Of models, modeling, et al
A well-structured face, a statuesque figure, and an ambitious drive are not sufficient factors to make one a model for modeling, per se, demands much more convoluted and tortuous prerequisites to make it big in this glamorously intriguing business. Since the annual NY Fashion Week is merely in the offing and the fashion thrill unhurriedly…
DOT to boost Japanese tourist arrivals
TOKYO, JAPAN – “As we face the next half of 2018, we look forward with excitement to hitting a new high in Japanese tourism arrivals by breaching the 600,000 mark,” said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat during the recent Philippine Business Mission (PBM) to Japan. Puyat said Japan produced a total of 584,180 visitors to the country last…
The bucket list: The world is your oyster – Go travel
(Sixth of a series) ”The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” –Marcel Proust [Select a handful of those things on your bucket list that have the highest chance of coming to fruition given your time frame. In tech speak, this means before your life’s energy goes into…
Delinquent tax debt could mean revocation of your passport
IN February 2018, the IRS will start certification of individuals with delinquent tax debt to the State Department. How will the IRS certification impacts you? • Upon receipt of certification. The State Department will either deny application or revoke current passport or both. • You are overseas. Limited validity passport for direct return to the…
Thousands march in Downtown LA for nationwide ‘Families Belong Together’ protest
Fil-Am activists show solidarity for those affected by Trump’s highly-criticized immigration policies AFTER President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance policy” — which separated immigrant children from parents — sparked outrage across the country, hundreds of thousands of protesters partook in the national “Families Belong Together” march and rally this weekend, paralleling the same political outrage from the Women’s…
Sen. Grace Poe speaks of ‘Global Filipinos’ during Los Angeles visit
PHILIPPINE Senator Grace Poe shared her experiences and thoughts on what it means to be a Filipino abroad during a recent visit to Los Angeles, California on Friday, June 30. “What we all went through is universal,” said Poe in Filipino, after warming up attendees with a few Filipino jokes in honor of late Senator…
Minimum wage increases in several LA County cities
SEVERAL cities in Los Angeles County saw their minimum wage rates rise at the beginning of this month. Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Malibu’s minimum wage jumped on Sunday, July 1 from $12 per hour to $13.25 per hour for businesses with 26 or more employees. For businesses with 25 or fewer employees, the…
P139 billion worth of projects in the pipeline for Air Force modernization
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday, July 3, highlighted the importance of investing in strategies and technologies in order to allow government forces to perform their duties effectively. The President graced the founding anniversary of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City and congratulated them for their 71 years…
Filipina contender Gina Iniong sees perfection of craft with more importance
If she secures an impressive victory over former world title challenger Istela Nunes on Saturday, July 7, Filipina dynamo Gina “Conviction” Iniong might place herself on the verge of a shot at the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship. Both outstanding female mixed martial artists are set to face each other on the undercard of ONE:…
Your best World Cup viewing experience, brought to you by LG and Grand Hyatt
LG Philippines and Grand Hyatt hotel have teamed up to give football fans the ultimate World Cup viewing experience. Follow the action as it happens in Russia as Pool House at Grand Hyatt hosts daily viewing events on a giant 86-inch UHD TV from June 11 to July 15. Hotel guests and locals alike can pop into the…
Homeowner files last-minute Chapter 13 without credit counseling as loan modification is denied
“So why even assume this kind of risk by filing an incomplete petition?” THE client is 59 and single. He has a decent job where he makes $4,000 a month gross. He doesn’t owe any credit card debt. He only owes three secured debts. He owes a mortgage on his house for $400,000 plus he…
Can I get a green card if I had a previous marriage petition denied based on fraud?
“In cases in which the subsequent immigrant visa petition has already been denied, this new evidence should be submitted as part of a motion to reconsider.” DEAR Attorney Tan, I recently married a US Citizen, who is my second husband. He has filed an immigrant visa petition and green card application for me. My husband…
Recognizing pregnancy discrimination at work
WHEN Otisha Woolbright became pregnant, her doctor instructed her to stop lifting 50-pound trays of chickens at Walmart. Ms. Woolbright informed her boss about this and her boss said she had seen Demi Moore do a flip on TV while pregnant so being pregnant was “no excuse.” Her boss also told her if she couldn’t…
Grounds for annulling a marriage
Most couples that want out of a marriage in California usually file for Divorce. There are circumstances though that allow a couple to have their marriage “voided” rather than “dissolved.” There is a big difference between the two concepts. With a voided marriage, it restores the couple to status of unmarried person as if they…
Got God?
KEEP praying to God. Keep praising him! See what He has done for you through the years. Bless him for guiding you, accompanying you through life’s challenges. Rejoice for God has granted you your wishes and prayers. The more that you see His graces makes you become freer to live a distracted and self-indulgent life. Speak of God’s sovereignty…
Should you file single, separate, or joint tax returns for a green card?
OUR tax laws give you choices of filing status to prepare your income tax returns. Which one is appropriate for a married person petitioning (or being petitioned by) your spouse? I’m a tax professional, not a lawyer, so let’s discuss this case from a tax standpoint. Case in point: I had a new tax client…
Reflecting on the Beautiful Life Celebration’s past awardees
Through the years, the Beautiful Life Celebration has been recognizing individuals, youth, organizations, and couples who have shaped and influenced their communities in extraordinary ways. Now that the organization is celebrating its 30th anniversary, I’d like to this opportunity to share with my readers how these four amazing people — who were awarded at the…
No makeup, just lighting
[Editor’s Note: A version of this column was previously published in June 2012] Bryce National Park in Southern Utah is known for its red rock spires and amphitheaters of columns. It is described by the Paiute Indians as “bad men turned into rock by coyotes.” The true story of this place began 60 million years…
Newsroom shooting in Maryland: Blood on your hands, President Trump
“Journalists like all Americans should be free of the fear of being violently attacked while doing their jobs,” President Donald Trump said on Friday, June 29, a day after Jarrod Ramos opened fire in the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland and killed five individuals. The incident occurred on Thursday, June 28, which is considered…
ACA protections for sick patients still popular despite gop’s efforts to end them
by Jordan Rau Even as many Republicans continue to back a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, a majority of GOP voters want to retain a core consumer protection of the law that prohibits insurers from denying care or charging more to people with histories of health problems, according to a poll released Wednesday, June…
Defendants in diapers? Immigrant toddlers ordered to appear in court alone
by Christina Jewett and Shefali Luthra As the White House faces court orders to reunite families separated at the border, immigrant children as young as 3 are being ordered into court for their own deportation proceedings, according to attorneys in Texas, California and Washington, D.C. Requiring unaccompanied minors to go through deportation alone is not a new…
Under pressure, Calif. lawmakers ban soda taxes for 12 years
California’s cities and counties will be barred from adopting soda taxes for the next 12 years under a legislative deal that marks a big victory for the influential beverage industry — one that state lawmakers said holds Californians “hostage.” On Thursday, June 28 the state legislature rushed to approve the last-minute, quid pro quo deal between one…
Amid immigration debate, several Filipinos arrested by ICE
Filipino green card holder detained for decade-old conviction WITH the current administration’s efforts to tighten immigration enforcement in the United States, several reports are emerging that Filipinos have been part of recent sweeps conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One such case is that of Cloyd Edralin, a Filipino green card holder and U.S….