Maniolas

Highclere Castle©AFP/Jack Sharp (Relaxnews) – Fans of Emmy-nominated TV series like “Downton Abbey,” “Breaking Bad” and “House of Cards” can get psyched for the awards show Monday by making virtual visits to filming locations and TV sets via Google Maps. Fans of the period drama “Downton Abbey,” for instance, can parachute into West Berkshire, England and take a virtual tour of Highclere Castle where the series is filmed. Images capture different sides of the set location: under a melancholy British sky, and a spurt of summer sunshine. While Freddy’s BBQ Rib Joint may be fictional, the storefront of Frank Underwood’s favorite restaurant in “House of Cards” is real, and exists on a derelict street in Baltimore. Thanks to the hit series “Breaking Bad,” a fast food restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico that serves burritos, burgers and enchiladas has become a pilgrimage site for fans. If you, like many diehard fans, are planning a pilgrimage to the restaurant that played Los Pollos Hermanos in the series — a fried chicken restaurant that served as a front for a crystal meth empire — get a preview of the area with Google Street View. And “Game of Thrones” fans may recognize the scenery of Ait-Ben-Haddou in Marrakech as the setting of Yunkai, or Yellow City, conquered by the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen. For the collection of images and footage visit http://bit.ly/1l0d9a3. vs/cm

Atom Araullo is now a confirmed heartthrob, albeit the elusive type. What makes him tick and is he in a relationship? Read on.

Sisters Toni and Alex Gonzaga talk about love, life, and career in the YES! September 2014 issue.

Gia Janella Padiernos is crowned Miss GAPASCA. CERRITOS – The scholarship program of the Gapan City Association of Southern California (GAPASCA) got a big boost last August 9 during the inaugural ball of the new organization at the Cerritos Sheraton Hotel. Following the inspirational speech by GAPASCA chairperson Nimfa Castro, three benefactors contributed $1,000 financial grant each before the night ended. With the added funds, GAPASCA will be able to sponsor 12 graduating students from various high schools in Gapan. Each scholar will be given financial assistance of up to P40,000 each towards tuition. Castro said some officers and members of GAPASCA will hold a banquet for the scholars in March 2015 in Gapan. She thanked the members and benefactors for their overwhelming support to the scholarship program. The successful inaugural ball was full house and attended by Gapanenses from all over California. They were joined in the celebration by town mates from other states and from the Philippines. Gapanenses from different generations participated in the program and the inducted officers were also multi-generational. Nueva Ecija Vice Gov. GP Padiernos, a former LA resident and a native Gapanense, was the guest speaker. Larry Camus, president, and Nimfa Castro, chairman of the board, led the officers who were inducted by Vice Consul Mary Joy Ramirez. The first set of GAPASCA officers with Nueva Ecija Vice Gov. GP Padiernos and Vice Consul Mary Joy Ramirez. Also inducted were Gina Patulandong, VP Budget & Finance; Marissa Yamsuan , VP Membership; Ramil Garcia, VP Read More …

New America Media sponsored a recent forum at the UTLA auditorium to discuss changes in protecting the integrity of education. Among those invited in the panel of discussion were: newly-elected National Education Association (NEA) President, Lily Eskelsen-Garcia, Alex Caputo-Pearl, UTLA President and Mikki Cichocki-Semo, California Teachers Assn. (CTA) Secretary-Treasurer. NEA is the nation’s largest professional employee organization representing 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. As the newly-elected NEA President, Ms. Garcia initially related her humble beginnings as a Latina, whose parents were not educated. Her mother was a native of Panama and her dad was from Nicaragua and she recalled how she started as a lunch lady in a school cafeteria in Utah after she graduated from high school. Further she said, she was actually the “salad girl” because the cafeteria management refused to allow her near the “hot food.” Through the encouragement of her teacher, she pursued her college education at the University of Utah through student loans and by “singing at bars and coffeehouses accompanied by her first husband, Ruel Eskelsen. She graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Elementary Education and earned a masters degree in Instructional Technology and taught for nine years at the Orchard Elementary School in West Valley, Utah, where she was named Teacher of the Year. She rose up the ranks and joined the NEA executive committee in 1996. Currently, as the newly elected President of the 3 million member Read More …