5 Facebook employees Biggest Complaints

Most of workers in the IT industry like me dream of working at Facebook because of good working condition and high salry.

but would believe that Facebook employees also have complains about their employer?
here are facebook employees 5 biggest complain from an online survey asking "What's the worst thing about working at Facebook?.

• There's too much freedom in the office. "FB employees are (implicitly) encouraged to be themselves at work," wrote an anonymous Facebook engineer who says he has been with the company for two years. "At most companies, you put up a wall between a work personality and a personal one... This wall does not exist at FB." The company's unofficial sport is beer pong, which is played at most company events, he writes.
• There's too much free food. Facebook provides employees with three free meals every day. "What’s wrong with good food? Well, here’s what’s wrong: there’s too much of it.... For someone like me with zero gastronomic self-control, this supposed 'benefit' or 'perk' is a complete disaster," Facebook software engineer Philip Su writes in a blog post that was linked-to on the Quora thread.
• There aren't enough meetings. "Software needs to be talked about and debated, not simply written. It’s lunacy to be writing and shipping code at a blistering pace," Su also wrote. He says there are so few meetings that there is even a meme within the company ("no meeting Wednesday”) regarding the issue.
• There's too much trust. "People at Facebook regularly assume – I kid you not – that employees they’ve never worked with will excel at their jobs, work hard, and deliver what they promise," Su wrote. "This type of idealism is frankly nauseating."
• Facebook is too popular. A wife of a former Facebook employee, Elaine C. Smith wrote: "One of the worst things for him about working there was being a recipient of any complaints anyone had about the site, often as soon as they learned that he worked there." Smith said that she was also asked a lot of questions about Facebook from acquaintances.

Overall, Facebook employees are really satisfied, b

First Filipino astronaut in space

Men's personal care brand Axe is teaming with American space travel agency Space Expedition Corp. (Space XC) in a global project to send civilians to space.

And The Philippines will be sending one citizen to be the first Filipino in space.

If you want to become the first Filipino space traveler and join the ranks of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, sign up for it at www.AxeApollo.com. The site has more details about the program. You may also visit the AXE Philippines Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/AxePhilippines for more information.

Let the dog out

I can't believe it! another 300 dogs specially Pit bulls were confiscated in a Dogfight Facility raided by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) last, March 30, 2012.

The facility are being operated by same south Korean Nationals caught last December in Indang, Cavite.

The dogs are being match to kill each other and broadcasted in the internet for betting audience.

Local animal rights group, the Philippine Animal Welfare Society(PAWS), said a check on the animals showed that many were severely injured, with ripped ears and tongues, including 20 that needed to be euthanised.

PAWS programme director Anna Cabrera said her group was now coordinating with other agencies to try and rehabilitate the pitbulls, many of which had not been properly fed or sheltered.
She said many more could be put down if no help arrived.
"The government simply does not have a facility big enough to hold these animals," she said, adding that the pitbulls were bred for fighting and could not be placed together in a single cage.

The sad part is that the South Koreans and Pilipino caretakers that been arrested had been release after posting bail. 


I appeal to our lawmakers to support HOUSE BILL 5849, filed by Congresswoman Bernadette Herrera-Dy, which seeks to put longer prison terms and higher fines for animal offenders.

Philippines has a big untapped natural gas and oil reserves

The Philippines had an estimated 98.54 billion cubic meters of proven natural-gas reserves as of January 1, 2011, according to the CIA World Factbook.


report estimated proven and undiscovered oil reserves in the South China Sea could range from 28 billion barrels to as much as 213 billion barrels of oil. The highest number would exceed every other country’s proven oil reserves—except those of Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, according to the BP Statistical Review. 


Read the original article at businessmirror.com.ph

Full text Copy of the new affidavit of Cezar Ochoco Mancao II

Copy of the controversial new affidavit of Cezar Mancao that directly involved Senator Panfilo Lacson and Former President Joseph Estrada in the Dacer-Corvito double murder case.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA )
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA )

AFFIDAVIT

I, CEZAR OCHOCO MANCAO II, of legal age, married, Filipino and presently under the custody of US Federal Marshals at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States of America, after being duly sworn to in accordance with the law, hereby depose and state, to wit:

1. I am the same CEZAR OCHOCO MANCAO II who is one of the several accused in Criminal Case No. 01-191969 pending before Branch 18 of the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines, entitled “PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES versus MICHAEL RAY AQUINO, et al.", or more popularly known as the DACER-CORBITO DOUBLE MURDER CASE.

2. I am executing this Affidavit to narrate, out of my own personal knowledge, among others, the relevant incidents that transpired in connection with the abduction and death of SALVADOR “BUBBY" DACER and his driver EMMANUEL CORBITO on November 24, 2000, and name the persons responsible therefor,

3. I hereby attest at the outset that I am executing this statement freely, voluntarily and intelligently, without any force, intimidation, threats, or any form of duress being exerted on myself or on any of my family members by the government of the Republic of the Philippines or any of its officials or employees. The execution of this statement is the result of my own initiative to offer the Government of the Republic of the Philippines cooperation in terms of disclosure of relevant information concerning the DACER-CORBITO double murder case. I likewise attest that I was assisted and given sufficient legal counsel by my lawyer, BERNARDO LOPEZ, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Federal Public Defender’s Office, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. U.S.A. all throughout the preparation of this affidavit.

4. I start with the fact that in July 1998, the President Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) was formed during the administration of PRESIDENT JOSEPH ESTRADA (ERAP). This was headed by CHIEF SUPT. PANFILO LACSON (LACSON). I was initially designated as deputy chief of task group Luzon but a few months thereafter. I was promoted as chief, Task Group Luzon. The following were some of its ranking officials together with myself, namely:
a) CHIEF SUPT. FRANCISCO ZUBIA- Deputy for Administration;
b) SUPT. MAGTANGOL GATDULA - Deputy for Operations;
c) SUPT. MICHAEL RAY AQUINO (AQUINO) - Head, Operations Division;
d) JOHN LOPEZ - Head, Finance and Logistics Division;
e) SUPT. TEOFILO VINA (VINA) - Head, Task Group Visayas

5. As Chief of Task Group Luzon, I was assisted by P/SUPT. GLENN G. DUMLAO (DUMLAO) as my deputy for operations and SUPT. GACUTAN as my deputy for administration. Aside from being the deputy for operations, DUMLAO is also one of my team leaders, together with CHIEF INSP. VICENTE ARNADO (ARNADO).

6. However, notwithstanding the formal organizational structure of PAOCTF, and as the reality in specialized and compartmentalized law enforcement units like the PAOCTF, some personnel may be directed to perform special operations by the chief of operations - P/SUPT. MICHAEL RAY AQUINO (AQUINO). For instance, my deputy for operations, DUMLAO in some special cases directly reports to AQUINO without giving me the details of his assignment or progress of his taskings.

7. Sometime in the early part of October 2000, I found out from my operatives’ dispatch slips that AQUINO was utilizing some of my personnel at Task Group Luzon in his “special operations" without my knowledge. Right then and there, I, together with DUMLAO who happened to be in my office at that time, went together to AQUINO’s office and inquired about the matter. AQUINO informed us that these “special operations" had been previously approved and cleared by LACSON and by MALACAÑANG itself. DUMLAO mentioned to me that the “special operations" had for its target a certain media man critical of ERAP, whom they referred to as “DELTA". Being in the nature of a special operation, I decided not to inquire further. For purposes of clarity, PAOCTF’s “special operations" then pertained to operations that did not follow the normal channels of command and did not come under the purview of its mandate.

8. While I was opposed to AQUINO’s use of my personnel, there was nothing that I could do then to prevent him because he occupied a position higher than myself in terms of designation at the PAOCTF organizational hierarchy. Additionally, these special operations were under the directions of LACSON as PAOCTF head. However, I still instructed my men at Task Group Luzon to bring to my attention orders regarding special operations not directly coming from me and not to be keen in performing operations outside of the PAOCTF mandate, especially illegal ones.

9. On two (2) separate occasions sometime in October-November 2000, two of my team leaders, ARNADO and REYES, confided to me that AQUINO ordered both of them to conduct operations against REYNALDO BERROYA. I remember two (2) instances when ARNADO and REYES were already in a position to abduct BERROYA but could not get in touch with AQUINO for the final “go" signal and sought mine, and which I both declined. These incidents ostensibly reached the attention of LACSON and AQUINO because I felt them turn lukewarm and indifferent towards me, to the extent that I was constrained to request for my transfer to a regular PNP unit. LACSON, however, refused to grant my request.

10. Sometime in October 2000, I heard LACSON order AQUINO to liquidate BERROYA, his public-known nemesis, saying: “Noy, tirahin nyo na si Bero." LACSON said this while we were on board his car en route to a Japanese restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan, for lunch. I was seated at the front seat of the car then driven by SGT. OXIMOSO (“Oxy" as we usually called him), while AQUINO and LACSON sat at the back. AQUINO responded to LACSON that he intends to neutralize or liquidate DELTA first because ERAP was already peeved at him, saying: “Tapusin muna namin si Delta, Sir, kasi naiirita na si Bigote sa kaniya." “DELTA", referred to media and PR man SALVADOR “BUBBY" DACER (DACER), while “BIGOTE" was the commonly-known pseudonym of ERAP. LACSON however insisted that AQUINO rather operate on both BERROYA and DACER SIMULTANEOUSLY, saying “Ipagsabay mo na at tingnan natin kung sino na ang mauuna", which obviously meant that AQUINO operate on DACER and BERROYA at the same time and to just see who between them is killed first.

11. At around 11:00 in the morning of November 24, 2000, while DUMLAO and myself were at my office at task group Luzon, DUMLAO suddenly excused himself because he supposedly received a text message from AQUINO saying that DACER was already in the custody of VINA somewhere in the province of Cavite and thus directing him to proceed to the area to conduct tactical interrogation on DACER. As DUMLAO was leaving my office, I told him to share with me the results of his tactical interrogation.

12. After DUMLAO left, I immediately called VINA and verified about the alleged operation. VINA confirmed to me the operation and told me he will take care of it and that the same was upon the orders of AQUINO.

13. When DUMLAO returned to the office, I inquired what happened to his tactical interrogation of DACER and he told me that he did not obtain any valuable information from the subject. I asked him if VINA was also present in the area and he replied in the negative. And so I called up VINA on his cell phone and asked him why he was not at the area after all. Again he told me not to worry as he will take care of the situation.

14. After learning about DACER’s abduction, I immediately informed LACSON and asked for his guidance on the matter. LACSON instructed me to head the investigation of the incident since doing so will allow PAOCTF to control the situation by covering up the involvement of PAOCTF personnel. Accordingly, I dispatched my men to conduct a regular investigation of the incident; I also required all investigating police stations to forward to us all relevant documents, making us the repository of these documents, and thus enabled us to cover-up for the involved PAOCTF operatives. Due to my successful cover-up of the incident, LACSON and AQUINO became warm and appreciative of me again.

15. Several days thereafter, news broke out about Dacer’s car being found dumped in a ravine in Margondon, Cavite. I chanced upon DUMLAO in our office and asked him why it happened that way when VINA continuously assured me that he will take care of the situation. I remember me saying: “Akala ko plinantsa niya ng maayos?! Mapapasama tuloy tayong lahat dito!" DUMLAO on the other hand, told me that he had in his possession the documents recovered from Dacer’s vehicle. In reply, I commented that it was very risky for him to be keeping them. I later on learned that DUMLAO disposed of the documents by burning the same.

16. After ERAP was deposed from power in January 2001, I was reassigned to Region VIII.

17. After winning the election as senator of the Republic of the Philippines in the May 2001 elections, LACSON called AQUINO and myself to a meeting in a house somewhere in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila. In that meeting, LACSON instructed both of us to leave the country since the new administration would surely go after us and link us in the DACER-CORBITO double murder case, among others, in order to destroy his reputation and presidential ambition. He assured us that he will take care of both of us and will continue to give us our monthly allowance. I can vividly remember LACSON’S words: “Kailangang umalis na kayo sa bansa dahil si Glenn nagbigay na ng statement, and Kuratong Baleleng case ay binuhay, at posibleng gagawa yan ng iba pang mga kaso. Huwag kayong mag-alala, ako ang bahala sa inyo." At that time, the burnt remains and belongings of DACER and CORBITO had been recovered from a creek somewhere in Indang, Cavite; some of the perpetrators had even confessed to the killing; and the case was already being investigated by the Department of Justice.

18. In reaction to LACSON’s instructions, I told him that for his sake, I will obey even if that would entail for me to be away from my family. Incidentally, I remember that on that same occasion, JANE GOMEZ, a vital witness in the Kuratong Baleleng incident was also in the house where our meeting with LACSON was held.

19. On July 1, 2001, I followed LACSON’s instructions for me to leave the country for the United States. I rendezvous with AQUINO in Hong Kong and from there we proceeded to the United States via San Francisco. LACSON made arrangements for our stay at Harrold Hicks’ friend’s house in Daly City; Hicks is a former enlisted man who worked under LACSON. However, before I left the country, I was made to sign a Counter-Affidavit in the then pending preliminary investigation concerning the abduction and death of DACER and CORBITO before the Department of Justice. The Counter-Affidavit contained for the most part, strong denials of my supposed knowledge or participation in the DACER-CORBITO operations as narrated by DUMLAO in a handwritten affidavit. I was constrained to sign the same despite knowing that some of the allegations were actually true, in order to save my neck and in the hope that I will be exonerated therefrom.

20. On or about August 3, 2001, while AQUINO and myself were inside our room at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas where we were staying upon invitation and sponsorship of BUTCH TENORIO (TENORIO), the former head of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) during the term of ERAP I heard TENORIO telling AQUINO that when he received information from the latter that DACER has been neutralized, he immediately relayed the information to ERAP thinking that the information will please him. However, ERAP supposedly turned indifferent, which reaction surprised TENORIO. Incidentally, TENORIO, ESTRADA and LACSON all stood as principal sponsors in AQUINO’s wedding.

21. In September 2001, I decided to settle in the state of Florida, while AQUINO settled in the state of New Jersey. I have lived in Florida since then and never went back to the Philippines. In the meanwhile, LACSON repeatedly traveled to the U.S. from October 2001 up to September 2003 and met with us in all of these occasions; he also did not fail to reimburse our plane fares and other expenses.

22. I am executing this Affidavit to attest to the truth of the foregoing allegations and for other legal purposes this may serve. I reserve the right to provide more details about this incident as need be during court trial.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I gave hereunto signed this 13th day of February 2009, at FORT LAUDERDALE, STATE OF FLORIDA, U.S.A.
CEZAR OCHOCO MANCAO II
Affiant

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 13th day of February 2009, at FORT LAUDERDALE, STATE OF FLORIDA, U.S.A.
Philippine Honorary Consulate)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA ) S.S:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

BEFORE ME, Angelo S. Macatangay, M.D., Consul General A.H. duly commissioned and qualified at Fort Lauderdale, Florida on this 14th day of February 2009, personally appeared, Cezar Ochoco Mancao II, known to be the same person who executed the annexed instrument (Affidavit) and, being informed by me of the contents of the said instrument. Acknowledged before me that he executed the same of his own free will and deed.

The party, signed at the foot of the instrument. For the contents of the annexed documents, the Honorary, Consul General assumes no responsibility xxx instrument together with this acknowledgement being composed of xxx pages.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand on these presents and affixed hereon the seal of the Honorary Philippine Consulate, Fort Lauderdale, xxxxx this 14th day of February 2009
Angelo S. Macatangay, M.D.
Honorary Consul General
Doc. No. : 247xxx
Series Of : 2009
O.R. No. : Gratis

"Nicole" of Subic Rape Case newest Affidavit

"Nicole" of Subic Rape Case newest affidavit

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Annex A
CITY OF MAKATI

I, SUZETTE S. NICOLAS, of legal age. Filipino, a resident of Zamboanga City, after being duly sworn in accordance with law, hereby depose and state:

1. I am a Bachelor of Science graduate, major in Management Accounting, of the Ateneo de Davao University. Soon after my graduation, I took up nursing in 2004 at the Ateneo de Zamboanga City and at the same time assisted in managing our family owned canteen located inside the military base of the Southern Command. My mother was a civilian supervisor of the Philippine Navy for 25 years while my deceased father was a Philippine Navy Officer.

2. Since our canteen also catered to American servicemen who stayed at the military base every time their vessels docked in Zamboanga City, my family came to know many American servicemen who would go to our canteen to eat and buy souvenir items. We treated them as family and we would go out of our way to talk to them, play cards and on many occasions, my mother would even cook special meals for them. They would even entrust their ATM cards to us to withdraw money for them from the bank. My former boyfriend, Brian Goodrich, is also an American serviceman.

3. After working in Swift Foods Inc. since January 22, 2007, I decided to quit my job as a Credit Accountant to pursue my studies in the United States through the help of my family, relatives and close friends. I know that they supported me so that I could finally move on after my tragic experience in 2005 in Subic, Zambales which led to the trial and conviction for rape of Daniel J. Smith.

4. Deep inside, however, I know that I may never be able to move on for as long as I continue to search for answer to so many questions that have lingered in my mind regarding the incident in Subic more than three years ago. Daniel Smith was convicted of rape because the court accepted my version that he took advantage of my intoxication in raping me inside a van that took us to the seawall located at the SBMA Alaba Pier at around 11:30 in the evening of November 1, 2005.

5. Daniel Smith’s witnesses said that while we were at the Neptune Club, I sat on Daniel Smith’s lap and that we kissed each other passionately. I remember that before I met Daniel Smith at the Neptune Club, all I ate was a slice of pizza at the Grand Leisure Hotel. After the pizza, everything else was alcoholic drinks from vodka sprite, B52, Singaporean sling, B53, long island ice tea to bullfrog all of which I drank bottoms up. I do not recall Daniel Smith having ordered any alcoholic drink for me. My drinks were all paid for by Chris Mills who invited me to go to the Neptune Club.

6. I had no opportunity to deny in court that I kissed Daniel Smith but with the amount of alcoholic mixed drinks I took, my low tolerance level of alcohol and with only a slice of pizza all night, it dawned upon me that I may have possibly lost my inhibitions, became so intimate with Daniel Smith and did more than just dancing and talking with him like everyone else on the dance floor. Looking back, I would not have agreed to talk with Daniel Smith and dance with him no less than three times if I did not enjoy his company or was at least attracted to him since I met him for the very first time on the dance floor of Neptune Club.

7. When I danced with Daniel Smith for the third time, my companion, Chris Mills has already left Neptune Club since he had to catch their curfew time at the military base. The lighting was sufficient for people to recognize each other and other marines were with their Filipino partners drinking, dancing and enjoying each other’s company and kissing and hugging among partners was a common scene.

8. With the events at the Neptune Club in mind, I keep on asking myself, if Daniel Smith wanted to rape me, why would he carry me out of the Neptune Club using the main entrance in full view of the security guard and the other sources? Why would the van park right in front of Neptune Club? Why would Daniel Smith and his companions bring me to the seawall of Alaba Pier and casually leave this area that was well lighted and with many people roaming around? If they believed that I was raped, would they have not dumped me instead in a dimly lit area along the highway going to Alaba Pier to avoid detection?

9. I told the court that Daniel Smith kissed my lips and neck and held my breast inside the van. Recalling my testimony, I ask myself now how could I have remembered this if witnesses told the court that I passed out and looked unconscious when I was brought to the van by Daniel Smith. How could I have resisted his advances given this condition? Daniel Smith and I were alone on the third row of the van which had limited space and I do not recall anyone inside the van who held my hand or any part of my body. What I can recall is that there was very loud music and shouting inside the van.

10. If the travel from Neptune Club took only several minutes and with the driver of the van trying to beat the curfew time of his passengers, how could I have instantly regained my consciousness and talked to the people upon reaching the seawall of Alaba Pier? When people gathered around me at the seawall, everyone seemed to have drawn the conclusion that I was raped except for one who called me a bitch.

11. Based on the account of SBMA police, I was very hesitant to board the mobile police car that brought me to the headquarters for investigation. I was so confused and the first thing that entered my mind was how would my mother and boyfriend react if they learn that I was last seen with Daniel Smith and that a condom was seen on my pants after Daniel Smith left the van? I was scared of losing not only my American boyfriend but the chance of living in the United States. In fact, I did not immediately tell my boyfriend that I was raped by Daniel Smith. All I said was that something bad happened to me.

12. I expect many sectors to question my motives in executing this statement more than three years after the incident. However, as I practically grew up interacting with American servicemen in Zamboanga City who treated me and my family very well, and thinking over and over again how I may have conducted myself at the Neptune Club, I can’t help but entertain doubts on whether the sequence of events in Subic last November of 2005 really occurred the way the court found them to have happened.

13. My conscience continues to bother me realizing that I may have in fact been so friendly and intimate with Daniel Smith at the Neptune Club that he was led to believe that I was amenable to having sex or that we simply just got carried away. I would rather risk public outrage than do nothing to help the court in ensuring that justice is served.

AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.

SUZETTE S. NICOLAS
Affiant

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO BEFORE ME this 12 day of March 2009, affiant exhibiting to me her Philippine Passport No. PPO845449 bearing her photograph and signature, issued on 18 Feb 2005 at Zamboanga City and valid until 18 Feb. 2010.

Doc. No. 37
Page No. 9
Book No. 1
Series of 2009

ABRAHAM REY M. ACOSTA
Notary Public for Makati City

Tnomeralc web design toys

Toys place a big part of a child's life. it helps them to improve their imagination and skills at the early age. For some it became their refuge and source of happiness especially to those emotinally challenge children. Because of many toys available in the market some parents are having a hard time finding the right toys for their children. That's why LA Toy Store aim to provide quality toys from Tnomeralc Web Design Toys.

Tnomeralc Web Design Toys are design toys with children in mind especially childrens who need special attention or in therapy.

Tnomeralc Web Design Toys along with claremontdesign delivers quality products and designs.

All bloggers in the Philippines will need to register for a license?

Do you have a license to blog?


If the plan of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) gets approved and implemented, then all bloggers in the Philippines will need to register for a license.

This, of course, is not limited to bloggers but to anybody who creates content and publishes it online. The draft Memo can be found at .

The NTC scheduled a public hearing last January 22, 2009, but immediately cancelled it a few minutes before the scheduled hearing.

I am not privy to what their reasons are for canceling or postponing the hearing but I am hoping that the NTC will explain it on the website as to the real reason(s) for not pushing through with the hearing.

Frankly, I do not know who suggested this to the NTC but I find it absurd! From the point of view of an educator, sharing information is crucial in learning. Accessing content created by experts and peers are of equal importance to learning.

Now, imagine each student and each teacher being required to pay PhP6,300 per year just so they can post on the internet is highway robbery! How else can we allow our students to participate online?

What does this mean to our IT industry? Software developers creating web-based applications or distributing software online, creative folks who design web-sites, multimedia artists who craft audio, still and video content and all other IT-related professionals who use the internet will be burdened by this circular.

Personally, I’d rather move out of the country than be under this ridiculous rule! I am sure that IT companies who are thinking of setting up offices in the Philippines will think twice! No thanks to NTC!

The cost of publishing information online will increase and will definitely be passed on to the consumers. If this will be the case, then most will refrain from doing transactions online, which is supposed to make information access cheaper, and revert back to plain dead tree versions. Who wins? Only NTC wins because they get paid to issue a license to allow you to write a single paragraph on your blog!

I refused to admit it but this country is going backwards! Whilst the rest of the world is trying to capitalize on a new mode of information dissemination, our government, thanks to the NTC, wants to make it more difficult for its citizens to participate. In this so-called Participation Age, the NTC wants the Philippines to be left out by making it difficult for its citizens to even post a single relevant comment on a blog!

I honestly think that the NTC should push the country forward by requiring broadband providers to give better services to Filipinos. Access to information is crucial in today’s highly competitive landscape.

However, with telcos providing poor coverage, poor customer services, and relatively slow broadband connections, how can we be competitive? IMHO, NTC should require telcos to increase their broadband bandwidth offerings by doubling it every year.

Right now, we’re stuck at 3Mbps, which is PATHETIC! It would have been great if we are getting 3Mbps every single time and not only during the wee hours of the morning!

Anyway, I urge everyone to be vigilant. The NTC might announce another hearing on this circular, and just like this one, may try to slip it under our noses. Make sure that you oppose this circular because it does more harm than good for our country! (By Rom Feria)

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2009/01/26/TECH20090126146615.html

Living like a Vampire

XP or XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM is a very rare skin disease where a person is highly sensitive to sunlight(some severe cases must also avoid exposure to artificial light such as light bulbs).

Imagine XP patients have to live their life like a Vampire, Well minus the immortality and the hunger to drink human Blood. The first time I heard about this kind of disease is from the Novel "Fear Nothing" and "Seize the night" by Dean Koontz. the Protagonist Christopher Snow, has severe enough XP that he must avoid sunlight and as much artificial light as possible at all costs, living his life at night and then only by dim bulbs and candlelight.

I first thought having a disease like XP sounds cool, becauseI can live like Vampire Lestat or Edward Cullen and live a life in darkness. but I realize that XP is a no joke disease because it can lead to Skin cancer and they say the life expectancy of an XP patient is less than 30 yrs old.

____________________________

XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM
Prof. Camillo O. DI CICCO, M.D.
3rd EUROSKIN Conference - Stockholm, Sweden, September 2003
==================================================================
The first descriptions of the disease are found again in the Textbook of Dermatology, published in 1874, "On disease of the skin, including exanthemata" London - New Sydenham Society, Hebra F.-Kaposi M.
The term "Xeroderma Pigmentosum" was coined from the hungarian dermatologist Moritz Kaposi wanting in such a way to indicate a characterized disease picture from pigmented and dry skin.

Hereditary disease, trasmitted with recessive autosomical modality, the XP is characterized from extreme photosensivity that causes strict and premature damages to level of the cutis and of the eyes. Its incidence is of 1:250000 in Europe and USA, while in Japan the relationship is of 1:40000. In the child affected by XP also short exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays determines severe cutaneous sunburn with slow resolution, therefore it is from avoiding sources of ultraviolet cancellations categorically, considering moreover that the effects of the exposures are cumulative in the time. The cutaneous displays that characterize the disease, which pigmented specks, dry skin, atrophic lesion, keratoses, bubbles, carry to the apparence, also before the ten years of age, skin cancers.These manifestations are due to the defect of the mechanism of DNA repair, often develop on the face and other sun-exposed parts of the body , including the eyes, lips, and tip of the tongue. The three skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma) are presents in the XP, therefore the importance of continous controls of the patient is comprised because can be proceeded to immediate removal of whichever skin cancers. To level of the eyes, from the initial phases of the disease, in approximately 80% of the patients they are photophobia, conjunctivitis, ectropion, symblepharon with ulceration, blindness, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. To find that the skin it introduces the first alterations after the six months of life, being moreover normal to the birth. Less of 40% of the patients it survives after the twenty years of age, developing they prematurely numerous skin cancers. While the subjects with attenuated shape of the disease will be able to excedeed the medium age. Beyond the manifestations described to level of the skin and the eyes, 20% of the patients with XP introduce problems of neurological type: deafness, microcephaly, spasticity, ataxia, chorea, ophthalmoplegia and mental delay. The association of XP, hypogonadism, dwarfism, ataxia, mental delay characterized the Syndrome of De Sanctis-Cacchione. The determining causes the XP are from searching in the altered mechanism of repair of the DNA. In normality conditions,the fragment of the altered DNA comes eliminated and replaced from a new fragment syntetized, according to the called mechanism "excision-repair. The basic defect of the XP is from searching in the excision-repair of nucleotide, the NER (Global Genome GG NER - Transcription Coupled TC NER), that it determines altered repair of the DNA damaged from the ultraviolet rays. Eight types of Xeroderma Pigmentosum exsist: every type is characterized from one different genetic alteration of the repair system of the DNA. The diagnosis, beyond that clinical, can be carried out in laboratory, measuring the defect of repair of DNA. This test comes executed using skin or blood of the patient. Therapy for the Xeroderma Pigmentosum does not exist, moreover can be put into effect of the procedures that attenuate the manifestations: protection from the ultraviolet beams, frequent controls of the skin and the eyes, timely removal of the cancerous tissue, neurological controls and last but not least, psycosocial care, remembering that the children with XP are forced living during the nocturnal hours in order to avoid the sunlight

Gilbert Arenas : Everybody should visit Manila

I found this Gilbert "Agent Zero" Arenas NBA.com blog entry about he's experience when he visited major cities around the world including TManila, Philippines last July entitled Everybody Should Visit Manila.

Manila

Then we stopped in Manila. It was a different world. I’ve never
seen fans like that in my life. These pictures can’t even do justice to what was
going on out there. I had a reception at a small, little venue to welcome me to
the city and there were 200 people there. One thing I want to say about
Filipinos: they’re very warm people, very good-hearted people. Like, everybody
was nice. You know, you meet nice people, but a whole country of nice, genuine,
warm-hearted people was unbelievable. These are diehard fans. I really didn’t
know if I was in Game 7 of a playoff series, I couldn’t tell the difference.
Everywhere I went it was just bananas. I also want to give a shout out to my man
from Maryland who flew from MD to the Philippines and told me the reason he flew
all the way out there was to get autographs from me because he knew I was going
to be there at that date and time. I did a couple mall tours. I also helped a
kid with his wish. It was in one of the poverty areas in Manila and there’s a
group called GK that builds homes for people all over the world. They helped
this community out by putting people in homes. I guess a couple weeks before we
got there, a hurricane hit and destroyed their community and GK helped build it
back up. One little kid who lived there wanted a basketball court for his
community so all the kids could play so I donated – with the help of GK and
adidas – a basketball court to that community and the kid was very happy. You
have to look at the Agent Zero posters they had out there. They put me in a cape
at one of my last events in Manila. It was at one of their biggest malls and
they were predicting it was going to be crowded. I mean, crowded to me is a
Saturday afternoon at the mall where you have to wait in line for 10 minutes to
pay for your jeans. Their crowded was probably four or five thousand people in
the mall. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and I’ve seen crazy fans
all over the world. It was like Golden State against the Dallas Mavericks with
Game 3 back in Oakland. It was that type of atmosphere in the mall. I was
stunned. They made me feel like an NBA star. Any NBA players out there: If
you’re having a bad day, or you’re having a bad career, go to Manila. They’ll
bring your spirits up, trust me. I felt like I just won the NBA championship, to
be for real. After we left the mall we were looking at pictures from the event a
couple days later and we were telling ourselves, "Man, that was unreal!" Plus,
with the security I had, I felt like I was the President. I felt like I was
Obama. I really felt like I was running in the presidential election, especially
when I got to meet the U.S. ambassador out in the Philippines. We had a great
time talking to each other. We actually went to a college basketball game
together. Their college game would be like if it was Duke and Maryland playing
each other and you split the crowd in half, 50-50. One side of their gym was
blue and one side of their gym was green and everybody was just yelling.
Backstage I met Manny Pacquiao, he’s the town hero. I have to be honest, they
made me feel even bigger than him at the moment. I talked to him and he invited
me to his November fight, so if I have time and depending on if we have a day
off, I might go see that. Oh, I also met Jet Li in Shanghai, can’t leave him
out. On top of everything else in Manila, I stayed at the best hotel I’ve ever
stayed at – The Peninsula. I was in the mack daddy “El Presidente” suite and was
like the Fresh Prince with Geoffrey – I had a live-in butler. One more note on
Manila, just so you guys can get a picture of what kind of people they are and
how much they adore and love entertainers and the NBA. Think about this: If
you’ve ever been to a Beyoncé concert, or anybody’s concert in the states
really, if they sell out an arena it will be 20,000 fans. Last year in Beyoncé’s
hometown, Houston, she pulled in 12,000 people to her show. D.C. was her biggest
sell, she put 18,000 people in the seats. Meanwhile, she was in Manila for two
days to do two concerts and she had 85,000 people, two nights straight. She
couldn’t even do it in the arena, she had to do it on the lawn. Like,
“Everybody, y’all just get in the grass, I’m going to perform.” That’s how the
people are out there.

A World without Filipino

Imagine a world without Filipinos
Abdullah Al-Maghlooth Al-Watan, almaghlooth@alwatan.com.sa
from arabnews.com

Muhammad Al-Maghrabi became handicapped and shut down his flower and gifts shop
business in Jeddah after his Filipino workers insisted on leaving and returning
home. He says: “When they left, I felt as if I had lost my arms. I was so sad
that I lost my appetite.”

Al-Maghrabi then flew to Manila to look for
two other Filipino workers to replace the ones who had left. Previously, he had
tried workers of different nationalities but they did not impress him. “There is
no comparison between Filipinos and others,” he says. Whenever I see Filipinos
working in the Kingdom, I wonder what our life would be without them.

Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Filipino workers — 1,019,577 —
outside the Philippines. In 2006 alone, the Kingdom recruited more than 223,000
workers from the Philippines and their numbers are still increasing. Filipinos
not only play an important and effective role in the Kingdom, they also perform
different jobs in countries across the world, including working as sailors. They
are known for their professionalism and the quality of their work.

Nobody here can think of a life without Filipinos, who make up around 20
percent of the world’s seafarers. There are 1.2 million Filipino sailors.

So if Filipinos decided one day to stop working or go on strike for any
reason, who would transport oil, food and heavy equipment across the world? We
can only imagine the disaster that would happen.

What makes Filipinos
unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training
they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several
specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing
in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly
competent in these vital areas.

When speaking about the Philippines, we
should not forget Filipino nurses. They are some 23 percent of the world’s total
number of nurses. The Philippines is home to over 190 accredited nursing
colleges and institutes, from which some 9,000 nurses graduate each year. Many
of them work abroad in countries such as the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Singapore.

Cathy Ann, a 35-year-old
Filipino nurse who has been working in the Kingdom for the last five years and
before that in Singapore, said she does not feel homesick abroad because “I am
surrounded by my compatriots everywhere.” Ann thinks that early training allows
Filipinos to excel in nursing and other vocations. She started learning this
profession at the age of four as her aunt, a nurse, used to take her to hospital
and ask her to watch the work. “She used to kiss me whenever I learned a new
thing. At the age of 11, I could do a lot. I began doing things like measuring
my grandfather’s blood pressure and giving my mother her insulin injections,”
she said.

This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom.
Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except
boredom.

The Philippines, which you can barely see on the map, is a very
effective country thanks to its people. It has the ability to influence the
entire world economy.

We should pay respect to Filipino workers, not
only by employing them but also by learning from their valuable experiences.

We should learn and educate our children on how to operate and maintain
ships and oil tankers, as well as planning and nursing and how to achieve
perfection in our work. This is a must so that we do not become like Muhammad
Al-Maghrabi who lost his interest and appetite when Filipino workers left his
flower shop.

We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the
Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they chose to leave us.

Brain two sides: Right or Left - which side are you?

Brain is a major organ of the central nervous system, controlling all bodily activities. It is divided down in the middle into two sides. These sides are called the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere

Look at the picture on the right(dont focus on the shadowy image of a nude woman but its movement).

If you see it moving clockwise, it is most likely that you use your right brain more and theres a huge chance that your a left-handed. people who often use there right brain also called non-verbal thinking or strongly visual, and often regarded as more creative. If you see it moving counter-clockwise its means that your left brain is dominant and according to studies, 95 to 97% of left-brained people are right-handed. language functions such as grammar and vocabulary often are lateralized to the left hemisphere of the brain and most likely that you are not good in numbers and have poor mental arithmetic skills.

but it doesn't mean that one side of brain are better than the other half. there is no right or wrong here; it's merely two different ways of thinking.

Left hemisphere functions	Right hemisphere functions
analytical	holistic
verbal	prosodic
logical	intuitive
numerical computation (exact calculation, numerical comparison, estimation) left hemisphere only: direct fact retrieval	numerical computation (approximate calculation, numerical comparison, estimation)
language: grammar/vocabulary, literal	language: intonation/accentuation, prosody, pragmatic, contextual

From Wikipedia

Quizes to determine what side of the brain you use more.
Right Brain / Left Brain Quiz for Artists
Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz
Left Brain Right Brain Quiz for Teens
Hemispheric Dominance Inventory Test