Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Jawsome July Returns With Shark Week On Discovery Channel

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SHARK WEEK, one of the longest running and most anticipated television events, returns to Discovery Channel on Monday, July 13 at 9pm (PH).

Last year’s Shark Week netted record high ratings in the Philippines since 2009, and the highest viewership in Singapore over the last ten years since 2005, among viewers aged 25 to 54. From Return of the Great White Serial Killer, to Bride of Jaws and Ninja Sharks, SHARK WEEK is set to be even more jawsome this year!

SHARK WEEK 2015 PROGRAMME SYNOPSIS

ISLAND OF THE MEGA SHARK
Premieres Monday, 13 July at 9pm (PH)

Shark experts Jeff Kurr, Andy Casagrande and Dickie Chivell travel to the volcanic Pacific island of Guadalupe, to search for one of the largest great white sharks ever recorded with new technologies and innovative methods.

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Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental has long been known as the Cultural Center of Southern Philippines, and for the first time ever, the Silliman University Cultural Affairs Committee, the city’s unofficial cultural arm, brings to Manila audiences AMPALAYA THE MUSICAL - an original new musical that will delight and educate, with a performance on 15 July 2015 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, which is part of Silliman University’s commitment as the official regional cultural hub of the CCP.

AMPALAYA THE MUSICAL celebrates Philippine culture through music, dances, games and values. The musical play is based on the award winning children’s story Alamat ng Ampalaya (The Legend of Ampalaya) written by Augie Rivera, Jr. Another highlight of this production is the original music by renowned New York-based guitar virtuoso Maestro Michael Dadap who has set the play’s music using a live 22 piece Orchestra Sin Arco (Orchestra of Plucked Instruments). The play is directed by Dessa Quesada Palm, of the Philippine Educational Theater Association, with musical direction by Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez and choreography by Angelo Sayson. Ampalaya.

AMPALAYA THE MUSICAL has just finished its run from July 3-6, 2015 and its first full length run last September 2014 which were both held at the Luce Auditorium. The musical began as a short play, which debuted in 2000 in Boston.

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Fo Guang Shan Philippines in cooperation with the Buddha’s Light International Association will restage Siddhartha: The Musical at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines on July 17, at 2 pm and 8 pm. Directed by Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson and with musical direction by Jude Gitamondoc, Siddhartha: The Musical tells the story of Siddhartha, the prince who renounced his royal status to seek enlightenment. He would eventually become the Buddha, the awakened one. His teachings are still kept alive today by millions of people all over the world.
The musical is based on the book The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order. Most of the songs used in the musical are also based on the writings of the Venerable Master.

To date, Siddhartha: The Musical has been staged a total of 55 times. It has been shown in Cebu, Manila, Iloilo, Bacolod, Taiwan and the United States.

In November 2013, the entire cast and crew of the production was invited to perform by Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple in southern California to take part in the temple’s 25th anniversary celebration. The production also traveled to Northern California and other parts of the U.S. Proceeds from the shows were used to rebuild structures damaged by the earthquake that struck Bohol and Cebu, as well as in relief operations for the victims of typhoon Yolanda.

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This July, the whole family will surely enjoy this new and exciting offerings from Burgoo they called Piglet Riblets Combo, a combination of piglet riblets from Germany (less than three months younger than ordinary pigs, thus less fat and more healthy, clean and juicy). The combo comes with crunchy chicken wings and/or fried calamari, served with a choice of Oklahoma BBQ sauce, sweet sesame sauce or chipotle sauce. These sumptuous combos are all served with US fries and a carafe of lemonade, good for 5-6 persons. Other well-loved dishes at Burgoo worth a try are Hamburgoo, delicious pastas and pizzas, country-style fried chicken, grilled pork chops, luscious shakes, smoothies and desserts, among others.

Meanwhile, treat yourself with these ”Steaks Affordable” at Gumbo on the same whole month of July. Gumbo, located at the 2nd Level Entertainment Hall, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay; 3rd Level Robinsons Manila Midtown; 2nd Level SM City The Block, North EDSA: Gateway Mall in Araneta Center, Cubao; Robinsons Magnolia; and at the 2nd Level Atrium Bldg. in SM Megamall, serves mouth-watering and well-loved New Orleans dishes like Seafood Jambalaya, Bayou’s Stuffed Crabs, Shrimp Etouffe, Bourbon-Style Baby Back Ribs, Southern-Grilled Chicken Caesar, Cajun-Style Fried Chicken, Seafood Boil, including sumptuous and affordable steaks such as Mew York Style Grilled Steak, Blackened Steak, Grilled Angus Rib Eye Steak, among others.

Enjoy and get 10% on these tender, juicy, high quality and affordable steaks this July only at Gumbo. For reservations and inquiries, please call 5560238, 4420106, 6353015, 5671820, 4404632 and 5271925.

Visit Burgoo at T. Morato in Quezon City; Powerplant Mall in Rockwell Makati; The Podium in Ortigas; Gateway Mall in Araneta Center Cubao; Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas; SM City The Block in North EDSA; Mall of Asia in Pasay; SM City Marikina; SM Southmall in Alabang, The District in Cavite; 3rd level Terraces Mall in Fairview; and Starmall in Taguig. For reservations and inquiries, please call 9277424, 8381815, 6875254, 7263578, 9136112, 5560091 or 6336256.

Why Talent Drives Growth

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This article is about the study from Oxford Economics and SAP Links Workforce Investment and Company Performance. SAP and Oxford Economics announce new findings from global Workforce 2020 Study, examining how high-performing companies are setting themselves apart.

A greater emphasis on workforce development correlates with better financial results, according to findings from Workforce2020, an independent, global study from Oxford Economics with support from SAP SE (NYSE: SAP). The study examined thousands of high- and low-performing companies worldwide, examining correlations between workforce priority and financial success.

The results found several key characteristics of high-performing companies regarding their use of talent to drive bottom-line growth:

High-performing companies understand and plan for the demographics of the future workforce

Executives at higher-growth companies tend to be more forward-looking and better prepared to adapt to changing workforce trends, by paying greater attention to the demographic shifts shaping the workplace. High performers are more likely to say that an influx of millennials and an aging workforce are two key market shifts affecting their business strategy.

“All organizations create business strategies,” said Mike Ettling, president of the HR Line of Business, Success Factors, an SAP company. “But to translate those business strategies into business outcomes requires committed, involved, productive people. The human resources function has therefore never been more important to organizational success. HR has the opportunity to find, support and drive the talent that ultimately leads to greater financial success, a connection validated by the Workforce2020 study.”

The Looming Talent Crisis: Research Shows Companies Unprepared for Future of Work

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Businesses are facing the most diverse work environment that the world has ever seen with five different generations working together, across geographies — each with different skills, experiences and work habits. More of these workers will be freelancers and long-term contractors. All of this represents a major opportunity for productivity, talent development and employee engagement, but according to new wide-scale research from Oxford Economics, most companies are unprepared to capitalize on it.

As revealed in Workforce 2020, an independent, global study by Oxford Economics with support from SAP SE, most companies recognize the importance of managing an increasingly international, diverse and mobile workforce. However, the majority lack the strategy, culture and solutions to do so. Oxford Economics surveyed more than 5,400 employees and executives and interviewed 29 executives in 27 countries, finding that two-thirds of businesses have not made significant progress toward building a workforce that will meet their future business objectives. The announcement was made at SuccessConnect 2014, being held September 9-11 in Las Vegas.

“To gain advantage in the future, businesses must understand the workforce of tomorrow and its importance to bottom-line success — today,” said Edward Cone, managing editor of Thought Leadership at Oxford Economics. “Our research shows that the C-suite is out of touch with HR on business strategy and priorities, and workers are not getting what they want from their employers in terms of incentives, benefits and training.”

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The inaugural FIA Formula E Championship concluded in style, with e.dams-Renault clinching the Teams’ title after Race 1 on Saturday, June 27, thanks to the lights-to-flag victory of pole-winner Sébastien Buemi. The Swiss driver’s points haul of 28 points closed the gap to leader Nelson Piquet Jr to just five units ahead of Sunday’s action. That boosted his confidence, which was lifted further when Buemi got a dry qualifying slot (Q2) for Race 2, while title rival Piquet was slowed by a heavy shower during Q3.

For the first time this season, the drivers faced wet conditions but the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV rose to the occasion to provide the necessary grip. “We’ve been waiting for this sort of weather since the beginning on the championship,” says Serge Grisin, manager of Michelin’s Formula E programme. “We designed the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV to be a very versatile tyre and we finally got the opportunity to see how it performed in a wet qualifying session on Sunday. Technically, that was very important because we wanted to collect data and get feedback from all the drivers. Now we know we met our objective because we received positive praise from everyone.”

The wet session shook up the start order for Race 2, with Stéphane Sarrazin (Venturi) claiming pole position and title challengers Buemi and Piquet starting from sixth and 16th places on the grid respectively. Forty minutes later, after one of the season’s most exciting contests, the Swiss driver and the Brazilian collected fifth and seventh places overall. That was enough for Piquet (144 points) to seal the Drivers’ crown by a single point. The race itself was won by Sam Bird (Virgin Racing), ahead of Jérôme D’Ambrosio who claimed his second strong result of the weekend.

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The Interscholastic Debater’s Association (IDeA) proudly welcomes another stellar line-up of events for the year 2015.

IDeA is a youth-initiated and youth-targeted organization, formed in 1997 and comprised of more than 200 high school debaters from over 23 institutions in Metro Manila. Geared towards providing an avenue for its members to discuss, analyze, and evaluate issues of domestic and international concern, the Association has hosted multiple events in its years of existence. This year, under the guidance of Angelique Leda (President for year 2015-2016) and Colleen Anne Chua (Vice President for year 2015-2016), the Association commits to host at least 4 debate tournaments and 1 debate symposium, in order to cultivate rationale thought and awareness among the youth.

The highly awaited symposium, the Integration Seminar (IntegSem), is slated on July 11, 2015 from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM at the North Greenhills President Hall, San Juan City. With help from major sponsors such as Universal Robina Corporation, Smart Telecommunications Inc., and Ardent World Inc., and media partners with the likes of Rappler, WhenInManila.com, WazzupPilipinas.com, Circuit Magazine, Magic 89.9, and Radyo Inquirer, it can be assured that this year’s IntegSem will be grander than ever before.

Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady The Musical: Well Deserving of a Repeat

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My childhood was filled with superheroes. From the comic book to the cartoons in both movies and TV shows, I enjoyed learning about super-powered beings with out of this world capabilities. From aliens to mutants, or humans that transformed into powerful beings because of accidents like exposure to gamma rays or a bite from a spider, we all loved how the ordinary guy turned into an image respected and adored.

But just like any superhero story, there would always be the evil counterparts aiming to bring down the superheroes due to many reasons like as simple as robbing a bank or bigger like world domination.

Do you now why we love superheroes? It is because we all have that inner longing to save the world, or be saved by a superhero. Yes! We all want someone to rise up against the oppressors to bring forth the downfall of a tyranny, or we want all the criminals behind bars, or the corrupt politicians to finally be exposed for the real reasons why they would spend millions and even die just to be in government office.

Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady the Musical Repeat does not only tackles the eminence of being a superhero. It also deals with so many life challenges and realities. From the unfavorable conditions of the masses who are forced to work as maids because of lack of better work opportunities, to how we are easily brainwashed into submission due to lack of education and support from family, to the sibling rivalries at home.

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"The main reason why Filipinos are paying more for slower internet connection compared to other countries is because PLDT acts as the country’s own backbone, able to control all the flow of internet traffic from Philippines to the outside. ISPs are also required to pay PLDT for using its ‘fake’ backbone instead of relying to real backbone service providers like PACNET to properly handle the data exchange for this country."

The lack of competition in the telecommunication industry leads to bad economic and social consequences, such as crappy services, lack of innovation and service improvement, expensive products and/or services, lack of jobs, and corporate arrogance, among many other things that would not make any Filipino happy except the oligarch that is responsible for such monopoly.

PLDT may use everything in its power to oppose and brainwash people in believing otherwise but it all boils down to who gets to gain more from the situation. We are not fools that can easily be bought by the marketing gimmicks of "free" and "unlimited" promos, or the many CSR activities supporting foundations, charitable institutions, or NGOs.

The government is fully aware of the situation yet it does not have the will power to use its authority to bring down, or at least moderate, this greed.

I am reposting this article found at reddit since I am strongly opposing the current situation - the real cause of why our Internet is too slow.

How PLDT Deliberately Keeps Local Internet Traffic Slow and More Expensive In Philippines