7.6 quake hits off Philippines

[Updated 9:52 a.m. ET] A tsunami warning has been lifted for Japan, Taiwan and several Pacific islands, but a warning remains for Indonesia and the Philippines, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's tsunami center said Friday.

[Updated 9:50 a.m. ET] The U.S. Geological Survey has revised the magnitude of an earthquake that struck off the coast of the Philippines to 7.6, down from an initial reporting of 7.9, the agency said Friday.

[Posted 9:01 a.m. ET] An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 has struck off the coast of the Philippines, the U.S. Geological Survey said Friday.

The quake prompted a tsunami warning for parts of Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Guam and other areas, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," the tsunami warning center said.

The quake, which was about 20 miles deep, struck just before 8:50 p.m., the agency said. Its center was about 65 miles southeast of the town of Guiuan, in the Philippine province of East Samar.

Ed Serrano, the head of security at the Marco Polo Hotel in the city of Davao, about 250 miles south of Guiuan, said he felt the ground shake.

"The quake was very strong and the hotel guests were panicking. Most of them went outside," he said. "But now the situation is under control and we are waiting for official reports on how strong the quake was."

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Aboitiz Partners with City Hall, eco Group in Celebrating Earth Hour 2012

The Aboitiz Group is taking its efforts to reduce carbon footprint a step higher by partnering with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Cebu City Government in celebrating Earth Hour 2012.

On March 31, the Aboitiz Group and its partners will join the rest of the country and the world in shutting off lights for an hour, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., as a way to conserve energy and lessen carbon dioxide emissions.

In line with this year’s Earth Hour theme “Uniting Filipinos to Protect the Planet,” the WWF will present a live streaming broadcast of the other Earth Hour activities taking place in Manila and Davao.  It will also show video messages of President Benigno Aquino III and international leaders of WWF.  

Also before lights will be shut off, Earth Hour co-founder Andy Ridley will deliver his keynote message, which will also be shown through live streaming.

Activities in Cebu will kick off with essay-writing and poster-making contests among high school and college students, respectively, at The Persimmon Plus in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.  There will also be an eco-bazaar that will display items from recycled waste and organic food.

At 5:30 p.m., Aboitiz Group team members and residents of Cebu City’s 80 barangays will walk from the Fuente Osmeña to the Plaza Independencia as their way of supporting global environmental initiatives.

Aboitiz Group President & CEO Erramon Aboitiz will lead Group executives in the shut-off ceremony.  He will be joined by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Miss Earth 2008 Karla Henry, Miss Cebu 2012 Pierre Anther Infante and her court, and WWF representatives.

The Aboitiz Group has adopted sustainability as a strategic goal in the operations of its various businesses. Sustainability is striking a balance among People, Planet and Profit. Various activities are being developed across the Group through its five sustainability pillars of Reduce, Reuse/recycle, Rejuvenate nature, Renewable energy and Recharged communities.


Caption: Erramon Aboitiz, President and CEO of Aboitiz Equity Ventures joined by Ms Cebu 2011, Mia Faridoon during the ceremonial switch off last year held at The Persimmon.
Photo contributed by Danny Ybanez

The Strategic Selling

The Sales Professionals' Guide
To Immediate and Sustainable Sales Success

"Find out why this seminar is a much sought after sales training by companies who want to reach their bottom line goals!"

What's In It For You?

-Learn the difference between Strategic Selling vs. Tactical Selling
-Master the 4 companents of Strategic Selling that enables immediate and sustainable sales success.
-Learn the difference between SIMPLE and COMPLEX sales cases
-Learn the hurdles of every sales call and gain control over them
-Create significant improvement in your bottom line and listen to the "PING" in your cash registers!


Chief Training Facilitator

James Osorio Fantone is an international certified trainer. He was a former Advertising Sales Manager of World's Executive's Digest, a Publishing company whoses main clients are CEOs and Presidents of Multinational Institutions. He also was a former Sales Director of Superbrands Philippines Publications. James als became the Sales and Training Director of Morinda Internal, distributor of the famous Tahitian NoNi Juice, before becoming its first Filipino Country Manager. he also became a sales and training consultatnt for various companies such as Procter and Gamble, Agel International and Neways Philippines to name a few. He is currently the Executive Director of THe Academy for Creating Enterprise, a business school bases in Cebu established to teach, train and motivat aspiring individuals to start and build sustainable enterprises.

Testimonials 

"Nxt level's Strategic Selling helped my sales teams achieve their sales quota all at the sames time, It is the first time that this ever happened in our happened in our company and I am very happy and satisfied with the results of the training."

_maridan Sollesta, CEO, Maridan Industries Inc.

-After the training I immediately applied the learning and I have closed my biggest accounts ever."

Paul Canete, Sales Manager, Alcoy Agri industry

"I have learned a lot of valuable lessons from it. I would highly recommend for other persons engaged in business to attend his seminars,"

Cristine Dalogdog, General Manager
Airland Cargo Inc.

"Strategic Selling Seminar gives you practical steps to achieve sustainable sales. It gives you a competitive adge in making transactions as a salesman and as an entrepreur. In other words, it is a modern tool you can use that will eventually lead you to greater success."
Andrew Donggay, Class President MBA Xavier University/Enterpreneur

"Mr. James Fantone is excellent and his techniques are timely & resonate well beyond the classroom. I look forward to more learning sessions w/ him and my VisMin team."
Dave Acenas, Cebu Holdings Inc./ Ayala Land Inc.
Sr.--Property Specialist Cebu & CDO 

Why Create Business Blogging

Business blogging has become very popular these days. The internet has played an important role in the business world. There are now professional bloggers and business bloggers that gain their income through blogging. Find out why you should also create a business blog.

What is a blog? This came from the term web log. It is like an online journal that is frequently updated. Unlike the offline diary, this online journal is meant to be read by people over the internet. Aside from text, blogs may also contain pictures, music, video and others.

There are now millions of blogs available online. And every day there are thousands more of these blogs created by bloggers from around the world. Many have seen the advantages of owning and writing in a blog.

Blogs center on many different topics. Some would like to talk about politics while some would prefer writing about parenthood. Individual moms write a blog of their family life while some companies opt to write blogs about their business, product and services.

Why should businesses also create blogs?

1. To learn of latest news
Do you have a new product? Talk about it in the business blog. Tell potential customers of the advantages of owning the product, how it is used and other important information regarding the product.
Are there gossip floating around your product? You can manage negative reviews through your business blog. Customers can get official statements through this site. This is the go-to site for people looking for correct information about your product.

2. To connect with customers
In a business blog, the company is not the only one doing the talking. There are forums available on these sites that allow the customers to speak out. Through this tool, the company and customers can interact with each other.

3. To create a community
What is your passion? If you are health-conscious you will surely find other people on the internet that are also health conscious. They may be interested in products that you offer on the blog. You can than create a community of health-conscious people online who can help each other in their goals of living a healthy life.

4. To get feedback  
When you have a product, you would want to know what your customers think about it. In this way, you can make some improvements to your product in the future based on what your customers want you to do with it. You can get the information through the business blog.

Positive reviews from customers are of course very much appreciated in these blogs. It could attract more customers when it is obvious that a lot of people like it. Although complaints and negative opinions can be quite sensitive matters, it can still be good as it is a way for the company to find out what they need to change.

5. To gain friends in the industry
When you start your blog, you may find that there are others who are also blogging in the same industry. They may express interest in what your company offers. You can network with others and even gain friends through your business blog.

If you want your business to become even more successful why not try Problogging or Business Blogging?

What can Doctors Say for Pregnancy Safe Skin Care?

Before using any products, pregnancy safe skin care is on top of the list. You can find valuable information at web: BelliSkincare.au.com.  If you really serious about treating your skin problems during gestation period, it is worth of your time to learn about what doctors can say about those products.

Licensed doctors, especially the dermatologists, have the affirmation about the safety of the products. They support the research studies on the effects of these to your precious skin. You can question about the approved therapeutic ingredients to lessen your stretch marks and acne to your body parts. With some queries on the adverse effects of the items, doctors all over the world can attest for its safety application.

Obstetrician and Gynecologist

Words from Dr. Julie L., who is a Fertility Expert, OBGYN in Bondi Junction NSW, reveal that she recommend Belli products to her patients. She even counseled those future mothers to start applying this during conception. Early usage of this will establish your skin and will be prepared for skin problems. She will not have the confidence to testify of this positive effect without even trying out for herself.  She can honestly say that they are all wonderful!

Dr. Rachel S. is one of the Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in Victoria, Australia. She has pertinent information on pregnancy safe skin care.  She is impressed with Belli because of established research that elucidates the safety of these products for developing baby.   The items can protect the skin and still found to be not harmful during pregnancy.

Dr. Kirsten S, in Nambour, Old, also added her testimony.  She narrated that she tried a sample for facial cleanser.  She finds it to be a nice product.  Also, it proves to be effective cleansing agent with favorable fragrance. With her great experience on the product, she announces to the Mums that using these facial products is highly recommended.

Midwife

Susan R. is a well-experienced midwife in Balmain NSW.  For 36 years in practice, she has never been associated with skin care campaign because of her unresolved concerns. With the introduction of Belli products, she gained a peace of mind that answered her questions behind.  She proves them to be wonderful and to be safest in the market. She now encourages her patient to take avail of their great effects during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and while baby is growing.

General Practitioner

With few hanging questions on what can his patients use for skin care, Belli items become the key answers for Dr. Rohelle W. Belliskincare products unveil the natural ingredients and passed the screening steps, he finds them to be safe and worth of using. Women can now enjoy the simple application of these formulations. Most importantly, baby’s health is highly considered.

You cannot simply contradict yourself with things that are right and true.  With details on pregnancy skin care, you can agree that recommendations by doctors in various specializations are valid.  This is a relief for you that protecting your skin using these formulations will not hamper the development of your little angel.


For more information about pregnancy stretch marks prevention, check out www.belliskincare.com.au. Besides, being beautiful is not only for the skinny-typed, model like women. Being beautiful and having flawless skin even during pregnancy is possible with the help of acne treatment during pregnancy.

Looking for Free Chat Room With No Registration for Your Niche Website?

Are you running a niche website? Then a free chat room with no registration would be a perfect tool to get your site visitors engaged. Niche websites are very specific segments of a category. Personal development, for example, is not a niche. It's a category. How to beat procrastination is a niche that we can all explore. If your site has a niche, you'll probably benefit tremendously from live chat widgets to drive people to your site.

A chat room enhances any websites' overall experience for visitors. With a communication tool installed onsite, users are encouraged to start a discussion and fire up a conversation. With a chat tool in place, site visitors are also greatly encouraged to participate in lively conversations in real-time on topics such as the website's products and services, or just about anything that the conversation is pointing out. This is a perfect tool to allow visitors to communicate spontaneously about the niche that they are very interested in.

If you are running a niche site, a cooking site, for example, with a live chat tool, your site's visitors would be enticed not only to comment on how lovely your pasta looks, they would also be enticed to ask questions, raise some suggestions or even start a conversation on how to cook such and such.

What else does a chat room with no registration do to your niche site? With today's technology, chat tools provide an awesome way of networking site with the same theme or topic. Cooking sites, for example, that use the service of the same chat tool provider, get linked together providing some sort of liquidity among these sites users. Visitors of cooking site A, for instance will have a good chance to find users from cooking sites B, C and D, and have a good exchange of information. Essentially, this will allow related sites to exchange users fluidly via the chat tool in question, creating a whole new portal for traffic.

Think of chat tools as a way of taking the social media game to a whole new level. It brings people together, engages them, and lets them join in on any conversation in real-time. It makes connecting with each other in a more interesting way.

Think your niche site could use this extremely useful tool? Try free chat rooms with no registration now and see how your site's overall experience will shoot through the roof.

ChatWing.com, the best Facebook chat and online chat solutions to businesses,  offers chat rooms with no registration with the young ones in mind. To learn more about the online utility that ChatWing.com offers, visit new href="http://www.chatwing.com

For more information about many more ways to use Live Chat Solutions, chat room for teenagers and facebook chat alternative to manage business engagements with anyone in the world that has access to the internet, visit http://www.chatwings.com.

Filipino Online Chat Rooms in Perspective and History

Filipinos just simply love chatting and engaging via the social media. This analysis is backed-up by the recent report that shows a higher percentage of Filipinos using the social media versus the total number of those who are online. At the recent report released by comScore.com, almost 46% of the Filipinos uses social media sites for networking.

Chat rooms are specific areas and venues online where people can react and interact in real time.

In history and usage, the term "chat room" is used in general to convey an idea of synchronized conferencing or conversation. It is also called "online chat room" specially that these chat discussions are done with the aid of the world wide web. Currently, these words are used interchangeably: "online forums", "online chat rooms" and "online chat area" to be the same keyword of the same thing for instant messaging and any form of internet-basd discussion forums. In a definition I can coin, a "chat room" is a graphical environment where users discuss topics and ideas.

Today's chat room is the grand daughther of several years of development. The first one this writer came accross is MIRC in early 90's.

According to some research, the deeper source of the modern day chatroom is the Multi User Dungeon software. It is often called MUD Server. Developed by then University of Essex student RoyTrubshaw in late 70's, the said software allowed individuals connect to people using their home computers to participate in an online fantasy game.

The new and exciting world initiated by online fantasy game Dungeon and Dragons, became popular specially with this special feature where everyone an chat with anyone anytime online.

The simple game became an instant phenomenon and the program, from a small network which contains friends and acquaintances, becomes the forefront of future developments of the chat tool. From gaming, the same chat software was widely accepted as the software for general discussion and conversation.

FILIPINO CHAT ROOM 

There is no public detail of the filipino's use of chat rooms. However in early 90's MIRC was introduced to Filipinos. MIRC is an MS-Dos based program where people around the globe began chatting. The famous line "ASL" becomes to popular as  a symbol for asking anyones "Age, sex and location."

By 1990's, newer and updated version of the MUD server and software has emerged. By 1994, more than 400 MUD's formed by different niche, groups and communities. These special groups pursued multiple interests and discussions which progressed into the very first forums ever.  Most of these forums are pioneered by Filipinos.

Currently, these chat rooms are now a critical service provided by known social media networks in a very user-friendly interface. Chatwing.com is one of them.

The writer is definitely an online chat administrator of popular chat rooms based in the Philippines. He has also contributed numerous insightful articles on filipino chatroom and kids chatting rooms.

Hanwha E&C to build world’s largest domed arena near Manila

Hanwha Engineering and Construction Corp. began work on the world's largest domed arena in the Philippines on Thursday.

The work for the $175 million contract, signed on Aug. 4, got underway in a ceremony attended by Hanwha E & C officials including vice chairman Kim Hyun-chung and those from the Filipino Christian organization Iglesia Ni Cristo that issued the contract. 

The facility located near Manila, named the Philippine Arena, will be fitted with 50,000 seats and its domed roof will be nearly 36,000 square meters, making it the world's largest domed arena, the company said.

Hanwha E & C said that the work will be carried out over 30 months to be finished early 2014.

"By winning this contract for building the world's largest dome arena, the company was able to prove its technological capabilities and the ability to carry out overseas projects," Kim said in a statement. The company said that in the biddings for the contract, it competed with China's Jiangsu International and the Philippines' largest construction company EEI Corp. The project will be conducted in design-build process in which the contractor is responsible for all related processes from designing to building the facility, the company said.

"As the bridgehead for the Southeast Asian market, the project is expected to bring opportunities for more civil engineering and construction projects in the region."

The project opens a new market for Hanwha E & C, which has focused mostly on the Middle Eastern markets, as it drives to become one of the world's 100 largest construction companies.

Earlier this year Hanwha Engineering and Construction announced plans to become one of the world's top 100 builders by 2015 with an annual sales figure of 5 trillion won ($4.65 billion), and win contracts worth 7 trillion won in that year.

The plans also revealed that the company will diversify its overseas portfolio to include civil engineering projects, and to expand into solar power and other renewable energy businesses.

Also as part of the plans, the company hopes to expand its overseas generated income by more than 20 percent each year with the aim of raising 40 percent of its annual revenues from overseas sources by 2015.

In the Middle East, Hanwha E & C has made significant headway this year, winning a series of contracts including an urban development project in Iraq.

The contract, issued by Iraq's National Investment Commission, is valued at $7.25 billion, making it the largest overseas construction project to be won by a Korean construction firm.

Under the contract, Hanwha Engineering and Construction will build a planned town at a location 25 kilometers east of central Baghdad. The town will be built over an area of 1,830 hectares and contain 100,000 new homes, the company said.