Tuesday, April 08, 2008
20080408_Live @ 55
755 The Bridge Management Board is to look intosea traffic and come up with alternate routes for motorists as instructed by Governor Gwen Garcia. This came after another shipping vessel came in contact with one of the bridges Sunday. Less than a month after MTKR Damar, the ship that rammed the Marcelo Fernan Bridge last March 10, a barge identified as L. Acuario-2 drifted and slightly scratched pier number 8 on the Lapu-Lapu City side of the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge at around 7 a.m. last Sunday. The shipping managers allege that there is an abnormal current under the two bridges. In that incident with the barge, it was reportedly nudged into the accident due to a strong current. Cebu-based Asian Shipping Corporation have already expressed its willingness to shoulder all the expenses for the repair of the damaged portion of the bridge.
Six months of testimony, 250 witnesses, a $6 million bill for the British taxpayer, and 23 hours of deliberation by the jury have all boiled down to one moment. On April 7, at around 4.30pm London time, five men and six women delivered their verdict on the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed, officially closing the book on what seemed a never-ending story. Their decision: unlawful killing due to the negligence of the paparazzi and driver Henri Paul.
Originally instructed to emerge with a unanimous verdict, the jury was deadlocked into the fourth day of deliberations. The judge, coroner Scott Baker, then told them he would accept a majority decision of nine jurors. An hour after that, they came back with "unlawful killing." In an inquest of few real surprises, this was one of the biggest. Most observers had thought they would agree with the conclusions of the French and British police, ruling the incident an accident. But the jury decided someone had to take the blame.
Not included was the conspiracy theory that Dodi's father, Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, has been pushing from the start, claiming that Prince Philip had ordered Britain's intelligence service, MI6, to orchestrate the crash and kill the two lovers. Baker explained throughout the entire inquest that he had not seen "a shred of evidence" to prove that the Duke of Edinburgh or the British intelligence service were behind the crash, so he was legally obliged not to offer "staged accident" as a possible verdict. But even with murder off the table, the panel decided to assign responsiblity for the death.
In their verdict, nine of the jurors agreed that "the crash was caused or contributed to by the speed and manner of driving of the Mercedes, the speed and manner of driving of the following vehicles [and] the impairment of the judgment of the driver of the Mercedes through alcohol." And all eleven believed that the fact that Diana and Dodi weren't wearing seat belts and that the Mercedes hit a pillar in the Pont d'Alma tunnel, instead of a larger surface that might have lessened the impact, were major factors in the deaths. Just as Baker directed, the jury delivered exactly the same verdict for both Diana and Dodi.
While the coroner recognized that "unlawful killing is a form of the very serious crime of manslaughter," the inquest is not a criminal trial. The verdict can't be used to launch a criminal investigation or prompt the pressing of charges against any of the paparazzi who are still alive.
855 Filinvest. We build the Filipino dream.
WORLD. In a report from the AP, the last part of the Olympic torch relay in Paris was canceled Monday after a day of chaos in which anti-China protesters forced authorities to extinguish the flame at least five times, take to a bus and skip some scheduled stops, including city hall. There were confrontations between the authorities and demonstrators throughout the day as the relay attempted to crisscross Paris. The torch was eventually driven by bus to its ending destination, where it was displayed again during a public ceremony at a stadium. Numerous protesters, some armed with fire extinguishers, were taken away by police. At other times police used tear gas to remove demonstrators who lay in the road and tried to block the route. The chaos came one day after human rights activist demonstrators made the torch's journey through London more like running the gauntlet than a journey of celebration, as UK police made more than two dozen arrests.
HOT MEAT AT CARBON MARKET. Be careful of the meat you buy because the selling of hot meat is still rampant at Carbon Market, in Pardo, still others were said to have been sourced from Mandaue. Authorities have intensified routine inspections especially since the meat smugglers developed ingenius ways. Hot meat comes from illegally slaughtered pigs---possibly slaughtered in ways not conforming to sanitary standards---that were not awarded inspection certificates. It also did not have the incision on its cheek and the branding that would signify that it has undergone proper inspection and slaughter. This doesn't mean they're unfit for human consumption but without regulations, there's no way of knowing if the slaughtered animals are carriers of diseases which may endanger the lives of those who will eat the meat.
955 All batteries. More batteries, more power.
ENTERTAINMENT. Legendary musician and folk icon Bob Dylan was handed a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize board Monday, following in the footsteps of fellow musicians Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. Dylan was honored by the Pulitzer board with the special citation for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." The board normally concentrates on US print journalism yet does make special citations every year.
TECH NEWS. US Internet company Yahoo on Monday rejected software giant Microsoft's three-week ultimatum to accept its takeover offer, saying they continue to believe that Microsoft's proposal is not in the best interests of Yahoo as it undervalues the internet company. The written response came after an ultimatum issued by Microsoft on Saturday for Yahoo to accept its $44.6-billion takeover offer in three weeks or face a hostile battle for the support of the Internet giant's shareholders.
1055 The government may use its police powers and take over rice warehouses if traders make good their threat to stage a “rice holiday” to dramatize their protest against the ban on the retailing of the staple from the National Food Authority (NFA), Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez warned yesterday. This developed as Malacañang announced the lifting of the import quota for rice and corn to ensure adequate supply of the staples. Gonzalez said the constitutional provision on national economy and patrimony allows the government to take drastic action such as securing food stocks in case of emergencies. What's more, government prosecutors would be closely coordinating with agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) assigned to the Anti-Rice Hoarding Task Force (ARHTF).
SPORTS. Tiger Woods arrived at Augusta on Monday with fellow American Steve Stricker saying the four-time Masters champion will be unstoppable if he is on form. The world number one launches his bid for a fifth green jacket and a 14th major title on Thursday having triumphed in nine of his last 11 starts. Woods comes in as the odds-on favorite to win. He's been unstoppable in 2008, winning his first four tournaments before finishing fifth at last month's WGC-CA Championship in Miami.
1155 EARTH DAY [The Freeman]. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in line with Earth Day 2008, is spearheading the Earth Day people’s caravan today. With the theme “Lakbay para sa Kalinisan! Lakbay para sa Buhay at Kinabukasan,” the caravan aims to increase the level of awareness and participation of the public in addressing issues related to environmental management and protection, most pressing issues of which are climate change and solid waste management. The caravan starts in Cebu City to Toledo City and is set to proceed to San Carlos City in Negros Occidental. The DENR is inviting all local government units, other government offices and non-government agencies as well as private institutions to participate in this activity to demonstrate commitment for the conservation of the environment.
IN A MOVE TO AUGMENT THE RICE SITUATION, Bulacan Agricultural State College comes forward with aerobic rice varieties they've developed in 2007. These came from the International Rice Research Institute in Laguna and could become the solution for those mountainous areas that do not catch much rainwater. Research on the “aerobic rice” has shown that it could grow in sloping and poorly irrigated agricultural lands. Aerobic rice seeds are likely to be mass produced for and in idle and arable lands of our agricultural state universities and colleges (SUCs).
Six months of testimony, 250 witnesses, a $6 million bill for the British taxpayer, and 23 hours of deliberation by the jury have all boiled down to one moment. On April 7, at around 4.30pm London time, five men and six women delivered their verdict on the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed, officially closing the book on what seemed a never-ending story. Their decision: unlawful killing due to the negligence of the paparazzi and driver Henri Paul.
Originally instructed to emerge with a unanimous verdict, the jury was deadlocked into the fourth day of deliberations. The judge, coroner Scott Baker, then told them he would accept a majority decision of nine jurors. An hour after that, they came back with "unlawful killing." In an inquest of few real surprises, this was one of the biggest. Most observers had thought they would agree with the conclusions of the French and British police, ruling the incident an accident. But the jury decided someone had to take the blame.
Not included was the conspiracy theory that Dodi's father, Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, has been pushing from the start, claiming that Prince Philip had ordered Britain's intelligence service, MI6, to orchestrate the crash and kill the two lovers. Baker explained throughout the entire inquest that he had not seen "a shred of evidence" to prove that the Duke of Edinburgh or the British intelligence service were behind the crash, so he was legally obliged not to offer "staged accident" as a possible verdict. But even with murder off the table, the panel decided to assign responsiblity for the death.
In their verdict, nine of the jurors agreed that "the crash was caused or contributed to by the speed and manner of driving of the Mercedes, the speed and manner of driving of the following vehicles [and] the impairment of the judgment of the driver of the Mercedes through alcohol." And all eleven believed that the fact that Diana and Dodi weren't wearing seat belts and that the Mercedes hit a pillar in the Pont d'Alma tunnel, instead of a larger surface that might have lessened the impact, were major factors in the deaths. Just as Baker directed, the jury delivered exactly the same verdict for both Diana and Dodi.
While the coroner recognized that "unlawful killing is a form of the very serious crime of manslaughter," the inquest is not a criminal trial. The verdict can't be used to launch a criminal investigation or prompt the pressing of charges against any of the paparazzi who are still alive.
855 Filinvest. We build the Filipino dream.
WORLD. In a report from the AP, the last part of the Olympic torch relay in Paris was canceled Monday after a day of chaos in which anti-China protesters forced authorities to extinguish the flame at least five times, take to a bus and skip some scheduled stops, including city hall. There were confrontations between the authorities and demonstrators throughout the day as the relay attempted to crisscross Paris. The torch was eventually driven by bus to its ending destination, where it was displayed again during a public ceremony at a stadium. Numerous protesters, some armed with fire extinguishers, were taken away by police. At other times police used tear gas to remove demonstrators who lay in the road and tried to block the route. The chaos came one day after human rights activist demonstrators made the torch's journey through London more like running the gauntlet than a journey of celebration, as UK police made more than two dozen arrests.
HOT MEAT AT CARBON MARKET. Be careful of the meat you buy because the selling of hot meat is still rampant at Carbon Market, in Pardo, still others were said to have been sourced from Mandaue. Authorities have intensified routine inspections especially since the meat smugglers developed ingenius ways. Hot meat comes from illegally slaughtered pigs---possibly slaughtered in ways not conforming to sanitary standards---that were not awarded inspection certificates. It also did not have the incision on its cheek and the branding that would signify that it has undergone proper inspection and slaughter. This doesn't mean they're unfit for human consumption but without regulations, there's no way of knowing if the slaughtered animals are carriers of diseases which may endanger the lives of those who will eat the meat.
955 All batteries. More batteries, more power.
ENTERTAINMENT. Legendary musician and folk icon Bob Dylan was handed a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize board Monday, following in the footsteps of fellow musicians Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. Dylan was honored by the Pulitzer board with the special citation for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." The board normally concentrates on US print journalism yet does make special citations every year.
TECH NEWS. US Internet company Yahoo on Monday rejected software giant Microsoft's three-week ultimatum to accept its takeover offer, saying they continue to believe that Microsoft's proposal is not in the best interests of Yahoo as it undervalues the internet company. The written response came after an ultimatum issued by Microsoft on Saturday for Yahoo to accept its $44.6-billion takeover offer in three weeks or face a hostile battle for the support of the Internet giant's shareholders.
1055 The government may use its police powers and take over rice warehouses if traders make good their threat to stage a “rice holiday” to dramatize their protest against the ban on the retailing of the staple from the National Food Authority (NFA), Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez warned yesterday. This developed as Malacañang announced the lifting of the import quota for rice and corn to ensure adequate supply of the staples. Gonzalez said the constitutional provision on national economy and patrimony allows the government to take drastic action such as securing food stocks in case of emergencies. What's more, government prosecutors would be closely coordinating with agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) assigned to the Anti-Rice Hoarding Task Force (ARHTF).
SPORTS. Tiger Woods arrived at Augusta on Monday with fellow American Steve Stricker saying the four-time Masters champion will be unstoppable if he is on form. The world number one launches his bid for a fifth green jacket and a 14th major title on Thursday having triumphed in nine of his last 11 starts. Woods comes in as the odds-on favorite to win. He's been unstoppable in 2008, winning his first four tournaments before finishing fifth at last month's WGC-CA Championship in Miami.
1155 EARTH DAY [The Freeman]. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in line with Earth Day 2008, is spearheading the Earth Day people’s caravan today. With the theme “Lakbay para sa Kalinisan! Lakbay para sa Buhay at Kinabukasan,” the caravan aims to increase the level of awareness and participation of the public in addressing issues related to environmental management and protection, most pressing issues of which are climate change and solid waste management. The caravan starts in Cebu City to Toledo City and is set to proceed to San Carlos City in Negros Occidental. The DENR is inviting all local government units, other government offices and non-government agencies as well as private institutions to participate in this activity to demonstrate commitment for the conservation of the environment.
IN A MOVE TO AUGMENT THE RICE SITUATION, Bulacan Agricultural State College comes forward with aerobic rice varieties they've developed in 2007. These came from the International Rice Research Institute in Laguna and could become the solution for those mountainous areas that do not catch much rainwater. Research on the “aerobic rice” has shown that it could grow in sloping and poorly irrigated agricultural lands. Aerobic rice seeds are likely to be mass produced for and in idle and arable lands of our agricultural state universities and colleges (SUCs).
// posted by Unknown @ 8:41:00 AM 
