HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE (Part 2) When my eldest son graduated from university in 2013, his first job was with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP); and when I attended one of the Festivals that the FDCP mounts, I met a guest who worked with the Royal Film Commission...
Two celebrated authors from Japan with their latest, and one novel set in California, written by a British author and screenwriter. There’s much to savor in the pages of these three mystery thrillers. Hotel Lucky Seven by Kotaro Isaka Our writer Kotaro Isaka is perhaps best...
Containers of Zyn, a smokeless nicotine pouch, are displayed for sale among other nicotine and tobacco products at a newsstand on Feb. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday backed the public health benefits of...
LEADING THE HELM The Ruth Foundation founder and president Dr. Rumalie Corvera In 2012, Dr. Rumalie Corvera launched the Ruth Foundation. Operations formally commenced by Jan. 2013. Its vision ever since has been to provide palliative and hospice care to those with life-limiting illnesses,...
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE (Part 1) Jan. 30 to Feb. 2, 2025 will mark the three days that the Manila International Film Festival takes over the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, accompanied by a star-studded gala dinner at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. It’s the second...
What crime fiction writers, on the top of their form can do, are introduce us to a world we weren’t familiar with, then making us invest in the heroine or hero asked to unravel the mystery. Here are three new examples of how this happens! From the comic book world, to a failed...
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE (Part I) This isn’t a feature about New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve never been one for resolutions; if I felt something needed changing or had to commence, I’d do it then and there, and not procrastinate until January 1st. When I finally stopped...
Writing ‘funny’, and being successful at making readers laugh out loud, is much harder than writing ‘sad’ or thoughtful, if you ask me. Humor is often very subjective, so to hit the funny bone of so many is a rare gift. Here are three novels that attempt to do just that. ...
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE It’s the time of the year when several lexicon platforms come out with their Words of the Year (WOTY); and each will have their own system for coming up with their choices. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is one of the more popular ones, and they...
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE We often talk of Pinoy Pride; but isn’t it ironic that most of us can readily identify a Chinese Panda or Australian Kangaroo, before we’d recognize the Philippine Pangolin? There are numerous species of fauna and flora endemic to the Philippines,...
From the comfort of one’s armchair, and from one remove, here are three novels that deal with violence and murder in different ways - but are united in affording us countless hours of guilty reading pleasure. Going to the Dogs by Pierre Lemaitre A Prix Goncourt awardee...
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY Top management of PTC joining a dance number Christina S. Manzano with her father Amb. Carlos Salinas PTC CEO Gerardo ‘Dito’ Borromeo with Rommel Ramos In 1979, 45 years ago, Ambassador Carlos Salinas had a dream of setting up a company that would shine...
