Following is the full text of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s New Year message:

We thank the Lord for all the things He brought into our lives the past 365 days. The challenges He allowed us to encounter have proven once again the resilience of our people and the efficacy of our reforms.

The global recession failed to break our unprecedented record of economic growth in every quarter during our watch. Our economy continued to grow. The size and strength of our domestic economy was supported by OFW-fueled consumer spending and a massive government commitment to human and physical infrastructure – one that stretched, but did not swamp, public resources.

Our people responded with grit to the super-typhoons forced upon us by the harsh realities of climate change caused by human beings all over the world. Our people opened hearts and hands with generosity to the victims. They committed to national reconstruction, and brought our demands on climate change to the whole world.

We emerge from the year 2009 with more solid faith, more courage, more concern for our brethren, and greater determination to work harder to achieve even more.

In 2010, we shall have the first nationally-automated exercise of our right to suffrage, one of the ten points in the agenda of our administration. This year, too, will hopefully see the continuing recovery of the rest of the world. These are gifts from an unfolding future that we greet with hopefulness.

In this spirit, let us cast away the things that set us against each other. Let us thank the Lord for good health, glad tidings and good cheers. Let us thank Him for all the times He has been there for us through family, friends and even strangers who stood by us in good times and in bad. Let us ask for His graces and blessings as we start another year. And as we continue and go on with the many journeys of our nation’s life, let us offer to Him our nation.

Happy New Year to everyone!

December 30th is the commemoration of the death anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippines’ National Hero, whose execution by Spanish colonial authorities in 1896 triggered the Philippine Revolution. This year is his 113th death anniversary.

Rizal was executed by firing squad on Dec. 30, 1896 at Manila’s Luneta Park, now Rizal Park. His execution was meant to silence the then emerging defiance by Filipinos of their Spanish colonial masters but his death produced the opposite effects. It inspired the Filipinos to revolt.

Dr. Rizal advocated mass education for Filipinos, representation in the Spanish Cortes (parliament) and eventual independence from Spain via peaceful means. Spain today strongly considers the Philippines, which it ruled as a colony for nearly four centuries, as special daughter country.

Rizal’s advocacy of institutional reforms by peaceful means rather than by violent revolution makes him Asia’s first modern non-violent proponent of political reforms.

On the very first Christmas, we were gifted by the Almighty with the greatest present of all – His only Son Jesus Christ, who brought us new hope as the living proof of God’s unequalled love for mankind.

On this Christmas, we call to memory once again this Sacred Gift. We draw renewed strength from the certainty that within our hearts and around us dwells the likeness of the Son of God.

This year, every test we faced carried with it an opportunity to lighten the burdens of life. We experienced God’s love for us in the charity and hopefulness that Filipinos gave to each other in their time of need.

This Christmas, let us remember the lessons that we learned this year. Let us remember that we can be assured that God will understand and comfort us.

Let us come together for the Almighty this Christmas. Let us fill our hearts with gratitude and share with our fellowmen the gift of love and hope, so that we may become worthy of God’s Greatest Gift.

I humbly thank the Almighty for the opportunity He has given me to serve our people the best that I can. And I thank the millions of Filipinos who love our country for their dedication to achieve our common dream of a better future.

I wish all of our countrymen a Christmas filled with love and a New Year full of peace.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ruben D. Gonzalez, a deployed Army soldier assigned to the U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, was along the shores of the Naval Station in Zamboanga performing logistics tasks when he heard calls for help.

Three students of the MEIN College, who were among the students and staff celebrating the college’s “Foundation Day” at the beach, got caught in the dangerous current and were dragged into deep, unsafe waters.

The water current that day was very strong, that even a 65-ton naval vessel could not dock at the pier.

Seeing and hearing the situation, Gonzales quickly dove headfirst into the water and went for the most exhausted swimmer first. Grabbing the victim around the chest, Gonzalez swam him to the nearest pier piling, which served as a makeshift life-preserver. Telling the student to hold the piling as tightly as possible, Gonzalez swam back out for the other two distressed swimmers, pulling them both through the current to the nearest pier piling.

Seeing Philippine Navy personnel throwing floatation devices down to the distressed swimmers, Gonzalez shouted out words of encouragement to hang on a little longer.

Upon reaching the beach, Philippine Navy medics tended to the victims. After it was clear the students were ashore and in good hands, Gonzalez left the growing crowd of onlookers, unnoticed. He got back in his vehicle and, despite several cuts on his arms, hands, legs, and feet, returned to duty.

This rescue happened last September 30. Staff Sergeant Ruben D. Gonzalez of the U.S. Army was awarded the Soldier’s Medal on November 27, 2008.

The Soldier’s Medal is awarded to any person of the Armed Forces of the United States or of a friendly foreign nation who, while serving in any capacity with the Army of the United States, distinguished himself or herself by heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy. The same degree of heroism is required as that of the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross.

“Knowing the danger on putting his life at risk to rescue my students is a heroism act that forever will be embedded in our hearts, for without him that very moment, my students would have died,” said MEIN College teacher and eye-witness, Margie Janda. “Thank God for giving us Mr. Gonzalez.”

Photo: Colonel Bill Coultrup, Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines Commander, pins the Soldier’s Medal on Staff Sergeant Ruben D. Gonzalez as part of a formal ceremony held on Thanksgiving Day, 27 November 2007.

I closed my Windows three days after I opened my door.  Opened it to Mac, that is!

I thought it would take me at least a week or two to make the shift, so I had insisted on Julien to activate bootcamp on the Mac, install my original XP OS and all the windows-based software that had kept me productive for years.  I’m a heavy user of word processors, presenters, PDF makers, video downloaders or grabbers and graphics editing/animation software.  But lo… one night of ’shopping’ for Mac equivalents to all my production software yielded not only good alternatives but better ones at that!

Here’s a shortlist of those made-for-Mac production software:

1. TubeTV – a cool tool that intuitively grabs every moving media on your browser.

2.  Flip4Mac WMV plugin – installed as an extension to Quicktime,  it did away with the need for a TV tuner to capture on-air signal.  I just watch our windows media livestream, click on a small button at the bottom right of the player, and set it to record the stream in good old-fashioned “TOA” way.  With that, it also eliminated the need for Total Video Converter, as the Flip plugin can be configured to automatically convert the recorded stream into media for playback on cellphones, TV and computers.

3. PDF Maker – no need to install any third party software as the Mac has it built-in.  On any word/number processing software on Mac,  just go to File–>Print–>Save-As-PDF!

4. Zipeg – a kewl, more intelligent alternative to any of the .rar or zip software that we have been using for years.

5. Wirecast – Talk about broadcasting live from any location without OB-Vans!  Wirecast from Telestream turns any Macbook or laptop into a mini-studio switcher capable of two-way windows, chroma backing and live graphics switching.  I’m currently studying its applicability for possible deployment to our regional networks and field production teams and will be writing a full review soon.

WATCH NBN LIVE ONLINE!

With so many mobile phones in the market to choose from, running on different operating systems, another one premieres today.

T-Mobile USA is set to unveil its HTC-built G1 phone today. It is the first mobile phone powered by Google Inc.’s much-anticipated Android software system Android.

Android is a software stack for mobile devices including an operating system, middleware and key applications. Developed by Google, and later the the Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies, Android is the first complete, open, and free mobile platform.

I wonder when the ‘G-phone’ will be available here…

With so many mobile phones in the market to choose from, running on different operating systems, another one premieres today.

T-Mobile USA is set to unveil its HTC-built G1 phone today. It is the first mobile phone powered by Google Inc.’s much-anticipated Android software system Android.

<a href=”http://code.google.com/android/” target=”_blank”>Android</a> is a software stack for mobile devices including an operating system, middleware and key applications. Developed by Google, and later the the Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies, Android is the first complete, open, and free mobile platform.

I wonder when the ‘G-phone’ will be available here…

I closed my Windows three days after I opened my door.  Opened it to Mac, that is!

I thought it would take me at least a week or two to make the shift, so I had insisted on Julien to activate bootcamp on the Mac, install my original XP OS and all the windows-based software that had kept me productive for years.  I’m a heavy user of word processors, presenters, PDF makers, video downloaders or grabbers and graphics editing/animation software.  But lo… one night of ’shopping’ for Mac equivalents to all my production software yielded not only good alternatives but better ones at that!

Here’s a shortlist of those made-for-Mac production software:

1. TubeTV – a cool tool that intuitively grabs every moving media on your browser.

2.  Flip4Mac WMV plugin – installed as an extension to Quicktime,  it did away with the need for a TV tuner to capture on-air signal.  I just watch our windows media livestream, click on a small button at the bottom right of the player, and set it to record the stream in good old-fashioned “TOA” way.  With that, it also eliminated the need for Total Video Converter, as the Flip plugin can be configured to automatically convert the recorded stream into media for playback on cellphones, TV and computers.

3. PDF Maker – no need to install any third party software as the Mac has it built-in.  On any word/number processing software on Mac,  just go to File–>Print–>Save-As-PDF!

4. Zipeg – a kewl, more intelligent alternative to any of the .rar or zip software that we have been using for years.

5. Wirecast – Talk about broadcasting live from any location without OB-Vans!  Wirecast from Telestream turns any Macbook or laptop into a mini-studio switcher capable of two-way windows, chroma backing and live graphics switching.  I’m currently studying its applicability for possible deployment to our regional networks and field production teams and will be writing a full review soon.

WATCH NBN LIVE ONLINE!