Asian CineVision and the 37th Asian American International Film Festival are proud to present a collection of diverse Filipino films concentrating on identity, history, and arts in the Philippines and Filipino diaspora communities. The Filipino and Filipino American selection for this year’s festival features “Transit,” “How to Disappear Completely,” “Pretty Rosebud,” “The Cotabato Sessions,” “Delano […]
By Cristina DC Pastor An 18-year-old high school graduate from Pennsylvania who would love to have dinner with Demi Lovato, given a chance to dine with an inspiring celebrity, was crowned Miss Philippines Quest-USA on July 12 at a beauty-and-talent pageant held at Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Alexa Kirby, who, by serendipity, was also Candidate […]
On July 1, Conrado Gempesaw, Ph.D. became the 17th president of St. John’s University in Queens, the first lay person to hold the position in this Catholic university in Queens. He succeeds Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., who became interim president after a 2013 corruption scandal led to the resignation of long-time president Rev. Donald […]
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Speaking about “Changing America,” the landscape on sports figures has been changing, thanks to top stars’ decisions sparked by their respective termination contracts outside their official hometowns and residences. LeBron James, until lately, one of the superheroes of the Miami Heat that won two championships in four years (led by […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Several dozen Filipinos braved the July 15 downpour to gather at Union Square and voice their support for detained undocumented journalist Jose Antonio Vargas. The activist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist was released on the same day by U.S. Border Patrol agents who held him at the McAllen-Miller International Airport in Texas […]
By Laurel Fantauzzo On July 15, the storyteller Jose Antonio Vargas was detained at the McAllen, Texas airport for not having a valid entry visa in his Philippine passport for the United States. Last year, Jose visited my nonfiction writing class at the University of Iowa to talk about his journey to a Pulitzer Prize. […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Disheartened by the low rate of applications, officials and advocates are urging undocumented youth to apply for the federal program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. They said an $18 million grant from the city will bankroll resources for legal assistance including payment of the $465 filing fee. Of about half a […]
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Impeachment talks abound lately, not solely confined on these shores, likewise, from our ancestral home. The process has been bruited about during the last few days because of the Philippine Supreme Court’s decision on the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). Arguments invoke a constitutional option: “Article XI, Section 1: Public Office […]
By Wendell Gaa Romantic, exotic and historic are fitting words to describe Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and one that has played a part in some of the world’s greatest civilizations. The two most iconic civilizations of this great city which come to my mind are easily the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Before paying a recent […]