How to avoid IRS audits in 2013
1. E-FILE. When you e-file, your chance of getting an error notice from the IRS is significantly reduced. Besides, it’s faster. Your refunds arrive sooner. 2. Check your occupation. Your…
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Protecting your rights under a disability insurance
A DISABILITY insurance policy pays benefits when you are unable to work because of injury or illness. This allows you to meet your financial obligations, such as mortgage payments, or…
Problems with ‘Quick Nevada divorces’ in immigration cases
It is a common situation specially within the Filipino community in California to listen to paralegal marketing about “Quick” Nevada divorces. Since there is no divorce in the Philippines, many Filipinos come…
I’m in deportation proceedings, can I apply for Cancellation of Removal?
Question: I’m in deportation proceedings and somebody stated I can apply for Cancellation of Removal. Can you shed some light on this and what is required? Answer: The Attorney General…
Dream homes maybe more of an illusion
HOUSES may not be homes, but homes could certainly be houses people live in. What happened in this previous housing crisis taught us an important lesson. Economic and demographic changes…
Mother’s Day feature: Multi-faceted moms’ inevitable ordeals
There is something strange about the endearment and the magnetic force that attracts a child towards his mother compared to his father. The reason could be due to the biological…
Mother’s Day feature: Multi-faceted moms’ inevitable ordeals
There is something strange about the endearment and the magnetic force that attracts a child towards his mother compared to his father. The reason could be due to the biological…
On living in Spirit
WE all need guidance in our lives. We need wisdom to make right decisions, to act justly, and to live according to God’s law of love. For, indeed, there are…
Should unhealthy soft drinks be banned?
In a previous column, I wrote that soft drinks, which I called “liquid candy,” cola or uncola, diet or regular, “are unhealthy for all of us, especially for children. Not…
Gretchen, Claudine and Inday Barretto: A family in feud
SO, the latest question hanging around these days is: Are you Team Gretchen or are you Team Claudine/Inday. Sadly enough, a (showbiz) family in feud is almost one of the…
Admission under 'assumed' is legal admission for subsequent adjustment of status
“In making an application for adjustment of status, an applicant must also prove that he is not “inadmissible” to the US. Certain grounds of inadmissibility may be “waived”during the process,…
An unnecessary DACA filing (and denial)
Remember, the I-94 is a long form, and CBP tears off the lower portion of the I-94 and staples it to your passport. The longer portion is retained by CBP,…
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in SF
San Francisco city officials led by Mayor Edwin Lee, along with Asian American community leaders, kicked off the month-long celebration of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with a…
Making it count
COME the May 13 elections, we should be in the process of recovering from the assaults that were inflicted upon our senses. These assaults include the jingles that haunt our…
Filipino soldiers’ heroism remembered in ‘The Bataan Legacy Project’
Free presentation at the SF Public Library on May 5 SIX days, 80 miles, under the searing heat of the sun—that was what made the Bataan Death March a treacherous…
New (dis)information battleground
THE other night, a retrospective on the Watergate scandal that resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon was aired on US television. Among the interesting commentaries was the role…
Should the US take military action vs Syria’s use of chemical weapons?
THE United Nations (UN) estimates that more than 70,000 people have died since the Syrian government started battling a rebellion two years ago. The international community has condemned the Assad…
Should employees be paid for time spent on security checks at work?
LAST month, we discussed how unpaid wages were sought in a class action lawsuit filed against Dole Food Company by employees who claimed they were not paid for the time…
Looking back: The unfolding of the real estate crisis
I HAVE recently been following this website called, SellYourHome.com it has a lot of interesting topics about the real estate industry including a certain topics about homeowners in need of…
Love happens….
CAN real love exist in a community where people are related not by blood but by common faith and beliefs? Can neighbors genuinely care for one another without sacrificing privacy?…
LA mayor lauded for staunch support of Denim Day
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was recognized on April 24 by nonprofit organization Peace Over Violence (POV) on Wednesday for his efforts in raising awareness about…
Can BK trustee sell debtor's father's house if debtor's name is on title?
SOMETIMES parents put their children’s names on title to their residence even if the parents intend to keep the residence as their own as they continue to pay all expenses…
A night for scribes and artists
THE Beverly Hills Country Club was the perfect venue. It’s where tradition, elegance and memories met in a night of music, accolade, drama, dancing and the much-vaunted “celebrity roast” of…
Could the FBI have prevented the Boston Marathon bombing?
DID the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) miss out on an opportunity to prevent the Boston Marathon terror attack from happening? This was the question raised by CBS, when it…
The road to recognition
THE scheduled week-long investment roadshow by a topnotch business delegation from the Philippines has officially begun. The 2nd Investment Roadshow was organized by the Philippine Embassy with the Philippine Consulates…
A Medical Breakthrough
ON MARCH 4, 2013, CNN reported the incredible news that a baby was cured of HIV, as announced at the 2013 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta. The…
Legalization under the new immigration reform senate bill
On April 17, 2013, a bipartisan group of senators filed the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act” bill in the U.S. Senate in an effort to start the…
One and only Philippine Superstar Nora Aunoy turns 60 on May 21
Multi-awarded Nora Aunor, now residing in Los Angeles, will celebrate her 60th birthday on Tuesday, May 21. La Aunor, internationally known as the one and only Superstar of the Philippine…
President Obama’s opportunity to advance the needs of two million Asian American-owned businesses
The head of the SBA, Karen Mills, has announced her resignation. During her four years in office, the 98% of Asian American-owned businesses that are small received very few loans…