AT LEAST once a week, someone comes into my office panicking because their spouse or other relative has been picked up and detained by immigration authorities. The relative was arrested and placed in one of the county jails where Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains those with immigration violations. This can happen in many different ways….
MY best Christmas gift this year was not another gadget or a nice polo shirt or a sweater. It was not a gift card or a ticket to a concert. It was something different. It was a surprise visit from someone I knew a long time ago, when I was a young associate pastor. The…
Poorly cooked pork/seafood Unlike beef which could be eaten rare or medium, pork is safe only when fully cooked, especially in barbeque. Improperly cooked pork could lead to a micro worm infestation called trichinosis, where the tiny roundworms enter the muscles, even in the eyelids, the heart, etc. and pose a danger not only to…
NO MATTER how good our intentions are in helping others, we will often find ourselves misunderstood, mistreated or misjudged by some people. I have found this true in my twenty years of ministry as priest and as someone who has been involved in works of charity. For example, some people would throw hurtful and harmful…
THE Bush-Era Tax Cuts was set to expire on December 31, 2011 and one of those that would have been greatly impacted is the Child Tax Credit (CTC), one of the most popular tax credits for families and children. Had the Obama administration not extended the Bush-Era Tax cuts for another year, the CTC would…
Is there an illness called Christmas Disease? Yes, there is, but it has nothing to do with the Christmas season. Christmas Disease is a blood disease, also known as Hemophilia B or factor IX hemophilia. It is a hereditary bleeding disorder due to deficiency in coagulation factor IX. This condition is X-linked recessive inheritance, affecting…
DURING this holiday season, we are bombarded with advertisements about the latest and greatest deals on how we can celebrate Christmas with awesome gifts and welcome New Year with a bang. It is easy to get caught up in the hoopla of purchasing that perfect something, or scoring a sweet deal on the hottest items…
IT’S the season of gift-giving. And President Benigno Aquino III (PNoy) wasted no time looking for the perfect gift for his nemesis, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) – a suite befitting of a former president, in jail. Now, only a few weeks after GMA’s arrest and before Christmas, PNoy and his constituents in Congress have…
DESIGNED to supplement the wages or earned income through self-employment of working families, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) benefits taxpayers who are either low or moderate income earners by providing generous tax credits. It is believed to have helped alleviate poverty for around 6.5 million families, affecting 15 million children every year. As part…
ONE of America’s top construction companies is Hawaii-based Group Builders, Inc., founded and owned by Filipino-American Anacleto “Lito” Alcantara. Group Builders Inc. ranked 186 among the Top 600 Specialty Contractors in the US(2007). It has consistently been in Hawaii’s Top 250 Largest Companies since 1998, presented by Hawaii Business; the First Filipino Company included in…
THE Good News is within us – within our minds and hearts. It’s the change that is happening within our lives, in the way we think about or perceive our everyday experiences and challenges. It’s the new way we feel towards others and about our selves. The Good news is our awakened hearts, our enlightened…
Since Benigno Aquino III assumed the position of president, he made his intentions very clear of weeding out officials who did the country wrong during their terms. The aggressiveness of the current administration in going after those who have allegedly betrayed the public trust, was seen in the recent hospital arrest of Former President Gloria…
IT IS hard to believe that we will be greeting a new year in less than three weeks. If you are like me, you are in the midst of Christmas-related hustle and bustle, trying to prepare for the holidays and the end of 2011. While it is the season of celebrating and being grateful for…
Dear Dr. Val, My gums are irregular and they make some of my teeth smaller than the rest . What can I do ? Thanks Gummy Bear Dear Gummy Bear, The shape, color and appearance of your teeth can easily be changed to create a beautiful smile with modern cosmetic dentistry techniques, such as tooth…
Enamel is the hard, protective outer layer of your teeth. If it erodes, it can be very uncomfortable, with symptoms ranging from tooth sensitivity and discoloration, to painful cracks in the teeth. What is tooth erosion caused by, and how can you prevent it? The acid in the foods and drinks we put in our…
HEADING into a new year, things are getting to be quite polemic, as we see 2011 nearing its end with a succession of controversies. Philippine politics seems to be turning into an impenetrable and tumultuous jungle, as the year closes. The situation is ripe for a political savior to step on the scene. Redeeming a…
THE powers of hope and prayer should never be underestimated. Similarly, the power of practical action and the implementation of resolution should occupy a large part of your day. We are reminded of the power of action as we reflect on the meaning of Hanukkah. In Hebrew, the word “hanukkah” means “dedication.” The name reminds…
HIS administration may have received criticisms for underspending the local budget during the first half of 2011, but President Benigno S. Aquino III is determined to have all that change next year. According to reports, the President recently met with his economic managers on December 6, at the Christmas party of Bulong Pulungan at the…
IN 1999, Dr. Ben de Lumen and a team of scientists at UC Berkeley were working on a project to improve the nutritional quality of soy proteins when they discovered what they believe and hope is a miracle. The team found that a specific protein in soy, when isolated, may have anti-cancer properties. The…
MERRY Christmas and Happy New Year! Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon! Throughout the Simbang Gabi Masses in my parish, I never got tired of reading and listening to the stories of the birth of Jesus, our Savior. There was always a thought or a word that struck me and spoke to me. There were always…
Is it normal to have blood in your stools? Blood in the stools is never normal. If the stool has blood in it, it is either from a bleeding from a ripped mucosa (lining) of the rectum (from passing very hard stools when constipated), or from a bleeding polyp, a more serious condition, or even…
Conditional residence is the immigration status of a foreign national who was approved for permanent residence (green card) within two years of getting married to a US citizen. During the two years conditional period the immigrant has the same rights and responsibilities as other green card holders. This includes the right to live and work…
ON NOVEMBER 26, Saturday, NASA launched the biggest and best-equipped robot ever sent to explore another planet from the Kennedy Space Centre. Dubbed Mars Curiosity but more formally called the Mars Science Laboratory, it is expected to reach Mars by August 2012. If all goes according to plan, the rover will be abseiling down from…
HOW much of their home office expenses can be deducted is one of the most misjudged tax questions faced by home workers. The reality of home office expense deductibility is much more complex than the common perception. When can home office expenses be deducted? The costs associated with maintaining a home office can be deducted…
“THINK BIG”, I shared the other day in a meeting with a group volunteers. Big: not in the sense of property or material wealth, but “big” in the sense of dreams and visions. We can’t afford to be limited in our expectations; otherwise we become faint and lackluster. With big dreams and visions, we become…
Autopsy findings on “healthy” children, as young as four and five, who were victims of accidents, already showed evidences of arteriosclerosis (hardening of their arteries), a condition we expect to see only in adults. There must be something we, parents, and society are doing wrong. When we prepare to bring forth a child into this…
Autopsy findings on “healthy” children, as young as four and five, who were victims of accidents, already showed evidences of arteriosclerosis (hardening of their arteries), a condition we expect to see only in adults. There must be something we, parents, and society are doing wrong. When we prepare to bring forth a child into this…
DESPITE her rigid efforts in bringing the Philippine justice system to a reputable form, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila De Lima is now in hot water – with the possibility of losing her license as a lawyer. In a nine-page complaint filed on Monday, in perhaps a form retaliation from Former President Gloria Macapagal…
57 INDIVIDUALS (32 of whom were journalists) perished on November 23, 2009 in Ampatuan, Maguindanao province in Mindanao. A 58th victim, journalist Reynaldo Momay remains missing. Now, two years after the gruesome incident, for the victims’ families and friends the pain lingers on — the thirst for justice remains unquenched. Amid the threat of explosives…
Jason Day, Fil-Australian PGA Top Golfer and Number 8 in World Golf Rankings He’s 9th in the money leaders list in the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour with nearly $4 million in winnings this year. He’s finished in the top five, with two second place finishes – one at the Masters and another in the…
