Mediaboss Marketing

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -

By ANN SANNER Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio officials are ramping up their efforts to reach out to owners who now have to register their dangerous, wild animals with the state.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture says one person has registered since the law took effect a couple of weeks ago, on Sept. 5. Three others tried, but had incomplete forms because their animals didn't have microchips containing identification.

It's unknown exactly how many Ohioans have such creatures, which is part of the state's challenge. The agency says it plans to work with veterinarians and an owners group to spread the word about the Nov. 5 registration deadline.

Efforts to regulate dangerous wildlife took on new urgency last fall, when a suicidal owner near Zanesville released dozens of exotic animals, including black bears, lions and Bengal tigers.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Here is the original post:
OH to spread word about new exotic animal law

by Cathy Rose A. Garcia, ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA, Philippines A word war between arch-rivals Globe Telecom and Smart Communications erupted on Thursday after the release of the results of the National Telecommunications Commission's network quality test.

The NTC gave Smart an edge over Globe in a 4 out of 5 benchmarks in a test comparing the quality of the telcos' networks in the second quarter.

In a press briefing, Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu said their network had a significantly better score when it comes to grade of service at 4.45% compared with Smarts 9.95% based on the NTC results. But both still fell short of the NTC standard of 4%.

Cu pointed out that Globes call success rate is higher, even though it is still using the legacy network, compared to Smart which has a lower score using its newly modernized network.

The NTC results, Cu said, showed Globes network is mostly "at parity" with Smart and has no discernible difference when it comes to drop call rate, signal level, signal quality and call setup time.

For instance, the NTC said Globes drop call rate is 1.66%, while Smarts is 1.53% - both well within the NTC standard of 2%. But Globe noted the 0.13% difference is so small that it means the two telcos are likely to experience the same amount of drop calls.

As for call setup time, which measures how fast domestic calls are connected, Smart had 11.74 seconds, compared to Globes 11.9 seconds, well within the NTC standard of 14 seconds.

Cu criticized Smart for its negative ad campaign against Globes network, saying the NTC results show there is no basis for saying their network is superior.

Its at parity. When you say, we have a higher drop call rate, when is a subscriber able to discern 1 drop call in 100? In this case, they are better in call setup, but a 0.16 difference does that matter? Does it matter to criticize someone over? Will these small, minute differences say your network is better? Cu said.

View post:
Globe-Smart word war erupts over NTC network test results

By Cathy C. Yamsuan Philippine Daily Inquirer

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Senate on Thursday failed to approve a bill that would carve out the fourth district of Camarines Sur and name it Nueva Camarines, making efforts of Camarines Sur congressmen who launched an intense lobby for its approval in the chamber all for naught.

The measure triggered a word war between Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Wednesday.

In his privileged speech on Wednesday, Trillanes decried the intense lobbying by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte to have the bill passed. The senator also said that former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose son is a congressman in Camarines Sur, lobbied with Enrile to pass the measure.

Part of his speech read: What, the great Senator Enrile could be pressured? I remember him saying otherwise, during the last impeachment proceedings? Is the pressure coming from Congressman Villafuerte, who we see often loitering about at the senators lounge, the Senate Presidents office, and even personally lobbying senators while we are in session?

Trillanes, a native of the province, said the plan was an unwise and risky move for us to take, and this will likely set a bad precedent for future lawmakers.

The bill should be passed on third and final reading, and signed into law by President Aquino before residents of Camarines Sur are asked in a plebiscite whether they agree to divide the province into two.

A yes vote obtained in the plebiscite would serve as the go-signal for politicians who want to run for local posts in the new province to file their certificates of candidacy from Oct. 1 to 5 as mandated by the Commission on Elections.

Congress has adjourned its session yesterday and will resume on Oct. 8, the Monday following the deadline for filing.

Excerpt from:
CamSur bill dead in wake of word war

SEN. Antonio Trillanes IV on Wednesday accused Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile of being a GMA lackey for supposedly rushing a bill that would cut up Camarines Sur province as a favor to former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The charge led Enrile to unleash a ferocious counterattack, calling the neophyte senator the Phantom of the Opera in Philippine politics for reportedly undermining the Department of Foreign Affairs by engaging in back channel talks with China on the West Philippine Sea dispute.

The word war at the Senate came on the heels on another exchange in the media between Trillanes and Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario, who took issue with the senators unofficial talks with Chinese officials on the West Philippine Sea. Trillanes, in turn, had hinted that it was Del Rosario ineffectiveness that led President Benigno S. Aquino III to seek his help.

Caught in the middle, Malacanang said the President has asked Trillanes and Del Rosario to refrain from making any further comments.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda also read Trillanes statement that he and Del Rosario have no disagreements and that the President was calling to shots on the negotiations to end the tense standoff with Beijing on Panatog Shoal.

Del Rosario also issued a statement, saying, The DFA executes the foreign policy of the President. We will not dignify those who are working to divide us. There must be one policy and one team in promoting our national interest in the WPS.

Read the full text of Trillanes privilege speech, Enriles intepellation and Lacierdas briefing below

PRIVILEGE SPEECH OF SEN. ANTONIO TRILLANES IV

Kung gusto ko isasagasa ko. Kung ayaw ko, uupuan ko.

Gusto ko happy ka. Iyan po ang campaign slogan ng ating senate president noong siya ay kandidato pa noong 2010 elections. Bumenta po iyan; maraming pong sumakay dyan. Pero ang nakakalungkot, sa pagpatakbo ng senado, malayo ito sa katotohanan. Kasi po, ang kalakaran talaga dito ay: Kung gusto ko, isasagasa ko; kung ayaw ko, uupuan ko.

Visit link:
Word war at the Senate (Read the full text)

Brussels (dpa) - This weeks summit between Chinese and European Union leaders, including Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, will go ahead without a press conference due to restrictions imposed by Beijing, it was announced Wednesday.

Demands from Beijing would have only enabled 15 European journalists to attend a press conference, granting them two questions overall, said a spokeswoman for the international press association.

"We would very much liked to have a press conference," said European Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde, adding that it had been "simply not possible" to agree on the required conditions.

It is not the first time that the media were kept at arms length. At a China-EU summit in February, no press conference took place, and in 2010 it was cancelled at the last minute due to the presence of exiled Chinese citizens and reporters critical of Beijing.

Thursdays summit will be the last for outgoing premier Wen, who is due to be replaced in a leadership change later this year.

Among others, he will meet European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, in an aim to "deepen the relationship" between China and the EU, rather than reach big decisions.

The EU is Chinas largest export market, but a series of trade spats have tested nerves - most recently when the European Commission launched a probe this month on suspicion that Chinese solar panels were undercutting EU prices.

Among the few "difficult issues," the EU is due to address human rights in China, as well as the rising tensions and protests over a territorial dispute with Japan over islands in the East China Sea, an EU diplomat said.

While the EU has no official position on the dispute, it is to call on the Chinese authorities to work in a way that "calms the situation down and channels energy into constructive dialogue," the diplomat said, stressing the importance of stability in the region.

The leaders were also due to discuss the situation in Syria and the differing perspectives of the EU and of China, one of the few allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. dpa hm mat Author: Helen Maguire

Original post:
REFILE Chinese conditions block press conference at EU-China summit Eds: Amends missing word in intro