Philippine budget deficit outlook for 2010: shortfall not too bad?

January 1, 2010 By dragon 4 Comments

 

In ABS-CBN's recent article, they reveal that each Filipino now owes P47,039 to local and foreign creditors, based on the national government's total debt stock as of September.

A month before that, each of the 92.2 million Filipinos owed P45,889. 

The culprit: the widening budget deficit that prompts the government to borrow some more. Additional debts, which address current funding needs but could be paid in the future, translate to more debt burden for future generations.

The fact that the Philippines has been spending more than it earns is not earthshaking. Even the richest of countries have budget gaps. But prudence dictates that this deficit, which is a fiscal policy issue, has to be manageable.  Read more... (850 words, 1 image, estimated 3:24 mins reading time)

Filed Under: Stock Market & Finance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Best and worst auto models of 2009 by car maker

November 2, 2009 By dragon 5 Comments
2009 Annual Auto Reliability Survey: Best and worst models by car maker
 
 
BMW 328i
It is easy to assume that certain automakers build only reliable cars and others don’t, however, nearly every manufacturer have their share of winners and losers in our annual reliability survey. Each company and even brand product portfolio runs a spectrum of reliability performance, with its own best and worst examples. For some, the range can span from much better than average to much worse than average, whereas other may be centered around average. The key lesson from scanning the data within an automaker is not to make assumptions.

For example, the best Toyota Motor Company model in our reliability survey is the Lexus SC—its predicted reliability score is the second highest out of over 300 vehicles, but the worst is the Lexus GS (AWD), which scores in the bottom 10 percent, and receives a much worse than average rating, and is not recommended in our testing. While it is true that Lexus models tend to be reliable and test well, this is not the case for all Lexus vehicles.
 
The greatest disparity comes from Volkswagen. The VW Golf (aka Rabbit) is one of the most reliable small cars you can buy, but the Volkswagen Touareg has the lowest predicted reliability score in our 2009 Annual Auto Survey.

In most cases, the best model for reliability is a recommended model and the worst is not. However, Honda’s top reliable vehicle in our survey, the Honda Insight, is not recommended due to low scores in our testing. The least reliable Honda vehicle is the Acura RL, but it has an average reliability score and is recommended. Honda is one of the more consistent manufacturers and has no model that scored below average in reliability.

The two more reliable General Motors products are from two brands that are leaving the GM umbrella. The Saturn Aura (4-cyl.) is newly recommended this year and the Pontiac Vibe will be phased out in the coming months.

Below are the best and worst models in reliability. Models with an * are based on data of one model year only.

BMW
Best: BMW 328i (RWD)
Worst: BMW 535i (AWD)*

Chrysler
Best: Jeep Patriot
Worst: Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Grand Caravan

Ford
Best: Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan (4-cyl.)
Worst: Ford F-250 (turbodiesel, 4WD)*

General Motors
Best: Chevrolet Malibu (V6)
Worst: Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon (4WD)

Honda
Best: Honda Insight*
Worst: Acura RL

Hyundai/Kia
Best: Hyundai Tucson
Worst: Kia Sedona

Mazda
Best: Mazda3 sedan
Worst: Mazda CX-7

Mercedes-Benz
Best: Mercedes-Benz GLK*
Worst: Mercedes-Benz GL-Class (turbodiesel)*

Nissan
Best: Infiniti M35 (RWD)
Worst: Nissan Versa sedan*

Subaru
Best: Subaru Impreza Outback Sport
Worst: Subaru Impreza WRX*

Toyota
Best: Lexus SC*
Worst: Lexus GS (AWD)

Volkswagen
Best: Volkswagen Golf (Rabbit)
Worst: Volkswagen Touareg*

Volvo
Best: Volvo S40 (FWD)*
Worst: Volvo XC90 (V8)*

The main take away from this information is don’t judge a book by its cover. Avoid assumptions and do your research before you buy your next vehicle. It takes just a few minutes to browse the model overview pages, or use the interactive new car selector tool, which sorts and filters by the parameters that matter most to you.

Either path will reveal Consumer Reports recommended models that did well in our road tests, score average or better in reliability, and performs at least adequately if included in government or insurance industry safety tests.
Filed Under: Life In The Metro Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dow at 10,000 Then and Now

October 15, 2009 By dragon 1 Comment

Dow at 10,000: Then and Now, a graphic article presentation from cnbc.

With the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossing the 10,000 point mark for the first time since 2008, we wanted to take a peek back in time to compare what America was like the very first time the Dow crossed 10,000 mark (March 29th, 1999) to today.

What were some of the most cutting-edge products, who was the highest paid athlete, and what were the hottest topics buzzing around the internet? For these and more comparisons, check out the following pictures!


Popular TV Shows
1999: Friends, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire (Debut)
2009: American Idol


Apple's Cutting-Edge Computer
1999: iBook G3
2009: MacBook Air


Portable Music Players
1999: Sony CD Walkman
2009: Ipod Nano Video  Read more... (466 words, 19 images, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)

Filed Under: Entertainment, Gadgets, Stock Market & Finance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

how to watch pacquiao vs hatton and other boxing ppv free online

April 14, 2009 By dragon 17 Comments

 

 

(author's update. The process discussed in this article may also be used to watch the Mayweather versus Marquez fight this September 19, 2009, and the upcoming Miguel Cotto versus Pacquiao this November 14,2009)

Last December 7, 2009, we edited this article from its original "Pacquaio vs. Marquez" title, as it was also applicable to pacman versus golden boy's fight.  Today, one year after the original article, we once again re-label and re-edit the article to fit the upcoming Pacquiao versus Hatton fight for May 2, 2009.

As with Oscar De La Hoya's fight arrangement disagreement over the purse split, (De La Hoya wanted 70-30, Pacquiao wanted 40), the Pacquiao Hatton fight almost did not push through with a similar disagreement over the purse.  Both parties stressed that each had the bigger crowd draw from their home country, thus each demanding a bigger cut from the PPV.  Read more... (819 words, 2 images, estimated 3:17 mins reading time)

Filed Under: Entertainment, Sports Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Holiday Schedule for 2009

January 8, 2009 By eee 1 Comment
Malacanang finalizes holiday schedule for 2009.

Origninally, Araw ng Kagitingan which is celebrated on April 9 falls on the same day as Maundy Thursday this year.  But the PGMA moved it to the nearest Monday instead, which is April 6.
The Easter holidays remain from April 9 (Maundy Thursday) until April 12 (Easter Sunday).


The other regular holidays are:

Labor Day-May 1(Friday);

Independence Day- June 12 (Friday);

National Heroes Day- August 31 (Monday);

Bonifacio Day – November 30 (Monday);

Christmas Day- December 25 (Friday); and,

Rizal Day- December 30 (Wednesday).

Also declared as Special Non-Working Days:

Ninoy Aquino Day – August 21 (Friday);

All Saints Day – November 1 (Sunday) and

All Soul’s Day – November 2 (Monday);

 Read more... (132 words, estimated 32 secs reading time)

Filed Under: Dining and Travel Tagged With: , , ,