Fil-Am co-founder of Snapchat worth $4 billion

Robert “Bobby” Murphy named one of the youngest billionaires in the world The introduction of the smartphone in the mid-2000s and the genesis of the start-up business culture ushered in a new wave of entrepreneurs who are making billions through technological innovations. One of those billionaires is Filipino-American Robert “Bobby” Murphy, who, along with business…

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What should I do if ICE comes to my home?

WITH the election of Donald Trump as president, and his pledge to fulfill his campaign promise of enforcing immigration laws (with news reports of immigration raids throughout the country), many people are anxious and\or terrified about their future in the US. Many of my clients have been calling asking whether they have to open the…

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Beating heart surgery

WHAT is OPCAB? OPCAB stands for off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery, which is the most popular minimally invasive heart bypass operation today, one that is done on a beating heart. Conventionally, a coronary bypass is done on an arrested heart (chemically-induced cardiac arrest to allow for a quiet field) with the patient connected to a…

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Tightening the screws

THE screws are tightening on both sides of the Pacific, pretty much like the garote that snuffed the lives of the Tres Martires, Padres Burgos, Gomez and Zamora. Sooner or later, some necks are going to snap. In America, the screws are being tightened around the neck of President Donald Trump, with calls for his…

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Legislative jungle

SOME say that a governance needs a good opposition to bring out the best in itself. Will this hold true for a government that is marred by a political rumble where supremacy is tested and egos are displayed? The three great departments of the Philippine government—the Executive (President), Legislative (Senate and House of Representatives) and…

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The Philippine Housing Plan Is an Epic Failure

In a CNN report written by Paolo Taruc on September 21, 2015, the Philippines emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing economies with an average gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.2% per year from 2010 to 2014. The figure represents the highest growth in nearly four decades, according to the National Economic and Development Authority…

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Worries lead to nothing

“DO not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” — (Matthew 6:34) It’s not easy to let go and allow God to take charge of our lives. “It’s easier said than done,” we always say. It’s because we want to control the situations and be clear about the decisions of our lives. The Scripture…

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Bea Alonzo: The leading lady of all time 

I’ve been asked several times who my favorite actresses are. I remember that my answer would always include this young award-winning actress—who is also famous for her class and good heart—Bea Alonzo. Entertainment, like everything else, evolves as culture changes over the years. And I say this with love toward my friends in the industry:…

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Barter for labor: Can employees be paid ‘in-kind’?

COREPOWER Yoga (CPY) owns a chain of yoga studios throughout the country, including at   least thirty-one studio locations in California, and offering yoga classes throughout the day. CPY operated a “Yoga for Trade” (YFT) program where studio managers scheduled yoga students for shifts during which they cleaned and performed other project-based work at the…

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What is meant by a ‘revocable living trust?

QUESTION: What is a ‘revocable’ Living Trust? Answer: A ‘revocable living trust’ for a single person (including a typical “survivor’s trust” that is revocable by the surviving settlor as described in) will provide for distributions to the settlor during the settlor’s lifetime. When a single settlor holds the revocation power and is also entitled to…

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Extraordinary dining experience at FuJi Buffet & Grill

Located off the Harvey Drive exit of the 134 freeway in Glendale, California is FuJi Buffet & Grill, an all-you-can-eat fare that gives you a taste of different Asian regions—without a steep price tag. Enter the restaurant and you’ll be greeted by sleek, modern interiors. The dining area itself is expansive, so you’ll surely be…

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Tilting the scales of justice

THE classic symbol of justice is a lady with a blindfold holding weighing scale that are perfectly balanced. The blindfold and the balanced scales denote impartiality. One would expect that the Secretary of Justice and our country’s lawmakers, the members of the legislature, fully understand and appreciate the symbolism. However, current developments and the actuations…

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Joel Arapiles dances for self-gratification and entertainment

Dancing, aside from singing, is another performing art form Filipinos are well-adept with. Being an extra variety of emotional interpretation through body locomotion, dance had been an effectual tool of social interaction with a compelling visual implementation of religious and cultural aspects, and an efficient method of self expression. Ballet, being a classic dance form,…

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Dance exercise – the latest senior craze

They were evenings that mixes serious adult past time.  Not exactly the kind of topic one wants to pursue after what seems to be a lifetime being under the weather. Startled by beautiful old faces, lived, groomed and puckered as they maybe, hair grizzled; these glossy contemporaries at the Silver Lake Adult Health Center showed…

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The March 2017 priority dates

EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date…

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Our self-destructive lifestyle

THE body is a wonderful natural chemical factory. Whatever we eat, drink or apply to our body is absorbed and automatically transformed into energy (fuel) or to various hormones and substances that control our total bodily function, including thought processes, mental state, behavior, and cellular responses and reactions. Medications and drugs we take are likewise…

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Death of a taxpayer (part 1)

Two major requirements under the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015: 1. The estate executor or others required to file an estate tax return Form 706 after July 31, 2015, should provide Form 8971 and Schedule A to the IRS to report the final estate tax value of the property…

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Subdued

AS Filipinos commemorate the 31st anniversary of the EDSA (People Power) revolution this year, they are not called to dramatize the wrongdoings of the past. Instead, they should do so with a critical understanding of the aspirations and the historical realities that made this movement the catalyst for a democracy that most Filipinos enjoy today….

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The campaign for Medicare portability

In the autumn of our lives, my wife and I would love to retire in the Philippines, no matter what the naysayers, the pessimists and the sensation-prone media say about the traffic, the anti-drug war, and other so-called Third World problems. But we are stymied by one obstacle. Adequate health care. For sure, there are…

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