Voice of Asia E-paper January 11, 2019

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Mahatma Gandhi Sesquicentennial and Annual MLK Birthday Celebrations

Hasina sworn in as Bangladesh PM after 'tainted' polls

by Shafiqul Alam

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HAKA, Bangladesh | AFP | 1/7/2019 - Sheikh Hasina was sworn in as Bangladesh's prime minister for a record fourth term Monday after a crushing election victory marred by deadly violence and claims of widespread rigging.

Hasina, 71, has presided over record economic growth in the South Asian country of 165 million people but critics have accused her of creeping authoritarianism.

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

Her ruling Awami League party and its allies won the December 30 elections by Former Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao. (Image: The Express Tribune)

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OUSTON - As part of the 150th birth anniversary celebration of Mahatma Gandhi, Rothko Chapel Houston in association with Consulate General of India Houston will be hosting a conversation between Former Indian Ambassador to the United States & Former Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao and civil rights activist and organizer Rev. Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr. The event will honor the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and explore the influence of Mahatma Gandhi on Dr. King.

The interaction will be followed by performances by Indrajit Banerjee (sitar) and Shantilal Shah (tabla) and

Rev. Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr. (Image courtesy: Coursera)

the Phillip Hall Singers, organized in partnership with the Mahatma Gandhi Library-Houston.

The event will be held on Tuesday January 15, 2019 at 7.00 pm at Rothko Chapel (3900 Yupon, Houston 77006). Consulate General of India invites everyone to join this important and timely program celebrating the interconnected lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Registration is required. Please visit the link below: http://rothkochapel.org/experience/events/register/1558

AFP Photo

Continued on page 9

John Mendelsohn, MD Anderson President Emeritus, Passes Away Read on page 7

John Mendelsohn, M.D., president emeritus of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. (Image: UTMD Anderson Cancer Center)

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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

VOICE OF ASIA 2

by The New York Times Editorial Board Jan. 7, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

— The Publisher Voice of Asia (USPS 010-215) (ISSN#10705058) is published every Friday (for a subscription rate of $50 per year) by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074.

Tel: 713-774-5140. Fax: 713-774-5143. Periodical postage paid at Houston, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Voice of Asia, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074.

Goldmining Silicon Valley - 2019 Tech Forecast

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• Tech stocks are greatly oversold, with some giants that practically print money down by more than 20% since October, putting them in bear market territory. We believe a rebound is at hand.

• The economy is in overall great shape. We have the best job climate in decades, and consumer confidence is near 15-year highs.

• Corporate earnings are on fire, especially among highprofit tech leaders. Zacks says S&P 500 company earnings in the third quarter were up 25.7% from the same period last year on 8.4% higher revenues.

• Businesses just got the biggest tax cut in decades, which has been particularly helpful for tech, because that sector already had high profit margins.

• The World Economic Forum says the United States has the most competitive economy on Earth.

Tech will once again beat the broader market in 2019, as it has since the bull market began in March 2009. After all, the U.S. is now clearly a tech-centric economy. And as you will see

In a letter Sunday to lawmakers, the White House laid out its latest proposal for addressing the border tumult. The administration called for more immigration and Border Patrol agents, more detention beds and, of course, $5.7 billion to build 234 new miles of border wall. The White House also demanded an additional $800 million for “urgent humanitarian needs,” such as medical support, transportation and temporary facilities for processing and housing detainees.

Translation: Mr. Trump’s mass incarceration of migrant families is overwhelming an already burdened system that, without a giant injection of taxpayer dollars, will continue to

by Chris Lefkow

W

ASHINGTON | AFP | - Most US vice presidents are quickly forgotten. One of them famously -- if perhaps apocryphally -- dismissed the job as "not worth a bucket of warm spit."

• Why we Thinks 2019 Will Be the “Year of Big Tech” • The “Hidden” Play Behind 5G’s DNA • Marijuana Millions: This Cannabis Subsector Just Got Primed for big Growth • The Crypto Circle: The Unstoppable Trends to Watch for in the New Year • Why the Lone Star Chipmaker Should Be Your Next Income Play Cheers and good investing….!

Gary iyer CIO Consultant Disclaimer: This is not a personalized investment advice.

Newsletters and investment advisories should never be interpreted as personalized investment advice. Any decisions related to investment amounts will be left entirely up to you and your advisor. Please send an email to gary.iyer@intellyvest.com if you

have any questions.

collapse, leading to ever more human suffering.

The situation is an especially rich example of the Trump Doctrine: Break something, then demand credit — and in this case a lot of money — for promising to fix it.

Late last week, frustrated by his standoff with Democrats, Mr. Trump even threatened to declare a national emergency in order to get his wall built without Congress’s approval — a move guaranteed to prompt a ferocious legal challenge.

Any attempt to sell Mr. Trump’s cruel immigration agenda with a veneer of humanitarian measures should be viewed with skepticism.

This administration has long held that the best way to deal with asylum seekers fleeing the horrors of their home countries is to increase their suffering upon reaching the United States to discourage

others from even trying.

There is no question but that the administration remains ill equipped to cope with the fallout from its narrow fixation on deterrence. Migrant children are being piled into holding cells where they fall ill — or worse. The number of detainees at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities has swelled to unprecedented levels, requiring periodic mass releases. Without preparation or planning, hundreds of migrants are simply dropped off at bus stations in border cities. The Times found that, in the final week of December, some 600 migrants were unceremoniously released onto the streets of El Paso.

Mr. Trump’s spiteful choice to shut parts of the government is only making the situation messier. Immigration judges are being furloughed, further slowing the processing of asylum requests. Border Patrol agents are working without

pay, eroding morale. In perhaps the choicest twist of fate, some $300 million in new contracts for wall construction cannot be awarded until the shutdown ends.

With Democrats now controlling the House, the president is right to assume that he will need a new negotiating approach. But the answer isn’t for lawmakers to throw good money after bad, or to try to prettify a retrograde agenda with humanitarian trimmings.

The Trump administration is asking Congress and the American public to embrace warped logic, that its policies are going to continue and that the only question is whether any money should be spent on measures to ease the suffering caused by those policies.

After two years of watching this administration run amok, surely Democratic lawmakers can come up with a better approach.

Dick Cheney: the consummate Washington power-broker

The film failed to capitalize on its early buzz, but Christian Bale won best actor honors for his widely praised portrayal of Cheney -- the British actor is nearly unrecognizable under a pile of make-up and prosthetics.

"Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration for playing this role," Bale said in his acceptance speech.

Of director Adam McKay, Bale quipped that he needed to choose an actor who "can be absolutely charisma-free and reviled by everybody" to play Cheney,

- Washington career -

throughout this forecast issue, several tech fields are poised for big gains this year. Now, as we mentioned up top, there are four major Goldmining Silicon Valley Offers on the horizon that will drive the rebound.

President Trump rained cruelties on immigrants and asylum seekers and now wants hundreds of millions of dollars to address the humanitarian crisis he caused.

Cheney's life is the subject of an unflattering Hollywood portrayal in the movie "Vice," which had the most nominations going into Sunday's Golden Globes with six, including one for best comedy film.

Those eight years were the culmination of his decadeslong rise through the corridors of power in the US capital.

Gary Iyer

Borderline Insanity

But George W. Bush's former right-hand man Dick Cheney is considered to have been one of the most powerful "veeps" in US history, a Machiavellian figure who wielded considerable influence behind the scenes.

The former congressman and defense secretary, who served as Bush's vice president from 2001 to 2009, was often portrayed in the media at that time as a menacing Darth Vader figure, pulling strings behind the scenes.

appy New Year!

2018 may have been rough for most investors – but hope you are not most investors. The S&P500, even after the two big days up is down 7.7% for the year.

How do we succeed in 2019?

We have identified four major catalysts that will lead to a tech rebound – that will keep your portfolio positive. But before we show you those four catalysts – which we are calling our “Goldmining Silicon Valley” – We want to take a moment to address the macro issues that also make us upbeat about making money in 2019.

A

s the government shutdown over President Trump’s demand for border-wall funding moves through week three, the administration is looking to cut a deal with Democrats by emphasizing the deepening humanitarian crisis at the border — a crisis caused in large part by this administration’s inhumane policies, political grandstanding and managerial incompetence.

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on January 30, 1941, Cheney grew up mostly in the sparsely populated western state of Wyoming.

He attended Yale University but dropped out of the prestigious East Coast school and ended up earning a degree in political science back home at the University of Wyoming.

Cheney obtained several draft deferments during the Vietnam War so that he could continue his studies. He was also arrested twice for drunken driving.

He married Lynne Vincent in 1964 and came to Washington five years later as a congressional intern.

It was in the US capital that he met and eventually went to work for the man who was to become his political mentor, Donald Rumsfeld.

Cheney served in the White House under Gerald Ford, eventually replacing Rumsfeld as the president's chief of staff and running Ford's unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1976.

A Republican stalwart, Cheney went into politics himself in 1978, winning Wyoming's seat in the House of Representatives and holding on to it for the next decade.

Liz Cheney, the eldest of his two daughters, has kept Wyo-

Actor Christian Bale (L) won a Golden Globe for his depiction of former US vice president Dick Cheney in the movie "Vice" -- a surprising transformation (AFP Photo/CHRIS DELMAS, Nicholas KAMM) ming's House seat in the family, having won it in 2016 as a Republican.

Cheney's other daughter, Mary, is a lesbian, and he has openly broken with Republican orthodoxy by supporting gay marriage.

Named defense secretary by president George H.W. Bush in 1989, Cheney presided over the Pentagon during the 199091 Gulf War, in which a US-led coalition evicted Iraqi troops from Kuwait.

Cheney went into the private sector after Bush senior lost the 1992 presidential election to Bill Clinton, and was named the CEO of Halliburton in 1995.

He led the construction and oil field services giant for the next five years, leaving the post in 2000 to join the presidential ticket as the running mate of former Texas governor George W. Bush.

- Iraq and WMD As vice president, Cheney brought his neo-conservative ideology to the White House and played a greater role in making major policy decisions than most of his predecessors in the role.

"Vice" by Adam McKay. © Courtesy of Mars Films Cheney is widely seen as one of the driving forces behind the decision to invade Iraq follow-

ing the September 11, 2001 attacks by Al-Qaeda on New York and Washington.

VOICE OF ASIA 3

Section 1

Community Email: voiceasia@aol.com

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Tel: 713-774-5140

Gujarati Samaj of Houston hosts funfilled New Year’s bash

by Girish Naik

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ujarati Samaj of Houston celebrated New Year Party at the Elite Banquet Hall on December 31, 2018 from 8:00 PM onwards. Geeta Patel and the entire team of Gujarati Samaj of Houston made sure that the venue was beautifully decorated and all the arrangements for making it a great party for members attending it.

At 8:00 PM the guests started coming dressed elegantly to enjoy welcoming the New Year with friends and family. The guests were checked in and welcomed as they made they way to the Photo booth, compliments of AIG financial company for a photo with New Year Party wear, and excited to get their photographs instantly.

Inside the Hall, DJ Nish was fully setup with the DJ Station and music. He started playing soft, old romantic songs as the guests started having the drinks with spicy peanuts and the appetizers from Ashiana Restaurant.

This created a pleasing environment for socializing and catching up with long time friends.

Around 8:45 PM , DJ Nish got the people into the Dancing mood with a few slow romantic songs and then slowly dumped up the music with faster bits and party songs of the 90’s. The crowd went crazy dancing to the beats of the music.

Many guests complimented DJ Nish on his selection of the songs and the remix he added to the flavor.

Dancing continued for 1 ½

hours, which gave enough time for the Ashiana Restaurant to setup the Dinner with Punjabi menu of Naan, Veg Jalfrezi, sak paneer, Daal, Rice, Papaad, spicy Onions and Gulab Chambu as desert.

Geeta Patel, President of Gujarati Samaj of Houston thanked all the sponsors, Ina Patel of New York Life, AIG for the Photo Booth, Twinkle Patel for sponsoring the senior tables, Gopal Savjani for become once more the Grand Sponsor for 2019 and giving the 2019 team a boost by Donating $10,000 for future programs of GSH. Geetaben also thanked the photographers Navin Medivala, Chaya Studio, Asit Patel for their volunteer services to the Samaj. Ina Patel, of New York life also gave away a lot of Large New Year Calendars, Magnets for the Freezes and small desk calendars.

Again, the Music with started by DJ Nish getting everyone on the toes dancing to the tunes. When you are having a great time, time flies while you are having a great time. At 11:45 PM the champagne bottles were opened, and cups were filled for the New year Toast. At 11:50 DJ Nish and the GSH Committee got all the guest ready with party flavors and party wear. At 11:59 the countdown for the New year Started and at the stroke of 12:00 AM, the hall went crazy as the members shouted, “Happy New Year” and started wishing loved ones with hugs and kisses and friends with high fives and hugs. The music continued way past the new year and finally ended at 12:45 AM.

New Year's Party in full swing. Geeta Patel, President of Gujarati Samaj of Houston seen enjoying with guests

Gujarati Samaj of Houston directors.

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FEATURE

VOICE OF ASIA 4

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Haldi Kumkum during Makar Sankranti: The history and significance of this social gathering of women

Prof. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee

by Meenakshi Bhattacharjee Rice University, Houston TX.

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he first Hindu festival in the new calendar year 2019 is just around the corner. The festival of Makar Sankranti will be celebrated on January 15. Makar Sankranti is the day when the sun enters the Makara or Capricorn constellation. It is the only Hindu festival that is decided upon the position of the Sun; other festivals follow the lunar calendar. The women of the household prepare special food items like Tilgul and Tilvadi during this day. Another important tradition associated with Makar Sakranti is the Haldi Kumkum ceremony.

Women invite other women and perform a small ceremony of applying haldi, kumkum to them and offering sweets. It is a social gathering which wishes for the well-being and long lives of the husbands

Although the Haldi Kumkum ceremony is primarily held in the western and southern part of India but today its celebrated all over India and the world where Indians are.

It is observed by the married women who invite their friends, relatives, neighbors to meet and greet. After applying the haldi and kumkum on forehead, a perfume is also applied on their forearms, rose-water is sprinkled over them and sweets are offered to them. Flowers and coconut are also presented to the guests sometimes. The hostess gives out small gifts to her guests and offers tilgul along with light snacks. The period of Makar Sankranti is considered favorable for spiritual practice and any gift given during this period is equivalent to offering and receiving the grace of the Divine on both sides.

History and Significance of Haldi Kumkum Ceremony The practice of Haldi Kumkum is said to have emerged during the Peshwa rule. While

the men were busy fighting battles, the women did not get a chance to leave the house.

So the ladies of the royal families would invite their married friends and shower them with expensive gifts like saris or jewelry. It was a time for women to enjoy and be free for a while, get together with their friends and have merriment over snacks.

The women would apply haldi and kumkum and pray for well-being of their husbands. The haldi kumkum ceremony gave them an opportunity to do what every woman loves – dress up, go out, meet other women and bond with them over choice delicacies (kairi panha and vatli dal in this case) and even come away with a little gift; which could be used either in the kitchen or for personal adornment. And they got to do this not once but several times over, depending on how many friends and relatives one could invite and be invited in their turn.

The festivities begin from Sankranti and continue well into February, so this would have been a busy, happy period in the lives of many women

then.

It is said that gifting anything around the time of Makar Sankranti is auspicious and next to receiving the grace from the Divine. The practice of organising a Haldi Kumkum continues today and each of the women while she attends another invites the hostess to her house for the ceremony.

Flavored milk, sweets and Tilgul is commonly offered to the women guests.

Haldi Kumkum is now more of a social gathering among women and their friends. It is time they visit each other’s' houses and have some fun and merriment. The women of today are known to get the entire ceremony catered, if the number of invitees is large enough.

It is now a social outing, and provides yet another opportunity for ladies to dress up, go out, meet friends and exchange presents and can be added to the long list of festivals which are accused of becoming too ‘commercial’. There are now haldi kumkum planners who offer to manage the whole show – right from food, to entertainment and buying suitable gifts that would be taste-

Vietnam's 'incense village' blazes pink ahead of Lunar New Year

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ANOI, Vietnam / Tue, January 8, 2019 - In Vietnam's "incense village", dozens are hard at work dying, drying and whittling down bamboo bark to make the fragrant sticks ahead of the busy lunar new year holiday.

after school.

Selling her sticks to central Vietnam, Hoa can earn up to $430 a month leading up to Tet, a tidy sum in the country where the average monthly income is $195.

Most households in the al-

PHOTO RIGHT: a Vietnamese woman collecting dried incense sticks in a courtyard in the village of Quang Phu Cau on the outskirts of Hanoi. (Photos: AFP/Manan Vatsyayana) PHOTO BELOW: This picture taken on January 4, 2019 shows Vietnamese workers dying bamboo incense sticks at a workshop in the village of Quang Phu Cau on the outskirts of Hanoi.

It is the most frantic time of year for workers in the cottage industry in Quang Phu Cau village on the outskirts of Hanoi, where families have been making incense for more than a century -- a great source of pride for many.

"It is a traditional and spiritual job making these sticks," Dang Thi Hoa told AFP, sitting amid bundles of bright pink incense sticks drying under the afternoon sun.

Her village is among several dotted across Vietnam making the sticks, the scent of each batch tailored to the tastes of regions they will be sold in.

Sales tick up every year ahead of and during the Tet lunar new year in February, when throngs of people crowd into temples to light incense during worship, or burn the sticks on the ancestral altar at home.

Hoa's family started making the sticks more than 100 years ago and her mother still pitches in along with her teenage daughter who helps out

leys of Quang Phu Cau are involved in the ancient trade.

Some hack bamboo planks down to be fed into a whittling machine; others dip the thin strips into buckets of pink dye, leaving hundreds of brightly coloured bushels fanned out like bouquets on the streets to air out.

After, women donning cloth face masks coat the dried sticks with aromatic incense paste before redrying them and shipping them off for packaging.

The work offers more than

just pride for many in Quang Phu Cau: like Hoa, many earn good money making incense compared to factory work nearby.

"This job is hard work, but I am earning enough to raise two of my children to become doctors," said Le Thi Lieu as she laid her incense out to dry.

That said, she's happy her two other kids have decided to work with her.

"We need at least one to work in the business so they can take over in the future."

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ful and exclusive. It certainly offers a wide scope of areas for women entrepreneurs to explore, innovate and come up with an attractive package of services for the working woman/socialite/newlywed that are looking to host a memorable haldi kumkum ceremony.

The spoiler here is that it is also restricted to married women. All the offerings given during this ceremony – vermilion, flowers, rice, coconut- symbolise matrimonial bliss. Young single girls are allowed, on the condition that they accompany a ‘suhaagan’.

The women who deck themselves out in honor of this occasion will pray for the long lives of their husbands or for the deity to bless them with a good husband.

Caught up as we are in the daily grind of routine life, the men may not go to battle but the daily commute can be bad enough and now the working women do it too – do we really need this tradition; in a calendar already loaded with several festivals; each with their own duration, rites and rituals?

I think we do. And the first, most important reason is that it’s a woman-centric festival.

All that’s needed is to make it more inclusive, so that it is no longer the domain or privilege of married women.

Another reason would be, as mentioned earlier, that it’s an excellent business opportunity for enterprising women. There are things that only women know, for example: the answer to the question – what do women want? But seriously, who better than a woman to entrust with the task of picking out presents for other women, fixing a menu and decorating the house?

And finally, traditions, customs, rituals, they all give us roots; a sense of belonging and an identity. They can be fun too, provided they don’t rule our lives or weigh us down with a sense of societal obligation.

So, pull out those gorgeous saris and accessories, ladies.

And have a wonderful Haldi Kumkum! And a very Happy New Year-2019 to all my readers.

VOICE OF ASIA 5

www.voiceofasia.news

Business Email: voiceasia@aol.com

3rd ICCR Houston India Conference at Asia Society on Jan 11

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Tel: 713-774-5140

IACCGH team joins Mayor's Turner's Trade Mission to India

I

Sanjeev Sanyal

Dr. Subramanian

Sandip Sen

Brian McLaughlin

Dr. Jyoti Kiran

Prof. Chatuvedi

Prof. Paranjape

Aroop Zutshi

Ashok Belani

Dr.Petkoski

ICCR Speakers. (Image source: houstonindiaconference.com)

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hird ICCR Houston India Conference is being held at Asia Society Texas Center, Houston on Friday, January 11, 2019. This is an Indian Council for Cultural relations (ICCR) event organized by the Consulate General of India, Houston, in association Expedien Inc., Asia Society, Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, Greater Houston Partnership and MyInd Makers.

India has experienced remarkable transformation in recent history, going from being a newly independent state to a candidate for permanent membership on the UN Security Council in a few short decades.

This transformation has taken place following a distinctly Indian path. Texas has a large interest in India. India is one of the major business partners for companies in this area. There is a large Indian presence in the educational, medical and research institutes that Houston is renowned for.

The Houston India Conference is designed to bring together various constituencies

that have an interest in India and discuss contemporary events and issues elated to business in India.

The conference has a series of panel discussions on the state of the Indian economy and politics, doing business in India, and to explore India’s growing soft power on the global stage. The panelists are some of the most respected voices, including leading economists, defense analysts, directors of educational institutions, business pioneers, and thought leaders sharing their insights on the unique Indian way of thinking.

The speakers for this edition include: i.

Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India ii. Prof.

Makarand Paranjape, Director of Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla iii. Prof. Sachin Chatuvedi, Director General, Research and Information Sys-

tem for Developing Countries (RIS), India iv. Sandip Sen, Global CEO and Executive Director, Aegis Limited v.

Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramanian, Defense Expert & Author vi.

Aroop Zutshi, Global President & Managing Partner, Frost & Sullivan vii. Ashok Belani, Executive Vice President Technology, Schlumberger viii. Brian McLaughlin, Senior Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, McDermott

ACCGH had an instrumental role in helping plan and execute the Mayor’s Trade Delegation to India in November 2018. Chamber Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia, President Swapan Dhairyawan and Past President Sanjay Ramabhadran, joined the delegation and ensured a smooth set of meetings in India. The Chamber worked closely with Dr Anupam Ray in arranging the official meetings for the Mayor and other officials including meetings with the Union Tourism Minister, the Union Infrastructure Minister, Minister of State for Home Affairs and thanks to Chamber member Hasu Patel, even a meeting with the Vice President of India Shri VenkaiahNaidu in Mumbai was coordinated.

The Chamber arranged joint meetings with IACC and CII in Delhi and Mumbai featuring Houston with presentations by Greater Houston Partnership, the Mayor and other chamber participants.

Other events were co hosted with the PHD Chamber in Delhi and World Trade Center in Mumbai MOU’s were signed between IACCGH GHP and IACC- India in Delhi and Mumbai.

Delegation at PHD Chamber in Delhi and World Trade Center in Mumbai. to IACC, and will be displayed at the various art galleries in Mumbai courtesy from IACC Mumbai.

Other highlight of the delegation was a visit to the Humayun tomb as guests of Murad Ajani, of the SW Houston Aga Khan Council. This UNESCO heritage is being developed and

Houston, and all attendees felt he was the best person marketing Houston in India.

The delegation was a grand success with an official meeting with the US Ambassador to India Ken Juster and a dinner at the residence of the Deputy Chief of Mission of US embassy, Mary Kay Carlson, co-

ix.

Dr. Jyoti Kiran Shukla, Ex-Chairperson, Rajasthan Finance Commission, India x.

Dr. Djordjija Petkoski, Lecturer & Senior Fellow at Wharton Legal Studies & Business Ethics More information and registration details can be found on https://houstonindiaconference.com/

Eli Lilly to acquire Loxo Oncology for $8 billion

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EW YORK | AFP | Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly announced Monday it will acquire Loxo Oncology for around $8 billion, the latest big transaction aimed at developing and monetizing new treatments for cancer.

The deal supplements Eli Lilly's pipeline of cancer-oriented medicines with assets from Loxo, which was incorporated in 2013 and has a number of promising treatments at various stages of development.

Under the terms of Monday's deal -- which follows last week's $74 billion announced takeover of Celgene by BristolMyers Squibb -- Eli Lilly will pay $235 per share in cash, or about $8 billion, for Stanford, Connecticut-based Loxo.

The deal, which represents a premium of some 68 percent over Loxo Oncology's closing share price on Friday, is expected to close by the end of the first quarter, the companies said in a statement.

Shares of Loxo shot up 66

percent to $232.21 in latemorning trading, while Eli Lilly slipped 0.3 percent to $114.33.

"Using tailored medicines to target key tumor dependencies offers an increasingly robust approach to cancer treatment," said Daniel Skovronsky.

Loxo's portfolio "creates new opportunities to improve the lives of people with advanced cancer," he added.

Loxo's product pipeline is centered on treating patients when there is an inappropriate DNA change that can be discovered through genomic testing. The company aims to develop targeted therapies that can impede the progression of these diseases.

A key driver for the deal because of near-term commercial potential is a treatment for lung, thyroid and some other tumors, Eli Lilly executives said on a conference call.

The treatment was granted the "Breakthrough Therapy" designation by the Food and

Drug Administration with a potential launch in 2020, the companies said in the news release.

Mayor’s Trade Delegation and members of IACCGH meet with Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah Naidu in Mumbai.

Eli Lilly executives said the company could still do additional acquisitions in the coming period.

A MoU between IACCGH and World Trade Center and All India Association of Industries was also signed in Mumbai.

"We'll continue to look in oncology, as well as other therapeutic areas," said Eli Lilly Chief Executive David Ricks.

The outcome of the visit will lead to an Inbound Joint Delegation of several chambers from India visiting Houston in 2019.

"It just so happens that in oncology there are many more opportunities to look for biotech acquisition and pipeline additions because of how the science is really changing the treatment of cancer and so many venture-backed companies are exploiting that.

"But that doesn't mean we'll exclude our other areas of interest either."

Besides last week's BristolMyers Squibb acquisition, other recent large pharma deals include Sanofi's purchase of US hemophilia group Bioverativ for $11.6B and Novartis' $8.7B acquisition of rare-disease treatment company AveXis.

In Mumbai, Mayor Turner visited the MCGM Mayor of Mumbai Mahadeshwar, with a select delegates and discussed the opportunities of Trade & Commerce with Houston.

The delegation visited the Reliance campus in Navi Mumbai where they were exposed to the great work the company is doing in communities across India. Reliance also provided an over view of their business in India and across the world.

The delegation was invited to a soiree hosted by Houston First; the day before departure where Houston artist Gopal Seyn, painted a canvas capturing the essence of the bilateral relationships between Houston and India which was presented

MOU’s being signed between IACCGH GHP and IACC - India in Delhi and Mumbai. maintained by the Aga Khan Foundation.

A visit to the BAP’s Akshardham in New Delhi led to a pleasant when “Swami GM” turned out to be a native Houstonian who after an illustrious corporate career became a sadhu and is now responsible for maintaining and coordinating the upcoming New Jersey.

He amazed the delegation with his deep love and knowledge of

hosted by USIBC. The attending delegates were very excited with the various meetings and also the attendees at events in Delhi- Mumbai were provided with a wide spectrum of opportunities. The warmth and positivity in the relationship was felt in both cities.

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FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Nursing professor’s research on rest, sleep included in national textbook

Law Library Legal Tech Institute publishes 2019 course catalog

UGAR LAND - January 2, 2019 - “Everyone gets 24 hours each day.

How will you spend those hours to get the most out of your life?”

he Harris County Law Library’s Legal Tech Institute today released the 2019 Course Catalog for its Hands-on Legal Tech Training Program. This year, law librarians will teach nine courses on rotation at the Law Library’s Legal Tech Lab. Each course will focus on tech skills needed for legal work in a digital environment. Training sessions are free and open to all, and most carry free continuing legal education credit for Texas attorneys courtesy of the CLE Committee for the Office of Vince Ryan, Harris County Attorney.

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Sonya Wade, clinical assistant professor in the University of Houston College of Nursing, studies rest and restorative sleep. Her research, first published in the prestigious Journal of Advanced Nursing, soon will be included in a chapter of the 9th edition of the nursing textbook, Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Person-Centered Care.

“Students will learn that rest and sleep are not the same thing, even though those two terms are used interchangeably,” Wade said, adding that restorative sleep is a basic physiological necessity. “We need to educate new nurses on the value of this kind of self-care. It’s education that ultimately benefits the patients they’ll care for.”

Fundamentals of Nursing is widely used nationally and internationally by nursing students, faculty, practitioners, and as a resource in clinics and hospitals.

Her publication, “Rest and the Associated Benefits in Restorative Sleep: a Concept Analysis,” examined how medical professions and other disciplines define rest, and emphasized the importance of rest in wellbeing. Wade found health professionals need a more consistent definition.

“The two terms are not synonymous. A person can rest without sleeping and sleep without

Sonya Wade getting rest,” she said.

She said the information is especially pertinent to school nurses in elementary, middle and high school who need to approach the topic of rest and sleep differently. Young people are forming their attitudes and behaviors about work, play and rest. High energy drinks appear to be a more acceptable choice to prolong waking hours, she said.

“We tend to think of sleep as being expendable, but without rest and restorative sleep you risk developing diabetes mellitus, eczema, hypertension, gastro-esophageal reflux disease and stress, she said. “It is

a public health issue that goes beyond our profession.”

In January, Wade will begin a study to assess the sleep quality among nursing faculty. Nurse educators in Texas nursing programs, colleges and universities will be surveyed on their sleep habits. There is a call for all nurses to embrace a culture of health that begins with selfcare. She hopes the study results will be far reaching.

“Since the Law Library joined our Office, we have worked to make it a destination where all residents of Harris County can connect with their government and access legal information,” County Attorney Ryan said. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of the free educational programs at the Law Library and to never hesitate to ask to use ‘our’ resources – they are your resources.”

Two instructors lead small classes of nine participants to ensure an interactive environment where students can ask

“Technology has clearly been a disruptive force in the legal community,” Legal Tech Institute Director Joe Lawson said. “While that presents competitive opportunities for some, it also creates barriers for others. For example, solo attorneys and self-represented litigants, who do not have inhouse trainers and support staff like large law firms, may find it difficult to learn each new legal research platform or to use Microsoft Word in a way that complies with the new, techheavy procedural rules. As a public law library, our mission is to eliminate barriers to legal information. Offering these free, hands-on training opportunities to all is a big step in the right direction.”

Visit the Legal Tech Institute website at www.harriscountylawlibrary.org/tech to download

a copy of the Course Catalog and to register for an upcoming training session. Anyone who is unable to register on the website can find assistance from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Law Library’s reference desk, located at 1019 Congress Street, 1st floor, Houston, Texas 77002, or by phone at (713)755-8153.

About the Harris County Law Library The Harris County Law Library opened in 1915 and has continued to serve Harris County’s legal information needs for more than a century. After joining the Office of Vince Ryan, Harris County Attorney, in 2011, the Law Library greatly expanded its technology offerings and educational opportunities. Ryan’s support for the revitalization of the Law Library was recognized by the American Association of Law Libraries in 2016 when he was named the Law Library Advocate of the Year.

The Law Library is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Monday through Friday. Visit www.harriscountylawlibrary. org for more information.

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VOICE OF ASIA 7

John Mendelsohn, MD Anderson President Emeritus, passes away

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Rothko Chapel and Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services host a “Toxic Tour” of Houston Tour will visit sites in and around the greater Houston community

Memorial service scheduled for Monday, Jan. 14 at 11 a.m. in the Lillie and Roy Cullen Theater at the Wortham

Metal shredding facility along bayou in East End. (Photo courtesy: Houston Public Media)

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Mendelsohn in his research laboratory. (Image: UTMD Anderson Cancer Center)

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OUSTON - January 08, 2019 - John Mendelsohn, M.D., president emeritus of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and an internationally acclaimed leader in the field of medicine and scientist whose research helped pioneer a new type of cancer therapy, died Jan. 7 at his home in Houston. He was 82.

The cause of death was glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer with which he was diagnosed 15 months ago.

Mendelsohn was the third president of MD Anderson, serving in that capacity from 1996 to 2011. During that time, he inspired significant achievements in research and patient care and directed substantial growth in staff, programs, facilities and philanthropy. During all of his last five years as president, MD Anderson was named the top cancer hospital in the “Best Hospitals” survey published annually by U.S. News & World Report. He retired from MD Anderson on Aug. 31, 2018.

“MD Anderson had the great fortune of being led by John Mendelsohn for 15 years, and the strides made under his direction were nothing short of remarkable,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “In addition to impressive achievements, both as a scientist and as a leader, John was a role model and inspiration to so many. He has left an indelible mark on this world, and he will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.”

A Legacy of Excellence in Patient Care, Research and Growth After joining MD Anderson, Mendelsohn immediately strengthened the institution’s focus on research-driven patient care, and he built a strong research program that emphasized the translation of scientific findings to improve patient care and prevention strategies.

Under Mendelsohn’s leadership, MD Anderson consistently received more research grants from the National Cancer Institute and conducted more therapeutic clinical trials to evaluate new treatments than any other comparable institution. MD Anderson also became a degree‐ granting institution that confers degrees in biomedical sciences and allied health disciplines, and it established research partnerships and formed teaching affiliations with institutions in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and South America.

Mendelsohn’s legacy at MD Anderson also includes innovation in patient care and significant expansion of care and research facilities. When Mendelsohn took over as president, he toured the facility, yellow pad in hand, asking employees what they needed to excel in their work, and tracking patient experience from the first phone call through end of treatment. Innovations in care were both cultural and functional.

He reorganized care around the patient rather than the department, enhancing collaboration with cross functional teams. He engaged employees in building a powerful culture around core values of “Caring, Integrity and Discovery,” and he inspired all with the powerful tagline of “Making Cancer History.”

During Mendelsohn’s tenure, MD Anderson’s revenue increased from $726 million to $3.1 billion, and its facilities grew from 3.4 million sq. ft. to 15.2 million sq. ft. The number of employees and patients served doubled and private philanthropy increased almost tenfold, with more than $2 billion raised.

Under his leadership, MD Anderson opened the Lowry and Peggy Mays Clinic; the 320-bed addition atop the Alkek Hospital; the T. Boone Pickens Academic Tower; the Proton Therapy Center; and the 126-room expansion of the Rotary House International Hotel.

He also oversaw the creation of the Duncan Family Institute for Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment in the Dan L. Duncan Building. In recognition of his many contributions, the John Mendelsohn Faculty Center was dedicated on Feb. 8, 2012.

One of his major achievements was planning The University of Texas Research Park south of MD Anderson’s main campus and launching the Red and Charline McCombs Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer there.

Each center was built so that basic and clinical researchers from multiple departments and different disciplines could collaborate more effectively.

“John Mendelsohn was a builder and a dreamer who made things happen. His passion for curing cancer in all forms helped transform the medical community in Houston, Texas and the nation and, in doing so, established MD Anderson as the pre-eminent cancer institution in the world,” said T. Boone Pickens, philanthropist and former chair of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family as we pause together to commemorate his lasting legacy. We will one day succeed in ridding the world of cancer, and see John as a true pioneer in this fight.”

After completing his tenure as MD Anderson’s president in August 2011, Mendelsohn took a six-month sabbatical to refresh his scientific skills with prominent researchers at Harvard, MIT and other academic centers in the Boston area.

He returned to MD Anderson in March 2012 to co-lead the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayad Al Nahyan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy (IPCT) and advance personalized medicine.

“Dr. Mendelsohn was an outstanding leader, mentor and

team builder, and I feel fortunate to have worked so closely with him to advance the work of the Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy,” said Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D., medical director of the IPCT. “Together, with our team, we built one of the top precision oncology programs in the world so patients could be matched with optimal therapies. Dr. Mendelsohn was the consummate physician-scientist who always thought about how we could better impact patient outcomes.”

In 2012, he also joined Rice University’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy as the first L. E. and Virginia Simmons Senior Fellow in Health and Technology Policy.

OUSTON, TX (January 7, 2019) In advance of its three-day symposium, “Toward a Better Future: Transforming the Climate Crisis,” Rothko Chapel in collaboration with Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (t.e.j.a.s.) will host a bus tour of toxic sites in and around the greater Houston community on Saturday, February 9, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The tour lead by Juan Parras and Yvette Arellano of t.e.j.a.s. will explore the East End of Houston. This neighborhood which has a large residential component is also home to some of the largest refineries and chemical plants in the city. These plants spew toxins in the air in communities where thousands of people live, work, and attend school. The goal of the tour is to give participants a further understanding of environmental justice issues.

Participants will meet at 1409 Sul Ross (Chapel Annex) at 9:15 a.m. to enjoy a light

breakfast and to board the bus.

The bus is equipped with restrooms and WIFI. Bring your own lunch to eat on the bus.

Please note that the bus will stop and explore some areas on foot. Therefore, participants are encouraged to wear comfortable attire and closed toe shoes for walking on uneven and muddy terrain. Tickets are $20 per person to offset transportation costs incurred by the Rothko Chapel and space is limited.

Tour Guides Juan Parras, Founder/Executive Director, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (t.e.j.a.s). Juan has been organizing community voices for years beginning as a social worker with the Harris County Welfare Office, and later with City of Houston Section 8 Housing Department. Juan’s resolve for equity, justice and community resilience is the driving force behind t.e.j.a.s. with more than 40 years of organizing and work from social

services to labor, to environmental justice, Parras can attest to the empowering force behind marrying issues of intersectionality in environmental work for marginalized communities.

Yvette Arellano, Senior Staff, Policy Research & Grassroots Advocate, believes that through a commitment to community engagement, education, and political pressure we can achieve a better standard of living. She has an extensive knowledge of EPA databases and toxics registry’s such as the EJ screen.

Recently she aided in a collaborative project with Union of Concerned Scientist and t.e.j.a.s which jointly published “Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester” and “Double Jeopardy in Houston: Acute and Chronicle Chemical Exposures Pose Disproportionate Risks for Marginalized Communities” (2016). Yvette’s work in environmental justice highlight that access to clean water, air, land and food is a human right.

“John Mendelsohn was a titan of the medical community who extended the lives of many threatened by cancer, a community leader who strove to make Houston a world class city, and a wonderful human being who spent a lifetime caring for others,” said James A. Baker, III, 61st US Secretary of State and member of MD Anderson’s Board of Visitors since 1974.

“We will all miss his brilliant mind, thoughtful personality and dedication to the world that surrounded him. My wife, Susan, and I send John’s wife, Anne, and their entire family our deepest sympathy.”

Committed to Applying Science to Human Health Before shifting his focus to leadership, Mendelsohn was a pioneering research scientist in demonstrating how growth factors regulate the proliferation of cancer cells through a process that activates receptors on the cell surfaces. In the early 1980s, he began researching ways to fight cancer by blocking epidermal growth factor receptors with Gordon Sato and other colleagues at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Their research led to development of the drug cetuximab (Erbitux™), which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved in 2004 for treating advanced colorectal cancer and in 2006 for head and neck cancer.

CENTERED LIVING

In recognition of his outstanding academic achievements, Mendelsohn was elected to several of the nation’s most prestigious organizations, including the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences (formerly the Institute of Medicine) and the Academy of Arts and Sciences.

He also received numerous awards for his scientific work.

Most recently, he was recognized with the 2018 Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science and with the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Distinguished Achievement Award. ASCO also named him as an Oncology Luminary in 2014. Mendelsohn was awarded the Research America’s Builders of Science Award in Continued on Page 8

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FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Ending country cap in Green Cards may allow India to dominate path to US citizenship

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ASHINGTON | PTI | Jan 03, 2019 - Eliminating the country quota from the most sought-after Green Cards will end the current discrimination in the US labour market, but would allow countries like India and China to dominate the path to American citizenship, according to the latest Congressional report.

Having a Green Card allows a person to live and work permanently in the United States.

Indian-Americans, most of whom are highly skilled and come to the US mainly on the H-1B work visas, are the worst sufferers of the current immigration system which imposes a seven per cent per country quota on allotment of Green Cards or the Legal Permanent Residency (LPR).

The bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), an independent research wing of Congress, said if the per-country cap for employment-based immigrants was removed, many expects that Indian and Chinese nationals would dominate the flow of new employment-based LPRs for as many years as needed to clear out the accumulated queue of prospective immigrants from those countries.

This queue would include those with approved employment-based immigrant petitions waiting to file either a visa application with Department of State or an adjustment of status application with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the CRS said in its latest report.

The CRS regularly prepares reports on various issues for the lawmakers to take informed decisions.

A copy of the report 'Permanent Employment-Based Immigration and the Per-country Ceiling' dated December 21 was made available to PTI, ahead of the new Congress beginning January 3, wherein several lawmakers are planning to introduce a legislation to eliminate per-country quota for issuing Green Cards to foreign nationals.

As of April 2018, a total of 306,601 Indian nationals – mostly IT professionals – were waiting in line for Green Cards, according to the USCIS figures.

Indians constitute 78 per cent of the 395,025 foreign nationals waiting for Green Cards in just one category of employment-based LPR applications.

Due to the cap, the current wait period for the majority of Indians to get a Green Card is nine and half years, the CRS said, adding this could increase or decrease further depending on the number of new applications every year. India is followed by China with 67,031 in line for Green Cards.

Lawmakers favouring eliminating the per-country cap contend that such circumstances effectively encourage employers to sponsor prospective employment-based immigrants primarily from India.

Proponents argue that removing the per-country ceiling from employment-based immigrants would "level the playing field" by making immigrants from all countries more equally attractive to employers, the CRS said.

According to the CRS, eliminating the per-country ceiling would reduce certain queues of prospective immigrants more quickly, and remove the perceived employer incentive to choose nationals from these countries over other countries.

"Shorter wait times for LPR status might actually incentivise greater numbers of nationals from India, China and the Philippines to seek employment-based LPR status. If that were to occur, the reduction in the number of approved petitions pending might be shortlived.

"A handful of countries could conceivably dominate employment-based immigration, possibly benefitting certain industries that employ foreign workers from those countries, at the expense of foreign workers from other countries and other industries that might employ them," the CRS said.

"A handful of countries could conceivably dominate employment-based immigration, possibly benefitting certain industries that employ foreign workers from those countries, at the expense of foreign workers from other countries and other industries that might employ them," the CRS said.

Because the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) grants LPRs the ability to sponsor family members through its family-sponsorship provisions, removing the per-country ceiling would alter, to an unknown extent, the country-of-origin composition of subsequent family-based immigrants acquiring LPR status each year, it said.

Changes in the country's demographic profile tilted towards people from one part of the world, was one of the prime reasons for the current per country quota. This, on the other hand, restricts the flow of the best talented foreign workers.

The INA allocates 140,000 visas annually for all five employment-based LPR categories, roughly 12 per cent of the 1.1 million LPRs admitted in fiscal 2017. It further limits each immigrant-sending country to an annual maximum of seven per cent of all employment-based LPR admissions, known as the per-country ceiling, or "cap".

Two popular employmentbased pools of foreign nationals, who have been approved as employment-based immigrants but must wait for statutorily limited visa numbers, totalled in excess of 900,000 as of mid2018. Most originate from India, followed by China and the Philippines, the CRS said.

Some employers maintain that they continue to need skilled foreign workers to remain internationally competitive and to keep their firms in the US, it said. Proponents of increasing employment-based immigration levels argue it is vital for economic growth.

Opponents cite the lack of compelling evidence of labour shortages and argue that the presence of foreign workers can negatively impact wages and working conditions in the US, the CRS said.

"Some argue that eliminating the per-country ceiling would increase the flow of highskilled immigrants from countries such as India and China, who are often employed in the US technology sector, without increasing the total annual admission of employment-based LPRs," it added.

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John Mendelsohn of MD Anderson passes away...

Continued from Page 7 2013, the American Cancer Society’s Medal of Honor for Clinical Research in 2011, the 2008 Dorothy P. Landon – AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research, the 2006 Dan David Prize, and the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal in 2005. He also received the Sixth Annual American Association for Cancer Research Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research in 2012, the same year that his MD Anderson peers chose him for the Charles A. LeMaistre, M.D. Outstanding Achievement Award in Cancer.

Mendelsohn also was a driving force for several Houston nonprofit organizations. He chaired the board of directors of the Houston Grand Opera and served as vice chair of the board of BioHouston, Inc., a nonprofit corporation created in 2001 to promote the Houston area as a global competitor in life science and biotechnology commercialization. As a leader of the organization, he worked to advance collaborative research between academia and industry.

The Early Years Mendelsohn was born in Cincinnati on Aug. 31, 1936, to Joe and Sarah Mendelsohn, in a neighborhood full of close relatives. He attended Walnut Hills High School and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in biochemical sciences magna cum laude from Harvard Col-

lege in 1958. While there, he was the first undergraduate student to work in the laboratory of a new assistant professor, biochemist James D. Watson, Ph.D., who later won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for identifying the structure of DNA. Between college and medical school, Mendelsohn spent a year in Scotland as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Glasgow. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical School in 1963. From 1963 to 1970, he took residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and then completed a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and a fellowship in hematology-oncology at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis.

Mendelsohn joined the newly established UCSD School of Medicine faculty in 1970 where he became the founding director of the UCSD cancer center. It was during this time that he researched the monoclonal antibody that later became the drug Erbitux, used to treat thousands of head, neck, colorectal and lung cancer patients.

In 1985, Mendelsohn left UCSD to become chair of the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where he held the Winthrop Rockefeller Chair in Medical Oncology. During his tenure, he was co-head of the Pro-

gram in Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, as well as professor and vice chair of medicine at Cornell Weill Medical College. In 1996, he left his posts in New York to become president of MD Anderson.

A Couples’ Dedication to Others Mendelsohn and his wife Anne were very active in the Houston, San Diego and New York communities. “We used the team approach to planning the personal and professional aspects of our lives,” Mendelsohn was quoted in an MD Anderson publication.

“Teamwork is part of the commitment we made in creating a family and sharing love and life together.” The couple received numerous joint awards in recognition of their civic efforts, including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Award for Public Service, the Houston Technology Center Celebration of Entrepreneurs Award, the Guidepost Magazine Norman Vincent and Ruth Stafford Peale Humanitarian Award and the Teach for America – Houston annual award for advancing education.

Reflections From the Mendelsohn Family Reading deeply in humanist, Jewish, Quaker and Unitarian thought, Mendelsohn was a firm believer in free will and the ability of individuals to shape not only their path in life but also their values and personality. “I have

willfully incorporated ways of approaching life’s challenges and opportunities into myself that I selected from role models,” Mendelsohn wrote in his memoirs. He believed that each of us “has a role in healing the world.” He felt called by the biblical injunction “Go forth and be a blessing,” to offer comfort, kindness, support, inspiration and grace. Mendelsohn conveyed a profound excitement for life.

While on his Fulbright Scholarship, Mendelsohn developed his love of literature, music, philosophy and travel. For the remainder of his life, traveling was an immersive experience, informed by extensive reading of history and historical fiction about each new destination.

He was fond of recalling that the family drove thousands of miles through Western Europe visiting the great museums and cultural sites during their ninemonth sabbatical in Amsterdam in 1979.

Soon after starting medical school, Mendelsohn met his wife, Anne Charles, a research chemist at Polaroid, one of the few companies at that time to hire women as research scientists. They were deeply in love for nearly 60 years of marriage and she played a huge role in his life’s work.

The Mendelsohns spent 15 years living in La Jolla, raising their three sons, and creating a deeply engaged lifestyle in culture and the arts. Mendelsohn was passionate about classical

music, with a special appreciation for Wagner operas, which he listened to late into the evening at his home office. Even in his 70s, Mendelsohn found new ways to engage with music when he started playing the violin after finding inspiration at his grandson’s violin lesson.

The Mendelsohns filled their family homes with books, bedside tables disappearing beneath the stacks. They also explored the uniqueness of each place they lived. In California, Mendelsohn loved to run barefoot on the beach, play tennis and take the family backpacking in the Sierras and the high desert. An oftenrepeated quote from his uncle Rabbi Victor Reichert on living a happy, fulfilling life was to “take a long walk, read a good book and make a new friend.”

Mendelsohn believed success in applying science to human health comes through collaboration, bridging worlds from basic science to business, governmental organizations, health institutions and philanthropists. He was renowned for his ability to create caring bonds with colleagues, friends, staff and patients and to treat all people he touched with dignity and respect. His life work is as much about this as the science. He lived his life according to two principles: Live each day looking forward with the greatest hope and looking back with the least regret, and the last two words in the book Howard’s End: “Only connect.”

“We can’t thank MD Anderson enough for the care and love that so many showed John as he engaged in his personal battle against cancer, a disease he dedicated his entire adult life to eradicating,” said the Mendelsohn family as they expressed their gratitude to the physicians and staff at MD Anderson as well as the home care providers who cared for Mendelsohn over the last 15 months.

Mendelsohn is survived by his wife, Anne, their sons Andrew and his wife, Tina, of London, England; Eric and his wife, Isabel, of Summit, New Jersey; and Jeffrey of San Francisco; and eight grandchildren.

Memorial Information Memorial service scheduled for Monday, Jan. 14 at 11 a.m. in the Lillie and Roy Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center. RSVP here.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Anne and John Mendelsohn Chair in Cancer Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 or www.mdanderson.org/gifts or the Houston Grand Opera, 510 Preston St., Houston, Texas 77002 or https://www.houstongrandopera.org/support-us/donation.

SOUTH ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 9

Indian MPs pass contentious citizenship bill that excludes Muslims

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince visits Pak, meets PM Imran Khan for talks on economic aid

I

SLAMABAD - Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan met Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan here Sunday as the cashstrapped country seeks economic assistance to bolster its foreign exchange reserves and the government's fiscal policies.

Islamabad:Jan 6, 2019, PTI - Pakistan, reeling under severe financial crisis, reached out to some "friendly countries" for economic assistance including Saudi Arabia, China and the UAE since Prime Minister Khan assumed office in August.

The Crown Prince, who is on a day-long visit to the country after nearly 12 years, was received by Khan upon his arrival at Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, Dawn reported.

Activists shout slogans during a rally in protest against Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, which will provide citizenship or stay rights to minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan in India, Guwahati on Jan 7, 2019. (Photo: AFP)

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EW DELHI, India | AFP | Tuesday 1/8/2019 - India's lower house passed on Tuesday legislation that will grant citizenship to members of certain religious minorities but not Muslims, sparking protests in the country's northeast.

neighbouring countries.

be published on June 30.

In Tuesday's protests in Assam, the militant North East Students' Organization (NESO) vandalised offices of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and set banners and posters on fire.

The bill covers select groups -- including Hindus, Christians and Sikhs -- who moved from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and who have lived in India for at least six years.

Demonstrators in the state are angry about the bill not because it excludes Muslims but because it grants citizenship to settlers from elsewhere, accusing the migrants of taking away jobs from indigenous groups.

The hilly state of 33 million people known for its tea plantations has been plagued for decades by tensions between tribal and ethnic indigenous groups and settlers from outside the region.

Muslims are excluded, in what critics say is a transparent pitch by Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi to voters as India gears up for elections due by May. The legislation, which still needs approval in the upper house, sparked a second day of protests on Tuesday in the northeastern state of Assam, where millions have settled in recent decades after fleeing

Last year the Assam government published a draft citizens' register that left off four million people unable to prove they were living there before 1971, when millions fled Bangladesh's war of independence.

A deadline to provide documents to be included in the registry passed on December 31, and the final list is due to

Samujjal Bhattacharyya from NESO told AFP that people in the region would not "accept the political injustice perpetrated by the BJP".

Police said that protesters threw stones at officers.

"We have identified the stone pelters by seeing video footage and they will be booked soon," Assam police official Surjeet Singh Panesar said.

On Monday a small party in the BJP-led coalition in Assam, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), walked out of the alliance in protest at the bill, saying it would lead to an influx of Bangladeshi Hindus.

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

He was given a guard of honour and a fly-past during the red carpet welcome.

The high-level delegation will hold talks with the Pakistani side after the two leader's one-on-one meeting.

Pakistan's Foreign Office said the visit is aimed at building on the fresh momentum in ties injected by recent contacts at the leadership level.

Khan visited the UAE twice since August to seek economic assistance to ward off the country's foreign exchange crisis.

Pakistan and the UAE last week finalised the terms and conditions of a USD 6.2 billion support package for Islamabad, which the crown prince is expected to announce during his visit, the report said, adding that the package is to help Is-

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (R) walks with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (L) upon his arrival at the military Nur Khan Air Force base, January 6, 2019.

(Photo: AFP). lamabad address its balance of payment crisis.

The report quoted a cabinet member as saying that the UAE package is exactly the same size and has the same terms and conditions as those given

by Saudi Arabia.

With the new package, Pakistan will save a total of about USD 7.9 billion on oil and gas imports from the UAE, accounting for over 60 per cent of the annual oil import bill amounting to roughly USD 12 to 13 billion, the news report said.

This includes about USD 3.2 billion each of oil supplies on deferred payments from the UAE and Saudi Arabia and about USD 1.5 billion trade finance from the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), it said.

The total financing support from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, including the ITFC's trade

finance, is to be around USD 13.9 to 14 billion when cash deposits of USD 3 billion each from the two countries are also included, according to the cabinet member.

Additionally, a deep-conversion oil refinery is to be set up by Parco a joint venture of Pakistan and Abu Dhabi worth USD 5 to 6 billion at Khalifa Point and an expected petrochemical complex by Saudi Arabia at Gwadar Oil City.

The Pakistani government has also started backchannel discussions with Qatar for some relief in terms of reduction in LNG prices or a relaxed payment schedule.

Last month, the UAE said it will soon give USD 3 billion to Islamabad.

Pakistan's all weather ally China has also pledged to provide a generous aid to Islamabad to overcome its financial woes.

India asks 'Is King Kohli better than Tendulkar?'

Delhi high court refuses to vacate stay on online sale of medicines

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EW DELHI: PTIJanuary 08, 2019 - The Delhi High Court today refused to vacate the stay on sale of drugs and prescription medicines by online pharmacies.

The court said the stay will continue till the next date of hearing - February 6 - noting the submissions of the Central government counsel that rules are yet to be framed to regulate such entities.

"Keeping in view the averments made by the Union of India in its counter affidavit, based on reports of various committees and the fact that statutory rules are yet to be framed, we are not inclined to vacate the interim order. It will continue till the next date," a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao said.

The court was hearing a PIL, filed by Zaheer Ahmed, seek-

ing a ban on "illegal" sale of drugs and medicines online.

In his petition, Mr Ahmed, represented through senior advocate Arvind Nigam and advocate Nakul Mohta, has said that the online illegal sale of medicines would lead to a drug epidemic, drug abuse and misutilisation of habit forming and addictive drugs.

The Centre's counsel said the government is in the process of framing the rules in this regard.

In its response, Directorate General of Health Services of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said after deliberation on the concern raised by the stakeholders, it was decided that the central government shall prepare a regulatory framework for the regulation of online sale of drugs.

The government has called for objections and suggestions from all the stakeholders and

after due consideration, the draft rules will be finalised for publication in the official gazette, it said.

The Centre also claimed in its affidavit that Mr Ahmed's petition was wholly without merit and not maintainable and deserved to be rejected.

It added, "The issue of clandestine export and sale of medicines via internet by certain web portals in the country in violation of the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, was taken up by the authorities in the 47th and 48th meetings of the Drugs Consultative Committee held on July 31, 2014, and July 24, 2015, respectively."

During the hearing, one of the online pharmacies seeking to be impleaded in the matter informed the court that the division bench of Madras High Court has vacated the stay on online sale of medicines.

Hasina sworn in as Bangladesh PM...

Continued from front page a landslide, securing 288 seats in the 300-seat parliament compared to just seven for the main opposition.

The campaign saw mass arrests of opposition activists and candidates and allegations of widespread rigging including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation.

Seventeen people were killed on election day.

The European Union has called for a probe into allegations of irregularities, saying "significant obstacles to a level playing field... tainted the electoral campaign and the vote."

The United States expressed concern about "credible reports of harassment, intimidation and violence".

The United Nations on Friday said there were indications that "reprisals" have targeted the opposition since the election, including physical attacks, arbitrary arrests, harassment, disappearances and filing of criminal cases.

The opposition, which last week boycotted the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected MPs, has demanded fresh polls under a neutral caretaker government -- something Hasina and the election commission have rejected outright.

- 'Mother of humanity' President Abdul Hamid administered Hassina'a oath in a ceremony at the presidential palace, Bangabhaban. A 47-member cabinet with many new faces was also sworn in.

To her supporters, Hasina is known as Bangladesh's "mother of humanity" for allowing in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing a military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar in 2017.

Opponents accuse her of jailing arch-foe Khaleda Zia on politically motivated charges, of orchestrating mass arrests, enforced disappearances and passing Draconian anti-press freedom laws to try to cling to power.

Hasina was abroad in August 1975 when a group of renegade

military officers assassinated her father, Bangladesh's first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his wife and three sons.

She started her political career as a hero of the people, returning from exile in 1981 to take over as Awami League leader and beginning a long struggle to restore democracy in Bangladesh.

Hasina joined forces with Zia's BNP to help oust military dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad in 1990 but the pair soon fell out and were branded the "Battling Begums".

Their rivalry has dominated Bangladeshi politics for the last 30 years.

Hasina was first elected prime minister in 1996 but she struggled to emerge from the shadow of her father during her first term and lost the 2001 contest.

She returned to power after winning the December 2008 polls by landslide, just months after she was imprisoned by a military-backed government on corruption charges.

Sachin Tendulkar with Virat Kohli. (Image Credit: AFP/File photo)

by Faisal Kamal

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EW DELHI, India | AFP | Tuesday 1/8/2019 - While Virat Kohli's historic success in Australia has been greeted with jubilation in India, it has also sparked a feverish debate: is he even better than the nation's cricket god Sachin Tendulkar?

Kohli, the world's top-ranked batsman in all three formats of the game, on Monday led India to their first-ever Test series win in Australia, after seven decades of trying.

Already known as "King Kohli" before the tour, there are those who say the Indian captain deserves promotion.

But his Test teammates Hardik Pandya and Lokesh Rahul were mercilessly trolled on Indian social media after saying on a TV chat show that Kohli was a better batsman than Tendulkar.

The pair were blasted for being "pathetic" and "cringeworthy" by Twitter users in a mass tirade.

While Tendulkar has maintained a god-like status in the Indian public's eye since his retirement in 2013, he never managed to guide India to a Test series win in Australia.

Kohli, 30, was born a year before Tendulkar made his India debut in 1989. He is the run machine of modern cricket with more 19,000 runs in Test,

one-day and T20 games. He last year became the fastest to reach 10,000 runs in 50-over internationals -- beating Tendulkar's record.

Kohli's biographer Vijay Lokapally said there should not be a comparison between players of different generations, but hailed Kohli's achievements.

"As a captain he sets an example with his fitness, his batting and his leadership," Lokapally told AFP. "His batting is absolutely top class. He doesn't need a certificate from anyone. And there is no better person to lead the Indian team in any format."

He added: "As far as comparisons go, I think it's unfair to disregard the efforts of former players like Vijay Hazare or Sunil Gavaskar and compare eras.

"Gavaskar was a star of his times, Tendulkar ruled his era and Kohli is the new generation star. So they are all champions in their own place."

Pandya and Rahul set off hostilities with Tendulkar fans in their off-the-cuff comments on Indian television aired Sunday.

Tendulkar had been named as the best batsmen by a string of luminaries including Don Bradman, Viv Richards and Sunil Gavaskar, one Twitter user noted in response. "Every true cricket fan knows who is

best!"

- Praise from Pakistan Few doubt however that Kohli has given the world's number one Test nation an even stronger dominance by completing the 2-1 series win in Australia.

World Cup-winning Kohli rated the triumph his "best achievement" so far, and Indian papers hailed the captain for his "Thunder Down Under".

The Times of India newspaper headlined its report "The Reign Men", while the Hindustan Times said "This win will make India invincible", headlining the opinion of their columnist Ian Chappell.

Even Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan congratulated India on their historic achievement.

"Congratulations to Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team for the first ever win by a subcontinent team in a test series in Australia," the former cricketer wrote on his party's Twitter account.

India coach Ravi Shastri said Kohli's leadership skills had "made all the difference" but sought to shoot down all references to deities.

"This is not a team of gods and demigods, seniors or juniors. This is an Indian cricket team that will readily jump off a cliff to win a match for the country," said Shastri.

ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 10

China-US trade hopes lift stocks as oil prices surge

by Roland Jackson / John Biers

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EW YORK, United States | AFP | Global stocks pushed higher Wednesday on renewed optimism over talks to resolve the China-US trade war, while oil prices surged after Saudi Arabia confirmed it was on track to trim crude exports.

Europe's major stock markets followed Asian exchanges higher, with Frankfurt and Paris both ending day 0.8 percent higher. London rose 0.7 percent.

Wall Street also had a solid day, with major indices rising for a fourth straight session.

Gains in the US moderated somewhat in the final 40 minutes of trading after talks to end the US government shutdown between President Donald Trump and congressional Democratic leaders broke down. But the S&P 500 still finished 0.4 percent higher.

"Stocks were extremely oversold," said Bill Lynch of Hinsdale Associates. "There's optimism today that the market can continue to be strong."

Brent crude oil pushed above $61 per barrel, with OPEC cutting output and concerns easing over weak demand growth.

The dollar, meanwhile, sank to its lowest level against the euro since October as Federal Reserve meeting minutes, and statements from Fed officials, made clear the US central bank was in no hurry to hike interest rates again soon.

The dollar also declined against the British pound, despite lingering uncertainty over Brexit.

On Wednesday, in a setback to Theresa May, British lawmakers voted to force the prime minister to quickly set out an alternative plan for Brexit if she loses a crucial vote on her EU withdrawal deal next week.

Riyadh.

After taking a battering in December and suffering a shaky start to 2019, confidence is slowly returning to equity trading floors.

Brent has climbed some 20 percent compared with just two weeks ago, prior to an oil production cut by OPEC and noncartel producers from January 1.

The gains follow calming comments last week from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, followed by apparent progress in the US-China talks.

A member of the US delegation, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney, told reporters that the talks "went just fine."

The Wall Street Journal said the two sides were moving in the right direction, with China ready to buy more US goods and services, while further talks at cabinet level were being lined up next week.

- Oil surges back from lows -

China's population shrinks despite two-child policy

"We are concerned about volatility in the oil market," he said. "We have seen peaks and drops in prices (that are) completely unjustified by the fundamentals."

- Key figures around 2200 GMT New York - Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 23,879.12 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.4 percent at 2,584.96 (close) New York - Nasdaq: UP 0.9 percent at 6,957.08 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.7 percent at 6,906.63 (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 0.8 percent at 10,893.32 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.8 percent at 4,813.58 (close) EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.5 percent at 3,070.24 (close)

Oil prices -- which have tumbled in recent months partly because of worries about the impact on demand of the China-US trade war -- rose sharply after Saudi officials said they were committed to implementing the latest OPEC agreement to boost prices.

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 20,427.06 (close)

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said the kingdom, the world's top crude supplier, would cut its exports to 7.2 million barrels a day in January, down from 8.0 million bpd in November.

Oil - West Texas Intermediate: UP $2.58 at $52.36 per barrel

"We are serious about restoring balance to the market," Falih told a press conference in

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 2.3 percent at 26,462.32 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 2,544.34 (close) Oil - Brent Crude: UP $2.72 at $61.44 per barrel

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 108.03 yen from 108.75 at 2200 GMT Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1547 from $1.1441 Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2796 from $1.2717

Japan seeks removal of latest 'comfort woman' statue in Taiwan

China introduced its one-child policy in 1979 and last changed it in early 2016, raising the limit to two children. (AFP photo)

by Poornima Weerasekara

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EIJING, China | AFP | China's population shrank last year for the first time in 70 years, experts said, warning of a "demographic crisis" that puts pressure on the country's slowing economy.

The world's most populous nation of some 1.4 billion for decades limited most families to one child in an attempt to keep population growth sustainable.

But since 2016 it has allowed couples to have two children in response to concerns about an ageing society and shrinking workforce.

The number of live births nationwide in 2018 fell by 2.5 million year-on-year, contrary to a predicted increase of 790,000 births, according to analysis by US-based academic Yi Fuxian.

Yi, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a long-term critic of the one-child policy and his work has previously gained traction among the country's leadership.

Enforced through fines but notorious for cases of forced abortions and sterilisation, the one-child policy caused birth rates to plummet after it was introduced in 1979.

However childbirths have not increased as much as forecast since the two-child policy came into force and there has

A statue of a teenage girl symbolising ‘comfort women’, who served as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II, outside the Japanese consulate in Busan, South Kore. STR / Yonhap / AFP |

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AIPEI - Japan’s de facto embassy in Taiwan has requested the removal of a statue in Tainan symbolizing the “comfort women,” officials said Friday.

fers to the masses of girls and women, many of them Korean, who were forced to provide sex for Imperial Japanese troops before and during World War II.

The Taipei office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association asked officials of the Kuomintang, Taiwan’s biggest opposition party, to take “appropriate” action over the statue, which was installed with the party’s support, association officials said.

Taipei office head Mikio Numata, Japan’s de facto ambassador to Taiwan, met on Wednesday with former Taiwanese President Ma Yingjeou, who attended the statue’s unveiling ceremony on Tuesday, and with Kuomintang chief Wu Den-yih on Thursday.

The term comfort women re-

Numata explained Japan’s

position and called for action, saying the statue, one of many popping up in South Korea and the United States, runs counter to Japan’s efforts.

After effectively requesting the removal of the statue, both of the Taiwanese politicians repeated their party’s views on the matter, the officials said.

The group that set up the statue was established in April with Kuomintang support.

The statue, in fact, stands on the premises of a local branch of the Kuomintang.

Xi told Kim China hopes US, N. Korea will 'meet halfway'

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EIJING, China | AFP |1/9/2019 - Chinese President Xi Jinping told Kim Jong Un that Beijing backs the North Korean leader's possible second summit with US President Donald Trump and hopes they "meet each other halfway", state media said Thursday.

China "supports the DPRK and the United States holding summits and achieving results, and supports relevant parties resolving their respective legitimate concerns through dialogue", Xi said, using the initials of North Korea's official name.

The two allies held two days of meetings in Beijing this week, seen as a strategy session as Kim prepares for his second summit with Trump to kick-start stalled denuclearisation talks.

Discussions between the US and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal have stalled since Kim and Trump's high-profile first summit in Singapore in June where they issued a vaguely worded declaration about denuclearisation.

"Political settlement of the (Korean) Peninsula issue faces a rare historic opportunity," Xi said during Kim's trip to Beijing, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The US insists that UN sanctions must remain in place until North Korea gives up its weapons, while Pyongyang wants them immediately eased. China also wants the sanctions to be

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

relaxed.

"China hopes that the DPRK and the United States will meet each other halfway," Xi said.

He added that China stands ready to play a "positive and constructive role" to maintain peace and stability and achieve denuclearisation on the peninsula.

For his part, Kim said North Korea "will continue sticking to the stance of denuclearisation and resolving the Korean peninsula issue through dialogue and consultation", Xinhua reported.

The North, Kim said, will "make efforts for the second summit between DPRK and US leaders to achieve results that will be welcomed by the international community".

been rising speculation the government will further ease restrictions.

lease official nationwide birth figures for 2018 later this month.

Last year marked a "historic turning point for the Chinese population", said Yi, who studied publicly available data on births in towns and villages across China.

In the meantime, data released by some local authorities indicate a significant drop in births last year.

This downward trend may be irreversible, he cautioned, due to factors such as a decrease in the number of women of childbearing age and the reluctance of couples to have children due to rising education, health and housing costs.

Yi's calculations show that the number of deaths in 2018 was about 11.58 million and the total population shrank by 1.27 million.

"The Chinese population has started to decrease for the first time since the founding of New China in 1949, the ageing problem has accelerated, and economic vitality has weakened," he told AFP. Yi's findings, due to appear in an upcoming research paper co-authored with Peking University economist Su Jian, were pieced together from National Health Commission figures.

The experts also used other official statistics including school enrolment figures, household registration data and government censuses to reach their conclusions.

China's National Bureau of Statistics is expected to re-

Brexit-hit UK varsities to recruit more Indian, Chinese students

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ome of Britain's leading universities struggling with a funding crunch in the face of Brexit are expected to increasingly turn to recruiting more overseas students, who pay much higher fees than locals.

China and India are expected to be at the forefront of this overseas student influx, with university chiefs expecting their figures to surpass that of British students across UK campuses.

University and chairman of the Russell Group, which represents the UK's 24 leading institutions, told 'The Sunday Times' that leading universities were now likely to try to recruit many more overseas students - particularly from China and India - to offset a series of financial challenges.

Muscatelli, who is considering increasing the proportion of Glasgow's European Union (EU) and overseas students to up to half the total, said, "Many universities will try to do this because it will be the only way to respond to a sudden fall in income".

According to the report, the UK's higher education sector faces "a triple whammy" as if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, university leaders say it would be "catastrophic", with the UK cut out of 1.3 billion pounds of EU research funding and a collapse in EU student numbers.

In addition, an imminent government review is expected to recommend lowering the fees universities can charge undergraduates from the UK to

6,500 pounds a year.

Professor Michael Arthur, president of University College London, said it might have to boost EU and overseas students to 50 per cent and cut its proportion of UK students in the face of deep uncertainty about the sector's financial future.

Exeter University is already seeking to boost overseas student numbers by up to seven per cent.

Steve Smith, its vice-chancellor, said universities made money on overseas students but only broke even on UK students. In London, foreign students already outnumber British ones at the London School of Economics, where almost two-thirds are from abroad, and at Imperial College.

Professor Alan Smithers, of Buckingham University, told the newspaper that British students may feel increasingly uncomfortable at universities dominated by Chinese and Indian students.

He also warned that the government would face pressure for migration rules to be changed to allow overseas students to work after they finished their their degrees.

"That would impact on the job prospects of British students," said Smithers.

At top universities, overseas students pay more than 30,000 pounds a year for a five-year medical degree, nearly 4 times as much as UK students whose fees are capped at 9,250 pounds.

In Qingdao, a city in eastern Shandong province -- one of China's most populous regions -- births between January and November decreased by 21 percent to just over 81,000 compared to the previous year.

Ren Zeping, chief economist at property developer Evergrande Group, wrote in a research note that China is walking into a "demographic crisis" as the easing of the onechild policy has failed to boost the country's fertility rate.

- Ageing crisis Tracking China's demographic changes is difficult as the figures published by the health commission and statistics bureau do not always match, said He Yafu, an independent demographer based in southern Guangdong province.

But he said Yi's estimate of the drop in children born in 2018 is likely to be correct.

The number of women of childbearing age is expected to fall by more than 39 percent over the next decade and China's two-child policy isn't enough to shore up dwindling birth rates, He added.

Yi said he was sceptical of the National Bureau of Statistics figures, accusing the organisation of "inflating the number of births" to account for families who may not have registered their second, third or fourth child.

Local authorities seeking more funds from the central government have also "overreported" school enrolment figures and hospital live births, he said.

Yi added that the statistics bureau may have also underreported the number of deaths.

In 2016, Yi was invited to speak at the Boao Forum in southwest China, an annual gathering of influential figures including politicians and businesspeople -- the same year Beijing announced an end to its one-child rule.

He is now urging the government to get out of people's bedrooms by scrapping the two-child limit and offering more incentives including generous maternity leave and tax breaks for parents.

If the government doesn't intervene now, "China's ageing crisis will be more severe than Japan, and the economic outlook will be bleaker than Japan", Yi said.

China's labour force is becoming smaller as the population greys, putting intense strain on the country's fragile pension and healthcare systems.

For each elderly citizen, there are seven people who are working and contributing to the social welfare system, Yi said -- a figure set to shrink to just four by 2030.

"The US economy will not be overtaken by China, but

by India, which has a younger population," he said.

"China's economic vitality will continue to decline, which will bring about a disastrous impact on the global economy."

US/WORLD

VOICE OF ASIA 11

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Trump storms out of negotiations Ford, VW planning on border wall auto partnership

by Sebastian Smith and Michael Mathes

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ASHINGTON, DC | AFP | Tuesday 1/8/2019 - President Donald Trump said "byebye" and stormed out of negotiations Wednesday on funding a US-Mexico border wall when Democratic opponents refused to agree to the project.

"A total waste of time," Trump tweeted about his White House meeting with top Democratic congressional leaders.

"I said bye-bye, nothing else works!"

Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, told journalists Trump "sort of slammed the table," then "got up and walked out."

"Again, we saw a temper tantrum because he couldn't get his way," Schumer said.

Although the two sides agreed that the meeting ended abruptly, they argued over who was to blame.

According to supporters of Trump at the meeting, the president asked Democratic leaders whether they would agree to fund his wall project in exchange for him ending a painful shutdown of swaths of government, which he has instigated in retaliation for the standoff.

The Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, "raised her hand and said no, not at all," said Kevin McCarthy, the senior Republican in the House, who was also present.

"We heard once again that Democratic leaders are unwilling to even negotiate," Vice President Mike Pence said.

The vice president insisted that Trump came in good faith.

"The president walked into the room and passed out candy," Pence said. "I don't recall him ever raising his voice or slamming his hand."

- Shutdown Trump wants $5.7 billion to fund a wall he says is needed to keep out dangerous illegal immigrants, drug dealers and people smugglers from Mexico.

Democrats say the wall would have little impact on real border problems and that Trump's tough approach has instead created a humanitarian crisis among vulnerable, unthreatening migrants.

Trump's main lever to exert pressure on Congress has been to refuse signing spending bills that cover large areas of government. As a result, some 800,000 federal employees and many more contractors have now been without pay for almost three weeks.

Democrats insist they will not lift their opposition to the wall project and believe Americans will tire of the shutdown chaos and blame Trump.

But Trump indicated Wednesday on a visit to Republican allies in Congress that he will continue to play hardball.

"Whatever it takes," he told journalists, when asked how

long the shutdown could continue.

Earlier at the White House, Trump told journalists that if he cannot get his way, he could declare a national emergency -- a measure that allows him to bypass Congress and take the wall funds he needs from the military.

"I think we might work a deal, and if we don't, we might go that route," he said, insisting he has the "absolute right" to declare an emergency, despite warnings in Congress that this could be seen as serious presidential overreach.

- 'American blood' speech Trump's triumphant 2016 campaign relied heavily on his "build the wall" slogan and since then, he has pushed the idea that the United States is being overwhelmed by dangerous migrants who enter the country illegally.

But with Democrats winning control of the House in November midterm elections, Trump's wall push has come up against a wall of its own.

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EW YORk | AFP | 1/9/2019 - Ford and Volkswagen are preparing to announce a strategic partnership, including in areas such as self-driving and electric autos, a person with knowledge of the matter told AFP on Wednesday.

The announcement could come Tuesday during this year's Detroit auto show, the person said.

The organizers of the auto showcase have set aside a time slot on the main stage that day between 8:30 and 9:30 am local time (1330 to 1430 GMT) for an industry announcement but have given no further details.

The two automakers have been in talks for a partnership since the summer but have said little about the form it might take.

This week, an increasingly frustrated president is trying to seize the initiative.

Volkswagen has made no secret of its interest in Ford's utility vehicles but the person speaking to AFP on Wednesday said the partnership also would involve self-driving and electric autos.

On Thursday, he will fly down to the southern border that he described in a primetime television speech Tuesday as an open door to murderers and other criminals.

"Our memorandum of understanding with VW covers conversations about potential collaborations across a number of areas," Ford spokeswoman Jennifer Flake said.

"How much more American blood must we shed before Congress does its job?" Trump said.

"It is premature to share additional details at this time. We look forward to sharing an update soon."

US envoy on new Afghanistan peace trip

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Stunning red carpet looks from the 2019 Golden Globes

Such a major partnership would come as large automakers are facing higher costs for steel and aluminum as a result of US trade tariffs.

Ceremony host and award winner Sandra Oh stunned in a long white Atelier Versace gown with statement shoulder detail. Beverly Hills, January 6, 2019. (Photo © Valerie Macon / AFP)

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fter last year's show of support for the Time's Up movement against sexual assault, harassment and inequality turned the red carpet black, guests attending the 76th Golden Globes brought color, prints, glitter and bright white to this year's ceremony.

The height of glamor and refined elegance, the red carpet was full of long, straight and figure-hugging gowns, as well as voluminous creations such as Lady Gaga's extravagant princess gown.

- Relaxnews

Indian American Nurses Legacy Award (IANLA)

ASHINGTON, DC | AFP | Tuesday 1/8/2019 - US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad headed Tuesday on a trip to Afghanistan and regional powers in a fresh bid to negotiate an end to 17 years of war.

Khalilzad, who met Taliban representatives last month in Abu Dhabi, will travel to Afghanistan as well as China, India and Pakistan on the trip lasting through January 21, the State Department said.

Presented by

In accordance with US policy, the State Department did not say if he would again meet the Taliban but said he would talk to "Afghan government officials and other interested parties."

Quoting Khalilzad, the State Department said that "the only solution to the conflict is for all parties to sit together and reach an agreement on the political future of Afghanistan with mutual respect and acceptance."

His trip comes after President Donald Trump signaled he would bring home half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan as he grows increasingly impatient over America's longest-ever war.

But the Afghan-born Khalilzad, who served in top diplomatic posts under former president George W. Bush, last month voiced doubts about the Taliban's sincerity after the militants refused to meet with negotiators from President Ashraf Ghani's internationally recognized government.

Khalilzad's talks with the Taliban last month involved Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the three countries that recognized the extremist regime in Kabul before the US-led coalition toppled it following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

India, by contrast, is a strong backer of the Kabul government and foe of the Taliban, whose former regime sheltered vehemently anti-Indian militants.

China has also been seeking a larger role in the region, inviting Taliban leaders to talks as it pursues its "Belt and Road" policy of expanding trade across Asia and separately clamps down on its Uighur Muslim minority at home.

The statement said that Khalilzad will continue to coordinate his efforts with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other Afghan stakeholders to ensure an intra-Afghan peace process.

Celebrating and honoring the services of the 1st generation Indian immigrant nurses who came to North America from 1965-1975.

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“Save the Date” October 26, 2019

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Sugar Land Home and Garden Show

S

ugar Land, TX (November 21, 2018) – The 9th Annual Sugar Land Home and Garden Show will be coming to the Safford Centre on January 19-20, 2019 with a special appearance by Dr. Lori Verderame, a Ph.D. antiques appraiser, of Discovery Channel Auction Kings with 2 appearances each day. This is a unique opportunity to bring your treasured antiques to Dr. Lori for an entertaining on the spot appraisal of family heirlooms, garage sale finds, and possibly a discovery of a very valuable item.

“Do you have an old teapot or a beanie baby?

Bring it to the show and learn what it’s worth”, said Dr. Lori. “Free appraisals at each show.

The show is so entertaining since items vary from show to show, dependent on guest participation.”

trends and innovations for Home Tech Products (Saturday) • Randy Lemmon from GardenLine at KTRH 740 • Tom Tynan, Radio host of HomeShow Radio on KTRH 740 • Primo Hot Tub and Swim Spa Expo • Fort Bend Master Gardeners • Fort Bend History AssociationNonprofit partner with archive collections Food trucks, craft beer tasting, wine tasting, and over 200 home improvement products and services!

Show hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 19, 2019 and 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 20, 2019. Tickets for the Sugar Land Home and Garden Show are cash only at $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, and children 12 years and younger can attend for free.

Ticket and show information available at the show website SugarLandHomeandGarden. com where a downloadable discount coupon for $2 off admission is available. Free parking at the Stafford Centre.

Dr. Lori Verderame

Visit with the 2018 Atlantic League Champion Sugar Land Skeeters from 1-3pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

Swatson, the Skeeters mascot will be available for photos, win prizes, see the championship trophy, and get information on the upcoming 2019 season that begins in April.

Do you have questions about color trends, organization, or need a consult on redesigning a room? Bring your measurements, swatches, and

unique concerns to a question and answer session with Lisa Geisler- (Professional Organizer), Diane Cowen (Houston Chronicle Design and Architecture Writer), or the experts Sherwin-Williams to demonstrate the Color Snap Selection System.

Additional Professional Speakers and Exhibitors appearing at show: • Michael Garfield, the “High Tech Texan” with the newest

HCC moves ahead on new Katy campus

www.voiceofasia.news

by Rukmini Callimachi

terrorist group.

N

EW YORK, Jan. 6, 2019 - A 34-year-old man from Houston and former substitue teacher in Fort Bend who is said to have sent a résumé and cover letter seeking a job with the Islamic State has been seized on a battlefield in Syria, an American-backed militia fighting the militants said Sunday.

“Dear Director, I am looking to get a position teaching English to students in the Islamic State,” the Texan, Warren Christopher Clark, is said to have written in a letter found in an Iraqi house once occupied by the militants.

Mr. Clark once worked as a substitute teacher in the Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, Tex., according to his father, and seemed prepared to draw on that experience.

“I believe that a successful teacher can understand a student’s strengths and weaknesses,” he wrote, “and is able to use that understanding to help students build on their understanding of the English language.”

A University of Houston graduate, Mr. Clark moved to Saudi Arabia to teach English and then taught English for three months in Turkey, according to documents recovered in a house in Mosul, Iraq.

Mr. Clark’s résumé ends in June 2015, indicating that he probably joined the Islamic State after that.

His father, Warren Clark, 69, described his son as “a humanitarian” and rejected any suggestion that he would throw in his lot with a group like ISIS. “My son would not be involved in anything along those lines,” he said.

The militia that announced Mr. Clark’s capture, the Syrian Democratic Forces, said he had been seized along with a man they described as another American, Zaid Abed al-Hamid. The militia said it had also detained other foreign fighters, including citizens of Ireland and Pakistan.

K

ATY - Houston Community College is buying a 24-acre tract of land near I-10 and the Grand Parkway to build a new campus.

The 24-acre site will be close to the UH Katy campus.

The land will cost the uni-

versity system about $12.5 million, according to the Houston Business Journal. A nearby campus operated by the school, which cannot serve as many students as the proposed new campus, will be put up for sale. Growth in the area has been robust, with two Katy ZIP

codes (77494 and 77449) in the top three nationally for fastest growth in 2016, per Census numbers cited by the Houston Business Journal.

The new HCC campus is expected to be completed by 2021.

- Houston Agent Magazine

The men were taken during an operation targeting the Islamic State’s last pocket of control in northern Syria, according to a statement issued by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led and American-supported militia that is fighting to take back territory from the militants.

Only four other Americans are known to have been captured on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, according to a database maintained by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. Very few Americans have returned to the United States after joining the

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W a r r e n Christopher Clark’s cover letter to the Islamic State, which he signed with the pseudonym Abu Muhammad.

Warren Christopher Clark (Abu Mohammad alAmeriki), originally from Houston, was among five people captured by Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria. He had written a letter offering to help

the Islamic State by teaching English overseas.

“The number (Credit: US State Department) is minuscule,” said Seamus Hughes, the deputy director of the program at George Washington. “To put it in context, the Brits are talking about hundreds of returnees.”

Mr. Clark’s letter and accompanying résumé, which were authenticated by Mr. Hughes, point to his naïveté and suggest that he was drawn to the Islamic State’s promise of building a Muslim-only state.

Col. Scott Rawlinson, a spokesman for the Americanled military coalition in Baghdad, said in an email that the coalition was “aware of opensource reports of reportedly American citizens currently in custody believed to be fighting for ISIS.” “However, we are unable to confirm this information at this time,” he said. “The incident is under investigation.”

Last month, President Trump’s announcement that the United States would withdraw forces stationed in Syria prompted the resignation of his defense secretary and accelerated the resignation of the White House’s senior envoy to the fight against the Islamic State. Both Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the envoy, Brett McGurk, said that the unex-

The other American indentified was 35-year-old Zaid Abed al-Hamid, aka Abu Zaid alAmeriki, according to the Syrian Democratic Forces. pected withdrawal amounted to abandoning America’s allies in the region, especially the Syrian Democratic Forces.

According to three separate reports, including an assessment by the Pentagon’s inspector general, the Islamic State still maintains a force of 20,000 to 30,000 members in Iraq and Syria.

The last time the group was declared defeated was in 2010, when the C.I.A. estimated that it was down to just 700 fighters.

- The New York Times

Fort Bend ISD to host Textbook Public Review, Jan. 22-Feb. 1

F

ORT BEND ISD (January 8, 2019) – The Fort Bend Independent School District will conduct a public review on the upcoming textbooks and instructional materials that are under consideration for adoption for the 2019-2020

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If Mr. Clark and Mr. Hamid, whose surname was also spelled al-Hamed, are extradited to the United States, they would be only the 15th and 16th American adults to return from joining ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

school year.

The public review takes place from January 22, 2019 through February 1, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day at the FBISD Education Complex (located at 1555 Independence Blvd. Missouri City, Texas 77489).

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Former FBISD substitue teacher and American ISIS member caught on Syrian battlefield

Mr. Clark said he had learned of his son’s letter to the terrorist group “on the news, basically,” and declared,“My son doesn’t have an evil thought in his mind about hurting anyone.”

The University of Houston broke ground on its UH Katy campus on May 23. The HCC Board of Trustees voted Dec. 5 to buy a 24-acre tract of land for a new Katy campus close to UH Katy.

Courtesy University Of Houston

•

Clancy’s Public House

Braman Winery

Craft Beer

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January 19 & 20 Stafford Centre

Show Hours: • Saturday 9 am - 6 pm • Sunday 10 am - 5:30 pm Ticket Prices: • Adults $10 • Seniors $9 • 12 and under Free

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VOICE OF ASIA 14

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

BOLLYWOOD - HOLLYWOOD

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www.voiceofasia.news

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Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Do Golden Globe wins translate into Oscars? Not so much

Manasvi Mamgai makes a dazzling appearance at the 76th Golden Globe Awards

B

Lady Gaga, nominated for A Star Is Born, arrives for the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel. (AFP photo)

by Javier Tovar and Laurent Banguet

B

EVERLY HILLS, Californiav| AFP | Tuesday 1/7/2019 - With the Golden Globes done and dusted, Hollywood moves swiftly along to the crown-jewel of its award season: the Oscars.

Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences began voting Monday and their nominations will be revealed in two weeks’ time.

But are the Globes really a good predictor of the Oscars, as common wisdom holds?

Not so much, say experts.

To be sure, there is expected to be some overlap. Many of Sunday night’s winners and even some of the nominees could feature at the Oscars in late February, including the likes of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Green Book,” “Roma,” “A Star Is Born,” “Vice,” “Black Panther,” and “BlacKkKlansman.”

“It’s reasonable to bet that plenty of Oscar voters still have a stack of screeners sitting on the coffee table as you read this,” film critic Alissa Wilkinson told Vox. “So while they’ve probably watched the favorites by now, a Golden Globes win for an underdog might push a voter to give the film a look before submitting their ballot,” she concluded.

Such could be the case, for example, for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the commercially successful but critically panned Freddie Mercury biopic that won best drama at the Globes -- its marquee award.

Or civil rights dramedy “Green Book,” which picked up awards for best comedy movie, best supporting actor in Mahershala Ali and best screenplay.

“There is no better marketing hook for films that have been in the marketplace for many weeks than a major win at the Globes,” said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for industry tracker Comscore.

Overall, though, the numbers are emphatic: the Golden Globes aren’t a reliable predictor for the Oscars, cinema’s most coveted prize.

“It would be foolish to bet big on a perfect alignment of the winners since historically its usually a crap shoot,” said Dergarabedian.

“The predictive power of forecasting a winner here isn’t really what these awards are for,” adds Walter Hickey, a data journalist for Insider.

According to his analysis, historically the Golden Globes have had about a fifty percent success rate in predicting the Oscar’s best picture.

The numbers are a bit better at picking actors and actresses, though not stunningly. A major reason is that, while the Golden Globes gives out two best picture awards -- one for drama and the other for musical or comedy -- the Oscar’s has just one.

- Preferential voting system For Sasha Stone, founder of the Awards Daily website which has reported on ceremonies for the past 20 years, it all boils down to probabilities. “We do not know what the eventual outcome will be in this very unpredictable race,” she says.

Last year, for example, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” won best drama at the Globes while “The Shape of Water” took home the best-picture Oscar.

The year before, the Golden Globes gong went to “The Revenant” while the Academy Award went to “Spotlight.”

For experts, a major factor is that the Golden Globes jury isn’t made up of cinema professionals.

Instead, it consists of just under a hundred members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who have an inherently different view of the profession. And they are more pliable to favors offered by studios, according to their detractors.

EVERLY HILLS, California - Former Miss India and Bollywood actress Manasvi Mamgai, who has featured in alongside Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha, Yami Gautam in ‘Action Jackson’ made a sizzling appearance on the red carpet of the prestigious 76th Golden Globe Awards.

Manasvi was turning heads with ease with her free-flowing grace and her peach coloured satin saree won everyone’s heart. With minimal makeup and accessories, the Bollywood diva did prove her style statement with a bang.

Talking about her look at the Golden Globe Awards she said, “It is first

A

Undeterred by Oberoi’s film on the same subject that will be helmed by Omung Kumar, Rawal says that Modi’s life has sufficient fodder for multiple filmmakers to explore.

The biopic that he will reportedly produce will take inspiration from the attention that the politician commands, courtesy his honesty.

“When I was nine years old, my mother told me that we would avoid eating rice on Mondays, since the then PM Lal Bahadur Shastri - who was allotting ration for the Army men in our war-struck country - had requested the citizens to do so. The demand was honoured by many because it had been made by an honest man. Similarly, when Modi told citizens to give up their [cooking gas] subsidies, people paid heed, because the request was made by an honest man.”

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mere two hours before the first look of Vivek Anand Oberoi as Narendra Modi from an upcoming biopic on the Indian PM was unveiled yesterday, Paresh Rawal sat before us reiterating a statement he made six months ago: “No one can pull off the role better [than me].”

While the senior actor had announced his film early last year, he is yet to zero in on a director for the project.

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Indian. Celebrate India! So I chose to wear a saree. And everyone here

went crazy! They have never seen a saree at the Golden Globes. I got a lot of great press and a lot of Hollywood actors came and asked me who I was and what I was wearing.”

Contesting as two biopics on Indian PM Narendra Modi hit the floors simultaneously

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award function in the award season in Hollywood and it’s also my first international red carpet and award function so I wanted to do something

Paresh Rawal on competing with Vivek Oberoi: No one can play Narendra Modi better than me

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Manasvi was turning heads with ease with her free-flowing grace. (Photo: Times of India)

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The veteran says his biopic will also highlight how a man with limited experience first

Vivek Oberoi as PM Modi. managed Gujarat, and then the entire country. “He’s not an armchair [prime minister], but a passionate countryman who has visited abundant villages [to study problems] firsthand. These factors will be the driving forces of our biopic.” Ask him if he will ever play the leader of an opposing party, and he says, “I’ll do it. I’m an actor, after all.”

As a wave of political films - including The Accidental Prime Minister (on Dr Manmohan Singh) and Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s film based on Balasaheb Thackeray - are on the anvil,

Rawal says one can expect a flood of controversies. “There are a lot of stories that will unfold, and many controversies [will arise]. However, makers should have a sense of authenticity when portraying them. Only then will the experience be fun.”

Before he can breathe life into his idol, he is looking forward to his Friday release, Uri. Rawal plays former intelligence officer Ajit Doval, who apparently supervised the 2016 surgical strikes. “I had met him in the PMO, and am fascinated by him.”

- Mid-day.com

TAXES & PERSONAL FINANCE

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FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Tel: 713-774-5140

2019 Tax Changes: Everything You Need to Know One potential negative change, however, is that donations made regularly to colleges and universities in exchange for the right to purchase athletic tickets are no longer deductible.

by Matthew Frankel, CFP

T

he Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the most significant set of changes to the U.S. tax code in several decades. The vast majority of the changes go into effect for the 2018 tax year, which is the return that you’ll file with the IRS in the spring of 2019.

The medical expense deduction is lower for 2018, but...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act lowered the threshold for medical expense deductions to 7.5% of AGI from the prior threshold of 10%. In other words, a taxpayer with an AGI of $100,000 can now deduct medical expenses exceeding $7,500.

The IRS has a long list of expenses that qualify as “medical expenses,” so it can be a good idea to start keeping track of yours if you think you may qualify.

Here’s a rundown of what Americans need to know about the recent tax changes that could affect individual taxpayers in the upcoming tax season. Changes made on the corporate side won’t affect your tax return, so we’ll focus on the individual filer. These changes, which are mandated by the new tax legislation for individual filers, are set to expire in 2025, unless they get extended. (Corporate changes made by the bill are permanent.)

However, this change only was made for the 2017 and 2018 tax years. So you’ll be able to take advantage of it on the tax return you file in 2019. Beyond that time, however, the threshold is set to increase to 10% again unless Congress acts to extend it.

Tax brackets -- Still seven, but with different rates One of the headline changes made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was a general lowering of U.S. tax rates. While the number of tax brackets remained at seven, the rates were generally lowered, with the exception of the minimum tax rate staying at 10% for the poorest Americans.

In addition to lower tax rates, the income thresholds were increased, particularly at the higher tax brackets. In other words, the highest tax brackets now apply to fewer (higher-earning) Americans than it did previously. For example, before the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the top tax rate was 39.6% and applied to married couples filing jointly who earned more than $480,050. With tax reform, that top rate was lowered to 37% and only applies to married couples making more than $600,000 in taxable income, much more income than before.

No more Obamacare penalties, starting in 2019 standard deduction from previous levels. Taxpayers can choose between using the standard deduction or itemized deductions. Itemizing deductions means adding up all of the individual tax deductions to which you’re entitled and then subtracting them from your adjusted gross income (AGI).

(Note: Adjusted gross income is your total income minus a few adjustments. Common adjustments to income include traditional IRA contributions and student loan interest, just to name a few.)

On the other hand, the standard deduction simply is a set amount that Americans can choose to deduct instead. Taxpayers can use whichever of the two methods is more beneficial to them.

The majority of U.S. households use the standard deduction, so this change will certainly affect millions of people.

With that in mind, here’s a comparison of the standard deductions that were in place for the 2017 tax year and those now in effect for 2018 and 2019:

Here’s a look at the tax brackets in effect for the 2018 tax year, which will apply to the next tax return you’ll file in 2019.

The effect of this change is that more Americans will end up using the standard deduction on their returns beginning in 2019 when they file for the 2018 tax year. Historically, approximately 70% of individual tax returns used the standard deduction, while the other 30% found it more beneficial to itemize. For 2018 and beyond, experts have projected that roughly 95% of individual tax returns now will utilize the standard deduction.

The personal exemption is gone Additionally, the IRS recently announced the updated inflation-adjusted 2019 tax brackets, which will be used on the tax return you’ll file in 2020 for income you’ll earn during the 2019 calendar year:

To be perfectly clear, although the standard deduction has roughly doubled, it doesn’t mean that people are getting double the tax break -- far from it, actually.

While the standard deduction has increased, the valuable personal exemption has gone away.

The reasoning for this is that, in addition to a tax cut, lawmakers were also attempting to simplifythe tax code. So instead of giving taxpayers a standard deduction and a number of exemptions, these two things were essentially combined into a higher standard deduction.

In plain English, a personal exemption is a certain amount of income Americans can exclude from their taxable income each year. In prior tax years, Americans could claim one personal exemption for themselves, their spouse, and one for each dependent.

Annual adjustdifferent

ments will be

Before the 2018 tax year, inflation adjustments to things like the tax brackets, standard deduction, and other tax provisions had been based on the CPI-U (consumer price index for all urban consumers). This index tracks a basket of goods and services that affects the typical U.S. household, so it made sense that it was used to gradually increase tax-related figures over time.

The new tax law uses a metric known as the Chained CPI instead, which makes the assumption that if a particular good or service becomes too expensive, consumers will begin buying a cheaper alternative. Without getting too deep into a discussion about the Chained CPI, the effect is that the index grows at a slightly slower rate over time than other forms of the CPI. This is a relatively subtle change and unlikely to have a big impact on a year-to-year basis.

However, because Chained CPI increases at a slower pace over time, it could have a big impact on the inflation adjustments to the tax code over decades. Simply put, the long-term effect of this means that the higher tax brackets will begin to apply to lower-income taxpayers, as real inflation will (theoretically) rise faster than the income thresholds of the marginal tax brackets.

Higher standard deduction The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act nearly doubled the

In the 2017 tax year, each personal exemption was an effective $4,100 tax deduction. And there was no limit to the number of personal exemptions that could be claimed. For example, a married couple with six dependent children could claim eight personal exemptions. You can see how the higher standard deduction may not exactly be a gift -- especially for larger families.

The Child Tax Credit has doubled Although families with several children may feel the sting from the repeal of the personal exemption, there’s some good news. Not only has the Child Tax Credit been increased, but more of the credit now is refundable and the income limitations are far less restrictive.

Briefly, it’s important to mention that a credit is very different from a deduction. While a deduction lowers the amount of income that the government considers when taxing you, a tax credit actually reduces the amount of tax you owe, dollar for dollar. If you owe $1,000 in tax, a $1,000 credit would pay it off for you while a deduction just would lower the income level that your tax rate would apply to. In other words, a $1,000 credit is far more valuable than a $1,000 deduction.

Tax reform was good for the Child Tax Credit, which was doubled to $2,000 per qualifying child under age 17. As much as $1,400 of this amount is refundable -- meaning that it can be claimed even if the taxpayer’s federal income tax liabil-

ity is already zero. So even if a parent has little income or otherwise owes no federal income taxes, they could still take advantage and get this money back.

Furthermore, the income phase-out thresholds are significantly higher than the previous levels, which makes the credit available to far more Americans than in previous years. Several tax breaks phase out above certain income levels.

The reason is that many tax benefits are intended to benefit low- to moderate-income taxpayers, not the rich. However, the range of people who can benefit from the Child Tax Credit has been significantly expanded.

Most education tax breaks remain The two popular tax credits for college expenses, the American Opportunity Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit, both survived tax reform unscathed. These are designed to lower the tax bills of people who paid college tuition.

The American Opportunity Credit applies to tuition paid toward a degree or certificate program but only for the first four years of college, while the Lifetime Learning Credit applies to nearly all tuition and fees.

However, it’s worth noting that the tuition and fees tax deduction is no longer available, as the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 only made it available through the 2017 tax year -- although it’s possible that Congress will still choose to extend it. Previously, certain taxpayers who couldn’t qualify for one of the two credits could deduct as much as $4,000 worth of tuition and fees as an adjustment to income. Now, taxpayers who can’t qualify for either credit are out of luck.

Expanded use of 529 savings plans The two main college savings accounts, 529 savings plans and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs, both remain in the revised tax code. These accounts provide a tax-advantaged way for parents and other relatives to save and invest money for educational expenses such as tuition, fees, books, and certain other qualifying expenses. While there’s no deduction for contributions to these accounts on federal tax returns, any money these accounts earn from investments can be withdrawn tax-free when used for a qualified expense.

However, a change was made to 529 savings plans to allow use of the funds for qualifying educational expenses at any level, not just for college. This was already the case with Coverdell ESAs. As one potential example, if you end up sending your child to a private high school, you could potentially use funds from their 529 savings plan to help pay for it.

Mortgage interest still is deductible, but...

The deduction for mortgage interest is one of the most popular U.S. tax breaks. In fact, tax benefits like these are often a primary reason Americans decide to buy a home. Fortunately for many homeowners, the mortgage interest deduction survived the tax reform efforts, but it did receive two major modifications.

First, the cap (or limit) on the total deduction allowed has been reduced to the interest on up to $750,000 of qualified residence debt, or mortgage principal on a primary or secondary home. This is down from the previous limit of $1 million, although mortgages obtained before December 15, 2017 are grandfathered in to the higher limit.

Second, the previous additional limit that allowed taxpayers to deduct interest on as much as $100,000 of home equity debt has been eliminated. To be clear, interest on a home equity loan (such as a HELOC) may still be used as a deduction, but if and only if the loan was used to substantially improve your home. In this case, it becomes qualified residence debt and is counted as part of your $750,000 cap.

Charitable contributions The charitable contributions deduction is another wildly popular tax break and was never really on the chopping block. In fact, highly charitable taxpayers can now deduct donations of as much as 60% of their AGI -- a boost from the previous 50% maximum.

While the Republican administration and Congress have thus far been unsuccessful in repealing the Affordable Care Act, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did eliminate the individual mandate -aka the “Obamacare penalty.” This is the penalty you pay for not having health insurance.

One important caveat: The penalty is only repealed in tax years 2019 and beyond. If you didn’t maintain qualifying health coverage throughout 2018, you still may face the penalty when you file your tax return in 2019.

The new pass-through income deduction Designed as a tax break for small business owners, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes a 20% deduction for “pass-through” income. This includes income you receive from a sole proprietorship or other pass-through entities such as partnerships, LLCs, and S-Corps. Real estate income counts, as do dividends you receive from REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) stocks.

There’s one notable restriction. The new law sets a maximum amount of income people in “professional services” businesses, such as lawyers, doctors, and consultants, can earn while still taking advantage of the deduction. For the 2018 tax year, the pass-through deduction for these types of business starts to phase out at an AGI greater than $157,500 (single filers) or $315,000 (married filing jointly).

Which tax deductions are gone?

As we’ve seen, many tax deductions survived the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, either in their previous form or with modifications. On the other hand, there are some that didn’t get to remain on the books at all. Remember, the goal of the tax reform effort wasn’t just to cut taxes but to simplify the U.S. tax code, as well. As part of the simplification, several deductions got axed.

Here are the most significant tax breaks that Americans can no longer take advantage of: Moving expenses -- This was an above-theline deduction, meaning that it could be taken whether or not a taxpayer itemized, and was designed to offset the costs of job-related moving expenses. Now, this deduction is gone, except for certain moves related to active-duty military service.

Casualty and theft losses -- If your home was burglarized, you formerly were able to deduct the value of the stolen items. Now, the deduction only can be used for losses attributed to a federally declared disaster.

The “miscellaneous deduction” category -This is one true simplification to the tax code.

There used to be a long list of deductions that Americans could take advantage of, to the extent that they exceeded 2% of AGI. This included things like unreimbursed employee expenses, tax preparation expenses, and more. Starting with the 2018 tax year, these deductions are gone, so some taxpayers with lots of these expenses may feel the sting from this.

Which tax breaks stay the same in 2019?

As I mentioned, many tax breaks survived the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act unscathed. This is not an exhaustive list, but here are some tax deductions and credits that weren’t affected at all: Capital gains and qualified dividend taxes The Child and Dependent Care Credit The American Opportunity Credit The Lifetime Learning Credit The Student Loan Interest deduction Tax deductions for retirement savings One big uncertainty is what will happen to the Tax Code after 2025. The way the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is set up, the changes to the corporate side of the tax code are permanent, but the individual tax changes are mostly set to expire after the 2025 tax year. The most significant exception is the change from the CPI-W to the Chained CPI when it comes to calculating inflation -- that one’s a permanent change.

- Turbotax staff/AOL

VOICE OF ASIA 16

Section 2

Young Life

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

US teen sex trafficking victim granted clemency over murder

by Nova Safo

www.voiceofasia.news

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Tel: 713-774-5140

Contacts at night can reduce glasses by day UH tackles increased childhood myopia

C

HICAGO | AFP | Monday 1/7/2019 - A US trafficking victim serving a life sentence for killing a man who bought her for sex when she was a teenager was granted clemency Monday following a celebrity-backed viral campaign for her freedom.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam said Cyntoia Brown, now 30, had been given “too harsh” a sentence for the 2004 murder of a real estate agent in the city of Nashville.

Johnny Allen had picked up Brown, who was 16 at the time and a runaway under the influence of a dangerous pimp, and taken her to his home for sex.

The ex-Army sharpshooter allegedly showed off his firearms and “grabbed” Brown forcefully between her legs.

She said she shot him in fear for her life.

A jury convicted Brown of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery, and she was given life with the possibility of parole after serving at least 51 years in prison.

At night Joaquin Martinez inserts his orthokeratology lenses. By morning, he won’t need them or glasses to see perfectly. Courtesy University of Houston.

By 2019, Cyntoia Brown had been locked up for nearly fifteen years.

Calling the case “tragic and complex,” Haslam granted clemency under the condition of a 10-year parole. Brown will be released on August 7 after undergoing training on returning to society.

thing I can to justify your faith in me.”

“Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16,” Haslam said in a statement.

Brown earned a high school degree while incarcerated and was on track to complete her college education this year.

The governor’s office said numerous prison employees and volunteers attested to her personal growth.

“Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life.”

Without the governor’s intervention, Brown would have remained in prison at least until 2055.

In a statement released by her attorneys, Brown thanked her supporters and the governor and promised to “do every-

“My hope is to help other young girls avoid ending up where I have been,” she added.

- Prison transformation -

“Her transformation, when given the opportunity, is nothing short of miraculous,” her attorneys Charles Bone and J Houston Gordon said in a joint statement.

“She is truly a remarkable young woman with so much to offer this world and will now have that chance.”

Brown’s case was featured in a 2011 documentary, and was the subject of a social media

campaign involving multiple celebrities who advocated for clemency, saying she should have been treated as a traumatized child victim of sex trafficking.

“Cyntoia never should have been sentenced so harshly to begin with, and we can’t lose sight of the fact that she is still receiving an excessive 10 years’ probation,” the American Civil Liberties Union tweeted in response to the clemency news.

“The fight against harsh sentencing laws goes on.”

Last month, actress Ashley Judd implored her home state’s governor to grant clemency by saying Brown “deserves our empathy and your mercy.”

In response to the governor’s action, reality star Kim Kardashian, who has previously described Brown as a victim with “the courage to fight back,” tweeted simply: “Thank you Governor Haslam.”

Young Saudi woman ‘under the care’ of UN agency: Thai official

by Thanaporn Promyamyai and Dene-Hern Chen

B

ANGKOK, Thailand | AFP | Monday 1/7/2019 - The Saudi woman who made a desperate plea for asylum after landing at Bangkok airport has been placed “under the care” of the United Nations refugee agency, a Thai official said late Monday.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun told AFP she ran away from her family while travelling in Kuwait because they subjected her to physical and psychological abuse.

The 18-year-old said she had planned to seek asylum in Australia and feared she would be killed if repatriated by Thai immigration officials who stopped her during transit on Sunday.

The incident comes as Saudi Arabia faces intense scrutiny over the shocking murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, which has renewed criticism of the kingdom’s rights record.

Thai immigration chief Surachate Hakparn had said Sunday that Qunun was denied entry because of her lack of documents.

But he made an abrupt aboutface the next day, following a global media frenzy as the young woman pleaded on Twitter for different countries to help her.

After announcing that Thailand “will not force her” to leave, Surachate told reporters late Monday that Qunun would be “allowed to stay” after a meeting with officials from the UN refugee agency UNHCR. “She is under the care of the UNHCR now but we also sent Thai security to help take care (of her),” Surachate told reporters at Suvarnabhumi airport.

He said Qunun had told UNHCR officials she “wants to stay in Thailand for a while while seeking asylum to a third country”.

The agency “will take five days to consider her status” and another five days to arrange for

by Laurie Fickman

H

OUSTON - January 7, 2019 - Nearsightedness, or myopia, the condition of those who can’t see objects at a distance, is increasing at an “alarming” rate, according to the World Health Organization. The National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health states that about 42 percent of Americans are myopic, up from 25 percent in 1971. Responding to the rising number of children with blurry vision caused by myopia, the University Eye Institute is offering a Myopia Management Service to correct and manage nearsightedness in children.

It’s the first of its kind in Texas.

Myopia typically appears when children are in their early school years and can be associated with long-term eye health problems such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. No conclusive studies link the rise of myopia in children to their increased use of technology, but enough research and anecdotal evidence exists to support these theories.

travel, Surachate said, adding that he would meet with Saudi diplomats on Tuesday to explain Thailand’s decision.

a video on Twitter of her barricading her hotel room door with furniture in a bid to stop her deportation from Thailand.

Following the announcement, a relieved Qunun tweeted that she felt safe “under UNHCR protection with the agreement of Thailand authorities”, adding that her passport had been returned to her after being taken away on Sunday.

She said Saudi and Kuwaiti officials had taken her passport from her when she landed -- a claim backed by Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

UNHCR’s spokesman in Geneva Babar Baloch confirmed Qunun had “left the airport to a safe place in the city” and said agency officials would interview her once she had had some rest.

Surachate had told reporters earlier Monday Qunun was stopped by immigration because Saudi officials had contacted them to say she had fled her family.

“Thailand is a land of smiles.

We will not send anyone to die,” he said. “We will take care of her as best as we can.”

- Barricaded in Qunun had earlier posted

Abdulilah al-Shouaibi, charge d’affaires at the Saudi embassy in Bangkok, told Saudi-owned TV channel Khalijia that the woman’s father -- a senior regional government official -- had contacted the diplomatic mission for “help” bringing her back.

But he denied that her passport had been seized and that embassy officials were present inside the airport.

A Twitter statement from the Saudi embassy in Bangkok said Qunun was stopped by Thai authorities for “violating the law”.

- ‘Facing grave harm’ The ultra-conservative Saudi kingdom has long been criti-

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“Children are doing a lot more ‘near work’ even before kindergarten, especially on digital devices, and not getting outside as much,” said Kathryn Richdale, UH associate professor and optometrist. “At the same time, we’re seeing this staggering increase in myopia.”

Treatments offered by the Myopia Management Service will have the maximum impact during childhood, a time of rapid myopic progression.

“We can’t stop or reverse myopia, but we can slow down the progression,” said Richdale. “We use certain eye drops or specialty multifocal or orthokeratology lenses.” The orthokeratology lenses are worn while users are sleeping and temporarily re-shape the eyes so users don’t need glasses during the day.

If patients continue wearing the lenses, they slow down the progression of myopia, Richdale said.

Focusing on a typical patient One such patient wearing the contacts at night is 12-year old Joaquin Martinez who says he

cised for imposing some of the world’s toughest restrictions on women.

That includes a guardianship system that allows men to exercise arbitrary authority to make decisions on behalf of their female relatives.

In addition to facing punishment for “moral” crimes, women can also become the target of “honour killings” at the hands of their families, activists say.

If sent back, Qunun told AFP she would likely be imprisoned and was “sure 100 percent” her family would kill her.

“My family is strict and locked me in a room for six months just for cutting my hair,” she said.

HRW’s Robertson said Qunun “faces grave harm if she is forced back to Saudi Arabia”.

“Given Saudi Arabia’s long track record of looking the other way in so-called honour violence incidents, her worry that she could be killed if returned cannot be ignored,” he said.

rarely, if ever, misses a night.

Only slightly myopic, he hates wearing his glasses. “I strongly dislike them,” said Martinez, mirroring a sentiment shared by many young patients, according to Richdale.

Lots of his schoolwork is done on digital textbooks, so he’s on the computer at school as well as at home where he is a self-confessed video game fanatic. Martinez represents a pretty typical American preteen, and something more – a study in why myopia rates may have climbed dramatically in the last few decades.

“Outdoor time appears to be very good in cutting the risk for nearsightedness,” said Richdale. “We do not fully understand why, but it may be related to the idea that when people are outside there is generally brighter light and eyes are focusing on objects farther away.”

The University Eye Institute Myopia Management Service is located on the University of Houston campus inside Health Building 2 at 4901 Calhoun.

Click here for more information or call 713-743-2015 for appointments.

“She has clearly stated that she has renounced Islam which also puts her at serious risk of prosecution by the Saudi Arabian government.”

An Australian government spokesman said the claims made by Qunun “that she may be harmed if returned to Saudi Arabia are deeply concerning” and they are monitoring the case “closely”.

Australian embassy representatives in Bangkok have reached out to Thai authorities and the UNHCR to “seek assurances” that she will be able to access the “refugee status determination process”.

The UNHCR said that according to the principle of non-refoulement, asylum seekers cannot be returned to their country of origin if their life is under threat.

Visit us online : voiceofasia.news

VOICE OF ASIA 17

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

January is Tamil Heritage Month

Section 2

January is National Mentoring Month

Tel: 713-774-5140

Why Would I Need Long-term Care?

OhMiBod launches its Remote App for Apple Watch ahead of CES 2019

Reasons for needing long-term care include:

S

• Age. The older you are, the more likely you will need long-term care.

exual health and technology brand OhMiBod has announced the release of its OhMiBod Remote App for the Apple Watch ahead of its appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show 2019 taking place next week in Las Vegas.

• Gender. Women outlive men by about 5 years on average and so they are more likely to live at home when they are older.

• Disability. Having an accident or chronic illness that causes a disability. 69 percent of people age 90 or more have a disability.

OhMiBod’s Remote App allows partners to connect to and control each other’s OhMiBod products from anywhere in the world, with the new Apple Watch app using biofeedback to control OhMiBod’s Bluetooth-enabled personal massagers.

OhMiBod has also added a new feature to the app, Pulse, designed especially for Apple Watch users.

As one person’s pulse quickens, so will the vibrations that their partner experiences through any of OhMiBod’s massagers, as long as they are equipped with Bluetooth connectivity.

Commenting on the launch, Suki Dunham, founder of OhMiBod, said, “Smart watches like the new Apple Watch series have evolved into legitimate wellness devices with fantastic biofeedback performance. It is the perfect time for OhMiBod to launch its first true biofeedback-driven functionality.”

OhMiBod will also use the event to showcase an OhMiBod skill designed for Alexa, the virtual assistant developed by Amazon for its Echo prod-

• Health status. A chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure makes you more likely to need care.

• Living arrangements. If you live alone, you’re more likely to need paid care than if you’re married or living with a partner.

OhMiBod Launches Remote Intimacy App for Apple Watch at CES 2019. © Courtesy of OhMiBod joyment -- without distraction.”

“Users will be able to set intensity levels, change patterns, and set the mood through music,” said founder of OhMiBod Suki Dunham. “But most importantly, Alexa’s hands-free functionality helps ensure that all participants can focus on intimacy and en-

CES 2019 takes place January 8-12 January in Las Vegas, USA.

• A daytime program in your community.

For more information visit www. ohmibod.com.

• A residential setting, such as a nursing home or assisted living facility.

OhMiBod Remote App for Apple Watch is now available for download on the App Store.

- Relaxnews

• Personal care services — Help with housekeeping, cooking meals or personal care tasks, such as bathing and dressing.

A

• Medical services — Provides medical supplies or equipment to help you be independent. These might include reachers to help you get things off high shelves or a scooter to help you move around.

You also might get nursing care in your home.

Now, a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified racial disparities between African-Americans and Caucasians in the level of a key biomarker used to identify Alzheimer’s disease.

Morris leads the university’s Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). When he took over as principal investigator in 1997, Morris launched an initiative to address the

• Your own home.

Given the choice, most people would prefer to live in their own home or with their family. By getting help with everyday tasks, this often can happen. Some types of services you may be able to get at home are:

frican-Americans may be twice as likely as Caucasian Americans to develop Alzheimer’s disease, but nobody knows why because studies investigating the underlying causes of illness have historically drawn from a nearly allwhite pool of research participants.

Consequently, little is known about how the neurodegenerative disease arises and progresses in people of non-Caucasian backgrounds.

“If we only study Alzheimer’s in Caucasians, we’ll only learn about Alzheimer’s in Caucasians,” said John C. Morris, MD, the Harvey A. and Dorismae Hacker Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurology.

“If we want to understand all the ways the disease can develop in people, we need to include people from all groups. Without a complete understanding of the illness, we’re not going to be able to develop therapies that work for all people.”

If you have a medical issue or a disability, many long-term care options are available to you. You can get services in:

ucts. Using Alexa’s voice interaction features, the skill will gives couples hands-free control of OhMiBod’s products, including a soon-to-be released couple’s ring.

Racial differences in Alzheimer’s disease unveiled

The findings, published Jan. 7 in JAMA Neurology, suggest that tools to diagnose the illness may not as effectively apply to African-Americans. Specifically, the concern is that Alzheimer’s may be under-recognized in African-Americans because they typically have lower levels of the brain protein tau—meaning that people might not meet the threshold to be diagnosed when the disease already has begun to develop in their brains.

Where can I get Long-term Care Services?

• Transportation services — Rides to medical appointments if you do not have a car or can’t drive.

• Caregiver services — Provides a break and other help for family

Sudhir Mathuria HEALTHLIFE 360 713-771-2900 members who help take care of you.

Day Time Activity Center in the community: Whether you live alone or stay by yourself when your family goes to work, you do not have to be lonely.

If you go to a daytime program, also called adult day care, you can have fun, learn and be with others. You also may get help with some tasks, such as taking medicine.

Residential Facility Sometimes it’s not possible to live by yourself or with your family. In those cases, assisted living or a nursing home might be right for you.

These facilities are professionally staffed businesses that provide different levels of care, depending on what you need.

Assisted Living Facility If you choose to live in assisted living facility, you will usually have your own room or apartment. You can bring your things with you to make it feel like home. You will usually eat with others. Services might include: • Help bathing or getting dressed.

• Someone to make sure you get your medicine.

• Employees checking on you to make sure you are doing OK. For more information on Long Term care insurance contact Sudhir Mathuria at 713-771-2900.

Another blood pressure medication has been recalled over cancer-causing impurity lack of knowledge about the disease in people of color, and started by diversifying the center’s pool of study participants. At the time, only about 5 percent of people enrolled in memory and cognitive studies at the center were African-American, though they made up 18 percent of the population in the greater St. Louis area.

For this study, Morris and colleagues analyzed biological data from 1,215 people, of whom 14 percent, or 173, were African-American.

The participants averaged 71 years of age.

Two-thirds showed no signs of memory loss or confusion, and the remaining one-third had either very mild or mild Alzheimer’s dementia.

All participants underwent at least one test for Alzheimer’s: a PET scan to detect plaques of toxic amyloid protein in the brain, an MRI scan for

signs of brain shrinkage and damage, or a spinal tap to measure levels of key Alzheimer’s proteins in the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

Analysis of the MRI and PET scans turned up no significant differences between African-Americans and whites. But when the researchers examined the samples of cerebrospinal fluid, they discovered that AfricanAmericans had significantly lower levels of the brain protein tau.

Elevated tau has been linked to brain damage, memory loss and confusion, but having lower levels of tau didn’t protect African-Americans from those problems. They were just as likely as Caucasians to be cognitively impaired in this study.

- NPR

by Mike Wehner

W

e had no shortage of blood pressure medication recalls in 2018, with multiple companies issuing warnings over drug impurities that could cause cancer. It looks like that trend will continue in 2019 as yet another company has issued a recall of blood pressure tablets after detecting an impurity that may be cancer-causing.

This time around it’s Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc, which is recalling prescriptions of the drug Valsartan.

Valsartan, you may remember, has been the subject of recalls due to such impurities in the past. The drug is sold by several manufacturers, and in July

of 2018 almost a half-dozen companies were forced to recall their products due to the discovery of human carcinogens in the tablets.

The FDA explains in its bulletin that the carcinogen discovered in the tablets is NDEA (N-nitrosodiethylamine), which can be a byproduct of industrial manufacturing and has been linked to cancer in the past. The company says it has not received “any reports” that its drugs have actually caused cancer in any patients, but it’s issuing the recall to make sure that doesn’t happen in the future.

It’s recommended that you contact your physician if your current prescription is being recalled.

- Relaxnews

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DIET & EXCERCISE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

‘Beat the Pack’ program to help with your New Year’s smoking resolutions Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is offering the community a proven four-week program to help people quit smoking. The next four-week series is scheduled for Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. beginning January 22, at Houston Methodist Sugar Land’s Main Pavilion Conference Rooms A & D.

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Drop beef and save millions of lives, slash emissions: WEF

G

ENEVA, Switzerland| AFP |Thursday 1/3/2019 - Switching from beef to alternative proteins could save millions of lives and dramatically slash greenhouse gas emissions, the World Economic Forum said Thursday.

New research conducted by the Oxford Martin School for WEF showed that efforts to replace meat and especially beef could provide huge benefits for human health and the environment.

The organisation, famous for the plush gathering of the world’s rich, famous and influential at the luxury Swiss ski resort of Davos each January, said 2.4 percent of global dietrelated deaths could be avoided by moving away from beef.

And for wealthier countries, a full five percent of such deaths could be avoided, according to the shool’s white paper “Alternative proteins”.

“The most positive effects are found in wealthier countries, where beef consumption is high and where there is a particular benefit of consuming more fibre,” it found.

Stock image provided by HMSLH

S

UGAR LAND – (January 3, 2018) — Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is offering the community a proven program to help people quit smoking.

The complimentary program, called Beat the Pack®, was developed by Pfizer Inc. and is sponsored by Houston Methodist Sugar Land Respiratory Therapy Department and Cancer Center. The next fourweek series is scheduled for Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. beginning January 22, at Houston Methodist Sugar Land’s Main Pavilion Conference Rooms A & D. Participants will meet once a week for four weeks with a trained facilitator from Houston Methodist Sugar Land who will provide tools, tips and support to help smokers create and follow through with a personalized “quit plan.”

“Studies show that close to 70 percent of smokers in the U.S. want to quit,” said Amy

Sebastian-Deutsch, director of oncology and infusion therapy services. “But it typically takes a smoker between six and 11 attempts at quitting to finally succeed. Beat the Pack is a proven program that can greatly increase those odds and make it easier to give up cigarettes for good.”

never smoked.”

Even long-term smokers can benefit from quitting. “The health benefits of quitting begin almost immediately and continue indefinitely,” said Sindhu Nair, M.D., a boardcertified hematologist oncologist with Houston Methodist Oncology Partners at Sugar Land. “Within months, former smokers will have improved circulation and reduced blood pressure, enhanced oxygen flow, the return of taste and smell and less coughing and colds. After a year, their risk of heart disease will be reduced by half. And after 10 years of living without cigarettes, the risk of heart attack or cancer is similar to that of someone who

“It isn’t easy to quit, and certainly it is more difficult to do so by yourself,” said SebastianDeutsch. “Beat the Pack provides all the tools and support needed, and it does so in an informative, friendly atmosphere that offers encouragement and camaraderie.”

In 2015, a thorough compilation of more than 50 smoking cessation studies that included more than 25,000 participants found that combining behavior support in a group setting with medication provides the best results.

The four-week program is offered each quarter. Registration is required and space is limited.

For more information or to register, visit houstonmethodist. org/events and search for Beat the Pack, or call 281.274.7500.

Visit our Facebook page at fb.com/methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

5 simple but healthy habits to start this January

The paper did not provide figures on how many people are estimated to die annually from diet-related causes, nor what diseases or conditions were included in that category, but WEF maintained that switching from meat “could prevent millions of unnecessary deaths per year.”

It also pointed out that demand for meat is projected to keep growing even as the global population is predicted to swell to 10 billion around the middle of this century.

- Not sustainable “It will be impossible to sustainably satisfy the world’s fu-

I

Cut out soda Even making small diet changes can boost health, and cutting out soda and other sweetened beverages is one of the biggest small changes you can make, reducing both calorie intake and sugar consumption. A high intake of sugary drinks has been linked with a variety of health problems including increased risk of diabetes, chronic kidney disease, lower chance of getting pregnant, an increase in visceral fat (the type of fat that wraps around internal organs such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines) and even an increased risk of death.

Walk more If the thought of a gym membership or marathon training is too big a fitness goal, simply walking more will still bring benefits for health. One study found that walking at least four hours a week, or just 35 minutes a day, may reduce the severity of a stroke, and walking to work has been linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and death, with an even lower risk for those who also walk in their leisure time. Picking up the pace can also bring extra benefits, with walking at an average pace linked to a 20 percent lower risk for all-cause mortality compared with walking at a slow pace, and walking at a brisk or fast pace reducing the risk even further, by 24 percent.

Get some daylight Getting enough natural daylight has previously been linked

with a lower risk of depression, a lower risk of postnatal depression in women, and more recently with improved eye health. Previous research has suggested that getting outdoors in the morning is most beneficial; those who struggle to get outside are advised to open the curtains at home and sit by windows in offices to try to maximize the amount of light, or use light therapy lamps to help fight depression in winter months.

Enjoy a massage A massage is a great way to help you de-stress, which is important for health, but recent research is suggesting the benefits may go further than simply helping us to relax. A recent study also linked regular massages with improved arthritis symptoms, while a study published back in 2014 also suggested that shiatsu mas-

He stressed that “innovation in products, improvements in how we produce beef, pork and chicken, and an effort on the part of the consumer to embrace a more diverse diet,” could make it possible to improve global health, even without giving up meat altogether.

The report analysed 13 sources of protein, including beef, pork and chicken, along with fruits and vegetables such as beans, processed non-animal substitutes like tofu, and novel products including insects.

It found that switching from meat to alternative proteins could have both a negative and a positive effect on nutrient intake, but that overall, increasing consumption of alternatives offered health improvements.

Beans, mycoprotein and peas offered the biggest health boost, with the possibility to reduce mortality rates by up to

seven percent, it found.

The white paper also highlighted 2010 data showing that beef production alone accounts for a quarter of all food-related greenhouse gas emissions, stressing that soaring protein demand could put huge pressure on the environment unless alternatives are found.

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 open grazing areas.

Immense amounts of water are also needed to sustain the livestock.

“The evidence is clear, our food system needs to be transformed for the sake of our planet and the future of humankind,” WWF International head Marco Lambertini said in the WEF statement.

“We are the last generation that can do something about this before the system collapses.”

N

ew UK research has found that taking part in Dry January, which involves staying away from alcohol for a month, could help people lose weight, sleep better, boost energy, save money, and reduce drinking long-term.

Carried out by the University of Sussex, the new study surveyed UK adults who took part in Dry January in 2018, an event which is organised in the UK by the charity Alcohol Change UK.

The findings showed that those who take part in Dry January also report drinking less months later, with alcohol consumption also lower in August.

f you want to boost your health in 2019 but resolutions seem too daunting, then read on for five easy ways to improve well-being each day and throughout the coming year.

ture demand for meat,” WEF managing director Dominic Waughray said in the statement.

Want to sleep better, feel better, and save money? Take part in ‘Dry January’ suggests new study

The first survey questioned 2,821 people who had registered for Dry January; the second questioned 1,715 in the first week of February; and the final survey included 816 participants in August.

Making simple lifestyle changes such as walking to work and getting enough sunlight could help boost your health in 2019. © Maridav / Shutterstock.com

New research conducted by the Oxford Martin School for WEF showed that efforts to replace meat and especially beef by proteins like beans could provide huge benefits for human health and the environment. (File photo)

Participants also reported drinking on fewer days, with the average number of drinking days falling on average from 4.3 to 3.3 per week. The units consumed per drinking day also dropped on average from 8.6 to 7.1, and the frequency of being drunk dropped from 3.4 times per month to 2.1 times per month on average.

sage could aid sleep. So if you choose just one way to improve health this year, booking yourself in for a massage might be the most enjoyable one.

Visit blue and green spaces If you live in the countryside this one is easier, but even in a city most of us have access to blue spaces, such as lakes and rivers, and green spaces, including parks and nearby forests. Taking in these locations can not only help you also get more active through walking, but many recent studies are uncovering a variety of benefits of being near nature and natural space, including fewer respiratory problems, reduced risk of breast cancer in women, improved mental health and a lower risk of depression, and improved overall well-being.

- Relaxnews

Socializing without alcohol for the month of January could bring a variety of health benefits according to new research. © Geber86/ Istock.com Other benefits of Dry January included a sense of achievement, reported by 93 percent of participants, and saving money, reported by 88 percent of those surveyed.

Taking in part in Dry January also led to 82 percent of participants thinking more about their relationship with drink, with 80 percent feeling more in control of their drinking and 76 percent learning more about when and why they drink. A large number (71 percent) also realized that they don’t need a drink to enjoy themselves.

Cutting back on booze also brought a large number of other health benefits including improved overall health, better sleep, more energy, weight loss, better concentration, and better skin.

“The simple act of taking a month off alcohol helps people drink less in the long term: by August people are reporting one extra dry day per week.

There are also considerable immediate benefits: nine in ten people save money, seven in ten sleep better and three in five lose weight,” said lead author Dr. Richard de Visser.

“Interestingly, these changes in alcohol consumption have also been seen in the participants who didn’t manage to stay alcohol-free for the whole month -- although they are a bit smaller. This shows that there are real benefits to just trying to complete Dry January.”

Dr. Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, also commented on the findings saying, “Put simply, Dry January can change lives. We hear every day from people who took charge of their drinking using Dry January, and who feel healthier and happier as a result.”

“Many of us know about the health risks of alcohol -- seven forms of cancer, liver disease, mental health problems -- but we are often unaware that drinking less has more immediate benefits too. Sleeping better, feeling more energetic, saving money, better skin, losing weight... The list goes on. Dry January helps millions to experience those benefits and to make a longer-lasting change to drink more healthily.”

According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, and to spread drinking over three or more days if regularly drinking this amount.

A small glass of wine (125ml, ABV 12 percent) counts as 1.5 units, and a standard glass (175ml, ABV 12%) 2.1 units.

A 750ml bottle of wine (ABV 13.5 percent) contains 10 units.

A pint of lager/beer/cider (ABV 5.2 percent) counts as 3 units and a 330ml bottle of lager/beer/cider (ABV 5 percent) is 1.7 units.

- Relaxnews

TRAVEL

VOICE OF ASIA 19

What every frequent flier should know

Ranking of world’s most powerful passports dominated

by Asian countries

I

n the latest real-time update of the Henley Passport Index, the podium is topped by a trio of Asian countries.

Going into 2019, Japan leads the charts, with citizens enjoying visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 190 destinations around the world -- the most of any other country.

Singapore and South Korea share second spot at 189 countries, while France and Germany are tied at third spot.

Overall, Asian countries dominate the latest updated index, signaling Asia’s growing mobility and the world’s opendoor policy to countries in the

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PHOTO SOURCE: (c) kasto / stock.Adobe.com

t any given time, up to 5,000 aircraft are in American skies.

Ten million passenger flights took place in 2016. The “Golden Age” of air travel may feel like it’s long gone in a time of heightened security and since the advent of mass affordable flight, but experts say that consumers can expect flying to be more comfortable and convenient in the coming years -even when you’re riding coach.

• Mood lighting: Passengers are given more freedom to control their immediate surroundings through lighting.

Thanks to developments in LED technology, many airlines are phasing out cold-looking lighting installations to feature a rainbow range of colors customized to suit the time of day, the specific area of the aircraft or to simulate the soothing gradual process of sunrise and sunset.

“To survive and thrive, airlines are focused on product innovations and comfort upgrades to ensure repeat business from customers,” says Jennifer Coutts Clay, who has over 40 years of experience in the operational management and marketing of airlines, including time with British Airways and Pan Am. She is the author of “Jetliner Cabins: Evolution and Innovation,” a new eBook app featuring a historical record and futuristic look at the commercial flying experience, with over 6,000 images and interviews with airline experts.

• Connectivity: In-flight entertainment, streaming content options and connectivity are expanding as onboard Wi-Fi becomes faster and cheaper.

In-seat power supplies will keep mobile devices running during long flights, giving passengers opportunities to work, keep in touch with those on the ground and more.

Are you a frequent flier? Clay says these trends may be headed your way: • Better seating: Ergonomically constructed seat-frames, climate-controlled seat-cover fabrics and lumbar-supporting contoured seat-foam inserts are just a few of the cabin upgrades being made to ensure more comfortable travel.

• More accessibility: Airlines are making air travel more accessible to those with special needs. Recent advances include aisle-size wheelchairs, seat-armrests that can be raised, extra grab bars and handrails, in-flight literature in braille, special meals for an increased range of dietary restrictions, privacy curtains for use around lavatory doors and baby-changing facilities.

• Improved experience: Flights are getting longer and more crowded. In response, airlines are aiming to tackle the problems of stressed-out

passengers, with more personalization, humanization and options for how time can be used onboard, including opportunities to move around the aircraft.

• Luxury amenities: In firstclass cabins of the “gold-standard” airlines, the luxury-level accommodations, amenities and in-flight service standards keep getting better. Passengers can rely on concierge-type support to handle personal arrangements before, during and after flights, and there is limo service for ground transfers to and from airports. In the future, passengers might be able to expect onboard salon-style spas and even gyms if they are willing to pay a premium.

More about the air travel experience is available by downloading Clay’s app at jetlinercabins.com. The website also offers free videos where users can explore everything from new developments in plane cabins to behind-the-scenes glimpses into how cabin maintenance is performed in the modern age.

“Preparing jetliners to accommodate airline passengers is both an art and a science,” she says. “As passenger expectations evolve and grow, you can expect significant improvements in cabin comfort and hospitality standards.”

-StatePoint

Drone sighting briefly halts Heathrow Airport flights

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

region -- an asset that has the potential to contribute billions to the global economy and create employment opportunities around the world, says Henley index creator Christian Kaelin.

to the latest Henley Passport Index:

Notable movers in the latest ranking include South Korea, which reached a new high in second spot, while the US and UK jointly share sixth spot -a significant fall from grace, given they jointly held the top spot in 2015.

4. Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden

The ranking indexes 185 countries and is based on data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA).

Here are the world’s most powerful passports according

1. Japan 2. South Korea, Singapore 3. France, Germany

5. Spain, Luxembourg 6. Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, US, UK, 7. Belgium, Canada, Greece, Ireland 8. Czech Republic 9. Malta 10. Australia - Relaxnews

Ahead of Kumbh Mela 2019, Air India announces special flights to Prayagraj The flights will be operational from January 13 to March 30, 2019.

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EW DELHI: To aid passenger travel during Kumbh Mela 2019, national carrier Air India on Friday announced new flights between Prayagraj (formerly known as Allahabad) in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. The flights will be operational from January 13 to March 30, 2019.

Earlier, low-cost carrier SpiceJet also announced daily flights between Prayagraj and Delhi from January 6 to March 30.

The Uttar Pradesh government also asked the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) to run 500 special buses from various parts of the state to Pragraj during the

Kumbh Mela, a UP minister said Friday. Upendra Tiwari called upon Himachal Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to formally invite them to participate in the fair.

Nearly 12 crore devotees are expected to visit the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj which will begin January 15. Touted as the biggest cultural and religious event in the world, the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj has been accorded the status of world heritage by the UNESCO. The event, which will conclude on March 4, has been included in the list of ‘intangible cultural heritage of humanity.’

Representatives

of

192

countries are expected to visit the Kumbh Mela.

The Ardh Kumbh Mela will commence from January 14 to March 3 in 2019 at the Triveni Sangam - the holy confluence of river Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.

Thousands of devotees will flock to the city to take a holy dip in Triveni Sangam with a belief that taking a dip in the holy waters will cleanse them of their sins.

The city is rapidly preparing for the Kumbh 2019 and the administration is leaving no stone unturned to make it a memorable experience for all the visitors.

- Zee News

Bora Bora tops list of trendiest millennial destinations in 2019

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ONDON, England | AFP | Tuesday 1/8/2019 - It should come as no surprise to Instagram users to see Bora Bora head up a list of top-trending destinations for millennials in 2019.After looking at the most popular destinations being followed or “watched” by its millennial users, flight tracker and booking app Hopper found that Bora Bora experienced the biggest spike in interest for 2019 (24 percent increase from last year), followed by St. Martin and Aspen Colorado.

Bora Bora Jewel of the South Seas

Hopper users can set trip “watches” up to one year in advance. The average Hopper user sets up watches up to 90 days in advance of when they would typically begin seriously doing their travel homework.

London Heathrow airport Terminal Five. (Photo © AFP/Edmond Terakopian)

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ONDON, England | AFP | Tuesday 1/8/2019 - London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest hub, suspended all departing flights for around an hour Tuesday following a drone sighting, just three weeks after a similar incident at Gatwick caused havoc.

A spokeswoman told AFP at 1835 GMT that flights at the airport, which handles 213,668 passengers a day, had resumed following the interruption.

The Metropolitan Police said they were called at around 1705 GMT and alerted to “reports of a sighting of a drone in the vicinity of Heathrow airport”.

A statement on the airport’s Twitter account earlier said: “We are responding to a drone sighting at Heathrow and are working closely with the Met Police to prevent any threat to operational safety.

“As a precautionary measure, we have stopped departures while we investigate. We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience this may cause,” it said.

Arriving planes, however, continued to land at Heathrow.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said “the military are preparing to deploy the equipment used at Gatwick at Heathrow quickly should it prove necessary”.

Some 81 airlines serving 204 destinations operate out of Heathrow, located west of London.

Between December 19 and 21 drone sightings at Gatwick, Britain’s second biggest hub, caused travel misery for tens of thousands of people after flights were suspended.

That disruption came at a particularly busy time in the run-up to Christmas. It raised questions about the security of airports as well as the competence of police in charge after a couple were arrested and released without charge.

The British army had to be deployed to the airport on December 20 after it grounded all flights.

Gatwick has since said it has invested in anti-drone technology, while Heathrow said that it would do so.

In response to the chaos at Gatwick, Grayling on Monday told parliament that drone exclusion zones around British airports were being extended and operators would have to register.

Police will also be allowed to fine users up to £100 (112 euros, $128) for failing to comply when instructed to land a drone, or not showing registration to operate a drone.

Grayling said the disruption at Gatwick between December 19 and 21 was “deliberate, irresponsible and calculated, as well as illegal”.

The exclusion zone around airports is currently one kilometre (half a mile) and this will be extended to five kilometres.

From November 30 this year, operators of drones weighing between 250g and 20kg will also have to register and take an online pilot competency test.

With more than 1.2 million posts tagged with the hashtag #borabora, and Instagram feeds of beautiful, young influencers posing against palmfringed beaches and overwater villas, French Polynesia has become a trendy bucket-list destination for globetrotting millennials.

Meanwhile, if you’ve got a trip coming up, Hopper’s data suggests booking a flight now in January while domestic round-trip airfares are at their lowest, before rising back up in February.

According to their data, domestic US destinations like San Antonio, Miami and Tampa are most likely to drop in price this month.

International destinations most likely to dip in January include Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, Oranjestad, Aruba and Delhi, India.

These are the trendiest millennial destinations of 2019, according to Hopper: 1. Bora Bora 2. St. Martin 3. Aspen Colorado 4. Denpasar, Indonesia 5. Kahului, Hawaii 6. Dublin, Ireland 7. St. Lucia 8. Tokyo, Japan 9. Palm Springs, California 10. Anchorage, Alaska

It should come as no surprise to Instagram users to see Bora Bora head up a list of top-trending destinations for millennials in 2019.

(Photo: Shutterstock/wilar)

Marriott releases new update on massive security breach of guest information

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arriott has revised the estimated number of customers affected in a massive security breach from an original 500 million to 383 million.

In an update, the hotel group released new information concerning the data breach which was discovered last November.

Initially, the group announced that hackers stole information from 500 million guests who had made a reservation at a Starwood property on or before Sept. 10, 2018.

Starwood brands include the St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, W Hotels, and Le Méridien.

After further investigation,

Marriott says 383 million records is now the upper limit of guests affected.

Hackers also stole 20.3 million passport numbers that were encrypted, along with 5.25 million unencrypted passport numbers.

Of the 8.6 million encrypted payment cards involved in the incident, 354,000 payment cards were unexpired as of Sept. 2018.

Guests concerned about their passport information and payment information can visit https://answers.kroll.com/ which lists phone numbers around the world for dedicated call centers.

- Relaxnews

ART & CULTURE

VOICE OF ASIA 20

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Masked warriors: Indonesia fighters wield whips in traditional duels

How the Indian everyman became a subject of art

URABAYA, Indonesia | AFP | Sunday 1/6/2019 - Dressed in bright colours and lunging at each other with long, looping whips, martial arts fighters in Indonesia were cheered by spectators as they dueled during a traditional festival on Sunday.

An exhibition of Company paintings in Mumbai remind us of the dual purpose they served for their British patrons: ‘memorialisation and surveillance’.

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A martial art practised by the Manggarai people from southern Indonesia, Caci bouts typically involve two men wearing masks while wielding shields and whips made out of rattan.

A fighter wins by hitting his opponent in the face or the head.

The duels are full of symbolism -the leather-handled whips represent masculinity and the sky, while the round shields stand for femininity, the womb and the earth.

The festival -- which took place in Subaya, Indonesia’s second largest city -- aims to preserve and promote Caci and the Manggarai culture, the organiser said.

by Urmi Chanda-Vaz

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group of men, clad in dhotis and turbans, are gathered on the porch of a tavern, waving animatedly in their drunkenness.

One man at the back appears lost in liquor-induced melancholia. A few are demanding that their earthen cups be refilled. And one tippler is being threatened with a shoe for “untying his turban and waving a bottle”.

It is held so “the tradition won’t be eroded by time and the modern life”, said organiser Tarius, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

In ancient times, the fighters -- in the Manggarai peoples’ province of East Nusa Tenggara province -- were men from different villages who competed against each other to celebrate the harvest season.

This depiction is part of Indian Life and People in the 19th Century, an ongoing exhibition at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai. On display at the museum are 120-odd Company paintings and sculptures from the collections of CSMVS and of Textiles and Art of the People of India.

Photos - Top right: A fighter wins a duel by hitting his opponent in the face or head Bottom right: Bouts of Caci typically involve two men wearing shields, masks and whips made out of rattan (AFP Photos/Juni Kriswanto)

Chewing the fat with Pakistan’s BBQ masters

by David Stout

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ESHAWAR, Pakistan | AFP | Thursday 1/3/2019 - The sweet aroma of mutton smoke drifts through a maze of crumbling alleyways, a barbecue tang that for decades has lured meat-eaters from across Pakistan to the frontier city of Peshawar.

Company painting is a collective term used for the hybrid art once produced by Indian artists in a European palette. Created in the late 18th and 19th century, these works offered a view of the everyday life in India, in a distinct departure from preceding art.

Until then, local artists, patronised by rajas and nawabs, were almost always focused on the splendour of courts, royal portraits, historical scenes or illustrations of the poetic and the divine.

Losty. Published by Roli Books, the catalogue features a comprehensive introduction to the subject of Company Paintings by John Keay, a contemporary Indic studies scholar.

Financial patronage, academic attention and public interest are the ingredients needed for the success of any art movement. When the Company school of art was born, all these elements came from the British. As Losty writes: “The designation ‘Company Painting’ is normally used for all the various styles of Indian painting from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries that show to a greater or lesser extent European artistic influence.

The term ‘Company’ comes from the patronage of Indian artists in the colonial period by the officials of the East India Company.”

In the 1920s, an art-mad couple attached to the East India Company found their life’s passion in the discovery, study and cataloguing of these paintings. William Archer and his wife Mildred Agnes Bell developed a love for the art while he was posted as a civil servant in Patna. Barrister PC Manuk, who introduced the couple to the Patna school of paintings, was a connoisseur himself, and may have

The ancient city, capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has retained its reputation for some of Pakistan’s tastiest cuisine despite bearing the brunt of the country’s bloody war with militancy.

University student Mohammad Fahad had long heard tales of Peshawar’s famed mutton.

“Earlier we heard of Peshawar being a dangerous place,” he told AFP -- but security has improved in recent years, and he finally made the hourslong journey from the eastern city of Lahore to see if it could live up to the hype.

“We are here just to see what the secret to this barbecue is,” he says, excitedly awaiting his aromatic portion in Namak Mandi -- “Salt Market” -located in the heart of Peshawar.

The hearty cuisine comes from generations-old recipes emanating from the nearby Pashtun tribal lands along the border with Afghanistan.

It is feted for its simplicity compared with the intricate curries and spicy dishes from Pakistan’s eastern plains and southern coast.

“Its popularity is owed to the fact that it is mainly meat-based and that always goes down well across the country,” says Pakistani cookbook author Sumayya Usmani.

The famed Nisar Charsi (hashish smoker) Tikka -- named after its owner’s renowned habit -- in Namak Mandi chalks up its decades of success to using very little in the way of spices.

For its barbecue offerings, tikkas -cuts of meat -- are generously salted and sandwiched on skewers between cubes of fat for tenderness and taste, and slow-cooked over a wood fire.

Its other famed dish, karahi -- or curry stew -- is made with slices of mutton pan-cooked in heaped chunks of white fat carved from the sheep’s rump, along with sparing amounts of green chilli and tomatoes.

Both plates are served with stacks of oven-fresh naan and bowls of fresh yogurt.

“It is the best food in the entire world,” gushes co-owner Nasir Khan, adding that the restaurant sources some of the best meat in the country and serves customers from across Pakistan daily along with local regulars.

By Khan’s calculations, the restaurant goes through hundreds of kilograms of meat a day -- or about two dozen sheep -- with hundreds if not thousands served.

- Hash and meat The clientele at Nisar’s Charsi and other Salt Market eateries usually arrive in large groups, with experienced

Restaurant Nisar Charsi Tikka \goes through hundreds of kilograms of meat a day -- or about two dozen sheep -- with hundreds if not thousands served. (Photo: Abdul Majeed) customers ordering food by the kilo and guiding cleaver-wielding butchers to their preferred cuts, which are then cooked immediately.

Peshawar’s improved security has given business a boost, Khan said.

“We had a lot of troubles and pains,” he admitted, remembering friends lost during the years of devastating bombings and suicide attacks.

But some customers said they had been loyal to Peshawar’s cuisine even during the bloodshed.

“I’ve been coming here for more than 20 years now,” said Hammad Ali, 35, who travelled to Peshawar with eight other colleagues from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad for a gluttonous lunch.

“This taste is unique, that’s why we have come all this way.”

Orders generally take close to an hour to prepare, with customers quaffing tea and occasionally smoking hash ahead of the meal.

“They smoke it openly here,” explained Nisar Charsi’s head chef Mukam Pathan. “When someone smokes one joint of hash, they eat around two kilos of meat.”

For those looking for a little less lamb, the city’s renowned chapli kebab offers an alternative.

The kebab is typically made of minced beef and a mix of spices kneaded into patties and deep fried on a simmering iron skillet.

Rokhan Ullah -- owner of Tory Kebab House -- said the dish is most popular on cold, winter days that see ravenous customers flocking to its four branches across the city, overwhelming staff and making orders hard to fill.

“They eat it with passion... because one enjoys hot food when the weather is cold,” explained Ullah, who plans to expand in major cities across Pakistan.

Customer Muhib Ullah has been eating kebabs three to four days a week for the last decade.

“This is the tastiest and most famous food in Peshawar,” he declared.

- Hours-long meals -

For regular barbecue eater Omar Aamir Aziz, it is not just the heaping portions of meat that attract foodies to Peshawari cuisine, but the culture that has built up around the meal.

Other cities in Pakistan and abroad have more in the way of entertainment and nightlife options.

But in deeply conservative Peshawar, eating out is the primary leisure activity.

Meals tend to last for hours after the meat has been consumed as conversation continues over steaming cups of green tea.

“That’s what we have and that’s our speciality,” says Aziz.

“We’ve been doing this for two, three, four hundred years.”

Prints from the British period have been exhibited at CSMVS in the past – including landscapes from 18thcentury Calcutta and Bombay – but this is the first time original paintings and sculptures from the era are being showcased in the city. Unlike Company prints, which are reproductions of works of British artists, these paintings are the works of Indian hands.

The commissions may be English, but the flavour is unmistakably desi.

The exhibition, inaugurated by writer William Dalrymple, was accompanied by the release of a catalogue, Indian Life and People in the 19th Century, authored by art historian JP

been the first person to use the term Company Paintings in his published monograph. However, in her later publications, Bell cites two names – Rai Krishna Das of Benaras and Ishwari Prasad – as the people who may have coined the name.

Whatever the source of the name, one thing was clear: from the moment European merchants landed in the country, they held a fascination (and, often, abhorrence) for India and her people. Not wanting to miss the spectacle, they commissioned artists of all manner to capture every moment.

- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, till February 17.

‘We Respect the Truth’: artists, art professionals issue statement about sexual harassment in South Asian art world

by Alex Greenberger

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EW DEHLI - In a statement circulated in December 2018, more than 270 artists and art professionals, many of whom are based in South Asia, took a stand against sexual harassment in the art world. “As active stakeholders in the South Asian arts community,” their statement begins, “we are concerned by the growing number of allegations of sexual harassment and reports of hostile work environments.”

Among the signees are artists Gauri Gill, Dayanita Singh, the Guerrilla Girls, Tania Bruguera, Naeem Mohaiemen, Nalini Malani, Amar Kanwar, and Martha Rosler; Prateek Raja, the director of Experimenter gallery in Kolkata, India; Gabi Ngcobo, who curated the 2018 Berlin Biennale; Adam Szymczyk, who served as artistic director of Documenta 14; and Diana Campbell Betancourt, the artistic director of the Samdani Art Foundation

and the chief curator of the Dhaka Art Summit.

Their statement goes on to address retaliation against those who have come forward and calls on the South Asian art world to “rigorously advocate for open and supportive spaces that allow women, trans people, queer people, and those who have been disenfranchised by caste and class structures to voice their concerns and find support.”

The circulation of this statement follows #MeToo allegations against highprofile figures in the Indian art world, including artist Subodh Gupta and Kochi-Muziris Biennale cofounder Riyas Komu. (Gupta denied the claims and stepped down as guest curator of the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, India. Komu resigned after the allegations against him were made public and, in an Instagram post, offered his apologies to the victims.) The accusations against Gupta and Komu were

posted to Instagram by an account called Scene and Herd, which aims to raise awareness for sexual misconduct in the Indian art world.

The statement included these crucual paragraphs: “As active stakeholders in the South Asian arts community, we are concerned by the growing number of allegations of sexual harassment and reports of hostile work environments.

These are serious concerns that need to be addressed with urgency. The art world is amorphous in nature: social mobility is dependent on informal networking and personal and professional spaces cannot be easily separated.

S”urvivors who publicly tell their stories face serious forms of retaliation. They are reluctant to disclose their identities because they fear losing work. As a community, we commit to ensuring that people who are speaking out are protected, and that professional opportunities are not denied to them.”

- Artnews

VOICE OF ASIA 21

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Home&Real Estate Interest rate hikes could seriously impact Houston homebuyers in 2019

by John Egan

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nterest rates in the U.S. continue to rise. And if mortgage interest rates climb to 5 percent, as some forecasters expect, the price of a home that a typical buyer in Houston and Texas’ three other major metro areas could reasonably afford would fall by 9 percent, according to a new analysis from real estate website Zillow.

In Houston, a buyer with the median household income of $64,822 could reasonably afford a home priced at $393,800 at current interest rates (around 4.6 percent), Zillow says. But if the typical interest rate jumped to 5 percent, the same buyer would need to shop for a $356,800 home to maintain the same monthly mortgage payment, according to the Zillow analysis. That’s a gap of $37,000.

Zillow bases its estimates on a monthly mortgage payment representing 30 percent of a homebuyer’s salary.

The Mortgage Bankers Association predicts the interest rate for the average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage will increase to 5 percent during the second half of 2019, and to 5.1 percent in the following two years. This means Zillow’s forecast regarding the effects of a 5 percent interest rate will almost certainly materialize in 2019.

However, it’s “important to remember that rates on a typical mortgage remain very low by historic standards — especially given the type of strong economic growth we’ve been experiencing,” Aaron Terrazas, senior economist at Zillow, says in a release.

Recent hikes in mortgage interest rates have deterred some would-be buyers; surpassing the 5 percent mark likely would further dampen the

Hikes in mortgage interest rates could mean less home for the same mortgage payment for Houston homebuyers. (Photo:iStock) enthusiasm of some potential homeowners.

“While it’s certainly important to keep track of home values and interest rates and plan your budget accordingly, buyers shouldn’t base their decisions on those moving targets.

A home is the most valuable asset that most people will ever own, so it’s especially important not to gamble with it,” Terrazas says. “In the end, the best time to buy a home is always when the time is right for an individual buyer — often when they’re financially ready, when they’re relocating to a new area, or a major life event requires them to upsize or downsize.”

Under the 5 percent scenario, the homebuying picture would be much the same for residents of the Austin, DallasFort Worth, and San Antonio metro areas as it would be for residents of Houston, Zillow’s analysis shows: At the median household income of $75,717, a buyer in the Austin area would watch the price of his or her reasonably affordable home drop from $459,900 to $416,700.

That’s a difference of $43,200 — the biggest gap among Texas’ four major metros.

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As the Houston Association of Realtors chair in 2018, Burrell-VanWormer opposed a $30 National Association

voiceofasia.news is your home and real estate news source

by Amara Holstein

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bird flying over Houston, Texas, sees only a sprawling canopy of trees. It seems the perfect nesting place for creatures both avian and human alike; unfortunately, the green ends at the tree line.

All of those leafy branches shade a city that appears to care little for sustainable design, with cars that chug gas by the low-mileage gallon and oversized houses that dominate the persistently expanding cityscape.

Houston does have the occasional odd bird—including some more interested in bucking trends than broncos. Matt and Tina Ford, for example, have been building for years with their firm Esplanade Homes. Recently they decided to create a series of affordable townhomes aimed at buyers who couldn’t afford ground-up construction, yet still craved earth-friendly elements.

Under the auspices of their

In DFW, a buyer with the median household income of $67,605 would need to shop for a $372,100 home instead of a home priced at $410,700.

That’s a price difference of $38,600.

The Shade House in the Heights. (Photos: Jack Thompson) breath of fresh air in Houston’s torrid summers.

Since so much of life in this city revolves around beating the heat, the Fords have made keeping cool while keeping green

At the median household income of $59,287, a buyer in the San Antonio area would see the price of his or her reasonably affordable home slip from $360,100 to $326,300.

That’s a gap of $33,800 — the smallest difference among Texas’ four major metros.

If a 5 percent mortgage rate becomes a reality, “many homebuyers in 2019 will need to reset their price points, with some making concessions about where they’re willing to live or how much space they want,” Zillow says. “Buyers being pushed toward less expensive segments of the market where inventory is also the tightest could, in turn, push prices more quickly upward, making those homes less affordable.”

- CultureMap

Kenya Burrell-VanWormer has been chosen as Inman’s Real Estate Person of the Year enya Burrell-VanWormer is a distinguished real estate professional with more than 16 years in the industry. Her experience ranges from new home construction, sales and marketing, to management, with clients from around the world, thanks to the Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) designation she earned in Paris, France in 2006. She currently serves as Affordable Lending Relationship Manager with JP Morgan Chase in Houston.

“Houston, we’ve solved a problem”

of Realtors dues increase, which would have included built-in increases of 2.5 percent per year starting in 2020.

The increases were intended to bolster lobbying efforts and finance a Realtorowned transaction management platform, among other initiatives.

An overwhelming 97 percent of HAR members voted to oppose the dues hike in the spring.

Kenya is a sixth generation Texan and native Houstonian.

Her top-producing achievements earned her honors as the HARs 2009 REALTOR of the Year. In 2012, Kenya was among the recipients of the HAR Young Professionals Network 20 Under 40 Rising Stars in Real Estate Awards, honoring HAR members age 40 and younger for excellence in sales, leadership and community service.

- HAR/HBJ

ature control system, the houses are capped off with Cool Tone shingles, which reflect more light (and heat) than their traditional counterparts.

The five units measure between 1,600 and 2,200 square feet— diminutive

by Lone Star State standards—but as Matt puts it, “The greenest thing you can do is a tight design.”

Inside the condos, the Fords’ penchant for rescuing and renewing is evident, from the many refugee animals that contentedly lounge about the house, to the salvaged gym floors in the kitchen. new company, Shade House Development, the Fords bought, designed, and built on a lot in an historic neighborhood called the Heights. “It has an eclectic side to it,” explains Matt. “In other neighborhoods, all you see are McMansions. Here, people are restoring old bungalows.” Only five minutes from downtown, it’s an area where Matt’s brand of modernist design is welcome.

“People would give you a hard time if you built a stucco Mediterranean here, but the old style and the very new work together,” he says.

To integrate the Shade House into its surroundings, the exterior features a combination of raw concrete and exposed wood (reclaimed lumber) that complements the existing concrete structures of the neighborhood.

Beneath the exterior cladding and the roof is a clever energysaving solution: radiant barrier house wrap. The wrap, which looks just like tin foil, repels radiant heat and bounces it right back into the atmosphere—a

And recently, the three moved from their rambling Victorian home into one of the two vacant units, “in order to downsize and live even more environmentally consciously.”

- Dwell

their top priority.

“As much as 37 percent of heat gain can happen in the attic air ducts,” Matt explains.

He moved the air-conditioning ducts from the attic into the house’s interior and attached them to an energy-efficient furnace, keeping costs lower and making the necessary evil of airconditioning less of a polluter.

In addition to a clever roof temper-

The metal used for the railing and wood for the stair treads were saved from destruction and reused.

SMALL BUSINESSES

VOICE OF ASIA 22

B

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More than anything, you’re spending money on entertaining ways to waste time. This is all good, but Thursday and Friday strike a deeper note -- your close friends are in the picture, and it’s been a while since you’ve caught up. Saturday and Sunday, romance and art are prominent themes.

As good as it can be to take risks in your life, risks aren’t going to go your way on Monday or Tuesday. Tempted as you are, you’re best off passing them up. Being careful is key. Don’t let any minor details escape your attention on Wednesday. Thursday, the tension finally breaks and you can rely more on your wits.

In the first half of the week you were in the mood to meet some new people, and a bus full of new people has just pulled up to your life. (If you’re single and looking, this is an especially wonderful development.).

Friday is a high point in your week -- you’ve gotten a lot done -- and Saturday and Sunday are fun,and active.

21 June to 22 July Your wild side is coming through at the start of the week and people are responding well to it. You are the kind of person who makes an impact. Let your creative brilliance solve whatever conundrums are puzzling the people around you. You will reward yourself extravagantly this weekend.

23 July to 22 August A party is a fine place to get some things figured out. You and your friends have a casual rapport that strikes fairly deeply. You are constantly impressed by these friends, especially on Wednesday, and Thursday and Friday your chest swells with contentment.

23 August to 22 Sept If you’re not a mathematician, just work extra hard to be logical and reasonable when dealing with whatever comes your way. Emotional investment isn’t paying off at this juncture. Thursday and Friday, largely because you’re giving off good vibes, a family event you’ve been dreading turns out to be a blast.

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STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: FACES AND PLACES

23 September to 22 Oct TYou’re sick of what you already know.

You’d rather wing it in a conversation over a subject you’ve hardly ever considered. This is related to a desire -- that is strong Monday through Wednesday -- to experience new things. The weekend offers plenty of time to be around friends and stare up at the sky.

21 May to 20 June

KENNY HO, Manager Call 713-598-2737

astrology.com

Think about what you’re going to say, then pick up the phone and place the call. If you find yourself flirting with someone, make yourself clear. This is also crucial on Thursday or Friday, but the people you’ll be dealing with will most likely be family members. A blast of energy -- lifts your weekend to great heights.

21 April to 20 May

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23 October to 21 Nov

22 November to 21 Dec Some people like to sit on the porch and talk about their dreams.

You’d rather march into the world and realize yours. But there are a lot of porch-sitters in your life, so for the first half of the week, keep your head down and ignore them.

22 December to 20 Jan People love chatting with you, but your chatting time Monday through Wednesday is crowded out by more pressing tasks. Be nice, of course, but don’t let yourself get trapped in a conversation. The best way to get through this week is narrowing your aim and strike quickly at everything.

21 January to 19 Feb The fires of your romantic life are burning so brightly Monday through Wednesday that you can’t see anything else. If you could spend every hour of the week with this person, you would see a deeper connection, but Thursday has something else in store for you: a lot of responsibilities to see through.

20 February to 20 Mar The start of the week -- through Wednesday -- you are busy but not particularly ambitious socially. A sense of uncertainty weighs heavily on you, at least until Thursday, when an unexpected romantic development puts a smile on your face.

ACROSS 1. Fraternity K 6. ____Jeeves.com 9. Civil rights icon 13. Think tank output 14. Like a dim star 15. What pigeon did 16. *Up on compass 17. Shakespearean fuss 18. Did like goo 19. *On a novelty button 21. Decline 23. Galley tool 24. “Workers of the world, ____!”

25. ____-Air in L.A. 28. Way off freeway 30. *Pain scale faces, e.g.

34. “-zoic” periods 36. “____ ____ good example” 38. Xe 39. Hokkaido native 40. *Face in a text 42. Crescent 43. *Like Jason’s or Freddy’s face 45. October birthstone 46. Genealogical plant 47. Capital of Taiwan 49. “Tosca” tune 51. Blunder 52. Chopper blade 54. One of Indiana’s quests 56. *On a prankster’s face?

58. *Like one at a haunted house 61. Selected 62. Water snake 64. Prejudiced person 66. Macho men 67. Pastrami holder 68. South American camelid 69. *Like one in front of Taj Mahal?

70. Create with cloth 71. George to George W.

DOWN 1. Reunion bunch 2. #17 Across, pl.

3. Make waves 4. BBQ spot 5. Masonry unit 6. Not home 7. *Like one at a funeral 8. Familiar 9. *Face on Mount Rushmore 10. Do like goo 11. “As ____ on TV” 12. Put two and two together 15. Cerebral part 20. Clear the board 22. Doesn’t mix with water 24. To the required standards, 3 words 25. *In Beauty’s magic mirror 26. “The Goldbergs” sibling 27. Hawaiian veranda 29. Memorandum, for short 31. Accustom 32. Not a gregarious one 33. *On a snob’s face 35. *One receiving something unexpected 37. A bit cracked 41. Hipbone-related 44. Monarch bodyguard 48. I in T.G.I.F. 50. Fit for farming 53. Deed hearings 55. Whale’s lunch 56. Sound of relief 57. Opening page 58. A whole bunch 59. “Goodness gracious!”

60. Top of the Capitol 61. Repeated Cuban dance step 63. Needle hole 65. Makes feathers stick

SOLUTION: FACES AND PLACES page 23

CLASSIFIEDS

VOICE OF ASIA 23

OBITUARY from Chenganur, Kerala in 1965 at Chenganur Mar Thoma Church. They moved to Ethiopia, where Rev. Thomas served as a teacher. In 1971, after the birth of two sons, Stephen and Peter, the family moved to the US, where Rev. Thomas joined Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. While in NJ, his younger sons, twins Joseph and Koshy were born. He earned his M. Div in 1975 and an additional Masters in Sacred Theology in 1977.

Thomas M Thomas

May 23, 1931 – January 2, 2019 We pray for the blessed repose of the soul of Rev. Fr. M. T. Thomas, as he fell asleep in the Lord, on January 2, 2019.

Rev. Fr. Thomas Manonu Thomas was born in Maramon, Kerala on May 23, 1931 to Manonu Iype Thomas and Rahelamma Thomas. As the elder of twins, he earned his BA from the University of Madras in 1954, MA from the University of Bombay, 1957. While studying for his BA degree, he won several accolades for swimming.

From 1960 -1961, he served as a mission worker in Sihera Ashram in Madya Pradesh, India.

He married his wife, Grace

In 1975, H.H. Ignatius Yakub III, Patriarch of Antioch, in Damascus, Syria, ordained him a deacon. In 1978, along with his twin brother, Rev. M. T. Philip, he was ordained as priest by H.H. Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews II. Along with his family, he moved to Houston in 1979 and started as the Associate Priest at St. Gregorios Orthodox Church until 1986.

He served as the vicar of the Dallas St. George Church, from 1992-1995. He was currently serving as associate priest at St. Thomas Orthodox Church in Houston.

Thomas Achen, as his parishioners referred to him, is lovingly survived by his wife Grace Kochamma, his sons, Stephen, Peter, Joseph and Koshy, his twin brother, Rev. Fr. M. T. Philip, and numerous nieces, nephews and grandnieces and grand nephews.

Shraddanjali

(2nd Death Anniversary) Dadi Seetharamu passed away in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh in India on January 27th 2017.

Dadi Seetharamu

July 1st 1946 - January 27th 2017.

He is remembered by Dadi Venkata Ravi Kumar and family (son), Dadi Sridhar and family (son), and Kandregula Ramalakshmi and family (daughter) and near and dear.

FRIDAY, January 11, 2019

Hiring Lady Office Assistant

Looking for a Marketing Associate Person will be directly responsible to develop business for insurance funding in assigned jurisdiction. Applicants should have through knowledge and understanding of Insurance funding business, its mechanism and working methodology.

Required experience: Minimum 2-3 years of relevant field experience in marketing & sales development skills supported by minimum 1 years of experience with customer handling at levels strongly preferred.

Email resume to: atif@usinsurancefundings.com

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4. Make collection calls as per Manager’s instructions.

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10. Additional instructions will be given by Manager as per day to day.

Please call (713) 777-6786 for details and email resume to atif@usinsurancefundings.com.

Tips to keep clothes looking their best in winter

W

inter is dirty, and unfortunately, all that slush, salt and mud coincides with the use of the delicate and expensive part of your wardrobe, from wool and cashmere sweaters and scarves to swanky party wear.

But you can keep your clothes looking their best this winter, without breaking the bank at the dry cleaners, using the following tips: • Use garment bags: Get a head start on looking your best by ensuring your clothes look good before you even put them on for the day. Store suits, dresses, sweaters and other delicate items in garment bags to keep them safe from dust, moths and other closet hazards at home and when traveling.

• Waterproof: On wet days, consider wearing waterproof shoe covers and tucking your pants into them to protect shoes, as well as the hems of your pants, from puddles and slush.

icals by opting for at-home dry cleaning using your own dryer.

With the right product, it will be an effective way to safely and thoroughly clean your special care clothes at home.

For no fading, shrinking or stretching of your winter weather gear like scarves, hats, sweaters and more, consider using Dryel, a quick three step process which works in the convenience of your dryer in as little as 15 minutes. The heat of the dryer activates a cleaning solution to release a steam that removes body soils and odors from clothes, and a

fabric protection bag maintains the optimal balance of cleaning agents and heat, allowing the steam to work thoroughly through the clothes, and then slowly vents the vapors out of the bag and dryer.

• Act fast: When clothes get soiled, it’s important to act fast, particularly when dealing with salt and slush- related stains, which can be difficult to treat. The sooner you deal with stains, the greater the likelihood you’ll be able to restore your clothing to mint condition.

• Landing area: Create a mud room. This can be just a few square feet of space by the entrance to your home and ideally located near the washer and dryer for quick transfer of clothes that need to be laundered. This is also the place to immediately remove boots and outerwear to avoid tracking mud into your home.

This winter, protect your wardrobe from seasonal elements. New tools and old tricks can help your favorite winter gear survive the season in great condition.

- StatePoint

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD SOLUTION

• At-home dry cleaning: Slash your dry cleaning expenditures by up to 90 percent and skip the hassle and harsh chem-

Theme: FACES AND PLACES from Page 22

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FRIDAY, January 11, 2019