For Your Re-Reading Pleasure

If you're vacationing in the Philippines this month and you're setting your sights on meeting a Filipino partner, you just might meet a Kapampangan. Know what it's like to be with somebody from the Central Luzon province of Pampanga? Read Again cultural historian Robby Tantingco's insightful list, "10 Things You Need to Know About Kapampangans," one of our most-read stories. (And for non-Kapampangans, we're eager to hear from you. Send us your own list of what makes your tribe unique among Filipinos. Email to pfeditor@yahoo.com.)

Another worthy Read Again in these days of summer travel, Manuel Hizon's "11 Great Beaches You Probably Haven't Been To."

And if volunteering is your thing, look up Teach for the Philippines, an educational nonprofit that is drawing interest among Fil-Ams seeking to know more about their parents' country of origin. Positively Filipino Contributing Writer Anthony Maddela talks to Edmundo Edward Litton of Loyola Marymount College, which is in the forefront of training young teachers to assist in public schools in the Philippines.

How will the world function in 10 years? We are posting a fearless technology forecast by a Morgan Stanley analyst that should make you sit up and think, because it's inevitable that our lives and lifestyles will be upended sooner than we anticipate or want.

Where in the world is there no Filipino? Contributing Writer Rey de la Cruz travels to the smallest country in South America, the Republic of Suriname, and -- of course -- encounters kababayans.

Vegan calamari. Really? Our vegan foodie Richgail Enriquez gives us an instructional on her version of a fave pulutan, calamari for the Happy Home Cook this week.

Our Video of the Week: a rare vintage footage of Manila in the 1930s. 

Requiems for UK in EU and the EDSA Republic

The worldwide tumult brought about by the United Kingdom's Brexit vote is personal to our Britain-based friend and former colleague, Emmily Magtalas Rhodes, who gives us an impassioned account of what it means tohave an uncertain future for her family. "My Beef with Brexit" is both a rant and an appeal to reason that Americans, facing a tough election season, should heed.

A leap back to Philippine history is provided by historian Dr. Michael Gonzalez in "Heneral Antonio Luna's Railroad," which tells the story of how the Philippine National Railway ushered in a future of numerous possibilities at the turn of the 20th century. For Filipinos of a certain age, Tutuban conjures images of trains and adventure. Too bad young Filipinos now only know it as a mall.

As the six-year term of President Benigno Aquino III comes to a close, political analyst and former congressman Walden Bello shares with us his "Requiem for the EDSA Republic," a think piece that provides an important challenge to the incoming administration of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte. 

Meanwhile, regular contributor Manzel Delacruz writes about "Taklub," the award-winning movie by director Brilliante Mendoza about the resiliency of the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). Nora Aunor stars.

In Sports, Positively Filipino Contributing Writer Anthony Maddela reports on the Los Angeles Dodgers' Filipino Night game and how it is seen by some members of the largest Filipino community in the US.

For our Happy Home Cook feature this week, let's celebrate US' Independence Day with a barbeque Filipino style. Actress Judy Ann Santos shares her recipe for Marinated Baby Back Ribs from her book, Judy Ann's Kitchen.

For our Video of the Week, the Philippine Department of Tourism ran a successful marketing campaign at the London Waterloo Station in order to entice the Britons and kababayan abroad to visit the Philippines.

Pride Amidst the Sorrow

Summer has arrived in the western hemisphere and with it come the fragrance of flowers, the aroma of barbecues and the piercing heat of high temps. June is also Gay Pride Month and this year, the traditionally raucous and colorful celebrations are tempered by the senseless tragedy in Orlando, Florida. We join the world in mourning the dead and in celebrating love, as Broadway stars, including Filipino American Joey Llana (currently playing the King of Siam in “The King and I”), gather to passionately sing the Burt Bacharach hit, "What the World Needs Now Is Love."

Wife-and-wife team Lisa Dazols and Jenni Chang has come out with a documentary on the "supergays" who are leading the charge for LGBT rights worldwide. Contributor Manzel Delacruz writes about the making of "Out and Around," which was filmed with the help of the beloved singer Pilita Corrales, in the Philippines.

A recent live event on Facebook organized by Manila Valley founder and CEO Chris Peralta brought together startup CEOs from the Philippines and some Silicon Valley stalwarts to talk about the future of the Philippines’ high tech sector. Contributor Harvey I. Barkin reports on how our homeland can play a big role in evolving the Internet of Things, as discussed during the event.

If summer means gardening, our regular contributor Lotis Key regales us with her story on how she "accidentally" joined the hordes of budding horticulturists in "In My DNA."

From Paris, Watch Again the interview by blogger Randy Diaz and Joyce Ibardolasa of Chef Aaron Isip who won the coveted Trophee Espoir from Gault and Millan last year.

Our Happy Home Cook recipe this week, La Paz Batchoy, Iloilo's soup delicacy, from Rene Astudillo.