MikeLigalig.com

Controlling Silicon Evaporation Improves Quality of Graphene

Georgia Tech scientists have for the first time provided details of their "confinement controlled sublimation" technique for growing high-quality layers of epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide wafers.

Source: Controlling Silicon Evaporation Improves Quality of Graphene

Devices Based on Piezoelectric Nanowires Create New Form of Memory

Taking advantage of the unique properties of zinc oxide nanowires, researchers have demonstrated a new type of piezoelectric resistive switching device in which the write-read access of memory cells is controlled by electromechanical modulation.

Source: Devices Based on Piezoelectric Nanowires Create New Form of Memory

Heated AFM Tip Draws Ferroelectric Nanostructures Directly on Plastic

Using a technique known as thermochemical nanolithography (TCNL), researchers are fabricating nanometer-scale ferroelectric structures directly on flexible plastic substrates that would be unable to withstand the processing temperatures normally required to create such structures.

Source: Heated AFM Tip Draws Ferroelectric Nanostructures Directly on Plastic

Scientists Discover Dielectron Charging of Water Nano-droplets

Scientists have discovered fundamental steps of charging of nano-sized
water droplets and unveiled the long-sought-after mechanism of hydrogen
emission from irradiated water. 

Source: Scientists Discover Dielectron Charging of Water Nano-droplets

New Microspectrometer Design Achieves High Resolution, Wide Bandwidth

Georgia Tech electrical engineers have designed a new microspectrometer architecture using compact doughnut-shaped resonators that achieves high resolution and wide bandwidth.

Source: New Microspectrometer Design Achieves High Resolution, Wide Bandwidth

Astrophysicists Use X-ray Fingerprints to Study Massive Black Holes

By studying the X-rays emitted when superheated gases plunge into massive black holes, astrophysicists have provided an important test of a long-standing theory that describes the extreme physics occurring when matter spirals into these massive objects.

Source: Astrophysicists Use X-ray Fingerprints to Study Massive Black Holes

Flower-Like Defects May Help Graphene Respond to Stress

In a new study, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have described a family of seven potential defect structures that may appear in sheets of graphene.

Source: Flower-Like Defects May Help Graphene Respond to Stress

A Tiltable Head Could Improve Robot Navigation of Disaster Debris

Researchers built a robot that can penetrate and "swim" through granular material. In this study, they show that by varying the shape of the robot's head or by tilting it up or down, they can control the robot's vertical movement in complex environments.

Source: A Tiltable Head Could Improve Robot Navigation of Disaster Debris

Radar Shows Promise for Detecting Concussions in Athletes and Soldiers

GTRI researchers are developing a radar technique they hope will allow them to quickly screen individuals to determine if they have suffered an impairment such as concussion.

Source: Radar Shows Promise for Detecting Concussions in Athletes and Soldiers

Scientists Finely Control Methane Combustion to Get Different Products

Scientists have discovered a method to control
the gas-phase selective catalytic combustion of methane, so finely that if done
at room temperature the reaction produces ethylene, while at lower temperatures
it yields formaldehyde.

Source: Scientists Finely Control Methane Combustion to Get Different Products

Technique Produces Graphene Nanoribbons with Metallic Properties

A new "templated growth" technique for fabricating nanoribbons of epitaxial graphene has produced structures just 15 to 40 nanometers wide that conduct current with almost no resistance.  These structures could address the challenge of connecting graphene devices.

Source: Technique Produces Graphene Nanoribbons with Metallic Properties

Two Engineering Faculty Promoted to SPIE Fellows

ECE faculty members Ali Adibi and Thomas K. Gaylord have been promoted to the rank of SPIE Fellow.

Source: Two Engineering Faculty Promoted to SPIE Fellows

Georgia Tech Faculty Takes Three Sloan Fellowships

Faculty from the Colleges of
Sciences and Computing are honored as outstanding researchers.

Source: Georgia Tech Faculty Takes Three Sloan Fellowships

LCD Projector Used to Control Brains & Muscles of Tiny Organisms

Researchers are using LCD projectors to control the brains & muscles of tiny organisms, including freely moving worms. This technology advances the field of optogenetics, which has given researchers unparalleled control over brain circuits in lab animals.

Source: LCD Projector Used to Control Brains & Muscles of Tiny Organisms

Expitaxial Graphene Shows Promise for Replacing Silicon in Electronics

Georgia Tech has become a leader in developing epitaxial graphene, a material that can be grown on large wafers and patterned for use in electronics manufacturing. In a recent paper, Georgia Tech researchers reported fabricating an array of 10,000 top-gated transistors on a 0.24 square centimeter chip.

Source: Expitaxial Graphene Shows Promise for Replacing Silicon in Electronics

GT Startup Reaches $30,000 Fundraising Goal



Source: GT Startup Reaches $30,000 Fundraising Goal

Constructing A More Diverse Board of Directors: A Guide to Achieving Diversity

In today?s globally competitive marketplaces, businesses are looking for any and every advantage over their competitors. According to Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business Professor Seletha Butler?s article, All on Board! Strategies for Constructing Diverse Boards of Directors, published recently in the Virginia Law & Business Review, the board of directors of companies should be more inclusive, reflecting  ?the demographics and composition of the global marketplace that the companies serve.?

Source: Constructing A More Diverse Board of Directors: A Guide to Achieving Diversity

NSF Selects Georgia Tech to Expand its Innovation Corps

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced that the Georgia Institute of Technology will be a founding network node for its Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, which aims to develop scientific and engineering discoveries into useful technologies, products and processes.

Source: NSF Selects Georgia Tech to Expand its Innovation Corps

Georgia Tech Startup Secures Department of Defense Funding for Development of Cell Delivery Technology

Georgia Tech startup SpherIngenics is using microbead technology to produce protective capsules for the delivery of cell-based therapies. The technology provides an efficient, safe and repeatable delivery method that protects cells from death and migration from the treatment site. 

Source: Georgia Tech Startup Secures Department of Defense Funding for Development of Cell Delivery Technology

Georgia Tech Launches HomeLab to Help Companies Evaluate In-Home Use of Emerging Health Technologies

To help companies evaluate baby boomers? perceptions, use and acceptance of home health and wellness technologies, Georgia Tech has launched HomeLab. HomeLab is a statewide network of adults 50 years of age and older recruited to evaluate the in-home usability and effectiveness of consumer products designed for the aging adult population.

Source: Georgia Tech Launches HomeLab to Help Companies Evaluate In-Home Use of Emerging Health Technologies

Female Student Co-Founded Lifestyle Magazine

Three college students, including Georgia Tech?s own Paris Rouzati, created Sweet Lemon Magazine.

Source: Female Student Co-Founded Lifestyle Magazine

Environmental Technology Wins Ideas to SERVE

Mekong Green Tech's technology to clean up rural Vietnam's rural brick-making industry won first place in the 2012 Ideas to SERVE (I2S) Competition at Georgia Tech College of Management.

Source: Environmental Technology Wins Ideas to SERVE

Dare to Care: Learn about Business Concepts for Improving World in I2S Competition

Interested in innovative business concepts that could help improve society or preserve the environment? Then you're welcome to attend the poster showcase and reception of the fourth annual Ideas to SERVE (I2S) Competition at 6 p.m. Monday April 2.

Source: Dare to Care: Learn about Business Concepts for Improving World in I2S Competition

Plate Size, Color Can Lead People to Over-serve Food

With the holiday season upon us ? and all the festive food it brings ?
people should know that the color contrast between dinnerware and what's
 placed on top can affect how much we serve ourselves and consume,
according a Georgia Tech College of Management researcher.

Source: Plate Size, Color Can Lead People to Over-serve Food

FDA Grant Launches Atlanta Pediatric Device Consortium

A two-year, $1.8 million grant from the Food and Drug Administration will launch the new Atlanta Pediatric Device Consortium and foster the development of medical devices for children.

Source: FDA Grant Launches Atlanta Pediatric Device Consortium

Company Uses Georgia Tech Innovation to Improve Transaction Security

An Atlanta-based company is taking advantage of the basic laws of physics -- and a Georgia Tech innovation -- to provide protection for financial transactions that use the "digital wallet" technology now under development.

Source: Company Uses Georgia Tech Innovation to Improve Transaction Security

Former Head of Cancer Coalition to Join Georgia Tech Faculty

Bill Todd, president and CEO of the Georgia
Cancer Coalition since 2003, will join the faculty of Georgia Tech?s College of
Management.

Source: Former Head of Cancer Coalition to Join Georgia Tech Faculty

LiquidText Software Supports Active Reading with Fingertip Gestures

Georgia Tech College of Computing researchers have developed innovative software for active reading, an activity that involves highlighting, outlining and taking notes on a document.

Source: LiquidText Software Supports Active Reading with Fingertip Gestures

?Red Fields to Green Fields? Plans Revealed for Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Hilton Head Island

Georgia Tech researchers involved in the Red Fields to Green Fields program helped Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Hilton Head assess their distressed commercial real estate supplies and determine the best way to turn some into green space.

Source: ?Red Fields to Green Fields? Plans Revealed for Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Hilton Head Island

Engineers Without Borders Earns Accolades, Fundraises for Cameroon

Congratulations go to the Georgia Tech chapter of Engineers Without
Borders (EWB-GT), which was honored for its creation of a sustainable
solar sanitation system at the National Collegiate Inventors and
Innovators Alliance?s Open Minds competition last weekend in Washington,
 D.C. The team won first place in the event's video competition and was named runner-up for the People's Choice award.

Source: Engineers Without Borders Earns Accolades, Fundraises for Cameroon

Urban RePeel Wins Ideas to SERVE Competition for Environmental Concept

Urban RePeel recently won first place in Georgia Tech?s 2011 Ideas to SERVE Competition for its environmentally friendly business concept that would help minimize the amount of metropolitan food waste going into landfills.

Source: Urban RePeel Wins Ideas to SERVE Competition for Environmental Concept

A Dialogue with Frank Blake, Chairman and CEO of The Home Depot

Georgia Tech's third annual Thomas R. Williams Distinguished Lecture on February 16 will feature "A Dialogue with Frank Blake, Chairman and CEO of The Home Depot."

Source: A Dialogue with Frank Blake, Chairman and CEO of The Home Depot

Apica Cardiovascular Receives $5M Investment for Heart Surgery System

Apica Cardiovascular, a Georgia Tech and Emory University medical device startup, has received a $5.1 million investment. The company's product simplifies and standardizes the technique for opening and closing the beating heart during cardiac surgery.

Source: Apica Cardiovascular Receives $5M Investment for Heart Surgery System

Study Shows Home Bias in Foreign Investment Decisions



Source: Study Shows Home Bias in Foreign Investment Decisions

Atlanta Company Pioneers Medical Devices with Georgia Tech Help

An Atlanta medical device company that is based on Georgia Tech research has become an industry rising star, with a new product moving toward approval -- and more than 65 employees.

Source: Atlanta Company Pioneers Medical Devices with Georgia Tech Help

Georgia Tech Celebrates 786 Patents Thanks to Tech  Transfer Law

Since
the law?s passage in December 1980, Georgia Tech has secured 786 patents and
592 active licenses for innovative devices and products, widely disseminating
the benefits of the Institute?s discoveries. 

Source: Georgia Tech Celebrates 786 Patents Thanks to Tech  Transfer Law

Robots in the Home: Will Older Adults Roll Out the Welcome Mat?

Robots have the potential to help older adults with daily activities that can become more challenging with age. But are people willing to use and accept the new technology? A study by the Georgia Institute of Technology indicates the answer is yes, unless the tasks involve personal care or social activities.

Source: Robots in the Home: Will Older Adults Roll Out the Welcome Mat?

Computer Science About to Get More Hip



Source: Computer Science About to Get More Hip

Using Hip-Hop to Teach Computer Science

Georgia Tech is welcoming 18 metro Atlanta high school students to campus this week, hosting a musical summer camp that is intended to have broad implications for the future of computer science education. The teenagers are creating and remixing hip-hop beats using a software program called Earsketch. Although only 5 of the students had ever written computer code before they arrived at the camp, each high schooler will create a three-minute, computerized tune by Friday.

Source: Using Hip-Hop to Teach Computer Science

Musical Robot Companion Enhances Listener Experience

Shimi, a musical companion developed by Georgia Tech's Center for Music Technology, recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback. The smartphone-enabled, one-foot-tall robot is billed as an interactive "musical buddy." 

Source: Musical Robot Companion Enhances Listener Experience

Four Telltale Signs of Propaganda on Twitter

A new study out of the School of Computer Science looks at ?hyperadvocacy? on Twitter. The study identifies four characteristic behaviors of hyperadvocates, whose actions clearly separate them from the tweeting behavior of typical users.

Source: Four Telltale Signs of Propaganda on Twitter

Georgia Tech/Microsoft Study Shows Bandwidth Caps Create Uncertainty, Risky Decisions

A new study by a Georgia Tech researcher shows that capped broadband pricing triggers uneasy user experiences that could be mitigated by better tools to monitor data usage through their home networks.

Source: Georgia Tech/Microsoft Study Shows Bandwidth Caps Create Uncertainty, Risky Decisions

How Twitter Broke Its Biggest Story, #WeGotBinLaden

By analyzing 600,000 tweets sent on the night U.S. Special Forces captured Osama bin Laden, researchers studied how Twitter broke the story and spread the news. Their data also shows that the Twitterverse was overwhelmingly convinced the news of bin Laden?s death was true, even before it was confirmed on television.

Source: How Twitter Broke Its Biggest Story, #WeGotBinLaden

Wesley Center Celebration and Open House

Georgia Tech's Digital Media professors and students celebrated the first decade of the James and Mary Wesley Center for New Media Education and Research with panel discussions and an open house.

Source: Wesley Center Celebration and Open House

Georgia Tech Puts Education's Future to the Test with TechBurst

Instead of ignoring the inevitability of change, how can institutions incorporate disruptive technologies within the traditional university? That is the question that the Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U) sought to answer with its first annual TechBurst Competition. Source: Office of Communications

Source: Georgia Tech Puts Education's Future to the Test with TechBurst

Georgia Tech Celebrates National Robotics Week

The Georgia Institute of Technology opened its doors to more than 400 middle school and high school students on Wednesday for the third annual Robotics Open House.

Source: Georgia Tech Celebrates National Robotics Week

Georgia Tech Develops Braille-Like Texting App

ATLANTA - Feb. 17, 2012 - Georgia Tech researchers have built a prototype app for touch-screen
mobile devices that is vying to be a complete solution for texting
without the need to look at a mobile gadget?s screen. Source: Office of Communications

Source: Georgia Tech Develops Braille-Like Texting App

Georgia Tech Shines on Forbes? 30 Under 30 List

Two Georgia Tech students were recently named by Forbes as top 30 influencers under the age of 30. Digital Media grad student Chris DeLeon was honored in entertainment. Human-Centered Computing Ph.D. candidate Eugene Medynskiy was tabbed in technology.

Source: Georgia Tech Shines on Forbes? 30 Under 30 List

Bogost, Cows Graze in Current Edition of Wired

In July of 2010, Ian Bogost, director of Georgia Tech?s Digital
Media graduate program, was so disgusted by the ?mindless? games taking over Facebook
that he created one of his own. A year and a half later, the game has landed
him in the pages of the current (January) edition of Wired magazine.

Source: Bogost, Cows Graze in Current Edition of Wired

College of Computing Releases 2011 Holiday Gift Guide

With ten shopping days left until the biggest holiday of the year,
the Georgia Tech College of Computing has released its own unique spin
on the traditional holiday gift guide,
 showcasing some of the year?s biggest research stories and providing
top technologists with all sorts of ?gift? ideas for this holiday
season.

Source: College of Computing Releases 2011 Holiday Gift Guide

Georgia Tech Identifies Coming Media Megatrends in FutureMedia Outlook 2012

The coming years will bring increased personalization,
innovation and flexibility in the media landscape, according to the Georgia
Institute of Technology.  These findings
were announced in today?s release of the FutureMediaSM
Outlook 2012, a multimedia report that offers Georgia Tech?s annual viewpoint
on the future of media and its impact on people, business and society over the next
five to seven years.

Source: Georgia Tech Identifies Coming Media Megatrends in FutureMedia Outlook 2012

EGL Open House Highlights End of  Fall Semester

The Experimental Game Lab held an open house on December 6 to showcase its latest games and projects. 

Source: EGL Open House Highlights End of  Fall Semester

Atari Is Reborn Again (Again)

Georgia Tech's Ian Bogost talks to Portfolio.com about Atari's jump into the mobile world.

Source: Atari Is Reborn Again (Again)

Georgia Tech Innovations Help Expand U.S. Industrial Capabilities and Enhance Competitiveness

Advanced manufacturing is a major area of research at Georgia Tech, involving faculty members from academic colleges, as well as the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2). Activities focus on a broad range of areas, including new manufacturing technologies, factory-floor issues, manufacturing systems, product improvements and sustainability.

Source: Georgia Tech Innovations Help Expand U.S. Industrial Capabilities and Enhance Competitiveness

Georgia Tech Continues Legacy as Leading U.S. Rotorcraft Center of Excellence

The
Georgia Institute of Technology has been designated a Rotorcraft Center of
Excellence (RCOE) for the seventh consecutive time. The $7.2 million contract
will fund the center for the next five years.

Source: Georgia Tech Continues Legacy as Leading U.S. Rotorcraft Center of Excellence

Georgia Tech Students Honored at AIAA Foundation Space Design Competition



Source: Georgia Tech Students Honored at AIAA Foundation Space Design Competition

Air Force Grant Funds Fundamental Study of Plasma-Wall Interactions

Georgia Tech and University of Alabama researchers have received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research to conduct fundamental research into plasma interactions with the walls of the structures containing them.

Source: Air Force Grant Funds Fundamental Study of Plasma-Wall Interactions

Atmospheric Simulations Support NASA Mission to Jupiter

In August of 2016, when NASA's Juno Mission begins sending back information about the atmosphere of the planet Jupiter, research done by Georgia Tech engineers using a 2,400-pound pressure vessel will help scientists understand what the data means.

Source: Atmospheric Simulations Support NASA Mission to Jupiter

Georgia Tech Maintains Excellent Graduate Program Rankings

The Georgia
Institute of Technology?s College of Engineering ranked No.4 for the seventh
consecutive year in U.S. News & World Report's annual list of the best
American graduate school programs.

Source: Georgia Tech Maintains Excellent Graduate Program Rankings

Silver-Diamond Composite Offers Cooling Capabilities for Electronics

Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) are developing a solid composite material to help cool small, powerful microelectronics used in defense systems. The new material is composed of silver and diamond.

Source: Silver-Diamond Composite Offers Cooling Capabilities for Electronics

Researchers Work Toward Automating Sedation in Intensive Care Units

Researchers are a step closer to automating sedation in hospital intensive care units. They have developed control algorithms that use clinical data to accurately determine a patient's level of sedation and can notify medical staff if the level changes.

Source: Researchers Work Toward Automating Sedation in Intensive Care Units

HIV victim dismayed cases up despite own story

When 29-year-old Wanggo Gallaga announced in 2008 that he was infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), he was hoping that the people would learn from his mistake.

Source: HIV victim dismayed cases up despite own story

Higher power rates loom in early ?13

The state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. expects to start collecting the P140 billion worth of universal charges for stranded debts and contract costs from all grid-connected power consumers early next year.

Source: Higher power rates loom in early ?13

It?s not about being right, it?s about making money

Even with a shortened trading period of four days last week?in observance of the birth anniversary of Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio on Friday, Nov. 30?the market still managed to make a major advance equivalent to 88.11 points or 1.59 percent on the main index at 5,640.45 which, incidentally, was another all-time high.

Source: It?s not about being right, it?s about making money

PH banks? capitalization remains healthy, exceeds BSP requirement

Universal and commercial banks in the country remain capable to absorb risks, with their capitalization in the first quarter staying well above the regulatory requirement.

Source: PH banks? capitalization remains healthy, exceeds BSP requirement

BPI, Japan bank sign deal

Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands and Mizuho Corporate Bank of Japan have established a banking alliance meant to harness opportunities from a new wave of Japanese investments into the Philippines.

Source: BPI, Japan bank sign deal

Cebu Pac eyes ?wet lease? for US flights

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific is looking into so-called ?wet lease? agreements, or the use of both planes and the crew of foreign airlines, for its plans to launch long-haul flights by the third quarter of next year.

Source: Cebu Pac eyes ?wet lease? for US flights

RP Energy gets ECC for Subic project

Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. has obtained an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for the second 300-megawatt unit of its $1.28-billion coal-fired power plant in Subic Bay Freeport.

Source: RP Energy gets ECC for Subic project

Stocks continue to rise

Local stocks closed at a new all-time high on Monday, led by cyclical banking and property stocks on robust prospects for 2013.

Source: Stocks continue to rise

Review of dev?t goals set

The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) ? with the United Nations and its development arm, the UN Development Program ? is now setting its sights farther, as it began on Monday a series of consultations to come up with a framework for the country?s post-2015 anti-poverty goals.

Source: Review of dev?t goals set

text messaging capital of the world? 2 billion texts sent every day? guess who

The senators who favored the bill are now saying different things.

Did Miriam sign RA 10175?

Is anyone using Windows 8 here? Are you impressed?

DePrimo has appeared in tv interviews on CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC, CBC, to name a few.

kining kwarta mopagwapo gyud sa tanang butang. nakaunom gyud si manoy onoja (duhaa unta).

it seems that islander has not seen this picture

Hayahay nga Kinabuhi

Happy Birthday, Lolla (aka) Jenneth. May God bless you more and guide always. Enjoy your day, Lolla!

free publicity-ride for Miriam. that's a PR tactic.

gipaadto nalang ning tawhana sa Baclayon Python Sanctuary ug gipatulog one night with Frony the Python.

#amalayer had no patience at LRT.

Cebu Pacific Christmas Promo 2012

ang first degree cousin maoy dili pwede. sa balaod, pwede na ang second degree cousin.

maayong pag-abot dinhi sa tubagbohol, radz!

published by The Bohol Standard

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) managing major seaports in the province and in this capital city said, it will continue to impose the P12 port access fee for tricycles, as part of enforcing the rules sanctioned by their superiors in connection with the implementation of administrative fees collection.

PPA manager Manuel Boholano made this clarification regarding the PhP12 imposition on tricycles entering the port during the Kapihan sa PIA last Thursday hosted by information manager Rey Anthony Chiu aired over DyTR.

The PPA move in pushing said fee collection came in contrast to the latest news that the Lower House Committee on Transportation approved House Bill 4396 authored by Rep. Erico Aumentado (2nd District, Bohol), seeking to increase PPA’s capitalization to P50 billion, eyed to bring the agency closer to building more roll on-roll off (roro) and fast craft ports, without imposing added collections to port users. (SEE Separate story)

PPA, recently, is under fire after announcing it will strictly impose and collect the said fee (PP12/ entry) to all tricycles ferrying passengers to the seaport starting December 1, 2012 and thereafter.

Most of public sentiments see the eventuality that drivers will then just pass on to commuters or the riding public the added fee that PPA demanded.

On Friday, Bohol Provincial Administrator Alfonso “Ae” Damalerio II said in the media forum Kita ug ang Gobernador that this recent move of the PPA will have to be closely scrutinized as it will affect many port users, most of them Boholanos, imposed at a critical time that other cost of living have increased.

The matter will be taken up in the meeting of the Provincial Development Council, chaired by Gov. Edgar Chatto, scheduled next week.

CLARIFICATION

PPA clarified though that this imposition of port access fee is being carried out throughout the province and country, no exception. Such imposition in this port has long been overdue since the issuance of administrative Order in 2009.

Boholano cited PPA Administrative Order No. 04-2009 as the basis of the imposition of the said fee. Under this order, the following are fees imposed to port users: Temporary port user ID/pass, P5; temporary vehicle pass, PhP10; annual port ID/pass, PhP50; annual vehicle stickers/pass for non-cargo vehicle/truck, PhP75; and annual vehicle sticker/pass for cargo trucks, PhP100. All of which are subject to 12% VAT. The order signed by General manager Atty. Oscar M. Sevilla was published in the Philippine Star and took effect on July 22, 2009.

LONG OVERDUE

PPA station commander Col Norberto M. Alfaras said the fee imposition was deferred since 2009 apparently to give ample time for the tricycle drivers to organize to attain legal personality and save fee rather than each one pays everytime they enter the port.

He said that the advantage of being organized is that tricycle organization would only pay the annual fee of about PhP2,000 plus for all its members, who may be provided with the vehicle pass without anymore paying PhP12 individually.

Alfaras lamented that the tricycle drivers failed to do it (organize). They already did but something was mismanaged that it did not last long because of internal squabble, he was told, he said.

Boholano and Alfaras put premium on security of the people and facilities of the port why they should be “strict” and regulate the traffic flow. Both stressed that “no vehicle and/or person shall be allowed to enter the port premises of the PPA unless on legitimate business or purpose related to port operations and with previous/permit/pass issued by the Authority” (refers to PPA).

The order also provides that public utility, such as taxis, PUBs PUJs, and tricycles and pedicabs are only allowed to enter into the designated parking areas “dedicated for their use.”

Port Manager Boholano and the PPA welcomed the separate but similar moves of the city council and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan last week in passing separate Resolutions appealing to PPA top guns to reconsider or defer the said imposition.

He said that while these (city council and SP) appeals maybe forwarded to their superiors at the Manila central office, the implementation of such port charges collections definitely will push thru, and will start on December 1, 2012. (With reports: RVO)

by Pna

Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV is pushing for the establishment of a single and unified time reference in the country under Senate Bill No. 3284 that seeks to set the Philippine Standard Time (PST).

“Currently, government agencies use and maintain different time reference, which has sometimes caused inconvenience, inefficiency and misunderstanding between and among public officials and their clientele,” Trillanes explained.

“Through this bill, all government functions and transactions will be synchronized and coordinated by having a single and unified time reference system… It is expected that all citizens would eventually follow suit and observe the same time reference in order to avail of time-based government services,” he added.

Under SBN 3284, all government agencies are enjoined to follow, maintain, establish, use and display PST in their official time devices.

At the same time, Trillanes wanted to devote every first week of the year as National Time Consciousness Week and mandate all national and local government agencies to conduct information campaign on the value of time and the need to respect the time of others.

“These advocacies are also being put forward to instill in and make public officials and the people in general realize the importance of being on time and respecting the time of others. This way, we are also promoting efficiency and synergy between and among our people and our government agencies,” Trillanes said.

Perform a Free Scan to Fix Your Laptop or PC

Finding Cheap Airline Flights

IN CABIN'D SHIPS AT SEA
by Walt Whitman (Leaves of Grass)

In cabin'd ships at sea,
The boundless blue on every side expanding,
With whistling winds and music of the waves, the large
imperious waves,
Or some lone bark buoy'd on the dense marine,

Where joyous, full of faith, spreading white sails,
She cleaves the ether mid the sparkle and the foam of
day, or under many a star at night,
By sailors young and old haply will I, a reminiscence of
the land, be read,
In full rapport at last.

Here are our thoughts, voyagers' thoughts,
Here not the land, firm land, alone appears, may then by
them be said,
The sky o'erarches here, we feel the undulating deck
beneath our feet,
We feel the long pulsation, ebb and flow of endless
motion,
The tones of unseen mystery, the vague and vast
suggestions of the briny world, the liquid-flowing syllables,
The perfume, the faint creaking of the cordage, the
melancholy rhythm,
The boundless vista and the horizon far and dim are all
here,
And this is ocean's poem.

Then falter not, O book, fulfil your destiny,
You not a reminiscence of the land alone,
You too as a lone bark cleaving the ether, purpos'd I know
not whither, yet ever full of faith,
Consort to every ship that sails, sail you!
Bear forth to them folded my love (dear marines, for you I
fold it here in every leaf);
Speed on my book! spread your white sails, my little bark,
athwart the imperious waves,
Chant on, sail on, bear o'er the boundless blue from me to
every sea,
This song for mariners and all their ships.

AS I PONDER'D IN SILENCE

As I ponder'd in silence,
Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long,
A Phantom arose before me with distrustful aspect,
Terrible in beauty, age, and power,
The genius of poets of old lands,
As to me directing like flame its eyes,
With finger pointing to many immortal songs,
And menacing voice, What singest thou? it said,
Know'st thou not there is but one theme for ever-enduring bards?

And that is the theme of War, the fortune of battles,
The making of perfect soldiers.

Be it so, then I answer'd,
I too haughty Shade also sing war, and a longer and greater
one than any,

Waged in my book with varying fortune, with flight,
advance and retreat, victory deferr'd and
wavering,
(Yet methinks certain, or as good as certain, at the
    last),
    the field the world,

For life and death, for the Body and for the eternal
Soul,
Lo, I too am come, chanting the chant of battles,
I above all promote brave soldiers.

ONE'S-SELF I SING
by Walt Whitman (from Leaves of Grass)

ONE'S-SELF I sing, a simple separate person,
Yet utter the word Democratic, the word En-Masse.

Of physiology from top to toe I sing,
Not physiognomy alone nor brain alone is worthy for the
Muse,

I say the Form complete is worthier far,
The Female equally with the Male I sing.

Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power,
Cheerful, for freest action form'd under the laws divine,
The Modern Man I sing.

By Fred Amora
Bohol Standard

This coming December 21, Friday, the world will end.

Mao nay panagna nga naa sa Mayan Calendar, kadtong mga tawo sa unang makinaadmanong civilization, about 26,000 years ago.

Would you buy that story? If you ask me, yes I would. There is nothing to lose if I would believe in it.

The truth of the matter is that, everyday, I am preparing for that.

That is my long-kept secret of having a stress-free life. Nakat-onan ni nako sa usa ka classmate nga three years sa Grade 6 kay favorite daw siya ni mam. Karon pastor-faith-healer na siya.

Matod niya, “Bay, ang tanan matapos ug dili na malalis. But life is not measured by the number of years but on the quality of spending those moments. Don’t be enslaved in the insatiable thirst for wealth and fame. Simply thank each day, live as if it is your last day and you will be happy.”

So, mao na ako ginahimo; I love, laugh, and get merry, with friends and family. If the world ends tomorrow, then hasta la vista!

*****

But I have another friend that gets so allergic everytime he hears “end time” stories.

“Bay diman ko mahadlok anang gi-ingon matapos ang kalibutan. Pero naa jod koy adlaw nga gikalisangan.”

“Unsa man na, di gani ka mahadlok end of the world,” ako siya gipangutana.

“Bahala na ang kalibutan, ang ako kalagutan … kanang katapusan sa bulan. Anang adlawa, mag sanib puwersa ang lending, ahente sa ref, naa sad disconnection notice ang Boheco, bayad tubig unya tuay pay mo-text nga iya monthly allotment kuno. Ug pwede, dina unta matapos ang buwan.”

He he ehe… lisora pod sa wish sa akong amigo.

*****

Pero niay scientific explanation aning Dec. 21, 2012. Kini nagsugyot sa posibilidad nga naay mahitabo anang petsaha.

On Dec. 21, 2012, the Mayan's "Long Count" calendar marks the end of a 5,126-year era. On that same day, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years.

"Whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 p.m. Universal Time," mao nay sulte sa mga scientists.

Ang mahitabo daw, ang magnetic field nga nag hawid sa Universe, posibling mabale (reversal) ug mo-usab sa tanan.

Matod sa akong amigo, kana maoy iyang paaboton. Sa maong adlaw ug oras, motapad daw siya sa ilang mayor nga milyonaryo, buwahan inig-reverse sa universal magnet, siya mao nay madato ug ang milyonaryo mao nay pobre.

He hee. Good thinking. Pero daghan rabang kanding sa ilang mayor, ug sa fateful moment naay kanding mokalit dool sa iyang tungod? Haskang dimalasa.

Think of this:
"I think thoughts of the world ending also ties into a lot of uncertainty that exists in our world today." -
Anthropologist Wade Davis, National Geographic Society.

Impact of behavioral issues on green growth policies and weather-related disaster reduction in developing countries

This paper focuses on how developing countries can change the way they prepare for disasters so they are better equipped to sustain economic growth. It discusses the importance of considering the goals of key decision makers and the need to understand the perceptions, systematics biases, and heuristics used by the relevant interested parties (the affected public, private and public sector organizations, and nongovernmental organizations) in choosing between alternatives. The paper highlights the importance of undertaking benefit-cost analysis to evaluate disaster risk reduction measures, recognizing that decision makers might not make meaningful use of this policy tool given their behavioral biases and simplified heuristics. To address these issues, the authors propose green growth strategies that involve multi-year contracts coupled with short-term incentives that have a chance of being implemented. The strategies focus on the role of multi-year micro-insurance, long-term loans, and multi-year catastrophe bonds that reflect the institutional arrangements in the developing country. The paper illustrates this proposal in the case of farmers' agricultural practices and investment decisions that reduce losses to property from catastrophic disasters such as drought.

Source: Impact of behavioral issues on green growth policies and weather-related disaster reduction in developing countries

Correcting real exchange rate misalignment : conceptual and practical issues

This paper studies the issue of real exchange rate misalignment and the difficulties in settling international real exchange rate disputes. The authors show theoretically that determining when a country should be sanctioned for real exchange rate "manipulations" is difficult: in some situations a country's real exchange rate targeting can be beneficial to other countries, while in others it is not. Regardless, it is difficult to establish whether a misaligned real exchange rate is intentionally manipulated rather than unintentionally caused by other policies or by various distortions in the economy. The paper continues by illustrating the difficulty in measuring real exchange rate misalignment, and provides a critical assessment of existing methodologies. It concludes by proposing a new method for measuring real exchange rate misalignment based on differences in marginal products between producers of tradable and non-tradable goods.

Source: Correcting real exchange rate misalignment : conceptual and practical issues

Drivers of entrepreneurship and post-entry performance : microeconomic evidence from advanced and developing countries

The aim of this study is to provide a microeconomic investigation of the concept of entrepreneurship; in particular, it discusses the following issues: 1) the alternative ways of looking at entrepreneurship, distinguishing "creative destruction" from simple "turbulence"; 2) the different microeconomic determinants of new firm formation, distinguishing "progressive" from "regressive" drivers; 3) the relationship between ex-ante characteristics (of the founder) and post-entry performance (of the new firm); and 4) the possible scope for an economic policy aimed at maximizing the impact of entrepreneurship on economic growth. Where possible and appropriate, the paper devotes particular attention to the specific features characterizing entrepreneurship in developing countries.

Source: Drivers of entrepreneurship and post-entry performance : microeconomic evidence from advanced and developing countries

Should Wall-Street be occupied ? an overlooked price externality of financial intermediation

Does an unregulated financial system absorb too many productive inputs? This paper studies this question in the context of a dynamic model with heterogeneous producers. In the absence of a financial system, the only way to purchase inputs is using internal funds. Producers are subject to idiosyncratic productivity shocks, and will decide to produce only if their productivity is high enough. Otherwise, they will hold money. A financial intermediation technology allows producers to purchase inputs in excess of their internal funds, by borrowing from unproductive agents. However, intermediation requires the use of costly monitoring services. In equilibrium, intermediation increases the money in circulation and raises nominal prices, thereby reducing the value of internal funds and making producers increasingly reliant on costly monitoring services. For this reason, society is better off when intermediation is restricted.

Source: Should Wall-Street be occupied ? an overlooked price externality of financial intermediation

The patterns and determinants of household welfare growth in Jordan : 2002-2010

Jordan's economic growth in the past decade has translated into a significant rise in household consumption and a decline in poverty and inequality indicators. Yet, the sentiment of the overall population seems to point to worsening disparities. Using official household expenditure surveys for 2002, 2008, and 2010, this paper analyzes the patterns and determinants of household welfare growth and examines the extent to which economic growth has been inclusive of the more vulnerable groups. Using counterfactual decompositions, the paper dwells first on the dynamics observed behind the drop in poverty and inequality. It then carries out regression analysis using re-centered influence functions to examine the economic determinants of household welfare growth throughout the decade. The paper finds that welfare growth as opposed to welfare distribution was the main driver behind poverty reduction, and that the drop in inequality was primarily driven by a regional catching-up effect. In addition, the analysis identifies rent, access to human capital services, and more importantly employment in the services sector and the public sector as the major determinants of welfare growth in Jordan. Public hiring in particular was used extensively as a tool for poverty alleviation, especially for residents outside the capital.

Source: The patterns and determinants of household welfare growth in Jordan : 2002-2010

Is better information always good news ? international corporate strategy and regulation

This paper develops a simple model to analyze the interaction between strategic corporate public good provision, international firm location and national regulation. An information-based strategic corporate public good provision mechanism is proposed to shed light on recent firm behavior within different regulatory environments. The main insight derived is that in the presence of firms with geographic flexibility (multinational enterprises) and market provision of an international public credence good, unilateral (non-cooperative) regulatory scope depends on (1) the absolute probabilities to verify firms' corporate public good provision levels within different geographic and institutional environments, and (2) the differential between these probabilities across countries. The relative information asymmetry determines not only the market levels of the public good produced under autarky, but also the relocation incentives of multinational enterprises. A firm trades off lower production costs, which increase its competitiveness in pricing, with higher expected informational price premiums, which decrease its competitiveness. A government's ability to regulate above market (corporate public good provision) levels decreases with the absolute level of foreign transparency, while it increases in the relative (positive) difference between the same transparency at home and abroad. This may not only explain mixed empirical evidence of theoretic propositions such as the Pollution Haven Hypothesis and Regulatory Race to the Bottom dynamics, but also open up interesting policy implications as the international information playing field becomes leveled through development, while existing regulations are rather rigid, and policy coordination remains limited.

Source: Is better information always good news ? international corporate strategy and regulation

Tax capacity and tax effort : extended cross-country analysis from 1994 to 2009

One of the important factors for economic development is the existence of an effective tax system. This paper deals with the concept and empirical estimation of countries' taxable capacity and tax effort. It employs a cross-country study from a sample of 110 developing and developed countries during 1994-2009. Taxable capacity refers to the predicted tax-to-gross domestic product ratio that can be estimated empirically, taking into account a country's specific macroeconomic, demographic, and institutional features, which all change through time. Tax effort is defined as an index of the ratio between the share of the actual tax collection in gross domestic product and taxable capacity. The use of tax effort and actual tax collection benchmarks allows the ranking of countries into four different groups: low tax collection, low tax effort; high tax collection, high tax effort; low tax collection, high tax effort; and high tax collection, low tax effort. The analysis provides broad guidance for tax reforms in countries with various levels of taxable capacity and revenue intake.

Source: Tax capacity and tax effort : extended cross-country analysis from 1994 to 2009