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Wanted Indian guru resurfaces to announce new cosmic country

Sundar Pichai steps into huge role as Alphabet CEO

by Rob LeveR

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ASHINGTON | AFP | Wednesday 12/4/2019 Taking the reins as chief executive of Google parent Alphabet, the soft-spoken, Indian-born Sundar Pichai faces a host of challenges at one of the world's most valuable companies, which has become besieged by activists and political leaders.

The 47-year-old Pichai, who will remain as Google CEO in addition to taking up the new post, is seen as a steadying influence at a time when the Silicon Valley titan faces an onslaught from regulators and others.

The move comes as Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are stepping away from their roles at the company they founded two decades ago in a California garage.

Police escort controversial Hindu Godman Swami Nityananda (center) in 2012 after he appeared at a bail hearing in Ramanagar District, some 50 kilometres from Bangalore, India (AFP Photo/Manjunath Kiran)

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EW DELHI, India | AFP | Wednesday 12/4/2019 - An Indian guru facing rape and sexual abuse charges made headlines Wednesday after he emerged from hiding and announced the birth of a new cosmic country with its own cabinet and golden passports.

Swami Nithyananda, a controversial self-styled godman with thousands of followers in southern India's Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states, posted a video on his YouTube channel announcing the special project to his followers.

41-year-old

Nithyananda

an-

nounced that his country is called Kailaasa, and is the biggest Hindu nation without boundaries.

Pichai will take over from Page as CEO of Alphabet, which includes Google as well as units focused on its "other bets" in areas including selfdriving cars, life sciences and a variety of "moonshot" projects.

"The Hindu nation exists in cosmos," he said in the now-viral video.

Born in the southern India city of Chennai, Pichai studied engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur before heading to the United States.

Local media reports cited a website allegedly created by the guru with details about his plans for Kailaasa, even as the police and other authorities investigating him for various criminal charges continue

After leaving India, he earned a degree in engineering and materials science at Stanford University and a master's in business administration at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Continued on Page 7

"He's very intelligent, very capable,

In this file photo taken on November 03, 2019 Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his wife Anjali Pichai arrive for the 8th annual Breakthrough Prize awards ceremony at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. AFP Photo. seems very low-key and tempered," said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research.

"I would think he's a calming force overall but he's got to tackle some of

these issues."

- Hate speech, harassment, privacy Continued on Page 7

OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

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by Robert J. Samuelson Columnist, The Washington Post, Dec. 1, 2019

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Licensed in both Texas State and Federal Court

Over 45 Years of Combined Experience

T

he idea that most middle-class Americans have been treading water economically is conventional wisdom. It is already playing a role in the 2020 campaign, as the Democratic presidential candidates propose policies (Medicare-for-all, free college tuition at state schools, subsidies for child care, to mention a few) intended to relieve the financial stress on millions of middle-income families.

But the conventional wisdom is wrong — or at least misleading. Although the squeeze is not a myth, it’s highly localized: uncontrolled medical spending. This is crowding out other spending, from wages to defense budgets. If we don’t stabilize health costs (and there is little sign that we will), we should expect the squeeze to continue indefinitely. Income inequality would also probably worsen.

We now have a new study from economist Richard Burkhauser of Cornell University that illuminates health care’s peculiar role. A standard benchmark of economic well-being is median income: It is the earnings in the middle of any distribution of income figures. The higher the median, the better off people are assumed to be.

In recent decades, the median income of U.S. households has grown slowly, stagnated or declined. In 2018, according to the Census Bureau, the median household income was $63,179; in 1999, it was $61,526.

But wait: The official figures don’t count health insurance,

by Marie Myung-Ok Lee

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sian Americans are often invisible in American culture, and judging by the experience of presidential candidate Andrew Yang, even more so in politics.

Many Asian Americans will relate: White people regularly cut ahead of me in line and then are surprised when I call them out. My Korean American assistant recently reported that a man tried to walk through her on the sidewalk as if she wasn’t there. An invitation on Facebook to talk about such invisibility filled up within minutes, with many Asian Americans saying that being ignored or dismissed happens on a daily basis.

Despite Andrew Yang qualifying for every debate so far, media outlets have left him out of various graphics so many times, a supporter created a visual history on Twitter accompanied by a #YangMediaBlackout hashtag on social media, believing this erasure is more than coincidence. Watchdog groups like Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting noted on Twitter, “@AndrewYang is tied for 8th place in the Democratic race — yet he’s not one of the 20 candidates included in @ MSNBC‘s candidate graphic.”

Last week, Yang called out MSNBC for omitting him “12+ times” and vowed not to appear on any more MSNBC shows until this is acknowledged.

As a young child in an allwhite town, no matter how much I raised my hand in school or tried to make my voice heard, I was ignored so often I learned to use quietness to my advantage. Perceptive teachers would break up whatever raucous clamor that was going on to say, “Let Marie have a turn.” Or they’d clear a path for me to have a chance to say what I wanted — it’s no coincidence the title of my first novel is “Finding My Voice.”

I am not a Yang partisan. I wrote an article in September criticizing him for using model minority stereotypes, such as calling himself “an Asian guy good at math.” But now, I’m wondering if Yang, denied visibility, is deploying stereotypes as a subversive way to actually get visibility.

The question that Asian American actors, and now politicians face, is is it worth it to take on a role that requires you to traffic in stereotypes in order to garner power, enough to put an Asian face in government, in the popular imagination?

There is no way to prove these omissions are related to

FRIDAY, December 06, 2019

Yes, Americans are feeling the squeeze. It’s coming from health care. whether private or public (employer-paid insurance, Medicare and Medicaid — federal health coverage for the elderly and poor).

To remedy this omission, Burkhauser and his collaborators (economists James Elwell and Kevin Corinth) estimated median income based on varying definitions. The simplest definition included labor income: wages, salaries, farm income and self-employment.

Defined this way — and adjusted for inflation — median income has dropped 21 percent from 1970 to 2016. This explains why so many Americans feel squeezed.

However, that’s not the end of the story. A broader definition of income includes all labor income, interest and dividend payments, Social Security, other government transfers and — most important — the value of private and public health insurance. Under this definition, median income rose 68 percent from 1970 to 2016.

By this definition — and reflecting the impact of health insurance — typical households have enjoyed a slow increase in living standards over nearly half a century.

Which definition of income to believe? Why, both, of course.

We have the worst of both

worlds. We don’t count health insurance as a form of earnings that would improve median income. People consider health spending separate and apart — something that is deliberately open-ended, because, as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) repeatedly reminds us, it is a “right” to be exercised when needed.

There is something to this, because health spending is concentrated among a relatively small proportion of people. In 2016, the top 5 percent of patients accounted for half of all medical spending, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. By contrast, the lowest 50 percent of spenders accounted for only 3 percent of total spending.

Sanders’s approach is selfdefeating and ultimately undesirable. It makes us hostage to explosive health spending. We can’t control what we refuse to control. Almost any systematic effort to curb spending is subject to attack as cruel or immoral, despite the obvious reality that not all health spending is of the same value.

The result is that decisions are being made for us. In the early 1960s, before Medicare and Medicaid, which were enacted in 1965, health spending was about 2 percent of federal outlays. Now it is nearly onethird, at $1.3 trillion.

Corporations compound the

pressures on take-home pay as frustrated companies shift more health costs back on their employees through higher premiums and deductibles. This, too, intensifies the middleclass “squeeze.” According to its 2019 survey of employerprovided insurance, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that the annual cost of a family plan rose 5 percent to almost $21,000, with $6,000 in premiums paid by workers through withholding from their paychecks. Deductibles have also doubled over the past decade, to $1,655.

Total health spending is now about 18 percent of the economy (gross domestic product), about twice the level of many advanced societies. Imagine what we could do if U.S. health spending had been held to, say, 12 percent of GDP. We’d have 6 percent of GDP, a sum equal to about $1.2 trillion, to spend on other things.

Government can’t cut health spending, so new spending reduces spending on other programs, raises taxes or bloats deficits. The effects are felt keenly by middle-income Americans and the poor, because the high cost of modern medicine consumes more of their incomes. We have created a monster, inspired by good intentions, that is slowly and menacingly taking charge of our future.

Andrew Yang seems invisible to the mainstream media - just like most Asian Americans Yang’s being Asian, but it’s impossible to miss the similarities with the micro (and macro) aggressions people in the Asian American community experience daily.

He has been mixed up with my friend and fellow writer, Jeff Yang.

Yang’s platform includes automation, cannabis legalization, a value-added tax for tech and, most famously, his plan to create a national basic income or “freedom dividend.” He is not running on foreign policy

experience. And yet, during the first debate, the Americanborn (obviously: he’s running for president) Yang, who is of Taiwanese descent, was asked only two questions. One was about China.

In the most recent debate on Nov. 20, Yang was ignored for 30 minutes before being asked a question. While still on the debate stage Yang tweeted that in four out of five debates, he’s been allotted the least amount of time (6.9 minutes), despite polling ahead of longtime senators Cory Booker and Amy

Klobuchar.

The “bamboo ceiling” is a term used in academic circles to describe disadvantages in the job market, where qualified Asian Americans “haven’t been able to climb up the professional ladder,” according to Columbia sociologist Jennifer Lee, author of “The Asian American Achievement Paradox.”

I can’t help but recall during my years in investment banking, how many times I was Continued on page 6

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FRIDAY, December 06, 2019

Second Front Page

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Annual IANAGH Nurse Practitioner Week celebrated

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Upset Hindus urge Indianapolis firm to withdraw merchandise and apologize

H

indus are urging Zorestina, an Indianapolis based t-shirt & accessories online company, for immediate withdrawal of some products, which they feel denigrate and trivialize sacred Hindu symbols and concepts.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that it was hurtful for the devotees to see highly revered Hinduism symbols/concepts juxtaposed with obscenity on the merchandise sold by this company.

Members of the The Indian American Nurses Association of Greater Houston during the celebration of NP Week.

by Dr. Reenu Varghese

T

he Indian American Nurses Association of Greater Houston (IANAGH) celebrated Nurse Practitioner week on November 14th, 2019 at the Edwin Health Institute. The evening started with a prayer

by Mrs. Molly Mathew and by singing the American and Indian national anthems.

The emcees of the evening were Mrs. Brigit Mathew and Dr. Anumol Thomas. Mrs. Accamma Kallel, president of the IANAGH gave an inspiring presidential address delineating the role of NPs in the current healthcare system and the growing opportunities for NPs in greater Houston. She also gave a brief summary of this year’s activities and encouraged all the nurses and NPs with Indian descent to join the organization.

Nurse practitioner week is celebrated every year from November 10th16th to acknowledge NPs as key role players in health care delivery. Dr. Shainy Varghese, Associate Professor in Nursing at the University of Houston was invited as the chief guest. She influenced the attendees to go above

and beyond their potential to achieve great things in life. Mrs. Leena Daniel and Mrs. Pamela Britton, Directors of the Edwin Health Institute, gave the felicitation notes where they thanked God for bringing all the opportunities and growth in their career and in the lives of their students.

Dr. Omana Simon was recognized for her lifetime commitment and contribution to the NAINA & the IANAGH. She continues to be a role model for NPs and serves as the advisor for IANAGH. The evening was followed by educational sessions by Mrs. Cissimol Vilson( IANAGH APN CHAIR), Dr. Simi Varghese, Dr. Reenu Varghese and Mrs. Alice Saji.

They all gave excellent presentation on topics of their expertise.

The mood was lightened with songs

and dances by budding artists which was appreciated by all the attendees.

The evening was concluded with a thank you note from Mrs. Virginia Alphonso, IANAGH Secretary. The attendees enjoyed dinner while catching up with their colleagues and were empowered by networking with each other. The events were broadcasted on the Flowers TV, Dakshin Radio, Asha Radio and Mallu Café Radio.

Mrs. Raina Rock interviewed the program co-ordinators on Dakshin radio and reached thousands of her audience bringing awareness of NP role in the community. This program was made possible by the support and sponsorship of Edwin Health Institute, Onco360 and Richmond Financial. IANAGH is continuing it’s efforts to be active in the community and is looking forward to the next event at the Star of Hope on December 21st, 2019.

Read More Community News Visit : voiceofasia.news

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, indicated that it was highly inappropriate and insensitive for a business to push their products which were seemingly disrespecting, ridiculing and disparaging the deeply held belief system of a large segment of world population.

Highly venerated “Om” was the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism was used to introduce and conclude religious work; Rajan Zed stated.

Zed further said that Namaste, whose usually understood meaning was—I bow the divine in you— besides being a customary Hindu greeting, was also an expression of reverence and veneration, and was used in worship also. Derived from Sanskrit, it found reference in world’s oldest extant scripture RigVeda and other early Hindu texts. It was also displayed in ancient Hindu sculptures and archaeological findings from as early as about 3000 BCE reportedly revealed figurines in Namaste posture.

Inappropriate usage of Hindu concepts or symbols or deities for

commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the faithful, Rajan Zed noted and urged Zorestina CEO to also offer a formal apology, besides withdrawing objectionable products.

Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols/ concepts of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled; Zed pointed out.

Rajan Zed added that such denigration and trivialization of Hindu symbols/concepts was disturbing to the Hindus world over. Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more. But faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers.

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VOICE OF ASIA 4

Section 2

Family Health

FRIDAY, December 06, 2019

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Toxin-laced bubbles cause Health Insurance Enrollment for pollution hazard on Indian beach 2020 for under 65, will end on December 15, 2019

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on’t miss out, it is last week of enrolling in 2020 Health Insurance Plans under Affordable Care Act. If you are under 65, you have a chance to enroll in health care plan.

After December 15th 2019 one can enroll in the health plan only if you have a life changing event that qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period.

If you qualify for a 2020 Special Enrollment Period, you can enroll in any 2020 health even after January 1, 2020.

Life changes that can qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period Changes in household A youth plays over foamy discharge, caused by pollutants, as it mixes with the surf at a beach in Chennai. (Image Credit: AFP)

C

HENNAI, India | AFP | 12/2/2019 - A menacing white foam covered one of India's most famous beaches in Chennai for the fourth straight day Monday creating a new pollution hazard for the country.

Children have been playing and taking selfies in the clouds of white suds on Marina Beach, even though they give off an acrid smell and fishermen have been told not to go into the sea nearby.

Doctors have warned that skin problems could be caused by the foam, which forms every monsoon season but has been particularly bad this year.

Word has not got through to the hundreds of families who throng India's longest urban beach, letting children happily skip in the toxin-filled froth.

Authorities were also on alert for a repeat of a 2017 incident when thousands of fish were killed by pollution that hit beaches around the same time.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board said it is analysing samples from the foam which has spread several kilometres along the beach.

Fisherman Jeyaseelan, 30, said customers do not want to buy even the small amount of fish he has been able to catch in recent days.

"It is definitely not good for people to go into the foam but they just do not understand the risks," said Pravakar Mishra, a scientist at the National Centre for Coastal Research in Chennai who has seen the clouds of foam grow in recent years.

"Everyone thinks it is contaminated," he said. "My wage has been cut to next to nothing."

Marina Beach has been a centrepiece of Chennai life for

Hot weather linked to rise in early childbirth: study

Researchers warned early births would likely increase as temperatures continue to rise (AFP Photo/ BEHROUZ MEHRI)

by Patrick GALEY

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ARIS | AFP | 12/2/2019 - Hot weather can cause a spike in the number of babies being born early, a phenomenon that may harm infant health and is likely to get worse as temperatures climb due to climate change, scientists said Monday.

Researchers in California said an average of 25,000 children were born up to two weeks early during warmer than average periods in the United States between 19691988 -- equivalent to 150,000 lost gestational days annually.

While it is not certain why mothers appear to go into labour early as the mercury climbs, the authors of the study published in Nature Research Journals said premature births was an issue to be taken seriously.

"It is very likely that being born earlier will affect child development and have lasting impacts into adulthood, but more research is needed to confirm this," Alan Barreca, from the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California–Los

Angeles.

"Hot weather increases maternal levels of oxytocin, which is a key hormone that regulates labour and delivery.

But, the link could be because hot weather causes cardiovascular stress, which might lead to early deliveries," he told AFP. Barreca and a colleague used estimate shifts in daily birth rates from US counties over a 20-year span, a sample including 56 million births.

- 'Very concerned' They found that early birth rates increased by five percent on days where the temperature was above 90 degrees Farenheit (32.2 Celsius), accounting for around one out of every 200 births.

With temperatures currently around 1C hotter than preindustrial averages and set to increase further, Barreca said he was "very concerned" of the potential impacts of greater weather-linked early birth rates in future.

"We predict more than 1 in 100 births will occur earlier

than expected in the US by the end of the century," he said.

"That number may seem small, but that's much higher than the risks of getting into a car accident."

He pointed out that while air conditioning was likely to provide mothers with protection during hot weather, the technology was energy-heavy, expensive, and largely absent in developing nations.

"Some families will experience financial stress even if they are able to use more air conditioning during pregnancy, and financial stress is also bad for children," he said.

Andrew Shennan, professor of Obstetrics at King's College London said that while extremes of temperature have long been linked to the risk of premature delivery, the nature of that link was unclear.

"Given the wide variety of temperatures around the world, and that most women have normal pregnancies, this is unlikely to be an important risk factor for any individual," said Shennan, who was not involved in the study.

You may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period if you or anyone in your household in the past 60 days: • Got married. Pick a plan by the last day of the month and your coverage can start the first day of the next month.

• Had a baby, adopted a child, or placed a child for foster care. Your coverage can start the day of the event — even if you enroll in the plan up to 60 days afterward.

• Got divorced or legally separated and lost health insurance. Note: Divorce or legal separation without losing coverage doesn’t qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period.

• Died. You’ll be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period if someone on your Marketplace plan dies and as a result, you’re no longer eligible for your current health plan.

Changes in residence

Household moves that qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period: • Moving to a new home in a new ZIP code or county • Moving to the U.S. from a foreign country or United States territory • If you're a student, moving to or from the place you attend school • If you're a seasonal worker, moving to or from the place you both live and work • Moving to or from a shelter or other transitional housing Note: Moving only for medical treatment or staying somewhere for vacation doesn’t qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period.

Important: You must prove you had qualifying health coverage for one or more days during the 60 days before your move. You don't need to provide proof if you’re moving from a foreign country or United States territory.

Loss of health insurance You may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period if you or anyone in your household lost qualifying health coverage in the past 60 days OR expects to lose coverage in the next 60 days.

Coverage losses that may qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period: Losing job-based coverage Losing individual health coverage for a plan or policy you bought yourself Losing eligibility for Medicaid or CHIP

Sudhir Mathuria HEALTHLIFE 360 713-771-2900

Losing eligibility for Medicare Losing coverage through a family member More qualifying changes Other life circumstances that may qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period: • Changes that make you no longer eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) • Gaining membership in a federally recognized tribe or status as an Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Corporation shareholder • Becoming newly eligible for Marketplace coverage because you became a U.S. citizen • tion

Leaving

incarcera-

• Starting or ending service as an AmeriCorps State and National, VISTA, or NCCC member. Source: HealthCare.gov To enroll in suitable individual, family or small group health insurance plan contact Sudhir Mathuria at 713-7712900.

Senior Living

VOICE OF ASIA 5

Section 2

FRIDAY, December 06, 2019

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

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White Americans far likelier to receive The 3 ‘D’s of determining your HIV prevention drug than minorities Medicare Part D Plan

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ASHINGTON | AFP | 12/3/2019 White Americans who are at risk of HIV are seven times more likely than blacks to receive a daily oral pill shown to be extremely effective at preventing infection, according to official statistics published Tuesday.

The figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) underscore that racial disparities remain a core challenge for the administration of President Donald Trump in its stated goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030.

At-risk racial minorities and people in lower income brackets are less likely to know about pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, or to get a prescription from a doctor even if they are aware of its benefits.

PrEP, which has been available since 2012, includes two HIV antiretroviral medications and reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent when taken daily, according to studies cited by the CDC. "We can end the status quo providing that we change our expectations and the culture of satisfaction where we're at now," Jay Butler, the CDC's deputy director of infectious

PrEP, which has been available since 2012, includes two HIV antiretroviral medications and reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent when taken daily, according to studies cited by the CDC diseases said during a teleconference with reporters.

PrEP coverage grew to 18 percent of the at-risk population of 1.2 million people in 2018, against just 9 percent in 2016.

But the rise glosses over glaring disparities: the drug was used by 42 percent of at-risk whites, 11 percent of Hispanic/Latinos and just six percent of blacks.

There's also dramatic regional variation, with 41 percent covered in New York, a percentage that drops to single digits in several less wealthy states.

Racial differences also arise

in the percentage of people diagnosed with HIV who have access to retroviral drugs that effectively reduce the viral load to the point it is undetectable after six months and cannot be transmitted on to others.

Fifty-seven percent of diagnosed black Americans had a suppressed viral load against 69 percent of whites.

Many HIV-positive black people lack health coverage, are homeless or in prison, said the CDC, factors that make taking daily medications much more complicated.

The CDC found that twothirds of new HIV diagnoses in 2018 were among blacks and Hispanic/Latinos.

10 Doctor-recommended health tips for the New Year

PHOTO SOURCE: (c) Wavebreakmedia / iStock via Getty Images Plus

E

nrollment in Medicare Part D is on the rise.

Having increased 12 percent since 2017, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the popularity of this prescription drug benefit may be due to the decline in the cost of basic premiums, projected to drop for the third year in a row.

Part D plans help people save on the costs of prescriptions and knowing these three Ds will help you maximize those savings in 2020.

1. Drug Coverage: While Part D plans are approved by CMS, they’re offered through private companies. So, as with any other type of insurance purchase, plans will vary in coverage and cost, allowing you to choose one that best fits your needs.

It’s important to know that plans change year-to-year, so one that covered your prescriptions in 2019, may not necessarily in 2020. Making sure the medications you take are covered by the plan you choose at a price you can afford will avoid costly surprises in 2020.

This includes checking not only if medications are covered, but how. Each plan places covered drugs into tiers that are assigned a different copay; that’s the out-of-pocket cost you pay when you fill a prescription. Check the tier in which your medication is covered.

2. Deductible: Don’t rule out plans on deductibles alone.

That’s just one factor to consider. For example, a $0 deductible deal may sound good until you realize your medication is not covered. When comparing plans, consider what experts call the “overall cost,” which includes the premium you pay monthly, the deductible you’ll need to pay before your plan starts covering medication, and the copay. To estimate “overall cost,” make a list of your medications. Then, check how each is covered by the plans available to you.

3. Due Diligence: If you’re enrolled in a Part D plan, you’ll receive an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). All plans are required to mail the ANOC by September 30 and also post it to their website by October 15. That notice will

inform you of the changes your plan will make starting January of 2020. Review this carefully.

If you’re looking to add a Part D plan in 2020, start by making a list of the medications you take. On October 1 of every year, companies share information about what medications they’re covering in next year’s plans. You can then compare how the medications you need will be covered and estimate the “overall cost” based on the plans offered in your area.

Want an easy-to-use guide to help you choose the plan that’s best for you? A free checklist to compare plans is available at roadmapformedicare.com, as well as step-by-step instructions to help you prepare for Medicare open enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 – Dec. 7.

Empowering yourself now with the information you’ll need during open enrollment will ensure you choose the plan that can best help your health and wallet in 2020.

- StatePoint

PHOTO SOURCE: (c) LightFieldStudios / iStock via Getty Images Plus

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our in 10 adults in the U.S. have two or more chronic diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While certain conditions and risk factors are beyond one’s control, the new year is the perfect time to consider the many lifestyle choices you can make for improved health.

“

With too many holiday sweets and not enough exercise likely in the rearview mirror, now is the perfect time to consider your personal goals and how you can make positive health choices in the coming year,” says American Medical Association (AMA) President Patrice A. Harris, M.D. “The good news is that there are a few easy steps you can take that will set you on the right track for a healthier 2020.”

To get you started, the AMA is offering 10 wellness tips for the new year: 1. Steps you take now can help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Learn your risk by taking the self-screening test at DoIHavePrediabetes. org.

2. Be more physically active.

Adults should do at least 150 minutes a week of moderateintensity activity, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity.

3. Visit LowerYourHBP. org to better understand blood pressure numbers and take necessary steps to get high blood pressure – also known as hypertension -under control. Doing so will reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke.

legal drinking age.

4. Reduce your intake of processed foods, especially those with added sodium and sugar. Eat less red meat and processed meats, and add more plant-based foods, such as olive oil, nuts and seeds to your diet. Also reduce your consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and drink more water instead. Drinking sugary beverages -- even 100% fruit juices -- is associated with a higher all-cause mortality risk, a new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests.

8. Pain medication is personal. If you’re taking prescription opioids or other medications, follow your doctor’s instructions. Store them safely to prevent misuse and properly dispose of any leftover medication.

5. If your health care professional determines that you need antibiotics, take them exactly as prescribed. Antibiotic resistance is a serious public health problem and antibiotics will not make you feel better if you have a virus, such as a cold or flu.

6. If consuming alcohol, do so in moderation as defined by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans -- up to one drink daily for women and two drinks daily for men, and only by adults of

7. Talk with your doctor about tobacco and e-cigarette use (or vaping) and how to quit. Declare your home and car smoke- and aerosol-free to eliminate secondhand exposure.

9. Make sure your family is up-to-date on vaccines, including the annual influenza vaccine for everyone age six months or older. If you’re pregnant, you can receive the flu vaccine during any trimester, but should receive the Tdap vaccine early in the third trimester to protect yourself against flu and whooping cough.

10. Manage stress. A good diet, sufficient sleep (at least 7.5 hours per night), daily exercise and wellness activities, like yoga and meditation, are key ingredients to maintaining and improving your mental health, but don’t hesitate to ask for help from a mental health professional when you need it.

- StatePoint

Toxin-laced Hepatitis A outbreak tied to bubbles cause berries spreads to one more pollution... state Continued from page 4 more than a century. At weekends, tens of thousands fill the once-pristine sands where the pollution is another sign of India's struggle to keep up with its growing economy.

Experts blame heavy rain in recent days that has carried untreated sewage and phosphate down to the sea.

According to Mishra, much of the foam comes from washing detergent residue that mixes with other waste.

Only 40 percent of sewage in Chennai and other big cities gets proper treatment, the researcher added.

"The rest flows into the sea and this is what happens."

Mishra is setting up a buoy to monitor pollution levels in the

December 3, 2019

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hepatitis A outbreak tied to blackberries sold in Fresh Thyme grocery stores now includes 16 confirmed cases in six states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 16 cases of hepatitis A, including seven in

sea just as Delhi now has a network of monitoring stations for its notoriously dirty air.

"Pollution is now a bigger threat to India's beaches than the rising seas," said Mishra, highlighting the sewage, micro plastic that is killing fish and the bags and cups that cover the sand.

Nebraska, as part of the outbreak in Nebraska, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Fresh Thyme has said it's cooperating with the investigation and working with suppliers to identify the source of the contamination.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has urged consumers in Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania to discard any fresh blackberries bought from Fresh Thyme between Sept. 9 and Sept. 30.

Hepatitis A is a virus that infects the liver and can cause mild, flu-like symptoms for several weeks.

- CDC

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, December 06, 2019

2 Indian students killed in US Man who shot dead Indian hit and run crash in US student In California surrenders The suspect Eric Turner, 42, turned himself in on Saturday, the San Bernardino Police Department said.

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ASHINGTON | PTI | December 02, 2019 - A US national has been arrested in San Bernardino after he surrendered in the recent killing of an Indian man, Abhishek Sudhesh Bhat, the police said on Sunday.

Eric Turner, 42, turned himsel

"He was attacked while he was looking after a motel in his free time on behalf of his friend. The family grieves for him deeply," it said.

"He had decided to go abroad to study with the only aim and ambition to help and be there for his family.

He worked hard day and night to fulfill this dream. He wanted to fund his younger brother Abhishreshta's medical education fees apart from being financially available for everyone in his family," it said.

f in on Saturday, the San Bernardino Police Department said.

Judy Stanley (23) and Vybhav Gopisetty (26) were graduate students. Image credit: gofundme.com

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ASHINGTON | PTI | Dec 02, 2019 - Two Indian students have been killed in a hit-and-run accident on Thanksgiving night in the US state of Tennessee and the owner of the pickup truck involved in the incident has surrendered, authorities said.

"Torres would not answer questions. Officers took a DNA sample.

Investigation continuing," the police said.

Judy Stanley (23) and Vybhav Gopisetty (26), were graduate students of the Tennessee State University (TSU) and were pursuing food science degrees in the College of Agriculture, the university said.

The pickup truck was speeding and ran a red light when it hit the passenger side of the Sentra, witnesses said according to ABC-affiliate News 9.

According to the local police, Stanley and Gopisetty died in an apparent hit-and-run incident on the night of November 28 in South Nashville.

The TSU on Friday released a statement after the two students were killed in the crash. They also identified the female victim, according to newschannel9.com.

"The Tennessee State University family is mourning the loss of two TSU students killed in an auto accident Thanksgiving night. Judy Stanley, 23, and Vybhav Gopisetty, 26, were both graduate students from India pursuing food science degrees in the College of Agriculture. Stanley was seeking a master's, and Gopisetty a doctorate."

David Torres (26), the owner of the GMC pickup truck involved the double-fatal crash on Nolensville Pike near Harding Place, surrendered before the police after a lookout notice was issued for him, Metro Nashville Police Department said on Sunday.

According to the police, Torres' vehicle crashed into a Nissan Sentra, in which the two Indian students were travelling.

The car went off the road and through a fence before slamming into a tree on the Walmart property.

Mr Stanley and Mr Gopisetty succumbed to injuries and their families have been notified, police said, adding that Torres ran away from the scene.

According to eyewitness Louis Mireles, he was walking to the bus stop when he heard it happen and saw the GMC driver run away from the scene.

"Boom boom like that and I looked backward. It was right there I would've been dead right there, but something told me to step back," local News 4 quoted him as saying.

"They're dead but we are going to make them alive again, so people get their chance in court get him because that guy ran... he didn''t even care about their lives," Mr Mireles said.

Bharat Pokharel, Associate Professor at the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture said the students were "humble, innocent, and hardworking" with a "prosperous future".

Sugar Land Food Mart murderer located in Nevada Convenience store clerk Hamid Lakhani was shot and killed in Sugar Land on Aug. 31.

Abhishek Sudhesh, 25, was shot dead outside a motel where he worked part-time.

A resident of Mysuru, Abhishek was studying for a Master's Degree in computer science at California State University San Bernardino.

He was allegedly shot by Eric Turner outside the motel on Thursday afternoon. He was declared dead on the spot by the police.

The San Bernardino Police Department said it is investigating why Eric Turner shot Sudesh.

"The suspect was identified and turned himself in to authorities on the morning of Saturday. The motive for the shooting is under investigation," San Bernardino police Sergeant Albert Tello said in a statement.

Eric Turner is being held without

"I could not believe what had happened to the lives of these two young energetic scientists," he said in a Facebook post.

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Young was recently located at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, under an assumed name after detectives received a Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers tip. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department arrested Young on Nov. 25 and charged him with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and grand theft auto.

Young will be extradited to Fort Bend County for the murder of Hamid Lakhani, 63, of Sugar Land.

Sugar Land police responded to WB Food Mart, 13003 West Bellfort, on Aug. 31 at 8:30 p.m. after customers reported a man inside with a gunshot wound. Lakhani, who worked at the store as a clerk, was found lying on the ground with a single gunshot wound. He was treated and transported to a local hospital, where he

Detectives reviewed surveillance video and determined that Lakhani was shot by one of three men who entered the store to commit a robbery. The shooter was later identified as Young, and he was charged with murder.

License plate recognition cameras located near WB Food Mart helped detectives identify the vehicle used in the murder. The information from the cameras led to the arrests of Young; two 16-year-old males from the Houston area who committed the robbery with Young; and Kameryn Lamisha James, 17, of Houston, who drove the getaway car.

"The Sugar Land Police Department would like to thank the public and the media for the information that was provided, as well as the Las Vegas Metro Police Department Homicide Division for their assistance with this case," said Sgt. Matt Levan, of the Sugar Land Police Department Criminal Investigations Division.

Till Sunday more than 1,000 people had helped raised more than USD 39,000.

"The family grieves him deeply," the fundraising page said.

GoFundMe page.

Sharath Julakanti of the food science club at TSU has created the

"Judy Stanley came from a middle-class financial background; she

Homicide suspect Eric Devon Turner, 42, of San Bernardino, pictured in a photo released by the San Bernardino Police Department on Nov. 30, 2019.

was a girl with positive attitude and hardworking in nature. She was passionate about helping poor people by participating in various volunteering and fund-collecting program but finally a situation arise, where we are now collecting fund for her funeral," the page says.

"We kindly request everyone to support them for their funeral which is to be held at India," it added.

Hundreds more Houstonians seriously assaulted in recent months

by Ted Oberg

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OUSTON (KTRK) -Dec. 4, 2019 - Nearly 900 more Houstonians have been seriously assaulted this summer and fall than the same seasons in 2018, according to HPD crime statistics. It's part of a concerning increase in overall crime.

Following an overnight crime spree that left three people across southeast Houston recovering from stab wounds, 13 Investigates analyzed the most recent crime figures available.

We compared June through October of this year to the same time period last year.

Neither show a trend Houstonians want.

was pronounced dead.

The friends and family of Abhishek Sudesh have set up a GoFundMe page.

The university students have raised-- through a GoFundMe Page-- more than USD 42,000 for their last rights and funeral in India.

Violent crime is up 1.6 percent.

UGAR LAND, TX - Sugar Land detectives located Treveon James Young, 24, of Houston, who is wanted for the murder of a convenience store clerk in Sugar Land on Aug. 31.

bail and is will be produced before a local court on Tuesday.

According to the page, Vybhav Vipul Sudhir Gopisetty landed in Nashville with a dream to shine in the field of food science and completed his master's with excellent scores and four publications in international journals.

Property crime in Houston is up more than 8 percent. Those are crimes like home burglary, auto theft, or theft of property inside your car.

Treveon James Young, 24, Mug Shots Provided by Clark County Detention Center

Homicide victim Abhishek Sudhesh Bhat, 25, of San Bernardino, pictured in a photo released by the San Bernardino Police Department on Nov. 30, 2019.

When Houston police break down the violent crimes, aggravated assaults had the largest increase.

HPD reports 875 more aggravated assaults from June through October 2019 than the same time period in 2018. That is a 16.8 percent increase.

Aggravated assaults are serious assaults that use a weapon and cause serious injury. It would include nonfatal stabbings and shootings.

There were three more murders this year, and a few less rapes.

Rosenberg OKs Andrew Yang seems invisible to the council member mainstream media... didate to run for president. That was alcohol testing... Continued from Page 2 Hiram Fong, a Republican, who ran in spoken over, mixed up with the only 1964 and 1968 but did not have sigwith a catch other Asian person in my department nificant support outside his home state

by Nick Natario OSENBERG, Texas, Tuesday, December 3, 2019 (KTRK) -- The Rosenberg city council approved by 4-3 vote a member's proposal to mandate drug and alcohol testing on elected officials, but with a catch.

Council member Isaac Davila's mandatory testing was on the agenda for Tuesday's city council meeting. Davila said he believes some of his colleagues are drinking before council meetings.

On Tuesday night, the majority of the council, including the mayor, voted in favor of the motion and for Davila to fund the tests.

The vote prompted a heated exchange between Davila and Mayor Bill Benton, who defeated Davila for the mayoral seat earlier this year.

It's unclear how much it would cost or when the council and mayor would be tested.

Before the meeting, Davila said elected officials should be held to the same standards as city employees. Davila also said he believes some council Continued on Page 7

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of 200. My ideas were stolen, and I was overlooked for promotions. Invisibility is hard to pin down precisely because you can’t see it. When few Asian Americans are in the top tier of leadership, the visual narrative conveys we are somehow not qualified.

Van Tran, a City University of New York sociologist whose work focuses on Asian Americans and social inequality, characterizes Yang’s candidacy as a tale of two extremes: “Asians from certain groups have exceeded whites in education and income, but are still behind whites in terms of wealth and power.”

I live and work in New York City, where some Asian groups are among the city’s poorest. Yang has been portrayed as an Asian tech zillionaire when his actual net worth, according to the candidates’ own filings, is among the lower tier, near that of Bernie Sanders, while Elizabeth Warren is near the top along with Michael Bennet.

To underscore the idea of Asian American invisibility: Yang is not even the first Asian American can-

of Hawaii. The same went for Patsy Mink, a Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who ran in 1972. Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal sought the Republican nomination in 2016.

Kamala Harris is also running a national campaign. But in the visibility narrative, she has been described by the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, among others, not as Asian but as the second black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Her mother is of Tamil Indian descent, and her father is black.

Yang’s candidacy may tell our Asian American children that one day, they, too, can run for president. Or, it may tell them that even if you work hard and play by the rules, there’s only so far you can go. A candidate who can’t be seen can’t win.

Marie Myung-Ok Lee, author of the forthcoming novel “The Evening Hero,” teaches fiction at Columbia University, where she is writer in residence at the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race. @MarieMyungOkLee

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 7

Local state lawmaker says rivals on ballot because they're Asian

FRIDAY, December 06, 2019

Congressman Al Green’s Memorandum on Impeachment

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ASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, December 4, 2019, Congressman Al Green released the following statement:

State Rep. Rick Miller, Jacey Jetton, Leonard Chan (Photo: Eric Gay/Karen Zurawski/LeonardTX26@ Twitter)

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UGAR LAND, (KTRK) - A White Texas Republican lawmaker who suggested his political rivals on the ballot were motivated to run against him because they're Asian lost the endorsement Tuesday of the state's GOP governor.

State Rep. Rick Miller since 2013 has represented a suburban Houston district in Fort Bend County, one of the most diverse counties in the U.S. He told the Houston Chronicle that one of his primary opponents, Jacey Jetton, was running against him in 2020 "because he is an Asian" and decided "that my district might need an Asian to win."

"And that's kind of racist in my mind, but anyway, that's not necessary, at least not yet,"

Miller told the newspaper.

He went on to suggest that a second challenger, Leonard Chan, had similar motivations.

"I don't know, I never met the guy. I have no idea who he is," Miller said of Chan. "He has not been around Republican channels at all, but he's an Asian."

Gov. Greg Abbott withdrew his endorsement of Miller after the interview was published.

Abbott spokesman John Wittman called the comments "inappropriate and out of touch" with Republican values. Miller did not immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday.

Chan and Jetton told the newspaper that the remarks

Sundar Pichai steps into huge role as Alphabet CEO

show why the suburban Houston district needs a change.

"It has nothing to do with whether I'm part Korean or anything else, it's just the fact that I'm showing up and the other communities are excited about that. I think it's unfortunate he's trying to make it a race thing when it's really just being willing to communicate with anyone in the district," Jetton said.

Miller is from Sugar Land, the home of former Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The population of Fort Bend County is split almost evenly, with 35% Anglo residents, 24% Hispanic, 21% Asian or other, and 20% black, according to a 2018 survey by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

Wanted Indian guru resurfaces to announce new cosmic country Continued from page 1

to remain clueless about his whereabouts.

Sundar Pichai -- known for his soft-spoken demeanor -- will take on the role of CEO at Alphabet as well as maintaining the same position at its main operating unit Google. (AFP Photo)

Continued from page 1 Known for his Lanvin sneakers and easygoing style, Sundar steps into his new role as antitrust enforcers in Washington, Brussels and elsewhere are stepping up their scrutiny of Google, which is the internet's dominant search engine and also the maker of the leading Android mobile operating system.

The company has also been in the crosshairs over how it manages "hate speech" and extremist content spread online, and how it deals with children's privacy on its YouTube video service.

Recently, its employees have organized to protest what some claimed was a lack of action on sexual harassment by executives, as well as Google's dealings with the US military and border security authorities.

When Google dropped out of bidding for a massive military cloud computing contract, it faced criticism for being unpatriotic, and Pichai appeared to ease tensions with a fencemending visit with President Donald Trump.

Last December, Pichai kept calm while testifying in Congress as he parried US lawmakers over complaints of political bias and intrusive data collection.

"We build our products in a neutral way," Pichai said in one exchange.

- Filling a void "His temperament seems very calm and measured, but I don't think that is the reason he is getting the top position," said Avi Greengart, of the research consultancy Techsponential.

Greengart said that Pichai was selected to be the public face of the larger company with Page and Brin fading into the background.

"As the big tech companies

get in the crosshairs, you need someone who is willing to sit in that seat, and I don't think Sergey and Larry were all that interested," he said.

Greengart said putting Pichai in charge of both Alphabet and Google may be an acknowledgment that the 2015 reorganization was a mistake and that the various operations need to be more tightly integrated.

"I don't understand the Alphabet structure," Greengart said. "There are technology platforms (within Alphabet) that need to work together."

The analyst added that Pichai has been effective in helping Google's hardware efforts, especially with its digital home products, which could help reduce its dependence on online advertising.

"It does seem clear that hardware endpoints are a big part of his Google strategy," he said.

- An Indian 'export' Pichai's low-key style has kept him out of the public limelight. With interests in football and cricket, he is married to a fellow IIT student, Anjali Pichai, with whom he has two children.

He joins a long list of Indiaborn CEOs of major global companies.

Among the most notable are Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Rajeev Suri of Nokia, Shantanu Narayen of Adobe and, until her departure last year, Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo. Manu Kumar Jain, the Indian-born vice president of Chinese tech firm Xiaomi, welcomed the news.

"From learning alphabets in Jawahar Vidyalaya to leading "#Alphabet", one of the most valued tech companies. Congratulations @sundarpichai.

You are an inspiration to all," Jain tweeted.

The website shares details of different government departments and agencies in his make-believe country, including homeland security, commerce, treasury, housing, technology and one for enlightened civilisation.

It also gives Kailaasa its own triangular flag and an emblem with Indian Tamil, Sanskrit and English as its main languages.

Though not convicted, Nithyananda first made national headlines in 2010 after he was arrested and jailed for 53 days over a sex scandal involving him and a regional actress.

Subsequently, some other women also accused him of abusing them at his religious retreat in Karnataka.

Last month, a case was registered against him in the western Indian state Gujarat on charges of wrongful confinement of children.

Indian media reports said that police believe he fled the country during the investigation.

"So far what we know is that he is not in the Ashram (his retreat) here for almost a year," a police officer told the Press Trust of India.

"This is one of the 10 to 15 Ashrams he has nationwide.

His main areas of operation are Tamil Nadu and Gujarat," he added.

Nithyananda is one of several Indian gurus who've faced charges ranging from murders, sexual assaults, rapes and financial frauds over the last few years.

In 2017, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, another controversial self-styled godman, was arrested and charged over raping two of his female disciples.

His arrest led to widespread rioting and clashes in northern Haryana state that killed at least three dozen people.

“Query: How will history judge this Congress that passed a resolution indicating President Trump made harmful, racist comments if it does not impeach him for his impeachable racist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, transphobic, xenophobic language instigating enmity and inciting violence within our society? How will failure to impeach an unapologetic President Trump for the adverse impact his racism is having on the countless African-American victims who believe that, too often, one party ignores us and the other takes us for granted?

“Dear Friends:

Colleagues

and

“Love for my country and for the people suffering from presidentially-exacerbated racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia compels me to ask the above questions. The questions are especially important considering the indisputable fact that in 1868 Republicans led the successful impeachment of President Andrew Johnson for reasons rooted in racism. It is also an irrefutable fact that no statutory crime was alleged in Article 10 of the articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson when he was impeached for his incitive statements rooted in racism.

“Like President Trump, President Johnson weaponized incitive, racist comments, motivating followers with little regard for the harm caused and lives lost.

Both caused impeachable, immeasurable harm by inciting white supremacy. Under both, motivated white supremacists killed, murdered, and massacred. President Johnson’s countenance of the racist New Orleans Riots of 1866 resulted in 38 killed and more than 100 wounded by some estimates. President Trump’s incitive climate of hate motivated the white supremacist who committed the El Paso massacre, where he killed some 22 persons and injured some 24 others.

“If the congressional Republicans of 1868 impeached President Johnson for his abusive, incitive, racist comments causing harm, why can’t the Congress of 2019 impeach President Trump for his abusive, incitive, racist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, transphobic comments causing harm to society? Why should we pass a resolution condemning the President’s racist comments and then get back to racism as usual, where racism is more of a talking point than an action item?

“Our country’s original sin of irreparably harmful slavery continues to haunt us as slavery’s odious incendiary scion – racism. It’s the constant kitchen-table issue for Black people. Regrettably,

Congressman Al Green. (Image: Twitter) the President weaponizes racism to the shame of country and detriment of people of color. He has ignored the congressional resolution condemning his racist comments. He’s back to racism as usual, indicating that the resolution was less than a slap on the wrist.

“To those who say that the House resolution condemning the President is enough, I say if impeachment is the remedy for invidious abuse of power related to Ukraine, it should be the remedy for invidious abuse of power related to racism in the United States. If impeachment was just for President Andrew Johnson’s racist actions, it’s just for President Donald Trump’s racist actions.

“To those who say impeachment requires the commission of some statutory crime, I say please stop it. Do some research. If this were true, President Andrew Johnson couldn’t have been impeached in the 10th Article presented against him in 1868 for reasons unrelated to a statutory crime. Read Webster’s full definition of the word ‘crime’ and the word ‘misdemeanor.’

You will find that among other definitions, the definition of a crime is ‘something reprehensible, foolish, or disgraceful.’

You will also find that among other definitions, the definition of a misdemeanor is a ‘misdeed.’ Please note that crimes and misdemeanors need not be unlawful. We must not allow ourselves to be convinced that we cannot do that which has already been constitutionally done.

“To those who say we shouldn’t impeach the President for abuse of power related to his impeachable, incitive, racist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic language causing harm to our society because the Senate won’t convict, I say where is the empirical evidence, the proof that the Senate will convict for any reason? Let’s not have a double standard. With presidential abuse related to Ukraine, our righteous mantra has been ‘We must put principle above politics,’ ‘We must put people above party,’ ‘We must defend democracy and protect the republic,’ ‘We must perform our constitutional duty regardless of what the Senate may do.’ How can we possibly say to the victims of racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and transphobia that we can’t impeach because the Senate won’t convict? In all cases, we must perform our constitutional duty regardless of what the Senate may do.

“To those who say impeachment related to racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and transphobia

‘will tear this country apart because the time isn’t right for it,’ I say this willingness to take the path of least resistance means turning a blind eye to those who suffer daily from hate in all of its insidious forms. I also say where is the proof that taking a stand for justice against this unjust President will tear this country apart? Additionally, Dr. King was eminently correct – ‘the time is always right to do what is right.’ Impeachment for reasons related to hate was right in 1868. It is right today. It will be right tomorrow and every day that God allows thereafter.

“To those who think impeachment must be driven by polls, I say impeachment is an historic seminal action.

Historic seminal actions impacting human rights are not driven by polls. Metaphorically speaking, favorable polls say to cowardice it’s safe, to expediency it’s politic, and to vanity it’s popular.

However, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that on some questions, we must do that which is neither safe nor political nor popular. We must do what conscience tells us is the right thing to do.

Impeachment is such a question. Gandhi didn’t engage in civil disobedience because of polls. Malala Yousafzai doesn’t advocate for the education of women and girls because it is safe. Chew Heong didn’t confront the United States government for violating the constitutional rights of Chinese immigrants because it was popular. Cesar Chavez didn’t organize a fight for social justice because of polls. Russell Means didn’t advocate for justice for Native Americans because it was politic. The Spingarn brothers, Arthur and Joel, didn’t fight for the rights of Black people because it was popular. LGBTQ+ activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera didn’t spark the Stonewall Riots because it was safe. Rosa Parks didn’t ignite the Montgomery Bus Boycott because it was popular. John Lewis didn’t cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday because it was safe or politic or popular.

He and all of the others above were driven by righteousness of conscience not positive polls.

“Colleagues and friends, I pray that the hands of history will record that when we were confronted with President Trump’s seminal abuse of power (via incitive, invidious racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and transphobia) we did the right thing and impeached him for it.”

Rosenberg OKs...

Continued from Page 6 members aren't sober during council meetings.

"I suspect there is some alcohol use before meetings, and in my opinion, anybody working on city business shouldn't be under the influence of these chemicals, alcohol, or drugs," said Davila.

Though he wouldn't say which member or members he was referring to, he also said he has no evidence.

He said drug and alcohol tests would establish if there is a problem.

"The goal here is to make sure no one is using alcohol or drugs when they're conducting business," Davila said.

City council member Jacob

Balderas made a motion to kill the proposal last month. He said Davila's allegation that council members are drinking before meetings isn't true.

"I believe everyone on the council has enough respect for the office and the citizens not to show up drunk, not to show up under the influence of any substance," said Balderas.

Davila ran for mayor earlier this year and lost, an outcome that Balderas believes might have fueled the council agenda item.

"He is upset and he is bitter," Balderas said. "That is why he's going and making a circus out of everything in order to serve some personal vendetta."

No matter the motive, Rosenberg neighbors ABC13 spoke

with don't seem to mind the idea of elected officials receiving drug and alcohol screenings.

"Everyone should be drug tested," said Rosenberg resident Brandie Eason. "Nobody should be excluded. Everyone should have the same opportunities, right?"

Resident James Rusher said, "With that position, there's a lifestyle that you need to uphold. Those particular people are watched outside the offices and they need to lead the community."

Mandatory drug and alcohol testing would be hard to adopt, according to attorney Gerry Birnberg. He explained to ABC13 there's no state law that would allow mandatory testing on elected officials.

US/WORLD

VOICE OF ASIA 8

Kamala Harris ends 2020 White House bid

by Michael Mathes

Nepal prepares for mass animal sacrifice despite outcry

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ASHINGTON | AFP | Wednesday 12/3/2019 - Democrat trailblazer Kamala Harris pulled the plug on her US presidential campaign Tuesday after a promising start to her bid was eroded by underperforming in a crowded field and a failure to raise sufficient funds.

ARIYARPUR, Nepal | AFP | 12/2/2019 Thousands of Hindu devotees gathered in southern Nepal on Monday ahead of a festival believed to be the world's biggest ritual animal slaughter, despite court orders and calls by animal activists to end the event.

The exit of the progressive senator leaves 15 candidates in the battle to see who challenges President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election.

The sacrifices, set to begin on Tuesday, take place every five years in Bariyarpur village close to the Indian border, in honour of the Hindu goddess of power.

Harris has been a fierce Trump critic, repeatedly calling for his impeachment.

He reacted to her withdrawal by tweeting, "Too bad. We will miss you" -- to which Harris quickly replied, "Don't worry, Mr. President. I'll see you at your trial."

Her departure, following weeks of campaign turmoil, shines a light on the disruptive potential of a self-funding candidate like billionaire Mike Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York.

Having stagnated in fifth place in polling, with under four percent support, Harris was bumped to sixth spot after Bloomberg's recent entry.

"I've taken stock and looked at this from every angle, and over the last few days have come to one of the hardest decisions of my life," the 55-yearold Californian told supporters in an email.

"My campaign for president simply doesn't have the financial resources we need to continue.

"I'm not a billionaire. I can't fund my own campaign."

It was a parting swat at Bloomberg and billionaire activist Tom Steyer, both of whom have spent millions of dollars in broadcast and online advertising.

It was also a telling revelation about the piles of cash that candidates need to mount a viable

"My campaign for president simply doesn't have the financial resources we need to continue." (Getty Images) campaign.

"Kamala is right -- our system is deeply broken when billionaires can buy their way in," tweeted liberal Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of several presidential hopefuls to quickly thank Harris for her campaign.

Harris has been a political ground-breaker, only the second black woman elected to the US Senate.

- 'Mixed emotions' She rocketed into White House contention with a stirring campaign launch in January, on Martin Luther King Jr's birthday, before 20,000 onlookers.

But her prospects slid in recent months as she struggled to define her positions on domestic issues including health care.

She antagonized voters by suggesting in January, and again in a debate, that she sought to eliminate private health insurance to make way for universal health coverage.

Harris is one of the biggest names to date to leave the race, along with former congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

She had jousted with Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden in the party's first presidential debate in June, when she attacked him on his positions on race and school busing.

It provided a breakout for the

India girl shot dead in suspected gangrape as fury over sex crimes mounts

Hundreds of protesters gathered in New Delhi on December 3 2019, demanding speedier punishments for rapists. (AFP Photo)

P

ATNA | AFP | 12/3/2019 - A girl in eastern India was allegedly gangraped and shot dead, police said Tuesday, the latest in a string of sexual assaults that has triggered angry protests across the country.

Police suspect that the victim, whose age and identity was not known, was gang-raped, killed and her body burnt before being dumped in a deserted field in Buxar town in Bihar state.

"We received (her) burnt body on Tuesday, a day after she went missing from her house in Buxar town," a police official told AFP. The officer said they were still awaiting a medical report.

The incident comes on the heels of the brutal gang-rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinary doctor in southern Hyderabad city last week.

A gang of four men deflated a tyre on her scooter and lured her to a truck yard with the promise of fixing it. Police say that the men then raped and murdered her before setting the body on fire under an isolated bridge.

The horrific crime has triggered protests across India,

with demonstrators urging authorities to ensure rape cases are tried quickly and those convicted punished without delay.

On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters gathered in the heart of capital New Delhi demanding speedier punishments for rapists.

Cases in India often languish for years under the country's labyrinthine judicial system despite recent efforts to set up fast-track courts.

Some of the protesters Tuesday called for violent and instant reprisals.

"If women chop off the heads of a few of these rapists, then automatically we'll see the society change for the better," said protester Kanchan Giri who was carrying a sword.

"I think women should take a sword when they step out of their houses so that if they encounter a rapist they should behead him."

Swati Maliwal, head of the Delhi Women's Commission, announced she was going on hunger strike to demand a law stipulating that those who rape minors are hanged within six months of conviction.

candidate, who saw her support rise to -- and peak at -- 15 percent in polling.

But that viral moment proved to be a strategic miscalculation; she suffered a monthslong slide while Biden's support largely held steady.

Harris recently invoked the need to rebuild the "Obama coalition" -- African Americans, Hispanics, women, independents and millennials who together swept Barack Obama to victory in 2008 -- in order to defeat Trump.

But Biden, who for eight years served as Obama's vice president, has managed to maintain pole position among black voters.

Harris is a former prosecutor and one-time attorney general for California whose steely demeanor can give way to a million-watt smile.

Her candidacy was noteworthy in the era of Trump: as a black American daughter of immigrants, Harris appeared to be the "American dream" incarnate, mounting a challenge to a president whom many Democrats denounce as the nation's divider in chief.

Biden said he had "mixed emotions" about Harris dropping out. "She is a first-rate intellect, a first-rate candidate and a real competitor."

Harris was the third candi-

An estimated 200,000 animals ranging from goats to rats were killed during the last two-day Gadhimai Festival in 2014 and this year's preparations were well underway by Monday night.

Buffaloes were corralled into holding pens as worshippers slept and cooked along the road to the temple.

Among them was Sabu Sahani, 25, who travelled with his family for a day from India's Bihar with a goat offering.

"I am happy to be here. The goddess listened to me. We did not have children, but my wife has now given birth to a daughter," Sahani told AFP. Unlicensed traders and pilgrims who cross the border between India and Nepal are responsible for supplying most of the animals, with scores seized at crossings by Indian security officials and volunteers.

Many were hopeful the centuries-old tradition would end after the temple authorities announced a ban in 2015 and Nepal's supreme court directed the government to discourage the bloodshed a year later.

But animal rights activists say that both government agencies as well as temple committees have failed to implement these rulings.

"The officials have let their personal beliefs rule over

FRIDAY, December 06, 2019

India cabinet clears contentious nationality bill

N

EW DELH | AFP | 12/4/2019 - India's cabinet signed off Wednesday on legislation that stands to give citizenship to certain religious minorities but not Muslims, in what critics say is a fresh attempt to sideline the 200-million-strong Islamic community.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), re-elected in a landslide in May, has long been accused of following a "Hindutva" agenda favouring officially secular India's majority Hindus.

The amendments to the sixdecade-old Indian Citizenship Act, approved by Modi's cabinet on Wednesday, could go before the lower house of parliament as soon as this week.

The bill would grant nationality to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Parsis fleeing persecution in Muslimmajority Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan even without any documentation.

Modi's party has said that Muslims are not included because they are able to take refuge in Islamic nations across the globe.

Senior minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters on Wednesday that the legislation would follow the principles of "natural justice" and is "not the court orders, they did not do enough to discourage the slaughters," animal rights activist Manoj Gautam said.

Local priest Mangal Chaudhary, the tenth generation of his family to serve at the temple, did not comment on whether the temple supports this year's

against anyone".

Modi government tried to get similar legislation passed in its first term but failed to garner enough support in the upper house, and it is unclear whether it would succeed there this time.

Apart from stoking unease among Muslims, the proposed changes have also provoked anger in north-east India that for decades has seen major influxes of people of different religions -- including Hindus.

Modi's right-hand-man, Home Minister Amit Shah, held talks with representatives from the region on Tuesday over their concerns.

Shah has been vocal in pushing through the bill that he says is aimed at "saving the lives" of persecuted religious communities in neighbouring Muslimmajority countries.

He has also proposed a "national register of citizens" that he said this week would see "each and every infiltrator identified and expelled" from India by 2024.

Shashi Tharoor from the main opposition Congress party told reporters on Wednesday that the bill "violated" the basic idea of a secular India as pushed by Mahatma Gandhi.

"Those who believe that religion should determine nationhood... that was the idea of Pakistan," Tharoor said, calling the legislation "fundamentally unconstitutional".

"It is simple. Citizenship CANNOT be determined by or linked to religion," tweeted Sitaram Yechury, a senior politician from Communist Party of India.

VOICE OF ASIA 9

Fort Bend View

FRIDAY, December 06, 2019

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

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

•

K

INGSTON, Ontario, (KTRK) Friday, November 29, 2019 -- Police in the Canadian city of Kingston say seven people have died after a small plane crashed in the area Wednesday evening.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent a team of four investigators to the scene of the crash, where they're examining and documenting the wreckage. They've said the plane left Markham, Ontario, and was destined for the Kingston airport, but went down just a few miles from its destination.

Kingston Police Constable Ash Gutheinz said Thursday there's "no indication" there were any survivors from the crash. Identities of the victims

have not been released.

Gutheinz says the area was under a wind advisory at the time, and while winds may not have been as bad as predicted, it was certainly "blustery."

The aircraft, a Piper PA-32 was registered in the United States. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported the pilot was from Houston.

He was identified as Otabek Oblokulov from Missouri City.

According to friends of the victims. Oblokulov, his wife, and their three children died, along with another couple.

The family set up a Gofundme account to help with expenses.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

•

Tel: 713-774-5140

Fort Bend Interfaith Thanksgiving Service held on Nov 25 in Sugar Land

Friend confirms family from Missouri City killed in plane crash

The pilot, his wife, and their children all died in the crash along with another adult couple, according to reports.Photo: gofundme.com

www.voiceofasia.news

Section 2

Left to right:Father Drew, DeAndre Johnson, Rev. Scott Cooper, Ghasem Bayat, David Hruska, Irfan Ali, Geetha Ravula, Imam Mohammad Ahmad Khan, Will Starkweather, John Hirling, Mark Crawford, Timothy Madison and Gaurang Nanavati join in singing “American the Beautifual” to close out the evening at the Fort Bend Interfaith Community’s Thanksgiving Service. More the 20 different faith traditions were represented in the 5th annual program of prayers, songs, dances. (Photo credit: Vijay Pallod)

F

ORT BEND - More the 20 different faith traditions were represented in the 5th annual program of prayers, songs, dances, poems and readings held on Monday, Nov. 25 at Christ Church, Sugar Land.

member churches, mosques, temples and synagogues we are united together as a community of faith to bring the words and melodies of our individual traditions to create a meaningful and heartfelt expression of Thanksgiving.”

Themed “Peace in our Hearts, Peace in the World,” the Service was hsted by hosted by the Fort Bend Interfaith Community and welcomed members of all faiths to celebrate and share the values of peace and hope.

The event featured readings from the Bible, the Quran and the Book of Mormon as well as songs of prayer and praise.

Nihala Zakaria, one of the event organizers, said in a press release, “With over 30

Hindus of Greater (HGH) Houston's representative Geeta Ravula presented Hindu Trinity at the event.

A scene from Hindu Trinity a HGH presentation by Geeta Ravula

The event was free and open to the public.

Sugar Land 95 laid to rest, community memorial service to be held in Spring 2020

F

ORT BEND ISD (December 3, 2019) – The remains of 95 individuals discovered at an unmarked and historic cemetery, who have become known as the Sugar Land 95, have been laid to rest at the site where their remains were found, as the arduous process continues to identify any possible descendants through the analysis of DNA. During a November 21, 2019 community symposium hosted

by Fort Bend ISD at the James Reese Career and Technical

Center, archaeologists, historians and geneticists shared extensive information about the abandoned Bullhead Camp Cemetery, which is the name the Texas Historical Commission (Commission) has given to the cemetery. The symposium provided an update on the continuing research that is underway, including genealogical and genetic research that could take three to four years to complete.

mission had the authority to authorize the extraction of biological samples for isotope analysis and DNA sequencing. Following this opinion, the archaeologists and genetic researchers extracted tooth and bone samples necessary for future DNA and isotope testing. These samples have been entrusted to the University of Texas’ Archaeological Research Laboratory (TARL) in Austin for curation.

The Texas Attorney General issued an opinion in June of 2019 confirming the Com-

Recently, in the fall of 2019, the Commission granted an an-

tiquities permit to a team of researchers, based on a research proposal for the extraction and analysis of ancient DNA at the University of Connecticut. Pursuant to that permit, TARL forwarded samples to the University of Connecticut for genetic analysis.

Researchers have secured some grant funding to begin the DNA extractions. Additional funding will be needed to complete the remaining DNA extractions, analysis, comparisons to existing databases, pub-

lic outreach, and genealogical studies.

The reburial of the Sugar Land 95, completed last week, followed a solemn ceremony on November 17 to honor the unnamed individuals, believed to be African-American men and boys who were leased to a local plantation to provide labor through the state-sanctioned convict leasing system.

This unjust system provided inexpensive labor to the wealthy plantation owners following the abolition of slavery in

1865. Prior to reburial, each gravesite and burial vessel was carefully marked so that individuals could be reunified with family, should descendants be identified in the future.

Fort Bend ISD students will lead a public memorial in the spring to celebrate the historic discovery, and the District will keep the community updated as these plans are finalized.

For more background on the discovery, visit www.fortbendisd.com/sugarland95.

VOICE OF ASIA 10

FRIDAY, December 06, 2019

BOLLYWOOD - HOLLYWOOD Section 2

•

www.voiceofasia.news

•

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Pati Patni Aur Woh four decades later -Remake releases on December 6.

Golden couple: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma (AFP Photo/STR)

Vacations with wife makes King Kohli feel human

N

EW DELHI, India | AFP | India superstar Virat Kohli told Saturday how he goes to isolated places like the mountains in Bhutan to escape his cricket-crazed homeland.

Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday will feature in the remake of Pati Patni Aur Woh

"Virushka", as the couple are known to Indian media, went to Bhutan for Kohli's 31st birthday in early November.

Directed by BR Chopra, Pati Patni Aur Woh starring Sanjeev Kumar, Vidya Sinha and Ranjeeta released in 1978.

The remake starring Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday

"We loved going to treks and interacting with people. On a daily basis you don't get to interact with people," Kohli told India Today TV. "There we would go on bike rides and in between meet some local people and talk to them. It was beautiful, it was like getting back to being human beings before we became famous."

M

UMBAI - 41 years after the release of BR Chopra directorial Pati Patni Aur Woh, the film is getting a remake with actors Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday. The original film starred Sanjeev Kumar as Pati (Husband), Vidya Sinha as Patni (Wife) and Ranjeeta as Woh (the mistress).

Kohli, now one of the biggest earners in sport, said there has been a

For Sharda, leaving the father of her child is not as easy as she believes that the child would need his father.

She gives him another chance at reconciliation but as the end of the film suggests, Ranjeet still has a roving eye and will probably not stop taking chances to have another affair.

Pati Patni Aur Woh released in 1978 and back then, society wasn’t certainly as accepting about divorce as it is today. Though we still don’t see divorces working out in our movies.

Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan

(2018) also had Rumi get back with Robbie even after they get divorced, though her decision isn’t dictated by social pressures. Our society is a conservative one and in many ways, our movies mirror that.

Sharda makes a decision to stick with her husband. She is shown to be a housewife who financially depends on her husband and believes in giving second chances, even if it is just because of her young child. Quite a few movies in the late 1970s and early 1980s tackled the issue of troubled marriages.

Mahesh Bhatt’s Arth (1982) also addressed the issue but had a refresh-

The first trailer for the prequel offers plenty of threads to explore for the next phase of the MCU — and even how Scarlett Johansson could continue on after 'Endgame.'

M

arvel Studios is playing spy games. Early this morning, December 3rd, as if part of a covert mission, the studio released the first trailer for Cate Shortland’s Black Widow.

The 24th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the start of Phase 4, Black Widow finds Natasha Romanoff on the run following the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016) and in search of answers relating to her past that may determine the future of Black Widow. Of course, we know that Natasha sacrificed herself for the Soul Stone in Avengers: Endgame, which may make the decision to launch the next era of the MCU with her seem a little strange. But given Marvel Studios’ penchant for playing the long game, it seems doubtful that Black Widow won’t be integral to the future, and deliver a story that fully takes into account that this char-

"From 2015 onwards my career grew and social media was also growing simultaneously. It gets difficult understanding this transition that's why we like being in our own space all the time."

Kohli also said his wife was a "soft target" for criticism because of his position.

"Some of the things that come out are really funny. Without actually checking with anyone people come to conclusions. The lies are spoken so much they start becoming truth," said Kohli.

"People in this day and age don't bother finding out the truth when someone's a soft target like her. We don't get hurt by it but we need to explain to people what the truth is."

Poster: 1978 BR Chopra's classic Pati Patni Aur Woh staring Sanjeev Kumar, Vidya Sinha and Ranjeeta.

How 'Black Widow' prequel can set Marvel's future

by Richard Newly

He said that before, "people would respect our space," without the couple being snapped for a picture wherever they go.

Hollywood 'needs to be reformed', says Harvey Keitel

The concept of extra-marital affairs has probably existed ever since the institution of marriage came into existence, and this is the premise of Pati Patni Aur Woh. Here, we see love blossom between Ranjeet (Sanjeev Kumar) and Sharda (Vidya Sinha) as they get married and live a blissful life with a child. Things change when Ranjeet hires a new secretary Nirmala (Ranjeeta) and starts having an affair with her. He lies to his wife and also to his mistress as he poses that his wife has cancer and will die soon.

But Sharda isn’t as clueless as Ranjeet would have liked. She is on to him and starts gathering evidence against him. She confronts Nirmala who is shocked beyond her wits to learn about Ranjeet’s truth. When she confronts Ranjeet, he does not accept his mistakes at once and continues to make excuses just so he can get out of the mess. Nirmala leaves him and even Sharda makes up her mind about leaving him.

Facing an even more intense social media spotlight since he married Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma in 2017, the Indian captain said the escapes were the only way the couple can preserve their "own space".

"drastic change" over the past four years as his fame has grown along with the importance of social media.

acter is no longer among the living in the present-day timeline.

The trailer opens with quick flashes of Natasha’s history in the MCU, an obituary of sorts that traces the character’s evolution from spy to full on Avenger. It’s notable that the brief flashback to her training in the Red Room as a young woman, shown in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) is present, suggesting that Shortland’s film will work those scenes into context, and possibly even feature an appearance by Madame B (Julie Delpy).

Once the context is set, alongside the downbeat that “nothing lasts forever, we get a voiceover from secretary Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt). While it’s thought that Ross and the U.S. military will be hunting Natasha for her double-cross during the Registration Act, the dialogue between the two doesn’t come across as adversarial. It seems possible that Ross is even supporting Natasha on her mission, which

ingly bold take on the subject. The 1982 film Nikaah, also by BR Chopra, showed the perils faced by a Muslim woman and dealt with Triple Talaq.

Films like Avishkaar, Aap Ki Kasam and Anubhav among more tackled the issue of difficult marriages.

The new Pati Patni Aur Woh is releasing 41 years after the original one so one can expect that the understanding of the subject will be different from what we saw back then.

The film releases on December 6.

-The Indian Express

makes us wonder if he’s using her to take down Russia’s Black Widow and Super Soldier program, and if Natasha will once again find herself caught between the role of spy and hero.

While we don’t know yet how the film will incorporate flashbacks, Natasha and Yelena’s mission forces them “to go back to where it all started.”

Likely, meaning the Red Room. After this line, we see Black Widow jump from a helicopter in a white suit. Natasha wore a suit exactly like this in the pages of Black Widow: Deadly Origin (2009) by Paul Cornell and artists Tom Raney and John Paul Leon. We also get a glimpse of a dozen or so Black Widows training, either in a flashback or the film’s present.

For months, fans have been speculating that Florence Pugh would become the new Black Widow in the MCU and that Scarlett Johansson would retire from the role. That first part may be true, but Johansson may find herself playing a new, and deadlier widow with even more red in her ledger, as a clone. A Red Widow perhaps? There’s certain to be a number of twists in store, and the film, which Black Widow fans, have waited a decade for, looks to live up to the potential of the character, her world, and her secrets. We’ll find out which ones will be revealed, and which ones will be saved for further down the road in Phase 4.

- Hollywood Reporter

Harvey Keitel plays a mobster in Martin Scorsese's Netflix gangster epic "The Irishman", AFP Photo.

by Sophie Pons

M

ARRAKESH, Morocco | AFP | Tuesday 12/3/2019 Movie tough guy Harvey Keitel, who plays a mobster in Martin Scorsese's Netflix gangster epic "The Irishman", has some advice for Hollywood: get back in touch with your creative side.

In the era of global blockbusters, he argued, studios should refocus on making movies that are less commercialised and more authentic.

Keitel, who has just turned 80, recalled that Scorsese had said he "could not have gotten 'The Irishman' made but for the good graces of Netflix -- no studio wanted to do it, nobody wanted to do it".

"This is a very good example of what is happening with Netflix," he said.

"The fact that we're losing cinemas we are all a bit sad about. But for me personally, I always think, well, that's what changes as we ... evolve."

After lengthy hold-ups, the mafia hitman saga starring Robert de Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci and with Keitel in a support role is showing on streaming service Netflix, accompanied by a limited theatrical release.

Scorsese -- a master of big-screen gangland classics from "Goodfellas" to the "The Departed" -- recently told viewers: "please don't look at it on a phone ... a big iPad, maybe."

Keitel, speaking at the Marrakesh Film Festival, suggested Hollywood needed to keep taking artistic risks.

"When I was young actor, I used to think it (Hollywood) needs to be destroyed," said Keitel, known for unconventional roles from "The Piano" to the "Bad Lieutenant".

"But I don't any more, I think it needs to be reformed. Because what it's accomplished has been sensational all around the world, but the integrity of it can get quite loose at times."

- 'Gung-ho about honesty' Keitel recalled how, starting out in 1950s New York, he was influenced

by Elia Kazan, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams -- "these people, who were really gung-ho about honesty in the theatre".

"And that's how we all grew up, to be authentic on stage, that was the most important thing to us, and not to be commercial. Let me put it differently, not to be commercialised."

Today, he asked rhetorically, "is there authenticity around? Yes. Could there be more? I'd say yes."

Keitel argued that big studios for a while became interested in films considered independent and art-house, only to then absorb that genre.

"At one time big studios created these art additions to their studios and they tried to get into that business of finding the new young directors," he said. "But that quickly turned."

Keitel said the Sundance Film Festival "was a great creation of Robert Redford's, he deserves applause always for what he did for independent film.

"When we began Sundance, you did not know anybody there, and soon you could not get in unless you were a star."

Looking back at his career, the Brooklyn-born son of Romanian and Polish immigrants said he had only one regret: he wished he had finished high school and gone to college.

Instead he joined the Marines at age 17, "looking for some hero journey", although Keitel also called his three years of military service "a great experience".

After that, Keitel said, he studied hard and met "the greats in New York, acting teachers, great actors -- and got very lucky. And we all need luck in life, it's not a commodity you can order up, you have to be lucky."

LEGAL

VOICE OF ASIA 11

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

www.voiceofasia.news

PERSONAL INJURY :

Pre-term birth has been linked to car accidents involving pregnant women.

Also prevalent with such accidents are increased chances of high-risk birth, internal bleeding, vaginal bleeding, placenta detachment, and severe pain in the abdominal/ pelvic region. It doesn’t matter if it was not a major accident or an accident involving a total loss of the vehicle, smaller accidents may also cause such traumatic consequences to pregnant women.

3) Take pictures of all the vehicles at the scene of the accident.

4) Get medical treatment for any injuries. Most injuries surface the day after the accident with soreness, pain, foggy mind, etc.

About the Author: Mala Sharma has been practicing family law and personal injury with her family at the Law Offices of Sharma & Associates, founded in 1997 with over 42 years of combined experience. Mala is a Board of Advocates for the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association GP Solo YLD, member of the Houston Bar Association, President Emeritus of the Houston Northwest Bar Association, and prior board member of the South Asian Bar Association.

Call your attorneys at Sharma & Associates, P.C. at 281893- 8644 to get the most you deserve! Our job at Sharma & Associates is to fight insurance companies in order to get the best compensation you deserve for your damages, including past and future damages, lost wages, pain and suffering, etc.

We handle each case individually and personally. We prove our cases true value instead of relying on the value an insurance company beats the case down to. We evaluate all cases and explore all options for our clients to seek the highest compensation. We have won many cases where the insurance company originally denied full liability and then, made a 100% turnaround awarding policy limits, when they would not otherwise. We handle all types of accidents, minor and major auto accidents, slip and falls, work-related injuries

It is important for the treating physician to document the causation between the impact and the resulting consequences to both mother and baby.

Often, the impact causes placenta detachment and PROM (premature rupture of membranes), internal and vaginal bleeding, and pre-term birth.

Remember, if you or anyone you know has been involved in an auto accident, know your rights! Steps to take:

Disclaimer: This material is available for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. If you require advice on any particular legal question, you may contact Sharma & Associates at 281-893-8644 or by email at mala@sharmalaws. net to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

Willy, Nanayakkara & Associates ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW

IMMIGRATION ATT ORNEYS

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CHIRANJAYA “ CHIRO” NANAYAKKARA

GEORGE R. WILLY Principal Attorney

JAMES W. PARKER

Associate Attorney

THOMAS P. FISCHER

Associate Attorney

OF COUNSEL

THOMAS R. HUTSON

Former District Director of Immigration

STEPHANIE STUBBE

Managing Attorney

SPECIAL ADVISORS

ROGER PIPER

Former Consul General

JIMMIE BENTON

Former District Director of Immigration

Former Immigration Judge

Deportation

Skilled Worker Visas

Naturalization

Employment Based

Investment Visas

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EB1 / EB2 / EB5

PAULINE APPELBAUM

Former Immigration Regional Counsel USCIS

A: If you are applying for an immigrant visa or certain non-immigrant visas at the US consulate or if you are applying to adjust status to a permanent resident in the United States and you were found inadmissible, that ground of inadmissibility will prevent you from receiving the immigration benefit you are seeking unless you apply and have been granted a waiver of that ground of inadmissibility.

The waiver is a request for the government to forgive that ground of inadmissibility and grant you the immigration benefit you are seeking. The applicant applying for the waiver must demonstrate that his or her qualifying relatives will suffer extreme hardship if the applicant is denied the immigration benefit sought.

Q: My husband attended his adjustment interview recently and was informed that he needed a waiver because according to immigration, he lied on his application for the tourist visa several years ago. The interviewing officer said my husband had indicated that he was married on his Visitor Visa application when in fact he was not married. His adjustment interview is still pending and the officer ask that he file the waiver.

A: It is advisable to seek legal assistance for the preparation of waivers as waivers can be complex. In this case, your husband has secured an immigration benefit through fraud or misrepresentation – Section 212(a0(6) (c)(i). As such, he will need a 212(i) waiver to waive the fraud or misrepresentation.

He will need to complete Form I-601 Application for Waivers of Grounds of Inadmissibility. He will also need to demonstrate that denial of his admission to the United States would result in extreme hardship to his qualifying relatives – in the case of a 212(i) waiver, the qualifying relatives are limited to his US Citizen or Permanent Resident spouse and or parent(s).

Q: What is ‘extreme hardship’ for purposes of the I-601 waiver of grounds of inadmissibility?

A: ‘Extreme hardship’ is no defined in a fixed or inflexible meaning. The elements of extreme hardship are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The adjudicator will typically consider the qualifying relatives health, emotional, financial, family ties in order to assess if the hardship cumulatively amounts to ‘extreme hardship’. The adjudicator will also consider the country conditions of the foreign national’s home country and the nature of the hardships the qualifying relatives would endure if they were forced to relocate to that country. Even if the applicant successfully makes a showing of extreme hardship to the qualifying relatives, the adjudicator then needs to decide whether to grant or deny the waiver as a matter of discretion. Who the qualifying relatives are will depend on the type of waiver being sought. The adjudicator will balance all the factors bearing on discretion including the reason for the inadmissibility, whether the applicant has expressed remorse for his

Q: I am worried that immigration may accuse me of making a false claim to being a US Citizen in one of my past applications for employment. Is there a waiver for this?

A: There is no waiver for making a false claim to U.S Citizenship unless the false claim was made before September 30th, 1996 when this specific ground of inadmissibility came into effect.

seek the relief of adjustment of status. You will need to file the I-130 Petition for Alien Relative for her. Once the petition has been approved, your mother should be eligible to file for her adjustment of status based on the approved family-based petition.

However, because she has two convictions for theft which are crimes involving moral turpitude, she will need a waiver of one ground of inadmissibility specifically for the second theft offence. She will need to file Form I-601 Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility requesting for a 212(h) waiver.

For 212(h) to waive her crime involving moral turpitude, she must show extreme hardship to her qualifying relatives. For this kind of 212(h) waiver, the qualifying relatives are the US Citizen or Permanent Resident spouse, parent or child. In her case, it appears that you, her son, is her only qualifying relatives as you indicated she does not have any other relatives here apart from you and that she is divorced. It is advisable you seek the assistance of legal counsel to assist with the removal defense and preparation of the waiver for your mother.

Disclaimer Any advice provided in this article is general in nature and not intended to constitute legal advice for any specific case. Please consult with an immigration lawyer about the specific circumstances of your case.

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Q: I am a US Citizen aged 24 years. My mother has recently been detained by immigration because she has two minor theft convictions. She does not have any other convictions. My mother came to the United States with a Tourist visa about 25 years ago. She is divorced and I am her only child. She does not have any other family here. How do I help her?

A: Your

mother

can

Sharlene Sharmila Richards is a licensed Immigration Lawyer practicing in Houston, Texas. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2000 and is a member of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and a member of the US Supreme Court.

If you require advice or assistance, you may contact her at telephone number 713-623-8088 or by email at srichardslaw@aol.com to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

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2) Get the name, phone number, license plate number, driver’s license number, and insurance information from the other driver. You can take a picture of their driver’s license and insurance.

The actions taken directly after the accident are important to ensuring the safety and well-being of both mother and unborn child. The mother should seek immediate medical attention. If you or someone you know is in a similar situation, seek treatment from a qualified doctor immediately. A competent doctor will ensure appropriate medical treatment.

by Sharlene Sharmila Richards, Immigration Lawyer Email at srichardslaw@aol.com

OOF

1) Call the police and get a police report filed! Wait for the police to arrive.

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Car Accidents Involving Pregnant Women and Preterm Birth Mala Sharma

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VOICE OF ASIA 12

Section 2

Young Life Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Dogs promote page turning for young readers

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by Michael Nedelman

N

early a quarter of young adults and a fifth of adolescents in the United States have prediabetes, according to a study published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Experts say these numbers have risen over the past decade, putting young people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other conditions down the line.

R

eading in the presence of a pooch may be the page-turning motivation young children need, suggests a UBC researcher.

Camille Rousseau, a doctoral student in UBC Okanagan's School of Education, recently completed a study examining the behaviour of 17 children from Grades 1 to 3 while reading with and without a dog. The study was conducted with Christine Tardif-Williams, a professor at Brock University's department of child and youth studies.

"Our study focused on whether a child would be motivated to continue reading longer and persevere through moderately challenging passages when they are accompanied by a dog," explains Rousseau.

Participants were recruited based on their ability to read independently. Prior to the study, each child was tested to determine their reading range and to ensure they would be assigned appropriate story excerpts. The researchers then choose stories slightly beyond the child's reading level.

During the study's sessions, participants would read aloud to either an

observer, the dog handler and their pet or without the dog. After finishing their first page, they would be offered the option of a second reading task or finishing the session.

"The findings showed that children spent significantly more time reading and showed more persistence when a dog -- regardless of breed or age -was in the room as opposed to when they read without them," says Rousseau. "In addition, the children reported feeling more interested and more competent."

With the recent rise in popularity of therapy dog reading programs in schools, libraries and community organizations, Rousseau says their research could help to develop 'goldstandard' canine-assisted intervention strategies for struggling young readers.

"There have been studies that looked at the impact of therapy dogs on enhancing students' reading abilities, but this was the first study that carefully selected and assigned challenging reading to children," she says.

Some studies and programs have children choose their own book, and

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1 in 5 US adolescents is now prediabetic: study

Prediabetes -- a condition wherein blood sugar levels are elevated, but not high enough to warrant a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes -- was estimated at 18% among adolescents ages 12 to 18, and 24% among young adults ages 19 to 34.

Turning the page for Spot boosts literacy in young students. (File photo)

FRIDAY, December 06, 2019

"Until recently, young children and teens almost never got type 2 diabetes, which is why it used to be called adultonset diabetes," says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where most of the new study's authors are affiliated. "Now, about one-third of American youth are overweight, a

problem closely related to the increase in kids with type 2 diabetes, some as young as 10 years old."

More commonly associated with children has been Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition in which the pancreas doesn't produce much, if any, insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, which develops over years and has been linked to obesity, the body becomes less responsive to insulin, which the body needs to balance glucose in the bloodstream.

Analyzing nearly 5,800 individuals included in a national health survey from 2005 to 2016, the study authors found that "the prevalence of prediabetes in male individuals was almost twice that in female individuals" -22.5% vs. 13.4% in adolescents and 29.1% vs. 18.8% in young adults.

Prediabetes was also more common among young people with obesity, which is also closely linked to Type 2 diabetes in adults. More than a quarter of obese adolescents and more than a third of obese young adults were found to have prediabetes -- versus

The crisis in youth suicide Too often, suicide attempts and deaths by suicide, especially among the young, become family secrets that are not investigated and dealt with in ways that might protect others from a similar fate.

by Jane E. Brody

T

he death of a child is most parents’ worst nightmare, one made even worse when it is self-inflicted. This very tragedy has become increasingly common among young people in recent years. And adults — parents, teachers, clinicians

while the reading experience would still be positive, Rousseau adds it's the educational experience of persevering through a moderate challenge that offers a potentially greater sense of achievement.

She hopes the study increases organizations' understanding of how children's reading could be enhanced by furry friends.

Daily

Science

and politicians — should be asking why and what they can do to prevent it.

In October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that after a stable period from 2000 to 2007, the rate of suicide among those aged 10 to 24 increased dramatically — by 56 percent — between 2007 and 2017, making suicide the second leading cause of death in this age group, following accidents like car crashes.

“We’re in the middle of a full-blown mental health crisis for adolescents and young adults,” said Jean M. Twenge, research psychologist at San Diego State University and author of the book “iGen,” about mental health trends among those born since 1995.

“The evidence is strong and consistent both for symptoms and behavior.”

Along with suicides, since 2011, there’s been nearly a 400 percent increase nationally in suicide attempts by self-poisoning among young people. “Suicide attempts by the young have quadrupled over six years, and that is likely an undercount,” said Henry A. Spiller, director of the Central Ohio Poison Center, who called the trend “devastating.” “These are just the ones that show up in the E.R.” Had any other fatal or potentially fatal condition leapfrogged like this, the resulting alarm would surely have initiated a frantic search for its cause and cure. But too often suicide attempts and deaths by suicide, especially among the young, become family secrets that are not investigated and dealt with in ways that might protect

less than 17% of individuals with normal weight in both age groups.

Young people were determined to have prediabetes through any of several tests -- of fasting glucose, glucose tolerance or hemoglobin A1c. As a group, those with prediabetes had higher systolic blood pressure, more fat tissue around the abdomen, higher non-HDL cholesterol and lower insulin sensitivity than their peers with normal glucose tolerance.

Overall numbers are even higher for adults. Roughly a third of adults -- or 84 million Americans -- have prediabetes, according to the CDC. Nine in 10 don't know they have it.

The authors of the new study says its findings "highlight the need for primary and secondary prevention efforts tailored to the young segment of the US population." The CDC says that lifestyle modifications, such as diet and exercise, can "prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems."

- CNN

others from a similar fate.

“We’re at a point now where this issue really can’t be ignored,” said John P. Ackerman, clinical psychologist and coordinator of suicide prevention at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “We invest heavily in crisis care, which is the most expensive and least effective means of preventing suicide.”

He proposed instead that more time and money be spent “on identifying kids who are most vulnerable, helping them respond effectively to stress, and teaching them what they can do in a crisis. And we need to start early, in the elementary grades. We haven’t even begun to use the resources that we know work. We have to be proactive.”

In Ohio, he said, “about 40,000 students have been screened for depression and suicide risk, and hundreds of kids have been linked to services. It’s not putting ideas in their heads to ask directly whether they’ve had thoughts of suicide or dying. That doesn’t increase their risk. Rather, it’s relieving.

You actually reduce the risk if you help kids talk through these difficult feelings.”

Although no one can say with certainty why suicide has become such a crisis among the young, experts cite several factors that parents, schools and others might be able to modify or control. Dr. Spiller, for example, attributes the rise in suicide attempts largely to the effects of social media and how teens and young adults communicate with their peers.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).

VOICE OF ASIA 13

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From armchairs to iPhones, India's millennials rent it all

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Tel: 713-774-5140

US retailers report banner start to 2019 holiday season

by Vishal Manve

M

UMBAI, India | AFP | 11/30/2019 - At 29, Spandan Sharma doesn't own a flat, a car, or even a chair -- one of a growing number of Indian millennials bucking traditional norms and instead opting to rent everything from furniture to iPhones.

"Millennials in my age bracket want freedom and earlier what was seen as stability is now seen as a sign of being tied down," Sharma told AFP. "My parents don't understand the concept of renting furniture at all.

They have never been completely onboard with the idea," he said.

"They said it would be much better to buy rather than rent furniture in the long term."

For 4,247 rupees ($60) a month, the Mumbai-based executive furnished his entire home, sourcing furniture for his bedroom, living room and dining area as well as a refrigerator and microwave.

Sharma isn't alone. Tens of thousands of young Indians are switching from buying to renting so they can live life with few strings attached.

Even businesses are renting their office furnishings, said budding entrepreneur Vandita Morarka.

When Morarka set up her feminist non-profit One Future Collective in 2017, she rented nearly everything she needed and funnelled the savings from not having a one-off outlay into paying salaries to her staff of 25.

"From study tables and chairs to even a laptop, I have rented them all as the prices are reasonable," the 25-year-old told AFP. "This system allows me to take more risks... And in case things go south, we can wrap up without losing a large tranche of investments and begin elsewhere."

- 'Investing in experiences' From ride-hailing apps to communal office spaces, the sharing economy is a global phenomenon that is expected to generate annual revenues of $335 billion by 2025, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

In the US, websites such as Rent the Runway and Nuuly offer fashionconscious customers the option to try rather than buy clothing, while in China, consumers can rent BMWs via a tap on their smartphone.

In India, the boom has fuelled the rise of new furniture and appliancerenting businesses such as Furlenco, RentoMojo and GrabOnRent -- and even jewellery rental apps -- in recent years.

The sector is a bright spot amid a severe slowdown as weakening consumer demand has led to tumbling sales including in the bellwether auto sector.

The country's furniture rental market alone is expected to be worth $1.89 billion by 2025, according to consulting firm Research Nester.

"We expect to grow by a million orders in under 30 months," RentoMojo founder Geetansh Bamania told AFP. The Bangalore-based firm rents out furniture as well as appliances, gym equipment, iPhones and smart home devices such as Google Home and Amazon Echo.

"Renting smartphones works out

Morarka posing for a picture as she sits around rented furniture during an interview in Mumbai. Tens of thousands of young Indians are switching from buying to renting so they can live life with few strings attached. (AFP Photo) well for the youngsters as they can keep upgrading to the latest launch at a cheaper price without burning through their finances," Bamania added.

Launched in 2012 by former investment banker Ajith Karimpana, Furlenco has catered to more than 100,000 customers and expects revenues to cross $300 million by 2023.

"Overall consumer behaviour is shifting from owning to renting among millennials due to the flexibility and non-commitment it offers," Karimpana told AFP. In an indication of the trend's staying power, Swedish furniture giant Ikea has said it plans to test a subscriptionbased model in 30 markets in 2020.

For many millennials, choosing the

rental option is as much about taking a road less travelled as it is about saving money.

When Sharma's father was 29, he was married, working in a public sector bank and setting aside funds to purchase a flat and buy a car.

Sharma envisions a different life for himself, one focused on "investing in experiences".

"Living in five different cities in two countries over a span of seven years would be unthinkable for my father... but it is my reality," Sharma said, adding that some furniture rental apps offered free relocation services.

W

As the United States is poised to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion in French products over that country's digital services tax, Mnuchin said talks in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development are key to resolving the issue.

"We believe that it is very important that these talks reach agreement in order to prevent the proliferation of unilateral measures, like digital services taxes, which threaten the longstanding multilateral consensus on international taxation," Mnuchin said in a letter to OECD chief Jose Angel Gurria.

"We urge all countries to suspend digital services tax initiatives in order to allow the OECD to successfully reach a multilateral agreement," he said in the letter, which was dated Tuesday.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Monday released a report slamming France's tax as discriminatory and designed to target American tech giants like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.

He said Washington would proceed quickly with plans to impose tariffs

on French products, including champagne, cosmetics, yogurt and Roquefort cheese.

Survey data showed impressive growth in online shopping on "Black Friday" as well as strong sales among younger consumers, more of whom shopped at department stores and other brick-and-mortar stores than in recent seasons.

The decision "sends a clear signal that the United States will take action against digital tax regimes that discriminate or otherwise impose undue burdens on US companies," Lighthizer said in a statement on Monday.

- 'Broad support' The French tax imposes a three percent levy on the revenues earned by technology firms in France, which often come from online advertising and other digital services.

It targets revenue instead of profits, which are often reported by tech giants in low-tax jurisdictions like Ireland or Luxembourg in a practice that has enraged governments.

Lighthizer's office said it is considering widening the investigation to look into similar taxes in Austria, Italy and Turkey.

Mnuchin said there is "broad support" for providing greater certainty on taxation.

Strauss said.

PTI| Nov 29, 2019 -NEW YORK: An Indian-origin CEO was sentenced to over four years in prison after being convicted of securities fraud for his participation in a scheme to inflate the net asset value for hedge funds managed by the company by over USD 100 million.

The jury had convicted Ahuja and Jeremy Shor, a former trader at PPI, on securities fraud-related offenses relating to their participation in a scheme to inflate the net asset value reported to investors for hedge funds managed

by PPI by more than USD 100 million.

Strauss said Ahuja was convicted of participating in a scheme to mismark securities and investors about the true value of the funds that Premium Point managed.

According to the indictment, from about 2014 through 2016, Ahuja and Shor participated in a scheme to defraud PPI's investors and potential investors in hedge funds by deceptively mismarking each month the value of certain securities held in these funds.

They fraudulently inflated the net asset value of those funds as reported to investors and potential investors.

“The substantial prison term imposed on Ahuja appropriately holds him accountable for his criminal acts,�

The NRF has projected overall holiday sales growth of between 3.8 percent and 4.2 percent in 2019 to as much as $730.7 billion, basing the forecast on data that includes consumer spending trends in recent months, energy costs and payroll trends.

Analysts have cautioned that some of the boost in this year's early sales figures is due to the shortness of the 2019 season due to the lateness of the Thanksgiving holiday.

In any case, the NRF is hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2018 season, which fizzled after a solid start.

On Tuesday, US stocks were down about one percent in the aftermath new punitive trade announcements

by US President Donald Trump on France, Argentina and Brazil and as the US-China trade dispute remained unsettled with new tariffs on Chinese goods potentially going into effect later this month.

Survey data shows consumers are worried about tariffs but shoppers "have the ability to bifurcate their attitude, which is knowing they have a concern about it and their actions and activities, which is that they're still out shopping and behaving in a very confident way," Shay said.

NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said the 2018 season was plagued by a "very unusual December" and that "we don't have necessarily that same set of factors today that we saw a year ago."

But Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics cautioned that early sales results should be taken with a grain of salt.

"The holiday shopping season has changed beyond all recognition over the past decade and the new patterns are not yet fully established and stable," he wrote in a note to clients.

"The unfortunate truth for impatient markets is that we just won't know how retailers fared over the holiday season as a whole, and how much spending rose in Q4, until we have both the November and December data."

Pakistani tycoon agrees to hand over $244 million to settle UK probe

A top EU official expressed concern this week that President Donald Trump's administration was planning to pull out of the multilateral talks, so Mnuchin's support for the talks come as a relief.

Strauss said.

Anilesh Ahuja, 51 was the founder, chief executive officer, and chief investment officer of Premium Point Investments (PPI). He was sentenced to 50 months in prison in connection with his conviction following a jury trial for engaging in a securities mismarking scheme from 2014 to 2016, Attorney for the United States Audrey

"This was an outstanding weekend," said NRF Chief Executive Matthew Shay. "People are feeling more confident and maybe that confidence is reflected in their behavior."

Last year's season sharply underperformed forecasts due to a number of factors, including a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in December, a government shutdown and escalations in the US-China trade war that contributed to a late-year swoon in the stock market.

"We look forward to working with the OECD along these lines, building on the work already done."

nilesh Ahuja, 51 was the founder, chief executive officer, and chief investment officer of Premium Point Investments (PPI). He was sentenced to 50 months in prison in connection with his conviction following a jury trial for engaging in a securit...

Ahuja conspired with others in his company and corrupt brokers to fraudulently inflate the value of the assets under their management, which in turn allowed them charge higher fees and avoid redemptions by investors who otherwise would have pulled their money from Premium Point, she said.

In the five-day period from Thanksgiving Day through "Cyber Monday," shoppers spent an average of $361.90, up 16 percent from the year-ago period, according to the National Retail Federation.

"It is a badge of pride for millennials that we can pack up and move within weeks."

Indian-origin CEO sentenced to over 4 yrs in prison for securities fraud

A

N

EW YORK | AFP | 12/3/2019 - US retailers on Tuesday reported a banner kickoff weekend to the holiday shopping season and expressed confidence about sales in the coming weeks, despite escalating trade conflicts.

Nearly 190 million people shopped over the stretch, up from last year's level, and equal to about 57 percent of the entire US population, according to the NRF.

US urges countries to suspend digital taxes, supports OECD talks: Mnuchin ASHINGTON | AFP | 12/4/2019 - US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is urging countries like France to suspend taxes on global computing giants such as Google and Amazon and wait for a negotiated agreement on international taxation, according to a letter released Wednesday.

A Black Friday shopper looks at cellular phones at a California Best Buy store on "Black Friday," part of a strong open to the holiday shopping season (AFP Photo/Philip Pacheco)

The mismarking scheme evolved as a result of demands by Ahuja that PPI maintain its track record of success and keep pace with the performance of peer funds, regardless of market conditions or the actual performance of the funds.

In addition to the prison term imposed on him, Ahuja was further sentenced to three years of supervised release. Earlier this month, Shor was sentenced to 40 months' imprisonment and three years of supervised release.

Pakistani property developer Malik Riaz Hussain speaks with a Reuters correspondent during an interview at his office in Bahria Town on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan

L

ONDON (Reuters) - The Pakistani real estate tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain has agreed to hand over $244 million held in Britain to settle a British investigation into whether the money was from the proceeds of crime.

Hussain is one of Pakistan's richest and most powerful businessmen and biggest private employers, and is known for upmarket gated housing communities. He has been caught up in corruption investigations but also supports charitable causes.

Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) said it had agreed a settlement in which Hussain would hand over a property, 1 Hyde Park Place, valued at 50 million pounds, and cash frozen in British bank accounts.

The NCA had previously secured

nine freezing orders covering 140 million pounds in the accounts on the grounds that the money may have been acquired illegally.

The agency said the assets would be passed to the government of Pakistan and the settlement with Hussain was "a civil matter, and does not represent a finding of guilt". Hussain quoted this line in a tweet and also tweeted the NCA statement.

"Some habituals are twisting the NCA report 180 degrees to throw mud at me," he added.

The settlement rekindles hopes for Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's anti-corruption drive, which has so far failed to bring back the billions of dollars that his government says opposition politicians have stashed abroad.

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Week of December 6, 2019 HOROSCOPE.COM

21 March to 20 April With the sun in your sector of adventure inspiring you to travel, and a major focus on your career zone, you may find your energy is scattered at times. In addition, feisty Mars continues its journey through Scorpio, and this could encourage an intense approach to personal goals. Look to boost your career hopes, business affairs, and ambitions.

21 April to 20 May The call of the wild could get even stronger this week as lively Jupiter enters your adventure and travel zone for a stay of around a year. This fortunate influence could bring opportunities to expand your options by learning, traveling, and generally moving out of your comfort zone. The focus on this zone is powerful anyway.

21 May to 20 June The focus on a more intense sector intensifies this week, so you could be in a unique situation. What could help is the movement of jovial Jupiter into Capricorn and this same zone. It remains here for around a year, and it could encourage you to have more faith in yourself and a greater ability to tap into your inner resources. You might be pushing yourself hard to get certain things accomplished.

21 June to 22 July Your sector of relating is very much in focus, and this looks set to be the case for some time. If you’ve ever wondered if your relationships would become peaceful and relaxed, the movement of expansive Jupiter into your relationship zone could be a blessing and a boon. It remains here for approximately one year, and during this time it could encourage a more positive perspective on key bonds.

23 July to 22 August It may seem like you’ve been working hard for a long, long time now, and yet instead of things getting easier, you might have more on your plate than ever. Help could be at hand, though, as easygoing Jupiter moves into your work and lifestyle sector on Monday for a yearlong stay. Its presence here can help you see things from a different perspective.

23 August to 22 Sept The sun continues in your home and family sector, encouraging you to get your place shipshape as the holiday season gets underway. But the main focus is on your sector of leisure, creativity, and enterprise.

Philosophical Jupiter moves in for a stay of around a year, and its presence could boost your spirits. If you’ve worked hard and seen few results, they may begin to show up now.

23 September to 22 Oct With a very potent focus on your home and family sector, you may wonder how this holiday season will pan out. If there have been various issues to contend with, sobering Saturn’s developing connection with powerful Pluto could encourage you to do something about it. However, its presence could uplift your spirits. You may begin to have faith that things can work out.

23 October to 21 Nov There’s a lot going on in your sector of talk and thought that could keep you very busy. But as fortunate Jupiter moves into this zone on Monday for a yearlong stay, you will begin to have faith that there will be a breakthrough. If you’re battling certain problems, upbeat Jupiter’s presence could connect you with someone who inspires you and perhaps enables you to see things in a more constructive light.

22 November to 21 Dec Money matters may get a boost this week as fortunate Jupiter moves into your financial sector for a stay of about a year. If this side of life has been difficult for a while, upbeat Jupiter’s presence can help you weather the storm and bring a buffer in the form of financial assistance or extra income that could turn things around. However, you’ll also be eager to make the most of your money and resources.

22 December to 20 Jan You could be a force to be reckoned with as a major focus on your sign puts the emphasis on you, your plans, and your goals. However, with abundant Jupiter entering your sign on Monday for a stay of about a year, you’ll have support from the cosmos. This upbeat planet can give you faith in yourself and lighten your mood. Your social life could be crucial to helping you realize your dreams and goals.

21 January to 19 Feb With a full house in your spiritual sector, there is a lot going on within that could help change your inner game. There is good news in this regard, though, as philosophical Jupiter enters this zone from Monday for a yearlong stay. As it moves through Capricorn, it could help you develop faith in a higher power as well as in yourself. Your intuition may be enhanced, and a great help when dealing with ups and downs of life.

20 February to 20 Mar Your social life could be a big deal, with plenty going on to keep you busy. However, the focus here is enhanced as generous Jupiter moves in for a yearlong stay and brings a jovial and expansive quality to social events, get-togethers, and celebrations. This upbeat planet can help you make light work of it all. Still, you might be eager to do some restructuring.

ACROSS 1. Bottomless pit 6. Banned insecticide 9. Exclamation of contempt 13. Start with a clean one?

14. Lennon's lady 15. Editing command 16. Feudal lord's property 17. Dunce 18. *Ayn Rand's "____ Shrugged" 19. *Record-breaking Oscar-winner 21. *TV's Jim Anderson 23. Immeasurable period 24. Editor's oversight 25. Fugitive's get-away 28. Vegas cube 30. Even smaller 35. "Rock of ____" 37. Cleopatra's necklace 39. Saddam Hussein's Islam 40. Surrender 41. Young Atlantic cod 43. Eastern ____ 44. Work the dough 46. Diamond Head island 47. Quarterback's downfall 48. Pollen producer 50. Charged particles 52. *"____ must I be a teenager in love?"

53. Sound of pain or pleasure 55. Us, in Mexico 57. *Levittown, e.g.

60. *Like one born in '50s 63. Like a private circle 64. Highest card in "War" 66. Sea near Australia 68. "The ____ Runner," pl.

69. *Cuban syllable 70. Musician's exercise 71. Heroic poem 72. Boy toy 73. Sterilize

DOWN 1. Cigar residue 2. Blister 3. New Haven Ivy 4. Kidney problem 5. Modus operandi 6. Point of entry 7. *Crick/Watson/Franklin discovery 8. Toffee, alt. sp.

9. Trodden track 10. "Cast Away" setting 11. *"A ____ Is Born" with Judy Garland 12. "For ____ a jolly ..."

15. Jamaican vernacular 20. Yards and miles, e.g.

22. Address abbreviation 24. T in ATV 25. *Source of immortal Hela cells 26. *Occupation of Ian Fleming's protagonist 27. Mythological princess of Colchis 29. *Fashion designer who made a comeback in 1954 31. Small pieces 32. *Rose to Jackie 33. Methuselah's father 34. *Tenant of Fred Mertz 36. Clothing line 38. Type of salmon 42. "Beats me!"

45. Formal objections, in court 49. And not 51. Like Santa after coming down the chimney 54. Taken follower 56. Inflict a blow 57. Barber shop sound 58. To, in the olden days 59. Swarm members 60. Pinto or black 61. Outback birds 62. Was a passenger 63. *"We'll take ____ to Washington" 65. *Guevara's nickname 67. Tyrannosaurus follower

SOLUTION: THE 1950s on Page 15

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