That's F'd Up

I just can't help but want to kick someone in the balls when I hear stories about people getting kidnapped because it's just like "What the hell?" can't you just get a damn job or something?

I mean who in their right mind does things like this except some lazy S.O.B who really doesn't care about anyone except themselves:

Four armed men barged Sunday night into the house of Filipino-American Ver Loyola in the resort city of Tagaytay, south of Manila, tied up his wife and maid, and then drove away with Loyola and his 19-year-old daughter, Cristina, a regional police report said.

The assailants also took two cell phones, assorted jewelry worth $1,570 and $1,900 in cash, the report said.

Three hours later, the kidnappers abandoned Loyola and the car in a nearby town but demanded a ransom for the daughter, a police official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details with the media.

He said the kidnappers were demanding $67,400 for her release.

And I have to ask the question - what's up with the $67,400? Did they think to themselves that they better not round up to $68,000 because it might seem like too much or something?

I just hope these dumbasses get caught and popped into a nice dark jail cell and that everyone ends up being safe.

Crossing my fingers.

Manny Pacquiao: Greatest Asian Boxer

Caught this via my Gmail alerts and it seems everyone is talking about it. Even though I didn't see it myself it's definitely pretty cool. From the Phillipine News where Reuel Vidal gives a blow by blow analysis:

Manny Pacquiao dominated from the first round, beat up his foe for eight rounds before finally knocking out David Diaz in the ninth round to grab the World Boxing Council world lightweight title. Pacquiao won his fourth world title in a fourth weight category to become today’s greatest pound-for-pound boxer. In my book, he earned the honor of greatest Asian boxer of all time. Going up in weight gave Pacquiao five more pounds of power while keeping his blinding hand and foot speed.

Greatest Asian boxer? It has a nice ring to it.

More Rice News

I know - I'm Asian American and I'm making another post on rice - but really, I can't help it - I do eat rice and I am concerned about the food crisis that is happening regardless of one of my previous posts (but I still believe it):

Poor Filipinos who are reeling from high food prices unseen since the 1970s will get some relief this week, when the Philippine government starts to distribute "rice passes" to the most impoverished families across the country, officials said Sunday.

The government has also set in motion an unprecedented relief program that would entail the distribution of cash subsidies amounting to about 1,400 pesos, or $33, a month to the poorest Filipino families.

Can't a brother just get a cup or two?

Megazar Obra

It can be easy sometimes to forget about all of the people across the world - especially in Asia - who've helped maintain the peace - and who need to be recognized:

A Filipino Army soldier based in South Korea was recently awarded the Six Star Salute medal by the United Service Organizations, Korea (USO Korea), a group of American and Korean businessmen, for his exemplary service with the United Nations Command (UNC) there.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, quoting a report from the Philippine embassy in Seoul, identified the honoree as Technical Sergeant Megazar Obra, a member of the Philippine Honor Guard at Yongsan Base in South Korea.

Also awarded were other enlisted men from the US, South Korea and Thailand.

Read more down at Global Nation.

Do you know your Filipino Korean War History?

This is a good read at the Philippine Daily Inquirer - 500-peso note may tribute Filipino heroes in Korean War, by Art Villasanta:

When the 500-peso bank note was first issued in 1987, my late father, Johnny Villasanta, noted with pride that here at last was a tribute to the Filipino soldier who fought in the Korean War (1950-53), and who helped rebuild and protect Korea between 1954 and 1955.

Go to the Philippine Daily Inquirer for the full article.