More than a guessing game
By Richard Roeper
WHEN JULIA ROBERTS’ Jess is told by a friend, “You look like you’re a million years old” in Secret in Their Eyes, there’s not a speck of insult in the observation.
Whales under threat as climate change impacts migration
PUERTO LOPEZ, ECUADOR — The sight of thousands of whales surfacing, jumping and playing off the coast of South America as they migrate toward their breeding grounds is one of nature’s most majestic displays.
Women should worry more about heart disease
“It’s not just breast cancer that kills women,” said Dr. Maria Adelaida Iboleon-Dy, chairman of the cardiology department at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon city.
May the hype be with you
By Richard Roeper
AS I’M TYPING THIS, a bearded Jimmy Kimmel is on the muted TV to my left — dressed as Princess Leia and hyping a special Star Wars: The Force Awakens edition of his program, which will have aired by the time you read this.
That gum you like
By Noel Vera
DAVID LYNCH and Mark Frost’s murder mystery/spiritual horrorshow/police procedural/goofball soap opera Twin Peaks debuted on ABC Network April 8, 1990 and television hasn’t been quite the same.
Apple reshapes holiday shopping with bigger smartphones
HOLIDAY shoppers aren’t just abandoning crowded stores in favor of shopping online. They’re also putting aside tablets in favor of pushing the buy button on bigger smartphones such as Apple, Inc.’s iPhone 6 Plus.
Online spending via smartphones surged more than 75%, surpassing purchases made on tablets for the first time this Thanksgiving weekend, according to data from International Business Machines Corp. That suggests bigger screens, easier payment options combined with revamped retail Web sites, and shopping applications customized for phones are changing consumer behavior.
Smartphones accounted for 17.1% of all Cyber Monday spending as of 3 p.m. in New York, compared with 11.1% on tablets, according to IBM. Last year, smartphone purchases made up 10.5% of all online sales compared with 12.5% on tablets.
“It’s a pretty big shift in consumer behavior,” Jay Henderson, IBM’s marketing cloud director, said in an interview. “Retailers are making it easier for people to shop on their smartphones, the devices are bigger, and consumers are getting more comfortable purchasing on small devices.”
As cellphones begin doing most of the tablet’s job, the lines are blurring between the two, and the pocketable phone is coming out on top. Worldwide tablet sales are expected to drop 8.1% this year to 211 million devices, according to IDC. Smartphone sales, meanwhile, were up 6.8% to 355 million in the third quarter.
“A lot of this is the popularity of the iPhone, since so much retail traffic is from iPhones as opposed to other devices,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, analyst at Forrester Research. “There hasn’t been much innovation in tablets.”
The shift in the most popular mobile shopping device comes as consumers increasingly abandon stores in favor of online shopping. More than 103 million people shopped online over the four-day weekend, which started Thursday on Thanksgiving and continued with Black Friday, according to an annual survey commissioned by the National Retail Federation. That compares with fewer than 102 million who ventured into traditional stores, the trade group said. — Bloomberg
Going to Boracay? Read this.
By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
THE BORACAY of simple nipa huts and backpackers’ dreams is long gone.
German court bars condom maker’s multiple orgasm claim
BERLIN — A German court Thursday barred a condom manufacturer from advertising its product with the promise that a pack of seven contraceptives “equals up to 21 orgasms,” calling the claim misleading.
The slogan could give consumers the wrong impression that condoms should be used more than once, ruled the court in the western city of Duesseldorf, upholding an injunction against condom maker Einhorn (Unicorn).
The company had argued the slogan was obviously light-hearted as it stood alongside advice about “calories burnt in 30 minutes of sex” and a small-print warning that the product “may contain traces of fairy dust.”
But the court was not amused, noting that among youths especially, “there is a continuing strong need for clarity on the correct use of condoms and a high risk of misleading them with ambiguous statements.”
Because the package also contained serious information, such as about half of proceeds going to charity, consumers may not realize the comment on the “sensitive issue of multiple orgasms” is humorous, the court ruled. — AFP
Fighting climate change with ‘poop power’
WASHINGTON — The stench of clogged toilets fills the air at the US capital’s wastewater treatment facility. And for good reason — it’s one of the world’s largest projects to transform human waste into electricity.
Citizens must take part in fight against fake medicines
Medicine Cabinet
Reiner W. Gloor
VARIOUS PHILIPPINE health, medical, and pharmaceutical groups, both in the public and private sectors, are working together to safeguard the country’s supply of medicines against the actual and potential threats of counterfeits.
Come again to Cam Norte
THE PROVINCE of Camarines Norte is rolling out a low-key grassroots campaign to lure travelers back next year, in keeping with the Department of Tourism’s (DoT) Visit Philippines Again program for 2016.
The province offers culture, adventure and nature, which makes it a complete experience, said Governor Edgar Tallado.
Beaches, waterfalls
and caves
The province’s tourism gem is Calaguas Islands which was named the top Tourism Gem in an online poll of Isla Lipana & Co. The heart of the Calaguas archipelago is Tinaga Island which is known for its mile-long powdery sand beach and crystalline water.
But one need not take a long boat ride to find a fine beach — the province’s Pacific seaboard is a string of these, from San Jose Beach at Talisay town, to Pulang Daga in Paracale, Cayucyucan in Mercedes, Mangcamagong in Basud, and Calalanay in Panganiban.
Just off the shore of Mercedes town are the Siete Pecados (Seven Sins) consisting of the islands of Quinapaguian, Canton, Canimog, Apuao Grande, Apuao Pequeña, Caringo and Malasugui, each with a distinct feature. The agile can paddle around the islands aboard a kayak, while at the town’s Baybay Beach, they can use the kayak to ride the waves.
Bagasbas Beach in Daet is a top destination for surfing greenhorns because of its sandy bottom and consistent waves the whole-year round. It is in the world’s surfing circuit and the first in the country to be included in the same. One can also go kiteboarding, which combines surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, and wakeboarding with flying a kite. Bagasbas has become a haven of international kiteboarders due to the Pacific wind.
The province is gifted with waterfalls — the 70-foot tall Colasi waterfalls in Mercedes, the Nacali Falls in San Lorenzo Ruiz, and the San Felipe Twin Falls in Basud. In Labo, three waterfalls stand out — Malatap, Binuang and Maligaya Falls. Mananap Falls in San Vicente is ideal because one just has to make a short hike before enjoying the refreshing sights and cool waters.
Tucked in the bosom of Mt. Cadig in Labo town, Cadig Cave is a showpiece for those who want to be initiated to spelunking. Composed of several dark compartments filled with stalactites and stalagmites, this cave offers moderate difficulty in trekking and exploration.
Also in Labo are the Mambuaya and Pintong Gubat caves which are rich in speleological properties.
History
A must-see historic spot is the First Rizal Monument in Daet, a white stone obelisk which was built in 1898 which was the first monument to be constructed in the honor of Rizal, antedating the one at the Luneta by 13 years.
Across the park is the Daet Heritage Center, the former municipal hall, which serves as the town’s museum and sociocivic center. The Bulawan Museum at the Provincial Capitol Complex showcases the province’s heroes, archaeological finds, and a portrait by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.
Meanwhile, Bicol’s 400-year-old religious heritage is best represented by the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Church in Paracale, founded by Franciscan missionaries in 1581, which became a parish in 1611. Other historic churches are St. John the Baptist in Daet, the St. Peter the Apostle in Vinzons, and Capalonga Church, home of the Black Nazarene.
Based on statistics from the DoT Bicol regional office, the province drew 211,013 tourists in 2014.