Miscellaneous

There’s no mistaking it: Million-dollar, one-person businesses are picking up major momentum in the U.S. More of these tiny firms–which have no employees except the owners– are breaking into every category of business above six figures in revenue, according to newly released Census Bureau statistics. That’s exciting news for people who don’t want to work…

NEW YORK—In every region of America, white and Asian children—including Filipino-Americans—are far better positioned for success than black, Latino and American Indian children, according to a new report appealing for urgent action to bridge this racial gap.

Earlier this month, the Pantheon project website of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab went live. Pantheon, or at least its first version, is an impressive but necessarily incomplete attempt to measure “the global popularity of historical characters” (this and other project-descriptive quotes are from the Methods section of the website). It uses two…

Doing business is not easy. I used to be in manufacturing and retail. Today I am in consultancy. Every time I get to meet my former competitors the first thing they tell me is, “Francis, it’s a good thing you got out. You made the right decision.”

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. — Winston Churchill At the Feb. 5 conference of the 130-year-old multinational American Standard at Shangri-La Makati Hotel, I was invited to give a speech on the topic “How to have a winning attitude.” Here’s a condensed version of my…

WASHINGTON – Are people with kids happier than people without? In the United States, those with and without kids rate their lives about the same, but globally children tend to diminish well-being, said a study Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – All motorists understand that a good map is worth its weight in gold, especially if you are navigating in difficult conditions. In this age of GPS or global positioning system, charting one’s course has never been easier. Are you doing the same with your money?

WASHINGTON – Women aren’t very good at reading maps, and men are incapable of multi-tasking. At first glance they might seem like a couple of hoary old stereotypes from the battle of the sexes. But are they?

NEW YORK—It almost feels these days as if there is no safe place—that after global jihad strikes a Nairobi shopping mall or a deranged shooter invades the Washington Navy Yard, the next target could very well be our own store, school, theater or stadium.

Everybody complains about incompetent bosses or dysfunctional co-workers, but what about irritating direct reports? What should you do if the person you manage drives you crazy? If the behavior is a performance issue, there’s a straightforward way to address what’s irking you — but what do you do when it’s an interpersonal issue? Is it…

The Melbourne supremacy THE best quality of life of any of the world’s urbanites is still enjoyed by Melburnians, according to the latest Liveability report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, our corporate sibling. For the third year in a row Australia’s second city has kept a hair’s breadth ahead of Vienna and Vancouver, which spent…

My grandson missed his flight because of typhoon Maring. That was stressful. It almost dampened his perfect holiday with us. We devoted time and energy to be with him, particularly his lolo, who accompanied him in sight-seeing, snorkeling, diving, etc., except in one extreme activity — zip lining. Looking back, our children never experienced this…

What is good life? What is happiness? What is success? What is pleasure? How should I treat other people? How should I cope with unfortunate events? How can I get rid off unnecessary worry? How should I handle liberty?

If you dread seeing audience members checking their phones — or, worse, napping — while you’re talking, consider putting these tips to work. FORTUNE — Maybe it’s the speed-of-light pace of technology, or the stress of having too much to do and not enough time to do it, or both, but when British bank Lloyds…

Roxas Boulevard is going to be revitalized but Manila Bay is threatened and the CCP has no budget to create its internal network of green cultural spaces.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos rule the global gin market and among the top drinkers of rum products, according to market research firm International Wine & Spirit Research (IWSR).

Did you know that April 7 was World Health Day (to celebrate the founding of the World Health Organization in 1948)? Frankly, I was too sick because of the oppressive heat to bother. I wasn’t really feeling healthy on World Health Day.

I’ve attended so many seminars, read so many books on motivation and personal development, heard thousands of audio files and learned so many things, that it becomes impossible for me to share everything in a lifetime. But if I could condense my learnings into two vital life lessons, it would be these two:

Thanks to happiness inside the home, Filipinos emerged as the third happiest people in Asia in 2013, a new report showed.

HECTIC schedules and increasing demands continue to impact today’s American families, but perhaps one of the strongest barometers of families is family mealtime. Welch’s Kitchen Table Report shows families are stronger than ever—making time to eat together frequently and enjoying sharing quality time as a family.

Experts are questioning whether diet drinks could raise depression risk, after a large study has found a link. The US research in more than 250,000 people found depression was more common among frequent consumers of artificially sweetened beverages.

MANILA, Philippines – They say it’s more fun in the Philippines. But according to United States pollster Gallup, the Philippines is also the world’s most emotional nation – which means that Filipinos feel the most in a slew of emotions such as pain, happiness and anger.

MANILA, Philippines – Most Filipino children save half of their allowance, but “saving” only means getting enough money to buy the latest gadgets, clothes and toys, according to a survey by independent research firm Cimigo. Based on the survey conducted last August, most Filipino children (aged 7-12) say they spend half of their pocket money,…

MANILA, Philippines – Tagalog is now the fastest-growing language in Canada, according to Statistics Canada. Based on StatCan’s 2011 Census of Population: Linguistic Characteristics of Canadians, Tagalog is now the fifth most common non-official language spoken in Canadian households.

MANILA, Philippines – The spokesman of the country’s premier commercial and financial district dismissed the findings of an online survey which ranked Makati City as the 3rd most promiscuous in Asia.

MANILA, Philippines—Makati is among Asia’s top cities with the “most promiscuous” men, according to a recently released online dating study. The study, which involved 10,000 members of dating website SeekingArrangement.com, found that around three in every four men in Makati (77 percent) reported having more than five sexual partners per year.

It’s more fun in the Philippines? A recent global study suggests otherwise, at least for people who have to live there. The country has a reputation as a happy place with friendly people, but the 2012 World Happiness Report ranks the country among the least happy, or 103rd out of 155 surveyed countries worldwide. The…

“To promote the well-being of mankind throughout the world” and “to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding”. Two bold visions from two men who wanted to use their vast wealth to do good.

The Dragon Warrior Po, the Panda, in the animated movie Kung Fu Panda, had it right…. “inner peace”…beginning with the inward gazing, deep breathing and silence of the mind. But can we all achieve what the Kung Fu Panda did in the movie… every day? Yes, we can — but only if we constantly try…

“No one is indispensable.” This is the chant of managers and bosses, as they wield their job-position baton and “whip” their people into submission. This is absolutely untrue. Business owners don’t share the mantra. They know their businesses rely heavily on people who run and grow it successfully, and the moment those people leave, they’d…