Kristen Stewart named youngest-ever Berlin film fest jury chief

by Agence-France-Presse

BERLIN (AFP) – US actor Kristen Stewart will in February  head up the jury at Berlin’s international film festival, Europe’s first major cinema showcase of the year, organisers said Friday.

The Berlinale, as the event is known, told AFP that Stewart, 32, would be the youngest person in its 73-year history to lead the panel selecting the winners of the Golden and Silver Bear top prizes.

Festival chiefs Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian called the star of “Spencer” and the “Twilight” movies “one of the most talented and multi-faceted actors of her generation”. 

“Young, shining and with an impressive body of work behind her, Kristen Stewart is the perfect bridge between US and Europe,” they said in a statement.

(FILES) This file photo taken on September 13, 2019 shows US actress Kristen Stewart unveiling her dedicated beach locker room on the Promenade des Planches during the 45th Deauville US Film Festival in Deauville, western France. – US actress Kristen Stewart will be the president of the International Jury at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2023, the festival directors announced on December 9, 2022. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / AFP)

Considered one of Hollywood’s major young talents, Stewart began her career as a child actor, starring alongside Jodie Foster in David Fincher’s “Panic Room”.

The five-part “Twilight” saga made her and Robert Pattinson global superstars. Both have harnessed their box office bankability to pursue projects with independent directors on each side of the Atlantic.

In 2015, Stewart became the first American to win France’s Cesar film award, for her role alongside Juliette Binoche in “Clouds of Sils Maria”. 

Two years later she marked her directorial and screenwriting debut with the short film “Come Swim” and in 2018 served on the main jury at the Cannes film festival.

She was nominated for an Academy Award as best actress for her turn as Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain’s 2021 drama “Spencer”.

The Berlinale, which will run February 16-26, ranks with Cannes and Venice among Europe’s top three film festivals and serves as an early annual launchpad for the industry.

Spanish director Carla Simon won the Golden Bear for best film this year for “Alcarras”, a Catalan drama about peach farmers.

Organisers announced last month that three-time Oscar winner Steven Spielberg, 75, would attend the event to pick up an Honorary Golden Bear prize for lifetime achievement.

 

Brewing storm to bring rains over parts of PH this weekend

by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

(MB VISUAL CONTENT GROUP)

The low pressure area (LPA) east of the country, which has a potential to become a tropical depression, will bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over several areas this weekend, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Friday afternoon, Dec. 9.

PAGASA said the LPA was last spotted 245 kilometers east-northeast of Surigao City around 3 p.m. and may move west-northwestward and pass close to Eastern Visayas or Bicol Region this weekend. 

When it becomes a tropical depression, it will be given the local name “Rosal.” It will be the 18th tropical cyclone for 2022 and first for December.

PAGASA said cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms may prevail over Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan, Bicol Region, Visayas, Caraga, Davao Region, Northern Mindanao, and Zamboanga Peninsula.

“Under these conditions, flooding, and rain-induced landslides are possible, especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps and in areas with significant antecedent rainfall,” it warned.

PAGASA also said that cloudy weather with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms may prevail over Isabela, Aurora, Cagayan, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte due to the shear line—a boundary line where the cold and warm air masses meet. 

Those in areas affected by the shear line are advised to remain vigilant in case of moderate to heavy rains, as it may also cause flash floods or landslides.

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to the shear line or localized thunderstorms.

However, PAGASA advised the public to remain vigilant as severe thunderstorms may also cause flash floods or landslides, especially in areas prone to these hazards.

Magnitude 5.6 quake jolts Davao Oriental — Phivolcs

Published December 10, 2022, 6:44 AM

by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

(PHIVOLCS)

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake jolted Davao Oriental and neighboring areas early Saturday morning, Dec. 10, said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs said the quake struck 51 kilometers southeast of Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental around 4:01 a.m.

It said the earthquake was felt at Intensity IV (moderately strong) in Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental; Bansalan, Davao del Sur; and Malapatan and Malungon in Sarangani.

It was “weak” at Intensity III in the City of Davao; City of Mati; Alabel, Glan, and Kiamba in Sarangani; City of Koronadal, Polomolok, Tampakan, and Tupi in South Cotabato; and City of General Santos.

Phivolcs also said the tremor was slightly felt at Intensity II in the City of Kidapawan, Arakan, M’lang, Makilala, and Pikit in Cotabato; Maasim in Sarangani; Surallah in South Cotabato; and Columbio in Sultan Kudarat.

Phivolcs’ instruments also recorded the tremor at Intensity IV in Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental; City of Kidapawan, Cotabato; and Malapatan, Sarangani; Intensity III in Nabunturan, Davao de Oro; City of Davao; Glan, Kiamba, and Maasim in Sarangani; City of Koronadal, Polomolok, Tampakan, and Tupi in South Cotabato; and City of General Santos; Intensity II in Maitum, Sarangani; T’Boli, South Cotabato; and Columbio, Sultan Kudarat; and Intensity I in Kalilangan, Bukidnon; and Norala, Santo Niño, Surallah, and Tantangan in South Cotabato. 

The earthquake was tectonic, which means it was caused by the movement of an active fault near the area.

Phivolcs advised the public to stay vigilant as aftershocks may occur.

Apo Agua, DENR, Fardeco join hands for reforestation program

by Ivy Tejano

APO Agua operations head Shake A. Tuason, DENR–Davao regional executive director Bagani Fidel Evasco, and Fardeco Multipurpose Cooperative chairman Nelson Tagud at the signing of the memorandum of agreement.

DAVAO CITY – Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. (Apo Agua) recently partnered with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 11 (Davao region) and the Fardeco Multipurpose Cooperative for a five-year reforestation program for the rehabilitation of the DENR’s 200-hectare Panigan-Tamugan Watershed in Barangay Cadalian in Baguio District here. 

In keeping with their shared commitment to preserving the watershed and giving the people a chance to live, the Apo Agua and DENR-Davao teamed up to promote biodiversity and watershed conservation in the community through a complete information, education, and communication campaign.

DENR-Davao regional executive director Bagani Fidel Evasco said to foster wildlife conservation through preserving and protecting animals, plants, and their habitats, metal signages highlighting local endemic species will be placed in all barangays of Baguio District, in addition to multimedia materials like posters and movies.

Evasco said they have worked with Aboitiz on many projects.

This reforestation program is about planting trees and restoring and caring for the National Greening Program (NGP) area within the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed, he added. 

“With this partnership, the Apo Agua is helping us ensure the sustainability of our water table all the way to Davaoeños’ homes. I hope it does not end here, and we will continue with our conservation efforts,” Evasco said.

Apo Agua also provided the monitoring team of the DENR City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) with digital cameras and their Lawin Patrollers with mobile devices, power banks, and raincoats to optimize their watershed monitoring activities.

“It’s an honor to stand alongside DENR in protecting the Panigan-Tamugan watershed. At Aboitiz, we highly value environmental conservation as part of our strategy for advancing business and communities,” Apo Agua president Anna Lu said, adding that they recognize the urgent need to protect the watershed as this will be the next water source of Davao City.

Save the environment, minimize or terminate use of plastics

by Manila Bulletin

Editorial

“Plastic pollution seriously endangers the ecosystem, especially bodies of water like rivers that are vital to fishermen’s livelihood.”

With this in mind, the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading this week House Bill No. 4102 that proposes to raise the ₱20 excise tax on single-use plastic bags by 400 percent. The bill defines single-use plastic bags as secondary level plastics made of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic polymer such as “ice,” “labo,” or “sando” bags, with or without handle, used as packaging for goods or products. 

This is another step in the right direction to reduce plastic waste and help save the environment. It will likewise be a good complement to Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000) and Republic Act No. 11898 (Extended Producer Responsibility Act).

The environment problem is enormous, no doubt about it. In fact, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres amplified the magnitude of the global problem when he called on governments and multinational corporations to stop the “the orgy of destruction.”

“With our bottomless appetite for unchecked and unequal economic growth, humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction,” Guterres said ahead of the formal opening of biodiversity talks in Canada. “Our land, water, and air are poisoned by chemicals and pesticides, and choked with plastics.”

In pushing for House Bill 4102, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, one of the authors, noted that the Philippines is the third largest contributor to plastic pollution. This is backed by a World Bank study that shows “a staggering 2.7 million tons of plastic waste are generated in the Philippines each year, and an estimated 20 percent ends up in the ocean.” 

With stiffer tax under this measure, together with the Extended Producer Responsibility Act, we express hope that this will discourage manufacturers from producing single-use plastic and instead come up with more environment-friendly packaging products in a bid to lessen plastic pollution that seriously impacts biodiversity and climate change.

As the product connotes, single-use plastic is used only once. The product doesn’t fully decompose and only breaks down into pieces, the process of which takes hundreds of years. And since it is produced from fossil fuels, the greenhouse gases it emits during production contributes to climate change.

And just to underscore the adverse effects of single-use plastic, American oceanographer and environmental activist Philippe Cousteau Jr. once said: “One of my big pet peeves is single-use plastic bags. I think it’s one of the stupidest ideas in the world.” The single-use plastic bag bill is a good complement to the Extended Producer Responsibility Act, which requires obliged corporations—the brand owners and product manufacturers—to recover 80 percent of their plastic packaging wastes or face up to ₱20 million fine.

We commend our lawmakers for coming up with measures to address this global concern. Discouraging the production and use of single-use plastic bags may come with a stiff price as producing a more environment-friendly product may mean higher cost. But the higher price tag is pittance compared to its long-term beneficial effect on mankind. What is paramount is the preservation of the environment for the sake of survival.

Let humanity be an instrument of survival, instead of being a weapon of mass extinction.

What is the difference between "Cebuano" and "Visayan"?

 

Michelle Jones

Professional Matchmaking Consultant for CebuWomen.com

336 followers

95 following

Cebuano and Visayan can mean both the language and the people.

THE PEOPLE

The people living in Cebu, Philippines are called Cebuanos, but are locally referred to as Sugbuanon.

Visayas is the central island group of the country, which consists of 16 provinces, one of which is Cebu. Visayan is what you call the group of people that live in this area.

Think of it this way:

All Cebuanos are Visayans, but not all Visayans are Cebuano.

THE DIALECT

There are different variations of the Visayan language, or Bisaya, one of which is the Cebuano language. Depending on the region, they more or less are similar when it comes to grammar.

The syntax, however, may change slightly across regions. Visayan in West Visayas leans more towards the Tagalog Language, while Visayan in East Visayas remains true to the classic Visayan syntax.

Cebuanos (like me) speak in our own variation of Visayan which is what we currently know as the Cebuano dialect. We often shorten words by taking out letters or syllables to make them easier on the tongue and quicker to say.

For example, the Visayan phrase “ayaw ug” (“do not” in English) is spoken as “Ay’g” in Cebuano. This is quite similar to how the English language contracts “do not” to “don’t”. Here are a few Visayan words and their Cebuano variations:

Dalan = Daan (street)

Kalas = Kas (wasteful)

Pahibalo = Pahibawo (inform)

balumbong = bumbong (roof)

kalakat = katkat (climb)

Cebuanos often speak quite fast so there are really instances where we don’t say words completely. This eventually led us to adapt to the current Cebuano dialect that’s full of syllabic truncation and portmanteaus.

„Schneemassen“, Glätte und Minusgrade: Winter kommt mit voller Wucht nach Bayern

Der Winter naht. Die Wetterlage in Bayern wird beherrscht von Schnee und Kälte. Ein Schneetief bahnt sich seinen Weg in den Freistaat.

München – „Eines ist klar: Es ist der winterlichste Dezemberauftakt seit mindestens zwölf Jahren.“ Mit diesen Worten fasst Meteorologe Dominik Jung von wetter.net die aktuelle Wetterlage zusammen. Zuletzt habe es im Dezember 2010 so winterliches Wetter gegeben, damals sei es sogar noch kälter gewesen. In den kommenden Tagen sollen wieder „Schneemassen“ vom Himmel kommen, vor allem im Freistaat. 

Wetter in Bayern: Wintereinbruch kommt mit Neuschnee und Glätte

„Da könnten rund um das 3. Adventswochenende 10 bis 20 oder gar 30 Zentimeter Neuschnee vom Himmel kommen“, so Jung. Erhebliche Schneemengen seien besonders im Südosten Bayerns möglich. „Rund um den Bayerischen Wald könnten etliche Zentimeter Neuschnee vom Himmel kommen.“ Schuld sei ein Schneetief, das sich momentan noch über Tschechien befindet und von dort herüberzieht. Der Rest von Bayern bekommt nach aktuellen Prognosen auch was vom Schneetreiben ab. Sogar in der Landeshauptstadt München sollen die ersten Flocken fallen. Wetteronline kündigt für Freitag die erste Flocken an, Samstag und Sonntag soll es dann sogar fünf bis zehn Zentimeter Neuschnee geben. 

Zum 3. Advent soll ordentlich Schnee in Bayern fallen. © picture alliance/dpa | Katrin Requadt

Der Deutsche Wetterdienst (DWD) warnt indes vor Glätte und Frost. In den Nächten komme es durch Schneeschauer und überfrierende Nässe immer wieder zu glatten Straßen. „Jetzt ist es höchste Zeit für Winterreifen. Selbst in tiefen Lagen droht gefährliche Straßenglätte“, warnt auch Jung alle Autofahrer.

Wettervorhersage für Freitag (9. Dezember) von wetter.com

• München: 1 Grad
• Augsburg: 0 Grad
• Würzburg: 2 Grad
• Regensburg: 1 Grad
• Ingolstadt: 1 Grad
• Erlangen: 2 Grad
• Bayreuth: 2 Grad  
  

Weiße Weihnachten in Bayern: „Die Chancen steigen“

„Steigen die Chancen auf weiße Weihnachten? Es sieht ganz danach aus“, lässt Wetter-Experte Jung verlauten. Richtung 4. Advent könnten offenbar wieder mildere Luftmassen nach Bayern kommen. Zum Heiligabend wendet sich das Blatt laut aktuellen Prognosen dann wieder. Es sieht wieder kälter aus, das Rennen um weiße Weihnachten ist daher noch völlig offen. „Kälte und der Schnee bleiben ständig in unserer Nähe

Hidilyn bags 3 golds in World Championships

 

ANOTHER RECORD Hidilyn Diaz shows grace as she lifts for gold and possibly a ticket to the next Olympics in this screen grab from the International Weightlifting Federation.

By Waylon Galvez, Manila Times

December 9, 2022 600

(UPDATE) HIDILYN Diaz-Naranjo won three gold medals to rule the 55-kilogram category of the World Championships of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in Bogota, Colombia on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

The 31-year-old Zamboanga City native had a total lift of 207 kilograms.

ANOTHER RECORD Hidilyn Diaz shows grace as she lifts for gold and possibly a ticket to the next Olympics in this screen grab from the International Weightlifting Federation. 

The Athlete of the Year of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) also lifted 93 kilos in the snatch and 114 kilos in the clean and jerk for her two other golds.

Rosalba Morales of Colombia won the silver and Ana Gabriela Lopez of Mexico the bronze.

The Tokyo Olympics champion tried for 117 and 121 kg but registered no lift in both attempts.

The golds were the first for Diaz-Naranjo at the World Championships, and came a year after she handed the Philippines its first Olympic gold medal.

She previously won golds in the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, Asian Championship, the Asian Indoor and Mixed Martial Arts Games, and the World Cup.

The World Championships also served as a qualifying event for Diaz-Naranjo who hopes to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Morales had a total lift of 199 kg and took silver in clean and jerk, while Lopez had a total lift of 198 kg and bagged silver in snatch.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Jose Emmanuel "Noli" Eala congratulated Diaz.

"Hidilyn has proven once again that the fire in her heart to be second to none in her field continues to burn and remains the benchmark by which every weightlifter and Filipino athlete must measure themselves against," Eala said in a statement.

"The PSC will forever be proud of Hidilyn as the epitome of a great champion and will always provide support in her continuing quest to bring honor to our country. Mabuhay!" he said.

Filipino weightlifters Elreen Ando, Vanessa Sarno, Kristel Macrohon and Dave Lloyd Pacaldo are also expected to vie for medals at the World Championships and slots for the 2024 Olympics.

LPA to enter PH, may escalate into tropical depression – Pagasa

By Arlie O. Calalo, Manila Times

THE state-run weather agency said on Thursday that a low pressure area (LPA) still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) may develop into a tropical depression once it enters the country and would be named "Rosal".

Weather specialist Benison Estareja of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) told The Manila Times that the LPA was last spotted some 1, 265 kilometers east of Mindanao (outside PAR).

He said its trough or extension is affecting the eastern sections of Visayas and Mindanao where cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms may prevail over the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the shear line or the point where the warm and cold air converge is bringing rains over Northern Luzon particularly in Cagayan, Apayao and Ilocos Norte, Pagasa said.

Quoting Pagasa's latest forecast, Estareja said the LPA will likely enter within the day (Thursday) and will move towards Eastern Visayas and Bicol Region.

"It has a moderate chance to become a tropical cyclone," said Estareja although he declined to say if this would further escalate into a tropical storm in the coming days.

In case the LPA will develop into a storm, it will have a domestic name of "Rosal", the 18th cyclone this year and the first this month, the Pagasa forecaster said.

Over Metro Manila and the rest of the country, the weather bureau said generally fair weather is likely over the next 24 hours although partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms may be experienced in late afternoon and night time due to the localized thunderstorms.

Developing a deep sense of religion

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

THE liturgical season of Advent can be a good occasion for us to develop and strengthen our sense of religion, our life of piety, and our intimacy with God. We have to remember that as human beings, we often are trapped in our human and natural world and quite indifferent to the spiritual dimension of our life, let alone the supernatural goal our life is meant to pursue. Let’s do something about this predicament.

Let us hope that as we prepare for Christmas during this Advent season with our customary excitement for the holidays, we do not neglect the religious significance of Advent, and enkindle an intense desire to have a living encounter with Christ who is God who became man to be with us and to show us the way of how we ought to be, since he is the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity.

We cannot deny that there’s vast religious indifference and even hostility against religion today. A complex structure of rationalizations now supports religious indifference and hostility to religion. It seems that the threads of naturalism, skepticism, agnosticism, atheism, relativism, etc., have become more sophisticated, snuffing whatever religious ember that may still remain in a person or in society.

 

Nowadays, reason and empirical findings are considered the ultimate measure of things, and are made to dispute the claims of faith, steadily removing its attractiveness to the people. With this approach, piety is slowly eroded until it becomes practically dead.

  

With this trend, it is held that if things could not be fully understood and explained, if they could not be directly verified, if they are not socially, economically or politically practical, then they should be rejected. They are deemed senseless.

It’s as simple, or rather, as simplistic, as that. Such an attitude sorely misses the point that truths of faith, being spiritual and supernatural, require more than human reason to be believed. It’s a tyranny to force everyone to work only within the framework of reason and understanding alone, beyond which things simply cannot be true.

      

It sorely misses the point that we precisely need the gift of faith, because we are men of belief, more than of reason. Faith always respects reason, and always works through it, but is beyond it. It cannot be fully grasped by reason, much less by our senses. It has a longer spread, a wider scope, a deeper reach, a firmer grip on reality.

It is our faith that will tell us that we need not only to be with Christ, but also to be like Christ. And the season of Advent is a good time to develop a burning desire for this purpose. 

We need to be reminded that we have to develop an abiding and burning desire for Christ to fulfill the real purpose of our life which is precisely for us to be “another Christ.” We should be clear about this ultimate purpose of ours so we can have the proper sense of direction and focus in our life, and the corresponding urge to fulfill it.

Our problem is that we often take our life’s real and ultimate purpose for granted, preferring to sway and dance according to the music played simply by worldly conditions. We prefer to be guided by our senses and emotions, or by our reasoning alone as expressed in our man-made different ideologies, philosophies, sciences and technologies, etc. 

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com