David Beckham’s exit from Real Madrid will be far from graceful. Beckham signed up with the Los Angeles Galaxy for a deal reportedly worth more than US$250 million over the next five years although he still has 6 months to go on his present contract. Apparently, both Beckham and his present club can’t wait until June to bid each other adieu.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Apple IPhone ( the company has dropped the word “Computer” from its corporate name) is the upcoming Mass Object of Desire (MOD) for Filipinos. Its hefty price tag of US$499 (for the 4 gigabytes model) to US$599 (for 8 gigabytes) is of no moment. Pinoy consumers, particularly affluent teens and young professionals who are tech savvy and have large disposable incomes, will find ways and means to acquire the next big bling. New smartphones from well-entrenched brands like Nokia and Samsung retail for as much or even more in the Philippines and are selling briskly.

Read the rest of this entry »

President Bush has announced an increase in U.S. troops to be sent to Iraq by the end of January or even earlier. He announced the deployment of another 21,500 soldiers in addition to the 130,000 U.S. troops already there. This is perceived as Bush’s last chance to present a winning strategy after four years of bloody conflict which has cost 3,000 American lives and the American taxpayer around US$400 billion. In the face of rising public opinion against the war, Bush did a mea culpa and admitted strategic mistakes but maintains that the way out is to bring more in. Although he said that American commitment is “not open-ended” and that the Iraqi government will be able to assume all security concerns by November, history says otherwise.

Read the rest of this entry »