^^ Maybe he's talking about Disney's Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California just outside San Francisco.

^is that the only disney related place near sanfo?

^^ As far as I know, yes. Disney doesn't have a theme park in Northern California.

^Thanks. Big Help. :)

^^ No prob. :okay:

^Ok na po sir, Kinakausap na po siya ng Disney Asia. :) Sana isa na siya sa mga filipino na magiging Proud tayo pero ssshh muna po ako kung sino siya baka majinx.

The Balut in a Superhero’s Underpants (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view/20090517-205447/The-Balut-in-a-Superheros-Underpants)

The Easter egg isn’t what it used to be. Now, it refers to the secret scenes and paths hidden in DVDs and video games, the in-jokes left by the creators of movies and TV shows for their fans to discover.

If the Americans have their Easter Eggs, we Filipinos have our Balut Eggs. (Okay, I just made up that term, but it seems appropriate anyway.) Balut Eggs are those moments when Filipinos (or something Pinoy) suddenly pops up in foreign movies, TV shows, novels, and comic books. More and more frequently, Balut Eggs have been popping up in the panels of American comic books.

In Marvel’s “Black Panther,” one of Mephisto’s minions says, “Kumusta ka na?” (How have you been?) What’s up with these Tagalog-speaking demons?

In “The Copybook Tales,” written by Fil-Canadian J. Torres, the lead character gets a call from his young brother who refers to him as “Kuya (older brother).” Torres’ upcoming graphic novel is called “Lola (Grandma)” (also published by Oni Press) and it’s about stories told to him by his own lola; stories about supernatural creatures in the Philippines.

Lynda Barry’s “One Hundred!Demons!” has an entire chapter devoted to her Filipino speaking-grandmother, where she spells out the dialogue phonetically. You’ve got to read it out loud to understand what they’re talking about. She’s even got a chapter where she compares her boyfriend to “kuto (louse).”

In the DC Comics epic “Kingdom Come,” Superman crashes into the United Nations building, sending people into a panic, with someone in the crowd blurting out: “NANDIYAN NA ANG SIVA ULO! PAPATAYIN NIYA ULO! (Here comes the madman! He’ll kill us all!)" Now that was either a typo or some Filipino dialect that we’re not aware of … Or the guy was so shocked and surprised that he forgot how to speak Filipino properly.

One of the earliest Balut Eggs I can remember is that spotted in an issue of “Uncanny X-Men,” drawn by Filipino comic artist Whilce Portacio. In that story, we see Colossus wearing a jacket with the word “MAKULIT” written on the back, as well as the Philippine flag. This, of course, got all the Pinoy fanboys excited. It was Whilce winking at us, telling everyone that there’s a Pinoy in the Marvel bullpen.

We were all hoping that he’d introduce a Filipino mutant in the team, but that didn’t happen. He did, however, place a Pinoy, front and center, on the “Wetworks” team. That guy is Grail, one of the team’s top assassins, a martial artist and an expert in Escrima, Arnis de Mano, and Kali. His real name is Joel Alonday (named after a friend of Whilce).

Years later, Whilce introduced the world to more characters and creatures from the Philippines through the comic book “Stone,” which stars the amulet-wielding Gerry Alan (named after Filipino comic book artist Gerry Alanguilan).. Thanks to “Stone,” the Western audience got their tongues all in a twist trying to pronounce words like manananggal, duwende and tikbalang (Filipino ghouls and goblins). The story is even set in the Philippines and shows familiar landmarks like Megamall.

Around the time Whilce and Gerry were drawing “Stone,” Leinil Francis Yu and Edgar Tadeo started drawing “Wolverine.” In one scene, Yu snuck in a bottle of White Castle Whisky, being drunk by one of Wolverine’s enemies.

In an “X-Men Annual,” also drawn by Yu, we got to see our favorite mutants munching on Chow King take-out food. (Which is weird, because the X-Men were supposedly in Hong Kong. Maybe Chow King had a mutant delivery guy who could teleport!)

Most recently, in “Secret Invasion,” Yu drew President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as one of the people who welcomed the invading Skrulls to our planet. We also got to see Captain Marvel and Marvel Boy fight in the parking lot of Ali Mall. It would’ve been interesting to see the MMDA try to arrest them for traffic obstruction.

Also seen running around the streets of Manila were characters in the G.I.Joe series. Stalker, Roadblock, and Recondo are depicted chasing after their target with the help of their Filipino driver Nestor, in IDW Publishing’s “G.I. Joe” # 2. We also get to see Snake-Eyes sneaking around Manila’s rooftops.

Meanwhile, in Marvel Comics’ “Agents of Atlas,” Mt. Pinatubo erupts again and Sentry flies in just in time to rescue a damaged Phivolcs helicopter. That particular issue was drawn by Pinoy artist Carlo Pagulayan.

In Warren Ellis and Mike Wolfer’s “Strange Kiss,” secret agent/magician Gravel travels to one of the Hundred Islands to hunt down a scientist who had the brilliant idea of creating a zombie army. In the comic book, we see Gravel riding a jeepney and drinking San Miguel Beer. He even meets a waitress named Kori, who later gets eaten by the zombies. (I’m not so sure if that was meant to be a political statement.)

Comic book artist Harvey Tolibao is another guy who likes putting Balut Eggs in his pages for Marvel. In “Young Avengers,” you can spot a billboard for Druid’s Keep, a local comic book store. In “War of Kings: Darkhawk,” you’ll notice that the hero is wearing a Manny Pacquiao shirt. The Pac-Man is definitely the superheroes’ hero, you know!

In the pages of “The Invincible Iron Man,” writer Matt Fraction introduces Marvel’s first Filipino super-team: The Triumph Division. (Which resulted in a slew of jokes online because Pinoys asked if the team all wore Triumph underwear.) There was also some online debate about the authenticity of the setting and the heroes. In the story, terrorists disguise themselves as Buddhist monks, which allowed them to get close enough to the team and assassinate them.

Some of the fanboys argued that there weren’t a lot of Buddhist monks in our country.

Iron Man artist Salvador Larocca, at least accurately depicted our pot-bellied policemen, as well as what looked like Quiapo Church getting blown up. The members of the Triumph Division are: Red Feather, St. George, Mighty Mother, Fighter One, The Wishing Man, The Great Mongoose and Anitun. Iron Man and Thor are shown attending the funeral of the Triumph Division.

Thor specifically came because of the death of Anitun, who turns out to be someone with power over the wind and rain. A quick wiki search reveals that in Visayan and Tagalog folklore, there’s a character named Anitun Tabu, believed to be a goddess who dwells in the sky. Iron Man later returns to Manila to meet the new Triumph Division, now composed of the sons and daughters of the assassinated team. He then makes this observation:

“Interesting thing about super heroes in the Philippines – the legacies are familiar and date back centuries. The sons and daughters of these heroes will one day replace these heroes… they train for it their whole lives. They’re excited, nervous, eager, and full of energy. If they’re scared, they cover it with bravado, pride, and hope. Reminds me of the early days of the Avengers. The Philippines is in great hands. Long live The Triumph Division.”

With more and more Filipino comic book creators getting gigs in American comic book companies, we might soon see a Pinoy hero fighting side-by-side with Superman and Spider-Man. And maybe, when that Pinoy hero defeats Lex Luthor or the Green Goblin, he’ll ask, “Sino’ng tatay mo? (Who’s your Daddy?)”

^^ Ang galing naman!!! Sana magkaroon ng Filipino superhero na gawa ng Marvel na gawa din ng mga Pinoy artists nila.......

^^ Ang galing naman!!! Sana magkaroon ng Filipino superhero na gawa ng Marvel na gawa din ng mga Pinoy artists nila.......

Ia-adopt daw ng Marvel si Zha Zha Zaturnnah! :lol:

^^^^

I hope somebody will produce full-length cartoons of Pinoy superheroes the iconic Panday, Darna, Captain Barbel, Lastikman and the funny kalabog en bosyo, mang kepweng and Pugadbaboy.

^^^^

I hope somebody will produce full-length cartoons of Pinoy superheroes the iconic Panday, Darna, Captain Barbel, Lastikman and the funny kalabog en bosyo, mang kepweng and Pugadbaboy.

but before that, sana kilalanin muna ng CCP at ng mga art critics na isa ngang art form ang komiks sa pinas.

but before that, sana kilalanin muna ng CCP at ng mga art critics na isa ngang art form ang komiks sa pinas.

Sabagay..

Anyway, cartoons are powerful tools in molding/influencing the minds of kids.

I myself was born during the time of Voltes V, an anime abhorred by Marcos because its theme is about the the struggle and bravery of the people in waging a war against oppression and exploitation of a powerful , and well-entrenched government or ruling class.

So if the country will be able to break the stranglehold and dominance of foreign cartoons in our market, perhaps we might build an army of nationalist Pinoys emulating the good side of our superheroes like Panday.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/5/58/Triumph_Division_%28by_Salvador_Larroca%29.jpg

nakita ko lang sa net.:)
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Triumph_Division_(Earth-616)

MP's expenses in Las Vegas amount to $600,000 Posted By: Gareth A. Davies at May 20, 2009 at 05:48:44 [General]

Forgive the headline. But it is a political story. Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino boxer who so entrances his nation, and who knocked out Ricky Hatton inside two rounds three weeks ago, can spend up to $600,000 US on flying his entourage to Las Vegas for his mega-fights, according to his close adviser Mike Koncz.
Koncz revealed this to me in the build-up to his fight with Hatton. Koncz, and Pacquiao's other advisers, fear his generosity is often worrying for is future. The boxer gives away large amounts of money to poor people in his country.

Bob Arum, his veteran promoter, says there is a Welfare system in The Philippines.

"It's called Manny Pacquiao," said Arum.

Pacquiao, who has political aspirations in The Philippines and who is doted on by politicians, including that nation's President Gloria Arroyo, is said to be considering running for congress in 2010. Arum believes he will President of The Philippines one day.

Pacquiao's latest move is investing 1.22 billion pesos ($25.8 million) in a 400-hectare special economic zone, including a cancer treatment clinic, in his hometown, a senior trade official said this week.

Widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Pacquiao has been investing in small businesses for some time. But the novel development, which includes medical tourism facilities, an information technology park and a retirement village near General Santos City, was to be funded 60 percent from Pacquiao's personal funds and 40 percent through bank loans, said Lilia de Lima, head of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

The Manny Pacquiao Heights Development Corp. (MPHDC) was expected to start operations on the southern island of Mindanao by the first quarter of 2010 after the government approves the plans.

Pacquiao's group are reportedly already in talks with two foreign-based companies to set up a proposed Philippine International Cancer Centre. They included New York-based Bio City Development Co, a healthcare company that runs cancer centres in Dubai, Hong Kong and Western Europe.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/gareth_a._davies/blog/2009/05/20/mps_expenses_in_las_vegas_amount_to_600000

Yup Charice is already Top 10 on Itunes after her performance of Note to God at Oprah... Pinoy Pride

FIRST FILIPINO TO GO TOP 10 ON USA ITUNES and MIGHT BE THE FIRST ASIAN TO DO SO...

here are some links

http://www.atrl.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70036

On Oprah:

http://www.oprah.com/media/20090429-tows-charice


iTunes Store: Today's Top 300 Songs
http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wpa/MRSS/topsongs/sf=143441/limit=300/rss.xml


US ITUNES TOP 10


1. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas

2. Waking Up In Vegas - Katy Perry

3. I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) [More English Extended Mix] - Pitbull

4. Fire Burning - Sean Kingston

5. Poker Face - Lady GaGa

6. Don't Trust Me - 3OH!3

7. Note to God - Charice
*okay*
8. Sugar (feat. Wynter) - Flo Rida

9. Halo - Beyoncé

10. Battlefield - Jordin Sparks


Go Charice!!! Go PInoy!!!

from pex

^^ i'm so thrilled with the news. Thanks for sharing.

Update on the forum..

Note to God - Charice

Canada iTunes #2

US iTunes #5

Black eyed peas number 1:D may pinoy din doon:D

Wow! CHarice is really famous in the US now. :applause:

^^Hats off talaga ako kay Charice at Arnel Pineda.

^^
dapat naka bold rin ang Black Eyed Peas dahil may pinoy sa group nila :lol:

amazing song!

First Muslim Filipino named ambassador to Bahrain (http://pakobserver.net/200905/22/news/world05.asp)

Corazon Yap-Bahjin, the first Muslim Filipino to be appointed ambassador, was confirmed as her coun-try’s head of diplomatic mission in Bahrain after her nomination breezed through the Commission on Appoint-ments in Manila. She will succeed former ambassador Eduardo Pablo M. Maglaya, who held the post from May 2003 until March 2009.

Bahjin’s confirmation on Wednesday makes her the fourth woman to lead a diplomatic mission in Bahrain. Tur-key’s Hilal Baskal made history twice in May 2001 by becoming the first woman ambassador in Bahrain and the first Turkish woman appointed as a diplomatic representative to an Arab country. She was followed in July 2001 by France’s Anita Limido, the first Western female ambassador in Manama, who was replaced, three years later, by another woman, Malika Berak.

Bahjin was born to a small and frugal family in Jolo and graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas in 1967, majoring in English and theology. She obtained her Master of Arts from the University of the Philippines in 1974. After a short career in education, she became acting director of the Cultural Division of the Office of Islamic Af-fairs (now the Office on Muslim Affairs) in 1982 and had her first assignment abroad as vice consul in Jeddah in 1986. She went back to Manila in 1998 and in 1990 she served as second secretary and consul in Amman.

In 1991 she moved to Cairo, where a year later she became the chargé d’affaires. She also served in Bangkok and Beijing. She became the first Muslim woman to be appointed ambassador in 2007 and later foreign affairs under-secretary. According to her biography, published by the Manila Times, Bahjin has a strong work ethic and finds it unsettling when Muslims expect special treatment because of their faith. She says that Muslims must prove that prejudice against them is unwarranted. “We must disabuse non-Muslims of their pre-judgments about us and Muslims have to fight negative stereotypes,” she is quoted as saying. Around 45,000 Filipinos work in Bahrain out of a total expatriate population of 570,000 people.

Update on the forum..

Note to God - Charice

Canada iTunes #2

US iTunes #5

Can you please post here the link?

First Muslim Filipino named ambassador to Bahrain (http://pakobserver.net/200905/22/news/world05.asp)


Good news!

Best Director: Brillante Mendoza for "Kinatay" (http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/theDailyArticle/56832.html#)

The Best Director Prize was awarded to Brillante Mendoza for Kinatay at the hands of Terry Gilliam:
"First of all I would like to thank the selection committee, who are responsible for bringing my films here for the past three years. And now with an award for Best Director, I would like to thank the Jury. And of course I’d like to thank my producer; thank you for the trust and faith in my films. I’d like to thank also a very committed staff and crew. I’d like to share this award with my daughter, Angelica, who has always been my number one critic and to an actor I really respect, Coco Martin. Thank you all for embracing my kind of cinema."

During the follow-up press conference, Brillante Mendoza talked about divided audience opinion:
"After Serbis, last year, opinion was also divided. Some critics liked it, and some didn't like it. So I'm kind of prepared, with this kind of film, that I've shown again in Cannes. Did I expect [an award]? Of course. I always hope for the best."


Philippines' Brillante Mendoza scoops Best Director at Cannes (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iTAh8EBDj5eeUUNaM08nGQSDQnZg)

6 hours ago

CANNES, France (AFP) — Brillante Mendoza of the Philippines on Sunday picked up the best director prize at the Cannes film festival for his dark movie "Kinatay".

"Kinatay" (meaning "massacre") notably features corrupt cops hacking a prostitute to pieces with blunt kitchen knives.

Mendoza, at Cannes for the second year running, again split the critics, drawing both hisses and applause for "Kinatay".

Last year's "Serbis" was set in a Manila porn-theatre with long close-ups of festering boils and overflowing toilets, as well as the poverty and distress on the streets.

Still determined to portray the social reality around him, Mendoza in "Kinatay" traces 24 hours in the day of a trainee policeman, happily beginning with his wedding in the morning to close with the young man's first outing at night with a band of corrupt colleagues.

To his surprise, fear and anguish, they pick up a prostitute accused of betrayal and wind up torturing, raping, killing and hacking her before disposing of the body parts across Manila.

"This is not just entertainment, these kinds of stories are real," Mendoza said at Cannes.

Last year was the first time since 1984 the Philippines had a film competing for the top prize at Cannes, the Palme d'Or.

Maraming tumaas na kilay sa Cannes when his name was announced. I gotta see the film.

^^ to be hated and win as best director only shows Mendoza has the technical and creative skills to be the best.

Really great news for the Philippines at Cannes, the premiere film festival in the world.

:banana:

Filipinos indeed are world class,tinalo niya sina PedroAlmodovar,Ang Lee,Quentin Tarantino,Jane Campion napapansin na ang mga Filipino kahit saan in the field of entertainment.

Wow! CHarice is really famous in the US now. :applause:

only with oprah backing her up but without it she'll be back singing somewhere over the rainbow:lol::lol::lol:

american listeners are very discriminating. look at what happened to jaya? sikat siya sa pinas pero nung malaman nasiya ay black pinoy nawalan nang gana ang mga listeners sa kanya. look at the formidable young banig she never made it famous outside of the pinoy community. too bad.

^^ agree. without the backing up of some of the big names in the US she'll be nowhere. there are younger and better and even human looking singers than her :lol:

the win of brilliante mendoza against tarantino, von trier, lee and almodovar is something i can't believe. i need to see their cannes entries for personal validation.

^^ this is really something. direktor mendoza beats the like of lino brocka. ishmael bernal. elwood perez.

@manila_eye. he has been into joining multiple film festivals for five years and won a number of them, perhaps he have learned a lot to please the judges. :)

Do you think if Charice is not the best, Oprah and David Foster would waste their time for this young kid, there's a lot of Americans who are praising for recognition but why they stick to Charice.....This is her destiny and faith, she deserve it not just because she was in the hands of Oprah, God make her an instrument to show humbleness in entertainment industry unlike others just to be recognize is purely entertainment but not her. No one as what Oprah said have this kind of achievement and exposure in this short period of time and also David says in my entire career and life, she is one of the 3 three which is special in my profession, do you think as a multi-awarded grammy's will cheat the world by falsifying his statements, i don't think so.

Charice has an awesome powerful voice. Her talent is rare that's why Oprah and David forster are supporting her, unlike in the PHils. where everybody has a record as long as you fit their "look" and you are an artista. She's like the Michael Jordan of powerful voices.
We'll see how she fares in the US where they're still used to "American looking artists" to hit the mainstream. The radioplays can make or break you.

only with oprah backing her up but without it she'll be back singing somewhere over the rainbow:lol::lol::lol:

american listeners are very discriminating. look at what happened to jaya? sikat siya sa pinas pero nung malaman nasiya ay black pinoy nawalan nang gana ang mga listeners sa kanya. look at the formidable young banig she never made it famous outside of the pinoy community. too bad.

because they believe that she have real talent that is deserving to be recognize around the world, anyway they are both legends (David and Oprah) in this industry so i dont question their trust with charice.

^^ agree. without the backing up of some of the big names in the US she'll be nowhere. there are younger and better and even human looking singers than her :lol:

the win of brilliante mendoza against tarantino, von trier, lee and almodovar is something i can't believe. i need to see their cannes entries for personal validation.

I've been reading some of the posts on Youtube about Charice and there are some non-Filipinos who say she's pretty as an angel. Others would have a totally different standard for what is beautiful but I believe there is no question about her talent being extraordinary. It's important that people like Oprah and David Foster make the general American audience see beyond the obvious. When she sang the American Anthem at the Dodgers Stadium, some were saying her rendition is one of the best ever along those of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

Los Angeles Times columnist T. J. Simers had Charice in the lead paragraph of his column of April 14. Simers said Charice gave “the best national anthem rendition I have ever heard” and quotes Dodger star catcher Russell Martin as saying “[the rendition] was better than the game”. Dodgers General Manager Joe Torre, in a comment also prominently played up in Simers’ report, spoke of “tears in my eyes when she [Charice] really gets going”.

Fil-Am, 24, leads Columbia University graduates (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=471084&publicationSubCategoryId=201)
By Mayen Jaymalin Updated May 25, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Another Filipino is bringing honor to the country in the US.

Twenty-four-year old Aries de la Cruz will graduate with honors and lead 5,500 graduates of Columbia University in New York this week.

Born in Manila but whose family immigrated to the US when he was only seven years old, De la Cruz will graduate as a full-scholar with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology.

De la Cruz has been selected as one of the recipients of the prestigious and competitive King’s Crown Award, which is given to extraordinary student leaders for their exemplary commitment to community building.

He is also the recipient of the Dean’s Citation and Prize for his leadership and outstanding contributions to the university.

While at New York’s oldest university, De la Cruz served as a member of the editorial board of the daily campus newspaper, The Columbia Spectator, as well as other leadership positions.

After his graduation, De la Cruz has been selected for a Social Innovation Fellowship with Weber Shandwick, the world’s largest public relations firm.

De la Cruz will be attending New York University in September for his masteral studies in public administration.

His mother Marites is currently an administrator at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons – the first institution in the United States to confer medical degrees.

Famous Columbia alumni over the years have included US President Barack Obama, US Attorney General Eric Holder, Philippine diplomat Carlos Romulo, former RP health secretary and National Scientist Dr. Juan Salcedo, UN Permanent Representative of the Philippines Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco, Washington Sycip, and the late former ambassador of the Philippines to the United States Pablo Suarez.

Other alumni are Alan Greenspan, David Paterson, New York State governor; Caroline Kennedy, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, Art Garfunkel, Jake Gyllenhaal, Amanda Peet, Julia Stiles, Lou Gherig, Madeleine Albright, Warren Buffet, Isamu Noguchi, William Barclay Parsons, designer of the New York City subway system; and Pia Clemente, the first Filipino-American nominated for an Oscar award.

^^

http://www.alumni.gs.columbia.edu/images/users/B8C0A847-416E-4836-8A4A-7BB2043C0540.jpg

“Institutional support is the most pressing thing for the LGBT community right now,” he said. “We have support from our peers and from each other. It seems as though every place on campus is very supportive of us and our cause, but by the nature of the fact that everyone is supportive, it doesn't seem as though anyone is supportive at all. There's no queer studies department, and there's one LGBT class this semester. Most of our other peer institutions have an actual LGBT center. We have a room in the basement of Furnald.

General View (http://www.alumni.gs.columbia.edu/cgi-any/newspages.dll/pages?sitename=OWLNT&record=199&htmlfile=newspages3_AdFeature.htm)

only with oprah backing her up but without it she'll be back singing somewhere over the rainbow:lol::lol::lol:

american listeners are very discriminating. look at what happened to jaya? sikat siya sa pinas pero nung malaman nasiya ay black pinoy nawalan nang gana ang mga listeners sa kanya. look at the formidable young banig she never made it famous outside of the pinoy community. too bad.

^^ agree. without the backing up of some of the big names in the US she'll be nowhere. there are younger and better and even human looking singers than her :lol:



Wow! are you guys for real? :lol:

^^ sanay lang kami sa singing constests. sa baranggay namin mas maraming magagaling sa kanya. hyped lang ang babaeng ito.

napakalaking epekto ni charice sa kabataan ngaun... tignan mo na lang kahit san ka pumuntang singing contest ung mga kantang kinanta ni charice[e.g. mga ala celine, tsaka ung super high notes.] ung mga kinakanta nila....

look at this nlang although proud aq sakanila.... pero itong ito din ung kinanta ni charice d2 sa star king....[sa isip cguro ng mga foreigners "e2 lang ba ung kayang kantahin ng mga pinoy?"]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dg7cg86bTE

OT: pano po ba maglagay ng youtube d2 sa SSC

^^ sanay lang kami sa singing constests. sa baranggay namin mas maraming magagaling sa kanya. hyped lang ang babaeng ito.

Post mo sa youtube brod. I want to see for myself.

napakalaking epekto ni charice sa kabataan ngaun... tignan mo na lang kahit san ka pumuntang singing contest ung mga kantang kinanta ni charice[e.g. mga ala celine, tsaka ung super high notes.] ung mga kinakanta nila....

look at this nlang although proud aq sakanila.... pero itong ito din ung kinanta ni charice d2 sa star king....[sa isip cguro ng mga foreigners "e2 lang ba ung kayang kantahin ng mga pinoy?"]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dg7cg86bTE

OT: pano po ba maglagay ng youtube d2 sa SSC

Bago pa naman dumating sa guniguni ng madla si Charice ganun na talaga ang alam ng marami na istilo ng pagkanta na ikapapanalo nila sa mga patimpalak sa pag-awit. Kumbaga parang di karapatdapat manalo kung di rin lang marunong bumirit. Isa naman talaga sa tinitingnan ng mga hurado ang kahusayan sa "high" at "low register" ng mga kalahok. Maging sa mga pndaigdigang patimpalak isa rin naman ito sa tinitingnan kung kaya't di katakatakang naipapanalo natin ang marami sa mga ito.

Mayroon din namang mga lokal na mang-aawit na sumikat di dahil sa kakayahan sa pagbirit ngunit ang kinikilalang mga "divas" (na ang literal na kahulugan ay "diyosa") ay yaong mga may-kakayahang abutin ang mga matataas na nota at may malawak na "vocal range"...

Marami naman tayong uri ng mga mang-aawit na may iba't ibang istilo sa pagkanta ngunit kung iisipin kung sino nga ba ang mga matatawag na Pilipinong pandaigdigang "icon" sa musika ay mabibilang pa rin sa mga daliri ng iisang kamay. Ang mahalagang maiaambag marahil ni Charice ay ang maipamulat pa sa mga taga-ibang bayan ang talento ng mga Pinoy sa pag-awit upang magbigay-daan ng iba pang oportunidad sa iba pa nating mga kalahi at lalong makilala ang mga Pilipino sa larangang ito.

nakakapagod magbasa ng pure tagalog, :nuts:

^^ grabe oo nga ang hirap ngang basahin hahaha... pero correct nmn c kuya.. hahahaha

^^ sanay lang kami sa singing constests. sa baranggay namin mas maraming magagaling sa kanya. hyped lang ang babaeng ito.

If she is just a hype, then let her enjoy her fame, there is no sense of bringing down a person's ability and talent when other credible persons are admiring her. Me too was thinking it was just a hyped on her youtube performance in Korea's star king, but when she was noticed by famous personalities from other countries at nagtitili na si Boy Abundat!, then I know that she really has it. :)

^^ dami palang fans ni charice dito :lol:

^^You betcha! :lol:

If she is just a hype, then let her enjoy her fame, there is no sense of bringing down a person's ability and talent when other credible persons are admiring her. Me too was thinking it was just a hyped on her youtube performance in Korea's star king, but when she was noticed by famous personalities from other countries at nagtitili na si Boy Abundat!, then I know that she really has it. :)

Well, her "fifteen minutes" of it is ticking down to 00:00 real fast. ;)

My opinion lang, charice has a really nice voice. She could be qualified as a mezzo soprano. Shes able to hit the high notes and sustain it for some time. Shes got the powerful voice of whitney houston too. Pero siguro di lang sanay ang mga amerikano sa mga singers na may talent kumanta. Kasi most of the US singers right now eh mga sablay ang boses, umaasa na lang sa tweaking ng voice enhancing machines nila. Eh tayo dito parang ordinary lang ang boses ni charice. Ang kaibahan lang sinwerte talga ang bata thanks to you tube and falsevoice(yung nag upload ng video nya)

^^ sanay lang kami sa singing constests. sa baranggay namin mas maraming magagaling sa kanya. hyped lang ang babaeng ito.

BUmp:ohno::ohno::ohno:

Sige nga next time meron singing contest sa baranggay nio uli pwede mo kunan ng video at post dito?

Well, her "fifteen minutes" of it is ticking down to 00:00 real fast. ;)

:lol: How can you say that? She just performed in David Foster's May 9 extravaganza at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino with Cher, Donny Osmond, Clay, Brian McKnight, Katherine Jenkins and Paul Anka.
Those that clocks are ticking are those unbelievers of true talent or most likely those that wanted to have her talent. :lol:

GOcffBenwc4

And some other artists could only dream of being with these famous singers.

1CvYnC4zywo

Im no fan of charice as i also think theres nothing extra-ordinary about her. I even find her manner of singing " baduy". Having said that, Im not taking anything away from her, she has successfully conquered the US, a feat many of our lcoal artist can only dream about. Let us just be proud that a local has invaded the gud ol us of a. lets not debate and argue about it anymore. No need to bring her down.

^^You betcha! :lol:

CHASTERS ka pala:lol::lol::lol:

Grabe !!!!...ang galing naman ni Charice sa "Power of Love"..Kinilabutan ako..ganda ng arrangement kasi iniba niya ng kaunti..:)..

I am not a fan of "BIRIT" singers like Charice or Regine, etc.

But I can not help but feel PROUD of what CHARICE has accomplished so far.
She is a really a good singer but without her fairy godmother in the person of OPRAH,
she wouldn't be where she is right now. IMO




:horse:

I am not a fan of "BIRIT" singers like Charice or Regine, etc.

But I can not help but feel PROUD of what CHARICE has accomplished so far.
She is a really a good singer but without her fairy godmother in the person of OPRAH,
she wouldn't be where she is right now. IMO




:horse:

Celebrities come and go, right now, she's fulfilling her dreams and those that are behind her knew she has what it takes to be a celebrity. We can only wish her all the luck in the world until her fame and glory days would soon fade away.

Congratulation Brillante Mendoza! i was surprise when i found out..

Two Pinoy kids brought the house down at Korea's Star King show, the same stage where Charice made herwelf known to the world.


Here's Amy and Phillip...

NWNzU3SpTtE
Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWNzU3SpTtE)


PPK0m9JfA_s
Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPK0m9JfA_s)

UP med student joins int'l public speaking tilt
----------------------------------------------------------------

By Rose Eclarinal, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau, London | 05/28/2009 10:40 AM

A medical student of the University of the Philippines represented the country in the English-Speaking Union’s (ESU) annual International Public Speaking Competition held last May 21 at HSBC’s headquarters in London.

Ramon Lorenzo Luis Guinto went through rigorous selection process and bested 21 other contestants from various local schools and universities in the Philippines before he could represent the country in the international public speaking tilt.

“It’s a privilege kasi nakapunta ako dito sa London na matagal ko ng dream. Now I’m here. But at the same time, it’s an opportunity for me to give back to the country even at this early age to carry the flag of our country, to make our country known to other participants. We really need to show the world that Filipinos are really good,” said Guinto.

Now on its 28th year, 73 students from 42 countries came to London to become the best public speaker in the International Public Speaking competition. Participants gathered for a week-long program of events culminating in the final competition.

The competitors spoke on the theme “Regeneration and Renewal”. The judges selected Sebastian Ng Kuet Leong of Mauritius as winner and Roos van Ees as runner-up.

Guinto who delivered a speech entitled "Renew the Body, Regenerate the Home: The Best Choice" has this to say to young aspiring public speakers: “I think kailangan ang speech mo talaga may puso. That’s the challenge to public speakers. They really need to put their hearts to their speeches not only in terms of content but in terms of delivery.”

The Philippines has bagged the championship twice, in 2004 with Patricia Evangelista’s winning piece “Bond and Blue Eyes” and last year, Gian Dapul spoke on “Fish Mucus and Foot Fungus” and also won the prize.

ESU’s international annual competition showcases the best young public speakers from various parts of the world and gives the participants an opportunity to understand each other’s backgrounds and cultures.

as of 05/28/2009 1:06 PM

UP med student joins int'l public speaking tilt
----------------------------------------------------------------

By Rose Eclarinal, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau, London | 05/28/2009 10:40 AM

A medical student of the University of the Philippines represented the country in the English-Speaking Union’s (ESU) annual International Public Speaking Competition held last May 21 at HSBC’s headquarters in London.

Ramon Lorenzo Luis Guinto went through rigorous selection process and bested 21 other contestants from various local schools and universities in the Philippines before he could represent the country in the international public speaking tilt.

“It’s a privilege kasi nakapunta ako dito sa London na matagal ko ng dream. Now I’m here. But at the same time, it’s an opportunity for me to give back to the country even at this early age to carry the flag of our country, to make our country known to other participants. We really need to show the world that Filipinos are really good,” said Guinto.

Now on its 28th year, 73 students from 42 countries came to London to become the best public speaker in the International Public Speaking competition. Participants gathered for a week-long program of events culminating in the final competition.

The competitors spoke on the theme “Regeneration and Renewal”. The judges selected Sebastian Ng Kuet Leong of Mauritius as winner and Roos van Ees as runner-up.

Guinto who delivered a speech entitled "Renew the Body, Regenerate the Home: The Best Choice" has this to say to young aspiring public speakers: “I think kailangan ang speech mo talaga may puso. That’s the challenge to public speakers. They really need to put their hearts to their speeches not only in terms of content but in terms of delivery.”

The Philippines has bagged the championship twice, in 2004 with Patricia Evangelista’s winning piece “Bond and Blue Eyes” and last year, Gian Dapul spoke on “Fish Mucus and Foot Fungus” and also won the prize.

ESU’s international annual competition showcases the best young public speakers from various parts of the world and gives the participants an opportunity to understand each other’s backgrounds and cultures.

as of 05/28/2009 1:06 PM

hehehe. sumali ako last year dito. hehe., nakasama ko sa eliminations yung nanalo last year. napakagaling na bata. sana manalo tayo ulit. :)

^^ agree. without the backing up of some of the big names in the US she'll be nowhere. there are younger and better and even human looking singers than her :lol:


Dismissive attitude towards a Filipina, who is being recognized internationally, in a thread titled "In the News: Proudly Pinoy" -- how unamusingly ironic

Comments about her physical appearance -- how pathetically shallow as well as irrelevant

^^ You can't always get what you want. That's my personal opinion and there's nothing you can do about it. There will always be 2 sides in a story. And by the way, your post is quite superfluous as well;)

^^ You can't always get what you want. That's my personal opinion and there's nothing you can do about it. There will always be 2 sides in a story. And by the way, your post is quite superfluous as well;)


Er...I did not say anything about what I want.
You are of course free to have your own opinions, as I am free to call you out on your opinions, if I don't think that they are justified.
And...superfluous? Care to explain how?

P.S. Your comments about Charice's physical appearance were irrelevant (I did not say superfluous) because one's singing ability does not depend on how "human looking" he or she is. Or at least it shouldn't.

Er...I did not say anything about what I want.
You are of course free to have your own opinions, as I am free to call you out on your opinions, if I don't think that they are justified.
And...superfluous? Care to explain how?

There is google for that;)

P.S. Your comments about Charice's physical appearance were irrelevant (I did not say superfluous) because one's singing ability does not depend on how "human looking" he or she is. Or at least it shouldn't.

Sure. Noted.:)

Back to our regular programming...

RP Elected to 3 Key UN Bodies (http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp/?p=5578)

The Philippines has been elected to several important bodies of the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council.

The Philippine ambassador to the United Nations, Hilario G. Davide, Jr. said the Philippines was elected to the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Population and Development, and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

Davide himself was elected Vice Chairman of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

The Philippines will serve on the CSW and CPD for a term of four years starting Jan. 1, 2010 and will be part of the CCPCJ for a term of three years starting on the same date. Ambassador Davide will serve as Vice Chairman of the CSD for its 18th Session for the term beginning 2010.

“The Member States to the ECOSOC value the contributions of the Philippines and its diplomats to this important international body and that is why the Philippines was chosen among several other delegations to serve,” Davide said

CBS' Katie Couric to feature Filipino artist's Smile Project (http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=21&newsID=90709)

Primetime news anchor Katie Couric will feature a Boston-based Filipino artist in one of her CBS Evening News segment.

Bren Bataclan, who has made waves across the U.S. with his creative altruism project called “The Smile Project,” told this reporter that CBS Evening News already filmed the segment last month. It is scheduled for airing late this month or early June.

The Smile Project started in 2003 where Bataclan would leave at least 15 of his cartoon-inspired acrylic on canvas paintings on the street, with a note attached that says, “This painting is yours if you promise to smile at random people more often.” He would then give the painting away for free to interested passersby or bystanders.

In the segment, a CBS Evening News correspondent Michelle Miller waits behind the camera as people peruse Bataclan's paintings. When somebody picks up a piece, the CBS correspondent jumps out and asks them why they chose the artwork. Bataclan then emerges and thanks them for taking the paintings.

Bataclan said it felt “awesome” when he found out he would be featured in the popular primetime evening news program. “Seeing Filipinos in the mainstream is always a plus. Folks in the U.S. don’t know a lot about us...,” he said, adding that he is still in utter disbelief. “This is my first national TV exposure!”

He recalled that CBS Evening News lauded him about his work and project. “I guess their favorite part was seeing and hearing people’s reactions when they pick up the paintings. I believe that is what they will highlight when the story airs,” he said.

“The free paintings typically get picked up between three to 30 minutes,” said Bataclan, adding that the recipients of his paintings would e-mail him thereafter for feedback. “Some even send me photos and a few visit me in my studio.”

In 2008 Bataclan changed his note to “Everything Will Be Alright," aiming to provide more optimism to Americans who are suffering from the current economic recession.

The Smile Project has been capturing the media's attention since its inception. It has been featured in several publications that include the Reader's Digest, both the U.S. and Asian version; Smithsonian Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Filipinas Magazine, The Detroit Press, and Chicago Tribune, among many others across the U.S. He has also graced interviews with other local TV news and magazine programs.

Bataclan, 40, has visited more than 20 U.S. cities and over 20 countries. “[My objective is] to leave paintings in all 50 states and all the 181 plus counties in the world to spread joy and optimism during these challenging times and to uplift our Filipino culture,” Bataclan said.

Bataclan brings his paintings with him whenever he travels outside Boston and leave them on park benches, train stations, hospitals, senior centers, etc.

“I plan to paint, do my street art and spread joy for the rest of my life; and, of course, to represent the Philippines in the art world and beyond,” he said.

Bataclan has left 15 paintings in Los Angeles, which he worked on in Boston last week. Prior to his visit in the City of Angels, he also left paintings in Las Vegas, Nevada and Alaska. He is back in Boston to produce more paintings for the project.

This UCLA and Ohio State University alumnus has been a full time artist for six years now since the dot-com bust.

Most of the feedback Bataclan has received have so far been very positive. Recent recipients from Alaska e-mailed Bataclan and told him how his paintings have affected their lives. One recipient said she “liked the note attached to the painting. So simple and fresh. It reminds me of what a perfect world it would be.”

For more information about The Smile Project, Bataclan invites readers to visit his website at www.bataclan.com.

Fil-Canadian designer’s fashion homecoming (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20090528-207665/Fil-Canadian-designers-fashion-homecoming)

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-05290622310574.jpg

The local fashion scene may have lost some of its best designers to careers abroad, but in recent years, it has also gained world-class Filipino talents who have honed their skills abroad and are now giving something back to their country. One of them is Filipino-Canadian Noel Crisostomo from Toronto.

After almost 20 years spent in stints at Club Monaco, Sunny Choi and Ports 1961, among others, the Ryerson University-educated Crisostomo (he was one of the Canadian students who competed at Paris’ Concours de Jeunes Creaturs de Mode in the early ’90s) has trained in ready-to-wear and couture industries.

“I’d like to believe that my design aesthetic is generally polished and restrained because of my initial training as a men’s wear designer,” says Crisostomo, who was barely 20 when he immigrated with his family to Canada in the late ’80s.

This can be seen in his smart, tailored separates that are elegant yet wearable, but far from boring. The trained eye won’t miss the ingenious cuts and fabric manipulations.

But its impeccable construction, which Crisostomo takes pride in, is the tailored collection’s biggest come-on.

Having joined Toronto’s Fashion Incubator, a prestigious government project set up by the city to boost careers of fledgling designers, Crisostomo became a well-rounded designer early on.

Crisostomo also cut his chops doing red carpet numbers for more mature women while working for fellow Canadian Sunny Choi. The stint, he says, helped soften his approach to certain looks that didn’t require as much tailoring.

He also has eye-catching gowns in various materials, exquisite silk and chiffon tops, and long, billowing cotton skirts in his Makati shop.

“Since labor was expensive in Canada, you have no choice but to learn how to cut and sew to achieve your vision,” he talks of those lean years at Fashion Incubator.

Patience

Dealing with Canada’s retail establishment, he says, instilled in him the patience of Job. Apart from their demands, stores during Crisostomo’s time didn’t pay on time.

Despite being a critical success (he won two awards as a newbie), Crisostomo felt drained.

Before the situation could take its toll on his health, Crisostomo closed shop and joined Club Monaco as a consultant.

“Viewed positively, the stint taught me how the retail industry works and what appeals to a broader market,” he says. “Along the way, I established contacts with fabric suppliers in Europe and China.”

Apart from opening his eyes to various possibilities, the exposure strengthened his resolve to strike out on his own when he later became senior designer at Ports, which was then beefing up its Asian presence in Shanghai. Manila was now a mere four hours away by plane.

It was to be his first and last posting outside Canada before two successive deaths in the family ultimately lured him back to the Philippines. Less than two years after Crisostomo’s mother died of cancer in Calgary, it was his father who succumbed to the Big C. He felt it was time to leave Shanghai and return home.

“One of the reasons I quit Ports was I wanted to spend as much time with my ailing father in Canada,” he says. “I wasn’t able to do that when my mother got sick. I wanted to make up for that.”

After he and his siblings laid their father to rest, Crisostomo couldn’t imagine himself working again in Canada. As he himself admits, the Toronto fashion scene no longer excites him.

Fresh start

“I wanted a fresh start,” he says. “I wanted to do couture and export RTW. It was a choice between China and the Philippines, where skilled labor is relatively affordable.”

Since Crisostomo knows the language and how the Filipino mind works, he ultimately decided to establish his overseas business in the Philippines.

“I’ve also seen how fashionable Filipinos have become,” he says. “They make an effort to look good for much less. With so many good designers out there, the same excitement is palpable in the local fashion scene.”

While cooling his heels in Manila and assembling his team, Crisostomo found the time to share his knowledge with aspiring designers at De La Salle College of St. Benilde. Teaching comes naturally to him, as he also taught fashion for five years at Ryerson University.

“Just the other day, I came across a client who found my pieces expensive,” he says, amused. “She equated a dress’ price tag with the amount of beadwork it has.”

Just when he thought he has seen it all, now comes a different animal called the Philippine market. But having been through worse times, Crisostomo’s latest involvement seems cut out for him.

Charice at Top 44 this week
on Billboard Hot 100

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a149/anakngpasig/charice.png

WHOA! That's pretty damn good. I think that's the best any Filipino singer has reached Billboard Hot 100, unless Lea Salonga can prove me wrong.

mabuti naman at #44 lang siya. :) GOD is GOOD.

mabuti naman at #44 lang siya. :) GOD is GOOD.

#44 is a TREMENDOUSLY big deal in the Billboard Hot 100, not only because it's the song's first week, but also because all genres are put together in this chart, making it difficult to reach the top. Even some of my favorite hip hop songs didn't make it as far as Not to God has during their entire chart lifetime.

mabuti naman at #44 lang siya. :) GOD is GOOD.1st week pa lang yan...who knows after 2 to 3 weeks mag top 10 yan...how i wish:cheers::cheers::cheers:

I was wrong, btw.

Black Eyed Peas (with apl.de.ap or Allan Pineda) are currently #1 with their single Boom Boom Pow. :lol:

Durian Waste Yields Mushrooms (http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/durian-waste-yields-mushrooms/278132)

The sight and smell of rotting rinds of the durian fruit are not exactly the stuff dreams are made of, but one Filipino teenager did build his dream science project from this waste.

Peels of durian piling in the city of Davao, in the southern Philippines, led Filipino researcher Lawrence Limjuco, 15, to find more productive and creative ways of getting rid of them.

The rinds take much longer to biodegrade than other kinds of vegetable waste, so Limjuco started brainstorming ways to make use of the waste.

“I tried to grow mushroom on the peels,” Limjuco said. “I thought it would be better for me to come up with a more productive solution.”

At the time, people in Davao had already been breeding mushrooms on banana leaves. Out of curiosity, he tried growing straw mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea), which grow well during the dry season, on durian rinds.

Limjuco, an engineering and architecture student at Ateneo De Davao University, then embarked on a one-year research project — cutting, drying and soaking durian rinds for use as bedding material to spawn the mushrooms. Initially, he said, the results were frustrating.

“I was so preoccupied with preparations for my examinations. Besides, it didn’t really show encouraging results in the beginning,” he said.

Limjuco said several factors beyond his control affected the results of his e x periment, including uncooperative weather. “At one point, I almost gave up. My friends told me that it would be better for me to concentrate on my studies.”

His perseverance, however, paid off. He repeated the process but paid more attention to the details. “Growing mushrooms on durian peels yielded more mushrooms than on dried banana leaves,” he said, adding that mushrooms grown on beds of durian rinds has twice the yield than of those grown on banana leaves.

His research also indicated that each batch of durian rinds could be used to grow four or five crops. Limjuco encouraged local communities and his former school to use durian rinds to grow mushrooms, and their results confirmed his finding.

“From the time you plant spores on the beddings to harvest time, it will take you about two weeks,” he said, adding that used beddings could later be turned into organic fertilizer.

For his work, Limjuco won the top prize at the National Convention of Philippines Institute of Chemical Engineers in February 2009, and was among nine researchers nominated to receive the Bank of the Philippine Islands science award. His research also brought him to the International Eco-Minds Youth Forum Program in New Zealand.

Despite the success of his research, Limjuco says his findings are not likely to make him rich, because there’s no copyright for durian rinds. “I just want to solve environmental problems,” he said. “People can make use of it. It can make the environment cleaner and it can help people gain more income.”

Just want to share this with you guys.

2 senior students of Caraga Regional Science High School were invited to the 109th American Society for Microbiology annual convention last may 17-21, 2009 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. USA to present their respective Research Paper.

DEBRA RUTH R.EDRADAN - Assessment of Mycorrlizal diversity and their Growth effects to Narra, Falcata, Mangium, Acacia auriculiformis and White Lawaan in the Rehabilitation of Suyoc Waste Dumpiste of Manila Mining corp. Placer, Surigao del Norte.

NINO PAOLO T. ONGLUICO - Antibactrial Toxicological and Phytochemical Screening of Kalinggay (cinnamomum mercadoi), Talisay (Terminalia catappa) and Sampa-sampalukan (Phyllanthus niruri).

The partner of Ongluico RHEA MII A. CRUZADO was not able to join the trip.

Research Adviser is Maria Ruth R. Edradan.

The reserach Papers won in the 2009 INTEL -Philippines Science Fair.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Not bad huh.:)

I hope mods will not delete my post, or else im going to post this at International Forums.

Your idle threats are inconsequential. Go ahead and post it in the international forum. The mods there will also delete it for it has nothing to do with what SSC is all about.

A good start for this kid, hopefully this will be a part of his future success or else, it will just be a big souvenir from Scotland.

http://images.inquirer.net/media/networkindex/images/pic-05310514470336.jpg

Carlos Philippe Winsett Palanca, 7, is back home on Saturday after besting 33 players from 12 countries in Kilspindie, Scotland, on Thursday to become the first Filipino winner of the US Kids Golf European Championship.
ROGER MARGALLO

De Luna, Pulpul jump up in world rankings after Philippine Open performance (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/163733/De-Luna-Pulpul-jump-up-in-world-rankings-after-Philippine-Open-performance)
06/01/2009 | 06:36 PM

MANILA, Philippines – Jeffrey De Luna has beaten the world’s best in the Philippine Open Pool Championship. Demosthenes Pulpul won all but one of his matches and came two racks away from the championship round.

Following their impressive showing in the Philippine Open, the two Filipino cue artists will jump several notches up in the World Pool-Billiard Association’s world ranking list.

The power-breaking De Luna will move up to 12th spot, eight rungs higher than his previous position at No. 20.

De Luna placed second behind Yang but earned the respect of everyone when he brought down world No.1 player Ralf Souquet of Germany and World Ten Ball champion Darren Appleton of Great Britain.

For his part, the 16th ranked Pulpul will go three places up to 13th.

Pulpul, last year’s semifinalist in the World Ten Ball Championship, was perfect after five games and went all the way to the semis before losing to De Luna.

The impressive showing of Yang, De Luna and Pulpul caught the fancy of WPA president Ian Anderson, who expressed belief that as the ranking tour goes on, more players will emerge from different countries to become one of the world’s best.

“We have Ricky Yang of Indonesia emerging as champion. We have two unheralded Filipinos in Jeff De Luna and Demosthenes Pulpul, who fought it out in an exciting finish in the semis and we have Lu Hui Chan of Chinese Taipei, the last man standing for his country after some of the world’s best were eliminated," said Anderson. “This goes to show how tough the series has become that even new talents can topple the best in the world."

Anderson said the four semifinalists have earned around 200 to 300 ranking points each, a big boost to their WPA rankings.

The Philippine Open was the first ranking event of the WPA for the year, the others being the world championships for 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball, the China Open, the Qatar Open and the US Open.

The China Open is scheduled June 14 in Shanghai while the Qatar Open is slated next month. The World Ten Ball Championship, which was held in Manila last year, is tentatively set on October 5 in Cebu City.

And with Yang’s victory, Anderson said the WPA is also considering the possibility of bringing the tour to the champ’s home country, Indonesia. – GMANews.TV

Philippine Star

Charice now contract artist of US record firm

FUNFARE

By Ricardo F. Lo

Updated June 02, 2009 12:00 AM


Charice: Going places as David Foster protégé

Barely two years after she made her debut in US television on Ellen DeGeneres’ show and then thrice on Oprah Winfrey’s (the latest having been last May 18), and guest appearances on the concerts of David Foster, Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion, Charice adds yet another feather to her already well-decorated cap by being the newest contract artist of Warner Brothers Records.

Credit A-list composer and record producer David Foster who, impressed by Charice’s vocal prowess when he heard her for the first time, has charted Charice’s international career.

It was Foster who produced Note to God, written by Diane Warren, which is included in the latest David Foster album. Immediately upon its release, the song took the No. 5 spot on iTunes and No. 1 on the Amazon download charts. Charice’s Note to God performance on Oprah, with Foster himself accompanying her on the piano, can be seen on YouTube.

Charice’s first solo album, to be produced by Foster, is now being prepared. It will be released locally by Warner Music Philippines before the year ends.

Yes!!!:cheers:

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1294/ent1.jpg

Beautiful Pinoy...sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa..( dami siguro uwi Charice dollars para sa atin economy):cheers::):banana:

Doesn't Charice look like Anjelica JOnes and also the Korean comedienne Margaret Cho. someone google their pics and post side by side.

Two Pinoy kids brought the house down at Korea's Star King show, the same stage where Charice made herwelf known to the world.


Here's Amy and Phillip...

NWNzU3SpTtE
Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWNzU3SpTtE)

:cheers1::applause: galing

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1294/ent1.jpg

Beautiful Pinoy...sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa..( dami siguro uwi Charice dollars para sa atin economy):cheers::):banana:

I love Charice for bringing the Pinoy in the consciousness of the American public...I appreciate her accomplishment for being a talent of the very popular David Foster!:cheers::)

here's the link to Charice's rendition of NOTE TO GOD.

http://music.yeucahat.com/song/English/54184-Note-To-God~Charice-Pempengco.html




:horse:

FilAm artist bags top award at Chicago Art Work festival

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 06/03/2009 12:55 PM

A Chicago-based Filipino American artist bagged the top award at the 4th Annual Highland Park Art Walk festival in Illinois, USA.

Fred DeAsis’ artwork titled “Trois Koi” is a 36” by 48” heavily textured acrylic impasto on hardwood. It is currently on display at Macy’s Department Store on Greenbay Road, Highland Park.

“Sharing our rich arts, culture and history to mainstream America is my way of giving back to the Philippines,” DeAsis said in a press statement.

The Art Walk officials announced the prestigious award on June 1, 2009. All juried artwork will be displayed in downtown Highland Park storefront windows for the whole month of June 2009.

The Highland Park Art Walk is a juried exhibition of artwork by top Illinois artists presented by Anatomically Correct Organization and is supported in part by the Highland Park CBD Alliance, a partnership of the downtown Property Owners Association, the City of Highland Park and Highland Park Chamber of Commerce.

“Mr. DeAsis is one of the most prolific Filipino artists around. His artworks are so distinctive in style, depth and color schemes,” said Manila-born Chicago artist Manny Aguilar, who has attended Fred DeAsis’ parol and kut-kut workshops.

“It is so tough competing in the art world arena. There are so many good artists to go head to head with. I’ve been in the art field for more than 10 years and have no ribbon yet. I am proud of Fred getting the top award. I am proud to be a Filipino,” Aguilar said.

Known for his Philippine cultural workshops and lectures, DeAsis is conducting a kut-kut art workshop during the “Gateway to the Philippines” celebration at the Chicago Children’s Museum in Navy Pier, Chicago on June 14, 2009.

DeAsis is the executive director of Asian American Arts and Culture Foundation, a director of Philippine American Cultural Foundation and the Arts Commissioner of the Village of Arlington Heights.

Reception and award ceremony will be held on June 6, 2009 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Las Palmas Restaurant, 474 Central Ave, Highland Park, Illinois.

as of 06/03/2009 12:55 PM

Fil-Am receives Purple Heart after serving in Afghanistan (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/june/04/yehey/top_stories/20090604top8.html)
By Jun Medina

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky: Filipino-American Marcus Lee Vasquez was recently awarded the Purple Heart and promoted to staff sergeant, days after returning from a year-long combat duty in Afghanistan’s war zone.

Vasquez, 26, and the eldest in a brood of seven is safely back with his wife and three sons at this sprawling camp, home of the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division.

He almost did not make it back after his unit under Army Capt. Thomas Kilbride, 29, was engaged in pitch battle in September last year with Taliban guerrillas while on routine patrol in the rugged mountain terrain of eastern Afghanistan, close to the border with Pakistan.

The battle was captured on video by CBS’ 60 Minutes Correspondent Lara Logan, who traveled with the troops for a month to what is called “wilderness.”

“It’s in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but desolate mountains stretching endlessly into the distance, until you drop onto a tiny patch of ground not much bigger than a football field in the heart of enemy territory,” said Logan.

Hot pursuit

Vasquez recalled that they were pursuing a band of guerrillas in a patch of cornfield when he was hit by hostile fire. “We knew that the enemy was out there, but you can’t easily see them, and we were going after them.”

He said he was shot in the shoulder, but luckily, the bullet passed straight through. He was quickly stabilized.
Within minutes medics aboard an Army chopper took Vasquez to one of the main US bases for treatment as the fighting continued.

Vasquez said fighting the Taliban guerrillas, who were believed to be closely linked with the al-Queda militants, was not easy because the enemy were more familiar with the terrain.

This fact was affirmed by his colleague, First Class Sgt. Anthony Barnes, 33, and a veteran of many wars.

“That’s the day we’ll remember. It’s the closest fight we’ve had,” Barnes said. “They were pretty well armed. Most of the time when these guys hit, they hit from a position of advantage to them. They don’t want to fight you on even terms, because they’ll lose.”
At least 12 enemy fighters were killed that day, according to the CBS report.

Proud papa

After receiving his promotion and the Purple Heart for being wounded in combat April said, Marcus flew to Las Vegas to visit his father, Carlito, who recently retired after 10 years of service in the US Army and another 10 years with the National Guard.

“I’m really proud of Marcus. He’s a fine man,” Carlito wrote in an email from Las Vegas where he keeps himself busy training his two younger sons in boxing.

He said Marcus was born on August 2, 1982, and I went to boot camp August 24, 1982 when I was 18 so I ended up paying for his birth not the Army,” he said, jokingly.

Father and son acknowledge the inherent dangers of combat duty, but both share in their belief that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were necessary in the fight against terrorism.

“I think it would be foolish to pull out the troops now,” said Marcus who said he constantly remembers his comrades who were still assigned to the war front.

Carlito, a veteran of Operation Desert Storm in Iraq, said the fight against terrorism has taken “another dimension” after the terrorist attacks of the World Trade Center nearly eight years ago.

Still, the elder Vasquez said he was very much relieved that Marcus, who is encouraged to try a military career, was back safely.

“You’ll never know how a parent feels for a child who is exposed to harm’s way in a foreign war,” Carlito said. “But as a former Army [soldier], I know the duty of a soldier is to defend freedom. And sometimes, you have to fight in distant lands to defend that freedom.”

Saturday, June 06, 2009


Filipino youth bag
outstanding science awards
By Angelo Cantera And James Konstantin Galvez, Reporter

To the four Filipino youth who took home awards from the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held in Reno, Nevada, age and economic standing is not a hindrance to success. Besting 1,563 students from 56 countries, Angeli Yap-Dy, 14, of Capiz National High School; Jovani Tomale, 16, of Davao City National High School; and the team of Kevin Jer David, 16, and Orven Jules Dumaoang, 16, of the Philippine Science High School Diliman Campus took home three awards and a collective cash prize of $2000 for research projects that exhibited the youths’ commitment to science and technology innovation.

“We salute our young scientists who again made the country proud in winning in the most prestigious international science fair. Congratulations too to Intel for being a strong partner of DepEd [Department of Education] in helping develop a culture of science, math and engineering research in our schools,” Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said.

Fish bile

Yap-Dy received a 2nd Special Award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, taking home a $1000 cash prize.

Her research, Study of the Cytotoxicity Against Human Lung (A549) and Colon (HCT116) Carcinomas, Antioxidant and Anti-Bacterial Properties of Milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskal) Bile, looked into the properties of milkfish bile as a potential anti-cancer drug.

“I was inspired to do this study since cancer is the number one killer disease that the whole world is experiencing today,” Yap-Dy told The Manila Times, adding that it took her one month to finish the project. “The best way to cure cancer is through chemotherapy. But, that is very expensive. So, it prompted me to conduct this study, which used small fish bile because it is considered as waste and it’s abundant.”

An incoming junior, Yap-Dy said that it took her about a month to complete her entire project. She also stated that she plans to continue this research because the judges from the Intel fair said that it is “very promising” and just needs to be furthered.

Sexing of RP eagles

Tomale, an incoming freshman scholar of Ateneo de Davao who will take up BS Accounting, also won a 2nd Special Award, this time from the American Statistical Association. He also won a cash prize of $500.

Tomale’s “Mathematical Models for the Gender Determination of Philippine Eagles [Pithecophaga jefferyi]” demonstrated a mathematical algorithm by which the gender of the Philippine Eagle could be determined. His study is expected to prove useful in the breeding of the endangered national bird.

“Actually, this study was out of a simple experience,” Tomale told The Times. “We had a field trip at the Philippine Eagle Foundation. I found out that they were having problems determining the genders of the eagles. That triggered me to find an effective and practical method of determining their gender because it is alarming that the Philippine eagles are endangered and people are having trouble breeding them.”

Tomale said it took him an entire year to finish the project because of financial hardship and lack of resources. He added, however, that these challenges persuaded him to continue as his findings would eventually benefit the endangered birds.

Sea weeds vs. disease

David and Dumaoang’s study, “Screening for Quorum Sensing Inhibitors from Surface-Associated Bacteria of Halymenia durvillaei,” looked into the process by which disease-causing bacteria communicate and how this communication process can be disrupted so that the bacteria becomes less resistant to antibiotics and cannot cause diseases.

Their study, which focused on the usefulness of red seaweeds in disrupting the method of communication of disease causing bacteria (quorum sensing), won for David and Dumaoang, both incoming freshmen at the University of the Philippines Manila, a Grand Award for the category of Plant Sciences and $500 for their team.

“There is a big problem right now regarding anti-biotic resistant bacteria,” Dumaoang told The Times. “Through our study, we found out that compounds that could isolate bacteria that actually renders them no longer resistant to antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to determine those compounds and maybe develop them into drugs.”

Questions, experiments

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is a prestigious pre-college science competition that annually brings together an estimated 1,600 young scientists from approximately 50 countries to share and reward their independent research, showcase cutting-edge science, and compete for nearly $4 million in awards and scholarships. More than 1,000 experts from all fields of science and engineering are selected to judge the exhibits and interact with the students. This year, nine Filipino delegates were sent to the said competition.

“The usual paradigm of students right now is that science is something that can only be learned from the classroom,” David told The Times. “That’s not true. We learned that the bulk of science is something that can be learned when you ask your own questions and design your experiments to find the answers. We really enjoyed these things.”

Inspiration for youth

Yap-Dy said, “I want this to be an inspiration for other Filipino youths because right now we need a lot of scientists and researchers. And it doesn’t even matter how young you are. All you have to do is work hard and keep learning.”

According to Intel Chairman Craig Barrett, “The real end point of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is to elevate the recognition of achievement of the younger generation in academic and learning exercises. I hope that more young people will look at these students and realize they can be recognized for using their brains. You don’t have to be a quarterback, a basketball player or a baseball player to be recognized by your peers and the public.”

Travel grant

Now in its 59th year, the Intel ISEF is the world’s only science project competition for students in the ninth through twelfth grades. Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, owns and has administered the International Science and Engineering Fair since its inception in 1950. In 1997, Intel became the title sponsor of the ISEF, providing heightened visibility to the fair, transforming the Intel ISEF into a world-renowned program with true international flavor and participation.

The embassy of the United States of America in Manila supported this year’s activity with a travel grant for one of the Philippine delegates to Intel ISEF.
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/june/06/yehey/metro/20090606met1.html

^^
ang galing nga
mag research ng
mga kid scientists
natin but i wish
ganun din kagaling magresearch
ang nagsulat ng article na 'to
:bash:


example:


Sea weeds vs. disease

David and Dumaoang’s study, “Screening for Quorum Sensing Inhibitors from Surface-Associated Bacteria of Halymenia durvillaei,” looked into the process by which disease-causing bacteria communicate and how this communication process can be disrupted so that the bacteria becomes less resistant to antibiotics and cannot cause diseases.

Their study, which focused on the usefulness of red seaweeds in disrupting the method of communication of disease causing bacteria (quorum sensing), won for David and Dumaoang, both incoming freshmen at the University of the Philippines Manila, a Grand Award for the category of Plant Sciences and $500 for their team.

it's only a 4th Award under Team Projects
not Plant Sciences. :bash: how could an
ISEF Grand Prize be worth just $500?

The article also gives us the impression
that our teams have bested everyone
at the fair when in fact all we've got
are "special awards" which are just
consolation prizes.

^^ nice catch:)

Amit first Pinay World 10-Ball champ (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=475252&publicationSubCategoryId=69)
By Joey Villar Updated June 07, 2009 12:00 AM

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/512/spo8.jpg
Rubilen Amit looks at the path of the ball in her semifinal game against Akimi Kajitani of Japan in the Women’s World 10-Ball Challenge at SM North EDSA. Joey Mendoza

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines' Rubilen Amit joined an elite group of Filipino world champions after she trounced two-time world titlist Liu Shin Mei of Chinese Taipei, 10-4, last night to rule the 2009 JBETpoker.net Women's World 10-Ball Championship at The Block of the SM North Edsa in Quezon City.

The diminutive Amit, 27, stood the tallest as she slew Liu, the 2006 Doha Asian Games gold medalist who reigned as world 9-ball queen in 1999 and 2004, with her superb shot-making to the delight of the appreciative weekend crowd.

After she sank the final ball, Amit knelt in triumph, got up, hugged Liu and shook hands as confetti fell on them. She became the first 10-ball champion ever in the event, which was a recent addition to the sport.

"Maraming salamat po, kayo ang ang nagpanalo sa akin (Thank you very much. I won because of you)," said Amit, who dedicated her triumph to her parents, patron Puyat Sports, and a certain "Tito Tolits" who recently passed away.

The win by the pocket-sized Filipina earned her a whopping purse of $20,000 while Liu pocketed $9,000.

She took the early initiative in the finals with a 6-3 lead. But Liu threatened, only to suffer a couple of miscues and allow the local favorite to take a 7-4 lead.

The crowd started to cheer loudly after Amit went ahead at 8-4 and louder when she sank a magical, double-rail shot on the No. 5 to reach the hill. It was all Amit in what proved to be the tournament’s final rack.

It was Amit's first international victory since falling short in the 2007 Amway World Women's 9-Ball Championship in Chinese Taipei where she finished second.

"I didn't expect to win. I only realized I won when I sank the final ball," said Amit, a three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist including a pair in the 2005 Manila Games.

More importantly, Amit joined the ranks of countrymen Efren "Bata" Reyes, Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano, who have won world titles in 9-ball and 8-ball.

Reyes, adored by many because of his skills and humble demeanor, won the 9-ball title in 1999 and 8-ball in 2004, Alcano the 9-ball and 8-ball titles in 2006 and 2007, respectively, and Pagulayan the 9-ball plum in 2004.

"It feels great being in that company," said Amit, who is now 2-1 in her head-to-head duel with Liu.

Earlier, Amit broke out of a close game by hitting the shots that mattered most to overcome a tough Akimi Kajitani of Japan, 9-6, in the semifinals.

Amit made it this far by trouncing a heavily favored Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee of the United States in a nerve-wracking 9-8 hill-hill quarterfinal victory late Friday.

Before that, the Cebu-born, Taguig-based Amit downed Julie Kelly of Ireland, 8-4, and Tan Hsiang Ling of Chinese Taipei, 8-3, in the first two rounds of the knockout phase also Friday.

It was her eighth straight triumph since opening her campaign with a 1-5 setback to world No. 1 Kelly Fisher of England, who was booted out in the quarters by Liu in another hill-hill win, 9-8.

Liu then humbled former many-time European 9-ball, 8-ball and straight pool champion Jasmine Ouschan of Austria, 9-6, in the semifinals to set up an interesting finale with Amit.

Kajitani advanced after stunning tournament top seed Karen Corr of Ireland, 9-7, in the quarters while Ouschan barge into the semis by turning back 18-year-old Korean beauty World No. 5 Yu Ram Cha, 9-7.

The two losing semifinalists will take home $5,000 each, while those who will made it to the quarterfinals won $3,000 each. The ninth to 16th placers will receive $1,500, while the 17th to 24th placers will get $1,000.

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/6462/genphoto1.jpg
Rubilen Amit holds her trophy in the Women’s World 10-Ball Championships held last night at SM North Edsa. Amit defeated Taiwanese Shin Mei Liu, 10-4, in the finals to become the first Filipino to rule the event. Joey Mendoza

^^ MABUHAY KA!!!:banana::cheers:

Batangas students win world singing contest (http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/youth/06/05/09/batangas-students-win-world-singing-contest)
By Sarita Kare

Arriving fresh from their victory in a singing contest in Malaysia, parents and teachers warmly welcomed 29 students of Sta.Teresa College (STC) in Bauan, Batangas on Friday morning.

The STC high school students, whose group is named the "STC Cherubims", won in the Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod, an international singing competition last May 30.

The Cherubims were very much delighted by their unexpected victory, since they faced tough competition from South East Asian countries.

Trainor Aurelio Manalo said what made them "soar above the rest" was their unique song choices, which were all in Filipino. They sang three songs in all, one of which is a spine-tingling Ilocano song titled "Gapas."

Manalo said the audience and judges were so impressed with the Filipino team's performance, that the Malaysian Choral Eistedfodd criteria system will be reformatted to higher standards in upcoming competitions.

He said it had been an eye-opener for the organizers because competition was previously easy.

The STC Cherubims have competed and won in many song competitons in Batangas province. Because of their recent victory, the group was invited as guest performers in Singapore at a competition in December.

:applause: :applause: :applause:

Just want to share this with you guys.

2 senior students of Caraga Regional Science High School were invited to the 109th American Society for Microbiology annual convention last may 17-21, 2009 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. USA to present their respective Research Paper.

DEBRA RUTH R.EDRADAN - Assessment of Mycorrlizal diversity and their Growth effects to Narra, Falcata, Mangium, Acacia auriculiformis and White Lawaan in the Rehabilitation of Suyoc Waste Dumpiste of Manila Mining corp. Placer, Surigao del Norte.

NINO PAOLO T. ONGLUICO - Antibactrial Toxicological and Phytochemical Screening of Kalinggay (cinnamomum mercadoi), Talisay (Terminalia catappa) and Sampa-sampalukan (Phyllanthus niruri).

The partner of Ongluico RHEA MII A. CRUZADO was not able to join the trip.

Research Adviser is Maria Ruth R. Edradan.

The reserach Papers won in the 2009 INTEL -Philippines Science Fair.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Not bad huh.:)

:cheers:

^^
ang galing nga
mag research ng
mga kid scientists
natin but i wish
ganun din kagaling magresearch
ang nagsulat ng article na 'to
:bash:


example:



it's only a 4th Award under Team Projects
not Plant Sciences. :bash: how could an
ISEF Grand Prize be worth just $500?

The article also gives us the impression
that our teams have bested everyone
at the fair when in fact all we've got
are "special awards" which are just
consolation prizes.

:lol: you could be a good, sharp editor :)

Batangas students win world singing contest (http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/youth/06/05/09/batangas-students-win-world-singing-contest)
By Sarita Kare

Arriving fresh from their victory in a singing contest in Malaysia, parents and teachers warmly welcomed 29 students of Sta.Teresa College (STC) in Bauan, Batangas on Friday morning.

The STC high school students, whose group is named the "STC Cherubims", won in the Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod, an international singing competition last May 30.

The Cherubims were very much delighted by their unexpected victory, since they faced tough competition from South East Asian countries.

Trainor Aurelio Manalo said what made them "soar above the rest" was their unique song choices, which were all in Filipino. They sang three songs in all, one of which is a spine-tingling Ilocano song titled "Gapas."

Manalo said the audience and judges were so impressed with the Filipino team's performance, that the Malaysian Choral Eistedfodd criteria system will be reformatted to higher standards in upcoming competitions.

He said it had been an eye-opener for the organizers because competition was previously easy.

The STC Cherubims have competed and won in many song competitons in Batangas province. Because of their recent victory, the group was invited as guest performers in Singapore at a competition in December.

:applause: :applause: :applause:

great...there are so many international award winning choral groups in the country - UP, Loboc children, Mandaluyong children, University of the Visayas, among others....:cheers: The STC Cherubims will perform in Singapore as guest performers. :)

Powerhouse talaga ang Pilipinas hindi lang sa Asia kung di sa buong mundo pagdating sa larangan ng musika.:)

Filipinos win online dance-video contest


By Walter Ang
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:37:00 06/07/2009

Filed Under: Dance, Arts and Culture and Entertainment, Awards and Prizes


MANILA, Philippines – Paul Morales and Myra Beltran recently won third place in the “Clytemnestra ReMash Challenge” organized by the Martha Graham Dance Company.

The worldwide contest involved downloading any of five solos featured in Graham’s 1958 masterwork, “Clytemnestra,” and “in any way imaginable, create a radically re-conceived, re-mashed short video.”

The video clips available online were from the company’s 2008 production of the 50th anniversary of Graham’s work based on the Trojan War.

The pair submitted a black-and-white entry titled “Clytemnestra-Manila ’58,” described as “a cinematic adaptation that delves into the motives and premeditation of a woman on the verge of committing a heinous crime...in a Manila closer to Graham’s time.”

The video (which can be viewed at www.clytemnestraproject.com) was shot, directed and edited by Morales with Beltran as the dancer.

Morales is artistic director of Airdance and Beltran is artistic director of Dance Forum. Beltran found out about the contest through her sister Ida, former Ballet Philippines executive director, now based in Canada.

“I thought it would be interesting for me to go into Graham’s choreographic mind, to get to be in her skin somewhat. I thought that would be very useful to me as a choreographer at this point where I already view things differently,” she says.

Process

Beltran had purchased a video projector last year and has since been exploring dance on video or dancing with video.

“My questions to myself as an artist, with the virtual world [being] so much the reality of people these days, is: Where is the body in technology? Do the performing arts, the live performing body, still have a validity when everyone is virtual? I have been trying to insert myself and my art into all of this and trying to understand it,” she says.

Morales had just finished directing the film “Concerto.”

“We were into experimenting with video and dance, it seemed logical to enter the contest. But we did it more as a lark, just for fun, and to try out my new camera, a Nikon D90 DSLR,” he says.

Their use of resources and time management were characteristically Pinoy, done with whatever was on hand, with a sense of humor. The video was shot one day before the deadline, in Beltran’s home, with no lighting equipment, and with her driver playing the role of Clytemnestra’s husband.

“He was slightly freaked out in the murder scene because I was using a real knife,” Beltran laughs. “The shoot was spontaneous, light and creative. It had an incredible and indomitable spirit behind it.”

Craft

The pair note, however, that the process was done with craft. Both worked under certain parameters.

“We wanted to create a Philippine presence in the competition. We were not making any pretensions about where we are coming from and what resources we had. We both have a reverence for Ms Martha and her work and her influence,” says Beltran. “Paul is a filmmaker and this is his great advantage, that he is both a dance and film artist. We could do a contemporary reading of Graham’s work that was adjusted for the camera’s eye.”

Morales adds: “We came up with the idea to re-shoot our entry in a ‘cinematic’ way. It was a bit contrary to the idea of the re-mash since most of the other entries used the original footage of the dances, but we went with the idea anyway. In that sense, it was really a pleasant surprise to win.”

Both dancer-choreographers are advocates of contemporary dance and acknowledge Graham’s strong influence on this form.

“Graham created a modern dance technique which had wide dissemination and was taught in most places,” says Beltran.

Both were former dancers of Ballet Philippines and exposed to Graham’s techniques through their teachers. Beltran trained under Norman Walker while Morales under Agnes Locsin.

“Graham was also a strong influence on Ballet Philippines founder Alice Reyes’ work,” says Morales.

Dance festival

Morales is the festival director of this year’s Wifi Body Festival (the only annual contemporary dance festival in the country), and this recent victory serves to further push his efforts in the use of video in dance.

“We always showed dance films in the past festivals, but this year, we have a dance-film competition. We believe that the future of dance includes film in a big way, either as an element in live work, as an end product you can easily and readily share to a wider market (through the Internet, for example), or as a collaborative frontier where the arts can meet and mix in new ways,” he says.

For details on the Wifi Body Festival’s dance-film competition, visit www.geocities.com/wifibody.

Brunei cites Jollibee as one of top employers (http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp/?p=5690)
Posted on June 8th, 2009 under Biz Progress

Jollibee Brunei was recently cited by the Ministry of Home Affairs as the top company in the food industry category in the first ever Exemplary Employer Awards held at Brunei’s International Convention Center. The awarding ceremony was part of the event Occupational Safety and Health organized by Brunei’s Labor Department.

The Exemplary Employer Awards was conceived by the Labor Department to become a source of encouragement and guidance for employers to pursue excellence in their organization while taking into account work safety and health. The award also considers a company’s adherence to their 70/30-employment requirement wherein 70 percent of employees hired should be locals. Jollibee Brunei won on the strength of their commitment to their Food quality, Service and Cleanliness (FSC) standards that ensure customer satisfaction and food and work safety. The company also has consistently complied with the Labor Department’s employment requirement and passed the criteria on food and people safety with flying colors.

Jollibee Brunei Country Operations Manager Joy Cortez was on hand to receive the award from Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Pahlawan Dato Paduka Awang Haji Dani. Jollibee Vice President for International Operations Dennis Flores said that the citation is a testament to all the hard work put in the company’s international expansion plans, and would serve to further motivate the Jollibee team to excel. “It is truly an amazing feat to be awarded in a foreign land and this speaks volumes of our efforts to become a global brand. This recognition will surely be an inspiration for all of us at Jollibee to continue its mission to bring great taste and happiness to everyone. We’ll double our efforts to maintain our strong market leadership here in Brunei”, he remarked.

Jollibee is currently the number one fastfood chain in Brunei, operating a total of 11 stores. It has endeared itself to both the Filipinos and locals in Brunei, with the stores’ warm ambience and excellent customer service, and serving all-time favorites like the Chickenjoy, Yumburgers and Jolly Spaghetti, as well as great-tasting food like the Nasi Lemak, Chicken Curry and Pita Sandwich that are attuned to the local taste.

^^ they must have adjusted the taste to cater to the Bruneians who love spicy food.

great...there are so many international award winning choral groups in the country - UP, Loboc children, Mandaluyong children, University of the Visayas, among others....:cheers: The STC Cherubims will perform in Singapore as guest performers. :)

Hi RonnieR, which show (and when) are the STC Cherubims going to perform as Guests?..I wanna watch them...

video featuring the philippine
hip-hop dance pride, the philippine
all-stars :D

JUJLPwgBl6Y

Brunei cites Jollibee as one of top employers (http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp/?p=5690)
Posted on June 8th, 2009 under Biz Progress

Jollibee Brunei was recently cited by the Ministry of Home Affairs as the top company in the food industry category in the first ever Exemplary Employer Awards held at Brunei’s International Convention Center. The awarding ceremony was part of the event Occupational Safety and Health organized by Brunei’s Labor Department.

The Exemplary Employer Awards was conceived by the Labor Department to become a source of encouragement and guidance for employers to pursue excellence in their organization while taking into account work safety and health. The award also considers a company’s adherence to their 70/30-employment requirement wherein 70 percent of employees hired should be locals. Jollibee Brunei won on the strength of their commitment to their Food quality, Service and Cleanliness (FSC) standards that ensure customer satisfaction and food and work safety. The company also has consistently complied with the Labor Department’s employment requirement and passed the criteria on food and people safety with flying colors.

Jollibee Brunei Country Operations Manager Joy Cortez was on hand to receive the award from Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Pahlawan Dato Paduka Awang Haji Dani. Jollibee Vice President for International Operations Dennis Flores said that the citation is a testament to all the hard work put in the company’s international expansion plans, and would serve to further motivate the Jollibee team to excel. “It is truly an amazing feat to be awarded in a foreign land and this speaks volumes of our efforts to become a global brand. This recognition will surely be an inspiration for all of us at Jollibee to continue its mission to bring great taste and happiness to everyone. We’ll double our efforts to maintain our strong market leadership here in Brunei”, he remarked.

Jollibee is currently the number one fastfood chain in Brunei, operating a total of 11 stores. It has endeared itself to both the Filipinos and locals in Brunei, with the stores’ warm ambience and excellent customer service, and serving all-time favorites like the Chickenjoy, Yumburgers and Jolly Spaghetti, as well as great-tasting food like the Nasi Lemak, Chicken Curry and Pita Sandwich that are attuned to the local taste.


I wish ganito rin ang quality of service nila dito.

^^^^^^

Galing ng Pinoy!!!:cheers::cheers::)

Indeed, A world class Pinoy Brand and truly a Pinoy Multinational brand!:cheers::)

I wish ganito rin ang quality of service nila dito.

well patawarin mo na rin yung ibang kahera lalo na yung baguhan.

well patawarin mo na rin yung ibang kahera lalo na yung baguhan.

Correct. marami akong kilalang crew ng Jollibee mga struggling working students...

Sana habaan na lang natin pacensya sa kanila...na kahit ako minsan napipikon sa bagal pero cool pa rin dahil alam ko mahirap at maliit lang suweldo nila....

Tsaka ganyan din ako nung nagsisimula....

Brunei cites Jollibee as one of top employers (http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp/?p=5690)
Posted on June 8th, 2009 under Biz Progress

Jollibee is currently the number one fastfood chain in Brunei, operating a total of 11 stores. It has endeared itself to both the Filipinos and locals in Brunei, with the stores’ warm ambience and excellent customer service, and serving all-time favorites like the Chickenjoy, Yumburgers and Jolly Spaghetti, as well as great-tasting food like the Nasi Lemak, Chicken Curry and Pita Sandwich that are attuned to the local taste.

Nasi Lemak, Chicken Curry and Pita Sandwich hehehehe love the localization of Jollibee products in their host country.


There's no excuse for being worthless in the workplace.

MADRID - Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa were awarded Monday a top prize in Spain for their efforts to promote the Spanish language and culture, the jury said.

Arroyo was granted the Don Quixote of the Mancha Award for her government's decision to reintroduce Spanish language training at public schools in the Philippines, a former Spanish colony of around 100 million people.

The jury said Llosa, one of Latin America's best known authors, was awarded the prize for his "mastery and creative use" of the Spanish language.

Arroyo won the prize for "best institutional contribution" while Llosa won it for "outstanding individual career". They will officially receive the award at a ceremony held in Toledo, Spain's picturesque former capital, in October.

The award was given out last year for the first time and it carries a cash prize of 25,000 euros (35,000 dollars) for each winner. It is financed by the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha and the private Fundacion Santillana.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the award in 2008 for his decision to make Spanish language education mandatory in public schools in Brazil, the only Portuguese-speaking nation in Latin America, while Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes won it for boosting the heritage of Spanish.

In 1987 the Philippines abolished Spanish as one of its official languages as well as a requirement that college students had learn it.

The language has since largely vanished from everyday use in the Southeast Asian nation, with English and the local languages now commonly used.

Unlike in Madrid's colonies in Latin America, the Spanish language was never as widespread in the Philippines, mainly because of the small number of Spanish settlers in the archipelago.

English was introduced to the country when it passed from Spanish to American control after the Spanish-American war of 1898.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/08/09/arroyo-peruvian-author-win-spanish-prize

Nasi Lemak, Chicken Curry and Pita Sandwich hehehehe love the localization of Jollibee products in their host country.


There's no excuse for being worthless in the workplace.
Nasi lemak is so delicious. I think it's originally from Malaysia. The one in Indonesia is Nasi Udok. Both with coconut sauce/juice.

Hi RonnieR, which show (and when) are the STC Cherubims going to perform as Guests?..I wanna watch them...

I'm not sure of the location...it says performance is in December pa.

Philippine team 3rd in US math tilt (http://mb.com.ph/articles/206592/philippine-team-3rd-us-math-tilt)
By JONATHAN M. HICAP

Filipino high school students bagged third place in the International Regions Mathematics League (IRML) contest held in Las Vegas, Nevada recently.

A fourth year high school student from Zamboanga was also awarded a gold medal for being the top scorer from the Philippine team in the contest, which was held at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas (UNLV).

Two students from Laguna were also part of the 14-member Philippine team, which also included students from Metro Manila, Dumaguete, Zamboanga, Iloilo and Bacolod City.

Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines, said the Philippine team’s score was better than in last year’s performance.

“We are happy with their performance this year. The IRML is a warm-up for Filipino students who are slated to compete in different international math contests this year,” he said.

Chua identified the Filipino gold medalist as Zheng Rong Wu, a student of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, a Chinese school in Zamboanga City.

The Philippine delegation to the Las Vegas contest was headed by team leaders Rechilda Villame and Misael Jose Fisico, and Dr. Ofelia Sison, deputy team leader.

Chua said that besides Zheng, the other members of the Philippine team were Jomar Anthony Sastrillo of Siliman University, Matthew Chris Chan of St. Stephens High School, Ralph Joshua Sarrosa of Angelicum School de Iloilo, Ricci Ryan Rojo of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Hanz Vladimir Cabanes of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Maria Moper Dionaleigh Nunez of Philippine Science High School Main, Charles Kyle Mupas of Colegio San Agustin in Laguna, Dennis Ong Betito Jr. of Philippine Science High School Main, Noelle Paola Santos of Philippine Science High School Main, Geomarie Concepcion of Philippine Science High School Main, Misaki Ueki of Canossa Academy in Laguna, John Ostin Ong of Trinity High School in Bacolod City, and Ralph Henry Kimoden of Quezon City Science High School.

MTG trains and sends Filipino students to different international math competitions including the IRML.

Chua said the IRML is part of the American Regions Mathematics League (ARML) contest which is for American teams. The IRML is for international teams that compete in the contest.

The IRML has two categories: The on-site contest where international teams like the Philippines take the test in the United States and the correspondence contest where international teams take the contest in their home countries.

Chua said the contest has four parts: the Team Round competition, Power Question, Individual Round and the Relay Round.

The Philippine delegation arrived in the country over the weekend.

RP student scientists shine in Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=476492&publicationSubCategoryId=442)
By Patricia Estevez

MANILA, Philippines – Fourteen-year old Angeli Joyce Dy is not your typical teenager who whiles away her time shopping in malls. At 13, she’s pouring over thick science books and spending her summer at the laboratory of the University of the Philippines (UP) Institute of Biology, testing the anti-cancer, anti-bacterial properties from the bile of the milkfish (bangus).

Unlike most girls her age, Angeli, an incoming third year high school junior at the Capiz National High School, has been going back and forth to the regional office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Capiz and SIFDEC library in Iloilo to make an in-depth and extensive research on her subject.

Angeli has stumbled upon an existing study on the potential anti-cancer properties of the milkfish bile and wanted to pursue this because in her own words “I want to help contribute in finding a cure to a widespread and global disease such as cancer.”

Her study recently took center stage when Angeli received the second special award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry for her research project, “Cytotoxicity Against Human Lung (A549) and Colon (HCT116) Carcinomas, Antioxidant and Anti-Bacterial properties of Milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskal) Bile” at the recently-concluded Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Reno, Nevada.

Aside from Angeli, three other young students’ works were recognized at the prestigious Intel-ISEF, considered by many around the world as the High School “Nobel Prize”.

Sixteen-year old Jovani Tomale, a fourth year high school from the Davao City National High School in Davao del Sur, also took a second special award from the American Statistical Association for his mathematical models for the gender determination of Philippine eagles.

Tomale is an incoming freshman at the Ateneo de Davao.

Philippine Science High School graduates 16-year olds Kevin Jer David and Orven Jules Dumaoang, garnered a grand award in the plant sciences category. Their study, screening for “Quorum Sensing Inhibitors from Surface-Associated Bacteria of Halymenia Durvillaei”, looked into the process by which disease-causing bacteria communicate and how they become less resistant to antibiotics and cannot cause diseases.

A total of 1,563 young scientists from 56 countries, regions and territories participated in the Intel-ISEF competition.

‘Practical and useful’

Jovani considers his study, “Mathematical Models for Gender Determination of Philippine Eagles”, a practical and useful application in ascertaining the gender of one of the most precious treasures of the country.

In his native Davao where Philippine eagles are endemic, he remembers hearing in a forum that there’s really no set method to determine the gender of the Philippine eagle.

A wave of inspiration came over him and with the help of an adviser, led him to develop a mathematical equation to determine the gender of the Philippine eagle.

Jovani was also thinking about conserving and preserving the endangered eagle when he conceptualized the mathematical algorithm. He was very happy that his study was noticed and recognized in Intel-ISEF competition.

Kevin and Orven, for their part, also took an interest in their study “how certain bacteria communicate,” because they know it could contribute in further studies to develop drugs, particularly antibiotics that are not anti-resistant.

“We did this study because at the back of our minds, we want to help develop drugs that will combat diseases, and perhaps make drugs that are effective, especially now, we know that there are a lot of bacterial anti-resistant drugs,” said Orven.

A true love for science

Angeli admitted that it has not been a walk in the park pursuing her study but stressed that she did this not out of pressure to do something or win an award but because she truly loves science, a passion that Jovani, Kevin and Orven also share.

Kevin said “science takes you out of the classroom and helps you learn not books and facts but experimenting.”

“Science is fun. It is discovery. When we have questions and we want to prove it and find the solution, you get to devise solutions to problems like ano ba nangyayari, how can we solve this,” Kevin said. Orven agreed: “You get to enjoy science because you don’t just memorize, you experience it yourself. In our school, we do a lot of researching, experimenting and it’s been fun.”

Education Undersecretary Vilma Labrador said there is no dearth of young, talented science and math wizards in the Philippines.

“This is a proof, the four students’ recognition and talent, that Filipino students indeed can excel, and there are a lot of students like the Intel-Isef winners in the provinces. We have a pipeline of scientists in the making,” Labrador said. She also said that there have been a dozen Intel-ISEF winners since 1997, a proof of the brilliance of many Pinoy students.

Their message to young people?

“We encourage students, the youth, to venture into science research. Our country needs a lot of scientists and engineers to also help it move forward,” they said.

sana sa international math olympiad maganda rin ang performance nila. the last time we break in to the medal standing was in the 80's. ang thailand sobrang ganda na ng performance.

A Filipino Coming Out Story

oSnOj6hCZI8

Pinoy kids win Las Vegas Chess & Math titles

Filipino kids triumphed in various competitions overseas. Stephen Rome Pangilinan emerged as the Overall Champion in his division at the Las Vegas International Chess Festival.

Zheng Rong Wu, A fourth year high school student from Zamboanga was awarded the gold medal for being the top scorer of the Philippine team in the International Regions Mathematics League (IRML) contest held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Philippine delegation finished third overall.

At age six, Stephen bested 36 other competitors in the Susan Polgar under eight-year-old division. He won first place after garnering a total of 5 points.

When asked why he became triumphant, he said: “Kasi po ginamit ko yung pamatay kong opening.” Pangilinan’s coach Milagros Emparado said that while the prize money his ward won was not that much, the honor given by the young chess player to the Philippines is enough.

Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines, said the Philippine team’s score was better than last year’s performance, and the Filipino gold medalist is a student of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, a Chinese school.

Besides Zheng Rong Wu, the other members of the Philippine team were Jomar Anthony Sastrillo of Siliman University, Matthew Chris Chan of St. Stephens High School, Ralph Joshua Sarrosa of Angelicum School de Iloilo, Ricci Ryan Rojo of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Hanz Vladimir Cabanes of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Maria Moper Dionaleigh Nunez of Philippine Science High School Main, Charles Kyle Mupas of Colegio San Agustin in Binan, Laguna, Dennis Ong Betito Jr. of Philippine Science High School Main, Noelle Paola Santos of Philippine Science High School Main, Geomarie Concepcion of Philippine Science High School Main, Misaki Ueki of Canossa Academy in Laguna, John Ostin Ong of Trinity High School in Bacolod City, and Ralph Henry Kimoden of Quezon City Science High School.

:cheers:

;38161970']A Filipino Coming Out Story

oSnOj6hCZI8

Proudly Pinoy!

12 outstanding Filipinos honored in Qatar (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/gma/20090617/tph-12-outstanding-filipinos-honored-in-ac8c905.html)
GMANews.TV - Thursday, June

MANILA, Philippines - Office secretary Edward Tan found 30,000 Qatari riyals or almost P400,000 at a parking lot in Doha, Qatar and decided to return the money to the authorities.

His honest gesture was not left unnoticed. The Philippine Independence Organizing Committee honored Tan and 11 other Filipinos during the opening ceremony of the Philippine Independence Day celebrations at the Hyatt Plaza in Doha last June 12.

“It never came to my mind to keep the cash to myself. My conscience compelled me to return the amount to the right person. I never really wanted to publicize this story but my company…thought that the public should know about it," Tan told the Qatar Tribune.

Tan is the executive secretary of the human resources manager of Oryx GTL. He has been living in Qatar for almost 19 years now. Aside from Tan, the Peninsula Qatar reported that eight Filipina nurses from Rumaillah Hospital’s Male Plastic Surgery Ward were also honored for their efforts in saving a Filipino truck driver from amputation.

Had it not been for the eight nurses — Jewel Pinili, the head nurse, Marie Vera Donasco, Mary Ann Torres, Kirk Sabularse, Shiela de la Joya, Divina de los Reyes, Neverlyn Jaji, and Albert Tabunda — the Filipino patient, Gilvencio Lamor, would have lost one of his legs.

In addition, singer and concert organizer Judi Azur Estrada was cited for her contribution in the field of art. She performs free in events organized for humanitarian causes.

Arabian Quest International General Manager Luchie Acerden Garcia, who owns a chain of restaurants in Qatar, was recognized for excelling in business.

Filipino chess player Agustin Tabol, currently the highest rated Filipino chess player in Qatar, was honored for his contribution in sports. He is the founder of the Filipino Chess Players’ League in Qatar. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV

GMA-7 wins 3 awards in US Film & Video fest (http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp/?p=5821)

GMA Network’s News and Public Affairs has once again brought the Philippine broadcasting industry global recognition. One of the country’s leading broadcasters won 3 major awards in the recently concluded US International Film and Video Festival (USIFVF).

Reporter’s Notebook’s “Lunok-Droga” (Filipino Drug Mules) won the Silver Screen Award in the Social Issues Production-Documentary Category.

The documentary is hosted by Jiggy Manicad who traveled to Kuala Lumpur to witness the sting operation jointly conducted by Philippine and Malaysian policemen to arrest members of a Nigerian drug syndicate.

Another Reporter’s Notebook documentary, “Pinays for Export” received a Certificate for Creative Excellence in the same category. The episode featured the human trafficking of Filipino women not just in the Philippines but to the neighboring countries as well such as Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macau.

And finally, Jay Taruc’s documentary “Batang Langoy” (Child Swimmers) won for I-Witness a Certificate for Creative Excellence also in the Social Issues category.

It documented the struggle of the Magalumbi island children, who swim a two-kilometer stretch everyday just to be able to go to school.

Last year, GMA 7 brought home 7 awards from the prestigious award-winning body which was founded in 1967 and is one of the world’s leading international events devoted exclusively to recognition of outstanding documentaries among others.

Pacquiao 6th on list of richest athletes



Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:42:00 06/19/2009

Filed Under: Pacquiao, Newspaper & Magazines, People, Celebrities

FROM ring icon to global superstar. From multimillionaire to billionaire.

Manny Pacquiao affirmed his status as one of the brightest lights in the boxing firmament with his first ever appearance on Forbes Magazine’s list of world’s highest-paid athletes this year.

Cashing in mainly on his devastating victories over former boxing Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and British idol Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao ranked sixth in Forbes’ elite cast with estimated earnings of $40 million (about P1.9 billion) from June 2008 to June 2009. Atop the list was golfer Tiger Woods.

The 30-year-old Pacquiao, the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, emerged tied in earnings with current NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and golfer Phil Mickelson, just a shade under soccer glamour boy David Beckham ($42 million).

Forbes is a prestigious business magazine. It describes itself on its website as “a leading Internet media company [that] is among the most trusted resources for the world’s business and investment leaders,” providing reports on business, technology, investing and lifestyle and the databases, such as the annual Forbes Lists, among others.

More money than Federer

In an article written by Kurt Badenhausen, Woods wound up the runaway top grosser for the eighth straight year with $110 million. That amount was below Woods’ $115 million overall earnings last year but nearly 2 1/2 times more than what joint second placers Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Kimi Raikkonen earned.

Bryant, main man of the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, the basketball legend Jordan and the Finnish Formula One driver Raikkonen grossed $45 million each.

Surprisingly, Pacquiao earned more than tennis star Roger Federer, who won the French Open last month for his 14th Grand Slam title. With $33 million to his credit, Federer was tied with the Phoenix Suns’ Shaquille O’Neal.

De La Hoya fight

Pacquiao is estimated to have gotten at least $20 million, including pay per view (PPV) shares, for making De La Hoya quit on his stool after the eighth round last Dec. 6. De La Hoya, who still made the list with $32 million, eventually announced his retirement early this year.

Pacquiao, who was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America as its Fighter of the Year on June 12 in New York, went on with a two-round demolition of Hatton on May 2, raking in a guaranteed purse of $12 million plus a yet to be announced PPV share.

Also included in Pacquiao’s coffers were the $3-to-$5 million he got for knocking out former World Boxing Council lightweight champion David Diaz in nine rounds last June 28.

Other millionaires

Other athletes on the list confined to those who earned at least $30 million were motorcyclist Valentino Rossi ($35M), Nascar superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($34M), Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton ($32M), New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez ($32M), golfer Vijay Singh ($31M), Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett ($31M), Nascar driver Jeff Gordon ($30M), New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter ($30M) and two-time football Player of the Year Ronaldinho ($30M) of AC Milan.

Another huge paycheck awaits Pacquiao when he returns to the ring on Nov. 14, most likely against WBC welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

A megabuck bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is also on the horizon for Pacquiao, who is already considered the best Asian and best southpaw fighter ever and is a cinch to enter boxing’s Hall of Fame.

Beyond sports
Earlier this year, Forbes Magazine also put Pacquiao on its roster of world’s most powerful celebrities, ranking him 57th. The roster was headed by actress Angelina Jolie, television host Oprah Winfrey and singer-performer Madonna.

Time Magazine has also put Pacquiao, who has won five world crowns in as many divisions, on its own list of the world’s most influential people.

No other Filipino appeared on the three rosters, a testament to Pacquiao’s universal recognition that goes beyond the realm of sports. Roy Luarca

Pacquiao 6th on list of richest athletes



Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:42:00 06/19/2009

Filed Under: Pacquiao, Newspaper & Magazines, People, Celebrities

FROM ring icon to global superstar. From multimillionaire to billionaire.

Manny Pacquiao affirmed his status as one of the brightest lights in the boxing firmament with his first ever appearance on Forbes Magazine’s list of world’s highest-paid athletes this year.

Cashing in mainly on his devastating victories over former boxing Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and British idol Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao ranked sixth in Forbes’ elite cast with estimated earnings of $40 million (about P1.9 billion) from June 2008 to June 2009. Atop the list was golfer Tiger Woods.

The 30-year-old Pacquiao, the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, emerged tied in earnings with current NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and golfer Phil Mickelson, just a shade under soccer glamour boy David Beckham ($42 million).

Forbes is a prestigious business magazine. It describes itself on its website as “a leading Internet media company [that] is among the most trusted resources for the world’s business and investment leaders,” providing reports on business, technology, investing and lifestyle and the databases, such as the annual Forbes Lists, among others.

More money than Federer

In an article written by Kurt Badenhausen, Woods wound up the runaway top grosser for the eighth straight year with $110 million. That amount was below Woods’ $115 million overall earnings last year but nearly 2 1/2 times more than what joint second placers Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Kimi Raikkonen earned.

Bryant, main man of the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, the basketball legend Jordan and the Finnish Formula One driver Raikkonen grossed $45 million each.

Surprisingly, Pacquiao earned more than tennis star Roger Federer, who won the French Open last month for his 14th Grand Slam title. With $33 million to his credit, Federer was tied with the Phoenix Suns’ Shaquille O’Neal.

De La Hoya fight

Pacquiao is estimated to have gotten at least $20 million, including pay per view (PPV) shares, for making De La Hoya quit on his stool after the eighth round last Dec. 6. De La Hoya, who still made the list with $32 million, eventually announced his retirement early this year.

Pacquiao, who was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America as its Fighter of the Year on June 12 in New York, went on with a two-round demolition of Hatton on May 2, raking in a guaranteed purse of $12 million plus a yet to be announced PPV share.

Also included in Pacquiao’s coffers were the $3-to-$5 million he got for knocking out former World Boxing Council lightweight champion David Diaz in nine rounds last June 28.

Other millionaires

Other athletes on the list confined to those who earned at least $30 million were motorcyclist Valentino Rossi ($35M), Nascar superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($34M), Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton ($32M), New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez ($32M), golfer Vijay Singh ($31M), Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett ($31M), Nascar driver Jeff Gordon ($30M), New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter ($30M) and two-time football Player of the Year Ronaldinho ($30M) of AC Milan.

Another huge paycheck awaits Pacquiao when he returns to the ring on Nov. 14, most likely against WBC welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

A megabuck bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is also on the horizon for Pacquiao, who is already considered the best Asian and best southpaw fighter ever and is a cinch to enter boxing’s Hall of Fame.

Beyond sports
Earlier this year, Forbes Magazine also put Pacquiao on its roster of world’s most powerful celebrities, ranking him 57th. The roster was headed by actress Angelina Jolie, television host Oprah Winfrey and singer-performer Madonna.

Time Magazine has also put Pacquiao, who has won five world crowns in as many divisions, on its own list of the world’s most influential people.

No other Filipino appeared on the three rosters, a testament to Pacquiao’s universal recognition that goes beyond the realm of sports. Roy Luarca

Congrats to Pacquiao...the only filipino who made that...

Filipino band makes waves in Austria

By Hector Pascua, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau, Vienna, Austria | 06/18/2009 11:49 PM


An all-Filipino band is making a name in the Austrian Society-Circle.

Lyle Moralde, drummer and singer of the Ambassadors Band is very proud to say that the five-member band is the first Filipino professional band that performs regularly in the Eden Bar, a prestigious bar and restaurant in the heart of Vienna, where only the rich and famous from all over Europe could come in.

“We have been singing in this bar during the last 15 years already – from Monday to Saturday. If the customers or the management are not satisfied with our music, matagal na sana kaming sinibak dito,” Lyle told ABS-CBN news.

Rolly Argao, guitarist and singer of the Ambassadors Band adds, “We sing all kinds of music, but the customers find our repertoire of mixed jazz, blues and pop very exciting. This is the reason why they keep on coming back because of our flexibility in this field.”

“I salute the Ambassador Band, not only because of their great music and excellent performance in the bar but because of their ability to interact. They are very approachable and very friendly,” Franco Andolfo, a popular Austro-Italian singer who regularly performed at the Eden Bar before the Filipino band was hired. Andolfo still sings now and then with the band.

The band was formed 20 years ago. They are the Pinoy pioneers in Austria in this field. Lyle Moralde and Rolly Argao are the original members of the band. Band members come and go but Lyle and Rolly intend to develop other Pinoy talents by including their talented kababayans in the band. Ludi Abanico and Tata Lagmata, who joined the band affirmed the intention of the band pioneers.

“I was in Scandinavia before coming to Austria. I had the chance to be a part of the band upon the invitation of Rolly and Lyle. I am very glad to included here and my co-band members are very supportive,” Tata Lagmata, keyboard expert said. “We are not only rendering professional service to the bare clients but we act as one family,” contended Ludi, the lone female vocalist.

Patience, hard work and dedication to one’s profession coupled with good relationship with fellowmen are the foundation of the band.

“If becoming a good musician or you want to be successful, you should have a great passion and respect for your chosen profession and be ready to work hard. To become successful takes hard work, dedication, passion, and a lot of training. Your efforts will pay off big time,” Rolly Argao’s advice to his fellow Pinoys.
as of 06/18/2009 11:49 PM

10 Rizal monuments around the world—Gordon (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20090619-211392/10-Rizal-monuments-around-the-worldGordon)


MANILA, Philippines—National hero Dr. Jose Rizal is recognized in many parts of the world for his intelligence and heroism, earning him at least 10 Rizal monuments in four continents around the world, Senator Richard Gordon said Friday.

At the commemoration of Rizal’s 148th birthday, the senator paid tribute to the national hero.

“Jose Rizal showed us that even if we were colonized by foreign nations, we can refuse to be bound by them, by having a vision and strengthening our values. He showed that Filipinos could excel and compete with the best,” he said in a statement.

“Jose Rizal was the first Filipino to break the walls in his mind, walls which were built by the foreign invaders. Other countries also recognize his heroism and have chosen to erect monuments in his honor,” he added.

Gordon pointed out that Filipinos should be proud that other nations recognize that Rizal’s short but meaningful life is an ideal model which shows that a person can achieve far beyond what he may seem to reach if only he has a vision and strives hard to achieve it.

He welcomed the development of a Rizal Park in New South Wales, Australia as a fitting tribute to Rizal’s heroism. (Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs said a 2.2-hectare property in the city of Campbelltown, New South Wales will be developed to become the Rizal Park in Australia. It was through the initiative of a group of Filipino-Australians and their friends who petitioned the city council of Campbelltown to name it Rizal Park. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave A$120,000 for the initial construction of the park while the Campbelltown city council will provide another A$140,000.)

Aside from the park being built in Australia, he said there are monuments in Rizal’s honor in Madrid, Spain; Wilhelmsfeld, Germany; Jinjiang, Fujian, China; Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey; San Diego, California; and Seattle, Washington; Reforma Avenue in Mexico City, Mexico; La Molina in Lima, Peru; Litomerice, Czech Republic; and Singapore.

Guided by the values inculcated by Rizal, Gordon started the Bagumbayan Movement which seeks to rediscover and revitalize the Filipino identity by having a vision grounded on values and empowered by volunteerism.

He explained that the Bagumbayan movement aims to regain the Filipinos’ sense of responsibility, to reinvent the government that it may faithfully perform its duty to serve and protect the people, to fortify law and order, and to build a strong and growing economy.

It also strives to prioritize education, provide adequate health care, create jobs, assist people in securing homes and land, strengthen the family as the foundation of the nation, and protect and preserve the environment for posterity.

Congrats to Pacquiao...the only filipino who made that...

I don't know if we should really be proud of being a Filipino because he's the only Filipino who made it to top 10's highly paid athlete - that would be shallow. I'm proud of him because his achievements are extraordinary that inspires everybody, not just Filipinos but not because he is Filipino.

I don't know if we should really be proud of being a Filipino because he's the only Filipino who made it to top 10's highly paid athlete - that would be shallow. I'm proud of him because his achievements are extraordinary that inspires everybody, not just Filipinos but not because he is Filipino.

Too shallow for you but not for other 'shallow' people. Hahahaha.:cheers:. If you quit your philosophising, man, and stop rationalizing this Filipino pride. We are a pride-starved people, so maybe we should not begrudge ourselves of this Filipino-centered view. So long as it's healthy pride.

Too shallow for you but not for other 'shallow' people. Hahahaha.:cheers:. If you quit your philosophising, man, and stop rationalizing this Filipino pride. We are a pride-starved people, so maybe we should not begrudge ourselves of this Filipino-centered view. So long as it's healthy pride.

Sometimes, the inherent defect in individual or cultural character gets revealed by questioning the status quo.

30TH BANFF WORLD TELEVISION AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
http://www.banff2009.com/media.releases.php?mid=60
Winners of the Banff World Television Awards (“The Rockies”), presented by Canwest, were announced tonight at the 30th edition of the Banff World Television Festival, taking place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel until June 10, 2009.

“Featuring the prestigious Banff World Television Awards program competition on the first night of BANFF is a great way to kick off the Festival. All of the nominees this year represent outstanding television production and I wish to extend heartfelt congratulations to the winners of this year’s ‘Rockies,’” says Peter Vamos, BANFF Executive Director.
The 2009 ‘Rockies’ were redesigned and restructured by Georges Leclere, Director of the Program Competition. For the first time, there are two Banff World Television Awards ceremonies – the category awards announced tonight while the Grand Prize winners will be announced during the second ceremony on Monday June 8th.

"The exceptional quality of the 23 Categories winners, once again, shows the power of attraction of the Banff World TV Festival worldwide,” comments Georges Leclere. “We are honored to present winners with the ‘Rockie’ the trophy that truly inspires excellence in international television and represents a great generation of promising producers and directors."

Chosen from over 800 entries, the 130 category nominees represented 29 countries. Hosted by ‘E! News Weekend’s’ Arisa Cox the awards were handed out to the 23 category winners. The Interactive category Awards were handed out during BANFF’s sister conference, nextMEDIA Banff, on Saturday, June 6, 2009.

The 2009 Banff World Television Festival Category Winners:

Animation Programs – In partnership with Starz Animation Toronto
I Met The Walrus
Entrant: Bravo!
Country: Canada

Arts & Performing Arts Documentaries - In partnership with The Banff Centre
The Curse of the Mona Lisa
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK

Children's Programs
Habib: The meaning of life/The ghost in the basement
Entrant: SVT- Sveriges Television
Country: Sweden

Comedy Programs – In partnership with William F. White International
Beautiful People
Entrant: BBC
Country: UK

Continuing Series & Serial Programs - In partnership with the Shaftesbury
Lost: The Constant
Entrant: ABC Studios
Country: USA

Environmental Programs – In partnership with NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.)
Frontline: Heat
Entrant: PBS International
Country: USA

History & Biography Programs - In partnership with Rogers Communications Inc.
Paris 1919
Entrant: National Film Board of Canada
Country: Canada

Investigative & Current Affairs Programs – In partnership with Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Co.
Oil for Fraud
Entrant: Maha Productions
For: ARTE
Country: France

Lifestyle & Information Programs – In partnership with INSINC
Family Restaurant: The Quons (Be Bold)
Entrant: Anaid Productions Inc.
For: Food Network Canada
Country: Canada

Made for TV Movies - In partnership with Sony of Canada Ltd.
Skirt Day
Entrant: ARTE France
Country: France

Mini-Series - In partnership with Deluxe Vancouver | Toronto
John Adams
Entrant: Home Box Office (HBO)
Country: USA

Music or Variety Programs – In partnership with Shure Incorporated
Peter Kay’s Britain’s Got the Pop Factor
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK

Political Documentaries – In partnership with DGC - BC
Dispatches – Warlords Next Door?
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK

Popular Science & Technology Programs - In Partnership with SAIT Polytechnic
Inuit Odyssey
Entrant: Clearwater Media
For: CBC Television and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
Country: Canada

Reality Format Programs - In partnership with CBC/Radio-Canada
Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts
Entrant: BBC
Country: UK

Social & Humanitarian Programs - In partnership with Searchlight Recruitment Inc.
The Qur’an
Entrant: Juniper Communications Ltd.
For: Channel 4
Country: UK

Sports Documentaries – In partnership with PBS International
Thriller in Manila
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK

Sports Entertainment Programs
CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada
Entrant: CBC Television
Country: Canada

Telenovela Programs – In partnership with Quebec Film & Television Council
The Wolf (Lobo)
Entrant: ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation
Country: Philippines

Wildlife & Natural History Programs - In partnership with PBS International
Titus: The Gorilla King
Entrant: Tigress Productions
For: BBC and WNET
Country: UK

Youth Programs
Battlefront
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK

Interactive Categories:
Immersive Entertainment - In partnership with TELUS
BITWORLD - Rescue Toya!
Entrant: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.)
Country: Japan

Original Online Programs - In partnership with Government of Alberta & Alberta Film
Gaza-Sderot: life in spite of everything
Entrant: Bo Travail in association with Alma Films, Trabelsi Productions, Ramattan Studio, Upian.com
Country: France

Has anyone noticed that STAR World's station ID was shot in Makati? The area of Ayala Tower One area is pretty telegenic.

Too shallow for you but not for other 'shallow' people. Hahahaha.:cheers:. If you quit your philosophising, man, and stop rationalizing this Filipino pride. We are a pride-starved people, so maybe we should not begrudge ourselves of this Filipino-centered view. So long as it's healthy pride.

Sometimes, the inherent defect in individual or cultural character gets revealed by questioning the status quo.

shallow or deep - it's up to you...the fact is: he is the only Filipino who made it in the list. can you do it?

Has anyone noticed that STAR World's station ID was shot in Makati? The area of Ayala Tower One area is pretty telegenic.

I have to see this....thanks for the info.

dTePwA2G2Lg&feature=related

30TH BANFF WORLD TELEVISION AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
http://www.banff2009.com/media.releases.php?mid=60
Winners of the Banff World Television Awards (“The Rockies”), presented by Canwest, were announced tonight at the 30th edition of the Banff World Television Festival, taking place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel until June 10, 2009.

“Featuring the prestigious Banff World Television Awards program competition on the first night of BANFF is a great way to kick off the Festival. All of the nominees this year represent outstanding television production and I wish to extend heartfelt congratulations to the winners of this year’s ‘Rockies,’” says Peter Vamos, BANFF Executive Director.
The 2009 ‘Rockies’ were redesigned and restructured by Georges Leclere, Director of the Program Competition. For the first time, there are two Banff World Television Awards ceremonies – the category awards announced tonight while the Grand Prize winners will be announced during the second ceremony on Monday June 8th.

"The exceptional quality of the 23 Categories winners, once again, shows the power of attraction of the Banff World TV Festival worldwide,” comments Georges Leclere. “We are honored to present winners with the ‘Rockie’ the trophy that truly inspires excellence in international television and represents a great generation of promising producers and directors."

Chosen from over 800 entries, the 130 category nominees represented 29 countries. Hosted by ‘E! News Weekend’s’ Arisa Cox the awards were handed out to the 23 category winners. The Interactive category Awards were handed out during BANFF’s sister conference, nextMEDIA Banff, on Saturday, June 6, 2009.

The 2009 Banff World Television Festival Category Winners:

Sports Documentaries – In partnership with PBS International
Thriller in Manila
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK

Telenovela Programs – In partnership with Quebec Film & Television Council
The Wolf (Lobo)
Entrant: ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation
Country: Philippines


Kasama ang Japan, Pilipinas lang ang isa pang nakapasok na Asian country.

At gawang ABS-CBN pa. Kaya di nakapagtatakang makakapasok yan dyan. :colgate:

Has anyone noticed that STAR World's station ID was shot in Makati? The area of Ayala Tower One area is pretty telegenic.

I have to see this....thanks for the info.

dTePwA2G2Lg&feature=related

WOW!!!! ANG SOSYAL NG PILIPINAS!!! :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

dTePwA2G2Lg&feature=related

Tiningnan ko ang ibang SID ng starworld tayo lang ang Basketball lahat football. Hehehehe

WOW!!!! ANG SOSYAL NG PILIPINAS!!! :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

The bus ride in the Star World's tation ID was not bad at all as well. Looks very good indeed.

shallow or deep - it's up to you...the fact is: he is the only Filipino who made it in the list. can you do it?

Are you kidding me? Of course I CAN! :lol:

QC, UP choirs win 'gold’ in Austrian competition GMANews.TV - Thursday, June 25


MANILA, Philippines — A parish choir from Quezon City bagged the gold in the 2nd Anton-Bruckner International Choir Competitions and Festival in Linz, Austria last June 13.

Kammerchor Manila, which had joined an international choir competition for the first time, was declared champion in the chamber choir of mixed voices category.

A report in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines website (www.cbcpnews.com) said the group also won the silver diploma in the sacred music category.

The University of the Philippines Manila Chorale also topped the Youth Choir with mixed voices category, bringing home the Gold Diploma, the report said.

A total of 21 choirs from 12 countries participated in the 2nd Anton-Bruckner International Choir Competitions and Festival, the CBCP noted.

At the event, the choir also received a special award for the “outstanding interpretation" of a choral piece Pamugun arranged by Professor Francisco Feliciano.

The CBCP said the piece made Kammerchor Manila the crowd favorite among the audience and judges.

Kammerchor Manila serves at the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish in West Triangle, Quezon City with Fr. Ariston Sison as parish priest.

The group is staging its Second European Goodwill Concert Tour to Lithuania, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Italy and Vatican from June 3 to July 3. - GMANews.TV

Rizal marker honored in Swiss city near German border (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/print/59904)

By Brady Eviota, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau | 06/24/2009 2:40 PM

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland - Few stopped by to read the small marker in English on a wall near the main train station here in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.

But thanks to ceremonies by Philippine and Swiss officials on the occasion of Rizal’s 148th birthday last June 19, that marker now reminds viewers of the travel that Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, made to Switzerland in 1887.

The then 26-year old student, Rizal and a traveling companion Dr. Maximo Viola, had stopped by at the Hotel Müller on June 2-3, 1887. From there, the duo had traveled on to the cities of Basel, Bern, Lausanne and Geneva on a three-week swing through Switzerland.

Those dates would have passed on to history if not for Swiss authorities in Schaffhausen (located on the eastern border with Germany) who placed that marker to honor a man who had studied in Heidelberg, Germany and learned to speak German, French and Italian – three of the four main languages in Switzerland - as if he was Swiss himself.

It also took the perception of Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Maria Theresa Lazaro to notice the marker on the wall of the present Credit Suisse bank building, previously the Hotel Müller.

"I was entering the building and I happened to look up and I saw the marker," Lazaro recounted to a group that included Schaffhausen Mayor Thomas Feurer and Swiss cantonal officials and some Filipinos living in Switzerland.

The marker reads "Jose Rizal, 1861-1896, National Hero of the Philippines. Rizal, with Dr. Maximo Viola, stopped at Hotel Müller, 2-3 June 1887".

In his remarks, Mayor Feurer said what impressed him was that unlike many national heroes, Rizal was not a warrior.

"Mr. Rizal was the opposite. He was more like Mahatma Gandhi," said Feurer. "He was a man of culture, a man of humanity, a man of fairness, and I think we still can learn from such human beings that bring a country not with a war, into independency, but with a peaceful way," he added.

Lazaro, meanwhile, reminded Swiss officials present that Rizal had read and translated the Swiss classic "William Tell" and thus opened to a wider audience the Swiss struggle against the Hapsburg overlords as depicted in "William Tell".

Philippine Embassy officials thanked Schaffhausen for honoring Rizal "and in a way, the Filipino people". They were also amazed to see that day, a massive Philippine flag flying above the main plaza in Schaffhausen, which is part of German-speaking Switzerland.

"We are really proud and happy to be here today. And we hope this event will be celebrated every year from this time on," said Filipina Editha Villareal. Villareal is married to a Swiss national and has been living in Schaffhausen for 28 years.
as of 06/24/2009 2:43 PM

Are you kidding me? Of course I CAN! :lol:

Then quit whining. :)

I dunno if this is good news but... Manny pacquiao is slated to star in a film together with dave batista (the wrestler) and nicole Scherzinger (pussycat doll) and a host of other fil-am hollywood star in a action-comedy movie. Anyways heres the article and youd be the judge. http://aprub.com/wapakman-manny-pacquiao-and-nicole-scherzinger-movie/

Philippine contingent wins HSBC YEA regional competition
By James Kon
http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/thu/jun25h25.htm

winning team Philippines
http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/thu/25pic23.jpg
Six teams representing Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand vied for the prestigious Best of the Best Award, which brought nine months of hard work to a close.

The HSBC Young Entrepreneur Award Regional Competition was held yesterday in Hong Kong.

Team Beleavers from the Philippines with the project entitled 'Areka! Leaf Tableware' captured the judges' attention and grabbed themselves first position with a HSBC business development fund of HK$100,000 and an HSBC trophy for each member.

Karl Satinitigan and Timothy Huelva's winning product was a leaf plate, an eco-iconic product that is of high quality and visually appealing, while being 100 per cent natural and eco-friendly. Made out of coconut palm tree leaves, it is a useful and suitable alternative to plastic and Styrofoam containers.

The Diamond Award which came with the HSBC self-development fund of HK$20,000 with trophies for each participant was won by Team Seizers from Hong Kong with their project entitled 'Alginate Burgers'.

In third place winning the Jade Award with the HSBC self-development fund of HK$10,000 was Team Viva La Vida from Bangladesh with their Project entitled 'Waterwise'.

Present as the judges for the competition were Sandy Flockhart, Chief Executive Officer HSBC Asia Pacific, Laura Cha, Deputy Chairman, HSBC Asia Pacific, Po Chung, Co-founder and Chairman of Emeritus Asia Pacific, DHL Express (Hong Kong) Ltd, Dr Allen Fung, Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company Hong Kong and Frank Slevin, Head of Global Banking, HSBC Asia Pacific.

According to Sandy Flockhart, more than 2,400 students made up of 902 teams from all six countries took part in this years' competition and that it is not only an accomplishment for all participants, but also provided a solid foundation in the world of business and entrepreneurship.

Pair of Gold Lions was presented to all gold winners from each participating country symbolising luck.

Top three teams from each country will participate in a week-long entrepreneurial trip in Hong Kong where they will have the chance to experience the real world of business by mingling with successful entrepreneurs and go on corporate visits to Ocean Park and Cathay Pacific Airways. On top of that, all participants will be involved in workshops on communication and leadership skills with seminars on successful eco-businesses.

The HSBC Young Entrepreneur Awards (YEA) was launched in Brunei in 2008 and is now in its second year. The 2008-2009 local competition that started last October came to an eventful end when it was announced that Team More Than Simple Inc was presented with the Gold Award beating Team Green and Simpur Tujuh after they took turns presenting their business ideas to 300 students from colleges and schools in Brunei.

WOW!!!! ANG SOSYAL NG PILIPINAS!!! :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

You get excited by just that?

flashy special effects are nothing dude. Filipinos can do that easy, it doesn't take a lot of money... just time and effort.

For example, the movie Cloverfield had such awesome visual graphics that can be comparable to Transformers and seem to be worth +$150 million, yet they only spent $25 million.

So why don't our wealthy tv stations have such a thing? Well... IDK.

Are you kidding me? Of course I CAN! :lol:

:lol: the best reply that I could give you is a laugh since I am against crabs and if you rise or achieve something then I am happy for you.

I dunno if this is good news but... Manny pacquiao is slated to star in a film together with dave batista (the wrestler) and nicole Scherzinger (pussycat doll) and a host of other fil-am hollywood star in a action-comedy movie. Anyways heres the article and youd be the judge. http://aprub.com/wapakman-manny-pacquiao-and-nicole-scherzinger-movie/

:cheers: imagine, the great wrestler, the sexy singer and the great boxer, in one movie....looking forward to it.

manny looks more handsome with bangs. He doesn't look good with his elvis do.

:lol: the best reply that I could give you is a laugh since I am against crabs and if you rise or achieve something then I am happy for you.

:cheers:

Manny pacquiao is slated to star in a film together with dave batista (the wrestler) and nicole Scherzinger (pussycat doll) and a host of other fil-am hollywood star in a action-comedy movie. Anyways heres the article and youd be the judge. http://aprub.com/wapakman-manny-pacquiao-and-nicole-scherzinger-movie/

I hope it's going to be a WITTY/ COMEDY film shot in the country.
So it will become a showcase Philippine Talent and Tourism.



:horse:

Armless Pinay is a licensed pilot in US

abs-cbnNEWS.com (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/06/25/09/armless-pinay-licensed-pilot-us) | 06/25/2009 3:02 PM

A 26-year-old Filipina can fly a plane, drive a car, and is also a Taekwondo black belt holder. Jessica Cox who was born without arms can do all these and more.

In 2008, Cox became the nation’s first and only Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licensed pilot to fly an airplane using only her feet.

“I was flying about an hour and a half out and I knew it was just gonna be me, the airplane, God and the rest of the landscape so that was incredible independent experience, the most that I’ve ever experienced,” Cox said.

Born in Tucson, Arizona in 1983, doctors had no explanation why Cox was born without arms.

It was Cox’s Filipina mother who trained her to become independent.

“Kasi hinanda ko yung mga toys in her crib, nilipat ko na yung mga toys niya sa footside para yung mga balls, yun ang beginning ko sa kanyang foot stimulation," said her mother, Ines.

Today, Cox drives on her own, brushes her hair, makes calls and sends text messages on her cellphone.

"Being a Filipina is a huge part of, I believe, who I am, and being very independent and being somebody who goes out there and does a lot of things without having fear," she said.

Aside from being a pilot, Cox is also a motivational speaker inspiring Filipinos and Americans.

“She was able to show us that no matter what, if you put your mind into it, you can do it," said Marylou Natividad.

Cox still wants to challenge herself. This time, her ambition is to become a scuba diver.

ABS-CBN North America News Bureau chief Ging Reyes and correspondent Don Tagala
as of 06/25/2009 6:23 PM

^^^^ Yehey! Ingon ana ang mga pinoy, khit may kapansanan pa............. dako gihapon kaayo ug maachieve! :carrot::carrot::lock::lock::cucumber::cucumber::banana::banana:

A cheers to that! :cheers1::cheers1::cheers1:

Replica of ancient Philippine boat to sail SE Asia

MANILA, Philippines – Adventurers who conquered Mount Everest successfully launched a replica of an ancient Philippine boat Saturday that they will use to sail around Southeast Asia and possibly to Africa to promote Filipino pride and unity.

The replica of the balangay _ a wooden-hulled boat used in the archipelago about 1,700 years ago _ was built in 44 days by native Badjao boat-builders from the southernmost Philippine province of Tawi Tawi using traditional skills handed down through the generations.

About 300 spectators counted down to the launch, cheering and applauding as the bow hit the water in Manila Bay.

Jubail Muyong, a teacher who belongs to the Badjao seafaring tribe, said he and nine Badjao craftsmen were flown to Manila to construct the 50-foot (15-meter) boat according to ancient traditions. Not a single nail was used, he said.

Expedition leader Art Valdez said the boat was a symbol of what Filipinos can achieve.

"(Since) more than a thousand years ago, this is the first time that a boat of this kind appeared in these waters, built by our people," Valdez said. "The boat is a time capsule that carries the history of our people."

Valdez said the 20-member expedition includes five coast guard personnel who were the first Filipinos to reach Everest's summit.

The boat will leave Manila in mid-July after training at Sangley Point, a former U.S. naval base in Cavite province, he said.

The expedition is expected to make 75 port calls from the northern to southern Philippines in seven and a half months, covering a distance of more than 2,000 nautical miles (3,900 kilometers), he said.

The boat will then begin a year-long voyage to other Southeast Asian countries before the group decides whether to continue to Madagascar off the southeastern coast of Africa, Valdez said.

Dr. Ted Esguerra, the group's medical officer, said the expedition will conduct medical missions in poor coastal communities during its stops. The group will also teach disaster preparedness, help protect endangered coral reefs, and plant mangrove trees to protect fragile marine life.

Valdez said coast guard and navy vessels will monitor their trip and come to their assistance if needed.

Wow! I need to see this boat!!!

Any resident biologist needed? (ala Darwin hehehe).

Wow! I need to see this boat!!!

You need to? Why, can't you live without seeing it? :nuts:


:jk:

Are you kidding me? Of course I CAN! :lol:

Then quit whining. :)

:lol: the best reply that I could give you is a laugh since I am against crabs and if you rise or achieve something then I am happy for you.

:lol:

You need to? Why, can't you live without seeing it? :nuts:


:jk:

Very important for us boat people:D

United Nations hails Albay for disaster risk reduction programs (http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=214487)

LEGAZPI CITY, June 29 (PNA) -- Albay province has received recently another feather on its cap after the United Nation Disaster Risk Reduction Conference (UNDRR) hailed the province in initiating disaster risk reduction programs that achieved a “Zero Casualty” objective in times of disaster.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, who attended the international conference dubbed as UN Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction held June 16-19, this year at Geneva Switzerland, represented the country’s local government unit (LGU) in said four-day conference.

Salceda said Senator Loren Legarda during the plenary keynote address cited Albay as the LGU model for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Legarda particularly mentioned in here discussion the programs of Albay in pursuing disaster management operation in times of typhoons, landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami and other catastrophic events.

Disaster mitigation programs cited were: the institutionalization of the Albay Provincial Safety, Emergency Management Office (APSEMO), preemptive evacuation procedures during calamities, and mangrove plantation as deterrent to climate change. Albay received the much coveted “Galing Pook” Award this year for institutionalizing APSEMO, the first LGU in the country to create a disaster management office.

On the mangrove plantation program, hundreds hectares of swamp areas in various provincial coastlines were planted with mangrove. The province has recently entered to a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for a joint project for a P2 million mangrove plantation and development in Albay, Salceda said.

A conference the Oxford Family (OXFAM) in Great Britain featured Albay in a disaster operation documentary and produced brochures on its best practices in disaster risk reduction. (PNA) FFC/LQ/MSA/cbd

You need to? Why, can't you live without seeing it? :nuts:


:jk:

Because I'm a genuine Filipino and my ancestors used this boat to get here:)

Because I'm a genuine Filipino and my ancestors used this boat to get here:)

Fresh off the boat? :lol:

^^ :nono: Tsk..tsk..tsk..that's not nice. :ohno:



It's called Fresh Off the Boeing now. :lol: :jk: :nocrook:

^^ Papano na yung Fresh Of the Bac-111 ? :lol:



... no longer fresh? --- hahaha!

Filipina nominated in US healthcare list
By CHARISSA M. LUCI
June 29, 2009, 5:49pm
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/208315/filipina-nominated-us-healthcare-list

Recognizing her valuable contributions to the United States healthcare industry, a Filipina has been nominated as among the "100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare", along with prominent personalities, including US President Barack Obama, US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates.

Ninfa Medina Saunders, executive vice president and chief operating officer for health services of South Jersey’s largest healthcare system, the Virtua Health for six years, is among the top 100 votegetters out of more than 25,700 nominations in the eighth annual 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare award initiated by the US-based Modern HealthCare Magazine.

Also included in the nomination list are US Senate majority leader Harry Reid, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; Google chairman and chief executive officer Eric Schmidt; Newt Gingrich, founder of the Washington-based Center for Health Transformation; Nancy Ann de Parle, director of the White House Office of Healthcare Reform; and US Attorney General Eric Holder, “I was quite surprised and humbled to be nominated among so many formidable healthcare leaders in the country. I have always done the things I do because they are the right things to do and because it added value to the organization and the community at large. Never once did it cross my mind that what I am doing would bring such attention because it was never intended for self aggrandizement,” Saunders, who has been in clinical nursing and hospital administration for more than 30 years, said in an email to the Manila Bulletin.

The Filipina health care executive, who is in her 50s and hails from Oriental Mindoro, believed that her leadership in Virtua, which under her tenure, has become top 1 health care system in the US in six consecutive years, factored in her nomination.

As Virtua’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, she oversees its four acute care hospitals, a converted acute care hospital serving as an large outpatient facility with an emergency room, two rehab hospitals, two freestanding ambulatory surgery centers, and its home health service, fitness center, and physician practices.

Under her watch, Virtua became the silver award recipient of the New Jersey Governor’s Award for Quality two years in a row in 2005 and 2007, respectively and was named as Top 1 and Best Place to Work in the Delaware Valley area, also two years in a row in 2006 and 2007.

Saunders also successfully led Virtua to “best in class” financial recovery, from a negative margin in 2003, which prompted it to rank as 48th in New Jersey for operating margin performance to an 11.62 percent operating margin in 2007 which made it the top healthcare system from 2004 up to present.

Aside from her outstanding hospital administration, she attributed the recent recognition to more than two-decade old service as a “mentor to up and coming healthcare leaders.”

“A number of top executives in the country have been my students,” Saunders, whose latest research and some of her publications have been considered “pioneer work” in healthcare, noted.

In 2008, she was named as visiting scholar and faculty at the New York-based General Electric and NCHL Advance Leadership Academy, which is one of the largest and most successful worldwide corporation in the US, a year after her appointment as visiting scholar at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

She has also been teaching at various universities in the US, including University Sciences of Pennsylvania; Jefferson University’s College of Health Professionals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Atlanta, Georgia.

Saunders said thousands of Filipino nurses and medical professionals remain as significant part of the US healthcare industry. “Filipinos in the healthcare field continue to be regarded in high esteem both for their clinical competence and strong work habits,” she noted.

“My advice for Filipinos planning to migrate and practice in the US: Continue to sharpen your clinical skills, be flexible in the field that you plan to practice and pursue advancing competencies in a number of specialties.

Geriatrics in particular will become the fastest growing segment of the population,” Saunders said.

Meanwhile, she said the current health crisis brought about by the A(H1N1) virus has caught Washington’s attention “in such a dramatic way,” as she maintained that the strain did not in any way paralyze the operations of the US industries. “While the reaction to AH1N1 was swift and impressive, this AH1N1 strain did not pose as much threat as originally expected. There are but a few cases now being identified and where they were identified mortality was not an issue at all,” she noted.

Aside from her active participation in helping out the US government in mapping out healthcare reforms, she has also been doing community and charitable work outside of her professional work in the US and in the Philippines. In October, she is expected to lead a medical mission in the Philippines.

Before joining in Virtua, Saunders served as a policy staff of former governor Roy Barnes’ Georgia Cancer Coalition from 2002 to 2003 which develops regional centers of excellence for cancer prevention, detection, treatment and research utilizing funds from the tobacco settlement.

It was in the intensive care unit of Riley Memorial Hospital in the Meridian city of Mississippi where her 37 years of career in the healthcare industry started. She served as staff nurse from 1972 to 1974 after she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing summa cum laude from Concordia College in Manila.

Saunders pursued her studies in nursing and completed her Masters at the Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, summa cum laude in 1979, five years before she earned her Masters in Business Administration in Emory University in 1984 where she graduated magna cum laude.

She completed her Doctorate in Healthcare Administration summa cum laude at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Filipino choir wows crowd in California

By Jun Medina Special Correspondent

EL CERRITO, California: A visiting Filipino choir from Saudi Arabia wowed a diverse Bay Area audience at the Saint John the Baptist Church here on Monday night with a delightfully varied repertoire of Pinoy folk and love songs, Gospel music and pop hits.

The benefit concert featured the Prime Note Ensemble (PNE), an all-male, a cappella group, and the first overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) choir ever to perform in the United States.

The 23-man choral group serenaded an enthusiastic crowd with such immortal songs as “Maala-ala Mo Kaya,” “Eres Tu,” “Nessum Dorma,” and “Only You.”

“This is one of the best performances by a Filipino choir, and I loved it,” said Vicky Pearson, a Filipino-American who drove 45 miles with her friends from Palo Alto to attend the three-hour concert.

Pearson, a homemaker and part-time dressmaker, said the concert showed the “the richness and beauty” of Filipino music.

“Having a choir like this sing those songs is really a great, memorable treat for everyone, especially for the Pinoys,” she said.

Pinoy standards

The predominantly Filipino audience sang and danced when PNE belted out Pinoy ditties like “Paru-Parong Bukid,” “Manila, Manila,” Ewan,” Pag-Uwi” and “Bumangon Ka, Bayan Ko.”

There was instant rapport between choir and audience, which gave the Filipino singers eight or nine standing ovations.

“Great music from an excellent choir,” commented Nicholas von Wettberg, managing editor of the Bay Area’s Fil-Am Star, a leading San Francisco community newspaper catering to ethnic Filipinos.

Von Wettberg, who is married to a Filipina, said he liked “Paru-Parong Bukid” and the Apo Society’s hit “Ewan,” even if he does not understand the lyrics.

Besides the popular Filipino songs, the choir’s song selection also includes other chorale favorites like “Circle of Life,” “The Warrior Is a Child,” “Season of Love,” and the unforgettable The Platters’ song “Only You.”

The choir drew even more cheers when it sang Michael Jackson’s hit song “Man in the Mirror,” which choirmaster Novem Cabios said was the group’s way of paying tribute the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, who died a few days ago.

“It’s an honor and a great pleasure for us to be able to perform before such an appreciative audience,” said Novem Cabios, PNE’s choirmaster and musical arranger.

Filipino talent

Sharing center stage with PNE were local Filipino American performers Pilipino Culture Night (PCN), a cultural group composed of students from the nearby University of California at Berkeley; teenage singer Arianna Tolentino and violinist TJ Simbulan.

The University of California Berkeley’s PCN showcased a Filipino folk dance and song number.

Fifteen-year-old voice student Arianna Tolentino showed tremendous potential as she regaled the audience with powerful renditions of “Listen” and “I Believe.”

Bay Area violinist TJ Simbulan captured the hearts of the audience with a medley of Tagalog classics. Jose Maria “JM” Mercado of Korus-leine Productions, who put together the concert with his wife Marizel, ably accompanied Sim-bulan on the piano.

Mercado said proceeds from the goodwill concert would benefit Philippine charities like ABS-CBN Bantay Bata, Adopt a Hometown School Program, and Missionaries of Charities.

The 23-member choir participated at the Second California International Choral Festival and Competition, which was held from June 25 to 28 in San Luis Obispo.

Off to Europe

The first OFW choir to perform in America, the PNE is scheduled to leave this week to join two international competitions in Europe.

“We are delighted that the PNE is one of the few Filipino choirs that were able to get invited at the C.A. Seghizzi, one of the most prestigious of all choral competitions as it a prelude to the European Grand Prix in choral festival,” said PNE founder Medard Obida of Tayabas Quezon.

Obida said the choir is also entered in the Festival International de Musica de Cantonigros in Cataluna, Spain in July.

Since its formation in October 2001, the choir has been quite active in the eastern provinces of Saudi Arabia and even in the Philippines, but it was not until July 2006 that PNE entered an international competition —the World Choir Games in China.

Competing against more than 200 choirs from around the world, PNE won a gold diploma and a bronze medal for its performance in the Male Chamber Category, the first OFW choir in the Middle East and possibly in the world to win in a global competition.
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/july/02/yehey/top_stories/20090702top7.html

Pixar's 'Up' production designer a Filipino

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 07/02/2009 1:33 PM

A Filipino was one of the people who made Pixar’s latest movie "Up" a blockbuster hit.

Ricky Nierva was placed in charge of the movie’s entire visual look. "Up" is a box office hit already earning $250 million in the US. "Up" builds on Pixar's reputation for making the world's best animated features.

Nierva said Pixar stays on top because the company stresses the importance of ideas.

"They create an environment here that everybody can pitch their ideas…whether he be somebody that’s not even from the art department that has an idea. Staying open, staying positive, that's the culture," said Nierva.

Nierva is a native of San Diego. A young animator who, in 1997, was invited to join Pixar and his first work was for "Monster's Inc."

"Back then it was a lot easier to get in. I honestly don’t think I would be able to get in to Pixar right now if I try," he said.

"Up" is Nierva's first movie as production designer. The movie introduces Pixar's first major Asian-American character: Russell, the wilderness explorer.

Nierva said it was important to him as a Filipino to represent Russel in a positive way. Pixar even cast an Asian kid to give Russell his voice.

Pixar is a dream job for Nierva and he's also happy that he's not the only Filipino in the company.

With "Up" now in the can, Nierva is working on Pixar's next, top secret project. However, he does not want to sit in the director's chair just yet.

"It depends if I have a really good story I want to tell," he said.

It may still be up in the clouds, but Nierva could one day be Pixar's first Filipino director. Reports from Jericho Saria ABS-CBN North America News Bureau correspondent, California and ANC's Dateline Philippines
as of 07/02/2009 1:42 PM

UST Singers win in California Choral Fest
Posted on July 2nd, 2009 under Art & Living Achievements

UST Singers [Examiner] The University of Sto Tomas Singers triumphed once again, at the recently concluded 2009 California International Choral festival and Competition.

The prestigious competition was held at the Performing Arts Center at San Luis Obispo, California.

The choir led by Prof. Fidel G. Calalang Jr. (conductor and founder) won the prestigious competition at the Performing Arts Center at San Luis Obispo, California.

The choral group have completed 15 concert tours in Europe, the USA, Canada, Mexico and Asia and earned more than 45 top prizes in various international choral competitions.

They have won the Choir of the World Grand Prize and four (4) First Prizes in 1995 at the 49th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, United Kingdom. They also won the Gran Premio “Citta di Gorizia” and four (4) First Prizes at the 37th Concorso Internazionale Di Canto Corale “C.A. Seghizzi” in Gorizia, Italy in 1998 which entitled the choir to represent Gorizia at the 11th European Grand Prix for Choral Singing held in Varna, Bulgaria in 1999. The choir has triumphed at the 27th Florilege Vocal de Tours in Tours, France, winning two (2) First Prizes and the Prix du Public.

The UST Singers have also sung for Pope John Paul II, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain, Luciano Pavarotti and four Philippine Presidents.

They have established themselves as one of the finest mixed choirs in the Philippines since it was founded in 1992, and has realized tremendous success in a short span of time.

The group consists of a unique blend of singers who are mainly students and a limited number of alumni representing the different colleges and faculties of the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, and has continued to impress audiences, encompassing music of different genres and from all periods.

Filipino among royal guards of the King of Spain (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/07/02/09/filipino-among-elite-force-securing-spains-royal-couple)

A Filipino is one of the members of Spain’s top military force securing King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia.

Twenty-five years old Benson Reyes has been with the Royal Guard of Spain for seven years now.

Reyes was born and raised in Caloocan.

He is the only Filipino out of the 1,500 elite Royal Guard. The Royal Guard is tagged as the last line of defense of the military in Spain.

Reyes said providing security to the royal couple is no joke especially at this time with the advent of all forms of terrorism.

He added that there are instances when they remain awake at night because of serious attempts by outsiders to penetrate the palace gates.

Reyes finished his military training in Murcia. Because of the big responsibility, Reyes admits the military training and orientation is too rigorous particularly equipment handling.

“Mahirap po. Kapag training, dapat ibibigay mo lahat para makita ka na okay ka. Dito sa Spain mga Royal Guard dapat the best sa lahat ng military,” he said

But Reyes has kind words for the royal couple, saying both have a soft heart for Filipinos and other nationalities.

“Proud siya na na kahit taga ibang bansa may nag-aano sa kanya, kahit hindi po Spanish,” he added.

There are more than 40,000 Filipino workers in Spain, mostly caregivers and in the service sector.

Reyes’s mother, Eva, meanwhile is too proud of what had become of his son.

“Ang kaligayahan hindi kasi nababayaran…kaligayahan na ibinibigay ng anak sa ina,” Reyes mother said.

Reyes has already received numerous citations and recognition from his service as a member of the Royal Guard.

Imagine a world without Filipinos
Posted on June 21st, 2009 under Inspirational Views
By Abdullah Al-Maghlooth

Muhammad Al-Maghrabi became handicapped and shut down his flower and gifts shop business in Jeddah after his Filipino workers insisted on leaving and returning home. He says: “When they left, I felt as if I had lost my arms. I was so sad that I lost my appetite.”

Al-Maghrabi then flew to Manila to look for two other Filipino workers to replace the ones who had left. Previously, he had tried workers of different nationalities but they did not impress him. “There is no comparison between Filipinos and others,” he says. Whenever I see Filipinos working in the Kingdom, I wonder what our life would be without them.

Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Filipino workers — 1,019,577 — outside the Philippines. In 2006 alone, the Kingdom recruited more than 223,000 workers from the Philippines and their numbers are still increasing. Filipinos not only play an important and effective role in the Kingdom, they also perform different jobs in countries across the world, including working as sailors. They are known for their professionalism and the quality of their work.

Nobody here can think of a life without Filipinos, who make up around 20 percent of the world’s seafarers. There are 1.2 million Filipino sailors.

So if Filipinos decided one day to stop working or go on strike for any reason, who would transport oil, food and heavy equipment across the world? We can only imagine the disaster that would happen.

What makes Filipinos unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly competent in these vital areas.

When speaking about the Philippines, we should not forget Filipino nurses. They are some 23 percent of the world’s total number of nurses. The Philippines is home to over 190 accredited nursing colleges and institutes, from which some 9,000 nurses graduate each year. Many of them work abroad in countries such as the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Singapore.

Cathy Ann, a 35-year-old Filipino nurse who has been working in the Kingdom for the last five years and before that in Singapore, said she does not feel homesick abroad because “I am surrounded by my compatriots everywhere.” Ann thinks that early training allows Filipinos to excel in nursing and other vocations. She started learning this profession at the age of four as her aunt, a nurse, used to take her to hospital and ask her to watch the work. “She used to kiss me whenever I learned a new thing. At the age of 11, I could do a lot. I began doing things like measuring my grandfather’s blood pressure and giving my mother her insulin injections,” she said.

This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom. Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except boredom.

The Philippines, which you can barely see on the map, is a very effective country thanks to its people. It has the ability to influence the entire world economy.

We should pay respect to Filipino workers, not only by employing them but also by learning from their valuable experiences.

We should learn and educate our children on how to operate and maintain ships and oil tankers, as well as planning and nursing and how to achieve perfection in our work. This is a must so that we do not become like Muhammad Al-Maghrabi who lost his interest and appetite when Filipino workers left his flower shop.

We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they chose to leave us.

(Story courtesy of Arab News)

^^^^:cheers::banana::)

Imagine a world without Filipinos
Posted on June 21st, 2009 under Inspirational Views
By Abdullah Al-Maghlooth

Muhammad Al-Maghrabi became handicapped and shut down his flower and gifts shop business in Jeddah after his Filipino workers insisted on leaving and returning home. He says: “When they left, I felt as if I had lost my arms. I was so sad that I lost my appetite.”

Al-Maghrabi then flew to Manila to look for two other Filipino workers to replace the ones who had left. Previously, he had tried workers of different nationalities but they did not impress him. “There is no comparison between Filipinos and others,” he says. Whenever I see Filipinos working in the Kingdom, I wonder what our life would be without them.

Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Filipino workers — 1,019,577 — outside the Philippines. In 2006 alone, the Kingdom recruited more than 223,000 workers from the Philippines and their numbers are still increasing. Filipinos not only play an important and effective role in the Kingdom, they also perform different jobs in countries across the world, including working as sailors. They are known for their professionalism and the quality of their work.

Nobody here can think of a life without Filipinos, who make up around 20 percent of the world’s seafarers. There are 1.2 million Filipino sailors.

So if Filipinos decided one day to stop working or go on strike for any reason, who would transport oil, food and heavy equipment across the world? We can only imagine the disaster that would happen.

What makes Filipinos unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly competent in these vital areas.

When speaking about the Philippines, we should not forget Filipino nurses. They are some 23 percent of the world’s total number of nurses. The Philippines is home to over 190 accredited nursing colleges and institutes, from which some 9,000 nurses graduate each year. Many of them work abroad in countries such as the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Singapore.

Cathy Ann, a 35-year-old Filipino nurse who has been working in the Kingdom for the last five years and before that in Singapore, said she does not feel homesick abroad because “I am surrounded by my compatriots everywhere.” Ann thinks that early training allows Filipinos to excel in nursing and other vocations. She started learning this profession at the age of four as her aunt, a nurse, used to take her to hospital and ask her to watch the work. “She used to kiss me whenever I learned a new thing. At the age of 11, I could do a lot. I began doing things like measuring my grandfather’s blood pressure and giving my mother her insulin injections,” she said.

This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom. Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except boredom.

The Philippines, which you can barely see on the map, is a very effective country thanks to its people. It has the ability to influence the entire world economy.

We should pay respect to Filipino workers, not only by employing them but also by learning from their valuable experiences.

We should learn and educate our children on how to operate and maintain ships and oil tankers, as well as planning and nursing and how to achieve perfection in our work. This is a must so that we do not become like Muhammad Al-Maghrabi who lost his interest and appetite when Filipino workers left his flower shop.

We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they chose to leave us.

(Story courtesy of Arab News)

:cheers: I think there is an error on the number of Nursing graduates each year. It mentioned only 9,000..it should be more than that.

http://www.irb.com/mm/Photo/NewsMedia/0/JohnArceo,GuamvsIndonesia_8609_SQ_MEDIUM.jpg

The final tournament in the 2009 HSBC Asian Five Nations kicked off today with the hosts Philippines winning through to the Division 3 final against Guam, in Manila.

Top seeds the Philippines beat off the challenge of number four seeds Iran and second seeds Guam saw off Indonesia to book their place in Saturday’s final against the hosts.

The winner will be promoted to the HSBC Asian Five Nations Division II tournament to join relegated Division I team Thailand, China and India in 2010.

Guam 23-3 Indonesia

Today’s action opened with a battle between Guam and Indonesia and, from the opening whistle, Guam exerted tremendous pressure on their Indonesian counterparts with fly half Steven Sablan crossing over for the first of a brace of tries in just the second minute.

Guam did not let up and scored again in the 12th minute through captain and flanker Paul Claros. Claros’ try was converted by centre Kapueli Katoa to bring the score to 12-0 and a penalty from Katoa in the 35th minute gave Guam a 15-0 half time lead.

Indonesia started much stronger in the second half and captain and fly half Kirk Arundale slotted a penalty to get the Rhinos on the board, but Sablan punished some indisclipine for an 18-3 lead. A difficult task was made even harder for Indonesia when prop Bobby Orlando was yellow carded in the 42nd minute, effectively ending their charge.

The score remained 18-3 for most of the second half before a second Sablan try from a well-worked chip ahead with two minutes to play brought the final score to 23-3 in Guam’s favour.

Philippines 15-0 Iran

Top seeds Philippines survived a scare from a physical Iranian team to advance to Saturday’s final against Guam. The match offered a distinct rugby contrast of brawn versus brains as the massive Iranian team’s lack of top-flight match experience showed against the small but canny Philippines.

Kicking in the first half was inaccurate from both sides as the Philippine Volcanoes missed four attempts and Iran missed two - a poor 40 minutes which also produced no try-scoring chances. After the interval, the Volcanoes applied genuine pressure and some nice support play led to centre Matt Saunders crossing for the first of two tries on the day.

The score remained at 5-0 until the 73rd minute, before the Philippine fitness and match experience provided a crucial edge and lock forward Rafael Zappia slotted his first penalty attempt in the 73rd minute, followed by an easy try in the 78th minute through Saunders. Zappia converted to make the final score 15-0 and send the Philippines into Saturday’s final at 15.00.

The final also represents a tantalizing re-match for the Philippines and Guam, the two finalists in last year’s Guam Regional Tournament won by the Philippines 20-8.

These two teams are familiar foes and regularly contest the Magellan Cup, named after the Spanish explorer who first touched ground in the Pacific Ocean in Guam before meeting an untimely end on the Philippine island of Cebu where he was killed by warrior chieftain Lapu Lapu.

Indonesia and Iran will kick off at 13.00 for third place and both matches will be played at the Nomads Sporting Club in Manila, home of the renowned Manila 10s.

http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/regional/newsid=2032602.html

Imagine a world without Filipinos
Posted on June 21st, 2009 under Inspirational Views
By Abdullah Al-Maghlooth

Muhammad Al-Maghrabi became handicapped and shut down his flower and gifts shop business in Jeddah after his Filipino workers insisted on leaving and returning home. He says: “When they left, I felt as if I had lost my arms. I was so sad that I lost my appetite.”

Al-Maghrabi then flew to Manila to look for two other Filipino workers to replace the ones who had left. Previously, he had tried workers of different nationalities but they did not impress him. “There is no comparison between Filipinos and others,” he says. Whenever I see Filipinos working in the Kingdom, I wonder what our life would be without them.

Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Filipino workers — 1,019,577 — outside the Philippines. In 2006 alone, the Kingdom recruited more than 223,000 workers from the Philippines and their numbers are still increasing. Filipinos not only play an important and effective role in the Kingdom, they also perform different jobs in countries across the world, including working as sailors. They are known for their professionalism and the quality of their work.

Nobody here can think of a life without Filipinos, who make up around 20 percent of the world’s seafarers. There are 1.2 million Filipino sailors.

So if Filipinos decided one day to stop working or go on strike for any reason, who would transport oil, food and heavy equipment across the world? We can only imagine the disaster that would happen.

What makes Filipinos unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly competent in these vital areas.

When speaking about the Philippines, we should not forget Filipino nurses. They are some 23 percent of the world’s total number of nurses. The Philippines is home to over 190 accredited nursing colleges and institutes, from which some 9,000 nurses graduate each year. Many of them work abroad in countries such as the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Singapore.

Cathy Ann, a 35-year-old Filipino nurse who has been working in the Kingdom for the last five years and before that in Singapore, said she does not feel homesick abroad because “I am surrounded by my compatriots everywhere.” Ann thinks that early training allows Filipinos to excel in nursing and other vocations. She started learning this profession at the age of four as her aunt, a nurse, used to take her to hospital and ask her to watch the work. “She used to kiss me whenever I learned a new thing. At the age of 11, I could do a lot. I began doing things like measuring my grandfather’s blood pressure and giving my mother her insulin injections,” she said.

This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom. Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except boredom.

The Philippines, which you can barely see on the map, is a very effective country thanks to its people. It has the ability to influence the entire world economy.

We should pay respect to Filipino workers, not only by employing them but also by learning from their valuable experiences.

We should learn and educate our children on how to operate and maintain ships and oil tankers, as well as planning and nursing and how to achieve perfection in our work. This is a must so that we do not become like Muhammad Al-Maghrabi who lost his interest and appetite when Filipino workers left his flower shop.

We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they chose to leave us.

(Story courtesy of Arab News)

The article is too patronizing it makes me doubt the sincerity and motives of the writer. Hahaha. Or the source of the news itself.

The article is too patronizing it makes me doubt the sincerity and motives of the writer. Hahaha. Or the source of the news itself.

Mexican yan, pinalitan lang ng Pinoy:D

http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/lifestyle/lifestyle/images/pic-07061208440588.jpg

By Marge C. Enriquez (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20090705-213967/Meet-the-Armani-of-teddy-bear-artists)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:53:00 07/05/2009

Filed Under: Arts (general), People

MANILA, Philippines – When he was a boy, Audie Sison had a teddy bear that was kept by his mother only for display. He yearned to hug and play with the soft toy, but that desire was never fulfilled.

Years later, that suppressed childhood longing transformed into a creative endeavor, which has made Sison a star in the world of teddy-bear artists.

Coming from a clan of doctors, Audie Roman Francisco Sison studied BS Zoology at Far Eastern University. But a career in medicine was far from his calling. He ended up working in marketing and promotions at the Philippine Conventions & Visitors Corporation.

Sison was promoted to senior convention officer and also performed as a dancer in the firm’s folk-dance group. In 1986, he left for Madrid to study Spanish Philology, which covers language, literature and culture. He also started shuttling to the Netherlands, the homeland of his longtime partner.

In 1991, Sison started accumulating dolls and teddy bears when it became a trend. After three years of collecting, it dawned on him that he could also produce teddy bears.

“Why pay top dollar when you could get one that looks like an antique? But I could not sew a button on my shirt, let alone a bear,” he says. “Picking up a needle and some mohair, I looked at my collection and said, I can do it!”

He started with commercial patterns purchased at teddy-bear shows and hobby shops. After five trials, he was dissatisfied with the teddy bear’s faces. With his background in visual arts from Madrid’s art school, he created his own designs, inspired by the teddy bears of the 1900s.

Classic version

Teddy bears were created by a German seamstress, Margaret Steiff. The classic teddy bear is characterized by glassy eyes, a stitched snout, a hump back, long arms with spoon-shaped paws, and small ankles with long feet.

The Steiff toys were made of mohair, felt, alpaca or woven plush, stitched by hand and filled with polyester and wood shavings.

Sison says his teddy bears are as traditional as the Steiff toys. “All my bears have that nostalgic, elegant and sweet look.”

For materials, he favors German mohair for the body, wood wool and poly fill for the stuffing, wool felt for the paw pads, and glass and antique shoe buttons for the eyes. The secret of his vintage look is his “needle sculpting,” which he compares to the fastidious contouring of the face.

He has earned a reputation for elegant bears. The Lady of Taste, which sports a hat with a tulle veil evocative of European ladies, has been on the cover of international teddy-bear magazines.

His favorite work is the sailor-boy bear with deep-set eyes; it has also been the most photographed. He dyed plain mohair several times, airbrushed the muzzle and embroidered it to achieve the bear’s timeworn look.

Sison made a breakthrough on the international scene when he joined the Japan Teddy Bear Association and Convention. He came with 22 hand-stitched bears and left Japan with only two bears.

His reputation quickly spread among teddy bear collectors. He also did tours in San Diego, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Berlin and Austria.

Sometimes he would get faxes from strangers who would reserve a bear. “By the time I get into my hotel room, the phone would be ringing. I’d ask the caller, ‘How did you know?’ ‘I’ve been checking the hotels.’”

That’s how in-demand he is. For 10 years, Sison signed autographs at My Friends & Me, touted as the best teddy-bear shop in the States, in Leesburg, Virginia. The shop is famous for collectibles produced by the best teddy-bear artists in the world.

Sison is a two-time winner of the Teddy Bear Artist of the Year, the Oscars of the industry, given by the Teddy Bear and Friends magazine.

He is also a recipient of a Golden Teddy award. For a bear that evoked a 1900s look, Sison became the only recipient of the Winners’ Circle Award, adjudged by past winners.

Master bear-maker

His works have landed on covers of major teddy-bear publications. He was even dubbed by magazines as “master bear-maker” and the “Armani of teddy-bear artists” for his simple but exquisite workmanship. The restrained use of accessories enhances, not overpowers, the bears.

Sison is mum about the price of his teddy bears, but hints that they fetch at least $500. A miniature, standing at four inches, starts at $90. He says he’s the only artist in teddy-bear fairs who is allowed not to put a price tag on his wares.

“In fairs, people say, ‘I love your bear so much but I have to mortgage my house.’ Or, ‘I have to save my salary for four months,’” he says. “Everybody has a teddy bear made out of synthetic. What we do as artists is not a toy but an art.”

Sison is able to capitalize on his skills in marketing and promotions. Last year, he was the marketing director for the Philippine Pavilion at the Zaragoza Expo in Spain. Japanese and Korean organizers have hired him to be the international representative and coordinator for their teddy-bear shows.

He invites teddy-bear artists to attend. In exchange, he is given a commission, perks and a rent-free booth in the fairs.

“Collecting and making teddy bears is passion for me. I never thought of it as a business. If I sell, fine; if not, I don’t care. I want to make something I can be proud of,” he says.

Audie Sison’s teddy bears are available at AC+632, Greenbelt 5. Call 758-2564.

http://www.irb.com/mm/Photo/NewsMedia/0/JohnArceo,GuamvsIndonesia_8609_SQ_MEDIUM.jpg

The final tournament in the 2009 HSBC Asian Five Nations kicked off today with the hosts Philippines winning through to the Division 3 final against Guam, in Manila.

Top seeds the Philippines beat off the challenge of number four seeds Iran and second seeds Guam saw off Indonesia to book their place in Saturday’s final against the hosts.

The winner will be promoted to the HSBC Asian Five Nations Division II tournament to join relegated Division I team Thailand, China and India in 2010.

Guam 23-3 Indonesia

Today’s action opened with a battle between Guam and Indonesia and, from the opening whistle, Guam exerted tremendous pressure on their Indonesian counterparts with fly half Steven Sablan crossing over for the first of a brace of tries in just the second minute.

Guam did not let up and scored again in the 12th minute through captain and flanker Paul Claros. Claros’ try was converted by centre Kapueli Katoa to bring the score to 12-0 and a penalty from Katoa in the 35th minute gave Guam a 15-0 half time lead.

Indonesia started much stronger in the second half and captain and fly half Kirk Arundale slotted a penalty to get the Rhinos on the board, but Sablan punished some indisclipine for an 18-3 lead. A difficult task was made even harder for Indonesia when prop Bobby Orlando was yellow carded in the 42nd minute, effectively ending their charge.

The score remained 18-3 for most of the second half before a second Sablan try from a well-worked chip ahead with two minutes to play brought the final score to 23-3 in Guam’s favour.

Philippines 15-0 Iran

Top seeds Philippines survived a scare from a physical Iranian team to advance to Saturday’s final against Guam. The match offered a distinct rugby contrast of brawn versus brains as the massive Iranian team’s lack of top-flight match experience showed against the small but canny Philippines.

Kicking in the first half was inaccurate from both sides as the Philippine Volcanoes missed four attempts and Iran missed two - a poor 40 minutes which also produced no try-scoring chances. After the interval, the Volcanoes applied genuine pressure and some nice support play led to centre Matt Saunders crossing for the first of two tries on the day.

The score remained at 5-0 until the 73rd minute, before the Philippine fitness and match experience provided a crucial edge and lock forward Rafael Zappia slotted his first penalty attempt in the 73rd minute, followed by an easy try in the 78th minute through Saunders. Zappia converted to make the final score 15-0 and send the Philippines into Saturday’s final at 15.00.

The final also represents a tantalizing re-match for the Philippines and Guam, the two finalists in last year’s Guam Regional Tournament won by the Philippines 20-8.

These two teams are familiar foes and regularly contest the Magellan Cup, named after the Spanish explorer who first touched ground in the Pacific Ocean in Guam before meeting an untimely end on the Philippine island of Cebu where he was killed by warrior chieftain Lapu Lapu.

Indonesia and Iran will kick off at 13.00 for third place and both matches will be played at the Nomads Sporting Club in Manila, home of the renowned Manila 10s.

http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/regional/newsid=2032602.html

An update to this, the Philippines won....:)

Filipino troupe tops in folklore festival

http://www.nst.com.my/Thursday/National/2602947/insidepix1

The Tacloban performing arts group of the Philippines performing at the fourth Sabah International Folklore Festival on Tuesday night. — NST picture by Datu Ruslan Sulai

PENAMPANG: The Tacloban performing arts group from the Philippines put up a splendid performance to win four of the six prizes at the fourth Sabah International Folklore Festival.
Performing before a capacity crowd at the Penampang Cultural Centre on Tuesday night, the Filipino group clinched the overall title and also took home the Best Choreography, Best Music and Best Male Dancer awards.

The Daya Presta group of Indonesia was first runner-up and won the Best Female Dancer award.

Kazakhstan's On Alty Kyz group finished third and were recognised for Best Costume.

The prizes was presented by state Culture, Tourism and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.
The festival attracted nine international cultural dance troupes including from Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/2602947/Article/index_html

Filipino doctor receives international awards (http://mb.com.ph/articles/210136/filipino-doctor-receives-international-awards)
By MADEL R. SABATER


A Filipino medical doctor was conferred two international health research awards in Europe in recognition of his research work concerning the health and welfare of seafarers.

According to a report of the Philippine Embassy in London to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), research works submitted by Dr. Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III won best studies during the 11th Conference of International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) in Budapest, Hungary from May 24 to 28.

He also received medals for his studies presented at the First International Congress of Maritime, Tropical and Hyperbaric Medicine at Gdynia, Poland held on June 4 to 6.

Prisno is working on his PhD degree at the Cardiff University in Wales.

Titles of his studies presented in Hungary are: “International Seafarers as Patients: Towards a Model of an Effective Global Health System,” and “Global Seafarers: Why Risky to STIs (Sexually transmitted Infections) and HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) When They Work and Travel” while the studies he presented in Poland are entitled, “An Analysis of the AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) Epidemic in the Maritime Industry,” and “The Anatomy of Stress: the Filipino Seafarer and His Work.”

Prisno is a long-time advocate of Filipino seafarers, with his calls for reforms in the maritime industry and social corporate responsibility from ship owners.

His work on AIDS in the maritime industry has yielded several substantive programs. He recently co-authored the book, International Medical Guide for Ships, published by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is carried by all ships and used as a guide for health problems onboard.

4 RP firms developing H1N1 vaccines
By Sheila Crisostomo Updated July 10, 2009 12:00 AM
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=485405&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - Four pharmaceutical firms in the Philippines are now manufacturing vaccines against the Influenza A(H1N1) virus, the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) said yesterday.

PHAP said that research and development for vaccines against Influenza A(H1N1) has entered the production phase and vaccines might be out before November.

PHAP president Oscar

Aragon noted that four PHAP members are involved in vaccine manufacturing.

These are the GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Sanofi-Pasteur and Baxter. PHAP is an organization composed of research-based pharmaceutical companies.

“People are working round-the-clock to come up with the vaccines. The development process began when the companies received the ‘seed virus’ from the World Health Organization (WHO) last May. They need that to start the production,” he told The STAR.

The receipt of the virus signals the start of the development process called “passaging” which will eventually yield a “working seed.” Passaging is the process for acclimating the virus to grow in a production environment at optimum yield.

It takes four to six months to produce any influenza vaccine because it will have to undergo the research and development process and the regulatory approval to ensure the safety and efficacy of the new vaccine.

But Aragon claimed that since Novartis and Baxter are using “different technology,” they might have the finished products ahead of time.

He added the companies have been working closely with the WHO, which is monitoring “how the virus behaves or if there is a mutation.”

“Vaccine should be specific to the virus and that is the reason why vaccine production is being done in cooperation with the WHO,” Aragon said.

“As an organization committed to protecting the health and lives of the people, research and development (R&D) to discover breakthrough medicine and prevent this new virus from further spreading is non-stop so that we could lessen the probability of a pandemic,” he added.

But the vaccines would be distributed around the world through the WHO. The GSK will donate some 50 million vaccines while Sanofi-Pasteur will give some 100 million vaccines to the WHO.

“The stocks of vaccines are to be allocated by the WHO. At this point, maybe it’s the Department of Health that’s going to influence the WHO (for the Philippines),” he maintained.

WHO commends DOH chief

Meanwhile, the WHO commended DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III for “his leadership and tireless efforts in responding to this emerging threat to the health of the people of the Philippines.”

In a letter to Duque, WHO director for Western Pacific Dr. Shin Young-soo said the first case of A(H1N1) in the Philippines was “swiftly detected and laboratory confirmation was promptly made at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicines (RITM)” while “contact tracing has also been thorough, allowing the DOH to detect further cases and slow down the spread of the virus.”

“The efficiency of the response indicated to me that the Philippines has the fundamental capacity to detect and respond to the new influenza virus. I should also add that WHO is also confident about the quality of the laboratory diagnoses carried out by RITM and about the epidemiological activities conducted by the National Epidemiology Center,” he maintained.

Shin added that communication between the DOH and the WHO “has been transparent and conducted in accordance with the International Health Regulations (2005).”

Duque announced that the Philippines would adopt the WHO-recommended changes in reporting of A(H1N1).

“The WHO will no longer be issuing global table updates that show the number of confirmed cases for all countries but will instead continue to document the global spread with updates describing the situation in newly affected countries,” Duque said. This means that the DOH will issue updates probably on a weekly basis.

The health chief had reiterated that while the virus has been proven to be mild, the public should not let their guard down. He warned that there are some cases that “become serious” especially if the patients have underlying medical conditions.

“So, again, we are urging the public to be more vigilant in guarding their health against A(H1N1) despite its generally mild clinical manifestations in most of the cases reported in the country,” Duque added.

The DOH said yesterday that 95 percent of the 1,709 cases of Influenza A(H1N1) in the country have already recovered, proving that the virus is “mild in nature.”

Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, director of the DOH’s National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, noted there was also no indication that the virus was mutating.

“According to the WHO, it seems there’s no mutation. It has still the same protein particles, meaning to say if there is resistance (to Oseltamivir), it’s not that much. It could be an isolated case,” she added.

Oliveros said the WHO had instructed countries to monitor “specific resistance” to Oseltamivir.

“So in shifting to mitigation, one of the functions or objectives of getting throat swab (samples) is not only to confirm cases but also to study if there could be some resistance already to Oseltamivir,” she added.

Based on its June 27 update, there were 1,709 cases in the Philippines. A total of 1,568 of them are Filipinos and 235 have history of travel to countries with confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police has recorded its first cases of A(H1N1) in four police recruits in Cordillera, but the PNP leadership has already taken measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

In his report to PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa, Cordillera Police Regional director Chief Superintendent Orlando Pestaño said the four recruits are confined at the St. Louis University Medical Center.

Meanwhile, seven students tested positive for A(H1N1) virus in Los Baños, Laguna, according to Dr. Alvin Isidro, head of the Municipal Health Office. He said they are already implementing measures to contain the spread of the virus. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe and Rudy Fernandez

View previous articles from this author.

^^ I'm not sure if the title of the article is misleading. It says developing but the write up says - it is manufacturing...so the vaccine is not developed here...

Talagang Maipagmamalaki ang Bagong Bayani - Pat A. Sto. Tomas
ALAM BA NINYO | Pat A. Sto. Tomas | 07/11/2009 11:06 PM

Hindi ko alam kung inyong nasubaybayan sa mga pahayagan ang magandang ginawa ni Mildred Perez, isang OFW sa Hongkong na talaga namang maipagmamalaki nating lahat bilang Pilipino.

Si Mildred ay isang ina at may dalawang anak na kanyang iniwan sa kanyang asawang tricycle driver sa kanilang bayan sa Bambang, Nueva Viscaya, upang mamasukan bilang isang domestic helper sa Hongkong.

Sa umpisa, maayos naman ang kalagayan ni Mildred subalit ang lahat ay nagbago noong 2007 ng siya ay pinagsamantalahan (sexually assaulted) ng kanyang employer na isang pastor pa man din sa simbahan.

Katulad ng isang disenteng Filipina, si Mildred ay nagreklamo sa mga authoridad sa Hongkong sa ginawa sa kanya at umalis bilang katulong sa kanyang employer. Ang masaklap sa regulasyon pala ng pamahalaan ng Hongkong, pinagbabawalang ma-empleyo ang complainant kapag ang kaso nito ay naka-pending pa sa korte katulad ng kaso ni Mildred.

Kaya sa isang iglap biglang naglaho ang magandang kinabukasang pangarap ni Mildred sa kanyang mga anak. Nahinto sa pag-aaral ang kanyang mga anak, at siya mismo ay hindi malaman kung papaano susuportahan ang sarili sa Hongkong.

Kaya napilitan si Mildred na mamuhay katulad ng mga scavengers na ating nakikita dito sa atin na naghahalungkat sa mga basurahan upang makahanap ng mga bagay na maaring ipagbili upang kumita. Sa kaso ni Mildred, ito ay mga lata ng softdrinks, mga cardboards at iba pa na maaring mabenta,at kahit papaano ay nakakapagbigay sa kanya ng HK$38 o P228 sa isang araw kung siya ay palarin na makakuha ng marami-rami nito sa mga basurahan.

Ganito ang naging buhay ni Mildred sa Hongkong sa loob ng mahigit sa isang taon hanggang sa ngayon. Subalit posibleng magbago na ito kahit papaano matapos mangyari ang isang dakilang desisyon na kanyang ginawa noong April na talagang namang kahanga-hanga at maipagmamalaki nating mga Pilipino.

Noong April 24, habang si Mildred at ang kanyang kasama ay naghahalungkat ng basura sa kanto ng Pottinger Street at Des Voeux Road sa Yueng Long area doon sa Hongkong, siya ay nakadampot ng isang envelope na ng kanyang buksan ay tumambulad sa kanyang paningin ang maraming dolyar at mga tseke.

Ayon sa report, ang pera ay may kabuuang cash na $176,000 na binubuo ng tig-iisang libong dolyar at mga tseke sa US dollars at Hongkong dollars. Ang kabuuang halaga na nakapaloob sa envelope kung pagsasamahin ang cash at tseke ay umaabot sa HK$350.545 o nasa P2.1 million sa peso.

Maaring kung ganito ang mangyayari sa ibang tao ay iba ang magiging reaksyon kapag nakapulot ng ganitong halaga ng pera. Subalit kay Mildred ang kaagad pumasok sa isipan niya ay isauli ito sa may-ari dahil sa ang isang tseke ay naka-clipped sa isang envelop na may pangalan ng isang kumpanya.

Ang una niyang naisip ay tawagan ito at alamin kung ito ang tunay na nagmamay-ari ng naturang pera upang kaagad niya itong maisauli. Subalit dahil sa lagpas na sa office hours ng siya ay nakatawag nag-iwan na lamang siya ng mensahe sa recorder tungkol sa perang napulot niya at nais niya itong isauli sa tunay na nagmamay-ari.

Kinabukasan, nakipagkita sa kanya ang isang opisyal ng kumpanya kasama ang empleyado na may dala ng nawalang pera na dapat pala ay idedeposito niya sa banko. Sobra ang pasasalamat ng mga ito sa ginawa ni Mildred at bilang pagtanaw ng utang na loob, binigyan nila si Mildred ng isang lata ng butter cookies.

Talagang kahanga-hanga ang ginawa ni Mildred. Sa kabila ng kanyang mahirap na sitwasyon doon sa Hongkong na halos hindi sapat sa kanyang pansariling pangangailangan sa araw-araw ang kanyang kinikita sa pamumulot ng mga basura at sa kabila ng pangangailangan sa pera upang mapag-aral ang dalawang anak na naiwan dito sa atin, ay hindi man lang pumasok sa isipan ni Mildred na itago na lamang ang nadampot na halaga. Sa halip kanyang naisip na kaagad itong isauli sa nagmamay-ari.

Noong siya ay na-interview tungkol sa kanyang reaksyon matapos madampot ang pera, ang sinabi ni Mildred siya raw ay nahirapan matulog sa pag-iisip sapagkat napakalaki ng halagang kanyang napulot at sobra o higit na ito sa kakailanganin niya upang maka-uwi na dito sa Pilipinas.

Subalit naisip din daw niya na baka ang taong nakawala ng pera ay isang ordinaryong empleyado lang na may pamilyang umaasa din sa kanya at maaring mawalan ng trabaho dahil sa pagkawala niya ng pera. Hindi daw makaya ng kanyang konsensya na itago ang pera sapagkat habang buhay ito ay magpapahirap sa kanyang kaisipan. Kaya minabuti niyang ibalik ang pera sa tunay na may-ari.

Talagang nakapakadakila. Isang OFW na hirap sa buhay at namumuhay sa araw-araw doon sa Hongkong bilang garbage scavenger subalit hindi nahikayat na ibulsa at angkinin ang perang nadampot na nagkakahalaga ng mahigit sa dalawang milyong piso. Dakila ka Ms. Mildred Perez. Isa kang Pilipinong maipagmamalaki naming lahat. At ako ay hanga sa iyong paninindigan bilang isang OFW-at isang bagong bayani.

At lalo akong natutuwa sa iyong kadakilaan sapagkat ito ay gumigising sa ating maraming mga kababaihan lalo na sa mga namumuno sa pamahalaan ng ang mga maliliit na Pilipino katulad ng mga OFWs ay malaki din pala ang naibibigay na kontribusyon sa pangangalaga at pangangalap ng mabuting pag-uugali at imahe nating mga Pilipino.
Katulad ng pagkilala ng Provincial Government ng Nueva Viscaya sa ginawa ni Mildred sa pamamagitan ng pag-pasa ng isang resolusyon na nagbigay puri sa kanya “for her display of exemplary honesty”. Bilang pasasalamat ang provincial government ng Nueva Viscaya ay naglaan ng P50,000 bilang initial assistance sa pamilya ni Mildred.

Dakila ka Mildred. Sa iyong ginawa muli mong nai-angat ang imahe ng Pilipino – ng mga OFWs. Ng dahil sa iyong kabutihan at katapatan, lalo mong napataas ang katangian ng ating mga OFWs sa kaisipan ng mga foreign employers. Nang dahil sa iyo maaring mabigyang proteksyon ang trabaho ng marami nating mga OFWs na posibleng making biktima ng mga kasalukuyang economic recession na nanalasa sa mga progresibong bansa.

Isa kang Bagong Bayani Mildred.

Mga tagasubaybay ating ipagbunyi and kadakilaan ni Ms. Mildred Perez.

SOURCE:http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/views-and-analysis/07/11/09/talagang-maipagmamalaki-ang-bagong-bayani
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know if this has been posted over here before, somehow this should be given another good space here. Napakagandang halimbawa!

By Mayen Jaymalin Updated July 11, 2009 12:00 AM (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=485708&publicationSubCategoryId=206)

MANILA, Philippines - The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in Palawan has successfully landed among the top 77 nominees and entered the finals of the ongoing search for the New 7 Wonders of Nature (N7WN).

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said the country’s nominee was chosen from among 261 contenders after the second phase of the worldwide voting ended last Tuesday.

From the top 77 nominees, Durano said only 28 official finalists will be chosen by the N7WN’s panel of experts.

Those selected will be announced in Zurich at the New7Wonders Foundation headquarters on July 21.

Durano said the top 28 finalists will be classified into seven groups and will compete against candidates within their category.

After the top 28 selection, voting resumes while the New7Wonders World Tour visits the finalists to give each a chance to be seen by the whole world.

The final proclamation of the 7 Wonders of Nature will be in 2011.

“The Palawan Subterranean River has a very good chance of making it to the top 28, considering the criteria of the panel which include unique beauty, diversity, ecological importance, historical legacy, and geographical location,” Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. said.

Jarque explained that historical legacy refers to the people’s relations or deep bond with the site, while geographical location means the even distribution of the contenders between continents and countries.

Renowned as the world’s longest underground river, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park also features a stunning limestone karst mountain landscape.

Inside its large chambers are stalactite and stalagmite formations, while at the mouth of its cave thrives a bustling ecosystem which includes monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels.

The New 7 Wonders of Nature is an ongoing campaign sponsored by the New 7 Wonders Foundation based in Switzerland.

The same group initiated the New 7 Wonders of the World project in 2007.

Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism (DOT) will launch another tourism promotion showcase for the CALABARZON Region at Intramuros: History Town Philippines with the theme Excite! Delight @ the Sights.

The CALABARZON region – composed of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon – is home to outstanding resorts and natural attractions and has occupied the top slot in the domestic travel market for several decades.

With unique travel packages that cater to diverse markets, the best reasons for visiting the region are wellness and spa sessions, hot spring baths, beach and diving safaris, golf courses, pilgrimages, historic sites, arts, crafts, cuisine, Spanish colonial churches and homes.

All CALABARZON destinations and products will be featured under one roof at the Clamshell at Anda and Sta. Lucia Streets at Intramuros from July 14 to 25 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Filipino: A Global Citizen
Posted on July 13th, 2009 under Inspirational Views

Humanity has become interwoven with many threads that grow stronger and longer each day. We see change all around us, hear constantly that we live in a global village, and are fortunate to be living at a time when the world has become interconnected and interdependent.

To survive and succeed, individuals must increase their understanding of this interconnected world and be able to embrace global perspectives for their own sake as much as for the benefit of others. In this sphere, Filipinos have increasingly linked their fortunes with those from afar, as significant challenges and problems transcend boundary lines.

The presence of Filipinos in 239 countries as temporary or permanent migrants or as undocumented migrants, attests to the transformation of Filipino migrants into global citizens. Using data from administrative sources, surveys, and selected quantitative studies global models, the report stated that 209 of the 239 countries where Filipinos live and work are members of the United Nations, while 30 are non-members, including islands and territories unfamiliar to many Filipinos.

Filipinos leave the country for the promise of a better future and higher pay. They brave prejudice and discrimination to build a home wherever they may be. They always manage to look outward, expanding their sphere of consideration to give their families a better life, a good education, and some financial liberation.

The global Filipino has embraced the role of a world citizen, flourishing in diverse environments, and filled with hope that the next generation will be able to overcome the problems of the present and fulfill the promise of the future.

Pinoys harvest Math medals in South Africa
Posted on July 12th, 2009 under The Good Balita

http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/13_math_wizards.jpg

The 13 Filipino high school math wizards [Philstar] Thirteen Filipino high school math wizards won a slew silver and bronze medals in the 10th Invitational World Youth Mathematics Inter-cities Competition in Durban, South Africa.

Four members of the Philippines’ Team A posted a first runner-up finish in the team category competitions earning a trophy and a silver medal each for its four members namely Geraldine Baniqued, a senior at St. Paul College-Pasig; Arielle Elise Chua of St. Jude Catholic School-Manila; John Russell Virata of Gideon Academy; and Zheng Rong Wu of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School.

The Philippines Team B, composed of Adrian Raphael Co of the British School Manila; Matthew Chris Chan of St. Stephen’s High School; Ostin John Ong of the Bacolod Trinity Christian School; and Vance Eldric Go of St. Jude Catholic School-Manila, landed a second runner-up trophy and a bronze medal each for its four members.

Six of the 13 Filipino participants bagged a bronze medal each in the individual category competitions including Baniqued, Virata, Wu, Chan, Go and Elvis Jeremy Ayroso of Philippine Science High School-Manila for high marks in the individual category competition.

All 13 members of the Philippine delegation also won a bronze medal each when their teams, Philippines’ Team A, B, C, and Cua’s all-girls team, also posted second runner-up finish and a bronze medal each including the members of the Philippines’ Team C composed of Janssen Kotah of the Philippine Cultural College; Hanz Vladimir Cabanes of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School; Iyulores of Ateneo High School; and Ayroso of Philippine Science High School-Manila.

Team Philippines were led by team leaders Dr. Eduardo de la Cruz, dean of the Arellano University College of Education and principal of the university’s elementary school; and Dr. Isidro Aguilar of the Department of Education, both of the Mathematics’ Trainers Guild-Philippines.

The 10th IWYMIC drew participants from 19 countries including Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Zambia, Zimbabwe, host country South Africa, and the Philippines.

China, as before and like in other international math Olympiads, dominated the 10th IWYMIC, winning 10 of the 13 individual gold medals as well as a slew of gold medals in the team and group categories.

Other gold medal winners were students from Singapore, which won one gold; and Thailand, which won two individual golds.

Individual silver medals were also won by China with about eight students winning them; Taiwan also had eight; Thailand seven, Bulgaria had five; Singapore had two and Canada, two.

Cebuana is a media star in Singapore

http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/pamela_wildheart.jpghttp://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/pamela_wildheart_album.jpg

Pamela Wildheart Pamela Wildheart is making the Philippines proud in Singapore. She is not only a popular music and voice personality but she will soon become a recording star with the release of her debut album Wild and Wicked in the city state.

It took her 14 years to finally record her music.

Fans have always known Pamela as the distinctively loud and blond-haired personality of radio, and many may not realize she is a consummate concert performer with several original songs to her name.

During her initial stay in Singapore she performed back to back on guitar with Douglas Oliveiro in Bier Keller and even with successful shows to Japan, Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and guest appearances in many TV and live shows.

Solo concerts are not new to Pamela Wildheart who hails from Cebu, home of the prime Filipino performers who have gained national recognition like Pilita Corales, Dulce and many more.

During her early years, Pamela Wildheart was consistent member of songwriter’s organization and even won as finalist in the famed Metro Cebu Pop Festival.

Exceptional achievements as songwriter to commercial jingles ranging from shampoos, global milk, and airlines.

The WILD & WICKED album echoes love songs, hurt feelings, happy feelings, patriotism and a deep understanding of how our Filipino Overseas Workers in Singapore live.

The album has 10 songs where 7 are all written by Pamela including music and lyrics. 6 songs are in English while 4 are in Tagalog.

Pamela’s version of ANAK by Freddie Aguilar is an awesome surprise, transforming the song into a rejuvenated rock song. Most of the original tracks are superbly sung with Pamela’s raspy, coarse & raw energy which is hard to come by today with R & B, Pop & Dance music dominating the airwaves.

She pits talent with one of Singapore’s top musicians Moliano who wrote a Malay ballad but had been written in Tagalog by Pamela.

“Despite the challenges of the new music business, I think we have a strong Filipino market here close to 150,000 of them. I am after all a Filipina and this explains why I have 4 songs in Tagalog including Anak in a totally rock treatment and version.” says Wildheart.

Recently winning The Most Outstanding Filipinos Award last June 6, 2009, she was selected together with only 4 others.

“In between my lectures and training programmes, live shows and art programmes, I have to get back to terms that I am an artiste and I am simply hoping that Singapore, the Philippines and the world has room for me.

Age is certainly one factor to consider, but then again, Music has no age, no genre, no walls in fact it breaks barries.

Musically produced & directed by Moliano, one of Singapore’s most respected music composer, arranger, and excellent guitarist and of the Love Hunters Band fame, the album is a product of a Filipino, Singaporean & Indonesian talents.

Pamela Wildheart’s exceptional gift as songwriter and music composer is brought to its height with the superb guitar and band musicality and direction.

Indeed original composers face grave threat of low album sales, but noting the exceptional originality and talent Pamela Wildheart has shown in this album,there’s no doubt that Singaporeans, global Pinoys and Pinays and everyone will love this album.

http://www.mb.com.ph/sites/default/files/Artist-at-Work_0.jpg

"When you are scarred by the war, you are scarred forever,” is one of the many things Catalonian-born painter Juvenal Sansó said the day we visited him in his homey and modest abode in Bel-Air Makati, but his unexpected pronouncement is not apparent in the 79-year-old artist’s demeanor or appearance.

And if you are by any chance aware of Sansó’s body of work, you’d be surprised how a child of war could have drawn and painted dreamy, almost ethereal-looking flowers and plant-life and be known for them. But the painter’s idyllic and gentle renditions of nature came only after—with the passing of time helping him to create such and the arts as an amorous guide.

“Art has been my life support not to go crazy. It is my lifesaver,” reveals Sansó. And the arts have really been kind to him all these years. It gave him reason to live and to be happy, enabling him to rise above the many tragic occasions he went through under the Japanese occupation. And although there were instances in his life where he wanted to give up painting, the artist has remained steadfast and fashioned a grip so strong on to it not to let go.

Originally from Spain, the Sansó family flew to Philippines back in 1934 with the thought of establishing a wrought-iron business relationship with the country. Sansó was only four years old then.

“My father loved it here so we decided to stay. Then, unfortunately the Spanish civil war ignited and the Japanese came,” the painter narrates. “We were here and it was very bad. Nobody could leave the country. The Japanese took everything away. We had become so poor that I had to be a bus conductor at the age of 14.”

During the war, it had been utterly difficult for Sansó to hone his drawing skills. He barely had time to pick up a pen because their family had to start from scratch and the young Sansó worked round-the-clock. They had zero and “nobody was helping anybody, not because people were unkind but because they were just as poor as we were.” The Sansós, with nothing left to do, went back to the basics. “We planted kamote and kangkong so we could eat,” he reminisces.

It could have been an easy road for the Sansós had they provided the Japanese help in making shovels and spades for the war, but they were adamant. Sansó’s father refused to go back their wrought-iron business at that time to aid the enemies and his son admired him for doing the right thing. Instead, the Sansós put up a karitela business and ended up with almost 40 horses.

By the time when gasoline was invented, Sansó’s father opted to build a bus from odds and ends of vehicle parts he found in the market. Soon enough, the Sansós had a bus running from Sta. Ana to Quiapo—and the teen Sansó was the conductor. At such an early age, Sansó experienced and witnessed first-hand the daily grind of Old Manila, its good parts and bad bits. “It was honky-tonk town,” he jokes.

When their wrought-iron business picked up, Sansó’s father asked a friend to give his son drawing lessons during the day. This was in preparation for Sansó’s training for their business where a skill in drawing is needed to create designs. “My father made the biggest mistake of his life,” he says lightheartedly. “It was the answer to all my problems.”

However, learning all the fundamentals of drawing via one-on-one lessons could not possibly suffice so he entered the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts. When he did, Sansó had the privilege of being taught by Fernando Amorsolo, Guillermo Tolentino, and Dominador Castañeda, who were all obviously the best in the local art scene.

“We were his students and he was our dean. He was the star,” Sansó says about Amorsolo. “He was a very shy man, very kind, very sweet. He was an example more than a teacher,” he relates.

In terms of aesthetic sense though and style, Sansó didn’t try to imitate Amorsolo’s grand and classical depictions of Filipino life and sense of nationhood. “I was not a kid who was brought up seeing beautiful lavanderas and beautiful papaya and mango trees. I was brought up by the war and its many problems,” he recalls.

“Manila was a total disaster, and so my paintings were very dramatic. My works were things that people don’t put in their houses. They were about beggars and were socially engaged and conscious. I could not be painting ala Amorsolo and all these had to come out.”

Grim and poignant, Sansó’s early opuses were not the happy trees, flowers, seascapes, and landscapes that he draws and paints now. Some of his paintings bore flowers that people became very afraid and shocked of.

But now, Sansó’s oeuvre displays no traces of the appalling memories of the cold-blooded war. His are enchanting in full-blown colors, breathing with life, sensual, tender, cool, and warm—like the seasons and varying effects of and changes in light.

“I was a different man now as compared when I was young. I’ve mellowed a lot,” Sansó discloses. “Apparently, our selves change completely every seven years so physically, we’re somebody else. The only thing that keeps us together is our memory. Now, I’m a happier person.” And the positive changes in the artist’s outlook are now outwardly reflected in his canvases of playful flora and fauna.

Never pretending to be something or someone else he is not, Sansó drew what he loved best, flowers, saying he likes their architecture, their unmistakable rhythm, and color. Another thing that Sansó saw essential in his works is water because of the many memories it conjured for him.

“I used to go a lot to the beach. We came to the Philippines by boat and that was marvelous. I learned how to swim in the Pasig River; and I spent many summers in Brittany, France where the beach boasted of beautiful boulders and rocks,” he muses.

How does the global painter conceptualize? “I let my inner juices do that for me. What I do is just put together all these feelings—desire, hate, love. It’s very hard to look into one’s own eye. Career-wise, I was very bad at it. I did everything upside down but that served me good. It’s been one kamikaze after another,” he relates truthfully.

Candidly, Sansó also divulges that he is not one to start and finish a painting that instantly. For most part of his artistic career, Sansó works on paintings from 10 to 20 years and he doesn’t give a damn about what people comment on his work habits. “Who cares?” he asks. “You’re the boss,” he says.

“Always, always I have to work at top excitement. If not, I don’t bore myself because it will show in my work. If I get bored, I slip into another painting because I easily get saturated and sometimes my works are like a foreign language I don’t know so I have to fall in love with them again,” adds.

While Sansó is definitely not getting any younger, he is continues to work well and to paint with the same enthusiasm, sensitivity, and heart that he has been known for. Why? Why does he continue to produce captivating pieces? Why does he still pick up the brush and palette? Sansó answers, “Because I am alive.” No one could be more incredibly sincere and frank like him.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/210697/artist-work-juvenal-sans-from-gloomy-bouquets-joyful-posies

Talagang Maipagmamalaki ang Bagong Bayani - Pat A. Sto. Tomas
ALAM BA NINYO | Pat A. Sto. Tomas | 07/11/2009 11:06 PM

[...]
Kinabukasan, nakipagkita sa kanya ang isang opisyal ng kumpanya kasama ang empleyado na may dala ng nawalang pera na dapat pala ay idedeposito niya sa banko. Sobra ang pasasalamat ng mga ito sa ginawa ni Mildred at bilang pagtanaw ng utang na loob, binigyan nila si Mildred ng isang lata ng butter cookies.
[...]



The company officials were so overwhelmed with gratitude that they gave her...a can of butter cookies????

I know one shouldn't expect any reward but this is a little silly, given her sorry situation. I hope she is still not scavenging in Hong Kong.

http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/aj_yap.jpg
By Mike Baños

The Filipino-American daughter of a couple from Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental has been crowned Miss United States International 2009.Aileen Jan “A.J.” Valdehueza-Yap won the title at the Stafford Conference Centre in Houston, Texas and will represent the US in the 49th Miss International pageant to be held at the Venetian Macao Resort in Macau, China on November 7, 2009. A.J. is the daughter of Dr. Romeo “Boy” Sy Yap of Cagayan de Oro City and Virgincita “Geget” Bautista Valdehueza Yap of Balingasag, Misamis Oriental. She is the younger of two siblings and has an older brother Nathan.“We are just so fortunate that the Lord granted us this wonderful gift,” proud Dad Boy Yap said in an email interview from Texas. “ Saba kaayo ang auditorium,kay daghan kaayo sa among barkada ang nitambong. I was one proud father to see our daughter being crowned. For the family it is a very “crowning moment.”


http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/aj_yap2.jpg

A.J. also swept the preliminary competitions by winning both the “Best in Swimsuit” and “Best in Evening Gown” awards.Among the six judges were reigning Mrs. America Maureen McDonald and former Miss Universe Chelsi Smith.Ms. Wyoming Keri Shar was chosen fourth runner up; Ms. California Kristy Davis, third runner up; Ms. Michigan Shawna Vale, second runner up and Ms. Florida Lees Darayanne Garcia, first runner up.A.J. is a junior at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas majoring in biology. Her father Boy is a psychiatrist and Mom Geget is a nurse by profession and Director and Owner of Virginia’s Lakeview Personal Care Home in Texas, USA.She graduated as the Most Outstanding Student at the Sacred Heart School in Conroe, Texas and went on to graduate Summa cum Laude at Willis High School.


http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/aj_yap3.jpgAJ wants to pursue a career in pediatrics. “I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, seeing how my parents can help someone else’s life and also seeing how rewarding it is to be able to help someone in need,” she said. “I want to specialize in pediatrics because I love kids, being the second youngest cousin, I have a lot of nieces and nephews and being around them help me decide how much I really enjoy being around children.” Miss International is the fourth largest beauty pageant in the world. Around 70 contestants from all over the globe are expected to join the 49th edition of the pageant at the Venetian Macau Resort on November 7, 2009. Alejandra Andreu of Spain will crown her successor at the end of the event.

Popular rums of India
July 19, 3:43 PM

Few people realize that the top five selling brands of rum in the world are Bacardi of Puerto Rico, Tanduay of the Philippines, Old Monk and McDowell's of India and Captain Morgan of Puerto Rico.

Old Monk 7 Year Old Rum is a vatted Indian Rum, blended and aged for 7 years. Old Monk is said to be the third largest selling rum in the world with 7.2 million cases sold each year, and the leader in exporting Indian rum to the world.

Old Monk also has a 12 year old version. Both are dark rums with rich buttery flavor, full of molasses and caramel.

Honored the world over, Old Monk had been awarded gold medals at Monde World Selections since 1982. It is produced by Mohan Meakin, based in Mohan Nagar, Ghazibad, Uttar Pradesh.

McDowell's No. 1 Celebration Rum is the market leader within India, boasting more than 50% market share. A unique blend of the legendary McDowell's lineage, Celebration Rum has won numerous awards for superior taste.

The brand has 2 variants: No.1 Celebration Rum and No.1 Celebration Rum Dry and White, both of which are matured, distilled and blended with care using a multi-distillation process through 5 copper columns.

Launched in 1990 with only a hundred thousand cases, the brand is now distributing 6.6 million cases in markets across 12 countries making it the 4th largest selling rum in the world today.

Like some of the other rich, full-bodied rums of the region, McDowell's exhibits characteristics of a Jamaican-style rum aroma with a spicy note at the background. The spirit is matured for over three years in oak-wood barrels that give it a deep rich color and a pleasant smoothness.

Other rums from India include: Hercules, Old Port, Original Choice, Salsa, Island, Tiger, Golconda and Old Cascade Rum.
http://www.examiner.com/x-15885-Rum-Examiner~y2009m7d19-Popular-rums-of-India

Tanduay is very popular in Australia.

Tanduay is very popular in Australia.

really?

akala ko yung Aussie guy lang na laging nasa SSC Phil ang nakakaalam noon:D:lol::lol::lol:

Popular rums of India
July 19, 3:43 PM

Few people realize that the top five selling brands of rum in the world are Bacardi of Puerto Rico, Tanduay of the Philippines, Old Monk and McDowell's of India and Captain Morgan of Puerto Rico.
http://www.examiner.com/x-15885-Rum-Examiner~y2009m7d19-Popular-rums-of-India

Ito napa search tuloy ako, ayan may nakita rin ako, 2nd daw
http://www.caribbeanfoodemporium.co.uk/rumfest.htm

From October 21st to 22nd, 2007, London features Rums, Rhums, Rons and Cachacas from the world over. The festival includes a Rum Run, Rum Trade Show & exhibition, an exclusive rum tasting competition, Rum Ball and a Rum Cocktail Contest in search of the new signature rum cocktail for the UK.

Distilleries making Scotch whisky, Gin, Cognac, Irish whiskey even Vodkas are easily reached by train or by car. Not so with the only true global spirit, Rum.
The UK RUM FEST guarantees to make it easy to walk to Nepal for a taste of Khukri Rum then to Jamaica for a taste of one the Caribbean's biggest exports Appleton Rum. You can sample the worlds 2nd biggest selling rum, Tanduay from the Philippines or sip a 23 year old modern classic from Guatemala, called Ron Zacapa. Learn why Rhums from Martinique & Guadeloupe have won numerous spirit awards and why Rhum from Haiti is compared to some of the finest cognacs in the world. Find out how Bacardi became one of the biggest selling brands of all time and why Bundaberg rum in Australia is so popular that you can buy it on draught with coke!

^^ yung bayaw ko na german paborito din yang tanduay. Lagi ngang nagappadala ng isang box ng tanduay sa germany...::cheers:

Rhap Salazar is WCOPA’s 2009 Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e68/owl4ever/Starmo2/team_rp.jpg

Posted on July 19, 2009
Filed Under World Championships of Performing Arts

The Philippines grabbed the the 2009 Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World at the recently concluded 13th World Championships of Performing Arts courtesy of Little Big Star winner Rhap Salazar.

Watch the video of Ralph in the grand finals of the Junior Grand Champion Solo Vocalist of the World category singing “All By Myself.” Every soul in the room were blown away by his performance.

RP Wins 25 Golds at the 13th WCOPA


Posted on July 19, 2009
Filed Under World Championships of Performing Arts


Team Philippines captured a total of 59 medals (25 golds, 25 silvers and 9 bronzes) at the 13th World Championships of Performing Arts.

Here is the complete medal haul of the Philippines in the 2009 edition of the Talent Olympics:

PHILIPPINES

* J2 Power Duet
o SILVER - Group Vocal Pop - 30&Over
o SILVER - Group Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz - 30&Over

* The Young Voices Of Negros Philippines
o GOLD - Group Vocal Original Works - 11-12
o GOLD - Group Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz - 11-12
o SILVER - Group Vocal Gospel - 11-12
o SILVER - Group Vocal Open - 11-12
o SILVER - Group Vocal Pop - 11-12

* Christian Matthew Andeza
o GOLD - Male Vocal Contemporary - 18-24
o GOLD - Male Vocal Original Works - 18-24
o SILVER - Male Vocal Broadway - 18-24
o BRONZE - Male Vocal Pop - 18-24
o BRONZE - Male Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz - 18-24

* Evette Pabalan
o GOLD - Female Vocal Broadway - 25-29
o GOLD - Female Vocal Rock - 25-29
o SILVER - Female Vocal Gospel - 25-29
o BRONZE - Female Vocal Pop - 25-29

* Guy Lockwood
o GOLD - Male Acting Contemporary - 30&Over
o GOLD - Male Vocal Gospel - 30&Over
o SILVER - Male Acting Dramatic - 30&Over
o SILVER - Male Variety-3 And Under Props - 30&Over
o BRONZE - Male Vocal Country&Western - 30&Over

* Izarzuri Vidal
o SILVER - Female Vocal Opera - 18-24

* Maila Mitra
o GOLD - Female Vocal Gospel - 25-29
o SILVER - Female Vocal Broadway - 25-29
o SILVER - Female Vocal Open - 25-29
o SILVER - Female Vocal Pop - 25-29
o SILVER - Female Vocal Rock - 25-29

* Martha Joy Lim-Fiuza
o GOLD - Female Vocal Open - 18-24
o GOLD - Female Vocal Pop - 18-24
o BRONZE - Female Vocal Gospel - 18-24
o BRONZE - Female Vocal Country&Western - 18-24

* Mayumi Morales
o GOLD - Female Vocal Broadway - 13-15
o GOLD - Female Vocal Open - 13-15
o GOLD - Female Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz - 13-15
o SILVER - Female Vocal Gospel - 13-15

* Melchizedek Bicua
o SILVER - Male Vocal Open - 11-12
o SILVER - Male Vocal Pop - 11-12
o SILVER - Male Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz - 11-12
o SILVER - Male Vocal Rock - 11-12

* Nicole Joy Espolong
o SILVER - Female Vocal Pop - 18-24

* Orie Jun Vamenta
o GOLD - Male Vocal Rock - 25-29
o SILVER - Male Vocal Gospel - 25-29
o SILVER - Male Vocal Open - 25-29
o BRONZE - Male Vocal Pop - 25-29

* Reynaldo Concepcion
o GOLD - Male Vocal Gospel - 25-29
o GOLD - Male Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz - 25-29
o SILVER - Male Vocal Broadway - 25-29
o SILVER - Male Vocal Pop - 25-29
o BRONZE - Male Vocal Open - 25-29

* Rhap Salazar
o GOLD - Male Vocal Broadway - 11-12
o GOLD - Male Vocal Gospel - 11-12
o GOLD - Male Vocal Open - 11-12
o GOLD - Male Vocal Pop - 11-12
o GOLD - Male Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz - 11-12

* Ronald Diana
o GOLD - Male Vocal Contemporary - 30&Over
o GOLD - Male Vocal Open - 30&Over
o GOLD - Male Vocal Original Works - 30&Over
o SILVER - Male Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz - 30&Over
o BRONZE - Male Vocal Pop - 30&Over

Filipina Kimverlie Molina gave Saudi Arabia a total of 4 medals:

* GOLD - Female Vocal Gospel - 18-24
* GOLD - Female Vocal Broadway - 18-24
* SILVER - Female Vocal Rock - 18-24
* BRONZE - Female Vocal Pop - 18-24

Via WCOPA.com

^^^^

This is the 3rd consecutive year that Philippines has won the Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World:

2007 - Aria Clemente
2008 - Catherine Loria
2009 - Raph Salazar

Amazing feat!...

Tanduay is very popular in Australia.

LOL since when? Maybe to the Filipino community here, but Tanduay cannot be seen/found in any standard liquor shops here.

Filipina Kimverlie Molina bagged the WCOPA 2009 Senior Grand Champion Senior Vocalist of the World

Molina, 18, who represented Saudi Arabia bested five other contestants from Russia, Malaysia, Sweden and two other Filipinos Martha Joy (Canadian Idol finalist) and CJ Concepcion to clinch the grand championship title for singing. She sailed through tough qualifying and semi final rounds against more than a hundred other vocalists around the world.

Kim performed in the Pop, R&B, Gospel, Rock and Broadway categories.

Molina is the eldest daughter of Dr. Ronaldo Molina and Myrna Soriano of Al Khobar, Eastern Saudi Arabia. The couple was among those who accompanied their daughter in the competition. Dr. Molina is her daughter’s voice coach.

Molina was 14 when she first rose to stardom in the Middle East after winning ABS-CBN’s “TFC POPSTAR” Grand Middle East Championship in Dubai in 2006.

LOL since when? Maybe to the Filipino community here, but Tanduay cannot be seen/found in any standard liquor shops here.

Are you sure? Last time I was in Melbourne I saw bottles of Tanduay displayed in a grocery. Aside from that, there's an Asian grocery store also in Melbourne that sells the said product.

Are you sure? Last time I was in Melbourne I saw bottles of Tanduay displayed in a grocery. Aside from that, there's an Asian grocery store also in Melbourne that sells the said product.

Baka ubos na agad:D out of stock dahil sa daming bumili:D:lol:

^^^^

This is the 3rd consecutive year that Philippines has won the Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World:

2007 - Aria Clemente
2008 - Catherine Loria
2009 - Raph Salazar

Amazing feat!...

Wow, congratulations to all the winners.

Ito napa search tuloy ako, ayan may nakita rin ako, 2nd daw
http://www.caribbeanfoodemporium.co.uk/rumfest.htm

From October 21st to 22nd, 2007, London features Rums, Rhums, Rons and Cachacas from the world over. The festival includes a Rum Run, Rum Trade Show & exhibition, an exclusive rum tasting competition, Rum Ball and a Rum Cocktail Contest in search of the new signature rum cocktail for the UK.

Distilleries making Scotch whisky, Gin, Cognac, Irish whiskey even Vodkas are easily reached by train or by car. Not so with the only true global spirit, Rum.
The UK RUM FEST guarantees to make it easy to walk to Nepal for a taste of Khukri Rum then to Jamaica for a taste of one the Caribbean's biggest exports Appleton Rum. You can sample the worlds 2nd biggest selling rum, Tanduay from the Philippines or sip a 23 year old modern classic from Guatemala, called Ron Zacapa. Learn why Rhums from Martinique & Guadeloupe have won numerous spirit awards and why Rhum from Haiti is compared to some of the finest cognacs in the world. Find out how Bacardi became one of the biggest selling brands of all time and why Bundaberg rum in Australia is so popular that you can buy it on draught with coke!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2174/2144957395_8118e8dbb8_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cocoya/

^^Tanduay Rhum, second biggest selling rhum in the world? Really??

wow, surprising yun ah

^^^^

This is the 3rd consecutive year that Philippines has won the Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World:

2007 - Aria Clemente
2008 - Catherine Loria
2009 - Raph Salazar

Amazing feat!...

I've seen this kid perform. Ang galing. Grabe yung range ng boses niya.

http://www.caribbeanfoodemporium.co.uk/rumfest.htm

sample the worlds 2nd biggest selling rum, Tanduay from the Philippines

:cheers2:Ang galing talgang ng gawang PINOY!
Mabuhay ang TANDUAY RUM!:cheers2:

:applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:


Rhap Salazar is WCOPA’s 2009 Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e68/owl4ever/Starmo2/team_rp.jpg


RP Wins 25 Golds at the 13th WCOPA




EXCELLENT JOB GUYS! MABUHAY!

:applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:




:horse:

really?

akala ko yung Aussie guy lang na laging nasa SSC Phil ang nakakaalam noon:D:lol::lol::lol:

si alcoholwyn ata yun :D, kaya nga lumipat siya ng Pilipinas dahil sa Tanduay... mahilig din sa chicks! :jk: :lol:

Fil Am joins US reality TV show, wows judges

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 07/21/2009 4:16 PM


A 14-year-old Filipino-American is now one of the front runners of American reality television show “America’s Got Talent.”

During the show’s audition in Chicago, Thia Megia wowed judges David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osborne and Piers Morgan with her rendition of "I Am Changing" by Jennifer Holliday.

“You just sang ‘I Am Changing’ and nothing’s going to stop me now, you know what, nothing’s going to stop you now. You’ve got a beautiful God-given talent. Terrific, terrific, terrific job. Congratulations,” Hasselhoff said after her performance.

Osborne echoed: “You sing, I mean, not only are you a great singer but you sing with emotion and that’s very hard to do. And great little package here with a huge voice. Well done.”

Morgan, meantime, commented that Megia is one of the best singers in the competition.

After getting 3 “yes” from the judges, Morgan told Megia: “I tell you what’s coming your way - Las Vegas.”

Those who pass the auditions are sent to a bootcamp in Las Vegas where they can perfect their craft.

The gifted young Filipina from California has been singing since she was four years old. She also composes her own songs. Report from Balitang America

Tanduay is very popular in Australia.

Are you sure? Last time I was in Melbourne I saw bottles of Tanduay displayed in a grocery. Aside from that, there's an Asian grocery store also in Melbourne that sells the said product.

Haven't seen any Tanduays here. :D
Filipino stores normally don't sell liquor, even beer. Even groceries are not authorised to sell liquor. Only licensed liquor shops are allowed to sell them. Normally, there's a liquor shop owned by big supermarkets such as Woolworths or Coles right beside their grocery store. So to say that groceries here sell Tanduay, let alone any liquor or beer, is quite unusual.

Haven't seen any Tanduays here. :D
Filipino stores normally don't sell liquor, even beer. Even groceries are not authorised to sell liquor. Only licensed liquor shops are allowed to sell them. Normally, there's a liquor shop owned by big supermarkets such as Woolworths or Coles right beside their grocery store. So to say that groceries here sell Tanduay, let alone any liquor or beer, is quite unusual.

tanong ka kay alco, paturo ka saan sya bumubili noon:D:lol:

^^ Natanong ko na... ini-smuggle daw nya mula tawi-tawi. :lol:

Fil Am joins US reality TV show, wows judges

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 07/21/2009 4:16 PM


A 14-year-old Filipino-American is now one of the front runners of American reality television show “America’s Got Talent.”

During the show’s audition in Chicago, Thia Megia wowed judges David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osborne and Piers Morgan with her rendition of "I Am Changing" by Jennifer Holliday.

“You just sang ‘I Am Changing’ and nothing’s going to stop me now, you know what, nothing’s going to stop you now. You’ve got a beautiful God-given talent. Terrific, terrific, terrific job. Congratulations,” Hasselhoff said after her performance.

Osborne echoed: “You sing, I mean, not only are you a great singer but you sing with emotion and that’s very hard to do. And great little package here with a huge voice. Well done.”

Morgan, meantime, commented that Megia is one of the best singers in the competition.

After getting 3 “yes” from the judges, Morgan told Megia: “I tell you what’s coming your way - Las Vegas.”

Those who pass the auditions are sent to a bootcamp in Las Vegas where they can perfect their craft.

The gifted young Filipina from California has been singing since she was four years old. She also composes her own songs. Report from Balitang America


She's indeed a very promising talent.


-YdhCyl8sQQ
Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YdhCyl8sQQ)

Haven't seen any Tanduays here. :D
Filipino stores normally don't sell liquor, even beer. Even groceries are not authorised to sell liquor. Only licensed liquor shops are allowed to sell them. Normally, there's a liquor shop owned by big supermarkets such as Woolworths or Coles right beside their grocery store. So to say that groceries here sell Tanduay, let alone any liquor or beer, is quite unusual.

You can visit an Asian-grocery store in Victoria and you'll know what I mean. The owner is a friend of mine. It's impossible that there's no single distributor of Tanduay in Australia. It wouldn't be the second highest selling rum in the world if its market distribution is limited. Products don't find you, have to find them;)

^^ I'll take your word for it. I'm not saying that no one sells Tanduay in Australia or Tanduay is non-existent here. What I'm saying is it's highly unlikely that Tanduay or any other liquor is sold in a store other than a licensed bottle shop. Maybe Victoria has a different law?

Also, I live in a place with the highest concentration of Filipinos in Australia. If Tanduay is indeed popular here, I should know. In the suburb where I live alone, there are 3 Filo stores and 2 Filo restaurants. All of them don't sell Tanduay (even if the restaurants are licensed to sell liquor) so how much more at non-Filipino stores.

The thing I want to correct is your statement that Tanduay is "very popular" in Australia. It was never popular here even amongst Filipino. Even San Miguel beer is scarce here but you can still find a place to buy some. If it's indeed popular and easily available in stores, then it could have been a staple in any of the Filipino gatherings.

And lastly, if the product is very popular, you don't have to find it. It will always be available wherever and whenever you want it. :D

tagay muna pre:D
paabot nga ng Tequila:D

^^ Sosyal mo naman migs. Masarap ang Tanduay ESQ kaysa 5 years. Dati nung wala pa kaming trabaho, yan lang ang kaya namin o kaya yung gin bilog. Mahal kasi ang beer. :D

^^ Sosyal mo naman migs. Masarap ang Tanduay ESQ kaysa 5 years. Dati nung wala pa kaming trabaho, yan lang ang kaya namin o kaya yung gin bilog. Mahal kasi ang beer. :D

alam mo may nangyari kasi sa akin dyan sa Tanduay na yan, kaya ayoko na maalaala.

Una akong nalasing dyan, isang lapad inubos ko mag isa sa kwarto, kung bakit ayoko na ikwento:lol::lol::lol:
muntik pa nga ako dalhin sa hospital akala ng ermat ko nalason ako:D:lol::lol::lol:


Bogart tequila nga uli:D

Very popular was an overstatement from me just because it's a favorite my aunt's husband.

^^ Wouldn't that make him your uncle? ;)

He'll be my uncle if he includes me in his will:)

She's indeed a very promising talent.


-YdhCyl8sQQ
Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YdhCyl8sQQ)


Awesome! Good luck to her..... matindi yung voice niya. She sung the song so easily, meron pang ihihirit if she wants to.

3 Filipino youth win WB essay contest

INQUIRER.net First Posted 15:08:00 07/21/2009

MANILA, Philippines — Three Filipino youth won the World Bank’s 2009 International Essay Competition with their essay, video and photograph entries, besting more than 2,000 submissions from over 150 countries, 90 percent of which come from developing countries.

Victor Marco Emmanuel Ferriols from the University of the Philippines-Visayas won third place with his video “Losing shores, losing more,” and Jernalyn Gayon from the Western Mindanao State University, Zamboanga City won third place for her photograph on how people can sponsor a scholar every month by collecting plastic bottles. Miguel Antonio Garcia from the University of San Carlos, Cebu City was chosen as a finalist in the essay category with his entry, “Stepping Up To The Challenge: The Cebuano Youth in the Climate Change Crisis.”

Eight other essays, videos, and a photograph were among the best submitted to the World Bank, making the Philippines the country with the most number of top entries, along with Indonesia.

The other essays that were short-listed were written by Denise Margaret Matias, Maria Angela Abad, Paul John Gesta, Reah Gonzales, Jan Michael Jose, Vincenzo Molejon, David Michael San Juan, and Luthfi Raditya Soekartawi, an Indonesian living in the Philippines.

Ma. Krizia Ledesma was also a finalist with her photo showing children lining up for water with their pails and buckets, as well as Jason Paul Laxamana with his video “Cool Me Up, Please!”

The Essay Competition is an annual, worldwide contest targeting youth aged between 18 to 25 years and managed by the World Bank Office in Paris. This year’s topic was “How does climate change affect you? How do you tackle climate change through youth-led solutions?” This year’s competition was sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Korean Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and the World Bank.

First place went to Sophie Bathhurst of Australia for the essay category, second place went to Cahyadi Widianto of Indonesia for his video “All of MEs,” and third place went to Rudolf Bastian Tampubolon of Indonesia for his winning photograph. Cash prizes were given to the winners during the awarding last June 24.

For more information, go to essaycompetition.org.

The World Bank is focusing on the youth because in 2007, the number of people worldwide aged 12-24 reached 1.3 billion, the largest in history. Nearly half the people of the world today are under 25 years old. Nine out of ten of these young people live in developing countries. More important, the majority of the developing world's poor are children and youth.

“Youths are key agents of change, but too often the nature and impact of their projects are not recognized or documented sufficiently, and youth face difficulties being heard and engaging more directly in civic life,” a World Bank document on the essay competition said.

The Philippine entries were a valuable indication of how Filipino youth feel about climate change. Cebu’s Garcia showed that he was not only aware of climate change’s impact on his province, he believes that organized youth can be a corporate watchdog if they know how to measure companies’ emissions and report these to the media.

“The Youth can serve as an effective force in encouraging people to redo their lifestyles and prod stakeholders to make a concrete plan of action. A well-thought framework, strong research armor and a concerted effort among different youth-led initiatives are key steps to strengthen the youth’s influence in society,” Miguel Antonio Garcia wrote.

From this to being one of the favorites on "AMERICA's GOT TALENT".

A 12 year old Thia Megia

HahUDashV-w

A couple of years really make a lot of difference. Good Luck....


I'm not gonna say move over Charice... , not yet, but Thia might outshine her. :lol:

Half Filipina Nicole Anderson who plays Macy on the JONAS series

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/73/m_9ebb7e99d3d7464e9939cfa278a3c0f8.jpg
N1NPneQggYA

From this to being one of the favorites on "AMERICA's GOT TALENT".

A 12 year old Thia Megia

HahUDashV-w

A couple of years really make a lot of difference. Good Luck....


I'm not gonna say move over Charice... , not yet, but Thia might outshine her. :lol:

Ang Galing niya. :banana:

^^ I'll take your word for it. I'm not saying that no one sells Tanduay in Australia or Tanduay is non-existent here. What I'm saying is it's highly unlikely that Tanduay or any other liquor is sold in a store other than a licensed bottle shop. Maybe Victoria has a different law?

Also, I live in a place with the highest concentration of Filipinos in Australia. If Tanduay is indeed popular here, I should know. In the suburb where I live alone, there are 3 Filo stores and 2 Filo restaurants. All of them don't sell Tanduay (even if the restaurants are licensed to sell liquor) so how much more at non-Filipino stores.

The thing I want to correct is your statement that Tanduay is "very popular" in Australia. It was never popular here even amongst Filipino. Even San Miguel beer is scarce here but you can still find a place to buy some. If it's indeed popular and easily available in stores, then it could have been a staple in any of the Filipino gatherings.

And lastly, if the product is very popular, you don't have to find it. It will always be available wherever and whenever you want it. :D

Yeah spot on. Can't sell any liquor unless you are licenced to sell. I have never seen Tanduay anywhere in Australia, even finding San Mig is hard enough and at $60AUD a carton of 24 bottles is too expensive.

If the friend is selling Tanduay he had better keep it out of site as he may get in strife :)

Half Filipina Nicole Anderson who plays Macy on the JONAS series

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/73/m_9ebb7e99d3d7464e9939cfa278a3c0f8.jpg
N1NPneQggYA

pwede. maganda.

kaya lang baka makuryente ako.

This is an old clip... but I just recently viewed it.

Lea Salonga singing 'On My Own' during Les Miserables' 10th Anniversary concert... spine tingling performance.

cuS1cCnG8xc&feature=channel_page



And here's a newer clip of her performing as Fantine in Les Miserables singing "I Dreamed a Dream"...

TfSObcR8lXc

Madrigal Singers named Unesco Artist for Peace
Posted on July 28th, 2009 under We are Pinoys!

Madrigal Singers The Philippine Madrigal Singers have been conferred the distinction of Unesco Artist for Peace at a ceremony at the Unesco headquarters in Paris.

Unesco director general Koichiro Matsuura conferred the designation to the Philippine Madrigal Singers, also known as the Madz.

The Philippine Madrigal singers received the distinction “in recognition of their efforts to promote dialogue and understanding among peoples in Southeast Asia, their contribution to extend Unesco’s message of peace and tolerance, and their dedication to the ideals and aims of the organization.”

The Philippine Madrigal Singers, which were brought together in 1963 by music professor Andrea Veneracion, performs many different musical genres but specializes in the Renaissance style for which it is named.

It has won numerous awards, including the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in 2007 (Arezzo, Italy), and its influence in the Philippines and throughout Asia is far-reaching. Responsible for training more than 200 singers and choral music specialists since its creation, the group goes on tour twice a year, not only abroad but also to the most remote parts of the Philippines.

Named for two years, the Philippine Madrigal Singers are expected to bring their support to Unesco programs on cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. Specific projects include a series of Concerts for Peace, a Sing for Peace festival, and various choral singing classes, workshops, and educational activities.

Unesco Artists for Peace are world-famous personalities who use their influence, charisma, and prestige to help promote Unesco’s message and programs. Among them are musician Manu Dibango (Cameroon), actress Patricia Velasquez (Venezuela), musician Gilberto Gil (Brazil), dancer Miyako Yoshida (Japan), soprano Sumi Jo (Republic of Korea), singer and founder of the musical group Gypsy Kings Chico Bouchikhi (France), and conductor Valery Gergiev (Russian Federation).

Thia Megia of AGT...

cOcQd5r8hMw

What a beautiful tribute and rendition.

qHlu9g3W89M&feature=channel_page

RwL_yLBSCbI&feature=channel_page

HahUDashV-w&feature=channel_page

Superb talent!

You may visit Thia's youtube channel for more videos.
http://www.youtube.com/user/thiamegia?blend=1&ob=4

AURORA (http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=120327&catid=188) - When you have something deep in your heart, art is one way to display it. Joe Esquibel wanted to reconnect with his heritage as a Hispanic Coloradan. So he started creating religious artwork in the long-standing tradition of Santos.

"Some people say Santos have only recently been discovered, but in truth they were never lost," said Esquibel, an artist who signs his pieces, Jose Raul Esquibel. "It's just that they were in plain view."

In Spanish, Santos means "a saint" or "statue of a saint." Esquibel is known as a Santero or "saint-maker." Artists create wood paintings, statues, altars, shrines, tomb markers all with a theme surrounding Jesus Christ and other religious figures.

"Santos are speaking in a different language," Esquibel said. "They're speaking in a language that's much more universal."

His work and the work of other local artists are on display at the Aurora History Museum through Aug. 2. MaryJane Valade is the curator. She wanted to host this exhibit because of the diversity of the Aurora community.

"I think it's brought a lot of people here that might not have come before," Valade said. "This is really being taken seriously as an artwork, not just a folk-art community item."

Valade says since the 18th century, Santos have been home-made by artists often times using crude materials. Many of the pieces are recreations of previous works. The museum displays how images evolve over time and interpretation.

"It started back when the Spanish first came over and they couldn't bring very much with them," Valade said. "Just trying to be able to have something to pray to, that was a bit tangible - you could carry around or touch or look at while you were praying."

The Aurora History Museum is located at 15051 E. Alameda Parkway. Admission is free.

Esquibel says Santos are only created in four places around the world: the Philippines, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and the Colorado-New Mexico region.

"That's the interest from the New Mexico-Colorado Hispanic community itself," Esquibel said. "Seeking to recapture, to celebrate, this unique tradition."

The Philippines hugged the limelight as two Filipinos graduated as new medical doctors in Ciego de Avila, Cuba. The new Filipino doctors are Herbert M. Baguiza of Antipolo City and Robert M. Corpuz of Cabanatuan City.

The two were among 75 new doctors representing some 40 foreign countries who graduated from the Institute of Medicine in Ciego de Avila after six years of study.

Philippine Ambassador to Cuba Dr. MacArthur F. Corsino went on the 500-kilometer, seven-hour trip by bus from Havana to Ciego to attend the graduation ceremony. The Ambassador was one of the guests of honor which included Ciego de Avila government and party officials and top school officials.

In his remarks, Ambassador Corsino expressed appreciation for the Cuban program of providing free but high-quality medical education to needy students from less-developed countries. He said it was an effective instrument for building friendship on the people-to-people level in international relations. He noted that there are 30,000 foreign students from developing countries enrolled in various branches of knowledge all over Cuba.

Dr. Baguiza and Dr. Corpuz also received citations for academic excellence and awards for their contribution to the cultural life of Ciego de Avila. They capped their years of participation in Ciego festivities with a stirring rendition of Guantamera, a song of Cuban origin.

Under the Cuban system, medical students must pass intensive exams equivalent to board exams after completing all required courses and thus become doctors of medicine upon graduation.

The foreign students usually arrive in Cuba with no knowledge of Spanish but soon master the language after six months of study as initial part of their program. Dr. Corpuz assisted the Philippine Ambassador in translating portions of his message into Spanish. In his speech, Corsino added he hoped more Filipinos would avail of the scholarships offered to them by the Cuban government.

http://www.isria.com/pages/30_July_2009_145.php

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/aug/03/yehey/images/life.jpg

“Dance and business are both performances. A dance must be synchronized with music and business must be synchronized with a vision,” declares Anna Marie Periquet.

She glides in her dance studio like the dance expert that she is. There’s a perfect sense of synchronization between her movements and her motivation to succeed. Every swing she makes always complements the music that plays in her head. She’s always on the beat, on the dot and on track. Her various business and socio-civic ventures are testaments to her innate gift for grace, poise, timing and balance. Being the go-getter that she is, Periquet exudes an air of elegance and excellence both in the in the ballroom and at the boardroom.

She believes that dancing and business share the same basic principles. Being the gold medalist in the Latin Senior Female category of the International Millennium Open to the World Dance Sport Competition, among other numerous championships bagged, she knows whereof she speaks. “Dance and business are both performances for me, both must be synchronized with a particular type of music or vision or goal,” she states. Trust Periquet—the president of Anna Marie Home Collection (Philippines) Inc., Kessel Dance Manila Corp., and the Aurelio Periquet Jr. Foundation—to find the intricate connection between dance and business.

Being the youngest daughter to the late business leader Aurelio Periquet Jr., she was exposed to business rules and rudiments at an early age of nine. “I attended business meetings with my dad. He would talk to the board members, and I would pretend to write what he was saying through my crayons and pencils,” she vividly remembers. “I told myself that I would be like him. My dad was my motivation, my mentor, my vision,” she adds.

In parallel comparison, she looks up to her dancesport coach, World DanceSport champion Ednah Ledesma, in similar fashion. “Ednah is to dancesport as my father was to business. My idol and inspiration in training and achieving,” she states.

It is, of course, never easy to learn the dos and don’ts of both the business and dancesport worlds through mere observation. Anna argues that dancing and business share the same principles. “In both set-ups, one needs discipline, commitment to excel, passion to do rigorous trainings, determination to conquer competition, more importantly, trust in the Lord,” she says.

As a cum laude graduate of Broadcast Communication from the University of the Philippines and with a fellowship in Active Labor policy Development from the Institute of International Labor Studies from Geneva, Switzerland, Anna hopped her way through the local and international political and socio-civic scenes. Anna began to spend her day unfolding the good side of entrepreneurship through her constant effort to boost small-and medium-scale enterprises in the Philippines and its neighboring countries. She, after all, chairs the Young Entrepreneurs Group of Asia Pacific (Yegap), the Council of Women Entrepreneurs of Asia Pacific, and the Entrepreneurship Division of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Asked how she manages her time through all these commitments and responsibilities, she will tell you that you need to dance your way through these concerns. “I attend to all these commitments because they matter to the Filipino people,” she quickly responds. To think that there is very little Filipino blood running through her veins. Her late father was half-French, three-quarters Spanish, and one-quarter Filipino. Meanwhile, her late mother, Mary Anne Kessel, was half German and half-Filipino. But as far as she is concerned, she is 100 percent Filipino.

Asked how she sways from her government service commitments to her entrepreneurial works to her various socio-civic endeavors to her dancesport competitions, she intently points to the paso doble—the fifth and most demanding dance in the Latin American discipline in International Competitions. She would recommend that entrepreneurs absorb the three representations present in the dance: the bull, the matador, and the cape. “We should charge with the fury of the bull in order to succeed in our business. We should also be the matador who represents precise leadership. And, we should be like the cape—the representation of grace and beauty.”

Indeed, for Anna Periquet, business and dance is a celebration of life.

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/aug/03/yehey/life/20090803lif1.html

People Power's Philippine Saint: Corazon Aquino


http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1914125,00.html

Former President Corazon Aquino has been on the cover of Time Magazine 4 times.

February 3, 1986
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/1986-02-03.jpg


February 24, 1986
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/1986-02-24.jpg


March 10, 1986
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/1986-03-10.jpg


January 5, 1987
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/1987-01-05.jpg

ilang pinoy na naging cover ng time?

^^ From memory, aside from Cory, FVR, GMA, I think Erap as well, and Donita Rose.
Donita was a Time cover girl when she was still an MTV Asia VJ.

^^ She made the cover of Time Asia edition...

http://img.timeinc.net/time/images/covers/asia/2009/20090817_107.jpg

Next week?

Is Marcos a Vietnamese?
Cory looks so Chinese.

^^ Marcos looks more Korean to me than Vietnamese in that Time cover with Cory. :D Parang si Kim Jong Il.

Is Marcos a Vietnamese?
Cory looks so Chinese.

eh di ba cojuanco (co huang co)
sya? may lahing chinese sya.

Yeah i know but she also has pinoy blood I'm just saying her Chinese blood is very strong. Fookien ata yon. don't know how to spell it. most of our chinoys are from that region.

eh di ba cojuanco (co huang co)
sya? may lahing chinese sya.

Yeah i know but she also has pinoy blood I'm just saying her Chinese blood is very strong. Fookien ata yon. don't know how to spell it. most of our chinoys are from that region.

Co Chi Kuan is the patriach of Cojuangco(Co Kuan Co) family. But according to some historians, they are of Irish, Spanish, and Chinese descent.

^^ itsura ng mga yun may spanish at irish blood? si peping may european blood? :bash:

^^:ohno:

^^ Ang saya uli sana, pero saka na lang, sayang tinta ng pc ko. :lol:

Cheryl Diaz Meyer: Life After Pulitzer (http://www.spot.ph/2009/06/18/cheryl-diaz-meyer-life-after-pulitzer/)
By Monica Barretto | spot.ph | Published: June 18, 2009

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7141/smallcherylinactionlr1.jpg

In 2004, Philippine-born international photojournalist Cheryl Diaz Meyer won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography with her colleague, fellow The Dallas Morning News staff photographer David Leeson for their “eloquent photographs depicting both the violence and poignancy of the war with Iraq.” Her work in Iraq also won the Visa D’Or Daily Press Award 2003 at Visa Pour L’Image in Perpignan, France. Meyer, now a freelance photographer based in Dallas, Texas was, in town recently after attending her 25th high school reunion in Legazpi City. Spot.ph had the chance to bask in and ask about her glory:

What made you decide to become a photojournalist?

I love the creative process of photography, the discovery, the joy of taking what the eye sees and making it new. Ultimately, photography is really an exploration of the self—the photographer seeks to reveal her own inner truth using the camera as her tool. Photojournalism attempts to combine photography with information, the goal of which is to educate and inform. I was drawn to photojournalism because storytelling was a strong part of my cultural heritage growing up in the Philippines. Photojournalism is the visual art of storytelling.

What was your most memorable experience during your coverage of the war? What made you not give up?

Perhaps one of the more difficult experiences of my Iraq war coverage happened when the US Marines with whom I was embedded suffered their first casualty during the invasion—by friendly fire. I will never forget the agonized scream of a man who had just killed his friend. I realized then that the injustice of the war extended not just to those killed but also to the living. In the end, we would all be victims of the violence.

What did you learn from covering the war?

Covering war is one of the most challenging assignments a photojournalist can undertake because it truly pits the photographer against her most elemental fears. Learning to come to terms with those fears has made me a better photojournalist and human being.

During times you thought you would die in the war, what went on in your mind?

There is nothing more sobering to put perspective to one’s life than the thought that one could die at any moment. When I thought I was going to die, I always took comfort in thoughts of my loved ones.

How does it feel to be back in the Philippines?

I come every two to four years on average. This time, I went home to attend my 25th school reunion at St. Agnes Academy in Legazpi City, Albay. Being back is a joy because I love visiting my family and friends, I love the food, I love hearing and speaking the language and I love the culture. In Legazpi, I was out at the mall, and everywhere I turned I ran into people I knew or people who know my family. I feel very much at home here.

What have you been up to since you’ve been back? What have you been eating?

Aside from catching up with friends, I have also been working on a story about the marriage of native healing arts and Catholicism. While home, I have been enjoying some of my favorite dishes such as cocido, baduya, pinakbet, ibus, Bikol Express, sisig, crispy pata and bangus. I also adore Filipino cacao, mangoes and pili candy, which my cousins produce at Albay Central Pilinut Candy.

How was it growing up in the Philippines, then moving to America?

I loved growing up in the province and it was very difficult moving to the U.S. at the age of 13. My barkada was very tight knit and I was deeply lonely when I left them. The best thing about moving though was that I really came to understand myself better because had to reconcile my childhood and a new culture that often conflicted with how I understood the world. I consider those formative years the most defining time in my life.

What do you love about Manila?

I love Manila for all the variety it offers: the food, the shopping, the entertainment. I have taken advantage of all that in these past weeks. I love exploring Filipino furniture, especially antiques. Tiendesitas is great fun with its eclectic collection of food from all over the country, clothing and furniture. Greenhills is also wonderful for the crazy combination of name brand stores to crafts to electronics to fake goods.

What are your views regarding photography in the Philippines? How can our local talent take it to the next level?

The Philippines has a lot of strong photojournalists, but there is definitely a core group of very talented shooters whose names I’ve followed through the years. Bullit Marquez is one of my favorites, and he works for the Associated Press. He always seems to find the news of the day and makes wonderful images. But there are many more like him who are competitive on the international level. I think if Filipino photojournalists want to grow they need to start thinking of themselves as storytellers. Powerful images come from powerful ideas. So challenging themselves to be instigators of ideas instead of just followers will make their work even that much more stronger.

What are your views about the prospect of the death of print media?

The print media in the Philippines is not yet dead but it may be headed in the same direction as the U.S. and Europe, which are definitely struggling. But there is also the opportunity to create something totally new, and not necessarily to follow the market trends of the West. With the highly developed cell phone industry, the Philippines is poised to develop a system of micropayments that could finance web media as the print media is phased out. Or it may be some other payment system that has yet to be defined. Filipinos are highly innovative and entrepreneurial, and creative experimenting will help this transition.

After winning the Pulitzer Prize, has there been a lot of pressure to produce award-winning work all the time? What will you do next?

Receiving the Pulitzer was a great honor for me and my colleague David Leeson. I have always strived to produce compelling photo stories and winning the Pulitzer has not changed that. I don’t necessarily keep a to-do list, but I am looking forward to starting my freelance career and working on meaningful stories. I’m very excited about my current reporting on native healing and the possibilities of documenting indigenous healers.

* * *

Someone all Filipinos can be proud of; very inspiring :okay:

^^ Bicolana pala siya, nakasabay namin siya nuon sa isang airplane with other journalists. Congrats to her. :okay:

http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2004/04/images/pulizers_leeson_1_iraq.jpg

http://images.apple.com/pro/profiles/cherylmeyer/images/body_image2.jpg

^Yeah, she's featured in Apple.com's Profiles

Cheryl Diaz Meyer: Photography Without Borders (http://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/cherylmeyer/index.html)

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/1843/header1c.jpg

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5526/header2i.jpg

Another Lea(h) on the world stage
By Cynthia Balana
Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 03:44:00 08/11/2009 Filed Under: Entertainment (general), Music, Dance, Theatre
http://www.musical-world.de/Theater/T-Tournee/1-Welte-1.jpg

MANILA, Philippines—Another Lea(h) is captivating the hearts of audiences on the world stage.

Leah delos Santos, who plays “Maria” in the German production of the musical “West Side Story,” has conquered German audiences with her musical virtuosity in stage productions, according to the Philippine Embassy in Berlin in its report to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

“Tickets are sold out since its premier in June until the end of the summer season in September,” the DFA said on its website (www.dfa.gov.ph).

“West Side Story” from Frank Thannhäuser and Nico Rabenald and directed by Matthias Davids is playing at the open-air ruins of the former Hersfeld Abbey in Bad Hersfeld. It has a seating capacity 1,500.

Born in Manila

Delos Santos, who was born in Manila, has appeared in several musicals in Germany. She played Lady Marian in “Robin Hood,” Belle in “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” Bella in “Witches,” Alrun in “Bonifatius,” Sillabub in “Cats,” Mary Magdalene in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Eponine and Cosette in “Les Miserables.”

She also performed in various concerts in Germany, Austria and New York.

Delos Santos, who speaks Filipino, English and German, debuted before German audiences as Kim in “Miss Saigon” in 1994. She is currently a contract artist of Stageholding GmbH, a German multimedia entertainment firm.

Like Romeo and Juliet

The plot of “West Side Story” is based on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

Set in New York in the mid-1950s, the musical explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Tony, one of the Jets, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks.

The dramatic libretto from Arthur Laurents depicts racial discrimination which drove the youth of New York to criminality because of misunderstanding and negligence.

The music of Leonard Bernstein, the jazz elements, the Latin American rhythm, and the classic and popular elements are the results of breathtaking dramatic and lyrical scenes with explosive dance interludes that made the Broadway musical a world success.

One of the members (Apl.De.Ap) is Filipino...


Rock & Roll Daily, Your non-stop music news source. (http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/19/black-eyed-peas-jason-mraz-make-hot-100-chart-history/)

Black Eyed Peas, Jason Mraz Make Hot 100 Chart History

8/19/09, 3:25 pm EST

The Black Eyed Peas made Hot 100 history this week by becoming the first artist to ever top the chart for 20 consecutive weeks. The E.N.D.’s first single “Boom Boom Pow” did the brunt of the work, spending 12 weeks at Number One before “I Gotta Feeling” came in as relief and occupied the top spot for the next eight weeks. The feat marks the first time in the Hot 100’s 51-year history that an artist has held on to the Number One spot for that many consecutive weeks.

Over the course of the past 20 weeks, the two singles combined have sold about 5.8 million digital tracks, with “Boom Boom Pow” remaining 2009’s biggest single with 3.8 million in digital sales alone. “With this kind of success your ego wants to take all the credit but your heart reminds your soul that it was your heart that had you slaving and creating in the studio making the music; breaking through comfort zones and tradition. In the fight between heart and ego my heart always wins,” Will.i.am said in a statement...

Russian team to train young Pinay ice skater (http://mb.com.ph/articles/216893/young-pinay-skates-way-winter-olympic-dreams)
By ANJO PEREZ


Philippine ice skating princess Issai Villafuerte is inching closer to her dream of earning the country’s first stint in the Winter Olympics after she was accepted to train with the Russian national Olympic team under the tutelage of Olympic medalist Maria Butryskaya.

Villafuerte flew back to the Philippines on Thursday morning after successfully passing the month-long evaluation process of the Russian ice skating national team. She arrived onboard a Royal Dutch Airways flight with her parents, Bong and Fe Maria Villafuerte.

The 14-year old skater, who practices at the SM Southmall Ice Skating Center, gained prominence in the ice skating community after winning a cache of gold medals in the US circuit during her first attempt a couple of years ago.

Last year, the teenager brought home 12 gold medals, six silvers and two bronzes from the USFSA 2008 Competition.

To help make her aspiration of earning for the country its first gold medal in the Winter Olympics, Villafuerte’s parents had looked for the best training they could get for their daughter and found their way to Russia to try out for the Russian National Team.

The girl recounted how tough it was to get accepted by the team as she had to undergo six hours of qualifying sessions every day for an entire month.

At the same time, she also had to go on a diet to control her weight.

Villafuerte said the process of getting accepted was so tough that only a handful of Russian nationals are accepted.

“All the sacrifices that I made were all worth it! I’m so honored to be the first Filipino to get accepted and train with Russia’s National Olympic Team.”

Now that Issai has been accepted by the team, she will spend a few months in the Philippines to rest before returning to Russia and go training full-time in preparation for the 2014 Winter Games to be held in Sochi, Russia.

One of the members (Apl.De.Ap) is Filipino...


Rock & Roll Daily, Your non-stop music news source. (http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/19/black-eyed-peas-jason-mraz-make-hot-100-chart-history/)

Black Eyed Peas, Jason Mraz Make Hot 100 Chart History

8/19/09, 3:25 pm EST

The Black Eyed Peas made Hot 100 history this week by becoming the first artist to ever top the chart for 20 consecutive weeks. The E.N.D.’s first single “Boom Boom Pow” did the brunt of the work, spending 12 weeks at Number One before “I Gotta Feeling” came in as relief and occupied the top spot for the next eight weeks. The feat marks the first time in the Hot 100’s 51-year history that an artist has held on to the Number One spot for that many consecutive weeks.

Over the course of the past 20 weeks, the two singles combined have sold about 5.8 million digital tracks, with “Boom Boom Pow” remaining 2009’s biggest single with 3.8 million in digital sales alone. “With this kind of success your ego wants to take all the credit but your heart reminds your soul that it was your heart that had you slaving and creating in the studio making the music; breaking through comfort zones and tradition. In the fight between heart and ego my heart always wins,” Will.i.am said in a statement...

Is it their last collaboration as black eyed peas? why is the title of the record The End?

^^ Nope, it isn't "The End," it's "The E.N.D." An acronym to say "The Energy Never Dies."

ooh that's good to know. but it could be a double meaning too.

^^It's because when Fergie did her solo thing people were wondering if BEP had broken up so their new album title was meant to play with that rumour.

^^
even if fergie decides
to leave, the BEP remains
intact. Fergie isn't even
an original member of the group.

BEP already existed way before
fergie came in.

^^ Yup! Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls) was asked to join BEP first before Fergie. But Nicole was still involved with a popgroup called "Eden's Crush" and Fergie just came off another group called "Wild Orchid." :colgate:

I think by next week, maraming magpopost dito about a news that will surely made Filipinos very proud.

Abangan!:cheers:

^^ Why? You have insider information about who's gonna win the rigged results of Miss Universe? ;)



:lol: