Airbnb bans 'party houses' after deadly US shooting

NEW YORK - Airbnb's boss announced Saturday that the online platform, which offers private homes for rent for short periods, is banning "party houses" after a deadly shooting at a Halloween event in California.

Five people were killed and others wounded in a Thursday night shooting in Orinda, California, in a house that had been rented on Airbnb.

More than 100 people were present at the event, which was announced on social media.

"Starting today, we are banning 'party houses' and we are redoubling our efforts to combat unauthorized parties and get rid of abusive host and guest conduct, including conduct that leads to the terrible events we saw in Orinda," Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said on Twitter.

To do this, Airbnb will increase "manual screening of high-risk reservations flagged by our risk detection technology," create a "dedicated 'party house' rapid response team," and take "immediate action" against those who violate guest policies, Chesky wrote.

"We must do better, and we will," he said. "This is unacceptable."

Michael Wang, the owner of the home where the shooting took place, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he rented his house to a woman who said she was organizing a family reunion for a dozen people.

The sheriff's department said they were responding to a noise complaint at the house around the time the shooting was reported.

Three people died at the scene, while two more passed away after being hospitalized, police said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Try this: Trick-or-treating from the back of a car

A community in the United States found a unique way to get the kids together to trick-or-treat on Halloween without walking for miles.

Instead of going house to house, families and their children walk through a parking lot with more than 70 decorated cars to collect candies in the event dubbed “Trunk or Treat.”

Families set up their Halloween decorations from the back of their cars and trucks at the parking lot of the Curtis Lake Church in Sanford, Maine.

“In our community, Halloween is a big night for a lot of families. They go out and trick or treat and get their candy. However, sometimes it’s dark and people have to travel a lot so about 10 years ago, we said what if we brought all of our Halloween decorations into our parking lot. Our event allows families from all over our community to come and join,” said Ryan Howell, lead pastor of Curtis Lake Church.

This year’s “Trunk or Treat” theme is “Blast from the Past,” where participants were encouraged to create kid-friendly and exciting trunks with different themes through the decades.

“Our church members donate the candies. It’s like raising money, people bring in candy for about a month and a half before the event and we raise about 150,000 pieces of candy,” added Ryan.

Curtis Lake’s Trunk or Treat, which celebrated its 11th year, is free and open to the public.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Birthday blues for bitcoin as investors face year-on-year loss

LONDON - Bitcoin was heading towards a year-on-year loss on Wednesday, its 10th birthday, the first loss since last year's bull market, when the original and biggest digital coin muscled its way to worldwide attention with months of frenzied buying.

By 1300 GMT, bitcoin was trading at $6,263 on the BitStamp exchange, leaving investors who had bought it on Halloween 2017 facing yearly losses of nearly 3 percent.

A year ago, bitcoin closed at $6,443.22 as it tore towards a record high of near $20,000, hit in December.

That run, fueled by frenzied buying by retail investors from South Korea to the United States, pushed bitcoin to calendar-year gains of over 1,300 percent.

Ten years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto, bitcoin's still-unidentified founder, released a white paper detailing the need for an online currency that could be used for payments without the involvement of a third party, such as a bank.

Traders and market participants said the Halloween milestone was inevitable, given losses of around 70 percent from bitcoin's peak and the continuing but incomplete shift towards investment by mainstream financial firms.

"The value mechanisms of crypto and bitcoin today are based more on underlying tech than hype and FOMO (fear of missing out)," said Josh Bramley, head trader at crypto wealth management firm Blockstars.

Growing use of blockchain - the distributed ledger technology that underpins bitcoin - is now powering valuations of the digital currency, he said, cautioning that some expectations for widespread use have not yet materialized.

Others said improvements to infrastructure such as custody services may allow mainstream investors who are wary of buying bitcoin to take positions.

"We see behind closed doors financial and non-financial institutions beavering away to create the infrastructure," said Ben Sebley, head of brokerage at NKB Group, a blockchain advisory and investment firm.

Bitcoin has endured year-on-year losses before, according to data from CryptoCompare, most recently in 2015-15.

Retail investors still account for a strong proportion of trading, market players said.

Investors who bet early on bitcoin and have stuck with it have faced a roller-coaster ride in its first decade. Many told Reuters they are optimistic that they are still onto a winner.

(Reporting by Tom Wilson)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

'Halloween' slashes franchise record with $77.5-M launch

LOS ANGELES -- "Halloween" made a killing in North America, earning $77.5 million when the slasher film launched in 3,928 locations.

David Gordon Green's "Halloween," a direct sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 classic, obliterated the franchise record opening of $26 million, previously held by the 2007 Rob Zombie reboot. 

"Halloween" also notched the second-best start for an R-rated horror film following the $123-million launch of "It." It also landed the second-highest debut for an October release, set earlier this month by "Venom" with $80 million.

Overseas, "Halloween" generated $14.3 million from 23 markets for a global start of $91.8 million. "Halloween" cost just $10 million, marking another win for Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions, who co-financed the film with Miramax. "Halloween" surpassed "Paranormal Activity 3" ($52.5 million) for the best debut to date for Blumhouse.

"I am enormously proud of this film," Jason Blum said in a statement. "'Halloween' brings the franchise back to life in a fresh, relevant and fun way that is winning over fans and critics alike." 

Universal's "Halloween" is the 11th installment in the series, five of which have starred Jamie Lee Curtis as iconic avenging babysitter Laurie Strode, who is now a grandmother in the newest take. 

"Halloween" is now Curtis' biggest opening to date, as well as the best horror opening with a female lead. It's also the biggest launch ever with a female lead over 55 years old.

Carpenter returned to executive produce and compose the score for the R-rated thriller. The follow-up has garnered some of the best reviews for a series entry yet. While the last few iterations have been panned, "Halloween" holds a 80 percent average on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ CinemaScore.

Meanwhile, Fox expanded YA drama "The Hate U Give" to 2,303 screens. It picked up a solid $7.5 million, taking its total earnings to $10.5 million.

October's box-office receipts continue to impress as "Venom" and "A Star Is Born" deliver healthy numbers in their third outings. After "Venom's" two-week reign atop domestic box office charts, Sunday estimates show Sony's superhero movie led by Tom Hardy was narrowly defeated by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "A Star Is Born" for second place. "A Star Is Born" pocketed another $19.3 million, while "Venom" follows close behind with $18.1 million for solid domestic totals of $126 million and $171 million, respectively.

"Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween" also cashed in on the spooky spirit, picking up $9.7 million to land in fourth place. That brings its North American tally to $28 million. 

Rounding out the top five is Universal's "First Man," which notched $8.5 million this weekend for a total of $30 million. Damien Chazelle's space epic, which holds a $60-million price tag, dropped roughly 46 percent in its second frame.

At the specialty box office, Jonah Hill's directorial debut, "Mid90s" secured the best screen average this weekend with a massive $62,375 from four theaters, a total of $249,000. A24's coming-of-age skateboarding drama expands nationwide next weekend.

Elsewhere, Fox Searchlight's "Can You Ever Forgive Me?," starring Melissa McCarthy, generated $150,000 when it opened in five locations, averaging a huge $30,000 per screen.

Another surprisingly strong showing puts October 54.5 percent ahead of the same frame last year, as well as 12 percent ahead of 2014's record month, according to comScore. The 2018 box office remains up 10.6 percent compared to the previous year.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Exuberant and defiant, New Yorkers flock to Halloween parade despite attack

NEW YORK - Thousands of merry-makers, many dressed in elaborate Halloween costumes, paraded through lower Manhattan on Tuesday, undeterred by the attack that unfolded just hours earlier when a driver mowed down dozens of people on a bike path a few blocks away.

   
Revelers who joined the 44th annual Village Halloween Parade said they were painfully aware that eight people were killed in what authorities say was an act of terrorism but carried on with the festivities to show fortitude and solidarity with the victims.

"You gotta live your life, you can’t let things like this discourage you,” said 60-year old Michael Spain along the route. “As sobering as they are, you still gotta come out and enjoy stuff like this - or they win."

Thousands of people in costumes took part in the annual celebration along Greenwich Village's Sixth Avenue, typically one of the nation's largest Halloween parades. Hundreds of uniformed police officers maintained a steady presence throughout the mile-long route.

"Out of an abundance of caution, you will see an increase of NYPD personnel throughout NYC, including the Halloween Parade," the New York City Police Department said on Twitter.

Among the participants were a Rio de Janeiro-style group with the drums, witches and ghosts, and a massive Día de los Muertos group with 12-foot-tall skeletons.

"Tonight we're at a Halloween parade to say, you didn't win and you didn't affect us, and we're out and we're celebrating and we're doing what New Yorkers do and we're living our lives because we're not going to allow the terrorists to win. Period," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN.

"And that's why I'm here marching in the parade, not because I have a great costume." said Cuomo, who was dressed in a suit and tie.

Jorge Arias, the owner of a wine shop and an adjacent bar near King Street, said that the crowd was slightly smaller than in past years but not by much.

“By 5 o’clock the street was a bit empty and last year it was already full,” Arias, 42, said in Spanish. "But now the crowds are more normal compared to last year. Maybe a little less, but almost the same.”

source: news.abs-cbn.com

'Jigsaw' pieces together chart-topping opening weekend

LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood may be suffering through a spiritless patch but Halloween films can still lend a needed jolt, as Lionsgate horror film "Jigsaw" and a clutch of other scary films showed by boosting an otherwise flimsy weekend box office.

"Jigsaw," the eighth chapter in the "Saw" franchise, took $16.6 million over the three-day weekend, according to industry website Exhibitor Relations. It beat the same studio's "Boo 2! A Madea Halloween," with $10.1 million.

After that, no film in the top 10 made as much as $6 million, with audiences distracted by baseball's World Series and the return of hugely popular Netflix series "Stranger Things."

Even "Jigsaw," the first "Saw" sequel in seven years, fell some $4 million below expectations in its opening weekend, Variety magazine reported, although its paltry $10-million production budget will ensure it makes a profit.

The latest installment has police investigating a string of horrific murders committed in the style of the supposedly long-dead killer Jigsaw.

Comedy horror sequel "Boo 2" strikes a somewhat lighter tone, with Tyler Perry (who also wrote, directed and produced) and his gang heading to a haunted campground, where -- no surprise -- monsters lurk.

"Geostorm," a new release from Warner Bros., took third place, earning $5.9 million. The sci-fi disaster thriller follows Gerard Butler as an engineer tasked with saving the world from an apocalyptic storm caused by climate-controlling satellites run amok.

"Happy Death Day," another comedy horror flick, took in $5.1 million. The Universal film stars Jessica Rothe as a college student who repeatedly relives the day she was murdered until she discovers who killed her.

In fifth place was sci-fi reboot "Blade Runner: 2049," taking $4.1 million. The film features Ryan Gosling as a Los Angeles Police Department "blade runner" charged with killing bioengineered androids who are becoming too much like humans. He goes on a search for Harrison Ford's character -- the original blade runner -- who had disappeared years earlier.

With ticket sales in October some 5% below the same month last year, Hollywood is eagerly awaiting next week's domestic premiere of Marvel and Disney's "Thor: Ragnarok." It took in an impressive $108 million in its international opening.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"Thank You for Your Service" ($3.8 million)
"Only the Brave" ($3.5 million)
"The Foreigner" ($3.4 million)
"Suburbicon" ($2.8 million)
"It" ($2.5 million)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Haunted campus series: UST’s horror spots

Given the grim history of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) as a war internment camp, it's no wonder that the 400-year-old university has been the home of some of the spookiest stories and urban legends.

Here are some stories that will keep you up at night. You've been warned: do not read this alone. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US election poses real fear for Halloween revelers

NEW YORK CITY- New Yorkers paraded with their creepy costumes to celebrate Halloween. But for some revelers, what truly scares them is what can happen come November 8.

The annual Greenwich Village Halloween parade in New York City only gets bigger and better each year.

"This Halloween parade is amazing. My second year in a row, it’s one of a kind," said Wendell Gaa.

Marchers went all out, spending money and time to create home-made costumes all in the spirit of Halloween fun.

Costumes range from movie and TV monsters to pop culture characters. Even presidential candidates were among the favorites.

But for them, what's scarier than Halloween is the upcoming presidential elections.

"What’s scarier? Elections. Because, you’re dealing with politics, and I think they are the real monsters," said one reveler dressed as Samhain.

Aaron Brinkley added: "Definitely the election. At least in Halloween, you meet good people, you have a future, with the election ugh."

When it comes down to their president of choice, some are still weighing their options a few days before the elections.

"It's like a 50/50 at this point. I might give the edge to Hillary (Clinton) a little bit, but either one is bad, it's pretty bad," said Yoko Higuchi.

Meanwhile, Filipino migrant workers gathered on Halloween feel the same way about the coming elections.

"Kami pong mga Pilipino dito sa Amerika ay lubha pong nag-aalala kung ang iboboto dito sa Amerika ay si Mr. (Donald) Trump. Kasi po, si Mr. Trump is not shying away with what he wants to do with undocumented immigrants so that’s really very scary, actually scarier than Halloween," said Linda Oalican of the Damayan Migrant Workers Association.

For Polly Calpito, he wants Clinton to win the elections.

"Dahil palagay ko mas malapit siya sa Pilipino. Pangalawa, nakapag-visit na siya sa bansa natin so alam niya, nakita niya ang kabuhayan ng nakararami doon."

While some voters feel that this could be the scariest choice they will have to make on November 8th, many are still hopeful because they say they will have to determine their own future, for the most part, regardless of who is sitting in the Oval Office.

Read more on Balitang America:

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US creepy clown craze puts damper on Halloween

MIAMI - Maybe it's better to leave the clown costume in the closet this Halloween.

Hysteria sweeping the United States after a series of "creepy clown" sightings in recent weeks has created an unwelcome scare this October 31 when Americans will celebrate all things ghoulish, sinister and fantastical.

The Halloween holiday sees millions of American children don costumes and go house-to-house trick-or-treating in neighborhoods across the country.

But cities and law enforcement are discouraging or even banning clown costumes this year after sightings of sinister clowns, some armed with knives.

Authorities fear the bizarre trend could provoke a nasty backlash when children turn out Monday night.

The unusual sightings began in August with reports of people in South Carolina dressed as clowns trying to lure children into the woods.

The appearances soon spread with more than 20 states now having reported clown incidents, and although most were pranks in bad taste or unverified threats, some arrests have been made, including for attacks.

The craze has even spread beyond the United States to Europe, South America and Australia.

The hysteria has had surprising repercussions for many, such as Armando Santana, a 22-year-old actor who performs as a scary clown in a popular Miami horror house.

He says he would no longer dream of leaving his job without ditching the costume.

"It means that by the end of the night I have to wash my face. I can't drive my car with this on, just in case I get stopped," he said, emitting a classic menacing chuckle.

Even a building in Miami Beach warned its residents ahead of the Halloween door-knocking: "You must be extra careful with anyone wearing clown masks."

Burger chain McDonald's, meanwhile, has scaled back public appearances of its famous smiley-faced clown mascot Ronald McDonald, citing "the current climate around clown sightings."

And discount retail chain Target halted the sale of clown masks because of "the current environment," said spokesman Joshua Thomas.

No laughing matter

While some observers have made light of the sightings, police and other authorities are taking the craze seriously.

"Did you know that you could be arrested for wearing a clown mask with the intent to disturb the peace?" warned the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office on Twitter this month.

The Miami police released a video that shows a boy, fleeing a shadowy clown in the dark, being run over by a car. "These pranks can have serious or even tragic ends," it concludes.

Miami police spokeswoman Yelitza Cedano Hernandez told AFP that, while it is not prohibited to dress like a clown, "if this prank leaves someone injured, the prankster is going to be arrested and the victim's family can take the person to court."

In Kemper County, Mississippi, clown gear has been expressly banned until after Halloween, and authorities will slap a $150 fine on any violators.

Meanwhile a number of US school districts -- particularly in New Jersey, Connecticut and Colorado -- have banned clown costumes in Halloween parades.

The same action was taken by the city of Belmont, North Carolina, for its Belmont Boo Festival last week: No adult clown costumes allowed.

The bright side

"People dressed as horror clowns are not 'real clowns,'" said Randy Christensen, president of the World Clown Association.

"They are taking something innocent and wholesome and perverting it to create fear in their audience," he said in a statement.

But some benefit when there's a buzz.

Staff at the Halloween Megastore in Miami said that clown masks, along with superheroes from the film "Suicide Squad" and the US presidential candidates, are hot sellers this season.

And Nelson Albareda, producer of the House of Horror Haunted Carnival in Miami, which has an entire section dedicated to sinister clowns, welcomes the phenomenon.

"I've been in the Halloween industry for 16 years and a lot of people have a phobia on clowns, so this is nothing new to us," he told AFP, while walking the haunted house's dusty passageways.

"Now there's a lot of hoopla about clowns, even on social media. It's actually better for us."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Trump, Clinton costumes dominate US drag queen race

WASHINGTON - From Clinton masks to Trump wigs, election-year gags dominated the annual High Heel Race in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, when hundreds of drag queens paraded through the streets of the nation's capital.

Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community showed off elaborate costumes in a two-hour parade and a foot race that had a distinctly political theme, with references to presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

"Darlene DePlorable," wearing a shirt bearing the US flag, borrowed Trump's campaign catchphrase and Clinton's remark, which the candidate later regretted, that half of her Republican rival's supporters belonged in a "basket of deplorables."

"I'm part of a basket of deplorables and we're all voting for Donald Trump because we want to make America great again," she told Reuters Television.

Another drag queen wore a smiling Clinton mask topped with a crown, as she shook hands with onlookers in the Dupont Circle neighbourhood in northwest Washington.

"The high-heel drag race is obviously an LGBT event, but there's so many straight allies that come out and support the LGBT community in the audience," said "Helen Heels", who wore a white dress inside an oversized Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket.

"Helen North" dressed up as Star Trek's Janice Rand, one of Captain Kirk's love interests in the 1960s science fiction television series, and poked fun at Trump's proposed wall between the United States and Mexico to block undocumented immigrants.

"We're going to build a deflector shield around the earth and make the Klingons pay for it," she said.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll released last Friday gives Clinton a nearly five percent lead over Trump among potential voters.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Balikan: Nakakikilabot na mga kwento ng 'Magandang Gabi Bayan'

Kaluluwang Ligaw. White Lady. Engkanto. Aswang.

Ilan lamang 'yan sa mga kwentong madalas nating ini-uugnay
sa araw ng undas.

Karamihan rin sa mga kwentong ito ay una nating napanood sa ABS-CBN News magazine program na "Magandang Gabi Bayan."

At ngayong paparating na naman ang Undas, balikan natin ang ilan sa mga kwento ng katatakutan at kababalaghan na hanggang ngayon ay nagdudulot pa rin sa atin ng takot.

Babala: Huwag manood nang mag-isa

Mobile users can view the desktop version of the slideshow here.

1. Demonyo sa Sementeryo

Alamin kung bakit may rebulto ng isang demonyo sa loob ng sementeryo sa Malabon.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

New horizon for horror as 'Paranormal Activity' gives up the ghost

For six years, horror fans have wondered what the supernatural entity is scaring the "Paranormal Activity" movie franchise, but as they get their answer with the final film, ghosts could be cast aside for horrors rooted in reality.

"Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension," which opened last weekend just in time to entice the Halloween revelers, concludes the tale that began in 2009 with Katie and Micah, a couple who are stalked at home by a supernatural entity.

"Paranormal Activity," a found-footage, or pseudo documentary style, horror made for around $15,000 and acquired by Paramount Pictures, revolutionized the horror movie genre after grossing $193 million worldwide.

Katie's possession by a demon named 'Toby' led to four more films and a spin-off, and brought a slew of ghost-centric micro-budget movies, replacing the gory fare that dominated horror in the 2000s, such as "Saw" and Eli Roth's "Hostel."

"Horror has been more supernatural than bloody, and I think that had a lot to do with the 'Paranormal Activity,'" franchise producer Jason Blum told Reuters in an interview.

But as "Paranormal Activity" wraps up with "Ghost Dimension," Blum believes horror may be taking a more psychological and human turn.

The producer suggested that his 2013 movie "The Purge," about a society in which all crime is legal for 12 hours, may usher in an era of psychological horror that humans can inflict on each other.

"The Purge" will see a third installment next year, while this summer's "The Gift" and "The Visit," all produced by Blum, served up real life fright.

Horror has not quite given up the ghost yet, and neither has Blum whose production company Blumhouse Productions leads the way in making horror movies on tiny budgets that turn big profits and use new distribution models. Since 2009's "Paranormal Activity," Blum has produced more than 30 films in the horror genre.

Blum's found-footage horror "The Gallows" made for $100,000 has grossed $23 million in North America since July. The producer has numerous projects leading into next year that find scares in the supernatural, such as "Ouija 2" and "Amityville: The Awakening."

"There's an appetite for more scary movies every year," Blum said. "There's a real market for hardcore fans - not millions but hundreds of thousands - and there's new distribution avenues to get to them."

Paramount will release "Ghost Dimension" on-demand just 17 days after its release in movie theaters rather than the usual 3-6 months.

Studios are flocking to work with Blum, as are veteran directors experimenting with the micro-budget format.

"He's succeeded so many times, (the studios) feel like he's seeing things the audience will enjoy that they're not seeing," said M. Night Shyamalan, whose summer release "The Visit" was made for $5 million and topped $63 million at the box office.

Roth's cannibal horror "The Green Inferno" capitalizes on the appetite for human-inflicted horror, but the director said he had to partner with Blum to get the film on US screens.

"I have a nose for doing something that's different, and that's exactly what scares distributors," Roth said. The film has grossed $7 million since its September release.

And then there is "Creep," a stranger-danger horror by Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice made for under $1 million and released with Blum's help exclusively to Apple Inc's iTunes in July and Netflix three weeks later.

"It opens up a whole new audience for me of people who might not have known who I was," said actor-filmmaker Duplass. "For guys like me and Jason Blum, it's the game of trying to figure out ways of how to get our audiences."

(This version of the story corrects name of production company in ninth paragraph)

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; editing by Jill Serjeant and Diane Craft)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Halloween 2015 events, promos in PH

MANILA – Celebrate Halloween this year by attending these events in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

These are not endorsed by ABS-CBNnews.com.

Halloween treats at Amelie

When: October 29 to November 5
Where: Amelie Hotel Manila, Malate

Details: A relaxing Halloween experience is up for grabs at Amelie Hotel as it offers a special “trick or treat” promo for guests. The room packages include complimentary breakfast for two, two bottled water, newspaper, and access to Wi-Fi, gym and pool.

Price: P2,600 for a Deluxe-1 room, P3,100 for a Deluxe-2 room, P3,600 for an Executive Room. For inquiries and reservations, call (02) 875-7888 or e-mail hello@ameliehotelmanila.com.

Spooky yet fun Halloween

When: October 29 and 31
Where: Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, Pasig City

Details: Marco Polo Ortigas Manila is offering Halloween-themed drinks and dishes such as the Apple Cold Blood Drink and the Spooky Halloween Burger, which uses black and red buns. Those who want to celebrate early may want to head to Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge on October 29 for A Black Party to Remember starting at 9 p.m.

Price: For inquiries and reservations, call (02) 720-7720 or e-mail restaurant.mnl@marcopolohotels.com.

Enchanting Halloween in Boracay

When: October 31 to November 1
Where: Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa

Details: A mystical adventure awaits families and friends at the Halloween event of Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa, which will feature pirate hat and fairy wand making, face painting, costume contests, trick or treat, movie screening, treasure hunt and a water balloon canon match. There will also be a Halloween dinner buffet and a set buffet for guests at the resort.

Price: P2,000+++ per person for a Halloween dinner buffet, and P2,200+++ per person for the set menu. Guests residing in the Philippines can enjoy a rate of P11,700+++ per night in a Deluxe Room for stays from October 30 to December 20. For inquiries and reservations, call (0336) 288-4988 or e-mail slbo@shangri-la.com.

Halloween ComicFest 2015

When: October 31
Where: Fully Booked branches

Details: Get up to three free comics at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street and one free comic in any other Metro Manila Branch. Most graphic novels will be on sale at 20% off in all branches. Treats will also be given away.

Halloween in paradise

When: October 31, 11 a.m.
Where: Club Paradise, Coron, Palawan

Details: Club Paradise is holding a day of kiddie activities, haunts, thrills and treats this Halloween. Games, surprises and raffle prizes await guests after dinner, with a movie marathon under the starlit skies capping off the celebration.

Price: Admission is P1,307 nett per adult and P1,098 nett per child. Club Paradise is also offering Seascape Deals starting at P9,860++ per night for two persons in a Hillside Room inclusive of breakfast and dinner. For inquiries and reservations, call (02) 719-6971 to 74, e-mail at cp.reservations@discovery.com.ph or visit www.clubparadisepalawan.com.

Hotel Transylvania-themed Halloween

When: October 31, 1 p.m. onwards
Where: Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City

Details: Edsa Shangri-La is holding a Hotel Transylvania-inspired Halloween celebration featuring the movie’s characters roaming around the hotel. Aside from the screening of “Hotel Translyvania”, the event will also feature performances by the Buganda Dancers and illusionist Kent Oliver, a “ghost hunting” expedition and a trick or treat activity complete with creepy snacks, loot bags and exciting games for kids.

Price: P2,000 net per person, with tickets available at Edsa Shangri-La’s event lounge and business center daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guests who book on or before October 31, 2015 get two free tickets. Room packages start at P9,800 net. For inquiries and reservations, call (02) 633-8888 or e-mail esl@shangri-la.com.

Party like a superhero

When: October 31, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Sisterfields, Summit Ridge, Tagaytay

Details: Sisterfields in Summit Ridge Tagaytay is holding a Superheros and Villains Halloween Party, offering a lunch buffet, a magic show, a costume party, face painting, photo booth and a raffle draw.

Price: P599 net per person, inclusive of lunch buffet and one ticket. For inquiries and reservations, call (02) 240-6888 or (0922) 852-6800.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pet owners dress up dogs for Halloween

MANILA -- From the spooky to the adorable, pet owners and their furry companions dressed up for an annual Halloween pet show on Saturday.

Some participants donned matching costumes with their pets, from bridal gowns to vampires and goblins. Others took a unique approach and dressed their pets as their favorite dish or accessory.

Christina Jose, one of the pet show's participants, said it took weeks to prepare their matching angel warrior costumes, but the effort was worth it.

"This is important for both of us because this is the perfect time to bond with each other and with other dogs, as well as with our friends who liked attending these events," she said.

Michael Villegas, who made his dog's costume out of recycled materials, said the show can be about more than just Halloween.

"This can be a campaign for the environment because we can promote saving nature or the earth by showing that these costumes are made from recycled materials that you can find anywhere," he said.

Megaworld Lifestyle Malls senior vice president and show organizer, Tefel Pesigan-Valentino, said the annual Halloween pet show aimed to strengthen bonds between owners and their pets as well as increasing awareness of animal rights.

The Philippine Animal Welfare Society said it has documented at least 60 cases of animal cruelty in early 2015.

The Philippines has laws against torturing animals, which are punishable by imprisonment or a fine.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Fil-Ams celebrate Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary in LA

LOS ANGELES - It was an event 40 years in the making, as Los Angeles became the mecca of all things Hello Kitty.

Thousands including Filipinos dressed up and came out to celebrate the birthday of one of the world's most famous third-grade girls -- Hello Kitty.

Hello Kitty marked her 40th year with a four-day convention drawing 25,000 from throughout the country to LA's Little Tokyo area.

"I'm a fan, die hard Hello Kitty fan. It's Halloween and the first annual Hello Kitty convention. Had to be here. It's historical," Meriam Reynosa, a resident of northern California, said.

Pinky Soriano of Los Angeles said she wanted to celebrate Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary.

From food trucks to toys to clothes to furniture, everything was Hello Kitty, right down to the kitchen sink, and for the die-hards, tattoos.

A Filipino Hello Kitty fan came from San Francisco with her mom to get one permanent souvenir.

"Hello Kitty is really special to me. My mom actually gave me my first Hello Kitty, I dunno. I was one year old or something and it's connected me with her. It's connected me with so many of my friends. She's a really good ice breaker. It's all about friendship. I couldn't help it," Kimiko De Pedro said.

Hello Kitty fans are not just school girls. A large number of men and older people were among the super fans.

For Kimiko's mom, the silent piano playing character keeps people forever young.

"There are all ages here. You'd be so surprised there's so many middle aged and older people here so they still are in love with Hello Kitty. She's such an icon," Teresa De Pedro said.

The convention paid homage to Kitty's beginnings, including the first product -- a coin purse that originally sold for a dollar in Japan.

Yuko Yamaguchi who has been Hello Kitty's head designer since 1980 talked about the famous cat's early days.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Mortgage Rate News for Friday, October 31, 2014 – Halloween Edition

Mortgage rates ticked back up over the past week, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey.  The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose 6 basis points to 3.98%. Rates remain just above the lows of the year.  This is a minor fluctuation, and endeavoring to determine the root causes of the fluctuation is most likely a fool’s errand (one of my favorite type of errands).  We’re seeing some rate deterioration this morning (more on that below the fold), but fundamentally, very little has changed from an economic perspective over the past few months, and I would be surprised if we see mortgage rates deviate much from their current range in the near future.
 
Today’s Economic Data:

Before we get to today’s domestic data, it’s worth noting that the Bank of Japan unexpectedly announced additional stimulus measures last night, which put pressure on U.S. Treasuries in overnight trading.  It appears that we’ve recovered a lot of the ground that was lost, but this is one of the reasons that mortgage bonds have sold off this morning.  If you really want to get into the weeds on this one, I’d recommend starting with this Bloomberg article.  If you want to delve further, here’s some insightful commentary from Across the Curve – warning: it gets technical.

Beyond that, the most influential numbers of the day are within the Personal Income and Outlays report.  Everything came in more or less in line with expectations, and the main takeaway is that – and this will shock you – inflation is low, and not showing any real signs of picking up in the near future.  The Fed is under no real pressure to act anytime soon.

Chicago PMI came in above expectations, as did Consumer Sentiment.  Bonds appear to be losing some ground in the wake of these numbers, but again, I don’t anticipate that we’ll see much change in rates over the next few days.  The next real risk to rates is likely next Friday’s employment report.

Today’s Idle Fed Speculation:

I think we’ve spilled enough virtual ink on the Fed, and honestly, I’m finding it difficult to gin up the enthusiasm to repeat myself over and over this morning.  As expected, the Fed announced the end of the QE program, but retained forward guidance language saying that policy will remain accomodative for a “considerable time.”  If you want to read more, I’d highly suggest reading Tim Duy’s recap of the Fed statement from earlier in the week.


For the purposes of mortgage rates, it’s pretty much the status quo for right now, and there is no real clarity on the timing of a rate hike in 2015.  The Fed is keeping its options open.  Everything is data dependent*.

*Saying that something is data dependent strikes me as very much in the same vein as saying a given athlete is day-to-day. Almost everything in life is data dependent.  What I have for lunch is data-dependent.  My route home is data dependent.  The pair of pants I chose to wore this morning – yup, that choice was data dependent.  /end rant. 

Events that May Impact Rates This Week:

Monday:

    Pending Home Sales: Pending homes sales were up 0.3% from August to September.

Tuesday:

    Durable Goods Orders: Headline anticipated: +0.9%, headline actual: -1.3%.  Core anticipated: +0.5%, core actual: -0.2%.
    S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index: 20-city, seasonally adjusted anticipated: +0.1%, actual: -0.1%.  20-city not seasonally adjusted anticipated: +0.4%, actual: +0.2%.
    Consumer Confidence: expected: 86.8, actual: 94.5.

Wednesday:

    FOMC Meeting

Thursday:
    GDP: Expected: 3.0%, actual: 3.5%.
    Weekly Jobless Claims: Expected: 280k, actual, 287k

Friday:

    PCE Price Index: Expected: +0.1%, actual: +0.1%.
    Core PCE Price Index: Expected: +0.1%, actual: +0.1%
    Chicago PMI
    Consumer Sentiment

source: totalmortgage.com

Why Beijing banned Halloween costumes on subway

BEIJING - Beijing police have warned people they face arrest for wearing Halloween fancy dress on the subway as it may cause crowds to gather and create "trouble", a state-run newspaper said on Friday, unveiling a list of APEC summit-related restrictions.

Next month's meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders is being billed as the Chinese capital's highest-profile international event since the 2008 Olympics.

Aside from widespread traffic controls and road closures, starting from Saturday and running until Nov. 12, the city is massively ramping up security, which is what appears to have prompted the Halloween warning.

With Halloween's arrival, the wearing of fancy dress or scary make-up on the city's extensive subway network could cause "panic", the Beijing News noted.

"Public transport police point out, please do not wear strange outfits in subway stations or in train carriages, which could easily cause a crowd to gather and create trouble," it said.

Police had the power to arrest those who "upset order", the paper said.

"If the chaos is serious and causes a stampede or other public safety incident, the police will deal with it severely in accordance with the law."

Halloween is not widely celebrated in China, where the government officially frowns on "superstition", though Western festival and holidays like Christmas are increasingly marked by the middle class, though usually with no religious connotations.

The run-up to the Beijing Olympics was also marked by similar strange rules, including a ban on eating outdoors, in a bid to present a "civilised" image to the outside world and prevent any hint of social disturbance.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Asia's first horror theme park to open in Manila

MANILA – A theme park dedicated to horror attractions is set to open here this Halloween.

Said to be the first in Asia, the Scream Park features three scare mazes, “deadly” street performers and live shows. It is located at the corner of Macapagal Avenue and Gil Puyat Avenue in Pasay City, near the World Trade Center.

The horror theme park will be open on selected nights from October 31 to January 5, 2014.





Scream Park Manila will include a haunted house, a zombie-infested cemetery called “The Living Dead: Hungry for Your Flesh,” and an “Asylum of Terror,” which will open in late November.

Pre-purchased tickets to the horror theme park are priced at P550 each, while general admission passes are at P650 each. Visitors can also buy a “VIP Express Line Pass” to avoid the long lines at P1,400 each.

Family packages for two adults and two children under 13 years old are also offered at P1,400.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How bats, cats became symbols of Halloween

MANILA, Philippines -- Bats and black cats are animals often associated with evil deeds and Halloween.

According to "Kuya" Kim Atienza in Sunday's episode of "Matanglawin," bats became associated with Halloween because of a ritual called Samhain.

This ritual, often practiced by the Celtics, involves setting up bonfires to drive away insects. Bats usually appear during the ritual, as insects are essential in their diet.

The Samhain is traditionally celebrated from sunset of October 31 to sunset on November 1.

As far cats, there are many superstitions associated with this animal, Atienza said.

In ancient Egypt, cats were sacred and worshipped. However, in the 17th century, cats began to be associated with witchcraft.

From being symbols of good luck, cats, especially black ones, became symbols of bad luck.

In some cultures, it was also believed that witches turn into black cats, adding to the stigma on these animals.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Small kids may need Halloween fears eased

Parents may think children of all ages enjoy scary masks, ghostly decor and haunted houses, but a U.S. expert says some kids may find them too frightening.

"Most children can't distinguish fantasy from reality until they are about age 4, so knocking on a stranger's door in a clown suit can be confusing and scary for younger children," Deborah Best, a child psychology expert and professor of psychology at Wake Forest University, said in a statement.

To avoid unnecessary shrieks of terror, try to experience Halloween through the eyes of your child, Best suggested.

"Rather than surprising kids younger than age 5 with costumes you like, let them choose. Toddlers especially love trying on familiar items such as their parents' clothes, so a big hat and colorful tie might be all the costume he needs or wants," Best advised. "Talk about his costume, try it on, build it up and let him get familiar with it before it's trick-or-treat time. And if on Halloween night he still doesn't want to dress up, that's OK, too."

Some children might be wary about trick-or-treating. Help ease a child's fears by trick-or-treating before it gets dark and starting at a neighbor or friend's home where the child will meet a familiar face, Best suggested.

Seeing other children having a good time might put a fearful child in the festive spirit, but if that doesn't work, take your cues from the child and head home, Best said.

source: upi.com