FilAm Vets

At the height of World War II, thousands of Filipino nationals enlisted in the US Armed Forces. With this, they were given the responsibility to fight with the American Armed Forces and all its allies. They served in multiple groups like the Philippine Scouts, Philippine Commonwealth Army and other recognized guerillas.


They spent countless days and nights guarding their posts and lived in the mountains away from their families. Some were even taken as prisoner-of-war, tortured and sentenced to death, these Filipinos risked their lives all for the glory of the mighty America.


With this service, the US Government promised them the same benefits given to others serving in the Military of the United States. These benefits include health care, pension and college money. However in 1946, a bill called Rescission Act of 1946 was passed stripping them of the benefits they were promised including the citizenship grant to those who have completed their first enlistment. Through this bill, their service was deemed not active thereby denying them the rights, benefits or privileges entitled to those who served the military during the war against the Japanese.


For years, Filipino veterans, their families and supporters fought for the full benefits. They have petitioned and picketed in the hopes of returning to them the benefits that they rightly deserve. Even Filipino-American community is supporting this cause, urging those who are in the position to give full support to the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act, a bill that aims to grant citizenship to Filipinos who have completed an enlistment in the American Armed Forces.


In 2009, surviving veterans were provided a one-time lump sum, $15,000 for US Citizens and $9,000 for non-citizens.


While money could make a real difference, it does not correct the injustice and discrimination done to them many years ago. They would have gone to school and find decent jobs to support themselves and their families. They would have given health care right when they need it thus prevents health deterioration.


But Filipinos are grateful people. Despite the lack and late recognition, they are still thankful that at long last, the service they did with loyalty is recognized as active service in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.


Do you think this issue would have occurred if agreement, like franchise agreement and shareholder agreement, was signed by both parties? Probably not…


Full benefits are probably granted to the beneficiaries and many FilAm veterans would have enjoyed their golden years – be it spending time in the park with the grandchildren or take part in puppy training activities and dog training activities later on.

The Marine Federal Credit Union is a financial cooperative available to members who qualify for membership, primarily military personnel and government employees. Marine credit offers all the amenities of large corporate banks like internet banking, card services, and checking/savings accounts with the personal touch available due to its ideal employee to member ratio.

The services of the marine credit are far ahead of the national average for financial credit unions. New members in the military are candidates for membership even before basic training. Applicants for the marine federal credit union accounts can also come from other government agencies.

It is a great feeling to know your money is being well taken care of while in training or deployment. The Military Federal Credit Union offers many great services to those who qualify for membership from accounts, credit/debit cards, ATM, loan, insurance, investment and financial counselling.

For more information on eligibility requirements please contact your marine credit local branch or call the Member Resource Center at 910. 577. 7333 or toll free at 800. 225. 3967 anytime between 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday.

A lot of travelers would want to visit Canada. And one of the well-visited cities in Canada is Edmonton. Edmonton is known for the West Edmonton Hotel and the River Valley. For people who want to be nearer to Mother Nature then the River Valley is the perfect destination for them. There are also a lot of cheap hotels Edmonton where travelers could stay. You can search for them over the internet by browsing over some travel agency websites. There are a lot of online travel agencies who can assist you to get hold of great hotel deals in Edmonton. Just make sure to prepare your budget in advance so that you will know what hotel accommodations are within your budget. You can also check on the amenities included in your hotel reservation. Make sure that the hotel is comfortable to stay at so that your vacation would be relaxing and fun at the same time.

There are many people these days who have brilliant ideas that make promising business ventures. They required the right supplies, manpower and modern technology to make things work and become profitable. However, as they go through their feasibility study, they realize they do not have enough financial resources to get everything started. While some raw materials and manpower may be readily available in the market and can still be lowered for the demands they have as a start-up small business, the cost of modern technology is not always affordable. Nevertheless, without which the promising venture can be an impossible undertaking.

Now if you have these promising business ventures, it would be impossible for you to just give it up. You would be exerting extra effort to ask friends and family members around to invest in the business venture that you are about to take. Normally, youd get a pat on the back for the brilliant idea you have. However, not everybody would easily have the necessary funds you need to start up your business.

Nevertheless, the nation understands your desire. Private and public institutions in the entire country have set aside funds as free financial resources for those who want to undertake a small business venture like you. And through a small business grant you will surely be able to pursue the promising business venture you aspire. These small business grants are available through the federal and state government agencies. Sometimes, you never have to look far. You can also check profitable and non-profitable organizations in your area who have livelihood assistance programs for residents within the community.

However, there are also small business loans available through your local banks. You can also expect government assistance as you file for this type of loan. You can check www.SBA.gov or www.govloans.gov for more information. The good thing about this type of loans is that they are less burdensome as they offer low monthly payments and low interest rates as well making it easy to pay them off in no time. Loans for small businesses, just like grants, are essential for someone like you to obtain the financial resources you require to start pursuing the promising business venture that you have.

One way to get right up the neighbors’ noses is to set about Installing replacement windows, once done it is a daily reminder of the improvements that you have made to your property and it can be a really nice feeling to know that soon you will get lower energy bills landing on the mat too! Seriously though, probably not too many people want to fall out with their neighbors like this and normally what happens is that once one person chooses to opt for installing replacement windows others will follow suit, often resulting in a much bigger increase in property prices for the area. Even if they dont decide to change their windows they will normally be very complimentary about the ones you have had done, more so if you have selected a really nice design and the work is carried out to a high standard by which ever contractor you use.

Before curling up with your favorite Nook book, you may first want to familiarize yourself with some handy tips, tricks and shortcuts that will make your e-reading experience easier, and more fun, too. Heres a mini guide of just some of the clever extras that you can navigate with your treasured Nook.
1. Enhance your Vocabulary: If you come across a hyphenated word youd like to look up, simply tap the middle of the screen, select “Text” and then check “Publisher Defaults”. When youve got your definition, just re-set your text settings.
2. Use the magic “back” function: Need to return to a previous page? Just swipe the black bar at the top of your screen from right to left, et voila!
3. Enable or disable Wi-Fi in a jiffy: To go wireless, just tap the time display in the upper right of your screen, and then toggle the Wi-Fi box as you wish.
4. Keep your books forever, if you want: Everyone knows how difficult it can be to get rid of an old favorite book – even a virtual one. If you dont want to completely delete books from your Library, why not archive them? To do so, just enter your Nook Library, double-tap a title and choose “Archive”. You can always bring your beloved book back by visiting the main screen of your Library and selecting “Archive” in the drop-down menu.
5. Work on your Christmas list, all-year round: While perusing your Nook Shop, bookmark the titles you want by checking the box adjacent to “Wishlist” – you can double-check your list anytime by tapping “My Wishlist”.
6. Lend a book to a buddy: Browse your Library for books with a LendMe badge – when you select one, tap “LendMe”, then “With Contacts” NextSelect a ContactAdd Contact. Then, just type your prospective borrowers name and email address. When the info is entered, youll even have the opportunity to create a message to go along with the book you are lending out (which your friend can borrow for two whole weeks). And by the way – your borrower doesnt have to be invited to be your Nook Friend in order to borrow from you.
7. Tidy up your library: To play librarian and keep your shelves in order, just tap the “N” button, next tap “Library”. When the drop-down menu appears, choose “Shelves”, then “Add Shelf”. Add as many shelves as youd like and name each of them as you like (for instance by genre, author or subject). To designate a book to a shelf, simply check the boxes beside them accordingly.
8. Save a page: To take a screenshot of a great illustration, or another page youll want easy access to, just press and holding down the “Volume” button, then doing the same with the “Home” button.
9. Make your web browser home page your own: When you’re at the web browser home screen, choose the icon with multiple lines in the upper right hand corner. Select “More Options” “Settings”. From there, you can make the choices to customize your web browser home page as you like.
10. Keep your Nook protected with a Nook warranty: Protecting your Nook with an extended warranties will keep it safe from accidents like drops, falls and spills. Considering how much we carry around our devices these days, it’s almost imperative to have some kind of warranty protection.
Happy reading – and be sure to keep up-to-date on tips for using your Nook, because dedicated e-bookworms are discovering and sharing collections of new tricks every day.

One of the most popular healthcare jobs of late is that of the occupational therapy assistant. OT assistants are in extremely high demand and are required in the field. Working under a qualified occupational therapist to assist patients that are unable to maintain a well balanced, healthy and productive life. Helping patients gain a higher quality of life and independence is the chief goal for OTs.

Working as an OT assistant is a also a great way to learn how to become an occupational therapist, since the assistant will be able to familiarize themselves with the profession in such a hands-on manner the way an apprenticeship works. OT assistants work with individuals of all age groups, backgrounds, therapy needs, goals, etc.

Training Requirements

OT assistants don’t require much training, in fact they don’t even need a 4 year degree. To become an OT assistant, one simply needs to complete a certificate program on occupational therapy, or an associate’s degree through most community colleges. These are typically only 1 – 2 years to complete, which is much more achievable than the somewhat extensive education requirement to become an actual occupational therapist. In that case, not only does the student need a 4 year degree, they must obtain a Master’s degree.

There are many benefits to being an OT assistant, including job flexibility, a diverse range of opportunities and a competitive compensation and benefits package. Here are some additional, job related perks:

- medical and dental
- bonuses for good work
- relocation expenses if necessary
- travel expenses paid
- ongoing education and training
- 401(k) retirement savings
- and many more..

Where to Find Jobs

OT assistant jobs are plentiful and can be found mainly through recruitment companies, most of which have websites listing various jobs available, including job package information.

If you’re interested in becoming an OT assistant, you can also search various career websites, such as Monster.com, Career Builder, etc. Lastly, you can look through various online classified websites, such as Craigslist or Backpage, which offer employers to post free or low cost job ads detailing their company and the job offers they have at the moment.