US Asian Post November 25, 2015

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Foreigners in anti-APEC rallies on watchlist: PNP MANILA, Nov 21 (Mabuhay) – No foreigners were arrested at protest rallies during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila, but authorities said they will forward to the Bureau of Immigration all inflammation they have gathered about foreigners who joined militants in the streets.

At a press briefing on Friday, Philippine National Police spokesman Wilben Mayor said the BI will deal with these foreigners who possibly “violated our domestic laws.”

“Those things were coordinated with the BI. Kasi nga ang approach natin diyan is rather than to create tension on that particular situation is we let them express their sympathies,” he said.

“Mas maganda na ‘yung after na lang ... and the Bureau of Immigration will deal with them accordingly,” he added.

Also, he said that cops who were hurt during scuffles at the rallies will definitely pursue cases against

the protesters.

“Yes because ang pulis when they are performing their duties they’re ... actually representing the state and when you hit a policeman you’re doing it against the state,” he said.

Mayor also said they will make sure that the suspects who hurt the cops will undergo due process.

“Dadaan din tayo sa proseso niyan because ang pagpa-file kasi [ng kaso] is one, identification of perpetrators and considering the situation ng mga ganyan is there is a team that will be in charge of doing that,” he said.

“The challenge is the identity of the perpetrators. Everything on our side is we go to the process,” he added.

Earlier, the PNP said that the country’s hosting of the APEC summit was generally peaceful even with the attempts of militant groups to hold protest actions near the APEC venues. (MNS)

US President Barack Obama waves back to the crowd before boarding Air Force One on Friday on route to Kuala Lumpur where he will be attending the ASEAN Summit. Obama ended his four-day visit to the country where he joined other leaders for the APEC meeting.(MNS photo)

Chiz: PHL still left to deal with Canada’s trash

Protesters burn an effigy of President Aquino on a backhoe, during a protest action at the Mendiola Peace Arch on Monday, the 6th commemoration of the Maguindanao massacre. The protesters criticized the government for its inaction and demanded justice for the 58 who were killed, including 32 media practitioners.(MNS photo)

PHL extends sympathy to family of Malaysian beheaded by Abu Sayyaf KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III has directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to further intensify operations against the Abu Sayyaf Group and other terror threat elements following the beheading of a Malaysian hostage.

Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma also said the Philippines extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to the bereaved family of victim Bernard Than, and stands in solidarity with Malaysia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in resolutely fighting terrorism.

Terrorism was high on the agenda at the opening of the 27th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, in his opening statement, singled out the murder of their countryman at the hands of the Abu Sayyaf

Group.

“We are ever vigilant against a threat that is very real in our region. Local militants and groups such as the Abu Sayyaf have sworn allegiance to the so-called Islamic State. It was they who cruelly murdered our countryman, Bernard Then, on Tuesday,” he said.

The Islamic State has been linked to the attacks in Paris, France, which killed about 129 people.

Najib earlier condemned the killing of Then, calling it a “savage and barbaric” act.

“I, the government, and all Malaysians are shocked and sickened by the murder of our countryman Bernard Then, and we condemn it in its strongest terms,” Najib said in a statement.

“We call upon authorities to take action against those who have perpetrated this savage and barSee SYMPATHY, page 12

His word is good, but we still have trash, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero remarked as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau left Manila after the conclusion of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings without providing a clear solution to the problem of Canadian garbage on Philippine soil.

Escudero, who has asked the Philippine government to compel Canada to take back the thousands of tons of trash shipped by a See CHIZ, page 12

Palace: P10-B APEC spending went to taxi drivers, hotel employees

MANILA, Nov 21 (Mabuhay) – Even taxi drivers and hotel employees benefitted from the P10 billion spent by the government on the just concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, Malacañang said Saturday.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte told state-run radio dzRB that the P10-billion APEC spendings of the government actually went to the local economy.

“Saan po ba pumupunta ‘yan?

‘Di po ba sa mga lokal na hotel, sa mga tip na naibibigay sa ating

mga nag-se-service doon sa hotel, sa mga taxi, sa mga local car services, sa mga local airlines, sa mga local restaurants so lahat po ‘yan pumasok sa ating local economy,” Valte explained.

She added: “Kung ano man ho ‘yung ginastos natin dito sa ating paghu-host ay sa ekonomiya po mismo ng Pilipinas pumunta ‘yan.

Sa mga hotel po dito ibinayad, doon sa mga infrastructure na ating prinoyekto na maiiwan din po dito sa Pilipinas; hindi naman po para sa dayuhan ‘yung infrastructure natin, para po ‘yan sa mga Pilipino.”

See APEC SPENDING, page 12

APEC 2015 hosting spur PHL Aquino: ‘World tourism sector, says Palace official is watching’ MANILA, Nov 21 (Mabuhay) kanilang mga economic leaders, China in sea row – The country’s hosting of the but more importantly the thou-

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Sunday 11/22/2015 – Philippine President Benigno Aquino told an Asia-Pacific summit on Sunday that “the world is watching” whether China would behave as a responsible power in the simmering standoff over maritime territory.

Aquino kept up a drumbeat of growing criticism of China’s expansion of tiny atolls into fully-fledged islands, as leaders including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met in Malaysia.

The issue has increasingly loomed over the regional diplomatic and security outlook, with China accused of upsetting the status quo by moving to enhance its presence in the South China Sea. “We are hopeful that China See WATCHING, page 12

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit has boosted the tourism sector as the number of visitors surged especially this month, a Palace official said.

The APEC 2015 National Organizing Council held the APEC meetings in different parts of the country to showcase the Philippines’ tourist sites.

“Nagsimula po ng Disyembre noong nakaraang taon, at nakaikot na po ang ating mga delegado sa iba’t ibang napakagagandang tanawin dito sa Pilipinas,” Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio interview on Saturday.

“Dinala po sila sa Iloilo, sa Cebu, sa Tagaytay, sa Bataan, sa Boracay, at sa Bacolod din po nakapunta sila. Talagang naikot po ng napakaraming delegado ang Pilipinas, hindi lang po ang

sands of delegates that we have hosted in the last year,” she told dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

Valte said the Department of Tourism even surpassed the 10,000 target for November and posted 11,000 arrivals.

The 11,000 tourist arrivals did not include APEC delegates who arrived in the country in the past year, she said.

For the APEC CEO Summit, organizers expected 800 participants but the actual number of delegates reached 1,300, Valte said.

The participants included businessmen, CEOs, high-level business managers from all over the 21 APEC economies who attended the CEO Summit in Manila.

“Talagang napakagandang exposure po ito at firsthand experience para sa kanila na makita ang See HOSTING, page 12

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Israel accidentally finds ‘impressive’ ancient mosaic

A worker of the Israel Antiquities Authority cleans a 1,700-year-old mosaic. ©AFP PHOTO / MENAHEM KAHANA

Monday November 16 2015 (Lod, Israel-AFP) – Israel will present to the public for the first time this week an “impressive” mosaic accidentally discovered in what was a wealthy neighbourhood in Roman and Byzantine times, officials said Monday.

The colourful mosaic measuring some 11 by 13 metres (36 by 43 feet) discovered in Lod in central Israel is believed to have been the courtyard pavement of a “magnificent villa,” the Israel Antiquities Authority said.

It is the second such mosaic found in the area, following another uncovered in the 1990s that was the

floor of the villa’s living room 1,700 years ago and has since been exhibited in prestigious museums worldwide.

The authority called the first mosaic “breathtaking” and “among the most beautiful” in Israel. It depicts roaring lions, elephants in battle, giraffes and dolphins.

The recent excavation in 2014 was to prepare for the construction of a visitor centre to house the first mosaic, currently on display at the Palazzo Cini Gallery in Venice, when it returns.

Scenes in the newly discovered mosaic include hunting and hunted animals, fish, flowers in baskets, vases and birds.

“The quality of the images

Southeast Asia bangs the drum for single market

By Martin Abbugao

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Sunday 11/22/2015 – Southeast Asian leaders on Sunday symbolically declared the establishment by year-end of an EU-style regional economic bloc, but diplomats admitted it will be years before the vision of a single market can be realised.

At the group’s annual summit, held this year in Kuala Lumpur, the heads of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a declaration that the bloc hailed as “a milestone in the integration process”. The 10 leaders then put an aural exclamation mark on the agreement by banging once in unison on a traditional drum from each of their nations.

However, diplomats have admitted Sunday’s declaration has no practical effect, and was largely meant to

avoid having ASEAN—regularly criticised for its lack of concrete achievements— miss its own deadline of 2015.

Several years ago ASEAN set a 2015 target for launching the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), a single market with a free flow of goods, capital and skilled labour across borders.

The summit’s host, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, urged his counterparts to step up efforts to realise a vision that many experts view as difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.

“We now have to ensure that we truly create a single market and production base with freer movement of goods and services with common standards, far greater connectivity and removal of barriers,” Najib said.

Achievement of that vi-

sion will cause foreign investment in the region to “expand exponentially”.

The AEC is aimed at marshalling the combined economic force of a resourcerich and growing market of more than 600 million people to enhance its trading clout and help it compete with the likes of China for foreign investment.

Changing the ‘mental map’ - Great progress has been made on lower-hanging fruit like slashing tariffs and removing other hurdles such as clashing customs systems.

But significant non-tariff and other barriers remain in a region marked by extremes in development levels, democratisation, and institutional capability.

A Southeast Asian diplomat conceded the single market vision is many years away but argued the declaration will help change

ASEAN’s “mental map” and provide momentum.

“We hope this will help the people and governments to think more and more on the basis of regional interests rather than purely national interests,” the diplomat said. ASEAN includes wealthy Singapore, one of the world’s most developed countries, oil-rich Brunei, developing states like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Viet-

nam, and poorer nations like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Its members range from free-wheeling to controlled democracies, communistruled states and an absolute Islamic monarchy.

Najib on Saturday acknowledged much work remained, saying “non-tariff barriers, which affect daily life and employment across our nations, are too extensive”.

portrayed in the mosaic indicates a highly developed artistic ability,” Amir Gorzalczany, excavation director, said in a statement.

The authority said that numerous fragments of frescoes discovered also “reflect the decoration and the meticulous and luxurious design, which are in the best tradition of the well-born of the period”.

It said that “in light of the new discoveries, this part of the villa will also be Aincorporated in the visitor centre”. Lod was known as Diospolis at the time, and served as a district capital.

Today it is located near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion international airport.

Although ASEAN’s plans were inspired by Europe, officials insist they want to pursue integration in a way suitable to the region’s circumstances, and have ruled out a common currency.

US President Barack Obama, who is in Kuala Lumpur for a Sunday summit of ASEAN and regional partners such as China, Japan and India, praised the AEC and pledged American support.

Gormley’s ‘alien invasion’ looms large over Hong Kong

Thursday November 19 2015 (Hong Kong-AFP) - Occasionally obscured by mist and low cloud, shadowy human figures loom from the tops of Hong Kong skyscrapers causing curiosity and consternation in the streets below.

It could be a scene from a science fiction film – in fact it is the arrival of sculptor Antony Gormley’s Event Horizon project in the southern Chinese city.

Billed as Hong Kong’s largest public art project, the exhibition features 31 sculptures of the human form – all modelled on Gormley’s 188cm (6ft 2in) frame – 27 of which are made of fibreglass and have been placed on rooftops of key buildings such as City Hall, the General Post Office and Queensway Government Offices, as well as privately owned towers.

The remaining four are made of cast iron - weighing around 630kg (1390lb)- and are positioned at ground level at iconic spots such as Hong Kong Park and Statue Square.

Some have said the figures conjure thoughts of an “alien invasion”, others that they radiate a benevolent force; while a few find them alarming.

Suicide taboo So far, there have been four calls to the police from worried onlookers who feared the figures were people about to jump to their deaths; and there has been some public criticism they are inappropriate for a city where around half of the 900 people who commit suicide each year do so by leaping from skyscrapers.

“I accept it is the first thing you think when you see a human form at the top of a tall building but it takes half a second to realise this is not a living person,” Gormley concedes but says the paranoia surrounding the project is “getting out of proportion”.

“My purpose is not to bring the topic of suicide to people but I was shocked to hear about the suicide rate in Hong Kong. It is very high. It made me think - why didn’t I hear about the problem? It’s obviously a taboo

subject and I would say that is not very healthy,” he adds, suggesting the work might lead to the issue being talked about more openly.

The project was delayed by a year after a key sponsor, HongKong Land, withdrew its support following the suicide of a JP Morgan trader, who jumped to his death from a building it owned.

New partners for the exhibition had to be found.

There was a bigger panic when Gormley first launched the project in London in 2008 – then 35 calls were made to the emergency services within the first hour of the first sculpture being erected.

‘Look up’ Hong Kong’s fears have been more muted - though this may be in part because the smartphone obsessed populace rarely look away from their screens as they beetle about the city.

“This project is an invitation to look up. What an amazing thing it is to look up in Hong Kong,” the sculptor says, but he later admits that the installation of one figure above a main thoroughfare in Central district, complete with camera crew, failed to provoke interest from passers-by.

He agrees there is a chance that people here will see the sculptures first on their social networks, having strolled past them, unnoticed, on the street.

“Perhaps Hong Kong is inoculated against this kind of public art. Perhaps it is going to be more Instagram than substantial encounter,” he adds.

This is not a thrilling prospect for a man who says he creates sculpture to “reinforce first hand experiences” but Gormley concedes there is positive potential for social media to collect beyond the original scope of an exhibition.

He cites his 2009 One & Other project, which invited 2,400 people, to each spend an hour occupying the empty fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square – the entire project was digitized by the British Library and is now available online for anyone to revisit.

The 65-year-old, who was

knighted by Queen Elizabeth II last year, is arguably the UK’s best known modern sculptor, famed for his works interpreting the human form including the Angel of the North, a steel behemoth with a wingspan of 54 meters, and Fields for the British Isles, made up of 40,000 miniature terracotta figures.

‘Guardian angels’ By his own admission – he has had a diverse life. He was raised as a devout Roman Catholic and, although his faith has faded, he still peppers his speech with religious imagery, referring to how “man cannot live on bread alone” when discussing the impact of corporate greed on ordinary workers, and describing his figures as “guardian angels: benign, but watching over us”.

Educated at Ampleforth College before going on to Cambridge, he then spent two years in South Asia, living on the streets in Kolkata for a brief period. He returned to England and attended art college, before squatting for seven years in London’s Kings Cross, where he still has a studio.

Gormley is incredibly learned—at home discussing Plato as he is neuroscience—but is surprisingly self-effacing.

He says of his 1994 Turner Prize for “Fields of the British Isles”: “I had no more right to win it than any of the others. I felt it was a cruel thing... applying the rules of racing to a form of human endeavour that is not particularly interested in rewards.”

Gormley says he—and arguably all artists—are driven by the same motivation as those who painted the prehistoric caves in Rouffignac, Altamira and Chauvet, adding that “the primary drive for art is about exploring or expressing life”.

Event Horizon Hong Kong officially launches November 19 and the installations will remain in place until May 18. It is being run in partnership with the British Council and the K11 Art Foundation. There will be a educational outreach programme in conjunction with the project.

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New Balance reveals its first 3D printed running shoe Friday November 20 2015 (Relaxnews) – New Balance has unveiled its first 3D printed running shoe, following in the footsteps of rival Adidas.

Set to launch in Boston next spring, the New Balance shoe features 3D-printed midsoles cre-

ated with 3D Systems and DuraForm Flex TPU. The technology is meant to achieve an optimal balance of flexibility, strength, weight and durability.

The limited-edition shoe will launch first in Boston in April 2016, before being

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rolled out to retail locations around the world.

They will also be featured at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

Last month Adidas unveiled the Futurecraft 3D, its first shoe made with 3D-printed materials.

US special forces traveling ‘very soon’ to Syria Washington, United States | AFP | Sunday 11/22/2015 – Dozens of US special operations forces will arrive in Syria “very soon,” as promised by President Barack Obama’s administration, a senior official said Sunday.

The troops will have the task of organizing local forces battling the selfproclaimed Islamic State in northern Syria, according to special envoy Brett McGurk.

“They will be going in very soon,” McGurk told CBS television’s “Face the Nation” program.

In late October, Obama authorized no more than 50

special operations forces to deploy to northern Syria in a non-combatant, advisory role to help coordinate local ground troops and anti-IS coalition efforts.

It marks the first official deployment of US troops on the ground in Syria since an international coalition formed to counter the violent extremist group.

The US troops will assist an Arab-Kurd coalition that includes the main Syrian Kurdish militia the People’s Protection Units (YPG), Arab groups and Syriac Christians. These local forces “have been doing a very successful operation,”

McGurk said.

“This is focused on isolating the capital of ISIL in Raqqa.”

He said they have retaken about 1,100 square kilometers (435 square miles) in the last two weeks and killed about 300 IS fighters.

The US-led coalition aims to “suffocate and strangle them in the core” of IS in Iraq and Syria through multiple coordinated offensives, McGurk said. The coalition is also trying to cut off access for IS to the Syrian border in order to cut off the main access route between Raqqa and the Iraqi city of Mosul, McGurk explained.

New report sheds light on how parents oversee kids’ use of technology Tuesday November 17 2015 (Relaxnews) – A new report reveals that a large majority of parents believe that technology has a positive effect on their children while a little more than half admitted that they’ve learned a trick or two on how to use their digital devices from their kids.

Released from the Family Online Safety Institute in the US, the report entitled “Parents, Privacy & Technology Use” is based on the responses of 589 Philadel-

phia parents of kids aged 6 to 17.

Overall, 78 percent of parents polled agreed that technology has a positive effect on their child’s future, career and life skills, and another 64 percent said it’s also fostering their kids’ creativity.

The report also found that tech-savvy and educated parents demonstrate more confidence in overseeing their children’s’ technology use compared to parents who are less educated.

Interestingly, a large part (64 percent) said they don’t impose parental controls on their kids’ use of tablets or phones, citing trust or already-established house rules.

About a third of parents also admitted to making friend requests with their kids on Facebook.

And 54 percent of parents admit their children have taught them how to use new features on their digital devices.

Hilton hotels hit by cyber attack San Francisco, United States | AFP | Tuesday 11/24/2015 – US hotel chain Hilton revealed Tuesday that hackers stole credit card information from some of its point-ofsale computer systems.

Hilton did not reveal the extent of the breach, but warned anyone who used credit cards at Hilton Worldwide hotels between November 18 and December 5 of last year or April 21 and July 27 of this year to watch for irregular activity in their accounts.

Information swiped by malicious code that infected systems included credit card holders’ names along with card numbers, security codes and expiration dates, Hilton global brands executive vice president Jim Holthouser said in an online post.

The hackers did not get people’s addresses or personal identification numbers, according to Holthouser. Hilton said that it is investigating the breach with the help of

third-party forensics experts, law enforcement and payment card companies.

The announcement came just four days after Starwood Hotels, which operates the Sheraton and Westin chains, said that hackers had infected payment systems in some of its establishments, potentially leaking customer credit card data.

The hack occurred at A “limited number” of its hotels in North America, according to Starwood, whose other well-known chains include St Regis and W Hotels.

Starwood said that an investigation by forensic experts concluded that malware was detected in some restaurants, gift shops and other points of sale systems at hotels.

“The malware was designed to collect certain payment card information, including cardholder name, payment card number, security code and expiration date,” the group said in a statement.

Shop and dine small for a big boost to our local communities Small businesses have the power to propel local economies and uplift communities.

When we shop small we’re supporting small businesses that create two out of three net new jobs and employ more than half of the country’s private workforce.

As the holiday shopping season begins, let’s recommit in honoring our neighborhood champions, America’s small businesses. Saturday, November 28, 2015 is Small BusinessSaturday® – a day to celebrate and support small businesses for all they contribute to our communities.

On that Saturday, let’s do our part to support jobs and economic growth in our own backyards. Visit your Main Street merchants to find unique, handmade gifts that you won’t find at a big-box retailer. Afterwards, dine small at your local restaurant to usher in the new tradition of supporting local eateries too. The restaurant industry

employs 14 million Americans and generates $709.2 billion in sales, equal to 4 percent of the gross domestic product.

Shopping small packs a big punch to the U.S. economy. Last year, there were 88 million consumers “Shopping Small” on Saturday. 77% of consumers said Small BusinessSaturday® inspires them to “Shop Small” throughout the year and not just for the holidays. In addition, 66% of consumers state the main reason they support small businesses is because of their contributions to the community.

Main street businesses are critical to our nation’s success and supporting them during Small Business Saturday is an act of economic patriotism. To support the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses, please join me and the U.S. Small Business Administration in shopping and dining small on Saturday – November 28.

26 business owners are SBA’s new emerging leaders LOS ANGELES – Twenty-six small business owners graduated from the sevenmonth U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Los Angeles Emerging Leaders program, a “mini-MBA” training initiative for local business on the brink of growth.

This is the third year that the Los Angeles District Office hosted the executive education series, but was the first time it led two cohorts instead of just one. The program includes approximately 100 hours of classroom time, connects small business owners with a network of industry experts and peers, and supports the creation of a three-year strategic growth action plan.

Since the SBA started offering the Emerging Leaders program in various locations across the country, graduates have created more than 2,400 new full-time jobs, accessed more than $73 million in new financing, and secured federal, state, local and tribal contracts worth more than $1 billion. The 2015 graduates from the Greater Los Angeles Area represent various industries including construction, manufacturing, financial services, health and wellness, restoration, retail and food services.

Christmas photographs are a tradition that is set to continue, whatever type of camera is used. ©Dmitriy Shironosov/shutterstock.com

How to take successful family photos at Christmas Sunday November 22 2015 (Relaxnews) – Whether you’re snapping your children receiving their gifts next to the Christmas tree or the grandparents sitting around the table for Christmas dinner, some basic rules apply.

Here are a few, provided

by French photographer Lolita Lejeune, which are suitable for all types of camera, including smartphones.

Frame carefully It is important to keep the foreground clear (for example, a table looks better with just a few pretty cocktail snacks rather than overloaded). For the background, it is better to have a plain single color rather than patterned wallpaper or

a wall with framed photos. A photo in the photo attracts the eye, which should be focused on the faces. Generally speaking, it is a good idea to avoid an overly dark background and doors opening into other rooms.

Think about staging the photo For big families, it is best to place everyone in rows (first row sitting on the floor, second row sitting on chairs and the third standing) and then add an original touch such as putting the youngest on an adult’s shoulders, or everyone could squeeze in around a senior member of the family.

One option is to line up in single file and then everyone sticks their head out so they

can be seen, or they all lean to one side to make the photo more relaxed.

Another original idea is to position everyone in a window frame and take the photo from outside.

Go for a wide-angle While a zoom lens can give a more natural result for individual portraits if there is the right distance between photographer and subject, a wide-angle lens is recommended when the photographer cannot go very far back in a room and there are a large number of people to photograph. For example, a wide-angle shot could include a table full of people, plus the surrounding decorations, Christmas tree and gifts.

Clothes smarter than you are: Welcome to the future Sunday November 22 2015 (Rio de Janeiro-AFP) – Wish there was a gadget able to transform your boring office uniform into a party outfit, or even a device that guides you straight to new friends?

Then call Marcelo Coelho.

A researcher with Fluid Interfaces at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, Coelho works at the cutting edge of wearable devices that may be smarter than the person wearing them.

One of the most promising areas is clothing that integrates computers and can practically think for itself.

“You can program your shirt for it to change color, or move to a different pattern,” he said. “Maybe you’re at work today and want your shirt one way, but you’ll be at a party tonight and want it different.” Another creation is a dress with a hemline that rises and falls – or another dress, decorated with gently opening and closing flowers. Coelho, 35, was speaking at MIT’s 2015 EmTech conference Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, where for two days leaders in emerging technology give glimpses of the future.

The message is that sci-

ence fiction-like developments are rapidly under way in areas as diverse as drones and medicine. But for Coelho, originally from Brazil, the joy is bringing the mysteries of the lab to everyday situations.

Building on that officeto-party scenario, Coelho unveiled a device that would help you find the people you might want to talk to, flirt with or avoid. Shaped like a normal watch, the tiny computer is programmed with personal data – your Facebook information or something more customized – then communicates with other devices in the room.

“You go to the event and it can match your wrist band to someone else’s,” he explained. “If you have nothing in common with a stranger at the event, a red light will go on and if you do, a green light will go on.” “You may wonder where all this craziness is going,” he said with a wry smile.

The answer to that, says another MIT scientist, Skylar Tibbits, is self-assembly.

No, not self-assembly as in struggling with instructions and wrenches over a bed you just bought in a box.

Tibbits means self-assembly as in the thing – the bed, or

whatever it may be – assembling itself.

This is the idea of 4D printing, Tibbits’ specialty.

If 3D printers can produce three-dimensional objects at the touch of a button, 4D means they then go on to transform or organize themselves in useful ways.

Unlike robots these materials are not computerized and do not need power like electricity. They react to ordinary forces like pressure or heat or water and change, but are engineered by the scientists so that they change shape in a pre-determined way. For example, a wet shoe or tire can be made to grow better grip, reverting to normal when dry. Tibbits’ Self-Assembly Lab at MIT, is exploring whether the technology can later be applied to much bigger objects, even in construction.

“They are materials that behave like robots, but don’t need robots,” Tibbits said by video link. “We eventually propose that the materials could assemble themselves from scratch.” If that doesn’t sound creepy enough, consider what Coelho says is the next-next frontier: not wearable technology, but chips and WiFi devices brought right into the human body.

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Aquino at ASEAN meet: China’s land reclamation threatens stability in the region MANILA, Nov 21 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III on Saturday told his counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that China’s reclamation in the South China Sea threatens stability in the region.

“As I have stated many times in the past, our collective prosperity requires stability in the region. This has come under threat by unilateral actions such as the massive reclamation and building of structures on features in the Spratly islands, which have urgent and far-reaching implications to the region and the international community,” Aquino said in his speech during the ASEAN Summit’s plenary session in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia hosts the 27th semiannual ASEAN summit attended by the leaders of the 10-member ASEAN. “We believe that, as a rules-based Community, ASEAN should not allow any country, no matter how powerful, to claim an entire sea as its own and to use force or the threat thereof in asserting such a claim,” Aquino added.

The Philippine president urged fellow ASEAN leaders to develop a post-2015 Asean Connectivity Agenda “that articulates both our aspirations and the complexities we have to contend with.”

“We have not resolved, even amongst ASEAN members, the competing claims especially among the Spratlys. These improvements further complicate and increase the difficulty of coming to compromises that will be necessary to prevent further tension from rising,” he added.

China, which is also engaged in territorial disputes with Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan, is claiming almost the entire South China Sea. Aquino was quited about the country’s territorial dispute with China last week as the Philippines hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.

Both countries agreed ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting last week that the South China Sea disputes will not be raised during the meetings.

Last April, Aquino said that he will push for the crafting of Code of Conduct in the South China Sea during the regional summit in Malaysia.

US President Barack Obama said that the South China Sea disputes and the threat of the Islamic State will be the main focus at the ASEAN Summit.

The US leader was also very vocal about the territorial disputes during the APEC Summit in Manila. (MNS)

Why LP’s Bam Aquino favored Grace Poe in SET case MANILA, Nov 21 (Mabuhay) – Senator Bam Aquino on Saturday said that political affiliations did not hinder him from voting in favor of Senator Grace Poe on the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) case questioning her citizenship.

Aquino said the Liberal Party (LP) left him free to deem Poe as a natural-Filipino who is eligible for public office.

“In fairness to the party naman, walang nakialam, walang kumausap, walang sumubok na impluwensyahan ang aking decision. Talagang they allowed me to make a decision na base sa aking prinispyo at konsensya,” Aquino said.

Poe is running for president in 2016, opposite LP standard bearer Mar Roxas, among other candidates.

The SET, voting 5-4, dismissed the petition of David to disqualify Poe on the grounds that she is not a natural-born Filipino because of her status as a foundling.

Aquino and senators Loren Legarda, Pia Cayetano, Cynthia Villar and Vicente Sotto III voted in favor of Poe. Aquino said he cast a “conscience vote” favoring Poe because doing otherwise would mean deeming other foundlings as stateless or naturalized citizens.

“Iyun talaga ang medyo mabigat na because of an electoral case, iyung libo-libong foundling at lahat ng ipapanganak pa na foundling, mag-iiba iyung status nila from natural born to either naturalized or stateless,” he said.

Stripping foundlings of their natural born status will limit opportunities for them, Aquino argued.

“Isipin mo, you’re in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, for example, foundling ka, kapag na-decide kang ganyan, kailangan kang umalis kasi ang pagiging part ng armed forces, iyung natural born ay requirement,” Aquino pointed out.

“At the end of the day, kung iba ang desisyon, hindi lang si Grace Poe ang may problema—libo-libong Pilipino na foundling. Isipin mo sila na nga ang na-abandon na mga bata, lumaki na, nagkaroon ng trabaho, nagkaroon ng pangarap tapos ngayon, tatanggalan po ng pangarap, lilimitahan mo ang opportunities nila. Parang hindi rin naman tama,” he added.

Aquino also cited international laws and the 1935 Constitution in justifying that Poe is a natural-born citizen.

The SET’s ruling on the case may still be questioned by David through a motion for reconsideration and an appeal to the Supreme Court. (MNS)

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OPINION

Chiz disappointed over SC Justices’ decision on Poe’s case

Independent vice-presidential candidate Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero could not hide his frustration and disappointment with the Supreme Court justices who dissented the majority decision of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) dismissing the disqualification case against his presidential running mate Sen. Grace Poe. Escudero said the position taken by SC Associate Justices Antonio Carpio, Teresita Leonardo de Castro and Arturo Brion was a clear form of discrimination against foundlings whom they regarded as not natural-born Filipino citizens and thus barred from running and be elected to national posts.

“Nakakalimutan po yata nila ang isang basic na prinsipyo sa batas na nagsasabing ‘those who have less in life should always have more in law.’ Para sa mga kapos-palad at salat sa buhay, dapat ‘yung pagkukulang na iyon pinupunan ng batas at iyon ang dapat maging susi at tulay at instrumento para makamit ang hustisya,” Escudero said.

While the veteran lawmaker respects the decision of the three magistrates, he said they should not forget that “laws are made to become instruments of justice and should not be used as a tool of injustice or to discriminate anyone.”

“Essentially sinasabi nila na ang pulot na bata na hindi alam kung sino ang kanyang magulang ay stateless at wala raw siyang bansang kinabibilangan.

Ayon po sa isang mahistrado, hindi po pwedeng magkaroon ng mas malawak at malaking karapatan ang isang pulot o dampot na bata kumpara sa batang kilala ang kanilang magulang pagdating sa citizenship,” Escudero said, referring to Carpio.

During the Sept. 21 SET oral arguments on the petition to unseat Poe from the Senate, Carpio opined that the lady senator, being a foundling, is a naturalized citizen.

Under the 1987 Constitution, only natural-born

Filipino citizens are qualified to run for president, vice-president, senator and congressman.

But Escudero insisted that Poe is a natural-born Filipino citizen, saying that under the 1987 Charter and international and domestic laws, a foundling found in the Philippines is presumed to have Filipino biological parents.

To say that a foundling like Poe cannot be a citizen of the Philippines is a violation of an individual’s basic and alienable human right to bear a nationality from birth, he added.

Escudero said he expects Carpio, De Castro and Brion to inhibit themselves from deliberation should the SET verdict dismissing the disqualification case is challenged before the SC. He said it would be a violation of Poe’s right to due process if the three magistrates will be allowed to participate in the appeal of the SET decision before the high court.

“If we look at the procedure, precedents and common practice, the three justices cannot participate in the appeal of the SET decision because they can’t review their own decision,” Escudero pointed out.

“Delicadeza also dictates that the concerned justices inhibit themselves in the event the disqualification case is brought before the SC for final determination,” he added.

On Nov. 17, the SET voted 5-4 to junk the disqualification case filed by defeated senatorial candidate Rizalito David and upheld the natural-born status of Poe, who is seeking the presidency in the May 2016 elections.

Senators Bam Aquino, Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Tito Sotto and Cynthia Villar voted in favor of Poe. Those who favored David’s petition were the three SC justices and Sen. Nancy Binay, daughter of one of Poe’s rivals in the presidential race, Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Paris climate summit will show world ‘not afraid’ of extremists: Obama

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Sunday 11/22/2015 – US President Barack Obama insisted Sunday he would go ahead with a visit to Paris for world climate talks despite the deadly attacks there, urging other leaders to attend and show “we are not afraid” of extremists.

“I think it’s absolutely vital for every country, every leader, to send a signal that the viciousness of a handful of killers does not stop the world from doing vital business,” he said following an AsiaPacific summit in Malaysia.

In addition to hunting down terrorists, missile strikes, curbing jihadist financing and other steps, “the most powerful tool we have to fight ISIL is to say that we’re not afraid”, he said, using one of the

acronyms for the Islamic State group.

Over the past week Obama and other Asia-Pacific leaders have held successive summits in Turkey, the Philippines and Malaysia that have been overshadowed by the recent string of deadly extremist attacks.

The carnage in Paris, Lebanon and Mali has sparked calls by assembled leaders for a concerted international effort to stamp out Islamic State and other jihad groups.

Obama is among world leaders due in Paris for talks beginning November 30 and intended to reach a global climate change accord.

“We do not succumb to fear. That’s the primary power that these terrorists have over us,” he said.

Denying distractions, Obama to host ASEAN leaders next year Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Sunday 11/22/2015 – President Barack Obama on Sunday said he would host the leaders of 10 Southeast Asian nations next year as he rejected accusations that Middle East turmoil was distracting him from focusing on Asia. Obama said he had invited leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to the United States, insisting that good ties with Asian nations were “absolutely critical” to US security.

“I’m pleased they accepted and I look forward to continuing our work,” he said, speaking in Kuala Lumpur at the end of a marathon week of diplomacy which has taken in summits in Turkey, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Obama said his Asia tour, which had been ini-

tially overshadowed by the jihadist attacks in Paris, Lebanon and Mali, was neither distracted by, nor “somehow disconnected from pressing global events.”

“This region is not a distraction from the world’s central challenges but is critical to security, prosperity and human dignity around the world,” he said.

America’s self-styled “Pacific president”, Obama has been frustrated to see his stops in Malaysia and the Philippines – designed to highlight his stated refocus on Asia – overshadowed once again.

The invitation to ASEAN comes after a week which has seen the US and China repeatedly trade barbs over the tense maritime standoff in the South China Sea, as they jostle for influence in the rapidlydeveloping Southeast Asian region.

France says show must go on with call to go to cafes and concerts Monday November 16 2015 (Paris-AFP) – France declared that the show must go on Monday, with the public urged to go back out to bars, concerts and restaurants in defiance of the terror attacks on Paris.

Culture minister Fleur Pellerin said musicians would “never stop putting on concerts” and claimed that in the face of “barbarism... culture is our biggest shield and our artists our best weapon”.

As the French capital still reeled from Friday attacks in which 129 people died, some were coming up with inventive ways of thumbing their noses at the extremists.

Music fans shared their favourite memories at the Bataclan rock venue on Twitter, while others started a social media campaign to get the US group on stage at the time, Eagles of Death Metal, to the top of the UK charts.

Amid emotional declarations that live music must go on in the shocked city, the hashtag #MonPlusBeauSouvenirDuBataclan (My most beautiful memory of the Bataclan) became one of the top trending topics on Twitter in France, with many sharing photos and videos of singers and bands who had played there such as Ed Sheeran,Arctic Monkeys and the late Jeff Buckley. Pellerin said the government was preparing a special fund to help get live entertainment up and running again and to aid with the cost of new security measures. “French people will not stop going to concerts and sharing these moments of joy together which bind us all together,” she said.

All major concerts, including a show by the rock group U2, were cancelled in the aftermath of the attack, but Paris’ two biggest venues said they planned to reopen Tuesday.

US star Prince cancelled his entire European tour – due to include dates in Vienna, Britain, Sweden and Paris – “in light of the tragic events”, the Interconcerts

ticket company said.

‘What makes FranceFrance’ “We have to turn the lights back on,” Alexandre Cammas of the trendy Fooding guide told AFP, as made he made a plea with Parisians to return to cafes, restaurants and entertainment venues as the city’s museums and concert halls began to reopen Monday.

Almost all of those who died beyond the Bataclan were shot on cafe terraces and the French government at first urged people to stay indoors with one suspect still on the run.

With newspaper headlines proclaiming France was at war with the terrorists – and clearly mindful of Napoleon’s maxim that an “army marches on its stomach” – the guide called on people to go out and eat and drink on Tuesday night so “that which makes FranceFrance should not be betrayed by our fears”.

“Our objective is that on Tuesday evening people return to the bistros below their apartments,” Cammas said after launching the Twitter hashtag #tousaubistrot (Everyone to the bistro).

Didier Chenet, of the restaurant trade association SYNHORCAT, said already more than half of the city’s eating places had joined the call. “It is important to say that we are going to keep on living” as before, he said.

Although cafe terraces were full again on Sunday, false alarms sets off a series of panics across the capital—including outside the Carillon cafe where 14 people had been killed—while at a bar in the Marais district an Australian tourist caused another alert when she mistook an armed plainclothes policeman for a gunman.

The Facebook campaign to support Eagles of Death Metal aims to push their cover version of 1980s British pop group Duran Duran’s “Save a Prayer” to the UK number one spot this week.

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Speaking more than one language could be of benefit to stroke victims (Relaxnews) – A study published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke suggests that bilingual patients could be twice as likely as those that are monolingual to regain normal cognitive abilities following a stroke, a cause of dementia.

To look at the effect that bilingualism might have on cognitive function researchers based in India and the United Kingdom examined records of 608 Indian stroke patients from 2006-2013.

Over half of the patients were considered bilingual, speaking two or more languages.

Accounting for other factors that may have affected patients’ health before the stroke such as smoking, age, high blood pressure, and diabetes, the team concluded that post-stroke around 40%

of the bilingual patients had normal cognitive functions, while the same could be said of just 20% of monolingual patients. In addition to this, bilingual patients showed better attention and were more capable in tests that involved retrieving and organizing information.

However, researchers did not notice any difference between the groups of patients when it came to the likelihood of experiencing poststroke aphasia, a disorder that affects communication functions including speech, reading and writing.

The team behind the study cautioned against applying the results to all bilingual people. Hyderabad is a multicultural city in which many languages (including Telugu, Urdu, Hindi and English) are regularly spoken. “Constantly switching

languages is a daily reality for many residents of Hyderabad,” said Suvarna Alladi, lead author of the study, “The cognitive benefit may not be seen in places where the need to function in two or more languages isn’t as extensive.”

The team also advised that many activities, not just language learning, can help to improve cognitive function. Subhash Kaul, who also worked on the research said, “Our study suggests that intellectually stimulating activities pursued over time, from a young age or even starting in mid-life, can protect you from the damage brought on by a stroke.”

On average, someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds, according to the American Heart Association’s 2015 Statistical Update. It is the

leading cause of disability in the United States, and the leading preventable cause of disability.

The abstract to the study and a PDF of the full study can be viewed here: http://stroke.aha-

journals.org/content/ early/2015/11/19/ STROKEAHA.115.010418. abstract

Going back to college could boost cognitive capacity Friday November 20 2015 (Relaxnews) – An Australian study has found that older adults could reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia by taking college courses to boost improve their cognitive skills.

The study, called the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project, observed 359 participants aged between 50 to 79 years who completed at least a year of a part-time or fulltime college course. Cognitive tests were taken both before and after finishing of the course, with participants

reassessed annually for the following three years after course completion. None of the participants taking part in the study had dementia.

The results, published this week by the American Psychological Association journal and originally published online in the journal Neuropsychology, showed that more than 90% of the participants who had completed a college course displayed a significant increase in cognitive capacity, compared to 56% of the control group participants who hadn’t taken any courses.

Commenting on the results lead researcher Megan Lenehan, PhD, said, “The study findings are exciting because they demonstrate that it’s never too late to take action to maximize the cognitive capacity of your brain. We plan to follow these participants as they age to see if college studies could help delay the onset or reduce the debilitating effects of dementia.”

The full study and press release is available online here : http://www.apa.org/ news/press/releases/2015/11/ college-dementia.aspx

This could be my best move yet.

Loida Nicolas Lewis, AARP Member Chair and CEO of TLC Beatrice, LLC Philanthropist

Dahil sa Health and Wellness resources ng AARP, si Loida at iba pang katulad niya are now able to have as much fun in the ballroom as they did in the boardroom.

Loida has enjoyed a long career as a successful businesswoman, and she remains just as active today. Bilang miyembro ng halos 20 na taon, she keeps current with AARP publications on health, diet, exercise at iba pang activities that help her enjoy life and live it to the fullest. Not surprisingly, her boundless energy and generous contributions para sa Filipino community have made her a role model for many. Para kay Loida, walang hanggan ang mga posibilidad and the best is yet to come. AARP offers members a wealth of resources na siguradong makapagbibigay ng saya, sigla at importanteng impormasyon para rin sa inyo. To learn more, visit aarp.org/aapi or call 1-866-805-1986 today.

AARP is a non-profit organization committed to enhancing your life at 50-plus by providing trusted and useful resources to help you stay active, engaged and vibrant.

Caregiving • Health & Wellness • Fraud Prevention • Volunteer • Life Reimagined

A study published earlier this year by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, indicated that taking part in creative and social activities in old age can help to reduce the risk of dementia. The results of that study, published in the journal Neurology, showed that participants ages 85 and above who took part in artistic, craft, social, or computer based activities in both mid and later life all saw a decrease in their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, which often leads to dementia.

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INMENT

GMA Network celebrates love in 2015 Christmas campaign

Heart Evangelista

Heart Evangelista ready to be a mom Actress Heart Evangelista is now ready to become a mother.

Evangelista, who is married to Senator Francis Escudero, admitted that she wants to have a baby in next year or two.

“I do feel it now. I never used to feel that na parang when you look at a baby, when you look at his fingers, like yeah, there is something in your heart. I’m starting to feel it now so I feel that I’m probably there already and that’s excites me because I never felt this way before,” Evangelista said.

The actress believes that she will be a doting mother.

“As a mom of my dogs

I’m really like every single strand of hair maalaga ako.

So they say, ‘Sa mga aso mo ganyan ka, ano pa kaya sa anak mo?’” she said.

When she gives birth, Evangelista plans to take a year-long break from show business to devote time to her baby.

“I want to experience living a normal life. Really normal na walang taping, walang anything and just devoting myself to the child and I feel like she deserves that. Kung nagsusulat nga ako ng libro para sa fans ko, ano pa kaya sa anak ko? So I think she deserves that time,” the actress said.

(MNS)

GMA Network welcomes the most-awaited season with the premiere of the “MaGMAhalan Tayo Ngayong Pasko” Christmas campaign on its primetime newscast 24 Oras last November 12.

The message of love takes center stage in the Kapuso community as well-loved Kapuso artists and trusted News and Public Affairs personalities come together with viewers in a happy, heartfelt celebration of the season.

Renowned director Cesar Cosme, who helmed the project, says that the message imparted by the video is about “genuine and pure love,” much like that of a child.

Christmas is truly the season for loving one another and the Network’s message is to spread the love this Holiday Season.

One with the Network’s message of love are GMA’s best and brightest stars including Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera, AiAi de las Alas, Lovi Poe, Heart Evangelista, Michael V,

Aldub

Willie Revillame, Dennis Trillo, Tom Rodriguez, Megan Young, Carla Abellana, Barbie Forteza, Bianca Umali, Miguel Tanfelix, Andre Paras, Ruru Madrid, Gabbi Garcia, and German Moreno.

They are joined by Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon leading Dabarkads, with the phenomenal love team of Alden Richards and

Jennylyn Mercado

figures in yet another unique tale of love and romance filled with riotous as well as “kilig” scenes.

The filmfest darling/favorite gets a new leading man in the movie in the person of Jericho Rosales.

In the story, Jen plays an accomplished romanticcomedy writer while Echo is a renowned application and software developer based abroad. ”The message of the film is walang forever. Forever is how you live each day. When you share it with somebody, it will always be there forever. It’s like the stories in the movies. It will be there forever,” said producer Atty.

Joji Alonso.

Appearing as Jen’s mother in the movie is multiawarded actress Lorna Tolentino, whose husband dumps her for a younger woman.

The film gets ample support from the cast of the Pinoy rock musical “Rak of Aegis” and stars of ABSCBN’s “On the Wings of Love,” led by Jerald Napoles, Nico Antonio, Pepe Herrera, Kim Molina, Cai Cortez and more.

love and laughter among those we care about the most, the 2015 GMA Christmas station ID shows a holiday that is truly Pinoy, and truly Kapuso.

And as the countdown to Christmas continues, the station with a heart hopes that Kapuso viewers worldwide hear the message – “MaGMAhalan Tayo Ngayong Pasko.”

Valerie mum about ‘romance’ with government official MANILA, Nov 20 (Mabuhay) -- VALERIE Concepcion was last seen playing a contravida role in “Once Upon a Kiss”. She’s now a villain once again in “Because of You”.

“Okay lang naman sa akin maging contravida,” she says.

“Enjoy pa ako at hindi ako nagsasawa kasi challenging talaga for me yung maging tagaapi ka ng mga bida.

In ‘Because of You’, ako ang magiging kaagaw ni Carla Abellana sa attention ni Gabby Concepcion. Excited akong makatrabaho sila.

Naiibang klase naman ang pagkakontrabida ko dito.

Kasi before, palengkera, bunganger ang kontrabida ako. But this time, sosyal naman ako.”

Jennylyn spreads joy and love MANILA, Nov 20 (Mabuhay) -- JENNYLYN Mercado returns to the big screen to spread joy, laughter and love in Quantum Films’ Metro Manila Film Festival entry, “Walang Forever.”

Jen was dubbed as last year’s MMFF Darling/Favorite on the strength of the surprise blockbuster romantic-comedy film “English Only, Please,” where moviegoers came to love her tandem with Derek Ramsay.

The Kapuso actress was also named MMFF best actress for her outstanding performance in the movie directed by Dan Villegas, who won the MMFF best director trophy.

Jen’s winning streak continues with the recent box-office success of the romantic-comedy “The PreNup,” which paired her with Sam Milby for the first time under the able direction of Jun Lana.

As a fitting follow-up, Quantum Films, MJM Productions, Inc., Tuko Film Productions and Buchi Boy Films cast Jen in another lead role in the MMFF entry “Walang Forever.”

This time, the actress

Maine Mendoza, together with Lola Nidora, Lola Tidora and Lola Tinidora.

Also featured are GMA’s formidable News and Public Affairs team with news pillars Mel Tiangco, Mike Enriquez, Jessica Soho, Vicky Morales, Arnold Clavio and Howie Severino.

With heartwarming scenes full of traditions and the sharing of the gifts of

Valerie Concepcion

Iya Villania is also part of the show and she’s glad to be reunited with Iya. “Magka-batch kami niyan sa GMA, eh. Sabay kaming ipinakilala as part ng cast ng youth show na ‘Click’.

After so many years, ayan, magkakasama na kami uli.

Misis na siya ni Drew Arellano at ako naman, may daughter na.”

“Because of You” is one of the two new shows to be introduced by GMA7 later this month. The other one is “Little Nanay” with Kris Bernal.

With regard to her lovelife, Valerie was last linked to a lawyer-government official, but she’d rather not talk about him at all.

“I’d rather be quiet na lang pagdating sa personal life ko,” she says. (MNS)

The Muhlach boys are alright Alonzo Muhlach is fast becoming the hottest child actor around yet he still attends and even excels in school.

Top one among the Kindergarten batch at La Salle Greenhills, the youngest son of former child actor Niño Muhlach proves proper time management and perseverance work. To date, Alonzo boasts of chalking up perfect attendance in school.

The father can’t be any prouder.

“Kahit na nagsu-shooting siya ay first honor pa rin siya,” Niño said, noting, “Iba pala ’yung feeling na ikaw ’yung naka-first honor saka ’yung anak mo ’yung nakafirst honor…”

Niño plays a big role in Alonzo’s performance in school. He sees to it that work is but play for his kid and ultimately, getting an education is top priority.

The 43-year-old actor encourages Alonzo to participate in extracurricular activities.

“Nandito po ako para subaybayan si Alonzo to make sure na pangalagaan niya ’yung blessings niya saka ’wag lumaki ’yung ulo niya,” Niño maintained.

Learning from his own father, Alexander Muhlach, Niño also monitors his son’s earnings, which he will put into a trust fund that matures when the child star turns 21.

Precocious Alonzo was first recognized on “Bet On Your Baby” in 2013. He also charmed the “Pinoy Big Brother All In” housemates in 2014 upon visiting the Big Brother house.

Since then, the next child wonder has had back to back projects. He has already been in three movies namely “The Trial” as Richard Gomez’ son; and the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) official entries “Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles” with Dingdong Dantes, and “My Big Bossing” with Vic Sotto and Ryzza Mae Dizon.

The child actor is cast in the 2015 MMFF movie “Beauty And The Bestie” alongside Vice Ganda and Coco Martin. Alonzo recently figured in the 2015 ABSCBN TV series “Inday Bote” starring Alex Gonzaga.

Recently, Alonzo was launched as Frabelle Foods’ brand new ambassador, particularly for its latest campaign dubbed “Aprub

Alonzo Muhlach

Ni Bossing.” His favorite is Bossing hotdogs and he is said to fit the bill of endorser being smart, active and the type of kid who knows what he wants.

Alonzo can easily remember lines, even kilometric ones. He asks for a retake of scenes he feels lacking on his part. The child actor never complains on set.

Much as Alonzo enjoys being an actor, Niño said he will put his foot down if he sees work taking a toll on his son.

“Oras na magreklamo siya na napapagod (na) siya, ako mismo magsasabi na ‘Stop na muna,’” Niño said.

While guiding Alonzo in his career, Niño makes it a point to give his eldest son

Alessandro the same attention.

Niño constantly explains to Alessandro why he often accompanies the latter’s brother.

“Ine-explain ko talaga sa panganay ko na kung binibigyan ko ng time si Alonzo eh maintindihan niya na baby pa siya at nagtatrabaho na,” he said.

Alonzo being a teenager, Niño knows how sensitive and vulnerable he could be if taken for granted.

“I really try to communicate with my eldest especially sa mga ganyang edad.

I really make sure na kilala ko ’yung mga kaibigan ng panganay ko (at) alam ko kung ano ginagawa niya,” he said.

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Zuckerbergs give $20-M to get US classrooms

APAICS hosted a Community Reception for the local community. Kathy Ko Chin, CEO & President, APIAHF, and Judge Michael Kwan, OCA National President, gave welcome remarks to the young Utah leaders.

APAICS hosts first ever young leaders summit for AAPI college students, young professionals On Saturday, November 14, 2015, APAICS launched its first ever Young Leaders Summit in Salt Lake City at the Utah State Capitol. The summit is geared towards college students and young professionals to promote and inspire leadership and public service.

“We are excited to launch the very first APAICS Young Leaders Summit, giving students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills to create positive change through public service and civic engagement in their local communities and campus groups,” said Amy Watanabe, APAICS Program Director.

“This is an important building block for a strong foundation for the next generation of leaders and creating the political pipeline for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

From this group, we hope to see many of these young AAPI leaders involved in

local politics, be future members of Congress and even get to the Oval office,” said Floyd Mori, APAICS CEO & President.

Over 45 participants from University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, Salt Lake Community College, Brigham Young University, Weber State University and the local community attended the full-day summit.

JACL NY/SC, LEAP, APAICS and APIAVote/ National Tongan Society led workshops for students to explore how to to be an effective leader, network and create positive change through public service and civic engagement. State Farm hosted a workshop on financial literacy and American Petroleum Institute facilitated a dynamic role-playing simulation that gave students first hand experience of making legislative decisions and competing pressures elected officials

face everyday from constituent relations, fundraising to media.

The Young Leaders Summit is a regional event and done in collaboration with local community, government and student organizations.

We like to thank our collaborative partners of the Salt Lake City Young Leaders Summit: Japanese American Citizens League’s National Youth/ Student Council (JACL NY/ SC), LEAP and OCA National.

This program is made possible with the support of our national and local Utah sponsors: American Petroleum Institute, Comcast, State Farm, Southwest Airlines, Utah Office of Multicultural Affairs, National JACL Credit Union and Salt Lake County.

Check out highlights from the Young Leaders Summit below! Click here to see full photo album and here for full agenda.

At least 100,000 women Facebook tried home abortions amid tests tools for Texas restrictions: study dealing with Chicago, United States | AFP. At least 100,000 women former loves in Texas have tried to end a pregnancy without help from a doctor and that number is expected to rise as a result of restrictive laws, a new study found.

Women took herbs, hormones, drugs, and even blows to the stomach to try to do so, according to the study published Tuesday.

“As clinic-based care becomes harder to access in Texas, we can expect more women to feel that they have no other option and take matters into their own hands,” said study author Daniel Grossman, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

The study comes just days after the Supreme Court agreed Friday to review the state’s curbs on abortion rights, its first case on the highly sensitive topic since 2007.

Among the Texas restrictions in focus is a 2013 law, passed by a Republican-controlled legislature and signed by then-governor Rick Perry, which imposes conditions that have already led to the closure of roughly half the 41 abortion clinics in the state.

Texas will be left with only 10 abortion providers for 5.4 million women of reproductive age – 1 in 12 of whom would have to drive over 100 miles (160 kilometers) to access a clinic – should the challenged provisions be upheld.

This is the first time a broad statistic on self-inducted abortion has been calculated, the Texas Policy Evaluation Project said.

Previous studies have found that two percent of women seeking medical abortions nationwide – and seven percent of women seeking medical abortions in Texas – had tried to end a pregnancy on their own before going to a clinic.

This study used a survey of Texas women aged 18 to 49 to try to determine the rate among all women of reproductive age.

Data collection occurred over a period of five weeks between December 2014 and January 2015. Some 1,397 women were asked to participate in the survey, with 779 completing it.

Some 1.7 percent of respondents said they had tried to end a pregnancy on their own, which, when extrapolated to the population at large, would mean at least 100,000 women.

However, the researchers cautioned that the true number is likely significantly higher since women tend to underreport abortions in surveys.

One in five respondents said they knew a woman who had tried to self-induce an abortion.

The Supreme Court’s decision is expected next June, in the midst of a presidential campaign.

Most of similar laws passed by various states purportedly aim to protect women’s health, but nearly all have the effect of limiting abortions.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights but whose research on the subject is widely credited, US states adopted 231 legal restrictions on abortion from 2011 to 2014.

San Francisco, United States | AFP – The online social network devoted to making the world more connected on Thursday began helping couples break up.

Facebook began testing tools that curtail how much ex-partners see of one another and their posts at the social network, according to product manager Kelly Winters.

“We are testing tools to help people manage how they interact with their former partners on Facebook after a relationship has ended,” Winters said.

“When people change their relationship status to indicate they are no longer in a relationship, they will be prompted to try these tools.”

The breakup tools are being tested in Facebook mobile device applications in the United States.

People can use the tools to see less of a former partner’s name and profile picture at Facebook without have to “unfriend” or block the person, according to Winters.

Posts by an ex won’t show up in News Feed, and their name won’t be suggested when people write messages or tag photos, Facebook said.

The tools also limit pictures, videos or status updates that an ex can see, and let people “untag” themselves from posts with former partners.

“We hope these tools will help people end relationships on Facebook with greater ease, comfort and sense of control,” Winters said.

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Thursday 11/19/2015 – Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday said that he and his wife are donating $20 million to help get highspeed Internet service to US classrooms.

The money is being given to nonprofit group Education Super Highway to help with its mission, the Facebook cofounder and chief executive said in a post on his page at the social network.

“In schools, Internet is critical for enabling something we know leads to better results: personalized learning,” Zuckerberg said.

“Every classroom should have fast Internet access.”

Most schools in the US are connected to the Internet, but fewer than half have high-speed broadband

connections, according to Zuckerberg.

Last month, Zuckerberg and his doctor wife revealed plans to start a private school in a hardscrabble Silicon Valley town, mixing education with health care.

Zuckerberg voiced pride in his wife, Priscilla, for the plan to create “The Primary School” in the working-class city of East Palo Alto.

Chan works as a pediatrician and has also been a teacher, seeing first-hand how poor health hinders learning in classrooms, her husband said.

“Health and education are closely connected,” Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook page.

“When children aren’t healthy, they can’t learn as easily.”

In June of last year, Zuck-

erberg and Chan began pumping $120 million into San Francisco Bay Area schools.

Distribution of the money is being spread over five years, with initial grants going toward initiatives for providing computers and Internet access in public schools as well as training teachers and enlisting parents in efforts to keep students on track.

“Improving public education in our country and our community is something Priscilla and I really care about,” Zuckerberg said at the time.

More than five years ago Zuckerberg channeled $100 million to improve schools in the New Jersey city of Newark in an early foray into improving public education that got failing grades.

UC will add 10,000 additional spots for California students by 2018 The Regents of the University of California (UC) will accept 10,000 more California students across the UC through 2018.

This will be funded with the $25 million allocated by the recent 2015-16 state budget and by phasing out the UC’s need-based aid for low-income students from other states.

“We applaud the UC Regents and President Napolitano for approving 10,000 more highly sought after college acceptance letters for California students.

These additional spots are urgently needed to ensure more qualified in-state students can attend a UC campus,” said Michele Siqueiros, President of the Campaign

for College Opportunity.

Since 1994, the number of applicants from California students applying to the UC has more than doubled.

Unfortunately, the UC has not kept pace with demand and students are finding it harder to get in. Insufficient state funding and increasing competition for too few college spots means increasingly well-qualified students are nonetheless turned away.

In response, the UC has significantly increased the enrollment of out-of-state and international students - which comes with big revenue benefits – while the number of California students at the UC has remained flat.

“As the demand for educated workers is at an alltime high and admission to the UC system is increasingly more difficult, a plan like this opens doors to ensure more California students have a spot at the UC,” said Siqueiros.

On November 30th the Campaign for College Opportunity will be releasing, Access Denied: Rising Selectivity at California’s Public Universities, a report which finds that today’s California high school graduates have to meet a much higher admissions bar to get into the UC than previous generations. “Accepting 10,000 more California students is a big step in the right direction.

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MOTORING White is the world’s favorite car color Saturday November 21 2015 (Relaxnews) – Unlike any other aspect of life, there are no grey areas when it picking the color of a new car; it really is a black or white decision.

The annual Axalta Global Automotive Color Popularity Report – the most comprehensive of its kind in the industry – finds that for the fifth year running, white is the most popular car color across Asia, Europe and America, accounting for over one third (35%) of all vehicles sold. Black is a distant second – 18% – followed by silver (13%) and grey (10%).

In fact, of all the individual countries studied for this year’s report only drivers in India prefer silver (30%) over white (29%).

Meanwhile the Chinese are completely in awe of white, which accounting for 50% of all new cars in that market, as is Africa (46%) and South America (37%).

However, there are some regional tonal quirks. North

America is where red is most popular, globally, specified on 11% of new cars compared with just 6% of Asian cars. And it’s Europeans that love both blue (9%) and black (21%) the most.

“For the fifth consecutive year, white is the world’s most popular color. However, we did see some pock-

ets of color when we looked across regions,” said Nancy Lockhart, Axalta Color Marketing Manager. “For instance, red jumped eight percentage points over 2014 in South America, midshade blues are significant in Europe, and bright blues gained popularity in North America.”

Volvo puts the driver in the passenger seat Thursday November 19 2015 (Relaxnews) – Teased as a Time Machine ahead of its unveiling, Volvo’s Concept 26 reimagines the car cabin as a space for creation and consumption as well as commuting once self-driving vehicles have become the norm In the weeks leading up to the LA Auto Show, Volvo teased that it was bringing a Time Machine with the “potential of giving signifi-

cant time back to drivers.”

And that significant amount of time is 26 minutes – the length of the average commute to work in the US. Volvo has established itself as one of the early leaders in the race to bring autonomous driving technology to real-world production cars. It is already running an ambitious multiyear ‘Drive Me’ pilot scheme in Gothenburg, Sweden on real-world roads. What’s

more, it has pledged to have these next-generation systems up and running by decade’s end. However, until now, the company’s focus has been on the environment outside rather than inside the car and how that is going to have to change when self-driving cars become the norm. Concept 26 addresses this by reimagining the cabin as a space for working, relaxing or driving for pleasure.

Is BMW’s new concept the compact car of the future?

Friday November 20 2015 (Relaxnews) – BMW’s latest concept car blends on-road practicality and poise without sacrificing backseat comfort in order to show the next generation of drivers that an aspirational automobile needn’t be big to have huge appeal.

“The BMW Concept Compact Sedan reveals the potential we see in a compact sedan,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design when the concept was unveiled at the Guangzhou Auto Show in China on Friday.

And the choice of venue – BMW is also currently out in force at the LA Auto Show – is as important as the car itself. That’s because the Concept Compact Sedan’s development is based on research into how the pre-

mium compact car segment is being influenced and will evolve due to the changing priorities of the next generation of Chinese car owners.

Traditional demands quality, aesthetics, levels of equipment and rear passenger room – will become even more crucial but at the same time so will an understanding that as cities grow and more people opt for personal mobility, automotive agility and maneuverability will be of equal importance. “It not only gives the driver and passengers generous amounts of space within a compact area but does so while providing the sporting ability you’d expect from BMW,” said van Hooydonk.

Like its latest X1 SUV production car, this concept is a triumph of packaging.

Though shorter than a 3 Series sedan, the car is wider,

its hood shorter and the wheel overhangs minimal to create as much cabin space as possible without diluting BMW’s signature styling cues. “The characterful design of the BMW Concept Compact Sedan embodies the driving pleasure offered by a sporting car with minimized exterior dimensions.

It is as distinctive as it is essential—and, as such, it injects new life into the compact segment,” explained Karim Habib, Head of Design BMW Automobiles.

Inside, the sense of space is amplified by clever use of strong unbroken horizontal lines, minimal visual clutter, contrasting colors and a panoramic roof. These lines also appear to pull everything towards the driver so that he or she feels like they’re at the center of the automotive universe.

Volkswagen, amid scandal, keeps low profile at US auto show Friday November 20 2015 (Los Angeles-AFP) – German car giant Volkswagen, tainted by an emissions scandal, is keeping a low profile as it attends a major auto show in the United States and prepares to meet with regulators.

Gone were the company’s flashy presentations and pompous speeches at the Los Angeles Auto Show Wednesday when Volkswagen’s chief executive in America,

Michael Horn, made an appearance. Thronged by reporters, Horn wouldn’t discuss details of dealings with federal regulators VW executives are to meet with on Friday. But he went out of his way to express regret over the scandal that has dealt a heavy blow to the automaker. “There’s frustrations and there’s sometimes anger but also a lot of support,” Horn told reporters in his first public comments on

the emissions scandal since he appeared before the US Congress in October.

“These reactions are fully understandable since at VW North America we have the same feelings.”

Volkswagen is reeling from revelations by US regulators in September that the company had installed software in its diesel cars in the United States that helped them evade emissions standards.

10

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Gov. Brown leads unveiling of Bicycle Hotel and Casino in Bell Gardens

By Abner Galino

CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday led the unveiling of the Bicycle Hotel and Casino in the City of Bell Gardens which has been infused with fresh capital to convert it into a fabulous place for events and relaxation rather than just a place to gamble.

The seven-storey, 99room Bicycle Hotel and Casino will open its doors on December 1 with its 185 tables of poker and other card games still intact but offering more to clients.

It will have an outdoor pool deck with private cabanas, a spa and sauna, a fitness center and 9,000 square feet of space for conventions and banquets. Its restaurant, the Bike Brewery, will feature 28 beer taps that includes a blonde ale created just for the hotel clientele.

“It is important to realize that the economy and the production of jobs come from many different ways, not just from economic plans from the government or from the city, its taking up from people – people putting up their money and the money they can borrow and putting it at risks for having a vision or something,” Gov. Brown said during a brief speech before ceremonial cutting of the ribbon.

The California governor took the opportunity to belie perceptions that Texas was “having all the jobs.”

“It’s not true. California is now producing jobs faster than the nation as a whole,” Brown claimed.

Before the California governor arrived, tension momentarily gripped the area when a group of protesters picketed in front of the hotel.

The group carried placards and an effigy of Gov. Brown.

Weekend Balita learned that the picket had nothing to do with the opening of the hotel and casino but on a long-standing community issue regarding a closed down factory that left pollutants in the neighborhood.

The picketers were demanding action from governor, who they claimed, did not do enough to address the problem.

Weekend Balita was not able to get Brown’s reaction on the issue as the governor quickly left after the ceremonies.

City of Bell Gardens Mayor Jennifer Rodriguez and Assemblymember Cristina Garcia led the group of local officials and the hundreds of guests from the community who joined the unveiling event.

The Bell Gardens Honor Guard started the ceremony through the customary presentation of colors. It was later followed by a grand entrance of motorcycles driven by tuxedo dressed bikers.

Each of these bikers had beautiful backrider models who were dressed in sequin gowns.

The bikes converged in front of the stage and the models displayed oversized playing cards that spelled the word: Bicycle.

The Bicycle Hotel and Casino said the new hotel was built by the R.D Olson

California Governor Jerry Brown & Hashem Minaiy, Managing General Partner & CEO of The Bicycle Hotel & Casino.

Construction through the architecture by Lee & Sakahara and interior design layouts by Hager Design International.

The hotel takes pride in its plush king and queensize beds that are complemented by “California-inspired furnishing and lavish bath amenities.”

In their website, the Bicycle Hotel and Casino says that for guests seeking “premium accommodations, 29 luxury suites will range from the Classic Suite (648 sq. ft.), the signature Bike Suite (904 sq. ft.), the ex-

1,111 Carat Type IIa Karowe Diamond. The gem was mined by Lucara Diamond Corp. ©Lucien Comen/Lucara Diamond Corp Lucara Diamond

be recovered in the country.

“The significance of the recovery of a gem quality stone larger than 1,000 carats, the largest for more than a century....cannot be overstated,” said William Lamb, the President and chief executive of Lucara.

The stone is yet to be evaluated, but commodities and mining analyst Kieron Hodgson, said it has “the potential to be one very expensive diamond.”

“Valuation will depend on potential inclusions, how it would behave in cutting, optimal shape as well as final color,” he told AFP.

“All these things will need to be evaluated prior to bidding.”

The biggest diamond discovered is the 3,106-carat Cullinan, found near Pretoria in South Africa in 1905.

It was cut to form the Great Star of Africa and the Lesser Star of Africa, which are set in the Crown Jewels of Britain.

Lucara indicated on its website that the Karowe Mine had also this week turned up further finds – an 813 carat stone and a 374 carat stone, prompting Lamb to laud “an amazing week” for the company.

France says show must go on with call to go to cafes and concerts Monday November 16 2015 (Paris-AFP) – France declared that the show must go on Monday, with the public urged to go back out to bars, concerts and restaurants in defiance of the terror attacks on Paris.

Culture minister Fleur Pellerin said musicians would “never stop putting on concerts” and claimed that in the face of “barbarism... culture is our biggest shield and our artists our best weapon”.

As the French capital still reeled from Friday attacks in which 129 people died, some were coming up with inventive ways of thumbing their noses at the extremists.

Music fans shared their favourite memories at the Bataclan rock venue on Twitter, while others started a social media campaign to

in just a few short weeks on Dec. 1,” explains Managing General Partner & CEO Hashem Minaiy.

“Hashem and I set out to not only build a beautiful hotel for our guests, but a great property that can be shared with and enjoyed by everyone in the community.

Having the Governor, city officials and all of our guests here to see the hotel for the first time made this a most memorable day,” adds Robert H. Carter, president of Carter Management Group.

The $50-million hotel has been under construction

since 2013 on a land previously used for parking.

The Bicycle Casino has had a long and colorful history in Bell Gardens. The federal government took over part ownership of the casino in 1991 after a jury found that $12 million of the $22 million used in its construction came from Florida drug smugglers.

Five years later, the federal government sold its share of the casino to a large British gambling company.

The casino is now privately owned by the Bicycle Hotel & Casino LLC.

Casino giant Wynn’s newest Macau resort delayed

Largest diamond in over century found in Botswana Thursday November 19 2015 (South Africa-AFP) – A 1,111 carat “high quality diamond” has been discovered at a mine in Botswana, said to be the biggest find in more than a century, according to the mine company.

The gem, only second in size to the Cullinan diamond which was unearthered in South Africa in 1905, was mined by Lucara Diamond Corp.

“The magnificent stone, which originated from the south lobe of Lucara’s Karowe Mine, is the world second largest gem quality diamond ever recovered and largest ever to be recovered through a modern processing facility,” the Stockholm listed company said a statement.

Shares in Lucara shot up 34 percent to 14.2 kronor in morning Thursday trading in Stockholm.

Botswana is the world’s second biggest diamond producer, and Lucara said the gem was the largest ever to

travagantly curated Governor’s Suite (1,359 sq. ft.), and a Presidential Suite (2,007 sq. ft.) fashioned to host and impress with its two bedrooms, formal living room, and Jacuzzi tub.”

Other food options include the Coffee House, a 24-hour Snack Bar, and inroom dining.

“Today was one of the most exciting days for all of us here at The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, and for the city of Bell Gardens.

This is truly a dream realized and we look forward to welcoming our first guest

get the US group on stage at the time, Eagles of Death Metal, to the top of the UK charts.

Amid emotional declarations that live music must go on in the shocked city, the hashtag #MonPlusBeauSouvenirDuBataclan (My most beautiful memory of the Bataclan) became one of the top trending topics on Twitter in France, with many sharing photos and videos of singers and bands who had played there such as Ed Sheeran,Arctic Monkeys and the late Jeff Buckley.

Pellerin said the government was preparing a special fund to help get live entertainment up and running again and to aid with the cost of new security measures.

“French people will not stop going to concerts and sharing these moments of

joy together which bind us all together,” she said.

All major concerts, including a show by the rock group U2, were cancelled in the aftermath of the attack, but Paris’ two biggest venues said they planned to reopen Tuesday.

US star Prince cancelled his entire European tour – due to include dates in Vienna, Britain, Sweden and Paris – “in light of the tragic events”, the Interconcerts ticket company said.

‘What makes FranceFrance’ “We have to turn the lights back on,” Alexandre Cammas of the trendy Fooding guide told AFP, as made he made a plea with Parisians to return to cafes, restaurants and entertainment venues as the city’s museums and concert halls began to reopen Monday.

Friday November 20 2015 (Hong Kong-AFP) – Hotel and casino giant Wynn said the opening of its new $4.1 billion hotel in Macau will be delayed by three months as gaming revenue in the gambling enclave suffers a drawn-out decline.

Revenues dropped for the 17th consecutive month in October, by 28.4 percent from a year ago, as China suffers a painful growth slowdown and Beijing embarks on a corruption crackdown that has hammered Macau’s key VIP sector.

In a statement Thursday, Wynn said its contractor for construction works at the Wynn Palace – a floralthemed 1,700-room resort featuring a lake with gondolas – notified them of the delay.

“Wynn Palace will not be ready to open by the projected early completion date of March 25, 2016. The revised opening date for Wynn Palace is currently June 25, 2016,” Wynn said in its statement without stating a reason.

Wynn Macau’s shares in Hong Kong closed 1.32

percent lower on Friday at HK$10.48 ($1.35) per share.

Casino operators in Macau – the only place in China where gambling is allowed – are trying to lure mass market visitors to make up for the drop in high-roller gamblers who make up the bulk of the city’s gaming income.

This has led to a slew of mega-projects on former swamp land on the coastal Cotai strip.

The latest launch was of the Studio City hotel and casino resort in October – featuring the world’s first figure-of-eight rollercoaster – that was fronted by Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio.

“We believe that some of the new Cotai projects face risks of delays amid a challenging operating environment,” Daiwa Capital Markets said in a memo Thursday, following Wynn’s announcement.

Gaming analyst Aaron Fischer said operators would be hoping for quick returns once they do open their resort doors.

“Operators are keen to get their properties open as soon as possible to start generating a return on that investment,” said Fischer, head of consumer and gaming research at brokerage CLSA. He added they may also do some “fine-tuning” to try to ensure greater growth over the medium term.

“That might include switching out some of the VIP capacity and maybe converting it to mass-market gaming areas or maybe converting some of that VIP space to restaurants or other non-gaming entertainment,” he said.

Wynn Resorts founder billionaire Steve Wynn has previously said the situation in Macau was “uncertain”.

“There’s no question that uncertainty is the plaguing word of the day in Macau,” he said in April.

Macau overtook Las Vegas as the world’s casino capital in terms of revenue after the sector was opened up to foreign competition in 2002 and still leads its US counterpart, despite the downturn.

The main entrance of Wynn Resorts is seen together with the Lisboa (right) in Macau on May 17, 2011. ©AFP PHOTO/MIKE CLARKE

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KITCHENOMICS PREPPING THE PERFECT HAM A baked ham is the perfect centerpiece to any holiday celebration. Follow these tips to ensure your seasonal mealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main course is a sensation with your guests: Â&#x201E; Never thaw meat on the kitchen counter as the external temperature can rise above 40 F while the inside remains frozen. Thaw in either the refrigerator or in cold water. Â&#x201E; Plan ahead to clean up; line your pan with aluminum foil. Â&#x201E; To avoid dried out ham, cook at 325 F, allowing 20-30 minutes per pound. Â&#x201E; Place fat side up. The melting fat will baste your ham. Turn over halfway through baking to avoid uneven salting. Â&#x201E; Do not use sharp utensils when turning the ham. Valuable juices may escape if the ham is pierced. Â&#x201E; Use proper cooking times and temperatures.

Cooking to at least 145 F will result in juicy, tender meat. Â&#x201E; Let ham stand for 15 minutes after roasting before slicing. Â&#x201E; Completely cook ham until done. Avoid partial cooking and storing in refrigerator for later use, which can contaminate the meat.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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12

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Wednesday - Tuesday, Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2015

THE US ASIAN POST

HOSTING From page 1

ang Pilipinas sa ngayong panahon,” Valte said adding it was really a big boost for the tourism sector. Aside from APEC, the Philippines hosted the ADB Internation-

al Conference in Manila, two years ago. Prior to that, the country became the venue for the World Economic Forum East Asia Summit held in Manila. “Nagbi-build up

po ito at nakikita po natin ‘yung return ng mga ganitong international event at ang exposure na ibinibigay nito sa sa paglago ng turismo,” Valte said. (MNS)

in Kuala Lumpur, Najib took up terrorism with US President Barack Obama.

In a statement after the meeting, Najib noted that Malaysia and the United States have a very similar position in terms of combating violent extremism.

“We both agree that we need to work closely together to make this region safer.

This region is not immune

from threat of violence of extremism. There are groups here operating, and there are groups here that have are aligned to ISIS. The Malaysian government is very clear on unequivocally that we are up against ISIS, against its ideology, what it stands for. It is evil. It is against Islam. It’s a perverted Islam. And they do not represent us,” he said.

no less from a responsible global leader,” Aquino said.

Beijing has vowed not to take part in the case, saying the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague has no jurisdiction over a matter concerning Chinese sovereignty. Heads of government from 18 countries including the United States, China, India, Russia, Japan and nations in Southeast Asia

are meeting for the annual East Asia summit, this year hosted by Malaysia.

A Philippine diplomat confirmed Aquino made the comments in the closeddoor meeting. The Kuala Lumpur diplomatic and political meetings follow a trade-related forum in Manila earlier in the week that included many of the same leaders.

SYMPATHY From page 1

barbaric act and ensure that they are brought to justice,” he added. Then was abducted from Sabah state in May, along with Thien Nyuk Fun, who was released following negotiations between the captors and authorities on both sides.

Then was reportedly killed following a failure in negotiations about money.

In their bilateral meeting

WATCHING From page 1

would honour its word and respect the rule of law,” Aquino said, according to a copy of his address to the 18-country East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Aquino’s comment referred specifically to a dispute with China over maritime territory, which Manila is bringing before an international court. “The world is watching and expects

APEC SPENDING From page 1

Valte also assured that that “every single peso” spent by the government for this year’s hosting of the APEC meetings will be accounted for.

“Ang alam ko po hindi buong Senado. Isa lang

pong senador na tumatakbo sa pagka-bise presidente ang nagbigay ng panawagan diyan and, of course, it goes without saying that it will be audited,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail valte told state-

run radio dzRB. Valte was referring to Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, former chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and running mate of presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe.

tion and told that there’s a Canadian solution being developed.” At the same time, he said, “this is a problem that needs fixing within our own legislation.”

“I appreciate his comment and thank him for his effort.

However, the fact remains that the trash is here and we are left to fend for ourselves and spend our own money to dispose of it despite the clear treaty obligation of Canada to get it back at their expense,” said Escudero.

CHIZ

From page 1

a Canadian firm to Manila, said the prime minister remained vague on whether his government would take the trash back.

At a press conference, Trudeau said he has been “made aware of this situa-