Dear Atty. Gurfinkel: I have a 10-year multiple B-1/B-2 visa. I entered the US, and was given six months by the Immigration Officer at the airport but overstayed by only a few years. I would like to take a brief vacation to the Philippines, to visit my family, but I need to get back to…
San Diego: The alpha lunch. The stage setting for our first lunch at the Coronado Hotel was planned as no big deal. It lasted two hours. “This is good,” she said. I felt an instant spark of connection. Instinctively, I felt she would not stick to polite comments. It was my first glimpse that spring…
The California Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, April 22, approved a bill requiring that children be vaccinated before entering school. The legislation would eliminate California’s personal belief exemption, including those based on religion, and would allow only children who have been vaccinated to attend public and private schools. Wednesday’s 7-2 vote comes a week after…
MANY opportunities (and dangers) lie in the sea. Because the sea plays a major role in globalization, it also provides an access to actions of oppression, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, smuggling, and other illicit activities. Countries invest on their maritime forces and capabilities to man the waters not only to protect their sovereignty, but also…
IF your age is past three-fourths of a century it’s probably time to consider your retirement options. My wife and I have decided to spend most of what remains of our lives in the land of our birth. We’ve lived in America for nearly 30 years. America is a great country. The subway is efficient….
CERTAIN aliens are barred from adjusting to legal permanent residents by virtue of having entered the United States under the following conditions: Entering the US as an alien crewman (C-1 visa/ jumpship) Accepting unauthorized employment Entering the US without inspection (No I-94 or crossing the border without a visa) Remaining in the US past the…
AFTER weeks of rallying to officials, the Filipino community in San Francisco finally won its battle in asking to provide funding and support for Filipino language classes in city schools. With funds now available, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is now ready to hire its first full-time Filipino-speaking teacher starting next school…
AFTER weeks of negotiations, the Senate on Tuesday, April 21, agreed to pass a human trafficking bill that would strengthen criminal penalties. The move clears the way for the chamber’s confirmation vote on President Barack Obama’s appointment of Loretta Lynch as the next Attorney General to replace Eric Holder. “I’m glad we can say there…
SCIENTISTS say the earthquake fault that runs through the coastal city of Ventura can produce “strong shaking and dangerous tsunamis,” according to new research. The fault cuts through the heart of downtown Ventura, past City Hall and the historic mission, before leading into the Pacific Ocean. For decades, seismic experts believed the fault posed only…
THE University of California, Los Angeles Dream Resource Center released an inclusive new study on Tuesday, April 21, which looks at the mental health of one of the nation’s most ignored populations: undocumented immigrant youth. The unprecedented report, called “Pol[ICE] in my Head,” is part of the Dream Resource Center’s five-part study that highlights key…
Study shows AAPIs uninsured due to high healthcare costs A THREE-part AARP study published earlier this year on the health and healthcare of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders revealed that various AAPI ethnic groups are without health insurance due to the high cost of coverage, among other findings. Because of associated costs, according to the study,…
Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday, April 15, featured a Tagalog song that boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao is expected to use for his ring entrance on the May 2 bout against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Pacquiao recorded “Lalaban Ako Para Sa Filipino (I will Fight for the Filipino)” and even created a music…
SCIENTISTS say the earthquake fault that runs through the coastal city of Ventura can produce “strong shaking and dangerous tsunamis,” according to new research. The fault cuts through the heart of downtown Ventura, past City Hall and the historic mission, before leading into the Pacific Ocean. For decades, seismic experts believed the fault posed only…
Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday, April 15, featured a Tagalog song that boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao is expected to use for his ring entrance on the May 2 bout against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Pacquiao recorded “Lalaban Ako Para Sa Filipino (I will Fight for the Filipino)” and even created a music…
The story of this interview is special. I’ve spent high interesting hours, abandoning political questions as Trini Paredes Foliente, vice president of the LA-Makati Sister, Inc. talked exclusively about casual topics: herself, her family, trials as a woman and her friends. Among her circle of friends are political heavyweights, and the filet mignon of women…
THE acolyte summoned the priests to say a prayer before Mass. He implored, “Oh, Lord, our God, thank you for the beauty of this brand new day. Thank you for bringing us together this morning to celebrate the blessings of life. Let this Eucharist renew us to be your faithful and courageous disciples, through Christ,…
THE world is alarmed by China’s recent activities. Reports are continually revealing that the economic giant has been aggressively claiming the disputed South China Sea. President Benigno Aquino III warned that the ongoing reclamation and construction activities of China in the disputed territories may have damaging effects on the international trade. Seven of the world’s…
Senior revisits Chapter 7 after 20 years; disabled client seeks to discharge federal student loans of $70K without BK Client No. 1 YOUNG mother of two teenagers, both daughters, presents her problem as follows. She is a registered nurse with gross income of $70K. She doesn’t own a house but pays rent of $2K for…
A LOT of debtors prefer to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy, otherwise called liquidation bankruptcy, because most debtors can get a discharge of all or most of their debts under this type. In addition, you usually get your discharge a few months after the 341 meeting is held, unless an opposition is filed. However, debtors contemplating…
1. THE failure-to-file penalty is generally more than the failure-to-pay penalty. If you cannot pay all the taxes you owe, file to prevent that more costly failure-to-file penalty. 2. The failure-to-file penalty is 5 percent per month of the unpaid taxes. This penalty will not exceed 25 percent of the taxpayer’s unpaid taxes. 3. The…
S.W. was 15 years old when Luis Morales offered her a job at US Metro Group, Inc., where Morales worked. S.W., who was best friends with Morales’ daughter, accepted Morales’ offer. She started working with Morales cleaning buildings at night. Morales then began sexually molesting S.W. He was later caught and criminally prosecuted. S.W. sued…
QUESTION: I am being placed into Removal Proceedings. Can I be deported? I have had my Green Card for years. Answer: As long as you are not a US Citizen, you could be detained and removed from the US for many types of crimes. Since the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility…
IF you are in debt and are seriously considering bankruptcy as an option, I am sure a lot of thoughts are going through your mind. I just want to get out of debt and start over but how quickly can I recover from bankruptcy? What are the different types of bankruptcy available? How do I…
IN January 2006, Major General Antonio Taguba, a Filipino- American who is best known for writing about torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in “The Taguba Report,” was directed by the Army’s vice-chief of staff to retire. With a clean 30-year career in the military, Taguba attributed his dismissal to his involvement in the…
THE White House Task Force on New Americans took an important step in immigration reform on April 15 with a new report that outlines the federal government’s goals to strengthen its integration efforts nationwide and to continue building welcoming communities for people. The full 58-page report, published online, is titled “Strengthening Communities by Welcoming All…
EUROPE’S premier geosciences union awarded its Plinius Medal to a leading natural disaster expert, Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, in Vienna, Austria on April 15th. Dr. Lagmay has been honored for his “outstanding interdisciplinary natural hazard research and natural-disaster engagement in the Philippines, particularly with respect to volcanic hazards, earthquakes, typhoons, landslides and floods,” the European…
With just two weeks until The Fight of the Century between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., both boxers this week held the only open media day workouts before the showdown on May 2. More than 200 accredited press members across the globe on Tuesday, April 14, visited Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas to…
WHERE words fail, music speaks…and where communications fall short, body language conveys emotion. There is always a strange fascination in the interpretation of one’s emotional expression through dance. There is life in itself. The passionate intensity of every sway and glide breathes Mercurial swiftness to the feet, spirited grace to the fingertips, and bouncing pulsation…
Under INA 237(a)(1)(E)(i), a lawful permanent resident (LPR) who has knowingly encouraged, induced, assisted, abetted, or aided any other alien to enter or to try to enter the US in violation of law is deportable. If one knowingly drives an undocumented alien across the border, that would clearly constitute assisting in alien smuggling. But what if…
IN January 2006, Major General Antonio Taguba, a Filipino- American who is best known for writing about torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in “The Taguba Report,” was directed by the Army’s vice-chief of staff to retire. With a clean 30-year career in the military, Taguba attributed his dismissal to his involvement in the…
