Consumer alert tips: The IRS at your door
HOW do you determine if the person visiting you either at your business or at home or calling you are not an IRS imposter? Look for two forms of credentials….
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A table for one
THE operating room could be likened to a theater — cupboards held tanks of oxygen, refrigerators filled with bags of blood, and a table for one. Beside it lay steel…
The humble Fr. Michalenko, an apostle of the Divine Mercy
LAST Thursday night was quite a treat for me. I had dinner with Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, the former Rector of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge,…
Clients seek Chapter 7 and Chapter 20 bankruptcy relief
FIRST client is 45 and single. His gross income last year was $98K, which is good. It reached $98K because of bonus. Without bonus, his gross income is $72K. This…
The O’Reilly Factor: Sexual harassment allegations at Fox News
“ Courts have recognized two types of sexual harassment. One is called quid pro quo harassment, which exists when to a sexual conduct is made a condition of employment benefits,…
ICE coming to courts: What can you do?
QUESTION: I have a roommate who left an abusive relationship. She actually filed a temporary restraining order (TRO) against this person. Court was yesterday. She went to court to testify…
Why we need President Trump to overhaul our tax code
Estate Tax: AMERICANS pay taxes throughout their lives, then pay again after death. This is wrong. The death tax itself should be terminated. Yes, there are two things we can’t…
Defusing the threat of nuclear war
THE current deadly “game of chicken” being undertaken by the U.S., under President Donald Trump, and by North Korea, under its Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, isn’t the first time that…
The May 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…
The new silent killer
THE silent killer of the 1970s, high blood pressure, is now replaced by metabolic syndrome, a cluster of three or more risk factors like abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high…
The arms of war
They consist in running bits of metal through the flesh of men — large, small, pointed, square, round splintered — that tear and kill. It is not metal in its…
Divorce issue and tax tips part 2
1. What is New? Same sex marriages are considered the same as couples of opposite sex marriages for Federal tax purposes. On the other hand, other relationships that are not…
If Duterte can’t be expected to change, perhaps media should
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has accused media, specifically the Philippine Daily Inquirer and ABS-CBN, of being bastos and unfair and, in the process, he sounded just as foul as the objects…
Protecting employee and consumer rights
WHEN is the Use of Deadly Force by Police Unreasonable? The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects persons from unreasonable search and seizures, including the use of excessive or…
Easter: A season of hope and promise
IT’S a brand new day! For me, this greeting sums up the message of Easter, not only because we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, but also because we rejoice…
Mat Ranillo III: The legacy of a great actor
In writing this piece, I was given the rare opportunity to talk to one of the greatest Filipino actors of all time. This person also happens to be the man…
Permanent residents can petition their spouses and unmarried children
MANY legal permanent residents (LPR or green card holders) mistakenly believe only U.S. citizens can petition family members. Even after they obtain their green cards, they still wait many years…
How many people were raised from the dead in the Bible?
“God has come to help his people.” YOU may be surprised to find out that quite a number of dead people were resurrected. The Bible mentions some resurrections that occurred…
Fighting for civil rights in the face of police misconduct
TERRY Lafitte was a 49 year-old black man riding his bicycle in the dark of night in South Central Los Angeles. Two sheriff’s deputies, in their squad car, saw that…
Will I be deported if I lose my asylum case?
QUESTION: I will be applying for asylum. I’m not exactly sure of the process, but if I lose, will I be deported? Answer: Clients who have arrived in the United…
Foreign earned income exclusion
ARE you a U.S. citizen or resident working in a foreign country? Did you declare your foreign income? Did you even file a tax return? Or are you hiding from…
Tax problems? Don’t let the IRS ruin your life!
IS the government after you for huge unpaid taxes that you cannot afford to pay? Do you get sick to your stomach not knowing what the government will do next…
Trump wants to stop insurance payments for those subsidized by Obamacare
WARNING: If you are among the 7 million people, or 58 percent, of those who signed up for Obamacare coverage for 2017 and qualify for cost-sharing subsidies, then you may…
Miss Virginia Cu’s prime and her full-circled pedagogical life
Teaching is considered the noblest of all professions since all professionals, highly skilled or merely trained, underwent education with a teacher. What profession can be more gratifying and satisfying then…
A remembrance of her Filipino heritage
Author Cristie Locsin writes about change and possibilities in “The Value of Equality” WHEN writers make fiction, many would expect that they would go beyond what is expected of them…
Permanent residents can petition their spouse and unmarried children
MANY legal permanent residents (LPR or green card holders) mistakenly believe only US citizens can petition family members. Even after they obtain their green cards, they still wait many years…
What to do if ICE comes to your home, workplace or public space
ON April 10, 2017, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) released a “Know Your Rights Handouts” available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Portuguese to inform the public about…
DACA recipients who can adjust status
A non resident alien who marries a U.S. citizen or has a U.S. citizen child who turns 21, or a parent who becomes a U.S. citizen before the alien turns…
Sleep less and get fat
An important study conducted at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia showed that people who sleep less tend to weigh heavier than those who sleep more. The clinical…