Four dead as 'worst storm in years' buffets California

LOS ANGELES - A devastating storm billed by forecasters as the worst to hit California in years pounded the southern half of the state, wreaking devastation that claimed four lives, authorities said on Saturday.

The powerful storm blew in from the Pacific Ocean, hitting California on Friday with high winds and heavy rain that downed power lines, leaving 60,000 people in the Los Angeles area without power, and prompting hundreds of flight delays and cancellations at airports.

Emergency workers were forced to carry out numerous fast-water rescues after flash flooding forced hundreds from their homes, officials said.

Several people stranded near the Los Angeles River had to be rescued with inflatable boats.

Los Angeles city fire officials said the fatalities included a 55-year-old man who was electrocuted after a tree downed a power line.

Two other people died in car accidents in the San Diego area, and a fourth was died in a submerged vehicle, local media reported.

Another person was injured after her car fell into a massive sinkhole in Los Angeles, local television station KABC reported. She was trapped until fire crews pulled her out.

Flash-flood warnings will continue through the weekend in many areas of the West Coast state, which has been hit this winter by a series of storms that have filled reservoirs, bringing respite following a severe five-year drought.

Although the latest storm, which packed heavy wind-driven rain, was mainly affecting southern and central California, rain was also forecast to hit the San Francisco Bay Area in the north.

Several inches of rain were forecast for parts of northern California.

Residents of the city of Duarte, located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of Los Angeles, were ordered to evacuate on Friday for fear of mudslides and voluntary evacuation orders were issued for some residents of Camarillo Springs, north of LA.

Mudslides in the southern city of Santa Barbara forced Amtrak officials to suspend service between nearby Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo.

The National Weather Service said the northern part of the state -- where flooding last week damaged the Lake Oroville Dam and forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people -- was expected to see new rain and snow systems moving in during the next few days.

It forecast "the wettest storm" on Monday and Tuesday, warning of potential renewed flooding across Northern California.

"Recent storms have left the region highly vulnerable, so amplified impacts will be possible with additional rainfall," the NWS said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Facebook founder pumping $120-M into SF schools

SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg put out word late Thursday that he and his wife Priscilla Chan are pumping $120 million into San Francisco Bay Area schools.

Distribution of the money will be spread over five years, with initial grants going toward initiatives for providing computers and Internet access in public schools as well as training teachers and enlisting parents in efforts to keep students on track.

"The Bay Area is one of the most prosperous places in the world, but there so many schools here that don't have the resources they need," Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook page.

"Improving public education in our country and our community is something Priscilla and I really care about, and we want to change this."

Part of the focus for grant money from his Startup: Education fund will be to start new district and charter schools that provide high quality education.

About four years ago Zuckerberg channeled $100 million to improve schools in the New Jersey city of Newark. He noted in his post that much of the work started in Newark is still in progress.

"The investments we've made are a drop in the bucket compared to the challenges schools face," Zuckerberg said.

"But we've seen that targeted investments can be catalysts for much bigger changes in communities."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

What is Google hiding in mystery barge?

SAN FRANCISCO - How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements.

At least one Coast Guard employee has had to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the Internet giant, said Barry Bena, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman. Another person who would only identify himself as an inspector for a California government agency had to do the same.

Moored in the shadow of the Bay Bridge off of Treasure Island, a former military base, the nondescript barge is stacked several stories high with white shipping containers, and sprouts what appear to be antennas on top. The hulking structure, half shrouded in scaffolding, has stirred intense speculation in the Bay Area since reports of its existence surfaced late last week.

Technology website CNET theorized that the vessel might be a floating data center that will house banks of computers. Local TV station KPIX said the barge is intended to serve as a floating retail store for Google's "Glass" wearable computer device - although its external appearance, at least thus far, doesn't suggest such a purpose.

Adding to the mystery, a second similar barge was recently spotted in Portland, Maine, and is also registered to By and Large LLC, according to local media reports.

The company itself is keeping mum, refusing even to acknowledge its affiliation with the vessels.

Secrecy is a standard business practice in Silicon Valley, where technology companies such as Apple Inc go to great lengths to keep their latest gadgets under wraps and a constellation of blogs compete to reveal highly prized details.

But the concealment effort surrounding the barge is in another league. Chain-link fences and security guards encircle a pier and a couple of nearby buildings on the island, which sits between San Francisco and Oakland.

A California state inspector, who said he had business in the hangar-like Building 3 where some of the early construction took place, told Reuters he had to surrender his mobile phone and sign a confidentiality agreement in order to enter.

Bob Jessup, a construction company superintendent who works in a building across the street, said Google spent the past year working on the project. He said they fenced off a wide area and brought in at least 40 welders a day, who worked around the clock and refused to say a word.

"They wouldn't give up any of the information," Jessup said. "It was a phenomenal production. None of them would tell us anything."

He said they worked on the inside and the outside of the shipping containers, outfitting them with electronics - "very hush hush" - and then loaded them onto the barge with a crane. They put sides on the containers, with glass windows in some of them. They had to weld them very precisely so they could stack, Jessup recounted.

Jessup said he could not imagine that Google would try to use the floating vessel as a retail outlet. "Who's going to want to climb up in there?" he asked. "It's really ugly."

The vessel is registered to a company called By and Large LLC, and some nearby property on Treasure Island has been subleased to the same firm. Representatives of the firm could not be reached for comment.

Larry Goldzband, the executive director of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, told Reuters his agency has had several meetings with Google officials about the barge in recent months. Yet the company provided little information other than telling him that the vessel will be used for "general technology purposes," he said.

Google "could not give us a specific plan of any kind," not even whether they intended the barge to move or stay in one place, Goldzband said. If the barge remains in place for an extended period of time after its construction is completed, it will require a permit from the BCDC, he said.

"We've asked counsel to get us as much information as soon as they can, so that we can continue the discussion," Goldzband said, referring to Google's law firm.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Fil-Am chefs bring PH cuisine to next level

SAN FRANCISCO – Pancit Palabok with Crisp Pork Belly, Prawns, Broth and Noodles with Soft Quail Eggs; Sisig with Chicken with Liver Pate--these were the winning dishes in this year’s Kulinarya.

Now in its third year, Kulinarya not only promises to bring Filipino food to the next level but to give chefs a chance to show what’s cooking in the Filipino kitchen.

Held at SomArts Cultural Center last Sunday, Kulinarya promises to be the biggest competition for Filipino-American chefs — vying to be the best in amateur and professional divisions.

This year, two chefs from Los Angeles competed, along with chefs from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Rene de los Santos, Philippine Department of Tourism director said, “This is a great achievement because we’re trying to make this competition national and hope that, in the future, we can bring other contestants from New York, Chicago, Honolulu and Washington DC.

Philippine Consul General Marciano Paynor hopes that Kulinarya will encourage Fil-Am chefs to open fine dining restaurants showcasing Filipino cuisine.

“If you have fine dining cuisine, then the mainstream will come and look at it," he said.

For Thomas Weibull and Justin Hulog, winning Kulinarya means a chance to explore Philippine cuisine to its fullest. Both won cash prizes and trips to the Philippines.

Weibull, winner of the professional division, worked as executive chef of Plouf seafood restaurant. "It will be great to visit and see different regions in the Philippines, try different ingredients, flavor profiles," he said.

Hulog, the amateur division champ, is the editor of the food blog, “The Palay”.

"We just have to keep pursuing when we think of how important it is to bring Filipino food to the mainstream especially here in the States. The more incredible chefs we have making incredible food and showcasing them, the better off we are," Hulog said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

San Francisco Bay Area housing market improves in June

The San Francisco Bay Area’s housing market strengthened in June as increased sales of pricier homes helped push a key gauge of price strength to near a four-year high.

The region’s median home price was up 4.3% from May and 10.4% from June 2011, real estate firm DataQuick of San Diego said. The median, which is the point at which half the homes in the area sold for more and half for less, was $417,000 last month.

“Some of today’s stats are similar to what we saw in the thick of the housing downturn back in 2009, only in reverse: Instead of foreclosure resales soaring they’re waning, and instead of high-end sales slumping they’re posting some of the larger sales gains,” DataQuick president John Walsh said in a news release. “This is one of the main reasons that various price measures are pointing higher -- a so-called change-in-market mix. While last month’s jump in the median sale price might to some extent reflect prices edging a bit higher in certain markets, mostly it’s a reflection of the change in market mix.”

Sales of homes in the nine-county Bay Area were down 2.6% from the prior month but up 7.2% to total 8,577.

source: latimes.com

‘Wil Time Bigtime’ takes The Big Launch to San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – One week after conquering Los Angeles, the TV5 International juggernaut landed in the Bay Area and took this city by storm. The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium overflowed with happy, shiny Filipinos on Saturday night as a special presentation of “Wil Time Big Time” led The Big Launch of Kapatid TV5 and Aksyon International in San Francisco.

“Wil Time” main man Willie Revillame, co-hosts Mariel Rodriguez and Camille Villar, and the “Bigtime” girls were joined by TV5 heavy hitters Nora Aunor, Aga Muhlach, Ruffa Gutierrez, and Derek Ramsay in entertaining the crowd.

“Talentadong Pinoy” grand champion Daniel “Astroboy” Darwin was the opening act.

TV5 chairman Manny V. Pangilinan witnessed the proceedings from the front row with Claro “Ito” Ramirez, president and CEO of Pilipinas Global Network (PGN), the international affiliate of TV5.

PGN has partnered with Dish Network, the largest satellite broadcaster in the US, which has started to carry Kapatid TV5 and Aksyon International across America.

Kapatid TV5 is a 24-hour channel Tagalog entertainment channel that features TV5 entertainment programming. Aksyon International is a 24-hour Tagalog news and current affairs channel.

source: interaksyon.com

4.0 quake rattles San Francisco Bay area: USGS

SAN FRANCISCO - An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.0 rattled the San Francisco Bay area Monday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake's epicenter was one mile (two kilometers) north of El Cerrito and about 15 miles (24 kms) northeast of San Francisco, California at a depth of 5.5 miles (8.8 kms), the agency said.

The quake was initially reported at a 4.3 magnitude.

It struck at 5:33 a.m. (1333 GMT).

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

"It woke me up. I heard a woman in my building scream. It lasted several seconds," said a resident in nearby Oakland, located across San Francisco Bay. The resident said it was still dark when the quake hit.

source: interaksyon.com