PRINCE CHARLES AND CAMILLA VISIT HARRY POTTER PLATFORM

Charles and Camilla went to Platform 9 3/4, made famous by the Harry Potter movies, at King's Cross train station in London on Wednesday.

It was part of a visit to mark the 150th anniversary of the London Underground.

The royal couple also took a short tube ride. The last time Charles used it was back in 1986 when he opened Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4!

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TIMELINE: HARRY POTTER BOOK AND MOVIE SERIES

JUST WATCHED 'HANSEL & GRETEL WITCH HUNTERS'

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Plot

Abandoned by their father deep in a forest one night, young Hansel and Gretel enter a gingerbread house and are quickly nabbed by the old witchwho resides in it. The witch forces Hansel to continuously eat candy while making Gretel prepare the oven, but before she has a chance to eat them, the siblings outsmart her and throw her into the oven. Throughout the years after the incident, Hansel and Gretel become ruthless bounty hunters dedicated to exterminating witches. Their work is relatively easy because for an unknown reason, they are immune to harmful witch spells and curses. Hansel, however, is diabetic as a result of his ordeal with the old witch and needs to take a regular shot of insulin every day.

One day, in the German town of Augsburg, Hansel and Gretel prevent Sheriff Berringer from executing Mina, a young woman falsely accused of witchcraft. Mayor Englemann has hired the siblings to find and rescue several children abducted by witches. At the same time, Sheriff Berringer hires four trackers for the same mission, hoping to regain the respect of the Mayor. However, all but one of the trackers are killed that night by the grand witch Muriel, who sends the surviving member back to the town tavern to explode as a warning to the siblings and the locals. Hansel and Gretel, with the help of the Mayor's assistant Jackson, capture the Tall Witch and interrogate her. They discover that the witches are preparing for the Feast of the Blood Moon, which requires sacrificing 12 children - six boys and six girls, each born on a separate month. When the siblings find out that the witches need one more girl to complete their ritual, Sheriff Berringer refuses to cooperate with them in locating her. Suddenly, Muriel, the Candy Witch and the troll Edward attack the town and abduct the targeted girl before springing their comrade out of jail. Gretel is knocked unconscious throughout the ordeal, but is brought to safety by a local boy named Ben, who is aspiring to be a witch hunter himself. Hansel grabs a fleeing Candy Witch by her broomstick, but is lost in the forest.

The next morning, Hansel is found by Mina, who takes him to a spring to heal his wounds. Meanwhile, Gretel enters the forest to search for her brother, but she is assaulted by Sheriff Berringer and his men, who are arresting her for luring the witches to their town. Then, from out of nowhere, Edward charges at the men and mutilates them before bringing Gretel to a waterfall to mend her injuries. When asked by Gretel why he saved her, Edward tells her that trolls serve witches before he walks away. Hansel and Gretel reunite at an abandoned cabin, which they discover is not only their childhood home, but also a witch's lair. Muriel appears in front of them, telling them the truth of their past. It is revealed that Hansel and Gretel's mother was a white witch named Adrianna who betrayed her kind by marrying a farmer. On the night of the Blood Moon, the heart of a white witch is needed to create a potion that makes witches impervious to fire. As Adrianna was too powerful for the sacrifice, Muriel targeted Gretel, who was revealed to be a white witch herself. Muriel spread a rumor across the village about Hansel and Gretel's mother. To keep the siblings away from the angry villagers, their father left them in the forest, but when he returned to their home, he was hanged by the villagers while Adrianna was burned at the stake before his eyes. Following this revelation, the siblings battle Muriel before Muriel stabs Hansel and abducts Gretel for the ceremony.

Hansel wakes up to the sight of Mina, who reveals herself to be a white witch. After Mina uses a spell to bless the siblings' arsenal, Hansel, Mina and Ben head to the top of a hill to disrupt the Feast of the Blood Moon. While Mina mows down dozens of witches with a Gatling gun, Hansel squares off against Muriel's minions and frees the children while Edward defies Muriel's orders and releases Gretel before he is thrown off the cliff by Muriel. With the ceremony ruined by the sunrise, Muriel and the surviving witches attempt to flee by broomsticks, but the witches are shredded by piano wire traps while Ben shoots Muriel off her broomstick. On her way to meet up with Hansel, Gretel finds an unconscious Edward and uses her stun gun to defibrillate him back to life. Hansel, Gretel and Mina follow Muriel's trail to the old gingerbread house. During their confrontation, Mina is fatally stabbed by Muriel. The siblings engage in a grueling fight against Muriel inside the gingerbread house until they decapitate her with a shovel. In the end, Hansel and Gretel collect the rest of their reward for rescuing the children before embarking on their next hunt, with Ben and Edward joining them.

Cast

• Jeremy Renner as Hansel
• Cedric Eich as young Hansel
• Gemma Arterton as Gretel
• Alea Sophia Boudodimos as young Gretel
• Famke Janssen as Muriel
• Pihla Viitala as Mina
• Derek Mears as Edward
• Robin Atkin Downes as Edward (voice)
• Ingrid Bolsø Berdal as Horned Witch
• Joanna Kulig as Redhead Witch
• Thomas Mann as Ben
• Peter Stormare as Sheriff Berringer
• Rainer Bock as Mayor Engleman
• Monique Ganderton as Candy Witch
• Zoë Bell as Tall Witch
• Thomas Scharff as Hansel and Gretel's father
• Kathrin Kühnel as Adrianna

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KUARTA O KAHON HOST TITO PEPE FOUND DEAD

ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 01/24/2013 11:35 AM | Updated as of 01/24/2013 1:20 PM

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) – Pepe Pimentel, the host of the defunct hit game show "Kuarta o Kahon," was found unconscious inside his house's bathroom on Thursday morning.

Carlos Reyes, a barangay official who was one of the first to respond to the incident, said the 83-year-old Pimentel collapsed while inside the bathroom past 10 a.m.

Reyes said Pimentel had no more pulse and his lips were already purple in color. However, he said no one among them could conclude whether the game show host was already dead.

"It looks like inatake siya while inside the bathroom, nabagok ang ulo niya," Reyes told dzMM.

Another doctor and neighbor, a certain Dr. Montaño, said Pimentel seemed to have "expired" but would not go as far as to declare that the elderly man was indeed dead.

"Rough assessment ko po iyon. Maganda po ay madala na po sa ospital," Montaño said.

"Malamig na rin [ang katawan] at wala na rin pulse. Wala na rin breathing at may dugo sa likuran ng ulo."

As of posting, Pimentel was still in his residence along Scout Tuazon in Barangay Laging Handa.

Pimentel was only living with his elderly wife Cecilia, young grandson James, and some maids.

A report by radio dzMM's Johnson Manabat quoted James as saying that they initially had no idea what to do and had to seek the help of neighbors.

"May nag-respondeng kapitbahay kaya lang iyung decision kung papaano ang gagawin, wala silang makuhang katulong na magdadala kay Tito Pepe," Manabat said.

"Iyung CR na kinalalagyan ni Tito Pepe ay nandoon sa loob ng kwarto sa kanang bahagi ng tahanan. Nakatihaya si Tito Pepe. Nilagyan na lang ng unan ni kagawad. Pero yung dugo eh nandon pa rin sa ulo ni Tito Pepe." - report from Johnson Manabat, dzMM

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GOOGLE OPENS OFFICE IN PH, STARTS HIRING

By Kathleen Martin, ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 01/23/2013 11:12 AM | Updated as of 01/23/2013 4:20 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Google has finally opened an office in the Philippines with the launch of its new unit in Makati.

The tech giant, in a briefing on Wednesday, said the country is a key market in Southeast Asia amid its growing Internet population.

"The Philippines is a key country in Southeast Asia in terms of its digital economy and tech-savvy population," Julian Persaud, managing director of Google in Southeast Asia, said.

"This new office will allow us to better engage with our local users, partners and advertisers. Over 33 million Filipinos access the Internet regularly... [and this] is set to grow exponentially," Persaud added.

Google's new office will be situated in central Makati, although executives did not say if it will be as innovative as the firm's state-of-the-art centers in the US.

Persaud also declined to say how much the tech company will be investing the Philippines, only saying the company will pour in its "blood and soul" for this venture.

"We're not here for short-term gain. We're here in Manila for the long term," Persaud stressed.

Narciso Reyes, newly-appointed country manager for Google Philippines, said the firm will be working on localizing its products for the Filipinos.

"User journey is tantamount to us... we will be localizing our products more and giving them more information and tools. We want Filipino users to find and access local information relevantly and very quickly," he said.

Reyes also shared Google plans to provide a cost-efficient platform for Philippine businesses wanting to advertise online.

"Our local team will be committed to providing better services to our Filipino users and to helping businesses - large and small - grow locally and globally, contributing to the growth of the Philippine economy," Reyes said.

Google is currently hiring for its Philippine office but executives declined to say how many employees will comprise the new unit.

But Reyes and Persaud said Google is looking for Filipinos who will better give them an insight of current local market as the tech giant is eyeing to tap Philippine advertisers.

Job postings for Google Philippines will be available at http://www.google.com.ph/jobs/

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MILLIONAIRE JOEL CRUZ HAS SURROGATE BABIES

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Joel Cruz Looks Forward To Birth Of His Baby Twins

By ALEX VALENTIN BROSAS

September 3, 2012, 11:09am

MANILA, Philippines – Joel Cruz of Aficionado Germany Perfume is excited about the birth of his twins from a Russian surrogate mother.

The babies, whom he will name Prince and Princess to live up to his Lord of Scent moniker, will be delivered on Sept. 22 in Russia.

“Pero gusto ko may second name. Dapat maganda pakinggan, maybe one syllable lang. Or maybe Duke or Duchess, parang ganon. hahanap siguro ako ng Biblical word. Meron akong book about Biblical names. Meron doong gift of God,” Joel said in an interview with select media at his mansion located at Canyon Woods in Tagaytay.

After delivery, the babies will have to stay for a month in Russia “kasi hindi pa sila puwedeng isakay sa eroplano.”

The entrepreneur is still undecided if he will stay for a month in Russia to be with his newborn children.

“Hindi ko pa masabi sa ngayon kasi ang plano ko two weeks, pero siyempre first time daddy ako so…”

But the one thing he is sure about is that his mom and his sisters will accompany him.

The Russian surrogate mom

Joel shared that he’s seen the mother of his twins.

“Nakita ko ‘yung picture niya. She’s 31, meron siyang dalawang anak. Noong six months na buntis siya pinadala ‘yung picture niya kasama ‘yung anak niya, six year old daughter and four year old daughter,” he shared.

“Yes nakita ko na ‘yung ultrasound pictures, but now we’re waiting for the 3D,” he also related.

One baby cost him almost seven million and now that the surrogate mom is due to give birth, he is required to pay for her hospital stay.

“Ni-require ako na bayaran ng P6,000  ang everyday stay niya sa hospital. Wala naman siyang sakit but they want to ensure her health kasi sa labas nga naman mausok, ‘yung mga ganoon.”

Citizenship

While there, Joel will process the legal documentations of his twins.

“Mamili ka kasi gusto mo ba ‘yung anak mo Russian or dual citizenship or Filipino lang. Sabi ko, Filipino lang para kung mag-tour man kami madaling kumuha ng visa,” he explained.

He’s got one worry, though, “na baka may maghabol, na baka hanapin nila ang kanilang Russian roots.”

As to where the babies will stay, he said, “Dito, sa condo, sa mother ko, kung saan man ako naroon.”

Joel is sure that with the twins coming, his workload will definitely change.

“Definitely, yes, pero minimal lang.  I have to balance my time. You know, I’ll just cross the bridge when I get there. Baka kalahati ng workload ko bitawan ko na. Hindi ko pa masabi kasi this is the very first experience. Gusto ko lagi silang nakikita, natatawagan. Hindi ko talaga masabi,” he said.

Hotel-like rest house

Joel’s Tagaytay crib is spacious, truly fit for royalty. It has an elevator, a spa, a sauna, a gym, a theater, a 28-seater dining area, an entertainment area, a pool and a helipad on the fifth floor.

“This is a rest house na kailangan na kapag nagpapahinga ka dito puwede ka nang mag-swimming, relax ka doon, manonood ka sa theater. Merong sauna, gym. There’s a lot of activities na magagawa mo rito. Dito hindi ka mabo-bore,” he explained about his decision to build a near palatial abode.

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WHAT IS SURROGACY?

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Surrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman carries and delivers a child for another couple or person. This woman, the surrogate mother, may be the child's genetic mother (called traditional surrogacy), or she may be genetically unrelated to the child (called gestational surrogacy).

If the surrogate receives compensation beyond the reimbursement of medical and other reasonable expenses, the arrangement is called commercial surrogacy; otherwise, it is often referred to as altruistic surrogacy.

In a traditional surrogacy, the child may be conceived via home artificial insemination using fresh or frozen sperm or impregnated via IUI (intrauterine insemination), or ICI (intracervical insemination) performed at a health clinic.

A gestational surrogacy requires the transfer of a previously created embryo, and for this reason the process always takes place in a clinical setting.

The intended parent or parents, sometimes called the social parents, may arrange a surrogate pregnancy because of female infertility, other medical issues which make pregnancy or delivery impossible, risky or otherwise undesirable, or because the intended parent or parents are male. The sperm or eggs may be provided by the 'commissioning' parents, but donor sperm, eggs and embryos may also be used.

Although the idea of vanity surrogacy is a common trope in popular culture and anti-surrogacy arguments, there is little or no data showing that women choose surrogacy for reasons ofaesthetics or convenience.

The legality and costs of surrogacy vary widely between jurisdictions, with the result that there is a high rate of international and interstate surrogacy activity.

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BLESSED HEART

St. Camillus' relic will arrive in the Philippines Feb. 18, said Camillian priest Dan Cancino of the Episcopal Commission on Healthcare of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.

The saint's blessed remains will have a series of pilgrimages in the country before being flown back to Rome March 11, he added.

A mass and veneration rites will be held 6 p.m. upon the relic's arrival at the Our Lady of La Paz Parish in Makati, where St. Camillus heart will be displayed until Feb. 19.

Masses for the sick will meanwhile be held on Feb. 23 at the San Fernando de Dilao Parish in Paco, Manila (8:30 a.m.) and the St. Camillus College Seminary Chapel in Marikina City (5 p.m.).

On March 10, closing ceremonies will be held 4 p.m. at St. Camillus and San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel in Quezon City.

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OPO PINOY STYLE

A LIVE BABY IN SAC

THIS IS A LIVE BABY, BORN WITHOUT THE MOTHER'S "WATER" BEING BROKEN FIRST!

It's a newborn, still in the sac. I thought it was an amazing opportunity to see something so rare. Like a glimpse of what it's like "on the inside". Hope you all appreciate it as much as I do. I can't believe how squashed up they are, inside of it! Amazing!

I've been asked by a number of you if that is a cut on his bottom, it's not. It's a smear of his mother's blood. Just to reassure you!

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