Voice of Asia E-paper October 19, 2018

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Houston delegation to attend Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit

Vol. 32 No. 41 • FRIDAY, October 19, 2018 Published Weekly from Houston 24 Pages (2 sections) 50 cents 713-774-5140 • E-mail: voiceasia@aol.com

Record number of Asian Americans on the November ballot

Indian minister in #MeToo storm quits EW DELHI, India | AFP | 10/17/2018 - India's fledgling #MeToo movement claimed its highest-profile scalp to date on Wednesday as a government minister and veteran editor quit after at least 20 women accused him of sexual harassment.

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Meet and Greet on Sunday, Oct. 21st Know what made them run for offices and what this will bring to the Asian American community?

M.J. Akbar, who became junior foreign minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government after a glittering journalistic career, maintained however that the barrage of allegations were false.

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OUSTON - Early voting for the midterm elections starts on October 22nd.

At this special time in American history, an unprecedented number of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) candidates will be on the ballot in the Greater Houston Area: 15 in total, representing positions from Congressman and Texas Supreme Court Judge, to county court judge and Justice of Peace. Texas, in its nearly 200 years of history, may see the first Asian American Congressman and Texas Supreme Court Judge after the November 6th election.

"Since I have decided to seek justice in a court of law in my personal capacity, I deem it appropriate to step down from office and challenge false accusations against me," he said in a statement.

Veteran newspaper editor M.J. Akbar, who resigned as junior foreign minister Wednesday, denies accusations he sexually harassed colleagues (AFP Photo).

Continued on Page 11

Season’s first Durga Puja at Vedanta Society draws huge gathering

This is a truly history-defining moment worth celebrating for all Asian Americans. These candidates come from diverse ethnic backgrounds and professional experiences, as Houston is becoming one of the most diverse cities in the nation with a high-density and fast-growing Asian American population. Among the impressive lineup of the candidates, 13 are Democrats and 2 are Republicans, 8 are of South and Southeast Asian origin, and 5 are also women.

Right: Swami Kripamayananda, head of the Toronto Vedanta Society conducting the puja.

This is in a stark contrast to the lack of representation of Asian Americans and minority women in the current administration and the

Read feature story on page 7

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Republican Party. In fact, the only Asian American elected official in Houston, Theresa Chang (a Harris County judge), was taken out of office as a result of the March Primary election earlier this year.

With the immigrant community under attack and precarious changes in American politics, these emerging Asian American leaders are standing up for our voices, bringing a new level of hope and excitement for the community.

Harris County Democratic Party AAPI Committee would like to acknowledge the effort of all the democratic AAPI candidates for their hard work of mobilizing the Asian American community, and encourage everyone to come out to vote and support these candidates in this election.

You can meet these candidates on Sunday, October 21st, from 2-4PM, in an event organized by the OCA-Greater Houston at the Chinese Community Center (9800 Town Park Drive, Houston, TX 77036).

Many local grassroots organizations, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Bangladeshi, Pakistani civic groups, will also be participating in the event.

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ot many Indians would have heard of Uzbekistan.

Some may know that it was in Tashkent, its capital, Lal Bahadur Shastri died. Even those who might have heard of it may not know where it is. From Delhi it takes less than 21/2 hours to reach Uzbekistan. Since hotels, transpor-tation and food is reasonably less expensive, Indians in large numbers have started to visit Uzbekistan.

What is now Uzbekistan was in ancient times (8th century BC) part of the Persian speaking region of Transoxiana. First it was part of Persian Empire. The Greek empire of Alexander the great ruled for a brief pe-riod. Again it came under the Persian empire till 7th century when muslim conquest took it over. During this period, cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva began to grow rich from the silk road. Uz-bekistan is a modern country created by the colonial empire Russia in 1924 by combining Khanate of Khiva, Khanate of Kokand and Emirate of Samarkand. When Soviet Union collapsed, Uzbekistan became an independent country in 1991.

I had been to Uzbekistan in 1997 as a USAID consultant to advise the government on bringing regulatory, economic and legal reform in oil sector.

When I went recently in 2018 it was an entirely different and developed country. Extreme poverty has been totally eliminated. It was a time when the initial ugly head of Islamic fundamentalism was tak-ing early roots with madarassahs which had been closed during com-munist period had started to function in Tashkent. National currency som was sold in black market for the double the value of its official exchange rate. Now som is traded freely with no black market though it has fallen in value from around 120 to 8100 som to a US dollar.

When I went first, I did not dare to walk freely on the street. Now it is completely safe. We were told by Uzbeks that there is no fear of ter-rorism. This was because of the stern step the first president, Islam Ka-rimov took to put down the islamic movement in Andijan, eastern most part of Uzbekistan. Karimov took the extreme step of shooting down the protesters. The world community criticized him for having taken such violent steps to put down the protest.

We were told by our guide that he gave money to the protest leaders and forced them to leave the country. Today there

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To reminisce famous Silk Road, visit Uzbekistan are no protests of any kind. In the 2018 report by Freedom House, Uzbekistan was one of the 11 worst coun-tries for political and civil liberties. A 2007 corruption ranking report has given Uzbekistan a rank of 175 out of 179. A February 2006 re-port on the country by the International Crisis Group suggests that revenues earned from key exports, especially cotton, gold, corn and in-creasingly gas, are distributed among a very small circle of the ruling elite, with little or no benefit for the populace at large. But in terms of development though it may not rank high, its citizens are happy and all the people we talked to expressed great admiration for their first president who died in 2016.

As mentioned earlier, when communists created Uzbekistan, they closed down hundreds of mosques, madarassahs and mausoleums all over the country. However once the country became independent in 1991, most of them opened. Most of them house shops selling crafts, art work, garments, etc. Very few are active mosques and madarassahs.

Most famous mausoleums have been restored to their past glory as one can see from the photos.

It is difficult to find garbage any where in Uzbekistan. We searched every where for garbage and could not find. Despite the use of plastic, unlike in India, we did not see plastic bags being dumped any where either in rural or urban centers.

Tashkent was full of beautiful parks and avenue trees. India’s mughal ruler Babar, was born in Samarkand. He is the great grand son of Amir Timur with his capital in Samarkand.

After Alexander and Genghis Khan he had the largest empire extending over many countries. Uzbeks consider Babar as their own king and their history book has chap-

ters of mughal rule in India.

If India’s old history provides link to Uzbekistan from Amir Timur’s grand son Babar, Bollywood now has created bond between our two countries. We were greeted everywhere with namaste by strangers and conversation started with old timer ac-tors like Raj Kapoor and ended with the current crop of Aishwarya Rai, Amir Khan, Amitab Bachan etc.

Uzbekistan is not a country for vegetarians since every Uzbek food has meat. However one can easily live on fruits of different kinds - melons, orange, apples, grapes, fig etc. Fruits were so sweet, one would think that sugar has been added. I am sure with increasing number of Indi-ans visiting Uzbekistan some entrepreneurs will start Indian restaurants in important tourist cities. In Tashkent, we could find just one Indian restaurant, “Raj Kapoor”.

The biggest crisis faced by Uzbekistan is water scarcity because of the mismanagement by its colonial empire.

Russia exploited Aral Sea (fourth largest inland sea in the world) to grow cotton which is a wa-ter intensive crop. As a result currently just 8% of Aral Sea is remain-ing. Uzbek government has already reduced cotton crop by 40% though it earns huge earnings through its export.

As the photos show, old monuments of 15th to 18th century in Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand are so beautiful and attractive, it is only fit-ting that UNESCO has declared many of them as world heritage sites.

While one went through different trading centers in these cities which are converted into shops now, one could feel how traders came on camels along the famous silk road few centuries back. To appreciate the strategic significance of China’s new Belt and Road initiative along that same old silk

road, it is worth visiting Uzbekistan besides having an opportunity to admire mosques, madarassahas and mausoleums of breath taking beauty.

A madarassah in Samarkand which is not an active one.

This houses many shops selling craft work. Uzbekistan had hundreds of such madarassahs and beautiful mosques which were closed during com-munist time. Now most of them are restored. But very few are used as mosques and madarassahs now.

Lighted minaret in Bukhara which is simply breath taking.

Stunning mausoleum of Tamerlane with gold inlay work in Samarkand built during 15th century. This was totally neglected during communist time and has been restored since gaining independence.

Registan (sandy place in Persian) in Bukhara with old palaces and mu-seum.

The inner town, or Itchan Kala, is encircled by brick walls. This city goes back to 10th century though walls were completed in 17th century.

This is an UNESCO heritage site with more than 50 historic monuments.

Alisher Navoi National library - an imposing four story building. It has different section for high school, college and doctoral students. Countries like US, Korea, China have taken different rooms where they teach English, Korea, Chinese and culture of their countries. Could India have established a room to improve relations? In the library’s museum many old books exhibited are about India like different versions of Babarna-ma, history of India written in 19th century, architecture of India etc.

Statue of Amir Temur which is located in Tashkent. Uzbekistan admires him as their greatest leader.

VOICE OF ASIA 3

Section 1

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et the lighting of lamps for peace be not an empty gesture but light the lamp in your heart with courage and oil of love, said Dr. Sita Kapadia, a Gandhian, at the “1000 lights for peace” event celebrating Gandhi Jayanthi at Miller Outdoor Theater in Hermann Park, Houston on Sunday.

Dr. Kapadia, emeritus professor at the City University of New York, who had met Mahatma Gandhi when she was 9 years old, was speaking at the concluding ceremony of the Gandhi Week, hosted annually

by Mahatma Gandhi Library, Houston.

Among the highlights of the celebration was the speech contest by children. “These children do make us proud; they give us hope,” Kapadia said and urged the community to help Mahatma Gandhi Library in its movement of lighting the lamps of peace.

Mahatma Gandhi Library presented the spectacular 1000 Lights for Peace, a celebration of the 149th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, on Sunday, October 14th at Miller Outdoor Theater.

The spirit of Houstonians attending the program was truly visible during this auspicious celebration. The gorgeous day started with 3K Walk for Peace, coordinated by Mr. Prem Cholia. The participants walked around Hermann Park, visited the life size statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Houston Garden Center and paid homage. Mr. Vinod Arora and Mr. Suresh Shah dressed as Gandhi led the Walk For Peace while some others carried signs of peace.

The walk culminated on stage at Miller Outdoor Theater to kick off the 1000 Lights for Peace program.

The 1000 lights for Peace program started at 6pm with an invocation by Dr. Kashan Ishaq recited from Quran, Dr. Sushma Mahajan of Arya Samaj of Houston with a Sanskrit shloka.

This was followed by Rev Mindy Lawrence of Unity Houston from The Bible and Dr. Hansa Raval from Brahma Kumaris of Houston spoke about need to

Community Email: voiceasia@aol.com

1000 Lights for Peace

Celebrating Gandhi's 149th Birth Anniversasry

Honorable Consul General of India in Houston, Dr. Anupam Ray along with Devinder Mahajan of Arya Samaj Greater Houston and others participating in candle lighting at 149th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi celebrated as 1000 Lights for Peace at the Miller Outdoor Theatre - Photo Credit: Kumaresh Tahkku

Award Winners of Mahatma Gandhi Week-2018 contests with Guest of Honor Honorable Consul General of India in Houston, at 1000 Lights For Peace event Photo Credit: Kumaresh Tahkku

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FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

keep the flame alive.

Neeraj Salhotra was the MC and kept the evening flowing with historical perspectives on not only Mahatma Gandhi, but also social reformers including Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, and Desmond Tutu.

The Gandhi Darshan (Glimpses of Gandhi) Exhibition from National Gandhi Museum commemorating Mahatma Gandhi Sesquicentennial portraying the chronological lifetime of Gandhiji with actual photographs from that era was on display for the visitors. There were booths for arts and crafts and henna painting, which the children lined up for.

The Vegan Society for Peace also had a table and was active participant throughout the day.

The evening started with a beautiful butterflies dance by the group Dance of Asian America, directed by Ms Janie Yao. Next was a high-energy, dynamic performance by the Ambassadors International Ballet Folklorico from Mexico, directed by Nelly Fraga.

Khushi Kawedia, winner of the younger speech contest, inspired the crowd by reciting her winning speech “Honesty is the best policy.” Next was a fabulous performance by the adorable children from Arya Samaj, directed by Smriti Srivastava, reciting a melodious rendition of one of Gandhiji’s favorite hymn, Vaishnavo Janato. Anusha Sathya then treated the crowd to her brilliant winning speech in the older category discussing “If I met Gandhi today.” Students of the group Swar Sangam, directed by Smriti Srivastava, performed Vande Matram.

The Mahatma Gandhi Library of Houston is planning to build a new world-class cultural destination, the Eternal Gandhi Multimedia Museum, in southwest Houston and has launched a capital campaign. Dr. Manish Wani, a trustee of the Mahatma Gandhi Library, made a presentation on the proposed Eternal Gandhi Museum. The land has been acquired and architectural design is in progress. Of the $8.5 million required, $2 mil-

Tel: 713-774-5140 lion has been raised so far. For more information, visit www. eternalgandhi.us.

Dr. Wani said Mahatma Gandhi Library, under the leadership of its founder Atul Kothari, has kicked off the year-long celebrations marking the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Visit www.gandhi150. us for more information.

U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-Tx Dist.9) in his remarks said Mahatma Gandhi was the torchbearer before Nelson Mandela in South Africa and Martin Luther King in the USA. Gandhi gave the world the paradigm of peace without force and today the world needs a Mahatma Gandhi, Green said.

India’s consul-general in Houston, Dr. Anupam Ray, in his address pointed out that Gandhi was a luminous character and he lives amongst us today, as evidenced by the large gathering at the event.

Gandhi’s vision helped India achieve its growth after independence, Ray said. He won over the world with his message of love and peace, rather than saying he defeated the mighty British Empire with non-violence.

“He opened up our minds to see the good in everyone. Seeing Truth is the objective of our existence,” Ray said.

Dr. Ray and Mr. Atul Kothari presented the awards to the many winners of the city-wide contests held by Mahatma Gandhi Library.

The last international performance of the evening was a dynamic performance called “Skirt Flirt and Tropical Rain”

by Dance of Asian America, directed by Janie Yao. The spectacular evening concluded with the lighting of a candle by all as a symbolic pledge to observe peace in their own lives. The crowd reflected on how to emulate Mahatma Gandhi’s life listening to the soothing song “Imagine” by John Lennon.

To learn more about 1000 Lights for Peace, please visit gandhilibrary.org or contact Dr. Manish Wani at 713-829-6979.

VOICE OF ASIA 4

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

Fort Bend View

VOICE OF ASIA 5

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

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

Section 1

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Tel: 713-774-5140

MCTX METRO service expands; 364 flex route launched Oct. 15

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital sets the pace with tiny heart device

ISSOURI CITY, (Oct. 16, 2018 ) -The “Show Me City” and METRO have again expanded local transportation options for residents and visitors by adding a Missouri City Flex Route (364 MCTX Flex) to connect riders of the Park & Ride routes (Fondren Park and Highway 6) with five popular destinations and some locations on Highway 6 that are within City limits.

UGAR LAND—(October 11, 2018) — Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is the first in Fort Bend County to treat a patient with an irregular heartbeat using the world’s smallest pacemaker.

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Image courtesy of METRO

The new service comes onboard more than a month after the MCTX Community Connector bus launched and offers customers additional flexibility to travel to work, school, home and businesses in the area, METRO and City officials said.

request is needed if the customer would like to be dropped off at any location within a half mile of the route on Highway.

6. To make a reservation, call 713.739.3823.

To help riders prepare to use the new transit services, here are some frequently asked questions and associated responses:

The seven permanent bus stops throughout Missouri City, offering regular service each hour includes:

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the seven 364 Flex Route bus stops?

What is the new 364 MCTX Flex Route?

1.

Missouri City Park & Ride (13849 Fondren Rd.)

This transport provides hourly fixed-route service at select bus stop locations in Missouri City, as well as flexible curbto-curb bus service along and up to one-half mile on either side of Highway 6, between Dulles Avenue and the Missouri City Highway 6 Park & Ride (within city limits).

2.

Fort Bend County Annex (307 Texas Pkwy.)

Is a reservation necessary to use the 364 Flex Route?

No. Residents may begin their ride from one of the seven fixed bus stops and exit the bus at any of the other fixed bus stops. But a special reservation

3.

City Hall Complex, Missouri City Library, Houston Community College (1522 Texas Pkwy.)

4.

Missouri City Public Safety Headquarters (3849 Cartwright Rd.) 5.

Walmart (5501 Hwy. 6)

6. Aldi Food Market (6016 Sienna Ranch Rd.), Houston Methodist (8200 Hwy. 6) 7.

Missouri City Hwy. 6 Park & Ride (10250 Hwy. 6)

Is the 364 Flex Route vehicle same as the 363 Community Connector?

No. The 364 Flex Route will utilize a minivan-style vehicle which can accommodate up to four passengers plus one person in a wheelchair.

How is the new route different from the 363 MCTX Community Connector?

The Community Connector only has two anchor points (Missouri City Park & Ride: 13849 Fondren Rd. & Walmart: 5501 Hwy. 6) to board the bus unless a reservation is scheduled for a pickup and a drop-off within the set zone. See Map: http://bit. ly/2AdENMh. Whereas the 364 Flex route is designed for seven stops including the two METRO Park & Rides. The new route also covers some of the areas that are not part of the Community Connector zone. See Map: http://bit.ly/2J2Ylpx.

For updates, please watch the City website: www.missouricitytx.gov

S

Electrophysiologist and cardiologist Jie Cheng, M.D., successfully implanted the Micra™ Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS), developed by Medtronic, into a Beaumont man at Houston Methodist Sugar Land. Cheng was supported by cardiothoracic surgeon, Uttam Tripathy, M.D., and the hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab staff.

The tiny pacemaker is implanted via a minimally invasive procedure; the pacemaker is delivered through a catheter inserted into the patient’s femoral artery in the groin area and placed directly into the heart’s right ventricle.

“This pacemaker is a major step forward for patients with slow or irregular heartbeats because it offers a number of significant advantages over traditional pacemakers,” said Cheng. “Most importantly, it is one-tenth the size of regular pacemakers – about the size of a large vitamin – and it can be implanted without the need for a surgical incision. It’s also self-contained so there is no need for a pocket under the skin to contain the wire lead that delivers the pacing therapy. That means no visible signs of the device, which is a positive for many patients, and a

Micra™ Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS). Image courtesy: HMSLH. reduced risk of complications.”

imaging (MRI) scans.

Slow or irregular heart rhythms, known medically as bradycardia, can cause dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath or fainting spells, because the heart doesn’t beat fast enough to pump oxygenrich blood throughout the body.

Pacemakers are the most common way to treat bradycardia; they send electrical impulses to the heart to increase or stabilize the heart rate, restoring its normal rhythm and relieving symptoms. The pacemaker automatically adjusts its pacing therapy based on the patient’s activity levels.

“That’s an important benefit because patients often fear their pacemaker will be damaged or disrupted by an MRI,” said Cheng. “With the pacemaker, patients can feel comfortable undergoing an MRI scan in the future without worry of complications.”

In addition to its other benefits, the tiny pacemaker is the first and only transcatheter pacing system to be approved for full-body magnetic resonance

The pacemaker can be remotely monitored by the physician. The device and its implementation are covered by Medicare.

Visit houstonmethodist.org/ spg to find a cardiologist or other specialist in your area, or call 281.274.7500. Visit our Facebook page at fb.com/ methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

VOTE REPUBLICAN THIS NOVEMBER H U F F I N G TO N

Republican Party and Asian American Same Values, Same Principles

AWA R D D I N N E R —— H O N O R I N G ——

Freedom to Achieve the American Dream Quality Education Low Cost Health Care Traditional Family Values Quality, High paying Jobs

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SAME VALUE, SAME SAME PRINCIPLES VALUE, SAME PR OUR REPUBLICAN PARTY INCIPLES OUR RE PU Asian American Republican SAMBELIVCAN PART Y Asian Americ Values Values an ALURepEubl, ican Values S Qaulity Education OUR R EPUBValuAesME PRINCIP Qaulity AsiaEd n uc

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D R S . CH I N H U I J U H N A N D EDWA R D R . A LLEN DR . A N N E CH AO A N D M R . A LB ERT CH AO MRS. ANDREA WHITE AND MR. BILL WHITE

Asia Society Texas Center is pleased to honor Dr. Marie and Mr. Vijay Goradia with the Roy M. Huffington Award for Contributions to Literacy and Education at the Huffington Award Dinner on Tuesday, October 23, 2018.

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Season’s first Durga Puja at Vedanta Society draws huge gathering

by Sanchali Basu

Fruit and lunch prasad were served in the adjacent tent to all attendees. The entire proceedings went very smoothly without a glitch. What was very inspiring to note was the increase in the number of devotees this year compared to last year probably signifying the increased popularity of VSGH and more interest in seeking Maa Durga’s blessings.

H

OUSTON - The pleasant, breezy, sunny weather prompted devotees to come out in throngs to attend the Vedanta Society of Greater Houston (VSGH) Durga Puja on October 13.

The weather was just picture perfect to usher in Maa Durga with her children to Houston.

VSGH takes pride in celebrating Durga Puja with immense piety, dedication and sincerity.

This was the first Durga Puja for our resident Swami Atmarupananda. Recovering from a recent hip replacement surgery, he could not assist with conducting the puja, but presided in organizing the event, ensuring all aspects of the program were well taken care of.

Nabapatrika and the idol of Mother Durga were carried to the nicely decorated pandal outdoors to the auspicious beat of the Dhak and the blowing of the shankh early in the morning, creating a divine atmosphere. Mother Durga and kalabau were decorated in festive splendor and Mother was ready to welcome and bless all her devotees.

Devotees turned up in large numbers for the first Durga puja at the Vedanta Society of Greater Houston. (Pics courtesy: Jiten Patel) ant throughout the day for the devotees. A record crowd of approximately 700 people attended the VSGH Durga Puja this year.

Devotees were all enjoying the spiritual ambience. Be-

ing a very breezy day, ladies were trying to tend to their hair, which was flying out of control. The chandelier lamps were hard to keep lit and at one point Kalabau next to Lord Ganesh had to be retied down from falling.

As is the norm every year, VSGH was honored to have Swami Kripamayananda, head of the Toronto Vedanta Society conduct the puja, his 7th year in a row. Dr. Amrit Achari, assisted with the Chandipath, and Buddhadeb who traveled from Toronto with Swami Kripamayanada assisted in conducting the puja. The puja commenced on time at 9:30 AM with great austerity and devotion.

The melodious devotional songs sung by the VSGH choir made the environment reverberate with divinity. The puja ended with the beautiful arati performed by the Swami with the chandelier lamp, and pushpanjali, the offering of flowers, by devotees. Mother Durga seemed to have control over Mother Nature too, as the weather remained very pleas-

Prasad following puja being served to the devotees in the adjacent tent.

Devotees sing devotional songs during the celebrations.

Dignitaries in attendance were the Consul General of India Dr. Anupam Ray, Pandit Suman Ghosh, and author, poet Chitra Divakaruni. They all commented that this is one event throughout the year that they would never miss. Swami Kripamayananda always comments, “This is the best Durga Puja held in the west,” and it gives him immense pleasure and fulfillment in conducting the Durga Puja in Houston.

VSGH will celebrate Kali Puja at 7:30 p.m. on Novemver 6, 2018. Worship will be performed by Swami Nirakarananda of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis. All are invited.

Please visit www.houstonvedanta.org for information on all VSGH activities.

VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 9

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

Magnificent Suvasini Puja at the HCC cuts ribbon on health sciences tower in Texas Med Center MTS Navarathri celebrations

Congressman Al Green, Congrsswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, State Representative Garnet Coleman, Dr. Philip Nicotera, president of HCC Coleman College and HCC representatives at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Photo credit HCC. Devotees partake in the puja during the Navrathri celeblatons at Sri Meenakshi temple.

by MK Sriram

S

ri Meenakshi Temple, reputed to be the most authentic temple in southern United States, is celebrating the Navarathri festival in a very grand manner. This is the nine day festival that occurs twice a year, once in spring and the other in fall called the Sarada Navarathri, which this year is celebrated from October 10th till October 19th. Each year, the decorations and the traditional Golu displays get more creative and grander, and surely this year most agreed that it reached a pinnacle never reached before.

Nearly a thousand devotees had the most marvelous experience of their lives visiting the temple on the Suvasini Puja.

The tower includes floors that simulate hospitals and cutting-edge training facilities for more than 20 health-related fields. The $68 million tower is now the centerpiece of the HCC Health Sciences program, the only community college program of its kind in the medical center.

State Representative Garnet Coleman, the son of the late Dr. John Coleman for whom Coleman College is named, and numerous other members of the Coleman family were on hand for the

Worshipping the Divine Mother in Her three magnificent forms, Mahalakshmi, Mahakali and Mahasaraswathi is the main significance of Sarada Navarathri. It is a matter of great pride to the Hindus that Hinduism gives so much importance to the mother aspect of God because the Hindus believe that mother is the creative aspect of the absolute.

The temple bas been most beautifully decorated and special morning and evening pu-

Shakambari Alankaram adorned on Goddess Meenakshi for the first time.

Intricate and informative Golu displays attracted a lot of attentin. jas are being performed to Goddess Meenakshi. She is adorned with exquisite vasthrams and abharanams that leave indelible impressions on the devotees’ minds. Lalitha Sahasranama stotras are recited everyday by many devotees which set such a divine vibration throughout the temple.

Everyday, the priests decorate the utsava murthys amazingly and very creatively in different mythological forms. The Ambal deities’ alankarams include Sri Rajarajeswari, Sri Kadamba Vanavasini, Sri Kamakshi, Sri Mahishasara Mardhini, etc. while Lord Venkateswara’s utsava murthi was decorated as Vakunta Nathan, Lakshmi Narayanan, Navaneetha Krishnan, Kalinga Marthanam, Sri Rama Pattabhishekam etc.

The highlight event of the festival was the Suvasini Puja celebrated on Friday Oct 12th.

This is a very auspicious puja performed by married women (sumangalis) as well as young ladies for the welfare of their families. About 500 ladies, attended this puja with their families. It was one of the grandest events ever, conducted at the temple. It was a most unfor-

H

OUSTON (Oct. 15, 2018) – Joined by prominent medical professionals and elective office holders, Houston Community College officials cut the ribbon Monday, October 15, on the new 10-story HCC Coleman College Health Sciences Tower in the heart of the Texas Medical Center.

gettable sight, to see the Main Temple completely filled with devotees, primarily the brilliantly clad ladies and children.

Devi’s benign blessings were surely showered on the devotees as they chanted the Lalitha Sahasranamam, various slokas such as Harigiri Nandini and other devotional songs.

The priests performed the pujas and abhishekam with great devotion. They did an exquisite decoration of Goddess Meenakshi with garlands of fruits and vegetables. This is the first time ever this special Shakambari Alankaram has been adorned on Goddess Meenakshi. The Supreme Goddess indeed gave her devotees a most divine darshan.

The priests then performed the the sahasranama archana, followed by chantings from the four Vedas to Sri Meenakshi, who is indeed the Mother of all Vedas. A grand deeparadhana to all the deities including the utsava murthis was the finale of the puja.

The temple was very pleased and honored to offer a gift to each of the lady participants who represent the Divine Mother – a lovely sari, shipped from India. This was greatly appreci-

ated by the devotees.

The devotees were treated to a sumptuous dinner after the event. This festival gets grander and grander every year at MTS. Chairman Padmini deserves a tremendous amount of credit for making this happen with the support of the Religious Activities Committee lead Sheila Sriram and committee members, the priests, temple artisans and administrative staff, the Food Committee, the Cultural Committee, various other committees, the Board and Council members and finally all the volunteers.

The Golu (doll) display being such a phenomenal success attracting hundreds of visitors every day, the Temple has decided to keep it open beyond the traditional nine days, all the way up to Deepavali Bazaar on November 3rd. So, whoever has missed this visual and spiritual treat, have the opportunity to visit the temple on or before Deepavali. Sri Meenakshi Temple is celebrating Deepavali with a grand and spectacular Diwali Bazaar on Saturday, November 3rd from 9 AM to mid-night. The admission to Diwali Bazaar is free and all are welcome.

ribbon cutting. Representative Coleman said that "practicing medicine came first for his father" and through Coleman College his father's legacy continues. The college is the only facility in the medical center to bear the name of an African American.

“This new Coleman Tower is equipped with 21st century tools to keep up with the changing technology and needs of the healthcare industry and community," said HCC Chancellor Cesar Maldonado.

"It stands as a monument to HCC’s commitment to provide the best health-related education possible to our students."

The state-of-the-art building received a 2018 Landmark Award in the category of Educational Facility from the Houston Business Journal.

Entries for the Landmark competition were judged on their impact on Houston, including job creation, innovation, ame-

nities and being environmentally friendly.

“What sets this building apart is the true hospital experience it affords our students,” said Dr. Philip Nicotera, president of HCC Coleman College. “Students will work with the very same equipment they will use in medical facilities once they enter the workplace.”

The project, part of a capital improvements bond issue approved by voters in 2013, will take HCC’s rigorous health-related programs to an even higher level. “This facility means new opportunities for student success and growth,” said Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees.

For more information on the HCC Health Sciences Center of Excellence, visit: https://www.hccs.edu/centers/health-sciences/

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 10

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

Gopaal Seyn’s artwork leaves a lasting impression

by Sanchali Basu

H

ouston is proud to boast an artist of the caliber of Gopaal Seyn in its midst. As fate would have it, this artist who was in the hotel management business, took a turn towards his latent passion quite late in his life, or as he puts it in his own words, “He heard a knocking from his soul.” The rest was history and he surrendered his all to the world of art. Now he is a successful artist in his own right, his artwork fetching handsome sums of money.

Gopaal, the chief curator and artist of Red Blue Arts LLC, was fortunate to be chosen to have a solo art show at the Consulate General of India, the inaugural reception of which was held on October 10 to a huge turnout of fans, well wishers and friends.

In Gopaal’s artwork, one sees the unmistakable ethnic touches that appeal not only to the Bengalis, the Indians, but also the masses. It is very obvious that there is a strong influence of the mother, the woman, love and relationships in his art. The use of bright colors and bold subjects results in amazing creations that often leave viewers in awe. What specially intrigued this reporter were some of his sketches in black and white, namely “Love”, “Musician”, and “Family”. I couldn’t help but ask him to explain some of the artwork to me and he was kind and gracious enough to do so with love and patience. To my amazement, by the time I was ready to leave the reception, these sketches were already sold.

Furthermore Gopaal has the ability to install emotion and passion all around him.

Gopaal's work strikes the viewers at first with a powerful enigma, and draws them into experiencing the society and beauty around it. Creating and promoting fine art and mentoring artists through the greater

Gopaal Seyn's paintings displayed at the Indian Consulate Office.

(Pics courtesy: Rajesh Bose)

Judge Ed Emmett and Qatari ambassador join local officials to announce major advancement for Riverside hospital Consul General, Dr. Anupam Ray unveiling Gopaal’s artwork inaugurating the art expo. Artist Gopaal Seyn (inset).

Art enthusiasts gather at the art expo.

Houston metropolis for the last decade and a half, Red Blue Art

today has innumerable students and art lovers.

H

OUSTON - Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Commissioner Rodney Ellis will welcome Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to the United States, and state Rep. Garnet Coleman to the nowdefunct Riverside General Hospital on Wednesday to announce a major development in

the revival of the historic Third Ward facility.

The evening started with a social hour where invitees mingled over wine and drinks. Consul General, Dr. Anupam Ray proceeded to inaugurate the art expo by introducing Gopaal and unveiling his magnificent painting of Bapuji. He humored that he would like it to be donated to the consulate to adorn its walls. Gopaal thanked everyone for supporting him and

specially thanked his wife, Lali and daughter, Trisha for putting up with his idiosyncrasies. Guests got to go around the display and marvel at his artwork and interact with the artist. His artwork was met with a lot of accolades and compliments.

The evening ended with an elaborate buffet spread of mouth watering snacks. The highlight was the delectable

Harris County bought the Riverside buildings and property earlier this year, three years after the hospital’s closure, with county officials saying they hoped to restore parts of the facility and rededicate it to providing badly needed quality health care to the community.

Although the hospital address is 3204 Ennis, the ceremony will take place on the southern edge of the property, just outside the gateway to the historic nursing school building on Holman.

Parts of the property are undergoing demolition, so media representatives are asked to park along Holman and enter the site through the south gate.

array of desserts painstakingly hand prepared by Mumu Chowdhury.

Gopaal’s art exhibition will continue at the consulate until October 17, 2018. One should not miss this rare opportunity to partake in a minute sampling of his artwork. Of special mention are the pieces, “Unconditional Love,” “Mother and Son,” “Ganesh”, “Bapu” and the list goes on….

(Former C.S.I. Tamil Church)

“ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness, come before Him, with joyful song.” - Psalm 100:1,2

Grand 8th Year Anniversary Celebration

Better Emergency Management

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, It’s our great privilege to cordially invite you to the 8th year anniversary celebration of United Tamil Church of Houston.

100% Transparency Community Engagement Empowering Youth

The service will begin on Sunday 28, October 2018.

5:00 pm at 607 Dulles Avenue Stafford, TX 77477

Early Voting: October 22 - November 2 Election Day: November 6

(Behind All Saints Episcopal Church)

Guest Speaker: Most Rev. Dr. Bishop. A. Dale Cllime Please come with your friends and families to praise and worship our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and experience His presence and feel God’s love, mercy, compassion, deliverance, healing, restoring and transforming power of Jesus Christ our Lord. UTC’s anniversary day includes worship service, the great thanksgiving, the holy communion, special family songs, skits, food, and fun.

For more information please contact: 281-437-1877 or 713-449-6703 Praise and worship service every Sunday at 5 pm.

NOTE: Worship service will be in both Tamil and English. /United-Tamil-Church-Houston

www.utcofhouston.com

Elect_KPGeorge Political Advertisement paid for by KP George Campaign

US / WORLD

VOICE OF ASIA 11

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

World must slash meat consumption Texas Democrat slipping in polls in crucial US election race to save climate: study

C

HICAGO | AFP | 10/17/2018 - Beto O'Rourke, whose upstart campaign gave Democrats hope of an unexpected political victory in deeply red Texas, is slipping in the polls three weeks before crucial midterm elections determine control of the US Congress.

O'Rourke had come within striking distance of overtaking incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz -- causing so much excitement of a potential rout that donations have been pouring in.

Over the last three months, he raised a record $38.1 million.

But in recent weeks, O'Rourke has been falling behind -- trailing Cruz in voter surveys by an average of seven points as the November 6 election nears.

Early voting in the solidly conservative Lone Star state begins next week, and President Donald Trump was scheduled to hold a rally there Monday to give Cruz a further boost.

At stake is whether Republicans will lose their control of one or both chambers of the US Congress, determining whether the White House will continue to be able to set the legislative agenda or head off a possible impeachment effort against Trump that could result from the Russia collusion investigation.

On Tuesday night, O'Rourke attempted to woo any remaining undecided voters by shedding the nice-guy persona that had helped propel him to almost leveling with Cruz in earlier polling.

P

On Tuesday night, O'Rourke attempted to woo any remaining undecided voters by shedding the nice-guy persona that had helped propel him to almost leveling with Cruz in earlier polling (AFP Photo/Loren Elliott) He even borrowed a phrase Trump used to help defeat Cruz for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential race.

"He's dishonest. It's why the president called him 'Lyin' Ted,' and it's why the nickname stuck, because it's true," O'Rourke said.

The pro-immigration congressman from the border city of El Paso accused the Republican senator of refusing to stand up to Trump, while Cruz countered that the Democrat was too liberal for Texas, where gun rights are sacrosanct and many support building a border wall.

"It's clear Congressman O'Rourke's pollsters have told him to come out on the attack, so if he wants to insult me and call me a liar, that's fine," Cruz

said.

Riding a backlash against Trump's policies and behavior over the last two years in office, O'Rourke has become a darling of the left.

The charismatic ex-punk rocker -- the subject of numerous glowing profiles in the US media -- came closer than political experts expected to overtaking Cruz.

But the state has not voted to send a Democrat to the Senate in 30 years. And voter surveys over the last two weeks have consistently shown Cruz pulling ahead.

Only nine percent of voters said they might still change how they plan to vote, according to a CNN poll released Tuesday.

Indian minister in #MeToo storm...

Continued from Page 1 Allegations against Akbar snowballed last week after journalist Priya Ramani accused him of sexual harassment when the pair worked together in the 1990s.

Akbar was "an expert on obscene phone calls, texts, inappropriate compliments and not taking no for an answer," Ramani had said.

She said that he would often insist on conducting interviews and meetings in hotel rooms.

"As women we feel vindicated by M.J. Akbar's resignation. I look forward to the day when I will also get justice in court," she said on Twitter on Wednesday.

Akbar earlier dismissed Ramani's accusations and said he would sue for defamation.

But 20 other women have since offered to testify against him.

Another woman said Akbar cornered and pawed her when she was a junior reporter at the Asian Age newspaper in 1997.

"He ran his hands from my breast to my hips. I tried pushing his hands away, but they were plastered on my waist," wrote Ghazala Wahab on news website The Wire.

"I ran out of his cabin and into the toilet to cry my eyes out," added Wahab, who now works as executive editor of Force magazine.

A third accuser said Akbar had greeted her in his underwear after calling her to his hotel room and then forcibly kissed her.

"Suddenly you got up, grabbed me and kissed me hard -- your stale tea breath and your bristly moustache are still etched in the recesses of my memory," journalist Tushita Patel wrote in an article for Scroll on Tuesday.

She said the incident dated back to 1992 when she was a trainee.

- Bollywood India's belated #MeToo movement has made headlines in recent weeks with women sharing accounts of alleged harassment by several powerful men in the worlds of Bollywood, journalism, comedy and even cricket.

The phenomenon remains confined to India's urban elite at present, with vast numbers of women elsewhere in the country lacking either access to justice or a platform to name their tormentors.

The trigger appears to have been actress Tanushree Dutta, who recently accused wellknown Bollywood actor Nana Patekar of inappropriate behaviour on a film set 10 years ago.

by Patrick Galey ARIS, France | AFP | The world must drastically reduce its meat consumption in order to avoid devastating climate change, scientists said Wednesday in the most thorough study so far on how what we eat affects the environment.

As humanity grapples with tough choices to offset a rapidly heating planet, the research suggests that the Western world would need to slash its meat intake by 90 percent to avoid crippling Earth's ability to sustain an anticipated 10 billion people by 2050.

Food production -- which produces damaging greenhouse gases from livestock, ruins enormous swathes of forests and uses unsustainable amounts of water -- is a major contributor to climate change.

A study published Wednesday in the journal Nature offers the most comprehensive look yet at just how bad intensive agriculture is for the planet.

Without a huge drawdown in the amount of meat consumed, its authors said, the food industry's already vast impact on the environment could increase by as much as 90 percent by midcentury.

That coupled with a sharp projected rise in global population would devastate mankind's ability to effectively feed itself -- and dash any realistic hope of curbing runaway global warming.

The scientists called for a "global shift" towards more plant-based diets, slashing food waste and improving farming practices with the aid of technology to cope with the burden.

A pound of beef is estimated to require close to 7,000 litres of water to produce (Photo: AFP) "No single solution is enough to avoid crossing planetary boundaries," said Marco Springmann of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food and the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, who led the study.

"But when the solutions are implemented together, our research indicates that it may be possible to feed the growing population sustainably."

The stark message comes just days after the publication of a landmark UN report in which some of the world's most eminent climate scientists warned that governments must fundamentally change course in order to keep global warming under 1.5C by the end of the century.

Experts argue that cutting meat consumption is one obvious way that citizens can do their bit for the climate, even as world leaders are locked in discussions over what precisely should be done to rein in the effects of a warming planet.

- Ditch the steak -

Livestock farming poses a triple threat to Earth's atmosphere, as animals produce huge amounts of the greenhouse gas methane, coupled with the loss of carbon-absorbing forests that are felled to accommodate their grazing areas.

In addition, immense amounts of water are needed to sustain the livestock -- 500 grammes (a pound) of beef is estimated to require close to 7,000 litres of water.

Wednesday's report said halving the amount of food that is wasted or lost to poor management alone could reduce the environment fallout by 16 percent.

It pointed to better education, industry reform and improved efficiency as ways towards tackling the problem.

"When it comes to diets, comprehensive policy and business approaches are essential to make dietary changes towards healthy and more plant-based diets possible and attractive for a large number of people," Springmann said.

ISKCON of Houston Presents

Diwali & Govardhan puja November 7 & 8 Wed & Thur Starts @ 6 PM Candlelight Aarti Annakut Offering Abhishekh Mountains of Food Kirtan & Dance SRILA PRABHUPADA DISAPPEARANCE DAY FESTIVAL Sunday, Nov 11 @ 5 PM

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

VOICE OF ASIA 13

www.voiceofasia.news

Business Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Houston’s delegation to attend India’s Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

Section 2

Tel: 713-774-5140

Partners TiE and Houston Angels Network hold Panel Discussion on Blockchain Technology

From left to right): Ana Rojas Bastidas (TiE Houston Executive Director), Partha Chatterjee (Program Directorate, Shell), Dr. Arun Pasrija (TiE Houston President), Srini Katta (Social Chains, Founder & CEO), Stephanie Campbell ( HAN, Managing Director), Jim Lawnin ( Enegry Blockchain Consortium, Co-Founder)

Delegation lead Arvind Agarwal, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) making his presentation at the Indian Consulate in Houston. Photos credits by Bijay Dixit.

H

OUSTON - On October 3rd TiE Houston, in partnership with HAN (Houston Angels Network), presented Blockchain: A major disruptive technology reshaping the business model for several industries at Rice University. With the increasing interest in blockchain technology, which is more than crypto currencies like bitcoin, they felt the time was right to bring the conversation to Houston. They welcomed panelists Jim Lawnin (Co-Founder, Energy Blockchain Consortium), Partha Chatterjee (Program Directorate, Shell), and Srini Katta (Founder & CEO, Social Chains) for an evening of networking and learning.

Guests arrived and were quickly engulfed in conversation with the panelists which helped to build up excitement to the main event.

Vibrant Gujarat delegation: members represent from IACF and TiE Houston. by: Ana Rojas Bastidas

A

very special dinner was held on September 28, 2018 at the Consulate General of India for a Vibrant Gujarat delegation.

It was put together in partnership with TiE Houston and the Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston.

Jagdip Ahluwalia welcomed a prestigious group of entrepreneurs and community leaders for an evening of networking, dining, and building a stronger relationship between Houston and India. President of TiE Houston Arun Pasrija spoke about the vibrancy of Gujarat decades back during his stay there. Chamber President Swapan Dhairyawan commended the role of this Delegation which has been on a road show to 6 cities of achieving significant strides and being able to

sign up MoUs in the field of Education, Health, Energy & Skilling.

The evening began with a sumptuous dinner of food from the Gujarat region. The invitees had a chance to network with the special delegation team lead by Arvind Agarwal, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance). This delegation is one of several touring the globe to promote their upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit which will be taking place on January 18-20, 2019. Vibrant Gujarat Summit was conceptualized in 2003 by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and the then Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Narendra Modi, to re-establish Gujarat as a preferred investment destination within India. Today, the Summit has evolved into a

platform for brainstorming on agendas of global socioeconomic development, in addition to being a facilitator for knowledge sharing and forging effective partnerships.

Guests were given an opportunity to hear from Dr. Anupam Ray, Consul General India, and the leadership of IACCGH and TiE Houston before diving into the presentation from Arvind Agarwal and the rest of the delegation.

The question and answer session allowed the guests and delegates to engage in deeper conversations on how Houston and Gujarat can strengthen their relationship through bilateral trade and partnerships.

For more information about the summit please visit https:// vibrantgujarat.com/

TiE Houston President, Dr. Arun Pasrija, began the evening by welcoming everyone including several with first time attendance to a TiE event, TiE’s mission to foster entrepreneurship through mentoring, networking, and education. He mentioned that TiE, with 56 chapters across 17 countries with 11,000 members and 2,800 charter members. Charter Members, who are successful entrepreneurs and/or business executives, make the pillars of each chapters. They commit their time to help next generation of entrepreneurs - a “leveraged give back” which creates jobs, economic activities

and wealth in the community.

Houston chapter has a strong and vibrant charter member community helping meet’s TiE’s mission and making it a meaningful part of Houston’s start up eco system.

HAN Executive director, Stephani Cambell, shared HAN’s mission. The Houston Angel Network (HAN) is the oldest angel network in Texas and most active angel network in the USA. It is a non-profit association that does not charge fees to entrepreneurs; its revenue consists of membership fees and sponsorshipsIts members have invested more than $73M in more than 235 deals since its inception in 2001.

As the actual panel event began, Jim Lawnin provided a broad overview of blockchain basics while Partha Chatterjee and Srini Katta demonstrated the various applications the technology had to various industries such as agriculture, medicine, social media, and even real estate. The audience was then given an opportunity to ask questions and they took full advantage.

When asked when adoption will happen, Partha’s response was “When companies realize the potential, give up middlemen; they understand they save cost and become more efficient, then, they will support consortium for blockchain and converge on blockchain solution. On the

consumer end, they will also figure out the convenience and efficiency. Basically, you need a switch from exchanges and brokers to blockchains. Kind of what happened to individual investors – who went from personal brokers to online brokerage sites or at a broader end, what happened with cash transitioning to electronic (credit card).”

Security was on everyone’s mind so Srini chimed in by explaining how data remains secure on a public blockchain.

He says “There are keys to your data on the blockchain one is a public key and a private key. The private key is hidden from the public and is known to the original user only. The private key is 52 characters long and it must be safeguarded from possible thefts and also it is a good idea to print the keys (Paper Wallet) and store it in a safe box.

If a user loses the keys they lose access to their data or crypto coins forever.”

The main takeaway from the evening is that blockchain is here to stay. It’s not a matter of if but when businesses will adopt the technology.

For more information on organizing companies and upcoming events: TiE Houston: www.houston. tie.org HAN: www.houstonangelnetwork.org

VOICE OF ASIA 14

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

BOLLYWOOD - HOLLYWOOD

Section 2 www.voiceofasia.news Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Warner Bros. shutting down Korean streaming service DramaFever

Snapchat unveils Badhaai Ho my cleanest film, a quirky family entertainer, says new original shows under Ayushmann Khurrana own brand

T

he youth-focused social network Snapchat announced Wednesday it was launching a new slate of original video shows under its own brand in the latest move to spark growth.

The shows unveiled under the Snap Originals brand include a new comedy, a mystery thriller and a “docuseries” following rising stars in Laguna Beach, California.

A screengrab from the streaming service homepage

D

ramaFever has lost its heat.

Warner Bros. is shutting down the streaming service, which specializes in Korean dramas and other international fare, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

The nine-year-old subscription business, which Warner Bros. acquired in 2016, had been part of a multi-pronged streaming effort by the studio that also included the classic movie service FilmStruck and the recently launched DC Universe.

“Today, Warner Bros. Digital Networks will be closing its DramaFever OTT service due to business reasons and in light of the rapidly changing marketplace for K-drama content, a staple of the service’s programming,”

the company said Tuesday in a statement. “Warner Bros. Digital Labs, which encompasses more than twothirds of the DramaFever workforce, will continue operating, serving as the tech engine behind many of WBDN’s operations.”

When DramaFever first launched, it was one of the few outlets, especially for viewers in the U.S., that offered access to a robust library of Korean soap operas and other Asian programming.

But in the years since, Netflix and Amazon have both made big pushes into the international market, driving up prices for content that previously could be acquired on the cheap. A search for “Korean drama” on Netflix currently yields dozens of results.

Snapchat parent firm Snap Inc. joins internet rivals Facebook, Apple and Google-owned YouTube in developing its own original videos which may be watched on a variety of devices.

Last year, Snap announced plans to release original scripted shows under a partnership with NBCUniversal, but Wednesday’s announcement establishes its own brand.

“Snap Originals will also feature new Show Portals, letting you swipe up and step inside a scene from a Show to experience it for yourself,” a company statement said.

“Snap Originals will also have Lenses, Filters, and other fun ways for you to share the show experience with your friends.”

Snapchat is among the most popular social networks for young smartphone users but its user growth has stalled since its publish share offering last year, as Facebook and its Instagram network began offering similar services. - Daily Mail

‘Helicopter Eela’ review: Kajol is charming despite the movie’s shortcomings

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UBAI, October 12, 2018 | Eela Raiturkar (Kajol) is a single mother. Her son Vivan (Riddhi Sen) is a college student who admits to feeling embarrassed and suffocated with his mother’s constant scrutiny.

When Vivan in the heat of an argument makes a comment telling her off, it propels her to join his college to complete her education. As she sets out to explore her options, Vivan loses more of his ‘me’ space leading to a strain in their relationship.

As the movie traces Eela’s background, we are taken back to the days of indie-pop music with cassettes of Baba Sehgal, Alisha Chinai selling at the iconic music store in Mumbai, Rhythm House. Eela who is shown modelling part time also dreams of becoming a playback singer. The movie infuses a dose of nostalgia, recreating the launch of MTV India in 1996.

Watch out for Shaan, Illa Arun, Baba Sehgal, Anu Malik, Mahesh Bhatt who are all part of Eela’s journey as a

M

UMBAI - Actor Ayushmann Khurrana says his forthcoming film Badhaai Ho is his “cleanest film” so far as earlier he has worked in movies around some taboo subjects of society.

Ayushmann interacted with the media here as the makers of Badhaai Ho hosted a baby shower for 50 expecting mothers, along with his co-actors Sanya Malhotra, Gajraj Rao, Neena

by Anita Iyer

In case you have been wondering, just like me, about why the film is titled Helicopter Eela, here’s a quick trivia. Apparently, helicopter parents are the ones who pay extra close attention to their children’s lives and experiences. And that is exactly how Eela is. She is constantly reminding Vivan about his dabba (tiffin), asking him to keep his cellphone aside and give her more time, walks into his room without any consideration for his privacy and also overhears his phone conversations.

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana poses for lensmen during the promotional event of upcoming Bollywood film ‘Badhaai Ho’, in Mumbai, on October 10, 2018. The Times of India/Prashant Jadhav (Photo: Prashant Jadhav / The Times of India )

once.

Despite te insipid writing, the film wins your heart in a few scenes. And all credit goes to Kajol, who is back on the screen after 2015’s Dilwale.

She occupies most of the screen space and demands your attention.

Kajol and Riddhi Sen singer, which is short-lived.

However, before she could make it big, she gives birth to Vivan and her life now is all about her son. Fast forward to present day, Eela is portrayed as a mother, walking the corridors of the college. Kajol is in solid form and engages us in her struggles, but sometimes they don’t seem too significant.

Riddhi Sen, the 20-year-old National award-winning actor as Vivan is impressive. He depicts the anguish any youngster goes through in their adolescent phase. He is fairly reasonable, but melodramatic at times, just like his mother, as he pushes her to discover her musical roots. It is the warm mother-son equation that holds the movie together in spite of the uninspired writing. As they go through a roller-coaster of emotions, we get some heart-warming moments.

Helicopter Eela is based on the Gu-

jarati play Beta Kaagdo by Anand Gandhi. He joins Mitesh Shah in scripting the film, which is as predictable as expected.

Neha Dhupia has become comfortable in her roles, supporting the leading ladies in her last few outings like Tumhari Sulu or Netflix’s Lust Stories. Here, as the play director at the college, she flings things at people when they don’t sing in the desired pitch and gives Eela the support she needs.

There are some loose ends in the film that mar its narrative. The conflicts between the son and mother resolve conveniently and Kajol gets her big live performance in the climax.

The film falls into all the Bollywood trappings and seems inconsistent at times.

In the end, Helicopter Eela is a wellintentional, popcorn Bollywood masala family film that will leave you with a smile.

Director: Pradeep Sarkar Cast: Kajol, Riddhi Sen, Neha Dhupia, Kamini Khana Rating: 3/5

As Eela, Kajol goes through the - Economic Times transition from a struggling singer to a lover, from a new mother to a woman struggling to find HOST YOUR NEXT EVENT AT her identity with ease. Although she isn’t very convincing as a singer as stumbles more than

Gupta, producer Priti Shahani and director Amit Ravindernath Sharma here on Wednesday.

Badhaai Ho revolves around an old couple becoming parents again. The comedy-drama features Ayushmann as the son of an elderly couple who find out that they would be turning parents for the third time.

“People have now started calling me men’s Grihshobha (women’s magazine) because I have been a part of films which depicted issues of men.

But this (Badhaai Ho) is the cleanest film of mine because it is neither based on sperm donation (Vicky Donor) and nor based on erectile dysfunction (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan).

“You don’t have to tell your child what’s happening in the film while watching it... It’s a completely fun and quirky family entertainer,” said the actor.

Since Ayushmann plays a man whose parents are expecting a baby in old age, asked how he looks at this situation, Ayushmann said: “If this would have happened with me in my real life, then I also would have felt embarrassed but eventually it’s a decision of the mother and father.

“Our parents should have their own choices to lead their life, but it gets a bit too much when your parents are expecting a baby when you are all grown up but I think eventually it’s their decision.”

The film will release on October 19.

Courtesy: Indo Asian News Service,

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LEGAL

VOICE OF ASIA 15

Section 2

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M

IAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Ronyde Christina Ponthieux, an 11-year-old U.S. citizen who lives in this South Florida suburb, spends most days alternating between two agonizing thoughts.

Some days, she ponders the possibility of her parents being forced to move back to their native Haiti and bringing her with them to a country she’s never even visited.

“Just the thought of everything that’s been going on – the earthquakes, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Matthew, the cholera outbreak – it’s scary. I speak French, I don’t speak Creole,” she said in perfect English. “It would be hard to adapt to the environment.”

Other days, she feels frightened her parents might have to return to Haiti and leave her behind. “I would be living with a different family. I could even be in the (foster care) system. It blows my mind.”

Ponthieux’s parents wish their piano-playing sixth-grader wouldn’t have to contemplate such thoughts, but that’s the reality facing hundreds of thousands of families, all legal

residents, that are now being ordered by the Trump administration to go back home.

Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, has allowed more than 310,000 foreigners to legally live and work in the U.S., many for more than two decades, as their countries recover from natural disasters and armed conflicts. Six countries, which represent 98 percent of the TPS population, have been cut from the program, each given a deadline to leave the U.S. The first deadline, for Sudan, was scheduled to come up in just a few weeks. A federal judge’s order last week to temporarily stop the administration from ending the program offers hope to some TPS holders, but no guarantee about their future.

The Justice Department is appealing the ruling.

That uncertainty has forced countless conversations within each family about their futures, especially what to do with their U.S.-born children, an estimated 273,000 U.S. citizens, according to the Center for Migration Studies. Those families now face three equally difficult options: stay in the U.S. together and become undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation, return home and leave

Tel: 713-774-5140

Singapore: What happens when a nation state endorses legal innovation?

Thousands of legal immigrants face daunting decision after their ‘Temporary Protected Status’ ends

by Alex Gomez

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

their children behind, or return home as a family to a country their children have never known.

Ponthieux said that’s an impossible decision for parents and children alike.

“The best way to make America great again is to let my people stay,” she said.

“And my people are Haitians, Hondurans, Salvadorans, Nicaraguans. That’s what makes America great, all these different people coming from different places with different cultures – everyone’s learning something new, these ideas and different cultures can help build a better place. “That’s what makes America great.”

The Department of Homeland Security argues that TPS has been wrongly extended for decades, violating the “temporary” intent of the program.

by Mark Cohen

W

ith all the talk of “legal innovation,” it’s remarkably difficult to overcome institutional stasis within a legal organization, regulatory body, law firm, corporate legal department, or law school.

The principal reason is the cultural collision between the stakeholder/beneficiaries of law’s decaying guild and the diverse, digital, collaborative, interdisciplinary emerging global legal marketplace.

The tension between the two creates headwinds for innovators and additional runway for legacy stakeholders.

Imagine if an entire nation were to fashion a plan for innovation, earmarking the legal industry as a key element

of its integrated, multidisciplinary plan? That’s precisely what’s happening in Singapore. The Singapore Government has targeted law as part of a wider initiative to drive innovation and to position the tiny nation state as a regional and global legal hub.

Singapore punches above its weight because it thinks strategically, acts collaboratively, and executes assiduously Singapore is known for punching above its weight. It is a nerve center for banking, commerce, and financial technology, drawing “the best and the brightest” from around the globe. How does a country with a population the size of Wisconsin pull that off? Short answer: it creates a strategic plan for the nation’s economic transformation in the digi-

tal age. It identifies service industries that are aligned with its existing strengths and crafts a plan that targets them in the broader strategic plan.

That’s what was done for law and accounting. Singapore views the future global economy from a holistic perspective, not a narrow one. Its strategic plan recognizes that in the digital age, traditional boundaries separating professions, industries, and borders are not the barriers they once were. It is from this integrated, global, tech and processdriven, knowledge-based perspective that Singapore views—and is reshaping—its legal community. The impact of this effort will extend well beyond Singapore and the region.

- Forbes

Emails between Washington and U.S. diplomats in each country have shown sharp disagreements over those conclusions, with many staffers on the ground saying conditions remain dire in the six countries losing TPS: El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal and Sudan.

- USA Today

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VOICE OF ASIA 16

Young Life

Michelle Obama launches Global Girls Alliance for education

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

Asia tops World Bank ranking on support for children

Singapore took the top spot in the new Human Capital Index which ranks countries on how well children are prepared for the future (Photo © AFP/File)

N

USA DUA, Indonesia | AFP | Asian nations got the highest Michelle Obama participates in the International Day of the Girl on NBC’s “Today” show at Rockefeller marks in a World Bank ranking Plaza on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP). launched Thursday that names and shames countries on how A S H I N G T O N good for the girls, it’s good for on the Global Girls Alliance much they invest in their own (AP) — Mi- all of us.”

GoFundMe page. children, saying neglect was chelle Obama has The Global Girls Alliance • Inspiring and challenging dooming millions to sub-par launched a program to help em- will amplify this work being young people in the devel- lives. power girls worldwide through done around the world to em- oped world to join this Global Singapore, South Korea and education. power adolescent girls through Girls Alliance. We want young Japan took the top three spots in Right now, more than 98 mil- education by: people in the United States and the World Bank’s Human Capilion adolescent girls are not in • Inspiring, empowering, and around the world to learn about tal Index, released at the instituschool, and yet an educated girl connecting grassroots lead- this issue and get involved. tion’s annual meeting in Bali. can lift up her family, her com- ers. The Foundation wants to From encouraging young peoThey were followed by Hong munity, and her country. The ensure that those on the front ple to share a presentation on Global Girls Alliance aims to lines are supported with effec- this issue at school to collabo- Kong, Finland, Ireland, and advance the efforts of organi- tive strategies to enhance and rating with girl group organiza- Australia. Sweden, the Netherzations and individuals doing scale their work. We created an tions who have expanded their lands and Canada round out the this work by driving public online network to connect lead- programming to include work top 10. awareness and action. As part ers to one another so they can on adolescent girls education, European countries dominatof this effort, the Alliance will share best practices, resources, the Foundation is offering re- ed the next 10, while the United help support grassroots leaders encouragement, and ideas. sources to help young people States came in 24th and China around the world who best unturn their passion about this is- 46th.

• Driving specific commit- sue into action. derstand the unique challenges Rather than using traditional girls face in their local commu- ments through GoFundMe. “Through Mrs. Obama’s pasnities and the strategies needed These grassroots leaders need sion for this issue, our aim is to measures such as GDP, the index ranks countries on how more than visibility and conto overcome these barriers. nections to one another—they drive global attention, aware- well children are prepared for “I’m thrilled to announce the need financial support. To ness, and action—and generate the future, with an emphasis Obama Foundation’s launch close this gap, the Foundation commitments to help empower on factors like schooling and of the Global Girls Alliance,” worked with GoFundMe to adolescent girls around the said Mrs. Obama. “We want launch the Global Girls Alli- world, so that they can, in turn, to lift up the grassroots lead- ance Fund, a fund that will di- support their families, comers in communities all over the rectly support grassroots lead- munities, and countries,” said world who are clearing away ers working on girls education. Obama Foundation CEO David the hurdles that too many girls Donations to the fund may be Simas. face. Because the evidence is general or designated by doLearn more at GlobalGirlclear: educating girls isn’t just nors for specific projects listed sAlliance.org.

W

healthcare.

The World Bank said those considerations often get lost amid other national political priorities, yet were vital to fostering high-quality economic growth and development.

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim told a press conference on the Indonesian resort island that one-quarter of the planet’s young people are at risk of “chronic malnutrition and illness that result in stunting”.

He said this “permanently affects a child’s cognitive development, school performance, and future income”.

Africa dominated the bottom half of the 157-nation ranking system.

The worst ranking went to Chad, followed by South Sudan, Niger, Mali and Liberia.

“If a country’s children grow up unable to meet the needs of the future workplace, that country will find itself incapable of

employing its people, unable to increase its output, and utterly unprepared to compete economically,” Jim said.

“Policies to build human capital are some of the smartest investments that countries can make to boost long-term, inclusive economic growth.”

Jim said the bank hopes the ranking and the data provided for each country can provide nations with a “stronger argument” when weighing whether to put resources into policies that benefit children.

The World Bank said the index shows 56 percent of children born today across the world will lose more than half their potential lifetime earnings due to inadequate government policies.

The Human Capital Index purports to measure the amount of “human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by age 18” by assessing a range of national conditions and factors.

Young voters might actually show up at the polls this year At least, more of them than usual might.

by Geoffrey Skelley

T

he question on many Democrats’ minds is: Will young people turn out to vote in 2018? Recent survey data has liberals worried. In particular, a recent Gallup poll found that only 26 percent of American adults age 18 to 291 said they were “absolutely certain to vote.”

Meanwhile, the Public Religion Research Institute found that 35 percent of young people said they were certain to vote, but it was still fewer than the 38 percent who said they would vote in the last midterm election in 2014. On the face of it, this sounds like pretty low voter turnout. But you have to remember in a midterm, turnout is already depressed — usually around 40 percent of all voters compared to the roughly 60 percent who generally vote in a presidential election. The midterm electorate

is also generally older and whiter than it is in presidential years, which has sparked Democratic concern that young voters, who predominantly identify as Democrats and who backed Hillary Clinton by around 20 percentage points in 2016, won’t show up to vote. But other data I looked at suggests that this fear might be misguided and that turnout among the 18-to-29 group could be way up in 2018. Before we jump into this other data, let’s first look at young voter turnout in midterms from 1998 to 2014 to provide context for what we might see in 2018.

To get a sense of the rate at which younger voters have historically turned out in midterm elections, I looked at data from the Current Population Survey2 over the past two decades. In that period, the high mark for midterm turnout among 18- to 29-year-olds was 2006, when

25.5 percent of citizens in that age group voted.3 That was also the last time Democrats had a successful midterm cycle. Coincidence? Maybe not. The chart below plots midterm turnout rates for four age groups commonly used in exit polls and as you can see, young people turn out at sharply lower rates than older Americans.4 While turnout in 2014 was down across the board, turnout among 18- to 29-year-olds was particularly measly at 20 percent.

It was the lowest turnout for that group in the past 20 years.

IOP’s spring 2018 poll found that 72 percent of 18- to 29-yearolds disapproved of the president and 58 percent preferred that the Democrats take control Congress in November. So combining the Democratic lean of younger voters with the perceived enthusiasm advantage of Democrats over Republicans in this year’s midterm, it makes sense that we might see greater participation by young voters in a Democratic-leaning electoral environment.

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VOICE OF ASIA 17

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

October is Learing Disabilities Awareness Month

Section 2

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Tel: 713-774-5140

I’m a chef with terminal cancer. This is what I’m doing with the time I have left Fatima Ali is a chef in NYC and a former ‘Top Chef’ contestant. Last year, she was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

She underwent chemotherapy and surgery and wrote about how the experience changed her relationship to food. In September, Ali learned that the cancer had returned and was told she had a year to live.

Here, she writes about how the terminal diagnosis is giving her a new perspective on life.

S

itting in the airport lounge, I can feel her gaze locked on the back of my head before I see her. Her brows furrowed under dark bangs, small fists curled up around the sides of her princess dress. She stares at me, eyes full of curiosity and confusion. She senses that something is not quite right. It’s not just the baldness that gives it away or the sallow skin or baggy clothes. A cloud of death is following me. It’s followed me all the way to the first class lounge at LAX. I have never flown anything but basic economy on a domestic flight, but my illness has forced me to upgrade my life.

T

he Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the 2019 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for Medicare Parts A and B.

Padma Lashmi visited Fatima Ali in her hospital room recently.

(Photo: padmalakshmi/Instagram) desperate to overload my senses in the coming months, making reservations at the world’s best restaurants, reaching out to past lovers and friends, and smothering my family, giving them the time that I so selfishly guarded before.

I hate to use my illness as a tactic, but I swallow my guilt as I slip into Noma’s DMs to see if somehow the Copenhagen restaurant can accommodate a table for two for their already booked seafood season.

I’m floored when I receive a reply from chef Rene Redzepi himself. Turns out that people respond when you tell them you’re dying of cancer.

I’ll accidentally call my nurse “Mom” when she sneaks in to check my vital signs in the middle of the night. My blood pressure always stays on the low side of calm. Everyone’s amazed that I’m taking it so well. But when you hit rock bottom, there really is no place to go but up.

An odd sense of relief has settled inside me, knowing that I can finally live for myself, even if it’s just for a few more precious months. I call a local hair stylist to come to my hospital room to dye half my hair platinum blonde and buzz the rest. He panics a little as he’s setting up, whispering to my brother in his thick Italian accent. “The dye… it won’t, uh, burn her scalp will it?” I tell him to carry on even if it does.

It’s the only sense of control I feel like I have right now. I have embraced my alter ego.

She doesn’t hold back.

“I love your hair!” they all say when I’m done. They think I’m brave, but really, I’m not.

I’m scared. I suspect I won’t last very long. There’s a faint feeling deep inside my gut like a rumble of passing air, ever expanding and filling slowly until, one day, I’ll pop.

‘Top Chef’ contestant Fatima Ali and her doctors thought her cancer had vanished. Then she was told she had a year to live.

The cancer cells my doctors believed had vanished are back with a vengeance in my left hip and femur bone. My oncologist has told me that I have a year to live, with or without the new chemotherapy regimen. I was looking forward to being 30, flirty, and thriving. Guess I have to step it up on the flirting.

I have no time to lose.

It’s funny, isn’t it? When we think we have all the time in the world to live, we forget to indulge in the experiences of living. When that choice is yanked away from us, that’s when we scramble to feel. I am

In my wallet, I keep a crumpled cocktail napkin with a list of names scrawled on it.

They’re people I need to make amends to before I go. I have to learn how to ask for forgiveness without expecting to receive it. It’s probably the most frightening thing I have ever had to do, and I’ve experienced some seriously terror-inducing moments.

I’ve spent more time in sterile hospital rooms in the past year than I have in my own apartment. This has become my new home, and the staff a part of my family. I wonder if

Until then, every day is an opportunity for me to experience something new. I used to dream of owning my own restaurant. Now I have an ever growing list of the ones I need to visit. From decadent uni and truffle toast at Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare to spice-laden Szechuan hot pot in Flushing, I’m sketching a plan to eat my way through New York and the boroughs while I can.

I think back to my favorite movie of all time, American Beauty. “I don’t think that there’s anything worse than being ordinary,” Mena Suvari says as she sits with Kevin Spacey’s lecherous character.

I was always deathly afraid of being average in any way, and now I desperately wish to have a simple, uneventful life.

- Bon Appetit.com

UN warns of ‘perfect storm’ of hunger, climate change

R

OME, Italy | AFP | Tuesday 10/16/2018 A potent combination of hunger, climate change and man-made conflicts are creating a “perfect storm”, the head of the UN’s food arm warned Tuesday in a call to action on World Food Day. “You’ve got a nightmare, the perfect storm heading your way,” David Beasley, World Food Programme (WFP) chief, said in a speech in Rome, where the United Nations’ food agencies are headquartered.

The UN aims to achieve a Zero Hunger world by 2030, but faces three obstacles: con-

CMS announces 2019 Medicare Parts A & B premiums and deductibles

flicts, climate change and an economic slowdown.

Beasley said the battle was an urgent one. “Children are dying at a rate of every five to ten seconds” from hunger or malnutrition, he said.

Food is being wasted both during the production process and in people’s kitchens.

“The answer is not in Rome alone, it’s in your homes. What are you going to do about it?” he asked.

It is not a problem wealthier countries can simply ignore, for it has a knock-on effect on them in terms of the migration crisis.

“For every one percent increase in hunger, there’s a two percent increase in migration,” Beasley said.

Some 821 million people, or one of every nine people on the planet, suffered from hunger last year, marking the third consecutive annual increase, according to the UN’s latest hunger report.

An estimated 155 million children under five years old are chronically malnourished, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), while micronutrient deficiencies, dubbed the “hidden hunger”, affects over two billion people worldwide.

“CMS is committed to empowering beneficiaries with the information they need to make informed decisions about their healthcare,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.

“In addition to the information we recently released for Medicare Advantage, the program through which private plans provide Medicare benefits, today we are releasing information for fee-for-service Medicare, so enrollees understand their options for receiving Medicare benefits.”

As announced earlier this month, CMS launched the eMedicare Initiative that aims to modernize the way beneficiaries get information about Medicare and create new ways to help them make the best decisions for themselves and their families. Ahead of Medicare Open Enrollment – which begins on October 15, 2018 and ends December 7, 2018 – CMS is making improvements the Medicare.gov website to help beneficiaries compare options and decide if Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage is right for them. Among the tools released as part of the eMedicare Initiative is a standalone, mobile optimized out of pocket cost calculator that will provide information on both overall costs and prescription drug costs.

Medicare Part B Premiums/ Deductibles Medicare Part B covers physician services, outpatient hos-

pital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and certain other medical and health services not covered

by Medicare Part A. The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $135.50 for 2019, a slight increase from $134 in 2018. An estimated 2 million Medicare beneficiaries (about 3.5 percent) will pay less than the full Part B standard monthly premium amount in 2019 due to the statutory hold harmless provision, which limits certain beneficiaries’ increase in their Part B premium to be no greater than the increase in their Social Security benefits.

CMS also announced that the annual deductible for Medicare Part B beneficiaries is $185 in 2019, an increase from $183 in 2018.

Medicare Part A Premiums/ Deductibles Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, and some home health care services. About 99 percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not have a Part A premium since they have at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment.

The Medicare Part A inpatient deductible that beneficiaries will pay when admitted to the hospital is $1,364 in 2019, an increase of $24 from $1,340 in 2018.

Medicare Advantage Premiums Medicare beneficiaries can choose to enroll in fee-forservice Medicare (Parts A and

Sudhir Mathuria HEALTHLIFE 360 713-771-2900 B) or can select a private Medicare Advantage plan to receive their Medicare benefits. Premiums and deductibles for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug plans are already finalized and are unaffected by this announcement.

Last month, CMS released the benefit, premium, and cost sharing information for Medicare Advantage plans in 2019.

On average, Medicare Advantage premiums will decline while plan choices and new benefits increase. On average, Medicare Advantage premiums in 2019 are estimated to decrease by six percent to $28, from an average of $29.81 in 2018.

To choose 2019 Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare Supplement Plan and Medicare Prescription Drug plan contact Sudhir Mathuria at 713-7712900.

Source: cms.gov/newsroom

Can most Americans be identified by a relative’s DNA? Maybe soon

by Ivan Couronne

T

he remarkable technique used to identify the suspected “Golden State Killer” four decades after his crimes -- genetic genealogy -- could be used to identify half of all Americans from relatives’ DNA samples, a new study says.

And only a few years from now, the process could be used to track nearly all Americans of European descent by making DNA matches with distant relatives, the authors of the study predict.

The research, published Thursday in the US journal Science, could have wide-ranging

privacy implications -- if someone uses a consumer website to trace his ancestry, should that information be used to identify his kin, possibly in a criminal case?

“We are on our way to get to the point that virtually anyone will have a third cousin in those databases,” said Yaniv Erlich, the chief science officer at the MyHeritage website, and senior author of the study.

“I predict it will happen within two to three years.”

A person and his or her third cousin have the same greatgreat-grandparents. With a second cousin, one shares greatgrandparents.

The closer you are with a relative, the more similar your genetic make-up is.

Even in the case of third cousins, the human genome -- or the information encoded in a person’s DNA -- is very much alike.

When police find a DNA sample that does not match anyone in their database, a criminal investigation can come to a dead end.

In California, police had been at that point for decades in the case of the so-called Golden State Killer, who is blamed for 12 murders and more than 50 rapes dating back to the mid1970s.

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VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

From ‘problem child’ to ‘prodigy’? LSD turns 75

Cancer-hit badminton ace shelves appearance to focus on recovery

by Eloi Rouyer with Ben Simon in Geneva

B

by M .Jegathesan

ERN, Switzerland | AFP | Lysergic acid diethylamide was labelled a “problem child” by the man who discovered its hallucinogenic properties in 1943: as it turns 75, the drug known as LSD may now be changing its image.

K

UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia | AFP | Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei has shown he’s a “true fighter” after treatment for nose cancer but he has put public appearances on hold to focus on his recovery, a senior official told AFP on Friday.

The late Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann famously learned of LSD’s psychedelic effects when he inadvertently took a small dose while doing lab work for pharmaceutical company Sandoz.

He wanted the drug to be medically researched, convinced it could be a valuable psychiatric tool and lead to a deeper understanding of human consciousness.

But through the 1960s, LSD became synonymous with counterculture and anti-authority protests.

By the early 1970s, it had been widely criminalised in the West, prompting Hofmann to publish his 1979 memoir, “LSD: My Problem Child”.

The book, in which Hofmann sought to reassert LSD’s potential medical benefits, is featured in an exhibition at the Swiss National Library in the capital, Bern, to mark 75 years since the discovery.

Hofmann died in 2008 at the age of 102 but he likely would have been pleased by a series of recent developments.

After decades as a medical outcast, LSD has attracted renewed clinical interest and there has been evidence that it can help treat anxiety and depression.

Such developments were what Hofmann was hoping for at the time of writing “My Problem Child”.

“If we can better understand how to use it, in medical practice related to meditation and LSD’s ability to promote visionary experiences under certain circumstances, then I think that this ‘problem child’ could become a prodigy,” he wrote.

- Experimental research He had discovered LSD while working with a fungus called ergot, which attacks cereal grains like rye and had previously been used for a variety of medical purposes. At the time, Sandoz was using it to make migraine medication.

Hofmann unknowingly created LSD when he combined the main active agent in ergot -- lysergic acid -- with

Lysergic acid diethylamide was labelled a “problem child” by the man who discovered its hallucinogenic properties in 1943: as it turns 75, the drug known as LSD may now be changing its image. (AFP) diethylamide. After accidentally ingesting a trace of LSD, he began to feel strange and later on deliberately took larger amounts to better understand the drug’s effects.

MAPS funded the Swiss psychiatrist Peter Gasser to conduct the Phase II study, which was published in 2014 and was the first controlled study of LSD in more than four decades.

In a bestselling book published in May entitled “How to Change Your Mind”, the renowned American author Michael Pollan notes that LSD was the subject of widespread experimental research through the 1950s and 1960s and attracted the interest of leading psychiatrists.

“We kind of brought it full circle, back there (to Switzerland),” Burge said.

But the situation changed.

“When Hofmann published his book in 1979, LSD was completely prohibited. There was no research,” said Hannes Mangold, curator of the National Library exhibit called “Problem Child LSD turns 75.”

“What’s interesting is that for the last 10-15 years, research has once again been authorised and LSD as medicine has re-emerged.”

- ‘1950s crowdsourcing’ A non-profit organisation that has been at the forefront of driving the new wave of research is the California-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in Santa Cruz.

MAPS receives mostly private funding from large and small donors to support medical research into controlled substances.

Brad Burge, director of strategic communications at MAPS, told AFP that the organisation had raised nearly $30 million (26 million euros) for further research to build on a Phase II LSD study which, he said, found positive indications that the drug can successfully treat anxiety.

He said that in the early years following Hofmann’s discovery, Sandoz had sent out batches of LSD to any interested researcher, hoping someone would define a clear, marketable purpose for the drug.

“It was 1950s crowdsourcing,” Burge said.

- Richard Nixon In 1970, the administration of former US president Richard Nixon listed LSD as a “Schedule 1” narcotic, a classification given to drugs that Washington considers highly dangerous with no medical benefit.

MAPS and others have argued that the decision was more about politics than public health as Nixon was interested in cracking down on various groups with which LSD had -- accurately or not -- become linked, including hippies and opponents of the Vietnam war.

But the effect of the Schedule 1 designation was to bring serious research on LSD to a halt, both in the United States and among foreign laboratories worried about American reprisals, Burge said.

Mangold told AFP that the LSD research landscape was effectively dormant for nearly four decades and only began to change following a 2006 conference in the Swiss city of Basel to mark Hofmann’s 100th birthday.

Badminton Association of Malaysia president Norza Zakaria said the former world number one is looking well despite losing about five kilos (11 lbs) in weight while undergoing “tough” chemotherapy and proton therapy in Taiwan.

Lee had flagged a media appearance “a few days” after his return to Malaysia on Sunday, but Norza said the 35-year-old needed to rest to strengthen his immune system.

“Lee is a true fighter. He is in incredible spirit. He was extremely cheerful and jovial,” he said.

“Lee shared with me his experiences during treatment and told me that his chemotherapy and proton therapy was tough.”

Norza said he had breakfast with Lee on Thursday, where the player consumed soup. He said Lee looked better since his return to Malaysia.

“Lee has lost some weight, maybe

four to five kilogrammes, but he is looking good,” he said.

Last month, BAM announced that the three-time Olympic silver medallist was diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer.

BAM had said in July that Lee was suffering from a respiratory-related disorder and was pulling out of the World Championships and Asian Games.

Lee is Malaysia’s top sports star after his long run of success at badminton’s highest levels, despite his oft-lamented failure to win a world or Olympic title.

But Norza said he told the three-time Olympic silver medallist to recuperate and not to think about his future in the sport.

“I told Lee, we can sit and talk about the future of his badminton career in the next three weeks and I told him all Malaysians are praying for his speedy recovery,” the badminton chief said.

Lee is currently ranked fifth in the world, after fighting his way back to prominence following his return from a doping ban in 2015.

Lee tested positive for a banned antiinflammatory drug at the 2014 World Championships, an incident which many feared would end his career.

Dietary supplements can contain viagra, steroids, or worse

Y

ou know those sexual enhancement dietary supplements for sale at gas stations and markets across the country? Beware, they might actually be viagra. Or steroids. Or an antidepressant. Many supposed dietary supplements for weight loss, erectile dysfunction, and muscle building may contain actual pharmaceuticals—but you likely have no way of knowing what’s in them.

Between 2007 and 2016, the FDA issued warnings about unapproved pharmaceutical ingredients in 776 dietary supplements, according to a new report in JAMA Network Open.

Of those, less than half received voluntary recalls. The authors compiled their data from the FDA’s own warning website. Known as the Tainted Products Marketed as Supplements List, it catalogs any time the FDA re-

ports finding unapproved pharmaceutical ingredients in supplements. The hundreds of offending supplements the FDA found during that nine-year period traced back to 146 companies.

These represent only a small fraction of the potentially hazardous supplements on the market.

The paper paints a damning picture of the growing supplement market, and should alarm anyone considering taking them, especially those for weight loss, muscle gain, or erectile dysfunction. And that’s a lot of people. More than half of US adults report taking dietary supplements, accounting for a $35 billion industry. A dietary supplement is defined by the FDA as any vitamin, enzyme, botanical, amino acid, or mineral that is not intended to cure or prevent a disease.

- Wired

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VOICE OF ASIA 19

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

Home&Real Estate Houston ranks among 10 U.S. cities with most foreign-born homeowners

by Steven Devadanam

H

oustonians already enjoy the lofty status as the most diverse large city in America — not to mention the country’s second-most affordable large city. Now, the Bayou City scores high on a list of cities with the highest number of immigrant homeowners.

foreign-born total population rate of 15.1 percent. Austin’s native-born home ownership rate comes in at 48.7 percent with a total home ownership rate of 57.7 percent. The Capital City’s median home value is higher than Houston and Dallas, coming in at $283,600.

To determine the cities with the

3 Unexpected upgrades to add beauty and comfort to your home

W

hile a simple home upgrade once meant a new area rug or fresh coat of paint, these days, there are new and unexpected ways to update your space in order to add beauty and comfort to your home.

• Think Smart: New technology can add unexpected convenience and luxury to your everyday life. Virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit, can help make your space cozy, comfortable and secure, giving you the ability to control light bulbs, door locks, blinds, music and more with voice commands. Companion apps also allow you to control home elements through your phone from anywhere.

Particular about your shower? Create the perfect experience every day by programming temperature and water flow settings to your liking.

Enjoying family movie night and don’t want to get off the couch? With a WiFi-enabled SIMPLEconnect smart fan from Hunter Fan Company, for example, you can turn the light and breeze on and off with simple voice commands.

A new study shows that immigrants play a big part in Houston’s housing market.

(Photo courtesy of HAR) A new report from Lending Tree ranks Houston No. 6 among the 50 largest American cities with the most foreign-born homeowners. The list breaks down foreign-born home ownership rates, native-born home ownership rates, a foreign-born-tototal-population ratio, a total home ownership rate, and median home price. Miami tops the list, while Houston is the sole Texas city in the top 10.

Houston’s foreign-born home ownership rate comes in at 16.6 percent, compared to a native-born home ownership rate of 44.1 percent — for a total home ownership rate of 60.7 percent. (Houston’s foreign-born tototal-population ratio clocks in at 23.6 percent.) Perhaps most impressive on the Lending Tree list is Houston’s median home value, which at $192,900, is the lowest among the top 10 cities.

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas lands at No. 12 on the list. The Big D’s foreign-born home ownership rate rate 11.7 percent, with a foreign-born-tototal-population rate of 18.7 percent.

Dallas’s native-born home ownership rate comes in at 47.9 percent and its total home ownership rate is 59.7 percent. Dallas also boasts big-city value with a median home value of $214,900.

Austin, which clocks in at No. 21 overall, has a foreign-born home ownership rate of 9 percent, with a

highest foreign-born homeownership rates and population, Lending Tree pulled data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The Lending Tree report was inspired by a recent Census Bureau data that shows the United States has the highest proportion of immigrants since 1910.

The survey was also fueled by another study released by Oxford University and Citi Research, which found that immigrant communities contribute to growth in the economy by starting businesses, increasing the labor pool, and adding demand for housing, according to a release.

The ranking notes that cities with larger foreign-born populations and homeowners have higher home prices. (Prices for the top 10 cities average $491,750 compared with $167,560 for the bottom 10.) Lending Tree also calculated the median home values for the top cities and found that those with a higher share of homes owned by foreign-born residents tend to have higher home prices.

“This is not to say that immigrants raise home prices — rather, it’s likely that immigrants gravitate towards these cities which have higher home prices, as they also have more dynamic economies and thus more employment opportunities,” says Lending Tree chief economist Tendayi Kapfidze. - Culturemap.com

Updated analysis shows nearly half of Houston homes damaged in Harvey

• Living gallery wall: Add vitality and beauty to your space with a living gallery wall, whereby plant life becomes a work of art. Known as a vertical garden, there are many ways to go about it, whether it’s affixing planters in a pattern to your wall or hanging a flat panel of succulents and moss and bordering it with a picture frame. This will create a lively visual and a healthy one at that -- adding oxygen to the rooms of your home, or even nutrition, should you choose to plant herbs.

• Add a breeze: Whether you live in an old house where central air is non-existent or you just want to add some ventilation to your space with a low-key upgrade, there’s no need to call in an HVAC team. Adding a ceiling fan to the landing of your staircase, for example, can help pull

H

OUSTON - Nearly half of all the homes in Houston had some kind of damage from

Hurricane Harvey, and of those damaged, only 40 percent were in a floodplain, according to new data released

and circulate cool air into the upstairs space. Or, consider transforming the traditionally neglected laundry room into a space that’s comfortable for getting chores done. The addition of a ceiling fan can create a breeze and alleviate the heat created by the dryer.

Low-profile versions like the Cranbrook from Hunter Fan Company, are a good fit for the small square footage

of a laundry room.

For more design or upgrade tips, follow Hunter Fan Company on instagram at @Hunterfanco or visit itsaHunter.com.

Thinking outside the box when updating your space can go a long way toward adding beauty and comfort to your home.- StatePoint

Weatherization myths – Debunked!

W

eatherizing your home for each season can make it more comfortable – but how to do it can be confusing. Here are four common weatherizing myths – busted! – to help get your home ready for cooler weather to come.

Myth 1: It doesn’t matter where your thermostat is placed.

Truth: Location, location, location!

You may be spending more on heating and cooling than you need to be if your thermostat is in the wrong place.

Placed in direct sunlight, you run the risk of getting false readings, as it can “think” the room is warmer than it actually feels, causing your air conditioner to turn on when it isn’t needed.

Similarly, a thermostat placed near the kitchen often reads that the home is far warmer than it truly is due to the stove and oven. The best location is on an interior wall, centrally located and near areas where you spend the most time, ensuring these rooms are the most comfortable.

Myth 2: Closed curtains and blinds in cold weather prevent heat escape.

Truth: According to the Department of Energy, shades and drapes can reduce heat loss from a warm room by up to 10 percent. However, opening curtains and blinds during the day when direct sunlight hits can also allow for a warming effect. In winter, draperies should be closed at dusk but opened at dawn.

A view of Cinco Ranch, just west of Houston, after the storm; the floodwaters are a stew of toxins and bacteria. (Photo: Brent Humphreys for TIME)

Photo: Statepoint

In addition, heat escape through windows can be prevented with window insulation products such as Duck brand Roll-On Window Kits, which create a barrier between outdoor air and a home’s interior, helping block drafts and air leaks. And, it’s also a myth that these are hard to install: A pre-taped edge makes for easy roll-

Thursday, October 11th, by the city of Houston.

Updated estimates from the Houston Housing Department show 209,422 of the city’s 501,721 homes had some kind of damage from the storm, whether by flooding or some other kind of storm damage.

Half of housing victims were renters.

Of those that

Photo: Statepoint on application, requiring no measuring, while fitting snuggly to indoor window frames to provide an airtight, crystal-clear seal.

Myth 3: It’s expensive to draft-proof your home.

Truth: Homeowners can actually save hundreds of dollars annually on heating and cooling costs with proper weatherization early in the season.

How do you do it? There are many inexpensive, do-it-yourself weatherization products that are easy on the wallet and easy to install, requiring minimal -- if any -- tools.

Windows and doors are the two largest draft sources in any home and should be top priorities for homeowners. Duck brand MAX Strength Silicone Weatherstrip Seals are quick to install and seal various size gaps around windows and doors that may be allowing air to escape.

did have water inside the home, 59.4 percent weren’t in any floodplain, the data shows.

The new data comes as the department looks to see what need still exists financially. A team of scientists, flood engineers and housing staff conducted the assessment over the last eight months, the department said.

“Major disasters have hit Houston five times in the last three years,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a written statement. “If we chronically undercount the damage from these storms, then we’re going to be chronically under-resourced for recovery.

I’m committed to continuing to fight for the resources Houston needs to

Myth 4: It’s cheaper to keep your home at a constant temperature.

Truth: A common misconception is that it’s better to keep your home at a constant temperature, even when you’re not home. However, if the system runs less during the day, it uses less energy. According to Energy.gov, you can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling by turning your thermostat back 7-10 degrees from its normal setting for eight hours a day.

Still need more help? For additional tips and information, text “Weather” to 84444 to access Duck brand’s Project Selector, an online resource for project guides, instructional videos and more, or visit DuckBrand.com.

Don’t let common myths scare you.

Weatherizing can be an affordable, easy do-it-yourself project -- especially if you plan ahead. - StatePoint

build forward into a more resilient and equitable city.”

While there has been nearly $4 billion in insurance claims and aid has come into the city, there is still a need of at least $15 billion, the data shows.

Harvey was a real killer, there isnot doubt, with over 70 people losing their lives. But Harvey revealed something else about Texas too: a particular brand of compassionate resilience that shows itself best when a community is in crisis.

You can read the full report on the city’s website: www.houstontx.gov - KTRK

BEAUTY & STYLE

VOICE OF ASIA 20

L’Oreal Paris and Sabyasachi Mukherjee launch festive makeup collection

W

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

Manicure looks for a bewitching Halloween

hat better way to celebrate Halloween than with a freaky manicure?

We break down three easy-to-recreate looks for inspiration this spooky season.

Pumpkins Forget tacky ghosts -- why not go all out this year with a vibrant, pumpkinhued set of nails? Portland nail salon Finger Bang has the perfect take on the look, involving sharp, pointed stiletto nails, with the middle three fingers recreating a smiling, carved pumpkin.

The two outer nails are painted in a lacquered black hue for a minimalist, classy vibe.

- Relaxnews

Fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has teamed up with L’Oreal Paris on his debut beauty collection.

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ARIS / .MUMBAI - The Indian creative has joined forces with the cosmetics giant on a 21-piece festive makeup line dubbed ‘L’Oréal Paris x Sabyasachi,’ focusing on classic beauty looks such as winged liner and a red lip. The collection’s campaign is fronted by actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

“Modern beauty is about being

carefree and casual,” the designer told his 2.6 million followers, when introducing the new collection online. “Wear your makeup effortlessly.

Makeup shouldn’t wear you down. A red mouth, a winged liner, sun-kissed, wind-swept hair and a simple, classic saree creates a look that is iconic, yet simple to achieve. It has a certain je ne sais quoi about it.”

To this end, the series includes nine new ‘Color Riche Moist Matte Lipsticks’ in hues ranging from hot pink to soft beige, as well as a ‘Super Liner Black Lacquer Liquid Eye Liner’ and a version of the brand’s ‘Volume Million Lashes’ mascara.

The designer is the latest of several big names to hitch his star to the L’Oréal Paris beauty wagon, following in the footsteps of creatives such as Balmain and Isabel Marant.

- Relaxnews

TRENDING

2018 © Instagram / @fingerbangportland

Stickers that enhance your beauty and wellness

S

tickers that address myriad concerns ranging from wrinkles and acne to low energy and anxiety? Yes, the day has come.

Like Band-Aids with benefits, these adhesive treatments can provide a steady stream of helpful ingredients that you slap on for a designated period of time to reap both a beauty and overall wellness boost without a second thought.

without the need for extra serums and creams. Best of all, these stickers are reusable so you get major bang for your buck (and there are special versions for men, too).

Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Rose Gold Eye Masks (Photo below) A treatment that makes as much of an impact on Instagram as it does on your eye area? These stickers are

least you’ll enjoy a little extra attention (if you place it in a visible spot, of course).

111 Skin Meso Infusion Overnight Micro Mask Professional mesotherapy infuses the skin with nourishing ingredients via superficial injections. These targeted masks feature a prickly surface that mimics mesotherapy’s mode of action to enhance the penetration of hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. In just 90 minutes, these stickers provide visible improvement in crow’s feet, dark circles, nasolabial folds or any other area where you need line-smoothing.

The Body Shop pushes for an end to cosmetics animal testing around the world

- Haute Beauty

What exactly is a Brazilian Butt Lift?

S

crolling through Instagram, Facebook, and SnapChat, you may see references to a cosmetic enhancement procedure known as “BBL.” BBL is a term meaning Brazilian butt lift, and over 20,000 of these procedures were performed in 2017*, 10% more than in 2016. The high interest in Brazilian butt lift surgery can be traced to how the technique lifts, contours, and enhances the curves of the body—not only the derriere but also the waist, hips, and thighs. BBL can create more of a feminine, hourglass figure in women and greater lower body volume in men with natural-looking effects and enduring results.

Photo: WanderBeauty.com Patchology Breakout Box A lifesaver for anyone with blemish- or blackhead-prone skin, this kit includes Pimple-Shrinking Salicylic Acid Dots you stick on at the first sign of a pimple that has yet to erupt, Whitehead-Absorbing Hydrocolloid Dots that suck up pus and bacteria and Blackhead-Eliminating Nose Strips, because most of us could use some pore-purging from time to time.

SiO Beauty Anyone can amp up their overnight anti-aging measures with these messfree targeted silicone patches. With options for the forehead, crow’s feet, smile lines, around the lips, neck, chest, elbows and knees, you’ll see immediate results after one night

known for their ability to brighten, hydrate, de-puff and minimize dark circles thanks to hyaluronic acid, aloe leaf extract and lavender, which are sealed into the skin thanks to the glittery foil-based barrier that makes skincare look oh-so chic.

Body Vibes Expect to get questions from friends and strangers alike when wearing one of these stickers, which aim to minimize stress and bad moods or promote focus, energy and inner peace. Said to balance the body’s natural vibrational frequencies, simply place a sticker above and to the left of your heart (on your chest, upper arm or back).

Designed to stay put for 72 hours and withstand exercise, showering or anything else on your agenda, at the very

Brazilian butt lift is unique from what many call butt augmentation, a technique which typically uses implants to increase the size and improve the shape of the buttocks. In a Brazilian butt lift, the patient’s excess fatty tissue is transferred from one area of the body to another to achieve the desired volume boost. During the contouring process, the plastic surgeon will perform liposuction to sculpt the patient’s silhouette and to harvest the tissue needed to lift and enhance the lower body. As a result, no foreign objects or substances are left in the body once treatment is complete, so there is no risk of implant rupture or displacement.

By using fat injections, patients can see long-lasting, potentially permanent results—something other injectable treatments cannot claim.

This combination of natural tissue enhancement and figure-flattering contouring sets Brazilian butt lift apart from many other body procedures.

To obtain the best possible outcome,

The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International bring a record-breaking 8.3 Million signatures to the United Nations to end cosmetic animal testing globally (Photo: © Courtesy of PRNewsfoto/The Cruelty Free International)

T

he Body Shop has teamed up with the animal rights organization Cruelty Free International to protest against cosmetic animal testing.

Over the past 15 months, the beauty giant has gathered a total of 8.3 million signatures denouncing the practice, which it presented at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on World Animal Day on Thursday.

The move marks 30 years of partnership between the two organizations, who are aiming to create a global framework to end animal testing while advancing the United Nations’ sustainable development agenda.

“We are determined to finish what Dame Anita Roddick started back in 1989, and today we are at the United Nations to call for collaboration among the cosmetic industry, civil so-

ciety and governments to finally end cosmetic animal testing everywhere,” said David Boynton, CEO of The Body Shop, in a statement.

“A global framework is the only way to truly eliminate animal suffering,” added Michelle Thew, CEO of Cruelty Free International. “The petition demonstrates that across the globe, people want this practice to end.”

Cruelty-free cosmetics have become a major trend within the beauty industry over the past few years, with brands such as Tarte Cosmetics and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna seeing huge success with the business model. However, according to The Body Shop, it is still not illegal to test beauty products on animals in 80% of countries.

For more information on the campaign, see www.thebodyshop.com/ against-animal-testing - Relaxnews

however, it is imperative for patients to choose a highly qualified and extensively trained plastic surgeon who performs this procedure often and successfully.

post, I’ll discuss the BBL consultation process and what questions individuals can ask to help them find the best plastic surgeon for their needs and goals.

Many patients struggle to identify how to choose a physician who is qualified and capable. In my next blog

*According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons - Haute Beauty

TRAVEL / LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 21

Top tips for new, on-the-go parents

P

style.

arenthood doesn’t mean putting the brakes on your on-the-go life-

P

ARIS, France | AFP | 10/10/2018 - The French health watchdog Wednesday urged the government to follow the example of Australia and Brazil by banning sunbeds and tanning parlours because of the “proven” risk of skin cancer caused by exposure to artificial UV light.

For Shorter Trips

• Accessorize: “Before heading out, check the weather and gear up your stroller!” suggests Parry. “Sometimes, you’ll be gone for hours or even the entire day, and you’ll want to ensure you have everything you need, rain or shine.”

Never underestimate the importance of a weather shield to block wind and rain or to add extra insulation on colder days.

Fold it up and keep it in the basket of the stroller. A parent console is also useful. It adds extra storage and allows you to easily and instantly access goto items.

For the Longer Haul • Make sleeping arrange-

What Wendy Williams can’t travel without

W

endy Williams, who recently concluded a 10-city tour to celebrate the 10th season of “The Wendy Williams Show,” is known for her forthcoming nature and provocative takes on celebrity gossip as well as for her throatily voiced catchphrase, “How you doin’?”

She and her family love visiting the Cayman Islands where, she says, she’s a “sloth on vacation. Kevin and Kevin [her husband and son] they go, and they shoot up in the air on those standing things, and Jet Ski, and all that other kind of stuff, and I’m like O.K., well I’ll watch our stuff. See you when you get back.” She will get off the beach to get on a boat, however. “Every time we go away, no matter what, we always get a yacht for a day or for a night. We love that. And then we go way out in the water, and then jump in the water. And of course, get bit by stingrays.”

She is, in her words, very “squinty” when it comes to travel: she never leaves her passport in a hotel safe because she’s afraid of theft and hasn’t checked a bag in 30 years, she says, because she doesn’t trust the TSA. “You know, you read so many bad stories about how they take stuff. I don’t need anyone taking my shoes, or a pair of jeans or my hair, or anything like that.”

- Antibacterial wipes for the plane “I always have my anti-germy wipes, always. And I’m wiping, wiping, wiping, wiping, wiping wiping, wiping, wiping, wiping. And the first stop we make is at the drugstore where I stop and get the Lysol, and then I get in the hotel and I spray everything down. Yeah, that’s me. I’m her.”

-Hot sauce “I love to travel with my own hot sauce and I have it in packets so I no longer have to be disturbed by TSA.” - Robe “I travel with my own long silk robe. At the hotel you just never know if the robes have been washed after they’ve been worn by other people.”

- Flat shoes “When I travel, I love to have roll-up flats, the ones that you roll up and put in a bag, just in case your feet start hurting. For me, it’s never a fashion show, going away — it’s going away to relax. If they want a fashion show, then tell me, ‘Here’s Wendy,’ and open the double doors.” - New York Times

French health watchdog calls for ban on sunbeds

by Marie-Pierre Frery

Whether taking an everyday adventure or traveling far, ensure smoother sailing for the whole family with these tips from Lauren Parry, a mom of two and creator of the blog, “Outfits & Outings.”

• Make diaper bag packing an art form: Remember being able to jet out the door with just your keys, phone and wallet? Life is a bit more complicated these days, even for short jaunts. The general rule is to pack one diaper for each hour you’ll be in transit, plus extras in case of delays. In addition to wipes and diaper rash cream, it’s also good to carry plastic bags for storing soiled clothing.

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

A lightweight stroller is a must have for on-the-go parents. ments: Going out of town?

Save yourself the hassle of bringing certain baby gear -like playards and high chairs -that can be provided by a hotel.

But don’t make any assumptions about what’s available.

Call ahead to avoid surprises.

• Encourage comfort: Hotels can be loud due to street noise, the sounds of nearby guests and other disruptions. A soothing white noise machine can help, or replicate home comforts by selecting accommodations through a rental-by-owner site.

For Adventures Near & Far • Get a chic ride: “Whether I’m running errands or on a family vacation, I can’t stress enough how much the right stroller matters,” says Parry, who recommends the Baby Jogger City Tour LUX because of its ultra-compact, lightweight frame and versatility.

Parry notes that her stroller of choice comes with five different riding options, a reversible seat and accepts an infant car seat or foldable pram to accommodate newborns. Parents can also make it a double stroller by attaching a glider board.

Other useful features include a

one-hand fold and a carry bag for transportation.

“One thing I quickly learned was that you have to be flexible when kids are in tow.

This means you need a stroller that’s adaptable to whatever your needs are at that particular moment,” says Parry. “This stroller’s features -- including an easy-to-use hand brake, durable tires, and 3-panel canopy -- make it easy to stay on-thego and keep my baby happy while I’m out and about.”

To learn more about the City Tour LUX, recommended for children up to 45 pounds, visit babyjogger.com.

• Keep hunger at bay: No matter where you’re headed or how you’re getting there, snacks are essential. Cheerios are a good go-to but try to keep a few favorites stored in the diaper bag. When possible, opt for less messy items to minimize the potential for spills and stains.

Traveling with children is never easy but being prepared will help the whole family have fun, no matter the adventure.

- StatePoint

“We recommend banning all activities linked to artificial tanning, along with ultraviolet sunlamps sold for esthetic purposes,” Olivier Merckel, an expert at the Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), told AFP. Of 10,722 cases of malignant melanoma -- the deadliest form of skin cancer -- reported among French adults over age 30 in 2015, 382 could be directly linked to the use of sunbeds and sunlamps, ANSES estimated recently.

Skin specialists, the French academy of medicine, and some politicians have already spoken out in favour of a ban, but the French government so far has only tightened regulations.

France already bans those aged 18 and under from using commercial tanning parlours, and has outlawed advertising for them.

A total ban is now needed, Merckel said.

“Scientific data is growing, there isn’t any doubt any more.

We have solid proof. The risk of cancer is proven, we have figures on the risk to young people, to everyone, so now we’re calling for action from the authorities,” he added.

France’s health watchdog has called for a ban on sunbeds given a “proven” link to skin cancer People under 35 who resort at least once to artificial tanning increase the likelihood of developing skin melanoma by 59 percent, according to ANSES. Commercial tanning activity in France has already been halved since 2009, according to the National union of tanning professionals which represents some 300 specialised salons and 4,500 beauty parlours offering tanning in the country.

Some 10,000 jobs will go if the government were to follow ANSES’ “inept recommendations,” it said Wednesday in a statement.

French health and safety inspectors have criticised tanning salons for breaching standards, saying UV emissions on some sunbeds were not regularly checked, while others are operated by untrained staff.

About 29% of white high school girls use tanning beds, according to a new study, whose findings have alarmed doctors and public health officials concerned about rising rates of deadly skin cancers in

young women.

The evidence linking the ultraviolet light from tanning lamps with melanoma has never been stronger, says Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, who wasn’t involved in the new study. Melanoma is a lethal form of skin cancer diagnosed in nearly 77,000 Americans a year, according to the cancer society. Melanoma kills 9,500 Americans a year.

In 2016, 63 percent of the 982 tanning cabins checked by consumer protection authority the DGCCRF were in breach of standards.

There is a “proven” link between artificial sunlight and human cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a body of the World Health Organisation, warned as early as 2009.

Brazil became the first country in the world to ban indoor tanning beds in the same year, followed by Australia as of 2015.

SMALL BUSINESSES

VOICE OF ASIA 22

B

D

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

ACCOUNTANTS BOOK-KEEPING

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

INCOME TAX

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Tel: 832-877-9625 Free Consultation asu2020.com

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India’s Restaurant & Catering

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With expressive Mercury in Scorpio, your mind might be particularly astute and primed to look beneath the surface. Despite this, go easy on Friday because things may not be as they seem.

21 April to 20 May If you have low expectations for a date over the weekend, you might be pleasantly surprised. Finding someone you don’t mind spending a few hours with is a major accomplishment.

21 May to 20 June The energy now continues to demand caution and a careful review of what you have already accomplished.

You can be very effective within a certain disciplined area.

21 June to 22 July You love to make your workplace as comfortable as home, and this could involve making others at work feel like family. With a harmonious aspect now, you’re likely to take this a step further.

23 July to 22 August If you have any experience as a fitness instructor, masseuse, or yoga or tai chi teacher, this is a great time to offer your services. Your practical nature and calm and helpful outlook will help you be very effective in these kinds of jobs.

23 August to 22 Sept You might want to go ahead with something but meet resistance from others. This could lead to a dance where you’re trying to gauge each other’s moves. If this causes delays, it could also reveal flaws in the plan and bring an opportunity.

THEME: HALLOWEEN

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Week of OCTOBER 19, 2018 21 March to 20 April

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD

Astrology.com

23 September to 22 Oct If a casual conversation turns into a tense debate on a date over the weekend, change the subject ASAP. There’s no reason to argue this soon after meeting someone, Libra. A second date probably isn’t in the cards, though.

23 October to 21 Nov The time brings an expansive energy that can make you feel particularly restless or resistant to being told what to do. It’s a good time for travel and related jobs. Training can bring greater satisfaction and success.

22 November to 21 Dec You have some strange energy affecting your work and money picture. Aspects affecting past lives, karma, and institutions show that you may be well served to think about working for a larger company.

22 December to 20 Jan It’s time to do an emotional detox and release all the bitterness, resentment, and pain accumulated over a lifetime. It isn’t possible to let it go all at once. If you work on this daily, you’ll notice a big difference in your health and vitality.

21 January to 19 Feb This is a great time to work out regularly with a group of friends. You’ll be able to give each other plenty of support. You can encourage one another to work through issues that may keep you from reaching your fitness goals.

20 February to 20 Mar This is the time to act, even if it’s difficult or scary. Decisions you make in favor of a healthier life will be beneficial. Aspects can bring strong emotions to the surface. You may feel pushed and pulled in several directions.

ACROSS 1. Accumulate 6. To and ____ 9. Audition tape 13. October, e.g.

14. Adam’s body part 15. Mountain climber’s spike 16. Weasel’s aquatic cousin 17. Gentry’s “___ to Billie Joe” (1967) 18. Agitate 19. *Stanley Kubrick’s “The ____” 21. *Ghost or ghoul 23. “____ ____ Clear Day You Can See Forever” 24. Clothing joint 25. *Nighttime radar flyer 28. European sea eagle 30. Not wholesale 35. In the sack 37. Popular dieter’s foe 39. Laundromat setting 40. Carrying bag 41. Enjoy, as in food 43. Parks on a bus 44. Made a mistake 46. In 1492, it sailed the ocean blue 47. Outback birds 48. Stadiums 50. ____pit 52. Hitherto 53. Genuflecting joint 55. Feather glue 57. *She played Laurie Strode 60. *Dead one 64. Bipolar disorder phase 65. Marienbad, e.g.

67. Blind alternative 68. Give the boot 69. Breathing matter 70. Famous Bolshevik 71. London art museum 72. “Owner of a Lonely Heart” band 73. Not slouching

DOWN 1. Andy’s radio partner 2. Sweater eater 3. Dead against 4. Kind of pad 5. Sacred spot 6. *”Eye of newt, and toe of ____...”

7. Relieve from 8. Falstaffian in body 9. Christian of haute-couture 10. Evening purse 11. Lion’s share 12. Single 15. Kindergartener’s textbook 20. Drug agents 22. “____ for the course” 24. Nonprofit’s purpose 25. *”Psycho” motel proprietor 26. Terminate, as in mission 27. “Four” prefix 29. Indian flatbread 31. Homemade swing seat 32. Societal breakdown of moral standards 33. October edition of “Vogue,” e.g.

34. Minimum 36. Ownership document 38. *____-chilling 42. Haile Selassie’s disciple 45. Stalin’s order, e.g.

49. “Wheel of Fortune” request 51. Equestrian’s seat 54. Op-ed piece 56. More raw 57. Vena ____ 58. g or cm 59. *”The Vampire Chronicles” author 60. *Christine and such 61. Weather ____ 62. Homer’s “Iliad” 63. Monthly due 64. Came together 66. Crusty dessert

SOLUTION: HALLOWEENon page 23

CLASSIFIEDS

VOICE OF ASIA 23

Job Posting – Associate Producer Are you a newscast producer who’s ready to move up to a top 10 market? Here is your chance to work for one of the nation’s best broadcasting companies that is dedicated to covering local news.

KTRK-TV, the ABC O&O station in Houston, TX is accepting applications for an Associate Producer.

The person hired for this position will line produce a section of our weekend morning newscasts and have opportunity to fill in on other newscasts as well.

Applicants must have experience working as a line producer. This is a newsroom that embraces new technology. ENPS /Aurora/Ignite experience a plus – as is good understanding of social media and how it can be used to reach viewers and create content. Candidates must be able and willing to learn both non-linear editing and writing for our digital platforms. Applicants must be willing to work overnights, weekends and holidays.

To be considered interested applicants must apply online at disneycareers.com, ref job #600744BR. Please upload a cover letter, resume and list of references. In addition, please email writing samples or link to your latest newscast to: KTRK.HR@abc.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer - Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity

No Telephone Calls Please

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018

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Beneets:

Job Posting – News Producer Are you a Rockstar Producer ready to take on a next level challenge? We are looking for an aggressive, proven, passionate, cool-under-pressure News Producer who knows what it takes to put together a fast-paced, creative, highly-showcased newscast. Houston is a major market that is a magnet for stories that often make national headlines. KTRK-TV, the ABC Owned Television station in Houston, TX wants a vocal and confident producer who knows how to handle the big stories, dig for informative, interesting content, knows how to meet the needs of the ‘new’ news audience, and knows when it’s time to abandon everything for breaking news, weather, or traffic. You must have excellent news judgement and the ability to come up with and pitch unique story ideas every day. You will be required to command the control room and manage an ever-evolving rundown during live newscasts.

Candidates must also have complete understanding of how to promote and utilize digital content, including live streaming. Knowledge of ENPS and desktop editing a plus. Will need to show examples of newscasts, and submit tease and headline writing samples. This is a high profile position that requires a high level of skill. Candidates must have at least three years line-producing experience in a medium or major market.

To be considered interested applicants must apply online at disneycareers. com, Ref Job# 600743BR. Please upload a cover letter, resume and list of references. In addition, please email writing samples or link to your latest newscast to: KTRK.HR@abc.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer - Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity No Telephone Calls Please

Job Posting – Temporary News Reporter KTRK-TV, the ABC owned station located in Houston, TX, has an opening for a full time temporary News Reporter.

Candidates should have experience in general assignment reporting, including live breaking news. Applicants must be able to develop contacts, enterprise good, hard news stories, and respond well to spot news. Having the ability to shoot your own material is a plus. Candidates must have outstanding writing skills for both broadcast and digital platforms. Must be willing to work evenings and weekends.

All interested applicants must apply on-line at www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references. Interested applicants should also send video tape samples of your news related work to: Human Resources, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005. Please Reference Job ID: 597651BR on all materials submitted.

Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity No Telephone Calls Please

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD SOLUTION

Theme: HALLOWEENfrom Page 22

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VOICE OF ASIA 24

FRIDAY, October 19, 2018