4 bank guards fight off 20 robbers

MANILA, Philippines - At least 20 heavily armed robbers wearing police and military uniforms tried to rob a Union Bank branch in Caloocan City at around noon yesterday but fled empty-handed when four of the bank’s security guards engaged the suspects in a gunbattle.

Caloocan City police chief Senior Superintendent Jude Santos said that apart from a shotgun and a .38 caliber revolver of security guard Camus Briccio Jr., the armed men “got nothing from the bank.”

Santos said at least 20 men armed with M14 and M16 rifles and .45 caliber pistols barged into the Union Bank branch at the corner of Urbano Plata street and EDSA using the back door, guarded by Briccio.

“The suspects looked more like Army troopers and they entered the bank with blazing guns,” Santos told The STAR, adding that most of the gunmen used bulletproof vests, with some wearing military paint on their faces and others wearing bonnets.

Santos said the bank was closed because it was a Saturday, “but they seemed to know that a large sum was inside,” adding that the branch is the “cash center and the main depository of all Union Bank branches in Caloocan and Quezon City.”

Santos said the bank’s main vault could not easily be forced open because “it has three layers of safety locks.”

Some of the suspects disarmed Briccio of his shotgun and revolver while the others went to the second floor of the building, where the cash center and the main vault are located.

But the armed men were surprised when four security guards at the second floor of the building engaged the suspects in a gunbattle.

“The suspects… left after around 10 minutes of (firing shots) without them gaining ground,” Santos said. None of the bank’s guards were hurt as they positioned themselves behind the walls.

As the suspects fled on board three vehicles toward Quezon City, they stopped to rob a nearby adjacent Caltex gas station and disarmed its lone security guard of his .38 caliber revolver.

Witnesses told the police two of the getaway vehicles were Toyota Revos, one white and the other blue, but none of them was able to jot down the vehicles’ license plates. The third vehicle’s type was undetermined.

“I suspect they were members of the notorious Alvin Flores rob gang because of their modus operandi… They are now more daring and they grew in number,” Santos said.

He said that it was also the first time that the suspects used an M14 rifle in their operation. Police recovered shells for M14 and M16 rifles and for .45 caliber pistol at the crime scene.

Northern Police District director Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr., who was conducting a safety seminar for the NPD reporters at the police station during the botched rob try, directed Santos to dig deeper into the case.

- By Pete Laude (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Commission on Human Rights: Some Davao cops involved in death squad

MANILA, Philippines – Some members of the Davao police are actually “involved” in the death squad behind the vigilante killings in the city, Commission on Human Rights chairperson Leila de Lima said yesterday, citing “confirmed information.”

But according to De Lima, they are having a hard time convincing their assets to come out against these rogue policemen.

“We have confirmed information that there are certain police officers in Davao who are involved in the death squad,” De Lima revealed during a dialogue with Quezon City policemen yesterday afternoon.

“We are 100 percent morally convinced that the killings in Davao are something that is really organized,” the CHR chairperson added.

According to De Lima, their informants have given them the names of the Davao policemen, numbering to more than 10 and even including some station commanders in Davao, whose participation in the killings allegedly range from ordering the attacks to actually firing the shots at the victims.

De Lima refused to drop names of the Davao policemen at the moment.

“We recorded their (informants’) statements and the names they have given. It will form part of our report,” she said.

According to De Lima, they are working on a “breakthrough” before they conduct their next public hearing that she said is something to “watch out for.”

To stress the veracity of the CHR’s information, De Lima said their informants had “personal knowledge” of the killings, with some of them being former members of the death squad.

De Lima mentioned of “patterns” that point to the allegation that some policemen in Davao were involved in the death squad.

She cited that most victims had “petty criminal records” and were minor aged.

“The assailants are motorcycle-riding men with the attacks staged in broad daylight,” she added.

Apart from this, she said that in most cases of killings in Davao, the response of the local police was belated even if some incidents happened near a police station.

De Lima also said that in most instances, there were many people actually seeing the incidents but would eventually not come out as witnesses to the killings to implicate the suspects.

Because of this, De Lima admitted that it has been a “challenge” for the CHR to convince their informants to come out.

“There should be an honest to goodness witness protection program and at present the CHR has no capacity for that,” she said, noting that coming out to testify on the part of their assets would strengthen the case against the implicated Davao policemen.

De Lima said that since the public hearings they conducted recently, there has been a significant decline in the incidents of killings.

“Some say the death squad is just laying low. I hope that’s not the case,” she said. - By Reinir Padua (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Buying Condoms

A young man goes into a drug store to buy condoms. The pharmacist says the condoms come in packs of 3, 9 or 12 and asks which the young man wants.

"Well," he said, "I've been seeing this girl for a while and she's really hot.
I want the condoms because I think tonight's "the" night.
We're having dinner with her parents, and then we're going out.
And I've got a feeling I'm gonna get lucky after that.
Once she's had me, she'll want me all the time, so you'd better give me the 12 pack."
The young man makes his purchase and leaves.
Later that evening, he sits down to dinner with his girlfriend and her parents.
He asks if he might give the blessing and they agree.
He begins the prayer, but continues praying for several minutes.
The girl leans over to him and says,
"You never told me that you were such a religious person."
The boy leans over to her and whispers,
"You never told me that your father is a pharmacist."

E-Mail from the Afterlife

An Illinois man left the snow-filled streets of Chicago for a vacation in Florida, his wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day.
When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick email, unable to find the scrap of paper on which he had written her email address, he did his best to type it from memory.
Unfortunately, he missed one letter and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher's wife, whose husband had passed away only the day before.
When the grieving widow checked her email, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream and fell to the floor in a dead faint, at the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen.....
DEAREST WIFE... JUST GOT CHECKED IN... EVERYTHING PREPARED FOR YOUR ARRIVAL TOMORROW...
P.S. SURE IS HOT DOWN HERE.

Dog, Monkey and Leopard

Due to his owner's negligence, a dog became lost in the deepest jungles of Africa. Wandering around, the poor dog notices a leopard hading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.
Just then, the dog noticed some bones laying on the ground close by. The dog immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching leopard. Just as the jungle cat is about to leap, the dog loudly says, "My, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?"
Hearing this, the leopard slinks away. "That was too close," thought the leopard, "that dog nearly had me."
Meanwhile, a mischevious monkey had observed the entire scene, and decided to cause trouble for the dog, while getting on the good side of the leopard as well. The monkey dashed off after the leopard, to tell him what truly happened.
The dog saw the monkey dash off, and suspiciously tailed him from behind. He overhears the monkey spilling the beans, and quickly decides on a course of action, racing back to the pile of bones.
At the same time, the leopard has decided to take care of the dog once and for all. The monkey hops on the leopard's back, to watch the demise of the doomed dog. As the leopard approaches, he can hear the dog talking to himself: "Where's that lazy monkey? I sent him off half an hour ago for another leopard, and he's still not back!"
Hehehe....^^

BDO Debit Card to Verify Paypal Account: Denied!

Paypal doesnt Allow Banco De Oro Debit Card [Cash Card], for their Account Verification Process.
But it can be used to withdraw Money from paypal account to it. The best Card to use to verify your paypal account is still EON Card of UnionBank.
kudoz...!!

Guide to Tweaking Firefox 3.5 Beta 4

With Firefox 3 already at version 3.0.7, and version 3. 1 (or 3.5 if the rename rumors are true) just around the corner, I think it’s time to take a short break from all the netbook news and focus on a tweak guide for our favorite browser.
This compilation is not, in any way complete, but I will try to keep it regularly updated. If you have a guide or blog post that you think is useful and should be added to the list, feel free to contact me with the details and l’ll add your post to the this list.

Ultimate Guide to Tweaking Firefox 3

If you still don’t have it installed, Get Firefox 3 now.

Starer Guide for Firefox 3

If you need an in depth starter’s guide to Firefox 3, read up DRIA’s Field Guide for Firefox 3 for a detailed view of features Firefox 3 brings with it. Not feeling up to reading up all that? Read up Lifehacker’s highlight of the top 10 Firefox 3 features to get you started.

If you don’t feel that the starter’s guide is for you, why not start out with Lifehacker’s Firefox 3 power user guide. Note that if you’re a beginner with Firefox, or computing mainly, this will be a source of headaches.

Read all that? Now that you’re up-to-date with the features that Firefox 3 carries, let’s start tweaking.

Tweaking the Smart Location Bar

Admit it, not everyone LIKES the Smart Location Bar AKA Awesome Bar. Sure it’s intuitive but most folks would want the old Location Bar over the confusing jumble of suggestions given by the Awesome Bar. Most of folkswould be satisfied with just filtering the results to ignore some sources (like history, bookmarks, etc)

Here are 7 easy tweaks you can try to tame it. Edit these entries in about:config as follows:

  1. Make the autocomplete menu show only typed addresses and not visited or bookmarked
    browser.urlbar.matchOnlyTyped  = TRUE
  2. Set the autocomplete menu to single line suggestions by installing the oldbar extension.
  3. Change the number of suggestions displayed in the autocomplete menu
    browser.urlbar.maxRichResults
  4. Hide the star button if you prefer to use the Bookmarks menu or a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + D)
    • Open your userChrome.css file located in your profile folder.
    • Add this line to the end of the file: #star-button {display: none !important;}
    • Restart Firefox for the change to take effect.
  5. Always show the Go button. By default it is only displayed when you are editing the current web address.
    • Open your userChrome.css file located in your profile folder.
    • Add this line to the end of the file: #go-button { visibility: visible !important; }
    • Restart Firefox for the change to take effect.
  6. If you enter firfox in the location bar and you try to correct it, the autocomplete menu won’t suggest anything because it only keeps working as you edit the last characters. Install the Edit Middle extension, developed by harikaried, to make it work with edits anywhere.
  7. To hide the web feed icon from the location bar, add this line to your userChrome.css file: #feed-button[feeds] { display: none !important; }

Pinoy Tech Guy’s recommended Addons

Addons extend the functionality for Firefox 3 to do almost anything we do online. Sure, having too much of them will bloat your browser to the point of no return but having a reasonable number of usefuk addons really help enhance the experience. Here’s Pinoy Tech Guy’s top picks:

  • Adblock Plus - Don’t go online without an adblocker. Yes. Ads are the bread and butter of most bloggers (like me) and you can disable Adblock for us but 99.9% of the time, you need an adblocker to keepthe popups and all sorts of attention grabbing nonsense like screaming ads or push the button ads. Be sure to put Pinoy Tech Guy on the white list when you install this :).
  • No Script - Secure’s your browser by removing scripts from any site that is not in the white list. No more malware for you. Again, be sure to put Pinoy Tech Guy on the white list when you install this :).
  • DownThemAll - want to save all the pictures but they’re thumbnailed and you have to click them one by one to save the original? Not anymore. DownThemAll or DTA for short saves you from trying to painstakingly download all files from a page of links or images. It will download all links or images in a single click. How’s that for convinience?
  • Tab Mix Plus - Tab Mix Plus gives you full control of Tabs on Firefox. From how they open and close, the order of tabs, auto reloading tabs etc.
  • Foxmarks Bookmarks Synchronizer - Got multiple installation of Firefox on several computers and you need to sync them all? Or do you frequenly loose your bookmarks when ever Firefox crashes? Formark’s Addon is of excellent help against these two problems. It even allows you to backup your bookmarks manually to a file if you ever need to import it to another browser.
  • All-In-One-Sidebar - contains all relavant menus and contexts onto an easy access sidebar. It contains Bookmarks, History, Add-ons, Downloads, a multipanel window and even menus from other Addons like FireFTP.

Performance tweaks

Firefox 3 is swift and snappy but since we performance junkies want more from it, here’s a few tweaks to improve page loading time.

  1. Enter about:config in the location bar:
  2. Alter the entries as follows:
    • To enable/disable Single Click Select URL of address bar
      browser.urlbar.clickSelectsAll = True
      browser.urlbar.clickSelectsAll = False
    • To auto Complete URL while typing in the address Bar
      browser.urlbar.autoFill=True
    • strong> To set the number of auto complete URL in the address bar
      browser.urlbar.maxRichResults = #
    • (# indicates the number of auto complete URLs shown. The default is 12)

    • To disabler Browser Toolbar Tip
      browser.chrome.toolbar_tips = False
    • To paste copied content by clicking the center button on the mouse
      middlemouse.paste = True
    • To disable blinking text
      browser.blink_allowed = False
    • To create a single close button to for all Firefox Opened Tabs.
      browser.tabs.closeButtons = 3
    • To increase number of recently closed tabs.
      browser.sessionstore.max_tabs_undo=15
    • Right click view source in your editor
    • view_source.editor.external=True
      view_source.editor.path= Path of Editor
    • To enable fast scrolling across tabs
      toolkit.scrollbox.scrollIncrement =75
    • To stop displaying website icon in address bar and on the tabs
      browser.chrome.site_icons = False
    • To enable spell check in text fields
      layout.spellcheckDefault = 2
    • To speed up the browser
      network.http.max-connections 30 to 96
      network.http.max-connections-per-server 15 to 32
      network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server 6 to 8
      network.http.pipelining false to true
      network.http.proxy.pipelining false to true
      network.http.pipelining.maxrequests 30 to 8
      network.http.pipelining.ssl false to true
      network.http.proxy.pipelining false to true
    • To disable annoying browser behavior
      Change the followowing values to ‘false’
      dom.disable_window_open_feature.titlebar
      dom.disable_window_open_feature.menubar
      dom.disable_window_move_resize
      dom.disable_window_open_feature.toolbar
    • To show more tabs on single window
      browser.tabs.tabMinWidth = 75
    • To display search results in new tab
      browser.search.openintab=True.
  3. Right-click anywhere and create a new Integer named nglayout.initialpaint.delay and set its value to 0. This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves.

Session Restore Saving Frequency

Whenever Firefox crashes it will try to restore all of your open tabs to the way they were. This has come in handy several times for me before, but sometimes I notice that it isn’t able to restore all of my tabs for me.

That’s because Firefox, by default, only saves the session restore data every 10 seconds, but you can configure that time interval to whatever you would like.

  • Enter about:config in the location bar.
  • Look for browser.sessionstore.interval
  • The default value is 10000 which is 10000 milliseconds. Change this to any value you want. For example, entering in 1000 would cause the session restore data to be saved every 1 second, whereas a value of 20000 would make it happen every 20 seconds.

Tweaking the Full page Zoom

Firefox 3 introduces full page zoom, that is, instead of just making text bigger or smaller, it resizes the full page including images and layout.

  1. If you just want to zoom text, in the View menu, select Zoom and mark Zoom Text Only.
  2. Firefox 3 remembers what zoom level you used for viewing pages in a domain and will automatically zoom them the next time you visit any page in the same domain. If you prefer Firefox not to remember it:
    • In the location bar, enter about:config to access the advanced preferences
    • Look for browser.zoom.siteSpecific and double click it to set it to false.
  3. Another change you may quickly notice is that in Firefox 3 pressing Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and scrolling up and down, zooms the page in and out, unlike Firefox 2 and previous versions which used to work the opposite way.
  4. By default when you press Ctrl + = and Ctrl + - to zoom in or out a page (Cmd + = on Mac), Firefox magnifies to 30%, 50%, 67%, 80%, 90%, 100%, 110%, 120%, 133%, 150%, 170%, 200%, 240% and 300%. If you want to define more or less fine steps or need to zoom to larger levels you can customize Firefox full page zoom:
    • Enter about:config in the location bar to access the advanced preferences.
    • Look for toolkit.zoomManager.zoomValues and replace the default values with your preferences. For example to set quicker values like 10%, 50%, 100%, 200%, 300% and 500% you will need to enter .1,.5,1,2,3,5.
    • You will also need to increase the default 300% zoom in level. Look for zoom.maxPercent and set it to 500 to match the highest step set above.
    • You may need to to do the same with the lower limit. Look for zoom.minPercent and set it to 10 to match the lowest step set above.

    Note that the zoom steps only affect zooming in and out with the keyboard or via View>Zoom>Zoom In/Zoom Out. Mouse scroll zooming uses its own steps but respects the maximum and minum zoom levels.

As stated above, the list is in now way exhaustive or complete. If you want to contribute or want to share something that’s already posted and would like it to be included here contact me or leave a comment.

P.S: This is just a compilation of information for Firefox 3 users, if you feel that your post not should be here send me a holler and I will remove it.

Protect Your Kids: Keeping Children Away from Adult Sites

This document is adhered to help parents understand how to protect their children from inappropriate online material.

The first step to protect your family is to install parental control software on your computer. Some of the best-known and respected parental control software packages are CyberPatrol, Net Nanny and Safety Surf. Also, some ISPs (Internet Service Providers, the companies that let your modem connect to the Internet) provide content filtering as part of their basic service. Check with your ISP to see if this is an option they offer.

Parental control software works by blocking access to specific websites and online content. In most cases, when you buy the software it already contains a large list of sites that are inappropriate for children. You can then update the software through the manufacturer's website or, in some cases, the software will update itself.

Another way filtering software works is to block sites based on key words, such as "s*x." However, filtering software doesn't have to just block access to adult-oriented material. You can configure the software to filter for topics such as tobacco, drugs and drug culture, alcohol, violence and racism.

Since there might be only one computer in your household, and you might be using the same computer as the children, you can set up the system to filter content during certain hours, such as when you're at work and not around to supervise your children's web surfing. You can also setup the system to create a password, that only you know, to override the restrictions.

Some programs can also block personal information, such as name, address and phone number, from being sent from your computer. This is an excellent way to protect children from potential online predators.

Many programs allow you to create different levels of security and filtering based on the different ages of the computer's users. Children can be given high security and heavy content filtering, but when you log on to the machine, you can set it to not filter any content at all.

One thing to remember is that by installing filtering software on your computer, you might also restrict childrens' access to legitimate sites. This is especially true if you rely on key words (such as "s*x") for blocking. Certain key words appear on legitimate news and information sites, so it's best to experiment with different settings when configuring the filter controls.

Installing filtering software is no guarantee that children won't be exposed to some inappropriate material online. New websites pop up everyday, so it's important to keep your software up to date. Also, learn how your Internet browser software works so that you can check the sites your family has visited (this is the "History" feature, which displays a list of websites visited by the web browser).

Talking to your children about the possible dangers that exist on the Internet, and supervising their web surfing are still the best ways to protect them.

Some key general Internet-related safety points for your children:
  • Tell them to never give out personal information about themselves or the family to strangers they might meet online or in a chat room.
  • Remind them that online it's easy for people to pretend to be someone else. They can easily change their name, age and gender in an effort to get close to children.
  • Teach them that they should never meet a new online friend without an adult present.
  • Tell them to never give out their picture to a stranger, and that if they ever get a picture with sexual content, or something they find disturbing, that they should get off the computer immediately and tell you about it.
  • Let them know that if they encounter something or someone dangerous that they can tell you about it, and that you won't blame them or get mad.


Here are some sites where you can get parental control software:
ICRAplus (free)
http://www.icra.org/icraplus/

CyberPatrol
http://www.cyberpatrol.com/

Safety Surf
http://www.safetysurf.com/

Good Internet safety information sites for both kids and adults are:
GetNetWise.org:
http://kids.getnetwise.org/

RestrictedToAdults.org:
http://rtalabel.org

source: PT

Essence of Flores De Mayo

Flores de Mayo is a Catholic festival held in the Philippines in the month of May. It lasts for a month, and is held in honor of the Virgin Mary. The Santa Cruzan is a parade held on the last day of Flores de Mayo in honor of Reyna Elena.

In Bicol

In the Bicol region, especially in the locality of Barangay Sabang in Naga City, this annual affair is held every Wednesdays and Saturdays of the entire month, headed by the legion of mary, presidium cause of our joy, rañeses and alcantara's family, with the last day called as "katapusan".The ritual is started with the rosary, with every decade followed by Spanish marian songs:

-Reina del Rosario-

Reina del Rosario
Madre del amor
Guarda nuestras almas
Prestanos favor
(repeat)

-Dios te Salve-

Dios te salve, salve maria Llena eres de gracia El señor es contigo Y bendita tu eres Entre todas las mujeres Y bandito es el fruto De tu vientre Jesus

-Venid-

Venid y vamos todos Con flores a porfia Con flores a Maria Que madre nuestra es (repeat)

Solo-

De nuevo aui nos tienes Purisima doncella Mas que los cielos bella Postrados, postrados a tus pies Venimos a ofrecerte Flores del bajo suelo

Con que filial le anhelo Señora tu lo vez (repeat)

-Dulcisima Virgen-

Dulcisima Virgen Del cielo delicia La flor que te ofresco Recibe proficia (repeat)

Solo-

Los valles alegran Benifico rayo Del sol que engalana Las flores de Mayo

Risueñas se abren Y el caliz asoma Y es parsen en torno Balsamico aroma (repeat)

Jasmin, asuzena Claveles, galanos De ofrenda servidme Venid amis manos Mostrad hoy y gala Mayo lozania

Que va recibiros La Virgen Maria (repeat)

-Adios-

Adios Reina del cielo De estrellas coronada Adios madre adorada Adios, adios, adios (repeat)

Adios, adios

The traditional MARIA with its respected meaning is said after the salve and the litany.Dating back to the Spanish times, this tradition is said in the Hispanic language.after the ceremony, simple snacks are given to the children who attended the devotion.There is also the aurora in which mary is brouht to the procession.Alabasyon is called to the sang prayers for the holy cross.

In the Tagalog region

In the Tagalog region, this custom and celebration started after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 and after the publication circa 1867 of Mariano Sevilla's translation of the devotional Flores de Maria or Mariquit na Bulaclac na sa Pagninilaynilay sa Buong Buan nang Mayo ay Inihahandog nang manga Devoto cay Maria Santisima (The Flowers of Mary or the Beautiful Flowers that in the Meditations During the Whole Month of May are Offered by Devotees to Mary the Holiest). (http://www.filipino.com.au/categ/culture/floresdemayo.htm)

The Sagala

A Sagala is a religious-historical beauty pageant held in many cities, towns and even in small communities throughout the Philippines during the month of May. One of the most colorful May-time festivals in the Philippines which depicts the finding of the Holy Cross by Queen Helena, mother of Constantine the Great. Many movie and television personalities participate in the events and are featured as major sagalas and escorts.[1]This festival was introduced by the Spaniards in the Philippines and has since become part of Filipino traditions identified with youth, love and romance.

The procession commemorates the search of the Holy Cross by Queen Helena (Reyna Elena) and her son, the newly converted emperor Constantine. After the Holy Cross was found in Jerusalem and brought back to Rome, there was a joyful celebration for thanksgiving.

A novena in honor of the Holy Cross precedes the Flores de Mayo or Santacruzan.

Order of the procession

This colourful pageant parade is arranged in this order:

1. Methuselah- he is bearded, bent with age, riding a cart looking preoccupied with toasting some grains of sand in a pan over a fire. This is a reminder that all that glitters will end up as dust like that which he is toasting.

2. Reyna Banderada - a young lady dressed in a long red gown carrying a yellow triangular flag. She represents the arrival of Christianity.

3. Aetas - represents the animist Filipinos prior to the islands' conversion to Christianity by the Spanish.

4. Reyna Mora (Queen Moor) - represents the Filipinos who converted to Islam, which arrived in the Philippines two centuries before Christianity.

5. Reyna Fe (Queen Faith) - symbolises the virtue of faith,the first of the theological virtues. She carries a cross.

6. Reyna Esperanza (Queen Hope) - symbolises the virtue of hope, the second theological virtue. She carries an anchor.

7. Reyna Caridad (Queen Charity)- symbolises the virtue of charity, the third theological virtue. She carries a red-coloured heart.

8. Reyna Abogada (Queen Lawyer) - the defender of the poor and the oppressed, she wears a black graduation cap and gown (toga) and carries a large book.

9. Reyna Sentenciada (Queen Convicted) - has her slim hands bound by a rope, she stands for the innocents who have been unjustly convicted. She is accompanied by two Roman soldiers.

10. Reyna Justicia (Queen Justice) - a personification of the "Mirror of Justice", she carries a weighing scale and a sword.

11. Reyna Judith (Queen Judith) - represents the biblical widow Judith of Bethulia who saved her city from the Assyrians by slaying the cruel Holofernes. She carries the head of her victim in one hand and a sword in the other.

12. Reyna Sheba (Queen Sheba) - represents the Queen of Sheba, who visited King Solomon and was overwhelmed by his wisdom, power and riches. She carries a jewelry box.

13. Reyna Esther - the Jewish queen of Persia who spared her people from death at the hands of Haman through her timely intervention with King Xerxes. She carries a scepter.

14. Samaritana (The Female Samaritan) - the woman whom Christ spoke to at the well. She carries a jug on her shoulder.

15. Veronica - the woman who wiped the face of Jesus; bears a bandana imprinted with the three faces of Jesus.

16. Tres Marias(The Three Marys)- each Mary holds an attribute associated with her:

a. Mary of Magdala - a bottle of perfume;

b. The Virgin Mary - a handkerchief;

c. Mary, the mother of James - a bottle of oil.

17. Marian - each figure alludes to a title of the Virgin Mary or is associated with her.

a. A-V-E--M-A-R-I-A - eight "angels"- girls all wearing long white dresses and wings- each holding a letter to complete the word "AVE MARIA."

b. Divina Pastora (Divine Shepherdess) - a shepherdess' staff.

c. Reyna de las Estrellas (Queen of the Stars) - a wand with a star.

d. Rosa Mystica(Mystical Rose)- a bouquet of roses.

e. Reyna Paz (Queen of Peace) - the symbol of peace.

f. Reyna de las Propetas (Queen of the Prophets)- an hourglass.

g. Reyna del Cielo (Queen of Heaven)- a flower; has two little "angels" accompanying her.

h. Reyna de las Virgines (Queen of the Virgins) - a rosary; also accompanied by two little "angels".

i. Reyna de las Flores (Queen of the Flowers) - a bouquet of flowers.

18. Reyna Elena (Queen Helena) - the last member of the procession, she represents Saint Helena, legendary finder of the True Cross; this is signified by the small cross she carries in her arms. The role is usually awarded to the most beautiful girl in the procession. For the Santacruzan to be more exciting, the identity of the maiden playing Reyna Elena is kept a secret until the day of the parade.

a. Constantine - the escort of Reyna Elena, he is a young boy wearing the barong tagalog. He represents the Emperor Constantine.


The procession is then followed by the steady beat of the rondalla, playing and singing the Hail Mary in Spanish ("Dios Te Salve"). The devotees walking with the procession hold lighted candles in their hands and sing the prayer as they go along.

After the procession, there is a pabitin that serves as a culminating activity for all the children to enjoy. A Pabitin is a square trellis where goodies (candies, fruits, small trinkets, etc.) are hung by strings. This trellis is, in turn, tied to a rope and is suspended on a strong branch or pole. The children then gather under the trellis and they jump as high as they can to try to pick the goodies as the trellis is slowly lowered to them while someone jerks it up and down repeatedly until all the goodies are gone.

It is customary for males attending the Santacruzan wear the traditional Barong Tagalog and that the females wear any Filipiniana- inspired dress.

External links

Source: wikipedia

All your movies on a single DVD: study

PARIS (AFP) - - Scientists unveiled new DVD technology on Wednesday that stores data in five dimensions, making it possible to pack more than 2,000 movies onto a single disc.
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A team of researchers at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, used nanotechnology to boost the storage potential nearly 10,000-fold compared to standard DVDs, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.

"We were able to show how nanostructured material can be incorporated onto a disc in order to increase data capacity, without increasing the physical size of the disc," said Min Gu, who lead the team.

Discs currently have three spatial dimensions. By using gold nanorods Gu and colleagues were able to add two additional dimensions, one based on the colour spectrum, and the other on polarisation.

Because nanoparticles react to light depending on their shape, it was possible to record information in a range of different colour's wavelengths at the same physical location on the disc.

Current DVDs record in a single colour wavelength using a laser.

The fifth dimension was made possible by polarisation. When light waves were projected onto the disc, the direction of the electric field within the waves aligned with the gold nanorods.

"The polarisation can be rotated 360 degrees," explained co-author James Chon.

"We were, for example, able to record at zero degree polarisation. Then on top of that, were able to record another layer of information at 90 degrees polarisation, without them interfering with each other," he said in a statement.

The researchers are still working out the speed at which the discs can be written on, and say that commercial production is at least five years off.

They have signed an agreement with Korea-based Samsung, one of the world's largest electronics manufacturers.

Last month, US technology giant General Electric said its researchers had developed a holographic disc which can store the equivalent of 100 standard DVDs.

Dual-layer Blu-ray discs hold the equivalent of 10 standard DVDs.

Source: AFP

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The Vegetarian

Once I saw a vegetarian eating a banana. I asked her how would she like it if her skin was ripped off and she was eaten alive. Hehehe...:)

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