15 of the Hottest Touchscreen Phones

Touchscreen phones are the new “in” device when it comes to mobile phones and it seems that 2008 will be the year when the mobile phone manufacturers really ramp up the releases of these devices to meet consumer demand for smarter, more advanced touchscreen phones.

Here are 15 of the hottest touch screen phones for this year.

1. HTC Touch Diamond:
   
   The HTC Touch Diamond is the successor to the Touch Cruise. It will run Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, with a Qualcomm 528MHz MSM 7201A processor and 256MB ROM/192MB of RAM.

   It has a 2.8″ VGA screen, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, eGPS (), a 3.1 Megapixel camera with flash and a forward facing camera. It has a Samsung MoviNAND for 4GB of internal flash storage.

   The Touch Diamond also has an orientation sensor that automatically switches the phone output according to the orientation of the phone. The dimensions of the phone are 51 x 99 x 10.7mm.
   
   

2. Apple iPhone Second Gen:
   
   Not a lot of confirmed information out there about the new iPhone.

   There is plenty of unconfirmed information though:

   It will be similar in size to the current iPhone.

   It will also include 3G, GPS, a glossy black casing, chrome volume buttons and more rounded edges due to less metal used in the case.

   These have not been confirmed by Apple yet, but I am pretty sure they will be with time.
   
   

3. LG Secret:
   
   It sports a 5 megapixel camera and is only 11.8mm thick, making it the slimmest phone with a 5 megapixel camera currently on the market.

   It is made from carbon fiber and the LCD screen is protected by tempered glass. The touch screen buttons respond to commands with a luminous blue light. The camera is capable of capturing video at 120FPS and DivX certified recording. It comes pre-loaded with Google Package that enables the user to check their Gmail, use Google Maps and watch YouTube videos. It can also open Microsoft documents and it will have 100MB of onboard memory which can be expanded with a microSD card. The screen auto-rotates like the iPhone. It has Voice Clarity software that ensures that sound is always clear no matter what the surroundings are. It measures 102.8 x 50.8 x 11.8 mm.
   

4. LG Prada II:
   
   It features 3G with 7.2Mbps HSDPA connectivity, a QWERTY keyboard, a 3″ WQVGA 400×240 px TFT touchscreen and a 5 megapixel camera.

   It also has a front facing camera for video calls, Wi-Fi b/g connectivity, USB 2.0, Bluetooth, Full HTML browsing, FM-Radio, TV-out and a microSDHC memory slot (up to 8GB).

   The Prada fashion designers will be closely involved in making the custom themes, touch UI, built-in ringtones and cellphone accessories for the Prada II.

   This phone truly is fully loaded.

   
   

5. Samsung Instinct:
   
   This 3G Samsung is the first Sprint device to have EV-DO Rev support. It features a 2 Megapixel camera, stereo bluetooth, audible caller ID, voice dialing commands and a full HTML web browser.

   It also has a media player that displays album art, Sprint Radio and Sprint TV support, integrated Microsoft Live Search and GPS.

   It supports personal and corporate email access, visual voicemail and has a 262K color 3.1 inch screen with 2GB of memory.

   It measures in at 116 x 55.1 x 12.4 mm and weighs 124.7 grams.

6. Nokia Tube 5800:
   
   The Nokia Tube 5800 is equipped with a 3.1 Megapixel camera, and is similar in design as the iPhone. It has a TV-Out port for wide-screen viewing, it has quad band and 3G capabilities, Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS built in to the phone.

   The touch screen is 3.2 inches wide and can display 16 million colors, it will have 140MB onboard storage, with an SD slot for up to 8GB. The phone measures 111 x 52 x 14.5 mm and it will weigh in at 104g. The Nokia Tube 5800 will be launched late 2008 and it will face tough competition from the second gen iPhone, and many of the phones on this list.

7. Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1:
   
   The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 measures 109 x 52.5 x 16.5 mm, and weighs 145g. It is running the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system.

   It has a Qualcomm 7200 CPU running at 528Mhz, 128MB of RAM, a 3″ 800×480 tocuhsscreen, a 3.2 megapixel camera, a slide out QWERTY keyboard, a microSD expansion slot and Bluetooth 2.0.

   It also has WiFi and a cool picture blogging feature.

   Acccording to Sony Ericsson, “it lets you enjoy the convergence of communication and entertainment.”

8. LG Vu:
   
   It measure 108 x 55 x 13 mm, and weighs only 89.5g. The LG Vu features a 3″ 240×300 262k color touchscreen, Quad band and a software QWERTY keyboard.

   It has a 2 megapixel camera, 128MB of on board memory, a microSD expansion slot, 3.6Mb HSDPA connectivity, Bluetooth 1.2 and USB2.0 support.

   It will support the AT&T mobile TV network and true touch browsing on the web.

   The sleek design on this new LG speaks for itself.

9. LG U990:
   
   This is LG’s first 3G phone to be released. It has a 5 Megapixel camera, a 3″ 400×240 pixel, 262k-color touchscreen. The camera can record video at 120FPS.

   It supports audio / video downloading and streaming, plus video calling. It also sports a full web browser, and multiple formats of audio are supported by the media player on the phone. It also has 170MB of onboard memory, but this can be expanded with swappable microSD cards.

   Finally the phone has support for Stereo Bluetooth and USB2.0.

10. Samsung Anycall Haptic:
    
    The Sensitive user interface (UI) stimulates the sense of sight, hearing and touch. Its like a living thing. The touchscreen volume button has sound and vibration that make it feel like a real button.

    The UI is adjustable to your personal taste, allowing you to create your own menu on the desktop with widgets.

    It has nice drag-and-drop functionality for ease of use. It also has a 3.2″ 16:9 display, a full HTML web browser, a 2 Megapixel camera and Bluetooth 2.0 stnadard.

11. Neonode N2:
    
    The Neonode N2 measures 47×77×14.7 mm, and weighs a very lightweight 70g. Its 2″ 176×220px 65k color touchscreen display features its optical/infrared touchscreen technology called ZForce.

    It has a 2 Megapixel camera, internet radio stream capturing software, a gesture-controlled screen.

    It also has MiniSD for added storage and an mp3 player. The Neonode N2 ActiveSync is used to synchronize your calendar and address book which probably means that the N2 is going to be Windows based.
    
    

12. HTC Pharos P3470:
    
    The Pharos P3470 is running Windows Mobile on a 200Mhz CPU. It has a 2.8″ screen, Quad band GPRS (EDGE only), GPS, 256MB ROM, and 128MB of RAM.

    The camera on this HTC is 2 Megapixels.

    It comes with Bluetooth and a microSD expansion slot. Some things of note: there is no WiFi or 3G surprisingly enough.

    No word yet, but hopefully they will reconsider about the lack of WiFi support.

13. Sony Ericsson G900:
    
    The dimensions of the G900 are 106.0 x 49.0 x 13.0 mm, and it weighs 99g.

    It has a 240×320 pixel, 262k color TFT touchscreen. It is running on Symbian OS, and has 160MB of memory.

    The memory can be expanded through the Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) expansion slot.

    The give you the option of keypad or touchscreen keyboard. It has a 5 Megapixel camera, Bluetooth, WiFi, a full HTML web browser and video streaming capabilities.

14. Sony Ericsson G700:
    
    The G700 is the little brother of the G900, sporting a smaller 3.2 megapixel camera and lacking WiFi support.

    It features a one-touch organizer that can create little “post-it” notes that can be handwritten using a stylus and saved to the phone.

    It also has cool recognition software that recognizes handwriting and converts it into text automatically.

    Not bad if they are calling it the G900’s little brother.
    
    

15. Motorola Rokr E8:
    
    The Motorola Rokr E8 has modeshift technology which transforms the display of the device to only show the controls for either the the music player or the phone.It features 2GB of internal memory (expandable to 4GB), a 2.0 Megapixel camera and a full HTML browser.It measures 115×53x10.6mm and weighs 100g. It also has class 2 stereo Bluetooth, USB 2.0 and GPRS.

2009 Super Duty 450

The Super Duty line of Ford trucks has long been considered among the most dependable and durable trucks available and the 2009 Ford F-450 Super Duty is no exception. Among its attributes is the fact that the F-450 boasts the greatest towing capacity on the market, at up to 24,500 pounds. This truck also comes in a variety of different configurations, including three unique theme packages. They are the King Ranch, Harley Davidson, and the Cabela's edition. Add this to the number of different cab, bed, drive train, and engine combinations, and you can see that making your choice may take some time.

The Ford F-450 has a few new tricks up its sleeve this year as well, including the above mentioned Cabela's package. This model was introduced to appeal to the many sportsman that drive Ford trucks. Nice features with this package include the themed interior design and lockable storage units for hunting and fishing equipment. The Super Duty will also offer the high tech electronics that are found in the new F-150s. This includes things like voice-activated navigation and Ford Work Solutions, which is a system designed for work trucks to keep track of business information. Also new this year is a sprayed on bed liner.

The look of the 2009 F-450 hasn't changed much since it was redesigned for the 2008 model year. In addition to the theme packages, the Super Duty is available in the regular, crew, or SuperCab configuration. The regular cab is only available with the 8 foot bed, while the crew and SuperCab are available in the 8 or 6.75 foot options.

There are also several choices of interior packages available, depending on which trim option you choose. Whether you are looking for practicality or luxury, the F-450 has an interior design package that will meet your needs. All models offer many of the tech features that are now so common in new vehicles.

With the new Super Duty, you also get a choice of three different power plants and two different transmissions. On the low end is the 300 horsepower 5.4 liter V8, of course, Ford also offers a 362 horsepower 6.8 liter V10, as well as the 350 horsepower 6.4 liter V8 turbo-diesel engine. Each of these can be paired up with either a six speed manual transmission or a five speed automatic. Two and four wheel drive is also available on all packages. Safety features on the Ford Super Duty include anti-lock brakes and air bags. Available options include rear view camera and post crash alert system.

The 2009 Ford F-450 Super Duty begins at around $41,000 and can go up considerably from there, depending on which package you opt for. The performance and durability of this truck has never come into question. One does have to wonder; however, why all of the fancy theme packages are necessary on a truck that is designed for working.

The Origin of Money

Money. Everybody wants it, and you can always use more. But what is money? Where does it come from? Is it really the “root of all evil” as the Bible and Pink Floyd have said? Do we really need it? How did we all come to value little slips of paper with portraits of dead presidents on them? Why can’t they just give everybody a million dollars and make us all rich? And why is any of this important to those who are concerned about human liberty?

I’ll anticipate some conclusions here: Money is vital to a prosperous society, without it mankind could do no better than a primitive agricultural society. Money originates and evolves privately, in the market, as a solution to the problems presented by direct barter. Governments (in collusion with large Banks) around the globe have forcibly taken over and monopolized the creation of new money, and abolished the natural gold standard for the sole purpose of expanding their own power and confiscating wealth. All other “justifications” for government money are lies based on completely discredited economic hogwash. The unprecedented and artificial “fiat money” imposed on us now represents a grave threat to civilization itself.

What is Money?

Money can be defined as: A generally accepted medium of exchange. Theoretically, money can be anything that people desire to own, not for its direct use, but rather for its later value in trading for things that are useful. In practice, around the world and throughout history, one substance emerged as “the people’s choice” as the best money, and that substance is gold.

In the Beginning . . .

Imagine a primitive village with a fisherman (Mr. Fisher), a baker (Mr. Baker), a wagon maker (Mr. Wagoner) and a berry picker (Ms. Berry ). Even in primitive societies, workers tend to specialize like this, because of what Ludwig von Mises called the two most important facts about humans(!!):

1. That a group of people can produce more goods by specializing and trading than they can in self-sufficient isolation.

2. Man’s ability to recognize fact #1.

So trading goods with others is a mutually beneficial, natural way for humans to improve their situation. If Fisher wants bread and Baker wants fish, they will want to trade, say one fish for two loaves of bread. So far, so good. But what happens if Fisher wants bread, but Baker doesn’t like fish? This is the first problem with barter, the so-called “double coincidence of wants.” Fisher has to want what Baker has at the same time Baker wants what Fisher has.

To solve the problem, Fisher might go visit Ms. Berry , the berry picker, because he knows that almost everybody likes berries. He trades his fish for a basket of berries, not because he wants to eat them, but because he thinks that Baker will trade loaves of bread for them. When this happens, berries are beginning to function as money, because they are being demanded not just for their value as food, but for their value in exchange.

So we see that money has a function. It solves problems. And like anything else that has a function, it stands to reason that some items will work better than others. You could pound a nail in with a rock, but a hammer works better, because it has certain qualities (leverage, flat surface) that make it superior to a rock for that purpose. And so it is with money. Some things will possess qualities that make it a better money than other things.

Good Money vs. Bad Money

What are the properties that make for a good money? One we’ve already touched on, and that is that money must be something that nearly everyone values. Another problem with barter is divisibility. Mr. Baker and Mr. Wagoner might agree that a nice wagon is worth 1,000 loaves of bread, but Wagoner doesn’t want 1,000 loaves, he only wants one. He can’t whack off 1/1000^th of a wagon, that would be useless. So a good money must be something which is still valuable even when divided into very small amounts. Other qualities that make for useful money include durability and also interchangeability, where one unit is the same as any other.

It’s very unlikely that anything extremely common, like sand, could ever become money because people just don’t value common things as highly as rare things. That’s good, for another very important quality of good, sound money is that it should be costly to produce. Briefly, this is because the ability to create money without cost carries with it the extraordinary power to redistribute real wealth to whoever is allowed to create it. More on this later.

What began to happen, over centuries, in separate societies all over the world, is that people tried out all sorts of things as money - salt, seashells, cattle, etc. This was a spontaneous, natural competition to determine the best money. That is, the best according to function, as determined by the market, not the whim of some tyrant.

MacBook

Intoducing the new 13 inch MacBook.

New design. New features. New technologies.

All engineered to standards that don’t even exist yet.

The following are it's features:

Redesigned. Reengineered. Re-everythinged.

To build something truly different, you need to work in a truly different way. Apple designers and engineers work together through every stage of product development. It’s a partnership that makes innovation possible. And it’s exactly how the new MacBook was created. With its breakthrough unibody enclosure, industry-first features, and environmentally sound design, it’s a revolution in the way notebooks are made.

Beautifully engineered, inside and out

From the stunning aluminum unibody to the powerful graphics architecture, the new MacBook makes progress a beautiful thing. Ultrathin 13.3-inch LED-backlit display.

What a quantum leap look like.

Up to 5x faster NVIDIA graphics performance. With a first-of-its-kind integrated graphics processor that delivers up to five times the performance in half the size, the new MacBook changes the game — and just about everything else you do on a notebook.

Cooler creatures. Richer worlds.

All-new, smooth glass Multi-Touch trackpad. It’s redesigned with even more room for even more gestures. Now the entire glass trackpad is also the button, so it’s clickable everywhere.

Only Apple could make a notebook like this. Hardware and software. Design and engineering. Production and manufacturing. They’re all part of a single process at Apple. When you start using your new MacBook, you’ll discover what that means. The light and sturdy unibody protects the components inside. The LED-backlit display — along with the graphics processor that helps power it — gives you faster games and a brilliant canvas for your photos, movies, and more. The glass Multi-Touch trackpad feels as good as it functions. From the smallest detail to the biggest engineering breakthrough, the new MacBook truly is the next generation of notebooks.

Expert: Microsoft earned US$1.5B from Vista Capable program

An expert has determined that Microsoft may have earned more than US$1 billion from its controversial Windows Vista Capable sticker program, which is still at the center of a class-action suit being decided in a Washington state court.

In a court report, Keith Leffler, an associate professor in the University of Washington's Department of Economics, estimated that Microsoft derived revenue of $1.505 billion from its Vista Capable program, in which the company partnered with hardware vendors to put stickers on PCs letting customers know the machines could run Vista reliably.

Though portions of Leffler's statement were redacted, it appears he based his estimate on revenue figures he received from Microsoft. His statement was made public as part of a class-action lawsuit filed March 2007 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle by Washington resident Dianne L. Kelley. She claimed that Microsoft's program was deceptive because a PC she purchased could not run a premium edition of Vista. The case is still pending.

Microsoft's hardware partners began shipping PCs with the "Windows Vista Capable" logo in April 2006 as a way to let customers know if they purchased a new Windows XP PC before Vista was available, their machine could easily be upgraded. However, the designation was potentially confusing because a PC with the label was only guaranteed to run the least expensive, most basic version of Vista, called Home Basic.

A month later, Microsoft launched a Web site to explain the hardware requirements for different versions of Vista, as well as a new PC designation called "Windows Vista Premium Ready." Microsoft used the new designation to label PCs that could run premium editions of Vista -- such as Home Premium and Ultimate -- which have more features than Home Basic. The company also provided coupons for people who purchased these PCs to upgrade to the appropriate version of Vista either for free or for little cost once the OS was made available.

Many see Vista ultimately as a failure for Microsoft, as many consumers have complained about the OS and many business customers have opted to skip it and run Windows XP until Vista's follow-up release Windows 7 is available. This is all in spite of the fact that Microsoft spent more than five years developing Vista and claimed it would be the most successful OS for the company since Windows 95.

The main difference between http:// and https://

THIS IS IMPORTANT................................

What is the difference between http and https?

FIRST MANY PEOPLE ARE UNAWARE OF

**The main difference between http:// and

https:// is it's all about keeping you secure**

HTTP stands for HyperText Transport Protocol,

which is just a fancy way of saying it's a protocol

(a language, in a manner of speaking) for data to

be passed back and forth between web servers and

clients. The important thing is the letter 'S' which

makes the difference between HTTP and HTTPS.

The S (big surprise) stands for "Secure".

If you visit a website or web page, and look at the

address in the web browser, it will likely begin with

the following:=2 0http://.

This means that the website is talking to your browser

using the regular 'unsecure' language. In other words,

it is possible for someone to "eavesdrop" on your

computer's conversation with the website. If you fill

out a form on the website, someone might see the

information you send to that site. This is why you

never -ever- enter your credit card number in an

http website!

But if the web address begins with https://, that

basically means your computer is talking to the

website in a secure code that no one can eavesdrop on.

You understand why this is so important, right?

If a website ever asks you to enter your credit card

information, you should automatically look to see

if the web address begins with https://.

If it doesn't, there's no way you're going to enter

sensitive information like a credit card number.

WELCOME 2009

WELCOME 2009

NEW YEAR TRADITION

Other traditions of the season include the making of New Year's resolutions. That tradition also dates back to the early Babylonians. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.

The Tournament of Roses Parade dates back to 1886. In that year, members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated their carriages with flowers. It celebrated the ripening of the orange crop in California.

Although the Rose Bowl football game was first played as a part of the Tournament of Roses in 1902, it was replaced by Roman chariot races the following year. In 1916, the football game returned as the sports centerpiece of the festival.

The tradition of using a baby to signify the new year was begun in Greece around 600 BC. It was their tradition at that time to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket, representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.

Although the early Christians denounced the practice as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced the Church to reevaluate its position. The Church finally allowed its members to celebrate the new year with a baby, which was to symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus.

The use of an image of a baby with a New Years banner as a symbolic representation of the new year was brought to early America by the Germans. They had used the effigy since the fourteenth century.

Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.

Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

22 wounded in GenSan blast

MANILA, Philippines--(UPDATE) An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in General Santos City on New Year's Eve, wounding at least 22 people, an army spokesperson has said.

The IED exploded at Oval Plaza, General Santos City, South Cotabato at around 9:10 p.m. Thursday, said Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner Jr. The victims were taken to different hospitals in General Santos City for medical treatment.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said that the explosion happened at around 9:20 p.m. and was caused by a hand grenade and not an IED.

Police also said that the explosion had injured 23 persons.

Both the PNP and military said that they have not identified any suspects behind the bombing as investigations are still ongoing.

Security forces have been on heightened alert for possible attacks by Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels who have been locked in intense battles with troops since August.

A grenade attack Tuesday on a police outpost in General Santos wounded a policeman and two other people.

The same day, a suspected militant transporting an improvised explosive device was killed when it went off at a police checkpoint near the town of Esperanza, also on Mindanao island.

BLOGGING

Blogging is something you can write what you want and feature different stories or interest that you may have. It is also a way or interacting with other people around the world and just by exchanging different ideas with them, you will learn a lot. Blogging is also a form of advertising to where you promote something. It could be a product, food, movies, songs and some other things that you are interested with. You can do blog advertising in a certain company's product on your blog and get paid or just simply make a buzz on it and very easy to do. Have you ever thought of that? Well, if not this is your time to start a new career online by way of blogging.

There are lots of website on the internet that offers online job but be aware of scam websites that will only use you for their own interest. Make sure that you are engage to a website that is trustworthy and has the capability to pay you from your hard work and Snapbomb is one of them. It is a new website that offers online job by way of advertising on your blog. You may find it so complicated to start but it's not. All you have to do is create your own blog and as soon as your done with your set up, go to http://www.snapbomb.com/bloggers.html?acp=7551 and register your blog. In fact you can enter as many blogs as you want. Once your blog is approved, you can now take opportunities to blog then get paid once your post is reviewed by the advertisers. It is very easy right and could generate income to your household.

Advertising on blog is a fun thing to do because you are not only earning but at the same time, it enhances your skills and could improve your writing. It is a great opportunity because you were given a chance to advertise a certain product. Blogging is also a way of blog marketing. It is something that you will learn in the long run of advertising because when it comes to blog marketing it means you are selling your blog to advertisers that you can work on.

Does it sound interesting to you? Join now and start your new career online by way of blogging and start earning some cash from your hard work and dedication. Happy blogging!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I JUST WANT TO GREET EVERYONE MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Philippines rejoices at Pacquiao's victory over De La Hoya

Filipinos watching the fight all over the country erupted in celebration De La Hoya's corner threw in the towel before the start of the ninth round.De La Hoya's left eye was closed shut after the eighth round, prompting the ring doctor, referee and his cornermen to decide that he had enough."You're still my idol," Pacquiao told De La Hoya after the fight in Las Vegas.

"No, you're my idol," De La Hoya said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called Pacquiao to congratulate him immediately after the fight, according to deputy spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo.The president and the Filipino people would like to extend our profound congratulations to Manny Pacquiao," she said. "His boxing fit is testament to the spirit of the Filipino, our resiliency and strength to ace the challenges that come our way."

Press secretary Jesus Dureza added that while Pacquiao was the underdog in pre-match analysis, the local boxing icon showed "true Filipino grit and grace" in his triumph over De La Hoya.

"Manny indeed is making boxing history," he added. "We are all truly proud of him."

Cinemas and restaurants showing the fight live were packed with boxing fans despite the steep entrance fees, while thousands more jammed sports complexes and public gyms for free showings.

Even the military's main headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo showed the fight for free.

The streets of Manila were clear of traffic as most Filipinos were watching the fight, and police reported a decline in crime during the hours of the fight.

In Pacquiao's home city of General Santos in the southern Philippines, his mother led thousands in cheering for the boxing icon.

"I thank the Lord for he has been very kind to me and my son," Dionesia Pacquiao said. "I thank everyone who prayed for my son. Thank you all."

An exciting new development - what will they think of next?

Announcing the new Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge device (BOOK).
It's a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric
circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so
easy to use even a child can operate it. Just lift its cover. Compact and
portable, it can be used anywhere-even sitting in an armchair by the
fire-yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM
disk.

Here's how it works: Each BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered
sheets of paper (recyclable) , each capable of holding thousands of bits of
information. These pages are locked together with a custom-fit device
called a binder which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. By using
both sides of each sheet, manufacturers are able to cut costs in half.
Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into
your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. The BOOK
may be taken up at any time and used by merely opening it. The "browse"
feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or
backward as you wish. Most come with an "index" feature, which pinpoints
the exact location of any elected information for instant retrieval.

An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open the BOOK to the exact
place you left it in a previous session-even if the BOOK has been closed.
BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus a single BOOKmark can be
used in BOOKs by various manufacturers.

Portable, durable and affordable, the BOOK is the entertainment wave of
the future, and many new titles are expected soon, due to the surge in
popularity of its programming tool, the Portable Erasable-Nib Cryptic
Intercommunication Language Stylus...(PENCILS)

mp3 player buying guide

Finding the perfect MP3 player is harder than you'd think. Considerations of size, color, capacity, features, price, and compatibility, all need to be weighed before making a decision. Unfortunately, there's no perfect MP3 player for everyone. Even the most popular MP3 player option, Apple's iPod, is offered in a dizzying amount of colors, sizes, and configurations.

In this buying guide, we'll broadly define the two types of MP3 players on the market, and spend the following pages explaining what features to look for, different uses to consider, music compatibility, and the kinds of accessories you may want to purchase in addition to your music player.

First, let's look at the differences between hard-drive MP3 players and Flash-based models.

Types of players: Hard-drive-based | Flash-based |

Hard-drive-based players

Most likely, a high-capacity player can accommodate every song you've ever purchased or ripped from a CD. Hard drives run from 20GB on up, and large players such as the 120GB Apple iPod Classic can hold about 30,000 songs.

Hard drive MP3 players such as the Microsoft Zune can hold a luxurious amount of music and video.

Pros: They store all your music on one device. They also tend to have more features and larger screens and are overall easier to use. High-capacity players give you the best bang for your buck in terms of price per gigabyte (for example, $250 120GB iPod versus $200 for 16GB iPod Nano).

Cons: These players are usually built around a 1.8-inch hard drive; thus, they are larger and heavier than the others. Also, hard drives have moving parts, so these players aren't ideal for strenuous physical activity. Finally, most use rechargeable batteries (usually lasting 9 to 45 hours per charge) that you can't replace yourself, so after several years, you might have to pay for a new model or pay to get the battery replaced.

WALL - E 2008

Watch the Trailer

After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, Wall-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named Eve. Eve comes to realize that Wall-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, Wall-E chases Eve across the galaxy.

Also Known As:	Wall E Walle
Production Status:	Released
Logline:	A young robot looks for a home in outer space.
Running Time:	1 hr. 37 min.
Release Date:	June 27th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating:	G
Distributors:	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Production Co.:	Pixar Animation Studios
Studios:	Walt Disney Feature Animation
U.S. Box Office:	$223,280,427
Filming Locations:	Los Angeles, California, USA
Produced in:	United States

THE BATTLE IS ON

BOTH Golden Boy Promotion and Top Rank top executives are now downsizing and downplaying their earlier huge forecast on pay per view (PPV) buys for the December 6 (December 7 Philippine time) fight between Oscar dela Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. From a high estimate of topping or equaling the 2.15 million buys generated by the Dela Hoya-Mayweather Jr. ticket last year, the promoters of the Dream Match are now saying 1.5 million PPV buys would already be a 'smash hit' given the recession that is hitting the US economy.

Scalpers who anticipated to make a killing earlier cornered the live ticket sales are now reportedly having a hard time moving tickets valued at $1,500 where before these could command a pricey tag of up to $35,000 each.

That is why this corner has always prodded Pacquiao lawyer Jeng Gacal, a fellow 1977 graduate of the Marist Notre Dame school system in General Santos, to always include in the fight contract proviso of Manny a guaranteed purse clause.

For the Dela Hoya tiff, a $10 million dollar guaranteed pay slip plus substantial share on the upside of the PPV and other sales (live and close circuit television tickets and cable and free TV proceeds) were broached.


After all, it was money above all that made Team Pacquiao decide to take on Dela Hoya's offer aside from a shot at boxing immortality.

Dela Hoya's initial offer to Manny was a flat out 70-30 split on PPV buys that was promptly rejected by Team Pacquiao and which turned out to be a good decision.

The first generation of Chevy

1958–1960

First generation

The Impala was introduced in 1958 as a new, upmarket, sporty trim package created for Bel Air coupes and convertibles. Unique to the model were its six taillights, which set it apart from lower trim levels with only two lights on a side. This classic styling cue would become its trademark. The Impala became a separate model in 1959 in both two- and four-door versions and became the best-selling car in the Chevrolet lineup. For 1960, it became the best-selling automobile in the United States and held that position for the next decade.

The Impala featured body-on-frame construction, using the "X" frame used on other Chevys, as well as Cadillac. The exception for the six-taillight rear end styling was the 1959 model, which used the "teardrop" taillight shape as all other Chevy models had.

1958 Chevrolet Impala

1958 Chevrolet Impala convertible

1959 Impala convertible

1961 Chevrolet Impala

Chevrolet Impala Convertible 1963

The Chocolate Hills in Bohol

The Chocolate Hills are probably Bohol's most famous tourist attraction. They look like giant mole hills, or as some say, women's breasts, and remind us of the hills in a small child's drawing. Most people who first see pictures of this landscape can hardly believe that these hills are not a man-made artifact. However, this idea is quickly abandoned, as the effort would surely surpass the construction of the pyramids in Egypt. The chocolate hills consist of are no less than 1268 hills (some claim this to be the exact number). They are very uniform in shape and mostly between 30 and 50 meters high. They are covered with grass, which, at the end of the dry season, turns chocolate brown. From this color, the hills derive their name. At other times, the hills are green, and the association may be a bit difficult to make.

Legend has it that the hills came into existence when two giants threw stones and sand at each other in a fight that lasted for days. When they were finally exhausted, they made friends and left the island, but left behind the mess they made. For the more romantically inclined is the tale of Arogo, a young and very strong giant who fell in love with an ordinary mortal girl called Aloya. After she died, the giant Arogo cried bitterly. His tears then turned into hills, as a lasting proof of his grief.

However, up to this day, even geologists have not reached consensus on how they where formed. The most commonly accept theory is that they are the weathered formations of a kind of marine limestone on top of a impermeable layer of clay. If you climb the 214 steps to the top of the observation hill near the complex, you can read this explanation on a bronze plaque.

How to get there

Plenty of tourist guides and tour operators will be happy to bring you to the chocolate hills, either as a separate trip or as part of a day tour. However, if you want to go here on your own, from Tagbilaran, you will have to go the integrated bus terminal in Dao and catch a bus going to Carmen. If you look like a stranger, you will have a hard time not finding one. At the entrance of the bus terminal people will point you to the right bus. Make sure it is the first one to leave, and ask the driver to drop you off at the Chocolate Hills complex, about 4 kilometers before the town of Carmen. From there it is a 10 minute walk along a road winding up to the complex.

To get back to Tagbilaran, you will have to walk back to the main road, and wait for a bus to pass by. The last bus from Carmen to Tagbilaran leaves at four P.M. Alternatively, you can use the services of the motorcyclists who often wait here for tourist, and ride 'habal-habal,' or motorbike taxi.

If you're coming from Tubigon (arriving from Cebu by boat), a few buses go to Carmen daily, but sometimes you'll have to wait for some time for the bus to fill up. When you arrive in Carmen, you can catch the next bus or jeepney in the direction of Bilar, Loay or Tagbilaran, or ask a 'habal-habal' driver to bring you to the Chocolate Hills Complex.

Where to stay

If you would like to stay in the Chocolate Hills, you have very little choice. The only facility is the Government run Chocolate Hills resort. Currently, this hotel is undergoing renovation and extension, but, since funds have run out, work on this is suspended, and you'll have to deal with the mess of a half-completed resort. However, the staff are friendly, and if you stay here overnight, seeing the sun rise over this bizarre landscape is worth the inconvenience. The place also has a still functional and maintained swimming pool, which is behind the unfinished building, a little bit downhill.

Unmatched Beauty

Unmatched Beauty

Getting Here

Sarangani can be reached by air and sea travels from Manila and Cebu via General Santos City. By land, Sarangani’s countryside is easily accessible. A paved national highway connects General Santos City to the eastern coastal towns of Alabel (15 min), Malapatan (25 min), and Glan (45 min); to the west, Maasim (30 min), Kiamba (1:10 hrs), Maitum (1:30 hrs), and Malungon (40 min).

Sarangani is a province whose unmatched beauty has yet to bediscovered. Few places are as splendidly endowed with natural resources that promise opportunities for development as this predominantly coastal province in the southernmost tip of the Philippines. Most of its treasures have remained untapped to this day including its 230-kilometer coastline strewn with awe-inspiring coves and rock formations.

Sarangani is full of wondrous surprises. Motoring across the province is as pleasurable as taking a breeze in one’s own paradise. A golf course in the valleys of Malungon offers some of the most challenging fairways in the region. It is also here where asparagus and tropical fruits are grown and dried flowers are made for the export market.

A sense of discovery overwhelms one when approaching the eastern municipalities of Alabel, Malapatan and Glan, which face the tranquil waters of Sarangani Bay. These towns have beaches wonderfully preserved by protective coves, and shipwreck diving sites dating back to Spanish times. The bay is more popularly known to be the home of the Sarangani Bay bangus (milkfish). Turn over another stone and one will find that the bay is also home to simple village folk who have lived their lives carving and painting their dreams in the boats they build.

While the province is intersected by General Santos City, the discoveries that await in the three western municipalities of Maasim, Kiamba and Maitum are as countless as the golden sunrises of the Celebes Sea. In 1991, anthropomorphic jars were found in Ayub cave at Maitum which have come to be known in world history as Maitum Jars. A sanctuary of the largest bats in the world can also be found in the same site. Endemic to the Philippines, over 180,000 giant golden-crown flying foxes can be seen dangling in the branches of forest trees during daytime.

With its back to the Daguma Range, the lush mountains of this province hold many of nature’s wonderful creatures including the tarsier, the smallest monkey in the world and its predator, the Philippine eagle. From its bosom also flows the purest freshwater sources and pristine waterfalls unsettled only by short dips of its native dwellers and a few daring adventurers.

It is amazing how one can still uncover treasures of the old world in a place like Sarangani. Let its limitless wonders unravel before you.

SARANGANI'S SEASCAPE

Plunge in deeper into Sarangani’s underwater world! A tank, mask, snorkel and fins are all what it takes to delve into that fantastic view of multihued coral ecosystem and marine fauna that abound.With the changing weather conditions, every snorkeling and scuba diving would certainly be unique from each previous engagement.

So experience that invigorating vibes while knitting through Sarangani’s haven of dolphins, whales, marine turtles, and the endangered sea cow (dugong) and make it a lasting glimpse to remember.The impressive covering of Acropora (branching corals) filling the seascape of Tuka Marine Park of Kiamba will certainly captivate you to no end.

Archaeologists at work in Maitum.

PREHISTORIC CAVES
Maitum Caves

Exploring through Ayub cave is like traveling back to the metal age of the Philippines, circa 500 BC to 500 AD. A unique and fascinating assemblage of archeological find (human faces and figures in earthenware medium) that depicts Sarangani’s cultural wealth was excavated here.

These potteries were used as secondary burial jars. Its coverings were molded as human heads emulating different facial expressions of happiness, contentment, and even a trace of desolation. Such were shaped artistically tracing the most conservative detail of the human face that can still be seen in the broken fragments of the jars outside the cave... retaining their natural color even up to now.

Some of the artifacts collected are now displayed in the National Museum while others are kept by some of the residents nearby the cave.

Ayub cave is made up of Miocene limestone formation. The opening is about two meters wide and two meters high, sloping downward to at least 20 degrees angle and extending a length of 11 meters from the entrance. But earthquakes, which cropped up sometime in 1970s to 1990s widened the cave’s opening.

Ayub cave is located at Barangay Pinol in Maitum, about 50 meters away from the national highway and approximately 30-minute ride from the Poblacion. Surrounding plants have, however, made this cave unnoticed.

CENTURY-OLD HOUSES

Set in seemingly-classical downtown Glan are several ancestral houses mostly built in the early part of 1900s. The imposing balconies, canopies, and walls of “kalados” and concrete stepboards leading to wide wooden staircases will certainly awe-inspire antique trippers.

Some of them even hold striking collections of prized oriental sets and other precious antiques displayed right in the drawing room. The municipal government of Glan preserves the ancestral houses taking pride of its ancestors’ birthright.

CAPITOL PARK

Visiting travelers cannot help but marvel at the grandeur of the Provincial Capitol Building, which also houses offices of national line agencies. They say it is unrivaled. Some of them even dubbed it the reenacted “White House” in Southern Mindanao.

To see the imposing Provincial Capitol Building becomes, in most cases, the object of some visitors in going to Alabel, the capital town of the province.

Equally drawing attention is the Kasfala Hall that accentuates even more the beauty and the value of the park. True to its Blaan name, which means “deliberation,” the well-designed edifice serves as a sheer witness to the many issues and concerns deliberated and resolved in seminars, trainings, conferences, consultations and the like.

Strategically enclosed in a 26-hectare lot, the capitol park is a huge landmark of untiring devotion and excellence by concerned leaders who were instruments of unification and development of its people.

Other facilities like the FVR rest house and pool, cultural center and gymnasium, training center, and sports complex complete its almost pronounced coziness.

SARANGANI GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

The 18-hole Golf Course and Country Club at Sitio Pulatana, Malandag, Malungon lies in a well-landscaped of verdant grasses and trees. It is only a 30-minute leisure-drive from the town proper of Sarangani’s capital town Alabel and 40-minute from neighboring city of General Santos.

For golf fanatics, the place is just right to unwind.

Its two-story native-inspired refreshment cottage can provide an outright vista of the golf course’s backdrop, Mt. Matutum.

WINDCHIMES

WINDCHIMES

Wind chimes or Aeolian chimes are often hollow or solid metal, glass, or wooden tubes which are usually hung outside of a building and are intended to be played by the wind, which causes the chimes to strike each other or metal, wood, or rubber balls which may be hung in the centre.

Wind chimes produce inharmonic (as opposed to harmonic) spectra, although if they are hung at about 1/5th of their length (22.4%), the higher partials are dampened and the fundamental is brought out. This is common practice in high-quality wind chimes, which are also usually hung so the center ball strikes the center of the wind chime's length. Frequency is determined by the length, width, thickness, and material. There are formulas that help predict the proper length to achieve a particular note, though a bit of fine tuning is often needed. Wind chimes are thought to be good luck in parts of Asia and are used in Feng Shui. In Japan they produce pleasant ringing sounds and are hung by the windows during hot humid summers in order to bring cooling relief.

Chimes are also made of materials other than metal or wood and in shapes other than tubes or rods. Many people accept bamboo, stones, horseshoes, mechanics tools, PVC pipe, glass, seashells, old silverware, etc., as chimes. Every material makes a different sound. The sounds these make are not tunable to specific notes and range from pleasant tinkling to dull thuds. The idea seems to be that if it is moved by the wind and makes a noise, it is a wind chime.

The tone will depend on the material (steel, aluminum, brass, the exact alloy, heat treatment and so on), whether you are using a solid cylinder or a tube, and if a tube, the wall thickness. It may also depend on the hanging method. The tone quality will depend on how you strike a tube (with a hard object or a soft one, for example).

Note that with a whistle, such as an organ pipe, the pitch is determined primarily by the length of the air column. It is the air that vibrates. The pipe material helps determine the "timbre" or "voice" of the pipe, but the air column determines the pitch. In a wind chime, the pipe itself is being struck and the air column has little to do with things.

Chimes may be used to observe changes in wind directions. For instance, if a chime is positioned on the north side of the house only a north wind will move it. It may alert the inhabitants to a weather change. Conversely, for a south wind a chime is mounted on the south side.

A Brief Mystery: What are Short Gamma-ray Bursts?

October 20, 2008: For decades it was baffling. Out of the still night sky, astronomers peering through their telescopes would occasionally glimpse quick bursts of high-energy light popping off like flashbulbs at the far side of the universe.

These bursts seemed impossibly powerful: to appear so bright from so very far away, they must vastly outshine entire galaxies containing hundreds of billions of stars. These explosions, called gamma ray bursts (GRBs), are by far the brightest and most energetic phenomena in the known universe, second only to the Big Bang itself. Scientists were at a loss to imagine what could possibly cause them.

Right: An artist's concept of a gamma-ray burst.

Astronomers now know what the longer-lasting GRBs are: the collapse and explosion of an ultra-massive star to form a black hole at its core, an explanation first proposed by Stan Woosley of the University of California in San Diego. But there’s a second category of GRBs that still remains a mystery.

"The short-lived ones are very poorly understood. It's where the frontier [of research] is now," says Neil Gehrels, principal investigator for the GRB-detecting Swift satellite at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Gehrels and other researchers have gathered this week at the Sixth Huntsville Gamma Ray Burst Symposium in Huntsville, Ala., to discuss progress on this and other mysteries surrounding GRBs. Short gamma-ray bursts are a hot topic at today's sessions: agenda.

"We have had good evidence since the 1990s that the short bursts and long bursts were different classes," Gehrels explains. "It had to do with their gamma ray properties." Not only do the short bursts last less than about 2 seconds, the spectrum of light they emit is distinct. Gamma rays from short bursts lean toward the high-energy end of the spectrum, while long GRBs emit lower-energy gamma rays.

The differences were highlighted in 2005 when, for the first time, telescopes caught sight of short GRB afterglows. The fading debris contained no supernova, arguing against the collapse of a massive star. George Ricker of MIT, principal investigator of NASA's HETE (High Energy and Transient Explorer) satellite, famously likened a short burst on July 9, 2005, to "the dog that didn't bark."

Ultimately, the cause of short bursts is unknown. But scientists do have some good guesses.

Above: An artist's concept of a neutron star-neutron star collision.

The leading theory is that these bursts are extremely violent collisions between pairs of neutron stars. These stars aren't gassy, wispy giants like other stars — a neutron star is more like an atomic nucleus that's 12 kilometers across. Since the atoms that make up normal, "solid" matter are mostly empty space, a star made almost entirely of tightly packed neutrons is extraordinarily dense: a fingernail's worth of a neutron star would have a mass of more than a trillion kilograms. A neutron star's density and gravity is second only to a black hole. "When you have these two hard stars that run into each other, it's a very rapid fiery explosion. It's kind of like a crash."

So how could scientists know whether this explanation is true?

One way could be to detect gravitational waves. Before the two neutron stars collide, they would orbit each other as a binary system. Because their fields of gravity are so intense, the stars ought to send waves rippling outward in the fabric of space-time: gravitational waves. As the neutron stars spiral in toward each other, the frequency of those waves would ramp up in a characteristic pattern called a chirp signal.

"Scientists are trying to [detect] that now," Gehrels says. "It's the ultimate way of verifying the model."

Scientists at the Huntsville symposium are discussing the progress of gravitational wave detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) located in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana. By using lasers to carefully measure the distances between pairs of mirrors at these observatories, LIGO scientists can notice tiny changes in these distances that would occur if subtle gravitational waves were passing through the Earth.

Other possible explanations for short GRBs exist as well, but only hard data from experiments such as LIGO can settle what is the real cause of these mysterious celestial bursts.

Magnetic Portals Connect Sun and Earth

Oct. 30, 2008: During the time it takes you to read this article, something will happen high overhead that until recently many scientists didn't believe in. A magnetic portal will open, linking Earth to the sun 93 million miles away. Tons of high-energy particles may flow through the opening before it closes again, around the time you reach the end of the page.

"It's called a flux transfer event or 'FTE,'" says space physicist David Sibeck of the Goddard Space Flight Center. "Ten years ago I was pretty sure they didn't exist, but now the evidence is incontrovertible."

Indeed, today Sibeck is telling an international assembly of space physicists at the 2008 Plasma Workshop in Huntsville, Alabama, that FTEs are not just common, but possibly twice as common as anyone had ever imagined.

Right: An artist's concept of Earth's magnetic field connecting to the sun's--a.k.a. a "flux transfer event"--with a spacecraft on hand to measure particles and fields. [Larger image]

Researchers have long known that the Earth and sun must be connected. Earth's magnetosphere (the magnetic bubble that surrounds our planet) is filled with particles from the sun that arrive via the solar wind and penetrate the planet's magnetic defenses. They enter by following magnetic field lines that can be traced from terra firma all the way back to the sun's atmosphere.

"We used to think the connection was permanent and that solar wind could trickle into the near-Earth environment anytime the wind was active," says Sibeck. "We were wrong. The connections are not steady at all. They are often brief, bursty and very dynamic."

Several speakers at the Workshop have outlined how FTEs form: On the dayside of Earth (the side closest to the sun), Earth's magnetic field presses against the sun's magnetic field. Approximately every eight minutes, the two fields briefly merge or "reconnect," forming a portal through which particles can flow. The portal takes the form of a magnetic cylinder about as wide as Earth. The European Space Agency's fleet of four Cluster spacecraft and NASA's five THEMIS probes have flown through and surrounded these cylinders, measuring their dimensions and sensing the particles that shoot through. "They're real," says Sibeck.

Now that Cluster and THEMIS have directly sampled FTEs, theorists can use those measurements to simulate FTEs in their computers and predict how they might behave. Space physicist Jimmy Raeder of the University of New Hampshire presented one such simulation at the Workshop. He told his colleagues that the cylindrical portals tend to form above Earth's equator and then roll over Earth's winter pole. In December, FTEs roll over the north pole; in July they roll over the south pole.

Right: A "magnetic portal" or FTE mapped in cross-section by NASA's fleet of THEMIS spacecraft. [Larger image]

Sibeck believes this is happening twice as often as previously thought. "I think there are two varieties of FTEs: active and passive." Active FTEs are magnetic cylinders that allow particles to flow through rather easily; they are important conduits of energy for Earth's magnetosphere. Passive FTEs are magnetic cylinders that offer more resistance; their internal structure does not admit such an easy flow of particles and fields. (For experts: Active FTEs form at equatorial latitudes when the IMF tips south; passive FTEs form at higher latitudes when the IMF tips north.) Sibeck has calculated the properties of passive FTEs and he is encouraging his colleagues to hunt for signs of them in data from THEMIS and Cluster. "Passive FTEs may not be very important, but until we know more about them we can't be sure."

The Sun Shows Signs of Life

Nov. 7, 2008: After two-plus years of few sunspots, even fewer solar flares, and a generally eerie calm, the sun is finally showing signs of life.

"I think solar minimum is behind us," says sunspot forecaster David Hathaway of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

His statement is prompted by an October flurry of sunspots. "Last month we counted five sunspot groups," he says. That may not sound like much, but in a year with record-low numbers of sunspots and long stretches of utter spotlessness, five is significant. "This represents a real increase in solar activity."

Above: New-cycle sunspot group 1007 emerges on Halloween and marches across the face of the sun over a four-day period in early November 2008. Credit: the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

Even more significant is the fact that four of the five sunspot groups belonged to Solar Cycle 24, the long-awaited next installment of the sun's 11-year solar cycle. "October was the first time we've seen sunspots from new Solar Cycle 24 outnumbering spots from old Solar Cycle 23. It's a good sign that the new cycle is taking off."

Old Solar Cycle 23 peaked in 2000 and has since decayed to low levels. Meanwhile, new Solar Cycle 24 has struggled to get started. 2008 is a year of overlap with both cycles weakly active at the same time. From January to September, the sun produced a total of 22 sunspot groups; 82% of them belonged to old Cycle 23. October added five more; but this time 80% belonged to Cycle 24. The tables have turned.

At first glance, old- and new-cycle sunspots look the same, but they are not. To tell the difference, solar physicists check two things: a sunspot's heliographic latitude and its magnetic polarity. (1) New-cycle sunspots always appear at high latitude, while old-cycle spots cluster around the sun's equator. (2) The magnetic polarity of new-cycle spots is reversed compared to old-cycle spots. Four of October's five sunspot groups satisfied these two criteria for membership in Solar Cycle 24.

The biggest of the new-cycle spots emerged at the end of the month on Halloween. Numbered 1007, or "double-oh seven" for short, the sunspot had two dark cores each wider than Earth connected by active magnetic filaments thousands of kilometers long. Amateur astronomer Alan Friedman took this picture from his backyard observatory in Buffalo, New York:

On Nov. 3rd and again on Nov. 4th, double-oh seven unleashed a series of B-class solar flares. Although B-flares are considered minor, the explosions made themselves felt on Earth. X-rays bathed the dayside of our planet and sent waves of ionization rippling through the atmosphere over Europe. Hams monitoring VLF radio beacons noticed strange "fades" and "surges" caused by the sudden ionospheric disturbances.

Hathaway tamps down the excitement: "We're still years away from solar maximum and, in the meantime, the sun is going to have some more quiet stretches." Even with its flurry of sunspots, the October sun was mostly blank, with zero sunspots on 20 of the month's 31 days.

General Santos City

The City of General Santos (abbreviated G.S.C. or Gensan.; Filipino: Lungsod ng Heneral Santos, Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Heneral Santos) is a city in the Philippines. Situated in the southern part of the country, in the province of South Cotabato. The city has a population of 411,822 as of the 2000 census, making it one of the more populous cities in the Philippines. It is nicknamed as the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines".

General Santos City is bounded by three municipalities of Sarangani Province and two municipalities of South Cotabato, namely Alabel, Malungon, Maasim, Polomolok and T'boli. The city's economy is primarily agro-industrial. As a component of the SOCCSKSARGEN growth area, it has contributed much to the area's emergence as the country's leading producer of major commodities. Due to its rich soil, good rainfall and typhoon-free climate, the area is the largest producer of corn, coconuts, copra, pineapples, asparagus and rice. The area also produces other high value crops such as exotic fruits, potatoes, vegetables, cut flowers and okra. It accounts for the largest total daily fish landings in the country and is the leading producer of sashimi grade tuna. Residents boast that fish and seafood do not come fresher than in their city.