On the Eve of Change

Have you been through a time when you know without any doubt that the world as we know it is about to change beyond our control? At around this time 30 years ago, the entire Philippines was in limbo as the snap election of February 7, 1986, intended to stabilize the volatile political situation, instead threw everything into chaos as the two opposing forces, Cory Aquino and Ferdinand Marcos, each claimed victory. The situation was ripe for explosion as our Countdown to the Revolution vividly documents, with part two focusing on the election itself and its aftermath. We all knew what happened and how the month ended, but re-living those days of uber-tension is almost cathartic for me, as I hope it is exciting for you.

In San Francisco this month, Jessica Hagedorn's acclaimed play, Dogeaters, based on her novel of the same name, is running in the Magic Theatre. Elaine Elinson, who had interviewed the Fil-Am author two weeks ago, writes a review of the theatrical presentation, which she tags as a definite must-watch. Enjoy "Dogeaters Distills the Time of the Conjugal Dictatorship" and buy yourself a ticket.

From Southern California, Positively Filipino Correspondent Anthony Maddela tracks down Cedrick Argueta, the Filipino-Salvadoran who got a perfect score in theAdvanced Placement Calculus AB exam, one of only 12 teenagers in the world to do so. His Filipino mother, Lilian, talks about how she and her husband, Marcos, are raising their son, now the popular math phenom. 

And from Crestwood, Illinois, Rey E. de la Cruz writes about a neighborhood gem, Philippine Cuisine and Groceries. 

Our Happy Home Cook recipe this week is Escabeche, the fried sweet-sour fish that is a great favorite among Filipinos.

And our Video of the Week: a short documentary from The Guardian on how the Aetas in the Philippines are fighting mining companies.