October 6, 2014 Edition

As the protests in Hong Kong enter another day, the youth, the main drivers of the movement, are ready to buckle down for the long haul. Highly organized and efficient, they pick up trash, organize supplies and make sure to disrupt commerce as little as possible. One of the leaders, Joshua Wong from youth group Scholarism, who’s not yet 18, is challenging the leadership of the world’s biggest nation. New York Times in an article said, “In reality, Mr. Wong is troubling confirmation for the authorities that the first generation in Hong Kong to grow up under Chinese rule is by many measures also the one most alienated from Beijing’s influence.”

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Read about Joshua Wong on NYT.

At least 3 Mayon eruptions happened during a full moon. With the volcano showing increasing signs of activity, can the full moon on October 8 trigger its eruption? An expert says it’s possible, but only under certain conditions. During a full moon, the moon’s gravitational pull on the Earth is at its strongest. This causes small undulations in the Earth’s crust that may lessen the confining pressure currently keeping the volcano from explosively erupting. But the effect of the undulations will only be significant if the volcano is on alert level 4, which means “imminent hazardous eruption.”

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Fifty-nine year-old Ed Laguerta has spent more than two decades – almost half his life – watching Mayon Volcano. He has witnessed 6 of its 49 recorded eruptions, and has been tasked with the job of observing, gathering data, and advising officials when an eruption is imminent. Laguerta says it’s a job that deals with the unknown on a daily basis: waiting for the eruption that could be a harmless spurt of lava or turn out to be a hazardous explosion. While he now uses sophisticated equipment to monitor the volcano’s activity, Laguerta has become familiar with the moods of what he calls a charming but deceptive volcano. “Mayon is a legend of a lady, a beautiful lady, and it seems to be charming because of its beauty, conically-shaped, symmetrical. But deep inside, sometimes, it gets angry and shows tantrums and erupts unknowingly.”

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It would have been another typical war game between American and Filipino troops. Last Sunday, over 6,000 Philippine and United States marines carried out a military exercise on a Philippine beach. Except that the games are being done near a disputed reef occupied by Chinese ships which has become a potential regional flashpoint. The exercise took place near a naval outpost on Zambales on Luzon island, 220 kilometers (137 miles) east of the disputed Scarborough Shoal on the South China Sea. The shoal, a traditionally-rich fishing ground, has been effectively taken over by China. US and Filipino spokesmen downplay the link to China’s growing restiveness in the region.

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Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah said religious extremism is a perversion which must be eradicated. In an address to leaders of delegations from Islamic nations, he said it is necessary to combine efforts to fight extremism “because it has nothing to do with Islam.” Saudi Arabia and four other Arab countries have joined an American-led coalition conducting air strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) group rebel positions in Syria. The militants have carried out a series of atrocities including crucifixions and beheadings condemned by Muslims worldwide.

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A new study said 4.4 billion people around the world still do not have access to the Internet. Of the number, India carries 1.063 billion of those unconnected, nearly a quarter of the 4.4 billion figure. Meanwhile, China has 730 million unconnected, Indonesia has 210 million, and the Philippines has 62 million. The study also said that the Philippines faces medium to high barriers in Internet penetration. Along with Egypt, India, Indonesia, and Thailand, the greatest challenges in the Philippines lie in seeing incentives for Internet use and providing sufficient infrastructure.

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Unprecedented levels of exposure to social media platforms come with new hazards. Some corporations, interest groups, and governments are mobilizing fictitious social media resources at scale to disrupt other legitimate uses of these platforms. Reach Social, Rappler’s data analytics arm, conducted research showing how #SmartFREEInternet was the target of a negative campaign embodied by #LieMore and #LieMorePa that eventually drowned out Smart’s efforts. In a move taken directly from real world guerrilla warfare, the bots and fake accounts surrounded and isolated the central group.

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Last September 9, when Apple launched the Apple Watch and two new iPhones, one item was absent in the new layout. The iPod ‘Classic’ met its demise that day, as Apple quietly pulled the plug. The original iPod had a good 13-year run and dominated the music player market, setting the standard for more than a decade. Before it, we had cassettes and CDs. We had to bring multiple tapes or a mini CD storage book to listen to music. Apple eliminated all that when they introduced the iPod in 2001, with a light, compact body that carried massive storage capabilities.

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The increasingly popular phenomenon of taking selfies has hit this year’s hajj, sparking controversy among more conservative Muslims. From Tawaf – circling the holy Kaaba structure in Mecca – to prayers atop Mount Mercy in Arafat, and stoning of the “devil” in Mina, the key stages of hajj have all been recorded on cameras and smartphones for posterity, and for instant sharing through social media. The young pilgrims who take selfies say they want to document an important event, but more conservative Muslims criticize the practice.

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Lea Salonga is a Philippine icon, no doubt about it. Rappler looks back at 10 of her amazing moments onstage and television. The list includes her auditions for Miss Saigon in 1989, for which she will eventually won a Tony, Olivier and Drama Desk awards; her stint as Eponine and Fantine in Les Miserables; and as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in Disney movie Aladdin and Mulan. Don’t skip the Miss Saigon reunion, that one is a must-watch. The comments section also yields a number of other memorable moments not on the list.

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