Average itemized deductions
FOR those of you who itemize, the table below should be of special interest. For those of you who play the odds (you know what I mean), this table should…
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‘What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve’
AFTER going through the dead of winter, one can’t wait to bathe in the warmth and joy that the promise of spring brings to our life. This is also the…
‘Mission impossible’
AFTER vetoing the proposed Magna Carta for the Poor, Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III faced the ire of The Catholic Bishops of the Conference (CBCP) — including the proponents of…
Outstanding Fil-Ams honored at PACCAL’s Women’s History Month Awards Night
The month of March was made even more significant by the Pan American Concerned Citizens Action League, Inc. (PACCAL) when it celebrated Women’s History Month last Sunday, March 24 at…
Obama’s new Labor Secretary must embrace Asian Americans
President Obama has nominated a prominent and generally well-qualified civil rights attorney for Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez. Mr. Perez is presently Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department…
Outstanding Fil-Ams honored at PACCAL’s Women’s History Month Awards Night
The month of March was made even more significant by the Pan American Concerned Citizens Action League, Inc. (PACCAL) when it celebrated Women’s History Month last Sunday, March 24 at…
Exercise in a pill?
If there was a pill that would be an effective substitute for daily physical exercise to maintain health and stamina, wouldn’t you prefer it? Most people would, of course! Even…
Court gives retroactive (Nunc Pro Tunc) effect to ‘legally backdated’ adoption decree
Recently, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (which is one court below the US Supreme Court) ruled that the BIA’s “blanket rule against recognizing states’ nunc pro tunc adoption decrees…
Spring once more
Spring has sprung. It is upon us in a scent that grows deeper, dizzying, improbable. It is too heady, too provocative to be diminished. Seeping through open windows, under doors,…
Obama calls for ‘political courage’ in immigration
LOS ANGELES – President Barack Obama on Monday pushed for immigration reform at a citizenship oath-taking ceremony for 28 immigrants, and called for ‘political courage’ in doing ‘what’s required’ in…
Rigging the surveys
IN THE Central American Republic of Santa Banana, public opinion polls are routinely conducted to determine how candidates for political office rank, ostensibly based on the preferences of the voters….
‘Francis, repair my Church’
CATHOLICS all over the world celebrate Holy Week with a new pope: His Eminence, Pope Francis I. Chosen by a conclave of 115 cardinals on March 13, Jorge Mario Cardinal…
Civic imperative
BEFORE we look forward to Easter Sunday, we are given a week-long final reminder of the implications of Christ’s Resurrection, from the cross to our daily lives. Far more than…
Immigration Consequences of Using a False Social Security Number
Using a false social security number is one way to obtain unauthorized employment. You might have heard how some undocumented aliens make up social security numbers or use the numbers…
Bankruptcy is not always your fault
FACING serious debt problems can be depressing to a lot of people. It may seem like the end of the world. You may feel angry, depressed, guilty- or a combination…
As we confront evil and eternal death
AS I grow older and wiser in life and ministry, I realize how wicked a man or a woman can be, how evil can posses his or her heart and…
My close encounters with terrestrial stars, Part 3
In the continuing series of My close encounters with terrestrial stars I came to a point when I finally realized how significant those relationships I have had through the years….
The Vatican: A haven like no other
The State of the Vatican has no aimless, uninvited wanderers. You sign up for an escorted tour of the gardens, the museums, see the wonders such as the Sistine chapel…
Overcoming hurdles to serve others
Albert Einstein once said, “in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.” For Filipino-American Colonel Shirley S. Raguindin, the chief diversity officer for the Air National Guard (ANG), this quote sums…
Additional remedies for injured employees (Going beyond the Workers Compensation claim)
“ After filing a work comp claim, the employee experiences an adverse employment action, such as demotion, decrease in pay, decrease of work hours, loss of benefits, assignment to unfavorable tasks,…
Medical expenses revisited
MOST of us take medical expenses for granted because we have to spend more than 7 ½ % for 2012 (10% for 2013 if you are under 65) of our…
Is your Short Sale agent doing a good job for you?
SHORT selling your home is such an important and stressful step in your life and it’s the springboard into your future so you wont have anymore sleepless nights. It is…
Readers feedback: No more immigration petitions for married children and siblings of US citizens?
LAST Wednesday, I wrote about the plan being discussed in the Senate to decrease the number of family visas to give priority to employment-based petitions, specifically for highly-skilled workers. Although…
Purity of heart
“PURITY of heart, then, is the miracle-worker’s greatest engine of wealth creation.” – Marianne Williamson, The Law of Divine Compensation, 2012. The New Pope Francis As the Lenten season progresses,…
Fil-Am Walnut Councilmember Cartagena urges eligible applicants to attend free citizenship (N-400) application workshop
FILIPINO-American Councilmember Antonio “Tony” Cartagena of the City of Walnut is urging permanent resident aliens to take advantage of attending a free US Application Workshop through the Filipino American Service…
Creditor’s refusal to foreclose is not violation of discharge
DEBTOR walks away from his residence because it is under water with no equity whatsoever then files for Chapter 7 relief. The house is worth $300,000 but the mortgage owed…
My close encounters with terrestrial stars, Part 3
In the continuing series of My close encounters with terrestrial stars I came to a point when I finally realized how significant those relationships I have had through the years….
Alyssa Shoemaker takes her bid to stardom via The Wizard of Oz
A young Fil-Am unprecedentedly shines in the recent staging of Lyman Frank Baum’s classic fantasy novel, The Wizard of Oz, at the Quibbletown Middle School’s Drama Club in Piscataway, New…
One for the Century of Angeles City
Angeles City moves with the frantic pace of a bustling metropolis. You can sense it with the whizzing jeepneys and cars, people crossing the streets, and the establishments ecstatic with…
Widespread health scams
The snake oil scam of yesteryears took decades to travel from town to town. Obviously, that saved a lot of “potential” victims. With the advent of the internet age, scams,…