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Struggling Astoria residents face job loss, sense of uncertainty coming out of pandemic
Eve lost her babysitting job when the family of her 4-year-old ward packed for good and moved to California in the middle of the pandemic. She is one of several thousands of Filipinos who call Astoria home. A nanny for more than 10 years, Eve – with no health insurance and other employment benefits — […]
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Fearless Filipinas and what success means to them: new book
In honor of women’s history month, new book, Fearless Filipinas: 12 Women Who Dared to Be Different, shares the stories of modern Pinay heroes in the Philippines and around the world. Filipino history has a pantheon of great Filipina leaders, such as Gabriela Silang and Melchora Aquino. In addition to these historical heroes, there are […]
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What’s brewing? A pitch for FilAms to bring PHL coffee to America
The Philippines, the fourth largest coffee consumer in the world, imports 93 percent of its coffee requirement. That fact alone opened an interesting conversation about investment opportunities in the Philippine coffee sector, featured in the Philippine Embassy’s first Agri-Negosyo webinar for Overseas Filipinos in the United States on April 8. The webinar featured presentations by TJ […]
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Consumer spending in NYC fell 65% in 2020: report
By Edward Lee Data Scientist Mastercard Center As we show in a new analysis of Asian American communities in New York City, not only were they harder hit than the rest of the city, but they were also hit earlier than other communities, likely due to xenophobia and a misguided fear of Asian establishments at […]
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Creations from a crisis: Handbags with matching scarves, face masks
When Blue Dreams USA, a small farm boutique located in Frederick, Maryland was temporarily closed due to the pandemic, Imelda Roberts and Jeff Snively, co-owners, decided to find creative ways to sustain their business. To power up its online site, Blue Dreams USA is introducing a new product line called BSM-ART Wear by Imelda Roberts, […]
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How salon owner Linda Jimenez built a life from the ground up
By Vicky Potenciano-Vitug As a young child, Linda Bautista Jimenez experienced one of the most painful and traumatic experiences in her life: Her father abandoned their family. She will never forget her mother’s humiliation, anguish and despair. Nanay Berta suddenly became the sole breadwinner for her three young daughters: Ligaya, 15 years old; Betty, 12; and […]
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In a time of pandemic, magic is one business that won’t disappear
By Maricar CP Hampton & Cristina DC Pastor COVID and computers go together, and magicians like Apollo Riego know how to keep them that way. Apollo, owner of Magicianunlimited.com, said his online store has been around years before the public health pandemic, but his products have now been flying off the shelves because of […]
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Erna’s International Cuisine: A ’70s Queens eatery that fed activists and a spirited community coming into its own
By Cristina DC Pastor Erna’s International Cuisine in Queens was the watering hole for Filipino Americans in the Seventies, much like today’s Jeepney in Manhattan or Purple Yam in Brooklyn. It was a restaurant where families celebrated special occasions, like a birthday party or a graduation. For families in no mood for home cooking on […]
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Josh Vasquez: Travelin’ Man
By Maricar CP Hampton & Cristina DC Pastor Joesyl ‘Josh’ Vasquez’s coming-of-age was marked by a pair of tragedies. His father Edgar, a painter, died when he was 15. He was followed to his grave by his mother Rosario, an educator, four years later. “I lost my dad from a heart attack when I was […]