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How one middle-class family made the wrenching decision to leave the Philippines
By Cristina DC Pastor ‘How Sweet the Mango, No? The Journey of a Hispanic Amerasian’ By Matthias Mendezona BookSurge/CreateSpace Publishing May 2009 Much like Forrest Gump, Matthias Mendezona found himself playing cameo roles through various episodes in his country’s history. Like the Tom Hanks character, Mendezona emerged from a series of debacles in his life […]
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OFF THE WALL: 2013’s winners and losers in the bull market
By Rene Pastor Just around Christmas, guys who play the market like taking a look at their stocks to see who did well, who did lousy, and who did so-so. The fund managers do it because they have to show to their clients how spectacularly well they did and use that as a selling point […]
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OFF THE WALL: In stores and in stocks, JCPenney and Macy’s duke it out
By Rene Pastor Let’s face it. Nothing says American Christmas more than a tinsel-wrapped present from JCPenney or a gift card from Macy’s. Despite the Pope’s declaration of war against the commercialism of Christmas, holiday shopping has become the spectator sport as shopper versus shopper trample all over each other over a 50″ HDTV. The […]
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He repaired typewriters for Woody, Coppola; after 28 years he’s closing up shop
By Heather Dubin Bino Gan of Typewriters ‘N Things (profile) from Rupeshi Shah on Vimeo. After 28 years in the business, Bino Gan, owner of Typewriters ’N Things in the West Village, is closing up shop. Gan and his wife, Nita, who also sell office supplies and stationery, will bid their loyal customers a final […]
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OFF THE WALL: Holiday thoughts on Amazon: to dump or not to dump
By Rene Pastor Every time I think I should dump the very small amount of Amazon stock I own, the holidays sort of knock me back to reality. I am not a big fan of going to a mall and getting trampled or shoved in the mad rush to buy that $150-flat screen or whatever […]
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OFF THE WALL: Is the bull back on Wall Street?
By Rene Pastor As I counted down the minutes yesterday waiting to see if the Dow would close above 16,000 for the first time ever, my mind wondered: Am I seeing something last seen in 1982? That was the last time a secular bull market took off, a nearly 20-year run when sustained economic conditions […]
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OFF THE WALL: Would you put money on The Happiest Place on Earth?
By Rene Pastor The Walt Disney Company has come a long way. I grew up watching Mickey Mouse and Goofy. They put up Disneyland theme parks in Florida and California. I remember taking my wife and daughter to Orlando and we had the time of our lives despite the showers. We even managed to watch […]
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Manny Pangilinan companies lead crowdfunding in aid of Bohol, Zamboanga
The Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF), together with the companies led by Philippine business magnate Manuel V. Pangilinan, launched on October 25 a crowdfunding campaign to gather donations in response to the recent disasters that have devastated the Philippines, including the earthquake in Bohol and Cebu and the fighting in Zamboanga. Butch Meily, former president […]
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OFF THE WALL: Warren Buffett’s words of wisdom that I don’t always follow
By Rene Pastor Warren Buffett is a genius when it comes to picking stocks. His advice is simple, but a lot of folks have a tough time following it. In an interview with USA Today, he said: “The nice thing about investing in stocks is that, over time, equities are going to do well.” “American […]