Memories and Consciousness

President Manuel L. Quezon's Open Door policy that welcomed Jews fleeing from the Holocaust to the Philippines has been hailed as a humanitarian achievement. One of the beneficiaries of the Open Door was the Cassel family, who later established the Berg's Department Store that became an institution in Escolta. Recently, a Cassel daughter, Margot Cassel Pins Kestenbaum, who was just 7 years old when her family arrived in Manila, visited Philippine Women's University (PWU) where she went to school, and shared her memories of the city that welcomed them. Lyca Benitez Brown, a top PWU official, tells us about the nostalgic homecoming in "Memories of Refuge in Manila." 

A compelling story of gender transitioning is told in this first person article, "Gender: The Paradox of Passing" by UC Berkeley student Robin Cid Calleja. 

The life and loves of a revolutionary -- that's the big story in the late Rolando Peña's unique memoir, Crossings. University of Hawaii professor Patricio Abinales reviews in "A Red and Expert Renaissance Man."

Here are links to stories from other publications that might catch your fancy:

US health care needs its Filipino nurses, so why is the system stacked against them?https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3048163/us-health-care-needs-its-filipino-nurses-so-why?fbclid=IwAR36LPp0_26pOh4UwRXd95J8louaRJMOov7M0I4OAQhQ38qIuldKRoO8CFE

Did You Know That These Places Around the World Were Named After Filipinos?https://esquiremag.ph/life/travel/places-named-after-filipin-a2281-20190513-src-spot-lfrm2?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20200208-fbnp-life-places-named-after-filipin-a2281-20190513-src-spot-lfrm2-fbold&fbclid=IwAR1oTLwVDGqmWyn4XlY4Imwym2A4OGzCCOb5HDzLWRNNI2sp1MVNWEcljyI

Exclusive: 'Shock and awe' has failed in Philippines drug war, enforcement chief says
https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-shock-awe-failed-philippines-055724232.html

Manny Jacinto to star alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick
https://www.msn.com/en-ph/entertainment/celebrity/manny-jacinto-to-star-alongside-tom-cruise-in-top-gun-maverick/ar-AAHSkLi?li=BBr8zL6&fbclid=IwAR1pa1zh8hO6pTrikxwOQ6ozMH1Y0_6UU1SAeingAT9q00B6zw0mp2XJwq0

Elizabeth Ann Quirino shares her Chocolate Bark Crackers with Salted Caramel recipe for Valentine’s Day.

For our video of the week, dual voice singer Marcelito Pomoy takes “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” by storm.

Timeless

"The Timeless Nora Aunor" is appropriately the title of our lead feature this week, which focuses on the single most influential superstar in Philippine entertainment for the past 50 years. San Francisco-based film expert Mauro Feria Tumbocon Jr., who has followed Nora Aunor's life and career meticulously, expertly encapsulates her triumphs and challenges -- certainly no mean feat since the superstar's trajectory is as fraught with drama as her roles have been.

Likewise, emerging triumphant from a long-drawn, turbulent legal case, the century-old (almost) Philippine Women's University (PWU) is all set to "build the scaffolding" for its next hundred years, as its current president, Dr. Francisco "Kiko" Benitez, puts it. Lyca Benitez-Brown, the university's media director, writes about the crown jewel of her distinguished clan's commitment to education, women and the nation.

We sent out a call for Hometown stories and the response has been gratifying (keep 'em coming, dear readers). Here's the first in our series: "In Search of the Cupang I Used to Know," where Ed Maranan, one of the most awarded Filipino writers of all time, tells us why his hometown, Cupang, Batangas, means a lot to him. 

For our Happy Home Cook this week: vegan chicharon is really not an oxymoron as our vegan chef, Richgail Enriquez, shares.

For our In The Know links this week:

Human Trafficking Survivor Speaks Out
https://www.facebook.com/fusionmedianetwork/videos/2036729566353011/?autoplay_reason=user_settings&video_container_type=0&video_creator_product_type=2&app_id=2392950137&live_video_guests=0

26 Filipino Words Now Officially Part Of The English Language
https://www.buzzfeed.com/aviannetan/like-hillary-clinton-is-a-presidentiable?utm_term=.veL7OB3OG#.mopmvxYvO

Mr. Wash SyCip @96
http://business.mb.com.ph/2017/07/04/mr-wash-sycip-96/

The problematic portrayal of Filipinos on American TV
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/television/2016/06/23/filipinos-on-american-tv.html#.WV6QP0W1FT0.facebook

Why even the millennials must know the imprint of Luis Ma. Araneta
http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/265841/even-millennials-must-know-imprint-luis-ma-araneta/#ixzz4meRLR6G7 

For our Video of the Week, the singer formerly known as Charice Pempengco makes her singing debut as Jake Zyrus on ASAP.