Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

UPLB Chemical Kinetics Society Proudly Presents 16th Regional Chemistry Olympiad

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For 24 years, the UPLB Chemical Kinetics Society (CHEMOKINESIS), a duly recognized academic organization in the University of the Philippines Los Baños, has been promoting academic excellence and unparalleled service through its various activities.

This February 4, 2017, in cooperation with the Kapisanang Kimika ng Pilipinas-Southern Tagalog Chapter (KKP-ST) and the UPLB Institute of Chemistry, the organization will hold its 16th Regional Chemistry Olympiad (RCO). It is comprised of the following events: Philippine National Chemistry Olympiad (PNCO) Regional Eliminations; Regional Feature Writing Contest, and; Regional CHEM-in-hue.

With the theme “Aquatic Chemistry: Bathing knowledge and drenching strategies to safer and smarter water usage”, the PNCO Regional Eliminations will serve as a venue in selecting the top three (3) high school chemistry wizards who will represent Region IV in the Philippine National Chemistry Olympiad. This event has a quiz proper and laboratory component.

Concurrently, the organization will also be holding its 7th Regional Feature-Writing Contest and 14th Regional Chem-in-Hue, a poster-making contest. Both competitions aim to showcase the skill and artistry of students in presenting Chemistry through literary writing and arts. All activities will be held at Physical Sciences Building, UPLB, College, Laguna.

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Everyone had their say about Maxine Medina's performance on Miss Universe.Some even had the audacity to laugh on her answer.

The question for Maxine was "What is the most significant change you've seen in the world in the last 10 years?" of which "change" was roughly translated in Tagalog as "pangyayari" by her interpreter.
Maxine's answer: The last 10 years of being here in the world is that I saw all the people bringing (being) in one event like this in Miss Universe, and it's something big to us that we are one, as one nation, we are all together.

"Ano ang pinakamakabuluhang naganap na PANGYAYARI (event?) ang nakita mo sa mundo sa loob ng sampung taon?" and so she answered it on the point... What can you say about it? Was it perhaps the interpreter's mistake?

"She did her best yes. But its already given that winners are not taken from a home or host country. Usually host countries are given the consolation for being part of the top 10 only. That's according to Ms. Gloria Diaz on Ms. U's rules." - Luz Prado-Morales

"With or without an interpreter, she would probably have the same answer. Let's not blame the interpreter. Maxine knows how to speak in English. She clearly knows what "change" means." - Abbie Broqueza

"Lesson here is to speak or express yourself in a language you are comfortable in, particularly when the pressure is high. It's perfectly okay to accept the fact that your English is not so good rather than to force it and mess up." - Bern Wong

"The reality for some is that, "the most significant change I've seen in the world in the last 10 years is when the Filipinos were degrading their country's candidate instead of supporting her." - Aira Mika Jubilea

Some are saying that "people are getting worst by judging and bashing people without knowing what it feels like being under pressure. Instead of supporting their own, they're bashing as if they are perfect. That's all I can say. And goodluck to all the smart people bashing our miss Universe Philippines Maxine Medina. I'm looking forward for the next miss Universe and hope I'll see all your faces on the pageant next year. To all those people bashing her, try to put your feet in her shoes." - Mitchelle Cernio

Many netizens also shared their own answers to the controversial #MissUniverse question to Maxine Medina thinking they could offer better options.

Below are a few more of their answers taken from social media network Facebook:

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"I admire Maxine Medina for acknowledging her weakness. Asking for an interpreter is a bold move. Brave one!"

Everyone is talking about the "Interpreter" that allegedly made a crucial mistake in the "interpretation" or "translation" of the question from English to Tagalog. Many are saying Miss Philippines Maxine Medina was not able to give a substantial answer because of the mistake in translating "significant change" to "makabuluhang pangyayari" since it should have been "makabuluhang pagbabago." Netizens have mentioned that Maxine could have mentioned the developments in technology, the Internet or social media, or maybe like climate change or just about everything else that is more significant other than the "pangyayari" or "event" like the majestic gathering of Filipinos in watching the Miss Universe beauty pageant.

One of the trending topics in social media is now all about this guy who could have costed Maxine her chance to win the Miss Universe title. But we are forgetting that even with the mistake, Maxine did hear the original question asked in English. She does understand the language. Her only problem is how to correctly say it in English, mainly because she was under a lot of pressure.

But who knows? She could have really answered based from the Tagalog translation of which she did base it on the "pangyayari" word. When you're up there on stage knowing your every word is being observed by millions of people, you would also feel nervous, and make errors in judgement. It may not be a very well-thought out answer, but she did tried her best to come out with an answer from the heart. Though she could have fully utilized the interpreter to rephrase her thoughts better, we would still never know that since the interpreter could have made it worst for her. Remember that the interpreter did make a mistake with a particular word, he could have made further mistakes if he did "interpret" her answer. Also, Filipinos would know if he did fuck up because we would understand Maxine's Tagalog answer too. That could have been another interesting alternate story.

On the positive side, the Heussaff siblings (Solenn and Erwan) both tweeted that even France's interpreter also made a mistake in his interpretation but according to them Miss France's answer was even better when translated correctly.

At least many acknowledged the "interpreter" and not the "entrepreneur" - a joke that you would only understand if you look at the very bottom of this blog post.

Because of this situation, many netizens couldn't help but make fun of the #interpreter by tweeting their own humorous statements focused on the interpreter. Below are just some of the quite funny tweets from social media:

Monday, January 30, 2017

Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales Grace Opening of Yamaha Grand Prix 8

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Two international racers recently joined Yamaha Motor Philippines' first big event for the year 2017 - the Yamaha Grand Prix 8.

Yamaha MotoGP rider, Valentino "The Doctor" Rossi, together with the newest rider, Maverick Viñales, graced the opening of the 8th Yamaha Grand Prix held on January 28, 2017 at the parking grounds turned motorcycle racetrack of Robinson's Novaliches.

But before they went to the racetrack to officially open the event, a press conference was first held in their honor at the Robinson's Novaliches Trade Hall where members of the media were already anticipating their arrival. However, some of the members of the media already went to the airport earlier to witness the two racers' arrival in Manila, and for some photo and video opportunities. At the press conference, the questions submitted in advance to Yamaha Motor Philippines were then personally asked by media outfits to Rossi and Vinales, as they were called one at a time by host Rico Robles.

This is the second time Valentino Rossi has visited the Philippines, and sadly his second visit to our country will be short since they have to leave immediately for another engagement in another country the following day. Meanwhile, it's Vinales' first time in the country. Too bad they do not have the luxury of time to at least explore some areas of the Philippines, especially our numerous beautiful beaches all over the country.

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Gamers have special requirements when it comes to their choice of computers or PCs, may it be desktops or laptops, thus they seek the best hardware specifications having the most reasonable prices to build their ultimate gaming gear.

For those in the search for their dream PCs, Lenovo recently held a two-day gaming event on January 28 and 29, 2017 at the Cyberzone area of SM City North EDSA Annex where attendees had the opportunity to try out the all-new line up of PCs that Lenovo calls collectively as "Legion."

Laptops such as the Lenovo Legion Y520, the Ideapad Y910, and desktops like the IdeaCentre Y710 Cube were available for anyone who wanted to experience the Legion by Lenovo gaming experience.

Appropriate enough, they chose the highly popular and challenging League of Legends online game which is a favorite in the gaming community. You'll see many gamers, especially the hard-core ones, flocking Internet Cafes or Gaming Shops that aer still proliferating the metro even though there are already many powerful laptops and Internet connections that are available at home.

For gamers, the fun is actually more on personally bonding with friends while they battle it out for supremacy among themselves. Since League of Legends is a team effort game, you can see how groups of five support each other to make up for their weaknesses and take advantage of their strengths.

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“The cybersecurity challenges facing our enterprise customers today are getting increasingly complex with a threat landscape that is rapidly evolving. With Phil’s extensive background working at the National Security Agency and with the Defense Department he brings incredible insight on the technologies, threat landscape and partnerships needed to deliver the most effective approaches to data security. He is a strong addition to our executive leadership team and will be focused on safeguarding Fortinet’s information technology and assets, expanding our strategic national programs, as well as serving as a trusted advisor to our C-Level enterprise customers.” - Ken Xie, founder, chairman of the board and chief executive officer at Fortinet

Fortinet, the global leader in high-performance cybersecurity solutions, today announced the appointment of Phil Quade as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Quade will take responsibility for Fortinet’s information security and ensure compliance with the latest global regulations and standards across all systems. He will lead the strategy and expansion of Fortinet’s Federal and Critical Infrastructure business. Additionally, Quade will serve as a strategic consultant to Fortinet’s C-Level enterprise customers to help inform product development and innovation based on evolving cybersecurity requirements. He will report to founder, chairman and CEO, Ken Xie.

Quade brings more than three decades of cybersecurity and networking experience working across foreign, government, critical infrastructure and commercial industry sectors at the National Security Agency (NSA) at the highest levels of the White House and Congress. Prior to Fortinet, Quade was the NSA Director’s Special Assistant for Cyber and Chief of the NSA Cyber Task Force with responsibility for the White House relationship in Cyber. Previously, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Information Assurance Directorate at the NSA, managing day-to-day operations, strategy, planning, integration, and relationships in cybersecurity. Prior, Quade served as the head of the Information Operations Technology Center’s Advanced Technology Group, as a professional staffer to the U.S. Senate, and at the Office of the Director for National Intelligence. Additional assignments that Quade held at the NSA include computer and network security evaluator, cryptanalyst and policy management.

In his new role as Fortinet’s CISO, Quade will leverage his considerable experience in managing diverse and complex cyber strategies solutions with global intelligence and partnerships to ensure that both Fortinet and its global customers have the most effective, broad security postures.

“Bringing together the right mix of technology, threat intelligence risk management and partnerships to protect global information and assets is my passion. Fortinet’s Security Fabric vision aligns perfectly to what it takes to deliver an end-to-end, intelligent, scalable, and integrated security architecture for today’s digital economy,” said Mr. Quade. “I am thrilled to join Fortinet’s leadership team and contribute to its vision, both in leading our internal information security efforts as well as providing strategic guidance and programs to help safeguard our global customers.”

Globe Customers Receive Exclusive Ticket Discounts to Experience Award-Winning Broadway and West End Musical Wicked

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The West End and Broadway musical phenomenon WICKED flies back to Manila after its outstanding engagement in 2014. Presented by Globe LIVE together with Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, Globe customers can receive exclusive ticket discounts of up to 15% off!

Globe Broadband and Platinum customers can enjoy a 15% discount, while Globe Postpaid and Prepaid customers get 10% off when buying up to 6 tickets. Broadband simply have to enter their broadband account number at ticketworld.com.ph or present their Globe billing statement upon payment to any TicketWorld outlet nationwide.

Globe Platinum, Postpaid and Prepaid customers on the other hand can text GLOBEWICKED to 2363 to receive a unique discount code that can be used at TicketWorld.com.ph, or presented upon payment in-person at any TicketWorld outlet.

Based on the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire that ingeniously re-imagines the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students – a popular blonde girl called Glinda and a misunderstood, green-skinned girl named Elphaba. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked features music and lyrics by multi Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Disney’s Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame), and is based on the novel ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ by Gregory Maguire and adapted for the stage by Winnie Holzman. Musical staging is by Tony Award-winner Wayne Cilento and the production is directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello.

Wicked begins February 2, 2017 at The Theatre at Solaire, and runs Tuesday-Friday at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The by-invitation gala evening is February 8, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

For a chance to win tickets to Wicked, stay tuned to the Globe official social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. For more information, text GLOBEWICKED INFO to 2363 for free. Tickets can be purchased via www.ticketworld.com.ph or visit any TicketWorld outlet, or call 891-9999.

Wicked is produced around the world by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Executive Producer (UK/International Tour) Michael McCabe.

The Manila engagement is presented by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Concertus Manila.

PHOTO CAPTION: The 2017 run of Wicked in Manila is presented by Globe in partnership with Lunchbox Theatrical Productions. Globe customers get up to 15% discount on tickets! The musical premieres at The Theatre at Solaire on February 2. (Photo by Matt Crockett)

New Digital Banking Solution from SAP Simplifies IT and Fosters Co-Innovation for the Bank of Tomorrow

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SAP SE recently announced the latest release of SAP Omnichannel Banking, a digital banking solution that went live on December 23, 2016. The offering simplifies the process of managing mobile and online applications for retail, small business and commercial banking customers on a single platform built on open standards. With more than 500 available microservices, the new digital banking solution helps banks build responsive mobile, tablet and desktop apps with a unique, digital customer experience.

SAP Omnichannel Banking complements the solutions for customer engagement and commerce in the SAP Hybris portfolio to form a comprehensive offering for banks to manage all aspects of customer interaction. Planned application programming interface (API) integration between these components will provide customers a seamless experience across multiple touchpoints. Together, SAP Omnichannel Banking and the SAP Hybris solution portfolio will enable banks to deploy intelligent digital sales and service processes, creating personalized customer interaction across all channels and helping banks get a 360-degree view of their customers.

The modular architecture of SAP Omnichannel Banking enables banks to roll out new products and services in an incremental fashion, without disrupting existing functionality. The solution can be deployed on premise or in the cloud and also addresses the need for faster time to market as well as an increasing frequency of updates. By providing an extensive library of customization accelerators and a single call-out for over 200 configuration services, the solution can substantially reduce the effort involved in developing bank-specific extensions. In addition, SAP Omnichannel Banking provides state-of-the-art tooling in the form of Eclipse plug-ins, a widely used integrated development environment (IDE) for developing microservices. This vastly increases development productivity and allows a growing ecosystem of established partners and FinTechs to further enrich SAP’s offering.

“For banks, maintaining multiple platforms requires multiple work streams, separate maintenance schedules and a slow, complex approach to updates,” said Falk Rieker, global head of the banking business unit at SAP. “With SAP Omnichannel Banking and SAP Hybris solutions, we are providing a holistic offering to manage all types of digital customer engagement – mobile and online, and across multiple lines of business. This is nothing short of a game changer, one that empowers banks to differentiate from each other and allows them to provide a tailored, digital customer experience.”

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As we gear up for another year, never let your allergies pull you down. Every day, we face allergens coming from different sources. Sometimes, you may find yourself sneezing uncontrollably, or experiencing colds with a runny nose and watery eyes. Allergy attacks are sure to impair your senses and hinder you from living your life to the fullest so you must be equipped. Kickstart your year with the world’s number one anti-allergy brand, Claritin!

Allergy symptoms might be common among people, so common that there exists a lot of misconceptions about allergies. Some of these myths include that if you ignore the allergy attacks, it will eventually go away. Sometimes, people even go as far as exposing themselves to allergens in the hope that they will become immune to it. There are also those who think that overtime, they will eventually outgrow their allergy and be “healed” completely.

Claritin, the world’s number one anti-allergy medicine 1, continues its plight in fighting common allergies so that you free yourself from the allergy-filled world, anywhere and anytime. Claritin is the best choice because of its proven track record for the past 25 years. This gives the brand an edge and a deeper understanding of the allergy sufferer. Simply put, no one knows how to treat allergies better than Claritin.

For people who are always on the go, Claritin also came up with an orally disintegrating format in Claritin Reditabs. It’s so convenient that you just pop out one of it without the accompaniment of water and you’re set to conquer the world.

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"Pangyayari" is definitely not the accurate translation for "change" but that was the word used by the interpreter when he translated the English word "change" to "pangyayari" instead of "pagbabago."

I would have answered the question "What is the most significant change you have seen in the world in the last 10 years?" more eloquently and substantially with:

"In the last 10 years, the biggest change that happened in our world is social media. We are now always connected, well informed and very much engaged with almost everything happening around the world. Now people can watch us in real time via live-streaming, ....... and able to vote for me as the new #MissUniverse for 2016! Mabuhay!!!"

That is only if I referred to the English question. But the judges were not aware of this particular mistake, and Maxine, though she does understand the English question, had to fall back to the Tagalog translation.

I was in the comforts of my home and not in the shoes of any of the Miss Universe 2016 candidates. There were no audience awaiting my answer. I was enjoying the day watching TV while I live blog using my laptop, while eating fish crackers on the sides. Thus, unlike Maxine, I had time to construct my thoughts into concrete ideas without any worries I would get more bashing afterwards.

To be able to come up with an immediate witty and substantial answer is truly hard when you're the one sweating it out up there on the #MissUniverse stage. The nerve-cracking experience would never fade away no matter how well practiced or researched you are with current events and trends.

Add the sort of failed interpretation of a single word that could have made the difference for her. She could have mentioned "Changed has come, now that Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte is president of the Philippines. with his "War on Drugs" slaughtering all the suspected illegal drug users without due process of law.