Understanding the Financial Crisis from a Layman's Point of View

These two articles were contributed by Ed.

The financial crisis explained via a nice story…Enjoy. Lots of hugggssss…….. Ed Canela

If anyone has difficulty understanding the current world financial situation, the following should help....

Once upon a time in a village in India, a man announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each. The villagers seeing there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them.

The man bought thousands of monkeys at $10 each, but, as the supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their efforts.

The man further announced that he would now buy at $20 each. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.

Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer rate increased to $25 per monkey and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch one!

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50 each! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now act as buyer, on his behalf.

In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers: "Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 each and when he returns from the city, you can sell them back to him for $50 each."

The villagers squeezed together their savings and bought all the monkeys.

Then they never saw the man or his assistant again, only monkeys everywhere!

Welcome to the WALL STREET.

Twenty-One Economic Models Explained with Cows

SOCIALISM

You have 2 cows.
You give one to your neighbour.

COMMUNISM

You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM

You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM

You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM

You have 2 cows.
The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away....

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM

You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows.
You sell them and retire on the income.

SURREALISM

You have two giraffes.
The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.


ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM

You have two cows.
You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax
exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States , leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public then buys your bull.

A FRENCH CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.


A JAPANESE CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon' and market it worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows, but you don't know where they are.
You decide to have lunch.


A RUSSIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
You count them again and learn you have 2 cows.
You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION

You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION

You have two cows.
Both are mad.


AN IRAQI CORPORATION

Everyone thinks you have lots of cows. You tell them that you have none.
No-one believes you, so they bomb the sh#t out of you and invade your country.
You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of a Democracy...

AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.
Business seems pretty good. You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.

A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION

You have two cows..
The one on the left looks very attractive..

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Ma Mon Luk Mami

Ed, Ma Mon Luk is not just a memory worth writing in your “Maalaala Mo Kaya” series. It still exists!

Last Friday was a rainy day. In fact, classes were suspended in Manila, although the announcement was made late at usual at around 11 am. I had a 9:30 a.m. meeting somewhere near Malacanang (hindi sa loob, sa tabi-tabi). So I left the house early at 8 am, to make sure I wouldn’t be late. Surprisingly, there was not much traffic and there were no flooded areas where the FX ride that I took passed. The meeting ended around 12:30 pm. From out of the blue, one of our colleagues asked if we wanted to eat hot mami at Ma Mon Luk for lunch on a rainy day. I was happily surprised. I love Ma Mon Luk mami. But until then, I didn’t know that it still exists. The last time I had a taste of its mami was more than ten years ago, when there was a branch along EDSA corner Kamias St. (I think, or at least somewhere in that area). I was informed that the other remaining branch is in Quiapo.

So, riding in two vans, nine of us (including the drivers) proceeded to Quezon Avenue near Banawe St., where the old Ma Mon Luk Restaurant still stands. The space in front of the building, which was already part of the sidewalk was almost filled with cars. It is still the same Chinese restaurant of the olden days. It’s not air conditioned, it’s crowded, a bit dirty, with old tables and chairs, pero napalitan na iyong makakapal na baso with thinner but still similar plain transparent drinking glasses. And there are younger waiters now, but there were still the older ones like Lucio, our waiter. He said that he’s been with Ma Mon Luk since 1978. (O 30 years na siyang waiter, pero mukhang hindi pa rin siya ang head waiter).

We ordered the original mami. I ordered large, but their ‘large’ bowl is no longer as big as before. It’s ‘small’ for my appetite for mami. We also ordered siopao special and siomai. The mami still smelled and tasted the same. Medyo mabantot na medyo mabaho, pero ang sarap. It’s still the best mami for me! The siopao special is big and would really fill your hungry stomach. Masarap pa din, no matter if there were rumors before that na karneng pusa daw ang nilalagay. That was really a good meal that I had last Friday. I’m sure that it wouldn’t be my last in my newly rediscovered Ma Mon Luk!

I looked at the history of Ma Mon Luk and I’m reprinting it below. By the way, I didn’t have my camera and I forgot that my cellphone has a camera, so I was not able to take any shot. Luckily I found pictures from “Ajay’s Writing on the Wall” blog. Thanks.

From Wikipedia

Ma Mon Luk (1896-1961) was a pioneering Chinese Filipino chef and entrepreneur. He established the popular Chinese restaurant that bears his name, Ma Mon Luk.

Born in Guangdong, China, he was a grade school teacher in Guangzhou when he decided to emigrate to the Philippines in 1918. According to legend, he migrated to the Philippines in order to earn his fortune and win the hand of a girl whose wealthy Cantonese family looked none too kindly on his poverty. Arriving penniless in Manila, Ma Mon Luk decided to peddle chicken noodle soup, utilizing egg noodles. He soon became a familiar sight on the streets of Manila, plodding down with a long bamboo pole slung on his shoulders with two metal containers on each end. One vat contained his especially concocted noodles and strips of chicken meat, while the other stored chicken broth heated by live coals underneath. With a pair of scissors, he would cut the noodles and meat to serve to his customers. Among his frequent customers were students from the various schools and universities in Manila, whom he would regale with tales about China. Ma Mon Luk himself called his concoction "gupit", after the Tagalog word for "cut with scissors". A popular theory of the origin of the word "mami" is that "Ma" came from his name and "Mi" came from the Chinese word for "recipe"; thus "mami" stands for "the recipe of Mr. Ma. Soon however, Filipinos took the name as an amalgam of Tagalog words for chicken ("manok") and egg noodles ("miki").

Ma Mon Luk soon opened his first restaurant in Binondo, where he introduced his equally famous siopao, a steamed pork dumpling enhanced by a secret sauce. Ma Mon Luk nonetheless continued to peddle his wares on the streets, advertising his restaurant by giving away free samples. By the 1950s, Ma Mon Luk and his mami were nationally known, and Ma Mon Luk became the iconic Chinese restaurant, sprouting many imitators who failed to equal its success. At one point, in the mid 1990s, there were at least six Ma Mon Luk restaurants in Metro Manila, but as of 2006, only the branches in Quezon Avenue and Quiapo remain open.

Ma Mon Luk died on September 1, 1961 of throat cancer and is buried at the Chinese Cemetery in Manila. He is succeeded to date by 3 generations of Ma Mon Luks.

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A Smile from God!

You never know when He may appear to brighten up your day!


One in a million shot: A smile from God! Send God's smile to someone you want to bless today.

(Contributed by Bert)

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Filipinos are funny

Sa dami ng malulungkot na balita at sa hirap ng buhay, sabi ni Bert, "Tawa muna".

Filipinos are funny and creative when it comes to business signs and posters. Here are some examples:
* A parlor in San Juan is named 'Cut & Face'. * A wholesaler of balut in Sto.Tomas, Batangas: 'Starduck'.
* A fast food eatery in Nueva Ecija: ''Violybee'
* A small internet cafe opened among squatters named itself, 'Cafe Pindot'.
* In Manila, there's a laundry named, 'Summa Cum Laundry'.
* A petshop in Ortigas that sells cats and dogs: 'Pussies and Bitches'.
* A pet shop in Kamuning: 'Pakita Mo Pet Mo'.
* A Bakery: 'Bread Pit'.
* A bank in Alabang: 'Alabank'.
* A noodle restaurant in Pampanga named, 'Mekeni Rogers'.
* There's a restaurant in Pasig named, 'Johnnny's Fried Chicken: The 'Fried' of Marikina'.
* A boxing gym in Taguig: 'Blow Jab'.
* A tombstone maker in Antipolo: 'Lito Lapida'.
* There's a copy center in Sikatuna Village called, 'Pakopya ni Edgar'.
* There's a beerhouse in Cavite called, 'Chickpoint' .
* A laundromat in our neighborhood sa may Sikatuna: 'Star Wash: Attack of the Clothes'.
* There's an internet cafe in Taguig named, 'n@kopi @'.
* Name of a kambingan, 'Sa Goat Kita'.
* A salon somewhere, 'Curl Up And Dye'.
* A lugawan in Sta. Maria, Bulacan: 'Gee Congee'.
* There's a water refilling station in Dapitan named 'Wa-Thirst'.
* Along Sucat road, a store selling feeds for chickens: 'Robocock'.
* Shoe repair in Marikina: 'Dr. Shoe-Bago'.
* Shoe repair store along Commonwealth, 'SHOEPERMAN: we will HEEL you, save your SOLE, and even DYE for you'.
* A Petshop: 'Petness First'
* Flower shop: 'Susan's Roses'.
* A Taxicab: 'Income Taxi'.
* A 2nd hand watch store: '2nd Time Around'
* A squid stall in a wet market: 'Pusit to the Limit'.
* A shrimp store: 'Hipon Coming Back'
* A gay lawyer's extension office: 'Nota Republic'.
* A ceiling installer: 'Kisame Street'.
* A car repair shop: 'Bangga ka 'day!'
* An aquatic pet store in Malolos: 'Fish Be With You'.
* A beauty salon: 'Saudia Hairlines'.
* A bakery in our village: 'Anak Ng Tinapay'.
* A Laundry: 'Wash Your Problem Here'.
* 'Asian Mobile Massage Service: Massage only, God is watching'.
* Ice cream parlor: 'Dila Lang Ang Katapat'.
* Chicharon store: 'Chicha Hut'.
* Neighborhood pizza store: 'Pizza Hot'.
* A fishball cart along P. Campa St., near UST: 'Eat My Balls'.
* A barbershop in Cagayan de Oro: 'Pinoy Big Barber'.

* A Resto in Baclaran: 'The Last Supper'.
* A goto resto: 'Goto Ko Pa!'
* peanut vendor's cart: 'Mani ni Papa'.
* party needs business: 'Balloon-Balloonan' .
* A Chinese restaurant in Pasig: 'Lah-Fang'.
* A store selling fresh chicken, owned by a woman named Dina: 'Dina Fresh Chicken'.
* An actual bait and tackle shop in Boracay: 'The Master Baiter'.
* A bakery in Pateros: 'Trimonay Bakeshop'.
* A Hair Salon in Makati: 'Hair We Go Again.'
* A barber shop in Pedro Gil : “Hairport”.
* Another barbershop in Naga City: “Hair Force One”


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October Birthday Celebrants

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