COUPLES get divorced for various reasons. California is a no fault state. The reasons why a couple is getting divorced are often irrelevant to the issues of the family law case. Divorce is often a difficult and negative experience for most families. However, getting divorce may have some unintended benefits in the immigration law arena. …
FILING Bankruptcy is a serious decision for most people. Most don’t have a clue about how the process works until they actually consult with an attorney. Confusion often results from hearing conflicting personal opinions from people they know. Sad to say, well-meaning friends and family often give the wrong advice and the results can sometimes…
FOLLOWING the San Bernardino massacre that claimed the lives of 14 people and injured 21 others, people ask: when will these senseless killings end? When will Congress pass sensible gun control laws to keep high-powered firearms out of the hands of people who are not fit to own guns? Republicans argue against this — contending…
WOMEN who are terrorized by tape measures and scales know that there is nothing relaxing about this kind of fight. The result is apparent: a race among women to be thinner and considerably younger. You see the price paid in tension, harassment and preoccupation. If she cannot diet nor exercise, she is lost to fashion….
It’s hard not to be affected by the recent terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. It’s so close to home, only less than a hundred miles away. It makes us think of our own security and that of our children. Are we all safe even to worship in our churches and to shop in public…
WATCHING excessive TV can lead to cognitive decline over time, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) conducted a study on more than 3,200 participants throughout a 25-year period starting when they were young adults. They checked in with them every five years to ask for an estimate…
THE Supreme Court has declined to review an appeal of an Illinois ordinance banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, marking a victory for gun control advocates. The decision on Monday, Dec. 7, comes after a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California and nearly a month after such an incident in Paris, which have fueled fierce…
A DIVIDED Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved on Tuesday, Dec. 8, a motion to welcome Syrian refugees to the county. The vote comes days after a mass shooting in San Bernardino killed 14 people and less than a month after 120 were killed in a mass shooting in Paris, where a Syrian passport…
AS reports continue to develop regarding the Dec. 2 shootings in San Bernardino, California, survivors of the attacks carried out by a radicalized Muslim husband and wife are beginning to speak out. “I was under the table with some of the staff and we just kind of held on to each other. I think just…
EVERY year, more than 2,700 appointments are made to various boards and commissions in the State of California, each of whom have to go through California Gov. Jerry Brown’s Appointments Secretary, Mona Pasquil. Pasquil, a Filipino-American who has served in her current role since 2011, said she has often been asked what the process of…
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…
ALTHOUGH her wedding to fiance Ali Khatibi was supposed to take place this month, sexy actress Cristine Reyes said that they had to move the date to January next year. The reason for the postponement was to be able to have more time to prepare. “Kasi ganito yan, super excited ako na ikakasal na kami…
MY column on “Aspirin, the Wonder Drug,” came out in 2002, when this common household item was in the spotlight for some time for its new role in staving off a heart attack, medically termed acute myocardial infarction (the killer, Acute MI). In 1962, a year after I graduated from medical school, my 46-year-old father…
ONE. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Standing before a wall lined with seven large mirror panels, Fil-Am Van Jovi Wong, 21, counts out loud while demonstrating a dance move called the wave./breaking down the moves involved in the wave. On the first count, he moves his wrist. At two, he lifts his elbow….
IN April 2010, towards the end of the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, I wrote a biting piece entitled, “May Angal???” I wrote it out of sheer frustration over the abuses of the Arroyo administration that we, as citizens, could only helplessly protest. Here’s how that piece read: “If you grew up in the streets…
Donald Trump once again shook the nation with yet another plan to purportedly keep America safe following the San Bernardino massacre that killed 14 people and injured 21 others. The Republican presidential frontrunner wants a total shutdown of all Muslims entering America — whether they are immigrants or tourists. While Trump’s fans cheered when he…
RECENT climatic and environmental events warn that the world is doomed for disastrous consequences. The Philippines—who is among the countries that bear the brunt of this phenomenon—seeks adaptive measures that would strengthen livelihoods, food security and ecosystems. In his trip to Paris, France last week, Pres. Benigno Aquino III called for significant actions to address…
Some love or hate it, others write or repeat it. But the obsession with gossip seems here to stay. From what we read about the unholy and unchanging trinity of the subject, the reporter and reader have stoked the human appetite for gossip, dating back to the salad days of the silver screen magazines to…
TUESDAY, Dec. 8 marked the beginning of an important year in the Catholic Church–the beginning of the Year of Mercy, a special holy year for Catholics. Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday morning, officially launching the yearlong celebration of mercy, compassion and forgiveness for Catholics around the world. Francis…
CALIFORNIA Governor Jerry Brown is calling for action on the part of the federal government, pushing for stronger gun laws and vigilance against potential terrorist threats. Speaking from the convention center in Paris on Monday, Dec. 7, where he is attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Brown told CNN, “People are concerned. And I…
Controversial remarks condemned Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday, Dec. 7, called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States, following a Dec. 2 mass shooting in San Bernardino committed by a radicalized Muslim couple. “Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country…
House passes bill to restrict visa-free travel PRESIDENT Barack Obama somberly addressed the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday, Dec. 6, outlining his administration’s strategy for fighting the war on terror, namely, terrorist groups like the Islamic State. “Tonight, I want to talk with you about this tragedy, the broader threat of terrorism, and…
CLIENT is 53. She has two sons who are just entering college. She divorced ten years ago. Ex-husband does not pay spousal or child support but left her with the community property residence. The house has a small equity. Not much. In plain language, ex-husband, left her with two kids to raise all by herself,…
IN February 2011, Michael Rodman signed up on Safeway.com to buy his groceries online and have them delivered to his home for an additional delivery fee and fuel surcharge. After reading Safeway’s online FAQs and terms and conditions, Rodman believed that prices on items he selected online would be coming from a specific brick-and-mortar close…
AS you may be aware, an alien seeking permanent residency status in the US must be “admissible” to the US. Admissibility means the ability of an alien to receive a visa to enter the US or adjust status while in the US to obtain a permanent resident status under the US relevant laws and regulations….
• AMOUNT of exclusion. When you have gain from the sale of your home, you may be able to exclude up to $250,000 of the gain from your income. The exclusion amount is $500,000 for taxpayers filing a joint return. • Ownership test. To claim the exclusion, you must have owned the home for at…
WHEN people are going through financial difficulty and are unable to pay their bills, their first reaction is often to ignore their debts and avoid contact with creditors. They think that by doing this, somehow the creditors will simply give up and go away. Then one day the problem blows up in their face. They…
FOURTEEN people were killed and 21 others wounded when a couple opened fire in San Bernardino, California last Wednesday, Dec. 2. FBI Director James Comey said they uncovered “indications of radicalization” and possible “inspiration by foreign terrorist organizations.” Comey said the FBI does not have any clue that these killers are part of an organized…
IT is not just the celebrity allure. It’s the cut above all. It’s the public acclaim, the attention, the limelight. Every time you turn around, someone’s winning an award for something. There are many reasons why the nation seems caught in an obsessive pursuit of recognition. There seems to be no field of human endeavor…
WE don’t often think of Church as contemplative. We think of it more as an active and engaging Church that deals with setting goals and planning ways to transform the world with the spirit of the Gospel. Yet, being a contemplative Church is a vital element of a true Church. In fact, it is a…
