Beware! Browsing porn at work can really get you fired
February 29, 2008
The latest survey of 304 companies in the US showed that 84% of employees fired for internet misuse was due to accessing porn or other inappropriate content at work.
The study, conducted by the American Management Association (AMA) and The ePolicy Institute, analyzed cases of workers fired for misusing the internet on the job.
The survey also showed that 34% of these companies let go of workers due to excessive personal use of the Internet. A majority of companies monitor the online activities of employees by monitoring their keystrokes and time spent on the keyboard. They also review personal blogs for company-related content and even individual social networking accounts of employees in, say, Friendster, Myspace or Facebook.
6 reasons why Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo won’t be ousted
February 27, 2008
It surprised me to read from the Philippine Star earlier today that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) issued a statement saying they are convinced President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) will not be ousted and will actually be able to finish her term.
With calls for GMA’s ouster coming from all sides of the Philippine society, a neutral stand from a Muslim separatist rebel group is surprisingly unexpected.
The news story quoted the views of MILF Secretariat chief Muhammad Ameen which were posted on the MILF website, www.luwaran.com.
Ameen cited six factors why the current oust-Gloria groups are unlikely to succeed in their advocacy. Here are those six reasons.
Google shows “More results from” PinoyMoneyTalk.com
February 25, 2008
While checking the updated ranking of entries in the $75 Pinoy Money Talk SEO Contest, I noticed that Google has activated the “more results from this site” feature for PinoyMoneyTalk.com.
Below is a screenshot of the “more results from pinoymoneytalk.com” — a feature which shows additional links and articles from our site.
I’ve read about this feature last year in Matt Cutts’s blog but it was only today that I saw this at work in the PMT search results. I searched for other popular Pinoy blogs to see whether Google has this feature and I discovered that it is working for Macalua.com, Yugatech.com, and Selaplana.com but not yet for Macuha.com, PinoyBlogero.com, or Jehzlau-Concepts.com.
I think the additional links can drive more traffic to one’s site because users who chanced upon the search results will have more options to choose from or, more appropriately, more links to click on.
Does Google show more results for your site too? Do you think this is a useful feature in Google search?
Chinese Eye Test — see for yourself!
February 24, 2008
Got this as a forward and found it funny so I’m sharing it.
Look at the image below and see if you can decipher anything. If not, try pulling the corner of your eyes as if you were Chinese and view the image again.
Were you able to read it now? LOL.
No offense to our Chinese friends!
(The trick is not just to have Chinese eyes, view the image in certain angles and you’ll be able to read it as well.)
If you found this interesting, forward this to others using the “Share This” button below. Happy weekend!
Crying Babies - Transcript of Lozada-de Venecia wiretapped conversation
February 21, 2008
The plot thickens in the NBN-ZTE issue.
While the Senate interrogates witnesses in the corruption-laden National Broadband Network project, a video appeared on YouTube supposedly containing the wiretapped conversation between NBN-ZTE “star witness” Jun Lozada and Rep. Joey de Venecia.
The conversation, laced with profanities from both parties, dealt with the supposed bribery in the NBN deal and discussed another potential kickback with regard to the “Chinese embassy thing.”
The Inquirer reported that de Venecia did not deny it was his voice talking about a $130-million kickback allegedly demanded by former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos. He claims it was Abalos who probably masterminded the release of the wiretapped conversation on YouTube.
Listen to the alleged Jun Lozada- Joey de Venecia conversation and read the transcript after the jump.
Edison Chen scandal bigger than other Pinoy sex scandals
February 21, 2008
Nude photos of a famous Hong Kong actor and his sexual partners. Pics and videos of popular celebrities in various sexual acts. More than 1,300 pictures all in all.
Without a doubt, the Pinoys’ sex video scandals pale in comparison to Hong Kong’s The Edison Chen sex scandal.
It all started with an Apple Powerbook. In 2006, the “Cotton Candy Mac” of Edison Chen (Chinese names: Kwoon-Hei, Guan Xi), popular Hong Kong actor, singer, and record producer, was sent in to a shop for repairs.
The computer apparently contained hundreds of pictures and several videos of Chen during intimate moments with his sexual partners, more than a dozen of whom are equally popular celebrities in Hong Kong.
The photos were allegedly copied by technicians of the shop but surprisingly found their way to the internet only early this year. The first racy pic — presumably showing Chen and actress Gillian Chung having sex — was said to be posted on a Hong Kong discussion board on January 27. From then on, the photos spread like wildfire not just in Hong Kong but in other countries.
(NSFW - Not safe for work pics after the jump.)
Impact of Dinna Revilla’s arrest on foreclosed property business
February 20, 2008
The renowned guru of foreclosed property investing in the Philippines, Dinna Revilla, was arrested three weeks ago and her supposed fraudulent schemes were featured last week on GMA7’s Imbestigador.
The arrest was based on estafa complaints by her investors, after Dinna allegedly continued collecting funds although the real estate properties were already foreclosed by the bank. In addition, several of the checks she previously issued as payment to investors bounced.
This development caused several people to believe that the foreclosed property investing venture espoused by Dinna and Think Rich! Pinoy author Larry Gamboa was a fraud.
Win $50 in our Guessing Game!
February 18, 2008
Easily win $50 or P2,000 simply by guessing the closing price of a PMT-related stock!
Countdown #2: PMT Stock Price Guessing Game
Parametric Technology Corp. is a stock traded at the US NASDAQ with a stock code of PMTC. As of February 15, its trading price is $16.26.
What do you think is the closing price of this stock on March 5, Wednesday? $10.75? $25.15? $18.50?
No need to do any research or solve formulas, just have a hunch about the closing price of PMTC!
Post your guess in this Contest Thread. Comments to this article are NOT valid entries.
Best Performing Mutual Funds in Jan. 2008
February 15, 2008
The following summarizes and ranks the performance of mutual funds in the Philippines during the first month of the year.
Although the rate of return is a good measure of performance, other factors such as consistency of returns and amount of risk exposure should be considered before investing in a “good” mutual fund.
Overall, mutual fund companies were hammered in January 2008 due to lingering concerns of US recession brought about by the subprime mortgage problem. Equity Mutual Funds were badly hit, with all of them registering negative returns during the first month of the year. The trend follows the movement of the Philippine stock market which posted a 9% decline in value from the start of the year.
Balanced Funds were not spared, albeit two companies managed to post positive returns. Even Money Market Funds — supposedly safe havens for short-term investors — were affected by the downtrend, with two funds incurring negative return.
Without further ado, here’s the list of top mutual fund companies in the Philippines for January 2008 in terms of absolute returns. To learn more about mutual fund investing, visit the Mutual Funds section of this site.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
February 14, 2008
To all loved, lovestruck, lovely, lovable, loving, in love… Happy Valentine’s Day!
Share the love because what the world needs now is love, sweet love!
And to Breeze, congrats for winning the $25 Valentine’s Day Message contest! The message was chosen among 50+ entries because of the simplicity and sincerity of the post.
Lek, I will never forget the love you have showered me and the children the twenty-odd years of our time together.
Though trees may wither and flowers may fade, our love will always remain.
Though you are now in a faraway place, you will always be in my heart.
While you have left me forever, your lingering presence is always a pillar of strength to me in all that I do.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
The rest of the entries are also good, but some are either too generic or too Hallmark-y. To win a contest such as this, the message has to be fresh and unique.
Having said that, we also recognize three other entries which stood out from the pack. Each of them will receive P100 cellphone load or P100 cash to be deposited to their bank account.
