Outside the House of Blues in Houston, it’s a sleepy winter’s evening. Inside it feels like a scene from Titanic, somewhere in the ship’s bagpipe-infused steerage section, as Celtic rock band Gaelic Storm pounds out the song “Darcy’s Donkey” to a rowdy crowd of onlookers.

“The donkey had a ganky leg, and only one good eye,” belts the lead singer. “When he got a lick of the whiskey, well you’d swear that he could fly.”

It’s no coincidence that the festive scene recalls Titanic – Gaelic Storm is, in fact, the band that was featured in James Cameron’s famous flick. But the group doesn’t need a major motion picture appearance to turn St. Patrick’s Day into a pot of gold. Gaelic Storm and other Irish/Celtic bands see a massive spike in touring revenues every March.

So just how high is the St. Patrick’s Day premium? Roughly double the standard concert take, says Gaelic Storm’s lead songwriter Steve Twigger, who also plays guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, bodhrán and sings. For a band that grosses $15,000 per show according to PollstarPro—which implies take-home pay of $5,000 or so—the boost really adds up.

“It’s sort of like Christmas time for Irish bands,” he says. “When we first started, we’d do a dozen shows per weekend. We’d start at 11am and just go from venue to venue.”

The demand in the U.S. for live Celtic music on St. Patrick’s Day is so high that many bands based in Ireland make the trek across the pond every year to cash in on the bonanza. For some groups, the total take is often a matter of how many concerts can be crammed into a single day or week. Demand is just as strong, if not stronger, on the weekend before the quasi-holiday.

Though Gaelic Storm has been performing just one show on March 17th in recent years – they play at Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater tonight – March offers a welcome relief for a band that plays 200 shows per year, as gigs can be had in closer geographical proximity to one another.

“It is financially a little better, that’s for sure,” says Twigger. “Concerts and promoters know that the demand’s going to be there. you can definitely condense your tour down without having to do filler shows.”

Gaelic Storm has been doing St. Patrick’s Day shows for nearly 20 years. the band got its start playing monthly gigs for friends in Santa Monica, Calif. A few months later, Gaelic Storm grabbed the attention of Titanic director James Cameron, who saw the group perform at a small festival in Los Angeles (“He liked that we didn’t take ourselves too seriously,” says Twigger).

The film appearance brought the band a good deal of mainstream recognition and a record deal with Virgin/EMI. Three albums later, Gaelic Storm launched its own label and now presses all its own albums. the do-it-yourself approach seems as agreeable to the band as a pint of Guinness: Gaelic Storm’s latest album, Cabbage, debuted at the top spot of Billboard’s World Albums chart.

“The important thing for us is that we connect to our fans thru internet,” says Twigger (indeed, the band has some 50,000 Facebook followers). “We’ve found them one person at a time. I think that’s part of the modern story for indie bands—the market is coming to us.”

And as scores of revelers go in search of Irish music tonight, Gaelic Storm should expect quite a good market.

For more on the business of music, check out Zack’s recently-released Jay-Z biography, entitled Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z went from Street Corner to Corner Office (Penguin/Portfolio, 2011).

It is the first new lupus treatment licensed by the FDA in more than 50 years and the regulator fast-tracked its review in recognition of its potential to be a major advance in the disease area.

Benlysta (belimumab) can be used to treat adults with active, autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who are receiving standard therapy, and GSK and marketing partner Human Genome Sciences expect to launch it before the end of March

Moncef Slaoui, chairman of GSK Research and Development, said: “The approval of Benlysta is an important step for appropriate lupus patients. Patients have been waiting for new treatment options to help manage this chronic disease. we look forward to working together with HGS to bring this new medicine to patients in the US”

Lupus is a potentially fatal, autoimmune disease and there are around 300,000 to 1.5 million sufferers in the US. It disproportionately affects women, and African American women in particular – with three times as many new cases of the disease occurring in this group compared to Caucasian women.

Benlysta’s post-marketing requirements

Following its priority review Benlysta will have to stand up to extended post-marketing data requirements as a matter of course, but the FDA also wants more safety and efficacy information and stronger warnings for patients about side effects.

GSK and HGS will have to produce a Medication Guide to inform patients of the risks associated with Benlysta and conduct an additional clinical trial to further evaluate its safety and effectiveness in a particular subgroup of patients.

The trial requirement follows in the wake of two studies involving African American patients and patients of African heritage in which they did not appear to respond to treatment with Benlysta.

The FDA noted those studies lacked sufficient numbers to establish a definite conclusion and GSK agreed to conduct an additional study of people with those backgrounds.

HGS and GSK have been co-developing Benlysta since 2006 and HGS was responsible for its phase III trials, with assistance from GSK. The partners will equally share phase III/IV development costs, sales and marketing expenses, as well as the drug’s profits.

“We and GSK are honoured to have the opportunity, with the approval of FDA, to bring Benlysta forward in the United States as the first new drug for systemic lupus in more than 50 years,” said H. Thomas Watkins, president and chief executive, HGS. 

“We expect to have this novel therapy available to physicians and patients within about two weeks, and our entire organisation looks forward to the positive impact we hope this new therapy will have for patients with systemic lupus.”  

The companies submitted Benlysta to European regulators in June 2010, and further applications have been made in Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, Brazil and the Philippines.

By Riyanki Das ChowdhuryMumbai: Kiran Rao wows Aamir. she gave her hubby a surprise birthday gift which comprised of canvas boards, watercolors, a set of 38 paint brushes and a studio easel.

A source stated “Aamir was clueless about what Kiran had planned for him. since he’s begun shooting for Reema Kagti’s film, it kept him busy.”

The source said further, “Also, he’d given his staff leave on his birthday, so there were fewer people around than usual. when Kiran invited him to the study, he was surprised to see what she had got him.”

From a long time Aamir planned to learn painting. His tried his hands at painting for the first time in “Taare Zameen Par”.

He also made some paintings during the making of “Dhobi Ghat”. now that he has everything ready, he is planning to take it seriously and spend his free time learning the art.

The source added “Kiran spent a lot of time looking at various stores. she ensured that her man had the best materials possible.”

A divorced 58-year-old Zimbabwean man could be the first on the plane back to Harare after he gave farcical evidence to prove his active involvement in MDC activities in Harare and the UK.

Immigration judge Justice Blake threw out the appeal by the man known as CLM who could only prove his only contribution to MDC meetings as “providing “salt/ pepper/onion/ tomatoes”, to the value of £5, apparently for a meal to be supplied at the next meeting. “

The man had managed to obtain the minutes of meetings of the relevant local branch of the MDC between 19 May 2007 and March 2010. He also obtained a number of photographs of these meetings, posted on flickr.com.

The judge said the Zimbabwean failed to attend half of the 14 meetings covered by the minutes. In his latest statement he says this was due to lack of funds, although his address is given as being in the town to which the local branch relates.

 Of the 7 meetings he attended, the minutes do not show him as standing for any kind of office or, indeed, as having said anything worthy of recording in them. the one exception is in the minutes of 10 January 2009, where the Food Secretary appears to have allocated to appellant CLM the task of “providing “salt/ pepper/onion/ tomatoes”, to the value of £5, apparently for a meal to be supplied at the next meeting. “

“This conspicuous lack of activity sits poorly with appellant CLM’s claim to have been a MDC organiser in Harare and reinforces the Designated Immigration Judge’s adverse credibility findings on that issue. Furthermore, if his branch of the MDC has been infiltrated by ZANU-PF informants and/or CIO operatives, they cannot have failed to notice appellant CLM’s lack of activity. That they should see fit to report to Harare that he is someone worthy of intensive interest, should he return, is fanciful in the extreme.

On the flickr.com photographs the judge said  “ the photographs show various groups of people, none of whom is identified by name in a caption or similar. Appellant CLM is at the back of most of the photographs, his features barely discernable, or else apparently completely absent in others (ie. no identification marker relating to him). In only one is he shown at the front of the group, waving to the camera.

“It is speculative whether these photographs, even if in the possession of the CIO, would enable that organisation to identify appellant CLM, were he to return to Harare. But, even if they could, it is not reasonably likely that they would cause or contribute to the identification of appellant CLM as a person in whom they might decide to take a significantly adverse interest. “

The judge said his high blood pressure and cholesterol can both be treated in Zimbabwe, on his own admission (albeit at a cost). we do not find that his health issues are such as to preclude him from working. In view of the evidence discussed earlier, it is plain that appellant CLM could work, if need be, in the informal sector, otherwise than as a street vendor which, given his age, we accept might be problematic.

  “No Article 8 case has been advanced on behalf of appellant CLM and we can see nothing in the evidence to suggest why one might have been. A 20 year old son lives in Oldham, Lancashire, with whom appellant CLM speaks daily (presumably by telephone) but the other children live in Harare. He is separated from his wife. His private life appears to involve occasional gardening and other odd jobs, and going to the MDC meetings, as found above.

 “We re-make the decision in the case of appellant CLM by dismissing his appeal on asylum and human rights grounds. He is not entitled to the grant of humanitarian protection.

nei.org/newsandevents/information-on-the-japanese-earthquake-and-reactors-in-that-region/

The hydrogen explosion on March 11 between the primary containment vessel and secondary containment building of the reactor did not damage the primary containment vessel or the reactor core. to control the pressure of the reactor core, TEPCO began to inject seawater and boric acid into the primary containment vessels of Unit 1 on March 12 and Unit 3 on March 13. there is likely some damage to the fuel rods contained in reactors 1 and 3. (i.e. hydriding that I discussed earlier – zirconium rust)

At both reactors 1 and 3, seawater and boric acid is being injected into the reactor using fire pumps. On reactor 3, a pressure relief valve in the containment structure failed to open, but was restored by connecting an air pressure to the line driving valve operation.

The water level in the reactor vessel of reactor 2 reactor is steady.

Personnel from TEPCO are closely monitoring the status of all three reactors.

The highest recorded radiation level at the Fukushima Daiichi site was 155.7 millirem at 1:52 p.m. on March 13. Radiation levels were reduced to 4.4 millirem by the evening of March 13. The NRC’s radiation dose limit for the public is 100 millirem per year. (Note that this is the level allowed from a nuclear facility. Also note this was the max level on site at a particular instance in time, not at the periphery and certainly not where residents have been evacuated to. Periphery levels have and remain to be less than 1 millirem/hr. another note: if you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day your radiation dose is on the order of 8,000 millirem/yr!)

Japanese government officials acknowledged the potential for partial fuel meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 and 3 reactors, but there is no danger for core explosion, as occurred at the nuclear power station at Chernobyl in 1986. Control rods have been successfully inserted at all of the reactors, thereby ending the chain reaction. The reactor cores at Fukushima Daiichi and Daini power stations are surrounded by steel and concrete containment vessels of 40 to 80 inches thick that are designed to contain radioactive materials. (This is an unfortunate misnomer. there was no ‘core explosion’ at Chernobyl; it was water flashing to steam creating a steam explosion.)

Fukushima Daini

The Fukushima Daini plants remains in a state of emergency. there is electricity available at all four of the reactors at Fukushima Daini, although there is limited availability of the cooling water pumps at reactors 1, 2 and 4. (They are venting the built up steam from containment to atmosphere. Remember, to suddenly and completely stop something so big takes a LOT. Just like a train needs several miles to stop, a nuclear reactor needs a few days to cool.)

TEPCO is working to maintain constant cooling in the primary containment vessels of those reactors. no radioactivity has been recorded outside of the secondary containment buildings at Fukushima Daini, according to TEPCO.

Two other nuclear power plants in the Tohoku region, Onagawa Nuclear Power Station and Tokai Nuclear Power Station, were automatically shut down in response to the earthquake. The four reactors at these plants have functioning cooling systems and are being monitored by plant operators. (This is incredible. We’ve just experienced the 5th largest earthquake in recorded history. I am hoping we’re on the right track and this is all to there is to it. Kudos to all those out there making the difference and making sure the rest of the country has the critical electricity it needs!)

The Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant and accompanying facilities, located far north of the tsunami zone in Rokkasho Town, is operating safely on backup power generation systems.

Japanese nuclear facilities are designed to withstand powerful seismic events, such as earthquakes. in this earthquake—the strongest recorded over the past 100 years in Japan—the containment structures of Fukushima Daiichi maintained their structural integrity. these facilities were designed to withstand tsunamis within a range of assumed strength; however, the force of the tsunami on March 10 exceeded the assumed range and flooded diesel generators at Fukushima Daiichi power station. This precipitated the loss of power for the reactor cooling systems. (The plants were designed to handle 6.5 meter tsunamis (21.33 feet!); the tsunami was 7 meters (22.97 feet).)

The automatic shutdown of the 11 operating reactors at the Onagawa Nuclear Power Station, Tokai Nuclear Power Station, Fukushima Daiichi and Daini, represents a loss of 3.5% of electric generation capacity for Japan.

MANILA, Philippines — Regina “Ging” Reyes admits that she initially had second thoughts about accepting her new job as the head of ABS-CBN’s News and Current Affairs. It might have landed on her lap all so suddenly, but she is not one who just turns her back from a challenge. That would be boring, and Ging Reyes has never been about boring!

So in the end, the former chief of ABS-CBN’s North America News Bureau decided to get out of what she considered her comfort zone, for eight happy years.

“I didn’t want to think that I was being a coward or I was losing my edge. besides, I couldn’t back away from that kind of challenge and that sense of mission. Hindi mawawala ‘yung sense of mission if you work with ABS-CBN. you see the immediate impact of what you do and that feels good,” she says.

Reyes boasts of over 20 years of solid experience as a journalist. no wonder then when the largest news organization needed a new leader, she was easily handpicked. having been with ABS-CBN since 1986, Reyes indeed considers this new stint as a homecoming.

She started as a production assistant (PA) during the giant network’s pioneering days. she worked her way up, making a name for herself as executive producer and head writer of the award-winning English newscast “the World Tonight” and other special live events coverage, most notably the impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada. she was then appointed director for news production in 2001.

Under her leadership, the North America news bureau grew in scope and reputation. she expanded the news operations of ABS-CBN to include the US and Canada. she spearheaded the creation of the bureau’s news website and the US-based daily Filipino newscast “Balitang America”.

But while she said she will continue on building the legacy that the former head of the department, Maria Ressa, has started, Reyes wants to expand ABS-CBN’s news and current affairs program by strengthening its online presence and making a difference in people’s lives through citizen journalism.

“I’m continuing the strict implementation of the Code of Ethics and our citizen journalism campaign. and of course, a stronger social media presence. we will strengthen our multi-platform strategy and radio now is part of that process,” Reyes says.

Developing future leaders is also high on her agenda. “I want my stint to be productive in the sense that I have been able to identify the next head of news gathering, the next head of news and current affairs, the next head of ANC, etc. we want to prepare them better for that kind of challenge because I would rather continue for my example. I was homegrown. so maybe there are others after me who can do the same. That is really something I want to be part of my legacy.”

In this 60 Minute interview, news chief Ging Reyes tells us why it feels good to be home again in the midst of a very exciting developments in the media industry, as well as in the country’s largest media organization.

STUDENTS AND CAMPUSES BULLETIN (SCB): these days, everybody watches the news. News programs have turned into “entertainment programs, even running for more than an hour. they even have higher ad rates than other primetime shows — and you are on top of one of the country’s biggest news organizations. How do you feel about all that?

GING REYES (GR): Until the ‘80s, news never made money. It was a public service commitment of the station. but TV Patrol blazed the trail.

There was really no free media during the time of Marcos. I don’t remember a vigorous press in the early days. there was repression. so I guess the reason for better appreciation and higher viewership is the fact that after the EDSA Revolution of 1986, people were hungry for information, they wanted to hear stories about the excesses of the past regime. they wanted to be involved, they wanted to get the most out of their media. New publications emerged. ‘Yung mga underground naging mainstream na. In UP, we would even photocopy news reports from San Francisco Chronicle or San Jose News that tackled the abuses of the Marcos administration.

SCB: so you saw how the media industry opened up after EDSA, a lot of opportunities came for young people like you…

GR: we were so moved by what happened, hindi kami makapaniwala that Marcos left and that his grip on power was gone in an instant. I got to work for a radio show over Radyo Bandido, DZRJ. It wasn’t a real job, I did not get paid, but it was good training because I learned how to put a radio show together. the radio boss was Angelo Castro who told us we would produce a magazine show on air. Exciting!

By the time the Lopezes were returning home, mr. Castro was being asked to return to ABS-CBN. one day, he just told us that he was going to ABS-CBN because it was re-opening. Sinong gusto sumama sa akin? Sabi namin sige sama kami! we lined up at the Benpres building in Ortigas, we lined up together with the old ABS-CBN employees. we applied as production assistants, natanggap kami. and that’s how it began for me. I was production assistant for news.

SCB: and since then, you have not left the world of news, or ABS-CBN, for that matter?

GR: Yes. I became a news junkie. I was very curious. I did everything. I had an idea what a TV script looked like but it still came as a shock to us to see how the real world operated. At that time, ABS-CBN didn’t have much equipment and resources because it was just re-starting. It was very open at that time, I was learning a lot. I went out for shoots doing segments for some of the producers, I would buy newspapers, I would photocopy scripts alongside Mel Tiangco. but nobody asked me to make coffee! (laughs)

SCB: you are ABS-CBN homegrown talent who has seen things grow from the start…

GR: Yes, back when TV Patrol was not yet TV Patrol but was called Balita Ngayon. there was a morning newscast, primetime, and late night newscast. It was truly rewarding and enriching for me. I learned a lot from those days even without much of the technology that we have now.

I remember when Korina Sanchez, then a reporter, left her script in a manual typewriter. Nawala ang script! can you imagine that happening now? That your one-page of a script disappears from a typewriter?! (laughs) It’s funny because in those days, reporters had nothing but lakas ng loob and the willingness to try new things and the curiosity.

SCB: and what about the reporters of today?

GR: they have Facebook, Twitter, Google. everything is available on the Internet. Back in the day, people have to go to the library or get microfilm versions of newspapers, and clippings. they had to do a lot in the way of research, checking and double checking of their source.

Her style 

SCB: Coming after Maria Ressa as head of News and Current Affairs, you have big shoes to fill, so to speak. what changes are you instituting, and what policies of hers are you carrying on?

GR: I’m continuing the strict implementation of the Code of Ethics, of course. I’m continuing our citizen journalism campaign. I am pushing for a stronger social media presence. I am strengthening and even fast-tracking our multi-platform strategy and radio now is part of that process. To come up with a single news organization by integrating and synergizing is imperative and that’s on top of the strategic agenda for the entire organization.

Also high on my agenda is the development of future leaders because I want my stint to be productive in the sense that I have been able to identify the next head of news gathering, the next head of news and current affairs, the next head of ANC. we want to come up with a comprehensive developmental plan for our people. I know we have a lot of talents, we have a lot of journalists that could be tapped to use both talents in management position. Some of the journalists kasi become manager without preparation. Some are good journalists but bad managers, parang ganung ang nagiging observations we want to prepare them better for that kind of challenge.

I was homegrown, I rose from the ranks. so maybe there are others after me who can do the same. That is really something that I want to be part of my legacy dito sa organisasyon na ito.

SCB: are your reporters now more guided in their coverage because of the Code of Ethics?

GR: I guess it’s better now because they’re more aware of the guidelines. we now have the Code in place. Dati kasi wala. as far ABS-CBN is concerned, hindi ko naman nakitang may unethical na mga reports or reporters.

But in the early days, there were people who were not aware, for instance, about getting involved in a hostage nego-tiation. there was a time that media was seen not just as the watchdog, but the direct provider of help of people. may mga tao noon sa media na talagang akala nila tumutulong sila by preventing a hostage taker. Pero those were the old days. there was that classic video of this newsman asking an earthquake victim kung ano ang nararamdaman mo, who was pinned down by concrete!

SCB: Was this Code put in place after the hostage-taking at the Quirino Grandstand?

GR: Even before the hostage taking, there was already the Code of Ethics that was started by Maria Ressa. It was reviewed after the hostage taking incident and what was obvious at that time was the need to reinforce it.

SCB: does your Code include guidelines on your reporters’ use of social media networks?

GR: My plan for the news organization is to strengthen our current Code, and include social media guidelines to ad-dress issues and perceived excesses of some people in the use of social media like Facebook and Twitter. Akala ng mga tao they can post anything because it’s a personal expression. but hey, you’re a journalist, that’s the reason why you have followers. If you’re an ordinary person, sino ka ba, ba’t ka ipa-follow ng mga ‘yan. but if you’re a TV journalist, kilala ka ng mga tao, you have a responsibility to yourself, to the company that you represent to be prudent in what you post to the public.

I don’t know if the other networks here have adopted social media guidelines. but I do know since I came from the US, and I’m a long-standing member of Radio-Television News Directors Association and the Asia American Journal¬ists Association there. when they put out social media guidelines, I immediately sought to adopt it for our news bureau in the US and also, incidentally, here in the Philippines. It was very helpful when later on there are issues involving social media postings by some of our people.

SCB: but what about their right to their own opinion?

GR: they have to be objective. Alam naman natin as journalists that total objectivity is impossible already. we are what we write or what we report. Ang background natin, ang pinanggalingan natin, ang experiences natin that influence everything we do or say or report.

As journalists, it is incumbent upon us to at least be fair and balanced. and so if you post an opinion on something, ang hirap naman nun. Mag alias sila kung gusto nila, something that I will not catch! (laughs) It’s a written policy.

SCB: but at the end of your newscasts, there are portions where the newscasters banter and give opinions? How do you reconcile that?

GR: Ang sabi ko sa mga anchors, they can banter, give insights and enlighten¬ment for our viewers but I really do not want them to air their opinions there. I told them to guard against the perception that what you’re saying is your opinion. make sure that you attribute it to that Facebook person or that tweet.

SCB: Speaking of objectivity, your TV Patrol anchors came from politics. Noli de Castro was former Vice President, Korina Sanchez is the wife of Mar Roxas, and Ted Failon was a former congressman. How then do you make them project objectivity when people are aware of their political affiliations and biases?

GR: I keep telling them that there’s that perception, that it’s a reality that they are associated with, that they were into politics and the challenge is for them to gain the public’s trust that they are journalists. I tell them to remind the people that they were good journalists! Noli has been covering stories, Korina has been very consistent. Wala pa naman akong nakikita na nag-interview sila o gumawa sila ng istorya na nagpakita sila ng pagkampi or pagkiling sa kahit na anong cause or political party or personality.

That is really a tough challenge for me but I think kaya ito nangyari sa panahon ko siguro because kilala ko na sila. I knew they were once good journalists and they never stopped being one. Si Noli, ang sabi niya, kahit namandaw nung nasa gobyerno siya, ang puso niya ay bilang isang mamamahayag pa rin. ‘Yun nga lang ang challenge sa kanya because he really held a position of power unlike Ted who was a one-time congressman and when he left, he would never go back. Si Korina naman asawa ng kumandidato.

SCB: Do you believe that even news programs today have become a personality campaign, penetrated by the star system?

GR: It’s a complete package. In an ideal world, I can do the news, I can anchor that and it will rate or it will bring in viewers and advertisers. That’s the ideal world. but reality is much, much harsher. I can’t do the news now, in this culture, in this environment. People would tune out. Ang puhunan naman kasi ng mga anchors is their talent first, and then their X-factor, for lack of a better word. Makikita mo naman ‘yan sa karakter ng TV Patrol anchors or even sina Mel Tiangco and Mike Enriquez. Meron silang personality, they have command, presence. and I don’t need to remind people of what Marshall Mcluhan said: the medium is the message.

It’s part of the reality we have to accept na pipili ka ng personalidad na makakapag deliver ng mensahe mo in the most effective way. and to ABS-CBN, it’s these three for primetime and the other three (Karen Davila, Julius Babao and Ces Drilon) for late night. I believe that both sets are the best.

Innovating news

SCB: and now, the news also has to compete with a variety show!

GR: Reality nga eh. Ang laki ring factor ‘nun.

SCB: did this new challenge shake up TV Patrol?

GR: no. If you noticed, it’s the same TV Patrol. Nagbago ang aming anchors pero walang nabago sa content. Marami ngang nagsasabi na wala naming nagbago sa storya. Eh ano ang gagawin namin, we’re a news program. we cannot sacrifice hard news in favor of entertainment. the ratio of entertainment to the hard news that we produce is still the same as before, three entertainment news out of 20 plus hard news in the entire show. In “Bandila,’’ there’s hardly entertainment there, it’s mostly hard news and some good news.

SCB: as what you said, you are a news program and you can only do so much. so how do you innovate even if it seems like there’s nothing to innovate anymore?

GR: That’s the challenge. Our innovation in this company is to really make our journalists multi-platform, multi-task experts. It’s going to take a while I know but nagsimula ng konti si Maria (Ressa) last year. by multi-platfrom, we mean that they can do stories for Channel 2, for radio, for cable, which is ANC; for Studio 23, which is our UHF channel and for ABS-CBNnews.com, our website. and meron pa kaming global niyan kung gugustuhin namin, kung may live opportunity.

SCB: you are also facing tougher competition with the news channels of GMA-7 and TV5, which are on free TV.

GR: when the situation calls for it, we will have more breaking news slots on Channel 2. we will do the same, we will reinforce ANC, we will strengthen it more. It will remain a cable station, of course, it’s one of our premium channels on Sky Cable. and we will strengthen Studio 23, and TeleRadyo. we are integrating all our news operations to achieve our goal of reaching the widest audience.

SCB: the news today has also been subject to the desires and whims of advertisers and management, as well as to the pressures of ratings. How do you balance everything?

GR: you have to balance the need to keep your integrity. on the business side of it, siyempre you want your programs to make money but not at the expense of the content. we make sure we have editorial control and production control over our content, that is non-negotiable, and we’ll talk to whoever wants to advertise in our programs. normally, we really don’t deal with advertisers, we have a sales department to do that for us. Fortunately, they are all aligned with us, alam nila kung hanggang saan lang ang puwede.

Home again

SCB: did you readily accept the position as head of the ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs when it was offered to you?

GR: Not readily. I didn’t want to come back here. I thought I was too old for this.

SCB: For the position?

GR: no, for the stress.

SCB: How long did you work in the US?

GR: a total of eight years. I pioneered that bureau, I built it from the ground up. there was no template, there was no one who mentored me. and I am quite proud of what I built. TFC (The Filipino Channel) in the United States is big. It’s just that the stress and the work load are more manageable.

SCB: so what made you decide to accept it?

GR: I accepted it because kinulit na talaga nila ako (laughs)! seriously, I thought that I was in my comfort zone there and yes, I was having fun also. I loved the environment, I loved my commute, my life.

But on the other hand, when this came up, I thought to myself, what if I said no and then I’d regret it. I didn’t want to think that I was being a coward or I was being too lazy or I was losing my edge. It was really a personal decision. what drove me? Ultimately besides the challenge and the idea that I couldn’t back away from that kind of challenge was that sense of mission. Sabi ko nga, siguro it’s not such a bad idea but it’ll be hard and I knew going in it would be really hard, it would be tough. the landscape in the country has changed as far as media is concerned. and ‘yun na nga, may bagopa tayong administrasyon na a lot of hope is hinged on.

SCB: what do you miss most about working in the US before?

GR: I miss the journalism part of my job, the reporting, the covering, it gives you a different high. My last assignment was the visit of President Aquino in New York. you know, you get reminded once in a while that I could’ve done better, I could’ve done the story by myself and I would’ve done it this way. I miss the clean air, I miss the Bay Area, I miss San Francisco because it’s a beautiful place. but I guess ganun talaga, there are tradeoffs.

SCB: so far, so good?

GR: (Chuckles) so far, so stressful. Siguro sasabihin ng iba it’s a dream job but there’s a price that goes with it.

Excellence is non-negotiable

SCB: we heard thru the grapevine about your legendary temper…

GR: Ay! (laughs) Paano n’yo nalaman ‘yang temper na ‘yan? I was one of the most terror producers. I produced the World Tonight for the longest time and then later on, I became director for news. Naging under ko ‘yang Patrol eh. Everyday talaga may bulyawan na nangyayari at talagang may umiiyak! (laughs)

But you know, America has mellowed me, softened me actually. I guess I had to be patient there because when I started to set-up the bureau, I had no one and wala rin akong mapapagbuntungan ng temper ko because there was no one there! (laughs)

SCB: ‘Yung cameraman mo?

GR: Oo, paminsan minsan nadadale siya (laughs)! I don’t know, some people say I helped produce some great talents here also.

SCB: we heard that too!

GR: Di ba, may nagsasabi naman (laughs). Pero I think kasi, siguro because of the job as a producer, your goal is to always achieve perfection. and when it doesn’t happen, nagwawala ka, nagagalit ka.

SCB: are you a Type a personality?

GR: oh yeah, super alpha. Ayaw mong hindi nasusunod ang plano mo and you want everybody to be in the same page, to be in the same pursuit of excellence as you are. and that is why to me, developing and promoting a culture of excellence, something Maria always uttered, was never foreign to me. I was among those who really pushed our people hard to be good at what they do — to come up with good reports, to come up with glitch-free show. I will not buy an explana¬tion that, “hindi ko nagawa kasi…” no, that’s unacceptable.

At the end of the day if you’re a reporter and I ask you to do something and I know that that was beautiful, you cannot go back to the office, empty-handed. That is basically my principle at that time. Hindi ‘yan imposibleng gawan, walang imposible.

SCB: (Laughs) so you do not shout anymore?

GR: Paminsan-minsan na lang. Mahirap naman sabihin na hindi na kasi that won’t be me, it won’t be fun na, bor-ing na ‘yun, mabobore na sila sa akin. Sabi ko nga sa kanila sa mga una naming meetings, one thing I can assure you, you won’t be bored with me (laughs).

SCB: How do you relax?

GR: Ay grabe, I’m such a home body. I can just vegetate like on weekends, siyempre after five days na ngarag ka, Saturdays I just sleep-in, hindi ako babangon agad.

SCB: unless there is big news on the weekend…

GR: Sana ‘wag naman weekend may mangyayari.

SCB: what has been your most unforgettable coverage?

GR: Hillary Clinton. weird ‘yun, but positive weird. I was just there in that hotel in Washington DC, interviewing, and all the media people, Malacañang press corps included, were out. we were told that the meeting of Gloria Arroyo with Hillary Clinton wouldn’t push through and that the President was on her way to New York.

But I just had to do a one last interview with a Philippine official to find out if there were any discussions on the issue of the veterans. so I talked to him and at that time, President Cory just passed away. so I asked him how he felt about Cory’s passing and it turned out that he used to be a former PSG of Cory. then Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera approached us. Sabi niya: “Puwede bang magtanong? Kumpirmado ba talaga na patay na si Cory?” “Naku, oo ma’am. Sige, I’ll interview you na rin.” Ganun na ang takbo ng kuwento, wala na sa Presidential visit. It was all about Cory na.

Pero bigla kong nakita, isang naka orange na pantsuit na blonde ang buhok and there were about three men in dark suits, obviously secret service. It was Hillary Clinton! Sabi ko, “Ay, takbo habulin natin si Hillary! Sorry ma’am I have to go.” Hindi ko na talaga nabalikan si Sec. Devanadera, nagsasalita pa siya and all!

It’s funny that for some reason, the Secret Service allowed me to approach Hillary. Sabi ko: “hi Madam Secretary I’m a reporter from the Philippines.” “oh hello.” ‘Yung mukha niya obvious na ayaw ako kausapin. “I would just like to ask you, our former President Cory Aquino just passed away and…” “oh really?” Gumanun na siya. “I’m sorry.” Tapos ayun tuloy-tuloy na siya na istorya.

SCB: That was a scoop!

GR: It was being at the right place at the right time.

And then there is a continuation to that story, a part 2. Hillary went to UST and Maria Ressa and Ricky Carandang interviewed her. I happened to be here at that time. so, after the interview, I shook her hand and told her: “Do you remember me? I ambushed you in Washington.” “I know! Yes!” sabi niyang ganyan. and then she told Maria “you know she was that reporter who told me about Cory Aquino’s passing.”

Part 3 was when I covered PNoy in New York, nagkita sila ni Hillary. I asked: “so how was you meeting with Hillary Clinton?’’ “Uy, oo, una nga nagpasalamat ako sa kanya. by the way you were the one who told her about my mom’s passing.” Nabanggit daw ni Hillary s kanya that was this journalist who just talked to me and told me about it…blah blah blah.” so nakakatawa tumakbo pa ang istorya (laughs).

Home again

SCB: when you were just a production assistant (PA), did you ever think that someday, you would reach the top right in the same organization?

GR: no. no. no. I never thought…I was just excited to work. Kaya lang I wasn’t very confident with my looks, I was too young and tomboyish. It was never even my ambition to be an SVP of this organization. I’m not about titles.

SCB: so what makes you happy?

GR: I don’t know, some sense of fulfillment in doing the right thing. maybe being once in a while praised for a job well done, ganun lang naman. and of course my kids. I have two kids and I’m a single parent. My son is in the US and my daughter is here. they are my ultimate happiness, I live for them.

SCB: What’s good about being home?

GR: Siyempre, I’m with my daughter and I know that in my own way, I am helping in our mission to serve the public here. Hindi mawawala ‘yung sense of mission if you work with ABS-CBN. you see the immediate impact of what you do and that feels good. and it’s familiar, it’s home, maganda pa rin naman ang bansa natin diba? There’s still a lot to discover and it feels good that I am rediscovering my roots. I’m discovering new things within and outside the company

I remember when I first met with the group, with the people in the news room, I told them that I’m one of you. I rose from the ranks and it’s good to be back. and I hope this organization would be more cohesive, more creative, and more inspired. I don’t know if I can provide that inspiration but I hope that even for what I stand, even for that, I hope it provides some incentive or some kind of aspirational value to those who toil and work hard behind the scenes. there are many of them who are good and have good ideas na hindi lang napapansin sa ngayon. I’m sure that a lot of them will grow in the job and develop and learn more and eventually breakout of their shells and bloom.

AttachmentSize Ging Reyes, ABS-CBN's new head of News and Current Affairs, plans to take the company to new heights by expanding its programs and strengthening its online presence. Photo by Pinggot Zulueta30.45 KB

if you’re trying to impress friends with a fine appreciation for alcohol (and let’s be honest, wine tasting and even whiskey tasting is a tad bourgeousie now) Haiku ifc is offering round three of their interesting Sake Sensei 101 dinners on Monday, March 21 at 7pm. for 300RMB, you’ll be introduced to 4 different sakes –the brewing process, what junmai and ginjo mean, the proper temperature it should be served at and so on. The esoteric spirit will be paired with a 7-course dinner of dishes not found on their regular menu and keep in mind there is limited seating, so your RSVP is required. for that, please contact Sarah Mayra 13122278752 or email . for more cool events, take a look at our calendar. if you have an event you’d like to submit, please send us an email at .

Written by Jeremiah Hisel Monday, 07 March 2011 06:00

Thursday was my day to really explore the show floor, and check out all the awesome booths, and I had a few meetings also.

1. Press Room. I spent a bunch of time in the press room writing articles for the site. I’ll give you a little run down of the press room. It’s medium sized room filled with a few couches, tables and chairs, and a row of desks set up with PCs. there are LAN line phones because you can’t get a cell signal inside the room, and there’s a press only wifi connection. in the morning they wheel out some coffee, tea, and muffins, and in the afternoon they bring out more coffee and some cookies.

2. Show Floor. Most of my day was spent on the show floor going from booth to booth, checking out the new technologies, games, and companies. look for my article on the expo booths coming soon. I also went to the IGF pavilion to look over the new Indies in the show. then to the career pavilion to look over what companies are hiring and what they’re looking for.

3. Spoon booth. I had a meeting with someone from Spoon, a cloud gaming system, to look over their system, and ask as many questions as I could about what they plan to bring to gamers. look for a write up on Spoon coming soon.

4. CD Projeckt RED. Last meeting of the day. The meeting was about The Witcher 2, and to get some hands on time with the game. I can’t say much because of the embargo so look for my preview soon.

That was it for Thursday, only one day left of GDC.

Last Updated on Sunday, 06 March 2011 19:23  

[UPDATE: 5:59 PM ET: the evacuation zone around the power plant has been increased to 10 km, or 6.2 mi.]

[UPDATE: 5:46 PM EST: Japanese authorities announced that radiation inside the stricken Fukushima power plant control room has risen to 1,000 times its normal level. some has leaked outside of the plant, prompting calls for further evacuations beyond the 3,000 people who have been cleared out already in a 1.8-mi. radius. Additionally, the planned release of radioactive steam to bleed off pressure has been delayed due to a failure in the electrical systems required to execute the venting.]

There is no country in the world that’s better than Japan at designing  nuclear power plants to be earthquake-resistant. It’s thus a measure of how serious  yesterday’s quake was that several of the country’s nuke facilities are in such precarious shape today.

The hardest hit, of course, is the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Onahama City, 170 miles northeast of Tokyo. All six of the plant’s functioning reactors have been shut down—though some reports suggest that three of them were already inactive as they underwent routine inspections. the three that were operating are the ones that have been causing the worry. For one thing, there is insufficient coolant to keep the reactors at a safe temperature. But, as my colleague Eben Harrell reported earlier, even if there were enough on hand, a lack of electricity and a breakdown in a diesel pumping system is limiting the ability to circulate the coolant where it’s needed.

For much of the day, pressure in the plant had been reported to have risen to 1.5 times its normal level, prompting officials to evacuate residents in a 1.2 to 1.8- mi. radius.“We launched the measure so we can be fully prepared for the worst scenario,” Chief cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told the press.  “We are using all our might to deal with the situation.”

An evacuation zone that size is bad, but not awful. in the case of Chernobyl—history’s worst nuke plant nightmare—residents living as far as 18 miles away were ordered to pack up.

“I think this sounds like a low-level alert,” said nuclear scientist Ron Chesser, director of Texas Tech University’s Center of Environmental Radiation Studies. Chesser knows a thing or two about crises like this: he was the first American scientist allowed inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone in 1992.

But Chesser spoke before Fukushima officials made their next announcement at about 1 PM ET,  acknowledging that they had had to release a small amount of what’s being referred to as “slightly” radioactive vapor to keep pressure at safe levels. the country’s nuclear safety agency insists that the vapor will have no ill effect on the health of either people or the environment, which may indeed be true. Chernobyl taught officials the importance of candor in such matters and in any event, simply taking radiation readings of the Fukushima surroundings will confirm if the authorities are telling the truth. the greater problem—an unknown unknown—will occur if the pressure cannot be brought under control and more steam needs to be bled off.

The U.S. is pitching in, shipping more coolant to the stricken plant. But if the pumps can’t get up and running it will do little good. Chesser, who  toured one other, smaller, Japanese plant before the quake, is still sanguine. “I was very much impressed with the amount of attention to safety, especially regarding potential earthquakes,” he said. But he does concede to being “a little it surprised” that the Fukushima plant is nonetheless in such trouble. One thing that weighs in the plant’s favor: unlike the Chernobyl reactors, those in Fukushima are covered iwith containment vessels, which should help minimize any potential damage.

While Fukishima gets all the attention, at least three other nuclear plants have been shut down in what the government is calling an atomic power state of emergency.the International Atomic Energy Agency reports that a fire broke out at the Onagawa plant, but that it was quickly extinguished. four million people in the Tokyo area alone are now without power, though that may be the least of the nuclear power grid’s problems—and will be until the Fukushima plant is brought under control.

“Any time you have a nuclear facility that size that is not meeting its requirements for cooling,” says Chesser, “you have a real emergency on your hands.”

Fifty firefighters are battling a small wildfire this morning near the Button Rock Reservoir outside Lyons, according to Boulder County officials.

The fire north of the reservoir near Longmont Dam Road is 1.2 acres in size and has not yet been contained, sheriff’s Cmdr. Rick Brough said at a news briefing. The fire has “low potential to spread” and is burning within an area in the form of a bowl surrounded by rock outcroppings, according to emergency management officials.

The blaze, which is burning on U.S. Forest Service and city of Longmont land, began around 4:45 a.m. Earlier in the week, the city of Longmont burned about 50 slash piles in the area.

The city had a Forest Service permit to do so and stopped on Tuesday when they learned warm and windy weather was in the forecast, said Longmont police Cmdr. Jeff Satur. since that time, city firefighters extinguished the piles and have monitored the area 24 hours a day, Satur said.There are eight to 10 homes located near the fire, but no structures are immediately threatened, officials said. One home has been evacuated as a precaution, Brough said.Roads are closed at North St. Vrain Drive and Longmont Dam Road.

Winds may be complicating firefighting efforts this morning. in Boulder, gusts have been recorded as high as 65 mph.

The National Weather Service has also issued a Red Flag Warning today for the Boulder County area.

“Gusty winds and dry fuels will produce very high fire danger over northeast Colorado through today,” the warning says.

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