AN all-time record of 1,335 Americans relinquished their US citizenship in the first three months of 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reported. In 2014, a record 3,415 American citizens gave up their citizenship. With the number for the first quarter of this year, renunciations for 2015 are expected to surpass that of last year….
DESPITE California leading the nation in expanding healthcare insurance to include everybody, nearly 1.8 million of its residents remain uninsured. According to research from teams at University of California, Los Angeles and UC Berkeley, about 1.5 million undocumented Californians would qualify for health programs under the Affordable Care Act, which remains off-limits to undocumented immigrants….
A BRITISH-Filipina was elected councilor of the Hertfordshire borough Hertsmere and town Elstree and Borehamwood in the United Kingdom on May 8, marking the highest level of public office any Filipino has ever held in the European state. Cynthia Barker, originally from San Pablo City, Laguna, ran under the Conservative Party and garnered 1,513 votes…
LAS VEGAS – Inside the MGM Arena, before a sellout crowd and millions of eyes watching in their homes, nothing prepares you for that “Fight of the Century.” Everything collided for attention. The flashing neon lights — so bizarre and beautiful — raced on and off, glittered, blinded and confused. There was no time in…
I HAD a wonderful time last weekend. My family gathered together to celebrate my nephew’s First Communion at St. Raymond Church in Danville, California. We also celebrated my oldest sister’s birthday. A strong family relationship has been a primary value for us. We like to enjoy one another’s company. We have a family mission statement…
MANNY Pacquiao underwent surgery in Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 6, for a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder and is expected to make a full recovery. Renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the 90-minute procedure and said he could not be “more pleased with the results.” ElAttrache told ESPN on Monday, May…
EMPHASIZING the ongoing territorial dispute with Asian super power China, the Philippine government realized that it is never too late to equip the country’s security forces with a much-needed upgrade, in case the worst case scenario arises. The Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) modernization program has been long overdue, but now is the perfect…
HUNDREDS of thousands of people are still waiting for President Obama’s DAPA and new DACA executive order to go into effect. However, many of those waiting for these programs may already qualify for different types of immigration relief. This article will cover different forms of immigration relief that individuals and families should be considering as…
THE Provisional Unlawful Presence Waivers of Inadmissibility for Certain Immediate Relatives allows certain immediate relatives (spouses, children under 21 years old and parents of US citizens) to apply for provisional unlawful presence waivers of inadmissibility in the US before they depart to their countries of origin for consular processing of their immigrant visa applications. (The…
CHRIS Cerbone was hired as a head football coach and physical education teacher at a private high school in the summer of 2012. According to news outlets, sometime in December 2012, Cerbone heard that varsity football players were hazing freshman players in the school locker room. The older players were allegedly exposing their genitals to…
IF you’ve made the decision to file bankruptcy in order to get a fresh financial start, here are some things to consider in choosing between Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. Be aware, however, that your income and expenses have a lot to do with which chapter you will be able to file because the courts…
IF you lose an audit to the IRS, you have two choices: pay or appeal. If you are happy with the results (or don’t want to extend the agony of dealing with the IRS) – pay. If you are not happy or feel that you have not been treated fairly – appeal. Let’s explore the…
NEARLY 17 million Americans have gained health insurance since key provisions of the Affordable Care Act were implemented in 2013, according to a study by non-profit research organization RAND Corp. The report, released Wednesday, May 6, in the journal Health Affairs, found that from September 2013 to February 2013, 22.8 million individuals signed up for…
TWO foreign ambassadors, including a Filipino, were among seven killed in a helicopter crash on Friday, May 8, in northern Pakistan during an emergency landing. The military helicopter was due to inspect a new tourism project in the mountainous northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan, when the MI-17 aircraft crashed into a school in Gilgit and caught…
OVER the first few days in May, three new candidates were added to the GOP’s growing list for the official party nomination of the 2016 presidential race. A total of six contenders are running for the Republican Party ticket. Ben Carson Retired neurosurgeon and conservative star Ben Carson, 63, announced his official run for president…
PARENTS nationwide have been expressing their concern for the new Common Core state standards, which proponents say focus on critical thinking and problem solving. In California, which first adopted the standards in 2010, the rigorous standards put emphasis on skills, such as critical reasoning and communication, and in creating more space for technology. However, parents…
Asian Americans may constitute a sizable percentage of the tech workforce, but a new report has found that they are severely underrepresented at the executive levels. The Ascend Foundation, a non-profit Pan-Asian organization for business professionals, released “Hidden in Plain Sight: Asian American Leaders in Silicon Valley” on Wednesday, May 6. It analyzed 2013 employment…
“Motherhood is the biggest gamble in this world. It is the glorious life force…huge and scary. It’s an act of infinite optimism.” – Gilda Radner THEY say motherhood could be blissful but is coupled with a lifetime ordeal. While giving birth to a new life is a phenomenal miracle that will eventually lead to executing…
You just finalized your divorce. You are free and single again. Ever wonder what happens to the will or revocable trust you executed during your marriage with your ex spouse naming your ex spouse or her family as beneficiary in case you pass away? Well, those documents are revoked by operation of law. A judgment…
LAS VEGAS—Shakespeare did not live in the age of malls, but The Bard would have recognized this city in any age, for what it is. Nick Tosches described Las Vegas as “a religion, a disease, a nightmare, a paradise for the misbegotten.” This city of a thousand flashing lights racing on and off, bizarre and…
What is a heart pacemaker? Pacemaker for the heart is a self-contained battery-operated computer unit that sends electrical stimulation to the inner wall of the right atrium and ventricle of the heart to make it beat no lower than a certain pre-set rate. A heart pacemaker is implanted under the skin in the upper chest…
Dear Atty. Gurfinkel: I have been a green card holder for many years. Several years ago, I was convicted of a crime. I served the sentence and even had the conviction expunged (or “erased” from my record.) I would like to take a brief vacation to the Philippines to visit my family and friends. Do…
Young individuals must timely apply for DACA renewal to avoid lapse I. Effective May 26, 2015, USCIS will accept applications for Employment Authorization for certain H-4 spouses. On February 24, 2015, the Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective May 26, 2015 the Department of Homeland Security is extending…
IF they say that there are no permanent friends in showbusiness, then it is also true that there are no permanent enemies either. This is true for sexy star Katrina Halili, who has finally settled her rift with beauty guru Vicki Belo and her boyfriend, Hayden Kho. The three have had a rollercoaster ride for…
A RECENT study conducted in Berlin and referenced by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry highlights an interesting observation: People tend to underestimate someone’s age when he or she is smiling. While we tend to find smiling faces more attractive, youthful and upbeat, a smile that contains damaged or yellowed teeth can reverse some of…
The Search to Involve Pilipino Americans co-presented two Filipino films at the 31st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival: “Hari Ng Tondo” and “That Thing Called Tadhana.” The two were among more than four dozen shorts, documentaries and feature films screened at theaters in Little Tokyo, Koreatown and West Hollywood during the festival, which took…
NO matter how much we Filipinos pride ourselves in being resilient and blessed with the unbelievable grace of moving on after a loss, there are just times when we seem to need more supernatural power to shake off our disappointment. Such is the case over the defeat of our Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao to the…
FLOYD Mayweather Jr. may have won and maintained his unblemished record, but many questioned his underwhelming victory over Manny Pacquiao on Saturday, May 2. And despite his loss, many Filipinos are still celebrating Pacquiao’s recent performance against the undefeated American fighter in the overhyped “Fight of the Century.” Pacquiao’s kababayans are now waiting for his…
A lawsuit by the city of Los Angeles claims Wells Fargo Bank employees opened unauthorized accounts for customers, sticking them with bogus fees and damaging their credit to meet rigid sales quotas. The civil complaint filed Monday, May 4 in state court was by City Attorney Mike Feuer, who says the largest California-based bank encouraged…
FACEBOOK CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Monday, May 4, a platform that extends Internet access via mobile devices to those in developing countries facing obstacles to connectivity. “The goal of Internet.org is to allow more people to experience the benefits of being online,” according to a Facebook release. “For most people who aren’t online, the biggest…
