The New Economics Foundation (NEF) has released on Thursday its Happy Planet Index (HPI), which ranks the "happiest" countries in the world based upon the health and happiness produced per unit of environmental output.
NEF ranked 151 countries using a global data of life expectancy (LE), experienced well-being (WE) and ecological footprint (EF). Each country's HPI was computed by dividing the product of LE and WE with EF.
The data for experienced well-being is taken from the Gallup World Poll, ‘life expectancy' is based upon the 2011 UNDP Human Development Report and ‘ecological footprint' is calculated from data provided by the WWF.
Costa Rica topped the list with its 64 HPI while Vietnam, which has an HPI of 60.4, ranked 2nd.
Columbia, Belize, El Salvador, Jamaica, Panama, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Guatemala completed the top 10.
Meanwhile, the Philippines scored an HPI of 52.4 and was ranked 24th in the list. The Philippines' low per-capita ecological footprint helped the country score a better HPI than more than 80% of the countries ranked.
The complete ranking can be viewed on the Happy Planet Index website.
A new viral video is encouraging viewers to "look at the world differently."
Titled "Coca Cola Security Cameras," the video features coca-cola security camera footage from different countries which captured random acts of kindness, heroism and some happy moments which often go unreported.
The feel-good clip is actually an ad from Coke Latin America.
"People tend to associate security cameras with negative events, but we wanted to disprove that assumption by demonstrating the abundance of happy events and actions they capture," said creative director Martin Mercado.
Check out below the said video, which has amassed more than 2 million hits on Youtube as of posting time:
The actress made the fans of the show excited when she appeared on the pilot episode of the new "Dallas" series on Wednesday, June 13, 2012.
Charlene Tilton, now 53, played the role of Lucy Ewing, the sly, vixenish, frequently frustrated granddaughter of Jock Ewing, in the original "Dallas" series from 1978 to 1985 and from 1988 to 1990. The portrayal made Tilton incredibly popular. She even landed on the cover of People magazine several times.
However, it is not yet certain if Tilton's appearance on the revamped "Dallas" on Wednesday was just a one-time cameo or not.
Meanwhile, the "Dallas" reboot has proved a hit in the US. Its debut episode on TNT attracted an average of 6.8 million viewers, securing the highest ratings for the premiere of a scripted series on a cable channel this year.
X-37B, a clandestine mini-space shuttle of the US Air Force, is likely to land this week. Some reports say the much anticipated return of X-37B is happening today, June 14, 2012 (June 15 Manila Time).
Air Force officials, however, said the landing day for the unmanned space plane depends on weather conditions at its intended landing site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, as well as other factors.
The X-37B spacecraft has been in orbit since March 5, 2011 but the Air Force has not issued any information of what the craft is doing or where it is orbiting as they are considered as classified.
X-37B is about 29 feet long (8.8 meters) 15 feet wide (4.5 m), and has a payload bay about the size of a pickup truck bed. It is powered by a solar panel that allows it to stay in orbit for months at a time.
A 5.5-magnitude quake struck Mindanao, Philippines on Friday, June 15, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
According to a USGS bulletin, the temblor hit at 09:14 a.m. local time and centered at 152 km east southeast from General Santos (185 km south southeast from Davao).
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the quake.
The Philippines lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin, causing frequent volcanic activity.
Update: The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology measured the eartquake at magnitude 5.9. It said that it was of tectonic origin and was 64 km deep.
"Game Of Thrones" scene featuring fake head of Bush
"Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss said they were not making any political statement when they featured a decapitated head resembling former US President George W. Bush in a scene.
"It's not a choice, it's not a political statement. We just had to use whatever heads we had lying around," they explained. "We use a lot of prosthetic body parts on the show: heads, arms, etcetera. We can't afford to have these all made from scratch, especially in scenes where we need a lot of them, so we rent them in bulk. After the scene was already shot, someone pointed out that one of the heads looked like George W. Bush."
They added: "We meant no disrespect to the former president and apologize if anything we said or did suggested otherwise."
Home Box Office (HBO), meanwhile, has released a statement addressing the graphic prop choice.
"We were deeply dismayed to see this and find it unacceptable, disrespectful and in very bad taste," the network said. "We made this clear to the executive producers of the series who apologized immediately for this inadvertent careless mistake."
HBO added that the scene would be removed from future DVD production.
A vacuum climber device, invented by a team of engineering students from Utah State University allows one to climb walls a little like Spider-Man.
The PVAC, short for personal vacuum assisted climber, consists of two hand-held paddles attached to a vacuum pack that creates a powerful suction force — enough to scale a wall with. A stirrup hang beneath the pads, where users can place their foot.
The device also has a gauge which indicates safe vacuum levels and a volt meter that let climbers know if they were about to run out of juice.
The students, who call themselves the Ascending Aggies, presented the technology to the U.S. military during the 2012 Service Academy and University Engineering Challenge, where it took the first prize and won $100,000 grant. The competition required teams to design gadgets that would allow soldiers to safely and quickly ascend vertical surfaces. The devices also had to be reusable, permit multiple pitches within one climb, allow the operator to keep one hand free for using other equipment, and be capable of getting three people each carrying 300-pound (136 kg) loads up a 90-foot (27.5-meter) vertical silo within 20 minutes.
But using the PVAC in a military setting could prove somewhat problematic, depending on the context: Those powerful vacuums give off an equally powerful, ear-piercing engine noise.
An earthquake with a Richter Scale reading of magnitude 4.0 struck Southern California on Wednesday evening, June 13, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
According to a USGS bulletin, the quake, which has a depth of 9.8 km (6.1 miles), hit at 8:17 p.m. local time. Its epicenter was 3 km (2 miles) north of Yorba Linda, California, about 28 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
There are no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The temblor was followed by a 2.4 magnitude aftershock a few minutes later.
Burger King has added bacon sundae on its menu, in time for summer.
The Burger King bacon sundae "features the rich and creamy vanilla Burger King soft serve, drizzled with chocolate fudge, caramel and topped with bacon crumbles, complete with a thick-cut, hardwood smoked bacon garnish." Its suggested retail price starts at $2.49.
Bacon sundae is part of the food chain's BBQ-inspired summer menu which also include the following Memphis Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich, Carolina BBQ Whopper or Chicken Sandwich, BBQ Whopper or Chicken Sandwich, Sweet Potato Fries and Frozen Lemonade
"BBQs are synonymous with summer; we gather together with family and friends to eat great food, and now Burger King offers guests a chance to sit back and let us take over the grilling," said Alex Macedo, senior vice president, North America marketing, Burger King Corp. "The new BBQ-inspired menu offers something for everyone, from our loyal Whopper Sandwich fans to our more adventurous guests looking to try surprising new favorites."
The new Summer BBQ menu, including the Burger King bacon sundae, is available for a limited-time-only at participating Burger King restaurants across the US.
Two giant tortoises at an Austrian zoo are divorcing after 115 years of being together.
"We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other anymore," zoo's director Helga Happ told the Austrian Times.
Tortoises Bibi and Poldi, have been together since they were young, eventually growing up to become a bonded pair. But recently, Bibi has been attacking Poldi, biting off a chunk of his shell, which prompted zoo staff to transfer him in another enclosure.
"But for no reason that anyone can discover they seem to have fallen out, they just can't stand each other," said Happ.
The zoo management has asked the help of animal experts to give the pair counselling - feeding them romantic good mood food and trying to get them to join in joint games - but to no avail.
"We were told that it's very rare that after so many years animals who are a pair will fall apart, but that's where we are. We hope though we can bring round a reconciliation." Happ added.
A blue lobster was recently hauled by a fisherman off the coast of Canada.
The extremely rare blue lobster turned up last month in one of the traps set up by Bobby Stoddard of Nova Scotia.
"This is the only one that I've ever seen," Stoddard told CNN. "And my dad has been a lobsterman of about 55 years, and he caught one about 45 years ago, but hadn't seen one since."
The blue lobster has been placed inside a holding tank at Stoddard's business while he is trying to figure out what to do with it.
"I don't know what the best thing is to do," Stoddard told CNN. "It probably belongs back in the ocean, but I'd like for as many people as possible to see it."
Catching a blue lobster is said to happen once in a blue moon since according to scientists, only one out of every two million lobsters are blue.
The Lobster Institute says that "the coloration comes from a genetic defect that causes the lobster to produce an excessive amount of a particular protein that gives the lobster that unique coloration."
If you're wondering if a blue lobster retains its color after being cooked. No, it turns red, too, like its red brethren.
Zhang Ziyi has filed charges against the news paper which reported that she prostituted herself to senior Chinese officials.
Zhang Ziyi on "Geisha" cover
The actress said the reports were "seriously defamatory” and "false."
The "Memoirs of a Geisha" star filed the lawsuit on Monday to the Hong Kong High Court with the Apple Daily, Hong Kong's biggest newspaper, and its sister publication Next Magazine as defendants.
A May 29 report of the Apple Daily alleged that the 33-year-old actress slept with disgraced Chinese leader Bo Xilai at least 10 times between 2007 and 2011. The report said she earned around $110 million from prostituting herself.
Zhang Ziyi vehemently denied the allegations, saying she will do whatever it takes to clear her name.
"I wish to state that I will get to the bottom of this matter to clear my name at whatever cost," the actress told the China Press. "I want justice to be served through legal proceedings. I want those irresponsible quarters to be dealt with."
Zhang Ziyi, 33, is one of China’s biggest film stars and a three-times Bafta nominee. Apart from Academy-award winning "Geisha," she also starred in the hit films "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000), "Rush Hour 2" (2001), and "House of Flying Daggers" (2004).
A video of a "Holding Hands" prank has gone viral online.
The video shows Utah Valley University student Andrew Hales holding the hands of random students in his school.
"Hi, I’m Andrew Hales and today we are going to walk close to people and hold their hand. Or try to hold their hand," Hales said before doing his prank.
While many gave him strange looks and moved away, two students, a guy and girl, actually just went along with it.
The 22-year-old regularly posts prank videos on Youtube. He has 12 videos so far which have accumulated 2.7 million views as of posting time. This new prank of his has amassed more than 600, 000 views since it was posted 2 days ago.
Check out the video of Hale's "Holding Hands" prank below:
As punishment, the gun-toting Aussie swimmers have been banned from using social media by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).
Australian swimmers Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk posted on Facebook photos of themselves at a gun shop in the United States where members of the Australian Olympic swimming team had been training and competing in the qualifiers for the London Olympics. They were slammed by anti-gun groups in Australia and later deleted the pictures under pressure from governing body Swimming Australia.
The AOC said that the gun-toting swimmers are not only banned from using their social media accounts but will be also sent back to Australia after their events at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
"Australian Olympians are required to meet very high standards of conduct and we cannot risk the reputation of the team," the AOC said in a statement.
The AOC added that the punishment was separate to a disciplinary process being carried out by Swimming Australia (SA).
SA supported the AOC's decision and added that that they had yet to finish their own internal process.
"We will be speaking with the athletes involved further about this matter, and reminding them about their responsibilities as representatives of the Australian swim team," SA said in a statement on Saturday.
Spanish golfer Alvaro Quiros scored a rare albatross while practicing for the US Open on Wednesday.
Quiros had the rare hole-in-one at a par-4 at the 288-yard seventh hole, a short par-four that tempts players to reach it off the tee following the tough opening six holes at The Olympic Club course.
"You need to have luck to play good golf, I think. Unfortunately, it was in a practice round. But it is a good sign, isn't it?" 29-year-old Quiros told the AFP. "Obviously I finished the pratice round with a good feeling, and hopefully I can keep doing these things properly for the rest."
Also called a "double eagle" in the US, "albatross" is a golf term for scoring three under par (−3). This is an extremely rare score and there have been only 84 such shots recorded in the PGA Tour from 1970-2003. Holes in one on par-four holes (generally short ones) are also albatrosses.
American Gene Sarazen said to have achieved the world's first famous albatross in 1935 on the 15th hole at Augusta National Golf Club during the final round of the Masters Tournament. It vaulted him into a tie for first place and forced a playoff, which he won the next day. Sportswriters dubbed it as "the shot heard round the world."
Albatrosses are much rarer than holes in one; the odds are estimated at one in 1,000,000 while the odds of a hole-in-one are around one in 3,700 to one in 12,500, depending on the hole and on skill.
Bob Arum said that the controversial Pacquiao vs Bradley bout should undergo an investigation to "restore fans' confidence in boxing."
Bob Arum during the post-fight press conference (Youtube)
Arum formally filed a request with the Nevada State Attorney General (AG) for an investigation of the boxing fight between Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and undefeated American Timothy Bradley held last Saturday.
The Top Rank Promotions chief executive is asking for a "full and complete inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the scoring" of the boxers World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title match which ended in a shocking split decision favoring Bradley.
"The public has a right to know what happened. The fighters have a right to know," Arum said in a statement. "The only way to restore fans' confidence in boxing is by letting an independent body investigate every detail of the fight, no matter how big or small."
Judge Jerry Roth (115-113) awarded the fight to Pacquiao while C.J. Ross (115-113) and Duane Ford (115-113) gave it to Bradley.
The boxing promoter had earlier lambasted the judges, calling them the three blind mice and saying the decision was a “death knell” for boxing.
"I don't know. I mean, I know these people, these judges. I cannot believe they were in on some bad conspiracy, but I can't otherwise explain this result," Arum said.
Meanwhile, Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer said he will be reviewing the tape of the bout. He said he will be asking an explanation from the three judges on how they came up with their scoring.
"What I'm interested in seeing is where the rounds were close, and why one judge went this way and the other two went the other way. What was the difference in A) how close it was in their minds, and B) what was the difference in that round that they gave that round to Pacquiao or they gave that round to Bradley. So again, what your looking for is A) a good explanation and B) very similar if not the exact same criteria that the judges are applying to what they see and what they hear," said Kizer.
Bagyong Butchoy is officially the second cyclone to visit the Philippines this year.
Bagyong Butchoy's satellite image as of 2 p.m., June 14, 2012
Earlier today, the Philippine weather bureau said that Butchoy, a tropical storm with international codename Gutchol, has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
The storm, which was last spotted 880 km off East of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, has maximum winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph. It is moving West Northwest at the rate of 24 kph.
Bagyong Butchoy is expected to be at 560 km East of Virac, Catanduanes on Friday; 320 km Northeast of Virac, Catanduanes on Saturday; and 310 km Northeast of Aparri, Cagayan on Sunday.
The bureau said that the TS Butchoy's is yielding an estimated rainfall amount of 15 - 25 mm per hour (heavy) within its 300 km diameter. Fishing boats and other small seacrafts, are thereby,
It added that Tropical Storm Butchoy and the presence of the Southwest Monsoon could generate big waves and thus, it advises fishing boats and other small seacrafts not to venture out into the seaboards of Luzon, Visayas and Northeastern Mindanao.
Ernest Hemingway's home in Oak Park, Illinois has been sold for $525,000.
The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park (EHFOP) put the said boyhood home of the writer on the market in February. On Tuesday, it closed a deal with couple Kurt and Mary Jane Neuman who shelled out $525,000 to purchase the house.
The suburban Chicago home is believed to be where Hemingway wrote some of his earliest works.
"It’s a gorgeous home with a rich history, and we are excited about the opportunity to return it to its former glory," said Mary Jane.
The couple said they plan to restore the building that has been divided into three apartments to a single-family home.
The foundation, which owned the home since 2001, had earlier planned to turned it into a cultural center and scholarly retreat. However, because of economic pressures they sold it instead.
The new owners said fans of the novelist are still welcome to visit their home.
"We don't want anyone to feel like we're going to shutter it up or minimize the historical significance" Kurt said. "We appreciate curiosity in the home. We just need to balance the reality that it's going to be our family home."
The EHFOP is planning to use the proceeds from the sale to pay for the $420,000 loan taken to buy the house in 2001. The rest of the cash will go to its educational and cultural programs.
The results will include the names of passers of the the Architect Licensure Exam held last June 8 & 10, 2012 in the city of Manila.
Last year, the exam yielded 1,082 new architects out of 2,054 architecture graduates from across the country who took the exam. The results were released then four working days after the last day of the examination.
The results or the list of passers of the June 2012 Architecture Board Exam will be posted on the NoypiStuff Facebook page once available. You can like the page for now.
Jessica Sanchez has once again been chosen to sing the US national anthem in a major sports event.
Jessica Sanchez led the singing of the American national anthem in NBA Finals
After singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the Pacquiao-Bradley bout at the weekend, the "American Idol" runner-up performed the anthem again before the Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat started on Tuesday.
This also marks the third appearance of the 16-year-old singing the American national anthem after "American Idol." The first time was during the PBS Memorial Day concert in Washington D.C. last May 28.
Check out below a Youtube video of Jessica Sanchez slaying the anthem in the NBA Finals:
A billboard ad that would cost $1 billion a month was recently unveiled in Dubai.
The billboard featured a man flying in a jet pack who emerges from the ad every now and again and then flies around for a bit.
The promoters of the billboard came up with the $1.3 billion figure by multiplying the $500-a-second they say it costs for jet-pack flight by 30 days. They said that it would have been "the world’s most expensive" billboard if it had stayed up for over a month.
The billboard stunt was demonstrated on June 1 by premiere skydiving center Skydive Dubai and Go Fast energy company from Denver at the entrance to Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.
"This is an epic moment," Skydive Dubai chairman Nasser Al Neyadi said in the news release. "This initiative is another example showcasing Dubai as a world leader in innovation and technology."
Skydive Dubai, backed by real estate developer Emaar Properties, offers skydiving tours of Dubai's skyline, in what they refer to as "a monumental dropzone" while Go Fast supports "the lifestyle of extreme sports enthusiasts."
Check out a video of the $1.3 billion billboard ad below:
The music video for Chris Brown's new single "Don't Wake Me Up" has been released.
In the video directed by Colin Tilley, Chris Brown dreams about the woman he loves, played by model Arya Nicks, as he chases her through various terrains while he sings.
"Too much light in this window/Don't wake me up/Only coffee no sugar inside my cup/If i wake and you here still give me a kiss/I wasnt finished dreamin about your lips," so the "Kiss Kiss" singer sings in the verse before spitting, "Don't wake me up, up, up, up, up," in the chorus.
Check out the music video of Chris Brown's "Don't Wake Me Up" below:
"Don't Wake Me Up" is the fourth single from the singer's upcoming fifth studio album "Fortune," which will be out in July 3rd.
Following the digital release of the dance-pop track last May 18th, it peaked within the top-ten of the singles charts in Australia and New Zealand, and reached the top-twenty in Denmark has so far peaked at number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
A Massachusetts town will be handing out $20 tickets for swearing in public.
Residents of Middleborough, Mass, have voted at their annual town meeting on Monday the implementation of a $20 fine for swearing in public.
"Kids were standing on the sidewalks, well, adults too, really, and yelling at someone like 100 feet down the block, using incredible profanity," 63-year-old Mimi Duphily told ABC News. "It was gradually getting worse and worse."
Duphily was responsible for bringing up the issue to the Downtown Business Coalition.
The word eventually got around to Middleborough Police Chief Bruce Gates, who later called on the citizens of Middleborough to give police the authority to fine swearing citizens with a $20 ticket.
In his interview with The Wall Street Journal, Gates said that the new provision is not targeting ordinary swear words like an understandable expletive uttered after a Red Sox loss. Instead it aims at offenses like "profane language at some attractive female walking through town," he said.
Middleborough, a town of 23,000 located about 40 miles (64km) south of Boston, already had an old public profanity law, passed in 1968, that made swearing a crime. But police long ago decided it was not worth their time to book cursers as criminals, said Gates, who cannot recall the law being enforced.
With reports from Fox DC, ABC, and The Wall Street Journal.
The iPhone 5 release date was not revealed during Monday's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference but an analyst said the next-generation iPhone is likely to be launched in September.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reportedly said that the iPhone 5 will be unveiled in September.
"We expect Apple to unveil iOS 6 GM (Golden Master) in early September," Kuo wrote in a note to investors obtained by AppleInsider. "Based on the release schedule for iOS 6 GM, there is a very good chance iPhone 5 will start shipping also in early September."
The analyst, who has a good record of reporting accurate information regarding unannounced Apple products, had earlier confirmed rumors that the iPhone 5 will feature a new 4-inch display that utilizes in-cell touchscreen technology.
Kuo added that the iOS 6 will offer better integration with iCloud and Facebook as well as with the iTunes store and the App store.
Promoter Bob Arum is asking an investigation on the controversial result of Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Jr.'s megafight over the weekend.
Pacquiao landed more punches throughout the 12-round WBO welterweight title match but Bradley was surprisingly declared the winner via split decision.
"We’re gonna ask the Attorney General to investigate the entire situation. What happened last night in Las Vegas was an absolute outrage, and we have to have a complete investigation to determine how something like this could happen and who is responsible," Arum said in an interview with ABS-CBN on Monday.
Judge Jerry Roth (115-113) awarded the fight to Pacquiao while C.J. Ross (115-113) and Duane Ford (115-113) gave it to Bradley.
In the press conference after the fight, Arum called the judges the three blind mice and said the decision was a “death knell” for boxing.
"You have these old (expletive) who don’t know what the hell they’re looking at. It’s incompetence. Nobody who knows anything about boxing could have Bradley ahead in the fight," Arum said.
Even though he wants an investigation, Arum admitted it is highly unlikely that the decision will be overturned.
"Theoretically, it is possible to appeal to the (Nevada State Athletic) Commission to reverse the decision, but they had let it be known in many other occassions that they will not reverse the decision," Arum said.
It is possible for a decision to be reversed if one of the boxers was found to test positive for performance enhancing drugs, but it is rare for a result to be reversed on the basis of the judges’ scoring, he added.
Arum also denied the fight was fixed.
"That is a presumption that a lot of people have. It’s because the decision was so ridiculous and that’s unfortunate, and that’s something that we have to deal with and we can only deal with an investigation," he added.
The 2012 NBA Finals is scheduled to start this week.
This year's Game 1 of NBA Finals between Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat and Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder is happening on June 12 (June 13 in Manila), which is five days later than its originally planned June 7 start. The delay is due to the lockout that pushed the start of the season to late December and shortened the regular season to 66 games.
The game will be played at 9 p.m. ET (9 a.m. Manila Time) at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. This is the first time since 1998 that the Finals did not take place in California or Texas, as the Thunder eliminated the defending champion Mavericks, Lakers, and Spurs in the first three rounds of the playoffs. This also marks the first Finals since 1990 that did not feature either a Phil Jackson-coached team or a team from Texas.
The rest of the 2012 NBA Finals schedule are as follows:
Date & Time
Venue
Game 2
June 14, 2012 9 p.m. ET
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Game 3
June 17, 2012 9 p.m. ET
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Game 4
June 19, 2012 9 p.m. ET
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Game 5
June 21, 2012 9 p.m. ET
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Game 6
June 24, 2012 9.p.m. ET
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Game 7
June 26, 2012 9.pm. ET
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
This year's NBA Finals marks the first time that the Thunder will appear since the franchise's relocation from Seattle, Washington in 2008, and their first Finals appearance overall since 1996 as the Seattle SuperSonics. It also marks the Miami Heat's third appearance since their championship season of 2006 and their first Finals appearance against teams other than the Dallas Mavericks.
Philadelphia has the most bedbugs among US cities, according to the annual Most Bedbug-Infested Cities ranking by pest control provider Terminix.
"Bedbugs continue to increase their presence across the U.S.," said Stoy Hedges, an entomologist with Terminix. "While major metropolitan areas are most at risk, it is important to note that bedbugs have been spotted in cities and towns across the country."
Philadelphia took the top spot from New York City, which held the title for two years.
Here are this year's cities with the most bedbugs:
Philadelphia
Cincinnati
New York City
Chicago
Detroit
Washington, D.C.
Columbus, Ohio
San Francisco
Denver
New Haven, Conn.
Dallas
Houston
Indianapolis
Miami
Cleveland
The list was created by compiling data from the 300 Terminix branches across theUS. The company created the ranking by evaluating service calls from customers, as well as confirmed cases by service professionals.
Five Philippine tertiary schools made it in this year's list of "Top 300 Universities In Asia" by education and career network Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
For the very first time, University Of Southeastern Philippines (USP) in Davao City was included in the list. It was among the schools listed in the 251-300 bracket.
USP was joined by The University of the Philippines-Diliman (ranked 68th), Ateneo de Manila University (86th), De La Salle University (142nd), and the University of Santo Tomas (148th).
For the second straight year, QS named the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as the top Asian University.
Completing the Top 10 are National University Singapore, University of Hong Kong, Seoul National University (South Korea), Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Peking University (China), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (South Korea), University of Tokyo (Japan), Pohang University of Science and Technology (South Korea), and Kyoto University (Japan).
The ranking was based upon the following criteria: Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, Faculty/Student Ratio, Papers Per Faculty, Citations Per Paper, International Faculty Review, International Student Review, Student Exchange Inbound, and Student Exchange Outbound.
Gold is 15% to 20% overvalued, according to Jack Ablin, the chief investment officer of BMO Harris Bank. Here's a video of his interview with Yahoo! Finance's "Breakout":
On Monday, the price of gold was flirting with the milestone value of $1,600 per troy ounce.
A highly respected figure in the investment world, Ablin is a frequent contributor to CNBC, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and Barron’s and was named one of the top 100 wealth advisors in North America by Citywealth magazine in 2006, 2010, and 2011. He is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Reading Minds and Markets: Minimizing Risk and Maximizing Returns in a Volatile Global Marketplace.
Rare identical triplets were born to a Pennsylvania couple earlier this week.
Jennifer and Daniel Price welcomed their identical triplets they named Daniel Jeffrey (weighted at 5 pounds 7 ounces), Ryder James (4lbs 8oz) and Garrett Cambell (5lbs 8oz) at the Harrisburg Hospital last Tuesday, June 5th.
The identical triplet boys were born just a minute apart and appear to be in good health.
The birth of the identical triplets brings the family’s total to six as the couple already has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter.
Identical triplets occur when one fertilized egg splits to create three separate embryos. Non-identical triplets occur when three separate eggs are fertilized.
Research varies on the instances of identical triplets. The Multiple Births Foundation estimates that triplets occur once in every 10,000 naturally conceived births, but the odds of having identical triplets are 150,000 to 160,000. Other estimates range between one in 60,000 and one in 200 million.
Two Giant Turtles at an Austrian zoo are separating after 115 years of being together.
"We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other anymore," zoo's director Helga Happ told the Austrian Times.
Bibi and Poldi, have been together since they were young, eventually growing up to become a bonded pair. But recently, Bibi has been attacking Poldi, biting off a chunk of his shell, which prompted zoo staff to transfer him in another enclosure.
"But for no reason that anyone can discover they seem to have fallen out, they just can't stand each other," said Happ.
The zoo management has asked the help of animal experts to give the pair counselling - feeding them romantic good mood food and trying to get them to join in joint games - but to no avail.
"We were told that it's very rare that after so many years animals who are a pair will fall apart, but that's where we are. We hope though we can bring round a reconciliation." Happ added.
The controversial Pacquiao vs Bradley bout should undergo an investigation to "restore fans' confidence in boxing," promoter Bob Arum said.
Arum formally filed a request with the Nevada State Attorney General (AG) for an investigation of the boxing fight between Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and undefeated American Timothy Bradley held last Saturday.
The Top Rank Promotions chief executive is asking for a "full and complete inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the scoring" of the boxers World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title match which ended in a shocking split decision favoring Bradley.
"The public has a right to know what happened. The fighters have a right to know," Arum said in a statement. "The only way to restore fans' confidence in boxing is by letting an independent body investigate every detail of the fight, no matter how big or small."
Judge Jerry Roth (115-113) awarded the fight to Pacquiao while C.J. Ross (115-113) and Duane Ford (115-113) gave it to Bradley.
Arum had earlier lambasted the judges, calling them the three blind mice and saying the decision was a “death knell” for boxing.
"I don't know. I mean, I know these people, these judges. I cannot believe they were in on some bad conspiracy, but I can't otherwise explain this result," Arum said.
Meanwhile, Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer said he will be reviewing the tape of the bout. He said he will be asking an explanation from the three judges on how they came up with their scoring.
"What I'm interested in seeing is where the rounds were close, and why one judge went this way and the other two went the other way. What was the difference in A) how close it was in their minds, and B) what was the difference in that round that they gave that round to Pacquiao or they gave that round to Bradley. So again, what your looking for is A) a good explanation and B) very similar if not the exact same criteria that the judges are applying to what they see and what they hear," said Kizer.
Jessica Sanchez has been nominated in this year's National Reality TV Awards (NRTA USA).
Jessica Sanchez nominated in National Reality TV Awards 2012
The list of nominees for the annual NRTA has been revealed earlier this week and it included the name of the American Idol runner-up in the Reality TV Personality of the Year category.
Sanchez is up against Jeremiah Jermaine Paul (The Voice), Astro (XFactor USA), Lamar (Khloe and Lamar show), Kim Kardashian (Keeping up with the Kardasians), Ben Flajnik (The Bachelor), Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. (America’s Got Talent), Arsenio Hall (Celebrity Apprentice) and Tia & Tamera.
The winners of the NRTA will be determined based on the results of an online voting at its website (http://www.nationalrealitytvawards.com/voting/). They will be bared at a ceremony to held on September 24, 2012 in Los Angeles.
The NRTA is said the biggest and only annual Television awards ceremony for Reality TV in the United States.
A California wolverine was spotted in the Sierra by a hiker who took a picture of the rare protected species.
David Messa reportedly saw the wolverine while camping near Lake Spaulding in May.
"He was like a bull in a china shop running across that lake. He just probably feared nothing,” Messa told Fox40. "He was kind of galloping; actually fell through the snow two or three times, turned around and came back, and came across in front of me. I was actually able to get a photo."
Messa's wolverine sighting marks only the fourth time the creature was photographed in California. Tina Mark, a Tahoe National Forest biologist, said it was "miracle."
"The fact that one showed up in our backyard, not too far from human habitation to me is a miracle. It's like finding a needle in a haystack," Mark told Fox40.
Wolverines have not been scientifically confirmed in California since the 1920s. In 1998, a photo taken by a motion-sensitive camera on the Tahoe National Forest, the third documented sighting in Ca, provided a verifiable evidence of a wolverine in California.
The wolverine is the largest terrestrial member of the weasel family. Adult males weigh 26 to 40 pounds, while females are 17 to 26 pounds. It resembles a small bear, with a bushy tail and broad head. The wolverine's diet includes carrion, small mammals, birds, insects, berries, and fungi.
U.S. populations are found largely in the Northern Cascades in Washington, the Northern Rockies in Montana and Idaho, and in Alaska. Wolverines have large home ranges that vary greatly depending upon gender, age and food availability.
Moments ago, Frank Ocean dropped the previously previewed 'Pyramids' track via his Tumblr.
Looks like It's a Frank Ocean day today! After announcing his new album "Channel Orange" and tour, he decides to release a new record called 'Pyramids'. This is the track that was previewed in the trailer earlier today.
Listen to the 10minute song below..
Click inside for the official Channel Orange tour dates.
"I don't wanna be your f*cking Queen, I wanna be your friend," Lady Gaga communicates.
As well as slaying on the Auckland stage, during a performance of 'Hair', Lady Gaga took the time to address her lil' Monsters. Speaking into a microphone attached to the sick motorcycle she sat on, Mother Monster proceeded to speak on peoples actions and to those who hate on her (*cough* Madonna *cough*)
"Sometimes it makes people feel better about themselves you know, to put other people down or, make fun of them or, maybe make mockery of their work and... that doesn't make me feel good at all. That just makes me feel like I'm not being a good human being.. I feel like If you're a really good human being, you can try to find something beautiful in every single person," She says.
"It's a challenge but at the end of the day, I learnt so much this year about that, I learned a lot about negativity, I learned a lot about people trying to tare you down and umm... I'm just not that person I.. and I never will be, and I don't even wanna fight back coz it's more important for me to keep writing music, coz that's all I really care about.. the music," she continues.
"When I look into your eyes every night I don't see a fan base that wants me to fight or bite or uh.. be.. be uh... shady and c*nty the way we all used to be. It's OK y'know it's fun right?! But at the end of the day we're in a new place in society aren't we?! Aren't we in a new place!!?"
She speaks to the Gays, "Can't I believe in being born this way!? Can't I be gay and not have to slice you!? Can't I be gay and not have to be a c*nt!? Can't I be gay and not feel like I have to READ you or be shady or ...Can't I just be myself and not have to do that!?" she expresses as she continues on to speak on the relevance of 'Born This Way'.
I really love the message, I think it speaks true to entertainment & pop culture worldwide. I love how she indirectly addresses the obvious Madonna shade. Here's to you Gaga!
Check out the video clips below and some aftermath pics as she arrives back to her hotel. Wine in hand. Yass Gaga! #cheers
Lindsay Lohan has been brought to a hospital after a car accident in Los Angeles.
TMZ reports that Lohan's black Porsche crashed into the back an 18-wheeler dump truck, while she was driving it on the Pacific Coast Highway around 11:40 am on Friday.
TMZ has been told that the car's passenger window was shattered and the rear bumper was "fully off" the vehicle. There are no official word yet on the condition of the actress but "she seems okay," TMZ's source said.
Update: Police say Lindsay Lohan showed no signs of impairment after the accident. They interviewed both Lohan and the truck driver after the collision and none of them showed signs of driving under the influence. They are still conducting an investigation to determine whose fault it was.
Meanwhile, Lohan's rep say the "Mean Girls" actress was taken to a hospital a precaution and was released two hours later.
Lindsay Lohan was spotted filming Lifetime's Elizabeth Taylor biopic, "Liz & Dick," in L.A. earlier this week. She is playing the role of legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor in the movie. The biopic is scheduled to premiere on Lifetime in November.
Staying true to his mysterious ways, Frank Ocean randomly drops bombs as he posted this album teaser via his blog.
His new project titled Channel Orange, set for release July 17.
The clip, which mostly just lingers over an expensive looking car, also contains new music: a electro-R&B track, passionately crooned lyrics about a woman - "for now let's call her Cleopatra ...who's "workin' at the pyramid tonight."
A rare giant squid was found dead off the coast of Australia by the team of "The Fishing Bible" author Al McGlashan recently.
While McGlashanwas filming the 15-foot giant squid, an 8-foot blue shark took advantage of an opportunity to feed.
The footage of the attack has been posted on Youtube and is now a certified viral hit, attracting more than 4 million views in just 3 days. Check out the said video below:
McGlashan's group sailed out to sea last Friday to search for tuna and swordfish but instead they found the dead giant squid 30 miles off Jervis Bay in New South Wales.
"In all my time on the water – and I’ve spent 200-plus days out there – I’ve never see anything like it. The giant squid must have died not that long before we found it because it didn’t smell at all and its colors were still strong. Most giant squid remains are smelly and rotten and just off-white by the time someone finds them," McGlashan to GrindTV.
Since the sea creature lives at such great ocean depths, spotting it is extremely rare. In fact, images of a live giant squid in the wild were not available until 2004.
Miami Heat have sent the NBA Eastern Conference Final series to a tie, after winning Game 6 against Boston Celtics on Thursday night (Friday morning in Manila), 98-79.
LeBron James, the season's most valuable player, scored a total of 45 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, leading his team to the decisive seventh game.
"I just wanted to lead my team the best way I could. I'm glad we was able to get this win and now force a Game 7," James told USA Today. "We're not going to celebrate this win."
Dwyane Wade, meanwhile, finished with 17 points. Wade and James were the only players to score in double digits for the Heat.
Rajon Rondo contributed 21 points and 10 assists for Celtics while Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass each scored 12 points.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/07/2838392/lebron-james-scores-45-points.html#storylink=cpy
The series is now tied at 3-3 and will conclude in Miami on Saturday night (Sunday morning, Manila Time). The Game 7 winners will face-off the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.
A Youtube video shows a mini pig named "Hamlet" making his way down the stairs for a bowl of oatmeal.
The mini pig looks reluctant at first but with his human owners coaxing him, he finally makes it down and enjoys his food.
Hamlet's video was uploaded over a year ago but it was just recently that it was discovered by popular sites like 9gag and Jezebel, facilitating it to become a viral hit this week. As of posting time, it has amassed more than 900, 000 views on the video sharing site.
Check out below Hamlet's viral video courtesy of Youtuber "PiggyGirl2010":
The adorable mini pig turned 2 years old last week, according to a new video uploaded by "PiggyGirl2010." He also has other videos showing him doing other stuff like stealing towels, going to church, and playing with his friend Wilbur the Dog.
Mini pigs or miniature pigs, also known as micro pigs or teacup pigs, were first used for medical research in Europe before being introduced to the United States as pets in the 1980s. They reportedly can be house-trained and keep themselves exceptionally clean.
The 2012 CMT Music Awards were held on Wednesday night at the Bridgestone Arena. It was hosted by Toby Keith and Kristen Bell.
Carrie Underwood was revealed as this year's big winner, taking home 2 awards including the coveted "Video Of The Year" for "Good Girl," as well as the "Collaborative Video of the Year Award" alongside Brad Paisley, for the song "Remind Me."
The "American Idol" winner, however, failed to bag her third nomination, the "Female Video of the Year," which went to Miranda Lambert for her song, "Over You."
Luke Bryan was presented the "Male Video of the Year" for his "Drunk On You" while Lady Antebellum won the "Group Video of the Year" for their single "We Owned The Night."
Meanwhile, another "Idol" champ claimed the "USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year" award in the person of Scotty McCreery for "The Trouble With Girls."
Completing the list of winners are Thompson Square's "I Got You" which won the "Duo Video of the Year" and Jason Aldean who was awarded the "CMT Performance of the Year" for "Tattoos On This Town."
This year's ceremony featured performances by Willie Nelson, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan, Zac Brown Band, The Band Perry, among others.
The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances.
The Facebook privacy notice letters that have spread on the social networking site are reportedly fake.
The supposed Facebook privacy notice urges users to make a declaration, on their timeline, that their content is protected.
Below are excerpts of the "notice:"
"Just in case...For those of you who do not understand the reasoning behind this posting, Facebook is now a publicly traded entity. Unless you state otherwise, anyone can infringe on your right to privacy once you post to this site. It is recommended that you and other members post a similar notice as this, or you may copy and paste this version. If you do not post such a statement once, then you are indirectly ...............allowing public use of items such as your photos and the information contained in your status updates."
"...You are hereby notified that you are strictly prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, disseminating, or taking any other action against me with regard to this profile and the contents herein. The foregoing prohibitions also apply to your employee , agent , student or any personnel under your direction or control."
Security vendor Sophos said the said message is a "chain letter type hoax pinned upon wishful thinking."
"Sorry folks, but posting a supposed legal disclaimer to your Facebook profile does not alter the Terms of Service (ToS) or privacy policies governing how your content is viewed on Facebook," Sophos said. "If you receive one of these messages from a friend, kindly notify them that it is not legally valid."
Pacquiao Vs Mayweather Stop Motion Screencap (Youtube)
Before Manny Pacquiao's highly anticipated fight against Timothy Bradley at the MGM Garden Grand Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday (Sunday in Manila), watch the 8-division boxing champ in a match with Floyd Mayweather using not only their boxing gloves but as well as lightsabers and the special attack called "Hadouken" in the Street Fighter series in this stop motion video.
Youtuber "GRNMNGO" said he utilized more than 2500 pictures of the action figures of Pacquiao and Mayweather and that it took him for months to finish the epic clip which is likely to become a viral hit really.
Check out the newly released "Pacquiao Vs Mayweather Stop Motion" video below:
The first teaser trailer for Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" has made its way online.
Set in the Deep South "Django Unchained" follows Django (Jamie Foxx), a freed slave who treks across America with Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German dentist turned bounty hunter. Together, they try to retrieve Django's wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from the charming but sadistic Francophile plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his band of ruthless slavers.
"Django Unchained" will be the first Tarantino film not edited by Sally Menke, who died in 2010. Editing duties will be handled by Fred Raskin, who has previously worked as an assistant editor in Tarantino's previous films.
The highly anticipated film is set to be released on Christmas Day this year.
