Fact, Trivia and More

LAST MEALS OF DEATH ROW INMATES

2013-06-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

I got this from the best and worst of the web, written by Alex Wain. Pero bago ko umpisahan, alam nyo ba na ang death penalty was only abolished in the Philippines in 2006? It was abolished in 1986 pero re-instated in 2001. Bukod sa US, tayo lang ang gumamit ng electric chair to execute our death row inmates but later we used lethal injections. The last pinoy to die from death sentence was Leo Echegaray who was executed via lethal injections in 1999 for raping his daughter. Ang huling hapunan niya ay daing, sardinas at kanin.

Now on the topic of last meals requested by convicts who were about to be executed, eto ang mga ilang famous requested foods:

Lastly, sa Texas noon lang 2011, convicted killer Lawrence Brewer requested a huge meal of two chicken fried steaks, a triple meat bacon cheeseburger, a cheese omelet, a large bowl of fried okra, three fajitas, a pint of Blue Bell ice cream, and a pound of barbecue with a half loaf of white bread. Pagkatapos paghirapan ng caterer ang pagkain, sinabi niya na "I'm not hungry anymore". From then on, hindi na sila nagbibigay ng meal request sa mga preso in death row.

The World's "Poorest President"

2013-01-20T02:27:00.000-08:00

President José Mujica - The World's "Poorest President"

If there is any world leader who can rightfully be termed as the man of the people, it is definitely the President of Uruguay. The 77 year old President of Uruguay, José Mujica is officially the world's poorest and most generous president, not because he cant be richer, but because he donates 90% of his earnings to charitable causes. The president of the country has earned the nickname "el presidente mas pobre" which means "poorest president".

The President who took over office on the 1st of March 2010, said in a recent interview that the only big item he owns is his Volkswagen Beetle car, valued at $1,945 dollars. He earns a salary of $12,500 a month, but only keeps $1,250 for himself, donating the rest to charity.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=500021056703819&set=a.144437148928880.19205.144430455596216&type=1&theater

José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse muˈxika]; born 20 May 1935) is an Uruguayan politician, and President of Uruguay since 2010. A former guerrilla fighter and a member of the Broad Front (left-wing coalition), Mujica was Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries from 2005 to 2008 and a Senator afterwards. As the candidate of the Broad Front, he won the 2009 presidential election and took office as President on 1 March 2010.

He is a vegetarian, and is considered to be "the world's 'poorest' president", as he donates around 90 percent of his monthly salary, approximately $12,000, to charities to benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mujica

NIKON SMALL WORLD 2011

2011-12-05T02:03:00.001-08:00

Every year, Nikon hosts the Small World Photomicrography Competition, inviting photographers and scientists to submit images of all things visible under a microscope. The winners for this year's competition have just been announced, with Dr. Igor Siwanowicz taking first prize for his image of a common green lacewing larva that had earlier landed on his hand, trying to take a bite (photo number 21 below). This year's entries cover a fascinating range of subjects and sizes, from the eyes of a freshwater shrimp to the delicate scales on the wing of a butterfly, from a simple yet complex frost crystal to neurospheres and cancer cells. Enjoy a trip into a miniature world through the images shared here with us by the fine folks at Nikon, all from the 2011 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition.

This image of an ant's head, viewed from the front (at 10X) took 11th place in the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition. The ant's autofluorescence was observed using confocal micrsocopy by Dr. Jan Michels of Christian-Albrechts-Universitat zu Kiel, in Kiel, Germany.

Dr. Douglas Clark of San Francisco, California submitted this image of the dried wing scales of a butterfly (Cethosia biblis) in incandescent light.

HeLa cancer cells viewed at 300x are seen in this 12th Place image by Thomas Deerinck from the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research in La Jolla, California. HeLa is an immortal cell line used in scientific research, made of cells originally sampled from cancer patient Henrietta Lacks in 1951.

The eye of a live giant waterflea (Leptodora kindtii), observed and submitted by Wim van Egmond of the Micropolitan Museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Taking 4th place in the competition, Dr. Robin Young of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia used intrinsic fluorescence to observe this specimen of liverwort (Lepidozia reptans) at 20x. (Dr. Robin Young).

Crystal twinning patterns in a leucite crystal from volcanic rock, observed in polarized light by Dr. Michael M. Raith of the Steinmann Institut, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

A water flea (Daphnia sp.) among green algae (Volvox sp.), an image by Dr. Ralf Wagner of Düsseldorf, Germany.

Pekka Honkakoski of Iisalmi, Finland captured this image of a rare column snowflake with thin, knifelike ice extensions, lit in part by red and blue lighting from opposite sides.

The embryonic pectoral fin of Chiloscyllium plagiosum, the Whitespotted bamboo shark, observed by Dr. Andrew Gillis, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Taking 20th place was Douglas Moore of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Moore's entry shows unpolished agatized dinosaur bone cells, fossilized cellular structure from an animal that lived some 150 million years ago, viewed at 42x.

Charles Krebs from Issaquah, Washington brings us this portrait of a water boatman (Corixidae sp.), viewed in reflected light.

Primary rat neurons grown as neurospheres, observed by Dr. Rowan Orme of Keele University, Keele, UK.

The double compound eyes of a male St. Mark's fly (Bibio marci), submitted by Dr. David Maitland from Feltwell, UK.

A naturally formed frost crystal that had grown overnight on a fence in -15 degrees C weather. Image from Jesper Grønne of Silkeborg, Denmark.

A fish louse (Argulus), viewed at 60x by Wim van Egmond of the Micropolitan Museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Dr. Torsten Wittmann of the University of California, San Fransisco, submitted this image of bovine pulmonary artery endothelial (BPAE) cells fixed and stained for actin, mitochondria, and DNA.

A closeup view of a velvet mite (Eutrombidium rostratus) by Dr. David Maitland from Feltwell, UK.

Debora Leite of the University of Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil observed this cross-section of the structure of a sugarcane root.

Taking 10th place is this 100x view of a freshwater water flea (Daphnia magna), submitted by Joan Röhl of the Institute for Biochemistry and Biology in Potsdam, Germany.

James H. Nicholson of the Coral Culture and Collaborative Research Facility, NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/CCEHBR & HML in Charleston, South Carolina took 15th Place with this image of lobe coral (Porites lobata), displaying tissue pigmentation response with red fluorescence at 12x.

The 1st place winner, a portrait of a green lacewing (Chrysopa sp.) larva (20x) by Dr. Igor Siwanowicz of the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried, Germany.

Benjamin Blonder, David Elliott took 18th place for their image of the venation network of a young quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) leaf. Blonder and Elliott are from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.

Dr. Havi Sarfaty of the Israeli Veterinary Association in Ramat-Gan, Israel, brings us this closeup of the mouth of a common fly.

Jonathan Franks of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, used autofluorescence to observe this algae biofilm.

The head and eye of a freshwater shrimp, observed by Jose R. Almodovar of the Microscopy Center, Biology Department, UPR Mayaguez Campus, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

At 17th Place is this 150x view of parasitic filaria worms (Litomosoides sigmodontis) nestled inside lymphatic vessels of a mouse's ear. Immge by Dr. Witold Kilarski of the EPFL-Laboratory of Lymphatic and Cancer Bioengineering in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Winning 2nd place is this 200x autofluorescent view of a blade of grass by Dr. Donna Stolz of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Using laser-triggered high-speed macrophotography, Dr. John H. Brackenbury of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, UK, captured this image of a water droplet containing a pair of mosquito larvae.

Frank Fox of the Fachhochschule Trier in Trier, Germany took 3rd place with this image of a living specimen of Melosira moniliformis.

A three dimensional view of a cell culture of breast cancer cells, by Dr. Jonatas Bussador do Amaral and Dr. Gláucia Maria Machado Santelli of the University of São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil.

The tip of a butterfly tongue viewed in polarized light by Stephen S. Nagy, M.D. from Helena, Montana.

The anterior lateral and median eyes of a jumping spider, observed by Walter Piorkowski of South Beloit, Illinois.

credits to uploader......

10 CAREER LESSONS WE CAN TAKE FROM STEVE JOBS

2011-10-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

#1 Choose Simplicity

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, according to Jobs. He said "no" much more than he said "yes" in order to create products where only the necessary tools stood out. Jobs didn't like bells and whistles, which is clear in any Apple product.

According to a recent article in Fortune Jobs detests people who simply say yes to everything. Jobs and his management team would rather have people speak honestly about what Apple and its products are capable of doing, rather than pushing bad ideas. As one person quoted in the article states, “Over and over Steve talks about the power of picking the things you don’t do.”

#2 Have a "Beginner's mind"

“There’s a phrase in Buddhism, ‘Beginner’s mind.’ It’s wonderful to have a beginner’s mind," Jobs said.

Approach everything with an open mind and experience it like it is the first time. Have a sense of wonder.

#3 Expect excellence

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected," said Jobs.

The 35-year-old company has more than 50,000 employees, annual sales of close to $100 billion, grows 60% per year and produces hit product year after year. The company is able to do that because Jobs will take nothing less than perfection. Though he has been called a "corporate dictator" by some, he has made Apple an untouchable company.

#4 Pick and cultivate talent

Apple has around 50,000 employees and then within this organization it has an upper echelon called “The Top 100,” a group of leaders who participate in annual strategy retreats. Though you would think the group would only have the higher-ups, it actually often selects junior employees that show strong skills and great ideas. According to Channelnomics.com, "Apple shows the cultivation and rewarding of talent is more important than maintaining some artificial hierarchy and notions that rank has its privileges.”

#5 Believe and stay with unusual projects

Because they may become Pixar. In 1986, shortly after leaving Apple, Jobs made what would turn out to be the most profitable investment of his life, according to Fortune. For $5 million he picked up the collection of computer graphics experts assembled by George Lucas into his Industrial Light and Magic Computer Division and renamed it Pixar. In 2006 he sold Pixar to Walt Disney Co. in a deal worth $7.4 billion, in which he ended up with a Disney board seat and the single largest share of Disney stock (7%, worth more than $3 billion). And think of what a sad world this would be without Woody and Buzz?

#6 Don't be afraid to be different

The Apple retail store is one example of this. The stores were considered a huge risk for the company, according to Jay Elliot, author of The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation. Elliot tells many stories of how Jobs saw things differently and capitalized on these differences to great success. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower," Jobs said.

#7 Start Young

Not all of us are lucky enough to know what we want to do with our lives when we are young but if you are, go for it. As a teenager, Jobs phoned William Hewlett, president of Hewlett-Packard, to request parts for a school project. He got them, along with an offer of a summer job at HP.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future," he told Stanford University graduates during a commencement speech in 2005. "You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

#8 Be involved in all facets of your company

During Jobs' time as Apple's CEO, the organization chart resembled a wheel with Steve at the center and managers or departments as the spokes. Jobs had his hand in every part of his company and that helped him build a better team.

#9 Change the world multiple times

Jobs changed several industries and he just kept doing it. From ComputerWorld: "He helped usher in the PC era with the Apple II; made GUI computers marketable; created the first MP3 player to gain mass market appeal; oversaw the digital distribution of music and other media through iTunes; created the first all-touch screen smartphone and helped build a new software distribution method for it (and for desktop computers); and took the concept of a tablet computer from niche product to mainstream must-have.

We may not all be able to change the world, but real leaders strive to do as much as they can. That's the difference between being a leader and simply being a manager or boss."

#10 Love what you do

It is clear that Apple was Steve Jobs's life.

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do," he told the Stanford grads in 2005.

"If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on."

Credit goes to Meredith Lepore [author of this article]

VLADIMIR PUTIN: THE ACTION MAN

2011-09-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Vladimir Putin, the 58-year-old former president and current prime minister of Russia, has cultivated a distinct public image over the past several years. The politician has piloted firefighting planes, darted whales, driven race cars, and even taken a submersible 1,400 meters (4,600 ft) below the surface of Lake Baikal. Putin was forced to step down from the presidency in 2008 due to a constitutional limit on more than two consecutive terms. However, he remained the most influential figure in Russian politics, and has had a strong hand in the "tandem rule" between himself and current president Dmitri Medvedev. The next presidential election takes place in March of 2012, and indications are that both Medvedev and Putin are planning to run, though neither has officially announced his candidacy yet. Gathered here are some of the more interesting photos taken of Vladimir Putin during his tenure as Russia's prime minister over the past few years.

A picture released on March 6, 2010 shows Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin taking a horseback ride in the Karatash area, near the town of Abakan, during his working trip to the Republic of Khakassia, on February 25, 2010.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wears a helmet and the uniform of the Renault Formula One team before driving a F1 race car on a special track in Leningrad region outside St. Petersburg, on November 7, 2010.

Vladimir Putin test drives a Renault Formula One team car at a racing track near Leningrad, on November 7, 2010.

Vladimir Putin holds a five-year-old tiger's head as scientists put a collar with a satellite tracker on the animal in the academy of sciences Ussuri reserve in Russia's Far East, on August 31, 2008.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin holds a judo training session at the Top Athletic School during his working visit to St Petersburg, on December 18, 2009.

Vladimir Putin prepares to dive during a visit to an archeological excavation of an ancient Greek port on the Taman Peninsula, about 1150 kilometers (720 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, August 10, 2011. Ancient Greek colonies were located on the peninsula and served as trading posts with the steppes of what is now southern Russia and Ukraine.

On August 10, 2011, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin carries two pieces of archaeological trophies he discovered during diving near an archeological excavation of an ancient Greek port on the Taman Peninsula.

This picture taken on September 19, 2009 shows Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin looking at a leopard as he visits the National Park in Sochi.

Yana Lapikova, a new personal photographer of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, taking pictures during an official event in Moscow, on June 16, 2011. The Russian government sought on June 17 to douse a frenzy of Internet comment after it hired Lapikova, an attractive former model and "Miss Moscow" finalist, as personal photographer to Putin.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on a boat on Lake Ladoga, as he visits the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery on Valaam island, northern Russia, on August 14, 2011. During the visit to Valaam he took part in the Sunday service in the upper church of the Transfiguration Cathedral.

Vladimir Putin participates in an arm-wrestling contest during a visit at a summer camp run by the Nashi youth group at Lake Seliger in the central Tver region, on August 1, 2011. Thousands of young activists from 84 regions of Russia gathered in the camp for the annual forum in Russia.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attempts to bend a frying pan with his bare hands during his visit to the summer camp of the pro-Kremlin youth group "Nashi" at lake Seliger, some 400km (248miles) north of Moscow, on August 1, 2011.

Vladimir Putin drives a snowmobile at Russia's ski resort Krasnaya Polyana near Sochi in southern Russia, on January 3, 2010.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, wearing headphones, sits in the cockpit of a firefighting plane in Ryazan region August 10, 2010. The plane later dropped water on a blaze southeast of Moscow, state media reported.

Vladimir Putin hugs a Bulgarian shepherd dog, after receiving it as a present from Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boiko Borisov in Sofia, on November 13, 2010.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rides with motorcycle enthusiasts during his visit to a bike festival in the southern Russian city of Novorossiisk, on August 29, 2011. Putin kicked off an election campaign on Monday revving up his three-wheeled Harley Davidson at the head of a bikers motorcade.

Vladimir Putin talks to a member of the "Lena-2010" Russian-German scientific expedition on Samoilovsky Island in Far Eastern Federal District, on August 23, 2010. Putin traveled beyond the Arctic Circle on Monday to look into evidence on climate change after a record heatwave devastated central Russia this summer.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin looks at a bear while visiting the South Kamchatka Federal Sanctuary at Russia's Pacific Kamchatka peninsula, on August 24, 2010.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rides a horse in southern Siberia's Tuva region, on August 3, 2009.

Vladimir Putin swims in a lake in southern Siberia's Tuva region, on August 3, 2009.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signs autographs for kids outside Khabarovsk, on August 27, 2010 during a visit in the region.

Vladimir Putin aims at a whale with a crossbow, to take a piece of its skin for analysis on the Olga Bay, some 240 kilometers north-east of Nakhodka, on August 25, 2010.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attaches a satellite tracking tag to a Beluga whale named Dasha during his visit to Chkalov island, some 700 kms northeast of the city of Khabarovsk, on July 31, 2009.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plays piano during a charity concert in Saint Petersburg, on December 10, 2010.

Vladimir Putin feeds a young moose at the national park "Losiny Ostrov" in northeast Moscow, on June 5, 2010.

n this Monday, August 29, 2011 photo, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin talks to leader of Nochniye Volki (the Night Wolves) biker group, Alexander Zaldostanov -- also known as Khirurg (the Surgeon) -- at a bikers' festival in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, Russia.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin steers a boat near a bear on the shoreline, at the South Kamchatka Sanctuary outside Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the Far East of Russia, on August 24, 2010.

Vladimir Putin walks through brush in southern Siberia's Tuva region, rifle in hand, on August 15, 2007.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sits inside a T-90AM tank during his visit an exhibition in the Urals town of Nizhny Tagil, on September 9, 2011.

Vladimir Putin strikes iron as he visits "Talsy" Architecture and Ethnography Museum in the Irkutsk Region of eastern Siberia on August 1, 2009.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin takes part in a training session for young ice hockey players before the start of the "Golden Puck" youth tournament finals in Moscow, on April 15, 2011.

Vladimir Putin takes part in an expedition to Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve to inspect the snow leopard's habitat in Tyva Republic in the Siberian Federal District, on October 29, 2010.

A video grab shows Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin looking through the porthole of the "Mir-2" mini-submersible in Lake Baikal, on August 1, 2009. Putin dove into the depths of the lake aboard the mini-submersible on Saturday, descending 1,400 meters (4,600 ft) below the surface of the world's deepest lake to inspect valuable gas crystals.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin adjusts his sunglasses as he watches an air show during MAKS-2011, the International Aviation and Space Show, in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, on August 17, 2011.

credit to sources....

WORLD WAR II: PEARL HARBOR

2011-09-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the United States, bombing warships and military targets in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 350 Japanese aircraft attacked the naval base in two waves, strafing targets, dropping armor-piercing bombs, and launching torpedoes toward U.S. battleships and cruisers. The U.S. forces were unprepared, waking to the sounds of explosions and then scrambling to defend themselves. The entire preemptive attack was over within 90 minutes, and in that time, the Japanese sunk four battleships and two destroyers, destroyed 188 aircraft, and damaged even more buildings, ships and airplanes (two of the battleships were later raised and returned to service). Some 2,400 Americans were killed in the attack; another 1,250 were injured, and a huge shock was dealt to United States. After the attack, Japan officially declared war on the United States, which was followed the next day by President Roosevelt's famous "infamy" speech, and his signing of a formal declaration of war against the Empire of Japan. Within days, Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy also declared war on the United States, and the U.S. reciprocated soon after.

The USS Shaw explodes after being hit by bombs during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in this December 7, 1941 photo.

Japanese pilots get instructions aboard an aircraft carrier before the attack on Pearl Harbor, in this scene from a Japanese newsreel. It was obtained by the U.S. War Department and released to U.S. newsreels.

The Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku, seen in September of 1941. The Zuikaku would soon sail toward Hawaii, one of six aircraft carriers used in the attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Aircraft prepare to launch from the Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Akagi during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

This photograph, from a Japanese film later captured by American forces, was taken aboard the Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku, just as a Nakajima "Kate" B-5N bomber launched off the deck to attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.

Aerial view of the initial blows struck against American ships, as seen from a Japanese plane over Pearl Harbor.

Captured Japanese photograph taken during the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. In the distance, the smoke rises from Hickam Field.

Seen from a distance, the Battleship Arizona burns as it sinks in Pearl Harbor after the December 7, 1941 raid by Japanese bombers.

A Japanese bomber, its diving flaps down, was photographed by a U.S. Navy photographer as the plane approached its Pearl Harbor objective on December 7.

Japanese aircraft can be seen in the air above Pearl Harbor (top center and upper right) in this captured Japanese photograph taken during the initial moments of the Japanese attack.

American ships burn during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.

A wide-angle view of the sky above Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, filled with smoke and anti-aircraft fire on December 7, 1941.

Officers' wives, investigating explosions and seeing a smoke pall in distance on December 7, 1941, heard neighbor Mary Naiden, then an Army hostess who took this picture, exclaim "There are red circles on those planes overhead. They are Japanese!" Realizing war had come, the two women, stunned, started toward quarters.

Aerial photograph, taken by a Japanese pilot, of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese bomber in lower-right foreground.

Sailors stand among wrecked airplanes at Ford Island Naval Air Station as they watch the explosion of the USS Shaw in the background, during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 7, 1941.

A U.S. flag flies from the stern of the sunken battleship USS West Virginia after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.

An A6M-2 Zero fighter aboard the Imperial Japanese Navy carrier Akagi during the Pearl Harbor attack mission.

The USS Shaw burns in Pearl Harbor. Japanese bombers hit the forward portion of the ship with three bombs. The resulting fires proved uncontrollable, and Shaw was ordered abandoned. Soon after, her forward ammunition magazines detonated in a spectacular blast, completely removing her bow.

The USS California sinks into the mud of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

A small boat rescues a USS West Virginia crew member from the water after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. Two men can be seen on the superstructure, upper center. The mast of the USS Tennessee is beyond the burning West Virginia.

The forward magazines of USS Arizona explode after she was hit by a Japanese bomb on December 7, 1941. Frame clipped from a color motion picture taken from on board USS Solace.

Japanese planes over Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor are shown in this scene from a Japanese newsreel. The film was obtained by the U.S. War Department and later released to U.S. newsreels.

Sailors at Naval Air Station (NAS) Kaneohe attempt to salvage a burning PBY Catalina in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The battleships West Virginia and Tennessee burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941.

Oil burns on the waters of Pearl Harbor, near the naval air station, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

A sailor killed by the Japanese air attack at Naval Air Station, Kanoehe Bay. Photographed on December 7, 1941.

The battleship USS Arizona belches smoke as it topples over into the sea during a Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

White House reporters dash for the telephones on December 7, 1941, after they had been told by presidential press secretary Stephen T. Early that Japanese submarines and planes had just bombed the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Selling papers on December 7, 1941 at Times Square in New York City, announcing that Japan has attacked U.S. bases in the Pacific.

Declaring Japan guilty of a dastardly unprovoked attack, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war, on December 8, 1941. Listening are Vice President Henry Wallace, left, and House Speaker Sam Rayburn.

President Roosevelt signs the declaration of war following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, at the White House in Washington, D.C., on December 8, 1941.

Young Japanese Americans, including several Army selects, gather around a reporter's car in the Japanese section of San Francisco, on December 8, 1941.

The minelayer USS Oglala lies capsized after being attacked by Japanese aircraft and submarines in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Heavy damage is seen on the destroyers USS Downes and USS Cassin, stationed at Pearl Harbor, after the Japanese attack on the Hawaiian island on December 7, 1941.

An interior shot of a destroyed aircraft hangar at Wheeler Field, in Hawaii, on December 11, 1941.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, eight miles from Pearl Harbor, shrapnel from a Japanese bomb riddled this car and killed three civilians in the attack of December 7, 1941. Two of the victims can be seen in the front seat. The Navy reported there was no nearby military target.

Wreckage of the first Japanese plane shot down during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

A Japanese midget submarine, part of the attacking force on Pearl Harbor, beached at Bellows Field.

An American seaman looks at the charred corpse of a Japanese flier brought up from the bottom of Pearl Harbor, where he crashed with his burning plane during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941 in Hawaii.

A small crowd inspects the damage, both inside and outside, after a Japanese bomb hit the residence of Paul Goo during the Japanese air raid on December 7, 1941.

Unidentified attaches of the Japanese consulate began burning papers, ledgers and other records shortly after Japan went to war against the U.S., on December 7, 1941, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Police later stopped the fire after most of the papers had been destroyed.

This unidentified Japanese man turns to face a visitor at the Japanese Consulate in Chicago, on December 9, 1941. Clad only in underwear, he was startled while in the act of taking papers and files from a cabinet. Confidential papers at the consulate had been burned.

Following Hawaiian tradition, sailors honor men killed during the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Naval Air Station Kaneohe, Oahu. The casualties had been buried on December 8. This ceremony took place sometime during the following months.

Aerial view showing oil-streaked waters and the dry docks at U.S. Naval Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, following the Japanese attack, seen on December 10, 1941.

credit to sources

9/11: THE DAY OF THE ATTACKS

2011-09-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago, 19 men trained by al-Qaeda carried out a coordinated terrorist attack on the United States that had been planned for years. The attackers simultaneously hijacked four large passenger aircraft with the intention of crashing them into major landmarks in the United States, inflicting as much death and destruction as possible. Three of the planes struck their targets; the fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. In a single day, these deliberate acts of mass murder killed nearly 3,000 human beings from 57 countries. More than 400 of the dead were first responders, including New York City firefighters, police officers, and EMTs. It was one of the most-covered media events of all time, and after a decade, the images are still difficult to view. These attacks and the global reaction to them have profoundly shaped the world we live in, so it remains important to see the images and remember just what happened on that dark day.

The Statue of Liberty, seen from a vantage point in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the lower Manhattan skyline is shrouded in smoke following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Photo taken on September 15, 2001.

Smoke pours from a gaping hole and the upper floors of the World Trade Center's North Tower, shortly after hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the building on September 11, 2001 in New York City.

United Airlines Flight 175 flies low toward the South Tower of the World Trade Center, shortly before slamming into the structure. The north tower burns after an earlier attack by a hijacked airliner in New York City, on September 11, 2001.

Flames erupt from the South Tower of the World Trade Center, after it was struck by hijacked United Airlines Flight 175, in New York City, on September 11, 2001. The aircraft crashed into the tower traveling at a speed of approximately 586 miles per hour.

Moments after United Airlines Flight 175, with 56 passengers (including the 5 hijackers) and 9 crew members, struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center between floors 77 and 85 on September 11, 2001, in New York City.

Some of the estimated 10,000 gallons of jet fuel aboard United Airlines Flight 175 erupts in a fiery blast from the side of the South Tower of the World Trade Center after the plane crashed into it on September 11, 2001, in New York City.

Two women hold each other as they watch the World Trade Center burn following a terrorist attack on the twin skyscrapers in New York City on September 11, 2001.

The twin towers of the World Trade Center burn behind the Empire State Building in New York, on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

Smoke billows from the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan in this image taken by a U.S. Geological Survey satellite that flew over the region at about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

People hang from the windows of the North Tower of the World Trade Center after a hijacked airliner hit the building September 11, 2001 in New York City.

A man leaps to his death from a fire and smoke filled North Tower of the World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001 in New York City after terrorists crashed two hijacked passenger planes into the twin towers.

A man jumps from the upper floors of the burning North Tower of New York's World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001.

A man jumps from the North Tower of New York's World Trade Center on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

This photo from a Pentagon surveillance camera shows the fireball that resulted when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, with 58 passengers and 6 crew members aboard, slammed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

Flames and smoke pour from the Pentagon building, on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, after a direct, devastating hit from an aircraft.

The Pentagon building burns after American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into it on September 11, 2001.

Medical personnel and volunteers help injured people outside the Pentagon after a hijacked commercial airliner crashed into the southwest corner of the building, on September 11, 2001.

One side of the Pentagon building is exposed after a hijacked aircraft crashed into it, on September 11, 2001.

Smoke pours from a tower of the World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001 after two hijacked airplanes hit the twin towers in a terrorist attack on New York City.

At 9:59 a.m., after burning for 56 minutes, the South Tower of New York's World Trade Center begins to collapse after a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.

Debris rains down on the street as the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses after hijacked planes crashed into the towers on September 11, 2001 in New York City.

Police and pedestrians run for cover during the collapse of the World Trade Center South Tower, on September 11, 2001 in New York.

People covered in dust walk over debris near the World Trade Center in New York City, on September 11, 2001.

Mark Stahl of Somerset, Pennsylvania displays a photo he took early on September 11, 2001 after United Airlines Flight 93 crashed just outside of Shanskville. Stahl heard the crash and wandered up to the site where he took the photo before the area was cordoned off by rescue workers. The plane crashed shortly after two hijacked commercial planes slammed into the twin towers of the New York's World Trade Center, causing both 110-story landmarks to collapse.

An FBI aerial photograph shows the crash site of hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 12, 2001. The Boeing 757 was headed from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco when it made an abrupt turn near Cleveland and veered back east across Pennsylvania before crashing in Shanksville, killing all 44 aboard. Flight 93 was the fourth plane to crash in a coordinated terrorist attack that included New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the only one that didn't take lives on the ground.

Firefighters and emergency personnel investigate the scene of the fatal crash of United Airlines Flight 93, on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

At 10:28 a.m., after burning for 102 minutes, the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapses on September 11, 2001 in New York City.

One of the World Trade Center Towers crumbles as it collapses on September 11, 2001 in New York City.

This photo taken September 11, 2001 by the New York City Police Department shows smoke and ash engulfing the area around the World Trade Center as the North Tower collapses in New York.

Dust, smoke and debris fill the air as one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City collapses in this September 11, 2001 photo.

Dust, smoke and ash engulf buildings around the World Trade Center in New York City, after the collapse of both towers on September 11, 2001. Photo taken by the New York City Police Department.

People run from the collapse of World Trade Center towers in New York, on September 11, 2001, after terrorists crashed two hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and brought down the twin 110-story towers.

The North Tower of the World Trade Center dissolves in a cloud of dust and debris about a half hour after the first twin tower collapsed, on September 11, 2001. The photo was taken from across the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey.

People make their way amid debris near the World Trade Center in New York, on Tuesday September 11, 2001.

A priest aids people making their way through debris just outside a churchyard near the World Trade Center in New York City, on September 11, 2001.

People cover their faces as they cross the Brooklyn Bridge on foot, escaping the smoke and dust in Manhattan, on September 11, 2001.

People walk in the street in the area where the World Trade Center buildings collapsed September 11, 2001 after two airplanes slammed into the twin towers.

A U.S. marshal helps a woman after she was injured in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, in this Sept. 11, 2001, photo.

A man cries on September 11, 2001 after witnessing the collapse of the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

A firefighter pauses on a bench as he works in lower Manhattan at the scene of the World Trade Center terrorist attack.

Rubble and ash fill lower Manhattan streets in an apocalyptic scene after two hijacked airliners were crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York, collapsing them and killing thousands.

A New York City fireman calls for more rescue workers to make their way into the rubble of the World Trade Center. Photo taken on September 15, 2001.

A tire from one of the hijacked planes lies in the street near the destroyed World Trade Center in New York City, on September 11, 2001.

Firemen search for survivors after the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center on on September 11, 2001.

Light streams through the smoke and dust amid the debris at ground zero on September 12, 2001 after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

New York City firefighters pour water on the wreckage of 7 World Trade Center in New York City early on September 12, 2001. 7 World Trade Center was destroyed along with both the landmark World Trade Center towers after being struck by planes in a terrorist attack on September 11.

A group of firefighters walk amid rubble near the base of the destroyed south tower of the World Trade Center in New York, on September 11, 2001.

Rubble covers the tracks of the New York City Subway #1 and #9 lines in the Cortland Street station under the World Trade Center, in this photo taken shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001. According to the New York Times, New York City Transit officials determined that the damage was so extensive, that more than one mile of the line would have to be rebuilt.

Rescue workers conduct search and rescue attempts, descending deep into the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York on Friday September 14, 2001.

A man stands in the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York City, calling out, asking if anyone needs help, after the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers on September 11, 2001.

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WORLD WAR II: DARING RAIDS AND BRUTAL REPRISALS

2011-09-06T05:35:00.000-07:00

In early 1942, as the Axis powers pursued their war aims, Allied forces were still reeling but working on a wider strategy. Japan swept through the southern Pacific, conquering Burma, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, Singapore, and the Philippines. Germany regrouped on the Eastern Front, holding off several Soviet attacks and preparing for a summer offensive. But during this time, American bombers successfully struck Japanese targets in a daring, morale-boosting raid led by Lt. Col. James Doolittle, and British forces destroyed an important dock facility in German-occupied St. Nazaire, France. Most of Doolittle's raiders landed in China, receiving assistance from villagers. Those locals paid dearly when Japanese reprisals killed an estimated 250,000 Chinese. The fall of the Philippines left the invading Japanese with tens of thousands more U.S. and Filipino prisoners than they'd anticipated. This led to a brutal forced relocation now known as the Bataan Death March, where thousands of weak, starving men were beaten and killed en route to a Japanese prison camp.

A U.S. Army Air Force B-25B Mitchell medium bomber, one of sixteen involved in the mission, takes off from the flight deck of the USS Hornet for an air raid on the Japanese Home Islands, on April 18, 1942. The attack, later known as the Doolittle Raid, inflicted limited damage, but gave a huge boost to American morale after the attacks on Pearl Harbor months earlier.

A crew member checks the lashings on his bomber aboard the USS Hornet, while behind him other crews check their planes in preparation for the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942.

Posing in front of a bomber is Crew No. 1 of the Doolittle Raid, from the 34th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, pilot; Lt. Richard E. Cole, co-pilot; Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; SSgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; SSgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner.

American B-25B bombers rest on the flight deck of the USS Hornet, approaching the spot where the planes were launched on their raid on Tokyo, April 13, 1942. Escort ship in left background.

A U.S. Army Air Force B-25B bomber leaves the deck of the USS Hornet, for the historic raid on Tokyo under Maj. Gen. James Doolittle, on April 18, 1942. Each aircraft carried three 500-pound high-explosive bombs and one incendiary bomb.

Above Tokyo, smoke rises from strikes on the Japanese mainland as the bombs dropped by Doolittle's raiders hit their targets on April 18, 1942. Unable to land the huge aircraft back on the USS Hornet, and running low on fuel, the bombers continued westward attempting to land in a friendly area in China.

Ryozo Asano, left, spokesman for a group of diversified Japanese family enterprises called the Zaibatsu, inspects the wreckage of his steel plant in Tokyo, after the first U.S. air raid on Japan's capital, April 18, 1942. He is accompanied by an unidentified aide. Thirteen targets were struck, including an oil tank farm, a steel mill, and an aircraft carrier under construction. Some 50 Japanese lost their lives.

Four unidentified Doolittle Raid crewmen, who bailed out over China from Aircraft #14, are escorted in a Chinese village before being reunited with other airmen in April of 1942. Most of the crew members made it to China, either crash landing, or bailing out over land. The assistance given by the Chinese to the airmen spurred the Japanese Imperial Army to carry out a retaliatory action called the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign -- over the course of four months, entire villages were destroyed, and an estimated 250,000 Chinese civilians were killed.

Lt. Col. James Doolittle, who led the April, 1942 air raid on Tokyo, addresses a throng of aircraft workers at the North American Aviation plant on June 1, 1942. He said that "Shangri La," the mythical land identified by President Roosevelt as the place where the bombers came from, "is right here in this North American plant."

The village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, before it was burned the ground by the Germans in 1942. On May 27, 1942, a high-ranking Nazi official named Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated, and soon after, Adolf Hitler himself reportedly ordered that any village found harboring the assassins should be leveled, all male residents executed, females shipped off to concentration camps, and acceptable children given to German families. The village of Lidice, reportedly home to Czech resistance fighters, was chosen, and Hitler's orders were carried out starting on June 10, 1942, when all 192 men over 16 years of age were executed.

German soldiers standing by corpses after a mass execution in Lidice, Czechoslovakia, in June of 1942. In all, some 340 people from Lidice died because of the German reprisal -- 192 men, 60 women and 88 children. The village was set on fire, the rubble was bulldozed, and Lidice was erased from the land. Years later, a smaller new village of Lidice was built near the site of the old one.

A gun-coupled camera aboard a British RAF Spitfire plane made this record of a German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter aircraft getting shot down in May 1942, over an unknown location.

The appalling conditions ruling on the Russian front following the thaw when the winter snows melted and resulted in widespread floods on May 23, 1942. German soldiers wade through icy water which is knee deep, somewhere in Russia

On a yard in the Proletarian District of Rostov-On-Don, lie bodies described by official Russian sources as "people shot up by Germans", on February 18, 1942. In late 1941 and 1942, German forces took, lost, and retook the city of Rostov-On-Don, and were pushed out for good by the Soviets in 1943.

Sergeant P. Dorzhiev, a Russian sniper who killed 181 Germans on the Leningrad front, looking through binoculars, and holding a rifle, sometime in 1942.

A scene in a Russian village on the front line after the Germans had been driven out, sometime in 1942.

This photo was taken from a the body of a dead Germany officer killed in Russia, showing a German firing squad shooting Soviet civilians in the back as they sit beside their own mass grave in Babi Yar, an infamous ravine in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, in 1942. Between 1941 and 1942, an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 Jews, Soviet prisoners, communists, gypsies, Ukrainian nationalists and civilians were executed by the Germans in Babi Yar.

Russian troops approach Moscow with German prisoners on February 10, 1942.

Parents find the body of their dead son near Kerch City, on the Kerch Peninsula in eastern Crimea, on April 4, 1942. Soviet and German forces had been fighting across the peninsula beginning in late 1941. The decisive Battle of the Kerch Peninsula took place in May, 1942, with the Germans taking control of the region

The bare landscape of Crimea, Ukraine, offers little protection in warfare, and German infantrymen hug the ground to escape enemy fire, on January 7, 1942.

A field loud-speaker is set up to broadcast propaganda to German soldiers, somewhere in Russia, on April 21, 1942.

The British destroyer HMS Campbeltown sits destroyed, wedged into the dock gates of Normandie dry dock at St. Nazaire in German-occupied France, on March 28, 1942. Members of the Royal Navy and British Commandos carried out an amphibious raid on the docks earlier that day, attempting to prevent the Germans from possessing such a valuable asset. The Campbeltown was packed with with delayed-action explosives, which later detonated, killing more than 300 Germans and knocking the dock out of commission.

A German soldier inspects the battlefield with dead English soldiers lying on the ground at the bay of the port city St. Nazaire, Normandie, France, on April 1, 1942, after the battle with German forces March 28. Out of some 600 British forces involved in the raid, 169 were killed and 215 taken prisoner.

A wounded British prisoner of war, sitting on the ground in St. Nazaire, Normandie, France, after the raid in March of 1942.

U.S. troops from the 160th Infantry Regiment are seen as they disembark from a landing craft during amphibious training on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, in March of 1942.

Malayan soldiers intent on defending their peninsula charge forward at a Malay battle zone on February 10, 1942, before the Japanese completed their occupation of the peninsula and pushed Britons back onto Singapore Island.

Dining together after a Japanese raid in the Singapore area, on February 26, 1942. A Chinese man and his young daughter sit calmly amid the ruins eating bowls of rice.

In Singapore, women and children were evacuated from the onetime British bastion before the Japanese invasion. Here, some of the women, carrying bags and paper sacks, register before boarding a waiting ship on March 9, 1942.

A Malayan mother expresses her grief over the loss of her child whose body (at right) lies where the youngster was killed by a Japanese bomb fragment in one of the last raids before the city fell, in Singapore, on March 13, 1942.

Workmen clear up raid debris in Singapore on January 17, 1942, after a Japanese bombing raid on the British naval base.

The conference at which Singapore surrendered on March 20, 1942. Man seated at left, facing camera, is identified as Lieut. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, the Japanese Commander. Man in right foreground, profile to camera, is identified as Lieut. Gen. A. E. Percival, British commander.

A large freighter settles slowly after being hit by Japanese bombs alongside of one of Singapore's docks on February 12, 1942. Smoke from other struck objectives billows over the waterfront in this photo by C. Yates McDaniel, Associated Press correspondent, who was among the last to leave the besieged port on February 12. The next day his ship was bombed and he reached safety after further harrowing experience.

An American soldier stands tense in his foxhole on Bataan peninsula, in the Philippines, waiting to hurl a flaming bottle bomb at an oncoming Japanese tank, in April of 1942.

A big coastal gun is fired from fortified American positions on Corregidor Island, at the entrance to Manila Bay on the Philippines, on May 6, 1942

Japanese forces use flame-throwers while attacking a fortified emplacement on Corregidor Island, in the Philippines in May of 1942.

Billows of smoke from burning buildings pour over the wall which encloses Manila's Intramuros district, on April 30, 1942. Anti-aircraft guns and soldiers were removed from the church, school and government building area the day before when General MacArthur declared Manila an open city.

American soldiers line up as they surrender their arms to the Japanese at the naval base of Mariveles on Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines in April of 1942.

Japanese soldiers stand guard over American war prisoners just before the start of the "Bataan Death March" in 1942. This photograph was stolen from the Japanese during Japan's three-year occupation.

American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese are shown at the start of the Death March after the surrender of Bataan on April 9, 1942, near Mariveles in the Philippines. Starting from Mariveles on April 10, some 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war were force-marched to Camp O'Donnell, a new prison camp 65 miles away. The prisoners, weakened after a three-month siege, were harassed by Japanese troops for days as they marched, the slow or sick killed with bayonets or swords.

American prisoners of war carry their wounded and sick during the Bataan Death March in April of 1942. This photo was taken from the Japanese during their three year occupation of the Philippines.

These prisoners were photographed along the Bataan Death March in April of 1942. They have their hands tied behind their backs. The estimates of the number of deaths that occurred along the march vary quite a bit, but some 5,000 to 10,000 Filipino and 600 to 650 American prisoners of war died before they could reach Camp O'Donnell. Thousands more would die in poor conditions at the camp in the following weeks.

A wave breaks over the main deck of the fleet oiler USS Neosho, engulfing the hose crew, as she refuels USS Yorktown in early May 1942, shortly before the Battle of Coral Sea in the South Pacific. The Neosho was lost in that battle.

A Japanese aircraft carrier is bombed by a U.S. Navy plane in the Battle of the Coral Sea, in May of 1942. This was the first naval battle in history in which neither side's ships ever sighted or fired directly upon the other.

Crewmen abandon ship on board the aircraft carrier USS Lexington, after the carrier was hit by Japanese torpedoes and bombs during the Battle of the Coral Sea. Note the destroyer alongside taking on survivors. The USS Phelps eventually torpedoed the stricken carrier, scuttling it and sending it to the bottom of the sea.

The USS Lexington explodes after being bombed by Japanese planes in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May of 1942. More than 200 of the carrier's 2,951-man crew went down with the ship. While Japanese forces won a tactical battle, a number of their damaged ships were unable to participate in the upcoming pivotal Battle of Midway, which took place one month later.

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WORLD WAR II: OPERATION BARBAROSSA

2011-08-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany and its Axis allies began a massive invasion of the Soviet Union named Operation Barbarossa -- some 4.5 million troops launched a surprise attack deployed from German-controlled Poland, Finland, and Romania. Hitler had his eyes on Soviet resources even after Germany and the USSR signed a non-aggression pact in 1939. Both sides had long been suspicious of one another and the agreement merely gave them more time to prepare for a probable war. The Soviets were unprepared for the sudden blitzkreig attacks across a border that spanned nearly 2,900 km (1,800 mi), and suffered horrible losses. Within a single week, German forces advanced 200 miles into Soviet territory, destroyed nearly 4,000 aircraft, and killed, captured, or wounded some 600,000 Red Army troops. By December of 1941, Germany had advanced to within sight of Moscow, and laid siege to the city, but the notorious Russian winter set in (nicknamed "General Winter"), and German advances came to a halt. At the end of this, one of the largest, deadliest military operations in history, Germany had suffered some 775,000 casualties, more than 800,000 Soviets had been killed, and an additional 6 million Soviet soldiers were wounded or captured. The operation was also a failure for Germany -- despite massive advances, Hitler's plan to conquer the Soviet Union before winter had failed, at great cost, which would prove to be a turning point in the war.

A German infantryman walks toward the body of a killed Soviet soldier and a burning BT-7 light tank in the southern Soviet Union in in 1941, during the early days of Operation Barbarossa.

Soviet rocket launchers fire as German forces attack the USSR.

An Sd.Kfz-250 half-track in front of German tank units, as they prepare for an attack, on July 21, 1941, somewhere along the Russian warfront, during the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

A German half-track driver inside an armored vehicle in Russia in August of 1941.

German infantrymen watch enemy movements from their trenches shortly before an advance inside Soviet territory, on July 10, 1941.

German Stuka dive-bombers, in flight heading towards their target over coastal territory between Dniepr and Crimea, towards the Gate of the Crimea on November 6, 1941.

German soldiers cross a river, identified as the Don river, in a stormboat, sometime in 1941, during the German invasion of the Caucasus region in the Soviet Union.

German soldiers move a horse-drawn vehicle over a corduroy road while crossing a wetland area, in October 1941, near Salla on Kola Peninsula, a Soviet-occupied region in northeast Finland.

With a burning bridge across the Dnieper river in the background, a German sentry keeps watch in the recently-captured city of Kiev, in 1941.

Machine gunners of the far eastern Red Army in the USSR, during the German invasion of 1941.

A German bomber, with its starboard engine on fire, goes down over an unknown location, during World War II, in November, 1941.

Nazi troops lie concealed in the undergrowth during the fighting prior to the capture of Kiev, Ukraine, in 1941.

Evidence of Soviet resistance in the streets of Rostov, a scene in late 1941, encountered by the Germans as they entered the heavily besieged city.

Russian soldiers, left, hands clasped to heads, marched back to the rear of the German lines on July 2, 1941, as a column of Nazi troops move up to the front at the start of hostilities between Germany and Russia.

Russian men and women rescue their humble belongings from their burning homes, said to have been set on fire by the Russians, part of a scorched-earth policy, in a Leningrad suburb on October 21, 1941.

Reindeer graze on an airfield in Finland on July 26, 1941. In the background a German war plane takes off.

Heinrich Himmler (left, in glasses), head of the Gestapo and the Waffen-SS, inspects a prisoner-of-war camp in this from 1940-41 in Russia.

Evidence of the fierce fighting on the Moscow sector of the front is provided in this photo showing what the Germans claim to be some of the 650,000 Russian prisoners which they captured at Bryansk and Vyasma. They are here seen waiting to be transported to a prisoner of war camp somewhere in Russia, on Nov. 2, 1941.

Adolf Hitler, center, studies a Russian war map with General Field Marshal Walter Von Brauchitsch, left, German commander in chief, and Chief of Staff Col. General Franz Halder, on August 7, 1941.

German soldiers, supported by armored personnel carriers, move into a burning Russian village at an unknown location during the German invasion of the Soviet Union, on June 26, 1941.

A huge Russian gun on tracks, likely a 203 mm howitzer M1931, is manned by its crew in a well-concealed position on the Russian front on September 15, 1941.

Rapidly advancing German forces encountered serious guerrilla resistance behind their front lines. Here, four guerrillas with fixed bayonets and a small machine gun are seen in action, near a small village.

Red Army soldiers examine war trophies captured in battles with invading Germans, somewhere in Russia, on September 19, 1941.

A view of the destruction in Riga, the capital of Latvia, on October 3, 1941, after the wave of war had passed over it, the Russians had withdrawn and it was in Nazi hands.

Five Soviet civilians on a platform, with nooses around their necks, about to be hanged by German soldiers, near the town of Velizh in the Smolensk region, in September of 1941.

A Finnish troop train passes through a scene of an earlier explosion which wrecked one train, tearing up the rails and embankment, on October 19, 1941.

Burning houses, ruins and wrecks speak for the ferocity of the battle preceding this moment when German forces entered the stubbornly defended industrial center of Rostov on the lower Don River, in Russia, on November 22, 1941.

General Heinz Guderian, commander of Germany's Panzergruppe 2, chats with members of a tank crew on the Russian front, on September 3, 1941.

German soldiers remove one of many Soviet national emblems during their drive to conquer Russia on July 18, 1941.

A man, his wife, and child are seen after they had left Minsk on August 9, 1941, when the German army swarmed in. The original wartime caption reads, in part: "Hatred for the Nazis burns in the man's eyes as he holds his little child, while his wife, completely exhausted, lies on the pavement."

German officials claimed that this photo was a long-distance camera view of Leningrad, taken from the Germans' seige lines, on October 1, 1941, the dark shapes in the sky were identified as Soviet aircraft on patrol, but were more likely barrage balloons. This would mark the furthest advance into the city for the Germans, who laid seige to Leningrad for more than two more years, but were unable to fully capture the city.

A flood of Russian armored cars move toward the front, on October 19, 1941.

German Army Commander Colonel General Ernst Busch inspects an anti-aircraft gun position, somewhere in Germany, on Sept. 3, 1941.

Finnish soldiers storm a soviet bunker on August 10, 1941. One of the Soviet bunker's crew surrenders, left.

German troops make a hasty advance through a blazing Leningrad suburb, in Russia on Nov. 24, 1941

Russian prisoners of war, taken by the Germans on July 7, 1941.

An column of Russian prisoners of war taken during recent fighting in Ukraine, on their way to a Nazi prison camp on September 3, 1941.

German mechanized troops rest at Stariza, Russia on November 21, 1941, only just evacuated by the Russians, before continuing the fight for Kiev. The gutted buildings in the background testify to the thoroughness of the Russians "scorched earth" policy.

German infantrymen force their way into a snipers hide-out, where Russians had been firing upon advancing German troops, on September 1, 1941.

Two Russian soldiers, now prisoners of war, inspect a giant statue of Lenin, somewhere in Russia, torn from its pedestal and smashed by the Germans in their advance, on August 9, 1941. Note the rope round the neck of the statue, left there in symbolic fashion by the Germans.

German sources described the gloomy looking officer at the right as a captured Russian colonel who is being interrogated by Nazi officers on October 24, 1941.

Flames shoot high from burning buildings in the background as German troops enter the city of Smolensk, in the central Soviet Union, during their offensive drive onto the capital Moscow, in August of 1941.

This trainload of men was described by German sources as Soviet prisoners en route to Germany, on October 3, 1941. Several million Soviet soldiers were eventually sent to German prison camps, the majority of whom never returned alive.

Russian snipers leave their hide-out in a wheat field, somewhere in Russia, on August 27, 1941, watched by German soldiers. In foreground is a disabled soviet tank.

German infantrymen in heavy winter gear march next to horse-drawn vehicles as they pass through a district near Moscow, in November 1941. Winter conditions strained an already thin supply line, and forced Germany to halt its advance - leaving soldiers exposed to the elements and Soviet counterattacks, resulting in heavy casualties and a serious loss of momentum in the war.

credit to sources

WORLD WAR II: CONFLICT SPREADS AROUND THE GLOBE

2011-08-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

From the last few months of 1940 through the summer of 1941, the conflicts among nations grew into true World War. The East African campaign and Western Desert campaign both began, with largely Italian and British forces battling back and forth across the deserts of Egypt and Libya and from Ethiopia to Kenya. The Tripartite Pact -- a declaration of cooperation between Germany, Italy, and Japan -- was signed in Berlin. Japanese forces occupied Vietnam, established bases in French Indochina, and continued to attack China. Mussolini ordered his forces to attack Greece, launching the Greco-Italian War and the Balkans Campaign. The Battle of Britain continued as the forces of Germany and Britain carried out bombing raids and sea attacks against each other. The United States began its lend-lease program, which would eventually ship $50 billion worth of arms and materials to to Allied nations. And an ominous new phase began as the Germans established walled ghettos in Warsaw and other Polish cities, rounding up Jews from surrounding areas and forcing them to move in.

Entering their fourth year of war against Japan, Chinese military forces were strengthening their air force, producing their own armaments, and training their officers in the methods of modern war. Here, Chinese cadets in full battle dress, they favor the German type of steel helmet, on parade somewhere in China, on July 11, 1940.

British Infantrymen in position in a shallow trench near Bardia, a Libyan Port, which had been occupied by Italian forces, and fell to the Allies on January 5, 1941, after a 20-day siege.

Against a background of a rock formation, a British bomber takes off on May 15, 1941, from somewhere in East Africa, leaving behind a trail of smoke and sand.

Warships of the British Mediterranean Fleet bombarded Fort Cupuzzo at Bardia, Libya, on June 21, 1940. On board one of the battleships was an official photographer who recorded pictures during the bombardment. Anti-aircraft pom-pom guns stand ready for action.

An aerial view of Tobruk, Libya, showing petrol dumps burning after attacks by Allied forces in 1941.

Bardia, a fortified Libyan seaport, was captured by British forces, with more than 38,000 Italian prisoners, including four generals, and vast quantities of war material. An endless stream of Italian prisoners leaves Bardia, on February 5, 1941, after the Australians had taken possession.

A squadron of Bren gun carriers, manned by the Australian Light Cavalry, rolls through the Egyptian desert in January of 1941. The troops performed maneuvers in preparation for the Allied campaign in North Africa.

This armorer of the R.A.F.'s middle east command prepares a bomb for its mission against the Italian forces campaigning in Africa. This big bomb is not yet fused, but when it is it will be ready for its deadly work. Photo taken on October 24, 1940.

The moment a patrol of British Hurricane fighter planes, flying over a middle east sector, broke formation to attack enemy aircraft, on December 28, 1940.

This photo, made from a British warplane during the assault of Tobruk shows the Italian Cruiser San Giorgio, burning amidships, in the harbor of Tobruk, on February 18, 1941. The ship was scuttled, its decks appear to be covered with wrecked and smashed gear.

The body of an Italian soldier lies where he fell during battle, in a stone-walled fort somewhere in the West Libyan desert, on Febrary 11, 1941.

A British Cruiser tank is unloaded at a port in Egypt, on November 17, 1940. It is one of a large number which had just been shipped there by British forces.

Haile Selassie (right), exiled Emperor of Ethiopia, whose empire was absorbed by Italy, returns with an Ethiopian army recruited to aid the British in Africa, on February 19, 1941. Here, the emperor inspects an airport, an interpreter at his side. On May 5, 1941, after the Italians in Ethiopia were defeated by Allied troops, Selassie returned to Addis Ababa, and resumed his position as ruler.

Cameron Highlanders, a Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army, and Indian troops march past the Great Pyramid in the North African Desert, on December 9, 1940.

Field Marshal Gen. Erwin Rommel, commander of the German Afrika Korps, drinks out of a cup with an unidentified German officer as they are seated in a car during inspection of German troops dispatched to aid the Italian army in Libya in 1941.

A huge Panzer IV German tank, part of the German expeditionary force in North Africa, halts in the Libyan Desert on April 14, 1941.

Children of Japan, Germany, and Italy meet in Tokyo to celebrate the signing of the Tripartite Alliance between the three nations, on December 17, 1940. Japanese education minister Kunihiko Hashida, center, holding crossed flags, and Mayor Tomejiro Okubo of Tokyo were among the sponsors.

A Japanese bomber in flight on September 14, 1940. Below, smoke rises from a cluster of bombs dropped on Chongqing, China, near a bend of the Yangtze River.

Chinese soldiers man a sound detector which directs the firing of 3-inch anti-aircraft guns, around the city of Chongqing, China, on May 2, 1941.

With nothing but devastation confronting him, this Chinese waterboy still carried on after four days and nights of aerial bombardment at the hands of Japanese warplanes, in Chongqing, China, on Aug. 10, 1940.

A Japanese tank passes over an emergency bridge, somewhere in China, on June 30, 1941.

This aerial view shows Japan's home fleet, arrayed in battle line, on October 29, 1940, off the coast of Yokohama, Japan.

Bodies of dead Chongqing citizens lie in piles after some 700 people were reportedly killed by a Japanese bombing raid on China in July of 1941. Between 1939 and 1942, more than three thousand tons of bombs were dropped by Japanese aircraft over Chongqing, resulting in well over 10,000 civilian casualties.

French colonial forces move out of Haiphong, in the Tonkin region of French Indochina, on September 26, 1940, as Japanese occupational troops take over the port and city under the terms of the Franco-Japanese agreement, where Vichy France granted military access to Japanese forces.

Italian bombers on their way to war action on the Albanian-Greek frontier, on January 9, 1941. Italian armies had launched an invasion of Greece from Albanian territory on October 28, 1940.

Royal Air Force bombers carry out a raid on the Italian-occupied port city of Valona, Albania on January 11, 1941.

A squad of German soldiers pass through a Greek village, during the occupation of Greece, in May 1941.

The price paid by German air invaders on the Greek island of Crete. While fighter aircraft patrolled the area, troop-carrying aircraft followed, escorted by bombers. Here, a paratroop aircraft crashes to the ground on June 16, 1941.

A fallen paratrooper and his parachute, on the island of Crete, in early 1941.

To alert their own airforce to their presence, soldiers spread the Swastika across boats used by the S.S. troops to cross the Gulf of Corinth, Greece, on May 23, 1941.

A view from the roof of St. Paul's Cathedral in London in January, 1941, showing how the famous building was ringed by fires on the night of the great Blitz. Devastated buildings are seen on every hand, with the tower of the Old Bailey, surmounted by its statue of Justice, still standing to the upper left.

The dramatic and tragic scene as the Cunard White Star liner Lancastria was sunk on August 3, 1940. The Lancastria was evacuating British nationals and troops from France, and had boarded as many as possible for the short trip - an estimated 4,000 to 9,000 passengers were aboard. A German Junkers 88 aircraft bombed the ship shortly after it departed, and it sank within twenty minutes. While 2,477 were rescued, an estimated 4,000 others perished by bomb blasts, strafing, drowning, or choking in oil-fouled water. Photo taken from one of the rescue boats as the liner heels over, as men swarm down her sides and swim for safety to the rescue ships. Note the large number of bobbing heads in the water.

German Anti-Aircraft guns belch smoke somewhere along the Channel coast of France, on January 19, 1941.

This photograph was taken on Jan. 31, 1941, during a nigthtime air raid carried out by the Royal Air Force above Brest, France. It gives a graphic impression of what flak and anti-aircraft fire looks like from the air. In the period of three to four seconds during which the shutter remained open, the camera clearly captured the furious gunfire. The fine lines of light show the paths of tracer shells, and the broader lines are those of heavier guns. Factories and other buildings can be seen below.

Two examples of Britain's war forces, a soldier in battle dress and a bearded Canadian sailor share a light at an English port, on January 14, 1941.

Jimmy Stewart, former movie star, is sworn in as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Corps by Lt. E.L. Reid, personnel officer of the west coast training center at Moffett Field, California, on January 1, 1941. Stewart was one of Hollywood's most popular actors before he was inducted into the Army in 1941.

Outdated, but serviceable U.S. destroyers sit in the Back Bay at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, on Aug. 28, 1940. Plans were well underway to bring these ships up to date and transfer them to Allied countries to aid their defense. These programs would be signed into law as the Lend-Lease program in March of 1941, and would result in billions of dollars worth of war material being shipped overseas.

A crew of observers on the Empire State building, during an air defense test, on January 21, 1941 in New York City, conducted by the U.S. Army. Their job was to spot "invading enemy" bombers and send information to centers which order interceptor planes. The tests, to run for four days, covered an 18,000-square-mile area in northeastern states.

U.S. Postal employees feed 17 tons of reading matter, labeled by postal authorities as propaganda, into a furnace in San Francisco, California, on March 19, 1941. The bulk of the newspapers, books, and pamphlets came from Nazi Germany and some from Russia, Italy and Japan.

These Arab recruits line up in a barracks square in the British Mandate of Palestine, on December 28, 1940, for their first drill under a British solider. Some 6,000 Palestinian Arabs signed up with the British Army during the course of World War II.

Artillery Signalers at dawn in an outpost in Palestine on December 16. 1940. The men dress warmly to keep out the chill of the desert.

A newly-constructed wall partitions the central part of Warsaw, Poland, seen on December 20, 1940. It is part of red brick and gray stone walls built 12 to 15 feet high by the Nazis as a ghetto - a pen for Warsaw's approximately 500,000 Jews.

A scene from the Warsaw Ghetto where Jews are seen wearing white armlets bearing the Star of David and trams are seen marked with the words "For Jews Only", on February 17, 1941.

A German Army officer lecturers children in a ghetto in Lublin, German-occupied Poland, on December 1940, telling them "Don't forget to wash every day."

The faces of Jewish children living in a ghetto in Szydlowiec, Poland, under Nazi occupation, on December 20, 1940.

credit to source

WORLD WAR II: THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

2011-08-26T01:37:00.000-07:00

In the summer and autumn of 1940, Germany's Luftwaffe conducted thousands of bombing runs, attacking military and civilian targets across the United Kingdom. Hitler's forces, in an attempt to achieve air superiority, were preparing for an invasion of Britain code-named "Operation Sea Lion." At first, they targeted only military and industrial targets. But after the Royal Air Force hit Berlin with retaliatory strikes in September, the Germans began bombing British civilian centers. Some 23,000 British civilians were killed in the months between July and December 1940. Thousands of pilots and air crews engaged in battle in the skies above Britain, Germany, and the English Channel, each side losing more than 1,500 aircraft by the end of the year. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, speaking of the British pilots in an August speech, said, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." The British defenses held, and Operation Sea Lion was quietly canceled in October, though bombing raids continued long after.

The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral (undamaged) stands out among the flames and smoke of surrounding buildings during heavy attacks of the German Luftwaffe on December 29, 1940 in London, England.

A formation of low-flying German Heinkel He 111 bombers flies over the waves of the English Channel in 1940.

Three anti-aircraft guns flash in the dark in London, on September 20, 1940, throwing shells at raiding German planes. Shells in stacked rows behind the guns leap about as the concussions from the firing loosen them.

These London schoolchildren are in the midst of an air raid drill ordered by the London Board of Education as a precaution in case an air raid comes too fast to give the youngsters a chance to leave the building for special shelters, on July 20, 1940. They were ordered to go to the middle of the room, away from windows, and hold their hands over the backs of their necks.

A German twin propelled Messerschmitt BF 110 bomber, nicknamed "Fliegender Haifisch" (Flying Shark), over the English Channel, in August of 1940.

The condensation trails from German and British fighter planes engaged in an aerial battle appear in the sky over Kent, along the southeastern coast of England, on September 3, 1940.

Fires set by bursting German bombs lit up the docks along the River Thames in London, on September 7, 1940 and brought into vivid relief the merchant ships lying alongside the many docks which line London's busy port. British sources said the bombing that night was the heaviest of the war to date.

A great column of smoke billowing upward from a fire started at Plymouth, South West England, in November 1940, as a result of heavy enemy bombardment.

The tail and part of the fuselage of a German Dornier plane landed on a London rooftop shown Sept. 21, 1940, after British fighter planes shot it down on September 15. The rest of the raiding plane crashed near Victoria Station.

Workmen fit a set of paraboloids in a sound detector for use by anti-aircraft batteries guarding England, in a factory somewhere in England, on July 30, 1940.

The biggest shipping center for London's food-supplies, Tilbury, has been the target of numerous German air attacks. Bombs dropping on the port of Tilbury, on October 4, 1940. The first group of bombs will hit the ships lying in the Thames, the second will strike the docks.

Two German Luftwaffe Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers return from an attack against the British south coast, during the Battle for Britain, on August 19, 1940.

A bomb is fitted to the wings of a British raider prior to the start of an assault on Berlin, on October 24, 1940.

A ninety minute exposure taken from a Fleet Street rooftop during an air raid in London, on September 2, 1940. The searchlight beams on the right had picked up an enemy raider. The horizontal marks across the image are from stars and the small wiggles in them were caused by the concussions of anti-aircraft fire vibrating the camera. The German pilot released a flare, which left a streak across the top left, behind the steeple of St. Bride's Church.

People shelter and sleep on the platform and on the train tracks, in Aldwych Underground Station, London, after sirens sounded to warn of German bombing raids, on October 8, 1940.

The Palace of Westminster in London, silhouetted against light from fires caused by bombings.

The force of a bomb blast in London piled these furniture vans atop one another in a street after a raid on December 5, 1940.

This smiling girl, dirtied but apparently not injured, was assisted across a London street on October 23, 1940, after she was rescued from the debris of a building damaged by a bomb attack in a German daylight raid.

Firemen spray water on damaged buildings, near London Bridge, in the City of London on September 9, 1940, after a recent set of weekend air raids.

Hundreds of people, many of whom have lost their homes through bombing, now use the caves in Hastings, a south-east English town as their nightly refuge. Special sections are reserved for games and recreation, and several people have "set up house", bringing their own furniture and sleeping on their own beds. Photo taken on December 12, 1940.

Undaunted by a night of German air raids in which his store front was blasted, a shopkeeper opens up the morning after for "business as usual" in London.

All that remains of a German bomber brought down on the English south-east coast, on July 13, 1940. The aircraft is riddled with bullet holes and its machine guns were twisted out of action.

British workers in a salvage yard break up the remains of wrecked German raiders which were shot down over England, on August 26, 1940.

A huge scrap heap where German planes, brought down over Great Britain, were dumped, photographed on August 27, 1940. The large number of Nazi planes downed during raids on Britain made a substantial contribution to the national scrap metal salvage campaign.

A Nazi Heinkel He 111 bomber flies over London in the autumn of 1940. The Thames River runs through the image.

Mrs. Mary Couchman, a 24-year-old warden of a small Kentish Village, shields three little children, among them her son, as bombs fall during an air attack on October 18, 1940. The three children were playing in the street when the siren suddenly sounded. Bombs began to fall as she ran to them and gathered the three in her arms, protecting them with her body. Complimented on her bravery, she said, "Oh, it was nothing. Someone had look after the children."

Two barrage balloons come down in flames after being shot by German war planes during an aerial attack over the Kent coast in England, on August 30, 1940.

Air raid damage, including the twisted remains of a double-decker city bus, in the City of London on September 10, 1940.

A scene of devastation in the Dockland area of London attacked by German bomber on September 17, 1940.

An abandoned boy, holding a stuffed toy animal amid ruins following a German aerial bombing of London in 1940.

A German aircraft drops its load of bombs above England, during an attack on September 20, 1940.

One of many fires started in Surrey Commercial Dock, London, on September 7, 1940, after a heavy raid during the night by German bombers.

Fires rage in the city of London after a lone German bomber had dropped incendiary bombs close to the heart of the city on September 1, 1940.

London children enjoy themselves at a Christmas Party, on December 25, 1940, in an underground shelter.

The effects of a large concentrated attack by the German Luftwaffe, on London dock and industry districts, on September 7, 1940. Factories and storehouses were seriously damaged; the mills at the Victories Docks (below at left) show damage wrought by fire.

The Record Office in London, lit by flames ignited by a German air in 1940.

Princess Elizabeth of England (center), 11-year-old heiress apparent to the British throne, makes her broadcast debut, delivering a three-minute speech to British girls and boys evacuated overseas, on October 22, 1940, in London, England. She is joined in bidding good-night to her listeners by her sister, Princess Margaret Rose.

Soldiers carrying off the tail of a Messerschmitt 110, which was shot down by fighter planes in Essex, England, on September 3, 1940.

Through bombs and sirens, the Windmill Theatre carried on providing music, revue, and ballet performances for the people of wartime London. The artists sleep on mattresses in their dressing rooms, living and eating on the premises. Here, a scene behind the scenes shows one of the girls having a wash while the others sleep soundly surrounded by their picturesque costumes, after the show on September 24, 1940, in London.

A German raid smashed this hall in an undisclosed London district, on October 16, 1940.

A huge crater was made in a road at Elephant & Castle, London on September 7, 1940, after a night raid on London .

Two girls on the south coast of England look out toward the beach through a barbed wire fence constructed as part of Britain's coastal defenses.

The artist Ethel Gabain, newly appointed by the Ministry of Information to make historical war pictures, at work among bombed ruins in the East End of London on November 28, 1940.

A forward machine gunner sits at his battle position in the nose of a German Heinkel He 111 bomber, while en route to England in November of 1940.

A boy sits amid the ruins of a London bookshop following an air raid on October 8, 1940, reading a book titled "The History of London."

LEGENDARY FILIPINO ACTORS & ACTRESES

2011-08-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

Silver Screen Legend Carmen Rosales

Vilma Santos and Tirso Cruz III. The Big "Love Teams" then were Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III "Guy & Pip" and Vilma Santos and Edgar Mortiz "Vi & Bot".

"Guy" & "Pip" with Maria Leonora Theresa, Do you still remember Maria Leonora Theresa? No, she wasn't a movie star, but she was immensely popular during her time. She wasn't even human, but she was showered with love and affection by her own legions of fans. The symbol of Guy & Pip's real love.

A Very Young Nora Aunor.

A Young Vilma Santos And Nora Aunor.

The Ever Beautiful Paraluman.

A Very Rare, Original Photo,Tessie Quintana, Ben Perez, Rosa Rosal, Fred Montilla, Paraluman.

A Sexy Charito Solis c.1950s

WORLD WAR II: AXIS INVASION AND THE FALL OF FRANCE

2011-08-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

In the spring of 1940, an emboldened Germany asserted itself as a modern conqueror of nations, successfully invading and occupying six countries in fewer than 100 days. In April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark, which capitulated in a mere six hours. At the same time, Nazi warships and troops were entering Norwegian waters, attacking ships and landing troops, starting a conflict that would last for two months. On May 10, more than 2 million German troops on land and in the air invaded France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands using blitzkrieg tactics. The smaller countries fell within weeks, but France held on until June 22, when it signed an armistice with Germany. Also during this period, the Soviet Union initiated staged elections in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, forcefully annexing them. By the end of the summer, German forces were digging in, building up, and planning for the Battle of Britain.

A German armored tank crosses the Aisne River in France, on June 21, 1940, one day before the surrender of France.

Waves of German paratroopers land on snow-covered rock ledges in the Norwegian port and city of Narvik, during the German invasion of the Scandinavian country.

The remains of a naval battle in Narvik, Norway in 1940. Several battles between German and Norwegian forces took place in the Ofotfjord in the spring of 1940.

A group of German Gebirgsjägers (mountain troops) in action in Narvik, Norway, in 1940.

German soldiers move through a burning Norwegian village, in April 1940, during the German invasion.

Members of a British Royal Air Force bombing squadron hold thumbs up on April 22, 1940, as they return to home base from an attack on German warships off Bergen, Norway.

An aircraft spotter on the roof of a building in London, England, with St. Paul's Cathedral in the background.

German bombs miss their targets and explode in the sea during an air raid on Dover, England, in July 1940.

Members of the Black Watch, one of the famed Scottish regiments, undergo rough training in South Coast sector of England, in 1940. The men were training to be combat parachutists.

The Royal Irish Fusiliers of the British expeditionary forces come to the aid of French farmers whose horses have been commandeered by the French Army. A tank is hitched to a plow to help with the spring tilling of the soil on March 27, 1940.

Belgian women tearfully have goodbye to husbands and sons leaving for the front line as the threat of invasion hung heavily over their homeland, on May 11, 1940.

A formation of German Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers are flying over an unknown location, in this May 29, 1940 photo.

A German soldier operates his antiaircraft gun at an unknown location, in support of the German troops as they march into Danish territory, on April 9, 1940.

Reconnaissance squads head the German advance into Luxembourg, on May 10, 1940.

German parachute troops descending on Fort Eben Emael in Belgium, on May 30, 1940, part of a larger surprise attack.

French soldiers load a piece of artillery in a wood somewhere in the Western Front on May 29, 1940. The shell will be fired into the Nazi-occupied sector of the soldiers' homeland.

A formation of German Dornier Do 17Z light bombers, flying over France on June 21, 1940.

German parachute troops man a machine gun post in the Netherlands, on June 2, 1940. This photo came from a camera found on German parachute troops who were taken prisoner.

Belgians blasted this bridge across the Meuse River in the town of Dinant, Belgium, but shortly, a wooden bridge built by German sappers was standing next to the ruins, on June 20, 1940.

A woman, fleeing from her home with the few possessions she can carry, takes cover behind a tree by the roadside, somewhere in Belgium, on May 18, 1940, during an aerial attack by Nazi planes. Her bicycle, with her belongings tied to it, rests against the tree, to which she clings for protection.

Hundreds of thousands of British and French troops who had fled advancing German forces massed on the beach of Dunkirk, France, on June 4, 1940, awaiting ships to carry them to England.

British and French troops wade through shallow water along the beach at Dunkirk, France on June 13, 1940 toward small rescue craft that will bring them to England. Some 700 private vessels joined dozens of military craft to ferry the men across the channel.

Men of the British Expeditionary Force safely arrive home after their fight in Flanders on June 6, 1940. More than 330,000 soldiers were rescued from Dunkirk in the mission code-named Operation Dynamo.

Oil tanks burn in Dunkirk, France, on June 5, 1940. The aircraft in the right foreground is an RAF Coastal Command Lockheed Hudson on patrol.

Aftermath of the British retreat in Flanders, Belgium on July 31, 1940. English soldiers lie dead beside their vehicles.

English and French prisoners of war sit near railroad tracks somewhere in Belgium in 1940.

German troops parade in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 20, 1940 to celebrate Hitler's birthday.

Amsterdam, Netherlands. A Dutch father, who had been severely wounded in his head, hand, and leg, stares in horror at the mutilated corpse of his little girl 1940.

A dead German soldier, one of the many thousands who fell during the invasions of 1940, somewhere in France, on June 9, 1940.

French tanks pass through a bombarded French town on their way to the front line in France, on May 25, 1940.

Women waving Union Jacks greet passing soldiers, all Canadians, as they march from the docks after disembarking in France on June 18, 1940.

Some of the 350 refugee British children who arrived in New York City on July 8, 1940, aboard the British liner Samaria. They were the first large contingent of English children sent from the isles to be free of the impending Nazi invasion.

German troops walk down a deserted street in Luxembourg, on May 21, 1940, with rifles, pistols and grenades ready to protect themselves

Bombs let loose by the Royal Air Force during a raid on Abbeville Aerodrome -- now held by Germans -- in France, on July 20, 1940.

Refugees leave their ruined town in Belgium, after it had been bombed by the Germans, carrying what little of their personal belongings they managed to salvage, on May 19, 1940.

Nazi motorcyclists pass through a destroyed town in France in 1940.

A crowd of women, children and soldiers of the German Wehrmacht give the Nazi salute on June 19, 1940, at an unknown location in Germany.

Civilian victims of a German air raid near Antwerp, Belgium, on June 13, 1940. British troops said these people were cycling to work when German planes swept over, attacking and leaving them to die beside a wheat field.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspects Britain's Grenadier guards standing at attention in front of Light Bren gun armored units in July, 1940.

An allied soldier thrusts the plunger of an explosive mechanism that will blast a bridge to delay the Nazi advance, in the Leuven region of Belgium, on June 1, 1940, before this area fell to the Germans.

A tandem bicycle carries a whole Belgian family of four with some of their belongings strapped to their backs, as they flee from the advancing Nazis into France, on June 14, 1940.

Adolf Hitler poses in Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the background, one day after the formal capitulation of France, on June 23, 1940. He is accompanied by Albert Speer, German Reichsminister of armaments and Hitler's chief architect, left, and Arno Breker, professor of visual arts in Berlin and Hitler's favorite sculptor, right. An unknown cameraman seen in the foreground is filming the event. Photo provided by the German War Department.

French destroyer Mogador, in flames after being shelled during the British attack on Mers-el-Kebir, French Algeria, on July 3, 1940. After France signed an armistice with Germany, the British government moved to destroy what it could of the French Navy, trying to prevent the ships from falling into German hands. Several ships were badly damaged, one sunk, and 1,297 French sailors were killed in the attack.

Heavy mortars of Hitler's Army are set in position under cliffs on the French side of the English Channel, at Fecamp, France, in 1940, as Germany occupied France and the low countries.

A German soldier stands in the tower of the cathedral, gazing down upon the captured French city of Strasbourg on July 15, 1940. Adolf Hitler visited the city in June of 1940, declaring plans for the Strasbourg Cathedral, stating that it should become a "national sanctuary of the German people."

WORLD WAR II: THE INVASION OF POLAND AND THE WINTER WAR

2011-08-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

In August of 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression treaty -- one week later, Germany invaded Poland and World War II began. The first attack of the war took place on September 1, 1939, as German aircraft attacked the Polish town of Wielun, killing nearly 1,200. Five minutes later, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on a transit depot at Westerplatte in the Free City of Danzig. Within days, the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany and began mobilizing their armies and preparing their civilians. On September 17, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east. Polish forces surrendered in early October after losing some 65,000 troops and many thousands of civilians. In November, Soviet forces invaded Finland and began a months-long battle dubbed the Winter War. By the beginning of 1940, Germany was finalizing plans for the invasions of Denmark and Norway.

View of an undamaged Polish city from the cockpit of a German medium bomber aircraft, likely a Heinkel He 111 P, in 1939.

In 1939, the Polish army still maintained many cavalry squadrons, which had served them well as recently as the Polish-Soviet War in 1921. A myth emerged about the Polish cavalry leading desperate charges against the tanks of the invading Nazis, pitting horsemen against armored vehicles. While cavalry units did encounter armored divisions on occasion, their targets were ground infantry, and their charges were often effective. Nazi and Soviet propaganda helped fuel the myth of the noble-yet-backward Polish cavalry. This photo is of a Polish cavalry squadron on maneuvers somewhere in Poland, on April 29, 1939

Associated Press correspondent Alvin Steinkopf broadcasting from the Free City of Danzig -- at the time, a semi-autonomous city-state tied to Poland. Steinkopf was relating the tense situation in Danzig back to America, on July 11, 1939. Germany had been demanding the incorporation of Danzing into the Third Reich for months, and appeared to be preparing military action.

Soviet premier Josef Stalin (second from right), smiles while Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov (seated), signs the non-aggression pact with German Reich Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop (third from right), in Moscow, on August 23, 1939. The man at left is Soviet Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff, Marshal Boris Shaposhnikov. The nonaggression pact included a secret protocol dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence in the event of a conflict. The pact now guaranteed that Hitler's troops would face no resistance from the Soviets if they invaded Poland, bringing the war one step closer to reality.

Two days after Germany signed the non-aggression pact with the USSR, Great Britain entered into a military alliance with Poland, on August 25, 1939. This photo shows the scene one week later, on September 1, 1939, one of the first military operations of Germany's invasion of Poland, and the beginning of World War II. Here, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein is bombing a Polish military transit depot at Westerplatte in the Free City of Danzig. Simultaneously, the German Air Force (Luftwaffe), and ground troops (Heer) were attacking several other Polish targets.

German soldiers comb the Westerplatte after it was surrendered to German units from the Schleswig-Holstein landing crew, on September 7, 1939. Fewer than 200 Polish soldiers defended the small peninsula, holding off the Germans for seven days.

Aerial view of bombs exploding during a German bombing run over Poland in September of 1939.

Two tanks of the SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Division cross the Bzura River during the German invasion of Poland in September of 1939. The Battle of Bzura, the largest of the entire campaign, lasted more than a week, ending with the German forces capturing most of western Poland.

Soldiers of the SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Division, resting in a ditch alongside a road on the way to Pabianice, during the invasion of Poland in 1939.

A ten-year-old Polish girl named Kazimiera Mika mourns over her sister's body. She was killed by German machine-gun fire while picking potatoes in a field outside Warsaw, Poland, in September of 1939.

German infantry cautiously advance on the outskirts of Warsaw, Poland on September 16, 1939.

Several civilian prisoners of war, with arms raised, walk along a road during the German invasion of Poland in September of 1939.

Britain's King George VI broadcasts to the British nation on the first evening of the war, on September 3, 1939, in London.

A conflict which would end with the dropping of two nuclear bombs began with a proclamation read aloud by a town crier. Acting Town Crier and Saltbearer of the City of London, W.T. Boston, reads the war proclamation from the steps of the Royal Exchange, in London, on September 4, 1939.

A crowd reads newspaper headlines, "Bombs Rain On Warsaw" as they stand outside the U.S. State Department building where diplomats held a conference on war conditions in Europe, on September 1, 1939.

On September 17, 1939, the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Courageous was hit by torpedoes from the German submarine U-29, and sank within 20 minutes. The Courageous, on an anti-submarine patrol off the coast of Ireland, was stalked for hours by U-29, which launched three torpedoes when it saw an opening. Two of the torpedoes struck the ship on the port side, sinking it with the loss of 518 of its 1,259 crew members.

The scene of devastation seen on Ordynacka Street in Warsaw, Poland on March 6, 1940. The carcass of a dead horse lies in the street among enormous piles of debris. While Warsaw was under nearly constant bombardment during the invasion, on one day alone, September 25, 1939, about 1,150 bombing sorties were flown by German aircraft against Warsaw, dropping over 550 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs on the city.

German troops marching into the city of Bromberg (the German name for the Polish city of Bydgoszcz) found several hundred German nationals dead from Polish sniper fire. The snipers were equipped with arms by the retreating Polish forces. Bodies are shown on a forest road, September 8, 1939.

A damaged Polish armored train carrying tanks captured by the 14th SS-Leibstandard Adolf Hitler Division, near Blonie, during the invasion of Poland in September of 1939.

German soldiers, taken prisoner by the Polish army during the Nazi invasion, are shown while they were held captive in Warsaw, on October 2, 1939.

A young Polish boy returns to what was his home and squats among the ruins during a pause in the German air raids on Warsaw, Poland, in September of 1939. German attacks lasted until Warsaw surrendered on September 28. One week later, the last of the Polish forces capitulated near Lublin, giving full control of Poland to Germany and the Soviet Union.

Adolf Hitler salutes parading troops of the German Wehrmacht in Warsaw, Poland, on October 5, 1939 after the German invasion. Behind Hitler are, from left to right: Colonel General Walther von Brauchitsch, Lieutenant General Friedrich von Cochenhausen, Colonel General Gerd von Rundstedt, and Colonel General Wilhelm Keitel.

Earlier in 1939, Imperial Japanese army and naval units continued to attack and push forward into China and Mongolia. Here Japanese soldiers advance inland over the beach after landing at Swatow (Shantou), one of the remaining South China coast ports still under Chinese control at that time, on July 10, 1939. After a short engagement with the Chinese defenders the Japanese entered the city without encountering much further opposition.

On the Mongolian border, Japanese tanks roll across the vast plains of the Mongolian-Manchurian steppe, near the Mongolian border, on July 21, 1939. Manchukuo troops were reinforced by the Japanese when the border warfare with Soviet forces flared up suddenly in this sector.

A Japanese machine gun unit cautiously moves forward, past two Soviet armored cars abandoned in fighting along the Mongolian frontier in July of 1939.

On November 30, 1939, after Soviet demands made to Finland went unmet -- they were asking the Finns to give them land concessions and to destroy fortifications along the border -- the USSR invaded Finland. Some 450,000 Soviet soldiers crossed the border, starting a brutal, frozen battle that would be called the Winter War. In this image, a member of a Finnish anti-aircraft detachment, wearing his white camouflage uniform, works with a range-finder on December 28, 1939, during a Russian aerial attack.

A house burns furiously after being hit by a Soviet bomb during a Russian air raid on Turku, a port city in the southwest of Finland, on December 27, 1939.

In a frozen, wooded battlefront "somewhere in Finland," Finnish troops scatter to take shelter as Soviet planes fly over on an air raid on January 19, 1940.

Finnish soldiers, members of one of the ski battalions that fought against invading Russian troops, march with their reindeer on March 28, 1940.

Spoils of war -- captured Soviet tanks and cars, along a road in a snow covered forest on January 17, 1940. Finnish troops had just overpowered an entire Soviet division.

A Swedish volunteer, "somewhere in Northern Finland," protects himself from the sub-zero arctic cold with a mask over his face on February 20, 1940, while on duty against the Russian Invaders.

The winter of 1939-1940 in Finland was exceptionally cold. In January, temperatures dropped below -40° in some places. Frostbite was a constant threat, and the corpses of soldiers killed in battle froze solid, often in eerie poses. This January 31, 1940 photo shows a frozen dead Russian soldier, his face, hands and clothing covered with a dusting of snow. After 105 days, the Finns and Russians signed a peace treaty, allowing Finland to retain sovereignty, while it ceded 11 percent of its territory to the Soviets.

The German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, in flames off Montevideo, Uruguay on December 19, 1939. The crew of the Admiral Graf Spee had just engaged in the Battle of the River Plate, after three Royal Navy cruisers hunted it down and attacked. The damage from the attack did not sink the German battleship, but sent it to a harbor in Montevideo for repairs. Unable to stay long enough for repairs, and unwilling to run a waiting blockade, the crew of the Admiral Graf Spee sailed a short distance out of port and scuttled the ship, seen here shortly before it sank.

Restaurant operator Fred Horak of Somerville, Massachusetts, put this sign on the window of his lunch room, shown March 18, 1939. Horak was a native of Prague, Czechoslovakia.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft being manufactured, likely in Buffalo, New York, ca 1939.

While German forces were concentrated on Poland, anxiety was rising on the Western Front, with French troops welcoming British soldiers as they deployed along the border with Germany. Here, French troops pose in a cantonment in France on December 18, 1939.

Vast masses of Parisians gathered at the Basilica Church of the sacred heart on the hill of Montmartre to attend a religious service and pray for peace. Part of the huge crowd gathered in front of the church in France on August 27, 1939.

Members of the French Army man an acoustic locator device on January 4, 1940. The device was one of many experimental designs, built to pick up the sound of distant aircraft engines and give their distance and location. The introduction and adoption of radar technology rendered these devices obsolete very quickly.

A party of newspaper men on the Western Front are shown atop one of the big forts somewhere in the Maginot Line, France, on October 19, 1939, with a French army guide pointing out to them the "no man's land" that separates the French and German troops.

British troops cheerfully board their train for the first stage of their trip to the western front, somewhere in England, om September 20, 1939.

London's Westminster Bridge and the Houses of parliament, shrouded in darkness, after the great black-out began, on August 11, 1939. This blackout was the first trial conducted by the Home Office, in preparation for possible German air raids.

This was the scene at Holborn Town Hall, in London, England, as officials and mothers tested the reactions of babies to a respirator designed to protect them against poison gas on March 3, 1939. Several babies, all under the age of two, were fitted with the "baby helmets."

German Chancellor and dictator Adolf Hitler consults a geographical survey map with his general staff including Heinrich Himmler (left) and Martin Bormann (right) at an undisclosed location in 1939.

On Friday, Oct. 30, 2008, a man looks at a photograph of Johann Georg Elser, mounted on a monument in Freiburg, Germany. Elser, a German citizen, attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler with a self-made bomb in the "Buergerbraukeller" beer hall in Munich on November 8, 1939. Hitler finished his speech early, escaping the timed explosion by just thirteen minutes. Eight people died, 63 were injured, and Elser was caught and imprisoned. Shortly before the end of World War II, he was executed in the Nazi concentration camp in Dachau.

credit to my sources...

WORLD WAR II: BEFORE THE WAR

2011-08-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

The years leading up to the declaration of war between the Axis and Allied powers in 1939 were tumultuous times for people across the globe. The Great Depression had started a decade before, leaving much of the world unemployed and desperate. Nationalism was sweeping through Germany, and it chafed against the punitive measures of the Versailles Treaty that had ended World War I. China and the Empire of Japan had been at war since Japanese troops invaded Manchuria in 1931. Germany, Italy, and Japan were testing the newly founded League of Nations with multiple invasions and occupations of nearby countries, and felt emboldened when they encountered no meaningful consequences. The Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, becoming a rehearsal of sorts for the upcoming World War -- Germany and Italy supported the nationalist rebels led by General Francisco Franco, and some 40,000 foreign nationals traveled to Spain to fight in what they saw as the larger war against fascism. In the last few pre-war years, Nazi Germany blazed the path to conflict -- rearming, signing a non-aggression treaty with the USSR, annexing Austria, and invading Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile, the United States passed several Neutrality Acts, trying to avoid foreign entanglements as it reeled from the Depression and the Dust Bowl years.

Adolf Hitler, age 35, on his release from Landesberg Prison, on December 20, 1924. Hitler had been convicted of treason for his role in an attempted coup in 1923 called the Beer Hall Putsch. This photograph was taken shortly after he finished dictating "Mein Kampf" to deputy Rudolf Hess. Eight years later, Hitler would be sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, in 1933.

A Japanese soldier stands guard over part of the captured Great Wall of China in 1937, during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Empire of Japan and the Republic of China had been at war intermittently since 1931, but the conflict escalated in 1937.

Japanese aircraft carry out a bombing run over targets in China in 1937.

Japanese soldiers involved in street fighting in Shanghai, China in 1937. The battle of Shanghai lasted from August through November of 1937, eventually involving nearly one million troops. In the end, Shanghai fell to the Japanese, after over 150,000 casualties combined.

First pictures of the Japanese occupation of Peiping (Beijing) in China, on August 13, 1937. Under the banner of the rising sun, Japanese troops are shown passing from the Chinese City of Peiping into the Tartar City through Chen-men, the main gate leading onward to the palaces in the Forbidden City. Just a stone's throw away is the American Embassy, where American residents of Peiping flocked when Sino-Japanese hostilities were at their worst.

Japanese soldiers execute captured Chinese soldiers with bayonets in a trench as other Japanese soldiers watchfrom rim.

Chinese General Chiang Kai-shek, right, head of the Nanking government at Canton, with General Lung Yun, chairman of the Yunan provincial government in Nanking, on June 27, 1936.

On Feb. 5, 1938, A Chinese woman surveys the remains of her family, all of whom met death during Japanese occupation of Nanking, allegedly victims of atrocities at the hands of Japanese soldiers.

Buddhist priests of the Big Asakusa Temple prepare for the Second Sino-Japanese War as they wear gas masks during training against future aerial attacks in Tokyo, Japan, on May 30, 1936.

Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, center, hands on hips, with members of the fascist Party, in Rome, Italy, Oct. 28, 1922, following their March on Rome. This march was an act of intimidation, where thousands of fascist blackshirts occupied strategic positions throughout much of Italy. Following the march, King Emanuelle III asked Mussolini to form a new government, clearing the way towards a dictatorship

Four Italian soldiers taking aim in Ethiopia in 1935, during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. Italian forces under Mussolini invaded and annexed Ethiopia, folding it into a colony named Italian East Africa along with Eritrea.

Italian troops raise the Italian flag over Macalle, Ethiopia in 1935. Emperor Haile Selassie's appeals the the League of Nations for help went unanswered, and Italy was largely given a free hand to do as it pleased in East Africa.

In Spain, loyalist soldiers teach target practice to women who are learning to defend the city of Barcelona against fascist rebel troops of general Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War, on June 2, 1937.

Three hundred fascist insurgents were killed in this explosion in Madrid, Spain, under the five-story Casa Blanca building, on March 19, 1938. Government loyalists tunneled 600 yards over a six-month period to lay the land mine that caused the explosion.

An insurgent fighter tosses a hand grenade over a barbed wire fence and into loyalist soldiers with machine guns blazing in Burgos, Spain, on Sept. 12, 1936.

German-made Stuka dive bombers, part of the Condor Legion, in flight above Spain on May 30, 1939, during the Spanish Civil War. The black-and-white "X" on the tail and wings is Saint Andrew's Cross, the insignia of Franco's Nationalist Air Force. The Condor Legion was composed of volunteers from the German Army and Air Force.

Scores of families are seen taking refuge underground on a Madrid subway platform, on Dec. 9, 1936, as bombs are dropped by Franco's rebel aircraft overhead.

Aerial bombing of Barcelona in 1938 by Franco's Nationalist Air Force. The Spanish Civil War saw some of the earliest extensive use of aerial bombardment of civilian targets, and the development of new terror bombing techniques.

Following an aerial attack on Madrid from 16 rebel planes from Tetuan, Spanish Morocco, relatives of those trapped in ruined houses appeal for news of their loved ones, Jan. 8, 1937. The faces of these women reflect the horror non-combatants are suffering in the civil struggle.

A Spanish rebel who surrendered is led to a summary court martial, as popular front volunteers and civil guards jeer, July 27, 1936, in Madrid, Spain.

A fascist machine gun squad, backed up by expert riflemen, hold a position along the rugged Huesca front in northern Spain, Dec. 30, 1936.

Solemnly promising the nation his utmost effort to keep the country neutral, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is shown as he addressed the nation by radio from the White House in Washington, Sept. 3, 1939. In the years leading up to the war, the U.S. Congress passed several Neutrality Acts, pledging to stay (officially) out of the conflict.

Riette Kahn is shown at the wheel of an ambulance donated by the American movie industry to the Spanish government in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 18, 1937. The Hollywood Caravan to Spain will first tour the U.S. to raise funds to "help the defenders of Spanish democracy" in the Spanish Civil War.

Two American Nazis in uniform stand in the doorway of their New York City office, on April 1, 1932, when the headquarters opened. "NSDAP" stands for Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or, in English, National Socialist German Workers' Party, normally shortened to just "Nazi Party".

About to be engulfed in a gigantic dust cloud is a peaceful little ranch in Boise City, Oklahoma where the topsoil is being dried and blown away during the years of the Dust Bowl in central North America. Severe drought, poor farming techniques and devastating storms rendered millions of acres of farmland useless. This photo was taken on April 15, 1935.

Florence Thompson with three of her children in a photograph known as "Migrant Mother." This famous image is one of a series of photographs that photographer Dorothea Lange made of Florence Thompson and her children in early 1936 in Nipomo, California.

The zeppelin Hindenburg floats past the Empire State Building over Manhattan on Aug. 8, 1936. The German airship was en route to Lakehurst, New Jersey, from Germany. The Hindenburg would later explode in a spectacular fireball above Lakehurst on May 6, 1937.

England's biggest demonstration of its readiness to go through a gas attack was staged, March 16, 1938, when 2,000 volunteers in Birmingham donned gas masks and went through an elaborate drill. These three firemen were fully equipped, from rubber boots to masks, for the mock gas "invasion".

Adolf Hitler of Germany and Benito Mussolini of Italy greet each other as they meet at the airfield in Venice, Italy, on June 14, 1934. Mussolini and his fascists put on a show for Hitler, but on the details of their subsequent conversations there was little news.

Four Nazi troops sing in front of the Berlin branch of the Woolworth Co. store during the movement to boycott Jewish presence in Germany, in March, 1933. The Hitlerites believe the founder of the Woolworth Co. was Jewish.

The Nazi booth at a radio exhibition which started in Berlin on August 19, 1932. The booth is designed as propaganda of the Nazi gramophone plate industry which produces only records of the national socialist movement.

Thousands of young men flocked to hang upon the words of their leader, Reichsfuhrer Adolf Hitler, as he addressed the convention of the National Socialist Party in Nuremberg, Germany on Sept. 11, 1935.

Adolf Hitler is shown being cheered as he rides through the streets of Munich, Germany, November 9, 1933, during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the National Socialist movement.

Hitler youth honor an unknown soldier by forming a swastika symbol on Aug. 27, 1933 in Germany.

The German army demonstrated its might before more than a million residents during the nationwide harvest festival at Bückeburg, near Hanover, Germany, on Oct. 4, 1935. Here are scores of tanks lined up just before the demonstration began. Defying provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany began rearming itself at a rapid rate shortly after Hitler came to power in 1933.

Thousand of Germans participate in the Great National Socialistic meeting in Berlin, Germany, on July 9, 1932.

A group of German girls line up to learn musical culture under auspices of the Nazi Youth Movement, in Berlin, Germany on Feb. 24, 1936.

Hitler's Nazi party convention, underway in Nuremberg, Germany, on Sept. 10, 1935.

America's Jesse Owens, center, salutes during the presentation of his gold medal for the long jump on August 11, 1936, after defeating Nazi Germany's Lutz Long, right, during the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Naoto Tajima of Japan, left, placed third. Owens triumphed in the track and field competition by winning four gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, long jump and 400-meter relay. He was the first athlete to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games.

Members of the Nazi Youth participate in burning books, Buecherverbrennung, in Salzburg, Austria, on April 30, 1938. The public burning of books that were condemned as un-German, or Jewish-Marxist was a common activity in Nazi Germany.

Mass gymnastics were the feature of the "Day of Community" at Nuremberg, Germany on September 8, 1938 and Adolf Hitler watched the huge demonstrations given on the Zeppelin Field.

Windows of shops owned by Jews which were broken during a coordinated anti-Jewish demonstration in Berlin, known as Kristallnacht, on Nov. 10, 1938. Nazi authorities turned a blind eye as SA stormtroopers and civilians destroyed storefronts with hammers, leaving the streets covered in pieces of smashed windows. Ninety-one Jews were killed, and 30,000 Jewish men were taken to concentration camps.

View of one of the large halls of the Rheinmetall-borsig Armament factories at Duesseldorf, Germany, on August 13, 1939, where gun barrels are the main output. Before the start of the war, German factories were cranking out pieces of military machinery measured in the hundreds per year. Soon it climbed into the tens of thousands. In 1944 alone, over 25,000 fighter planes were built.

While newly-annexed Austria awaited the arrival of Adolf Hitler, preparations were underway. Streets were decorated and street names were changed. A workman in Vienna City square carries a new name plate for the square, renaming it "Adolf Hitler Place" on March 14, 1938.

Credit to Sources:

RIZAL HIS WOMAN

2011-06-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

CREATED TO GMA NEWS

British spies swap cupcake recipes into al-Qaida magazine

2011-06-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

Readers of al-Qaida's "Inspire" magazine got a tasty surprise thanks to British intelligence operatives: recipes, courtesy of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," for mini cupcakes.

British spies reportedly hacked into the website of the English-language quarterly published by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula last year, swapping in the cupcake recipes to replace the bombmaking how-to guides set to appear in an article entitled "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom."

"When followers tried to download the 67-page colour magazine, instead of instructions about how to 'Make a bomb in the Kitchen of your Mom' by 'The AQ Chef' they were greeted with garbled computer code," the Daily Telegraph's Duncan Gardham writes.

"The code, which had been inserted into the original magazine by the British intelligence hackers, was actually a web page of recipes for 'The Best Cupcakes in America' published by the Ellen DeGeneres chat show," Gardham wrote.

"The little cupcake is big again," the cupcake feature said. "Self-contained and satisfying, it summons memories of childhood even as it's updated for today's sweet-toothed hipsters."

"We're increasingly using cybertools as part of our work," a British government official--speaking anonymously, of course--told the Associated Press, as he confirmed the hacking operation.

The spy-hacking operation was reportedly conducted by officials with Britain's foreign intelligence service, MI6, and eavesdropping agency, the GCHQ. Since the whole operation was kept under wraps, one can only surmise that the MI6 agents involved were making an additional political statement about the extremely patriarchal outlook of militant Islam by selecting a cupcake recipe endorsed by a well-known lesbian talk show host

"Inspire" magazine, which began publishing last year, is reportedly the editorial brain-child of the Yemen-based, New Mexican-born Islamist radical Anwar al-Awlaki, who has become a propaganda chief for al-Qaida's Yemeni offshoot.

Several recent suspects in terrorist attacks targeting the United States have reportedly been inspired by the English-speaking al-Awlaki. Among them: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the wealthy, Nigerian-born London university student who was charged with attempting to blow up a Christmas Day 2009 flight to Detroit; and Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 fellow soldiers in a 2009 attack on troops at Ft. Hood, Texas.

The United States reportedly targeted al-Awlaki for a drone attack last month but missed.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theenvoy/20110603/ts_yblog_theenvoy/british-spies-swap-cupcake-recipes-into-al-qaeda-magazine

RULES FOR A HAPPY DAY...........

2011-05-25T00:36:00.000-07:00

1. TODAY I WILL NOT STRIKE BACK:
If someone is rude, if someone is impatient, if someone is unkind... I will not respond in a like manner.

2. TODAY I WILL ASK GOD TO BLESS MY "ENEMY:"
If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will quietly ask GOD to bless that individual. I understand the "enemy" could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker or stranger.

3. TODAY I WILL BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I SAY:
I will carefully choose and guard my words being certain that I do not spread gossip.

4. TODAY I WILL GO THE EXTRA MILE:
I will find ways to help share the burden of another person.

5. TODAY I WILL FORGIVE:
I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way.

6. TODAY I WILL DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE, BUT I WILL NOT DO IT SECRETLY:
I will reach out anonymously and bless the life of another.

7. TODAY I WILL TREAT OTHERS THE WAY I WISH TO BE TREATED:
I will practice the golden rule - "Do unto others as I would have them do unto me" - with everyone I encounter.

8. TODAY I WILL RAISE THE SPIRITS OF SOMEONE WHO IS DISCOURAGED:
My smile, my words, my expression of support, can make the difference to someone who is wrestling with life.

9. TODAY I WILL NURTURE MY BODY:
I will eat less; I will eat only healthy foods. I will thank GOD for my body.

10. TODAY I WILL GROW SPIRITUALLY:
I will spend a little more time in prayer today: I will begin reading something spiritual or inspirational today; I will find a quiet place (at some point during this day) and listen to GOD's voice!!!

"But since we belong to the day, let us be self controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and hope of salvation as a helmet."
1 Thessalonians 5:8

6 devices the US Navy SEALs used to corner bin Laden

2011-05-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

Curious about what kinds of gadgets the US Navy SEALS used to track and bring down the numero uno terror threat known as Osama bin Laden? Check out the gallery below and see the devices used against the terror kingpin that sure could do wonders for our country's own armed forces.

Flash Bang

Ah, FB (no, not Facebook), one of the most popular (and cheapest) items you could buy in the game Counter-Strike. Guess what? It does have its real-world uses, too, as it was used to help the Navy SEALS penetrate Osama's compound by blinding their enemies.

Helmet-mounted cameras

The commandos that raided bin Laden's compound used helmet-mounted cameras that were connected via Satellite and were useful for receiving and relaying tactical information to and from HQ. Think of it these as the eyes of those who aren't really physically part of the operation.

Stealth Drone

Ah, the Stealth Drone, specifically the Lockheed Martin RQ-170, one of them military toys that we really want to see in action. This one right here boasts a humongous 20m wingspan and can fly at 15,000 freakin' meters while sending important surveillance information to the troops who are in the safety of their bases.

Terain-Following Radar

This instrument helped pilots to maneuver across Pakistan's valleys especially while cruising in low-altitudes and low-light situations. Installed on the US' MH-60 helicopters (which we will go to next), the Terrain-Following Radar probably played an important role both in navigation and surveillance.

Stealth MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

They're lean, they're mean and they're definitely armed to the teeth. The MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters come with 3 types of guns with ammo, infra-red jammers, a host of other nifty military-grade devices and space for 11 soldiers. Needless to say, they're like choppers on steroids.

Short-barreled machine guns and assault rifles

Of course you couldn't kill Osama with choppers, radar and Flash Bangs, right? Well you can but it would be really messy. Here's where the short-barreled machine guns and assault rifles like the M4 Assault Rifle and MP7 Submachine Gun enter the picture. They're lightweight and compact enough to bring inside Osama's compound. And, yes, they're high-powered, too, as supported by the corpses found after the dust has settled inside the hideout.

Posted on: 05/07/11 by Neps Firmalan Tagged as terrorism, Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, US Navy Seals, army, armed forces, tactics, Taliban

10 Natural Wonders to See Before They Disappear By Sean O'Neill

2011-05-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

You've heard the grim timelines: if warming continues, the Great Barrier Reef will be bleached by 2030; glaciers in the Swiss Alps, on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and in Glacier National Park will disappear in under 40 years; and Arctic ice melt will leave the North Pole bare and polar bears extinct. The immediacy of these timelines prompts flocks of curious eco-tourists to travel to environmentally fragile areas. Tourism is both bane and boon: it can add strain to already distressed areas, but it can also provide income, which in turn can help preserve these wonders. In time for Earth Day, we spotlight 10 areas under threat—some lesser known than others—that can still be visited responsibly.

The Belize Barrier Reef

The Belize Barrier Reef is one of the most

diverse reef ecosystems in the world, home
to whale sharks, rays, and manatees as well
as sturgeon, conch and spiny lobsters.
Perhaps the most famous site from the reef
is this one, of the Great Blue Hole.

Photo: Courtesy Samuel Chow/ Wikimedia Commons

One of the most diverse reef ecosystems in the world is home to whale sharks, rays, and manatees, as well as sturgeon, conch and spiny lobsters.

The Threat: Like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Belize Barrier Reef leads a tenuous existence. A section of the nearly 700-mile-long Mesoamerican Reef that reaches from Mexico to Honduras, the Belize reef suffered a severe bleaching in 1998, with a loss of 50 percent of its coral in many areas, including much of its distinctive staghorn coral. Since the bleaching, its decline has continued, due to global warming of the world's seas, agricultural pollution, development, and increasing tourism, which has given rise to more coastal development and an invasion of cruise ship.

The Congo Basin

Roads cut by loggers and miners have also enabled poachers and bushmeat hunters to prey on endangered animals like bonobos (pictured), forest elephants, and okapis.

Photo: Courtesy © Frans Lanting/Corbis

Tropical rainforests like the Congo Basin produce 40 percent of the world's oxygen and serve as a vital source of food, medicine and minerals.

The Threat: At more than 1.3 million square miles, the Congo Basin has the world's second-largest rainforest, after the Amazon's. According to the UN up to two-thirds of the forest and its unique plants and wildlife could be lost by 2040 unless more effective measures are taken to protect it. Extending across six nations, ten million acres of forest is degraded each year due to mining, illegal logging, farming, ranching, and guerilla warfare. Roads cut by loggers and miners have also enabled poachers and bushmeat hunters to prey on endangered animals like mountain gorillas, forest elephants, bonobos, and okapis. As the forest shrinks, less carbon dioxide is absorbed, and rain decreases, adding to climate change.

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is the lowest spot on earth (1,312 feet below sea level), has 10 times more saline than seawater (so humans float like corks), and is believed to contain therapeutic minerals.

Photo: Courtesy LiorDrZ?/Getty

It's the lowest spot on earth (1,312 feet below sea level), has 10 times more saline than seawater (so humans float like corks), and is believed to contain therapeutic minerals.

The Threat: In the last four decades, the Dead Sea has shrunk by a third and sunk 80 feet—13 inches per year!—stranding formerly seaside resorts and restaurants nearly a mile from shore. The Jordan River is the lake's sole source, and as surrounding countries increasingly tap its waters, little reaches the Dead Sea, which could disappear within 50 years. Further pressure is put on the sea by the cosmetic companies and potash producers who drain it for minerals. One proposed solution is the controversial Red-Dead Canal, channeling water 112 miles from the Red Sea, but its environmental impact could be negative (some worry that it would increase seismic activity in the region).

The Everglades

At least 20 species in the Everglades are endangered including panthers, turtles, manatees, and great white egrets (shown here).

Photo: Courtesy Rasmus Bøgeskov Larsenøg/Flickr

This 2.5 million–acre wetland encompasses cypress swamps, mangroves, sawgrass and pine savannahs. It's the only place in the world where crocodiles and alligators share territory.

The Threat: A host of dangers are putting this fragile wetland at risk: pollution from farms, invasive species, and encroaching development, not to mention the fact that 60 percent of the region's water is being diverted to nearby cities and farms. As a result, The Everglades is now half the size it was in 1900. Worse, this is the sole habitat of the Florida panther, and there are less than 100 of the creatures left in the wild. These big cats may be completely lost within the next 40 years as their habitat disappears (they're not alone, either—at least 20 species in the Everglades are endangered, including turtles, manatees, and wading birds).

Madagascar

Erosion is also a concern in Madagascar. The Betsiboka River, above, is red thanks to the large quantity of sediment it carries to the sea.

Photo: Courtesy oledoe/Flickr

More than 80 percent of Madagascar's flora and fauna are found nowhere else on Earth, thanks to millions of years of isolation in the Indian Ocean off of Africa.

The Threat: If nothing is done to save the world's fourth-largest island, its forests will be gone in 35 years (once 120,000 square miles, they're now down to 20,000), and their unique inhabitants along with them. Forest ecosystems are being destroyed by logging, burning for subsistence farms, and poaching. The 20 species of lemurs for which Madagascar is renowned are in danger of disappearing. Though there are game reserves, they're not large (occupying only five percent of the island), nor are they contiguous, thus failing to provide corridors for the animals to travel through. Some of Madagascar's endemic species have never even been recorded, and will likely be lost before they can be studied.

The Maldives

Only 200 of the islands of the Maldives are inhabited, and none rise higher than eight feet above sea level. Few scientists hold out much hope for the country if global warming continues to melt the ice caps and raise sea levels. Shown here: Baa Atoll.

Photo: Courtesy Sakis Papadopoulos/Getty

The nation is rich in coral reefs and endangered fish—like the giant Napolean wrasse, leopard shark, and some 250 manta rays (most with wingspans of 10 feet).

The Threat: Few scientists hold out much hope for the Maldives—the world's lowest nation—if global warming continues to melt the ice caps and raise sea levels. Its 1,190 small islands and atolls (200 of which are inhabited) scattered across the Indian Ocean rise a mere eight feet above sea level. In 2008, the President of the Maldives announced the government would start buying land in other countries, including India, for future homes for citizens displaced by rising waters. In 2009, he held a cabinet meeting underwater to stress the islands' vulnerability.

The Poles

In the Arctic, the polar bear is also endangered by the steady loss of sea ice, which has decreased 3 percent per decade since the 1970s.

Photo: Courtesy Ansgar Walk/Wikimedia Commons

The natural phenomena here are unique and inspiring: towering icebergs, Aurora Borealis, and majestic animals (penguins, polar bears, whales).

The Threat: The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the world's largest non-profit ocean research group, has predicted that 80 percent of the emperor penguin population of Antarctica will be lost, and the rest in danger of extinction, if global warming continues. In the Arctic, the polar bear is also endangered by the steady loss of sea ice (which has decreased 3 percent per decade since the 1970s). As sea ice disappears at the poles, so do entire ecosystems: the phytoplankton that grows under ice sheets feeds zooplankton and small crustaceans like krill, which are on the food chain for fish, seals, whales, polar bears and penguins. Studies predict that with continued warming, within 20-40 years, no ice will form in Antarctica.

Rajasthan, Ranthambore

One of the best places in the world to see tigers.

The Threat: The world's population of wild tigers has fallen to as few as 3,200, more than half of which live in India. If extreme efforts are not undertaken, the big cat may be extinct within our lifetime—possibly in as soon as a dozen years. (Compare this number to the 100,000 tigers that lived in India in 1900 and you can see just how drastically things have changed in the past two centuries.) Their habitats have been reduced 93 percent, and though there are reserves across Asia, most are small and have no corridors between them for the normally far-roaming felines. It's estimated that a tiger a day is killed for use in Chinese traditional medicine.

The Tahuamanú Rainforest

Parrots and macaws feed off of the world's largest salt lick. They share this pristine wonderland with endangered creatures like giant armadillos, ocelots, jaguars, and giant otters.

The Threat: This magnificent rain forest in Peru's Madre de Dios region holds some of the last old-growth stands of mahogany in South America. But illegal logging is depleting the rainforest—and the U.S. is responsible for buying 80 percent of the mahogany. A single tree can create as much as $1 million worth of furniture. Loggers build roads, allowing farmers and hunters to enter, further crowding the indigenous people and destroying the delicate ecosystem. In nearby areas, gold mining has released mercury into the air and water.

The Yangtze River Basin

Exotic creatures like giant pandas, dwarf blue sheep, Yangtze finless porpoises, and Siberian cranes call this region home—along with some 400 million people.

The Threat: It's too early to know the exact impact of the creation of China's massive, $24 billion Three Gorges Dam, but many, including the Chinese government, have acknowledged that the Yangtze Basin region is in danger of losing its most distinctive marine and animal life. Deforestation has occurred from clearing land for displaced farmers, and the reservoir has flooded villages, farms, factories, and mines, adding to the Yangtze River's existing pollution from shipping, industry, agriculture and raw sewage. Landslides have also happened, and seismologists wonder if the water pressure above two fault lines might result in a disastrous earthquake.

Hand Sign: "I Love You"

2011-04-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

8 Amazing Stories of Dying Wishes Coming True...

2011-03-24T01:39:00.000-07:00

1. The teenager girl who wanted to go to her homecoming dance and died 3 days later

Brett Marie Christian, 15, had leukemia and the prognosis wasn't good. She was dying, but before she died, she wanted one last dance but she was too sick to go to the Homecoming Dance. So her classmates made her last wish come true and brought the dance to her. That's how Palmyra High's homecoming came early that year at the Monarch in Lincoln, where people go to die. She wore a pink dress and her hair in curls. She had a manicure and a pedicure. Her date bought her a corsage and a necklace, too. Brett and Treyton Carter danced the first dance in the commons room, with 50 or more of their classmates who were dressed for a party.

Miss Christian was crowned homecoming queen on a Saturday night and died three days later with her family all around. There were lots of things the high school sophomore knew she'd miss. Getting married, having kids, growing old .But she wanted one last dance.

2. The dying girl who wished to see Pixar's ‘Up'

Colby Curtin got her final wish. The 10-year-old girl desperately wanted to see the new Disney-Pixar movie, “Up.” But the cancer-stricken girl was too sick to go to a theater. So a family friend contacted someone at Pixar to see if they could help. The very next day, Pixar flew in an employee with a bag of “Up” memorabilia and a DVD version of the film. Together he and Colby's family all watched the movie. The movie features a large plume of balloons released to the sky. Colby died 7 hours later.

Note: Our reader Christopher wanted us to add that according to TV Tropes, the movie was not in theatres yet, and Pixar specially made a DVD for her, flew it out, and let her have her wish. On top of that, it is written that they didn't try publicizing it either.

3. The 100-year-old woman who got her degree a day before dying

It was Harriet Richardson Ames' dream to earn her bachelor's degree in education. She finally reached that milestone nearly three weeks after achieving another: her 100th birthday. The day after receiving her diploma at her bedside, the retired school teacher died, pleased that she had accomplished her goal. Ames had earned a two-year teaching certificate in 1931 at Keene Normal School, now Keene State College. At age 100, Harriet Richardson Ames fulfilled her dream of earning her bachelor's degree in education.

4. The dying boy who helped feeding the hungry

Brenden Foster (October 4, 1997 – November 21, 2008) was a boy from Bothell, Washington, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2005. KOMO, a local broadcasting station, reported the story of Brenden's last wish, which was to feed the homeless. He said he wanted to be an angel so he could help the homeless from Heaven. The story inspired many, and prompted attention from national media, even drawing international attention.

The Brenden Foster Food Drive was created by the broadcasting station in his honor. In Seattle, volunteers from the Emerald City Lights Bike Ride passed out over 200 sandwiches to the homeless. Inspired viewers took part in the "Stuff the Truck" food drive in Brenden's honor, filling seven trucks of groceries and $95,000 in cash to benefit the Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline. Brenden's story also reached KOMO's sister station in Portland, Oregon, KATU, which reported actions inspired by Brenden in Los Angeles, Ohio, and Pensacola, Florida. At the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles, for instance, over 2,500 meals have been served in Brenden's name. His advocacy for the homeless housed in tent cities continues to be remembered. A Vietnam War veteran from Kentucky who lost his leg in the war was so touched by the story, he gave Brenden his purple heart.

The Seattle Seahawks NFL franchise paid for Brenden's funeral; he was buried in Evergreen Washelli Cemetery in Seattle, Washington.

5. The woman who wanted to get married as her final wish

Maire Taomia was diagnosed with gastric cancer and, as a dying wish, asked her father to give his blessing for the marriage. The Ashburton woman and Marouna Tunui, 23, were married in a bittersweet ceremony before 300 friends and family at St. Christopher's Church in Avonhead.

When the doctor told Taomia there was nothing more they could do, she told her father: "I want to get married." The young couple, who have been together for more than two years, have a one-year-old son, Detroit. The pair has lived in a single-bed room in Christchurch Hospital since November 2010. Rongo said his daughter was energetic and beautiful during the ceremony held in January 2011, but her illness was not forgotten.

CanTeen, the Cancer Society of New Zealand and Christchurch's Millennium Hotel covered the costs of a wedding cake, a wedding dress, a limousine, a photographer and a hotel room for the couple's honeymoon.

6. The six-year-old girl who wanted to leave love letters to her parents

When 6-year-old Elena Desserich was diagnosed with brain cancer, she began hiding hundreds of little love notes around the house for her parents to find after she was gone. She was given 135 days to live. She lived 255 days, passing away in 2007. After her death, Elena's parents, Brooke and Keith, found hundreds of notes from Elena hidden around the house — in between CD cases, between bookshelves, in dresser drawers, in backpacks. "It just felt like a little hug from her, like she was telling us she was looking over us". Elena's parents, Brooke and Keith Desserich, later published these notes in a book called Notes Left Behind to fund a non-profit organization The Cure Starts Now dedicated to fighting pediatric brain cancer.

7. The 5-year-old who dreamed of singing to Simon Cowell before dying

Bethany Fenton, 5, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2009, was granted her biggest wish — to sing for Simon Cowell. Her dream came true at the Britain's Got Talent studios in London. Afterwards, she said: “Simon let me sing ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' to him. He's so nice and I love him.” Bethany passed away at a hospice the three days later. Cowell's spokesman Max Clifford said, “He is really upset, he said what a beautiful little girl she was. He is just so sad, and sad for the whole family. She was a very special little girl and Simon was so touched when she sang for him… his heart goes out to Bethany's mum and dad and he is thinking of them.” A spokesman for Bethany's family said, “Her dad said that she had done what she always wanted to do, meet Simon Cowell and sing to him. She had achieved her big ambition and was now ready to depart this earth.”

8.The dying wife who asked for her husband who beat her up to be free from jail

A Northern California man serving a sentence for assaulting his wife was released in 2011 because of the dying wish from the woman he admitted beating. 3 months prior to this, Jeremy Davis was sentenced to 12 months in the Monterey County Jail after pleading guilty to the charges. He was let go after his wife, Char Davis, asked a judge to release him. The reason for the request: she was diagnosed with terminal cancer Christmas Eve. After providing proof of her illness, a Monterey County judge sympathized with Davis and granted her request.

Char Davis walked away from the courthouse in tears, hand-in-hand with her husband's father, a retired nursing director who will help care for her. As part of the condition of his release, Davis will attend weekly domestic violence classes.

Top 10 Famous Old Churches in the Philippines

2011-03-06T17:44:00.000-08:00

Here are the list of most beautiful and historical churches in the Philippines. A truly Philippine pride.

Top 10 Famous Old Churches in the Philippines

1. Paoay Church

Paoay Church is included in the Unesco World Heritage list. The church was constructed in 1704 and was completed in 1894 by the Augustinian friars led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo. It is considered as the best-known “earthquake Baroque” church in the Philippines. Large coral stones were used for the lower level while bricks were used for the upper levels of the church. The walls are 1.67 meters thick and are supported by 24 carved and massive buttresses. It is a combination of Gothic, Baroque and Oriental architectural designs.

2. Barasoain Church

The Cradle of Democracy in the East

Barasoain Church (also known as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish) is a Roman Catholic church built in 1630 in Malolos City, Bulacan. Having earned the title as the Cradle of Democracy in the East, most important religious buildings in the Philippines, and the site of the First Philippine Republic, the Church is proverbial for its historical importance among Filipinos. Founded by Augustinian Missionaries in 1859, the church is also renowned for its architectural design and internal adornments. The original church was burned during the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution however, it was renovated. It is about 42 kilometers away from Manila.

3. San Agustin Church of Manila

San Agustín Church is a Roman Catholic church under the auspices of The Order of St. Augustine, located inside the historic walled city of Intramuros in Manila. Completed by 1607, it is the oldest church currently standing in the Philippines. No other surviving building in the Philippines has been claimed to pre-date San Agustin Church.

In 1993, San Agustin Church was one of four Philippine churches constructed during during the Spanish colonial period designated by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, under the classification "Baroque Churches of the Philippines". It had been named a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1976.

4. San Sebastian Church of Manila

The Basilica Minore de San Sebastian, better known as San Sebastian Church, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Manila, the Philippines. It is the seat of the Parish of San Sebastian and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

San Sebastian Church was completed in 1891, it is noted for its architectural features. An example of the revival of Gothic architecture in the Philippines, it has been recognized by the UNESCO as the only all-steel church or basilica in Asia. It has also been implausibly reputed to be the first prefabricated building in the world, and more plausibly claimed as the only prefabricated steel church in the world. In 2006, San Sebastian Church was included in the Tentative List for possible designation as a World Heritage Site. It was designated as a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1973.

The Church is under the care of The Order of the Augustinian Recollects, who also operate a college adjacent to the basilica. It is located at Plaza del Carmen, at the eastern end of Claro M. Recto Street, in Quiapo, Manila

5. Dauis Church of Bohol

Another beautiful church in Bohol is the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Dauis, on the Island of Panglao. It is located not far from the bridge that connects Panglao with Bohol. The church was founded by the Jesuits Fr. Diego de Ayala and Joseph Gregorio. The church is build in a mixture of styles, influenced by both Byzantine and Romanesque architecture. Inside, on the ceiling, are some impressive frescoes painted Ray Francia in 1916. Lito Arraya renovated the building in 1970.

The church's patron saint, the Virgin of the Assumption, is said to possess miraculous powers. An old legend relates that once, when the town was invaded by pirates, the people of Dauis locked themselves into the church. However, they soon ran out of provisions and water. Then a miracle occurred: a well appeared at the foot of the altar. This same well is still the main source of water for the people living close to the church, and, although the well is only a few meters from the sea, the water is absolutely fresh. The water is said to have healing powers, so, if you're visiting here, don't forget to bring a bottle and take some home.

6. Quiapo Church

Quiapo is a district of Manila, Philippines, also referred to as the "old downtown." It is known for its cheap prices on items ranging from electronics, bicycles to native handicrafts.

Quiapo is also famous for the Black Nazarene. Thousands of people parade through the streets to touch the statue where it is supposed to produce miraculous effects. A number of faithful usually collapse in a faint during the ritual, and some have even died. The Feast Day of the Black Nazarene (also known as Quiapo Day) is celebrated every January 9th.

Plaza Miranda in the heart of Quiapo District, is named after Jose Sandino y Miranda, who served as secretary of the treasury of the Philippines for 10 years beginning in 1853.[2] It is a square or a public plaza in front of the St. John the Baptist Church or Quiapo Church as it is widely known. It is also a popular site of political rallies. On August 21, 1971, while the Liberal Party held their Miting de Avance in the plaza, a bomb exploded, killing 9 and injuring almost 100 civilians.

7. San Jose Church in Ivana Basco Batanes

San Jose Church

(Ivana). Built in 1814 although its foundation dates back to 1795. Of all the old churches in Batanes, it is the only one that was not built in the espadaña style. It has a crenellated fortress-like campanile or belltower that gives the appearance of a fortification. Fronts the Ivana Seaport and offers a commanding view of the sea and surrounding countryside due to its elevation. Located 14 kilometers from Basco

8. Baguio Cathedral

Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral, better known as Baguio Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral located at Cathedral Loop, adjacent to Session Road in Baguio City in the Philippines. It is distinct for its rose-colored exterior and is one of the most photographed buildings in Baguio City. It served as an evacuation center during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II.

9. Basilica de Sto. Niño in Cebu

The Basilica of Santo Niño, also called Basilica del Santo Niño, Basílica Minore del Santo Niño and formerly known as the San Agustin Church prior to its elevation as a Basilica Minore, is a 16th century church in the heart of Cebu City, Philippines. It is purportedly built on the exact spot where the image of the Santo Niño, a sculpture depicting Jesus as a black Holy Child, was found by Spanish conquistadors in 1565 preserved in a burned wooden box which was left behind during the 1521 Magellan expedition.

10. Our Lady of Manaog Shrine in Pangasinan

Manaoag, Pangasinan is one of the Philippines’ pilgrimage centers, thanks to the presence of the Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine, home to the image of the Nuestra Señora del Rosario (i.e., Our Lady of the Rosary), which is believed to have miraculous powers. Non-Catholics may scoff at such idolatrous devotion, but that has not deterred millions of Filipino Catholics from visiting the shrine and venerating this representation of Virgin Mary.

Top 10 Philippine Hidden Destinations

2011-03-03T05:38:00.000-08:00

1. Romblon

The province of Romblon is made up of twenty beautiful islands which have been likened to the Mediterranean islands. The island of Romblon is the Philippines’ main source of marble, thus earning the moniker “Marble Country”. However, there’s more to Romblon than marble. Mt. Guiting-guiting on Sibuyan Island with a height of 2,058 meters is considered a challenge to mountain climbers, for example. Romblon also has crystal-clear rivers and waterfalls, and beautiful, as yet unspoiled beaches.

2. Davao Oriental

In January 2000, the earliest sunrise of the new millennium in the Philippines was at the easternmost tip of the country: Pusan Point, Davao Oriental, the “Sunrise Capital of the Philippines”. Davao Oriental has more than just sunrises to offer, however. It boasts, among others, the “bonsai forest” at Mt. Hamiguitan, “Tinagong Dagat” (Hidden Sea), plesiosaur-shaped “Dinosaur Island”, Cape San Agustin where legend has it St. Francis Xavier celebrated his first mass, and beautiful waterfalls and beaches. Davao Oriental is also home to the Mandaya ethnic group.

3.Siquijor

The island of Siquijor, also called “Isla del Fuego” or the “Isle of Fire”, is known to many as a place of magic, mysticism and enchantments. It is frequently associated with phenomena beyond the explanations of science. For some, traveling to this island is not for the faint of heart or weak of spirit, yet for those who do go to this island, it is a beautiful place of natural white sand beaches, coral reefs, caves and forests, simply worth discovering. After admiring the natural sceneries and venturing into the caves, visitors might also attend the healing festivals or watch locals perform feats that boggle the mind.

4. Antique

Antiqueños pride themselves on living in one of the oldest pre-Hispanic settlements in the Philippines. According to legend, Antique, or Hamtik, as it was then called, was the realm of Datu Sumakwel, and was the first large Malay settlement in the country. Although now often passed over in favor of nearby Boracay, Antique has many scenic beauties to offer those seeking adventures with nature. It has lovely waterfalls, lakes, and rivers, including the Tibiao River, ideal for white water kayaking. The province’s highest peak is the legendary Mt. Madia-as, sacred mountain and home of ancient gods, home to rare flora and fauna. Antique is also the home of the famous “Bugasong patadyong”. Lately, the river of Sibalom, Antique has been discovered to be rich with semi-precious stones.

5. Catanduanes

The island of Catanduanes in the Bicol Region is in the Pacific Ocean, and is still virtually untouched by tourists, making it a great vacation getaway for those who want to relax for a while from the rat race. Puraran Beach in the town of Baras on this island is the site of the so-called “Majestic” waves prized by surfers. The island also has as-yet-unspoiled white beaches all along its coastline, as well as diving spots for snorkelers and scuba enthusiasts, and cascading waterfalls farther inland.

6. Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

Scenic Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, dubbed the “Summer Capital of the South”, is a protected landscape and the ancestral home of the T'boli people. Located in the Daguma Mountains of SOCCSKSARGEN, it boasts three beautiful mountain lakes (Sebu, Seloton and Lahit) and seven waterfalls, as well as the rich culture of the T'bolis, now internationally known for their t'nalak cloth. The scenery and light in this place make it a photographer's paradise, and the mountains offer adventures for intrepid trekkers.

7. Glan, Sarangani

Beautiful Glan, Sarangani, is the site of Philippine Government Colony No. 9, the first settlement by pioneers from Luzon and the Visayas in 1914 in SOCCSKSARGEN. It is a place where mountain sceneries meet white beaches and clear, sparkling waters.

8. Baler, Aurora

Baler, Aurora, the birthplace of first Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon, is a place caught between the mountains and the sea: the Pacific Ocean on the east, and the Sierra Madre Mountains on the west. Remote and isolated from the metropolis, its beauties remain unspoiled, waiting to be discovered. Sabang Beach waves are good for surfing, while nearby islets are great for snorkeling. History enthusiasts may be interested in Quezoniana such as the ruins of the Quezon house.Talk on the web is that in keeping with traditional Filipino hospitality, locals are willing to accommodate visitors for lodgings.

9. Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales

Hidden away in the province of Zambales, not far from Subic, is the lovely fishing village of Pundaquit, San Antonio. For those in the know, the beach of Pundaquit is a great haven for beach bums and surfers. This tranquil place was the setting for some of the scenes in the Judy Ann Santos teleserye “Esperanza”, and Punta de Uian Resort served as backdrop of the Villa Santibañez resort in the teleserye “Mari Mar”.

10. Caramoan Peninsula, Camarines Sur

The serene Caramoan Peninsula is a hidden paradise in Camarines Sur, great for swimming, island hopping and nature-tripping. Aside from white beaches, waterfalls and islands, Caramoan also has caves for intrepid explorers and cliffs for rock climbers, as well as the wildlife sanctuary at Caramoan National Park for bird-watchers.

Top 10 Cute, But Deadly Animals

2011-03-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

There is reason animals are called animals, and that is because they are wild. They are hard wired for survival, and if the heavens made them one of the most adorable, docile looking creatures on earth, that has absolutely nothing to do with this drive. Most animals will do whatever is necessary to remain free, procreate, protect their young, keep their territory, and eat a belly full of something scrumptious. Let’s look at a few of the least commonly recognized deadly animals on the planet, which also just happen to be among the most cute, beautiful, and graceful.

10. Stingray

The poolside to pet the stingrays at the aquarium is always crowded. There is just something about the gentle nature of these seemingly docile creatures that makes them much more adorable than your typical sea creature. When Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin died a few years back as a result of a stingray wound to the chest, the crowds grew a little sparse around the stingray pool. Today, their popularity remains intact, but that does not take away from the fact that a stingray can be very dangerous. One misplaced step within the sand can send its barbed stinger in a fury of reflexive, venomous slashing, which if hooked into a leg, arm, abdomen, or chest, will release toxins promoting swelling and excruciating pain. The toxin localizes at the sting point, but can travel through the rest of the body causing various other problems. While these stings are not often fatal, they can be.

9. Swan

Swans are such beautiful and graceful creatures. They are not only relatively gentle creatures in nature, but they are also terrific parents and would protect their young to the bitter end. And here lies the problem. Many birds have an instinct to protect their young when approached by a predator, but they will eventually give up if the predator is too strong or dangerous to deter. The swan however, does not give up. They will keep going until either they are dead, or the pursuant is, whichever comes first. These creatures, which can grow up to 30 pounds in weight, are very aggressive when provoked, and will bite and hit you without hesitation. The real danger however stands for those who are unable to swim, as swans have been known to fly over a perceived enemy, pushing them under the water until they drown. Image from WildAnimalsOnline.com.

8. Siberian Chipmunks

Now here is a cute and cuddly creature. The chipmunk stands about six inches from nose to tail, and has been known to burst suddenly into a harmonious melody if they hear the tickled ivories of a well tuned piano (Alvin and the Chipmunks reference). While the most aggression you will probably see from these creatures, is trying to take your sandwich during a picnic, they can be considered dangerous in other ways. I’m talking about the possibility of harboring disease. Siberian Chipmunks have been reported as spreading throughout many areas of the world, bringing with them, ticks (Lyme disease) and rabies. While both are treatable, if the disease is undetected and left untreated, heart and neurological problems can ensue, followed by coma and death in really extreme cases.

7. Elephant

The elephant is truly a wondrous creature. They are peaceful, kind, loving, and have even been documented to tear whenever a mate or child dies. With this said, no animal or creature is perfect, and there are times when an elephant can be extremely dangerous. The biggest problem lies in their pure size and strength. Every animal can get a little grumpy, such as when a chihuahua bites an ankle for stepping too close to its bone, or a cat claws a hand for scratching its belly. If an elephant gets grumpy however, one sweep of its foot, or joust of its tusk, and it’s all over for whoever happens to be in its way. A number of zoo trainers have died at the hands of a seemingly “friendly” elephant. They do not often take too well in captivity, and it has been said that the increased levels of testosterone in males during mating season, can lead to overly aggressive and uncontrolled attacks for seemingly no reason.

6. Hippopotamus

The lovable hippo is a well known animal character for countless of children’s movies, stories, and cartoons. The secret lies in their cute little ears, cute round buttocks, beady little eyes, and what appears to be a rather gentle distemper. If you thought that a Chihuahua was territorial over its bones, however, you haven’t seen how testy a hippo can get over its mud pond. Hippos kill people every year who approach their territory, either knowing or unknowing. Despite weighing in at 8,000 pounds, they can chase a person down at speeds of up to 20 mph. With a jaw structure that enables them to clamp down at 6,000 pounds of pressure, and canine teeth as large as 10 inches, they are not exactly an animal you want to irritate. Hippos are herbivores, so they don’t exactly eat people, but they will not hesitate to chomp one in two, if provoked.

5. Bottlenose Dolphin

Dolphins have been compared to humans on a number of fronts. They are intelligent, communicate with each other, have the ability to learn, do tricks, play jokes, and can almost use their fins as hands. What’s not to love? Dolphins however, are also known for their insatiable sexual yearning, and deep respect from others within the ocean. Deep respect? Yes, it has been shown on countless occasions (including the show, Myth Busters) that even the great white shark is more than just a little intimidated by a dolphin. Why? they must know something that we don’t. Dolphins can be violent. Not only have they been known to kill and maim their own young, they also kill porpoises and play with their dead carcass for no apparent reason other than its fun. Male dolphins particularly show aggression towards human males when there’s a female involved. Why? Sexual competition.

4. Chimpanzee

The chimpanzee has long been thought of as somewhat of an ancestor to man. They are the only mammals on the earth, with such obvious similarities as hands (with opposable thumbs), brain function, and facial expressions. With all these similarities, however, it shouldn’t be too surprising that they also have the similar traits towards violence. Chimpanzees have been documented as having bloody feuds with each other, resulting over territorial or other differences. Countless “trained” chimpanzee pets have also been known to turn on their owner or friends, causing severe damage, such as mangled hands (torn off in some cases), shredded faces, broken bones, etc. One important difference between a chimpanzee and human, is their skeletal muscle structure. The chimp has as much as 5-times the strength of a human, leaving little hope of defending ourselves should one decide to attack. Image from EarthShots.org.

3. Duck-Billed Platypus

The platypus is truly one of the strangest mammals on the face of the earth, with its thick fuzzy body, flat beaver-like tail, otter-like feet, duck-like bill, and cute beady little eyes that say, I could never hurt anyone. There are two very unique attributes of the platypus, the first, being its duckbill. Besides having the most obvious use of scooping food, it has built-in electro-receptivity, similar to that of the Hammerhead shark, allowing it to find food buried within the silt. The other unique attribute, is a pair 15 mm long hollow spurs placed along the inside of their rear legs. Inside these spurs resides a moderate toxin, which can be quickly delivered to an enemy (or their own kind) with a fleeing kick. The venom is deadly for small animals, and while not typically fatal for humans, causes excruciating pain that can last for weeks, if not months.

2. Polar Bear

The beautiful polar bear has appeared in everything from cartoons, movies and television ads, playing soft, fuzzy, gentle creatures, who are as noble in their allegiance with the human race, as they are adamant in their preference to the taste of Coca-Cola beverages. While a Polar bear sleeping on an ice berg with its paws clutched around it like a toddler holding their teddy bear is truly cute, that same creature slapping the head clean off an unwary arctic explorer, is a whole other rush of fear inducing adrenaline. The polar bear is the largest carnivore in North America, weighing up to 1500 pounds, and standing up to 10 feet on its hind legs. Somewhere between 20 to 90 people are attacked each year by the polar bear. With no natural enemy, a male polar bear has been said to have the strength to rip a 12-inch thick seal clean out of a 4-inch hole, as if it were peeling a banana for breakfast.

1. Slow Loris

The Slow Loris is one of the absolute most cute, sweet, and shy mammals on earth. With its narrow set, bulbous eyes, they are the kind of animal that people dream of taking home and cuddling it like a teddy bear. However, besides being one of the cutest mammals, it is also the most poisonous and venomous. By poisonous, the Slow Loris produces a toxin on the inside of its elbows through a gland, which if eaten, would give you quite an extreme case of stomach pain. They smear this excretion on their young, to help keep them from being eaten in the wild. They are also considered venomous because if provoked, they can suck this same poison from their elbows into their mouths, injecting it into an enemy via a bite. If the presumed predator shows an allergic reaction to the toxin, they could be dead within hours if not properly treated.