Car dealers’ murders: ‘Even Satan will be horrified’

Image Source: Abs-cbnnews.com

 “Even Satan will be horrified to see what they have done.”

Thus did a tearful Arsenio Evangelista confirm Tuesday that the charred body found by a farmer in the remote barangay of Buliran on Friday was that of his missing son, car dealer Venson Evangelista.

Also last week, the charred bodies of car dealer Emerson Lozano and his driver, Ernane Sensil, were found in Porac, Pampanga, and La Paz, Tarlac, respectively.

“There seems to be a relationship between the [Lozano and Evangelista] cases. That’s why we are readying a joint case conference. I suggested maybe we can merge the two cases,” said Chief Supt. Benjardi Mantele, the Quezon City Police District director.

Supt. Eliseo Cruz, Cabanatuan police chief, said a farmer found Evangelista’s body, with a deep wound in the nape and packaging tape covering the face, near an irrigation canal in Purok 1 in Buliran.

The body had been burned with the use of a rubber tire, Cruz said.

The father said he had found it difficult to match his son’s features—“Steven Seagal-type” hair, height of 5 feet 9 inches—with the burned corpse that appeared to be shorter. Read More...

Source: Inquirer.net


Jan. 19, 2011 Update on Investigation: Probers identify suspects in Lozano, Evangelista killings

Spring Picnic Ideas

by Picnicrecipesandgames.com

Image Source: Lxixixl.com

Plant a tree. Go to your favorite picnic spot and plant a tree. This is a great picnic idea because they can water the tree whenever you come back for your next picnic.

Catching Butterflies. This one is more for late spring but catching butterflies can be a great spring picnic activity for both boys and girls. Don't forget the butterfly nets!

Bird Watching. Spring may well be the best time for bird watching. Birds always seem busiest in the spring time. It shouldn't be hard to find a bird making a nest or tending to baby birds.

Nature Walk. A scroll through the forest can give you some nice alone time. Find a good spot to have a romantic picnic along the way and just enjoy the tranquility of the forest.

Rowboat ride on a pond. This is one of the most time-tested romantic spring picnic ideas.

Horseback Riding. A casual horseback ride out on the countryside is another classic romantic picnic idea. This is an especially good romantic idea for a spring picnic because you don't have to contend with the hot summer sun.

Badminton. This is a fun game to bring along to a picnic because the equipment is so light and easy to carry. It's also a simple game that anyone can learn in just a few minutes.

Hiking. Take a hike to a scenic view or natural landmark.

Mountain Biking. For those of you who are a little more adventurous, try mountain biking. It's certainly great exercise and you can easily pack a light picnic to along with you. Picnic Backpacks are great for these

Anne Hathaway to guest star on Fox's 'Glee,' portray a lesbian aunt

Image Source: contactmusic.com

Anne Hathaway has been hired to be a guest star on the music-themed comedy series "Glee," the TV show's executive producer said.

Brad Falchuck told UsMagazine.com Hathaway will play the lesbian aunt of the show's gay character, Kurt.
"It was her idea, and (with) someone like her, it's sort of hard to say no!" Falchuck said. "We don't generally get excited about guest stars just for the sake of guest stars, but when you have someone like Gwyneth (Paltrow) or Anne Hathaway, where you can say, 'They are amazing' ... they are big gifts to you."

Paltrow appeared on "Glee" earlier this season and sang several songs.

Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt, said he can't wait to work with Hathaway, star of "The Princess Diaries," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Becoming Jane" and "Love & Other Drugs."

"Anne Hathaway lesbian -- that sentence is awesome!" he told UsMagazine.com. "I am very much looking forward to that."

Source: realitytvworld.com

Scientists to Resurrect Long-Extinct Mammoth

Japanese researchers will launch a project to resurrect the long extinct mammoth by using cloning technology to bring the ancient pachyderm back to life in about five years.

The researchers will try to revive the species by obtaining tissue this summer from the carcass of a mammoth preserved in a Russian research laboratory, the "Yomiuri Shimbun" reported.

"Preparations to realise this goal have been made," Akira Iritani, leader of the team and a professor emeritus of Kyoto University, told the Daily.

Under the plan, the nuclei of mammoth cells will be inserted into an elephant's egg cells from which the nuclei have been removed to create an embryo containing mammoth genes, it said.

The embryo will then be inserted into an elephant's womb in the hope that the animal will eventually give birth to a baby mammoth. Researches hope to achieve their aim within five to six years, the Yomiuri said.

Source: Inquirer.net

Baby-Swinging Yoga Is Real

Lena Fokina, the hardbodied Russian viral video star seen swinging babies here and here, is real. She teaches baby yoga for a living and raised two (seemingly) healthy daughters that way. And she just gave her first American interview!

Lena has a website where she advertises herself as a childrearing expert based in Dahab, Egypt. We tracked her down through her Russian booking agent, but were unable to interview her because of the language barrier. Enter Nathan Thornburgh: He's a daddy blogger and who writes about Russia for Time magazine. He interviewed Lena in her native Russian, and got her to explain her "extreme developmental gymnastics" techniques.

Source: Gawker.com

Goodbye, Hannah Montana!

Miley Cyrus all grown up

Image Source: Yahoo

by Claudine Zap, Yahoo!

Bye-bye, Hannah Montana: The 18-year-old finally puts her Disney Channel role to bed. The finale of "Hannah Montana Forever," will air this weekend. The hit TV show launched four years ago and rocketed the young star to massive fame.


Watch the Video: Miley Cyrus Says Farewell To Hannah Montana

7 Myths About Freelance Writing Online

Image Source: interactiveinsightsgroup.com

by Ali Hale

You want to earn a bit of extra money. Or you’d love to be a published writer. Or you’re looking for an exciting and rewarding career. Whatever your reason, you’ve started to think about freelance writing online.

It sounds like a dream come true: you could work from home, at any time of the day (or night), and get good money for writing about topics that interest you.

Except … something’s stopping you. You’ve started believing one – or more – of these harmful myths.

Today, I want to show you that these myths just aren’t true. There’s no reason to let any of them hold you back.

#1: It’s too late to make money freelance writing online

#2: Online writing gigs don’t pay as well as print ones

#3: You need technical knowledge to freelance write online

#4: You need an English or Journalism major to be a freelance writer

#5: Receiving payments is hard. You’ll need an accountant and a merchant bank account

#6: Only people living in the US can become successful freelance writers

#7: You need to be an expert in one field before you can find freelance jobs

View Full Article Here: Dailywritingtips.com

One-Year-Old Boy Drowns in Bathtub As Mother Plays Games on Facebook

34-year-old Shannon Johnson has been arrested after telling police officers that the reason her one-year-old son drowned in a bathtub several months ago is because she was busy playing a game on Facebook and left him to bathe unsupervised.

According to the arrest affidavit for this incident—which you can find below—Johnson was playing a Facebook game called Cafe World as well as browsing her news feed and uploading videos during the time her son was in the bathtub. She apparently only checked in on him once over the course of a ten-minute period and justified it by saying that she felt "her son was preternaturally independent, and simply wanted to be alone."

Once she noticed that the bathroom was oddly silent, Johnson rushed to check on her son only to find him "lying sideways, with his face submerged." She immediately took him to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Johnson is facing potential charges of child abuse resulting in neglectful death.

Source: Gizmodo.com

Journalists Made to Undress

Israel Apologizes for Making Journalists Take Off All Their Clothes

Journalists invited to a party hosted by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were forced to undergo an intensive strip search Thursday, taking off pants, shirts and bras. Now the Israeli Press office says sorry for the stripping.

The controversy was dubbed "bra-gate" by the Israeli press, owing to the fact that Al Jazeera reporter Najwan Simri Diab (above) was turned away from the party after she refused to remove her bra for security. (Apparently, Israel also "-Gates"?) The incident prompted the Foreign Press Association to issue a statement, after a number of journalists were given the TSA-from-hell treatment:

While we appreciate the need for security, it is not remotely acceptable to invite people for cocktails at a five-star hotel and then make them undress at the door.

Several members were forced to remove their underwear, waiting for as long as 20 minutes in this humiliating situation while security checked their documents. Others, including the bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal, were strip-searched and forced to take off their pants. A number of members walked out of the event in disgust following this despicable treatment.

And Sharine Tadros had a good burn in a blog post:

As female journalists working in this region we constantly find ourselves putting clothes on to please Hamas and taking them off to please the Israelis.

We have to say, this does seem very strange. At American media parties all the stripping happens after the party, at the bar next door. [New York Times]

Send an email to Adrian Chen, the author of this post, at adrian@gawker.com.

Source: Gawker.com

iPad's New Secret Tricks

We've discovered a little gem in the iOS 4.3 beta: Four and five finger multi-touch gesture support for the iPad. Here's how it looks in action.

Each of the new gestures can be done with either four or five fingers—your choice—and they all work smoothly. A pinch brings you to the Home Screen, a swipe up or down reveals and hides the multitasking bar, and swipes left or right allow you to switch between apps.

All the gestures feel natural—particularly the Home Screen pinch—and at no point during my testing did I feel like I would accidentally trigger one of them.

Send an email to Rosa Golijan, the author of this post, at rgolijan@gizmodo.com.

Source: gizmodo.com

Willie suspends dance group for infighting

Willie Revillame announced the suspension of the show's dance group WW Girls citing infighting between members that even reached social networking site Twitter.

"Mga matitigas ang ulo. Suspendido po sila hindi alam, indefinite kung babalik pa sila o hindi. Awayan ng awayan, awayan ng awayan. Pati sa twitter ho nag-aawayan. Yan ang disiplinang sinasabi ko. Biruin mo, programa niyo ‘to e magkakasama kayo dito. Sabi ko sa inyo, pumikit kayo, ibalik niyo yung dati niyong ginagawa nung nandun tayo sa kabilang istasyon, at anong buhay niyo ngayon. Ang lalaki ng sweldo niyo, almost 40 thousand, may kotse pang libre," Willie divulged in the Jan. 12 episode of Willing Willie.

According to Revillame, fighting within his show is strictly prohibited. "No one is indispensable," he said.

Anna Feliciano, the group's dance choreographer along with the show's staff and crew served as substitutes for the WW Girls while the dance group undergoes indefinite suspension. Despite the girls absence the show went on, lively as usual.

Source: Yahoo Philippines

Snow in 49 states

Thanks to unusual weather patterns, there's snow on the ground in 49 out of 50 US states, including Hawaii.

Source: csmonitor.com

Get out the toboggans and winter gloves: There's snow on the ground in 49 out of 50 U.S. states – including Hawaii.

The only state that isn't at least partially a winter wonderland today is Florida, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The agency estimates that 70.9 percent of the country is currently covered by snow. [Read: What Are the Chances of a White Christmas Everywhere?]

"It's not typical," NWS public affairs officer James Peronto told LiveScience. The National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center, which tracks snowfall, doesn't keep statistics on the average snow cover, Peronto said. However, in December, an average of 35 percent of the United States had snow on the ground.

Seattle Superheroes Provide Assistance For Stranded Motorist

Image Source: dailymail.co.uk

“Superheroes” from Seattle’s Rain City Superhero Movement have struck again, this time helping a stranded motorist.

Walter Gray and his daughter were stuck on the side of Interstate 5 in Shoreline after running out of gas, when Phoenix Jones, who KIRO 7 recently interviewed, and some of his partners showed up to help.

“This guy runs up, and I roll down the window, and he says, ‘Phoenix Jones,’ as he introduces himself, ‘Rain City Superhero,’” Gray said. “And he’s dressed up in this molded rubber suit and seriously looks like a superhero.”

The group was able to get Gray’s car started and they sent Gray and his daughter on their way.

See Actual Footage Here

Source: reallifesuperheroes

Ted Williams a.k.a The Golden Voice to Enter Rehab

Image Source: TMZ.com

Ted Williams revealed to Dr. Phil McGraw, in an episode of Dr. Phil set to air tomorrow, that he had resumed drinking alcohol and agreed to enter a private treatment facility for his addiction. According to a statement from the Dr. Phil Show, Williams was joined by his family on the show and they discussed the recent altercation with his daughter in a Hollywood hotel that drew police attention.

“If Ted is ever going to get better, he’s got to be honest with himself and admit he’s addicted to drugs and alcohol,” said Dr. Phil, in the show’s release. “I’ve told him it’s not going to be easy and it’s going to take a lot of hard work. It might be a long journey for him, but this is a big step in the right direction.”

Source: EW.Com (Entertainment Weekly)

Talking On Your Cell Phone Could Make You Drive Safer

Source: Jalopnik.com

Moves to bar drivers from using cell phones have been driven by the mantra that a phone-holding driver is as dangerous as a drunk one. However, a new study found cell phones may actually keep some drivers safer. Here's how.

The original claim grew from research by psychologists at the University of Utah in 2003, who used driving simulators to test volunteers' reactions while talking and while drunk. The result: "Driving while talking on a cell phone is as bad as or maybe worse than driving drunk," the researchers reported.

***

The new study comes from economists Saurabh Bhargava at the University of Chicago and Vikram Pathania of the London School of Economics. They come at the question from a different direction, starting by using data from a cell phone company on up to 440,000 calls made from California drivers during an 11-day period in 2005. The researchers were able to separate drivers from other users by filtering for calls that switched among cell towers.

Explanations? The economists offer three possible takes. People who start talking while driving become more cautious. People who act like jackholes behind the wheel with a cellphone will act the same without one. And although cellphones clearly distract some drivers, they may also help other drivers stay alert.

Read Full Article Here

Bamboo Disbanded

After nearly a decade of successful concerts and album launches, Bamboo a popular band amongst young adults in the Philippines have just disbanded.

The announcement was made by no other than Bamboo Mañalac, the band’s vocalist and has been released on their official website.

Bamboo did not disclose the specifics, though he pointed out that it has something to do with their individual plans. Before ending the note he stressed that although they disbanded, they will not quit their music careers.

See Bamboo's Official Announcement Here

Dennis Rodman to Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame forward Scottie Pippen said he hopes former teammate Dennis Rodman gets into the Basketball Hall of Fame, which has him on its nomination list this season. Rodman led the league in rebounding seven straight seasons and was named to the All-Defensive team eight times.

Finalists for the Hall are announced during the NBA All-Star weekend. “We all watched Dennis’ career and we know just how good he was as a basketball player,” Pippen said. “I think we all got caught up in his antics, and things he did away from the game, and it sort of disrespected or took attention away from what he did on the basketball court. But he is surely a Hall of Famer.”

Pippen said he does not think Rodman’s “antics” should keep him out of the Hall. “I want to hope the people who voted to get me in saw the same thing that I saw in an opponent and as a teammate,” Pippen said. “That would be a player who had a very high IQ, played at a very high level and at the end of the day proved to be one of the best who ever played the game.”

Source: NBA.com

Solve Sodoku Puzzles in No Time

New Google Goggles app that solves Sudoku puzzles

You could say it rather defeats the game's purpose.

But Google has unveiled a new version of its Goggles app that it says can solve any Sudoku puzzles just by snapping a picture of it. The internet giant has produced a short video which it has posted on its blog and YouTube which shows how the puzzle-solving application works.

The firm sent one of its software engineers, simply equipped with a Google Nexus S smartphone, to take on 2009 Sudoku champion Tammy McLeod. Even with a decent headstart, the human competitor was well and truly trounced by the Sudoku novice equipped with the app.

The user simply takes a photo of the puzzle with the smartphone's camera and text recognition software recognises the numbers and works out the answer within seconds, before filling in the grid's squares. Unsurprisingly, Google Goggles is banned from Sudoku competitions.

The new 1.3 version of Google Goggles can also scan barcodes 'almost instantly', the firm's blog claims. After opening Goggles and hovering over the barcode the phone vibrates when it has recognised the product and will bring back web reviews and price comparison sites. Read More...

Lose 1Kg of Weight Per Week

Image: stayfitbug.com

A New Hope for Fat People?

Hands up everyone whose new year's resolution is to lose weight. Wouldn't it be great if we could just take a pill to shed fat? Time and again "diet pills" have turned out to be useless, dangerous or both – but now there may finally be a safe one that works.

Zafgen, a start-up drug company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has announced that its first human test of a drug named ZGN-433 caused 24 obese women to lose, on average, a kilogram a week for a month – with no harmful side effects. The trial could not be extended past a month without initial safety tests at a range of doses – which was the purpose of this trial. The detailed results will be reported next week at a conference on obesity in Keystone, Colorado. Read More...

Facebook will end on March 15 --a Hoax!

Facebook denies shutdown rumors

LAS VEGAS (AFP) – A rumor Facebook was shutting down wafted over the Web, forcing the hugely popular social network to deny it had any intention of closing.

The rumor was started by a satirical online website whose other news flashes include such items as "Alien Spaceships to Attack Earth in 2011" and "George Clooney Running for President."

As unlikely as it would seem that the social network with more than 500 million members would shut down, the rumor spread rapidly on Twitter and on Facebook itself.
Facebook denied it was shutting down in a statement posted on... Facebook.

"We didn't get the memo about shutting down, so we'll keep working away like always. We aren't going anywhere; we're just getting started," it said.

Cleveland Woes

by Longbackers

What a reversal of fortune. Imagine having the best NBA record for the two previous, and consecutive years, now they have one of the worst win-loss slate in the 2010-2011 NBA season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are also dead last in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference with a 8-29 record. Since losing Lebron James to free agency last summer, their offense and defense proficiency plunged down. The Cavs' points per game last season was 102.1, but through 36 games this season, their PPG have dropped to 94.08, a difference of -8.02.

Last season, James was their leader in two departments, in points and assists category. James lead the Cavs with 29.7 ppg and 8.6 ast per ball game. He almost lead the team in rebounds as his average of 7.3 rebounds per game is second to Anderson Varejao's 7.6 rpg. James definitely left a huge vacuum in Cleveland's offense. Because of his thirst for the elusive NBA crown, he and Chris Bosh from the Toronto Raptors, decided to join Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat in pursuit of their goal of getting this year's NBA championship and for many seasons to come.

Taking the scoring load to replace James is All-star forward Antawn Jamison, who is averaging 16.4 ppg, followed by point guard Mo Williams at 14.5 ppg, not enough to lead the Cavs for another winning season. Meanwhile, Anderson Varejao has improved his rebounding average from 7.6 rpg to 9.7 rpg. Leading in the assists department is Williams, at 7.4 dimes per game. With the way they're playing this season, the Cavs are likely to go to the lottery, hoping that they could get the same luck as they did in 2003 when they drafted James as the overall number 1 pick, the same draft class that boasts of present day NBA elites like Wade, Bosh, Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets who is likely to be traded to the New Jersey Nets anytime this month.

But I don't think they'll be instant contenders even if they win the lottery for next year's draft. I've never heard yet of any college player in the USNCAA who is going to make an immediate impact for next season. The only big time player entering the NBA would be Spain's Ricky Rubio, however his draft rights are already owned by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The only chance that they could acquire a marquee player is to try to trade their 2011 or 2012 first round picks in exchange for high quality players that would help them get back to the playoff scene and be a contender for the championship.

Next summer's big named free agent will be Carmelo Anthony, however, it looks like he'll be heading to another Eastern Conference team. Based on the latest press release, The New Jersey Nets are already close in acquiring Anthony via three team trade involving the Nuggets and Detroit Pistons. The Cavs should study very well their options, better plan now, anyway, the way they're playing, they'll surely be heading for the lottery.

Tweet Fridge: Now you can tweet from your kitchen

CES: Who really needs a $3000 fridge that can tweet?
January 7, 2011
by Peter Nowak

The last time I went into the kitchen to fetch a midnight snack, I couldn't help but look at my refrigerator wistfully and think, "If only I could send tweets from you."

Fortunately, Samsung has got me and the millions of other late-night snackers/Twitterers who are surely out there covered. At this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the
South Korean company introduced a fridge equipped with speakers, a touch-screen and wi-fi, which means downloadable apps - including Twitter - are at the ready.

All kidding aside, why would anybody in their right mind want to tweet from their refrigerator?
"It's for sharing recipes," said Samsung spokesperson Adam Lee.

Uh huh, sure. It's a safe bet this is one app that will get little use and will ultimately find itself under the heading of "bad convergence ideas," right up there with television-equipped refrigerators from LG. Read more...

Fil-Am wins Best Cinematographer at New York Critics Circle

Source: mb.com.ph

(Repost) December 15, 2010, 11:39am

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino-American Matthew Libatique bagged the Best Cinematographer plum Dec. 14 (Manila time) at the New York Critics Circle Awards for his work in “Black Swan.”

Major trophies went to “The Social Network” (Best Film and Best Director for David Fincher), Annette Bening (Best Actress for “The Kids Are All Right”), and Colin Firth (Best Actor for “The King's Speech”).

This is Libatique’s second triumph for “Black Swan” after winning the same award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Sunday. Read more...

Fil-Am lenses ‘Black Swan,’ both ‘Iron Man’ movies

Source: jdmfilmreviews.com

(Repost) First Posted 21:15:00 11/25/2010

LOS ANGELES—Matthew Libatique is quite possibly the top Filipino-American creative talent working behind the scenes in the US film industry today. At 42, the cinematographer, who traces his family roots to Pangasinan and Quezon, has chalked up major film credits, including the two “Iron Man” movies directed by Jon Favreau.

The lensman, whom friends and colleagues call Matty, shot “Black Swan,” a strong contender in this awards season and his latest collaboration with director Darren Aronofsky since “Requiem for a Dream,” “The Fountain,” “Pi” and “Protozoa,” a short film from their American Film Institute (AFI) graduate student days. Matty won a Best Cinematography trophy from the Independent Spirit Awards for “Requiem…” Read More...

Lindsay Lohan Poised to Revive Interrupted Career after Rehab Release

Controversial Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan was out of rehab after more than two months of rehabilitation from alcohol and drugs, TMZ reported Tuesday. Following her discharge, Lindsay went to the gym to do some work-out before catching up with friends.

Lohan, who was caught on video giving short responses to one TMZ paparazzi before eluding a group of photographers, was seen still wearing a wristlet on her right hand similar to that of a SCRAM bracelet.

A SCRAM device monitors alcohol level in the blood by measuring the ethanol concentration of the bearer’s perspiration. Lindsay was required by a US court last October 2010 to wear such item while she was on probation after found guilty in drunk driving.

Lindsay’s acting career was in good shape before it was interrupted in 2007, when she was penalized due to Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and her reported visits to a drug rehabilitation center. She lost several movie deals following a string of scandals reported in the media. Last September, Lindsay reportedly said she wants her career back.

Lindsay’s career was soaring prior to the issues she faced in 2007; it can be remembered that she gained fame for her leading roles in the films Freaky Friday, Mean Girls and Herbie: Fully Loaded.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines where the media is not short of road accident to report every day, there is no particular law that defines and penalizes Driving Under the Influence (DUI). Drunk driving itself is not a criminal offense here. That is why no less than the Philippine’s former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who is now a lawmaker, filed a bill in August 2010 to criminalize drunk driving.

Ironically the Philippine government is working against drunk driving, while the sale of liquor in the country is not totally regulated. Perhaps, the government cannot afford a total ban due to large taxes collected from liquor manufacturers.

Moreover, while the road enforcement branch of the government campaigns the slogan “don’t drink and drink”, a non-government organization (NGO) at the same time has a unique campaign and that is to stop drinking alcoholic drinks at all.

In the media sector, there is one that advocates against liquor drinking. UNTV, a local television station in the Philippines regularly airs in their daily broadcast an infomercial that encourages the public to cease from drinking alcoholic drinks. The public service channel cites alcoholic drinks’ negative effects to people’s health and to the society as a whole. They also have an infomercial against illegal drugs.

The infomercials were part of the Isang Araw Lang (Just One Day) campaign initiated by the TV station’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Daniel Razon, who is also popularly known as Kuya (Big Brother).

The theme of Kuya Daniel’s ‘Isang Araw Lang’ means to start a rightful act and to sustain it.  Undeniably, the themes and the wordings of the infomercials relate to the viewer’s attention in a way that if they think over the facts being laid upon them in those plugs they will act on it accordingly.