There are new surprises and new things in the new season of American Idol. Here's the full details from Fox News:
When Fox's "American Idol" premiered eight years ago, no major media outlet wrote a story about the little summer replacement series that seemed like a desperate attempt to revive the '80s show "Star Search."
Eight years later, "Idol" has seen a drumroll toward tonight's season premiere that has made the presidential primary seem minimalist and low key. Every fluctuation in the format has been the subject of rumors, counter-rumors, leaks and denials. And this season's major changes -- the potentially risky addition of a fourth judge -- have only fueled the frenzy all the more.
At the center of the media whirlwind is the man who arguably has done more to shape reality television than anyone else: Fox's head of alternative programming, Mike Darnell. The executive said he's excited as he anticipates the reaction to the shake-up within America's most popular television program.
I've now seen four of the audition cities cut, and they're really good," Darnell said. "Not only is the talent great, but the introduction of the fourth judge is really creating a great dynamic. Better than I expected, to be honest."
The new judge, songwriter Kara DioGuardi, joins the holy judging panel that has formed the show's backbone since its early days. On-air chemistry can be like lightning in a bottle, something hard to capture or replicate, but Darnell believes that DioGuardi will actually heighten -- not detract from -- the show's original elements.
"She's not shy, so she puts up a good fight," he said. "So what it's doing is really adding to the group dynamic. Just by having a good fourth person in there, everybody's comments are changing. They are saying things they didn't say in years past."
Darnell also promises that the male-versus-female dynamic will become more pronounced this season, beginning tonight with a contestant he refers to as "bikini girl."
But the new judge is one of a host of alterations made to the show in response to last year's midseason stall in the ratings. This season there will be a shuffling of the midround rules -- including a wild-card round -- and the use of more backstage footage to underscore the young contestants' emotional agonies.
"We're going back to sort of a raw feel," he said. In the middle rounds, after singing and being judged, the contestants will immediately be confronted by host Ryan Seacrest rather than being allowed to retreat backstage, as in the past.
"So you see if they're upset with what Simon said, you get to see it right away instead of them going backstage," explained Darnell. "It's really the rawness of what's happening. How do they feel right after? How do they feel stepping off that stage? They can't hide it. They can't cover it up."
The changes to television's lone giant also came about to address another issue: The show is aging. "Change is important. As long as you don't change the core of the show, little changes can make a big, big difference. What it says to the audience is we're not out of gas," he said. "Imagine a scripted show that was in its eighth season, you'd do some fictional changes. Some new characters, whatever it may be, and this is our version of that. We just know it's the biggest show on TV, and we better not rest on our laurels because the audience will become apathetic with you."
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
American Idol 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
How the IMF ( International Mutual Fund ) Promotes Global Economic Stability
The IMF advises member countries in implementing economic and financial policies that promote stability, reduce vulnerability to crisis, and encourage sustained growth and high living standards. It also reviews global economic trends and developments that affect the health of the international monetary and financial system and promotes dialogue among member countries on the regional and international consequences of their economic and financial policies. The IMF now publishes the bulk of its analysis. In addition to these activities, called "surveillance", the IMF provides technical assistance to help strengthen members' institutional capacity, and makes resources available to them to facilitate adjustment in the event of a balance of payments crisis.
Why is global economic stability important?
Promoting economic stability is partly a matter of avoiding economic and financial crisis. Economic stability also means avoiding large swings in economic activity, high inflation, and excessive volatility in exchange rates and financial markets. Such instability can increase uncertainty and discourage investment, impede economic growth, and hurt living standards.
A dynamic market economy necessarily involves some degree of instability, as well as gradual structural change. The challenge for policymakers is to minimize this instability without reducing the ability of the economic system to raise living standards through the increasing productivity, efficiency, and employment that it generates.
Economic and financial stability is both a national and a multilateral concern. As recent experience in world financial markets has shown, countries are becoming ever more interconnected. Problems in one apparently isolated sector, within any one country, can result in problems in others sectors and spillover across borders. And global economic and financial conditions have a significant impact on developments in most national economies. Thus, no country is an "island" when it comes to economic and financial stability.
How the IMF helps
The IMF helps countries to implement sound and appropriate policies through its key functions of surveillance, technical assistance, and lending.
Surveillance: Every country that joins the IMF accepts the obligation to subject its economic and financial policies to the scrutiny of the international community. Conversely, the IMF is mandated by its statutes to oversee the international monetary system in order to ensure its effective operation, and the compliance of each member with its undertaking, under Article IV, to run policies consistent with domestic and global stability. Thus, the IMF monitors and assesses developments and policies at the country, regional, and global levels.
Bilateral surveillance. The core of bilateral surveillance are regular-usually annual-consultations that the IMF holds with each member country. During these consultations the IMF staff discuss economic and financial developments and policies with national policymakers, and often with representatives of business and civil society. In particular, consultations consider potential national and international consequences of domestic policies, and possible domestic repercussions of developments in other countries or regions. Staff also assess the exchange rates of members to ensure they are broadly appropriate. On this basis, the IMF offers advice on policies to promote macro-financial stability and external stability, drawing on experience across the membership.
The policy framework for these consultations was updated in 2007 with a new surveillance Decision that clarifies expectations, enhances accountability, sets out best practice, and introduces the concept of external stability as organizing principle-innovations to improve the focus, candor, evenhandedness and effectiveness of surveillance. These consultations are also supported by membership-wide initiatives to inform bilateral surveillance and promote global economic stability, including:
(i) work to systematically assess countries' vulnerabilities to crisis;
(ii) in collaboration with the World Bank, the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP), which identifies strengths, risks, and vulnerabilities of countries' financial systems and helps formulate appropriate policy responses;
(iii) also in collaboration with the World Bank, development and assessment of countries' observance of a dozen standards and codes of good practice regarding the "rules of the game" for the design and implementation of economic and financial policies
Multilateral surveillance. The IMF also closely monitors economic and financial developments at the global and regional levels.
The IMF's periodic reports on the World Economic Outlook, its regional spin-offs, and the Global Financial Stability Report analyze global and regional macroeconomic and financial developments-to ensure a global perspective to surveillance. The IMF is also well positioned to facilitate multilateral discussions on issues of relevance or common concern to groups of members, and in the process advance shared understanding on policies to promote stability.
Through dialogue with member countries, the IMF is developing voluntary best practices for sovereign wealth funds. This effort is expected to benefit both countries with SWFs and recipients of their investments, helping to allay the potential concerns about these funds, reducing the risks of protectionism, and helping to maintain open capital markets.
Technical assistance: The IMF helps countries strengthen their capacity to design and implement sound economic policies. The Fund provides advice and training on a range of issues within its mandate, including fiscal, monetary, and exchange rate policies; the regulation and supervision of financial systems; statistics systems; and legal frameworks.
Lending: Even the best economic policies cannot completely eradicate instability or avert crises. In the event that a member country does experience financing difficulties, the IMF can provide financial assistance to support policy programs that will correct underlying macroeconomic problems, limit disruption to the domestic and global economies, and help restore confidence, stability, and growth. IMF financing instruments can also support crisis prevention.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.”
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
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.
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That a group of people can produce more goods by specializing and trading than they can in self-sufficient isolation.
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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.
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 1/1000th 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.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
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.
Monday, January 5, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The main difference between http:// and https://
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
NEW YEAR TRADITION
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
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!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
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."
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
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.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
WALL - E 2008
  Watch the Trailer |
| 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 |
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
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.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The first generation of Chevy
1958–1960
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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 |
Thursday, November 20, 2008
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.