Voice of Asia Epaper December 14, 2018

VOICE OF ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 1

FRIDAY, 14, 2 2018 InDecember Section l HEALTHLINE

Understanding STAR+PLUSTexas Medicaid managed care program

l BOLLYWOOD Beyonce's awesome Bollywood wedding!

l BUSINESS

Serving Harris, Fort Bend and Surrounding Counties for 30 years

China bans iPhone sells in patent dispute

Vol. 32 No. 49 • FRIDAY, December 14, 2018 Published Weekly from Houston 24 Pages (2 sections) 50 cents 713-774-5140 • E-mail: voiceasia@aol.com

Pratham Houston Holiday Luncheon raises record breaking funds for women empowerment programs

P

ratham Houston's Holiday Luncheon 2018 on Friday, December 7th at The Junior League of Houston was a resounding success from every aspect: large attendance, excellent entertainment and most importantly, record breaking fundraising - $180,000 towards women empowerment pro-

grams.

As with previous years, the funds raised at the Luncheon are donated to Pratham's Women Entrepreneurship program the Beauty and Wellness vocational training program.

Under the hardworking leadership of Pratham Houston's President, Asha Dhume, the

event was well organized, entertaining and focused - "Give Women a Chance - Unleash their Potential."

The Mistress of Ceremonies Rekha Muddaraj, TV anchor from KHOU 11 News welcomed the guests and invited Asha Dhume for her opening Continued on Page 3

Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 550th Birth Anniversary in Houston

Pratham's fashion show by Saks Fifth Avenue. (Photo credit: Deborah Wallace, Barfield Photography )

India: TRS garners two-thirds majority in Telegana elections

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YDERABAD, India, Dec 11, 2018 Telangana Results: TRS president and Telangana caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao wins Gajwel assembly constituency by a margin of over 51,000 votes.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrashekhar Rao's track record of never losing an election since 1985 remained intact as he was re-elected from the Gajwel Assembly constituency with a huge margin.

Special report on pages 6 & 7

See report on page 11

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao

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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS Khashoggi, other journalists T named Time 'Person of the Year'

VOICE OF ASIA 2

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

ime magazine has collectively named Jamal Khashoggi and other killed and imprisoned journalists as its “person of the year” for 2018.

Publisher: Associate Publisher: Editor-in-Chief: Austin Correspondent: Marketing Director: Office Manager: Data Entry:

Koshy Thomas Sherly Philip Shobana Muratee Sherine Thomas Susan Pothanikat Priyan Mathew Satish Philip

Contributors: OpEd: Dr. Chandra Mittal Legal: Sharlene Sharmila Richards Mala Sharma Research: Dr. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee Health: Sudhir Mathuria

www.voiceofasia.news

Editor Online: Shobana Muratee Marketing Director: Susan Pothanikat All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the consent of the publisher. Voice of Asia assumes no liability resulting from action taken based on the information included herein. Published weekly by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074. Tel: 713774-5140. Fax: 713-774-5143. Email for editorial submissions: voiceasia@aol.com; Email for advertising inquiries and submissions: ads@voiceofasiagroup.com.

It is the policy of Voice of Asia to publish letters to the editor which evidence a variety of viewpoints. The opinions expressed in any particular letter to the editor are not necessarily those of the management. Voice of Asia welcomes letters in reply to issues raised in letters to editor. In as much letters to the editor are not articles written or researched by members of Voice of Asia, it is not the policy of the Voice of Asia to perform any investigation or confirmation of any facts or allegations contained in letters to the editor. Moreover, Voice of Asia reserves the right to edit letters to the editor as necessary to correct errors of fact, punctuation, spelling and to comply with space constraints. Although paid advertisements may appear in Voice of Asia Group Publications in print, online, or in other electronic formats, the Voice of Asia Group does not endorse the advertised product, service, or company, nor any of the claims made by the advertisement.

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The magazine gave the title – which goes to the person they judge has been the most influential over the past year – to “the Guardians and the War on Truth”.

Those named also included the journalists killed in the mass shooting at the Capital Gazette in Maryland in June, two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar after investigating the massacre of Rohingya Muslims and Maria Ressa, a journalist in the Philippines facing tax evasion charges that she has called “political harassment”.

“In its highest forms, influence – the measure that has for nine decades been the focus of Time’s Person of the Year – derives from courage. Like all human gifts, courage comes to us at varying levels and at varying moments,” Time magazine’s editor-in-chief, Edward Felsenthal, wrote in an essay about the selection.

“This year we are recognizing four journalists and one news organization who have paid a terrible price to seize the challenge of this moment: Jamal Khashoggi, Maria Ressa, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo and the Capital Gazette of Annapolis, Md.” More than two months since Khashoggi’s disappearance, Saudi Arabia is still facing international condemnation over his brutal murder and alleged dismemberment at the hands of a Saudi hit team. The 61-yearold’s body has still not been found and is thought by Turkish investigators to have been dissolved in acid.

Time magazine’s person of the year started in 1927 and recognizes “the person or group of people who most influenced the news and the world – for better or for worse – during the past year”. It is decided by the magazine’s editors.

The journalists named are representative of many others facing serious risks to cover the stories of our time, the magazine said. Fifty-two journalists have been murdered in 2018.

The magazine editor said the selection was particularly relevant amid an assault around the world and in the United States on freedom of the press.

“It has long been the first move in the authoritarian playbook: controlling the flow of information and debate that is freedom’s lifeblood. And in 2018, the playbook worked.

Today, democracy around the world faces its biggest crisis in decades,” Felsenthal wrote, calling the abuse and manipu-

lation of the truth “an insidious and growing threat to freedom”.

In choosing Khashoggi, Time for the first time in its history picked someone who is deceased as a person of the year.

Felsenthal called him “the most visible representative of this harrowing year for truth”.

The Washington Post columnist’s death has sparked a global reassessment of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and the west’s relationship with the repressive kingdom.

Time also named Ressa, the founder and editor of Rappler, a news site in the Philippines known for its reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s extrajudicial killings. The government has sued her site repeatedly, and she has faced violent threats online.

Five staffers at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, were murdered in June by a gunman angry about old coverage of him by the paper.

The shooting made the US the fourth deadliest country in the world to be a journalist in 2018, tied with Mexico.

“But while the loss was immense and intensely personal, that day the staff at one of the nation’s oldest news outlets did what it has done since before the American ­ Revolution – they put the paper out,” Felsenthal wrote.

The two young Reuters reporters, Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone, were sent to prison for reporting on the killings of 10 Rohingya Muslims. They were sentenced to seven years, while the killers they revealed got 10 years.

The Reuters journalists also won two awards at the Press Gazette’s British Journalism Awards on Monday night, taking the prizes for best foreign affairs journalism and best overseas investigation for their work.

“We are all in debt to reporters who are willing to put their liberty on the line in order to tell the world things the world needs to know about,” said the judges in the investigation category.

“They investigated atrocities against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims in the face of very significant opposition from the government, a government which up until then we had thought was run by a saint.

Their work had a major impact on international opinion and was genuine world-changing journalism.”

Time released four versions of its front page, featuring Khashoggi, Ressa, staffers at the Capital Gazette who survived the mass shooting and the wives of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. They noted there are plenty of other examples of embattled journalists this year, including Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam, who was jailed

for more than 100 days for criticizing the country’s prime minister, and freelance journalist Sheikh Hasina in Sudan, who was arrested while covering a protest, detained for 34 days and beaten with electric rods.

Jim Waterson contributed to this report.

- The Guardian

44 former US senators urge current Senate to defend democracy

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orty-four former Republican and Democratic US senators penned an op-ed for The Washington Post that warns "we are entering a dangerous period" and urges current and future senators to be "steadfast and zealous guardians of our democracy."

The former senators write in the op-ed they feel an "obligation to speak up about serious challenges to the rule of law, the Constitution, our governing institutions and our national security."

"We are on the eve of the conclusion of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation and the House's commencement of investigations of the President and his admin-

istration," the senators write.

"The likely convergence of these two events will occur at a time when simmering regional conflicts and global power confrontations continue to threaten our security, economy and geopolitical stability."

The US is at an "inflection point" the senators write, "in which the foundational principles of our democracy and our national security interests are at stake, and the rule of law and the ability of our institutions to function freely and independently must be upheld."

During their time in office, the former senators write, "at times we were allies and at other times opponents, but never enemies."

- CNN

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ANNOUNCING Our Upcoimg Special Issue on Holiday Greetings will be published on December 28, 2018.

Reserve your space NOW! Call 713-774-5140

VOICE OF ASIA 3

Section 1

Community Email: voiceasia@aol.com

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Tel: 713-774-5140

Pratham Houston Holiday Luncheon raises record breaking funds for women empowerment programs

Left to Right: Dr. Marie Goradia, Pratham USA National Board, Dr. Sippi Khurana, Pratham Houston Executive Board & Luncheon Co-Chair, Asha Dhume, President, Pratham Houston. (Photo credit: Deborah Wallace, Barfield Photography) remarks.

Asha thanked the guests for supporting the cause and for their generosity in donating for so many years. She mentioned how Pratham USA was started over 20 years ago with the initial support of Mr. Vijay Goradia and has now grown into a large organization helping millions of underprivileged children in India.

Asha emphasized that Pratham USA has been named one of the top charities by The Houston Chronicle and has earned the highest 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for eight consecutive years - placing

it in the top 3 % of American charities.

The Co-Chairs of the Luncheon, ABC -13 Women Of Distinction, Farida Abjani, Shawntell McWilliams and Dr. Sippi Khurana took to the stage to share their perspective.

Farida Abjani and Shawntell McWilliams mentioned they were grateful for this opportunity and spoke briefly on their personal reason to support Pratham and why women empowerment is important.

Dr. Sippi Khurana, Pratham Houston Advisory Board member, shared her interaction over

video-conferencing with students and alumni of Pratham's vocational training programs.

She mentioned that it was gratifying to see so many people in India being benefitted by Pratham programs.

Dr. Marie Goradia, Pratham USA National Board member, conducted a meaningful pledge drive in her convincing and compassionate style - urging guests to donate generously. She narrated the story of a young woman alumnus of Pratham's entrepreneurship program, who fought against the oppression of her abusive husband and the challenges of

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Left to Right: Rekha Muddaraj, TV Anchor, KHOU 11 News, Shawntell McWilliams, Luncheon 2018 Co-Chair, Asha Dhume, President, Pratham Houston, Dr. Sippi Khurana, Pratham Houston Executive Board & Luncheon 2018 Co-Chair, Bimla Jain, Swatantra Jain, CFO, Pratham USA and Pratham USA National Board, Farida Abjani, Luncheon 2018 Co-Chair. society to emerge successfully with her own small business.

During a delectable lunch, guests including prominent Houstonians and community stalwarts networked and enjoyed the holiday event. The event's grand finale was a spectacular fashion show produced

by Lenny Matuszewski for Sak's Fifth Avenue, models by Neal Hamil followed by a surprise Kendra Scott giveaway of 50 surprise boxes of jewelry - proceeds of which were donated back to Pratham.

The afternoon ended with Mr

Swatantra Jain, Pratham USA National Board member and CFO, handing a token of appreciation to the co-chairs Farida Abjani, Dr. Sippi Khurana, Shawntell McWilliams and announced a personal Facebook matching campaign.

The volunteer team had done a tremendous job just like they do every year to ensure that the event was executed in a meticulous way. The Pratham USA team including Vikas Bahl, Mani Surkari, Dimpal Kalani and Manasi Pendharkar contributed to a successful event.

Please mark April 20, 2019 in your calendars for Pratham USA’s 20th Anniversary Gala celebrating and honoring Mr. Vijay Goradia, founder of Pratham USA. It promises to be another elegant, entertaining and amazing event. Please reach out to Vikas Bahl at vbahl@prathamusa.org for sponsorship opportunities.

To learn more about Pratham and the organizations work please visit www. prathamusa.org.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 4

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

IACCGH hosts insightful Fatty Liver Disease could soon be the No. 1 reason for NexGen Exchange at UH liver transplantation

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UGAR LAND— (Dec. 7, 2018) — More than 100 million Americans have potentially deadly fatty liver disease and most do not even know it. Overeating and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol this holiday season could put someone with the disease on the fast track to liver failure.

“There are no symptoms associated with fatty liver disease and no pain, so most people never get checked or treated for it and, over time, if it is not diagnosed the condition can cause severe liver damage,” said Kerry Laursen, M.D., a board certified family medicine physician with Houston Methodist Primary Care Group at Sienna Plantation.

“In fact, the disease is so prevalent that it will soon overtake hepatitis C as the number one reason people need a liver transplant.”

Fatty liver disease is fat inside the liver cells. Alcohol, drugs, obesity, lipid disorders and diabetes can all be causes. However, many with this condition suffer from metabolic syndrome, a constellation of factors which includes a large waist circumference (men greater than 40 inches, women greater than 35 inches), high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels and insulin resistance that heighten the risk of heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Over time, a person might begin to experience fatigue, weakness and loss of appetite. Laursen says even small amounts of binging on alcohol can lead to significant fat in the liver.

“Fatty liver disease, much like type 2 diabetes, will go away with proper diet and

Indian IT Contractor, Wife and Father charged with insider trading Rajeshwar Gannamaneni provided nonpublic information about impending mergers, acquisitions, and tender offers to his wife and father, SEC said.

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EW YORK - An Indian IT contractor, his wife and father have been charged in the US with insider trading after he illegally tipped them with confidential client information he stole while working in the Singapore branch of an investment bank.

Rajeshwar Gannamaneni, 36, provided nonpublic information about impending mergers, acquisitions, and tender offers to his wife, Deepthi Gandra, 33 and his father, Linga Rao Gannamaneni, 68 who lives in India, The Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement.

The SEC obtained a courtordered freeze of assets in three US brokerage accounts and one US bank account connected to the alleged trading.

The SEC's complaint alleges that between December 2013 and August 2016, Gannamaneni abused his position as a senior software consultant at the investment bank and accessed sensitive, highly-confidential information concerning at least 40 mergers, acquisitions, tender offers and other significant corporate events of the investment bank's clients.

Rajeshwar Gannamaneni then illegally traded on that information and shared it with

Panelists: Franceska McCaughan , Bonnie Treece, and Prasanth Chilukuri and was moderator Anish Nagar during the Q & A Session.

by Anish Nagar

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Kerry Laursen, M.D., family medicine

exercise. If you lose seven to 10 percent of your current weight, no matter how much you weigh, you can eliminate some fat from your liver,” Laursen said. “I would encourage people this holiday season try to use portion control.”

Laursen says avoid supersizing food; use a smaller plate; don’t fill up the entire plate; don’t go back for seconds; limit the amount of sweets and, of course, limit alcohol intake to one or two drinks.”

Vigorous exercise, such as weight lifting, swimming, running or aerobics, between 75 and 150 minutes a week with a heart rate of 120 or above during the holiday season and beyond will help you tackle this problem. Laursen suggests eating fruits and vegetables before attending a family function or holiday party will help a person feel full and avoid foods high in fat.

Between five and 20 percent

of people with fatty liver will develop serious liver disease. Laursen says that number is likely to grow as the nation’s obesity problem continues to get worse.

“If people are concerned about whether or not they have fatty liver disease, they can ask their physician to order liver function testing,” Laursen said. “The good thing is that with a few lifestyle changes this is a disease that is very manageable. Portion control and exercise are the keys to keeping it in check.”

OUSTON - The IACCGH NexGen Exchange had their Fall 2018 Young Minds Panel at the University of Houston on Wednesday November 14th.

In partnership with UH CEO (Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization), NexGen invited three young and successful entrepreneurs to speak and answer questions on the panel.

The panelists were: Franceska McCaughan (Founder of Franzie’s Flower Design and CEO of Franzie’s Flower Friends), Bonnie Treece (Owner of The Brain Domain), and Prasanth

Chilukuri (Co-Founder and CFO of Sparkplug Studios).

The event was moderated

by Anish Nagar (Business Development and Growth Manager at Governance360 Enterprise Solutions Inc.).

The audience was packed with young professionals and students with a commonality of interest in business and entrepreneurship.

The panelists discussed reasons they chose to become entrepreneurs along with challenges they faced along the journey. Collectively, the dream for more time paired with curiosity were

the driving factors for why the panelists chose the entrepreneurship route. They also focused on the importance of time management and of building out their team.

“There’s never the right time and you never feel fully prepared. You have to be willing to put in the time and seed money. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will. When is the right time? When you are ready to take the jump!”, Franceska.

The event concluded with a Q&A session and group pictures.

Professor Rattan Lal wins Glinka World Soil Prize

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EW DELHI, PTI Professor Rattan Lal, President of the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS), has been awarded The Glinka World Soil Prize 2018 for his contribution to sustainable soil management.

To schedule an appointment online with Kerry Laursen, M.D., or another family medicine physician in your area visit houstonmethodist.org/pcg/southwest or call 281.276.0653.

For more information on Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or visit fb.com/methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

Prof Lal of the Ohio State University has been among the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds and among the top one percent of all researchers in agriculture. His scientific work has notably contributed to soil organic carbon restoration and improvement of soil structure but also played a major role in converting science into policy and decisionmaking. Prof Lal was born in Karyal, Punjab, which is now in Pakistan.

named after the pioneering Russian scientist Konstantin D. Glinka, was established by the Global Soil Partnership with the support of the Russian Federation in 2016 and honours individuals and organisations whose leadership and activities have contributed to the promotion of sustainable soil management and the protection of soil resources.

This year the Russian Federation has also approved the financial contribution of $2 million to support the activities of the Global Soil Partnership in its second phase (2018-2020).

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, about 33 per cent of all soils in the world are degraded, and the state of soils is deteriorating at an alarming rate.(UNI)

Indian social worker, 35, allegedly Indian arrested on hangs himself at home in UAE: charges of smuggling report The Glinka World Soil Prize,

foreign nationals

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UBAI, UAE (PTI) - A 35-year-old prominent Indian social worker in the UAE has allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in his apartment, a media report has said.

Sandeep Vellaloor, a staff surveyor in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) emirate, suffered a huge financial loss after setting up a transport company, which is believed to have prompted him to hang himself.

Sandeep Vellaloor, a staff surveyor in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) emirate, suffered a huge financial loss after setting up a transport company, which is believed to have prompted him to hang himself, Khaleej Times reported on Sunday.

The father of three was a prominent social worker. His

his father and wife who unlawfully traded on it, collectively realizing illicit profits of about $600,000.

He also allegedly traded in an account that he controlled that was opened in the name of a family member, who was living in the US at the time.

Rajeshwar Gannamaneni asked this family member, a cousin who at the time lived in Virginia, to open an investment account at an American

ASHINGTON, PTI - A 38-yearold Indian national has been arrested on charges of smuggling foreign nationals into the US for private financial gain, according to Department of Justice. Bhavin Patel is charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to bring in and harbour aliens and six counts of smuggling foreign nationals into the US via commercial airline flights, New Jersey US Attorney Craig Carpenito said on Monday.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on December 18, 2018, before US District Judge John Michael Vazquez.

Sandeep Vellaloor. Image posted on Facebook. two roommates were not at home when he apparently committed suicide, it said.

Police have started an investigation into the incident, the report said.

"After coming back from work, they found the door locked from inside, and had to break open the lock to get

brokerage firm, so that he could place trades in this account from Singapore.

"As alleged in our complaint, Gannamaneni abused his work-related access to sensitive, market-moving nonpublic information to enrich himself and those he tipped," said Kelly L. Gibson, Associate Director of Enforcement in the SEC's Philadelphia Regional Office. "Our continued use of innovative analytical tools to

in. To their shock, they found him hanging from the ceiling," said Prasad Sreedharan, a social worker affiliated with a medical committee recently constituted by the Consulate General of India in Dubai.

Vellaloor was the general secretary of Yulan Kala Sahiti and team leader of the Friends Cricket Association

find suspicious trading patterns and expose misconduct demonstrates our resolve to catch insider traders who seek to take illegal advantage of the U.S. markets for personal gain."

The SEC's complaint charges the defendants with fraud and seeks disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten gains, pre-judgment interest, penalties, and injunctive relief.

- Press Trust India

Arrested by special agents of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on December 7, at Newark Liberty International Airport, Patel if convicted faces maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison.

Each substantive charge of smuggling carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison.

In its court papers, HSI said

that its beginning in October 2013, an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a smuggler began meeting with Patel in Bangkok. Patel told the undercover law enforcement officer that he wanted to smuggle Indian nationals into the US. On three occasions, Patel or his conspirator transported the Indian nationals to an airport in Thailand, at which point the undercover law enforcement officer would purportedly use his contacts to smuggle them into the US via commercial airline flights.

Patel agreed to wire down payments for each individual to be smuggled into the US and to pay a balance of tens of thousands of dollars for each individual once the foreign nationals arrived in the United States, HSI alleged in its court papers.

Over the ensuing months, Patel arranged for six Indian nationals to be brought to Thailand for smuggling into the United States via Newark Liberty International Airport, HIS alleged.

To advertise on our newsletter Call 713-774-5140 or email request to: voiceasia@aol.com

Fort Bend View

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

VOICE OF ASIA 5

Sugar Land, Katy, Stafford, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenberg and Meadows Place

Section 1

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Yolanda Ford wins Missouri City Mayoral race Chris Preston has won the Councilmember At Large Position #2 race.

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ormer council member Yolanda Ford has gone on to unseat long-time incumbent Mayor Allen Owen in a runoff election Saturday, Dec. 8, in Missouri City.

Fort Bend County election officials report that after all precincts reported, Ford finished with 51.93 percent of the vote to Owen's 48.07 percent.

Yolanda Ford unseats 24-year incumbent Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen

Ford becoming first African American woman to serve as the Fort Bend city mayor

by Brandon Scott

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ISSOURI CITY (December 9, 2018) — Yolanda Ford defeated incumbent mayor Allen Owen in a runoff election Saturday, making her the first African American and first woman to serve as mayor of Missouri City.

Ford previously served as a member of the City Council for District A since 2013. Owen had held the position of mayor since 1994. Ford will take the oath of office on Dec. 17.

“I am so proud that the residents of Missouri City have elected me as their mayor,” Ford said. “After having served on the city council for the past five years, and as a lifelong resident, I am deeply invested in the well-being and growth of Missouri City, and I look forward to working with citizens, the city council and others toward its betterment,” Ford said.

- KHOU

"I am so proud that the residents of Missouri City have elected me as their mayor," Ford said in a statement. "After having served on the city council for the past five years, and as a lifelong resident, I am deeply invested in the well-being and growth of Missouri City, and I look forward to working with

citizens, the city council and others toward its betterment."

Ford is a Missouri City native who graduated from John Foster Dulles High School. She earned a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of Houston and a Master of Architecture degree from Prairie View A&M University.

The runoff was necessary after no candidate received at least half the vote on Nov. 6. Owen finished with 36.06 percent to Ford's 34.96 percent.

Fred G. Taylor had the remaining 28.98 percent.

Ford was first elected to the City Council in 2013 while Owen had been the Missouri City mayor

since 1994. Owen previously spent five years on the city's Planning and Zoning Commission and eight years as a City Council member.

- At-large position 2 Incumbent Chris Preston finished with 64.18 percent of the vote to Susan Soto's 35.82 percent in the run-off for City Council at-large, position 2.

In the Nov. 6 General Election, Preston topped four candidates with 47.50 percent of the vote.

Soto had 24.85 to earn a spot in the runoff. Angie Wierzbicki (15.47 percent) and H.R. "Buddy" Snyder (12.18 percent) completed the field.

- Staff reporter

Fort Bend Marshall football player killed in domestic dispute

by Quinton Martinez

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ICHMOND (December 11, 2018) - According to multiple reports Fort Bend's Thurgood Marshall senior football player Drew Conley was killed in a domestic dispute late Monday.

Marshall, which is scheduled to face Calallen in the Class 5A Division II state semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday in San Antonio, tweeted "Remember 3" from its official Twitter

account Tuesday.

Conley's teammates, other members of the Texas high school football community and Calallen football players have tweeted support for the family and the Marshall football team.

Conley wore No. 3 and played safety for the Buffaloes.

ABC13 in Houston reported that Conley was arguing with his uncle in a home in southwest

Houston when shots were fired and Conley was hit in the leg.

The report said Conley's girlfriend drove him to an area hospital, where he died.

A VYPE Houston report stated that Marshall head coach James Williams confirmed that Conley had died, but that the coach declined further comment.

- Corpus Christi Caller Times

Tel: 713-774-5140

Holiday, Bulky Waste collection scheduled for holidays

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UGAR LAND – Solid waste collection in Sugar Land will not occur on Christmas and New Year’s Day. All city residents except those living in Greatwood receive solid waste services from Republic Services and will have their trash picked up on the following days following Christmas and New Year’s Day: • Tuesday’s collection will occur on Wednesday.

• Thursday’s collection will occur on Friday.

are posted at www.sugarlandtx.gov/316/Residential-Services.

Bulky waste service is provided for items too large to fit in garbage carts. Bulky waste does not include construction, demolition or hazardous wastes. Republic Services will provide an additional bulky pickup in addition to regular service based on the schedule below.

Christmas Bulky Waste Service Day

• Friday’s collection will occur on Saturday.

Wednesday, Dec. 26

Greatwood’s solid waste contract with Best Trash continued after annexation; trash pickup in Greatwood will occur on the next scheduled service day after Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Friday, Dec. 28

The solid waste holiday schedules for Republic Services and Best Trash

Thursday, Dec 27 Saturday, Dec. 29 New Year's Bulky Waste Service Day Wednesday, Jan. 2 Thursday, Jan. 3 Friday, Jan. 4 Saturday, Jan. 5

FBISD's JASON Argonaut program open

A

pplications for the 2019 JASON Argonaut expeditions are now being accepted, and FBISD secondary students interested in science are encouraged to apply. As an Argonaut, students will gain handson scientific fieldwork in locations across the globe.

Each year, one student and one teacher is chosen

to represent Fort Bend ISD. Anjali Narayanan, a student at Sartartia Middle School, and Michael Harvey, a teacher at First Colony Middle School, were FBISD’s 2018 Argonauts.

Harvey was also chosen as FBISD’s 2017 Teacher Argonaut.

Learn more at jason. org and from your science teacher(s).

VOICE OF ASIA 6

GURU NANAK

JAYANTI

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Community kicks off year-long celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 550th Birth Anniversary in Houston

Col. (retd.) Raj Bhalla and wife Kanwal. (Photo provided by Col. Bhalla)

From Left to Right: ICC team: Rajiv Bhavsar, Charlie, Col. Raj Bhalla, Nisha Mirani ICC President, Swapan Dhairyawan nd Hemant Patel. (Photo provided by ICC)

by Shobana Muratee, with inputs from Col. Raj Bhalla

H

OUSTON – At an august gathering of people of diverse faiths, the message and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, founder of Sikhism, were narrated and kirtans sung in His praise as part of Guru Nanak Devji’s 550th Birth Anniversary. Houston’s wellknown philanthropic couple Mrs. Kanwal Bhalla and Col. (Ret’d.) Raj Bhalla were joined by India Culture Center (ICC) as hosts of the event held on Saturday, December 1 at the India House.

Welcoming the guests as ‘brothers and sisters’, Col. Raj Bhalla, also a Freemason, paid tribute to Swami Vivekananda, who addressed the gathering at the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893 “in the true spirit of Freemasonry,” he said.

Col. Bhalla gave an indepth account of Guru Nanak Dev ji’s life, teachings and philosophy.

“Ek Onkar: One Universal Creator God, Sat Naaam: The Name is Truth, and Karta Purakh: Creator Being Personified were among the main messages (or Mool Mantar) of Guru Nanak,” Col. Bhalla said, as he paid homage to Guru Nanak, also known as the ‘Supreme Guru’. Col. Bhalla said that the event was “neither a fundraiser nor a religious event. It is to rejoice the birth day of a great personality born with a divine light, and to reflect on His life and share his teachings.”

Swapan Dhairawan, ICC former President and Chief Trustee, currently serving as President, Indo American Chamber of Commerce was the Master of Ceremonies.

Welcoming the gathering on behalf of ICC, he said, “It’s a watershed day in the celebration of Guru Nanak’s 550th Birth Anniversary in Houston and ICC was proud to take the lead in the kick off.” Dhairawan described Sikhism as the ‘strongest and the boldest religion in the world.”

ICC also took the lead in celebrating the first Eid Milan in 2010 when Swapan Dhairyawan was its president and Col. Bhalla the Event Chair.

Deputy Consul General, Houston Surendra Adhana in his message spoke about the relevance of the teachings of both Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru of the 15th century, and how they would guide in creating Vasudevkutumbakam – meaning ‘the whole world is my own’ - in today’s troubled times of violence, hatred, and discrimination. He also mentioned about the year- long celebrations initiated by the Government of India.

Nisha Mirani, ICC president also spoke on the occasion and gave her message o peace and togetherness.

A video of Honorable Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister of India in connections with the celebrations started there was presented on the occasion.

Deputy Consul General Surendra Adhana delivering his message at the event.

Bhai Sukhdev Singh, and Kaka Agampal Singh sang Kirtans during the celebrations kick off.

Bhalla then outlined the life of Guru Nanak who was born on April 15 in 1469 in Talwandi village (now in Pakistan). His birth and early years were marked by many events that demonstrated that God had marked him out for something special. Right from the childhood, Nanak showed great ability as a poet and a philosopher. Though born in a Hindu family, Nanak showed an advanced interest in religion, and studied Islam and Hinduism. He learnt Sanskrit and Farsi from Hindu and Muslim scholars.

Nanak’s parents wanted him to lead a normal householder’s life. So, in 1487, at age 18 they married him to a girl named Sulakhni. They had two sons: Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand.

Nanak lived in troubled times when religious practices in the Indian sub-continent were dogged by spiritual and moral crisis and the country was witnessing an intense conflict between Hindus and Muslims, aggravated by the religious zeal of Muslim rulers. Nanak was practical in his outlook. He wanted to bring an end to the conflict among various religions. He vehemently rejected caste system, gender inequality, sacrificial rituals, religious marks, superstitious beliefs and many other practices.

Among other things that he acknowledged as valid were the law of Karma, rebirth, respect for the Guru and importance of righteous conduct. He had both Hindu and Muslim disciples.

“Sikh to my mind is derived from the Sanskrit word Shishya meaning student, disciple or a seeker. The Guru and Shishya are interconnected. In Sikhism it is the Guru and his followers are the Sikhs,” Bhalla shared.

“Guru Nanak was one of the greatest religious innovators of all time and the founder of the Sikh religion.

Guru word is a combination of Gu meaning darkness and Ru means Light. The Guru dispels darkness and takes one towards light.”

Bhalla narrated a few famous stories about Guru Nanak, one of which tells of His rebellion at the age of eleven when, as per the custom, He was to start wearing the sacred thread – janeau.

He refused saying that he would instead wear the name of God in His heart as it would never be broken nor tainted with impurities.

Like many other prophets Nanak led an ordinary household life, signifying that a true follower of God ought to live in the middle of people and work for the salvation of himself and others through his good deeds and exemplary life. For some time, He worked as a storekeeper in the state granary of Daulat Khan Lodhi in Sultanpur. Here He met Mardana, a Muslim who played Rebab and became his companion and disciple.

It is said when Nanak was

28 years old, He disappeared and returned after three days revealing that He had a vision that made Him aware of His mission, declaring that He was neither a Hindu nor a Muslim. Because of this, wherever He went the locals gave Him a local name.

He started preaching that there was only one God who could be worshipped by any name and reached directly by anyone through abiding faith and devotion.

He proclaimed God as the creator on whose command all things moved, and who is formless and does not manifest Himself physically in our world.

Speaking about the relevance of Guru Nanak’s philosophy in modern world, Bhalla said, “Modern world is suffering from a deep moral and spiritual crisis characterized by religious animosity, unbridled materialism, moral decline, superficial religiosity and misuse of religion and religious symbols.

“Even if you are not a Sikh, you can still apply his teachings to your daily life and benefit from them because his teaching transcends social and religious barriers and appeal to us directly as the guiding principles of an ideal human being.”

Col. Bhalla thanked ICC president Nisha Mirani and members, and especially thanked Swapan Dhairyawan, “who wears many hats,” he said.

The program concluded with soul-stirring kirtans by Riyaaz Qawalli group, Bhai Sukhdev Singh, and Kaka Agampal Singh, followed by a sumptuous dinner.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji 's 550th Birth Anniversary

Best Wishes from Kanwal & Col. Raj Bhalla

GURU NANAK

VOICE OF ASIA 7

JAYANTI

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji's 550th Birth Anniversary Highlights of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's Resolution to celebrate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Devji

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n 22 November 2018, the Union Cabinet of India, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has passed a Resolution to celebrate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Devji, which falls next year, throughout the country and across the globe, in a grand and befitting manner along with State Governments and the Indian Missions abroad.

The following are the highlights of the decisions taken in the Cabinet meeting: Development of Kartarpur Sahib corridor: The Union Cabinet approved the building and development of the Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the international border, in order to facilitate pilgrims from India to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the banks of the Ravi river, in Pakistan, where Shri Guru Nanak Devji spent eighteen years. The Kartarpur corridor will be implemented as an integrated development project with Government of India funding, to provide smooth and easy passage, with all the modern amenities. Government of Pakistan will be urged to recognize the sentiments of the Sikh community and to develop a corridor with suitable facilities in their territory as well.

Development of Sultanpur Lodhi: The Union Cabinet also decided that the historic town

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi speaking on the occasion of 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. (Photo credit: Punjab News Express) of Sultanpur Lodhi, associated with the life of Shri Guru Nanak Devji, shall be developed as a heritage town and on the Smart City principles, including energy efficiency, to highlight Shri Guru Nanak Devji's emphasis on sustainability and reverence for nature. As a major attraction for pilgrims and tourists, a heritage complex at Sultanpur Lodhi, "Pind Babe Nanak da" will be established to depict life in the times of Shri Guru Nanak Devji. Sultanpur Lodhi railway station will be upgraded and developed with all the modern amenities.

Centre for inter faith studies and Chairs in foreign Universities: A centre for inter faith studies will be set up at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Chairs on Shri Guru Nanak

Devji will be set up in a University in UK and Canada. An International seminar on the life and teachings of Shri Guru Nanak Devji will be organised in New Delhi.

Celebrations throughout the country and globally: States/Union Territories will also be requested to celebrate 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Devji in a befitting manner. Indian missions overseas will organize special events on the occasion.

Commemorative coin and stamps: Commemorative coin and postage stamps will be released by the Government of India to mark this momentous occasion.

Religious activities and pub-

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Tweeted n the ocassion 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

lications: Religious activities will be organised throughout the country. Doordarshan will telecast programmes on Shri Guru Nanak Devji and the Gurubani.

National Book Trust will publish Gurbani in different Indian languages. UNESCO will be requested to publish Shri Guru Nanak Devji's writings in world languages.

Special train for pilgrims: Ministry of Railways will run a train passing through the various holy places associated with Shri Guru Nanak Devji, for pilgrims and tourists.

Honorable Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister of India speaking during the celebrations in India.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, on the occasion of 549th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Devji, shared his thoughts on the Sikh Guru and urged all to imbibe his teach-

ings. PM Modi said “Shri Guru Nanak Devji cared for the welfare of all mankind and considered all castes the same. He stressed on women empowerment and respect for women.

Opening of Kartarpur corridor is from blessing of Gurunanak Devi ji. Each and every word of Gurbani will give us more strength,” said the Indian Prime Minister.

Celebrating Guru Nanak Dev ji’s 550th Birth Anniversary The First Sikh Guru and the Founder of the Faith

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VOICE OF ASIA 8

Satya Nadella and Sunder Pichai attend White House Tech Summit

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AHINGTON - December 8, 2018Amid strained ties between the Silicon Valley and Trump administration, top tech honchos, including Google’s Sunder Pichai and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, were invited by the White House for a technology summit on December 6.

President Donald Trump made a brief appearance at the summit, which was themed “Industries of the Future” and organized by daughter Ivanka Trump.

A senior administration official described the summit as a “listening session” to field policy ideas on quantum computing, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence.

Even though White House has held many meetings with tech firms at lower levels and Trump has met Apple CEO Tim Cook twice this year, the summit marked the highest profile administration tech meeting in more than a year.

While IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, Oracle co-CEO Safra Catz and Qualcomm’s Steve Mollenkopf were among those who attended the event, Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg were absent from the discussion.

A senior administration official told the that “those companies weren’t invited to the event”.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and former secretary of state Henry Kissinger also attended the summit.

“We had a productive and engaging discussion at the White

Google’s CEO Sunder Pichai

Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella.

House about America’s leadership in emerging technologies,” The Wall Street Journal quoted Pichai as saying.

of the postal service.

Pichai is scheduled to testify before US Congress on December 11 about his company’s alleged bias towards the conservatives, privacy and anti-trust market behavior.

The high-profile meeting also comes amidst the U.S.China trade war, which has threatened to make products like iPhones dearer.

Owing to national security concerns, the US government aims to tighten restrictions on exports of new technologies.

The list of affected products could include quantum computing, speech recognition, cloud Artificial Intelligence and other technologies that provide major avenues toward business in China.

Trump has had clashes with tech companies over trade and immigration policies. Amazon has been consistently targeted by the President who has threatened investigations over the tech giant’s taxes and use

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Two dead, 11 injured in Strasbourg Christmas market shooting

Earlier, Trump proclaimed that algorithms developed by the likes of Google and Facebook fail to offer consumers politically-balanced news about American politics and his presidency itself.

Concerns were also voiced at the summit about promoting ethical uses of AI. In May, the Trump administration said it would not stand in the way of AI development, even as it acknowledged that the growing technology will lead to job losses.

AI, a growth area for US businesses, is expected to put millions of truck drivers, retail cashiers and other American workers out of a job, according to a Wall Steet Journal report.

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis had warned Trump in September that the US is not keeping pace with the ambitious plans of China in artificial intelligence.

It is estimated that the Chinese government already has invested $300 billion in AI, chips and electric cars.

Police cars at the scene of a shooting in the French city of Strasbourg. (Frederick FLORIN/AFP).

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TRASBOURG, France | AFP | 12/11/2018 - A gunman killed at least two people and seriously injured another 11 near the famed Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg on Tuesday before fleeing the scene, security officials said.

Police launched a manhunt after the killer opened fire at around 7pm local time (1800 GMT), sending crowds of evening shoppers fleeing for safety.

Soldiers patrolling the area as part of regular anti-terror operations exchanged fire with the gunman and injured him, but could not stop him escaping the scene, police sources

said.

she was hit," the witness said.

Police said officers later exchanged gunfire with the suspect as he fled.

The Strasbourg-based European Parliament was on lockdown after reports of the shooting emerged, with MEPs, staff and journalists unable to leave the building, an AFP reporter said.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the shooter had been identified and had a criminal background.

Security forces sealed off the historic centre of the city, which is the capital of the Alsace region and lies on the border of Germany.

The parliament is currently in plenary session, with hundreds of MEPs and officials having made the monthly visit to Strasbourg from Brussels.

"We heard several shots, three perhaps, and we saw people running," one witness told AFP afterwards, asking not to be named.

The Christmas market in Strasbourg is an annual tourist attraction that draws hundreds of thousands of people.

"One of them fell down, I don't know whether it was because she was tripped up or if

US nuns who stole mon- Trump appeals asylum ban ey to gamble in Vegas to Supreme Court facing criminal charges

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OS ANGELES | AFP | 12/11/2018 - Two California nuns who stole around $500,000 dollars from the school where they worked and splashed out on travel and gambling in Las Vegas are facing criminal charges, their order confirmed Tuesday.

wrong. Our Sisters take full responsibility for the choices they made and are subject to the law," it said in a statement to AFP.

Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, who are said to be best friends, reportedly embezzled the huge sum over the course of a decade from St James Catholic School in Torrance, south of Los Angeles.

"This has definitely been shocking to the entire school and parish community," Adrian Alarcon, head of media relations for the Archdiocese, told AFP.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles said the money was discovered missing during a routine audit after Kreuper, who was principal at the school for 29 years, retired earlier this year. Chang was a teacher at the school for 20 years and also retired this year.

The nuns' order confirmed it had been informed the Archdiocese had filed a criminal complaint against the pair.

"As a religious community we will not defend the actions of our Sisters. What happened is

It added the two sisters have been removed from their residence, placed in a religious house under supervision, and banned from all public ministry.

She added the case was all the more disquieting given the Church's teachings that clearly spell out "thou shall not steal."

The order on Monday said Kreuper and Chang admitted to their misdeeds and were cooperating to determine the full amount of money taken.

The sisters expressed remorse over their actions in a letter shared with parents at a school meeting last week, and their order has vowed to make full restitution.

"Justice demands this of us," it said in its statement.

W

"These measures are designed to channel asylum seekers to ports of entry, where their claims can be processed in an orderly manner; deter unlawful and dangerous border crossings; and reduce the backlog of meritless asylum claims," read the petition, filed in Trump's name.

Eleven days after Trump announced the controversial action, US District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco issued a temporary restraining order

Security has been stepped up in recent years after a series of attacks in France by Islamist gunmen since 2015 and the Strasbourg market was considered a possible target.

In 2016, a 23-year-old Tunisian killed 12 and injured 48 others when he ploughed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

ASHINGTON DC | AFP | Tuesday 12/11/2018 - President Donald Trump's administration asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to allow him to enforce a ban on granting asylum to illegal immigrants, after suffering two lower court setbacks.

The Justice Department told the high court that the ban, announced by Trump on November 11, needed to be enforced immediately to deter thousands of Central Americans now at the US southern border from crossing into the country illegally in search of asylum.

- Tourist attraction -

Special anti-terror army units have been deployed in Strasbourg and soldiers and armed police are regularly seen patrolling among the 300 wooden chalets of the market.

The shooting on Tuesday comes at a time when French security fores are stretched after more than three weeks of anti-government demonstrations.

The administration is fighting to stem the surge of migrants from Central America. A previous ban against mostly Muslim-majority countries lead to widespread protests. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP) against its implementation, while the full case faces legal challenges.

Human rights groups argue that the order violated the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which states that any foreigner who arrives in the US, "whether or not at a designated port of arrival," may apply for asylum.

The Justice Department appealed the restraining order.

But on Friday an appeals court sided with the lower court against enforcement, saying Trump's ban was at odds with existing law.

The fight over asylum seekers was the latest in a series of battles over immigration that Trump has waged with his own courts since he came into office in January 20 promising a crackdown on the borders.

The administration is fighting to stem the surge of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador who travel to the US border with Mexico to request asylum, claiming their countries are too dangerous for them to remain there.

Currently, if they do cross the border illegally, they must

Nearly 90,000 police were deployed on Saturday for the fourth round of protests by socalled "yellow vests" which led to violence in many cities.

Three years after groups of jihadists gunned down and blew up 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015, French counter-terror officials say their focus has shifted.

Rather than coordinated attacks, their main concern is attacks by "lone wolves" -- selfradicalised individuals acting without links to terror groups such as Islamic State. be allowed to apply for asylum and are often set free inside the country while their case is pending.

There was no immediate response from the Supreme Court on whether or when it would review the Trump petition.

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 9

World Malayalee Council Houston Province Women's Forum Inauguration and Award Night

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ISSOURI CITY, TX World Malayalee Council Houston Province Inaugurated their Women's Forum this Sunday at St Joseph Syro Malabar Auditorium under the leadership of WMC Houston Women's Forum President Lakshmi Peter. The inauguration was done by Fort Bend County Judge Elect KP George who was also felicitated by the province President.

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Neeta Sane to serve on ACCT's 2019 Public Policy and Advocacy Committee

The President of Houston chapter SK Cherian spoke of the province's activities through out the year, the America region President James Koodal congratulated the women's Forum and the Province Chairman Jacob Kudassanad encouraged future activities.

The inauguration was kicked off with an Awards night for Women from various fields of work. Awardees were Dr. Sabina Cherian for medicine, Mrs Ponnu Pillai for Community Service & Social Welfare, Mrs Robby Mathew for Home Health Services, Dr. Nisha Sundaragopal for Dentistry and Community Service, Sheeba Jacob for Faith Media Contributions, Himi Haridas for Fashion and Media.

Fort Bend County Judge Elect KP George being falicitated by SK Cherian, President of Houston chapter and Lakshmi Peter, Houston Women's Forum President.

HCC Trustee Neeta Sane

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ith service dedicated to public good, HCC Trustee Neeta Sane is grateful to be selected to serve on the 2019 Public Policy and Advocacy Committee of a national organization, Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT).

The association serves as the voice of community college leaders in the congressional and executive branches of government. It is comprised of 6,500 trustees who govern more than 1,200 two-year colleges in the nation. The 2019 Public Policy and Advocacy Committee of ACCT will be reviewing public policy issues and making recommendations.

The women who were honored at the Awards night.

Juliet George was recognized as Miss Teen Malayalee USA 2018 and Reshmi Surendran recognized as Miss Malayalee USA 2018.

Lakshmi Peter said, "I am passionate about empowering women and this was an apt way to inaugurate the Houston chapter's women's forum by recognizing these strong people for all their dedication, we look forward to many more future ventures."

The program ended with new office bearers taking their oath as new President Jomon Edyadi and General Secretary Raina Sunil of the Houston province. Several dignitaries attended the event including Stafford city councilman Mr Ken Mathew and HCC Trustee Ms Neeta Sane.

Free caregivers courses offered in January

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“I am looking forward to working with other thought leaders from var-

ious parts of our nation to analyze and advocate for positions that will ensure students success, workforce education and economic growth,” said Neeta Sane.

She was elected to serve on the HCC Board of Trustees in 2007 and re-elected in 2013. During her tenure on the HCC Board, Neeta has worked relentlessly and been instrumental in ensuring a strong and well-educated workforce as the economy continues to move into globalization. She holds an MBA in Finance and Accounting from the Florida Institute of Technology and a Master of Science degree from UH-Clear Lake.

More information about Neeta Sane is on www.NeetaSane.com

ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 10

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Great snakes! Indonesians wrestle with giant python

Vietnam says Google 'taking steps' to open local office

ARIAMAN, Indonesia | AFP | Tuesday 12/11/2018 - A viral video showing a gigantic python wrapping itself around an Indonesian villager has secured more than a million views, after locals wrestled with the serpent before successfully caging it.

ANOI, Vietnam | AFP | Tuesday 12/11/2018 - Google is taking steps to set up an office in Vietnam to comply with a new law, Hanoi said Tuesday, as the communist country prepares to enact a controversial cyber bill that critics say is aimed at silencing dissent.

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H

The villagers initially thought the giant snake, which was resting by the river, was just an old log before one of them touched the serpent, triggering it into action.

The November 22 video, shot by villager Ronal Efendi Coto, shows the man fighting as others try to pry him loose from the python's notorious death grip.

The villagers initially thought the giant snake, which was resting by the river, was just an old log before one of them touched the serpent, triggering it into action. (Photo: AFP)

After calling for help and managing to subdue the serpent, the men put it into a cage in Pucuang Anam village in Sumatra and asked a local zoo for assistance.

"For now we are just keeping it in the cage so people can come and have a look", Coto told AFP, adding that the snake was eight metres (26 feet) long.

But the zoo declined to take in the python, citing overcapacity.

Pythons are some of the largest snakes in the world, but are not known to measure more

than seven metres in the wild.

In June, an Indonesian woman was found dead inside in the belly of a giant python after it was captured near where she vanished while tending her vegetable garden on Sulawesi island.

Chinese market electrifying for 'green' cars

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Internet companies have largely been silent on the incoming law -- criticised by the US, the EU and the UN -though Google's vice president

"If China gets moving on electric cars then that would automatically lower prices and have a favourable ripple effect across the whole world," said Ernst and Young auto expert Jean-Francois Belorgey.

"Pollution levels mean the government has no other choice" than to encourage the development of new energy vehicles, he added.

Chinese cities are regularly smothered in a haze of particulates, often far exceeding global health guidelines.

While much of the pollution comes from coal burning for industry, vehicle exhausts exacerbate the problem.

The sector has been a contrast with the rest of the market for cars in China, where growth has slowed markedly alongside the wider economy.

And observers say if carmakers can crack China, with its vast population and burgeon-

It will also require firms like Google and Facebook to remove "toxic content" and hand over user data when requested by the government -- clauses activists say is designed to scrub out online criticism.

ing middle class, the rest of the planet could follow.

Government subsidies are fuelling a boom in electric vehicles in China, driving hopes for the industry's global future as the world's biggest car market offers economies of scale that could make the technology mainstream. ales of electric cars, though still modest, have rocketed fourfold in a year -- thanks in part to lavish government handouts -- as Beijing looks to cut down on dangerous air pollution that shrouds urban areas.

The cybersecurity law, which mirrors China's repressive web regulations, will come into effect on January 1 and in its current draft will require internet companies to host local servers and offices in the single-party state.

Chinese workers stand next to a Kadjar car. (Š AFP Photo)

Only 331,000 of the 24 million new cars sold in China last year were electric or plug-in hybrids.

Growing public anger has

for global affairs reportedly said his company was taking steps to open a local office, according to a report on Vietnam's government website on Tuesday.

"Google is currently looking at steps to open representative office in Vietnam," the report said after Google's Kent Walker met with deputy prime minister Vuong Dinh Hue. The requirement in the cybersecurity law to open offices in Vietnam and host servers has been among the bill's most controversial articles.

The majority of requests were lodged last year citing content listed as "government criticism", and Google has removed more than 3,000 videos, the report added, without providing a timeline.

Vietnam has long come under fire for jailing activists critical of the government, many of whom use social media as a crucial platform to voice discontent.

All independent media is banned in the country and protests of any kind are not allowed.

Google has offices throughout Asia-Pacific, including its regional headquarters in Singapore, but not in Vietnam.

The company did not reply to AFP's request for comment on Tuesday.

The government announced last year it had deployed a 10,000-strong cyber taskforce to monitor online posts and in October said it had set up an office capable of screening millions of news items per day.

Vietnam has already asked Google to remove more than 6,700 items since 2009, according to the tech giant's latest transparency report.

Activists have told AFP that their critical posts have been trolled by pro-government commenters, and several dissidents have had their accounts temporarily blocked.

propelled Beijing to act, with central government subsidies of up to 55,000 yuan ($8,400) for buyers of zero- or low-emission vehicles, which are often matched by local authorities.

percent of its sales to hybrid and electric vehicles by 2020 with the government's blessing.

The government says it wants five million "green" vehicles on the road by 2020 in the country of more than one billion people.

Drivers of such cars can also avoid restrictions imposed on heavy smog days, when some cities limit vehicles according to their licence plate.

They are also exempt from lotteries for plates several cities have set up in an attempt to cap on the total number of cars.

Domestic firms have benefited, with Warren Buffett-backed Chinese firm BYD claiming to be the biggest electric vehicle maker in the world.

China's Geely, which owns Volvo, is another major player, and says it wants to shift 90

- Electric dreams The subsidy incentives only apply to domestic brands, not foreign manufactured cars, and the government says it will gradually phase them out by 2020 to ensure the sector does not become dependent on handouts.

Despite the handicap, foreign firms have also tried to cash in on the potential gold rush.

France's Renault is one of a growing number of foreign manufacturers that see China as an ideal test ground for lowcost electric vehicles that can attract buyers in other markets.

The company opened its first Chinese factory last Monday in the central industrial hub of Wuhan and will start to produce electric cars there as early as next year.

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FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

VOICE OF ASIA 11

'Humbled' Modi suffers defeats ahead of 2019 India polls

US adds Pakistan to blacklist for religious freedom violations

Defeats in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan would dent Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invincible image and put his BJP party on the back foot (AFP Photo/Money SHARMA).

The blacklisting's timing may be jarring as it comes after Pakistan released Asia Bibi, a Christian woman on death row for eight years for blasphemy, sparking protests from Islamist activists

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by Jalees Andrabi

ASHINGTON | AFP | 12/11/2018 - The United States said Tuesday it has added Pakistan to its blacklist of countries that violate religious freedom, ramping up pressure over its treatment of minorities.

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EW DELHI, India | AFP | 12/11/2018 India's ruling party suffered stinging election defeats in at least two stronghold states, results showed Tuesday, in a big blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi before national polls in 2019.

The votes held earlier this month and in November were seen as a dress rehearsal for next year when Modi will likely go head-to-head with a emboldened Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party for a second term.

"We accept the people's mandate with humility," Modi said late Tuesday on Twitter.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had designated Pakistan among "countries of particular concern" in a congressionally mandated annual report, meaning the US government is obliged to exert pressure to end freedom violations.

'We defeated the BJP today, we will defeat them in 2019 too,' Indian media quoted Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party as saying (AFP Photo/Chandan Khanna).

"I thank the people of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for giving us the opportunity to serve these states.

The BJP Governments in these states worked tirelessly for the welfare of the people."

including one in partnership.

day.

Analysts have linked the BJP's apparent dwindling support to growing rural distress and unemployment.

"We defeated the BJP today, we will defeat them in 2019 too," Indian media quoted Gandhi as saying. "Mr Modi sold a vision to the country five years ago. India had the patience to give them five years. But they have failed."

But the latest results are a blow to the image of Modi as an invincible vote-winner, and puts the 68-year-old on the back foot months before he seeks a second term in office.

It also strengthen 48-year-old Gandhi -- scion of the GandhiNehru dynasty -- with Congress having lost more than a dozen states to the BJP since Modi took office in 2014.

In both the central state of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in the west, the chief ministers from Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) conceded defeat, while in Madhya Pradesh the outcome was on a knife-edge.

In Chhattisgarh, ruled by the BJP for 15 years, initial results showed the BJP winning just 16 seats, down from 49 in the outgoing parliament, trailing Congress on 68 in the 90-seat state parliament.

Congress also trounced the BJP in Rajasthan, governed since 2013 by the BJP's Vasundhara Raje, an unpopular local princess, winning 99 seats ahead of the BJP on 73 -- 89 fewer than in the last election.

Television footage showed jubilant Congress workers bursting firecrackers and dancing at regional party offices in both states.

In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh the BJP also suffered from voter fatigue after 15 years in office, with Congress set to be two seats short of a majority and five ahead of the BJP. In two other smaller states also releasing results Tuesday, Telangana in the south and remote Mizoram in the northeast, regional parties looked to be leading.

Congress's five-time Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla was routed by the regional Mizo National Front, a BJP ally. In Telangana the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi won handsomely -- at the expense of Congress.

- Cow Belt But it was Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh that mattered most for the Hindu nationalist BJP, which swept to power nationally under Modi in 2014.

They form part of the "Hindi Belt" or "Cow Belt" region of around 475 million people -more than the United States, Canada and Mexico combined -- where the right-wing BJP has its core support base.

Before the recent five elections, the BJP ruled 19 out of 29 Indian states either outright or in alliance with local parties.

Congress rules just two states,

The results could also help his party cobble together a grand alliance of smaller parties to take on the BJP next year, with Gandhi at its head.

"The message (from voters) is very clear. (Modi) needs to address the main issues of employment, corruption, and damage to economic structures," Gandhi said on Tues-

Nearly 55 percent of India's 1.25-billion population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture, and farmers form an important voting bloc for parties.

"The verdict is the cumulative result of the issues faced by people in these states," Gurpreet Mahajan, a political scientist at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University told AFP. "Victory and defeat are an integral part of life," Modi said in a second tweet.

"Today's results will further our resolve to serve people and work even harder for the development of India."

In Telangana, K. Chandrashekar Rao's TRS strikes gold Telangana Election Results: Exit polls had predicted a win for K Chandrashekar Rao but the victory margin was smaller.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi is leading in 82 of the state's 119 seats.

by Anindita Sanyal

H

YDERABAD: K Chandrashekar Rao's move to dissolve the Telangana assembly appears to have paid off handsomely as his Telangana Rashtra Samithi established a huge lead over the Congress-Chandrababu Naidu alliance in the Telangana assembly elections today.

The party is leading in 89 of the state's 119 seats, the alliance in 22. The BJP is aheda in two seats.

For the Congress and Mr Naidu, a setback in the state will have ramifications for their efforts to forge a united opposition. Mr Naidu has taken on the task of forging a united front for which, a huge 21-party meeting was held in Delhi yesterday.

Exit polls had predicted a win for KCR, as Mr Rao is popularly known. But the victory margin was smaller.

The counting was preceded by high drama In the state.

Yesterday, despite the exit poll predictions, the Congress and Mr Naidu's Telugu Desam Party had met Governor EL Narasimhan and requested that in case of a split verdict, they be given the first chance to form government.

The state BJP, which had bitterly criticized KCR and

his party during the election campaign, hinted that they were open to backing the TRS if it distances itself from the AIMIM. But it was shot down by the party. State BJP leader K Laxman, who made the unauthorized offer, was severely reprimanded by his party.

Congress leader Hanumantha Rao said they were open ally with AIMIM, but Asaduddin Owaisi ruled it out. Mr Owaisi said the TRS would win the election on its own and had a three-hour meeting with Mr Rao later in the afternoon.

News agency Press Trust of India reported that TRS minister T Harish Rao, was leading in Siddipet by 13,040 votes over his nearest TJS rival Bhavani Reddy after the completion of the third round.

In Zaheerabad, TRS nominee Manik Rao was leading by 738 votes after the first round.

Elections for the 119-member state assembly were held on December 7.

- NDTV

Visit: VoiceOfAsia.news

Pompeo a year earlier had placed Pakistan on a special watch list -- a step short of the designation -- in what had been seen as a US tactic to press Islamabad into reforms.

Human rights advocates have long voiced worry about the treatment of minorities in Pakistan, including Shiites, Ahmadis and Christians.

But the timing of the full designation may be jarring as it comes after Pakistan moved to resolve its most high-profile case, with the Supreme Court in October releasing Asia Bibi -- a Christian woman on death row for eight years for blasphemy.

The government recently charged a hardline cleric, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, with terrorism and sedition after he

Questions remain over Bibi's whereabouts, the court's decision, and how hardliners may react to further developments. (AFP File Photo) led violent protests against Bibi's acquittal.

"In far too many places across the globe, individuals continue to face harassment, arrests or even death for simply living their lives in accordance with their beliefs," Pompeo said in a statement.

"The United States will not stand by as spectators in the face of such oppression," he said.

Nine countries remained for another year on the list of Countries of Particular Concern -- China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

The United States removed one country from the list -- Uzbekistan -- but kept it on the watch list.

Pompeo also put on the watch list Russia, adding another item of contention to the relationship between the two powers.

Russia has increasingly drawn concern in the United States over its treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses, the heterodox Christian group known for proselytization.

Also on the watch list was the Comoros, the Indian Ocean archipelago that is almost exclusively Sunni Muslim.

Twitter warns global users their tweets violate Pakistani law

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ASHINGTON | AFP | 12/10/2018 - When Canadian columnist Anthony Furey received an email said to be from Twitter's legal team telling him he may have broken a slew of Pakistani laws, his first instinct was to dismiss it as spam.

But after Googling the relevant sections of Pakistan's penal code, the Toronto Sun oped editor was startled to learn he stood accused of insulting the Prophet Mohammad -- a crime punishable by death in the Islamic republic -- and Twitter later confirmed the correspondence was genuine.

His perceived offense was to post cartoons of the prophet several years ago.

Furey and two prominent critics of extremism in Islam say they are "shocked" to have received notices by the social media giant this past week over alleged violations of Islamabad's laws, despite having no apparent connection to the South Asian country.

They say the notices amount to an effort to stifle their voices -- a charge Twitter denies, arguing the notices came about as a result of "valid requests from an authorized entity," understood to mean Pakistan, helped users "to take measures to protect their interests," and the process is not unique to any one country.

But Furey is the third prominent user in the space of days to publicly complain about receiving a message linked to Pakistan.

The other two are Saudi-Canadian activist Ensaf Haidar and Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, a progressive Muslim scholar from Australia who was born in Iran.

Both are outspoken critics of

religious extremism and have accused the social media giant of helping to silence progressive ideas within Islam.

- ' Validates blasphemy laws' Furey, who detailed his experience in a column for his newspaper on Saturday, told AFP: "I'm somewhat alarmed that Twitter would even allow a country to make a complaint like this, as it almost validates their absurd blasphemy laws."

The tweet in question was a collage of cartoons of Mohammad that he posted four years ago.

"Looking back, I remember I did it right after there had been an ISIS-inspired attack in retaliation over the cartoons," Furey wrote in his column, adding he had not posted similar material before or since.

Haidar, who is the wife of Saudi writer Raif Badawi who was jailed in his country in 2012 for charges including apostasy, told AFP: "I'm very shocked by Twitter. They want to silence any voice telling the truth."

Twitter wrote to her concerning an August tweet which showed a woman wearing the Islamic full veil, with the caption: "Retweet if you're against niqab."

A notice sent to her and seen

by AFP advised her that Twitter had received official correspondence saying she could be violating Pakistani law for the tweet, adding: "You may wish to consult legal counsel about this matter."

Tawhidi meanwhile was sent a similar notice flagging a tweet that called on Australian police to investigate extremism in mosques following a deadly knife attack in Melbourne in November.

The scholar attached the legal notice sent to him by Twitter informing him of possible violations of Pakistani law, and tweeted: "I am not from Pakistan nor am I a Pakistani citizen.

"Pakistan has no authority over what I say. Get out of here."

- Chilling effect Reached for comment, a spokesperson for Twitter told AFP: "In our continuing effort to make our services available to people everywhere, if we receive a valid requests from an authorized entity, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in a particular country from time to time."

The spokesperson added: "We notify users so that they have the opportunity to review the legal request, and the option to take measures to protect their interests."

Pakistan has previously threatened to block Twitter if the company did not remove content its government found offensive.

It banned Facebook for hosting allegedly blasphemous content for two weeks in 2010 while YouTube was unavailable from 2012 to 2016 over an amateur film about the Prophet Mohammad that led to global riots.

Furey told AFP that although he was taken aback by the notice, "I'm at least glad they brought it to my attention that the Pakistan government has their eye on me."

But he added: "One troubling consequence to all of this is that even people in countries without these blasphemy laws may start to self-censor for fear of the reach foreign governments will have over them in the online world."

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

SAFE

Keep HOUSTON PERSONAL SAFETY

SENIOR CITIZENS CRIME PREVENTION

Awareness the Key to your Safety The Houston Police Department wants you to be safe! By practicing these personal safety tips, you will reduce the opportunities criminals look for when targeting a crime victim.

SAFETY AT HOME

•Lock your doors and windows when you are at home.

•Install a peephole with a 190-degree viewing angle.

•Before opening an exterior door to your home, know who is at the door and do not open the door to an unexpected visitor. Exterior lighting provides additional protection from intruders.

STREET SENSE

•Walk with confidence.

•Safety in numbers. Travel only in well-lighted streets •Try not to carry a purse, but if you must, carry it securely under your arm.

•Avoid displaying large amounts of cash or other tempting item.

•Avoid street solicitors trying to sell you something at a bargain price.

VEHICLE SAFETY

•Park in well-lighted areas.

•Have your car keys ready, look around and under your car and observe other vehicles parked nearby.

•Glance into the backseat and at the floorboards of your car before entering.

•If you think someone is following you, do not go home.

Drive to the nearest police station.

•If you have car problems, raise the hood and tie a white cloth to the door handle to signal for help.

•If someone stops, ask them to call for help. Do not accept rides from anyone.

PUBLIC ELEVATORS

•If you are worried about someone who is waiting for the elevator with you, pretend you forgot something and do not get on.

•Look inside before getting on to ensure that no one appears suspicious, if so do not get on.

•Once inside, stand near the controls and familiarize yourself with the emergency buttons.

•Get off if someone suspicious enters.

•If you are attacked, push the alarm and as many floor buttons as possible.

WORK SAFETY

•Never give telephone numbers or addresses of fellow coworkers to anyone without their permission.

•Use discretion in revealing personal plans to people at work.

Remember!

Awareness is the key to your safety.

Meetings are open to the public.

Please join us: 2nd Wednesdays Public Safety Committee Meeting at 9:00 a.m.

Environmental & Urban Design Committee Meeting at 10:30 a.m.

A lifetime of experience coupled with physical problems associated with aging often make older Americans fearful of being victims of burglaries, robberies, physical assaults, and other violent crimes. However, the greatest crimes against senior citizens comes from fraud and con games.

PERSONAL SAFETY

•Go with family, friends, or a group if possible rather than by yourself.

•Use direct deposit for any checks you receive such as your Social Security and retirement payments.

•Avoid displaying large amounts of cash or other tempting items, such as expensive jewelry, clothing, and wraps.

•

SAFETY AT HOME

•Lock your doors and windows, do not let strangers in your home.

•Do not judge a book by its cover, well-dressed people commit crimes and so do women.

•If you have called for services, check the person’s identification before they enter your home.

•Never let anyone know that you live alone or are at home alone.

•Work out a “buddy” system with a friend to check on each other.

•Consider a home alarm system that provides monitoring for burglary, fire, and medical emergencies.

TELEMARKETING FRAUD

•Be skeptical of “too good to be true” telephone offers.

•Resist pressure for an immediate decision and ask for written follow-up materials that explain the offer.

•Agree to pay no more than the price of a postage stamp when notified about “winning” a sweepstakes.

•Never provide your credit card or checking account numbers to a caller from an unfamiliar company without first checking the company out with your Better Business Bureau, state consumer protection agency or state Attorney General.

•Never allow yourself to be drawn into a conversation with an unknown caller in which you reveal your name, address, marital status or anything to indicate you are alone.

•Ask to be placed on the company’s “do not call” list to reduce the number of unwanted telephone calls..

LATEST SCAMS A woman states that she is a Social Worker and needs to give you a hearing test.

When you turn away from her, she grabs your valuables or you discover items missing after she has left.

During the spring, summer or fall when the weather is nice outside, individuals working on their yard most often do not lock the doors to their homes. One individual will approach the victim and occupy his/her attention while a second person enters the victim’s home and steals money, jewelry, and other valuable items.

Another home diversion technique is for perpetrators to come to a residence and ask for a drink of water, use the bathroom, or use a telephone to gain entry into your house.

Business & Economic Development Committee Meeting at 11:30 a.m.

4th Mondays Board Meeting at noon (no meetings in December) 24 hour/7 days a week S.E.A.L. Security Dispatch for the business community Call 281-407-1160 for non emergencies.

If you see something, say something.

/SouthwestManagementDistrict

For General Information, contact Your Local Police Station. Emergency 9-1-1 Police Non-Emergency 713-884-3131.

Public Affairs at 713-308-3200.

Citizens Help Line Dial 3-1-1. www.houstonpolice.org

/user/GreaterSharpstown

/SouthwestMD

/southwestmd

ROBBERY PREVENTION Be Observant. Be on Guard. Be Safe A robbery is one of the most serious and potentially dangerous crimes committed in the United States today. A robber commits a holdup because he or she believes that their profit will be worth the risk. By decreasing the possible profit and increasing the risk of apprehension.

PREVENTION AT HOME

•All doors leading to the outside should have dead-bolt locks.

•Lock your doors and windows when you are at home.

•Before opening an exterior door, make sure you know the identity of the person at your door before allowing admission.

•Do not open the door to an unexpected visitor.

•Install a peephole with a 190-degree viewing angle.

•Do not advertise that you live alone.

•Make sure exterior lighting is on at night. Inexpensive timers or photoelectric cells will automatically turn lights on and off at dusk and dawn.

•Write down the license plate number of any suspicious vehicles and call the police if concerned.

•

REDUCE YOUR CHANCE OF BEING CARJACKED

•Always park in a well-lighted area so you can see your car. Have your car keys ready as you approach your vehicle.

•Stay alert. Don’t drive on autopilot. Watch your mirrors for any car that might be following.

•If you think someone is following you, do not go home.

•While stopped in traffic, leave enough room between your car and the one in front of you so you can maneuver and escape if necessary.

•Keep an alert eye out for any suspicious characters at intersections.

WALK ALERTLY AND CONFIDENTLY

•Try not to walk alone.

•Be alert, walk with your head up and do not let your mind wander.

•When walking at night, consider a taxi cab even for short trips.

•Trust your instincts, avoid uncomfortable situations.

It’s better to be safe than sorry.

•Be observant for groups of males/females driving or just hanging around.

•Do not take shortcuts through unlit, sparsely traveled paths such as trails, stairwells or alleys.

BE SMART ABOUT CASH

•Carry only the amount of cash that you expect to use.

If cash is needed use ATM or debit cards.

•Avoid outdoor ATM’s, particularly at night and those in secluded areas inside.

•Be alert at banks or check cashing businesses.

Carrying cash marks you as a target.

•Avoid showing your wallet. Keep needed cash, ID, and credit cards in an accessible pocket.

•Do not wear expensive or expensive looking jewelry and carry as little cash as possible. Leave valuable items at home if not needed.

WHAT TO DO DURING A ROBBERY

•Remain calm. DO NOT resist. Take no action that would jeopardize your safety. Follow the robber’s directions, but do not volunteer more than asked for.

If you have to move or reach, tell the robber what you are going to do and why. Assure the robber that you will cooperate.

•Make mental notes of: •The robber’s race, age, height, sex, clothing, complexion, hair, eye color, etc.

•Anything unusual about the robber such as scars or tattoos.

•The number of accomplices and how they left the scene, direction of travel, type and color of vehicle. Get the license number if you can safely do so.

•Any conversations the suspects may have with one another.

•What the suspect’s weapon looked like so you can describe it later.

•Also, try to remember what the suspect touches so that fingerprints may be lifted.

Crime Stoppers can be contacted at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or www.crime-stoppers.org. /channels/swmd

www.SouthwestManagementDistrict.org

VOICE OF ASIA 13

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Business Email: voiceasia@aol.com

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Section 2

Tel: 713-774-5140

‘Fearless Girl’ gets new home at New India bank chief vows New York Stock Exchange to uphold its independence

S

he may be diminutive in stature but the “Fearless Girl” is standing tall against sexism at her new home outside the New York Stock Exchange.

M

Nearly 200 people attended a brief ceremony for the unveiling of the statue, which appeared in New York’s financial district on International Women’s Day last March, and has since become a firm favorite with tourists.

UMBAI, India | AFP | 12/12/2018 - India’s new central bank chief pledged Wednesday to uphold the independence of the institution after his predecessor suddenly quit following a row over alleged government interference.

The bronze statue -- which stands at four feet (1.20 meters) -- depicts a determined youngster with eyes locked on the exchange’s imposing facade: hands on hips, ponytail windswept.

In her previous location, she squared up to the “Charging Bull,” installed by financial firm State Street Global Advisors to make a statement about the lack of women on financial institutions’ boards.

Created by artist Kristen Visbal, the statue was originally not meant to remain for more than a week.

But its immediate popularity convinced authorities to keep it in place -- despite grumbles from the creator of the bull, installed in 1989, who denounced her presence as an “advertising trick.”

“She says in one image all that advocates can say in pages and pages of arguments and statistics,” said Democrat congresswoman Carolyn Maloney during Monday’s ceremony.

But Shaktikanta Das, seen as an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, told his first press conference as governor that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would regularly hold consultations with the government.

The ‘Fearless Girl’ statue is unveiled at her new home facing the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on December 10, 2018. (Photo © Timothy A. Clary / AFP) “She is bold and self-confident and hopeful,” she added, describing the statue as a “central piece of leadership for the women’s movement.”

“We see (in her) our daughters, mothers, nieces,” added Betty Liu, vice president of the New York Stock Exchange, which in May named its first female president, Stacey Cunningham.

“She represents potential, progress and hope, but also all the women who have fought for equality before us.”

The “Fearless Girl” has made a name for herself worldwide: a rep-

lica was briefly installed in Dublin in November, while reports say she will come to London in March.

In the meantime, State Street officials are keen to point out that her tenure has come during an increase in women on company boards.

By the end of September, 215 US firms had added at least one woman to their board since 2017, according to State Street president Cyrus Taraporevala.

“She has not only changed the way we invest, she has changed the way we see the world,” he said. - AFP

China court bans iPhone sales in patent dispute

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ASHINGTON | AFP | Monday 12/10/2018 - A Chinese court ordered a ban in the country on iPhone sales in a patent dispute, US chipmaking giant Qualcomm said Monday.

An Apple statement to AFP called Qualcomm’s effort a “desperate move by a company whose illegal practices are under investigation by regulators around the world.”

Apple added that Qualcomm “is asserting three patents they had never raised before, including one which has already been invalidated.”

Apple said that “all iPhone models remain available for our customers in China,” adding that “we will pursue all our legal options through the courts.”

The Wall Street Journal said the order was issued November 30, and that iPhones remained on sale in the coun-

“I would like to believe that all issues, however contentious, can be resolved through discussions,” he said.

Das was appointed the bank’s boss on Tuesday, a day after Urjit Patel resigned following months of tensions with Modi’s administration over attempts to influence policy.

Patel cited “personal reasons” for his decision but experts and media reports have said he was annoyed by New Delhi’s repeated efforts to impose its influence.

Das is a former senior finance ministry official and a key figure in Modi’s controversial “demonetisation” scheme of November 2016 which scrapped 86 percent of banknotes overnight.

Other experts say he will be effective at building a bridge between the two feuding institutions, which could help boost Asia’s third-largest economy.

The move marked the latest in a long-running dispute over patents and royalties between the two California tech giants playing out in courts and administrative bodies worldwide.

The China case is based on patents which enable consumers to adjust and reformat the size and appearance of photographs, and to manage applications using a touchscreen, Qualcomm said.

He added that the government was not just a stakeholder but runs the economy, so there has to be “free, fair, objective and very frank discussions” between it and the RBI.

He is close to Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, leading some analysts to say that his appointment means the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government will hold greater sway over RBI decision-making.

A Qualcomm statement said the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court had granted its request for two preliminary injunctions against four subsidiaries of Apple, ordering them to immediately to stop selling the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X.

“Apple continues to benefit from our intellectual property while refusing to compensate us. These court orders are further confirmation of the strength of Qualcomm’s vast patent portfolio,” said Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm executive vice president and general counsel in Monday’s statement.

“I will uphold the autonomy, integrity and credibility of the Reserve Bank of India as an institution,” the 63-year-old told reporters in Mumbai.

try. The court case does not affect the newest models, including the iPhone Xs and Xr. The court action also comes amid a backdrop of increased trade tensions between Washington and Beijing and the arrest in Canada of a top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei at the request of US authorities.

Beijing has reacted angrily to the arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of the company’s founder, who faces US fraud charges related to alleged sanctions-breaking dealings with Iran.

- Apple’s China strategy China has been an important market for Apple in recent years since China Mobile agreed to begin distributing the smartphones in 2014, and a number of Apple stores are open in China.

Apple’s most recent quarterly report showed it brought in some $11 billion -- around 18 percent of its total revenues -- from “Greater China,” a region which includes Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has made regular visits to China, and has touted the company’s inroads in the Chinese market as well as its manufacturing there.

Qualcomm, the leading supplier of chips for mobile devices, has been in a prolonged legal battle with Apple in recent years.

Apple has claimed that Qualcomm is abusing its market power over certain mobile chipsets in order to demand unfair royalties, joining a string of antitrust actions against the chipmaker.

Qualcomm has countersued Apple and earlier this year escalated its legal fight, claiming the iPhone maker stole trade secrets and shared them with mobile chip rival Intel.

According to Qualcomm’s US lawsuit, Apple’s goal was to buy mobile chips from Intel instead of depending on Qualcomm.

Qualcomm is facing antitrust probes in South Korea, the European Union and the United States over its dominant position.

Survey of Texas freestanding ERs reveals misleading practices and consumer confusion

A

USTIN - A booming health care industry is confusing Texas consumers and leaving families with uncovered medical bills, according to a statewide survey

by AARP released today.

Unlike urgent care clinics, freestanding ERs are generally not “in network” for any insurer. It’s common for consumers to receive surprise medical bills after treatment—without knowing the cost of their treatment in advance.

Despite the fact that Texas law requires health care providers to inform patients about their plan’s coverage and the potential costs of care, consumers continue to face problems.

To better understand the situation, AARP conducted a “secret shopper” survey, reaching out to 213 freestanding ERs across the state. The findings paint a picture of widespread problems: • Less than half of facilities were able to answer a simple “yes” or “‘no” question about health plan coverage over the phone.

• 28 percent of facilities known to be out-of-network used confusing language during these phone calls, indicating they “take,” “accept” or “honor” insurance.

• 30 percent of websites do not appear to fully comply with state disclosure laws (SB 425 and HB 3276).

• 77 percent said they “take” or “accept” insurance on their website but were actually out-of-network for any major health plan.

• 60 percent of freestanding ERs used disclosure language that suggests the facility is in-network when it is, in fact, an out-of-network facility for all health plans.

“The data show that freestanding ERs need to be more transparent,” said Bob Jackson, AARP Texas director.

“Without further legislative action, the problem is likely to get worse. We support legislation focusing on improved disclosures and better patient protections.”

Companies’ gender diversity drive yet to bear fruit

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UMBAI: The share of women in corporate India’s headcount is stuck at an average 20% for the past five years, an indication that the gender diversity drives some of the top companies may have not yet delivered the desired results.

A survey of Indian and multinational companies by gender consulting firm ProEves also shows that at the top levels in India, the share of women was just 12%.

The survey findings are based on inputs from 50 leading companies across sectors with offices in India, including Walt Disney, Viacom18, InMobi, Novartis, Mondelez, Flipkart, Whirlpool, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Philips. At junior levels, women account for 22% of the total employees.

The share reduces to 17% at middle management, 14% at senior management and tapers further to 12% at the top level.

Compared with the US, participation of women in India is half across all employee groups. But industry expects

this to change in the coming years.

“The policies (such as enhanced Maternity Benefits Act) or drives by companies to support women returning after a career break are recent in nature and we are yet to feel the good effects,” said Naina Lal Kidwai, chairman of the India Advisory Board of Advent International Private Equity. “Policies to have some impact will take some time,” she said.

Prabir Jha, head of HR at Cipla, said a larger issue was the drop out of women from the workforce due to marriage, spouse relocation, maternity and other societal commitments. “While many companies have ushered in several progressive HR policies and some legal enactments too have been provided, managers are still struggling managing their workforce planning on account of these realities,” he said.

There is an even lower representation of women in key talent programmes compared with that in the workforce, which explains why there are fewer female executives in management positions. - Economic Times

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Beyonce, Hillary Clinton among the guests at AmbaniPiramal wedding celebrations

Beyoncé showed off her outfit on Instagram Nita Ambani, Hillary Clinton and Mukesh Ambani. The bride's father Mukesh Ambani, chair of the multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries, is worth more than $47 billion, according to Forbes. ( Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

C

hartered jets arriving in Udaipur for Indian heiress Isha Ambani's wedding contributed to a four-fold increase in flight traffic at the city's airport Saturday.

The next day, celebrity guests were treated to an intimate private concert

by Beyoncé.

M

UMBAI - ANI - Global pop icon Beyonce looked stunning at Isha Ambani’s pre-wedding bash in Udaipur. She shared her moments on Instagram. She adorned red gown by Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla with plunging neck line and mirror work. She wore gold custom jewelries to complete her queenly looks. Beyonce also performed at the power packed pre wedding bash. She arrived to attend grand pre-wedding celebrations of Isha-ambani and Anand-Piramal on Sunday.

And that's just the pre-party.

The most lavish Indian wedding of the year is underway in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, as 27-year-old Isha Ambani -- daughter of the country's wealthiest man -- prepares to tie the knot with businessman Anand Piramal.

The pair won't officially wed until a Wednesday ceremony at the bride's family residence in Mumbai. But celebrations kicked off over the weekend at Udaipur's City Palace, a grand 16thcentury complex overlooking Lake Pichola.

The bride's father Mukesh Ambani, chair of the multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries, is worth more than $47 billion, according to Forbes.

And the family appears to have spared no expense putting on a show for Bollywood A-listers, business magnates, politicians and sports stars.

The guest list included advertising tycoon Martin Sorrell, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and the businesswoman and author Arianna Huffington. Hillary Clinton, a long-time friend of the Ambani family, was also in attendance.

Guests were able download a custom app to help stay abreast of the

Anushka Sharma - 10 yrs of B’wood Isha Ambani serving food to guests during an ‘Anna Seva’ ritual that coincides with pre-wedding functions ahead of her marriage with Anand Piramal. ( Photo: AFP/Getty Images) schedule, which is expected to include feasts, rituals and entertainment events. Chief among these was the "sangeet," a night of music and dance traditionally hosted by the bride's family. Descending on the exclusive Oberoi Udaivilas Hotel on Saturday night, a star-studded crowd witnessed performances from various musicians and Bollywood icons.

Ambani currently sits on the boards of two companies within her father's business empire. Her 33-year-old husband-to-be also hails from a powerful family, serving as executive director of Piramal Group, a sprawling conglomerate with business interests spanning healthcare, manufacturing and real estate.

The marriage marks the latest highprofile ceremony in this year's winter wedding season, which usually runs from November to February (a period considered, in Hindu astrology, to be the most auspicious time to wed). Actress Priyanka Chopra and American singer Nick Jonas -- both of whom were in attendance at the weekend's festivities in Udaipur -- tied the knot last week in their own extravagant ceremony just over 100 miles away in Jodhpur.

the cast underwent rigorous action training to dodge bullets, leap off burning ships in preparation for their battles with British soldiers.

In this file photo taken on September 27, 2018 Indian Bollywood actors Katrina Kaif (L) and Aamir Khan (R) attend the trailer launch event for the Indian film ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ in Mumbai. (Photo: SUJIT JAISWAL / AFP) ollywood’s answer to “Pirates of the Caribbean”, the swashbuckling, star-studded “Thugs of Hindostan” sails into cinemas on Thursday, battling British colonisers on a quest for loot and box office records.

pyrotechnics galore.

This year’s big release for India’s Diwali festival, the seafaring songand-dance fest with superstars Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan cost $42 million, making it the most expensive movie to date in the Hindi-language industry.

“But story-wise, there is no similarity between the two films,” Khan, 53, insisted at a recent news conference in Mumbai.

Filmed in India, Thailand and off the coast of Malta, it brings together for the first time Bachchan and Khan, two of Bollywood’s most bankable stars, in battles against the British East India Company in 1795, and with stunts and

With his witty one-liners, maverick persona and tousled hair, Khan’s character bears a strong resemblance to Johnny Depp’s lovable pirate rogue Jack Sparrow, and the movie has a strong whiff of the “Pirates” series.

His previous films including “Dangal”, “Dhoom 3” and “Secret Superstar” have broken box office records and amassed millions across India and beyond, including in China.

Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, “Thugs” also stars actresses Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh and all

“I believe luck favours the brave. I wasn’t doing it thinking it is risky. I was doing it because that made sense for me,” said Anushka Sharma

The extravagant nuptials, which are being referred to locally as "the big, fat Indian wedding," have dominated headlines in country where tens of millions of people live in poverty.

Suave Bollywood swashbuckler battles the British

B

Beyonce stuns at Isha Ambani’s prewedding bash in her ‘queen’ avatar

Trade analysts believe it will break records and take in more than a one billion rupees ($15 million) over the long Diwali weekend, a highly auspicious time for India’s majority Hindu population.

“The move has hype, hysteria, scale and stars some of the biggest Indian superstars and has a holiday weekend to do humongous business,” analyst Akshaye Rathi told AFP. “It will easily be one of Hindi film industry’s highest grossers with Aamir and Amitabh’s star power and will set new records,” Rathi added.

M

UMBAI_ PTI - Anushka Sharma has completed 10 years in the movie business and the actor believes the reason for her successful run are the “unconventional” choices she has made as a performer, producer and an entrepreneur. Anushka, who carved a niche with films like Band Baaja Baaraat, PK, Sultan, NH10, made her debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in 2008 blockbuster Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

“I have always made unconventional choices because it comes from my instincts.

I have been successful with those unconventional choices. I have made a career with unconventional choices and that’s why I have created a different standing for myself in the film industry,” Anushka told PTI.

LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 15

Section 2

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Don’t knock the importance of leisure time

by Starre Vartan

I

divide my days, weeks, and years into two categories: There’s “Work” and there’s “Not Work.”

I would guess you’re probably the same. But it wasn’t always this way.

Previous cultures saw life as divided a bit differently. There was work, there was necessary maintenance like eating and sleeping, and there was a third category: Leisure.

the end result. It’s something you do for its own sake. So, golfing can be leisure. But if you only golf to schmooze with business contacts, that’s not the same thing.

What gets you to your happy place?

Leisure can be physically or mentally active — or not. Reading and writing can be leisure, even if you do them for a living (I do!). Snow sports like

Doing something like reading a book for the sheer pleasure of it counts as leisure time. Reading a book for work doesn’t. (Photo: Alexander Gorelov/Shutterstock) If you’re like me, you probably lump eating, sleeping, and household chores in with non-work since you’re not paid for them — and all of that fits into your time off. But as Paul Millard, a career coach and strategist writes at Quartz, lumping in necessary life tasks with enjoyable or restful activities is just one way we steal leisure from ourselves. “The German philosopher Josef Pieper ... argued a culture of ‘total work’ was taking over our lives, that everything was becoming in service of work — including leisure.”

That idea really hit home with me.

By having only two categories (with everything that’s not work in the same bucket) instead of three, we can easily let sleeping, food prep and eating, and cleaning the toilet (surely not leisure!) feel like “time off” — even though these are things we do to enable us to work.

Thinking about it this way, it’s easy to see where work becomes our life, and why it’s easy to become a workaholic. If your time off is all in service of your working life, that means you’re essentially always working.

That’s not how I want to live my life.

This paradigm even messes with vacation. I’ve written about how important vacation is more than once — that vacations will make for more creativity and energy when you return to your job, and how innovative companies promote vacation, and how to maximize the benefits of your vacation. But under this new light, now I see that all of them look at vacation as basically “job-support.” Because life, is, apparently, all about work — even vacation.

This is not to say that taking time fully away from work, traveling the world, or relaxing at home isn’t still a great idea; of course vacation is still important. But it’s not an excuse to neglect leisure, and perhaps we all need a rethink it. For starters, leisure has nothing to do with making us more productive at work.

So what exactly is leisure?

Economist and sociologist Thorsten Veblen defined it as “nonproductive consumption of time.” I love this definition because not only is it concise, it’s clear: Surely vacuuming or making lunches for the week is productive work, even if it’s not part of my job and I’m not paid for it. But it’s not leisure, either.

Leisure is a flexible idea: It can be affected by income level and location (different leisure pursuits are available to the city-dweller or the rural denizen, for sure). And one person’s leisure can be another person’s chore.

Cooking and gardening are both good examples of this. You can garden to keep up the appearance of your home in the neighborhood simply because you feel you have to, and not because you enjoy it. On the other hand, I live on a dead-end road and nobody sees my garden; I find the myriad detail of the natural world and decorative pursuits of gardening to be truly joyful, absorbing and fun. My partner genuinely enjoys cooking and baking, while I find it something worth getting through to enjoy the result.

So, leisure is something relatively self-defined, but it’s always done for the experience of doing it, not only

skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing count; watersports of all kinds; horseback riding, or ice skating, bowling or archery are all classic, relatively active leisure-time pursuits. Competitive and team sports can be leisure, as long as there isn’t an intense focus on winning.

Turning back to the work of German philosopher Pieper, he makes a great point in his essay, “Leisure: The Basis For Culture”: Leisure is the disposition of receptive understanding, of contemplative, beholding, and immersion — in the real. In leisure, there is, furthermore, something of the serenity of “notbeing–able–to–grasp,” of the recognition of the mysterious character of the world, and the confidence of blind faith, which can let things go as they will; there is in it something of the “trust in the fragmentary, that forms the very life and essence of history.”

Less physical games — board games, card playing, group games like scavenger hunts — count as leisure, as does dancing, meeting friends for coffee or a meal, or anything that’s done for the sake of itself. Leisure can incorporate a project — creating a ship in a bottle, building a doll house, or putting a puzzle together, or it can be casual, like taking a walk and seeing how many mushrooms you can spot, but not bothering to look them up, or taking a drive to admire the beautiful changing colors of the trees. Other ideas include enjoying art at a museum or studying a particular type of art or era — anything you do just for fun.

Reading these suggestions for leisure might make you think that this is an “old-fashioned” concept, since many of the activities seem kind of old-school. That’s less about the activities themselves than about the fact that over the last 30 years, leisure time has been ignored and downplayed as a concept. The incursion of work into more of our life, along with bingeable TV shows and endless YouTube videos mean that for many, leisure involves passive watching.

While a leisure pursuit could involve, say, watching all of Igmar Bergman’s movies with a friend, or checking out new Indy streaming comedy podcasts, or watching enough YouTube tutorials to master a smokey eye, the difference is that none of those things is passive — they are at least a little bit active.

You’re watching to understand an idea or to develop an understanding; that’s different from mindless streaming in intent, if not obvious action.

So book that summer vacation now.

The best way to ensure you take a vacation is to book it way in advance and then plan around it. But also think about what things you like to do just for fun, just for you, just because you enjoy it. And then think about where you can schedule that into your life.

If you have kids, showing them that you value your personal time is a great example so they don’t grow up to be workaholics themselves. If you’re really busy, that’s more reason — not less — to take time to just do something that brings you joy. Even if it’s just once or twice a month that you pull your watercolors out for 30 minutes, or play a board game with your partner, you will slowly build the habit.

- Mother Nature News

Read the latest articles on LEISURE Visit : voiceofasia.news

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Krispy Kreme’s latest doughnut is inspired by ‘ugly christmas sweaters’

by Nick Pomranz Thanksgiving has come and gone, officially putting an end to all of the “It’s too early for Christmas” arguments. Quite the contrary, now all the brands that were polite enough to not roll out their seasonal menu in August have to scramble to fill us in on what they have planned for the holidays.

Krispy Kreme knows a thing or two about limited-time-only seasonal offerings: The brand changes its doughnut offerings at a rapid clip. Just two weeks ago, the chain announced they were adding the Cinnamon Swirl Doughnut to their repertoire until January 2019. And now, they’re already back again with a bunch of specifically Christmas-themed items until December 24.

Worthy of leading off that list is one new offering — the Ugly Sweater Doughnut — described as a “take on the festive ugly sweater trend” that “is dipped in green icing, sprinkled with confetti and decorated with overthe-top reindeer and penguin candy pieces.” Though the idea of having a wooly sweater in your mouth might not sound that appealing, don’t worry, I get where you’re going with this, Krispy Kreme.

Alongside this new option, the chain is also bringing back three other limited-edition decorated doughnuts to the holiday mix. The Santa Belly Doughnut is a chocolate Kreme-filled shell “dipped in red icing and decorated to look like Santa’s jolly belly.”

The coffee and doughnut chain is also bringing back three favorites of holidays past. (Courtesy Krispy Kreme) The Holiday Plaid Doughnut is “an Original Glazed Doughnut dipped in icing and decorated in a fun red and green plaid design.” And lastly, the Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles Doughnut pretty much gives away its entire premise in the name: “a chocolate iced ring with festive holiday sprinkles.”

To help you wash down all these Krispy Kreme Christmas doughnuts, the brand is also adding a Peppermint Mocha — available in hot, iced, or frozen form — which Krispy Kreme bills as featuring “a rich espresso, dark

chocolate and frosty peppermint flavor, finished with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips.”

“This year’s deliciously festive collection is our way of bringing a little tasty fun and whimsy to our consumers during the hectic holiday season,” Alison Holder, Vice President of U.S. Retail Marketing, said in a statement.

After that, you’ll just have to wait for Krispy Kreme’s next round of LTOs to find fun and whimsy.

- Food and Wine

New York’s Strand bookshop begs to avoid official landmarking Much-loved retailer boasting ‘18 miles of books’ says city’s plans to legally recognise its status would entail expenses that might kill the business

N

ew York City’s most celebrated bookshop, the Strand, is a cultural landmark for locals and tourists alike, promising “18 miles of books” to its customers since 1927. But now the shop is battling attempts to make its landmark status official, saying the designation could destroy it.

Run by three generations of the Bass family since it opened, the shop at the corner of 12th Street and Broadway is the only survivor of what was once known as “Book Row”, home to 48 booksellers in the 1920s. New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission is keen to declare the Strand a city landmark, describing it as “a centre of literary life in Lower Manhattan” and “an internationally recognised bookstore and destination”. But at a public hearing on Tuesday, owner Nancy Bass Wyden begged the commission to reconsider.

“The Strand is the last of the great bookstores that were a hallmark of business development south of Union Square.

We’re the last for a reason,” she said. “Please do not destroy the Strand by adding more bureaucracy and unnecessary expenses and restrictions, slowing us down just when we need to be our most impactive.

In an attempt to preserve history, you may very well end up destroying a piece of the city.”

The Strand says it needs flexibility “to do future upgrades and change with the needs of the community”, and that the proposed status would mean every repair and upgrade “would have to go through the slow bureaucracy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission” and cost money.

Over the last 70 years, the number of bookshops in New York City has fallen drastically; the Strand says almost 80% have closed since 1950, falling from 368 to 79 today. “We are in a threaten-

Inside the Strand bookshop. (Photograph: Alamy) ing retail and book environment, and are fighting to compete with Amazon.

But unlike Amazon we have never asked for taxpayer-funded subsidies, tax breaks, or special favours,” it says

on its website. “ We just want to be here in the long run and to serve New York City and our community.

- The Guardian UK

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Young Life

VOICE OF ASIA 16

Young people more likely to defer health care because of cost: Poll

by Scott Hensley

I

f you’re not feeling well or have a routine health issue, do you go ahead and get it checked out or put if off because of the cost?

We wondered how often people deferred or skipped care because of cost, so we asked in the latest NPR-IBM Watson Health Health Poll.

The survey queried more than 3,000 households nationwide in July.

For starters we asked if people had postponed, delayed or canceled some kind of health care service, such as a doctor’s appointment or medical procedure, because of cost in the preceding three months. About 1 in 5 people had done so.

“I am pretty impressed that it was only 20 percent that had postponed or delayed or canceled health care services,” says Dr. Anil Jain, vice president and chief health information officer for IBM Watson Health. “I thought it would be higher.”

The proportion of people who said cost had deterred them from getting care varied by age, with a third of people under 35 saying it had been a problem compared with only 8 percent of people 65 and older.

Jain says one area that may not be getting enough attention is preventive care. “I think it’s important that young people never feel the need to forgo or delay preventive services,” he says.

We also asked people if they – or members of their household — had difficulty paying for some kind health care service in the preceding three months. A quarter said yes.

And again the strain varied by age, with 41 percent of people under 35 saying they had experienced difficulty while only 11 percent of people 65 and older had.

When to get care and when to pass often comes down to finances.

(Photo: Johner Images/Getty Images) Almost all the respondents to the survey, about 97 percent, had some form of health coverage. The sample size of respondents reporting no insurance wasn’t large enough to support further analysis within the uninsured population.

We also asked specifically about people’s experience receiving and filling prescriptions. In the three months before the survey, two-thirds of people said they’d received a prescription. A vast majority of older Americans – 84 percent – said they’d received a prescription, while 39 percent of people under 35 had.

Almost everyone who said they’d gotten a prescription went ahead and filled it – 97 percent overall.

The cost of prescriptions appeared to be a bigger concern for younger people, with 38 percent of those under 35 saying they had difficulty paying for their medicine. Only 9 percent of people 65 and older said they had the same problem.

With an eye on costs, we asked people if they were familiar with discount coupons provided by drugmakers, one way to defray out-of-pocket expenses related to prescriptions.

About two-thirds of people said they were aware of these coupons.

In a follow-up question, we asked if people had used this

kind of coupon. About a third of people said they had. Among older people, 65 and up, the proportion was quite a bit lower – only 19 percent said they’d used this kind of coupon.

Drug costs weigh on people as deductibles and copayments add up.

“Despite insurance, we feel that more people are experiencing a higher out-of-pocket burden due to medications,” says Thomas Goetz, head of research for GoodRx, a clearinghouse for drug pricing information, discounts and coupons.

“Insurance is increasingly not covering that expense as much as it used to.”

Manufacturers’ coupons are geared toward brand-name medicines, only one part of the financial challenge. “The burden for most Americans is largely with these generic drugs that are considered very routine to prescribe and are getting more expensive,” Goetz says.

“A $20 drug becomes $100.”

Think of all the sacrifices people are making to avoid skipping prescriptions, he says.

“We take these medications because they’re supposed to makes us feel better, and the price doesn’t always have that effect.”

The nationwide poll has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.

- NPR

Could speaking the native language at home boost IQ for bilingual children?

Children who speak their native language at home with their parents while growing up in a different country may have higher IQs, according to a new small-scale UK study.

C

arried out by researchers at the University of Reading, the new study looked at 100 Turkish children aged 7 to 11 living in the UK. The researchers asked the children to complete a nonverbal IQ test to compare those who spoke English at school and Turkish at home with those who spoke English at both school and home.

The results showed that children who spoke their native language at home and English at school scored better in the intelligence tests than those who spoke only their non-native language.

“It is easier to develop concepts at a young age in a first language and then learn a new word for it later in a different language. Children who have to learn to understand things for the first time in a less familiar language will find it much harder, so it follows that the children in our study who had done this scored lower on the IQ test,” said lead author

Learn to code, Harry Potter style

T

eens, tech buffs and Harry Potter fans will love this coding kit from the British firm, Kano, comprising a build-it-yourself wand that can interact with all kinds of things on your device screen.

The wand integrates several motion sensors and can be programmed via a computer or a mobile device, to which it connects over Bluetooth.

The kit teaches the basics of programming by using code blocks to string together commands and make the wand do all kinds of magic.

And, let’s say you do make an appointment and go. Afterward, do you fill the prescription you received or do financial concerns stop you?

Dr. Michael Daller.

“The research suggests parents can help their children develop their intelligence by encouraging them to use their native language at home, as this won’t be supported at school.”

The researchers added that this practice needs to be done through “meaningful communication,” such as reading books and having conversations together.

Although small, the new study is not the first to show that being bilingual can have positive effects on the brain and intelligence.

A 2016 Canadian study also found that children who speak two languages are better at problem solving than monolingual children, while a study published back in 2015 which looked at 608 adult stroke pa-

tients found that those who were bilingual could be twice as likely than those who were monolingual to regain normal cognitive abilities following a stroke.

“This study was larger than most of its kind, and unusual in that it only tested children... all ... of similar ages and backgrounds. This means we can read into these results more than those of previous experiments,” added Dr. Daller.

“The next step is to make the study more comprehensive and see if our findings are similar with children from all backgrounds and age groups.”

The findings were presented at the British Association for Applied Linguistics-Vocabulary Special Interest Group (BAAL Vocabulary SIG) Annual Conference in July 2018.

- Relaxnews

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

The wand offers over 30 gestures, and there are more than 70 step-by-step challenges on offer to learn how to connect the code blocks. Onscreen,

Build a wand, learn to code and make magic with the Harry Potter Coding Kit by Kano. (AFP photo) the wand can make pumpkins grow, feathers fly and fire flow, as well as painting pictures and making music.

The Harry Potter Kano Coding

Kit is available via the Kano website priced $99.99 The Kano Code app is available to download free from Google Play (Android) and the App Store (iOS). - Relaxnews

What do students do when a for-profit college closes?

Unfortunately, they may not be able to do much.

J

asmine Lee had finally found something she was happy with and wanted to pursue. She had been working as a medical assistant at an orthopedic center, and she was enjoying it. But she wanted more. So she figured she should check out the certificate program at Virginia College in Birmingham, where she works.

“I’m just trying to better myself, and provide a better life for my kids,” Lee, the 23-yearold mother of two, told me.

Last summer, she decided to enroll. She applied to the medical-assistant certificate program, got accepted, and found out she was eligible for the financial aid. Everything happened very fast, she said.

“They quickly had me signing up, they quickly had me trying to take a test,” she told me. She told her enrollment adviser that she wanted to start in August—it would be best for her job—but he advised her that the tuition would go up a significant amount soon, and if she started in July, she could “lock in” the current rate. According to the Virginia College website, tuition and fees for the nine-month certificate program were $16,750. A comparable program at the local community college in Birmingham costs roughly 10 percent of that.

Once she started, Lee enjoyed the program. The people—teachers and staff included—seemed to actually care about the students. “I was getting good grades, I had a good GPA, I found out I was on the dean’s list,” she said.

And then, on Wednesday, the school’s parent company, Education Corporation of America, announced that on Friday it would close all of its campuses nationwide. And Lee, five months into her nine-month program, will likely never receive the certificate she has sunk both time and money into.

Lee is one of the more than 19,000 students affected by the abrupt closure of Education Corporation of America, one of the country’s largest private for-profit college operators, which runs Virginia College, Brightwood College, Brightwood Career Institute, Ecotech Institute, and Golf Academy of America. The for-profit operator had been in a precarious position for some time, given a pending loss of accreditation and access to federal financialaid funds. In a letter to students on Wednesday, Stu Reed, the CEO of Education Corporation of America, said, “It is with extreme regret that this series

Liam Bailey / Getty Images of recent circumstances has forced us to discontinue the operations of our schools.” The company had tried to “dramatically restructure” itself, including campus closures over time.

But the outside pressures, it argued, were too powerful, and it had to accelerate the process of closing schools. But until then, students, by and large, were unaware that the problems were that severe. ECA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Atlantic.

There have been a handful of closures of major for-profit operators over the past few years, most notably the closure of Corinthian Colleges in 2015 and ITT Technical Institute in 2016. In each of these cases, there were thousands of real people, like Lee, who were left wondering how to pick up the pieces after they’d invested valuable resources into an education that suddenly disappeared.

When a college closes abruptly, students can often have their federal student loans discharged, Toby Merrill, the director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending at Harvard, told me. But that doesn’t happen automatically, she says, and students have to apply to receive the funds. Typically, after they apply, the discharge takes roughly a month or two.

Historically only a fraction of students who were eligible for such discharges have ever received them. However, the Department of Education recently changed its policies to provide automatic loan cancellation to all eligible students, as long as they do not enroll in another program that uses federal financial aid within three years.

But even though students may be eligible to get their loans discharged, Lee says, they are unlikely to get any credit for the work they’ve already done, and that doesn’t account for the money they spent out of their own pocket. “Signing up for school, they were telling us

that a lot of schools do not take their credits,” Lee told me. But she figured it would be worth it because if she finished school there, the credential would follow her for life. Now that the school is closed, though, the consequences of this are more readily apparent: She can’t transfer into another program and would likely have to start from scratch. “I’ve missed out on five months of things with my kids to be in school,” she says. “I only had four more months to go.” And to have that rug pulled out from under her is “discouraging.”

Local community colleges and technical colleges will often try to step in to help students who have been affected by the closures, but their hands are tied in terms of what credits they can allow to be transferred over, Trace Urdan, a managing director at Tyton Partners, a higher-education consulting firm, told me. Since many of the credentials—including certificates—offered by the colleges are essentially one long course broken apart, most regionally accredited colleges can’t use the credits. It’s like taking half of a calculus course, he said.

Lee and other students in the medical-assistant program at Virginia College were still encouraged to take their final exam on Thursday evening.

On Friday, she told me that the school had suggested two institutions that may accept their credits.

All of this is happening to a student body not well equipped to weather major setbacks. Statistically, students at for-profit colleges are more likely to be low-income than those at other institutions, and are less likely to have the resources to draw on to be able to come up with a good Plan B. And so they’ll end this year a little older, maybe a little wiser, and with even fewer options than they had when they started.

- The Atlantic

VOICE OF ASIA 17

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

December is ‘End Hunger’ Month

Section 2

December is Type 2 Diabetes Awareness Month

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Intel develops AI-powered wheelchair controlled by facial movements

Understanding STAR+PLUS-Texas Medicaid managed care program

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TAR+PLUS is a Texas Medicaid managed care program for people who have disabilities or are age 65 or older. People in STAR+PLUS get Medicaid healthcare and long-term services and support through a medical plan that they choose.

Long-term services and support include: • Help in your home with basic daily activities.

• Help in making changes to your home so you can safely move around.

• Short-term care to provide a break for caregivers.

• Help with things that need to get done.

Another feature of STAR+PLUS is service coordination. A STAR+PLUS staff member works with the member, the member’s family and the member’s doctors and other providers to help the member get the medical and long-term services and support they need.

HOOBOX Robotics collaborated with Intel to develop the Wheelie 7. (Photos © Intel)

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Age 21 or older, getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, and able to get Medicaid due to low income.

n the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Monday, Intel revealed the Wheelie 7 kit, technology that allows motorized wheelchairs to be driven with facial expressions.

In collaboration with HOOBOX Robotics, Intel developed the Wheelie 7 kit, a product designed to ease the transportation of quadriplegics, those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and senior citizens by allowing these individuals to control their motorized wheelchairs with nothing but facial expressions.

The tech takes only seven minutes to install, and then users can choose from ten different facial expressions like smiling, furrowing their brows, or wrinkling their nose to direct the wheelchair to move forward, turn, and stop. A 3D Intel RealSense Depth Camera SR300 is mounted on the chair to track these subtle movements in real time, then they are processed

by AI algorithms. To ensure that this processing happens as quickly as possible, the system is supported by Intel Core processors and the Intel Distribution of OpenVINO Toolkit.

This technology was developed to help the hundreds of thousands

To get services through STAR+PLUS you must: (1) be approved for Medicaid, (2) be one or more of the following:

of people who live with spinal cord injuries, the majority of whom indicate physical mobility as having the largest impact on life quality. The Wheelie 7 intends to provide users with regained autonomy, giving them

new independence and control over where they go.

According to HOOBOX, the monthly subscription price for the kit is $300, and it’s currently available for the US and Brazil markets.

the member’s needs and develop a plan of care.

Long-term services and supports can include: • Day Activity and Health Services (DAHS) • Primary Home Care (PHC) Other services under the STAR+PLUS Home and CommunityBased Services Waiver include: Personal assistance services

Not getting SSI and able to get STAR+PLUS Home and CommunityBased Services.

• Adaptive aids

Age 21 or older, getting Medicaid through what are called “Social Security Exclusion programs” and meet program rules for income and asset levels.

• Assisted living

Age 21 or over residing in a nursing home and receiving Medicaid while in the nursing home.

• Medical supplies

STAR+PLUS does not change how people get their Medicare services.

With HOOBOX Robotics’ Wheelie 7 kit powered by Intel artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, people can control their motorized wheelchairs with simple facial expressions: (Photo: Intel)

Sudhir Mathuria HEALTHLIFE 360 713-771-2900

• Adult foster care home services

• Emergency response services • Home delivered meals

• Minor home modifications (making changes to your home so you can safely move around) • Nursing services

They must pick a STAR+PLUS medical plan, but don’t pick a main doctor. They get regular health care from their Medicare doctor and providers. The STAR+PLUS medical plan only gives Medicaid long-term services and supports.

• Respite care (short-term care to provide a break for caregivers)

The following is an overview of the services STAR+PLUS offers.

In greater Houston area medical plans are offered by Molina, United Healthcare and Amerigroup.

Medical plans must have a service coordinator visit with the member within 30 days of enrolling in the program. The coordinator must find out

• Therapies (occupational, physical, and speech-language) • Transitional assistance services

To select suitable Medicare or Medicare-Medicaid dual plan contact Sudhir Mathuria at 713-771-2900.

Measles cases rise 30 percent worldwide: UN Apple’s first company-branded Beddit sleep monitor available now

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easles cases worldwide jumped more than 30 percent last year compared to 2016, with increases recorded in wealthy European countries like Germany where vaccination coverage has historically been high, the UN said Thursday.

The World Health Organization said the worrying trend of resurgent measles cases was a near global phenomenon, but the causes varied among regions.

Apple’s Beddit Sleep Monitor connects with iPhone and Apple Watch. (Photo © Apple)

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UPERTINO, Ca - After purchasing Beddit in 2017, Apple has finally released the first Apple version of the company’s sleep monitor.

In May of 2017, Apple acquired sleep monitor maker Beddit, a company that had the opportunity to develop vital-monitoring models up to the third generation before being bought out. Now, the device that rests between your bed and your sheet is available for the first time with an Apple tag.

The Beddit device is a 2mm-thin strap with sensors that can track your sleep, measure your heart rate, breathing and snoring, and record the bedroom’s temperature and humidity. The monitor can then analyze this information to provide you with

bedtime reminders, daily results, and weekly reports.

What Apple brings to the table for this device is compatibility with iPhone models back to the iPhone 5s and all generations of the Apple Watch via the free Beddit app, so long as the device is operating on iOS 12.

Apple’s acquisition and rebranding of the Beddit tracking tech further emphasizes the company’s focus on health-monitoring products: the new Series 4 Apple Watch has built-in ECG tech (which rolled out to owners with last week’s updated to watchOS), though no native sleep-monitoring, and the second generation AirPods are expected to come with biometric sensors, too.

In Europe, the problem was blamed in part on complacency and misinformation about a vaccine proven to be both effective and safe. In Latin America, cases have spiked partly because of Venezuela’s collapsing health system, experts said.

Martin Friede, WHO’s director of immunisation, vaccines and biologicals told reporters that “supposed experts making accusations against the vaccine without any evidence” has had an impact on parents’ decisions.

- AFP

This new Apple-branded Beddit sleep monitor is now available on the Apple site for $149.95 as well as in select Apple stores.

- Relaxnews

In Europe, the problem was blamed in part on complacency and misinformation about a vaccine proven to be both effective and safe. In Latin America, cases have spiked partly because of Venezuela’s collapsing health system, experts said.

(Photo © South_agency / Istock.com)

HEALTH

VOICE OF ASIA 18

First baby born via uterus transplanted from dead donor

by Marlowe Hood

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ARIS, France | AFP | Wednesday 12/4/2018 -In a medical first, a mother who received a uterus transplant from a dead donor gave birth to a healthy baby, researchers reported Wednesday.

The breakthrough operation, performed in September 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, shows that such transplants are feasible and could help thousands of women unable to have children due to uterine problems, according to a study published in The Lancet.

The baby girl was born in December 2017, the medical journal added.

Until recently, the only options available to women with so-called uterine infertility were adoption or the services of a surrogate mother.

The first successful childbirth following uterine transplant from a living donor took place in 2014 in Sweden, and there have been 10 others since then.

But there are far more women in need of transplants than there are potential live donors, so doctors wanted to find out if the procedure could work using the uterus of a woman who had died.

Ten attempts were made -- in the United States, the Czech Republic, and Turkey -- before the success reported Wednes-

day.

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Road accident deaths swell to 1.35 million each year: WHO

- Proof of concept -

Infertility affects 10 to 15 percent of couples.

Of this group, one in 500 women have problems with their uterus -- due, for example, to a malformation, hysterectomy, or infection -- that prevent them from becoming pregnant and carrying a child to term.

“Our results provide a proofof-concept for a new option for women with uterine infertility,” said Dani Ejzenberg, a doctor at the teaching hospital of the University of Sao Paulo.

He described the procedure as a “medical milestone”.

“The number of people willing and committed to donate organs upon their own death are far larger than those of live donors, offering a much wider potential donor population,” he said in a statement.

The 32-year-old recipient was born without a uterus as a result of a rare syndrome.

Four months before the transplant, she had in-vitro fertilisation resulting in eight fertilised eggs, which were preserved through freezing.

The donor was a 45-yearold woman who died from a stroke.

The surgical team had to connect the donor’s uterus with the veins, arteries, ligaments, and vaginal canal of the recipient.

To prevent her body from rejecting the new organ, the woman was given five different drugs, along with antimicrobials, anti-blood clotting treatments, and aspirin.

After five months, the uterus showed no sign of rejection, ultrasound scans were normal, and the woman was menstruating regularly.

The fertilised eggs were implanted after seven months.

Ten days later, doctors delivered the good news: she was pregnant.

Besides a minor kidney infection -- treated with antibiotics -- during the 32nd week, the pregnancy was normal. After nearly 36 weeks a baby girl weighing 2.5 kilograms (about six pounds) was delivered via caesarean section.

Mother and baby left the hospital three days later.

The transplanted uterus was removed during the C-section, allowing the woman to stop taking the immunosuppressive drugs.

Her uterus was removed and transplanted in surgery that lasted more than ten hours.

Workplace bullying, violence tied to higher risk of heart problems According to the study, those who were bullied on the job were 59 percent more likely to be diagnosed with heart disease or hospitalized for heart attacks.

Road accidents kill someone every 24 seconds, with a total of 1.35 million traffic deaths around the world each year, the World Health Organization said Friday, demanding global action.

by Nina Larson

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ENEVA, Switzerland | AFP - Road accidents kill someone every 24 seconds, with a total of 1.35 million traffic deaths around the world each year, the World Health Organization said Friday, demanding global action.

The number of fatalities annually has swelled by around 100,000 in just three years, with road accidents now the leading killer of children and young people between the ages of five and 29, the UN health agency said in a new report.

“These deaths are an unacceptable price to pay for mobility,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

“There is no excuse for inaction. This is a problem with proven solutions,” he said.

The WHO’s Global Status Report on Road Safety, based on data from 2016, showed that the situation is worsening.

In its last report, based on data from 2013, the number of road traffic deaths was estimated at 1.25 million annually.

But despite the increase in the overall number of deaths, the rate of death compared to the growing number of people and cars in the world has stabilised in recent years.

“This suggests that existing road safety efforts in some middle and high-income countries have mitigated the situation,” WHO said.

This is largely due to better legislation around key risks, including speeding, drinking and driving, and failing to use a seatbelt, child restraints or helmets, the report found.

Safer infrastructure like sidewalks and dedicated bike lanes and better vehicle standards have also paid off.

But while many countries have stepped up efforts to improve the situation, many poorer nations are lagging way behind.

According to Friday’s report, “not a single low income country has demonstrated a reduction in overall deaths”, adding that the risk of a road traffic death remains three times higher there than in high income countries.

The death rate in Africa is particularly high, counting 26.6 annual traffic deaths for every 100,000 citizens, compared with 9.3 in Europe, where the death rate is the lowest.

Friday’s report also shows a devastating disregard for the most vulnerable in traffic, with more than half of all those killed in road accidents either walking or on two wheels.

Pedestrians and cyclists account for 26 percent of all traffic deaths, with the figure as high as 44 percent in Africa.

Motorcyclists and their passengers meanwhile account for 28 percent of all road deaths, but the figure soars to 43 percent in Southeast Asia, the report said.

WHO says creating panel to study gene editing

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ENEVA, Switzerland | AFP | 12/3/2018 The World Health Organization said Monday it is creating a panel to study the implications of gene editing after a Chinese scientist controversially claimed to have created the world’s first geneticallyedited babies.

“It cannot just be done without clear guidelines,” the head of the United Nations health agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told reporters in Geneva.

Bill Diodato / Getty Images

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eople who are bullied or exposed to violence on the job may be more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than individuals who don’t deal with these challenges at work, a European study suggests.

Researchers examined survey data from more than 79,000 working men and women between 19 and 65 years old who didn’t have a history of heart disease. Overall, about 9 percent of them reported being bullied and 13 percent said they had been exposed to violence on the job in the last year.

After an average followup period of more than 12 years, 3,229 people, or about 4 percent of the workers in the study, were diagnosed with heart disease or hospitalized for related events like a heart attack or stroke.

Workers who were bullied on the job were 59 percent more likely to be diagnosed with heart disease or hospitalized for heart attacks or strokes than those who were not bullied, the study found. And workers who were exposed to violence had 25 percent higher likelihood of developing heart disease or being hospitalized for related events.

“If we can eliminate workplace bullying and workplace violence, the impact on car-

diovascular disease prevention would be similar to if we prevent diabetes and risky alcohol drinking,” said lead study author Tianwei Xu of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

of workers were exposed to violence, which included both threatened and actual physical harms. Most perpetrators of physical violence were clients or people served by workers, not supervisors or colleagues.

Difficult work conditions, including job strain and excessive hours, have long been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but research to date hasn’t offered a clear picture of what role might be played by exposure to bullying and violence, the researchers write in the European Heart Journal.

Certain professions appeared to have an outsize risk of physical violence: more than 47 percent of social workers experienced this, as did more than 29 percent of personal and protective service workers, more than 25 percent of healthcare workers and more than 16 percent of teachers.

Still, stressors like bullying and violence might contribute to mood disorders like anxiety or depression or fuel unhealthy behaviors like smoking or eating and drinking too much, the study authors note.

For the analysis, researchers looked at workers in Denmark and Sweden who were participants in three studies that began between 1995 and 2011. Researchers examined national health registry data for evidence of heart disease.

Severe stress may also contribute to high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease.

Bullying, or psychologically aggressive behavior, affected from 8 percent to 13 percent of workers across three different surveys examined in the study.

Most bullies were colleagues, supervisors or subordinates, rather than clients or other individuals outside the workplace.

About 7 percent to 17 percent

The new analysis wasn’t designed to prove whether or how exposure to bullying or violence at work might directly cause heart disease or related events like heart attacks or strokes.

Another limitation is that researchers only assessed exposure to bullying and violence once, when people joined the study, and were unable to see how changes in exposure over time might impact heart health. Researchers also

“WHO is putting together experts and we are working with member states...to discuss the standards and guidelines that can cover the ethical and social safety issues,” added Tedros, a former Ethiopian health minister.

Tedros made the comments after a medical trial, which was led by Chinese scientist He Jiankui, claimed to have successfully altered the DNA of twin girls, whose father is HIVpositive, to prevent them from contracting the virus.

His experiment has prompted widespread condemnation from the scientific community in China and abroad, as well as a harsh backlash from the Chinese government.

Tedros said WHO was in the process of setting up the panel.

Chinese scientist He Jiankui’s announcement prompted wide condemnation across the world He did not however characterise the initiative as a direct response to the Chinese trial.

He also declined to speculate on whether WHO could envision a future where some form of gene editing could offer public health benefits.

The panel will start with “a clean sheet,” Tedros said. “They can start by asking ‘should we even consider this?”

The group will include academics as well as WHO and government medical experts, he added.

“We have to be very, very careful...We should not go into gene editing without under-

standing the unintended consequences.”

Last week, the Chinese ministry of science and technology stressed its opposition to the gene-editing baby experiment, and demanded a halt to the “scientific activities of relevant personnel”.

The Chinese scientist’s claims were “shocking and unacceptable” and breached “the bottom line of morality and ethics that the academic community adheres to”, vice minister Xu Nanping told state broadcaster CCTV, warning that it may have broken the law.

Visit us online voiceofasia.news is your health news source lacked complete data on tobacco use and some other factors that can affect heart disease risk, like marital stress and personality.

Pre-existing psychological conditions, childhood experiences and coping skills may all influence whether or how much workplace exposure to bullying

or violence might contribute to the risk for heart disease, said the author of an accompanying editorial, Christoph HerrmannLingen of the University of Gottingen Medical Center in Germany.

But that doesn’t mean workers should ignore these problems, Herrmann-Lingen said

by email.

“Workers who feel bullied or those who experience threat of violence or actual violence should take these events seriously and seek support for solving the underlying conflicts and obtaining support in dealing with the resulting emotional distress,” he advised.

ART & CULTURE

VOICE OF ASIA 19

Japan’s empress-in-waiting ‘insecure’ but vows to serve

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OKYO, Japan | AFP | Sunday 12/9/2018 - Japan’s Crown Princess Masako on Sunday pledged to do her best despite feeling ‘insecure’ about becoming empress in mere months, in a candid statement released on her 55th birthday.

Emperor Akihito will step down on April 30, 2019 -- the first abdication in the Japanese imperial family in more than two centuries.

“Even though I feel insecure about how helpful I will be when I think about the days ahead... I want to devote myself to the happiness of the people so I will make an effort to that end,” said the crown princess.

The Harvard- and Oxfordeducated Masako left a promising career as a diplomat to marry into the imperial family in 1993.

She gave birth to Princess Aiko in 2001 but continued to face pressure to produce a son as only male heirs can take the throne under Japanese law.

The pressure eased in 2006,

Recovery for Indian contemporary art

by John Elliott

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t looks as though auction interest might be picking up in India’s contemporary art market, where prices slumped a decade ago.

That followed a few years of over-priced frenetic buying by image-conscious collectors who were chasing the latest big names during the country’s art boom of the early 2000s.

Saffronart, India’s leading auction house, this week sold all 47 lots in an on-line auction from the Amaya Collection of contemporary works for just under $1 million. The collector was Amrita Jhaveri, formerly with Christie’s, who was one of India’s first serious buyers of contemporary art from the late 1990s.

His eldest son and Masako’s husband Naruhito will ascend to the throne the next day.

Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito (L) and Crown Princess Masako (R) greet guests during an autumn garden party at Akasaka Palace Imperial garden. (AFP pic) however, when her sister-inlaw gave birth to Prince Hisahito, now 12.

She has made few public appearance since 2003 and has struggled with adjustment disorder.

In her birthday statement, Masako revealed she was recuperating from a stress-induced illness ahead of the imperial succession.

“I am delighted at the fact that I can perform more duties than before as I have tried to improve my physical condition,” she said.

But her doctors warned in a separate statement that it is important for the crown princess to continue treatment as she remains vulnerable to fatigue, especially after a large ceremony or successive duties.

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

The question now is whether this indicates a real recovery of interest. Dinesh Vazirani, founder of the auction house, thinks it might for two reasons.

“Every time a great collection comes in, there’s a lot of excitement and the market regenerates itself,” he says, adding that younger collectors are interested in more recent works at a time when those by earlier generations of modern artists are becoming more expensive.

A bronze and milk urns bronze sculpture by Subodh Gupta (Photo: Jhaveri Gallery, Mumbai) time. “It went back to where it should have been.” She thinks the prices achieved in her auction indicated realistic values – they were all under $100,000, apart from Gupta’s scooter, and about a half were under $10,000.

Other artists in the auction included well-known names such as Jitish Kallat, G. Ravinder Reddy, Bharti Kher, Chintan Upadhyay and Surendran Nair. The second top sale was

Land of Noah: Armenia’s history and culture

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Here are five points on the culture and history of the tiny landlocked mountainous nation located in the South Caucasus.

- Biblical Land -

Now inside Turkey, Mount Ararat is regarded by Armenians as a national symbol and features on the country’s coat of arms and banknotes.

The Bible was translated into Armenian in the fifth century

by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the distinctive Armenian alphabet.

- Great Crime When World War I broke out in 1915, Armenia -- which for most of its history has been occupied by foreign powers -was divided between the Ottoman and Russian Empires.

During the war, Ottomans massacred and deported more than 1.5 million Armenians in what has become the most tragic event in the history of the Armenian people, which they call Meds Yeghern, or the Great Crime.

Up to this day, Armenia and Turkey are locked in a bitter diplomatic battle over whether the massacres should be described as “genocide.”

- UNESCO treasures -

Geghard Monastery, Armenia. (Photo: Oliver Condy) Armenia’s preeminent cultural institution, the Matenadaran museum, is a repository of the country’s national treasure -- the vast collection of ancient manuscripts that cover almost every sphere of Armenia’s ancient and medieval science and culture.

In recognition of its universal significance, the collection -- one of the World’s richest -was inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 1997.

The collection includes more than 17,000 manuscripts, books and 30,000 other documents, that embrace a wide range of subjects such as theology, philosophy, history, medicine, literature, art history, and cosmography in Armenian and many other languages.

- Duduk A symbol of Armenian national identity, the duduk oboe is a double-reed wind instrument whose roots go back to the times of the Armenian king Tigran the Great (95-55 BC).

Made from the wood of the apricot tree, the Armenian duduk is distinctive in construction and performance

technique and characterised by a warm and soft timbre.

Duduk music accompanies popular Armenian traditional songs and dances and is played at social events such as weddings, anniversaries, and funerals. In 2005, UNESCO proclaimed it a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

- Star-studded diaspora The Armenian diaspora that developed in the wake of the 1915 genocide is now vast -- around eight to 10 million people according to estimates -- and it includes some famous figures.

Reality TV superstar Kim Kardashian, the late singer Charles Aznavour, Hollywood’s Cher and France’s football World Cup-winning striker Youri Djorkaeff all have roots in Armenia.

The politically influential diaspora is strongest in Russia (1.5 million), followed by the United States (1.3 million) and France (400,000).

The art thriving in the most heavily bombed country in history

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s Laos opens up after decades of war and isolation, a new generation of artists are telling stories of resilience, strength and beauty.

When he was a child, Bounpaul Phothyzan saw his neighbour get his hand blown off by a buried live bomb. It was a “terrifying” image of carnage that would stay with him as an adult and artist. In 2012 he started taking photographs, interviewing people and researching the damage done by the unexploded ordinances that have killed or maimed more than 20,000 people since the “secret war” in Laos ended 40 years ago. Between 1964– 1973, the small south-east Asian country became the most

Filling a prestige pre-Christmas slot in the auction calendar curiously vacated two years ago by Christie’s, Sotheby’s total was not far off the $8.31 million achieved by its rival in New York two months ago.

It was notable for having works that have rarely been seen or offered on the market, but two of its top four paintings by famous members of the post-war Progressives group, M.F. Husain and V.S. Gaitonde, failed to sell because, experts said, they were priced too high. This followed a similar situation in London on October 23, when four of its five top lots failed to find buyers and sales totaled an astonishingly low £974,313.

In Mumbai, its highest priced work, a 58in x 41in acrylic on canvas by Tyeb Mehta titled Durga Mahisasura Mardini (above), sold for a hammer price of $2.43 million, below the lowest estimate. This was surprising because the work had been with the same owner since it was painted in 1993 so was a fresh offering.

EREVAN, Armenia | AFP | - Armenia on Sunday holds snap parliamentary polls that were sparked by reformist Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan causing the dissolution of the assembly last month.

Armenia, which in the fourth century became the first country in the world to officially embrace Christianity, is an ancient biblical land where the Book of Genesis says Noah’s Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat after the Great Deluge.

leave a week before the auction after being named in the country’s MeToo wave).

The Little Girl in Blue by Amrita Sher-Gil (Courtesy Sotheby’s, Mumbai) Hugo Weihe, who was till recently Saffronart’s CEO and earlier headed Christie’s South Asia sales, says the auction benefitted from the works being fresh to market and coming from a single owner who was a respected collector. “This provided the context for good results, and it bodes well for the growth of the market”.

Amrita Jhaveri, who runs the Jhaveri Gallery in Mumbai, sold the works because she had too many in store and needed to rationalize her collection. The single source gave a coherence to the auction that a sale of randomly collected works might have lacked.

Some works were sold for less than Jhaveri originally paid, but most showed considerable gains. A bronze and milk urns bronze sculpture (above)

by Subodh Gupta, who benefited hugely from the buying craze in the early 2000s, sold in the auction for US$257,916 including buyer’s premium. It is one of a series of three and Jhaveri bought hers a decade or so ago for less than 10 percent of that figure.

Gupta hit a US$1.1 million high in 2008 for an airport luggage trolley painting in a Christie’s auction, but prices crashed and a similar work fetched only £180,000 ($250,000) at Sotheby’s in 2010. Jhaveri says the bottom didn’t fall out of the over-inflated market at that

people in the countryside who lived their lives without hurting anyone could have this happen to them.”

Souliya Phoumivong, with one of the clay buffalo he uses for his stop-gap animation film Flow heavily bombed country in history per capita, with more than 2m tons of bombs dropped.

Responding as an artist, Pho-

thyzan says he became “very upset [at] how people could destroy each other. How innocent lives were lost, and how

Lie of the Land, Phothyzan’s two pieces at the Asia Pacific Triennial (APT9), are deceptively peaceful until you get up close and realise that he has planted a garden inside clearly marked US bombshells, excavated from the soil, stripped of toxic contents and halved.

“I wanted to understand how

Saurabh Society, a 48in x 72in oil on canvas depicting village India by Atul Dodiya, which sold for £72.870 including premium.

There have been very few contemporary auctions in recent years, though some works have started to creep into moderns sales and AstaGuru, a Mumbai-based on-line auction house, had an auction in Octo-

It did nevertheless compare well with a very low Mehta sale at the New York Christie’s auction two months ago when Diagonal XV, a 66in x 51in oil on canvas, went for a hammer price of just $1.15 million ($1.39 million including buyers’ premium). That was well below a US$1.5-2 million estimate, and also lower than what was assumed to be the reserve price. Perhaps the market for this leading artist is beginning to fade and his works need more sensitive pricing.

Sotheby’s most notable work in Mumbai was a small 19in x 16in oil on canvas, The Little Girl in Blue by Amrita SherGil (above), which sold for a hammer price of $2.22 million – $2.68 million including the premium. This was well above the top estimate of $1.7 million and an auction record for the artist. The work had remained in the same collection for 80 years after being displayed in the artist’s first solo show in 1937.

New Avataar by Chintan Upadhyay (Courtesy Sotheby’s, Mumbai) ber 2016.

The Jhaveri sale came at the end of a busy few weeks for India and South Asian modern art auctions.

Sotheby’s bounced back into prominence with a partially successful mostly-moderns sale in Mumbai on November 29 that included furniture and photographs. It notched up sales totaling US$7.9 million, with 80 percent of 59 lots being sold (having overcome the loss of its India CEO who went on

I could make art about war in a way that was not only about war, but about how people survived, and their resilience – especially the resilience of the people in the countryside.”

In spite of all the years of war, of being locked away from the world, the huge gap in learning, the lack of exposure to different kinds of art it seems the creative spirit is strong in Laos, and can only get stronger.

- The Guardian UK

The top end of Indian modern art auctions has been dominated for years by just a handful of names – Souza, Gaitonde, Husain as well as Mehta – so it was noteworthy that Saffronart’s top lot in its moderns auction (which followed the contemporaries), was for a work by Bhupen Khakhar, a far less well known artist from the same Progressives group. This was a 68in x 45in oil on canvas titled The Bathing Ghat (above), which sold for $900,000, including buyers premium, almost double the top estimate.

That was the second highest auction price ever recorded for this ostentatiously gay artist who was largely ignored till he had a retrospective at London’s Tate Modern gallery in 2016.

His auction record of US$1.1 million was achieved at a Sotheby’s auction in London a year ago. Now it is rare to find a moderns auction that does not include his work as owners seek to benefit from his growing popularity. Sotheby’s had five of his works in its auction.

VOICE OF ASIA 20

The new ways to see the world: Travel trends 2019

by Angelina Villa-Clarke

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he ways in which we see the world, and how we want to experience different destinations, is changing. Here, I speak to some of the industry’s leading experts to discover the latest travel trends.

popular cities in the world, such as Tokyo, San Francisco and Toronto, as well as off-the-beaten-track destinations, like Cali in Colombia and Phu Tub Berk in Thailand.

From cities to beaches, mountain trails to design inspirations, Trip101

- Bite-sized travel According to Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay, 2019 will be the year of ‘bite-sized travel’, with travellers looking to squeeze in curated travel itineraries into shorter time-frames.

TRAVEL “It’s like renting a home from a friend of a friend,” the company says.

“So you have a reassurance your home will be respected, and those looking for somewhere to stay will know they will find a quality property.”

- Art and travel and a love affair with Portugal -

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Asian families travel more than Westerners and take their grandparents with them: report

As well as predicting that Portugal will be our must-see destination for 2019, Viking, the award-winning river and ocean cruise line, has seen a rise in travellers seeking out accommodation that incorporates art into its offering.

“Experiencing art while travelling is nothing new,” says the company. “But 2019 will see travellers wanting a more immersive art experience.

“Thanks to better flight routes, coupled with a desire to fit more experiences into a fixed holiday allowance, we predict a rise in weekend trips with a purpose,” In 2018, for says the hotel, which reopens example, street in April 2019 with new rooftop artist Banksy suites. “As a consequence, our Go beyond the walls of Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay (Credit: Nobu Hotel opened the Ibiza Bay) ‘Guest Experiences’ team have much-anticipated curated micro-travel experiences Anistas Walledbased around bespoke Ibizan ofoff Hotel in Bethlehem, a city which tells stories, curates ideas and helps ferings.” is within reach to guests on Viking’s travellers to find some of the most unCities of Antiquity & the Holy Land Recruited for their insider knowlusual places to stay, along-side innoitinerary. edge of the best parties, sights and vative places to stay. From houseboats happenings on the island, the hotel’s Viking’s ocean ships are themselves to treehouses, from yurts to luxury ‘Experience Makers’ have pulled tovillas, there’s something for everyone. floating galleries, with the cruise line gether a line-up of ideas to make the It also reveals a range of authentic owning one of the largest private colmost of a short space of time spent on experiences to be had in each destina- lections of original Norwegian art, the island – from yacht trips that allow tion, from the best ways to explore the designed to complement the Scandifor a day of cove-hopping to curated nightlife, to hidden local hot spots, fa- style interior of the ships. Viking bamboo plantation bike tours to exvourite foodie pit-stops and up-to-the- guests also have the opportunity to plore Ibiza. minute hidden gems that rarely make view a number of original artworks

by Norway’s most celebrated artist, - Travel tech knowledge it into mainstream guides.

Edvard Munch.

Gone are the days when we’d carry Meanwhile, Stay One Degree is a Through an exclusive relationship a trusty, beaten-up travel guide with new social network platform made up us. Instead it’s all about online knowl- of luxury global travellers and holiday with Oslo’s Munch Museum, Viking edge – but how do you filter through home owners. Tipped as ‘the world’s has also been granted the digital rights the hundreds of guides, magazines and first luxury travel social marketplace’, to the entire Munch collection, allowarticles, which can more often confuse it is a global member’s club connect- ing it to bring the magic of this master rather than enlighten? The answer, ac- ing friends and mutual connections expressionist to life with a daily intercording to Trip101, is an innovative with a trusted network of home own- active event ‘Munch Moments’. one-stop travel guide designed for ers and top-end homes.

Its Portuguese prediction, meantravel-savvy nomads.

The network currently hosts over while, is based on the World Travel Based in Singapore, the digital trav- 1,000 properties in 54 countries with and Tourism Council’s stats, which el platform pulls together a global net- 10,000 members and is made up of reveal that the country is set to see a work of travel experts and enthusiasts luxury properties and private islands – 2.6% rise in tourism every year until 2028. to offer trustworthy ideas from around each handpicked and design-led. the world. With a team of editors, the Viking’s Portugal-based itinerary Based on the LinkedIn model, the website publishes travel guides for platform works by linking people to- ‘Portugal’s River of Gold’ has almost over 150 countries, packed not only gether, with members only able to re- completely sold out for 2019, forcing with the basics for any aspiring travquest to rent a property if their profiles the line to open bookings for 2020 eller but also offering under-the-radar fit, and on the basis that they stay one early to cope with the demand. suggestions and stories filled with lodegree of separation from the people - Forbes cal insight. The hub covers the most within their network.

These are the hottest travel destinations for 2019, from Savannah to Singapore

A new report shows how family travel differs among Asian and Western households. (© istock/PamelaJoeMcFarlane)

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sian families take more than twice the number of family trips as Western travelers -and are more likely to take grandparents along with them.

Those are some of the findings of a new “Family Travel Trends 2018” report commissioned by online travel site Agoda that teased out some interesting differences in the way families from around the world travel.

The findings are based on the online responses of 10,784 respondents from the US, UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and China.

One of the biggest differences in travel trends between Western and Asian countries? While families from the West (defined as US, UK and Australia) average about two family vacations a year, Asian travelers reported taking about five short one-to-threenight trips throughout the year.

This is particularly true for people living in Thailand and the Philippines, where 77 percent and 62 percent respectively claimed to have taken five or more family breaks in the past year.

That compares to 34 percent of British holidaymakers who turned out to be most likely to take just one family vacation a year.

When it comes to multi-generational family travel, there are also some countries that are more likely to include grandparents in their holiday plans than others.

With 66 percent of respondents saying they’ve taken grandparents on their family vacation, Thais are most family-oriented, followed by Indonesians (54 percent).

At the other end of the spectrum, travelers from the UK and Australia are least likely to bring grandparents along.

Asian families are also more likely to travel with family friends, as nearly half of respondents in the Philippines, followed closely by Vietnamese and Malaysian travelers said they’ve gone on group vacations.

China bucks the trend at 27 percent, along with Aussies, Brits and Americans, who are least likely to do the same.

- Relaxnews

Taj Mahal ticket price hiked fivefold for Indians

by Sarah Berger

A

new year means new opportunities to tick off the destinations on your bucket list. So, where are people headed?

American Express recently revealed the top trending travel destinations for 2019, based on its year-overyear (2017 versus 2018), proprietary American Express Travel 2018 booking data for trips being booked for 2019. While a few of the usual tourist hot spots — like Tuscany and the Bahamas — made the list, there were a number of surprising, far-flung locations people are jetting off to. Another twist? The two American cities that snagged spots aren’t New York City or Los Angeles.

These are the top trending travel destinations for 2019, according to American Express.

Barcelona, Spain Barcelona is widely-known as a vacation hot spot. Rich in history, culture and delicious food, this beachside city experienced a 26 percent year-overyear booking increase among American Express cardmembers.

Singapore (Photo: Martin Puddy | Getty Images) earned its spot on AMEX’s list of trending destinations for 2019; bookings were up a whopping 62 percent year-over-year. Hamburg touts Germany’s biggest port, is the country’s second-largest city, and has everything from a fun nightlife scene to beautiful

Beautiful New Zealand is known for breathtaking views of forests, mountains, lakes, beaches and fjords. Bookings to New Zealand among AMEX cardmembers were up 25 percent year-over-year, making this hot spot a trending destination for 2019.

Nassau, Bahamas Every year, vacationers flock to the Bahamas for some fun in the sun, and 2019 is shaping up to be no different: Cardmember bookings were up 63 percent year-over-year to Nassau, Bahamas.

Savannah, Georgia Savannah, Georgia, beat out major metros like New York City and Los Angeles as one of the only cities in the United States to crack AMEX’s trending destinations for 2019. Savannah experienced a 95 percent year-overyear increase in bookings. This southern city is rich in history, art and culture, and has even been lauded as one of the most romantic cities in the U.S. Singapore

Savannah, Georgia (Photo: galmeetsglam.com) Doha, Qatar Bookings to Doha, Qatar were up 31 percent among AMEX cardmembers year-over-year, making it a trending destination for 2019. The city is known for its art scene (the Museum of Islamic Art is located here), as well as its dynamic architecture.

Hamburg, Germany Hamburg, Germany has certainly

architecture.

Marrakech, Morocco With bookings up an impressive 89 percent year-over-year among AMEX cardmembers, Marrakech, Morocco is a trending destination for 2019. Marrakech oozes with culture and art and is certainly a sight to see, with beautiful palaces, gardens and museums.

New Zealand

Many people must have gotten the travel bug for Singapore after seeing the hit movie “Crazy Rich Asians,” which takes place in the island country. Bookings to Singapore among AMEX cardmembers were up 24 percent, year-over-year. Singapore offers everything from eye-popping botanical gardens to Michelin-starred food stalls.

Tuscany, Italy Tuscany, Italy, is a favorite among tourists, and 2019 will likely be no different. The iconic city experienced a 25 percent year-over-year spike in

Indians make up the majority of the Taj Mahal's 10,000-15,000 average daily visitors. (Photo: Instants / IStock.com)

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uthorities have hiked fivefold ticket prices for Indian visitors to the Taj Mahal, in the latest attempt to lower tourist numbers and reduce damage at the country's top tourist site.

Indians make up the majority of the Taj Mahal's 10,000-15,000 average daily visitors. Nearly 6.5 million people marvelled at the white marble 17th-century masterpiece in 2016.

An all-inclusive ticket for Indian citizens including entry into the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, was raised from 50 rupees ($0.70) to 250 rupees.

International tourists will pay roughly $19 to enter the UNESCO World Heritage complex in northern India, up from $16.

"We want people to pay more to limit the footfall," an official from the Archaeological Survey of India, the government body responsible for upkeep, told AFP. "This will cut down the number of visitors to the mausoleum by at least 15-20 percent and generate revenue

bookings among AMEX cardmembers. Tuscany offers renowned food and wine, as well as stunning landscapes and architecture.

Washington, D.C. The second U.S. city to snag a spot

for its conservation," the official said.

The latest move comes only months after Indian authorities restricted the number of tourists to 40,000 per day. Previously up to 70,000 people would throng the site at weekends.

Experts say the huge flow of people is causing irreversible damage to the marble floor, walls and foundations.

Officials have also struggled to stop the white marble from turning yellow as pollution levels rise in the northern city of Agra.

Further damage is being caused by excrement by insects from the noxious adjacent Yamuna river, one of India's most polluted waterways.

In July, India's Supreme Court threatened to either shut or tear down the monument over the failure of the authorities to protect it from degradation.

The court asked the Indian authorities to consult international experts to speed up the conservation efforts.

- AFP

on AMEX’s list of 2019 trending destinations is none other than Washington, D.C. The nation’s capital boasts a 21 percent year-over-year increase in bookings among AMEX cardmembers.

- MSNBC

VOICE OF ASIA 21

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Home&Real Estate What you need to earn to buy a house in Houston’s priciest ZIP codes

In Mexico, a modern palapa and pool are carved into a rocky slope

by Craig Douglas and Olivia Pulsinelli

O

ne ZIP code in Houston — and only two others in Texas — have a median home value of more than $1 million, according to research compiled by Zillow Group.

And to live in these prestigious neighborhoods, residents need to make about $200,000 per year, according to a Business Journals analysis of home-value data and mortgage rates in more than 15,000 ZIP codes nationally.

The analysis determined each neighborhood’s minimum salary threshold by applying prevailing mortgage rates to a hypothetical home buyer scenario that included the following: - a 10 percent down payment applied to the area’s median home value, - prevailing mortgage rates for conventional and jumbo loans, - a monthly mortgage payment of no more than 30 percent of the buyer’s pre-tax income.

(See a more detailed methodology at the end of the story.)

In Houston, the ZIP code with the highest median home value as of December 2018 is 77005, which includes West University Place, Southside Place and Rice University. The median home value in 77005 is $1,002,900, requiring an annual income of at least $193,253, per the analysis.

The other two Texas ZIP codes with a median home value of more than $1 million are both in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. University Park’s 75205 ZIP code has a median home value of $1,108,700, and the median home value in Dallas’ 75225 is $1,066,300. Per year, you’d have to make at least $213,640 and $205,470, respectively, to afford those homes.

Not surprisingly, nearly all of the top 10 ZIP codes in Houston are within or adjacent

Photo credit: iStock to the 610 Loop. The one outlier is the Energy Corridor’s 77079, which ranked No. 9 with a median home value of $466,700. However, ZIP codes in Fulshear, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Katy, Montgomery and Galveston made the top 25 locally.

It’s important to remember that geographically larger ZIP codes often include a variety of neighborhoods and thus a variety of home values, which affects the median for each ZIP code. For instance, 77019 includes River Oaks mansions as well as dense townhome developments. The median home value is the figure at which half of homes in that ZIP code have a higher value and half have a lower value.

Of the top 20 ZIP codes nationwide, 15 are located in California. The San Francisco Bay Area city of Atherton’s 94027 ZIP code topped the list with a median home value of $6.8 million. That’s about $2 million more than the median home value in the second most expensive — and perhaps the most famous — ZIP code in America, 90210 in Beverly Hills. Atherton was the only neighborhood in the country with a minimum salary requirement of more than $1 million, according to the Business Journals’ findings. You’d need to make at least $1,316,566 to afford a median-value home there.

The high cost of housing in

California has become a major concern among residents and policymakers and appears to be contributing to the state’s steady outmigration. A September report by the U.S. Census Bureau found that more than 138,000 California residents moved out of the state between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017 — third most among states behind only New York (186,000) and Illinois (138,000).

New York also is the only state outside of California with a ZIP code to qualify as one of the nation’s 10 most-expensive neighborhoods. At No. 8 is the Long Island ZIP code of Wainscott 11975, where the median home value is $3.5 million.

A homebuyer would need a minimum salary of $942,276 per year to gain entry to the beachfront community, based on the Business Journals’ calculations.

(Calculations based on the following: — Down payment: Hypothetical down payment of 10 percent of median home value

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s the temperatures drop and the winter asserts its will, most people turn to the indoor comforts. Venturing outside becomes an exercise in proper layering and getting the car warmed up before heading out to work, to school or to get supplies.

There are some who do cherish the arrival of frigid and snowy weather: those who have been waiting for the winter for the thrill of carving fresh powder on the slopes, or for the anticipation of a pull on the line from a hook dropped under the ice in belief that the catch is there. Whatever your winter pursuit is, here is one more activity from a Realtor’s perspective, that most do not necessarily associate with cold weather: house shopping.

Winter in real estate lingo is called the “slow” season.

Historically, there are fewer houses on the market and buy-

er activity is sluggish this time of the year. Not surprisingly, the new trends of our digital lives are turning things around and are circumventing the cold season traditions. It is during the winter holidays that many homeowners find their quarters are too tight for the family gatherings, that their kitchens are short of satisfying the family chefs and that the bathrooms have become the battlegrounds for the growing teenagers. In addition, many new jobs open in the winter with better opportunities to advance and provide the next steps in carrier advancements. It is also the time that after a lifetime of working, retirement has finally arrived, and the long awaited plans of downsizing and moving closer to a milder climate, or closer to the grandkids, become a motivator to put up the house for sale. In today’s world, life is moving at a higher pace and those in need of new or better housing brave the elements.

There is a difference in the

by Melissa Dalton

T

his modern take on the traditional palapa is deftly integrated into the natural contours of a rocky site.

A palapa is an open-sided structure with a thatched roof that’s commonly found on Mexican beaches. CDM Casas de Mexico reinterpreted this traditional structure to create a striking modern retreat with an airy interior that opens to the outdoors.

“In its origin, the program was thought to include the creation of a palapa and a pool,” say the architects. “In other words, a roofing structure raised above the ground to protect from sunlight, and a hole in the stone to contain water.”

The sand-colored fascia of the roofline allows the palapa to appear more integrated in its environment, as does the stone wall facade, which blends in with the boulders.

However, they did not want the structure to look as if “it had fallen almost randomly” into place, so they designed the roofline to appear as though it “extrudes from the mountain itself towards the ocean.”

— Interest rates: ZIP codes were divided into conforming and Jumbo-rate markets based on the following: — Minimum income calculation: Income levels were based on industry standard of financing up to 30% mortgage payment-to-pretax income threshold Source for median home value: Zillow.com) - HBJ

House shopping in the winter?

Some real tips for shopping during the slow season

by Stevie Jones

The cedar-clad interior provides protection from the sun and orients views towards the ocean. (Photos: Melissa Dalton/Dwell)

The firm envisioned the pool as a spot where water floods the stone, “almost in a way of a pond remaining after the turning tides.”

things that drive buyers and sellers to buy and sell in the winter. Their motives are usually more serious compared to the “summer” crowd. There are fewer “tire kickers” who would buy if they find a “screaming deal” and fewer sellers who would sell if they can get an unrealistic high price for their property. Winter buyers and sellers need to buy or sell and have less time to waste.

are and which bedrooms stay warm or cold. In short, they get a view of the home functions when it is most critical. From a strategical point of view, there are fewer other buyers and therefore, less competition. It is easier to line up inspectors or contractors on a short notice. Another bonus is that homes on the market in the winter usually have less “fat” in the asking price.

For buyers, touring homes in the winter setting gives them the insight that can only be speculated in the summer.

They get to see for themselves what the property looks like in the winter. They can assess just how icy that steep driveway or access road are and how well the local roads are plowed.

They can see how well the house performs in keeping the place warm and comfortable.

They can see how the electrical and plumbing perform under stress conditions of the winter. They can see for themselves how drafty the windows

For sellers, the advantages

of the winter sale are that there are fewer competing properties on the market, the exterior maintenance of the grounds is limited to shoveling the driveway, the buyers are more motivated in finding a new home in a shorter timeframe and the holiday vacations offer the time for preparing for the sale or for the move.

In other words, consider house shopping and selling in the “off” season. If you are

The architects call the project “a mutable space that transforms into a true viewpoint overlooking the immensity of the horizon during daytime, and an observatory for the stars at night time,” as the location is far-removed from artificial light sources.

- Dwell

telling yourself that choices are limited, just realize that you are looking just for one suitable house and chances of “scoring” it in the summer are not any higher. Aux contraire, you may find winter search less stressful and have positive results. You may also find that you have a whole summer ahead to enjoy with the loved ones instead of cutting it short with the moving project.

- Elkhorn Mountain Real Estate

SMALL BUSINESSES

VOICE OF ASIA 22

B

D

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

ACCOUNTANTS BOOK-KEEPING

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

INCOME TAX

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A new neighbor could arrive who you feel especially drawn to, Aries.

You’re in just the mood to idealize new relationships, so don’t get too excited until you get to know this person.

21 April to 20 May Are you still thinking about an ex weeks, months, or even years after you broke up? You can’t help but carry a torch for someone special from your past, but it isn’t helping you move on.

21 May to 20 June Expect to have a pleasant period now. Your natural enthusiasm is contagious and will make you a favorite with co-workers and people you meet on the job.

This time could see you at a crossroads.

21 June to 22 July You have aspects affecting your house of employment and health now. Sometimes the Universe wants to move so quickly that it can bring the danger of accidents. Be careful on the job.

23 July to 22 August It might be wise to slow down a little and cut out some unnecessary activities. Take the chance to reflect on your priorities, especially any issues associated with your health. Think back over the past months... are you active enough?

23 August to 22 Sept Home and family seem very important, and a delightful focus on your domestic sector certainly confirms this. Relationships could demand more time and attention.

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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Week of DECEMBER 14, 2018 21 March to 20 April

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Astrology.com

23 September to 22 Oct You’re great at making people feel good about themselves at the beginning of the week. Your flirting skills are on point, and the more compliments you give out, the easier it is to get a date!

23 October to 21 Nov There is some risk that you’ll overextend yourself now. This is especially true if you’re working alone or as an entrepreneur. Schedule your time carefully. Your ambition remains strong.

22 November to 21 Dec You’re putting some pretty serious energy into the Universe now. Others perceive you as a go-getter who can handle multiple responsibilities with little or no trouble.

22 December to 20 Jan Don’t worry too much about trying to have the perfect body. Sometimes the stress of trying to achieve such a thing can work against you. Be good to yourself, but know your limits.

21 January to 19 Feb You could be in great demand over this and coming weeks, and you won’t mind a bit. You could invest a lot of time organizing and helping at events. The more you put in, the more you’ll get back.

20 February to 20 Mar A scattered energy flow begins to ease now. This is an excellent time for careful work that polishes your skills.

There could be a stressful confrontation that challenges your ability to work with others.

ACROSS 1. Snap up 5. Ship pronoun 8. Table scrap 11. Not happening 12. Call to matey 13. Boredom 15. Decant 16. Pilaf grain 17. Charcuterie stores 18. *”A ____ for the rest of us!”- from “Seinfeld” 20. Gwyneth, to friends 21. Thing to bear?

22. Comedian Tina 23. *Warmest or holiday follower 26. Feeling of disinterest 30. Sculptor Hans/Jean ___ 31. Chief 34. Assistant 35. Used in cricket or 301 37. *Feast of the Seven Fishes seafood 38. Tanks and such 39. Purse for a formal affair 40. All together 42. Make a mistake 43. Green bean or peanut 45. Infamous ____ Knoll 47. Charge carrier 48. *____ Navidad!

50. Hindu princess 52. *This theme wouldn’t exist without them 55. Swines, in Old English 56. Dashing style 57. Between a trot and a gallop 59. Corpulent 60. Ding-a-____ 61. Knight’s breastplate 62. “I Thee ____” 63. Pea container 64. Not a word?

DOWN 1. Econ. measure 2. *Where Santa’s sleigh lands 3. Malaria symptom 4. Russian soup 5. Prison weapon, pl.

6. Bette Midler’s “____ Pocus” 7. *”Tiny tots with their ____ all aglow” 8. Billy Joel’s “____ the Good Die Young” 9. The Colosseum, e.g.

10. *____ the season!

12. Not aria nor recitative 13. Landscaper’s tool 14. *Welcomed with a count down 19. Weight of refuse and chaff, pl.

22. Driving hazard 23. Does like a crane 24. About to explode 25. Celiac disease, colloquially 26. ____ weevil 27. March of ____ 28. Emanations from incense and frankincense 29. *Christmas predecessor 32. Be undecided 33. Cotillion ball’s main attraction 36. *Good follower 38. Like smell of burning rubber, e.g.

40. Long time 41. Staring amorously 44. Coolness and composure 46. Popular flowering shrub 48. Shakespeare’s “First ____” 49. African antelope 50. RBG’s garb 51. Matured like cheese 52. SOS 53. Quotable Berra 54. What DJs do 55. Reporter’s question 58. Is in Paris

SOLUTION: HAPPY HOLIDAYS page 23

CLASSIFIEDS

VOICE OF ASIA 23

Holiday Safety

This Holiday Season: Protect Your Family by Recycling Old Batteries

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he holiday season can be just the motivation you need to finally declutter your junk drawers, closets, attic and basement in time for friends and family to visit.

If these areas of your home contain used rechargeable batteries, you’re in good company. One in five consumers store some or all of their used batteries from the past year, according to a recent Nielsen study conducted on behalf of Call2Recycle.

Whether it’s electronics packed away in the attic or boxed toys in the basement, old batteries are everywhere.

As part of your de-cluttering efforts this holiday season, experts say it’s worthwhile to take the time to gather used batteries and properly recycle them.

Recycling used batteries is not only good for the environment, but it also can play an important role in keeping families safe this holiday season. Unfortunately, even batteries that appear dead can contain a residual charge, which could lead to a spark.

“Along with the thanks we give during the holiday season comes responsibility for the gifts we send and receive,” says Carl Smith, CEO and president of Call2Recycle, Inc. “This includes safely recycling batteries found in many technology products.”

From old power tools to cordless telephones, cameras, ereaders, tablets and cellphones, many people don’t know what to do when batteries no longer hold a charge. Indeed, more

Houston Community College Request for Qualification (RFQ) Investment Broker -Dealer Services Project No. 19-17

Sealed proposals will be received in Procurement Operations (3100 Main Street, Room No. 11B01, Houston, Te x a s 7 7 0 0 2 ) u n t i l 2:00PM (local time) on January 03, 2019.

Documents can be o b t a i n e d a t : w w w. hccs.edu/about-hcc/ procurement/

Tape and bag batteries in a clear plastic bag that closes. than half of individuals throwing away battery-operated electronic devices leave the battery attached. This is a dangerous act, especially if the batteries are Lithium-based.

When hauling your holiday decorations out of storage, check to make sure that there aren’t any forgotten batteries hiding under cherished mementos. To safely and easily recycle the batteries you find, Call2Recycle suggests the following steps: 1. Tape: Protect the ends/ terminals with non-conductive electrical, duct or clear packing tape.

2. Bag: Store the taped batteries in a clear plastic bag that closes.

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018

Houston Community College Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

Geotechnical & Construction Materials Testing Engineering Services Project No. 19-13

Sealed proposals will be received in Procurement Operations (3100 Main Street, R o o m N o . 11 B 0 1 , Houston, Texas 77002) until 2:00PM (local time) on Wednesday, January 16, 2019.

Documents can be o b t a i n e d a t : w w w. hccs.edu/about-hcc/ procurement/

More information on battery recycling and battery safety can be found by visiting call2recycle.org.

For a safe and happy holiday season, take the step of recycling your used batteries. It’s a simple way to prepare your home, make a positive impact on the environment and keep the people and property you love safe. - StatePoint

More than half of global population now online

T

he UN agency for information and communication technologies, ITU, said that by the end of 2018 a full 51.2 percent of people around the world will be using the Internet.

“By the end of 2018, we will surpass the 50/50 milestone for Internet use,” ITU chief Houlin Zhou said in a statement.

“This represents an important step towards a more inclusive global information society,” he said, adding though that “far too many people around the world are still waiting to reap the benefits of the digital economy.”

He called for more support to “technology and business innovation so that the digital revolution leaves no one offline.”

According to ITU, the world’s richest countries have been showing slow and steady growth in Internet use, which has risen from 51.3 percent of their populations in 2005 to 80.9 percent now.

The gains have meanwhile been more dramatic in developing countries, where 45.3 percent of people are currently online, compared to just 7.7 percent 13 years ago.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images Africa has experienced the strongest growth, with a more than 10-fold hike in the number of Internet users over the same period, from 2.1 percent to 24.4 percent, the ITU report showed.

skyrocketed from just four subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2007 to 69.3 today.

The report also showed that while fixed-line telephone subscriptions continue to dwindle worldwide, to a current level of just 12.4 percent, the number of mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions is now greater than the global population.

At the same time, the report said that nearly the entire world population, a full 96 percent, now lives within reach of a mobile cellular network, and 90 percent of people can access the Internet through a 3G or higher speed network.

And it found that mobile broadband subscriptions have

VOICE OF ASIA

There are currently a full 5.3 billion active mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide, ITU found.

- Relaxnews

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3. Drop: Recycle your rechargeable batteries at a convenient Call2Recycle drop-off location including retail partners Lowe’s, The Home Depot or Staples. It’s an easy errand to complete while doing your holiday shopping. Eighty-six percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Call2Recycle drop-off location.

Some 3.9 billion people are now using the Internet, meaning that for the first time more than half of the global population is online, the United Nations said Friday.

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Theme: HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Page 22

VOICE OF ASIA 24

FRIDAY, December 14, 2018