California looks to lead nation in unraveling childhood trauma
by Anna Maria Barry-Jester Imagine identifying a toxin so potent it could rewire a child’s brain and erode his immune system. A substance that, in high doses, tripled the risk…
Category: Life & Style
Covering the week’s most noteworthy life & style news stories impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
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Americans cross border into Mexico to buy insulin at a fraction of US cost
by Bram Sable-Smith For one patient, a three-month supply of insulin is $3,700 in the US versus $600 in Mexico. But is it legal? When Michelle Fenner signed up to…
Confessing God as Lord and Savior
Many times we hear from fellow Christians of Evangelical denominations that if we accept Jesus as our Lord, we will be saved. Well, this conviction comes from Romans 10:8-13, the…
Hello, World. Meet Edielyn Quijano-Pagdanganan
PERHAPS one of the best rewards that I get from recognizing distinguished individuals in the Filipino-American community is getting to know them and their success stories. Today I’d like to…
The street sweeper
WHAT a noble trade, being a street sweeper. It’s about sweeping the filth we produce, of making our existence less infected. Mindless and ungrateful are those who use the word…
You can’t please everybody. A cliché or simply the plain truth? (Part II of II)
IN my previous column, I wrote about three lessons learned when trying to please everybody. We covered how doing so can affect your reputation, can cause disappointment, and doesn’t guarantee…
PACCAL observes the international celebration of Women’s History Month (First of three parts)
THE month of March was globally earmarked as Women’s History Month (WHM) to highlight the idiosyncratic contributions of women in history as well as in our contemporary society. Here in…
Filipino warmth makes foreigners shop at Duty Free Philippines, says study
“Filipinos assist with their hearts” This is the remarkable testimony of foreign travellers when asked why they choose to shop at Duty Free Philippines (DFP). A study commissioned by the…
A story of resilience, determination and survival
‘In the Belly of the Eagle: Man@ng is Deity’ tells the journey of Fil-Ams in San Francisco during the 1920s-1960s THE Great Depression hit the United States in the late…
Sticky blood is a risk
OUR health and life, believe it or not, depend on the consistency of our blood. Our blood has to be just right — not too thin, not too thick. When…
The bucket list: Become your own style icon (9th of a series)
“ …As within, so without…” –Hermes Trismegistus WHILE appearances may deceive, more often than not, what you are is reflected on the outside. Becoming your own style icon does not…
There’s a new ‘Medicare-for-all’ bill in the House
by Shefali Luthra MEMBERS of the House on Wednesday, February 27 offered their version of a “Medicare-for-all” bill that is broader than what’s been put forth by Sen. Bernie Sanders…
No one is above the law — not even Catholic priests
[Editor’s note: The original version of this column, published in the Asian Journal in March 2016, has been updated to reflect 2019 changes.] Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee Year…
Vintage Hollywood’s biggest Oscar shocker and epic mix up
IT was bigger than California, bigger than America. It was Hollywood’s finest moment. Celebrating the Academy Awards (nicknamed Oscar) is as old as a man’s knowledge of entertainment — music, laughter…
Another kind of blindness
“Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” (Luke 6:39). No one wants to be blind. No one wants to be deprived of…
Likha: Celebrating Filipino Creativity & Craftsmanship
“We have to let the world know that we make beautiful and extraordinary products,” exclaimed Nathalie Lim when I asked her about her company Likha, which made its debut at…
Consuelo Almonte- Shaffer: Defying monumental cessation of her fragmented past
Allowing the bitter-sweet fragments of the past to flow back freely inevitably creates either abysmal or ecstatic reminiscences. Regardless how profound and significant the recollections may be, there’ll constantly be…
Run for your life
A 10-year study showed more than 57,000 pedestrians were hit by vehicles in Metro Manila — including those who lost their lives simply crossing the streets. Notwithstanding the designated crossing…
The bucket list: God has a list, too. (8th of a series)
”Sister, do you speak Italian? Can I talk to you? I am very angry with God.” I turned my head and it was a beautiful lady, elegantly dressed. I thought,…
From plate to print: How a Fil-Am couple created a home for cookbooks and food conversations in LA
IT’S hard to believe that before 2017, the city of Los Angeles had gone eight years without a dedicated cookbook store after Cook’s Library on Third Street closed in 2009….
You can’t please everybody. A cliché or simply the plain truth? (Part I of II)
YUP, you’re right! It is difficult, indeed, to please everyone. Each day comes with challenges. We work with people, we move around people. Interaction with others is so much inevitable….
No one is above the law
“It is more proper that law should govern than any one of its citizens.” – Aristotle On Feb. 21, 2019, The Rachel Maddow Show’s team uncovered a telegram sent by…
Heaven bless the “children of a lesser God”
SANTA CLARITA, CA – It was a unique dance party that intermingled all the facility residents and their caregivers together into one big family…and dancing gaiety. The center’s low building…
Duterte signs law providing health care to all Filipinos
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, February 20, signed into law the Universal Health Care (UHC) Bill, which seeks to give all Filipinos health care coverage and benefits. In his speech…
Fil-Am designer Zaldy Goco wins at Costume Designers Guild
FILIPINO-American designer Zaldy Goco received the reality-competition award on Tuesday, February 19 at the 21st annual Costume Designers Guild Awards for his work on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” “I won…It was…
Eric Bustamante: candid interpersonal rapport and effectual management skills sustain his banking headship
HAVING been raised, oriented, and constantly exposed to numbers, financial records, auditing, taxation matters, assets, liabilities, and other related accounting terms easily made Eric Bustamante embrace his father’s profession that…
A taxi driver on corruption
Whenever I take a cab in Manila, I find it most interesting to talk to the driver. Some of them are so eloquent, with a remarkable grasp of our national…
DOH: Measles outbreak could affect tourism, OFWs
THE Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, February 19, said that the measles outbreak in the country could negatively affect the tourism and overseas labor sectors if not contained…
Dengvaxia permanently banned in PH
Dengvaxia’s certificates of product registration (CPRs) have been “permanently revoked,” the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday, February 19. This is due to the continued failure of the anti-dengue…
Historic Filipinotown newcomer HiFi Kitchen features traditional and vegan rice bowls
WHETHER you’re vegan, have a shellfish allergy, want a quick rice bowl with ulam, or are unfamiliar with Filipino food, a new Filipino-American café in Historic Filipinotown seeks to satisfy…