WITH all the negative issues and events currently ongoing, both in the Philippines and around the globe, this comes as a refreshing bit of good news. Recently, President Benigno Aquino III (PNoy) emerged as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for 2013. PNoy ranks second among the world’s 23 most…
NOEL Alumit is always on the way up. Maybe it’s because he’s a Capricorn and was born in the Year of the Ram, he theorizes to Radar Online. “I’m a mountain animal all the way! I look at this as reinforcement that I’m constantly aspiring to new heights,” he said to Radar. Alumit is a…
The recent weekend has given us the chance to socialize and take time out from the monotonous grind of daily living with three events to attend: the PIDCI Grand Marshal Gala, NAFA’s Grand Coronation and recognition ceremonies, and jeweler-community leader Virgie Mayo’s birthday bash. PIDCI grand marshal gala If the heavy turnout of attendees was…
HANDSOME actor John Lloyd Cruz and the beautiful Bea Alonzo were chosen Box-Office King and Queen in this year’s 44th Box-Office Entertainment Awards headed by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation, Inc. (GMMSFI). This was announced last April 7, during the foundation’s official deliberation at Cabalen Restaurant in Restaurant. It was actually yours truly, who…
HERE are some interesting stats about soft drinks: • The average soft drink serving size has tripled since the 1950s. • The average person drinks about 45 gallons of soda per year. • Seven percent of adults drink four servings or more per day. • At least 20 percent of children drink four servings or…
This year, get ready to celebrate with the rest of the world as Instituto Cervantes brings back the DÍA INTERNACIONAL DEL LIBRO (International Book Day) to the streets of Manila. Celebrated annually by Instituto Cervantes centers all around the globe, DÍA DEL LIBRO has in its roots the centuries-old Catalan traiditon of exchanging books for…
Question: I heard that immigration reform is coming. Is this true? Answer: As a framework for reform, this is closer than we’ve come in years to meaningful change.The Senate “Gang of Eight” for introducing its bipartisan immigration reform proposal, allowing the Senate Judiciary Committee to forge ahead on the “markup” process. A proposal like this…
Consider the common divorce scenario where the divorce judgment provides primary custody of the children to one spouse while the other spouse only gets visitation. The parties begin to file separate tax returns. What are the tax consequences of the non custodial parents with regards to claiming the children in his or her return? A…
The summer heat sears across the metro and the archipelago, reports of the current day being recorded as the hottest of the year gets topped off by an even hotter day that bombards our senses already on the brink. The heat is prevalent, spreading feverish across cities and posing potential hazards and provoking the liberated…
Ramoso elected as new state chair LOS ANGELES – For the first time ever, a majority of seats in the executive board of the California Democratic Party Filipino American Caucus are taken by Fil-Am leaders from Southern California. This is according to newly-elected state chair, Melissa Ramoso. According to Ramoso, this is the first time…
Some of us may be shortening the life of our children without realizing it, unintentionally, unwittingly, all in the name of love, but nonetheless devastating to them when they reach middle age and beyond. “Love not our children to death” is the message in my coffee-table book on disease prevention published in the United States,…
APRIL 15 started out as a day of celebration of Patriots Day in Boston — commemorating the first battles of the American Revolution in 1775. Some 23,000 participants from around the world joined the annual Boston Marathon, while more than 500,000 spectators came to cheer them on. Just two hours after the winners crossed the…
Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning that immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority…
You’d schedule a dental appointment if you have a chronic toothache, probably suspecting a cavity. However, do toothache-free mouths signal cavity-free teeth? Not necessarily, and here’s why. Decayed teeth may or may not cause a toothache, depending on the location and depth of the decay. For example, if the cavity is in the tooth enamel…
The Knights of Columbus, St. Genevieve Council 14772, “2010 California State Best Council” in Panorama City, CA, had conducted the “Blessing of Family Reunion” held in Madonna Hall on April 13, 2013. It was a great success. The St. Genevieve Parish Church and Knights of Columbus conveyed their thanks to all families who attended the…
AS USUAL, my buddies at my favorite watering hole in Adobo City (AKA Daly City) turn to me to explain some of the happenings in the Philippines. Of course, I probably know just a bit more than they do and not much more, but I oblige. This time, they want me to explain the SWS survey on…
WE could only pray that what happened to 15-year-old Audrie Pott would never happen to our own children. She was sexually assaulted by three fellow students at Saratoga High School — boys she had been friends with since middle school. Worse, she found out that graphic pictures of her naked and being attacked were taken…
Poetry, we’ve been taught, can open the innermost valve of the imagining heart through stirring and murmuring the delicately woven allure of words. There are no barriers to the inner intimacies that poetry is capable of displaying. It celebrates, as well as mourns; it can bubble or froth, seriously praise or quietly exult, as well…
The basic rules A CHILDHOOD arrival may seek DAS and an employment authorization document (EAD) if he: 1. Was under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012; 2. Came to the United States before reaching his 16th birthday; 3. Has continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the…
JESUS’ resurrection scene this Sunday in the Gospel of John is filled with concrete images and questions, such as “going fishing”, “caught nothing”, “Anything to eat?”, “tucked in his garments”, “lightly clad”, “jumping into the sea”, “a charcoal fire”, “having breakfast”, “one-hundred fifty three large fish”, “a hundred yards”, “Do you love me?”. Oftentimes, these…
“Love comes from the most unexpected places….” So goes Jose Feliciano’s old familiar tune that aptly applies to the serendipitous encounter of Nena Kaufman and Raymond Smith. Theirs is a love story paved by an accidental meeting that transcended expectations, defied all norms, and led to a lifetime commitment. Their accidental meeting one late summer…
It was time once more to honor the men and women and what they died for, in a moment of celebration, despite the bloody cost. It is always a proud day for Filipinos, celebrating Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor). The people’s applause was special. It wasn’t in the program. There was no cue, they simply put…
IN October 2012, an international conference was held in Cape Town, Africa. Here, four of the world’s top forensic DNA experts did a presentation on “Forensic DNA Profiling and The Law.” Leading the DNA experts is Chris Asplen, former Assistant US Attorney and Executive Director of the National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence…
I BELIEVE that 2013 is going to be the “year of the short sale.” And THAT is a good thing! As I have always mentioned in the past, lenders will be more eager to help homeowners towards the fourth quarter of the game. I seriously believe that this is the fourth quarter of cleaning up…
“Love comes from the most unexpected places….” So goes Jose Feliciano’s old familiar tune that aptly applies to the serendipitous encounter of Nena Kaufman and Raymond Smith. Theirs is a love story paved by an accidental meeting that transcended expectations, defied all norms, and led to a lifetime commitment. Their accidental meeting one late summer…
“Viva Europa”, the European Union’s annual distinctive, rich and exciting cultural showcase was launched today, 11 April. This year’s celebrations bring to Manila the best of European art, music, dance, film, languages, food and poetry. For the first time it will include a culinary festival to highlight Europe ‘s incredibly diverse cuisine and food culture that continues to…
“Viva Europa”, the European Union’s annual distinctive, rich and exciting cultural showcase was launched today, 11 April. This year’s celebrations bring to Manila the best of European art, music, dance, film, languages, food and poetry. For the first time it will include a culinary festival to highlight Europe ‘s incredibly diverse cuisine and food culture that continues to…
A lawful permanent resident (LPR) or US Citizen (USC) parent may file an immigrant petition for his alien child including an adopted child. Under INA 101(b)(1)(E)(i), a child adopted while under the age of 16 years and who has been in the legal custody and has resided with the adopting parent for at least 2…
Our modern lives have made a demand for the instantaneous. We surround ourselves with things that make our lives easier. There is a desire to be connected, to have access to the wealth of information out there. There is nothing wrong with this for we are continuously moving forward and pushing the limits of what…
DUE TO TENSION WITH N. KOREA LOS ANGELES – In light of the recent escalating nuclear tension between the United States and North Korea, the Pentagon has decided to postpone a scheduled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test that’s due to be conducted in California sometime between April 7 and 13. According to a Department of…
