WHAT: Ribbon-cutting and luncheon for the opening of Thunder Valley Casino Resort Express office in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

WHO: C.J. Graham, General Manager of Thunder Valley Casino Resort, will conduct the ribbon-cutting ceremony along with his team and key partners and community members.

WHY: One year since the grand opening of its Four Diamond hotel, spa and expanded gaming space, Thunder Valley Casino Resort is opening an Express office in Chinatown and starting a Bay Area-wide bus service for the convenience of the community. Details on the new services offered by the office and bus lines will be provided, in addition to a briefing on the recent AAA Four Diamond recognition, events and other key updates.

Photo/TV Opportunities:
Ribbon-cutting ceremony
New Thunder Valley office resembling actual casino
New luxury motor coaches

WHEN: Monday, August 15, 2011
Ribbon-cutting: 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Lunch: Noon – 2 p.m.

WHERE: Ribbon-Cutting:
Thunder Valley Casino Resort Express office
664 Clay Street (in between Montgomery and Kearny streets)
San Francisco, CA 94111

Lunch:
Empress of China
838 Grant Avenue (in between Washington and Clay streets)
San Francisco, CA 94111

CONTACT: Minette Chan
Améredia Inc.
minette.chan@ameredia.com
415-788-5100 Ext. 115

San Francisco – With the numerous response and continuing requests among small businesses on how to expand their market base, attract new customers, while retaining the regular and existing ones, the Southeast Asian Community Center (SEACC), together with the Filipino Business Assistance program of the Bayanihan Community Center and the Asian Pacific Islander Business Information Services (APIBIS), is offering a free workshop on Internet Marketing for Retail and Service Businesses.

The workshop is scheduled on Thursday, July 28, 2011, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, at the Southeast Asian Community Center at 875 O’Farrell Street, San Francisco, between Polk and Larkin Street.

The workshop will cover basic information on how to use online marketing services to attract new customers and retain existing customers. It will also enlighten participants in understanding and in using internet marketing services such as Yelp, Groupon, Google Words, and Facebook.
Invited speaker and resource person is JP Allen of the University of San Francisco, School of Business and Management. Victor Hsi of the Southeast Asian Community Center will also share their agency’s assistance program to small businesses. Some small business clients who are using internet marketing services are also invited to share their experiences.

The workshop is sponsored by Southeast Asian Community Center, the Filipino American Development Foundation, Bayanihan Community Center, and the APIBIS, a city funded business assistance program which focuses on the specific language, cultural and technical needs of Asian Pacific Islander ethnic-owned small businesses.

This event is free but pre-registration is requested. To register for this workshop, please contact MC Canlas at 415-348-8042 or email at mccanlast@aol.com, or Tony Nguyen at 415-885-2743 and email at anthonynguyentuan@yahoo.ca. For more information on SEACC’s programs for small business, see www.seaccusa.org , and for Filipino Business Assistance at the Bayanihan Community Center, please visit www.bayanihancc.org.

Charice’s new song “One Voice” is collaboration with Black Eyed Peas’ Mexican American singer Taboo and Fil-Am singer-songwriter Jeremy Passion.

“One Voice” was produced for the benefit of Toni Meloto’s Gawad Kalinga – the Filipino version of habitat for humanity.

Taboo recently tweeted his photo with Charice and said, “My song is a Latino/Filipino world anthem to show our unity within the “brown pea-ple” coming together as one voice, one heart and one beat.

Kasama rin daw si Apl De Ap o si Allan Pineda sa kantang ito at siya na ang susunod na mag-re-record ng kanyang parte sa one voice. Nabanggit din ang Justine Bieber’s Fil-Am leading lady na si Jasmine Villegas na maaring makasama rin sa kantang ito.

Do you believe that a song like “One Voice” can actually unite Filipinos and Mexicans? Please let us know what you think. Weigh in with your comments below.

In an exchange of tweets between Charice and American Idol Top 10 contestant, Pia Toscano, a duet with the two may be in the works.

Pia Toscano is a chaster – according to hollywoodlife.com.

Hollywood Life reported how Pia Toscano watched Charice’s YouTube videos to get ready for her Celine Dion songs on American Idol show.

She was also quoted saying that Charice is the most amazing singer and that she’d absolutely perform with her.

Should Charice and Pia Toscano sing a duet? Tell us what you think.

Netizens were abuzz over a new cover version of a Lady Gaga hit recently performed by Charice.

In a birthday message to Hollywood’s gossip boy Perez Hilton, the eighteen year old Filipina sang Gaga’s “Born This Way” to the delight of guests.

Chasters say, their idol’s version is way better than the original.

The same song made another young Filipina an overnight singing sensation when Fil-Canadian Maria Aragon posted her own rendition of “Born This Way” on You Tube. Lady Gaga even invited her to sing on stage with her during the Toronto leg of her concert tour.

The controversial song got Lady Gaga depressed after critics deemed it a poor copycat version of Madonna’s “Express Yourself”

So we ask you, who do you think got away with the best version of “Born This Way”? Did Charice outshine Lady Gaga’s original? Or with more than 26 million hits on You Tube, is Maria Aragon’s sweet and innocent version better?

What: Stella Maris College Grand Reunion

When: September 10, 2011

Where: Laguna Cliffs Marriott Hotel and Resort
Dana Point, CA

Contact: Gloria Gil at gloriabgil@yahoo.com
Susana Tan at orrntan@yahoo.com
Belle Lacuna at belle.lacuna@sbcglobal.net

WHAT:    The Philippine Consulate of San Francisco is engaging in outreach missions. They offer services like processing of Philippine passports, legalization of documents (affidavits, powers of attorney, deeds, other legal instruments), Civil Registry (reports of births, marriages and deaths), and Dual Citizenship applications.

WHERE & WHEN: Variou Locations all over U.S. (noted below) at various dates throughout the year.

MILPITAS
February 20, March 20, April 17, May 15, June 19, July 17, August 14, September 18, October 16, November 13, December 4
Schedule:  8:30am-5pm
Location:  Seasons Market Place at Landess, 1535 Landess Avenue, Milpitas
Contact Person:  Ms. Dinnah Bayangos at 650-7401160

SEATTLE
Dates:  March 25-27, June 24-26, September 2-4, November 18-20
Schedule: 8:30am-5:30pm
Location:  Filipino Community of Seattle (FCS) Center, 5740 ML King Jr. Way, South Seatlle, Washington 98118
Contact Organization:  Filipino Community of Seattle (206) 722 9372

TACOMA
Dates:  April 29-30, May 1
Contact Organization:  Filipino Community Alliance of Tacoma c/o Ms. Maribel Periabras at maribel.periabras@gmail.com, mcperiabras@ft.newyorklife.com, (425) 224 6718 or (253) 597 7181
Location:  4970 Bridgeport Way W, University Place, Washington 98467

PORTLAND
Dates:  May 6-8
Contact Persons:  Consul General Richard K. Woodling, a.h. at richard.woodling@comcast.net or (503) 679 6682 and Mr. Eric Tadeo at enricotadeo0774@msn.com or (360) 690 0774
Schedule and Location:  To be announced

RENO
Dates:  May 20-22
Contact Organization:  The Filipino-American Alliance of Nevada c/o Ms. Thelma Frias at (775) 772 3452
Schedule and Location:  To be announced

JUNEAU
Date:  June 4
Other Details:  To be announced

ANCHORAGE
Dates:  June 5-6, July 9-10
Contact Person:  Mr. Nez Danguilan and Mr. Jesse Vizcocho
Other Details:  To be announced

FAIRBANKS
Date:  July 8
Location:  Ice Alaska Building, 1925 Chena Landing Loop, Fairbanks
Contact Persons:  Ms. Betsy Engle at (907) 350 4506 and Ms. Yoly Ganacias at (907) 347 5519

DENVER
Dates:  October 7-8
Location:  The Fil-Am Community of Colorado (FACC) Bahay Kubo, 1900 Harlan Avenue, Edgewater, CO 80214
Contact Person:  Ms. Donna LaVigne at (303) 885-9495 or donna@i-legal.com

COLORADO SPRINGS
Dates :  October 9-10
Other Details:  To be announced

WHAT: Mainitnons sa Amerika
Mainit, Surigaol del Norte-Philippines
Food Distribution Starving Children and Families

WHEN: Dec 2010 to Dec 2011

WHERE: MsA-Mainit-Philippines
Mainit, Surigao del Norte

CONTACTS:
Project Coordinators
Flora Nalam-Hall
Phone: 1.253-394-3123
USA

Grace Relliquete
Phone: +63.918.930.1903
Philippines

Kaiser Recabo Jr.
Phone: +63.918.413.6863
Philippines

Roger Francisco
Phone: 1.408.768.5201
USA

VISIT:
http://mainitnonssaamerika.multiply.com

EMAIL:
mainitnonsaamerika@yahoo.com