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NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE



EDITORIAL: OVER A CUP OF TEA



Back to Filipino economic tradition: Rise of small village stores during the pandemic



BY HEIDI M. PASCUAL


If there is another positive aftermath during the COVID-19 pandemic, aside from families being closer and together due to lockdowns, I can cite the sprouting of many small sari-sari stores and carinderias (food stalls) in every barangay in my original country, the Philippines. Before the pandemic, these stores were almost wiped out by the big malls and supermarkets that literally littered towns and cities all over. Most of these big malls and supermarkets are owned by wealthy Chinese, who also own many manufacturing companies that produce ALL kinds of products, similar to what we buy at Walmart. These Filipino sari-sari stores came back to life because people needed groceries and many household necessities and they can buy them without leaving their places of residence. The stores are usually located right at the seller’s homes fronting the road. The pandemic situation actually gave these families who now run sari-sari stores decent incomes while working at home! It’s a tough job, though, but before COVID-19, a lot of these families were having trouble finding good-paying jobs. -- READ MORE


PHOTO ON THE RIGHT:

A typical sari-sari store in my barangay has all basic household needs available for sale at very reasonable cost.



our STORIES AND FEATURES





The Freedom to Vote Act Would Counteract State Laws That Undermine Elections



By Danielle Root, Michael Sozan, and Alex Tausanovitch


The U.S. Senate recently took another step toward passing transformative voting rights and election reform legislation, with Senate Democrats introducing the Freedom to Vote Act on September 14, 2021. This far-reaching reform package would take actions such as reducing the influence of money in politics, ending partisan gerrymandering, and fortifying U.S. elections against foreign interference. But perhaps most importantly, this legislation would also set nationwide voting standards to help counteract anti-democratic laws passed by legislatures in at least 17 states. These state laws are often aimed at disadvantaging historically underrepresented communities, including communities of color, as well as lower-income voters and people with disabilities. Moreover, some of these state laws facilitate a growing threat: that partisan, conspiracy-minded election officials could sabotage legitimate election results. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE


SSI Reform Would Boost Incomes for Seniors and Disabled People



By Nick Buffie

Eighty-six years ago last month, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. Upon giving life to America’s most cherished safety net program, Roosevelt declared:

"We can never insure one hundred percent of the population against one hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life, but we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age. … It is, in short, a law that will take care of human needs and at the same time provide the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness." -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE



The Lessons Learned for U.S. National Security Policy in the 20 Years Since 9/11



By Brian Katulis and Peter Juul


Americans will never forget the coordinated terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, against the country’s financial center in New York, its global military headquarters at the Pentagon, and its civilian air transportation system. The images of New York police and firefighters rushing into the burning World Trade Center to rescue those trapped—and the memory of their sacrifices—will not fade from memory. America, its NATO allies, and the U.N. Security Council responded with swiftness and ingenuity to protect its citizens in the immediate aftermath and deployed measures to protect the their citizens, established new government agencies, and undertook numerous military operations overseas intended to eliminate threats and enhance stability. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE



CAPAC Members Celebrate Filipino American History Month



From CAPAC


October 15, 2021, Washington, D.C. – Today marks the beginning of Filipino American History Month, which is celebrated throughout October to commemorate the 16th century arrival of the first Filipinos to what is now the United States. Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the following statements to mark the occasion.


Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:

“I am thrilled to be kicking off Filipino American History Month, during which we celebrate and honor the history, culture, and contributions Filipino Americans bring to our nation. Filipino Americans play an integral role in our nation as our soldiers, teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs, essential workers, and healthcare workers who have fought tirelessly against the COVID-19 virus. As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I am proud to join my colleagues in recognizing the Filipino American community, their accomplishments, their victories, and their joy.”

-- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE



Build Back Better by Advancing Better Health, Equity, Family Well-Being, and Economic Recovery



By Jill Rosenthal


The COVID-19 pandemic has jeopardized Americans’ health and economic well-being, with the greatest impacts on women, communities of color, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people. Rebuilding a stronger more equitable future requires investing in the factors that influence health and well-being, from sustainable quality jobs to quality child care and education to food and housing security to healthy environments. These social determinants of health (SDOH)—defined as conditions in the environment where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age—have a wide-ranging impact on people’s health, well-being, and quality of life, contributing to health disparities and inequities.


Health inequities impose significant, often preventable, health and economic burdens on individuals and communities, including poor health, excess medical costs, lost productivity, and economic loss. Racism negatively affects the mental and physical health of millions of people in the United States... -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE​



Stop AAPI Hate Co-founder Dr. Russell Jeung to Keynote Diversity Forum: Ending Centuries of Hate



By Jonathan Gramling


While the historic oppression and violence against African Americans since 1619 is well-documented, mainstream America is only now just becoming aware of the legacy of slavery and racism fueled by the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement and the observance of historical events like the Tulsa Massacre and the burning of Black Wall Street. And yet the oppression and violence experienced by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has remained invisible, except perhaps glaring incidents like the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and the confiscation and theft of their personal property. Asian Americans have been “invisible” invisible in American society, but their history of oppression and violence is very real. ​-- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE



17th Annual Rhumba for Rainbow for The Rainbow Project: A Time for Healing








For the past 41 years under the leadership of Sharyl Kato, The Rainbow Project has been giving life-healing counseling and therapy to children — and their families — who have been abused and neglected. And over the years, Kato has witnessed that there may be no better healer than joy.


“When you are working in the field of trauma, sometimes what is lost with trauma victims is the ability to experience joy, shared joy,” Kato said. “That is something that we have to remember. It’s not just treating the trauma. It is building protective factors and resiliency and that ability to appreciate beauty and joy.”


And because dealing with trauma and can be so emotionally draining, it’s important for the caregivers to experience joy as well.


“The people who work in non-profits need that sense of joy and celebration all the more now,” Kato emphasized. “We’ve never been tapped or strained as much as we have during the pandemic. And I think in building that resiliency for others, we have to remember to build resiliency for ourselves. And one of the ways that we found is that we have to promote self-care and practice it as well as experience joy and being around healthy, wonderful people.” -- READ MORE



More News



New technique, effective in mice, could help advance the use of probiotics (From UW-Madison)



Prescription Drugs Can Be Affordable and Innovative



APIAVOTE WELCOMES SENATOR LEAHY’S INTRODUCTION OF THE JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 2021



Including Immigration Parole in Reconciliation Will Help Millions



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heidipascual2016@yahoo.com