Stannis Baratheon's Armor Was Inspired By Armor Worn By The Moro People Of The Philippines

If you are a Filipino and you are a huge fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones, then you are going to love this interesting bit of information about Stannis Baratheon's armor. We have reasons to believe that the Lord of Dragonstone's armor was inspired by armor that used to be worn by the Moro people in the Philippines. If you look closely into the details and patterns of Baratheon's armor and compare it with a Moro armor, it's not that hard to see the uncanny similarities.

These similarities were first observed by Matt Easton, a martial arts teacher and arms and armor researcher from London, England. Easton also runs Schola Gladiatoria, a historical European martial arts group. Easton has a YouTube channel where he uploads videos wherein he talks about historical martial arts, military history, antique arms and armor, basically anything that has something to do with combat.

In one of his videos, Easton discussed Baratheon's armor and made the assertion that it was directly inspired by the design of armors worn by the Moro people in Southern Mindanao. And if you are to compare the two armors, Easton may be up to something. The armors do look alike. The patterns are too similar to each other to be brushed away as a mere coincidence.

There's only one way to confirm that Baratheon's armor was indeed inspired by Moro armor. And that is to get hold of Game of Thrones's costume design team and ask them where they got the inspiration for Baratheon's armor. Sadly, we don't have that power. But based on Easton's observations and the photos below, it's very likely that Baratheon is indeed dressed in Moro-inspired armor.

Senator Bongbong Marcos Shoots Himself In The Foot With A Tweet About His All-Knowing Father

After the tragic encounter in Maguindanao that led to the untimely passing of 44 Special Action Force cops and a still undisclosed number of Moro rebels, Senator Bongbong Marcos was quick to point out that the incident is going to have a big effect on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). A day after the Mamasapano encounter, Marcos suspended the hearings on the BBL under his committee.

Marcos was right in saying that the encounter is going to have an impact on the proposed law. It's safe to say that all Filipinos share the same sentiment. Both sides lost a tremendous amount of lives. Whether you are for dismissing the BBL and going in with an all out war against the insurgents or for the continuance of the proposed deal, the Mamasapano encounter had an effect on where you stand.

Senator Marcos has been among those in the Senate who have been very vocal about what has transpired in Maguindanao. This generally is a good thing. The man is tackling the issue head-on and is making friends and enemies along the way. In his social media accounts - Facebook and Twitter - almost all of his posts and updates since the incident in Mamasapano are about the clash, the fallen cops, justice for the fallen, and the BBL.

In his posts, he was often rational and reasonable. Then he wrote this ill-thought out tweet. Posted on February 5, the tweet read, "I remember as President, my father was knowledgeable about every military operation. The President would know about an operation this big."

Netizens rightfully jumped in and reminded the Senator about all the atrocities committed by the Philippine military and police during his father's tenure especially the ones perpetrated during Martial Law times.

If we are to take Bongbong's words as truth, then he is in a way confirming all the bad stuff that the military and police had reportedly perpetrated during his father's reign. The enforced disappearances. The extrajudicial killings. The Jabidah massacre. The last one, in particular, is believed by many to be the catalyst for the emergence of the insurgency in Mindanao. If you are not familiar with the Jabidah incident, it basically was about the killing of dozens of Muslim men by the military in 1968 during which Marcos was the President.

If Ferdinand Marcos knew every military operation during his presidency, then he knew about the military operation in Corregidor island which killed many innocent Muslim men. This massacre triggered the formation of the Moro National Liberation Front then the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The rest is history - a history of violence in Mindanao for over thirty years.

A Very Rare White Albino Crow Caught And Filmed In Mindanao, Philippines

There's a very popular idiomatic expression among Filipinos that goes "Kapag pumuti na ang uwak (When crows turn white)." It's an expression to assert the impossibility of something ever occuring. It's very similar to the English idiom, "When pigs fly."Well, this Filipino idiom runs the risk of losing its relevance after the establishment of the fact that white albino crows do exist.

A man from the southern province of Lanao del Norte in the Philippines has in fact filmed one. Freddie C. Puerto captured a thirty-second footage of a rare white albino crow in barangay Maranding in 2012. However, it was only last year (2013) that he uploaded the video on his Facebook page. The clip has since captured a lot of attention. As of this writing, the video has generated over 20,000 shares.

White crows are indeed very rare but they've been recorded and documented almost in every country where they are part of the local bird population. Their white colors are due to a congenital disorder called albinism. This is caused by problems with pigment production. The disorder has also been documented in other birds like the kookaburra.

White albino crows are also often distinct from each other. A full albino bird would have pink beaks, pink feet, and either pink or red eyes. In other instances, the bird may have white feathers but may still retain the black coloring on its beak, eyes and face.

So the next time somebody uses the idiom, "Kapag pumuti na ang uwak" on you, you should show him or her this video of an albino crow.

Watch a Vendor in Davao Peel and Clean a Pineapple in Under a Minute

Let's face it, peeling and cleaning a pineapple is a rather difficult endeavor. First off, there's the rough and prickly skin to contend with. And then there are the dozens of eyes which we amateurs have to cut off one by one. Give or take, peeling a single pineapple head can take several minutes. On bad days, it can even take up to an hour.

But wait, there's a much easier and quicker way to do it. All you need is a super-sharp knife and the experience of a pineapple vendor in Davao City. Getting the former is easy but the latter, well, your only option for now is to watch and learn the following video. Taken at the Bankerohan Public Market in Poblacion District, Davao City, it shows a vendor peeling and cleaning a pineapple in just under a minute. What's impressive is the skin remains intact, the pesky eyes are all gone, and the sweet flesh made it to a plastic bag without being touched by the vendor. Apparently, this pineapple peeling kungfu is all too common in Mindanao.

The only thing that's wrong with the video is that the man removed and threw away the pineapple's core which is one of the most nutritious parts of the pineapple. The core's flesh is much tougher but it's definitely edible. You can chop it up in small pieces before eating it or you can put it in a blender then add it to juice or shake.