Cooling a beverage normally needs a cooling device such as cooler, refrigerator or chiller. And it takes time when cooling a beverage. Cooling the beverage using the ice is much faster than using the cooling devices.

But, with the Chill-Can® Microcool ® technology of the Joseph Company International, cooling beverage is just in a push of a button on the beverage can which can make the beverage cooler up to more than 30 minutes compared to the  other regular cooled beverage.

And this self-chilling can will be used with the company’s first energy drink, West Coast Chill.

According to its website, the said energy drink does not contain preservatives, artificial coloring, sugar, caffeine, and artificial sweetener. And since it is using the Chill-Can, you can bring it anywhere without bringing any cooling devices, and you just need to push the button to activate its self-chilling effect which can drop the beverage temperature by 30 degrees Celsius.

Three Nokia Smartphones factories will soon be closed as Nokia’s smartphones assembly will be moved to Asia, particularly in China and South Korea. These factories are located in Finland, Hungary and Mexico. And in relation to the closing of these factories, there are more or less 4,000 workers will loss job.

It has been noted that only the smartphones factories that Nokia plans to move to Asia. It’s planning and designing department will remain in Finland.

Soon, Nokia smartphones will be marked with “Made in China” or “Made in South Korea” marking.

China Made

In the Philippines, once it is noticed that a gadget is made in China, they immediately perceived that the gadget is made up of low quality materials and will be easily broken.

But of course, it is not all time true. I know that most of the products sold in the Philippines that are made in China are cheap and have low quality. But there are also products that we thought are made in US that are expensive and have high quality, but if you’ll examine them, they are actually made in China.

Apple products such as iPod, iPhone, iPad and others are luxurious and of high quality. But they are not made in US as many thought. The Apple company is in the US, but its products are actually made in China.

Three company board of Yahoo are quitting along with the Yahoo Chairman, Roy Bostock . They are Vyomesh Joshi, Arthur Kern and Gary Wilson. Last month, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Young had resigned. Roy Bostock is the one who fired the Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz on September.

A lot is happening inside Yahoo just in few years after it rejected the offer of Microsoft. Shareholders were blaming the quitting Chairman, Bostock and the resigned co-founder Young. If Yahoo had accepted Microsoft offer to buy the company, then Yahoo’s shareholders might be enjoying the benefit of the merging of the two.

Now, you might ask: Why are those people leaving Yahoo?

And one sure answer to this is: Yahoo is dying. These people might be thinking that they are not capable of turning around Yahoo to a better position, so they better quit.

It has been noted that, Yahoo faces an extreme competition with Google and Facebook in the internet. The two younger companies are now catering the majority of the internet users that used to be flocking Yahoo before.

Of course, the company had done a lot of great things just to reposition itself in the internet, but it just couldn’t cope up with the popularity of its competitors. And if the company, despite the entrance of the new CEO, Scott Thompson, will fail, I am sure that it will continue to exist but it will be much different compared to the Yahoo we have seen today.

I am actually imagining the fate of Friendster that might be happening to Yahoo soon. Friendster is very much popular then. But with the launching of Facebook, where is Friendster now? Friendster is now starting its new identity as an online gaming site.

I am wondering, what will be the new identity of Yahoo in the few years. Would it just become an ordinary website?

The Obama Administration is trying to convince Tehran to stop their nuclear operation for military purposes and to persuade Israel from taking military actions against Iran. And to further pressure Iran, President Barack Obama ordered yesterday February 6, 2012 that the Iranian property and its interest should be blocked including those of the Iran’s Central bank. The sanction is part of the US and allies effort against Iran’s nuclear program which allegedly making nuclear weapons.

The sanction is also a warning by the Obama administration to any financial institutions that will do business with Tehran and its Central Bank.

It has been noted that countries buying oil from Tehran do the business transaction through the Iranian Central Bank. Iran is the second largest oil exporter next to Saudi Arabia.

Last week, an International Atomic Energy Agency inspection team left Iran after the Iranian government declined to permit it to examine elements of the nuclear program. The IAE Agency said that there is a possibility that the nuclear program of Tehran is military in nature.

Last month, the European Union approved he ban on oil purchase from Iran that will take effect on July 1, 2012. EU is the second largest importer of Tehran oil.

Iran’s Response

Iran dismissed the US sanction against them as “Psychological Warfare”.

After getting more than 800 million Facebook users and earning $4.2 billion in 2011, Facebook, the social networking giant, will file its IPO (initial public offering) of stocks on Wednesday, February 2, 2012. The talks is all over the internet now. And it is said that Facebook aims to raise $10 billion more thus expanding its value up to $100 billion.

Morgan Stanley is said to be picked by Facebook to lead the IPO filing. And for sure, Stanley will earn much from this deal because usually, the one who lead the IPO filing will be paid high based on the outcome of the IPO. Stanley is also the one leading the IPOs of Linkedln, Groupon and Zynga.

Based on what I understand (correct me if I am wrong), a company sells its stock in hopes that it can get more funding that will be used to pay debts and other spending of the company. The goal of IPO is the same as selling bonds, but the difference is that the buyers in the IPO will become partly owner of the company, while in selling bonds, the company will pay back the money it got from the buyer of the bonds plus the interest depending on the terms of the bonds.

If this rumors will really happened, then Mark Zuckerberg, will become the youngest CEO of a global company. Zuckerberg started Facebook when he still studying in Harvard. He then dropped out and focus his self in the development of Facebook and the growth of his company.

January 29, 2012 Roll Back

Seaoil

• Diesel = 90 cents / liter
• Unleaded Gasoline = 15 cents / liter
• Premium Gasoline = 15 cents / liter
• Kerosene = 70 cents / liter

Eastern Petroleum

• Diesel = 90 cents / liter
• Unleaded Gasoline = 15 cents / liter
• Premium Gasoline = 15 cents / liter
• Kerosene = 70 cents / liter

Flying V

• Diesel (Bio) = P1 / liter
• Regular Gasoline = 40 cents / liter
• Unleaded Gasoline = 25 cents / liter
• Kerosene = P1 / liter

Petron

• Diesel = 90 cents / liter
• Unleaded Gasoline = 15 cents / liter
• Premium Gasoline = 15 cents / liter
• Kerosene = 70 cents / liter

Shell

• Diesel = 90 cents / liter
• Unleaded Gasoline = 15 cents / liter
• Premium Gasoline = 15 cents / liter
• Kerosene = 70 cents / liter

It was reported that according to the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas or BSP the old currencies will be demonetized by 2013. So, starting in New Year of 2014, we will not be using the old currencies anymore but the new currencies with the denominations of PhP20, PhP 50, PhP 100, PhP 200, PhP 500 and PhP 1,000.

So, what should we do with the new currencies that we have now? The BSP said, we should spend them to help them circulate.

I guess, we’re not helping the new currencies to circulate because my wife and I keep the new currencies while spending the old ones.

On Sunday evening at around 6:00 o’clock, January 15, 2012, a 5-storey residential building in the Fassouh neighborhood (Ashrafiyeh district) in Beirut, Lebanon collapsed killing at least 27 people. The incident has revealed how the nearly 6-decade old building was built. It can be seen from the rubbles that the building has no metal grid. It was known to house 50 workers. The collapsed residential building was built in 1940s.

Most of the people killed are foreign workers which include Sudanese, Ethiopian, Egyptian and Filipino nationals. At least 3 Filipinos were killed during the incident.

The owner of the collapsed building, Michel Saadeh, is arrested by the authorities. The authorities are still finding out whether the incident is caused by the owner’s negligence or by the construction of the adjacent building.

It was noted that all buildings built before 2005 did not meet the international standards because the government had not yet passed a law on building standards. The developers took advantage of the situation and maximized their profits.

]]> http://www.selaplana.com/2012/01/19/lebanon-building-january-2012-collapse/feed/ 0 http://www.selaplana.com/2012/01/12/sss-offers-amnesty-to-delinquent-loan-payer/ http://www.selaplana.com/2012/01/12/sss-offers-amnesty-to-delinquent-loan-payer/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:45:04 +0000 Sustines Laplana http://www.selaplana.com/?p=10684

SSS revealed that they will be offering amnesty program to members with unsettled loans. Through this program, they will only be paying the principal and the interest without paying fully the penalties. The program will start on April and the deadline will be on September 30. But beneficiaries of the delinquent borrower who died without settling their loans can still file for the amnesty until March 2013.

Those who can apply for the amnesty are:

1. Applicants whose loan delinquency was caused by the failure of the employer to remit the payment deducted from their salary. This type of delinquent borrower can avail the 100 percent free of penalty. They will only pay the principal and the interest. But they must have at least three contributions with the last six months before the month of application. In applying for the amnesty, members must present proof of deducted loan amortization and notarized affidavits.
2. Beneficiaries of deceased borrowers who will still file the death claim application. They will pay no penalties at all, but the principal and the interest will be deducted from the death benefit.
3. Delinquent borrowers who paid at least 3 amortizations. The requirement is that they have at least 3 monthly contributions within the last 6 months before the month of application. They can avail the 90 percent penalties condoned.. that is if they will pay in full. However, for those who will pay in monthly instalment over three years, 3 percent per annum interest rate will be imposed and only 80 percent of the penalties will be condoned.
4. Borrowers who are filing for total disability or retirement claims. 50 percent of the penalties will be condoned and the principal and interest will be deducted from the benefit.

The amnesty program is offered only to overdue salary, calamity, emergency, educational, study-now-pay-later, stock investment and privatization fund loans.

Related:

1. How Many Days Should I File My SSS Maternity Benefit Form? 
2. SSS Pension Application Related Question
3. How Do I Change My Status in SSS Philippines?

On January 2, 2012 at around 6AM, a fire broke out at the acid plant facility of the Philippine Smelting and Refining Corporation or PASAR. There were 11 fire trucks from PASAR’s own fire fighters, its neigboring fertilizer plant Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp., and from the towns of Isabel, Merida, Kananga, and Ormoc City fought to control the fire. The fire was declared under control at 9AM.

The cause of fire, according to Isabel Fire Marshall Inspector Hermes Cadion, is the electrostatic precipitator or an air cleaner device in the acid plant of the PASAR. And the damage was estimated to reach PhP15 million.

There were no reports of casualties and injuries during the incident.

My Thoughts

The acid plant of PASAR is responsible in the collection of the sulfuric acid by-produced during the refining process of the copper ore.

My brother is working in that company as one of the area managers or supervisors, particularly in the acid plant. He was assigned before in the smelting department, but was transferred to the acid plant, just recently. I haven’t heard anything from him until the time of writing this post.

I am really worried because I understand that the equipment that has been damaged by fire is one of the most important equipment in the acid plant of PASAR. And if this problem will affect the entire operation of PASAR, so entire smelting and refining operation of the company will be shut down for the moment that the problems in the acid plant is not yet corrected and fixed.Thus the workers, including my brother, will be affected too.

So, what I am wondering also is: If the plant will be shut down temporarily, how many months will it be shut down and what happen to the affected workers?

The Philippine Smelting and Refining Corporation

The Philippine Smelting and Refining Corporation is the lone copper processing plant in the Philippines. It is located at the Leyte Industrial Development Estate or LIDE in Isabel Leyte, where PHILPHOS and Lepanto plants are also located.

It’s main product is electrolytic copper cathode. It also by-produces doré, an alloy containing approximately 20% gold and 80% silver, used mainly for jewelry and electronics; sulfuric acid for the manufacture of chemical fertilizers; selenium for textile, glass and photocopying industries; slag for shipbuilding and cement manufacture.