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Cebu Dancing Inmates pay tribute to Michael Jackson

2009-07-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

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Cebu Dancing Inmates

Cebu dancing inmates to perform 'Thriller' tribute for Jackson

2009-06-26T05:27:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - On Saturday afternoon, more than 1,400 orange-clad Cebu inmates who gained worldwide attention for an impressive “Thriller" performance on YouTube will pay their last respects to the late King of Pop.

“Everyone’s sad," Byron Garcia, provincial security consultant of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), told GMANews.TV in a phone interview.

“Malaki talaga si Michael Jackson sa programa namin. [Michael Jackson really played a big part in our program]," Garcia said.

Ever since the "dancing inmates" were reported by international news organizations, Garcia said inquisitive tourists have been drawn to the CPDRC. Visitors have even gained a more optimistic perspective of Philippine prisoners.he CPDRC inmates perform every last Saturday of the month to almost 600 visitors for free. On June 27, they will stage a repeat of the Thriller dance routine that made them famous as a tribute to Jackson, who died of a heart attack Thursday in Los Angeles.

The moonwalking pop star drove the growth of music videos, vaulting cable channel MTV into the mainstream after the network’s launch in 1981. His 1982 hit "Thriller" spawned a John Landis-directed music video that MTV played every hour.

Fast-forward 25 years later and Garcia, who noticed that the inmates were bored with the usual morning exercise, sought the help of choreographer Vince Rosales and adapted Jackson’s iconic moves into a four-minute routine.

GONE TOO SOON. Filipino inmate Dodong Niere (right) feels saddened by the news of Michael Jackson's death Friday (Manila time). Jackson was 50. with AP photo

Crisanto “Dodong" Niere, the Cebu inmate who impersonates Jackson in the routine, said he was saddened by his idol’s sudden death.

"He is sad his idol died," an official from the CPDRC who spoke with Dodong told GMANews.TV. [See: Cebu inmate impersonator sad over Jackson’s death]

The video has since generated more than 23 million views after it was posted in 2007 and has even been hailed by TIME Magazine as one of the best viral videos of that year.

Garcia said the inmates’ popularity might gain another momentum as shocked fans continue to look online for anything that would remind them of Jackson.
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Michael Jackson was much more than the King of Pop

2009-06-26T01:14:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK — When Michael Jackson anointed himself "King of Pop" over two decades ago, there was considerable rumbling about his hubris: Yes, he may have become a world sensation with record-setting sales of "Thriller," and yes, he may have had a string of No. 1 hits with smashes like "Billie Jean" and "Beat It," but the KING OF ALL POP MUSIC?

Surely, in a modern music history that has given us Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder and so many musical greats, that title was a more than a bit inflated.

But in actuality, Jackson understated his significance.

While his elaborate, stop-on-a-dime dance moves and sensual soprano may have influenced generations of musicians, Michael Jackson stood for much more than pop greatness — or tabloid weirdness. One of entertainment's greatest icons, he was a ridiculously gifted, equally troubled genius who kept us captivated — at his most dazzling, and at his most appalling.

At the height of his fame, he was among the world's most beloved figures. Heads of state clamored to meet him, screen legends like Elizabeth Taylor were his close friends, and worldwide, simply the mention of his name could make people do the moonwalk, from Los Angeles to Laos (The New York Times once accurately described him as one of the six most famous people on the planet).

His whispery, high-pitched speaking voice was constantly imitated, his fedora hat on his lean frame instantly recognizable, his childlike image endearing.

He influenced artists ranging from Justin Timberlake to Madonna, from rock to pop to R&B to even rap, across genres and groups that no other artist was able to unite. He changed music videos with "Thriller" in 1983, still considered by most to be the greatest music video ever made. Stars like Beyonce still mimic his moves. His one glove, white socks and glittery jackets made him a fashion trendsetter, making androgyny seem sexy and even safe.

Almost everyone wanted that Michael Jackson connection (and those who didn't were afraid to say so out loud). His celebrity and adoration was staggering.

So when his image began to crumble, becoming twisted and disturbed, that aspect, too, was larger than life. His multiple plastic surgeries and his vitiligo illness, which saw him transform from a masculine looking black man to a wispy, pale-faced, almost noseless figure, was held up as the standard for bad plastic surgery, a freakish-looking character.

His eccentric behavior left people confused, and when allegations (and later criminal charges) that accused him of sexually molesting two separate boys surfaced on two separate occasions, people were repelled by his alleged behavior and the man that their former idol had become.

And yet, it was hard to look away.

In the early days, no one wanted to. Jackson came into our public consciousness as an impossibly cute preteen wonder in 1969, an unbelievably precocious singer of his family band, The Jackson 5. The soon-to-be Motown legend channeled songs like "I Want You Back," and "I'll Be There" with a passion and soulfulness that belied his young years. Even then, his dance moves, copped from the likes of James Brown and Jackie Wilson, were exquisite, and his onstage presence outshone seasoned veterans.

The spotlight began to dim when he entered his late teens, however, and while he still had R&B hits with the Jacksons, it seemed as if he would never recapture the pop success that he burst onto the scene with as a child.

But then he met Quincy Jones, and the musical landscape changed. With the legendary producer, Jackson crafted what for most artists would be a career-defining album, from the string-enhanced disco classic "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough," a party staple which he wrote, to the bitter ballad "She's Out of My Life." The best-selling CD showed the world a grown-up Michael Jackson with grown-up artistry, showcasing his breathy alto-soprano voice and providing a springboard to his early videos, which gave a glimpse of the dance wizardry to come.

At the time, it was Jackson's music that was front and center. A 21-year-old who spoke in a breathy, high voice, still lived at home, had his first, barely noticeable nose job and was a self-claimed virgin in an industry known for its hedonism, he was certainly an odd figure, but his personal life had yet to become intertwined with his public image.

That began to change during "Thriller" — the album that would become his greatest success and his career-defining achievement. Also produced by Quincy Jones, it featured even more of Jackson's songwriting talents; Selling more than 50 million albums worldwide to become the globe's best-selling disc, it spawned seven Billboard top 10 hits, including two No. 1s with "Billie Jean" and "Beat It," won an then-unprecedented eight Grammy awards, and numerous other awards.

It was an impact measured much more than in stats.

He broke MTV's color barrier, becoming the first black artist played on the young, rock-oriented channel when the success of "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" became so overwhelming it could not be ignored. He also established the benchmark for the way videos would be made, with stunning cinematography, precision choreography that recalled great movie musicals. Jackson's amazing talents as a dancer were also displayed to the world during his Emmy-nominated performance for Motown's 25th anniversary. It is still considered one of TV's most thrilling moments, from his moonwalk strut to his pulsating pelvic movements.

But as Jackson's fame grew, his eccentricities, from his strange affinity for children and all things childlike, to his at times asexual image to his fascination with plastic surgery, began to dull the shine off of his sparkling image. As the years went by, those "eccentricities" would become more bizarre, and completely tarnish it.

His skin, once a dark brown, became the color of paste, a transition he blamed on the skin disease vitiligo, though some believed he simply bleached his skin in order to appear more Caucasian. That belief was rooted in his frequent plastic surgeries, which whittled his nose from a broad frame to an almost impossibly narrowed bridge. His image was a tough one to look at, much less embrace.

If his plastic surgery made him disturbingly unwatchable, soon, allegations of child abuse would make him reviled among many. He was first accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy in 1993; no charges were ever filed, a civil lawsuit was settled out of court and he always maintained his innocence. Although he had a chart-topping album with "HIStory" in 1995 and was still a superstar, he was a damaged one — and would never fully recover from the allegation.

A criminal charge of molestation of another young boy in 2004, which resulted in his acquittal in 2005, further stripped his marketability and his legacy; after the trial ended, he went into seclusion, and while top hitmakers from Ne-Yo to Akon courted him to make new music, no new CD was ever released. He was overwhelmed with legal and financial troubles, with what seemed like weekly lawsuits against him seeking money owed.

A comeback seemed to be most unlikely. His reputation was considered irreparably damaged, his image mocked and his name an automatic punchline. But when he announced he'd be doing a series of comeback concerts at London's famed O2 Arena in London, not only did the initial dates sell out immediately, the demand was so insatiable he was signed on for an unprecedented 50 shows, and was expected to embark on a worldwide tour sometime after the concert series was complete in March.

Of course, there will be no comeback now, no Jackson 5 reunion, no new music to share with millions of fans. But the legacy he leaves behind is so rich, so deep, that no scandal can torpedo it. The "Thriller" may be gone, but the thrill will always remain. - AP

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Michael Jackson's death stuns fans across nation

2009-06-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES – Across the country, people reacted in stunned disbelief Thursday as word spread that Michael Jackson had collapsed and died. Within minutes of Jackson's arrival by ambulance at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center people began arriving by the hundreds, the crowd quickly filling a grassy entrance outside the hospital. Overhead, news helicopters whirred noisily and TV trucks clogged streets.

As word spread a few minutes later that Jackson had died, several people burst into tears. Others stood silently, looking pensive, as they waited for official word from the hospital. Still others whipped out cell phones and began calling or texting friends to pump them for information.

A similar scene played out just a couple miles away, in front of Jackson's tony Holmby Hills home, where a Fire Department ambulance had arrived to take him to the hospital.

"I'm in shock," said Becky Williams, a 26-year-old Jackson fan from Salt Lake City who happened to be visiting her sister just down the street.

"He's gone. The legend of music," Williams said in disbelief as she stood outside Jackson's home.

In Holmby Hills, cars — many of them with stereo systems blaring songs from Jackson's classic "Thriller" album — began go clog the streets.

As people began to leave their cars to snap pictures, a police officer warned them their cars would be towed if they didn't move.

Among those who drove to the neighborhood was Sue Mossell, who was visiting from Georgia with her two sons, 7-year-old Ryan and 12-year-old Jimmy.

Ryan placed a pink flower in front of Jackson's gate.

"He wanted to put a flower down for him," said Mossell, 46, who said she grew up listening to Jackson's music.

___

Associated Press writers Derrik J. Lang, Anthony McCartney and Solvej Schou contributed to this story.

source said

Pacquiao seeks place in world boxing history

2009-05-02T04:40:00.000-07:00

Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao is on the brink of achieving a “sixth” world title, this time in the 140-pound division, as he challenges International Boxing Organization (IBO) and the Ring Magazine junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton.

The pride of General Santos City and of the whole Philippines as well has already won the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight, the WBC super featherweight, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight, and the WBC flyweight world titles.

He also won an “extra” world title when he copped the lineal featherweight championship by beating Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003, though he never held a sanctioning belt in that division.

According to Wikipedia, the lineal championship is an abstract world championship title held at some moment in time by a boxer universally acclaimed as “the best in the class”.

If Pacquiao beats Hatton, he gets another lineal title in a fourth division.

“In other words, he'll be considered the ‘real’ champion in a fourth division, not just a mere titleholder, the way he was when he claimed his junior featherweight belt and lightweight title,” explained analyst Dan Rafael in his article posted on ESPN.com.

Boxing historian Bert Sugar said Pacquiao will become one of the boxing greats if he wins a junior welterweight title.

“Even with all the belts, he's still the lineal champion in so many weight classes. I make him out to be the greatest Asian fighter of all time, and conceivably, one of the greatest fighters of all time if he can carry this off,” said Sugar.

Pacquiao said a win over Hatton is very important to him.

"It is very important for me to win [titles] in six different divisions for the people of my country," said Pacquiao. "Being a six-division champion, if that happens, people will want to put my name in boxing history, and that will be my legacy."

Even Oscar de la Hoya, who was considered the lineal champion in three weight divisions, is aware of what Pacquiao is trying to accomplish.

"He's in a position now where he can make history," said de la Hoya, whom Pacquiao beat last December. "It's not easy to jump six weight classes. It's not easy at all. It's probably the most difficult task that any fighter can have. I've always said it was more difficult than just being world champion for 10 years at one weight class."

Mayweather Jr. set to return?

As tension for the Pacquiao-Hatton fight continues to escalate, rumors of the "unretirement" of former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather began to swirl.

Dan Rafael cited sources as saying that Mayweather is close to sealing a fight deal with Pacquiao's nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico. as his return match after springing back from retirement.

"The deal was finalized Friday afternoon following a flurry of conversations over a six-hour period, a source said," said Rafael.

Mayweather is reportedly set to announce his return to the ring the same day Pacquiao and Hatton will be fighting.

The former pound-for-pound king, who remains undefeated in 39 fights, has been away from boxing action for more than 17 months.

Mayweather might face Pacquiao should the Filipino win over Hatton.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/05/02/09/pacquiao-seeks-place-world-boxing-history

2009-05-02T04:36:00.000-07:00

Agence France-Presse | 05/02/2009 8:31 AM

LAS VEGAS - Thousands of screaming British boxing supporters cheered on Ricky Hatton at Friday's weigh-in for Saturday's junior welterweight bout with Filipino Manny Pacquiao, who also had strong support.

Chanting "There's only one Ricky Hatton" over and over with some renditions of "God Save the Queen" and "Rule Britannia" thrown in as well, flag-waving backers of the English fighter drowned out their Asian rivals.

"It makes me feel really proud," Hatton told the crowd. "It's going to be an honor to fight for you Saturday night and you will not go home disappointed."

About 4,500 people, 90 percent of them cheering and chanting for Hatton, watched as the International Boxing Organization champion tipped the scales at the 140-pound limit, two pounds heavier than pound-for-pound king Pacquiao.

"I want to make you guys happy," Pacquiao told the crowd. "We're going to have a great fight."

The rowdy, English Premiership football-style atmosphere peaked when Hatton and Pacquiao traded glares, "Pacman" breaking the tension with a smile while "The Hitman" remained stonefaced as the crowd roared.

"When you have the Brits come over for Hatton, this is by far the biggest and best crowd I've ever seen," promoter Oscar de la Hoya said of the turnout. "I'm glad I retired so I can go have a pint."

Hatton said 25,000 British supporters have made the trip to Las Vegas for the fight at 15,000-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena, where the weigh-in was conducted with only about one-third of the capacity open to the public.

For many, it represented their only hope of seeing either fighter in person as the fight has been sold out for weeks. Hundreds of people stood on line for hours for the chance to see the weigh-in, practicing vocals during the wait.

Pacquiao, trying to become a champion in his record-tying sixth different weight division by lifting Hatton's crown, weighed-in at his second-heaviest size for a bout but was still fit enough to flex his ripped chest muscles.

The only time Pacquiao has weighed more for a fight was last December, when he was 145 pounds for an eighth-round stoppage of de la Hoya.

Hatton, undefeated at junior welterweight as he tries to take Pacquiao's pound-for-pound title, was at the 147-pound welterweight limit for his 2006 victory over Luis Collazo and his 2007 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jnr.

Other than those two fights, Hatton has been at 140 or less in every fight since January of 2000.

In the only other world title bout on the card, World Boxing Council super featherweight champion Humberto Soto of Mexico weighed 130 pounds, one pound heavier than Canadian challenger Benoit Gaudet.

source : http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/05/02/09/weigh-whips-fans-pacquiao-hatton-showdown

2009-04-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines -- The 1,310 passers of the 2008 Bar examinations will take their oath on Apr. 28 at the Philippine International Convention Center, the Supreme Court announced today.
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The oath will be administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno.

Beginning today, the passers may secure their clearances from the Office of the Bar Confidant at 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., from Monday to Friday, until Apr. 27.

A total of 1,310 out of 6,364 takers or 20.58 percent passed the Bar examinations held Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28 last year at the De La Salle University in Manila. Judy Lardizabal of San Sebastian College topped the exams with a score of 85.7 percent.

Justice Dante Tinga headed the 2008 Committee on Bar Examinations. - By Dennis Carcamo (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

ATELIER RESIDENCES CONDOMINIUM

2009-01-20T08:54:00.000-08:00

Atelier Residences Condominium is just 20 meters after Windland Tower located at Juana Osmena Extention Road. Just 100 meters from the main highway Escario Street.

Escario Street is major road where a lot of PUJ route pass thru to North (like Lahug, Ayala, Mandaue, SM City) and South (like Labangon, Downtown, Jones Avenue). Or just ride a Taxi which is easily available at the Taxi Lane located just 10meters away from the Condo.

Construction Update (12-30-08)
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Ground Breaking Ceremony (December 18, 2008)
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1BR PERSPECTIVE
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location
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BUILDING FEATURES
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available units 1br, 2br, 3br
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Disclaimer:

For announcement purposes only. All visuals and specifications indicated in this material may change without prior notice. This does not constitute an offer to sell and the developer cannot be held responsible to any party by reason of this material.

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more info contact Virgilio Vallecera
63322599779,63322548618/639264902065

Six-Figure Jobs You Don't Need a College Degree For

2009-01-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

14 Ways to Get to Six Figures Without Doing Four Years First

Maybe you don't want to spend all that time taking classes in obscure subjects while hoping to find your calling and piling up student loan debt. Maybe you don't really care so much about college. You just want to work and make money.

You can do it, but there aren't many fields where it happens very often. In our list (see below) of 14 potentially six-figure jobs that don't require a four-year diploma, only two have a median wage of above $100,000. For the rest, you'll have to be in the top 10% of earners, and even then you may find yourself working 50 to 60 hours a week.

Dr. Al Lee, director of quantitative analysis at Payscale.com, says that most of these jobs share a few qualities. (Payscale's research provided the numbers that made this list possible. The company measured the average earnings for people with eight or more years in their field.)

=========================================
More from Forbes.com:

* In Depth: Jobs That Can Earn More Than $100,000 Without College
* In Depth: The 10 Top Jobs for Today's Grads
* In Depth: Top 10 Recession-Proof Jobs
* In Depth: Government Jobs You Should Apply For Now

=========================================

No test can tell an employer how good you might be at some of these lines of work -- real estate broker or fashion designer, for example. That's why a degree is less important to a potential employer than field experience and demonstrated past success. Either you're good at it or you're not.

Many of these jobs rely on variable pay (commission and overtime) to break six figures. Good plumbers, ultrasound techs and construction managers generally do a lot of overtime. It's far more valuable to a company to pay them extra than to hire an additional employee, Lee says. And that means workers can break past what they would earn if confined to 40 hours a week.

Stress is pretty much a given in all these occupations. A high price for failure is not uncommon. Cost estimators can't estimate too high on a project or they'll risk losing it to a competitive bidder. They can't go too low or their company won't make money on the deal. Radiation therapists and ultrasound technologists have to worry about the danger of malpractice suits. Court reporters mustn't miss a word in the courtroom. Air traffic controllers know that hundreds of lives ride on their actions.

Almost all these positions produce revenue that can give them a clearly defined monetary value. An executive chef at a hotel can pull in guests or send them fleeing. An ultrasound technologist or radiation therapist paid $100,000 a year can bring the hospital several times that. A sales manager's value can often be pinpointed in dollars and cents at the end of the year. Also, a few of these jobs -- air traffic controller, police supervisor, court reporter -- have unions to thank for their good pay.

Lee says now is as good a time as any to start on the path to one of these jobs. The market may be in bad shape, but companies will still need competent workers. When better to find out if you're truly good at something than when it's most difficult?

He says of people who make more than $100,000, "At the end of the day, the largest percentage of them are degree-holders." But you definitely can get there this way -- not that it's easy. "You learn on the job. You pay attention. You move your way up."

Could it be time to design your five- or 10-year path to six figures? Below is a list of 14 options for possible six-figure jobs without a degree.

1. Real Estate Broker
2. Air Traffic Controller
3. Small Business Owner/Operator
4. Fashion Designer
5. Plumber, Pipe Fitter or Steamfitter
6. Non-Retail Sales Manager
7. Network/Data Communications Manager
8. Construction Superintendent/Manager
9. Radiation Therapist
10. Police and Detective Supervisor
11. Ultrasound Technologist
12. Hotel Executive Chef
13. Court Reporter
14. Construction Cost Estimator

In Depth: The 14 Jobs That Can Earn More Than $100,000 Without College

3d wallpapers

2009-01-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

Three-dimensional space is a geometric model of the physical universe in which we live. The three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth (or height), although any three mutually perpendicular directions can serve as the three dimensions.

In physics, our three-dimensional space is viewed as embedded in 4-dimensional space-time, called Minkowski space (see special relativity). The idea behind space-time is that time is hyperbolic-orthogonal to each of the three spatial dimensions.

In mathematics, Cartesian geometry (analytic geometry) describes every point in three-dimensional space by means of three coordinates. Three Coordinate axes are given, each perpendicular to the other two at the origin, the point at which they cross. They are usually labeled x, y, and z. Relative to these axes, the position of any point in three-dimensional space is given by an ordered triple of real numbers, each number giving the distance of that point from the origin measured along the given axis, which is equal to the distance of that point from the plane determined by the other two axes.

Other popular methods of describing the location of a point in three-dimensional space include cylindrical coordinates and spherical coordinates, though there are an infinite number of possible methods. See Euclidean space.

Another mathematical way of viewing three-dimensional space is found in linear algebra, where the idea of independence is crucial. Space has three dimensions because the length of a box is independent of its width or breadth. In the technical language of linear algebra, space is three dimensional because every point in space can be described by a linear combination of three independent vectors. In this view, space-time is four dimensional because the location of a point in time is independent of its location in space.

Three-dimensional space has a number of properties that distinguish it from spaces of other dimensions. It is, for example, the smallest dimension in which it is possible to tie a knot in a piece of string [1]. Many of the laws of physics, such as the various inverse square laws, depend on dimension three [2].

The understanding of three-dimensional space in humans is thought to be learned during infancy using unconscious inference, and is closely related to hand-eye coordination. The visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions is called depth perception.more3d

US blames Hamas for growing Mideast violence

2009-01-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON – The United States on Saturday blamed the more than week-old onslaught in the Gaza strip squarely on Hamas militants and avoided any criticism of Israel despite mounting world outrage over a death toll now topping 460 and growing.

Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza on Saturday in its bid to stop the Hamas rocket attacks.

A State Department official said the U.S. is working toward a cease-fire but provided no details on how this can be accomplished because the U.S. does not talk to Hamas. Spokesman Sean McCormack said a cease-fire is needed that will not allow Hamas to continue firing rockets into Israel. The comments were made after Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza.

McCormack said "it's obvious the cease-fire should take place as soon as possible," but it has to be sustainable and cannot allow Hamas to continue to launch rockets out of Gaza.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled emergency consultations Saturday night to address the escalation of violence in Gaza, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged an immediate halt to Israel's ground operation.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said President Bush was briefed this afternoon on the situation in Gaza and said U.S. officials are in "regular contact with the Israelis as well as officials from countries in the region and Europe."

Asked if the U.S. was warned before the invasion, Johndroe did not answer that question, but said: "Their ground action is part of their overall operation. We continue to make clear to them our concerns for civilians, as well as the humanitarian situation."

A senior U.S. defense official in Washington said it appeared that the Israeli ground force that entered Gaza was perhaps several thousand strong. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said it appeared the objective of the ground assault was not just to deal with the current problem of rocket attacks into southern Israel but to seek longer-term security.

With time running out on the Bush presidency, the crisis in Gaza is likely to carry over to President-elect Barack Obama.

The escalation of fighting in Gaza comes as the Bush administration approaches its final two weeks in office, with Obama scheduled to become president on Jan. 20.

Israeli warplanes have rained bombs on Gaza, targeting the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has traumatized southern Israel with intensifying rocket attacks. More than 460 Palestinians and at least four Israelis have been killed. The U.N. estimated Friday that a quarter of the Palestinians killed were civilians.

President George W. Bush also spoke about the situation in Gaza during his weekly radio address.

Calling the Hamas attacks an "act of terror," Bush said the United States was "leading diplomatic efforts to achieve a meaningful cease-fire."

"Another one-way cease-fire that leads to rocket attacks on Israel is not acceptable," he said in the address, which was released Friday. "And promises from Hamas will not suffice — there must be monitoring mechanisms in place to help ensure that smuggling of weapons to terrorist groups in Gaza comes to an end."

Before Saturday's movement of Israeli ground troops. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had briefed Bush on developments in Gaza and conducted telephone diplomacy in hopes of arranging a truce. Yet, she said she had no plans to make an emergency visit to the region.

___

Associated Press writers Bob Burns, Matthew Lee and Anne Gearan contributed to this report.

Stocks up after GMAC lifeline, retail sales dip

2008-12-29T18:43:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK — Wall Street put together a moderate advance in light post-holiday trading Friday after the finance arm of General Motors got a government lifeline, but dreary holiday spending readings dimmed the chance of a big year-end rally. The major indexes finished the week with losses.

Not surprisingly, Americans spent much less on gifts this season than they did last year, according to SpendingPulse, a division of MasterCard Advisors. Retail sales dropped between 5.5 percent and 8 percent compared with last year, the data showed, or between 2 percent and 4 percent after stripping out auto and gas sales.

Personal consumption is a huge part of US economic activity — comprising more than two-thirds of gross domestic product — so Wall Street is nervous that a more frugal consumer could keep the economy weak in 2009.

Investors did get a some good news on Christmas Eve, when the Federal Reserve allowed GMAC Financial Services — the finance arm of struggling Detroit automaker General Motors Corp. — to become a bank holding company and thus qualify for the government's $700 billion rescue fund. Analysts had said that without financial help, GMAC might have had to file for bankruptcy protection or shut down.

There was little conviction behind the advance, which the market managed after stocks meandered for much of the session. With just three full trading days left in the year, no news has been upbeat enough to spark a big year-end rally, a consequence of the great uncertainty still in the market. December is usually a strong month for stocks, and a flurry of trading known as a "Santa Claus rally" is often seen in the final week.

"I think we could have a year-end rally, but it's got a formidable headwind in the form of tax-selling, in my view," said Hugh Johnson, chairman and chief investment officer of Johnson Illington Advisors.

Tax-loss selling is when investors sell their poorly-performing stocks to realize a loss for the year, which can reduce their taxes in upcoming years.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 47.07, or 0.56 percent, to 8,515.55 after Thursday's market holiday.

Broader stock indicators also rose. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 4.65, or 0.54 percent, to 872.80, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 5.34, or 0.35 percent, to 1,530.24. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 6.28, or 1.33 percent, to 476.77.

For the week, the Dow ended down 0.74 percent, the S&P 500 fell 1.7 percent and the Nasdaq lost 2.1 percent.

As the year winds down, investors are flummoxed over what 2009 might bring. Some market analysts are predicting a stock market recovery, and others are predicting more volatility; but nearly all are doing so with the caveat that anything is possible.

"It's hard to imagine another year that is going to be as dismal or dark or bad as 2008," Johnson said. "It's even hard to imagine that we have another down year in 2009 — the odds are the stock market will be higher at the end of 2009. Common sense tells you that."

The Dow is down 35.8 percent for the year.

But, Johnson added, it's impossible to forecast the end of a bear market, and "confidence can turn on a dime."

On Friday, the dollar was down against other major currencies, while gold prices rose.

Demand for government bonds increased. The three-month Treasury bill's yield fell to 0.01 percent from 0.02 percent late Wednesday, and the 10-year Treasury note's yield fell to 2.14 percent from 2.19 percent.

Light, sweet crude rose $2.36 to $37.71 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude prices had tumbled Wednesday for the ninth straight day — dipping as low as $35.13 — after gloomy economic reports and growing stockpiles of unused gasoline suggesting eroded demand.

GMAC notes shot higher on the news of the company's transformation into a bank. GMAC's 7.25 percent note due to mature in 2033 rose 88.5 percent to $9.67 from $5.13 on Wednesday. But analysts were wary of the big price move, noting that volume was thin, and saying there is still much to be resolved about the company's finances. - AP

Across Mideast, thousands protest Israeli assault

2008-12-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Crowds of thousands swept into the streets of cities around the Middle East on Sunday to denounce Israel's air assault on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

From Lebanon to Iran, Israel's adversaries used the weekend assault to marshal crowds into the streets for noisy demonstrations. And among regional allies there was also discontent: The prime minister of Turkey, one of the few Muslim countries to have relations with Israel, called the air assault a "crime against humanity."

Several of Sunday's protests turned violent. A crowd of anti-Israel protesters in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul became a target for a suicide bomber on a bicycle.

In Lebanon, police fired tear gas to stop dozens of demonstrators from reaching the Egyptian Embassy. Some in the crowd hurled stones at the embassy compound. It was unclear if anyone was hurt.

Egypt, which has served as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians as well as between Hamas and its rival Fatah, has been criticized for joining Israel in closing its borders with Gaza. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit called on Hamas to renew its truce with Israel: "There has been a calm and we should work to restore it."

France also called for the truce to be renewed and rallied European nations to use "all their weight" to stop the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

"We have entered a new spiral of despair," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told the Journal du Dimanche in an interview published Sunday. "The truce must be restored."

Kouchner noted that the attacks come "in a context of vacancy of power in Israel and the U.S." as both countries are undergoing leadership transitions.

"Europe has a role to play," Kouchner said.

In Beirut, Hamas representative Osama Hamdan told the crowd that the militant group had no choice but to fight. Gaza militants have been lobbing dozens of rockets and mortars into southern Israel since a six-month truce expired over a week ago, prompting Israel's fierce retaliation.

"We have one alternative which is to be steadfast and resist and then we will be victorious," Hamdan said.

In the capital of neighboring Syria, more than 5,000 people marched toward the central Youssef al-Azmeh square, where they burned an Israeli and an American flag.

One demonstrator carried a banner reading, "The aggression against Gaza is an aggression against the whole Arab nation."

"Down with America, the mother of terrorism," read another.

In Amman, Jordan, about 5,000 lawyers marched toward parliament to demand the Israeli ambassador's expulsion and the closure of the embassy. "No for peace, yes to the rifle," they chanted.

In Jordan's squalid Baqaa camp for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, protester Yassin Abu Taha, 32, blamed America and Israel for the Middle East's problems.

"The Israelis kill our people in Gaza and the West Bank. The Americans kill our people in Iraq. We're refugees, kicked out of our home in Tulkarem in 1967 and we're still displaced," he said, bemoaning his family's flight in the 1967 Mideast war.

The U.S. Embassy in Jordan warned Americans to avoid areas of demonstrations.

Thousands of Egyptians — many of them students — demonstrated at campuses in Cairo, Alexandria and elsewhere and accused President Hosni Mubarak and other Arab leaders of not doing enough to support the Palestinians.

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has said Israel should be "wiped off the map," denounced the Israeli strikes.

And in the normally politically placid streets of glitzy Dubai, hundreds of demonstrators — some draped in Palestinian flags — gathered at the Palestinian consulate.

"This is a time for the Palestinians and Arabs to unite to fight against a common enemy," said Majdei Mansour, a 30-year-old Palestinian resident of Dubai. Mansour said he has been unable to contact his family in Gaza since the latest fighting.

In Iraq, where the government has also condemned the Gaza airstrikes, a suicide bomber on a bicycle blew himself up amid a crowd of about 1,300 demonstrators in Mosul who were protesting against Israel, killing one demonstrator and wounding 16, Iraqi police said.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack on the demonstration, which was organized by a Sunni party in sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza, who are largely fellow Sunnis.

___

Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan, and Hamid Ahmed in Baghdad contributed to this report.

sources

UN says nearly 1 billion hungry

2008-12-21T16:34:00.000-08:00

ROME — High food prices have pushed the number of hungry people in the world close to 1 billion, a United Nations agency said Tuesday.

The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization said in a report that 40 million people have fallen into hunger this year, bringing the number of needy to 963 million.

"For millions of people in developing countries, eating the minimum amount of food every day to live an active and healthy life is a distant dream," said Hafez Ghanem, the organization's assistant director general.

Even though prices of major cereals fell by over 50 percent from their peaks earlier this year, they remain high compared to previous years, the agency said.

Among the poor, the agency said, landless and female-headed households are most vulnerable to sharp rises in food prices.

According to the report, nearly two-thirds of the world's hungry live in Asia, while in sub-Saharan Africa one person in three is chronically hungry.

The agency warned that reduced demand in industrialized countries due to the global financial crisis could threaten exporters in developing countries.

Investments and other capital flows, including development aid, are also at risk, the agency said. - AP

SWS: More Pinoy families go hungry

2008-12-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines – Hunger has reached a new peak nationwide, a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed, with the national percentage of families having experienced nothing to eat rising to nearly a quarter of all households.

At 23.7 percent — equivalent to 4.3 million families — this month’s finding surpassed the previous record of 21.5 percent — recorded in September 2007 — and was 11 points higher than the 10-year average of 12.6 percent, survey results made exclusive to BusinessWorld showed.

The December 2008 score is also five points higher than the 18.4 percent posted last September.

It put this year’s hunger average at 18.5 percent, up from last year’s 17.9 percent. The independent survey research institute noted that hunger has been in double-digit territory since June 2004.

A National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) official, however, expressed doubts over the findings, pointing to government efforts to eradicate hunger and provide employment to the poor.

An economist, meanwhile, said the higher hunger was an effect of the global economic downturn and warned that next year’s results could be worse due to a slowdown in consumption and job losses among Filipino migrant workers.

The latest SWS survey was fielded over November 28-December 1, 2008 and covered 1,500 respondents nationwide.

In face-to-face interviews, household heads were asked: "Nitong naka-raang tatlong buwan, nangyari po ba kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain? Kung Oo: Nangyari po ba ’yan ng minsan lamang, mga ilang beses, madalas, o palagi? (In the past three months, was there an instance when your family experienced hunger or had nothing to eat? If yes, did it happen only once, a few times, often, or always?).

Respondents were divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao, and 600 in the rest of Luzon. Sampling error margins of ±2.5 percent for national percentages, ±6 percent for Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao, and ±4 percent for the rest of Luzon were used.

The SWS said the five-point increase in total hunger between September and December could be attributed to a three-point rise in moderate hunger and the two-point increase in severe hunger.

Moderate hunger, pertaining to those who experienced it "only once" or "a few times" in the last three months, hit a record high of 18.5 percent (around 3.3 million families) in December from 15.2 percent (around 2.7 million families) in September. The December figure is nine points higher than the ten-year average moderate hunger rate of 9.2 percent. Counted in this category were those who did not state their frequency of hunger.

Severe hunger — meaning it was experienced "often" or "always" in the last three months, rose by three points to 5.2 percent (about 940,000 families) in December from 3.2 percent (about 580,000 families) in September. The latest figure is higher by two points than the ten-year average severe hunger rate of 3.3 percent.

The percentage of families who experienced hunger reached record highs in Mindanao and in Metro Manila. Overall hunger was the highest in Mindanao at 33.7 percent (around 1.4 million families) from 18.3 percent. It was at 23.3 percent (around 570,000 families) in Metro Manila, barely moving from 23 percent last September but nevertheless still a new peak for the area. It was up nine points in the Visayas to 20.7 percent (around 750,000 families) from 11.7 percent and remained at 20 percent (1.6 million families) in the rest of Luzon.

Moderate hunger hit record highs in Mindanao (27.7 percent from 16 percent) and in the Visayas (18 percent from 11.3 percent). It went up in Metro Manila (18.3 percent from 15 percent) but declined in the rest of Luzon (14 percent from 16.5 percent).

"In all areas, the latest moderate hunger rates remain higher than their ten-year averages," the SWS said.

Severe hunger went down in Metro Manila (5 percent in December from 8 percent in September) but rose in Mindanao (6 percent from 2.3 percent), the Visayas (2.7 percent from 0.3 percent) and in the rest of Luzon (6 percent from 3.5 percent).

"The latest severe hunger figures remain higher than their ten-year averages in all areas except Visayas, where its latest score of 2.7 percent was slightly lower than its ten-year average of 3.1 percent," the SWS said.

Asked to comment, NAPC lead convenor Domingo F. Panganiban expressed reservations over the results, claiming that the government had already implemented programs to help the poor and address the problem of hunger.

"I cannot say that the results are reliable. Last month we went to the poorest provinces and the people there were thanking the government for its initiatives like the P500 electricity subsidy and the conditional cash transfer. Aside from that, the price of rice has fallen because of the access cards issued by the government," he told BusinessWorld in a telephone interview.

The P500 power subsidy, which was designed to help poor households pay their electric bills, was funded by excess revenues from the value added tax on oil. The conditional cash transfer program, meanwhile, provides cash allowances to parents who send their children to school.

Mr. Panganiban said the government would continue to work to ensure that the poor were protected from the impact of the global economic crisis.

"The President has directed the Cabinet to oversee and implement employment programs in the regions. We expect to generate more than 1.2 million jobs in 2009. Our programs like the food for school will continue and in fact, the government has increased the budget for these programs," he said.

But Leonor M. Briones, a former National Treasurer who now teaches at the University of the Philippines, said the higher hunger incidence was proof that the economy was slowing down due to the global downturn.

"It is a sign of the slowing down of our economy. We have seen job losses, the retrenchment of overseas Filipino workers and higher prices of goods. The year 2009 may even be worse. We will also see lower consumption," she said.

"The government is not recognizing these economic difficulties. The 7 percent economic growth last year is consumption-based and is not sustainable. But consumption will weaken. The government is making it worse by committing corruption," she said.

Ms. Briones said the government should come up with reforms to address corruption and to ensure that state resources are channelled to the needy. - Alexis Douglas B. Romero, BusinessWorld

SKorean lawmakers brawl over US free trade pact

2008-12-18T05:18:00.000-08:00

SEOUL, South Korea – Brawling South Korean lawmakers tried to sledgehammer their way into a parliamentary meeting room barricaded by the ruling party as the country's National Assembly descended into chaos Thursday over passage of a free trade agreement with the United States.

Opposition parties were incensed by the ruling Grand National Party's move to submit the agreement to a parliamentary committee on trade, setting in motion the process for the accord to win approval in the legislature.

Security guards and aides from the ruling party stood guard outside the room to keep opposition lawmakers away after the committee's GNP-affiliated chairman invoked his right to use force to "keep order" in parliamentary proceedings.

Scuffles broke out as dozens of opposition members and their aides attempted to push their way into the office. TV footage showed people from both sides shoving, pushing and shouting in a crowded hall at the National Assembly building amid a barrage of flashing cameras.

Opponents later used a sledgehammer and other construction tools to tear open the room's wooden doors, only to find barricades of furniture set up inside as a second line of defense.

News cable channel YTN reported that an electric saw was used to open the door. YTN footage showed security guards spraying fire extinguishers at those trying to force their way inside.

The opposition attempt failed, and 10 GNP legislators introduced the bill to the committee.

South Korea and the United States signed the accord that calls for slashing tariffs and other barriers to trade in April last year after 10 months of tough negotiations, though neither side's legislature has yet ratified it.

The pact is the largest for the U.S. since the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico and the biggest ever for South Korea. NAFTA, signed in 1993, took effect the following year.

Proponents in both countries say it would not only expand trade but further cement ties between Washington and Seoul — key security allies who have cooperated on issues such as North Korea for decades.

Opponents counter that it will cause pain to key sectors in both nations — agriculture in South Korea and automobiles in the United States.

GNP legislators had locked themselves in the committee room earlier in the day to head off any opposition attempts to occupy the chamber — the only place where the bill can be introduced.

After a subcommittee review, the bill would be put to a vote at the committee before reaching the full parliamentary session for a final vote.

The GNP has a majority in both the committee and in the entire parliament, with 172 seats in the 298-member unicameral National Assembly. But the process is expected to be tough going because opposition parties say they will do whatever possible to stop it.

The main opposition Democratic Party says the trade deal should not be approved until the government comes up with better measures to protect farmers and others expected to suffer from increased U.S. imports.

The minor opposition Democratic Labor Party joined forces with the Democrats in Thursday's attempt to block the bill.

The ruling GNP says the trade pact should be approved as early as possible because South Korea — a major exporting nation — stands to gain much from the deal.

Amid concern the administration of President-elect Barack Obama might ask to renegotiate the agreement, supporters of the pact believe early ratification by Seoul could also put pressure on the U.S. Congress to do the same. - AP

Indian PM wants normalized relations with Pakistan

2008-12-18T05:15:00.000-08:00

KHUNDRU, India – India's prime minister says he wants "normalized" relations with Pakistan amid rising tensions between the South Asian rivals over the Mumbai attacks.

Talking at an election rally in Indian Kashmir on Sunday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh India says he hopes relations between the neighbors can be "normalized," but that this "cannot happen as long as our neighboring country allows its soil to be used against us."

Singh traveled to Kashmir after a breakfast meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in New Delhi. The two leaders discussed the recent attacks on Mumbai, which have been blamed on a Pakistani-based Kashmiri militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba. - AP

3 dead as blasts rock Iligan City a day before Arroyo visit

2008-12-18T05:02:00.000-08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Three people were killed and 47 others were wounded Thursday afternoon in two separate explosions that rocked two major shopping centers in Iligan City.

The explosions occurred a day before President Arroyo’s scheduled visit to Iligan City to attend the inauguration of Suka Pinakurat Processing Plant belonging to Green Gold Gourmet food products in Pugaan village.

This was the second time this month that attackers targeted an area that the President was scheduled to visit. Last December 12, Arroyo canceled a trip to Shariff Kabunsuan in Maguindanao after an improvised explosive device went off near a public market on the day before her scheduled visit.

Arroyo has condemned Thursday's twin bombings and ordered law enforcers to conduct "relentless" operations against the perpetrators, a Malacañang spokesman said Thursday.

“The President condemns the ruthless and violent acts of terrorism against our communities. The Philippine National Police and the Armed Fores will be relentless in their pursuit against the perpetrators," said presidential deputy spokesperson Anthony Golez.

"The government will not stop hunting these terrorists until they are put behind bars and we urge our people to coordinate with our law enforcers as to any information that might lead to the arrest of those responsible," Golez added.

Iligan City is Arroyo's maternal hometown.

Fatalities

The military said at least six people were hurt, but the local Red Cross said as many as 38 people were injured in the blasts that sent Christmas shoppers out in the streets.

An L-300 van was also destroyed in the attack, reports said.

Army Lt. Steffani Cacho, spokesperson of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said the first bomb exploded at 1:25 p.m. inside the Unicity Commercial Center. The next explosion occurred 20 minutes later at the Jerry Supermart.

"The improvised explosives were left at the baggage counters of both Unicity and Jerry's Supermart," Cacho told reporters.

Police Officer 3 Abdullah Sumayan of the Iligan City police identified the fatalities as Erwin Suico, 20, from Pugaan village; Jonas Badelles, 22, from Poblacion village; and Jalilah Mangondato, a 22-year-old nursing student from Marawi City.

In a phone interview with GMANews.TV, Sumayan said Mangondato has already been claimed by her family, while Badelles and Suico are still at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes.

The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) office in Manila said 21 people were hurt. It said seven victims were rushed by PNRC-Iligan Chapter volunteers to Dr Uy Hospital while five others at the Sanitarium Hospital and another one at the E & R Hospital.

Col. Benito de Leon, commander of the 104th Infantry Brigade, has sent bomb-sniffing dogs and explosives experts to help police in the investigations.

"We have sent K9 units and bomb experts in the area to help in the investigations," he said.

Malacañang has expressed condolences to the families of those who were killed in the blast.

"We condole with the families of those killed in this tragedy and the different government agencies will support those who have survived," Golez said.

Suspects

No group or individuals have claimed responsibility for the bombings, but previous attacks in the city had been blamed on Moro rebels and local militants trained by Jemaah Islamiyah.

A military official in the region said that the attacks might have been the handiwork of lawless elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), noting that the components used in the explosives included mortar rounds – a known signature of the MILF.

“Our suspect here are the lawless MILF group because of the type of the (improvised explosive device) that were used. That IED manifest their signature, using mortar rounds. That is our initial findings," said Col. Nicanor Dolojan, commander of the Army’s 403rd Brigade.

Last month, at least three people were also wounded in the bombings of two budget hotels - the Traveler's Inn and the Caprice Lodge – in Iligan City.

Asked on the possible motive behind Thursday's attacks, Dolojan said: “Terrorism, which is their real intention, to sow terror in the area."

Dolojan said a close-circuit TV installed at the Unicity Mall was able to record two men, both wearing scarf, depositing a item at the mall’s baggage counter. The official said pictures of the suspects have been culled from the video.

Dolojan said the video showed one of the men going out of the mall, apparently to deposit another item at the Jerry’s bargain center. “After depositing the items, after how many minutes, the bombs went off," he said. - GMANews.TV

Bollywood planning movies about Mumbai attacks

2008-12-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

MUMBAI, India — Filmmakers in this hub of Indian cinema are already exploring how to bring the trauma of the deadly Mumbai attacks and the three-day siege that followed to the big screen, an industry official said Thursday.

At least 25 titles — including Taj to Oberoi and Mission Taj — have been registered with the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association since the attacks that killed 164 people last month, Anil Nagrath, secretary of the Bollywood trade association, told The Associated Press.

Many of the registered titles center around the luxury Oberoi hotel and the Taj Mahal, whose burning dome became of the symbol of the attacks — including Taj 26, Taj to Oberoi, The Taj Encounter, 11/26 Operation Taj, Mission Taj, and Mission Oberoi.

One proposed project is called Nariman House after the Jewish center where the attackers killed a rabbi and his wife, he said by telephone.

The Taj, the Oberoi, Nariman House and Mumbai's main train station were among 10 sites in the commercial capital targeted by 10 suspected Islamic terrorists.

Nagrath denied that Bollywood, as India's Hindi-language film industry is known, is capitalizing on a national tragedy.

"Whenever there is a big happening like this, be it a cyclone, be it a hurricane, be it a bomb attack, or a carnage like this, the journalists write articles, television stations make special programs, authors write books," he said. "In the same way, for the filmmaker, the only option is to make a script, and the process of making a script begins with a title."

All the projects are still in early stages and are unlikely to be made soon because "the wounds are very raw," he said.

Veteran director B. Subhash, who registered the titles Taj Terror and Bird's Point of View Taj Terror, said he is working on his script and hasn't cast any actors or set a budget.

"I can only say it is going to be very emotional," Subhash told the AP by telephone.

Bollywood stars have responded cautiously to the Mumbai attacks, even though filmmakers were eager to draw audiences back to the theaters at a time when the industry was already hit by global economic woes.

One of the industry's biggest stars, Shah Rukh Khan, went ahead with the release of his new comedy Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, or Match Made in Heaven, but was careful to strike the right tone, saying he hoped the film would provide relief from the recent events.

Civic activist Gerson da Cunha said it is natural that there is an artistic response to the tragedy in Mumbai, but expressed hopes that any Bollywood movie on the topic won't be too simplistic.

"I hope any film does not oversimplify or exploit or become jingoistic," said da Cunha, convener of Action for Good Governance and Networking in India, a group that has been active in calling for government reforms so that officials can better respond to future terror attacks.

"There is a place for good films," he said. "Whether Bollywood would be the home of such scripts and such directors is another issue." - AP

Court: No review of Obama's eligibility to serve

2008-12-09T03:54:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has turned down an emergency appeal from a New Jersey man who says President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to be president because he was a British subject at birth. The court did not comment on its order Monday rejecting the call by Leo Donofrio of East Brunswick, N.J., to intervene in the presidential election.

Donofrio says that since Obama had dual nationality at birth — his mother was American and his Kenyan father at the time was a British subject — he cannot possibly be a "natural born citizen," one of the requirements the Constitution lists for eligibility to be president.

Donofrio also contends that two other candidates, Republican John McCain and Socialist Workers candidate Roger Calero, also are not natural-born citizens and thus ineligible to be president.

At least one other appeal over Obama's citizenship remains at the court. Philip J. Berg of Lafayette Hill, Pa., argues that Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii as Obama says and Hawaii officials have confirmed.

Berg says Obama also may be a citizen of Indonesia, where he lived as a boy. Federal courts in Pennsylvania have dismissed Berg's lawsuit. Federal courts in Ohio and Washington state have rejected similar lawsuits.

Allegations raised on the Internet say the birth certificate, showing that Obama was born in Hawaii on Aug. 4, 1961, is a fake.

But Hawaii Health Department Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino and the state's registrar of vital statistics, Alvin Onaka, say they checked health department records and have determined there's no doubt Obama was born in Hawaii.

The nonpartisan Web site Factcheck.org examined the original document and said it does have a raised seal and the usual evidence of a genuine document.

In addition, Factcheck.org reproduced an announcement of Obama's birth, including his parents' address in Honolulu, that was published in the Honolulu Advertiser on Aug. 13, 1961.

(This version CORRECTS that Hawaii officials, not secretary of state, confirmed Obama birth certificate.)

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ANALYSIS pacquia vs de lah hoya

2008-12-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

The dream match manny vs oscar

pacquiao vs de lah hoya

2008-12-06T12:44:00.001-08:00

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MANILA, Philippines - The last of the formalities has been formalized.

A final weigh-in, as usual, officially ended the training period and began a 24-hour wait for the main event. This final weigh-in, as expected, was trouble-free.

Manny Pacquiao tipped the scales at 142 pounds on Saturday (Friday, US time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Oscar de la Hoya came in at 145 pounds.

Both were well within the welterweight (147-pound) limit set for their match.

Now that that has been set aside, everybody knows what time it is. Game time.

"There's nothing more we can do. Now Manny knows he’s going there to do his job," Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, said.

Zimbabwe declares national health emergency

2008-12-04T02:51:00.000-08:00

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe has declared a national emergency over its cholera epidemic and the collapse of its health system due the country's economic crisis.

"Our central hospitals are literally not functioning," Minister of Health David Parirenyatwa was quoted as saying by the state-run Herald newspaper on Thursday.

The Herald said Parirenyatwa declared the state of emergency at a meeting Wednesday of government and international aid officials in Harare. He appealed for money to pay doctors and nurses, and for drugs, food and equipment for Zimbabwe's hospitals.

"Our staff is demotivated and we need your support to ensure that they start coming to work and our health system is revived," he was quoted as saying.

The United Nations puts deaths from the cholera epidemic at more than 500. The outbreak is blamed on lack of water treatment and broken sewage pipes in a country that once had a sophisticated infrastructure.

The deputy water minister, Walter Mzembi, who also attended Wednesday's meeting, said his ministry had only enough chemicals to treat water for 12 more weeks.

The Herald said U.N. agencies, embassies and non-governmental organizations at the meeting pledged to help. The European Commission had said Wednesday it was providing more than $12 million for drugs and clean water while the International Red Cross was also releasing more funds to deal with cholera in Zimbabwe.

"We need to pool our resources together and see how best we can respond to this emergency," Agostinho Zacarias, the U.N. Development Program director in Zimbabwe, was quoted as saying.

Zimbabwe has been paralyzed since disputed elections in March. President Robert Mugabe and the opposition are wrangling over a power-sharing deal.

The country is suffering from the world's highest inflation and Zimbabweans face daily shortages of food and other basic goods. source

Court ruling brings down Thai government

2008-12-02T03:54:00.000-08:00

BANGKOK, Thailand – A court dissolved Thailand's top three ruling parties for electoral fraud Tuesday and temporarily banned the prime minister from politics, bringing down a government that has faced months of strident protests seeking its ouster.

The Constitutional Court ruling set the stage for thousands of protesters to end their weeklong siege of the country's two main airports, but also raised fears of retaliatory violence by supporters of the government, which could sink the country deeper into crisis and cripple its economy.

Protest leaders said a decision on whether to end the airport protests — and allow hundreds of thousands of stranded travelers to leave the country — would be made later Tuesday.

However, the government said the main Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok will remain closed to passenger flights until Dec. 15, although the airport reopened to cargo flights Tuesday.

Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy, occupying Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport, cheered and hugged after they heard news of the ruling.

"My heart is happy. My friends are very happy," said Pailin Jampapong, a 41-year-old Bangkok housekeeper choking back tears as she jumped up and down.

Government spokesman Nattawut Sai-kau said Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his six-party ruling coalition would step down.

"We will abide by the law. The coalition parties will meet together to plan for its next move soon," he told The Associated Press.

Somchai had become increasingly isolated in recent weeks. Neither the army, a key player in Thai politics, nor the country's much revered king had offered him firm backing. Since Wednesday, he and his Cabinet had been working from the northern city of Chiang Mai, a government stronghold.

Somchai accepted the ruling with equanimity.

"It is not a problem. I was not working for myself. Now I will be a full-time citizen," he told reporters in Chiang Mai.

___

Source said

Thai army chief wants elections to end crisis

2008-11-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand's army commander urged protesters Wednesday to leave Bangkok airport and called for elections to end the country's political crisis after a day of chaos in which thousands of travelers were stranded.

A protest spokesman said new elections alone would not solve the crisis, calling for Prime Minister Somchai Wongsarat to resign unconditionally. He added that they would not leave the airport.

All flights were canceled and frustrated passengers bused to hotels, as protesters shut down Suvarnabhumi Airport in a major escalation of their four-month campaign to oust Somchai.

"The government should give the public a chance to decide in a fresh election," Gen. Anupong Paochinda said at a news conference after meeting with high-level government officials, academics, economists and security officials.

Somchai returned to Thailand on Wednesday from a summit in Peru, but there was no response from the government to the army chief's call for new elections.

However, government spokesman Nattawut Sai-gua said, based on the prime minister's previously stated positions, "it is unlikely he will change his position by resigning or dissolving Parliament."

He stressed that he had not spoken to the prime minister since Somchai landed. Somchai is expected to speak later Wednesday night.

The protest group, the People's Alliance for Democracy, known as the PAD, appears intent on forcing the military to intervene and bring down the elected regime.

"We sympathize with the passengers but this is a necessary move to save the nation," top protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul said on a makeshift stage at the besieged airport amid resounding applause. "If he doesn't resign, I will not leave."

Suriyasai Katasila, a spokesman for the alliance, added later that the group would also continue to hold the other two locations they have overrun, the prime minister's office compound and another airport.

He added: "Dissolving the Parliament does not solve the problem.... We do not want Somchai's government, even as acting government before a fresh election is called."

By late afternoon, most of the 4,000 travelers, some who had been camped out since the night before, had left, a Thai tourism official said.

That left the protesters, a sea of matching yellow shirts, and they appeared to be settling in for the long haul.

They spread blankets on the floor, used luggage trolleys to carry boxes of water around the sprawling terminal and set up stands selling food and the plastic hand-clappers they use at rallies.

There was no word on when flights might resume. The U.S. Embassy advised Americans to stay away from the airport, while the Philippines and Singapore recommended that nonessential travel to Thailand be canceled.

Tempers frayed at sprawling Suvarnabhumi Airport, a major hub in Asia that averages 700 flights a day.

"I understand nothing, nothing, nothing," said French tourist Denis Hapard. "We don't understand what's happening. We're really upset."

Among those stranded were Americans trying to get home for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.

Cheryl Turner, 63, of Scottsdale, Arizona, had asked neighbors to pull an 18-pound turkey from her freezer a day ahead of time to defrost so she could cook it for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

"My turkey is sitting in the sink at home," she said.

Protesters distributed flyers trying to explain their action.

After reading the flyer, Clay Judd, 30, of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, said he didn't know what to make of the situation.

"For us to be upset because we can't have a huge turkey dinner — so what?" Judd said, waiting in a crowd inside the terminal to get bused to a hotel.

Support for the protesters has been waning, and the group appears to be edging toward bigger confrontations — involving fewer though more aggressive followers — to challenge the government.

Early Wednesday, assailants threw four explosives at anti-government demonstrators, including one targeting a group about a half-mile (one kilometer) from the airport.

A second was tossed into a crowd of anti-government supporters gathered at the domestic Don Muang airport, injuring three others, police said. Two other explosives were thrown in Bangkok, but no one was injured. It is unclear who staged the attacks.

The bold takeover — carried out while the prime minister was abroad — raised the stakes in a standoff that has seen a spike in violence in recent days and has given the tourism-dependent country a massive black eye.

Airport director Serirat Prasutanont, who had tried to negotiate with the protesters to allow passengers to fly out, said the takeover "damaged Thailand's reputation and its economy beyond repair."

The airport, the 18th-busiest in the world, handled over 40 million passengers in 2007.

Demonstrators had swarmed the international airport overnight, breaking through police lines and spilling into the passenger terminal.

Group Capt. Chokchai Saranon, a control tower official, said 50 masked protesters armed with metal rods demanded to enter the control tower Wednesday, seeking the prime minister's flight schedule. Three were allowed in, but with flights canceled, there were no controllers to provide the information and the protesters eventually left.

The People's Alliance for Democracy has been trying to topple Somchai, accusing him of being the puppet of a predecessor, billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, who was convicted of corruption and other charges. The alliance said protesters would keep the airport closed until Somchai quits.

The alliance has staged a number of dramatic actions in recent months. It took over the prime minister's office in late August and twice blockaded Parliament — one time setting off street battles with police that left two people dead and hundreds injured.

The airport blockade is a fresh blow to Thailand's $16 billion-a-year tourism industry, already suffering from months of political unrest and the global financial crisis.

"We don't have an estimate of financial loss, but it is greatly damaging," said Vijit Naranong, honorary chairman of Tourism Council of Thailand.

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Associated Press writers Ambika Ahuja, Jocelyn Gecker and Michael Casey contributed to this report.

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