Friday, July 31, 2009

Watch 2009 Miss Teen USA Pageant Live

Watch 2009 Miss Teen USA Pageant Live. Watch the 27th Miss Teen USA 2009 beauty pageant live on July 31, 2009 at Imperial Ballroom, Atlantis Paradise Island, in Nassau, Bahamas.

Miss Teen USA 2008, Stevi Perry of Arkansas will crown her successor as the next Miss Teen USA 2009. Ed Fields and Stevi Perry will host the presentation show, when Seth Goldman and Miss USA 2008, Crystle Stewart will host the final show. The Jonas Brothers will perform at the opening number, and Canadian singer, songwriter, actress and model, Leah Renee will perform during the swimsuit competition and evening gown competition.

Related Post:
Watch the 27th Miss Teen USA 2009 Beauty Pageant Live in Bahamas.

2009 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Pamela Bianca Manalo: No. 14 in internet "judging"

2009 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Pamela Bianca Manalo: No. 14 in internet "judging". 2009 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Pamela Bianca Manalo is being trained in “poise and grace” in Colombia before she competes with around 80 other delegates from the same number of countries in the 58th Miss Universe Pageant to be held in the Bahamas on Aug. 23 (Aug. 24 Philippine Time). Bianca left last week determined like the Binibinis before her to bring home the country’s third Miss Universe crown (after Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margie Moran in 1973).

“It’s an awesome task,” said Bianca, 22, whose aunt, Nini Ramos, was 1968 Bb. Pilipinas-International, and sister, Kate Manalo, 2002 Bb. Pilipinas-World. “It makes me nervous because I feel that people are expecting me to surpass the records of Tita Nini and Ate Kate. All I can promise is I will do my very best. Yes, they are giving me pointers.”

Funfare’s “beauty expert” Felix Manuel (now working as a nurse in New York) said that Bianca is an “imposing presence on and off stage.” A former PAL flight attendant, she’s an Advertising graduate from Assumption College, statuesque and very regal at 5’10”.

“She’s fiercely independent and driven, with a keen sense of volunteerism,” added Felix. “She finds fulfillment in being involved in community-based projects.”

Said Bianca in an earlier interview, “I am very thankful that my family has always been blessed but I’m also concerned about the plight of the less fortunate families in our community and in our society as well.”

Felix noted that before Bianca joined the Bb. Pilipinas pageant, she volunteered for Gawad Kalinga in building houses for the poor, joined medical missions and helped in feeding programs.

Bianca stood out in cheerleading during her high school and college years. She dabbled in modeling when she was 14 and also tried her hand at TV hosting. During her safety training as a flight attendant, she graduated 1st Honorable Mention among 75 cabin crews. Her experience with PAL surely helped her clinch the Binibini title.

Aside from her training in Colombia, Bianca took up language courses, and reviewed Philippine history, geography, economics, and arts and culture. She also tried to learn as much as she could about the Bahamas.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Lady Gaga: No speedy recovery

Lady Gaga: No speedy recovery.The worst-dressed woman in pop made no effort to hide her heartache after splitting from boyfriend Speedy.

LADY GAGA has confessed that she's hit rock bottom after her relationship with a male model fell apart.

She said: "Do you know the feeling of your heart being so terribly broken you can feel the blood dripping out?... when you have felt this, only then you know how I'm doing.

"I'm homesick for New York. I can't tell you how much I miss that city. I love it all: the concrete, the bars, my family and friends."

PARIS HILTON in her humiliating sex tape "pain"

PARIS HILTON in her humiliating sex tape "pain". Her profile rocketed in 2003 when an X-rated video surfaced of a naked Paris getting down and dirty with ex-boyfriend RICK SALOMON.

PARIS HILTON admits she's still tormented by her "humiliating" sex tape ordeal.

And the furious socialite says she'll never forgive Rick for exploiting her.

She explained: "It was definitely very painful.

"When you trust someone and love someone - for them to do that to you, it's really hard. It's something that bothers me every day."

Until now, Paris has stayed tight-lipped on the scandal - but she confronts it head-on in new MTV documentary Paris, Not France.

She added: "By putting it in the film, it was really hard for me to have it in there, because it's something I never discussed.

"But I also think it's a big learning lesson, because I think a lot of girls, when they're in a relationship, they will love someone and trust them and maybe let them do that. I know that's happened to a lot of people.

"And you never know what they could do with it.

"Obviously I was humiliated, embarrassed and in shock that it happened.

"It wasn't my fault, it was something that someone did to me, so I've just learned to be a strong woman and nothing can hurt me at this point."

Watch this PARIS HILTON sex tape "pain"

Kelly Clarkson (Already Gone) and Beyonce Knowles (Halo): In similar sound songs. . . .(with tracks)

Kelly Clarkson (Already Gone) and Beyonce Knowles (Halo): In similar sound songs. . . .(with tracks). Kelly Clarkson is singing the blues over her latest single "Already Gone" because it sounds too similar to Beyonce's hit "Halo."

In a weekend interview with Canada's CBC radio network, Clarkson reveals that she had been battling behind the scenes to keep the song which she co-wrote with songwriter Ryan Tedder from being released after she realized it resembled Beyonce's "Halo," another Tedder tune.

Kellly Clarkson and Beyonce's songwriter has got some explaining to do.

People have started to notice that there's more than artistic respect between the two artists. Their latest chart-toppers sound too similar for comfort, raising questions about how this happened and who's to blame.

Ryan Tedder, the OneRepublic frontman who penned the singles "Already Gone" and "Halo" for Clarkson and Beyonce, respectively, has been called out by Clarkson for selling them both the same song.

"No one's gonna be sitting at home, thinking, 'Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyoncé and Kelly the same track to write to,'" said an outraged Clarkson. "No, they're just gonna be saying I ripped someone off. I called Ryan and said, 'I don't understand. Why would you do that?'"

Clarkson claims that she never knew the Beyonce tune until she heard it on the radio, at which time she fought feverishly to get her own song pulled, to no avail.

Of course, Tedder has an opinion of his own, and he spoke out in direct opposition to what's been said.

"Already Gone' is one of the best songs I've written or produced since [Leona Lewis'] 'Bleeding Love' and stands tall on its own merits apart from 'Halo'. They are two entirely different songs conceptually, melodically and lyrically, and I would never try to dupe an artist such as Kelly Clarkson or Beyoncé into recording over the same musical track. The idea is both hurtful and absurd," Tedder maintained in a statement.

Listen to this 2 songs, you can judge if they similar sounds:


Dahil May Isang Ikaw: Upcoming Primetime Television Series of ABS-CBN (with Trailer)

Dahil May Isang Ikaw: Upcoming Primetime Television Series of ABS-CBN (with Trailer). The trailer of Dahil May Isang Ikaw, an upcoming primetime television series on ABS-CBN has just been released. The much anticipated TV series with a powerhouse cast is being planned to air this second quarter of the year.

Starring Jericho Rosales, Kristine Hermosa, Lorna Tolentino, Gabby Concepcion, John Estrada, Chin Chin Gutierrez, Karylle and Sid Lucero. For TV series visit FILIPINO TV CHANNEL

Watch Dahil May Isang Ikaw Television Series of ABS-CBN:

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Watch The Backstreet Boys their release new single "Straight Through My Heart" music video (with lyrics)


Watch The Backstreet Boys their release new single "Straight Through My Heart" music video (with lyrics). The Backstreet Boys are back once again with the release of their new single “Straight Through My Heart”, off their ninth album “This is Us”.

“This is Us” is set to be released on October 6 while the lead single “Straight Through My Heart” are now being heard on the air.

The album which was produced by Jive Rcords has 11 songs co-written by group members Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean with some help from hitmakers Max Martin, T-Pain, RedOne, Soulshock & Karlin, Jim Jonsin and Claude Kelly.

The group’s last album “Unbreakable” sold 1.7 million copies worldwide but it was a certified flop in the US for selling less than 150,000 compared with their 2005 reunion album “Never gone” which hit platinum status.

Critics labeled their new single as so 1990s and will struggle in the Billboard’s chart, although they also foresee that it will be a huge hit in Japan.

Watch The Backstreet Boys new single "Straight Through My Heart" music video:



Straight Through My Heart Lyrics
(Backstreet Boys)


In the heart
Of the night
Where its dark
In the lights
I heard the loudest noise
A gunshot on the floor
Ohhhh Ohhhhh

I looked down
And my shirts turning red
Im spinning around
Felt her lips on my neck
And her voice in my ear
Like I missed you
want you tonight

Chorus:
Straight through my heart
A single bullet got me
I cant stop the bleeding
Ohhhh
Straight through my heart
She aimed and she shot me
I just cant believe it
Ohhhh
No I cant resist
And I can't be hit
I just cant escape this love
Straight through my heart
Soldier down(my heart)
Soldier down(my heart)

Thought I moved
More than on
Thought I could
Fool her charm
I really wanna go
But I cant leave her alone
Ohhhh ohhhh

Hear the sound
Of a love so loud
I just cant, I just cant
Ignore this feeling
Said she misses me
And she wants me
Wants me tonight

Chorus

In the heart
Of the night
When its dark
In the lights
I heard the loudest noiseAlign CenterA gunshot on the floor

Piolo Pascual: Shirtless in Belo Medical Group Ad

Piolo Pascual: Shirtless in Belo Medical Group Ad. Filipino hunk actor Piolo Pascual showcases his irresistible shirtless bod for the recent Belo Medical Group print ad. The young male actor, who’s currently one of the top male endorsers in the country, does a shirtless pictorial showcasing his six pack abs and masculine body in one of the Philippines’ top cosmetic surgery clinic.

Piolo is at his prime. At age 32, he remains the top male endorser in the country. After doing a shirtless pictorial for Bench Overhauled Jeans, Piolo’s abs are showcased once again via the Belo Medical ad.

Piolo Pascual has been adored by many showbiz fans here in the Philippines. His career is just as blooming from the first time he ever set his foot on the movie screens and on television. I guess being one of the top male actors brings in the stack. I heard that he’s been courting the Mega Star’s daughter KC Concepcion and he even gave her a five-year supply of expensive perfume as a gift. Geez! That’s just too much for a courting gift eh!? Enough of the talking and head over to the next page to see the Piolo Pascual shirtless photo for Belo Med.

MARICAR REYES: Cover girl of Metro Magazine's August 2009 edition



MARICAR REYES: Cover girl of Metro Magazine's August 2009 edition. Maricar Reyes breaks her silence regarding her video scandal with Hayden Kho in the August 2009 issue of METRO magazine.

Quoting Jerome Gomez’s article entitled “Grace Under Pressure - Maricar Reyes Surpasses a Scandal with Bold Nonchalance and Confidence”:

She would look good in glamorous dresses, soft curls and South Sea pearls.She looks expensive and yet approachable, and judging from how she dealt with the whole Hayden hullabaloo, she has a good head on shoulders. She appears in next month’s cover of Metro Magazine and looks like she is on her element wearing designer things. It’s a little weird how she found herself in showbiz. While The Buzz Magazine’s banner story is about Bea Alonzo finally shedding clothes and appearing shedding clothes and appearing in a two-pieces swimsuit after years of playing the meek, conservative, hopeless romantic in television and movies. Maricar is being covered in yard and yards of satin after appearing allegedly naked in short little minutes of stolen video.

Maricar doesn’t deliver much juice in her interview, though. Preferring to talk only about acting, and how she will manage to lead two lives: a celebrity and a doctor (she is currently planning to set up her new clinic). Already she talks like a star of this generation, avoiding the specifics and speaking only of ideas and life in general. About determination and being a survivor. She says nothing about Hayden and the rest of the unfortunate circumstances that made her a name. She doesn’t need to, and maybe she shouldn’t. The better to keep the mystery and the audience asking for more.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Watch UFC 101: Declaration Live

Watch UFC 101: Declaration Live. The Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its Philadelphia debut on Saturday, August 8th for UFC 101: Declaration.

In the main event, the two best 155-pound fighters in the world finally meet when UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn looks to defend his crown against number one contender Kenny Florian. Penn has never lost at 155-pounds, and Florian is looking to change that stat this summer.

The pound-for-pound king of mixed martial arts, middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva, tests the waters at 205 pounds once again when he battles former light heavyweight champ and Ultimate Fighter season one winner Forrest Griffin.

Related Post:
Watch Ultimate Fighting Championship 101: Declaration (with Fighting Cards)

WEC 42 Events: Miguel Angel Torres VS Brian Bowles (with video)

WEC 42 Events: Miguel Angel Torres VS Brian Bowles (with video). Torres vs. Bowles, Sunday, August 9, live on VERSUS from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

World Extreme Cagefighting returns to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, August 9
with a bout that will determine the best bantamweight fighter in the world. WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres (36-1) defends his crown against the undefeated Brian Bowles (7-0).

Torres, largely considered to be among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, hopes a win in August will cement his status as the best fighter in 135-pound history. Standing in his way is the heavy-handed Brian Bowles, a native of Athens, Georgia, who boasts a knack for finishing fights.

Date: Aug-9-2009 9:00 PM ET
Event Type: Versus - Live Event
Location: The Joint - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Nevada

Watch WEC 42 Torres plans to beat Bowles video:

Related Post:
See the WEC 42 Events Fight Cards

Vanessa Hudgens in Parade Magazine interview about nude photo scandal (with Photos)

Vanessa Hudgens in Parade Magazine interview about nude photo scandal (with Photos). The July 26th issue has a great interview with Vanessa. In it, she talks about how she deals with all the gossip about her and how she’s handling life on her own since moving into her own house.

When asked about the nude photo scandal from 2007, Vanessa reveals: “That’s why I’m extremely guarded. I really do try to watch everything I say. Because one little tiny slip, and it’s like the world is coming to an end! It is hard. I do always have a wall up. But I feel by doing it, I keep myself safe. I try to live my life, do what I want, and just let everything else follow along. I try not to read the blogs or what people say about me. Because that’s what brings everybody down—no matter what you do, you’re always going to have haters.”

She also talks about keeping away from the paparazzi, and how she deals with them when she can’t dodge them:

“I keep my head down. Usually I’ll run around in hoodies, and I’ve got this massive head of hair, and I throw it all in my face so that nobody can see me. But if I want to do something, I’m going to do it, and if people recognize me, the fans, then great. They’re the reason why High School Musical is what it is, and they’re the reason why I’m here, so I’m thankful.”

Here’s the photos of 20 year-old Vanessa Hudgens in Parade Magazine, dressed in a bunch of little colorful outfits, raging from bikinis to pretty Asian dresses.













G.I. Joe Hunk Channing Tatum and his wife Jenna Dewan in Tokyo, Japan

G.I. Joe Hunk Channing Tatum and his wife Jenna Dewan in Tokyo, Japan. G.I. Joe hunk Channing Tatum and his new wife Jenna Dewan get mobbed by fans leaving Gonpachi restaurant in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday (July 26).

The couple recently continued their around-the-world honeymoon with dinner in Paris at Hotel Costes. After the meal, the couple partied at Le Baron nightclub, where they joined one of Chan’s costars, Marlon Wayans, who was celebrating his 37th birthday. (Marlon was also a groomsmen at Chan’s wedding.)

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is out in theaters on Friday, August 7.

Watch the 9th and last SONA 2009 of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (with video)

Watch the 9th and last SONA 2009 of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (with video). 9th and Last State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Philippine's President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, delivered on July 27, 2009 (Monday) at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo SONA 2009 in Text:

Thank you, Speaker Nograles, Senate President Enrile, Senators, Representatives, Vice President Noli de Castro, President Ramos, Chief Justice Puno, Ambassadors, friends…

The past twelve months have been a year for the history books. Financial meltdown in the West spread throughout the world…

Tens of millions lost their jobs; billions across the globe have been hurt—the poor always harder than the rich. No one was spared…

It has affected us already. But the story of the Philippines in 2008 is that t weathered a succession of global crises in fuel, in food, then in finance and finally the economy in a global recession, never losing focus and with economic fundamentals intact…

A few days ago, Moody’s has just announced the upgrade of our credit rating, citing the resilience of our economy. The state of our nation is a strong economy. Good news for our people, bad news for our critics…

I did not become President to be popular. To work, to lead, to protect and preserve our country, our people, that is why I became President. When my father left the Presidency, we were second to Japan. I want our Republic to be ready for the first world in 20 years…

Towards that vision, we made key reforms. Our economic plan centers on putting people first. Higit sa lahat ang layunin ng ating mga patakaran ay tulungan ang masipag na karaniwang Pilipino. New tax revenues were put in place to help pay for better healthcare, more roads, a strong education system. Housing policies were designed to lift up our poorest citizens so they can live and raise a family with dignity. Ang ating mga puhunan sa agrikultura ay naglalayong kilalanin ang ating mga magsasaka bilang backbone ng ating bansa, at bigyan sila ng mga modernong kagamitan to feed our nation and feed their own family….

Had we listened to the critics of those policies, had we not braced ourselves for the crisis that came, had we taken the easy road much preferred by politicians eyeing elections, this country would be flat on its back. It would take twice the effort just to get it back again on its feet—to where we are now because we took the responsibility and paid the political price of doing the right thing. For standing with me and doing the right thing, thank you, Congress…

The strong, bitter and unpopular revenue measures of the past few years have spared our country the worst of the global financial shocks. They gave us the resources to stimulate the economy. Nabigyan nila ang pinakamalaking pagtaas ng IRA ng mga LGU na P40 billion itong taon, imparting strength throughout the country and at every level of government…

Compared to the past, we have built more and better infrastructure, including those started by others but left unfinished. The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is a prime example of building better roads. It creates wealth as the flagship of the Subic-Clark corridor.

We have built airports of international standard, upgraded domestic airports, built seaports and the RORO system. I ask Congress for a Philippine Transport Security Authority Law….

Some say that after this SONA, it will be all politics. Sorry, but there’s more work….

Sa telecommunications naman, inatasan ko ang Telecommunications Commission na kumilos na tungkol sa mga sumbong na dropped calls at mga nawawalang load sa cellphone. We need to amend the Commonwealth-era Public Service Law. And we need to do it now….

Kung noong nakaraan, lumakas ang electronics, today we are creating wealth by developing the BPO and tourism sectors as additional engines of growth. Electronics and other manufactured exports rise and fall in accordance with the state of the world economy. But BPO remains resilient. With earnings of $6 billion and employment of 600,000, the BPO phenomenon speaks eloquently of our competitiveness and productivity. Let us have a Department of ICT….

In the last four years tourism almost doubled. It is now a $5 billion industry…

Our reforms gave us the resources to protect our people, our financial system and our economy from the worst of shocks that the best in the west failed to anticipate….

They gave us the resources to do reforms para palawakin ang suportang panlipunan and enhance spending power….For helping e raise salaries through joint resolution, thank you Congress.

Cash handouts give the most immediate relief and produce the widest stimulating effect. Nakikinabang ang 700,000 na pinakamahihirap na pamilya sa programang Pantawid Pamilya.

Our preference is to invest in projects with the same stimulus effects but also with long-term contributions to national progress….

Sa pagpapamahagi ng milyun-milyong ektaryang lupa, 700,000 na katutubo at mahigit isang milyong benepisyaryo ng CARP ay taas-noong may-ari na ng sariling lupa. Hinihiling ko sa Kongreso na ipasa agad ang pagpapalawig ng CARP, at dapat ma-condone ang P42 billion na land reform liabilities dahil 18% lamang ang nabayaran mula 1972. Napapanahon dahil it will unfreeze the rural property market. Ang mahal kong ama ang nag-emancipate ng mga magsasaka. Ii-mancipate naman natin ngayon ang titulo….

Nakinabang ang pitong milyong entrepreneurs sa P165 billion na microfinance. Nakinabang ang 1,000 sa economic resiliency plan. Kasama natin ngayon ang isa sa kanila, si Gigi Gabiola. Dating household service worker sa Dubai, ngayon siya ay nagtatrabaho sa DOLE. Good luck, Gigi…

Nakinabang ang isang milyong pamilya sa programang pabahay at palupa, mula sa PAG-IBIG, NHA, community mortgage program, certificates of lot awards, at saka yung inyong Loan Condonation and Restructuring Act….

Our average inflation is the lowest since 1966. Last June, it dropped to 1.5%. Paano nakamit ito? Proper policies lowered interest rates, which lowered costs to business and consumers.

Dahil sa ating mga reporma, nakaya nating ibenta ang bigas NFA sa P18.25 per kilo kahit tumaas ang presyo sa labas mula P17.50 hanggang P30 dahil sa kakulangan ng supply sa mundo. Habang, sa unang pagkakataon, naitaas ang pamimili ng palay sa mga magsasaka, P17 mula sa P11…

Dahil sa ating mga reporma, nakaya nating mamuhunan sa pagkain—anticipating an unexpected global food crisis. Nakagawa tayo ng libu-libong kilometro ng farm-to-market roads at kasama ng pribadong sector, natubigan ang dalawang milyong ektarya. Mga Badjao gaya ni Tarnati Dannawi ay tinuruan ng modernong mariculture. Umabot na sa P180,000 ang kinita niya mula noong nakaraang taon. Congratulations, Tarnati. We will help more fisherfolk shift to fish farming with a budget of P1 billion…

Dahi dumarami na naman daw ang pamilyang nagugutom, mamumuhunan tayo ng bago sa Hunger Mitgation program na nakitang mabisa. Tulungan nito ako dito Kongreso…

Mula noong 2001, Nanawagan tayo ng mas murang gamot. Nagbebenta na tayo ng mga gamot na kalahating presyo sa libu-libong Botika ng Bayan at Botika ng Barangay sa maraming dako ng bansa. Our efforts prodded the pharmaceutical companies to come up with low-cost generics and brands like RiteMed. I supported the tough version of the House of the Cheaper Medicine Law. I supported it over the weak version of my critics. The result: the drug companies volunteered to bring down drug prices, slashing by half the prices of 16 drugs. Thank you, Congressman Cua, Alvarez, Biron and Locsin….

Pursuant to law, I am placing other drugs under a maximum retail price. To those who want to be President, this advice: If you want something done, do it hard, do it well. Don’t pussyfoot. Just do it. Don’t say bad words in public.

Sa health insurance, sakop na ang 86% ng ating populasyon…

Sa Rent Control Law ng 2005 hanggang 2008, hanggang sampung porsyento lang maaaring itaas taon-taon ang upa. Iyong kakapirma nating batas naglagay ng isang taong moratorium, tapos pitong porsyento lang ang maaaring itaas. Salamat, Kongreso….

Noong isang taon, nabiyayaan ng tig-P500 ang mahigit pitong milyong tahanan bilang Katas ng Pantawid Koryente para sa mga small electricity users….

Iyong power rates, ang EPIRA natin ang pangmatagalang sagot. EPIRA dismantled monopoly. But minana natin iyong power purchase agreements under preceding administrations, so hindi pa natin makuha iyong buong intended effect. Pero happy na rin tayo, dahil isang taon na lamang iyan. The next generation will benefit from low prices from our EPIRA. Thank you…

Samantala, umabot na sa halos lahat ng barangay ang elektrisidad. We increased indigenous energy from 48% to 58%. Nakatipid tayo sa dollars tapos malaki pa ang na-reduce pa iyong oil consumption. The huge reduction in fossil fuel is the biggest proof of energy independence and environmental responsibility. Further reduction will come with the implementation of the Renewable Energy Act…and the Biofuels Act….again, thank you.

The next generation will also benefit from our lower public debt to GDP ratio. It declined from 78% in 2000 to 55% in 2008. We cut in half the debt of government corporations from 15% to 7. Likewise foreign debt from 73% to 32%. Kung meron man tayong malaking kaaway na tinalo, walang iba kundi ang utang, iyong foreign debt. Past administrations conjured the demon of foreign debt. We exorcised it….

The market grows economies. A free market, not a free-for-all…

To that end, we improved our banking system to complement its inherent conservatism. The Bangko Sentral has been prudent. Thank you, Governor Tetangco, for being so effective. The BSP will be even more effective if Congress will amend its Charter….

We worked on the Special Purpose Vehicle Act, reducing non-performing loans from 18% to 4% and improving loan-deposit ratios….

Our new Securitization Law did not encourage the recklessness that brought down giant banks and insurance companies elsewhere and laid their economies to waste. In fact, it monitors and regulates the new-fangled financial schemes. Thank you, Congress….

We will work to increase tax effort through improved collections and new sin taxes to further our capacity to reduce poverty and pursue growth. Revenue enhancement must come from the Department of Finance plugging leaks and catching tax and customs cheats. I call on tax-paying citizens and tax-paying businesses: help the BIR and Customs spot those cheats…

Taxes should come from alcohol and tobacco and not from books. Tax hazards to lungs and livers, do not tax minds. Ang kita mula sa buwis sa alak at sigarilyo ay dapat pumunta sa kalusugan at edukasyon. Sa kalusugan, pondohan ang Philhealth premiums ng pinakamahihirap. Ponhodhan ang mas maraming classroom at computers…..

Pardon my partiality for the teaching profession. I was a teacher….

Kaya namuhunan tayo ng malaki sa edukasyon at skills training….

Ang magandang edukasyon ay susi sa mas mabuting buhay, the great equalizer that allows every young Filipino a chance to realize their dreams…

Nagtayo tayo ng 95,000 na silid-aralan, nagdagdag ng 60,000 na guro, naglaan ng P1.5 billion para sa teacher training, especially for 100,000 English teachers. Isa sa pinakamahirap na Millennium Development Goals ay iyong Edukasyon para sa Lahat pagdating ng 2015, na nangunguhulugang lahat ng nasa edad ay nasa grade school. Halos walang bansang nakakatupad nito. Ngunit nagsisikap tayo. Binaba natin ang gastos ng pagpasok. Nagtayo tayo ng mga eskwela sa higit isang libong barangay na dati walang eskwelahan, upang makatipid ng gastos ng pasahe ang mga bata. Tinanggal natin ang miscellaneous fees para sa primary school.

Hindi na kailangan ang uniporme sa mga estudyante sa public schools…

We assist financially half of all students in private high schools….

We have provided 600,000 college and post-graduate scholarships. One of them Mylene Amerol-Macumbal, finished Accounting at MSU-IIT, went to law school, and placed second in the last bar exams–the first Muslim woman bar topnotcher. Congratulations…

In technical education and skills training, we have invested three times that of three previous administrations combined. Narito si Jennifer Silbor, isa sa sampung milyong trainee. Natuto siya ng medical transcription. Now, as an independent contractor and lecturer for transcriptions in Davao, kumikita siya ng P18,000 bawat buwan. Good job.

The Presidential Task Force on Education headed by Jesuit educator Father Bienvenido Nebres has come out with the Main Education Highway towards a Knowledge-Based Economy. It envisions seamless education from basic to vocational school or college….

It seeks to mainstream early childhood development in basic education. Our children are our most cherished possession. In their early years we must make sure they get a healthy start in life. They must receive the right food for a healthy body, the right education for a bright and inquiring mind—and the equal opportunity for a meaningful job….

For college admission, the Task Force recommends mandatory Scholastic Aptitude Tests. It also recommends that private higher education institutions and state universities and colleges should be harmonized. It also recommends that CHED will oversee of local universities and colleges. For professions seeking international recognition—engineering, architecture, accountancy, pharmacy and physical therapy—it recommends radical reform: 10 years of basic education, two years of pre-university, three years of university…

Our educational system should make the Filipino fit not just for whatever jobs happen to be on offer today, but also for whatever economic challenge life will throw in their way….

Sa hirap at ginhawa, ang ating overseas Filipinos ay pinapatatag ang ating bansa. Iyong padala nilang $16 billion noong isang taon ay record. Itong taon, mas mataas pa….

I know that this is not a sacrifice joyfully borne. This is work where it can be found—in faraway places, among strangers with different cultures. It is lonely work, it is very hard work….

Kaya nagsisikap tayong lumikha ng mga trabahong maganda ang bayad dito sa atin so that overseas work will just be a career choice, not the only option for a hardworking Filipino in search of a better life…

Meanwhile, we should make their sacrifices worthwhile. Dapat gumawa tayo ng mga mas malakas na paraan upang proteksyonan at palawak ang halaga ng kanilang pinagsikapang sweldo. That means stronger consumer protection for OFWs investing in property and products back home. Para sa kanila, pinapakilos natin ang Investors Protection Task Force….

Hindi ako nag-aatubiling bisitahin ang ating taong bayan at ang kanilang mga hosts sa buong mundo – mula Hapon…hanggang Brazil, mula Europa at Middle East hanggang sa American Midwest, nakikinig sa kanilang mga problema at pangangailangan, inaalam kung paano matulungan sila n gating pamahalaan—-by working out better policies on migrant labor, or by saving lives and restoring liberty….

Pagpunta ko sa Saudi, pinatawad ni Haring Abdullah ang pitong daang OFW na nasa preso. Pinuno nila ang isang buong eroplano at umuwi kasama ko….

Mula sa ating State Visit to Spain, it has become our biggest European donor. At si Haring Juan Carlos ay nakikipag-usap sa ibang mga bansa para sa ating mga namomoblemang OFW. Ganoon di si Sheikh Khalifa, ang Prime Minister ng Bahrain….

Pagpunta ko sa Kuwait, Emir al-Sabah commuted death sentences. For overseas workers, maraming salamat.

Our vigorous international engagement has helped bring in foreign investment. Net foreign direct investments multiplied 15 times during our administration.
Kasama ng ating mga Together with our OFWs, they more than doubled our foreign exchange reserves. Pinalakas ang ating piso at naiwasan ang lubhang pagtaasng presyo. They upgraded our credit because our reserves grew by $3 billion while those of our peers have shrunk…..

Our international engagement has also corrected historical injustice. The day we visited Washington, Senator Daniel Inouye successfully sponsored benefits for our veterans as part of America’s fiscal stimulus package…

I have accepted the invitation of President Obama to be the first Southeast Asian leader to meet him at the White House, this week…

That he sought us the Philippines testifies to our strong and deep ties…

High on our agenda will be peace and security issues. Terrorism: how to meet it, how to end it, how to address its roots in injustice and prejudice—and most and always how to protect lives…

We will also discuss nuclear non-proliferation. The Philippines will chair the review of the nuclear weapons non-proliferation Treaty in New York in May 2010. The success of the talks will be a major diplomatic achievement for us….

There is a range of other issues we will discuss, including the global challenge of climate change, especially the threat to countries with long coastlines. And there is the global recession, its worse impact on poor people, and the options that can spare them from the worst.

In 2008 up to the first quarter of 2009 we stood among only a few economies in Asia-Pacific that did not shrink. Compare this in 2001, when some of my current critics were driven out by people power, Asia was then surging but our country was on the brink of bankruptcy…

Since then, our economy has posted uninterrupted growth for 33 quarters; more than doubled its size from $76 billion to $186 billion. The average GDP growth from 2001 to the first quarter of 2009 is the highest in 43 years.

Bumaba ang bilang ng nagsasabing mahihirap sila, mula 59% sa 47%. Kahit na lumaki ang ating populasyon, nabawasan ng dalawang milyon ang bilang ng mahihirap. GNP per capita rose from a Third World $967 to $2,051. Lumikha tayo ng walong milyong trabaho, an average of a million per year, much, much more than at any other time…

In sum:
We have a strong economy in a strong fiscal position to withstand political shocks…
We built new modern infrastructure and completed unfinished ones.
The economy is more fair to the poor than ever before…
We are building a sound base for the next generation…
International authorities have taken notice that we are safer from environmental degradation and man-made disasters…
As a country in the path of typhoons and in the Pacific Rim of Fire, we must be as prepared as the latest technology permits to anticipate natural calamities when that is possible; to extend immediate and effective relief when it is not….The mapping of flood- and landslide-prone areas is almost complete. Early warning, forecasting and monitoring systems have been improved, with weather tracking facilities in Subic, Tagaytay, Mactan, Mindanao, Pampanga…

We have worked on flood control infrastructure like those for Pinatubo, Agno, Laoag, and Abucay, which will pump the run off waters from Quezon City and Tondo flooding Sampaloc. This will help relieve hundreds of hectares in this old city of its age-old woe…

Patuloy naman iyong sa Camanava, dagdag sa Pinatubo, Iloilo, Pasig-Marikina, Bicol River Basin, at mga river basin ng Mindanao…

The victims of typhoon Frank in Panay should receive their long-overdue assistance package. I ask Congress to pass the SNITS Law…

Namana natin ang pinakamatagal ng rebelyon ng Komunista sa buong mundo.

Si Leah de la Cruz isa sa labindalawang libong rebel returnee. Sixteen pa lang siya nang sumali sa NPA. Naging kasapi sa regional White Area Committee, napromote sa Leyte Party Committee Secretary. Nahuli noong 2006. She is now involved in an LGU-supported handicraft livelihood training of former rebels. We love you, Leah!

There is now a good prospect for peace talks both with both the Communist Party of the Philippines and the MILF, with whom we are now on ceasefire….

We inherited an age-old conflict in Mindanao, exacerbated by a politically popular but near-sighted policy of massive retaliation. This only provoked the other side to continue the war…

In these two internal conflicts, ang tanong ay hindi, “Sino ang mananalo?” kundi, bakit ba kailangang mag-away ang kapwa Pilipino tungkol sa mga isyu na alam ng dalawang panig over issues na malulutas naman sa paraang demokratiko.

There is nothing more that I would wish for than peace in Mindanao. It will be a blessing for all its people, Muslim, Christian and lumads. It will show other religiously divided communities that there can be common ground on which to live together in peace, harmony and cooperation that respects each other’s religious beliefs…

At sa lahat ng dako ng bansa, kailangan nating protektahan an gating mamamayan kontra sa krimen — in their homes, in their neighborhoods, in their communities.

How shall crime be fought? Through the five pillars of justice. We call on Congress to fund more policemen on the streets…

Real government is about looking beyond the vested to the national interest, setting up the necessary conditions to enable the next, more enabled and more empowered generation to achieve a country as prosperous, a people as content, as ours deserve to be….

The noisiest critics of constitutional reform tirelessly and shamelessly attempted Cha-Cha when they thought they could take advantage of a shift in the form of government. Now that they feel they cannot benefit from it, they oppose it.

As the process of fundamental political reform begins, let us address the highest exercise of democracy…voting!
In 2001, I said we would finance fully automated elections. We got it, thanks to Congress…

At the end of this speech I shall step down from this stage…but not from the Presidency. My term does not end until next year. Until then, I will fight for the ordinary Filipino. The nation comes first. There is much to do as head of state—to the very last day…

A year is a long time. Patuloy ang pamumuhunan sa tinatawag na three E’s ng ekonomiya, environment at edukasyon. There are many perils that we must still guard against…

A man-made calamity is already upon us, global in scale. As I said earlier, so far we have been spared its worst effects but we cannot be complacent. We only know that we have generated more resources on which to draw, and thereby created options we could take. Thank God we did not let our critics stop us…

As the campaign unfolds and the candidates take to the airwaves, I ask them to talk more about how they will build up the nation rather than tear down their opponents. Our candidates must understand the complexities of our government and what it takes to move the country forward. Give the electorate real choices and not just sweet talk…

Meanwhile, I will keep a steady hand on the tiller, keeping the ship of state away from the shallows some prefer, and steering it straight on the course I set in 2001…

Ang ating taong bayan ay masipag at maka-Diyos. These qualities are epitomized in someone like Manny Pacquiao….Manny trained tirelessly, by the book, with iron discipline, with the certain knowledge that he had to fight himself, his weaknesses first, before he could beat his opponent. That was the way to clinch his victories and his ultimate title: ang pinakadakilang boksingero sa kasaysayan………. Mabuhay ka, Manny!

However much a President wishes it, a national problem cannot be knocked out with a single punch. A President must work with the problem as much as against it, and turn it into a solution if I can…

There isn’t a day I do not work at my job or a waking moment when I do not think through a work-related problem. Even my critics cannot begrudge the long hours I put in. Our people deserve-a-government that works just as hard as they do…

A President must be on the job 24/7, ready for any contingency, any crisis, anywhere, anytime…

Everything right can be undone by even a single wrong. Every step forward must be taken in the teeth of political pressures and economic constraints that could push you two steps back-if-you flinch and falter.. I have not flinched, I have not faltered. Hindi ako umaatras sa hamon…

And I have never done any of the things that have scared my worst critics so much. They are frightened by their own shadows…

In the face of attempted coups, I issued emergency proclamations just in case. But I was able to resolve these military crises with the ordinary powers of my office. My critics call it dictatorship. I call it determination… We know it as strong government…

But I never declared martial law, though they are running scared as if I did. In truth, what they are really afraid of is their weakness in the face of this self-imagined threat…

I say to them: do not tell us what we all know, that democracy can be threatened. Tell us what you will do when it is attacked…

I know what to do:

I know what to do, as I have shown, I will defend democracy with arms when it is threatened by violence; with firmness when it is weakened by division; with law and order where it is subverted by anarchy; and always, I will try to sustain it by wise policies of economic progress, so that a democracy means not just an empty liberty but a full life for all…

I never expressed the desire to extend myself beyond my term. Many of those who accuse me of it tried to cling like nails to their posts…

I am accused of misgovernance. Many of those who accuse me of it left me the problem of their misgovernance to solve. And we did it…

I am falsely accused, without proof, of using my office for personal profit. Many of those who accuse me of it have lifestyles and spending habits that make them walking proofs of that crime…

We can read their frustrations. They had the chance to serve this good country and they blew it by serving themselves…

Those who live in glass houses should cast no stones. Those who should be in jail should not threaten it, especially if they have been there…

Our administration, with the highest average rate of growth, recording multiple increases in investments, with the largest job creation in history, and which gets a credit upgrade at the height of a world recession, must be doing something right, even if some of those cocooned in corporate privilege refuse to recognize it…

Governance, however, is not about looking back and getting even. It is about looking forward and giving more—to the people who gave us the greatest, hardest gift of all: the care of a country.

From Bonifacio at Balintawak to Cory Aquino at EDSA and up to today, we have struggled to bring power to the people, and this country to the eminence it deserves…

Today the Philippines is weathering well the storm that is raging around the world. It is growing stronger with the challenge. When the weather clears, as it will, there is no telling how much farther forward it can go. Believe in it. I believe…

We can and we must-march-forward-with-hope, optimism and determination.

We must come together, work together and walk together toward the future.

Bagamat malaking hamon ang nasa ating harapan, nasa kamay natin ang malaking kakayahan. Halina’t pagtulungan nating tiyakin ang karapat-dapat na kinabukasan ng ating Inang Bayan.

And to the people of our good country, for allowing me to serve as your President, maraming salamat. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Watch this video, 2009 SONA of GMA:









Watch 17th annual ESPY Awards 2009 Winners (with Video)

Watch 17th annual ESPY Awards 2009 Winners (with Video). The ESPY Awards is an annual sports awards event created and broadcast by American cable television network ESPN. Begun in 1993, the event confers eponymous awards, fully styled as Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, for individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding a given ceremony.

The List of ESPY Awards 2009 Winners:


Individual Sports

Best Baseball Player:
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

Best NBA Player:
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Best WNBA Player:
Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks

Best NFL Player:
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

Best NHL Player:
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

Best MLS Player:
Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy

Best Male Action Sports Athlete:
Shaun White, Skateboarding/Snowboarding

Best Female Action Sports Athlete:
Maya Gabeira, Surfing

Best Bowler:
Norm Duke

Best Driver:
Jimmie Johnson


Best Fighter:
Manny Pacquiao, Boxing

Best Male Golfer:
Tiger Woods

Best Female Golfer:
Lorena Ochoa

Best Jockey:
Calvin Borel


Best in Sport

Best Female Athlete:
Nastia Liukin, Gymnastics

Best Male Athlete:
Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming

Best Moment:
US Swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay

Best Team:
Los Angeles Lakers

Best Coach/Manager:
Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers

Best Game:
Steelers vs. Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII

Best Championship Performance:
Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming

Best Play:
Roethlisberger to Holmes Super Bowl Winning TD

Best Upset:
US Soccer shocks Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals

Best Breakthrough Athlete:
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Best Record Breaking Performance:
Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming

Best Sports Movie:
The Express: The Ernie Davis Story

Best Male College Athlete:
Tim Tebow, Florida Football

Best Female College Athlete:
Maya Moore, Connecticut Women’s Basketball

Best Male Athlete with a Disability:
Jason Lester, Ironman Triathlete

Best Female Athlete with a Disability:
Erin Popovich, Swimming

Best International Male Athlete:
Usain Bolt (Jamaica, Sprinter)

Best International Female Athlete:
Lorena Ochoa (Mexico, Golf)

Special Awards

Arthur Ashe Courage Award:
President Nelson Mandela

Jimmy V Award For Perseverance:
Don Meyer, Northern State University Coach

Best Comeback:
Dara Torres, Olympic swimmer.

Watch the Recap of 2009 ESPY Awards:

Watch ESPY Awards 2009 Winners:


Monday, July 27, 2009

Ten Most Depressing Reality TV Shows


Ten Most Depressing Reality TV Shows. Besides all the weight-loss shows, the dance shows, the cake shows, the multiple-births shows, and the washed-up-celebrities-date-floozies shows, there is another reality genre that surpasses them all: the depressing genre. Here are the top 10 reality shows that make us cry into our Haagen-Dazs on a regular basis.

1. "Intervention"
Quite possibly the most depressing show in the history of television, this lets us watch as families of rock-bottom addicts give their loved one an ultimatum: either enter rehab or get cut off from the family. It's best not to watch when in an emotionally vulnerable state. Or ever, really.

2. "Celebrity Rehab"/"Sober House"
It isn't just seeing these people you once saw as seemingly healthy and successful individuals at their absolute lowest, grappling with unforgivable addiction -- which is bad enough -- it's also their therapy sessions, in which they discuss in depth their childhood abuse, suicide attempts, breaking points, etc.

3. "Obsessed"
This is a new A&E show that follows people with anxiety disorders as they are subjected to some tough love and forced to face their issues. It's depressing because it's totally "Shoot the freak!" in carnival appeal, and because these people are so isolated by their weird problems that they just live in lonely cocoons of correcting their mothers' "K's" and never looking in the mirror.

4. "16 and Pregnant"
This one just makes my heart cry. Sixteen-year-old girls who are struggling with figuring out how they're going to take care of a baby -- both emotionally and financially -- often losing all their friends and dealing with judgmental people's dirty looks in their small towns.

5. "Bridezillas"
This show follows couples who are usually pretty terrible for each other but are unwisely getting married anyway, as they try to claw and scream together an event that is usually way out of their price range. The bride always ends up just verbally destroying her fiance, family and friends.

6. "Real World/Road Rules Challenge"
There's nothing sadder than never rising above being a drunken, combative fool on an MTV reality show at some point in your youth, so you just keep returning to the franchise to degrade yourself for cash, because you're broke, because you can't do any better, year after year after year.

7. "The Bachelor"/"The Bachelorette"
Usually pretty early on in each season it becomes clear that some people are on the show for real, and some people are on the show to exploit and manipulate other people's emotions in order to continue being on television. What Wes did to Jillian is just another milestone in this show's tradition of documenting someone using a lonely person to gain fame.

8. "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grade?"
As it turns out, hardly anyone who goes on this show is smarter than a fifth grader. This thing is a constant reminder of how, intellectually speaking, it's all been downhill since age 11, which is pretty depressing.

9. "18 Kids and Counting"
There's having a different lifestyle and trying to protect your kids from the evils of the world, and then there's sheltering them to the point where they're exposed so little to the outside world they don't stand a chance at forming their own opinions about anything or gasp! choosing a different lifestyle as an adult.

10. "Toddlers & Tiaras"
The most depressing thing about watching the egomaniacal parents on this show is that they've convinced themselves that dressing their 5-year-old daughters up and living vicariously through the attention they receive from it is what the child really wants.

Former world champion boxer Vernon Forrest was shot over half a dozen times in the back and killed

Former world champion boxer Vernon Forrest was shot over half a dozen times in the back and killed. In Atlanta, Georgia, former world champion boxer Vernon Forrest was shot over half a dozen times in the back and killed during an attempted robbery at a petrol station on Saturday, police said.

Police said Forrest was shot after chasing one of the thieves after they robbed Forrest while he was putting air into the tyres of his Jaguar.

Atlanta police spokesman Keith Meadow said Forrest was also armed and exchanged gunfire with the thieves in the southwest section of the crime-plagued American city.

The 11-year-old son of Forrest's girlfriend was with him at the Chevron station at the time and was able to give police a description of the attackers.

Former world champion boxer Vernon Forrest, pictured in 2008, was shot over half a dozen times in the back and killed during an attempted robbery at a petrol station on Saturday, police said.

Forrest competed for the United States in the 1992 Olympics before turning pro. He captured the International Boxing Federation welterweight title in 2001 and also became the World Boxing Coucil's middleweight champion.

The 38-year-old Forrest finished with a record of 41 wins, three losses and 29 knockouts.

ARNOLD REYES: Astig Actor in 5th Cinemalaya Filmfest feels honored as Best Supporting Actor

ARNOLD REYES: Astig Actor in 5th Cinemalaya Filmfest feels honored as Best Supporting Actor. Sa hanay ng mga indie films na nagawa na ng theater actor and TV host na si Arnold Reyes, ang role niya sa Astig ang pinakatumatak. Katunayan, naging best supporting actor nga siya para sa pelikulang ito sa katatapos lang na 5th Cinemalaya Film Festival awards night na ginanap kagabi sa CCP Complex.

Sa panayam ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) kay Arnold, overwhelmed at di pa rin makapaniwala ang aktor sa karangalang ipinagkaloob sa kanya ng Cinemalaya.

"Hanggang ngayon, di pa rin ako makapaniwala!" bulalas muna ni Arnold. "Kasi pumunta lang ako dito para um-attend ng awarding, 'tapos heto na. Nagbunga na lahat ng pagod namin at pagtitiwala na ibinigay sa amin paggawa ng Astig.

"I never expected this, not at all. Hanggang ngayon di pa rin ako makapaniwala na nanalo ako. Nung tinawag ako sa stage to receive the award at para magpasalamat, di ko alam kung ano ang sasabihin ko. Basta isa-isa na lang pumasok sa isip ko lahat ng gusto kong pasalamatan.

"Siyempre yung manager ko si Mr. Boy Abunda who is also the producer of Astig. Our director Direk GB Sampedro, Noel Ferrer, at sa lahat ng mga kasama sa paggawa ng pelikulang ito. This is my first award. Ito yung kauna-unahang award na natanggap ko sa acting, so, I'm very, very honored and thankful."

Matagal na rin sa indie films business si Arnold, pero aminado si Arnold na ang role niya sa Astig ang pinakamahirap at pinaka-challenging sa lahat ng nagawa niya.

"Marami na akong nagawa, but this is my biggest role na nagawa ko at pinakamahirap, kasi nag-aral ako ng ibang lengguwahe at saka ibang tao ang pinortray ko dito at nagbunga naman ang lahat ng pag-aaral at paghihirap na ginawa ko, so, ang sarap ng feeling."

Kamakailan, nag-guest sa telesreyeng Only U ng ABS-CBN si Arnold. Masaya rin niyang ibinalita sa PEP na kasama din siya sa In My Life ng Star Cinema kung saan makakaeksena niya ang Star For All Seasons na si Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto.

"Maganda ang role ko dun, medyo nakakatawa, manugang ako ni Ate Vi, medyo inis siya sa akin. Medyo comedy ang dating, kakaiba ang dating, so, maganda. Saka siyempre, napakalaking karangalan din to work with Ms. Vilma Santos, John Lloyd [Cruz] and Luis [Manzano]."

Sunday, July 26, 2009

2009 Tour de France: Alberto Contador wins again



2009 Tour de France: Alberto Contador wins again. Alberto Contador of Spain has won the Tour de France for a second time, and Lance Armstrong will join him on the podium after finishing third in his comeback to cycling’s main event.

Mark Cavendish of Britain collected his sixth stage win of this year’s Tour in a sprint after the 101.9-mile ride from Montereau-Fault-Yonne to the Champs-Elysees on Sunday.

Contador won the Tour in 2007.

Watch Contador and Armstrong still 1-2 in Tour:

Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong remain first and second after another tough mountain stage as the Tour de France moves closer to the finish line in Paris. (July 21)

Nursing Board Exam June 2009: 32,617 nursing examinees passed, Cebu topping the list

Nursing Board Exam June 2009: 32,617 nursing examinees passed, Cebu topping the list. The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Saturday night announced that 32,617 nursing examinees passed the June 2009 Nursing Board Exam, with a nursing graduate from Cebu topping the list.

PRC commissioner Ruth Padilla was quoted in a radio report as saying that the latest nursing exam had a 41.87 percent passing rate. The test was taken by 77,901 examinees on June 6 and 7.

Topping the list was Golda Manto Yap of the Felipe R. Verallo Memorial Foundation in Bogo, Cebu.

The report said the complete list of passers was not immediately available.

The June nursing board examination was administered in Manila and 10 other regional offices including Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Legaspi, Lucena, Cagayan De Oro, Iloilo, Tuguegarao, Zamboanga, Pagadian, Tacloban, and Jolo.

The PRC noted that the latest results were 2.64 percent lower than that from the February 2009 exams, which had a 44.51 percent passing rate.

In February 2009's nursing board exam results, Jovie Ann Alawas Decoyna of the Baguio Central University (BCU) topped the list after garnering a score of 89 percent.

SONA(State of the Nation Address) on Monday (July 27, 2009)

SoNA(State of the Nation Address) on Monday (July 27, 2009). It will be the last report card by President Arroyo, narrated in an important administrative accounting called State of the Nation Address. It is her valedictory address.

The last? Yes, her last - the ninth - since taking over as Chief Executive in 2001, and her election
in 2004 as president.

I am saying this in spite of the heavy betting among skeptics versus fanatics. At stake: There will be another SoNA that she will deliver in 2010 - as prime minister.

I admit I am gullible when it comes to presidential promises. When she announced in Baguio City in December, 2002 that she would not seek reelection, I declared in this column that she would honor her word.

But what is different this time is that it is only her official family (and biological, too!) that is insisting she would step down in June this year. Nary a word from her.

Will she reiterate in her SoNA on Monday what her Cabinet and congressmen-sons claim of her ending her term 11 months from now?

I am also staking my neck out over a lunch bet to colleagues in the Commonwealth Caucus - a Friday coffee group - that she will do just that on Monday. Yes, you can call me a sucker of presidential promises!

What are the other announcements to be expected?

Here are chapters of my speculative scenario that will unfold at the Plenary Session Hall of the House of Representatives Monday afternoon:

The President will direct attention to her expertise in governance - economics. And how the country is making wonders in its economic strides, in spite of the pernicious economies that are crippling many of our ASEAN neighbors.

Is that not clear enough to all and sundry that the country still needs her to steer our voyage to Paradise (exactly the word she used in last year's SoNA)?

When the president of the land promises her domain to bring them all to Paradise, can my coffee-addict colleagues blame me for being gullible twice over of presidential promises?

Now, how long will President Arroyo's 2009 SoNA last? Forty-five minutes. It will be longer than last year's 36 minutes.

Watch Selena Gomez in her new music video "Magic" and Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie Trailer

Watch Selena Gomez in her new music video "Magic" and Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie Trailer. Selena Gomez released her new music video “Magic” for the telemovie “The Wizards of Waverly Place the Movie.” Gomez has four songs featured on the Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie soundtrack out on August 4.

The Wizards of Waverly Place the Movie will be released as a Disney Channel Original Movie on August 28, 2009 in the US and later broadcast on Disney Channel Asia.

The Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie star recorded the classic 1975 song “Magic” for the soundtrack of her hit TV series which was made into a movie for television.

Watch "Magic" Music Video:



Watch Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie: