Could ‘Jurassic World’ Overtake ‘Avatar’ as All-Time Box-Office King?

 

“Jurassic World” is breaking records and making money faster than any movie ever has, raising the question of whether it could potentially top “Avatar” as the highest-grossing film ever at the worldwide box office.

 

The next major mark likely to fall to the rampaging dinos is currently held by another Universal Pictures blockbuster, “Furious 7,” which topped $1 billion at the worldwide box office in a best-ever 17 days in April. “Jurassic World” brought in $524 million globally last weekend and could go over $1 billion as early as this weekend, and establish a new standard.

 

The sci-fi sequel directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard hasn’t let up at the domestic box office. On the heels of its best-ever $208 million debut last weekend, it has taken in $25 million Monday, $24 million Tuesday and $19.8 million Wednesday and is up to $278 million domestically, Rentrak reported Thursday.

 

“Jurassic World,” a sequel to Steven Spielberg‘s 1993 sci-fi classic “Jurassic Park,” is a heavy favorite to win the coming weekend race, despite the debut of “Inside Out,” the first Pixar film to be released by Disney in two years. If it can hold 50 percent of its opening weekend, the big lizards will come in at $104 million, just ahead of the record $103 million for a second weekend set by “The Avengers” in 2012.

 

“If it does that, then I believe we can start talking seriously about a run at the ‘Avatar’ record,” Exhibitor Relations senior analyst Jeff Bock said. James Cameron‘s 2009 3D sci-fi tale is No. 1 on the all-time list of top-grossing movies globally with $2.78 billion, followed by 1997’s “Titanic” ($2.18 billion) and “The Avengers”and “Furious 7,” both with $1.51 billion.

 

“Jurassic World” has been even stronger abroad, where it broke the records for biggest overseas and worldwide openings last weekend with $315 million and $524 million, respectively. The expanding foreign market, with significantly more theaters and a booming box office in China, gives recent films an edge over “Avatar.” New international figures won’t be available until Satuday, but it’s possible to make a reasonable projection.

 

The foreign total for “Jurassic World” last weekend was roughly a third greater than its domestic haul. Projecting another $20 million on Thursday, “Jurassic World” will have taken in roughly $90 million domestically since the weekend. Adding $120 millon to that — the domestic number plus 33 percent — for an overseas number adds about $210 million to the worldwide total. That puts “Jurassic World” at around $725 million going into the weekend, putting $1 billion within range and possibly, the “Avatar” record within reach.

 

“Anything’s possible,” said Chris Aronson, the distribution president who oversaw the record “Avatar” run at Fox, which has three sequels planned beginning in 2017. “But remember, that one took an entirely different approach in terms of the release, and I think that makes a big difference.”

 

James Cameron‘s sci-fi epic debuted to $77 million the weekend before Christmas, and followed that up with a $75.6 million second weekend that began a streak of 11 straight weekends in which it never fell more than 30 percent from the previous weekend. It stayed in the top 10 for 14 weeks, eventually hitting $750 million domestically. Its opening weekend represented just 10 percent of that. By comparison, “Furious 7” made nearly 42 percent of its $350 million domestic total in its first weekend, the norm for most recent blockbusters.

 

“The trajectory of any given movie depends upon the release date and the subsequent competition in the marketplace,” Rentrak media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said. “This is why the two top-grossing films of all-time have been December releases: ‘Avatar’ and ‘Titanic.’ Both films benefited from a marathoner’s strategy, slow and steady all the way to multi-billion-dollar global receipts with neither film setting the world on fire with their debut weekend grosses, but capitalizing on a pretty wide open playing field from mid-December and into the typically slower periods of January, February and March.”

 

Another film that could have a shot at overtaking “Avatar” would be “Stars Wars: The Force Awakens,” which Disney is opening on Dec. 18 and is given a shot at topping $2 billion globally.

 

Summer movies tend to have bigger opening weekends, but don’t have the staying power, Dergarabedian said.

 

“They blast out of the gate, make their mark quickly and then come up against formidable summer titles that make for a very competitive moneymaking environment,” he said. That means the ultimate answer to the question of whether the dinosaurs become No. 1 all-time is probably not, but it can’t be ruled out. out.

“‘Jurassic World’ is breaking all the rules,” Dergarabedian said.

 

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Pagasa spots LPA off Surigao

 

A low-pressure area that developed off Mindanao yesterday is likely to trigger the rainy season next week, state weather forecasters said.

 

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the low-pressure area was spotted at 220 kilometers east of Surigao City as of 10 a.m. yesterday.

 

PAGASA weather forecaster Chris Perez said the low-pressure area has a slim chance of intensifying into a tropical depression, but it is forecast to dump rains over eastern and central Visayas, Caraga and northern Mindanao this weekend.

 

The low-pressure area is expected to move up to Luzon on Sunday, bringing light to moderate rains in many areas, including Metro Manila.

 

Perez also said the low-pressure area is likely to enhance the southwest monsoon. The prevalence of the southwest monsoon is one of the criteria in declaring the onset of the rainy season in the western section of the Philippines with a Type 1 climate.

 

Areas under Type 1 climate include Metro Manila, Palawan, Mindoro, Cavite, Batangas, Bataan and Zambales. Type 1 climate has two pronounced seasons – dry and wet. The dry season is from November to April and the rest of the year is the wet season.

 

“We might declare the rainy season by middle of next week,” Perez said.

 

Weathermen blamed the prevailing El Niño phenomenon for the delay in the onset of the rainy season in the country.

 

Last year, the weather bureau announced the start of the rainy season on June 10.

 

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MERS: No cause for alarm in Phl

 

The Department of Health (DOH) has maintained that there is no need for the public to worry despite neighboring Thailand now having its first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

 

“There is nothing to fear, there is nothing to be alarmed about because systems are in place to deal with MERS-CoV. It’s just one case in Thailand and the ministry of health there is already addressing it,” DOH spokesmsn Lyndon Lee Suy saidyesterday.

 

He has also reiterated that precautionary measures have long been in place to keep MERS-CoV out of the Philippines and there is no need to change the country’s preparations for the deadly disease.

 

“Travelers must still fill out the health declaration checklist and they have to undergo thermal scan at the airports,” he said. “These measures would not do any harm. The purpose is to protect.”

 

Thailand has confirmed its first MERS-CoV case, a 75-year-old businessman from Oman. Thailand is the fourth Asian country to report a confirmed case, after China, the Philippines and South Korea.

 

South Korea is experiencing an outbreak of MERS-CoV, the largest outside the Middle East. As of June 16, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 154 cases, including 23 deaths in the country.

 

The Philippines’ only case is a 32-year-old nurse who came home from Saudi Arabia last February. She turned out to be pregnant and eventually recovered from the illness.

 

The Philippine consulate general has advised Filipinos in Hong Kong to avoid travel to South Korea and the Middle East after Hong Kong raised the response level for MERS-CoV preparedness plan to “serious.”

 

“If travel is necessary, please avoid visiting health care institutions and take extra precautionary measure such as wearing a mask and frequent hand washing,” the consulate said in a statement.

 

MERS is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

 

MERS symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Pneumonia is common, but not always present. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, were also reported.

 

Approximately 36 percent of reported patients with MERS died. Since September 2012, the WHO has been notified of 1,321 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV globally, including at least 466 related deaths.

 

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PH is 3rd in Asia with Most FB Users, 2nd on Slowest Internet Speed

 

The Philippines is a laughing stock when it comes to internet speed. Among the top nineteen Asian countries with considerable number of Internet users, the country is placed second to the last only slightly above Afghanistan.

 

Among the top five, Singapore tops the lists 122.43 Mbps, followed by Hong Kong with 102.96 Mbps, Japan with 82.12 Mbps, South Korea with 59.77 Mbps, and Taiwan with 50.59 Mbps. The Philippine is 18th on the lists with 3.64 Mbps, followed by the last placer Afghanistan with 2.52 Mbps.

 

The test results were obtained by analyzing test data between April 18, 2015 and May 17, 2015. The Philippines’ household download speed was 3.64 Mbps, compared to the global average of 23.3 Mbps.

 

The Philippines however placed 6th on the lists of Asian countries with the most Internet users and third on the lists of countries with the most Facebook users according to Internetworldstats.com.

 

Asian countries with the most Internet and Facebook users

 

Internet speed in the Philippines has been a big problem for Netizens for years and the government is not making any solution to press Internet Service Providers to provide better service.

 

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Hansel Vs. Gretel (2015) HD

 

When Gretel falls under a dark spell and organizes a coven of witches, Hansel must find the courage to fight his twin sister and the sinister forces controlling her.

 

IMDB Rating: 6.6/10 from 11 votes

Release: 2015 / Hansel Vs. Gretel

Genre: Horror

Director: Ben Demaree

Stars: Brent Lydic, Lili Baross, Aqueela Zoll

 

WATCH FULL MOVIE HERE

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The Lazarus Effect [HD]

 

THE LAZARUS EFFECT follows a group of researchers led by Frank and his fiancé Zoe who've achieved the unimaginable - bringing the dead back to life. After a successful, yet unsanctioned, trial on a newly deceased animal, the team is ready to unveil their breakthrough to the world. When the dean of their university learns of their underground experiments, their project is unexpectedly shut down and their materials confiscated.

 

Frank, Zoe and their team take matters into their own hands, launching a rogue attempt to recreate their experiment, during which things go terribly wrong and one of their own, Zoe, is horrifically killed. Fueled by terror and grief, Frank pushes them to do the unthinkable: attempt to resurrect their first human test subject. Initially, the procedure appears a success, but the team soon realizes something is wrong with Zoe. As her strange new persona reveals itself, the team quickly becomes stuck in a gruesome reality. They are no longer faced with the question.

 

IMDB Rating: 5.3/10 from 3,231 votes

Release: 2015 / The Lazarus Effect

Genre: Horror | Thriller

Director: David Gelb

Stars: Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Evan Peters

 

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Kingsman: The Secret Service [HD]

 

A spy organization recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

 

Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton), whose late father secretly worked for a spy organization, lives in a South London housing estate and seems headed for a life behind bars. However, dapper agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) recognizes potential in the youth and recruits him to be a trainee in the secret service. Meanwhile, villainous Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) launches a diabolical plan to solve the problem of climate change via a worldwide killing spree.

 

IMDB Rating: 8.3/10 from 33,725 votes

Release: 2014 / Kingsman: The Secret Service

Genre: Action | Adventure | Comedy

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Stars: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson

 

WATCH FULL MOVIE HERE

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Works on New Naval Base Near Spratly Progresses Faster than Expected

 

The Philippine Navy (PN) has released images of the first major access road to a pier being built in Oyster Inlet on the South China Sea side of Palawan Island.

 

Oyster Inlet, which is in Ulugan Bay and 18 km from Naval Station Carlito Cunanan, has been the site of a small pier and fresh water station since the 1950s. It is being expanded into a major naval anchorage along with three other nearby coves.

 

The expansion of Oyster Inlet was announced during a 2013 visit to the Ulugan Bay area by President Benigno Aquino. A PN statement released on 29 May described the building of the road network as a part of a three-year development that will make Oyster Inlet a major naval anchorage for the PN and “visiting allies”.

 

Though Philippine armed forces chief General Gregorio Catapang, Jr. recently indicated that the base was a “top priority,” he also admitted that construction had been delayed by funding bottlenecks, recent faster development speaks otherwise as the progress is seen promising.

 

Once completed, Philippine officials had previously indicated that the base would be able to hold a few large naval vessels, including a few U.S. ones as well. Military officials have also stressed that possessing a base so close to the South China Sea would enable the armed forces of the Philippines to drastically shorten the travel time of its vessels and minimize fuel and other logistical costs, as well as boost the morale of troops stationed nearby.

 

The officer who refused to identify himself also added that the new Naval Base which is closer to the disputed islands will host some of the bigger US navy Vessels, as well as Japan Navy when the VFA between Japan and the Philippines is materialized.

 

Most of the new Philippines Navy Vessels like that from Japan, Indonesia, and Australia will be based on the new facility, the navy added.

 

There is no exact target time for the completion of the base but the officer is optimistic that the facility will soon host some US Navy fleet once major access road and ports are done within the following year.

 

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Teens with weak working memory 'more likely to engage in risky sex

 

Individual differences in working memory may predict early sexual activity and unprotected sex during adolescence, according to a study of impulse control and risky sexual behavior among 12-15-year-olds.

 

Previous studies have found that adolescents who have problems regulating impulse control are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, putting them at increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies.

 

In the new study - published in Child Development - researchers from the University of Oregon, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia examined the relationship between cognitive abilities and impulse control.

 

"We extended previous findings by showing for the first time that individuals who have pre-existing weakness in working memory are more likely to have difficulty controlling impulsive tendencies in early to mid-adolescence," explains Atika Khurana, assistant professor of counseling psychology and human services at the University of Oregon, who led the study.

 

"Furthermore," Khurana adds, "changes in these impulsive tendencies are associated with early and unprotected sex in adolescents, even after taking into account parents' socioeconomic status, involvement and monitoring of sexual behavior."

 

The participants in this study were 360 adolescents aged between 12 and 15 who were from a variety of racial/ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic groups.

 

The adolescents took part in experiments designed to measure working memory and their ability focus their attention on information relevant to a task. The participants' impulsivity was also assessed in a task that tested their ability to delay gratification. Levels of "sensation seeking" - the tendency to seek excitement without thinking - was self-reported in the study by the adolescents.

 

Private, computer-assisted self-interviewing techniques were also used to collect data on the age when the participants first had sex, whether they had experienced unprotected sex and other details of risky sexual involvement.

 

The study found that participants who scored as having weak working memory reported higher levels of impulsivity over a follow-up period of 2 years, and were found to be at increased likelihood for engaging in sex early and having unprotected sex.

 

Those who were found to have weak working memory were also more likely to report that the short-term desire for sex, for them, outweighs the risks of long-term consequences, such as sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy.

 

However, weak working memory was not found to be associated with high levels of sensation seeking, and sensation seeking was not linked with increased likelihood of risky sexual practices.

 

Quality of working memory and likelihood of risky sex both influenced by parents

 

Both working memory and likelihood of risky sexual behavior were found to be related to the socioeconomic status of the adolescents' families and the extent to which their parents were involved in their lives. However, when the researchers took these influences into account, they calculated that the association between working memory sexual risk-taking remained strong.

 

Dan Romer, research director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, says of the study's findings:

 

"Our findings identify alternative ways to intervene preventively. For adolescents who have weak ability to override strong impulses, improvements in working memory may provide a pathway to greater control over risky sexual behavior. Certain parenting practices, characterized by nurturing and responsive involvement, have been shown to support the development of working memory. Interventions could aim to strengthen these types of parenting practices as well."

 

Vin Diesel Says The Last Witch Hunter Sequel Already in Development

 

Currently riding the fast cash wave of Furious 7‘s global box office domination, Vin Diesel has once again taken to his official Facebook page to share the news that his new action fantasy thriller The Last Witch Hunter might not be the only installment of a fledgling franchise.

 

“So the studio apparently is so excited by ‘The Last Witch Hunter’ – The Axe and Cross franchise… that they are already commencing on the next one,” Diesel writes. “The first one doesn’t hit theaters until October 23rd, yet they want me to commit and already block out time to film it. As always, I love to hear your feedback…”

 

So what do you think? The more Diesel the better, or should the fast-driving star pump the breaks and remember his haste in predicting a trilogy of Chronicles of Riddick films to serve as a “Lord of the Rings” to Pitch Black‘s “The Hobbit”? Lionsgate, the studio behind The Last Witch Hunter, is currently in the grip of franchise fever as they try to map their post-Hunger Games future, so it’s very plausible that these early talks could bear fruit and Diesel’s Kaulder will be wielding a flaming sword for many years to come.

 

The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including Kaulder (Diesel), a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful Queen Witch, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the Queen curses Kaulder with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today Kaulder is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to Kaulder, the Queen Witch is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race.

 

Directed by Breck Eisner (The Crazies) and also starring Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood and Michael Caine, The Last Witch Hunter hits theaters on October 23.

 

What's Next for Cleveland Cavaliers After 2015 NBA Finals Loss?

 

Luck has a lot to do with who wins and who loses—even in the NBA, which allocates its championship to the best team more efficiently than any other major American sports league.

 

"We had a lot of luck on our side this year, and our guys took advantage of it and they were fantastic," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said following Game 6's 105-97 win over the Cavalers. His Warriors rode their good fortune to the franchise's first championship in 40 years.

 

As for the Cavaliers, luck was hardly a reliable companion. While the Warriors came into the sport's ultimate series with their entire roster intact, the Cavaliers arrived with Kevin Love's shoulder in a sling, saw Kyrie Irving succumb to a busted knee cap in Game 1 and watched as Iman Shumpert battled through a bum shoulder of his own.

 

Not to mention the fatigue that dragged down LeBron James along with the few able bodies who remained among his supporting cast.

 

"You've got to be healthy," James said following the game. "You've got to be playing great at the right time. You've got to have a little luck. And we were playing great, but we had no luck and we weren't healthy."

 

But this isn't to excuse the Cavaliers' shortfall (against the league's best team from wire to wire, no less) so much as to lend hope to those legions of forlorn fans currently languishing on the banks of Lake Erie thinking their 51-year championship drought may be over soon.

 

"It's tough to lose. Tougher to be over," Cavs head coach David Blatt said after Game 6. "Not every story has a happy ending. Doesn't mean it was a bad story."

 

On the contrary, Cleveland's story was arguably the most compelling from the whirlwind that was the 2014-15 season. It began with James announcing to the world that he was coming home—and bringing Kevin Love (and Mike Miller, James Jones and Shawn Marion) with him. It continued through a troubling 19-20 start and a 34-9 flurry of a finish, spurred on by James' two-week sabbatical and general manager David Griffin's decision to cash in most of his remaining trade chips for Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert.

 

And it ended with the franchise's second Eastern Conference crown, its first Finals win and its first home win in the NBA's ultimate series. A year ago, the biggest cheers around Quicken Loans Arena came from those basking in the Cavaliers' third No. 1 pick in four years. Now, they're raining down in support of a squad whose bright future was shown to be even brighter amid its misfortunes.

 

Without Love and sometimes Irving, Cleveland scrapped its way through the East and to two wins on the sport's biggest stage, courtesy of James' brilliances.

 

Before the Finals began, James claimed that his game had reached a new high. "If you put everything together as far as my mind, my body, my game—if you put everything in one bottle—this is probably the best I've been," James said.

 

James backed that up—and then some—in these Finals. His averages (35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists) speak for themselves. It's the extent to which James dictated the flow of the action for much of the series that truly set him apart.

 

When the Cavs needed to slow down the Warriors' torrid attack, James was there, operating methodically against Golden State's stifling defense and setting up his teammates with quality looks. When most of those looks went wanting, James was there to pick up his supporting cast in every way possible. When Cleveland had no choice but to ask James to play darn near every minute, he did just that.

 

It's no wonder, then, that James garnered such strong consideration for Finals MVP, despite winding up on the losing side:

 

But James being brilliant between the lines, even to this degree, isn't all that surprising. Like he said himself after Game 5, he is the best player in the world. Nobody gets to that point, nobody takes his team to five straight Finals, without at least the potential for transcendence.

 

The greater lessons here show what the rest of the Cavs are capable of. For one, Blatt—poked, prodded and criticized all season for his shortcomings, real and imagined—proved that he belongs in the NBA. He and his staff found ways to hang with the Warriors for six games, despite being shorthanded and faced with such a daunting foe.

 

"He did a fantastic job," Kerr said. "You think about all the injuries they had, to get where they are, they did an amazing job."

 

Rarely has a team ever shifted its identity so thoroughly as a means of survival and gotten so far as a result. When Love went down, Tristan Thompson joined forces up front with Mozgov to give the Cavs a physicality and a ferocity on the boards that nobody could match. Those two played a huge part in Cleveland taking control of the rebounding column in Game 6, 56-39.

 

When Irving went down—in the second round, in the conference finals and in the Finals—Matthew Dellavedova stepped in, left it all on the floor and gave Cleveland a fighting chance.

 

The Cavs won't need quite that same degree of grit and tenacity to hang on once Irving and Love (presumably) return, but they can take heart in knowing they're capable of digging so deep, of coming together as a group when the circumstances point to eventual, inevitable submission.

 

"I don't know any other team that made the Finals without two All-Stars," James said. "We had three playmakers in suits."

 

That doesn't figure to be the case next season, if the Cavs sort out the wrinkles in their roster this summer.

 

Irving's return is as close to a certainty as Cleveland can count on, but he's coming off a major knee injury. Next season will be the first for Irving under the five-year, $90 million extension he signed last summer. The only other Cavaliers who are currently locked into contracts for next season are Joe Harris, a rookie, and Anderson Varejao, who will be looking to bounce back from an Achilles injury—and make good on a three-year, $30 million extension of his own.

 

Picking up the $4.95 million option on Mozgov's contract is a no-brainer for the Cavs, given his contributions over the course of this season and all the praise with which James has showered him.

 

James and Love can both opt out this summer if they so choose, but each figures to stay for his own reasons. James would be hard-pressed to ditch his home state twice, and Love has said time and again in recent months that he wants to give it another go in Rock City.

 

Smith and Miller have options of their own to exercise, as well. The former figures to find a weak market for his services if he leaves, and the latter seems more likely to retire than leave James' side at this point.

 

The future of the roster figures to get tricky when Griffin has to decide what to do about Thompson, Shumpert and Dellavedova, all restricted free agents. James has lobbied hard on behalf of Thompson, with whom he shares an agent (Rich Paul). Thompson's performance throughout the postseason, particularly after assuming Love's spot at power forward, probably pushed his payday closer to max territory than had previously been anticipated.

 

Shumpert won't come cheaply, either, though his take won't likely have team owner Dan Gilbert sweating through his sheets. And you can bet Dellavedova's representatives will do everything they can to highlight their client's most memorable moments while downplaying his problems at point guard once he ran out of gas.

 

As Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote, keeping the band together could launch Cleveland's player expenses into orbit:

 

"If they max out Love, retain Thompson at something close to the max, use Brendan Haywood’s nonguaranteed deal to land a key piece, and re-sign Shumpert and Dellavedova at reasonable numbers, they could set an all-time record for salary and tax payments next season with a bill north of $200 million. Blowing past the tax carries roster-building restrictions that make it harder to find supplementary players."

 

Then again, the Cavs don't need a whole lot more than what they have—and what they'd have if they ran it back—to compete for a championship in 2016 and beyond. They came within two wins of lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy with a group that didn't come together until January and fell apart physically as the playoffs wore on. They don't have to search far and wide for the necessary reinforcements or for the requisite motivation to push for a return trip to the Finals, regardless of James' reservations.

 

And if there's anything more Cleveland could use on its roster, you can bet James will have a hand in luring the next wave of hungry veterans to northeast Ohio.

 

What the Cavs need more than anything is what the Warriors had in droves: luck. And if it's true that it's better to be lucky than good, and that those who are good get lucky more often, Cleveland should be poised to flip its fortunes even further—it went from 33 wins in 2014 to the brink of a championship in 2015—and soon end the sporting misery that's plagued the city for more than half a century.

 

"For me, it's never a success if you go out losing," James said. "But I think we put ourselves back where this franchise needs to be, being a contender. But we've still got a lot of work to do."

 

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Golden State Warriors down Cavaliers to win NBA title

 

The Golden State Warriors won their first NBA title since 1975, downing the Cavaliers 105-97 Tuesday night in Cleveland.

 

The Warriors won the NBA Finals four games to two, winning the last three contests.

 

"They were all in it just to win," rookie coach Steve Kerr said of his players. "This is an amazing group of guys."

 

The four-time NBA champion Warriors were led Tuesday by Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala, who each scored 25 points.

 

Iguodala, who started zero games during the regular season but was inserted into the first five during the Finals, was named MVP of the series.

 

"We are going to remember this for a long time," he said.

 

Golden State's Draymond Green had a triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

 

The Warriors won the game by hitting seven more three-pointers -- a margin that was larger until J.R. Smith hit four late, long-range shots -- and forcing the Cavs into 19 turnovers.

 

LeBron James topped the Cavaliers with 32 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists. Smith had 19 points, 15 in the fourth quarter.

 

"Our guys did more than anyone could expect to put themselves and to put our organization in the situation (where they played for a title)," Cleveland head coach David Blatt, also in his first NBA season, said. "Not every story has a happy ending; it doesn't mean it's a bad story. This was not. This was a good story."

 

The Warriors led 45-43 at halftime after Cleveland whittled away a 13-point deficit after the first period. James nearly had a double-double in the first 24 minutes, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

 

Golden State pounded on the Cavs early in the third and by the end of the period had a 12-point lead at 73-61. The Warriors went 13-0 during the NBA playoffs when they went into the fourth quarter with a lead.

 

The Warriors are one of three original NBA franchises still in existence. At first, they were based in Philadelphia, where they won the first NBA title in 1947 and one in 1956. Six years later they moved to the Bay Area when they were the San Francisco Warriors until 1971.

 

In 1975, the Warriors beat the Washington Bullets in the finals with four straight victories.

 

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Duterte on Top in the Latest Presidential Survey

 

Davao City’s strongman Mayor Rodrigo Duterte emerged as the top presidential candidate for 2016 national elections in two separate nationwide surveys conducted by two radio stations last week.

 

In a survey conducted via text messaging by Aksyon Radyo 5, the tough-talking mayor received the highest score with 728 votes out of the total 1,444 for the question, “Who would you like to be the next President of the Philippines?”

 

Senator Grace Poe placed second afar with 256 votes, while Binay, who had always secured the top spot in national surveys, ranked third with 204 votes. A major decline in Binay’s ranking is the result of ongoing controversies in his alleged involvement in corruption.

 

Other possible presidential bets voted for by respondents in the radio survey were Sen. Bongbong Marcos with 74 votes; former senator Panfilo Lacson, 59; Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, 32; Roxas, 28; Estrada, 18; Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, 13; Escudero, 12; Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, 9; former senator Manny Villar, 6; former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro, 3; and Bro. Eddie Villanueva of the Jesus is Lord movement, 2.

 

In a separate survey conducted by DWIZ 882 last May 25, Duterte as well clinched the top spot with 29 percent of the total votes, followed by Poe with 18 percent.

 

The radio station asked the question, “If elections are held today, who would you vote as president?” Results were based on survey conducted by the DWIZ in Manila, Legazpi City, Naga, Cebu, Iloilo, General Santos City, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Palawan.

 

Binay ran third with 14 percent, while Marcos followed with eight percent. Santiago received six percent; Lacson, five percent; Roxas, four percent; Escudero, three percent; and Teodoro, two percent.

 

Duterte, though busy circling the country to promote his federalism campaign is still undecided whether he will run for president or not but the current situation suggest that it is too hard for him to resist.

There are also speculations that Duterte may run with Ping Lacson, or with Bongbong Marcos but none so far is verified.

 

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Pacquiao-Mayweather is the Biggest Robbery in Boxing History

 

Miami, Florida | The so-called “fight of the century” has turned out to be the biggest disappointment for the fans. American fans have just filed a case against Pacquiao for lying about his condition and prompting people to pay for the useless fight.

 

“This is the biggest fan-robbery in the history of boxing. Top Rank and Bob Arum did this to make money out of people’s pocket by showing us garbage,” Todd Maher of Phoenix said.Pacquiao’s camp is facing multiple lawsuits against the fans and the Nevada Athletic Commission and he could spend jail time in prison according to the source.

 

“This is what happens when you’re just thinking about money and not considering that people are spending their hard earned money just to see a worthy fight. This is just a waste of time,” Maher added.

 

Teddy Atlas has something to say too.

 

Atlas is fearful that the general public will turn away from boxing because the big fight cards aren’t giving people the bang for the buck. In regard to Saturday night, he pointed the finger at Pacquiao’s camp — specifically promoter Bob Arum and trainer Freddie Roach.

 

“Why were they saying this was going to be World War III? You don’t say those things if you know it’s not true,” said Atlas. “Why fabricate something if you know your fighter is limited? This fight was good for boxing going into Saturday, but it didn’t leave people with a good feeling. It took the bloom off the rose”, Atlas said.

 

Rematch will not make any sense.

 

“Both camps are mulling to have a rematch but people are not interested to pay for it anymore. What can we expect? Another garbage, another waste of time and money, and another hit and run by two actors inside the ring. There has to be a protagonist and antagonist, and Pacquiao was very successful in winning the people’s heart so they wasted a lot of money. Mayweather and Pacquiao both robbed people’s money”, Joe Combi of Nevada told reporters after the fight.

 

“No, no rematch will ever happen. We have to take our money back. They wasted our time and disappoint us’, Aaron, a member of the group who filed a lawsuit against Pacquiao said.

 

Forbes also said that the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight could be the death of boxing as people were extremely disappointed after spending a lot of money and getting nothing in return.

 

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Necessity Calls: Pinoy Doctor and Chemist Invents Pill that Makes Farts Smell Like Vanilla to Counter Daughter’s Unstoppable Gas Discharge

 

Flatulence is not only embarrassing but also troublesome. Necessity again becomes the mother of invention, when a Cebuano 52-year old chemist invented a pill than can turn foul-smelling farts into vanilla-like smell.

 

Duarte completed his BS Chemistry at Philippine Normal University, and studied Molecular Biology in University of California-Berkeley as an exchange student during late 80’s.

 

His 18 year-old daughter who is living in Cebu City with her grandmother, is scheduled to join with him in US next year before her 18th birthday. Duarte said the invention is his greatest accomplishment and will be his gift for his daughter’ who is turning 18 on July next year.

 

Doctors in Cebu, Bacolod, and even in Makati couldn’t identify the real cause of excessive air inside her stomach, but declared that there is no danger. According to DOH, there are 2 out of 105,000 people who have the same digestive abnormality.

 

Duarte said the invention took him more than 2 years of research and hundreds of experiments before it became successful. The drug is currently having a pending patent status under United States Patent and Trademark Office.

 

Duarte claims that the drug can’t only change the fart’s smell but it can also cure minor gastrointestinal problems, reduces gas in stomach, cures diarrhea, and other digestive-related abnormalities.

 

According to drug’s documentation submitted to FDA, formulation includes mostly herbs with Vanilla extract and honey as main ingredients.

 

“Duarte’s invention can help thousands of Americans and other people who are suffering from uncontrolled and excessive bodily gas discharge”, FDA spokesman Dr. Thomas Kerr said.

 

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Dubai Officials Warns Against Investing in Bogus Company Emgoldex

 

Government authorities in the UAE have cautioned Filipino residents here from investing in gold in an online store that claims to have a base here in Dubai.

 

Hundreds of residents have been inviting other residents to invest in Emgoldex, or ‘Emirates Gold Exchange’, allegedly an online store for gold, for months now. Here, clients can allegedly buy and sell gold bars weighing one to 100 grams.

 

Through its Goldex programme, clients pay Dh3,000 to reportedly get 15 grams of 24k gold bullion that can be “delivered” in the UAE or stored in Germany.

 

To receive a “credit bonus” of Dh15,000, a client needs to refer two more clients and fill a table with 14 clients under him.

 

No License in Dubai

 

When contacted by Gulf News, a DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) spokesperson denied that the companies [Emgoldex and Gold and Silver Physical Metals KG] are registered with the government regulator of commodities trading.  

“Emgoldex is not a DMCC-licensed company. DMCC has taken steps to prevent further misuse of our name.”

 

The video also claimed it is the online portal of a big Dubai-based gold manufacturing company duly licensed by the DMCC. Gulf News called the company and an official requested that its name not be mentioned in this article as “we are not having any ties with Emgoldex. It’s all a lie”.

 

Gulf News also contacted the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX). Gaurang Desai, Interim CEO of DGCX, said: “Emgoldex or its German parent company. Gold & Silver Physical Metals KG, are not registered broker members or partners of the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX).”

 

“DGCX is regulated by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) in the UAE. All the broker members of DGCX are licensed by SCA and are required to maintain strict compliance with SCA-approved DGCX by-laws.”

 

SCA’s list of registered gold traders or brokers does not include either of the companies as well.

 

Mohammad Rashid Ali Lootah, Executive Director of Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in the Department of Economic Development (DED), Dubai, said neither of the companies is registered with DED.

 

He said no online store, especially those that sell or trade gold, can operate in Dubai without a licence. The penalty for doing so varies but starts from Dh5,000.

 

Gulf News found that the purported office of Emgoldex in Jumeirah Lakes Towers belongs to a consulting company. The receptionist of the company said Emgoldex used to rent that space but they “left for Russia some time ago”.

 

As the time of this writing, more and more Filipinos here in Dubai, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Philippines are falling victims of this online scam. The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this year has already issued warning against the bogus company but people who are aiming for overnight richness are still enticed to join, ABS-CBN news said.

 

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