Billy Does It Again

Billy Joel, who has championed the cause of Long Island, New York, fishermen in songs like "The Downeaster Alexa," is helping with the funeral expenses for a clam-digger whose body was found not far from the singer's mansion.

Pablo Update

Storm signals were hoisted over 32 areas as tropical storm “Pablo” (international codename: Higos) hit land in Easter Samar and began crossing the Bicol Region.

Pablo was located 170 kilometers southeast of Daet, Camarines Norte, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Atronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

It was moving northwest at 19 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 80 kilometers per hour.

Signal No. 2 (winds of from 60-100 kilometers per hour) was hoisted over the provinces of Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, Ticao Island, Burias Island, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Marinduque, Southern Quezon and Northern Samar.

Signal No. 1 was raised over Metro Manila, Romblon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Northern Quezon, Polillo Island, Aurora, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Eastern Samar, Western Samar, Northern Leyte, Northern Cebu, Biliran, Capiz, Northern Iloilo, Northern Antique and Aklan.

Residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes are advised to take precautions against possible flashfloods and landslides while those living in coastal areas under signal No. 2 are alerted against big waves and storm surges.

Pablo was expected to be in the vicinity of Cabanatuan City Wednesday evening, about 310 kilometers northwest of Dagupan City by Thursday evening and 620 kilometers west of Basco, Batanes by Friday evening.

A major bakers’ group announced there would be no increase in the prices of bread products until the end of the year after flour millers promised to freeze the price of flour.

All storm signals in the country were lowered Monday morning as typhoon "Ofel" (Jangmi) continued to move away from Philippine territory.

Tropical Storm "OFEL" is still too far to directly affect any part of the country within the next 36 hours.

"OFEL" is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon rains and bring rains over Visayas and Mindanao.

The public and the disaster coordinating councils concerned are advised to take appropriate actions and watch for the next bulletin to be issued at 11 p.m. today.

A Windy Day

Scattered rainshowers in Cebu today. But it's really windy. I was in Mactan this afternoon. That island's cold.
I had brewed coffee. It warmed my tummy a bit. Just. Dinner was in good old La Teg. Marina Mall is showing signs of decay. Fewer customers. Vacant parking slots. Darker alleys. Dilapidated roads. Is business going bad? Or is it just the wind? And the rains?

Villar Survives

Opposition members were a no-show at the Senate when it opened session Wednesday.

Those who were absent were Senate Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Senators Panfilo Lacson, Manuel “Mar” Roxas, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Loren Legarda, Rodolfo Biazon, and Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is in jail.

Despite the non-attendance of these senators, Senate President Manny Villar, who is under fire over an alleged double insertion he made on a road project extension in the 2008 budget, presided over the session.

Aquino and Lascon said in a text message that they were on official business while Pimentel said he was out of town.

The non-attendance of these senators came less than a day after Villar admitted to the insertion in the 2008 budget and the debate in the upper House over the sequence of speakers who were to react to Lacson’s expose on the double entry, which he delivered in a privilege speech Monday.

Gossip

*Oscar Wilde*:
"Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality."

Little Johnny

A teacher in Elmira , New York asked her 6th grade class how many of them were Obama fans. Not really knowing what an Obama fan is, but wanting to be liked by the teacher, all the kids raised their hands except for Little Johnny. The teacher asked Little Johnny why he has decided to be different...again.

Little Johnny said, "Because I'm not an Obama fan." The teacher asked, "Why aren't you an Obama fan?" Johnny said, "Because I'm a
Republican." The teacher asked him why he's a Republican. Little Johnny answered, "Well, my Mom's a Republican and my Dad's a Republican, so I'm a Republican.

Annoyed by this answer, the teacher asked, "If your mom was a moron and your dad was an idiot, what would that make you?"

With a big smile, Little Johnny replied, "That would make me an Obama fan."

Labad

Nagsanting. Nag-ungaog. Nagkabug-at. Nagkahugot. Nagkasakit. Nagluha akong mata. Nagping-it sa tago. Kasukaon gamay. Kanindot ipiyong. Kanindot iligad ug ikatug. Apan di pa kong kauli. Gihigpitan among log. Kusog kaayong mokuwenta sa kuwang. Way labot ang kapin. Hed-ek. Huge headache. Sigeng hingos. Bug-at iginhawa. Gamayng hangos. Ping-ot gamay. Ginhawag lawom. Naghigwaos. Akong mata ang hinungdan ini. Nagkinahanglan na silag antipara. Apan hasol. Bug-at. Tug ra gyoy sulbad ini. Pagpiyong sa dugang panahon. Aron makapahuway sa pinong letra. Hunong unag basa. Hunong og tan-aw sa hanap nga palibot. Labad sa mata!

DYAB Webcast

We are now webcasting thru Stickam. Our old webcam (June Berongan's) is broadcasting dark grainy images of our booth and anchors to the Cebuanos worldwide. I appreciate their tolerance of our amateurish attempt at webcasting. Hopefully, the promised audio and video streaming of all ABS-CBN TV and radio stations will be realized this year. Thanks to Skypecast, Yahoo! Live and Stickam, we're ready.

Home For Lunch

The comfort of home. The seduction to sleep. The invitation to hibernate. If only for a moment. However brief. Respite. Ceasefire. A pause. A while. A break. A lull. A sigh of relief. A deep soft comfortable breath. Ahhhhh....

RP's 12.5% Inflation

Higher fuel and housing costs drove inflation closer to a 17-year high despite a slow down in the increase of food prices.

DYAB Cebu Live Webcast

Web-Based MP3 Recorder

This is a web-based MP3 recorder. Just click the link and switch on your microphone and you're on record: http://ping.fm/T5lNV