A Month of Celebration

October is a busy month in the U.S. as we celebrate Filipino American History Month along with Mental Health Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Prevention Month, all three issues significant to Filipinos in America. Stay tuned to Positively Filipino as we celebrate the month with our usual collection of stories that inform, inspire, and entertain.

The history of Filipinos in America is replete with tales of hardship and heroism, triumphs and tragedies. It wasn't an easy life our predecessors had to endure in the early- and mid-1900s as Filipino American historian Alex S. Fabros Jr. narrates in "In the Heat of the Night: The Exeter and Watsonville Riots of 1929-1930."  To those who came before us, we owe a big debt of gratitude for paving the way.

This month we likewise welcome Ballet Philippines as it tours the U.S. to highlight its 45th year with a rich repertoire that showcases Philippine culture in all its glory. Writer Marlina Gonzalez introduces Ballet Philippines' president Margie Moran-Floirendo and artistic director Paul Alexander Morales to us as they lead this distinguished dance group in its six performances in the U.S. For details, see our Partner post: Ballet Philippines Brings "Master Pieces" to the U.S. and Canada.

Speaking of entertainment, our popular contributor Lotis Key comes up with another zinger this issue. "Lunatic Magnet" highlights once more her wit, humor and astute observations of Filipino culture that marked her previous essays for Positively Filipino.

Before you savor yellow fin tuna, read our Partner post from World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) which talks about what the fish means to our fishermen and our ecosystem, and what we can do to ensure that we will be enjoying its subtle flavor for generations to come.

My blog this week introduces some books that you might want to read.

And in Our Video of the Week, CNN correspondent Isha Sesay interviews White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford.

Getting to Know Us

Yes, you are reading and enjoying our stories in The Magazine, the main section of PositivelyFilipino.com. But we'd like to point you to our other sections as well that you can access by clicking on the section name.

Our Global News Briefs section (click on In Brief) provides Filipinos an up-to-date, birds-eye view of situations, regulations, issues, events and other information that affect and involve Filipinos all over the globe.

+BTW compiles the weekly editor's notes and some significant letters from readers.

If you want to access our archives, click on Collections. Stories are classified based on topic areas.

Community News is a new section where we publish press announcements from various groups.

Screening Room is where you can watch interesting videos that we have posted.

All these comprise the whole of Positively Filipino and as always, we strive to be your main source of information and illumination on the Filipino diaspora and all things Filipino.

This week we bring you the "10 Filipino Billionaires in 2014" list. No surprises here. These men and their families have been considered the Philippines' richest for a while now. How they got to where they are – in addition to hard work and an incredible amount of luck – would make for a good read someday.

Poet Aileen Ibardaloza-Cassinetto submits a lyrical piece about her "Lolo Claudio in Colorado: After the Poetry," which tells of her clan's beginnings in America and how she as a poet is kept grounded by the pull  of history and geography.

Update your superstition meter with "Beyond Belief," Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz's evocation of folk beliefs regarding illness and burial. Neni is the author of the best-selling book, Don't Take A Bath On a Friday, so she knows her superstitions.

A fascinating technology breakthrough with the acronym ARRAS was developed by a team of scientists, government agencies and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) to monitor the healing of the famous Tubbataha Reef in southern Philippines. Read about it in "ARRAS: A New Way Of Looking at Coral Reefs."

Chef Charles Miguel cooks up a storm at Benihana Piccadilly, UK in our Video of the Week.

If you're a fan of reality TV contests like The Voice and American Idol, check out AARP's Boomer Superstar Contest and help choose a winner.

Remember the popular OPMs (original Pilipino music) of the '70s? Take a nostalgic trip with me in my blog this week, "The Soundtrack of My Life."

Hope the summer heat in your area is not too intense.