WITH the New Year just days away, several new, important traffic-related laws will go into effect on Jan. 1, designed to address issues of roadway safety and directly impact California drivers, motorists and bicyclists. The new laws, which cover everything from hit-and-run, to DUI laws, electric bicycles and hover-boards, were signed by Gov. Jerry Brown…
ON New Year’s Day, California employees will get a raise. Effective Jan. 1, 2016, the state minimum wage will go up one dollar to $10 an hour. As signed by California Governor Jerry Brown, and voted on in July by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, workers will also have job-protected leave to address…
WITH the new year less than a week away, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is reminding the public that beginning Jan. 1, old Philippine peso bills will no longer be accepted when paying for goods and services. The old banknotes, however, can still be exchanged in banks and BSP offices through the end of…
ON Friday, the 25th, the entire Christian world will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ 2015 years ago. Christmas is the birthday of Jesus who is the manifestation of God’s love and mercy for mankind. He is consubstantial with the Father, God from God, begotten, not made and through Him all things were made, and…
SARAH Wellens works as a sales representative for Daiichi Sankyo, a Japan-based pharmaceutical company with about 3,000 employees in the United States. The company hired Ms. Wellens, an experienced sales rep, in September 2009. Upon her hiring, she was assigned to a lower level position and lower compensation tier than similar male employees. Over time,…
1. CAPITAL assets include almost everything you own and use for personal purposes, pleasure or investment. 2. The following are capital assets: your home, household furnishings and stocks held in a personal account. 3. The following are not capital assets: • Inventory held mainly for sale to customers in a trade or business. • Accounts…
I KNOW that our economy in the last several years has caused a lot of financial problems for a lot of people. A lot of families are struggling financially every month and are living paycheck to paycheck, thus making it impossible for them to save for their future. They feel like no matter how hard…
Cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, is the second most common cause of death in the US and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths in 2012 based from the World Health Organization estimated data. The astounding figures alone are more than enough to set one’s mode in to a panic attack but such is overwhelmingly the…
Delinquent taxpayers who owe $50,000 or more to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may have their passports revoked under a new law Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed on Dec. 4. The new legislation is part of a law known as the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. The section is called “Revocation or Denial…
THERE’S a link between gum disease and breast cancer for middle-aged and older women, according to a new study. The report, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, found that women with gum disease are 14 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. Researchers from the University of Buffalo in New York analyzed…
THE Philippines on Tuesday, Dec. 22, approved the sale of the world’s first dengue vaccine, marking the first Asian country to do so. In clinical tests conducted on 40,000 people from 15 countries, the vaccine, Dengvaxia, was found to immunize 66 percent of people aged 9 and older, and reduce the risk of hospitalization by…
AUTHORITIES are stepping up security measures at this year’s Rose Parade and Rose Bowl, following the recent terrorist shooting attack in San Bernardino which rattled the Southern California region. “Recent mass shootings in San Bernardino and Paris will have law enforcement on heightened alert during the events that annually draw hundreds of thousands of spectators into…
MISS INFORMATION MIX-UP FOLLOWING the heated controversy surrounding this year’s Miss Universe pageant competition, many people are taking sides as to who they really support for the prestigious crown. After show host Steve Harvey mistakenly announced on live television that Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez Arévalo was the winner, only to backtrack moments later to proclaim Miss…
In every wish, there will be glimpses of kind virtues, to encourage and console. It could be something modest or even mundane, something fantastic or utterly practical. It can take you to the other side of the world or a walk around the corner. Wishing makes it easier to believe in happiness than pain —…
MANY Filipinos worldwide posted pictures of Simbang Gabi Masses on social media such as Facebook. Their photos showed happiness, harmony and contentment. There were even pictures of parishioners attending Simbang Gabi Masses in flooded churches. That was quite remarkable, wasn’t it? It showed people’s religiosity and devotion to these nine days of Simbang Gabi Masses…
LAST week, I wrote about determined Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach to win in the Miss Universe pageant. In fact, having joined Binibining Pilipinas three times to be able to get where she is now is a sign that this beauty queen is headstrong and cannot be discouraged easily. All the hard work, determination and patience have…
AN important part of Christmas is buying gifts for loved ones. Filipinos are busy filling their balikbayan boxes with pasalubong, to send to their families “back home.” The pasalubong may consist of clothes, food items, electronics, or other useful items, given as a way of “sharing one’s blessings.” However, many Filipinos forget about what could…
A CHILD born abroad to parents who are both United States citizens (USCs), or to a United States citizen (USC) mother or father, has a claim to citizenship either through “acquisition” (acquiring citizenship at birth) or “derivation” (citizenship acquired after birth). Either parent may report the birth of a child born abroad to the United…
DESPITE President Benigno Aquino’s challenge for them to pass the measure before the holidays, the House of Representatives adjourned for its Christmas break without passing the Basic Bangsamoro Law (BBL), now called the proposed Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR). The House will reconvene on Jan. 18, 2016, with a three week final…
WHEN international celebrity Marilyn Monroe, in her sexy tight-fitting gold gown that hugged her shapely figure, sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President,” in May 1962, the attention of the world was momentarily focused on her. But John F. Kennedy, 45, was still center stage. After all, he was the honoree and the man of the hour….
Hit-and-run suspect was honored for turning her life around Lakeisha Holloway, the 24-year-old woman accused of deliberately driving onto a packed sidewalk several times through a crowd of pedestrians along the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, Dec. 20, was publicly honored for turning her life around from homelessness to a government job. “Boy, have I come…
THE Commission on Audit had been, even through martial law, one of the most prestigious agencies of our Republic, its reputation untainted by graft or partisanship. With just a few months remaining for this inglorious Administration, the COA will be left as another institution damaged by President Benigno Aquino 3rd, who has turned it into…
I WOULD like to apologize to everyone I have called an idiot for believing that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte deserves to be president of the Philippines in spite of his womanizing, his potty-mouth and his homicidal bluster. On reflection, there is in all of us a kind of idiocy that causes us to resort…
GIVEN the unsure situation the world is facing today, we are looking for some sort of a sign this Christmas—something that could calm our fears about what lies ahead. Times may be difficult, but Christmas and its spirit of love, faith and hope will always endure. It’s that time of the year—when war, conflict, political…
A week before Christmas, we’re crammed with Christmas wishes, checking them twice, the naughty or the nice part. It is a seasonal splendor of a heart’s wish for Christmas. I cannot remember no time in my life when an interesting man was not the object of my interests, if not search. Unlike some women, I’ve…
SIX days before Christmas, the three Democratic presidential candidates faced off in New Hampshire for the final Democratic presidential debate of 2015 and offered their opinions on issues such as terrorism, gun control, healthcare and foreign policy. Hosted by ABC, the two-and-a-half hour debate took place Saturday, Dec. 19, in New Hampshire where Vermont Sen….
Labor groups and people supportive of the candidacy of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said they have repackaged the tandem as “Team AlDuB”. A take from the phenomenal noontime show love team between Alden Richards and Maine “Yaya Dub” Mendoza, popularly known as “AlDub”, the political “AlDuB” refers…
FOR individuals who are seeking to obtain lawful permanent residency, any past fraud or misrepresentation renders the individual inadmissible and ineligible to legalize status unless they are granted a fraud waiver. This includes all individuals who have committed fraud, even those who are married to a United States citizen. Immigration fraud occurs when an individual…
Q: EVERY pay period, I receive a check from my employer for my wages. Recently, there is news at work that our company will be requiring employees to receive our wages through a payroll debit card. Is this a legal way to be paid our wages? A: Generally, employers are allowed to fulfill their wage…
A DEBT-free life is something that a lot of people aspire to have. And yet it is a known fact that sadly, many will never attain it because of their unwillingness to make the necessary adjustments in their lifestyle to make it possible. I am talking about people who continue to accumulate debt for immediate…
