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When the Puentespinas started making chocolates, their market was limited to Davao to gain experience and confidence. All weekends found them in Davao’s malls for sampling activities. Working their way slowly to Manila, they joined food bazaars where they conducted numerous taste sampling activities to introduce their ... |
Then the family took a bold step—they started joining international competitions and went to the US to meet up with other chocolatiers who expressed genuine surprise that Philippine chocolates had world-class quality. They joined two international competitions, the London-based Academy of Chocolate Awards whose mission... |
Definitely, chocolate-making is not a walk in the farm. The long process of drying, roasting and series of taste tests until one hits the “sweet spot” is tedious and meticulous. The family behind Malagos is lucky in that the coffee beans produced in their land located at Brgy Malagos (hence the name) is ideal for growi... |
Their first lucky break came from a big order from Japan, known for its strict quality standards. In fact, the Malagos chocolates are sold in Japan as a health food because of its low sugar content. The Malagos chocolate bars (all dark chocolates) proclaim cacao contents of 65%, 72% and 85%. At 85%, the sugar content i... |
They have two chocolate lines: the unsweetened pure cacao also called cocoa liquer which is simply roasted, ground, tempered, then molded. For this line, they won two awards last year, which are testimonies to the consistent high quality of their chocolates. No “tsamba” here. |
Malagos uses only local sugar from Bukidnon and Digos. The family behind Malagos continues to help their community by buying only local sugar. They also buy from small cacao farmers, teaching them valuable techniques on how to grow cacao properly. |
Malagos Chocolates was officially launched only in 2013, but this brand has put the Philippines in the world map of chocolates. Rex says that our government agencies have helped them tremendously along the way. The Dept. of Agriculture was very supportive, DTI and CITEM have been tireless in helping them promote the br... |
I’m sure many of us have not personally tasted this award-winning chocolate. They are available in specialty stores and in SM Cultura, Rex says. Before you grab that imported bar, check out our very own Philippine chocolate first. |
McDonald's tax deal with Luxembourg did not breach EU state aid rules, EU competition regulators ruled today. |
The regulators said the reason the US fast food chain did not pay some taxes was due to the mismatch between US and Luxembourg laws. |
The decision by the European Commission came after a three-year long investigation, part of its crackdown against illegal sweetheart deals between EU governments and multinationals that has resulted in Apple, Starbucks and Fiat paying billions of euros in back taxes. |
The Commission said McDonald's tax deal was in line with national tax laws and the Luxembourg-US double taxation treaty. |
"Our in-depth investigation has shown that the reason for double non-taxation in this case is a mismatch between Luxembourg and US tax laws, and not a special treatment by Luxembourg. |
"Therefore, Luxembourg did not break EU state aid rules," European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said. |
"Of course, the fact remains that McDonald's did not pay any taxes on these profits - and this is not how it should be from a tax fairness point of view," she said. |
The investigation had focused on McDonald's Luxembourg-based subsidiary Europe Franchising which receives royalties from franchisees in Europe, Ukraine and Russia. |
Luxembourg in a 2009 tax ruling said the company did not have to pay corporate taxes as its profits would be taxed in the US. |
In a second tax ruling, the Grand Duchy said that the company was no longer required to prove that its royalty income was subject to US taxation. |
In June this year, Luxembourg presented draft legislation to avoid double non-taxation. |
Luxembourg said in a statement that it welcomed the Commission's recognition of the steps it had taken to avoid similar cases in future. |
If you have a damaged iPhone 6 Plus, you may qualify for more than a simple replacement. |
According to an internal Apple memo spotted by MacRumors, iPhone 6 Plus owners who qualify for a whole-device replacement can get a new iPhone 6S Plus, the next model up. |
The memo obtained by MacRumors reportedly says, "orders for whole unit service inventory of some iPhone 6 Plus models may be substituted to an iPhone 6S Plus until the end of March 2018." |
Apple notably does not specify which iPhone 6 Plus models are eligible for the free upgrade. The free upgrade likely relates to the company's current shortage of iPhone 6 Plus battery replacements. |
If you have an iPhone 6 Plus with defective hardware such as a faulty Lightning connector or faulty logic board or anything else, you'll more likely qualify for the free upgrade. |
Please note: Apple and its service partners can typically replace batteries, speakers, rear cameras, and the taptic engine without needing to replace the whole device — so keep this in mind if you're trying to get the free upgrade. |
If you have a faulty iPhone 6 Plus, reach out to Apple Support, make a Genius Bar appointment, or visit an Authorized Service Provider — you could walk out with a free upgrade to the iPhone 6S Plus. |
We reached out to Apple for comment on the internal memo and upgrade eligibility, and we'll update this article as soon as we hear back. |
Daniel Barry, a North Carolina insurance executive, has entered the Republican race for the 8th district seat held by Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell. |
Barry filed his Federal Election Commission paperwork declaring his candidacy Tuesday, he told Roll Call. |
Barry, who told Roll Call last week that he could be a partial self-funder, will face former Iredell County Commissioner Scott Keadle in the primary. Other potential Republican contenders include state Reps. Justin Burr and Jerry Dockham, and businessman Pat Molamphy. |
The newly drawn 8th grew significantly more Republican as a result of redistricting. Kissell won his second term in 2010 with 53 percent of the vote. |
Why fork over your hard-earned cash on some newfangled wearable exercise gadget when you’ve already got a smartphone stowed in your pocket? That compact computer hosts a multitude of sensors, and with the right selection of apps and a little discipline, it can be as powerful a workout companion as a dedicated trainer. |
Whether you’re looking to track your miles, find a little motivation, eat healthier, or simply make exercise slightly more entertaining, there is likely an app for that. We took the time to dig through the Google Play Store and bring you an in-depth roundup of the best fitness apps for Android. Now, you just have to st... |
Simply looking to keep track of your runs and day-to-day activities, with a little feedback in the form of charts and graphs? Check out the selection of apps below. |
Runkeeper employs your phone’s GPS transceiver to log your running pace and distance on various routes in real-time. You can also set a goal pace, and the app will feed you audio updates to stay on track with the tempo. You can set up a personalized routine, join a running group, share your progress, take on challenges... |
Runtastic tracks all kinds of metrics from your running, such as your distance and relative pace, as well as calories burned and your heart rate. You’ll also find motivational audio feedback, running groups, competitive leaderboards, and lots of integration with wearables. If you have a Wear OS smartwatch, you can leav... |
Strava is an excellent tracking app that monitors your runs or cycling routes via GPS. It gamifies your cardio workout and offers leaderboards, achievements, and challenges, bringing a competitive spirit to your routine. There’s a network of athletes using the app, so you can find the most popular running routes in new... |
Providing a detailed workout summary charting your distance and pace is Map My Run’s bread and butter. The app also offers customizable audio feedback on your runs, challenges to motivate you through competition, suggests routes to run, and tracks more than 600 other activities. There’s an active community onboard and ... |
Argus is a neat, completely free, all-in-one activity tracker that monitors your sleep, heart rate, calories, and more. The app offers challenges to overcome, as well as the option to build your own workout plan. You can even add food you eat by scanning the barcode on the label to track your calories. |
Another app that uses your device’s built-in pedometer to track your walks, Pedometer comes with a host of extra features. It has an easy-to-read “Trends” section that shows your activity history, and you can connect with exercise groups in your area, or take up challenges. Pedometer can sync with MyFitnessPal to keep ... |
Google’s fitness app is very simple and it focuses on getting you to move and work your heart, challenging you to hit a target each day for Move Minutes and Heart Points. You can also use it to track workouts, get customized tips, and pull in data from Wear OS smartwatches, not to mention a host of other apps and devic... |
Coaches and personal trainers are great, but if you can’t afford to have Jillian Michaels come scream at you every time you hop on the treadmill, we suggest using these low-cost apps to help guide you through your workout. |
Nike Training Club offers hundreds of 15- to 45-minute workouts. The app provides detailed suggestions based on your own personal fitness goals. It excels when it comes to explanatory photos and video demonstrations that show you how to properly execute each exercise — all of which are stored directly within the app fo... |
Strong Lifts 5×5 is designed for experienced lifters who want nothing more than to gain muscle and lose fat. It’s likely too intense for inexperienced lifters, but the app can still coach you through three 45-minute workouts a week, focusing on the largest muscles in your body for optimal effect. Calendars and simple p... |
Workout Trainer is packed with hundreds of workout routines, training recommendations, and custom programs that suit your abilities. It can also sync up with your smartwatch or heart rate monitor to provide deeper analysis. You can also connect with personal trainers through the app and share your activity with the com... |
Sworkit provides gym-quality routines without actually requiring you to go to the gym. The app allows you to choose from hundreds of workouts, each of which is divided into one of four distinct categories (strength, cardio, yoga, and stretching). Hell, it even lets you create short, five-minute workouts when you’re in ... |
Initially designed for bodybuilders, Jefit keeps track of all your reps, sets, and the weight you’re lifting within a sleek interface. The app also provides a number of different workout routines designed to target specific muscle groups, while allowing you to curate custom workouts and share your achievements with the... |
This app has been developed by the British Army to help prospective recruits achieve the level of fitness needed to enroll, but it can be used by anyone who wants to improve their overall physical health. Each exercise is explained by an experienced instructor, who continues to encourage you throughout the session. Suc... |
This week, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced that he had accepted the resignation of his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, who led the campaign for the last few months. |
Hemmer Presses New Trump Campaign Manager: How Will He Make Up Ground? |
Donald Trump overhauled his campaign structure this morning and will now be running TV ads for the first time in key battleground states. |
Acer has downgraded sales forecasts for Ultrabooks as the relatively hefty price tag and smaller screen size continues to limit adoption in Europe. |
The PC maker had expected the super skinny platform to comprise between 25 and 35 per cent of total notebook sales globally by the end of this year. |
"Overall the Ultrabook segment is developing much slower than projected by Intel and we have already adjusted our strategy on this in the last quarter," said Oliver Ahrens, Acer EMEA president. |
The "price issue" is potentially the main sticking point for buyers, with the €900 to €1,100 price band accounting for roughly 0.4 per cent of the total available European market for laptop sales. |
"As you imagine we cannot boost this to 30 per cent rapidly, we expect that by the end of this year Ultrabooks will be maybe 10 per cent of the market, maybe a bit more than 10 per cent," he said. |
Gartner previously claimed PC vendors needed to hack about one-quarter from price before hard-pressed shoppers would be willing to cough for one. |
American businesses and consumers are giving the economy a boost by spending more, but the troubled housing market remains an obstacle, new data show. |
Industrial production rose in December by the largest amount in five months, providing the economy with solid momentum heading into the new year. |
Builders began work on more homes and the government boosted its investment in federal construction projects in November, marking a third straight monthly increase in construction activity after a dismal summer. |
Businesses ordered more factory goods in November, responding to stronger consumer demand for household appliances, computers and furniture. |
Stocks ended mixed in a light day of trading Thursday after reports showed small improvements in consumer spending and the job market. |
Home construction nudged up in November after two months of declines. Builders broke ground last month on a seasonally adjusted 555,000 units, a 3.9-percent rise from October, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. |
Retail sales rose for a fifth straight month in November, suggesting a strong holiday shopping season and raising hopes that consumers will boost the economy in the coming months. |
Applications for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the second-lowest level this year, fresh evidence that companies are cutting fewer jobs. |
Construction spending rose for the second straight month in October, pushed up by growth in residential building and government projects. |
New home sales tumbled in October while the median home price dropped to the lowest point in seven years. |
Monday morning when Milton Hospital’s Dr. Clifford Gluck is in the operating room removing a cancerous prostate gland his hands and eyes will have the power of science fiction reality. |
When Milton Hospital’s Dr. Clifford Gluck is in the operating room removing a cancerous prostate gland Monday morning, his hands and eyes will have the power of science fiction reality. |
His eyes will be 10 times stronger and his hands will be as steady and precise as a laser because Gluck will be assisted by the hospital’s new $1.6 million robotic system. |
“This is going to become the gold standard,” Gluck said. |
Milton Hospital is the first on the South Shore to offer robotic-assisted surgery to remove prostate glands and perform hysterectomies, or the removal of the uterus. |
Gluck, chief of urology, will have the honor Monday of being the first surgeon on the South Shore to bring the pages of science fiction novels to life. |
Boston Medical Center, Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s and St. Vincent’s Hospital in Worcester have been using robotics for almost three years. |
Gluck and other staff members spent a month in Hackensack, N.J., learning how to use the system. |
Gluck, 50, said the system is easy and joked that his experience as a younger man playing video games like Space Invaders may have helped him feel confident at the controls. |
The robotic system, is called the da Vinci Surgical System and is made by Intuitive Surgical in Sunnyvale, Calif. The company received federal Food and Drug Administration approval in July 2000 to market the system in the U.S. |
The technology was developed in the 1980s by the U.S. Department of Defense. |
Unlike other minimally invasive tools like laparoscopy and endoscopy, in which a hand-held fiber-optic tube is inserted into the patient and doctors use a video screen to guide them as they operate, the robotic system lets the doctor look through a console that magnifies the patient’s organs 10 times greater than the h... |
Foot pedals let the doctor zoom in or out or from side to side. |
The view is in three dimensions versus the two for a laparoscope and gives a doctor the sensation of almost being inside the human body. |
“It’s natural and intuitive,” Gluck said. “The visualization is unsurpassed, the depth perception is greater than regular surgery,” he said. |
The same console has a pair of joysticks that manipulate robot hands on the ends of fiber-optic tubes that are in a patient who can be on a table in the same operating room or thousands of miles away. |
The robot hands use tools that can cut, dissect, lift, separate, sew and cauterize bleeding. The hands can move in a circle, giving a far greater range of motion than the human wrist. |
“You can squeeze into tighter spaces than ever before,” Gluck said. |
Robotic systems are the next generation in minimally invasive procedures like laparoscopy and endoscopy that typically use dime-sized incisions instead of traditional open body surgery, when cuts to reach the internal organs are large enough to put a pair of hands inside. |
Smaller incisions, hospital officials said, result in much quicker recovery times, less scarring and less pain for the patient. |
Because the method is so new, studies are inconclusive in many areas including long-term effects on patients and ultimate financial efficiency. |
However, Joseph Raduazzo, the hospital’s chief medical officer, said the robotics system is a superior way to perform surgery and believes the investment will pay off. |
“It’s about offering the best patient care to the community,” Raduazzo said. |
Some shows reel you in slowly, making you invest in the story before you decide that you love it. Sometimes, however, you can pinpoint your love of a show to a single character, a single storyline, or even a single episode. |
It can be daunting as my sister was asking about "Supernatural" and when I told her they're starting their 10th season, she was "oh, that many? Might be too much to get in on now." However, thanks to Netflix and DVD, easier to binge now then it used to be and get caught up fast. I agree, saying "check this episode out"... |
If ten seasons seems to daunting for Supernatural newcomers, have them start out with the first five seasons since the fifth season finale was originally written as a series finale. I took a long break from the show after season five and came back when I was ready. |
I think Doctor Who is probably the easiest fandom to get into because a good starting point for the show is whenever a new incarnation of the Doctor is introduced. It's why I feel that one should start with the Eleventh Doctor in Series Five and continue from there. Or just start with the 12th Doctor. |
Blink's also a good introductory episode. Not only is it one of the best episodes, but it's so good at being self-contained. The main character, Sally, is as clueless as any new viewer. The episode doesn't reference anything that happens before or afterwards that I remember. So for anyone I know that asks about Doctor ... |
How did you become a fan of the things you love? Was there a particular episode or story arc that finally converted you over? Tell us about it — and how it did that in the comments. |
This post is part of an ongoing series. To access all the profiles in this series, visit "The Year Ahead." |
Who: Alexandra Zissu, journalist, co-author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy, Kids' Editor at New York magazine, and "Ask An Organic Mom" blogger at TheDailyGreen.com. |
• Master the worm bin, a.k.a vermicomposting. (This involves finding a place for it in my small New York apartment). |
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