Category: Business Mirror

TEAM North will open its title defense in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. Elite Junior Philippine Golf Tour (JPGT) Finals with a simple formula: Play clean, stay patient and keep the pressure on until host South cracks.

But with South armed with a home-course familiarity, a deeper pool of battle-tested qualifiers and a determined bid to avenge last year’s defeat, North knows it cannot afford to take anything for granted when the Ryder Cup-style championship gets under way Tuesday at Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club in Cagayan de Oro City.

Coach Joey Anciano has stressed teamwork and smart decision-making as the keys to North’s campaign, particularly in the opening four-ball and foursomes matches where partnerships and momentum can quickly swing the complexion of the competition.

‘Our main focus is teamwork and keeping the pressure on. In both formats, we want our players to play smart, stay patient, and trust their partners,’ Anciano said. ‘But the goal is to play clean golf and let them make the mistakes.’

That approach will be tested immediately as North faces a South side determined to turn its local knowledge into an early lead.

The defending champion North stormed to a commanding 26 1/2-21 1/2 victory over South in last year’s inaugural showdown at The Country Club, and Anciano’s charges are confident they have enough depth and firepower to reprise that performance.

With points at a premium across all age groups, including the 7-10, 11-14 and 15-18 categories, North knows that depth could prove just as important as star power.

‘The great thing about this team is that every single player is strong, so no matter how we order our pairs, we’re confident we can win points from the very first match to the last,’ Anciano said. ‘We’ll save the final order for game day.’

In the mid-1970s, a distinct rhythm reshaped Philippine airwaves. Known as the Manila Sound, this revolutionary movement swept past foreign hits with a smooth blend of disco, funk, soul, and soft rock.

Pioneered by acts like VST and Co. and Hotdog, the real pull of Manila Sound lay in its natural, everyday Taglish that spoke directly to urban listeners. Vinyl tracks such as ‘Ikaw ang Miss Universe ng Buhay Ko’ and ‘T.L. Ako sa ‘Yo’ turned contemporary city slang into radio gold, while dance floor staples like ‘Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko’ showed that homegrown studios could deliver production values as sharp as any album coming from the US or Europe.

Beyond the basslines and brass arrangements, the genre gave young Filipinos an upbeat escape during the Martial Law years. It proved to radio programmers and record labels that Pinoy audiences wanted music reflecting their own lives. While the initial surge eventually paved the way for the broader Original Pilipino Music (OPM) boom of the 1980s, Manila Sound remains the blueprint for modern Philippine pop – capturing a time when the local recording industry truly found its voice.

A Living Legacy: The Reunion Concert Series

This genre’s enduring power was on full display when the Newport Performing Arts Theater mounted Sumayaw, Sumunod: The Manila Sound Reunion a fortnight ago. The milestone concert featured the original architects of Pinoy pop music for one night that bridged generations of OPM fans.

The all-star lineup reads like a directory of Philippine music history: Monet Gaskell and Male Rigor representing the infectious harmonies of VST and Co.; Joey Abando of The Boyfriends delivering disco anthems and signature ballads alongside Nonoy Tan and Rey Magtoto of Wadab, the Davao-based soul group; Jojo Grospe, Joel Macanaya, and Ramon Villanueva of jukebox pop pioneer The Rainmakers.

Adding multi-textured depth to the evening were jazz-funk chanteuse Pat Castillo of the legendary Circus Band, acknowledged ‘Queen of Pinoy Rock’ Sampaguita, pop hitmaker Gino Padilla, folk-rock diva Lolita Carbon of the trailblazing Asin Band, and guitarist-lead vocalist Mon Espia of acoustic-blues exponent Labuyo.

Grooving to the Beat of Vintage Pinoy Pop

From the opening number to the final encore, the Newport theater transformed into a cross-generational disco. Boomers and Gen-Xers who grew up cassette-taping radio broadcasts were dancing the swing. Millennials and Gen-Zees who discovered the retro genre through streaming playlists were singing the lyrics word-for-word. The entire performance was indeed a collective celebration of Filipino identity.

Among the standouts were ‘Sa Jeepney,’ and ‘Pag Tumatagal Lalong Tumitibay’ by the Wadab duo; Labuyo’s ‘Tuloy Pa Rin Ako’ by Mon Espia; ‘Aso’t Pusa’ by Pat Castillo; ‘Closer I Get to You’ by Gino Padilla; The Boyfriends’ ‘Dahil Mahal Kita,’ ‘Nais Ko Malaman Mo’ by Joey Abando; ‘Masdan Mo ang Kapaligiran’ by Lolita Carbon;and ‘Binibini’ by The Rainmakers trio.

What brought the house down toward the concert’s homestretch were Sampaguita’s high-energy renditions of ‘Bonggahan,’ ‘Nosibalasi’ and ‘Laguna,’ as well as the VST duo’s ‘Ipagpatawad Mo’ and their medley of their own Pinoy Disco hits that included ‘Disco Fever,’ ‘Swing’ and later in the finale, ‘Magsayawan’ and ‘Awitin Mo.:

Throwback shows like Sumayaw Sumunod and its sequel – last weekend’s Manila, Manila: The Hotdog Tribute Concert – demonstrate that Manila Sound is not a mere relic of a bygone decade. Its tight grooves and conversational lyrics tap straight into the heart of Filipino pop culture. 50 years after Manila Sound’s inception, it is still prevalent in the nation’s consciousness akin to having a last song syndrome. What started as an urban youth trend has evolved into a timeless cultural institution.

Prelude to the Annie Batungbakal Musical

Sumayaw Sumunod and Manila, Manila served as the grand overture for Newport World Resorts and Viva Communications’ next theatrical co-production debuting in September 2026 titled Bongga Ka, ‘Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical. By gathering legendary artists under the spotlight, these twin concerts set a vibrant precedent for the upcoming spectacle centered on the Hotdog Band’s iconic catalog.

‘Annie Batungbakal’ transforms the story of the nightlife-loving department store dispatsadora into a full-scale tribute to Pinoy Pop culture. Just as the nostalgic reunion concerts showcased the ageless appeal of musical classics, this stage adaptation of the eponymous 1979 movie will further boost the post-pandemic resurgence of Philippine theater as the ‘Broadway of Asia.’ It also promises to introduce the gold standard of Manila Sound to a new generation of theatergoers.

Together, such spectacular productions reinforce a singular truth: the groove that defined a golden era continues to inspire and entertain Filipinos half a century later. Bravo!

Alas Pilipinas is emerging from the FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship with a much better idea of what it can become.

The girls are still discovering new dimensions to its game even as its breakthrough campaign comes to a close with Megan Hernandez, Jello Mauricio and Jhenica Sadia, who had seen varying amounts of court time, combining with established scorers Xyz Rayco and Caera Celis to give Alas Pilipinas a different look on offense.

The process had been tough for the recently-reassembled squad, but team manager Karl Chan believes the experience will ultimately make the team better.

‘What matters is that we learn from every game and use those lessons to get better,’ Chan said. ‘Alas Pilipinas has played well despite having so little time to build chemistry.’

‘This team had been together for only about a week before we left for Chile, while you can see that the other teams have had much more time to play and develop together,’ he added.

The latest discovery came in the rematch against Venezuela on Saturday as Mauricio helped provide the needed third-set spark on the right side-the 14-year-old lefty finishing with nine points for her biggest output in the championship.

Hernandez and Sadia also came up with timely contributions in that stretch, although the Philippines’s comeback bid ultimately fell short, 22-25, 15-25, 25-20, 22-25.

Whether those discoveries will translate to another competitive performance will be tested against No. 22 Czechia in the battle for 15th place on Sunday at Parque Estadio Nacional.

Czechia is coming off a five-set loss to Peru and will also try to finish with a flourish.

Still the best finish for Alas

THE Alas Pilipinas Girls have learned that having the firepower to upset some of the best and being prepared to sustain that level in the demanding grind of a world championship are two entirely different things.

Coach Edwin Leyva and the rest of the coaching staff reminded the Alas Pilipinas Girls that they have done what nobody saw coming by reaching the Round of 16-on the strength of victories over No. 8 Mexico and No 20 Tunisia-and that the losses that followed, also against higher-rated foes, don’t diminish what they had accomplished. By making the Round of 16, this Alas Pilipinas squad has achieved the best finish ever by a Philippine volleyball team in any world championship.

The Bryan Bagunas-led squad fell just short of the Round of 16 in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship last year in the Philippines, while a team placed 18th in the 1974 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship in Mexico.

Entering the tournament No. 25 in the world, the Philippines is the second-lowest-ranked team in the 24-team field, ahead of only No. 27 Spain.

Alas Pilipinas Girls-backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and Asics-have punched well above their weight.

They were determined to turn the tables on Venezuela after losing in five sets in pool play, and even had the edge in blocks, 7-5, and serves, 11-7, in Saturday’s playoff. But the young Filipinas couldn’t match Venezuela’s attacking output, with the South Americans dominating, 59-45.

Rayco, the top scorer for the Philippine team that earned its place in this world championship through the Asian Volleyball Confederation U16 Championship, showed the way for Alas with 15 points on 11 attacks, three aces and a block.

Caera Celis continued her solid play and scored 14 on 13 attacks and a block. Megan Hernandez delivered five points and Jhenica Sadia added three.

Amanda Estefania Pacheco Gonzalez led Venezuela with 17 points, while Colina Lezama Yalesca Lileagne scored 15.

The USA reached the final without dropping a set, sweeping aside No. 1 and defending champion China, 25-13, 25-15, 25-19.

Turkiye earned the other spot in the title match after defeating Chinese Taipei, 25-15, 25-22, 25-22.

‘He’s back for good,’ Wowee Posadas says of Bong Peñera – the esteemed Filipino musician and composer who left the country in 1980 and had been based in the United States for over 30 years.

Posadas will host a homecoming gig for Peñera on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 19 East, which will reunite him with drummer Cesar Yumping and bassist Paul Candelaria of the Batucada, plus young singer Yanni Dee.

Peñera was a top-quality act in the ’70s. If Pinoy rock, folk, and pop comprised the mass-audience firmament of OPM, jazz occupied a special spot with Peñera as one of its purveyors.

He was said to have started tinkering with the piano at age 5, later entering the Centro Escolar University Conservatory of Music in 1968 while forming a jazz band named Shades of Latin, and playing his first gigs at a place called Carbungco’s in Quezon City.

By 1973, he had a new group, the Batucada – named after a percussive style of samba, an Afro-Brazilian dance that became a trend-setting music genre.

Peñera adopted the rhythms of samba and its laid-back cousin, bossa nova, melding the music with a Filipino touch. Pretty soon, the Batucada was going places and drawing audiences at Pension Filipina, Bacchus Pub, and Batik Inn.

And then things got more interesting. In a span of three years, Peñera recorded a trilogy of all-original albums: ‘A Samba Song’ (1976), ‘Batucada sa Calesa’ (’77), and ‘Bong Peñera’ (’78).

Fans loved ‘A Samba Song’ because it was different – not noisy but not too soft either. It introduced the Batucada sound, in which the repetitive beats and rhythms of drums (Ding Poblete), bass (Sonny Nabong), and percussion (Nick Boogie) did not have to be boring, especially if enhanced by the flute (Pete Canzon).

Peñera himself sang intimately on several numbers, as if he were beside you while playing the piano with vibrancy.

The title track featured two versions – one with Portuguese lyrics sung by a Brazilian, Maria Dulce Soares de Silva, and the other with Filipino/English lines by Peñeraand Norma Ramirez. In all instances, the message was simple: Life can be more fun if one danced the samba with a partner.

The other songs were moody, personal reflections, including one on his mother (‘Rosita Maria), the inspiration behind the independently produced album’s label, Penny Rose.

The follow-up release, ‘Batucada sa Calesa,’ bore Vicor Records’ Blackgold imprint, with a CBS Sony logo signifying its international release, which meant Peñera had arrived. The title track captured the mood and spirit of the Filipino fiesta while assimilating a musical branch of Latin America.

At the time, the Batucada (Nabong, Yumping, guitarist Jun Enriquez, and female vocalist Mila Garcia) was one of the live music attractions at the Hyatt Regency’s Calesa Bar – hence the album title.

It also contained a track Peñera wrote for his wife (‘Samba for Luisa’), as well as lyrical explorations of where the music could take him – ‘Beat Contemplation,’ originally from the first album but with vocals; ‘Two Themed Samba,’ a playful romp featuring acoustic and electric piano; ‘Lullaby,’ a modern kundiman take on someone putting a lover to sleep; ‘Go,’ a bittersweet view of splitting up; and ‘Tell Me,’ about the anxieties of a relationship on the rocks.

In his third self-titled album, Peñera went on an adventure – adding flugelhorn and trumpet (Fred Concepcion), saxophone (Rudy Sugcang), and two sets of session players to his basic quartet lineup: Candelaria and Sonny Tolentino alternating on bass; Fred Alidon and Edmond Fortuno on drums; with Dingdong and Totoy Boogie on percussion; and Pat Castillo and Patrice Elaine Balquiedra singing one track each.

Imagine Anak Bayan’s Fortuno and Tolentino switching off their rock ‘n’ roll chops and anchoring the three-part movement of the Latin jazz instrumental ‘Ode,’ and accompanying Castillo in the swinging ‘Love Notes.’

Peñera also includes his interpretation of ‘Sa Dako Pa Roon’ from the stage musical ‘Sinta,’ whose soundtrack in the movie version he arranged.

All told, these lead to a great listening experience, rain or shine. If you don’t have the vinyl records, YouTube is a good alternative.

Better yet, go to 19 East this Sunday night. Entrance is free.

SOME songs begin with a melody. Others start with a memory.

And for Taiwanese singer-songwriter Shi Shi, the starting point for her latest EP was something even more familiar: taste.

Not simply the taste of food, but of moments that linger long after they have passed-the sweetness of childhood, the bitterness of heartbreak, the comfort of lifelong friendships, and the emotions that often exist somewhere in between.

Those contrasts became the foundation of The Taste Of…, a five-track multilingual Extended Play (EP) released on July 10 after nearly two years without a full project.

Featuring songs in English, Mandarin and Korean, the record marks Shi Shi’s first step toward reaching a wider international audience while remaining rooted in the deeply personal stories that have defined her songwriting.

‘The concept is the contrast of feelings,’ Shi Shi said in a recent media roundtable. ‘It is about bitterness and sweetness. It also means there were a lot of emotions that I felt during these past two years.’

Every language finds its place

FOLLOWING her previous album Boomerang in December 2023, Shi Shi resisted the urge to immediately produce another full-length record.

Instead, she spent the past two years exploring new sounds, traveling to Los Angeles and South Korea to collaborate with producers from different musical backgrounds. The result? An EP that reflects not only different emotions but different places.

‘So these five songs are from different countries,’ she explained. ‘I’m still exploring, and this EP includes many different vibes. It also expresses different emotions.’

Yet despite working across cultures, Shi Shi said choosing the language for each song was never a calculated decision. Instead, she lets the music decide. ‘When I write in three languages, I feel they find me,’ she explained.

‘There are moments when I write a verse, and it doesn’t feel right, so I switch to Mandarin or Korean, and suddenly it fits.’

Rather than translating lyrics from one language into another, Shi Shi believes every melody naturally carries the language that best expresses its emotion. ‘I think the melodies find the right language.’

Food as memory

THE EP’s title naturally invites listeners to think about food, and for Shi Shi, that connection is intentional.

Food has always occupied an important place in her life-not only because she enjoys cooking and dining, but because she also owns a restaurant in Taiwan. ‘Food is a big pleasure for me,’ she said with a laugh. ‘I really love food. I love eating.’

But beyond enjoyment, she sees food as something that carries emotions. It becomes part of family traditions, childhood memories, and friendships that people often remember long after individual conversations have faded.

That idea is perhaps most visible in ‘Tteokbokki,’ one of the EP’s tracks, which is named after the popular Korean street food.

Slowing down without stopping

ALTHOUGH ‘The Taste Of…’ arrives after two years without a major release, Shi Shi is quick to clarify that she never truly disappeared.

‘I kept working. I just didn’t release an album,’ she said.

After releasing six full-length records over more than a decade, she felt it was time to approach music differently. Instead of immediately beginning another album, she focused on individual singles before allowing them to come together as an EP.

‘I’ve released six albums now,’ she said. ‘I don’t think I really took a rest for the last 10 or 12 years.’

The slower pace, she explained, allows her to communicate her ideas more intentionally. ‘I’m trying to take it slow,’ she said. ‘I hope I can express what I really want to express.’

Also, with two Golden Melody Awards and multiple nominations already under her belt, Shi Shi has achieved both critical recognition and commercial success.

Yet she insists those milestones are not what keeps her making music. ‘I just want to make music,’ she said. ‘I love to sing.’

The second reason, she added, is just as important. ‘My fans,’ saying ‘There are a lot of people listening to my music, so I cannot stop. I want to make more music for them to listen to.’

A taste of what’s next

ONE country Shi Shi hopes to connect with more closely is the Philippines.

Asked whether she would consider collaborating with a Filipino artist, she immediately turned the question back. ‘Do you have any recommendations?’ she asked with a smile.

She recalled watching Filipino girl group BINI perform at Coachella and said she was impressed by the group’s stage presence. ‘I saw BINI’s show,’ she said. ‘That was so cool.’

For now, however, Shi Shi’s attention remains on introducing ‘The Taste Of…’ to new listeners around the world. And if she hopes listeners remember one thing after hearing it, perhaps it is that some of life’s strongest memories are not only seen or heard.

THE past few days, two young lady golfers have been making waves-although for completely opposite reasons.

The first one is a story of resilience, of a young lady who overcame crushing losses and meltdowns to finally bag one of the biggest trophies in amateur golf.

The second lady, kept anonymous but whispers have made their way to ‘marites’ middle-aged golfers, made news due to accusations of cheating in a collegiate golf tournament.

Let me start with the second lady golfer, Ms. Wrong Card. Playing college golf is one of the most fun times a young golfer can have. Getting to represent your school in competitions, experiencing team play in a mostly individual sport is quite a treat. I know this personally since I was fortunate enough to experience playing college golf during my time at Ateneo.

College golf

I WASN’T your typical junior golfer. I took up the game relatively late, at 15 years old. Competitive juniors my age were already scoring in the low 70s and the better ones, already breaking par routinely.

But at 15, I was a complete beginner at golf, having played mostly basketball and tennis growing up. Although I come from a golfing family, I was never forced into it and only got interested in high school.

Luckily, with my dad’s guidance and funding, I had access to golf and coaching and by the time I was 17-two years into golf, I was already breaking 80 on good days. I still remember signing up for varsity team tryouts. I was a 12 handicap then, and I saw a few dozen names on the tryout sheet.

The venue was Valley Golf’s South Course and there were eight slots on the team up for grabs-four players on Team A and another four slots on Team B. Now eight slots isn’t too bad, but I found out that we all had to play against current team members too, as being on the team isn’t guaranteed. Every year, we had to battle for our slot on the roster.

I have to admit it was the most pressure I’ve experienced on a golf course in my life. That day, I shot 83, not spectacular but respectable for my skill level. Surprisingly, I made the team and I even made Team A, barely.

I think on my freshman year, there were four of us who joined the teams and four former members who kept their slots. Those four years of college golf were just plain fun. We competed against young men our age, some members of the national team.

Our squad kept a steady third best among universities that competed, but we were never a threat to schools who had standout amateurs and national players in their rosters.

Anyway, back to Ms. Wrong Card. The Junior Golf Federation of the Philippines (JGFP) has been doing a great job of promoting the game and in cooperation with the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, has provided a venue for golfers from different colleges and universities to compete.

In a recent tournament of the JGFP College Series at Mimosa, a competitor submitted a different scorecard from the official one in the hopes of maybe improving her team’s chances. Luckily, the cheating attempt was foiled with the help of the marker who took a photo of the official card she marked for Ms. Wrong Card.

That was enough proof for the organizers to disqualify Ms. Wrong Card and it may also get her expelled from her team. Whispers are circulating that the Ms. Wrong Card is from a top university and belongs to a golfing family who were active in junior golf development.

Was it pressure? Was there too much pride on the line? Who knows? What is clear is that at such a young age, and in such a wholesome competitive environment, kids or young adults can already get the temptation to cheat. Hopefully, this serves as a learning experience for this young lady.

Asterisk does it

THE next young lady needs no introduction if you follow amateur golf. Asterisk Talley first became a familiar name when she competed in the finals of the US Girl’s Amateur against our very own Rianne Malixi.

Rianne won that one over the younger Talley. Just weeks after that US Girl’s loss, it was again Talley vs Malixi in the US Women’s Amateur. Rianne won that one again. Asterisk Talley was just 15 then, and she would have many chances for redemption.

At last year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA), Asterisk was at it again, getting herself in contention by the final round and finished second. This year, Talley was looking good, leading heading into the back nine at Augusta.

But hole 12 had different plans and Asterisk made a disastrous quadruple bogey to end her chances. Those heartbreaking close calls served as fuel and never deterred the feisty Talley.

At this year’s US Women’s Amateur, she dominated top seed Anna Iwanaga convincingly. Talley made sure she won’t need to claw her way to a win. She dispatched Iwanaga 8 up with six holes to go.

These two tales from two young ladies demonstrate what’s great and what’s wrong with golfers, no matter the age. Resilience, grit and glory vs entitlement and cheating. I hope fellow golfers, regardless of age and gender can learn from these stories.

Ask a teen what they want to be when they grow up, and there’s a fair chance being an influencer is on their list.

Digital media and the people who star in it have been cultural mainstays for teens’ entire lives, so creating social media, video or podcast content seems a natural, albeit nontraditional, career path. And now they can earn a college degree in that very field.

Arizona State University recently launched a new bachelor’s degree in content creation, offered through its Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The curriculum overlaps with that of ASU’s mass communication and media studies degree, with the major departure being a slate of specialized electives on podcasting, studio production and on-camera presence.

ASU’s announcement was met with swift criticism from many sides – from people who feel content creation is not a legitimate profession to those who question the value of a college degree in launching a social media career.

But the ASU program is not the first of its kind.

And the university, which declined an interview request about the new program, is not the first to offer content creation courses.

Universities, eager to compete for a shrinking student population, are rolling out new majors intended to prepare students for today’s careers. Whether they lead to jobs can be up for debate.

College courses in content creation have riled critics

Many higher education institutions have started offering classes focused on the burgeoning content creation industry over the past couple years, and several have certificate or minor programs. Syracuse University, Quinnipiac University and Colorado State University offer minors, and St. Bonaventure University announced a content creation major last winter.

To Brooke Erin Duffy, a communication professor at Cornell University, these college programs represent an inflection point. During the past year, Duffy said, institutions in education and beyond have been acknowledging content creation as a viable career path – even if the term ‘influencer’ itself hits a nerve.

On social media, influencers are everywhere, sharing shopping recommendations and lifestyle content or promoting beliefs about health or politics. Because even influencers with relatively small followings have loyal audiences, brands also often pay them to talk about products.

The image of a prototypical influencer, Duffy said, is usually a ‘young girl who is snapping selfies and just reaping in tremendous rewards for seemingly not doing anything.’

But that’s not the reality for many content creators, who are working on media production, audience retention strategies, brand partnerships and business relationships associated with their online presence.

‘It is a time-consuming, labor-intensive job that often doesn’t pay well – at least in the beginning,’ Duffy said. ‘But a lot of that gets concealed behind … this assumption that it’s a dream job.’

The creator economy is booming, but not everyone reaps the riches

Even if someone has the skills to make it in content creation, it isn’t easy to break in.

Social media is already a crowded field, and it’s going to get even more competitive in the coming years, said Max Willens, a principal analyst at Emarketer who covers the creator economy.

Emarketer forecasts that social media creator revenue in the US will climb above $20 billion this year, but Willens said it’s important to contextualize what that means for individual creators.

‘The overwhelming majority of that money is not going into creators’ pockets,’ he said, even though their content and their followers form the foundation of the lucrative field.

Influencers can earn money from social media platforms, which reward high engagement, and some earn commission if people buy a product they’re promoting. But the largest share of influencers’ earnings comes from sponsored content – getting paid to talk about a brand or product. Willens said he expects the amount brands spend distributing and amplifying creator content will eventually surpass the amount creators earn making it.

The idea that a specialized college degree will ‘suddenly turn people into viral content machines deserves a bit of a reality check,’ Willens said.

Duffy noted that becoming an influencer often is perceived, incorrectly, as a path to get rich quick. Colleges that introduce content creation degrees may be hoping to attract new students – and their parents – who are looking for ‘a job that will pay off,’ Duffy said. ‘Whether or not it does is another story.’

A degree’s price is also a factor: At ASU, base tuition for Arizona residents is about $12,000 per academic year, excluding scholarships, but the total cost of attendance can exceed $37,000 after factoring in room, board and other fees. For students from outside of Arizona, tuition is more than $35,000 and the total cost of attendance is around $60,000 before scholarships.

Creators see value and transferable skills in these programs

While many content creation students may be hoping to become viral sensations, Phoenix-based creator Aiesha Beasley said she could see programs like ASU’s being valuable even to those without that dream.

‘Having a digital presence and a personal brand is very important nowadays,’ Beasley said. Building a platform and sharing that personal brand online can help a person network and gain entry to settings they may not have had access to otherwise, she said.

Beasley, who has been a full-time content creator for three years after more than a decade posting online, works with small businesses to help optimize their social media presence. She noted that ASU’s courses would teach several transferable skills in fields such as communications and marketing.

Content creator and actor Sammy Cristerna graduated from Arizona State University this spring with a degree in sociology and political science, but said he ‘absolutely’ would have taken classes in the content creation program and considered the major if it had been available.

The courses, Cristerna said, would have been useful in learning how to negotiate brand deals, maximize monetization opportunities and cultivate and keep an audience. Some of those skills can be self-taught through experience, he added. Still, ‘it’s nice to have that formal education.’

The one thing Cristerna said he isn’t sure will translate in the classroom is personality.

To connect on camera, a person needs to have ‘good energy,’ he said. ‘That’s hard to teach.’

FRANCINE WONG continued her torrid run on the Palawan Junior Tennis Series, fashioning contrasting victories in the girls’ 14- and 16-and-under divisions to claim MVP honors in the Mayor Edwin Olivarez Juniors Age Group Tennis Championships in Sucat, Parañaque last Thursday.

The rising Cagayan de Oro City star barely broke stride in the 14-and-under division, dropping just seven games in her first four matches before stopping the giant-killing run of unranked Kyla Caguioa, 7-5, 6-3, in the final.

Caguioa had stunned top seed Amanda Barrido, 6-3, 3-6, 11-9, in the second round and followed it with two more victories to earn a shot at the crown. But Wong survived a tight opening set before asserting her class in the second to seal the title.

Wong then battled through another test in the 16-and-under final, overcoming Barrido, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, to complete her two-title romp.

The twin victories mirrored Wong’s impressive sweep in the opening leg of the Palawan Junior Luzon Series and further underlined her growing credentials as one of the country’s promising young players looking to follow the path blazed by Alex Eala onto the international stage.

Eala’s breakthrough on the world circuit has helped fuel renewed interest in junior tennis in the Philippines, with the Parañaque tournament drawing a full field of 256 players competing for titles and ranking points in four age-group divisions, each featuring 32-player draws.

The Group 2 tournament, presented by Dunlop and sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association and Universal Tennis Ranking, is part of the Olivarez family’s continuing grassroots tennis program, providing young players with a high-level competitive platform. It also served as the second stop of the three-leg Luzon Junior Series following successful circuits in Mindanao and the Visayas.

The Luzon swing concludes at the Colegio de San Agustin Tennis Stadium in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, from Aug. 20 to 30. Registration remains open. For details and registration, contact tournament director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

In the boys’ division, Jan Caleb Villeno matched Wong’s feat by sweeping the 14-and-U and 16-and-U singles titles to share MVP honors.

The San Pablo City standout edged Djokovic Garcia, 7-6(4), 6-0, in the 14-and-U final before dominating Yuan Torrente, 6-2, 6-3, for the 16-and-U crown.

Villeno then completed a three-title haul by teaming with Anthony Cosca to defeat Garcia and Vivaan Garg in the 18-and-U doubles final of the event supported by ICON Golf and Sports and Palawan Group of Companies.

In other singles results, Melatiah Pascua dominated Jasmine Sardona, 6-0, 6-2, while Garg subdued Cosca, 6-2, 6-2, to split the 18-and-U titles. Eilythia Comia edged Jaynelle Castro, 7-5, 6-0, and Raven Licayan beat Liam Harrow, 6-3, 6-3, for the 12-and-U crowns.

In doubles, Castro and Barrido defeated Abrielle Asistio and Julia Bermejo, 8-3, while Rafael Cablitas and Tyronne Caro edged Licayan and Lance Recto, 8-6, for the 14-and-U titles. Agatha Asistio and Pascua claimed the girls’ 18-and-U doubles crown with an 8-4 victory over Claire Alcala and Sardona.

The Trump administration’s Cuba strategy is increasingly focused on ramping up sanctions and economic pressure rather than deploying military force to break the island’s Communist leadership, people familiar with the matter said.

US attention is now centered on cutting off all revenue sources for the regime rather than any military or special forces operation similar to the January raid that seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, according to the people, who asked not to be identified to detail the administration’s thinking.

The strategy is aimed at creating fractures in the ranks and room for negotiation in a government that’s rejected US calls for change after almost seven decades of one-party rule, the people said.

While the US has maintained a trade embargo on Cuba since the early 1960s, officials led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded more could be done to cut off funds flowing to the powerful Castro family and military leaders, the people said.

While it’s been weeks in the making, the approach echoes a recent shift in strategy toward Iran that’s focused less on military force and more on squeezing Tehran economically. On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US would soon impose what he said were ‘measures that have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country’ against Iran.

However, it’s unclear whether the new Cuba strategy can yield a breakthrough after more than half a century of controversial economic sanctions and no credible political opposition. There’s also no agreeable political leader to install, as the US did in Venezuela and as President Donald Trump has said he wanted to do in Iran – where the regime has also held out against US pressure.

Asked to comment, a US official said the Trump administration is open to a new chapter in its relationship with Cuba and that the only thing standing in the way is the nation’s current leadership. The official said a failed state in Cuba is a threat to US national security and that almost every left-wing militant group in the Western Hemisphere has relied on Cuban support at some point.

‘As with any foreign policy topic, President Trump has many options at his disposal,’ the State Department said in a statement. ‘The United States will continue to use every tool available to both address the national security threats posed by the Cuban Communist regime, and to drive the economic and political reforms to give Cuba a better future.’

The ramped-up US measures on Cuba include a naval quarantine of oil deliveries to the nation’s government that has led to repeated blackouts and warnings that ever-tighter sanctions risk a humanitarian crisis. Cuban officials have condemned the sanctions as ‘genocidal,’ saying they’re willing to make economic reforms and negotiate but that the island’s political system is not up for debate.

Since using the military to capture Maduro, Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect that Cuban leaders could be ‘next,’ and hinted at possible military operations.

Republican lawmakers from Florida, where there is a large Cuban diaspora, have also raised expectations of kinetic action. Representative Carlos Gimenez has suggested Trump and Rubio could ‘annihilate’ the Cuban regime in ‘a matter of seconds,’ and cast doubt on a report that Republican senators were cautioning Trump against an attack given the war in Iran.

Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe also visited the island of 9.4 million people in May for talks with top leaders. At the time, a CIA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Ratcliffe wanted to make clear Trump must be taken seriously, citing what happened in Venezuela.

While the eventual use of the military can’t be ruled out for a president who values unpredictability, that option is being pushed to the back burner, the people said.

The idea Trump has floated – attacking Cuba after Iran – has also become less plausible as the unpopular war in the Middle East drags into a fifth month with the US clearly pressing Tehran for a deal ahead of midterm elections. The usefulness of bombing targets in a poor island nation off the coast of Miami is also unclear, and Trump wants to avoid putting US troops on the ground, the people said.

In Venezuela, the White House captured Maduro and gained clear influence over the government by installing his deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, as acting president. But the picture in Cuba is more complex. US officials believe President Miguel Díaz-Canel is controlled by the Castro family, with power dispersed between members of the family and officials in the military.

Rubio – a Cuban-American politician tasked by Trump to lead US policy on the issue – is well known for his outspoken condemnation of the Castro regime across 14 years in the Senate and tenure in Florida politics.

But he’s recently moderated language that was more aggressive just after Maduro’s capture.

Asked if Cuba was ‘next’ after Venezuela on a podcast released this week with Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, Rubio instead said he’s confident Cuba ‘will be on an irreversible path towards a much different future’ by the time ‘this administration ends’ in January 2029.

That’s different than his public warning that Cuban leaders were in ‘a lot of trouble’ in the hours after Maduro’s dramatic capture. ‘If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I’d be concerned,’ he said at the time.

US officials have struggled to navigate between what they see as competing Cuban factions including the Castro family, the military, the Communist Party bureaucracy and descendants of other revolutionary leaders. While the White House hoped to remove Díaz-Canel and the Castro family from power, the push has been complicated by the lack of a credible opposition since revolutionary brothers Fidel and Raúl overthrew the island’s military dictatorship in 1959.

It’s also unclear whether any political transition in Cuba could totally exclude all extended members of the Castro family. Their continued proximity to power would not sit well with the Cuban-American diaspora in Miami that’s cheered the administration’s pressure campaign.

That campaign saw the US in May sanction Gaesa, the military-run business conglomerate that is the largest player in the tourism industry. And in July, the US added sanctions on Cuba’s tourism ministry, the second-biggest, striking at one of the island’s main economic drivers.

Yet the stepped-up oil and fuel embargo – enabled by the toppling of Maduro and US control over Cuba’s energy-rich former patron Venezuela – now risks a humanitarian catastrophe, with United Nations agencies warning of food and medicine shortages, and power outages impacting hospitals and cancer treatment.

Rubio this week suggested more time was needed.

‘You can’t have something in place for 70 years – it grows roots – and then think overnight you’re just going to rip out the whole thing and put something brand-new into the ground,’ Rubio said on the podcast.

Max Verstappen sits sixth in the championship, 110 points off Kimi Antonelli’s pace – a gap that would’ve been unthinkable two years ago. He’s already said what this weekend means to him: pride and sadness both, the race gone from the calendar no matter how long he keeps driving for Red Bull. He’s won every home race at Zandvoort since 2021, but one, and Sunday is the last chance to make it two. It’s not just his goodbye, either.

The Dutch Grand Prix runs August 21-23 at Circuit Zandvoort for the last edition of the modern revival that began in 2021, closed out under a one-year extension neither side bothered to stretch further. Fittingly, it’s also the first weekend Zandvoort has ever run a sprint – a circuit built around narrow, banked corners and dune-line sightlines getting exactly one shot at hosting the shortened Saturday race before the calendar moves on without it, same as him.

The championship picture heading into the weekend isn’t close. Kimi Antonelli leaves the summer break with 219 points and a 50-point lead over Lewis Hamilton after eleven rounds, George Russell third on 160, Mercedes holding a 72-point constructors’ cushion over Ferrari, 379 to 307. The Hungaroring gave the season its closest thing to a plot twist: Lando Norris took pole by 0.012 seconds over Hamilton, lost the lead to Piastri’s cutback at Turn 2, then took it back for good once Piastri tangled with Carlos Sainz and Norris simply ran away on pace – Piastri’s own afternoon ending with a gearbox failure and fifteen laps still to run, more formality than turning point by that stage. Hamilton got demoted by a five-second pit-lane penalty and finished fifth behind Leclerc; Nico Hlkenberg scored his first points for Audi. Norris’s win was his and McLaren’s first of the season. Round eleven of twenty-two, the calendar is down two races since Bahrain and Saudi Arabia both fell off it this spring. That’s how thoroughly Mercedes has run this reset year.

Zandvoort rewards exactly the kind of high-downforce, low-degradation setup that has suited Mercedes all season, so there’s little reason to expect the order to scramble on pure competitive logic. What could scramble it is hardware. Two of the year’s more consequential upgrades land here, on the other side of the factory shutdown. Honda has confirmed Aston Martin’s upgraded power unit debuts at the Dutch Grand Prix – chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said the team needed two more races with the current specification before applying what it learns to the new one. Honda has reportedly earmarked both of its 2026 ADUO tokens – the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities the FIA grants a manufacturer whose engine gets flagged as the field’s weakest – for a single overhaul expected to add roughly 50 horsepower, according to Motorsport Italy’s Franco Nugnes. That matters because Aston Martin has spent ten rounds at the back of the grid, Fernando Alonso holding the team’s only point, Lance Stroll still on zero. Alonso did reach Q2 for the first time all season at the Hungaroring, riding a separate aero package – sixteen updates in one weekend, by the team’s own count – but the AMR26 is still, in Nugnes’s phrase, hunting for a way back into the fight with Racing Bulls, Alpine, and Audi.

Alpine’s under its own kind of pressure. Managing director Steve Nielsen has promised a significant aero update for Zandvoort – the team’s first since round four in Miami – and Pierre Gasly calls it critical to Alpine’s hopes of salvaging fifth in the constructors’ standings. Alpine opened 2026 as the strongest midfield team, sat fifth, nineteen points behind Red Bull after Monaco. Five races later, Racing Bulls went the other way and passed them. Gasly’s own read on the A526 is unsparing: a car that doesn’t respond the way he wants it to and has, in his words, ‘quite a few things to fix’ before it can be trusted in traffic. Whether Zandvoort’s high-speed, high-commitment corners flatter that car or expose it will say a lot about Alpine’s second half.

Cadillac’s presence on the grid is itself the season’s biggest economic fact, and it has nothing to do with lap times. General Motors paid a $450 million anti-dilution fee to join Formula 1 as its eleventh team – more than double the $200 million threshold set under the previous Concorde Agreement – split evenly among the ten incumbents as compensation for a prize pool that now divides eleven ways instead of ten. The new, ninth Concorde Agreement, ratified by all eleven teams ahead of the season and running through 2030, also caps Ferrari’s long-standing legacy bonus instead of leaving it open-ended, a small but pointed rebalancing of a pool Liberty Media has put at roughly $1.4 billion. None of that money has bought Cadillac results. Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas sit last in the constructors’ championship with zero points through eleven rounds – a suspension failure for Pérez in Canada, matching brake-overheating retirements for both cars in Austria. Four hundred fifty million dollars bought Cadillac a garage, not a car. Money and competitiveness, in F1’s reset era, still aren’t on speaking terms.

The same 2026 reset explains the cost cap’s redesign. Formula 1’s chassis-focused spending limit rose from $135 million plus inflation in 2025 to $215 million; the power-unit cap rose from $95 million plus inflation to $190 million – increases the sport calls roughly neutral once you factor in the accounting changes. The old four-year, $36 million capital-expenditure sub-cap got folded into the main number, annual depreciation is now counted directly, and catering and health-and-safety spending were carved out as exclusions, alongside a new allowance for teams based in high-cost jurisdictions like Audi’s home in Switzerland. The higher power-unit number – tied to this year’s 50-50 split between electric and combustion power – is also what pulled Honda back into the sport as a full manufacturer, brought Ford into a partnership with Red Bull Powertrains, and helped justify Audi’s own factory entry. It’s the financial architecture that made Cadillac’s arrival, and its rough first season, possible in the first place.

Zandvoort’s own economics are a smaller, more local version of the same story. The race is privately funded, gets no government support of the kind the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa receives to help cover F1’s sanctioning fee, and has had to absorb a so-called ‘fun tax’ of three euros per attendee that eats straight into the promoter’s margin. Circuit director Robert van Overdijk has been candid that the race needs all three days sold out just to break even – Saturday and Sunday alone don’t cover the bill – which is why a plan in The Hague to raise VAT on ticket sales from 9 to 21 percent, floated last year before it got shelved under pressure, was treated locally as an existential threat rather than a routine tax debate. Tom van der Veen, who chairs the Zandvoort entrepreneurs’ association, told NL Times this month that the town expects to keep benefiting from Formula 1’s marketing reach even after the race disappears – a roughly pound 26 million economic boost and 135 full-time jobs per race weekend – with hotels, restaurants, and beach pavilions now planning to lean harder on business tourism once the grandstands come down for good.

None of that financial math has dented demand. Saturday and Sunday sold out again – 105,000 spectators apiece, the sixth straight sellout since the race returned in 2021 – and only Friday’s Super Friday ticket remains available directly from organizers, alongside an official waiting list and a resale platform capped at face value plus a pound 15 fee on each side. The Friday-night Fanzone closes with Afrojack, Snelle, and Kraantje Pappie, plus a Ferris wheel over the circuit, simulator racing, and a pit-stop challenge with an actual F1 car. Sunday’s post-race set belongs to Martin Garrix, Davina Michelle, and Dirty Daddies, under a program organizers are billing, without much subtlety, as the ‘Final Lap.’ The event stays fully cashless, bans drones and selfie sticks, and funnels most of its 300,000 weekend visitors through public transport under a mobility plan that keeps private cars off the roads near the circuit.

Whichever way next Sunday goes – Honda’s new engine, Alpine’s new aero, Mercedes doing what Mercedes has done all year – the circuit doesn’t get a second chance to find out. Verstappen doesn’t either. This is it.