Oks! News from the Philippines

PhilPost Postmaster Erlina “Lily” Pecante, the reigning world champion and record holder in Women’s Powerlifting will fly to Palm Springs, California to compete in the 2008 IPF Masters World Powerlifting Championship tomorrow, Sept. 27 via Northwest Airlines.

The 43 year old Postmaster and acknowledged as the world’s strongest woman, has reigned supreme in all International Powerlifting competitions since 1988. A recipient of this year’s Philippine Sportswriters Association award, Pecante has been an outstanding employee of the Philippine Postal Corporation.

Her boss, Postmaster General Hector R.R. Villanueva and the board of directors of PhilPost led by Chairman Franco Loyola wish her good luck and pray that she bring home the crown once again for the country.

The latest edition to her long list of achievents is the Asian Powerlifting Championships where she led the Philippine team sweep the Women’s 90-kg masters and winning the Asian Best Lifter award, smashing the Asian Master record in the bench press with 275 pounds.

Sanctioned by the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), the USA Powerlifting and the city of Palm Springs, California was selected by IPF as the hosts for the 2008 championships from September 30-October 04,2008 to be held at the famous Palm Springs Convention Center. Pecante will compete in the 90-kg weight class.

The IPF Masters World Powerlifting Championships is the most prestigious masters powerlifting event held annually. The event consistently hosts more than 300 lifters from 20 to 40 countries.
Pecante started lifting the 60-kg weight class until she reaches the 100 kilograms category which won her the National Open Championships in 1987, and the title “strongest woman in the Philippines”.

Before taking the 210 kilogram, her first two tries that produced 200.5 kg and 201.5 kg respectively, had already broken the Philippine record. Since beginning to lift at age 16, Pecante has won more than 20 medals majority of which came from international competitions held in India, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Czech Republic, United States and South Africa.

Pecante is the current Postmaster of Pasig City Central Post Office.

Games and Amusements Board chairman Eric Buhain says he expressed his concern like several boxing aficionados about the disparity in size, height, reach and weight between Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya but that he never asked the World Boxing Council to cancel the “Dream Match.”

Buhain, in a conversation with www.insidesports.ph, Manila Standard and Viva Sports indicated his surprise over the story that came out this morning.

The fight between the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and “The Golden Boy” is set to take place at the GMG Grand in Las Vegas on December 6.

The claim that Buhain told congressmen during a budget hearing that he believes Pacquiao has no chance against the bigger De La Hoya and had requested the WBC to call off the fight was reportedly contained in a press release issued by the Office of Congressman Rufus Rodriguez and not from Buhain or the GAB.

Rodriguez said “I think Manny has no chance of winning. De La Hoya who is five inches taller and who is five inches longer in reach than our boxing idol will kill the smaller and lighter Pacquiao.”

Rodriguez was reported to have suggested that Buhain cancel Pacquiao’s license so that Pacquiao “will have a legitimate reason to walk away.”

WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman in an overseas telephone conversation with www.insidesports.ph, Manila Standard and Viva Sports said “we have not received such a request but I personally believe that it’s a match that should not be promoted because of the extreme differences in height and weight.

Sulaiman said “I have my doubts that the WBC can do anything to stop the fight” although he stressed that chairman Buhain and he agree that Pacquiao “is not considering his place in history, his not considering his pride of being a world champion, he is not considering the serious differences where a lower weight beat a higher weight and in this case is not moving from one division to the next but from one to three more divisions.””

Tickets for the fight were sold out within minutes after they went on sale ensuring a huge income at the gate aside from the expected revenues from pay-per-view buys in the US and television rights income from around the world.

WBC founding secretary general Rudy Salud who has always believed that Pacquiao has a good chance of beating De La Hoya stressed that the WBC has “no jurisdiction” over the fight and neither can any other boxing organization.

At the same time Salud assailed the suggestion to cancel Pacquiao’s license saying “it cannot be done unilaterally” by the GAB without a proper hearing. Salud also pointed out that once Pacquiao agreed to fight in Las Vegas , his license falls under the aegis of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

At the same time Salud pointed out that Roy Jones Jr moved up from light heavyweight where the maximum weight was 175 pounds to fight heavyweight champion John Ruiz and in the official weigh-in Jones tipped the scales at 193 while Ruiz was 226 or a difference of 33 pounds, yet Jones won.

Salud went back to the time heavyweight champion Joe Louis scored a 6th round stoppage of the giant Primo Carbera noting that Louis came in at 196 pounds and Carbera at 260 ½ while Louis was 6’@ and Carnera 6 51/2” and in terms of reach it was 76 inches for Louis and 85 inches for Carnera.

Salud insisted “they can claim there is a disparity between the two fighters but they cannot even suggest it is a mismatch because it is not.”

Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin “Jeng” Gacal in an overseas telephone conversation with www.insidesports.ph said that Pacquiao was initially upset when he heard the story but was “most upset with Congressman Rodriguez” who had claimed the fight was “just about money” and that Pacquiao had “no chance of winning.”

Gacal said that after jogging in the morning Pacquiao played nine holes of golf and was now in San Diego to be at special ringside for the first US promotion by his outfit, MP Promotions headlined by the super bantamweight bout between world-rated Bernabe Concepcion and Mexican champion Caro.

Gacal said Rodriguez’ suggestion that Pacquiao be deprived of his license was “an unpatriotic act” and may derail plans for Pacquiao’s next fight possibly in the Philippines .

Gacal said “if Rodriguez plans to run for senator he should not try to ride on the popularity of Pacquiao.”

Mixed Martial Arts has been given a major boost with the visit of Ultimate Fighting Championship – UFC – Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and two-time UFC champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell to Manila .

In fact the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN’s “Balls” cable channel which is the Philippine partner of UFC plan to stage the first UFC event in Manila sometime in May next year.

Both were guests on the ANC Channel on “Korina Today” which was hosted by TJ Manotoc and gave every indication that they would love to be in Manila where the sport has tremendous potential for growth.

In fact over four thousand fans, some of whom had been lining up for three hours, packed the SM Mall of Asia to watch “Iceman” show off his trademark moves during an open workout.

“Mabuhay [or'Welcome'],” he said to his throng of cheering International fans. “I was really surprised. It was kinda shocking how many people actually showed up to watch me work out for an hour. It’s crazy. I didn’t expect it to be that big here. I thought it was a new market for us.” After the event fans mobbed the ring in order to get an autograph. Iceman obliged signing T-Shirts, hats and even beer cans.

It is against this increasing interest especially among the young in Mixed Martial Arts Fearless Fighting telecasts the final one-hour show in its “Intensity 8” series at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 26 over IBC 13.

Using the Octagon which is a highpoint of UFC and is being used by Fearless Fighting adds an exciting dimension to the MMA competition.

The main event features an eagerly-awaited rematch between Filipino middleweight champion Adrian Hillana and Iran ’s Razi Jabarri held at the spanking new Ynares Sports Center in Pasig .

It was a terrific battle that had the fans on their feet throughout and a fight that set the tone for future events.

Pandora needs your help!

“After a yearlong negotiation, Pandora, artists and record companies are finally optimistic about reaching an agreement on royalties that would save Pandora and Internet radio. But just as we’ve gotten close, large traditional broadcast radio companies have launched a covert lobbying campaign to sabotage our progress.

Yesterday, Congressman Jay Inslee, and several co-sponsors, introduced legislation to give us the extra time we need but the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), which represents radio broadcasters such as Clear Channel, has begun intensively pressuring lawmakers to kill the bill. We have just a day or two to keep this from collapsing.

This is a blatant attempt by large radio companies to suffocate the webcasting industry that is just beginning to offer an alternative to their monopoly of the airwaves.

Please call your Congressperson right now and ask them to support H.R. 7084, the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008 – and to not capitulate to pressure from the NAB. Congress is currently working extended hours, so even calls this evening and over the weekend should get answered.”

Intel is giving you the chance to test your PC gaming abilities in the Intel® Asia PC Gaming Showdown. Playing to represent the best gamer your country has to offer, you will go head-to-head against other gaming press/amateur gamers in the country to compete for the top media gamer title in the Philippines.

Harnessing the power and performance provided by Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor-based PCs, you will play a “best out of three” tournament in three Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) games:

- EA SPORTS™ FIFA 2008
- Need for Speed™ Pro Street
- Crysis™

Intel Asia PC Gaming Showdown will draw out the best of the best from Asia’s gaming media/amateur gamers – with representatives from seven countries – India, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – competing head-to-head for a chance to play in the final to be held in Hong Kong in October. The winner will also be recognised as the inaugural gaming champion of champions at an exciting event that aims to unite countries across the region with the passion and fun of gaming as its focus.

The champion will also fly home with an amazing, high-performance gaming PC – featuring the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor. The second place winner will be awarded with a Creative Gigaworks® S750 multimedia speaker system specially designed to heighten gaming experience. The top three finalists will also receive a range of the latest EA games and merchandise.

For more information and regular updates about the Intel® Asia PC Gaming Showdown, please visit http://www.intel.com/apac/consumer/game/playoff.

Time / Date: September 19, 2008, FRIDAY, 11:00 AM – onwards
Where: SM Megamall

2nd Cyprus International Short Film Festival to be held in April 2009 will include competitive and non-competitive sections. The competition categories in this edition of the festival are fiction and documentary. You can submit your short films completed after January 2007 to the festival by 16th of January, 2009. For application form and guidelines visit www.cyprusshortsfest.com.

For the non-competitive screenings you can submit your animation, experimental, documentary or fiction short films regardless of the production year again by the submission deadline.

The films submitted to both competitive and non-competitive sections of the festival must not exceed 30 minutes in duration and there are no entry fees.

Three years after Canon’s EOS 5D broke into the scene with a full-frame sensor, the EOS 5D Mark II follows up with yet another leap in DSLR performance.

When the EOS 5D was first released in 2005, it was a groundbreaking DSLR featuring many innovations that greatly enhanced performance with its 12.8 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor which offered greater dynamic range for fine, nuanced image detail, and lower noise.

Three years on, the EOS 5D Mark II once again introduces significant performance gains: a new 21.1 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 image processor, and a host of advanced features to make the EOS 5D Mark II the platform of choice for professional photographers and advanced photography enthusiasts who demand the best.

21.1-Megapixel Full-frame CMOS sensor
At the core of the EOS 5D Mark II is a new 21.1 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with EOS Integrated Cleaning System. The EOS 5D Mark II not only provides ample pixels for sharp detail and enlargements, but because it is a full-frame sensor, it also possesses wider dynamic range for subtler tones in images, and low noise at higher ISO sensitivities.

In this way, the sensor provides exceptionally sound data fundamentals with which the EOS 5D Mark II’s advanced processing capabilities with 14-bit analog-digital conversion can produce the highest image quality with finer tonal gradation, while the integrated cleaning system that keeps dust off the sensor ensures that this high quality is sustained.

DIGIC 4 Image Processor: Performance, Quality, Features
Equipped with Canon’s latest DIGIC 4 image processor that combines ultra-fast image processing (1.3 times faster processing than DIGIC III) with fine-detail, natural colour reproduction, the EOS 5D Mark II delivers vastly improved performance and excellent image quality along with a host of useful features made possible by DIGIC 4.

On the quality front, excellent image reproduction is supplemented by a host of automatic image correction features to handle challenging conditions and situations. These include improved noise reduction at high ISO sensitivities with little or no impact on continuous shooting speed, lens peripheral illumination correction which uses specific lens data to ensure correct light level at the four corners of images, and Auto Lighting Optimizer which automatically corrects image brightness and contrast.

DIGIC 4 also provides a host of useful features, such as compatibility with UDMA CF cards, and HDMI output.

Versatile in Operation
Besides excellent specifications, the EOS 5D Mark II is also very capable and versatile in actual use. This begins with the high quality of its magnesium alloy construction and shutter rated at 150,000 cycles; an improved viewfinder with 98 percent coverage; and high resolution (920,000 dots/VGA) 3-inch LCD screen that is multi-coated to cut reflection and resist smudging.

The EOS 5D Mark II features an expanded ISO range from 50 to 25,600 to tackle most shooting conditions; high speed continuous shooting is now possible at 3.9 frames per second (fps), with a maximum burst of up to 78 shots; and novice photographers who are ready to advance beyond Full Auto mode will find it easy to tweak the more commonly used camera settings to their preference with the Creative Auto mode. Live View shooting has also been improved so that menus can be accessed while shooting in this mode, and the EOS 5D Mark II is even able to record full HD movies at 30 fps.

On top of the EOS 5D Mark II’s formidable suite of features, it also benefits from a range of accessories that expand its capabilities even further. A stellar example is the new WFT-E4, a wireless file transmitter that also serves as a vertical grip, with wireless and wired LAN connection, as well as USB host feature, so that the EOS 5D Mark II can be connected to external storage and GPS devices.

EF24mm f/1.4L II USM: Best Optics
A high quality DSLR like the EOS 5D Mark II with a full-sized sensor (35mm equivalent) requires a high quality lens to match. The ideal candidate is the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM, the brightest large-diameter, high performance wide-angle 24mm lens with completely re-designed optics to take advantage of the latest developments in the field.

For starters, it features a special coating to cut ghosting and flaring resulting from light entering at an angle in the periphery of the front lens, which was not possible with conventional evaporated film
coating. This is supplemented by dustproof and waterproof construction to achieve maximum reliability required by professional users.

For unprecedented edge-to-edge high image quality, it uses a high-precision large-diameter aspherical lens, and UD lenses to correct chromatic aberration, which is quite common in wide-angle lenses. Moreover, it also features a circular aperture for aesthetic blurring. With USM, the lens is additionally very fast and quiet at auto focussing, while a distance scale on the barrel adds versatility by aiding manual focussing.

The EOS EOS 5D Mark II and EF24mm f/1.4L II USM lens will be available at authorized Canon Dealers in October, 2008. Price to be announced.

Protect your business’s most important assets from cyber threats. At the “CyberSecurity: Protecting the Business” seminar, business executives will learn about the latest technologies and strategies that will help them protect their company’s integrity as well as one of the most important assets: data.

09 October 2008, Thursday

Registration: 08:00 AM

Programme: 09:30 AM

SGV Hall, Third Floor, AIM Conference Center, City of Makati

Attached are the following:

1. Working Programme to give you a preview of the proceedings.

2. Registration Form to confirm your attendance in the event. Please print or type-over all information required. This will be the source document for the preparation of your certificate of attendance.

Due to limited seats, confirmation of participation will be on a first-registered-first-confirmed basis.

Restrictions:

1. Participation is limited to two (2) individuals per company.

2. Priority will be given to managers and supervisors

Should you require additional information, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely yours,
Michael C. BLANCAS
+63.920.904-5195
+63.917.823-1664

Media G8way Corp.
3rd Floor, Annex Wing A, Zeta II Building
191 Salcedo Street, Legaspi Village
City of Makati, Metro Manila
Philippines

It’s finally here! After months of planning, IAHGames has launched the EA SPORTS FIFA Online 2 Closed Beta Test on 18 September 2008. Soccer fans in the SEA regions can celebrate the chance to enjoy the world’s most popular football game for free.

FIFA Online 2 enables players to chat, connect and challenge one another using their own custom teams to earn experience points, items and reputation. It’s the first time a licensed football game with custom teams is made available for persistent online play. Winners will earn rewards such as energy drinks, medical kits, and uniform cards, which allow them to heal, refresh, and add new players to their team. Unwanted players can be bought and sold between players, creating a complete and living football community that never sleeps.

The game has already been made available for free download at the official website:www.EASPORTSFIFAONLINE2.com.

To promote the free trial and coming full release, IAHGames will launch a new ‘Play with Freedom’ campaign. The ads encourage gamers to enjoy the benefits of having a top flight online football game available for free, and the endless possibilities of a football world in which they have complete control over their roster, the team they play, and the actions of their players.

Charice Pempengco & Celine Dion sang a duet at the Madison Square last Monday. Here’s a video of their performance: