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Philippines

Ferdinand Magellan set out from Spain in 1519 on the first voyage to circumnavigate the globe with five ships and a complement of 264 crew. Three years later in 1522, only the one ship, the Victoria, returned to Spain with 18 men.

The Philippines were the death of Magellan. The expedition sighted the island of Samar on March 16, 1521. Magellan was welcomed by two Rajas, Kolambu and Siagu. He named the islands the Archipelago of San Lazaro, erected a cross and claimed the lands for Spain. The friendly Rajas took Magellan to Cebu to meet Raja Humabon. Humabon and 800 Cebuanos were baptized as Christians. Magellan agreed to help Raja Humabon put down Lapu-Lapu, a rebellious datu on the nearby island of Mactan. In a battle between Spanish soldiers and Lapu-Lapu's warriors, Magellan was killed on April 27, 1521.

Disputes over women caused relations between Raja Humabon and the remaining Spaniards to deteriorate. The Cebuanos killed 27 Spaniards in a skirmish and the Spaniards, deciding to resume their explorations, departed Cebu.

For all its losses, the voyage was a huge financial success. The Victoria's 26 ton cargo of cloves sold for 41,000 ducats. This returned the 20,000 ducats the venture had cost plus a 105 percent profit. Four more expeditions followed between 1525 and 1542. The commander of the fourth expedition, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, named the islands after Philip, heir to the Spanish throne (r. Philip II 1556-1598).

The Philippines was not formally organized as a Spanish colony until 1565 when Philip II appointed Miguel Lopez de Legazpi the first Governor-General. Legazpi selected Manila for the capital of the colony in 1571 because of its fine natural harbour and the rich lands surrounding the city that could supply it with produce.

The Spanish did not develop the trade potential of the Philippine's agricultural or mineral resources. The colony was administered from Mexico and its commerce centered on the galleon trade between Canton and Acapulco in which Manila functioned secondarily as an entrepot. Smaller Chinese junks brought silk and porcelain from Canton to Manila where the cargoes were re-loaded on galleons bound for Acapulco and the Spanish colonies in the Americas. The Chinese goods were paid for in Mexican silver.

Spanish rule had two lasting effects on Philippine society; the near universal conversion of the population to Roman Catholicism and the creation of a landed elite. Although under the direct order of Philip II that the conversion of the Philippines to Christianity was not to be accomplished by force, the monastic orders of the Augustinians, Dominicans, Franciscans, Recollects and Jesuits set to their missionary duties with purpose. Unable to extirpate the indigenous pagan beliefs by coercion and fear, Philippine Catholicism incorporates a deep substrate of native customs and ritual.

While the missionaries spread through the colony to found their parishes and estates in the barangays, the officials of the civil administration preferred to stay in Manila and govern indirectly through the traditional barangay datu or village chief. Although the traditional kinship organization of the barangay had maintained the communal use of land, the Spanish governors brought with them their feudal notions of land tenure with "encomienderos" and subordinate vassals. The traditional village chiefs became a class of landed nobility wielding considerable local authority. The creation of a priviledged landed-holding elite on whom most of the rural population was dependent as landless tenants introduced a class division in Philippine society that has been the perennial source of social discontent and political strife ever since.

In most villages, the priest and the local "principale" or "notable" represented between them Spanish authority. The "friarocracy" of the religious orders and the oligarchy of the landholders were the twin pillars of colonial society whose main interests were in keeping their positions of authority and priviledge.

The Spanish hold on the Philippines first began to weaken in 1762 when the British briefly captured Manila during the Seven Years' War. In support of the British invasion, the long persecuted Chinese merchant community rose in revolt against the Spanish authority. The Treaty of Paris returned Manila to Spain at the end of the War but with increasing diversion of the China trade to Britain and, even more importantly, with an irretrievable loss of prestige and respect in the eyes of its Filipino subjects.

Spain had governed the colony for two hundred years in almost complete isolation from the outside world. The royal monopolies prohibited foreign ships from trading in the Philippines. After the Seven Years' War, in collusion with local merchants and officials, foreign ships and merchants could ever more easily circumvent the monopolies and enter the Philippine trade.

The colonial government had always operated at a financial loss that was sustained by subsidies from the galleon trade with Mexico. Increased competition with foreign traders finally brought the galleon trade with Acapulco to an end in 1815. After its recognition of Mexican independence in 1821, Spain was forced to govern the colony directly from Madrid and to find new sources of revenue to pay for the colonial administration.
The hostilities in the Philippine War of Independence began on February 4, 1899 and continued for two years. The United States needed 126,000 soldiers to subdue the Philippines. The war took the lives of 4,234 Americans and 16,000 Filipinos. As usually happens in guerrilla campaigns, the civilian population suffers the worst. As many as 200,000 civilians may have died from famine and disease.
by jessica simpson March 5, 2005
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uptown philly

Is the northwest section of Philadelphia west oak lane east oak lane east germantown mt airy. East mt airy mostly hood home for philly rappers cassidy and quilly millz
I run my city from south philly back to uptown philly
by osama Santana February 18, 2014
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philly

"Philly has some of the meanest graff on the planet."
by Eric Fischman January 15, 2003
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Philly fakeout

Maneuver by which a man who is performing doggystyle vaginal or anal intercourse pulls out at the brink of ejaculation and spits on the recipient's back, implying ejaculation. Subsequently, when the recipient turns to face the man, said man ejaculates on their face and/or other unexpected locales.
I did that bitch doggystyle, and then surprised her with a Philly fakeout!
by Brown Sugar March 18, 2003
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Philosophuck

noun.

Someone who prides themselves as being an expert in philosophy. They often look down on those who don't know much about philosophy and they often make it a point to "subtly" let everyone know how "smart" and "deep" they are.

Philosophucks tend to be complete douche-bags.
Philosophuck 1: Wow, did you read "Twilight of the Idols" by Nietzche? I must say, he's really my cup of tea. cha cha cha cha

Philosophuck 2: Yes indeed, however, "Leviathan" by Thomas Hobbes really tickles my fancy!
by TexasDem May 10, 2008
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philopon

The original brand-name for methamphetamine, crank, speed, tina, or shabu in Japan, where it was invented, and other East Asian countries (Korea and China come to mind).

Methamphetamine is a drug that causes extreme rises in wakefulness (the need for sleep disappears) and well-being (the best antidepressant, aside from morphine of course). It also causes a decrease in appetite. Unfortunately, methamphetamine made in a drug lab is not of good quality, containing various leftovers from production. For this reason, the use of "dirty" methamphetamine causes rotting of teeth, losses of arms and legs, and sickness in general.
ヘイ、バディは、いくつかのヒロポンを購入したいですか?
Hey, buddy, want some Philopon?
by diam0rphine June 28, 2012
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Coffee Shop Philosopher

"Coffee Shop Philosopher" - Noun - This is a label given to people who enjoy sitting in coffee shops and discussing philosophy. This ties into the common stereotype of philosophers and philosophy students alike; that they are coffee addicts. Other stereotypes of addiction include: cigarettes, cigars, pipes, alchohol, boring pamphlets, and marijuana.

Another associated connotation of Coffee Shop Philosopher is their subject of discourse. Generally they deal with existential or absurd(Ref. Camus) theories or discussions. Most Coffee Shop Philosophers are not well educated in philosophy in that they are more exposed to Modern and Post-Modern philosophical works, as opposed to Ancient or Scholastic thought. This generally limits discourse to Nietzche, Camus, Sartre, Simone De Beauvoir(For the female coffeshop philosophers), and a few continentals such as Kierkagard, and Heidegger.

Some use "Coffee Shop Philosopher" as a means of slander or jeering. When used in this way it connotes a certain level of authority of the person calling someone else a Coffee Shop Philosopher. Essentially they're insinuating that the one who is a Coffee Shop Philosopher is someone who only knows the tip of the iceberg of philosophy, or again they are insinuating the connotations listed above.
"Thraysmachus: Should we invite Aristophanes to the discussion?"
"Socrates: Nah, he's a Coffee Shop Philosopher."
by Willam March 11, 2008
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