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…
“Animals are my friends, and I don’t eat my friends.” -George Bernard Shaw There is no question that diet plays a very important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic illnesses, and some forms of cancer, especially of the gastrointestinal tract. One particular diet — one high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and low…
“IF WE want respect, we must demonstrate that we have political power!” This was the consensus at a recent meeting of members of US Pinoys for Good Governance, the group that grew out of US Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar, which raised money and actively campaigned and voted in the last presidential elections. The group agreed to…
MANY optimists believe this could be the week when Congress would finally be able to present a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Talks of a bipartisan support on creating a pathway to citizenship in this plan have made many undocumentedkababayans exhaust all possible means to benefit from the new immigration laws. While to be proactive is a…
EITHER laws are not properly implemented and followed, or someone’s pursuing a vendetta against the Tubbattaha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP) — a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the Philippines’ most prized possessions. It took three strenuous months for the Philippine and US governments to complete the salvaging operations on the USS Guardian, which…
The Supreme Court has finished hearing arguments in two cases regarding challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and is expected to issue a ruling in June 2013. Both cases involve same-sex marriages. DOMA was enacted by Congress in 1996, and Section 3 of the law defines “marriage as only a legal union between…
It is called the pompous sickness — the spell which hushes the household, with its desert-like stillness felt through its innermost chambers. One in a world unto herself, her own theater. A severe fit of indisposition, under the name of a fall from dignity (or careless demeanor), amounting to a deposition that made me a…
Congress must respond! AS A sure sign the US economy is improving, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the annual H-1B quota (“H-1B Cap”) for FY 2014 was reached within the first week of the filing period, which began on April 1, 2013. On April 7, 2013, USCIS used a computer-generated lottery…
AFTER the Easter Vigil Mass in my church last week, I congratulated one of the youngsters that I baptized and joked with him, “So, now that you’ve already received the three sacraments, the next step for you is to become a priest. What do you think?” He looked at me with disapproval and said, “I…
ON January 2, 2013, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced the posting of a final rule in the Federal Register that reduces the time US citizens are separated from their immediate relatives (spouse, children and parents), who are in the process of obtaining visas to become lawful permanent residents of the United States…
IT WAS an epic battle that was bound to happen at some point. Both of Filipino descent, Conservative blogger and political pundit, Michelle Malkin and Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and undocumented immigrant, Jose Antonio Vargas locked horns in a battle of wits over immigration issues on Twitter. Coming from extremely opposing ends of the political spectrum,…
A long, long time ago, Kris Aquino and I sat together by the steps of the Guest House (the official residence of then, President Cory Aquino). We goofed around at the foyer in Hacienda Luisita and various presidential sorties around the archipelago. I was her trusted listener in casual conversations about school, love and crushes,…
