AFTER years of failed attempts and growing complaints, lawmakers from both parties finally banded together Wednesday, April 15 as Congress approved legislation that permanently recasts how Medicare will reimburse physicians. Fueling the bill’s overwhelming support was backing from potent interest groups, including the American Medical Association and AARP, the lobby for senior citizens. Though AARP…
SOMETIMES you just can’t resist – it’s so cheesy and saucy— right out of the oven! You dive in and take your first bite…uh oh! Too soon! You’ve got “pizza burn!” Pizza isn’t the only culprit You’ve probably burned your mouth before with coffee, soup, and other scorching hot foods. Soon afterward, you may have noticed that the roof of your mouth, and…
7-Year retrogression for Filipino workers!!! THE May 2015 Visa Bulletin provides disappointing news for Filipinos, as the priority dates in the employment based categories (EB-3 and Other Workers) will retrogress (move backwards) over seven years, from October 1, 2014 all the way back to July 1, 2007. This means that starting May 1, 2015, people…
DESPITE the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by a Texas federal judge on February 16, 2015 enjoining the implementation of President Obama’s initiatives for the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of the…
Actor Gerald Anderson finally confirmed about the rumors surrounding his relationship with girlfriend Maja Salvador last April 14 during the press conference of his new teleserye, Nathaniel. According to the handsome actor, he and Maja are on a break from their relationship. Although the 26-year-old actor didn’t want to go into details, but eventually shared…
More than 200 accredited press members from across the globe visited Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas on Tuesday, April 14 to watch the undefeated champion during a 90-plus minute workout. This was the only open training session before Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s May 2 fight against Manny Pacquiao. Before his training session, which was streamed…
What do the magical healing of a 65 year old Caucasian woman and 18 fabulous Asian caregivers have in common? “Fresh Off The Boat,” the hottest new comedy on ABC, #1 in its time slot, Tuesdays at 8pm. Its creator, Nahnatchka Khan was born in Las Vegas. For the sake of full disclosure, I am…
The benefits of adequate sleep are well established. Insufficient sleep can adversely affect the mental processes, including concentration, and over all bodily functions. It also increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases, obesity diabetes, and cancer. A new study looks at the other side of the coin: too much sleep (more than eight hours each night)…
THE November shooting of a handcuffed Nevada inmate by a corrections officer trainee has brought to light a number of unreported shootings at a facility where records indicate that guards have fired guns 215 times between 2007 to 2011. Several inmates at High Desert State Prison – the facility where inmate Carlos Manuel Perez Jr….
This is a little back story. It is about that day Piano Virtuoso Dexter Grey, dubbed The Maestro in the literary world of music and its horizon, created a splash in the Great Wall of China. It was once the greatest wonders of the world that streteched across the container of Asia like a sprawled…
APRIL 14 marked Equal Pay Day, a holiday that highlights an ongoing issue in gender equality: the federal wage. The Tuesday date, originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity back in 1996, symbolizes how far into the year the average American woman would have to work to earn what the average American man did…
THE number of gun-related deaths and injuries in the world is alarming. Every day, as many as 1,000 people die, while millions more are wounded from firearms or guns. According to Gunpolicy.org, there are at least 875 million firearms in the world. 75 percent of these guns are owned by civilians. Every year, eight million…
THE recent Social Weather Station (SWS) and Pulse Asia reports on the performance and trust ratings of President Noynoy Aquino have been grist for those who want to see him ride off into the sunset before his official tenure ends. The SWS survey showed him with 47 percent satisfied, down 16 points from the December…
THE court does not always equally divide each piece of community property in a divorce case “In kind.” An equal partition of each item of property in the community estate is rarely practical or feasible and, in some cases, may be inequitable. The court may award a community asset exclusively to one party ‘on such…
Los Angeles, CA – The UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association (UCLA PAA) will hold the 2015 Fundraising Benefit Event themed, “Bayanihan – Invest In Your Community,” held on Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 from 10:30am-2:00pm at the James West Alumni Center on the campus of UCLA. The early afternoon starts with a VIP Reception starting at 10:30am followed by…
Sen. Marco Rubio and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially announce run CANDIDATES vying to be the next US president are coming forward. Hillary Rodham Clinton – former secretary of state, senator and first lady – formally launched her campaign on Sunday, April 12 through an online viral video posted on YouTube. The announcement…
The prestige is always there. Teaching is a very serious pursuit where one starts with a calling and lives it as a purpose. “Those who can, do; those who can’t teach.” People who agree with this and believe teaching is a mediocre choice of professional career do a deal of damage to those who go out…
THE Easter Season is not over yet! We just started it last Sunday. We’re celebrating this Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter or, as Pope John Paul II promulgated in 2000, Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul II saw a deep connection between the Gospel this Second Sunday of Easter and the Feast of Divine…
IT has been 73 years after Filipino and American soldiers waved the white flag before Japanese troops. Now the war veterans, who are in their twilight years, plea before the Philippine and US governments for higher pension and recognition for their unwavering bravery. Of the 200,000 Filipino soldiers who fought in World War II, only…
BALITANG America shared with kababayans on The Filipino Channel the not-so-good news, especially for those who are hoping that President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration will finally be given the green light for implementation. Just a day before its supposed implementation that would benefit up to five million immigrants who are living in the…
Young client files chapter 7 to discharge $30k credit cards Client no. 1 CLIENT was disabled when he was 55, which was 7 years ago. He receives $1,600 of disability pay monthly. Since he is single, he doesn’t really have too many expenses. In fact, he almost has no expenses because he lives in the…
ON February 27, 2015, the Hon. Keith Schwartz, Presiding Judge of Department 144 at the Los Angeles Airport Courthouse, sentenced a Filipina to 3-year summary probation with suspension of imposition of sentence with 6 days credit, 45 days of community service, payment of restitution, plus fines and assessments. She pled “no contest” to violation of…
• FILE your tax records neatly and orderly during the year. If you are not an organized person by nature as some of us are, just throw tax documents in a shoe box or stuff them into a folder labeled with “20__ tax records.” It beats turning over your whole home and garage at tax…
PEGGY Young worked as a part-time driver for United Parcel Service (UPS). Her responsibilities included pickup and delivery of packages that had arrived by air carrier the previous night. In 2006, after suffering several miscarriages, she became pregnant. Her doctor told her that she should not lift more than 20 pounds during the first 20…
QUESTION: It’s too early to prepare a Durable Power of Attorney. I’m healthy and don’t see the need. Answer: Most people wait until it is too late. Multiple times people come into my office with something like the following: “My wife has been put in the hospital for mental problems and now I want a…
ARE debt problems making your life a living hell? Doing your best to pay but creditors just won’t leave you alone? Maybe you get nervous every time the phone rings or get scared to death just opening your mailbox, fearful of what you may find. Deep inside, you know that you can’t continue to live…
THERE are roughly 11.5 million undocumented immigrants in the US today, and 1.5 million of those are Asian Americans. In California alone, at least 40,000 of the half a million undocumented immigrants in the state are eligible for beneficial programs like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), implemented in 2012, which allows immigrants, who came…
FOOD prices in the United States may rise as California farmers cope with the state’s fourth year of drought by reducing water use and planting fewer crops. The Golden State produces about half the nation’s fruits and vegetables, including 99 percent of walnuts and 98 percent of garlic, according to the International Business Times. “California…
CALIFORNIA lawmakers on Wednesday, April 8, approved a bill that would ban parents from opting out of vaccinations for their school-enrolled children due to personal or religious beliefs. In a 6-2 vote, Senate Bill 277 passed the Senate health committee. “I’ve personally witnessed the suffering caused by vaccine-preventable diseases, and all children deserve to be…
THE Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, April 1, agreed to spend more than $1 billion to repair the city’s sidewalks as part of a lawsuit settlement filed by residents who say the walkways are inaccessible to disabled individuals. “Despite its awareness for the past several years of the city’s broken system of sidewalks and…
