Death toll in strong quake rises to 40

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – At least 40 persons, including a nine-year-old girl, died in Negros Oriental during the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the province and other areas shortly before noon Monday, local authorities here said.
The quake hit 70 kilometers (44 miles) north of the city of Dumaguete on Negros Island at 11:49 am (0349 GMT) at a depth of 46 kilometers, the US Geological Survey said.
The Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) measured it as 6.9 at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers, centered off the heavily populated central island province of Negros and Cebu.
Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey website placed the epicenter of the earthquake at 46.6 kilometers deep, some 72 kilometers north of Dumaguete City, 74 km west, northwest of Tagbilaran, Bohol and 80 km west, southwest of Cebu City.
The earthquake was the strongest to be ever felt in Negros Oriental, according to several residents here.
Of the latest death count, 29 died in the mountain barangay (village) of Planas during a landslide triggered by the earthquake, Mayor Ernesto Reyes of Guihulngan City said in a phone interview.
Reyes said 10 other persons were also reported to have died due to a landslide at the Guihulngan national road. Earlier, Reyes said that as many as 30 houses were also buried in the landslide.
According to the mayor, about 100 persons were injured and brought for treatment to the Guihulngan District Hospital and neighboring district hospitals.
He expressed fear that there might be more fatalities and injured in other villages. Reyes said their communication with the villages has been cut off.
Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo earlier said 9-year-old girl identified as Bernadette Raidan died when a wall collapsed in Tayasan town, Negros Oriental. The Office of Civil Defense administrator Benito Ramos earlier said that Raidan was the first confirmed casualty due to the quake. He added that classes in the girl’s school were reportedly suspended due to aftershocks.
Meanwhile, aside from Raidan, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), in its 5 pm situation report, have confirmed the death toll to still be at seven, including Raidan. The NDRRMC identified other casualties as Anafe Estrabella, a Grade 6 pupil, of Barangay Mompong in Jimalalud, Negros Oriental, who was pinned to death by a collapsed wall of a chapel and Betty Yap Manzano, 62, of Guihulngan, Negros Oriental. Meanwhile, four other casualties remain unidentified, the NDRRMC said
The quake also triggered another landslide in the mountain village of Solongon in La Libertad town, also in Negros Oriental. An unknown number of people were trapped, said La Libertad police chief inspector Eric Arrol Besario.
“We’re now getting shovels and chain saws to start a rescue because there were people trapped inside. Some of them were yelling for help earlier,” Besario told The Associated Press by phone. Three key bridges in the town suffered cracks and were no longer passable, he said.
A three-story office building also collapsed in La Libertad, but occupants managed to run out.
The quake was felt at Intensity 7 in Dumaguete City, Villahermoso, Negros Oriental; Intensity 6 in La Carlota City and La Castellana, Negros Occidental and Argao, Cebu.
Intensity 5 was felt in: Iloilo City; Roxas City; Dao and Ivisan in Capiz; Ayungon, Negros Oriental; Kanlaon City; Lapu-lapu City; Guimaras; Cebu City; Bacolod City; Sagay City; Tagbilaran City; and Candoni Banalbagan, Negros Occidental.
Intensity 4 was recorded in: Kalibo, Aklan; San Jose de Buenavista, Pandan, Anini-y and Patnungon all in Antique; Sipalay, Negros Occidental, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo; Ormoc City and Dipolog, Phivolcs said.
Intensity 3 was felt in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte; Legaspi City, Albay; Carmen, Cagayan de Oro; Tacloban City; Catbalogan, Samar, St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Masbate, Masbate; and Cagayan de Oro City.
Intensity 2 was recorded in: Cabid-an, Sorsogon; Boronga, Eastern Samar; and Mambajao, Camuigin. Meanwhile, intensity 1 was felt in Pagadian City, Phivolcs said.
At Intensity 5, the shaking is strong enough to be felt by almost everyone and to awaken a sleeping person and make doors swing open.  At Intensity 4, the shaking is strong enough to be felt by most people indoors and rattle dishes, windows and doors.
Ramos said the violent shaking of buildings in the cities of Cebu and San Carlos led to broken windows and cracks on the walls, but no high rises were believed to have sustained major damage.
Ramos said earlier they were still getting damage reports from other affected areas.
While no immediate damage was reported, Silliman University announced the suspension of all classes and offices for Monday afternoon.
Mark Raygan Garcia, director of the Office of Information and Publication, said class suspensions were a precautionary measure that would give university personnel time to inspect all buildings and facilities.
“This puts premium on the safety and welfare of our students and personnel,” Garcia said.
In Cebu, people and students left the buildings, shopping malls and schools. Classes were suspended in some schools in Cebu City.
Negros Oriental police chief Edward Carranza said the temblor damaged many houses in Guihulngan and he ordered his men to help displaced residents find shelter.
Officials in some areas suspended work and canceled classes. Power and telecommunications were knocked out in several places.
Carranza said police rushed out of his building when the quake struck. “All my personnel ran out fearing our building would collapse,” he said.
“Now it’s shaking again,” he said as an aftershock hit. “My keychain is dancing.”
Philippine seismologists and local residents said there was panic but no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
Philippine seismologists briefly issued a tsunami alert for the central islands. Five bamboo and wooden cottages were washed out from a beach resort in La Libertad by huge waves, but there were no reports of injuries, said police Superintendent Ernesto Tagle. Elsewhere along the coast, people rushed out of schools, malls and offices.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no danger of a widespread destructive tsunami.
But Phivolcs raised its tsunami warning to the second of a three-stop alert level for coastal areas in Negros, meaning the public is asked to stay away from beaches and “be watchful” for any signs of rising tides.
However, level two does not warrant any evacuation.
Ramos said the chances of a tsunami or a tidal wave were very slim because the quake’s epicenter was located on a narrow strait between two islands.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — a belt around the Pacific Ocean where friction between shifting tectonic plates causes frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. Dona Pazzibugan, Leila Salaverria, Philippine Daily Inquirer; Inquirer.net

Steve Jobs Died at 56

Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder, dies at 56

The mastermind behind an empire that has revolutionized personal computing, telephony and music, dies in California

Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder, has died in California aged 56 Photograph: Jeff Chiu/AP
Steve Jobs, billionaire co-founder of Apple and the mastermind behind an empire of products that revolutionised computing, telephony and the music industry, has died in California at the age of 56. Jobs stepped down in August as chief executive of the company he helped set up in 1976, citing illness. He had been battling an unusual form of pancreatic cancer, and had received a liver transplant in 2009. Jobs wrote in his letter of resignation: "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come." Apple released a statement paying tribute: "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives … The world is immeasurably better because of Steve." Bill Gates, the former chief executive of Microsoft, said in a statement that he was "truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs's death". He added: "The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honour. I will miss Steve immensely." He is survived by his wife, Laurene, and four children. In a statement his family said Jobs "died peacefully today surrounded by his family … We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief". Jobs was one of the pioneers of Silicon Valley and helped establish the region's claim as the global centre of technology. He founded Apple with his childhood friend Steve Wozniak, and the two marketed what was considered the world's first personal computer, the Apple II. He was ousted in a bitter boardroom battle in 1985, a move that he later claimed was the best thing that could have happened to him. Jobs went on to buy Pixar, the company behind some of the biggest animated hits in cinema history including Toy Story, Cars and Finding Nemo. He returned to Apple 11 years later when it was being written off by rivals. What followed was one of the most remarkable comebacks in business history. Apple was briefly the most valuable company in the world earlier this year, knocking oil giant Exxon Mobil off the top spot. The company produces $65.2bn a year in revenue compared with $7.1bn in its business year ending September 1997. Starting with his brightly coloured iMacs, Jobs went on to launch hit after hit transformed personal computing. Then came the success of the iPod, which revolutionised the music industry, leading to a collapse in CD sales and making Jobs one of the most powerful voices in an industry he loved. His firm was named in homage to the Beatles' record label, Apple. But the borrowing was permitted on the basis that the computing firm would stay out of music. After the success of the iPod the two Apples became engaged in a lengthy legal battle which finally ended last year when the Beatles allowed iTunes to start selling their back catalogue. Jobs's remarkable capacity to spot what people wanted next came without the aid of market research or focus groups. "For something this complicated, it's really hard to design products by focus groups," he once said. "A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." Jobs initially hid his illness but his startling weight loss started to unnerve his investors. He took a six-month medical leave of absence in 2009, during which he received a liver transplant, and another medical leave of absence in mid-January before stepping down as chief executive in August. Jobs leaves an estimated $8.3bn, but he often dismissed others' interest in his wealth. "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful … that's what matters to me."

Shamcey Supsup shines in 2011 Miss Universe in Brazil

 Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup was a star, fan favorite and finished 3rd in the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant 2011 in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Supsup was ranked high by fans in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions.
The magna cum laude graduate and architecture board topnotcher joined other candidates in the final five namely 2011 Miss Universe Leila Lopes of Angola, first runner-up Olesya Stefanko of Ukraine, second runner-up Priscila Machado of Brazil and fourth runner-up Luo Zi Lin of China
Suspsup was sharp and intelligent during the question and answer portion. She was asked, “Would you change your religious belief to marry the person that you love?”
She answered “I would not marry the person I love because the first person I love is my God and the person loves me, he should also love my God.”
She was the only top 5 candidate who did not use any translator.
Shamcey is the fourth Filipina to have placed third at the prestigious pageant after Lalaine Bennett (1963), Maria Rosario “Chat” Silayan (1980), and Maria Desiree “Des” Verdadero (1984). Last year’s bet Maria Venus Raj, placed fourth in the competition.
In the announcement of the Top 16 finalists, Shamcey was the second to the last contestant called. Meanwhile, she was the seventh beauty and one of the two Asians (the other was Miss China) who was declared as part of the Top 10.
Shamcey both placed second in the fan polls of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions. She donned a yellow two-piece bikini with a light blue scarf which merited her a score of 7.0. The fans, meanwhile, gave Shamcey a score of 6.7 for her long, beige glittery gown. Miss Venezuela (9.1) and Miss Angola (7.2) respectively topped the two categories.
In the “Getting to Know the Top 10” VTR, Shamcey related her dreams of becoming an architect who will build “beautiful and sustainable structures” for her countrymen as well as that of becoming a teacher who will “hone young minds and prepare them for the future.”
One of the judges in this year’s Miss Universe was Tony award-winning singer-actress and Disney legend Lea Salonga.

Japanese girl delighted by bottle found in Hawaii

A photo of 6th grade students from Kagoshima, Japan found in a bottle by Petty Officer Jon Moore during a cleanup on a beach at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai Island.The bottle contained four origami cranes, a photo of Arikawa's elementary school class and a note dated March 25, 2006, and signed by Arikawa saying she wanted it to be "a graduation memory." (AP Photo/US Navy - Saki Arikawa) 

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese teenager expressed her gratitude Sunday after a U.S. sailor in Hawaii found a bottle she had tossed into the sea off Japan's southern coast as a child, and said she was delighted to be reconnected with her old classmates as a result.

Saki Arikawa, 17, said she had almost forgotten about the bottle and initially couldn't believe it was found after five years.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press from her hometown in Kagoshima, she said "it's a miracle" the bottle was found. "It's incredible," she said.

The clear glass bottle was found Thursday by Navy Petty Officer Jon Moore during a beach cleanup at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai island.

The bottle contained four origami cranes — symbols of peace in Japan — as well as a photo of Arikawa's elementary school class and a note dated March 25, 2006, and signed by Arikawa saying she wanted it to be "a graduation memory."

News of the bottle's recovery reconnected more than a dozen of her old classmates, now studying at different high schools, and their elementary school homeroom teacher for a reunion Saturday. Arikawa says she now wants to further expand the circle of friendship.

"Thanks to the bottle, some of us could get together and had a great time," she said. "Now I'd like to meet the person who kindly saved my bottle."

The bottle was one of five she tossed into the ocean in 2006 as her sixth-grade class graduated from Kokubu Elementary School in Kagoshima. She and her 31 classmates dropped five bottles each, including the one that turned up last week.

Three other bottles had previously been recovered, including two in Alaska and a third at another location in Hawaii.

The Navy said Moore was among 40 base personnel and 16 students and faculty from a Kauai school who picked up beach trash in observance of International Coastal Cleanup Day.

In this image provided by the U.S. Navy electrician's Mate 2nd Class Jon Moore removes a message from a bottle sent from Kagoshima, Japan more than five years ago. The clear glass bottle was found Thursday by Petty Officer Jon Moore during a beach cleanup at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai island. The bottle contained four origami cranes, a photo of Arikawa's elementary school class and a note dated March 25, 2006, and signed by Arikawa saying she wanted it to be "a graduation memory." (AP Photo/US Navy - Jay C. Pugh)

IPad2

This December, I want to gift myself with a very expensive and useful one - IPad2. I love its features and I know for certain that the price of Apple will marked down to its original price so I am looking forward to it..

Review: The iPad 2

by Jason Snell, Macworld.com 

The new iPad 2.

A year ago, nobody had an iPad. Then Apple sold 15 million of them in just nine months, creating a whole new category of technology product. The iPad may have become, in the words of Steve Jobs, “the most successful consumer product ever launched.”
It turns out that a lot of people saw the iPad’s appeal: it’s a supremely portable device that’s well suited for checking your e-mail, surfing the Web, playing games, reading books and other stuff you get off the Internet, and even for getting work done. Kids and the elderly have embraced it.
It’s awfully hard to follow such a massive success, but that’s the task set out for Apple’s new iPad 2, which goes on sale Friday. At least the iPad 2 has this going for it: the original model caught the technology industry so flat-footed that only now are true competitors beginning to appear.
Those competitors will now face a new iteration of the iPad, one that’s faster, smaller, and lighter than the model introduced a year ago—all while retaining the $499 entry price that has proven all but impossible for Apple’s competitors to match. It’s almost unfair.

A game of inches (and ounces)

Call it Jobs’s Law if you like: The latest version of any Apple product is likely to be thinner and lighter than its predecessor. And so it is with the iPad 2. The size difference between the original iPad and the iPad 2 may seem slight, but that’s only because we’re dealing with such small products to begin with. But for products this small, every ounce and fraction of an inch counts.
The iPad 2 measures 7.31 by 9.5 by 0.34 inches, and weighs in at 1.33 pounds (in the case of the Wi-Fi-only version, that is—the AT&T and Verizon 3G versions are .01 and .02 pound heavier). That means Apple shaved .17 pound off the Wi-Fi version and .26 to .27 pound off the 3G version. The iPad 2 is also .16 inch narrower, .06 inch shorter, and .16 inch thinner than the original iPad.
A matter of small degrees, to be sure, until you consider the percentage change: the iPad 2 is roughly two-thirds the thickness of the original iPad, and 88 percent of its weight (83 percent when comparing 3G models). Pick up an iPad 2 after handling an original iPad, and you’ll notice the difference right away. This is a lighter, thinner device.

The iPad 2's back is a single curved surface. The sleep/wake button (left) is perched on the curve. Also pictured here: the rear-facing camera and the orientation/mute switch.

In order to shave off that .16 inch of thickness, Apple has transformed the anodized aluminum back panel of the iPad. The original model’s back panel was a frame with four flat edges and a gently curved back surface. The iPad 2 eschews the frame, opting for a single surface that much more rapidly transitions from curve to flat. (This has the effect of making the iPad 2 much less wobbly than the original when laid on a flat surface.)
Without those edges, the iPad 2’s ports and buttons are now positioned on a curving portion of the back panel, rather than on its side. The feel is quite different, a bit like reverting the flat surfaces of the iPhone 4 to the curved back of an iPhone 3G. A few times I found myself struggling to insert cables into the iPad 2’s dock connector at the proper angle because I was confused by the curve of the back panel.
The end result of all this slimming down is that the iPad 2 is easier to handle than the original model. In my review of the original iPad, I said it was “heavy enough and slippery enough that I found it difficult to hold in one hand.” In fact, the original iPad turned out to be a product that really demanded a case of some sort, just to make it easier to handle.
The iPad 2 is easier to carry with one hand, and the decreased weight makes it easier to hold for longer periods of time. But if you’re planning on using the iPad 2 to read a lot, you’ll still find yourself propping it against your chest or setting it on a table—the tablet is still not light enough to hold in one hand for extended periods of time. (For that, you’ll need something more on the scale of the Amazon Kindle 3, which is less than half the weight of the iPad 2.)

I hope by next year, I already have this gadget!