WOULD America have survived the Great Depression if Franklin Delano Roosevelt had not been elected president? Would the British have won the Battle of Britain, marked by the massive Luftwaffe bombing of London, without the leadership of Winston Churchill? Would America have brought Japan to its knees in World War II without Gen. Douglas MacArthur?…
ONE of the very amusing things I have learned from following the political news here in the United States and in the Philippines is this: Do not discredit the power of the narrative during election season. In fact, most political campaigns revolve around how to best sell the narrative of a candidate, if only to…
IT is a new perspective coming into view in every woman’s major life passage: A midlife agitation, literal and poignant. First, the gushing, like the reddening of a dying tree as it blazes out in the funeral autumn, and now reduced to basics, forced to lie fallow…in an emptiness watered by tears over the surrender…
THE Senate sped toward passage on Tuesday, June 2 of legislation to end the National Security Agency’s collection of Americans’ calling records while preserving other surveillance authorities. However, leaders of the House warned the Senate to not proceed with planned changes to a House version. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House majority leader, said amendments…
THREE US senators are raising concerns about a Texas-based oil company’s “insufficient” response to a pipeline failure last week that released thousands of gallons of crude into the ocean, fouling the Santa Barbara County coastline. In a letter sent on Thursday, May 28 to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.),…
MORE than 100 farmers in California have submitted plans to achieve voluntary water conservation targets by planting less water-intensive crops and leaving some fields unplanted amid the Golden State’s continuing drought, officials said. Farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta created plans and filed them Monday, June 1, as part of a deal agreed upon in…
The Supreme Court threw out the conviction of a man charged for making violent threats on Facebook on Monday, June 1, saying the government must “do more” than prove that a reasonable person would find the postings threatening. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said it was not enough for prosecutors to show that the…
THE California State Senate on Tuesday, June 2, approved in a 28-11 vote a hotly debated proposal that would expand health care coverage to undocumented immigrants. The measure, Senate Bill 4, would allow eligible children under the age of 19 to enroll in Medi-Cal. A certain number of undocumented low-income adults would also be allowed…
CALIFORNIA could be at risk of a small-scale tsunami due to two fault lines off the state’s coast that could shake Los Angeles, a new study says. The new information published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface follows the release of disaster film “San Andreas,” which depicts a catastrophic earthquake, resulting in a…
OF all the financial threats facing Americans of retirement age—outliving savings, falling for scams, paying for long-term elderly care—housing isn’t supposed to be a major concern. However, following a home-price collapse, the worst recession since the 1930s, and some calamitous decisions to turn homes into cash machines, millions of retired Americans are struggling with household…
TO be a good leader, Filipino American Loretta Adrian, president of Coastline Community College in Orange County, says one must be open to criticism, be a good listener, and love people. “If you don’t love people, you probably won’t succeed in being a good leader,” she said. Adrian was among panelists who spoke at the…
ALTHOUGH Hillary Clinton is the clear front-runner in the race for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, a growing number of American voters distrust and view her unfavorably, according to new polls released on Tuesday, June 2. According to a CNN/ORC poll, 50 percent dislike the former first lady and secretary of state—up from 44 percent…
For immigration purposes, INA 101(a)(48)(A) defines a conviction as: (1) a formal adjudication of guilt entered by a court; or, (2) if adjudication of guilt is withheld: (a) a judge or jury has found the alien guilty or the alien has entered a plea of guilty or has admitted sufficient facts to warrant a finding…
RECENTLY, a person came into my office in a panic, after his adjustment of status had been denied. With the denial, he faced the prospect of being placed in removal proceedings, since he was now out of status. However, I thought that he was entitled to a green card, and the United States Citizenship and…
TO be a good leader, Filipino American Loretta Adrian, president of Coastline Community College in Orange County, says one must be open to criticism, be a good listener, and love people. “If you don’t love people, you probably won’t succeed in being a good leader,” she said. Adrian was among panelists who spoke at the…
FALSELY claiming to be a US citizen can be a fatal mistake for non-citizens hoping to one day enter the US or obtain/maintain US resident status. Alongside fake marriages, drug and domestic violence offenses and terrorism grounds, false claims to citizenship are among the most seriously treated under US immigration law. An individual who is…
Court allows postpetition creditor client to deny discharge of debtor Client No. 1 CLIENT is 74. She was married to her husband for 30 years. Husband was a lot older than her when they got married but it was a fairytale marriage. Husband was a good man who loved her so. They met each other…
THE U-Visa program was created several years ago by Congress in order to encourage immigrant victims of criminal activity to cooperate with police and prosecutors in their investigation of the criminal offense. For years, people were frightened to come forward as victims because they feared police officials would contact immigration authorities and they would be…
IF you run your own business, consider employing your children this summer vacation. Employing your children gives you a triple benefit: 1. It teaches your children the virtue of work and the value of money. 2. It could save you taxes by shifting income down from your rate of about 33 percent to 39 percent …
Q. I WANT to file a wage claim against my employer for unpaid overtime hours and missed breaks. Some of my fellow employees, who also have unpaid overtime and missed breaks, want to file with me but they are afraid of being fired if they complain. Is there a way that I can claim wages…
ARE your finances stressing you out? For a lot of people, financial concerns can be their number one cause of stress. We are living in difficult financial times and a lot of people are worried about how they can get by from month to month. But worrying doesn’t really solve anything. If you feel that…
QUESTION: I have a past crime. Do I need to consult an immigration attorney before I apply for immigration status? Answer: As you might know, the deportation attorney can help determine if you have a problem in your immigration case because of a past crime. Noncitizens living in the United States face potentially devastating consequences…
IN what Korean-American comedian Paul PK Kim called an “Oprah style” interview, three Asian American YouTubers and three restaurant founders shared their journeys to success, as well as random details about their lives and preferences. Filipino-American YouTube sensations AJ Rafael and Joseph Vincent, Chinese-Vietnamese founder of Blogilates Cassey Ho and the founders of restaurant Seoul…
June finds the Fil Am community gearing up for graduations, weddings, Father’s Day, vacation plans and the ubiquitous Grand Independence Day Ball—five of them, within almost a fortnight. At the root of every Independence Day Ball, the moral seems clear. True accomplishment is achieved through balanced practical judgment from its steering committees. An Independence Day…
I WAS quite touched by popular Showtime host Vice Ganda’s effort to use his celebrity status to help a 16-year-old student who has been a victim of bullying. As Balitang America reported, Kapamilya star Vice Ganda gave an inspiring advice to Pamela Reyes who came to the noon time program “It’s Showtime” to ask for…
With emerging smartphone app technology, the demand for ride-hailing services around the country has continued to increase for business and personal travel. In California, many of these ride-sharing services, such as UberX, Lyft, and Sidecar, are growing exponentially in diverse counties and metropolitan areas like San Francisco and Los Angeles. The number of drivers in…
IN an effort to help enhance mobility and provide Los Angeles commuters with more transportation options, Zipcar, the world’s leading car sharing network, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) have partnered up to provide rental vehicles at ten Metro park-and-ride locations throughout the city. Twenty Zipcars will be available for hourly or…
THE recent deaths of unarmed citizens, often of minorities, at the hands of white police officers have broken hearts and sparked a national uprising about issues involving race, social justice, and equality. On Friday, May 29, an important bill addressing the deep issue of racial profiling moved forward through California’s legislative process. “Many Californians have…
LOS ANGELES Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday, May 27, signed an $8.6-billion budget for 2015-16, following unanimous approval by the City Council on May 21. The budget boosts funding for the Fire Department – which has endured a five-year hiring freeze – by $55 million, while a revision by the council adds $4.5 million for…
“Music gives soul to the universe…wings to the mind…flight to the imagination…and life to everything!” – Plato WHEN prolific German composer Ludwig Van Beethoven said “Music should strike fire from the heart of a man and bring tears from the eyes of woman…” he must have inadvertently in mind the power and soulful voice of…
