#Filipino Soldiers Training

[vague-humanoid]

In this photo taken by Stanley Troutman in 1944, Fernandez demonstrates to an American soldier how she silently kills Japanese soldiers. She targets the carotid artery and the jugular, instantly killing her enemies.

tw slurs

The Silent Killer

When the Japanese arrived in the Philippines in 1941, they took away all the possessions of Filipinos. No one was allowed to own businesses, and no one was allowed to teach anything except those approved by Imperial Japan.

In her hometown of Tacloban, the Japanese forced business owners into submission by drenching them in scalding water.

“When the Japs came, no one could keep anything,” Fernandez told a reporter from the Lewiston Daily Sun in November 1944. “They took everything they wanted.”

Fernandez decided to take matters into her own hands after the Japanese took away her possessions and small business and threatened to take away her students as well.

Fernandez became known as “The Silent Killer.” Alone and dressed in all-black attire, she would set up ambushes in the jungle armed only with a makeshift shotgun, which she made out of a gas pipe, and her bolo.

For two and a half years, Fernandez carried out ambushes on her own. She would head into the jungle barefoot, taking out dozens of enemy troops alone.

From Teaching Kids to Training Guerrillas

Eventually, her heroics inspired a following among Tacloban’s men. Fernandez shifted from teaching the alphabet to schoolchildren to training men how to kill silently. From being called “Miss Fernandez” by her pupils, she earned the title “Captain Fernandez” among the 110 guerrillas under her command.

Her small guerrilla army became so efficient and deadly, the Americans were astounded a woman led them. In fact, Fernandez was the only female guerrilla commander in the Philippines during World War II.

[bopinion]

2024 / 03

Aperçu of the Week:

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts."

(Winston Chrchill, former multi- & prime minister of Great Britain, historian and Nobel Prize winner for literature)

Bad News of the Week:

NATO is launching a maneuver in the next days. With 90,000 soldiers, "Steadfast Defender" is the largest since the end of the Cold War. What is being simulated - seriously, according to the official announcement! - is the defense "against an attack by Russia on NATO territory". Ooph... That's how far we've come now. Or again.

At the same time, the Ukrainian government is planning a massive increase in the conscription of its men. Hundred thousands additional soldiers are to go to war. With no combat experience, hardly any training and a faltering supply of equipment. This also acknowledges what observers have long assumed: that Vladimir Putin is relying on a protracted war of attrition. Unfortunately, from a strategic point of view, he is right.

In contrast to Russia's well-oiled arms industry, the West's military support for Ukraine is decreasing. The most important supplier, the USA, in particular, no longer has a budget at its disposal due to the refusal of a group of arch-conservative Republicans. A group that absurdly calls itself the "freedom caucus" - which apparently does not apply to support for a country that has been innocently attacked and is ultimately defending its freedom.

A colleague told me about his assessment that the election of Donald Jessica Trump at the end of November this year would probably have its good side too. After all, he would strike a deal with Putin on the price he would be willing to pay for an agreement and, of course ("America first"), stop all support for Ukraine at the same time. Which would then have no choice but to hand over Crimea, the Donbas and the territories in between to Russia. Phew...

Good News of the Week:

People are standing up. In sub-zero temperatures, millions of Germans are actually gathering on streets and squares to stand up against right-wing extremists and for democracy. The motto is "Never again is now!". Many are attending a demonstration for the first time, bringing children with them, having painted posters - democracy at work. I have been waiting a long time for the silent majority to finally stop being silent in the face of rising poll figures for the right-wing AfD (Alternative für Deutschland / Alternative for Germany) - currently at 22%.

The trigger was a subversive meeting of right-wing extremists who discussed strategies to deport all non-Germans, to put it simply. Uncovered by investigative journalists. I learned the word "demigration" in the process. Don't get me started on how valuable the so-called guest workers (mainly Turks) were for the German economic miracle back in the 1960s. That care for the elderly in this country would collapse without Eastern Europeans. Or that neither commercial kitchens would be able to survive without Filipinos nor IT departments without Indians. That immigration is necessary to maintain prosperity in our ageing society. And that integration fails more often due to a lack of willingness to accept immigrants than a lack of adaptability of those.

We are all human beings. A species that only exists because it has perfected the principle of cooperation. When one person goes hunting, another has to take care of the fire. Today we call that specialization. Or when was the last time you milked a cow, tilled a field, forged a shovel or prepared a medicine? Exactly. Morally, this becomes a community of solidarity in which not only does everyone do what they do best for everyone else, but the strong also stand up for the weak. You simply can't be blind in the right eye.

It is fitting that last week the Bundestag decided to amend the legislation on citizenship for immigrants. Against the votes of the conservative CDU/CSU and - surprise! - the AfD. In short: it will be easier and quicker than before. Above all because dual citizenship will be possible. It is important to know that in Germany, out of a population of 84 million, at least 12 million do not have a German passport. And are therefore not allowed to vote, for example. This door is now open. For a good 1.5 million Turks. And my wife. I have a strong suspicion that the radical right-wing AfD will not score any points with these citizens with their degenerate values.

Personal happy moment of the week:

We got rid of a monster. Eight years ago, I took over a yucca palm from a friend that was getting too big for his home. And I had a good place for it. And then only problems. The stubborn thing grew in all the wrong directions, attracted vermin and for years dripped a sticky secretion that ruined the sofas next to it, rendered a lamp useless, smeared a window and disfigured a speaker on the surround sound system. Now I've finally got round to getting rid of it. Which was difficult, because I had no room for it. It's now on the patio and dying, because it's still January in the northern hemisphere.

But I got over myself. And then for hours - there were four! - of scrubbing and cleaning to remove the incredibly dirty, sticky corner that had formed behind the sofas over the years. I managed it. And now I enjoy my first espresso in a clean living room every morning. I'm just not allowed to look out of the window to see the slow death of a living thing. Doesn't help.

I couldn't care less...

...that the train drivers' union has announced another complete rail strike. This time for a whole six days, starting last night. Workers' rights with all due respect, but if you no longer show any willingness to negotiate and the action becomes an end in itself, you are taking the population hostage. And you lose all understanding, not to mention sympathy.

It's fine with me...

...that we've had quite a mild winter this year. Because now I can take the bike to get to the station. And I don't feel guilty when my neighbors get up earlier than me to clear snow from our shared yard. And I'm happy about lower heating costs. Nice, actually. If it weren't for the human-induced climate change, what causes this mild winter. Which makes me shiver again.

As I write this...

...I listen to the first live album of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Wow, what a joy these guys bring to the stage. The Boss really knows how to work a crowd. Nice.

Post Scriptum

Gaza is still hell on earth. Unfortunately, that's all I can say at this moment. When are the next elections in Israel again?

[silverwingwashere]

The US Federalized Philippine National Guard

The Philippine National Guard (PNG) was the descendant of the Philippine Militia that was created on March 1917. By April 1917 the PNG was created and ordered to muster its regiments and supporting units.

At the time, the Philippine Legislature created the PNG in hopes of showing to the US that they were capable of self-governance. The US Governor-General of the Philippine Insular Government supported this idea, as both envisioned the creation of a National Guard that may eventually be sent to join other US forces that were being shipped of to Europe. With the US having just joined the Great War, the idea was to create a division sized National Guard that could supplement the American Expeditionary Force to Europe.

However, in order to join regular army and national guard forces bound for Europe, the PNG must first by Federalized by the US government. For that to happen, they must follow the basic standards set up by the US Army. This proved to be harder task than anticipated.

The US Army's Philippine Department was initially supportive of the creation of the PNG. However, as time went on, and with many officers and resources being diverted to the war effort, they soon became unsupportive of the idea of the PNG. They saw it a another unit that would steal the meagre resources the army forces in the islands were recieving. Because of this the army was reluctant, and sometimes denied, request by the Governor-General to transfer weapons, uniforms, and Philippine Scout officers and NCOs to the forming militia units.

Despite these problems, the PNG grew and by 1918 there were 25,000 members in the PNG.

However, there was another problem the PNG was encountering. The US Government was hesitating to Federalize the force. The reason for this was because the Federalization of the PNG would mean that it would be incorporated in the the Federal Army. With the PNG having Filipino officers, some members of Congress did not like the idea of American soldiers being forced to salute and take orders from Filipino officers.

With dwindling hopes of Federalization, and with pay in the PNG not enough for to sustain its member's families, many of its members began leaving until there were less than 5,000 troops left.

Later on, rumors of the eventual Federalization of the PNG and a possible deployment overseas reinvigorated its members, as preparations were done for a possible shipment to the US. However, preparations were not completed until November 11, 1918, the same day the Great War ended. Then, slightly over a week after that, the US Government finally Federalized the PNG.

However, with the war over and with nothing left to do, the PNG was left in the Philippines, where they were to continue its training. By 1921 the PNG was eventually disbanded.

----------------------------------------

Okay, so the Philippine National Guard, a rarely talked about, and often forgotten unit. In fact, barely anyone in the Philippines remembers the PNG. Which is a shame, because it was the Philippine's biggest attemot to contribute something during World War 1.

So, it was a bit hard figuring out what the PNG wore, because I could barely find images of them. So I had to base this piece on the accounts of one og its members and a description of the PNG I found in an article. According to the article I found, the PNG conducted its final public parade on November 14, 1918. In hopes of impressing more recruits, they were issued khaki or olive drab uniforms, which were basically surplus US Army uniforms. The problem is, since they were surplus army uniforms meant for larger American soldiers, they were quite big and loose for the Filipino troops. As you can see here, the uniform, which is the Pattern 1917 wool service coat, is loose on Silver.

This loose, and sometimse torn clothing, and the fact that some were carrying wooden rifles during the November 14 parade resulted in many onlookers laughing at the sorry state of the PNG. This embarassed and saddened many of its members, that's why Silver has a sad look.

Next, we move to the headgear. An account by a veteran of the PNG mentioned that they were issued stetson hats. So I assume he means the Pattern 1911 service hat.

Lastly, you can see Silver holding the US flag. Since the Philippine flag was banned by Act 1696 (Flag Act) and since the Philippine was an unincorporated territory of the US, then the PNG's national colors would be the US flag.

[aphroditesknife]

There are still quite a lot of people who are grateful for the Spanish and American colonisation of the Philippines. I can see you rolling your eyes right now, but you don't have to dig deep on the web to find these kinds of people. But while I've seen some people being very critical of the Spanish, the American one seems... diluted? Like people don't know how seriously fucked up the Americans were to the Filipino people.

So here's some details about those things they did in the Philippines. Keep in mind that this is only some and not the whole of the history of American colonisation.

>The Philippine-American War (1899-1902)

Considered by many historians to be the first counterinsurgency fought by the U.S

Featured guerrilla warfare by the Filipinos

Americans used torture, mutilation, killing prisoners, and other genocidal moves.

Intensely criticized in the U.S. by anti-imperialists like Mark Twain and Democratic Party leader William Jennings Bryan, who were the most notable critics of the war and the way it was fought

Military dissenters were also prominent critics.

Tortures included “water cure” where a prisoner’s mouth and nose were flooded with torrents of water from tanks funneled through syringes. Today we call this waterboarding.

4,200 US soldiers died

20,000 Filipino soldiers died

250,000-750,000 civilians died from violence, famine, and disease.

>Colonisation

Self-described imperialists insisted that America had a duty to bring order and civilization to what Indiana senator Alfred Beveridge called a "barbarous race." As the senator insisted, "The Philippines are ours forever. We will not repudiate our duty in the archipelago. We will not abandon our duty in the Orient. We will not renounce our part in the mission of our race, trustee under God, of the civilization of the world."

Racism was rampant, especially from American veterans. Some racial slurs often used were the "n" word, "monkey men", and "gugus", used to dehumanise Filipinos.

Images of Filipinos as animals, or displaying animalistic qualities were common in popular magazines in the United States like: Harper’s Weekly or Judge. Images of Filipinos as dogs, mosquitos, or trained monkeys underscore the qualities associated with Filipinos: trophies, an annoyance, or as pets.

Education used to "civilize" Filipinos and make them more like Americans. After the war, white teachers would come to the Philippines to "educate" the next generation of Filipinos. Either by eliminating the Filipino “half devil” or educating the “half child,” the United States had discovered a method of "cleansing the savagery" of the Filipino peoples: through violence or an American education.

Villages were burned and resulted in the displacement of 3,000-4,000 Filipinos who were forced to abandon their homes and possessions and flee without any idea of where to go next.

American soldiers were some of the first to develop and use concentration camps in their “war” against the Filipinos Additionally, the “dead line” surrounding the camp kept all the natives in check and prevented them from leaving the camp on the threat of death.

In the Coney Island amusement park in 1905, a band of Igorrote (Igorot) were taken to the United States, performing mock tribal ceremonies and consuming dog meat in front of Americans in a human zoo.

From the big bourgeoisie and landlords, US imperialism chose their main political agents to train them as capitalist bureaucrats, benefiting from government colonial loot

Puppet politicians performed the role of deceiving the people during the colonial rule of US imperialism.

The US imperialists extorted the patriotic and revolutionary spirit and spread the narrative of worshipping foreigners so they can control the thinking of the people.

Public education system was used, English language was imposed and taught submissiveness in the minds of the people to US imperialism.

Sent many pensioners to the US to train reliable puppets and propagandist.

Cinema, radio, newspapers, and literature used to discredit the Philippine revolution

Let the Catholic church continue to spread the feudal mentality and superstitions.

Filipinos who continued to be a part of armed resistance were called "bandits".

Brought by the rapid development of trade and use of money, the farmers became even more poor. The bankrupt farmers who owned farmlands were forced to sell their land to landlords, merchants, and rich farmers. Basically during the American era, the evils of Spanish era continued.

Throughout the 1920s, there were many outbreaks spontaneous resistance of the working masses and farmer. This is a result of the continuous intensification of exploitation by foreign and local ruling classes.

In Manila, many strikes broke out. Farmers went on strike in large numbers part of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

If you keep up with Philippine politics, you can see some very obvious similarities to present day and history. Hence why remembering these atrocities is very important.

[workersolidarity]

🇷🇺🇺🇦 🚨 UPDATE ON THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR OVERNIGHT EVENTS DAY 623/624

🇺🇸 The United States has emptied the funds allocated for direct budgetary support of Ukraine. Without further appropriations, aid to Ukraine will cease according to USAID.

🇷🇴 Romanian authorities have received the first F-16s designated for the purposes of training and eventually giving the planes to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In the Odessa direction:

According to sources in the Odessa region, after yesterday's Russian missile strike against a ship at port in Odessa dealt significant damage to the ship, killing a Ukrainian Pilot and injuring 3 Filipino sailers, Ukrainian Forces are said to have taken control over the damaged ship and the port itself. Ukrainian military authorities are said to be occupying the port and unloading the ships contents.

This suggests the damaged ship held deliveries of Military equipment or weaponry.

In the Kherson direction:

As a result of a drone directed HIMARS strike, Ukrainian Forces destroyed a Russian military fuel tanker in the treelines around Mali Kopani, in the area east of Hladkivka, wounding and killing a number of Russian soldiers operating in the area.

The strike reached a significant distance into Russian-held territories in Kherson, over 25km (15.5mi) from the frontlines.

Ukrainian Forces also struck a Russian electronic warfare vehicle using HIMARS rockets in the vacinity west of the village of Obryvka, south of the Ukrainian foothold on the left bank of the Dnieper in Krynky.

Over the previous week, countless (upwards of 20) targeted strikes by Ukrainian Forces using drones and HIMARS in this area have dealt significant attritional damage to Russian Forces operating in the Kherson territory.

At the same time, Russian Forces have consistently been heavily bombing and shelling Ukrainian villages along the right bank of the Dnieper, hitting concentrations of manpower and equipment staging to cross the river to the footholds, slowing the Ukrainian advance in this territory.

The Russian-held village of Oleshki has come under heavy drone bombardment by Ukrainian Forces operating out of Antonivka and Prydniprovske and similarly, Ukrainian Forces operating out of Ivanivka and Korsunka have been supporting their troops in Krynky while hammering Russian positions surrounding the Ukrainian foothold.

In the Zaporizhzhia direction:

Ukrainian Forces continue trying to dig in and fortify their positions along the western flank of Robotyne, with a multitude of Russian FPV drone strikes targeting Ukrainian concentrations of manpower and equipment as the Ukrainians attempt to expand their zone of control over this area.

In one geolocated video along the southern outskirts of Robotyne, Ukrainian Forces targeted Russian troops attempting a medical evacuation of forces in this area using cluster munitions. Most of the strikes did not hit their targets however.

In the Avdiivka direction:

On the northern flank of Avdiivka, west of Kransohorivka, Russian Forces have established control over the fields northeast of Stepove, east of the rail lines, and continue offensive operations to broaden their area of control and dig in deeper into recently taken territory.

Russian Forces have yet to make any serious attempts at pushing west of the rail lines while progress is made north of Kransohorivka. Video evidence shows Ukrainian FPV drone crews targeting Russian positions in the fields north of Kransohorivka, confirming the territory is now firmly under Russian control and the grayzone in this area has expanded considerably.

The goal in this area for Russian Forces in the coming days will be to widen their zone of control over the fields and treelines north of Kransohorivka before attempting any assaults west of the railways.

In the vacinity of Novooleksandrivka, Russian Forces successfully targeted a Ukrainian MBT located in the fields south of the town using a next generation Lancet.In the south of Avdiivka, Russian Forces continue their ground operations in the direction of Sieverne to its west and east both, attempting to envelope the village rather than straight on assault it while Ukrainian Forces attempt to slow the Russian advance here.

Ukrainian Forces are redeploying mechanized strategic reserves from the Kostiantynivka area towards the Avdiivka direction as a result of successful Russian ground operations in this region.

In the Artemovsk direction:

Russian Forces continue heavy pressure on Ukrainian Forces operating in the southern Bakhmut area, in the vacinity of Klischiivka and Andriivka, tying up supporting Ukrainian Forces in this area and making any attempts to redeploy forces in the Avdiivka direction a perilous decision to make.

However, Ukrainian Forces have decided to send an unknown number of reserves in the Avdiivka direction regardless of the situation in the Bakhmut sector.

The result has been slow but steady Russian advances in the forest areas southwest of Artemovsk, to the northeast of Klischiivka.

Russian Forces meanwhile are heavily bombing and shelling Ukrainian positions in Klischiivka and the situation here for Ukrainian Forces is growing more tenuous by the day.

Some reports say Ukrainian Forces have been forced to retreat from certain positions in the northeast of Klischiivka, however more video evidence is needed to illustrate the current situation on the ground.

In the Soledar area:

Ukrainian Forces launched a HIMARS strike targeting a Russian ammunition depot in the area northeast of Soledar, secondary detonations were recorded.

In the Spirne area, Russian Forces were heavily bombing the village, targeting heavy fortifications where Ukrainian Forces continue to hold onto positions in Spirne despite reports claiming otherwise.

In the Lyman direction:

Ukrainian Forces published video evidence showing the destruction of a significant number of Russian armored vehicles south of Pershotravneve after last week's ground operations by Russian Forces along the road between Petropavlivka and Pershotravneve.

No updates coming from the Kupiansk direction.

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[sturmovik]

probably the most annoying myth/lie about Filipino martial arts history

Late last year I was doing RA work for a Filipino Martial Arts paper and I was very frustrated by the almost universal proliferation of a certain statement about the arts, and I cannot stress enough how FMA schools need to get rid of it: the myth that the Spaniards banned the Filipinos from practicing their combat arts. 

This claim is unsubstantiated and ahistorical. There are people who claim the Spanish colonial authorities banned it out of fear or to control the native Filipino population. But no one has produced any document to prove such a ban existed.

(Above: Painting of a Cuadrillero, a native Filipino militiaman who served as local law enforcement and auxiliary to the colonial army when needed; Jose Honorato Lozano, 1847)

Furthermore, the claim is ahistorical because native Filipinos formed the majority of colonial military and police for the entirety of the Spanish colonial period. Almost every town in the Spanish colonial PH had their own militia (later called cuadrilleros) to serve as local law enforcement and auxiliaries to the colonial army (who were also mostly natives) during military campaigns, and they often had to train and arm themselves.

Native Filipino milicias/cuadrilleros are often depicted with a mix of native and European-style weapons and equipment.

(Filipino militiamen from Ilocos led by the local native elites wielding spears and swords during the Basi revolt, 1807; Esteban Villanueva, 1821)

The Spanish consistently relied upon the natives' fighting capabilities to end rebellions and to conquer new territories throughout the archipelago. When you consider this, plus the fact that Filipino towns had to train and arm their own cuadrilleros, it makes no sense.

(Above: Filipino militiamen armed w/ native weaponry fighting alongside Filipino soldiers in the Spanish Colonial Army during the Battle of Balanguingui, 1848; Antonio de Brugada, 1850)

The more likely explanation is that, like many other pre-colonial Filipino traditions, Filipino martial arts blended with Spanish martial traditions over time while maintaining its roots in our native weaponry and warrior philosophies, which is why  as “Arnis” and “Eskrima” (Spanish loanwards) are the most prolific terms to describe the martial arts of Christianized Filipinos, and why Arnis/Eskrima schools, while focusing on Filipino weaponry, often share many terminologies with historical Spanish martial arts.

[luringsea]

𓏲 ˖.♡̷̸ Echoes of Valor◞ 📖 ⟠ ࣪

Throughout history, bravery has been a value placed on it, particularly in the Philippines where many people have shown remarkable courage and selflessness. From brave soldiers fighting off foreign invaders to the ordinary heroes who are willing to put their lives in danger so that others might live, there are countless examples of courage in Philippine history one could draw upon.

Araw ng Kagitingan, also known as Day of Valor, is the immortal reminder of the valiant stand our Filipino fighters made during World War II. Every April 9th, Filipinos observe this day to honor the lives given for Philippine independence and freedom. It reminds us of the sacrifices our forefathers made to keep this country free from foreign domination.

During World War II, the Philippines was painted with the hues of uncertainty and fear by the Japanese forces, leading to intense battles and widespread destruction. As MacArthur led the Filipino and American troops in their heroic resistance, courage acted like a beacon. They held on for months without reinforcements, with courage as their guiding light, their resistance lasted for months, but ultimately, they surrendered due to a lack of reinforcements. Filipino and American soldiers, ordered to abandon their positions then taken prisoner by Japanese troops, were subjected to inhuman treatment on the notorious Bataan Death March.

We recognize this day that serves as a call to all Filipinos to muster up courage and let patriotism reign while we confront problems and defend ourselves. Through commemorating the day, we make sacrifices to honor their memory. This itself will serve as a reminder: the bravery and devotion of our heroes cannot ever be forgotten, their spirit should continue to inspire future generationsIn this day and age, Araw ng Kagitingan continues to occupy a special place in every Filipino's heart. It is the time when we all assemble in homage and commendation for our fallen heroes`sacrifices.

This is the day that gives us the opportunity to impart a spirit of national pride and oneness from a young age. Knowledge of the courage and sacrifices made by our predecessors enlivens our appreciation for the freedom, liberty which now surround us. Again, through training and insight into the importance of Araw ng Kagitingan, younger generations have come to understand that they should appreciate their own history and culture. Finally, Araw ng Kagitingan reminds us that bravery should be upheld in society, and only one thing counts: courage and heroism on this day.

[pannaginip]

The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the criminal complaint filed by ACT Party-list Representative France Castro against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte is facing a complaint for Grave Threat under Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code and Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

It stemmed from his statements during a television program at Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) where he talked about the confidential fund of his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.

...

In his Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa Program at SMNI that aired October 11, 2023, Duterte was quoted: “I told Inday (Sara) to be direct, tell them that the intelligence fund is meant to prepare the minds of the Filipinos, to address the insurgency that is taking a long time to end. And the ROTC so that we are prepared for war, especially in this situation, if we do not have soldiers, then we will have the youth who can take care of their respective barangays,” he explained.

“But your first target there, using your intelligence funds, is you, France [Castro], you communists who I want to kill. I asked her to tell them that, but she refused, saying, ‘You know Pa, if I did that, they might harass the PMTs (Philippine Military Training institutions),’” he added.

...

“Besides, the Office finds it quite unusual, if not ridiculous, for a person to make a public pronouncement of death threats or perpetuate threatening remarks, utterances, or statements if he is that serious and deliberate enough in actualizing or effectuating such threats conceived in his mind,” the resolution further stated.

2024 Jan. 12

[pagefontanillasy]

Paige Fontanilla-Sy

Age:38/1949

Nationality: Filipino

Occupation: Philippine National Police- Narcotics Division Captain Precinct 07.

Status: Dead

Relationship: Edward Heath (Boyfriend)

Christopher Sy (Deceased husband)

A mentioned sister

An estranged son

Affiliations: Captain DEA-PNPN joint force

Lieutenant for PNPN Precinct 07 and OIC

Sargeant for PNP violent crimes

Soldier 177th infantry division for Vietnam War 76

Background

Paige Fontanilla-Sy is a career soldier, educated in the UK. She was trained in the West Point like her father and was sent to fight the Vietnam War and Korean war. She retired after two tours and became a high ranking cop first as a Master Sargeant for violent crimes. Having a degree in chemistry, she has joined the newly formed Narcotics Division in 1983 to combat drug use problem and trafficking. She has been newly minted as a Lieutenant as early as 35 and led PNP narcotics from then on. When the DEA joined forces with the Ph government, she was tasked to be the Captain of her precinct among with other to join the DEA. She leads the command for three years until 1992 due to her untimely death.

Her time has led to total of 1267 arrests and has given a large blow to the Chinese/Hispanic cartels.

She died in a gun battle but the coroner states that she died from blood loss due to miscarriage of a third month old baby which was believed to be sired by DEA Operations Director, Edward Heath.

Paige had created an alliance with Edward to rang in corrupt politicians and policemen that has been hindering her missions. The professional relationship has turned personal to which at that time, Ed Heath is still married to his wife who he claims to having difficult time with the marriage and finally decided to divorce his then wife--Sara Heath to be with Paige.

Relationships

Paige's family life has been quite tragic. His father served as an economic advisor but was killed in a car crash with the president at the time in 1950s. Mother was European language teacher who died from cancer in the 70s.

She has a sister who is estranged.

Her husband, Christopher Sy, a teacher was killed when she was ambushed by a Chinese triad. She got widowed when she was just 27.

She hasn't been married or known to have other romantic or sexual relationships since then. She does but not known.

Paige met Edward Heath in 1984 when he just got posted from Mexico for ten years and is sent to the Philippines for new enemies. They met during Paige's aikido match with other policemen. Edward was told that Paige will be minted as a Lieutenant and will lead the Narcotics Division. However, Edward does not believe that a woman could do some gritty job. Paige's captain told him that she's not any ordinary police staff, as she has more arrests and turn out than anyone.

They met again during the ceremony of recognition for new lieutenants and Sargeant. Edward congratulated her but Paige refused to shake hands, stating sarcastically about Ed's mention of her gender being a hinder.

They have bumped into each other many of times but they still are brewing against each other. In 1987, a joint force between DEA and PNP Narcotics has been established making her the captain of the joint force to capture Cho Ren Shi for the fentanyl business. Although successful many times in the operations, Paige's main problem are corruption.

So Paige asked Edward for a very private meeting to ask Edward for intels about it and she'll figure out who to tumble next with his help.

They continue their private meetings mostly in discreet places, cars and hotels to exchange intels and plans.

After imprisoning de Vega, for his narcopolitics connections and eventually getting most of those in the politics and police, their secret partnership is about to end since the joint task force will soon be dissolved.

However, Ed and Paige had sex together. They finally developed a sexual relationship for two years for the remaining operation. Ed starts to fall for Paige but Paige remains noncommittal. She suddenly out of nowhere won't talk to him but she hints that she's pregnant with his child through a phone call before they got interrupted.

The joint task force has been dissolved and they didn't get a chance to talk.

She has also filed a leave of absence attributing to her pregnancy. On the way to the court to watch the indictment, shoot outs begin and when she drew her gun, she was shot four times at the back and neck. Though still alive in the hospital she died of blood loss from her miscarriage of 18 weeks old fetus.

The coroner, doctor, General Ybañez and Heath was in the morgue looking for next of kin. The doctor reported about the miscarriage to Heath and Ybañez as she was looking for a possible relationship partner to come up and claim her. Heath ordered secretly a DNA test between his and the the fetus. It turned out a 99% paternity match. While going through Paige's things, Javier kept the baby book and letter and gave it to Heath as Javier knows about the affair between them.

It is obvious that Paige wants to keep the child given her even taking a leave from the police life. And that she is having regular check ups since she discovered at 7 weeks. She named the fetus Avocado as it is the size of it.

The letter to be sent to her sister contains that she's leaving after the indictment and move her family's ancestral house to continue her pregnancy quietly. It reveals that she has a son from her previous marriage but had her sister adopt him since the state saw her unfit to become a mother due to her obsessiveness to work and revenge. So she gave it to her sister and that Paige only supports him financially.

The sister thus arrive, burying the fetus and Paige. Edward came forward to Paige's sister, Hannah, that she was the father and that they had a relationship. The tombstone fo the fetus is named as Avocado Fontanilla-Heath.

[philippinerevolution]

125 years of persevering struggle for national freedom

In commemorating the recent 125th year of the declaration of false Philippine independence, let us look back to the Filipino people’s more than a century history of resistance to colonialism and semicolonialism and reaffirm our commitment to struggle for genuine freedom and democracy.

The declaration of freedom “under the protection of Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States of America” was made by representatives of the landlord-illustrado class who rode on the victories of the Katipunan armed revolution against the 300-year Spanish colonial rule. In truth, Spain had already secretly agreed with the US before staging the mock Battle of Manila Bay of October 1898 and the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898 under which the Philippines was sold for $20 million.

Hundreds of thousands of American troops were deployed to suppress and colonize the Philippines. More than a decade of brutal war against revolutionary forces—denigrated as “bandits” and “insurrectionists”—was carried out. Not less than 200,000 Filipino civilians were killed by American soldiers, and more than a million (of a population of less than seven million) died as a result of the US war of aggression.

The US employed overwhelming force to rampage through the Philippines, suppress the people and plunder the country’s wealth. Millions of trees were felled, hundreds of thousands of land taken from peasants and indigenous people to dig for gold and other minerals, and turn into plantations of sugarcane, pineapples and other crops for export to the US. The US colonized and controlled the minds of Filipinos by imposing an educational system that favor the US to erase the people’s memories of their just fight for freedom and imprint the thought of “benevolent assimilation” under US colonialism. The US produced a new generation of bureaucrat capitalists trained in “US democracy” to represent US power and the combined interests of the ruling classes of bourgeois compradors and the old landlord class.

Instead of being suppressed, the spirit of patriotism of Filipino workers and toiling people were further inflamed. At the outset and following decades, they organized and waged mass struggles for freedom. They clamored “death to US imperialism!” Since being established in 1930, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP-Philippine Islands) played a crucial role in leading the struggle for national freedom from US colonial rule.

Amid inter-imperialist conflict, the US abandoned the Philippines to colonial Japan. Led by the CPP, an anti-Japanese guerrilla war was waged by the Filipino people to establish revolutionary power in Central Luzon and other parts of the country. Like in China and other countries, the guerrilla forces crushed the Japanese invaders. Before the complete surrender of the beaten Japanese forces (as were the Spanish in 1898), the US forces returned and relentlessly bombed and devastated Manila (like the mock Battle of Manila Bay) to force the country to its knees. Together with its puppet armed forces (predecessor of the Armed Forces of the Philippines), the US carried out a campaign of armed suppression of guerrilla forces marked by massacres and brutal murders.

To placate the Filipino people, the US granted nominal independence on July 4, 1946 to turn over the reins of administration of the client-state to the ruling class parties and politicos. For close to 80 years now, the country has been under neocolonial or semicolonial rule. Philippine politics, economy, military and culture remains dominated by the US. Through semicolonial rule, the US plundered trillions of dollars through unequal trade and investment relations reinforced by treaties favoring the US. The policy of cheap labor was imposed to allow maximum profits for US and foreign capitalists. Economic policies of puppet Philippine governments are dictated by the US through the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other US-controlled banks and agencies, to the detriment of the Philippine economy and livelihood. The US reinforces cultural domination through a pro-US educational system, control of mass media and other agencies that promote a pro-US mentality and viewpoint.

The US perpetuates armed domination of the Philippines through military agreements as the Mutual Defense Treaty, the 1946-1991 Military Bases Agreement, the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement and the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. The US established the AFP as the main pillar of its rule in the country. It has since been used for the armed suppression of the Filipino people and their struggle for national and social liberation.

Amid the economic crisis of the US and other capitalist countries, there is push to further tighten US grip of the Philippines. Together with strengthening armed presence in the Philippines, the US is aggressively claiming control of natural resources and business operations in the country to expand plantations and mines resulting in economic dislocation of millions of Filipinos. The people today suffer from the deleterious effects of decades of neoliberal policy dictates of the US: widespread unemployment, low wages, lack of income, rising prices, decrepit social services, land grabbing, and environmental destruction. The country is at the precipice of a financial crisis marked by rising public debt and falling revenue due to corporate tax incentives, and rising costs of maintaining a bloated military and police. The US rush to construct more military bases and facilities across the Philippines, especially in the northern parts, as part of its strategy to encircle China, further underscores the country’s lack of sovereignty and puts it in danger of being pulled into a war between imperialist giants.

Since it was established in 1969, the Communist Party of the Philippines has been at the forefront of the struggle for national freedom and democracy. It has waged people’s war since 1969, and will persevere however long it takes to free the country from the clutches of US imperialism.

The Party, all revolutionary forces and the entire Filipino people are ready to shoulder the difficult tasks to advance the nation’s struggle to drive away the imperialist monster and attain the Motherland’s desire for freedom. With firm resolve, let us tread the path of resistance, however arduous and difficult, because it is the only path towards a bright and prosperous future.

[whatisonthemoon]

U.S., Philippines Kick off Largest-ever Balikatan Exercise as Defense, Foreign Affairs Leaders Meet in Washington (April 11, 2023)

▲ U.S. Marines with 3rd Landing Support Battalion, Army Soldiers, Navy Sailors, and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines listen during a rehearsal of concept brief in preparation for Balikatan 23 at Camp Agnew, Casigueran, Philippines on April 4, 2023.

from USNI news by Rene Acosta and John Grady

MANILA – The Philippines and the United States began the largest iteration of Balikatan, the annual military exercise involving Filipino and American troops, during a Tuesday ceremony at the Philippine military’s general headquarters of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino opened the exercise on Tuesday as defense and foreign affairs officials also met for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington D.C., to discuss the direction of the alliance between the two countries.

“For the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in particular, this year’s Balikatan Exercise is most timely as we fast-track the enhancement of our capabilities for maritime security and domain awareness, as well as our employment concept of newly acquired equipment and weapon systems under our modernization program and application of newly developed doctrines – with the end-in-view of projecting a credible defense posture,” Centino said.

More than 17,600 American, Filipino and Australian sailors, Marines, soldiers and airmen will participate in the exercise, Enrique Manolo, secretary of foreign affairs, said in Washington, D.C., on Monday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The exercise illustrates the importance Manila places on internal security, Manolo said, and signifies another step in modernizing the more than 70-year-old alliance between the United States and the Philippines.

The increased emphasis on interoperability required to address new security challenges, primarily coming from Beijing, facing the alliance allows Manila “to shore up our defensive posture.”

“Balikatan provides unparalleled opportunities to demonstrate the strength and readiness of the Philippine-U.S. security alliance,” Lt. Col. Daniel Huvane, Balikatan Combined Joint Information Director, said in a news release from the American embassy in Manila.

Last year’s drills saw about 9,000 military participants in the annual exercise that began in 1991.

Philippine military public affairs office chief Col. Jorry Baclor said the 38th iteration of the bilateral exercise highlights four major events – a command post exercise, cyber defense exercise, field training exercise and humanitarian civic assistance.

Weeks before the exercise, the Philippine military said that this year’s phase would be the biggest, as U.S. armaments will even be in full use, including the Patriot and Avenger missiles and HIMARS.

This coming Thursday, U.S. and Filipino troops will also conduct a live firing of the U.S. anti-tank weapon Javelin, still as part of the recently concluded phase one of the U.S.-Philippines “Salaknib” exercise, which involved the Philippine Army and the U.S. Army in the Indo-Pacific, according to Philippine Army spokesman Col. Xerxes Trinidad.

An F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Figther, assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 122, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, sits parked on the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) during a scheduled port visit at Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo April 5, 2023. US Navy PhotoOn the eve of Balikatan’s opening, Filipino and American soldiers trained together in “bunker and room-clearing” operations as part of the opening salvo at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

“This year’s Balikatan will be the biggest ever, an indication of the growth of our alliance and how it continues to evolve to meet our shared goals,” Heather Variava, U.S. Chargé d’affaires in Manilla said on Tuesday. Baclor said the participating forces will enhance their joint and combined capabilities in maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire exercise, urban operations, aviation operations, counter-terrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

The Philippines emphasized the importance of Balikatan to both U.S. and the Philippine forces, as Licudine said it builds “interoperability, enhances capabilities, and demonstrates mutual defense of the Philippine sovereign territory.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declared: “Balikatan is an important opportunity to train shoulder-to-shoulder and build trust and confidence that enable our forces to respond to crises and contingencies as a team.” In Washington D.C., Filipino Department of National Defense Officer in Charge Carlito Galvez and Enrique Manolo held the 2+2 meeting with Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The U.S. State Department in a statement issued ahead of the meeting said Blinken and Austin would reaffirm Washington’s ironclad commitment to its alliance with the Philippines, which it said has “contributed to peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.”

Speaking at CSIS on Monday, Manalo reiterated the distance between the Philippines and Taiwan – about 90 miles – where tensions have been rapidly rising between the United States and China over the future of the self-governing island.

Chinese naval militia continue to harass and ram Filipino fishermen working in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, he said. Beijing warships and coast guard vessels are ignoring a 2016 international tribunal’s ruling dismissing its claims to much of the South China Sea. The Chinese are treating the region as its sovereign territory.

Beijing has built at least seven artificial islands on coral reefs that are capable of supporting maritime operations and military airfields. One of those man-made islands is in the Spratlys, off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Manolo added, “we feel the United States is an important partner” militarily and economically. He noted several times at the CSIS event the importance of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with Washington in keeping the Indo-Pacific a safe and secure environment for maritime commerce. He indicated that the United States and other nations, possibly Japan and Australia, may soon begin conducting joint maritime patrol operations with the Philippines to secure its expansive ocean borders.

Manolo added that the Philippines has the fourth largest coastline in the world, and it’s hard to secure but vital to economic development. The secretary added that Manila also looks to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, as a forum to resolve differences peacefully. The association is developing guidelines on acceptable international behavior and mechanisms to avoid conflict in territorial and trade disputes. China is a member.

Included in the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA)were arrangements for the United States to establish nine facilities for future American operations. He said he will discuss what activities will be allowed at the last four added in the arrangement during the meeting in Washington with his counterpart, Blinken, and the two nations’ secretaries of defense.

The “2 Plus 2” meetings had been shelved for seven years when then-President Rodrigo Duerte promised he’d shift security priorities away from the United States and more toward China to bolster Manila’s sovereignty in regional politics.

A September meeting in New York between President Joe Biden and newly installed President Ferdinand Marcos that led to the new defense agreement clearly demonstrated the shift back toward the United States.

“We obviously have to work [WITH?] them,” Manolo said, referring to China. “Equity in the maritime commons” is a foreign policy goal as Manila is “on the threshold” of becoming a regional economic power. He welcomed public and private assistance in filling infrastructure needs for future development and growth. He pointed to how important Manila can be in delivering clean energy renewables with investments made to explore its deposits of important raw earth and other green minerals.

“Multilateralism must thrive” to avoid conflict, said Manolo.

But “we want to make [discussions with China] compatible with the U.S. alliance.”

Notes and links below

Japan to join Salaknib drills between PH, US armies - “Japan is joining a large-scale joint exercise between the Philippine and US armies for the first time, a top military official said, in the latest of the emerging trilateral defense partnership of the three nations.A handful of observers from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) will participate in Salaknib (shield in the Ilocano dialect) — an annual exercise led by the Philippine Army to strengthen the readiness and interoperability with its counterparts from the United States — which will kick off next week.”

Stop US and Chinese aggression in the Philippines! Turn imperialist wars into wars against imperialism! The US is complicit in war crimes

The WACL and CAUSA’s Role in the Ruthless Violence of US-Philippines Counterinsurgency

Death Squads in the Philippines by Doug Cunningham

Those Spared in Duterte’s “War on Drugs” May Go to Moonie Rehabilitation

[tvguidancecounselor]

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 576: Xanthe Pajarillo

April 12-18, 2003

This week Ken welcomes director-writer, podcaster and Air Force veteran Xanthe Pajarillo.

Ken and Xanthe discuss Ken's TV Guide collection, living in Germany on a military base, AFN (Armed Forces Network), catching US shows on German channels, TV via word of mouth in school, Comedy Central, being obsessed with SNL, getting shows a week late, Blade, Scooby Doo, being an only child, watching horror movies with your parents, Xanthe's podcast Kindergeist, It!, how strange brains are, the nonstop 9/11 support the troops barrage of 2001, being obsessed with the micro, hoping SNL doesn't get preempted, how Millennials really like rules, Reality TV, the terror of chaos, pranks, Xanthe's Scream influenced prank phone calls, the wisdom of Mr. Rogers, the great anti-war horror stories, Deathdream, PTSD, Dog Soldiers, Ken living in London in 2003, the Iraq War, Zoolander, cult films, Billy Madison, Adam Sandler movies, not seeing Dirty Work on a date, Virginia, taking Stephen King for granted in New England, Filipino horror, Legally Blond, Hopping Vampires, Manananggal, twist endings, movies on TV, being obsessed with South Park, Ken's inability to remember the name of the 2001 movie The Forsaken, early 2000s horror and CGI, Making the Video, pop punk, Green Day, being in punk rock bands, playing guitar, the post slasher pre-Scream era of horror, Bruce Campbell, Evil Dead screenings, naps, American Idol, William Hung, The US vs. UK, Doctor Who, College Radio Industrial music shows, Great Women on Comedy, I Love the 80s, Julia Louie Dreyfuss' shows between Seindfeld and Veep, "women aren't funny", Jamie Kennedy, Ken's love of Jennifer Love Hewitt, how Cadet Kelly isn't what basic training was really like, basing your life choices on Hilary Duff movies, Jeering war, hating Matt Lauer, March Madness, human selfishness, not lionizing serial killers, poor Jeff Fahey's Body Parts, the best worst video game movies, Double Dragon, House of the Dead, Splatter Royale mode in Evil Dead the game, being insulted by tweens when playing video games, Interview with the Vampire, Tagalog, The Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, directing the awards show remotely, and making long lists of horror movies we  need to see. 

Check out this episode!

[thenorthographer]

Woke up drunk.. again

Craig was preparing the jet fuel I.v. drip. Lekker little cocktail that clears the night before's palm wine and star beer from your system.

Being stationed remotely near the Bumbuna dam keeps you off the radar from the Brass, but you have to make due with whatever you can find to drink.

Craig and I ran a remote clinic between Bumbuna and Makeni and looked after forty Filipinos working on the haul road for WBHO, stretching from Tonkilili all the way down to the port at Pepel.

On that particular day, the Brass decided on a staff rotation between Bumbuna and Makeni. I suspected that they knew about the drinking by now...Jisis who didn't. Reports were frequently late. Inventory on schedule drugs were cooked to hide our frequent jetfuel lines, which we graciously supplied to the Filipinos in exchange for booze and smokes.

By 09h00 we were packed and would pass the replacement team in an hour en route to Makeni.

Makeni, the centre of all things civilized. The Wuzum hotel housed the Welsh and Aussies and was just around the corner from the SOS camp that we'd be stationed at. Being the apex in town, the Wuzum saw a lot of traffic; Dutch missionary girls and the Red Cross nurses who rotated in and out of country from other parts in Sierra Leone. So it was a lekker change of scenery after staring at the bush for six weeks. Or so we thought.

If there is one thing in this world that I hate. It's inventory. Not only because it would interfere with our drinking as we couldn't hide the addiction or hangovers anymore but because now we had to report to a Clinic Superintendent. Daily stock counts. Drug registers filled out in proper fashion and daily inspection of paperwork. We were fucked. Craig and I formulated a game plan of drinking less on duty and drinking less in between everything else so we could hold a pose. And we had access to Vodka again. Not the good stuff like the old Soviet Bear or some other Russian variant but cheap imports from Liberia. There was a St. Mary's around the corner and we payed a runner for delivery.

We didn't have any big mining accidents at the time as it was only phase one, with bush clearing and construction off the haul road being done. Days were spent cleaning the clinic and training the locals in First-Aid. We treated Malaria cases in between, especially amongst the expats, some suturing for minor cuts etc. and assisted local hospitals with their own trauma and medical cases etc. You know just to stay sharp mos.

Tuesday morning, Mick Hallahan our in-country OPS Manager called on the sat phone. Mick was and old boy, 3 Para Rgn soldier from the U.K. So when he spoke you took a piss standing at attention. Himself and our SHE-Q guy Attie Strydom were on the way with a guy form Basil Reed civils who was in bad shape. Hansie de Beer.

Hansie was a junior safety officer and it was his first time out of S.A. Nice chap. Didn't know him personally but he frequented in the mess hall during breakfasts etc.

Hansie arrived at the clinic complaining of head ache and nausea and he looked like shit. They found him drowsy at his desk.

I immediately ran an i.v line of Nacl 0.9% to treat for dehydration as this was, other than malaria the most common thing among expats in Sierra Leone. Hansie's vitals were stable, although his NIBP was low, I think 112/72. This was 11h30 pm. I did a quick finger prick for a rapid malaria test. Positive. I waited one hour and tested again. Positive. Our in country protocol said, as we were contracted to AML said that if in the event of Malaria and or other serious medical illness that we have to inform the World Travel Clinic via sat phone in JHB of the patient, vitals signs, any diagnostic findings etc. ( For some fucking reason) we were dumb and couldnt treat Typhoid, Malaria etc.

It was 11h51 and haven't had a sip of Russia's finest yet and was already withdrawing.

I raised the WTC on the sat phone and was put through the a doctor in charge who I can't name (A. De Frey) I ran the patients particulars by him as well as the Rapid test and last vitals. The doctor a.k.a Doos said that the patients vitals does not reflect malaria and I was to to repeat the test in three hours again. I was busy replying but was cut off. Call ended.

Hansie's vitals were still stable although he developed a laboured breath and raised pulse. His NIBP was now at 110/70. I informed my Sup and was instructed to carry out the Doos' order.

By 03h00 i repeated the Rapid Malaria test. It came back positive. Hansie's vitals were fluctuating. I raised the Doos' on the sat phone again. Says he to me that if we don't know what malaria is we should come to JHB and he will school us.

My shift ended and Craig started his. I asked if he could cover for me until 21h00 as I needed a drink although I was on standby. Craig tested Hansie at 18h00. Positive and called Jhb and relayed vitals. The Doctor was irritated and said we should start quinine on a low dose until he called back. Craig wakes me up at 22h00. Repeats the doctors order. Fuck. We don't have a cardiac monitor and quinine causes cardiac arrhythmias which we won't be able to monitor.

Hansie was in kak now. His vitals were dropping. NIBP, Pulse, Resp Rates the whole works. I phoned the doctor again and said we did not have a cardiac monitor as HE advised that we would not be needing it at the time of deployment.

We transfer Hansie to a villa outside the Wuzum. Inserted a NG tube for fluids, set up the SP02 and BP monitor. Craig and take turns until 06h00 monitoring vitals etc. I crushed coartem during the night to reconstitute it and admininitered it thought the NG Tube. Hansie was unresponsive by then and I made shit fit.

At 03h00 I phoned the OPS Room calling for a medivac. Ops informs me that the French pilots don't fly at night and couldn't have a flight plan done in that time anyway.

At 06h30 that morning, I've never been that sober In my Life. Hansie's NIBP was at 98/40. Pulse of 140bpm and laboured racing breaths.

Ops phoned at 06h35. The helo was on the way. French pilots with their french Puma. Hansie is prepped on Life Support for medivac. Mick phones to confirm that big bird is on the way and that ISOS will meet them at Lungi on the tarmac. I cry!! Like a child to the big man over the phone. He says " It time...If you could survive this sober you can survive anything else everywhere else sober too"

I went ahead and got as drunk as the human body could have allowed for three days. "Wit Dronk"

I went home on rotation one week later. My boys were born two weeks later on the 2nd of December. I had a drink that morning in the parking lot at Femina hospital.

Then it was done.

I tagged a bunch of people years later on Social Media who were involved in Hansie's rescue.

Hansie replied a few days later;

" Dankie vir alles oom, ek sal dit nooit vergeet nie"

The Rescue of Hansie de Beer

Adventures in Remote Site Rescue

Pepel, Sierra Leone

2010

- Michael Botha

[agentem]

Emily watches "Plane"

Today I am reviewing Mike Colter's Plane. It is a horrible title for a movie. Just "Plane." Maybe it's a pun on Plain? Am I giving them too much credit?

I say it's a Mike Colter movie and technically it is billed as Gerard Butler movie but I wanted to see it because I love Mike Colter. He's Luke Cage. And I loved that shit. He was in Girl's Trip (I saw that for him and was bummed). Some other stuff. I know he's on Evil but I haven't seen it.

That's all I knew about it. Hadn't seen the trailer. I just saw the poster and I was like, "It's a movie about Gerald Butler and Mike Colter kicking ass on a plane? I am in."

Because the title says "plane" so I thought the whole thing was on a plane, right?

NOT THE CASE. They crash into a island pretty quickly. So it should be called Plane then Island.

But it doesn't matter because apparently this amazing work of cinema did well enough to get a sequel starring Mike Colter (!) for reals this time and it's just called "Ship."

We're going to have a whole series of movies called Plane, Ship, Train, Car, Bicycle, Fuck what other vehicles are there? And I am going to watch them all so long as Mike Colter continues to be in them.

Because I want Mike Colter to be a big star so Marvel has to bring him back. That was my thought when I first heard of this, like "Well I need to give Mike Colter money."

But the movie is also pretty good! Review below

I mean, I like action movies even if they are dumb, so I thought this might be like. Gerard Butler has been in some ones that are dumb but I watch anyway. That's what I thought this would be. (Like a Con Air.)

But there are actual parts that are quite intense. And someone read a flight manual because it's a lot about how planes work.

The beginning intro where he talks to his daughter on the phone is very poorly written and stiff. But Butler is selling the emotion of being a Scottish Dad of an American Teenager who is in Hawaii with her Aunt and he is a pilot flying from the Philippines and he wants to see her to be together on New Year's Day (because that's when dads and teen girls bond, everyone knows that.).

He also gets to say crap about the British so even though he's the kind of commercial airline pilot who makes jokes over the intercom, I like him. There's a lot of long shots of him just having to do stuff he doesn't want to. Like he has to kill a guy for the first time and it's a long sequence of just grappling, not cool choreography.

Mike Colter is a convict who is being transported on a commercial airline? That seems unsafe. Again, I have seen Con Air. At first, I think this is racist. (Why does the Black guy have to be a convict?) And I worry Mike Colter is going to be the bad guy, which would bum me out big time since I know he is Luke Cage.

BUT NO! The Villain is corporate America because the "money guy" of the airline says it would cost to much for them to fly around a storm (???) so they are hit by lighting and all the electronics go dead (because of reasons) and Gerard Butler knows he has to land the plane in 10 minutes because of some battery (again it's because of reasons).

There's 10 minutes of plane drama that is legitimately very scary to me as someone who has been on a plane and would like to go places in the future.

They crash the plane on an unknown island that is run by, I quote, "Separatists" (separate from where?) and "criminals". They cast with Asian actors and also guys who look Hispanic but supposed to be Filipino, I think? I don't know. It's just evil guy island! [Screenwriting note: It should've been all the guys from Con Air!]

The Evil Guy Islanders kidnap all the other crew and passengers except Mike Colter and Gerard Butler, because they are manly men.

And it turns out Mike Colter is a former French Foreign Legion soldier so he seems to know more about the Bad Guys than Gerard Butler so they have to save the hostages and stuff.

There's also a lot of stuff about corporate fixers trying to find the plane but honestly any scenes where Gerard Butler and Mike Colter aren't on screen are iffy. Because it depends on the acting abilities of the various bit players to sell rough dialogue.

Some of them do very well. But some of them do not. But overall more emotional and grounded (pardon the pun) than I expected.

ETA: I just learned from Wikipedia that the Filipino government has protested this film because it is said to take place on a real island in the Philippines. I just assumed it was fake. They think this will hurt their tourism. So trigger warning for bad portrayal of the Philippines. But honestly, if Mike Colter might be there, I'd go.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 2.4

211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrelling sons, Caracalla and Geta, whom he had instructed to make peace. 960 – The coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of Song, initiating the Song dynasty period of China that would last more than three centuries. 1169 – A strong earthquake strikes the Ionian coast of Sicily, causing tens of thousands of injuries and deaths, especially in Catania. 1454 – Thirteen Years' War: The Secret Council of the Prussian Confederation sends a formal act of disobedience to the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, sparking the Thirteen Years' War. 1555 – John Rogers is burned at the stake, becoming the first English Protestant martyr under Mary I of England. 1703 – In Edo (now Tokyo), all but one of the Forty-seven Ronin commit seppuku (ritual suicide) as recompense for avenging their master's death. 1758 – The city of Macapá in Brazil is founded by Sebastião Veiga Cabral. 1789 – George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College. 1794 – The French legislature abolishes slavery throughout all territories of the French First Republic. It would be reestablished in the French West Indies in 1802. 1797 – The Riobamba earthquake strikes Ecuador, causing up to 40,000 casualties. 1801 – John Marshall is sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States. 1810 – Napoleonic Wars: Britain seizes Guadeloupe. 1820 – The Chilean Navy under the command of Lord Cochrane completes the two-day long Capture of Valdivia with just 300 men and two ships. 1825 – The Ohio Legislature authorizes the construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the Miami and Erie Canal. 1846 – The first Mormon pioneers make their exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, westward towards Salt Lake Valley. 1859 – The Codex Sinaiticus is discovered in Egypt. 1861 – American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from six breakaway U.S. states meet and initiate the process that would form the Confederate States of America on February 8. 1899 – The Philippine–American War begins when four Filipino soldiers enter the "American Zone" in Manila, igniting the Battle of Manila. 1932 – Second Sino-Japanese War: Harbin, Manchuria, falls to Japan. 1938 – Adolf Hitler appoints himself as head of the Armed Forces High Command. 1941 – The United Service Organization (USO) is created to entertain American troops. 1945 – World War II: Santo Tomas Internment Camp is liberated from Japanese authority. 1945 – World War II: The Yalta Conference between the "Big Three" (Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin) opens at the Livadia Palace in the Crimea. 1945 – World War II: The British Indian Army and Imperial Japanese Army begin a series of battles known as the Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations. 1948 – Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka) becomes independent within the British Commonwealth. 1961 – The Angolan War of Independence and the greater Portuguese Colonial War begin. 1966 – All Nippon Airways Flight 60 plunges into Tokyo Bay, killing 133. 1967 – Lunar Orbiter program: Lunar Orbiter 3 lifts off from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 13 on its mission to identify possible landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo spacecraft. 1974 – The Symbionese Liberation Army kidnaps Patty Hearst in Berkeley, California. 1974 – M62 coach bombing: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) explodes a bomb on a bus carrying off-duty British Armed Forces personnel in Yorkshire, England. Nine soldiers and three civilians are killed. 1975 – Haicheng earthquake (magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale) occurs in Haicheng, Liaoning, China. 1976 – In Guatemala and Honduras an earthquake kills more than 22,000. 1977 – A Chicago Transit Authority elevated train rear-ends another and derails, killing 11 and injuring 180, the worst accident in the agency's history. 1992 – A coup d'état is led by Hugo Chávez against Venezuelan President Carlos Andrés Pérez. 1997 – En route to Lebanon, two Israeli Sikorsky CH-53 troop-transport helicopters collide in mid-air over northern Galilee, Israel, killing 73. 1997 – The Bojnurd earthquake measuring Mw  6.5 strikes Iran. With a Mercalli intensity of VIII, it kills at least 88 and damages 173 villages. 1998 – The 5.9 Mw  Afghanistan earthquake shakes the Takhar Province with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). With 2,323 killed, and 818 injured, damage is considered extreme. 1999 – Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo is shot 41 times by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, inflaming race relations in the city. 2000 – The World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium, Charter of Paris is signed by the President of France, Jacques Chirac and the Director General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, initiating World Cancer Day which is held on February 4 every year. 2003 – The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia adopts a new constitution, becoming a loose confederacy between Montenegro and Serbia. 2004 – Facebook, a mainstream online social networking site, is founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin. 2015 – TransAsia Airways Flight 235, with 58 people on board, en route from the Taiwanese capital Taipei to Kinmen, crashes into the Keelung River just after takeoff, killing 43 people. 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic causes all casinos in Macau to be closed down for 15 days.