THE resurgence of measles in the past year has revived the debate over the need and the urgency for the government to use its police power and require parents to have their kids be vaccinated. Even as far back as 2008, the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine has been warning: “The United States is…
Client seeks to discharge $200k of taxes CLIENT is an investment & financial broker who advises people how to invest their retirement accounts. He is now 60 years old. During the heyday of the stock market boom before it’s collapse in 2007, client made a lot of money. Year after year, he was making between…
Affordable Care Act (ACA – ObamaCare) THE Individual Shared Responsibility provision of ObamaCare requires taxpayers to either: • Have qualifying health care coverage, • Qualify for an exemption, or • Make a payment. 1. Qualifying Health Coverage: • Qualifying coverage (minimum essential coverage) includes coverage from employers, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and Health Insurance Marketplace. •…
MARIA Nucci slipped and fell at a Target store in Palm Beach, Florida. She sued Target for personal injury, claiming, among other things, that she has become physically handicapped experiencing emotional pain and suffering, that she lost the ability to earn money, and that she will continue to suffer losses and impairment in the future….
MOST people are unaware that credit card companies will negotiate with you if they believe that it is in their best interests to do so. Many times you can negotiate a reduction of your interest rate, elimination of late charges and annual membership fees. If you are delinquent in payments, they may even agree to…
THE USCIS has announced that it will begin accepting applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) under the expanded guidelines the President announced last November, on February 18, 2015. Under “DACA II,” a person who arrived in the US while under the age of 16 on or before January 1, 2010 may apply for…
WEST Coast seaports could shut down as soon as next week if dockworkers and their employers cannot reach a new contract, according to Pacific Maritime Association officials intending to pressure an agreement between the unionized naval industry workers, after nine months of labor strife negotiations. Operators of port terminals and shipping lines do not want…
Anthem Inc., the nation’s second largest health-care provider, began informing the public Wednesday, Feb. 4, of a data breach compromising the information of about 80 million customers and employees. “What we’ve seen in the past few years is that attackers have realized the economics of health-care data are very, very attractive,” said Lee Weiner, senior…
Noticeably there is a paucity of horror literary pieces being adapted for stage presentation and theater performances as compared to musical, comedy, romance, and even merely documentary-style that are universally staged and ably patronized. Since it’s live with the presence of an immediate audience presenting a dreadfully concocted stage play puts producers in an immense…
LOS ANGELES — For David Ryu, serving on city council isn’t just about representing ethnic minorities. It’s about giving a voice to another underrepresented group. “Even more underrepresented than Asians are the citizens [themselves],” Ryu, a Korean American, shared. He is among 14 candidates who are vying to replace Councilman Tom LaBonge, who has represented…
A non-profit organization on the east coast is paying healthy people up to $13,000 a year for their feces. OpenBiome, which is based in Medford, Mass., administers frozen stool to patients infected with C. difficile. The bacteria can cause severe gastrointestinal distress that can leave some house ridden. The organization has been processing and shipping…
Californians used 22 percent less water statewide last December compared to the same month in 2013, finally meeting Governor Jerry Brown’s goal of a 20 percent reduction in monthly water consumption. Yet despite the drop in usage, the state still faces troubles as it enters its fourth year of drought. “California is doing its part…
In light of the measles outbreak that began in California’s Disneyland, two state lawmakers said Wednesday, Feb. 5, they would introduce legislation making it harder for parents to opt not to vaccinate their children. State health officials released new statistics on Wednesday revealing that 99 individuals were reported with measles, according to NBC News. The…
Four Democratic and Republican lawmakers attempted to introduce a bill Wednesday, Feb. 4, that seeks to eliminate ethanol fuel-blending mandates under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. The legislation would erase a mandate requiring that corn-based ethanol be mixed in gasoline and repeal the waiver that increased the cap on ethanol content to 15 percent…
Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, will address a joint meeting of Congress on Sept. 24 of this year, House Speaker John Boehner confirmed on Thursday, Feb. 5. This is the first time a leader of the Roman Catholic church has done so. Though the Pope’s visit to the East Coast (including Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and…
Police shot and killed a man after he allegedly robbed a bank in Corona, Calif. and led officers in a car chase that ended in Chino on Feb. 4. Few details were released about the shooting, which happened on Pine Avenue, between Fern and Euclid avenues in Chino. The alleged bank robber, who remained unidentified,…
Welcomes the Dalai Lama and major faith leaders at National Prayer Breakfast President Obama condemned terrorists seeking to use religion as a rationale for carrying out violence around the world, declaring that “no god condones terror.” “We are summoned to push back against those who would distort our religion for their nihilistic ends,” said Obama…
Amid the fallout of the Sony Pictures hacking crisis, studio head co-chair Amy Pascal is stepping down from her post. The departure was widely expected, ever since the entertainment studio became caught in one of the worst cyberattacks in corporate digital history. Pascal has already announced her plans to launch a new production venture at…
A bill introduced Monday, Feb. 2, in the Nevada Senate would require preteens in the state to be vaccinated against meningitis and the human papillomavirus (HPV) before enrolling in private or public schools or daycare. “If we vaccinate people, we can prevent diseases that are not only horrific but deadly,” said Joe Hardy, a Boulder…
What is High Blood Pressure? High Blood Pressure, or Hypertension, is a condition where the person’s blood pressure is persistently elevated beyond what is medically considered normal level. Normal blood pressure has a wide range from person to person. When taking blood pressure, there are two sets of figures noted by the physician, the systolic…
Stronger regulations and protection for open Internet Net neutrality advocates celebrated a victory on Wednesday, Feb. 4 with promises of stronger federal authority to enforce and protect open broadband Internet. Under new rules proposed by the Federal Communications Commission this week, internet service providers, including those selling wireless connections, would be prohibited from slowing down…
FOR both children and adults with special needs, dental care can be challenging. In some cases, limited coordination can make brushing and flossing tricky. In other cases there may be less access to professional care. Some patients may experience high anxiety levels too. Medications that lead to dry mouth can also contribute to dental care challenges. But…
Dear Atty. Gurfinkel: I am out of status, but in 2006, my employer sponsored me for a green card through labor certification or PERM. The Department of Labor certified my application, and the USCIS approved my employer’s I-140 petition. However, my attorney keeps telling me I still need to “wait” for some kind of change…
I. AB60: Driver’s License. Undocumented Immigrants are now eligible to apply for a Driver’s License in California. On January 1, 2015, a new law called AB60 became effective in the State of California which allows undocumented immigrants – those people who are” unable to submit satisfactory proof of legal presence in the United States” –…
The internationally known Filipina singing group Hi-Pertensions will be headlining a fundraising concert entitled, Thank You for the Music, on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Harbor Light, 4760 Thornton Ave., Fremont, CA. The concert will benefit Mount of Divine Mercy, located at 4255 Sheridan Road, Sunol, CA. Hi-Pertensions is composed of Linda Magno, Norma Ledesma and…
Police shot and killed a man after he allegedly robbed a bank in Corona, Calif. and led officers in a car chase that ended in Chino on Feb. 4. Few details were released about the shooting, which happened on Pine Avenue, between Fern and Euclid avenues in Chino. The alleged bank robber, who remained unidentified,…
THEY consist of running bits of metals through the flesh of men—large, small, pointed, square, round and splintered bits that tear and kill. It is not the metal in its natural state, but the metal fashioned by the intelligence of man — a being who’s great, builds space ships and goes to the moon. For…
Senate Democrats put Congress on hold for a second time Wednesday, Feb. 4, blocking a Republican bill that would finance the Department of Homeland Security along with rollbacks of President Barack Obama’s executive immigration policies. The vote set up an urgent confrontation over the department, which will see its funding run out by the end…
With the recent decline in gas prices, a review by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that construction of the Keystone XL pipeline could cause increased development of Canadian oil sands, which would result in a considerable rise in greenhouse gases. “Until ongoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production…
A SURPRISING trend among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in the professional landscape is developing. Despite abating union memberships nationally, a close look by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) revealed a rise in union membership among AAPIs, up from 9.4 percent in 2013 to 10.4 percent last year—an increase of roughly…
