Search engines face-off in Twitter

As the battle of search engines heat up, software giants Microsoft Corp. and Google, Inc. square-off in the highly popular microblogging stage called Twitter.

In its efforts to bite off Google’s dominant search engine market share, Microsoft’s three-month old search engine, Bing, was first to snatch Twitter, listing all its public results in real time.

According to Time, Microsoft Digital Head Qi Lu said Bing’s Twitter search, Bing.com/Twitter, is already up and running. Bing reorders Twitter streams based on the “social relevance” of tweets, or the 140 character-long messages. It will also filter spam and obscene tweets from the final display results.

Bing-Twitter search also allows users to separate the most popular embedded links from the tweets that surround them, expands a tweet’s bit url and shows users the real domain, making the experience less complex.

Time noted that the Bing-Twitter tie up is more than just a marketing head start for Microsoft; it is also a “technological victory” to tap the micro-blogging site’s unparalleled resources and its 7 million-user subscriber base.

“There is a revenue component to this deal but we’ve yet to see how significant that will be,” Twitter chief executive Evan Williams told the Associated Press via Stockhouse.

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Home Sweet Rome: Pope Benedict reaches out to Anglicans

Following the footsteps of his predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI is reaching out to rival faiths, particularly the 77-million-strong Anglican Communion, in efforts to heal old wounds and strengthen interfaith relations.

Contrary to his hard-nosed, doctrine-upholding reputation when he was still known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict amended Vatican laws on Tuesday to make it easier for Anglicans disaffected by changes in their church to convert to Catholicism.

In a sit-down meeting with journalists at the Vatican Press Office, Cardinal William Joseph Levada said the Church’s action is in response to requests from Anglican clergy and faithful who wish to enter into “full visible communion” with the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Levada said the amendments will create a new structure whereinhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif converted Anglicans will retain their own ecclesiastical set-up (known as personal ordinariates), which will operate within local Catholic dioceses, be led by their own clergy, and allow converts to preserve distinctive elements of their faith.

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Disaster planners shift focus on old-school survival tricks

On the wake of the chain of natural disasters hitting the Asian region, disaster response and prevention planners are going back to basics.

On top of the early-warning systems and other high-tech computer devices, experts are now focusing on “indigenous warning systems” to curb the massive loss of lives and properties, the Wall Street Journal said.

After recent natural calamities, United Nations (UN) has turned to a network of anthropologists in the Asia-Pacific region to research and document indigenous disaster preparedness methods that could better prepare people, even those in highly urbanized cities.

The Wall Street Journal said indigenous people, without the luxury of modern technology have learned to survive and protect themselves from different natural disasters using “old-school warning methods.”

Locales often relay on the environment to give them hints about upcoming natural calamities. Examples of which are Indonesians in Simeulue Island who spot tsunami thru fast receding water and Filipinos in Batanes who predict typhoons just by observing animal movements.

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Time for Miracles

Idol First Runner Up Adam Lambert sings Time for Miracles, the theme song of science-fiction epic tragedy 2012. Sorry Kris Allen, but your boy next door charms simply doesn't match with Adam's vocal superiority, not to mention his eccentricity.

Yahoo described the song as "exactly the type of song a multi-jillion-dollar action flick requires, even comparing it with Aerosmith's Armageddon anthem I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing".

"It's four minutes and 44 seconds of unapologetically unsubtle, '80's-esque, over-the-top, ostentatious bombast and bluster and Bic-flicking power-balladry..."

Source: Yahoo

ASEAN region leads Facebook surge in Jan-Sept '09

Asia, the largest continent on the planet in terms of land mass and population, is driving the traffic surge in Facebook as five particular countries are included in the social networking site’s top ten growth list.

Based on September 2009 Facebook statistics posted by Nick Burcher, Southeast Asian nations Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia are among the top countries worldwide with the highest user growth for the three-month period. Another Asian country, India, also broke into the top 10 list.

According to Facebook, Taiwan took the top spot with a growth rate of 1899.42 percent, taking its current number of users to 2,257,340. The Philippines came in 2nd, climbing by 1136.76 percent to 4,832,040 users while Indonesians on Facebook hiked by 879.55 percent to 8,786,920 snatching the 3rd place.

India, the most highly-populated nation in South Asia, sat on the 5th spot with 3,980,260 Facebook users, 271.54 percent hike from January numbers while Malaysia came in 7th with 207.97 percent upswing to 2,619,040 subscribers.

Rounding up the top 10 are Mexico at the 4th slot with a hike of 228.44 percent to 4,731,700, Germany at 6th with 208.71 percent climb to 3,875,800, Argentina at the 8th mark with 167.64 percent rise to 6,036,060 8, Spain at 9th with 143.22 percent growth to 6,314,220 and Egypt at 10th with 130.51 percent increase to 1,896,120.

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Apple goes green, leaves US Chamber over eco issues

Computer manufacturing giant Apple left the U.S. Chamber of Commerce citing differing positions on key environmental issues like climate change.

“Apple supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and it is frustrating to find the Chamber at odds with us in this effort,” the Washington Post cited a letter to the Chamber from Apple Vice President Catherine A. Novelli.

The Washington Post said the Chamber of Commerce, representing over 3 million businesses, has been criticizing the legislation geared to reduce gas emissions.

In a statement posted on its official website, Chamber President and Chief Executive Thomas J. Donohue said the group supports the drive to protect the climate but the related legislation in the House of Representatives is flawed because it does not encourage more investment in green technologies.

“We oppose the Waxman-Markey bill because it is neither comprehensive nor international, and it falls short on moving renewable and alternative technologies into the marketplace and enabling our transition to a lower carbon future,” Donohue said.

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Sources: Washington Post, US Chamber of Commerce, Wall Street Journal, Greenpeace

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Miracle

I got my own little, ordinary miracle one night.

I've been holding my heart of hearts up to the heavens, leaving all of its desires naked for judgment, but that night was different. It was, I thought, the night the universe would conspire nurturing or ceasing an unstoppable force.

I whispered just loud enough to be heard by the invincible hand who masterfully molded me in his likeness.

"...if we deserve to be together holding each others' hands, carve tiny spaces in our hearts for each other, and then carve far bigger places to contain you."

With someone's dearth desecrating every ounce of hopefulness left in me, I sought for a sign, a sign that would tell me to solder on or to set my eyes past what is in front of me.

I clasped both of my palms together, thumped them against my chest just above my heart and prayed that I would be heard.

"...please my tchotka amorta, speak to me. It doesn't have to be grand; it doesn't have to be warm. Speak of bitter words, speak of hate, curse me even, and I'll still hold those words as lovingly as I can. One word, one word will do, just speak to me."

I asked for one, but I was blessed with three, three words which are everything other than empty. In fact, those words were full, full of lyric sadness, inspired doubt and affectionate regret.

Indeed, those words were lacking of shots of happiness, but I didn't mind because I knew your jagged poetry were every emotion my riveting embrace can easily conquer.

But I couldn't hold you. My tchotka amorta is leaps and bounds away that only the lettered touch could reach; and so, I sent the best one of my best ones that night, the most affectionate touch I could ever give stretching within this lifetime and beyond.

Exhausted by hoping against all hopes that we'd let the invincible hand paint our fates, I sealed the round, brown glasses that secretly keep words I couldn't tell. Albeit deafening absences, slumber swept me with a light feeling because I got a miracle that night.

I was gifted with those three simple words someone nonchalantly sent flying in still air and across the fury of dawn. And without those pair of lips knowing, my little, ordinary miracle was woven by it.

Disastrous disaster plans

Just when you thought you were safe and sound, thieves, in the form of natural calamities, have struck in the middle of the night to steal everything that’s important.

Thousands of innocent lives have been lost from the recent slew of typhoons and earthquakes in the Asia-Pacific region, and according to the Wall Street Journal, they could have been avoided with better engineering and construction regulations, as well as more efficient disaster response plan.

“… disaster-prone Asian nations have made gains in preparing for natural calamities, but progress has been slow in many areas,” the Wall Street Journal said, citing the impact left by typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines and the 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia.

On September 26, the Philippines was swept by Ketsana, codenamed Ondoy, devastating the northern part of the country, particularly the National Capital Region (NCR). The local National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said nearly 300 Filipinos died and P2 billion-worth of properties, including some 10,203 houses, were destroyed.

The government said the relentless rain caused the wide-scale flooding. The precipitation during the height of Ketsana, officials said, is equal to a 30-day rainfall. But the Wall Street Journal thought the biggest factor that caused the worst flood in the last decade was “inadequate drainage systems.”

“Squatters have moved into areas known to be susceptible to flooding and built illegal structures over drainage systems, which may have added to the death toll,” the Wall Street Journal said.

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To read more visit:
http://ketsanaondoywatch.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/disastrous-disaster-plans/

Triumph, not tragedy

This is not a story of tragedy; instead, this is the triumph of us.

Salvaging floating baby pictures in the nearly 5-feet flood, I saw my mom cry silently. It was between 1 o’clock and 2 o’clock in the afternoon of September 26, when super typhoon Ondoy badly hit our bungalow in Cainta, Rizal.

“You don’t understand… I can’t go back in time when you were young,” my shivering mother said in Filipino with her shacking voice.

“Those are just pictures mom. You’re more important than that,” I said in my most firm but still loving voice. I nudged her one arm to forcibly drag her from our wrecked house to a safer place, which at that time, I had no idea where.

The muddy water carrying a scent too alien for me to recognize filled the bungalow faster than we could secure our belongings. All the things that we thought were important and we put high up started falling down, creating massive craters in the flood.

I knew then that it was either we move out or…

Avoiding getting crushed by collapsing structures and debris that were made buoyant by the rising water and incoming current, I ushered my 60-year young mom to the safe and waiting arms of my dad in the elevated portion of our garden. I then went back in the house to get the three of us one change of clothes each, my laptop and DSLR to document the events.

By the time I was out with them the water in our street was too high to get out, and since my mom doesn’t know how to swim we climbed the 5-feet wall separating our house from my godmother’s two-storey place.

Depressing is an understatement to accurately describe how it was starting to feel like. From the roof of our neighbor’s place, I hopelessly watched our house be devoured by the flood that grew to 10-feet in an hour or so. With only a day's worth of clothes to our names, it was easier to break down.

But breaking down was never our option. Yes, for a working class who might have lost everything from baby pictures to a reliable 10-year old Toyota, we have nil to none left to claim as ours. But for some reason I do not have the omniscience to explain, it feels like we gained more.

Like what I told my Facebook universe last Tuesday, “We were flooded but loved.” When there’s an overwhelming outpour of affection and concern from strangers and significant others, there’s really nothing else to do but smile.

When we needed a safe and warm place to stay, people opened their homes. When we were famished, people shared their bread. When we were covered with mud, people rolled in dirt with us. We are just blessed to be surrounded by ordinary people who rise above themselves to do extraordinary things.

©Grace Ramos
Photo taken by Grace Ramos on September 26, the peak of Ketsana/ Ondoy's wrath.

For more stories on Ketsana/ Ondoy visit http://ketsanaondoywatch.wordpress.com/

Victims in search of answers

Deprived of dry land and food for days during the wrath of typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana), victims are now demanding explanation from the government for its unpreparedness and poor disaster response.

“We we’re trapped on a roof for two days. There were kids and women there with us with no food or even water. No one came to rescue us,” a teary-eyed man said in the vernacular from an interview with a local television network.

That man was not alone. Many Filipinos, especially those living in badly hit municipalities in Metro Manila and peripheral areas, are complaining of the snail-paced rescue and relief operations of the local and national governments.

National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Chief and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro has been receiving less than friendly banters when his agency failed to reach affected residents, particularly those residing in Marikina, Pasig, and Cainta.

©Grace Ramos
©Grace Ramos
©Grace Ramos
©Grace Ramos
©Grace Ramos

Photos taken by Grace Ramos using Nikon D50 (18-55) on September 26-27 in one of the flooded villages in Cainta, Rizal. See more photos in my Facebook account.
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To read more visit our pilot site http://ketsanaondoywatch.wordpress.com/

somber morning

With eyes welling like riveting flood waters... With hapless toes turning blue... Here I am contained in a void of convulsion... wanting to be somewhere else wrapped between warm, soft sheets of someone I can only desire to hold. I am sad. I've never been sad for quite awhile, and I disdain every passing second of it.