Democracy or Hooliganism? Vandals on Campaign Hoardings

Part 2 of New Zealand Elections Blog Coverage One of the ugliest part of the election season is seeing the inevitable vandalism that hounds campaign hoardings of the different candidates. From John Key being painted a Hitler mustache, to Colin Craig being drawn as Count Dracula and the irresistible urge to add the letter ‘T’ to David Cunliffe’s […]

Kids Gone Wild: Is It Time to Repeal Anti-Smacking Law?

Part 1 of New Zealand Elections Blog Coverage As election draws near, discussions on the issues that matter arises in the process. One issue in particular that interests a lot of New Zealand voters is the Anti-Smacking law, and the liberty of parents to discipline their children using reasonable force if they find it necessary. […]

The Political Lobby of the Iglesia Ni Cristo

This week, the Iglesia Ni Cristo showcased to the nation – and perhaps, the rest of the world – the Philippine Arena, a US$200-M indoor arena that is touted to be the biggest indoor dome in the world. The arena was opened in time to commemorate the 100th founding anniversary of the church, along with […]

Don’t Feel Sorry For Jose Antonio Vargas

Filipinos have a long love affair with the “American Dream.” We are willing to bend over backwards just to start a life in the United States and acquire that coveted green card. We’re all familiar with the stories: doctors re-train as nurses, highly-skilled professionals take up blue-collar jobs, essentially every college student enrolls to nursing courses – […]

Tragedy of Flight MH17 Brings Back Memories of KAL007

I woke up this morning to news that another Malaysian Airlines flight failed to reach it’s destination. Flight MH17 blew up into pieces in mid-air while flying over a conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine near the major city of Donetsk. All passengers and crew, numbering to 298 people, had perished. The bulk of the passengers were […]

Kiwi-Filipino Event Highlights Filipino Community

This appears on the July edition of Filipino Migrant News Living the life of an immigrant can be difficult at times. Being in a foreign land, adapting to an alien culture and feeling homesick can wear one down easily. Thankfully, by interacting with fellow migrant compatriots we find a sense of community. That was exactly […]

Pope Francis and a Self-Righteous Priest from Cebu

Pope Francis is a darling among the progressive wing of Catholics. He wins many hearts with his thought-provoking speeches and his unorthodox interpretation of Christ’s teachings. Last year when he cited a well-known Bible parable to defend baptizing babies of unwed parents, the figurehead of the worldwide Catholic church turned many heads for taking a […]

The Countries That Climate Change will Bury Underwater

We’re all familiar with the horrific scenes from the movie “2012”, a doomsday film where the tides rise higher than the tallest buildings – engulfing entire populations. If those theatrics were enough to make you bite your nails, imagine seeing that scenario in real life. Unfortunately, courtesy of climate change, that is not far from […]