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Chelle Lhuillier is first transgender to ride Independence Day Parade float
By Elton Lugay There was no press announcement from the Philippine Independence Day Council Inc. (PIDCI), but trust Chelle Lhuillier to take this groundbreaking first and make it known to all that she, a transgender woman, will be the first to grace a float at the Independence Day parade on Madison Avenue, touted as the […]
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Broadway’s Catherine Ricafort: Getting the role, living the dream
By Elton Lugay What a pleasant surprise! Broadway actress Catherine Ricafort performed with the cast of “Cinderella” at the Stars in the Alley concert on May 21, featuring Broadway musicals currently in production. I was hoping to see Adam Jacobs, who plays the lead in “Aladdin,” but he was a no-show. Indisposed, according to producers. […]
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Reflecting on the origin of Kalayaan
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. In metropolitan centers all over the world where Filipinos are represented by their embassies, consulates general and other government agencies, Kalayaan has been the moving theme each time the sixth month of the year emerges. The year 2014 marks the 116th anniversary of Philippine independence. Kalayaan has been routinely translated […]
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Fil-Dutch Candace Kendall to carry Empire State banner to June 8 Miss USA
By Elton Lugay It would be nice to win Miss USA 2014, but one of Filipino-Dutch model Candace Kendall’s biggest dreams is to one day work for Donald Trump. The reigning Miss New York USA said that with her degree in accounting and finance and her passion for beauty pageants, she would love to run […]
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Trafficking survivors speak up at summit: ‘We are not slaves anymore’
By Irma Bajar and Zarah Vinola “The officer explained I was a victim of ‘human smuggling’. I said, ‘No sir.’ I did not know at this time that I was trafficked or that you can smuggle people like this.” One teacher, who would not offer her name in fear of retaliation from the recruiter against […]
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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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3 artists to perform in May 17 concert ‘Affair to Remember’
“An Affair to Remember” concert, featuring a pianist, a tenor and a visual artist, will be presented on May 17 at 6 p.m. at The Church of the Epiphany at 375 Second Avenue in Manhattan. The concert features pianist Xingjia Yao; tenor Rogelio Peñaverde Jr.; and oil pastel artist, according to organizer, La Comunidad de […]
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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 […]