Not for the Faint-Hearted

Recent reports about the rise in the number of assaults on Asian Americans, particularly the elderly, in 47 states is seriously concerning. It's not just happening here in the US; some countries in Europe have also had incidents. And if you think that only Chinese are affected (owing to the previous administration's anti-Chinese rhetoric regarding the virus), think again. A Filipino, Noel Quintana, was slashed in the face while in a New York subway a few weeks ago and required almost 100 stitches. Just yesterday, an elderly Filipina was punched in the face in San Diego. These are not isolated cases. Time and again, Fil-Ams have been victimized by racist tirades during this pandemic. The twin scourges of hatred and ignorance do not after all distinguish among Asians; to them we all look alike.

So be careful out there. If you want to be updated on the situation, check out the Stop AAPI Hate web site (stopaapihate.org). And make sure you yourself do not do the hating.

If you missed our webinar last night on Philippine-American "Relations"-- Romance and Heartbreak Among Filipino and American Celebrities in  Washington, D.C., 1898-1946, here's the link to the recording: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/webinar-video-philippine-american-relations-romance-and-heartbreak-among-filipino-and-american-celebrities-in-nbspwashington-dc-1898-1946

Our issue this week introduces the FilAms who won their races in the 2020 elections, and it's a record number. ["Empowerment: Fil-Am Winners in the 2020 Elections"]. We also feature Kanlungan, a web site that honors Fil-Am covid frontliners who gave up their lives so others can live ["Kanlungan Honors Unsung Health Care Heroes"]. International travel during this pandemic is not for the faint-hearted as our First Person story describes ["Journal of a Pandemic Traveler"].  Finally, our Partner post brings good news to H1-B visa applicants.

For those harsh winter blues, how's about treating your love ones to Triple Chocolate Champorado, a repost of Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo's own recipe.

For our Video of the Week, here's a feature on Baybayin, the ancient Filipino writing that's being revived. 

Our Stories This Week

[Webinar Video] Philippine-American “Relations”-- Romance And Heartbreak Among Filipino And American Celebrities In  Washington, D.C., 1898-1946

Empowerment: Fil-Am Winners In The 2020 Elections By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Kanlungan Honors Unsung Health Care Heroes By Cherie M. Querol Moreno

Journal Of A Pandemic Traveler By Bella Bonner

[PARTNER] H1B Visa Registration To Start On March 9, 2021 By Lourdes Santos Tancinco

Triple Chocolate Champorado By Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo

Video of the Week: Baybayin

In The Know

Ube: The Filipino Tuber That’s Taking Over the World
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20210203-ube-the-filipino-tuber-taking-over-the-world?ocid=ww.social.link.facebook&referer=https%3A%2F%2Fl.facebook.com%2F

How South Korea's 'CLOY' can help Filipinos create a better future
https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/How-South-Korea-s-CLOY-can-help-Filipinos-create-a-better-future?fbclid=IwAR35Ma0AZ-PdXtoD_79p2Wwa4MpF1HKo7Iv46iBzG1lVdKiy40ZdgZ2JxOY

Meet the artist/activist behind UP’s much talked about barricade
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/art/01/29/21/meet-the-artist-slash-activist-behind-ups-much-talked-about-barricade?fbclid=IwAR2GfTKkt-KQIbV1goIMfiVahZDGxv1v6RuQAOlq2pwEJ7KTELmQndltK_s

WATCH: The Story Behind Spain's Infamous Zoo That Featured Philippine Animals... And Then Filipinos
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/filipino-human-zoo-madrid-spain-crystal-palace-a00293-20201006-lfrm?ref=article_featured&fbclid=IwAR1lX6JzXN01IZzeVTU3s4mVdKP7qtMkHfKP5oFnKThvO_8vqm-eIN1TNxE

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What a Difference

When news about a forthcoming vaccine against Covid-19 first came out months ago, we were skeptical and a bit scared. The common thread among my age group was we'll wait it out for a few months, we don't want to be the guinea pigs. 

Now that the vaccine is here and people we know have gotten it and survived, our tune has changed. We can't wait to get it and some friends have gone to great lengths just to have the shot. One admitted that she was on hold on the phone for an hour and a half but she persisted. Another monitored availability from county to county, finally landing an appointment in a city not her own. 

Because our health insurance provider has issued a don't-call-us-we'll-call-you instruction due to the inadequate supply of the vaccine, we're starting to feel like guppies in a fishbowl, watching the world pass us by, gaping enviously at those lucky enough to snag a place in line.

The consolation is we can sleep soundly now, the planet (or at least the US) seems to have righted itself. What a difference a week brings! 

Our Stories This Week

Bullying The State University by Criselda Yabes

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 14 By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

A Festival In A Cookbook By Elizabeth Ann Quirino

The Happy Home Cook: Adobong Dilaw By Lyn B. Gamboa 

Video of the Week: Ligliwa Dance Troupe

In The Know

Feeding the Troops on Inauguration Week
http://www.manilamail.us/?p=11529&fbclid=IwAR1IL3mbps39UoHR6bZitw9OzEGqT4iEToqQC4-e8dJWtrCNae-XJTaYce0

Japan's Filipino community puts down roots and moves past its hostess origins
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2021/01/24/issues/japans-filipino-community-puts-roots-moves-past-hostess-origins/?fbclid=IwAR2U9aZwBk_AaKYqn0i77GU6p6A1289Czb84aaKh2YJeRhvAQLxgHtnqU8w

The surprising, inspiring story of how the Met was built
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/04/30/19/high-standards-humble-efforts-the-early-years-of-the-metropolitan-theater?fbclid=IwAR06edrU6LTbcTdR_xYE4Juhs9bC5DEj76PiWLrtFAB7uxvxnN2IAoGPxr4

Everything You Need to Know about Filipino Food: The Next Great American Cuisine
https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/filipino-food-guide/?fbclid=IwAR2oaOZ-hRqoPiv11RNzMRlpfBnY2q3tI9KDyFO4OjJY-AaLnfCTNh5i4oE

How Drew Barrymore fell in love with this Pinay chef’s cooking
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/features/01/14/21/how-drew-barrymore-fell-in-love-with-this-pinay-chefs-cooking?fbclid=IwAR3fPL5_VqPgkrCcPmKyn_mLnDpF4ftw-OFY3cjGqyeuR3z_j969UW3PYR8

My UP in the ‘70s: I didn’t mind being a martial law baby
https://www.thediarist.ph/my-up-in-the-70s-i-didnt-mind-being-a-martial-law-baby/?fbclid=IwAR2Ia7X0_kDZAz07HK0725CaNopI4MLBF3aqDcnYBHUIHubidfiEJtXJ9KE

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Poultry in Motion

What happens when twelve inebriated teenage boys get exceedingly hungry at 10 o'clock on a hot and humid night? They get into mischief, of course. In this lengthy but laugh-out-loud funny piece "Which Comes First, the Chicken, or the Scruples?", first-time contributor Albert J. Lesaca provides the lurid details of a prank that exploded out of control and eventually entered the annals of UP (University of the Philippines) campus lore in the '60s. He was one of them so he knows whereof he speaks.

A powerful book by E.J.R. David titled "We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet: Letters to My Filipino-Athabascan Family" is reviewed by Jen Soriano, writing it as a letter to her four-year-old son. The book is one of the very few that focuses on the life of an "Eskipino" (a mix of Eskimo and Filipino) family and the historical trauma and oppressive colonization that accompany a minority community in America. 

And speaking of colonization, here's a fitting Read Again from poet/author/academic Oscar Penaranda who writes about how he was reconciled with an authentic flag from the Philippine-American War, a long-lost flag that had his grandfather's name literally on it. Florentino Peñaranda, the grandfather, was one of the last combatants of the war for Philippine Independence to surrender to the Americans at the turn of the 20th century. 

Some stories you may have missed from other publications:

Filipino natives forced out of their ancestral lands by Chinese capital
https://www.efe.com/efe/english/destacada/filipino-natives-forced-out-of-their-ancestral-lands-by-chinese-capital/50000261-3984140?fbclid=IwAR0o_NRKD1RHynuH8SsMkAcVn5ij1FbVu6yCDVmlc2B5MsWVeLX7l3e8dkY

Duterte Opposes Gay Marriage in the Philippines, Reversing Campaign Pledge
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/world/asia/duterte-same-sex-marriage-philippines.html?fbclid=IwAR0OXHwoB7f19Cqk0MB5oRKjqW36yGCKlTZ8QiXsWSJRi3uWukGKRu3yBvA

The 19th Century African-American Soldier Who Fought For Filipino Liberation
https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2019/04/16/19th-century-african-american-solider-fought-filipino-liberation/ideas/essay/?fbclid=IwAR0o_NRKD1RHynuH8SsMkAcVn5ij1FbVu6yCDVmlc2B5MsWVeLX7l3e8dkY

Fil-Am screenwriter Michael Golamco on new Netflix film ‘Always Be My Maybe,’ and on seeing ourselves on screen
https://www.asianjournal.com/entertainment/showbiz/fil-am-screenwriter-michael-golamco-on-new-netflix-film-always-be-my-maybe-and-on-seeing-ourselves-on-screen/?fbclid=IwAR0om-j8qKYXO8QWgZVOKfUgfP-3XicSbaKrW2nb6co7H8cRVUMlnTiY8N0

A Letter to My Daughter: The Things in Life You Shouldn't Forget
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/notes-and-essays/a-letter-to-my-daughter-the-things-in-life-you-shouldn-t-forget-a1515-20170614-lfrm?fbclid=IwAR3EqLhL2RBeVpzpx7awljtUv3HEHhnUTELEZIeTiYXp3lZDPAuuv_VeteM

To prepare for Father's Day, here's a recipe you can make ahead from writer/author Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard, Leche Flan Vietnamese Style.

And for another touch of levity, a funny and clever Video of the Week from Canadian Filipino singer/comedian Mickey Bustos: If Freddie Mercury was Filipino...