Weeping Virgin Mary

There's news today (May 27, 2015) of a weeping Virgin Mary statue in Liloan, Catarman, Camiguin.  There were investigations in the past by the church about these weeping statues, many were made by making a hollow statue, placing red liquid material or wax inside and placing a tiny hole in the eye such that when rubbed or when temperature is high as during summer or when a church is packed, it the packing material or wax in the tiny hole melts (or just rubbed) and red liquid pours from the eye like a weeping Mary.  Of course there are true genuine miracles but many resort to these crimes just to raise money in their chapels and increase the flock.

Readings:
http://www.georgefoster.info/writing/tears2.html

"How to make a weeping statue:
What is needed is a hollow statue made of a porous material such as plaster or ceramic.  The icon must be glazed or painted with some sort of impermeable coating.  If the statue is then filled up with a liquid (surreptitiously, through a tiny hole in the head, for example), the porous material will absorb it, but the glazing will stop it from flowing out.  If the glazing, however, is imperceptibly scratched away on or around the eyes, tear-like drops will leak out, as if materialising from thin air.  If the cavity behind the eyes is small enough, once all the liquid has dripped out there are virtually no traces left in the icon.  When I put it to the test, this trick proved to be very satisfactory, baffling all onlookers.
Dr. Luigi Garlaschelli from Pavia University published in Chemistry in Britain."

Italian Chemist explores the science of miracles: http://article.wn.com/view/2005/11/13/Italian_chemist_explores_the_science_of_miracles/

Weeping Statue article in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeping_statue

SM Seaside City Cebu

SM Seaside City Cebu in the reclamation area is Asia's biggest mall. Projected to open by Christmas 2015. The old SM Mall near Pier 5 will fit inside this many times. 

Perfect Disaster

Swarm Intelligence

1:00PM, in class
"Ok class, our lesson foh tohday is swarm intelligence".  (no response from sleepy class).  "Swarm intelligence is the collective behavior of decentralized, self-organized systems, natural or artificial" (only a few ladies were jotting down notes, many males will photocopy their notes later).  "Kinsay ga dula ug DOTA diri?"  (suddenly, many eyes lit up!) Di ba, the Nerubian Weaver can send a swarm of beetles that latches onto foes to create chaos in large armies, reducing armor and damaging them?  That is sort of like swarm intelligence. Like birds in a flock, termites, ants, etc.  (now the class has awoken).

(Later)
"Ok class, kinsa ga dula ug CounterStrike diri?"  (Students: "kini, mura'g exciting ni nga class diay!")  "Our next lesson on Monday is about artificial intelligence. Bots use AI diba?"

Baby termites, dead in the sun

Ant vs. termite (usually, the ant wins because termites are slow and vulnerable outside its hive)

Starcraft Marine Swarm

Fault Lines Near Cagayan de Oro City and Possible Tsunami Generators

With so much talk these days about the West Valley Fault in Manila, it is also timely to talk about possible earthquake generators near Cagayan de Oro City.  We are lucky that there is no fault line under the city but there are fault lines nearby which would also shake us and swamp us with the quake-generated tsunamis.

News articles about the West Valley Fault in Manila

In an interview with the chief of the Office of Civil Defense Region 10, it was revealed that the fault at the Southern part of Bohol island which faces Misamis Oriental could generate a tsunami (Mindanao Current, 2011).

August 17, 1976- 6.7 magnitude undersea earthquake in the Celebes Sea (between Mindanao & Borneo) generated a 14-15 feet tsunami hit Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte, 8,000 died, 10,000 wounded, 90,000 homeless.

The officer added that if the Tagoloan Fault under the Tagoloan River shakes violently, it will cause devastation in the province.

Fault Lines Near Cagayan de Oro City

Map Showing Recent Earthquakes in the Area

Map showing landslide susceptible areas due to earthquake or heavy rain

Google Maps with hazards overlayed

It is best to prepare for survival at home or a shelter for several days because there will be no electricity (power lines toppled, power plants damaged); there will be no water from the faucets (pipes will be broken); you cannot contact loved ones (because mobile phone towers will be toppled or damaged; landline posts toppled); roads will be blocked by debris; hospitals will be full of injured patients (glass windows from building alone will cause so many injuries); emergency personnel will also be busy tending for their loved ones; stores and mall will be closed because storeclerks will also be busy attending to their loved ones; there will be riots and ransacking of stores and malls. In short there will be chaos, and it's best to stay at home (if it still stands).


Undersea fault line can trigger tsunami in Northern Mindanao. (Mar. 26, 2011). The Mindanao Current. Retrieved 5-20-2015 from http://themindanaocurrent.blogspot.com/2011/03/undersea-fault-line-can-trigger-tsunami.html.

Definition of Basic Law

My nephew last night asked what a basic law is. I just haphazardly guessed that a basic law will be a framework where other later laws will be based upon.  My guess was right because Wikipedia states that a basic law is "an interim or transitory nature" or provisional constitution.  Wikipedia

Full text of the BBL http://forpostinglater.blogspot.com/2015/05/full-text-of-bangsamoro-basic-law.html

Whirlwind Occurence Inside the UST Campus

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/488410/scitech/socialmedia/watch-youscooper-catches-dust-devil-at-ust-campus-on-video