PHILSTAR: Manny Pacquiao cited in homily

Sporting Chance
Joaquin Henson │ The Philippine Star

Irish priest Fr. Eamon Anthony Sheridan cited the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Manny Pacquiao in his homily during the 12:30 p.m. Mass at the Holy Rosary Church on Chatham Road, Hong Kong, last Sunday. And it wasn’t because most of the church-goers were Filipinos.

Fr. Sheridan spoke about how God touches our lives in different ways, how we are called to serve as His disciples or followers. He mentioned Pacquiao as an example of a changed man who encountered God in a dream after his recent fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. Of course, everybody knows Pacquiao’s inspiring rags-to-riches story and there isn’t anyone who doesn’t admire his ascent to the top as a global sports icon. That’s why Fr. Sheridan used Pacquiao as an example. If Pacquiao is an inspiration in the ring, Fr. Sheridan figured he could be an inspiration out of the ring, too.

Fr. Sheridan said he came across a recent story about Pacquiao in the Catholic news website. He shared the good news with the congregation that packed the church. Fr. Sheridan started his homily by acknowledging the presence of the church-goers who came despite pouring rain. Then, he spoke about God tending His flock, calling back sheep that go astray and told Pacquiao’s story.

“Manny had a dream one night and in that dream, he was in a beautiful forest when he heard a voice asking, Why are you going away from Me?” said Fr. Sheridan. “It was the Lord calling Manny back to Him. Manny woke up crying and his pillow was wet with his tears. Right there and then, Manny resolved to walk with God, to change his life.”

I was touched by the story and after Mass, I checked the report on Pacquiao in the Catholic news website the first chance I got. I found the story in the Union for Catholic Asian News or UCANews.com. The story has been carried in other Catholic Asian websites, including one in India, proving Pacquiao’s enormous influence as an international figure.

The report quoted Pacquiao relating to ABS-CBN how he has reformed after his encounter with God in a dream. “If I had died last year or in the last two years, I’m sure I would have gone straight to hell,” Pacquiao was quoted as saying. “My faith in Him was there 100 percent but behind it, after prayers, I would still do evil things.” In the website, Pacquiao said he has stopped gambling, drinking and womanizing after dream of God. “He now immerses himself in Bible study and spends more time with his wife and children,” said the website. “He also gave away his favorite fighting cocks.”

Pacquiao said, “I woke up crying, I remember I was crying in my dream and when I touched my pillow, it was wet. In the past, God talked to people through their dreams. So I told myself ‘this dream is real and I have to change my life.’ Being a Christian means accepting Christ as your Savior, your God. That is why you’re called a Christian. If you remove ‘Christ,’ there’s only ‘ian’ and that means ‘I am nothing.’”

It’s no secret that before engaging Marquez in Las Vegas last November, Pacquiao wasn’t his usual self. But being the warrior that he is, Pacquiao shrugged off the distractions and beat Marquez by a majority decision. Now that he’s 33, Pacquiao is four fights away from hanging up his gloves late next year or so Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. Pacquiao is at the peak of his boxing career and can surely dominate in the ring beyond 2013 but a calling to be more involved in serving his countrymen as a politician may bring him to another direction.

Arum is arranging Pacquiao’s next fight and he’d like it to be in late May or June 9 whether the opponent is Floyd Mayweather Jr. or not. Mayweather wants to battle on May 5, a date he has booked at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, but neither he nor Pacquiao is Mexican and Cinco de Mayo is a perfect date for a Mexican fighter to headline a boxing show.

Arum said it’s a wasted opportunity if a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown is staged at the MGM facility which has a seating capacity of 16,500. Arum would rather take the fight to an outdoor arena which can accommodate 45,000 on the Strip at Las Vegas. But Arum said May 5 is too soon for the arena to be built.

If the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight doesn’t materialize in May or June, Arum will find another opponent for the Filipino icon. Lamont Peterson has been ordered by the WBA to take on Amir Khan in a rematch and will likely be scratched as an option. A fourth meeting with Marquez may not be a pay-per-view attraction and a rematch with Miguel Cotto won’t mean anything in Pacquiao’s resume.

That could leave unbeaten WBO lightwelterweight champion Timothy Bradley as the last alternative. Bradley’s manager is Cameron Dunkin who also handles Nonito Donaire Jr. and the fighter is promoted by Arum, too. So getting Bradley to step up to the plate won’t be a problem. Selling the fight would be the next step and nobody does it better than Arum.

PHILSTAR: DiCaprio at his best in J. Edgar

The Philippine Star
Raymond de Asis Lo│L.A. Correspondent

MANILA, Philippines - Funny how this writer regularly find interesting tidbits of regular, random conversation between stars and their handlers when I review my recording before I start transcribing my interviews. The exchanges are mostly about the temperature of the room where the interviews are being held or whether the stars needed something before we start counting down the 30 minutes allotted to us. To my welcome surprise, my recorder offered me just that when I was reviewing the interview I had with Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio recently.

This writer met with the handsome actor sometime in November last year during the junket of his current movie, Warner Bros.’ J. Edgar, the acclaimed biopic directed by the legendary Clint Eastwood.

Ordinarily, we start running the recorder just as soon as we get notice that the star is on his way to join us in our interview suite. So, just as we were about to begin our interview, I started my recorder and it captured a brief but charming exchange between Leo and his handler just as he was settling in to his seat. The subject of the conversation was rather trivial but it offered something new to add to the list of things that make the actor really, really nice and likable in person.

The handler asked if he wanted a cappuccino instead of the regular coffee he brought with him. Leo initially said yes but later declined the offer. “I wish I had a cappuccino,” he said. “But actually I don’t want one. This is my fifth cup.” You know what made it really interesting? First, he was drinking the same coffee that everyone was drinking and, second, it was only 10 in the morning yet he already had five cups of coffee!

Leo is already in his mid-30s with few telltale signs of fine wrinkles up close yet, if one would listen closely to his voice when he speaks, one wouldn’t notice anything different to the Leo today and to the young actor who played Jack in Titanic 15 years ago. He still has that distinct voice and speaking style that’s a cross between an excitable young adult and an impatient adolescent.

Ask him anything and he will give you a lengthy but substantial response. He is famous for his utmost dedication to his craft and one can glean this trait when he starts talking about the current project he is doing or promoting.

J. Edgar, is based on the life of former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover who is considered by many as perhaps the most powerful and feared person in America during his time. The movie brings to light the true story of the enigmatic J. Edgar — from the creation of the FBI to his much-whispered homosexuality. Leo’s powerful and impassioned performance has garnered some of the best reviews of his career and he is expected to receive his fourth Oscar Best Actor nomination when the nominations are announced on Feb. 24 — but just don’t mention it to him.

“The truth is I have learned through my experiences in this industry that there is absolutely no way to control or do anything as far as people’s opinions on your performance or movie — and that is the truth,” he declared emphatically when asked about his Oscar chances. “You go out there and you promote your film and you hope people like the work that you did and they are gonna respond the way they are gonna respond when they are in the room with that ballot. Who knows? I am thankful that people are talking about it but ultimately, I truly have no control over it. I really don’t.”

Make no mistake about it, Leo’s performance in J. Edgar is not just one of the strongest this year, it is also one of his best ever. And he could just win the Oscar any year with this performance. Again, just don’t mention it to him.

“I don’t think anyone would say that they wouldn’t want one. They’d be lying, I think. But that is not my motivation when I do these roles. I really am motivated by being able to work with great people.”

He added that he was more interested in having a “creative body of work for myself that I can look back and be proud of.”

“I was 15 years old when I had my first opportunity in movies. I went and watched movies for a year and a half. I watched every possible great film and every great performance I could and since then I’ve said to myself how could I ever emulate such great artistic master that’s been done in cinemas past. That’s really my motivation and that’s a fact. I feel like I want to do something as good as what all my heroes have done.”

Leo picks his projects meticulously. He revealed that two of the primary reasons why he did J. Edgar were the opportunity to finally get to work with Mr. Eastwood and to be able to play a character as complex and ambiguous as J. Edgar Hoover. Some critics have noted that he seems to be attracted to suffering and tormented characters. Case in point is his two masterful turns in Martin Scorsese’s taut thriller Shutter Island and Christopher Nolan’s mind-blowing masterpiece Inception last year.

In J. Edgar, he adds another great character to his body of work that already includes, among many others, Howard Hughes in The Aviator, controversial poet Arthur Rimbaud in Total Eclipse and, of course, Romeo Montague in Baz Lurhman’s now classic Romeo+Juliet.

What attracted him to J. Edgar Hoover’s story was his unquestioned place in American history. “His life was a reflection of the changing of our country,” he said. “I think that he had great intentions for our country. I think that most of what he did was under the auspices of being a great patriot and great American and I think that he also really wanted personal glory. He was very ambitious... (FBI) was his baby and he wanted to be the symbol of it — the symbol of power in his office — and to hold on to that power at any cost necessary. It’s hard to like somebody who has that kind of attitude about their job, but I do believe he was a patriot and his intentions for protecting our country were there.”

J. Edgar Hoover is credited for creating the most powerful and most sophisticated law enforcement agency in the world but at the expense of personal liberty and freedom as some critics would contend. “He had despicable tactics towards the end of his life but it was all under the auspices of the fact that he thought he was a great patriot and he was doing a service to the country.”

Another aspect of J. Edgar Hoover’s mysterious life that’s tackled in the movie is his presumed homosexuality, including his apparent life-long love affair with his assistant Clyde Tolson, who is portrayed in the movie by handsome newcomer Armie Hammer. Note: The Screen Actors Guild recognized Armie’s impressive performance with a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

Oscar-winning actress Judi Dench and Oscar-nominated actress Naomi Watts are also part of the incredible cast.

Leo may be too modest to talk about how impressive he was in this movie but there is no denying that his powerful performance carries the movie as it navigates through the more than 50 years in J. Edgar Hoover’s colorful life. Watch it and be amazed.

(J. Edgar opens in theaters on Jan. 25)

City Hunter: Lee Min Ho

MANILA, Philippines - ABS-CBN kicks off the Year of the Dragon with the biggest Korean drama City Hunter premiering tonight in Primetime Bida.

Taking the lead in the landmark Korean production is Asian superstar Lee Min Ho who returns on Philippine primetime TV after his hit series Boys Over Flowers and Perfect Match.

Playing as Min Ho’s leading lady is his rumored real-life girlfriend, Park Min Young. The two reportedly fell in love while shooting the action-drama soap.

In the series, Min Ho plays the role of Johnny Lee, a charming and smart young man who works at the Presidential residence called the Blue House. Little did everyone know that behind his massive appeal to women, intelligence and pleasing personality lies a son trained to kill and seek revenge for his father. His mission is to make five politicians responsible for killing his father pay with their own lives.

Despite being a skilled assassin, the task wouldn’t be that easy for Johnny   because he has to follow three rules on his mission — he can’t trust anyone, he can’t reveal his true identity and he can’t fall in love. All of these will be put to test when he meets Kim Na Na (Min Young), a body guard at the Blue House. As Johnny unintentionally falls in love with Na Na, he must also choose which path to take. Will he choose duty or love?
Source: The Philippine Star

ADORA Further Reductions Sale

Up to 58% off on High-End Apparel for Men and Women + Home Products

Highlights

• Get further discount on Adora’s items on sale
• Chic, high-end clothing for both men and women
• Deal covers all men’s sale items, and all women’s sale items (including makeup and shoes) except bags
• Includes home products

Fine Print

• Groupon is valid from January 23, 2012 – February 19, 2012
• May purchase multiple Groupons
• Groupons may be given as gifts
• Adora Groupon is only redeemable to all sale items of the men's line, women's line except bags and non-Adora products (retail partners'), and home products 

Adora

2/F Greenbelt 5 

Makati CIty

ADORA Further Reductions Sale: Up to 58% off on High-End Apparel for Men and Women + Home Products

Shopping for clothing can be like finding a needle in a haystack: even when you think you've found what you're looking for, you've actually only found a really shiny piece of hay. Tilt the odds of a successful fashion quest in your favor with today’s Groupon to Adora. Get an additional discount on their sale items:

• P2500 for P5000 worth of apparel for men and women + home products
• P5000 for P12000 worth of apparel for men and women + home products

Glide through Adora’s racks of fashionable and timeless pieces of high-end clothing and shoes, and mix and match varying styles, cuts, colors, and material depending on your personal flair and liking. Dress up or down with a number of chic and glam looks that could be formed with classic items, ranging from basic finds to corporate looks and strut down pavements looking smartly bold and dashing.

Every shopper can niftily search for superb fashion finds and women can couple their selection of get-ups with beauty-enhancing makeup. All these could be acquired from carefully handpicking among Adora’s items that are currently on sale so customers get an instant look-boost at a cost that doesn’t burn pocket holes but rather preps up closets in need of an overhaul. 

Meticulous moms who think that a personal revamping should also emanate in the household can further select from Adora’s home products. They may select from an eclectic range of linens, towels, and dinnerware to spruce up different parts of the household.   

Click here to buy products now 

50% OFF: 3D/2N Bangkok Escapade for Two

Only P5,400 instead of P10,800 for a 3D/2N Bangkok accommodation, daily breakfast, half day city tour and roundtrip airport transfers for two persons.

Highlights

• Thailand is known for its amazing sights, rich culture, lovely people, and toothsome flavors.
• Bunk in Bangkok at MyHotel or similar, strategically located near the Skytrain and garments markets
• Enjoy 3D/2N in a twin/double occupancy room fully equipped with LCD cable TV, bath and shower, mini fridge and mini bar
• Enjoy round trip airport transfers and delicious daily breakfasts
• Take pics and make meaningful memories during the half day city temple tour included
• Being in Bangkok means authentic Pad Thai and sights such as the Grand Palace and Wat Prakaew

The Deal's Terms

• Booking period February 1, 2012 to June 16, 2012
• Valid from February 6, 2012 to June 30, 2012
• All Passengers flight should be MNL-BKK-MNL and for flight outside this route please contact TRAVELLERSDEAL.
• Subject to availability.
• 7 to 14 days prior reservations is required.
• Child Policy: Check our travel partner for the child rate and child policy for the Hotel.
• For inquiries and Booking, please call TRAVELLER'S DEAL TRAVEL & TOURS; Email: travellersdeal1@gmail.com; Landline: 957-0548, 411-2703, 509-8863; Mobile Number:0927-4361004, 0905-2521455, 0905-3625666, 0932-8882002; Business Hours: 9 AM to 6 PM, Mondays to Fridays
• Non refundable and non rebookable once the booking has been confirmed.
• Not valid with other offers.

My Hotel Pratunam 70,70/1-4 Soi Petchburi 15 Petchburi rd.

Be charmed with this city that could! Start your year with a bang with this fun CashCashPinoy deal - only P5,400 instead of P10,800 for 3D/2N Bangkok accommodation, daily breakfast, half day city temple tour and roundtrip airport transfers for two persons!

Travel with your best bud or spend more time with your loved one in a twin/double sharing room. You’ll be staying in MyHotel, or similar, which features modern hotel design. Each room has minimalist design and appointed with LCD cable TV, bath and shower, mini fridge, mini bar and internet access. 

Get to visit the temples dotting the city, including the Golden Buddha Temple (Wat Trimit) which houses the world’s biggest golden Buddha image. Afterwards, visit Wat In Temple of Standing Buddha (Tallest Standing Buddha) No trip to Bangkok would be complete without a shopping splurge! You’ll get to visit the Jewelry Factory, where dazzling gems and jewelries can be found.

Enjoy the incredible sights and sounds of Thailand and learn their rich culture. Come nighttime, catch the city rave with the world class Bangkok nightlife! Embark on a food tripping spree in the streets of the city or savor authentic Thai flavors from specialty restaurants to buzzing night food markets. 

Too stressed out from the metro craze, it's high time you treat yourself for a relaxing trip to Bangkok!

Click here to buy package now

All new Powerful Archos 10.1" Android Tablet

Only P19,499 for Archos 101 G9 TURBO Tablet! With 16gb storage, 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, Android 3.2 Honeycomb, and more! 1 YEAR WARRANTY! FREE DELIVERY!

Highlights

• Smoother tablet experience with a faster, more powerful 1.2Ghz dual-core processor
• Runs on the latest Android 3.2 Honeycomb version, specifically designed to tablets
• Pre-installed Android Market for access to thousands of downloadable apps
• Play practically any audio, video, and photo format with a wide variety of preloaded codecs
• Long lasting battery life: Up to 10 hours on web surfing
• Dimension: 10.86 x 6.59 x 0.50 inch; Weight: 649 grams
• 1 YEAR WARRANTY!
• FREE NATIONWIDE DELIVERY!

The Deal's Terms

• Delivery will start on January 31, 2012
• Pick-Up available from January 31, 2012 to February 10, 2012
• 6 working days delivery Nationwide.
• Pick-Up at CashCashPinoy office, Mondays to Fridays during office hours (10AM to 5PM).
• Provide a shipping address upon checkout for Free Delivery
• Not valid with other offers.

Built to last and lightning fast. Feel turbo charged speed and power right at your fingertips with this electrifying CashCashPinoy deal – only P19,499 for an Archos 101 G9 Turbo Tablet! FREE NATIONWIDE DELIVERY! Each unit already comes with manual and FREE data cable for charging & file transfer.

With a battery life that lasts 10 hours from web surfing and up to 36 hours of music playback, the standard Archos 101 G9 Tablet is already a shining star among other tablets. It runs on the latest Honeycomb 3.2 - Android's updated tablet-centric Operating System. Now with a faster 1.2GHz dual-core processor, this juiced up TURBO version now packs even more punch in a single blow. Apps from the pre-installed Android Market and your HD movies and games will run even more smoothly and boot more quickly. What else could you need aside from all that power? Well, just get a load of everything this machine has to offer:

10.1-inch LCD with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution

16GB storage (with microSD slot)

720p HD front-camera

WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity

Micro-USB port and Micro-HDMI port

Built-in Stand

Archos has a proven track record of preloading their devices with support and codecs for the most varied selection of audio, photo, and video format. You've really got yourself one powerful media player, even play H.264 HD videos for a cinematic experience. Web browsing is also amped up with support for Flash and built-in speakers and microphone.

Get this hot-from-the-oven tablet for super fast surfing and more, the Archos 101 G9 Turbo Tablet. The power is yours only here at CashCashPinoy, so get yours now!

Click here to buy now

WIDGET CITY: 52% OFF On Samesay Mi18 Touch Screen IPOD Dock W/ Clock Radio

52% OFF: P3349 (P6999) free product shipping within the Philippines

Deal Details:

• Valid for One (1) pc Samesay Mi18 Touch Screen IPOD Dock w/ Clock Radio
• Buy as many items as you want
• Purchase period: Jan. 20 to Feb. 6, 2012
• Last Day for Payment: Feb. 7, 2012
• Products will be shipped via courier after 5-7 working days
• No cash back or refund on paid orders

Highlights:

• Touch screen! Puts you in complete control of your sound-system in a user friendly way.
• PLL digital FM radio with 20 preset stations.
• State-of-the-art equalization function.
• Play and charge your iPod or iPhone,while you sit back,relax and listen to your favourite tunes.
• Its smart design makes it ideal for home and office alike.
• LED Display
• EQ mode: STUDIO, ARENA, MONITOR, CLUB, FLAT
• Auxiliary input jack in case for MP3 players other than iPod, iPhone or iPad.
• Clock with dual alarm with Sleep and snooze function.

Click here to buy now

Why Apple's products are 'Designed in California' but 'Assembled in China'

How U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work

Chris Rawson │ www.tuaw.com

Look at the back of your iPhone, or your iPad, or on the bottom of your Mac. You'll see the following words embossed somewhere: "Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China." Many Americans, all the way up to the President himself, have wondered why Apple has outsourced virtually all of its manufacturing overseas. At a dinner with several top US technology executives last year, President Obama asked Steve Jobs flat out what it would take to bring those jobs back to the US. According to Jobs, there's simply no way for it to happen.

Why not? Why can't iPhones, iPads, and all the rest of Apple's magic gadgets be built in the States? More generally, why can't more US-based consumer electronics and computer companies do their manufacturing work domestically, helping to create American jobs and boost the struggling economy?

The New York Times asked that question, and after an extremely well-researched report involving interviews with both former and current executives at Apple, the answer the Times found is both simple and chilling: iPhones aren't made in America because they just can't be. The infrastructure and labor force doesn't exist at the levels necessary to support Apple's operations -- it's not even close.

The Chinese factory where most iPhones reach final assembly employs 230,000 workers. I just asked Siri how many cities in the US have a population higher than that, and the answer was a mere 83 cities -- and that's total population, not workforce. With an average labor force of around 65 percent of the population, only 50 US cities are large enough to provide that kind of labor pool... and even in the biggest US city of them all, New York, 230,000 people still amounts to almost three percent of the city's entire population. Can you imagine three out of every hundred New Yorkers on an assembly line, cranking out iPhones every day?

Over the past couple of years, we have heard a great deal concerning working conditions at factories owned by Foxconn. The Chinese manufacturing company is responsible for assembling consumer electronics for most of the major vendors out there, including Apple. Around a fourth of those 230,000 people live in company-owned dorms or barracks right on factory property; that's almost 60,000 people living and working at the factory. Many of the people at "Foxconn City" work six days a week, twelve hours a day, and they earn less than US$17 per day. It may sound inhumane by American standards, but these jobs are in high demand in China -- so much so that Jennifer Rigoni, former worldwide supply demand manager for Apple, told the New York Times that Foxconn "could hire 3,000 people overnight."

Those are just a couple examples of how the scale, speed, and efficiency of Chinese manufacturing outstrips anything the US is currently capable of. But the Times' report is full of more evidence, and it's damning. Even though the 200,000 assembly-line workers putting part A into slot B could potentially be classified as unskilled labor, the 8700 industrial engineers overseeing the process can't be -- and according to the Times, finding that many qualified engineers in the States would take nine months. Chinese manufacturers found them all in 15 days.

With the notable exception of the A5 processor, most of the components used to make the iPhone are also manufactured overseas, many of them within a relatively short distance of the final assembly plant. Shipping those components to any potential US-based factories would incur greater costs, and even worse from Apple's perspective, manufacturing delays.

Traditional defenses of outsourcing of manufacturing jobs have revolved around cost. "It costs more money to build in America," the reasoning goes; "You have to pay your workers more, you have to pay benefits, insurance, higher taxes. Everything costs more." Since companies want to make a profit, that added cost inevitably gets passed on to the consumer in inflated prices for goods.

To exaggerate the point, many have claimed that an American-manufactured iPhone would cost thousands of dollars. It turns out that's hyperbole; according to the New York Times, the increased cost of paying American wages to workers would add $65 to the cost of an iPhone. The other costs, added together, probably wouldn't drive the unsubsidized price of a 16 GB iPhone 4S over US$1000. But the dollar cost of manufacturing in America isn't the biggest issue that's driving Apple's decision to outsource manufacturing to China. Instead, it's about who can build the greatest number of iPhones within the shortest period of time, all while remaining flexible and instantaneously adaptable to Apple's needs. According to one current Apple executive, "The US has stopped producing people with the skills we need."

The Times provides a telling example from the early days of the iPhone, before it ever hit the market. It's hard to believe now, but originally the iPhone's screen was going to be made from the same scratch-prone plastic that graced the fronts of its contemporaneous iPod models. In mid-2007, just over a month before the iPhone was scheduled to hit stores for the first time ever, Jobs realized the folly of using that plastic when the screen of the iPhone prototype he was carrying in his jeans pocket had accumulated dozens of scratches. "I won't sell a product that gets scratched. I want a glass screen, and I want it perfect in six weeks."

Anyone who knows how Jobs worked knows that he wasn't bluffing -- if the iPhone didn't meet his standards, it wouldn't go on sale, period. Six months of anticipation had driven demand for the first iPhone into a frenzy, so Apple knew it was going to have to crank them out as quickly as possible. But the last-second change to what was arguably one of the iPhone's most central components meant initiating the kind of mad scramble that simply wouldn't be possible in US manufacturing. Apple would have been an industry laughingstock for as long as it took to overcome the manufacturing delay. Instead, what might have taken months to transpire in the US took place in six short weeks; Apple sourced a virtually scratchproof glass from Corning, and Chinese factories rapidly managed to integrate it into the existing iPhone design.

As it's an American company reaping unprecedented financial rewards, many Americans have lamented the fact that the rewards coming back into America are so comparatively meager. Apple employs 43,000 people in the United States, less than a fifth the number of contractor employees assembling iPhones at one Chinese factory. One could argue that Apple's success has come at the expense of the American manufacturing workforce, but if the New York Times' report is anything to go by, it seems the workforce Apple would have needed in America never existed to begin with.

Joe Paterno loses battle in lung cancer

Joe Paterno: 1926-2012

collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com
John Taylor │ www.msnbc.msn.com

Sadly, the grim reports that dominated the college football news cycle beginning Saturday evening were a precursor to the inevitable but still numbing reality: a coaching legend has passed.

A family spokesperson confirmed to the Associated Press that Joseph Vincent Paterno has died at a State College hospital at the age of 85, just over two months after being diagnosed with a form of lung cancer. A posting to Penn State’s official Facebook page read simply: “With great sadness we mourn the passing of Coach Joe Paterno…Few have done more.”

Paterno passed away at 9:25 a.m. ET Sunday, and the official cause of death was metastic small cell carcinoma of the lung.

The legendary former Penn State head coach was surrounded by family and friends, who had been summoned to the on-campus hospital when Paterno’s health took a turn for the worse recently.

“It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno passed away earlier today,” a statement from the family read. ”His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled. He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community.”

A statement attributed to university president Rodney Erickson and the Board of Trustees was released shortly after Paterno’s death.

“We grieve for the loss of Joe Paterno, a great man who made us a greater university. His dedication to ensuring his players were successful both on the field and in life is legendary and his commitment to education is unmatched in college football. His life, work and generosity will be remembered always.

“The University plans to honor him for his many contributions and to remember his remarkable life and legacy. We are all deeply saddened.”

Paterno was born Dec. 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, NY, and, after his playing days at Brown University were complete, was hired as an assistant at Penn State in 1950. Shortly after the 1965 season had ended, Paterno was named head coach of the Nittany Lions; for the next 46 years, Paterno lorded over Happy Valley as the face of both a football program and a university.

During his nearly five decades as head coach, Paterno accumulated 409 wins, the most in Div. I history; a record 37 appearances in bowl games; and two national championships. As great of a coach as he was on the field, he was widely hailed as, at least until the events that have transpired since last November, an even greater man off of it, donating millions back to his beloved university and shaping the lives of untold numbers of players, coaches and other football support staff.

The legacy he had built in more than a half a century at the school, however, was threatened — or erased in the minds of some — by the Jerry Sandusky child-sex abuse scandal that’s rocked the football program specifically and the university in general. Mere days after his former assistant was indicted on more than 50 charges relating to the sexual molestation of underage boys, Paterno was fired by the school’s board of trustees, which declared in a statement that their “unanimous judgment was that Coach Paterno could not be expected to continue to effectively perform his duties and that it was in the best interests of the University to make an immediate change in his status.”

Nine weeks after his final game Nov. 5 — eerily and vaguely similar time-wise to the passing of Bear Bryant after he had coached his last game at Alabama — Coach Paterno is gone.

Our condolences go out to his family, friends and every single person touched by a helluva coach and a great-but-fallible human being who will ultimately be defined by the totality of his life, both the good and the bad.

RIP Coach Paterno.