Calif. needs 11 trillion gallons of water to recover from drought
A new analysis by NASA scientists reveals that it would take approximately 11 trillion gallons of water to remedy the drought that has plagued the Golden State for the last…
Read More
Why Grace Poe is a natural-born Philippine citizen and eligible to be president
BY Resolution issued on December 1, 2015, the Second Division of the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruled that Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe-Llamanzares is not a resident of the…
Reinstating a deceased petitioner’s family-based petition
IT is very common for beneficiaries of family based petition to wait many years before their petition’s priority date becomes current. This is usually the case with US Citizen parent…
Duterte, Trump, Hitler and Nardong Putik
“THE success of Donald Trump has so defied the conventional wisdom of political punditry that a new genre of analysis has come into being. Call it Trumpology. It consists of…
The Apostolic mission of a lola
“IF you want to civilize a man, begin with his grandmother.” – Victor Hugo So, one moment you’re just a mother — and before you can blink and think that…
Obama: US-led coalition is hitting Islamic State ‘harder than ever’
AS countries across the globe continue fighting against the Islamic State (IS), President Barack Obama on Monday, Dec. 14, said the US-led coalition is hitting ISIS “harder than ever.” “ISIL…
Over 190 countries adopt historic climate accord in Paris
AFTER 13 days of negotiations on addressing climate change on a global scale, 195 countries on Saturday, Dec. 12, approved a historic, unprecedented climate accord that seeks to address global…
Supreme Court hears historic case on affirmative action
Asian Americans will benefit, experts say THE nation’s highest court has been debating a landmark case regarding US affirmative action in college admissions. The Supreme Court appeared sharply divided last…
IRS seeks to dismiss client’s chapter 13
Client with good income wants chapter 7 to discharge $70K credit cards NO one has anything good to say about the IRS. Tax collectors were much hated even during the time…
Misclassification of workers is a form of wage theft
THIS column has often stressed the general rule that most employees should be paid overtime rate if they work more than 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week….
Do you qualify for earned income credit?
HERE are the top 10 things the Internal Revenue Service wants you to know about this valuable credit: 1. If you qualify, it could be worth up to $6,143 this…
4 ways filing for divorce can benefit your immigration case
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…
Bankruptcy: leave your debt troubles behind in 2015
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…
Understanding the spirit of the right to bear arms
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…
Battle of the bulges
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…
Should we even celebrate Christmas this year?
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…
Study: Binge watching TV as a young adult could lead to decline in brain function
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…
Supreme Court refuses to hear case challenging assault weapons ban
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,…
LA County Board of Supervisors votes to accept Syrian refugees
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…
Fil-Am survivor speaks out after San Bernardino massacre
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…
Gov. Brown’s Appointments Secretary demystifies process in becoming governor’s appointee
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…
The January 2016 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…
Actress Cristine Reyes to wed fiance next year
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. …
Aspirin daily: Safe or risky?
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…
SIPA Crew offers cost-free hip-hop dance & visual media arts classes to youth
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…
May angal, Circa 2015
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…
Do you agree with Trump’s call to ban Muslims from entering the US?
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…
Global commitment
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…
The world of gossip
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…