FACEBOOK BUYS OUT ELLO FOR $10 Million

October 2, 2014 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Menlo Park, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – No one messes with a drag queen, and no one messes with Mark Zuckerberg either.

Just hours after Facebook issued an apology to drag queens and performers for requiring them to use only their real names in setting up their accounts, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook has closed a deal to buy out Ello for $10 Million.

Ello is the new, invite-only social networking site that was being touted as an ads-free alternative to Facebook without any restriction on the use of drag, pseudo or stage names. Many disgruntled Facebook account holders were migrating in droves to Ello in protest of the giant social netoworking site’s real names policy. Well, at least until Facebook apologized to the drag and performing communities.

Everyone is claiming victory. The drag queens are happy that they can now continue with or restore their pseudo names. Facebook just got rid of a potential competitor. And the people behind Ello are $10 Million dollars richer.

All’s well that ends well.

Business, International, Tourism

WAIKIKI’S ABC STORES TO BE RENAMED XYZ STORES

October 1, 2014 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Honolulu, Hawaii (The Adobo Chronicles) – For cities in the U.S. mainland, there is a Starbucks coffee shop in every street corner. In Waikiki, there is an ABC Store not just in every street corner but two or three within the same block. These 7-Eleven type retail shops are among the most recognizable tourist traps in Waikiki.

That is about to change. Beginning on January 1, 2015, all ABC Stores marquee signs are coming down and will be replaced with “XYZ Stores,” thanks to the brilliant marketing strategy of the developers of the upcoming and upscale International Market Place on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki.

The developers are responsible for the demise of the old and historical International Market Place, nestled in the middle of Waikiki that featured cottage-type stalls under banyan trees, selling wares from Aloha shirts and kukui nut leis to fresh-cultured pearls and ukeleles. The demolished site is now being reconstructed and a new, multi-level shopping complex will rise featuring high-end retail establishments like Saks Fifth Avenue.

The old and demolished International Market Place

As part of the overall marketing strategy for the new complex, the developers have proposed to change the name of all ABC Stores to XYZ Stores in order to attract more shoppers belonging to the X & Y (Millennial) generations. “The baby boomers are getting older and the future of retail shopping is now in the hands of the younger generation,” the developers said.

Soon to rise: New and ultra modern International Market Place

Only the store signage will change. XYZ Stores will still sell souvenirs, t-shirts, chocolates, coffee, sunscreens, flipflops, beachwear as well as food & beverage.

The cost of replacing the store signage from ABC to XYZ will be borne by the International Market Place developers. A true investment for the future.

Law Enforcement, Religion

TRUCKLOADS OF T-SHIRTS STOLEN FROM MANILA’S CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE

September 30, 2014 Pol Pinoy 1 Comment

Fr. Fajardo wearing t-shirt that says, 'Thou Shall Not Steal' — Fr. Fajardo wearing t-shirt that says, ‘Thou Shall Not Steal’

Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – The Catholic Archdiocese of Manila has launched a marketing campaign aimed at reminding Filipinos of the 7th Commandment.

The Archdiocese has mass-produced t-shirts bearing the words, “Huwag kang magnakaw!” (Thou Shall Not Steal), hoping that the shirts would have the power to eradicate the culture of greed and thievery among Filipinos. Father Nonong Fajardo said that out of The 10 Commandments, the archdiocese chose to highlight the 7th Commandment because it seemed that stealing had become “normal” to many Filipinos, especially among elected officials.

The shirts cost P150 each and the proceeds from the sale will be used for forums and programs discussing the issue of stealing.

Today, several truckloads of the special t-shirts were stolen by armed thieves as the shipment was being transported from the printing press to the archdiocese’s warehouse at Adamson University in Manila. The thieves ran away with 1.5 Million pesos worth of t-shirts.

A classic case of a message gone awry.