Round 9 Knockout Video

Round 9 Video of Pacquiao - Diaz Fight

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Pacquiao Fight -- Spectators View

Pics here are taken by our friend in Las Vegas, Darwin aka Rastaman in his Blog,
---> http://pinoyrastaman.blogspot.com

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Pacquiao and The Science of Knockout

According to Science and human anatomy, this is how a knockout occurs...

Accoding to Manny Pacquiao, this is how a knockout is executed:


On June 28, in Las Vegas, (June 29, Sunday, in Manila) brace yourselves for the biggest fight of the 2 boxers! For Manny it will be a historic win, (5 world titles in 5 weight division, the only Asian to do that) --- but for Diaz, he'll be a hero if he stop the Mexican executioner, a revenge for his country.



Manny Paquiao:

“This will be my hardest-fought battle," said Pacquiao. “It's been over three
years since I have changed weight divisions and I will be doing it against the
lightweight division's world champion. I saw how he took the fight to Erik
Morales in his last title defense and I'm expecting to see the same firepower
out of him when we meet. But this is my drive for five. Five world titles in
five different weight classes and I will not be denied. I am fighting for
history, for destiny and for my people of the Philippines ."

Davia Diaz:

"Manny Pacquiao has beaten many great fighters, especially Mexicans like

Morales, Barrera, Marquez, Larios and Solis. That's why they call him “The
Mexicutioner," said Diaz. “I will shock the world and beat Pacquiao at his own
game, power for power. He's a great champion but he's fighting in my division –
lightweight. I have worked too hard for this world title and I will not give it
up to him."

Wow! this is one hell of a fight!!!

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Sony has lost over $3 billion on the PS3

Think you paid too much for your Playstation 3? Don't expect any sympathy from Sony.

In the company's fiscal 2008 annual report, Sony revealed that they've now lost roughly $3.3 billion (that's billion with a B) on the Playstation 3 since its launch. That breaks down to $2.16 billion in 2007, followed by a notably smaller but equally daunting $1.16 billion loss in 2008.

The reason? Pricing the console below its production cost. That's right - that hefty $599 you paid for the PS3 back when it first launched was significantly cheaper than the cost of producing it in the first place, and while the retail price has come down some, the losses keep piling up.

Investors have reason to sweat. In a statement, Sony claimed "the large-scale investment required during the development and introductory period of a new gaming platform may not be fully recovered." They went on to note that they've invested a great deal of money into R&D for the console, a sum they might not be able to recoup if the PS3 "fails to achieve such favorable market penetration."

Sony fanboys should take heart, however. Losing money on hardware is relatively common in the video game biz, as companies routinely lower prices to sell more units and thus stimulate software sales. Sony's game division saw a 26% sales spike last quarter, a trend they expect will continue on the strength of strong exclusives like the recently released Metal Gear Solid 4 and the upcoming sequel Resistance 2.

But will it be enough?

Source: Yahoo! Games

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A rendezvous with Disaster

Google Earth voyage presentation of the ill-fated ship, Princess of the Stars. The ship left Manila on June 21 bound for Cebu not knowing that they're heading to a path of a Typhoon Fengshen (named Frank by PAGASA) The ship capsized near Sibuyan Island, Dozens of survivors were drifted ashore but about 700 are still missing.

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Hope Fades in search of Survivors

Hopes faded on Monday that more survivors would be found in what could be one of the Philippines’s worst sea tragedies as rescuers failed to find signs of life inside a capsized ferry that had held more than 800 passengers and crew members when a typhoon struck on Saturday.

Rescue officials said only 38 survivors had been rescued, including 28 passengers and crew members who came ashore Monday after drifting at sea since Saturday.

A total of 13 bodies believed to be from the ferry, Princess of the Stars, have been recovered, including nine that washed up on land on Monday.

The known dead from the ferry brought the death toll from the typhoon, named Fengshen, to at least 176, the Philippine National Red Cross said. Fengshen, packing winds of up to 121 miles per hour , struck the central and northern Philippines on Saturday, knocking down power lines, causing landslides, flooding rivers, and inundating entire communities.

Divers who beat against the hull of ferry on Monday in search of survivors heard nothing that indicated life.

“We just approached the hull of the ship, we got near and then banged, knocked in order for us to give a sign if ever there are still people inside,” Lieut. Col. Edgard Arevalo of the Coast Guard said Monday. “Unfortunately there was no response.”

The Philippine government has asked other countries, particularly the United States, for help in the recovery operations. A United States Navy ship from Okinawa, Japan, was expected to arrive early Tuesday near Sibuyan island, south of Manila, where the ferry sank, said Jesus Dureza, press secretary of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Officials said helicopters on the Navy ship could help survey the general area for possible survivors.

Eleandro Madrona, a congressman of Romblon Province where the ferry sank, flew over the area on Monday afternoon, but reported seeing only a tugboat near the ship’s wreckage.

“I was thinking, where could these 700 people be?” Mr. Madrona said, according to The Associated Press.

Elsewhere, officials tried to assess the losses from the typhoon. Iloilo, a central Philippine province, was the worst hit, with fatalities approaching 100 as of Monday, officials said. It was too early to determine damage to agriculture and infrastructure, but officials said it could run up to billions of pesos.

Another concern was the welfare of the nearly 70,000 people across the country who were displaced by the typhoon and are now living in evacuation centers. On Sunday, Ms. Arroyo ordered all government agencies to help in the relief operations, while private companies have begun campaigns to collect donations of food, clothing and bottled water.

The president also ordered tighter maritime regulations. “Pending a review of Philippine Coast Guard protocols, no vessel sails if it would pass a possible typhoon path,” Ms. Arroyo, who is on a state visit in the United States, said in a video conference with her advisers on Monday.

The government has suspended the operation of all vessels of Sulpicio Lines, which owns the 24,000-ton ferry, which was capable of carrying 1,992 people.

Distraught relatives of the ferry’s passengers have trooped to the Manila office of Sulpicio Lines since Sunday, many of them blaming the company for the disaster. An advocacy group for crime victims, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, announced Monday that it was filing a class action suit against the company.

Officials of Sulpicio Lines, however, said that they tried to set in motion a rescue operation as soon as they learned that the ship had encountered problems. But “severe weather condition delayed the rescue efforts both from the sea and on air,” Carlos Go, the company’s chief executive officer, said in a statement on Monday.

“Our company also assures the families of all unfortunate passengers who perished in this incident that they will be properly compensated,“ Mr. Go added.

Coast Guard officials told reporters Monday that they cleared the ferry to leave Manila for Cebu, a city in the central Philippines, on Friday night because the initial forecast for Fengshen showed it would only hit the eastern part of the country, away from the ferry’s path.

But according to the government’s weather bureau, the typhoon changed direction on Saturday, moving toward the center of the country, running right into the ferry’s path.

Coast Guard officials said they advised the ferry to seek shelter, but that the boat’s engine failed after being battered by the strong winds and waves, thus leaving it even more vulnerable to the intensifying storm.

In a television interview, Senator Richard Gordon, who is also the chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, quoted a survivor as he described what happened next. According to the survivor, “It was high noon but it was so dark, and there was too much rain and the waves were just too much for the ship,” Mr. Gordon said.

Sulpicio Lines is one of the country’s largest shipping companies, with 22 ships, both freight and passenger, plying the major routes of the Philippine archipelago.

Its ships and ferries have figured in many of the worst maritime disasters in the Philippines. In December 1987, an overloaded Doña Paz collided with an oil tanker off Mindoro Island, killing more than 4,300 people.

A year later, in October 1988, another Sulpicio Lines ship, Doña Marilyn, sank near Leyte province, killing 300 passengers and crew. In 1998, 200 died when the Princess of the Orient, also a Sulpicio liner, capsized near Manila during a storm.

Source: nytimes.com

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How to 'look' busy at work

1. Never walk down the hall without a document in your hands.
People with documents in their hands look like hardworking employees heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they’re heading for the cafeteria. People with a newspaper in their hands look like they’re heading for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.

2. Use computers to look busy.
Any time you use a computer, it looks like "work" to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal e-mail, calculate your finances and generally have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work.

These aren’t exactly the societal benefits that the proponents of the computer revolution would like to talk about but they’re not bad either. When you get caught by your boss - and you will get caught - your best defense is to claim you’re teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training dollars.

3. Messy desk.
Top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like you’re not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace.
To the observer, last year’s work looks the same as today’s work; it’s volume that counts. Pile them high and wide.

If you know somebody is coming to your cubicle, bury the document you’ll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.

It is not enough to pile lots of documents on the table. Put lots of books on the floor etc. Can always borrow from library. Thick computer manuals are the best.

4. Voice Mail.
Never answer your phone if you have voice mail. People don’t call you just because they want to give you something for nothing - they call because they want YOU to do work for THEM. That’s no way to live. Screen all your calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a voice mail message for you and it sounds like impending work, respond during lunch hour when you know they’re not there - it looks like you’re hardworking and conscientious even though you’re being a devious weasel.

If you diligently employ the method of screening incoming calls and then returning calls when nobody is there, this will greatly increase the odds that the caller will give up or look for a solution that doesn’t involve you. The sweetest voice mail message you can ever hear is: "Ignore my last message. I took care of it". If your voice mailbox has a limit on the number of messages it can hold, make sure you reach that limit frequently. One way to do that is to never erase any incoming messages. If that takes too long, send yourself a few messages. Your callers will hear a recorded message that says, "Sorry, this mailbox is full" - a sure sign that you are a hardworking employee in high demand.

5. Looking Impatient and Annoyed.
According to George Costanza, one should also always try to look impatient and annoyed to give your bosses the impression that you are always busy.

6. Appear to Work Late.
Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still around. You could read magazines and storybooks that you always wanted to read but have no time until late before leaving. Make sure you walk past the boss’ room on your way out. Send important e-mails at unearthly hours (e.g., 9:35pm, 7:05am, etc...) and during public holidays.

7. Creative Sighing for Effect.
Sigh loudly when there are many people around, giving the impression that you are very hard pressed.

8. Build Vocabulary.
Read up on some computer magazines and pick out all the jargon and new products. Use it freely when in conversation with bosses. Remember: They don’t have to understand what you say, but you sure sound impressive.

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Ces Drilon and companions freed

ABS-CBN senior correspondent Ces Drilon on Wednesday thanked all those who helped secure her release and two others late Tuesday night in Sulu.

"I want to thank everybody. Words are not enough to thank those who prayed for the professor, Jimmy, Angel, and myself," Drilon told reporters in Sulu before boarding a military chopper bound for Zamboanga City.

Asked how she felt, Drilon said: "Siyempre, masayang masaya (Of course, very happy)."

Senator Loren Legarda helped negotiate the release of Drilon, cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion and their guide Prof. Octavio Dinampo of the Mindanao State University late Tuesday night. Assistant camerman Angel Valderama was freed June 12.

They were all kidnapped by armed men, believed by authorities to be members of the Abu Sayyaf terror group, last June 8.

Drilon, wearing a white T-shirt and white jogging pants, looked tired and may have lost weight from their nine-day ordeal in the hinterlands of Sulu. She also had mosquito bites on her face.

"Giant ang lamok doon," she said.

Drilon and her companions were immediately brought from Sulu to Zamboanga City by military helicopter.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Avelino Razon told dzMM Wednesday that Drilon and her companions underwent medical exam in Zamboanga City.

Doctors said Drilon was suffering from low blood pressure, presumably due to lack of sleep, and had many mosquito bites.

Razon said the Abu Sayyaf Group which the ABS-CBN crew tried to interview was the same group that kidnapped them.

He said Drilon was not hurt by her captors, contrary to earlier reports. He also said no ransom was paid.

Razon said the kidnappers threatened to behead their captives but this was not carried out.

He said the release of the ABS-CBN news team and their guide was due to the work of the negotiators and the "pressure of possible police-miltiary operations."

Loren helps

Legarda, a former ABS-CBN broadcaster, worked behind the scenes to help free the ABS-CBN crew and Dinampo, a Mindanao peace advocate.

"I just talked with Ces now. Ces is free, she is resting, and she will soon be in the hands of her family," Legarda told radio station DZMM early Wednesday morning.

Legarda said Drilon and her companions had to walk five hours before they were picked up by authorities and brought to the house of Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji.

She said the military operations conducted by the Philippine military helped put pressure on the kidnappers to release their captives.

On Sunday, the military shelled rebel positions on Jolo but denied that the operation had anything to do with the kidnapping.

In a statement dated June 17, 11 pm, the families of the three ABS-CBN TV crew thanked Legarda, local officials of Sulu, and police and military officials for helping free the ABS-CBN team.

"There are people who gave us timely and valuable advice as we grappled with ways to secure the release of Ces, Jimmy, and Angelo. They wish to remain anonymous, but they know how eternally grateful we are to all of them," the families said, in a joint statement released by ABS-CBN corporate communications.

"Above all, the release of Ces, Jimmy, and Angelo could not have been possible without the help of Senator Loren Legarda and the cooperation of the people of Sulu and their local government namely Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji and Vice Governor Lady Ann Sahidullah. We thank them and share their hope for enduring peace in Mindanao," it said.

"For their invaluable assistance, we thank Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno; National Police chief Avelino Razon Jr.; officials of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response (PACER) led by Senior Supt. Leonardo Espina and Senior Supt. Edgardo Iglesia and the PNP Intelligence Group led by Chief Supt. Rolando Anonuevo and Supt. Winnie Quidato; the Marines based in Sulu led Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban," it said.

Legarda said Drilon kept promising to give P15 million or P20 million to the kidnappers, but when they "realized they wouldn't get anything and when they felt the [military] pressure," they decided to release their captives.

Legarda said Drilon thought she would die in captivity and asked to help get her released. "You are my lifeline," she quoted Drilon as having told her.

Legarda said she coordinated her effort in securing Drilon's release with ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs executives Maria Ressa and Charie Villa.

She said she did not promise the young kidnappers anything, but she told them she knew their parents.

DZMM Correspondent Noel Alamar reported that the turn over was done around 11 pm in Barangay Kagay, Talipao.

They were held for nine days by an armed group believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits in the hinterlands of Sulu island.

"Nandoon po sila sa sa bahay ni [Indanan] Mayor [Alvarez] Isnaji," Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. said in an earlier interview over DZMM.

"Sila ay dadalhin dito sa Zamboanga [City] kung saan po ay mag-uundergo sila ng medical check up at pagkatapos po niyan ay isang debriefing para malaman po natin sa kanila directly kung anong nangyari," he added.

There were reports that the armed group kept the captives in the bandits’ lairs in Maimbung and Indanan towns.

The kidnappers initially released ABS-CBN assistant cameraman Angelo Valderama on June 12. He was released by to Jun Isnaji, son of Mayor Isnaji.

Mayor Isnaji, a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader whom the kidnappers agreed to be an emissary, said the kidnappers contacted him through their mobile phones. The negotiating team was led by Sulu Governor Sakur Tan and Vice-Governor Hadja Nur Ana Sahidullah.

When asked if they are going to pursue the kidnap group, Razon said they will have to get more information from the former captives to get a better idea on the identities of the suspects.

"Atin pong titignan po matapos nating madebrief sina Ces Drilon, Jimmy Encarnacion at Prof. Dimampo para lalong pagtibayin ang ebidensya na hawak sa grupong ito," he said.

He added that the PNP will maintain it heightened alert on the area until such time the alert is no longer needed.

"Magpapatuloy po muna… at iyan ay ating a-assessin po kung kelangang manatiling ganun," he said.

Razon said the three will be brought to the Jolo provincial hospital for a medical check-up before flying to Zamboanga City for a debriefing. -- with reports from Noel Alamar, DZMM; Jay Ruiz, TV Patrol; Reuters

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Sleeping with the Enemy [2008]

Nope. I'm not talking of the 1991's Julia Robert's movie.. it's real life! A cat adopts a baby rat.

Pet cat's maternal instinct has made her overlook the fact that one of the youngsters she's nursing happens to be a baby rat. (see pic)

According to the Qilu Evening Post, the cat's owner Sun Shujun, of Yantai City, China, reveals that the rodent has been living along with the cat ever since the feline gave birth to four kittens last month.

And, the rat not only nurses alongside the kittens, but also plays with them, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The moggy also makes sure that the rodent does not feel left out by treating it rat exactly as she does her kittens.

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What if I crossed my eyes for 10 minutes?

"Don't cross your eyes -- they'll stick that way!" That's something most of us have heard from our mothers at one time or another. Can they actually stick? Let's take a look at how your eyes work.Your eyeballs are controlled by six muscles. When you look up, down, left or right, the muscles attached to your eyeballs make this movement happen. When you cross your eyes, you're simply telling your muscles to move your eyes inward together. This is something you naturally do when you look at something that's very close to your face.

So was mom's warning just a ruse so you would stop tormenting your younger brother with another one of your gross-out maneuvers? The answer to that question is yes. Although crossing your eyes for an extended period of time might cause a temporary strain on your eye muscles, no medical evidence suggests that they would stick that way. You would most likely suffer from some eye spasms or twitches, and your eyes might feel a bit fatigued, but they would certainly return to normal within an hour or so.

Source: HowStuffWorks

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Welcome Home, Discovery!

Seven astronauts flew space shuttle Discovery back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Saturday to end the latest construction mission to the International Space Station.

Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Ken Ham were at the controls of Discovery as it glided through Florida skies to touch down on time at 11:15 a.m. EDT.

Kelly, Ham and Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan, Mike Fossum and Japan's Akihiko Hoshide spent 14 days in orbit installing the Japanese Pressurized Module to the space station. The module is the largest section of the Japanese laboratory called "Kibo," or hope. Garrett Reisman also returned onboard Discovery. He spent three months living on the space station.

Talking to the news media a few hours after landing, the crew of STS-124 beamed about the flight.

"I think I have the best space shuttle crew of all-time," Kelly said.

Although there are more pieces to add on future flights, Fossum said the addition of Kibo made the station look nearly complete.

"It was a great feeling of accomplishment as we backed away (from the station)," he said.


Hoshide, one of the astronauts of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, spent time on Earth monitoring Kibo's preparation for space. Saying goodbye to it in orbit was not easy.

"When we went to close the hatch, that was a tender moment, it was kind of sad," he said.

NASA and Japanese officials hailed the flight just after landing.

"I can't think of a mission really that's been better than this one," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator of Space Operations. "We're starting to break that tie to planet Earth and get out and do what exploration is."

Discovery returned to its base in good shape, said Michael Leinbach, shuttle launch director.

"It's just a terrific day here at the Kennedy Space Center."

Astronaut Ron Garan came back with a unique spacewalking experience. Perched at one end of the station's long robotic arm, he swung far out and away from the shuttle and station to move a nitrogen tank into place.

"I got the impression I wasn't just looking at the Earth, I was looking at a planet hanging in space," he said.

After a night at Kennedy, the crew will fly to Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA's next shuttle flight is slated for October when the crew of STS-125 is to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

Source: NASA

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PARASKAVEDEKATRIAPHOBIA and other Superstitions

Today is Friday the 13th and the only Friday the 13th of the year 2008. Some say it's an unlucky day. especially to some Christians. Well for me, it just another day of the year. I don't really believe in superstitions, in fact Friday is my most favorite day of the week! You've heard of the phrase, "Thanks God it's Friday!!", right? --- because friday is the last working day of the weekend! and having parties on friday nights are common because you can have party all night without having to worry of getting up early for work.

I have attended parties that falls on Friday the 13th and it's just as exciting as any other weekend parties. --- I'll just give you tip though..: if you are superstitious, you can party on this day and go home only after 12:00 am because 12am onwards is already Saturday the 14th!, no longer an unlucky day. heheh

According to Christian tradition, Friday is unlucky because it's a day where Jesus Christ was crucified --- and number 13 is considered unlucky because Judas (the disciple who betrayed Jesus) was the 13th to sit at the table in the Last Supper, and with that, number 13 is said to be carrying a curse or something.

--And if these two 'unlucky' days were combined, comes "Friday the 13th" Uh-Oh..

Anyway for the record (and for the title) Triskaidkaphobia means fear of number 13... and Paraskavedekatriaphobia means Fear of Friday the 13th.

Well, as for me, we carry our own fate, we have our own freewill to do what we want to do, whatever a day it is, we have our own discretion to avoid sticky and nasty situations.

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Scanners that see through clothing installed in US airports

NEW YORK (AFP) - Security scanners which can see through passengers' clothing and reveal details of their body underneath are being installed in 10 US airports, the US Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday.

A random selection of travellers getting ready to board airplanes in Washington, New York's Kennedy, Los Angeles and other key hubs will be shut in the glass booths while a three-dimensional image is made of their body beneath their clothes.

The booths close around the passenger and emit "millimeter waves" that go through cloth to identify metal, plastics, ceramics, chemical materials and explosives, according to the TSA.

While it allows the security screeners -- looking at the images in a separate room -- to clearly see the passenger's sexual organs as well as other details of their bodies, the passenger's face is blurred, TSA said in a statement on its website.


The scan only takes seconds and is to replace the physical pat-downs of people that is currently widespread in airports. TSA began introducing the body scanners in airports in April, first in the Phoenix, Arizona terminal.

The installation is picking up this month, with machines in place or planned for airports in Washington (Reagan National and Baltimore-Washington International), Dallas, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Miami and Detroit.

But the new machines have provoked worries among passengers and rights activists.

"People have no idea how graphic the images are," Barry Steinhardt, director of the technology and liberty program at the American Civil Liberties Union, told AFP.

The ACLU said in a statement that passengers expecting privacy underneath their clothing "should not be required to display highly personal details of their bodies such as evidence of mastectomies, colostomy appliances, penile implants, catheter tubes and the size of their breasts or genitals as a pre-requisite to boarding a plane."

Besides masking their faces, the TSA says on its website, the images made "will not be printed stored or transmitted." "Once the transportation security officer has viewed the image and resolved anomalies, the image is erased from the screen permanently. The officer is unable to print, export, store or transmit the image."

Lara Uselding, a TSA spokeswoman, added that passengers are not obliged to accept the new machines.

"The passengers can choose between the body imaging and the pat-down," she told AFP.

TSA foresees 30 of the machines installed across the country by the end of 2008. In Europe, Amsterdam's Schipol airport is already using the scanners.

Source: Yahoo News

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ABS-CBN Official Statement (6/11/2008)

ABS-CBN News journalists Ces Drilon, Jimmy Encarnacion, and Angelo Valderama have been kidnapped for ransom.

ABS-CBN News is doing everything it can to help the families of its kidnapped journalists through this harrowing ordeal.

However, ABS-CBN News will abide by its policy not to pay ransom because this would embolden kidnap for ransom groups to abduct other journalists, putting more lives at risk.

We ask the nation for your prayers and request our colleagues in media to join ABS-CBN News in condemning this unconscionable attack against journalists.

We thank everyone for the outpouring of support we have received in this most difficult time.

Source: ABS-CBN News Online

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Ces Drilon dinukot ng Sayyaf

Dinukot ng mga pi­naghihinalaang bandi­dong Abu Sayyaf ang sikat na television reporter na si Ces Drilon at dalawa pang crew ng ABS-CBN Channel 2 matapos na mag­tungo sa Sulu, ayon sa ulat kahapon.

Batay sa report, umpisa pa noong Sa­bado ay hindi na ma­kon­tak at hindi rin ma­tagpuan sa Sulu si Dri­lon, cameraman nitong si Jimmy Encarnacion at isa pang crew.

“Ginagawa namin ang lahat para maka­balik nang ligtas si Ces at dalawa niyang mga crew,” sabi kahapon ni Philippine National Police Chief Director Ave­lino Ra­zon na ku­mu­m­­pirma sa pagkawa­la ng TV host.

Nabatid na sina Drilon ay nag­tu­ngo uma­no sa Sulu para mag-inter­byu sa Abu Sayyaf o gru­po ni Moro National Liberation Front Lost Command Comman­der Habier Malik nang ha­ra­ngin sila ng mga ar­ma­dong lalaki sa Ba­rangay Culasi, Maim­bung, Sulu noong Saba­do dakong alas-10 ng umaga. Tinanggihan uma­no nina Drilon ang security escorts na ibibigay sana ng tropa ng Philippine Marines sa mga ito.

Sa inis­yal na report, ki­num­pirma na­­man ni Autonomous Region in Mus­lim Min­da­nao Police Director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao na ang grupo umano nina Abu Sayyaf Commander Albader Parad at Gafur Jumdail ang res­ponsable sa pagdu­kot kay Drilon at sa da­lawang crew nito.

Sinasabing sina Dri­lon ay tinangay umano ng grupo nina Parad sa bahagi ng kagubatan ng Indanan, Sulu. Maliban sa MNLF Lost Command, ang Sulu ay pinamumuga­ran rin ng mga Abu Say­yaf na target ng open­siba ng tropa ng pamahalaan.

Ikinasa na rin ng aw­toridad ang pakiki­pag­negosasyon sa du­mukot sa mga biktima kung saan tumatayong ne­gos­yador sa binu­ong Crisis Management Team si Sulu Governor Sakur Tan.

Source: Philstar.com

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"Lunar Concrete" May Form Buildings on the Moon

A new type of "lunar concrete," made by mixing moondust and carbon nanotubes, could be used to construct buildings, solar power arrays, and monolithic telescopes on the moon.

"We could make huge telescopes on the moon relatively easily and avoid the large expense of transporting a large mirror from Earth," said Peter Chen of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Catholic University of America.

Astronauts would only need to bring aluminum to coat the surface of the telescope.

"Since most of the materials are already there in the form of dust, you don't have to bring very much stuff with you—and that saves a ton of money." The new technique was described today at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in St. Louis.

Smelly Goo

Chen and his colleagues were working on ways of using carbon-fiber composites to create lightweight telescopes easily transportable to the moon when they decided to substitute the carbon fiber with carbon nanotubes—tiny tubes made of pure carbon.

The team wondered what would happen if they mixed carbon nanotubes with gluelike materials called epoxies and simulated moondust supplied by NASA.

"We went to the lab, whipped up a batch of this stuff, and presto, we ended up with something very gooey and very smelly," he said. After some more tinkering, the team ended up with a very strong material that had the consistency of concrete.

Looking for ways to put the material to good use, the team applied additional layers of epoxy to their lunar concrete as it was spinning.

The result was a 12-inch-wide (30-centimer-wide) bowl-shaped object that could be coated with aluminum and transformed into a mirror.

The mirror could be used to create solar arrays that collect sunlight on the moon or enormous telescopes unlike anything seen on Earth. Our method could be scaled up on the moon, using the ubiquitous lunar dust, to create giant telescope mirrors up to 50 meters [164 feet] in diameter," Chen said.
Ideal Site

Such an observatory would dwarf the 34-foot (10.4-meter) Gran Telescopio Canarias in the Canary Islands, currently the largest optical telescope in the world.

"The moon is generally considered the best site in space for astronomy because it combines the best quality of space, which is vacuum, and the ground, which is a stable platform," Chen said. With no atmosphere to absorb or blur sunlight, a colossal lunar telescope could gather light from distant exoplanets or detect traces of life in their atmospheres.

Source: National Geographics

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Actor Rudy Fernandez dies

Movie actor Rudy Fernandez died at his home at 6:48 a.m., Senator Jinggoy Estrada, a fellow actor, said on radio Saturday. Fernandez had battling cancer for more than two years.

His wife Lorna Tolentino and close friends were with him, Estrada said.

Fernandez had asked his wife to have him discharged from the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, where had been confined for a month, on Sunday, their 25th wedding anniversary.

Known as Daboy in the showbiz industry, Fernandez is married to actress Lorna Tolentino whom he has two children. He also has a son Mark Anthony with actress and now Paranaque councilor Alma Moreno.

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First Filipina in West Point

The Filipinos and Fil-Ams of USMA Class 2008 pose with their sponsor, at left, Col. Bryan Goda. The graduates are Daniel Asis, Anthony Bulaclac Jr., Kimberly Jung, Christy Achanzar and Mario Feliciano.

WEST POINT, New York - The US Military Academy (USMA) Class of 2008 will be memorable for Filipinos and Fil-Ams alike. They will be a tough act to follow in terms of distinction and the honors they’ve reaped in the four years they spent in West Point.

Christy Isis Achanzar is the first Filipina to join the "Long Gray Line". The Davao lass took the Philippine Military Academy entrance exams almost on a whim. She passed and while already in Baguio, tried another test, this time for the USMA. The rest, they say, is history.

Mario Mokhtarian Feliciano is the first son of a Filipino migrant worker to hurdle West Point. He was born in Iran and grew up in Kuwait where he learned to speak near-perfect English. As a child, he’d cry when told not to play with other children because he hadn't finished his homework yet, but when he did decide to part with his books, liked to play with miniature soldier figures.

Christine Limsiaco of Houston, Texas is already the second West Pointer in the family. Her elder sister Marissa, USMA Class 2005, has just finished her first tour with the 1st Cavalry Division, spending 15 months in Iraq. Asked if she had any advice for her sister, Marissa smiled and assured, "She’ll be fine, he’ll be good. We’re going to be together." Christine is deploying to Fort Hood, home of the 1st Cavalry.

Anthony Bulaclac Jr. of Victorville, California joined the Golden Key, an international honor society that recognizes scholastic achievement – members must rank in the top 15 percent of their class. He is going to the Army flight school in Fort Rucker, Alabama. Given a choice, he says, he’d like to fly Apache attack helicopters.

FULL Story: ABS-CBN News Online

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21 movie & the Monty Hall Paradox

The movie is about 5 MIT students(of course you know the MIT, right?) who used their math skills to calculate the odds of winning a 21 game (Blackjack) -- they proved that the game is beatable by use of excellent memory and math skills, hand signals and sharp eyes. We are talking of thousands of dollars of winnings here and weekend of Vegas nightlife! ...and they are all just students.

I'm particularly reminded in the first scenes of the movie, (where the the main actor gained reputation) in a math class where Ben Campbell, was asked to solve a 3-door puzzle.. and Ben solved it easliy. I think it's called Monty Hall paradox, (just google the term for description, it's really a lengthy discussion) i stumbled upon that puzzle years ago, and it's interesting to know this probability puzzle and how surprising the solution is. I'm gonna post that in here, if i have time (umm maybe)

Anyway, we're talking here of the movie, so, am gonna give this movie an 8/10 rating! this is based on REAL story by the way, of real MIT Blackjack Team.

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A Blogger is giving away FREE iPhones!

One good Samaritan is giving away free iPhones to fellow bloggers. (note the S's)

Grab the opportunity! who knows, you'll be a new iphone owner by this weekend!

[Link Edited: Promo Ended]

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NASA Mission's 8th Astronaut is Buzz Lightyear

To infinity, and beyond!

Buzz Lightyear, the Disney / Pixar character that made famous the movie line "To infinity, and beyond!" has been assigned a new mission on the International Space Station. The space ranger from the "Toy Story" movies is joining the crew of the STS-124 space shuttle mission.

The STS-124 space shuttle mission will deliver the next piece of the Japanese "Kibo" laboratory to the station. Kibo is about the size of a large tour bus and will be the station's largest laboratory. It will feature 10 experiment racks where astronauts will conduct microgravity research that will focus on space medicine, biology, Earth observations, material production, biotechnology and communications research. In celebration of Buzz's flight, Disney Parks partnered with NASA to create five interactive games with educational activities and special messages from Buzz Lightyear. These will be added to the NASA Kids' Club Web site throughout the mission.

Image above: From the left are astronauts Gregory E. Chamitoff, Michael E. Fossum, both STS-124 mission specialists; Kenneth T. Ham, pilot; Mark E. Kelly, commander; Karen L. Nyberg, Ronald J. Garan and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Akihiko Hoshide, all mission specialists. Credit: NASA

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Lost Brazilian Tribe Revealed

Dramatic images of an isolated Brazilian tribe believed never to have had contact with the outside world were published by officials Friday to draw attention to threats posed to their way of life.

The pictures, released by the Brazilian government's National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), showed alarmed natives pointing bows and arrows at the aircraft carrying photographers.

The head of FUNAI's environmental protection unit responsible for the images, Jose Carlos dos Reis Mereilles, told Brazilian newspapers the foundation had known of the existence of the tribe for years -- located in thick rainforest near the Peruvian border -- and many photos had been taken.

"This time, we decided to reveal the material to prove that there are Indians living in complete isolation, and to call attention to a serious problem that exists, which is the threat of interlopers from the Peruvian side," he told O Estado de S. Paulo.

The pictures were taken from several flights over the apparently sedentary tribe's thatched-roof village in the remote Brazilian state of Acre.

Survival International, a British group lobbying on behalf of indigenous people around the world, said on its Web site there were fears illegal logging in Peru could endanger the Brazilian tribe's habitat, by forcing displaced Peruvian tribes into contact with it.

It said there were an estimated 500 isolated Indians living on the Brazilian side of the border.

"The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct," Survival International director Stephen Corry said.

His group said there were more than 100 uncontacted indigenous tribes worldwide.

Source: Discovery News

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Mars Water is too SALTY to support Life

The debate about whether Mars once had water is pretty much over. The new quandary is if the water was suitable to support life.

As one group of scientists prepares for the first sampling of Mars' water with the Phoenix space probe, which landed on the Red Planet last Sunday, another team of researchers has nixed life's prospects there after studying salt deposits left behind on the planet's surface.

"If Martian life had to contend with the conditions we found, it certainly would have had a tough time," said Nicholas Tosca, a Harvard University geochemist and lead author of a paper on the research appearing in this week's Science.

Using data collected by the Mars rover Opportunity and other probes, Tosca and his colleagues determined that the planet's water would have been too salty for all but a handful of Earth's organisms to survive.

"If there is a window of life to survive on Mars, it's probably pushed back to when the planet was very young," Tosca told Discovery News.

As tough as survival would have been at Meridiani Planum, where Opportunity found evidence of an ancient shallow ocean, it would have been worse elsewhere, Tosca added.

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