VOLUME 6 NUMBER 2 (July to December 2013)

by Helen T. Yap

This familiar phrase was employed by a weather specialistof CNN, the international news network, while itmonitored typhoon Haiyan (known as "Yolanda" in thePhilippines) as the latter tore its way through the centralVisayas on November 8, 2013, wreaking untold havoc. Itwas clear that the international community of meteorologists andother scientists were fascinated, if not stunned, by the sheer powerof this natural phenomenon as it unleashed its fury on our haplesscountry. The CNN broadcaster speculated that the typhoon was"pushing the envelope" as far as its strengthwas concerned, exceeding wind speeds of300 kilometers per hour (kph) which didnot at all diminish when it made landfall.The same presentor went on to suggest thatit "defied the laws of physics."