Paramore Live In Manila

Mall of Asia Concert Ground - March 9, 2010 8PM View TicketWorld outlets View seatmap View poster (printable up to A4 size) Ticket Prices: GOLD: PhP 3,950.00 SILVER: PhP 1,550.00 BRONZE: Php 550.00 Prohibited Entry • Pregnant women • Individuals under the influence of drugs or liquor • Persons with severe heart or medical condition Prohibited items inside the venue • Professional audio or video recording devices • Professional Cameras • Weapons • Glass • Cans • Plastic Bottles • Food • Large metal belt buckles • Big posters/placards/signages • Fireworks • Alcoholic beverages • Spiked Bracelets • Wallet chains • Back packs • Waist packs • Laser Pens • Large chains ORGANIZERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ENTRY TO ANYONE NOT COMPLYING WITH ANY REGULATIONS. About the Event: The combination of musical energy between brothers and Hayley`s bold charisma earned them instant attention, particularly from Florida indie Fueled by Ramen, who signed the band and put them to work recording their debut. Says Hayley, "Some of our favorite bands are on Fueled by Ramen. We knew that they would know exactly how to carry out the vision for our band and music." Paramore went into the studio with producers James Wisner (Dashboard Confessional, Further Seems Forever, Underoath) and Mike Green (Yellowcard, The Black Maria) and blew them away with their sincerity and enthusiasm. Related articles and links: PARAMORE: History, influences, discography and interviews. www.paramore.net www.myspace.com/paramore

J.R. Celski

Posted by IndySkye on February 17th, 2010

Despite the fame of Apolo Anton Ohno and the historic nature of his tying or surpassing the record for most medals won by an American Winter Olympian, the short track speedskater at the Vancouver Olympics who was garnering “the buzz” was Apolo’s teammate J.R. Celski. The cute little guy with the powerful legs, and the finesse to place them precisely where need to be in the madcap and bunched up sport of short track, is the sport’s next star. The thing that was giving him buzz this Olympics, even though he is still behind Apolo, is that his success in Vancouver seemed so unlikely (like impossible) only five months before, after a horrific accident in which he sliced his leg to the bone with his own skate.

In was at the U.S. Olympic Trials for short track speedskating in September, 2009, that Celski crashed in the semifinals of the 500m race and cut open his left leg with the sharp blade of his right skate. The cut was 6″ wide and 2″ deep. Celski had to actually pull the blade out his leg, which then started bleeding profusely on to the ice. The cut had gone through the muscle and missed his femoral artery by only about an inch. Seeing what had happened, laying on the ice, Celski first thought that his skating career was over.

Fortunately, after the injury was closed with about 60 stitches, Celski started thinking about recovering and getting back on his feet as soon as possible. He went into rehabilitation under the care of Dr. Eric Heiden, the legendary skater with five gold medals, who is now an orthopedic surgeon. In a month, Celski was able to walk without crutches. By November, he was back on the ice, but it was only two months to the Olympics and he could only skate very carefully and very slowly. Somehow, through miraculous internal drive, Celski used that two months to get back into world-class shape. Not many people could do that after such a terrible injury and in such a short period of time.

Celski had been placed on the U.S. team after the trials, so it was just a matter of him getting better so that he could compete at Vancouver. Once there, most people would consider him a success if he just stayed up with the pack during his events. Amazingly, because of a crash between Korean skaters who outsmarted themselves in their team racing effort, Celski was able to win the bronze medal in the 1500m.

J.R. (John Robert) Celski has shown he can be a star like Apolo on the ice. It was Apolo who actually inspired Celski to get into short track, when Celski watched Apolo compete in the 2002 Winter Olympics. About that J.R. said, “I remember watching [Apolo in the 1500m in 2002], sitting on my living room floor with my mom. And watching him raise his arms in triumph after he won this race. It was the single defining moment that brought me over to short track speedskating. We’re from the same area, we’re training together now, and to be able to be part of this experience is awesome. Just watching [again a video of Apolo winning] made my heart melt.”

EIU ranks the Philippines world’s best in microfinance

Posted on February 17th, 2010 under Biz Progress

[Photo courtesy ADB]

The Economist Intelligence Unit, the business information arm of The Economist Group, has declared the Philippines as the best in the world in terms of its microfinance environment.

The study conducted by the EIU looked at 55 countries and measured each country’s state of regulatory framework, investment climate and institutional development.

“In 2009, the First Annual Global Microfinance Index and Study declared the Philippines as the best in the world in terms of its microfinance regulatory framework,” the study added.

In all, the Philippines ranked third overall worldwide in terms of microfinance business environment.

“Overall, the Philippines ranked third in the world following the usual microfinance leaders — Peru, and Bolivia,” the study stated.

Latest figures show that 214 banks involved in microfinance have outstanding loans of over P6.4 billion to nearly 900,000 microentrepreneurs who have over P1.5 billion in savings.

The BSP was mandated by the General Banking Law in 2000 to recognize microfinance as a legitimate banking activity and to set the rules and regulations for its practice within the banking sector.

The BSP has, since then, institutionalized microfinance within the BSP and has proactively taken significant initiatives to enable the development of sustainable microfinance.

“In the past nine years, the BSP issued 18 circulars and undertaken major activities and initiatives for microfinance. In recent years, the success in microfinance development has paved the way for further efforts to build an inclusive financial system,” the BSP said.

The BSP’s three-pronged program include the provision of policy and regulatory environment, increasing the capacity of the BSP and the banking sector in microfinance, SME, finance operations, and promoting the development of a sound, sustainable and inclusive financial system.

Fil-Am wins bronze in Vancouver Winter Olympics

Posted on February 15th, 2010 under The Good Balita

J.R. Celski [Photo by Matthew Stockman / Getty Images]

J.R. Celski, a young Filipino-American won his first-ever Olympic medal, a bronze in 1500 meter speed skating event in the ongoing Vancouver Winter Olympics in Canada.

Celski born in Monterey, California is the youngest of three brothers. His father is Robert Celski served in the U.S. Army and his mom is a Filipina named Sue.

J.R. when he was young was an ace at in-line skating. His speed and tactics earned him many plaudits in the youth in-line circuit. But it was in 2002 that he watched his idol Apolo Ohno compete at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

As Celski watched Apolo grace the turns, salvage a silver in the 1,000 and skate to gold in the 1,500 meters, it was clear to J.R. that his future lay in short track.

Even though he missed the minimum-age requirment for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin by just over a fortnight, a bronze medal in the 500 meters at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Romania was a sign of things to come.

At the 2009 World Championships in Vienna, Celski skated to gold in the 3,000 meters and also earned another a member of the 5,000 meter relay team. He also cruised to bronze medals in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters.

At the 2009 World Junior Championships in Quebec, J.R. Celski was at it again, earning a gold in the 500 meters and another with the 3,000 meter relay team.

That set things up for the 2010 Winter Olympics Trials in Marquette, Mich. While Celski qualified for the 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters, he was injured in a crash during the semifinals of the 500 meters. A right skate slashed into his left leg.

As he was carried off to the hospital, Celski wondered if he was going to be healed in time to join his mentor Ohno in Vancouver. It turned out that the man upstairs had a plan for the young lion from Monterey.

In heat 3 of the 1,500 meters, Celski finished second to Lee Sung-Su to advance to the semi-finals. And in the semi-finals, Celski was able to just second behind another Korea, Sung Si-Bak, to advance to the final.

However, in the last lap of the 1,500 meters at the Pacific Coliseum, it looked as if the Korea trio of Lee Jung-Su, Sung Si-Bak, and Lee Ho-Suk would make it was 1-2-3 finish for South Korea. And it was a certainty that Celski’s ambition of earning a medal would have to wait.

One must realize, however, that the sport of short track speed skating has a nasty tendency to throw curve balls as a habit. Spills occur. Nothing is certain. An anonymous observer put it simply, “That’s short track.”

Even Celski realized that he was never safe from not staying on his skates during the trials. Thankfully, it was not gonna happen to him tonight.

With Ohno ahead, and both Sung and Lee Ho-Suk behind, the latter two’s skates tangled, allowing Ohno to achieve his personal record for the most medals by an American at a winter Olympic Games.

And it also gave young J.R. Celski, the lion who overcame injury and uncertainty to come to Vancouver, his first-ever Olympic medal.

It was the symbol of six months gone full circle. Celski’s toughness and perseverance allowed him to skate away from pain and tragedy, and into triumph and redemption.

Could J.R. Celski be the next great short track hero from the USA? With the foundation set, and renewed sense of confidence, you’d better believe that when he hits the ice, this rising star with a lion-sized heart is on the prowl and will be hungry for more.

Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics

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Although traditionally associated with cold weather nations, the Winter Olympics have also had participation from several tropical nations. The typical climate of these nations is not conducive to participation in winter sports, and no Winter Olympic medals have ever been won by a tropical nation. Probably because of that, their entries are a subject of human interest stories during the Games.^[1][2][3]

The first participation of a warm weather nation in the Winter Games was Mexico. Much of Mexico is at a latitude north of the Tropic of Cancer, and most of the country has a desert or semi-arid climate, so it is not exclusively a tropical nation. Nonetheless, Mexico made its Winter debut at the 1928 Winter Olympics^[4] with a five-man bobsleigh team that finished eleventh of twenty-three entrants.^[5] Mexico did not return again to the Winter Games until 1984.^[6]

The first truly tropical nation to compete in the Winter Olympic Games is the Philippines, who sent two alpine skiers to the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.^[7] Ben Nanasca placed 42nd in the giant slalom event (out of 73 entrants), but Juan Cipriano did not finish. In the slalom event, neither skier was able to finish. Costa Rica became the second tropical nation to participate at the Winter Games, in 1980 at Lake Placid, New York,^[8] where Arturo Kinch also competed in alpine skiing events. Kinch would continue to compete for Costa Rica at three more Winter Games, including the 2006 Games at age 49. There he finished 96th in the 15 km cross-country skiing event, ahead of only Prawat Nagvajara of Thailand.^[3][9]

The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada attracted a large number of tropical nations, including Costa Rica, Fiji, Guam, Guatemala, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.^[10] The Jamaican Bobsled Team became a fan favorite at these Games^[11] and were later the inspiration behind the 1993 motion picture Cool Runnings.

The 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy marked the Winter Games debut of Ethiopia^[2] and Madagascar,^[12] and the 2010 Games in Vancouver, Canada will see the debut of the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Ghana and Peru.^[13]