NEWLY MISS EARTH CROWNED (Miss Czech Republic Tereza Fajksová

Miss Earth Winners Crowned. In photo; (l-r) Miss Brazil; Camilia Brant –Miss Earth Fire (3^rd runner-up), Miss Czech Republic Tereza Fajksová (Ms. Earth 2012 Titleholder), Miss Philippines; Stephany Stefanowitz - Miss Earth Air (1^st runner-up) and Miss Venezuela; Osmariel Villalobos - Miss Earth Water (2^nd runner-up). The winners of the Miss Earth pageant was announced during its coronation night where 80 lovely candidates across the globe vie for the title of Miss Earth, Air, Water and Fire that was held last November 24 at Versailles Palace in Alabang.

(Photo by Ricky Castillo)

MERALCO'S MALIWANAG ANG PASKO

Meralco recently announces its partnership program with the Department of Tourism headed by Sec. Mon Jimenez and other Local Government Units (LGU) in taking part in the campaign “Maliwanag Ang Pasko” where every city, barangay and Filipino  can be a part of this Christmas campaign. 

EXPERIENCE CHRISTMAS ON ICE AT CHRISKNDLMARKET @ SM MALL OF ASIA ICE SKATING RINK (DEC. 3-9, 2012)

 Experience Christmas on ice in the upcoming Christkindlmarket Bazaar that will be held at the ice, cold and breezing court of Ice Skating Rink at the SM Mall of Asia this coming December 3-9, 2012 where you will find various products from different countries of Europe. 

Visitors will surely enjoy this winter-cold event where the whole skating rink will be transformed into a Christmas village replicating the original scenery of the first Christmas in Bethlehem where Christ our Messiah was born. There will be a lot of surprises that awaits the public who will be gracing this event. There will be Christmas chorale contest, cultural shows from participating countries, fairytale reading, cooking festival, theater plays, concerts, raffle prizes and a lot lot more.

ARE YOU SCARED FOR YOUR DIGITAL LIFE? (TREND MICRO)

We all have a digital life. An average person has 10 digital accounts he maintains—both active and passive. However, given the threat landscape, cybercriminal activities, hackers, and malware become part of our digital lives as well. 

Trend Micro, the leader in cloud protection, recently released a study showing that while 7 out of 10 users feel that it is their personal responsibility to protect their and their family’s online security, online, only 4 out of 10 feel they know how to do so. Given the amount of information both personal and professional that we share online, what should we be scared of? 

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL DOGGY DAY CAMP

 

It has been said that a dog is a man’s best friend; this phrase is very true to the many pet owners who flocked at the National Geographic Channel (NGC) Doggy Day Camp held recently at the Amphitheater of Fort Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City. Multitude of pet owners including their families walked and lined up to that event as early as the sun rises. Some of them had just finished their usual exercise routine having their dogs beside them while jogging, some of them had just finished doing shopping ... cuddling their cute little puppies while in the mall, some of them had just finished their morning breakfast in some cozy restaurant at the Fort with their dogs on their lap while eating. And the list continues.

PHILIPS LAUNCHES ITS LED LIGHTING SOLUTIONS TECHNOLOGY

 

Philips Electronics the global leader in lighting technology recently unveiled its newest line of LED Home Lighting Solutions that can transform houses into homes ... echoing the belief that “Home is where your heart is.” 

CYBERCRIME LAW

With so much clamor to amend the Cybercrime Law, the public particularly the social media user expressed their disappointment to the government by holding rallies on the street as a sign of their protest in the said law. Some are doing it online by changing their Facebook profile into black color showing their disagreement to the government. And in view of this, a T V forum with the topic on Cybercrime Law was aired recently on PTV channel 4 where representatives from the different sectors of our society were present … both those who favored the Cybercrime Law and those who do not. 

In the course of the discussion, several topics were tackled such as the penalty for online libel, blocking a particular site without an order from the court, hacking a website particularly those that belongs to the government, child pornography, freedom of expression, etc.    

With regard to the penalty for online libel, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Justice; Mr. Geronimo Sy pointed out that the penalty for online libel is eight (8) years and not what others thought to be that it’s six (6) years minimum to ten (10) years maximum … a degree higher if its committed online compared if its committed in the real world. Furthermore, Mr. Sy clarified that once you had been sued for online libel, no other form of libel can be charge against you. In other words, you cannot be sued for libel for two counts. Again, this is contrary to what many believed that once you have been sued for libel in the real world, you can still be sued for the same offense on the internet or online which according to Mr. Sy has an exception, but he was not able to mention any of those exceptions maybe because for lack of time. 

Another misconception that was given light during the discussion was when the representative from the Department of Justice assured the public that a person cannot be sued for libel just by merely liking or sharing a certain post in Facebook … that is again contrary to what many anti-Cybercrime Law proponent believe and understand.  

One of the topics that was tackled during the discussion that made a lot of people uncomfortable with this law is the provision that gives the government the power to block and restrict a particular website without any order from the court. In light of this issue, a representative from the Philippine National Police clarified that this will be applicable only to those sites that are obviously malicious and against the interest of the Filipino people such as pornographic sites and sites with terroristic activities.   

Another important issue that opponents of this law believes that can be subject for abuse is the provision that has to do with real time data collection or access which according to Atty. JJ Disini, a professor of law in University of the Philippines violates the right to privacy of an individual because in this law, even your cell number and your friends number including your conversation can be monitored without you knowing it. In other words, a person can be under surveillance even without an order from the court which many believes violates our constitutional right to privacy, but according to Ms. Janet Toral of Digital Filipino, who support this law, commented that there are situations in our society that needs immediate action in order to catch the perpetrator in cases of text scam, coordinating for ransom in case of kidnapping, bomb explosion using a cell phone, etc. These are just some of the cases that those in authority must act immediately even without a court order on their hands, otherwise if our policemen would still wait for a court order to be released before catching these law offenders … the perpetrators could have changed their numbers and escaped already.      

   

With so many issues revolving the Cybercrime Law that our fellow Filipino have been contemplating right now, what they need to understand that in such a time as this when our country is facing a very sensitive issue that will surely affect every Filipino in one way or the other, may we all be reminded that all of us should act responsibly in whatever we say, post and share on the online world, after all, whatever we post and share on the internet reflects of who we really are as a person.  

Text by Ricky Castillo

14 NEW SPANISH DISHES AT TAPELLA RESTAURANT

Taste the best of Spanish cuisine at Tapella Restaurant as it introduces new 14 mouth-watering dishes to be included on their list of Spanish food list aside from almost a hundred lists of Spanish dishes that they already have on their menu.

With the all new Spanish flavor that Tapella Restaurant has on its menu, One need not go to Spain to enjoy the delicious and saliva-rich food this country has to offer to everyone especially to the food lovers out there. 

Their all Spanish food on their menu are all cooked and prepared by its owner and also its Executive Chef Ms. Alexandra Cacho, who herself is a Spanish national.

For more than a decade, Gaudi has been revered as the restaurant that serves authentic Spanish cuisine. From bustling Jupiter St. to posh Ayala Malls like Greenbelt and Serendra, diners keep coming back for its Paella Negra (paella made with squid ink) and Chulleton Villagodio (certified Angus beef prime rib grilled according to the methods of Villagodio). In 2009, tapas, paella, and more took centerstage in Tapella where customers indulged in chorizo alvino (chorizo stewed in red wine), cojunodos (fried quail egg, pimiento and jamon Serrano), Manchego Cheese and Shrimp paella, along with a range of impeccable wines.

Executive Chef Alexandra Cacho continues to enhance the dining experience in her restaurants as she presents new gustatory delights that reflect the new trends in Spain.

“New things are happening in Spain and I want to share it here. I only serve the best for my customers. I even bring some ingredients from my native land to my restaurants,” explains the affable chef. Known for her constant innovation and meticulous use of the freshest and best ingredients here and abroad, Chef Xandra happily shared that she recently added 14 dishes in Gaudi and Tapella. 

Taste the bursting flavor of organic tomatoes of her Tartar de Tomate. The sweet and succulent tomatoes sitting on Malagos cheese and caramelized walnuts, are perfectly crowned with lettuce, lollorossa, and shrimps, then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and added with a little bit of balsamic vinegar. The Ensalada Tempura on the other hand is a reflection of how the Japanese way of cooking has made its way in Spanish cuisine. Chef Xandra decided to add an Asian twist to it by spreading a pleasantly tempered taste of wasabi dressing on top of the tempura shrimps alongside the fresh mesclun and arugula from the farms in Tagaytay. Tapas will always be a perennial favourite in Donostia and Chef Xandra wants her diners to indulge in an array of eight selections in each plate. For those who like hot tapas, the Plato de Pintxos Calientes has calamares, chorizo, croquetas béchamel, sobresada de quezo manchego, purusalda, tigres, champi, and pollo moruno. For those who prefer cold tapas, order the Plato de Pintxos Frios and indulge in cucumber, sardines, pulpo, cojonudos, gazpacho, veruta, agustin, and baine. Another bread- based dish to look forward to is the veal cheeks stew on crusty bread. Chef Xandra shares that the Spanish eat a lot of carilladas so she used imported veal in her Entrepanes de Carilladas.