Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

What the Critics Are Saying About X-Men: Apocalypse

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"Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshiped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel's X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto, to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven with the help of Professor X must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction."

"Everything they've built will fall! And from the ashes of their world, we'll build a better one!" - Apocalypse

I don't know what critics were smoking but it's far from what they made it out to be. If you grow up reading comics , collecting cards and watching the TV series every Friday night then you'll love the movie.

I would like to thank the organizers of the X-Men: Apocalypse special block screening held at SM Megamall Cinema 3 namely Tag Media, Golden Ticket and Astig. That last full show definitely was convenient coming in but somewhat a little bit hard going back home if you don't have your own car with you. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the invitation which made me realize I need the speed of Quicksilver more than bringing my own car.

I seriously got chills when classical music by Beethoven - Symphony No.7 in A major op.92 - II, Allegretto start playing in the middle of the movie. Hearing this on X-Men: Apocalypse was so satisfying. This marvelous movement in Beethoven's 7th is an emotive, and foreboding piece which typically suggests that the shit is about to hit the fan. No matter what, John Ottman's music is ALWAYS on point. It gets my blood pumping and the heroic spirit soaring whenever I hear his X-Men: Apocalypse theme.

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Philippines, May 23–AXN delivers the action with a new season of NCIS: LOS ANGELES.

The team once again delve into the depths of a wide variety of cases on the seventh season of NCIS: Los Angeles. Special Agent G Callen, Detective Marty Geeks, and the rest of the crew will travel far and wide to destinations such as Africa and Russia in their regular quest to solve crimes. Agents doing undercover operations is one of the recurring themes of the series. This season comes with it different issues such as terrorist organizations, money laundering, nuclear radiation, cyber data collection, murders, and hostage taking.

Actor Chris O’Donnell returns as Special Agent G Callen while LL Cool J plays Callen’s partner, Special Agent Sam Hanna. NCIS: Los Angeles is originally released by CBS and aired the first episode of Season 7 last September 2015.

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 7 will be seen first and exclusive on AXN premiering on June 2 and will air every Thursday at 9:45pm.

AXN isseen on Cable Link Channel 38, Cignal Digital TV Channel 61, Global Destiny Cable Channel 61, Dream Channel 20, Gsat Channel 12, SKYCable Channel 49.

Monday, May 23, 2016

CloseUp Forever Summer Got So Intensely Deadly

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"How fitting the name of your event is that claimed the lives of 5 people. There is no blame game nor pointing fingers, but I would like to know what are the event organizers are doing about this incident that claimed my boys father." - Natasha De Alwis

"The CloseUp Forever Summer was supposed to be a fun event. For the most it was but for a few it was devastating. Sorry to hear about the party-goers who did not make it back home to their families.

I passed by ‪#‎CloseUp‬ 's ‪#‎foreversummer‬ event on my way to a separate function. You could really feel the vibe and energy of the EDM party even from afar.

Hopefully the autopsy reports will clarify the root cause and primary reason why it left a few people unfortunate." - Mars Callo

"My advice to partyphiles: Enjoy but be responsible, be smart, if someone gives you something for free...remember what our parents used to warn us "don't accept treats from strangers'. Even if they were popular or deemed cool, know their reputation. Don't let another cheap drink cost another life." - Jeoff Solas

"Show me to a higher place

Take me to outer space

I want you to be my friend

We'll make it till the world ends"

Amidst all the "Tugs Tugs Tugs," who would have thought that there was already a tragedy happening. Was it a combination of alcohol, drugs and the extra loud music at that rave party organized by the Close Up brand under Unilever company? or was the rumored "green apple" or ecstasy drug really true? Some are calling the drug as "Green Amore" or "Fly High"

Whatever the cause, the organizers of the CloseUp Forever Summer rave party should be held responsible. There must be something wrong here to have 5 deaths suffering the same fate - heart attack or what they are calling fatal "dysrhythmia" which is the abnormality in a physiological rhythm, especially in the activity of the brain or heart.

If that was the case, then there's definitely some form of drug that went around and the five people couldn't handle the effects and got the worst of it.

As per case of Eric Anthony Miller, the only foreigner among the five, who was pronounced dead when they took him to the Manila Doctor's hospital. He could have survived if he was taken earlier but the people at teh rave party must have thought he was just drunk and unconscious.

The same goes with the four other people who must have suffered the same terrible fate. It couldn't be just a coincidence to have 5 different individuals to just die like that during the CloseUp Forever Summer rave party held at the SM mall of Asia concert grounds.

Migawa, Fontejon, Leal, Garcia and Miller collapsed minutes apart and were found lying unconscious in separate areas on the concert premises while the party was ongoing.

"It's saddening to know that 5 ravers passed away from last night due to drug usage. But what's disheartening that others thought that the EDM festival scene is the one to blame for this incident. Its not fair for us who just come to the festival for pure love for EDM and enjoying the PLUR vibe. This should served as a lesson those TAKERS. You really don't need a substance to feel the vibe. Also, to the organizers and production team to be more strict to kick out the ones who can't abide rules."

CloseUp already released an official statement:

"Closeup and its organizing agency, Activations Advertising, and staging agency, Eventscape, are deeply saddened by the events that transpired on the early hours of May 22, 2016.

We regret that despite the very stringent measures and precautions we have put in place to ensure the safety and security of all attendees involved, this incident still transpired. As such, strict protocols were followed to immediately provide medical assistance, as well as rush all those involved to the nearest hospital where they can receive emergency care.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of those who’ve passed away, and commit support in their time of bereavement. Likewise, our efforts are now focused on supporting those needing medical assistance so they may fully recover.

We are fully cooperating with the authorities in the ongoing police investigations."

I think it's about time we end these late night parties that do nothing but let out the wild tendencies of the attendees. What is so right about getting drunk and drugged while going wild and crazy with eardrum shattering music? The youth deserves better gatherings that will enhance their knowledge and well-being rather than these senseless parties that do nothing but "kill" precious time.

"There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you."

#CloseUpForeverSummer

Free, Anonymous, and Fast HIV Screening for AIDS Memorial & LGBT Pride

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LoveYourself, Inc., the leading non-government organization on HIV awareness and testing in the country, will be holding its first free, anonymous, and fast HIV screening on May 29 at Victoria Court Malate in an effort to support the causes brought about by the Philippine International AIDS Candlelight Memorial 2016 and the LGBT Pride Month this May and June respectively.

Anchoring this HIV screening event on the military secrecy rule "What you see, what you hear, when you leave, leave it here," the organization named the event as LoveYourself Incognito to ensure utmost confidentiality and promptness of the procedure.

By being anonymous, LoveYourself will employ a system of client identification known as the Unique Identifier Code to distinguish a client without revealing its name, and to eliminate filling out of lengthy identification forms leading to reduced times and increased efficiency. Clients will then be subjected to “Rapid Test” which involves pricking a finger to get just two (2) drops of blood for screening. The entire procedure will not take more than 15 minutes inclusive of counseling on safer sex practices to lower the risk of HIV infection as well as an explanation on the results of the test.

As the event promises anonymity and speed, the organization earnestly calls all interested individuals to simply register at go.loveyourself.ph/incognito to avail of a slot. Then prospective clients will just need to arrive on the said screening date and venue between 10:00 a.m. -7:00 p.m.

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In The Aesthetics of Silence, Susan Sontag’s seminal 1969 essay, Sontag investigates how silence reconciles art’s function as a form of spirituality in an increasingly secular culture, she writes, “The art of our time is noisy with appeals for silence. A coquettish, even cheerful nihilism. One recognizes the imperative of silence, but goes on speaking anyway.”

In a parallel purview Junyee attempts to estimate his ruminations on silence in The Silence of J, his solo exhibition at Galleria Duemila, wherein approximations of light, space, and perspective are modified, diluted, to a conflicting yet visually decisive investigation on his very own aesthetics of silence.

In The Silence of J, the walls are seamlessly hung with sparse four-sided woodworks, evocative reliefs made from sturdy jointed T&G (tongue-and-groove) planks, whitewashed in ivory, snow, and eggshell—tonal values that have determined the depth and perspective of Yee’s muted permutations.

Presenting a flowchart of processes and traces of quaintly discontinued paintjob, he reveals the architectural and utilitarian qualities of the medium, while non-descript shapes—slivers of flaked off paint, and linear dents hint at a feeling of Fontana’s iconic post-object slashes. Much in the way in which his sparse compositions seemingly manifest as diagrams or blueprints of a utopian construct—in the heady technological apocalypse of the now, silence makes perfect sense.

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To allow contact centers to run campaigns with minimal capital requirement and faster deployment, local cloud services and data center pioneer IPC (IP Converge Data Services, Inc.) recently launched IPC VOICES, its on-demand, cloud-based call center solution for BPO companies. This straightforward, plug and play technology within the robust infrastructure of IPC Data Centers was developed in partnership with Australia-based BlueCloud Technology, a company specializing in cloud-based applications for call centers.

As IPC VOICES is a cloud service, it is an application that’s subscribed to and paid for on a monthly basis and can be up and running in a very short time. This is perfect for BPOs that need immediate expansion to accommodate new campaigns, or those that are just starting up. It is also an ideal disaster recovery and business continuity contingency. All an agent needs is a computer, a headset, and internet connectivity to use the application.

"VOICES is not just your run-of-the-mill call center solution. It doesn’t only address common operational pain points in BPOs but also highlights resiliency, accessibility and adaptability,” said IPC Director for Product Management and Marketing Niño Valmonte. “Being locally hosted in IPC Data Center, users of the application benefit from a globally-compliant, state-of-the-art facility and robust network infrastructure which ensures availability and security for their business operations.”

VOICES, according to IPC, is an acronym for Voice Over Internet Call Exchange Suite.

With IPC VOICES installed, contact center agents can work from anywhere as long as they are connected to the internet. Administrators can also make necessary system changes even through their mobile devices. “We consider this an important feature for high-risk countries such as the Philippines. This product provides contact centers a contingency plan in the event of a calamity or a breach in their physical offices,” BlueCloud Co-founder and CEO Antoine Nookadu explained.

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The founders of BeamAndGo believes that they have introduced a better way to support the families of OFWs using their remittance service that helps guard against misspent funds.

How? By sending digital certificates that are already intended for use with specific brands, services or utilities. Instead of sending cash values, an OFW can send an amount credited to ..let's say, a grocery, through the most accessible tool that majority of us use in our everyday lives. What else but our mobile phones! I think the service works even for non-smartphones so it's not required that you have an Android or iOS device which means even those with less access to expensive gadgets can avail of the service.

The BeamAndGo remittance service is so easy to use that even a child using it for the first time can conveniently find his way to use it without any problems. In fact, the system is so user-friendly that it only took me a few minutes to complete a transaction.

It's my second time to try it and though there have been obvious changes in the system interface when I accessed it for the second time, I still had a remarkably easy time to complete a transaction. Within a matter of days, the notice that I received a 2 Super8GC Php500 gift certificate/s was sent to my smartphone and informed me that it can be redeemed immediately.

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Twitter users have been marking the 70th Philippine-Australian Friendship anniversary celebration using the hashtag #First70Years which culminated with a commemorative light up of the SM Mall of Asia Globe to feature the Philippines-Australian 70th Anniversary logo and images highlighting the breadth and depth of cooperation over the years.

Even though our diplomatic relations may have only started in May 22, 1946 at an office in Manila Hotel, the relationship between our nations goes back even further. At the 2011 Census, 225,000 Australians identified as having Filipino ancestry, up from 129,000 in 2001. Filipinos also remain to be one of the fastest growing immigrant communities in Australia.

Sunday, 22 May, Australia marked its 70 years of diplomatic relations with the Philippines when its first Consulate-General opened in Manila in 1946. The light up was led by Ambassador Amanda Gorely together with National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Executive Director Vic Badoy.

The focus of Australia's development program in the Philippines is to support inclusive economic growth and political stability. Australia has been side by side with the Philippines even way back during the post-war era. Geographically, Australia was one of the Philippines’ most important neighbors and one which the people of the Philippines especially wished to cultivate. Australia has been a natural ally of the Philippines and this alliance has definitely become even stronger throughout the years.

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We are proud to have the Gambero Rosso’s Top Italian Wines Roadshow in Manila and hoping to have it again on their next tour. Filipinos have improved on their taste and familiarity of wines and now understand how to identify the best.

Gambero Rosso’s Top Italian Wines Roadshow was held in Manila (Philippines) for the first time on Friday, May 20, 2016 at the Manila Peninsula hotel located at the corner of Ayala and Makati Avenues, in Makati City.

The Top Italian Wines Roadshow is a prestigious and high profile event featuring over 60 top wineries from Italy and is organised by Gambero Rosso Holdings SpA (www.gamberorosso.it).

The event is managed and coordinated by Felicitas Global Pte Ltd, Singapore (www.felicitasglobal.com).

As a member and representative of the wine sector for Cantine Due Palme, this high profile and prestigious wine event featured more than 200 top quality wines representing Italy’s wine heritage at its best.

This event was previously at Singapore on May 16 where 64 Italian wineries were for display and tasting in a temperature controlled church. Their next stop was in Bangkok on May 18, then in Manila this May 20.

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The Tech4ED Project of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) won the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2016 Prizes under the e-Employment action line.

The Tech4ED Project, which stands for “Technology for Education to gain Employment, and to empower Entrepreneurs towards Economic Development”, seeks to provide access to ICT enabled services and relevant content to marginalized communities via a single platform.

The photo above shows Tthe WSIS Prizes 2016 Champion trophy held by (from right) Ms. Cheryl Ortega,Project Manager and FOO Cluster Director for Luzon Cluster II; Ms. Bettina Quimson, Head of eSociety; and Ms. Maria Teresa Camba, Cluster Director, Mindanao Cluster I. The Tech4ED Project of the DOST-ICT Office was named champion in the e-Employment action line.

According to the ITU, the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), 18 projects were hailed “WSIS Prize Champions” out of 70 nominees from around the world. ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao announced the prize for the Tech4ED Project during the WSIS High-Level Opening Segment in Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG). “ITU and its WSIS partners strongly believe in the critical importance of ICTs in achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals,” Zhao said.