Philippines

Son of a bitch (var. sonovabitch): Something that is very difficult or unpleasant. Used to express surprise, disappointment, anger, etc. (based on Merriam-Webster)
Rodrigo Duterte, elected president of the Philippines last May, was supposed to meet with President Obama in Laos on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting Monday. He had referred to Obama as a putang ina (“son of a bitch”) in a news conference, and earlier to U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg with what was reported as a homophobic slur.

I've been saying for some time now that to grasp what a Trumpanzee presidency would be like it's important to just go beyond Mussolini, Hitler and even Putin. I've suggested looking at how quickly Turkish autocrat Recep Tayyip Erdoğan moved to consolidate power in the aftermath of a half-assed coup attempt-- seizing control of the media, the judiciary, the army and any other institution that could be the source of dissent.

Evil old ladies, broken chessboards and technical shutdowns + this day in history w/the Munich massacre and our song of the day by Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam on your Morning Monarchy for September 6, 2016.

September 6, 2016 (The New Atlas) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was prompted to remind the United States that the Philippines is a sovereign nation after the US announced its intentions to lecture him regarding his handling of crime in an upcoming meeting that has since been cancelled by the US. CNN's artic

The Philippines needs a stable Asia to prosper, not regional militarization, and certainly not a confrontation with China. August 27, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - A recent "international tribunal" ruling regarding China's claims in the South China Sea was more than just anticlimactic - it was indicative of the United States' waning influence as well as the waning legitimacy of the many international institutions it has used, abused, and thus undermined for decades.

Nazi rock, robot block and war mock + this day in history w/'The Scream' stolen and our song of the day by Weyes Blood on your Morning Monarchy for August 22, 2016.

There are over 3 and a half million Flipino-Americans (Pinoy) living in the country, some of whom are descended from immigrants who started coming in significant numbers in the 1700s. Filipinos are the second largest Asian-American group, after Chinese-Americans.

21st Century Wire says…
Once again, social media continues to drive the new ‘global security’ agenda.
The alleged target in this case is the renowned Miss Universe pageant which is being held early next year in Manila.

Press TV – July 25, 2016 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a unilateral ceasefire with Maoist rebels, saying he wants to end decades of hostilities with the communist guerrillas. “Let us end these decades of ambuscades and skirmishes. We are going nowhere and it is getting bloodier by the day,” said Duterte on Monday, […]