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CAB: Expect no changes in airfares next month
Travelers planning to book a summer trip can expect airfares to remain the same in April, as the government made no changes in the fuel surcharge that airlines can pass on......»»
Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel may kakaibang adventure sa upcoming movie
IKA nga nila, “dreams come true.” Kaya naman, samahan natin sa kakaibang adventure ang Hollywood stars na sina Zachary Levi at Zooey Deschanel sa upcoming movie na pinamagatang “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” Ang pelikula ay ang kauna-unahang film adaptation ng 1995 children’s classic book na may kaparehong titulo na isinulat ng American cartoonist na.....»»
Q& A: Filipina author Mixkaela Villalon on writing and publishing her book ‘Interregnum’
Villalon talks 'Interregnum,' why she highlights the Filipino social conditions in her work, and how she unlearned viewing the male experience as universal when reading.....»»
A Book about Critically Endangered Animals is now Out
"The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchild may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book? "- David Attenborough (epigraph)The writer of this collection of essays tells engaging stories of endangered animals, vividly, lovingly, and with passionate concern. It started as a series initially written for Pressenza. The author says, wri.....»»
A Book about Critically Endangered Animals is now Out
"The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchild may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book? "- David Attenborough (epigraph)The writer of this collection of essays tells engaging stories of endangered animals, vividly, lovingly, and with passionate concern. It started as a series initially written for Pressenza. The author says, wri.....»»
NCCA s Heneral Tuna Contest: Outstanding Digital Art from Young Filipinos
November 2023 was a busy month for the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) as it celebrated Filipino Values Month with a slew of activities celebrating the values that shape Filipino society, capped by a digital poster-making contest featuring Heneral Tuna, the witty and fierce blue alien cat from NCCA's eponymous animated and book series.The Heneral Tuna Digital Poster Making Contest featured ar.....»»
NCCA s Heneral Tuna Contest: Outstanding Digital Art from Young Filipinos
November 2023 was a busy month for the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) as it celebrated Filipino Values Month with a slew of activities celebrating the values that shape Filipino society, capped by a digital poster-making contest featuring Heneral Tuna, the witty and fierce blue alien cat from NCCA's eponymous animated and book series.The Heneral Tuna Digital Poster Making Contest featured ar.....»»
PHLPost marks National Children’s Month via stamps
The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) announced that it has launched new stamps featuring artworks and illustrations dedicated in the observance of National Children’s Month (NSCM). Postmaster -General Luis Carlos said the stamps were unveiled by National Authority for Child Care (NACC) Undersecretary Janella Ejercito Estrada,. Beth Parrocha, book illustrator and author, SM Supermalls Senior Vice […].....»»
An enchanted evening with the JSSP
Any party with the Johann Strauss Society of the Philippines is sure to blossom into something meaningful yet fun! We recently got together for an enchanted evening of music, culture and friendship at the South Pacific Night Fellowship Event. Inspired by the beloved book-turned-Broadway musical, the night paid homage to it from the invitation inspired by the musical’s poster, the tropical colors and decor, floral dress code, down to the performances. Those who showed up in the most authentic and best costumes won a special prize, too — congratulations, Chuck Gueco and Joy Melendres! US Ambassador, MaryKay Carlson Singapore Ambassador, Constance See Roselle Del Rosario and Rosalinda Wee Norman Jison and Lovelyn Segovia Monaco Consul, RJ Ledesma and India Ambassador, Shambhu Kumaran. Laos Ambassador, Sonexay Vannaxay, Cambodia Ambassador, Phan Peuv, Thailand Ambassador, Tull Traisorat. Seated- Egypt Ambassador, Ahmed Shehabeldin. Joy Melendres and Amelia Ting Gerry and Virginia Lane Fanny Blanco Dr. Elton See Tan n Carolyn Tan Dana Silverio, Ruby Chua, Manolyn Taylor and Michael Rosero Consul. Agnes Huibonhoa and Mayenne Carmona Chuck Gueco and Aiza Sun Bong Prada Lim and Mags Cue Bo and Hans Hauri Lilibeth Campos, Marissa Fenton, Consul General of Monaco, Fortune Ledesma and the author But all the fun aside, this is really all about JSSP’s mission to make a significant impact on our local community through art and music. South Pacific Night perfectly captured the enchantment the arts has over us, and the vibrant spirit the organization wishes to share with the community in whatever ways it can. JSSP has extended its support to talented music students and notable initiatives like the Arts for the People Program of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Philippine National Red Cross, and more in the education and arts spaces. It’s always fulfilling getting together with JSSP members. As you can see, we’re all smiles ‘til midnight! I raise a toast to JSSP, especially its devoted members who are tirelessly contributing their time to keep the organization’s mission alive. I raise my glass to the co-chairs of the event, Marissa Fenton and Lilibeth Campos, and to the entire JSSP. Cheers! The post An enchanted evening with the JSSP appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Chinese sci-fi steps into the spotlight
Once effectively banned, Chinese science fiction has exploded into the mainstream, embraced by the government and public alike –- inviting scrutiny of a genre that has become known for its expanding diversity and relative freedom. Its new status was epitomized by this week's Worldcon, the world's oldest and most influential sci-fi gathering, which closed Sunday after taking place in China for the first time. Held in the gleaming new Chengdu Science Fiction Museum, the event's star was Liu Cixin, author of the international phenomenon "Three-Body" series and inspiration for the domestic blockbuster "Wandering Earth". But the wider science fiction fandom has become a rare space where diverse voices have flourished and a vast array of issues -- social, environmental, even sometimes political -- can be explored. "In its nature, part of sci-fi is talking about the present," award-winning author Chen Qiufan told AFP. "It takes advantage of talking about outer space, or being set in different times, but reflects the human condition right now." Chen's own novel "The Waste Tide" is set in a dystopian future in China, where migrant e-waste workers toil in hazardous conditions, exploited by corrupt conglomerates. He grew up near Guiyu, once one of the largest e-waste dumps in the world. Ecological destruction, urbanization, social inequality, gender, and corruption, to name just a few –- "these issues are intersectional and intertwined with each other", said Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's Liu Xi. Together, they "allow everyone to understand Chinese writers' exploration of Chinese society", she said. That can be rare to find in today's China, where the space for political and artistic expression has shrunk drastically over the last decade under President Xi Jinping. Spiritual pollution Historically, science fiction has had a turbulent relationship with Chinese authorities -– it effectively disappeared during the Cultural Revolution and then was banned as "spiritual pollution" in the 1980s. Though it returned, it remained relatively obscure. Writer Regina Kanyu Wang said it was only at university that she met other fans -- together they formed one of the smaller clubs on campus. Sci-fi was not taken seriously, and seen as something for children and young adults, Chen said. That had its advantages. "There was a lot of freedom... because nobody was reading science fiction, (authors) could just do whatever they wanted," the University of Zurich's Jessica Imbach told AFP. The global success of the "Three-Body" series changed everything, catapulting its epic themes of technological prowess and the fate of humanity into the public consciousness. "Whether you like science fiction or not, the social reality we are facing is becoming more and more like science fiction," said Yu Xuying from Hong Kong Metropolitan University. "We live in a high-tech era. And then your daily life is completely technological," she said. The pace of digital change in China, already fast, was accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Cash has all but disappeared, and stringent health regulations further enhanced the state's significant surveillance capacity. The international interest spike in Chinese sci-fi is also related to real-world concerns, Chen believes. "I think there are different layers of reasons for the phenomenon," he said. "But a major one is the rising economic and technological power of China on the world stage." A good vehicle China's government has been happy to capitalize on all this. "At a national level, science fiction is a good vehicle for conveying the country's discourse on its science and technology strength," said Yu. It can also help "highlight the relationship between the Chinese dream (a Xi-era aspirational slogan) and science", she said. Authorities have put their money where their mouth is. The nebula-shaped Chengdu Science Fiction Museum, designed by the renowned Zaha Hadid Architects, was built at lightspeed in just a year to coincide with Worldcon. The event, historically fan-led and funded, this year was a "capitalistic initiative, coming top-down from the Chinese government", said Chen. "They want sci-fi to be the name card of the city, showing China's openness and inclusiveness to the world," he said. Government attention comes with potential risk. "The Three-Body Problem" has a different structure in English, with the narrative beginning with a violent Cultural Revolution scene. In the original Chinese, it was buried halfway through the book to make it less conspicuous, the translator Ken Liu was told. Liu told the New York Times in 2019 that increasingly, "it's gotten much harder for me to talk about the work of Chinese authors without... causing them trouble". Some works he has translated into English, deemed too sensitive, have never been published in Chinese at all. "If you're very marginal if you have low print numbers in China, then it's OK, you have more leeway. If you're doing a mega big-budget movie... it's much more complicated," said Imbach. "That's what's now also happening with science fiction," she said. "As it's becoming more mainstream, there is increased scrutiny." The post Chinese sci-fi steps into the spotlight appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rose petals heal cancer patient
(Author’s Note: This story is based on the book “Mary Mediatrix of All Grace” by the late Rene C. de Jesus, published circa December 2015, now out of circulation.) Mrs. Julie Hughes-Sikora, born of an American father and a Filipino mother from Ormoc, Leyte, migrated to the US in 1941. In 1948, she returned to the Philippines for a visit. Curious about the many stories about the miraculous “shower of rose petals” in Lipa, Batangas, she went there on a pilgrimage. During a Sunday mass, a strong wind suddenly encircled the pilgrims. A shower of rose petals from the sky followed. Julie picked up two petals — fresh, light red, and almost translucent. Returning to Manila, she examined the petals and found nothing unusual. She inserted them in the pages of her prayer book. Later, she discovered that one of the petals had an image of Our Lady Mediatrix of All Grace and the other of Our Lady of Sorrows. She promised the Blessed Mother that when she returned to the US, she would promote the Marian devotion through the petals and a two-foot Mediatrix statue given to her by the Carmelite Sisters. In the summer of 1950, she spoke to the high school students of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Chicago. The Catholic Women’s League president forbade her to talk of the apparitions and the rose petals. Knowing that the petals were not a hoax, she knelt in tears and prayed, “Blessed Mother, please help me. You must convince the people that these are rose petals from heaven.” Her prayer was answered immediately. A Felician sister borrowed the petals for a sick sister, Sr. Mary Angela, who was dying of bladder cancer. In fact, Sr. Mary Angela had her coffin made. She later recounted that a smiling lady in white came out of the rose petals and floated on a cloud. Sr. Mary Angela fainted from the extreme pain of the cancer. Her surgery scars were gone when she woke up, and she was completely healed. Her urologist, Dr. Dooley, a non-Catholic, was shocked to discover that she was instantly cancer-free. He gave her a copy of her medical records as evidence of a miracle. Sr. Mary Angela lived for another 12 years. The news of her miraculous healing spread like wildfire across the world, silencing the many “doubting Thomases.” Many years later, Julie returned to Lipa to return the rose petals to the Carmelite sisters, who regarded them as Marian relics. Julie signed an affidavit of her testimony before the sala of Judge Harriet Demetriou on 5 October 1999. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith or CDF, tasked to investigate the Mediatrix apparitions, regarded them as a hoax and ordered the rose petals burned, the very evidence that proved the apparition. If the CDF had done a proper investigation, they would have seen the evidence of the miracles. But they decided “with finality” that the Mediatrix apparitions were a hoax based on a Pius XII decree, which was discovered recently to be INVALID and NON-EXISTENT because it was not registered in the Vatican’s Acta Apostolicae Sedis, which is required by Canon Law to make it binding and effective. So, the Vatican committed the blunder of all blunders by suppressing the Mediatrix apparition for 70 long years based on a non-existent Papal decree. They manipulated the results of the first investigation in 1951 by ordering six Filipino bishops to change their findings to “not of supernatural origin” under threat and intimidation. This was discovered only when one bishop, on his deathbed, admitted that he was forced to change their original decision of authentic apparition to a hoax. The rest of the other bishops followed. They have all passed away. The Vatican kept the non-existent decree secret, blaming instead Filipino Bishop Mariano Gaviola and Archbishop Emeritus Ramon Arguelles for “violating” Vatican orders. In fairness, some cardinals did not know about the invalid decree, believing all the while that the apparitions were really a hoax. We are now asking Pope Francis to rectify the errors of the Vatican and restore the Filipino clergy and Marian devotees in the name of the Virgin. The more it is suppressed, the more Marian miracles there are, increasing the fold of Marian devotees despite Vatican suppression. The Virgin prevails over the Vatican. eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post Rose petals heal cancer patient appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Dissident author warns Russians in Europe to be on guard
Russian author Sergei Lebedev's novel "Untraceable", about an undetectable toxin used to target Kremlin critics, was released a few years ago but has taken on added resonance as alleged poisonings have multiplied. Now the dissident writer is warning that the Russian exile community in Europe faces an ever greater threat amid heightened tensions over the Ukraine war. "This emigre community in Europe is now one of the most important targets for the Russian security (services)," the 42-year-old, now based in Germany, told AFP in an interview at the Frankfurt Book Fair this week. "There will be attempts to infiltrate, to get informants... Of course, there will be some assassination attempts." In Germany -- which Lebedev describes as a "hub" for overseas Russians -- there have been a growing number of suspected cases of Kremlin critics being targeted. In May, German police said they were investigating the possible poisoning of exiled Russians after an activist, Natalia Arno, reported health problems following a Berlin meeting of dissidents. Meanwhile, Berlin-based Russian journalist Elena Kostyuchenko wrote in a Guardian article last month about how she fell ill last year after visiting Munich, and poisoning was suspected. Inside Russia, the most high-profile case in recent years of a Kremlin critic allegedly being poisoned was that of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed allegations that it has targeted critics in this way. But Western governments say evidence points to the contrary and for Lebedev, Russians in Europe are not taking the threat seriously enough. 'Very eerie' "They are not very much concerned with security," he said. "They do not understand the principles of how the security services work." "Untraceable", which tells the story of an ageing scientist who creates a highly toxic, undetectable poison, was inspired by the 2018 poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England. And it was around the time that the book was published in Russia that opposition politician Navalny was allegedly poisoned -- a development that Lebedev said he found "very eerie". While he has been vocal about his opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he does not believe he faces a threat himself. He has not found himself in the crosshairs of the authorities and feels he does not run the same level of risk as others, such as critical journalists, particularly those still trying to report from inside Russia. Still, Lebedev -- who moved to Germany five years ago with his wife -- said he has been taking extra precautions, particularly when it comes to exchanging sensitive information. Before becoming a full-time writer, Lebedev worked as a geologist and later as a journalist. He was motivated to write a novel after discovering his grandmother's second husband had been the commander of a Soviet labor camp. He was shaken by the revelation and faced the question of how to "deal with this personally -- with the fact that in your family (there) was a murderer". "I realized that the way out was to write a novel." 'Shocked' at Ukraine war The result was the book "Oblivion", about the legacy of the Soviet prison camp system, which was released about a decade ago and launched his literary career. He has since written several books and his latest is a collection of short stories, "A Present Past: Titan and Other Chronicles". It reflects what he believes is Russia's tortured relationship with the Soviet era -- and society's failure to come to terms with the past -- as well as aspects of its problematic present. Lebedev, who lives in Potsdam outside Berlin, did not flee his homeland. He first moved to Germany for professional reasons. But he has not returned since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fearing it is not safe to do so. He said he was "shocked" when Moscow sent its forces into Ukraine. "I was the same idiot as many of us were, thinking that Putin is a... modern autocratic, modern dictator and not the blood-thirsty maniac that he is." He sees no swift end to the conflict. "The most difficult and problematic thing is that Russians are getting used to the fact that they are at war but still life is sustainable," he said. The post Dissident author warns Russians in Europe to be on guard appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Paulo Coelho s The Alchemist film adaptation back in development
A movie adaptation of Brazilian author Paulo Coelho's best-selling book "The Alchemist" is back in the works after years in development hell......»»
Creative Industries Month to witness ‘the grandest battle of creativity’
The buzzwords this month and until November are "creativity" and "creative industries." September has been declared the "Creative Industries Month" by the Philippine government, and one reason for such declaration is the activation of the law known as Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, or Republic Act 11904. Pangasinan 4th District Representative Toff de Venecia is the principal author of the law, the chairman of the House Special Committee on Creative Industry and Performing Arts. De Venecia's clan on his mother's side used to be entrenched in film production. He is a son of Gina Vera-Perez De Venecia, daughter of Dr. Jose Vera Perez, the patriarch of pioneering film companies Sampaguita Pictures and Vera Perez Productions. Before he joined Pangasinan politics as son of former senator Jose De Venecia, Toff was active in theater, all the way back to his schooldays at the Ateneo de Manila. Sen. Loren Legarda, aside from being Senate President Pro-Tempore, is chair of the Senate committee on culture and the arts. For years a top broadcast journalist at ABS-CBN, Legarda is the principal author of Republic Act 11961, also known as the Cultural Mapping Law. [caption id="attachment_186378" align="aligncenter" width="511"] ODANG Putik Pottery held workshops on basic pottery. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF IG/ ODANGPUTIKPOTTERY[/caption] National competition DTI has announced that it will launch on 24 September a national competition, Young Creatives Challenge (YC2) "through the support of Sen. Imee Marcos." The competition -- described as "the grandest battle of creativity" in the country with a grand prize of P1 million per category -- "aspires to ignite, acknowledge, and spotlight the brilliance of creative minds... in the fields of Songwriting, Screenwriting, Playwriting, Graphic Novel, Animation, Game Development, and Online Content Creation." The semi-finals are set for October 2023, when the Top 30 creators and the Top 10 Grand Finalists will be revealed. At the grand finals on November 2023, cash prizes will be awarded along with millions’ worth of promotions, incentives, registration of intellectual property and possible production or commercialization of creative works. The competition has an Online Content Challenge with distinct mechanics and a separate prize pool. It offers a platform for content creators to showcase their talents and make a significant impact by raising awareness about the vibrant and dynamic Philippine creative industries. The special category will have TikTok as its main channel for entry submission. The DTI invites all natural-born Filipino citizens aged 18-35, regardless of their level of experience, to participate as either individuals or teams. Entrants are required to submit "entirely original creations." The competition theme is deliberately broad, embracing an "open" and "free subject" approach to allow the participants the creative freedom to delve into any topic or subject matter of their choosing. For more information about the competition, visit www.youngcreativeschallenge.com. Capsule workshops On 17 September, the NCCA launched the Creative Industries Month at the Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium in Manila with creative capsule workshops in the afternoon and a grand concert of songs, dances and puppetry in the evening. The festivities had the full support of the National Parks Development Committee and Concert at the Park. The workshops were anchored on various creative industries in the country. For instance, for the audiovisual media domain, the Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. conducted an introductory workshop on Learning Filipino through Wikaharian. For the digital interactive media domain, Dr. Albert Mulles of METATOKYO tackled “How to Start Your Own Blockchain Game Project” while the Department of Science and Technology presented “Learning Through Minecraft Exhibit.” Under the Design domain, there were workshops on shoemaking, parol and jewelry-making and T-shirt printing Workshop. Under publishing and printed media, Rustico Limosinero offered a basic comics workshop, while the Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation, Inc. discussed book- selling and exhibits. Composer-singer Joey Ayala, meanwhile, held a Songwriting Workshop under the Performing Arts domain and later, at the concert, performed the finale solo vocal numbers. Nanding Josef, artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Pilipino, conducted a capsule workshop on Theater Acting. Also within the Performing Arts domain were the dance and puppetry workshops facilitated by the Samahan ng mga Papetir ng Pilipinas. The other domains that presented workshops included the visual arts, traditional cultural expression and cultural sites. Aside from Ayala, the evening concert featured Noel Cabangon, the revived band Color It Red with Cookie Chua still its lead vocalist, Bayang Barrios and her band, the Sindaw Philippines dance troupe, Halili Cruz Dance Company, Teatro ni Juan and a puppetry group. [caption id="attachment_186377" align="aligncenter" width="1440"] HALILI Cruz Dance Company at the evening concert. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FB.COM/ HALILI CRUZ DANCE COMPANY[/caption] In his remarks, De Venecia pointed out that there are more than 7 million people in the Philippines employed in the creative industries, and the industries' contribution to Gross Domestic Product in 2022 was 7.3 percent percent or P1. 6 trillion, representing an increase of 12.1 percent from P1. 43 trillion in 2021. "This is a sector that has managed to survive and even thrive on its own, but with institutionalized support from the state, it will really help the creative industry sector grow and accelerate to the point where we want it to be — which is by 2030, the Philippines will be the number one creative economy in all of Asia,” said De Venecia. May we be really number 1 just seven years from today! The post Creative Industries Month to witness ‘the grandest battle of creativity’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Meet the expanded ‘univerkada’ in ‘Safe Skies, Archer’
After the success of The Rain in España, which started streaming in 10 episodes last May on Viva One, the next installment in the hit “University” book series by young author Gwy Saludes on the Wattpad social storytelling platform is coming out this October. In the upcoming Safe Skies, Archer book-to-screen adaptation, the story’s focus shifts from the TRIE couple Luna (Heaven Peralejo) and Kalix (Marco Gallo) to one of Luna’s closest friends Yanna (Krissha Viaje). There are subplots involving Luna and Yanna’s other kabarkada Via (Bea Binene), Kierra (Nicole Omillo) and Sam (Aubrey Caraan), along with Luna’s best friend Sevi (Gab Lagman) and Kalix’s katropa Adonis (Andre Yllana) and Leo (Frost Sandoval). New characters are introduced in the story, notably Yanna’s love interest Hiro (Jerome Ponce) and Kierra’s new man Shan (Jairus Aquino), as well as Shan’s sister Elyse (Hyacinth Callado). The expanding TRIEkada is now referred to as a ‘Univerkada.’ [caption id="attachment_183381" align="aligncenter" width="525"] PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOCELYN VALLE FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNEKrissha Viaje and Jerome Ponce.[/caption] Viaje admitted in a recent press conference that she feels most pressured among the cast members. “This is the very first series na pagbibidahan ko, (where I will be the lead),” said the 30-year-old actress, who started in showbiz as a member of the song-and-dance GirlTrends group on It’s Showtime. Ponce agreed with his leading lady in the series. The former teen actor in the hit daytime drama Be Careful with My Heart explained, “Iniisip ko how I’m gonna gel with the series itself… Ang character ko, kung paano ko siya magagampanan nang maayos, lalo na ’yung intensity at gaano kaganda ang ginawa nila no’ng una.” (I think of how to portray my character in the best way, given how great they did the first series.) Aquino, who began his acting career in the kiddie gag show Goin’ Bulilit, vowed, “We’re gonna do our best, siyempre to hit all their expectations. We’re just gonna blend with them.” Callado, on the other hand, feels “very lucky and grateful” to be given her first acting break. “I’ve been a singer my whole life,” she said. “But there’s always a part of me that dreams of becoming an actress. Being with Viva gave me that opportunity to explore that part of me.” Peralejo and Gallo, who gave stellar performances in TRIE, expressed excitement and support for Viaje and their three new castmates. “Habang tumatagal kami, lalong dumadami ang cast,” she said. “Nagiging part din ng family namin. Sabi ko nga kay Krissha, susuportahan ko talaga siya the way na sinuportahan n’ya ‘ko. And I think it speaks for the whole cast kung paano kami magsuportahan, as in 100 percent (Our cast keeps expanding, and they become part of the family. I told Krissha I will support her the way she supported me. That’s how the whole cast supports each other – 100 percent)." Gallo concurred with his love-team partner: “I had a good experience with The Rain in España, so I’m excited for Jai and Jerome and Hyacinth to be on the group now… You’re gonna be working a lot, traveling a lot. I’m excited for you, guys. It’s gonna be months of fun, hard work and something to remember forever.” Aside from new cast members, Safe Skies, Archer has a new director in Gino M. Santos, who takes over the reins from Theodore Boborol. Santos said he’s hands-on with the project, revealing that “I was there during the chemistry test, all the auditions.” He added, “We were looking for someone who would fit the characters, not just the physical but also the inner. When we casted these characters, these actors, one thing is mata talaga ang importante sa akin (the eyes were the most important factor). Jerome stood out for how he looked at the character Yanna. Hyacinth and Jairus also together as brother and sister, as siblings, importante rin ’yun. I’m happy with the outcome, the selection.” The post Meet the expanded ‘univerkada’ in ‘Safe Skies, Archer’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
VR, AI bring Wallace, and Gromit to ‘life’
VENICE, Italy (AFP) — The rapid evolution of virtual reality was on display here this week, with visitors brought into the world of Wallace and Gromit and watching books come to life before their eyes. Running alongside the world’s oldest film festival, Venice Immersive is tucked away on a former quarantine island that transforms each year into a showcase for the latest frontiers of entertainment. This year showed how quickly technology is evolving. Some experiences had users interacting with the virtual environment using hand controllers. Thus “Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway” plunged them into the world of the famous animated duo. Players become Gromit, helping him fix his hapless owner’s contraptions and rescue them from an accidental trip to Mars. “The interactivity in those worlds is increasingly precise and diverse,” said Venice Immersive co-curator Michel Reilhac. “Makers are finding ways to hijack the technology and use it in really unexpected ways.” Another experience used VR helmets to put several people at once in the studio of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, allowing them to snoop around his workshop and watch as his famous Barcelona cathedral rose up spectacularly around them. AI was an inevitable talking point, with one experience using a mix of two AI apps, ChatGPT and Midjourney, to ask users about their deepest thoughts before creating a bespoke story and images based on their answers. One of the most technologically impressive was “Jim Henson’s The Storyteller.” Page-turner Visitors don augmented-reality glasses to watch a 3D film come to life on a special book they hold in their hands, moving through different chapters as they turn the pages. It is the latest innovation from VR pioneers Felix and Paul Studios, who have created immersive tours of the International Space Station, the Obama White House and LeBron James’s training sessions. The interactive book was another “leap of faith,” co-founder Paul Raphael told AFP. “We wanted to realize the dream of what an augmented book could be,” he said — but that required “pushing the technology so much further.” Cameras in the glasses read the surface of the pages and track their position in real time, which the algorithm, designed from scratch, uses to calculate where to overlay the constantly moving 3D images. “The performance and speed at which it needs to happen is kind of insane,” Raphael said. With the emergence of new headsets from Apple and other companies, he believes augmented books could soon become widely available. Immersive “It’s early days and there’s so much ground to cover,” he said. “Even after 10 years, it feels like we could do this our whole lives and still just scratch the surface.” The festival highlighted social experiences, particularly VR Chat, an online platform allowing users to meet and play in virtual worlds. “VR immersive is no longer a solitary experience,” said Reilhac. “It’s gained a social dimension — and that’s where it will find its ‘killer app’ that wins over a much bigger audience.” As the tools evolve, creating these virtual worlds has become much easier, with free templates available for newcomers to use. The post VR, AI bring Wallace, and Gromit to ‘life’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Meditate to clear the mind, feel sense of ease
In John Aguilar’s third and latest book, Methods to Greatness, the author wrote about the importance of nurturing and nourishing the soul based on his interview with Nameeta Dargani, the founding member and president of Art of Living Foundation Philippines. Dargani, in turn, led a meditation session at the book’s recent launch held in an upscale shopping mall. The term meditation, according to United States National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “refers to a variety of practices that focus on mind and body integration.” These meditative practices are used to “calm the mind and enhance overall well-being.” Some of them involve “maintaining mental focus on a particular sensation,” such as breathing, a sound, a visual image or a mantra, which is a repeated word or phrase. Dargani, who’s been practicing meditation for 18 years now, shares how she got into it and why she stayed. “Someone told me it would help with my back pain,” she tells DAILY TRIBUNE in an email interview. “It did so much more than that!” These days, she meditates at least once a day in the mornings after doing her yoga practice and breathing techniques that she learned in the Art of Living course she attended in 2005. She also likes to meditate in the evenings for 15 to 20 minutes before her day ends. “The benefits were instant and cumulative shortly after I took the Art of Living course,” she recalls. Art of Living Foundation is touted as one of the largest non-profit organizations in the world. It operates more than 10,000 centers in over 150 countries, offering various educational and self-development programs in meditation, yoga and other tools that help eliminate stress, as well as create a deep sense of inner peace, happiness and well-being. “My mind got clearer,” she adds. “I was getting things done more efficiently with better focus and attention. I felt an overall sense of ease and joy. A lot of my fears and insecurities faded away. After tasting these benefits, I decided it made a lot of sense to incorporate breathing techniques and a meditation practice into my daily routine.” Dargani understands why many people can’t focus, get too distracted or tend to fall asleep when attempting to meditate. “This is why breathwork is so helpful,” she points out. “In particular, the Sudarshan Kriya (SKY Breath) technique taught in the Art of Living course. Working with the breath gives the mind something to do and focus on. It very naturally leads you to a state of meditation.” She then shares a “great tip” she learned in the Art of Living Meditation program: “When you sit for meditation, you mentally say to yourself: ‘I am nothing, I want nothing, I do nothing.’ Only for the duration of the meditation, and then all the labels and desires can come back after that!” “For me, this strategy really works and helps me to let go and drop everything that’s going on in my life so that I can just sit and be present with the experience,” she says. “Apart from this, the usual guidelines are to sit with your spine erect, your back can be rested if needed on a chair. It’s really important to be comfortable so that you can transcend the body level.” In the Philippines, Dargani explains, the foundation has “touched the lives of thousands of people from all backgrounds and walks of life,” including corporates, youth, prison inmates, military, PNP, victims of trauma and the general public.” It regularly offers both online and offline programs. Visit www.artofliving to learn more and contact Lorna Nasayao at 0917-8484898 for inquiries. The post Meditate to clear the mind, feel sense of ease appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Netflix finally finds a manga hit with ‘One Piece’
Netflix has spent years trying to adapt Japanese manga and anime into live-action TV with little success, but its latest effort, "One Piece", may finally have cracked the code. The US streaming giant's latest show, based on the most famous manga comic of them all, was watched more than 18 million times in its first four days, putting it at the top of the charts. The story of Monkey D Luffy, a boy with a straw hat and stretchy superpowers determined to become king of all pirates by finding a treasure known as one piece, has captivated manga fans since its first editions in 1997. And it should have been a shoo-in for TV success, having already been widely adapted for the screen in a series of animated movies. But manga fans feared the worst before the Netflix live-action version hit the screens in late August. The American giant has tried and failed with other beloved Japanese manga and anime. Its "Fullmetal Alchemist" and "Death Note" failed to convince in 2017 and 2021's "Cowboy Bebop" was ditched after one season, crumbling under the weight of bad reviews. With One Piece, Netflix cannily sought to keep fans onside by holding on to the most valuable commodity: the comic's author, Eiichiro Oda. 'Guard dog' Oda is tightly bound to the comic, having written all the editions for its entire run -- a world record -- and was brought on as series supervisor by Netflix. He was well aware of the challenge. "Various manga had been made into live action, but there was a history of failure," he told the New York Times in a rare interview published in late August. "No one in Japan could name a successful example." He told the paper that Netflix agreed to give him final approval. "I read the scripts, gave notes, and acted as a guard dog to ensure the material was being adapted in the correct way," he said. Reviews have been broadly positive, with Charles Pulliam-Moore writing on The Verge website the series "gets all of the important things right". He wrote that the series, with a budget of more than $100 million, had put huge efforts into re-creating Oda's vision in its production design and populating its scenes with a cast of whimsical background characters. This effort, he wrote, meant the series "is able to feel like a living, breathing place with history that you can step into". And that history still has much left to be told -- the first run of eight episodes covers only the first 12 volumes of a comic that now boasts roughly 100. The post Netflix finally finds a manga hit with ‘One Piece’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Emma Stone stars in sex-mad Frankenstein-like tale at Venice
With Emma Stone as a sex-mad reanimated corpse in "Poor Things" and Wes Anderson presenting his take on Roald Dahl, the Venice Film Festival was taken on some wild rides on Friday. "Poor Things" was set to premiere on the Lido without its star to light up the red carpet, due to the ongoing Hollywood strike barring actors from publicity work. Rumors at the festival suggest the horror-comedy, in which Stone plays a woman brought back from the dead by a mad scientist, could be an early awards frontrunner. Its Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has established himself as one of the most imaginative and daring filmmakers of his generation. His previous film "The Favourite", also starring Stone, won the Jury Prize in Venice in 2018 and best actress for Olivia Colman, paving the way to her Oscar triumph. "Poor Things" is among 23 movies competing for the top prize, the Golden Lion, to be awarded on September 9 by a jury including directors Damien Chazelle, Jane Campion and last year's winner Laura Poitras. Anderson's Dahl Meanwhile, another indie darling, Wes Anderson, was feted in Venice with a lifetime achievement award. He presented "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar", a 40-minute film based on a short story by beloved children's author Roald Dahl. It is one of four Dahl adaptations the whimsical director has made for Netflix featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel and Ralph Fiennes. As always, there is a meticulous, chocolate-box feel to Anderson's film. "It's more like a little theatrical presentation that we found a way to film," Anderson told reporters. The director, who previously adapted Dahl's "Fantastic Mr Fox", said he was strongly against moves to alter the author's books for "sensitivity" reasons. Asked about recent revisions to Dahl's books to remove character descriptions like "fat" and "crazy", Anderson said: "No one who is not an author should be modifying someone's book." He added: "I understand the motivation for it, but I'm in the school where, when the piece is finished... the audience participates in it, we know it, so when it's done, it's done." Strikes and waivers Also premiering on Friday was "The Promised Land" starring Mads Mikkelsen, described by The Hollywood Reporter as a "gripping historical epic" about a low-born soldier seeking to better himself. Mikkelsen was able to attend the festival for the Danish film, but Venice has lost out on several star appearances due to the actor and writer strike in Hollywood, which is primarily over pay and the potential threat of AI. Some independent films have been given a waiver, including Michael Mann's "Ferrari" which premiered on Thursday, allowing lead actor Adam Driver to attend. But others such as Stone and Bradley Cooper (for his Leonard Bernstein biopic "Maestro") are not coming, costing the studios valuable PR shots of their stars arriving by gondola and working the red carpet. Still to come in Venice are new movies by Sofia Coppola ("Priscilla" about Elvis Presley's wife) and David Fincher ("The Killer" starring Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton). There are also out-of-competition premieres for controversial directors Woody Allen ("Coup de Chance") and Roman Polanski ("The Palace"). The post Emma Stone stars in sex-mad Frankenstein-like tale at Venice appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Study shows rising RE project interest
The local renewable energy sector is expected to further grow as more high-value investors have signified their interest to finance the sector’s development. According to a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis or IEEFA titled “Business Model Innovations Drive the Philippines Energy Transition,” the notably aggressive plans of both the government and the private sector caught foreign investors’ attention. “In terms of how investors view asset values, pure play renewables companies command a valuation premium over utilities having lower levels of renewables in their mix,” Ramnath Iyer, report author and IEEFA’s Climate and Renewable Energy Finance Lead, Asia, said. “Valuation premiums for pure-play renewables companies — as seen in their higher price-to-book ratios, the stronger market valuation of installed capacity, and stock performance over the past five years — suggest that this focus on renewables as a concentrated strategy has paid off.” The report presented the Philippines as home to innovative models in the renewable energy space. The study also highlighted the growing list of the country’s listed renewables developers and operators, including ACEN Corp., Citicore Energy REIT Corp. or CREIT, and Solar Philippines. The IEEFA study particularly noted that investors are willing to reward firms that plan to grow in the field of renewables and can execute their plans, the report finds. Each MW counts For instance, investors value each megawatt or MW of installed capacity at ACEN at P137 million based on the market capitalization and megawatts in operation as of 4 August, and CREIT at P102 million per MW. Meanwhile, non-pure plays First Gen Corporation and Aboitiz Power are valued at only P26.7 million per MW and P73.7 million per MW, respectively. As such, it was notable that both Solar Philippines and ACEN have received significantly higher investor support compared to First Gen and Aboitiz Power, which have underperformed even broader equity benchmarks. Despite this, First Gen had shown a willingness to explore innovative options. To raise capital for growth in renewables, it has a successful track record of partnering with international investors and infrastructure players. Meanwhile, Aboitiz Power remains more heavily geared to coal in the medium term, which makes up more than 60 percent of its mix, and also has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.1 (net) and 1.5 (gross). “Laggards, who stick with fossil fuel assets as their main line of business, will likely continue to see ebbing interest among investors and financial markets unless they can change and adopt some of the more successful strategies,” Iyers noted. Based on the targets set by the DoE, the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix should increase to 35 percent by 2035 and 50 percent by 2040. However, it is still notable that despite an aggressive stance on clean energy utilization, the Philippines still heavily rely on coal. Coal, which is cheaper compared to other forms of power but more detrimental to the environment, is still the highest contributor to the power generation mix at nearly 60 percent. Renewable energy only takes a little over 20 percent of the mix as of end-2022. The post Study shows rising RE project interest appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»