Global 2012: Underground River inaugurated as among New 7 Wonders of Nature

Entrance to the Puerto Princesa Underground River. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
President Aquino inaugurated last night the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature and hailed it as a collective success for the Filipinos.

The President, along with Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn, thanked everyone for the achievement, during the inauguration in Pasay City.

Hagedorn said the PPUR victory was for all Filipinos to share.

The President himself led the campaign for PPUR and called on more Filipinos to visit the site.

Aquino said Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. would market other eco-tourism sites that the country could offer the world to visit.

“The Puerto Princesa Underground River is the pride of Palawan, and now, it is the pride of the world, because it has officially been named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature,” he said.

“In the face of tremendous competition - 27 other finalists and millions of other voters from all over the world - we pulled together, and once again put the Philippines on the map.”

“I thank everyone who participated in this effort - from those who led the campaign, to those who sent in their text and Internet votes,” he said.  

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=799469&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Global 2012: The Carlton Dance

An eclectic cast of famous faces makes cameos in a head-scratching dancing clip.

Manila 2012: Bacoor, Imus now cities

cavite (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
President Aquino has signed into law the bills converting Bacoor and Imus, both in Cavite, into cities after they had complied with the prerequisites.

Republic Act Nos. 10160 and 10161 declared Bacoor and Imus, respectively, as new cities in Cavite.

Bacoor and Imus are the fifth and sixth cities in the province after Cavite City, the province’s former capital; Trece Martires City, the site of the capitol; prime tourist destination Tagaytay City and Dasmariñas City, the province’s most populated area.

Bacoor is the so-called Cavite’s Gateway to and from southern Metro Manila, while Imus is the current capital of the province. The two first class municipalities became lone districts only in December 2010 with Congress and Malacañang’s approval.

The conversion of Imus and Bacoor into cities would enhance the capability of their respective local government units (LGUs) to deliver needed services to a growing population and become more effective partners of the national government in promoting economic growth.

Based on records, Imus has earned an income classification of first class since 1986 and showed a steady rise in its income through the years.

The average annual income of Imus for calendar years 2008 and 2009 is P144,981,443,72, which is more than the P100-million yearly income required for towns to become cities under RA 2009, amending section 450 of the Local Government Code or Republic Act 7160.

Reports showed that Imus is now home to 5,712 commercial establishments, 48 manufacturing establishments and 249 financial institutions and based on the 2007 census, it has 253,158 inhabitants. The Imus LGU has met the population requirement of at least 150,000 inhabitants as specified by RA 7160.

Bacoor has also satisfied all the requirements needed for its conversion into a city.

Reports likewise said that in 1997 and 2000, Bacoor registered the highest average family income in the entire Cavite province and was considered a first class municipality, earning more than P100 million annually to become a component city.

Under RA 9009, a municipality or a cluster of barangays may be converted into a component city if it has a locally generated average annual income, as certified by the Department of Finance, of at least P100 million for the last two consecutive years based on 2000 constant prices, and any of the two requisites: contiguous territory of at least 100 square kilometers, as certified by the Land Management Bureau; and population of not less than 150,000 inhabitants, as certified by the National Statistics Office.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=799483&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Global 2012: Rihanna Goes on First Date in 2 Years

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 28: (L-R) Musicians Alan Shaw, Shaylen Carroll, Andrew Bowen Stern, Gabrielle LaMaire and Drew Reinartz of Savvy attend Cash Money Records' Lil Wayne album release party for 'Tha Carter IV' at Boulevard3 on August 28, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Has Rihanna found love with a woman? "I'm on my first date in almost 2 yearz," the "Talk That Talk" singer tweeted on Thursday night — and then she showed up at Santa Monica, California, restaurant Giorgio Baldi hand-in-hand with a gal pal, Melissa Forde. After dinner, the ladies partied on at Hollywood nightclub Roxbury. Throughout the "date," Rihanna, who wore a long white flowy dress, kept her more than 17 million Twitter followers up to date on all the action with cryptic posts. In her first, along with a photo of herself and Forde cheek to cheek, she wrote, "My lover for the night." An hour later, she tweeted, "I'm not living right, if you're not by my side."

After multiple posts about 420 (slang for marijuana) and a photo of of stockings and garters under Rihanna's dress, she wrote, "Beautiful is great, submissive is even better," adding a hashtag that said #marryME." In a follow-up tweet, the 24-year-old quoted a Lil Wayne-Drake song, writing, "But she bad ... So maybe she won't ... But s**t, then again maybe she will."

http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/jam/rihanna-goes-first-date-2-years-woman-191456402.html

Global 2012: Why Jessica was almost kicked out of American Idol

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 01: Singer Jessica Sanchez arrives at Fox's American Idol finalist party at The Grove on March 1, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
There is only one reason why Jessica Sanchez was almost booted out of American Idol. She got the lowest number of votes. There are judges in the show but all they do is critique the contestants. The voters from all over America get the final say. And last week, they said that they did not like what Jessica did or should I say, sang.

Viewers out here and perhaps around the US have been reading racial bias on what nearly happened. Maybe. Take a look at the list of previous winners. Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen, David Cook, Lee DeWyze and Scotty McCreery.

After 11 years of nationwide searching by Idol, no contestant of Asian or Latino ancestry has won the contest. So if there is indeed racial bias in the voting then Jessica is in double jeopardy. She is Mexican-Filipino. I believe though that race does not figure prominently in the voting. Only perhaps in the subconscious at the very least. So let us save that card for later.

The hard fact is Jessica got the lowest number because she chose to sing for herself and the judges and not for the viewers who vote. That was why the judges saved her. She was really good. But she chose to do an unknown song Stuttering by a less-known artist, Jasmine Sullivan. Viewers like being familiar with the melodies. They were not with Stuttering. I at least got to bob my head to How Will I Know from the week before last.

This showing off is a common problem among singers who believe that making such choices proves their musicality and sets them apart from the other contestants. It is okay to indulge yourself if you are doing a full set but not when you only have two minutes on stage. In that case you had better get everybody to your side on your very first note.

Now this brings us to what I think is the present Idol dilemma. Is it just the singing or the total package? How big is the role being played by looks or by likeability in choosing the winner? Not much as per the judges who never fail to remind the audience that AI is a singing contest. But if I could vote for contestant, I would vote for the one I like, the one who entertains me. That is not necessarily the best singer.

I guess this was an Idol problem from the start but only came into sharp focus these past few years. There are several reasons why this happened. Declining ratings (need to shake things up in a big way), competition from other talent shows (The Voice has been doing very well concentrating on singers) and most of all, the lackluster results of the careers of bland pop Idol choices like Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze. I guess this was the reason why Idol served up a very good batch of singers in Season 11. Take note, I said, singers.

Idol sometimes gets it right as in David Cook over David Archuleta. Is it true that the TV series that the younger David did here was both a commercial and critical dud? There have also been times when Idol didn’t. Think Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, Katharine McPhee and Adam Lambert who lost out in the Idol race but bounced back as big stars. In some cases, bigger than the winner.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=798036&publicationSubCategoryId=70

Related articles

• Fil-Ams rock vote for Jessica Sanchez as 'Idol' enters final stage (entertainment.inquirer.net)
• J.Lo Saves Jessica Sanchez From Elimination On 'American Idol' (huffingtonpost.com)
• Jessica Sanchez survives Idol (entertainment.inquirer.net)

Global 2012: iPhone tips and tricks

iPhone vs. iPhone 3G (Photo credit: Ricky Romero)Whether you're a seasoned user or brand new to the iPhone world, chances are you're probably not using your smartphone to its fullest.

Don't worry, you're not alone, as these pocket-sized computers boast many hundreds of features buried in the operating system.

And so here we share a number of our favorite iPhone tips and tricks, some of which you may know already. Hopefully there's a good number of ones you aren't aware of yet. Most of these following 25 suggestions will work with all versions of the iPhone, but be sure to have the latest software installed (iOS 5.1).

• Take a photo with your headphone cord
• Dry out a wet iPhone
• Dismiss suggested words
• Take photos faster
• Use location-based reminders
• Get word definitions
• Revive a frozen iPhone
• Get more done in less time
• See a 6-day weather forecast
• Select URL domains faster
• Make your own ringtone
• Feel and see when people call
• Find your lost iPhone
• Save photos in Safari
• Take an iPhone screen grab
• Get new sounds
• Zip to the top of the page
• Prolong your battery
• Spread out the keyboard for easier typing
• Learn some gestures
• Create an "app" out of a website you visit often
• Create a music playlist on the fly
• Don't waste your day deleting messages individually
• Keep track of your texting limits
• Mirror your iPhone with your TV

http://shopping.yahoo.com/blogs/digital-crave/25-awesome-iphone-tips-tricks-175636187.html

Related articles

• Ask the iTunes Guy: iTunes tips and tricks (macworld.com)

Global 2012: 10 Places Every Kid Should See

SeaWorld San Antonio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)What made a monument worthy of inclusion? It needed to be fun, educational, and especially magical through the eyes of a child. It needed to inspire adults to tap back into that childlike sense of wonder. And it needed to have universal appeal.

Of course, the surest way to rile folks up is to publish a list, and this case was no different. Our nominations process was fierce and brought out the full range of emotions in our audience—passion, joy, sadness, anger. You spoke up to nominate 562 attractions and voted over 138,000 times.

So how did we arrive at the final list? As we explained in the rules, we used your votes—combined with factors such as geographic and thematic diversity—to guide our selection-making process. And we automatically eliminated places that had made our story last year. The final list for 2012 represents the best that our nation has to offer our children.

The Field Museum
Chicago

SeaWorld San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii

U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Huntsville, Ala.

Carlsbad Caverns
New Mexico

Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco

Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York

National Museum of American History
Washington, D.C.

Arches National Park
Utah

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Birmingham, Ala.

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/10-places-every-kid-should-see.html;_ylt=AtyYODaXJ1EUh_pOtZ8ckyXc6cB_;_ylu=X3oDMTI1aWxzOW1qBG1pdAN0cmF2ZWwgSWRlYXMgQXJ0aWNsZSBib2R5BHBvcwMxMwRzZWMDTWVkaWFBcnRpY2xlQm9keVRlbXBBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNqaW4zanE0BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDZDQ1OTMwYTQtZmQ3MC0zN2U2LTk4OTgtYWQ4OGJiYTBjY2I2BHBzdGNhdAN0cmF2ZWxpZGVhc3x0cmF2ZWxhcnRpY2xlcwRwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2UEdGVzdAM-;_ylv=3?page=10