A Southern California school teacher has been arrested for allegedly teaching while drunk.
Toro Canyon Middle School teacher Tonya Neff was taken to the Indio jail Tuesday afternoon and booked for investigation of felony child endangerment.
Administrators at Thermal's Toro Canyon Middle School told the Riverside County Sheriff's Department that the 47-year-old teacher was apparently intoxicated on campus.
Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Tapp says Neff had taken prescription drugs and alcohol and an alcoholic beverage was found inside a container.
Coachella Valley school district Superintendent Ricardo Medina says there was never a threat to Neff's seventh-grade students. Neff has been placed on leave.

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Birthday cake awaited suicide bomber

CIA officers in Afghanistan were so eager to meet the spy they believed would help them crack al-Qaida's leadership they planned a birthday celebration for his visit in December, current and former U.S. officials said.
A birthday cake was waiting.
But before they could even begin to question their golden source, he detonated a powerful bomb, killing himself and seven CIA employees in one of the deadliest attacks in the agency's history.
Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, a 36-year-old doctor who had been recruited by Jordanian intelligence officials, was really a double agent.
The account of the planned birthday gathering is the latest evidence that CIA officials at the Afghan base trusted the Jordanian and wanted to build rapport with him. It was confirmed by current and former officials briefed on the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
The bombing not only weakened U.S. intelligence operations, it touched off a sometimes contentious debate within the close-knit intelligence community about whether such emotions led the CIA to be too lax with its security.
CIA Director Leon Panetta has scoffed at suggestions that security lapses were to blame for the attack. But it remains unclear why there was such a large contingent around al-Balawi when the bomb erupted.
It's not unusual for CIA officers to offer gestures such as a birthday cake or a small gift for spies they are overseeing, former intelligence officials said. Such gestures lighten the mood and take some of the pressure off. And they tell an informant that he's important.
"Normally, though, that's something you do after you've established a relationship," said former CIA and National Security Council official Bruce Riedel, who was not aware of the CIA's birthday plans for al-Balawi. "It's not something you do on the first date."
Such celebrations are typically discreet, small affairs of one or two officers. In this case, many officials were nearby when al-Balawi arrived at the base. Seven were killed and six others were wounded.
In an interview made public after his death, al-Balawi said he knew in advance that he was meeting "an entire CIA team." He said he had been planning to kidnap or kill his Jordanian intelligence contact, but the chance to take out CIA officers was too tempting.
"We planned for something but got a bigger gift, a gift from Allah, who brought us, through his accompaniment, a valuable prey: Americans, and from the CIA," al-Balawi said. "That's when I became certain that the best way to teach Jordanian intelligence and the CIA a lesson is with the martyrdom belt."
Al-Balawi's contacts with Jordanian intelligence, one of the CIA's most trusted partners in the Middle East, gave him credibility. He was thought to have critical intelligence about al-Qaida's No. 2 official, Ayman al-Zawahri. He was not searched.
Shortly after the attack, Panetta pushed back against criticism that poor spycraft was to blame.
"That's like saying Marines who die in a firefight brought it upon themselves because they have poor war-fighting skills," Panetta wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece.
Robert Baer, a former top Middle East CIA operative, heaped criticism on the agency in this month's GQ magazine. Baer said the top officer at the base "was in over her head" and never should have let so many people meet the source.
"Informants should always be met one-on-one," Baer wrote. "Always."
CIA spokesman George Little had harsh words for former employees who criticized the agency from retirement.
"They don't have all the facts of this case, yet they criticize those who were on the front lines on Dec. 30, including some whose lives were taken. That's disgraceful," Little said.
"Informed criticism can be very valuable," he said. "Some of the junk I've seen in the press clearly isn't."

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Heigl Out

Katherine Heigl (HY'-guhl) is done with "Grey's Anatomy" after six seasons.
ABC said Wednesday that Heigl's final appearance in the medical drama aired Jan. 21, four months before the show's season finale in May. Her departure was first reported online by Entertainment Weekly.
ABC Studios said Heigl was ending her run as Dr. Izzie Stevens by "mutual agreement."
Heigl told Entertainment Weekly that she asked to be let out of her contract 18 months early because of her new role as mother to an adopted daughter. The 31-year-old actress is married to singer-songwriter Josh Kelley.
Heigl launched a successful movie career during her tenure on "Grey's Anatomy," including the box-office hit "Knocked Up."

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Bright Sky

On Thursday night, March 25, many people may look up at the sky and ask the question, "What's that bright star next to the moon?"
The answer for Thursday night is Mars, but that answer changes night by night as the moon travels along the ecliptic, the path the sun, moon and planets follow across the sky. If you ask the question again on Monday night, March 29, the answer will be the ringed planet Saturn.
Such conjunctions of the moon and planets are regular reminders of how rapidly the moon moves across the sky.
Mars was in opposition to the Sun on Jan. 29, when it appeared 14 arcseconds in diameter, 1/120 of the diameter of the moon. Two months later, it is much farther away, and has shrunk to only 10 arcseconds in diameter.
This will be your last chance to get a good look at Mars until it approaches the Earth again in 2012 [see more Mars photos].
The sky these spring evenings presents a striking contrast between its western half, filled with the bright stars and constellations of winter, and its eastern half, with Regulus the only bright star. Mars sits in solitary splendor in Cancer, one of the most insignificant zodiac constellations, just above the plane of the Milky Way.
But there is much lurking beyond the dim stars of spring, for we are entering the realm of the galaxies. The constellation Leo alone contains five of the brightest galaxies in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog of deep sky objects.
When we look towards Leo, we are looking above the plane of our Milky Way galaxy at the depths of intergalactic space, unhindered by the clouds of dust and gas which fill our galaxy.

• Images - Mars: The Red Planet
• Video Show: Bad Astronomy with Phil Plait
• More Night Sky Features from Starry Night Education

This article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions.

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Car Bomb in Colombia

A car bomb exploded in the Colombian port town of Buenaventura on Wednesday, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens more in an attack authorities blamed on FARC guerrillas or cocaine traffickers.
The blast destroyed part of the local office of the attorney general in Buenaventura, the country's largest port which handles half the country's coffee exports but is also a major drug trafficking route to the Pacific coast.
Local television images from the city showed wrecked taxis and destroyed store fronts as residents carried wounded people to hospitals minutes after the blast, the worst attack this year in the Andean country.
Colombia's long war has ebbed since President Alvaro Uribe came to power in 2002 and sent troops to take on rebels and drug barons. But guerrillas are still fighting in rural areas and the country remains the world's top cocaine exporter.
"We cannot let our guard down," Uribe said after the bombing, without blaming any armed group. "We had recovered a lot in Buenaventura, this act shows we cannot allow ourselves to be too confident."
Nine people were killed and another 50 wounded in the blast, the National Police said.
KEY COCAINE ROUTE
Armed Forces commander General Freddy Padilla said guerrillas from the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, were suspected in the bombing. But the country's attorney general said the attack could have been carried out by drug traffickers in retaliation for investigations.
FARC rebels are still a threat in rural areas where they use ambushes, hit-and-run attacks and homemade landmines to harry army and police patrols. The rebel group is deeply engaged in drug trafficking and extortion.
The coast near Buenaventura is a key cocaine smuggling point and rebels and rival paramilitary militias have often bombed and attacked army and police patrols in the city.
Uribe is popular for his U.S.-backed security drive and he steps down this year after two terms in office. Colombians go to the polls in May to vote for a new president and most candidates are promising to maintain his security policies.
A poll on Wednesday showed his former defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos, was leading the race for the presidency. Santos was credited with organizing important strikes against FARC rebel commanders during his time as minister.

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James Cameron latest Innovation

Avatar" director James Cameron sees misguided thriftiness in Hollywood studios' latest craze to convert big movie projects from 2-D to 3-D, but the pace of such conversions shows no signs of letting up.
Cameron believes studios are rushing to take advantage of the public's appetite for 3-D films. But using computers to convert standard 2-D movies to 3-D, instead of filming in 3-D, gives audiences a cheaper-looking film and could do more harm than good if audiences get turned off.
He ought to know. Shot in 3-D, "Avatar" is the top-grossing movie of all-time with $2.7 billion at box offices.
And Cameron is not the only filmmaker questioning studios' headlong rush to convert films to 3-D, in a brewing battle that pitches major directors against the studios that employ them. "Transformers" maker Michael Bay has questioned the move, too.
"The problem is these decisions should be made by filmmakers, they shouldn't be made by studios, because if it was up to studios they're going to sacrifice quality for lower cost," Cameron said, in an event to promote the April 22 release of the DVD for "Avatar."
Studios are rapidly converting now that Walt Disney Co has seen its 3-D conversion "Alice in Wonderland" sell more than $570 million in tickets since its March 5 debut.
On April 2, Warner Bros, a division of Time Warner Inc, will release its action movie "Clash of the Titans" as another 2-D to 3-D conversion.
3-D FOR TENTPOLES
Warner Bros now plans to release all major "tentpole" movies in 3-D, Alan Horn, the studio's chief operating officer, told the movie theater convention ShoWest last week. He said "conversion to 3-D doesn't lessen" the experience of viewers.
Some estimates put the cost of a conversion as low as $5 million a film. Shooting in 3-D is far more expensive, industry watchers say, but difficult to determine because "Avatar" is one of the few live-action movies shot in 3-D.
It officially cost $237 million, although many reports have put the true expense over $300 million, and much of its cost was because new equipment created to make it.
Cameron said filmmakers "should have been pounding on the gates of the studios saying we want to make movies in 3-D."
"That didn't happen so now they're paying the price, which is a top-down studio cramdown telling them to make their movies in 3-D and they're caught with their pants down," he said.
"Transformers" director Michael Bay has also joined the debate, telling movie industry website Deadline.com this week that he is "not sold right now on the conversion process."
Film purists see conversions as lower quality because it can produce more of a layered look, with slightly less of a smooth and continuous depth perception.
But not all filmmakers are sold on shooting in 3-D, either. "Alice" director Tim Burton told reporters last month there was "no point" shooting his film in 3-D because it would have added one more wrinkle in an already complicated production.
"With all these tools, you can see good 3-D, bad 3-D, good conversion and bad conversions," he said.
Cameron himself plans to convert his 1997 blockbuster "Titanic" for a 3-D release in spring 2012, but he said that is different because he plans to take his time, instead of doing a "slapdash conversion."

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American Idol 2nd Casualty

 The 24-year-old preschool teacher from Houston was the second finalist eliminated from the ninth season of the Fox singing competition Wednesday.
Miles, who warbled through her rendition of Mariah Carey's "Against All Odds" on Tuesday's performance show, received the fewest viewer votes and was not rescued by the show's judges at the last minute.
"I lost myself in the song," Miles confessed earlier in the show.
Joining her in the bottom three were 20-year-old college student Tim Urban of Duncansville, Texas, and 17-year-old high school student Katie Stevens of Middlebury, Conn. Stevens was lauded for her take on Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry." while Urban was mocked for sliding across the "Idol" stage during his performance of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."
"I thought the knee slide was awesome," gushed Miley Cyrus, who mentored the singers.
The other finalists remaining are Didi Benami, 23, of Los Angeles; Crystal Bowersox, 24, of Toledo, Ohio; Lee Dewyze, 23, of Mount Prospect, Ill.; Andrew Garcia, 24, of Moreno Valley, Calif.; Casey James, 27, of Fort Worth, Texas; Aaron Kelly, 16, of Sonestown, Pa.; Michael Lynche, 26, of Astoria, N.Y.; and Siobhan Magnus, 20, of Marstons Mills, Mass.

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Texas Man Claims Innocent

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday stopped the execution of condemned prisoner Hank Skinner about an hour before he could have been taken to the Texas death chamber.
Skinner asked the court and Gov. Rick Perry for the delay for DNA testing that he insisted could clear him in a triple slaying.
The brief order grants him the delay but does not ensure he will get such testing. Perry had not decided on the delay.
Skinner, 47, faced lethal injection for the bludgeoning and strangling of his girlfriend, 40-year-old Twila Jean Busby, and the stabbings of her two adult sons. The slayings occurred at their home in the Texas Panhandle town of Pampa on New Year's Eve in 1993.
The court order came as relatives of Busby were climbing the steps of the Huntsville prison to prepare to witness his punishment.
In the order, the justices said they would put off the execution until they decide whether to review his case. If the court refuses the review, the reprieve is lifted, according to the order, and that would make Skinner eligible for another execution date.
Skinner, in a small holding cell a few feet from the death chamber, expressed surprise when was informed of the reprieve in a phone call from his lawyer.
"I had made up my mind I was going to die," he said. "I'm eager to get the DNA testing so I can prove my innocence and get the hell out of here.
"I'm greatly relieved. I feel like I really won today."
Rob Owen, Skinner's lead attorney and a University of Texas law professor, said the court action suggested the justices believed "there are important issues that require closer examination."
"We remain hopeful that the court will agree to hear Mr. Skinner's case and ultimately allow him the chance to prove his innocence through DNA testing," he said.
If the Supreme Court refuses to review Skinner's case, a judge can set a new execution date no sooner than 30 days after the justices' decision.
Skinner, splattered with the blood of at least two of the victims, was arrested about three hours after the bodies were found. Police found him in a closet at the trailer home of a woman he knew.
The former oil field and construction worker said he was present when the three were killed but couldn't have committed the murders. Skinner said a combination of vodka and codeine left him passed out on a couch and physically incapable of clubbing Busby 14 times with an ax handle and stabbing her sons, Elwin "Scooter" Caler, 22, and Randy Busby, 20.
"I've been framed ever since," he said last week. "They're fixing to kill me for something I didn't do."
Prosecutors argued Skinner wasn't entitled to testing of evidence that wasn't analyzed before his 1995 trial. Courts over the years since his conviction have agreed, rejecting his appeals.
Skinner's lawyers want to pursue in federal district court a civil case against the Gray County District Attorney, whose office prosecuted Skinner initially. That suit seeks to make evidence available for testing.
They'd made a similar appeal to Perry.
Skinner's attorneys want DNA testing on vaginal swabs taken from Busby at the time of her autopsy, fingernail clippings, a knife found on the porch of Busby's house and a second knife found in a plastic bag in the house, a towel with the second knife, a jacket next to Busby's body and any hairs found in her hands that were not destroyed in previous testing. Only the hairs were tested previously and those results were inconclusive, according to court documents.
Skinner's trial lawyer, Harold Comer, chose not to test all the evidence because he feared the outcome would be more damaging to his client.
Comer said he now favors the testing but defended his trial strategy.
"I would make the same decision with the same circumstances again," he said.
Trial prosecutor John Mann, who has since died, also did not have all the evidence tested. Current District Attorney Lynn Switzer, now the defendant in Skinner's lawsuit, declined to comment about the case as Skinner's execution neared. Lawyers representing her office challenged the suit as improper.
Skinner would have been the fifth person executed this year in Texas, the nation's most active capital punishment state. Twenty-four people were put to death in Texas in 2009.

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North Korea's Trespasser

A U.S. citizen who North Korea will put on trial for illegal entry crossed the border in support of a fellow American Christian missionary who was released last month after a similar transgression, an activist said.
North Korea said on Monday it will put 30-year-old Aijalon Mahli Gomes, from Boston, on trial for illegally entering the country.
He crossed in January, about a month after Robert Park entered the state with a letter calling on leader Kim Jong-il to repent for his sins and step down.
"Gomes was a man of few words, but I believe he had the same mission in his heart that Robert did," said Jo Sung-rae, a religious activist who helped Park cross and met Gomes in South Korea at rallies in support of Park, in an email on Thursday.
Gomes had been teaching English in Seoul for about two years before making the trip to North Korea. He was also active in Protestant churches, his colleagues said.
"He was a dedicated teacher who always was on time and was very nice to his students," said a colleague at the Sinbong Elementary School who asked not to be named.
A leading South Korean daily had earlier said Gomes entered the socialist North because he no longer wanted to live in the capitalist world.
The trial announcement came as Washington has been putting pressure on Pyongyang to end a year-long boycott of nuclear disarmament-for-aid talks.
North Korea has previously used detained American citizens as bargaining chips with the United States.
In previous cases, North Korea has typically released Americans a few months after their capture.

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El Salvador Head Ask for Apology

El Salvador's first leftist president publicly apologized on behalf of the state Wednesday for the assassination of a Roman Catholic archbishop 30 years ago at the outset of the country's civil war.
Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, a human rights proponent who spoke out against repression by the Salvadoran army, was gunned down March 24, 1980, as he celebrated Mass in a hospital chapel.
Shortly before, Romero challenged soldiers from the pulpit to stop their repression in a famous address, declaring that "no soldier is obligated to obey a law against the law of God."
President Mauricio Funes said Romero was killed by right-wing death squads "who unfortunately acted with the protection, collaboration or participation of state agents."
"These illegal armed groups terrorized the civilian population during those dark years, leaving behind thousands of victims," Funes said, unveiling a mural commemorating Romero at the international airport outside the capital, San Salvador.
Nobody has been convicted for Romero's killing.
In 1993, a U.N.-sponsored truth commission determined that the assassination was ordered by a former army major and Maj. Roberto D'Abuisson, founder of the Nationalist Republican Alliance party. D'Abuisson had died the year before. But an amnesty law was passed shortly before those findings were made public.
The Nationalist Republican Alliance, or Arena, governed El Salvador from 1989 to 2009 and never accepted the results of the commission's investigation.
Funes, elected last year, said his government accepts that the investigation uncovered "the truth in the case of the assassination of Monsignor Romero."
Funes' leftist party, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, is an outgrowth of the rebel movement that fought U.S.-backed right-wing governments for 12 years before laying down arms in 1992 and becoming a political party. The civil war caused more than 75,000 deaths.
Thousands of Salvadorans gathered Wednesday to remember and honor Romero at the church were he was killed.

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Lady Gaga's Music Ads Video?

Is Lady Gaga for sale? Her nine-minute video for "Telephone" has fans and critics going crazy, but what they don't know is that it is one big advertisement.
The babes-behind-bars clip features a bounty of product placement. You can see the video HERE (warning: PG-13 content).
And here are the products it's pushing:
Virgin Mobile - A phone is snatched from a butch prison yard toughie's waistband (2:07)

Diet Coke - Cans are used as rollers in Lady Gaga's hair (2:22)

Wonder Bread & Miracle Whip - Those are the magic ingredients in sandwiches made by Gaga (6:35)

Polaroid - A camera is used to photograph Beyonce (5:45) [By the way, Gaga is Polaroid's creative director and inventor of specialty products after inking a deal with the brand in January.]

Also look out for Heartbeats Headphones (1:34), Chanel (2:17), PlentyOfFish.com (4:27), and Hewlett Packard (4:24).

Are these brands getting value for money? Quite possibly. "Telephone" has notched up more than 22 million plays on YouTube since its launch on March 13. It's enough to make it one of the top-rated clips of the week.
Gaga's manager, Troy Carter, told Ad Age magazine that several of the companies, including Diet Coke and Wonder Bread, didn't pay to be featured in the video--although he admitted that Miracle Whip did pony up some dough, so to speak. (A spokesperson for the faux mayo confirmed this to Ad Age.) Carter also said that the Virgin Mobile, Heartbeats, Polaroid, and Hewlett Packard placements were technically unpaid, as they were extensions of his star client's existing marketing partnerships. As for Plenty Of Fish, which has reportedy experienced a 15 percent traffic increase since the video's debut, company VP Kimberly Kaplan told Ad Age that the dating site made into the video via an ongoing partnership with Gaga's label, Interscope Records.
"If Michael Jackson was making 'Thriller' [today], he would do this too," insisted Carter. "These million-dollar music videos have to have partners to be produced."
Gaga's video ends with this promise: "To be continued." It's a good bet that advertisers already are scrambling for some exposure in Part 2.  But is Lady Gaga in danger of selling out? What do you think?

David Mikael Taclino
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Bank of America Starts to Reduce

Bank of America Corp. is giving some of its most troubled mortgage borrowers relief from the threat of foreclosure.
The bank, the largest mortgage servicer in the country, said Wednesday it will forgive up to 30 percent of some customers' total mortgage balances. The homeowners must have missed at least two months of mortgage payments and owe at least 20 percent more than their home is currently worth.
The plan is the newest provision of an agreement the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank reached 18 months ago with state attorneys general to settle charges over high-risk loans made by Countrywide Financial Corp.
The loans were made before Bank of America acquired the mortgage lender in mid-2008. The bank has since stopped making those loans.
Although the motivation for Bank of America's announcement was to resolve legal problems, it has the potential of putting pressure on other banks to also forgive principal on loans that are in danger of failing. Bank of America is the nation's largest bank, and it's among the first to take a systematic approach to reducing mortgage principal when home values drop well below the amount owed.
The Treasury Department, which already has a mortgage modification program, is developing similar plans for principal reductions at other mortgage servicers, according to industry officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the conversations. They said an announcement could come in the next few months.
"They're talking about doing something and talking seriously about it," Julia Gordon, senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, a consumer group, said of Treasury officials. "I think the concern now is fairness and making sure that the public understands the importance of principal reductions toward stabilizing the housing market and helping everybody."
Bank of America estimates that about 45,000 customers will qualify for its plan. The offer will cut total reduced principal by about $3 billion.
Some banks said they have already reduced principal on some mortgages. Wells Fargo & Co. said Wednesday it has modified more than 52,000 adjustable-rate mortgages that it inherited through its acquisition of Wachovia Corp. in late 2008. As of the fourth quarter, the bank also had reduced the principal on those mortgages by more than $2.6 billion.
Citigroup Inc. would not say whether it planned a similar program, but it did issue a statement that said in part, "Citi does reduce principal for borrowers on a case-by-case basis after other options to address affordability are exhausted."
A spokeswoman from JPMorgan Chase & Co. declined to comment on whether it planned a similar program.
Bank of America's announcement came as another report pointed to continuing problems in the housing market. The government said new home sales dropped to a record low last month, a day after the National Association of Realtors said sales previously occupied homes also fell in February, the third straight monthly decline.
Millions of homes have gone into foreclosure since the housing market collapsed in late 2007. The loans affected by Bank of America's announcement include certain subprime and option adjustable rate mortgages. Option ARMs allow borrowers to start with minimal monthly payments that actually increase the loan's balance.
The borrowers who can take advantage of the Bank of America program must also qualify for the Obama administration's $75 billion mortgage loan modification program.
The program announced Wednesday could lower the bank's earnings, which have already been hurt by consumers' continuing defaults on mortgage and credit card loans. Bank of America was among the hardest hit by the credit crisis and recession.
It's not clear how big a financial hit Bank of America will take by reducing mortgages. But the move will likely be less costly than having homeowners walk out on their mortgages or opt to do a short sale, banking analyst Bert Ely said. A short sale happens when a seller owes more than the house is worth, and the lender is willing to accept less than the mortgage balance.
"This is about loss minimization," Ely said. "There's going to be losses (for Bank of America). The question is what's the easiest way out."
The plan does carry risks. For starters, borrowers who aren't 60 days behind on their mortgages may stop making payments so they can qualify. The more borrowers who try to qualify, the bigger the potential loss for Bank of America. The bank will also have to absorb the costs of renegotiating the loans.
Even so, "the move helps create the best prospect of avoiding a further downward home price spiral, which would result in even deeper losses" for the bank, said Howard Glaser, a mortgage industry consultant, in an e-mail.
Investors appeared pleased with the news, and sent Bank of America shares up 44 cents, or 2.6 percent, to close Wednesday at $17.57.
According to new plan, which begins in May, Bank of America will first offer to set aside a portion of the principal balance, interest free. That principal can be forgiven over five years, if homeowners don't miss any payments. The maximum decrease in principal will be 30 percent.
The forgiveness allows a homeowner to bring a mortgage balance back down to 100 percent of the home's value, the bank said.
Glaser said that if the Obama administration launches a similar effort for the entire industry, that would be a "major shift in loan modification efforts."
Lenders including Bank of America have been criticized for not helping enough borrowers to complete the Obama administration's $75 billion mortgage modification program, which is widely viewed as a disappointment. Only 170,000 homeowners have completed the program so far.
As of last month, Bank of America had completed modifications for about 22,000 homeowners, or about 8 percent of those signed up. That compares with about 12 percent for Wells Fargo and 11 percent for both JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup.
The mortgage modification program does not address the problems of borrowers who are considered underwater, or owing more than their homes are worth.
The Treasury Department estimates that 1.5 million to 2 million homeowners will complete the program by the end of 2012, about half of the original goal. A report issued late Tuesday by Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, says numerous changes to government guidelines "caused confusion and delay" and said the government did not do enough to advertise the program.

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NBA Reports

n the midst of this dreadful season, the one tiny, minuscule speck of hope for the Washington Wizards has been the play of Andray Blatche(notes) over the past month. Following the trade of Antawn Jamison, Blatche hasn't had a game with fewer than 12 points or 27 minutes. Basically, he's made being a Wizards fan at least OK for the time being.

But Tuesday night, he joined the cavalcade of disasters that has defined this season's Wizards with a childish reason for sitting on the bench. From the Washington Post's Gene Wang:

To make matters worse, Wizards Coach Flip Saunders benched starting forward Andray Blatche after he played just 7 minutes 31 seconds. Saunders said he pulled Blatche initially to discuss the player not getting back on defense but that Blatche refused to listen to the coaching staff.
Saunders said his assistants attempted to talk to Blatche about the situation multiple times but that Blatche's response was he "just didn't want to play."
"I'm disappointed. I'm the most disappointed I've ever been in 15 years with a player," Saunders said. "Most disappointed."

As FanHouse's Tom Ziller mentions, being Flip Saunders' most disappointing player in his coaching career is fairly impressive. Considering he's coached Isaiah Rider, Stephon Marbury(notes), Anthony Peeler, Dennis Scott, Rod Strickland and Latrell Sprewell, that's quite an accomplishment. Not necessarily the thing you want to achieve, but it's good to make an impression, I suppose.
Oh, and Tuesday night was also the beginning of the Wizards' campaign for Blatche as this season's Most Improved Player. So, you know, that's another loss for Washington. Even the Nets are like, "sorry guys."
UPDATE: Blatche has disputed Saunders' account of the incident, saying that what the coach said is "a bold-faced lie." He continued:

"I never said I didn't want to be coached or didn't want to play. Who the hell doesn't want to play? If I didn't want to play, I wouldn't have sat with a heat pack waiting to go back in. I would've unlaced my damn shoes and sat there. It just wasn't true. I don't know why he would say it."

And now, everything seems to be fine. Or at least as fine as they can be for the Wizards. Saunders countered:

"As I told him, when he came out of the game, it was a situation that if he wanted to go back in the game he had to talk to me, accept coaching. We talked about the situation, he didn't want to talk during the game about it, so he didn't play. We talked. It's over with. You move forward."

It seems the Wizards have done just that as Blatche was among the starting five when Washington took the court Wednesday night against the Pacers. He even lead the team in minutes played, so everything is hunky dory. For now.
But give it a week — these are the Wizards we're talking about.

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Armed men burn heavy equipment at NIA site in Agusan Sur

 An undetermined number of armed men torched heavy equipment owned by Mark Built Corporation last Tuesday evening in Sta. Josefa town in Agusan del Sur, a police report said Wednesday.

A Regional Police Office 13 (Caraga) press statement said the incident occurred at 8 p.m. in Sitio Baclesi in Barangay (village) Angas, where the construction firm was working on an irrigation project of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

Damaged in the torching were three backhoes and one bulldozer, the statement said.

Caraga police suspect communist terrorists were behind the attack, saying that sometime in November 2009, the Mark Built Corporation received an extortion letter from the New People’s Army (NPA), demanding P4 million.

But the firm refused to give money.

Elements of Sta. Josefa Municipal Police Station had coordinated with the 26 Infantry Battalion, Charlie Company, Philippine Army assigned in the area as they conducted pursuit operations against the attackers.

In the same statement, the Caraga police also reported that members of an unidentified group ransacked the stockroom of a telecommunication and cable TV provider in the region last Monday afternoon.

It said the suspects took away recorders, remote control, RCA jacks and power supplies of still undetermined cash amount.

The incident occurred at the stockroom of Cignal Communications in Tropical Heights Subdivision, Taglikid, Bayugan 2 in Bayugan City.

Authorities said the suspects gained entry by destroying the kitchen door’s steel padlock of the stockroom owned by certain Eugene Firaza.

Bayugan City Police claimed they are still investigating the incident for possible identification and arrest of the suspects.
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Renewable Energy in America

American Indian tribes have huge potential to develop renewable energy resources on their lands but first must overcome a number of challenges, namely financial, according to a report released Tuesday.

Tribal lands make up about 5 percent of the United States and hold an estimated 10 percent of the country's renewable resources. Projects to harness the sun's energy, particularly in the Southwest, and to use wind power in the Great Plains and Alaska's coastal Native villages are the most promising, the report by the National Wildlife Federation said.

But funding the projects and moving the power through transmission lines across reservations and onto the grid can be difficult. Among the recommendations in the report — some of which are being lobbied for in Congress — is to provide tribes with the same access to financial and technical resources that state and local governments have.

Tribal governments can be wary of state incentives for renewable energy development, which vary from state to state and require that tribes create a state-chartered organization to be eligible, according to the report. Doing so means tribes relinquish sovereign immunity and subject themselves to state law and reporting requirements.

Tribes, as tax-exempt entities, also do not benefit from a federal production tax credit for renewable energy projects. However, legislation pending in Congress would allow tribes to transfer their share of the tax credit to private entities financing projects in a joint venture.

Tribes also must consider whether to assess taxes on projects by non-tribal investors, which the state also would tax, and which could drive away the investors.

"They (tribes) have some burdens to overcome, but they do see the potential, especially with the resources," said Bob Gruenig, senior policy analyst with the National Tribal Environmental Council. "With some of these barriers coming down, you'll see more of them getting into it."

The more than 560 federally recognized tribes can apply for grants through the US Department of Energy's Tribal Energy Program, but the funding is scarce — about $5 million a year. A 2005 federal law authorized up to $20 million a year for the program, but it has no specific appropriations.

Of the 93 projects the program funded from 2002-2008, most have been for feasibility studies. Large-scale projects typically are possible only if they're close to transmission lines, which the report noted often skirt tribal lands and can cost $10,000 or more per mile.

"In the future, tribes must be included in the regional transmission line planning," the report said.

Tribal lands have the potential to produce 17.6 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity a year from solar power, about 4.5 times the total amount of electricity generated in the US in 2004. The lands also are capable of producing an estimated 535 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year from wind power.

The Campo Kumeyaay Nation outside San Diego hosts the only wind farm on tribal land in the country. It plans to invest $60 million in a second one, securing 20 percent ownership. The tribe will acquire full ownership of both wind farms after 25 years of operation.

Tribal Chairwoman Monique LaChappa said the tribe signed on as a lessee on the first wind farm to gain experience in the energy field. In turn, the tribe got infrastructure development — a substation and transmission lines — on its land.

Ownership was a nonnegotiable aspect of the second project, she said, which many companies interviewed didn't understand. The tribe eventually chose to partner with a Chicago-based wind farm developer and a San Diego electric company. Financing, some of which would come through bonding authority, is the next hurdle.

"My people said, 'We don't want to continue to be passive in agreements. We want to be owners and have the American dream like everyone else,'" LaChappa said.

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Saudi Arrest Suspected Al-Quida

Saudi Arabia has arrested 113 suspected al-Qaida members accused of planning attacks on oil facilities inside the kingdom, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

Many of those arrested had come to Saudi Arabia on visas to visit holy sites or by sneaking across its borders, but wanted to join and organize attacks with al-Qaida.

Saudi Arabia has aggressively pursued militants since a series of attacks inside the country that began in May 2003. The country is the birthplace of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and home to 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers.

The arrests were the first to be announced since August, when Saudi authorities said they had rounded up 44 al-Qaida-linked militants in a yearlong sweep.

The ministry statement did not say when the new arrests were made. Those detained included 47 Saudis, 51 Yemenis, a Somali, an Eritrean and a Bangladeshi, the announcement said.

Separately, authorities arrested 12 people from two al-Qaida cells originating across the border in Yemen, where a local branch of the terrorist network has established a significant base of operations over the past year. Those two cells were also in the preliminary stages of planning attacks on oil facilities, the statement said.

In the last major attempt on such a facility, suicide bombers tried but failed to attack the Abqaiq oil complex in eastern Saudi Arabia in February 2006. The complex is the world's largest oil processing facility. 

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20 house burn in Iligan fire

A fire believed caused by unattended gas stove razed at least 20 houses in Iligan City Tuesday night.

Radio dzXL reported early Wednesday the fire started at about 9 p.m. at Purok Silangan in Barangay Ubaldo Laya in Iligan City.

The fire spread quickly to nearby houses made of light materials, as firefighters had a hard time getting to the scene because of the narrow streets.

Firefighters eventually placed the fire under control after one hour.

No one was initially reported injured in the fire but the families who lost their houses were brought to a local gymnasium.

The local city council is considering declaring a state of calamity in the village so its officials can allocate funds for the affected families.
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Stop talking of Failure - COMELEC

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Jose Melo on Wednesday appealed to the public to put a stop to circulating talk about the possibility of failure of elections in May.

"Wag na kayo magsalita (Stop talking) about failure of elections. There will be elections nationwide," Melo told reporters in an interview.

Earlier, Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said that there has never been a nationwide failure of elections in the history of the Philippines.

Melo said that in the past, only isolated areas had failure of elections for reasons which cannot be "controlled."

"Kunwari, biglang may nagpatayan sa isang barangay, natakot mga tao. They did not go out and vote. Walang nakaboto (Let’s say, violence suddenly ensued in one village and the people got scared. They did not go out and nobody was able to vote)," he said.

He likewise reminded the public that these kinds of incidents happened even during manual elections and cannot be "connected" with automation.

Sarmiento, for his part, just said that voters do not have to worry about failure of elections as long as they come out to vote on election day.

"Vote so that there would be no failure of elections. Even if everything failed to function, as long as people voted, there (will be) elections," he said.

The commissioner said that the Comelec rules of procedure provide that in the case of a national failure of elections, voting will be suspended and a verified petition must be filed with the Comelec.

A due notice and hearing must then be conducted to determine when the next elections can be conducted, which should not be later than 30 days after the day of the elections.

As this developed, an official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the religious sector will not hesitate to “provide guidance to our flock" should the elections fail.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, chairman of the CBCP committee on public affairs, added that "one way or another, kapag nandyan na yung gulo, may mga bishops na haharap doon (when the unrest comes, there will be bishops who will handle it)"—stopping just short of saying that the clergy will be at the forefront of another EDSA-type people’s revolt.

Deputy presidential spokeswoman Charito Planas had raised the possibility last week of a military junta being formed to govern the country should the elections fail and no new president is proclaimed by June 30.

Iñiguez said that such statements coming from Palace officials simply fuel the public’s fears and their distrust of the government.

Several political parties and poll watchdog groups have also raised the possibility of failure of elections due to what they claim as lack of preparations by the Comelec.
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NPA Rebel, Biggest Election Threat

 Communist rebels remain to be the biggest threat in the conduct of peaceful elections in May, ranking police and military officials said Wednesday.

Deputy Director General Edgardo Acuna, deputy chief for operations of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the New People’s Army (NPA) has been the leading security threat during polls ever since it started extorting money from candidates through it “permit-to-campaign" policy.

“The permit-to-campaign disturbs the entry and exit of candidates in their so-called controlled areas," Acuna told reporters on Wednesday.

The NPA’s extortion scheme makes the armed group more threatening than the Abu Sayyaf bandit group and private armed groups controlled by some local politicians, the police official said.

Major General Gaudencio Pangilinan, the military’s deputy chief of staff for operations, meanwhile said that the NPA’s money-making ventures, especially in the Bicol Region, have been proven by document seized in some clashes with the armed group.

Pangilinan said that color-coded permit-to-campaign cards the military seized from a raid in Catanduanes showed that the rebel group demands money ranging from P10,000 to P500,000.

According to military records, the NPA earned a total of P136 million from its extortion activities in 2009, which will supposedly be used to support certain candidates in the May polls.

In a statement released last month, however, the NPA said its permit-to-campaign scheme eliminates election-related violence in some of its known turf.

The military had earlier called on local candidates to refrain from giving in to the NPA’s extortion activities, saying the amount will only be used to fund the group’s counter-offensives against the government.

The military had also said it would intensify its efforts to stop the extortion efforts by the communist rebel group, which it vowed to crush before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term ends in June. 

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3 Pinoy Seaman, detained

Three of the 12 Filipino seafarers virtually detained for over eight months in a Panama-flagged ship arrived in Manila Tuesday, bringing with them hopes not only for the payment of their back wages, but also for the speedy repatriation of their compatriots still in Greece.

Fifty-year-old Primo Fernandinco, who worked as a cook in the cargo carrier MV Aetea Sierra, expressed concern for the welfare of the nine other Filipinos still aboard the ship, which has been grounded in Greece since July last year.

“Tipid na lang kami sa pagkain para hindi maubos. ‘Yung tubig, kinakalawang na rin (We’re scrimping on food so it will last. As for our water containers, they’re taking up some rust too)," Fernandinco said in an interview with GMANews.TV.

Fernandinco arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on the afternoon of March 23 from Athens, along with mess men Jerry Laride and Erolin Chong Jr.

Stranded since July

The MV Aetea Sierra was impounded in the Piraeus Port in September near Athens when a case was filed against its owners by the ship charterers for its alleged failure to unload the cargo at the agreed port. Its crew had then been stranded in the ship since July last year.

The seafarers scored victory in December last year after a Greek court ruled that the ship’s crew, which also included Ukrainian and Montenegrin nationals, should get higher back wages to cover the period of July 9 to November 9 of last year, and residual claims until their actual departure from Greece. (See: Pinoys must get higher backpay – Greek court)

Fernandinco said they have already been paid their salaries for the initial four months that they were stranded, but they are still awaiting claims equivalent to roughly four months’ salary.

He described their eight-month ordeal, saying this has been the most harrowing experience for him in his almost twenty years of working as a seafarer.

“Bawal kami lumabas ‘dun. Paikut-ikot lang kami sa loob ng barko. Nagluluto pa rin ako noon para sa mga kasamahan kong Pinoy," he recounted.

(We were not allowed to go out so we just roamed inside the ship. I still cooked food for my fellow Filipino crew.)

He added they were the only ones who took this long to be repatriated, as the others have been sent home as early as just one month after the ship was grounded because of assistance from their respective embassies.

According to Fernandinco, the Philippine Embassy in Athens had told them they can be sent home any time they want, but their claims for back wages would be forfeited. The Filipino crew refused the Embassy’s offer.

No help even from agencies here

His family in the Philippines also tried asking for assistance from pertinent agencies here, to no avail.

“Pumunta kami sa OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration). Ang inalok lang sa amin, livelihood assistance pero hindi raw sila makatulong sa pagpapauwi sa kanila," his daughter Sholem said.

(We went to OWWA to ask for assistance. We were offered livelihood assistance but they said they couldn’t help in the repatriation of the Filipino workers.)

Ellene Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy, scored the Embassy for its alleged inaction on the plight of the seafarers, saying they would not have been repatriated were it not for the efforts of Filipino communities in Greece.

“The workers were very frustrated. It seemed the Embassy was better with press releases than with concrete action. They had been unresponsive," she lamented.

Four more Filipino crew are scheduled to arrive on Thursday, Sana said.

Fernandinco meanwhile said that despite his ordeal, he is planning to work overseas again as a seafarer.

“Pahinga muna ako ngayon, pero handa naman akong magbarko ulit (I’ll take a break for now, but I’m willing to go back to being a seafarer again)," Fernandinco said.
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Comelec to Ban Pres Bets on Overtime Airtime

 Don't look now, but a presidential candidate with substantial television advertisements may end up being disqualified.

That is, if the government's poll body will be able to strictly implement Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Election Act, which imposes limits on allowed TV airtime for campaign ads.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) disclosed on Wednesday one presidential bet has already exceeded the 120-minute TV airtime limit allowed for candidates for the country's highest position.

However, the commission refused to divulge the candidate’s name, saying it has received just one report to date.

"Isa pa lang ito. Hindi naman ako makapaniwala na isa pa lang. Baka naman kapag ipinakita ko sa inyo, ang sasabihin nila, may pinapaburan tayo o mayroon tayong idinidiin," director Ferdinand Rafanan of the commission's law department said in a 24 Oras newscast.

(We have received just one report. I wouldn't want to believe that only one candidate has exceeded the limit. If I show you the report, we may be accused of favoring some candidates and treating another unjustly.)
The Comelec will lodge a motu proprio complaint against the candidate before the Comelec en banc, which will then decide whether or not to bring the complaint to a court hearing, Rafanan said.

"Kakasuhan na namin. Andiyan na eh. (The report is already here so we'll have to file a complaint.) How could I close my eyes to this?" he added.

Political advertisement of candidates for president, vice president, and senator are allowed only 120 minutes of airtime per TV station and 90 minutes per radio station.

This is apart from another 120 minutes allowed for each political party for TV advertisements.

Some candidates have found a way to circumvent the restriction by appearing in advertisements with the other candidates of their parties.

According to the Comelec, this is not automatically counted against the individual presidential candidate's limit.

"Isang requirement ng batas, i-indicate nila sa kanilang political advertisement kung para kanino, maliban dun sa i-indicate nila kung sino ang nagbayad," according to Rafanan.

(One requirement of the law is for the candidates to indicate for whom the advertisement was, apart from indicating who paid for it.)

In a recent report by Pera't Pulitika (Money and Politics), a coalition monitoring campaign financing, Nacionalista Party standard bearer Sen. Manny Villar Jr. leads the pack after already using 102.75 minutes for ads on GMA 7 and 100 on ABS-CBN.

Liberal Party's Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III comes in at second with 88 minutes on GMA and 95.5 minutes on ABS-CBN.

Former President Joseph Estrada of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino has used 65 minutes on GMA and 77.5 on ABS-CBN, while Bagumbayan's Sen. Richard Gordon has 43 minutes on GMA and 52 minutes on ABS-CBN.

All these after a little over a month since the two-month campaign period officially started on February 9.

All in all, national candidates have breached the P400-million-mark for ad spending on TV.

The Comelec thus reminded candidates to strictly follow elections rules, as violations may result in their disqualification from the race.

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Dizon Marries Pilot BF

Sunshine Dizon tied the knot with her pilot boyfriend Timothy Tan in an intimate ceremony held last Saturday, March 20, at Valle Verde 6 clubhouse in Pasig City.

This was confirmed by Sunshine's mother, Dorothy Laforteza, in her interview with entertainment columnist Abu Tilamzik published in Abante Tonite on Wednesday (March 24).

According to Mommy Dorothy, only close friends were invited to the wedding, which was officiated by a priest. Sunshine's mom said she only attended the wedding ceremony and not the after-party.

"Nandun ako sa buong ceremony, pero sa party nila, wala na ako. Kasi sa mga bagets na lang yun. Sila-sila na lang dun para mag-enjoy na sila," she said.

Mommy Dorothy said she fully supported her 26-year-old daughter in her decision to get married and she approves the couple's relationship.

Sunshine's father, according to Mommy Dorothy, also wanted to attend the wedding but since it was a sudden decision, he was not able to come. However, he promised to be present at his daughter's church wedding, which is the next plan of Sunshine and Timothy.

Mommy Dorothy also took the opportunity to clarify that her daughter is not pregnant. She said the couple had been talking about their wedding before.

Sunshine, on the other hand, remains silent about her sudden marriage.

The newly-wed actress will be part of GMA-7's new Sunday musical-variety show Party Pilipinas.
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Authenticity of Ballots

Ultraviolet (UV) lamps will be used on election day to check whether ballots are true and genuine, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Wednesday.

The poll body will use UV lamps to manually verify each ballot through its UV markings, after it reportedly decided to turn off one of the functions of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines.

The machines are originally expected not just to count and check the votes as marked on the ballots, but also to verify genuine ballots and reject counterfeit ones.

The commission was prompted to use UV lamps to verify authenticity of ballots after their UV markings have moved out of alignment, Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal told GMANews.TV.

As a result, the PCOS machines may find it difficult to read the ballots’ UV markings, he added.

UV markings are security features used as a safeguard against fraud. A similar technology is used by banks to detect counterfeit paper money.

"Baka hindi mabasa. Mas mabuti na i-manual check (It might not be read. It's better to manually check it)," he said.

UV markings in the ballots — which are printed by the National Printing Office (NPO) — are out of alignment by one to two millimeters, Larrazabal said.

“It happens talaga na sa UV marking parang nagagalaw (It happens that UV markings move out of alignment when printed)," he told GMANews.TV in a separate phone interview.

The commissioner added that there are other security features that would prove the authenticity of the ballot.

Besides the type of paper used for the ballots, other security features also include using the Comelec’s own UV ink, a bar code, Comelec markings, and the unique precinct-based numbers on the ballot, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.

However, the Liberal Party (LP) expressed doubts about these features.

"Bakit pinatay yung scanner sa (Why did they turn off the scanner of the) machine, we have strong reservations about it," said LP campaign manager Florencio "Butch" Abad in a press conference held in Intramuros, Manila.

He also said that the people might become disoriented with this additional voting step.

"If you look at the process, you can more or less imagine the confusion and the chaos," he said.

In the meantime, Comelec’s move to undertake manual ballot verification only underscores “quality issues," a poll watchdog said.

The move brings questions regarding the quality of the paper, the ink used in printing UV markings, the printing process, and the capability of the PCOS machines themselves, Roberto Verzola, secretary-general of Halalang Marangal, told GMANews.TV in a separate phone interview.  
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Gordon's Campaign Style

At the start of the campaign period, presidential aspirant Richard Gordon made one thing clear: "I sing but I don't dance."

One month after, the Bagumbayan standard bearer seemed to have reconsidered his statement. Who would have thought that it would only take two popular Filipino Youtube celebrities—Moymoy Palaboy and Roadfill—to change his mind?

In a lip-synched video released on Moymoy’s Youtube site, the 60-year-old senator made a surprise appearance as he danced and sang to the tune of “In the Jungle"—showing the public a glimpse into one side of him that most people never got to see earlier.

Uploaded three days ago, the two-minute video instantly became viral, reaching as much as 50,173 views as of Wednesday evening. Its 500 comments—which were a mixture of praises and disappointment—revealed that most of the viewers wanted to see the soft side of the senator, who is better known for his tough staccato style of talking.

One Youtube user, Kidkilatis, exclaimed: "Panalo (Winner)! It really shows his carefree side. 'Yun yata ang hindi kilala ng nakararaming mga Pilipino (That’s probably what most Filipinos don’t see)."

“This is soo cool," said snakeymcviper040794. “The senator, who is a no-nonsense worker, who's usually very serious, deserves this kind of break! It’s refreshing to see his lighter side,.."

Some disagree, however. Like another Youtube user, notnot0128, who says: "A bit corny, but kudos for the effort, Gordon."

On the campaign trail

Popularly known for being curt and straightforward, Gordon has long been perceived as a strict, no-nonsense leader. When attending presidential forums, he often comes across as a disciplinarian who makes sure that everyone is attentive to his speech. He is quick to react to a noisy audience.

In a campus forum in Zambales on March 19, for example, the Bagumbayan presidential bet was distracted thrice by high school girls who were busy chatting and giggling as he lay down his platforms.

He told them: "Miss, if you are having a conversation there, tatahimik muna ako para marinig ko pinag-uusapan niyo diyan (I will keep quiet for now so I can hear what you are talking about)."

But not all students take him sitting down. In Cagayan City two weeks ago, the tough senator had to take a dose of his own pill. (See: Students grill Gordon in Cagayan Colleges Technology forum) http://www.gmanews.tv/story/185941/students-grill-gordon-in-cagayan-colleges-technology-forum

Not a few students—Gordon’s preferred target audience—have left the forum impressed with his clear-cut platforms and straight-shooting talk. On the other hand, what disappointed many of them was the senator’s tardiness.

Watch out for the sequel

Meanwhile, Momoy’s manager, Mitch Razonete, said her talents came up with the video because they found Gordon as the “most impressive" presidential aspirant.
Moymoy and Roadfill, now talent artists of GMA Network, are known for their comic and lip-synched videos uploaded on YouTube.

Aware of the senator’s tough image, the comic duo thought of ways to “show [Gordon’s] other side," said Razonete.

At first feeling intimidated, Razonete said her jitters subsided when she saw Gordon all jolly and up for the show. “After a while he’ll make you feel relaxed," she said, adding that they were impressed at how the senator quickly adapted to her talents’ gimmick. Dspite his age, she said, they not have a hard time briefing him on what do.

Everything was “impromptu," Razonete said, with the video shoot taking only three minutes using Moymoy’s cellphone. Their satisfaction, perhaps, was encapsulated in the video’s caption which read: “Havin[g] fun time! We didn’t know Senator Gordon would be this cool!"

One thing is for sure, said Razonete. Her comic duo will “definitely come up with a sequel" to further feature Gordon and his running mate Fernando.

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Google and Yahoo Cries foul on Australian Internet Filter

Internet giants Google and Yahoo have criticized Australia's proposal for a mandatory Internet filter calling it a heavy-handed measure that could restrict access to legal information.
Their statements were among 174 submissions to the Department of Communications related to the filtering policy.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, who made the submissions public Tuesday, has explained the filter would block access to sites that include child pornography, sexual violence and detailed instruction in crime.
Adopting a mandatory screening system would make Australia one of the strictest Internet regulators among the world's democracies, and the proposal has put the country on the Reporters Without Borders annual "Enemies of the Internet" list.
"Our primary concern is that the scope of content to be filtered is too wide," Google wrote in its submission, also suggesting the filter would slow browsing speeds.
The company said it already had its own filter to block child pornography.
"Some limits, like child pornography, are obvious. No Australian wants that to be available—and we agree," the Google submission said. "But moving to a mandatory ISP level filtering regime with a scope that goes well beyond such material is heavy-handed and can raise genuine questions about restrictions on access to information."
Lucinda Barlow of Google Australia said Wednesday that Australia's proposal went beyond filters used in Germany and Canada, which block child pornography and, in Italy, gambling sites.
"This enters the gray realms of restricted classification, seeking to ban politically and socially controversial material," Barlow told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Yahoo's submission struck a similar note, saying the filter would block many sites that contain controversial information—such as euthanasia discussion forums, safe injection information, or gay and lesbian forums that discuss sexual experiences.
"There is enormous value in this content being available to encourage debate and inform opinion," Yahoo's submission said.
The filter would not block peer-to-peer file sharing nor prevent predators approaching children in chat programs or social-networking sites, and both Google and Yahoo backed a national campaign to educate parents and children about safe use of the Internet.
Other submissions came from Australian telecommunication companies, lobby groups and many individuals.
Conroy said his department would consider the submissions before sending the final proposal to Parliament later this year.
"A range of views have been expressed in the submissions and I would like to thank everyone who contributed their comments and valuable ideas to the public consultation process," Conroy said in a statement. "(We will) examine whether the ideas can be used to enhance the proposed accountability and transparency measures."

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Legarda on Roxas

How about a basic classroom lesson on climate change after an acrimonious debate Sunday night?
Vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda told reporters here that she was willing to “educate” her rival, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, on climate change issues, after the latter apparently belittled her environmental advocacy during the ABS-CBN “Harapan” vice presidential debate.
Legarda quipped that Roxas might have been taking a snack or could have left the Senate session hall early, during the countless times she delivered privilege speeches on the warming planet.
“Climate change is not just an election issue. My advocacy for climate change started in 1998. It is a timeless, universal issue,” she said Tuesday during a press conference.
Two million trees
“I am willing to teach him about the needs of the farmers and fisherfolk. I am willing to give him copies of my speeches on climate change in the United Nations and the Senate. I am willing to sit down and teach him, so that he could understand that El Niño is connected to hunger,” said Legarda, chair of the Senate committees on agriculture, and on health.
She claims to have planted over two million trees under her Green Philippines’ campaign for which she was recognized by the UN in 2001. She is also the UN Asia Pacific regional champion for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
At Sunday’s debate held at La Consolacion College in Manila, Roxas had questioned Legarda’s priorities in making the environment her campaign advocacy, noting that the Philippines accounted for less than 1 percent of the Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission that is chiefly blamed for global warming.
Legarda had said that climate change was a gut issue, as the Philippines was one of 10 countries considered most vulnerable to disasters related to climate change.
Directly affects people
The El Niño-caused drought that damaged crops and the floods that killed many people during Storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng,” showed that climate change was an issue that directly affected the people, she had said.
“This shows the ignorance and elitist nature of other people who don’t understand climate change, protecting the environment, banning cutting down of forests, rehabilitation of irrigation facilities, and preparedness for coming disasters to lessen tragedies caused by the changing climate,” Legarda said.
She called on her closest VP rival to go down to the grassroots and ask farmers, fishermen and ordinary folk about the effects of last year’s cyclones Ondoy and Pepeng and this year’s El Niño.
“To ignore climate change is to neglect the poor,” said Legarda.

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Pinoy Director Honored

Filipino filmmaker Adolfo Alix Jr. has been listed by The Hollywood Reporter (THR) among 20 young entertainment personalities dubbed “Next Generation Asia 2010.”
Alix told the Inquirer that Tommaso Campione, executive international director of THR, informed him of his inclusion on the list, which includes Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu (of “Bishonen”), Thai filmmaker Chookiat Sakveerakul (“The Love of Siam”) and Korean actress Kim Ok-vin (“Thirst”).
All the honorees were profiled in the March 12 international edition of the London-based paper.
Alix said he would attend the formal reception on March 23 in former Crown Colony, during the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Best and brightest
According to THR, the honorees, “all age 35 and under … [are] the best and the brightest among their peers” from a vast region considered “the world’s biggest entertainment market.”
Alix, the lone Filipino in the list, said the honor was “a pleasant surprise.”
“I’m thankful and glad they chose someone from the Philippines. It’ll be an inspiration to do better,” the 31-year-old director told the Inquirer .
The Hollywood Reporter essay pointed out that Alix isn’t just one of the most promising, he is also one of the most prolific and hardest-working filmmakers in the current indie scene.
Right decision
Since his 2006 directorial debut, “Donsol,” he has megged about 13 feature films.
With the first quarter of the current year barely over, he has already finished three movies—“Romeo at Juliet” (which opened March 24), “Presa” and “D’Survivors.”
Jean Altavas, writer and producer of “Romeo at Juliet,” was “excited” when she learned of Alix’s THR honor.
“I knew I made the right decision, entrusting my story to him,” Altavas explained. “He understood what I was trying to express with the story. Plus, he continuously collaborates with the cast and crew.”
Lead star Alessandra de Rossi agreed. “He listens to my inputs. We go a long way back. We got close during the shoot of ‘Mga Munting Tinig’ which he co-wrote (in 2002).” De Rossi also said she and Alix grew up together.

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

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PBA UPDATE

Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol figured out Sammy Monroe pretty quickly, and the Tigers made Barako Coffee play like the whipping team of old.
Throwing a suffocating defensive blanket on Monroe, the Tigers led from start to finish in a 97-74 victory Wednesday night that sent the Coffee Masters crashing back to earth in the Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
James Penny was the imposing presence on both ends for the Tigers, finishing with 27 points, 13 rebounds and missing a triple double by just three assists as he outplayed the sleepy-eyed Monroe.
The Barako Coffee import, the big difference in his team’s 97-93 decision of Sta. Lucia Realty last Sunday, was challenged up high by the Coca-Cola defense, and by a double team every time he went beyond the free throw line.
He finished with just three free throws in the first half and 25 for the game.
“I challenged James (Penny) and told him that everyone was not talking about him (but of Monroe),” Perasol later said. “But he proved (tonight) that he is one of the best (imports here).”
Monroe, who debuted with 39 points and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes, highlighted his 22 points in the second half with a triple at the halfway mark of the third that shoved the Coffee Masters to within four.
But Penny took over again, even beating the third quarter horn with a triple of his own which made it 65-53.
“Our defense was planned on minimizing Monroe. We got him out of his rhythm in the first half,” Perasol explained.
In the second game, San Miguel Beer opened up its title defense on a bright note, holding off Air21, 92-87.
The scores:
First Game
COCA-COLA 97—Penny 27, David 17, Taulava 11, Gonzales 9, Lanete 6, Rizada 6, Espino 6, Macapagal 5, Bono 4, Allera 3, Cruz 2, Ross 1, Rodriguez 0.
BARAKO COFFEE 74—Monroe 25, Alonzo 10, Vergara 6, Aljamal 6, Dimaunahan 6, Wainwright 6, Najorda 5, Menor 4, Duncil 4, Reyes 2, Gaco 0, Faundo 0, Hubalde 0.
Quarters: 20-12, 42-27, 65-53, 97-74
Second Game
SAN MIGUEL 92—Freeman 23, Washington 19, Cabagnot 13, Pena 12, Pennisi 9, Santos 4, Hontiveros 4, Yeo 3, Miranda 3, Villanueva 2, Ildefonso 0.
AIR21 87—Young 23, Buenafe 13, Belga 12, Matias 9, Ritualo 8, Kramer 4, Sharma 4, Alvarez 4, Gonzales 4, Williams 3, Cortez 3, Billones 0, Yee 0.
Quarters: 21-20, 44-39, 70-62, 92-87

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

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