Will Shortz Crowns First World Palindrome Champion

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 22, 2012 -
The Palindromist Magazine
Contact: Mark Saltveit   
palindromistmag@gmail.com      

Will Shortz Crowns First "World Palindrome Champion" in Brooklyn
Kinky "Yak Sex" Tale Edges "Not Newt" Gingrich Palindrome

A standup comedian from Portland, Oregon defeated two professors, two computer programmers, a cartoonist and a book clerk to win the first World Palindrome Championship, hosted by Will Shortz, the New York Times' crossword puzzle editor.  

600 word nerds filled the ballroom at the Marriott Hotel at the Brooklyn Bridge and watched seven prominent palindromists deliver new reversible verses written on the spot.  Audience members voted by deploying signs that said "WOW" on one side (for their favorite) and  "HUH?" on the other. Portland comic Mark Saltveit squeaked past Minnesotan John Connett, a Professor of Biostatistics, by an audience vote of 169-165.  

Saltveit's winning entry was an elliptical tale of kinky shenanigans:
"Devil Kay fixes trapeze part; sex if yak lived."
Connett nearly won with a political tale about Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich:
" 'Not Newt!' Ron's snort went on."
Cartoonist Jon ("Go Hang a Salami, I'm a Lasagna Hog") Agee placed third with another randy entry:
"'Zoning' is Mr. Al Axe's sex alarm sign in Oz."
MIT Professor Nick Montfort placed fourth with a long palindromic poem about Star Wars, titled "The Millennium Falcon Rescue."

Saltveit said "I actually thought my second entry was better, but the crowd loved the yak."  He was referring to his second palindrome: "I tan. I mull. In a way, Obama, I am a boy – a wan illuminati."

Also competing were Boston's Barry Duncan, the "Master Palindromist" featured on NPR and in the September, 2011 issue of The Believer Magazine; Australian software analyst Martin Clear; and Connecticut programmer Doug ("Lisa Bonet ate no basil") Fink.  The event was recorded by filmmaker Michael Rossi, who is working on a feature-length documentary titled "Master Palindromist," and took place on March 16, 2012.

Other palindromes in competition included Martin Clear's "Sexes, red, let a fez amaze fat elders' exes," Doug Fink's "Deny barb to hero Will: I wore hot bra by Ned," and Connett's "Yen more to vote Romney?" Jon Agee also discussed Romney by critiquing his artistic skills -- "Mitt's art? No contrast, Tim"  -- and Montfort and Duncan produced long poem-like palindromes of 57 and 70 words, respectively.  Montfort's work, "The Millenium Falcon Rescue," begins "Wow, sagas ... Solo's deed, civic deed. Eye dewed, a doom-mood. A pop."  Duncan's untitled piece starts "7, no? Do! Past I? How? Oh, now I spat! Fired, no? Will: a foe? Not! Ah, then a fair event now (i.e., solid)."

The 7 finalists had 75 minutes to construct palindromes fitting any one of 3 constraints (use an X and a Z in your palindrome; write about someone prominent in the news in the last 12 months; or write about the competition itself.) Shortz, who has run the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament since 1978, created the pioneering event as part of that tournament's opening night festivities.

The competitors have published many palindromic works.  Jon Agee is the author of four books of palindrome cartoons, including "Go Hang a Salami, I'm a Lasagna Hog" and is preparing a fifth, "PalindromicStrips." Saltveit, the editor of The Palindromist Magazine, http://www.palindromist.org, has published a sotadic book of days ("A Man, A Plan… 2002") as well as articles in Harvard Magazine, The Oregonian, Collective Fallout and Word Ways.  Professor Montfort wrote "2002: A Palindrome Story" with William Gillespie.  Martin Clear has written several articles for The Palindromist and published hundreds of palindromes on MockOK.com.  Connett has several articles and hundreds of palindromes in Word Ways, The Palindromist and MockOK.com, and Duncan was the subject of a feature in The Believer as well as an upcoming documentary, and has published an article in Word Ways.

Full results of the World Palindrome Championship, including the full long palindromes and vote totals, are available on the website of The Palindromist magazine, at http://www.palindromist.org/results .

If you'd like more information about this event, or to schedule an interview with Will Shortz or any of the contestants, please contact Mark Saltveit at palindromistmag@gmail.com.

The Palindromist is a subscription-based magazine and website based in Portland, Oregon. We do not accept advertising.

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American Horror Story – the First 5 Minutes

Watch the first 5 minutes of the upcoming horror series American Horror Story starring Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott.

Here’s the main cast of “American Horror Story”:

Dylan McDermott as Ben HarmonConnie Britton as Vivien HarmonJessica Lange as ConstanceFrances Conroy as HousekeeperDenis O’Hare as LarryTaissa Farmiga as Violet HarmonEvan Peters as Tate Langdon

The director of “American Horror Story” is Glee‘s Ryan Murphy.

The series is set to premiere on FX on October 5.

FX has not released an official premise yet on what the horror series is all about but you can find some clues in the first 5 minutes of the pilot episode below:

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Will Angela Be the Very First Pinoy Biggest Loser?

Angela Chico-Lupango entered the Biggest Loser camp weighing 223 pounds but left weighing only 155 pounds, according to her last weigh-in.

She joined the reality show because she wanted to bear a child and finally be able to start a family with her husband. After losing a total of 68 pounds, Angela proudly says, “The audience can expect not only a slimmer and healthier Angela, but a more confident woman who will face what life has to offer.” Will Angela be the very first Pinoy Biggest Loser? Find out how many pounds will Angela be able to lose until the “Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition Wellness Fair and Grand Finale” this Saturday (October at the Ynares Stadium in Pasig, with host Sharon Cuneta, game master Derek Ramsay, and trainers Chinggay Andrada and Jim Saret.

For program updates, log on to http://biggestloserpinoyedition.abs-cbn.com, like it on Facebook and follow @BLPinoyEdition on Twitter.

Here is Angela before:

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Smart Netphone first impressions

Last night, Smart Comm. officially launched the Netphone 701, their very own branded Android phone that’s exclusively hooked up to the SmartNet. Check out our first impression of the device and thoughts regarding the Netphone ecosystem after the jump.

While we’ve already discussed the hardware used for this project (a ZTE Blade) and the dedicated internet plans and prices under the Netphone line, here are some more information we gathered during our interview with Smart reps yesterday.

The Rationale

It is obvious that Smart is aggressively shifting its focus towards IP connectivity, seeking out that sweet spot where customers can comfortably migrate to. Revenue from text messaging and calls (most especially SMS) has significantly gone down in the past couple of years because of the internet with Facebook and Twitter as the major culprits.

The Netphone attempts to address that widening gap by offering very affordable “always on” internet plans to access popular social networks and enable IP-based messaging. We’re not categorically calling it a “walled garden” since there’s a possibility that, in the future, any Android device can actually join in.

The Hardware: Netphone 701

The handset used in this roll-off is very intriguing. It’s not the top of line in terms specs but it’s pretty decent. With a prepaid price of Php9,990, the closest Android handset in this price point would be the Samsung Galaxy Fit S5670, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro and LG Optimus One P500.

Smart Netphone (a.k.a ZTE Blade)
3.5? LCD display @ 480×800 pixels
600 MHz ARM 11 processor
Adreno 200 GPU
420MB RAM
Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset
HSDPA 7.2Mbps; HSUPA 5.76Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi hotspot
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
3MP autofocus camera
FM radio tuner
GPS w/ aGPS support
Li-Ion battery 1250mAh
Android 2.2 Froyo

The Netphone 701 is actually a pretty decent handset considering its price. The original equipment manufacturer (OEM), ZTE, is a relatively known company and the ZTE Blade V880 is among the top selling, mid-range Android smartphones in China.

The handset is well made, pretty solid construction despite the plastic body and decent performance running Android Froyo (worth noting that it’s actually got 420MB of RAM).

Our Quadrant benchmark gave a score of 422, just a bit below the Xperia X10.

Some noticeable shortcomings include a slightly lower battery capacity (1250mAh) and a very narrow virtual keyboard.

The catch here is that you’re only able to subscribe to the special Netphone plans when you use the Netphone 701 so comparing it to other Android handsets becomes moot.

The Netphone platform and SmartNet

The Netphone platform sits on top of Android 2.2 and acts like a collection of Android apps so, essentially, you can copy these apps (the APK files) to another Android handset and they should work. In the case of the Netphone 701, some functionalities might not work since there’s an OEM API that’s attached to it.

In the future though, Smart intends to make these collection of apps available to anyone for download straight from Smart itself (OTA) or via Android Market.

When you first boot the device, you are asked to login with your Google account (or create one) the same way you do with other Android devices. You will also be asked to register your name to the SmartNet along with a photo. This information is then stored to the Global Directory of Netphone users.

The Smart Global Directory is still somewhat free for all eYellowPages — it allows you to search for people with Netphone and add them as friends on top of your existing contacts, and them chat with them for free (think BBM) as long as you’re online and logged in to SmartNet.

Downside though is that there’s no identity verification so any prepaid user can just sign in using any name (so I’m sure there will be a lot of people posing as celebrities in the network) so it could be prone to abuse.

The internet plans are attractive and very affordable if you’re heavy on Twitter and Facebook.

Our initial assessment?

The handset is pretty decent, not really an aspirational device but we might see more models in the future — which could be either a cheaper, entry-level device or a high-end flagship model. For the meantime, OEMs such as ZTE or Huawei are the likely candidates as sources for future products but it’s possible we might see one coming from HTC too (it’s all about how many units you can commit to sell, right?). The nomenclature (701) will hint of the phone’s capability (same as how Nokia is doing with their handsets) and OEM origin.

The Smart Netphone is a brave attempt at capturing a niche market. The service is currently free until end of the year so we have yet to see the baseline cost to customers who want to remain in the network after that time. The concept is innovative, even at this early stages and could spark a followwing the same way RIM’s BBM did in Indonesia.

What would really catapult it to mass-adoption is when they finally release the SmartNet apps in the Android Market for anyone to download and use.

Smart isn’t selling a handset here but the mobile internet service (they say they actually partially subsidized the units) so I say allow everyone else to gain access to that service thru readily downloadable apps. When that happens, Smart might have a winner here.

Disclosure: The unit used in the photos above was among the 10 raffle prizes Smart gave away during the media event last night.

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A first step to Prepaid SIM Registration

Earlier this week, while talking to some executives of a local telco, I opened up the topic of prepaid SIM registration and asked why they’re not keen on implementing it on their own (without government mandate).

I told them that a recent poll on YugaTech readers, about 75% of over 2,000 respondents favor prepaid SIM registration.

Their answer was along the lines of logistical issues and and legal concerns (it’s basically the corporate lawyers telling everyone they can’t do some stuff that could open more legal problems in the future). I previously wrote about the pros and cons here as well.

So here was my suggestion:

1) Make registration voluntary. Only those who want to register will be initially included.

2) Integrate existing web services so deployment is fast and easy. Smart currently has my.Smart and Globe also has a Portal where people can register their mobile numbers.

3) Use this as verification of SIM ownership. So next time you lose, damage or accidentally blocked a SIM, you will only need to login to the website, de-activate the existing SIM, submit request for new one and even transfer the load credits, SMS and contact information (the last two need to be done as a web backup, prior to losing the SIM).

When claiming the new SIM in the business center, just present two valid IDs. No need for affidavit of loss and the SIM card tray.

That’s it. It’s a start, baby steps. No government involvement. We’ll worry about the other issues later.

It’s a win-win strategy — subscribers get added service and permanent ownership of a prepaid number while telcos can get to know more about the demographic profile of their subs.

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U.S. Army orders first suicide drones

Soldiers who fly hand-launched drone scouts to spot enemies on the battlefield may soon get a deadly robotic device capable of also delivering a knockout blow. The U.S. Army has ordered its first batch of small suicide drones that are capable of launching from a small tube, loitering in the sky and then diving at a target upon command.

The backpack-size "Switchblade" drone and its launch tube give individual soldiers a new level of precise control over an explosive weapon. Rather than calling in supporting artillery fire or airstrikes, soldiers can simply launch the Switchblade from out of sight, confirm a target on a live video feed from the drone, and then command the robotic device to arm itself and fly into the target at high speed.

"The unique capabilities provided by the Switchblade agile munition for standoff engagement, accuracy and controlled effects make it an ideal weapon for today's fight and for U.S. military forces of the future," said Bill Nichols, deputy product director at the Army's Close Combat Weapons Systems project office.

Operators can even call off strikes at the last second after arming the Switchblade. That kind of control allows soldiers to retarget in case an enemy moves out of sight, or avoid collateral damage if a civilian wanders too close.

The drone, created by AeroVironment, is able to fly in both autonomous robot mode or as a remotely piloted air vehicle. Either way, its small size and quiet electric motor allow it to approach targets without warning. It can even switch off its motor and glide in for a stealthy attack.

"Just as our small unmanned aircraft systems provide game-changing reconnaissance capabilities to ground forces, Switchblade provides a revolutionary rapid strike capability to protect our troops and give them a valuable new advantage on the battlefield," said Tom Herring, AeroVironment senior vice president and general manager of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

AeroVironment received a $4.9 million contract from the Army's Close Combat Weapons Systems on June 29. The company publicly announced the deal on Sept. 1.

Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @News_Innovation, or on Facebook.

© 2011 InnovationNewsDaily.com. All rights reserved. More from InnovationNewsDaily.com.

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The Kitchen Musical – First Teaser Released

A teaser has been released for “The Kitchen Musical” featuring two Filipino cast-members Christian Bautista and Karylle.

Featuring a pool of Asia’s talented casts comprising both veteran and up-and-coming new faces from around the region, The Kitchen Musical is a tantalizing tale stretching 13 episodes of an hour each, centered around good food, great wines.

Each episode will be wrapped in specially re-arranged and re-recorded popular hit songs animated with dance sequences. A menu of delicious dishes AND dessert will be featured every episode that promises to be as luscious and addictive as the show itself.

The Kitchen Musical is set to premiere on nTV7 (Malaysia), Studio 23 (Philippines), Metro TV (Indonesia), and AXN (19 Asian Countries) this October.

Watch the teaser here:

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Sam Concepcion Celebrates First Decade in Showbiz via Peter Pan

Ten years after being launched via the musical The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Sam Concepcion comes full circle as he topbills STAGES and Repertory Philippines’ production of Peter Pan.

“Time flies so fast. I am now on my tenth year in showbiz,” declares the teen heartthrob. “I have my roots in theater, so it is just fitting that I celebrate my first decade in the business with Peter Pan.”

This production is also the first time that this version of Peter Pan, written by Stiles and Drewe and the late Willis Hall, will be staged in Asia. It relives Sir James Barrie’s timeless tale of the boy who never grew up.

“People can expect a lot of flying from Peter Pan,” says Sam. “It is a perfect show for the whole family.”

Aside from Sam, Peter Pan also stars Michael Williams as Hook, and ABS-CBN’s rising star Tippy Dos Santos (Idol, Shoutout) as Wendy with Cara Barredo as alternate. Jaime Del Mundo and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo direct this production.

Undoubtedly, Sam is one of the most talented performers of this generation dabbling into acting for movies (Shake, Rattle and Roll 9, Cinco, Way Back Home), and TV series (Super Inggo, Walang Kapalit, I Love Betty La Fea and Good Vibes), performing (I’ll Find Your Heart 1 and 2, front act for Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift), recording (Sam Concepcion, Pop Class), and hosting and performing for TV (ASAP Rocks, Shoutout).

“Everything I have learned in my endeavors from the last decade, you will see when you watch Peter Pan,” enthuses Sam, who is being managed by STAGES and Star Magic. “This is one unforgettable show, so I hope everyone will catch this fun, fun show.”

Peter Pan goes onstage starting September 30-October 30 at the Meralco Theater. For tickets, call Ticketworld at 891-9999.

– MORE PHOTOS HERE –

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5 Things I Wish I Knew When I First Started Blogging

We all make mistakes. I’ve blogged full-time since late 2008, after roughly a year of going at it. While I love the lifestyle of blogging for a living, I can’t help but kick myself every time I think back about my first year or two blogging, and what I wish I could change.

If you’re just starting out, here are some powerful concepts that are important even when you’re beginning — delaying and waiting could be essentially costing money and maybe even any long-term success at all.

I could write a small library on what I didn’t know that I should have known, but here are the most important to bloggers just now starting out:

Email Marketing.

This is the big one. Nearly 75% of my income now comes from my email newsletter, even though I launched it in 2010. That means I have literally years worth of email subscribers I could be making money with that I don’t have — I always planned on setting up a newsletter, but just never did. Learn from that mistake, and set up your email list today.

Personal Branding.

Writing isn’t just about bluntly talking about your topic — it’s about creating a voice that allows your readers to picture you in a certain way. Try to add a personal story to every post, figure out how you want your readers to “see” you in their mind, and start playing the part. The first year of my blogging I focused on the topic — while forgetting about myself. Focus on your brand and your content — they’re both important.

Info Publishing.

The most profitable week of my life so far has been writing a relevant report/ebook for my readers, and sending an email pitching it. Unfortunately, I only did this for the first time a year ago. Several books later, I just wish I’d started my website with a report for sale — it would have sped up the journey. Write a report on something important to your readers, set up a sales page, and sell it — worst case scenario, you only sell a few copies — but it’ll make you seem at least a little more of an expert in the eyes of your readers.

Real-World Authority.

If you’re not an authority on the topic you’re writing about, then you have two legit options: become an authority by learning, or hire one. One of the most important projects I’ve launched was a debt web site where I hired a debt collection specialist who had worked for the New York Times Company. It was amazing to watch how people linked to her content, shared it on social media — while ignoring mine. I learned my lesson: there’s nothing wrong with bringing in a real live expert if you’re not personally one.

Legitimate Networking.

Internet marketers love to “network”. Almost every day someone in one of my niches will send me an email literally saying “we should network!” Unfortunately, they don’t bring anything to the table and end up making me click the delete button. Looking back, the most important marketing campaigns I’ve worked on involved at least one other friend in the niche. No blog is an island — make legit friends, and use each other to become more successful.

Blogging is all about growth and conversion — grow your traffic while converting it as efficiently as you can, and you’re destined to a fantastic income. That’s why every systematic tip and every actionable concept can literally take you from doing pretty good to doing better than you thought possible — don’t put off anything, or you’ll regret it later.

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'First Date Hell' on Twitter sums it up swiftly

You can listen to your friends' long-winded sagas about their horrible first dates — or you can get a quicker fix about the rigors of modern romance on Twitter. There, with posts limited to 140 characters — characters, mind you, not words — very succinct portraits are being painted of the real characters out there in the dating world. And it's not pretty.

Some of the tweets on FirstDateHell are funny — "Had a terrible first date but now he's my accountant and quite a good one" — to creepy - "He got hammered, (urinated) against a tree in a park, and proceeded to tackle me to the ground ... when my back was turned" — to downright mean — "She said "I really hoped you'd be someone else,' and left."

Then there are incidents involving passing, er, gas:

And the strangest of the strange, including:

Many of the tweets have a distinct British sound to them — "took me to his local, then asked if I would mind helping behind the bar so the landlord could play darts with him & his mates," and "Told him I liked reading, he said he wanted to burn all libraries and then talked about football for hours. I hid in the loo."

That's because the Twitter account was created just last week by British writer Rhodri Marsden, who tweeted about a miserable evening out when he walked past a pub that "reminded me of a bad date I went on. I tweeted about. This is what ensued," he says on his website, FirstDateHell.com.

He's asking suffering first-daters from anywhere to send their tweets to @firstdatehell. And, he's also asking for a little discretion — and decency.

"Considering sending bad date' stories that involve mental or physical disability? Don't bother. Take a long, hard look at yourself instead," he says in one of his own tweets.

— Via Business Insider

Related stories:

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

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Big Brother US – Jeff Becomes the First Man to Win HoH in Season 13

After Brendon Villegas got evicted for the second time, the houseguests battled for the Head of Household in a slippery race of filling up a glass bowl.

As expected, Jeff bested the girls and Adam becoming the first man to win Head of Household.

He nominated Porsche and Kalia for eviction and his target is to backdoor Daniele.

So does it mean that mortal enemies Shelly and Rachel are now on the same side because their common denominator now are Jeff and Jordan. And by Jeff’s nomination, it’s clear that he will not honor his agreement with Daniele so the former runner-up should win the Veto this Wednesday in order to stay in the game.

But knowing Daniele, I think she will the Power of Veto and will take Porsche or Kelly out of the chopping block forcing Jeff to pick Adam as replacement nominee.

Filed Under: Main
Tagged: Get updated with the hottest entertainment news daily by email!

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Big Brother US – Jeff Became the First Man to Win HoH in Season 13

After Brendon Villegas got evicted for the second time, the houseguests battled for the Head of Household in a slippery race of filling up a glass bowl.

As expected, Jeff bested the girls and Adam becoming the first man to win Head of Household.

Filed Under: Main
Tagged: Get updated with the hottest entertainment news daily by email!

Follow Starmometer on Twitter and Facebook!

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ABS-CBN Nets P1.7 Billion for the First Half of 2011

The consolidated net income of ABS-CBN Corporation registered P1.7 billion for the first six months of the year.

ABS-CBN delivered consolidated revenues of P13.9 billion from advertising and consumer sales, an 18% decline compared to a year ago. Less the revenues from political advocacies and advertisement from the first six months of 2010, consolidated revenues in the first half of 2011 increased by 1% year-on-year.

ABS-CBN’s advertising revenues reached P8.8 billion, a decline of 24% from a year ago. Minus the revenues from political advocacies and advertisement in the first half of 2010, advertising revenues increased by 4% year-on-year.

Consumer sales for the first half of 2011 amounted to P5.1 billion, posting a 4% decrease or P219 million less from a year ago, mainly from ABS-CBN Global. ABS-CBN Global revenues declined by 14% year on year in peso terms due to the decline in subscribers and the appreciation of the Philippine peso against the US dollar. Meanwhile, Sky Cable continues to contribute positively with revenues increasing by 8% to P2.1 billion. This is mostly driven by the increased take up of its broadband service subscriptions which increased by 23% year-on-year

Total operating and other expenses dropped by P969 million or 9% year-on-year to P10.4 billion. This was partly a result of lower cost of sales and services and general and administrative expenses (GAEX) as the company continued its effort to manage and control expenses. The decline in both expense accounts more than made up for the increase in total production costs due to the Company’s drive to produce quality and innovative programs.

Net income attributable to shareholders for the first half of 2011 is at P1.7 billion, aided by a gain on sale of Sky Cable Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) to the Singaporean company, STT Communications Ltd. Meanwhile, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) hit P4.0 billion.

Capital expenditure and film and program rights acquisition for the first half of 2011 amounted to P2.1 billion, P542 million or 34% higher than the level of spending from previous year. Additional equipment was purchased to increase the company’s capacity to produce additional new programs.

ABS-CBN maintained its national audience share and ratings leadership with prime-time audience share averaging 42% in the first quarter of 2011, with a 12 percentage point lead over GMA’s, based on the Kantar National TV Ratings figure.

For the period January to June 2011, eighteen of the company’s primetime shows were in the Top 20 with fifteen occupying the Top 13 slots: Emil Cruz Jr.’s Mara Clara, 100 Days To Heaven, Pablo S. Gomez’s Mutya, Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin, Guns And Roses, Pilipinas Got Talent (Saturday and Sunday), Noah, Maalaala Mo Kaya…, TV Patrol (Weekday), Imortal, Rated K Handa Na Ba Kayo?, Wansapanataym, Gandang Gabi Vice and Goin’ Bulilit.

ABS-CBN Global’s overall viewer count decreased by 1% year-on-year, driven by the decline in subscriber growth in the Middle East, Europe and Japan. Double digit subscriber growth continued to be experienced in Canada, and mid-to-high single digit subscriber growth in Asia-Pacific and Australia.

Sky Cable’s consolidated revenues from cable TV and broadband services grew 8% year-on-year, driven by strong growth in broadband subscriptions.

ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. released eight films in the first six months of this year. Four of them–Ang Tanging Ina Mo Last Na To, Dalaw, Catch Me I’m in Love and In The Name of Love–topped P100 million in box office receipts, earning blockbuster status by local standards.

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China launches first aircraft carrier on maiden sea trial (Reuters)

BEIJING (Reuters) – China launched its first aircraft carrier for a maiden run on Wednesday, a step likely to boost patriotic pride at home and jitters abroad about Beijing's naval ambitions.

The long-awaited debut of the vessel, a refitted former Soviet craft, marked a step forward in China's long-term plan to build a carrier force that can project power into the Asian region, where seas are spanned by busy shipping lanes and thorny territorial disputes.

"Its symbolic significance outweighs its practical significance," said Ni Lexiong, an expert on Chinese maritime policy at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.

"We're already a maritime power, and so we need an appropriate force, whether that's aircraft carriers or battleships, just like the United States or the British empire did," he said in a telephone interview.

The carrier "left its shipyard in Dalian Port in northeast Liaoning province on Wednesday morning to start its first sea trial," said the official Xinhua news agency, describing the trip as a tentative test run for the unfinished ship.

The aircraft carrier, which is about 300 meters (984 feet) long, plowed through fog and sounded its horn three times as it left the dock, Xinhua said on its military news microblog.

Xinhua said that "building a strong navy that is commensurate with China's rising status is a necessary step and an inevitable choice for the country to safeguard its increasingly globalised national interests."

Chinese citizens said the carrier launch showed their country deserved more respect from the rest of the world, despite problems it faces at home.

A high-speed train crash last month left many Chinese people bemoaning what they called officials' reckless hunger for showcase technological breakthroughs.

"An aircraft carrier is the mark of major powers," Pan Chunli, a 29-year-old IT technician in Beijing told Reuters.

"China has grown dramatically. The whole world should take a fresh look at China, viewing it as a rising power that it has the ability to defend its rights and territory."

Retired Chinese navy Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo told state-run television that his country intended to build an air carrier group, but the task would be long and difficult.

"As for forming a carrier group, I think that will take at least ten years," he told a Chinese television broadcast on the carrier launch.

PRESTIGE AND POWER

Last month, China was refitting the old, unfinished Soviet vessel bought from Ukraine's government, and sources told Reuters it was also building two of its own carriers.

"China has had a longstanding fascination with the national prestige attached to aircraft carriers, and this first sea trial may be seen as a crucial step toward the goal of achieving great naval power status," said Chengxin Pan, an expert on China at Deakin University in Australia

"But for many neighbors, it may symbolize something different and more unsettling. It is inevitable that neighboring countries will react with some alarm, especially given recent disputes in the South China Sea as well as the maritime incident between China and Japan last year," he said.

If Beijing is serious about having a viable carrier strike group, however, it will need three carriers, Ashley Townshend at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney told Reuters in an interview before the debut of the vessel.

China would also have to develop support ships and aircraft for any carrier group, Townshend said, noting it would take some 10 years to develop a viable carrier strike group.

In China's neighborhood, India and Thailand already have aircraft carriers, and Australia has ordered two multi-purpose carriers. The United States operates 11 carriers.

"The Philippines should not be concerned with this development. An aircraft carrier is an offensive tool but I don't think China has the intention to use it to bully its neighbors," the former chief of the Philippines' navy, retired Admiral Ferdinand Golez, told Reuters.

Before the launch, a Pentagon spokesman played down the likelihood of any immediate leaps from China's carrier program.

LONG-STANDING DISPUTES

But that is just one part of China's naval modernization drive, which has forged ahead while other powers tighten their military budgets to cope with debt woes.

China has been building new submarines, surface ships and anti-ship ballistic missiles as part of its naval modernization.

The country's growing reach at sea is triggering regional jitters that have fed into long-standing territorial disputes, and could speed up military expansion across Asia.

In the past year, China has had run-ins at sea with Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines. The incidents -- boat crashes and charges of territorial incursions -- have been minor, but the diplomatic reaction often heated.

"Overall, the perception of a rapidly rising and potentially threatening China is likely to be reinforced and Beijing will face enormous challenges in dispelling such a perception," said Pan, the lecturer at Deakin University.

Last week, Japan warned that China's naval forces were likely to increase activities around its waters.

"This is showing that China is in the process of acquiring capability to control South China Sea as well as East China Sea," said Yoshihiko Yamada, a professor at Japan's Tokai University about the carrier trial.

China's defense budget has shot up nearly 70 percent over five years, while Japan, struggling with public debt, has cut military outlays by 3 percent over the same period, a Japanese government report said.

"A single, solitary aircraft carrier floating on the sea, without the accompanying forces, doesn't constitute a battle force," said Ni, the Shanghai professor.

"It would be a sitting duck if you tried to send it out."

(Additional reporting by Sabrina Mao and Sally Huang in Beijing; Manny Mogato in Manila; Jeremy Laurence in Seoul; Michael Perry in Sydney; and Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo; Editing by John Chalmers)

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Charice Makes First Teen Choice Awards Appearance

Our very own Charice graced the Teen Choice Awards Sunday night (Monday morning in Manila) and presented the Acuvue Inspire award together with Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey!

The singing sensation walked down the red carpet of this year’s Teen Choice Awards and talked about Glee and her latest movie “Here Comes the Boom”.

During the event, Charice also presented the Choice Song of the Summer award and an Acuvue Inspire Award to Demi Lovato with “Teen Wolf” star Tyler Posey.

Watch the video here:

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NYC’s Website Reinvented by the City’s First Hackathon

About 75 developers from across the United States (and at least one from Canada) accepted New York City Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne’s invitation to spend 36 hours of last weekend envisioning a better nyc.gov.

The city’s first ever hackathon offered little incentive: There were no cash prizes, no iPad giveaways, and the city has not committed to using any of the designs to replace the website it launched in 1996 and last redesigned more than five years ago. Five of 14 teams whose designs were chosen by judges for various honors will be thanked personally by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in meetings this week.

“Really the goal was to bridge the worlds of government and technology and having a dialog,” Sterne says. “This really showed what people want.”

So what do people want? Most of the winning designs’ homepages focus on search, mirroring Bing and Google. Sterne saw: StackOverflow-like forums that encourage users to help each other, as well as gamification, location and social elements. In other words, these are the trends you’d expect from coders working with APIs from Google, Bit.ly, Foursquare and other popular web services.

New York City also introduced two new APIs at the event: one that works with 311 and another that constantly updates apps that use the city’s more than 400 open data sets with the latest changes.

Here are the five winning designs. What changes would you like to see on your city’s government website?

For comparison, here is a photo of NYC’s current website:

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Viral Star iamamiwhoami Releases New Video Before Her First Live Performance

Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks.

One week before her first live performance at Sweden’s Way Out West, Jonna Lee (a.k.a. iamamiwhoami) is out with a new video — a continuation of the vid for “;john,” which accompanied an announcement that she would emerge from the shadows to play the summer music fest.

iamamiwhoami started as an anonymous YouTube entity in December 2009, sending music bloggers links to artful, epic videos with meandering mysterious storylines.

Now, however, more than a year later, we know that iamamiwhoami is a project headed by Swedish singer-songwriter Jonna Lee. The project even garnered Lee and Co. an MTV OMA nomination for Most Innovative Artist. However, it lost to Lady Gaga.

The above video — for the song “Clump” — picks up right where “;john” left off, with Lee lying on a bed of what appears to be toilet paper rolls, intercut with scenes featuring a mysterious, hairy creature romping in the tall grass. It’s a highly sensual video — without showing any skin — so be forewarned if you have an over-the-shoulder kind of boss.

[h/t Kevin Anderson]

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Pakyaw’s First Black Bag Winner Revealed

Would you spend P2,000 for an item you didn’t know?

Well, that’s what risk-taking shopper Richard Benson Co did when he won the chance to buy Pakyaw’s first Black Bag last Friday! Here’s a clip of his experience as Pakyaw’s first winner!

- CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO -

“I’m speechless. I wasn’t expecting this. I thought it’s an iPod Touch or something. Thank you very much, Pakyaw!” Mr. Co said, feeling very excited about his purchase.

Congrats to Richard Benson Co for winning an awesome 32” Samsung LCD TV!

Since Pakyaw, an online group-buying site, came out with this thrilling promo, hundreds of users have been signing up for a chance to buy the mysterious contents of Pakyaw’s Black Bag. If you missed out on joining the first Black Bag, now is the perfect chance to sign up! You could be the next winner of the biggest thing to ever hit Pakyaw!

Visit the Pakyaw Facebook page or http://www.pakyaw.com.ph for more details!

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First New York same-sex couples wed

NEW: Opponents of the new law will hold rallies in several citiesNEW: Buffalo residents claim to be the first couple married in the stateCity council speaker: "All eyes are upon" New YorkPhyllis Siegal, 76, and Connie Kopelov, 84, are the first couple in NYC to wed

New York (CNN) -- A city official married the first couple in New York City to wed under the state's new law allowing same-sex marriage Sunday.

Phyllis Siegal, 76, and Connie Kopelov, 84, were married in a chapel at the city clerk's office as a crowd of onlookers cheered.

The two, of New York, have been together for 23 years. Kopelov left the clerk's office in a wheelchair, but used a walker to approach reporters.

"Your cheers are wonderful," Siegal told well-wishers outside the office.

She told reporters the experience was "just so amazing. It's the only way I can describe it."

Hundreds of same-sex couples heard the news Friday that they made the cut in the marriage lottery that New York state instituted for Sunday, the day that the state's Marriage Equality Act took effect.

"These are two independent people who are joining together because they can see and they can feel how much better their lives will be," city clerk Michael McSweeney said as he married Siegal and Kopelov. "We are grateful that they are allowing us to share this truly momentous ceremony with them."

The New York City clerk's office has been flooded with more than 2,600 requests for marriage licenses since the wording on the online application was changed from "Groom and Bride" to "Spouse A and Spouse B."

The office could handle less than a third of those requests -- gay or straight -- on Sunday, according to a press statement the city released earlier in the week. The lottery was set up to allocate 764 slots for couples who want to obtain marriage licenses and/or be married at city clerk's offices on Sunday.

Buffalo residents Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd claim to be the first couple married in the state. The two exchanged vows at 12:01 a.m. Sunday in Niagara Falls, according to CNN affiliate WGRZ.

Couples began lining up outside the clerk's office in New York City before the ceremonies began Sunday. Some women wore wedding gowns, while some men wore suits or tuxedos.

If all 764 weddings actually take place on Sunday, it will set a one-day record for the city.

"Marriage equality is alive and well in every borough of New York City right now," said Christine Quinn, speaker of the New York City Council, who is also gay. She said watching the weddings "sent a chill up my spine."

Marcos Chaljub and Freddy Zambrano were married after Siegal and Kopelov. The two tearfully said their vows as friends hovered and snapped pictures. "You're married!" one declared as celebratory hugs were exchanged afterward.

Chaljub and Zambrano conducted last-minute preparations Saturday for their wedding, picking up bouquets of wildflowers for their bridesmaids and champagne for a family brunch afterward. The couple has been together for five years.

"I have certain people in my life, they're not totally OK with it, but they accept it, and just the fact they respect us because of that, it's really the most that I can ask for," Chaljub told CNN's Susan Candiotti.

The two have been wearing rings for five years, and said they don't plan to exchange new ones. "We're just going to polish them up and exchange them again," Chaljub said.

As with many weddings, there were some comical moments.

Chaljub momentarily forgot which finger to put Zambrano's ring on. "Is it this one?" he asked.

Asked whether he took Michael Elasser, 56, as his spouse, 60-year-old Douglas Robinson responded, "You bet your life I do!" The couple's two adopted sons, ages 25 and 22, attended the ceremony.

"This is one of the great things about America, this diversity," Robinson said. "I'm so proud to be an American today, but I'm particularly proud to be a New Yorker."

New York Rabbi Shaaron Feinbaum of Beit Simchat Torah congregation, who has lobbied for legalizing same-sex marriage, set up a station for couples desiring a religious ceremony after the civil one.

New York legalized same-sex marriage in June. The Marriage Equality Act was a priority for Gov. Andrew Cuomo after winning election in November. The law was passed under a Republican-led Senate after days of delays and negotiations between the two parties.

Quinn announced that a drawing will take place Monday to award a honeymoon package to one newly-married couple in each borough. The package will include two nights in a Manhattan hotel; dinners; tickets to a museum, the Empire State Buidling, a Broadway show and Cirque du Soleil; and Macy's gift certificates.

However, opponents of the new law were planning to gather Sunday afternoon at rallies organized by the National Organization for Marriage in New York, Albany, Rochester and Buffalo. A handful of protesters were outside the city clerk's office in Manhattan Sunday morning.

Quinn told CNN that New York is the place where the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) movement was born, and a place the world looks to.

"All eyes are upon it, and I believe it is going to help propel this movement forward faster than any of the other states have," Quinn said.

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire also allow same-sex marriage, as does the District of Columbia.

CNN's Jesse Solomon and Steve Kastenbaum contributed to this report.

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