Windows XP Already Phase-out?

A newsletter arrived from my e-mail yesterday, stated the following information:

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After months of rumors that Microsoft might rethink its decision to pull the plug on Windows XP, the official word is out: XP is on its way out.

Microsoft is sticking to its plan to cease providing PC makers with XP to preload on new PCs after June 30, as Microsoft is now letting customers know via a letter it has posted to its Windows XP and Windows Vista Web sites.

The June 23 letter, entitled “An Update on the Windows Roadmap,” from Bill Veghte, Senior Vice President, Online Services & Windows Business Group, reiterated that PC makers won’t be getting more copies of Windows XP to load on new machines after June 30, 2008. (There are two exceptions to this rule: “white box” system builders and makers of ultra-low-cost PCs are allowed to continue to preload XP through 2009 and 2010, repectively.)

Microsoft support for XP doesn’t end on June 30; free Microsoft-provided support for XP continues through April 2009. Microsoft “Extended” support — for which users must pay (other than for security-specific hot fixes and various self-help tools, which are free) — lasts through 2014.

There is no new information about the Windows roadmap in Veghte’s letter. Veghte acknowledged that Vista — especially in its initial release — was not an easy Windows release for many customers to swallow. From his letter:

“The architectural changes that improved security and resilience in Windows Vista led to compatibility issues with existing hardware and applications. Many hardware drivers and applications needed to be updated, and while the majority worked well when we launched Windows Vista, some key applications and drivers were not yet available. Since then, Microsoft and its industry partners have been hard at work to address compatibility issues and now the situation is fundamentally different.”

Windows 7 is coming three years after Windows XP’s Vista’s release, Veghte reminded users. (Microsoft officials have been saying lately on the record that the company is shooting for a late 2009 release for Windows 7.)

What’s your take? Should Microsoft have extended XP’s end-of-life date one more time? Or is the company right in not wanting to send mixed messages to the public about whether Vista is really (finally) ready for prime time?

New Records (May 2008)

1st May is a special date in calendar around the globe - known mainly as a worker’s day to celebrate the achievements of the labour movement. As a day of celebration, however, there are many reasons to celebrate all over the world - from Love Day in the Czech Republic to Beltane for Celtic people and Maharashtra Day in India. It is also the celebration day for 9 Christian saints! To honour this extraordinary date, here are some of our favourite records achieved on May Day.

First solo expedition to the North Pole
Naomi Uemura (1941 - 84), the Japanese explorer and mountaineer, became the first person to reach the North Pole in a solo trek across the Arctic sea-ice at 4:45 a.m. GMT on 1 May 1978. He had travelled 725 km (450 miles), setting out on 7 March from Cape Edward, Ellesmere Island in northern Canada.

Heaviest vehicle pulled by hair
The heaviest vehicle to have been pulled by the hair alone over a distance of 30 m (98 ft) is a double-decker bus weighing 7,874 kg (17,359 lb), by Letchemanah Ramasamy (Malaysia) at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Leicestershire, UK, on 1 May 1999.

Largest cheerleading cheer
A total of 904 cheerleaders performed a cheer in full uniform with pom pom and baton in Voves, France, on 1 May 2007.

Largest collection of teddy bears
The largest collection of teddy bears belongs to Jackie Miley of Hill City, South Dakota, USA, with 5,029 different teddy bears, as of 1 May 2007, which she has been collecting since 2002.

Largest parade of Volkswagen (VW) cars / Longest single-model vehicle parade
A total of 2,728 VW Beetles took part in a parade organised by the Volkswagen Aficionado Club of Brazil on a race track near Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 1 May 1995.

Longest frame in a snooker World Championship match
The longest frame recorded in a snooker World Championship match is 74 minutes in the final match between Peter Ebdon (UK) and Graham Dott (UK) at the Crucible in Sheffield, UK on 1 May 2006.

Longest sari / saree
The record for the longest saree offered to Goddess Padmavathi measured 642.3 m (2,106 ft 10 in) and was achieved by His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Vasanth Gurudev Shakthipeetadhipath, founder of Sri Parshva Padmavathi Seva Trust in Chennai, India on 1 May 2007.

Pinoy's Pride!

The Philippines entries for the search for the New 7 Wonders of Nature dominates in top 10 among other entries around the globe. the Tubbataha Reef is in rank 3, while the Chocolate Hills in rank 4, Puerto Princesa Subtteranean River National Park in rank 6, and now the Mayon Volcano in rank 10. It is a very wonderful news for every Filipino because these entries brings the honor in our country. Let us continue vote for our nation's pride!

Who is Japan's richest man?

At $7.8 billion, which Japanese businessman has the country's highest net worth? A gambling kingpin? A Warren Buffet-style investor? A new-economy entrepreneur?

Nope. According to Forbes, it's 80-year-old Hiroshi Yamauchi, former president of Nintendo and the man credited with turning the company from a small-time playing card manufacturer into the video games giant now dominating the console market.

Yamauchi stepped down in 2005 after 55 years at Nintendo, but still owns significant stock in the Japanese company, propelling him to an impressive $2.5 billion in income. Not bad for a retiree, eh? Yamauchi even felt sufficiently secure that he refused a multi-million dollar pension, reportedly stating that the company could put it to better use.

Of course, if we're looking at the comparative wealth of games company execs, Yamauchi has a little way to go before he reaches the top spot: Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft and the world's third richest man, has a net worth almost eight times greater, at $58 billion.

source: yahoo

New 7 Wonders of Nature Update: April 30

Our country's entries for New 7 Wonders of Nature are now in top 77.
Currently, Tubbataha Reef is still in rank 8


Chocolate Hills of Bohol is in Rank 9


While The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Park is still rising its rank from yesterday's Rank 53 now in rank 41. Let us all support of our country's pride.

Amnesty International Joins Bloggers Unite (Letter From BlogCatalog)

Dear BlogCatalog Members,

We have great news! All eyes will be on Bloggers Unite For Human Rights this May 15th because Amnesty International, a worldwide movement that campaigns for internationally recognized human rights, will be joining, supporting, and drawing attention to participating bloggers — and that could mean you!

In addition to promoting the campaign to its hundreds of thousands of members, Amnesty International is providing BlogCatalog source material for bloggers. Topics range from the wrongful imprisonment of journalist Shi Tao in China to the continuing murder, rape, abduction, and displacement of people in Darfur, Sudan.

You can find some of these resources on our new Amnesty International resource section at http://unite.blogcatalog.com#amnesty. Of course, you can write about any human rights topic you want. Some BlogCatalog members may even write about topics that have yet to gain international attention.

You might also be interested to know that Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA has some great things to say about our campaign.

"Amnesty International is thrilled to be a part of Bloggers Unite for Human Rights," he said. "Bloggers Unite for Human Rights is a great way to harness the power of the Internet to fight injustice and make the world a better place."

There are any great human rights organizations all over the world, but if you would like to know something about our Amnesty International, please visit http://www.amnestyusa.org for more information. Currently, Amnesty International is working to stop the abuse of internationally recognized human rights in over 150 countries and territories. The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961.

Thanks so much for your continued support! More and more people are taking notice of your efforts. On behalf of the entire BlogCatalog team, thank you and we look forward to reading your posts on May 15!

New Guinness World Record - April 2008

Largest dome igloo
The largest traditional self-supporting domed igloo with an internal diameter of 7.85 m (25 ft 9 in) and an internal height of 4.17 m (13 ft 8 in) was constructed by 72 employees of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick (APEGNB) at the Centennial Park, Grand Falls, Canada, and was completed on 17 February 2008.

Largest tea bag
The largest tea bag was made by Celestial Seasonings Tea weighing 48 kg (106 lb) and was displayed at the Celestial Seasonings Tea Party, Toronto, Canada on 15 December 2007.

Longest journey by car using alternative fuel
The record for longest journey by car using alternative fuel is 38137 km (23697.19 miles) and was achieved by Rainer Zietlow, Florian Hilpert, Falk Gunold, Franz Janusiewicz (all Germany) with a Volkswagen Caddy EcoFuel using natural gas. The journey started in Cologne, Germany on 15 October 2006 and finished in Leipzig, Germany on 13 April 2007.

Most hours of live television by a host in one week
The record for most live hours on TV in a week by a host is held by Monta Mino (Japan) who is the regular host of a total of 11 live-broadcast programs every week. He appears on on TV as host for a combined total of 22 hours and 15 seconds every week.

Most people wearing Groucho Marx glasses
The most people wearing Groucho Marx glasses was 4,077 for an event organized by the Leukemia and Lymphoma society of Springfield, Missouri, United States, on 9 July 2007

Most siblings to reach pension age
The 14 children of Nicholas and Gertruida Van Schie, Oud Ade, (Netherlands) had all reached pension age on 16 May 2005. Their ages ranged from 65 to 83.

Narrowest J-Turn
The narrowest J-Turn was performed in a Renault Twingo, with a difference of 32 cm (1 ft) between the car length 343 cm (11 ft 3 in) and the space between two barriers 375 cm; (12 ft 3 in) by Terry Grant (UK) at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham, UK, on 10 January 2008.

Oldest ballet dancer (male)
The oldest male ballet dancer is Frank Russell Galey (USA) who was born in 7 September 1932 and his latest performance was at the age of 74 in The Nutcracker with Mendocino Ballet, Ukiah, California on 17 December 2006.

Oldest couple to run a marathon
The oldest couple to run a marathon were Shigetsugu Anan (Japan) aged 83 yr 11 days and his wife Miyoko Anan (Japan) 78 yr 71 days at the Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon, Japan on 13 January 2008.

Youngest hole-in-one golfer (female)
The youngest female golfer to score a hole-in-one is Mary Janiga (USA), aged 8 years 211 days at the par 3 5th at Boca Raton Municipal Golf Club, Florida, USA, on 18 November 2005.

New 7 Wonders of Nature Update: Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park - Currently Rank 53

Good news my dear countrymen, our entry for the ongoing search for the New 7 wonders of nature, The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, also known as The Underground River is now on rank 53 from yesterday's rank 61, and last week's rank 99. It is an indication that more and more supporters who vote for our country's pride. Main while, our other entry the Tubbataha Reef is currently Rank 8 which is rank 7 from previous days. Please, let us support for our country's entries for this worldwide event.
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The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.

The 7 Wonders of the World

I have here the collection of the New Wonders of the World taken from their official website; www.new7wonders.com
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The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Chichén Itzá, the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization. Its various structures - the pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, and the Playing Field of the Prisoners – can still be seen today and are demonstrative of an extraordinary commitment to architectural space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.

The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India

This immense mausoleum was built on the orders of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honor the memory of his beloved late wife. Built out of white marble and standing in formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect jewel of Muslim art in India. The emperor was consequently jailed and, it is said, could then only see the Taj Mahal out of his small cell window.

Petra (9 B.C. - 40 A.D.), Jordan

On the edge of the Arabian Desert, Petra was the glittering capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to 40 A.D.). Masters of water technology, the Nabataeans provided their city with great tunnel constructions and water chambers. A theater, modelled on Greek-Roman prototypes, had space for an audience of 4,000. Today, the Palace Tombs of Petra, with the 42-meter-high Hellenistic temple facade on the El-Deir Monastery, are impressive examples of Middle Eastern culture.

Christ Redeemer (1931) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This statue of Jesus stands some 38 meters tall, atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Designed by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski, it is one of the world’s best-known monuments. The statue took five years to construct and was inaugurated on October 12, 1931. It has become a symbol of the city and of the warmth of the Brazilian people, who receive visitors with open arms.

The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy

This great amphitheater in the centre of Rome was built to give favors to successful legionnaires and to celebrate the glory of the Roman Empire. Its design concept still stands to this very day, and virtually every modern sports stadium some 2,000 years later still bears the irresistible imprint of the Colosseum’s original design. Today, through films and history books, we are even more aware of the cruel fights and games that took place in this arena, all for the joy of the spectators.

The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China

The Great Wall of China was built to link existing fortifications into a united defense system and better keep invading Mongol tribes out of China. It is the largest man-made monument ever to have been built and it is disputed that it is the only one visible from space. Many thousands of people must have given their lives to build this colossal construction.

Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru

In the 15th century, the Incan Emperor Pachacútec built a city in the clouds on the mountain known as Machu Picchu ("old mountain"). This extraordinary settlement lies halfway up the Andes Plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle and above the Urubamba River. It was probably abandoned by the Incas because of a smallpox outbreak and, after the Spanish defeated the Incan Empire, the city remained 'lost' for over three centuries. It was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.

Let's Support Our Country's Official Entry for New 7 Wonders of Nature: Tubbataha Reef

Currently, Our Country's Tubbataha Reef is in the rank 7, in the search for New 7 Wonders of Nature, it is an Honor for us Filipinos that there's something we can proud of, by your votes, this ranks may increase and may be in the no. 1 spot. So please, let's support for this. Also the Underground River of Palawan which is currently on Rank 200.
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Tubbataha Reef is an atoll coral reef in the Sulu Sea that belongs to the Philippines. It is a marine sanctuary protected as Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park. The reef is composed of two atolls, North and South Reefs. Each reef has a single small islet that protrudes from the water. The atolls are separated by a deep channel 8 kilometers wide. Over one thousand species, including many that are endangered, can be found at on the reef. These include manta rays, lionfish, tortoises, clownfish and sharks.

Please Log on: http://www.new7wonders.com/nature
for online voting.

You’ve Got the Winning Looks!

Do you want to be a famous model? Become popular? And win as much as $10,000? Join now and you might be crowned as “Look Of The Year!” If you are 14 – 19+ young, beautiful, Model, or joined in any Beauty Contest with positive views of life, then it might be you! This beauty contest is an online and this is for anybody! Who knows you will be the one of the famous model, or be discovered and, have a chance to be one next model working in Paris, New York or Milan. This is very unique, since it is online, everybody in the world can discover you, or chooses you. Even if you don’t win, you can be discovered by model agencies, who we invite to take a good look. For you to know more, just log on to:http://www.lookoftheyear.com

The World's 7-Star Hotel

Acknowledged as the best hotel in the world. Designed to resemble a billowing sail, the hotel soars to a height of 321 metres, dominating the Dubai coastline. At night, it offers an unforgettable sight, surrounded by choreographed colour sculptures of water and fire. This all-suite hotel reflects the finest that the world has to offer.

With your chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, discreet in-suite check in, private reception desk on every floor and a brigade of highly trained butlers who provide around-the-clock attention, you can be assured of a highly personalized service throughout your stay.

The Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as well as praise, described as "a contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the construction ultimately proves to be." The contradiction here seems to be related to the hotel’s extreme opulence. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art construction technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in an exercise that is largely due to the power of excessive wealth."

Another critic includes the city of Dubai as well: "both the hotel and the city, after all, are monuments to the triumph of money over practicality. Both elevate style over substance." Yet another: "Emulating the quality of palatial interiors, in an expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is created in Burj Al Arab … The result is a baroque effect". Sam Wollaston writing in The Guardian described the Burj as "...fabulous, hideous, and the very pinnacle of tackiness - like Vegas after a serious, no-expense-spared, sheik-over".

I'm Glad I Am an IT Graduate!

Recently, I received email letter from an IT firm here in Davao, Although I already have a job, I still submitted my application and CV to the company who emailed me, the positions available are mostly for IT related course.
In a news published by one of the national news paper, one article cited that based on the current survey, Philippines will need at least 100,000 IT professionals, for different IT related jobs, by the year 2010, it is based on the demand for the the said field. Wow! I'm glad I'm one of the IT graduate, the opportunity are countless!

Bird's Nest - The Beijing 2008 Olympic Stadium

Design:

In 2002, Government officials engaged architects worldwide in a design competition. Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron collaborated with ArupSport and China Architecture Design & Research Group to win the competition. Contemporary Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, is the Artistic Consultant for design. The ground was broken on Christmas Eve December 2003, and construction started in March 2004, but was halted by the high construction cost in August 2004 and continued again. In January 2008, concerns about construction working conditions arose when it was revealed that at least 10 workers had died during the stadium's construction. Controversy also surrounded the alleged forced evictions of many residents so the construction could go ahead.

Capacity:

The stadium can seat as many as 91,000 spectators during the Olympics. The capacity will then be reduced to 80,000 after the Games. It has replaced the original intended venue of the Guangdong Olympic Stadium The stadium is 330 meters long by 220 meters wide, and is 69.2 meters tall. The stadium uses 258,000 square meters of space and has a usable area of 204,000 square meters. It was built with 36 km of unwrapped steel, with a combined weight of 45,000 tons. The stadium has some 11,000 square meters of underground rooms with waterproof walls. The stadium will cost up to 3.5 billion Yuan.

Source:Wikipedia

Space Party

This weekend sees the celebration of Cosmonautics Day in Russia and the 8th Annual ‘Yuri’s Night’, which celebrates the anniversary of both the first time a human was launched into space (cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961) and the first Space Shuttle Launch (in 1981). ‘Yuri’s Night’ aims to raise global public interest in space exploration and inspire a new generation of space explorers all over the world. Space travel and exploration has come a long way in the past 47 years and here are some records to show this:

Longest solo spaceflight
The longest duration spaceflight with a single person on board was the flight of Vostok 5, piloted by Soviet cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky. It was launched on 14 June 1963 and landed on 19 June 1963 with a total mission elapsed time of 4 days 23 hr 7 min.

Longest mission by a space suit
On 3 February 2006 Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and U.S. astronaut Bill McArthur jettisoned an old Russian Orlan M spacesuit from the International Space Station. Equipped with a transmitter, 'SuitSat-1' broadcasted nearly 3,500 radio messages and data on the temperature inside the suit which were picked up by amateur radio operators on Earth. The last transmission from SuitSat-1 was received on 18 February 2006, shortly before its onboard battery became depleted.

Most spacewalks by one person
The greatest number of spacewalks is ten, totalling 31h 37m by Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov (b. 15 Feb 1944) during Soyuz TM-8 (launched 5 Sept 1989 - the five spacewalks took place in Jan/Feb 1990) and Soyuz TM-17 (launched 1 July 1993 - the five spacewalks took place in Sept/Oct 1993).

Most time spent in space
The most time spent in space by an individual is 803 days 9 hours and 39 minutes, by Sergei Krikalev (Russia). He was selected as a cosmonaut in 1985 and has since completed six spaceflights. His most recent flight, as commander of the International Space Station, began on 14 April 2005 and ended on 10 October 2005.

Earliest commercial filmed in space
An advertising campaign for Tnuva Milk, showing cosmonaut Vasily Tsibliyev drinking milk aboard the Russian Mir space station, was broadcast on 22 August 1997.

source: Guinness World Record

World Health Day

World Health Day is celebrated every year on 7th April - the anniversary of the first World Health Assembly in 1948, which also saw the formation of the World Health Organisation. The WHO is the authority on international public health and here are some of their findings:

Deadliest disease
Based on estimates from the United Nations Health Report 2004, a total of 57 million people died of numerous causes in 2002. Of this total, the disease which killed the most people was ischaemic heart disease with an estimated 7.2 million deaths (or 12.6% of the total). Amongst communicable diseases, HIV/AIDs caused the highest with 2.8 million deaths (4.9% of the total).

Commonest disease (non-contagious)
Periodontal diseases, such as gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) are the most prevalent of all non-contagious diseases, affecting approximately 75% of the US population, for example. Although the distribution and severity varies regionally around the world, according to the World Health Organisation 60-90% of school children and the majority of adults in industrialised countries are affected by dental diseases.

Highest budget for health care (country)
According to a World Health Organization report, the United States government spent $5,274 (then £3,480) per citizen on health care in 2002.

Most common cause of death
According to the latest World Health Organization figures, the most common cause of death, globally, is cardiovascular disease, which in 2005 caused the deaths of approximately 17.5 million people (equivalent to 30 per cent of all deaths). Of this figure, 7.6 million were due to heart attacks and 5.7 million were caused by strokes; 80 per cent of the deaths occured in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Unless improvements are made, cardiovascular disease is set to remain the leading cause of death, with projections of 20 million deaths occurring annually, by 2015.

Most successful immunization
The World Health Organization declared the world free of smallpox from 1 January 1980. Formerly one of the worlds deadliest plagues (it caused an estimated 2 million deaths per annum in the mid-1960s), smallpox was eradicated by the availability of one type of vaccine that was effective against all forms of smallpox. The eradication project involved following up all contacts of every individual and vaccinating them.
Source: Guinness World Record

World's Tallest Building - Taipei 101

Taipei 101, in the Hsinyi dist., Taipei, Taiwan; also known as the Taipei Financial Center. With 101 stories and reaching 1,671 ft (509 m) high, Taipei 101 became the world's tallest building when it was topped out in 2003, surpassing the Petronas Towers; construction, which began in 1999, was completed in 2004. Designed by C. Y. Lee & Partners, the multiuse steel-and-glass skyscraper echoes a traditional Chinese pagoda with its soaring podium base, eight tiers of eight stories (a number that is a homophone for prosperous growth in Chinese), and narrow pinnacle tower and spire. A 18-ft (5.5-m), 882-ton (800-metric-ton), ball-shaped damper located near the top counteracts swaying during earthquakes and typhoons.

World's Largest Hindu Temple

Built with a combination of marble, sandstone and wood the building is fabulously impressive. It is built to ancient standards without using any steel and as such is designed to last 1000 years. The intricate nature of the carving both inside and out is stunning and has lovingly restored an almost lost art and is already influencing other temple building projects throughout india and the world.

• The temple building covers 32 acres
• 11,000 people worked on its construction
• It was completed in just 5 years
• 850 volunteers work their daily
• It receives 100,000 visitors a week.

source: Guinness World Record

Largest Football Shirt

In celebration of the Italian launch of ProEvolution Soccer 2008 the Italian sportswear manufacturer, Errea, created a huge football shirt for Konami and Digital Bros, which was unveiled at the Arena Civica in Milan, Italy, on 18 December 2007. Following precise measurement by Marco Frigatti of Guinness World Records, the football shirt was officially recognised as being the largest in the world: 68.5 m (224 ft 8 in) wide, excluding the sleeves, and 71 m (233 ft) high. The football shirt weighed 700 kg (1,543 lb), was made with 6 km (3.7 miles) of fabric, and required 170 km (105.6 miles) of thread, to create a total area of 4,863 m² (52,344 ft²). The new shirt smashed the previous record holder from Mexico, with a shirt measuring 51.32 m x 51.46 m (168 ft 4 in x 168 ft 10 in), achieved on 10 May 2006.

The record was created to celebrate the launch of one of the most loved games in Italy and was linked to a UNICEF initiative to help build schools, provide education materials and train teachers in six African countries. In addition, a number of regular-sized football shirts, autographed by celebrities, were then auctioned to raise funds for the UNICEF project.

This hugely successful event was organised by Brand2Live, itself proud to have created a link between virtual and real sport, and with this brand new Guinness World Record.

New Records in the Philippines

On 15 March 2008 – nearly 487 years to the day after Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines – businesswoman Sister Grace Galindez-Gupana (Philippines) achieved five Guinness World Records in a single day.

With the support of the Philippine National Red Cross, Sister Gupana embarked on a mass medical mission to provide 24 hours of free screenings for the marginalized Pintong Bocaue community. In doing so, she established four Guinness World Records:

Most blood identification tests in 24 hours: 260
Most cholesterol readings taken in 24 hours: 527
Most blood pressure readings taken in 24 hours: 2,302
Most diabetes readings taken in 24 hours: 503

Sister Grace wanted to involve children of the community in a record-breaking attempt too, and recruited youngsters from the local Baranggay Pintong Bocaue school to complete the longest drawing. Using coloured crayons, the children drew a picture of a long dragon with horns. The drawing was subsequently burned, in a symbolic act representing the victory of good over the devil.

All records were accredited in person by the Director of Records from Guinness World Records, who flew from London to Manila to certify that each record attempt had been carried out legitimately and to present Sister Gupana with certificates for her new records.

Sister Gupana is not new to record breaking. Last year, the ardent supporter of the State of Israel and its citizens reaped her first two Guinness World Records in the Holy Land for the largest flag (18,843 m²; 202,823 ft²) and for the largest banner (54,451 m²; 586,103 ft²).

For Sister Grace, breaking a record is a way of showing to the world that Filipinos can make a difference and are capable of helping and supporting those in need. source from Guinness World Record