APAICS hosts first ever young leaders summit for AAPI college students, young professionals

 Entertainment
Nov 222015
 
APAICS hosts first ever young leaders summit for AAPI college students, young professionals

APAICS hosted a Community Reception for the local community. Kathy Ko Chin, CEO & President, APIAHF, and Judge Michael Kwan, OCA National President, gave welcome remarks to the young Utah leaders. On Saturday, November 14, 2015, APAICS launched its first ever Young Leaders Summit in Salt Lake City at the Utah State Capitol. The summit is geared towards college students and young professionals to promote and inspire leadership and public service. “We are excited to launch the very first APAICS Young Leaders Summit, giving students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills to create positive change through public service and civic engagement in their local communities and campus groups,” said Amy Watanabe, APAICS Program Director. “This is an important building block for a strong foundation for the next generation of leaders and creating the political pipeline for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. From this group, we hope to see many of these young AAPI leaders involved in local politics, be future members of Congress and even get to the Oval office,” said Floyd Mori, APAICS CEO & President. Over 45 participants from University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, Salt Lake Community College, Brigham Young University, Weber State University and the local community attended the full-day summit. APAICS hosted a Community Reception for the local community. Kathy Ko Chin, CEO & President, APIAHF, and Judge Michael Kwan, OCA National President, gave welcome remarks to the young Utah leaders. JACL NY/SC, LEAP, APAICS and APIAVote/National Tongan Society led workshops for students to Read More …

Avoid foreclosure with a loan mod or short sale

 Entertainment
Nov 222015
 
Avoid foreclosure with a loan mod or short sale

There are many solutions available to homeowners falling behind on their payments. Most people think Bankruptcy is the only option, short of just letting the Bank take their home. Bankruptcy is a good option, and while it can strip off the second trust deed if the home is upside down in current value, bankruptcy cannot change the terms of payment on the first mortgage. Frequently, we use a combination of strategies including bankruptcy to strip all secondary liens, modify the terms of the first, and convert the adjustable to an affordable fixed loan. Some lenders offer workout options. Others want you to “catch up” all the missed payments first. A few major banks have sent out letters to their borrowers, offering to modify and lower the loan balance if you meet certain qualifications.  However, in instances where you do not qualify for a loan modification, the home owner should definitely consider a “Short Sale”. Short Sale Facts. If you are facing foreclosure, a short sale can be a beneficial alternative. It is an agreement with your bank or mortgage company, allowing you to sell the property for an amount less than what you owe. Usually, the bank requires an appraisal, and will accept an offer that’s relative to the current fair market value. Unfortunately, the seller (current home owner) cannot also be the new buyer. What are the advantages of a short sale vs. foreclosure? The main advantage of a short sale is preventing foreclosure and the consequences that foreclosure Read More …

Thankful for each moment we’re privileged to have in this challenging world

 Entertainment
Nov 222015
 
Thankful for each moment we’re privileged to have in this challenging world

This harvest season, as we celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26th, we are reminded of the “happy feast” between the Pilgrims and the Indians, according to some stories which apparently happened only “once.” The background story on Thanksgiving, according to author Susan Bates, “began in 1614 when a band of English explorers sailed home to England with a ship full of Pawtuxet Indians bound for slavery. They left behind diseases such as smallpox which virtually wiped out those who had escaped. And, by the time the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts Bay, they found only one living Pawtuxet Indian, named Squanto who had survived slavery in England, and understood their language. Knowledgeable as he was, Squanto taught them how to grow corn and fish, and he negotiated a peace treaty between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Nation. Thus, at the end of their first year, the Pilgrims held a great feast, honoring Squanto and the Wampanoags.” However, as the word spread out in England about this so-called paradise in the “new world,” religious zealots called “Puritans began arriving by the bus load and finding no fences around, the land they considered it a public domain, so they seized land, capturing young natives for slavery and killing the rest of the Pequot tribe. In 1637, near present day Groton, Connecticut, over 700 men, women and children of the Pequot Tribe had gathered for their annual Green Corn Festival to celebrate Thanksgiving, but they were all murdered by the English and Dutch mercenaries, so the next day, the governor of Read More …

Obama struggles to keep focus on Asia

 News
Nov 212015
 
Obama struggles to keep focus on Asia

Philippine Daily Inquirer November 22nd, 2015 07:06 AM KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia— US President Barack Obama voiced his determination to put Asia front and center in his foreign policy on Saturday, even as a two-nation visit to the region was eclipsed by jihadist attacks in France and Mali. America’s self-styled “Pacific President” has been frustrated to see a trip to Malaysia and the Philippines designed to highlight his stated refocus on Asia overshadowed once again. After years of talking about the need to deepen trade, security and diplomatic ties with the region, White House officials had hoped the trip would be a victory lap. Twelve countries recently agreed to Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact, and the US pledged to boost security assistance to its ally the Philippines, which is in a confrontation with China over maritime territory. During the weeklong Asia swing, Obama has touted his years growing up in Southeast Asia, vowed to become the first president to visit Laos, and chatted with audience members in Bahasa Indonesia. But at a business forum on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Malaysia yesterday, Obama had to begin by talking about events half a world away in Mali, where 27 people died in an attack by gun-toting jihadists. In a speech, Obama condemned the “appalling” attack, adding that “this barbarity only stiffens our resolve to meet this challenge” of extremist violence. “On behalf of the American people, I want to extend our deepest condolences to Read More …

PH, Vietnam grow closer vs China

 News
Nov 212015
 
PH, Vietnam grow closer vs China

Philippine Daily Inquirer By: Niña P. Calleja, November 22nd, 2015 07:04 AM VIETNAM became a strategic ally of the Philippines last week with a new partnership agreement between the two countries sealed on the sidelines of the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Manila. But what does it mean for the Philippines amid the rising tensions in the South China Sea? Assistant Secretary Charles Jose, the Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said the signing of the agreement was “a step further” in the relationship between the Philippines and Vietnam, which are both claimants to territories in the South China Sea and vocal in their opposition to China’s massive reclamation in the area. “The strategic partnership encompasses several areas—economic, political, defense and maritime cooperation,” Jose said. Vietnam became the Philippines’ third strategic partner, after the United States and Japan. President Aquino and his counterpart, Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang, witnessed the signing of the agreement by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Nov. 17. In an earlier interview, maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal said the strategic alliance between the two South China Sea claimants could be a cause for worry for China. Vietnam, he said, is stronger than the Philippines in terms of military strength and has demonstrated this in previous Chinese incursions into its territorial waters. “They have demonstrated that they are much more willing to use it than us,” Batongbacal said, recounting the incident last year Read More …

Pray, march for climate change—Tagle

 News
Nov 212015
 
Pray, march for climate change—Tagle

Philippine Daily Inquirer By: Tina G. Santos, November 22nd, 2015 07:02 AM Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has urged the faithful to participate in a prayer-march on Nov. 29, the day before the global climate change talks in Paris, to encourage global leaders to hear the moral imperative for a climate treaty. “I encourage everyone, especially our various communities in the Archdiocese of Manila to participate in the Metro Manila-wide Climate Solidarity Prayer March,” he said in a post on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News site. The gathering, led by Catholic communities, aims to show solidarity with over a million people who are expected to gather in over 2,000 cities around the world for a Global Climate March. The Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM), according to Tagle, has enjoined the Catholic faithful to participate. The GCCM said that following Pope Francis’ call to action, Catholics are urged to join in the global movement to tell world leaders that “climate change is real, and we care” so actions must be taken immediately. The movement is expected to hand over to world leaders a petition with over 20 million signatures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Aside from Manila, 12 other places will hold marches, namely, Antipolo City, Baguio City, Baler, Cagayan de Oro City, Cebu City, Ibaan (Batangas), Imus City, Jaro (Iloilo), Las Piñas City, Mandaluyong City, San Fernando (Pampanga) and Tuguegarao City. In Manila, various groups will gather at 6 a.m. at three points: Central Bank Read More …

After Razak, Aquino confirms Malaysian beheaded

 General
Nov 212015
 
After Razak, Aquino confirms Malaysian beheaded

November 22nd, 2015 07:01 AM KUALA LUMPUR—President Benigno Aquino III has confirmed that Abu Sayyaf extremists had beheaded a Malaysian national they held captive since May, promising that security forces would go after the perpetrators. Mr. Aquino confirmed the report after hearing Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak condemn the beheading of Bernard Then as Razak opened the 27th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Leaders Summit here. “President Aquino has directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police to further intensify operations against the Abu Sayyaf and other terror threat elements,” Malacañang spokesperson Herminio Coloma said in a statement to reporters. “The Philippines extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to the bereaved family and stands in solidarity with Malaysia and Asean in resolutely fighting terrorism,” he added. Coloma said he issued the statement in reaction to Najib’s mention of the beheading as he addressed the nine other leaders of the region and their guests for the 27th Asean Leaders Summit. Aside from the Philippines and Malaysia, the other Asean members are Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia and Laos. It was the first time the Philippines confirmed the beheading that was first reported on Nov. 17, the eve of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders meeting hosted by Manila. Security officials have said they were investigating the report which Najib readily condemned, calling on the authorities to “take action against those who perpetrated this savage and barbaric act and ensure that they are brought to Read More …

US, SE Asian nations press South China Sea issue

 News
Nov 212015
 
US, SE Asian nations press South China Sea issue

Associated Press November 21st, 2015 10:08 PM President Barack Obama waits for the media to leave after he spoke at a US-Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nov. 21. Obama is in Malaysia where he joins leaders from Southeast Asia to discuss trade and economic issues, and terrorism and disputes over the South China Sea. AP KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Ten Southeast Asian heads of state and nine world leaders, including President Barack Obama, are meeting in Malaysia to discuss trade and economic issues. Terrorism and disputes over the South China Sea are also on the agenda. (All times local.) 9:30 p.m. The United States and Southeast Asian nations have pressed their call for freedom of navigation and overflight in the disputed South China Sea, in a veiled rebuke to China. China has come under heavy criticism for recently transforming disputed reefs into islands in aggressive actions that have set off alarms in the region. Following an annual regional summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday, the US and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also pressed for the peaceful resolution of the territorial conflicts “without resorting to the threat or use of force.” This is standard language that Washington and its allies have used against China’s increasingly assertive stance in the disputed waters. The joint US-Asean statement, however, did not mention China by name. 9:15 p.m. President Barack Obama has met with Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong of Laos on the sidelines of a regional summit in Read More …

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