Happy Feet the penguin starts long journey home (Video)

Happy Feet, the lost emperor penguin who won the hearts of many people from all over the world, has been released Sunday after months of rehabilitation at the Wellington Zoo in New Zealand. Check out a video of the release of Happy Feet the penguin below:

Happy Feet penguin starts his swim home | Video courtesy of ITN News

On June 20, Happy Feet was found on a New Zealand beach, nearly 4,000 miles from his home in Antartica.

He was sent to Wellington Zoo where he underwent three surgeries to remove stones and sticks from his stomach.

Regaining 18 pounds of weight after the medical procedures, Happy Feet was finally cleared for release over the weekend.

"It's very exciting for me to get him to this point where we can release him," zoo veterinarian Lisa Argilla told ABC News.

According to a CBS report, the release which happened on Sunday "went remarkably smoothly, given that the boat was being tossed about in 25-foot swells in the unforgiving Antarctic ocean."

A GPS tracker has been fitted to the penguin and fans can follow his progress online via the Zoo's website.

Four-day workweek or 10-hour workday proposed in the Philippines

Four-day workweek proposed in the Philippines

A 10-hour workday or a 4-day workweek (10/4 formula) is now being proposed in the Philippine Congress.

Titled “Four-Day Work Week Act of 2011,” the proposal said the traditional 40 hours of work per week will still be implemented only that employees in both public and private sectors are to work for 10 hours per day instead of 8 hours and thus cutting the number of workdays per week to 4.

“It will still be 40 hours a week, but the work schedule will run from Monday to Thursday instead of until Friday. Public- and private-sector employees will put in two additional hours of work daily,” Quezon City representative Winston Castelo, its author, told ABS-CBN

The Congressman said the 10/4 formula will allow workers to save more money.

“If a worker in Metro Manila spends P200 a day in transport fare, food and snacks, and other expenses in going to work—or P1,000 every week, the 10/4 workweek will mean a savings of P200 per week. For workers in the provinces, who spend an average of P100 a day, the weekly savings can reach P100,” Castelo said.

Castelo added that the new formula will help workers become more productive and increase their morale.

“In the end, the 10/4 workweek can provide a positive impact on the worker’s morale and productivity in the workplace,” Castelo said.

According to Castelo, the 10/4 workweek has been enforced at the House of Representatives.

“Employees at the House of Representatives start at 8 a.m. and end up at 7 p.m. for a total of 10 hours of work every day. Yet service and productivity is never compromised by the shorter workweek and longer weekend,” Castelo said.

In the US, the state of Utah had experimented on the 10/4 schedule for a year which resulted to the following:

--13% reduction in energy use,
--$6 million savings in gasoline costs, and
--12,000 metric tons a year cut on greenhouse-gas emissions

Eighty-two percent (82%) also favored in keeping the schedule.

Meanwhile, another US state Ohio, which also tried out the formula, went back to the 5-day schedule after complaints about a lack of service on Fridays.

What do you think? Do you favor the four-day workweek schedule?

Tropical Storm Lee weakens but still expected to cause flooding

Tropical Storm Lee, September 5, 2011 NASA image

Tropical Storm Lee has been downgraded to a tropical depression but it is still expected to cause flooding, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Monday.

According to the bulletin issued by the NHC at 10:00 a.m. CDT, "the remnants of Lee are expected to cause flooding from the Gulf Coast states to New England."

The NHC has hoisted Flash Flood Watches and Warnings from the Central Gulf Coast states, Northeastward across the Southern and Central Appalachians.

"Lee was last located near latitude 30.5 N and longitude 89.9 W. It has become extratropical over Southern Louisiana as it merged with a frontal zone with cool and dry air infiltrating the circulation center from the North and West. The extratropical low center is expected to turn towards the Northeast, bringing the center into Alabama by Monday night. Tropical moisture associated with the remnants of Lee will continue to interact with the frontal zone and extremely heavy rain is expected to fall in locations well in advance of the circulation center." the NHC bulletin reads.

Tropical Storm Lee was the twelfth named storm and thirteenth system overall of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, developing from a broad tropical disturbance over the Gulf on September 1. It was designated as Tropical Storm Lee the next day. Due to the large size, as well as the slow forward movement of the storm, heavy rainfall has occurred, and prolonged rainfall is expected in the southern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle. The storm was expected to drop 10–15 inches (250–380 mm) of rain in coastal areas of those states, or as much as 20 inches (510 mm) in some areas. Lee was the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in Louisiana since Hurricane Gustav in 2008.

Vanautu Earthquake, September 4, 2011: Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Tanna

Vanautu Earthquake Map, September 4, 2011

A powerful earthquake has struck the South Pacific island of Vanuatu on Sunday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

According to the USGS, the quake measured 7.0 magnitude on the Richter Scale and was 132.4 km (82.3 miles) deep. It centered at 122 km (75 miles) SSE of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu and jolted the area at 09:55:36 AM on September 24, 2011 (Vanuatu Time).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake did not generate a destructive tsunami.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the Vanautu quake.

Vanuatu sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", an geographic zone where seismic activities are frequently experienced.

Eiffel Tower gets struck by lightning, caught on photo

Eiffel Tower struck by lightning |  Caters

Eiffel Tower, France's most popular landmark, was photographed being struck by a huge lighting bolt last summer.

The astounding photo of the Eiffel Tower, which was captured by an amateur photographer named Bertrand Kulik, made its way online after it was published in a French magazine recently, creating some buzz in social media sites.

The said photo is currently going viral in the internet. In fact, "Eiffel Tower" trended on Twitter yesterday and as well as on Yahoo! Philippines, today.

"The weather was dry and the sky appeared to be completely clear, but suddenly it started to thunder. I quickly grabbed my ­camera and put it on a tripod by the window in the hope I could get an action picture – but I never thought I would get such a ­magnificent shot," Kulik told British news website Daily Mail.

Standing very tall at 1,063ft, it is no surprise that the Eiffel Tower gets struck by thunderbolts occasionally. It is not often that someone catches it on photos, though.

Alaska Earthquake 2011: Magnitude 6.8 quake jolts Alaska

Alaska Earthquake Map, September 2, 2011 | USGS

A major earthquake with a preliminary measurement of magnitude 7.1 has jolted the remote portions of Alaska, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported Friday.

The USGS issued, then later canceled, a tsunami warning and also lowered the magnitude to 6.8.

The quake centered at 45 km (27 miles) Southwest of Amukta Island, Alaska, approximately half-way between Atka and Nikolski. The 35.5 km deep temblor hit the area at 10:55 UTC (01:55 AM, local time).

Almost half an hour later, an aftershock which measured 4.5 occurred, the USGS said. Earlier reports had it much closer to the surface.

There were no reports of damage or injuries from the quakes.

According to an Alaska Native News report, the area frequently experiences earthquakes "every day, although a majority of them have a magnitude less than this."

"There have been numerous earthquakes in the Alaska region in the past week with a majority of the larger ones taking place off-shore of Kodiak Island far out to sea. The last comparable earthquake of similar size occurred on June 23, 2011, at shortly after 6 in the evening and was located in approximately in the same place. It measured 7.2," the report added.

Cebu Pacific 'Piso Fare' ends today

Cebu Pacific announced a seat sale yesterday wherein base fares for all domestic flights scheduled on December 1, 2011 to January 31, 2012 were all set to Php1. The said "Piso Fare" seat sale will end today, August 30, 2011.

Cebu Pacific Piso Fare 2011

To book a flight, please visit the Cebu Pacific website: www.cebupacificair.com.

Here are more details about the promo:

--Domestic Seat Sale
--Pick your favourite seat from as low as P200
--Supersize your baggage! Pre-book and SAVE up to 50%
--Get insured in travel insurance.
--Choose from available domestic and international rooms with Hotels
--Get exclusive deals! Sign up for SeatSaleAlert!.
--Sale Period: Up to Aug. 30, 2011 or until seats last
--Travel Period: Dec. 1, 2011 - Jan. 31, 2012
--Quoted fares are one way. Limited availability. Fares are non-refundable.
--Fares are exclusive of government fees, taxes and fuel surcharges.
--Flight changes must be made more than 24 hours before scheduled time of departure.
--At time of booking, pre-purchase your baggage allowance to save time and money at check-in.
--CAB approved terms and conditions of carriage apply and are available online.

Bird Flu is back, mutant strain spreading: UN

Bird Flu resurgence feared

Bird Flu or the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 cases are on the rise again and the possibility of a major resurgence is being feared. These prompted the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to advise health authorities around the world to step up surveillance and readiness.

"Wild birds may introduce the virus, but people's actions in poultry production and marketing spread it," said Juan Lubroth, the chief veterinary officer of FAO.

Lubroth added, "The general departure from the progressive decline in 2004-08 could mean that there will be a flare-up of H5N1 this autumn and winter, with people unexpectedly finding the virus in their backyard."

Since 2003, there have been 565 individuals reported to have contracted Bird Flu. According to the UN, at least 331 of them died.

Because of the Bird Flu, more than 400 million domestic poultry have been destroyed since 2003, damaging $20 billion to world's economies before bird flu was supposedly eradicated from the majority of the 63 nations infected in 2006 (bird flu peak).

However, H5N1 has continued to be endemic in six countries - Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Egypt, China and Bangladesh.

The number of domestic and wild birds infected fell from 4000 in 2006 to 302 in 2008. However, over the last twenty-four months, numbers have been steadily rising. 800 cases were reported in 2010-2011.

A mutant strain of the deadly Bird Flu is reportedly spreading in Asia and other parts of the world. The FAO has described its risks to the human health as "unpredictable."

At least eight people have reportedly died of Bird Flu in Cambodia this year. 

'Bromance', 'social media', 'tweet' added to Merriam-Webster dictionary

"Bromance," "social media," "tweet" and over 150 more new words have been added to the pages of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.



In a statement, Merriam-Webster's Editor at Large Peter Sokolowski said, "From the dramatic events of the Arab Spring to the scandal that brought down Congressman Anthony Weiner, tweet is a word that has been part of the story."



"We've been tracking words like social media and tweet for years, of course, and now we feel their meanings have stabilized enough to include them in the dictionary," he added.



Some of the words that also made it to the dictionary include the following:



Americana -- "a genre of American music having roots in early folk and country music"

boomerang child -- "a young adult who returns to live at his or her family home especially for financial reasons"

bromance -- "a close nonsexual friendship between men"

cougar -- "a middle-aged woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger man"

crowdsourcing -- "the practice of obtaining information from a large group of people who contribute online"

duathlon -- "a three-part long-distance race with a running phase, a bicycling phase, and a final running phase"

first bump -- "a gesture in which two people bump their fists together"

helicopter parent -- "a parent who is overly involved in the life of his or her child"

m-commerce -- "a business transaction conducted using a mobile electronic device"

parkour -- "rapid and efficient running, climbing, or leaping over environmental obstacles"

robocall -- "a telephone call from an automated source that delivers a prerecorded message to a large number of people"

walk-off -- "ending a baseball game immediately by causing the winning run to score for the home team in the bottom of the last inning"



Earlier this month, Oxford Dictionary also released the list of new words that included "cyberbullying," "retweet" and "sexting" among others.

Earthquake in the Philippines, August 25, 2011 | 4.5-magnitude quake jolts Panay

A tectonic earthquake which registered a Richter Scale reading of magnitude 4.5 struck Panay Thursday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

The red dot marks the epicenter of the August 25, 2011 Panay earthquake | Source: Phivolcs

According to Phivolcs, the quake centered at San Jose de Buenavista, Antique and has a depth of 16 kilometers.



The temblor was felt at the following intensities in the following areas:



Intensity IV - Valderrama, Antique



Intensity III - San Jose de Buenavista, Hamtic, Barbaza, Sebaste, Sibalom, Pandan, Culasi & Libertad Antique; Iloilo City



Intensity II - Bingawan, New Lucena, Oton, Leon, (Iloilo); Lezo, New Washington, Kalibo & Malay, (Aklan)



The were no immediate reports of damage to property or casualities from the quake.



Meanwhile, here are the Phivolcs description of the intensities above :



Intensity IV (Moderately Strong) - Felt generally by people indoors and by some people outdoors. Light sleepers are awakened. Vibration is felt like a passing of heavy truck. Hanging objects swing considerably. Dinner, plates, glasses, windows and doors rattle. Floors and walls of wood framed buildings creak. Standing motor cars may rock slightly. Liquids in containers are slightly disturbed. Water in containers oscillate strongly. Rumbling sound may sometimes be heard.



Intensity III (Weak) - Felt by many people indoors especially in upper floors of buildings. Vibration is felt like one passing of a light truck. Dizziness and nausea are experienced by some people. Hanging objects swing moderately. Still water in containers oscillates moderately.



Intensity II (Slightly Felt) - Felt by few individuals at rest indoors. Hanging objects swing slightly. Still Water in containers oscillates noticeably.

Bank of America 'most systematically risky' among major banks: NYU professor

Bank of America is the most vulnerable and the most "systematically risky" of the major banks in the US, NYU finance professor Viral Acharya told Yahoo Finance. According to him, Bank of America will need more capital under some economic scenarios. He added that it is necessary for the government to analyze its books, perform another round of stress-tests, and, if needed, re-capitalize it.



Check out the video Acharya's Yahoo Finance interview below:

Ipo-ipo (Twister) in Surigao caught on cam | Video

An amateur video captures a twister, locally known as "ipo-ipo" or "buhawi," as it strikes off the shore of UM Tagago, Lianga, Surigao Del Sur.

A screen grap of the Surigao tornado video

The incident reportedly happened at around 3 p.m. last Sunday. The said video was then uploaded on Youtube. Check it out below:

Surigao Ipo-ipo caught on cam | Video courtesy of "markey7137"

A tornado over water is called a waterspout. It is characterized by a spiraling funnel-shaped wind current, connecting to a large cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud. Waterspouts frequently occur in tropical areas near the equator.

5.8-magnitude earthquake jolts Virginia, USA on August 23, 2011

Just hours after the Colorado earthquake, another temblor struck a US state Tuesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

A map of the August 23, 2011 Virginia Earthquake | Source: USGS

According to its bulletin, the quake measured a Richter Scale reading of magnitude 5.8 (earlier reported to be 5.9) and had an epicenter located 14 km (9 miles) South Southwest of Mineral, Virgina at 17:51:04 UTC at a depth of 6 km (3.7 miles).

The intraplate earthquake reportedly was the strongest in Virginia's recorded history since 1897. It was felt as far away as Ontario, Canada; Michigan; Pennsylvania; Ohio; South Carolina; North Carolina; New York and Massachusetts. Many buildings were evacuated in New York and Philadelphia including the Capitol building and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

There are also reports that it damaged the Pentagon, Washington National Cathedral and the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

A couple of airports were temporarily closed and two nuclear plants in Virginia were taken offline because of the quake.

There were no reports of casualties.

Best Places To Live In America 2011 List

Planning to migrate to the United States? Have you decided on where to reside in America? You might consider this "America's Best Places To Live 2011" list by CNN Money which ranks various towns in America based on job opportunities, fiscal strength, top-notch schools, safe streets, good healthcare, cultural and outdoor activities, even nice weather.

Louisville, Colorado tops this year's list of CNN's "Best Places to Live in America" | Photo courtesy of city-data.com

Here's CNN Money's "Best Places To Live In America 2011" list:



1. Louisville, CO

2. Milton, MA

3. Solon, OH

4. Leesburg, VA

5. Papillion, NE

6. Hanover, NH

7. Liberty, MO

8. Middleton, WI

9. Mukilteo, WA

10. Chanhassen, MN

11. Sharon, MA

12. Farmington, UT

13. Johnston, IA

14. Arden Hills, MN

15. Sammamish, WA

16. Acton, MA

17. Montville, NJ

18. Newcastle, WA

19. Castle Rock, CO

20. Superior, CO



You can read info about the towns and the rest of the places included in the list here: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2011/snapshots/PL0846355.html?iid=Lead

August 30 holiday declared | End of Ramadan 2011

It's official. August 30 is the Eid'l Fitr holiday for this year!

August 30, 2011 | Eid'l Fitr, End of Ramadan Holiday 2011

The President has signed Proclamation No. 234 declaring August 30, 2011 (Tuesday) a regular holiday nationwide in observance of a Muslim holiday which marks the end Ramadan, the Eid'l Fitr.

It is going to be a long break during the said week since the National Heroes Day will also be celebrated on August 29th (Monday), another regular holiday.

Check out below the full text of the Eid'l Fitr holiday proclamation:

MALACAÑAN PALACE

MANILA

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROCLAMATION NO. 234

DECLARING TUESDAY, 30 AUGUST 2011, AS A REGULAR HOLIDAY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IN OBSERVANCE OF EID’L FITR (FEAST OF RAMADHAN)

WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 9177 declared Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Ramadhan) as a regular holiday throughout the country;

WHEREAS, Eid’l Fitr is celebrated by the Muslim World for three (3) days after the end of the month of fasting;

WHEREAS, to promote cultural understanding and integration, the entire Filipino nation should have the full opportunity to join their Muslim brothers and sisters in the observance and celebration of Eid’l Fitr,

WHEREAS, in order to bring the religious and cultural significance of the Eid’l Fitr to the fore of national consciousness, it is necessary to declare Tuesday, 30 August 2011, as a regular holiday throughout the country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare Tuesday, 30 August 2011, as a regular holiday throughout the country in observance of Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Ramadhan). The Eid’l Fitrprayer shall depend on the result of the Niyata or moon-sighting activity on the 29th day of Ramadhan 1432H, corresponding to 29 August 2011.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.



Done in the City of Manila, this 11th day of August, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Eleven.

(Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III

By the President:

(Sgd) PAQUITO N. OCHOA, JR.

Executive Secretary

Father poisons 3 sons in CDO

A man in Cagayan de Oro City reportedly added a rat poison into the chocolate drink he prepared and served it to his three sons aged one to five.

Citing a dzXL radio report, GMA News said the kids have been brought to a local hospital by their aunt after seen manifesting symptoms of poisoning such as vomiting and paleness. They are now under observation.

According to the report, the father also drank the tainted drink. The man and his wife, who is based in Manila, reportedly argue often about financial matters over the phone.



Update: One of the children has died.



According to an ABS-CBN Cagayan de Oro report, the man learned about his wife having an affair with someone else in Manila. A relative is convinced that the man intended to poison his kids.

Flash mobs turn into crime mobs

Flash mobs , the gathering of people summoned (as by e-mail, text message, or social media sites) to a designated location at a specified time to perform an indicated action before dispersing, have now been used as vehicles for crimes such as looting and violence, according to reports.



With the advent of technology, criminal flash mobs are said to be more easy to organize and thus becoming rampant.

In this typical flash mob, a large group of geeks gathered at a mall in Bristol, U.K. in 2010 to enjoy an epic light saber battle which amused shoppers. Nobody is supposed to be hurt.

The most recent reported crime mob occurred in Los Angeles just last Friday. A rapper named The Game was identified by the Los Angeles County sheriff's department as the one who incited a telephone flash mob that overwhelmed the emergency phone system.



The rapper reportedly told his 580,000 followers to call the number (Compton station's hotline number) he tweeted if they wanted an internship with him.



Sheriff's Lt. Suzan Young told Associated Press that "the phones started ringing like crazy" around 5:20 p.m. The phone lines were said to be jammed for a couple hours.



The Game could face criminal charges, according to the report.



A more severe crime mob happened more than a month ago. On June 7, 2011, fifteen (15) teens reportedly stormed Chicago Transit Authority buses in two separate events, attacking their victims and darted off with electronic devices. Five (5) teens were nabbed by the police while the other members were still being identified and investigated.



For more crime mob stories please proceed HERE.

Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 13th

The Perseid meteor shower, said to be the largest meteor display of the year, will be observed with its peak in the early morning hours on August 13, 2011, the PAGASA said.

Perseids meteor shower 2010 | Video courtesy of "meteorlog"

According to Wikipedia, during the peak, the rate of meteors reaches 60 or more per hour. They can be seen all across the sky, but because of the path of Swift-Tuttle's orbit, Perseids are primarily visible in the northern hemisphere. As with all meteor showers, the rate is greatest in the pre-dawn hours, since the side of the Earth nearest to turning into the sun scoops up more meteors as the Earth moves through space.



The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year and is visible starting mid-July. It peaks on August 9 and 14, depending on the particular location of the stream.

Earthquake in the Philippines, August 11, 2011: Magnitude 5.4 quake rocks Luzon

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake has struck northern Luzon Thursday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

The red dot marks the epicenter of the August 11 quake | Courtesy of Phivolcs

The tectonic quake hit its epicenter, 37 km Southwest of Calayan, Cagayan, at 10:59 a.m. It has a depth of 16 km and was felt at the following intensities in the following areas:



Intensity IV - Calayan, Cagayan

Intensity III - Sanchez Mira, Cagayan

Intensity II - Pasuquin and Laoag, Ilocos Norte



The Philvolcs said it is expecting aftershocks from the temblor.



There have been no initial reports of damage from the quake.

Renana, a rare sand cat, born at a zoo in Israel

After 9 weeks of gestation, a rare baby sand cat named Renana was born at Ramat Gan Safari near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday.

A video of Renana and her mother Rotem

According to Sagit Horowitz, the safari zoo's spokesperson, it is their first successful Sand Cat birth. The kitten is hoped to be included in the Israel's Sand Cat Breeding Program in order to help reintroduce the species into the wild.