Olympic Fever: Wear Your Country Flag On Your Browser

Olympic fever burning for your country team yet?

In line with the ongoing 2012 Olympics in London, Firefox pushed for its set of personas featuring National Flags, celebrating "the global spirit of community." It is certainly a nice reminder to cheer for your country team competing in the XXX Olympiad.

Just to clarify, we are talking about the Games of the "30th Olympiad" and not a reference to a raunchy adult video. Although if we base this on the statements of US Women's Soccer Team goalkeeper Hope Solo, one could be justified in saying that the Olympics may not be just strictly sports. [See Hope Solo and Sex in the Olympics]

Well, what can you do with all that testosterone in the air?

200 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anyway, this particular collection of Firefox themes [See National Flags 2012] is not at all complete with only about 65 designs including the Global Spirit series. Here's one that features the Philippine Flag as seen in the screengrab above. That is decent enough for my taste. Not satisfied, here are other variations in case you are feeling somewhat patriotic especially now that the Philippines is facing formidable adversaries in the Western Philippine Sea. [See More Philippine Flag Firefox Personas]

Congrats in advance to all participants in the 2012 Olympics. Do your country proud. Here's to Global Community and brotherhood. And Go Team Philippines!

Related articles

• Hope Solo on sex at the Summer Olympics, 'There's a lot of sex going on'
• Guest Post: Olympics Preview
• Hope Solo: Why Soccer Star Is Most Exciting Athlete at 2012 London Olympics

Pacquiao Destroys Margarito; Wins Record 10th World Title

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The distinguished gentleman from the Philippines, Manny "The Pacman" Pacquiao emerges victorious against the Mexican challenger Antonio "El Tornado de Tijuana" Margarito via a 12-round unanimous decision in their world title fight, November 13, 2010 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas, USA.

Save for a round or two in the early goings where Margarito showed marks of his former championship brilliance, Pacquiao overwhelmed his opponent through their WBC Junior Middleweight bout. The famed Filipino boxer now holds the distinction of the only fighter holding 10 world titles in 8 different weight classes.

Margarito fought bravely through bloodied and swollen eyes and held his own despite wobbly legs up to the last sound of the bell. During the 12th round Pacquiao can be seen glancing at the referee as if waiting for the official to stop the fight, knowing that his challenger is at that point severely injured.

It was a historic event witnessed by millions all over the world. And it is only fitting that the match was held at what is currently the world's finest sporting venue -- Jerry Jones' Cowboys Stadium, which was filled to overflowing by boxing fans that night.

It was a dominating performance by Pacquiao but the bravery of Margarito cannot be denied. No doubt, this fight will go down the boxing annals as a certified classic.

Related articles

• Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito: Round-by-Round Live Analysis (bleacherreport.com)
• You: Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito (sportsviews.com)
• Pacquiao Vs. Margarito Round-By-Round Coverage: Manny Dominates Opening Round (sbnation.com)

Pacquiao Bested Clottey: Keeps Welterweight Title

It wasn't much of an event. Despite the gargantuan hype, the WBO welterweight title match between reigning champ Manny Pacquiao and Ghana's Joshua Clottey was more an exercise in drudgery than anything else. Clottey, the challenger, with a 10-pound advantage and an all-too-haughty demeanor failed to impress and committed quite a number of boxing faux pas. Some commentators even thought the sparring practices from the weeks of preparation for both camps held more action than this weekend's main bout.

Pacquiao brought his usual high-adrenaline game as was expected of the record holding, multi-titled fighter -- the footwork was there, as well as the speed and the menacing blows both to the body and to the head. In fairness to Clottey he took a tough enough stance. However the so-called "Hitter" simply allowed himself to be an overgrown punching bag through all 12 rounds, throwing glancing blows to Pacquiao as a mere afterthought it seemed.

The Philippines' favorite son took home the title once again, this time on an overwhelmingly unanimous decision. A win is a win and kudos to the Pac-man. Nevertheless, this is hardly the way a well-favored fighter should exit the ring. Even as talks of Pacquiao's retirement is nearing fruition, more sooner than later, there is a prevalence of expectation for Manny Pacquiao to go out with a big convincing win. This is something that "The Event" failed to deliver.

Pacquiao Devastates Dela Hoya

MANNY PACQUIAO WINS in the 9th round of his non-title boxing match against Oscar dela Hoya as the Filipino fighter totally overcomes dela Hoya throughout their fight.

Dela Hoya suffered a cut to his face with Pacquiao's quick and strong left straights. Pacquiao's speed and power was just too much for the Golden Boy despite the latter's advantage in height and weight.

See the blow-by-blow account here.

Congratulations to the Pacman!

Your Ads Love It Here!

Pacquiao Captures Lightweight Belt

Photo from Philboxing.com

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao made history June 28 as he slugged it out on the square ring, outboxing then Lightweight Champion David Diaz and finally sending the Mexican-American fighter's face to the canvass late in the 9th round, to win the WBC Lightweight Championship of the World. Pacquiao is the first Filipino and Asian to capture the title, his fourth world title in four separate divisions, proving without question that he is the best pound-for-pound boxer of this age.

Pacquiao showed he was at the top of his game at the lightweight division -- considered for years as the holy grail of Philippine boxing. Filipino greats fell at this level, even the legendary Gabriel "Flash" Elorde.

But "The Pacman" was lightning fast at 135 pounds. The slow-motion replay could barely track a blur of a left hook that was the knockout punch smashing into Diaz's chiselled jaws. His gloves went limp as his face hit the ring floor. And while Pacquiao went to a neutral corner, referee motioned for the ring physician as Diaz struggled to get on his back. Just before the cornermen jumped into the ring -- Diaz's in bewilderment, Pacquiao's in jubilation -- the gentleman warrior approached his fallen foe and tried to help him get up.

Your Ads Love It Here!

Manny Pacquiao's red right gloves flashed warning signs for the "Dangerous" David Diaz all through the first 8 rounds. But in the end, it was an unsuspecting left that leveled Diaz.

It was a convincing end. There were no scorecards to count, no controversial headbutts. Diaz took the fight to Pacquiao and stood up valiantly against the famed Filipino fighter. But this time the challenger proved too fast and too strong. Truly a lethal combination for the defending champ.

Get the blow-by-blow account at Yahoo! Sports.

And here's some great stories of the fight over at Pacquiao's own website.

Congratulations to the pinoy boxing hero Manny Pacquiao!

Pacquiao Wins By A Point Against Marquez

Here's a facial!
Photo by German Villasensor at MaxBoxing.com

Philippine boxing hero Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao braved the onslaught that was Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez of Mexico during last
Sunday's "Unfinished Business" championship fight for the WBC super featherweight title, to come out the victor by a lone brow-raising point.

The bout lasted 12 rounds filled with blood, sweat, spit and pure guts from today's most evenly matched, 130-pounder champions of the square ring. Their last go for glory against each other back in 2004 ended in an unsatisfying draw. This Pacquiao-Marquez II slugfest was just as confusing as the first, with both fighters holding their own versus the other's determined force - toe-to-toe, pound-for-pound, blow-by-blow.

It was boxing history being carved-out, albeit live on pay-per-view.

There were rounds taken by Marquez, while other rounds showed clearly Pacquiao making his mark. Marquez even hit the canvass on the third round. For the totality of the fight however, both Marquez and Pacquiao were even - Marquez showed impeccable skills; Pacquiao branded speed and power; and both bore the hearts of lions.

Your Ads Love It Here!

Nonethless, at the end of the 12th, the judges had to make a decision. It was an inconceivable decision that could never measure nor quantify the battle that was waged inside that boxing ring. After that fight, the injustice was watching 3 judges subjectively score the very souls of the greatest warriors on earth that very night.

And as the scores were being announced, the Filipino pugilist, beaming with utmost respect toward his battered foe seemingly conceded his pride with outstretched congratulatory arms for Marquez. The Mexican though didn't seem to welcome his foe's gentlemanly gesture. Then Pacquiao grimaced - not with pain from Marquez's blows to his body nor the cut on his right eye. His face pained knowing that he must now bear the consequence of his efforts that night. Manny Pacquiao wrested the championship from Marquez by but a sliver of a point.

I'm proud that Pacquiao won. Nevertheless, I cannot say that Marquez was in any way a loser. He was strong to the very end and was just as deserving for that single point as were Pacquiao.

Nothing short of a convincing victory would really settle the score between Pacquiao and Marquez. Will there be a third meeting? If so, may the 12th round never come.

2007 World Pool Championships: England vs. Philippines - Daryl Peach Wins

With $100K, who the heck needs hair?
Image from worldpoolchampionships.com

At that moment, it was the most dramatic piece of furniture to watch on the planet. A table covered in soft felt cloth, 4 holes at each corner plus 2 at the sides, traversed to and fro by 9 colored balls of cast resin, set to motion by chalk-tipped wooden sticks, held by the hands of two determined men with one goal in mind - become the 2007 World Pool Champion.

After toppling the Hungarian newcomer Vilmos Foeldes yesterday at his semis match, England's Daryl Peach earned his spot at the finals. So too did Philippine contender Roberto Gomez, after he won over Karl Boyes. It was England versus the Philippines in a classic duel that will go down in pool history as one of the best ever played.

"Superman" (Roberto Gomez' monicker) against the bald-headed "Lex Luthor" (referring to Peach although he sports the alias "Dazzler"). The former had the homecourt advantage. The latter, only his experience in international pool tourneys backed him up.

It was a race to 17. Each cue artist matched the other's stroke. They both made costly errors. They also made incredible shots. I've lost track how many times the object ball hung by the edge of the pocket - frustration wrung Gomez's and Peach's faces. Still, both men demonstrated mastery of the game.

During the first part, Daryl Peach led the game but Roberto Gomez played it close. The game tied 2-2, then 3-3. But when Peach tried to pull away at 3-8 Gomez ran a 5-rack streak to even things up again at 8-8. Again they tied at 12 a-piece. Then Gomez threatened to bury Peach at 15-12 with a barrage of safeties and counter-safeties. The Englishman however stood his ground and went on to tie the match 15 all. Daryl Peach didn't look back since. At rack 32, the final score - Gomez 15, Peach 17.

Your Ads Love It Here!

Daryl Peach is the 2007 World Pool Champion!

This time, the Filipino crowd gave the home-bet upsetter a hearty round of applause, unlike the controversy earlier during Peach's match in the quarterfinals against Filipino pool master Francisco Bustamante. The local fans at ringside even shook his hands approvingly and offered up high-fives. That was perhaps a more satisfying catharsis for Peach - a plus after his winner's reward of the 2007 WPC title and $100,000.

Personally, I wanted Gomez to win. I thought we should have another Pinoy champion. But I've since resigned myself to the thought that the tournament indeed belonged to Peach. Pool is one of the few sports that relied largely, almost solely on skill and circumstance. This time around, Daryl Peach had a few notches more skill and circumstance than Roberto Gomez. The younger Gomez will have his own day to win. Congratulations to Daryl Peach and kudos for a game well played to both Peach and Gomez.

Catch the rack-by-rack report from "The AnitoKid on Billiards | Philippine Sports: Daryl Peach Wins the 2007 World Pool Championship!"

2007 World Pool Update: Peach's Hairline Win Over Bustamante's Heartbreak Loss

Francisco Butamante - So Unbelievably Close.
Archive Image by snookerclub.com

Daryl Peach felt the pressure of the unbelieving local crowd as he stared down at the last 9-ball and finally sinking it to edge Francisco Bustamante in their race-to-11 quarterfinals at the 2007 World Pool Championships. Only a few hands were heard clumsily applauding the Englishman's win.

Bustamante shook his hand, his head turned away.

The unnerving atmosphere in what should be a jovial occasion at the 9-ball tourney, was rooted at the previous rack which held up the match for the good part of 10-minutes. The issue - an alleged foul ball against Bustamante on what was a miraculous combination shot on the 3rd and 9th ball that would have given the Filipino cue player the shot at the semis.

Earlier in the match, Peach commanded over Bustamante as the latter committed costly errors at the pool table. Bustamante however regained his composure and with a valiant uphill climb, later takes the lead 9 to 10 over the obviously worried Peach. With just a score away from the quarterfinals win, a good soft break allowed Bustamante to proceed. A slight miscalculation after sinking the 2-ball stopped the white main ball at an angle short of a clear shot at the target 3-ball behind the striped 9.

This forced Bustamante to bank the cue ball on the rail which hit both the 3 and the 9-ball. With a good amount of velocity the 9 made its way to the corner at the far end and dropped in. The audience burst in jubilance. Peach however unconvinced called for a review. The television replay seemed to show the white ball hitting the 3 and the 9 with the 9-ball apparently moving prior to and faster than the object ball. Thus the foul was called by the officiating referee Nigel Rees and was upheld even after a second review called by Bustamante.

Your Ads Love It Here!

Peach proceeded to win that controversial rack for a tie at 10-10. At the next rack, Bustamante didn't even have to stand up. Peach won it 11-10.

But not without a homecourt crowd in eerie disbelief sharing in the heartbreak loss of their local hero.

Parallel Quarterfinals Results
Hungary's Vilmos Foeldes upsets former champion Mika Immonen of Finland in a convincing 7-11 victory. Foeldes and Peach will battle it out in the semis for the chance at the championship later today.

Best Eight To Shoot For 2007 World Pool Championships

They came to conquer. Out of the 128 of the world's best cue masters from 46 countries around the world, the final 8 will match nerves of steel at the pool table for the illustrious 2007 World Pool Championship title and a winner's prize of $100,000.

The quarterfinals are being held as of writing, which will be followed by two semis matches later in the afternoon. The final showdown between the semis winners will rack up tomorrow, Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines 2:30pm Manila time (GMT+8).

Since it opened November 3, 2007 many of the masters already fell. The entire 4-man Australian team and the 12-man USA contingent have been eliminated. Crowd favorites and pool masters like, Efren Reyes (Philippines), Johnny Archer (USA), Earl Strickland (USA) and Ralph Soquet (Germany) were also brought down. From 128, the numbers fell to 64, then 32 then 16. Only the 8 best 9-ball pool players for 2007 remain for the coveted championship.

Four matches are currently playing at the quarterfinals. The Philippines' veteran pool artist Francisco "Django" Bustamante , seeded at number 9, plays opposite 17th seed Daryl Peach of England.

Bustamante is itching for his first world championship win following his exceptional complete sweep of the US Pro-tour Championship and besting USA's Johnny Archer at the finals earlier in June of this year. Among the most popular Filipino pool athletes such as the legendary 1999 World Pool Champion Efren "The Magician" Reyes and 2004 World Pool Champion Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan, only Bustamante survived the gruelling qualifying rounds.

Daryl "Dazzler" Peach comes into the competition fresh from winning the 2007 Euro Tour German Open Championships. On the way to the quarterfinals, he defeated Filipinos Rodolfo Luat and 2006 World Pool Champion Ronato "The Volcano" Alcano.

England's Karl "The Bomb" Boyes competes versus another Filipino Joven Bustamante (not related to Francisco Bustamante). They both debut this year at the World Pool Championships, with the younger Boyes carrying more tournament wins over the up and coming Bustamante.

Your Ads Love It Here!

Number 12 seed and the only former World Pool Champion to enter the last stages, Finland's Mika "Iceman" Immonen (2001 WPC title holder) battles unseeded Vilmos "The Magic Magyar" Foeldes of Hungary. Can Foeldes, the 3-time European Youth Champion come up with an upset and cut Immonen's bid for another WPC crown?

Also at the quarterfinals tables, the final hope of the 11-man Chinese Tai-pei contingent, "Little Monster" Kuo Po-Cheng takes on the third Philippine bet Roberto "Superman" Gomez.

Who is your bet for the 2007 World Pool Championships?

Makati Mall Blast Updates

"NO PARKING!"
Vehicles slammed into each other by the blast.
Images from "Disney Cute Land"
Evidence from the site of the explosion that rocked Makati City in the Philippines early afternoon of Friday have been identified by experts to be components of military-type explosives. Traces of RDX, the main component of C4 were reportedly found at the blast area. However, authorities maintain that investigations are still ongoing and as such, no categorical statements have been made 24-hours into the blast incident. As of latest reports, the "Glorietta Bombing" claimed the lives of 9 persons and injured more than a hundred.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered police chief Director General Avelino Razon to get to the bottom of things. The embattled president extended condolences to the victims and pledged financial support through the Department of Social Works. The President also addressed the public earlier today to remain vigilant and endure heightened security measures in the metropolis. She appealed further for unity.

Search and rescue ended late last night. Another body was pulled out of the rubble bringing the death toll to 9. The destruction was extensive with some 100 stores affected. Several vehicles were damaged as portions of an elevated walkway fell to the street under the blast site. A crater as wide as a small house marks the center of the bomb blast which is located near the delivery access way of the mall. Sections of the roof also gave way from the explosion. The site remains cordoned off as investigators continue to sift through the debris for more evidence.

Below is one of the earlier videos of the incident that floated on the Web. Notice that security and police forces have not yet responded.
(Video from "tonyo")

Your Ads Love It Here!

Reports from observers in the vicinity during the blast confirmed that there were no detectable scent of gas in the area, which would have supported earlier speculations of an LPG tank explosion. Furthermore, observers noted from video and photos of the site circulating in the Internet and media that the damage was too extensive and that there were no signs of burning consistent with gas explosions. Heavy dust clouds as can be seen from the above video, corroborate closely to a bomb detonation.

While the media and authorities continue to reference terrorist attacks, none of the known extremist groups in the Philippines have come forward to take responsibility for the bombing. This, coupled with the non-conclusive statements forwarded by police investigators fuel speculation among the various political factions in the country as well as the citizenry.

Opposition groups raise possibilities for the bombing as a diversionary tactic by the administration as recent talks of impeaching the President and accusations of bribery have been hurled against Mrs. Arroyo. Some citizens faithful to the administration however counters the view with opposition-instigated conspiracy theories that supposedly aims to destabilize the government.

Explosion Kills 8 in Philippines' Makati Central Business District

"Authorities scramble to secure
the vicinity of the explosion."
Image from GMANews.TV
As of latest reports, 8 people have died and some 70 more were injured after a strong explosion occurred at around 1:30pm earlier today October 19 at the Glorietta 2 Mall in Makati, Philippines. The upscale shopping center located at the heart of the country's foremost business capital was evacuated, as the site of the incident is currently being investigated.

The cause of the blast is still being determined. Some early speculators pointed at the possibility of a gas tank leak as the incident occurred inside a restaurant near the vicinity of the mall's delivery area. The Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon on the other hand was quoted as categorically stating that it was not an accident involving LPG (liquid petroleum gas) and may possibly be a "bomb".

Police security in the metro was stepped up. The military was placed on heightened red alert. Government officials are asking the public however not to speculate on the incident.

In December of 2000, Makati City was one of the sites of bombings from extremist groups that took some 22 lives. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for today's incident and there are yet no indications that it was an attack.

Meanwhile, representatives from the Ayala Corp., owners of the Glorietta Mall pledged assistance to the blast victims.

More on this story as it unfolds.

Airbus A380 Superjumbo Jet Arrives in Manila

"Get off my bus...err, plane!"
Photo by Paolo V. Guinto, PFSG

For the first time ever, the world's largest airliner - the Airbus A380 - touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines at about 2:45 PM October 11 (Manila time). The visit is part of it's route proving flight in Asia to show that the mammoth aircraft can be accommodated at existing airports without the need for special modifications.

The "Superjumbo" aircraft dwarfed other commercial airliners parked nearby runway 24 where it made a smooth landing according to visiting planespotters from the Philippine Flight Simmers Group (PFSG) at the Philippine Skies Forums. Mon, a PFSG member said that it was "a pretty quiet plane for its size."

The MSN009 A380 test flight is now at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (Clark International) and will depart for Dubai on October 13.

Here is a video of the A380 landing in the Philippines.


There were discussions on whether the international airport in Manila can hold the enormous weight of the A380. During initial flight tests, the A380's take-off weight was recorded at over 420 tonnes. The aircraft is measured for a maximum take-off weight of 650 metric tonnes. In this instance, the 3,737 meter long runway 24 at Manila withstood the burden of the massive eight-storeys high flying machine.

Airbus (aka Airbus, S.A.S), is a subsidiary of European Aeronautic Defence and Space company (EADS, N.V.) based in Toulousse, France. Development of the A380 began as early as the 1990's. It was destined to rival the dominance of Boeing's 747 in the large commercial jet airliner category. Moreover, the A380 is Airbus' anticipated response to the projected doubling of demand for air travel in the coming years.

Your Ads Love It Here!

Said to be "cleaner, greener, quieter and smarter", the A380-800 model comes in 2 double-deck configurations. The standard three-class design can carry 525 people while the full-economy configuration can hold up to 853 passengers. In contrast, the Boeing 747-8 carries up to 467 people just a little more than half that of A380's capacity at full-economy mode. The A380 is designed to fly non-stop from Hong Kong to New York with a maximum capacity of 310,000 liters of jet fuel.

Airbus encountered numerous delays in the production of the A380. Currently 17 airlines have a total 165 orders for the aircraft. Airbus projects to break-even at 420 units. The first official delivery of the A380 is scheduled on October 15 for Singapore Airlines.

You can watch the live stream of the delivery at A380Delivery.com.


Technorati tags:A380, Airbus A380

The Will To Win - Pacquiao Overcomes Barrera

"Who wants to play next?"
They first met in 2003, a virtually unknown Filipino challenger against a great Mexican warrior. Marco Antonio Barrera was the heavy favorite over Manny Pacquiao, a then fledgling southpaw in the featherweight division - A "David" against a "Goliath".

During the first round Pacquiao suffered a well expected knockdown. He picked himself up and went on with the match. In the third round, both fighters have suffered tremendous blows, but one surprise hit stunned the entire arena - Barrera went down to the canvass with a stinging hit from Pacquiao.

As the fight continued the Filipino slugger sent punch after punch of pure power against the famed fighter. By the 11th round, the smoke had cleared - Barrera suffered another knockdown. Manny Pacquiao had won.

Your Ad Here

For the past four years both fighters fought their separate battles. The younger fighter, Manny Pacquiao consistently ascended up the boxing ranks. In 2004 he managed a draw against Juan Miguel Marquez. He then suffered an unpopular unanimous decision loss versus Erik Morales in 2005 that began the celebrated rivalry between Pacquiao and Morales.

Later that year, the "Pacman" won by technical knockout over Hector Velasquez to capture the vacant WBC International Super Featherweight title. He then went on to defend the title 4 consecutive times, once against Oscar Larios and twice against Erik Morales which were all memorable rematch bouts. Pacquiao's latest title defense was against Jorge Solis in April of this year, which he decisively won by knockout in the 8th round.

As for Marco Antonio Barrera, also known as the "Baby Faced Assasin", he came back from his loss to Pacquiao in 2003 to win 6 successive fights against Paulie Ayala, Erik Morales, Mzonke Fana, Robbie Peden, and twice against Rocky Juarez. Earlier this year, he lost the WBC Super Featherweight Title to Juan Miguel Marquez.

October 6, 2007 (October 7 in Manila) - At 28 years old, Manny Pacquiao overcomes Marco Antonio Barrera with a unanimous decision win (109-118, 109-118, 112-115) to remain as the WBC International Super Featherweight Champion. Pacquiao recovered from an alleged illegal shot by Barrera to Pacquiao's head in the 11th round.

The 33-year veteran Barrera, a boxing Hall of Fame nominee, have indicated that this may be his "farewell fight". Pacquiao is obliged by WBC rules to face title-holder Juan Miguel Marquez next, but neither camps have confirmed plans for future fights.

It was a valiant last stand for a legendary fighter. Nevertheless, Manny Pacquiao is effortlessly at his top form and remains the best and most exciting fighter in boxing today.

Technorati Tags: Manny Pacquiao, Pacquiao Barrera fight

Bosnia Overtakes Philippines / Hungary in Kissing Contest

Almost seven thousand Bosnians, Croatians, Serbians, Albanians, Macedonians and Slovenians (try saying that 3 times fast!) took to the streets of Tuzla Town north of Sarajevo last September 1, for 10-seconds of lip-locking placing them on the Guiness Book of World Records for the most number of people kissing simultaneously.

The official count - 6,980 people got their mojos running as they broke the running streaks of former kiss capitals Hungary and the Philippines.

The raunchy record previously went back and forth to the Philippines and Hungary as they bested each other for the ticklish title since 2004 when the Philippines captured the record with 5,327 kiss-crazy couples smooching for the "Lovapalooza" Valentines event. Hungary proved they could tie tongues as they got the official recognition in 2005 with 5,875 pairs pecking at each other.

Filipinos came back February this year with 6,124 smackers in what would be a short-lived distinction as Hungarians jotted 6,613 kissers last June. Another Budapest claim came late August with 7,451 couples but the number was not officially recognized.

Despite Bosnia's celebration over the record, Muslim conservatives derided the demonstration saying it was disrespectful of Islamic tradition. However, Tuzla Mayor Jasmin Imamovic declared in this report, that they would rather emphasize love, not hatred.

Gerry Peñalosa, Other Filipino Boxers win 5-1 vs. Mexicans in Boxing World Cup

Five of the six Filipino pugilists who entered the ring at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California won their respective fights to come out victorious in their campaign for the 2nd Boxing World Cup. The Philippine Boxing Team defeated their Mexican counterparts leading to the capture of two coveted world titles.

Z "The Dream" Gorres took the IBF Junior Bantamweight Intercontinental Title via an eighth round TKO over Mexico's Eric Ortiz. This is the 27th win (15th by knockout) by the 25 year old southpaw from Cebu, Philippines.

In another celebrated victory, former WBC Super Flyweight Champion Gerardo Penalosa (a.k.a. Gerry "Fearless" Peñalosa) stripped the WBO Bantamweight Title belt off defending champion Jhonny Gonzalez. Peñalosa, the 35 year old boxing veteran, let all hell break lose in the seventh round with a furious left-hand body blow that painfully drew the wind from Gonzalez who was unable to recover within the mandatory 10 counts. The jubilant Gerry Penalosa, said to be hinting at retirement, is sure to nix such options now that he is at top of his game in the bantamweight class.

Formerly undefeated 20 year old Filipino prodigy Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista fell to the hands of reigning WBO Super Bantamweight Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon during the main event of the 2007 Boxing World Cup. De Leon entered the boxing ring all fired up obviously eager to avenge his five fallen comrades. Boom Boom Bautista on the other hand seemed off being in the defensive. Minutes into the first round, a right to the face knocked down Bautista once, and then after barely overcoming the 10 counts, Bautista never again had breathing room from De Leon's follow up punches forcing the young boxer down a second time to the canvass. Referee Jon Schorle quickly intervened and called an end to the fight to the favor of the defending champion.

Despite Bautista's defeat, the Philippines still emerged triumphant over Mexico with additional wins from A.J. Banal's third round knock down off Jorge Cardenas, Michael Domingo's win over Miguel "Mickey Mouse" Roman, and Diosdado Gabi's unanimous decision victory against Jose Angel Beranza.

The August 11, 2007 Boxing World Cup was the second staging of this event by Oscar Dela Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. The top-prize which includes a $500,000 pot is scheduled to be awarded by Dela Hoya himself in ceremonies in the Philippines.

Philippine Rebels and Soldiers Clash

Ever since I can remember, the Philippine Government has been battling Muslim insurgents in the southern islands of Mindanao. This, despite the formation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in August of 1989. However, to say that this is just an armed rebellion is an oversimplification. Then again, nothing is ever simple in warfare is there?

Local reports quote the Philippine Army as pointing the blame to the Abu Sayaff, a tagged terrorist group with alleged links to the Al Qaeda hiding about the Sulu province. However, according to a BBC report, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have claimed responsibility for the attack. To make the short story long, the MNLF blames the Philippine Armed Forces as the instigator and that they were just retaliating for the Army's earlier attacks at an MNLF camp.

Round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows.

In the meantime, while the big boys play whodunit, innocent people - even children - are killed at the crossfire.

The centuries-old scars of Mindanao have been itched and bared open time again by both sides - old and contemporary Moros fighting for an independent Muslim state, and the Philippine government quelling a socio-political discord. It is high time for healing and hopefully a lasting peace for these blood-drenched southern lands of the Philippines.