Us asian post december 10, 2014

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Vol. 3. No. 11 LOS ANGELES

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Wednesday - Tuesday, December 10 - 16, 2014

Hagupit leaves 27 dead; Gov’t cited

By Cecil Morella

A typhoon victim carries a cooking gas tank past a house destroyed by typhoon Ruby in Borongan, Samar on Monday. More than a million people were evacuated as the powerful typhoon approached the country, fearing a repeat of last year’s typhoon that left 7,000 dead or missing. (MNS photo)

A giant storm left the Philippines Tuesday after killing at least 27 people and devastating remote coastal towns, but the government won praise for unprecedented preparations that were credited for saving lives.

Hagupit hit the far eastern island of Samar on Saturday with winds of 210 kilometres (130 miles) an hour, making it the most powerful typhoon in the Philippines this year and threatening widespread destruction.

Most of the 27 people reported by the Red Cross to have been killed were on Samar, one of the nation’s poorest islands where thousands of homes in fishing communities facing the Pacific Ocean were torn apart.

In San Julian, a tiny farming and fishing town on Samar, mother-of-four Rosario Organo sat with a daughter in front of their ruined bamboo and palm thatch home on Tuesday.

“My only wish is that my family could get a good night’s sleep,” Organo, 41, told AFP as neighbours sifted through the debris of their

destroyed houses to start rebuilding, using salvaged material.

In San Julian and neighbouring coastal towns, Hagupit’s winds had snapped coconut trees and power lines, cutting off roads and making the delivery of supplies difficult.

The military flew emergency flights with food, water and other essentials from Cebu to the worstaffected areas on Samar on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Manuel Roxas said 200,000 people were believed to be in need of help on eastern Samar, but this could rise as more comprehensive assessments were carried out in isolated communities.

“It breaks my heart to hear their stories,” Roxas said in an interview with local television network ABS CBN. “All we can do is give them physical support, moral support, give them food and hope we can give back their spirits so they can rise again.”

Still, after a barrage of catastrophic storms in recent years See HAGUPIT, page 6

Cyclone,hurricane,typhoon:Different names,samephenomenon Paris, France | AFP | Saturday 12/6/2014 – They may have different names according to the region they hit, but typhoons, hurricanes and cyclones are all violent tropical storms that can generate 10 times as much energy as the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Typhoon is the Asian term for a low-pressure system that is called a hurricane in the Atlantic and northeast Pacific and a cyclone

in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.

But meteorologists use the term “tropical cyclone” when talking generally about these immensely powerful natural phenomena, which are divided into five categories according to the maximum sustained wind force and the scale of the potential damage they can inflict.

Typhoon Hagupit, which

roared in from the Pacific Ocean and lashed eastern Philippines on Saturday with windgusts of 210 kilometers (130 miles) an hour, is the most powerful storm to hit the Southeast Asian country this year.

Hagupit comes a year after Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated large swathes of the archipelago, claiming more than 7,350 lives.

See CYCLONE, page 6

China condemns PHL over disputed sea arbitration

President Benigno S. Aquino III receives a gift from the Bulong Pulungan core members during 28th annual Bulong Pulungan Christmas Party at the Luzon Ballroom of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City on Friday (December 05). The Bulong Pulungan media forum started 28 years ago on the onset of People Power by the country’s leading lifestyle journalists. (MNS photo)

Pinoys in Saudi warned vs. fake welfare officer MANILA, Dec 8 (Mabuhay) – Filipinos in Saudi Arabia were warned over the weekend against transacting with a person claiming to be a Philippine labor welfare officer and recruiting workers via Facebook.

The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh said Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Riyadh welfare officer Romeo Pablo does not have a Facebook account for recruitment or labor transactions.

It issued the advisory after receiving information about a “Romeo C. Pablo” who claims to be the OIC of POLO-Riyadh and is into consulting and business services.

“According to reports, Mr.

Pablo is using his Facebook account in communicating with the Filipino public on their queries, on behalf of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office,” the embassy said.

“All Filipino nationals are urged to be more cautious in responding to social media invitations for protection from unscrupulous individuals who resort to these scheme in deceiving other Filipino nationals,” it added.

The Embassy also reminded the Filipino community that any request for assistance or queries on labor matters may be coursed through polo_riyadh@philembassy-riyadh.org or through hotline 00966-545917834. (MNS)

Beijing, China | AFP | Sunday 12/7/2014 – China on Sunday slammed the Philippines for challenging its territorial claims over the South China Sea through international arbitration, refusing to back down just a week before a deadline to respond in the case.

The Philippines infuriated China in March by filing a formal plea with a United Nations tribunal challenging Beijing’s maritime claims.

The tribunal gave Beijing until December 15 to reply, but China reaffirmed Sunday that it would not submit to arbitration to resolve the dispute, which has heightened tensions.

See ARBITRATION, page 6

Swiss escapes militant kidnappers

By Mynardo MACARAIG

Manila, Philippines | AFP | Saturday 12/6/2014 – A Swiss man kidnapped by Islamic militants in the Philippines nearly three years ago escaped on Saturday after a fierce struggle with one of his captors over a machete and a frantic run to freedom under gunfire, the military said.

Lorenzo Vinciguerra took advantage of a pre-dawn assault by soldiers on his Abu Sayyaf abductors in the jungles of a remote southern island to make his bold escape, the local military spokeswoman told AFP. “One of them (gunmen) caught

Despite under Public Storm Warning Signal, Metro Manila shoppers flock to malls, shopping centers and night market in preparation for the Christmas season. Photo shows Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City famous for its “tiangge”. (MNS photo)

2,339 stranded due to ‘Ruby’ MANILA, Dec 8 (Mabuhay) – At least 2,339 passengers are stranded in ports around the country due to tropical storm “Ruby,” the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

The PCG said as of 10 a.m., 2,339 passengers, 81 vessels, 3 motor boats, and 646 rolling cargoes were stranded as of 10 a.m.

Monday.

Below is the breakdown of the stranded passengers and vehicles: National Capital Region-Central Luzon: 340 passengers and 2 vessels Palawan: 30 passengers, 14

vessels and 2 motor boats Northern Mindanao: 197 passengers Bicol: 363 passengers, 32 vessels and 59 rolling cargoes Eastern Visayas: 127 passengers, 1 vessel and 76 rolling cargoes Southern Tagalog: 662 passengers and 273 rolling cargoes Western Visayas: 620 passengers, 32 vessels, 1 motor boat and 238 rolling cargoes The PCG said the HPCG Memorandum Circular 02-13 (Guidelines on the Movement of Vessels during Heavy Weather) is being strictly implemented. (MNS)

Former maid tells Hong Kong court of ‘torture’ by employer

By Dennis CHONG Hong Kong, Chine | AFP | Monday 12/8/2014 – An Indonesian former maid on Monday told a court for the first time how she was starved, beaten and ritually humiliated by her Hong Kong employers in a case that has sparked international outrage.

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih described in vivid detail how for months she lived on nothing but bread and rice, slept only four hours a day and was beaten so badly by her former employer Law Wan-tung that she was knocked unconscious.

“I was tortured,” she told the packed courtroom through a translator on the opening day of the trial.

“She often hit me... sometimes she would hit me from behind, sometimes she hit me in the front. I was hit so often sometimes I got a headache... She hit me in my mouth (so) I had difficulty breathing.”

Opening the prosecution, solicitor Louisa Lai detailed the harrowing litany of abuse the former maid allegedly suffered including how she was told to wrap her sore-covered feet in plastic bags “because of the smell”.

Law denies all charges of abuse.

Sulistyaningsih’s case has shone a spotlight on the plight of migrant domestic helpers in Asia and the Middle East after reports of torture and even killings.

In March, a Malaysian couple was sentenced to hang for starving their Indonesian maid to death, while in the same week a Singaporean couple pleaded guilty to abuse after their helper lost 20 kilos in seven months.

Such cases have prompted a clampdown on domestic worker visas in some countries – Myanmar suspended a seven-month-old scheme in September and Indonesia has pledged to stop sending See FORMER MAID, page 6

See KIDNAPPERS, page 6

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Solons want to review World Bank’s environmental policies MANILA, Dec 6 (Mabuhay) – Lawmakers have filed a measure urging the House Committee on National Cultural Communities to review the status of the consultations of the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Safeguard (WB ESS) policies.

Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat, Jr. (Lone District, Ifugao) said House Resolution 1624 seeks to ensure the consistency of the WB ESS policy to the country’s Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997.

Baguilat said on Oct. 22, 2014, the World Bank conducted consultations for the creation of a new environmental and social safeguard that affects the rights

of various sectors that include the indigenous people in the Philippines.

The WB ESS aims to prevent and mitigate undue harm to people and their environment in the development process. “These policies provide guidelines for bank and borrower staffs in the identification, preparation and implementation of programs and projects,” he said.

Baguilat said the safeguard policies have often provided a platform for the participation of stakeholders in project design and have been an important instrument for building ownership among local populations.

Rep. Nancy A. Catamco (2nd District, North Cotabato), coauthor of the measure, said the inquiry should determine the relationship between the Philippine Indigenous Laws and the WB ESS policy.

Catamco said Congress should exercise its oversight functions over the Executive Branch’s implementations of projects funded through World Bank loans.

Likewise, Catamco said the WB ESS policy was greatly entwined with the indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997 or Republic Act 8371 because of the provisions on the free, prior and informed consent.(MNS)

China farmers washed away as Beijing taps water from south

By Tom Hancock

Nanyang, Chine | AFP | Monday 12/8/2014 – Before their villages

were submerged beneath a gargantuan scheme to move water hundreds of kilometers to China’s arid north, government officials promised farmers better lives far from their ancestral homes.

Water is due to start flowing this month along the central route of the South-North Water Diversion project, a monumental $81 billion design to salve the thirst of Beijing and surrounding regions.

But many of the more than 300,000 people who made way for it have been left unemployed in leaking, shoddy houses, while few say they have been given the compensation they were pledged.

The grand scheme was suggested by Communist China’s founding father Mao Zedong more than 60 years ago, and analysts say the migrants’ plight shows how little megaproject manage-

ment has changed since his era.

Jia Xinlong remembers pounding rain soaking the ground as an entire village loaded their possessions – generations’ worth of furniture and agricultural tools – onto lorries which would take them more than 300 kilometers away.

When they arrived three years ago at their new home – a clump of dozens of identical white houses rising out of surrounding fields called Yaojia New Migrant Village – some burst into tears.

“We felt uneasy. The houses were badly built, the ceilings were already cracking,” Jia said, pointing out gaps in the plastered roofing of a shop.

“We made a sacrifice for the country,” said his friend Jia Zhangjun, “and we lost out.”

‘The country asked us’ The Chinese government says the project will solve a chronic shortage in the cities of the coun-

try’s north, supplying Beijing with a billion cubic metres of water every year.

Northern China supports nearly half the country’s population and economy but has just a fifth of the national water supply, according to the World Bank.

Recent statistics show that Beijing’s water levels have fallen to just 120 cubic metres per person—less than Algeria and roughly on par with Yemen and Israel, all three of them largely desert.

The South-North Water Diversion project is an attempt to address the shortfall by reshaping the very geography of China, and according to state media its middle route has required at least 330,000 people in the central provinces of Henan and Hubei to move.

Migrants in four villages visited by AFP had their homes submerged under the newly expanded Danjiangkou reservoir, from where water flows to the capital through 1,264 kilometres of pipes.

“The country asked us to move. So we had no choice,” said Xu Zhenyan, an elderly man who was transplanted 150 kilometres to Liangzhuangdong New Village.

Huang Jianchao, 50, said that transport was better in their new home, “but there’s no work to do, and we have less land than before”—a regularly echoed complaint. “My income was higher before we moved”.

The relocation office of Nanyang city, where the four villages are located, told AFP that all migrants received at least 700 square metres of “productive” land, and a 600 yuan annual payment for 20 years.

It admitted that “embezzlement” of relocation funds was a problem but said the number

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UN special rapporteur wants to probe attacks on PHL rights defenders MANILA, Dec 6 (Mabuhay) – A United Nations human rights expert is interested in asking the government for an official invitation to allow him to investigate growing reports of attacks on rights defenders in the country.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders Michel Forst indicated his interest in filing a request for an official visit after a two-hour meeting late last week with members of Manilakbayan, a contingent of indigenous peoples’ groups and advocates, and representatives of the human rights group Karapatan from Mindanao and Southern Tagalog.

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay, in a statement, urged the international community and human rights advocates worldwide to “press the Philippine government to accede to the request of the UNSR-HRD to look into the numerous reports of attacks against rights defenders in the country.”

She noted that Forst’s predecessors – Hina Jilani and Margaret Sekaggya – “both submitted several requests to conduct an official investigation in the Philippines, but they were not able to obtain official invitations from the Philippine government.”

Karapatan said of the 226 victims of extrajudicial killings under President Benigno Aquino III, 105 were human rights defenders.

During the meeting, Manilakbayan spokesman Datu Jomorito Guaynon told Forst of the impact on indigenous communities in Mindanao of military combat operations.

“Indigenous people’s leaders Genasque Enriquez and Jalandoni Campos are among the 213 individuals slapped with trumped up charges by the military because they continue to defend their ancestral lands,” Guaynon told the UN official. “They are both vocal in their opposition against large-scale and destructive mining operations, and the role of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) in protecting the interests of these big companies.”

Sister Famita Somogod of the Rural Missionaries of PhilippinesNorthern Mindanao, and Hanimay Suazo of Karapatan-Southern Mindanao said they have been threatened by state security agents who have tagged them as “enemies of the State.”

“Our lives are on the line. In Mindanao, there are 83 victims of extrajudicial killings; most of them are rights defenders. We are very concerned that such trend will continue with the Aquino administration’s disregard for human rights,” Suazo commented.

Bertoldo Garay, 11, a student of an alternative learning school for indigenous people in Surigao del Sur, told Forst of soldiers labeling their schools “NPA schools” and turning these into barracks.

“Even children like me are called NPAs,” Garay said.

UN rapporteurs have previously visited and released damning reports on the human rights situation in the country.

In July 2012, Karapatan said, “Sekaggya and the UN expert on extrajudicial killings Christof Heyns released a statement highlighting the killings and attacks against human rights defenders like Italian missionary Fr. Fausto Tentorio.”

Both called on the government to “adopt urgent measures to protect the life of rights defenders and to ensure they are able to carry out their important work.”

But among the most damning reports was that of UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial murders Philip Alston who, following a visit, slammed the government and military of carrying out a counterinsurgency campaign that deliberately targeted leaders and members of legal organizations by openly accusing them of being rebel “fronts.” (MNS) of cases “was not too many to be checked”.

Nonetheless more than a dozen migrants interviewed by AFP said that they had not received their payments, blaming corruption.

“We haven’t received anything,” said Liang Qingfeng, 40, in Liangzhuangdong. “The central policies are good, but they aren’t enforced.”

‘SaƟsfacƟon doesn’t maƩer’ The displaced are among millions of Chinese relocated in recent decades by vast engineering experiments that have fuelled the country’s economic boom.

More than a million people were moved to make way for the massive Three Gorges dam – the world’s largest by generating capacity – before it opened around a decade ago.

Thousands remain in poverty, and China’s government in 2012

made a rare admission that the treatment of migrants relocated for the dam was still an “urgent problem”.

In the 1950s, more 400,000 people were forced to relocate to make way for the Sanmenxia dam in northern China. A senior official later described the dam as “a stupid mistake” after it clogged with silt.

Those forced to move for the latest megaproject are victims of China’s centralized politics, said academics who have studied it.

“The cities and communities around the Danjiangkou reservoir are politically and economically less important than China’s capital region,” said Britt-Crow Miller, assistant professor of geography at the University of California, adding the migrants were left “without choice in the matter”.

Pope Francis film in works in Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentine | AFP | Friday 12/5/2014 A biographical film on Pope Francis’s childhood and life as a cardinal and archbishop before becoming pontiff will be shot next year in his native Argentina, producers said Friday. The pope will be played by Dario Grandinetti, a prolific 55-year-old actor who gained international recognition with his 1992 film “The Dark Side of the Heart” and is also known for his role in Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s 2002 film “Talk to Her. Filming will begin in January under Spanish director Beda Docampo Feijoo, producer Pampa Films told AFP. The script is based on Ar-

gentine Vatican correspondent Elisabetta Pique’s biography “Pope Francis: Life and Revolution.”

The film will be shot on location in Buenos Aires, Madrid and Rome, and producers hope to release it in mid-2015.

“We hope this film will transmit the admiration all of us feel for the coherence of a life based on austerity and charity, and that will inspire people,” Docampo Feijoo told The Hollywood Reporter.

Born Jorge Bergoglio, Francis formerly served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, where he was known for his work in poor communities and his ardent support of Argentine football club San Lorenzo.

Solon files bill professionalizing MMDA traffic enforcement MANILA, Dec 8 (Mabuhay) – A senior officer of the House of Representatives on Monday said he has filed a bill that seeks to professionalize and institutionalize the traffic enforcement corps in the metropolis which is currently attached to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian said in his House Bill 5242 that he seeks to establish the National Traffic Enforcement and Management Center (NTEMC). He was prompted by the recent incident wherein an MMDA traffic constable had an altercation with the driver of the Masserati Ghilby along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City.

“Traffic enforcers play a vital role in maintaining public order and safety in our roads. A properly trained traffic enforcer coupled with the best practices in the enforcement of traffic laws will ensure a safer road for the public particularly to motorists and pedestrians,” said Gatchalian, a majority member of the House committee for Metro Manila development.

Gatchalian said the creation of the NTEMC will pave the way for the efficient traffic enforcement, which is an essential element of every road safety policy especially in the light of several complaints cropping up against a specific traffic constable.

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Free Christmas carol concert at Christ the King Church in Hollywood Dec. 14 Nova Vocal Ensemble together with Christ the King School’s Pueri Cantores choir to perform familiar carols by composer-in-residence Dale Trumbore

A Christmas tradition comes back to Hollywood as the Nova Vocal Ensemble together with Christ the King School’s Pueri Cantores choir performs dazzling new arrangements of familiar carols by composer-in-residence Dale Trumbore in a free concert entitled Lesson and Carols on Sunday, December 14, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at the Christ the King Church in Hollywood.

Headed by Founder and Artistic Director, Jonathan Bautista who has appeared as a professional bass vocalist for choral groups and church choirs in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and California., Nova Vocal Ensemble

is known to be Los Angeles’ chamber choir devoted to the music and choral works of living composers of all genres.

In addition to contemporary classical, Nova also performs various musical arrangements from popular music, jazz, musical theater, film, television series, video games, and animation.

Nova aims to not just entertain, but move and educate its audiences about the diversity of musical styles and arrangements.

For more information about Lessons and Carols and Nova Vocal Ensemble please visit www.novavocalensemble.org.

The Christ the King Church is located at 624 N. Rossmore Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90004.

Nova Vocal Ensemble is a professional chamber choir consisting of experienced singers dedicated to performing the a cappella choral works of living composers.

Nova singers come from all over Southern California to entertain, move, and educate its audiences about the diversity of musical styles in today’s choral landscape: the romantic, the experimental, the complex, the comical, and the profound are all part of Nova’s eclectic sonic palate.

Nova presents the music of beloved contemporary masters and classical music’s rising young stars, especially composers with ties to the choir’s home of Los Angeles.

Not limited to just contemporary classical, Nova also performs arrangements of popular music, jazz, musical theater, film music, and music from video games, television series, and animation, all orchestrated with a flair that is contemporary and fun by innovative arrangers active in the choral field.

Nova was born in the spring of 2012 and has expanded from a group of four singers to today’s roster. Nova boasts some of the finest vocal talent in Los Angeles, and its singers travel from all

LA County to host used oil and filter recycling event in Lawndale LA County Public Works will host a free used motor oil and oil filter recycling event on December 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, at the Lawndale O’Reilly Auto Parts, located at 15122 ½ Hawthorne Blvd.

When used oil is illegally dumped into stormdrains, it pollutes local water bodies and contaminates sources of clean drinking water.

In fact, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it only takes one gallon of motor oil to contaminate as much as a million gallons of fresh water – equivalent to a year’s supply of drinking water for 50 people.

In exchange for properly disposing of their used oil during the event, participants will be rewarded with free used oil containers, oil filters, shop towels, and funnels. Those recycling oil filters will re-

ceive one new oil filter. Promotional items are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Items for drop-off should be prepared by placing oil filters in sealed plastic bags and storing used motor oil in leak-proof containers. Used oil should not be mixed with any other liquid, including water.

Used motor oil and oil filters can also be recycled for free at a local certified collection center or on weekends at a Countysponsored Household Hazardous Waste/ Electronic Waste collection event. A full calendar of collection events and list of collection centers can be found at www.

CleanLA.com.

For additional information on the County’s oil and oil filter recycling program, call Edna Gandarilla, Program Manager, at (626) 458-6536.

SCE warns customers to be aware of utility bill scam this Holiday season ROSEMEAD, Calif., Nov. 26, 2014 – Southern California Edison (SCE) warns customers to stay vigilant this holiday season as impostors, claiming to represent the utility, continue a telephone scam demanding immediate payment for allegedly past-due electricity bills.

The hustle and bustle of the season makes customers especially vulnerable as telephone bill scammers increase calls threatening to disconnect electrical ser-

vice unless immediate payment is made on past-due bills.

The caller demands that payment be made through a prepaid card and urges victims to purchase a prepaid debit card, load a specific amount of money on the card and give the card number to the scammer.

Once the impostor collects the card’s value, the customer has been defrauded and the money is gone.

President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his speech during the 2014 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas awarding ceremony at the Rizal Ceremonial Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Friday (December 05). Also in photo are Sec. Imelda Nicolas of the Commission of Filipinos Overseas and Sec. Patricia Licuanan of the Commission on Higher education. (MNS photo)

over the valley just to perform with the group. Nova has performed in a diverse array of venues, including the San Fernando Mission, the Echoplex, West Los Angeles Public Library, Christ

the King Church, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glendale, E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and Disney’s California Adventure.

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Giant storms show climate change threat: Greenpeace Manila, Philippines | AFP | Sunday 12/7/2014 – Greenpeace global chief Kumi Naidoo said Sunday increasingly violent storms hitting the Philippines showed the world had to act on climate change, as Typhoon Hagupit barreled across the country.

Naidoo was in the Philippines to “bear witness” to the damage done

by Hagupit, the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year, and planned to visit some of the worst-affected areas on Monday.

“Nature does not negotiate. We actually have to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to understand that we are running out of time,” he said, in a warning to UN negotiators meeting in Lima, Peru, to hammer out the broad outlines of a new world pact on global warming.

Naidoo, the international executive director of the environmental group, said that the typhoon passing over the Philippines was an example of the massive damage poorer countries would experience if climate change worsens.

He said the storms hitting the Southeast Asian archipelago were getting stronger and stronger, showing the urgency for world governments to act quickly.

Naidoo blamed “all coal and gas companies and other polluting companies” for the worsening climate problems, adding that it was unfair that they should make huge profits while poor nations suffer the illeffects.

He warned that the world was facing a “make or break moment”, and called on governments to adopt the “polluter pays principle” as well as a commitment to give full access to renewable energy by 2050.

Rich and poor countries should act together, he said, as even the richest nations would not be immune from the impact of a warmer planet.

Storms in the Philippines have become symbolic of the potential damage of climate change since Super Typhoon Haiyan unleashed the strongest winds ever recorded on land when it struck the country in 2013 just before climate change talks began in Warsaw.

More than 7,350 were left dead or missing, inspiring greater sympathy for the poor among the negotiators and prompting the Philippine envoy to the talks, Yeb Sano, to go on a tea and water fast for the duration of the negotiations.

Sano is expected to join Naidoo in his visit to the areas ravaged by Hagupit.

However activists observing the talks in Lima have said the pace of the negotiations was too slow and lacked a sense of urgency, with rich and poor countries disagreeing on what steps to take.

While Typhoon Hagupit is not as strong as Haiyan, it has brought new destruction to areas that are still struggling to recover from Haiyan’s fury.

Philippines’ 10 deadliest storms Manila, Philippines | AFP | Sunday 12/7/2014 – Typhoon Hagupit was on Sunday churning across the Philippines, the latest in a neverending series of often-deadly storms that plague the Southeast Asian archipelago.

With more than 7,100 islands, the country is hit by an average of 20 typhoons or tropical storms each year.

The storms are created above the warmer waters of the Pacific Ocean near the equator, and the Philippines’ islands are often the first major landmass they hit as they move northwest.

The following are the 10 deadliest typhoons on record in the Philippines*.

1. Super Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm ever recorded on land, destroys entire towns across the central Philippines on November 8, 2013. When the government stopped its count months later, more than 7,350 people were listed as dead or missing.

2. Tropical Storm Thelma unleashes flash floods on the central city of Ormoc on Leyte island on November 15, 1991, killing more than 5,100.

3. Typhoon Bopha smashes into the main southern island of Mindanao on December 3, 2012. Rarely hit by major storms, the unprepared region suffers about 1,900 people dead or missing.

4. Typhoon Ike hits the central Philippines on August 31, 1984, killing 1,363 people.

5. Typhoon Washi hits the northern part of Mindanao island on December 16, 2011, killing at least 1,080 people.

6. Floods and landslides unleashed by Typhoon Trix kill 995 people in the Bicol region of the main island of Luzon on October 16, 1952.

7. Typhoon Amy rakes across the central islands in December, 1951, with floods, landslides and a massive storm surge killing 991 people.

8. Typhoon Nina hits the eastern city of Legaspi on November 25, 1987, triggering giant storm surges and unleashing mudslides down Mayon volcano that claim 979 lives.

9. Typhoon Fengshen tracks an erratic and destructive path across the central islands and nearby areas from June 20, 2008, killing 938 people.

10. Typhoon Angela, with gusts of up to 260 kilometers an hour, causes carnage in Bicol and later Manila from November 2, 1995, killing 936 people.

Data is from government records and those compiled by David Padua, a meteorologist for weather forecasting website The Weather Philippines Foundation.

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Obama urges persistence in fighting US racism Washington, Etats-Unis | AFP | Monday 12/8/2014 – President Barack Obama said banishing racism in the United States can only happen incrementally, and urged young people to “be persistent” in fighting bias.

He was speaking as protests continue in cities across the United States, where thousands have gathered over the past two weeks to condemn a spate of killings of black suspects by white police.

“This isn’t going to be solved overnight, this is something that is deeply rooted in our society, it’s deeply rooted in our history,” Obama said in an interview with Black Entertainment Television to be aired Monday night.

He urged young people to press on in their fight against racism, and said patience was crucial.

“We have to be persistent, because typically

progress is in steps, it’s in increments,” he said.

“When you’re dealing with something as deeply rooted as racism, or bias, in any society, you’ve got to have vigilance but you have to recognize that it’s going to take some time.”

He said race relations had improved over the last 50 years, even though tensions persist.

“If you talk to parents, grandparents, uncles, they’ll tell you that things are better, not good in some cases, but better.”

A series of police killings of African American suspects in the United States has sparked widespread anger and ignited a national debate about race relations and police tactics.

In Ferguson, Missouri, and New York city, two separate grand juries decided not to indict white officers involved in the killing of black suspects, setting off a wave of demonstrations nationwide.

CIA torture brutal and ineffective: US Senate report

By Michael Mathes

Washington, United States | AFP | Monday 12/8/2014 - The CIA’s interrogation of Al-Qaeda suspects was far more brutal than acknowledged and did not produce useful intelligence, a damning and long-delayed US Senate report said Tuesday.

The Central Intelligence Agency also misled the White House and Congress with inaccurate claims about the program’s usefulness in thwarting attacks, the Senate Intelligence Committee said.

As the 500-page declassified summary of the committee’s report was released, President Barack Obama admitted that the CIA’s actions had been counterproductive and “contrary to our values.”

Current CIA director John Brennan defended his agency’s adoption of tough tactics under the president George W. Bush in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on US cities.

He insisted that, while mistakes were made, brutal techniques like waterboarding “did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans, capture terrorists and save lives.”

US embassies were on alert as committee chair Senator Dianne Feinstein pushed ahead with publication, despite Secretary of State John Kerry warning that it could provoke anger around the world.

The summary is the most extensive detailing of the CIA’s brutal interrogation of Al-Qaeda suspects yet, although Obama admitted in August that: “We tortured some folks.”

Feinstein told the Senate that at least 119 individuals were subjected to “coercive interrogation techniques, in some cases amounting to torture.”

The detainees were rounded up by US operatives beginning in 2001 after Al-Qaeda destroyed the World Trade Center in New York and damaged the Pentagon and through to 2009.

They were interrogated either at CIA-run secret prisons in allied nations or at the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Feinstein said some around the world “will try to use it to justify evil actions or incite more violence.”

“We can’t prevent that. But history will judge us by our commitment to a just society governed by law, and the willingness to face an ugly truth and say ‘never again’.”

While heavily redacted, the report is damning.

“The interrogations of CIA detainees were brutal and far worse than the CIA represented to policy-

makers and others,” it said.

The report—a review of more than six million pages of documents—concluded “the use of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques was not an effective means of obtaining accurate information or gaining detainee cooperation.”

Seven of the 39 detainees known to have been subjected to the enhanced interrogations “produced no intelligence while in CIA custody,” while others “provided significant accurate intelligence prior to, or without having been subjected to these techniques.”

The report noted that in many cases “there was no relationship” between cited counterterrorism successes and information obtained during the enhanced interrogation.

“In the remaining cases, the CIA inaccurately claimed that specific, otherwise unavailable information was acquired from a CIA detainee ‘as a result’ of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques.”

Since coming to office in 2009, Obama has sought to distance the United States from past deeds and outlawed harsh interrogation.

Declassified In April, Feinstein’s committee voted overwhelmingly to release the severely critical executive summary and 20 conclusions of the secret document.

But first the lawmakers had to negotiate with the White House on redactions – something Feinstein pledged to do.

The undertaking caused deep friction between the intelligence community and the lawmakers and Senate staffers.

“We’ve declassified as much of that report as we can,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday.

“The president believes that on principle it’s important to release that report so that people around the world and people here at home understand exactly what transpired.”

The State Department has put its missions around the world on watch, and asked them to review security arrangements ahead of the report’s release.

Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill supports the report’s release, calling it “a gut check moment for our democracy.”

Former Bush vice president Dick Cheney staunchly defended the interrogation program, telling The New York Times it was “absolutely, totally justified.”

Poorest countries ‘left behind’: Climate finance report Lima, Péru | AFP | Monday 12/8/2014 - Half of nearly $8 billion in climate finance given to the developing world since 2003 went to just ten countries, and nations most at risk got the short end of the stick, a report said Sunday.

The top recipients were Morocco, Mexico and Brazil, which each got more than $500 million (406 million euros) of the $7.6 billion total, according to an analysis of spending over the last decade in 135 countries.

The report of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), a UK think-tank, was released ahead of the second and final week of UN negotiations in Lima for a world pact to curb potentially disastrous global warming.

“Mexico and Brazil are among the top 10 emitters of greenhouse gases, and with Morocco, all have huge renewable energy potential,” said a statement.

However, many of the poorest countries were left behind.

“Conflict-affected and fragile states such as Ivory Coast and South Sudan, where it is generally difficult to spend finance, received less than $350,000 and $700,000 respectively,” said an ODI statement.

“Several middle income countries that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and have significant clean energy potential, such as Namibia, El Salvador and Guatemala, also received less than $5 million each.”

The aid from rich nations is meant to help poor and vulnerable countries adapt to climate change impacts and curb Earth-warming greenhouse gas emissions through a shift away from fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas.

Funding for adaptation rocketed from $3.8 million in 2003 to $2 billion this year, said the report.

“While not enough, the trends in spending are

positive,” it said.

“Poor countries such as Niger, Bangladesh and Nepal have received nearly $400 million over the last decade to help them cope with this growing threat.”

However, the ten most vulnerable nations, including Somalia, the Solomon Islands, Burundi, Niger and Eritrea, benefited from only seven percent of adaptation aid.

“Effective use of climate finance will help win the support of poor countries which have contributed the least to climate change but bear the brunt of its impacts,” report author Smita Nakhooda said.

Lives depend on it Finance is a sore point at the UN climate talks, with developing nations insisting that rich economies show how they intend to honor promises to muster up to $100 billion in climate finance per year from 2020.

To date, nearly $10 billion in startup capital had been promised for the Green Climate Fund, the main vehicle for channelling the money.

On Friday, a UN report said developing countries may need up to $500 billion per year by 2050 for adaptation alone.

“There is substantial scope to improve results and learn from experience” on climate financing, said the ODI statement.

Funds need to become less risk averse and more flexible when it comes to donor conditions and scrutiny.

“There are now too many small climate funding ‘pots’ with substantial overlap and finance is spread too thinly between them,” added Nakhooda.

“The lives of millions of people in poor countries affected by climate change depend on getting this right.”

PHL bishops push zero tolerance vs. human trafficking

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MANILA, Dec 9 (Mabuhay) – Philippine Catholic bishops this week sought “zero tolerance” against human trafficking as they warned a failure to fight modern slavery could undermine the Church, a news site reported.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas issued a pastoral letter to the effect, according to a report on the Union of Catholic Asian News. “(O)ne Filipino victim of human trafficking alone is one victim too many for us as a Christian nation,” it quoted Villegas as saying in his pastoral letter.

“Seeing how evil has spread and threatens to scatter the flock, we can only cry with the Good Shepherd, This cannot go on! It must stop,” he added.

He said no less than a joint effort from Church

and government is needed to get rid of the “evil of human trafficking.”

“This infamous network of crime is now well-established in our cities, and many people have blood on their hands as a result of their comfortable and silent complicity,” he said.

UCAN cited the 2014 Global Slavery Index, where the Philippines was among countries “making comparatively strong efforts with limited resources” in the campaign against human trafficking.

Last week, Manila auxiliary bishop Broderick Pabillo warned against human trafficking, especially involving survivors of super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

In this instance, Pabillo said traffickers offer housing and jobs to typhoon victims. “Some survivors resort to criminal deeds,” he said. (MNS)

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UTREACH Fil-Am RobVilleza appointed judge to Los Angeles Superior Court Los Angeles, CA - The Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) congratulates Assistant United States Attorney Rob Villeza on his appointment to the Los Angeles Superior Court. On November 12, 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown appointed Judge Villeza to a judgeship in the largest unified trial court in the United States.

Judge Villeza was the recipient of PABA’s Trailblazer of the Year Award in 2013. “Judge Villeza’s appointment is deeply significant to us,” said Hildy Aguinaldo, PABA President. “As a skillful and experienced lawyer committed to public service and justice, he represents the very best of our community. We are extremely pleased that Governor Brown appointed a well-qualified and ethical attorney to serve as a judicial officer in Los Angeles County, one of the most challenging, dynamic, and diverse communities in the nation, as well as the home of more than half a million Filipino Americans.”

Judge Villeza has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California for more than twenty years. A veteran federal prosecutor, he is currently the Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section, where he prosecutes and investigates drug trafficking and money laundering cases. As Deputy Chief, he also supervises and mentors numerous prosecutors, law students, and interns.

The trajectory of Judge Villeza’s path to the Superior Court bench exemplifies the American Dream.

His humble beginnings are both distinctly Filipino American and Californian. Raised by Filipino American parents in Echo Park, he was the first in his family to complete graduate school and to become a lawyer. Judge Villeza is a proud graduate of Southern California public schools: John Marshall High, Pasadena City College, CSU Los Angeles, and UCLA Law School. Before he became a prosecutor in 1991, he practiced

civil litigation for several years in both California and Hawaii at the law firms Graham & James LLP (now Squire Patton Boggs LLP) and Cades Schutte LLP. The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles (APABA) also applauds Judge Villeza’s appointment, which the organization strongly supported.

“Through APABA’s vetting process, we came to know Rob as a highly respected, intelligent, hard-working figure in the legal community, with the calm demeanor required for the bench,” stated Christina Yang, Co-Chair of APABA’s Public Appointments and Judicial Endorsements Committee.

PABA commends Governor Brown for appointing Judge Villeza to the Los Angeles Superior Court.

PABA serves the community of Filipino American lawyers and law students in Southern California. For more information about PABA, please visit www.pabala. org.

Covered California’s open-enrollment period gets off to a strong start as Holidays Approach Consumers can enroll at local events and storefronts It is clear that at the top of the holiday wish list this year for many Californians is having quality and affordable health coverage.

Covered California, the state agency charged with administering the Affordable Care Act in California, announced that nearly 70,000 consumers submitted applications for health coverage, including Medi-Cal, during the first four days of the 2015 open-enrollment period that began Nov. 15.

That’s on top of the 1.2 million who are already enrolled in Covered California health insurance plans and are now in the process of renewing their coverage.

“We had a strong start when we opened Saturday, Nov. 15, and we are continuing to see tremendous interest from people seeking security for themselves and their families in both Covered California plans and Medi-Cal coverage,” Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said.

As of Nov. 18, nearly 36,000 new consumers had been determined eligible for coverage through Covered California, and more than 11,000 of them picked a plan. By comparison, at the beginning of the historic first open enrollment in October 2013, it took 15

days to reach about the same number of people selecting a health plan.

“There still is a lot of work to do, though, and we are committed to making sure every Californian gets the health care coverage they want and deserve,” Lee said.

In Los Angeles County, about 844,000 people remain uninsured and are eligible for Covered California or for Medi-Cal. Covered California’s open enrollment runs from Nov. 15 through Feb. 15. Consumers must enroll by Dec. 15 to have coverage beginning Jan. 1.

Enrollment can be done online at www.CoveredCA.com, in person or by phone with the help of a Service Center representative. Lee said most people choose to enroll in person so that their questions can be answered right away, and the assistance is free and confidential.

“We know this open-enrollment period will be more challenging in some ways,” said Lee. “Consumers will only have three months to enroll, compared with the six months that they had last time.

This is complicated by our knowledge that many who are uninsured have adapted to a culture of coping and have become accustomed to living without health insurance.”

Covered California and a bus full

of supporters recently spent nine days traveling across California, making several stops in the Los Angeles area and many other cities to spread the word. Adding another personal touch, Covered California is sponsoring its second annual holiday “Give the Gift of Health” campaign, which encourages friends and family members to spread the word about affordable, quality health coverage.

“If you or someone you know doesn’t have health insurance right now, this is the opportunity to get the security and peace of mind that comes with coverage,” Lee said.

“You will need to enroll by Dec. 15 in order for your health insurance coverage to start on Jan. 1, so the time to get covered is now.”

Below please see Covered California enrollment events happening in the Los Angeles area soon. In addition, storefront locations are listed below, which will provide regular enrollment assistance for consumers on weekends and after normal business hours at various locations.

A full calendar of local enrollment events and statewide storefront locations, as well as other information about in-person assistance, can be viewed on Covered California’s website at www.CoveredCA.com/ get-help/local/.

Microsoft says private data ‘at risk’ in court case New York, Etats-Unis | AFP | Monday 12/8/2014 - Microsoft argued Monday in a court brief that an order requiring it to give US prosecutors data stored in Ireland could “put all of our private digital information at risk.”

The brief with the US Court of Appeals in New York comes with prosecutors seeking customer emails in a narcotics probe, with the data stored in Microsoft servers in Ireland.

A lower court ruled that the US tech giant must hand over data sought in the probe, dismissing Microsoft’s claims of “extraterritorial” authority.

Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said the case could set a dangerous precedent, and invite other countries to take similar actions.

“The filing begins by imagining how the US government might react if the shoe were on the other foot,” Smith said in a blog post.

“For example, how would the Unites States react if a foreign government attempted to sidestep international law by demanding that a foreign company with offices in the United States produce the personal communications of an American journalist?” Smith said that if the US prevails, “how can it complain if foreign agents require tech companies to download emails stored in the US? This is a question the Department of Justice hasn’t yet addressed, much less answered.”

In the court brief, Microsoft said, “The power to embark on unilateral law enforcement incursions into a foreign sovereign country – directly

or indirectly – has profound foreign policy consequences. Worse still, it threatens the privacy of US citizens.”

A ruling requiring Microsoft to turn over the data “would put all of our private digital information at risk, not just emails, but everything else we store on remote computers collectively called ‘the cloud’ – a veritable ‘cache of sensitive personal information’ saturated with the highest constitutional privacy rights.”

Microsoft had argued that the court order was invalid. But prosecutors contended that it must comply with the order and US Magistrate Judge James Francis ruled in April that “it has long been the law that a subpoena requires the recipient to produce information in its possession... regardless of the location of that information.”

Silicon Valley clears out homeless ‘Jungle’ camp

By Josh Edelson

San José, Etats-Unis | AFP | Thursday 12/4/2014 – Authorities began dismantling a notorious homeless camp Thursday known as “The Jungle” in the heart of California’s affluent Silicon Valley, where skyrocketing rents have forced hundreds onto the streets. Municipal workers in white overalls and face masks moved into the camp along a creek in San Jose where some 300 people live in tents and other makeshift lodging.

“It is a disgrace,” said housing advocate Sandy Perry, adding: “It’s an example of the total failure of our city’s housing policy as well as our state and our nation.”

“It’s like a big family,” Yolan-

da Gutierrez, a former resident, told AFP. “We all looked out for each other, especially the females that are single. We all had our own little group that we would check up on each other.

“But unfortunately what they just did to us today it’s like they split the family apart.”

The encampment, only a few minutes away from San Jose’s downtown district, is home to people forced out of an overheating rental market as lucrative tech companies moved in recent years.

“We have been rehousing for the last 18 months,” San Jose city spokesman David Vossbrink told AFP, saying they had found places for some 140 people in shelters, with some in hotels and

motels.

About 60 others had received offers of rent subsidies but have not yet found somewhere to live, he added.

‘Run-away people’ The operation to close down the camp will last two or three weeks and will include putting up a reinforced fence to prevent anyone coming back and settling in again. But the spokesman admitted that those forced to leave the “Jungle” could not all expect to be housed by the city, which has budgeted nearly $10 million over three years for the homeless. San Jose is partly counting on a refuge set to open for the winter to house 200 of Santa Clara County’s estimated 5,0007,000 homeless, he said.

Villeza

Fed report shows optimism about US economic outlook

By Veronica SMITH

Washington, United States | AFP | Wednesday 12/3/2014 – The US economy continued growing in October and November amid widespread optimism that the world’s biggest engine would stay on track, according to a Federal Reserve report released Wednesday.

The Fed’s Beige Book, a collection of anecdotal information on current economic conditions, said that “a number” of the central bank’s 12 districts reported contacts “remained optimistic about the outlook for future economic activity.”

For the first time in more than a year, the Fed dropped its “modest” and moderate” descriptions of overall growth, saying simply that reports suggest “that national economic activity continued to expand” in the last two months.

The details of the report were encouraging, with contacts in 11 of the districts described as “optimistic” about their sector and the economy’s direction in general.

Notably absent from the upbeat category was the huge San Francisco Fed district, which includes California and eight other western states, where the economy was said to be “improving moderately.”

The Beige Book report said that employment gains, the primary object of the Fed’s easy-money policy, were “widespread” while overall price and wage inflation remained “subdued.”

Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of US output, “continued to advance” in most districts, said the report.

Some contacts said lower gasoline prices, the result of an oil market slump, had helped to boost spending.

Vehicle sales were particularly strong in the Atlanta, Chicago, Richmond and San Francisco districts, while cheaper gasoline spurred sales of sport utility vehicles and trucks in the Chicago, Cleveland and Philadelphia districts.

The latest Beige Book covers information collected on or before November 24. It will inform discussions at the Federal Open Market Committee’s last monetary policy meeting of the year, on December 16 and 17.

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KIDNAPPERS From page 1

up with him as he was running away and there was a scuffle over his machete,” spokeswoman Captain Rowena Muyuela said.

“Vinciguerra was slashed on the cheek but he stabbed the other man in the head... then the bandits shot at him but he got away.”

A Dutch man who was abducted with Vinciguerra, Ewold Horn, was unable to

HAGUPIT From page 1

that have killed thousands, there was widespread relief that Hagupit had not claimed more lives.

The storm crossed over many farming and fishing communities yet to recover from Super Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm ever recorded on land, which killed more than 7,350 people in November last year. One important factor in fewer lives being lost this time was that Hagupit steadily weakened as it travelled west across the central Philippines.

By the time it brushed Manila, the capital of 12 million people, on Monday night, it had been downgraded to a tropical storm and led to only a fraction of previously fore-

CYCLONE

THE US ASIAN POST

run away because he was too frail and is believed to still be a captive, Muyuela said.

Local military commander Colonel Alan Arrojado said his troops, acting on a tip, had been able to track the gunmen on Jolo island, a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) south of Manila.

“It was in the jungle, in the darkness. I sent a message to the Scout Rangers that they should not shoot randomly. Sure enough, we encountered them,” Arrojado told AFP. cast torrential rain.

When it exited into the South China Sea on Tuesday morning, Hagupit was officially a tropical depression with sustained winds of just 60 kilometres an hour. President Benigno Aquino spearheaded what the United Nations said was one of the biggest peacetime evacuation efforts ever.

Nearly 1.7 million people sheltered in evacuation centres as Hagupit passed their areas, according to government figures, and aid agencies hailed the strategy as a template for coping with future disasters.

“One of the lessons (from Haiyan) was to evacuate before the storm hits, evacuate if you live near the sea, evacuate if you live near trees whose branches might fall on you. That lesson was learnt,” Philippine Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon said.

Every year, some 20 super storms or typhoons hit the Philippines, of the 80 or so that develop above tropical waters annually.

Cyclones are formed from simple thunderstorms at certain times of the year when the sea temperature is more than 26 degrees Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) down to a depth of 60 meters (200 feet).

Sucking up vast quantities of water, they often produce torrential rains and flooding resulting in major loss of life and property damage.

They also trigger large swells that move

faster than the cyclone and are sometimes spotted up to 1,000 kilometres ahead of the powerful storm. The sea level can rise several meters.

These powerful weather formations can measure between 500 and 1,000 kilometers in diameter and have a relatively calm “eye” at the centre.

They weaken rapidly when they travel over land or colder ocean waters.

Cyclones are closely monitored by satellites, and specialized centers around the world – in Miami, Tokyo, Honolulu and New Delhi – track the super storms’ trajectories under the coordination of the World Meteorological Organisation.

ARBITRATION

ing areas close to the coastlines of other nations.

From page 1

From page 1

“By initiating compulsory arbitration at this moment, the Philippines is running counter to the common wish and joint efforts of China and ASEAN member states,” the government said in a lengthy position paper.

“Its underlying goal is not... to seek peaceful settlement of the South China Sea issue, but rather, by resorting to arbitration, to put political pressure on China,” said the paper published by the official Xinhua news agency.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea – which is home to crucial shipping lanes, vast fishing areas and potentially valuable mineral resources – includ-

FORMER MAID From page 1

domestic workers abroad from 2017.

Pictures of Sulistyaningsih, who was admitted to a hospital in Indonesia in January emaciated and in a critical condition, sparked widespread anger in her home country and even drew comment from the president.

But on Monday the 23-year-old remained calm as she described in graphic detail her alleged abuse, including one incident where she was stripped naked, sprayed with water and made to stand in front of a fan in the middle of winter.

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Beauty tutorials: Holidayseason make-up (AFP/Relaxnews) - We picked three hot seasonal trends for our selection of holiday beauty tutorials. We hope they’ll inspire you this Yuletide.

Silver and green - youtu.be/NM4OuW90Q0 This look from Amanda Ensing mixes a glossy pink lip with smoky silver and green eyes. We think it’ll go perfectly with a metallic or monochrome outfit this Christmas, but perhaps it’s best to avoid reds for risk of looking a bit too much like one of Santa’s elves...

Red lips & brown eyes - youtu. be/nWmlZfKaomg Australian beauty blogger

Katerina Williams created this very classic makeup look that features a stunning hot red lip (as dark and festive as mullled wine) and soft brown eyes. Try pairing it with a classic black cocktail dress and wear your hair up or down as you please.

Copper eyes & nude lips - youtu.be/0rMkivN7Kls ‘Nude’ makeup has been a huge beauty trend for 2014.

That’s why we were happy to see that blogger Lily Melrose had put together a cool girl way to pair nude lips with a slightly more seasonal copper eye. We think it’s the perfect fashion forward choice.

Easing up on email could reduce stress, according to a new study. ©michaeljung/shutterstock.com

Fewer email checks keep stress in check: new study

Fewer email checks keep stress in check: study (Relaxnews) – If you’re feeling stressed, put down the mouse and don’t click “Inbox.” It’s the lesson to be learned from a new study that says easing up on email surveillance can reduce physiological stress.

A group of 124 adults, including students, financial analysts and medical professionals, participated in the two-week study in which they answered daily questionnaires about their stress levels.

One group was instructed to limit email checking to three times per day for a week and an-

other was given the green light to check email as often as they could during that week.

One week later, the groups switched.

“Our findings showed that people felt less stressed when they checked their email less often,” says Kostadin Kushlev, the study’s lead author and a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Psychology.

Another finding uncovered by the study is that stepping back from email isn’t easy, for Kushlev reports that most participants encountered difficulties with the intervention.

“This is what makes our obvious-in-hindsight findings so striking,” says Kushlev. “People find it difficult to resist the temptation of checking email, and yet resisting this temptation reduces their stress.”

Kushlev says his personal struggles with email inspired his study.

“I now check my email in chunks several times a day, rather than constantly responding to messages as they come in,” he says. “And I feel better and less stressed.”

The study was published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.

Screenshot: Katerina Beauty Blog - “Red Lips & Brown Eyes Makeup Tutorial.” ©YouTube - Easy Holiday Glam | Red Lips & Brown Eyes Makeup Tutorial

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PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

PRAYER to the BLESSED VIRGIN

Holy Spirit Thou who make me see everything and show me the way to reach

(Never known to fail)

my ideal, You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that

Oh most beautiful Àower of Mt. Carmel, fruit wine splendor of Heaven.Blessed

is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank You for everything and con¿rm once more that I never want to be separated from You no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with You and my loved ones in Your perpetual glory. Amen. A

Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea. Help me and show me here you are my Mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for

person must pray this for three consecutive days without stating his wish. After

us who have recourse to Thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your

the 3rd day the wish will be granted, no matter how dif¿cult it may be. Promise

hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and then you must

to publish this as soon as your favor has been granted. Grateful Thanks -LUDIA

publish and it will be granted to you.Grateful Thanks.-P.R

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MOTORING New cars to get emergency call system as standard by 2018 From 2018 all new cars sold in Europe will have to be able to automatically call emergency services in case of an accident.

The European Commission’s ‘eCall’ initiative was first proposed in 2012 as a way of improving response times to car accidents, especially in rural areas. In the event of a serious incident where occupants are unable to move or speak, the car’s on-board system would automatically alert police or ambulance crews with information regarding the car’s make, its fuel type, the time of the accident, and the vehicle’s current location.

EU studies concluded that mandatory implementation of the technology would cut response times by 50 percent in the countryside and by as much as 40 percent in built-up, urban areas, saving hundreds of lives and reducing the severity of thousands of injuries in the process.

Despite its life-saving potential, the initiative had stalled with disagreements and concerns about implementation, the infrastructure required to support the service, and more recently privacy issues.

However, on Thursday a final agree-

ment between the European Parliament and the European Union’s member states was reached. And, subject to a final vote in March 2015, the eCall feature will become mandatory on all new cars sold within the EU from March 31, 2018.

Of the announcement, Antonio Avenosos, the Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council, said: “Getting emergency services to the scene of a crash quickly is crucial to preventing deaths. So this technology will save lives. However, it’s regrettable that it will be several years before we see all new cars fitted with the system and that other vehicles aren’t covered by the legislation yet. These are missed opportunities to extend the safety benefits further, with little or no justification.”

Although the new feature will not become compulsory for a further three and a half years, most major motor manufacturers have already started offering the eCall feature on their latest cars. For example, Ford has been offering a version of the service, called Sync Emergency Assistance, on its European models since 2012.

In September this year at the 10th annual International Motorcycle Conference in Köln, Germany, the continent’s leading motorcycle manufacturers also voluntarily committed to examining the feasibility of integrating the eCall system into their future models. If the studies prove successful, the first eCall-enabled bikes could be on sale by the end of eCall will cut response times to accidents and could save hundreds of lives the decade. across Europe. ©Rihardzz/shutterstock.com

The automobile is the preferred mode of urban transport in each of the 28 EU member states. ©Kichigin/Shutterstock.com

Private cars trump public transport in EU: study (BRUSSELS-AFP) – More than half of Europeans use their cars to travel daily in cities across the 28-member EU while less than one-fifth of them use public transport, a study revealed Monday.

An average of 54 percent of people surveyed chose their cars on a typical day, compared to 19 percent who use buses, trams or subway trains, according to a survey conducted for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm.

The study was published on a day when a strike against the

austerity policies of the new Belgian government paralysed public transport in Brussels, the headquarters of the European Union.

The automobile is the preferred mode of urban transport in each of the 28 member states, even in the Netherlands, where 36 percent use their bicycles and 45 percent drive their cars, it said.

Car and bicycle users across the EU cited both convenience and speed as the main reasons for their choice of transport.

Respondents who used a car, motorcycle or moped said they

would be encouraged to use public transport more often if it offered frequent service, better coverage and cheaper or seasonal ticket options.

Those who used public transport cited convenience, price and available facilities for their choice.

Across the EU on a typical day, an additional 14 percent walked, eight percent used bicycles, two percent travelled by motorbike or moped and two percent by train.

Some 27,800 people in the 28 member states were interviewed from 11-20 October for the survey.

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LOS ANGELES

ENTERT Sarah G on Lea’s outburst: ‘She has all the right’ Sarah Geronimo shares the frustration of her fellow “The Voice of the Philippines” coach Lea Salonga over circulating spoilers of the upcoming leg of the competition.

The 26-year-old pop star said that, like Salonga, she is dismayed with the deliberate leak of the results of the Battle Rounds, which was taped weeks in advance and will only start airing on Saturday.

In this part of the competition, artists from the same team sing-off to impress their coach in a bid to advance to the Knockout Rounds, and then to the Live Shows.

Each of the teams led

by Salonga, Geronimo, Bamboo and apl.de.ap will field artists this Sarah Geronimo weekend. sino ‘yung mananalo na artist, Geronimo said: “Hindi ko kung sino ‘yung mapapabilang nga alam kung ano’ng magig- sa final six namin.” ing solusyon diyan, eh... Na“At siyempre, ‘yung journey kakalungkot naman na may mismo ng artist, gusto namin spoilers na gano’n, pero sana ma- makita mismo sa television, hincontain ng management.” di sa... Iyon lang talaga ang disOn its official pages, “The advantages ng technology ngayVoice of the Philippines” ear- on. Marami na talagang piracy, lier warned its followers against spoilers.” posting spoilers, saying anyone Asked for her reaction to Sawho leaks results of the compe- longa’s outburst on Twitter, tition “will be blocked/banned Geronimo backed her fellow from our Twitter account and coach, noting that taping for the Facebook page.” canned episodes of “The Voice of Based on Salonga’s tweets the Philippines” took long nights early this week, an audience and hard work. member during the taping of the “Si Ms. Lea kasi is very outBattle Rounds was responsible spoken. Talagang sasabihin niya for the leaks. talaga kung ano ‘yung sasabihin “Siyempre po, nakaka disap- niyang tama, and she has all the point,” Geronimo said, “kasi as right naman, ‘di ba. Coach siya much as possible, we would like atsaka pinagpaguran namin the confidentiality atsaka ‘yung ‘yan lahat, ng mga artists, ‘di thrill ba, ‘yung excitement kung ba,” she said. (MNS)

THE US ASIAN POST

INMENT

Dingdong-Marian altar date all set The suit, the shoes, even the stag parties have been taken care of.

Groom-to-be Dingdong Dantes is all set to exchange “I do’s” with fiancée Marian Rivera at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cubao on December 30.

During the night of fun and games, a sort of stag party with the press thrown for him by GMA, the network’s acknowledged primetime king revealed he does not feel any pre-wedding jitters at all.

“No jitters, more of excitement,” he said, “’Pag malapit na, I’m sure kakabahan na, [pero] sa ngayon I’m happy to have a very efficient team behind me.

[They] make things easy for us. Pero siyempre obligasyon naming mag provide ng tamang detalye. May konting delays, pero ‘yun ang masaya, ‘yung paghahabol.”

The past couple of weeks, the engaged couple have been juggling their showbiz duties and preparing for their upcoming nuptials. Dingdong is finishing “Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2,” while Marian is shooting “My Big Bossing,” both entries in the coming Metro Manila Film Festival that opens five days before their wedding date. They have not neglected tradition though, and have personally gone

to each of their intended wedding sponsors.

“We feel humbled at masaya kami na tinanggap nila ang aming imbitasyon kasi sinigurado namin na personal naming pupuntahan isa isa ang gusto naming gagabay sa aming married life,” he said.

“Like what I said, everything about this wedding is very personal. Pati pag imbita at pati pag-oo [ng mga ninong at ninang], gusto naming personal namin ma witness.”

The wedding entourage is almost complete. Best an is Dingdong’s younger brother Angelo, and among the bridesmaids are host Luane Dy and actress Ai Ai de las Alas, while maids of honor are Roxee Barcelo and Ina Feleo.

The traje de boda will be a Michael Cinco creation, while the groom’s suit will be by his good friend, Randy Ortiz.

The shoes were already selected even before the engagement. Marian’s will be by famed designer Christian Louboutin, bought two years ago in Macau. For Dingdong, he’ll wear a pair given to him by a ninong a year ago.

There have been several bridal showers, beginning with the Disneyland trip where Marian had not only her friends with her, but also mother and lola.

Vina recalls ‘passionate’ kissing scene with Robin Actress-singer Vina Morales on Friday recalled her “passionate” kissing scene with action star Robin Padilla for the epic film “Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo.”

Morales said the kiss was part of a wedding scene in the movie.

“We do have a very passionate kissing scene in the movie. Kasi kailangan because it’s our wedding,” she said.

“Actually, honestly ilang take tayo noon, take 18.

Pero hindi naman the whole time na puro kissing scenes ‘yung take 18 na ‘yun. Kasi nagkakamali ‘yung priest namin, palagi siyang nagba-buckle so kapag magkalapit na ‘yung mukha namin, ayan na naman, cut kasi nagkakamali si, ‘yung pari. Natatawa [din ako], so that’s one of the reasons kaya umabot kami ng take 18.”

Morales admitted that she also felt nervous kissing Padilla, who was her first love, for the scene.

“I was really nervous kasi ang tagal na. Para bang, ‘Oh my God, is this really happening?’ At saka napakaganda ng eksena namin, it was in the church,” she said.

“Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo” is Morales’ onscreen reunion with Padilla.

The movie, directed by Enzo Williams, is an offi-

Vina Morales

cial entry to this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival.

(MNS)

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KITCHENOMICS Chili with Pepato Cheese Recipe created by Dirk Yeaton on murphygoodewinery.com Servings: 10–12 6 dried chili pods, seeds and stems removed Salt and pepper, to taste 1 1/2 pounds top round cut into cubes 1 1/2 pounds chuck steak cut into cubes 1 cup vegetable oil 1 medium onion, chopped 3 small cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 ounces chili powder 1 tablespoon paprika 3 tablespoons cumin 2 tablespoons oregano steeped in 1 cup of red wine 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder 2 cups beef broth 10 ounces stewed tomatoes 1/2 cup grated Pepato cheese Toast dried chilies over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain out chilies to cool, then chop and reserve.

Season meat liberally with salt. Heat oil over high heat in large, heavy bottom pot until it begins to smoke. Carefully place beef into pan and brown on all sides until moisture cooks out and light brown film forms on bottom of pan.

Reduce heat to medium.

Drain meat of oil and fat.

Add onions and garlic, cooking until soft. Add chili powder, paprika and cumin. Cook until fragrant. Add reserved chopped chilies and rest of ingredients (except for cheese) and stir well with wooden spoon, scraping browned bits off bottom of pot.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, occasionally stirring.

To serve, place in bowl and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

FAMILY FEATURES

W

inter is a great time to experiment Perfect Winter Pairings with new culinary creations that  Matanzas Creek Merlot and incorporate the bold flavors of Beef Bourguignon wine for delicious results. Nothing Bring out the rich and savory pleases the senses quite like a comfort food dish flavors of this classic French on a chilly evening. If you’re planning a menu stew with the notes of dried for just you and your mate, a small group of blueberries and cranberries, close friends or a full-blown dinner party, stock bittersweet chocolate and up on great wine selections to complete the menu. black cardamom in Matanzas Smoky Chili and Creek Merlot.

Murphy-Goode Homefront Red  Freemark Abbey Napa Just as a robust chili calls for a blend of signature Valley Cabernet and ingredients, so does the perfect wine to complePot Roast ment it. The smoky flavors of seasoned steak Serve up this braised cubes and dried chili pods will please the palate beef favorite alongside when united with Murphy-Goode Homefront Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Red — a blend of syrah, merlot, petite sirah Cabernet, with its aromas of and zinfandel. This wine is comfort food friendly dark cherry, ripe plum and and fruit forward, chock full of flavors of black black currant. cherry and raspberry, vanilla and toast. Plus, for every bottle sold, the winery donates fifty cents  Edmeades Zinfandel to Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit and Meatloaf that provides assistance to service members and Each meaty bite tastes even their families. more comforting than the last when paired with the Classic Roast Chicken and lush texture and notes of La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay toasted oak, vanilla and Fresh oregano, fragrant garlic and buttery cherry cola in Edmeades Castelvetrano olives star in this traditional Zinfandel. chicken dish which pairs wonderfully with vibrant La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Just as in the Burgundy region of France, these vineyards offer an unusually long, cool growing season, so grapes develop complex flavors. The Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is beautifully aromatic, with an intriguing interplay of lively citrus and subtle toasted oak, laced with just a kiss of butterscotch.

Toasted S’mores and Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Pinot Noir Take the traditional fireside treat to a new, gooey level with homemade, wine-infused marshmallows served with a glass of Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Pinot Noir. Handcrafted from the top seven percent of all the winery’s lots, with 70 percent sourced from the same vineyard blocks year-to-year, it ensures greater consistency and enhanced complexity with each vintage.

Please your sweet tooth and palate with this pinot noir, with lively berry pie notes defined in wild strawberry and black cherry, with hints of vanilla and earthy aromas.

Pinot Noir Marshmallows

Chicken Thighs with Potato, Lemon & Castelvetrano Olives Recipe created by Tracey Shepos on lacrema.com Servings: 4 Preheat oven to 350°F. In food processor, combine oregano, garlic, lemon 8 sprigs oregano, leaves picked zest, cumin and 2 tablespoons oil. Process until chopped.

(1/2 cup packed) Place mixture in large bowl and toss with chicken thighs.

5 cloves garlic In 10-inch cast iron pan, layer 1 tablespoon oil and 2 lemons, one zested and one cut top with potatoes and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt. into eight wedges Place chicken thighs on top and sprinkle again with 2 teaspoons cumin 2 teaspoons salt. Scatter lemon wedges in between 3 tablespoons olive oil chicken thighs.

8 chicken thighs (1 1/2 pounds), Place pan over medium heat, cook for 5 minutes bone in, skin on or until edges start to brown. Immediately place pan on 2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and top rack in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Adjust oven cut into 1/2-inch circles temperature to 400°F and cook for another 25 minutes 4 teaspoons kosher salt or until chicken is browned and internal temperature 1 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted reaches 160°F. Scatter olives on top and serve. and drained

Recipe created by Molly Yeh on mynameisyeh. com Servings: 16 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/4 cup Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Pinot Noir 1/2 cup water 2 packets unflavored gelatin powder 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 pinch salt In small bowl, combine powdered sugar and cornstarch. Grease two loaf pans or one 8- or 9-inch square pan and dust bottom and sides with half of powdered sugar mixture.

Pour out any excess mixture back into bowl.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine pinot noir and 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid. Grease rubber spatula and have standing by mixer, as well as prepared pan(s).

In small saucepan, combine remaining 1/4 cup of water, sugar, corn syrup and salt.

Clip on candy thermometer. Heat mixture over medium heat until it reaches 240°F.

Resist urge to crank heat level higher, otherwise it could heat up too fast. (If takes a while to heat up to those last few degrees, you can inch heat level up to medium high, keeping a close eye on thermometer.)

Turn mixer on low and drizzle sugar mixture in slow and steady stream down side of bowl. Once entire mixture is in, increase speed to high and let it mix for 10–12 minutes, until lukewarm and fluffy.

Using greased spatula, immediately scrape mixture into pans and spread out evenly as possible. Dust tops with remaining powdered sugar mixture and (if needed) use hands to flatten mixture out completely. Let set for hour, cut into squares and dust edges of squares with remaining powdered sugar mixture.

12

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Int’laidpoursinforcommunitiesaffectedbyTyphoonRuby MANILA, Dec 8 (Mabuhay) – International humanitarian aid is pouring in for communities affected by Typhoon Ruby as the Philippine government determines the scale of damage from the storm, which is now headed towards Central Luzon.

Several casualties have been reported in the Visayas, where Ruby first made landfall on Saturday, but Philippine authorities have yet to provide an official tally of fatalities and injured.

The Australian government on Monday said it is providing 800 metric tons of rice to support families affected by the typhoon also known by its international name, Hagupit.

Australia said it will be delivered through its pre-positioned supplies with the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP).

In addition, Australia has deployed officials to the affected areas to make further assessments of the damage and to coordinate any further Australian consular and humanitarian assistance.

“Australia extends its sympathies and support to the people of Philippines affected by Typhoon Hagupit,” Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddel said.

Ruby came only 12 months after Typhoon Yolanda made a deadly sweep across Central Philippines, killing more than 7,000 people. Yolanda, also known as Haiyan, is the strongest recorded storm in history.

“Australia is a good friend of the Philippines and stands ready to help as required,” Tweddell said. “Australia is working closely with the Philippine government and international partners to obtain more information on the impact of the typhoon as it makes its way across the archipelago.

The World Food Program, for its part, is providing transportation and food supplies to support the Philippine government’s humanitarian response.

“We are working flat-out to support the Government in this response,” said Praveen Agrawal, WFP Philippines Country Director. “Food, trucks or satphones – we will provide whatever is needed to help the people of the Philippines as this situation unfolds.”

Supplies are being readied for deployment to Eastern Visayas and Bicol regions to rapidly assist in the immediate aftermath of the calamity, Agrawal said.

The aid agency, he said, has its own food stocks in the country if government supplies need to be supplemented. WFP, he said, currently has available more than 260 metric tons of high energy biscuits, almost 4,000 MT of rice, and over 130 MT of

ready-to-use supplementary food.

These food stocks could provide assistance to about 1.8 million people for a twoweek period, Agrawal said.

Stocks have been strategically stored in Manila, Cebu, and Cotabato, and staff have been deployed to set up a base in Tacloban.

Logistics equipment has also been put in place ahead of time in the potential operational areas.

The United States, on the other hand, said it is closely coordinating with Philippine officials and stands ready to provide assistance at their request and under their guidance.

Assessment teams from both the USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and the US military are available to augment the US embassy in Manila’s capabilities monitoring the storm’s impact and coordinating delivery of emergency assistance with government agencies and humanitarian organizations on the ground.

Canada also said it is prepared to support relief efforts and provide humanitarian assistance as required.Its embassy in Manila said the Canadian government has relief supplies ready to be deployed, while the Canadian Armed Forces are pre-deploying assets toward the region to facilitate an expeditious response if necessary.

An inter-departmental Canadian strategic support team, the embassy said, is also readying for rapid deployment to the Philippines.

“The team’s mandate will be to undertake rapid assessment of the typhoon’s impact and make early recommendations on how Canada can support those in need and help the government of the Philippines to address the immediate impacts of the disaster,” it said.

Canadian officials, the embassy said, are in touch with Philippine authorities as it monitors the impact of the typhoon.

The death toll from a giant storm crossing the Philippines rose to 27 on Tuesday, the Red Cross said, but there was widespread relief after it brushed the capital without causing major damage.

Most of the people killed were on the far eastern island of Samar, where Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) initially made landfall as a typhoon on the weekend with winds of 210 kilometers (130 miles) an hour.

Ruby then weakened into a tropical storm while moving slowly west, passing close to the capital Manila on Monday night and Tuesday morning without dumping forecast heavy rain. Ruby has since weakened further into a tropical depression.

Destroyed houses and trees with a slogan calling for help are seen along a road in the village of Mantang in Taft, Eastern Samar on Monday. Millions of people were affected, with at least 21 people killed, as the typhoon barreled across central Philippines towards the capital Manila. (MNS photo)

Central America’s new coffee buzz: renewable energy

By Katell Abiven

Matagalpa, Nicaragua | AFP | Friday 12/5/2014 – That morning cup of coffee gives many of us a needed boost, but Central American coffee farmers have found a new source of energy in their beans: turning agricultural wastewater into biogas.

An often-overlooked byproduct of the world’s favorite stimulant, the water used to process raw coffee beans is usually dumped back into the environment untreated.

In Central America, locals call it “honey water” because of its sweet taste and yellowish color.

Extremely polluting, it is high in methane gas—a leading contributor to global warming produced, in this case, by the fermentation of the coffee tree’s berries.

Across Nicaragua, the 1.3 million sacks of coffee produced annually generate pollution equivalent to about 20,000 cars.

Now a pilot project at 19 farms in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras is treating that water, separating out the methane and using it to fuel electric generators.

“Look how high that flame is,” said Sarahi Pastran as she cooked bananas in her kitchen at the La Hermandad coffee coop-

erative in San Ramon de Matagalpa in Nicaragua.

Her stove was connected to a pipe that ran across her lush yard and connected to a biogas generator fueled by coffee byproducts that used to pollute local rivers.

The project was launched in 2010 by Dutch sustainable farming group UTZ Certified, seeking to use less water in coffee growing and use it more creatively.

“It used to cause a lot of pollution... and it smelled,” said Francisco Blandon of the wastewater that his family farm used to produce.

“A lot of families live by the river. They bathe there, wash their laundry. It gave them rashes and intestinal parasites when they drank it,” said Blandon, 39, as two of his four children ran around barefoot on the dirt floor of their house about an hour north of San Ramon.

‘Hit the jackpot’ Blandon said he was skeptical when a team of extension workers first tried to sign him up for the project in 2010.

“But they were so insistent.... Less than a month later, it was up and running,” he said.