Radiant View

July 25, 2008

Introduction:

I have kept quiet for so long because I believe that the “sacred scales of justice” will allow truth to prevail in the cases against Ben Menor and the Filipino American Senior Opportunities Development Council Inc.’s Board of Directors (a.k.a. FilAmSODC).

As a former staff member and consultant of FilAmSODC, Inc./JTS Northside Community Center, I was there when the storm (that eventually resulted in the Ben Menor and FilAmSODC legal cases) started actively brewing and I was there when the Friends of JTS Northside Community Center, led by Mohinder Mann and Annie Dandavati, supported the fight to retain its deserving Filipino management in 2005-2006. Since FilAmSODC had been serving Filipino and Indo-American communities — with plans to serve other ethnic groups in San Jose — the multi-ethnic coalition (that I love and support) headed by these Friends was a constant inspiration to the senior citizens, the youth, and other stakeholders served by the center. Recently, I came across the myspace.com website of the Mabuhay Cultural Club of Independence High School, wherein the young members honor Ben Menor as one of their heroes. Rodel Rodis wrote about these Filipino CRABS in 2004 (who started it all!) — which, of course, the latter used to spin and brand themselves “The Silicon Valley CRABS.”

What I am writing here today is a continuation of my PERSONAL INSIGHTS AND THOUGHTS which started with the Flames of Consciousness and A Perspective on Filipino Consciousness at the NaFFAA Y2K2 Empowerment Conference in 2002. I had also celebrated my employment with a story in my column at Manila Bulletin USA in August of 2003, “Filipino Consciousness at Work.”

The Stimulant:

Yesterday, I checked in by phone with Ben Menor since I wanted to know what happened to his “sentencing” date in court on July 24, 2008. The judge gave him an extension of 30 days to come up with the balance of the required restitution. Ben told me that he had raised over 50% of the required restitution. That was good news.

Later on last night, I found out that Joseph Lariosa, a supposedly credible Filipino American journalist based in Chicago, had written an article about Ben Menor’s day in court. Ben shared with me that Joseph had indeed asked him for his comments or Ben’s lawyers’ comments BUT before the lawyers could respond, Joseph e-mailed him with his published news story and wrote Ben, “Please let me know if you have problem accessing it. Please let me know also if there is any correction to be made.”

The Response:

Duh, what would my fellow media practitioners say about this?

Here’s what I’m thinking. “Really, Mr. Lariosa! How interesting it is that you couldn’t wait for any corrections (or fact checking) BEFORE sending your supposed credible article for publication. You are just as bad as Bobby Reyes of MabuhayRadio.com, who I do not support and who I have publicly denounced as a NON-journalist.”

Joseph Lariosa’s article about Ben Menor’s case today is INCORRECT, MISLEADING, AND DECEIVING.
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Filed under: Writings and Musings on July 25th, 2008 | 513 Views :: No Comments »

Hi, I’m Lorna Dietz, a Filipina American. You can now BOOK YOUR TRAVEL ONLINE here at my blog-website, www.RadiantView.com. Possibly the cheapest internet airfares to the Philippines and Beyond Asia! View Lorna Lardizabal Dietz’s profile
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Filed under: Business Connections on July 22nd, 2008 | 1,111 Views :: No Comments »

Just so you know… I’m looking for someone to volunteer in helping me update the Filipino Calendar. In the meantime, I’m summarizing the projects and events I’m involved with — as well as my friends’ special offers and invitations. It’s a way of mutually helping each other out through viral marketing and online community relations. You can also check out Events and Projects I’m Working On for more details.

My Diabetes Life Notes blog, which is my personal adversaria on “Living and Eating Well with Diabetes Type 2,” has some new postings. You might want to check out my progress as I include more vegetarian and vegan food choices in my lifestyle.

Calling all Crustacean dining aficionados! I received an e-mail from Chito Desuasido about ALIMANGO Restaurant, that just had its soft opening on Easter Sunday. Here’s my posting about Alimango Restaurant. Let’s check it out.

Get your FREE Chill! Berry frozen yogurt coupon here, courtesy of Manuel Ramirez of Lollicup Tea Zone in San Jose, CA. Good until October 2008.

FilipinaImages.com — an advocacy blog and news portal that I co-founded together with my sister, Noemi Dado, and our friend, Dine Racoma — helped out with the Women’s History Month’s “Filipina Stories” writing contest. wikiPilipinas.org is the primary organizer. The winning entries have been released so check them out here. We invite everyone to join us in this worthy campaign of “Reshaping the Filipina Image Online.”

The Filipino and Filipino-Fusion Dining Guide: You can send me your food reviews and recommendations. Gratis et amore!

KabariNews.com is growing in leaps and bounds as THE leading Indonesian-owned print and digital publication (in Bahasa and English) — with a goal of strengthening the connections among Indonesians in America with Indonesian-based Indonesians. If you want to reach out to these Indonesians, please contact me at LornaDietz@gmail.com.

The 15th Annual Pistahan Festival & Parade at Yerba Buena Gardens in downtown San Francisco is coming up on August 9-10, 2008. This two-day celebration features artists and various cultural activities such as “Sine Sine” (the film festival) and a community parade. Also featured are booths exhibiting authentic Filipino food and delicacies, artwork, games, music and dance.

Nona Andaya-Castillo is very busy bringing people and organizations together to organize the Second Synchronized Breastfeeding Worldwide Event, scheduled on October 11, 2008, as well as its launching during the World Breastfeeding Week on August 1 to 7, 2008. She is looking for public service, corporate, non-profit agency, and community-based partners. If this sounds like something you would like to do, contact:

Nona D. Andaya-Castillo, IBCLC
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
The Breastfeeding Clinic: Your Partner from Pregnancy to Parenting
Telephone: 632-444-4716 632-271-0954
Children_For_Breastfeeding@yahoo.com
+63-919-839-5555 and nurturers2005@yahoo.com.ph
Founder:
Nurturers of the Earth
A support group for vegetarians and vegetarians-in-progress
Children for Breastfeeding
Mobilizing children to promote earth-friendly parenting

The 8th NaFFAA Empowerment Conference is on Sept. 26 to 28, 2008 at the Westin Hotel in Seattle, Washington state. Contact me if you are interested in corporate sponsorships and I will direct you to the right person. Click here for conference details and registration.

Mark your calendars for the 2008 Filipinas Magazine Achievement Awards: Thursday, October 2, 2008 at the South San Francisco Conference Center. Let me know if your company is interested in being a corporate sponsor or reception sponsor and email me at L.Dietz@FilipinasMag.com. This is an annual awards event that honors Filipino achievers in their respective fields of endeavor. Details follow soon.

Mark your calendars for the Veloso Clan Reunion, organized by the Veloso Foundation of the Philippines, on Saturday, December 13, 2008 in Tacloban City, Philippines. Updates coming soon. If you are from the United States and you would like to avail of the cheapest internet airfares for this reunion, go to Book Your Travel Online at RadiantView.com. Follow the instructions! Otherwise, email me at RadiantView@gmail.com.

Mark your calendars for the 2009 University of the Philippines in America (UPAAA) Grand Reunion and Convention, “Building Bridges to the Future. Uniting Alumni for Excellence & Service,” on Sept. 4 to Sept. 6, 2009 Washington DC, venue to be announced. Get your updates at the UPAA website. For more information about corporate sponsorships and exhibitors, contact Dr. Francis S. Sy, UPAA President, at SYF@mail.nih.gov. Jubilarians are urged to register early and contact the Jubilarian Committee for special instructions. Please contact Emmy Ceguerra at Ceguerra@comcast.net /Terri Magdongon at tmagdongon@aol.com.

Let’s keep the UP Spirit alive! Join us in this grand reunion organized every two years. Meet fellow alumni from all UP campuses and colleges. Enjoy three days of camaraderie, fun, and sharing interdisciplinary perspectives on various important topics. Dr. Emerlinda Roman, UP President, will be the keynote speaker.

Jubilarians to be honored: Graduates of 1984-1985 (Silver), 1979-1980 (Pearl), 1974-1975 (Coral), 1969-1970 (Ruby), 1964-1965 (Sapphire), 1959-1960 (Gold), 1954-1955 (Emerald), 1949-1950 and earlier classes (Diamond).

Filed under: Event Calendar, Marketing & Public Relations on July 22nd, 2008 | 536 Views :: No Comments »

Me and my big mouth! The persevering and tenacious Elton Lugay, one of the co-founders of the Ginoong Pilipinas-USA pageant/competition, and I were having an intense discussion about the portrayal of young Filipino male pageant candidates as men who dare to assert their empowerment goals in a pop culture event. Elton was very excited about their first Los Angeles event (after four years in the San Francisco Bay Area and one year in New York City) for July 20, 2008 at the Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Midtown at the University of Southern California, located at 3540 South Figueroa St, Los Angeles CA 90007. He explained to me that California State Senator Leland Yee’s advocacy, the White Ribbon Campaign, a worldwide campaign of men working to end men’s violence against women, is one of the primary beneficiaries of the event’s proceeds.

“Make sure the emcees are respectful to these young men, Elton! It takes a lot of guts for them to be there on the stage,” I reminded him. “I understand that community service involvement is one of your criteria for these contestants. How will you make sure that the interview portion of the pageant will be handled sensitively?”

“Because you’re going to host the interview portion of the program,” Elton declared.

“Moi? I write profiles, Elton,” I protested.

“But you interview people, right? What’s the difference?” Elton asked, determined not to get a “No!” for an answer.

“OK, this is my personal support for you, Elton, as a Filipina who wants to end violence against women and girls,” I agreed, not sure why he thought I was an ideal pageant interviewer.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area on Sunday, July 20, 2008, please come and celebrate with us as Filipino men “break stereotypes” at the 6th Annual Ginoong Pilipinas-USA [Mister Philippines USA] competition.

6th Ginoong Pilipinas USA

SUNDAY, JULY 20 @ 6 PM

GRAND BALLROOM
Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Midtown at USC
3540 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles CA 90007
Telephone: (213) 748-4141 Fax: (213) 746-3255

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Filed under: Entertainment, Event Calendar on July 9th, 2008 | 488 Views :: No Comments »

This is really entertaining! A true Pinoy or Pinay proud moment.

There are many Filipino and Filipina celebrities out there in Hollywood. Many of them are of mixed-race parentage, thus, they don’t look Asian.

My nephew, Mark de Vera, asked me recently if Vanessa Anne Hudgens (of “High School Musical” fame) would be showing up at this year’s Filipinas Magazine Achievement Awards on October 2, 2008 at the South San Francisco Conference Center. “Wishful thinking, Mark. You’ll never know!” I replied. Then, I thought to myself, “I didn’t even realize Vanessa is a Filipina!” Duh!

Whether these Asian celebrities have decided to claim ownership to their Filipino-and-other-Asian-ancestry family roots or not, it’s nice to know that some of them, such as Cheryl Burke, Sharon Leal, Apl. de Ap. of Black-Eyed Peas, Tia Carrere, Mark Dacoscos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dante Basco, Enrique Iglesias and his older brother, Julio Iglesias, Jr., and Rob Schneider are doing very well in their careers as performing arts professionals.

Some of our successful celebrities make it their business to showcase Pinoy humor in mainstream America. A Bay Area comic, Rex Navarrete, makes a hilarious representative of Filipino American humor in the United States and overseas. His mom, Gloria “Goya” Navarrete, who is a nuturing friend and amazing gourmet chef, is one of Rex’s favorite subjects for his original comedies.

Here are some of these Pinoy and Pinay Proud Moments for your entertainment.

SEXY HOT! Filipino & Other Asian Celebrities in Hollywood
Click here to go directly to YouTube.com.

Famous Filipino-American Celebrities
Click here to go directly to YouTube.com.

Vanessa Anne Hudgens’ “Say OK” Music Video
Click here to go directly to YouTube.com.

Rex Navarrete from Balitang America
Click here to go directly to YouTube.com.

Filed under: Entertainment on June 22nd, 2008 | 409 Views :: No Comments »

At my DiabetesLifeNotes.BlogSpot.com personal blog, I talked about finally connecting with Nona D. Andaya-Castillo, a Filipina Breastfeeding Advocate/International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and a practising vegetarian these past 17 years, who asked me to check out the “Diet for A New America.”

Our conversation also touched upon some “whistle blowers” regarding Formula Milk made by Wyeth that is supposed to be recalled in the Philippines. I got the impression from my chat with Nona that birth statistics regarding the contaminated milk have not yet been disclosed, especially the inference about the increased percentage of new-born infants who contracted meningitis. This definitely needs more investigative work — so whoever reads this and is interested can certainly contact Nona.

Since I don’t know what all the perspectives are, my googling research is what I’m writing about (and I’m biased because I’m pro-breastfeeding). What I found about the current war between formula milk and mother’s milk in the Philippines (and probably other third world countries) made me reflect on my own role as an advertising and business development professional. I asked myself, “Do I solicit advertising from companies who do not share my values about compassion and sustainability?” and “Do I even care about media’s civic role in advancing the Filipinos’ mindsets and attitudes?”

My online research, upon Nona’s prodding, took me to the UNICEF Philippines’-produced documentary, FORMULA FOR DISASTER . The marketing copy caught my attention: “This eye-opening documentary reveals how the marketing of powdered milk has caused fewer mothers to breastfeed in the Philippines - including those who can ill afford artificial milk and suffer its harmful consequences. The milk companies’ formula for profits is a formula for disaster.”

Here is the “Formula for Disaster” documentary, courtesy of UNICEF-PHILIPPINES through YouTube.com.

Formula for Disaster (Part 1 of 5)

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Filed under: Marketing & Public Relations, Non-Profit Connections on June 18th, 2008 | 310 Views :: 1 Comment »

I swear that my next trip to Manila will include a visit to some of the places that my sister, Noemi Dado, lists and reviews in her Food Photo Blog and Events Diary, Pinoy Food and Other Cuisine. Noemi, as a new media publisher, gets invited to some of the new product review events and restaurant openings that PR companies in the Philippines conduct regularly. As always, my sister discloses how she gets invited to such events. Being invited to an event doesn’t mean that Noemi gushes superlatives about a product or a new dining venue.

This talented Filipina offers insightful analysis based on her technical as well as business knowledge and experience. After all, Noemi has a B.S. Food Technology degree from the University of the Philippines. Some people still remember that she had an exciting career at the Institute for Small Scale Industries . I clearly remember this because she sub-contracted my services to interview some small business owners in diverse industries in Cebu. Thus, I was able to get an innate understanding about how a foundry conducts business or how a fledgling dried mangoes business emerged as a market leader. Even our own family bakeshop’s triumphs and woes became a case study for my sister at a national business publication.

Noemi and I are FOODIES, that is, we share a love of interesting, oftentimes off-the-beaten-path type of cuisine. What Noemi’s blog offers to me is a current review of the trends happening in the Manila dining scene as well as the pop culture favorites of Filipino food consumers. I’ve noticed that her daughter, Lauren Dado, who is now taking her Masters in Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines, is an active contributor to this blog. Butch Dado, Noemi’s “Warrior Lawyer” husband, also loves to cook. Marielle, my other niece, has definite opinions about where and what she eats. She reminds me of her mom (Noemi).

Here are some postings in Noemi’s blog that I found which appealed to me.

Noemi talks about Milk Tea, which is a staple in Asian grocery stores here in the United States. I was first introduced to milk tea by my KabariNews.com’s marketing director, Vonny Oei, a couple of years ago. How wonderful to see it being marketed as a coffee alternative in the Philippines!

Her entry about Ube Wrapped Lumpia reminds me that there are many creative vegetarian dishes that can be included in a calorific, cholesterol-rich Filipino menu.

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Filed under: Filipino & Filipino-Fusion Dining Guide on June 15th, 2008 | 358 Views :: No Comments »

Thank you to Vietman-based Roger Pe for sending me the Smartest Kids segment of the OPRAH show which featured Charice Pempengco. I had compared the vocal renditions of Charice Pempengco and Madonna Decena. My sister, Myrna, and I agreed that Madonna sang with more in-depth feeling at the “Britain’s Got Talent” auditions with sour-faced Simon Cowell (as one of the judges). Maybe it’s because Donna is 32 and Charice is still 15. This girlie-girl (looks like she might have received an Oprah hairstyle makeover, good for her!) relies on technique for her volumizing songs, I should say… Does Charice show promise? From the public relations point of view, as long as she doesn’t acquire so-called “Diva” attitudes, for instance, demanding an “all-pink” dressing room, she will do very well indeed. I look forward to the time when Charice is all grown-up and socially conscious, working those lungs to promote the devotion, hard work, and professionalism of Overseas Filipinos.

In the meantime, I’ve collected a couple of her TV appearances for you to enjoy.

From OPRAH WINFREY SHOW:

From the ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW in 2007: (where she first gained her US notoriety, when Ellen declared: “You are going to be blown away! You’re going to witness something. I was there that day at that show.”)

Filed under: Entertainment on May 13th, 2008 | 176 Views :: No Comments »

Check out this video that was sent to me by my family about the Filipina performing artist, Madonna Decena, who left the Philippines six months ago to become a club singer/lounge singer in the UK. She certainly looked and dressed the part during the Britain’s Got Talent competition. After you view the video, I believe you will agree with me that it carries a message. Even the judges — Simon, Piers, and Amanda — were visibly moved by Madonna’s audition. I think this video provides a reality check for all of us, Overseas Filipinos, workers and professionals — especially for the families we leave behind in the Philippines.

Check out what GMANews.TV has to say about Donna.

A tip for Madonna Decena: Lose the short-short skirt! Wear something that will “lengthen” your torso during your performances. You have a beautiful face and a magnificent voice. Your pathos and your love (for your children) show through — and we know you will definitely go places!!! God speed, Donna!

Filed under: Entertainment on May 12th, 2008 | 169 Views :: No Comments »

Ben Menor, one of the top Filipino leaders in community development and service in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, is currently going through the final phase of proceedings on alleged charges thrown at him 2-1/2 years ago. According to court documents, an agreement between the District Attorney and defendant was reached. Out of the three charges, two counts will be dismissed — charges related to theft and embezzlement. Ben pleaded “no contest” to one count.

No statements are being sent out by Ben Menor because there is still a court hearing he needs to attend on July 24, 2008. Ben Menor said that “I’m happy that the case is coming to a close — and I can move on with my life —- and that I can get back to what I had been doing, which is my love for serving the community.”

For any media interviews regarding the case, please contact Charlie Hendrickson at 408.299.7192 at the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s office.

Filed under: Non-Profit Connections on May 8th, 2008 | 290 Views :: 1 Comment »