Funny how such a mundane task like gardening can dig up bittersweet childhood memories of a father who, much to the son's distaste, savored such "weird" food like ampalaya (bitter melon) and squid; scolded him with such aphorisms as "You don't know your ass from a roll of toilet paper"; and loved listening to John Coltrane. That's what happened to Fil-Am poet Tony Robles who, for the first time in his life, dug a garden and realized he had become his father (well, almost).

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Rights delayed are rights denied. This could be the battle cry of LGBTQIs in the Philippines who have been waiting for the passage of the SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression) bill, a universal human rights initiative supported by the United Nations. It has been more than 20 years since the first version of the bill was proposed. Now the Senate is trying again. Will it finally pass this time around? Abangan...

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National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes is in her early eighties now but shows no sign of slowing down. We pay tribute to her art, achievements and longevity through cultural writer Pablo Tariman's feature story on her.

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This week, the winners of the James Beard Foundation Awards, the "Oscars of the food world," were announced and a couple of them are Fil-Ams. Chef Lord Maynard Llera of Kuya Lord's in Los Angeles won the coveted best chef in California title. Read Again our stories on some of the winners:

On Kuya Lord: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/praise-kuya-lord

On Abi Balingit, James Beard Foundation Book Award Winner - Emerging Voice: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/in-the-dusky-kitchen-with-abi

On the occasion of June 12 and its significance in Philippine history, two pieces by John Silva:

Why June 12 Is Different from Other Days

A Valiant People's Army

And a menu for Independence:

Dishes for Independence Day

[Video of the Week] O Bayan Ko

In The Know

The 3 stars in the Philippine flag actually represent Luzon, Panay, and Mindanao, here’s why
https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/28/the-3-stars-in-the-philippine-flag-actually-represent-luzon-panay-and-mindanao-here-s-why-1?

The Massacre America Forgot
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/15/books/review/massacre-in-the-clouds-kim-a-wagner.html?

A family rest house in Batangas transforms into an exclusive garden resort
https://nolisoli.ph/109228/el-jardin-de-zaida/?

Ateneo Goes Green as Campus Shifts to 100% Renewable Energy
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/culture/109016/ateneo-100-renewable-energy

This L.A. chef just won the James Beard award for Best Chef: California
https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-06-10/los-angeles-chef-2024-james-beard-award-winner-kuya-lord?

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Hate Crime Trends in California
https://www.ppic.org/blog/hate-crime-trends-in-california/

Man beaten in hate crime in coma in upstate New York
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/10/hate-crime-victim-coma-restauranteur-albany/

Man sentenced for anti-Asian and antisemitic threats
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/11/racist-remarks-religious-bigotry-self-harm-andre-lackner/

Man sentenced in hate crime against San Diego police officer
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/story/2024-06-05/man-convicted-of-hate-crime-against-a-san-diego-police-officer?

FBI: Hate crimes down in Pennsylvania, but up in Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland
https://www.phillytrib.com/news/state_and_region/fbi-hate-crimes-down-in-pennsylvania-but-up-in-delaware-new-jersey-and-maryland/

L.A. Pilot Program Addressing Asian American Hate Could Be California Model
https://sdvoice.info/l-a-pilot-program-addressing-asian-american-hate-could-be-california-model/

Funding provided by the State of California.

A video that went viral of a transgender woman being prevented from using the women's restroom in a Quezon City mall has renewed calls for the passage of a Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) legislation that will protect the LGBT community from being discriminated against. As usual, the voices for or against are strident and loud, as PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo reports in "A Transgender Restroom Incident and Filipino LGBT Rights."

In far-away Vienna, Filipina IT veteran Malou Soto Reininger commits her time and skills to the Philippine-Austria Cultural and Educational Society (PACES), an organization that provides scholarships to deserving Filipino students in the fields of science, technology, education and mathematics, aka STEM. Hawaii-based PF contributor Pepi Nieva profiles Reininger in "From Vienna, an Angel for Filipino Science Scholars."

August, or more specifically August 21, is a historically tragic day for our homeland. Two heinous crimes were committed on this day that upended the course of Philippine history. The August 21, 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing that almost decimated the entire leadership of the then-Liberal Party led to the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus by President Marcos, which eventually led to the proclamation of martial law. In 1983, August 21 was the day Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. was assassinated in the airport tarmac, a tragedy of enormous proportions that triggered massive protests against the Marcos administration and, three years later, led to its downfall. Read Again our stories on those two monumental events:

Gregg Jones' "The Ghosts of Plaza Miranda"

Ken Kashiwahara's "Ninoy's Final Journey"

On a more positive note, August is also the month we honor our homeland's Commonwealth president, Manuel L. Quezon. So here's another Read Again:

Ambeth R. Ocampo's "Quezon Saved Jews from the Holocaust"

For the Happy Home Cook, here's Elizabeth Ann Quirino's Instant Pot Pata Tim recipe, guaranteed to be worth the calories.

Our In the Know links this week:

Gina Lopez, Who Led Crackdown on Mines in the Philippines, Dies at 65
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/19/obituaries/gina-lopez-philippines-dies.html?fbclid=IwAR1MV-1GeJlvmOnuvMnF-DPUlWut4Y8FIDOO73EDM7p-xem2E2YcrTo5KHc

The Vigilante President
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/philippines/2019-08-12/vigilante-president?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_cta&utm_campaign=cta_share_buttons&fbclid=IwAR15L81WXDBJZ0GA1V5NNrphbjrf6hvyDKNJzrltqex30gPZdd3ihnw_NZw

Penguin Classics’ Pinay publisher puts the spotlight on PH literature
https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/07/29/19/penguin-classics-pinay-publisher-puts-the-spotlight-on-ph-literature?fbclid=IwAR3ZSdOt2nYt-IyZbTvUc_KgNeP0CyFIcA5QSAvbz83Fj1vGP3oI50nLdPo

Mayor Vico Sotto: 'The Rules of the Game Are Clear, But We Need People to Push the System a Bit'
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/profiles/mayor-vico-sotto-the-rules-of-the-game-are-clear-but-we-need-people-to-push-the-system-a-bit-a2212-20190722-lfrm2?ref=home_featured_big

Jia Tolentino on the ‘Unlivable Hell’ of the Web and Other Millennial Conundrums
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/04/books/review/jia-tolentino-trick-mirror.html?te=1&nl=books&emc=edit_bk_20190816?campaign_id=69&instance_id=11703&segment_id=16236&user_id=a6813a01d20d50942afadad6c6f1e549&regi_id=47563992

For video of the week, KPIX SF Bay Area reports on the renaming of a Mountain View school after Pulitzer Prize winner and immigration reform activist Jose Antonio Vargas.