The Twilight Saga: Eclipse- First Official Movie Poster Revealed

Summit Entertainment has just released the first official poster for the third film of the Twilight Saga series, Eclipse.

In Eclipse, Bella (Kristen Stewart) is forced to choose between her love for Edward (Robert Pattinson) and her friendship with Jacob (Taylor Lautner) — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf.

Along with director Slade (30 Days and Nights, Hard Candy), several new actors are joining Eclipse including Bryce Dallas Howard as Victoria, Xavier Samuel as Riley, Catalina Sandino Moreno as Maria, Jack Huston as Royce King, Julia Jones as Leah, BooBoo Stewart as Seth, Jodelle Ferland as Bree and Kirsten Prout as Lucy.

Twilight fans don’t need to wait for another year to watch the next installment because Eclipse will be released on June 30, 2010. That’s [only] 7 months from now!

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Disposal of Old Computer Equipment

Most of the environmental concerns with computers lie with the monitor, specifically its cathode ray tube (CRT). Each color monitor contains, on average, four to five pounds of lead, considered hazardous waste when disposed of, according to EPA standards. Computers also contain other hazardous materials, including mercury, cadmium (a known carcinogen), and hexavalent chromium (shown to cause high blood pressure, iron-poor blood, liver disease, and nerve and brain damage in animals). The Utah Department of Environmental Quality estimates that 314 million computers will be thrown away by the end of 2004, containing 1.2 billion pounds of lead, 2 million pounds of cadmium, 1.2 million pounds of hexavalent chromium, and 400,000 pounds of mercury.

Imagine a worst-case scenario: Groundwater near a landfill becomes contaminated. In a search for potentially responsible parties, a company that had disposed of computers at the site (identified by a control tag or manufacturer’s number) could be subject to potentially costly criminal and civil litigation (i.e., SARA, formerly CERCLA, litigation). All of this could happen even if the organization had donated the equipment to a charity or paid a company to recycle it.

Regardless of how old computers are disposed of, there are several important steps to take before handing them over. First, remove the hard drive or reformat it. Simply deleting files does not prevent them from being recovered from the hard drive; sometimes, files can even be retrieved from reformatted drives. Next, evaluate software license agreements to determine if they preclude transfer of the software along with the computer.

It is important to remove all company insignia and inventory control tags from computers to be disposed of. Removing company insignia and control tags can hamper hackers from identifying to which company any recovered information belongs.

If possible, have the recipient of the used computer equipment sign an agreement accepting responsibility for its proper disposal. This is necessary whether it is sold, given to an employee, or donated. In the event of future litigation, this documentation supports the position that the recipient has accepted responsibility for the equipment’s disposal.

Recycling companies should also provide written documentation of the proper disposal of computer equipment. If a recycling company cannot or will not provide such documentation, this could be a sign that it is not a reputable company. Finally, a written record of all disposed-of computers should track the serial number, description, method of disposal, and date of disposal. This information should be kept with all other documentation regarding computer disposal.

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Mindanao Power Shortage Worsens

Luzon was spared from rotating brownouts after several power plants were able to reconnect to the grid. Mindanao’s power shortage, however, continued to deteriorate.

Data from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) showed that Mindanao’s power generation deficiency has grown to 578 megawatts from around 350 megawatts a week ago. Peak demand from the region was recorded at 1,400 megawatts, meaning supply was only able to power up nearly half of Mindanao’s electricity use.

The severe power-generation deficiency in the region was attributed mainly to limited available capacities of hydroelectric power plants, most of which have water reservoirs that are drying up because of the El Niño weather phenomenon. Historically, hydro facilities generate more than half of Mindanao’s power supply.

In particular, state-owned National Power Corp.’s (Napocor) Agus hydroelectric power plant has a total available capacity of only 110 megawatts out of its total rated capacity of 727 megawatts. The Pulangi hydro plant, also owned by Napocor, is running at only 30 megawatts out of a total rated capacity of 255 megawatts.

But because of its reliance on hydroelectric facilities, industry officials said that Mindanao may be hard-pressed to improve its supply situation even if the dry spell abates.

“Even if the water levels at the Agus complex and the Pulangi hydro plant are brought back to normal, we will still experience power outages in Mindanao, especially in the South,” said Joseph Nocos, the vice president of Conal Holdings Corp., which is putting up a 200-megawatt coal plant in Maasim, Sarangani.

Reposted from The ManilaTimes.net

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Maryknoll School of Lupon Celebrates 50th Founding Anniversary

THEME: "50 YEARS OF QUALITY CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FOR MEN OF ACTION AND FAITH AT MARYKNOLL SCHOOL OF LUPON"

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Bongbong Marcos is wrong on Edsa victory

by: Bejamin Pimental
Reposted from Inquirer.net

Looking back, so many things could have gone wrong on Edsa during those four days in February 1986. I remember how spooked we all were when helicopters suddenly roared overhead, thinking Marcos had sent them to attack us—only to find out that they were military officers defecting to the pro-democracy camp.

The uprising could have turned into a bloody tragedy. And to be sure, there were close calls, including the now-famous face-off between protesters, led by nuns, and soldiers backed up by armored personnel carriers.

But incredibly, perhaps miraculously, the ranks of the forces opposed to the dictator held.

Nearly a quarter of a century later, I actually don’t recall feeling afraid during those sleepless four days. Worried at times, yes. But as the saying goes, “Fear is contagious, but courage even more.”

For that was truly a genuine moment of courage for hundreds of thousands of Filipinos. Not the swashbuckling, macho type of courage. But something deeper, more deeply-rooted—the courage of a people willing to stick together and face whatever a bully had to offer.

It’s fashionable nowadays to lament that the changes many Filipinos expected from Edsa never materialized. The country has continued to reel from poverty and mind-boggling inequality. The political system is mired in debilitating corruption, driven to paralysis by one of the most shortsighted and greediest elite classes in Southeast Asia. Disillusionment with government, and with politicians, is widespread.

People have reason to complain, to become discouraged, even disgusted with those who took over after we kicked the dictator out. There are so many things that still need to change.

Partly because of all these, I was actually going to just let the Edsa anniversary pass without any comment.

But then comes the late dictator’s son, now vying to be senator, publicly proclaiming Edsa a “failure”

“My family and I could accept Edsa 1, but if there have not been any changes and the Filipino people continue to be poor, I’m sorry to say but I cannot accept it,” Bongbong Marcos has been quoted as saying.

Now I may be somewhat sympathetic to someone who denigrates a historic uprising that unceremoniously booted him and his family out of the country.

But we simply can’t let a statement like that stand without challenging it. In any case, Marcos Junior may have just done us a big favor. He just reminded us why Edsa was a good thing, and why we should continue to celebrate it.

Reason No. 1: We were able to kick out a dictator!

Edsa put an end to a 21-year nightmare when a bully and his cronies ran amuck in our country.

It put an end to a time when Filipinos were constantly afraid of saying or doing anything that may offend the regime—and that actually was seen as normal.

It put an end to a time when political leaders and their families could amass unexplained wealth, and that was considered just part of being in power.

Sure, there’s still fear, corruption, and political abuse. But only a fool, or a crook who cashed in during the time of dictatorship, would argue that the Philippines would be better off being run by a bully who thought he had the right to stay in power forever.

In any society, there will always be issues that were once debated heatedly, but which have been put to rest.

That’s true in America where people once debated, and even fought a war over, such issues as whether citizens should have the right to own slaves, or whether women and minorities should have the right to vote or hold public office.

That’s also been true in the Philippines.

And I’d argue that Edsa should put to rest at least one important issue. The uprising must serve as powerful reminder of the most important lesson from the Marcos nightmare: That dictatorship is wrong. That one-man rule—or one-party rule—should be rejected, and never, ever be accepted as a way to run a country.

There may be many debates on other issues—over the best form of government, or the right balance between development and environmental protection, or the most effective way to fix the economy.

But the key lesson of Edsa should not be obscured by the myriad of problems the Philippines is struggling with at present.

It would have been great if Edsa had led to the dramatic eradication of poverty in our country, or the steady dismantling of oppressive structures in society. But, during those four days, the chief goal, the main aim of the Filipinos who came out during those four days to defy Marcos was to get rid of a dictator.

And guess what, Mr. Marcos—They did it.

So Marcos Junior is wrong. Edsa did not fail. It was a resounding success because it accomplished an objective that many Filipinos actually believed could never be reached.

Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos acting as one defeated a bully.

That’s a victory still worth celebrating, worth remembering every year, and telling our children and grandchildren, so that we can, at least, put that issue to rest forever, and move on to the other important problems.

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