Rhian & DJ MO Scandal

Urban planner sues Angaras over Aurora project

Urban planner Felino Palafox took on the Angaras of Aurora province on Tuesday, filing a criminal complaint in the Office of the Ombudsman against Senator Edgardo Angara for pushing for the Aurora Pacific Ecozone and Freeport Authority (Apeco) despite environmental concerns about the project site.

Palafox also claimed that the senator had a conflict of interest in Apeco as the latter’s family would benefit from the project, which covers 12,400 hectares.

Also named in the complaint for graft and violation of the code of ethics for government officials were the Apeco board of directors, which include Angara’s sister, Aurora Governor Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, and his son, Aurora Representative Juan Edgardo Angara.

Senator Angara is also accused of benefiting from the P10-billion Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which has been tainted with irregularities.

Palafox said the officials pushed for the development of the ecozone and ignored his recommendations about the site, which was prone to flooding.

He alleged that Senator Angara violated the antigraft law, which prohibits a member of Congress from acquiring or receiving any personal pecuniary interest in any specific business enterprise to be directly favored by any law or resolution that he had authored and which was approved or adopted by Congress during his term.

The senator was the author of Republic Act No. 9490 creating the Aurora Special Economic Zone Authority. It was amended in 2010, and a new law created Apeco.

Constitutional violation

Palafox took to task the father and son for holding positions in Apeco without forfeiting their seats as lawmakers, which he said violated the Constitution.

Under the law, the Apeco board is composed of six members, two of whom must be the congressional representative of the district covering the site of the Aurora ecozone, and the governor of Aurora province.

The senator was irked when asked about the graft case filed against him by Palafox. “Hindi naman importante yang ganyan (It’s not important). Wala naming kabuluhan ’yan (It has no significance),” he told reporters.

Angara said he would first get a copy of the complaint and issue an official statement in due time.

He later issued a statement attacking the architect.

The senator said Palafox and Associates, which was paid P32 million, came out with a master plan that was declared useless by the Philippine Ports Authority, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and Office of the Government Corporate Counsel.

Sloppy design

“It was a sloppy piece of design work that proposed a seaport very near an airport. That shabby piece of architecture would endanger the whole project, according to the agencies that evaluated the technical and environmental soundness of the Palafox master plan,” he said.

Angara said the self-proclaimed “internationally known architect” called the ecozone project a “scam” after his master plan was rejected.

“He accused us of benefiting from the project, which belongs to government and where our participation is a requisite of the law creating the ecozone, a project that has been considerably derailed by the faulty and shabby design work of Palafox,” Angara said.

Charges vs architect

Apeco administrators accused Palafox of violating the code of ethics of architects before the Professional Regulations Commission and of violating the code of ethics of environmental planners before the Environmental Planning Board under the commission because of his “useless design work with a billing of P32 million,” the senator said.

“The two charges seek to strip him of his license, which, hopefully, would strip him of the moral perch he has been using as platform for his professional bankruptcy and phoniness.” Angara said.

Recommendations

In his complaint, Palafox said his recommendations about the proper development of the ecozone site were ignored.

He said he was asked to fast-track all concept plans even in the absence of a feasibility study, topographic surveys, engineering surveys, titles, government permits, land conversion clearances, environmental impact assessment and environmental clearance certificate, among others.

He said the senator, with the concurrence of the Apeco board, sought to fast-track the plans to justify the approval of the budget which the Senate was deliberating on.

Prone to flooding

But the engineering surveys showed that portions of land for the project were prone to flooding and soil liquefaction, according to the urban planner.

He said he recommended that the design take into account a 100-year historical pattern of flooding. But according to him, Senator Angara did not heed his recommendation. Instead, the senator commented that he would be gone after 25 years, he added.

“The act of pushing for the Apeco development despite his knowledge of the soil liquefaction and flooding is contrary to law, contrary to public welfare, to public safety and to the environmental laws,” Palafox said.

The board also had a hand in the matter, he alleged.

“The Apeco board appears to be in complicity with this violation, as the board has not ordered any stop to the development of Apeco. This shows there is evident bad faith by the officers and board of Apeco,” he added.

Palafox further alleged that he had provided a list of 32 signatories required for land development clearances and permits, and 12 signatories for building permits, and also reminded Apeco about the need for other clearances and certificates.

But he said these were ignored.

The senator and the Apeco board were also liable for violating the code of ethics or government officials, Palafox contended.

The senator’s son said the case was timed to put his father “on the defensive” as the senator was pushing for Apeco’s budget in the Senate.

Pattern, vengeance

“It has become a pattern. Recall weak complaints being lodged at the Department of Justice last year. The case was weak but lot of news about it came out in the media,” the young Angara said, without citing any case.

“Unlike architect Palafox who was paid over P30 million for a master plan,” his father and the Apeco board members “do not get anything, not a single centavo, from Apeco,” Representative Angara said in a text message to the Inquirer.

The congressman said Palafox’s complaint could have been prompted by vengeance.

“It’s retaliation for earlier cases filed against architect Palafox by Apeco in PRC (Professional Regulation Commission) and other venues,” he added.

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Supreme Court tells judge to justify TRO favoring Lee

The Supreme Court has directed a Pasig City judge to “explain the propriety” of his decision to temporarily stop the Department of Justice (DOJ) from pursuing a criminal complaint against Delfin Lee, owner of Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. Jose Midas Marquez, the high court’s spokesperson and administrator, said he gave Judge Rolando Mislang of the Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 167 a nonextendible deadline of 10 days to justify his issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of Lee. As court administrator, Marquez has supervisory authority over all court judges and justices under the Supreme Court. “I have received various information regarding the Globe Asiatique case. I have required Judge Mislang to explain the propriety of his issuance of the TRO,” Marquez said in a text message. He said he was expecting a written explanation from Mislang within the week. Railroading TRO Marquez said he had taken the initiative to order Mislang to explain after the judge was accused by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday of “railroading” the granting of a 20-day TRO, which stymied the criminal prosecution of Lee. The DOJ Task Force on Business Scam approved on Aug. 24 the filing of a syndicated estafa case against Lee, his son Dexter and three others in connection with the questionable P6.65 billion in loans that the Home Development Mutual Fund, also known as Pag-Ibig Fund, granted to “ghost borrowers.” Pampanga housing The loan applicants were allowed to buy units in Globe Asiatique’s housing projects in Pampanga despite using spurious documents. Former Vice President Noli de Castro could also be held liable for approving the huge loans for Globe Asiatique when he was the chair of Pag-Ibig Fund, according to Senator Sergio Osmeña III. De Castro said he was ready to face an investigation in connection with the loan scandal. No bail In issuing the resolution against Lee, his son and the three others, Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Theodore Villanueva did not recommend bail for the temporary freedom of the accused, who may face life imprisonment if found guilty. To block the filing of the case, Lee’s lawyers asked Mislang on August 26 to immediately issue a TRO without them presenting an official copy of the DOJ resolution to the judge. “How could the judge determine the merits of the TRO (without reading the DOJ resolution)? So it’s really very questionable,” De Lima lamented at a news briefing on Thursday. “How can the parties involved, both the OSG (Office of the Solicitor General) and Lee’s counsel, intelligently argue their position when they have yet to see a copy of the resolution?” she added. Highly suspicious De Lima said the haste with which the TRO was released was highly suspicious because it was issued even before the department had given official copies of the resolution to the parties involved. “There is really something irregular with what happened,” De Lima said of Mislang’s decision. “For me, there was railroading there.” The justice secretary also surmised that Lee’s lawyers “obviously had advance information” that the DOJ would issue an adverse resolution against their client. “That’s why they were able to prepare their amended petition and file it on the same day that we announced that there was already a resolution,” she said. Administrative rap Marquez confirmed that Mislang was also the subject of an administrative complaint in the Supreme Court filed by executives of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Mislang reportedly ordered the arrest of the GSIS officials in connection with a case filed against the previous management of the state-owned pension fund. Sought for comment, De Lima thanked Marquez for promptly acting on the matter. However, she said the DOJ, through the OSG, was still inclined “to lodge an administrative complaint” against Mislang. “Based on the information (I received), there seems to be a pattern of questionable acts in other cases on the part of the said judge,” De Lima said.

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Nestle Philippines: Pag-ibig na Tunay Ating Awiting

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Adidas launches barefoot shoe

The world's second-largest athletic company unveiled its first "barefoot" training shoe Tuesday, which is designed to mimic the experience of exercising barefoot while providing the protection, traction and durability of a shoe. The Adipure Trainer, which is a cross between a glove for the feet and a traditional shoe, hits U.S. stores in November priced at $90.

The barefoot shoe is part of a strategy by Adidas, which is based in Germany, to expand into the U.S. where rival Nike dominates. Adidas joins a list of athletic makers trying to tap into the small but burgeoning U.S. market of fanatical runners and gym-goers who swear by shoes designed with as little material between the wearer and the ground as possible.

"People who believe barefoot is the way to go...are very emphatic about it," said Matt Powell, an analyst with industry research organization SportsOneSource Group. "They want to spread the message. It sounds religious but some of them are evangelical about it."

The athletic shoe and clothing business has been fairly resilient during the U.S. economic downturn, but it is an industry that thrives almost entirely on new products. When it comes to shoes, the latest and greatest captures the U.S. customer. While barefoot shoes make up a tiny fraction of the $22 billion U.S. athletic shoe industry, it is one of the fast-growing categories. Sales have more than doubled in the past year to roughly $750 million, according to SportsOneSource.

Nike, the world's biggest athletic company, holds roughly 65 percent of the market and appeals to barefoot loyalists and mainstream exercise enthusiasts alike with the traditional running shoe look of its "Free" line. Vibram has about 10 percent of the market with its Five-Finger shoe, which encases each toe separately and has come to define the style. Other big companies such as Merrell, Fila, Saucony, Asics and New Balance also have their own barefoot or so-called minimalist offerings.

The design of the Adidas barefoot shoe strikes a balance between the two styles. The brightly-colored trainer, which features the trademark Adidas three stripes, covers the foot as a shoe would but with a sock-like fit and toe compartments to allow more natural movement.

"The Adipure Trainer is a unique piece of equipment for elite level athletes that we're bringing to our core consumer," said Patrik Nilsson, president of Adidas North America.

The growing U.S. barefoot market is an important one for Adidas. The company runs a close race with Nike globally, but the gap is much wider in North America.

In their most recent fiscal years, Nike generated $7.58 billion in revenue in North America. Adidas had roughly $4.05 billion in revenue when translated to U.S. dollars. Nike holds roughly 46 percent market share in U.S., while Adidas comes in at a distant second with about 11 percent of the overall athletic market.

Adidas, which recently has seen its sales improve in North America, has implemented a growth strategy that relies heavily on gaining market share in the U.S. The company said it is trying to connect better to U.S. consumers through new products and marketing.

The company, which has long relied on its strength as a soccer and lifestyle brand, has put a bigger push behind other sports as well. In basketball, for example, it's expanded its products for in recent years and signed Chicago Bulls player Derek Rose, who was the NBA's most valuable player this year.

"To be successful is damn hard work day in and day out," said Herbert Hainer, CEO of Adidas speaking from the company's U.S. headquarters in Portland. "It's not just basketball or having Derek Rose or Tiger Woods, or whatever. It's a lot of different things all the time and connecting right with the consumer."

Now Adidas is trying to connect with the barefoot movement.

The theory behind the use of barefoot shoes is that the body is already optimally designed to move. Science backing up this theory suggests that traditional shoes inhibit that, which can sometimes cause the kinds of injuries that plague many runners.

Fans of barefoot shoes say they allow them to better use the body's natural motions and strengths. Some runners say they've also helped reduce injuries. Some weightlifters appreciate the ability of the shoes to lift without sacrificing their strength or stability to cushioning.

The barefoot culture has long had proponents, but it caught on widely in 2009 after publication of Christopher McDougall's book "Born to Run," which explored the history and benefits of barefoot running. The movement got further attention last year when Harvard biologist and runner Daniel Lieberman published a paper in the journal Nature that concluded that running barefoot seems to be better for the feet, producing far less impact stress compared to those in traditional running shoes.

The practice of running in barefoot shoes has been a somewhat contentious topic, though. The odd appearance of the hoes sometimes causes heads to turn in parks. Some races across the country will not allow people to run in them. And some barefoot shoe wearers have reported injuries after using them.

Shoe makers and health professionals say many of the injuries incurred by barefoot shoe wearers are a result of people using the shoes too quickly. They suggest people trying to make the switch from traditional shoes to barefoot ones do so gradually __ increasing distance over time __ to let the body adjust to how the body was naturally meant to move.

"A lot of engineering went into making your foot a high performance machine," said Mark Verstegen, founder of Athletes' Performance, a training and performance organization for elite athletes that works with Adidas. "Using your foot's natural power and movement will help you strengthen muscles you never knew you had in your feet, lower legs and throughout your core."

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Android Gingerbread malware disguised as 'photo' app

A new malware affecting the latest version of Google Inc.'s Android operating system, Gingerbread, is now out in the wild and masquerading as an app featuring the "Beauty of the Day" photos.

Computer security firm Sophos said Gingermaster, which threatens to root the Android device, is available from a Chinese alternative Android Marketplace.

"The malware purports to be a web view app which supposed to display 'Beauty of the day' pictures, though the content is downloaded from a website and not embedded as a part of the application resources," Sophos sophos said in a blog post.

A package downloaded by Sophos' Vanja Svajcer uses the following permissions:

android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE
android.permission.READ_LOGS
android.permission.DELETE_CACHE_FILES
android.permission.ACCESS_CACHE_FILESYSTEM
android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
android.permission.INTERNET
android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
android.permission.MOUNT_UNMOUNT_FILESYSTEMS
android.permission.READ_OWNER_DATA
android.permission.WRITE_OWNER_DATA
android.permission.WRITE_SETTINGS
com.android.launcher.permission.INSTALL_SHORTCUT
com.android.launcher.permission.UNINSTALL_SHORTCUT
android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED
android.permission.RESTART_PACKAGES

But Svajcer said that while it displays the photos, Gingermaster creates a service that sends information using the standard HTTP POST method.

"The information submitted to the remote server includes the user identifier, number of the SIM card, telephone number, IMEI number, IMSI number, screen resultion and local time," he said.

He said the server responds with configuration parameters including the update frequency and the update URL, adding the responses are just simple JSON objects.

Gingermaster also generates an output log "logcat," which contains detailed information about what the malware has done so far.

Root exploit

If the root exploit is successful, the system partition is remounted as writable, and the malware installs added utilities to make removal difficult.

One these utilities, installsoft.png, contains code to install Android packages using the command line version of the package manager.

"This is an interesting technique which I have not seen before and nicely bypasses the Android permissions system by removing the requirement for declaring the 'uses-permission' INSTALL_PACKAGES in the Android manifest file," Svajcer said.

More malware detected as summer ending

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The Secret to Raising Tall Kids

Looking forward to settle down and have kids but wish they would grow up to be tall individuals? After all surgical methods to “extend” ones’ height remain an extremely painful experience. A recent study covering the height of 2,675 boys and 2,603 girls in Poland seems to link nature & nurture to the height of individuals. The study compared the height of the children and their parents’ height and family income.

As expected well-to-do families are better nourished and have children of taller stature. However the scientists discovered that having parents both born in the same geographical location will often result in children of shorter stature. And parents from different locations tend to have children of taller statures. According to the lead researcher Dariusz Danel, of the Institute of Anthropology at the Polish Academy of Sciences, this is tagged with genetic diversity.

This evidence showed that this marital distance accounted for some 20% of variations in the boys’ height and 14% of the girls’ height. Boys may have been affected to a greater extend due to their faster growth rate and longer periods of growth. ‘This effect is visible in children during the three analyzed stages of the development period, ranging from 6 to 18 years of age,’ said Dr Danel.

Perhaps you are asking yourself, “What in the world has geographical distance got to do with genetic diversity?” Well to answer that question, you will have to look into the beauty of evolution. Throughout the evolution of mankind, our genes evolved for better adaptability to our environment. As such individuals from the same geographical location tend to share similar if not identical genes.

Now if you have parents from different parts of the world, chances are there will be genetic variations between the two of them. When you combine these variations, you also increase the adaptability and efficiency of their children. When the body operates more efficiently, energy saved in the process has the chance to be channeled into growth and results in the taller stature.

Perhaps you have always been negatively affected by a shorter stature, and wanted things to be different. While this study may not be able to change your height, you now have the chance to change things for your children. After all watching ones’ children surpass themselves is perhaps the greatest joy any parent can experience. This research is published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology

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Mr. Bean star Rowan Atkinson McLaren F1 car crash!!

British comedy actor Rowan Atkinson, best known for the character Mr. Bean, was released from hospital Friday after being treated for an injury sustained when his supercar crashed into a tree.

Atkinson is thought to have suffered a minor shoulder injury after the McLaren F1 car he was driving spun off the road Thursday near the village of Haddon, Cambridgeshire, before crashing into a tree and bursting into flames.

The 56-year-old car enthusiast walked away from the accident before firefighters arrived and put out the blaze, emergency services said.

After receiving treatment overnight, Atkinson left hospital at around 3:00 pm (1400 GMT) via a back door flanked by four security guards. He refused to comment to waiting journalists before being driven away in an ambulance.

A local police spokesman said officers were "called to the scene of a single vehicle collision on the A605 near Haddon at about 7:30 pm (1830 GMT) yesterday. The driver of the vehicle, a man, was taken to Peterborough City Hospital."

A police source confirmed the man involved was Atkinson.

An ambulance spokesman said he had suffered "a minor shoulder injury."

The actor's love of fast cars is a stark contrast to his hapless character in the Mr. Bean series, who drives an ageing Mini.

The McLaren F1 is one of the fastest production cars in the world and has a top speed of 230 miles (370 kilometres) per hour. It is worth around £650,000.

Atkinson recently appeared in popular British TV motoring show "Top Gear", taking part in a segment called "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car."

He notched up the fastest ever time on the show, completing a circuit of a race track in one minute, 42.2 seconds.

Atkinson rose to stardom in comedy shows including "Blackadder" and "Not the Nine O'Clock News" but achieved huge international fame with the slapstick comedy of Mr. Bean.

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Airline passengers warned over battery dangers

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has warned passengers to avoid checking some types of electronic devices into an aircraft's hold.

The organization said August 2 that passengers would see additional screening since lithium batteries, used to power items such as laptops, mobile phones, cameras and iPods, have been linked to a rise in dangerous goods incidents onboard airplanes in recent years.

It said that given certain conditions, the new type of battery is more susceptible to starting a fire as the energy contained in them is greater than that found in previous types of rechargeable or dry cell batteries.

"As these batteries have the potential to short circuit and burn under certain conditions, the preference is to have them carried in the cabin by passengers where the risk can be better managed," CASA's Director of Aviation Safety John McCormick said.

"Cabin crew and flight crew are specifically trained in the management and handling of dangerous goods incidents in the aircraft cabin, including those caused by lithium battery fires and can respond quickly if an incident arises."

Battery incidents are not uncommon on commercial flights, and evidence suggests that they are growing with the popularity of electronic goods, in some cases resulting in cabin fires which crew are trained to extinguish.

However, a fire in the cramped, inaccessible cargo hold presents a significantly greater risk to an aircraft and is considered a possible cause of a fire which resulted in the crash of cargo flight UPS006 last year in the United Arab Emirates, in which both pilots were killed.

Shortly after the crash, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued an urgent warning to airlines about the dangers of carrying large shipments of lithium batteries.

CASA said that passengers may now experience a small delay at check-in as airlines begin questioning passengers on whether their luggage contains batteries and advise on how to carry them safely.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China implemented new rules regarding transportation of electronic devices following a cabin fire involving a video camera in May.

More information from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authorities is available at: http://adf.ly/486953/banner/www.casa.gov.au/dg

Driver ng kotseng lumutang sa baha, umani ng batikos at insulto sa Internet

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Trillanes to new Ombudsman: ‘We’ll be watching'

QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA – The announcement of former Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales as the new Ombudsman drew an interesting reaction from Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Morales’s appointment was announced during President Benigno Aquino III’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) yesterday.

Interviewed by the media after the SONA, Trillanes said “he will be depending on President Aquino to pursue goals of swift and honorable justice.”

Trillanes said it was Morales who had barred him from attending Senate sessions after he won the elections in May 2010. The elected senator was still on trial for the infamous Oakwood mutiny in Makati City in 2003 and another standoff at the Manila Peninsula in 2007 also in Makati City.

Morales ruled against Trillanes to serve his function has as senator.

However, Trillanes was granted a provisional release last December 2010 by the Makati City Regional Trial Court pending an amnesty for police and military personnel involved in coup attempts during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Notwithstanding the appointment of a former Supreme Justice who denied his freedom, Trillanes noted that the President’s SONA gave members in the military and police some hope that their lives will be bettered and that they won’t have to resort to military uprising.

Trillanes cited President Aquino’s housing programs for police and military personnel, in addition to the acquisition of several helicopters, patrol seacraft, and armaments for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

He also noted on the inclusion of a Hamilton-class cutter, which has a 76 millimeter artillery canon. The ship, decommissioned in the US, is already on its way to the Philippines and will be renamed BRP Gregorio del Pilar.

Trillanes added that there are still reforms to be made under the Aquino administration and is calling for people to continue its watch over the progress of these programs.

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Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday!