Saturday, March 29, 2014

YouTube sensation Ashley Rivera is FHM’s April 2014 cover girl


Ashley Rivera — the hilarious YouTube sensation also known as Petra Mahalimuyak — is the cover girl of the April 2014 issue of FHM Philippines.

In the cover image shot by photographer Xander Angeles, the petite comedienne wears only a printed black bikini bottom with a pink and blue visor while holding blue and green bubble guns to cover her naked chest.

“People might react to this shoot and say, ‘Now you’re posing for FHM?’ But I was really ready for this,” Ashley tells the magazine’s website.

“I want people to know that I can be more than just Petra. I can do films, shows, and shoots. I want them to see that I can be a kontrabida, a mermaid, or whatever. Just expect more of me. I’ve been praying and I think I deserve a break.”

She thanked her Twitter followers Friday night for appreciating her first sexy pictorial.


The comedienne recently appeared on “Juan Direction”, the TV5 reality show featuring five biracial Filipinos, where she went on a date with half-Irish heartthrob Daniel Marsh.

As Petra, Ashley is the star of a web series for the newly launched compact SUV Ford Ecosport, opposite fellow online celebrity Bogart the Explorer.

source: interaksyon.com

Magnitude-5.1 quake rattles Los Angeles


A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck near Los Angeles on Friday, rattling a wide swath of Southern California, the US Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury from the temblor, centered outside suburban La Habra, about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles, a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman said.

"However the earthquake just happened a few minutes ago so we have to give our officers the time to do an inspection," the spokeswoman said.

The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 5.3, struck shortly after 9 p.m. pacific time and was very shallow, only 1.2 miles deep, according to the USGS.

It was felt across four counties, as far east as Palm Springs and north as Ventura County.

source: interaksyon.com

Thursday, March 27, 2014

White House unveils plan to end NSA's bulk collection of phone data


WASHINGTON - The Obama administration on Thursday announced details of its plan to end the government's vast bulk collection of data about phone calls made in the United States, including new procedures to get judicial approval before asking companies for such records.

Under the plan, phone companies would have to provide data from their records quickly and in a usable format when requested by the government, a senior administration official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

It would also allow the government to seek the data without a court order in a national security emergency.

"I am confident that this approach can provide our intelligence and law enforcement professionals the information they need to keep us safe while addressing the legitimate privacy concerns that have been raised," President Barack Obama said in a statement about the plan, which needs approval by Congress.

The US government began collecting so-called metadata shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, under part of the Patriot Act known as Section 215.

The program's defenders say it helps the government find connections between people plotting attacks overseas and co-conspirators inside the United States, while critics view it as an infringement of privacy rights.

Obama has been under pressure to rein in surveillance since former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden last year disclosed classified details about the breadth of the government's intelligence gathering, sparking an international uproar.

Next step: Congress


Obama announced his initial response to the debate in January, including a ban on eavesdropping on the leaders of allied nations.

On Thursday, the administration provided additional details about its plans for telephone records known as metadata. Such records document which telephone number called which other number, when the calls were made and how long they lasted. Metadata does not include the content of the calls.

Under the proposal, once the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approves gathering records associated with a phone number, phone companies could be required to turn over data associated with that number on an "ongoing and prospective" basis, a senior administration official said on a conference call.

Companies would be compelled to provide technical assistance to the government to query the records, and may be compensated in a way that is consistent with current procedures, the official said.

The administration will ask the court to allow it to operate its existing program for at least another 90 days, as Congress weighs legislation.

"We would hope that the Congress would take something up very expeditiously," the official said.

At least two proposals for ending bulk collection of phone data have already been unveiled by lawmakers.

In October, Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Jim Sensenbrenner, a House Republican, introduced a bill that would require the government to show a request for data was relevant to an ongoing investigation.

Their bill, called the USA Freedom Act, has been endorsed by privacy advocates including the American Civil Liberties Union.

Earlier this week, Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger, the top lawmakers on the House of Representatives' intelligence panel, released a plan that would not require the government to first get court approval of a request for data.

Instead, the court could order the data expunged if it was later found not to be linked to suspicious activity.

House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, has said he supports the bill.

But Obama has been clear that "one of the main attributes" he wanted to see in the overhaul was requiring court approval before data requests are made, the senior administration official said, noting the government has been following that practice since January. (Additional reporting by Mark Felsenthal)

source: interaksyon.com

Aspect launches new software solution for BPOs


MANILA, Philippines — US-based company Aspect Software, Inc. has launched a new product that reportedly provides an end-to-end operational management system for business process outsourcing companies.

According to the company, the Workforce Optimization 8.0 software includes workforce management, quality management, and performance management capabilities.

“Aspect’s technology solutions are designed to work on an intuitive level providing companies the flexibility of operations and integrated customer service operations,” Jim Freeze, Aspect senior vice president and chief marketing officer, said. “Our products provide solutions that coordinate workforce processes while seamlessly elevating the level of service that is delivered… while developing a tighter integration between the front and the back office,”

Aspect said that they have also revamped the user interface of the new product to make it simpler and easier to navigate.

“Overall, the user friendly interface will lead to a broader use of the system with agents not shying away from using the more powerful but erstwhile complex work for optimization features,” Edwin Ong, Aspect director of marketing and channels, said.

Company officials said that they are hoping to tap the still huge growth potential of the BPO market in the Philippines.

source: interaksyon.com

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Ikea recalls baby bed canopies due to strangulation risk


Swedish furniture maker Ikea on Thursday, March 20, recalled nearly three million baby bed canopies worldwide due to a potential danger of strangulation.

“We have had some reports of young children getting entangled in these canopies,” Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson told AFP, adding that some children had sustained minor injuries.

“However there is no child that has had permanent injuries … and as a safety measure we are recalling the products.”

The company asked customers who have bought the canopies—which look like mosquito nets draped over a cot or child’s bed—to stop using them and return them to Ikea stores around the world for a full refund.

“We apologise for any possible inconvenience this may cause, but safety is always the highest priority for Ikea,” the company added in a statement listing eight different canopy models.

The recall concerns more than 2.8 million products sold since 1996.

Ikea gave no explanation as to why the products were on the market for so long before a recall was deemed necessary.

source: interaksyon.com

Angry kin of Chinese passengers on MH370 march on Malaysian embassy


BEIJING -- Scores of angry relatives of the Chinese passengers aboard Flight MH370 set out on a protest march to the Malaysian embassy in Beijing Tuesday to demand more answers about the crashed plane's fate.

Around 200 family members, some in tears, linked arms and shouted slogans including "The Malaysian government are murderers" and "We want our relatives back."

The embassy is about four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Lido Hotel, where meetings have been taking place throughout the drama.


A new chapter opened late on Monday when Malaysia said the plane had crashed in the Indian Ocean.

Chinese authorities normally keep a very tight rein on any protests in Beijing.

Scores of black-clad uniformed police officers were blocking traffic at the diplomatic mission, their walkie-talkies abuzz.

A relative who refused to give his name, but who has been one of the unofficial leaders of the Flight MH370 group, told AFP that the police "would have known" about the demonstration.

"We are still discussing with the police what we are going to do," he told AFP. "Maybe they are preparing for us to arrive."

Earlier, the relatives boarded large shuttle buses bringing them from various hotels to the Lido, intending to take them to the diplomatic mission, but dozens of police surrounded the vehicles and prevented them from driving off, leading them to march instead.

"We are going to protest at the Malaysian embassy," one man told AFP as he joined some 200 other relatives to board the buses at the hotel where they had gathered throughout the 17-day ordeal.

One family member was holding a loudspeaker and urging journalists to head to the embassy, while others stood in a group, somber and motionless, many holding pre-prepared printed placards and wearing "Pray for MH370" T-shirts.

"We want our families," read one placard. Others read "Son: mother and father's heart is broken, hurry home" and "Husband, hurry home. What am I and our son going to do?"

The protest did not appear to be spontaneous, as at least a dozen police cars were waiting nearby at the Lido.

The officers were standing in a row behind a sign reading: "Traffic restrictions, vehicles take a circular route." A policeman refused to say why the traffic restrictions had been imposed when asked by an AFP reporter.

The move to protest outside the embassy came hours after relatives reacted with grief and anguish as Malaysia confirmed their worst fears about the flight.

In dramatic scenes at the Lido Hotel, stretcher-bearing paramedics were drafted in to tend to family members devastated by the news, with at least two people carried out.

China has demanded that Kuala Lumpur hand over the satellite data that led it to conclude that the Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight crashed at sea and that none of the 239 people aboard survived.

Two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese.

source: interaksyon.com

Canada reports possible Ebola case


MONTREAL -- A man returning to Canada from Liberia is seriously ill in hospital after experiencing symptoms consistent with the Ebola virus that has killed dozens in Guinea, health officials have said.

The man has been placed in solitary confinement pending the expected results on Tuesday of tests on his condition. His family is in quarantine in Saskatchewan province, the local health ministry said in a statement.

"A diagnosis has not yet been confirmed. Measures have been taken to isolate the patient to ensure the illness is not transmitted," the ministry said.

Public health officials earlier sought to contain people's concerns, saying the risk to the public was low and noting that an investigation into the case's circumstances was under way.

"All we know at this point is that we have a person who is critically ill who travelled from a country where these diseases occur," Denise Werker, joint director of health in Saskatchewan, in western Canada, told reporters.

The casualty had been in Liberia but developed the symptoms after landing in Canada and would not have been contagious when in transit, she said.

"The information that we have now is this person was not ill when he travelled," Werker added. "People are not very contagious in the incubation period. There is also a possibility this person has another disease."

Aid workers and health officials in Guinea are battling to contain West Africa's first outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, after neighboring Liberia reported its first suspected victims.

At least 59 people are known to have died in Guinea's southern forests but the Liberian cases, if confirmed, would mark the first spread of the highly contagious pathogen into another country.

Werker said the risk of contagion in Canada was low as the disease, one of the world's most virulent, is transmitted to humans from wild animals and between humans by direct contact with blood, feces or sweat, or by sexual contact and the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

To date, no treatment or vaccine is available for the Ebola pathogen, which kills between 25 and 90 percent of those who fall sick, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the World Health Organization.

The tropical virus -- described in some health publications as a "molecular shark" -- can fell its victims within days, causing severe fever and muscle pain, weakness, vomiting and diarrhea -- in some cases shutting down organs and causing unstoppable bleeding.

It was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. The central African country has suffered eight outbreaks.

source: interaksyon.com

Asian shares on defensive, hoping for China stimulus plan


TOKYO - Asian shares were in a defensive mode on Tuesday after Wall Street fell overnight, though still-vague hopes of a new stimulus plan in China could improve investor sentiment.

U.S. Treasuries prices fell, with the benchmark two-year yield hitting a six-month high as investors grew nervous that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates sooner than expected. Bond yields rise when prices fall.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.1 percent as Australian shares fell 0.5 percent, while Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.5 percent.

On Wall Street, the Nasdaq Composite Index led the losses with a fall of 1.2 percent to five-week low, as investors took some money off recent top performers such as biotech shares. The S&P500 Index fell 0.5 percent to 1,857.44.

Concerns over Ukraine and soft U.S. manufacturing were cited as possible catalyst, though market players noted the selling could also reflect unwinding of positions ahead of the quarter-end.

The survey on U.S. manufacturing by financial data firm Markit also showed U.S. manufacturing activity slowed in March.

U.S. President Barack Obama and major industrialized allies warned Russia on Monday it faces additional economic sanctions if President Vladimir Putin takes further action to destabilize Ukraine following the seizure of Crimea.

"In short, there's nowhere to put money at this point. Investors are generally upbeat on the U.S. but they want to see more evidence that the weakness in some of the recent data is due to a bad weather," said Tohru Yamamoto, chief fixed income strategist at Daiwa Securities.

Yet short-term U.S. bond prices are under pressure after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the Fed could raise rates six months after its current bond-buying program ends - potentially as soon as spring 2015.

Even as the U.S. 30-year yield fell to 3.56 percent, near this year's low of 3.525 percent, short-dated debt yields moved in the opposite direction, flattening the yield curve sharply.

The U.S. two-year yield shot to six-month high of 0.4655 percent also due in part to caution over the two-year debt sale on Tuesday, the first leg of U.S. government issuance this week totaling $96 billion.

Rising U.S. short-term rates were undermining the attraction of precious metals, with gold was fetching $1,308.91 per ounce, close to Monday's near one-month low of $1,307.54.

Silver tumbled to a six-week low of $19.84 and last stood at $19.89.

In contrast, emerging markets were generally resilient after weak Chinese manufacturing data on Monday sparked expectations the Chinese government could unveil stimulus measures following Monday's weak survey of manufacturing.

source: interaksyon.com

Disney joins online distribution biz with acquisition of large YouTube network


LOS ANGELES - The Walt Disney Co has agreed to buy Maker Studios, one of YouTube's largest networks, for $500 million, a deal that makes Disney a major online video distributor and should help draw more teens into the Disney entertainment empire.

The price tag could rise to $950 million if Maker hits certain performance milestones, Disney said, confirming what a source told Reuters earlier on Monday.

Maker, founded in 2009, is one of the largest video production networks on Google Inc's YouTube. Its producers target the younger millennial generation, known for its high appetite for online video.

"This gives a presence online to reach the millennial group that is increasingly getting its video online," said Kevin Mayer, Disney executive vice president for corporate strategy. "And it gives us a lot of data to help promote our other businesses to them."

The deal will be "mildly dilutive" to earnings per share through fiscal 2017, Mayer said. Disney's fiscal year closes at the end of September.

Maker helps produce and distribute videos to more than 380 million subscribers worldwide across more than 55,000 channels. Its videos now collectively garner some 5.5 billion views every month, according to the source.

The company, whose backers include Time Warner Investments, Upfront Ventures and Greycroft Partners, is partners with PewDiePie, the online persona of 24 year-old video gamer Felix Kjellberg. Kjellberg has more than 25 million subscribers and is YouTube's single most-subscribed star.

"Short-form online video is growing at an astonishing pace and with Maker Studios, Disney will now be at the center of this dynamic industry," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement.

The deal is expected to close in Disney's third fiscal quarter.

source: interaksyon.com

Samsung launches two new tablet devices


MANILA, Philippines — South Korean electronics giant Samsung has launched two new tablets in the local market under the Galaxy PRO Series line.

Both products, according to Samsung, intend “to marry the productivity of a PC and the ease of a tablet.” The two new tablets are the 12.2-inch Galaxy Note PRO and the 8.4-inch Tab PRO.

Coco Domingo, Samsung Philippines head for product marketing in IT and mobile, said the new devices will be primarily marketed toward businessmen.

“The primary target market are really more of entrepreneurs who need to be mobile such as those who have several stores that they need to manage and they really need to go around and really use the product for bookkeeping or being able to make simple presentations for their clients,” Domingo said in an interview.

The Android-powered products both have WQXGA display of 2560×1600 resolution, similar to the 2014 Galaxy Note 10.1 model. Both also have an 8-megapixel rear-facing and 2-megapixel front facing camera.

The Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 has a 1.9 GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of memory and 32GB of storage expandable up to 64GB with MicroSD card slot. It will sell for P36,990.

The Galaxy Note 8.4, on the other hand, has a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of memory and 16GB of storage with microSD card support of up to 64 GB. It will sell for P18,990.

Installed in both devices is the newly launched Hancom Office suite, which offers applications for creating and editing office documents.

Domingo said that their telco partners are now looking at offering the devices to their corporate clients.

source: interaksyon.com

Monday, March 24, 2014

8 dead, 18 missing after Washington state landslide


OLYMPIA, Washington - Eight people were dead and at least 18 were still missing nearly two days after a landslide in Washington state buried homes and cars under mud and tangled debris up to 15 feet deep, authorities said.

The search for victims was due to resume early on Monday after dangerous, quicksand conditions forced rescue workers to suspend their efforts at dusk on Sunday. Some workers had to be dragged to safety after becoming mired in mud to their armpits.

The landslide was triggered after rain-soaked embankments along State Route 530 near Oso, Washington, about 55 miles northeast of Seattle, gave way on Saturday morning, washing away at least six homes.

A spokesman for the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said eight bodies had been found in the square mile (2.6 square km) of tangled debris, rocks, trees and mud by Sunday evening. A further eight people were hurt in the landslide.

"We didn't find anybody alive. There was no sign of life" after a search of much of the area on foot, Snohomish County Fire District 21 chief Travis Hots told a news conference on Sunday, adding that the tally of the missing was likely to grow.

A press briefing was slated for 9 a.m. PDT on Monday.

"I have a sense that we're going to have some hard news here," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said after flying over the affected area on Sunday.

The slide in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains along the Stillaguamish River piled mud, rock and debris up to 15 feet deep in some places.

It blocked the flow of the river, creating floods and a backup of water behind a natural dam of mud and debris, but the threat to people downriver had begun to ease, Inslee said.

The highway was closed in both directions, with no timeline for it to be reopened, he said.

The Snohomish County sheriff's office has asked people affected by the slide to report to the Red Cross so an accurate count can be made of the missing.

Washington state Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen has declared a state of emergency in Snohomish County. (Additional reporting and writing by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City, Missouri)

source: interaksyon.com

‘Homeland’ actor James Rebhorn dies of melanoma: reports


James Rebhorn, the tall, lanky character actor who appeared in dozens of movies and television shows, including the Showtime political thriller “Homeland,” has died at 65, according to media reports on Sunday.

Rebhorn died on Friday of melanoma at his home in New Jersey, the New York Times reported. The newspaper cited his agent, Dianne Busch, who was not immediately available to comment.

The actor worked regularly in film, television and on stage and appeared in more than 50 films, including “Independence Day,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “Basic Instinct” and “Cold Mountain.”

He also was known for his role in “Scent of A Woman” in 1992, according to the Internet Movie Database.

As a stage actor, he appeared in a revival of “Twelve Angry Men” in 2004. He had numerous roles on television, including a memorable part as the assistant district attorney who sent the “Seinfeld” cast to jail in the series’ finale.

He had most recently appeared in “Homeland” as Frank Mathison, the father of Carrie Mathison, the CIA officer played by Claire Danes. The show has featured how both daughter and father have grappled with bipolar disorder.

Rebhorn was born on September 1, 1948, in Philadelphia, the Times said. He leaves two daughters, Hannah and Emma, and his wife, Rebecca Linn.

source: interaksyon.com

Online news attracts star power and big money


WASHINGTON — The news media is generating some big news of its own, as a growing number of star US journalists move online, bringing followers and financial backers with them.

Online news sites have been around for years, but in recent months the trend has gained momentum, defying predictions of a troubled media industry.

The latest was the relaunch of FiveThirtyEight, headed by Nate Silver, a statistician and journalist who made his own headlines with his accurate prediction of the 2012 presidential election.




The site, which covers a range of news with a statistician’s eye, is backed by the sports broadcaster ESPN, after Silver left The New York Times with his blog.

Also joining the fray was The Intercept, a news site backed by tech entrepreneur Pierre Omidyar with an editorial team led by Glenn Greenwald, the former Guardian reporter who broke news with documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Omidyar has pledged to invest $250 million in his First Look Media, which includes a not-for-profit news operation and a separate technology arm for new media.

The Washington Post’s popular “Wonkblog” columnist Ezra Klein meanwhile left the newspaper to start a news website backed by Vox Media.

Yahoo wooed television news star Katie Couric and former New York Times tech writer David Pogue. And journalists at The Wall Street Journal-backed tech blog AllThingsD broke off in January to create Re/code, a separate website with support from Comcast’s NBCUniversal.

The new energy in Internet news comes as the entrenched news industry faces deepening financial woes, and the model for online profits remains unclear.

Dying or reviving?


So is the news business dying or being reborn?

Alan Mutter, a former Chicago newspaper editor who consults for journalism and technology ventures, said that while traditional newspapers are withering, online news sites may be working.

But the digital news business is likely to be “vertical,” covering a segment such as technology, sports or politics, unlike a newspaper, which aims to cover all sectors. Online news can get money from subscriptions, premium content or links to shopping, for example.

“The future of digital publishing is the antithesis of traditional publishing,” Mutter told AFP.

Newspapers try to get a broad audience by offering comics, coupons and recipes, while covering news ranging from local crime to politics to walks on the moon, and online sites are changing that model.

The shift is similar to what happened in retailing, with multi-sector department stores hammered by specialty apparel, housewares or electronics stores.

“Newspapers are basically following a publishing-model mindset that is locked in 1958,” Mutter said.

“They take the same content and put it on a website or put it on mobile and they say they have a digital strategy.”

Low cost of entry


Ken Doctor, a media analyst with Outsell who writes the Newsonomics blog, said it has become easier to launch news sites.

“The technology has gotten much better and cheaper in the past few years,” Doctor said.

“And once you create the content, the social world is able to find new audiences at practically no incremental cost.”

News startups can expand internationally and gain a far larger audience than they would with a local or even national US newspaper, he noted.

“You can ramp up one of these businesses and create a national or international brand for $5 million to $10 million,” Doctor said.

Without the legacy costs of newspapers like printing, distribution and longstanding pensions, websites can become profitable relatively quickly.

While not all ventures will succeed, they are attracting venture capital because “you could double or triple your money if you pick a winner,” Doctor said.

The startups are often personality driven — Klein has 441,000 Twitter followers and Silver 680,000. Former Daily Beast journalist Andrew Sullivan got 35,000 paid subscribers for his “The Dish” blog.

‘Golden age of journalism’? 



One of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capitalists, Marc Andreessen, sees huge potential.

“I am more bullish about the future of the news industry over the next 20 years than almost anyone I know,” said a blog post by Andreessen, who founded the early Internet group Netscape Communications.

“Maybe we are entering into a new golden age of journalism, and we just haven’t recognized it yet.”

Andreessen said the news business is breaking free of the “monopolies and oligopolies” that controled it for much of the post-World War II era and that the Internet is allowing new businesses to get to a scale where they can support high-quality journalism.

“On the Internet, there is no limitation to the number of outlets or voices in the news chorus,” he said.

The economics of online news has allowed some sites to move beyond the practice of “aggregation,” and into more in-depth reporting traditionally seen as the domain for newspapers.

But analysts point out that while Internet news outlets which can gain readers nationally and internationally can thrive, the same is not true for local news organizations, which many Americans rely on for coverage of their communities.

“It’s a tale of two worlds,” Doctor said. “Local newspapers are still in a death spiral, with layoff after layoff.”

source: interaksyon.com

Cristiano Ronaldo slams referee after Real Madrid’s tough El Clasico defeat


MADRID – Two-time World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo slammed referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco after Real Madrid were beaten for the first time in 32 games 4-3 by Barcelona on Sunday.

Mallenco awarded three penalties on the night with Ronaldo scoring the first one for Madrid to put them 3-2 up 10 minutes after half-time.

However, Sergio Ramos was then sent-off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity for a foul on Neymar inside the area before Xabi Alonso was adjudged to have tripped Andres Iniesta seven minutes from time.

Lionel Messi converted both spot-kicks to complete a hat-trick after cancelling out Karim Benzema’s double at the end of the first-half to become the all-time leading scorer in games between the two sides.

“There were a lot of mistakes for just one game. A match between Real and Barca ought to have a high level of referee,” said Ronaldo.

“You can’t make correct decisions when you are nervous. It makes me think that it is not just on the field that you win games, a little help from outside helps too.

“My penalty might have been just outside the area, but there are many things that went on. It is difficult when many people didn’t want us to win today.”

Ronaldo’s coach Carlo Ancelotti was more level-headed about Mallenco’s decisions, but did agree that Ramos’ red card swung the game in Barca’s favour.

“I haven’t seen it again and it is difficult for me to comment on the decisions of the referee because there were many.

“However, it was the key moment. We were winning 3-2 and controlling the game well, but it is much more difficult to control the game with a player less.”

Defeat leaves Madrid still joint top of the table on 70 points alongside Atletico Madrid, but in second place due to their inferior head-to-head against their local rivals with Barca a point further back in third.

And Ancelotti is seeking a immediate response from his side with a difficult looking away game against in-form Sevilla to come on Wednesday.

“Obviously we are not happy because we have lost a big opportunity, but we will continue fighting until the end.

“There are nine games left and it will be an intense race. The league is open for all three teams and any game could be decisive.

“We need a good reaction on Wednesday because that could be the key game of the season.”

source: interaksyon.com

Russian hooligans beat up St. Patrick's flashmob participants mistaken for gays


MOSCOW -- A group of thugs in Russia's Siberian city of Irkutsk beat up members of a St. Patrick's Day-themed flashmob, mistaking them for gay activists, Interfax news agency reported Monday, citing police.

A fight broke out after students at a language school held a belated St Patrick's Day flashmob in a mall in Irkutsk, a police spokesman said.

"On Sunday evening, members of Easy School held a St Patrick's Day flashmob in the mall. Some youths came up to them and expressed displeasure at the proceedings. A conflict took place that grew into a fight on the square outside the mall," the spokesman said.


A law enforcement source told Interfax that the fight was based on a misunderstanding.

"The Easy School members were wearing historic costumes, particularly kilts and their opponents mistook them for representatives of non-traditional sexual orientation," the source said, using a Russian phrase meaning gay.

The school posted a video of the flash mob on the social networking site VKontakte showing many wearing checked kilts and confirmed its students and teachers were hurt in the fight.

"Yes our students and teachers were among the injured but it could have been any young people who weren't to the taste of these grey masses," the school said in a statement.

Police said a teacher at the school suffered mild concussion.

source: interaksyon.com

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Malaysia says French satellite detects debris in plane search area


KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia said Sunday it had received new satellite data from France indicating floating objects in the search area for a missing Malaysian jet in the southern Indian Ocean.

The Transport Ministry said the information had been passed on to Australian authorities who are coordinating the search for the plane, now focused on a remote stretch of ocean 2,500 kilometres (1,562 miles) southwest of Perth.

The ministry said the latest data came in the form of images but France's foreign ministry later clarified this, saying it came in the form of "satellite-generated radar echoes".

A radar echo is an electronic signal that contains information about the location and distance of the object which bounces the signal back.

According to the French statement, the debris was floating around 2,300 kilometres from Perth.

It said France would increase its satellite capacity to continue the search in the zone.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard.

Malaysia, which later revealed the plane turned back over the Malaysian peninsula after losing contact, has enlisted 25 other countries to help hunt for the plane.

Efforts in recent days have focused on the coast off Australia after previous satellite images of large objects there were released, and a plane spotted a wooden cargo pallet, along with some belts or straps.

source: interaksyon.com

Google enhances encryption for Gmail


BEIJING — Google enhanced encryption for its Gmail service, according to its today’s announcement, so that customers’ data and private information will be protected from interception of the US National Security Agency (NSA).

The protection extension will ensure that Gmail users be exempt from being snooped as the data travels from their machines to Google’s data centers.

This move is out of the concern that people may reduce their online activities after the spy scandal of American government was exposed last year.

Last year, leaked documents by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden disclosed that NSA had secretly tapped into links connecting data centers of Yahoo and Google, which outraged these technology companies.

source: interaksyon.com

What would happen if carbon emissions continue to rise? UN scientists paint grim picture of future


PARIS - UN scientists are set to deliver their darkest report yet on the impacts of climate change, pointing to a future stalked by floods, drought, conflict, and economic damage if carbon emissions go untamed.

A draft of their report, seen by AFP, is part of a massive overview by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), likely to shape policies and climate talks for years to come.

Scientists and government representatives will meet in Yokohama, Japan, from Tuesday to hammer out a 29-page summary. It will be unveiled with the full report on March 31.

"We have a lot clearer picture of impacts and their consequences... including the implications for security," said Chris Field of the United States' Carnegie Institution, who headed the probe.

The work comes six months after the first volume in the long-awaited Fifth Assessment Report declared scientists were more certain than ever that humans caused global warming.

It predicted global temperatures would rise 0.3-4.8 degrees Celsius (0.5-8.6 degrees Fahrenheit) this century, adding to roughly 0.7 C since the Industrial Revolution. Seas will creep up by 26-82 centimetres (10.4-32.8 inches) by 2100.

The draft warns costs will spiral with each additional degree, although it is hard to forecast by how much.

Warming of 2.5 C over pre-industrial times -- 0.5 C more than the UN's target -- may cost 0.2-2.0 percent of global annual income, a figure that could amount to hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

"The assessments that we can do at the moment probably still underestimate the actual impacts of future climate change," said Jacob Schewe of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, who was not involved in the IPCC drafting.

Many scientists concurred, he said, that recent heatwaves and floods were evidence of climate change already on the march -- and a harbinger of a future in which once-freakish weather events become much less rare.

Among the perils listed in the draft are these:

-- FLOODING: Rising greenhouse-gas emissions will "significantly" boost the risk of floods, with Europe and Asia particularly exposed. In the highest warming scenarios of untamed greenhouse gas emissions, three times as many people will be exposed to severe river flooding as with lower warming.

- DROUGHT: For every 1 C (1.8 F) rise in temperature, another seven percent of the world's population will see renewable water resources decline by a fifth.

- RISING SEAS: If no measures are taken, "hundreds of millions" of coastal dwellers will be displaced by 2100. Small-island states and East, Southeast, and South Asia will be the biggest land-losers.

- HUNGER: Average yields of wheat, rice, and corn may fall by two percent per decade, while demand for crops is likely to rise by up to 14 percent by 2050 as Earth's population grows. The crunch will hit poor, tropical countries worst.

- SPECIES LOSS: A "large fraction" of land and freshwater species may risk extinction, their habitat destroyed by climate change.

Security threat

Poverty, migration, and hunger are invisible drivers of turbulence and war, as they sharpen competition for dwindling resources, the report warns.

"Climate change over the 21st century will lead to new challenges to states and will increasingly shape national security policies," its draft summary says.

"Small-island states and other states highly vulnerable to sea-level rise face major challenges to their territorial integrity.

"Some transboundary impacts of climate change, such as changes in sea ice, shared water resources, and migration of fish stocks, have the potential to increase rivalry among states. The presence of robust institutions can manage many of these rivalries to reduce conflict risk."

By reducing carbon emissions "over the next few decades," the world can stave off many of the worst climate consequences by century's end, says the report.

The IPCC will issue a third volume, on strategies for tackling carbon emissions, in Berlin on April 13.

The panel has issued four previous "assessment reports" in its quarter-century history.

Each has sounded a louder drumbeat of warning about the gigatonnes of carbon dioxide spewed by traffic, power station,s and other fossil-fuel burners and methane from deforestation and farming.

The Yokohama volume goes further than its predecessors in forecasting regional impacts in greater detail and emphasizing the risk of conflict and rising seas.

The IPCC's last big report in 2007 helped unleash political momentum leading to the 2009 UN climate summit in Copenhagen. But its reputation was dented by several mistakes, seized upon by climate skeptics as proof of bias.

source: interaksyon.com

Swiss Emmentaler named world's best cheese


MADISON, Wis. — A Swiss Emmentaler has been named the top cheese at an international competition in Wisconsin, handing the nation its fourth win in the past five years.

Cheesemaker Gerard Sinnesberger took top honors at the 2014 World Championship Cheese Contest with his Original Schweizer Rohmilch Emmentaler, a large format, big wheel Swiss cheese.

Out of possible 100 points, the Emmentaler scored 97.85 in the final round of judging Wednesday. The cheese was deemed the best of 2,615 entries from 22 countries.


An Austrian entry, called Erzherzog Johann, was second. Another Swiss entry, Gruyere AOP, was third.

A U.S. cheesemaker hasn't won the contest sponsored by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association since 1988, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Although Americans weren't in the top three this year, they took home the most medals, winning 59 of the 90 categories judged. Switzerland came in second with seven gold medals, while the Netherlands had five.


Among U.S. contestants, Wisconsin dominated with 33 gold medals. Chief judge Bob Aschenbrock credited the quality of milk produced by Wisconsin farmers and work done by state agriculture officials and the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"They've improved the milk supply immensely in the last 15 to 20 years. When I was making cheese back in the 1960s and 1970s, it was nothing like it is today. Everybody else follows our lead, basically," said Aschenbrock, a longtime cheesemaker.

Four Wisconsin cheese makers made it to the final round of competition: Brenda Jensen, of Hidden Springs Creamery in Westby, with a hard mixed milk cheese; Marieke Penterman, of Holland's Family Cheese in Thorp, with an aged Gouda; Katie Hedrich-Fuhrmann, of LaClare Farms in Malone, with a hard goat cheese; and Steve Bierhals, of BelGioioso Cheese in Green Bay, with a Parmesan.

Holland's Family Cheese won best of show with a smoked Gouda last year at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in Green Bay. The national and international competitions are held in alternate years.

source: philstar.com

Affairs of the heart in Brunei


I often say, “Fairy tales do come true.” In Brunei, they still do. This thought was further validated when I recently attended the book launch of the fashion doyenne of Brunei, Dayang Anyati Abdullah Orcullo. She launched her book Brunei Malay Wedding in festive ceremonies at her family-owned Rizqun International Hotel at the heart of  Abdul Razak Complex in Gadong, Brunei.

Beautiful photographs of real Brunei-Malay weddings and personal accounts of Anyati’s beginnings and her journey in her most illustrious career were highlighted. These stunning life-size photographs that looked more like oil paintings displayed in the executive floor of the Rizqun Hotel come from her vast repository of distinguished clients whose royal ensemble Anyati lovingly and magnificently created.

This multi-talented lady is not just a book author and a fashion designer but also a lady who cooks and bakes very well for family and friends on special occasions. Anyati loves to prepare beautiful table arrangements and hosts the most gracious parties. She is also in the process of completing her lifestyle cook book, which will feature not just amazing recipes but will also give advice on how to prepare the most simple to the most elaborate party or event settings.

A former English teacher at Western Mindanao State University, Anyati hails from Zamboanga and Davao and has ingenuously integrated into the Brunei-Malay culture yet cherishes her Filipino ancestry as well.

Her lavish book launch was attended by her guest of honor, Brunei’s Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Datin Paduka Dayang Hajah Adina binti Ohtman, among numerous ambassadors, high-placed officials, uppity clients and well-meaning friends from Manila. Anyati shared that the new coffee table book is in line with the ratification of the UNESCO convention for the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011 and the commitment to protecting cultural and natural heritage.

The Deputy Minister further said that this coffee table book is a “national treasure” with its priceless documentation of the rich ancestry and heritage of Brunei Darussalam — known as the Abode of Peace. “Preserving tangible works like these is not just for posterity but also for the continuous survival of these cultural practices,” he said. The book showcased the traditional Malayan wear with a special and ingenuous twist that only Anyati can think of.


It is a very engaging book that features not just stunning gowns, but also instills in the reader the beauty and glory of this very rich culture. Anyati’s fabulous collections of Brunei Malay wedding dresses, Baju Kurung and Baju Kebaya, are, in her words, fashionably rich in traditional heritage yet designed to remain classic in a society where cultural values require modesty. She encourages everyone to experience a kaleidoscope of colors in traditional wedding ensembles, priceless jewels and exquisitely hand-woven Tenunan, embellished with a fusion of embroidery and bead works. Truly, this book proves that Anyati is a fashion designer who has a deep comprehension and respect for tradition and culture.

The photos showcased fairytale weddings that many dream of. Anyati shared that in the past, couples would get married at least eight times in very lavish ceremonies. Today, couples renew their vows regularly.

She mentioned in a very poignant video presentation the uniqueness of Brunei’s identity and highlighted the need to preserve and safeguard the continued tradition of Malay weddings.

Anyati thanked her gorgeous brides and other clients who collaborated with her in creating her coffee table book and lending their wedding gowns to be exhibited. She cited their valuable contributions, which will be remembered throughout history. She said, “Your beautiful images captured by our very talented local photographers, enhanced by the creative hands of the makeup artists, are together frozen in time, encapsulated in one collection that tells a story of traditions, culture and heritage. Be proud of your heritage, be proud of your identity, and be proud of being a Bruneian.”

After attending the book launch of Anyati, our Miladay creative consultant Mike Mina, who used to work for Brunei’s six-star Empire Hotel where we first met him, dear friends Carlo Rojas and Vernon Prieto and I embarked on a tour around Brunei to discover this nation’s beauty and culture furthermore.





For the uninitiated, Brunei is just an hour and a half away by flight from Manila. A country rich in culture and heritage, it is a small, peaceful, prayerful and prosperous kingdom on the southern shore of the ecologically rich and island of Borneo. The oil-rich country invites one and all to discover its unexpected treasures.

Brunei is best known as an oil producing country whose history dates back more than 1,500 years. Today, it remains the world’s only Malay Islamic monarchy with an unbroken royal lineage that has ruled the nation for the past 600 years.

Stunning attractions include the Omar “Ali” Saifuddien Mosque, an iconic landmark completed in 1958; Istana Nurul Iman, which is the official residence of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the Royal Sultan and his family. It is only open to the public during the Raya Aidil Fitri. With its golden domes and vaulted roof, it resembled a magical fairyland that glistened under a bright full moon. The Royal Regalia Building is home to a collection of royal regalia including the royal chariot in gold and silver armory. It also houses jewel-encrusted crowns used during the coronation.

Where in the world will you find a nation with approximately 450,000 people and 600,000 cars, where each citizen is cared for by the Sultan who provides for housing, schooling and even health care? If there is no doctor who can attend to your specific illness, the government will send you to any part of the world where your specialist can be found. The Sultan sends the citizens of Brunei to where they wish to pursue further studies in the field of medicine; engineering and the like provided they return to their country to give back what they have learned.

Aboard Royal Brunei Air en route to Hong Kong, prayers on the video screen were dedicated to travellers — those left behind, those who would be met along the way. It is touching that this airline has prayers before takeoff. I gently turned the glorious pages of the Brunei-Malay Wedding book and fell in love with this rich culture of beauty and diversity.

Indeed, I will always associate the majestic kingdom of Brunei with dreamy weddings, new beginnings and happy endings. Anyati has captured and celebrated several “I do” ceremonies where life and love take center stage.

After all, fairy tales do come true, in the coffee table book Brunei-Malay Wedding, you will witness vicariously that they still do.

The Brunei-Malay Wedding book will soon be available online. Log on to Anyati’s website www.anyati.com.

source: philstar.com

TED turns 30 with new chapter of ‘ideas worth spreading’


VANCOUVER — TED turns 30 years old with a mind-sizzling mix of intrigue, wonder and passion in the renowned gathering’s new home in Canada.

A conference born in California in 1984 that grew into a global forum for heady “ideas worth spreading” ended Friday after gazing thoughtfully at the past and looking optimistically ahead.

“The platform has gotten more interesting to more people,” Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) curator Chris Anderson told AFP.

“We are planning on taking every opportunity to go deeper into issues; to present a core idea and add to it with ways to get involved.”

TED has won a global following for trademark “talks” during which the brilliant, innovative, artistic or accomplished deliver thought-sparking presentations in 18 minutes or less.

Broad range of TED topics

Topics at the five-day TED gathering ranged from mind-controlling parasites and bionic limbs to intestinal microbes and collective consciousness.

Female fashion model Geena Rocero used the TED stage to, for the first time, tell how she was born a boy in the Philippines but become a woman to match her “inner truth.”

“Some of my neighbors, friends, colleagues, even my agent didn’t know about my history,” Rocero said on the TED stage.

“Not a lot of people can say that their first job was pageant queen for transgender women, but I’ll take it.”

Internet spying and online privacy were hot topics at the gathering, known for attracting Internet entrepreneurs such as founders of Google, Amazon, and Netflix.

That debate was set ablaze by the surprise appearance of US former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden in the form of a robot controlled remotely from his hideaway in Russia.

“Doing it by tele-presence really excited him,” Anderson said of Snowden showing up in robot form to roam the conference, even stopping for photos with Google co-founder Sergey Brin and others.

“He liked the geekiness and the symbolic appeal of the bot.”

Snowden’s virtual visit to TED, and his promise of sensational new revelations to come, prompted the NSA to weigh in via video link a day later to argue that his “arrogance” has put lives at risk and terrorists on guard.

“It was an intense experience, it definitely pushed my own margin of comfort to the edge,” Anderson said.

Anderson saw this year’s move from California to Vancouver as symbolic of the gathering’s evolution into a global platform for ideas.

Anderson and Peter Diamandis of the X PRIZE announced a competition to reward those behind the first artificial intelligence creation that gives a TED talk compelling enough to earn a standing ovation.

A ‘primal’ experience

Looks at TED’s past and visions of the future were woven through the week, with MIT Media lab founder Nicholas Negroponte predicting by the end of the next three decades, people will ingest knowledge the way they do vitamins.

“Ultimately, TED is tapping into something that is quite primal – a circle of humans looking a speaker in the eyes, hearing a story told and feeling what the speaker is feeling in a shared experience,” Anderson said.

The first TED gathering was a venue for elite thinkers to hear about and discuss new ideas.

Since then scientists, political leaders, artists, entrepreneurs and musicians have taken to the stage at the tech-focused gatherings.

In 2006, TED began to record talks and post them for free online at their TED.com website. The website was recently upgraded to let viewers delve deeper into ideas and take action.

As TED talks were posted in more languages, traffic to the website soared. Talks have spread to television and radio. Captivating TED speakers have become Internet stars.

“The dinner party has turned into a global phenomenon — a banquet for the whole world,” said Richard Saul Wurman, who started the gatherings that Anderson’s non-profit Sapling Foundation has nurtured into the TED of today.

source: interaksyon.com

Saturday, March 22, 2014

China releases image of possible MH370-linked object


KUALA LUMPUR -- China has a new satellite image of a large floating object in the Indian Ocean that could be related to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, officials said Saturday.

Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein announced the news during his daily press briefing after he was handed a note by an aide.

"The news that I just received is that the Chinese ambassador received satellite images of floating objects in the southern corridor and they will be sending ships to verify," Hishammuddin said.

In a later press statement, the transport ministry clarified that there was one "suspected" object with an estimated size of 22.5 meters by 13 meters (74 by 43 feet).

Hishammuddin had provided different dimensions, which the statement said was the result of a telephone miscommunication.

Chinese state television later released a copy of the undated, grainy satellite image.

Attached coordinates suggested it was in roughly the same area of remote ocean as two possible objects spotted on satellite images taken March 16 and released by the Australian government on Thursday.

China's Xinhua news agency said the object was spotted 120 kilometers from those spotted by Australia.

Australian and US spotter planes have been scouring the area for the past three days, but without finding any sign of the suspected wreckage.

source: interaksyon.com

Friday, March 21, 2014

Grieving Mick Jagger comforted by daughters in Los Angeles


LOS ANGELES | Mick Jagger is being comforted by his daughters in Los Angeles after postponing a Rolling Stones tour following his girlfriend’s suicide in New York, a spokesman said Thursday.

The grieving Stones frontman flew from Australia to California, where one of his daughters lives and two others are staying following L’Wren Scott’s shock death.

It remains unclear when the funeral will be held for the former model turned fashion designer, who was found hanged in her luxury apartment on Monday.



“No information on funeral yet,” Jagger’s spokesman Bernard Doherty told AFP in an email, confirming the 70-year-old was in Los Angeles with his daughters, but giving no further details.

His daughter Karis lives in Los Angeles, while Elizabeth and Georgia May are also staying here, according to media reports.

The Stones postponed their tour of Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday. They were to play a first gig Wednesday in Perth, and vowed to reschedule shows there and in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland.

Jagger has not been seen in public since hearing the tragic news, but in a blog post on his website a day after Scott was found dead he described her as not only his lover but his best friend.

“I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way,” he wrote under a post entitled “L’Wren”, featuring a black and white photo of Scott. “I will never forget her.”

British media said Jagger was so distraught at the loss that he has barely slept and was being monitored by his entourage, including medical professionals as well as his daughters Elizabeth and Georgia May.

source: interaksyon.com

Thursday, March 20, 2014

World facing water-energy crisis - UN


PARIS -- Surging populations and economies in the developing world will cause a double crunch in demand for water and energy in the coming decades, the UN said Friday.

In a report published on the eve of World Water Day, it said the cravings for clean water and electricity were intertwined and could badly strain Earth's limited resources.

"Demand for freshwater and energy will continue to increase over the coming decades to meet the needs of growing populations and economies, changing lifestyles and evolving consumption patterns, greatly amplifying existing pressures on limited natural resources and on ecosystems," the report said.

Already, 768 million people do not have access to a safe, reliable source of water, 2.5 billion do not have decent sanitation and more than 1.3 billion do not have mains electricity.

About 20 percent of the world's aquifers today are depleted, according to the report.

Agriculture accounts for more than two-thirds of water use.

The World Water Development Report, the fifth in the series by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is an overview collated from data from scientific studies and investigations by agencies.

It said ever more freshwater will be needed for farming, construction, drinking, cooking, washing and sewerage, but also for energy production -- 90 percent of which uses water-intensive techniques today.

The report gave this snapshot of the future:

 Global water demand is likely to increase by 55 percent by 2050.
  
 By then, more than 40 percent of the world's population will be living in areas of "severe" water stress, many of them in the broad swathe of land from North Africa and the Middle East to western South Asia.
   
Asia will be the biggest hotspot for bust-ups over water extraction, where water sources straddle national borders. "Areas of conflict include the Aral Sea and the Ganges-Brahmaputra River, Indus River and Mekong River basins," said the report.
   
Global energy demand is expected to grow by more than a third by 2035, with China, India and Middle Eastern countries accounting for 60 percent of the increase.
  
 In 2010, energy production gobbled up 66 billion cubic metres (2,300 billion cu. feet) of fresh water -- more than the average annual flow of the River Nile in Egypt.
  
 By 2035, this consumption could rise by 85 percent, driven by power plant cooling systems that work with water.

Thirsty energy


Shale deposits and tar sands, driving an energy boom in North America, are especially hefty in their demands for water to force out the precious gas and oil, the report said.

Even so, "they are outstripped by far by biofuels," said researcher Richard Connor, who headed the study.

Renewable sources like solar and wind energy that use far less water are gaining ground, and accounted for about a fifth of global electricity output in 2011, the report said.

But they are unlikely to expand this share significantly if fossil fuels continue receiving the bulk of subsidies, it said.

Oil, gas and coal had subsidies of $523 billion (376 billion euros) in 2011, nearly 30 percent more than in 2010, compared to $88 billion for renewables, the report said, citing International Energy Agency figures.

Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean have plenty of potential for hydro-energy, which reuses the precious resource, it added.

Hydroelectric dams have been extremely controversial. Big projects deliver gigawatts of power but critics say they are ecologically damaging and prone to massive cost overruns.

The review called for a global effort in efficiency gains, pointing the finger at the arid countries of the Middle East where between 15 and 60 percent of water is wasted through leaks or evaporation even before the consumer opens the tap.

The report also called for smart choices in allocating the trillions of dollars likely to be invested in water and energy infrastructure over the next two decades.

source: interaksyon.com

US scrap dealer finds $20 million Faberge egg


LONDON -- When a scrap metal dealer from U.S. Midwest bought a golden ornament at a junk market, it never crossed his mind that he was the owner of a $20-million Faberge egg from the court of imperial Russia.

In a mystery fit for the tumultuous history of Russia's ostentatious elite, the 8-cm (3-inch) golden egg was spirited out of St Petersburg after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and then disappeared for decades in the United States.

An unidentified man in the United States spotted the egg while searching for scrap gold and purchased it for $14,000, hoping to make a fast buck by selling it to the melting pot.

But there were no takers because he had overestimated the value of the watch and gems tucked inside the egg.

In desperation, the man searched the Internet and then realized he might have the egg that Russian Tsar Alexander III had given to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, for Easter in 1887.

When the scrap metal man approached London's Wartski antiques dealer, he was in shock.

"His mouth was dry with fear -- he just couldn't talk. A man in jeans, trainers and a plaid shirt handed me pictures of the lost Imperial egg. I knew it was genuine," Kieran McCarthy, director of the Wartski antique dealer, told Reuters.

"He was completely beside himself -- he just couldn't believe the treasure that he had," said McCarthy, who then travelled to a small town in the US Midwest to inspect the reeded yellow golden egg in the man's kitchen.

Wartski acquired the egg for an unidentified private collector.

McCarthy said he could not reveal the identity of the man who found the egg, its sale price or the collector, though he did say that the collector was not Russian.

Reuters was unable to verify the story without the identities of those involved and when questioned whether the story was perhaps too fantastic to be true, McCarthy said:

"We are antique dealers so we doubt everything but this story is so wonderful you couldn't really make it up -- it is beyond fiction and in the legends of antique dealing, there is nothing quite like this."

'Beyond fiction'

Rich Russians, who before the revolution once dazzled European aristocracy with their extravagance, have since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union returned to stun the West by snapping up treasures, real estate and even football clubs.

Metals tycoon Viktor Vekselberg bought a collection of Imperial Faberge Easter Eggs for $90 million from the Forbes family in 2004. The eggs were brought back to Moscow and put on exhibition in the Kremlin.

A Russian businessman with a passion for Tsarist treasures, Alexander Ivanov, said he was behind the $18.5 million purchase of a Faberge egg in London in 2007.

Peter Carl Faberge's lavish eggs have graced myths ever since they were created for the Russian Tsars: Only royalty and billionaires can ever hope to collect them. Current owners include Queen Elizabeth and the Kremlin.

Tsar Alexander III asked Faberge to make one egg a year until his son, the next Tsar Nicholas II, ordered him to make two a year -- one for his wife and one for his mother.

The tradition ended in 1917 when Nicholas was forced to abdicate and he and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks.

As Russia's rich rushed to the exits, treasures were sold off under Vladimir Lenin and his successor Josef Stalin as part of a policy known as "Treasures into Tractors."

The mystery golden egg, which opens to reveal a Vacheron Constantin watch set with diamond set gold hands, was last recorded in Russia in 1922, two years before Lenin's death. It will go on display in London next month.

"It is nothing but wonderment and miracle -- a miracle that the egg survived," said McCarthy. "The treasure had sailed through various American owners and dangerously close to the melting pot."

Peter Carl Faberge made some 50 imperial eggs for the Russian Tsars from 1885 to 1916. Forty-two have survived, according to Faberge. Some others were made for merchants.

source: interaksyon.com

One Day Flowers, Two-Year Pearls and the secrets of skin illumination


Coco Chanel said, “A woman is only as good as the light and peace she radiates.” While she may have been speaking of inner beauty, it can’t hurt to each have our own portable light, like a soft beam of sunshine to follow us around. Chanel’s solution is much more down-to-earth, of course, but no less heavenly. The new Le Blanc whitening line perfects the complexion with two secret ingredients: a pearl and a flower.

In 2011, Chanel culminated nine years of research on skin whitening with the revolutionary TXC molecule, an exclusive quasi-drug whitening active ingredient that works throughout the hyperpigmentation process on all key steps of melanogenesis to reveal even, bright skin. Because skin cells are protected by melanin, the objective is not to stop it, but instead, balance it so that it does not overperform and darken skin. It acts on seven factors responsible for the chain reaction of melanin production, and is activated for 12 hours. Existing dark spots are reduced and new ones are prevented.

To perfect the effects of TXC, Chanel combines it with the Two-Year Pearl Extract — a specific Akoya pearl from Japan, cultivated for Chanel for two years to reach its prime quality. The mature pearl reveals incredible luminosity, and contains active moisturizing molecules to brighten complexion and hydrate skin.

Supporting the Two-Year Pearl is the One Day Flower, which blossoms at dawn and fades at dusk. It is a potent natural antioxidant that prevents lipid peroxidation on the skin surface for a pure, translucent complexion. It prevents a yellowish, dull complexion and amplifies the illuminating effects of the Two-Year Pearl.

The combination of the TXC Molecule, the Two-Day Pearl and One Day Flower is the arsenal behind Chanel Le Blanc, which moisturizes and protects the surface of the skin from oxidation, while correcting dull complexions and yellow-toned skin. For total illumination, like a permanent flattering light on your face, follow this Chanel Le Blanc regimen:

1. Apply Le Blanc Whitening Concentrate Double Action TXC morning and evening on entire face, eye contour and neck. It has a fine, translucent texture that melts on the skin and delivers a sensation of freshness, making the face visibly more luminous and radiant.

2. Moisturize with Le Blanc Whitening Moisturizing Cream TXC to reduce dark spots and uneven skin tone. It delivers up to 12 hours of hydration, lights up the skin, and plumps the surface.

Le Blanc cream comes in two textures: Crème Fine, which is light and delicate, and the Crème Rich, which melts on skin and leaves behind a velvety comfort. Apply morning and evening on face and neck.

3. Perfect your complexion with Chanel Le Blanc Light Creating Whitening Compact Foundation SPF25/PA +++, an Active Lightening Ceramic that reflects light and actively generates it. It absorbs energy and re-emits it in longer wavelengths so natural brightness is enhanced. It has six different shades that all feel comforting on the skin.

4. For additional glow, apply Jardin De Camélias, a compact powder that lights up the face with pearly shimmer, in Ivoire Rosé. Dust on cheekbones, temples and lightly on the tip of the nose.

5. For a wash of luminous color on the eyes, use Illusion D’Ombre in Fantasme, an iridescent shadow that gives eyes a wide-open effect.

6. Top the look with a swipe of Aqualumier Gloss in Eau De Rose, a pearly, almost transparent pink, on the lips. For more intense color, try Pink Pivoine, a fresh raspberry tone.

source: philstar.com

Top 10 Big-Screen Games for Lumia 1320 and 1520


The Nokia Lumia 1320 and Nokia Lumia 1520 both have one thing in common; they both pack six-inch displays – ideal for pinning more tiles to your Start screen and adding an extra dimension to gaming, as these ten top titles prove.

GTA: San Andreas – Php 305.00



We all know Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, right? It’s one of the best-selling games ever, and now taking control of the streets, and the local gangs, is easier on the jumbo-screen Nokia Lumia 1320 or Lumia 1520.

Don’t just take our word for it, read this five-star user review:

“Simply awesome on the Lumia 1520… frankly any game you play on the 1520 is just amazing. The size and full-HD screen quality is out of this world.”

Lifestyle Feature ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch:
Wordament – Free



Wordament is a great game, regardless of which device you’re using. However, a bigger screen makes it even easier to pluck out those words from the game board.

Confronted by a four-by-four grid of tiles, each one containing a letter (or sometimes more), you must trace your finger across them to spell out words – as many as you can – in the two-minute timeframe.

Played completely online you compete against thousands of other players simultaneously, who are also locked into the same game board.

An addictive game where you’ll often find yourself muttering, “One more try…”

Halo: Spartan Assault – Php 305.00


Part of the Halo franchise, Halo: Spartan Assault throws you into a universe full of combat and survival.

Rather than the typical first-person-shooter view you’re familiar with in other Halo games, Spartan Assault delivers a new top-down view approach, which is ideal for mobile gaming.

On a bigger screen explosions look more destructive, lasers look extra intense, and you’re less likely to miss an alien sneaking up on you.

Angry Birds Go! – Free


When it comes to avian-related games, there’s little better than Angry Birds.

However, rather than the usual bird-catapult-pig-face interaction, Angry Birds Go! is a downhill racing game.

Starting with a standard soapbox car, you can add modifications as you progress through the races to eventually build a super car – even one that flies!

Each Angry Birds character has a special ability that, when used wisely during a race, will help you in your conquest for first place.

Playing on a bigger screen allows for a greater chance of noticing overtaking opponents, giving you plenty of opportunity to nudge them out of the way before you steam to victory.

Asphalt 8: Airborne – Free


What’s better than speeding around a virtual racecourse, performing stunts and surviving crashes? Doing it all on a bigger screen!

Asphalt 8: Airborne puts you in the driving seat of 47 high-performance cars. It uses a clever physics engine that gives an experience of what it might be like to be behind the wheel of one of these cars. From the comfort of your couch, of course.

Dungeon Hunter 4 – Free



Immerse yourself into a world of role-play, dungeons and demons, all of which looks simply glorious on a big-screen Lumia.

Choose from four character classes, each with a unique combat style, then fight shoulder to shoulder with other players from around the world. Play in co-op mode, or come face-to-face with opponents as you show off your battle skills in PvP mode.

As with many RPGs, you kill, you loot, you win to save the kingdom – hopefully. Onwards!

Doors – Free



An unusual game but one that, once you start playing, you won’t put down.

The premise is this: you’re stuck in a room, the only exit is out through the closed door in front of you. In order to open that door you must first complete a task by solving hidden mysteries.

Some levels may require you to turn the phone upside down, enter the right keypad combination, or correctly match eight pairs of animal cards without getting one wrong. As you’d expect, the difficulty level increases as you progress.

The more screen space you’ve got, the more details you’ll notice to complete the tasks ahead.

Battle Monkeys – Free


Imagine a world that’s not ruled by humans, but monkeys (we reckon that’ll make a good film…). Can’t picture it? No problemo, that’s why Battle Monkeys was built.

To become the most powerful primate you must fight with other apes to show your strength and dominance.

With 3D graphics and multiplayer action, this is a joy to play on a large-screen Lumia.

Tetris Blitz – Free


A classic game that’s stood the test of time. The latest iteration, Tetris Blitz, is just as much fun as the game of old, but comes loaded with added extras.

Like before, position the falling bricks to stack nicely against other blocks. When a line is complete, it’s bye-bye row! What’s new is the ability to collect power-ups, such as lasers, magnets and time shifting properties to clean up the board faster.

Watching the vibrant blocks, explode when you complete a level, replete with celebratory fireworks look wonderful on a large six-inch screen.

Strata – Php 130.00


This is a uniquely elegant puzzle game that requires you to overlay colored ribbons onto a colored canvas. Unusual-sounding? Yes. Calming and cathartic? Absolutely.

As you interact with the screen and position the ribbon into place, softly played piano keys deliver a meditative sense It’s brilliantly done and works really well on a large screen.

If you’ve got a Nokia Lumia 1320 or Nokia Lumia 1520, take advantage of their super-sized screens and give all of these games a try – you won’t regret it.

Nokia Lumia 1320 and Nokia Lumia 1520 are now available in the Philippines for (SRP) Php17,900 and Php34,990 respectively.

source: philstar.com