Rick's Webstream

Skype Tops All in International Calls | Epicenter from Wired.com

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:41:46 -0400

Skype Tops All in International Calls | Epicenter from Wired.com

BPI Expect More Freedom

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:51:28 -0500

BPI launched an interactive create-your-own-adventure commercial showcasing their phone, online and mobile banking services.

It’s another example of a smart use of internet marketing.

The Philippine Vegetable Industry

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:34:54 -0500

The Philippine Vegetable Industry:

We import most of our rice, but did you know we also have a vegetable trade deficit?

A Valentine Date with Googlebot

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:39:32 -0500

A Valentine Date with Googlebot

All the Simpsons' episodes

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:32:09 -0500

All the Simpsons' episodes:

Dishwashing entertainment

How To Choose The Right CMS | Webdesigner Depot

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:45:33 -0500

How To Choose The Right CMS | Webdesigner Depot:

A review on CMSsssses, specificaly stating that Joomla is Evil!

Buy: FXI just crossed the 17/50 EMA. Hold until it crosses over...

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:47:15 -0500

Buy: FXI just crossed the 17/50 EMA. Hold until it crosses over again.

“Manic Monday” (1986) was the first hit single from...

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:41:58 -0500

“Manic Monday” (1986) was the first hit single from the American all-female band, The Bangles. It was written by Prince in 1984 and recorded as a duet for the Apollonia 6 album, but the song was eventually pulled ^[1]. Two years later, as he was attempting to “court” lead singer Susanna Hoffs, Prince (under pseudonym Christopher) ^[2] offered the song to The Bangles, who recorded their version. The song reached #2 in both the UK and US record charts, coincidentally behind Prince’s own song “Kiss”, which reached #1 in the US.

The lyrics tell of someone waking from a romantic dream at 6 o’clock on Monday morning, and facing a hectic journey to work when she would prefer to still be enjoying relaxing on Sunday—her “I-don’t-have-to-run day”. Actor Rudolph Valentino is referred to in some of the lyrics in the song.

Philippine Cellphone Prefixes

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:20:46 -0500

Globe - 0906, 0907, 0915, 0916, 0917, 0926, 0927

SMART - 0918, 0919, 0920 and 0921, 0928, 0929

Sun - 0922

Philippine Cellphone access codes that might come in handy.

Jennifer 8. Lee: Who was General Tso? and other mysteries of...

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:09:35 -0500

Jennifer 8. Lee: Who was General Tso? and other mysteries of American Chinese food

SourcingGate stole SmashingMagazine's FavIcon?

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:10:12 -0500

SourcingGate stole SmashingMagazine's FavIcon?:

http://www.sourcinggate.com/ vs http://www.smashingmagazine.com/ ‘s Favicons, you decide..

Globalsources Direct Closes Down

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:14:00 -0500

Globalsources Direct Closes Down:

I was surprised to see a simple goodbye message from Global Sources Direct’s GM.

It’s either because of the economic crisis, or that the virtual inventory model doesn’t yet work well with chinese suppliers.

Will the financial crisis correct the current USDCNY trend? NYT:...

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:34:00 -0500

Will the financial crisis correct the current USDCNY trend?

NYT: An Embrace That Won’t Let Go

For China, too, this crisis has been a time of reckoning. Americans are buying fewer Chinese DVD players and microwave ovens. Trade is collapsing, and thousands of workers are losing their jobs. Chinese leaders are terrified of social unrest.

Having allowed the renminbi to rise a little after 2005, the Chinese government is now under intense pressure domestically to reverse course and depreciate it. China’s fortunes remain tethered to those of the United States. And the reverse is equally true.

In a glassed-in room in a nondescript office building in Washington, the Treasury conducts nearly daily auctions of billions of dollars’ worth of government bonds. An old Army helmet sits on a shelf: as a lark, Treasury officials have been known to strap it on while they monitor incoming bids.

For the past five years, China has been one of the most prolific bidders. It holds $652 billion in Treasury debt, up from $459 billion a year ago. Add in its Fannie Mae bonds and other holdings, and analysts figure China owns $1 of every $10 of America’s public debt.

The Treasury is conducting more auctions than ever to finance its $700 billion bailout of the banks. Still more will be needed to pay for the incoming Obama administration’s stimulus package. The United States, economists say, will depend on the Chinese to keep buying that debt, perpetuating the American habit.

Even so, Mr. Paulson said he viewed the debate over global imbalances as hopelessly academic. He expressed doubt that Mr. Bernanke or anyone else could have solved the problem as it was germinating.

“One lesson that I have clearly learned,” said Mr. Paulson, sitting beneath his Chinese watercolor. “You don’t get dramatic change, or reform, or action unless there is a crisis.”