Transport Strike Fails To Paralyze Davao City

Today's transport strike may have reminded Dabawenyos about the sky rocketing price of petrol (as the British calls it) despite the appreciation of the peso agaisnt the dollar but it has definitely failed to paralyze the city. There was lesser traffic of course but there were still plenty of public utility vehicles plying the streets even after 12 noon. Economic principles would say that since fuel is purchased in dollars. the Philippines would have lower gas prices by now because of the peso's appreciation. Oil capitalists however say the high fuel price is attributed to the continued inrease of oil in the world market. Does it make sense to you?

Marco Polo Davao's Teddy Bear X'mas Tree

Can you guess how many teddy bears are on this tree?

I would have counted from top to bottom except that my friend Prix is already tugging my sleeves so we can go up to Club 888's press conference and Christmas Party at the 4th floor of Marco Polo Hotel. Such creativity, you may say...

The Teddy Bear is a world-known stuffed toy but a lot of children clutch their teddy bears not knowing how it came to be. The original Teddy Bear was actually inspired by a political cartoon created by Clifford Berryman of Washington Star. The cartoon showed US President Theodore Roosevelt holding a rifle with a baby bear at his back. Roosevelt was supposed to go hunting while settling the Mississippi-Louisiana boundary dispute. The hunting trip turned out lousy as there were no good catch. To accommodate him, his staff captured a black bear cub but Roosevelt turned his back and refused to shoot the cub which was tied to a tree.
But that‘s not the end of the story. Toy maker and owner Morris Michtom saw the political cartoon, made a stuffed bear and displayed it on his window. He got so many orders that he sought the permission of Roosevelt for the use of his name. There goes your Teddy Bear!

Monetizing My Blog

A lot of my Dabawenyo friends have been asking me if I earn money for my blog/s. I've been working at home for the past 2 years to avoid the curse of the Bundy Clock and I maintain two legal blogs and a health blog plus several other sites. However, my personal blogs are solely for personal fulfillment. You know, just to satisfy that itch to cover events and write about them. Lately though I have noticed that there are ways to make money out of personal blogs and that is through paid blogging sites like Blogvertise and I am crossing my fingers that I can make something out of this. I have already submitted my blog for approval afterwhich I just have to wait for tasks or writing assignments (which I have to relate to my blog) then submit the link back to the site for approval. Voila!

Hard to live, hard to die

Many people complain about the hardships of living, particularly when it comes to getting food on the table. If you think that way, then try this. Yesterday's DXAB radio program anchored by Randy Cañedo had a woman guest. It turned out she was asking help for the burial of her husband who died 9 days ago. Apparently, they do not have money to get him even a decent burial. Surprise, Surpise. Even one of the most livable cities in Asia have this problem.

And while most Dabawenyos are still being carried away by their frenzied shopping for Christmas, here's a snap shot of a woman trying to earn money not for gifts but to put food on her table.

I won, I won!

Thanks to PinoyMoneyTalk for choosing Davao Dateline as the $12 winner in “PMT’s $25 Christmas Contest”. The two winners for the $25 posts are Sai and Lexan. Now that I have roughly P500 for my date with David Salon for that rebond session, time to look for another P2,000 to add up to the price list. If only anyone can tell me where to get that amount this Christmas...

Boost your business: avail of Ashop shopping cart software’s 10-day free trial

Gone are the days when Dabawenyos (and people from all over the world for that matter) need to put up a hefty capital to start a business, thanks to the World Wide Web. If you have an existing online business or are planning to start one then make sure you choose ecommerce software that will respond to your customers’ needs.

So why choose Ashop shopping cart software? Aside from ease of use, reasonable monthly fees and lots of customer and merchant friendly features, it is also web based and does not require installation. Plus, you can update your online store easily without having to get the services of an expert. The Ashop website has two demos stores so you can check the features out yourself.

A lot of online merchants have in fact opted for the Ashop shopping cart because of its many features. Take this: It allows merchants to customize their own sites, accept credit cards online, it has a built-in checkout security and it is works with banks and payment processors like PayPal.

So what are you waiting for?

Sleeping on the job?

Small entrepreneurs specializing on the assembly of unique Christmas lanterns and displays can well afford to sleep on the job with barely 15 days more to go before Christmas Day. And why not when they have already cashed in on the Dabawenyos' Christmas shopping frenzy. This worker, who is still wide awake and completing his last batch of flower lanterns for this season, said their customers from Davao and nearby provinces have purchased lanterns as early as November. Thus, interest on their lanterns have waned and they are only selling whatever lanterns they have left before they take a bow and go back to where they came from (some as far as PampangaThis lantern seller said they made a killing in sales as early as November. The ordinary round-shaped lanterns are being sold from P3,500 up while the really intriate lanterns like the big Santa with the reindeers and the big Snowman commands a hefty price of P7,000 up.

Even the Korean stores along Uyanguren seems to have run out of Christmas lights whih they sell at a very affordable price of P35 compared to the P70 price at the malls. The Department of Trade and Industry has cautioned Davawenyos from buying products from these stores allegedly because they have not passed the products standards quality. However, take a closer look at the lights being sold at the malls at a more expensive price and compare it with the Korean products---see if you can find any PS mark.