Battles Political, Literal, Physical

Like it or not (and many of us don't like it), politics will take center stage this year as both our homeland and the US hold their presidential elections. The upside of these, of course, is the wealth of materials that satirists and comedians will have at their command. Rene Ciria Cruz, our editor who is also the bureau chief of Inquirer.net for North America, fires the initial volley with "Scientists studying ailing PH senator's miraculous recovery." This is satire, dear readers, so no need to get into emotional knots about it.

From the present to the past, contributing writer Larry Ng who writes from Australia, takes us back 75 years during the Battle of Manila that started February 4, 1945. In "Ordeal by Fire," the gruesome realities of war is juxtaposed with the unexpected kindness of fellow victims. Larry's family story is painful but is ultimately inspiring since it restores faith in human nature.

In the San Francisco Bay Area which is currently awash with tourists and festivities for the Super Bowl, the biggest sports event in the US, Dr. Elaine Serina, an expert in bio-mechanics, is on alert. Her firm, Talas Engineering, specializes in scientific analysis of accidents, and the SuperBowl events are ripe for such eventualities. Beyond her professional expertise, Serina is a strong advocate of empowering Filipina women in the field of engineering. Positively Filipino Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino writes about this amazing role model.

And for our very special Super Bowl Video of the Week, veteran broadcast journalist Lloyd LaCuesta, along with videographer Ken Guanga, brings out the Filipino flavor to the festivities with their interview of Jordan Norwood, the Denver Broncos' wide receiver whose Filipino roots run deep. Norwood talks about his pride in his mother's heritage and about his brother, Gabriel, who currently plays for the PBA in Manila. Our video team also had a brief chat with Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach who is covering the Super Bowl for CNN's Inside Edition, and with Stephanie Rivera, the Filipina wife of the Carolina Panthers' head coach Ron Rivera, whose grandfather is Filipino. We hope you enjoy our exclusive Super Bowl video. 

For the hundreds of thousands of balikbayans and other tourists enjoying the Philippines right now, here's a re-post of Manuel Hizon's award-winning article, "11 Great Beaches You Probably Haven't Been To." Often the best vacations are in off-the-beaten-track places. Just saying.

Our Happy Home Cook feature, Scampi and Crab Pasta, an easy-to-make dinner recipe from Bernie Cervantes, a documentary photographer who used to have her own restaurant in UP Diliman.

Chocolates, Books and Beauty Contests

In 1990, Jessica Hagedorn, a Filipino American author, came out with her novel with the controversial name, Dogeaters, which became an instant bestseller, acclaimed by critics and winning for the author some plum awards. Now, 25 years later, Jessica is bringing the colorful characters she created for Dogeaters to life in a play of the same name that she wrote herself. Opening on February 10 in San Francisco and running for three weeks, "Dogeaters" the play, has actually had several incarnations from its first staging in 1990 to the current version. In "Dogeaters Comes to the Stage," contributing writer Elaine Elinson interviews Hagedorn on the evolution of the play, her transition from novelist to playwright and her inspiration in capturing the "wackiness and complexity of the [Philippine] culture."

Speaking of cultural wackiness, Filipinos' fascination with beauty pageants is in full focus in Positively Filipino Correspondent's Myles A. Garcia's "And You Thought You Know Everything About Beauty Pageants." From the first Miss Manila Carnival in 1908 to the current crop of beauty pageant winners, Myles traces the drama, the romances, the rivalries that make beauty contests almost like blood sport.

In this January of nature's fury, how about hunkering down with a box of Jade Chocolates, created by Mindy Fong of San Francisco, who draws upon her Chinese and Filipino heritage for her award-winning chocolate flavors. Contributing writer Manzel Delacruz takes us to Mindy's shop in "Jade Chocolates, Among the Best, Bar None."

And if snow or rain keeps you stuck at home, a good match for good chocolates is a good book. I've listed some of the amazing books that came out in 2015 in my blog, "The Pick of 2015."

Our Happy Home Cook feature this week is Breaded Tofu with Peanut Sauce from Rene Astudillo.

Our Video of the Week, enjoy Filipino crooner Arthur Manuntag's rendition of "How Do You Keep the Music Playing" which he performed at the beautiful Smetana Hall in Prague to commemorate Frank Sinatra's 100th birthday in December 2015. 

Blazing Trails and Digging Up Memories

If you're in Washington, D.C. next week (January 27-31), consider yourself lucky to be able to watch Stella Abrera, the first Filipina American principal dancer of the American Ballet Theater. Stella will be dancing in "Sleeping Beauty," Tchaikovsky's well-loved creation, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts. For those who will miss this star performance, we have Anthony Maddela's feature, "Stella's Star Turn" for you this week.

Another must-see, if you're in New York, is "Allegiance," the gripping musical about a little known tragedy in American history -- the internment of Japanese Americans in remote camps during World War II simply because they were of Japanese heritage and therefore suspected of not being loyal Americans. This is George Takei's story and he appears here with Lea Salonga who gives another masterful performance in Broadway. Joyce Ibardolasa, who flew to New York to watch the musical, gives us her take on this memorable -- and timely -- piece of theater. Something not to be missed, if you're in the Big Apple.

Speaking of memories, Isabel Taylor Escoda shares one she can never forget: her meeting with Hollywood hotshot Tyrone Power when she was 12. It was 1950 and the dashing star was in the Philippines to film the movie, "An American Guerrilla in the Philippines," another story that emanated from WWII.

And still another commemoration: the centenary of literary giant NVM Gonzalez brought together 17 writers, educators and cultural workers to the Philippines for a workshop organized by NVM's son, Myke. In "Pilgrimage to a Literary Legacy," Lisa Suguitan Melnick takes us with her to UP Diliman and Mindoro for a week she'll always remember.

Our Happy Home Cook feature this week: two recipes for Bicol Express from the book Pulutan: From the Soldiers' Kitchen by Elmer Cruz and Emerson Rosales. The two were Navy ensigns when they were incarcerated for participating in the 2003 "Oakwood mutiny," a failed military rebellion. With the considerable free time they had in prison, and fueled by their love for food and drink, the two compiled recipes from various sources into this one-of-a-kind book.

And our Video of the Week: we can't get enough of Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach's media blitz, this time on New York's Hot 97 radio where she talks about how she trained for Miss Philippines, admits to a big crush on James Franco and hints at a future political career. Quite a witty and delightful subject, this Pia.