Pinoy Blog Machine (Beta)

Last December, I bought a few items from e-Bay, a touch screen replacement for a Sony Ericsson P910 Phone and a screen protector for my iPod Video. The items I bought were from a merchant in Hong Kong. Luckily, the transaction was not fraudulent and the items were sent to my house while I was in Manila.

The item was shipped through an ordinary HK Courier service. The merchant did not have a tracking number to track the parcel.

After I got my PayPal and done this online shopping thing, I though it would be a good idea to give tips before you shop online.


Tip 1: Consider buying as an option, not as a mere end.

Think first before you buy then ask your self, "Do I really need to buy this item?". Consider your reasons. If it's indeed a need, then go and get yourself that item. Buy if it's for the sake of "I-want-that-item-because-its-sooo-cute", then save yourself from spending electronic bucks.


Tip 2: Look for a trusted e-commerce site.

So far, I only tried eBay because I know it's high reputation and reliability when it comes to online shopping. You can also try other shops like Amazon, Dixons and PC World. Find or ask reviews from other users who have done online shopping from your desired shop.

Tip 3: Check the merchant's reputation.

For sites like eBay, consumers are given the option to rate the reputation and reliability of the merchant where they bought the item. This ensures the consumers a guarantee of the merchant's reliability.


Tip 4: Know the transaction and payment method..

Learn if the payment and transaction method being used is secured. A lot of phishing sites are out in the internet which tricks users when doing online transactions. So far, I only get to use PayPal and my Visa Electron card and I have not yet encountered any attempts of phishing or other illegal transactions.


Tip 5: Check and compare prices.

It's not enough to know where you can buy your item. You should also learn which seller offers the best price for a certain product. I encountered this website in the internet which is very helpful in locating the best buys in the internet. Save Bucks has this price compare feature wherein you can get the different prices from the different online shops when you do a single product search. It's pretty helpful when you are in need to compare prices of your desired product. I used this as a reference in buying products online since I get to know the product's price in the market.


Tip 6: Patience.

Be patient. Usually, the delivery of your parcel takes a few weeks before it arrives. The items I bought took three weeks before I received it. Just follow the tips I have suggested above and be assured that your product will arrive. If not, you can always verify it from your merchant or seller.

Please take note of the following updates on the Advanced Clinical Rehabilitation (ACR) in Physical Therapy Seminars scheduled for April 2008. These changes are as of 16 January 2008.

Current Number of Pre-Registrants
These are the current number of registrants for the following seminars:

a. Advanced Assessment and Treatment Strategies for Low Back Pain: A Clinical Perspective (April 5-6, 2008) - 11 pre-registrants (limited to 150 participants only)

b. Mentoring Program Day 1 (April 7, 2008) - 5 pre-registrants (limited to 50 participants only)

c. Mentoring Program Day 2 (April 11, 2008) - 5 pre-registrants (limited to 50 participants only)

d. Therapeutic Taping Techniques for the Upper and Lower Quadrants (April 13, 2008) - 5 pre-registrants (limited to 30 participants only)

Pre-registered participants will receive an email on the venue and payment instructions at a later date.

Details of Lecture/Workshop Series

APRIL 5-6, 2008 (SATURDAY AND SUNDAY)
ADVANCED ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR LOW BACK PAIN: A CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE
8:00AM TO 5:15PM
MAXIMUM OF 150 PARTICIPANTS

Objectives

• Provide basic knowledge on anatomy and biomechanics of the lumbopelvic region
• Introduce different concepts, theories and clinical models used when treating patients with low back pain
• Introduce different treatment strategies used in clinics and understand their concepts
• Introduce clinical reasoning concepts to allow better outcome in treating patients with LBP
• Demonstrate clinical applications of theories and treatments on low back pain patients to provide an insight on how physical therapy treatment can be more effective
• Bridge the gap to our local clinicians, academe and researchers on the various congresses and seminars, outside of the Philippines, which can impact the assessment and treatment of LBP

(more…)

In a time when the government has shown that it will do anything to survive and cling to power at the expense of civil liberties including freedom of the press and of expression, it is only right that journalists fight back. Given the current political context we have right now--where the government has proven it will not mind curtailing press freedom and human rights especially since the Hello, Garci scandal broke out--to fight back and defend press freedom is the only fitting thing to do.

To fight back for a free press is a fight not only for the benefit of the press itself, but for the benefit of the whole public, which deserves true, informed, transparent, and honest service from the press.

A group of ABS-CBN journalists has asked the Supreme Court yesterday to declare their arrest illegal and to protect them and other journalists from future government harassment. Here's the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility alert on the issue as posted in the website of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance:

Philippine journalists seek court protection from government harassment
21 January 2008
Source: Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)

Eleven journalists from the Philippines' biggest television network arrested for covering the November 2007 stand-off between security forces and 20-odd soldiers at the Manila Peninsula Hotel have asked the Philippine Supreme Court to declare their arrest illegal and to protect them and other journalists from future government harassment.

Led by senior correspondent Ces Oreña Drilon, employees of media giant ABS-CBN who were among those arrested in the 29 November incident filed a petition for a "writ of amparo and prohibition" seeking protection from government "threats of future warrantless arrests, and acts of harassment against petitioners and other journalists, in the course or in consequence of the performance of their work, such as in the coverage of breaking news events similar to the Manila Peninsula stand-off".

Read more here. To review what happened in the Manila Peninsula siege, please read the main story of the December 2007 issue of the the PJR Reports.

Now, CMFR, along with other media groups and journalists are planning to file a class suit to protect press freedom. According to Malaya columnist Ellen Tordesillas--who was also among the 50 media people arrested shortly after the siege had ended--the suit filed by the ABS-CBN journalists and media practitioners is just the first of several suits media are planning to file.

The actions and plans taken by the press came after the government and police officials have warned of future arrests of journalists if they defied police orders while covering similar events. The most recent was a Jan. 11 "media advisory" by the Department of Justice, which said media organizations would be "criminally liable" if their reporters did not obey the orders of government authorities at the site of emergencies. The "advisory" was followed by a police declaration that they would use force to remove journalists from such sites should they refuse to leave. For more information about this, click here and here.