Just like under the sea

Just like under the sea
(March 14, 2008)

For the longest time, Filipinos can only enjoy a close encounter with the many interesting creatures of the sea when we go abroad. The nearest oceanariums are found in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. Times have changed and for the first time in the Philippines, we have our very own Manila Ocean Park.

Located at the heart of Manila, the Manila Ocean Park is set to be the city’s newest tourist attraction. It boasts of 20,000 exotic and colorful fishes, mostly native to the Philippines. “It will definitely add to the charm of the Philippines, and this modern-day mega structure will surely draw the crowds in,” says Philippine Tourism Authority Chairman Robert Dean Barbers, adding, “The oceanarium will show how much the Philippines have to offer when it comes to our underwater attractions.”

We were lucky to be one of the very first visitors to tour the oceanarium. The first part of the tour is called the “Agos” wherein, one gets to see assorted freshwater varieties set in a rainforest environment. The area has a very outdoorsy effect and will truly jumpstart one’s anticipation of the entire visual adventure. Before going to the second part, there is a small pond wherein one can touch the varieties of starfish and other species. Kids of all ages would definitely enjoy this attraction.

But the best and most anticipated part of the tour is the Buhay na Karagatan. It is a 20-feet acrylic underwater walk-in tunnel-aquarium and activity center wherein one will be surrounded by an array of different species. There are also interactive devices that give information about the oceans surrounding the Philippines and the different sea creatures. On the second floor, visitors can experience a 15-minute fish spa courtesy of the doctor fish.

Besides being a tourist destination, Manila Ocean Park also thinks of its social responsibility by giving back to the community where it was established. It has very strong environmental advocacies and seeks to awaken public awareness with regards to the environment.

The park is only on its first phase as there would be other developments in the coming months. The whole concept, when completed, will bring together the oceanarium with a shopping mall and a boutique hotel—all in one compound. This would be another breakthrough in the Philippines and in Asia Pacific as this would be the first of its kind in the region.

As Senator Richard Gordon puts it, “This is the name-changer of tourism in Manila.” I guess one should experience it, to believe.
- Katrina Guevarra, Contributor

http://globalpinoy.com/news/news_inside.php?newsnum=12367
Originally published in The Manila Times

TrendLabs continues battle against malware

TrendLabs continues battle against malware
Monday, July 09, 2007

On June 21, almost 6,000 Italian websites were infected by a massive online threat dubbed worldwide as the “ Italian Job,” which infected over 15,000 PC user who visited the compromised sites. Trend Micro’s global network of research, service and support and its headquarters in Manila, TrendLabs was among the first to discover the rapidly spreading infection and provided the solutions.

The infection began on June 15 and did not subside until 6 days after. This was the second time an attack happened, which exploited a number of legitimate Italian websites to spread malicious JavaScripts. This attack affected not only PC users based in Italy, but also the US, Spain and to a latter extent, some other parts of the world.

This massive infection used multiple components to surreptitiously infect a targeted group of Internet users. It is believed by security experts to have been an automated attack, created from a computer Trojan-making kit called Mpack.

The “Italian Job” represents a textbook example of today’s threat environment: Web-based, blended, sequential, targeted and profit-driven. This type of attack is not far from happening again, thus affecting even more Internet users. JavaScripts and other types of technologies that enable the goodness of Web 2.0 are highly susceptible to such attacks. Malware toolkits are available for sale on the online and frequently updated.

Web threats came as a natural outcome of the Web’s new interactivity. It is not only net users who are given more space online, but also threat authors. Indeed, the last two years has seen the rise of Web threats, surpassing worms and viruses, which used to be the most prominent of malware or malicious software.

“Web threats are threats that operate via the Internet; they arrive, propagate, deliver their payload, and entrench themselves via the Web. They are not merely threats originating from the Internet. More than just malicious files that arrive on computers, they perform a host of other actions once installed on machines. These actions then weave themselves in and out of the Web,” according to TrendLabs.

“What is especially notable is how such a large number of websites have been compromised in such a short period of time, possibly even in one go. It was an event arguably reminiscent of the outbreak era, wherein one malware is capable of spreading and infecting systems in a matter of minutes,” according to Paul Oliveria, senior technical writer at TrendLabs.

TrendLabs was among the first to provide appropriate solutions to counter this Italian attack. TrendLabs serves as the backbone of Trend Micro’s service infrastructure for providing continuous round-the-clock coverage utilizing more than 800 security experts to Trend Micro customers around the world.

-- Katrina C. Guevarra (TMTSJ)

Link
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/july/09/yehey/techtimes/20070709tech4.html

Local Internet users pegged at 8.1 million in 2006­–report

Local Internet users pegged at 8.1 million in 2006­–report
Monday, July 09, 2007

The IT industry in the Philippines is getting bigger, according to the Philippines Information Technology Report Q1 2007 by Business Monitor International (BMI), a print and online publisher of specialist business information on global emerging markets.

“Although PC and Internet penetration rates are still in their infancy, they are expected to reach 27 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, by 2011,” the report said.

BMI figures also put local Internet users to an estimated 8.1 million in 2006, growing progressively over the last 5 years. This is clearly manifested in the sheer number of neighborhood Internet cafés and gaming network centers all over the metro and beyond. Global PC ownership is also growing, with an estimated total spending of around US$725 million on hardware in 2007, up from a projected US$648 million in 2006. BMI also expects global software spending to grow 12 percent from around US$211 million in 2006.

The IT expenditure of most companies is also expected to rise in 2007, and BMI pegs the total Philippine IT market to increase in size. All in all, the whole sector is showing no signs of slowing down. “Truly, the Philippines still remains as an increasingly important IT player in the region,” stated in the report.

“Given the projected increase in local computing activities, security cannot be overlooked. Without a built-in security infrastructure in place, the Internet is wide open to attacks and vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malicious users who want to gain profit. The advent of Web 2.0 could actually compound the problem with its emphasis on user-generated content and a more collaborative dynamic among users,” the report added.

-- Katrina C. Guevarra (TMTSJ)

Link
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/july/09/yehey/techtimes/20070709tech2.html

Touch delivers new touch screen experience

Touch delivers new touch screen experience
Monday, July 16, 2007

HTC, the world’s leading provider of Microsoft Windows Mobile-based smart devices globally launched HTC Touch, a deceptively small and stylish mobile PDA-phone that brings in an innovative concept in intuitive touch screen navigation. The HTC Touch delivers a new level of simplicity to the powerful and function-rich device experience that today’s mobile consumers demand.

The latest HTC model’s edge over other mobile devices is that it offers a new and unique way of controlling touched screen-based devices by recognizing and responding to the sweep of a finger across the screen—yes, similar to the Apple iPhone. It is the first device to feature TouchFLO, the new underlying touch screen technology developed by HTC. Consumers simply sweep their finger up the display to launch an animated, three-dimensional interface. TouchFLO also enhances finger touch scrolling and browsing of Web pages, documents, messages and contact lists.

“With the HTC Touch, access to your most commonly used content, contacts and features is only a simple finger flick away,” said Peter Chou, CEO, HTC. “ Mobile phone makers have done a great job of cramming ever-more exciting features into even-smaller phones. But the way in which one accesses these increasingly sophisticated features has not kept pace. That ends today with the HTC Touch.”

Having the broad functionality of Windows Mobile 6 Professional, the HTC Touch include essential MS Office applications and the capabilities to run thousands of third-party software. Users can also surf the Web, send and receive e-mails and chat online. It also has a built-in 2.0 mega-pixel digital camera.

-- Katrina C. Guevarra (TMTSJ)

Link
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/july/16/yehey/techtimes/20070716tech1.html

Eight Pinoy cyber athletes off to Seattle

Eight Pinoy cyber athletes off to Seattle
Monday, July 23, 2007

Eight Filipinos will represent the country in the World Cyber Games (WCG) World Finals to be held in Seattle, Washington, this October.

The following players survived the three-day national finals held at The Block in SM North EDSA: Team Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Kristofer Romillo, Arvin Agbisit, Gary Gueverras, EJ Clores and Jupiter Gaboy) were declared champions for Counter Strike. While Tristan Solee, Byron Bongon and Israel Magante each bagged their event titles for PC games Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, Starcraft:Broodwar and Need for Speed:Carbon, respectively.

The national champions each received P30,000 in cash plus a Samsung mobile phone. They also bagged other prizes that included Power Color videocards, gift certificates from Villman Computer Systems, Logitech G15 gaming keyboard and various Animax Premium items. They will also receive round-trip tickets to Seattle with accommodations paid by WCG sponsors.

The RP team will compete against gamers from seven continents. Helping them prepare for the main event are major supporters like Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. and the Philippine E-Sports Entertainment Network, Inc.

“We are proud to give these fine cyber athletes the opportunity to strut their stuff in the global arena,” said Jerry Lacson, Samsung general manager for marketing. “Seeing how they have competed these past weeks, we look forward to how they will fare in this year’s competition.”

Samsung, which has been supporting WCG for the past six years in the Philippines, recognizes the relevance of video gaming in the country.

The WCG preliminaries began last April with hordes of eager and aspiring Filipino gamers signing up. After nearly 10 weeks of intense and competitive cybersports, 64 finalists emerged from Davao, Baguio, Cebu and Metro Manila.

It is estimated that up to 700 of the world’s best gamers will fly to Seattle this October to participate in the world’s most prestigious e-Sports competition.

-- Katrina C. Guevarra (TMTSJ)

Link
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/july/23/yehey/techtimes/20070723tech3.html

GIFTEDNESS AND AUTISM: THE DIFFERENCE

GIFTEDNESS AND AUTISM: THE DIFFERENCE by: Katrina C. Guevarra

Giftedness has been a much talked about matter since the early '90s. However, there are more to giftedness than meets the eye. Dr. Rizalina Pagorogon, a neuro-developmental pediatrician of Amang Rodriguez Medical Center, defines what giftedness is and differentiates it from autism. Having similar signs and symptoms, giftedness and autism are always mistaken for each other. So how does one determine which is which? Early signs of giftedness "You would have to look at the child's developmental status as he grows based on the task expected on his particular age group," says Pagorogon. It all depends on the task expected on the age group. One should observe closely, if the child is very much advanced in the expected stage of development. "Giftedness is actually a talent super and above the expected task of his age," Pagorogon added. For example, a two-year-old boy is expected that he cannot write, but he can draw. One who possess extraordinary talent beyond his expected mental status is considered gifted. She further explains, "A gifted child is usually doing something that is super and above his age-which could usually manifest in six areas." Early signs of autism Now we go to the other side of the spectrum-autism. People have misconceptions about autism. They often think that once a person or child is diagnosed with autism, he is already automatically helpless. Some people even find the matter laughable. Pagorogon enlightened us with this matter, "In autism, there is also what we classify as high functioning which some people often mistake as gifted." Children who belong to this type function very well and are very much teachable. "You see, there is a broad spectrum in determining child's development. This scale ranges from moron to genius. In this kind of behavioral disorder, what suffers is their psychosocial-emotional aspect." One manifestation of this, is the autistic child inability to cope with stress. "Although parents will say sometimes, they are very affectionate.especially those who have children who are high-functional-their children can actually have outbursts. This is because autistic children, think that people are just nothing." For those who have severe type of autism, it is an entire different case. "It is because their mind is set that they would just be like that, and there is often nothing you can teach autistic children belonging to this type." Behavior-wise, you can detect autism when you start to notice that they isolate themselves. "They have no contact with reality, they live on fantasy. When they play alone, even if you call them, they won't communicate," explains Pagorogon. Another thing you would notice is that when they want something, they just get it without saying any word at all-will not even ask permission. "Parents would often complain about those matters when they consult with me," she shares. On extreme cases, another early sign of autism should be watched out for. Repetitive stereotype repertoire of movements happens when the child practices repetitive hand movements. "Children who have this usually bang their heads with their hands, they keep on spinning and they have an obsession with a particular thing, a toy perhaps." She also warns parents not take away these things because that would truly stress an autistic child. However she would like to clarify that this is a case-to-basis. How parents cope Like what was mentioned in the other paragraphs, it's a broad spectrum of autism disorders. No matter how light or severe the child's case are, the only goal should be to make them self-reliant someday. Pagorogon shares with us how parents should cope when they find out that their children possess one of these characteristics: You have to get their concern. Oftentimes, parents of autistic children, resort to denial instead of accepting their child's situation. It is the very first step for coping with the situation. "Otherwise, if you don't accept there is a problem, then you cannot do something." After acceptance, parents can line up all that they need to do. Get them into Special Education or SPED. "Again, it depends on what level the age of the kid is," explains Pagorogon. Different from sending kids to a regular school, one has to consider the mental age of the kid not the chronological age. In SPED, they give them a task-orientation program. "to get them into routine." Pagorogon said. At the same time, parents should get the child into behavior management that should also be aligned with the mental age of the child. Give the family support and also the children as well. The family and the people surrounding the children need support as well. There is no such thing as a hopeless case. Though it is easier said than done, Pagorogon has handled many successful cases of children who had autism who had successfully coped up and is now in normal schools. "I have a lot of patients who are autistic children and they are already in normal schools. Actually I have two to three who are already in the States in normal schools." However, she does admit that they still suffer in the psychosocial emotional aspect. They still cannot cope up with stress and have very limited friends. She further warns that if this cannot be corrected at a young age, the children will have problems in personality. Treatments As what was mentioned in the earlier, a child can be enrolled in Special Education Programs depending on what his or her concern is. There are a lot of programs in SPED that targets particular concerns of children. "If the child doesn't know how to speak, there is speech therapy, if the problem is that they do not know how to deal with their fear, you can get them into social-environment stimulation. Then the next is behavior-stimulation, so they would be able to cope up with their daily activities," explains Pagorogon. However, she advises that parents - should bring his or her autistic child to a pediatrician if the matter is really worse and result to medication. Conclusion Giftedness and autism are on opposite side of the spectrum. Though the two have similarities and differences in its diagnosis, it is important to note that they be treated as normal children. "Not because they are gifted you'll give him more attention than other children. Otherwise the other children will also suffer. You just have to put a bit more of understanding especially to autistic children," said Pagorogon. These should not be addressed to the children who are gifted or special, but also to the people surrounding them as well. Even if you have a special or gifted child, you don't have to neglect the other child but instead, make him understand the situation. Pagorogon understands the difficulty of these task but still encourages the family, teachers and people around the child to do so. "It is easier said than done, but there is always a way to do it." And I couldn't agree more. http://www.globalpinoy.com/pinoyhealth/ph_feature/FE061008.php Originally published in Health News magazine

Growing Poinsettia, the Christmas Flower

The Christmas season is here once again and what better way to give places — and even our own houses the Christmas feel than with the use of poinsettias. People think that poinsettias are only for Christmas. But according to Francis Gener, manager of King Louis Farm, that’s the biggest misconception of consumers. Poinsettias are not only for that particular season and it doesn’t only come in red. It also comes in colors like white and pink. Poinsettias nowadays however, are not only limited to solid colors and particular growth patterns.

In fact, King Louis Farm, the country’s biggest grower and supplier of poinsettias, is about to introduce a whole new hybrid of poinsettias in the market. They are the Winter Rose Family, Jester Red and Jester Jingle Bells and Strawberries ‘N Cream.

The Winter Rose family comes in the colors dark red, deep pink, pink, marble and white. It has unique incurved bracts, green incurved leaves, easily adaptable to most product forms and exceptional shelf-life. The jester red and jester jingle bells proves true to its “The Name Speaks for the Habit” tagline. It has an upright habit; bracts open and expand as they mature. It also has dark green leaves, outstanding post production characteristics and is a novel presentation on its own. If you want something compact yet unique, then the strawberries ‘n cream variant is for you. It has a distinct cream and dark pink color combination, unique serrated leaves and bracts, excellent post reduction characteristics and best of all, no growth regulators required. Truly there is “nothing else like it!”

Poinsettias, scientifically called Euphorbia pulcherrima was said to have originated from Mexico. It was named after Joel R. Poinsett who first brought back cuttings to South Carolina in 1828. Worldwide, it is a growing market representing approximately 85% of plant sales during the Christmas season. Here in the Philippines, there are only three licensed growers and suppliers of poinsettia in the market. King Louis flowers and plants is one of them and the biggest of all.

Having surpassed the quality of even the imported poinsettias and securing patent of Paul Ecke poinsettias of the Netherlands, King Louis is now making its own name in the Philippine market as the leading grower of poinsettias.

According to Gener, during the Christmas season they sell around 140,000 pots of poinsettias and their sales reach up to approximately 7.5 million pesos. These come with big expenses though as they pay the pick-up truck 15,000 pesos per trip. This is because their farm is based in Baguio and the poinsettias have to be transported all the way to Quezon City.

The market for poinsettias is only from October to December unless there are orders for debuts or weddings. It also extends up to February. Of course, according to Gener, the poinsettias used for these occasions are the white and pink ones. For the materials they use for planting, they import their materials from the Netherlands. But it was also mentioned that the US and Hawaii are good sources of planting materials. King Louis’ production cost is PhPys -PhPioo per pot depending on the size. They cater to all classes from A- D market. “Even the cigarette vendors come to us to resell.” Gener said.

Their leading customers however, are the malls like Ayala, Rockwell and SM. They One thing that makes also sell their poinsettias to King Louis flowers and plants people working in airports and stand out from the rest aside subdivision residents. from paying loyalty abroad

to Paul Ecke, is the amount of extensive research which they did to be able to make quality breeds of poinsettias available to the market. Even though they are growing to be quite popular, one would be surprised to find that they do not really do much advertising. “Most of our advertisements are ex-deals in talk shows, [events like] Agrlink, Worldvex”, said Gener.

There are a few important pointers, he said, in growing poinsettias: cutting by bed, lighting it for 14 days for 4 hours a night, after which covering the foliage with dark cloth – starting at 4

pm up to 7 pm. These procedures should be done rigorously. Otherwise, the poinsettias won’t turn into the desired color which is often red. It can be grown in different soil mixes as long as it has good water retention properties. Also, Gener advises growers to maintain the media’s soil PH level from 5 – 6.5.

Bet you didn’t know that poinsettias can also serve as therapy. Since it is beautiful and pleasing to the eye, it easily fits wherever you put it. Nowadays, it is also being used in cemeteries especially those with mausoleums. Of course, no one can deny the beauty this breed of flowers radiates whether it be used as ornaments, gifts or for other purposes.

King Louis Farm is located in a six-hectare lot at Trinidad, Benguet. It is habitat of not only poinsettias but also 16 local and imported flower varieties like gladiola, misty blue, snapdragon, bells of Ireland, liatris, tulips, potted chrysanthemums, kalanchoe, hydrangea, African violet, petunia and a lot more.
Today, King Louis Farm continues their legacy by innovating ways to grow high quality flowers through extensive research and application of that research in its operations. It is indeed a haven for flower enthusiasts out there.

With all that in mind, we come to a conclusion that poinsettias, though they are hard to grow, make excellent profit. However, one needs to have time, patience and enough resources in order to make it work. And let us not forget, one also needs to have the skills and a green-thumb. If you have all those, then an inviting business opportunity might be waiting for you.

Poinsettia Quick Facts

• The classic Christmas plant, poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, is native to Mexico and the Aztecs called the plant “Cuetlayochitl.” Today in Mexico the Poinsettia is called Flor de nochebuena (Christmas Eve Flower)
• The poinsettia is named after Joel R. Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to our southern neighbor. Poinsett brought back cuttings to South Carolina about 1828
• In Mexico, poinsettia is a perennial flowering shrub rated to about 10-15 feet tall. The color you see are not flowers, but colored bracts (modified leaves) just like colors of bougainvillea vines
• Growing Poinsettia is a big industry today representing about 85% of potted plant Christmas season sales. The USA exports about 90% of the world’s Poinsettia plants. It is thought that Poinsettia is grown commercially in greenhouses in all 50 states and over 60 million plants are produced for sale, Purdue University maintains a list of named varieties for 2003
• Joel R, Poinsett died on December 12
• Contrary to conventional wisdom, poinsettia is not a poisonous plant. A Ohio State University study showed that a 50 pound child could eat 500 bracts and might have a slight stomach ache
• However, the white sap can have allergic properties, especially for folks who have latex allergies. The Poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, is a relative of the Brazilian Rubber Tree from which we harvest latex. Contacting the sap, those affected can get a rash, hives, sneezing, coughing, tight throat and possibly difficult breathing. Almost all reactions are mild

Indoor Care for Poinsettia Plants is Easy

• First, many Poinsettia plants are sold with a decorative brightly-colored aluminum or plastic pot wrapper. That’s nice, but both aluminum and plastic block water drainage. You need to remove the wrapper or punch holes for drainage
• Poinsettia plants are extremely brittle. Handle with care to not snap branches. Place your plant in a bright area (best) away from all cold air (like doors) and all cold drafts. Otherwise, cool indoor household temperatures are just fine
• Poinsettia plants like to be kept on the dry side. Water as often as needed, but allow soil to get dry before watering again, then soak the soil. Be 100% certain all excess water is drained away, so use of pot trays means you have to empty the tray completely
• Best is to water (soak the soil) in your sink without the tray, then replace the tray. For best performance, however, never allow your plant to wilt due to tack of water
• Food is not necessary if your poinsettia is a Christmas holiday plant. If kept throughout the winter, you can feed in the spring, and periodically until early October
• If you wish to grow your poinsettia for the next Christmas, cut back your plant in spring (April is a good month) and feed. Outside of zone 9-11, place in eastern sun (only) or general shade after you have reliable temperatures above about 60 degrees. You can also re-pot at pruning time into a larger pot. Keep the plant pruned and pinched (all summer) to produce the main branches you want with plenty of growing tips (from which you get color). You could also severely prune again (you already did in April) in fall, about September
• As fall approaches, bring your plant indoors to a bright location when temperatures threaten to go below 60 degrees. Starting the end of September or the beginning of October, to initiate color change, place your Poinsettia in complete darkness 12 hours per day. Zero light usually 5:00 PM until morning light. During the day (the other 12 hours) provide as much bright light as possible
• Close to Christmas, you wilt see your poinsettia’s color return.

King Louis Farm
Phone: 929-4105

author: Katrina C. Guevarra, Marid Digest

http://www.mixph.com/2008/11/growing-poinsettia-the-christmas-flower.html