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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 […]
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Can one be retired and still travel the world?
By Charmaine Talvy When I first met Carol, a pharmaceutical executive, she was 52 years old. She had just sent her only child off to college and wasn’t sure how to navigate her new empty-nester life. Carol had been working at the same company for three years and before that, she held the same job […]
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KultureKo: Be human about culture, and eat your apples!
By Angelito Cabigao If you had to recommend to your best friend a place to work for, would you choose Netflix or Sears? I would bet you would pick Netflix (enjoys 78 percent Glassdoor.com rating) instead of Sears (35 percent on Glassdoor). Aside from giving us Jo Koy specials to watch, Netflix provides a great […]
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‘Not a good time to be a gig worker right now’
Gig economy workers, who now comprise more than one-third of the U.S. labor force, lost an estimated 75 percent of their income in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gig economy workers comprise app-based drivers for ride-share and food delivery services, such as Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Instacart, and Postmates. They can also work through […]