The Top 10 Lists

Top 10 Nursing Schools in the Philippines (2009)

2010-06-05T10:06:00.001+08:00

The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) announced the top-performing schools offering the Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs in the country for 2009.

The top nursing schools for 2009 for Range 2 (with 100 to 999 takers):

10. Cebu Normal University (Cebu) 96.54% Passing Rate

The CNU was established in 1902 as a summer institute of the Philippine Normal University.
But in 1915, the school became an adjunct to the then Cebu Provincial High School.
It was once used as headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army, using its rooms as prison cells and torture chambers. The 1980s to the 1990s era saw a rapid increase in the school’s population and new buildings. These structures now house the three big colleges of the school: College of Teacher Education(CTE), College of Arts and Sciences (CAS, and the College of Nursing(CN), as well as the museum, the Integrated Laboratory School(ILS), the Graduate School(GS) and Balay Alumni.

On June 27, 1998, the school (then called Cebu State College) attained university status and was named Cebu Normal University (CNU) under Senate Bill 2320 signed by former President Fidel V. Ramos.

In 2008, CNU had two extension colleges in Medellin and Balamban, in Cebu. The University is Region 7's Center of Teacher Development and on August 2009, it became Region 7's Center of Nursing Excellence.

9. Saint Paul University (Dumaguete) 97.28% Passing Rate

St. Paul University (SPU Dumaguete) is a private catholic university located in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines. It was established in 1904 as an elementary school for boys and girls by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres (SPC) in the Philippines, a Congregation founded in Chartres, France in 1698.

On 29 October 1904, seven Sisters of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Paul who were coming from their mission in Vietnam established the first St. Paul's school in the Philippines in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental. The seven sisters were Mother Marthe de St. Paul, Superior, Sr. Marie Louise du Sacre Couer, Sr. Ange Marie, Sr. Anne de la Croix, Sr. Charles de Genes, Sr. Catherine, and Sr. Josephine.

8. Pamantasan ng Lungsod Ng Maynila (Manila) 97.51% Passing Rate

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, or the University of the City of Manila (PLM), is a municipal government-funded, tuition-free, university within the district of Intramuros in Manila, the Philippines. It was established on June 19, 1965 and opened on July 17, 1967 to 556 scholars, all coming from the top ten percent of graduates of Manila's public high schools.

PLM holds the distinction of being the first tertiary-level institution in the country to offer tuition-free education; the first university funded solely by a city government; and, the first institution of higher learning in the country to have its official name in Filipino.

From its first enrollment record of 556 freshman scholars coming from the top ten percent of the graduating classes of Manila's twenty-nine public high schools, total semestral enrollment has grown to an average of 10,000. The lone college in its earliest beginning has sprung to 12 colleges, seven graduate, two professional schools, and a score of research and specialized centers, including a teaching hospital, an entrepreneurial center, and an integrated learning center for toddlers. In addition, it maintains a comprehensive distance education and open university program for thousands of community health workers and public administrators in different regions nationwide, with affiliations and recognition from various national and international organizations and institutions.

Based on a study using cumulative data from 1999 to 2003 showed that during the said period PLM was among the top five schools nationwide in terms of board exam passing rate. In the same study, it was one among three public universities in the top ten category.

7. University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (Manila) 97.69% Passing Rate

The University of the East - Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMMMC or UERM) is a university in Quezon City, Philippines. Founded in 1956, the university is one of the two extension campuses of the University of the East. UERMMMC is a non-stock, non-profit foundation and a memorial to President Ramon Magsaysay since 1957. UERM has PAASCU accredited program of level II. The College of Medicine is in the list of top performing schools for having an overall passing percentage of 92% as of August 2009 Licensure examination.

The College of Nursing BSN Program has been granted Level III by PAASCU. UERM has four departments, namely College of Medicine, Nursing, Physical Therapy and Graduate School.

6. Chinese General Hospital College of Nursing & Liberal Arts (Manila) 98.02% Passing Rate

The Chinese General Hospital College of Nursing and Liberal Arts (CGHCNLA) was established in 1921 as the Chinese General Hospital School of Nursing (CGHSN). The idea was conceived by Dr. Jose Tee Han Kee, who was then the Director of the Chinese General Hospital. With him were three physicians who organized the training school. The Sisters of the Immaculate Conception based in Hong Kong and Canton, China were requested by Dr. Tee Han Kee to help in starting the school. The first batch of five sisters arrived in August 1921. Mrs. Praxedes Co Tui, a registered nurse from the Philippine General Hospital was appointed as Chief Nurse and Principal of the School of Nursing.

5. University of Santo Tomas (Manila) 98.36% Passing Rate

The University of Santo Tomas College of Nursing, popularly known as "UST Nursing", is the nursing school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines.

Established in 1946, the college is the first College of Nursing in the Philippines. It is proclaimed to be a Center of Excellence by the Commission on Higher Education and a consistent Top Performing Nursing School in the Philippine Nursing Licensure Examinations.

4. Trinity University of Asia (Quezon City) 98.80% Passing Rate

Trinity University of Asia (formerly Trinity College of Quezon City), also known as TUA or simply Trinity, is a non-sectarian private university located in Quezon City, Philippines. Originally established in 1963 as an elementary, high school and collegiate educational institution, Trinity eventually acquired university status in July 18, 2006. The University goes by the dictum “dedication to knowing and doing truth.”

Trinity University of Asia is the only college or university in the Philippines which has current institutional accreditation granted by a FAAP (Federation of Accrediting Agencies in the Philippines) certified accrediting agency. The Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities Accrediting Association Inc. (ACSCU), granted Trinity University of Asia institutional accreditation "effective August 2009 up to April 2014".

Trinity University of Asia was granted autonomous status by CHED "from 6 October 2009 to 5 October 2012". This is the highest form of certification that can be granted to a Higher Education Institution. As at end of October 2009, only 44 (2.5%) out of 1,726 higher educational institutions in the Philippines had been granted autonomous status by CHED.

3. Saint Louis University (Baguio) 99.04% Passing Rate

Saint Louis University abbreviated as SLU is an educational institution in Baguio City, the Summer Capital of the Philippines, approximately two hundred fifty kilometers north of Manila. With Baguio as Northern Philippines' center of business and commerce as well as center of education, SLU has become one of the centers for learning in the North.

Saint Louis University was founded in 1911 by Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae missionaries, to further the Christianizing of the northern Philippines. SLU is one of the largest universities north of Manila with 26, 700 university students from various backgrounds, excluding elementary and high school as of school year 2009-2010. It is centrally situated in a six-hectare campus in the heart of Baguio City and has more than 30 buildings.

2. West Visayas State University (La Paz) 99.48% Passing Rate

West Visayas State University (WVSU) was founded on June 16, 1902, forming part of the early Philippine school system under the American regime.
Known as the Iloilo Normal Institute and later the Iloilo Normal School, WVSU was one of the five tributary schools created to address the need to train Filipino teachers under the tutelage of the Thomasites. In 1916, it was a secondary school (with Iloilo High School) complete with elementary and training departments. In 1924, with the completion of its main building (now Quezon Hall) and laboratory school building, INS became a distinct educational institution itself. It was also when a secondary normal school program, which eventually became a four-year normal college course, was established.

In 1954, the Bachelor of Science in Education major in Elementary Education was offered, pioneering teacher-training institution in Western Visayas. It was named a Center of Excellence (1994) by the late Sen. Blas P. Ople and Center of Excellence for Teacher Education (1995) by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The INS became the West Visayas State College by virtue of R.A. 4189 on May 4, 1965, and commenced the offering of the bachelor’s degree in education for both elementary and secondary teaching, bachelor of arts; and master’s in education. Also established were the Graduate School and the College of Arts and Sciences, and consequently the Secondary Laboratory School offering courses in the university level.

The period from 1974 to the early 1980s was one of marked growth, witnessing the establishment of the School of Medicine (1975), School of Agriculture (1976), and School of Nursing (1977).The doctoral program of the Graduate School was likewise, introduced in 1977. The B.S. Biological Science, AB Mass Communications, and B.S. Forestry programs took off in 1981.

On January 27, 1986, the College became the West Visayas State University, integrating the Iloilo National College of Agriculture (INCA) into its system. In 1987, the University acquired the Don Benito V. Lopez Memorial Hospital which became the WVSU Hospital, a 150-bed tertiary, teaching and training hospital. The University further established in 1993, the Sports, Athletics, and Cultural Arts Center which later became the degree-granting PESCAR Institute and later PESCAR College in 2000. In 1993, the Department of Mass Communications became the degree-granting Institute of Mass Communications, which was later converted into a College in 2000. In 2001, the Board of Regents and the Department of Health (DOH) approved the conversion of the WVSU Hospital to WVSU Medical Center that it is now.

The enactment of the Higher Education Modernization Act (1997) brought more developments in the University. In 2000, four CHED-supervised schools in Calinog, Janiuay, Lambunao, and Pototan were integrated into the WVSU System. The University Distance Education program through the Diploma in Teaching (DIT) course began in Summer 2003. By 2005, The Local Government Unit of Himamaylan entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the WVSU for the establishment of the WVSU Himamaylan Campus. Meanwhile, two new degree-granting units were also opened in the University: the Institute of Information and Communications Technology (IICT) in 2002 and the Institute of Management (IM) in 2006.
In February 2008, the university hosted an international research conference in Iloilo City, in conjunction with its year-long centennial celebration.

1. Saint Paul University (Iloilo) 100% Passing Rate

Impelled by the love of CHRIST, and on the invitation and support of His Eminence Denis Cardinal Dougherty, Bishop of Jaro, The Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres began their apostolic activities in Iloilo by establishing St. Paul’s Hospital in 1911. Their primary aim was to care for the poor and the sick, However, the care of the poor and the sick was not the only apostolic mission of the Sisters of St. Paul; they have also been founded for the purpose of training and educating the young. So it was, with the great desire emboldened by the formative component of their mission, coupled with the pressing need of the hospital for trained competent Catholic nurses, the Sisters under the leadership of Mother Josephine de Jesus opened the School of Nursing in June, 1946. Seventy (70) students were admitted into the first Graduate Nurse Training Program, sixty-eight (68) females and two (2) males, and early sign of the openness and the universality which is a mark of St. Paul. Sr. Marie Louise Limbaga, SPC became Dean from 1946-1947.

Sr. Marie Madeleine soon took the leadership of the new School of Nursing.

The beginnings were difficult, the struggles to grow arduous, but with God’s blessings and through hard work, the school, like the proverbial good seed, progressed and blossomed. Some high points of its developments can be chronicled.

1948 - Recognition of the School of Nursing was granted by the government for the 3-year diploma program leading to the title of Graduate Nurse under the leadership of Sister Marie Madeleine Denoga, SPC.

1950 - A 4-year basic collegiate course in Nursing was opened; this was closed in 1954 due to school’s financial difficulties.

1961 - The Marian Hall building was constructed, more facilities such as the Speech Laboratory, the Refectory, and the Auditorium with its “state of the art” sound, light and stage equipment were acquired through the efforts of Sr. Mary James Taguinod, SPC .

1970 - Consortium with the University of San Agustin was forged to comply with the Department of Education’s requirement to professionalize all Nursing Schools with the able leadership of Sr. Mary Incarnacion de Manuel, spc as Superior-Administrator of SPH. This was discontinued for a more practical administration of the College.

Top 10 Nursing Schools in the Philippines (2009)

2010-06-02T22:57:00.001+08:00

The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) announced the top-performing schools offering the Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs in the country for 2009.

The top nursing schools for 2009 for Range 1 (with 1,000 and up takers):

10. University of the Visayas (Cebu) 45.72% Passing Rate

The University of the Visayas is an eight-campus, province-wide system of higher education and lower level laboratory schools.

There are two campuses in Cebu City: the main campus occupying almost one city block bounded by Colon, D. Jakosalem and Sanciangko Streets and a laboratory high school in Pardo. The main campus today has six multi-storey buildings including a gymnasium.

The Gullas Medical Center is located at Banilad, Mandaue City. It houses the Vicente Gullas Memorial Hospital, the Gullas College of Medicine, the UV College of Nursing, the Gullas College of Dentistry, the Tan Kim Ching Cancer Center and the up-coming Cosmetic Surgery Center including other health-related courses.

Vicente Gullas Memorial Hospital is a 100-bed Tertiary Care Hospital accredited by PhilHealth.
The campus in Punta Engano, Lapulapu City, has a port for the Maritime College's practical training at sea.

Other campuses are in the cities of Mandaue, Toledo, Bogo and Danao and in the towns of Minglanilla and Compostela in the province of Cebu.

9. Western Mindanao State University (Zamboanga) 49.79% Passing Rate

Is the premier and only state university in Zamboanga City. It is also said to be one if not the oldest university in Mindanao.It has two campuses: the main campus of 79,000 square metres and 9,147 square metres is located within the city (Barangay Baliwasan), and the satellite campus of 200,000 square metres occupied by the College of Agriculture and the College of Forestry located at San Ramon, 20 kilometers away from the city. Campuses comprising the external studies units are located in the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay, including the newly-integrated formerly CHED-supervised institutions in Molave and Tampilisan. It has a student population of over 22,000, regular faculty members of over 600 and over 150 administrative personnel.

It has 12 colleges, three institutes and two autonomous campuses offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses specializing on education, engineering, nursing, arts and humanities, social work, science and mathematics. Along with these major fields of concentration, WMSU offers courses in agriculture, architecture, forestry, home economics, nutrition and dietetics, social work, criminology, Asian and Islamic Studies and special degree courses for foreign students. It also offers external studies and non-formal education courses.

WMSU ranked sixth among 68 universities all over the country, according to a survey on the Top Academic Institutions in the Philippines conducted by the Commission on Higher Education. The University's College of Education is a Center of Excellence; the College of Architecture as a Center of Development and the College of Social Work and Community Development was awarded the Best School for Social Work in the Philippines.

8. University of San Carlos (Cebu) 50.55% Passing Rate

The University of San Carlos is an educational institution in Cebu City. It is supposedly one of the oldest catholic schools in Asia, established by Spanish Jesuits in 1595, and it is a Roman Catholic school of higher learning governed by the Society of the Divine Word since 1935. It offers pre-elementary and basic education as well as undergraduate and graduate courses, and a broad spectrum of academic programs through its eight colleges.

It consists of four campuses in different areas of metropolitan Cebu – the Main Campus along P. del Rosario St., the Talamban Campus (a.k.a TC - Technological Center), the North Campus (formerly the Boys High) along Gen. Maxilom Ave., and the South Campus (formerly the Girls High) along corners J. Alcantara St. (P. del Rosario Ext.) and V. Rama Avenue.

7. University of Pangasinan (Dagupan) 51.52% Passing Rate

The University of Pangasinan is the first and oldest private university north of Manila, Philippines. It is located in the province of Pangasinan. It is a member of the PHINMA Education Network.

The University of Pangasinan is located at the heart of the City of Dagupan which is the commercial center of Pangasinan. Its campus, where the main buildings are erected, lies along Arellano Street. Located in the commercial city as Dagupan, the University has the opportunity to serve students from the farming, fishing, and industrial areas of the province as well as from the entire Ilocos Region. The University of Pangasinan is offering practically all undergraduate and graduate courses which Metro Manila universities are offering. It has a staff of about three hundred faculty members and employees.

6. University of Cebu (Cebu) 54.22% Passing Rate

The institution started as the Cebu College of Commerce (CCC) founded by Atty. Augusto W. Go: with an opening enrollment of 239 in the first semester, 232 in the second semester, and 69 in the summer. It offered a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and an Associate in Secretarial Science in its initial year.

In its 8th school year, as the Cebu College of Commerce, the enrollment was 4185. More courses opened: Education, Liberal Arts, Criminology and Customs.

In 1972, CCC changed name to Cebu Central Colleges.

The list of curricular programs grew longer: Nursing, Midwifery, Health Aide; Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering; Mechanical, Electrical and Civil Engineering; Hotel and Restaurant Management; information and Computer Science; Computer Engineering; and a Graduate School as well as Marine Officers Training Course.

UC, in 1983, was the first in Cebu and in the entire Region VII to offer a course offering on Computer Science after Atty. Augusto W. Go returned from his trip to the United States.

At the initiative of Dr. Erlinda Barcelo, PACU-COA Accreditors visited the school on a preliminary visit for a Level 1 status of BSMT and AME from October 13 to 14, 1986. On February, 1988, PACU-COA announced its recognition of the level 1 status of BSMT and AME.

In 1991, the BSMT Campus in Alumnos, Mambaling was inaugurated, the constitution of the Science and Technology Building at the South Expressway commenced and the New Cebu Coliseum acquired.
With 42 years of education, the University of Cebu (UC) has been awarded a Deregulated status by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), while recognized by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA) as a learning institution with the most accredited programs.

5. University of the Cordilleras (Baguio) 56.11% Passing Rate

Baguio Colleges, as the University of the Cordilleras was earlier known, pioneered in tertiary education in the mountain highlands of the Cordillera region amidst devastation in and around Baguio City after the Second World War.

Despite a pessimistic outlook and the bleak prospects pervading the climate of any undertaking at that time, Atty. Benjamin R. Salvosa envisioned Baguio City as a university town. With such vision, he undauntedly pursued a noble mission by founding a college.

It was on June 19, 1946, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, that a historic event unfolded. Baguio Colleges was established initially offering courses in teacher training and liberal arts, with the first batch of enrollees consisting of 156 students. Classes were first held in rented spaces at the Antipolo building, and later, at the Lopez and Lamping buildings along Session Road, the city’s main thoroughfare.

1966 became a turning point for Baguio Colleges as it was converted into an educational foundation. Since then, it has blazed new trails and has become more responsive to the needs of the time.
The founder, Atty. Benjamin R. Salvosa sat as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and held the reins of the presidency up to the early part of 1994.

Through the years, the University of the Cordilleras has grown bigger through the offering of additional courses and increasing student enrollment. It continues to grow even better with time, as evidenced by exemplary performance in various fields of discipline, with its graduates shining in national licensure examinations, and its alumni doing well in private employment, in the practice of their trade and profession, and in public service.

Today, the University of the Cordilleras caters to more than 15,000 students coming from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Regions I and II, as well as from neighboring provinces in Luzon. Course offerings range from graduate studies, law,accountancy, arts and sciences, nursing, engineering and architecture, commerce and secretarial, teacher education, computer science, technical courses, elementary and high school.

4. Manila Central University (Caloocan) 57.06% Passing Rate

The Manila Central University is a private, non-sectarian, non-stock educational institution situated in EDSA, Caloocan City, Philippines. The University offers courses on Kindergarten, Elementary, High school and College.

3. Manila Doctors College (Manila) 69.63% Passing Rate

The Manila Doctors College (MDC) is a privately owned and operated educational institution that offers academic degrees and certificate courses related to allied medical services and liberal arts and sciences. MDC was founded in 1975 as the School of Nursing for the Manila Doctors Hospital. The college is operated by the Metrobank Foundation. In 2004 MDC's campus was transferred from the City of Manila to Pasay City. As of 2004, its nursing program ranks 46th in the Philippines. It has a Level II accreditation by Phil. Accrediting Associations of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU).

2. Centro Escolar University (Manila) 71.86% Passing Rate

A private university in the Philippines. It was founded on June 3, 1907 by two women, Librada Avelino and Carmen de Luna, and was originally called Centro Escolar de Señoritas. It became a university in 1933. Today, the university has three campuses, the Mendiola Campus along Mendiola Street in Manila, the Malolos Campus established in 1978 is in the northern suburb of Malolos City in Bulacan province, and the newly established Makati Campus in 2005, is in the Makati Central Business District. Originally, its Parañaque Campus was part of the university's system until it was phased out in the early 1990s.

The university offers programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, and allied medicine. CEU also has dentistry and pharmacy programs. All of its academic programs are accredited Levels 2 and 3 by the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines. CEU is the first university in the Philippines to be given an ISO:9001 certification on its campuses. It was granted full autonomy status by the Commission on Higher Education. The university is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange with the stock symbol, CEU. The university celebrated its centennial in 2007.

1. Far Eastern University (Manila) 74.62% Passing Rate

In the City of Manila, West Sampaloc, University Belt area is a nonsectarian, private university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of first president Nicanor Reyes, Sr. It soon became the leading proprietary, for-profit university in the Philippines. FEU's campus is noted for a number of historical buildings preserved from the first half of the 20th century.

Top 10 Most Corrupt Leaders

2010-01-28T09:42:00.001+08:00

10.Joseph Estrada ($78 to 80 million)

Joseph Ejercito Estrada (born Jose Marcelo Ejercito on April 19, 1937) was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until his ouster in the 2001 EDSA Revolution.

Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in an acting career spanning 33 years. He leveraged his popularity as an actor to make gains in politics, serving as mayor of San Juan for seventeen years, as Senator for one term, then as Vice President of the Philippines under the administration of President Fidel Ramos.

Estrada was elected President in 1998 with a wide margin of votes separating him from the other challengers, and was sworn into the presidency on June 30, 1998. He assumed office amid the Asian Financial Crisis and with agricultural problems due to poor weather conditions, thereby slowing the economic growth. Eventually, the economy recovered but at a slower pace than its Asian neighbors. In 2000 he declared an "all-out-war" against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and captured it's headquarters and other camps. However, allegations of corruption spawned an impeachment trial in the Senate, and in 2001 Estrada was ousted from power after the trial was aborted.

In 2007, he was found guilty of plunder and sentenced to reclusion perpetua, but was later granted a pardon by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

9. Arnoldo Alemán ($100 million)

Alemán was constitutionally barred from running for another term, and was succeeded by his vice president, Enrique Bolaños. Allegations emerged that Alemán was concealing massive corruption in his administration. At the end of his presidency, public information about alleged corruption committed under his government became available.]

Bolaños accused Alemán of widespread corruption and was integral in exposing this alleged corruption throughout the Alemán administration. The scheme was reported to have involved several members of Arnoldo Alemán's closest family, including a brother and sister, as well as Alemán's daughter María Dolores Alemán, and her husband Jeronimo Gadea. Ex–ministers and close friends were also charged, some of whom fled the country. However, one of the central figures in the corruption complot, the former Chief of Department of Taxes Byron Jeréz, was imprisoned on the basis of another charge of corruption. All in all, fourteen persons were charged." Several foreign governments froze Alemán's bank accounts in their countries and threatened to confiscate the funds. In such cases, his defense has been to claim that the funds were not stolen, but that they came from his coffee plantations.

Alemán was formally charged in December 2002, and on 7 December 2003 he was sentenced to a 20-year prison term for a string of crimes including money laundering, embezzlement and corruption. During his trial, prosecutors produced evidence showing that he and his wife had made extremely large charges to government credit cards, "including a $13,755 bill for the Ritz Carlton hotel in Bali and $68,506 for hotel expenses and handicrafts in India." Because of health problems, he had been serving his prison term under house arrest. He was also barred from entering the United States. In 2004, Transparency International named him the ninth most corrupt leader in recent history, estimating that he had looted the country of $100 million.

Meanwhile, following his presidency, Alemán developed a strategic alliance with Daniel Ortega to rule without effective opposition by offering employment in public offices and other privileges to key members of the Sandinista party, in order to stabilize the country. There are those who claim that the main purpose of this agreement, which led to a constitutional reform, was to distribute the institutions of the state in proportion to the power managed by the two main political parties of the country.

On 16 January 2009, Nicaragua’s Supreme Court overturned the 20-year corruption sentence against former President Arnoldo Alemán. The decision generated some controversy: "stunned opposition lawmakers immediately suspected a secret deal between Mr. Alemán, ranked one of the world’s 10 most corrupt leaders ever by Transparency International, and Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua and leader of the Sandinista Party, who wields considerable influence and control over the courts. “He’s handing over the National Assembly in exchange for his personal liberty,” said Congressman Enrique Saenz. Mr. Alemán, who denies the allegation, said, “Justice has finally been served.”

8. Pavlo Lazarenko ($114 to 200 million)

Lazarenko was elected to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) in March 1998, where he headed the parliamentary faction of his political party "Hromada". "Hromada" frequently sided with the parliamentary faction of Oleksandr Moroz.

In December 1998, Lazarenko was detained on money-laundering charges as he crossed by car from France into Switzerland. In a few weeks, he was released on bail in the amount of three million dollars.

Meanwhile, details of his arrest in Switzerland led to a political scandal in Ukraine. Apparently, Lazarenko attempted to cross the Swiss border with a valid Panama passport even though the Ukrainian law prohibits double citizenship.

The public uproar was, in part, instigated by Kuchma's administration who pressed for Lazarenko's arrest. The parliament finally acquiesced to waive Lazarenko's parliamentary immunity on 17 February 1999. However, Lazarenko fled the country on the eve of the parliamentary vote.

He initially stopped in Greece, but was later detained in the New York JFK airport on 20 February 1999 on suspicion of illegally entering the United States. Reportedly, Lazarenko had a stack of documents with him, including a Ukrainian diplomatic passport with an outdated U.S. visa, and requested political asylum.

Subsequently, Lazarenko was transferred to a jail in San Francisco, since his family owned a ranch in California. In 2000, the Ukrainian authorities requested his extradition after charging him over the 1996 killing of Yevhen Shcherban and two attempts on the lives of high-ranking officials. The office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine also claimed that Lazarenko instigated the assassination of Vadym Hetman in late April 1998.

In the United States, Lazarenko was put on trial for money-laundering, corruption, and fraud. Attorney Daniel Horowitz represented Lazarenko on charges arising out of his operation of the Ukrainian gas business, Doron Weinberg represented him regarding charges of extortion of a business partner. The judge dismissed more than half the charges but allowed the remaining charges to be presented to the jury for decision. In late May 2004, a federal jury in San Francisco found him guilty of using his position to get rich through a series of business schemes. In October 2005, Lazarenko stated his intention to return to Ukraine in order to run in the March 2006 parliamentary elections.

From June 2004 until August 2006, Lazarenko remained under house arrest at an undisclosed location on $86 million bail after being convicted by a 12 member jury.

In 2004 Transparency International named Lazarenko the eighth most corrupt political leader in recent history.

On 25 August 2006, Lazarenko was sentenced to 9 years in federal prison.

On 18 October 2006, an appeal on stemming from Lazarenko's conviction (but not the appeal of the conviction) was heard by a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which included former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Sandra Day O'Connor sitting by designation.

The Ninth Circuit presently has taken the appeal of the criminal conviction under submission. An opinion as to whether the conviction was valid or invalid is expected within the next four months.

Lazarenko is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. On November 19, 2009 U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer cut Lazarenko's sentence from 108 to 97 months in prison. The court took into account the fact that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had dismissed his conviction on approximately half the counts of conviction leaving convictions only for acts committed 17 years ago. In November 2009 Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko stated that if Lazarenko returns to Ukraine he will be detained as he is on the international wanted list.

7. Alberto Fujimori ($600 million)

Alberto Ken'ya Fujimori Fujimori served as President of Peru from July 28, 1990, to November 17, 2000. A controversial figure, Fujimori has been credited with uprooting terrorism in Peru and restoring its macroeconomic stability, though his methods have drawn charges of authoritarianism and human rights violations. Even amidst his 2008 prosecution for "crimes against humanity" relating to his presidency, two-thirds of Peruvians polled voiced approval for his leadership in that period.

A Peruvian of Japanese descent, Fujimori fled to Japan in 2000 amidst a corruption scandal, where he attempted to resign his presidency. His resignation was rejected by the Congress of the Republic, which preferred to remove him from office by force of vote. Wanted in Peru on charges of corruption and human rights abuses, Fujimori maintained a self-imposed exile abroad until his detainment during a visit to Chile in November 2005. He was finally extradited to face criminal charges in Peru in September 2007.

In December 2007, Fujimori was convicted of ordering an illegal search and seizure, and was sentenced to six years in prison. The Supreme Court upheld the decision, upon his appeal.

On April 7, 2009, Fujimori was convicted of human rights violations and sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in killings and kidnappings by the Grupo Colina death squad during his government's battle against leftist guerrillas in the 1990s. The verdict delivered by a three-judge panel marked the first time that an elected head of state has been extradited back to his home country, tried, and convicted of human rights violations. Fujimori was specifically found guilty of murder, bodily harm, and two cases of kidnapping.

On July 20, 2009, a Peruvian court sentenced Alberto Fujimori to an additional 7+1⁄2 years in prison for embezzlement after the former president admitted paying his spy chief US$15 million in state funds. He later pled guilty to bribery.

6. Jean-Claude Duvalier ($300 to 800 million)

Duvalier was invested with near-absolute power by the constitution. He took some steps to reform the regime, by releasing some political prisoners and easing censorship on the press. However, there were no substantive changes to the regime's basic character. Opposition was not tolerated, and the legislature remained a rubber stamp.

Much of the Duvaliers' wealth came from the Régie du Tabac (Tobacco Administration). Duvalier used this "nonfiscal account," established decades earlier, as a tobacco monopoly, but he later expanded it to include the proceeds from other government enterprises and used it as a slush fund for which no balance sheets were ever kept.

By neglecting his role in government, Duvalier squandered considerable domestic and foreign goodwill and facilitated the dominance of Haitian affairs by a clique of hardline Duvalierist cronies known as the dinosaurs. The public displayed more affection toward the president than they had displayed for his more formidable father. Foreign officials and observers also seemed more tolerant toward "Baby Doc," in areas such as human-rights monitoring, and foreign countries were more generous to him with economic assistance. The United States restored its aid program for Haiti in 1971.

5. Slobadan Milosevic ($1 billion)

President of Serbia and of Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Federal Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000. He also led the Socialist Party of Serbia from its foundation in 1990.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) charged Milošević with crimes against humanity, violating the laws or customs of war, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and alleged genocide for his role during the wars in Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbian province of Kosovo, today the Republic of Kosovo (Unofficial, as independence is not UN recognised).

Milošević resigned the Yugoslav presidency amid demonstrations, following the disputed presidential election of 24 September 2000. He was arrested by Yugoslav federal authorities on Saturday, 31 March 2001, on suspicion of corruption, abuse of power, and embezzlement. He was also arrested by the ICTY, or the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, a Tribunal created by the UN Security Council in 1993, on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the customs of war. The initial investigation into Milošević faltered for lack of evidence, prompting the Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić to send him to The Hague to stand trial for charges of war crimes instead.

Milošević conducted his own defense in the five-year long trial, which ended without a verdict when Milošević died in the War Criminal Prison in The Hague. Milošević, who suffered from heart ailments and high blood pressure, died of a heart attack. The Tribunal denies any responsibility for Milošević's death. They claim that he refused to take prescribed medicines and medicated himself instead.

4. Sani Abadacha ($2 to 5 billlion)

Abacha's government was accused of human rights abuses, especially after the hanging of Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa by the Oputa Commission (only one of several cases against Ogoni activists opposed to the exploitation of Nigerian land by multinational oil companies); Abiola and Olusegun Obasanjo were jailed for treason, and Wole Soyinka charged in absentia with treason. His regime suffered stiff opposition internally and externally by pro-democracy activists who made the regime unpopular, and responded by banning political activity in general and by controlling the press in particular; a significant fraction of the military was purged. Abacha surrounded himself with approximately 3,000 armed men loyal to himself. His government compared to other Nigerian governments was characterised by an inconsistent foreign policy. He supported the Economic Community of West African States and sent Nigerian troops to Liberia and Sierra Leone to restore democracy to that country while denying it at home. Abacha scoffed at the threat of economic sanctions on account of the West's dependence on oil of which Nigeria is a major producer.

3. Mobutu Sese Seko ($5 billion)

Early in his rule, Mobutu consolidated power by publicly executing political rivals, secessionists, coup plotters, and other threats to his rule. To set an example, many were hanged before large audiences, including former Prime Minister Evariste Kimba, who, with three cabinet members - Jérôme Anany (Defense Minister), Emmanuel Bamba (Finance Minister), and Alexandre Mahamba (Minister of Mines and Energy) - was tried in May 1966, and sent to the gallows on May 30, before an audience of 50,000 spectators. The men were executed on charges of being in contact with Colonel Alphonse Bangala and Major Pierre Efomi, for the purpose of planning a coup. Mobutu explained the executions as follows: "One had to strike through a spectacular example, and create the conditions of regime discipline. When a chief takes a decision, he decides - period."

In 1968 Pierre Mulele, Lumumba's Minister of Education and later a rebel leader during the 1964 Simba rebellion, was lured out of exile in Brazzaville on the assumption that he would be amnestied, but was tortured and killed by Mobutu's forces. While Mulele was still alive, his eyes were gouged out, his genitals were ripped off, and his limbs were amputated one by one. Mobutu later moved away from torture and murder, and switched to a new tactic, buying off political rivals. He used the slogan "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer still" to describe his tactic of co-opting political opponents through bribery. A favorite Mobutu tactic was to play "musical chairs," rotating members of his government, switching the cabinet roster constantly to ensure that no one would pose a threat to his rule. Another tactic was to arrest and sometimes torture dissident members of the government, only to later pardon them and reward them with high office. The most famous example of this treatment is Jean Nguza Karl-i-Bond, who was fired as foreign minister in 1977, sentenced to death, and tortured. Mobutu then commuted his sentence to life imprisonment, released him after a year, and later appointed him prime minister. Nguza fled the country in 1981 only to return in 1985, first serving as Zaire's ambassador to the U.S. and later as foreign minister.

In 1972 Mobutu tried unsuccessfully to have himself named president for life. In 1983, Mobutu promoted himself to the rank of Field Marshal.

He initially nationalized foreign-owned firms and forced European investors out of the country. In many cases he handed the management of these firms to relatives and close associates who stole the companies' assets. This precipitated such an economic slump that Mobutu was forced by 1977 to try to woo foreign investors back. Katangan rebels based in Angola invaded Zaire in 1977 in retaliation for Mobutu's support for anti-MPLA rebels. France airlifted 1,500 Moroccan paratroopers into the country and repulsed the rebels, ending Shaba I. The rebels attacked Zaire again, in greater numbers, in the Shaba II invasion of 1978. The governments of Belgium and France deployed troops with logistical support from the United States and defeated the rebels again.

He was re-elected in single-candidate elections in 1977 and 1984. He worked hard on little but to increase his personal fortune, which in 1984 was estimated to amount to US$5 billion, most of it in Swiss banks (however, a comparatively small $3.4 million has been found after his ousting). This was almost equivalent to the country's foreign debt at the time, and, by 1989, the government was forced to default on international loans from Belgium. He owned a fleet of Mercedes-Benz vehicles that he used to travel between his numerous palaces, while the nation's roads rotted and many of his people starved. Infrastructure virtually collapsed, and many public service workers went months without being paid. Most money was siphoned off to Mobutu, his family, and top political and military leaders. Only the Special Presidential Division - on whom his physical safety depended - was paid adequately or regularly. A popular saying that the civil servants pretended to work while the state pretended to pay them expressed this grim reality.

Another feature of Mobutu's economic mismanagement, directly linked to the way he and his friends siphoned off so much of the country's wealth, was rampant inflation. The rapid decline in the real value of salaries strongly encouraged a culture of corruption and dishonesty among public servants of all kinds.

Marshal Mobutu was known to charter a Concorde from Air France for personal use, including shopping trips to Paris for himself and his family. He had an airport constructed in his hometown of Gbadolite with a runway long enough to accommodate the Concorde's extended take off and landing requirements. In 1989, Mobutu chartered Concorde aircraft F-BTSD for a June 26-July 5 trip to give a speech at the United Nations in New York City, July 16 for French bicentential celebrations in Paris (where he was a guest of President François Mitterrand), on September 19 for a flight from Paris to Gbadolite, and another nonstop flight from Gbadolite to Marseille with the youth choir of Zaire.

Mobutu's rule earned a reputation as one of the world's foremost examples of kleptocracy and nepotism. Close relatives and fellow members of the Ngbandi tribe were awarded with high positions in the military and government, and he groomed his eldest son, Nyiwa, to one day succeed him as President; however, this was thwarted by Nyiwa's death from AIDS in 1994.

He was also the subject of a massive personality cult. The evening news on television was preceded by an image of him descending through clouds from the heavens, portraits of him adorned many public places, government officials wore lapels bearing his portrait, and he held such titles as "Father of the Nation," "Savior of the People," and "Supreme Combatant." In the 1996 documentary of the 1974 Foreman-Ali fight in Zaire, dancers receiving the fighters can be heard chanting "Sese Seko, Sese Seko." At one point, in early 1975, the media was even forbidden from mentioning by name anyone but Mobutu; others were referred to only by the positions they held.

Mobutu was able to successfully capitalize on Cold War tensions and gain significant support from Western countries like the United States and international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund.

2. Ferdinand Marcos ($5 to 10 billion)

President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives (1949-1959) and a member of the Philippine Senate (1959-1965). He was Senate President in 1963. He claimed that during World War II he had been the leader of Ang Maharlika, a guerrilla force in northern Luzon. As Philippine president and strongman, his greatest achievement was in the fields of infrastructure development and international diplomacy. However, his administration was marred by massive authoritarian corruption, despotism, nepotism, political repression, and human rights violations. He benefited from a large personality cult in the Philippines during his regime. In 1983, his government was implicated in the assassination of his primary political opponent, Benigno Aquino, Jr.. The implication caused a chain of events, including a tainted presidential election that served as the catalyst for the People Power Revolution in February 1986 that led to his removal from power and eventual exile in Hawaii. It was later alleged that he and his wife Imelda Marcos had moved billions of dollars of embezzled public funds to the United States, Switzerland, and other countries, as well as into fictitious corporations during his 20 years in power.

1. Mohammed Suharto ($15 to 35 billion)

The legacy of Suharto's 32-year rule is debated both in Indonesia and abroad. Under his "New Order" administration, Suharto constructed a strong, centralised and military-dominated government. An ability to maintain stability over a sprawling and diverse Indonesia and an avowedly anti-Communist stance won him the economic and diplomatic support of the West during the Cold War. For most of his presidency, Indonesia experienced significant economic growth and industrialisation, dramatically improving health, education and living standards. Indonesia's 24-year occupation of East Timor during Suharto's presidency, resulted in at least 100,000 deaths. By the 1990s, the New Order's authoritarianism and widespread corruption was a source of discontent. In the years since his presidency, attempts to try him on charges of corruption and genocide failed because of his poor health.

Like many Javanese, Suharto had only one name. In religious contexts, he is sometimes called “Haji” or “el-Haj Mohammed Suharto”, but this Islamic title is not part of his formal name or generally used. The spelling "Suharto" reflects current Indonesian spelling, but people's names were always exempt from this. The English-language press generally uses the spelling 'Suharto', but Suharto and his family, as well as the Indonesian government and media, use 'Soeharto'.

Source: Transparency International

Top 10 Tallest Buildings in the World (2010)

2010-01-20T12:25:00.001+08:00

10. Shun Hing Square (China)

Shun Hing Square (Chinese: 信兴广场/地王大厦) is a 384m (1,260 ft) tall skyscraper in Shenzhen, China. It is the 5th tallest building in China, and the 9th tallest in the world. It was the tallest building in China from its completion in 1996 until CITIC Plaza in Guangzhou was completed the next year. The building was built at the fast pace of four floors in nine days. The main tower has offices, while an accomping 35 floor annex contains apartments, car park and shopping arcade complex which has 5 floors, four sets of escalators, five passenger lifts and two service lifts, and a floor area ranging from 3450sq m to 4900sq m. On the top floor is the Meridian View Centre, an observation deck.

9. CITIC Plaza (China)

CITIC Plaza (simplified Chinese: 中信广场; traditional Chinese: 中信廣場; pinyin: Zhōngxìn Guǎngchǎng) is a skyscraper built in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. Its structural height is 391 m (1,283 ft) 80 stories including two tall antenna-like spires on the top. Completed in 1997, it is the tallest concrete building in the world. Currently, it ranks as the fourth tallest building in China, seventh in Asia, and eighth worldwide.

Located in the growing and expanding Tianhe District, it is part of a complex of the same name which also consists of two 38-story residential buildings. Its proximity includes a new train station which serves the extremely busy Guangzhou-Shenzhen and Guangzhou-Hong Kong railways. A new metro station, and the Tianhe Sports Center, where the 6th National Games was held and parts of the upcoming Asian Games 2010 will be held. It is on the same Axis as two new building developments in Guangzhou, the first being the East and West Towers in Zhujiang New City and the Pearl Observation tower. It is surrounded by other tall buildings and is a symbol of Guangzhou's growing wealth and importance.

8. 2 International Finance Centre (China)

A prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island, IFC consists of two skyscrapers, the IFC Mall, and the 55-storey Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Tower 2 is the tallest building in Hong Kong, a title formerly held by Central Plaza. It is the third-tallest building in the Greater China region and the seventh-tallest office building in the world, based on structural heights; by roof height, only the Taipei 101, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Willis Tower exceed it. It is of similar height to the former World Trade Center. The International Commerce Centre, currently under construction above the MTR Kowloon station and scheduled for completion in 2010, will surpass 2IFC in each of these categories.

IFC was constructed and is owned by IFC Development, a consortium of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land and Towngas.

The Airport Express Hong Kong Station is directly beneath it.

7. Jin Mao Tower (China)

The Jin Mao Tower (simplified Chinese: 金茂大厦; traditional Chinese: 金茂大廈; pinyin: Jīn Mào Dàshà; literally "Golden Prosperity Building") is an 88-story landmark supertall skyscraper in the Lujiazui area of the Pudong district of Shanghai, People's Republic of China. It contains offices and the Shanghai Grand Hyatt hotel. Until 2007 it was the tallest building in the PRC, the fifth tallest in the world by roof height and the seventh tallest by pinnacle height. Along with the Oriental Pearl Tower, it is a centerpiece of the Pudong skyline. Its height was surpassed on September 14, 2007 by the Shanghai World Financial Center which is next to the building. The Shanghai Tower, a 128-story building located next to these two buildings and now under construction, will be even taller.

6. Trump International Hotel & Tower (United States)

The Trump International Hotel and Tower, also known as Trump Tower Chicago and locally as the Trump Tower, is a skyscraper condo-hotel in downtown Chicago, Illinois. The building, named after real estate developer Donald Trump, was designed by architect Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Bovis Lend Lease built the 92-story structure, which reached a height of 1,389 feet (423 m) including its spire, its roof topping out at 1,170 feet (360 m). It is adjacent to the main branch of the Chicago River, with a view of the entry to Lake Michigan beyond a series of bridges over the river. The building received publicity when the winner of the first season of The Apprentice television show, Bill Rancic, chose to manage the construction of the tower.

Trump announced in 2001 that the skyscraper would become the tallest building in the world, but after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the building plans were scaled back, and its design has undergone several revisions. When topped out in 2009 it became the second-tallest building in the United States after Chicago's Willis Tower. It is expected to be surpassed by the 1 World Trade Center in New York City in the middle of 2013, and by the on-hold Chicago Spire if completed. Trump Tower surpassed Chicago's John Hancock Center as the building with the world's highest residence above ground-level and held this title until the completion of the Burj Khalifa.

The design of the building includes, from the ground up, retail space, a parking garage, a hotel, and condominiums. The 339-room hotel opened for business with limited accommodations and services on January 30, 2008. April 28 of that year marked the grand opening with full accommodation and services. A restaurant on the 16th floor, named Sixteen, opened in early 2008 to favorable reviews. The building topped out in late 2008 and construction was completed in 2009.

5. Willis Tower (United States)

Willis Tower, formerly named Sears Tower, is a 108-story 1,451 feet (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York. Currently, Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world as well as the fifth tallest building in the world to the roof.

Although Sears' naming rights expired in 2003, the building continued to be called Sears Tower for several years. However, in March 2009 London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, Ltd., agreed to lease a portion of the building and obtained the building's naming rights as part of the agreement. On July 16, 2009, at 10:00 am Central Time, the building was officially renamed Willis Tower.

4. Petronas Twin Towers (Malaysia)

The Petronas Twin Towers (Malay: Menara Berkembar Petronas) (also known as the Petronas Towers or just Twin Towers), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are twin towers and were the world's tallest buildings before being surpassed by Taipei 101. However, the towers are still the tallest twin buildings in the world. They were the world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004 if measured from the level of the main entrance to the structural top, the original height reference used by the international organization Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat from 1969 (three additional height categories were introduced as the tower neared completion in 1996).

3. Shanghai World Financial Center (China)

The Shanghai World Financial Center (Abbr: SWFC; simplified Chinese: 上海环球金融中心; traditional Chinese: 上海環球金融中心; pinyin: Shànghǎi huánqiú jīnróng zhōngxīn) is a supertall skyscraper in Pudong, Shanghai, China. It is a mixed use skyscraper which consists of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the ground floors. Park Hyatt Shanghai is the hotel component containing 174 rooms and suites. Occupying the 79th to the 93rd floors, it is the highest hotel in the world, surpassing the Grand Hyatt Shanghai on the 53rd to 87th floors of the neighboring Jin Mao Tower.

On 14 September 2007 the skyscraper was topped out at 492.0 meters (1,614.2 ft) and became the second-tallest building in the world; as well as the tallest structure in the People's Republic of China, including Hong Kong. It is currently the third-tallest building in the world.

On 28 August 2008, the SWFC officially opened for business. On August 30 the Observation Deck opened with a view from 3 levels. The highest view is at 474 m (1,555 ft) above ground level.

The SWFC has been lauded for its design and named by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat as the best skyscraper of 2008.

2. Taipei 101 (Taiwan)

Taipei 101 (traditional Chinese: 台北101 / 臺北101), also known as the Taipei Financial Center, is a landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building was the tallest building in the world (with occupiable floors) until it was surpassed in height by the Burj Khalifa on July 21, 2007. The skyscraper was officially the tallest building until the opening of the Burj Khalifa on the 4 of January 2010. Taipei 101, designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and constructed primarily by KTRT Joint Venture and South Korean Samsung C&T received the 2004 Emporis Skyscraper Award and was hailed as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World (Newsweek magazine, 2006) and Seven Wonders of Engineering (Discovery Channel, 2005). The tower has served as an icon of modern Taiwan ever since its opening. Fireworks launched from Taipei 101 feature prominently in international New Year's Eve broadcasts and the structure appears frequently in travel literature and international media.

Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The name of the tower (pronounced "Tie-pay one-oh-one" in English) reflects its floor count and carries symbolic meanings alluding to technology and Asian tradition (see "Symbolism" below.) Its postmodernist approach to style incorporates traditional design elements and gives them modern treatments. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. A multi-level shopping mall adjoining the tower houses hundreds of fashionable stores, restaurants and clubs.

Taipei 101 is owned by the Taipei Financial Center Corporation (TFCC) and managed by the International division of Urban Retail Properties Corporation based in Chicago. The name originally planned for the building, Taipei World Financial Center, was derived from the name of the owner. The original name in Chinese was literally, Taipei International Financial Center (traditional Chinese: 臺北國際金融中心; pinyin: Táiběi Guójì Jīnróng Zhōngxīn).

Taipei 101 was surpassed in height on 2007 July 21 by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, upon the completion of the Burj's 141st floor.

1. Burj Khalifa (United Arab Emirates)

Burj Khalifa (Arabic: برج خليفة‎ "Khalifa Tower"), formerly known as Burj Dubai, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 828 m (2,717 ft). Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010. The building is part of the 2 km2 (490-acre) flagship development called Downtown Burj Khalifa at the "First Interchange" along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai's main business district.

The tower's architecture and engineering were performed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill of Chicago. Adrian Smith, who worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill until 2006, was the chief architect, and Bill Baker was the chief structural engineer for the project. The primary contractor was Samsung C&T of South Korea, who also built the Taipei 101 and Petronas Twin Towers. Major subcontractors included Belgian group Besix and Arabtec from the UAE. Turner Construction Company was chosen as the construction project manager. Under UAE law, the Contractor and the Engineer of Record are jointly and severally liable for the performance of Burj Khalifa. Therefore, by adoption of SOM's design and by being appointed as Architect and Engineer of Record, Hyder Consulting was legally the Design Consultant for the tower.

The total cost for the Burj Khalifa project was about US$1.5 billion; and for the entire new "Downtown Dubai", US$20 billion. Mohamed Ali Alabbar, the Chairman of Emaar Properties, speaking at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat 8th World Congress, said in March 2009 that the price of office space at Burj Khalifa had reached US$4,000 per sq ft (over US$43,000 per m2) and that the Armani Residences, also in Burj Khalifa, were selling for US$3,500 per sq ft (over US$37,500 per m2). The completion of the tower coincided with a worldwide economic slump and overbuilding, causing it to be described as "the latest ... in string of monuments to architectural vacancy."

Source: Wiki

Top 10 Universities in Australia (2009)

2010-01-12T18:38:00.001+08:00

10. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (commonly referred to by the acronym "RMIT" - and also used in its post-nominal letters) is an Australian public university and provider of vocational education located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two main branches: RMIT University (encompassing RMIT TAFE) and RMIT International University.

Founded in 1887 by prominent grazier and philanthropist, The Hon. Francis Ormond, RMIT is the third-oldest higher education provider in the state of Victoria and the seventh-oldest in Australia. Its foundation campus "RMIT City" is located at the northern end of the Melbourne CBD. RMIT was awarded royal patronage in 1954, and is the only Australian university to date to have received the honour.

RMIT is considered to be a selective university, ranked third in the state of Victoria and tenth in Australia - in reference to its research output. According to the THES - QS World University Rankings it is ranked as one of the top five internationalised universities; top 100 universities for producing work-ready graduates; and amongst its annual list of "Top 200 World Universities" - one of 20 institutes of technology that regularly feature in the listing. It has an internationally-recognised reputation for art, design, engineering and technology; and its industry-relevant ethos.

RMIT pioneered the dual sector education system in Australia during the mid-20th century. It is now the largest institution of its type in the country, and offers every level of award available in the Australian Qualifications Framework. Academically, the university focuses on higher education and research while its TAFE division focuses on vocational education and training.

It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network and the Global U8 Consortium.

9. Macquarie University

Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney. Macquarie’s 126 hectare, park-like campus belies its setting within the high-technology corridor of Sydney’s north-west.

The University comprises four faculties, enrolling approximately 33,000 students and having 2,221 (full-time equivalent) academic and professional staff, making it the fourth largest University in Sydney. At present, the University offers 87 undergraduate courses and 124 different post-graduate courses to students. The University is governed by a 17-member council.

The University also has the largest student exchange programme in Australia. The Academic Ranking of World Universities listed Macquarie as 7th among Australian Universities in its 2008 rankings. The University is also ranked among the national top five recipients of relative research income.

Also affiliated with the University are several research centres, schools and institutes including the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Australian Proteome Analysis Facility, the Institute of Human Cognition and Brain Science, the Macquarie University Research Park and the soon to be opened Macquarie University Hospital.

Macquarie University's linguistics department developed the Macquarie Dictionary, the copyright on which it still owns.

8. University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia (UWA) is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia. Established in February 1911, it is the only university in the state to be a member of the prestigious Group of Eight, as well as the Sandstone universities. The University was established under and is governed by the University of Western Australia Act 1911. The Act provides for the control and management of the University to be the responsibility of the Senate, and gives it the authority, amongst other things, to make statutes, regulations and by-laws, details of which are contained in the university Calendar. One of the best and most prestigious universities in Australia, UWA is also highly ranked internationally in various publications. To date UWA has close to 100 Rhodes Scholars.

7. University of Adelaide

A public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia. It has produced five Nobel laureates, 101 Rhodes scholars and is a member of the Group of Eight, as well as the Sandstone universities.

Its main campus is located on the cultural boulevard of North Terrace in the Adelaide city centre, adjacent to the Art Gallery of South Australia, the South Australian Museum and the State Library of South Australia. The university also has four other campuses throughout the state: Roseworthy College at Roseworthy; The Waite Institute at Urrbrae; Adelaide University Research Park at Thebarton; and the National Wine Centre in the Adelaide Park Lands, and a campus in Singapore.

6. University of New South Wales

The University of New South Wales, also known as UNSW or colloquially as New South, is a university situated in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The University was founded in 1949. Today it is recognised as one of Australia’s leading teaching and research institutions, and has developed a strong reputation in a number of fields, including renewable/alternative energy, quantum computing and nanotechnology, taxation reform, information and communication technology, digital media, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, bio-medical engineering, sustainable development, HIV/AIDS research, and social justice and social policy research.

The University is a member of Australia's "Group of Eight" lobby group, and is also a founding member of Universitas 21, an international network of leading research-intensive universities.

5. Monash University

A public university based in Melbourne, Australia. It is Australia's largest university with around 56,000 students and 15,000 staff.

The University has a total of eight campuses: six in Victoria, Australia (Clayton, Caulfield, Berwick, Peninsula, Parkville and Gippsland), one in Malaysia and one in South Africa. The University also has a research and teaching centre in Prato, Italy and a graduate research school in Mumbai, India.

Monash University is a member of the prestigious "Group of Eight", a group composed of some of the most research-intensive universities in Australia. It was recently ranked by The Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings at number 45 of the world's top 200 universities for 2009. It is one of only three post World War II universities in the world's top 50. It has the largest number of first and total preferences from school leavers in Victoria seeking university places.

Monash is home to a range of major research facilities, including the Australian Synchrotron, the Monash Science Technology Research and Innovation Precinct (STRIP), the Australian Stem Cell Centre, 100 research centres and 17 co-operative research centres.

The university is named after the prominent Australian general Sir John Monash. One of his most well known statements is inscribed along a walkway between the Robert Blackwood Hall and Performing Arts Centre at the Clayton campus: Adopt as your fundamental creed that you will equip yourself for life, not solely for your own benefit, but for the benefit of the whole community.

The University's motto is Ancora imparo (Italian), meaning 'I am still learning', a saying attributed to Michelangelo.

4. University of Queensland

Also known as UQ, is a public university located in Brisbane, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest university in Queensland and the fifth in the nation. The main campus is located in St Lucia, southwest of the Brisbane CBD. UQ is a member of the Australia's Group of Eight lobby group, and the Universitas 21, an international network of research-intensive universities, and is colloquially known as a "sandstone university".

UQ is ranked among the top universities, both in Australia and the world. In 2009, the Australian Cancer Research Foundation reported that UQ have taken the lead in numerous areas of cancer research, having awarded almost $10 million in grants over a three year period.

There are numerous collaborative research centres associated with the university. The Queensland Bioscience Precinct on the St Lucia campus houses scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and the Queensland Brain Institute to form one of the largest biomedical research clusters in Australia.

3. University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne (informally Melbourne Uni, Unimelb or just Melbourne) is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia, and the oldest in Victoria. The main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb just north of the Melbourne CBD, however it has several other campuses located across Victoria. It is a member of Australia's "Group of Eight" lobby group, the Universitas 21 and Association of Pacific Rim Universities networks, and is colloquially known as a sandstone university. It has one of the largest financial endowments of any Australian university, standing at $1.105bn as of 2008.

Melbourne is ranked among the top universities in Australia and the world. Among Australian universities, it claims a leading position in business, education, engineering, arts, law and medicine.

Melbourne University is the second largest research organisation in Australia after the CSIRO. In 2008, it spent $653.7m on research, and has consistently ranked first or second on the major national research indicators which are used by the Australian Government to allocate public funds for research and training infrastructure.

The university has over 35,000 students, who are supported by nearly 7,200 staff members. In 2008, it introduced the controversial Melbourne Model, a combination of various practices from American and European universities, aimed at consistency with the European Union's Bologna process and international relevance and standing for its degrees. Professor Glyn Davis AC is Melbourne's current vice-chancellor.

2. University of Sydney

The University of Sydney (informally Sydney University, USyd or simply Sydney) is the oldest university in Australia. It was established in Sydney in 1850. In 2009, the university had 47,775 students making it the second largest (behind Monash University) in Australia.

The university has a number of small special-purpose satellite campuses as a result of annexes over the past 20 years, however the main campus is centred on the large Oxbridge-inspired grounds which spread across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the south-western outskirts of the Sydney CBD.

The University of Sydney is a member of Australia's Group of Eight, Academic Consortium 21, the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and the Worldwide Universities Network.

1. Australian National University

The Australian National University, commonly abbreviated to ANU, is a public teaching and research university located in Canberra, Australia, the federal capital city. The University was established by an act of the Parliament of Australia on 1 August 1946, with the legislated purpose of conducting and promoting research in Australia.

The University is consistently ranked as the best university in Australia by many worldwide university ranking systems, including the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the annual Times Higher Education Supplement rankings. Its notable staff and alumni include five Nobel laureates.

The University is governed by a 15-member council. ANU is a member of several university alliances and cooperative networks, including the Group of Eight (Australian universities), the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy and the International Alliance of Research Universities.

Source: Wiki, AEN

Top 10 Universities in the Philippines (2009)

2010-01-11T14:27:00.001+08:00

10. Saint Louis University (Baguio City)

This university is regarded as one of the Philippines' respected and leading educational institutions that has grown with the demands of the current and future environments for its students and faculty alike.

9. Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (Manila)

According to the Philippines' Commission on Higher Education (CHED), it ranks ninth among all universities nationwide based on average passing rates in board or licensure examinations.

8. Mindanao State University (Iligan Institute of Tech)

The Mindan ao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) is an external unit and one of the ten campuses of the Mindanao State University System. Established on July 12, 1968 as provided for by Republic Act (RA) 5363, the institute has continually provided quality education to thousands of students from almost everywhere in the Philippines.

7. University of Sto. Tomas (Manila)

The University of Santo Tomas is the oldest existing university in Asia and in terms of student population, the largest Catholic university in the world located in one campus.
It was founded on April 28, 1611 by the third Archbishop of Manila, Msgr. Miguel de Benavides, O.P., together with Frs. Domingo de Nieva and Bernardo de Santa Catalina. It was originally conceived as a school to prepare young men for the priesthood.

6. Ateneo de Manila University (Manila)

To understand the soul of the Ateneo de Manila University -- what shaped it and where it came from, where it is going and where it can take you -- it is essential to understand its motto, Lux in Domino, or "Light in the Lord."

From the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians (5:8), these words capture the spirit of a way of life which the Ateneo holds up to her sons and daughters as their best contribution to the work by which God transforms the world. To be "light in the Lord" in all fullness demands moving insistently and deliberately towards God as the center of a person's life, identifying the issues that such a centering poses, and then moving out to the world to find ever new ways of constructing the edifice, cultivating the garden, painting the masterpiece, that God is unfolding in one's life.

5. Ateneo de Davao University (Davao)

The Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) is a private Catholic university administered by the Society of Jesus in Southern Mindanao in the Philippines. It was established in 1948. It is divided into five units including the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Governance and College of Nursing. It also runs grade school and high school units. It has two campuses, the Jacinto Campus (which houses the schools and colleges of the university, including the Graduate Programs and the College of Law) and the Matina Campus (elementary and high school) - all located in the center of Silicon Gulf, Davao City, the de facto business, trade, commerce and education capital of Mindanao.

4. Silliman University (Dumaguete City)

Silliman University (also referred to as Silliman or SU) is a private Christian institution of higher education located in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines. Established in 1901 by American missionaries, it was the first Protestant school to be founded in the country and the oldest American-established university in Asia. The University is named after Dr. Horace Brinsmade Silliman, a retired businessman and philanthropist from Cohoes, New York who gave the initial sum of $10,000 to start the school. For the first half of the 20th century, Silliman was run and operated by Americans. After the Second World War, however, Filipinos began to assume more important positions culminating in the appointment of Silliman's first Filipino president in 1952.

Today, the University comprises ten colleges, four schools, and two institutes, enrolling approximately over 8,600 students from different parts of the Philippines and over 20 foreign countries. It is registered as a National Landmark by the National Historical Institute, and is one of few private higher education institutions in the Philippines that have been granted autonomy by the Commission on Higher Education. In a report released by the Professional Regulations Commission and the Commission on Higher Education which covered a ten-year period, Silliman was ranked 4th in the country following three schools of the University of the Philippines.

Fifteen of its academic programs are on Level III accreditation status. Academic programs of the University undergo regular accreditation under any of two accrediting agencies, namely: (1) the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities Accrediting Agency (ACSCU-AAI) or (2) the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) which is a member Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP). These accrediting agencies are all recognized by the Philippine educational system. The programs of Theology on the other hand are accredited with the Association for Theological Education in Southeast Asia (ATESEA), an international organization.

3. University of the Philippines (Manila Campus)

The University of the Philippines Manila (U.P. Manila), founded in 1908, is birthplace of UP. It is the oldest of the seven constituent universities of the University of the Philippines (UP). It is located in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Its oldest degree-granting unit is the College of Medicine, which was founded in 1905 as the Philippine Medical School, predating the founding of UP by three years.

It is the center of health sciences education in the country, with the establishment of the National Health Sciences Center. It is also a reputable research center in the health sciences in the Asia-Pacific rim. It exercises administrative supervision over the Philippine General Hospital, the largest medical center and the national referral center for health in the Philippines, National Institutes of Health, Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, and Continuing Education. UP Manila is a reputable school of tertiary learning in the health sciences, and more high school students interested in this field apply to it than any other college or university in the country.

As of 2001, the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines has identified 3 centers of excellence/development (COEs/CODs) in UP Manila. The COEs/CODs in the University are Biology, Medicine, and Nursing.

UP Manila is also noted for its highly political and activist student body promoting stands on national issues, as well as adopting a stance of academic freedom and excellence.

2. University of the Philippines (Los Banos Campus)

The university offers over a hundred degree programs ranging from communication arts to genetics through its nine colleges and two schools. The Philippines' Commission on Higher Education has accredited nine programs as Centers of Excellence and two as Centers of Development. Six research institutes were also recognized as Centers of Excellence by the President of the Philippines.

While alumni from UPLB have been recognized in a wide range of fields, most of them tend to specialize in the natural sciences. Notable alumni include 15 of 31 national scientists, four Nobel Prize co-winners,all five Filipino fellows of the Third World Academy of Sciences,at least 30 academicians of the National Academy of Science and Technology and several Palanca Award winners.

1. University of the Philippines (Diliman Campus)

UP Diliman is the flagship university of the UP System. It is the administrative seat of the system as well as an autonomous university in its own right. UP Diliman is not only the home of diverse colleges, offering 94 graduate and undergraduate courses, it also runs several centers of research, many of which have been declared by the Commission on Higher Education as National Centers of Excellence.

source: wiki

Top 10 Nursing Schools in the Philippines (2009)

2010-01-11T12:05:00.001+08:00

Note: Top 10 Nursing Schools with 1,000 and more takers

10. San Pedro College (83. 10%)

The San Pedro College is a Catholic Institution of learning dedicated to the Christian education of the people of Davao and its neighboring regions. It is owned and managed by the religious congregation known as the Dominican Sisters of the Trinity.

9. Saint Mary’s University (84.10%)

Saint Mary’s University traces its roots back to the dream and initiative of the late Msgr. Constant Jurgens, CICM, then Parish Priest of Bayombong and one of the earliest CICM missionaries to arrive in the Philippines. He wanted to establish a school to give the children of his parishioners the benefit of a Christian education. He purchased a lot and some materials for this purpose but then, he was recalled to Europe, thus, it was Rev. Fr. Achilles de Gryse, CICM, his successor, who saw his dream through. Thus, St. Mary’s Elementary School was inaugurated in June 1928. In 1934, with Fr. Godfrey Lambrecht, the High School was opened and in 1947, the College Department, offering A.A., B.S.E., A. B. and Jr. Normal course (ETC). Gradually, the course offerings expanded with Bachelor of Science in Commerce, (1951), Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, (1955) and the Graduate School, (1962). Through the years, many more Departments, Colleges/Schools were opened with more degrees and title course offerings.

8. De La Salle University – Health Sciences Institute (85.26%)

The De La Salle Health Sciences Institute (DLSHSI) is an institution dedicated to health care education and research located along the Mangubat Avenue (formerly Congressional Road) in Dasmariñas City, Cavite. It was established in 1987 when the Hermano San Miguel Febres Cordero Medical Educational Foundation, Inc. acquired ownership of the Emilio Aguinaldo College of Medicine. In 1994 it was renamed alongside with the Medical Center as the De La Salle-Health Sciences Campus. In 2007, in order to signal the institution's drive to pursue its mission, the institution officially became the De La Salle Health Sciences Institute and is a member of De La Salle Philippines. Currently, the Institute is composed of 3 major units which are the Institutional Colleges (3 undergraduate colleges and 1 professional school), the De La Salle University Medical Center, and the Angelo King Medical Research Center.

7. Central Philippine University (86.72%)

It was founded in 1905 as the Jaro Industrial School by missionaries of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. It started as an Elementary Vocational School for poor boys who worked for their board and tuition. Perhaps it was the first school in the Philippines to teach that labor is honor. The school also had the distinction of having organized the first student government in the country - the Jaro Industrial School Republic, and one of the oldest student’s newspapers - the Central Echo.

Dr. William 0. Valentine, the first principal, worked hard to have the school incorporated and recognized by the government. His objectives were reached in 1913, the year when the school began to admit female students also. In 1915, the first two years of high school were opened. In 1920, the third and fourth year classes were added and the following year the first batch of high School graduates were turned out.

To satisfy the growing desire of young people for education, a junior college was opened in 1923 and the name of the school was changed to Central Philippine College. The senior college was established in 1936 and by 1940 five degrees were offered: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Theology and Bachelor of Religious Education.

The war broke, out and with it came destruction and death. The college buildings were destroyed. Eleven American missionaries were massacred by the enemy. Central students, faculty and staff members and alumni joined the guerrilla movement or the Civil Resistance Government. Many of them laid down their lives for democracy and freedom.

6. Saint Paul University (89.79%)

St. Paul University Philippines - one of 42 schools owned, managed, and operated by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres in the Philippines was founded in 1907.

On May 7, 1907, six sisters of the St. Paul of Chartres Congregation: Mother Ephrem Marie Fieu, Sr. Suzanne du Sacre Coeur Cran, Sr. Agnes de Sainte Anne Couplan, and Sr. Jeanne de St. Louis Bourrelly (all French), Sr. Marie Angeline Acau and Sr. Ste. Foy de Sacre Coeur Sacramento (a postulant) arrived at the request of Monsignor Denis Dougherty, the Bishop of Nueva Segovia to establish a Catholic School.

5. Cebu Doctors University (91.89%)

A private university located in Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines. It was founded in 1975 at Cebu City, as Cebu Doctors' College, with the opening of its College of Nursing, one of the first nursing colleges in Cebu. CDU was granted university status by 2005 and moved to its present campus in Mandaue City by 2007. It presently has 8 colleges and a graduate school. It is the only school in the Philippines declared as a university without having basic education (pre-school - high school) curriculum and catering mainly to courses related to the health services field.

4. University of Santo Tomas (95.06%)

UST is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and in Asia. and is one of the world's largest Catholic universities in terms of enrollment found on one campus. UST is also the largest university in the city of Manila. Having the distinction as the only Pontifical University in Asia, UST is the only university, Catholic or not, to have been visited by two popes three times: once by Pope Paul VI on Nov. 28, 1970, and twice by Pope John Paul II on Feb. 18, 1981 and January 13, 1995

The University is composed of several autonomous faculties, colleges, schools and institutes, each conferring undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate degrees, and the basic education units. Several degrees have been accredited by the Commission on Higher Education as Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development.

The Patron of the University is St. Thomas Aquinas, while St. Catherine of Alexandria is the Patroness.

Prominent Thomasians include saints, Philippine presidents, heroes, artists, scientists, professionals and religious figures, who have figured prominently in the history of the Philippines. The athletic teams are the Growling Tigers, members of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and are consistent winners of the Overall Championship.

3. Trinity University of Asia (95.06%)

Formerly Trinity College of Quezon City, is a Higher Education Institution located in Quezon City, Philippines, established in 1963. It was raised to university status on July 18, 2006. The University goes by the dictum “dedication to knowing and doing truth.”

The College of Nursing intends to provide the students with a broad educational experience designed to develop the understanding, skills, attitudes and values necessary for the giving of comprehensive nursing care especially within the context of Filipino life and culture. Duly accredited Level II by the Philippine Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), students are undertaking their clinical training at St. Luke's Medical Center, as well as various government hospitals.

2. Saint Louis University (95.42%)

1. Silliman University (96.57%)

Silliman University is a Christian institution of higher education located in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines. It was the first Protestant school founded in the Philippines and the oldest American-based university in Asia. The university holds the distinction of being one of the 30 private higher education institutions in the Philippines that have been granted autonomy by the Commission on Higher Education.

Source: Wiki, CHED.

Top 10 Rendezvous Trivia

2010-01-02T09:16:00.001+08:00

10. The plural and singular forms of the word “Rendezvous” are spelled the same but pronounced differently. Rendezvous, singular, is pronounced RUN-dei-voo. Plural, the word is pronounced RUN-dei-vooz.

9. The new electronica band, RendezVous, prefers to spell their name with a capital V.

8. RendezVous classifies their music as belonging to the electropop genre, but their songs are also part of the jazz movement.

7. RendezVous’ music has accomplished the impossible: they brought two opposite styles together. Their music has successfully fused clean, modern electronica with psychedelic retro sound.

6. Although RendezVous’ songs seem to require at least four musicians, the band is composed of just two members. Itai Simon and Hagai Izenberg are the duo behind RendezVous.

5. Simon and Izenberg are no amateurs; they’ve both taken up music at Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. In fact, that’s where they first met.

4. Hagai Izenberg loves keyboards – both the musical and the computer type. Izenberg first learned to play the piano at seven years of age but also knows his way around computers, having worked in the Internet and software industry for 13 years.

3. Itai Simon is a bass guitarist – but he wasn’t until many years after he first learned to play the guitar. He tinkered with electric guitars at an early age but found his instrument, the bass guitar, only at the age of 17..

2. RendezVous is currently working with music veteran David Bascombe, a well-known figure in the music industry. Bascombe has done mixing and production with band icons Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode. He is teaming up with RendezVous for their first album launch.

1. The jazz electronica band RendezVous already has more than 7000 fans on Facebook even if they haven’t released a single album.. After launching their very first EP, RendezVous earned thousands of fans. Their EP was downloaded countless of times, pushing them to the top of underground band lists. RendezVous now plans to go mainstream, with their debut album in the works. (Who knows how many fans they’ll have by then?)

Contributed by: Alma Jone

Top 10 Sherlock Holmes Trivia

2010-01-01T18:01:00.001+08:00

10. While filming a fight scene, Robert Maillet accidentally knocked out Robert Downey Jr..

9. Jude Law had an early role in "The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes" (1991) Shoscombe Old Place. This was the series featuring Jeremy Brett, and is a favorite adaptation among Sherlock Holmes fans.

8. The set for Sherlock Holmes's home in this film was previously used as Sirius Black's home in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).

7. There were rumors that Brad Pitt has been cast as Moriarty and re shoots have taken place, but the rumors were quickly denied.

6. The part of Sherlock Holmes has been previously played by Michael Caine, while Watson is played in this film by Jude Law. Law took over Caine's role in Alfie (2004) and Sleuth (2007), appearing together with him in the latter film.

5. Sienna Miller was in talks for a role before her ex-fiancé Jude Law was cast as Watson.

4. James Downey, Robert Downey Jr.'s uncle and long time head writer of "Saturday Night Live" (1975), played Sherlock Holmes in a sketch during the same season his nephew was a cast member.

3. The outfits worn by the navvies are the same ones worn by the railway workers in "Cranford: Part One: August 1844 (#2.1)" (2009).

2. Colin Farrell was in talks to play Watson before Jude Law was cast.

1. The first Sherlock Holmes film to reach U.S. movie theaters in over twenty years, since the 1988 comedy Without a Clue (1988) with Michael Caine as Reginald Kincaid/"Sherlock Holmes".

Source: Movie Trivia

Top 10 New Bands To Watch Out For In 2010

2010-01-01T13:56:00.001+08:00

10. The Dirty Guv’nahs

Composed of six members, this band from Tennessee was formed by accident as a rush opening act for a benefit concert. Their self-titled album, consisting of blues and rock songs, was released last April 2009.

9. Deas Vail

This band’s name means “God’s humble servant”. Their album Birds and Cages was released last October 2009. Their rock songs are slightly reminiscent of Death Cab for Cutie.

8. Passion Pit

Passion Pit is an electronic band from Massuchussetts. The band consists was formed in 2007 and consists of 5 members. Their song, Moth's Wings, has been featured in one of the episodes of the hit TV series Gossip Girl. Their album entitled Manners was released last May 2009.

7. Wild Beasts

Wild Beasts is a rock band from England. They released their album Two Dancers under Domino Records last August 2009. Their songs feature an unorthodox style and showcase the lead singer’s falsetto voice, distinguishing them from the rest of the pack.

6. Animal Collectives

This American band first wound up together after meeting in school, starting on their work at an early age. They released their album Merriweather Post Pavilion last January 2009.

5. Cymbals Eat Guitars

This independent rock band from New York just released their debut album, Why There Are Mountains, within the year (2009). They were dubbed the year’s number one album by The Daily Cardinal.

4. Camera Obscura

Camera Obscura is a Scottish band. Their album entitled My Maudlin Career was released last April 2009. Their album songs are dubbed “infectious pop”, making it to the list of must-have new Indie albums in Amazon.com.

3. The Swipes

The Swipes is a German band who prefers to be classified under the genre “New Garage”. Their influences include garage punk and protopunk. This indie band has been consistently at the top of UK’s major music website, www.somojo.net.

2. White Lies

A band first formed in London, White Lies plays alternative rock music. The band consists of 3 members but plays with an additional keyboardist for live performances. They have a contract with Fiction Records and have released several singles such as Death and Unfinished Business, rightfully earning their place in this top ten new bands list.

1. Rendezvous

Rendezvous is an electropop band composed of Itai Simon and Hagai Izenberg. Their electronica songs show a strong touch of acid jazz, promising a “clean chaos” of instrumental music. After the release of their first EP, Rendezvous gained a fiercely loyal cult following, earning more than 7000 fans on Facebook. Rendezvous is now working with producer/ mixer Dave Bascombe, who has done incredible work with the famous bands Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode. Having proven their worth in the world of music, Rendezvous is the band to watch out for in 2010.

Contributed by: Anne DLC

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year To All

May you all have peace and prosperity in the year ahead!

Top 10 Movies of 2009

2009-12-31T09:09:00.001+08:00

10. The Blind Side

A 2009 American drama sports film written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and based on the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. The storyline features Michael Oher, an offensive lineman who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. The film follows Oher from his impoverished upbringings, through his years at Wingate Christian School (a fictional representation of Briarcrest Christian School), his adoption by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, and on to his position as one of the most highly coveted prospects in college football.

The film stars Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher, Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy, Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy, Oher's adoptive parents, and Kathy Bates as Miss Sue, Oher's tutor. The movie also features appearances by several current and former National Collegiate Athletic Association coaches, including Houston Nutt, Ed Orgeron, Phillip Fulmer, Nick Saban, Lou Holtz and Tommy Tuberville, and recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.

9. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Also known as Ice Age 3, is a 2009 3-D computer animated film. It is the third installment of the Ice Age series, produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. A sneak preview was shown in selected theaters on Father's Day in the United States. The film features the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, and Chris Wedge. The story has Sid being taken by a female Tyrannosaurus rex after stealing her eggs, leading the rest of the protagonists to rescue him in a tropical lost world inhabited by dinosaurs beneath the ice. Despite mixed reviews by critics, Dawn of the Dinosaurs became the second highest grossing animated film of all time with $869.1 million worldwide. There is an attraction based on the film at Chessington World of Adventures. It is a small walkthrough involving a few interactive activities. It was available to June 18 to August 31.

8. Monsters Vs. Alien

A 2009 American computer-animated 3-D feature film from DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures. The movie was the first computer animated movie to be directly produced in a stereoscopic 3-D format instead of being converted into 3-D after completion, which added $15 million to the film's budget.

The film was scheduled for a May 2009 release, but the release date was moved to March 27, 2009, to prevent competition with James Cameron's Avatar, which has since moved its release to December 2009. It was released on DVD and Blu-Ray September 29, 2009 in North America. Monsters vs. Aliens features the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Kiefer Sutherland, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Rudd.

7. Avatar

A 2009 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron, and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang. The film is set in the year 2154 on Pandora, a fictional Earth-like moon in a distant planetary system. Humans are engaged in mining Pandora's reserves of a precious mineral, while the Na'vi — the sapient and sentient race of humanoids indigenous to the moon — resist the colonists' expansion, which threatens the continued existence of the Na'vi and the Pandoran ecosystem. The film's title refers to the remotely controlled, genetically engineered human-Na'vi bodies used by the film's human characters to interact with the natives.

Avatar had been in development since 1994 by Cameron, who wrote a 114-page scriptment for the film. Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Titanic, and the film would have been released in 1999, but according to Cameron, "technology needed to catch up" with his vision of the film. In early 2006, Cameron developed the script, the language, and the culture of Pandora. He has stated that if Avatar is successful, two sequels to the film are planned.

The film was released in traditional 2-D and 3-D formats, along with an IMAX 3D release in selected theaters. Avatar is officially budgeted at $237 million; other estimates put the cost at $280 – $310 million to produce and an estimated $150 million for marketing. The film is being touted as a breakthrough in terms of filmmaking technology, for its development of 3D viewing and stereoscopic filmmaking with cameras that were specially designed for the film's production. Opening to critical and commercial success, it grossed an estimated $27 million on its opening day and made $77,025,481 in the United States and Canada on its opening weekend. Worldwide, the film grossed an estimated $232,180,000 on its opening weekend, the ninth-largest opening-weekend gross of all time, and the largest for a non-franchise, non-sequel and original film.

6. Star Trek

A 2009 science fiction film directed by J. J. Abrams, written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the eleventh film based on the Star Trek franchise and features the main characters of the original Star Trek television series, who are portrayed by a new cast. The film follows James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) before they unite aboard the USS Enterprise to combat Nero (Eric Bana), a Romulan from their future who threatens the United Federation of Planets. The story establishes an alternate reality through time-travel by both Nero and the original Spock (Leonard Nimoy), freeing the film and the franchise from established continuity constraints.

Development of the film began in 2005. The production's aim was to be faithful to the Star Trek canon, modifying continuity with the time-travel storyline, and modernizing the production design of the original show. Filming took place from November 2007 to March 2008 under intense secrecy. Midway through the shoot, Paramount chose to delay the release date from December 25, 2008 to May 2009, believing the film could reach a wider audience.

Star Trek has earned high critical praise, gaining a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is the eleventh-highest-grossing film of 2009 — sixth-highest within North America — and has become the highest-grossing film in the Star Trek series and is credited by the media as a reboot of the series.

5. The Hangover

The Hangover is a 2009 American screwball comedy film directed by Todd Phillips, co-written by Jon Lucas and produced by Phillips and Daniel Goldberg. The film was produced by Legendary Pictures for Warner Bros. Pictures. It stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, and Heather Graham.

The plot follows four friends who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, only to wake up the next morning not remembering a thing and missing the groom, whose wedding is scheduled to occur the next day. The film was inspired by the filmmakers' real life misadventures, and was released in North America on June 5, 2009, to critical praise and box office success.

4. The Twilight Sage: New Moon

A 2009 American romantic fantasy film based on Stephenie Meyer's 2006 novel New Moon. It is the second film in The Twilight Saga film series and is the sequel to 2008's Twilight, which is also based on Meyer's previous novel. Summit Entertainment greenlit the sequel in late November 2008, following the early success of Twilight. Directed by Chris Weitz, the film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black, respectively.

Melissa Rosenberg, who handed in a draft of the film script during the opening weekend of Twilight, returned as screenwriter for The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Filming began in Vancouver in late March 2009, and in Montepulciano, Italy in late May 2009.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon was released on November 20, 2009 in most countries, and set domestic box office records as the biggest midnight screening with $26.3 million. This led to the biggest single day domestic gross with $72.7 million. The film also opened with the third biggest domestic opening weekend ($142,839,137). The film was voted as the "Favorite Movie of 2009" on Moviefone and was was well received by fans, but critical reception was mixed.

3. Up

A 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and is the first animated film to open the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The film was released in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2009.

Up is director Pete Docter's second feature-length film after Monsters, Inc., and features the voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson, and Jordan Nagai. It is Pixar's tenth feature film and the studio's first to be presented in Disney Digital 3-D, and is accompanied in theaters by the short film Partly Cloudy. The film was also shown in Dolby 3D in selected theaters.

The film centers around an elderly widower named Carl Fredricksen and an overeager wilderness explorer named Russell who fly to South America in a floating house suspended from helium balloons. The film has received overwhelmingly positive reviews with a rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and grossed over $683 million worldwide, making it Pixar's second most commercially successful film, after Finding Nemo.

2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Released on 16 July 2005, is the sixth of seven novels from British author J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores Lord Voldemort's past, and Harry's preparations for the final battle amidst emerging romantic relationships and the emotional confusions and conflict resolutions characteristic of mid-adolescence.

The book sold three million copies in the first 16 hours after its release, a record at the time which was eventually broken by its sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

A 2009 American science fiction action film, directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to Transformers (2007) and the second film in the live action Transformers series. The plot revolves around Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), the human caught in the war between Autobots and Decepticons, having visions of Cybertronian symbols, and getting hunted by the Decepticons under the orders of their long-trapped leader, The Fallen, who seeks to get revenge on Earth by finding and activating a machine that would provide the Decepticons with an energon source, destroying all life on the planet in the process.
With deadlines jeopardized by possible strikes by the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, Bay managed to finish the production on time with the help of previsualization and a scriptment by his writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and series newcomer Ehren Kruger. Shooting took place from May to November 2008.

Although Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen received mixed to negative reviews from film critics it was a box office success, achieving the highest Wednesday opening gross in history, bringing in $62 million in North America and close to $100 million worldwide; this is also the second-highest opening day gross of all time, behind only The Dark Knight's $67.8 million. It is currently the third highest-grossing film of 2009 worldwide (behind Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) and the highest-grossing film of 2009 in the United States. In less than a month, the film surpassed the all-time earnings of its predecessor. It was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in USA on October 20, 2009 and on the 30th November 2009 in the UK.

Source: Wiki

Top 10 Star Trek Federation Starships

2009-12-20T11:31:00.001+08:00

10. Enterprise (NX-01)

Commissioned in 2151, Enterprise was the first starship of the NX class, Starfleet's first long-range exploration vessels with a theoretical top speed of warp 5.4 by the fourth to last episode of the 4th season, considerably faster than any other Human vessels of the era.

Captain Archer made first contact with the Suliban, Tholians, Klingons, and Xindi, among others, although few of these encounters were peaceful. Enterprise established Earth's presence in previously uncharted regions of space, bringing together the Andorians and Vulcans—two species who had been on the verge of war for years.

Enterprise was pivotal in defending Earth from a dangerous alliance of five alien races from the planet Xindus known as the Xindi in 2153 through 2154. The ship suffered severe damage several times during the mission and the crew suffered heavy casualties, but managed to return home after an unexpected detour to an alternate version of 1944 in which Nazi Germany had conquered much of the eastern United States; although the vessel did not land during that mission, it was brought within tens of meters from the ground in order to help restore the timeline.

9. USS Defiant (NX-74205)

Designed in 2366, the Defiant was the first of what was to be a new class of heavily-armed Federation starship, and later reputed to be one of the most heavily-armed vessels in the entire Alpha Quadrant. Officially designated an escort, although unofficially a warship, the Defiant-class was specifically designed to counter the Borg. Soon after the first vessel was completed however, a combination of a less urgent Borg threat and several design flaws caused Starfleet to suspend the project. Among the flaws was the fact that the Defiant's engines were overpowered relative to the size of the ship – so much so that the Defiant nearly "tore itself apart" during its shakedown cruise. Benjamin Sisko became intimately involved with the project while stationed at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards after the destruction of the USS Saratoga at Wolf 359.

In early 2371, as Federation-Dominion hostility escalated, the Defiant was taken out of storage and assigned to Deep Space 9 to protect the station from the Dominion, who had recently destroyed the USS Odyssey, a Galaxy-class starship.

8. USS Yeager (NCC-61947)

The Saber-class of Federation starship was first introduced in the late 24th century, and was in full service by 2373. The ship featured a design more compact than other Starfleet vessels, and was fairly well armed despite its small size; the class has featured prominently in the Battle of Sector 001 against the Borg and in the Dominion War.

7. USS Thunderchild (NCC-63549)

A Federation starship of the late 24th century.

In 2373 the Thunderchild fought against the Borg in the Battle of Sector 001.

6. USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)

The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) was the second Federation starship to carry that name.

She was constructed at the San Francisco Fleet Yards and commissioned at the Earth Spacedock facility in 2286.

Externally, the Enterprise-A was virtually identical to the refit USS Enterprise, destroyed several months prior to the launch.

The bridge was in its customary location on Deck 1. At least three different modules were used during the ship's service. They were the first bridges on a ship named Enterprise to almost completely use touch sensitive control interfaces.

The torpedo bay was on Deck 13. It was much more automated than on the previous Enterprise, and the torpedo room itself was smaller and enclosed.

No "unauthorized" hand phaser could be fired aboard the ship at a level above stun without an alarm sounding.

The shuttlebay was located at the rear of the ship's engineering section. Unlike in her predecessor, the shuttlebay was a separate and distinct area from the cargo bay. The ship had at least two (possibly five) shuttlecraft, including the Galileo and the Copernicus. Normally, a tractor beam guided the shuttle to a landing. A large net barricade could be erected to capture an incoming shuttle which was landing too fast or otherwise disabled.

Officers had crew quarters similar to those on the previous Enterprise. Enlisted crew members were required to bunk together. As many as eight crew members were assigned to a room, each assigned a storage locker. Chimes sounded at the top of every hour. Meals were prepared in a galley, although there appeared to be primitive replicators on board the ship.

The Enterprise-A had a vertical warp core similar to that of the Galaxy-class of seventy years later. The core could be accessed through main engineering on Deck 15. An isolation door could be brought down to separate the core from the rest of the ship.

5. USS Voyager (NCC-74656)

Intrepid-class Federation starship launched in 2371 under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway. The vessel was noted for independently, and successfully, completing an unscheduled seven-year journey across the previously unexplored Delta Quadrant between 2371 and 2378.

The USS Voyager was constructed at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards orbiting Mars and was launched from Earth Station McKinley on stardate 48038.5 in 2371. At the time Voyager was considered one of the fastest and most advanced starships constructed. She was the first to test the class 9 warp drive, had a maximum warp factor of 9.975, bio-neural circuitry, and was one of the first ships to test the Emergency Medical Hologram.

Captain Kathryn Janeway assumed command shortly before Voyager left drydock. She was greeted and given a tour of the ship by Admiral Patterson.

Voyager's first assignment was to track down a missing Maquis raider, the Val Jean, commanded by former Starfleet officer Chakotay. The raider was also carrying an undercover Starfleet officer, Voyager's security chief Lieutenant Tuvok. Captain Janeway enlisted the help of Tom Paris, the disgraced son of Starfleet Admiral Owen Paris, whose knowledge of the Badlands was determined to be essential to the mission.

Shortly after departing Deep Space 9 to begin her search, Voyager encountered a coherent tetryon beam which pulled the vessel 70,000 light-years into the Delta Quadrant. The crew was subjugated to painful genetic testing to see if any crew members would be suitable to mate with the being responsible for the transfer, unfortunately for the Caretaker, none were compatible.

By the time the Voyager crew was able to make any kind of meaningful contact with the Caretaker, he was near death and unable to send them back to the Alpha Quadrant. Although Lieutenant Tuvok believed he could activate the system that could send Voyager back himself, that would have meant potentially leaving the technology in the hands of a hostile native species, the Kazon.

Instead of allowing the Kazon to seize the Caretaker's advanced technology and potentially harm the peaceful Ocampa, Captain Janeway made the decision to destroy the Caretaker's array and strand Voyager in the Delta Quadrant. After the destruction of the Val Jean during the battle with the Kazon, the Starfleet and Maquis crewmembers were forced to merge for the 75-year journey home.

4. USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C)

The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C) was an Ambassador-class starship. The fourth Federation starship to carry the name Enterprise, the Enterprise-C was commanded by Captain Rachel Garrett.

3. Prometheus Class

In 2344, the Enterprise responded to a distress call from the Klingon outpost on Narendra III, which was under attack by the Romulans. When the Enterprise arrived at the outpost, she was engaged by four Romulan Warbirds.

Few details are known about the actual battle. What is known, however, is that the Enterprise was destroyed with the presumed loss of all hands. Starfleet would not commission another Enterprise until nearly two decades later in 2363.
It was later revealed by Sela that the Romulans took a number of the ship's crew prisoner.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Klingons were deeply impressed by the act of self-sacrifice by a Starfleet crew to protect a Klingon outpost, and the Enterprise-C's ultimate legacy was reinforcing the relations between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets, leading to a close alliance of peace.

2. USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)

A Galaxy-class starship commissioned in 2363, the fifth Federation Starfleet ship to bear the name Enterprise. She was called the Flagship of the Federation. The Enterprise-D was destroyed in 2371. Under the command of Jean-Luc Picard, the ship represented the Federation on first contact with 27 alien species.

The Enterprise was built at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards orbiting Mars in the Sol system. Construction was supervised by Commander Orfil Quinteros. Dr. Leah Brahms was responsible for much of the Enterprise's warp propulsion system design. In an alternate timeline, the Enterprise was the first Galaxy-class war ship constructed.

The ship's nacelle tube was the site of a multiple murder-suicide while she was still under construction at Utopia Planitia. A member of the construction team, Walter Pierce, became jealous of a former lover's new relationship. He killed the two officers, Marla Finn and William Hodges, then disposed of their bodies in the plasma stream. Pierce committed suicide in the same manner, leaving a telepathic imprint in a bulkhead that was not discovered until 2370.

Final systems completion and shakedown was conducted at Earth Station McKinley. Captain Jean-Luc Picard took command of the ship on stardate 41153.7 at the order of Rear Admiral Norah Satie.

1. USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)

A Sovereign-class Federation starship operating in the late 24th century, and the sixth Federation starship to bear the name.

The Enterprise-E was launched on stardate 49827.5 and was, at the time, the most advanced starship in the fleet. She was built at the San Francisco Fleet Yards in the orbit of Earth.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard assumed command shortly after the vessel's christening, just over a year following the destruction of her predecessor. Most of Picard's crew from the USS Enterprise-D were reassigned to the Enterprise-E.

Source: Wiki

Top 10: Most Expensive Medical Conditions to Treat in the America

2009-12-11T21:12:00.001+08:00

10. Normal Childbirth

$32 billion

The culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus. The process of normal human childbirth is categorized in three stages of labour: the shortening and dilation of the cervix, descent and birth of the infant, and birth of the placenta. In some cases, childbirth is achieved through caesarean section, the removal of the neonate through a surgical incision in the abdomen, rather than through vaginal birth.

9. Back Problems

$32 billion

The pain can often be divided into neck pain, upper back pain, lower back pain or tailbone pain. It may have a sudden onset or can be a chronic pain; it can be constant or intermittent, stay in one place or radiate to other areas. It may be a dull ache, or a sharp or piercing or burning sensation. The pain may be radiate into the arm and hand), in the upper back, or in the low back, (and might radiate into the leg or foot), and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling.

Back pain is one of humanity's most frequent complaints. In the U.S., acute low back pain (also called lumbago) is the fifth most common reason for physician visits. About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year.

The spine is a complex interconnecting network of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, and all are capable of producing pain. Large nerves that originate in the spine and go to the legs and arms can make pain radiate to the extremities.

8. Osteoarthritis & Other Diseases of the Joints

$34 billion

A group of diseases and mechanical abnormalities involving degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and the subchondral bone next to it. Clinical manifestations of OA may include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, creaking, locking of joints, and sometimes local inflammation. In OA, a variety of potential forces—hereditary, developmental, metabolic, and mechanical—may initiate processes leading to loss of cartilage -- a strong protein matrix that lubricates and cushions the joints. As the body struggles to contain ongoing damage, immune and regrowth processes can accelerate damage. When bone surfaces become less well protected by cartilage, subchondral bone may be exposed and damaged, with regrowth leading to a proliferation of ivory-like, dense, reactive bone in central areas of cartilage loss, a process called eburnation. The patient increasingly experiences pain upon weight bearing, including walking and standing. As a result of decreased movement because of the pain, regional muscles may atrophy, and ligaments may become more lax. OA is the most common form of arthritis, and the leading cause of chronic disability in the United States.

"Osteoarthritis" is derived from the Greek word "osteo", meaning "of the bone", "arthro", meaning "joint", and "itis", meaning inflammation, although the "itis" of osteo arthritis is somewhat of a misnomer -- inflammation is not a conspicuous feature of the disease. Osteoarthritis is not to be confused with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease with joint inflammation as a main feature. A common misconception is that OA is due solely to wear and tear, since OA typically is not present in younger people. However, while age is correlated with OA incidence, this correlation may illustrate that OA is a process that takes time to develop -- or that repair and regeneration that may keep pace with damage in the joints of younger people do slow with age. There is usually an underlying cause for OA, in which case it is described as secondary OA. If no underlying cause can be identified it is described as primary OA. "Degenerative arthritis" is often used as a synonym for OA, but the latter involves both degenerative and regenerative changes.

OA affects about 8 million people in the United Kingdom and nearly 27 million people in the United States, where it accounts for 25% of visits to primary care physicians and half of all NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) prescriptions. It is estimated that 80% of the US population will have radiographic evidence of OA by age 65, although only 60% of those will show symptoms. In the United States, hospitalizations for osteoarthritis soared from about 322,000 in 1993 to 735,000 in 2006.

7. High Blood Pressure

$42 billion

A chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure is elevated. It is also referred to as high blood pressure or shortened to HT, HTN or HPN. The word "hypertension", by itself, normally refers to systemic, arterial hypertension.

Hypertension can be classified as either essential (primary) or secondary. Essential or primary hypertension means that no medical cause can be found to explain the raised blood pressure. It is common. About 90-95% of hypertension is essential hypertension. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of (i.e., secondary to) another condition, such as kidney disease or tumours (adrenal adenoma or pheochromocytoma).

Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, and is a leading cause of chronic renal failure. Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure leads to shortened life expectancy. At severely high pressures, defined as mean arterial pressures 50% or more above average, a person can expect to live no more than a few years unless appropriately treated. Beginning at a systolic pressure (which is peak pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the end of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles are contracting) of 115 mmHg and diastolic pressure (which is minimum pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the beginning of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles are filled with blood) of 75 mmHg (commonly written as 115/75 mmHg), cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk doubles for each increment of 20/10 mmHg.

6. Type 1 & 2 Diabetes

$45 billion

A condition in which the body either does not produce enough, or does not properly respond to, insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas. Insulin enables cells to absorb glucose in order to turn it into energy. This causes glucose to accumulate in the blood, leading to various potential complications.

Many types of diabetes are recognized: The principal three are:

Type 1: Results from the body's failure to produce insulin. It is estimated that 5–10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. Presently most persons with type 1 diabetes take insulin injections.
Type 2: Results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with absolute insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes: Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women. It may precede development of type 2 (or rarely type 1) DM.

Other forms of diabetes mellitus are categorized separately from these. Examples include congenital diabetes due to genetic defects of insulin secretion, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, steroid diabetes induced by high doses of glucocorticoids, and several forms of monogenic diabetes.

5. Asthma & Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

$54 billion

Refers to chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of two commonly co-existing diseases of the lungs in which the airways become narrowed. This leads to a limitation of the flow of air to and from the lungs causing shortness of breath. In contrast to asthma, the limitation of airflow is poorly reversible and usually gets progressively worse over time.

COPD is caused by noxious particles or gas, most commonly from tobacco smoking, which triggers an abnormal inflammatory response in the lung. The inflammatory response in the larger airways is known as chronic bronchitis, which is diagnosed clinically when people regularly cough up sputum. In the alveoli, the inflammatory response causes destruction of the tissues of the lung, a process known as emphysema. The natural course of COPD is characterized by occasional sudden worsenings of symptoms called acute exacerbations, most of which are caused by infections or air pollution.

The diagnosis of COPD requires lung function tests. Important management strategies are smoking cessation, vaccinations, rehabilitation, and drug therapy (often using inhalers). Some patients go on to requiring long-term oxygen therapy or lung transplantation.

Worldwide, COPD ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in 1990. It is projected to be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020 due to an increase in smoking rates and demographic changes in many countries. COPD is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S., and the economic burden of COPD in the U.S. in 2007 was $42.6 billion in health care costs and lost productivity.

4. Mental Disorders

$56 billion

A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as part of normal development or culture. The recognition and understanding of mental disorders has changed over time and across cultures. Definitions, assessments, and classifications of mental disorders can vary, but guideline criteria listed in the many cases there is no single accepted or consistent cause of mental disorders, although they are often explained in terms of a diathesis-stress model and biopsychosocial model. Mental disorders have been found to be common, with over a third of people in most countries reporting sufficient criteria at some point in their life. Services for mental disorders may be based in hospitals or in the community. Mental health professionals diagnose individuals using different methodologies, often relying on case history and interview. Psychotherapy and psychiatric medication are two major treatment options, as well as supportive interventions and self-help. Treatment may be involuntary where legislation allows. Several movements campaign for changes to services and attitudes.

3. Cancer

$70 billion

A class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood). These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, and do not invade or metastasize. Most cancers form a tumor but some, like leukemia, do not. The branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer is oncology.

Cancer affects people at all ages with the risk for most types increasing with age. Cancer causes about 13% of all human deaths in 2007 (7.6 million).

Cancers are caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells. These abnormalities may be due to the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents. Other cancer-promoting genetic abnormalities may be randomly occur through errors in DNA replication, or are inherited, and thus present in all cells from birth. The heritability of cancers is usually affected by complex interactions between carcinogens and the host's genome.

Genetic abnormalities found in cancer typically affect two general classes of genes. Cancer-promoting oncogenes are typically activated in cancer cells, giving those cells new properties, such as hyperactive growth and division, protection against programmed cell death, loss of respect for normal tissue boundaries, and the ability to become established in diverse tissue environments. Tumor suppressor genes are then inactivated in cancer cells, resulting in the loss of normal functions in those cells, such as accurate DNA replication, control over the cell cycle, orientation and adhesion within tissues, and interaction with protective cells of the immune system.

Definative diagnosis requires the histologic examination of a biopsy specimen, although the initial indication of malignancy can be symptomatic or radiographic imaging abnormalities. Most cancers can be treated and some cured, depending on the specific type, location, and stage. Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As research develops, treatments are becoming more specific for different varieties of cancer. There has been significant progress in the development of targeted therapy drugs that act specifically on detectable molecular abnormalities in certain tumors, and which minimize damage to normal cells. The prognosis of cancer patients is most influenced by the type of cancer, as well as the stage, or extent of the disease. In addition, histologic grading and the presence of specific molecular markers can also be useful in establishing prognosis, as well as in determining individual treatments.

2. Trauma Disorders

$72 billion

Trauma is defined as any body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from accident, injury, or impact. Trauma patients may require specialized care, including surgery and blood transfusion, within the so-called golden hour of emergency medicine, the first sixty minutes after trauma occurs. This is not a strict deadline, but recognizes that many deaths which could have been prevented by appropriate care occur a relatively short time after injury. In many places organized trauma referral systems have been set up to provide rapid care for injured people. Research has shown that deaths from physical trauma decline where there are organized trauma systems.

1. Heart Conditions

$76 billion

Cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular diseases is the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels (arteries and veins). While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system (as used in MeSH), it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis (arterial disease). These conditions have similar causes, mechanisms, and treatments. In practice, cardiovascular disease is treated by cardiologists, thoracic surgeons, vascular surgeons, neurologists, and interventional radiologists, depending on the organ system that is being treated. There is considerable overlap in the specialties, and it is common for certain procedures to be performed by different types of specialists in different hospitals.

Most countries face high and increasing rates of cardiovascular disease. Each year, heart disease kills more Americans than cancer.
It is the number one cause of death and disability in the United States and most European countries (data available through 2005). A large histological study (PDAY) showed vascular injury accumulates from adolescence, making primary prevention efforts necessary from childhood.

By the time that heart problems are detected, the underlying cause (atherosclerosis) is usually quite advanced, having progressed for decades. There is therefore increased emphasis on preventing atherosclerosis by modifying risk factors, such as healthy eating, exercise and avoidance of smoking.

Source: Wiki

Based on the research provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Top 10: America’s Most Expensive Medical Condition

2009-12-11T17:21:00.001+08:00

10. Cardiac dysrhythmias

2.9 million conditions costs $7.2 billion to treat

A term for any of a large and heterogeneous group of conditions in which there is abnormal electrical activity in the heart. The heart beat may be too fast or too slow, and may be regular or irregular.

Some arrhythmias are life-threatening medical emergencies that can result in cardiac arrest and sudden death. Others cause symptoms such as an abnormal awareness of heart beat (palpitations), and may be merely annoying. Still others may not be associated with any symptoms at all, but predispose toward potentially life-threatening stroke or embolus.
Some arrhythmias are very minor and can be regarded as normal variants. In fact, most people will sometimes feel their heart skip a beat, or give an occasional extra strong beat; neither of these is usually a cause for alarm.

The term sinus arrhythmia refers to a normal phenomenon of mild acceleration and slowing of the heart rate that occurs with breathing in and out. It is usually quite pronounced in children, and steadily decreases with age. This can also be present during meditation breathing exercises that involve deep inhaling and breath holding patterns.

9. Cerebrovascular disease

2 million conditions costs $8.3 billion to treat

A group of brain dysfunctions related to disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain. Hypertension is the most important cause; it damages the blood vessel lining, endothelium, exposing the underlying collagen where platelets aggregate to initiate a repairing process which is not always complete and perfect. Sustained hypertension permanently changes the architecture of the blood vessels making them narrow, stiff, deformed, uneven and more vulnerable to fluctuations in blood pressure.

A fall in blood pressure during sleep can then lead to a marked reduction in blood flow in the narrowed blood vessels causing ischemic stroke in the morning. Conversely, a sudden rise in blood pressure due to excitation during the daytime can cause tearing of the blood vessels resulting in intracranial hemorrhage. Cerebrovascular disease primarily affects people who are elderly or have a history of diabetes, smoking, or ischemic heart disease. The results of cerebrovascular disease can include a stroke, or occasionally a hemorrhagic stroke. Ischemia or other blood vessel dysfunctions can affect the person during a cerebrovascular accident.

8. Diabetes

9.2 million conditions costs $10.1 billion to treat

Many types of diabetes are recognized: The principal three are:

Type 1: Results from the body's failure to produce insulin. It is estimated that 5–10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. Presently most persons with type 1 diabetes take insulin injections.
Type 2: Results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with absolute insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes: Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women. It may precede development of type 2 (or rarely type 1) DM.

7. Mood disorders

9 million conditions costs $10.2 billion to treat

A mood disorder is the term given for a group of diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV TR) classification system where a disturbance in the person's mood is hypothesized to be the main underlying feature. The classification is known as mood (affective) disorders in ICD 10.

English psychiatrist Henry Maudsley proposed an overarching category of affective disorder. The term was then replaced by mood disorder, as the latter term refers to the underlying or longitudinal emotional state, whereas the former refers to the external expression observed by others.

Two groups of mood disorders are broadly recognized; the division is based on whether the person has ever had a manic or hypomanic episode. Thus, there are depressive disorders, of which the best known and most researched is major depressive disorder (MDD) commonly called clinical depression or major depression, and bipolar disorder (BD), formerly known as "manic depression" and described by intermittent periods of manic and depressed episodes.

6. Back problems

13.2 million conditions costs $12.2 billion to treat

Pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.

5. Hypertension

26 million conditions costs $14.8 billion to treat

Hypertension is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure is elevated. It is also referred to as high blood pressure or shortened to HT, HTN or HPN. The word "hypertension", by itself, normally refers to systemic, arterial hypertension.

Hypertension can be classified as either essential (primary) or secondary. Essential or primary hypertension means that no medical cause can be found to explain the raised blood pressure. It is common. About 90-95% of hypertension is essential hypertension. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of (i.e., secondary to) another condition, such as kidney disease or tumours (adrenal adenoma or pheochromocytoma).

4. Arthropaties

16.8 million conditions costs $15.9 billion to treat

An arthropathy is a disease of a joint.

Although the terms "arthropathy" and arthritis have very similar meanings, the former is traditionally used to describe the following conditions:

Reactive arthropathy (M02-M03) is caused by an infection, but not a direct infection of the synovial space.
Enteropathic arthropathy (M07) is caused by colitis and related conditions.
Crystal arthropathy (also known as crystal arthritis) (M10-M11) involves the deposition of crystals in the joint.

In gout, the crystal is uric acid.
In pseudogout/chondrocalcinosis/calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease, the crystal is calcium pyrophosphate.

Diabetic arthropathy (M14.2, E10-E14) is caused by diabetes.
Neuropathic arthropathy (M14.6) is associated with a loss of sensation.

3. Acute respiratory infection

44.5 million conditions costs $17.9 billion to treat

A medical diagnosis of possible influenza or other illness causing a set of common symptoms, with SARI referring to Severe Acute Respiratory Infection.

Symptoms commonly include fever, shivering, chills, malaise, dry cough, loss of appetite, body aches and nausea, typically in connection with a sudden onset of illness. In most cases, the symptoms are caused by cytokines released by immune system activation.

Common causes of ILI include the common cold and influenza, which tends to be more severe than the common cold. Less common causes include side effects of many drugs and manifestations of many other diseases.

2. Motor vehicle accidents

7.3 million conditions costs $21.2 billion to treat

When a road vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, or geographical or architectural obstacle. Traffic collisions can result in injury, property damage, and death.

A number of factors contribute to the risk of collision including; vehicle design, speed of operation, road design, and driver impairment. Worldwide motor vehicle collisions lead to significant death and disability as well as significant financial costs to both society and the individual.

Many different terms are commonly used to describe vehicle collisions. The World Health Organization use the term road traffic injury, well the U.S. Census Bureau uses the term motor vehicle accidents (MVA) and Transport Canada uses the term "motor vehicle traffic collision". Other terms that are commonly used include: auto accident, car accident, car crash, car smash, car wreck, motor vehicle collision (MVC), personal injury collision (PIC), road accident, road traffic accident (RTA), road traffic collision (RTC), road traffic incident (RTI), smash-up and fender bender.

As the factors involved in collisions have become better understood, some organizations have begun to avoid the term "accident," as the word suggests an unpreventable, unpredictable event and disregards the opportunity for the driver(s) involved to avoid the crash. Although auto collisions are rare in terms of the number of vehicles on the road and the distance they travel, addressing the contributing factors can reduce their likelihood. For example, proper signage can decrease driver error and thereby reduce crash frequency by a third or more. That is why these organizations prefer the term "collision" rather than "accident".

However, treating collisions as anything other than "accidents" has been criticized for holding back safety improvements, because a culture of blame may discourage the involved parties from fully disclosing the facts, and thus frustrate attempts to address the real root causes.

1. Ischemic heart disease

3.4 million conditions costs $21.5 billion to treat

Ischaemic or ischemic heart disease (IHD), or myocardial ischaemia, is a disease characterized by reduced blood supply to the heart muscle, usually due to coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries). Its risk increases with age, smoking, hypercholesterolaemia (high cholesterol levels), diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and is more common in men and those who have close relatives with ischaemic heart disease.

Symptoms of stable ischaemic heart disease include angina (characteristic chest pain on exertion) and decreased exercise tolerance. Unstable IHD presents itself as chest pain or other symptoms at rest, or rapidly worsening angina. Diagnosis of IHD is with an electrocardiogram, blood tests (cardiac markers), cardiac stress testing or a coronary angiogram. Depending on the symptoms and risk, treatment may be with medication, percutaneous coronary intervention (angioplasty) or coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG).

It is the most common cause of death in most Western countries, and a major cause of hospital admissions There is limited evidence for population screening, but prevention (with a healthy diet and sometimes medication for diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure) is used both to prevent IHD and to decrease the risk of complications.

The medical history distinguishes between various alternative causes for chest pain (such as dyspepsia, musculoskeletal pain, pulmonary embolism). As part of an assessment of the three main presentations of IHD, risk factors are addressed. These are the main causes of atherosclerosis (the disease process underlying IHD): age, male sex, hyperlipidaemia (high cholesterol and high fats in the blood), smoking, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, and the family history.

Source: Wiki

Figures According to HealthAffairs.org

Top 10 Mobile Phones (2009)

2009-12-06T16:38:00.001+08:00

10. Samsung i900 Omnia

HTC made a big splash in the Windows Mobile world of smartphones last year when it introduced the Touch, a smartphone that was pretty much all touchscreen and was intended to be controlled with a finger. Earlier this year HTC came up big again with the Touch Diamond, adding a VGA display and a new UI to the mix. While it might be a bit late to the party, Samsung has put forth the SGH-i900 Omnia to show, in a big way, that it, too, can compete on the Windows Mobile multimedia smartphone front. With features like a 5 megapixel autofocus camera, up to 16GB of built-in storage, a built-in GPS, and automatic screen rotation, the Omnia certainly has a lot of WinMo fans drooling. Read more…

9. Nokia N82

The Nokia N82 is the latest high-end imaging-focused device from the Finnish manufacturer. With a Xenon flash, a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, and video capture at 30 frames per second, the Nokia N82 is set to replace the venerable N73 in the Nseries imaging lineup. Going back to the candy bar form factor that Nokia is known for, does the Nokia N82 set the benchmark high for other multimedia handsets? Read more…

8. Nokia 5310 XpressMusic

Consumers these days are really spoiled for choice. Ranging from the latest huge megapixel camera phones, to music phones with audio chips and big storage, buying a phone is quite a tough choice to make. And Nokia didn't help the situation by throwing in two more models from their XpressMusic range – the slim 5310 and the sliding 5610. We managed to get our hands on the 5310, a slim and lightweight phone that is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera and expandable microSD memory card slot. Read more...

7. Nokia E71

Nokia's new E71 is the company's 3rd try at the popular "BlackBerry" form factor of business smartphones. The original Nokia E61/E62 handsets had the right basic shape, but were thicker and overall bulkier than those from the competition at the time. The E61i improved on that, but still wasn't quite capable of going toe to toe with the best on offer from the likes of HTC and RIM. But with the E71, Nokia has shown that it can be a leader in this space. The E71 has a great spec sheet, a slim and solid body, and the powerful S60/Symbian system lurking inside. We give it a thorough thrashing to see how it holds up. Read more...

6. Sony Ericsson K850

The K850i is Sony Ericsson's latest Cyber-shot phone, sporting a 5 megapixel camera, auto-focus, and a xenon flash. Couple this with a fresh, vibrant design and some interesting new features and you've got the perfect ingredients for one of the market's best camera phones yet, but does it live up to its expectations? Read more...

5. Nokia N95 8GB

While it shares much with the Nokia N80 in terms of both design and functionality, Nokia's N95, the subject of this review, takes the capabilities of a mobile phone to a new level. On paper, at least, there appears to be little that this Finnish wonder can't do. It has quad-band GSM/EDGE support and 2100MHz UMTS as well as a 5 megapixel autofocus camera, a built-in GPS receiver, Bluetooth stereo support, and 802.11b/g WLAN support. Read more…

4. Nokia N96

Nokia's N96 has hit the shelves, set to take over from its highly successful predecessor, the N95. With much of the same specs as the N95, the device has plenty to offer, but with a few tweaks and additions for good measure. This all sounds promising, but we thought we'd better take a look for ourselves - read on for our full review. Read more...

3. Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1

The release of the Xperia X1 marks a number of firsts for Sony Ericsson. The device is the first smartphone that runs Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS for the company, and it is also the first device the company has put out that sports the sideways sliding form factor, which is quite popular among QWERTY smartphone users. The X1 is also the first in what we expect to be a range of Xperia handsets that will eventually be released, and it also features Sony Ericsson's new Panels home screen interface. Read more...

2. Nokia N97

The Nokia N97, announced in December 2008 at Nokia World in Barcelona, Spain, is Nokia's flagship Nseries smartphone, and is also the company's most prominent touchscreen device, with a roomy 3.5in touchscreen display. We put the QWERTY-equipped sliding smartphone through its paces in our review, to see how well it fares. Read more...

1. Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

If you are having a hard time waiting for the new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (the "Tube") to hit the market, then we have a treat for you. We recently posted four 5 minute long high quality videos on YouTube that will let you see first hand how most of the major features of the first touchscreen equipped S60 smartphone work. Read more...

Source: Mobile Reviews from mobileburn.com

Top 10 Avatar Trivia

2009-12-05T20:49:00.001+08:00

10. Promotional items were shipped to cinemas under the name "Project 880".

9. Seeing the character of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) convinced James Cameron that CGI effects had progressed enough to make this film.

8. Although Cameron also wrote and directed Aliens (1986) and Sigourney Weaver appears as principle star in both movies, Avatar features a totally different alien world along with unique beings, creatures, and locale.

7. A casting call was posted on the website of Mali Finn Casting in early December 2005 for the female lead. The casting call was erroneously reported to be for James Cameron's Battle Angel (2011). However, Battle Angel will be the second of the back-to-back Cameron projects with a likely 2013 release.

6. Michael Biehn was considered for the role of Col. Quaritch. He met with James Cameron three times and saw some of the 3D footage, but in the end it simply came down to the fact that Cameron didn't want people thinking it was Aliens (1986) all over again, as Sigourney Weaver had already been cast.

5. The movie is 40% live action and 60% photo-realistic CGI. A lot of motion capture technology was used for the CGI scenes.

4. Sigourney Weaver plays a James Cameron persona for her character in this film. Sigourney stated in an interview, "I teased him because to me I'm playing Jim Cameron in the movie as this kind of brilliant, approach-driven, idealistic perfectionist. But that same somebody has a great heart underneath. So I have to say I was always kind of channeling him."

3. Announced on June 14, 2005 in the Hollywood Reporter, James Cameron's untitled "Project 880" is a parallel project being developed alongside Battle Angel (2011). It will use the same digital-3D camera system (developed by Vince Pace) and virtual production studio (developed by Robert Legato) that Cameron will use on Battle Angel.

2. James Cameron originally attempted to get this film made in 1999 as his immediate follow-up to Titanic (1997). However, at the time, the special effects he wanted for the movie ran the proposed budget up to $400 million. No studio would fund the film, and it was subsequently shelved for almost ten years.

1. James Cameron's first feature film since Titanic (1997).

Souce: Movie Trivia

Top 10 Universities in the World (2009)

2009-12-05T19:15:00.001+08:00

10. University of Oxford

The University of Oxford (informally Oxford University, or simply Oxford), located in the English city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back as the 11th century. The University grew rapidly from 1167 when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.

After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled north-east to Cambridge, where they established what became the University of Cambridge. The two "ancient universities" have many common features and are nowadays known as Oxbridge. In post-nominals the University of Oxford is typically abbreviated as Oxon. (from the Latin Oxoniensis), although Oxf is sometimes used in official publications.

Most undergraduate teaching at Oxford is organised around weekly essay-based tutorials at self-governing colleges and halls, supported by lectures and laboratory classes organised by University faculties and departments. League tables consistently list Oxford as one of the UK's best universities, and Oxford consistently ranks in the world's top 10. The University is a member of the Russell Group of research-led British universities, the Coimbra Group, the League of European Research Universities, International Alliance of Research Universities and is also a core member of the Europaeum. For more than a century, it has served as the home of the Rhodes Scholarship, which brings students from a number of countries to study at Oxford as postgraduates.

9. Indiana University – System

Founded in 1820 as the Indiana State Seminary and renamed the Indiana College in 1846, is a nine-campus university system in the state of Indiana.

As of fall 2008, the number of students at Indiana University is 101,727; many of these students study at the main Bloomington campus (40,354 students) and at IUPUI (30,300 students).

8. University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge (informally Cambridge University, or simply Cambridge), located in the City of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, is the second oldest university in the English-speaking world and the fourth oldest in Europe. The name is sometimes abbreviated as Cantab. in post-nominals, a shortened form of Cantabrigiensis (an adjective derived from Cantabrigia, the Latinised form of Cambridge).

The university grew out of an association of scholars in the city of Cambridge that was formed, early records suggest, in 1209 by scholars leaving Oxford after a dispute with townsfolk there. The universities of Oxford and Cambridge are often jointly referred to as "Oxbridge". In addition to cultural and practical associations as a historic part of British society, the two universities also have a long history of rivalry with each other.

Academically, Cambridge is consistently ranked in the world's top five universities and as a premier leading university in Europe by numerous media and academic rankings. The University's alumni include 85 Nobel Laureates as of 2009.

7. Yale University

A private research university in New Haven, Connecticut, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Yale has produced many notable alumni, including five U.S. presidents, nineteen U.S. Supreme Court Justices, and several foreign heads of state.

Incorporated as the Collegiate School, the institution traces its roots to 17th-century clergymen who sought to establish a college to train clergy and political leaders for the colony. In 1718, the College was renamed Yale College to honor a gift from Elihu Yale, a governor of the British East India Company. In 1861, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences became the first U.S. school to award the Ph.D.

Yale College was transformed beginning in the 1930s through the establishment of residential colleges, 12 of which now exist (but with two more planned). Almost all tenured professors teach undergraduate courses, more than 2,000 of which are offered annually.

The University's assets include a US $16.3 billion endowment , the second largest of any academic institution, and more than two dozen libraries that hold a total of 12.5 million volumes (making it one of the world's largest library systems). Yale and Harvard have been rivals in academics, athletics, and other activities for most of their history, competing annually in The Game and the Harvard-Yale Regatta. While Forbes Magazine ranked Yale 9th among US colleges, the university is consistently ranked among the top five universities in the world.

6. Purdue University

Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six campuses within the Purdue University System. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and money from Lafayette businessman John Purdue to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture in his name. The first classes were held on September 16, 1874, with three buildings, six instructors, and 39 students. Today, Purdue enrolls the second largest student body of any university in Indiana and has one of the largest international student populations of any public university in the United States. The university's Discovery Park and Purdue Research Park are home to hundreds of medical, biotechnology, and nanotechnology laboratories and companies. Purdue was the first university globally to have ever offered an aeronautics program .

Purdue offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in over 200 major areas of study. The university has been highly influential in America's history of aviation, having established the first college credit offered in flight training, the first four-year bachelor's degree in aviation, and the first university airport (Purdue University Airport). In the mid-20th century, Purdue's aviation program expanded to encompass advanced spaceflight technology giving rise to Purdue's nickname, Cradle of Astronauts.[8] Twenty-two of Purdue's graduates are astronauts, including Gus Grissom (one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts), Neil Armstrong (the first person to walk on the moon), and Eugene Cernan (the most recent person to walk on the moon).

5. Cornell University

Cornell University (pronounced /kɔrˈnɛl/) is a private university located in Ithaca, New York, USA, that is a member of the Ivy League.

Cornell was founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White as a coeducational, non-sectarian institution where admission was offered irrespective of religion or race. Its founders intended that the new university would teach and make contributions in all fields of knowledge—from the classics to the sciences and from the theoretical to the applied. These ideals, unconventional for the time, are captured in Cornell's motto, an 1865 Ezra Cornell quotation: "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study."

Following the spirit of its motto, Cornell offers a curriculum in traditional liberal arts studies as well as in fields like engineering, agriculture, hotel administration, and city and regional planning. The university is organized into seven undergraduate colleges and seven graduate divisions at its main Ithaca campus, with each college and division defining its own academic programs in near autonomy. Cornell is one of two private land grant universities, and its seven undergraduate colleges include four state-supported statutory or contract colleges. The university also administers two satellite medical campuses, one in New York City and one in Education City, Qatar.

Cornell counts more than 255,000 living alumni, 28 Rhodes Scholars and 41 Nobel laureates affiliated with the university as faculty or students. The student body consists of over 13,000 undergraduate and 6,000 graduate students from all fifty states and one hundred and twenty-two countries.

4. University of California, Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley (also referred to as Cal, California, Berkeley, and UC Berkeley), is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. The oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley offers some 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. The university occupies 6,651 acres (2,692 ha) with the central campus resting on approximately 200 acres (80.9 ha).

The University was founded in 1868 in a merger of the private College of California and the public Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College. Berkeley was a founding member of the Association of American Universities. Sixty-five Nobel Laureates have been affiliated with the university as faculty, researchers, or alumni.

The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked UC Berkeley 3rd internationally, while Newsweek and Webometrics placed Berkeley 5th in the World. According to the National Research Council, 35 of 36 of the university's graduate programs rank in the top 10 in their respective fields, and in the US News and World Report graduate school survey, Berkeley is the only university to achieve top 5 rankings in all of the Ph.D. disciplines covered.

Berkeley physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was the scientific director of the Manhattan Project which he personally headquartered at Los Alamos, New Mexico, during World War II. Since that time, the university has managed or co-managed the Los Alamos National Laboratory, as well as its later rival, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Cal student-athletes compete intercollegiately as the California Golden Bears. A member of both the Pacific-10 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in the NCAA, Cal students have won national titles in many sports, including football, men's basketball, baseball, men's gymnastics, softball, water polo, rugby, and crew. In addition, they have won over 100 Olympic medals. The official colors of the university and its athletic teams are Yale Blue and California Gold.

3. Harvard University

Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. It is also the first and oldest corporation in North America. Harvard University is made up of ten schools.

Initially called "New College" or "the college at New Towne", the institution was renamed Harvard College on March 13, 1639. It was named after a young clergyman named John Harvard, who bequeathed the College his library of four hundred books and £779 (which was half of his estate). The earliest known official reference to Harvard as a "university" occurs in the new Massachusetts Constitution of 1780.

During his 40-year tenure as Harvard president (1869–1909), Charles William Eliot radically transformed Harvard into the pattern of the modern research university. Eliot's reforms included elective courses, small classes, and entrance examinations. The Harvard model influenced American education nationally, at both college and secondary levels.

Harvard is consistently ranked at or near the top of international college and university rankings, and has the second-largest financial endowment of any non-profit organization (behind the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), standing at $28.8 billion as of 2008. Harvard and Yale have been rivals in academics, rowing, and football for most of their history, competing annually in The Game and the Harvard-Yale Regatta.

2. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (Spanish: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) (UNAM) is a public university based primarily in Mexico City and generally considered to be the largest one-campus university in the Americas in terms of student population. Founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico (founded on September 21, 1551 by a royal decree of Charles I of Spain and brought to a definitive closure in 1867 by the liberals), it is the only university in Mexico with Nobel Prize laureates among its alumni: Alfonso García Robles (Peace), Octavio Paz (Literature), and Mario Molina (Chemistry).

It also generates a number of different publications in diverse areas, such as mathematics, physics and history.

UNAM's autonomy, granted in the 1920s, has given it the freedom to define its own curriculum and manage its own budget without interference from the government. This has had a profound effect on academic life at the university, which some claim it boasts academic freedom and independence.

Besides being one of the most recognized universities in Latin America, it is one of the largest and the most artistically detailed. Its main campus is a World Heritage site that was designed by some of Mexico's best-known architects of the 20th century. Murals in the main campus were painted by some of the most recognized artists in Mexican history, such as Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological research. MIT is one of two private land-grant universities and is also a sea-grant and space-grant university.

Founded by William Barton Rogers in 1861 in response to the increasing industrialization of the United States, the university adopted the German university model and emphasized laboratory instruction from an early date. Its current 168-acre (68.0 ha) campus opened in 1916 and extends over 1 mile (1.6 km) along the northern bank of the Charles River basin. MIT researchers were involved in efforts to develop computers, radar, and inertial guidance in connection with defense research during World War II and the Cold War. In the past 60 years, MIT's educational programs have expanded beyond the physical sciences and engineering into social sciences like economics, philosophy, linguistics, political science, and management.

MIT enrolled 4,172 undergraduates, 6,048 postgraduate students, and employed 1,008 faculty members in the 2007/08 school year. Its endowment and annual research expenditures are among the largest of any American university. 73 Nobel Laureates, 47 National Medal of Science recipients, and 31 MacArthur Fellows are currently or have previously been affiliated with the university.

The Engineers sponsor 33 sports, most of which compete in the NCAA Division III's New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference; the Division I rowing programs compete as part of the EARC and EAWRC. While students' irreverence is widely acknowledged due to the traditions of constructing elaborate pranks and engaging in esoteric activities, the aggregated revenues of companies founded by MIT affiliates would make it the seventeenth largest economy in the world.

Source: wiki

Top 10 Most Evil Women in History

2009-12-05T09:30:00.001+08:00

10. Lizzie Borden

A New England spinster who was the central figure in the hatchet murders of her father and stepmother on August 4, 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts in the United States. The murders, subsequent trial, and following trial by media became a cause célèbre. The fame of the incident has endured in American pop culture and criminology. Although Lizzie Borden was acquitted, no one else was ever arrested or tried, and she has remained notorious in American folklore. Dispute over the identity of the killer or killers continues to this day.

9. Myra Hindley

The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around what is now Greater Manchester, England. The victims were five children aged between 10 and 17—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans—at least four of whom were sexually assaulted. The murders are so named because two of the victims were discovered in graves dug on Saddleworth Moor; a third grave was discovered on the moor in 1987, over 20 years after Brady and Hindley's trial in 1966. The body of a fourth victim, Keith Bennett, is also suspected to be buried there, but as of 2009 it remains undiscovered.

The police were initially aware of only three killings—those of Edward Evans, Lesley Ann Downey, and John Kilbride. The investigation was reopened in 1985, after Brady was reported in the press as having confessed to the murders of Pauline Reade and Keith Bennett. Brady and Hindley were taken separately to Saddleworth Moor to assist the police in their search for the graves, both by then having confessed to the additional murders.

Described by the press as "the most evil woman in Britain", Hindley made several appeals against her life sentence, claiming she was a reformed woman and no longer a danger to society, but she was never released. She died in 2002, aged 60. Brady was declared criminally insane in 1985, since when he has been confined in the high-security Ashworth Hospital. He has made it clear that he never wants to be released, and has repeatedly asked to be allowed to die.

8. Rosemary West

English serial killer, now an inmate at HMP Low Newton, Brasside, Durham, after being convicted of 10 murders in 1995. Her husband Fred, who committed suicide in prison while awaiting trial, is believed to have collaborated with her in the torture and murder of at least 10 young women, many at the couple's home in Gloucester, England.

Fred West is known to have carried out 12 murders, but Rosemary had no involvement in the first two, as she had not met Fred at the time.

The crimes for which Rosemary West was convicted occurred mainly between April 1973 and August 1978. She murdered Charmaine West, the daughter of Fred's previous wife Rena, in June 1971, and buried her in their previous home of 25 Midland Road, Gloucester whilst Fred West was serving a prison sentence for petty theft. One of the bodies found at 25 Cromwell Street was that of their daughter, Heather, who was murdered in June 1987 at the age of 16, after being abused by Rosemary while Fred raped her. The Wests told friends and concerned parties that Heather had gone away to work at a holiday village.

In August 1992 Fred West was arrested after being accused of raping his 13-year-old daughter three times, and Rosemary West was arrested for child cruelty. This case against them collapsed in June 1993 when their daughter refused to testify in court. All of the Wests' children were removed from their custody to foster homes. This case brought to light the disappearance of Heather West, who had not been seen since 1987, and triggered the major investigation that followed.

7. Queen Mary I

Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death. She was the eldest daughter of Henry VIII and only surviving child of Catherine of Aragon. As the fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived half brother, Edward VI, to the English throne. In the process, she had almost 300 religious dissenters burned at the stake in the Marian Persecutions, earning her the sobriquet of "Bloody Mary". Her re-establishment of Roman Catholicism was reversed by her successor and half-sister, Elizabeth I.

Insurrections broke out across the country when she insisted on marrying Philip, with whom she was in love. The Duke of Suffolk once again proclaimed that his daughter, Lady Jane Grey, was queen. In support of Elizabeth, Thomas Wyatt led a force from Kent that was not defeated until he had arrived at London. After the rebellions were crushed, the Duke of Suffolk, his daughter, Lady Jane Grey, and her husband were convicted of high treason and executed. Elizabeth, though protesting her innocence in the Wyatt affair, was imprisoned in the Tower of London for two months, then was put under house arrest at Woodstock Palace.

As Queen, Mary was very concerned about heresy and the English church. She had always rejected the break with Rome instituted by her father and the establishment of Protestantism by Edward VI. She had England reconcile with Rome and Reginald Cardinal Pole, the son of her governess the Countess of Salisbury (who was beheaded for treason by Mary's father Henry VIII) and once considered a suitor, became Archbishop of Canterbury; Mary had his predecessor Thomas Cranmer burned at the stake. Mary came to rely greatly on Pole for advice.

Edward's religious laws were abolished by Mary's first Parliament in the Statute of Repeal Act (1553). Church doctrine was restored to the form it had taken in the 1539 Six Articles.

Mary also persuaded Parliament to repeal the Protestant religious laws passed by Henry VIII. Getting their agreement took several years, and she had to make a major concession: tens of thousands of acres of monastery lands confiscated under Henry were not to be returned because the new landowners created by this distribution were very influential. This was approved by the Papacy in 1554. The Revival of the Heresy Acts were also passed in 1554.

Numerous Protestant leaders were executed (typically by burning) in the Marian Persecutions. Many rich Protestants chose exile, and around 800 left the country. The first to die were John Rogers (4 February 1555), Laurence Saunders (8 February 1555), Rowland Taylor (9 February 1555), and John Hooper, the Bishop of Gloucester (9 February 1555). The persecution lasted for almost four years. It is not known exactly how many died. John Foxe estimates in his Book of Martyrs that 274 were executed for their faith. The Marian persecutions are commemorated especially by bonfires in the town of Lewes in Sussex: there is a prominent martyrs' memorial outside St John's church at Stratford, London, to those Protestants burnt in Essex, and others in Christchurch Park Ipswich and the abbey grounds, Bury St Edmunds, to those executed in East and West Suffolk respectively.

6. Beverly Allitt

Dubbed the Angel of Death, is an English serial killer who murdered four children and injured five others while working as a State Enrolled Nurse (SEN), on the children's ward of Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire. Her main method of murder was to inject the child with potassium chloride (to cause cardiac arrest), or with insulin (to induce lethal hypoglycemia).

She was sentenced to life imprisonment at her trial in 1993 and is currently being held at Rampton Secure Hospital.

5. Belle Gunness

One of America's most prolific known female serial killers.

At 5'8" (173 cm) and over 200 lb (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. She may have killed both of her husbands and all of her children (on different occasions), but she is known to have killed most of her suitors, boyfriends, and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. Her apparent motives involved collecting life insurance benefits. Reports estimate that she killed more than 40 people over several decades.

4. Ilse Koch

The wife of Karl Koch, the commandant of the concentration camps Buchenwald from 1937 to 1941 and Majdanek from 1941 to 1943. She was one of the first prominent Nazis to be tried by the US military.

After the trial was remitted under worldwide media attention, survivor accounts of her as a Satanic figure resulted in other authors describing her abuse of prisoners as 'sadistic'; a shadow image as "concentration camp murderess" transfixed itself to post-war German society. She was accused of taking souvenirs from the skin of murdered inmates with distinctive tattoos. She was known as "The Witch of Buchenwald" ("Die Hexe von Buchenwald") by the inmates because of her sadistic cruelty and lasciviousness toward prisoners. She is also called in English "The Beast of Buchenwald" and "The Bitch of Buchenwald."

3. Mary Ann Cotton

Mary Ann Robson was born in the small English village of Low Moorsley, County Durham in what is now the City of Sunderland in October 1832. Her childhood was an unhappy one. Her parents were both younger than 20 when they married. Her father Michael, a miner, barely managed to keep his family fed; he was ardently religious, a fierce disciplinarian with Mary Ann and her younger brother Robert, and active in the Methodist church’s choir.

When Mary Ann was eight, her parents moved the family to the County Durham village of Murton, where she went to a new school and found it difficult to make friends. Soon after the move her father fell 150 feet (46 m) to his death down a mine shaft at Murton Colliery.

When Mary Ann was 14, her mother remarried. Mary Ann did not like her new stepfather, Robert Stott, but she liked the things his better wages could buy. At the age of 16 she could not stand the discipline of her stepfather any longer, so she moved out to become a nurse at Edward Potter's home in the nearby village of South Hetton. She served there for three years and then returned to her mother's home and trained as a dressmaker. About this time she met a colliery labourer called William Mowbray.

2. Irma Grese

Grese was among the 44 people accused of war crimes at the Belsen Trial. She was tried over the first period of the trials (September 17 to November 17, 1945) and was represented by Major L. Cranfield.

The trials were conducted under British military law in Lüneburg, and the charges derived from the Geneva Convention of 1929 regarding the treatment of prisoners. The accusations against her centred on her ill-treatment and murder of those imprisoned at the camps, including setting dogs on inmates, shootings and sadistic beatings with a whip.

Survivors provided detailed testimony of murders, tortures, cruelties and sexual excesses in which Grese engaged during her years at Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. They testified to acts of sadism, beatings and arbitrary shootings of prisoners, savaging of prisoners by her trained and allegedly half-starved dogs, and to her selecting prisoners for the gas chambers. After a fifty-three day trial, Grese was sentenced to hang.

Grese was reported to have habitually worn heavy boots and carried a whip and a pistol. Witnesses testified that she used both physical and emotional methods to torture the camp's inmates and enjoyed shooting prisoners in cold blood. They also claimed that she beat some women to death and whipped others using a plaited whip.

1. Elizabeth Bathory

A countess from the renowned Báthory family. She is possibly the most prolific female serial killer in history and is remembered as the "Blood Countess" and as the "Bloody Lady of Čachtice", after the castle near Trencsén (today Trenčín) in the Kingdom of Hungary, (today's Slovakia), where she spent most of her adult life.

After her husband's death, she and four collaborators were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls and young women, with one witness attributing to them over 600 victims, though the number for which she was convicted was 80. In 1610, she was imprisoned in the Csejte Castle, where she remained bricked in a set of rooms until her death four years later.

The case has led to legendary accounts of the Countess bathing in the blood of virgins in order to retain her youth and subsequently also to comparisons with Vlad III the Impaler of Wallachia, on whom the fictional Count Dracula is partly based, and to modern nicknames of the Blood Countess and Countess Dracula.

Source: Wiki

Top 10 Tanks In The World

2009-08-16T09:41:00.001+08:00

10. T-90S (Russia)

The T-90 is a Russian main battle tank (MBT) derived from the T-72, and is currently the most modern tank in service with the Russian Ground Forces, Naval Infantry and the Indian Army. The successor to T-72BM, the T-90 uses the gun and 1G46 gunner sights from the T-80U, a new engine, and thermal sights. Protective measures include Kontakt-5 ERA, laser warning receivers, the EMT-7 electromagnetic pulse (EMP) creator for the destruction of magnetic mines and the Shtora infrared ATGM jamming system. It is designed and built by Uralvagonzavod, in Nizhny Tagil, Russia.

9. Type 99G (China)

The Type 99, also known as ZTZ-99 and WZ-123, developed from the Type 98G (in turn, a development of the Type 98), is a third generation main battle tank (MBT) fielded by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. It is made to compete with other modern tanks. Although not expected to be acquired in large numbers due to its high cost compared to the more economical Type 96, it is currently the most advanced MBT fielded by China. The ZTZ99 MBT is considered one of the 12 best tanks in the world and is a successor to the Type 98 G tank manufactured for the for the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

8. Leclerc (France)

The Leclerc is a main battle tank (MBT) built by Nexter of France. It was named in honour of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque who led the drive towards Paris while in command of the Free French 2nd Armoured Division (2ème DB) in World War II.

The Leclerc is in service with the French Army and the army of the United Arab Emirates. In production since 1991, the Leclerc entered French service in 1992, replacing the venerable AMX 30 as the country's main armoured platform. With production now complete, the French Army has a total of 406 Leclercs and the United Arab Emirates Army has 388.

7. Type 90 (Japan)

After the adoption of the Type 74, the Japanese High Command was already looking for a superior, completely indigenous tank design to defeat the Soviet T-72. As a result, development of a prototype, the TK-X MBT began between 1976 and 1977. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and joint development were performed by leadership of TRDI (Japan Defence Agency's Technology Research and Development Institute). Major subcontractors include Japan Steel Works, Daikin Industries, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Fujitsu Company and the NEC Corporation.

Requirements of the Type 90 were completed in 1980 with two prototypes, both armed with a Japanese 120 mm gun (product by Japan Steel Works Limited) firing Japanese ammunition (product by Daikin Industries Limited), completed in 1982 to 1984. Testing, improvements (Turret and half Modular type ceramic composite armour), and designs were modified and constructed until 1986.

A second series of four prototypes was built between 1986 and 1988 which incorporated changes as a result of trials with the first two prototypes. These were armed with the Rheinmetall 120 mm smoothbore gun also fitted to the German Leopard 2 and, in a modified version, in the US M1A1/M1A2 Abrams MBT.

These second prototypes were used for development and then user trials, all of which were completed by 1989, before Japan formally acknowledged the Type 90 in 1990.

With the exception of the 120 mm smoothbore gun, which is made under licence from Rheinmetall of Germany, the Type 90 and its subsystems are all designed and built in Japan.

6. K1A1 Type 88 (South Korea)

In the 1970s, Republic of Korea was desperately in need of additional main battle tanks. M4A3E8 "Easy Eight" variant of Sherman tanks, dating back to World War II, had been retired from service by the Republic of Korea Army, and the backbone of the South Korean armor was formed up of M47 and M48 Patton tanks. Meanwhile, North Koreans had both numerical and technological advantages over the South Korean armor with their T-62 main battle tanks.

At first, attempts were made to obtain the United States' M60A1 Pattons, but ended in a failure. It was deemed that, even if the M60A1s were obtainable, there would not be enough of them to give the South Korean forces a significant advantage over existing North Korean tanks. A number of other plans were also devised, such as upgrading the existing M48 Pattons to the M48A3 and A5 standard, as well as obtaining the license to domestically produce Germany's Leopard 1 main battle tank. Only the upgrades to the Pattons were carried out, with the results being the M48A3K and M48A5K, while producing Leopard 1s were deemed as counterproductive as newer generation of main battle tanks were already being developed and tested in both the U.S. and Germany, namely the M1 Abrams and Leopard 2.

In light of this, the Park Chung-hee administration announced plans to domestically produce main battle tanks that were comparable to the newer generation of main battle tanks. However, having absolutely no experience in the design, development and manufacture of main battle tanks to speak of, the task assigned to the South Korean industry was all but impossible. Upon realization, foreign designs were considered and evaluated, with condition being that the winning design be licensed and produced domestically. The winning design was based on the XM1, the prototype of M1 Abrams, by Chrysler Defense, the company which was later sold to General Dynamics and renamed General Dynamics Land Systems. Soon afterwards, South Korean officials were dispatched to General Dynamics Land Systems for supervision of the design, which would spawn the XK1.

With its design being based on XM1, the XK1 shared various similarities with it. However, upon closer inspection, numerous differences can be found. The differences included the weight (55 ton XM1 versus 51 ton XK1), height (2.37 m versus 2.25 m), engine (1,500 hp Honeywell AGT1500C for XM1 versus 1,200 hp Teledyne Continental AVCR-1790, also used on Merkava 3, for XK1, although the XK1's engine will later be replaced with MTU MB Ka-501, a compact version of the 1,500 hp MB-873 Ka-503 used on Leopard 2), transmission (Allison DDA X-1100-3B for XM1 versus ZF Friedrichshafen LSG 3000 for XK1), and several other components used in the vehicles. The XK1 retained the XM1's M68E1 105 mm rifled main gun, which would also be domestically produced under license with designtion of KM68, as well as the fire control system by Hughes Aircraft Company and the Nd:YAG laser rangefinder. One of the major differences was the addition of tank commander's independent panoramic sights on XK1, which was missing on XM1, giving the XK1 the capability to utilize the FCS more effectively, notably by engaging in Hunter-Killer tactics, which the M1 series could not do until the introduction of M1A2. The tank commander's panoramic sights were not, however, equipped with light amplification or thermal optics, which led to the tank commander having to rely on personal night vision goggles to operate his sights, while the gunner's sights were equipped with thermal observation device, which meant that XK1 had superior sensors until the introduction of M1A2. XK1 was also equipped with a hybrid suspension system consisting of hydropneumatic system on road wheels 1, 2 and 6, while 3, 4 and 5 are equipped with torsion bars, a feature not present on XM1, granting the XK1 greater stability and ability to elevate and depress the main gun nearly twice as much than tanks equipped with torsion bars alone. (+20 to -9.7 degrees for XK1 versus +10 to -5 XM1)

The development of the vehicle was completed in 1983 with a prototype being delivered to the South Korean government in the same year. As mentioned above, however, the AVCR-1790 used for the design was replaced by MTU MB Ka-501 just prior to mass production, which resulted in K1's engine deck and exhaust grills becoming cosmetically similar to Leopard 2's.

Hyundai Precision, now known as Hyundai Rotem, took the responsibility of manufacturing the tanks, and the mass production began in 1985, with deployment lasting from the same year to 1987. The vehicle was not, however, unveiled until 1987, for security purposes. Foreign journalists were invited to the unveiling ceremony, and a massive training exercise using the new tanks took place during the event for publicity.

After the production of approximately 450 K1s, the Gunner's Primary Sights (GPS) designed by Hughes was replaced by Gunner's Primary Tank Thermal Sights (GPTTS) by Texas Instruments. The new system also replaced the Nd:YAG laser rangefinder used in the Hughes unit with a CO2-based one, which has proven to be safer to the users' eyes, although having less effective range than the former in foul weather.

While the exact composition of the armor has still not been released, it has been confirmed that K1 is equipped with composite armor, the Chobham. Automatic fire extinguishing system were not present on the vehicle, so the vehicle crew have to manually activate the fire extinguish system in case of fire. And, while air conditioning system is installed to aid in crew comfort, the vehicle lacks overpressure system to effectively protect the crew against nuclear, biological, or chemical attacks, requiring the crew to don protective gear while operating in contaminated environment.

Production remained at approximately 100 units per year at its peak.

5. Merkava Mark IV (Israel)

The Merkava is the main battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces. Since the early 1980s, four main versions have been deployed. The "Merkava" name was derived from the IDF's development program name.

It is optimized for crew survival and rapid repair of battle damage. Through the use of spaced-armor techniques and quick-replacement modular designs, the design team was able to incorporate composite armor, a derivative of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) and Chobham armour. Additionally, the space between the inner and outer hulls is filled with diesel fuel—an economical storage method and a means of defeating HEAT rounds.

Following the model of contemporary self-propelled howitzers, the turret assembly is located nearer the rear than in most main battle tanks. This gives the crew additional protection against a frontal attack by putting the engine between them and the attack. This arrangement also creates more space in the rear of the tank that allows increased storage capacity, as well as a rear entrance to the main crew compartment allowing easy access even under enemy fire. This allows the tank to be used as a platform for medical disembarkation, a forward command and control station, and an armored personnel carrier. The rear entrance's clamshell-style doors provide overhead protection when off- and on-loading cargo and personnel.

It was reportedly decided shortly before the beginning of the 2006 Lebanon War that the Merkava line would be discontinued within four years. However, on 7 November 2006, Haaretz reported that an Israeli General Staff assessment had ruled of the Merkava Mark IV that "if properly deployed, the tank can provide its crew with better protection than in the past," and deferred the decision on discontinuing the line.

4. K2 Black Panther (South Korea)

Although the K1 and K1A1 were considered more than adequate to counter opposing North Korean tanks, most of which are obsolete and aging Soviet-era equipment such as T-34 and T-54/55, development was started in 1995 to create and field a new main battle tank with heavy emphasis on domestic technique. The intent was to further modernize the South Korean military and allow the vehicle to enter the export market without pressure from foreign nations due to licensing issues.

The Agency for Defense Development, or ADD, was given the task of developing a modern armored fighting vehicle with state-of-the-art technology. The design was finally deemed production-ready in 2006, following 11 years in development and a research budget expenditure of approximately USD $230m. More than 90% of the vehicle's design is domestic.

Two major designs were under consideration during development: one fitted with a manned turret, and another fitted with an unmanned turret. The latter was scrapped in favour of the former at the early design stage. It was also originally planned for the K2 to field the experimental 140 mm smoothbore gun developed by Rheinmetall. This plan failed to materialize following Rheinmetall's decision to stop development due to the lack of foreseeable threats that their latest gun, the 120 mm / L55, could not defeat. The K2's gun was subsequently reconfigured to the L55, along with necessary modifications for ammunition capacity. The vehicle is, however, capable of mounting the 140 mm gun with minimum modifications should the need arise. The gun's autoloader is similar to the French Leclerc.

The Black Panther reached its production phase on March 2, 2007, when the first of the three production models rolled out of the assembly line in Changwon, South Korea. At that time, several media sources speculated that the K2's main gun was a L52 (6.24 m) main gun similar to the one used on the Leclerc. This was incorrect as the K2 uses a L55 (6.6 m) main gun.

3. Challenger 2 (United Kingdom)

FV4034 Challenger 2 is a main battle tank (MBT) currently in service with the armies of the United Kingdom and Oman. It is built by the British company Vickers Defence Systems (now part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments). The manufacturer advertises it as the world's most reliable main battle tank. As of January 2008, two Challenger 2s have been damaged in combat, and one destroyed by another Challenger 2 in a friendly fire incident.

Challenger 2 is an extensive redesign from Challenger 1, the MBT from which it was developed. It uses the basic hull and automotive parts of its predecessor but all else is new. Fewer than 5% of components are interchangeable. Challenger 2 has now replaced Challenger 1 in service with the British Army and is also used by the Royal Army of Oman. It has seen operational service in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq (2003–present). During the 2003 invasion of Iraq the Challenger 2 was the only tank operating in the Gulf that did not suffer a loss to enemy fire. In one engagement a Challenger took multiple hits from rocket propelled grenades and from one MILAN anti tank missile.

2. Leopard 2A6 (Germany)

The Leopard 2 is a German main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979. The Leopard 2 replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve other European countries, as well as several non-European nations. More than 3,480 Leopard 2s have been manufactured. The Leopard 2 first saw combat in Kosovo with the German Army and has also seen action in Afghanistan with the Danish and Canadian ISAF forces.

There are two main development batches of the tank, the original models up to Leopard 2A4 which have vertically-faced turret armour, and the "improved" batch, namely the Leopard 2A5 and newer versions, which have angled arrow-shaped turret appliqué armour together with a number of other improvements. All models feature digital fire control systems with laser rangefinders, a fully stabilized main gun and coaxial machine gun, and advanced night vision and sighting equipment (first vehicles used a low-light level TV system or LLLTV; thermal imaging was introduced later on). The tank has the ability to engage moving targets while moving over rough terrain. It can drive through water 4 meters (13 ft) deep using a snorkel or 1.2 meters (3 ft 11 in) without any preparation and climb vertical obstacles over one metre high. The tank is powered with a turbo-charged multi-fuel V12 diesel engine that produces 1,500 PS (1,479 hp, 1,103 kW).

1. M1A2 Abrams (United States)

The M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. The M1 is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. It is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for modern armored ground warfare. Notable features of the M1 Abrams include the use of a powerful gas turbine engine, the adoption of sophisticated composite armor, and separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment for crew safety. It is one of the heaviest tanks in service, weighing in at close to 68 short tons.

The M1 Abrams entered U.S. service in 1980, replacing the 105 mm gun, full tracked M60 Patton main battle tank. It did, however, serve for over a decade alongside the improved M60A3, which had entered service in 1978. Three main versions of the M1 Abrams have been deployed, the M1, M1A1, and M1A2, incorporating improved armament, protection and electronics. These improvements, as well as periodic upgrades to older tanks have allowed this long-serving vehicle to remain in front-line service. It is the principal main battle tank of the United States Army and Marine Corps, and the armies of Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and since 2007, Australia.

Source: Wiki

Top 10 Most Influential Individuals on the Internet

2009-08-15T12:05:00.001+08:00

10. Nick Denton - Founder, Gawker Media

British journalist and internet entrepreneur, the founder and proprietor of the blog collective Gawker Media, and the managing editor of the New York-based Gawker.com.

Denton was educated at University College School and University College, Oxford. He began his career as a journalist with the Financial Times. He co-wrote a book about the collapse of Barings Bank called All That Glitters. He was one of the founders of a social networking site called First Tuesday and co-founded Moreover Technologies with David Galbraith and Angus Bankes, schoolmates from UCS.

Denton was featured in the Sunday Times Rich List 2007 in position 502 with an estimated wealth of £140m (approximately $290m) based on the sale of his previous companies and the current value of Gawker Media. He was once featured in a Vanity Fair photoshoot.

Denton is openly gay.

9. Drew Curtis - Founder, Fark.com

Founder and an administrator of Fark.com. He graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in 1995. From 1996 to 2002, he owned and operated DCR.NET, an ISP based in Frankfort, Kentucky. Curtis published his first book It's Not News, It's FARK: How Mass Media Tries to Pass off Crap as News in May 2007. It soon became a bestseller.

8. Bram Cohen - Cofounder, BitTorrent Protocol

American computer programmer, best known as the author of the peer-to-peer (P2P) BitTorrent protocol, as well as the first file sharing program to use the protocol, also known as BitTorrent. He is also the co-founder of CodeCon, organizer of the San Francisco Bay Area P2P-hackers meeting, and the co-author of Codeville.

He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Jenna and their three children.

7. Jean-Francois Clavier - Founder and Managing Partner, Softtechvc.com

Angel investor in Web 2.0 startups like NetVibes, personal-finance service Mint, and social advertising network SocialMedia. Five of his investments have exited the market via acquisition by Yahoo!, AOL, and others.

6. Pete Cashmore - founder, Mashable.com

New media expert, technology consultant, and founder of Mashable, one of the top-twenty blogs in the world according to Technorati. Founded in July 2005, the site focuses on “all that’s new on the Web” including information about social networks, websites, and content.

Cashmore was selected as a top 25 Forbes Web Celeb in 2007 and was also featured in BusinessWeek.

5. Dries Buytaert – Founder and Lead, Drupal.org

An open-source software programmer and the founder and lead of the Drupal CMS. Buytaert defended his PhD dissertation in Computer Science on January 27, 2008 at the University of Ghent in Belgium.

From 1999─2000 he was the maintainer of the GNU/Linux WLAN FAQ.

On December 1, 2007, Dries announced, together with co-founder Jay Batson the launch of a start-up called Acquia. Acquia wants to be to Drupal what Red Hat has been to Linux.

On March 31, 2008, Dries launched Mollom, a service dedicated to stopping website spam: "Mollom's purpose is to dramatically reduce the effort of keeping your site clean and the quality of your content high. Currently, Mollom is a spam-killing one-two punch combination of a state-of-the-art spam filter and CAPTCHA server." Over 4,000 websites are protected by the Mollom service. More than 100,000 messages are being analyzed every day.

4. Sergey Brin – President Google Inc

Russian-American computer scientist best known as the co-founder of Google, Inc., the world’s largest Internet company, based on its search engine and online advertising technology. As of 2009, Forbes ranks Brin as the 26th richest person in the world.

Brin immigrated to the United States at the age of six. Earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, he followed in his father's and grandfather's footsteps by studying mathematics, double-majoring in computer science. After graduation, he moved to Stanford to acquire a Ph.D in computer science. There he met Larry Page, whom he quickly befriended. They crammed their dormitory room with inexpensive computers and applied Brin’s data mining system to build a superior search engine. The program became popular at Stanford and they suspended their Ph.D studies to start up Google in a rented garage.

The Economist magazine referred to Brin as an “Enlightenment Man," and someone who believes that “knowledge is always good, and certainly always better than ignorance," a philosophy which is summed up by Google’s motto of making all the world’s information "universally accessible and useful."

3. Jeff Bezos – Chairman and CEO, Amazon.com

American founder, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Amazon.com. Bezos, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Princeton University, worked as a financial analyst for D. E. Shaw & Co. before founding Amazon in 1994. He was named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 1999. In 2008, he was selected by U.S. News & World Report as one of America's Best Leaders.

2. Steve Ballmer – CEO, Microsoft Inc

Steven Anthony Ballmer (born Detroit, Michigan March 24, 1956) is an American businessman who has been the chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation since January 2000. Ballmer is the second person after Roberto Goizueta to become a billionaire in U.S. dollars based on stock options received as an employee of a corporation in which he was neither a founder nor a relative of a founder. In Forbes 2008 World's Richest People ranking, Ballmer was ranked the 43rd richest person in the world, with an estimated wealth of $11 billion.

1. Michael Arrington - Blogger/publisher, TechCrunch.com

Entrepreneur and founder/co-editor of TechCrunch, a blog covering the Silicon Valley technology start-up communities and the wider technology field in USA and elsewhere. Magazines such as Wired and Forbes have named Arrington one of the most powerful people on the Internet. In 2008, he was selected by TIME Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world. Wired magazine also included him in a flowchart of "internet blowhards" citing his obsession with "Web 2.0".

Source: wiki

Corazon Aquino – 1933-2009

2009-08-05T09:33:00.001+08:00

A simple housewife that lead the people power revolt, toppling the Marcos regime in the Philippines. Despite the many coup attempts in her administration, she managed to restore democracy to the county.

Thank You! Madame President! May Your Soul Rest In Peace…

Teddy Locsin’s Eulogy for President Corazon Aquino

Throughout thirteen years of martial law, until I laid eyes on her again, I never thought that I would ever see the end of it. Least of all that my father would survive it. I am not much given to prayer or pious reflection but when I could set aside my anger, I prayed my father would see democracy again.

Late one afternoon, in San Francisco, I got a call. It was from Cory Aquino, for whom I had written one speech after her husband’s assassination. She said she had accepted Marcos’s challenge in a Snap Presidential Election. I put down the phone, and packed my bags, and reported to her at the Cojuangco Building.

I knew then she was the answer to my prayers. What I did not notice was that the closer we came to victory, which is to say the farther the prospect receded that the Marcos regime would survive, the less I felt the anger inside me. As each day passed, bringing me closer to the day I could get even, the less I felt the need for it as I spent more time with the woman who alone could make it possible.

I did not notice, but I was no longer looking back in anger, or looking forward even, to victory and vindication. Only now do I see. I had lived with my anger so long, only for the day to come when it no longer mattered to me. The only thing that counted was that I was living every day to the fullest, bringing out the best in me—for someone else. A dream I hadn’t had since I was a boy, feeding on stories of chivalry, had been achieved. I was serving a woman who was every inch a sovereign, all the more for scorning the slightest pretension to the role.

I did not realize it, even when I was already in the Palace, by the side of the President—among all her advisers, I like to think, the one who loved her most.

It never again occurred to me that I had scores to settle. And not until today, that I had passed up every chance to get even.

From the moment I came in from the airport and reported for duty, and she gave me in return the same smile she gave me on her deathbed, I never noticed… Not when I was with her in the campaign when she corrected me for not looking at the people I was waving at… Nor when I was with her in the presidential limousine looking intently, for her benefit, at the crowds at whom I waved… I never noticed anything. Except that I was with the only person that I would ever want to be with.

I certainly never noticed that I had left my anger behind. I don’t know how it happened. Except that Cory Aquino ennobled everyone who came near her. I have tried to say it publicly but never could finish. If you saw me as I felt myself to be, anyone would fall in love with me. I saw myself in that hospital room, a knight at the bedside of his dying sovereign, on the eve of a new Crusade, oblivious to the weight of the armor on his shoulders for the weight of the grief in his heart.

And because she always doubted my ability to be good for very long… Indeed, when my wife told Ballsy that I prayed the rosary at Lourdes for her mother’s recovery, Cory said, “Teddy Boy prayed the rosary? A miracle! I feel better already.” Because she doubted my capacity for self-reformation, she made it effortless for me by being herself. I did not notice that I was doing right by serving a woman who never did wrong. I am not sure how to take this moral self-discovery. It is so unlike myself. But if it will bring me before her again, I am happy.

Top 10 Nursing Board Exam Passers June 2009

2009-08-04T12:50:00.001+08:00

1. Golda Manto Yap

Felipe R. Verallo Memorial Foundation in Cebu City -86.80%

2. Ronie Rose Capati Arevalo

Adamson University — 86.40%

3. Michelle Alejandro Barberan

Arellano University-Manila — 86.20%

4. Caroline May Rellosa Chamen

Philippine College of Health & Sciences — 86.00%

Clarissa Leonor Tible Escober

Naga College Foundation — 86.00%

5. Marco Magtulis Dometita

University of Santo Tomas — 85.80%

Margaret Cheung Encarnacion

University of Santo Tomas — 85.80%

Marc Bago-Od Marzan

University of Santo Tomas — 85.80%

Lalaine Lim Perlas

Our Lady of Fatima University-Valenzuela — 85.80%

Debbie Rose Uy Tanengsy

Velez College — 85.80%

6. Lisa Angelica Vela Evangelista

University of Santo Tomas — 85.60%

7. Adrian Patrick Patawaran Calimag

University of Santo Tomas — 85.20%

Jed Asiaii Mariano Dimaisip

University of the Philippines-Manila — 85.20%

Aaron Miranda Esporlas

University of Santo Tomas — 85.20%

8. Mary Joy Sarreal Crisostomo

University of Santo Tomas — 85.00%

David John Gabriel Egbalic Cristobal

University of Santo Tomas — 85.00%

Libby Joy Recinto Evangelista

University of Santo Tomas — 85.00%

Ma Paula Rhove Rivera Ortega

University of the Philippines-Manila — 85.00%

Andrew Chua Tiu

Velez College — 85.00%

Ginelle Marie Galarpe Visaya

University of Santo Tomas — 85.00%

9. Helene Marie Mejorada Calderon

University of Santo Tomas — 84.80%

Abigail Ann Borromeo Candelario

University of Santo Tomas — 84.80%

Jan Benzon Tan Chan

University of Santo Tomas — 84.80%

Anna Melissa Señga Lo

University of Santo Tomas — 84.80%

Jernedell Geishar Tabugara Mabiling

Western Mindanao State University — 84.80%

Von Vener Palicpic Miguel

Perpetual Help College of Manila — 84.80%

Johanna Thomas Yu

University of Santo Tomas — 84.80%

10. Angela Carmela Fernandez Agbay

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Pheelyp Edward Cruz Aytona

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Julienne Katrina Bulaon Beltran

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Maria Rosario Angala Brillante

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Jasper Quintana Castillo

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Diane Rachelle Cruz Crisostomo

Centro Escolar University-Malolos — 84.60%

Jose Mari Niño Leonor Cuarto

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Salvador Isidro Buban Destura

Immaculate Conception College-Albay — 84.60%

Abigail Joanna Uy Doluntap

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Rove Ann Tonolete Enguerra

Trinity University of Asia (Trinity-QC) — 84.60%

Jana Flores Fragante

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Jan Igor Temple Galinato

Mindanao State University-Marawi City — 84.60%

Divina Viktoria Pobre La Torre

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Vanessarose Delavin Lim

Far Eastern University-Manila — 84.60%

Rachel Rañola Milante

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Loraine Ab-Abaen Payangdo

Benguet State University-La Trinidad — 84.60%

Kristine Arcilla Ramos

Catanduanes State Colleges-Virac — 84.60%

Robert Joe Isip Sagum

Far Eastern University-Manila — 84.60%

Ingrid Buela San Juan

University of the Philippines-Manila — 84.60%

Christelle Miracle-An Quizon Santiago

University of Santo Tomas — 84.60%

Jian Laurice Ramos Sicat

Angeles University Foundation — 84.60%

Miriem Paulle Beltran Soriano

Saint Louis University — 84.60%

Teddy Jr Chan Untalasco

Lorma College — 84.60%

Top 10 Pharmacy Board Exam Passers June 2009

2009-08-04T12:42:00.001+08:00

1. Johannes Artiaga Gubat

University of the Philippines - Manila - 89.75%

Cheryl Lynn Cu Tan

University of Santo Tomas - 89.75%

2. Paolo Mariz Angelie Realubit San Roque

University of Santo Tomas - 88.47%

3. Ma Antonia Carandang Pantalla

University of Santo Tomas - 88.42%

4. Ranielle Yeban Mendoza

University of the Philippines - Manila - 88.40%

5. Madinah Balmediano Corpuz

University of Santo Tomas - 88.17%

6. Clairefrancis Sison De Guzman

University of Santo Tomas - 88.13%

7. Erwin Escreza Rodenas

Adamson University - 88.08%

8. Charimaine Maika Go Ong

University of Santo Tomas - 88.05%

9. Patricia Rose Aguinaldo Abalos

University of Santo Tomas - 87.72%

10. Gay Lorainne Campos Cordova

University of San Carlos - 87.67%

Top 10 Architects Board Exam Passers June 2009

2009-08-04T12:22:00.001+08:00

1. Ramil Belleza Tibayan

University of Santo Tomas – 84.10%

2. Emerson Mapa Sacbibit

Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Sta. Mesa – 83.70%

3. Araschid Jikiri Abdul Abdul

University of the Philippines – Diliman – 82.70%

4. Ana Maria Regina Goitia Pavia,

Saint Louis University – 82.20%

5. Rojeh James Tumlos Balahay

Capiz State University – 80.80%

Joanna Jane Ngo Comsti

University of Santo Tomas – 80.80%

6. Allan Bargos Acielo

Mapua Institute of Technology – 80.60%

Keen Maghoyop Lucanas

Lyceum of Iligan Foundation – 80.60%

Hajie Jove Sac

Far Eastern University – 80.60%

7. Jonathan Jiddu Bordador Bulatao

University of the Philippines – Diliman – 80.40%

8. Darell Dave Canete Anino

Cebu Institute of Technology – 80.10%

9. Jasmine Christie Antonio Bejar

University of the Philippines – Diliman – 80.00%

Joel Roman De Leon

University of the Philippines – Diliman – 80.00%

Ivan Cabrera Genelsa

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila – 80.00%

10. John Philip Angquiangco Mendoza

Far Eastern University – 79.90%.

Top 10 Reasons Why There Couldn’t Be a Filipino-American US President

2009-08-04T12:04:00.001+08:00

10. The White House is not big enough for in-laws and extended relatives.

9. There are not enough parking spaces at the White House for 2 Honda Civics, 2 Toyota Land Cruisers, 3 Toyota Corollas, a Mercedes Benz, a BMW , and an MPV (My Pinoy Van).

8. Dignitaries generally are intimidated by eating with their fingers at State dinners.

7. There are too many dining rooms in the White House – where will they put the picture of the Last Supper?

6. The White House walls are not big enough to hold a pair of giant wooden spoon and fork.

5. Secret Service staff won’t respond to “psst… psst” or “hoy.hoyhoy!”

4. Secret Service staff will not be comfortable driving the presidential car with a Holy Rosary hanging on the rear view mirror, or the statue of the Santo Nino on the dashboard.

3. No budget allocation to purchase a Karaoke music-machine for every room in the White House.

2. State dinners do not allow “Take Home”.

1. Air Force One does not allow overweight Balikbayan boxes!

This is a forwarded email and has been circulating around. I thought I’d share this with you dear readers, because its funny! Anyways, enjoy!

Top 10 Universities in Asia 2009

2009-08-03T12:55:00.001+08:00

10. Peking University

Peking University (traditional Chinese: 北京大學; simplified Chinese: 北京大学; pinyin: Běijīng Dàxué), colloquially known in Chinese as Beida (北大, Běidà), is a major research university located in Beijing, China. It is the first formally established modern research university, and the first national university of China. It was founded as Imperial Capital University in 1898 as a replacement of the ancient Guozijian (國子監 guózǐjiàn). By 1920 it had become a center for progressive thought. Today, most national and international rankings frequently place Peking University as one of the best universities in China. In addition to its academics, Peking University is especially renowned for the beauty of its traditional Chinese architecture at its campus grounds.

Throughout its history, the university has distinguished itself from its peers in terms of intellectual freedom and has produced and hosted many of modern China's top thinkers, including Lu Xun, Mao Zedong, Hu Shih, Li Dazhao, Gu Hongming, and Chen Duxiu. The Peking University was among the birth places for China's New Culture Movement, May Fourth Movement, the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989 and many other significant events.

9. National University of Singapore

The National University of Singapore (Abbreviation: NUS; simplified Chinese: 新加坡国立大学; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Guólì Dàxué; Abbreviated 国大; Malay: Universiti Kebangsaan Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் தேசியப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்) is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered.

The university's main campus is located in southwest Singapore at Kent Ridge, with an area of approximately 1.5 km² (0.6 square miles). The Bukit Timah campus houses its law faculty, while the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore is located at Outram campus.

The former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has recently named NUS as the headquarters of his Asian Faith and Globalization Initiative together with Durham University in the UK and Yale University in the USA to deliver an exclusive programme in partnership with Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

8. Tokyo Institute of Technology

Tokyo Institute of Technology (東京工業大学, Tōkyō Kōgyō Daigaku), usually called Tokodai (東工大, Tōkōdai) or Tokyo Tech, is the largest institution of higher learning in Japan dedicated to science and technology. Tokyo Institute of Technology is recognized as a leading university, especially in natural science and engineering field. The university was ranked the 61st in overall performance (4th best Japanese University), the 21st in technology, and the 57th in natural science among the world's best universities in 2008, according to the TIMES-QS World University Rankings.

The institute has three campuses, the Ōokayama campus in Ōokayama, Meguro being the main campus. The other two campuses are the Tamachi campus, located in Shibaura, Minato and the Suzukakedai campus, located in Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama.

The university is a member of LAOTSE, an international network of leading universities in Europe and Asia exchanging students and senior scholars.

7. Seoul National University

Seoul National University (SNU), colloquially known in Korean as Seouldae (서울대), is a public research university located in Seoul, Republic of Korea, ranked 50th in the world and 8th in Asia by US News and World Report (citing a survey performed by THES-QS World University Rankings), and 24th in the world in publications by the Science Citation Index. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University was the first national university in South Korea, and served as a model for the many national and public universities in the country. Seoul National University has been recognized for its leading role in Korean academia.

Throughout its history, Seoul National University has been regarded as the most eminent of all post-secondary educational institutions in South Korea. It is regarded as the most renowned university by the general public and recruits top-notch high school students. To join the international trend of learning, the university's faculty recruiting effort includes more than 350 foreign professors. Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen and Fields Medal recipient Hironaka Heisuke are on the faculty roster.

Today Seoul National University comprises sixteen colleges and six professional schools, with a student body of about thirty-thousand. It has two campuses in Seoul: the main campus in Gwanak, and the medical campus (named Yeongeon Campus after its neighbourhood) in Jongno. SNU is notable for its "fleet-style" system, offering diplomas for virtually every academic field, from aerospace engineering to Western history.

6. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

KAIST Business School is a postgraduate business university located in Seoul, South Korea. KAIST Business School was established in 1996 as the nation’s first graduate school specializing in business and management education. It is regarded as one of the leading business schools in Korea.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) was founded in 1971 as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIS). KAIS was authorized by the Ministry of Science and Technology to educate scientific researchers and technology specialists and to grant masters and doctoral degrees. In 1989, KAIS was united with the Korea Institute of Technology (KIT), and undergraduate school. KIT was founded to provide special education for gifted students and was authorized to confer bachelor's degrees.

5. Osaka University

Osaka University (大阪大学, Ōsaka daigaku), or Handai (阪大, Handai), is a major national university in Osaka, Japan. It is the sixth oldest university in Japan, as the Prefectural Osaka Medical College, and formerly one of the Imperial Universities of Japan.

Hideki Yukawa obtained his Nobel Prize in Physics on his early work conducted at Osaka University.

Osaka University is recognized as a leading university, especially in basic sciences and medical field. The university was ranked the 44th among the world's best universities and the 3rd best Japanese university in 2008, according to the QS World University Rankings.

4. Kyoto University

Kyoto University (京都大学, Kyōto daigaku?), or Kyodai (京大, Kyōdai?) is a major national university in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest university in Japan, and formerly one of the Imperial Universities of Japan. The university has a total of about 22,000 students enrolled in its undergraduate and graduate programs.

Kyoto University has historically advocated a "spirit of freedom" in its academic activities The university established itself as a premier research university with six Nobel Laureates and two Fields Medalists among its faculties and alumni. The university is also known as the home of the Kyoto School group of philosophers.

Kyoto University is acknowledged as one of the top two universities in Japan, and was ranked as the 22nd best university in the world in 2007 according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. The Times Higher Education Supplement ranked Kyoto University as the 25th in the world and the 3rd in Asia in 2007.

3. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (often abbreviated HKUST) is a public university located in Hong Kong. Established in 1991 under Hong Kong Law Chapter 1141 (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Ordinance), it is one of the nine universities in Hong Kong.

Professor Paul Ching-wu Chu. is the current president of HKUST. Its campus is located in Sai Kung District in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Overlooking Clear Water Bay, the school is home to 9,000 students as well as 453 professors.

Since its official opening in 1991, the university has become one of the top universities in Hong Kong and is among the most prestigious in Asia. The Times Higher Education ranked HKUST 39th worldwide and 24th in technology . The HKUST Business School’s MBA program was ranked first in Asia, 11th worldwide by the EIU and 16th worldwide by the Financial Times.

2. The Chinese University of Hong Kong

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, commonly referred to as CUHK, is the second oldest university in Hong Kong; it is campus-based and also the only collegiate university in the territory. The motto of the university is "博文約禮" in Chinese, meaning "to broaden one's intellectual horizon and keep within the bounds of propriety".

The Chinese University does not conduct its classes solely in Cantonese. Cantonese, English, and Mandarin are the languages of instruction.

The University ranks as the 42nd university worldwide and the third in Hong Kong and PRC in the 2008 Times Higher Education Supplement rankings.

1. The University of Hong Kong

The University of Hong Kong (informally Hong Kong University, or simply HKU) is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. Its motto is "Sapientia et Virtus" in Latin, meaning "wisdom and virtue", and "明德格物" in Chinese. The official language of instruction is English.

The University is referred by Quacquarelli Symonds as a "world-class comprehensive research university" [3] and was ranked 26th on the 2008 THES - QS World University Rankings, making it 3rd in Asia (after University of Tokyo and Kyoto University).

In 2009, it was ranked the 1st in Asian universities by Quacquarelli Symonds.

Top 10 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Trivia

2009-06-25T00:00:00.000+08:00

10.The first film's screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman were brought back for this film. They had originally turned down writing because they had a busy schedule, but when the studio approached other writers and found their ideas unimpressive, they were convinced to return.

9. On July 27, 2008, Shia LaBeouf and Isabel Lucas were involved in a car crash, with LaBeouf having his hand injured and in need of surgery. Thankfully, production was delayed by only two days after the accident: Michael Bay made up for it by filming second unit scenes, and LaBeouf recovered a few weeks earlier than expected, allowing him to return to the set. Bay had suggested the hand injury will be written into the story, but Roberto Orci said rewrites were done to protect his hand for the remainder of the shoot.

8. A Pontiac Solstice sportscar was spotted on the set during filming. This car was the alternate mode of the Autobot Jazz, who appeared in the first film.

7. Wheelie's robot mode pays homage to WALL·E (2008), another robot film. Both robots have elongated necks, binocular eyes and ; both are servants that eventually make their own decisions.

6. Shooting for the submarine scenes of the movie was conducted on the USS Topeka stationed at Point Loma Submarine Base in San Diego, CA. Some of the extras for the scenes were actual US Navy sailors.

5.The Autobot Arcee was originally meant to appear in the first film, but was replaced with Ironhide since the writers thought the issue of robot gender a difficult one to explain. Afterwards they thought it could just be ignored and have Arcee in the film to please her fans. However, Arcee's alternate mode was felt to be too small to do her character justice, so she was given two partners (named Chromia and Moonracer) and the trio were made Combiners.

4. The Shanghai Skirmish was shot at the Bethlehem Steel site in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and in Long Beach, California.

3. During production, Michael Bay attempted to create a misinformation campaign to increase debate over what Transformers would be appearing in the film, as well as to try to throw fans off from the story of the film. However, Roberto Orci confessed it had generally not been working.

2. From the original voice cast of "Transformers" (1984), only Peter Cullen and Charles Adler took part in the first film. However, after listening to feedback from TFans, the filmmakers elected to bring in more of the show's voice actors. In addition to Cullen and Adler, they brought back Susan Blu, Michael Bell and Rob Paulsen, and especially brought back veteran voice artist Frank Welker to reprise his role as the voice of Soundwave, the most loyal soldier to Megatron.

1. In an interview with Shia LaBeouf', he claimed the college scenes were part of his personal dream: "I wanted to go to college and I was going to go. I had my backpack picked out, all my cool little pump-up pencils and stuff; I was ready. And at the last minute a guy named Steven Spielberg called up and had a plan for other things. I decided to listen to Spielberg as opposed to listening to myself. But still, even though I've done these movies and I'm very fortunate and blessed to have done them, I always feel lesser, intellectually - I always feel like anytime I'm around anybody who's gone to school they have a superiority you know about them. It's just one of those insecurities I'll deal with for the rest of my life unless I go to school."

Source: Movie Trivia

Top 10 Dubai Landmarks

2009-06-15T15:19:00.001+08:00

10. Palm Trilogy

The Palm Jumeirah is an artificial island created using land reclamation by Nakheel, a company owned by the Dubai government. It is one of three islands called The Palm Islands which extend into the Persian Gulf, increasing Dubai’s shoreline by a total of 520 km. The Palm Jumeirah is the smallest and the original of three Palm Islands (Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira) under development by Nakheel. It is located on the Jumeirah coastal area of the emirate of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

9. Burj Dubai

Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي‎ "Dubai Tower") is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure ever built, despite being incomplete. Construction began on 21 September 2004, and the tower is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy by September 2009.

The building is part of the 2 km2 (0.8 sq mi) development called "Downtown Burj Dubai" at the "First Interchange" along Sheikh Zayed Road at Financial Centre Road (previously known as Doha Street). The tower's architect is Adrian Smith, who worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) until 2006. The Chicago-based architecture and engineering firm SOM is in charge of the project. The primary builders are Samsung Engineering & Construction and Besix along with Arabtec. Turner Construction Company was chosen as the construction manager.

The total budget for the Burj Dubai project is about US$4.1 billion, and for the entire new "Downtown Dubai", US$20 billion. Mohamed Ali Alabbar, the CEO of Emaar Properties, speaking at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat 8th World Congress, said that the price of office space at Burj Dubai had reached $4,000 per sq ft (over $43,000 per m2) and that the Armani Residences, also in Burj Dubai, were selling for US$3,500 per sq ft (over $37,500 per m2).

8. Business Bay

Business Bay (Arabic: الخليج التجاري‎) is a central business district under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The project features numerous skyscrapers located in an area where Dubai Creek will be dredged and extended. Business Bay will have upwards of 230 buildings, attracting commercial and residential developments.

7. Dubai Sports City

The Dubai Sports City is a $4 billion, 50,000,000 square feet (4,600,000 m2) mixed-use sports city currently being constructed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The city will consist of apartment buildings as well as several sports facilities. The first structures are due to open in late 2007. Many people believed it was going to be used in Dubai's possible bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, but Dubai never submitted a bid.

Dubai Properties is master developer of this project for infrastructure . The project expected to be complete in 2011.

6. Mall of Arabia

Mall of Arabia is a shopping mall to be built as part of the City of Arabia in the Dubailand theme park premises in Dubai. It was announced by the Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group and will include leisure and entertainment facilities, a theatre stage, and feature an ancient Middle Eastern exterior. Its Phase 1 has a gross leasable area of 4,000,000 sq ft (370,000 m2); however, when all phases are completed, it will have a final gross leasable area of 10,000,000 sq ft (930,000 m2), surpassing the South China Mall in Dongguan, China, and the SM Mall of Asia in Manila, Philippines as the world's largest shopping mall. It has two levels of retail and entertainment, rooftop hotels and numerous leisure facilities. There will be 10,400 covered car park spaces in its first phase.

In August 2005 the Starbucks Coffee Co. of Seattle, Washington announced that the world's largest Starbucks cafe will be built in the centre court of the mall, symbolizing the Middle East's long association with coffee and the expanding business partnership between Starbucks and the growing Dubai marketplace.

5. Dubailand

Dubailand is an entertainment complex under development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is owned by Tatweer (which belongs to Dubai Holding). Construction of Dubailand has been divided into four phases. Work is currently being carried out on phase one of the project which is expected to see completion some time between 2008 and 2010.

4. Dubai Internet City

Dubai Internet City (DIC; Arabic: مدينة دبي للإنترنت‎) is an information technology park created by the Government of Dubai as a free economic zone and a strategic base for companies targeting regional emerging markets. The economic rules of DIC allow companies to avail themselves of a number of ownership, taxation and custom related benefits which are guaranteed by law for a period of 50 years. One model of operation includes 100% foreign ownership, similar to those prevailing in other designated economic zones in the United Arab Emirates. These freedoms have led many global information technology firms, such as Microsoft, IBM, Oracle Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Cisco, HP, Nokia and Siemens, Nera Telecom, as well as UAE based companies such as i-mate, Acette, to move their regional base to the DIC. DIC is located adjacent to other industrial clusters such as Dubai Media City and Dubai Knowledge Village.

DIC presently has over one and half million square feet of prime commercial office space, in which over 850 companies with over 10,000 workers are based. In March 2008, DIC announced a rent hike of 25% for leases signed after June 2008. The government imposes a rent cap of 5% on private landlords, but exempts its own projects from the law. It is claimed that the rent is still below the market rate, but this is in a city that proudly boasts that it will soon have the most expensive office rents in the world.

3. Dubai Marina

Dubai Marina (Arabic: مرسى دبي‎, also called Dubai Marina Arabic: دبي مرينا‎) is a district in the heart of what has recently become known as 'new Dubai', in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is located at 25°4′52.86″N 55°8′38.67″E / 25.08135°N 55.144075°E / 25.08135; 55.144075 on Interchange 5 between Jebel Ali Port and the area which hosts Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and the American University in Dubai. The first phase of this project has been completed. Dubai Marina was inspired by and designed to model the highly successful Concord Pacific Place development along False Creek in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The marina is entirely man-made and has been developed by the real estate development firm Emaar Properties of the United Arab Emirates. The marina will contain over 200 high-rise buildings and some supertall skyscrapers, Dubai Marina Towers, The Torch Dubai Marina, Infinity Tower, The Princess Tower,Marina 101,Marina 106,Pentominium, Tamani Hotel Marina, Marina Terrace, Le Rêve (Dubai) and Horizon Tower to name a few, and comprise an area of 4.9 million m² (50 million ft²), which includes the 40 residential and hotel towers of the Jumeirah Beach Residence. Upon completion, it is claimed to be the world's largest man-made marina. Unlike other parts of Dubai there is a publicly accessible foreshoreway around the marina and some sections of public oceanway along the beach with views to Palm Jumeriah. The current largest man-made marina in the world is Marina del Rey in California, USA.

2. The World

The World is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed in the shape of a world map and located four kilometres off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The World is one of several artificial island developments in Dubai. Like the other artificial island projects such as the Palm Islands, The World was built primarily using sand dredged from the sea. Development was by Nakheel Properties and originally conceived by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

Islands in the archipelago range from about 14,000 square metres (150,000 sq ft) to 42,000 square metres (450,000 sq ft). Distance between islands is an average of 100 metres. The entire development covers an area 9 km in length and 6 km in width, surrounded by an oval breakwater. Roughly 232 kilometres (144 mi) of shoreline were created. Overall development cost of The World was estimated to be $14 billion USD in 2005. As for individual islands, prices have ranged between $15 and $50 million USD with one island offered for sale at a price of $250 million USD.

The project was unveiled in May 2003 by Sheikh Mohammed and dredging began four months later in September 2003. By January 2008, 60% of the islands were sold, 20 of which were bought in the first four months of 2007. On 10 January 2008 the final stone on the breakwater was laid, completing development of the archipelago. Commercial and residential properties are being constructed on purchased islands.

Newspaper reports in 2009 suggested that work on The World had been suspended due to the effects of the global financial crisis.

1. Burj Al Arab

The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب‎,Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,050 ft), it is the second tallest building in the world used exclusively as a hotel. However, the structure of the unfinished Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea is 9 m (30 ft) taller than the Burj Al Arab, and the Rose Tower, also in Dubai, topped Burj Al Arab's height at 333 m (1,090 ft), becoming the world's tallest hotel. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat.

Source: Wiki

Top 10 Traditional Japanese Weapons

2009-06-09T13:22:00.001+08:00

10. The Katana

The katana (刀) is a type of Japanese sword (日本刀, nihontō), and is often called a "samurai sword." The term katana may be applied to the standard size moderately curved (as opposed to the older "tachi" style featuring more curvature) Japanese sword with a blade length of greater than 60 cm (23.6 inches). The term is sometimes incorrectly used as a generic name for any kind of Japanese sword. In Portuguese the designation (spelled catana-perhaps delineated from the Japanese word when Portuguese traders first arrived in Japan) refers to a slightly shorter and wider blade, commonly used to clear paths through dense jungle, or to otherwise cut down wild vegetation.

9. The Wakizashi

The wakizashi (Kanji: 脇差 Hiragana: わきざし) (meaning "side arm") is a traditional Japanese sword with a shōtō blade between 30 and 60 cm (12 and 24 inches), with an average of 50 cm (20 inches). It is similar to but shorter than a katana, and usually shorter than the kodachi ("small sword"). The wakizashi was usually worn together with the katana by the samurai or swordsmen of feudal Japan. When worn together the pair of swords were called daishō, which translates literally as "large and small". The katana was often called the sword or the long sword and the wakizashi the companion sword.

8. The Tanto

A tantō (短刀, "short sword") is a common Japanese single or, occasionally, double edged knife or dagger with a blade length between 15 and 30 cm (6-12 inches). The tantō was designed primarily as a stabbing weapon, but the edge can be used for slashing as well. Tantō first began to appear in the Heian period, however these blades lacked any artistic quality and were purely weapons. In the early Kamakura period high-quality artistic tantō began to appear, and the famous Yoshimitsu (the greatest tantō maker in Japanese history) began his forging. Tantō production increased greatly around the Muromachi period and then declined in the Shintō period ("new sword" period). Consequently, Shintō period tantō are quite rare. They regained popularity in the Shin-Shintō Period ("new-new sword" period) and production increased.

7. The Jo

A jō (杖:じょう) is an approximately 1.276 m (4.18 foot) long wooden staff, used in some Japanese martial arts. The martial art of wielding the jō is called jōjutsu or jōdō. Also, aiki-jō is a set of techniques in aikido which uses the jō to illustrate aikido's principles with a weapon. The jō staff is shorter than the bō. Today, the jō is still used by some Japanese police forces.

6. The Tonfa

The tonfa (Japanese: トンファー), also known as tong fa or tuifa, is a traditional Okinawan weapon from which the modern side-handled police baton is derived.

5. The Shuriken

Shuriken (Japanese 手裏剣; literally: "sword hidden in the hand") is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that were generally for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing. They are sharpened hand-held blades made from a variety of everyday items such as needles, nails, and knives, as well as coins, washers, and other flat plates of metal. Shuriken were mainly a supplemental weapon to the more commonly used katana (sword) or yari (spear) in a warrior's arsenal, though they often played a pivotal tactical role in battle. The art of wielding the shuriken is known as shuriken-jutsu, and was mainly taught as a minor part of the martial arts curriculum of many famous schools, such as Yagyu Ryu, Katori Shinto Ryu, Itto Ryu, Kukishin Ryu, and Togakure Ryu. In the modern western world, shuriken can often be purchased online as collector's items, but in some countries owners must possess a certificate for possession of knives.

4. The Naginata

Naginata (なぎなた, 薙刀) is a pole weapon that was traditionally used in Japan by members of the samurai class. It has become associated with women and in modern Japan it is studied by women more than men; whereas in Europe and Australia Naginata is practiced predominantly by men - this is however only simply a reflection of the martial arts demographics of Europe, where there is no historical association - as there is in Japan - that naginatajutsu is for women. A naginata consists of a wood shaft with a curved blade on the end; it is similar to the Chinese Guan Dao or European glaive or Russian sovnya. Usually it also had a sword-like guard (tsuba) between the blade and shaft.

3. The Jutte

The Jutte or Jitte (十手), literally meaning "ten-hand" (i.e., the weapon with the power of ten hands), is a specialized weapon which was used by law enforcement officers (called okapiki or doshin) during Edo period Japan. Nowadays, the jutte is the subject of the Japanese martial art of juttejutsu.

2. The Nunchaku

Nunchaku (English: nunchuck) (Japanese: ヌンチャク Nunchaku.ogg listen (help·info); 双截棍, sōsetsukon "Paired Sections Staff"; 梢子棍, Shōshikon "Boatman's staff"; Chinese: 雙截棍 / 双截棍, Pinyin: shuāng jié gùn, Jyutping: soeng1 zit3 gwan3; 兩截棍 / 两截棍, liǎng jié gùn "Dual Section Staff"; 二截棍 / 二截棍 èr jié gùn "Two Section Staff"; Korean: 쌍절곤 ssang jul gon "Twin Joined Sticks"; also colloquially called "nunchucks," "numchuks," "nunchukas," "chucks," "chain sticks," etc.) is a traditional weapon of the Kobudo weapons set and consists of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.

1. The Yumi

Yumi (弓) is the Japanese term for bows, and includes the longbow, Daikyū and the shortbow, hankyū) used in the practice of kyūdō, or Japanese archery. The yumi is exceptionally tall (standing over two meters), surpassing the height of the archer (ite 射手). They are traditionally made by laminating bamboo, wood and leather, using techniques which have not changed for centuries, although some archers (particularly beginners) may use a synthetic yumi. The construction used may be a Japanese development of the laminated bows widely used for centuries across Northern Eurasia and in Jōmon times in Japan.

Sources: Wiki

Top 10 Universities in the Middle East

2009-06-06T13:18:00.003+08:00

10. Sultan Qaboos University

Sultan Qaboos University is the realization of the promise announced by His. Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said during the 10th anniversary of Oman’s National Day in 1980. Construction started in 1982 and the first Sultan Qaboos University students were enrolled in 1986. In accordance with the Royal Directives of His Majesty, The University commenced with five colleges; namely Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, Education and Science. Furthermore the College of Arts was established in 1987, following the College of Commerce and Economics which was developed in 1993. The College of Law joined the University in 2006 and finally the College of Nursing was established in 2008.

The design and construction of the campus was carried out with great attention to the fulfillment of these objectives, with the overall appearance of the buildings carefully planned to accommodate the physical, intellectual, and spiritual needs of students, faculty and staff.

Set in a valley beneath the stark panorama of the nearby foothills of the Oman Mountains, the University is a tasteful array of buildings designed with arches and courtyards and constructed in white and pink sandstone in a manner that reflects traditional Omani and Islamic architecture. The University was constructed on an axis in the valley with one end aligned toward Mecca.

This axis line starts at the gates of entrance to the University, runs through the Administration Building with its massive Omani doors, and extends uninterrupted through the middle of the academic buildings to the University Mosque at the western end of the campus. The Mosque, with its large dome and minarets, is situated on the higher ground of the campus, and is visible from many points within and around the University.

During the design period, the University landscaping was carefully considered and the original plantings have since become verdant gardens and flower beds. The plantings include species, native to Oman and other Gulf regions, that grow and flourish in an arid environment. The landscaping provides shade from the sun, shelter against the wind, and splendid display of colour from flowers and foliage throughout the year.

The traditional Islamic separation of the genders is maintained in the architecture of the University. There is separate access to buildings through lower and upper walkways for men and women and separate seating in the classrooms.

Altogether, the campus portrays the rich heritage of Oman and Islam while incorporating all the efficiencies of modern life. The result is an educational and living environment which is both functional and attractive.

9. Higher Colleges of Technology

The Higher Colleges of Technology is the largest higher educational institution in the United Arab Emirates with the current enrolment exceeding 16,000 students, all UAE nationals.

Since the establishment of its four founding colleges in 1988, the Higher Colleges of Technology have become well respected for innovative learning in the United Arab Emirates. Across the UAE today, in the cities of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Fujairah and the western region of Madinat Zayed and Ruwais, the sixteen HCT men's and women's modern campuses offer an impressive range of programs - more than 80 programs at four different credential levels - Diploma, Higher Diploma, Bachelor and Masters. More than 10,000 of the current students are female.

The HCT celebrated its 20th year of operations in 2007 with many strategic new initiatives to further expand and enhance its operations in quality and in increasing access. HCT has awarded 36,516 credentials to 25,236 graduates in its first two decades. These graduates have gone into the UAE employment market, making a significant impact on sustainable economic and social development of the country.

8. Tehran University of Medical Science

Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), is the largest and "most distinguished", and most highly ranked medical school of Iran. In september 2008 the health minister of Iran (Dr. Lankarani) called TUMS a pioneer in research throughout the country with a noticeable lead over counterparting universities.

Located in Tehran adjacent to the main University of Tehran campus, it was founded as part of Dar ol-Fonoon, and later absorbed into Tehran University in 1934.

It finally separated from Tehran University by parliamentary legislation in 1986.

TUMS today is ranked as one of Iran's top research universities, with an annual research budget of over 300 billion Rials from the government.

The school trains over 13,000 students (40% of which are women) in over 80 postgraduate programs.

The school operates 15 teaching hospitals, and is equipped with over 40 libraries, and publishes 26 journals.

Currently however, Tehran University of Medical Sciences publishes all its scientific research under the name "University of Tehran".

The university operates The National Museum of Medical Sciences History as well.

7. Al Quds University The Arab University in Jerusalem

Al-Quds University (Arabic: جامعة القدس‎) is a Palestinian university in Jerusalem. It was founded in 1984, but its official constitution was written in 1993 when Mohammed Nusseibeh, its first Chancellor and Chancellor of the College of Science and Technology, announced its formation.

Its founding constituent colleges included the colleges of Science and Technology, Paramedical Sciences, Arts and Religious Studies. Its School of Medicine, associated with the city's Maqasid hospital, was the first college to be founded directly under the banner of Al-Quds in 1993, and is the first Palestinian medical school. Al-Quds is governed by a Board of Trustees. The founding board was headed by Mohammed Nusseibeh and included Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Ikrema Sabri, Adnan al-Husayni, Saeb Erekat and others as members. The first president, Hatem Husseini was followed by the current acting president, Sari Nusseibeh.

The University, the only Arab University in Jerusalem, provides higher education and community services within the Jerusalem area and to the neighboring towns, villages and refugee camps in the West Bank.

It has ten academic faculties on four campuses: Arts, Science and Technology, Medicine, Dentistry, Public Health, Law, Qur'an and Islamic Studies, Health Professions, Engineering, and Jurisprudence. These faculties accommodate more than six thousand students from the Jerusalem area and from the districts of Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Jericho, Nablus, Ramallah and Tulkarem. The university continues to deliver educational services and engage students in positive learning experiences, so that they may envision and hope for a better future. The University maintains two Jerusalem campuses and administrative offices in the American Colony and in Beit Hanina, though since the Second Intifada many classes have been moved to other campuses in Abu Dis. Other campuses operate in al-Bireh next to Ramallah and Tubas.

The university faces a major, unprecedented financial and operational crisis brought about by the dire economic and social situation presently prevailing in the area. Steady subsidies are not available, and the university is unable to charge its students full tuition fees commensurate with real costs. Recent contributions from Arab governments alleviated the crisis somewhat, enabling the university to pay a portion of the salaries of its 723 support staff employees and faculty members. This temporary, one-time assistance made it possible to re-start the present academic year.

6. Sharif University of Technology

Sharif University of Technology (Persian: دانشگاه صنعتی شریف Dāneshgāh-e San'ati-ye Sharif) is a public university of technology, engineering and science in Iran. It is one of the most prominent science and engineering schools in the Middle East and in Iran. The university is located in Tarasht neighberhood of Tehran within the walking distance of Azadi Square, and has an international campus in Kish Island of Persian Gulf. The university is named after Majid Sharif Vaghefi, a former student who was killed in 1975.

Sharif University of Technology (SUT) provides both undergraduate and graduate programs in 14 main departments. The student body consists of 8000 undergraduate students and 1000 graduate students from all the 30 provinces. Funding for Sharif University is provided by the government, and in some part from investments of the industry. Undergraduate admission to Sharif is limited to the top 5% of students who pass the national entrance examination administered yearly by the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education. It was formerly named the Aryamehr University of Technology (Persian: دانشگاه صنعتی آریامهر Dāneshgāh-e San'ati-ye Āryāmehr).

5. Birzeit University Palestine

The institution was originally founded in 1924 by Nabiha Nasir as an elementary school for girls from Birzeit and the surrounding villages. It was one of the first schools in the area. In 1930, it became a co-educational secondary school, and in 1932 was renamed Birzeit Higher School.

In 1942, the name was changed to Birzeit College to be in harmony with its educational secondary level . In 1953, a freshman class was incorporated to Birzeit College, followed by a sophomore class in 1961.

BZU's official language is Arabic, though many courses are taught in English. The University follows a semester system, with two four-month semesters beginning in Autumn and Spring, and a shorter two-month semester in Summer.

4. United Arab Emirates University

United Arab Emirates University (in Arabic:جامعة الإمارات العربية المتحدة) was established in 1976, and is the oldest of the three government-sponsored institutions of higher learning in the United Arab Emirates compared to the Higher Colleges of Technology and Zayed University. The university is located in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

3. American University of Beirut

The American University of Beirut (AUB; Arabic: الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت‎) is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionary Daniel Bliss in 1866. The name was changed to the American University of Beirut on November 18, 1920. The university is popularly known as AUB.

Although AUB’s student body is primarily Lebanese, almost one-fifth of its students attended secondary school or university outside of Lebanon before coming to AUB.

AUB launched its YouTube Educational Channel in February 2008, following in the footsteps of universities such as UC Berkeley and MIT AUB Channel.

On March 21, 2008, the Board of Trustees selected Peter Dorman to be AUB's 15th president. He succeeded Dr. John Waterbury who was president of AUB from 1998 to 2008. Dr. Dorman is an international scholar in the field of Egyptology and formerly chaired the University of Chicago's Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.

In June 2006, the number of degrees and diplomas awarded since June 1870 totaled 72,838.

2. University of Tehran

The University of Tehran (Persian: دانشگاه تهران), also known as Tehran University and UT, is the oldest and largest university of Iran. Its library is the largest in country. It is referred to (nicknamed) as "The mother university of Iran" (Persian: دانشگاه مادر). Important seminars are frequently held in this university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in Iran and the Middle East, and among the first options of applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian universities. The school also admits students from all over the world and is known for its wide-ranging fields of research. UT offers 116 bachelor degree programs, 160 masters degree programs, and 120 Ph.D. degree programs.

The adjacent Tehran University of Medical Sciences, although administratively separate, shares the same main campus, and publishes all its scientific research under the name "University of Tehran".

1. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mineral

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM or UPM) (Arabic: جامعة الملك فهد للبترول و المعادن Ǧāmaʿat al-Malik Fahd Lilbetrūl wa al-Maʿādin - short:(جامعة البترول Ǧāmaʿat al-Betrūl) is a public university in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It was established on 23 September 1963 by a Saudi Royal Decree as the "College of Petroleum and Minerals," providing high-level education about two of the most valuable natural resources in Saudi Arabia. It was given university status in 1975.

Sources: Wiki

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Stay Away From Cebu Pacific

2009-06-05T11:31:00.005+08:00

We all know that domestic airlines are a vital part of a country’s transport system, especially in the case of the Philippine which is composed of island and islets. They serve as blood lines to the already fragile economy of the country, transporting goods/parcels of documents, business people, and travelers to the complex web of domestic air transport system in a country with archipelagic characteristics.

Because people depend on these airlines so much, some of them have become immune to customer complaints and dissatisfaction leaving no room for improvement.

These are my top 10 reasons why you should stay away from Cebu Pacific. The Philippines worst airline of all time.

10. No Snacks

Their advertorials says that they “believe that its time every Juan flies.” But because Cebu pacific provides the lowest possible airfare for “Juan”, they’ve decided that “Juan” will not have his snacks on his flights. But if ever Juan decides that he wants to have a snack, he’s gonna have to pay 100 pesos (current retail price 25 pesos) for a Cub Noodle and 50 pesos for a mineral water (current retail price 15 pesos). Now that’s what they call affordable!

9. Seats Are Damaged

Imagine that you are in a flight bound for Puerto Princesa for a business trip and you decide to doze off and you want to recline your seat in a comfortable angle. You start pushing the button but the seat just won’t recline. You call the flight attendant to inform her about your seat, and she just politely replies, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience sir, but you seat is broken.” You have no choice but to arrive in Puerto Princesa with an aching back and an “I’m pissed!” written all over your face.

8. No Newspapers or other Reading Materials

Every domestic airline provides local papers so that passengers can stay in touch with the local happenings. Unfortunately, when you fly Cebu Pacific, they don’t offer this one. Because they are committed to providing you with the lowest possible rates, they’ve decided to not include periodicals or other reading materials on their flights. Cebu pacific is the definition of cheap, and it’s not in a good way.

7. Cabin Crews are Clueless

Cabin crews are supposed to make your fight comfortable. But what happens when your flight crews are the source of your in-flight stress?

Excerpt panicqueen16:
1.Their flight attendants are ugly.
2. Their flight attendants are not courteous and not personable. (antipatika pa)

Excerpt Babel-Fish: On the 3rd April I traveled from Hong Kong to Manila by Cebu Pacific, the flight was on time and I had no trouble in obtaining my luggage.

But on the 4th I traveled on an early morning flight to Dumaguete airport I stayed in the airport overnight and signed in for my morning flight. The flight was delayed because of thunder clouds near Dumaguete City Negros Oriental. After an hour the crew went to board the aircraft and we where told the aircraft had been given clearance. Suddenly the crew returned to the gate and rush off. We where told they could not find the plane, lol

6. 45 minutes is 45 minutes

After a relaxing week in Puerto Pricessa, my cousin and his gang are ready to take on the challenges of work weeks ahead. But they’ve suddenly found out that dealing with Cebu Pacific time schedule is a challenge of its own. Their wits, argumentation skills, and self control have been tested when they arrived at the boarding gate of a Cebu Pacific flight.

A certain Marco Bolos, a Cebu Pacific employee denied my cousin and his gang to board the plane because he said “45 minutes is 45 minutes”. My cousin and his company arrived at the airport with minutes to spare. They can even buy a soda if they want to on their way to the gate to avoid Cebu Pacific’s “affordable in-flight snack rate”.

When they arrived at the gate, they were denied access because according to Cebu Pacific time, they were late. They argued and argued, but it the end; the crude argumentation skills of Mr. Bolos surpassed that of the most primeval person on earth. Logic and reason can’t get pass though his thick skull, requiring a lobotomy to screw some holes in his primitive brain-case so that he can at least have a sense of decency to hear some of the things my cousin wants to say to him. With an authoritative voice comparable to Marcos’ dictatorial manner, he uttered the words that even God himself can’t change, “45 minutes is 45 minutes”.

In the end, my cousin and his gang just proceeded to the ticketing station and bought another set of tickets. They fear that emotions might overrun their self control and gang up on Mr. Bolos.

The next day...

They arrived extra early to beat the Cebu Pacific “45 minutes is 45 minutes” rule. They were ushered to their seats and they were praying that they don’t experience another Mr. Bolos on their flight. Guess what? It’s not Mr. Bolos this time, but a flight attendant consciously violating the “45 minutes is 45 minutes” rule. She is escorting some people inside the aircraft minutes before the aircraft departs from the ports, with a smile on her face. How many time zones does Cebu Pacific has? It’s a question that even the most sought after physicist wont’ be able to answer. (I’ll bet one C2 drink costing up to 50 pesos each on a Cebu Pacific flight.)

For public service: This is Mr. Marco Bolos social networking account. If you experience his crude mentality, please don’t hesitate to add him and share him your thoughts. Good luck on that. I don’t see any head bandages suggesting lobotomy on his thick skull yet. But you can at least try.

5. Faulty Policies

Did you know that Cebu Pacific consciously overbook their flights to at least 15 people? If all reservations are filled, those unfortunate reservationist will be shuttled to a hotel for an overnight stay.

What if for example you are doctor and you have a save someone tonight in Manila, but the thing is you’ve been reserved to those overbooked planes. I guess your patient who needs a major heart transplant in Manila should wait another night hooked in ventilator until Cebu Pacific can decide you can fly. Or…

You can book another ticket to another air transport.

4. Delays

No further explanation required. Their delays are to the nth level. I’m guessing that they have “suki” accommodation in every area they serve for their infuriated passengers.

3. Online Booking Sucks

Take this one for example:

Excerpt Isapal: I booked a ticket online only to find out on the day I was to fly out at the airport that the booking got cancelled. As far as I'm concerned, when I book tickets online, give my credit card and receive a confirmation summary the transaction has gone through. That's how it is with any other airline and online transactions. However, Cebu Pac told me "Oh did you check with your credit card if you got charged? This transaction was just pending and did not go thru. For whatever reason, the transaction did not go thru.

2. You Might End Up in a Cheap Motel

Did I say hotel? Some of the clients of cebu pacific are booked in cheap motels. Ewww!

1. The Land and Flight Crews are Always Right

When you are flying Cebu Pacific, expect that your freedom of speech waived. You can’t argue with them because they are always right. If you don’t believe me, book a flight today.

Have a pleasant trip all! Because at Cebu Pacific, they don’t know why you fly!

Still not convinced? Click the links below for further reading.

Cebu Pacific - “YOU’RE SO DAING!!!”
Failed Cebu Pacific e-Ticketing
Cebu Pacific Sucks
Cebu Pacific – Always On Time or Always Delayed?
Cebu Pacific sucks!
Cebu Pacific Sucks!
Cebu Pacific FAIL.
Cebu Pacific Very Poor Services
Is Cebu Pacific hoodwinking its passengers into their empty flights?
My Cebu Pacific Experience

Top 10 Harry Potter and the Half – Blood Prince Trivia

2009-06-01T17:32:00.001+08:00

10. Director Guillermo del Toro turned down the chance to direct this film so he could work on Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008).

9. Helen McCrory had been cast to play Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), but had to back out because she was pregnant. She will play Bellatrix's sister, Narcissa Malfoy in this film.

8. Hero Fiennes-Tiffin has been cast as Tom Riddle, Age 11, while his uncle, Ralph Fiennes plays Lord Voldemort (formerly Tom Riddle). His parents are Martha Fiennes (Ralph's sister) and George Tiffin.

7. Quidditch at Hogwarts makes a grand (and much publicized) return, after being completely absent since the fourth installment.

6. The changing of the release date from November 21, 2008 to July 17, 2009 actually helped increase the number of IMAX theaters that Half-Blood Prince will be available in. The November release had only 40 IMAX theaters showing the film; that number has increase by 60 theaters for a total of 100 IMAX theaters releasing the film in July.

5. Director David Yates says that he hired Hero Fiennes-Tiffin to play the young Voldemort/Tom Riddle because of his resemblance to his uncle Ralph Fiennes (who plays Voldemort/Tom Riddle as an adult) but not specifically because he was the actor's nephew. He liked the dark haunted quality about the young actor.

4. In the movie we see a collapsing of the Millennium Bridge. This differs from the source book since the Millennium Bridge was built in 2000, and the plot of Half-Blood Prince takes place in 1996, according to J.K. Rowling. However, in the movies there are no references to which year the setting of the story takes place.

3. There is a scene in this movie in which Death Eaters, led by Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and Fenrir Greyback (Dave Legeno), attack The Burrow where Harry, The Weasley's, Lupin, and Tonks are staying. This particular scene was not in the book but was made just for the movie to add excitement.

2. Two new scenes were added that do not appear in the book: The collapsing Millenium bridge (at the beginning of the film, and which appears in the Third Trailer) and the Death Eater attack at the Burrow (seen in the second trailer). An attack on a Muggle bridge is actually mentioned in the original opening of the book by Cornelius Fudge, but not shown.

1. J.K. Rowling read through the script for this film, and found a line where Dumbledore mentions a girl he had a crush on when he was younger. After reading it, she informed the filmmakers that Dumbledore is in fact gay, and that his only romantic infatuation was with the wizard Grindelwald, whom he later had to defeat in a wizard duel. She later made this information public while promoting the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Sources: Movie Trivia, Mugglenet

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

Top 10 Star Trek XI Trivia

2009-06-01T11:54:00.001+08:00

10. Majel Barrett, the wife of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, has a role in this film as the voice of the Enterprise computer. She'd also been the computer voice in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987), "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993) and "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995), and had played Pike's first officer in "Star Trek: The Cage (#1.0)" (1966). She completed her voice-over work two weeks before her death on December 18, 2008.

9. The role of James T. Kirk came down between Mike Vogel and Chris Pine. Vogel was reported as being the front runner for the part but J.J. Abrams decided to cast Pine in the end. Joshua Jackson also auditioned for the role.

8. Of the now 11 films, this is the most expensive "Star Trek" film by far, at an estimated $150,000,000. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) had a budget of $46,000,000 and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) had a budget of $60,000,000.

7. Due to the confidentiality and secrecy of the movie's production, various fake working titles were used. The official one chosen by Bad Robot Productions was "Corporate Headquarters", but, also, each of the Key Assistant Location Managers chose additional fake titles for paperwork, permits, and signage. Kathy McCurdy named the movie "Untitled Walter Lace Project" after her grandfather, Steve Woroniecki named it "Untitled Blake Allen Project" after his son, Rob Swenson used "Christa & Christan's Big Adventure" after his twin step-daughters, and Scott Trimble used "The Ernest Castelhun Chronicles" after his great-granduncle who had drowned in beer at the Anheuser-Busch factory in 1937.

6. Eric Bana's character, Nero, is missing the tip of one of his Romulan ears. In the movie Chopper (2000), Bana's character Mark 'Chopper' Reed has both ears cut off in order to be moved to a different jail.

5. Karl Urban is a longtime self-described "religious" fan of the Original Series. He used to watch it on Saturday mornings in New Zealand with his dad. Shortly before word came down about the development of this film, he bought the complete series on DVD and watched them with his son.

4. Zachary Quinto was attracted to the role of Spock as he wanted to explore the character's dual heritages and his position of being caught between both Earth and Vulcan cultures: "He is constantly exploring that notion of how to evolve in a responsible way and how to evolve in a respectful way. I think those are all things that we as a society, and certainly the world, could implement."

3. To prepare for his role as Spock, Zachary Quinto grew his hair longer and dyed it, and shaved his eyebrows. He claimed that the change in appearance cemented his performance: "I just felt like a nerd. I felt like I was 12 again, you look back at those pictures and you see the bowl cut. I was sporting that look for a good 4 or 5 years. There's no question I was born to play Spock."

2. The USS Kelvin, the ship Kirk's father serves on, is named after J.J. Abrams' grandfather. It was also a scientific reference towards the temperature scale Kelvin, which itself was named after physicist/engineer Lord Kelvin.

1. The Korean-American actor John Cho was initially uncertain about being cast as the Japanese-Filipino American officer Hikaru Sulu, but George Takei, who played Sulu in "Star Trek" (1966), encouraged him to take the role as Sulu was a character who represented all of Asia.

Source: Movie Trivia