TWO major global payment technology companies are being sued in the United States by the hosting service provider used by WikiLeaks for blocking payments to the website. American lawyers representing DataCell ehf, the Icelandic company that processed payments for WikiLeaks, brought legal charges against MasterCard and Visa on Monday, Dec. 15 seeking in excess of…
AUTHORITIES investigating a massive fire that engulfed an entire apartment building complex under construction in downtown Los Angeles are seeking two men captured on video near the scene around the time the blaze started. The second man, caught on a freelance news video, was seen lurking around the site and pushed away by firefighters. A…
By Rudy M. Viernes Filipino-Americans of Marin County in North Bay, Caifornia will hold a devotional five-day series of masses called “Simbang Gabi” from December 16 to 20 at the St. Isabella’s parish church at One Trinity Way in Terra Linda, San Rafael, CA. This is the fifth year that this Filipino tradition is held…
I SPENT most of my time this week visiting our seminarians who are on parish internship this year. As always, I feel happy when I hear them express their excitement and joy in ministry. This makes me hopeful about the future of the church; we’ll have happy priests! As a priest involved in seminary formation,…
THE Philippines government’s efforts to improve the economy paid off after an international credit watchdog raised the country’s credit rating. Moody’s Investors Service recently upgraded the Philippines’ foreign and local bond ratings to Baa2, just a notch bellow investment grade from Baa3, noting that the outlook for the rating was stable. The upgrade, according to…
FOR several years now, Filipinos’ joyful anticipation of the Christmas season has been challenges by the wrath of Mother Nature that seemed to have been unleashed just before the holiday season. This year has not been different. After praying for and commiserating once again with our kababayans back home who had been victims of the…
(Frequently-Asked Questions on Gift Tax) IF I receive a gift, do I have to pay a gift tax? No. The donee (recipient) is not responsible for paying the gift tax. Who pays the gift tax? The donor (the person giving you the gift) is responsible for paying the gift tax. What is considered a gift?…
WE previously reported on a case of warehouse employees at Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc., a company which provides warehouse space and staffing to Amazon.com, who sued their employer in a class action, alleging that they spent as much as 25 minutes per day of unpaid time going through required security screenings at the end of…
ON November 20, 2014, President Obama announced a series of executive actions which will greatly benefit many individuals residing in the United States without proper documentation. The main premise of the executive order is to promote family unity in the United States. To meet this goal, President Obama has announced DAPA, which stands for “Deferred…
AFTER months of speculation as to what President Obama’s Executive Action would bring for immigration reform, President Obama delivered a speech last night announcing executive action that provides immigration relief to millions of undocumented persons in the US. The focal point of the executive action is relief for undocumented parents of US Citizen children and…
ARE your growing debts causing you sleepless nights? Are you trying hard to pay what you can every month but feel like you’re just running on a treadmill? Do you get that sick feeling in your stomach every time you realize that you have gotten yourself in more debt than you can actually pay back?…
North Korea suspected in vicious cyber attacks Let the hacking commence. Last month’s crippling cyber-attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment revealed confidential information of business practices, employee pay disparities and personal data, unpublished scripts, sensitive contracts, and ugly personal feuds between actors and executives. Experts say these secrets could damage the Hollywood studio for years to…
IT was once a stately glamorous ritual limited to lavish red carpet gala premieres, which flourished in Hollywood’s golden era gods and goddesses. It used to be synonymous with night of nights, which spawned a glut on the fashion savvy—the smartly moussed and coiffed, artfully cantilevered bosoms, airbrushed makeup, majestically, elegantly accessorized. It is the…
A GOVERNMENT shutdown slated by midnight of Friday, Dec. 12 was narrowly averted after the House of Representatives approved a $1.1 trillion spending bill to keep Congress open through September. The Senate also agreed to a two-day extension of current funding levels, giving itself more time to approve the House bill. Despite Democratic objections to…
A FILIPINO-American was selected as one of the five California Teachers of the Year. Lovelyn Marquez-Prueher, an English teacher at Dodson Middle School in Rancho Palos Verdes, was also one of the 16 Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year for the 2014-15 school year. “We’re very honored that one of our teachers from Los…
ROB Villeza was sworn in on Thursday, Dec. 11, as a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. Villeza, who has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California for more than 20 years, was among six others appointed to the bench by California Gov. Jerry Brown in November. “It’s…
PRESIDENT Barack Obama announced Wednesday at a White House Summit a $1 billion public-private investment into the expansion of early childhood education. “We’ve got kids in this country who are every bit as talented as Malia and Sasha but they’re starting out the race a step behind,” Obama said in reference to his daughters. The…
THE Federal Communications Commission agreed this week to dramatically boost funds to bring high-speed Internet access to schools and public libraries in poor or rural areas, a move that could likely increase Americans’ phone bills by roughly $2 a year. Educators in support of the 60 percent jump in federal spending, up to $3.9 billion,…
Feeling the same intensity of emotional affection for each other after a score and five years of blissful togetherness, medical couple Eduardo and Olyn Bautista had triumphantly survived all possible impediments that crossed their path and successfully weathered the storm along the way. The initial spark and electrifying excitement remained undiminished despite the passing of…
CHAPTER 7 RELIEF FOR DIVORCED MOM Client is 48 years old and works as an accountant for a business. Her salary is $60,000 a month. Her marriage ended two years ago when she found out that her husband of 15 years had another family in another city. Husband had a 10-year old son with another…
Under INA 216(a)(1), an alien who: (1) applies for lawful permanent residence (LPR) based on marriage to a US citizen (USC) or LPR spouse; and (2) such marriage was entered less than 2 years at the time LPR status is granted, such alien acquires LPR status on a conditional basis. There are two ways to…
ESTABLISHING parentage rights for Moms is a lot easier than establishing one for unmarried Dads. Moms can establish this by simply showing proof of her having given birth to the child. Family Code §7610. Establishing parentage rights, including custody and visitation rights, becomes more problematic with unmarried Dads because proving yourself as the biological father…
ROB Villeza was sworn in on Thursday, Dec. 11, as a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. Villeza, who has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California for more than 20 years, was among six others appointed to the bench by California Gov. Jerry Brown in November. “It’s…
Actor Matteo Guidicelli must be really floating in air lately. He so proud of his girlfriend, Popstar Princess and actress Sarah Geronimo, who was chosen to sing a cover of the song The Glow for Disney Channel Asia. Sarah, along with other Southeast Asian artists, was tapped by Disney Channel Asia to do a localized…
The abuse of alcohol is the leading risk factor for disability and premature death in the world. Besides tobacco an other harmful agents, alcohol is the most common cause of many illnesses in our midst, cancer included. Alcohol-related deaths claim almost 80,000 lives each year in the United States alone. Worldwide, it kills 2.5 million…
On November 20, 2014, President Obama announced Executive Action (EA) concerning immigration. While there are many aspects or changes brought about by his announcement, one of those changes is the creation of a new “Deferred Action for Parental Accountability” (or DAPA), which is similar to the benefit he announced in 2012, Deferred Action for Childhood…
(Part 2 of 2) “Don’t’ be Afraid To Hire Professionals” The Salim Group It is one of Indonesia’s biggest conglomerate with assets including Indofood Sukses Makmur, the world’s largest instant noodle producer, and Bogasari, a large flour-milling operation. The group was founded by Sudono Salim, also known as Liem Sioe Liong or LSL. LSL is…
A FILIPINO-American was sworn into the San Diego City Council on Wednesday, Dec. 10, becoming the first Asian to serve on the council in nearly five decades. Chris Cate will represent District 6, which includes Mira Mesa, Miramar, Kearny Mesa, Clairemont and Rancho Peñasquitos, where about one-third of the population is Asian and Pacific Islander….
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting heavy rainfall, thunderstorms with hail and gusty winds expected to arrive in Los Angeles County on Friday morning and forecasted to remain through the evening on December 12, 2014. The following are some safety tips to help prepare residents for thunderstorms and lightning;…
The National Weather Service is predicting about an inch of rain during this latest storm. Added: December 11, 2014 | By Caroline Aoyagi-Stom @SCE_CarolineA Southern California may still be drying out from recent record rainstorms, but another downpour is expected to start Thursday evening and last into the Friday morning commute. The National Weather Service is…
