12 Trivia Facts About Gal Gadot

1. Gal Gadot-Varsano (Hebrew: גל גדות‎‎, pronounced [ˈɡal ɡaˈdot]; born 30 April 1985) and raised in Rosh HaAyin, Israel.
2. In Hebrew, her first name means "wave" and her surname means "riverbanks".
3. Her first name is pronounced like ''doll''.
4. She is the daughter of Irit (née Weiss), a teacher, and Michael Gadot, an engineer.
5. At the age of 18, Gadot won the 2004 Miss Israel competition, and next competed in the 2004 Miss Universe pageant in Ecuador. won the Miss Israel title in 2004, and represented Israel at the 2004 Miss Universe beauty pageant.
6. She served for two years as sports trainer in the Israeli Defense Forces.
7. Gadot married Israeli real estate developer Yaron Varsano on 28 September 2008 and they have two daughters, her 1st child at age 26, a daughter named Alma Versano in November 2011, and her 2nd child at age 31, a daughter named Maya Versano in March 2017.
8. The couple owned a luxury hotel in the Neve Tzedek district of Tel Aviv, which they sold to Roman Abramovich in 2015 for $26 million.
9. She is the first non-American actress to play Diana Princess/Wonder Woman.
10. She is an avid motorcycle rider and owns a black 2006 Ducati Monster-S2R.
11. She is the first actress to portray Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in a live-action theatrical film. Lynda Carter only performed the role for television.
12. In 2016, Wonder Woman played by Gadot (along with Lynda Carter) was named an Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women & Girls by the United Nations. Subsequently, Gadot was invited to give a speech at the UN in New York City.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal_Gadot

http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/799803/Wonder-Woman-Gal-Gadot-armpit-backlash-trailer-fixed

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2933757/

http://www.cinemablend.com/pop/Meet-Gal-Gadot-12-Things-Know-About-Wonder-Woman-64792.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tp7ZmDeElA

International Dance Day 2017

1. International Dance Day was introduced in 1982 by the International Dance Council (CID, Conseil International de la Danse), a UNESCO partner NGO, and is celebrated yearly, on April 29. 
2. The date is not linked to a particular person or a particular form of dance, although it's also the day when the French dancer and ballet master Jean-Georges Noverre was born. 
3. The main purpose of Dance Day events is to attract the attention of the wider public to the art of dance. Emphasis should be given to addressing a new public, people who do not follow dance events during the course of the year.
4. Every year, the president of the International Dance Council sends the official message for Dance Day which circulate in every country around the world and is posted at the official website for Dance Day.
5. The International Dance Council considers that while dance has been an integral part of human culture throughout its history, it is less prioritized by official establishments in the world.
6. The International Dance Council CID is the official organization for all forms of dance in all countries of the world.
7. CID is recognized by UNESCO, national and local governments, international organizations and institutions.
8. Its members are the most prominent federations, associations, schools, companies and individuals in more than 160 countries.
9. CID was founded in 1973 within the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, where it is based.
10. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
11. Unfortunately there is another organization that claims they created International Dance Day. The truth is that it was the International Dance Committee of ITI that created the day in 1982, and since its first day it has always got eminent dancers and choreographers to write the message. 
12. The fact that it was the International Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute can be proved with facts. See this link: Letter from the Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO

References:

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialHHI/videos/1505400666145550/

https://www.international-dance-day.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Dance_Day

http://www.danceday.cid-portal.org/

12 Trivia Facts About Jessica Alba

1. Jessica Marie Alba was born on 28 April 1981, in Pomona, California to Catherine (Jensen) and Mark David Alba, who served in the US Air Force.
2. Her father's family is Mexican, while her mother has Danish, Welsh, German, English, Scottish, Scots-Irish (Northern Irish), and French ancestry. A DNA test taken on the television series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012) described Jessica as being of 72.7% European, 22.5% Native (Indigenous Mexican, including Mayan), 2% Sub-Saharan African, 0.3% Middle Eastern/North African, and 0.1% South Asian, ancestry, with an additional 2.4% for which there was no match. Her father's direct matrilineal line was also traced to distant Sephardi Jewish ancestry.
3. Has a tattoo of a daisy with a ladybug on it on the back of her neck.
4. Her second cousin is skateboarding legend Steve Alba (aka "Salba").
5. As a child, she was diagnosed with asthma and ADHD. She still takes Ritalin for her ADHD as an adult.
6. Has two pug dogs, named Nancy and Sid.
7. Loves to cook. Her specialty is chicken enchiladas and homemade tortillas. 
8. Loves Harley Davidson motorcycles.
9. She has the Sankskrit word for "lotus" tattooed on the inside of her wrist.
10. Gave birth to her 1st child at age 27, a daughter named Honor Marie Warren on 7 June 2008. Child's father is her husband, Cash Warren.
11. Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 30, a daughter named Haven Garner Warren on 13 August 2011. Child's father is her husband, Cash Warren.
12. Co-founder, with Christopher Gavigan, of "The Honest Company", which makes chemical-free products, like diapers.

References:

http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2015/11/jessica-alba-honest-company-business-empire

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004695/bio?ref_=nm_dyk_trv_sm#trivia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Alba

Lapu-Lapu Day 2017

1. Proclamation No 200 declared April 27 "Lapu-Lapu Day." Duterte signed the proclamation on Wednesday, April 26.
2. The date was chosen because it was on this day, in 1521, when the Battle of Mactan erupted. In that battle, Lapu-Lapu, a local chieftain, confronted Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
3. Duterte described Lapu-Lapu as "the first of our forefathers to have fought against foreign domination."
4. Lapu-Lapu is regarded, retroactively, as the first Filipino hero. Lapu-Lapu (fl. 1521) was a ruler of Mactan in Visayas. Modern Philippine society regards him as the first Filipino hero because he was the first native to resist Spanish colonization.
5. "It is but fitting and proper that Lapu-Lapu be given the highest honor and that his legacy be remembered by all Filipinos through appropriate ceremonies," said President Duterte.
6. Duterte, who refers to himself as a Bisaya because his father is from Cebu, spoke during campaign sorties in Visayas about the need for Lapu-Lapu to be recognized as a hero at par with heroes from Luzon like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio.
7. He even complained about how Lapu-Lapu is honored only by the use of his name to refer to a fish eaten by Filipinos.
8. To elevate Lapu-Lapu's status, Duterte signed an Executive Order creating the Order of Lapu-Lapu. President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the creation of the Order of Lapu-Lapu through Executive Order 17 signed by the President through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea April 7, 2017. The Order of Lapu-Lapu will be awarded to awarded to officials and personnel of the government, and private individuals in recognition of their invaluable or extraordinary service in relation to a campaign or advocacy of the President.
9. This Order is to be awarded to officials, government personnel, and private citizens "in recognition of invaluable or extraordinary service in relation to a campaign or advocacy of the President." 
10. The order will have three medals: the Lapu-Lapu Medal awarded to officials and personnel of the government, and private individuals who significantly contributed to the success of an activity pursuant to the President’s campaign or advocacy.
11. The Kalasag Medal, to be awarded to officials and personnel of the government, and private individuals who lost their lives and/or property as result of direct participation in activity pursuant to the President’s campaign or advocacy.
12. The Kampilan Medal, for individual seriously injured or wounded as result of direct participation in activity pursuant to the President’s campaign or advocacy.

References:

http://www.rappler.com/nation/168168-duterte-april-27-lapu-lapu-day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapu-Lapu http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/04/17/1691158/duterte-creates-order-lapu-lapu-honor-service-his-campaigns http://www.update.ph/2017/04/duterte-creates-order-of-lapu-lapu-for-individuals-supporting-his-campaign-advocacy/16862

12 Instruments Used in Cassini-Huygens

• Optical Remote Sensing ("Located on the remote sensing pallet"]
• Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS)
• Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS)
• Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS)
• Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS)
• Fields, Particles and Waves
• Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS)
• Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA)
• Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS)
• Magnetometer (MAG)
• Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI)
• Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS)
• Microwave Remote Sensing
• Radar
• Radio Science (RSS)

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassini%E2%80%93Huygens

https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft/cassini-orbiter/

https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/saturn-tour/where-is-cassini-now/

http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/4/26/15420666/cassini-spacecraft-dives-saturn-rings-google-doodle

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/0/cassini-spacecraft-need-know-bold-nasa-mission-inside-saturns/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/science/cassini-captures-stunning-earth-picture-10292068

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/cassini-spacecraft-nasa-saturn-rings-orbit-google-doodle-what-means-dive-a7702691.html

https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/grand-finale/milestones/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/04/26/watch-nasas-cassini-spacecraft-poised-bold-mission-dive-saturns/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrcsFUbnxA

12 Trivia Facts About Al Pacino

1. Alfredo James Pacino was born on 25 April 1940, in the Bronx, New York, to an Italian-American family. His parents, Rose (Gerardi) and Sal Pacino, divorced when he was young. 
2. His maternal grandparents originate from Corleone, Sicily. His paternal grandparents originate from San Fratello, Sicily.
3. Stopped a two-pack-a-day smoking habit to protect his voice (1994). In the mid-1980s, he had been smoking four packs of cigarettes a day. He now only occasionally smokes herbal cigarettes.
4. He is one of the few Hollywood stars who has never married but Became a father for the first time at age 49 when his [now ex] partner Jan Tarrant gave birth to their daughter Julie Marie Pacino, aka Julie Pacino, on 16 October 1989 and became a father for the second and third time at age 60 when his [now ex] partner Beverly D'Angelo gave birth to their twins Anton and Olivia Pacino on 25 January 2001.
5. In 2004, he became the 18th performer to win the Triple Crown of Acting. Oscar: Best Actor, Scent of a Woman (1992); Tony: Best Supporting Actor-Play "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?" (1969) and Best Actor-Play "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" (1977); and Emmy: Best Actor-Miniseries/Movie, Angels in America (2003).
6. He was rejected repeatedly by studio heads while auditioning for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972), but Francis Ford Coppola fought for him. This film was shot briskly because both the director and the leading actor were in constant fear of being fired. Ironically, this turned out to be a breakthrough for both.
7. Imprinted his hands and signature in cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on 16 November 1997.
8. Before becoming a professional actor he held a number of jobs including a messenger, shoe salesman, supermarket checker, shoe shiner, furniture mover, office boy, fresh-fruit polisher, and a newsboy.
9. He is one of nine actors to have won the Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, Emmy and Tony); the others in chronological order are Thomas Mitchell, Melvyn Douglas, Paul Scofield, Jack Albertson, Jason Robards, Jeremy Irons, Geoffrey Rush and Christopher Plummer.
10. He is one of the few Razzie Award winners to have won an acting award for playing himself. He won Worst Supporting Actor for Jack and Jill (2011).
11. Along with Barry Fitzgerald and Sylvester Stallone, he is one of only three actors to receive Oscar nominations for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for playing the same character: (1) Fitzgerald was nominated for both awards for playing Father Fitzgibbon in Going My Way (1944), (2) Pacino was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for playing Michael Corleone The Godfather (1972) and Best Actor for the same role in The Godfather: Part II (1974) and (3) Stallone was nominated for Best Actor for playing Rocky Balboa in Rocky (1976) and Best Supporting Actor for the same role in Creed (2015).
12. He has worked with seven directors who have won a Best Director Oscar: Francis Ford Coppola, Sydney Pollack, William Friedkin, Warren Beatty, Oliver Stone, Steven Soderbergh and Barry Levinson.

References:

http://www.today.com/popculture/godfather-cast-reunites-45-years-later-hear-why-al-pacino-t110982

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Pacino

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000199/bio?ref_=nm_dyk_trv_sm#trivia

12 Trivia Facts About Djimon Honsou

1. His name is pronounced Jie-mon Hahn-soo.
2. Djimon Hounsou was born on 24 April 1964 in Cotonou, Benin, West Africa, to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook. 
3. He moved to Lyon, France, when he was 13. 
4. Hounsou has graced the catwalks of Paris and London as a popular male model. He has since left his modeling career and has worked on Gladiator (2000) by Ridley Scott and Amistad (1997) by Steven Spielberg.
5. Came to Paris from Benin at the age of 13, couldn't find a job and ended as a vagrant, sleeping under bridges and rummaging in trash cans for food. 
6. A chance meeting with a photographer led to Hounsou being introduced to fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who encouraged Hounsou to pursue a modeling career.
7. He was in a Janet Jackson video "Love Will Never Do Without You" (1992).
8. On ER (1994), he played Mobalage Ikabo, a refugee from Nigeria. His actual homeland of Benin shares its largest border with Nigeria.
9. Fourth male African to receive an Oscar-nomination for acting. The other three were Basil Rathbone, Cecil Kellaway and Omar Sharif. All four men were nominated for 'Best Supporting Actor'.
10. He learned English by watching television.
11. He was in a relationship from 2007-2012 with his ex-fiancée, Kimora Lee Simmons. 
12. He has a son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou, born 30 May  2009, from her ex-fiancée Kimora Lee Simmons.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djimon_Hounsou

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005023/bio?ref_=nm_dyk_trv_sm#trivia

12 Trivia Facts About Angel Locsin

1. Her real name is Angelica Locsin Colmenares.
2. Locsin was born on 23 April 1985 in Santa Maria, Bulacan and has lived with her father, Angelo Colmenares, and has had no contact with her mother since the age of 14.
3. She studied at St James College in Quezon City for her primary education and finished high school at the University of Santo Tomas High School in Manila. 
4. In August 2007, she attended a short-course for fashion design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. 
5. Despite being of Christian faith, she is a part of a Muslim Royal Family in Marawi City in the province of Lanao del Sur through her mother.
6. Locsin was discovered at a shopping center by a talent scout and then auditioned for several commercials and was supposed to be a part of ABS-CBN's Star Circle Batch 9, but failed to sign a contract because her father opposed the idea.
7. Later, she became a contract star of GMA Artist Center, first appearing on the second season of the teen-oriented series, Click and was also included in the cast of Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw.
8. She came to prominence for her television roles as Alwina in the 2004 fantasy-themed television series Mulawin and as the superheroine Darna in the TV adaptation of the Mars Ravelo comics. 
9. Locsin's first film appearance was in 2000 via Ping Lacson Supercop, wherein she played the role of a young Robina Gokongwei. 
10. Locsin was a contract artist of GMA Network up to early 2007 until she transferred to its rival network, ABS-CBN.
11. She later on starred in blockbuster films In The Name Of Love and One More Try for which she garnered critical acclaim for both performances earning her the Star Award for Movies for Movie Actress of the Year and the Box-Office Entertainment Award for Film Actress of the Year, winning both awards two consecutive years. 
12. In 2013, she won the FAMAS Award and the Film Academy of the Philippines Award for best actress for her performance in One More Try.

References:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1246742/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Locsin

12 Tips For Improving OSCommerce Security

This is a post that caught my attention when I was browsing for security-related information for the OSCommerce platform. This is from the website Codemehappy

1. Rename your Admin folder 
   – Edit the admin/includes/configure.php file. Find and replace all instances of /admin/ with /’your new admin name’/
   – Rename the Admin folder with ‘your new admin name’
2. Delete the files ‘admin’/file_manager.php and ‘admin’/define_language.php
3. Don’t reveal the new name of your ‘Admin’ folder
   – Remove any reference to the ‘Admin’ folder name from catalog/robots.txt.
   This file is readable by anyone at anytime. So anything entered here can be used to map your Store.
4. Limit access to ‘Admin’ and remove old or unused ‘Admin’ accounts
   – htaccess rules can be used here. If your Apache server allows local htaccess files to ‘override’ its default settings (check with your host) then you can create an .htaccess file in the ‘admin’ folder and add the following: 

   01	# deny *everything*

   02	<FilesMatch ".*\..*">

   03	Order Allow,Deny

   04	Deny from all

   05	</FilesMatch>

   06

   07	# but now allow just *certain* necessary files:

   08	<FilesMatch "(^$|^favicon.ico$|.*.(php|js|css|jpg|gif|png)$)">

   09	Order Allow,Deny

   10	Allow from all

   11	</FilesMatch>

   
   This snippet above will only allow certain file types to be run (as specified in the list php|js|css|jpg|gif|png.) Simply add more extensions with a pipe | to broaden. If you want to lock access to the ‘admin’ area to a range of Ip addresses you use, try:

   1	# allow only your IP addresses

   2	<FilesMatch ".*\..*">

   3	Order Deny,Allow

   4	Deny from all

   5	Allow from 123.123

   6	Allow from 456.456

   7	</FilesMatch>

   
   Note the above rule uses only the first two groups of numbers from two Ip addresses. This is because many people are on dynamically assigned IPs which although they do change (infrequently), they often don’t vary that much. If you have a static or dedicated IP address when you connect to the Net, you won’t have this problem.
   – set permissions on all folders to 755, all files to 644 (or 444 read only if configure.php). There are some exceptions here: ‘admin’/backups and ‘admin’/images will require write permissions of 757. These may be able to be protected using htaccess rules however.
   – delete old ‘admin’ accounts, especially ‘demo’ or ‘guest’ accounts or those created for temporary users.
5. Change ‘Admin’ passwords regularly and password protect your ‘admin’ folder
   – to make a tough password, use a password generator like the PCTools Security Password Generator and store them in a password vault like KeePass
   – many control panels (like cPanel and Plesk) offer a simple ‘Password Protect Folder’ utility. This is a good idea, although it does mean you will have to log in twice to the ‘admin’ the first time (once in the popup, then again in the actual login.) However if you have cookies enabled for the session, you only have to do this once while the browser is open. If you don’t have access to such a utility, here are the steps to create your own password protected folder:
   Add your version of this to your ‘admin/.htaccess file (making sure you change the values in lines 2 & 3 after AuthName and AuthUserFile):
   

   1	AuthType Basic

   2	AuthName "whatever you would like it to ask you"

   3	AuthUserFile /absolute/path/to/your/new/.htpasswd

   4	Require valid-user

   
   (I’d recommend putting the .htpasswd file in a folder inaccessible from the web, with its own .htaccess file containing:)
   

   1	<Files *.*>

   2	order allow,deny

   3	deny from all

   4

   </Files>

   
   Use an htpasswd generator to create and encrypt your password – like this one at dynamicdrive.com
   Copy and upload/save the .htpasswd file in its ‘hidden from the web’ location. Done!
6. Don’t reveal the name of your ‘Admin’ folder on printed invoices, packing slips
   – If you print invoices or packing slips, switch off printing the url path on the page.
   For Internet Explorer: File >> Page Setup >> remove this two character combination: “&u” from the header or footer text box.
   For Firefox: File >> Page Setup >> Margins & Header/Footer >> set all of the drop downs to –blank–.
7. Set up ‘Admin’ under another domain or subdomain
8. Use secure Usernames and Passwords
   – If you have work done by a developer or coder who needs access to your admin, use a temporary username and password that you delete afterwards. Use a password generator (like the PCTools Generator mentioned above) and store them in a password vault (like KeePass)
9. Check access dates in the database
   – If you do have developers etc access your ‘Admin’, use phpMyAdmin and browse the admin table for the admin id row of the account, looking at date_modified. This will show the last access date of that account. Ideally though issue temporary admin access to developers. Many versions of oscommerce-based carts (including zen-cart and oscommerce 2.3.x) now have admin logs so you can see a record of logins (and login attempts.)
10. Be security conscious when accessing your ‘Admin’ account
    Not best practice to :
    – access the Admin from a public use computer or public wireless hotspot
    – write login details on a piece of paper stuck to the computer or wall in front of you
    – use ‘password’ as your password (lol)
11. Don’t advertise the version of the Store software you’re running via the ‘admin’
    – Even if you’ve renamed your ‘admin’ folder (as mentioned back at the top of this post eh), there’s not a lot to be gained from advertising which version of the software you’re patched to:
    
    If a security fault was discovered in this version, why advertise you may not have patched? In this example using Cre Loaded, remove around line 135 -137 from ‘admin’/login.php:
    

    1

    <tr>

    2

    <td></td>

    3	<td align="left" style="font-size: 11px; color: #444;"><a href="http://www.creloaded.com"target="_blank"><?php echo PROJECT_VERSION;?></a></td>

    4

    <td></td>

    5

    </tr>

     
12. When using the ‘admin’ panel …
    – use only one browser tab to access your admin area
    – avoid visiting other sites when your browser has an active admin login session enabled, even in another tab
    – always log out of your admin when not using it

References:

https://www.codemehappy.com/2010/10/12-things-improve-oscommerce-based-admin-security/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb2sWFWMQZk