Journalist's Overview

PNoy's SONA

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:39:00 +0800

Message flagged

Monday, 25 July 2011 5:00 PM

Message Body

State of the Nation Address

His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III

President of the Philippines

To the Congress of the Philippines

[English translation of the speech delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City on July 25, 2011]

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.; Vice President Jejomar Binay; former Presidents Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada; Chief Justice Renato Corona and the honorable Justices of the Supreme Court; honorable members of the diplomatic corps; members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; Local Government Officials; members of our Cabinet; members of the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police; to my fellow servants of the Filipino people;

And to my beloved countrymen, my Bosses:

I stood before you during my inauguration and promised: we would do away with the use of the wang-wang. This one gesture has become the symbol of change, not just in our streets, but even in our collective attitude.

Over the years, the wang-wang had come to symbolize abuse of authority. It was routinely used by public officials to violate traffic laws, inconveniencing ordinary motorists—as if only the time of the powerful few, and no one else’s, mattered. Instead of behaving like public servants, they acted like kings. This privilege was extended to their cronies and patrons, who moved along the streets as if they were aristocracy, indifferent to those who were forced to give way and were left behind. Abusing privilege despite promising to serve—this is the wang-wang mindset; this is the mindset of entitlement.

They had no right to do this. The law authorizes only the President, the Vice President, the Senate President, the Speaker, the Chief Justice, and police vehicles, fire trucks, and ambulances to use sirens in the fulfillment of their official duties—no one else. Yet the flagrant abuse we bore witness to prompts us to ask: if they felt it their privilege to flout the simplest traffic laws, how could we expect them not to help themselves to a share of projects funded by the Filipino people?

Do you want the corrupt held accountable? So do I. Do you want to see the end of wang-wang, both on the streets and in the sense of entitlement that has led to the abuse that we have lived with for so long? So do I. Do you want to give everyone a fair chance to improve their lot in life? So do I.

We have fought against the wang-wang, and our efforts have yielded results. Just this year, the number of Filipinos who experienced hunger has come down. Self-rated hunger has gone down from 20.5% in March to 15.1% this June—equivalent to a million Filipino families who used to go hungry, but who now say they eat properly every day.

As for business, who would have thought that the stock market would reach seven record highs in the past year? At one time, we thought that for the PSE Index to reach 4,000 points would be, at best, a fluke. We now routinely exceed this threshold.

Our once low credit ratings have now been upgraded by Moody’s, Standard and Poors, Fitch, and Japan Credit Ratings Agency—in recognition of our prudent use of funds and creative financial management. These improved credit ratings mean lower interest on our debts. Our innovative fiscal approach has saved taxpayers 23 billion pesos in the first four months of this year. This is enough to cover the 2.3 million conditional cash transfer beneficiaries for the entire year.

Let me remind you: in the nine and a half years before we were elected into office, our credit ratings were upgraded once, and downgraded six times by the different credit ratings agencies. Compare this to the four upgrades we have achieved in the single year we have been in office. This was no small feat, considering that the upgrades came after ratings agencies have grown considerably more conservative in their assessments, especially in the wake of criticism they received after the recent American financial crisis. But while they have downgraded the ratings of other countries, they have upgraded ours, so that we are now just one notch below investment grade. Our economic team is hard at work to sustain the momentum.

And allow me to share more good news from the Department of Energy: having rid the DOE of wang-wang, we have revived the confidence of investors in our energy sector. 140 companies, all ready to participate in the exploration and strengthening of our oil and natural gas resources, can attest to this. Compare this to the last energy contracting round in 2006, which saw the participation of only 35 companies. Just last Friday, a new contract was signed for a power plant to be constructed in the Luzon grid, so that by 2014, our country will have a cheaper, more reliable source of energy.

There is confidence and there is hope; the government is now fulfilling its promises. And I cannot help but remember a woman I spoke with during one of my first house-to-house campaigns. She lamented: “It won’t matter who wins these elections. Nothing will change. I was poor when our leaders campaigned, I am poor now that they are in office, and I will still be poor when they step down.” This is a grievance echoed by many: “Our leaders didn’t care about us then, our leaders don’t care about us now, and our leaders will not care about us tomorrow.”

Given the persistence of the wang-wang attitude, wasn’t their sentiment justified? This was the attitude that allowed helicopters to be bought as if they were brand new, but had in fact already been extensively used. This was the attitude that allowed GOCC officials, like those in the Philippine National Construction Corporation, to pay themselves millions of pesos in bonuses, even as they failed to render decent service and plunged their respective agencies deeper into debt. Before they stepped down from their positions, the former heads of the PNCC gifted themselves with two hundred and thirty-two million pesos. Their franchise had lapsed in 2007; their collections should have been remitted to the national government. They did not do this, and in fact even took advantage of their positions: the bonuses they allotted to themselves in the first 6 months of 2010 was double the amount of their bonuses from 2005-2009. Yet they had the audacity to award themselves midnight bonuses, when they had already drowned their agencies in debt.

To end the wang-wang culture in government, we employed zero-based budgeting to review programs. For this year and the last, zero-based budgeting has allowed us to end many wasteful programs.

For example, we uncovered and stopped an ill-advised plan to dredge Laguna Lake. We would have borrowed 18.7 billion pesos to remove 12 million cubic meters of silt—which would have re-accumulated within three years, even before the debt could be fully paid. We also uncovered a food-for-school program with no proper targeting of beneficiaries, and other initiatives that were funded without apparent results. All of these were discontinued, and the funds rechanneled to more effective programs.

The budget is the clearest manifestation of the straight path upon which we tread. I say to those who would lead us astray: if you will further disadvantage the poor, do not even think about it. If all you would do is to fill your own pockets, do not even think about it. If it is not for the benefit of the Filipino people, do not even think about it.

I wish we could say that we had completely eliminated the wang-wang attitude, but in some parts of our consciousness, it still persists.

It still exists in the private sector. According to the BIR, we have around 1.7 million self-employed and professional taxpayers: lawyers, doctors, businessmen who paid a total of 9.8 billion pesos in 2010. This means that each of them paid only an average of 5,783 pesos in income tax—and if this is true, then they each must have earned only 8,500 pesos a month, which is below the minimum wage. I find this hard to believe.

Today we can see that our taxes are going where they should, and therefore there is no reason not to pay the proper taxes. I say to you: it’s not just the government, but our fellow citizens, who are cheated out of the benefits that these taxes would have provided.

We are holding accountable—and we will continue to hold accountable—those who practice this culture of entitlement in all government offices, as there are still some who think they can get away with it. A district in Region 4B, for example, began a project worth 300 million pesos, well beyond the 50 million pesos that district engineers can sign off on their own. But they could not leave such a potentially large payday alone.

So they cut the project up into components that would not breach the 50 million peso limit that would have required them to seek clearance from the regional and central offices. They tried to keep this system going. And often, since lump-sum funding was being used for the projects, no questions were asked about the plans or project details. They could have been spinning webs and they would have still been given the funds, so long as they knew someone in power.

Secretary Babes Singson did not let them get away with this. He removed the district engineer from his post, and suspended the awarding of the project in an effort to uncover other anomalies that may have happened. A thorough investigation of all those involved in the case is underway; we will blacklist all contractors proven to have engaged in foul play.

Because the project had to be delayed, Filipinos who would have otherwise benefited from them are still made to face unnecessary inconveniences.

These anomalies are not limited to Region 4B. We are putting an end to them. We are eliminating the patronage politics that had been prevalent in DPWH, and replacing it with a culture in which merit prevails. All projects must have work programs; we will require those involved in projects to submit well thought out plans for consideration, so that each project complements the other. We have also instituted an honest and transparent bidding process to provide equal opportunity to interested contractors.

Because of this, we have already saved 2.5 billion pesos, and expect to save 6 to 7 billion by the end of this year. The most important thing, however, is that now, we can count on well-paved roads—as opposed to the fragile pothole-ridden paths that our people had grown used to. Once, we believed that the system in the DPWH was impossible to fix; but look—it’s possible, and we’re fixing it.

Even in agriculture, the culture of wang-wang once persisted. Before we came into office in 2010, the Philippines imported 2.3 million metric tons of rice, which was already a million metric tons more than the 1.3 million that we needed. We even had to pay extra for warehouses to store the rice acquired through excessive importation.

How many years have we been over-importing rice? Many Filipinos thought that there was nothing we could do about it.

We proved them wrong in the span of a year. What was once an estimated yearly shortage of 1.3 million metric tons is down to 660,000—that’s almost half of the original amount. Even with our buffer of 200,000 metric tons as contingency against natural calamities, it is still significantly less than what was once the norm.

Our success in this sector was not brought about by mere luck. This is simply the result of doing things right: using the most effective types of seedlings, and careful and efficient spending on irrigation. In the past year, we irrigated an additional 11,611 hectares of fields, not to mention the near 212,000 hectares of land we were able to rehabilitate. The result: a 15.6 percent increase in rice production.

We envision two things: first, an end to over-importation that only serves to benefit the selfish few. Second: we want rice self-sufficiency—that the rice served on every Filipino’s dinner table is planted here, harvested here, and purchased here.

Let us look back on the situations of many of our policemen a year ago. The average salary of a common PO1 in Metro Manila is around 13,000 pesos. Around 4,000 pesos or abour a third of their salaries goes directly to paying the rent. Another third goes to food, and the final third is all that is left for electricity and water bills, commuting, tuition fees, medicine, and everything else. Ideally, their salaries match their expenses—but this is not always the case. Those whose salaries are not enough would probably resort to taking out some loans. What happens when the interest piles up and they end up having to spend even more of their salaries? Will they still be able to do the right thing when tempted with an opportunity to make a quick buck?

This is why, this July, we have followed through on the housing promise we made in February. We were able to award 4,000 Certificates of Entitlement to Lot Allocation. This is only the first batch of the 21,800 houses we will have constructed by the end of the year. Awarding our men in uniform these houses will turn their 4,000 peso rent expense into an initial 200 peso per month payment for a house that is all theirs. The cash they once paid for rent can now be used for other needs.

I hear that there are still more than a thousand houses left, so for our policemen and our soldiers who have not yet submitted their papers, this is the last call for this batch of houses. But do not worry, because this housing program will continue next year, covering even more people and more regions. The NHA is already preparing the sites for housing projects in Visayas and Mindanao, with an expanded list of beneficiaries that will also include employees of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and of the Bureau of Fire Protection.

Speaking of security, does enhanced security not also enhance our national pride? There was a time when we couldn’t appropriately respond to threats in our own backyard. Now, our message to the world is clear: What is ours is ours; setting foot on Recto Bank is no different from setting foot on Recto Avenue.

At times I wonder if the stories about some of our past stand-offs are true—that when cannons were aimed at our marines, they could only reciprocate by cutting down a coconut tree, painting it black, and aiming it back. True or not, that time is over. Soon, we will be seeing capability upgrades and the modernization of the equipment of our armed forces. At this very moment, our very first Hamilton Class Cutter is on its way to our shores. We may acquire more vessels in the future—these, in addition to helicopters and patrol crafts, and the weapons that the AFP, PNP, and DOJ will buy in bulk to get a significant discount. This goes to show how far we can go with good governance; we can buy equipment at good prices, without having to place envelopes in anyone’s pockets.

We do not wish to increase tensions with anyone, but we must let the world know that we are ready to protect what is ours. We are also studying the possibility of elevating the case on the West Philippine Sea to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, to make certain that all involved nations approach the dispute with calm and forbearance.

Our efforts to enhance the capabilities of our men and women in uniform are already succeeding. In the first six months of 2010, we had 1,010 cases of car and motorcycle theft. Compare that to the 460 cases in the first six months of 2011. Unfortunately, it is the one or two high-profile cases that make the headlines, and not the bigger picture—the fact that there is a large drop in car and motorcycle thefts, and that we have returned a higher percentage of stolen cars to their rightful owners.

And here is another example of positive change in law enforcement. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act was signed in 2003. Unfortunately, because the government did not properly implement it, only 29 individuals were convicted in a period of seven years. In just one year, we have breached that amount, convicting 31 human traffickers. Perhaps, this is the “sea change” that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was referring to; and because of this change, the Philippines has been taken off the Tier 2 Watchlist of their Trafficking in Persons Report. If we had not been removed from this watchlist, the assistance we have been receiving from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, among others, would have been jeopardized.

Allow me to talk about jobs now. Our foremost pledge to the Filipino people was to create more jobs, and we have delivered. In April 2010, the unemployment rate was at 8%; in April 2011, it was at 7.2%.

To put things into perspective: We must all remember that the ranks of the unemployed represent a moving target. Every year, thousands of fresh graduates join the ranks of job hunters. Last year, the number of unemployed Filipinos in our labor force grew after many of our countrymen who earned a temporary living from election-related jobs—the people assigned to hanging buntings, the people tasked with clearing a path for politicians in crowds of people, the drivers, and other campaign staff—were laid off. But, despite all this, our results make our success evident: one million and four hundred thousand jobs were created last year.

Before, our foremost ambition was to work in another country. Now, the Filipino can take his pick. As long as he pursues his dreams with determination and diligence, he can realize them.

The number of jobs generated in our country can only grow from here. According to the Philjobnet website, every month there are 50,000 jobs that are not filled because the knowledge and skills of job seekers do not match the needs of the companies. We will not allow this opportunity to go to waste; at this very moment, DOLE, CHED, TESDA, and DepEd are working together to address this issue. Curricula will be reviewed and analyzed to better direct them to industries that are in need of workers, and students will be guided so that they may choose courses that will arm them with the skills apt for vacant jobs.

Despite the demand for these jobs, there are still people who are being left behind. What do we do with them? First, we identified the poorest of the poor, and invested in them, because people are our greatest resource. Of the two million families registered with the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, 1.6 million are already receiving their conditional cash transfers. Through the initiative and leadership of Secretary Dinky Soliman, we have been able to give much needed assistance to an average of more than 100,000 families per month. I am optimistic that we will reach our target of 1.3 million additional beneficiaries this year. With a compliance rate of 92%, millions of mothers are already getting regular check-ups at public health centers, millions of babies are being vaccinated against common diseases, and millions of school-aged children are now attending classes.

With these significant early results, I am counting on the support of the Filipino people and Congress to expand our Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. Before the end of 2012, we want to invest in the future of 3 million poor families.

We are giving these poor families a chance to improve their lives, because their progress will be the country’s progress. How can they buy products and services from businesses if they do not have a proper income? When a poor father turns to crime in order to feed his family, who would he victimize, if not us? When people cannot properly take care of themselves and fall ill, do we not run the risk of getting sick as well?

We are laying down the foundations for a brighter future for the poor. For example, in the health sector: PhilHealth beneficiaries increased during elections, as the agency was used as a tool for dispensing political patronage. Today, we identify beneficiaries through the National Household Targeting System, to make sure that the 5.2 million Filipino families who benefit from PhilHealth are those who really need it.

Let us turn our attention to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. The politics there have been dominated by horse-trading and transactional politics. During national elections, whoever is in power in ARMM is free to manipulate the electoral machinery in his region, ensuring that non-allies do not get votes. That Mayor or Governor then demands payment for his services come the ARMM election, and it is the administration’s turn to manipulate the electoral machinery to secure the win of their candidate.

According to the Commission on Audit, in the office of the regional governor of ARMM, eighty percent of the funds disbursed were for cash advances that cannot be justified. If those funds had not gone to waste, a child could have gone to school. Instead, we built ghost bridges to reach ghost schools where only ghost teachers went to work.

We want ARMM to experience the benefits of good governance. And so, the solution: Synchronization—candidates in ARMM will run at the same time as candidates in other parts of the country. There would be less opportunity for them to employ command votes for political patrons. The result would be fairer elections. Thank you to Congress for passing the law synchronizing ARMM with the national elections.

And why do we need to postpone the elections? Because, in their desire to return to or retain power, many are prepared to engage in corrupt practices just to win again. Imagine if we had listened to the critics, and allowed the election to proceed under these circumstances. We would have perpetuated the endless cycle of electoral fraud and official abuse that has led ARMM to become one of the poorest regions in the country.

I do not doubt that the reforms we are putting in place will yield concrete results. When we talk about the straight and righteous path, we talk about that new road that was built in Barangay Bagumbayan in Sta. Maria, Laguna. When we say clean government, we are talking about the clean water that residents in Barangay Poblacion in Ferrol, Romblon now enjoy. When we refer to the light of change, we also refer to the electricity that now powers light bulbs in Barangay San Marcos in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur. This is happening in many other places, and we will make it happen everywhere in our country.

Government agencies are now focused on realizing this; they are working together to creatively solve the problems that have long plagued our country.

Have we not had flooding problems, which we know are caused by the incessant and illegal cutting down of trees? The old solution: A tree-planting photo opportunity, whose sole beneficiaries are politicians who want to look good. They plant trees, but they do not ensure that the trees would remain standing after they leave.

One of the possible solutions we are studying is to make the stewardship of these trees beneficial to communities. They will be given coffee and cacao seeds to plant. While they wait for harvest, they will receive stipends for safeguarding the trees planted to mitigate flooding. We are looking at informal settlers, who are currently crammed into our cities, as possible beneficiaries of this program. We will be investing in the people, even as we invest in the environment.

Who could have thought that little over a year ago, we could accomplish this? Today, we dream; one day soon, these dreams will be a reality.

This same creativity is in display with the innovations that are already being implemented. We have developed low-cost traps that kill mosquito larvae, probably contributing to the nearly fourteen percent decrease in dengue incidents; coconut coir fibers that are normally just disposed of have been used as a cost-effective way to strengthen our roads; we have landslide sensors that warn when soil erosion has reached dangerous levels; we have developed early flood warning systems for riverside communities. All of these are products of Filipino creativity.

DOST and UP have even teamed up to develop a prototype monorail system, which could potentially provide a home grown mass transport solution that would cost us as little as 100 million pesos per kilometer, much cheaper than the current cost of similar mass transit systems. The potential savings could result in more kilometers of cheap transport, decongesting our urban centers and allowing rural communities easier access to centers of commerce and industry.

Let me reiterate: These proposals were developed by Filipinos for Filipinos. Do you remember the time when we were unable to even dream of these kinds of projects? I am telling you now: We can dream about them, we are capable of achieving them, and we will achieve them. Isn’t it great to be a Filipino living in these times?

All of these things we are doing will be wasted if we do not do something to end the culture of corruption.

To my colleagues in public service, from those at the top and to every corner of the bureaucracy: Do we not feel the pride that working in government now brings? That, now, we are proud to be identified as workers in government? Will we waste this honor?

I call on our Local Government Units: Those of you who are in the best position to understand the needs of your constituents can expect greater freedom and empowerment. But we trust that in providing for your communities, you will remain committed to the straight path, and will not lose sight of the interest of the whole nation.

For instance, there are some municipalities that want to tax the electricity transmission lines that run through their jurisdictions. Although this will augment local coffers, the rest of the Filipino people will have to deal with higher electricity rates. Let us try to balance the interests of our constituencies with that of the nation as a whole.

It is imperative that our programs remain in sync, because the progress of the entire country will also redound to progress for your communities. Let us do away with forward planning that only looks as far as the next election, and think of the long-term national good.

Ultimately, we have to unite and work together towards this progress. I thank the Congress for passing laws regarding GOCC Governance, ARMM Synchronization, Lifeline Electricity Rates Extension, Joint Congressional Power Commission Extension, Children and Infants’ Mandatory Immunization, and Women Night Workers.

Last year, Congress demonstrated their support by approving the budget even before the year ended. The timely passage of the budget allowed projects to be implemented more quickly. Tomorrow we will deliver to Congress our budget proposal for 2012. I look forward once again to its early passage so that we can build on our current momentum.

We have already made progress, but we must remember: This is only the beginning, and there is much left for us to do. Allow me to present to Congress some of the measures that will bring us closer to the fulfillment of our pledge to the nation.

We aim to give due compensation to the victims of Martial Law; to grant our house help the salaries and benefits that they deserve; and to improve the system that awards pensions to our retired soldiers. We likewise support the expansion of the scope of scholarships granted by DOST to outstanding yet underprivileged students; the advancement of universal quality healthcare; the responsible management of the environment; and the formation of facilities that will ensure the safety of our citizens during times of great need and calamity.

Our agenda also includes the development of BuCor, NBI, NEA, and PTV 4, so that, instead of lagging behind the times, they will better fulfill their mandate of public service.

Not everything we want to do will be explained today, but I invite you to read the budget message, which contains a more comprehensive plan for the coming year.

Some of my critics say that I take this campaign against corruption personally. It’s true: doing what’s right is personal. Making people accountable—whoever they may be—is personal. It should be personal for all of us, because we have all been victimized by corruption.

What is wrong remains wrong, regardless of how long it has been allowed to persist. We cannot simply let it pass. If we ignore the crimes of the past, they will continue to haunt us. And if we do not hold people accountable, then they will do it again and again.

The truth is, we have uncovered so many anomalies. In PAGCOR, the previous management apparently spent one billion pesos on coffee alone. At one hundred pesos per cup, that would be ten million cups of coffee over the last several years. Where did all that coffee go? Who drank it? Perhaps we can find the people who consumed all that coffee and ask if they have been able to sleep in the last few years.

When the new Ombudsman, former Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, takes office, we will have an honest-to-goodness anti-corruption office, not one that condones the corruption and abuses in government. I expect that this year, we will have filed our first major case against the corrupt and their accomplices. And these will be real cases, with strong evidence and clear testimonies, which will lead to the punishment of the guilty.

We are aware that the attainment of true justice does not end in the filing of cases, but in the conviction of criminals. I have utmost confidence that the DOJ is fulfilling its crucial role in jailing offenders, especially in cases regarding tax evasion, drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, graft and corruption, and extrajudicial killings.

We are not leaving anything to chance; good governance yields positive results. Think about it: We have realized our promise of providing the public with the services that it needs and implementing programs to help the poor without having to raise our taxes.

This has always been the plan: to level the playing field; to stop the abuse of authority; and to ensure that the benefits of growth are available to the greatest number.

We have put an end to the culture of entitlement, to wang-wang: along our roads, in government, in our society as a whole. This will bring confidence that will attract business; this will also ensure that the people’s money is put in its rightful place: Funding for infrastructure that will secure the sustained growth of the economy, which will then give rise to jobs, and public service that guarantees that no one will be left behind. More opportunities for livelihood will be opened by tourism; the strengthening of our agriculture sector will ensure that every Filipino will have food on his table. We will invest on those who were once neglected. All this will create a cycle wherein all available jobs are filled, and where businesses flourish through the empowerment of their consumers.

I am aware that, until now, there are still a few who complain about our style of governance. But you have seen our style, and its ensuing results. You have seen their style, and, especially, where that took us. Anyone with their eyes open can clearly see which is right.

We are steering our government in a clear direction. A country where opportunity is available; where those in need are helped; where everyone’s sacrifices are rewarded; and where those who do wrong are held accountable.

I remember a woman warning me during the campaign: “Noy, be careful, you will be stepping on many toes.”

Sometimes, I do worry about what I am doing. But I am heartened because you are with me, and we stand on the side of what is right.

I thank the priests and bishops who have continued to dialogue with us, like Cardinals Rosales and Vidal. Cardinal Rosales and I may not be the closest of friends, but I believe that he did all that he could to reduce the tensions between the church and the government. The election of Archbishop Palma, defender of human rights and of the environment, as head of the CBCP only bolsters my confidence that the state and the clergy will be able to engage each other in a positive manner. I likewise thank my Cabinet, who have sacrificed their personal comfort to fulfill the national agenda. I give special mention to PAGASA, who now truly delivers reliable advice and warnings during times of calamity.

And to those who may resist the change we are trying to bring about, this I say to you: I know what I must do, and my personal interests are nothing when compared to the interests of the nation. There are many of us who want what is right for this country; and there are more of us than you. To those of you who would turn back the tide of reform: you will not succeed.

To those who have chosen to tread the straight and righteous path alongside us: it is you who created this change, and it is you who will bequeath our success to your children. To the jeepney driver plying his route; to the teachers and students coming home from class; to the artists whose work inspires our sense of nationhood; to our policemen, our soldiers, our street sweepers, and our firemen; to you who work with honor, in the Philippines, in the oceans, or in other countries; our colleagues in government who stand steadfast with us, whatever province you come from, whatever party you belong to; every Filipino listening to me now—you made this happen.

You created a government that truly works for you. We still have five years left to ensure that we will not return to what once was. We will not be derailed, especially now that what we have begun has yielded so many positive results.

If you see a loophole in the system, do not take advantage of it. Let us not acquire through patronage what we can acquire through hard work. No more cheating, no more taking advantage of others, no more one-upmanship—because in the end we will all realize our shared aspirations.

Let us end the culture of negativism; let us uplift our fellow Filipinos at every opportunity. Why are there people who enjoy finding fault in our country, who find it so hard—as though it were a sin—to say something nice? Can we even remember the last time we praised a fellow Filipino?

Let us stop pulling our fellow man down. Let us put an end to our crab mentality. Let us make the effort to recognize the good that is being done.

If you see something right, do not think twice—praise it. If you see a policeman directing traffic, coatless beneath the rain—go to him and say, “Thank you.”

If you fall sick, and you see your nurse caring for you, when she could easily be treating foreigners for a higher salary—say, “Thank you.”

Before you leave school for home, approach your teacher who chose to invest in your future—say, “Thank you.”

If you chance upon your local leader on a road that was once riddled with holes, but is now smooth and sturdy—go to him and say, “Thank you, for the change you have brought.”

And so, to the Filipino nation, my Bosses who have steered us toward this day: Thank you very much for the change that is now upon us.

The Philippines and the Filipino people are, finally, truly alive.

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:55:00 +0800

Indonesia, Singapore urged to unite ASEAN for KP in Bonn climate talks

As the Bonn climate negotiations near its end, with more set-backs than progress, Indonesia is pressed to convince the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) towards a bloc support for the Kyoto Protocol. Early this week, ASEAN’s key dialogue partners Australia and Canada have become the latest Annex 1 countries to join Japan, Russia and the United States in shunning the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, the world’s only legally binding agreement. Australia and Japan are members of ASEAN +6 and +3 respectively.

Individually, the ten members of ASEAN are supportive of the extension of the Kyoto Protocol whose first commitment period is about to end in 2012. However, ASEAN has yet to make a united stand, despite the region being one of the most vulnerable to climate change, whose impact could in turn, further exacerbate the region’s political challenges, chronic poverty, tensions and conflicts and community displacement.

“Now is the time for ASEAN members to set aside their political differences and speak as one in calling on developed countries, especially its dialogue partners to sign to a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol” asserted Shalimar Vitan of Oxfam Internal. Oxfam International is part of the ASEAN for a Fair Ambitious, Binding and Global Climate Deal (A-FAB) coalition of green groups in Southeast Asia.

In the last intersessional meeting in Bangkok, Thailand more than two months ago, ASEAN missed the opportunity to have common positions on key areas of adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer and financing despite its members’ common concerns and the meeting being held in an ASEAN country.

The current impasse in the negotiations pits developing countries, on the one hand and Annex 1 countries, on the other hand over the Kyoto Protocol. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the GHG emissions reduction targets could only lead us to 4 degrees Celsius global temperature increase, instead of limiting it to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as science requires.

“The more than 600 million in Southeast Asia, particularly its majority living below poverty clearance would have the worst impacts of climate change unless worst emitters stick to the Kyoto Protocol and developed countries target an earlier GHG emissions peaking period,” said Atty. Zelda DT Soriano, political advisor of Greenpeace.

Aside from Indonesia, who chairs ASEAN this year, Singapore is likewise urged to be more cooperative. “Singapore must stop discouraging fellow ASEAN member states from having a common position in the negotiations,” added Soriano. Since 2009, it has been observed that the Singapore has been critical of proposals for joint statements by Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Kulula Airlines

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:28:00 +0800

Kulula Airlines is a low-cost South-African airline that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Check out their new livery!  And read about their Customer Relations.

WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN'T FLY INTERNATIONALLY - WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR - SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN.

Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg, South Africa. Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"

                  ---o0o---

On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

                  ----o0o---

Heard on a Kulula flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."

                  ---o0o---

On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have; no children or spouses please."

                  ----o0o---

"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."

                  ---o0o---

From a Kulula employee: "Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."

                  ---o0o---

"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."

                  ---o0o---

"Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

                  ---o0o---

An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline.” He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment.
Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane.

She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?"

The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"

---o0o—

Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."

---o0o—

West Philippine Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:33:00 +0800

On the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes in the West Philippine Sea

Since 1935 all administrations have abided by a constitutional provision adopting the principles of international law for the settlement of international claims and disputes.

The Philippine Government has been clear and consistent with respect to its position on our national territory. The administration has always asserted that it will dismiss out of hand any claim to what are considered integral parts of Philippine territory, such as the Recto (Reed) bank in western Palawan. The administration has also always called for a peaceful, multilateral settlement with regard to contested claims in the West Philippine Sea, along the lines of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and applicable international laws, notably the UNCLOS.

The administration calls on all parties concerned to refrain from making statements that would impede such a resolution.

Concerning our defense posture, the administration is determined to improve the capabilities of our military and Coast Guard to enable the effective patrol and protection of our national territory and Exclusive Economic Zone.

World's smallest man

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:40:00 +0800

Can I have a short please? Tiny teen enjoys his first beer as he becomes world's new smallest man

10th June 2011

Junrey Balawing sips a beer nearly as big as him as he celebrates becoming the world's smallest man.

The 22-inch Filipino turns 18 on Sunday when Guinness World Records will award him the crown - which he takes from Nepal's 26.4-inch Khagendra Thapa Magar.

Mr Balawing said: 'I am so excited! I am small, but now I am a man.

'I have tried beer for the first time. I like it but can only have a little. I want a beautiful wife.

'I know she will probably be taller than me. I can't wait for my party.'

Celebration: Junrey Balawing from the Philippines will be awarded the title of the world's smallest man on his 18th birthday this weekend

Meet the parents: Junrey Balawing with his mother and father, Reynaldo (L) and Concepcion in the Philippines.

His proud mother Concepcion, 35, and 37-year-old father Reynaldo, from a tiny village near the town of Zamboanga del Norte, have been invited to a reception with the local mayor.

Mrs Balawing said: 'We've been told the people from Guinness need to measure Junrey three times in one day to confirm his height. Only then can he be named the smallest man in the world.

'It's very exciting because we are a poor family and things like this have never happened before.

'I can't believe Junrey is going to be famous all over the world and people are flying from countries like Britain and America to see him.'

The young man is the same size as a one-year-old and loves to ride on top of his father's shoulders or be carried by his mother.

Tiny teen: Junrey is so small most of his 18th birthday presents are bigger than he is.

His family said he stopped growing after his first birthday and has remained the same size ever since.

His mother said she first noticed something was wrong as Junrey approached the age of two but no doctor was able to help.

She said: 'He was always sick and we noticed he wasn't growing so we took him to see a doctor but they were baffled.'

When Junrey was 12 the family took him back to the doctor but the only advice they received was to give him vitamins, which the family couldn't afford.

Too tall: Nepalese man Khagendra Thapa Magar, at 26.4 inches, is now only the world's second smallest man

Other doctors in the capital Manila refused to treat Junrey for less than 100,000 pesos (£1,500) - more than a lifetime's wage for Reynaldo, who works as a blacksmith in a nearby town.

He said: 'I am only home at weekends because I have to work so much to feed the family.

'But even if I worked every day for the rest of my life I couldn't afford the expensive doctors in Manila.'

He didn't even realise his son was set to be a record breaker until contacted by Guinness.

He said: 'I was picked up by police one time then brought to the mayor's office.

'The mayor told me that on Junrey's birthday there will be an important visitor who will come and I should bring Junrey with me.

'It was only then I realised Junrey was about to become famous far beyond our little village.

'There's going to be a big party for Junrey in the town attended by lots of important people.'

Junrey's younger but siblings Jaycel, 13, Jay-art, 11, and Jeanritch, six, who are all tall, go to school while their older brother stays at home with his mother.

Concepcion said: 'I would love to be able to work while my other children are at school but I can't leave Junrey. He needs my care every minute of every day.

'Junrey can only walk with some help and he can't stand for too long because he's in too much pain.

'But he loves it when I tell him he's the smallest man in the world - he is beaming with pride.'

Size matters: The world's tallest man, Bao Xishun, who stands 7.9 feet, shakes hands with He Ping Ping - who died last year - the smallest man in the world at 28.8 inches prior to Mr Magar

Courtesy: daily mail reporter

Manny Pacquiao's Resort shutdown

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:42:00 +0800

Pacman Resort’ closed down

by Stanley Palisada, ABS-CBN News

June 12, 2011

AKLAN, Philippines - The local government of Malay ordered the closure of West Cove Hotel in Sitio Diniwid, Barangay Yapak, Boracay Island for violating the National Building Code of the Philippines.

West Cove Hotel, also informally referred to as “Pacman Resort” is owned by Crisostomo Aquino, People’s Champ Manny Pacquiao’s close friend.

The local government of Malay questioned West Cove Hotel’s “off-shore” development and the erection of concrete structures on the coves and rocks, which supposedly imperil the fragile ecosystem in the resort island.

West Cove Hotel, operated by West Cove Management Philippines Incorporated (WCMPI), allegedly violated Section 301 of the National Building Code of the Philippines, which states that “no person, firm or corporation, including any agency or instrumentality of the government shall erect, construct, alter, repair, move, convert or demolish any building or structure or cause the same to be done without first obtaining a building permit.”

No local permits too

The closure order was also based on Executive Order No. 010 series of 2011 signed by Malay Mayor John Yap who also ordered the immediate demolition of the illegal structures.

“There have already been notices sent to the management of West Cove Hotel na pinapasara sila because of certain violations,” said Rugen Aguirre, chairman of the Committee on Laws and Ordinances.

West Cove Hotel allegedly began operations in 2009 without a building permit and license to operate.

“Wala silang building permit, wala silang occupancy permit and they have continuously operated for the past two years,” Aguirre said.

For its part, WCMPI said it had continuously tried to comply with the requirements of the National Building Code, but the local government of Malay allegedly rejected their application.

Criminal charges

The Philippine National Police and the Boracay Special Tourist Police have been tasked to implement the immediate closure of West Cove Hotel, direct all persons to vacate the property and bar persons from entering the area.

The municipal engineer was also ordered to remove and destroy all illegal structures.

Building officials will also file charges against WCMPI for violating Presidential Decree 1096 or Adopting a National Building Code in the Philippines.

Government’s blessings?

West Cove Hotel management insists its operation is legal and that it had the blessings of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Then under the leadership of DENR Secretary Lito Atienza, WCMPI claims it had been granted a 25-year Forest Land Agreement for Tourism Purposes or FLAgT by the DENR.

But according to Boracay Foundation Incorporated President Loubelle Cann, the illegal structures have grave effects on the environment. The government has to do what it can to stop these practices even if it will affect business, Cann said.

“Kami sa business community, we are very happy and we support the action na ginawa,” said Cann.

“Malaking bagay yun sa amin kasi naman dapat pareho tayong may negosyo, dapat naman patas lang.” Cann added. - with reports from Nony Basco, ABS CBN Iloilo

Baby Suri Cruise

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:56:00 +0800

Move over Imelda Marcos: How Suri Cruise, five, already has a $150,000 shoe collection

The fashion-conscious daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes is even said to have custom-made designs from Marc Jacobs and Christian Louboutin...

She has always displayed a strong sartorial instinct, and has been wearing heels since the age of three. Now, it appears that in just a few short years Suri Cruise has acquired quite the shoe collection.

The five-year-old daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes has $150,000 worth of footwear in her closet, according to news reports published today.

And you'd be unlikely to spot any Stride-Rite among the young fashionista's array, as sources claim she already has a taste for high-end labels such as Christian Louboutin and Marc Jacobs.

Suri Cruise, pictured in $110 Ugg boots (left) in March and purple satin heels (right) later that day, has a shoe collection believed to be worth over $150,000

They say Ms Holmes, 32, has even been getting her favourite designers to custom-make shoes for Suri, to accommodate her little one's penchant for heels.

A source told Star magazine: 'Suri has so many designer shoes.

'She’s a massive fan of Marc Jacobs and she’s had several shoes custom-made, so if they didn’t come with a heel, Katie had them redesigned for Suri. She commissioned a pair of Louboutins for her a while back!'

They added that Suri is insistent in her fashion choices, turning to tears if she doesn't get her way.

Sartorial instincts: Suri is regularly seen in heels, despite her tender age, and her mother is even believed to have commissioned bespoke pairs for the five-year-old from her favourite designer labels

'The older she gets, the less she wants to wear anything but little heels,' she source continued.

'Even when she’s going to play dates or walking on the beach, she cries if Katie reaches for anything but a little pair of sandals with some sort of heel.'

'If they don't come with a heel, Katie has them redesigned for Suri. She commissioned a pair of Louboutins for her a while back!'

But the pre-kindergartener's A-list parents believe that her precocious fashion sense is something to be nurtured, and even let her choose their own clothes.

The insider added: 'Suri sometimes picks out the shoes her mum should wear, and then picks out shoes for her dad! They genuinely seem to value her opinion and want her to make her own decisions.'

It is an approach to parenting believed to be in accordance with the doctrine of the Church of Scientology - she is apparently treated as an adult, free to make decisions on her clothes, make-up and diet.

Flat out: Despite her precocious penchant for heels, Suri also has an impressive array of ballerina flats, including designs by Marc Jacobs (left), and is almost never seen in the same pair twice

But $150,000 on shoes is small fry compared with the rest of the youngster's wardrobe, which is believed to have a value of $3.2million.

She has been spotted out in a $2,140 Dolce & Gabbana trench coat, and last year she was spotted with an $800 miniature version of her mother's Ferragamo bag.

Last month Suri even came 21st in a list of Glamour magazine readers' style icons, beating Lady Gaga and Sarah Jessica Parker in ranking.

by Tamara Abraham, Daily mail online

June 7, 2011

Orchard Road

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 12:10:00 +0800

This is my second time to dine at Orchard Road Cuisine. This resto is located at SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City, Philippines. Orchard Road Resto was named after the famous road in Singapore well-known for its entertainment, food hub and retail establishments. It is also one of the major attractions of the city state of SG.

After checking the list of menu, we ordered 1 Black Pepper Chicken and Rice for Php145.00 only

Another order, Sweet and Sour Fish with rice for

Php 175.00 only

Sweet and Sour Pork with rice for Php 150.00 only

We also tried the CHAR KWAY TEOW, a stir fry noodle.This is very tasteful and healthy.

Char Kway Teow is very affordable with Php 150.00 and good for 3 pax servings.

CHAR KWAY TEOW

ICED PEACH TEA and ICE CALAMANSI both

Php 45.00

ORCHARD's version of PORK Siew Mai (3pcs) for

P75.00 only

Orchard Road is a Singaporean-inspired restaurant. It offers a very tasteful menu influenced by Chinese, Malay and Western cuisine.

What I really like about Orchard is the transparency of its kitchen. You will be entertained by their chefs and kitchen staffs wherein the food preparation is being watched by the diners.

Food is freshly cooked in a showcase kitchen

I also commend the interior of this resto due to its very elegant touch of colors

By the way, Orchard Road now offers delivery services. Just dial 2121212 for more details.

You may also want to check their official site at http://www.orchardroad.com.ph

For details:

Orchard Road Restaurant

2F Bridgeway, SM Megamall

Phone# 212-1212

World's smallest man

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 10:03:00 +0800

Guinness may declare Pinoy as world's smallest man

abs-cbnNEWS.com

06/11/2011

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, Philippines (UPDATED) - Guinness World Records may declare on Sunday a Zamboanga del Norte resident as the world's smallest man.

Junrey Balawing of Zamboanga del Norte

From his looks and his height, it's easy to mistake Junrey Balawig for an infant.

But on June 12, Junrey - the eldest of 4 siblings - is turning 18 years old.

His family held a simple celebration for him before his trip to a health center in Sindangan to meet with officials of Guinness World Records.

Junrey is a contender for the world's smallest man.

"Masaya ako na si Junrey ang pinakamaliit na tao sa buong mundo. Proud kami na makikilala sa buong mundo ang anak namin," said his mother, Concepcion.

Guinness officials weighed and measured Junrey but declined to release the figures just yet.

Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal

He is believed to be 23 inches tall, smaller than the current world's shortest man - Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal - who stands 26.4 inches.

If the claims are true, Balawing will not only be the shortest living man, but the shortest living man in history, a statement from the Guinness World Records said on Saturday.

Junrey will again be measured on Sunday, this time in public.

By the time he turns 18, Junrey may be declared as the world's smallest man by the Guinness, a feat his family and the country is waiting for. -

Reports from Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News; Dynah Diestro, ABS-CBN Zamboanga; ANC; Reuters

Places in North Korea

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Thu, 2 Jun 2011 08:36:00 +0800

Paranoia, no cars and silence in the cities: What I saw when I played golf in the most secretive and dangerous country on earth

Drizzle swept across the fairway and a bitter wind ripped leaves from the trees as I stepped onto the first tee of one of the world's most exclusive golf courses.
The setting might have been a British links in typical British weather, except that in the UK I would not be watched by two minders waiting to call me back should I stray too far looking for a lost ball.
There would be no sudden boom of a heavy gun from a military base near the course - and no peasants bent double in the surrounding fields digging over acres of brown mud with hoes, or oxen pulling wooden ploughs across the arid landscape.

Richard Shears with North Korean caddy Miss Nim on the Pyongyang golf course in the first ever tournament to be played in the secretive country on earth

For I was competing in an extraordinary golf tournament in North Korea - an event which proved to be my ticket into what is probably the most secretive - and dangerous - country on earth.
Few Western writers have ever gained access, but during five days touring the country I was able to witness something of how life is lived in a nation about which we know so little.

I don't suppose most of the workers in the fields surrounding the Pyongyang Golf Club have even heard of the game. In fact, it's hard to believe courses have been built at all in a land which for the most part exists under a centuries-old feudal system. But then foreign diplomats and the political elite do need some form of entertainment.
We even heard a story that Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader, scored a series of 11 holes-in-one after the course opened.

One of the main streets in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. There are relatively few vehicles in the country and most streets are just like this, virtually devoid of traffic

Though the upper echelons of the ruling Korean Workers' Party may enjoy the perks that come with power, the vast majority of the 22 million population live under an iron fist of totalitarian control.
It is the world's most militarised nation, with nearly ten million active and reserve personnel, while its continuing aggression towards South Korea - strenuously denied by the North, which says it is the South which is to blame -famously led George W Bush to describe it as an outpost of tyranny.
Before I arrived, I'd read news stories of mass starvation, of people living in misery under a brutally strict regime and of prison camps where inmates would rather die than suffer years of unbearable hardship.

A boy hurries along a street, typically empty of cars, in Pyongyang, where bicycles and walking are the main means of getting about

So what would I see for myself?
I was one of 18 players from around the Western world granted a visa to play in the tournament arranged by British Lupine Travel agent Dylan Harris.
Most unexpectedly, although we were all domiciled in a hotel on a river island in the centre of the capital Pyongyang - a city of around 3.3 million people - with a soldier guarding a bridge to the 'mainland', we were were given an intimate insight into daily life in a country that allows only 2,000 visitors to pass through its borders every year.
We swung our clubs near 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong Il's extremely private lakeside villa and we were taken to the demilitarised zone (DMZ), where we were able to wave across rolls of barbed wire to an astonished group of American servicemen a few hundred yards away in South Korea.

A rare image: Girl cadets learning how to march in Pyongyang

Amnesty International has claimed that prison camps in North Korea have been expanding as more political dissidents are arrested, but I had no hope of verifying this, having been warned beforehand that asking any kind of political questions could provoke serious consequences for our minders, who, as the days went by, proved to be a jovial group.
Nevertheless, the level of control - you might call it paranoia - was extreme.
I was forced to leave my laptop, mobile phone and camera zoom lenses in China, presumably because the authorities were worried I might provide information to any dissidents in North Korea - or show the populace pictures of lavish western lifestyles.
Everywhere we went, we were monitored carefully by our three minders - Mr Oh, Mr Han and Miss Ann - who ate with us and travelled with us, never letting us out of their sight, even on the golf course.

Close to the demilitarised zone in North Korea, a soldier turns to read an inscription on a monument marking the death of Great Leader Kim Il Sung, praised for taking the country out of the ruins of the Korean War

They had joined us on the train from the border town of Siniuju, where I had my first glimpse of life inside this secret country.
Smartly-dressed men and women rode on bicycles side by side along the wide boulevards, their briefcases or shopping bags sitting in small baskets. A few military vehicles passed them by, but most striking of all was the almost complete absence of cars, which are incredibly rare across the country.
With no car horns and no roar even of motorbikes, this was a silent city.
Yet while I was transfixed by these scenes, reminiscent of a China long before the motor car clogged its roads, the cyclists who found me and my fellow golfers equal subjects of fascination.
An ancient green and white diesel which creaked along at 40mph on the 200-mile carried us on the six-hour journey to the capital Pyongyang, clinging precariously to an unstable track that cut through a parched brown landscape, broken at times by groups of workers scurrying about like figures in a Bruegel painting and an occasional toy-like red and blue tractor.

A North Korean military officer stares at South Korea across the demarkation line inside the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between the two bitter nations. The line is immediately in front of the blue buildings on the side closest to the officer's position

Stopping at a station, we were allowed to step down onto the platform - 'but you will take no pictures, it is forbidden', we were told, the first order of many in that vein which were to follow. As we stretched out legs, squads of soldiers with backpacks scurried around, while a female voice singing patriotic songs was amplified through overhead speakers.
As we continued our journey, I saw numerous large statues of Kim Il Sung, known simply as the Great Leader, his hand held out in a gesture of embrace. He it was who founded the country in 1948, and ruled until his death in 1994. Now, his son Kim Jong Il is the master of the nation. The cult-like worship of both figures is one of the most marked features of everyday life.
We reached the Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang at night, but it stood out among the surrounding and darkened tall buildings of the capital, for it rose up to 47 floors and it seemed there was a light on in every room.

North Koreans clamber onto an already overcrowded bus - one of the few forms of transport in Pyongyang

Opened in 1995, it is located on an island in the middle of the Taedong river, a waterway dividing the city.
The foyer is cavernous, very much a throw-back from a Soviet era despite its relatively modern opening, but what surprised me was its concession towards Western expectations - a revolving restaurant on the 47th floor - while in the basement there was a bar, a bowling alley, a pool room and a table tennis room.
In my room, I could watch the BBC world service on a Japanese TV set before heading downstairs to drink a beer or two at around £1 a bottle, and eat Chinese-style food, with rice being served last because it's regarded as a 'filler', with the good meats and fish should be enjoyed first.
Once, we were afforded a fascinating snapshot of everyday life when we rode on the underground Metro from a yawning, brightly-lit station named Prosperity to another called Glory. The trains were packed with office workers crowded in together, the men in suits, the women smartly dressed in jackets and trousers which gave the impression they were not struggling for survival.
Even here, the silence of the city was striking, with wide boulevards cutting between skyscraper buildings. I could count the number of cars at any given time on my fingers, the main mode of road transport being trolleybuses, trams and bicycles.

Taken secretly from a bus, this picture shows a typical street in Pyongyang with public housing in the background. North Koreans are given flats free once married, but have to pay 3 per cent of their income for power and water

It was in the capital that I really came to understand the obsessive reverence that must be paid to the nation's leader. If you suggested to any sane Briton that he or she treat David Cameron the same way they would laugh in your face.
One day, I was led into a vast 'villa of reverence', where a lifelike figure of the Great Leader - straight from Madame Tussauds, it seemed - stood in a garden of plastic flowers.
Wearing woollen covers over my shoes, I was ordered to stand in line in front of the grey-suited figure, and at a command I bowed my head as soft music played in the background. If my hosts hadn't clearly been taking the ritual so deadly seriously, it was have been all too easy to laugh out loud.
At Mount Myohyang - the so-called Mysterious Fragrant Mountain 100 miles north east of the capital - were more amazing sights for here the people come to revel in the patriotic artefacts kept within a vast exhibition hall. Here, as was the case in Pyongyang, everyone wore pin badges showing the portrait of the now-deceased Great Leader Kim Il Sung.

Another picture taken secretly from a bus, this image shows children working in a field south of Pyongyang

The economy is largely based on agriculture

We were invited to inspect gifts that had been given by world leaders to Kim - father and son - displayed in scores of glass cases.
There was a stuffed baby crocodile perched upright holding a tray of wooden goblets from Nicaragua, a painting from Cambodia portraying a broom sweeping U.S. troops out of Asia, bears' heads from the former Soviet Union and Romania, and even a plaque portraying an image of London Bridge from a group calling itself the Britain-Korea Friendship Committee.
One of the great myths to emerge from North Korea has centred around Kim Jong Il's supposed private train, which is said to have its own station and its own track leading into Beijing, the Chinese capital, which he's visited in the past to receive medical treatment and has recently returned to drop in on the Chinese hierarchy.
The reality is that in the exhibition hall there are two special carriages - one presented by the Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung, another by Stalin - but they have not been used since 1978. Kim Jong Il does have a special train to travel on these days, but it is nothing like the bullet-proof version I was shown.

Pictured from Dandong, China, these North Koreans stare across the Yalu River separating the two countries. Many stand for hours looking at the Chinese city that is for most beyond reach - so near yet so far

As we travelled around, our ears were filled with propaganda - or as Mr Oh and Mr Han insisted, the truth - about the United States.
Bookshops in hotels are filled with English language publications about the hated U.S., with one title describing America as the Empire of Terrorism.
We were driven south to the demilitarised zone where we stared across the demarkation line towards South Korea - a couple of hundred yards away - where, by coincidence a group of American servicemen stood.
They had been brought to the 'dividing line' from Seoul presumably to stare across to the north at starving peasants and aggressive North Korean soldiers.
Instead they saw my grinning group of Western golfers waving happily at them. They did not wave back. Neither did a South Korean soldier - picked for his intimidating height - in his green uniform, glaring instead at our cheek.

Photo taken from a boat in the middle of the Yalu River between China and North Korea shows two North Korean men sharing a joke on the riverside wharf. It is the closest they will get to China - and the world beyond

As if to reiterate the North Korean authorities' intense antipathy towards America, I was taken aboard the U.S. 'spy ship' Pueblo, which was captured in 1968 and is now moored on the Taedong River in Pyongyang. While the Americans said at the time that it was in international waters, the North Koreans insisted it had strayed into their territory. I was even shown a black and white newsreel describing how it was overwhelmed by the Korean navy.
While the itinerary that had been planned for us was clearly intended to show off the strength of North Korea as a military power, I was more interested to know about the more mundane aspects of life.
I asked, too, if there was any truth in reports some time ago about an assassination attempt on Kim Jong Il. But any mention of it to our minders proved fruitless as they made it quite clear that any discussion about Dear Leader was off limits.
When I asked Miss Ann to tell me about how families exist, she surprisingly tucked her arm in mine as we walked to our bus and told me that once people are married - an arranged affair by parents - they are given free accommodation in a flat. All health care is free, too, and while Korean traditional medicine was is alongside Western treatments, it is the Korean treatments that were the most successful in preventing diseases.

A North Korean woman in traditional dress walks through a garden north of Pyongyang

The economy is largely based on agriculture. Farmers grow vegetables and rice, there are chickens, goats, pigs and sheep to eat, and it was suggested to me that talk of thousands of people starving to death during times of famine was an illusion manufactured by the West.
As for a nuclear threat from North Korea, that was just a fabrication of Western imperialists.

All three minders emphasised that everyone in Korea is happy - and happily devoted to the Dear Leader.
I certainly found the people to be friendly, if perhaps a little shy at first. I witnessed workers in the fields laughing together as they toiled. Maybe it is a dangerous assumption to make that someone who has little must be unhappy - especially if they have never known any other existence.
When the day came for the golf tournament, fortified by a breakfast of pickled cabbage and sauteed pork, we set out in groups for the first tee. There, we were amazed to find we'd been provided with a number of attractive young Korean women dressed in formal blue and white uniforms who would serve as our caddies.
The fairways were like light rough and extremely narrow. By the end of the day, I had been left way down the field - in spite of the attempts by my caddy, Miss Nim, to suggest in her very limited English what club I should use on each hole.
And as I missed each easy putt, she smiled sweetly and clapped politely.

A Buddhist monk peers out from a preserved temple north of Pyongyang

On the way back to the hotel, Miss Ann decided it was time to sing us all a song. Standing at the front of our coach with microphone in hand, she treated us to a softly sung Korean song, while Mr Han, bizarrely, gave us a rendering of Eidelweiss.
It was a curiously touching gesture, and evidence - to my mind at least - that the natural bonds of humanity will often supersede the most implacable political divide.
When it was time to leave for China, Mr Han, Mr Ho and Miss Ann shook my hand and expressed the wish that we all return again next year.
Perhaps we will. And if we and others like us continue to do so, perhaps the barriers erected so many years ago will finally begin to crumble.
I left North Korea with mixed feelings. Perhaps, in towns and villages beyond the distant hills, there is abject poverty.
Yet one Western businessman who has dealings with North Korea pointed out that the pleasures we in the West enjoy - our TVs, our cars and so on - are not craved by North Koreans because they've never had them.
As for the story of Kim Jong Il's 11 holes-in-one, a few discreet inquiries among officials at the golf club revealed that it was nothing more than an urban myth. Not that any of them would dare to say so in public.

Richard Shears strikes a blow for the West on the Pyongyang Club course in North Korea

By RICHARD SHEARS in Pyongyang, North Korea

Correcting the Bureau of Corrections

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Thu, 2 Jun 2011 08:31:00 +0800

Statement of Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda

on the release of the fact-finding panel report on BuCor

“Correcting the Bureau of Corrections”

The President has authorized the Department of Justice to release to the public, the fact-finding panel's report on the Bureau of Corrections.

The tasks before the Department of Justice and other concerned agencies are clear. The President himself has expressed concern about congestion in our prisons and drugs being introduced into the lives of inmates. These factors combine to promote corruption and disorder and saps, in turn, discipline and justice as rules may be unclear or arbitrarily applied to inmates.

Our correctional system cannot function if it is inhumane, if it is underfunded, and if its rules aren't further codified and applied in a fair and strict manner. We would like to see more of a focus on education and rehabilitation, in partnership with individual citizens and organizations who have quietly, and without fanfare, engaged in education and training efforts for inmates, rather than the spectacular cases of favoritism and exemptions from the rules that have shocked the public.

Office of the Presidential Spokesperson

3/F New Executive Building,

Jose P. Laurel St., Malacañang, Manila

Customs Commissioner remains in service

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Tue, 31 May 2011 09:52:00 +0800

Statement of Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda

on speculations of change in the Aquino Cabinet

Customs Commissioner Lito Alvarez remains in service at the pleasure of the President, as all appointees are. Any changes within the President’s official family will be announced by the President himself at the proper time.

The President recognizes the earnestness of his Cabinet’s efforts, especially as regards his reform agenda of curbing corruption and alleviating poverty. More importantly, he is seeing the results, and is expecting more results forthcoming from government agencies. At this point, he is giving his appointees the space and trust to fulfill their mandate with integrity and competence, as is expected of them.

May 30, 2011

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Office of the Presidential Spokesperson

3/F New Executive Building,

Jose P. Laurel St., Malacañang, Manila

Marilao River

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:59:00 +0800

Marilao River is one of spotlight case studies in new Greenpeace report on Hidden Costs of Toxic Water Pollution

Quezon City, 26 May 2011 – The Marilao in Bulacan is among four iconic rivers whose polluted conditions are spotlighted in ‘Hidden Consequences’, a new report published today by Greenpeace. The report calls for urgent action to protect the livelihoods of the people and wildlife that depend on these waterways and the life-sustaining resources that they provide, by demanding that policy-makers commit to a Toxic-Free Future.

Through case studies from various countries, the report shows how toxic industrial effluents have dire impacts on freshwater bodies, and people. But because these chemicals are hidden or invisible, efforts to control them once they have been discharged have not been effective. Greenpeace is calling on the Philippine government to learn from the lessons of developed countries and immediately institute policies to protect the country’s precious freshwater resources from industrial pollution.

“This report debunks the short-sighted and negative mentality that ‘pollution is the price to pay for progress.’ Experiences from everywhere around the world show that industrial water pollution have translated to huge economic, human and environmental costs. Greenpeace aims to show that there is a better way: an effective pollution prevention policy is the win-win solution,” said Beau Baconguis, Toxics Campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

‘Hidden Consequences’ draws attention to the financial, social and environmental costs of industrial water pollution, showcasing the problems of long-term contamination from hazardous chemicals across several locations in the ‘Global North’ (2), including the Hudson River, the Dutch Delta, the Laborec River and the ‘Swiss Toxic Dumps’ (3).

The report illustrates how rivers in the ‘Global South’: the Yangtze in China, the Chao Phraya in Thailand, the Neva in Russia and the Marilao in the Philippines, dotted by numerous factories and industrial buildings along the length of its banks, are now facing the same situation. The said rivers supply drinking, domestic and agriculture water to the populations of large rural areas, as well as to the inhabitants of big cities such as Shanghai, Bangkok and St.Petersburg.

“The impacts of water pollution on human health, the environment and local economies are rarely considered or compensated, not just because they are hard to calculate, but because of the difficulty in tracking down the polluters and holding them responsible for the cost of cleaning up the pollution. Instead, it is the taxpayer who too often ends up paying the bill,” said Baconguis.

“Our government has a choice. Should they expose their citizens and the environment to hazardous toxic pollution, and condemn future generations to pay for the management of contaminated sediments, whose full and final costs are incalculable? Or should they instead commit to a ‘Toxic-Free Future’, and take precautionary action to support truly sustainable innovation, and progressively eliminate the use and release of hazardous substances down to ‘zero discharge’?” added Baconguis.

Greenpeace is calling on governments and corporations to commit to a Toxic-Free Future by taking urgent, precautionary and transparent action to eliminate the use and releases of all hazardous substances.

Preventive measures of water pollution are urgently needed in the Philippines. The government should:

- set up a proper pollutant disclosure system through which the public could easily access a wide range of pollution data;

- immediately establish a list of hazardous chemicals for priority elimination action; and

- create an action plan with clear timelines to reduce, restrict and ultimately zero the discharges of toxic chemicals.

Ampatuans are getting special treatment

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:49:00 +0800

Statement of Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda

on reports that the Ampatuans are getting special treatment behind bars

Reports that certain personalities who are supposed to be in jail are receiving special treatment have already reached President Aquino. In the same way that due process is being accorded to the victims, it must also be accorded to the accused. What the government can assure the public is that the scales of justice will not be tipped over to one side or another.

The President has already stated that if investigations hold that government officials should be accountable, then they will be held accountable. We will do what is right, so long as it is clearly what is right—and what is clearly right can only be arrived at by a thorough, unbiased study of the situation.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo has long been conducting surprise visits to ensure the fair and effective conduct of our prison system, and he has already ordered administrative relief of JCI Glennford Valdepeñas while an investigation is being conducted on the issue.

The pictures and video put forward as evidence are being verified to determine if the Ampatuans are indeed being given special privileges. The government has also invited Gov. Toto Mangudadatu and his counsel to provide further input regarding these allegations which, if proven true, will result in immediate disciplinary action and the replacement of personnel at Bicutan.

The President also recognizes the state of prisons in the country, and acknowledges that steps need to be taken, especially as regards the ratio of guards to prisoners, and congestion due to lack of facilities. He has already issued directives to the DILG, the DOJ, and his team of Economic Managers to come up with an inventory of proposals to reform the prison system in the country.

May 27, 2011

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Office of the Presidential Spokesperson

3/F New Executive Building,

Jose P. Laurel St., Malacañang, Manila

Statement of Lacierda

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:48:00 +0800

This is the Official Statement of Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierdaon business optimism and investor confidence in the Philippines

Newfound trust in our government continues to reflect in our economic outlook, which remains positive despite the effects of political instability in North Africa and the Middle East, the consequent rise in oil prices, and calamities in Japan. Our macroeconomic fundamentals remain sound, and investments continue to flow into our country despite recent events which have adversely affected the global market.

Necessary reforms are being implemented to further swell the ranks of the optimists, who at this point still far outnumber the pessimists. Our team of economic managers continue to work on ways to streamline business processes, and our Public-Private Partnership projects are also already well on their way to fruition. These efforts will further enhance the economic outlook of our country; its effects will be felt by the majority of our countrymen over the coming years as the Aquino administration continues to realize its vision of equitable growth.

May 27, 2011

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Credits from the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson

3/F New Executive Building,

Jose P. Laurel St., Malacañang, Manila

Obama's car

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Mon, 23 May 2011 15:34:00 +0800

The car that thinks it's a tank: Inside Obama's 'Beast' Cadillac that is being flown from the U.S. to drive down the Mall

By Chris Greenwood and Rebecca English

May 23 2011

An extraordinary entourage will accompany President Obama and his wife Michelle when they sweep into London tomorrow.

The team of at least 500 will include White House aides, a six-doctor medical team and a squad of personal chefs. There will be more than 200 secret service agents, many of them armed.

The President will travel in ‘The Beast’, his gigantic bomb-proof General Motors Cadillac with eight-inch thick armour-plating on its doors. The limousine will be accompanied by a motorcade of at least 20 vehicles plus a dozen police motorcycle outriders.

He will land in Britain on Air Force One. But if this picture is anything to go by, Barack Obama might prefer journeying by sea rather than plane.
Dressed in a pirate hat, eyepatch and striped red shirt, the ten-year-old Obama was posing before a Hallowe’en party. He is also decked out with a homemade sword, earrings – and a drawn-on moustache and beard.
The photo is part of an exhibition by residents of flats in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Mr Obama lived as a boy.
After the breakdown of his parents’ marriage, his father, a Harvard scholar, returned to his home country, Kenya.
Mr Obama moved to Indonesia with his mother Ann, but aged ten returned to Honolulu, where he lived with his grandparents until going to university.

MR PRESIDENT, THE LITTLE PIRATE

Such is the emphasis on security that Mr Obama’s team has even asked to fit bomb-proof double glazing to the windows of his guest suite at Buckingham Palace.

The moves to increase the First Couple’s safety come in the wake of the killing of Osama Bin Laden three weeks ago.
Also joining the President on the trip will be one military officer carrying a suitcase containing America’s nuclear missile launch codes, plus representatives of six departments of state.
Mr Obama himself will fly on Air Force One, which doubles as a flying luxury hotel and command post complete with an operating theatre and gym.

The customised Boeing 747-200B, which is accompanied by a decoy aircraft, is said to cost around £110,000 an hour to run. The President and his wife, who are visiting Ireland today, will arrive at Stansted Airport tomorrow to be greeted by Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall.
After lunch with the Queen, the President will lay a wreath at Westminster Abbey before attending an evening banquet hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. On Wednesday Mr Obama will meet David Cameron and then address both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall. Meanwhile Mrs Obama will join girls from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School – the North London school she visited in 2009 – on a visit to Oxford University.

That evening Mr Obama will host a dinner for the Queen at the home of the U.S. ambassador to Britain, before leaving on Thursday.

Buckingham Palace staff have left nothing to chance in anticipation of the high-profile trip.

Aides admit, however, they were slightly taken aback a few weeks ago when Mr Obama’s security team demanded to be allowed to bring along their own portable double glazing-style glass to cover the windows in his bedroom as a temporary measure.

The Obamas will stay in the opulent Belgian Suite, which has hosted leaders including Nelson Mandela and President Kennedy.

A source said: ‘The Household does everything to make palace guests feel comfortable and there is little that we baulk at. That said, special requests are normally restricted to a certain type of tea or coffee or wheat-free bread for breakfast.

‘We like to think that our security measures would suffice, but if the President of the United States wants his own windows, then that is what he will have.’

By all accounts, so many Obama aides want to stay at the palace that some of the Queen’s own staff have to be kicked out of their rooms to accommodate them.

Another source said the U.S. team was setting up military-style beds in the basement and installing their own communication hardware.

‘The President’s team are running around the palace brandishing their guns as if they own the place – it’s like something out of that TV programme 24,’ they said.

‘They are also setting up a kind of mini clinic with hospital machines, including supplies of the President’s blood in case of emergencies.’

But sources say the White House team is ‘not nearly as demanding’ as those working for George W. Bush, who stayed at the palace in 2003.
His security team apparently wanted all 760 palace windows be replaced, while the helicopters Mr Bush used were, said the source, ‘so large that they shook the trees and plants to smithereens. The Queen was furious’.

courtesy: mail online

World's Famous Luxury Label

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Mon, 16 May 2011 01:42:00 +0800

Branding Louis Vuitton: Behind the World's Most Famous Luxury Label

You know the bag.

The chocolate-brown leather canvas emblazoned with quatrefoils and the LV monogram is immediately recognizable as the international symbol of globetrotting luxury. The Louis Vuitton brand is the most valuable brand in luxury, according to a new study from Millward Brown. But in a world with knock offs on street tables from New York to New Dehli and rappers like Kanye West pronouncing himself the "Louis Vuitton don," how does the world's most famous luxury brand protect its image?

Colin Mitchell oversees Ogilvy's Global Strategy and Planning Group, which handles some of the world's most famous brands, including Louis Vuitton. Walking me through the basics of brand management, he told me the firm's signature framework for building brands is called The Big Ideal.

"We go through the exercise, where we complete the sentence 'The world would be a better place if ...,'" Mitchell said. "The thing that finishes the sentence gives us a big ideal."

The Big Ideal doesn't have to be noble. For the fruity, fizzy soft drink Fanta, the company designed the ad campaign "More Fanta. Less Serious." around the ideal of play. For Louis Vuitton, a travel company with its 19th century origins on Rue Neuve des Capucines in Paris, the ideal that centers the LV brand is journey.

"We say that travel has lost its romance," Mitchell said. "It's become an onerous duty rather than a pleasure. When there's tension like that between ideal of travel as romantic and the reality which falls short, that's an opportunity for brands to come in and make a statement."

One of the biggest losers in the global recession was luxury and travel, which threatened to strike the heart of Louis Vuitton's business. LVMH, the holding company that owns Louis Vuitton and other luxury brands like Dom Perignon, saw its stock plummet from 40 to 10 at the end of 2008. But Louis Vuitton didn't change its message to fit with the time.

"It's crucial for luxury brands to be consistent and authentic," he said. "They become cultural reference points as the world shifts. It's not that they don't take account of cultural forces, but they can't react. They have to be beacons of a certain point of view."

LVMH's stock has recovered to the high 30s, a few points from its all-time pre-recession high. In 2010, Louis Vuitton's net profit jumped 73% led by the Asian market. A strong brand reduces business risk precisely because it stands for something more than affordability. Companies without focused brands -- Mitchell named Oldsmobile -- are in danger when affordability is the only selling point, because "somebody builds a cheaper or more convenient product, you're irrelevant."

As China and Brazil lead the race among emerging nations to enter the global middle class, Louis Vuitton suddenly finds itself with millions more potential customers outside its typical market of Europe and North America. "These people are very interesting because they're arriving in massive numbers and in a single lifetime they've made transition from villages to cities," he said. "They're looking for brands as signifiers to make sense of a new world."

The new world in advertising is moving away from the glossy magazine pages that often make a home for thickly coiffed men in shades and a Vuitton bag slung over their shoulder. The ad world has become a hectic, decentralized ecosystem of apps, targeted Web ads, and Facebook pages. After surviving the recession, Louis Vuitton's next challenge is to navigate the narrow channel between mass market technologies and a high-culture message.

"We talk a lot about roots and wings," Mitchell said. "We need roots, a back story, but also we need wings to stretch forward into the future. Managing that tension is what agencies are supposed to do." Louis Vuitton still banks opulent photographs on wide magazine pages. But its newest creation is Amble, a mobile app that lets users follow celebrities' favorite city experiences or create their own online journals with photos, videos, and notes.

Will Kanye West, the Louis Vuitton don himself, someday make an appearance in an LV advertisement? Don't count on it. "We can't be opportunistic about whoever endorsed us this week. I think Cristal champagne, Tommy Hilfiger and Burberry, all hurt their brands with overexposure to celebrities. We use Sean Connery, Keith Richards, Bono. These are famous travelers. They're more aligned with where we want to take the brand." by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

Top 10 Influential Brands

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Mon, 16 May 2011 01:27:00 +0800

The 3 Habits of Highly Effective Brands

Marc de Swaan Arons is the chairman of the global marketing consultancy EffectiveBrands. We discussed this week's ranking of the most valuable brands in the world (the top ten are listed to the right). Marc started things off with a long explanation of the "three characteristics every successful global brand has in common." The transcript below begins with a condensed version of his description of those three characteristics.

DEREK THOMPSON: Were you surprised by the results, which named Apple the most valuable brand in the world followed by mostly technology companies?

MARC DE SWAAN ARONS: The brands I saw at the top of the list matched up closely with what our research has shown to be the most effective brands in the world. Successful brands have three common characteristics:

1. The Universal Truth. The brands that travel successfully have discovered what universal truth they appeal to, and it's something that goes across nations. Lets take Google, which represents information. Wherever I am, if I need information, Google helps me find it. For Apple, the company used to be the preferred brand for creative people. But they've repositioned around making tech easy for everyone. Easy is something that everybody understands, and Apple is focused on doing that one thing well.

2. More Than a Business. Even more important than finding that universal truth is doing something purposeful. Effective brands are about something bigger than just making a lot of money. Look at GE with "ecoimagination." This company has fundamentally decided to make eco-friendliness the corps of its business.

3. Total Experience. Leading brands used to be in the product market. Now they're in the experience market. Think about Nike, for example. It's a shoe company. That's a product. But online, they are a service company. They help you find places to go running, find a running mate, find somebody to race against. A lot of brands are going beyond their product to offer consumers an experience. Look at IBM and its consulting practice. Look at Apple and its businesses in music and entertainment. Apple is really a company that wants to be part of your life. It's not about share of market anymore. It's about share of consumer experience.

What is "share of consumer experience" and why would it be important to a company?

In the early 1990s, Coke made a massive marketing leap of faith. They used to measure market share against other sodas. Then they said: Anything you pour down your throat is now a competitor. When they redefined the market to be all drinks, their market share went down from 50 percent to 10 percent, because they were against juices, sports drinks, and so on. But that helped Coke think outside the box. Now Coke owns juices. It owns sports drinks. And its growth is extraordinary.

So this is the next big thing in marketing and brand management?

More and more brands are thinking like Nike and IMB and Apple and Coke. They're all about share of experience. They want to be a part of your life, not just a product in your life.

Can you name a company that is not following this trend? That is failing to insert itself into people's lives?

BlackBerry. I really think they're dead meat. My niece picks up a BlackBerry and she is completely bored. If she picks up an iPhone, you can't get it out her hands. That's a big difference.

BlackBerry markets itself around adults. That's the fundamental pitch to consumers, that it is the grown-up's brand. You think it's a bad strategy for BlackBerry to focus on professionals?

I saw their new advertisement ["Amateur hour is over. The BlackBerry PlayBook is here."] That's just sad. They have this enormous market share in the corporate world but nowhere else to go. And now Apple is making inroads.

What does Apple understand that BlackBerry doesn't?

Apple products are not about the piece of technology. Apple products are about what you access through the technology. I'm looking at my iPad now. It has my favorite movie, my email, songs for stress and celebration, and apps for travel. It is everything I need. It's me. This brand has an incredible share of experience for me. I never thought Blackberry wanted to get to know me. It's just a piece of technology my IT department accepted.

credits: The Atlantic, Derek Thompson

Most Expensive Things Sold in the World

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Mon, 16 May 2011 01:13:00 +0800

Ever wonder what $60,000 jeans feel like? You'll never know. Because you didn't buy that $60,000 pair of Levis 501s from 1890 -- the most paid for a pair of jeans, ever.

Here are the most expensive items ever sold -- the record-setting car, baseball card, toy, and even tooth.

©Wikimedia Commons

Personal Home

Antilla, Mumbai, India; $1-$2 billion

The world's only billion dollar home is a 27-floor, 600 foot "modern Taj Mahal" built in South Mumbai for the family of businessman Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance Industries.

Book

Birds of America; $11.4 million

This 3-foot tall book includes 1,000 life-size illustrations of 435 birds drawn by West Indian-born American artist John James Audubon in the 1830s. [Guinness]

*What about Bill Gates' $30 million purchase of Leonardo Da Vinci's notebook "Codex?" According to Guinness, Codex does not technically qualify as a book as it's filled with mostly sketches and notes. Sorry, Bill.

©Wikimedia Commons

Toy

1963 G.I. Joe prototype; $200,000

The most valuable toy soldier in the world is the first handcrafted 1963 G.I. Joe prototype, sold in 2003 to Baltimore businessman Stephen A. Geppi at a Heritage Comics auction in Dallas. [Guinness]

Comic Book

Action Comics #1; $1.5 million

Called the "Holy Grail" of its genre, this rare comic featured the debut of Superman.

Baseball Card

1909 Honus Wagner; $2.35 million

In 2007, the Great One sold the great one. Wayne Gretzky, the most famous hockey player alive, sold the most famous baseball card in the world to an anonymous California collector for enough money to buy about 700,000 packs of baseball cards.

©Wikimedia Commons

Painting

No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock; $140 million

This famous Pollock sold for only $2.5 million more than the second most expensive painting ever -- "Woman III" by Willem de Kooning. A fact to know and share: both pieces were sold by David Geffen in 2006. (Way to time that wealth bubble, David!)

Jeans

1890 Levi 501 jeans; $60,000

The Levi Strauss & Co. 501 jeans, aged over 115 years, were sold by Randy Knight to an anonymous collector for $60,000 in 2005. Fitting with the middlebrow nature of the purchase, the sale happened over eBay. (Not actual jeans pictured.) [Guinness]

Doll

French Doll circa 1914; $263,000

"The doll, dressed in its period clothing to honor the Ballets Russes of Paris and first introduced to international acclaim in 1909, was won by a prominent Boston, USA, collector." (Not actual doll pictured.) [Guinness]

©Wikimedia Commons

Sculpture

Giacometti Walking Man; $104,300,000

Alberto Giacometti's six-foot-high bronze sculpture "L'Homme qui marche I" (1960) sold to an anonymous bidder at Sotheby's London in February 2010. [Guinness]

Tooth

Napoleon's upper right canine; $19,140

An upper right canine tooth extracted from the mouth of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1817 sold for $19,140 in November 2005. Guinness goes on: "The tooth is believed to have been extracted due to scurvy (recorded in 1816) by the physician Barry O'Meara, during Napoleon's exile on the South Atlantic British island of St Helena following his defeat in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815."

Purse

The Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse; $3.8 million

For the price of the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse, from Victoria's Secret, you could buy 32,000 Kate Spade hand bags at retail price, enough for every woman at Boston Univerity. And every man.

Virtual Property

Planet Calypso; $6 million

SEE Virtual Worlds acquired Planet Calypso, a virtual planet within the online game Entropia Universe in December 2010. More than 1s and 0s, the virtual planet has reportedly generated $4 million in player transaction revenue.

Leg of Ham

15-pound Jamon Iberico; $2,682

The most expensive leg of ham commercially available is a 15-lb Albarragena Jamon Iberico de Bellota retailing at $2,682 at the Food Hall in Sefridges, London. (Slices in image not from actual record-setting Jamon Iberico) [Guinness]

©Stuart Hughes via Born Rich

Car

Bugatti Veyron

The most expensive production car is generally thought to be the Bugatti Veyron. But its 15-pound model car is, somehow, even more expensive. This model made of 24k gold and 7.2 carats of diamonds, can be yours for $2.9 million.

Teddy Bear

Louis Vuitton Teddy; $182,000

A foot-and-a-half tall Steiff 'Louis Vuitton' teddy bear made in 2000 sold for $182,550 in 200 at Christie's, Monaco. [Guinness]

Diary

Dr. Alexander Macklin; $153,573

Dr. Macklin was a surgeon on the famous Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition between 1914-1917. After the Endurance ship (pictured) got trapped in ice, Macklin tended to the suffering crew -- one had a heart condition, another was suffering a nervous breakdown, another had gangrene in his toes, which required amputation. He was awarded the Silver Polar Medal for his efforts. Eighty years later, his diary sold for $150,000.

One caveat to keep in mind is that you don't know the true price of something until it is sold. That's why most of these items, via information collected and verified by Guinness World Records, were sold at auctions. To be sure, the most "valuable items" are unsellable. For example, the Mona Lisa might sell for more than $140 million, the record-setting price of the Pollock painting. But as long as it hangs behind bullet proof glass in the Louvre, there is no way to determine its market value.

Credits: The Atlantic, Derek Thompson

What does socialite shopaholic think with designer bags and apparel?

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Mon, 16 May 2011 00:56:00 +0800

Bentleys and Hermes bags are selling again. Yet the wealthiest Americans are emerging from the financial downturn as different consumers than they were.

Lyndie Benson says she now mentally calculates the "price per wear" of designer clothing. As the wife of saxophonist Kenny G, Ms. Benson, a photographer, can afford what she wants. She used to make a lot of impulse purchases, she says. But when shopping in Malibu, Calif., recently, she stopped herself before buying a gray Morgane Le Fay suit she'd tried on. "I walked outside and thought, 'Hmmm, I don't really love it that much,'" she says with contentment.

A number of surveys released in the past six weeks suggest Ms. Benson's new selectiveness is widespread among the wealthiest Americans. Though many of these people might seem unscathed by the financial crisis -- they didn't lose their homes, jobs or retirement savings -- they were deeply affected by what took place around them. "If you're conscious at all, it just seeps in," Ms. Benson says.

What's showing up in the latest research is a broad-based caution -- a sudden aversion to salespeople, a tepid response to ads focused on brand images, and a new interest in price-shopping. In Harrison Group's first-quarter survey of consumers with a median income of $275,000, 38% said they wait for items to go on sale, versus 31% in 2010.

Indeed, obtaining discounts on luxury goods has become a competitive sport among many well-to-do consumers, including Jim Taylor, vice chairman of the Waterbury, Conn.-based Harrison Group. Though he is wealthier this year than last, he recently spent a week comparison-shopping for a suit. He ultimately bought his Michael Kors suit on Overstock.com for $185.

Laurence Geller, CEO of the luxury-resort-owning Strategic Hotels & Resorts, told me recently that his favorite place to shop is the Nordstrom Rack discount outlet in Chicago. Harrison Group researchers found Costco and Target were the favorite stores of the wealthiest Americans.

In fact, one time-honored tenet of the luxury industry -- that discounted prices lower products' prestige -- appears to no longer be true, according to several studies. A survey released in April by the American Affluence Research Center, a luxury consultant based in Alpharetta, Ga., found that 60% of respondents said discounts didn't affect their opinion of brands.

Items the rich do value at full price are one-of-a-kind clothes and accessories and experiences that create fond memories. Weekend getaways and vacations were the top two things the wealthy intended to spend more money on, Harrison Group says.

The new luxuries are things that are in limited supply and have an emotional quality, rather than just a high price tag. When I asked New York socialite Olivia Chantecaille about her luxury shopping, she cited a new Hermes Birkin bag -- and a perfect mango she found in Paris. She and her husband have also been shopping a lot at Brunello Cucinelli, an Italian brand known for making J. Crew-style clothes such as cargo pants and comfy sweaters out of deluxe materials such as cashmere. Luxury may be back, but bling isn't.

The affluent are less trusting of brands than a few years ago. That makes sense: When Saks and other stores slashed prices on luxury goods in winter 2008-2009, shoppers got an inkling of the outsized markups on $10,000 handbags.

Consumers are also less influenced by brands' marketing. Harrison Group annually asks wealthy people if they agree with the statement: "I am willing to spend more for designer brands because they are the most stylish and fashionable." In the first quarter of 2008, 51% of respondents agreed. Three years later, 32% agree.

Yet 82% say they are happy with the way they look. "They don't need your brand to feel like they look good," Mr. Taylor told a group of luxury executives last month.

Nor do they want salespeople hammering away at them. Only 2% said they trust salespeople -- down from nearly 50% four years ago.

Part of this may be a reaction to the corporate push of commodity luxury. Ikram Goldman, the owner of the Ikram store in Chicago, says clients these days covet things that aren't mass-produced. She cites Rodarte, which makes artful designs in tiny quantities, as a label that has benefited from new tastes. "They don't feel like they're a dime a dozen," she says. "Our customers are desperate for that."

Christophe Georges, chief operating officer of Bentley Motors Inc., says his clients are increasingly distrustful of corporate marketing. He types his own emails to them, rather than using automated customer-outreach programs. "We are a little amateurish," he says, "and that's a good thing."

by Christina Binkley

Fuel prices cut by P2

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Sun, 15 May 2011 21:02:00 +0800

Fuel prices cut by as much as P2

by Ellson Quismorio, Manila Bulletin

May 13, 2011

MANILA, Philippines — Independent oil companies announced last night significant price rollbacks on prices of its gasoline and diesel products.

Seaoil Philippines said it rolled back premium and unleaded gasoline prices by P1.50 per liter, regular gasoline by P1, and diesel and kerosene prices by P2 effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Leah Flor, corporate communications officer, said Unioil Philippines slashed P1.50 a liter on all its gasoline products and P1.75 on diesel. “This will take effect 6 a.m. Saturday, May 14,” she said.

Flor likewise told the Manila Bulletin that Unioil reduced prices by as much as P2 a liter last Saturday, May 7, along with oil giants Pilipinas Shell, Petron Corp., and Chevron Philippines (formerly Caltex).

This means that today’s adjustment would be Unioil’s second significant price reduction in a week’s time. Saturday will also mark the first time this year that the oil company would cut prices twice in a row.

The average prices of fuel in Metro Manila as of Friday were P47.50 a liter for diesel; P57.50 a liter for unleaded and P56 a liter for kerosene.

Citing the decline in international product prices, local oil firms last May 7 rolled back diesel by P1.75 a liter; kerosene by P2 a liter, unleaded gasoline by P0.50 a liter, and regular gasoline by P1.25 a liter.

The same reason can be attributed for the latest price movement, Flor said. Other oil firms have yet to announce an adjustment as of press time.

Unioil has fewer than 50 retail stations in Metro Manila.

Meanwhile, Total Phils. raised its cooking gas by P1 per kilo Friday, two days after the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers Association (LPGMA) rolled back its prices.

In the world market, oil prices rose to near $100 a barrel Friday as Germany and France posted strong economic growth figures and the US dollar weakened, making crude cheaper for investors with other currencies.

By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for June delivery was up 93 cents to $99.90 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 76 cents to settle at $98.97 on Thursday.

In London, Brent crude for June delivery was up $1.20 to $114.18 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Crude prices have zigzagged near $100 for most of this week, broadly tracking the value of the dollar. When the dollar weakens – as it has most of this year – oil tends to rise while it usually falls when the dollar is stronger. (With a report from AP)

Best Aerial Shot

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Sat, 14 May 2011 16:59:00 +0800

50 Incredible Pictures Taken Through An Airplane Window

by Alexandru

If you’re not afraid of flying, air travel can be downright incredible as you can see unique places depending on where you fly. This showcase contains 50 incredible views taken through an airplane window. Next time when you fly, think about these pictures and take your own.

Midwest, USA

Greenland

Izalco, San Salvador

Winslow, Arizona

Western Sudan

Panama

Kronotsky volcano, Kamchatka

Chara, Siberia

Colorado, USA

Mt. McLoughlin, Oregon

Palawan, Philippines

Dahan-e Darreh Chasht, Afghanistan

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Chicago, Illinois

Mexico City

The Amazon

Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Atacama, Chile

Ushuaia, Argentina

Outskirts of Lima, Peru

“Somewhere between Salt Lake and Paris”

Hong Kong

Lake Baikal, Siberia

Tehran, Iran

Downtown Doha, Qatar

Okushiri, Japan

North Anchorage, Alaska

Singapore

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Lencois Maranhenses, Brazil

Capetown, South Africa

Marsa el Brega, Libya

Marrakech, Morocco

Crater Lake, Tanzania

Luanda, Angola

Table Mountain, South Africa

Guyana

Utah, USA

Pyramid Lake, Nevada

El Alto, Bolivia

Montana, USA

Bombay, India

Cascais, Portugal

Outside of Paris, France

East of Madrid, Spain

Wisconsin, USA

Austria

Derby, Washington

Blue Mountains, Australia

Lake Nasser, Egypt

Kate was at the supermarket

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Sat, 14 May 2011 16:15:00 +0800

A week ago she was walking up the aisle in front of a global audience of billions.

Now, a dressed-down Duchess of Cambridge is strolling down aisles of a more mundane kind as she does the weekly shop like any other housewife.

In a loose-fitting green poncho and white V-neck sweatshirt worn with skinny jeans and ballet pumps, Kate pushed a trolley among dozens of shoppers at Waitrose on the island of Anglesey.

Down the aisle again: Kate stops to chat with a supermarket worker as she shops at Waitrose in Anglesey

Onlookers said she had a spring in her step as she filled several carrier bags and loaded them into the boot of her Audi A3.

No doubt her already buoyant mood was lifted further with the news that she and Prince William are to take America by storm with a whirlwind visit to Hollywood this summer. There, no doubt, they will receive the full celebrity treatment.

Unlike yesterday, when Kate smiled at locals as well as the photographer as she ‘skipped’ across the car park to return her empty trolley before driving back to the remote farmhouse that she shares with her new husband.

Doing the weekly shop, Duchess? Kate joins the rest of the supermarket shoppers by grabbing a trolley

For anyone who has remained oblivious to months of build-up to their wedding, the only clues to Kate’s royal status were three police bodyguards, a back-up car and the jewellery on her wedding finger.

Tucked behind her sapphire engagement ring was the plain Welsh gold band that marked her transformation from a commoner into Her Royal Highness on Friday – and will eventually guarantee her a seat on the throne.

Around the wrist of her other hand, she appeared to be wearing an elastic hair band, though yesterday afternoon she let her blow-dried locks hang loose.

No ordinary RAF wife: Appearing to skip while pushing her trolley, down-to-earth Kate looks as though she just might take off on the wheeled device

Kate, 29, is likely to have been preparing a special dinner for her new husband, who returned yesterday morning from a busy 24-hour shift as a search and rescue pilot.

One onlooker said: ‘It looked like she was stocking up on the basics, but she also bought a few special items, so perhaps she was preparing their first romantic meal as a married couple.

‘She loaded all the shopping into her car on her own, then skipped as she ran the trolley back to the park. She looked very happy and was smiling at people.

Happy shopper: The new Duchess of Cambridge looks relaxed at the supermarket with her protection officer

Don't forget the keys: Kate hands over the car keys to her protection officer, and then it was in to the supermarket to bag some bargains

‘Most people didn’t even spot who it was, despite her being probably the most famous person in the world at the moment.’ It is the first time Kate has been out and about in public since she and William departed for a weekend break on Saturday, the day after marrying at Westminster Abbey.

It was only after the couple flew off in the Queen’s helicopter that St James’s Palace revealed their surprise decision to forego an immediate honeymoon. They spent the bank holiday weekend at a secret location in the UK and are expected to take an extended break at a later date.

It was announced yesterday that they will stop off in Los Angeles during a three-day official stay in California in July following their inaugural foreign tour to Canada.

What a difference a week makes: Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, on her wedding day last Friday

Palace officials decided to extend their original nine-day tour as the reaction in the U.S. to the couple’s engagement and wedding last week has been so phenomenal.

Their faces are on the covers of magazines coast to coast and have led news bulletins on all the major channels. The prince’s late mother, Princess Diana, was immensely popular in the U.S. and there is little doubt that part of his growing public profile there is down to her.

But with a glamorous, young new bride on his arm, the reaction is expected to exceed anything seen before.

The exact details of the trip have yet to be confirmed but William and Kate will arrive in California on July 8 and leave on July 10. During their proposed visit to the sunshine state, they could be welcomed by former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Cool customer: Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, mingled with shoppers at a branch of Waitrose in Anglesey

The prince has never visited the U.S. in an official capacity before but did holiday with his university friend – and rumoured love interest – Anna Sloan, a Texan heiress, in 2004. It will be Kate’s first ever visit to the country.

It also emerged yesterday that William’s first day back at work – and away from his new wife – was a busy one. The 28-year-old, who has chosen to keep the working name Flight Lieutenant William Wales, arrived at his RAF Valley base on Wednesday morning and was soon involved in two emergencies.

In the first, his Sea King chopper was sent to rescue a 70-year-old man who suffered a heart attack while on Lliwedd, a mountain in Snowdonia National Park, and was airlifted to hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

Soon after, the prince and his three fellow crew members collected four off-duty policemen who were stuck on Snowdon because one of them suffered vertigo as they made their way down from the peak.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE SEVEN DAYS MAKE...

Seven days ago, the Duchess of Cambridge was being primped and preened, buttoned into a bespoke Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen creation and sent down the aisle of Westminster Abbey.

Yesterday, those same perfectly manicured fingers and £85,700 ring were clutching, not the hand of a prince, but the handle of a Waitrose shopping trolley as she scampered into the Anglesey branch of the supermarket.

She appears to be equally at ease in the these aisles, settling into her new life as a housewife, donning a comfy cardi and heading out to the supermarket for supplies while the husband’s out from under her feet.

You can take the girl out of the King’s Road, but not, seemingly, vice versa. Kate looks every inch the Sloane ranger, dressed in a pair of French Sole brown mock-croc ballet pumps (£92), a pair of faded black Hudson skinny jeans (costing a whopping £195, the brand is her favourite), a long-line white cashmere v-neck jumper and green frilled shrug.

She’s also wearing the same pair of Hope Egg earrings (by Links of London £275) that appeared in the couple’s official engagement photo taken by Mario Testino.

Credits Mail Online, Rebecca English and Fay Schlesinger

Mac Virus Data

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Wed, 11 May 2011 03:25:00 +0800

Mac virus onslaught in 2011? Not so fast

from Jeff Porten, MAcworld

Is it really true that it's only a matter of time before Macintosh users are under siege by a flood of viruses and malware? McAfee announced recently that 2011 would be a bad year for people using Apple computers, as hackers will be increasingly attracted by growing Mac market share. It's not at all hard to find experts who agree.

The thing is, they also agreed back on July 18, 2010, June 17, 2010, April 9, 2008, and October 20, 2006, among many other dates in the past which I didn't bother excavating from Google. Remember that horrible Christmas of 2006, when all of your Macs broke simultaneously?

Me neither.

How malware hackers eat

It's worth noting how computer malware comes into being. Unlike biological viruses, such as H1N1, malware doesn't spontaneously create new offspring. New viruses require the effort of "black hat" hackers, who try to create code that is easy to replicate, hard to remove, and does something to benefit of its creator.

That last bit is a crucial part of the malware environment. A few malware hackers write software attacks purely out of malice, but mostly it's done for profit. In theory, the more Mac users there are in the world, the more appealing they become as a target for hackers. This theory is pretty much the sum total of the analysis you'll see about Mac security on many general news sites.

In practice, though, there are three major components that play into the creation of viral attacks:.

Motivation: Hackers will attack where they have reason to do so. Consider the Stuxnet worm that attacked sensitive computers in Iran. If anyone knows for certain who wrote this, or how it was introduced into Iranian nuclear plants, they're not talking to Macworld. But these attacks weren’t motivated by the sudden increase of people walking around carrying programmable industrial logic controllers in their pockets.

Opportunity: When there’s vulnerability in software—from Apple or or any other vendor—the malware hacker community is almost always the first to know. After all, this is their bread and butter—give them a chance to make money, and they’ll race to exploit the vulnerability before it’s found and fixed. Serious computer security experts (who are, alas, less frequently quoted in the general media than software vendors and supposed experts who give good sound bites) classify these opportunities intovulnerabilities (theoretical avenues for attacks) and exploits (actual attacks taking place in the real world).

For example, if you go away for the weekend and forget to lock your door, but you come home to an intact house, that's a vulnerability. But if you came back to find that some scoundrel has made off with your worldly possessions, thanks to your forgetfulness, that's an exploit. Most computer security issues you read about—and especially the ones you see on cable TV news—are vulnerabilities. But we're vulnerable to thousands of things a day, including death rays from outer space which do everything from cause cancer to crash your MacBook. Unless you've already lined both your hat and your laptop bag with tinfoil, you're clearly not too worried about this. (Nor should you be—the odds of this occurring are extremely low. And the tinfoil is unlikely to help.)

Herd immunity: Herd immunity is a concept from biological infection that also applies to computers. Disease relies on a certain critical mass to spread: if your population is dominated by those who are immune to infection, it helps curtail the communication of the disease. In terms of computers, it means that so long as the vast majority of machines that your computer interacts with aren't subject to the same malware—i.e. when your Mac talks to Windows PCs—you’re less likely to get infected. When your machine talks mostly to computers that are susceptible, herd immunity is lost.

So, the assumption that is made by almost all of the doomsaying articles linked above—and thousands I didn't link to—is incorrect. There is no magic number of Macs, above which they suddenly become less secure. There is instead a theoretical protection that is offered by Macintosh market share. The actual point at which a larger market share becomes dangerous depends entirely on the nature of the threat.

As Macs are built on many of the same technologies as the iPad and iPhone, it is possible that the rapid rise of iOS devices exposes Macs to new vulnerabilities. But until an actual exploit is in circulation, this is simply a conjecture that falls somewhere between "aliens are killing cows in Montana" and "global warming will submerge Manhattan in 2050." It's my opinion that beachfront property in Pittsburgh might be a good buy-and-hold strategy, but there's still considerable debate about how the proven vulnerability of ocean surface rise will play out in human-impact exploits.

How Mac users think

There’s a second flaw in the Macs-are-vulnerable argument: the oft-repeated notion that Mac users believe their Macs are immune to attack. This is mentioned in both the McAfee report as well as theComputerworld coverage.

I beg to differ, on the basis of overwhelming—and purely anecdotal—evidence. As a Mac consultant, writer, and generic "known expert" to a bunch of folks in my community, I regularly field questions about Mac security issues. This demonstrates a general understanding that A) security issues exist on the Mac and B) people are curious enough to ask questions. No one has ever asked me whether a cosmic ray can crash their computer—although it can—or if their MacBook can come to life overnight and raid their fridge. Mac users do seem to assume they're safe from death rays and late night Mac snack raids, otherwise, I'd be asked about those threats. If people ask me about malware—and they do—I take that as proof that they don't assume they're immune.

As for what you should be doing about these attacks, that has been covered by experts numeroustimes in greater detail than I can address here. Given that you're reading this article, you're already doing the most important thing you can: Staying informed. When a new Mac vulnerability breaks, you'll read about it on Macworld and other Macintosh-specific news sites. When this escalates to the level of a circulating exploit, you'll see even more coverage. If and when an exploit becomes common—which has not occurred since the primary method of moving Mac files around was an 800K floppy disk—then you won't be able to avoid hearing about it if you're keeping up on Mac-specific news.

Conversely, you should take any information you get about the Mac from a general news site with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, many tech and computer news websites can fall into the "general" category here more often than they probably should. If you hear about a threat, but it doesn't seem to concern editors at Macworld and other reputable Mac sites, then those general sites are likely missing something. When something is genuinely dangerous, you'll hear about it here from Mac-specific writers and editors. You'll also be told how to protect yourself, if such a method exists.

Critics often accuse Apple of touting the imperviousness of its systems, but it’s worth noting that the company acknowledges its imperfections. For example, it still recommends that Mac users scan downloads from untrusted sources with antivirus software. (Users looking for an antivirus package have a number of options to choose from.) Apple itself builds a wide range of security measures into the Mac OS, including—in OS X’s most recent incarnation—a limited malware-detection system. Security requires a proactive approach, but Apple helps users out by enabling most of those measures by default.

In the meantime, despite the many varied technical debates to the contrary, you can generally rest easy—unless you enjoy getting lost in the weeds where Mac experts and geeks like to hang out. You'll find many debates among Mac experts about theoretical dangers, and these can sometimes make it into the general media. But that doesn't mean you need to take action every time the hint of a threat pops up in your RSS reader. The vaunted grain of salt and information from reliable sources should see you right.

Pippa's dress

noreply@blogger.com (Supermariohero) — Tue, 10 May 2011 12:08:00 +0800

There's something about Pippa's dress: Cameron Diaz wore the maid-of-honour's gown to last year's Golden Globes

By Lauren Paxman

May 2 2011

Hundreds of pounds were won, and lost, speculating on what kind of dress Kate Middleton would choose to wear on her wedding day.

But in the end, the biggest sartorial surprise (we all knew Kate would look incredible), was how wonderful her younger sister Pippa looked in her ivory Alexander McQueen creation.

And while replicas of Kate's lacy number will be walked up and down aisles all over the world within weeks, Miss Middleton's capped-sleeved column was already gracing red carpets months ago

Royal wedding replica: Pippa Middleton's maid-of-honour dress is the same style as one worn by Cameron Diaz in January 2010

Cameron Diaz chose a red, satin version of the dress more than a year ago at the 2010 Golden Globes ceremony.

The pre-fall 2009 cowl-neck gown was originally intended to be worn with a chunky black leather belt, giving it a harder edge. But both Miss Middleton and Diaz chose to wear the fitting dress with minimal accessories.

Miss Middleton's white version, which is reported to have cost her parents £20,000, was softened a little with lace edging to her capped sleeves and decolletage.

However the cowl neck and beautiful hourglass silhouette was identical to the dress Diaz wore, and impressively Miss Middleton pulled off the look just as well as the A-list actress, looking even slimmer than the Hollywood star.

Sartorially stunning: Pippa asked Sarah Burton's team at Alexander McQueen to finish off the dress with a line of silk-covered buttons that went right down her spine

The maid of honour wore floral diamond earring studs deigned by her mother, white Jimmy Choos and lily of the valley flowers in her hair.

She also asked Sarah Burton's team at Alexander McQueen to finish off the dress with a line of silk-covered buttons that went right down her spine.

Diaz accessorised her outfit with a Van Cleef and Arpel bracelet, Ferragamo peep-toe shoes and a big umbrella.

Alterations: Pippa's version was softened a little with lace edging to her capped sleeves, the dress was originally intended to be worn with a big belt

The actress was styled by celebrity favourite Rachel Zoe at last January's ceremony - proving that the Middleton sisters really do have stellar taste.

Diaz had reportedly originally chosen a grey Versace Atelier dress to wear to the Globes, but it was 'stolen' the day before the ceremony.

The scandal became the most searched for story on Google - but many suspected it of being a hoax to boost ratings of Zoe's reality TV show.

PIPPA'S DRESS IS COPIED IN RECORD QUICK TIME

Quick recreation: A copy of Pippa Middleton's maid-of-honour dress is already on display in Sydney

While dressmakers all over the globe were poised with their chalk, needles and thread, ready to recreate Kate Middleton's wedding dress almost as soon as she climbed out of her car, few could have anticipated how popular Pippa's dress would be too.

But in Sydney, a team of tailors has worked throughout the weekend to recreate various aspects of the Royal Wedding - including the maid-of-honour's Alexander McQueen fluid column gown.

The Royal Wedding was perfectly timed for Australian audiences who watched the live ceremony in their thousands on Friday night.

A version of Pippa's dress, which is on display at the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, is already attracting crowds of viewers too.

However, there are a few tell-tale signs that the gown was made in a bit of a hurry.

The buttons down the spine of the dress do not sit as straight as those on the version that Pippa wore, the lace used on the capped sleeves is clearly very different and the material is a lot thinner.

But considering the months of fittings Kate's little sister will have been through in the run-up to April 29, this version which took a matter of hours to make is a very valiant effort.

credits mail online