More than 100,000 dead in Haiti quake, officials say

MANILA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) - At least 25 members of the Philippine peacekeeping contingent in Haiti are feared trapped inside the collapsed United Nations Stabilization Mission building after a magnitude 7.0 quake rocked the Caribbean nation Tuesday (Wedensday in Manila), a Philippine official reported Wednesday.

Philippine military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner told ANC's Dateline Philippines that Lt. Col. Lope Dagoy, commander of the Philippine peacekeeping forces in Haiti, has reported through his wife that some Filipino soldiers were trapped inside the building that collapsed right after the country was struck by the earthquake.

Elmer Cato, press officer of the Philippine mission to the United Nations, also said earlier Filipino peacekeepers were trapped at the collapsed United Nations Stabilization Mission building.

He said the Philippine peacekeeping force is composed of 157 officers and enlisted personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and 22 personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP).

In a phone interview with ABS-CBN News, Lt. Col. Limar Galicia, deputy commander of the

peacekeeping operations center in Camp O'Donnell in Capas, Tarlac, said he was informed by the New York Permanent Mission via email that at least 23 Filipino peacekeepers may have been trapped inside the

 headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.source:abs-cbnnews.com   

 

Read more...

'World's Thinnest' LCD TV by LG

LG Display says it has built the world's thinnest 42- and 47-inch LCD TV displays. The two new panels measure just 5.9mm (0.23 inch) thick, making them a millimeter slimmer than JVC's 7mm 32-inch TV prototype introduced last January.

While LG says it has "succeeded in developing" the ultra-slim panels, there's no word yet on when the products will ship, or what they'll cost. The picture quality will likely be good but not spectacular, although we won't know for sure until we see these panels in action.

Unlike conventional LCD TVs that use Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) backlighting, the new LG models feature LED (light emitting diode) lighting, which enables a thinner, lighter design. The new sets weigh just 6.1kg (13.45 lbs) and 7.3kg (16.1 lbs) each, making them roughly half the weight of same-sized CCFL-backlit LCD TVs.

Picture quality? The specs offer some interesting clues. The TVs will feature a 120Hz refresh rate, which improves the appearance of fast action (e.g., sports), particularly if the video was shot in HD at 60 frames per second. While 120Hz is good, it's not on par with the latest high-end displays, including faster 240MHz panels and LG's own TruMotion 480Hz LCD TV, another prototype unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show last January.

If it sounds like I'm being picky, it's because I expect the slim LG models to cost plenty. LED backlights are more expensive than their CCFL counterparts, and it's likely the new super-slim LG sets will be marketed as premium TVs. Given their thin and light attributes, however, they'll probably look fabulous when mounted on a wall.

source:www.pcworld.com

Read more...

Voters Extended Registration Nationwide

MANILA, Philippines - A Commission on Elections official on Wednesday said there is no need to extend the nationwide registration of voters since the poll body has already exceeded the target number of registrants for the May 2010 elections.

Comelec legal chief Ferdinand Rafanan said more than 50 million Filipinos are registered for next year's elections, 3 million more than the Comelec's target of 47 million.

"There was no necessity to add more registered voters because we have exceeded our target. It's more than 50 percent of the total population of the Philippines," Rafanan told ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda.

He said the Supreme Court's (SC) decision to extend the voters' registration to January 9, 2010 would disrupt "very, very tight timelines for automation."

In a 9-page unanimous decision penned by Associate Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, the Court en banc granted the petition filed by Kabataan party-list led by Raymond Palatino seeking to declare null and void Comelec Resolution No. 8585, which shortened the deadline of voters registration to October 31, 2009, instead of December 15, 2009, as previously fixed by Comelec Resolution No. 8514.

In its decision, the Supreme Court said the people’s right to suffrage “is at the heart of our constitutional democracy." It said the Comelec has no valid ground to justify its non-compliance to the system of continuing voter registration mandated under Section 8 of Republic Act 8189 or the Voter’s Registration Act of 1996.

Rafanan said that with the SC ruling, the Comelec would have to throw away all its prepared official list of registered voters and start over again.

Programming of the voters' names that would be loaded to the voting machines would also have to scrapped, he added.

Rafanan said the Comelec will file a motion for reconsideration and ask the high court to reverse its ruling.

If the petition is denied, Rafanan said the Comelec en banc has already set a tentative timeline for the extended voters' registration.

He said the tentatively agreed dates for registration were December 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29. After the New Year break, Comelec offices will again open for registration for the posting of a list of people who have registered on January 4.

The Election Registration Board will meet by January 9 for the finalization of the official list of voters.

Rafanan, meanwhile, said the Comelec does not expect to encounter the same problem they had during the registration of voters last October.

He said they expect shorter lines and they do not expect all qualified voters to register during the extended timeline.

source:www.abs-cbnnews.com

Read more...

Yahoo! Launches New Homepage

Yahoo! Inc. is launching a new homepage that brings together the best of the Web with the best of Yahoo! in a single destination across PC and Mobile Phones.

The launch represent the most significant change to the Yahoo! homepage since the company's inception. By enabling this level of personalization, Yahoo! allows people to get more done, faster, all in a single place.

Remember that new Yahoo home page we previewed waaaay back in September 2008?

New features of the Yahoo! homepage include:

•  My favorites - People can easily choose from a dashboard of more than 38 apps to add directly to their homepage, including best of sites (Facebook and dozens of others. These apps gives people the  ability to preview, interact with or navigate to thier favorite sites from one easy check-in point.
• App Maker - Using technology developed by Yahoo!, people can easily create their own app on the fly by adding virtually any URL of their choice.
• Trend Setter - A new snapshot of trends, including the most popular searches and fun facts from around the Web.
• Pc to Mobile Sync - (coming soon) - People will be able to continue their Yahoo! experience on the go with a more seamless PC to mobile integration. New apps added to Yahoo! homepage on the PC can be added to the mobile homepage.
• News, For You -  Hyper-local news and the ability to toggle the news module at the top of the page offer easier ways to access the news that matters most.
• Social Updates - People can now share their current "status" with friends directly from the homepage, get visibility into what their friends are doing across the Web, and integrate with leading social networks such as Facebook and Friendster.

" The Friendster application on the New Yahoo! homepage allow users quick access to their network     activity stream, photos, shout-outs, comments and much more", said David Jones vice president for global product Friendster.

Read more...

A new and improved Friendster.com has arrived

 












A new and improved Friendster.com has arrived. We've taken your thoughts, ideas and most importantly-YOU-into account when designing the new site. Over the next few weeks you'll start to see big changes of Friendster. For example:

• Easier to Find and Share - It's easier to use, with your favorite content much easier to find and share.
• More Fun - The experience is more fun & amp; colorful
• Faster Photos - Its faster & easier to upload photos than ever before
• Better Comments - You can easily comment on Shhoutouts & photos
• New Shoutout Stream - You can see your friends' recent Shoutout history through the Shoutout Stream
• More Customization - They added more skins for  profile page and given the ability to choose a color theme on homepage
• New Gift Shop - They just launched the new Friendster Gift Shop, putting you a click away from showing your friends that you care-and showing off the specials gifts you receive in return!
   

 This is only the beginning. Over the coming months, the well be launching many new features, like games, music and new ways to use Friendster on mobile.

I've probably notice the new logo. Crafted from a single line and ending in a Friendster smile, it represents what the brand is all about - fun, creativity, friendship and a personalized experience.

Come see the new  Friendster   today.  if you want to contact Friendster: feedback@friendster.com 

P.S. When you set up you Friendster Wallet to send you first gift via the Friendster Gift Shop, we'll give you 1,500 free Chips to get you started! 

Read more...