding human rights abuses committed against Roxas. Roxas died on the eve of trial, but prior to his death he gave the deposition testimony that would be later used in evidence. In 1996, the Roxas estate and the Golden Budha Corporation received what was then largest judgment ever awarded in history, $22 billion which with interest increased to $40.5 billion. In 1998, The Hawaii Supreme Court held that there was sufficient evidence to support the jury's finding that Roxas found the treasure and that Marcos converted it. However, the court reversed the damage award, holding that the $22 billion award of damages for the chamber full of gold was too speculative, as there was no evidence of quantity or quality, and ordered a new hearing on the value of the golden Buddha and 17 bars of gold only. After several more years of legal proceedings, the Golden Budha Corporation obtained a final judgment against Imelda Marcos to the extent of her interest in the Marcos estate in the principal amount of $13,275,848.37 and Roxas’ estate obtained a $6 million judgment on the claim for human right abuse.

This lawsuit ultimately concluded that Roxas found a treasure, and although the Hawaiian state court was not required to determine whether this particular treasure was the legendary Yamashita’s gold, the testimony relied upon by the court in reaching its conclusion pointed in that direction. Roxas was allegedly following a map from the son of a Japanese soldier; Roxas allegedly relied on tips provided from Yamashita’s interpreter; and Roxas allegedly found samurai swords and the skeletons of dead Japanese soldiers in the treasure chamber. All this led the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal to summarize the allegations leading to Roxas’ final judgment as follows: "The Yamashita Treasure was found by Roxas and stolen from Roxas by Marcos' men."

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