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Talented girls are PAFCOM beauties
Six-year-old Alexandria Winilyn Szyskowski will be crowned Little Miss PAFCOM on May 31st at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Newark, New Jersey. Lexi, a kindergarten student at Washington Community School in Bayonne, is the youngest daughter of Frank Szyskowski and Coleene Roxas-Szyskowski. Frank is a managing partner for Ideal Equipment and Supply LLC. located in […]
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WHERE I LIVE: Kim Mende Itskov’s Sheepshead Bay home brings her closer to husband’s Russian kin
By Cristina DC Pastor Kimberly Mende Itskov lived in frenetic Midtown Manhattan for almost 10 years before experiencing the calm greenery of Forest Hills in Queens. Last year, she moved yet again to her third borough: Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, where “Curb Your Enthusiasm” comedian Larry David and former mobster Tomas Pitera grew up. When […]
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WHERE I LIVE: Cicero Oca has no regrets living in East Harlem
By Cristina DC Pastor It wasn’t the best of times when Cicero Oca moved into a rent-stabilized building in East Harlem in 2003. Gangs were feared, and drug dealing was a common street activity. Back then, many locals did not speak much English, and his recollection was of a neighborhood that was “like living in […]
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A life without line dancing not for Consuelo Almonte
By Cristina DC Pastor Perhaps no Filipino has ever come to be as intimately associated with Pakistani officialdom as Consuelo Almonte. For 43 years, Connie, a cheerful woman who stands out for her sparkling laughter and striking summer hats, served as a link between foreign journalists and the Pakistani government. Depressed over the breakup of […]
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WHERE I LIVE: Why Ledy Almadin left Jersey City in favor of quiet, suburban Summit
By Cristina DC Pastor With motherly apprehension, Ledy Almadin uprooted her family from Jersey City, where she lived for 26 years, and moved deeper into suburbia in the city of Summit. An accountant at the white-glove EisnerAmper accounting firm in Manhattan, Ledy’s decision may appear to be motivated by economics. But with two pretty teen […]
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Medical technologist Joji Rafael is crowned Mrs. Kalayaan
A medical technologist from Long Island, Josephine “Joji” Vilar Rafael, was recently crowned 2014 Mrs. Kalayaan in a Pageant and Gala held at Double Tree by Hilton in Newark, New Jersey. Joji is married to Nonoy Rafael; they have three children: Justin, Jermyn, and Jacqueline. Mrs. Kalayaan is a popularity contest for married or formerly […]
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WHERE I LIVE: Why would Sharon Adarlo want to live in Newark?
By Cristina DC Pastor Because she and her husband found a really cool brick house downtown, a short walk to Prudential Center and Lincoln Park. Their home is just outside the predominantly Portuguese Ironbound district with plenty of bars and restaurants offering large servings of grilled meats and salted ‘balcalhau’ fish. “It’s a pretty safe […]
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WHERE I LIVE: Charina Nadura shares a long and funky road with the hipsters of Williamsburg
By Cristina DC Pastor Sometimes, we live in neighborhoods that do not give us the feel of home. Many reasons. It could be one that is heavily populated by one ethnic group or maybe it has an overconcentration of nail salons and not a lot of grocery stores. Other times, we know, once we see […]
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Dogs saved from death, but who will save the inmates who care for them? An Easter reflection
By Aurelio Palmos Around 5 p.m. Monday after Easter, we watched news on local TV showing female inmates training dogs taken from shelters to become service dogs. Some of these dogs are now working with autistic children. A short segment showed a black Labrador following orders from a young autistic girl, indicating proof of positive […]