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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World Bank increases drought aid

24 September 2011 Last updated at 21:40 GMT A refugee camp in Mogadishu has been sheltering this severely malnourished child from southern Somalia The World Bank has announced it is increasing funding for the drought in the Horn of Africa to nearly $2bn.

It says that the funds are needed to provide humanitarian assistance to millions of people.

The World Bank says countries across the region face one of the worst droughts in more than half a century.

The conditions, it says, are causing increasing malnutrition and food insecurity, and are displacing large numbers of people.

Over the coming years, the body will provide $1.8bn (£1.2bn) in assistance - nearly four times the amount originally pledged in July.

But it says there is still a billion-dollar shortfall to provide for the estimated 13 million people who are in need in Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.

Providing humanitarian assistance to Somalis remains the biggest challenge because of its continuing civil conflict and the soaring cost of food, the BBC's Marcus George reports from Washington.

The UN has estimated that 10,000 people have died across the region and the crisis could get worse in the coming weeks.

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World Bank increases drought aid

24 September 2011 Last updated at 21:40 GMT A refugee camp in Mogadishu has been sheltering this severely malnourished child from southern Somalia The World Bank has announced it is increasing funding for the drought in the Horn of Africa to nearly $2bn.

It says that the funds are needed to provide humanitarian assistance to millions of people.

The World Bank says countries across the region face one of the worst droughts in more than half a century.

The conditions, it says, are causing increasing malnutrition and food insecurity, and are displacing large numbers of people.

Over the coming years, the body will provide $1.8bn (£1.2bn) in assistance - nearly four times the amount originally pledged in July.

But it says there is still a billion-dollar shortfall to provide for the estimated 13 million people who are in need in Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.

Providing humanitarian assistance to Somalis remains the biggest challenge because of its continuing civil conflict and the soaring cost of food, the BBC's Marcus George reports from Washington.

The UN has estimated that 10,000 people have died across the region and the crisis could get worse in the coming weeks.

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Brazil starts World Cup countdown

16 September 2011 Last updated at 23:46 GMT President Rousseff is confident Brazil can deliver the stadiums on time Brazil has begun its countdown for the 2014 World Cup, 1,000 days before it hosts the football tournament.

President Dilma Rousseff launched the event at a stadium in Belo Horizonte alongside the footballing legend Pele, who is Brazil's World Cup ambassador.

Ms Rousseff promised the new stadiums and other infrastructure required would be ready on time, despite major difficulties and delays.

The tournament will kick off on 12 June 2014.

Before then, Brazil must build or upgrade 12 stadiums.

Many of them are behind schedule and over budget.

At some, construction workers have been on strike - including the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro where the final will be played and the Mineirao ground in Belo Horizonte where President Rousseff started the countdown.

Building work on the new Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo - which is hoping to host the opening game - only began in May.

Construction workers refurbishing the famous Maracana stadium in Rio are on strike Confidence

Brazil must also deliver huge infrastructure developments such as roads and airport terminals so that fans can move between the 12 venues spread across the huge country.

Much of that transport infrastructure is anyway badly needed to meet the demands of Brazil's booming economy and expanding middle class.

"Investing in infrastructure is a way of saying no to the international crisis affecting countries in the Eurozone and the US," Ms Rousseff said.

The 2014 World Cup will be the first in South America since Argentina hosted the tournament in 1978, and the first in Brazil since 1950.

Correspondents say most Brazilians are confident they will make a success of hosting the tournament - after all, they have already won it World Cup five times.

Rio de Janeiro is also due to host the Olympic Games in 2016.

The two tournaments are being seen as statements of Brazil's emergence as a rising global economic power of the 21st Century, much as the 2008 Beijing Olympics served as a calling card for China's confident new role on the global stage.

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China leads world in green energy investment

15 September 2011 Last updated at 23:02 GMT By James Melik Reporter, Business Daily, BBC World Service Coal remains the prime energy source in China, accounting for 70% of the energy mix Global investment in renewable energy jumped 32% in 2010 to a record $211bn (£130bn; 149bn euros), according to the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2011 report.

Published jointly by the UN Environment Programme and the Frankfurt School of Finance, it shows that China has become the largest investor in renewable energy projects.

But the country still faces grave cases of pollution despite progress in cutting down on the number of new coal-burning power stations during the last five years.

According to Zhang Lijun, vice-minister of environmental protection, coal consumption increased by a billion tons between 2006 and 2010.

"And it is likely to see another one-billion-ton rise in the coming five years," he adds.

Security concerns

Yet the Chinese government is spending tens of billions of dollars every year on so-called clean-tech projects - commonly referred to as green energy.

"There is a very clear trend in Asia that people are becoming more and more interested in clean energy and clean-energy investing," says Vivek Tandon of Aloe Private Equity.

Continue reading the main story

If you create a new industry by bolstering the clean energy sector, you can also create jobs”

End Quote Vivek Tandon Aloe Private Equity "One major reason is the need for energy security, particularly in China, which has an enormous demand for energy," he says.

At current levels of production, China has coal reserves which should last 40 years, although most reserves are located in the north and north-west - and that poses logistical problems for supplying electricity to the heavily populated coastal areas.

Demand for coal is currently outpacing production - a situation made worse by the government's increasing closure of antiquated and unsafe coal mines.

The public's perception of the deteriorating ecology and environment around them has been instrumental in the growth of renewable energy.

Furthermore, it is also seen as a forum for job creation.

"If you create a new industry by bolstering the clean energy sector, you can also create jobs," says Mr Tandon.

China is already the biggest producer of coal and home demand continues to grow Volatile market

Apart from the Chinese government investing in green technology, money is also coming from outside the country.

Some investors are getting a bit nervous about where the global economy is going and whether or not recovery can be sustained.

There is the danger therefore, that investment into green technology in Asia might not remain at current levels if the recovery is derailed

Johanna Klein, who invests in private equity funds on behalf of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), says clean energy is probably past the point of being the "flavour of the month" in terms of being the latest fad where investors want to put their money.

"The trend is fairly robust and fairly long-term at this point," she says.

Continue reading the main story

China is building a coal plant a week, but is dedicated to having the clean energy sector take off”

End Quote Johanna Klein Asia Development Bank She does not believe that clean energy is going to be any more volatile or any more affected by the oscillations of the markets than any other assets, but neither does she think that it will be protected from those phenomena.

The governments of some Asian countries also provide subsidies and backing for some of the green technologies.

"Governments have their own programmes to offer incentives to people to invest in clean energy," says Ms Klein.

"China is probably the most obvious example. They have an enormous programme of giving subsidies at all different levels from the federal to the local, to help the nascent clean energy industry really take off."

Forging ahead

India is also trying to develop its clean energy industries but in China there is a very deliberate policy of offering direct support to the industry to help it evolve and mature.

"I feel as if Asia took a long time to get on the bandwagon of supporting clean energy and clean tech, but I feel it has now taken a quantum leap ahead of countries like the US where we are still see a lot of dithering around when trying to decide on policies with regard to the whole industry," Ms Klein maintains.

"What Asia can probably deliver to the world is not just a vision, but an ability to execute," she says.

"China is building a coal plant a week, but is dedicated to having the clean energy sector take off. That is amazingly visionary and inspirational."

The US and Europe, which used to be at the forefront of renewable energy innovation, are going to start looking to countries like China as having forged a path to a greener future.

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Rugby World Cup set for kick-off

Venues: 11 (nine in North Island, two in South Island)Dates: Fri 9 Sept - Sun 23 OctKick-offs: From 0100 BST - 0930 BSTCoverage: Latest scores and reports on the BBC Sport website plus live text commentaries on all home nations matches and other major games; Updates on BBC Radio 5 live; Watch live on ITV1/ITV4, live commentary on TalkSport radio Jeremy Guscott's Rugby World Cup ones to watch

Hosts New Zealand launch the seventh Rugby World Cup against Tonga on Friday hoping to end a 24-year wait for a second global triumph.

The All Blacks, inaugural winners in 1987, have lost in the knock-out stages of each subsequent tournament.

Auckland's Eden Park, which will also stage the final on 23 October, hosts the first of 48 matches in 11 venues.

Tri-Nations champions Australia face Italy on Saturday, when Scotland face Romania and England tackle Argentina.

The other two home nations, Ireland - who play the United States - and Wales, who confront defending champions South Africa, open their campaigns on Sunday.

More than 90,000 supporters are expected to visit New Zealand over the next six weeks, almost a quarter of them from the UK.

Matches will take place from Whangarei in the far north of the North Island, to Invercargill, some 1,290 km (800 miles) away at the bottom of the South Island, where Scotland open their campaign on Saturday.

Fans in Auckland, where All Blacks flags have been draped over many houses and are fluttering from car windows, have been treated to impromptu haka warrior dances by a 54-strong group of young Maori men, who will perform at Friday's opening ceremony.

The opening match (0930 BST, 2030 local time) which follows sees New Zealand, who have never lost a World Cup pool match, kick-start proceedings at the refurbished, 60,000-capacity Eden Park, where they have not lost a Test since 1994.

The All Blacks, who were shocked by France in the quarter-finals in 2007, are desperate to set about proving their status as the world's number one team after months of build-up and reminders of their previous World Cup woes.

NZ clash 'exciting' for Tonga'uiha

"You'd be a mug if you haven't learned in the four years since then," said captain Richie McCaw.

"I've been involved in two [World Cups] where we didn't achieve what we were after and the shock sits in the back of your mind.

"But history has shown that what has happened previously - good or bad - means nothing come kick-off. I think we are just ready to go now. It's been a long time coming I guess."

Tonga, ranked 12th in the world, gave South Africa a major scare at the last World Cup and include a quartet of players who ply their trade in Britain - Northampton prop Soane Tonga'uiha, Worcester hooker Aleki Lutui, Cardiff Blues prop Taufa'ao Filise and Nottingham flanker Sione Kalamafoni.

"I think they will test us physically and they will test us with their athleticism," said All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith. "They are all good rugby players."

England supporters were gathering in Dunedin on the South Island where they meet Argentina, while their counterparts from Wales and South Africa mingled in the capital city of Wellington ahead of Sunday's clash.

In Saturday's other matches, Fiji take on Namibia, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament with only a few full-time players, while France play Japan in Auckland's North Harbour stadium.

On Sunday, the Ireland and United States players will observe one minute's silence before their match in New Plymouth to mark the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

"Obviously 9/11 is at the front of their minds, so it will be emotional," said US coach Eddie O'Sullivan, who was in charge of Ireland at the last World Cup.

A group of young Maoris perform a flash mob haka ahead of the World Cup

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Western Union World Index Winners

Had a bit of a delay with the announcement of our 5 winners on the Western Union World Index Challenge but here they are now…

As for our trivia, the first money transfer was made in 1871, not 1851. We randomly picked a few more people as some got the date wrong.

Congrats to the following people:

Jor Atienza
Benchmark
Sherwood
Baterya
Verlin Casunuran

To the winners, do email me with your complete name, address and contact number so we can mail you the GCs as soon as we can (if you’re near Eastwood, Libis and want to pick it up, let me know as well).

Congrats again!

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World Blog: James Murdoch could be called back to testify

James Murdoch's testimony to Parliament in July appears to have been undermined. ITN's Keir Simmons reports.

News Corp. CEO James Murdoch may be hauled back before the U.K. Parliament next week after ex-employees testified this week that he knew a lot more about the News of the World scandal than he let on the first time he appeared, euronews is reporting.

Chairman John Whittingdale said the Culture, Media and Sport Committee — the panel where Murdoch's father, Rupert, was hit by a pie at the first hearing in July — will meet again Tuesday, when it will decide "whether we may wish to call other witnesses that may include James Murdoch."

Murdoch testified in July that was never told about a key memo revealing that hacking of celebrities' and crime victims' phones went well beyond the activities of "one rogue reporter." But Tuesday, Tom Crone, the top lawyer for News International — the U.K. newspaper subsidiary at the heart of the scandal — and Colin Myler — the last editor of the News of the World, which the Murdochs shut down — told MPs that Murdoch was "mistaken." 

Developments have picked up steam since in the wake of that contention. 

A 16th person was arrested Wednesday in the scandal, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron's chief spokesman, Andy Coulson, who was editor of the paper during some of the worst excesses. 

The Daily Mail reports that an unidentified 35-year-old man was taken away from his home at 5.55 a.m. and was "cuffed on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept voicemail messages."

Meanwhle, The Guardian — the paper that broke the story and has led the journalistic investigation — had one of its own reporters questioned by police who want to know how information from the investigation leaked to the public. 

The Guardian said reporter Amelia Hill was questioned "several days ago" by police; in a statement, it complained that such interviews raised concerns about police seeking to "criminalise conversations between off-record sources and reporters."

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Giant Crocodile Found in the Philippines is Biggest Captive Crocodile in the World

A giant crocodile captured in Agusan del Sur in the Philippines last Saturday, September 2, is believed to be the biggest captive crocodile to date.

The said Philippine adult male crocodile, measuring 21 ft or 6.4 meters long, was captured alive along a creek by crocodile farm staff and residents in Bunawan in Agusan del Sur. It we are to check the records, the Philippine crocodile is the biggest so far.

Giant Crocodile captured in Agusan del Sur, Philippines
Photo Credit: Associated Press

Two larger certifiable records of the biggest crocodiles in the world are both of 6.2 metres (20 ft) adult crocodiles. The first crocodile was shot in the Mary River in the Northern Territory of Australia in 1974 by poachers and measured by wildlife rangers.

The second crocodile was killed in 1983 in the Fly River, Papua New Guinea. In the case of the second crocodile it was actually the skin that was measured by zoologist Jerome Montague, and as skins are known to underestimate the size of the actual animal, it is possible this crocodile was at least another 10 cm longer.

The largest crocodile ever held in captivity, on the other hand, is an Estuarine–Siamese hybrid named Yai (meaning “big” in Thai) which was born on June 10,1972, at the famous Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo in Thailand. This animal measures 6 m (19.69 ft) (19 ft 8 in) in length and weighs 1114.27 kg.

The largest captive crocodile alive in the US is located in South Carolina. In June 2002, Alligator Adventure introduced Utan, born in 1964 in Thailand. At 20 feet (6.1 m) long and weighing in at more than a ton, “Utan”, the largest crocodile to ever be exhibited in the United States resides in Myrtle Beach.

The records are set to be changed as the giant crocodile which was captured in Agusan del Sur over the weekend has a measurement of 6.4 meters, by far the biggest if it becomes official.

Captured alive, the giant crocodile weighs around 2,370 pounds or 1,075 kilograms.

According to the town Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde it took almost 100 people to place the reptile in a fenced cage. The mayor also said that they are planning to build an eco-tourism park for species found in a vast marshland in Agusan (an impoverished region about 515 miles southeast of Manila) featuring the giant crocodile which is about to become the biggest captive crocodile in the world.

The giant crocodile was first seen by local farm villagers killing a water buffalo (carabao) last month and was also suspected of having attacked a fisherman who went missing in July, according to reports.

After they spotted the giant reptile, villagers and members of the crocodile farm staff set four traps, which the giant crocodile destroyed. They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the giant crocodile late Saturday.

Video courtesy of popis191 from YouTube

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Philippine Arena is Set to Become the Biggest Indoor Dome in the World

The Iglesia ni Cristo’s “Philippine Arena” is going to be the largest indoor dome in the world come 2014.

A gigantic indoor dome is about to rise in Bocaue, Bulacan which is set to become the largest in the world.
The dome is called Philippine Arena, a joint project of religious group Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) and Korean builder Hanwha Engineering and Construction Corp. It’s located at the 74,000-square-meter area of Ciudad de Victoria project in Bocaue with a budget of $175 million and a seating capacity of around 50,000.
The soon-to-be-biggest dome is expected to be completed within 30 months in time for the INC’s 100th founding anniversary in 2014.
(Images via Pinoy Exchange)
The ground breaking ceremony was already held last August 17 at the Ciudad de Victoria and was attended by Hanwha and INC officials.

Did you know that the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao was once the world’s biggest indoor dome? Also known as the “Big Dome,” it held the record from 1960 to 2001 for having a dome-shape roof measuring 108 diameter. It was beaten by the Oita Stadium in Japan in 2001, also known as “The Big Eye” for having a retractable roof measuring a diameter of 274 m.
In 2009, the Oita Stadium was beated by the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas by just 1 meter. The Cowboys Stadium is still the biggest indoor dome until now for having a retractable roof measuring a diameter of 275 m.

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Internet jobs for developing world workers

18 August 2011 Last updated at 23:03 GMT By Fiona Graham Technology of business reporter, BBC News On demand: As more and more people across the developing world get access to the internet, work opportunities open up "In India there's no concept of babysitting in the smaller cities. So mothers have a very difficult choice to make."

When Sangeeta Thomas's husband decided to change jobs, the family moved to city of Mangalore.

She left her job as a customer care executive for HSBC and American Express behind - but with an 18-month-old to look after her job prospects were now limited.

"Either you have grandparents at home, or you have maids to take care of babies and children, otherwise only mothers take care of children. They either choose work or they choose home.

"It's very difficult for working women. They have to compromise with their family life."

She started looking for something she could do at home. While browsing the internet Mrs Thomas came across an article with links to freelancing websites.

These services - Freelancer.com, Elance, oDesk and the like, allow people to sign up and bid for freelance projects.

With each successfully completed project, employers can post reviews. The more positive reviews you have, as you gain reputation, the better your chances of securing more highly paid work become.

Sangeeta Thomas: "Without the internet, working from home isn't really feasible."

Initially suspicious, she chose a copywriting project advertised on Freelancer.com and began bidding.

"The price of the project was very low - but I wanted to see if the site was genuine.

"It was only 35c for a 200 word article. It took me almost 30 days to complete that project and to make $30, so that I could get it paid into my bank account.

"I realised it was genuine. I was very happy - it was exactly what I was looking for, something that gives me the freedom to work from home, to take care of my son, as well as being financially independent."

As she gained good reviews, Mrs Thomas says she was able to bid for much better paid projects and now earns significantly more than she did in her former role.

Hard realities

These are services that continue to attract controversy in the developed world.

In the same way that the outsourcing of call centres and production work has been blamed for job losses, so these services have been accused of pushing down rates of pay for workers in developed countries.

Critics also claim that the quality of the work done by those bidding at the lower end of the spectrum can be variable.

These are issues that are unlikely to be readily resolved.

But what does this mean for those in the developing world, where wages are lower and opportunities few and far between?

Only about 30% of the population of the world currently has internet access. But this is a figure that is rising rapidly.

With online access, comes the opportunity to look beyond their local area for work. A lower cost of living, lack of a welfare safety net and poverty can all make workers from the developing world significantly cheaper than their first world counterparts.

New independence Job Otieno: "People in Kenya still believe in white collar jobs, working in an office"

Job Otieno is 29 years old, and lives in Nairobi in Kenya.

He has been freelancing for nearly a year. He says working from home has given him freedom without the need to find the up-front funding to start a new business.

"This was more friendly in terms of business, and it also gave me the opportunity to do something I really like in terms of writing.

"Initially when I started I was actually writing technical articles, mostly to do with software, computer technology and all that," he says.

"From there I decided to expand my view. Nowadays I do articles on insurance, articles to do with health, I do review articles."

When he started there were some teething problems.

"I didn't have anyone to give me the groundwork, to show me how to bid for the projects, and for example not every buyer or freelancer is honest.

"But after three months I managed to get my act together and it's been pretty easy for me since then."

Mr Otieno had previously worked as a computing teacher, but now earns double his former salary.

He has big plans for the future.

"My ambition is to have a small business out-processing centre where I can expand my operation, I'll put some computers in there and employ some guys and expand my business."

"It has changed my life for the better, and it has given me confidence in terms of being independent."

Family ties John Gotidoc: "I get to see my children grow up every day. I'm able to provide for them"

In the Philippines, around five years ago John Gotidoc faced a choice few fathers would want to be faced with.

In order to send his five children to school he needed to find an alternative source of income.

"The norm here is if you want to earn more you have to go abroad, you have to go overseas and look for jobs elsewhere.

"Well, the thought of just leaving my children and family behind was unbearable. To leave my children for the sake of money.

"I thought that there has to be some other option that I can do."

Freelancing has allowed him to remain at home with his children, and still provide for the family, he says.

"And the best thing is that I don't contribute to pollution. I don't go to work, I don't use the car, I have a home office.

Disruptive practices

Matt Barrie is the chief executive officer of Freelancer.com, the world's largest website of its kind. The Australian bought the site in 2009, before embarking on a large expansion process.

Matt Barrie: "The majority of the world's population actually survive on $200-300 a month"

He feels that the growth of services like this is inevitable.

"If you look at the Philippines for example, in 2009 there were 8 million people out of 100 million people on the internet.

"In 2010 there were 30m million. And 25 million had Facebook accounts.

"The internet is disrupting the global labour markets."

It isn't hard to see why, he says.

"If you work in call centres in these countries, your starting salary is around $240. If you have a degree. This is a white collar, middle class job."

As to the knock-on effect for the developed world, Mr Barrie is unapologetic.

"To be frank, it's mostly low-paid jobs that are being out-sourced.

"Technology is inherently disruptive. We're not causing this, it's the internet that's causing this by breaking down barriers."

Big plans

The bigger argument over the rights and wrongs of outsourcing will continue.

But for people like Sangeeta Thomas, this type of work has, she says, been life-changing.

"I cannot express in words how much happiness this site has given to me.

"I'm able to make a good income from home and at the same time I'm able to contribute to the family, help my husband, take care of my babies."

Four months ago, Mrs Thomas gave birth to twin boys. She's working less, but has big plans for when they start playschool.

"I want to start a copywriting company of my own, give work to housewives like me who want to work from home.

"I want to help a few friends, women who want to work and help their families," she says.

"Talks are on now for that. I have many regular clients who know I'm capable of providing quality work."

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UK bids for World Championships

The Olympic stadium could be the venue for the 2017 World Championships London will bid to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium, UK Athletics has confirmed.

The bid has the full backing of the government and the mayor of London Boris Johnson.

Lord Coe will personally submit the bid at this month's World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, and a decision is expected in November.

"The IAAF and the athletics family have been unwavering in their support for an Olympic legacy," said Coe.

"A successful bid would say thank you for that constant support by delivering a fantastic IAAF World Championships in London that will help drive more young people into the sport."

London was due to host the 2005 World Championships at a proposed new stadium in Picketts Lock, Edmonton, but pulled out in 2001 after the project was deemed too expensive.

The championships were switched to Helsinki, with any future British bid for the event thought to be unlikely.

However, the subsequent successful bid for the 2012 Olympics, led by Coe, has now provided a suitable venue.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson said that the over-subscribed ballot for Olympic tickets at the stadium would add weight to the World Championships bid.

"The demand for London 2012 athletics tickets proves the level of public support that exists for world class track and field," he said.

"The Championships would provide a considerable boost to the capital's economy and help grow the sport by inspiring young people."

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Eumir Felix Marcial is PHL’s 1st World Junior Boxing Champ

While SMART Gilas beat Jones Cup champ Iran and the Philippine Dragon Boat Team won 3 world gold medals, a young boxer from Zamboanga bagged the country’s first gold medal at the World Junior Boxing Championships.

Another great story for Philippine Sports last weekend is Eumir Felix Marcial‘s triumph at the World Junior Boxing Championships.

Eumir Felix Marcial edged Turkey’s Cengiz Onat to nab the gold in the Aiba World Junior Boxing Championship Saturday.

The 15-year-old Marcial, hailing from Zamboanga City, is the first Filipino to win gold since the competition’s first staging in 2001.

The southpaw Marcial, standing at five-foot-seven, dominated the match with a 9-7 decision in favor of the Filipino lad in the bout held at the Kazakhstan Sports Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Marcial previously defeated Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus en route to the championship round.

Although the Philippine Sports Commission didn’t support the campaign of Marcial, Manny Pangilinan rewarded the kid from Zamboanga with a P300,000 incentive.

Cross-published in Pinoy Power

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'World of Warcraft' is losing players, gaining content

Activision Blizzard

"World of Warcraft" has lost players for the second financial quarter in a row. Will new content bring those lapsed players back?

The massively multiplayer online game known as "World of Warcraft" has gotten just a little bit less, well, massive.

Activision Blizzard told investors during a recent earnings call that the renowned game lost about 300,000 players during the last financial quarter — bringing the number of subscribers to 11.1 million worldwide. That's the second quarter in a row the game has lost players.

Yeah, 11.1 million players — that's still a whole lot of people playing the seven-year old, fantasy role-playing game. But at its peak, "World of Warcraft" boasted 12 million players worldwide.

Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said the drop in numbers was partly a seasonal thing and something that isn't surprising considering that time has passed since they launched their last expansion — "Cataclysm" — at the end of last year.

He also said that, since players have been able to play "WoW" for a long time, they've gotten better at the game, which allows them to play through the new content and then move on more quickly. (You can read a complete transcript of the Activision Blizzard meeting at Seeking Alpha here.)

To stem the subscription bleed, Blizzard is working on new content to keep things interesting.

"The 'World of Warcraft' development team is also working on the next content update, which will include major new raid and dungeon content," he said. "We believe that this new end-game content will keep the game fresh for current players and provide compelling reasons for lapsed players to come back."

Morhaime added that it would be the "largest content update since 'Cataclysm'" and said it would arrive "later this year."

Still, the decline is probably not a good sign considering that "WoW" will likely face its biggest competition in fairly short order.

Rival Electronic Arts will soon launch "Star Wars: The Old Republic," an online game that some have predicted could be the so-called "WoW-killer." Electronic Arts also is planning to launch another massively multiplayer online game called "The Secret World."

Then again, Morhaime said that Activision Blizzard is busy investing in a new MMO of its own — which they have not released any details on — and that it "should allow us to continue our industry leadership position for a long time to come."

Thanks to Gamasutra for the heads up.)

For more game news, check out:

Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things here on Twitter or join her in the stream here on Google+. And be sure to check out the In-Game Facebook page here.

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Philippine Dragon Boat Team Bags 5 Gold, 2 Silver Medals at the 2011 Dragon Boat World Championships

The Philippine Dragon Boat team nabs their fifth gold medal on the final day of the 10th International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships in Tampa Bay, Florida.

The Philippine Dragon Boat Team ended their campaign on Sunday with another gold medal win in the 500-meter men’s division small boat event in what Dyan Castillejo described as “precision paddling, they topped the race and took the gold medal while their opponents had nothing but praise for the Filipinos.”

The Philippine team won their fourth gold medal in the 500-meters mixed event in the small boat division beating powerhouse teams from Hungary and Trinidad and Tobago. Their third world title came from the Premier 1000m category (small boat) setting a new world record of 4:57.13 for the said event.

Earlier last week, the team also bagged 2 gold medals, one from the 200m Premier Mixed and one from the 1000m Men’s category.

Aside from the 5 gold medals, the team also won two silver medals, one in the premier 200-meter men’s division event on Saturday and another one from the All Comers 200m small boat event.

The gallant Philippine dragon boat team was denied funding by the Philippine Sports Commission. Their trip to the championships was supported by Lucio Tan’s Philippine Airlines as well as Asia Brewery’s Cobra Energy Drink.

Photo Credit: Ellen Tordesillas

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The Youngest World of Warcraft Gamer in the World?

Aessina of IGNWorld.com has discovered an article about a baby girl who is just 3 years old but already a hardcore gamer in the World of Warcraft. Her father was the one who exposed her to this fascinating world when she was just 12 months old and now she’s known as “Dangerboy” at level 60 interacting and grinding with the rest of the veteran hordes of WOW. Here’s her little story which has been circulating around the blogosphere:

“This is Charisma.

Our daughter is 3 years old and she has been playing Blizzard Entertainment’’s hugely popular MMO, World of Warcraft since she was 1½ years old!

Clearing monsters to swipe a treasure chest, PvP battlegrounds, and dungeon grouping are all taken in stride as Charisma (aka: “Dangerboy”) handles her oversized mouse and keyboard with professional gamer dexterity and skill.

At 12 months old, Charisma showed a great deal of interest in what Mommy (PvPmom) and Papi (juBBjuBB) were doing on the PC. When she starting navigating through Control Panel and Device Manager and changing settings, they built her a computer of her own.

Initially, she began playing WoW and doing simple actions like jumping and chasing bunnies, but she quickly learned the more advanced functions of the game and graduated into teamplay, looking for random people to help, and exploring the world. It became evident the newbie towns were growing too small too fast, and Charisma’’s limited online playtime had only allowed her to level her character to 20 by herself. We transferred one of our pre-existing level 60 Alliance Rogues over to her account, and her virtual world opened up wide. She ran, rode, and flew anywhere she could looking for new places to explore and learning each zone’’s nuances. We often include her in questing as a family and we group with her often  in dungeon instances where she learns how to play a role in a team and not to run ahead blindly around corners.

Source:  http://ignworld.com/index.html

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Philippine Dragon Boat Paddlers Bag 3rd Gold at the World Championships

The Philippine Dragon Boat team has just won their third world title at the 10th World Dragon Boat Championships by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) in Tampa Bay, Florida last Friday.

The Philippine team splashed their way to win the gold medal in the Premier 1000m event (small boat) by clocking a new world record of 4:57.13 for the event.

Australia settled for the silver medal with a time of 5:00.09 and Hungary captured the bronze with 5:03.71.

This is the first time that the Philippine team has won in the 1000m Premier event, powered by just 10 paddlers. Their two gold medals at the 2009 World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic was for the 200m Premiere Mixed and 200m Premier Open categories.

Aside from the gold medal from the Premier 1000m event, the Philippine team earlier bagged the gold medal in 200m Premier Mixed and 1000m Men’s categories. They also bagged a silver medal in the premier 200-meter men’s division event on Saturday.

Photo Credit: Ellen Tordesillas

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World stock prices rise over US debt deal hopes

LONDON — Investors boosted stocks and sold safe-haven assets Monday, betting that a last-minute deal in Washington meant the U.S. economy would avoid default.

There remained a widespread assumption, however, that credit ratings agencies could downgrade U.S. Treasuries from their vaunted triple-A status, a move that would impact the valuation of numerous other assets.

Investors were also digesting data pointing to stagnant growth in the global economy, with Chinese factory activity slowing and euro zone manufacturing falling.

Story: House passes bill to prevent US default

After a tense weekend spent in search of a compromise to allow the U.S. borrowing limit to be lifted, U.S. President Barack Obama said leaders from both parties reached a deal to cut the budget deficit by $1 trillion over 10 years, with additional savings of $1.4 trillion possible.

The plan must be passed by both houses of Congress and will still face some opposition. But it is expected to allow the debt ceiling to be raised, avoiding the prospect of Washington not being able to pay its bills and defaulting.

World stocks as measured by MSCI climbed 0.6 percent with emerging market shares up 1.2 percent.

Video: Will a deal restore faith on Wall Street? (on this page)

There were large gains in Japan, where the Nikkei rose 1.3 percent. In Europe, the FTSEurofirst 300 rose 0.7 percent with banking shares enjoying a big boost.

But there remained a degree of skepticism about how long the rise in risk sentiment would last, given the likely U.S. downgrade, which some believed could come this week.

"It is a relief rally on the back of the parties coming together, but it could only last for a couple of days as the United States could now face a ratings downgrade," Manoj Ladwa, senior trader at ETX Capital, said. "That would impact every part of the United States."

Story: Economists warn cuts to federal spending ill-timed

It would also raise issues for assets elsewhere. Some large pension funds, for example, will only hold triple-A debt, meaning they may have to sell Treasuries and buy elsewhere, crowding trades into German Bunds, for example.

The relative valuations of a number of assets, meanwhile, are based on their difference from supposedly risk-free Treasuries.

The flip side of Monday's stock rally was the unwinding of investor positions taken to protect against U.S. default.

Gold fell more than 1 percent before recovering. It was at $1,616 an ounce after hitting all-time nominal highs last week.

The dollar rose against the Swiss franc, which has seen intense interest from investors as the dual euro zone and U.S. debt crises have stirred markets this year.

Commodity currencies — those tied to the prospect of large developing market growth — climbed, with the Australian dollar nearing a 29-year peak against the greenback hit last week.

"In the short term, there will be relief in market sentiment today and maybe this week, as the U.S. will avoid a default, but the problems are not fully solved so I think we will see a muted reaction," said Richard Falkenhall, currency strategist at SEB in Stockholm.

"You have the risk of ratings agency downgrades, and no further fiscal stimulus in this deal," he said.

On bond markets, yields on U.S. Treasuries and core euro zone debt rose, reflecting some selling to release money parked in fixed income in the run-up to the U.S. deal.

The premium investors demand to hold Italian and Spanish government bonds rather than benchmark German Bunds fell in line with the outperformance of riskier assets.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

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Azkals Lose to Kuwait, Bow Out of 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

Kuwait spoiled the Philippines’ bid to advance to the next round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Thursday night during the second leg of their tie at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

The Kuwaitis scored a 2-1 win during the match for a 5-1 aggregate tally that will take them to the third round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

The Azkals (in white) scored the first goal at halftime courtesy of mid-fielder Stephan Schrock to the delight of the crowd. Unfortunately, Kuwait (in blue) was able to equalize the leaderboard in the early minutes of the second half courtesy of Yousef Nasser.

The visitors showcased a fantastic defense and barred the Azkals’ aggressiveness in meeting their target of 4 goals. And to add insult to injury, the Al-Azraq scored another goal at the 84th minute of the match courtesy of Rob Gier finishing the game with the scores 2-1 on the leaderboard in favor of the visitors.

Azkals coach Michael Weiss commended the Philippine team for its valiant effort against the Kuwaiti squad.

“I want to congratulate my team for a fantastic effort,” he said.

The Philippines now have 4 years to prepare for the 2018 World Cup Qualifier.

Right after the match, Kuwait is now 95th in the world ranking while the Philippine Azkals dropped to no. 162.

Meanwhile, neighboring country–Indonesia–was able to beat Turkmenistan in their tie-breaking match with an aggregate score of 5 over 4 and became the first Southeast Asian country to advance to the third round of Asian (AFC) qualifier.

Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos also failed to advance while Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are still playing their respective 2nd leg matches at this very moment.

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Game SBK 09 Superbike World Championship

Home » Game » Game SBK 09 Superbike World Championship
LIVE THE SBK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP® EXPERIENCE!

The official game of the WSBK™ Championship with the teams, the riders, the bikes and the circuits of the world's most exciting two-wheeled competition.

In SBK™09 every aspect of the world championship is faithfully recreated in every part of the game: the menu graphics, TV-style filming and carefully reconstructed background (such as the pits, the starting grid and the amazing ‘umbrella girls’) all
help to make the game experience as realistic as possible.

SBK™09 allows you to enter the fantastic world of Superbikes: from the accuracy of the physics (which give you the sensation of riding a real Superbike) to the lifelike behaviour of your opponents on the track, the game simulates every feature of the Superbike world and lets you take on the actual bends on the official tracks with all the riders and teams from the 2009 championship.

Features:
5 Single Player game modes
3 Online Multiplayer game modes (up to 8 players on next-gen)
Completely customisable in game physics and realism settings
Visible damage on motorbike fairings and riders’ suits: NEVER BEFORE SEEN in a motorbike racing game!
Realtime interaction with the track engineers: test the bike, tune it with their feedback and then jump on the podium!

OS: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: Pentium 4 @ 2.8 GHz or Athlon 2800+
Memory: 1 GB
Hard Drive: 7 GB Free
Video Memory: GeForce 6600/Radeon X1300
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: 9.0c
Keyboard & Mouse
DVD Rom Drive   Password: gameshut.webnode.com  

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