Frequently asked questions (FAQ) #2 – FBAR financial accounts
The IRS issued new guidance requiring individuals with an interest in a “specified foreign financial asset” to attach a disclosure statement to their income tax return for any year in…
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Client with wage garnishment files chapter 13 to save house from foreclosure
CLIENT is 60 years old and married. She has gross income of $3,000 as a caregiver. Husband is not employed and waiting for social security benefits, which is still two…
When is bankruptcy a good option to get out of debt?
ARE you being harassed by your creditors day and night due to unpaid bills? If you are, you know that this is a pretty unpleasant experience. You may feel scared,…
Can you take a nap during your lunch breaks?
Q: I WORK in a hospital on 12-hour shifts. During my meal break, I sometimes go to our break lounge to take a nap. My supervisor told me sleeping is…
The Artists
ARTISTS are those few anywhere whose gifts set them apart; who by talent and wisdom and integrity are superior. As of late, at the Ford Theater Walt Disney Concert Hall…
Milleth Marienski’s life on the beauty lane
Due to human’s innate nature in constantly striving to attain perfection and discover new methods and techniques to enhance their look, the continuing advent of the cosmetic business has tremendously…
Samar-based ‘banig’ fashion brand looks for rebuilding support via Kickstarter
LOS ANGELES – A fashion brand that uses banig, or hand-woven sleeping mats, for its fashion accessories is looking for help in recovering and rebuilding their facilities, and the lives of…
Assemblyman Rob Bonta authors AB 2719 to support innovative small businesses
Filipino-American Assemblymember Rob Bonta’s innovative small business bill passed the leigslature with “strong bipartisan support” and now awaits the approval of Governor Jerry Brown. Bonta believes in the incredible importance…
Mayor Garcetti to propose LA city minimum wage hike
Plan calls for $13.25 an hour by 2017 LOS ANGELES – City mayor Eric Garcetti has reportedly been in talks with business groups to develop a plan to raise the…
Immigration for nannies, caregivers and custodians
US Immigration Law provides that certain unskilled workers are able to immigrate to the US based on employment. The “other workers” subcategory is for persons performing unskilled labor requiring less…
Can I qualify for a green card despite the petitioner’s death?
Consider this common factual situation. You are over 21 years old and your US citizen parent petitions you while you are inside the United States. Since this is a preference…
CIS OMB blasts Calif. Service Center’s Humanitarian Revalidation Unit over processing of requests
In its annual report to Congress, the CIS Ombudsman (CIS OMB) issued a critical report on the way the USCIS has been handling and processing requests for humanitarian revalidation. They…
PH Senator Grace Poe heads list of personalities celebrating their birthdays this September
PHILIPPINE Senator Mary Grace Sonora Poe Llamanzares, commonly known as Grace Poe, will celebrate her 46th birthday on September 3. Born in Iloilo but abandoned by her biological mother at…
DanceXercise
What is DanceXercise? DanceXercise is a type of aerobic exercise in the form of dancing, either ballroom dancing or regular bodily movement executed to the tune of music, for cardiovascular…
9-year-old accidentally shoots and kills range instructor
Charles Vacca, 39, was teaching a harmless nine-year-old how to aim and shoot with an automatic weapon at the Last Stop outdoor shooting range in Arizona, where he works. “All…
What’s with the Ice Bucket Challenge?
If you are active on social media or watch the news regularly, you must have already seen a lot of videos of people — ordinary folks and celebrities alike —…
When Pope Francis visits Tacloban
Being from Tacloban, I’m understandably excited about the forthcoming visit of Pope Francis to my hometown in January 2015. That’s the good news. The bad news is that, according to…
Client with wage garnishment files chapter 13 to save house from foreclosure
CLIENT is 60 years old and married. She has gross income of $3,000 as a caregiver. Husband is not employed and waiting for social security benefits, which is still two…
Delayed wages entitle employees to additional pay
JANIS McLean worked for the State of California as a deputy attorney general until she retired from service in 2010. She did not receive her final wages on her last…
OMG: Oh, Malung Gay!
Filipinos have a way to, intentionally or not, give things a “Pinoy” touch. The O! My Gulay Recipe Book, distributed by the Department of Agriculture—Bureau of Agricultural Research, features winning…
Going ‘wild’ in the most diverse city
Reprinted with permission from New American Media. Original news report by Ngoc Nguyen. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, federal legislation that was signed into law…
Dance lovers
It is not the kind of column one usually pursues. There was no edge to it, no compelling plot, no dynamic of change. It’s about a lot of dance lovers with…
6.0 earthquake strikes Napa Valley area
A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Napa Valley/Solano County region of Northern California on Sunday, August 24, damaging homes and local wineries and collapsing structures. Thousands as far as 200…
Silver Lake Dog Park Sign Design Contest Seeks to Keep It Clean
SILVER LAKE — Fresh ideas are needed for a design contest geared toward promoting ‘keeping it clean’ and responsible dog park etiquette at one of the most popular parks in…
6.0 earthquake strikes Napa Valley area
A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Napa Valley/Solano County region of Northern California on Sunday, August 24, damaging homes and local wineries and collapsing structures. Thousands as far as 200…
A room for grace
AS a group of scholars in theology and veterans in seminary formation were preparing for a new school year, a discussion at a breakout session came about between two professors. …
NCCA Calls for Filipino Curators and Artists to submit Curatorial Proposals to participate at the 56th Venice Biennale 2015
The National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has encouraged curators and artists to submit curatorial proposals to be chosen for the Philippines’ participation at the 56th Venice Biennale…
Friend or foe?
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has appointed Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (SC), amidst allegations of the latter’s ‘disloyalty’ to the Philippines. Though he was…
Kababayans’ views: Free public eduction for undocumented kids in the US?
Federal laws say undocumented kids cannot be denied enrollment in public schools, and that they have the right to taxpayer-funded education in the United States just like US citizens and…