My close encounters with terrestrial stars, Part II
After a brief respite and heaps of social commitments that I had to cover, the continuation of my celebrity encounters resumes. Brace yourself for some more of my interesting nostalgic…
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Cerritos City Councilman Mark Pulido elected Mayor Pro Tem
For 2013-2014 term CERRITOS – Filipino American Cerritos City Councilman Mark E. Pulido was elected to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for the 2013-2014 term by his city council colleagues…
Fil-Am fugitive arrested in Pampanga
LOS ANGELES – A man wanted for criminal raps here in California was arrested by operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Pampanga in the Philippines. Rodolfo Suacon,…
Fil-Ams reenlist to US Navy on PH shores
LOS ANGELES – For five Filipino-American sailors serving under the 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge, it is a tremendous honor to take their Oaths of Reenlistment to the US…
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 Jersey….
Hepatoma: Deadly
Hepatoma is a common and deadly cancer among Asians. I lost a close friend, a Fil-Am physician, a couple of years ago, and a few others before that, all to…
Shedding Filipino blood in Sabah
THE joke among so-called undocumented Mexicans in California is that they did not illegally cross the US border. The US border crossed them. The other joke is that Europeans were…
The April 2013 Priority Dates
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…
What compels Filipinos to campaign and vote?
VOTING in American Idol. Campaigning for Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle for the Papacy. Voting for a Pinoy to be CNN Hero of the Year. Participating in the Philippine and US Presidential elections. What…
Do you, or does someone you love, have diabetes?
NEARLY everyone knows someone who is directly or indirectly affected by diabetes. Not only can diabetes be difficult to manage, but it can also increase a person’s risk for other…
Over 80 Pinoys to attend free citizenship workshop in LA Public Library
LOS ANGELES – As of press time, it has been confirmed that over 80 Filipinos will be attending a free citizenship workshop, to be hosted by the Asian Pacific American…
Reodica trial moved to May
LOS ANGELES – The trial for disgraced car dealer Eminiano Jun Reodica has been moved again, this time to May 21, 2013. Citing the case’s unusual and complex nature, United…
Keeping it safe
Fire was an essential discovery that eventually helped man in taking control of his surroundings. If we trace the origins of fire, we might as well say that the first…
Humor laughs its way into the heart
Unlike the poisoned barb of satire and the killing point of wit, humor is healing. It is not only wholesome, but re-creative and rejuvenating — a jest that breaks no…
H-1B visas for FY 2014 will be used faster than last year
WITH the US economy steadily improving over the past several months, US employers are hiring again. Last weeks Federal Jobs Report showed that US employers were again hiring at a…
Chapter 13: How to pay debts on limited income
CHAPTER 13 is the section of the US Bankruptcy Code that allows individuals in the United States to reorganize their finances. If you are having difficulty paying your debts (credit…
The Power of VAWA
An alien of good moral character who married and resided with a US Citizen (USC) or lawful permanent resident (LPR) spouse but who was battered or subjected to extreme cruelty…
Pacquiao–Marquez V maybe bigger right now than a Mayweather fight – Arum
In the pugilistic arena, good stories are good stories, regardless of who tells them. Sports writers cobble these group of juicy pieces of fistic delights: vivid, immediate, firsthand, reported with…
The prodigal son and the prodigal father
THE word “prodigal” means lavish, profuse, or wastefully extravagant. In the Gospel this Sunday, the younger son was prodigal because he profusely squandered his inheritance from his father on meaningless…
Fil-Ams' feedback: Should the next Pope be more liberal or conservative?
AS THE world awaits the Cardinals in the Vatican to start the conclave and elect the next Pope, Catholics debate on the qualities they wish to be embodied by the…
A Fully Charged Venture
IT’S one of the biggest pet peeves in the world. Imagine traveling for business or leisure and rummaging through your suitcase, only to realize that you’ve forgotten your cell phone…
Jury awards over $21 million to employee discriminated for disability
Q: CAN an employee be legally fired for job abandonment due to absence caused by an illness? Should the employer provide the employee with reasonable accommodations? A: California’s Fair Employment…
10 tips in deducting charitable contributions
1. YOU may deduct donations to qualified organizations. Qualified organizations include corporations or foundations organized in the US for religious, charitable, educational, scientific, literary, or prevention of cruelty to children…
Short sale lenders paying off your liens and giving cash back as much as $5,000 or more
WHAT I will discuss on the second portion of this article will be about HAFA (Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative) which will typically offer a qualified seller $ 3,000 at closing…
Fil-Ams’ feedback: Should the next Pope be more liberal or conservative?
AS THE world awaits the Cardinals in the Vatican to start the conclave and elect the next Pope, Catholics debate on the qualities they wish to be embodied by the…
Discharging income taxes in bankruptcy: Part 2
LAST week, we established the fact that back due income taxes can be discharged in bankruptcy, despite the popular belief that this was not possible. We said that there are…
Parking employees receive $4.7M in class action settlement
LOS ANGELES – Thousands of parking lot attendants, cashiers and other employees received a whooping $4.7 million settlement after their class action lawsuit was settled. About 10,000 employees, some of…
Hawaii leaders introduce WWII Filvets family reunification bill
LOS ANGELES – A Hawaiian Senator and Congresswoman on Tuesday introduced legislation in both chambers that would reunite Filipino World War II veterans with their families. Senator Mazie K. Hirono…