Author: Staff Reporter

Alia Bhatt, Hrithik Roshan on Oscars Academy Awards Jury

Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt and Hrithik Roshan are among 819 artistes and executives who have received invitations to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Those who accept the invitation will have voting rights at the 93rd Academy Awards.

The 2020 invitees also include costume designer Neeta Lulla, documentary director Nishtha Jain (“Gulabi Gang”, “Lakshmi” and “Me”), writer Sabrina Dhawan (“Kaminey”, “Monsoon Wedding”), casting directors Nandini Shrikent (“Gully Boy”, “Life of Pi”) and Tess Joseph (“Lion”), visual effects artists Vishal Anand (“War”, “Bharat”) and Sandeep Kamal (“Panipat”, “Jal”), and V Senthil Kumar, the co-founder of the digital streaming company Qube Cinema Technologies.

With the new list, the Academy continues its work on increasing diversity, reports variety.com. If all 819 invitees accept their invitations, it would bring the total membership to 9,412. In turn, that would mean 45 per cent of the new members will be women and 36 per cent will be from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities. International make-up is 49 per cent from 68 countries.

“The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travelers in the motion picture arts and sciences. We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now,” Academy president David Rubin said in a statement.

The 2020 batch also boasts of Hollywood names like Cynthia Erivo, John David Washington, Constance Wu, Zazie Beetz, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Awkwafina, Yalitza Aparicio, Mackenzie Davis, Ana de Armas, Adele Haenel, Thomasin McKenzie, Olivia Wilde and others.

The stars of multiple Oscar-winning South Korean movie “Parasite” — Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong, Park So-Dam and Lee Jung-Eun — are also invited to join the Academy. Directors Lulu Wang, Ari Aster, Terence Davies, Matthew Vaughn, Robert Eggers, Matt Reeves, Alma Har’el are on the list as well.

In 2016, the Academy promised to at least double the number of women and underrepresented ethnic/racial communities by this year. “Through dedicated and intentional work by the Board of Governors and members on the branch executive committees, the Academy has surpassed both these goals,” the organisation said.

Now, the Academy wants to advance inclusion and representation in membership and the film community, as part of the goal till 2025. “We take great pride in the strides we have made in exceeding our initial inclusion goals set back in 2016, but acknowledge the road ahead is a long one,” Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said.

“We are committed to staying the course. I cannot give enough thanks to all our members and staff who worked on the A2020 initiative and to our head of Member Relations and Awards, Lorenza Munoz, for her leadership and passion in guiding us through to this point and helping to set the path going forward. We look forward to continuing to foster and Academy that reflects the world around us in our membership, our programs, our new museum, and in our awards,’ Hudson added.

“Actors not only in the West but over here also are working directly on the OTT. (Web) has created a huge opportunity for actors to showcase their talent,” Actress Alia Bhatt said while using the recent success of web series like Sushmita Sen-starrer web series “Aarya” and “Special Ops” series to support her point.

“If I’m offered something that I connect with, I would love to do an investigative type limited TV show. It would be quite interesting,” she added. Alia’s “Sadak 2” is skipping the traditional theatrical route, and going for a digital platform.

On the personal front, the actress said she is spending her lockdown period by learning guitar and doing meditation. “I thought learning guitar would be easy, but it is hard. I have also started taking meditation classes, and helps me keep calm during this time.. I have also spent my time watching content on my TV,” she said.

Anita Dongre Hosts First-Ever Virtual Trunk Show over Independence Day Weekend

Staff ReporterFashion 0

Pivoting during the pandemic, House of Anita Dongre, best known for its supreme craftsmanship of Indian textiles through designs created by female village artisans with sustainable practices, is presenting its first-ever U.S. virtual trunk show to be held during July 4th weekend. She brings her latest collection of bridal couture, menswear, women’s ready-to-wear and silver jewelry through a unique selling platform that combines online sales with virtual stylist appointments for customers all over America.

“We are in a unique position during this pandemic, as we are the only Indian couture designer with a permanent presence in the U.S. market through our storefront,” says Yash Dongre, Business Head of House of Anita Dongre Limited. “Given that designers from India are unable to travel currently and shipments of merchandise are also delayed, we encourage brides and grooms who are proceeding with their weddings (whether virtually or more intimately) to make appointments with our bridal experts in New York via Skype or Zoom to find the perfect wedding outfits for their important day.”

Dongre is the first and only Indian designer to have a brand flagship in the United States. The Anita Dongre store in New York City occupies three floors of a 1900s brownstone building at the prime address of 473 West Broadway in Soho.

The prominent Indian designer has dressed every major fashion icon from Beyonce to Kate Middleton to Hillary Clinton to Priyanka Chopra. Dongre is often referred to in fashion circles as the “queen of prêt” and largely draws inspiration from the embellishment styles and needlework made famous by the northern Indian state of Rajasthan.

From an early age, she knew she wanted to helm her own fashion house. Having spent her summer holidays growing up in Jaipur and later armed with a degree in Fashion Design, Anita’s style showed an affinity for indigenous craft tradition, coupled with a modern aesthetic that soon made her one of the India’s leading fashion houses. The Anita Dongre Foundation has given countless rural women an equal voice by providing them with livelihood opportunities and skills training. An ethical vegan, environmentalist and revivalist of local craft, Anita advocates compassionate living, which is why her designs doe not use any fur or leather. Dongre believes fashion plays a defining role in enhancing a person’s confidence and sense of self. She seeks to create luxurious designs that leave unforgettable impressions on the world and are yet versatile enough to transcend people, places and occasions.

Ankur Vaidya Appointed FIA-NY NJ CT Chairman

Staff ReporterBusiness, Community, India 0
The Federation of Indian Association of NY, NJ, CT (FIA-Tri-state), held its first internal meeting at its offices in Spotswood, N.J., since the COVID-19 pandemic,  and after losing the Chairman of the Board, Ramesh Patel. The meeting was called by FIA President Anil Bansal, in concurrence with the majority of the Board of Trustees and was held under the supervision of independent counsels.
Attendees included President of FIA, Anil Bansal, Secretary Parveen Bansal, and 14 out of the 16 current Board members.
Ankur Vaidya Appointed FIA-NY NJ CT ChairmanThe primary purpose of the meeting was to address the inter-organizational review and brainstorm ways to point the organization in the right trajectory towards serving the community in these testing times.
Members of the Board also conducted an inter-board shuffling, selecting a new body to fill the vacuum left by the Chairman Ramesh Pate’s demise.
Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir S. Parikh, a long time FIA veteran, and Padma Shri H. R. Shah, were chosen as senior advisors. Both Parikh and Shah will  take the role of nurturing, overseeing and advising the newly appointed Chairman, Ankur Vaidya, the youngest member of the Board and the youngest to be chosen as its chairman.
Vaidya is joined by Bipin Patel, as vice chairman and Jayesh Patel as the general secretary.  The current Board also consists of distinguished community stalwarts including Rambhai Gadhavi, Chandrakant Trivedi, Prabir Roy, Dr. Parvin Pandhi, Andy Bhatia, Srujal Parikh, Anand Patel, Dipak Patel and Kanubhai Chauhan. Longtime veteran community leader, Albert Jasani, of Royal Alberts Palace, was chosen as the Unifying-Unity Trustee of the group, along with Yash Paul Soi as Emeritus Vice Chairman for FIA’s Golden Jubilee Year.

Slow-roasted Whole Duck in Spiced Ginger Cranberry sauce

Staff ReporterAmmu's Hearty Treats 0

This recipe is the perfect one you were looking for if you wanted to surprise your family and friends with a lovely dinner. It’s one of my personal favourite recipes and though little tedious the results are just out of the world. The meat is so tender, juicy and the bird comes out crispy from the oven ready to be drenched in an awesome brown sauce.. How I developed this recipe- I love duck meat unlike many. Because I’ve found that it’s much more flavourful than any other poultry like chicken/turkey.etc, ‘IF’ cooked the right way at the right temperatures. Whole roasted duck isn’t an as commonly eaten bird as the overrated classic English chicken/turkey roast. And the above could be the main reason for this. Since my childhood I loved my mom’s spicy duck roast with caramelised onions and I believed no other duck dishes could beat that. But believe me.. this one almost did-mom agreed! When you find that it’s quite an English recipe, you may think it’s less flavourful but it’s not. After lot of references and trials I have incorporated more flavours into this dish -tangy, spicy, lil’ sweet & that umami from the charred duck skin! It’s the ultimate duck recipe you’ll ever wanna prepare and so just go for this delectably rich birdy.. What’s special about this recipe- . Perfectly oven-roast duck— As I had mentioned above, the slow-roasting technique used in this recipe will never leave you disappointed. Cooking the duck with right temperature adjustments, patiently, renders a lovely browned crispy skin on the outside and juicy meat inside. . Spices & herbs— Though not too spicy, i have added a few spices such as cloves, cardamom, fennel, pepper, bay leaves and herbs such as thyme & parsley in minimal amounts to create the sauce that’s packed with full of flavour and compliments your ducky beautifully. . Cranberry, orange zest and ginger— These are not only rich in antioxidants and micronutrients, but also gives this dish it’s unique flavour and taste. . Special brown sauce— Its made using a brown stock that’s made from browning the duck left-overs and cooking it along with veggies in chicken stock and later reducing it down adding spices, vinegar, booze and condiments..worth drooling for! What you’ll need—  . 1 Whole duck (with skin-on)-quite big enough! For marinade-. 1 teaspoon paprika . 4 cloves of crushed garlic. 2 tablespoons of orange zest. 1 teaspoon grated ginger. 1 teaspoon pepper. A handful of fresh herbs . 3 shallots, finely chopped . Olive oil. Salt  For brown duck stock- . Duck leftovers (wing & fat trimmings, gizzards..) – of 1 bird, cut into 1 inch pieces . 1 big carrot, chopped into 1 inch pieces . 1 celery, chopped into 1 inch pieces. 1 sprig thyme . Half teaspoon pepper. 1 big bay leaf. Olive oil. 4 cups chicken stock. 5 cloves crushed garlic. Salt  For spiced ginger cranberry sauce- . 1 cup cranberries . Half tablespoon orange zest. 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Half tablespoon grated ginger. 1 star anise. 1/4 teaspoon fennel. 2 cardamom pods. 5 cloves. 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar . 0.25 cup balsamic vinegar . 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar . O.25 cups red wine (dry). Parsley. 1.5 tablespoons cornflour . 2 tablespoons butter/olive oil. Salt For roasted onions & crispy potatoes- .  4 small floury potatoes cut chunky with skin-on. 7 shallots, peeled and halved. 2 big red onions, peeled and cut into big rings. 0.25 teaspoon oregano . Half teaspoon red chilli flakes . 0.25 teaspoon paprika . Half tablespoon all-purpose flour . Half tablespoon cornstarch . A pinch of baking powder . 0.25 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds . Salt to taste . 1 tablespoon strained fat that dripped onto the tray on oven-roasting the duck. Fat from top of cold brown stock  How to make— For the brown stock-

  • Heat oil in a pan and brown the leftovers/trimmings.
  • Then add the spices, thyme and veggies into it with little salt and sauté well.
  • Now pour in the stock and cook slightly covered, simmer on low flame for around 2 hours.
  • Strain the stock when cool & reserve the liquid.

For Oven-roasting duck-

  • Preheat the oven to 250 degree Celsius.
  • Wash your duck in water mixed with a tablespoon of vinegar, scrubbing with coarse salt to remove the scum.
  • Drain and towel dry your bird before marinating.
  • Marínate with the ingredients listed above -for marinade.
  • Place the marinated duck onto a metal rack above a baking tray, so that the melting fat and juices which is to be used later, would ooze out onto the tray.
  • Heat for 15 mins with the breast side up under this high temperature. Then as you find your duck has browned well on top with a beautiful crispy skin, flip it onto the other side and bake for 30 mins at 200 degrees Celsius, then flip it again and bake for another 30mins . Finally flip it one more time and bake for 20-30 minutes.
  • During the time your duck is inside the oven, you could prepare the sauce.

For the sauce-

  • Caramelize a mixture of brown sugar, balsamic vinegar & red wine vinegar.
  • Thin it out by adding the brown stock little by little.
  • When it starts to boil, add the spices, cranberries, ginger, rest of the zest & garlic.
  • Cook for 10 minutes uncovered on low & mash up the berries.
  • Add the red wine into the boiling mixture.
  • Strain it out and reserve the liquid.
  • Mix cornflour in 2-3 tablespoon of cooled down liquid and add gradually into the entire reserve little by little.
  • Heat the above in a saucepan, stirring continuously until it reaches the right thickened saucy consistency & turn-off the heat.
  • Add the butter/olive oil to add to the glaze.

For roasted onions-

  • In an oven-proof roasting pan, spread the onions and mix it with the stock fat, salt and a bit of pepper.
  • Take out your bird from the oven when done and cover it with an aluminium foil for 30 minutes.
  • Place your onion-containing roasting pan into the oven (at 200 degree Celsius) and roast for about 8-12 minutes, until charred a bit.

For crispy potatoes-

  • Into a small bowl, mix-in the rest of the ingredients listed under-‘for roasted onions & crispy potatoes’ on the ingredients list , and pour it over the potatoes mixing well.
  • Air fry/ roast it in a preheated air-fryer/oven for 5-8 minutes at 180 degree Celsius first and then at 200 degree Celsius for 10-11 minutes.

Assembling–

  • Place the duck onto a hot wide-open serving platter and put the roasted onions all-over.
  • Pour the hot spiced cranberry ginger sauce all over it and place crispy potatoes on sides.
  • Sprinkle chopped parsley and finely chopped ginger on top of the duck. Bon appetit!

Notes, Tips & Suggestions-

  • It’s always better to rest your roasted/grilled meat for minimum 15-30 minutes depending of the type of meat, before cutting. So never skip this step if your want your bird to be tender & juicy.
  • You could add more paprika while marinating or more pepper in your stock, if you want your duck to be more spicy.
  • It’s recommended to serve this dish with a glass of your favourite red wine to enjoy the most of it.

Trump Orders International students to leave US if their schools have online-only learning

Staff ReporterCommunity, Politics, U.S. 0

International students who are pursuing degrees in the United States will have to leave the country or risk deportation if their universities switch to online-only courses, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced this week. The Trump administration has also made a litany of changes to the US immigration system, citing the coronavirus pandemic, that have resulted in barring swaths of immigrants from coming to the country The move may affect thousands of foreign students who come to the United States to attend universities or participate in training programs, as well as non-academic or vocational studies.Universities nationwide are beginning to make the decision to transition to online courses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. At Harvard, for example, all course instruction will be delivered online, including for students living on campus. For international students, that opens the door to them having to leave the US. Many U.S. colleges were scrambling to modify plans for the fall semester in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic a day after the Trump administration issued an order that could force tens of thousands of foreign students to leave the country if their schools hold all classes online. “There’s so much uncertainty. It’s very frustrating,” said Valeria Mendiola, 26, a graduate student at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. “If I have to go back to Mexico, I am able to go back, but many international students just can’t.” In a news release Monday, ICE said that students who fall under certain visas “may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States,” adding, “The U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States.” The agency suggested that students currently enrolled in the US consider other measures, like transferring to schools with in-person instruction. There’s an exception for universities using a hybrid model, such as a mix of online and in-person classes.Brad Farnsworth, vice president of the American Council on Education, said the announcement caught him and many others by surprise. “We think this is going to create more confusion and more uncertainty,” said Farnsworth, whose organization represents about 1,800 colleges and universities. “What we were hoping to see was more appreciation for all the different possible nuances that campuses will be exploring.”One concern with the new guidance, Farnsworth said, is what would happen if the public health situation deteriorates in the fall and universities that had been offering in-person classes feel they have to shift all courses online to stay safe. Visa requirements for students have always been strict and coming to the US to take online-only courses has been prohibited. The guidance, Bacow continued, “undermines the thoughtful approach taken on behalf of students by so many institutions, including Harvard, to plan for continuing academic programs while balancing the health and safety challenges of the global pandemic. We will work closely with other colleges and universities around the country to chart a path forward,” he said. There are more than a million foreign students at U.S. colleges and universities, and many schools depend on revenue from foreign students, who often pay full tuition.The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency said institutions moving entirely to online learning must submit plans to the agency by July 15. Schools that will use only in-person learning, shortened or delayed classes, or a blend of in-person and online learning must submit plans by Aug. 1.  The guidance applies to holders of F-1 and M-1 visas, which are for academic and vocational students.

21-year-old Meera Mehta, volunteer with Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care honoured with The Diana Award from UK

Staff ReporterCommunity, Education, India, Women, Youth 0

21-year-old young COVID-19 warrior from India, Meera Mehta, volunteering with the global non-profit Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, has been recognised with The Diana Award – the most prestigious accolade a young person aged 9-25 years can receive for their social action or humanitarian work. Established in memory of Princess Diana of Wales, the Award is given out by The Diana Award charity and has the support of both her sons, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex.

Inspired by the vision and guidance of her spiritual mentor Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai, founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, Meera was nurtured with a desire to serve selflessly since a young age. For the benevolent initiatives of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, she has been dedicatedly raising funds to uplift the underprivileged sections since the past 10 years.

“Make compassion your nature, not hobby, habit or mood.” – Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai

Since a tender age of six, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai inspired Meera to volunteer for various projects undertaken by Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, for the remote communities of South Gujarat, India.  Talking about how through this holistic experience, deep virtues of empathy and compassion were sown within her, Meera shares, “I will always remember the day at the first tribal camp I visited. When I gave a tribal child a gift, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai encouraged me to say thank you to that child and told me that it is a privilege to be able to serve the less fortunate.” Thus, implementing this teaching, she began raising enormous funds for many benevolent initiatives of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care including the health and education projects, including tertiary healthcare for a rural charity hospital, a Science college for the tribal students, primary and secondary education for indigenous communities, an ICU unit for new-born, and a skill development program for rural women.

“What Pujya Gurudevshri taught me changed my entire perspective towards fundraising. While I continue to actively raise funds, I am also studying hard to become a doctor,

and help tribal children in more ways than one.” – Meera Mehta 

As a true changemaker, she has inspired and inducted numerous youngsters to volunteer and raise funds effectively. In fact, Meera was also selected as an ‘Inspirational Change Agent’ at the Mumbai Marathon 2019, alongside the eminent boxer Mary Kom, for her impactful fundraising endeavors. Across her 10-year journey, she has raised over Rs. 1.5 crore, garnering massive support from corporates, celebrities and organisations.  In addition to several awards and accolades won for fundraising, Meera was also presented the ‘Youth Leader 2015’ award by The Global Education & Leadership Foundation, India for her unique social impact project ‘Poster to Shelter’.

Meera continues to work for the greater good through several endeavours of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care across 5 continents focused on the welfare of mankind, animals, and the environment. Even amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic, she continues to display an extraordinary passion to serve by actively contributing to Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s 360-degree COVID-19 Relief Initiatives. These relief activities provide essential resources to front liners, healthcare professionals, daily wagers, and stray animals. Owing to its Mission Statement “Realise one’s True Self and Serve Others Selflessly”, 2500 volunteers are selflessly working in over 50 cities across the world, distinctly catering to each community’s personal needs amidst this crisis.

Having raised over Rs. 33 lakhs to support vulnerable communities during the pandemic, Meera has been instrumental in sponsoring 2 buses for migrant workers to return to their hometown in Bihar, providing over lakhs of meals for daily wagers and support to thousands frontline workers with PPE Kits, masks etc. For Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s recent initiative for proving migrants’ workers leaving in Mumbai for their hometown with nutritious meal for their journey, encouraged Meera to prepare handmade meals too.  Meera aims to raise Rs. 50 lakhs to support Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s extensive Covid relief work, that committedly provides safety and sufficiency to lakhs across the globe.

“We congratulate all our new Diana Award recipients who are changemakers for their generation. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own journey as active citizens.” -Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award.

 With inspiration from her mentor Pujya Guru

21-year-old young COVID-19 warrior from India, Meera Mehta, volunteering with the global non-profit Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, has been recognised with The Diana Award – the most prestigious accolade a young person aged 9-25 years can receive for their social action or humanitarian work. Established in memory of Princess Diana of Wales, the Award is given out by The Diana Award charity and has the support of both her sons, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex.

Inspired by the vision and guidance of her spiritual mentor Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai, founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, Meera was nurtured with a desire to serve selflessly since a young age. For the benevolent initiatives of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, she has been dedicatedly raising funds to uplift the underprivileged sections since the past 10 years.

“Make compassion your nature, not hobby, habit or mood.” – Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai

Since a tender age of six, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai inspired Meera to volunteer for various projects undertaken by Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, for the remote communities of South Gujarat, India.  Talking about how through this holistic experience, deep virtues of empathy and compassion were sown within her, Meera shares, “I will always remember the day at the first tribal camp I visited. When I gave a tribal child a gift, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai encouraged me to say thank you to that child and told me that it is a privilege to be able to serve the less fortunate.” Thus, implementing this teaching, she began raising enormous funds for many benevolent initiatives of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care including the health and education projects, including tertiary healthcare for a rural charity hospital, a Science college for the tribal students, primary and secondary education for indigenous communities, an ICU unit for new-born, and a skill development program for rural women.

“What Pujya Gurudevshri taught me changed my entire perspective towards fundraising. While I continue to actively raise funds, I am also studying hard to become a doctor,

and help tribal children in more ways than one.” – Meera Mehta 

As a true changemaker, she has inspired and inducted numerous youngsters to volunteer and raise funds effectively. In fact, Meera was also selected as an ‘Inspirational Change Agent’ at the Mumbai Marathon 2019, alongside the eminent boxer Mary Kom, for her impactful fundraising endeavors. Across her 10-year journey, she has raised over Rs. 1.5 crore, garnering massive support from corporates, celebrities and organisations.  In addition to several awards and accolades won for fundraising, Meera was also presented the ‘Youth Leader 2015’ award by The Global Education & Leadership Foundation, India for her unique social impact project ‘Poster to Shelter’.

Meera continues to work for the greater good through several endeavours of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care across 5 continents focused on the welfare of mankind, animals, and the environment. Even amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic, she continues to display an extraordinary passion to serve by actively contributing to Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s 360-degree COVID-19 Relief Initiatives. These relief activities provide essential resources to front liners, healthcare professionals, daily wagers, and stray animals. Owing to its Mission Statement “Realise one’s True Self and Serve Others Selflessly”, 2500 volunteers are selflessly working in over 50 cities across the world, distinctly catering to each community’s personal needs amidst this crisis.

Having raised over Rs. 33 lakhs to support vulnerable communities during the pandemic, Meera has been instrumental in sponsoring 2 buses for migrant workers to return to their hometown in Bihar, providing over lakhs of meals for daily wagers and support to thousands frontline workers with PPE Kits, masks etc. For Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s recent initiative for proving migrants’ workers leaving in Mumbai for their hometown with nutritious meal for their journey, encouraged Meera to prepare handmade meals too.  Meera aims to raise Rs. 50 lakhs to support Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s extensive Covid relief work, that committedly provides safety and sufficiency to lakhs across the globe.

“We congratulate all our new Diana Award recipients who are changemakers for their generation. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own journey as active citizens.” -Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award. 

With inspiration from her mentor Pujya Gurudevshri, coupled with the passion of volunteers at Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, Meera Mehta strives to take mighty strides in creating hope and happiness in the lives of thousands.

devshri, coupled with the passion of volunteers at Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, Meera Mehta strives to take mighty strides in creating hope and happiness in the lives of thousands.

Modi Warns China of Expansionism, As Beijing Urges Caution

Staff ReporterCommunity, India, Politics 0

“The enemies of India have seen the fire and fury of our forces,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during his surprise visit to Leh, Ladakh, to interact with the Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel stationed at Nimu. “The age of expansionism is over; we are now in an age of development and open competition,” the PM said. “History is rife with examples of countries that had adopted an expansionist attitude and threatened world peace but were eventually either destroyed or had to beat an ignominious retreat,” he added. Modi also visited the soldiers injured during the clash with Chinese troops at the Galwan Valley on June 15 at the military hospital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew on Friday into the northern border region where Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a stand-off, and said the military stood ready to defend his country. His comments prompted Beijing to call for restraint at the tense border area in the northern Himalayan region of Ladakh. Modi, making his first trip to the Ladakh region since the Indian army lost 20 soldiers in a clash with Chinese soldiers last month, said his country’s commitment to peace should not be seen as a sign of weakness. “Today India is becoming stronger, be it in naval might, air power, space power and the strength of our army. Modernization of weapons and upgradation of infrastructure has enhanced our defense capabilities multifold,” he said in a speech to soldiers near Leh, the regional capital. India says Chinese troops have intruded across the Line of Actual Control, or the ceasefire line separating the two armies in the high altitude Ladakh region, and the clash on June 15 occurred because Chinese troops sought to erect defenses on India‘s side of the de facto border. China says the whole of the Galwan valley where the clash occurred is its territory and that it was frontline Indian troops that had breached the border, which is not demarcated. China’s foreign ministry said on Friday the two countries were holding talks to reduce tensions. Spokesman Zhao Lijian, responding to a question about Modi’s visit to the border region, said both sides were in communications through diplomatic and military channels to ease the situation. “In these circumstances, neither side should take actions that might complicate the border situation,” he said at a daily news briefing in Beijing. The most serious crisis on the India-China border in years has erupted while Beijing is embroiled in disputes over the South China Sea, Taiwan and its tightening grip over Hong Kong, which have all fanned fears of an expansionist policy. In a separate development, India‘s power ministry stipulated that Indian companies will need government permission to import power supply equipment and components from China, amid rising military tensions between the two countries. In Beijing, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said “artificially setting up barriers” for trade “not only violates WTO rules, but also hurts India’s interests”. He was responding to a question on union minister Nitin Gadkari’s statement about blocking Chinese firms from highway projects. “China will take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese businesses,” he added. He said the two countries should work to meet the “consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and uphold overall bilateral relations”. “India should avoid a strategic miscalculation with regard to China.” Chinese embassy in India, in a tweet, said the accusation of “expansionism” is “groundless”. “China has demarcated boundary with 12 of its 14 neighboring countries through peaceful negotiations, turning land borders into bonds of friendly cooperation. It’s groundless to view China as ‘expansionist’, exaggerate and fabricate its disputes with neighbors,” the tweet said. A sign of China’s expansionist agenda is clear as the Chinese spokesperson criticized Japan (on Senkaku islands), the Philippines (Paracel Islands), Australia (on an APSI report on China) and the United States at the same press briefing. China also conflicts with Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia in the South China Sea.

Choreographer Who Made Bollywood Sparkle, Saroj Khan Is No More

Staff ReporterEntertainment, India 0

‘Masterji’ to the stars, Legendary Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 71 on Friday, July 3rd, 2020. Admitted to Mumbai’s Guru Nanak Hospital since June 17 after she complained of trouble in breathing, she tested negative for Covid-19. Her funeral took place on Friday morning in Malad.

Fondly called ‘Masterji’ by stars whom she choreographed, Saroj directed over 2,000 songs in her long and storied career. Born as Nirmala Nagpal, she started her career as a child artiste and graduated to a backup dancer in the ’50s, working with choreographer B Sohanlal. She rose from the ranks, and was the first woman to become chief choreographer, before it was a thing, in Bollywood.

Saroj Khan was born in that place, the 1st of 6 kids. She recalled dancing with shadows there as a toddler, fascinated even then by what would grow to be her contacting. To complement the family’s profits, her father managed to get her operate in Mumbai’s booming movie sector as a little one actress at the age of three, below the title Saroj.

She experienced little roles in a amount of movies in advance of starting to be a qualifications dancer at the age of 10, showing up in the basic “Howrah Bridge,” starring the actress Madhubala.

On the eve of the Diwali vacation, Ms. Khan labored up the braveness to check with the matinee star Shashi Kapoor for enable. “I had just finished one song with him, I was the group dancer,” she mentioned. “I went to him and told him, tomorrow is Diwali and I have nothing at home. I will get paid only after a week. He said, ‘I have 200 rupees right now, please take it.’ I’ll never forget it, that money helped me so much.”

Khan never ever formally experienced as a dancer. Most classical dancers devote several years learning below a instructor in advance of they at any time conduct in general public, but with a household to enable help, that was not an choice for Ms. Khan.

Although nonetheless a younger woman, she turned an assistant to the choreographer B. Sohanlal, doing work with him on some of the most important movies of the . He taught her the basic principles of kathak, a classical Indian dance.

“When he started teaching me, I realized that I can’t keep a posture, I don’t know how to do this,” she recalled in the documentary. “He made me work very hard, I had to remain in the same posture for hours at a , but he turned me into a good dancer.”

Her first break as an independent choreographer came with Geeta Mera Naam (1974) and she would taste fame with the song Hawa Hawai from Mr. India (1987). Her collaboration with Sridevi on other projects like Chandni (think Nau Nau Choodiyan) and Nagina (Main Teri Dushman) further boosted her profile.

But it was her collaboration with Madhuri Dixit that transformed the careers of both the artistes, beginning with Ek Do Teen (Tezaab), and then Tamma Tamma Loge (Thanedaar), Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai (Khalnayak) and Dhak Dhak Karne Laga (Beta).

Saroj was also the one who gave Shah Rukh Khan his iconic open arms pose, in Baazigar. Other standout choreographies included Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast (Mohra), Nimbooda (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) and Radha Kaise Na Jale (Lagaan). Her last film was Kalank (2019), where she choreographed Tabaah Ho Gaye, picturised on Madhuri. She also won National Awards for choreographing Dola Re Dola (Devdas), all the songs of Tamil film Sringaram, and Yeh Ishq Haaye (Jab We Met). Saroj was also the very first recipient of the Filmfare Award for Best Choreography, when the category was introduced in 1989. With 8 wins, she holds the record of most awards in this category. Bollywood stars have mourned the death of the legendary Khan. Shekar Kapoor tweeted: “She defined a generation of heroines. Certainly #MrIndia would not have been same film without #SarojKhan. You had to see her dance as she rehearsed with SriDevi. She was messmerizing. And what energy! You could shoot all night, yet she smiled and danced constantly fresh.” Madhuri Dixit said, “I’m devastated by the loss of my friend and guru, Saroj Khan. Will always be grateful for her work in helping me reach my full potential in dance. The world has lost an amazingly talented person. I will miss you. My sincere condolences to the family. #RIPSarojji.” Akshay Kumar tweeted: “Woke up to the sad news that legendary choreographer #SarojKhan ji is no more. She made dance look easy almost like anybody can dance, a huge loss for the industry. May her soul rest in peace.”

Seeing is Believing: Effectiveness of Face Masks – FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science Researchers Use Flow Visualization to Qualitatively Test Facemasks and Social Distancing

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Newswise — Currently, there are no specific guidelines on the most effective materials and designs for facemasks to minimize the spread of droplets from coughs or sneezes to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. While there have been prior studies on how medical-grade masks perform, data on cloth-based coverings used by the vast majority of the general public are sparse.

Research from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, just published in the journal Physics of Fluids, demonstrates through visualization of emulated coughs and sneezes, a method to assess the effectiveness of facemasks in obstructing droplets. The rationale behind the recommendation for using masks or other face coverings is to reduce the risk of cross-infection via the transmission of respiratory droplets from infected to healthy individuals.

Researchers employed flow visualization in a laboratory setting using a laser light sheet and a mixture of distilled water and glycerin to generate the synthetic fog that made up the content of a cough-jet. They visualized droplets expelled from a mannequin’s mouth while simulating coughing and sneezing. They tested masks that are readily available to the general public, which do not draw away from the supply of medical-grade masks and respirators for healthcare workers. They tested a single-layer bandana-style covering, a homemade mask that was stitched using two-layers of cotton quilting fabric consisting of 70 threads per inch, and a non-sterile cone-style mask that is available in most pharmacies. By placing these various masks on the mannequin, they were able to map out the paths of droplets and demonstrate how differently they perform.

Results showed that loosely folded facemasks and bandana-style coverings stop aerosolized respiratory droplets to some degree. However, well-fitted homemade masks with multiple layers of quilting fabric, and off-the-shelf cone style masks, proved to be the most effective in reducing droplet dispersal. These masks were able to curtail the speed and range of the respiratory jets significantly, albeit with some leakage through the mask material and from small gaps along the edges.

Importantly, uncovered emulated coughs were able to travel noticeably farther than the currently recommended 6-foot distancing guideline. Without a mask, droplets traveled more than 8 feet; with a bandana, they traveled 3 feet, 7 inches; with a folded cotton handkerchief, they traveled 1 foot, 3 inches; with the stitched quilted cotton mask, they traveled 2.5 inches; and with the cone-style mask, droplets traveled about 8 inches.

“In addition to providing an initial indication of the effectiveness of protective equipment, the visuals used in our study can help convey to the general public the rationale behind social-distancing guidelines and recommendations for using facemasks,” said Siddhartha Verma, Ph.D., lead author and an assistant professor who co-authored the paper with Manhar Dhanak, Ph.D., department chair, professor, and director of SeaTech; and John Frakenfeld, technical paraprofessional, all within FAU’s Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering. “Promoting widespread awareness of effective preventive measures is crucial at this time as we are observing significant spikes in cases of COVID-19 infections in many states, especially Florida.”

When the mannequin was not fitted with a mask, they projected droplets much farther than the 6-foot distancing guidelines currently recommended by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers observed droplets traveling up to 12 feet within approximately 50 seconds. Moreover, the tracer droplets remained suspended midair for up to three minutes in the quiescent environment. These observations, in combination with other recent studies, suggest that current social-distancing guidelines may need to be updated to account for aerosol-based transmission of pathogens.

“We found that although the unobstructed turbulent jets were observed to travel up to 12 feet, a large majority of the ejected droplets fell to the ground by this point,” said Dhanak. “Importantly, both the number and concentration of the droplets will decrease with increasing distance, which is the fundamental rationale behind social-distancing.”

The pathogen responsible for COVID-19 is found primarily in respiratory droplets that are expelled by infected individuals during coughing, sneezing, or even talking and breathing. Apart from COVID-19, respiratory droplets also are the primary means of transmission for various other viral and bacterial illnesses, such as the common cold, influenza, tuberculosis, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), to name a few. These pathogens are enveloped within respiratory droplets, which may land on healthy individuals and result in direct transmission, or on inanimate objects, which can lead to infection when a healthy individual comes in contact with them.

“Our researchers have demonstrated how masks are able to significantly curtail the speed and range of the respiratory droplets and jets. Moreover, they have uncovered how emulated coughs can travel noticeably farther than the currently recommended six-foot distancing guideline,” said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean of FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Their research outlines the procedure for setting up simple visualization experiments using easily available materials, which may help healthcare professionals, medical researchers, and manufacturers in assessing the effectiveness of face masks and other personal protective equipment qualitatively.”

Pandemic threatens to veer out of control in U.S., public health experts say

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By Alvin Powell from the The Harvard GazetteHarvard public health experts said the nation’s COVID-19 epidemic is getting “quite out of hand” and that, with cases rising rapidly in the hardest-hit states and a two-week lag between infection and hospitalization, the situation appears set to worsen quickly.

“I have this awful feeling of déjà vu, like it’s March all over again,” said William Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Hanage, who spoke with reporters during a conference call Thursday morning, said that hospitals are nearing capacity in Arizona and Houston and are likely to be stressed elsewhere soon. And, in contrast to the nation’s early spike in COVID-19 cases that were concentrated in a few states, the current surge is much more widespread and so has greater potential to take off.

“The increases that we’re seeing right now have the capacity to cause far more disease in the future,” Hanage said.

Barry Bloom, the Joan L. and Julius H. Jacobson Research Professor of Public Health, who also fielded reporters’ questions Thursday, said other countries have shown that the epidemic can be contained by acting swiftly when cases appear. Even Italy, once on the verge of health system collapse, has regained control of its epidemic, Bloom said. Italy on Tuesday reported just 113 new cases and 18 deaths.

“If you only look at what you see today, you’re three weeks behind the curve. … It’s trying to imagine what will be three weeks from now … that should be determining policy.”— Barry Bloom, Harvard Chan School

“When political leaders wait until it gets really bad, that’s where we are now,” Bloom said. “If you only look at what you see today, you’re three weeks behind the curve. … It’s trying to imagine what will be three weeks from now — rather than what you see today — that should be determining policy.”

Hanage said he understands political leaders’ reluctance to reimpose lockdowns, but with few tools to fight the coronavirus and more moderate steps like masking and hand-washing most effective when numbers are also more moderate, a shutdown may turn out to be what’s needed.

“Let me be clear: I do not like shutdowns. But if they’re the only thing to prevent a worse catastrophe, you have to use them,” Hanage said.

A bright spot in the current epidemic is that the age of those contracting COVID-19 appears to be declining. Hanage said that he didn’t view it as a sign of the epidemic evolving, but rather a marker of testing being more widespread and catching more cases than during the March-April spike. Though younger people have better survival rates, that good news is tempered by the fact that we’ve been largely ineffective at keeping the virus away from those most susceptible for severe illness: the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions. But that may nonetheless mean there is a window of opportunity to suppress the epidemic before it takes hold among those more vulnerable populations.

“Let me be clear: I do not like shutdowns. But if they’re the only thing to prevent a worse catastrophe, you have to use them.”— William Hanage, Harvard Chan School

“If there is a window of action, it’s now,” Hanage said.Hanage struck a similar note on lower death rates in the current spike, saying deaths lag behind cases, so we should wait for a few weeks before concluding that anything different is going on.

Bloom said the difference between the U.S. and nations where the pandemic appears to be controlled is that those countries had uniform national policies and didn’t lift lockdowns until case numbers were very low. The fact that some of them have experienced new outbreaks — like the recent spate of cases in Beijing — is to be expected. Once the local epidemic is controlled, easing the lockdown will inevitably lead to new cases. The strategy then is to use testing to quickly identify cases and use contact tracing and isolation to contain outbreaks before they become widespread. In a state like California, with 7,000 new cases reported Tuesday, tracing the contacts of each positive test becomes a monumental task.

Rather than flinging the doors wide, the two said reopening should more closely resemble refining the shutdown, letting some things resume with safeguards in place that can be tightened should cases rise. Leaders should consider risk versus value to society in deciding what to reopen and when. For instance, bars, casinos, and churches, where people are crammed together and which have been shown to be hotspots of infection in some instances, may need to stay closed in order to keep the overall infection rate in the community low enough that we can safely reopen places with broad societal benefit, Bloom and Hanage said.

“We should be wanting to be able to open schools, and schools should have a higher priority, arguably, than other parts of the economy,” Hanage said. “What those [other parts of the economy to reopen] are, ought to be debated. … What we should be thinking about in reopening is not reopening everything in a safe way, but which things we want to reopen and being able to do that without enhancing community transmission.”

Even well-honed strategies will fail if citizens are noncompliant, however, Bloom said. In New York City, contact tracing programs have run into people not answering phones or refusing to isolate after hearing they’ve been exposed to infection. “If people are ignoring the epidemic, it’s going to be very hard to control,” Bloom said, “and leadership should be inspiring people to be more cautions.”

Will India Have A Covid-19 Vaccine By Aug 15?

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Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) head Dr Balram Bhargava on July 2 wrote to all 12 trial sites for the Covid-19 vaccine candidate, Covaxin, that all clinical trials had to be completed by August 15, in time for a public launch. Bioethics experts, however, have questioned how all three phases of testing for a vaccine candidate yet to even begin human trials can be crunched into a timeframe of a month.

What is Covaxin? It has been developed by the company Bharat Biotech India (BBIL) in collaboration with ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV). It is an “inactivated” vaccine — one made by using particles of the Covid-19 virus that were killed, making them unable to infect or replicate. Injecting particular doses of these particles serves to build immunity by helping the body create antibodies against the dead virus, according to BBIL.

Is ICMR serious? The August 15 deadline given by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the launch of the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine being jointly developed by Bharat Biotech International (BBIL) — called Covaxin — has raised a storm within the scientific and medical community about the unrealistic timeline. That apart, it appears even the company may be unable to meet the target. Here’s why:

What ICMR wants: The ICMR has written a letter to 12 select hospitals across the country, practically warning them that “non-compliance will be viewed very seriously” if they failed to enrol human test subjects by next week Tuesday. The country’s governing body for medical research said that this measure was being taken “in view of the public health emergency due to Covid-19 pandemic” and that BBIL was “working expeditiously to meet the target”.

Really now? However, BBIL CMD Dr Krishna Ella, in an interview to The New Indian Express said on Thursday that he expects the “vaccine to be available early 2021“. In fact, BBIL, in its filing to the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) has stated that follow-ups for the clinical trial will be conducted on the 14th, 28th, 104th and 194th day — which clearly means a timeline of beyond 6 months. Additionally, the company lists the date of enrolment for the first phase of clinical trials from July 13 — almost a week after the ICMR’s deadline for enrolment.

Scrunch & crunch: Vaccine development is a long drawn process, usually spread over a number of years to determine any side-effects. Human clinical trials are a three phase process — starting from a small batch of healthy humans, usually between 40-50, moving on to a larger pool of over 100 with variations on dosage and frequency before the final phase, wherein randomly selected thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands of volunteers are administered the vaccine. Under fire: While independent experts have been aghast at the ICMR’s vaccine-by-deadline approach, the governing body’s chairperson of ethics advisory committee Vasantha Muthuswamy conceded (as reported by Scroll) that “a month to decide whether to release a vaccine is a very short time” and that even if the vaccine was fast-tracked, “it will take a minimum of one year“.

Indo American Press Club Awards IAPC EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2020

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(New York, NY: July 4, 2020) During the solemn virtual induction ceremony live telecast on social media and viewed by thousands from around the world, Indo American Press Club honored three prominent Indian Americans for their contributions to the larger society and for their great achievements on Sunday, June 28th, 2020. Bob Miglani was presented with the IAPC Literature Excellence Award by Dr. Mathew Joys, IAPC Vice Chairman BOD.  Badal Shah was given the IAPC Business Excellence Award by Biju Chacko, IAPC BOD Member. Ravinder Singh was honored with the IAPC Technology Excellence Award by Ms. Annie Koshy, Executive VP of IAPC. Several world renowned media personnel from around the world felicitated the new officers and IAPC, the largest Indian American Association of Media Personnel begin a new journey under the stewardship of two great leaders well known for their commitment and leadership.   The highlight of the ceremony was Dr. Joseph M. Chalil assuming charge as the Chairman, while Dr. SS Lal became the President of Indo American Press Club. Also, along with the two dynamic leaders, several new members of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee members, and Local Chapter leadership were administered the oath of office. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Chalil said, “Your choice humbles me, and I promise to do my duties with the best of my abilities.” Describing current phase in human history as “unprecedented times for the journalists and the media,” he pointed out that “AT LEAST 146 JOURNALISTS HAVE DIED FROM CORONAVIRUS IN 31 COUNTRIES.”  The new Executive Committee led by Dr. S S Lal, Annie Koshy, C G Daniel, James Kureekattil, Prakash Joseph, Sunil Manjanikara, Biju Chacko, Andrews Jacob, Raj Dingra, Annie Chandran, Neethu Thomas, Innocent Ulahannan, Baiju Pakalomattom, O. K. Thyagarajan, Shiby Roy and  Korasan Varghese were administered the oath of office by Chairman Dr. Joseph M Chalil. In his Presidential Address, Dr. Lal highlighted the importance of journalists and the need to coordinate and bring together journalists under one umbrella. “And it is the commitment and sacrifice of the leaders and members of this organization that has helped us build collaborations between the journalists and writers of the US and India,” Dr. Lal said. Ambassador Pradeep Kapur, in his keynote address stressed the importance of the media, especially in these challenging times as they work hard to bring the truth before the public. Dr. Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Indian Parliament, in his message stressed the importance of media and congratulated IAPC for its contributions to the society. Isaac John Pattaniparambil from Khaleej Times in Dubai, MG Radhakrishnan from Asianet NewsTV, Srikantan Nair from 24News,  Preetu Nair from Times of India were others who addressed the IAPC members and felicitated the organization for its growth and success in a short period of seven years,  BOB MIGLANI: Bestselling Author, Speaker and Founder of Embrace the Chaos – a change & transformation company. His Washington Post Bestselling book titled, Embrace the Chaos:How India Taught Me to Stop Overthinking and Start Living – celebrated the India experience of dealing with uncertainty and learning to embrace change in our daily lives and to always be moving forward. Bob’s other books include Treat Your Customers, about business lessons he learned working at his family’s Dairy Queen store and Make Your Own Luck, which he launched in India in November 2019. Today, Bob speaks, writes and advises companies on change and transformation. He lives in New Jersey, USA. BADAL SHAH: Badal Shah is another recent exemplar of an Indian coming from humble background from India and fulfilling his American dream. A 22 year old pharmacist who came to US in 2012, in search of his dream, rose through the ranks to become the youngest Managing Director of QPharma Inc.- a premium Medical, Commercial and Compliance partner of Pharmaceutical companies and was recently declared as one of the top 100 healthcare leaders in 2020 by IFAH (International Forum on Advancement in Healthcare). He pioneered the unique approach of “How to achieve effective medical communication and optimize field force during drug launch” which helped in successfully launching more than 25 drugs that were paramount in treating various diseases. He created the entire Health analytics services in last three years at QPharma and created unique platforms and solutions, which are being used by more than 2500 pharmaceutical leaders from top 20 pharmaceutical companies all over the world. Ravinder (Ravi) Pal Singh: An award Winning Technologist, Rescue Pilot and Investor with over 50+ global recognition and 17 Patents. Ravi’s body of work, is considered groundbreaking and considered first in the world in making a difference within acute constraints of culture and cash via commodity technology. He has been acknowledged as one of the world’s top 25 CIOs and one of the top 10 Robotics Designers in 2018. Ravi is a global speaker and has delivered over 100+ lectures and papers in Asia, Europe, USA and Africa in 2018-19. Ravi is advisor to board of 9 enterprises where incubation and differentiation is a core necessity and challenge. He sits on the advisory council of 3 global research firms where he contributes in predicting practical future automation use cases and respective technologies.  In the acceptance speeches, the awardees congratulated the new Office Bearers, and felicitated the organization for its collective activities and recognizing exceptional professionals from media, medical and innovations by young entrepreneurs.  Indo American Press Club (IAPC) is the fast growing syndicate of print, visual, online, and electronic media journalists and other media related professionals of Indian origin working in the United States, Canada, and Europe. IAPC is committed to enhance the working conditions of our journalists, exchanging ideas and offering educational and training opportunities to our members, aspiring young journalists and media professionals around the globe; and also by honoring media people for their excellence, and for bringing in positive changes through their dedicated service among the community. Today IAPC envisages its vision through collective efforts and advocacy activities through its 15 Chapters across the US and Canada, in the larger public sphere

Pope Francis Backs UN Call for Ceasefire to Deal with Covid-19 – ‘May this Security Council Resolution Become a Courageous First Step Towards a Peaceful Future’

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Pope Francis has offered his support for this week’s call by the United Nations for a general ceasefire to allow humanitarian relief in combat zones hit by the Covid-19 virus. The Holy Father’s statement of support came after he prayed the noonday Angelus on July 5, 2020, with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “This week the United Nations Security Council adopted a Resolution which proposes some measures to deal with the devastating consequences of the Covid-19 virus, particularly for areas in conflict zones,” Pope Francis said. “The request for a global and immediate ceasefire, which would allow that peace and security necessary to provide the needed humanitarian assistance is commendable. I hope that this decision will be implemented effectively and promptly for the good of the many people who are suffering. May this Security Council Resolution become a courageous first step towards a peaceful future.” On July 1, members of the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution demanding “a general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations on its agenda.” The resolution calls on parties to armed conflicts to immediately in a “durable humanitarian phase” provide aid to countries to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Vatican News. In the resolution, the Council also voiced support for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who first proposed a global ceasefire on 23 March. That appeal has been echoed by world leaders, including Pope Francis, who, at the Angelus on 29 March invited everyone “to follow it up by ceasing all forms of hostilities, encouraging the creation of corridors for humanitarian aid, openness to diplomacy, and attention to those who find themselves in situations of vulnerability.”

COVID-19 Fatality Risk Is Double Earlier Estimates: Study New estimates are based on robust New York City data are underline the importance of infection prevention, particularly among older adults whose risk is significantly elevated – By Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health

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Newswise — In one of the most robust studies of COVID-19 mortality risk in the United States, researchers estimate an infection fatality rate more than double estimates from other countries, with the greatest risk to older adults. Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health scientists and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene colleagues published the findings on the pre-print server medRxiv ahead of peer review.
Researchers estimate an overall infection fatality rate (IFR) of 1.45 percent in New York City, from March 1-May 16, 2020—in other words, between 1 and 2 percent of New Yorkers infected with COVID-19 including those with no or mild symptoms died during this period. The new estimate is more than double the IFR previously reported elsewhere (e.g., about 0.7 percent in both China and France where most IFR estimates have come from). So far, IFR in the U.S has been unclear.
Greatest Risk to Older People
The new study finds mortality risk was highest among older adults, with IFR of 4.67 percent for 65-74-year-olds and 13.83 percent for 75+ year-olds. Younger people had far lower chances of dying from the disease: 0.011 percent among those younger than 25 and 0.12 percent among 25-44-year-olds. However, risk to young people should not be taken lightly, especially given cases of post-infection Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, the researchers caution.
“These dire estimates highlight the severity of COVID-19 in elderly populations and the importance of infection prevention in congregate settings,” the authors write. “Thus, early detection and adherence to infection control guidance in long-term care and adult care facilities should be a priority for COVID-19 response as the pandemic continues to unfold.”
Robust Data Points to Elevated Risk
New York City has among the most complete and reliable data on COVID-19 deaths—specialists review all death certificates and rapidly record deaths into a unified electronic reporting system. For this reason, the new estimate likely more accurately reflects the true higher burden of death due to COVID-19. Further, given the likely stronger public health infrastructure and healthcare systems in New York City than many other places, the higher IFR estimated in the new study suggests that mortality risk from COVID-19 may be even higher elsewhere in the United States, and likely other countries as well. 
“It is thus crucial that officials account for and closely monitor the infection rate and population health outcomes and enact prompt public health responses accordingly as the pandemic unfolds,” the authors write. “As the pandemic continues to unfold and populations in many places worldwide largely remain susceptible, understanding the severity, in particular, the IFR, is crucial for gauging the full impact of COVID-19 in the coming months or years.”
About the Model and Its Uncertainties
During the pandemic, the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene have been collaborating in generating real-time model projections in support of the city’s pandemic response. Weekly projections are posted on Github.
In the current study, researchers used a computer model to analyze mortality data, including 191,392 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and 20,141 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths occurred among New York City residents from March 1-May 16, 2020. The model, which was developed to support the City’s pandemic response, estimated IFR based on case and mortality data combined with mobility information from cell phone data used to model changes in COVID-19 transmission rate due to social distancing. The model includes a number of uncertainties on questions such as the number of New Yorkers initially infected and the movement of people between New York City neighborhoods. 
The model’s estimates are in line with serology surveys (e.g., 19.9 percent positive in New York City, as of May 1, 2020, likely from testing of 25-64-year-olds). In addition, spatial variation estimates were in line with other reports (i.e., highest in the Bronx and lowest in Manhattan).
Estimating the IFR is challenging due to the large number of undocumented infections, fluctuating case detection rates, and inconsistent reporting of fatalities. Further, the IFR of COVID-19 could vary by location, given differences in demographics, healthcare systems, and social construct (e.g., intergenerational households are the norm in some societies whereas older adults commonly reside and congregate in long-term care and adult care facilities in others).
Study authors include Wan Yang, Sasikiran Kandula, and Jeffrey Shaman at Columbia Mailman School; and Mary Huynh, Sharon K. Greene, Gretchen Van Wye, Wenhui Li, Hiu Tai Chan, Emily McGibbon, Alice Yeung, Donald Olson, and Anne Fine at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. 
This study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AI145883), the National Science Foundation Rapid Response Research Program (RAPID; 2027369), and the NYC DOHMH. Jeffrey Shaman and Columbia University disclose partial ownership of SK Analytics, an infectious disease forecasting company. Shaman also discloses consulting for Business Network International.
 

Indo American Press Club Holds Virtual Induction Ceremony – Dr. Joseph Chalil Inducted As Chairman, Dr. S.S. Lal As President of IPAC

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(New York, NY: June 29, 2020) During a solemn virtual ceremony live telecast on social media and viewed by thousands from around the world, Dr. Joseph M. Chalil assumed charge as the Chairman, while Dr. SS Lal as the President of  Indo American Press Club on Sunday, June 28th, 2020. Also, along with the two dynamic leaders, several new members of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee members, and Local Chapter leadership were administered the oath of office.

Indo American Press Club Holds Virtual Induction Ceremony - Dr. Joseph Chalil Inducted As Chairman, Dr. S.S. Lal As President of IPACSeveral world renowned media personnel from around the world felicitated the new officers and IAPC, the largest Indian American Association of Media Personnel begin a new journey under the stewardship of two great leaders well known for their commitment and leadership.

Ginsmon Zachariah, the Founding Chairman of IAPC administered the oath of office to Dr. Chalil, along with 3 new members to the Board of Directors: Mathewkutty Easow, Mini Nair & Thampanoor Mohan. Ajay Ghosh, the Founding President of IAPC introduced Dr. Chalil as the Co-founder and Publisher of The Universal News Network. Dr. Chalil is an Adjunct Professor and author of several scientific and research papers in international publications. A veteran of the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, Dr. Chalil is board certified in healthcare management and has been awarded Fellowship by the American College of Healthcare Executives. Dr. Chalil holds several U.S. Patents, and his research includes Clinical Trial Management in Cystic Fibrosis, Food Allergy, Multiple Myeloma.

Indo American Press Club Holds Virtual Induction Ceremony - Dr. Joseph Chalil Inducted As Chairman, Dr. S.S. Lal As President of IPACIn his acceptance speech, Dr. Chalil said, “Your choice humbles me, and I promise to do my duties with the best of my abilities.” Describing current phase in human history as “unprecedented times for the journalists and the media,” he pointed out that “AT LEAST 146 JOURNALISTS HAVE DIED FROM CORONAVIRUS IN 31 COUNTRIES.”

“The safety of media workers is particularly at risk in this crisis because you must continue to provide information on the ground and report news by visiting hospitals, interviewing politicians, doctors, nurses, and patients. IAPC offers condolences to families and colleagues of the deceased,” Dr. Chalil, who is a Physician by profession said.  “In this pandemic, the significance of traditional media is all the more important to provide fair, balanced, and UpToDate information to the population. You are all the HEROS similar to the doctors and nurses in this war against the COVID-19.”

Indo American Press Club Holds Virtual Induction Ceremony - Dr. Joseph Chalil Inducted As Chairman, Dr. S.S. Lal As President of IPACThe new Executive Committee led by Dr. S S Lal, Annie Koshy, C G Daniel, James Kureekattil, Prakash Joseph, Sunil Manjanikara, Biju Chacko, Andrews Jacob, Raj Dingra, Annie Chandran, Neethu Thomas, Innocent Ulahannan, Baiju Pakalomattom, O. K. Thyagarajan, Shiby Roy and  Korasan Varghese were administered the oath of office by Chairman Dr. Joseph M Chalil.

Dr. S. S. Lal was introduced by Reji Philip, Treasurer of IAPC. In his Presidential Address, Dr. Lal highlighted the importance of journalists and the need to coordinate and bring together journalists under one umbrella. “And it is the commitment and sacrifice of the leaders and members of this organization that has helped us build collaborations between the journalists and writers of the US and India,” Dr. Lal said.

Indo American Press Club Holds Virtual Induction Ceremony - Dr. Joseph Chalil Inducted As Chairman, Dr. S.S. Lal As President of IPACSharing his own experiences in the media world, Dr. Lal recalled, “It was Asianet, one of the first two satellite channels of India, that gave me the opportunity to work for a visual media way back in 1993. This is how I got an opportunity become a media person and learn the dynamics within the field of media, an area which I would not have explored at all while pursuing my career as a medical doctor.” Dr Lal said, he considers this leadership role in IAPC as “an additional opportunity for me to serve the people in broader areas of life and further strengthen the partnerships between the media personnel of USA, Canada and India.”

Dr. Lal is a world renowned Health Expert, Columnist and Guest Speaker on various Visual Media,  In 2013, he moved to Washington DC, USA to lead a global department of PATH, an American international health organization, in charge of the Department of Controlling contagious diseases (TB), with head quarters in Washington DC. Dr. Lal has been working for WHO in various countries, and has been instrumental in the setting up and management of its Global Fund at Geneva. He is a key member in various Advisory Councils of the WHO and often appears on TV sharing valuable thoughts on public health. Many of his scientific articles and findings have been published in various international journals. He is also a frequent columnist in various accredited Online and Print media.

Since 1993, for the first time in India, Dr. Lal initiated the broadcasting of Health Shows (Pulse, Asianet) and he was the Anchor for more than 500 biweekly episodes, until the end of 2003.  He has published so many Short Stories and Novels, and “Tittoni” a collection of his short stories was published by D.C. Books. He has been appointed the new president of the Kerala unit of the All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC).

Indo American Press Club Holds Virtual Induction Ceremony - Dr. Joseph Chalil Inducted As Chairman, Dr. S.S. Lal As President of IPACAmbassador Pradeep Kapur, in his keynote address stressed the importance of the media, especially in these challenging times as they work hard to bring the truth before the public. Dr. Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Indian Parliament, in his message stressed the importance of media and congratulated IAPC for its contributions to the society.

Isaac John Pattaniparambil from Khaleej Times in Dubai, MG Radhakrishnan from Asianet NewsTV, Srikantan Nair from 24News,  Preetu Nair from Times of India were others who addressed the IAPC members and felicitated the organization for its growth and success in a short period of seven years,

IAPC honored with special awards three Indian Americans for their excellence and contributions to the society. Bob Miglani was presented with the IAPC Literature Excellence Award by Dr. Mathew Joys, IAPC Vice Chairman BOD.  Badal Shah was given the IAPC Business Excellence Award by Biju Chacko, IAPC (EC) General Secretary. Ravinder Singh was honored with the IAPC Technology Excellence Award by Ms. Annie Koshy, Executive VP.

Indo American Press Club Holds Virtual Induction Ceremony - Dr. Joseph Chalil Inducted As Chairman, Dr. S.S. Lal As President of IPACParveen Chopra, a member of BOD introduced the office bearers of Toronto, Dallas and Philadelphia Chapters and Oath of office was administered by Kamlesh Mehta, IAPC Director and Publisher of The South Asian Times. New Teams led by veteran leaders of  Vancouver was introduced by Thampannoor Mohan, Director;  Niagara Falls Chapter by Ashley Joseph; Atlanta, Houston and Alberta Chapters were introduced by Mini Nair, Director  and thereafter administered the oath of office by Dr. S.S. Lal.

On behalf of the newly inducted Chapters, Bince Mandapam (Toronto), Azad Jayan (Niagra Falls), Milly Philip (Philadelphia), Anitha Naveen (Vancouver), Joseph John (Alberta), C G Daniel (Houston), Meena Nibu (Dallas), and Sabu Kurian (Atlanta), delivered Acceptance Speeches.

Mathewkutty Easow, National BoD Secretary welcomed the participants and guests to the Virtual Ceremony.  Annie Koshy served brilliantly as the Master of ceremony. Thomas Mathew (Anil) IAPC Director proposed vote of Thanks.

Indo American Press Club (IAPC) is the fast growing syndicate of print, visual, online, and electronic media journalists and other media related professionals of Indian origin working in the United States, Canada, and Europe. IAPC is committed to enhance the working conditions of our journalists, exchanging ideas and offering educational and training opportunities to our members, aspiring young journalists and media professionals around the globe; and also by honoring media people for their excellence, and for bringing in positive changes through their dedicated service among the community. Today IAPC envisages its vision through collective efforts and advocacy activities through its 15 Chapters across the US and Canada, in the larger public sphere.

FIA Organizes 6th International Day of Yoga

Staff ReporterHealth 0

Yoga enthusiasts of all age groups attend 5 different sessions offered on Zoom, maxing out the capacity of the streaming platform.

The Federation of Indian Associations of NY-NJ-CT (FIA-Tri-state) successfully commemorated the 6th annual International Day of Yoga on June 21, 2020. Since the inception of the International Day of Yoga, the FIA, in partnership with the Consulate General of India in New York, has celebrated the day which highlights the importance of yoga.

Yoga enthusiasts of all age groups a logged on to the virtual celebration on Zoom, which included five simultaneous yoga segments, taught by renowned yoga teachers. The event was very well received by The Indian diaspora, maxing out the capacity of the streaming platform.

Highlighting the importance of yoga, FIA President Anil Bansal said it is the “greatest gift” from Bharat to the world. “Besides so many benefits of yoga, it improving our lung resiliency has become more pronounced during this Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

Yoga is an ancient physical, mental, and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness. Today it is practiced in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity.

The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on June 21, 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga.

FIA Organizes 6th International Day of YogaAlok Kumar, FIA Immediate Past President and one of the organizers of the Yoga Day 2020 celebration, said the International Day of Yoga an initiative from the Government of India “has added a positive vibe” to millions across the world. He conveyed his gratitude to Consul General of India in New York, Sandeep Chakravorty, including the CGI-NY Team as well as the Yoga 2020 team, including Himanshu Bhatia, Saurin Parikh, Falguni Pandya, and Andy Bhatia, for successfully implementing all the logistics and coordination needed to make the event a grand success.

Consul General Chakravorty, in his address to the participants, noted that June 21, 2020, had a special significance, because, along with the International Day of Yoga, it was also the summer solstice, Father’s Day, and a day when parts of the world witnessed a solar eclipse. “Today is the coming together of celestial as well as manmade phenomena,” he said. He highlighted the importance of yoga in helping create a physical and mental balance, “particularly in these times when we cannot indulge in outdoor activities.” The Consul General also took this opportunity to bid farewell to the attendees and members of the community as his New York term comes to an end.

Speakers gave an overview of the importance of yoga and talked about how yoga has integrated into our daily life.

Vijay Kumar of the North American Institute of Vihangam Yoga talked about the different forms of yoga and their significance and stressed on the importance of asana and pranayama. “Asana is irreplaceable,” Vijay Kumar said, as it not only stabilizes the outside body but also works on the organs inside the body. He conducted a session on ancient meditation techniques.

Eddie Stern, a New York-based Ashtanga Yoga teacher, author, and lecturer, conducted a session on beginner yoga where he taught attendees some breathing techniques, basic asanas and modified Surya Namaskar or sun salutations.

Aashka Amin, a certified yoga teacher, conducted the kids yoga session. She has been trained to work with kids, especially with disabilities and trauma. She believes that yoga can provide much-needed relief to troubled kids and those with special needs.

Rahul Bhalerao of Subodh Yoga focused on Raj Yoga meditation, a simple form of meditation without rituals or mantras and can be practiced anywhere at any time.

Mitali Das focused on pilates, a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named. Pilates primarily focuses on trying to relax muscles which are tense and provide strengthening of the numerous muscles of the body.

The virtual event was deemed very successful. The FIA team, once again, maintained its commitment to bringing authenticity and spirit community in each of their events.

Sushant, your untimely passing will inspire many to timely check in on their close ones: Prashantt Guptha

Staff ReporterCommunity 0

Sushant and I met years ago. May of 2013, to be precise. If you are aware of my writing and know that I wear my heart on my sleeve, please read this. In 2013, my life went through a traumatic phase of multiple setbacks and lows. But this is not about all that. It is to reflect on mental health in the midst of this illusionary industry of which a bright young man has now gone. When I decided to sell my house in 2013, my broker after months of trying, called me one day, and said, ‘sir offer aaya, lekin aapki asking price se thoda kam’. I was going to cut the phone, but he interjected to say, ‘Sir ek baar mil lo, woh jo abhi Kai Po Che! (2013) picture aayi hai na, uska hero hai Sushant Singh Rajput’. I immediately said yes to the offer. It made me feel relevant to showbiz, that’s how far out I was made to feel. Silly thought perhaps, but not half as ridiculous as everything I was going through. A dead end career low, crippling mental health, dwindling appearance, mother in law at her last stage, etc. The deal was set. my wife (Mansi) and I met Sushant and his then girlfriend along with our brokers in a Malad office. Though he was already famous before KPC, this one film changed his life, and my two releases from a few years prior dusted off faster than powder on a mirror. In that first meeting, I knew everything about him and he didn’t know me at all. How could he, no one did. I would hardly look him straight because of my own busted self esteem, and Mansi barely spoke a word. I remember him asking me what I do, and I hesitantly said, ‘Uh, well, umm, actually I’m also an actor’. His warm ‘aah ok’ seemed sympathetic. Perhaps only an actor can empathise with the plight of an actor’s anonymity. I was no one, no where close, even when it always felt like the success was ‘just around the corner’. All I could loosely examine over the course of the next two days was his bustling confidence, glowing smile, that gifted thick mane mopping over his aviators and picture perfect physique. Not to say that I didn’t have all those attributes just a few years prior. But I had seized to be that Prashantt due to extended circumstances of the times. I confess, I’ve been at the brink and brunt of mental health collapse, and jealousy has plagued me more than I’d wish upon an enemy. In fact, only until recently, when I came upon this quote that if you are going to compare yourself to someone else, make sure you compare it in totality, or else don’t. As soon as I signed the agreement, I was free to leave. He on the other hand, had a dozen officers awaiting selfies and a mini photo blitz. I stopped to see all that with a fading twinkle in my eyes, ‘mera din kab aayega’. Never to think ‘uska aisa din aayega’. What he did yesterday, has fortunately never crossed my mind. But I lament in accepting that so often, I, too, wished that it would all somehow end. Life can do that sometimes, this industry often so. Yesterday’s numbing tragedy has sealed the fact that crores, a fancy car, fame, followers, industry acceptance, and all that glitterati doesn’t add up to absolute contentment, if at all. Lets hang up the fallacy. I cannot come to terms with him having lost life’s juice when it seemed to me that his cup must be overflowing.

Sushant, your untimely passing will inspire many to timely check in on their close ones. I myself have been called by a few since yesterday, I thank you for that… Thoda aur jee leta, roothe khwaabon ko manaa leta. Chal, see you around the corner. And this time i hope the corner is far off.

 

Prashantt Guptha is an actor, who has worked in movies such as Issaq (2013), Neerja (2016) and The Tashkent Files (2019)

While Trump Wants to Ban Foreign Workers, 155 Indian Companies Create Nearly 125,000 Jobs in US

Staff ReporterPolitics, Travel, U.S. 0

President Trump has been calling for ban on immigrant workers to the US. He has suspended work visas to the end of the year. However, as per a report from CII, a total of 155 companies with origins in India are responsible for generating over $22 billion in investments and nearly 125,000 jobs in the US, according to a report by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

The report titled ‘Indian Roots, American Soil 2020’ showed that the states with the top concentrations of Indian companies reporting were New Jersey, Texas, California, New York, Illinois and Georgia.

The corporate social responsibility and research and development expenditure of the companies stood at $175 million and $900 million, respectively.

Texas, California, New Jersey, New York, and Florida are home to the greatest number of workers in the US directly employed by the reporting Indian companies.

The surveyed companies disclosed the highest amounts of foreign direct investment were in Texas, New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Massachusetts.

Indian investments in 20 U.S. states stand at over $100 million each, showed the survey.

Around 77 percent of the companies plan to make more investments in the world’s largest economy and 83 percent of the companies plan to hire more employees locally in the next five years.

The CII survey respondents are from sectors including pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, aerospace and defense, financial services, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality.

Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, said: “The survey results show that the U.S. is a preferred investment destination for Indian companies which are contributing significantly to supporting local jobs. The results in the survey capture a snapshot in time, documenting tangible investments and direct jobs only, so I believe that the actual economic impact of Indian FDI in the U.S. is much larger.”

He further said that it is critical that the U.S. government continues to provide a supportive policy environment for Indian companies to flourish and enhance their operations in the U.S., especially to aid economic recovery at this time.

India is 4th worst hit among 213 countries infected by COVID-19

Staff ReporterHealth 0
As India continued to be the fourth worst hit among 213 countries infected by COVID-19 with 2,10,120 active cases and 16,475 deaths, Union Health Ministry on Monday said the recovery of infected patients shows “encouraging results”.
“The recovery rate continues to steadily improve. It has reached 58.67 amongst COVID-19 patients today,” said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHF).
It further said that the difference between recovered and active cases has increased to 1,11,602.
So far, as many as 3,21,722 patients have been cured of COVID-19, the Ministry said, adding there are 2,10,120 active cases in the country and all are under active medical supervision.
During the last 24 hours, the Ministry said, a total of 12,010 COVID-19 patients have been cured.
The Ministry said the improvement is the result of the Centre’s graded, pre-emptive and proactive steps taken along with the states and Union Territories (UTs) for prevention, containment and management of the deadly virus .
The data was shared when India noted a record spike of 19,459 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours on Monday pushing the total infected tally to 5,48,318.
According to the Health Ministry data, 380 deaths were recorded in a day taking the COVID-19 death toll to 16,475.
With a spike of 5,493 cases, Maharashtra remained the worst hit state in the country. The state has a total of 1,64,626 cases, including 7,429 deaths.
The national capital is the second worst hit state with a total of 83,077 COVID-19 cases, including 2,623 deaths and 52,607 recoveries. Delhi is followed by Tamil Nadu with 82,275 confirmed cases, of which, 1,079 have died, 45,537 have recovered and 35,659 are active cases.
States with more than 10,000 cases include Gujarat with 31,320 cases and 1,808 deaths, Uttar Pradesh (22,147), Rajasthan (17,271), Madhya Pradesh (13,186), West Bengal (17,283), Haryana (13,829), Karnataka, (13,190), Andhra Pradesh (13,241) and Telangana (14,419) cases.
The Ministry also added that a total of 1,047 diagnostic labs have been functioning dedicatedly to test COVID-19. Of these labs, 760 are run by the government and 287 by private sectors.
In the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry has inducted 11 new COVID-19 labs operated by the government sector.
Of the total, 567 are Real-Time RT PCR based labs which include 362 government and 205 private labs. A total of 393 are TrueNat based testing labs– 366 government and 27 private. However, CBNAAT based testing labs are 87 in the country that include 32 government labs and 55 private.
The total number of samples tested is showing an uphill trend, and has touched 83,98,362, it said. “Yesterday, 1,70,560 samples were tested.” (IANS)

Chilli Cheese Garlic Toast

Staff ReporterAmmu's Hearty Treats 0
Be it a yummy snack or appetiser. This toast is a quick delight that’s quite easy to make. It’s herby, cheesy, buttery, spicy and garlicky!
How I developed this recipe-
All my friends and family are cheese lovers like anyone in this whole world. And when someone home is too filled for a burger and too underwhelmed about the basic cheese toast, I love to come up with innovative cheese toasts and this recipe that I’m sharing here is one of the best among those.
Chilli Cheese Garlic ToastWhat’s special about this recipe-
. Quick & easy- You can make this toast in a few minutes and it’s too easy that all you need as tools is a spoon and a bowl. So if you have any kind of bread at home, you have no excuse from not trying this.
. Herby & garlicky- It has the benefits of oregano, coriander and lots of garlic! Garlic is widely used from ancient times for its medicinal properties and health benefits. It’s anti-flammatory, good for organ health and even known to be anti-cancerous.
What you’ll need-
Chilli Cheese Garlic Toast. Few slices of your favourite bread- I used my family’s staple, homemade brioche
. 1 tablespoon of butter
. 1 tablespoon of olive oil
. 6 cloves of garlic
. Half teaspoon red chilli flakes
. 1 long green chilli, finely chopped
. Half a red onion, finely chopped (approximately 2-3 tablespoons)
. One by third to half teaspoon oregano
. 2 tablespoons of finely chopped coriander leaves
. 7 cubes/triangles of processed cheddar cheese triangles (about half a cup)
. 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
How to make-
Chilli Cheese Garlic Toast. Spread a thin layer of butter evenly on both sides of your bread slices and toast them brown.
. Take garlic and olive oil in a small bowl and heat cook in a microwave for one and a half minutes ~until garlic is roasted golden.
Process into flakes in a tiny mixer jar after it has cooled down.
. In a larger bowl , throw in the roasted garlic flakes, oregano, chopped coriander leaves, chopped  green chillies, chopped onions, both cheeses and red chilli flakes. Mix it up and mash it to a spread like consistency.
. Spread it over your toasted slices of bread and grill it on the top rack of your oven for 7-10 minutes, until golden on top. Serve it hot to snap your lovely cheese pull moments!
Notes, Tips & Suggestions-
Chilli Cheese Garlic Toast. You could make this cheese spread ahead and refrigerate. It will stay good upto 3-4 days in the refrigerator. So that you could try making this toasts faster whenever  you need.
. You could create this yummy treat from left over dinner rolls or hot dog bread rolls too.
. You can top this with cooked shredded chicken/ chopped mushrooms/ chives/ pepperoni/ chopped bell peppers/ olives to create your own variations of this recipe.

HUL’s decision to axe ‘fair’ from ‘Fair and Lovely’ lauded

Staff ReporterFashion 0

In the wake of all the anti-racist movements taking place across the globe, especially after US-based George Floyds tragic death, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) recently announced the rebranding of its flagship brand Fair & Lovely.

The decision has found support across segments and groups in the country. While netizens welcomed the move by the company to rebrand the cream, celebrities too took to social media to laud the move.
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut took to Twitter to express her support for the decision. On her behalf, her team wrote, “It has been a long and sometimes a very lonely battle but results only happen when the whole nation participates in the movement”.
Shah Rukh Khans daughter Suhana hailed this decision. Shah Rukh Khan’s Daughter Suhana Supports HUL’s Decision To Axe ‘Fair’ From Fair & Lovely

The star kid took to her Instagram story and wrote, “Hindustan Unilever announced that it would rebrand its skin-lightening cream ‘Fair and Lovely’ and drop the word ‘Fair’ from the product’. It has also committed that it will remove all suggestions that success is linked to skin tone or colour in its communication.” She further added: “It has also committed that it will remove all suggestions that success is linked to skin tone or colour in its communication.”

In a statement, HUL said over the last decade, Fair & Lovely’s advertising has evolved to communicate a message of women’s empowerment. The brand’s vision is to adopt a holistic approach to beauty that cares for people, that must be inclusive and diverse – for everyone, everywhere.

In early 2019, the brand’s communication moved away from the benefits of fairness, whitening and skin lightening, towards glow, even tone, skin clarity and radiance, which are holistic measures of healthy skin.

HUL also removed from Fair & Lovely’s packaging, words such as ‘fair/fairness’, ‘white/whitening’, and ‘light/lightening’ that could indicate a fairness-led transformation. The cameo with two faces showing shade transformation, as well as the shade guides were removed from the packs. The Company will continue to evolve its advertising, to feature women of different skin tones, representative of the variety of beauty across India.

The new name is awaiting regulatory approvals and HUL expects to change the name in the next few months.

Indian economy to slide at 60 year low, says IMF

Staff ReporterFinance/Economy 0

India’s economic downturn is all the more steep considering that in the fourth quarter, India was one of the select few emerging market economies which performed better than expected — along with China, Thailand, Vietnam, Chile and Malaysia.

According to the IMF, the contraction in India’s economy marked a “historic low” and is the lowest since 1961, when the IMF started maintaining records of India’s GDP data. It also projected that India’s fiscal deficit is expected to increase by over 50%, from the earlier projection of 7.5% of GDP to 12.1% of GDP while debt will increase to 84% of GDP, from the April WEO projection of 74.4% of GDP.

 “There’re two main reasons for the downgrade for India — one, the partial lockdown has lasted much longer than we had assumed…and second, because, we’re still seeing rising cases in India,” said Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund (IMF), unveiling the World Economic Outlook report, which projected that the Indian economy is set to contract by 4.5% in 2020-21, while the world economy would contract by 4.9% in 2020 in what has been dubbed as “the worst recession since the Great Depression” of the 1930s.

In April, the IMF had projected that the Indian economy will grow at 1.4% in the current fiscal year. The silver lining? There’s expected to be a sharp rebound in the next financial year, 2021-22, with a GDP growth rate of 6% — which however, will be lower than the April WEO projections of 7.4%.

The IMF’s Chief of World Economic Studies Division, Malhar Nabar, said that “there’s scope for more monetary policy support”, in response to a question if the downgrade reflected dissatisfaction at the Rs 20.97 lakh crore ‘stimulus’ package announced by the government last month. While appreciating the RBI’s interest rate cuts, that he said were more in the nature of “liquidity support actions”, and which “helped avert an even worse downturn”, Nabar added that India had “further room for support on the monetary policy side” to prevent “an even deeper slide”.

Asia has been among the fastest-growing regions in the world. During previous crises such as the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the global financial crisis around 2008-2009, the region still managed to grow, said the International Monetary Fund.

But for the first time in 60 years, Asia as a region will not register any economic growth this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to IMF forecasts.

“While there is huge uncertainty about 2020 growth prospects, and even more so about the 2021 outlook, the impact of the coronavirus on the region will — across the board — be severe and unprecedented,” Chang Yong Rhee, director of IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, wrote in a blog post.

Countries with Early Adoption of Face Masks Showed Modest COVID-19 Infection Rates

Staff ReporterHealth 0
Regions with an early interest in face masks had milder COVID-19 epidemics, according to a new letter-to-the-editor published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
In “COVID-19 and Public Interest in Face Mask Use,” researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong shared findings from their analysis of how public interest in face masks may have affected the severity of COVID-19 epidemics and potentially contained the outbreak in 42 countries in 6 continents.
The authors noted that “In many Asian countries like China and Japan, the use of face masks in this pandemic is ubiquitous and is considered as a hygiene etiquette, whereas in many western countries, its use in the public is less common.”
There was a clear negative correlation between the awareness or general acceptance of wearing a face mask and its infection rates. “One classic example is seen in Hong Kong,” said Sunny Wong, MD, associate professor, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“Despite [Hong Kong’s] proximity to mainland China, its infection rate of COVID-19 is generally modest with only 1,110 cases to-date. This correlates with an almost ubiquitous use of face masks in the city (up to 98.8 percent by respondents in a survey). Similar patterns are seen in other Asian areas, such as Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia. To date, there are more than two million cases in the U.S. and more than one million cases in Brazil.
While, the authors acknowledge that face masks are seen as important in slowing the rise of COVID-19 infections, it is difficult to assess whether it is more effective than handwashing or social distancing alone.
As cities in the U.S. and elsewhere put re-opening plans into effect, Dr. Wong said the use of face masks should be encouraged: “Face masks can help slow the spread of COVID-19, and have a relatively low cost compared to the health resources and death toll associated with the pandemic.”
He added, “We believe that face mask use, hand washing and social distancing are all important components of the non-pharmaceutical measures against COVID-19.”

AAPI’s First Ever Virtual Summer Summit From June 16th to 28th, 2020 – Ambassador Amit Kumar, Rep. Raja Krishnamurthi Inaugurate the Virtual Summit

Staff ReporterCommunity 0
(Chicago, IL: June 27th, 2020): “The First Ever Virtual Summer Summit by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) is being held from June 16thth to 28th, 2020,” Dr. Suresh Reddy, President of AAPI, announced here today.
“With high level speakers including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to address AAPI delegates virtually on Saturday, June 27th, the Summit is packed with 8.5 hours of CMEs, virtual seminars, Nurses Appreciation, and cultural extravaganza,” Dr. Reddy announced. Other speakers who are scheduled to address AAPI members include: Soumya Swaminathan from the World Health Organization; Susan Bailey, AMA President; Jerome Adams, US Surgeon General; and Dr. Prem Reddy.
“The deadly pandemic, COVID-19 that has been instrumental in the lockdown of almost all major programs and activities around the world, could not lockdown the creative minds of AAPI leadership. The lockdown due to COVID-19 has led to the cancellation of the much anticipated 38th annual convention in Chicago.  Taking the lockdown and the social isolation as a challenge, the organizing committee of AAPI Convention has come up with this idea of conducting a full-fledged conference online,” Dr. Reddy added.
Dr. Seema Arora, Chair, BOT said, “An all-inclusive first ever convention virtually, including Keynote Speeches, Workshops, Medical Jeopardy, Cutting Edge CMEs to the physicians, Plenary Sessions, CEOs Forum, and a Women’s Leadership Forum, the convention will be addressed by senior world leaders, Nobel Laurates, and celebrities from the Hollywood and Bollywood world.”
In his opening remarks Ambassador Amit Kumar, Consul General of Indian in Chicago, IL praised the generous contributions of AAPI and its lobbying efforts on some of the issues affecting the broader Indian American community.  Being one of the oldest Indian American organizations, AAPI is also among the most influential, he said. “I believe all of you will have an important role to play in contributing to this. All of you in a sense are permanent Ambassadors here. You have an understanding of the US. You have an understanding of India and Indian society. So based on this understanding and the network that you have you will be in a position to take forward this relationship in different areas,” the Consul General said.
AAPI's First Ever Virtual Summer Summit From June 16th to 28th, 2020 - Ambassador Amit Kumar, Rep. Raja Krishnamurthi Inaugurate the Virtual SummitCongressman Raja Krishnamurthi praised the sacrifices and generosity of AAPI members. “You are very influential and we very much appreciate and we look to your guidance on healthcare policy and programs,” he told AAPI members. Reminding them that he is aware of the many issues affecting the physician community, the Indian born Congressman said, Describing them as “Heroes” who rose to the occasion and proved to be of immense support and service selflessly to the sick especially during these times of great adversity, He told AAPI that represents over 100,000 Indian American physicians, said, “You touch the lives of 13 percent of Americans, while serving 1 out of every 7 patients.” The powerful orator urged AAPI leaders to continue their civic engagement, encouraging them to consider running for political office. “If you dream it you can achieve it,” he told AAPI delegates.
During a well attended Webinar exclusively for Medical Fraternity, Sadhguru addressed the audience on “Challenging Times Navigating A Way Forward After Covid19.” For the first time ever, special daily live musical Tributes by various Bollywood singers:, including Anuradha Paudwal, Kavita krishnamurty, Mahalaxmi Iyer and Jyotica Tangri will enchant the audience with their melodious songs.
 A dedicated pool of Physicians led by Dr. Meher Medavaram, Convention, Cahir, are working hard to make the convention a memorable experience for all. “The fabulous Donald Stephens Convention Center, a world class facility will afford an intimate setting that will facilitate our ability to convey cutting-edge research and CMEs, Medical Jeopardy, promote business relationships, and display ethnic items,” said Dr. Medavaram.
“The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Virtual Summit offers an exciting venue to interact with leading physicians, health professionals, academicians, and scientists of Indian origin,” Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, President-Elect of AAPI, who will assume charge as the President of AAPI on the final day of the convention said. “The physicians and healthcare professionals from across the country will convene virtually and participate in the scholarly exchange of medical advances, to develop health policy agendas, and to encourage legislative priorities in the coming year,” he added.

Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, Vice President of AAPI, says, “Given that a physician of Indian origin sees every 7th patient in this country and every 5th patient in rural and inner cities across the nation, the reach and influence of AAPI members goes well beyond the convention.” Urging all corporate and local sponsors not to miss the opportunity, Dr. Gotimukula says, “Sponsorship fills the need when an organization requires customized marketing plans to meet their desired outcomes. They are flexible and can accommodate specific products, services, target market goals, brand requirements, and budgetary limits.”
“The convention offers a variety of ways to reach physicians and their families. It provides access to thousands of health professionals who are leaders and decision-makers regarding new products and services, as wells as to national and international health policy advisors,” Dr. Ravi Kolli, Secretary of AAPI, says.
Representing the interests of the over 100,000 physicians of Indian origin, leaders of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic organization of physicians, for 38 years, AAPI Convention has provided a venue for medical education programs and symposia with world renowned physicians on the cutting edge of medicine.
“The 2020 AAPI ‘s Virtual Summit offers an exciting venue to interact with leading physicians, health professionals, academicians, and scientists of Indian origin. Physicians and healthcare professionals from across the country will convene and participate in the scholarly exchange of medical advances, to develop health policy agendas, and to encourage legislative priorities in the coming year. We are excited to meeting you all virtually from until the Summit concludes on June 28th!” says Dr. Suresh Reddy. For more details, and sponsorship opportunities, please visit:  www.aapiconvention.org   and www.aapiusa.org

Soundarya Sharma Gives Up Her Seat on Repatriation Flight from USA to Accommodate Needy

Staff ReporterHealth, Travel 0

Actress Soundarya Sharma, who had approached the Indian embassy and Ministry of External Affairs for assistance to return to India amid a coronavirus pandemic, has opted out of travelling by the repatriation flight phase one so that people who are in distress can travel back home first.

Soundarya said, “I am certainly missing my folks back home but the priority is not me. It’s for those who are in a difficult situation here and have to get back. As it’s a must have for them and I always have felt my happiness should not be at anyone cost. My appeal was for the people and I am so thankful to everyone for mission VANDE BHARAT,” she added.

Soundarya had approached the Indian embassy and Ministry of External Affairs for assistance, along with more than 400 Indians including students who are stranded in the USA amid the coronavirus pandemic. The actress was in Los Angeles to attending an acting course at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

The actress, who featured in the film Ranchi Diaries, had earlier said, “I would humbly request the Indian embassy and the MEA for a stimulus package for all those students and fellow Indians who are stuck here to help overcome this situation and hopefully arrange an evacuation flight back to India,” she said.

Actress Soundarya Sharma believes getting stuck in Los Angeles due to COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing the struggle to get access to essentials things has turned out to be a life-altering period for her. She says that she tries not to think about when she will be able to return to India because the wait is “never-ending”.

“Honestly, it’s been a true life-learning experience for me. I had never even imagined myself to be in lockdown in a place like Los Angeles,” Soundarya told IANS.

“I had come here to attend an intensive acting course at Lee Strasberg and New York Film Academy and then we were shooting in Universal Studios the day they announced this pandemic. Since then, things changed completely. The corona happened and now these protests are going on. The situation is quite grim and things are different, so it’s been an experience and I’ve learnt so many things during this time,” she added.

Reflecting upon the challenges that came with the global shutdown, she said: “When they announced this pandemic, I was here in Los Angeles and I used to go out every day at 6 am in the morning, standing in the queues, I could not get grocery for almost one-one and half month and I had to manage with very little whatever I used to get. There was so much paranoia. Then, I did not have masks and sanitisers and gloves, initially. So, that was again a big challenge. I had to make my own mask.

“My flight was cancelled almost 5 times. So that was another challenge for me. Now because of these protests and riots which were happening, my apartment where I used to live was West Hollywood, West Beverly Hills and I had to move out of my apartment because of the situation. Now, I have moved to a much safer place in Central Beverly Hills. I mean challenges were there at different levels, we all do have challenges,” she added.

The actress, who made her debut in the digital world with “Raktanchal”, is coping up with her struggles by keeping a positive attitude.

“I am learning Spanish. I am watching a lot of performances, as in movies and important shows. Because being a medical student, I never watched films and performances so I am doing my homework that way. I do lots of workouts, I go for a walk because it was not a 100% lockdown, so I used to go for my workout. Since, I’m spiritually inclined, I meditate a lot. It really helps me. I realise that we all do take things so much for granted in our life but life has its own plans now, it’s become like we are taking it day-wise. So, this whole period of quarantine and lockdown has been really different and evolving, as in on a personal level,” she said.

She has realised that “life is not about just achievement, it’s about fulfilment”.

“I felt fulfilled by helping and doing my bit for people who were needy, who needed the most and people who were stranded, whatever bit I could do, I cooked for them for Eid. I had to give up my seat on the repatriation flights. So, this whole process, this whole thing has made me very selfless and made me realise the value of things and grateful for even the smaller things we have in a nutshell. This is a quite selfless period for me,” she added.

The actress who has worked in the Bollywood film “Ranchi Diaries” is not spending her time fretting over getting back to India.

“I try not to think too much about when I’ll be flying back home because it’s never-ending. It’s been almost 5 months for me to be here and months that I’ve seen my folks. So stuck in a foreign land alone can be quite emotionally challenging. I’m just taking it day-by-day. I do face-time my family but then being on your own and dealing with things and you know so many things happening, it can be quite emotionally draining and challenging,” she said.

On the work front, she was recently seen in the web series “Raktanchal”. The crime drama is inspired by real events that happened in Purvanchal, Uttar Pradesh, in the eighties, around the time when state development work was distributed through tenders. It streams on MX Player.

Jenifer Rajkumar Wins NY State-Level Primary

Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

Indian American candidates in New York had a great night June 23 in the New York state primary, with Jenifer Rajkumar and Jeremy Cooney winning their state-level races.

Rajkumar was successful in her bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Assemblyman Michael Miller, winning with 49.47 percent of the vote (2,624 votes) to Miller’s 24.51 percent (1,300 votes). Joseph de Jesus finished third with 20.89 percent and 1,108 votes, according to the New York Registrar of Voters.

Jenifer is a lawyer, Professor at CUNY and former New York State Government official. With early roots in public service and giving back, Jenifer graduated from Stanford Law School with distinction for her pro bono legal work on behalf of vulnerable individuals. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania at the top of her class magna cum laude, phi beta kappa where she received the Alice Paul Award for exemplary service to women and families.

Jenifer has been dynamic, passionate and persistent in her efforts to make a difference in the lives of others.  For Jenifer, service is a way of life.  She served for years as the people’s lawyer, fighting corporate fraud and excess, and advocating for workers, women, and families in vulnerable situations.  Later, she served at high levels of state government, appointed by the Governor of New York as a Special Counsel and as Director of Immigration Affairs for New York State. She also proudly dedicates her time to uplifting our city’s youth, as a Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York (CUNY).

But her proudest accomplishments are for her neighbors right here at home.  For her work for the people of Queens providing access to counsel to people in vulnerable situations, and working for youth and immigrant communities, the Queens Courier honored her as a 2017 “Rising Star” and the Queens Tribune awarded her its “Glass Ceiling Award” for being a path-breaking woman serving the Queens community.

The Governor of New York Andrew M. Cuomo appointed Jenifer as the Director of Immigration Affairs & Special Counsel for New York State in the age of Trump. Working out of New York’s Department of State and the Governor’s Executive Chamber, Jenifer led the Liberty Defense Project, a first-in-the-nation $31 million dollar state-led public-private project to assist immigrants in obtaining legal services. Jenifer also represented New York State in litigation before Administrative Law Judges. She served as an ethics officer, handling ethics matters for the State.  She was a state-wide surrogate for the Governor on the State’s signature policy items. She traveled from the farms of upstate New York to her home in Queens to help New York’s communities. Inspired by the people of New York, she is more motivated than ever to dedicate herself to service.

Beyoncé Urges US Citizens to Vote ‘Like Our Life Depends on it’

Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

Beyoncé on Sunday night was presented with BET’s highest honor, its humanitarian award, which she dedicated to protesters taking to the streets around the nation. The singer was given the award by Michelle Obama, who said that Beyoncé’s activism “demands justice for Black lives.”

Beyoncé was given the award for her work supporting the Black community through her foundation, BeyGOOD, and for ensuring that coronavirus test kits were available for Black residents living in Houston, Texas, the city where she grew up. Earlier this month, she released a song that celebrates Juneteenth called Black Parade that is also the name of a new directory of Black-owned enterprises she launched last week

In her acceptance speech, Beyoncé urged Americans to vote “like our life depends on it” in the upcoming U.S. election, and called on people to help “dismantle a racist and unequal system” in the country. “I want to dedicate this award to all of my brothers out there, all of my sisters out there inspiring me, marching and fighting for change. Your voices are being heard and you’re proving to our ancestors that their struggles were not in vain,” she said. “Now we have one more thing we need to do to walk in our true power, and that is to vote.”

The BET awards celebrate Black artists and sports figures—previous recipients of the humanitarian award include legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and actor Denzel Washington.

Beyoncé has called on American citizens to vote in the upcoming presidential election during an acceptance speech for a humanitarian BET award she was given by Michelle Obama. She dedicated the award to protesters around the U.S. and encouraged viewers of the award show to vote “like our life depends on it,” adding “because it does.”

“You can see it in everything she does, from her music that gives voice to Black joy and Black pain, to her activism that demands justice for Black lives,” Michelle Obama said before presenting Beyoncé with the award. Obama celebrated Beyoncé for “calling out sexism and racism when she sees it.”

Beyoncé was one of many artists that spoke out against racism at the BET award ceremony this year, which celebrates Black artists and athletes. She called on voters to “dismantle a racist and unequal system.” Roddy Ricch wore a Black Lives Matter shirt while performing

Global Fashion Designer Anita Dongre Hosts First-Ever Virtual Trunk Show on Independence Day Weekend

Staff ReporterFashion 0

(New York, NY – June 29, 2020) Pivoting during the pandemic, House of Anita Dongre, best known for its supreme craftsmanship of Indian textiles through designs created by female village artisans with sustainable practices, is presenting its first-ever U.S. virtual trunk show to be held during July 4th weekend. She brings her latest collection of bridal couture, menswear, women’s ready-to-wear and silver jewelry through a unique selling platform that combines online sales with virtual stylist appointments for customers all over America.

“We are in a unique position during this pandemic, as we are the only Indian couture designer with a permanent presence in the U.S. market through our storefront,” says Yash Dongre, Business Head of House of Anita Dongre Limited. “Given that designers from India are unable to travel currently and shipments of merchandise are also delayed, we encourage brides and grooms who are proceeding with their weddings (whether virtually or more intimately) to make appointments with our bridal experts in New York via Skype or Zoom to find the perfect wedding outfits for their important day.”

Dongre is the FIRST and ONLY Indian designer to have a brand flagship in the United States. The Anita Dongre store in New York City occupies three floors of a 1900s brownstone building at the prime address of 473 West Broadway in Soho.

The prominent Indian designer has dressed every major fashion icon from Beyonce to Kate Middleton to Hillary Clinton to Priyanka Chopra. Dongre is often referred to in fashion circles as the “queen of prêt” and largely draws inspiration from the embellishment styles and needlework made famous by the northern Indian state of Rajasthan.

India elected to United Nations Security Council with overwhelming majority

Staff ReporterIndia, Politics 0
India has been elected to the United Nations Security Council with an overwhelming majority of 184 votes on Wednesday, June 17th, 2002 for a term extending to another years. Though India ran unopposed from Asia, eight countries apparently did not vote for India in the secret ballot in which 192 of the 193 member nations participated. “India’s presence in the Security Council will help bring to the world our ethos that the world is one family — Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” India’s Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumurti said.
India will serve its eighth two-year term as a non-permanent member without veto powers, even as it pursues on a parallel track UN reforms aimed at getting a permanent seat. India will replace Indonesia, whose term ends at the end of the year, on the Council and join Vietnam as one of the two non-permanent Asian members. Running unopposed for the seat for Latin American and Caribbean countries, Mexico won with 187 votes.
The highly prized election victory comes to India against the backdrop of the conflict in Ladakh with China, whom it will join on the Council in January. New Delhi won the Asia Pacific seat on the highest decision-making body of the UN with the unanimous support of the countries in the 55-member group, with China and Pakistan, at least openly, conceding support in face of overwhelming backing for India from the others.
The ten non-permanent Security Council seats are distributed among five regional groups and elections are held every year for the five that fall vacant on alternate years.
But there were contested elections for the three other seats. Canada was routed in its bid for one of the two seats allotted to the group made up of West European countries and others like Canada and Australia that do not fit in elsewhere.
In a setback to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who personally campaigned hard for the seat, it received only 108 votes. Norway with 130 votes and Ireland with 128 were elected to the two seats. Neither Kenya nor Djibouti received a two-thirds majority and a runoff is to be held later.
Kenya, which received 113 votes for the African seat had the endorsement of the continent’s countries, while Djibouti which counted on a rift between the Arab and Non-Arab nations in the group received 78 votes.
After the vote, Tirumurti acknowledged the victory and said in a video statement, “We are confident in the COVID and post-COVID world, India will continue to provide leadership and a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system. Our election to the United Security Council is a testament to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s vision and his inspiring global leadership.” he said. In a campaign document unveiled by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi, India laid out a “5S” approach of Samman (Respect), Samvad (Dialogue), Sahyog (Cooperation) Shanti (Peace) and Samriddi (Prosperity) for its service on the Council.
The document setting out India’s agenda said that a reformed multilateralism is a must for the post-COVID19 era. Besides fighting terrorism, a priority for India, which historically the largest contributor peacekeeping operations, that the document listed was streamlining UN peacekeeping to “ensure greater clarity, direction, and professionalism.”
While addressing the abuse of technology by terrorists, the document said that technology must be promoted with “a human touch” and India will promote partnerships to harness it to reduce human suffering and build resilient communities. “India will become a member of the Security Council at a critical juncture,” Tirumurti said.
India will step into a Council Chamber paralyzed by the polarization of its veto-wielding permanent members that almost harks back to the Cold War era.
It will have to deftly deal with intractable issues like the Syrian civil war with international dimensions, Ukraine’s disputes with Russia, the US — or President Donald Trump’s — obsession with Iran or its fallout and Yemen where the UN has not been able to act because of the standoff between the West and Russia and China.
But at least when China tries to bring up the Kashmir issue in the Council as it has done twice recently, India will be right there. In elections held simultaneously, Volkan Bozkir, a Turkish diplomat and politician who ran unopposed, was chosen president of the next session of the General Assembly that starts in September.
Eighteen countries that ran unopposed for as many seats on the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) were also elected. India’s last term on the Security Council was in 2011-12 and Hardeep Singh Puri, who was then India’s Permanent Representative and is now a minister, immediately afterwards planned to bid for its next term not wanting a long gap like the 19 years since the previous 1991-92 tenure.
Intense diplomacy by him and his successor, Asoke Mukerji, sealed India’s bid for the 2021-22 term. Afghanistan had initially expressed interest in running for the 2021-22 term but did not pursue it, leaving the field for India.

Rejecting Trump’s Order, Supreme Court Upholds DACA, Says Young Immigrants Can Stay

Staff ReporterPolitics, Travel 0

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants, the second stunning election-season rebuke from the court in a week after its ruling that it’s illegal to fire people because they’re gay or transgender.

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the program that protects immigrants who were brought to the country as children and allows them to work. The court on Thursday ruled President Donald Trump didn’t properly end the program, which then-President Barack Obama created in 2012. Trump attempted to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2017 shortly after being elected on a largely anti-immigrant platform. Here’s what the high court’s decision means:

Immigrants who are part of the 8-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program will retain their protection from deportation and their authorization to work in the United States — safe almost certainly at least through the November election, immigration experts said.

The 5-4 outcome, in which Chief Justice John Roberts and the four liberal justices were in the majority, seems certain to elevate the issue in Trump’s campaign, given the anti-immigrant rhetoric of his first presidential run in 2016 and immigration restrictions his administration has imposed since then.

The justices said the administration did not take the proper steps to end DACA, rejecting arguments that the program is illegal and that courts have no role to play in reviewing the decision to end it. The program covers people who have been in the United States since they were children and are in the country illegally. In some cases, they have no memory of any home other than the U.S.

Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal wing of the court in a 5-4 decision. Roberts, citing the Administrative Procedure Act, called the administration’s reasoning for ending the protections “arbitrary and capricious.”

The justices rejected administration arguments that the eight-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) is illegal and that courts have no role to play in reviewing the decision to end it.

“We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies,” Roberts wrote. “We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action. Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients.”

Trump, through the Department of Homeland Security, committed in September 2017 to ending the program, leading to the court challenges.  He blasted the decision in a series of tweets on Thursday, calling it “horrible and politically charged.”

Trump didn’t hold back in his assessment of the court’s work, hitting hard at a political angle.  “These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!” he wrote on Twitter, apparently including the LGBT ruling as well.

DACA was created by President Barack Obama in 2012 after intense pressure from immigrant advocates who wanted protections for the young immigrants who were mostly raised in the U.S. but lacked legal status.

The program protects them from deportation — granting a two-year reprieve that can be extended and by issuing a work permit and a Social Security number.

DACA recipients must meet several requirements, including having no criminal record. Immigrants who are accepted into the program and later get arrested face deportation to their home country.

They also must have been 30 or younger when the program was launched and brought to the U.S. before age 16.

The application cost is nearly $500, and permits must be renewed every two years. The application and renewal process take several weeks, and many immigrants hire lawyers to help navigate the process.

DACA does not give beneficiaries legal U.S. residency; they are simply given a reprieve from deportation while being allowed to legally work. The overwhelming majority of DACA recipients are from Mexico. One in four of them live in California.

Frustration grew during the Obama administration over repeated failures to pass the “Dream Act,” which would have provided a path to legal U.S. citizenship for young immigrants brought to the country as children.

The last major attempt to pass the legislation was in 2011. Immigrant activists staged protests and participated in civil disobedience in an effort to push Obama to act after Congress did not pass legislation. DACA is different than the Dream Act because it does not provide a pathway to legal residency or citizenship. Still, DACA recipients are often referred to as “Dreamers” — a reference to the earlier proposals that failed in Congress before Obama’s action.

Years of impasse in Congress over passing comprehensive immigration reform are what prompted then-president Barack Obama to create DACA by executive order in the first place, in 2012. The program gives people two-year renewable reprieves from the threat of deportation while also allowing them to work.

DACA recipients were elated by the ruling. “We’ll keep living our lives in the meantime,” said Cesar Espinosa, a DACA recipient who leads the Houston immigration advocacy group FIEL. “We’re going to continue to work, continue to advocate.”

India-China Clash In Ladakh Region

Staff ReporterIndia, Politics 0

The deadly clash between Indian and Chinese troops has officials from both sides blaming each other for the violence that erupted amid a seven-week long military stand-off at their

disputed border.

At least 20 Indian soldiers have died after a “violent face-off” with Chinese troops along the countries’ de facto border in the Himalayas late Monday, the Indian army announced.  Indian media say there are 35 Chinese casualties but Beijing has not confirmed if any of its troops were killed or injured.

The incident occurred during a “de-escalation process” underway in the Galwan Valley in the disputed Aksai Chin-Ladakh area, where a large troop build-up has reportedly been taking place for weeks now on both sides of the border, before senior military commanders began talks earlier this month.

The current stand-off is reported to have been triggered by India’s construction of a road in the Galwan Valley, its latest project in years of infrastructure build-up by both sides in the border region.

On June 6, after a videoconference between diplomats, top generals from both sides

met in Chushul-Moldo, in the eastern part of Ladakh. Details of the four-hour discussion were few and far between but the comments made after that were reassuring. In the days that followed, the Indian establishment indicated through leaks to the media that troops from both sides would disengage in some areas while officials would continue talks to ease the situation.

The fighting occurred in the precipitous, rocky terrain of the Galwan Valley. Indian media say soldiers engaged in direct hand-to-hand combat, with some “beaten to death”. During the fight, one newspaper reported, others fell or were pushed into a river.

Indian forces appear to have been massively outnumbered by Chinese troops. A senior Indian military official told the BBC there were 55 Indians versus 300 Chinese, who he described as “the Death Squad”.

“They hit our boys on the head with metal batons wrapped in barbed wire. Our boys fought with bare hands,” the officer, who did not want to be named, said. His account, which could not be verified, tallies with other reports in the Indian media detailing the savagery of the combat.

The Indian army had earlier said three soldiers had died, but added on Tuesday that a further 17 troops “who were critically injured in the line of duty at the standoff location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain have succumbed to their injuries.” The deaths are the first military casualties along the two countries’ disputed border for more than 45 years.

India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said China tried to erect a structure inside Indian territory, while China’s Wang Yi said Indian troops attacked first. Senior military officials from both sides are currently meeting to defuse the situation, the statement added.

“India and China have been discussing through military and diplomatic channels the de-escalation of the situation in the border area in Eastern Ladakh,” said India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava on Tuesday. He said senior commanders had “agreed on a process for such de-escalation” during a “productive meeting” on Saturday, June 6, and ground commanders had met regarding the implementation.

“While it was our expectation that this would unfold smoothly, the Chinese side departed from the consensus to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley,” he said in the statement.

“Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side,” he added. “Given its responsible approach to border management, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the LAC. We expect the same of the Chinese side. We remain firmly convinced of the need for the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas and the resolution of differences through dialogue. At the same time, we are also strongly committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Earlier Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Indian deaths “will not be in vain” and that India would be “proud that our soldiers died fighting the Chinese” in the clash in the Ladakh region on Monday.

Addressing the confrontation for the first time in a televised address on Wednesday, he said: “India wants peace but when provoked, India is capable of giving a fitting reply, be it any kind of situation.”

An Indian government statement following the phone conversation said that Chinese troops had tried to put up a structure on the Indian side of the de facto border, the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the strategically important Galwan Valley.

It described this as “premeditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties” and urged China to “take corrective steps”. The statement concluded that neither side would take action to escalate matters.

Meanwhile a Chinese statement quoted Mr Wang as saying: “China again expresses strong protest to India and demands the Indian side launches a thorough investigation… and stop all provocative actions to ensure the same things do not happen again. Both sides should resolve the dispute through dialogue, and keep the border safe and tranquil,” he added.

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) released a statement Tuesday night calling on the Indian army to immediately stop what it described as “provocative actions” and to “resolve the issue through the correct track of dialogue and talks.”

“The sovereignty of the Galwan Valley region has always belonged to China,” Zhang Shuili, the spokesman of the Western Theater said in a statement on China’s Ministry of Defense website. “Indian troops violated its commitment, crossed the borderline for illegal activities and deliberately launched provocative attacks.” Zhang added that the “serious physical conflict between the two sides” had “resulted in casualties.”

The clash has provoked protests in India, with people burning Chinese flags.  China has not confirmed how many of its personnel died or were injured. The BBC’s Robin Brant in Beijing says that China has never given contemporaneous confirmation on military deaths outside of peacekeeping duties.

This is not the first time the two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought without conventional firearms on the border. India and China have a history of face-offs and overlapping territorial claims along the more than 3,440km (2,100 mile), poorly drawn LAC separating the two sides.

The prime minister did say: “India wants peace but, if instigated, it is capable of giving a befitting reply.” But this is seen as aimed more at his political rivals and supporters domestically, rather than as a warning to Beijing. China is not Pakistan and memories of the humiliating defeat in the 1962 war are all too real for any misadventure.

How tense is the area?

The LAC is poorly demarcated. The presence of rivers, lakes and snowcaps means the line can shift. The soldiers either side – representing two of the world’s largest armies – come face-to-face at many points. Border patrols have often bumped into each other, resulting in occasional scuffles.

The two nuclear-armed neighbours have never agreed on the length of the border or how to demarcate it. The dispute dates back to when the British ruled India – a 1914 conference with the governments of Tibet and China set a boundary, known as the McMahon line, but this was never recognized by china. Beijing claims about 90,000 square kilometres of territory, comprising almost all of India’s Arunachal Pradesh state.

In 1959, when India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru went to Beijing, he questioned the boundaries shown on official Chinese maps, prompting Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to reply that his government did not accept the colonial frontier.

In 1962, Chinese troops swarmed the disputed frontier with India during a row over the border’s demarcation. It sparked a four-week war that left thousands dead on the Indian side before China’s forces withdrew.

Beijing retained Aksai Chin, a strategic corridor linking Tibet to western China. India still claims the entire Aksai Chin region as its own, as well as the nearby China-controlled Shaksgam valley in northern Kashmir.

Another flashpoint has been Nathu La, a high mountain pass in India’s northeastern Sikkim state that is sandwiched between Bhutan, Chinese-ruled Tibet and Nepal.

During a series of clashes in 1967, which included the exchange of artillery fire, New Delhi said some 80 Indian soldiers died and counted up to 400 Chinese casualties.

In 1975, shots were reportedly fired across the official border at Tulung La in Arunachal Pradesh. Four Indian soldiers were ambushed and their deaths marked the last time anyone was known to have been killed in the long-running dispute until now. Then, Delhi blamed Beijing for crossing into Indian territory, a claim dismissed by China.

Three years ago, India and China had a months-long high-altitude stand-off in Bhutan’s

Doklam region after the Indian side sent troops to stop China constructing a road in the area.

The Doklam plateau is strategically significant as it gives China access to the so-called “chicken’s neck” – a thin strip of land connecting India’s northeastern states with the rest of the country.

It is claimed by both China and Bhutan, an ally of India. The issue was resolved after talks. In 2018, India said Chinese troops advanced around 300-400 metres inside the Demchok area and pitched five tents. Three were later removed after talks between the two armies.

The last firing on the border happened in 1975 when four Indian soldiers were killed in a remote pass in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The clash was variously described by former diplomats as an ambush and an accident. But no bullets have been fired since.

At the root of this is a 1996 bilateral agreement that says “neither side shall open fire… conduct blast operations or hunt with guns or explosives within two kilometres of the Line of Actual Control”.

But there have been tense confrontations along the border in recent weeks. In May Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged physical blows on the border at Pangong Lake, also in Ladakh, and in the north-eastern Indian state of Sikkim hundreds of miles to the east.

India has accused China of sending thousands of troops into Ladakh’s Galwan Valley and says China occupies 38,000 sq km (14,700 sq miles) of its territory. Several rounds of talks in the last three decades have failed to resolve the boundary disputes. India also disputes part of Kashmir – an ethnically diverse Himalayan region covering about 140,000 sq km – with Pakistan.

There are several reasons why tensions are rising again now – but competing strategic goals lie at the root. The two countries have devoted extensive money and manpower to building roads, bridges, rail links and air fields along the disputed border.

Both India and China see each other’s construction efforts as calculated moves to gain a tactical advantage, and tensions often flare up when either announces a major project.

“We have not had casualties on the Line of Actual Control for at least 45 years,” said Happymon Jacob, an associate professor and political analyst at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University. “This is perhaps a game-changer. This is perhaps the beginning of the end of the rapport that India has enjoyed with China for 45 years.”

AIF Raises Over Rs 15 Crore at the AIF-NDTV Telethon for #RebuildingLives of Migrant Workers

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The American India Foundation (AIF), in partnership with New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) held a live telethon fundraiser this past Sunday, raising awareness and 2 Million Dollars/Rs 15.2 Crore in funds to provide effective and holistic rehabilitation of migrant communities in India through health, education and livelihood support.
The #RebuildingLives telethon watched live by 300 million viewers on primetime television and digital platforms worldwide, featured interviews and commentaries by key figures in the fight against COVID-19, including award-winning Indian film actress, Taapsee Pannu, Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, United Nations, Eric Falt, Director and UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives & Sri Lanka, Junaid Ahmad, Country Director-India, World Bank, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson, Biocon Limited and the key Ministers of the Odisha, UP and Karnataka state governments.
“AIF is grateful for the overwhelming support the campaign has got both in the US and in India. Millions of migrant women, children and youth have been severely hit by the COVID-19 induced humanitarian crisis and we have to invest in their present today to secure their future tomorrow”, said Nishant Pandey, CEO of American India Foundation. “We are inspired by the strength and resilience migrant families have shown. Imagine what they can achieve if we invest in their health, education and livelihoods now”, he added. More than 40 million migrant daily-waged workers have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 induced lockdown in India and need urgent help to rebuild their lives.
Among others, the global two-hour event featured a story on 15-year old Doctaren Khadia from Magurpani in Odisha and her journey to becoming the head of the household when the COVID-19 lockdown was first announced in India. Doctaren’s parents are seasonal migrants and work in brick kilns located in a different state. Inspired by such stories, AIF Board members, Lata Krishnan, Harit Talwar and Venkat Srinivasan have committed $150,000 in matching funds, to double the impact of every dollar or rupee donated.
Recognizing contributions made by prominent donors, the telethon featured interviews with Vivek & Vandana Sharma, Pravin Goel, BlackRock’s Managing Director & Country Head, Manu Shah, CEO of MS International, Gary Norcross, Chairman, President & CEO of (FIS),  Anand Ramamoorthy, Managing Director, Micron India and Manoj Balachandran, Head – CSR, IBM India & South Asia.
The telethon was part of a 21-day #RebuildingLives campaign by AIF and NDTV. The migrant workers, many of whom have now returned home to their villages, face even bigger challenges in the days ahead as they face the risk of hunger, indebtedness and prolonged unemployment.  Attention is required towards a sustainable and resilient rebuilding of the lives of migrant workers and their families through a multi-pronged response, addressing health, education and livelihoods needs – both in the source and destination areas of migration.
The comprehensive and holistic COVID-19 response framework put forth by AIF consists of continuity, retention, remediation and online learning for children, supporting community health workers with knowledge and protection and livelihood support for youth who have lost their jobs. AIF seeks the support of its donors and partners to augment its resources for the urgent implementation of this COVID-19 Response Strategy.
For more information or to donate, visit the NDTV #RebuildingLives microsite or donate through the American India Foundation website

Children’s Hope India Raises $52,000 For Covid Relief

Staff ReporterCommunity, Health 0
Children’s Hope India (CHI), a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to lifting children from poverty to prosperity in India and the United States, released “CHI On-The-Ground COVID-19 Relief,” a new report detailing the organization’s efforts to meet the growing needs of vulnerable children and their families in the face of the global COVID-19 outbreak.
The organization held an online fundraiser, entitled “A Virtual Celebration of Hope” on May 16, 2020 in support of these efforts, raising $52,000.
“CHI On-The-Ground COVID-19 Relief” reveals not only how vulnerable populations are grappling with the new realities created by the COVID-19 outbreak, but also unique solutions both NGOs and grassroots projects are designing to help fill gaps, said the organization, in a press release.
With the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting closures, the organization’s work shifted: schools closed and children and their families found themselves with new, pressing needs such as how to feed a family of seven in the absence of a daily wage.
Children’s Hope India launched a comprehensive hunger prevention program, distributing food and grocery kits to families in and around their project sites that total almost 300,000 meals, in addition to thousands of hygiene products such as soaps, handwashing stations and sanitizers.
“The populations we work with–from day laborers to refugees, from urban dwellers to village residents–lost their meager earnings overnight, so we needed to act fast in distributing rice, lentils and essential food items to feed whole families,” said Dina Pahlajani, the organization’s president and cofounder.
At the same time, the communities impacted by Children’s Hope India have fallen victim to shortages of personal protection equipment (PPE) and black market pricing. The organization’s leadership recognized an opportunity early-on to empower refugee women by teaching them how to manufacture masks.
To date, these enterprising refugees have already distributed 2,000 masks to local hospitals and first responders. They also scaled their learning to other Children’s Hope India project sites where, with materials and machinery donated by the organization, students and their families have manufactured more than 11,000 masks and are pivoting to make scrubs and other PPE–many of which are being distributed nationally, including in Mumbai. In the New York City area, the organization’s youth and young professional volunteers have coordinated critical donations to local families and first responders through partnerships with Island Harvest, Elmhurst Hospital and many other organizations, the release said.
“A Virtual Celebration of Hope” brought together 2,443 people from around the globe for an hour filled with love, laughter and compassion in support of this important cause.
The event, hosted by comedian Zarna Garg, featured celebrities Juhi Chawla and Kiara Advani, and honored Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty as its Chief Guest.
Juhi Chawla inspired attendees to support CHI’s work, saying “If all of us helped some people everyday, everyone would receive help, have hope and happiness in our lives.” Kiara Advani added, “I pray that we can uplift people around us and look forward to a better tomorrow.”
The virtual event paid tribute to Michelin star chef Vikas Khanna with the CHI Action Hero Award for his compassionate feeding of millions of needy people during the lockdown in India, who said, “CHI has always inspired me to do more, to add more and to give more.”
Dr. Roopa Kohli-Seth of Mount Sinai Hospital received the CHI Woman of Courage Award for her dedicated work on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York.
The event raised $52,000 in support of hunger prevention, medical support and educational opportunities in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Anuja Khemka, Children’s Hope India’s Executive Director said, “We know that the impact of the outbreak is only just starting to surface, particularly among vulnerable populations, so we recognize that this is the right time to invest our resources in bringing emergency relief and meaningful learning opportunities to the community. We were humbled on May 16th when an incredible community of dedicated donors came together to underwrite this growth and relief efforts around the world.”
Children’s Hope India was founded in 1992 when a group of professional women in New York gathered to make a difference in the lives of children. Now, as then, the mission of Children’s Hope India is to lift children from poverty to prosperity through education. This is accomplished with a whole child approach that seeks to ensure that each child is healthy, safe, supported, engaged and challenged with comprehensive programming including informal learning and vocational training, critical medical support, and nutrition.
Today, Children’s Hope India supports more than 20 projects and 300,000 children across India and the United States to improve children’s health and education prospects, and the communities they live in.

AAPI’s First Ever Virtual Summer Summit From June 16th to 28th, 2020

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(Chicago, IL: June 17th, 2020): “The First Ever Virtual Summer Summit by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) is being held from June 16thth to 28th, 2020,” Dr. Suresh Reddy, President of AAPI, announced here today.

“The deadly pandemic, COVID-19 that has been instrumental in the lockdown of almost all major programs and activities around the world, could not lockdown the creative minds of AAPI leadership. The lockdown due to COVID-19 has led to the cancellation of the much anticipated 38th annual convention in Chicago.  Taking the lockdown and the social isolation as a challenge, the organizing committee of AAPI Convention has come up with this idea of conducting a full-fledged conference online,” Dr. Reddy added.

Dr. Seema Arora, Chair, BOT said, “An all-inclusive first ever convention virtually, including Keynote Speeches, Workshops, Medical Jeopardy, Cutting Edge CMEs to the physicians, Plenary Sessions, CEOs Forum, and a Women’s Leadership Forum, the convention will be addressed by senior world leaders, Nobel Laurates, and celebrities from the Hollywood and Bollywood world.”

A dedicated pool of Physicians, led by Dr. Meher Medavaram, Convention, Cahir, are working hard to make the convention a memorable experience for all. “The fabulous Donald Stephens Convention Center, a world class facility will afford an intimate setting that will facilitate our ability to convey cutting-edge research and CMEs, Medical Jeopardy, promote business relationships, and display ethnic items,” says Dr. Medavaram.

“The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Convention offers an exciting venue to interact with leading physicians, health professionals, academicians, and scientists of Indian origin,” Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, President-Elect of AAPI, who will assume charge as the President of AAPI on the final day of the convention said. “The physicians and healthcare professionals from across the country will convene virtually and participate in the scholarly exchange of medical advances, to develop health policy agendas, and to encourage legislative priorities in the coming year,” he added.

Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, Vice President of AAPI, says, “Given that a physician of Indian origin sees every 7th patient in this country and every 5th patient in rural and inner cities across the nation, the reach and influence of AAPI members goes well beyond the convention.” Urging all corporate and local sponsors not to miss the opportunity, Dr. Gotimukula says, “Sponsorship fills the need when an organization requires customized marketing plans to meet their desired outcomes. They are flexible and can accommodate specific products, services, target market goals, brand requirements, and budgetary limits.”

“The convention offers a variety of ways to reach physicians and their families. It provides access to thousands of health professionals who are leaders and decision-makers regarding new products and services, as wells as to national and international health policy advisors,” Dr. Ravi Kolli, Secretary of AAPI, says.

“AAPI offers customized and exclusive sponsorship packages to meet your needs. These can include keynote speaker opportunities (non-CME), awards and recognition,” says Dr. Raj Bhayani, Treasurer of AAPI.

Representing the interests of the over 100,000 physicians of Indian origin, leaders of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic organization of physicians, for 38 years, AAPI Convention has provided a venue for medical education programs and symposia with world renowned physicians on the cutting edge of medicine, says Dr. Subodh Agrawal.

“The 2020 AAPI ‘s Virtual Summit offers an exciting venue to interact with leading physicians, health professionals, academicians, and scientists of Indian origin. Physicians and healthcare professionals from across the country will convene and participate in the scholarly exchange of medical advances, to develop health policy agendas, and to encourage legislative priorities in the coming year. We look forward to meeting you all virtually from June 16th to 28th!” says Dr. Suresh Reddy. For more details, and sponsorship opportunities, please visit:  www.aapiconvention.org   and www.aapiusa.org

Dexamethasone, the cheap steroid hailed as ‘big breakthrough’ against Covid

Staff ReporterHealth 0
More than 100 potential vaccines against Covid-19 are in development around the world but none has yet been solidly proven to be able to effectively protect people from the virus that has killed more than 400,000 people worldwide.
Amid the race for a vaccine, Dexamethasone, a cheap and widely used steroid, has become the first drug to be able to save the lives of Covid-19 patients. Dexamethasone’s encouraging performance has prompted scientists to hail it as a “major breakthrough”.
The low-dose steroid treatment dexamethasone is a major breakthrough in the fight against the deadly virus, experts say.  The drug is part of the world’s biggest trial testing existing treatments to see if they also work for coronavirus.
It cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators. For those on oxygen, it cut deaths by a fifth. Had the drug had been used to treat patients in the UK from the start of the pandemic, up to 5,000 lives could have been saved, researchers say.
Trial results announced by the University of Oxford on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, which is used to reduce inflammation in other diseases such as arthritis, reduced death rates by around a third among Covid-19 patients on ventilators and by a fifth for those on oxygen.
Scientists at Imperial College London will start the first clinical trials of a potential Covid-19 vaccine this week with funding from the British government and philanthropic donors.
The trials involve about 300 healthy volunteers who will receive two doses of the vaccine to test whether it is safe in people and whether it produces an effective immune response.
In Singapore, scientists testing a vaccine from U.S. firm Arcturus Therapeutics plan to start human trials in August after promising initial responses in mice.
AstraZeneca’s potasssssential coronavirus vaccine is likely to provide protection against contracting Covid-19 for about a year, the company’s chief executive said on Tuesday.
The vaccine being evaluated by Singapore’s Duke-NUS Medical School works on the relatively-untested Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which instructs human cells to make specific coronavirus proteins that produce an immune response.
In China where the coronavirus originated, China National Biotec Group (CNBG) said on Tuesday its experimental vaccine has triggered antibodies in clinical trials and the company plans late-stage human trials in foreign countries.
The vaccine, developed by a Wuhan-based research institute affiliated to CNBG’s parent company Sinopharm, was found to have induced high-level antibodies in all inoculated people without serious adverse reaction, according to the preliminary data from a clinical trial initiated in April involving 1,120 healthy participants aged between 18 and 59.

Rajiv Shah Is Hopeful Vaccine Being Developed In India Will Help Covid Patients

Staff ReporterHealth 0
Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, says the vaccine being developed in India is among the most promising in the world. In an interview on Politico’s “Global Translations” program, Shah also said the United States should lead the global response to the global threat as it did successfully when the Ebola crisis happened.
More than 100 initiatives are ongoing around the world to find a vaccine for COVID-19, Shah noted. And more than 10 clinical trials are ongoing. “The Serum Institute of India and Oxford are working together on a particularly promising vaccine candidate,” Shah said.
“We will have a vaccine. It may take 12 to 18 months to have scaled production and distribution,” Shah estimated. “And when we do, it will be critical that that vaccine reaches not just those with access and wealth but those most vulnerable,” Shah said.
The Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., ranked as India’s No. 1 biotechnology company, is now the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced and sold globally (more than 1.5 billion doses) which includes Polio vaccine as well as Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hib, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccines, the company says on its website. It is estimated that about 65% of the children in the world receive at least one vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute.
Vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute are accredited by the World Health Organization, Geneva and are being used in around 170 countries across the globe in their national immunization programs, saving millions of lives throughout the world, the company said.
The Serum Institute was founded in 1966 by Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla with the aim of manufacturing life-saving immuno-biologicals.
Dr. Purvi Parikh, an immunologist at New York University Langone Health, who is currently involved with testing another vaccine candidate, indicated the Serum Institute of India’s work was creditable.
” This is a great initiative to provide vaccines to one of the most densely populated regions of the world that need it the most,” said Dr. Parikh. “But this underscores the need for large scale vaccine trials to assess safety and efficacy of vaccines as we get close to mass distribution of the vaccine,” she added.
“We are currently testing one of the Pfizer vaccine’s safety and efficacy on healthy individuals here at NYU Langone’s vaccine center and likely will be testing additional vaccines from other companies before the summer’s end,” Dr. Parikh said.
In the U.S., Shah’s Foundation has been behind the push for nationwide testing through its National Testing Plan, and instrumental in bringing together the public and private sectors, Republicans and Democrats, to work towards that goal. From barely 7,000 tests a day, the U.S. is now doing some 3 million tests a week, Shah said. By the Fall, he expected the number of tests to rise to 30 million a week, making it possible to safely open schools.
The Rockefeller Foundation is behind calling for a $100 billion government investment in the testing initiative, of which Congress has approved $25 billion in the CARES Act, Shah said. He . expects the remaining $75 billion to be forthcoming in the near future. This effort is critical to implementing a science-based and data driven policy which has proved successful in the past, for example during the Ebola crisis.
“I led the response to the Ebola crisis,” and U.S. leadership was able to restrict the infection rate  to around 30,000 and the deaths to around 11,000, Shah recalled. Some 3,000 American troops were also deployed in the effort, he said.
Equity of access is an important point, Shah said. This is a global threat that requires a global response, he noted.
Nevertheless, he pointed out, if the Serum Institute of India vaccine is a success, it would first be available to India since it is an Indian institution spearheading the trials. For starters, something like 4 billion to 5 billion doses of the vaccine would be needed, Shah estimated, adding that the U.S. is most capable of leading a global response on that front. Shah said he saw first-hand when he was heading the USAID, that America has to lead that global effort. “The world still looks to America,” he said.

While USA Is Abandoning WHO!

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Most of the underdeveloped countries were shocked about President’s sudden announcement that the United States is leaving and discontinuing its funding to World Health Organization (WHO). Why is it so devastating to the worldwide public health scenario.?

President Trump has been strongly criticized  for the delay in handling the spread of Corona virus in the US; in turn Trump blames WHO for its  slow response in raising the alarm over the global threat of the Pandemic Covid-19.  Due to the fact that WHO is possessed by Chinese domination, Trump  named WHO as “ China-centric”, as they mismanaged and covered up the spread of corona virus, which is suspected to have been leaked and started spreading from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.

The world so far was considering the US, UK, Germany, France, Japan, Canada and Italy are the real representatives of world’s advanced economies; and they decide the fate of the world. President Trump at least concords that there are emerging countries like China, Australia, India,  Brazil, and South Korea, which are emerging countries to be considered to promote democratic values for the betterment of the world. In front of the Covid pandemic; all nations have knelt down, in controlling the spread or finding an effective vaccine to stop its forward journey.

WHO was founded as the UN global health body in 1948 with the ultimate mandate of promoting global health, protect the human beings against infectious diseases and to serve the vulnerable from health emergencies. We have found its immediate responses to combat communicable diseases like cholera, yellow fever, plague, swine flu, HIV, plague, Ebola etc. it is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within UN for their 194 member countries. But why they failed when the new enemy started engulfing the whole world?

Especially when the whole world is looking to the US for leadership, and the so called leader is leading only in their daily death rate; US also lost its supremacy, as they were uncontrollable just like any other nation. But to a great extent Americans think that Trump is not the right leader to do anything during critical situations. And they join with the media in accusing Trump for the wrong way he has been handling the issue of Pandemic Covid, killing already about 125,000 innocent Americans, and still continuing.

Looking back to the 72 years of the history of WHO, the US has been the largest sponsor. America has off late contributed $893 million, 15% of the entire budget and the contribution is more than twice as much as any other country so far done. Hence USA has been the center of importance of the public health system all over the world.

USA has an assessed contribution of $237 million as its membership dues. But America generosity has provided with additional $656 million during 2018-19. The contributions were earmarked specifically as for Polio (166M), Health & Nutrition Services (121M), Vaccines for Preventable diseases (58M), Tuberculosis (41M), Emergency Preparedness (36M), HIV & Hepatitis (34M), Infectious Hazard Management (32M), Leadership & Governances (30M), Prevention & Control of Outbreaks (27M), Reproductive, Material, newborn & Child Health (27 M) etc.

Even during the Covid-19 pandemic spreading in America, Trump has liberally helped many other countries, in spite of his helplessness to harness the situation with lack of enough masks and PPE, and no panacea or vaccine is invented to curb the unexpected enemy. US helped 64 of the world’s most-at-risk countries with a bulk foreign assistance of $274 million.

USA as the leader of health services has failed to arrest the vast spread, as WHO or CDC had failed to alert the worl. Trump believes that WHO was hiding the facts for the sake of China. In spite of the vast support to WHO and UN, US did not get any first hand information, and China played a dirty game.

Trump was blamed that he could not help the Americans or the rest of the world.   Whether WHO or his advisors failed to lead Trump for a speedier-actions, Trump was largely without any coherent scientific inputs into his immediate plans and policy making. His slow response, even complacency, in the early days of the epidemic exploding in China is sympathetically “understandable”. Media accused him that “A pandemic plan was in place. Trump abandoned it – and science- in the face of Covid-19.”

On May 29th, Trump announced his hard decision of terminating the relationship and support to WHO, though it may need at least a year to fully discontinue membership and terminate agreement with WHO. President Trump’s rhetoric is impacting the whole world, more than his decision to quit supporting Paris Agreement on climate change.

Keeping up the pressure for these kinds of economic changes, will lead the world to more perilous situations; nevertheless the support of the superpower cannot be ignored. Making the accord work without United States will require other developing nations like China and India to come forward, but it will be a limited support. The real impact of this withdrawal from WHO, will be visible outside USA. US Scientists and Public Health experts will have limited access to the communication on important global health issues. Just like the data from China was not  available to US or other leading nations.

“Trump’s decision is extremely problematic” said Devi Sridharan, the chairperson of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, as Trump’s assault on the reliability of WHO data and early warning systems. For instance, some of the nations have cut back their funding in recent years and the effects are already visible as Ebola virus is still not contained in West Africa.

Faced with reduced income, WHO will be compelled to scale back its budget. It may have to slash down its Human Resources. Ultimately the world is going to face severe consequences, if any epidemic or pandemic is unknowingly crept into any part of our world in the near future. Will WHO be equipped to sound the alarming siren sufficiently earlier to bring the outbreak under control, or a much severe suit follow than we face now with Covid-19!

OPT Suspension Would Force Highly-Educated Graduates to Leave the U.S.

Staff ReporterEducation, Travel 0

International graduates in the US Optional Practical Training (OPT) program may have to deal with OPT suspension soon. This comes as the US government considers further immigration restrictions to manage the devastating impact of COVID-19.

The OPT is a student visa extension which allows eligible international graduates to work in the US for up to 12 months after completing their studies. STEM majors get an additional 24 months. OPT is one of the only options available to graduating international students to stay and work in the United States and suspending OPT would mean that most international students who get a degree from a U.S. college or university would be forced to leave the country after graduating.

News reports suggest the Administration will soon take steps to suspend OPT, the Optional Practical Training program for international students who graduate from U.S. colleges and universities, along with restrictions to other legal immigration channels. This would be a significant mistake that will hurt our economy long term while providing no substantial impact on job or wage growth in the short term.

[Suspending OPT] would be a significant mistake that will hurt our economy long term while providing no substantial impact on job or wage growth in the short term. Research shows that each foreign-born STEM graduate who stays and works in the U.S. creates 2.62 jobs for native-born Americans. Suspending OPT would mean that most international students who get a degree from a U.S. college or university would be forced to leave the country after graduating.

First, the US government took the first step by suspending entry of immigrants deemed risky to the US. Then, it released an executive order directing agencies to “address this economic emergency by rescinding, modifying, waiving, or providing exemptions from regulations and other requirements that may inhibit economic recovery”.

If the Administration immediately ends OPT and stops issuing renewals and extensions, many international graduates, including those graduating this year with pending OPT applications, might no longer qualify for their immigration status and could be forced to leave before having an opportunity to fully contribute to the U.S.

OPT allows international students who are studying at or have graduated from universities and colleges in the U.S. to maintain their student status and be authorized to work for an American employer in their field of study. Approximately 200,000 international students are living in and contributing to the United States thanks to OPT today.

Providing options to stay and work in the country after graduation is critical for retaining U.S. educated graduates, and for attracting future students, as well. Over the last few years, the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to limit legal immigration have contributed to alarming drops in international student enrollment rates, costing the U.S. economy more than $11 billion. Meanwhile, countries like Canada have rolled out more options for international students, and have seen enrollment rates grow as a result.

Because international students typically pay full tuition, their enrollment helps subsidize costs for domestic students and expands teaching and research capacity. However, recent drops in enrollment have cost some universities millions of dollars in lost revenue, and experts are already predicting a 25% drop in international enrollment next year because of COVID-19. Ending OPT could dramatically accelerate these losses.

International students are also economic contributors, providing $41 billion to the national economy and supporting 458,290 jobs. Research shows that each foreign-born STEM graduate who stays and works in the U.S. creates 2.62 jobs for native-born Americans, and that OPT in particular is associated with increased innovation and higher earnings for residents, with no discernible negative impact on employment.

If graduates are forced to leave, America’s investment in their education will directly benefit our competitors and leave a massive gap in our skilled workforce. With no prospect of employment after graduation, many students would stop coming to study in the first place, sacrificing one of America’s greatest competitive advantages and abandoning our role as the global leader in education and innovation.

International graduates on OPT make critical contributions to America’s national security and economy; that’s why more than 324 employers in trade, industry, and higher education associations wrote to the President, urging him to keep OPT in place.

Recently 21 Republican Members of Congress wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf ahead of an announcement, urging the Administration to keep OPT intact. The letter explains:

“We urge the administration to publicly clarify that OPT will remain fully intact so we send the right messages abroad about the U.S. as an attractive destination for international students. As countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, China and Australia bolster immigration policies to attract and retain international students, the last thing our nation should do in this area is make ourselves less competitive by weakening OPT. The program is essential to the many international students who desire not just to study in the U.S. but also have a post completion training experience.”

Bipartisan Appeal To Trump To End Citizenship Delays

Staff ReporterPolitics, Travel, U.S. 0
There are thousands of citizens-in-waiting who, amid a ballooning backlog, may be unable to complete their naturalizations in time to vote in the 2020 election. An estimated 650,000 citizenship applications were pending in the first quarter of the 2020 fiscal year, which ended Dec. 31.
As state after state imposed social distancing and other measures to mitigate the virus’s spread, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services suspended most of its activity on March 18, and the agency notified thousands of immigrants of the delay to sworn them in as US citizens.
Lawmakers from both parties have urged the Trump administration to conduct the oath remotely to make up for a pause in naturalization ceremonies during the health crisis.
The agency recently began holding naturalization ceremonies in small groups, compared with the hundreds who typically gather to be sworn in, but many of those working with immigrants say that so few are being processed that it may be impossible to make up for lost time this year.
Before the pandemic, about 63,000 applicants took the oath of allegiance each month in small-town courthouses and convention centers around the country. Covid-19 lockdowns postponed the final steps in the process — interviews and ceremonies — potentially delaying citizenship for several hundred thousand people before the end of 2020, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, which leads a network of nonprofits helping green-card holders become naturalized citizens.
The delays caused by the pandemic follow moves by the Trump administration to tighten scrutiny of naturalization applications, making the process more cumbersome, as well as financial troubles engulfing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is expected to start furloughing workers in coming weeks.
“I do not anticipate this administration will drop their emphasis on vetting and fraud detection to expedite these naturalization applications,” said Randy Capps, who researches naturalization at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. “It means this backlog will probably keep growing.”
A group of lawful permanent residents whose applications have been approved by the U.S.C.I.S. office in Philadelphia but stalled because of the pandemic filed a lawsuit in federal court this month asking for an expedited process to ensure that they are sworn in as citizens by late September in order to meet voter-registration deadlines.
Naturalization applications generally surge during presidential election cycles, but the potential implications of clearing the way for thousands of new citizens to vote differ from state to state.
Polls have indicated that most Latin American and Asian immigrants, who most likely account for the majority of those whose citizenship petitions are pending, would tend to vote Democratic. In states like California, which is solidly blue, the addition of tens of thousands of newly minted voters would be unlikely to have a significant effect.
It could be a different story if potential voters were excluded in contested states, such as Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas. Nearly 200,000 immigrants became citizens in those four states in the 2018 fiscal year, according to official data, representing 26 percent of those naturalized that year.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in recent weeks have urged U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to administer the oath remotely or waive it altogether.
Senators Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, and Martin Heinrich, Democrat of New Mexico, who are both sons of naturalized citizens, sent a letter on May 22 to Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, who heads the agency, requesting that he “take all necessary measures” to enable naturalizations to proceed, including with virtual ceremonies.
Then, earlier this month, 14 members of Congress from both parties sent a letter of their own, calling the oath “largely ceremonial” and citing a law that could be invoked to justify temporarily suspending it.
 “Given the unprecedented circumstances currently facing our country, we ask that these authorities be utilized to remotely administer or waive the Oath of Allegiance amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the letter.
A spokesman for U.S.C.I.S. said that rescheduling naturalization ceremonies was a “top priority as we enter our phased reopening,” which began on June 4. The agency had introduced ceremonies with social distancing last month, and the sessions are starting to be held more frequently, he said.
However, he ruled out remote oaths. The ceremonies must be public under immigration law, he said, and to comply with federal regulations, all applicants must appear in person.
The spokesman also said that online ceremonies presented “logistical challenges” because personal appearances allow reviewers to verify applicants’ identities and collect their green cards, which previously served as proof of legal residency. Holding the ceremonies online also raised security concerns, he added.
Many of those who work with immigrants seeking naturalization said there was a need for flexibility during a health emergency.
“There is legal room for U.S.C.I.S. to make appropriate accommodations for remote oath ceremonies, but it takes will and interest to do so,” said Ur Jaddou, who was chief counsel at the agency during the Obama administration.
“All around the government, agencies have made bold accommodations in response to Covid-19,” said Ms. Jaddou, who is now director of D.H.S. Watch, an advocacy organization that monitors immigration agencies.
While there have been partisan splits over how to address unauthorized immigration and overhaul the country’s immigration system, historically there has been a bipartisan embrace of naturalization. Former President George W. Bush has hosted a ceremony at his institute.
Under President Trump, who has issued a series of policies to curb legal immigration, the leadership of the agency — which handles visas, green cards and asylum claims, in addition to citizenship applications — has adopted a policy of strict scrutiny when adjudicating applications.
About nine million legal permanent residents are eligible for citizenship, but a much smaller number typically apply. Applicants must fill out a 20-page application, pass background checks, submit an array of supporting documents, and pass civics and English tests as well as an interview. They pay a $725 fee. If they hire a lawyer, the additional cost ranges from $1,500 to $3,500.

FIA to Host Virtual Yoga Event to Observe International Day of Yoga

Staff ReporterCommunity, Health 0

The Federation of Indian Associations of NY-NJ-CT (FIA-Tri-state) is calling yoga enthusiasts as well as novices of all age groups to attend their virtual celebration to commemorate the 6th annual International Day of Yoga on June 21, 2020. The event is held in association with the Consulate General of India in New York.

The virtual yoga event will begin at 9:00 a.m., with an address from FIA President Anil Bansal and Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty.

The event will include four simultaneous yoga segments, taught by renowned yoga teachers. The sessions include Kids Yoga, Gentle Yoga, Intermediate Yoga and Pranayama and other styles of yoga. Each segment will have its own zoom id, which will be shared at the time of the event. Each segment will have its own instructor as well.

To register for the event, please email: info@fianynjct.org

Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness. Today it is practiced in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity.

The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on June 21, 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga.

The draft resolution establishing the International Day of Yoga was proposed by India and endorsed by a record 175 member states.The proposal was first introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address during the opening of the 69th session of the General Assembly, in which he said: “Yoga is an invaluable gift from our ancient tradition Yoga embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action … a holistic approach [that] is valuable to our health and our well-being. Yoga is not just about exercise; it is a way to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature.”

The resolution notes: “The importance of individuals and populations making healthier choices and following lifestyle patterns that foster good health.” In this regard, the World Health Organization has also urged its member states to help their citizens reduce physical inactivity, which is among the top ten leading causes of death worldwide, and a key risk factor for non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes.

A Big Step for Religious Freedom – A new executive order puts the neglected issue at the heart of U.S. foreign policy.

Staff ReporterCommunity, Culture/Religion 0
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today welcomed President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order on “Advancing International Religious Freedom,” which elevates the U.S. government’s prioritization of religious freedom in its foreign policy; increases foreign assistance funding to $50 million annually; expands mandatory training on international religious freedom to more federal officials; encourages the utilization of economic tools; and more explicitly integrates international religious freedom into U.S. bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.
“We applaud President Trump for continuing to prioritize international religious freedom as a national security imperative and a foreign policy priority,” USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins stated. “This Executive Order encourages swift action by the U.S. government to hold accountable foreign governments that commit severe violations and substantially increases U.S. economic assistance to support programs that advance religious freedom around the world.”
According to the Executive Order, the Secretary of State will “develop a plan to prioritize international religious freedom in the planning and implementation of United States foreign policy and in the foreign assistance programs of the Department of State and USAID,” with a budget of at least $50 million per fiscal year for programs that advance international religious freedom. These programs will assist religious minority communities, promote accountability of the perpetrators for attacks, guarantee equal rights and legal protections for individuals and groups regardless of belief, improve the safety and security of houses of worship and public spaces for all faiths, and protect cultural heritages of religious communities.
“USCIRF has long called on the U.S. government to develop an overall strategy for promoting religious freedom abroad, as well as country-specific action plans, and we welcome the fact that this Executive Order requires the State Department and USAID to do exactly that,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin. “We also appreciate the express reference to U.S. officials working for the release of religious prisoners of conscience, which is a high priority for USCIRF.”
USCIRF’s most recent recommendations to the Administration to advance religious freedom globally can be found in its 2020 Annual Report.

Views of the current racial situation from an African American Hindu/Vedic leader

Staff ReporterCommunity 0
By Benny J Tillman
 I grew up in the South during the 1950s and 60s. Those were troublesome times for the African American community. We were identified as Negroes and as an ethnic minority, it was very difficult to understand what our place in the world was. Honestly, there was an element of shame associated with being black.
During the late sixties, I became involved in the “Hippy culture” which exposed me to the concept of “Universal love.” I was not familiar with this Vedic concept of universal love, which is foundational to the true Hindu/Vedic culture.
My first exposure to this culture was through my association in 1971, with Transcendental Meditation introduced by the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. I was a performing artist in Atlanta and the surrounding areas and heavily involved with the culture of “Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll.”
Eventually around 1972, I came in contact with disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder Acharya of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. They introduced me to the Bhagavad Gita, which is the most well-known of all Vedic texts. This holy book is very dear and sacred to all Hindus and Westerners who have adopted these teachings and practices. I became an initiated disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in July 1974 during his visit to Chicago for a major Hindu/Vedic festival, the Ratha Yatra.
Interestingly, around 1974, I was fortunate to meet one of Swami Prabhupada’s very first disciples, Rupanuga dasa. He encouraged to join the local Atlanta Hare Krishna Temple.  He said they would train me as a leader and then I should go back and help the Black community. This instruction has constantly inspired me to expose this great Hindu/Vedic culture and philosophy to the urban communities.
Central to the Hindu/Vedic philosophy is the concept that we are not these material bodies but that we are eternal spiritual beings, temporarily inhabiting these material bodies. So whether we identify as an African American, Hindu American, Asian American, White American, or an American of color, we are all spiritual beings equal in the eyes of the Supreme Lord.
During the present time of racial tensions in America, I along with other Hindu/Vedic leaders are considering what we can do to impact and help change this painful and distressful situation.
One thing that I have learned during my several efforts to share Hindu/Vedic principles in the primarily African American community, is that these communities are not looking for a handout. They are desperately in need of help in building up their communities, especially in the areas of affordable housing not just gentrification. Jobs and other meaningful social activities for their youth and young adults are also a major concern along with educational help.
 Some years ago, I partnered with a young African American community activist who was working in my hometown of East Point Georgia and during that time some local people who knew about my association with the Hindu community, said to me “Mr. Tillman, could you ask your Hindu friends to teach us how to do business like they are doing.” One reason for this question is that many of the small businesses in their communities are owned by Hindu community members.
I serve as the president of the Vedic Friends Association, an organization focused on preserving and presenting the various aspects of the Hindu/Vedic culture, in a manner suitable for the present environment which is plagued by such issues as racism. This is the first time to my knowledge that they have elected an African American as the president of a major Hindu based organization. I am honored to serve in this capacity and the support and encouragement has been tremendous.
I am confident that with the vast resources of our Hindu/Vedic community, we can have a positive and powerful impact on developing our communities of color.
(Benny J Tillman (Balabhadra Bhattacarya dasa) is the President Vedic Friends Association)

South Asians and Black Americans have long held a special bond. Now it’s our turn to step up in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter

Staff ReporterCommunity 0

By Ashvin

White supremacy is like an octopus whose arms reach far and long across the globe. One arm wrapped tightly around America early on, leading to the genocide of over 99% of Native Americans and slavery and oppression for black Americans ever since the white man set foot on its soil. Another arm wrapped itself around India–the brutal British empire who stole uncountable lives, wealth, and culture from India for nearly a hundred years. A man key to India’s freedom from the arm, Gandhi, helped inspire another man halfway across the world in America to lead his fight for freedom from white supremacy–Martin Luther King. The Civil Rights Movement ended de jure segregation and helped enact immigration reforms that allowed our communities to come to this country.

And just like how the scars of British Colonialism linger in Indian politics today, the scars of slavery, segregation, and systemic injustice remain in black communities across America today. South Asians have a duty to stand in solidarity with organizations like #BlackLivesMatter the same way Gandhi stood with King half a century ago.

Don’t forget that South Asians can be the victims of police brutality and racism as well. We all remember when kind Indian grandfather Sureshbhai Pate was viciously attacked and left paralyzed after an encounter with a police officer in Alabama when visiting family in 2015. Indians have also been killed in hate crimes by white supremacists since Trump was elected. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by standing with the black community against systemic injustice.

So what can you do to help? The first step towards allyship is introspection. examine your personal biases towards black people. How would you feel if your child dated a black person or if you saw a black man walking alone on the street?  Acknowledging the bias is the hard part. Examine why you feel that way and how it might be harmful to others, and removing the bias becomes simple.

The next step is proactively working to become an anti-racist, which means to be actively fighting to stop systemic racism rather than just not being racist in your personal life-. You can join protests if you feel safe to do so, donate to organizations like ACLU or Black Lives Matter and educate yourself through books like “How To Be An Antiracist”, by Ibram X Kendi or “The End of Policing” by Alex Vitale.

Fight your reflexes to immediately reject activist demands such as #DefundPolice, and instead try to understand their proposals. Finally, try to share your learnings and attitudes with your friends and family. Martin Luther King famously said “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” But that arc requires ALL of us to fight together.

 Ashvin is a Software Engineer who grew up in Austin, currently working in Los Angeles in the gaming industry. He graduated from UT Austin in Computer Science and Government in 2019.

India Eases Travel Restrictions For Certain Foreigners, OCI Card Holders

Staff ReporterIndia, Travel 0

OCI card holders who wish to come to India on account of family emergencies like critical medical conditions of immediate family members or death have also been granted permission to travel to India.

The Home Ministry on Friday eased restrictions on entry of foreign nationals into the country norms, allowing a larger number of Overseas Citizen of India cardholders and foreign nationals related to OCI cardholders or citizens to enter India.
The specific categories who have been issued permit to travel to India include minors who the OCI Card and whose parents are Indian nationals.
OCI card holders who wish to come to India on account of family emergencies like critical medical conditions of immediate family members or death have also been granted permission to travel to India.
Government has also allowed married couples, where one spouse is an OCI card holder and the other is an Indian national, to enter the country.
Students who are OCI card holders, where at least one of their parents is an Indian citizen or an OCI card holder, can also travel to India.

Dr. Ankit Bharat performs first known U.S. lung transplant for covid-19 patient

Staff ReporterHealth 0

Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery and surgical director of Northwestern’s lung transplant program, said organ transplantation may become more frequent for victims of the most severe forms of covid-19. The disease caused by the new coronavirus most commonly attacks the respiratory system but also can inflict damage on kidneys, hearts, blood vessels and the neurological system.

“I certainly expect some of these patients will have such severe lung injury that they will not be able to carry on without transplant,” said Bharat, who performed the operation. “This could serve as a lifesaving intervention.”

A former covid-19 patient has received a double-lung transplant, a surgery believed to be the first of its kind in the United States since the pandemic began, medical officials announced Thursday.

Northwestern Medicine in Chicago said the recipient, a woman in her 20s who would not have survived without the transplant, is in intensive care recovering from the operation and from two previous months on lung and heart assistance devices.

Surgeons in Austria on May 26 performed the world’s first known lung transplant to save the life of a covid-19 survivor, a 45-year-old woman stricken with a severe form of the disease. Bharat said he and others in his field are not aware of another organ transplant of any kind in the United States involving a recipient who had contracted the coronavirus.

The United Network for Organ Sharing, a nonprofit that coordinates transplantation in the United States, has no record of an organ transplant into a covid-19 patient as of May 29, spokeswoman Anne Paschke said. However, hospitals have two months from the date of surgery to report a transplant to the Richmond organization, she said.

The United States has suffered a severe shortage of transplant organs for many years, with more than 100,000 people on waiting lists for kidneys, livers, lungs, hearts and other organs. During the worst weeks of the pandemic in March, the numbers of transplants dipped even more, UNOS statistics show.

But the picture has improved in recent weeks, and because the number of transplants performed in 2020 was ahead of 2019’s pace before the pandemic began, the totals for the two years are comparable, the statistics show.

Bharat’s patient, who has not been publicly identified, was on immunosuppressant medication for a previous condition when she contracted the coronavirus, he said. Perhaps for that reason, the virus devastated her lungs, leaving physicians few options. She developed secondary bacterial infections that could not be controlled by antibiotics because her lungs were so badly damaged, he said.

“They develop these strange holes in the lungs,” Bharat said. “If you were to cut the lung, it kind of resembles a Swiss cheese.”

As the woman’s lungs deteriorated, her heart also began to fail, followed by other organs that were not receiving enough oxygen. She was placed on a mechanical ventilator to help her breathe and later an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation device, which adds oxygen to blood outside the body and helps the heart pump blood through vessels.

Doctors repeatedly tested fluid from her lungs to be certain she was negative for the coronavirus before operating, Bharat said. By that time, she was even sicker, he said. “This is one of the toughest transplants I’ve done,” he said. “This was truly one of the most challenging cases.”

Ajay Jain Bhutoria Elected As Joe Biden’s Delegate For August Convention

Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0
Indian-American entrepreneur from Silicon Valley Ajay Jain Bhutoria has been elected as a delegate for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for the party’s national convention in August.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Wisconsin in August would formally nominate Biden, 77, as the party’s candidate for the November 3 presidential elections.
In the presidential elections, Biden will challenge Republican incumbent Donald Trump, 73, who is seeking re-election.
On the National Finance Committee for the former vice president, Bhutoria is a prominent national bundler for the Democratic Party.
He was elected as a Biden Delegate for the California District 17th National Convention District-Level Caucus this week. The election was held through online ballot.
As a strong supporter of Biden, Bhutoria has been instrumental in bringing together the issues of Asian Americans to forefront. He is working with the DNC to have the Democratic Party website translated into Asian American languages.
Also on Asian American Pacific Islander Leadership Council for Biden, Bhutoria is bringing together the Asian Americans to vote for him, primarily South Asians.
He worked on the National Finance committee for Hillary Clinton’s election in 2016, raising between USD 500 to USD 1 million.
Bhutoria has also worked with the Obama-Biden administration on many issues, including free community college initiative around the country.
The veteran Democrat served as the 47th vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 during the presidency of Barack Obama.

South Asian Arts Resiliency Fund awards grants to 24 artists from various disciplines over two-month period

Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

A total of 24 South Asian artists from various disciplines, including dance, visual art, theatre, film and design, have been awarded grants by the The South Asian Arts Resiliency Fund (SAARF), an arts project funding program created by the India Center Foundation (ICF), over two rounds since mid-April. A third round is currently underway with an application deadline of June 15th. The Fund, open to South Asian-American artists and arts workers who have been impacted by the economic fallout of COVID-19, has already raised about $40,000, which is being rapidly distributed to grantees.

“The money is being donated mostly by individuals who are passionate about the arts and want to support those who dedicate their lives to it,” says Raoul Bhavnani, one of ICF’s Co-Founders. “From filmmakers to performance artists, visual artists, writers and musicians, the grantees hail from across South Asian countries of origin who represent its culture through their art here in the U.S.”

Nepali musician and grant winner Shyam Nepali says, “This grant is very important for me because as a musician from Nepal living in the U.S., I am here not just for me, but as an ambassador wanting to give Nepali music a wider audience. To focus on creative work is not easy without financial support, as gigs have been cancelled. I now have time to work on my Sarangi tutorial materials, and the grant allows me the freedom and time to focus on that.”

Taapsee Pannu, Anupam Kher, Anubhav Sinha & Neena Gupta Headline ECSA Global Online Film Festival, Co-Presented by DFW SAFF & NYC SAFF

Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

Indian film industry heavyweights Taapsee Pannu, Anupam Kher, Anubhav Sinha and Neena Gupta will ALL make an “online” appearance this month at ECSA: Escapist Cinema of South Asia, a seven-weekend-long virtual film festival co-presented by sister festivals DFW SAFF and NYC SAFF. At its midway point, the weekly online series has already live streamed 16 short films and three feature films, attracted a global audience of more than 1500 cinephiles and donated hundreds of surgical masks to TIPS (Texas Indo American Physicians Society), as part of its WATCH A FILM, SAVE A LIFE charity initiative.

“We are proud to be the first major South Asian Film Festival in the U.S. to create a contiguous, seven-weekend-long, online film series,” said DFW SAFF and NYC SAFF Founder and Festivals Director Jitin Hingorani, also Principal/CEO of producing sponsor JINGO Media. “In the past month, we have screened the National Award-Winning Gujarati film HELLARO, heard Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Falu Shah perform and hosted the versatile television, screen and stage actress Lillete Dubey as a ‘virtual’ guest. Our loyal audiences have been planning their Saturday evenings around our programming, and this is exactly the kind of escapism we wished to provide global cinephiles who are either locked down or choose to shelter-in-place during the pandemic.”

The remaining three weekends in June will showcase unique, curated content, such as comedy programming, Sikh-centric films and a major tribute to Indian Bollywood icon, Rishi Kapoor. Each Saturday evening’s live stream (7 to 10 p.m. CDT) will be followed by a Zoom post-screening Q&A with actors and directors; audience members can engage by asking questions through live chat. Each evening will end with a live or taped performance by an up-and-coming artist. Screenings are FREE for lifetime members of DFW SAFF and will cost the general public $6 per block of programming (to commemorate six years of SAFF). Audience members can log in to www.onlinefest.us from anywhere in the world, create an account, pay for their screenings in advance and receive reminders leading up the live event(s).

WATCH A FILM, SAVE A LIFE: For every person who registers, the festival will donate a surgical face mask to Texas and NYC hospitals or organizations in need. The goal is to help keep our medical workers safer on the front lines. The more people who watch, the more people we will be able to protect!  

JUNE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

*June 13th – Funny Business: Comedienne Zarna Garg interviews comedian Tushar Singh, after his docu-comedy AMERICAN HASI (trailer)

*June 20th – Indian film critic Rajeev Masand interviews actor Anupam Kher after his British Sikh film THE BOY WITH THE TOPKNOT (trailer)

*June 27th – Producer & SAFF Board Member Viveck Vaswani moderates Q&A between director Anubhav Sinha and actors Neena Gupta and Taapsee Pannu, after one of Rishi Kapoor‘s last  films MULK (trailer) 

Despite many of the applicants being accomplished in their fields, they are finding it hard to fund their work during this pandemic. Round two grantees include artists like sitarist and teacher Abhik Mukherjee from New York, who has received a scholarship from India’s Ministry of Culture and is a member of the immensely popular Brooklyn Raga Massive. Awardee Sanjib Bhattacharya from Ohio is a globally recognized Manipuri dancer who is also an award recipient from former Indian President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Illinois arts worker and artist Tulika Ladsariya’s paintings have been written about in publications such as Elle and Time Out.

Mr. Bhavnani adds, “Despite the easing of lockdowns around the country, artists are likely to see restrictions on the ability to practice their crafts for many more months. In years to come, it will be their creativity that will help us recollect this unprecedented time. It’s so important to give them the resources now to do just that.” A full list of awardees and a link to donate to the Fund can be found on the ICF website, TheIndiaCenter.us.

Eight Tips for Success for University Students

Staff ReporterEducation 0

When you go to University, it is very important to be successful. University prepares you for your future job. When you apply for jobs, your future employers will look at your university transcripts. In addition, if you want to go to professional or graduate school, you will need to do well. There are a number of steps you can take to be successful at University, including taking advantage of an essay writing service. Read on to learn how to be successful in school.

  1. Don’t Skip Your Classes

Oftentimes, college students have a budget of how many classes they will cut each semester. It’s easy to think you will get the notes from someone else. However, getting the notes isn’t the same thing as being there, so you will miss some of the content. That will likely affect you when it is time for the exams. You should plan to go to your classes so that you are prepared for your exams.

  1. Use a Planner

When you go to the University, you will not have your parents there to remind you of what you need to do. It will be your responsibility to go to your classes, study, and get things done. The best way to manage this is to have a planner and write out what you need to do every week. You will be more organized, and you will be more successful as well.

  1. Get to Know Your Professors

In addition to teaching your classes, your professors will have office hours throughout the week. This time is specifically set aside to work with students and help them understand material. You should get to know your professors and go over anything you have questions about. Students often don’t realize how easily they can understand concepts if they simply ask the questions. Something that seems ridiculously complicated might be cleared up very easily by asking the questions.

  1. Take Advantage of Essay Writing Services

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to balance all of your courses with work, studying, and writing papers. Some classes will require papers, and you may not have enough hours in the day to get it done. Rather than pulling an all-nighter and stressing out over it, take advantage of an essay writing service. These people know how to get the paper done quickly, and it can be a learning experience for you as well. When you have an example of how the paper should be done, you can learn tips for writing your next paper.

  1. Take One Class Each Semester That Satisfies Your Intellectual Curiosity

In addition to general studies requirements and requirements for your major, you will have electives as part of your courses needed for graduation. Each semester, choose one elective that is something you want to learn about. This will provide balance in your education so that you have something you look forward to doing as a part of your studies.

  1. Study Efficiently

Many students are not aware that a lot of your learning is done outside of the classroom. You will have lectures where your professors discuss concepts and teach you, but it is up to you to read the assigned reading and take notes. You need to plan time every day to devote to studying for your courses. If you wait until the exams, you will not be able to prepare. Taking notes on your reading every week and keeping them organized will make it much simpler when you are getting ready for the final.

  1. Learn About Professors Before You Take Their Classes

It is a good idea to learn as much as you can about professors before you sign up for their classes. You may be able to find an online lecture and ask other students. You can find out whether the professor has a straightforward teaching style or whether he or she is engaging and interesting. You want to learn as much as possible in your classes, so it is a good idea to make sure that you find out if people have had bad experiences with a professor.

  1. Answer the Questions Literally on Exams

Usually professors have planned every question they ask you on an exam, and they will expect you to respond specifically to that question. It may be tempting to fill in other information, but you should look at the question and answer exactly what is asked. Try to draw on your lectures, your reading, and other information and develop an answer based on the question. Most of the time, your professor will have hinted at what kinds of questions will be on the exam during the lectures. Pay attention to what your professor talks about because he or she will spend more time covering topics that are likely to appear on your tests.

Here are 4 Ways to Get Out of Debt Quick & Easy

Staff ReporterFinance/Economy 0
No one wants to be in the state of insolvency, and if you are in such a state, then please continue to read the article below so that you can take advantage of our tips. You won’t regret it.

Apply for a Payday Loan

Usually, when you sign-up for a loan, it takes time for you to receive money. But, the same situation does not exist for a payday loan. The payday loan is a small loan with high-interest rates. When applying for a payday loan, you need to keep in mind that you receive part of the loan first, and then the remaining. So if you think to yourself, can I get a loan the same day? The answer is yes, and it’s effortless to apply to too. You can get payday loans online no credit check instant approval if you go to the right service.

Get a Job

Getting a job is a great way to help yourself get out of debt. It may not be quick, since you may have to wait 30 days to become insolvent, but the money will come soon enough. The type of job you wish to take up is completely on you. The best option, however, would be to take up seasonal employment or a part-time job. A part-time job is all you need to get over a small or medium debt. There is a range of jobs that you can take up: such as a part-time chef or waiter, or part-time teacher. You could even do small chores like mowing the lawn, cleaning a pool, and so much more.

Sell Articles You Don’t Need

Are there items at home that you don’t need? Do you feel that someone else can benefit from such articles? If yes, then why not sell such things in a yard sale? Besides a yard sale, there are several other ways by which you can sell such items. For instance, try platforms like eBay, Amazon, Etsy, and Nextdoor. You can also create your website and sell items there. If there isn’t something that you have to sell, then consider crafting something like a knitted purse, socks, handbags and sell. You could also sell food if you’re a good cook.

Ask a Close One for Help

If you have parents, a sibling/s or a close friend then why not borrow money? This is an easy and quick way to get out of debt. Now you may be thinking, if I have to borrow money, aren’t I in debt again? Well, technically, yes. You would still be in debt. However, the advantage here is that since you would be borrowing money from a loved one or a close confidant, your relation will be more lenient with you in returning the money, so what could be better? Moreover, be sure that if you are borrowing from a close friend to recover money on the date finalized as this could lead to hostility and lack of trust in the future.

Technological Solutions That Help with Common Sleeping Disorders

Staff ReporterHealth, Science & Technology 0

For most adults, getting seven to nine hours of sleep is enough to wake up rested and keep us functioning throughout the day. Granted, some people can manage to sleep a lot less, while others don’t want to leave the warmth of their bed. However, the problem occurs when we want to sleep only to find ourselves being restless in bed or continuously waking up unable to get a good night’s sleep.

 

However, there’s no reason to worry. We’ve comprised a list of the most common sleeping disorders and technological solutions for them, which you can make use of and get some shuteye.

Insomnia

According to stats, 30% of the grown-up Americans experience insomnia. It causes people to have difficulty falling asleep or staying awake, which can then result in daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, irritability, and low energy.

 

Insomnia may occur either independently or as a result of another problem, such as chronic pain, heart failure, restless leg syndrome, and stress. The first steps in treating insomnia are lifestyle changes and better sleep hygiene.

 

When it comes to technological solutions, you can use bulbs that stop the blue light, such as the Good Night Biological LED Bulb. Also, you can try blackout shades or devices like Ebb Insomnia Therapy.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that affects up to 20% of the world’s population, and it causes a person’s breathing to be interrupted during sleep. There are two main types of sleep apnea—obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA). Common reasons that cause sleep apnea are enlarged tonsils or adenoids, smoking, frequent alcohol use, and weight.

 

Between the two, OSA is the more common one, and it occurs when the soft tissue in our throat collapses while we’re asleep. Its symptoms are daytime sleepiness, restlessness, gasping for air while sleeping, snoring, and fatigue.

 

When it comes to CSA, the issue starts in our central nervous system. Our breathing isn’t interrupted, but our brain fails to relay the information to our body to breathe.

 

Many inventions can help with sleep apnea, such as slumberBUMP that nudges you into sleeping on your side. As a result, it prevents the blocking of your airways. Another solution is EPAP by Theravent that regulates your airflow and creates a gentle pressure in your airway, keeping it open and reducing vibration.

Snoring

If you snore, you’re not alone. Approximately 40% of men and 20% of women snore, which is more than two billion people. It may be caused by sleep deprivation, sleep position, nasal problems, alcohol consumption, or simply due to our mouth’s anatomy.

 

For example, when muscles surrounding our throat relax during sleep, they cause the airway to get narrower, which then causes the tissue in our throat to vibrate as air passes through.

 

Luckily, since it’s one of the most common sleeping disorders around the globe, there are many technological solutions that can help with snoring, such as Hupnos’ Snoring Mask, URGONight EEG Headband, as well as many different sleeping solutions by Philips.

Light Penne Pasta in Sun-dried Tomato Sauce with Spicy Grilled Chicken Chunks & Spring Onions

Staff ReporterAmmu's Hearty Treats 0

This recipe is a lovely one as its the first pasta dish and moreover the first one pot meal recipe I’m sharing on my page. Unlike most classic pasta recipes like the basic red sauce/ white sauce ones, pesto, etc., this dish is sure to be appreciated for its unique flavour from the sun-dried tomatoes and its light no-cheese base.

How I developed this recipe-

Light Penne Pasta in Sun-dried Tomato Sauce with Spicy Grilled Chicken Chunks & Spring OnionsI love sun-dried tomatoes. I usually have it I’m subs and focaccia bread. I was wanting to try it in pastas as classic italian red sauce pastas like the bolognese, arrabiata .. uses canned/ fresh diced tomatoes and tomato paste for its tangy taste and texture. But the substitution of sun-dried tomatoes have this dish it’s very distant and added tangy sweet taste and color.
Another peculiar thing is the use of white sauce in this pasta for the base instead of adding cream or cheese into this pasta. I did so because, I wanted this pasta to be light and more towards a tangy yet lightly texture.

What’s special about this recipe-

Light Penne Pasta in Sun-dried Tomato Sauce with Spicy Grilled Chicken Chunks & Spring Onions. Sun-dried tomatoes- Unique flavour-subtle sweetness, light smokiness, tangy – this substitutes the canned tomatoes in usual recipes without comprising with the nutritional goodness of the fresh tomatoes.

. No-Cheese/cream base- This is a light pasta recipe and thus I wanted the base to be low fat and low calorie.

. Lean protein- I have used chicken breast and grilled them in small chunks to reduce the calorie intake and keep it lean without excluding most of our favourite chicken in the dish.

What you’ll need-

Light Penne Pasta in Sun-dried Tomato Sauce with Spicy Grilled Chicken Chunks & Spring Onions. 1 cup penne
. 1 chicken breast (~300g), cut into small bite sized cubes
. 5 pieces sun-tomatoes, finely chopped
. Olive oil
. 1.5 tablespoons butter
. 2 tablespoons flour
. Half cup milk
. 1 teaspoon lemon juice
. Half teaspoon pepper powder
. 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
. Half tablespoon minced garlic
. Half teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
. One by fourth teaspoon coriander powder
. Half teaspoon oregano
. 2 tablespoons spring onion bulb
. 2-3 tablespoons chopped spring onion greens
. Salt to taste

How to make-

Light Penne Pasta in Sun-dried Tomato Sauce with Spicy Grilled Chicken Chunks & Spring Onions. Boil water in a deep bottom sauce pan with a few pinches of salt and a teaspoon of olive oil. Put the pasta into it and cover cooked for 5-10 minutes, till Al-dente (there should not be any thick white circle of uncooked traces when you bite into the penne).
Drain and keep put the pasta into a bowl of ice cold water. And keep the starchy pasta water aside for the base.
. Marínate the chicken chunks with pepper, half of chilli flakes, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste and salt for 10-20 minutes.
. To make the white sauce: heat the butter in a small sauce pan till melted and add the flour. Sauté it until starting to turn brown (but still off-white/white) and add milk little by little at this point stirring continuously.
Turn of the heat and stir it without forming lumps until the sauce is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add a pinch of salt.
. In another bigger sauce pan, heat some olive oil and grill the chicken chunks until browned on all sides. Keep it aside transferred into a bowl.
. Sauté the spring onion bulbs and garlic in the same pan. Sprinkle rest of the chilli flake and oregano. Add-in the sun-dried tomatoes and sauté again till the onions and garlic starts turning golden.
. Now add the pasta, half cup of pasta water and the white sauce to combine.
. Cooked covered for a minute and cook open for another adding the grilled chicken chunks .
. Serve hot sprinkled with chopped spring onion greens.

Light Penne Pasta in Sun-dried Tomato Sauce with Spicy Grilled Chicken Chunks & Spring OnionsNotes, Tips & Suggestions-

. You can use any type of your favourite pasta- fusilli, spaghetti, gnocchi, fettuccine, penne, etc.
. Strain the white sauce to double check for lumps.
. You can add more pepper or chillies flakes to make it more hot according to your preference.
. If you can’t go without cheese in this dish, sprinkle some grated Parmesan over the pasta before serving and as Parmesan is salty enough, you may have to reduce the salt input in this recipe.

India Denies Visas to US Religious Freedom Panel

Staff ReporterCommunity, Culture/Religion 0

India has declined to give visas to teams from a US government body monitoring international religious freedom, as it has no locus standi to make pronouncements on Indian citizens’ “constitutional-protected rights”, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has stated.

The visa snub to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Wednesday came as the US Congress released its own religious freedom report while a top Trump administration official said he was “very concerned” about the South Asian country’s situation.

The contents of the letter were reported by Indian media, including PTI, on Wednesday – just a few hours before US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released the 2019 International Religious Freedom Report in Washington.

As per the PTI report, Jaishankar had conveyed the Ministry of External Affairs’ position to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey who had raised the issue concerning the USCIRF seeking sanctions against home minister Amit Shah in case the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed, during the winter session of Lok Sabha last year.

“We have also denied visa to USCIRF teams that have sought to visit India in connection with issues related to religious freedom, as we do not see the locus standi of a foreign entity like USCIRF to pronounce on the state of Indian citizens constitutionally protected rights,” he wrote, after stating that the US government body was known to make “prejudiced” observations about India.

“We do not take cognizance of these pronouncements and have repudiated such attempts to misrepresent information related to India,” the minister wrote.

 This is not the first time that the USCIRF has claimed that its teams have been denied visas. In its 2019 annual report, USCIRF had reported that it has been unable to visit India since 2001. “…on three different occasions—in 2001, 2009, and 2016—the government of India refused to grant visas for a USCIRF delegation despite requests being supported by the State Department,” it said.

After the citizenship amendment bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, the USCIRF had recommended, on December 9, 2019, that the “United States government should consider sanctions against the Home Minister and other principal leadership”.

The MEA spokesperson had retorted that the USCIRF had “chosen to be guided only by its prejudices and biases on a matter on which it had little knowledge and no locus standi“.

India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the government firmly repudiated the surveys of the USCIRF, which had little knowledge of the rights of Indian citizens, describing it as biased and prejudiced.

“We have also denied visas to USCIRF teams that have sought to visit India in connection with issues related to religious freedom,” he told a legislator from Modi’s governing party in a June 1 letter.

The step was taken because the government saw no grounds for a foreign entity such as the USCIRF to pronounce on the state of Indian citizens’ constitutionally protected rights, he said, adding that India would not accept any foreign interference or judgement on matters related to its sovereignty.

Reuters news agency said it has reviewed a copy of the letter to Nishikant Dubey, an MP who had raised the issue of the panel’s report in parliament.

The US embassy in New Delhi referred all queries to the commission based in Washington, DC, which was not immediately available to respond.

Since taking power in 2014, India’s Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced criticism for attacks on Muslims and other minorities.

In its report in April, the USCIRF had called for the world’s biggest democracy to be designated a “country of particular concern”, along with China, Iran, Russia and Syria

The panel had urged sanctions against officials in Modi’s government after it excluded Muslims from the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) passed in December last year.

“In 2019, religious freedom conditions in India experienced a drastic turn downward, with religious minorities under increasing assault,” the report said.

The USCIRF is a bipartisan US government advisory body that monitors religious freedom abroad and makes non-binding policy recommendations.

This April, USCIRF had recommended that the state department include India on the list of “countries of special concern,” alongside 13 other countries which included China, Pakistan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Russia. This was the first time that the USCIRF had proposed the inclusion of India on the special list since 2004.

In the official rebuttal, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had highlighted the dissension within the commission. “We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report. Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own Commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly,” he stated.

In his speech on Wednesday, Pompeo referred to China, Nigeria, Nicaragua as countries which had special issues over religious freedom. However, there was no mention of India.

Hours later, Samuel Brownback, US ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom told foreign journalists that the US was very concerned about what was happening in India in terms of religious freedom.

In response to the 2019 International Religious Freedom Report that listed out incidents of atrocities against minorities and passage of controversial CAA, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Thursday again dismissed it.

“The report is published annually by the department of state as part of its legal requirement to the US Congress and is an internal document of the US government. India’s vibrant democratic traditions and practices are evident to the world. The people and government of India are proud of our country’s democratic traditions. We have a robust public discourse in India and constitutionally mandated institutions that guarantee protection of religious freedom and rule of law,” he claimed

Srivastava added that India’s position “remains that we see no locus standi for a foreign entity to pronounce on the state of our citizens’ constitutionally protected rights”.

Trump Wants India To Be Part Of Expanded G-7

Staff ReporterIndia, Politics, U.S. 0

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted President Trump’s invitation to attend the G-7 meet as a guest, and has also welcomed Trump’s proposal to include India in an expanded G-7.

The G-7 nations include the United States, Britain, France, Japan, Germany, Italy and Canada, and the European Union.

With the planned expansion, it’s unsure as to how the endgame is going to be. Trump is looking at “G-10 or G-11” with India, South Korea, Australia and Russia as additional members. The math is clear; it should become the G-11. Why G-10? Russia. It was kicked out of the group in 2014 (when G-8 became G-7) for annexing Crimea and it remains in the doghouse for most G-7 heads, who don’t share Trump’s enthusiasm for Russia.

But this uncertainty alone should not cast doubts on Trump’s plans for G-7 overhaul. Negotiators had looked at competing numbers for the 1997-99 expansion as well, but had settled on the smaller number to keep it manageable. India made it to that group.

The endgame is unclear, as it was then. Trump is looking at “G-10 or G-11” with India, South Korea, Australia and Russia as additional members. The math is clear; it should become the G-11. Why G-10? Russia. It was kicked out of the group in 2014 (when G-8 became G-7) for annexing Crimea and it remains in the doghouse for most G-7 heads, who don’t share Trump’s enthusiasm for Russia.

But this uncertainty alone should not cast doubts on Trump’s plans for G-7 overhaul. Negotiators had looked at competing numbers for the 1997-99 expansion as well, but had settled on the smaller number to keep it manageable. India made it to that group.

There was a clear need for a broader platform in 1997 to address challenges to global financial stability due to the widening economic crisis in Asian countries. And the G-20 provided an answer. The forum played an effective role after the 2008 crisis.

Trump’s expansion plan, on the other hand, is not well-thought-out. It does not appear to be about the coronavirus pandemic, the worst health crisis faced by the world in 100 years. If he believed in multilateralism to deal with it or prevent the next, he would have continued to fund the World Health Organization and forced to change it from within.

There was a clear need for a broader platform in 1997 to address challenges to global financial stability due to the widening economic crisis in Asian countries. And the G-20 provided an answer. The forum played an effective role after the 2008 crisis.

Trump’s expansion plan, on the other hand, is not well-thought-out. It does not appear to be about the coronavirus pandemic, the worst health crisis faced by the world in 100 years. If he believed in multilateralism to deal with it or prevent the next, he would have continued to fund the World Health Organization and forced to change it from within.

President Bill Clinton had broached the need for broadening the Group of Seven nations, called the G-7, in the wake of the Asian economic crisis of 1997. And that led to the launch of the G-20 in 1999, a group of 19 countries and the European Union. Today,  President Donald Trump, has called for expanding the same body, G-7, on the basis that it is “very outdated.”

It was unclear whether Trump’s desire to invite the additional countries was a bid to permanently expand the G7. On several previous occasions, he suggested Russia be added, given what he called Moscow’s global strategic importance.

Russia was expelled from what was then the G8 in 2014 when Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, was U.S. president, after Moscow annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine. Russia still holds the territory, and various G7 governments have rebuffed previous calls from Trump to readmit Moscow.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would postpone a Group of Seven summit he had hoped to hold next month until September or later and expand the list of invitees to include Australia, Russia, South Korea and India.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One during his return to Washington from Cape Canaveral in Florida, Trump said the G7, which groups the world’s most advanced economies, was a “very outdated group of countries” in its current format.

“I’m postponing it because I don’t feel that as a G7 it properly represents what’s going on in the world,” Trump said. Most European countries offered no immediate comment on the proposal, with a spokesman for the German government saying Berlin was “waiting for further information”.

The decision to postpone the G7 summit is a retreat for Trump, who had sought to host the group of major industrialized countries in Washington as a demonstration that the United States was returning to normal after the coronavirus epidemic, which has killed more than 113,000 Americans to date. Trump had canceled an in-person G7 meeting scheduled for March as the virus spread, but had recently sought to revive it.

French President Emmanuel Macron backed the idea of an in-person meeting, according to the White House. But Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to endorse it, saying there were too many health-related questions. This week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she could not attend.

South Korea is aware of Trump’s invitation and will discuss the matter with the United States, a government official in Seoul told Reuters on Sunday. It’s also not about the economic crisis that has accompanied the pandemic.

All Trump cares about, at this time, is his re-election prospects. That’s why German chancellor Angela Merkel, the sharpest of politicians in the western world, who has made it a practice to not visit the United States in election years, is skipping the summit, although, to be sure, she has other reasons.

Goldman Predicts A ‘Blue Wave’ In The November Elections

Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0
  • Goldman Sachs sees an increased possibility of a “blue wave” in the November elections, which could impact corporate profits and dividends.
  • That could lead to a partial or full reversal of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act corporate tax reform legislation.
  • “We estimate that a full reversal would lift the effective S&P 500 tax rate from 18% back to 26% and reduce our 2021 EPS forecast of $170 by $20 (11%) to $150,” Goldman vice president of equity strategy Cole Hunter and chief US strategist David Kostin wrote in a Thursday note.

Goldman Sachs said the possibility of a “blue wave,” or round of Democratic victories, is increasing ahead of the November 2020 elections.

“The 2020 election is just five months away, and prediction markets now price a 77%, 50%, and 51% likelihood of Democratic victories in the House, Senate, and presidential races, respectively,” Goldman vice president of equity strategy Cole Hunter and chief US strategist David Kostin wrote in a Thursday note.

According to Goldman, that could lead to a partial or full reversal of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, sweeping corporate tax reform legislation. Rolling the legislation back or dashing it entirely would have a negative impact on the earnings and dividends of companies, Goldman said.

“We estimate that a full reversal would lift the effective S&P 500 tax rate from 18% back to 26% and reduce our 2021 EPS forecast of $170 by $20 (11%) to $150,” Hunter and Kostin wrote.

The increasing odds of a Democratic “blue wave” in November have also raised the chances of a corporate tax hike, according to a Goldman Sachs report.

“The 2020 election is just five months away, and prediction markets now price a 77%, 50%, and 51% likelihood of Democratic victories in the House, Senate, and presidential races, respectively,” the report said.

“Our political economists believe that such an outcome could lead to a full or partial reversal of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act corporate tax reform legislation.”

Some of the major elements of the act, which was backed by congressional Republicans and the Trump administration, include reducing tax rates for businesses and individuals and reducing the alternative minimum tax for individuals and eliminating it for corporations.

The observation appeared in a study about how long-dated S&P 500 dividends are trading at a discount to the firm’s top-down estimates.

The report noted that the S&P 500 has surged 38% from its March 23 low. While long-dated S&P 500 dividend swaps and futures have historically traded with a high beta to the underlying equity index, the report said, the 2023 S&P 500 dividends per share has risen by only 7% during the period.

High beta stocks are those that are positively correlated with returns of the S&P 500, but at an amplified magnitude.

Fifty-six companies accounting for 8.1% of 2019 S&P 500 dividends per share have cut or suspended their payouts year-to-date as companies reassess their balance sheets in light of uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Airlines, cruise operators, hotels, casinos, retail, and energy companies account for much of the list, the report said, but dividend cuts have been fairly broad-based.

In addition to a possible Democratic victory, the report noted that the equity rally has been narrowly concentrated among firms that pay minimal or dividends.

Also, the recent higher move in equities has been driven by an expansion in P/E multiples rather than earnings growth.

Still, Goldman noted that high-tax-paying equities have actually outperformed their low-tax peers since March – gaining 44% and 38%, respectively. This could imply that investors may not be pricing in the risk of an increase in taxes, according to the note.

This is just one factor that Goldman sees contributing to the underperformance of long-dated dividends, the note said.

Other contributors include that the equity market has been disproportionately driven by valuation expansion as opposed to earnings growth. Also, the market has become increasingly concentrated in big-tech companies such as Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Google, Netflix, and Microsoft.

Meanwhile, a new national poll indicates that President Trump’s approval rating is dropping and that he trails Democratic challenger Joe Biden by double digits if November’s presidential election were held today.

According to a CNN survey released on Monday, the president’s approval rating stands at 38 percent, a dive of 7 percentage points from CNN’s previous poll, which was conducted in early May. And Trump’s disapproval rating jumped from 51 percent month ago to 57 percent now.

And the poll shows the former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee topping the GOP incumbent in the White House by 14 points — 55 to 41 percent. That’s nearly triple the 5-point margin – 51-46 percent – Biden led by a month ago in CNN polling.

The president, who rarely misses an opportunity to blast a poll that he doesn’t like, took to Twitter soon after the survey’s release to charge that “CNN Polls are as Fake as their Reporting.” CNN Polls are as Fake as their Reporting. Same numbers, and worse, against Crooked Hillary. The Dems would destroy America!, Trump wrote.

The 14-point lead for Biden in the new CNN survey is double the 7-point advantage for the former vice president over Trump in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Sunday. An average of the last national general election matchup polls compiled by RealClearPolitics indicates Biden on top by 7.8 percent over the president.

The CNN poll was conducted Tuesday through Friday – which means it questioned voters nearly entirely before Friday’s stunning unemployment report, which indicated 2.5 million jobs were created last month and that the nation’s jobless level had dropped. The numbers were boosted by states reopening their economies after being mostly shut in late March and April in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Indian American Community Mourns the Passing Away of Ramesh Patel, Chairman of FIA

Staff ReporterCommunity 0

Mr. Ramesh Patel, 78, the Chairman of The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and a veteran Indian American community leader has died of Covid-19 on Sunday, June 6th, 2020, a deadly pandemic that has consumed over 100,000 people’s lives in the United States.  He was under treatment for Covid-10 complications for over two months.

Mr. Patel was the proud recipient of prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor and many other National and International recognitions.  Mr. Patel is survived by his wife Suchetaben, his son, Dr. Suvash Patel, Daughers, Manisha and Kunjal, and their families.

India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu expressed condolences on the death of Patel. “Very sad to learn about the passing away of Ramesh Patel, the Founder Member and Chairperson of Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), after 2 month long fight against COVID-19. A highly respected Indian American Community leader, we will miss him very much. RIP!” Sandhu tweeted.

India’s Consul General in New York Sandeep Chakravorty tweeted that Patel’s death is a “big loss to the Indian American community.” “A pioneer who brought together the Community & worked on many issues. I particularly value his strong support to the Consulate,” Chakravorty tweeted.

In a condolence message sent to the Indian American community, announcing the passing away of Mr. Patel, Mr. Anil Bansal, the current President of FIA, said, “The loss of the effervescent Mr. Patel who is a doyen of the Indian American community and a man of many skills, is irreplaceable. The Founder of FIA, Mr. Patel has been the face of the organization since it was formed in 1970. In his death, we have a lost a great leader, pioneer, visionary and community leader who had dedicated his entire life for the Diaspora.”

“We as the members of the Indian community have lost a great visionary, who has been the pioneering community leader who was instrumental in bringing all the communities of Indian origin in the US together under one organization that has become the face of the Indian Diaspora,” Mr. Bansal added.

Indian American Community Mourns the Passing Away of Ramesh Patel, Chairman of FIAMr. Patel has grown with the expansion of FIA, just as this organization has grown with him as he led FIA to newer heights. He was responsible for rendering this most important organization of the Indian Diaspora to be among the largest umbrella organization representing over 500,000 Indian Americans in the tristate region.

It was his initiatives after the visit of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to the United States in the 1970’s that gave birth to FIA and the many accomplishments that this great organization is proud of today.

In 1970, a group of Indian-Americans led by Mr. Patel decided to form the Federation of Indian Associations in order to showcase India’s culture and history to the U.S., something that simultaneously allowed them to keep in touch with their roots and to bring them closer to each other and to India. FIA was founded with the goal of enhancing and promoting the rich culture and traditional values of the motherland and to achieve this goal the FIA,  the largest, non-profit umbrella organization in the tri-state area, was formed.

10 years later in 1981, FIA finally got a permit to host the first India Day Parade in New York City on Madison Avenue. There was only one float and around 100 people in the parade. Zubin Mehta was the Grand Marshall, along with the then Indian Ambassador to the US, Mr. K R Narayanan.

Thanks to community leaders such as Mr. Patel, FIA has a very illustrious and inspiring track record of the largest celebration of India’s Independence Day anywhere in the world. It has attracted thousands of spectators from the tri-state area and other states, representing a spectrum of diversified ethnicities of people,

The India Day Parade in New York has become the stellar milestone event celebrated to mark the Indian Independence Day. Mr. Patel emphasized the fact that FIA along with the celebrations of Indian Independence and Republic Day is also at the forefront in addressing and fighting for burning community issues like immigration, domestic injustice, discrimination, bias and hate crimes etc.

In the very beginning these celebrations were held in school and university auditoriums and finally in the 1981, FIA was able to get a permit to hold the first India Day Parade on Madison Avenue between 56th and 23rd Streets and thereafter got permission to hold it each year on the Sunday closest to Aug. 15.

As the head of one of the joint forensic sciences departments, Mr. Patel reflected in brief on how the parade as an event has evolved and how the support from the community needs to grow to further the outreach and grandeur of the parade festivities.  It is the only event in New York City that showcases India’s glory on a large scale.

Indian American Community Mourns the Passing Away of Ramesh Patel, Chairman of FIAA man who was recognized and was invited to meet and dine with almost every Prime Minister of India, diplomats and the US Senators and Congressmen in the past four decades, Mr. Patel advocated strongly for stronger cooperation between the world’s largest and greatest democracies. He had advocated for the India’s Nuclear Deal with the US and worked hard with the Senators and Congressmen to speak for India and the concerns of the Diaspora.

Mr. Patel had initiated the efforts to have the iconic Empire State Building lit in tricolor in celebration of Diwali and India’s Independence Day. The tower lights up with millions of festive lights in Orange, the color of the Diya or the lamp and cast a beautiful hue across the night sky of New York City spreading the message of oneness in celebrating the victory of good over evil.

In addition to organizing the largest Indian Day Parade in the world celebrating India’s Freedom, Mr. Patel was instrumental in imitating several noble initiatives for the wellbeing of the Indian American Community. He was in the forefront to voice our concerns to the US government and be the spokesperson for us.

Mr. Patel was instrumental in hosting the first ever First Indian Visa Camp in New Jersey, March 2015, spearheading the initiative to address problems Indian-Americans face to go through the consular process for visas and other documentation needed,

Mr. Patel served as President of the National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA) from 1992 to 1996 and as its Chairman from 1996 to 1998. While serving as President of FIA (1988-1990), Patel assisted in the NFIA organized First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin, held in New York in 1989, where Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) was formed.

Mr. Patel adored FIA and was elected President of FIA in 1988 and 1989. He served as the President of NFIA, and as the Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of FIA, until he breathed his last.

Vandana Sharma who had worked in USA as Regional Manager USA & Canada and is now in Delhi serving as the Deputy General Manager Commercial for Air India, said, “Ramesh Bhai was a vocal supporter and true friend of Air India. As Air Indiais the bridge between the land of birth and the land of karm, Ramesh Bhai valued the importance of sustaining and strengthening this bridge for the well being of the Indian American community. I am grateful for his staunch support to Air India and Air Indians. Today his energizing voice is silent. Today his contagious enthusiasm, his animated persona,  his laughing visage- have been stilled. His work to foster unity and harmony amidst celebration of cultural diversity will go on. His place in our hearts, will live on. Memories will overtime become a comforting blanket to guide and comfort those who live on.”

Mrs. Chitra Sarkar, Retired Executive Director Air India. Who has known Mr. Patel during her tenure in New York, said, “I’m deeply saddened to hear that Ramesh Bhai lost his courageous battle against the Corona virus. We will miss him very much, both personally and as Air Indians. Ramesh Bhai was on a mission for the good of India and the Indian American community – he had dedicated his life to this cause, and succeeded at it so well. It will be difficult to find another father-figure like him. We pray for the peace of his soul. Please take good care of your health in this hour of grief.”

Seema Andhare who was Air India’s Regional Director USA & Canada. And now living in Pune, India, said in a message, “I’m saddened by this news and most because of a prolonged suffering due Covid virus. I remember him as a most energetic sincere personality. He always had a soft spot for us all at Air India and found time to chat with me whenever he could despite being a busy person with numerous Indian community events. Like you said he remembered names and never failed to acknowledge us past RDs by name whenever the occasion arose.  He was large hearted and gracious and had the requisite personality to carry his community members forward – lending guidance and a helping hand. I last met him about 2 years back when I was in NYC and we had nice talk reminiscing about our earlier interactions when I was posted there.”

Mr. Andy Bhatia, Past President of FIA and a current BOT Member, described Mr. Patel as “one of a kind, who had dedicated his life for the betterment of his fellow human beings and especially the Indian American community. His dedication to serve the community will never be forgotten. His legacy will live on. He leaves behind a young and dedicated team that will carry on his work in serving the community. As a visionary, Mr. “Patel had mentored and groomed many of our young men and women for leadership roles. They all called him ‘Kakka’ affectionately and Suchita’Kakki’. We mourn his loss but the best tribute we can pay to him is to celebrate his life- a well lived life in service of others,” Mr. Andy Bhatia added.

Mr. Bhatia, while describing him as “a very good friend of Air India. There is 14 days morning period and Zoom prayers  are being held every night at 9 pm for next two weeks for the departed soul. He was one of a kind and dedicated his life for the well-being of Indian community. I remember he used to tell people at gatherings to fly AI so that the money goes to the airline of mother India.”

NFIA President Angela Anand said, “NFIA family is saddened to learn the passing away of Ramesh Patel, a fixture of India Independence Day parade on the streets of New York with film personalities as parade marshal with lot of pomp and show,”

 “His legacy will live on and his contributions to India and Indian Americans of this country will be remembered for a long time to come – a vacuum requiring dedication by several which he did year after year with little help from others in fund raising to make the event successful, “ Mr. Anand added.

 GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham said, “Ramesh should be credited with highly successful India Day Parade in New York City, year after year, from the late 1980s. There are only very few community leaders in the USA who have over forty years of continuous community service and we will miss him in our community campaign and service activities,” Dr. Abraham added.

Calling Mr. Rameshbhai Patel as “a very visionary dynamic veteran community leader with a distinguished track record of community service for 55 years,” Mr. Chandrakant Trivedi, a member of FIA’s BOT said, “He was the champion of community causes. He was the pillar of Indian American Community and a very bold leader. He was a great patriot and was loved by his vast circle of friends all over the world. He fought with authorizes for the sake of the Indian American community and advocated for Simpson Mazoli Immigration Bill, Dot Buster, and to deny military weapons to Pakistan that were often used to undermine India.”

Ms. Indu Jaiswal, Chairperson of Indian American Forum Inc,. said in a  message: “We are extremely sad to hear the news of passing away of Mr Ramesh Patel. He and his family are well known in the Tri state area for their leadership, support and contributions.  We express our condolences to their families. Please keep them in your prayers. Our prayers, condolences and sympathies are for the family.”

To pay homage and pray for his dep0arted soul, a Drive By Viewing has been planned for Thursday, June 11th from 4 to 8 pm.

 “In his death, we have a lost a great leader, pioneer, visionary and community leader who has dedicated his entire life for the Diaspora. I want express my sincere condolences to Mr. Patels’s family and all of his dear ones,” Mr. Anil Bansal, President of FIA, added.

NRIs Criticize Vandalizing Of Mahatma Gandhi’s Statue In Washington, DC

Staff ReporterCommunity 0

The vandalisation of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Washington DC is disrespectful and such incidents do not bring people together, top US lawmakers have said.

The statue, which is across the road from the Indian Embassy, was vandalised with graffiti and spray painting on Wednesday, prompting the mission to register a complaint with the local law enforcement agencies.

The incident happened during the week of nationwide protests against the custodial killing of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. The incident is reported to have taken place on the intervening night of June 2 and 3, officials said.

It was an appalling low point in the gross vandalism, looting and arson that accompanied nationwide protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd: the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, in Washington, DC, was desecrated with graffiti and spray paint by unidentified miscreants, earlier this week.

The mindless vandalism of the statue drew widespread condemnation, including from the Trump campaign, who termed it “very disappointing”. The State Department said: “We condemn this disrespectful act and are working with the relevant authorities and the Embassy of India to rectify the situation.” The US Ambassador to India Ken Juster apologized, tweeting, “So sorry to see the desecration of the Gandhi statue in Wash, DC. Please accept our sincere apologies.”

“More evidence that violent radicals and run of the mill crazies have hijacked legitimate protests to create anarchy or for their own purposes,” Senator Marco Rubio said on Thursday.

“It’s disgraceful to see the defacing of the Gandhi statue in DC,” North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis said. “Gandhi was a pioneer of peaceful protesting, demonstrating the great change it can bring. Rioting, looting and vandalizing do not bring us together, he said.

“It is sad to learn that the statue of greatest apostolate of Peace, Gandhiji in Washington, DC was vandalized last night, a person who stood for peace, racial harmony and equality in the world,” said Dr. Sampat Shivangi, President Indo-American Political Forum, Inc, and a veteran leader of AAPI.

An Indian Embassy spokesperson has said,” Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in front of the Embassy was vandalized with graffiti/spray paint by unknown persons during the late hours of Tuesday, 2 June, 2020.”

“The embassy has taken up the matter with the US Department of State for early investigation into the matter, as also with the Metropolitan Police and National Park Service,” the spokesperson said.

The embassy is working with the US Department of State, Metropolitan Police and National Park Service for expeditious restoration of the statue at the park.

According to the Indian Embassy website, the sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi is cast in bronze as a statue to a height of 8 feet 8 inches. It shows Gandhi in stride, as a leader and man of action evoking memories of his 1930 protest march against salt-tax, and the many padyatras (long marches) he undertook throughout the length and breadth of the Indian sub-continent.

Since its inception in 2000, the beloved statue of the Apostle of Peace, installed on a triangular island along Massachusetts Avenue, in front of the Embassy of India, is garlanded and honored every year by the Indian Ambassador to the US, on Gandhi’s birth anniversary, on October 2nd.

Devotional songs are sung; community members flock to it. The day earmarks a quiet celebration of the Mahatma’s extraordinary life and legacy that touched millions of people around the world; made a huge difference in dozens of freedom struggle and peace movements, including here in the US.

The statue, designed by Kolkata sculptor Gautam Pal, was a gift from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and was dedicated on September 16, 2000, during a state visit of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the presence of President Bill Clinton, according to Wikipedia.

The 2.64 m bronze statue depicts Gandhi in ascetic garb, in reference to his famous 1930 salt march. It’s mounted on a 16-ton plinth of ruby granite from Ilkal, Karnataka, standing in a circular plaza of gray granite pavers. Behind it are three slabs of Karnataka red granite with inscriptions honoring Gandhi’s memory, and in front of it is a seat also of red granite. The statue bears an inscription with Gandhi’s answer to a journalist who asked for his message to the world: “My life is my message.”

While Gandhi never visited the US, his influence on the peace movement here was huge, and striking his statue is akin to defacing a statue of Martin Luther King Jr.

Charles C. Walker, writing in MKGandhi.org, noted Gandhi’s influence on the peace movement in the US was felt as early as the 1920s. An early and effective exponent of Gandhi’s ideas here was John Haynes Holmes, a prominent Unitarian minister and reformer, and an outspoken pacifist in World War I. He first set forth his discovery of Gandhi in a sermon titled “The Christ of Today” which was widely circulated. In another sermon in 1922 called “Who is the Greatest Man in the World Today?” his designation of Gandhi amazed many listeners, most of whom had never heard the name before.

Walker wrote that Reinhold Niebuhr, an influential figure in religious circles and in movements for social justice, as far back as 1932 urged American Negroes to adopt satyagraha in the struggle for racial justice.

In the magazine The World Tomorrow (1934), Cranston Clayton argued that Gandhian methods were especially appropriate to the American scene and were necessary as a stage beyond the traditional methods of persuasion and education. It was not until two decades later that this idea began to flower in the civil rights movement.

Indian historian Ramachandra Guha, writing in the Wall Street Journal, last year, which was also the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma, noted that Gandhi’s struggle in India was widely reported in the African-American press. Thinkers such as W.E.B. Du Bois and E. Franklin Frazier wrote about him, and several influential African-Americans visited him to seek advice, including Howard Thurman, later a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thurman wrote of how he had been subjected to an intense examination by the Indian leader: “persistent, pragmatic questions about American Negroes, about the course of slavery, and how we had survived it.” As Thurman prepared to leave, Gandhi offered him this hopeful prediction, wrote Guha: “It may be through the Negroes that the unadulterated message of nonviolence will be delivered to the world.”

The philosophy and inspiration life story of Gandhi was taken up by King, is noted by Bloomberg columnist Mihir Sharma, who this week, wrote that “When Americans debate non-violent protest in moral terms, they miss the point. It is not a purely moral question; it is about both morality and tactics. Gandhi and King were politicians who recognized that they needed to create demonstrations of will and also of moral superiority if they wanted to change minds. Choosing violence instead, they argued, would only justify – in the oppressors’ minds – further repression.”

Obviously, the violent protesters who vent their anger on the statue, never came close to understanding that. Those protesters, who never might have heard of President Obama’s wish to dine with Gandhi, when asked the one person in history he would like to do so, might well heed the words of Georgia Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights movement leader, who said: “Rioting,

Poorna Jagannathan On Her Role In Netflix Comedy Never Have I Ever

Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

Back in April last year, writer and actress Mindy Kaling tweeted an open casting call for her upcoming semi-autobiographical Netflix show centered around the complexities of navigating life as a first-generation Indian-American teenager. On offer were the show’s three pivotal parts – the lead role of a high school sophomore, the role of the 40-something mother, and that of the 20-something cousin from India. Part of the reason for opening up – and by extension, democratising – the casting process on social media stemmed from Kaling’s dissatisfaction at seeing “28-year-old, gorgeous Bollywood stars audition for parts” they looked nothing like.

A total of 15,0000 applicants poured in, including 18-year-old Canadian newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan who was eventually cast in the titular role of Devi Vishwakumar. The other two parts went to Indian-American actresses Richa Moorjani who stars as Kamala, Devi’s attractive cousin and Poorna Jagannathan – last seen in the second season of Big Little Lies – plays Devi’s widowed mother Nalini. From the onset, Kaling made one thing clear: striving for authenticity was the show’s raison d’être.

A year later, that calling card comes to a head in the fourth episode of Never Have I Ever, the 10-part Netflix series Kaling co-created with writer Lang Fisher, which makes a train-wreck out of representation, flattening cultural specificities into recognizable theatrics.

If you’ve owned a television set in the last decade, there’s a very good chance you’ve encountered Poorna Jagannathan. Since starring in the 2011 Bollywood classic Delhi Belly, the Tunisia-born actress has won praise for her performances in a number of acclaimed shows, including Big Little Lies, Better Call Saul, and The Night Of, where she portrayed an immigrant mother whose life is torn apart after her son is falsely accused of murder.

Jagannathan can currently be seen in the Apple TV+ drama Defending Jacob as well as the new Netflix comedy Never Have I Ever, where she plays Nalini Vishwakumar, a widowed woman from India raising her 15-year-old daughter, Devi, in a California suburb. In an assessment of the show, the critic Sonia Saraiya wrote in Vanity Fair that she’s “seen a lot of actors attempt to flesh out the stereotypically demanding Indian mom, but I’ve never seen anyone do it as well as Jagannathan does.”

Jagannathan recently spoke with Asia Blog about her current projects, what she looks for when considering a role, and her work as an advocate for gender equality in India.

What do you look for when you consider a new project? Is there an underlying thread between the various characters you play?

Definitely good writing. I like to portray roles where the writing does the heavy lifting and then acting feels effortless. The emotion behind a scene or the humor just flies off the page, without you having to work at making it work.

What attracted you to the role of Nalini Vishnakumar? How much do you identify with her? How are you and her different?

Poorna Jagannathan On Her Role In Netflix Comedy Never Have I EverThere’s a lot about my character that I relate to. My son is 13 and close in age to Devi, who is 15. So you’ll actually see some ways I parent on screen. Especially the shouting parts! But Nalini is a lot more traditional and strict than I am; she’s someone who holds her emotions in, which I don’t. What really drew me to the character is the writing. She’s a richly written, nuanced character. And as an actor, you’re only as good as the writing. Nalini gave me the opportunity to portray an immigrant woman’s journey and explore one of the most universally fraught relationships: that of mother and daughter.

I actually say “no” to a lot of roles that have immigrant Indian women in them, because they are usually portrayed as caricatures: submissive and preoccupied with getting their children married off. Their own stories are hugely subsumed by these tropes. But in this show, I got to play a single mother, who is in grief, dealing with the loss of her beloved husband. She is an immigrant awkwardly straddling two cultures and raising a daughter who is out of control. This show is targeted to young adults, but it contains very adult themes: that of isolation and tremendous loss.

There were scenes that were so emotionally hard to shoot, like the scene with the lovely Sendhil Ramamurthy, who plays my husband where he’s consoling me after a miscarriage. Or the last episode where we are throwing his ashes into the sea. At a time in America where immigrants are seen as the enemy, shows like this and Netflix’s Gentefied go a long way in shifting perception and creating empathy.

At a time in America where immigrants are seen as the enemy, shows like this and Netflix’s Gentefied go a long way in shifting perception and creating empathy.

What struck me when watching Never Have I Ever is that the show resists shopworn archetypes for Devi and her friends — the teenagers are presented with more nuance than we’re accustomed to seeing. What insight did portraying Nalini give you into the lives of high schoolers today? How are they different from previous generations?

We’re so used to seeing the life of white teenagers documented on screen. We’ve grown up knowing about their struggles, their headspace, and their internal life, endlessly portrayed in movie after movie. And not that teens of color grapple with totally different things — being a teenager is somewhat a universal thing. But it’s refreshing to see a show with teenagers of color have to add their race and culture into the mix, on top of everything else. The notion of belonging is really important as a teen and is definitely heightened when it comes to teens of color.

In addition to Never Have I Ever, you’re also starring in a show on Apple TV+ called Defending Jacob. What was that experience like? And how does it feel to be involved with two projects airing at the same time that are so different in their tone and stories?

I had a wonderful time shooting Defending Jacob. I have huge respect for Mark Bomback, the writer. And I really love how that show turned out. I was floored by the acting on set: Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaedyn Martell, and Cherry Jones will blow you away. Their acting is so moment-to-moment and steeped in realism. Again, Jaedyn — like [Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan] — is so young and is able to carry a show effortlessly.

You’ve been an outspoken advocate for gender equality in India, particularly in the wake of a notorious gang rape and murder in Delhi in 2012. To what extent have gender relations in the country changed since then?

We’ve become more aware of the epidemic of sexual violence. We have become more vocal about it. We are using the right language to describe it. Sexual assault used to be called “molesting” by some, and that’s really not what it is. But we have such a long way to go. Victim blaming and shaming is still the go-to mechanism. And as the recent “BoisLockerRoom” incident shows, teaching young boys about consent and respect is where the work needs to be done. And there really hasn’t been much progress in that space.

US unemployment rate falls to 13.3%

Staff ReporterFinance/Economy 0

The US labor market improved unexpectedly in May raising hopes that economic damage tied to the pandemic will be less harmful than feared. The unemployment rate fell to 13.3%, down from 14.7% in April, as businesses started hiring again.

Firms in the food, construction and health care sectors took on staff. In total, employers added 2.5 million jobs, with the education and retail sectors also recruiting. It came as US states started rolling back some of the tough measures put in place to control the spread of the coronavirus.

The job gains surprised economists, many of whom had warned the country could see the unemployment rate rise past 20% to a post-World War Two high.

Economist Justin Wolfers, a professor at the University of Michigan, tweeted: “It’s hard to escape the conclusion that the economy bottomed in early/mid May,” he said. “We’re in a massive and deep hole, and it’ll take a while to climb out, but at least the hole isn’t getting any deeper.”

President Donald Trump, who has maintained the economic rebound will be swift, immediately took to Twitter to celebrate the numbers and claim credit. “Really Big Jobs Report. Great going President Trump (kidding but true)!” he wrote.

‘Worst is behind’

The gains go only a small way towards making up for the more than 21 million jobs US employers cut in March and April, as lockdowns forced many businesses to shut their doors. In April, the unemployment rate hit 14.7%, the highest level since the Great Depression in the 1930s.

But Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said the report showed that the economic re-opening has been more robust than thought.

“It appears that the worst of the coronavirus’s impact on the nation’s job markets is behind us,” he said.

The news cheered investors, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 up more than 2%, continuing a recovery in share prices from their March lows.

The job gains were not limited to the US.

In Canada, employers added 290,000 jobs – far more than expected. However, the unemployment rate shot to 13.7% – the highest level on record in data back to 1976.

‘Easy part of the recovery’?

As recently as February, the jobless rate in the US was hovering at 50-year lows of 3.5%.

On Friday, economists warned the path of the economic recovery still remained uncertain. They pointed out that the hiring in May came as the government released billions of dollars in emergency aid to businesses to cover wages for employees, encouraging recipients to recall staff.

Hiring by restaurants and bars accounted for roughly half of the jobs created last month. Dentist offices accounted for another 10%.

Many of the gains also came from individuals who had told surveyors that their layoffs were temporary.

“This means this was all the easy part of the recovery,” said economist Jason Furman, a top economic advisor to President Barack Obama.

The losses have hit minority and low-wage workers hardest, a trend that continued in May.

Among white workers, the unemployment rate fell to 12.4% from 14.2% in April. Unemployment also declined among Hispanic workers, from 18.9% to 17.6%.

For black workers, however, the unemployment rate ticked up from 16.7% to 16.8%.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption As businesses start reopening, firms are beginning to rehire employees

The US Labor Department has warned that the headline figures in recent months may underestimate the true jobless rate, due to discrepancies in how people describe their out-of-work status.

Economists say the unemployment rate is likely to still be about 10% at the end of the year – still quite high, and comparable to the peak following the financial crisis.

“We still think it will be a long time before the labour market is anywhere near back to its pre-virus state,” said Michael Pearce, senior US economist at Capital Economics.

But at a press conference on Friday, Mr Trump rejected those forecasts.

“We’ll go back to having the greatest economy anywhere in the world,” he said. “This is a rocket ship.”

Wealth Of US Billionaires Rose By $565 Billion During Pandemic

Staff ReporterBusiness, Finance/Economy 0

The past three months have been financially painful for many Americans — but not for billionaires.  However, US billionaires have become $565 billion richer since March 18, according to a report published last week by the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank.

Total wealth for billionaires now stands at $3.5 trillion, up 19% from the low point near the beginning of the pandemic, the report said. Amazon (AMZN) boss Jeff Bezos alone is worth $36.2 billion more than he was on March 18.

Since that day, nearly 43 million Americans have filed for initial unemployment benefits. Lower-income workers, especially in travel and service-sector jobs, have been hit particularly hard by the health crisis.

With the anxiety and distress you may be feeling, wearing clothes that are in any way uncomfortable is simply not an option.

The numbers put an exclamation point on the deep divide between haves and have-nots that is helping to fuel unrest across the United States. Wealth inequality is likely to get even worse because of this crisis, experts say.

The acceleration of wealth for the richest Americans is being driven by the remarkable recovery of the stock market, which has skyrocketed in large part because of unprecedented action from the Federal Reserve.

“The stock market taking off — and decoupling from the real economy — is exacerbating inequality,” said Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist at Invesco.

Despite the turmoil on the streets of US cities and a record 43 million Americans filing for unemployment benefits, the Nasdaq is on the cusp of hitting record highs — an astonishing feat that underscores how quickly Wall Street has rebounded.

The Fed’s emergency response, including slashing interest rates to zero and promising to buy unlimited amounts of bonds, was designed to make risky assets like stocks look more attractive. Investors have essentially been forced to gamble on equities — and Big Tech in particular is benefiting from that.

Large tech companies aren’t just surviving during the pandemic — many of them are thriving. The crisis has made Amazon, for instance, even more essential than it already was. Amazon shares have spiked 47% from their mid-March lows.

Facebook (FB) also swiftly recovered to record highs. The net worth of Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s co-founder and CEO, has climbed $30.1 billion since March 18, the IPS report found.

The report calculated billionaire wealth using data provided by the Forbes Global Billionaires List, a real-time assessment of net worth. March 18 is used as the starting date because that is the date tied to the 2020 Forbes Global Billionaire survey. It also roughly matches up with when US states and the federal government began imposing health restrictions.

Other tech power players have also amassed more wealth over the past three months. The net worth of Tesla (TSLA) boss Elon Musk, Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page and former Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer have all climbed by $13 billion or more apiece since March 18, the report found.

Unemployment could soon hit nearly 20%

Meanwhile, the United States has been gripped by mass unemployment caused by social distancing requirements imposed to fight the pandemic.

Economists expect Friday’s jobs report to show the United States lost another 8 million jobs in May, lifting the pandemic tally to 28.5 million — three times the number of jobs lost during the Great Recession. The unemployment rate is expected to climb to nearly 20%, higher than it’s been since the Great Depression.

“Surging billionaire wealth juxtaposed with the suffering and plight of millions undermines the social solidarity required for us to recover together in the years ahead,” Chuck Collins, co-author of the IPI report, said in a statement.

Of course, millions of average Americans are also benefiting from the V-shaped recovery in the stock market. The rebound has lifted the value of investment portfolios, pension funds and retirement accounts. Even just betting on a vanilla fund that tracks the S&P 500 would have given investors a tidy return of nearly 40% since the March 23 lows.

About 52% of families owned stocks directly or indirectly through retirement plans like 401(k)s, according to 2016 stats from the Federal Reserve.

Yet a surging stock market helps the rich more than the rest of the country. That’s because the top 10% of households owned 84% of all stocks in 2016, according to NYU professor Edward Wolff.

These trends help explain the unrest that has gripped the United States. Although the initial catalyst was police brutality, the protests and riots are taking place in a nation divided across racial and economic lines. And those fault lines appear to be growing during the pandemic.

“You’ve got a combustible concoction of lost income and inequality,” said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM International.

Condemning Racism

Staff ReporterCommunity 0

By Michael Dimock and Susan K. Urahn

As Americans, we are appalled and heartbroken by the death of George Floyd. His name—along with Ahmaud Arbery’s and Breonna Taylor’s—is among the most recent we have come to know. We mourn them all. And in doing so, we are reminded that many of our fellow citizens have lost their lives to bigotry and racism, and that there are others whose stories we have yet to hear.

Systemic racism is an unacceptable aspect of our culture. It has deep roots. But that does not mean that it cannot be examined, recognized, and addressed.

For decades, we have sought to understand and explain the unique experience of people of color in the United States. In 1995, The Pew Charitable Trusts began funding public opinion surveys designed to examine the trends shaping our nation. Since its establishment in 2004, the Pew Research Center has focused on race and ethnicity as a key variable in explaining the full spectrum of the American experience: economics, family, work, politics, technology, identity, and faith. It has included deep dives into the views and experience of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, and those of mixed racial and ethnic heritage.

We know that the experience of black Americans is different than that of white Americans in many ways. The Center’s exploration of issues of discrimination, policing, and online harassment make that clear. In 2019, for example, its “Race in America” report showed that among those who say being black hurts people’s ability to succeed, 84% of black Americans— compared with 54% of white Americans—say racial discrimination is a major reason why blacks may have a harder time getting ahead. And African Americans are roughly five times as likely as whites to report having been unfairly stopped by police.

While the Pew Research Center has rigorously documented these and other disparities and experiences, The Pew Charitable Trusts has sought ways to directly address some of the challenges that disproportionately affect people of color, including incarceration, juvenile justice, debt, and access to credit. We will continue to listen, learn, document disparities, and work toward much-needed change.

The protests across the country—many peaceful, some sadly violent—reflect the anxiety, rage, and helplessness that many people feel so acutely at this moment. We hope to contribute to national conversations that are long overdue and seek data-driven solutions to some of the obvious problems our country faces.

First and foremost, as nonprofit leaders devoted to making a difference, we want to hear more from our employees. Building an inclusive, respectful culture is hard work. It begins in our own workplaces and in our own families. It requires solid information and data, but it also requires difficult personal conversations that allow individuals to share their thoughts, experiences, anger, and sadness.

We also intend to deepen our examination of America, what divides us as well as what binds us. There are uncomfortable truths and diverse voices that need to be understood if we are to move forward as a nation. The unique experiences of people of color must be conveyed, in all their pain and strength, in order to be heard and then addressed. We are committed to that goal and stand with our many partners doing the difficult work of confronting racism and working for a better America.

Google Being Sued For $5 Billion

Staff ReporterScience & Technology 0

Search engine Google is being sued for $5 billion in a class action suit filed in a California court for violation of its users’ privacy, even when they browse in the incognito mode. A similar case was filed last week too. So what wrong has Google committed?

The suit alleges that “Google tracks and collects consumer browsing history and other web activity data no matter what safeguards consumers undertake to protect their data privacy”, such as in the incognito mode and thereby gains “a complete, cradle-to-grave profile” of the users without their consent. Among other things, it accuses Google of “collecting, at minimum, the consumer’s IP address, browser and device information and the webpage content that the consumer is actually looking at”.

What’s incognito mode: Google’s incognito mode offers people the chance to keep their browsing history private, especially on shared devices, claiming that none of a user’s “browsing history, cookies and site data, or information entered in forms are saved” on the device. It also adds that even “Chrome doesn’t tell websites, including Google, when you’re browsing privately in Incognito mode”.

However…Google also cautions users that their browsing history even in incognito mode is still visible to their school, employer or their internet service provider. It also says that the incognito mode doesn’t “prevent the websites you visit from serving ads based on your activity during an incognito session”.

The billions: The petitioners however contend that not only is Google’s snooping in on their browsing history in incognito mode, but that the company was benefitting monetarily from this privacy breach. According to the petitioners, Google has collected and sold off its users’ personal information to third party advertisers — with data on web browsing histories fetching $52 per year as per a study cited in the suit, with the highest value reserved for details like Social Security Number, which is worth $240, while credit card details are worth $150.

The penalty: The petitioners say that since Google has violated the privacy of people numbering in multiples of million, each should receive more than $5,000 at the very least — which would make the minimum payout due $5 billion, if Google loses. However, considering that there are 1.5 billion active account users….you can do the math!

The lawsuit is aiming to utilize the Federal Wiretap Act that provides users with the right to sue if their private communications are intercepted.
A Google spokesperson denied the claim.

“We strongly dispute these claims, and we will defend ourselves vigorously against them,” a Google spokesperson was quoted a saying.

“Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the choice to browse the internet without your activity being saved to your browser or device. As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session,” the company spokesperson added.

Many users think that once they are logged into Internet via Incognito Mode, their search history isn’t being tracked.

Incognito mode within Google’s Chrome browser gives users the choice to search the internet without their activity being saved to the browser or device.

But the websites visited can use tools such as Google Analytics to track the usage.

A joint study from Microsoft, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pennsylvania last year investigated 22,484 sex websites using a tool called “webXray” revealed that 93 per cent of pages track and leak users’ data to third-party organisations.

“Tracking on these sites is highly concentrated by a handful of major companies,” said the researchers who identified 230 different companies and services tracking users in their sample.

Of non-pornography-specific services, Google tracks 74 per cent of sites, Oracle 24 per cent and Facebook 10 per cent, said the study.

Air India opens bookings to US, Canada

Staff ReporterTravel 0

75 special repatriation flights to 7 US and Canadian cities between June 5 & June 30

State-run carrier Air India has opened bookings for around 300 flights to various destinations in the USA, Canada, UK and Europe under phase-3 of the Vande Bharat Mission. The move resulted in “overwhelming” demand from travelers as the airline received around six crore hits on its website during the first two hours of opening the bookings.

“Demand for seats from India on flights planned under Mission Vande Bharat-3 is overwhelming. Sectors/ Flights are being opened in a systematic manner for booking, on the website,” AIR INDIA tweeted.

“Those who wish to travel to US and Canada and fulfil required entry conditions can book themselves on these outbound flights. Some foreign airlines have already carried out evacuation flights & are planning to operate more flights. These flights will also take foreign nationals,” Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed on Twitter on Wednesday.

However, he added that normal international civil aviation operations will only start when the situation normalises. “Right now most of our metro cities are under some form of restrictions due to which people from other cities cannot travel to catch flights and we also have a requirement for mandatory quarantine on arrival. We have to wait for the domestic operations to touch about 50-60 per cent and consider the behaviour of the virus and its spread to fully lift these restrictions and lockdown. Till then flights under Vande Bharat Mission are facilitating both inbound and outbound international passengers,” he said in a series of tweets.

Also, the behaviour of the virus and its spread will be taken into account before a decision is taken about international travel. Till then flights under Vande Bharat Mission are facilitating both inbound and outbound international passengers, the minister said.

According to the latest MHA guidelines, international flights can resume in the third phase of unlocking, which does not yet have a tentative deadline to it.

The airline later tweeted again, “Bookings for select destinations in USA, Canada, UK & Europe etc under Phase3 of #MissionVandeBharat opened at 5pm today. Around 60 million hits received till 7 pm on our website & 1700 seats sold through website alone in 2 hrs. Bookings continue & tickets are being issued.”

The third phase of the mission will begin from (Thursday) June 11 and continue till June 30. Air India will operate five flights in this phase of Vande Bharat Mission to evacuate nearly 1,200 Indians nationals stranded in the UK between June 18 to June 23. The airline will operate 70 flights to evacuate Indians stranded in the US and Canada between June 11 to June 30, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said.

How Americans envision a post-pandemic world order

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Many Americans are anticipating changes in the global balance of power and the importance of international cooperation even as the coronavirus outbreak continues to rage across the United States and around the world, according to three recent Pew Research Center surveys. Americans are divided in their outlooks, mainly along ideological lines, but are more united on opinions relating to China’s place in the world.

Here are four key findings on how Americans view the reshaping of international relations from surveys of U.S. adults conducted from March to May 2020.

  1. Half of Americans expect China’s global influence to wane after the pandemic. China’s response to the virus has been met with disapproval by many Americans, half of whom believe the country’s international reputation will take a hit as a result of the virus. About a third (31%) of Americans think China’s influence will remain the same, and roughly a fifth (17%) expect it will grow.

A sizable majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents think Chinese influence will be negatively impacted by the pandemic, compared with only four-in-ten Democrats and independents who lean toward the party.

On the other hand, Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to expect China’s power to increase after the outbreak.

Americans’ perceptions of China’s military strength relative to other major military powers have also fallen. Just 6% of Americans now view China as the world’s top military power – down from 12% in 2016 – though three-in-ten still see China as the leading economic power. And only 4% of Americans think a situation in which China is the world’s leading power would be better for the world than one in which the U.S. is dominant.

Still, many Americans see Chinese power and influence as a major threat to the U.S. That share has climbed 14 percentage points since 2018.

  1. Many Americans say the outbreak will have no impact on their country’s international standing. The largest share of Americans (41%) expect U.S. influence in world affairs to be about the same after the coronavirus outbreak compared to beforehand. The rest are evenly split, with 29% saying the U.S. will have more influence and less influence, respectively.

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to think the U.S. will have more influence in world affairs, while Democrats are more likely than Republicans to think their country’s international standing will decline.

Meanwhile, a clear majority of liberal Democrats think the U.S. will emerge from the pandemic with its international reputation diminished.

Despite relatively few Americans expecting an expansion of U.S. influence after the pandemic, this year has seen a marked increase in the shares that see the U.S. as a top power, both economically and militarily. About six-in-ten Americans think their country has the world’s strongest economy, increasing from only half in 2019. Similarly, about eight-in-ten think the U.S. is the world’s leading military power, an increase from 72% in 2016. In addition, an overwhelming majority of Americans agree that the world would be better off with the U.S. as the leading power, rather than China.

  1. Most expect the European Union’s influence in world affairs to be unchanged by the pandemic. A majority of Americans say the EU will emerge from the pandemic with roughly the same amount of influence in world affairs as it had beforehand, while about a fifth think its position will improve and a similar share expect its power to decline.

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to think the EU’s influence will be weaker after the outbreak, while Democrats are more likely than Republicans to think it will be stronger.

Currently, only 4% of Americans consider the EU the world’s dominant economy.

  1. There is no consensus on the future of global cooperation. Americans are about evenly split in their expectations on the direction of international cooperation after the outbreak, with 35% expecting countries to increase their focus on cooperation after the outbreak, 29% expecting more focus on countries’ own national interest and 34% expecting no change in the extent to which countries cooperate with one another.

While Americans are largely split on whether they think the outbreak will result in enhanced global cooperation, most agree that cooperation is a priority for their country. About six-in-ten (62%) think many of the problems facing the U.S. can be solved by working with other countries. Similarly, 61% think the U.S. should consider the interests of other countries rather than following its own interests alone.

Adults under 30 are more likely than older adults to expect no changes in international cooperation to result from the outbreak – 46% of Americans ages 18 to 29 think the status quo will be maintained, compared with only about a third of 30- to 49-year-olds and those 50 and older.

The Humanitarian Cost of COVID-19

Staff ReporterCommunity, Health 0
The coronavirus has wreaked havoc throughout the world. Industrialized economies with world-renowned health systems have struggled with hundreds of thousands of cases of COVID-19, tens of thousands of deaths, and significant economic disruption. But what has been, and what could be, the experience of extremely vulnerable populations who are already in precarious situations — those in fragile states throughout the world, in war zones such as Syria and Yemen, and in refugee camps such as the Rohingya in Bangladesh? How can unprepared and under-resourced health systems respond? How can the international community coordinate a humanitarian response to help attend to the health crisis, as well as the ensuing impacts on already frail communities facing challenging political, economic, and security situations?
In order to assess these questions, Asia Society Policy Institute President Kevin Rudd spoke last week with two experts — former U.K. Foreign Secretary and current International Rescue Committee President and CEO David Miliband and former U.N. Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and now the University of London’s SOAS Director Valerie Amos.
One issue that both Miliband and Amos highlighted was declining American leadership in global institutions. They noted that the Trump administration’s announcement on Friday that the U.S. would withdraw from the World Health Organization has hampered these institutions’ ability to respond on the ground to crises like COVID-19.
 “When you have a pandemic like this that is affecting countries in a very deep way, countries aren’t necessarily going to raise their hands and take on the leadership that is required,” said Amos. “There’s a vacuum there that’s very hard to fill.”

The Indian Overseas Congress condemns the act of violence, racism

Staff ReporterCommunity 0

The Indian Overseas Congress strongly condemns the act of violence, racism, and eventually, the death of George Floyd. IOC, USA believes in the ideals of the Founding father of India – Mahatma Gandhi, who taught the world that discrimination of any sort (based in religion caste, color) is unacceptable.

George Abraham – Vice Chairman (IOC, USA) condemned the racial killing of George Floyd and appealed for peace and sanity. He said that the desecration of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest apostle of peace, was not acceptable and said that protests should be peaceful, non-violent, and meaningful. If a segment of the citizenry strongly feels that there is unequal justice, the very foundation of civil and democratic society will begin to rot and eventually crumble. However, we need to adopt Gandhian and Martin Luther King’s methods of peaceful protests to fight for justice. Any violence associated with the George Floyd protests only naturally diminishes the cause and his memory’.

Mohinder Singh Gilzian – President (IOC, USA) said that the recent turmoil in US is one of the biggest tragedies in American History  and said that IOC has always stood for equality in race relations where all human beings are respected  irrespective of race, religion and Country of origin.

Harbachan Singh – the Secretary-General (IOC, USA) said that a Child is born like a clean slate, without bias. If he grows up, we can keep his environment free of biases, and we will end up living in a nicer world.

Ravi Chopra – Vice President (IOC, USA) said that the racial killing is unacceptable in a developed country like America and hoped that peace and sanity would prevail and normalcy will return as the Country is already in turmoil with the COVID crisis and Businesses, especially small business have been hurt.

Rajender Dichpally – National General Secretary (IOC, USA) feels that this is a historic turning point in the Country, and there will be strict laws enforced against such acts going forward to deter such acts in the future and that discrimination based on color has no place in a civilized society. He also condemned the riots in the name of protests and said that law and order must be maintained.

Sophia Sharma, Esq. –  National General Secretary (IOC, USA)  said that Racial Inequality in any form is unacceptable. The world will only progress when there is unity and we all come together as one despite our differences. Let us take this as a lesson to build a better future, a better world for our children.  The color of our skin should not define who we are and should not limit who we can be.

Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective USA condemns racism

Staff ReporterCommunity, Culture/Religion 0

Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective USA (HinduPACT USA), an initiative of World Hindu Council of America (VHPA), has issued the following statement on the killing of George Floyd. Commenting on the killing on police killing of George Floyd, Ajay Shah, Convener of HinduPACT USA and Executive Vice President of VHPA said: We condemn the brutal killing of George Floyd. We stand for racial justice, equality, and civil rights. “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” embodied in our Declaration of Independence should be our guiding spirit. Hindu ethos, as expressed by a Hindu poet eloquently says, “

A true Vaishnava (Hindu) is the one who feels the pain of others.” Currently, as people of faith we feel the pain of injustice and the killing of George Floyd. We call for a national dialog on race relations. We fully endorse the right to peacefully protest injustice. As Rev. Martin Luther King said, “we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

However, we are unambiguously against riots and looting, and the attacks on those entrusted to protect us. Utsav Chakrabarti, Executive Director of HinduPACT USA and Director of Advocacy and Awareness for VHPA said: The murder of George Floyd is a reminder that we must reinvigorate our pursuit for equity in our society. But those groups that are using this tragedy and the cover of the protests for looting businesses and resorting to violence, are doing a great injustice to the cause of civil rights.

It is shocking to see Pakistani-American anarchist Urooj Rahman along with Colinford Mattis, pass along fire bombs to some protestors in an attempt to kill law enforcement officers and peaceful protestors in New York City. There is nothing more sinister than trying to use injustice towards Black lives, as a tool to further one’s geopolitical agenda. Today, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in front of the Embassy of India was vandalized by some of these elements, masquerading as protesters.

I urge Hindu Americans who form a big section of the ‘South Asian community’ to be cognizant of such mala fide efforts, and promote peace and healing in the communities they live in. HinduLounge, HinduPACT USA’s weekly Facebook Live program on Hindu American issues extensively covered the killing and the aftermath. The local VHPA chapters are working with the interfaith and community groups to work towards justice and equality. The Cincinnati, OH chapter of VHPA has signed the letter seeking justice by EquaSion and the Interfaith Community on the killing of George Floyd.

About HinduPACT USA HinduPACT USA is an initiative of the World Hindu Council of America (VHPA). HinduPACT USA aims to bring Hindu ethos and dharmic values of unity in diversity, plurality, compassion and, mutual respect amongst religions to policy and advocacy for human rights, environmental protection, gender equality, and, interfaith dialog. HinduLounge is a weekly Facebook Live program by HinduPACT USA. HinduLounge focuses on contemporary Hindu American issues. About World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) is the most prominent organization of Hindus in the USA. Founded in 1970, it has chapters across the country. VHPA runs educational programs for Hindu children and youth in addition to community service (Seva) activities, and initiatives such as Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference (HMEC) and American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD)

Syed Rizvi’s ‘instant ice cream’ gains patent

Staff ReporterScience & Technology 0

After a five-year application process, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded a patent to Syed Rizvi, professor of food science engineering, at Cornell University, and colleague Michael E. Wagner.

In Rizvi’s laboratory, a prototype machine – featuring a newly patented process – uses supercritical carbon dioxide to dish out instant vanilla ice cream, according to Cornell report.

With Rizvi and Wagner’s newly patented process – where pressurized carbon dioxide does all the work – anyone can make any ice cream at any time.

“Of course, you’ll need the liquid ice cream mix,” Rizvi said, in the report. “The mix can be made commercially, locally or you can make it at home. It’s very simple, and this machine converts the mix into a scoop of ice cream in about three seconds.”

In the traditional method of making ice cream, the dairy-based mix flows through a heat-exchanging barrel, where ice crystals form and get scraped by blades.

With this new method, highly pressurized carbon dioxide passes over a nozzle that, in turn, creates a vacuum to draw in the liquid ice cream. When carbon dioxide goes from a high pressure to a lower pressure, it cools the mixture to about minus 70 degrees C – freezing the mixture into ice cream, which jets out of another nozzle into a bowl, ready to eat.

A newly patented process using pressurized carbon dioxide can create instant ice cream.

Instant ice cream can be served right on the spot, all without the challenges of commercial transportation “cold chains,” in which the product must be frozen and maintained at minus 20 degrees Celsius. To guard against failing spots in the cold-temperature transportation chain, commercial ice cream makers add stabilizers and emulsifiers, the report said.

“Consumers today want a clean product,” Rizvi said. “They don’t want undesirable ingredients thrown into it.”

What’s more, Rizvi said, the cold chain requires a lot of energy. But if you could make ice cream without stabilization ingredients, commercial entities could avoid the cold chain altogether.

The device can take any liquid and give it frozen features. “You can make a slushy out of soft drinks,” he said, while noting that the new process is suited for on-demand and point-of-use applications like vending machines, parlors and home use. “You can convert water into carbonated ice instantly, too. Any liquid drink that can be partially frozen can be used.”

Cornell’s Center for Technology Licensing is currently exploring licensing opportunities.

Rizvi, a graduate of Panjab University, is professor of food process engineering in the Department of Food Science and also holds the title of International Professor at Cornell.

He is interested in engineering and processing aspects of food science and value addition for global markets. He has published over 170 technical papers, co-authored/edited six books and holds six patents. He is also associated with the Department of State advising the Bureau of Economics, Energy and Agricultural Affairs on use of science in diplomacy.

He had won many awards, including Distinguished Professor (2017) Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science; Excellence in Teaching Award (2014) Food Science Advisory Council; and Stanley Watson Award (2012) American Association of Cereal Chemists International.

Rizvi did his Meng from University of Toronto, in 1988; and his doctorate from the Ohio State University, in 1976.

Study says, Young women more affected by alcohol use than men

Staff ReporterHealth 0

Female college students are more likely to depend on alcohol to improve mental well-being, say researchers, adding that the young women appear to be more affected by high alcohol use than men, which may lead to less interest in academics.

“Cognitive aptitudes of young women appear to be more affected than for men with high alcohol use,” said study lead author Lina Begdache, Assistant Professor at Binghamton University in the US.

“These behaviours are regulated by the limbic system of the brain. However, the cognitive functions for high alcohol use among the young men and women were different,” Begdache added.

For the findings, published in the journal Trends in Neuroscience and Education, researchers sought to compare neurobehaviours and academic effort among college students with low alcohol use with those of high alcohol consumption and build conceptual models that represent the integration of the different variables.

They sent an anonymous survey to assess college students’ alcohol use and frequency along with questions on sleep, academic performance and attitude toward learning. They compared gender responses and found that both young men and women exhibit common behavioural responses to high alcohol use such as abuse of other substances and risk-taking.

The findings showed that young women reported generally less interest in the academic work and performance than young men. The latter reported more risky behaviours, such as being arrested, from excessive drinking.

The study also found that young women are more likely to depend on alcohol to improve mental well-being, which is also concerning, as they may self-medicate through drinking. In both genders, the researchers reported an increase in impulsive behaviours, which are under the control of the limbic system (the oldest part of the brain, evolutionary speaking).

Another reason for the difference seen is the differential metabolism of alcohol. Women metabolise alcohol at a slower rate, therefore, they are more likely to feel the effect of alcohol. Consequently, their brain is more likely to accumulate a toxic metabolite, acetaldehyde, which may be altering brain chemistry further to add to the differential behaviours identified in this study.

“Academic performance and risky behaviours among college students may be linked to their drinking habits, so more education and awareness should be shared with college students,” said Begdache.

“These findings are also explained by the fact that women tend to have higher connectivity between cortices, while men have a large cortical volume in the areas on the limbic system that support impulsivity,” Begdache added. (IANS)

CBS News’ Weijia Jiang on Newsroom Diversity, COVID-19 Racism, and Covering President Trump

Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

(Courtesy: The Asia Society)

On May 11, during a press conference at the White House Rose Garden, CBS News White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang asked President Donald Trump why he was boasting that the United States was testing more people for coronavirus than any other country.

“Why does that matter?” she asked. “Why is this a global competition to you if every day Americans are still losing their lives and we are still seeing more cases every day?”

“Maybe that’s a question you should ask China,” Trump responded. “Don’t ask me. Ask China that question, OK?”

When Jiang, who is Chinese American, asked the president why he was directing this question to her, Trump denied singling her out. He then chided her for asking a “nasty” question before storming out of the news conference.

Trump’s churlish reaction to a question from a White House correspondent — particularly a woman of color — was hardly new. But Trump’s invocation of Jiang’s ethnicity occurred in a particularly fraught moment for Asian Americans, who have been subject to a surge of racist attacks in the months since the coronavirus spread from China to the rest of the world. The exchange with Trump also wasn’t the first time Jiang has encountered racist sentiment at work. In March, she tweeted that a White House official referred to COVID-19 as the “kung flu virus” in her presence. “Makes me wonder what they’re calling it behind my back,” she said.

Born in Xiamen, China, Jiang grew up in a small city in West Virginia. A graduate of Syracuse University, she has worked for CBS News since 2015 and became White House correspondent in July 2018. In this conversation with Asia Blog, Jiang recounted her upbringing, reflected on the importance of newsroom diversity, and explained why she thinks that news organizations have never been more vital.

What was your upbringing like? What was the adjustment like for your parents? Were there any other Chinese families in your hometown?

I can’t imagine what the adjustment was like for my parents settling down in a completely foreign land without an Asian community to offer support. They are braver than I could ever be. We had a small Chinese restaurant — one of two in the town. So there was one other Chinese American family, but they didn’t have kids my age. I was the only Chinese American student in my school system. I definitely had to deal with challenges and racism throughout my upbringing, but I wouldn’t change anything because those experiences shaped who I am today. There was also a lot of kindness in our little town. I spent lots of time with my friends and their welcoming families.

How did you decide to become a journalist — what about the profession called to you? 

I remember watching my dad watch hours of news as a child, which probably led to me taking a TV news class in middle school. I was also on the newspaper staff, and I loved everything about reporting. My teacher convinced me to apply for “Student Produced Week” at ChannelOne News — a news program for middle and high school students across the country. (It has since closed operations, but offered a start for many journalists including Anderson Cooper and Lisa Ling.) Every year the company selected a group of students and paid for a two-week trip to Los Angeles to learn about journalism. I won, and my life changed forever. I loved the idea that talking to people and telling their stories could be a career. I also loved asking questions and sharing the answers with people who needed them. That hasn’t changed.

Newsrooms, like professions across the country, have struggled to match the diversity of the communities and stories they cover. Do you feel news organizations have improved in fostering a diverse environment over the years? 

I can’t speak to newsrooms nationwide, but the ones I have worked in have all made strides in adding diversity. But in my opinion, it is not diversity on its face that matters. The perspective that comes with being a minority is essential in reporting and telling stories in an authentic way. We all have to make an effort to acknowledge and embrace those varying points of view to make the most of our resources. That requires a never-ending, always-evolving conversation about diversity and why it matters. I think we can all do more to nurture that dialogue and create a space where people feel comfortable sharing. I also think diversity at the top makes a huge difference because people in those positions are leading that effort and making important decisions.

Earlier this year, you tweeted about a racist remark (“kung flu virus”) said in your presence at the White House — and you wondered what was said when you were not around. Have you been subject to any other anti-Asian racism while at work or otherwise since COVID-19 spread to the U.S.? What more needs to be done to halt this trend?

I have not experienced another incident in person, but I get messages on social media every day that include racist language. I think the best thing we can do is provide facts. The fact is the virus does not discriminate against any group of people, and Asian Americans are not more likely to spread it. It’s also important to report on hate crimes and attacks against members of the APA community so they are not normalized.

But the tension between the press and the president is nothing new. President Trump expresses it more frequently and more … colorfully than others.

News organizations have recently debated whether broadcasting President Trump’s press conferences serve the public interest. What are your thoughts about this? Should news organizations refrain from broadcasting these live?

I absolutely think it is important for Americans to hear from the president of the United States during a time of crisis. People want to know what the government is doing to contain the spread, help patients recover, and get people back on their feet again when it comes to the economy. However, the conversation during the briefings has sometimes veered toward other topics than the pandemic and its impact. In those instances, airing the briefings in their entirety can be unproductive. I think that’s why viewership for evening news broadcasts like the CBS Evening News and public affairs shows like Face the Nation continue to increase. It is the job of news organizations to cut through all the noise and distractions to provide the latest information.

If nothing else, White House press conferences have changed significantly during the Trump years. Do you anticipate that things will revert to the way they were in a post-Trump era? Or do you feel that Trump has, for better or worse, revolutionized the way an American president deals with the press? Has his antagonistic relationship with the press damaged journalism? Or is this concern overblown?

I have only ever covered the Trump administration in this capacity, so I don’t have a frame of reference for what is “normal.” This is normal to me.

Of course, I recognize the president’s unique relationship with the press and how it compares with past presidents. I am curious myself how it will impact the future, if at all. But the tension between the press and the president is nothing new. President Trump expresses it more frequently and more … colorfully than others.

Q&A With David BarunKumar Thomas: Helping Indian Women During COVID-19

Staff ReporterCommunity, Health, India 0

Since 2005, India Nirman Sangh has worked toward women’s development in the villages and hills in and around the Kodaikanal and Palani towns of Tamil Nadu. India Nirman Sangh has distributed basic grocery packs to 2000 women and their families while running a tailoring centre producing free masks. INS is also providing basic income support to those in utmost need. The organization is led by David BarunKumar Thomas, who serves the non-profit as a volunteer.

 

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

 

Q: How did you get into this line of work?

Thomas: I was working for IBM. When I was 45, I decided to leave that job and go back to a place close to where I was born and do something that I found more interesting, which was working with people. In 2004 I started an organization that worked among the poor, particularly women, and helped them organize into groups to start small businesses, send children to school, and improve their standards of living. Part of our strategy includes distributing microloans, but we also go beyond that with organizing and education.We now have 4,000 women who are a part of the group, and the members of the organization work among them. For the last two years we have also started to work among farmers. Farming in the area is becoming unprofitable, so we are working to bring new technology and methods to improve farming’s profitability, all while remaining organic and environmentally sustainable.

Q: How has your organization assisted with the COVID response effort?

Thomas: We have distributed groceries to more than 2000 poor women in the Kodaikanal and Palani Blocks of Dindigul District in Tamil Nadu. In addition, we have given monetary assistance to 42 of the poorest families in this area. We have also produced more than 2000 reusable masks at our tailoring centre in Kodaikanal and distributed them free to the poor.

We have located poor migrants from Nepal in Kodaikanal and have given them food, groceries and monetary assistance. We have also helped a group of 15 LGBT community members with groceries in Palani.

Q:  How does diversity of faith and caste impact your organization’s work?

Thomas: The organization is secular, but about 80 percent of the women we work with are Hindus, 10 percent are Muslims, and 10 percent are Christians. We respect the beliefs of all with whom we work.  The people in this area belong to a variety of castes, mainly the lower castes, so roughly about 40 percent of the people we work with belong to the most depressed castes. We make it a point not to bring caste into the equation. Society is still divided along caste lines, but we make everybody sit together, eat together, and keep telling them in various ways that caste should not be important.

Q: Is there also government relief aid, and is it reaching the neediest?

Thomas: The government here is giving free rations to people, and that covers roughly about 95 percent of the people in this area. They get rice, lentils, and sugar. It’s not really enough for a family to live on, but it does prevent complete starvation. In the North it’s not as good, but here they are giving rations to almost everybody. As a supplement, our group has distributed lentils, sugar, tea, and rice to 2,000 people, and this week we are in the process of distributing wheat flour and a form of pasta and spices. For that, we have used all the funds that we had … which came from those regularly supporting our organization. We like to concentrate on the 2,000 who are very, very poor and who have no family members earning income. We would also like to expand to help others who are not quite so badly off, but who are still very poor. We could very much use additional funding.

Q:  What gives you hope?

Thomas: How much poor people help each other. They share a lot more than people who are [financially] better off. They have a very informed support system among the very poor. They share the little they have. You see this happening all the time. That’s what really keeps people from starvation; the poor helping the poor. That is something Gandhi used to admire a lot and which we see at times like this.

Oats N’ Raisins Coconut Cookies

Staff ReporterAmmu's Hearty Treats 0
No one stops with just one cookie ..So whenever you decide to bake some cookies all by yourself at home you’re ending up indulging in your guilty pleasures of munching on some extra empty calories . But what if you are making some yummy healthy cookies this time? These oats & raisins coconut cookies are not as junky as your usual store bought cookies and are nutritious to a great extent whether it’s for breakfast or for snacking.
How I developed this recipe-
Oats N’ Raisins Coconut CookiesEveryone chooses to buy oats & raisins cookies from the stores thinking it’s much healthier than chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, double chocolates cookies, Oreos, shortbread .etc. Next time you do that, never forget to refer to the percentage of oats content , hydrogenated fats , sugar and additives in your store bought cookies. I’m sure you’ll be shocked how little the percentage of oats is in those cookies and also how much junk you are feeding yourself thinking it’s all healthy stuff. These store bought cookies do stay edible longer than homemade ones, but if you’re all set to eat healthy why not try some better homemade version of your favourite oats cookies?
That’s what I did when I went through the above research and tried out my favourite recipes of oats cookies all over the Internet, cookbook collections and ended up incorporating coconut and Californian raisins to it as it could make my cookies healthier and better than any store bought cookies .
What’s special about this recipe-
Oats- This amazing source of complex carbohydrates is full of good fibres, protein and many micronutrients aiding in digestion and weight loss.
Californian raisins & brown sugar- These are the only 2 ingredients in this recipe which adds good enough sweetness to the cookies. Both these are natural sources of iron and also brown sugar is a great alternative to refined white sugar.
Coconut- Its a good source of fibres and Medium Chain Fatty acids (MCT oil) thats known to help in overall weight loss. Apart from that, coconut is also known to have antibacterial and detoxifying properties known to promote gut health and proper organ functioning.
What you’ll need-(for 16 cookies)-
Oats N’ Raisins Coconut Cookies1 cup white oats
Half cup desiccated coconut
Half cup raisins
Two by third cup light brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Half cup butter
1 egg
Half teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How to make-
. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a cookie sheet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
. In a bowl, cream together butter & brown sugar until fluffy.
. Add the vanilla, egg and beat well.
. In a seperate bowl, mix the oats, flour , baking soda, salt , coconut and raisins.
. Fold in the wet mix into the dry mix.
Oats N’ Raisins Coconut Cookies. Scoop out the mix onto the prepared baking tray using a tablespoon, rounding and pressing the equal portions of dough to flatten slightly.
. Bake in batches of 1 or 2 for around 8-12 minutes, to yield 16 healthy yummy cookies.
. Let it cool for a few minutes on the tray, then cool it completely on a wire rack & enjoy!
Notes, tips & suggestions-
. Never try transferring hot cookies which comes straight out of the oven as those are too soft and delicate to crumble/break. Be patient as your cookies will harden up only on cooling.
. You can add a few tablespoons of your favourite nuts chopped, to make your cookies nutty or even omit the raisins if you are not a fan of raisins in your cookie.
. These cookies are perfect for a healthy yummy breakfast to dip & dunk into your glass of milk/coffee and indulge guilt-free.

IIT Alumnus Dipanjan Pan’s Rapid Naked Eye Test Uses Innovative Nanoparticle Technique To Detect Coronovirus In 10 Minutes

Staff ReporterHealth, Science & Technology 0

A team of US scientists led by an Indian American researcher has developed an experimental diagnostic test for covid-19 that can visually detect the presence of the virus in 10 minutes.

The test developed by scientists from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) does not require the use of any advanced laboratory techniques, such as those commonly used to amplify DNA, for analysis.

It uses a simple assay containing plasmonic gold nanoparticles to detect a color change when the virus is present, according to an UMSOM release.

“Based on our preliminary results, we believe this promising new test may detect RNA material from the virus as early as the first day of infection,” said study leader Dipanjan Pan, PhD, Professor of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine and Pediatrics at the UMSOM.

“Additional studies are needed, however, to confirm whether this is indeed the case,” added Dr. Pan who has a doctorate in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Once a nasal swab or saliva sample is obtained from a patient, the RNA is extracted from the sample via a simple process that takes about 10 minutes.

The test uses a highly specific molecule attached to the gold nanoparticles to detect a particular protein.

his protein is part of the genetic sequence that is unique to the novel coronavirus.

When the biosensor binds to the virus’s gene sequence, the gold nanoparticles respond by turning the liquid reagent from purple to blue.

“The accuracy of any COVID-19 test is based on being able to reliably detect any virus. This means it does not give a false negative result if the virus actually is present, nor a false positive result if the virus is not present,” informed Dr Pan.

Many of the diagnostic tests currently on the market cannot detect the virus until several days after infection. For this reason, they have a significant rate of false negative results.

Dr Pan now plans to have a pre-submission meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within the next month to discuss requirements for getting an emergency use authorisation for the test.

“This RNA-based test appears to be very promising in terms of detecting the virus,” said study co-author Matthew Frieman.

Others in Dr. Pan’s team were research scientist Parikshit Moitra, research fellow Maha Alafeef, along with research fellow Ketan Dighe from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

The authors published their work in the American Chemical Society’s nanotechnology journal ACS Nano.

Prof. Dipanjan Pan, MS, PhD, is an expert in nanomedicine, molecular imaging and drug delivery.  He is presently a tenured Associate Professor in Bioengineering and Materials Science and Engineering and Institute of Sustainability in Energy and Environment in University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He also holds a full faculty position with Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Cancer Center and recently joined newly started Carle-Illinois College of Medicine.

He Administratively directs the Professional Masters in Engineering Program in Bioengineering within the College of Engineering. He is also an Associate course director for the newly founded engineering inspired Carle-Illinois school of medicine. Prior to coming to Illinois, he was a faculty in Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis. Prof Pan’s lab uniquely merges fundamental chemistry, biology and engineering to bring solution to today’s healthcare problems.

His research is highly collaborative and interdisciplinary centering on the development of novel materials for biomedical applications, immune-nanomedicine and targeted therapies for stem-like cancer cell with phenotypically screened nanomedicine platforms.

Over the years, this research has resulted in more than 100 high impact peer reviewed publications in scientific journals, numerous conference abstracts and has been supported by external funding from NIH, NSF, DoD, American Heart Association and other private/foundational funding sources.

Prof. Pan edited and co-written two books published from Taylor and Francois (Nanomedicine: A Soft Matter Perspective, ISBN-13: 978-1466572829) and Springer (Personalized Medicine with a Nanochemistry Twist: Nanomedicine (Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, ISBN-13: 978-3319335445). He holds multiple patents (8 granted US patents), several ongoing clinical trials and is the founder of three University based early start-ups. He is the CEO/President for a biotechnology start-up Vitruvian Biotech dedicated to develop novel image guided therapies.

He also co-founded InnSight Technologies dedicated to nanotechnology based application for ocular diseases. His other company Kalocyte, which he cofounded with his clinical collaborators, develops artificial oxygen career. His technology has been licensed for commercial development multiple times. He serves as study section review board member for NIH, CDMRP (DoD), NSF and multiple review committee member for American Heart Association.

In 2016 he received Nanomaterials Letter (NML) Researcher award, in 2017 an Young Innovator Award from Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and most recently Dean’s Award for Research Excellence in 2018. He is an elected fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, a Fellow of American Heart Association and an elected fellow of American College of Cardiology.

India Opens Up Even As Coronavirus Case Spreads

Staff ReporterHealth, India 0

Nearly two months after the unplanned and abrupt lockdown of the country by Modi government, putting millions of immigrant workers and the poor stranded on the streets without food and shelter, India is cautiously opening up its economy and the lifting the lockdown in phases.

More states opened up and crowds of commuters trickled onto the roads in many of India’s cities on Monday as a three-phase plan to lift the nationwide coronavirus lockdown began despite an upward trend in new infections.

Businesses and shops reopened in many states and the railways announced 200 more special passenger trains. Some states also opened their borders, allowing vehicular traffic.

India reported more than 8,000 new cases of the coronavirus in a single day, another record high that topped the deadliest week in the country.

Confirmed infections have risen to 182,143, with 5,164 fatalities, including 193 in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Sunday.

Overall, more than 60% of the virus fatalities have been reported from only two states — Maharashtra, the financial hub, and Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The new cases are largely concentrated in six Indian states, including the capital New Delhi.

India implemented the lockdown — one of the world’s strictest — on March 25, ordering everyone to stay inside, except for emergencies and essential services, leading to a sudden halt to the economy. The lockdown was brutally devastating for daily laborers and migrant workers, who fled cities on foot for their family homes in the countryside. The country’s unemployment rate rose to 23.48% in May, according to official data released this week.

Public health experts have criticized the Modi government’s handling of the outbreak. A joint statement by the Indian Public Health Association, Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine and Indian Association of Epidemiologists, which was sent to Modi’s office on May 25, said it was “unrealistic” to eliminate the virus at a time when “community transmission is already well-established.”

The coastal state of Maharashtra, home to the financial hub of Mumbai and Bollywood, allowed the resumption of film production with some restrictions in place. In New Delhi, the capital, authorities announced the reopening of all industries and salons, while keeping the borders sealed until June 8 to try to prevent a spike in new virus cases.

Although social distancing and the wearing of masks in public are still mandatory across India, some people were seen forgoing both in many places. Others violated lockdown rules. In Prayagraj, a city in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, hundreds of Hindu devotees took a dip in the sacred Ganges river even though congregations at religious venues remain barred.

But as India eases more restrictions, it continues to report a rise in infections. India on Monday climbed to the seventh spot in countries worst hit by the virus, passing Germany and France, as its confirmed cases rose to more than 190,000, including over 5,400 deaths.

The first phase of the easing of the lockdown, called Unlock 1, will restrict curbs to containment zones — areas that have been isolated due to coronavirus outbreaks. It gives states more power to decide and strategize lockdown implementations locally.

More than 60% of the country’s virus fatalities have been reported in only two states — Maharashtra and neighboring Gujarat. The new cases are largely concentrated in six states, including New Delhi.

Critics fear that the lockdown, which started over two months ago, is being eased too soon. There are concerns that the virus may be spreading through India’s villages as millions of jobless migrant workers return home from big cities.

The real number of coronavirus patients in the country is likely much higher than the official numbers show, as India is among the countries testing the lowest proportion of its population: With just over 1.1 million tests conducted in a country of 1.3 billion, that’s only about 800 tests per million inhabitants, according to data website worldmeters.info.

The U.S., by comparison, has tested about 21,000 per million residents, and America is nowhere near the leader in that regard.Experts warn that the pandemic has yet to peak in India, and many states have begun to identify more high-risk zones where coronavirus lockdowns will continue until June 30. But restaurants, malls and religious venues are permitted to reopen elsewhere on June 8.

In a radio address to the nation on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned citizens and asked them to remain vigilant.

“Becoming careless or lackadaisical cannot be an option,” he said. Modi’s government has stressed that restrictions are being eased to focus on promoting economic activity, which has been severely hit by the lockdown.

Biden Is Best Placed For Any Challenger Since Scientific Polling Began

Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

Former vice president Joe Biden has gained a clear national lead against president Donald Trump in the latest Washington Post/ABC poll ahead of the 2020 election.

In the poll of registered voters conducted between 25-28 May, 53 per cent of respondents said that they would vote for Mr Biden over 43 percent who favoured Mr Trump were the election held on the day they were questioned. Just two months ago the same poll had the two candidates virtually tied at 49 per cent to 47 per cent.

But it’s important to put individual polls into context, and that context continues to show Biden’s in one of the best positions for any challenger since scientific polling began in the 1930s.

There were more than 40 national public polls taken at least partially in the month of May that asked about the Biden-Trump matchup. Biden led in every single one of them. He’s the first challenger to be ahead of the incumbent in every May poll since Jimmy Carter did so in 1976. Carter, of course, won the 1976 election. Biden’s the only challenger to have the advantage in every May poll over an elected incumbent in the polling era.

Biden remains the lone challenger to be up in the average of polls in every single month of the election year. His average lead in a monthly average of polls has never dipped below 4 points and has usually been above it.

Biden hasn’t trailed Trump this entire year in a single telephone poll in which at least some voters were reached via their cell phones — historically the most accurate. The ABC News/Washington Post poll is the latest example of these polls. In fact, Biden’s never been behind in any of these polls since at least January 2019. No other challenger has come close to that mark.

Indeed, the stability of Biden’s edge has been what is most impressive. The May polls had Biden up by 6 points on average. That is right where the average of polls taken since the beginning of this year has been. It’s where the average of polls conducted since the beginning of 2019 has been as well.

If we limit ourselves to just the telephone polls that call cell phones, Biden’s edge might even be slightly larger. This month those polls have Biden up 7 points on average. Estimating Biden’s advantage from state polls of this type shows a similar lead for Biden.

A look at the fundamentals shows why Trump continues to trail. Simply put, he remains unpopular.

His net approval rating (approval – disapproval) in the ABC News/Washington Post poll was -8 points. That’s very close to the average of polls, which has it at about -10 points. At no point during the past three years has Trump ever had a positive net approval rating.

The only other two presidents to have a net approval rating this low at this point in the campaign were Carter in 1980 and George H.W. Bush in 1992. Both of them lost reelection.

But I’m not predicting anything here. Between the coronavirus pandemic and now the protests and riots taking place nationwide, we’re obviously in a volatile news environment.

Still, no other campaign involving an incumbent president has moved as little as this one has. That’s after nearly three months of the coronavirus dominating the news cycle. That’s after many anti-Biden ads have been aired.

It’s at least possible that nothing will move the electorate substantially in Trump’s direction.

Will There Be A Second Round Of Stimulus Check In June?

Staff ReporterFinance/Economy, U.S. 0

Congress could decide on a second wave of stimulus checks this month. If it passes, the package could be the last relief check coming to Americans as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s the update today and what could happen next.

Congress seems to be moving closer to a decision on a second round of economic stimulus payments for individuals and families, but details haven’t yet taken shape The US House of Representatives passed a fourth stimulus relief package last week by 208 votes to 199. The $3 trillion Heroes Act includes a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks, another $200 billion in hazard pay for essential workers, and six further months of COVID-19 unemployment along with other help for state and local assistance.

The HEROES (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions) Act will still face significant opposition from the Republican-controlled Senate and the White House but if the bill fails to pass into law after debate on the floor of the upper house, a consensus compromise is still expected to be reached between Democrats and Republicans to provide hard-hit Americans with a second round of financial support sometime during May or possibly June at this rate.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said last Friday that if Congress does take up another round of stimulus payments, it will be the “final” one, CNBC reported. McConnell also said that senators could decide in “about a month” whether to move ahead with a second relief check, according to CNBC.

The first stimulus checks for up to $1,200 apiece were initially intended as a one-time payment to help the people and businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak. That includes people who couldn’t work because they got sick, received limited work hours or lost their jobs when businesses closed as a measure to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Now, with surging unemployment and a potential global recession ahead, some wonder if the first check did enough for individuals, families, businesses and those who are out of work and are looking at how best to distribute additional aid.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in its monthly assessment that 38.6 million Americans sought unemployment benefits (PDF) in the past 10 weeks. That number has reached 42 million people, CBS News reported last week.

Earlier this month, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett projected that unemployment could reach 20% “by June.”

That appears to be the case already for Nevada, Hawaii and Michigan. During a recent Senate hearing, the Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell called for additional economic relief. And earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund forecast a deep global recession that could become the worst since the Great Depression.

Some Members of Congress even sent a letter to the Treasury recommending high-tech options such as blockchain to help speed up delivery and offer transparency of the payments. However, the only technological move from Secretary Mnuchin appears to be allowing debit cards for now.

On the other hand, not only have Republican senators lined up to oppose the plan, Senate Democrats say they are concerned about what they see as a massive untargeted expense, The Hill reported.

“I’d like to take a look at all that aid we provided and get good economic information on the value for that, from the point of view of our economy but more importantly on fairness to people who are really hurt,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, told The Hill.

Cardin said rather than issue a second set of checks to all taxpayers, the government should focus on the households that have been hardest hit by COVID-19’s economic impact. As the Senate determines what the next bailout bill should look like, lawmakers in both parties are ranking their priorities. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) of the Finance Committee said she was not a fan of the checks.

“One-time payments are not what people need, she told The Hill. “What people need is a paycheck. They need ongoing income until this is done. That’s what they need.”

A Border Clash Between The World’s Biggest Nations. What Could Go Wrong?

Staff ReporterIndia, Politics 0

By Adam Taylor (Courtesy The Washington Post)

China’s ongoing border clash with India may seem remote, but it has global impact. Reports say thousands of troops moved into the disputed area 14,000 feet up in the Himalayas after skirmishes broke out on May 5 near Pangong Lake in Ladakh and then on May 9 in North Sikkim, leaving more than 100 soldiers injured.

Amid the global coronavirus pandemic, assessing exactly what is happening in this dispute between the two most populated countries on Earth is difficult. Much of the border region is closed to the press, so reporters have to rely on statements and leaks.

Many accounts suggest that aggressive Chinese patrols in the area known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were to blame – or, in what may not necessarily be a contradiction, that Indian construction in the region had been interpreted as an aggressive challenge to Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure project.

Ultimately, India and China’s border problems are not new – it’s the circumstances surrounding them that have changed. Both Beijing and Delhi are led by governments in the thrall of nationalistic ambition. The pandemic has further pushed many nations into pro- or anti-China positions, camps that were already forming amid a global trade war that has lasted years.

The United States, locked in its own squabble with China, has voiced terse support for India’s position and offered to mediate. Hu Xijin, the outspoken editor of China’s party paper the Global Times, seized on the conflicting messages, mocking President Trump and arguing that the United States “seems to be the beneficiary of China-India border tension.”

India and China’s relationship is based on their status as two giant, wary neighbors. They share a 2,167-mile-long border. Together, their populations are around 2.7 billion, more than a third of the world. Both have achieved rapid economic development in recent decades and increased their territorial ambitions. Both have nuclear weapons.

India was among the first democracies to recognize the People’s Republic of China in 1950, but border disputes between the two increased as Beijing took control of Tibet. In 1962, they fought a month-long war on the Himalayan border, with China inflicting serious casualties on India before withdrawing to the LAC.

There were skirmishes over the border for years. In 1988, after one incident in the Sumdorong Chu Valley in Arunachal Pradesh, Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi traveled to Beijing to meet his counterpart Deng Xiaoping. The two nations, both undergoing a wave of economic development just as the Soviet Union began to collapse, put aside their differences out of pragmatism.

Now, that pragmatism is being tested. China, whose economic development has dwarfed India’s, has a gross domestic product of roughly $14 trillion, compared to India’s less than $2.7 trillion. “While India has risen as an economy and a global power in the past three decades, its relative strength to China has in fact greatly declined,” Sumit Ganguly and Manjeet S. Pardesi wrote in Foreign Policy.

China’s close relationship with Pakistan, an unequal partner in the Belt and Road project, and lingering disagreement over Tibet have soured relations with India further. The tension between the two nations spilled over in 2017 in the Doklam area of the Himalayas after Indian troops moved in to prevent the Chinese military from building a road into territory claimed by Bhutan, an ally of India.

Over two months, the two powers flooded the area with military personnel. The threats, especially those from China, were apoplectic. “India will suffer worse losses than 1962 if it incites border clash,” the Global Times wrote.

The Doklam dispute ultimately fizzled out. Both sides withdrew troops in late August of that year and issued vague remarks about a resolution. Exactly what was decided behind the scenes was unclear, though reports that China had halted construction of the motorway suggested that Beijing had backed down.

Some Indian analysts have suggested that the current situation will end similarly, pointing to a number of conciliatory messages from Chinese officials. “We should never let differences overshadow our relations. We should resolve differences through communication,” China’s ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, said Wednesday.

But another inconclusive end to a standoff will fail to address the root of the problem. The Indian government has claimed that the Chinese military crossed into Indian territory 1,025 times between 2016 and 2018 (the Chinese government has not released comparable figures).

India and China are both in the throes of aggressive nationalist movements, each displaying their own brand of “wolf warrior” foreign policy. Under President Xi Jinping, China has moved from subtle pushes to strong shoves to bring the city of Hong Kong under Beijing’s sovereignty, while also applying pressure in the South China Sea and against Taiwan.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered his second term in power bent on changing many norms of Indian policy. The long-disputed territory of Kashmir has been under lockdown for months, while last year India and Pakistan were drawn into their most serious military escalation in decades. Reuters reported this week that Modi’s plans to build 66 key roads by the Chinese border, including one to a new air base, had probably drawn Beijing’s anger.

In the past, this might have remained a bilateral dispute. But now, anything that involves China seems to involve the United States too. The Hindustan Times reported Wednesday that Trump’s offer to mediate was “part of [a] growing anti-China juggernaut.” Under such a juggernaut, ambiguity may not exist.

Young People are Key to a Nicotine-free Future: Five Steps to Stop them Smoking

Staff ReporterHealth 0
By Sam Filby – IPS
Tobacco use kills more than 8 million people each year. Most adult smokers start smoking before the age of 20. This implies that if one can get through adolescence without smoking, the likelihood of being a smoker in adulthood is greatly reduced.
Preventing young people from becoming addicted to tobacco and related products is therefore key to a smoke-free future.
With the advent of novel tobacco products and the tobacco industry falsely marketing them as less harmful than their combustible counterparts, the adage “prevention is better than cure” has never been more important for governments to heed if we are to achieve a smoke-free future.
Here are five things that governments need to do to ensure that a smoke-free future is realised.
1. Raise taxes on tobacco products
Tobacco taxation is one of the most effective population-based strategies for decreasing tobacco consumption. On average, a 10% increase in the price of cigarettes reduces demand for cigarettes by between 4% and 6% for the general adult population.
Because they lack disposable income and have a limited smoking history, young people are more responsive to price increases than their adult counterparts. Young people’s price responsiveness is also explained by the fact that they are also more likely to smoke if their peers smoke. This suggests that an increase in tobacco taxes also indirectly reduces youth smoking by decreasing smoking among their peers.
2. Introduce 100% smoke-free environments
Smoke-free policies reduce opportunities to smoke and erode societal acceptance of smoking. Most countries have some form of smoke-free policy in place. But there are still many public spaces where smoking happens. Many of these places are frequented by young people – or example, smoking sections in nightclubs and bars – contributing to the idea that smoking is acceptable and “normal”.
Research from the United States shows that creating smoke-free spaces reduces youth smoking uptake and the likelihood of youth progressing from experimental to established smokers. In the United Kingdom, smoke-free places have been linked to a reduction in regular smoking among teenagers, and research from Australia finds that smoke-free policies were directly related to a drop in youth smoking prevalence between 1990 and 2015. By adopting 100% smoke-free policies governments can denormalise smoking and turn youth away from tobacco and related products.
3. Adopt plain packaging and graphic health warnings
The tobacco industry uses sleek and attractive designs to market its dangerous products to young people. All tobacco products should therefore be subject to plain packaging and graphic health warnings so that their attractive packaging designs do not lead youth to underestimate the harm of using these products. Currently 125 countries require graphic images on the packaging of tobacco products. Countries like South Africa that rely on a text warning message are far behind the curve. Plain packaging on tobacco products has been adopted in 13 countries to date and, in January 2020, Israel became the first country to apply plain packaging to e-cigarettes.
4. Outlaw tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Traditional advertising and promotion of tobacco products has been banned in most parts of the world. But the tobacco industry has developed novel ways of keeping its products in the public eye.
Some common strategies used by the industry to target youth include hiring “influencers” to promote tobacco and nicotine products on social media, sponsoring events, and launching new flavours that are appealing to youth, such as bubble gum and cotton candy, which encourages young people to underestimate the potential harm of using them. Evidence also shows how the tobacco industry uses point-of-sale marketing to target children by encouraging vendors to position tobacco and related products near sweets, snacks and cooldrinks, especially in outlets close to schools.
Governments need to outlaw these tactics and impose hefty fines on tobacco companies that make any attempt to circumvent the law.
5. Educate young people
Given that tobacco kills half of its long-term users, the tobacco industry needs to get young people addicted to its products to ensure its survival. Young people need to be made aware of this. Governments should launch counter-advertising campaigns that educate young people on the tactics employed by the industry to target them so that they do not fall prey to them.The Conversation
Sam Filby, Research Officer, Research on the Economics of Excisable Products,, University of Cape Town and Corné van Walbeek, Professor at the School of Economics and Principal Investigator of the Economics of Tobacco Control Project, University of Cape Town
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Authentic Mutter Paneer Recipe

Staff ReporterAmmu's Hearty Treats 0
This is a North Indian all-time-favourite curry recipe using paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and mutter (green peas) in a spiced tangy tomato gravy. Unlike many North Indian recipes of paneer, like paneer makhani (butter masala), shahi paneer,.etc., this recipe is lighter without the addition of milk or cream. It’s a must try recipe that’s quick and easy.
How I developed this recipe-
Authentic Mutter Paneer RecipePaneer is my sister’s favourite and whenever I ask her what she would like me to cook for her on Fridays(when my whole family eats only vegetarian food), she prefers mostly either paneer or mushrooms. As butter paneer is a famous dish in India and because my family is not a big fan of its creamy rich and sweet gravy, one day, I tried this modified recipe of mutter paneer with basic indian pantry ingredients and it became a great hit in my family.
What’s special about this recipe-
Authentic Mutter Paneer Recipe. Protein rich- Even though this is not a non-vegetarian dish, the combination of both paneer & green peas in this recipe adds the goodness of protein ,calcium , folate and many vitamins.
. Mildly spiced- Unlike many Indian curry dishes, this curry isn’t overly spiced or hot, but flavourful and tangy with a punch of cumin ,tangy tomatoes and fresh coriander.
What you’ll need-
. 250 g Paneer- cut into cubes
. Half cup green peas
. Vegetable oil- 2 tablespoon
. Ghee- 1 tablespoon
. 3 Red medium tomatoes ,chopped
. 1 Big red onion ,finely chopped
. 2 tablespoons chopped coriander
. Half teaspoon cumin seeds
. Half teaspoon coriander seeds (lightly crushed)
. 1 Inch grated ginger
. 4 Garlic cloves
. 2 green chillies, chopped
. Half teaspoon red chilli powder
. Half teaspoon turmeric powder
. Half teaspoon garam masala
. A pinch of sugar
. Salt to taste
How to make-
. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan and sauté garlic, green chillies ,half of the onion and tomatoes with few pinches of salt to taste.
. Cool it and blend into a fine purée.
. Heat ghee and shallow fry all sides of paneer cubes- carefully without breaking -until golden brown and charred a bit. Transfer to a dish.
. In the same pan heat rest of the oil and splutter cumin seeds. To this, add coriander seeds, rest of the chopped onion ,ginger and sauté well adding a pinch of salt.
. Now add the spice powder and sauté until the raw spell is gone.
. Stir in the puréed mix and cover and cook for 2 min.
. Stir in a pinch of sugar and half cup of water, when the curry starts boiling, adjust salt to taste and add paneer ,peas and sprinkle half of coriander. Cover and cook for 1 minute.
. Transfer into a bowl and sprinkle with rest of the chopped coriander. Serve hot.
Notes, tips & suggestions-
  • Do not over stir your curry after adding paneer, as you don’t want your paneer cubes to break and look like a mess.
  • Paneer cooks quite fast and so be careful to keep the flame from low-medium while browning the paneer cubes.
  • This is a humble curry that goes well with parathas ,phulkas and even a warm bowl of basmati rice.
  • If you want your curry to look more appetising and fancy, your could top it with a swirl of a tablespoon of fresh cream and a dollop of butter.

India Center Foundation’s Covid-related South Asian Arts Resiliency Fund Announces First Round of Grantees

Staff ReporterCommunity 0

(New York, NY – May 13, 2020) Twelve artists from multiple disciplines, ethnic backgrounds and geographic diversity will receive the first round of the The South Asian Arts Resiliency Fund (SAARF), a grant program created by the India Center Foundation (ICF) for South Asian-American artists and arts workers who have been impacted by the economic fallout of COVID-19. From filmmakers to performance and visual artists to writers and musicians, the grantees trace their roots to South Asia (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan and India) and represent its culture through their art in the U.S.

Grantees are as diverse as the applicants and are chosen on the strengths of their contributions. One such grantee is LA-based MC Seti X (aka Mandeep Sethi), whose politically charged verses have had GQ Magazine call him “India’s booming hip hop scene’s new voice.” Other grantees include curator, painter, educator and advocate Sadaf Padder, who is serving her community of Brooklyn as an Artists-in-Masks Resident with COPE NYC by designing PPE for essential workers along with NYC youth. Included also are tabla player Rajesh Bhanderi, whose 20-year career has seen him perform with the likes of Ustad Zakir Hussain, Falu Shah and Shakira and, finally, cartoonist Soumya Dhulekar, whose cartoons with themes of grief, memory and coming-of-age have been printed in various anthologies and included in national exhibitions. More information can be found on the ICF website, TheIndiaCenter.us.

“We’ve had 120 applicants from 19 states so far for round one, and though their contributions to culture and society are invaluable, their reported income loss from this pandemic, collectively, hovers around $1.5 million,” says Raoul Bhavnani, one of ICF’s Co-Founders. “Our goal is to provide $500,000 in grants to South Asian-American artists and arts workers of all disciplines, in order to help them continue creating work that embodies South Asian culture, while also supporting their livelihoods.”

The deadline for Round Two of the grant is May 15, with winners being announced May 25th. Although the Fund has reached $30,000 towards its $500,000 goal, with ICF providing the initial seed money, “We have a long way to go,” adds Bhavnani. “This is very much a grassroots campaign, and although we are gaining momentum, we appreciate all donations no matter how big or small they are.”

WHAT THE FUND WILL SUPPORT:

The development, creation and presentation of work requires the time and expertise of a multitude of people, not just the artist. As such, the fund will provide support for artists and arts personnel in the U.S. through project grants on a rolling basis for the development of work, particularly during the ongoing pandemic.

Examples of Projects:

  • Creation of music, dance, theater, film, visual arts or literature projects (ongoing or new)
  • Research for development of music, dance, theater, film or visual arts projects (ongoing or new)
  • Strategic planning by a manager or agent for an artist
  • Content creation for project deployment
  • Creation of resources for artists to support careers in the arts

WHO IS ELIGIBLE:

Eligible applicants are United States-based, South Asian arts workers in the performing arts, film, visual arts or literature who can demonstrate loss of income because of canceled or postponed engagements due to COVID-19.

Arts Workers are defined as:

  • Artists such as: dancers, choreographers, musicians, poets, actors, comedians, playwrights, directors, filmmakers, writers, composers, visual artists, etc.
  • Arts personnel such as: technicians (lighting, sound, costume, stage management, production, editor), independent curators / presenters, producers, agents, managers, etc.

The India Center Foundation is a New York City-based, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and celebration of Indian Art & Culture, as well as the exploration of India’s place in the world and relationship with The United States. Primarily through collaborations with preeminent cultural and public affairs organizations, The India Center Foundation aims to be the American home for dialogue, debate and education about the subcontinent and its Diaspora. For more information, please visit www.theindiacenter.us.

Free Ration App Helps Needy Families Get Food During Lockdown

Staff ReporterCommunity 0

When Hyderabad-based businessman Azam Khan and IT specialist Khaled Sifullah realized how the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) was going to affect India’s needy, they quickly sprung into action. Sifullah developed the software for an app called Free Ration, and Khan and Sifullah are using the app to help Indians across the country access food, a critical need as millions of daily-wage workers are kept from earning a living during a countrywide shutdown.

            “If we were going to help someone, we knew we would have to do it from a distance,” Khan said. “People would need food, but we could not go door to door to help them.”

            Free Ration was born. Through a smartphone app, people in need of food can fill out an application to get 600 rupees of food supplies. Those without a smartphone can call a toll-free number to give their information to staff at Free Ration’s call center. Free Ration partners with small local grocers to help beneficiaries get the food they need while also supporting local businesses.

As the coronavirus rages on, experts warn that a side effect of the virus could result in unprecedented levels of hunger and poverty. While 135 million people around the world already face food shortages, the World Food Program (WPF) estimates that 265 million people could face acute hunger by the end of 2020.

            In India, the problem is particularly severe. 80 percent of India’s workforce is in the informal sector, leaving these workers in a particularly vulnerable position. Many of these laborers have little to no savings and are forced to stand in line for limited government rations.

            To apply for Free Ration, a beneficiary can fill out an application through the Smartphone App or call the toll-free number. After the customer gives information about the size of her family, occupation, and medical needs, Free Ration locates a nearby store to supply the family with the requested rations. The local shopkeeper receives a message to create a ration pack for the beneficiary, who can pick up the pack or have it delivered.

To apply for Free Ration, a beneficiary can fill out an application through the smartphone app or call call the toll-free number.

 Families with 4-5 members receive 600 rupees worth of food, and families with more than 5 members receive 1200 rupees. 600 rupees (approximately 8 dollars) provides a family of four 3 meals a day for between 7-10 days.

Free Ration allows families to select whatever items they need from the store. Packs may include sanitary pads, over-the-counter medicine, water, milk, slippers, and other necessities in addition to food. Food can also be tailored to the palette of the family.

            “In South India they might prefer rice, somewhere else they might prefer jowar atta (sorghum flour),” Khan said. “One place they could be favoring onions and another place they would be having more chiles and spices. You take whatever suits you better, whatever will keep your family satisfied for the next 10-15 days.”

            Free Ration has helped around 2,000 families get rations, and the organization is continuing to develop the capacity to do more. Still, the organization is in need of more funds.

            “Donations are an acute need,” Khan said. “We are looking at 150,000 families in and around Hyderabad who will need to be supported for at least a couple of months.”

            If you would like to contribute to Free Ration’s efforts but live outside of India, you can visit the Singh Foundation website and click on the first button, “Donate to COVID-19 Relief Work in India,” which will ensure that the donation is directed toward Free Ration. Singh Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and US donations are tax exempt.

Technological Solutions That Help with Common Sleeping Disorders

Staff ReporterHealth, Science & Technology 0

For most adults, getting seven to nine hours of sleep is enough to wake up rested and keep us functioning throughout the day. Granted, some people can manage to sleep a lot less, while others don’t want to leave the warmth of their bed. However, the problem occurs when we want to sleep only to find ourselves being restless in bed or continuously waking up unable to get a good night’s sleep.

However, there’s no reason to worry. We’ve comprised a list of the <a href=”https://dealsoncannabis.net/blog/sleep-deprivation-statistics/“>most common sleeping disorders</a> and technological solutions for them, which you can make use of and get some shuteye.

Insomnia

According to stats, 30% of the grown-up Americans experience insomnia. It causes people to have difficulty falling asleep or staying awake, which can then result in daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, irritability, and low energy.

Insomnia may occur either independently or as a result of another problem, such as chronic pain, heart failure, restless leg syndrome, and stress. The first steps in treating insomnia are lifestyle changes and better sleep hygiene.

When it comes to technological solutions, you can use bulbs that stop the blue light, such as the Good Night Biological LED Bulb. Also, you can try blackout shades or devices like Ebb Insomnia Therapy.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that affects up to 20% of the world’s population, and it causes a person’s breathing to be interrupted during sleep. There are two main types of sleep apnea—obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA). Common reasons that cause sleep apnea are enlarged tonsils or adenoids, smoking, frequent alcohol use, and weight.

Between the two, OSA is the more common one, and it occurs when the soft tissue in our throat collapses while we’re asleep. Its symptoms are daytime sleepiness, restlessness, gasping for air while sleeping, snoring, and fatigue.

When it comes to CSA, the issue starts in our central nervous system. Our breathing isn’t interrupted, but our brain fails to relay the information to our body to breathe.

Many inventions can help with sleep apnea, such as slumberBUMP that nudges you into sleeping on your side. As a result, it prevents the blocking of your airways. Another solution is EPAP by Theravent that regulates your airflow and creates a gentle pressure in your airway, keeping it open and reducing vibration.

Snoring

If you snore, you’re not alone. Approximately 40% of men and 20% of women snore, which is more than two billion people. It may be caused by sleep deprivation, sleep position, nasal problems, alcohol consumption, or simply due to our mouth’s anatomy.

For example, when muscles surrounding our throat relax during sleep, they cause the airway to get narrower, which then causes the tissue in our throat to vibrate as air passes through.

Luckily, since it’s one of the most common sleeping disorders around the globe, there are many technological solutions that can help with snoring, such as Hupnos’ Snoring Mask, URGONight EEG Headband, as well as many different sleeping solutions by Philips.

Author’s Bio

Maja Talevska is a content curator and contributor for several different publications, including DealsOnCannabis.  As one of her biggest passions, writing is more than just a profession, which is why she always delivers top-notch content. When she is not immersed in her work, she spends her time planning her next destination or walking her adorable dog Leo.

IAPC ANNOUNCES NEW NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Staff ReporterCommunity 0

President : Dr.S.S.Lal, Exec.Vice President: Annie J Koshy, General Secretary: Biju Chacko

INDO AMERICAN PRESS CLUB, Inc. (IAPC) has announced the National Executive Committee 2020. IAPC, the largest ethnic Indian American media forum, formed in 2013 to provide a common platform and to be the voice for media personnel of Indian origin, and to help shape the world to be world that is fair, just and equitable for the all today and future generations.

Dr. S.S.Lal, a world renowned Health Expert, Columnist and Guest Speaker on various Visual Media, has been selected to be the President of the National Executive Committee of Indo-American Press Club (IAPC), the largest ethnic Indian American media forum, formed to provide a common platform and to be the voice for media personnel of Indian origin, and to help shape the world that is fair, just and equitable for the all today and future generations.

Dr.Lal was a member of the Board of the Directors of IAPC during 2014- 2016. He is now the Director at the World Health Organization (WHO), in charge of the Department of Controlling contagious diseases (TB), with head quarters in Washington DC. Dr. Lal has been working for WHO in various countries,and has been instrumental in the setting up and management of its Global Fund at Geneva. He is a key member in various Advisory Councils of the WHO and often appears on TV sharing valuable thoughts on public health. Many of his scientific articles and findings have been published in various international journals. He is also a frequent columnist in various accredited Online and Print media.

Since 1993, for the first time in India  Dr.Lal initiated the broadcasting of Health Shows (Pulse, Asianet) and he was the Anchor for more than 500 biweekly episodes, until the end of 2003.  He has published so many Short Stories and Novels, and “Tittoni” a collection of his short stories was published by D.C.Books.

With his passion, dedication and academic achievements such as MBBS, MPH, MBA and Ph D, Dr. Lal makes his commitment towards betterment of health conditions all over the world with his responsible assignments at World Health Organization. Dr. Lal originally hails from Trivandrum, Kerala, and is an extensive traveler all over the world now lives at Vienna, Virginia along with his wife Dr. Sandhya and two sons.

Dr. Lal  will serve as the President of IPAC leading the organization to newer heights.

ANNIE J KOSHY elected as the Executive Vice President  joins the leadership team with her motto “Giving voice to the voiceless through thought leadership, photography, media and the arts.”

Award-winning media professional, Annie Koshy, is a recognized multi-talented media and events personality, trained elite speaker and emcee. Her work is highly applauded, as she has made a lasting impression within the arts, media, and events arena. Annie has gained a reputation for bridging opportunities for those in a variety of industries. Through her disciplined work ethic in multiple streams, aptitude for branding and skill in business networking, Annie is a role model to many within the community. As a fine example of a multi-disciplinary woman leader in the community, Annie’s story is inspirational and unique to young entrepreneurs and women. Her kernels of truth and words of wisdom are steeped in experience and cultural diversity.

The newly appointed Vice Presidents are C.G. Daniel, James Kureekattil, Prakash Joseph and Sunil Manjanikkara. C.G. Daniel is a well known writer and an amateur photographer with a large following especially on social media.  He is an environmentalist and his photos are published in the local newspapers. He is the President and CEO of the Deepalaya Foundation Inc. He is focusing to transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of children  living in low-income communities in Delhi and nearby states of North India by providing literacy and equality of education though Deepalaya Delhi. Before immigrating to the U.S., he was a successful entrepreneur in Delhi for many years. He has traveled several countries related to his business activities. Even while holding a full time job at Houston airport, he has been playing a major role in social and cultural activities in Houston. Daniel was the former president of the IAPC Houston chapter and the editorial Chairman of the International Media Conference 2019 Souvenir.

James Kureekkattil is a renowned Indo American free thinker, writer and columnist. He is also a reporter to Global Reporter TV channel. He has produced many news reports and features for the Reporter TV channel. His short stories, poems and articles has been published in several publications. His book “Malluklabbile Sadaachaaratharkkangal (Moral Argument of Mallu Club)” which was published last year is one of the widely discussed books among the Malayalee communities in the U.S. He was the Editor if Dhwani magazine published from Detroit. He is also actively involved in the writers forum, LANA.

Prakash Joseph was the Advisory board member of the IAPC Atlanta chapter. He is also a member of the Greater Atlanta Malayalee Association (GAMA). In 2016 he was elected as GAMA President and since 2017 he is serving as the member of the Board of Trustee. Recently he was elected as the Atlanta region president of World Malayalee Council.

Sunil Manjanikkara is working as a Program-in-Chief with the Global Reporter channel. He was the Program Director for JaiHind TV USA. He is a professional in photography and videography and exhibited his expertise through several TV programms.. He was the Public Relations Officer for the American Malankara Diocese and he played a major role to establish the diocese’s audio video media department. He was instrumental in the historic leap of telecasting of 250 episodes of a Realty Show organized by JaiHind TV, where participants from all American states could present their versatile talents for the first time. For Malankara TV, Sunil reported the Induction and Coronation events of H.H.Ignatius Aprem II, Patriarch of Global Syrian Orthodox Churches from Syria.

The elected General Secretary, Biju Chacko is a well known media person of North America. He is the member of the Director Board of Jai Hind News which is publishing from U.S. and Canada. He is actively involved with many organisations including NORKA. He was the front runner of New York State Senator Kevin Thomas’s election campaign and now actively involved in the community services of Sen. Kevin Thomas.

The elected Secretaries are Andrews Jacob, Raj Dhingra, Annie Anuvelil and Dr. Neethu Thomas.

Andrew Jacob is the reporter of Global Reporter channel. He was the former secretary of IAPC Houston chapter. He is a good singer in Malayalam and Hindi especially ghazal songs. He is the Treasurer of Malayalee Association of Houston, President of Houston Kottayam Press Club, Cultural Forumn Chairman of World Malayalee Association of American region. He is involved in the charity organization like Ragam Arts, Prathibha Arts etc.

Raj Dhingra is the publisher of New York based Indian Republic News paper. He is also members of several Indo-American community organizations.

Annie Anuvelil is a freelance journalist based at Atlanta. She has a post graduate diploma from Manorama School of Communication (MASCO). Before immigrating to the U.S. she worked with the New Indian Express and R R Donelly publishing department. She played a major role to start the monthly news bulletin, “Nattu Vishesham”, publishing by the Atlanta Metro Malayalee Association (AMMA). Currently she is the news editor of this monthly magazine. She is also actively involved in the community activities.

Dr. Neethu Thomas is working as Senior Reporter at Global Reporter TV. Many of her daily reports to Global TV Channel under ‘Global News Hour’ have claimed popular attention. She is also working as Surgical Tech in Broadlawns Hospital Des Moines ,Iowa.

The newly electedTreasurer Reji Philip is the reporter of Global Reporter channel and a popular media professional also. He has a Post Graduate degree in journalism. He is engaged in several visual online media and an expert in creative digital department .He is based at Philadelphia.

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Advocate Innocent Ulahannan is elected as the Jt.Treasurer. He is the Vice president (operations) of Asian Era Magazine. He has 25 years of experiance as a Revenue Manager in New York. He was the former president of Hudson Valley Malayalee Association and Chairman of the Board of Trustee. He served as American Political Action Council President and Secretary of FOKANA, New York region. He was the Treasurer of the Indian American Lawyers Forum. As a certified Notary, he has been active in the community engaging in tax affairs for the last 22 years. He has decorated many official positions in various organizations and a recipient of various awards to his honor.

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Baiju Pakalomattom and Rupsi Narula were elected as National Co ordinators. Baiju Pakalomattom was the former IAPC Secretary. He is the regional director and columnist of JaiHind News, Niagara region. His several articles have been published in many of the publications. He was one of the founder members of the Niagara Malayalee Samajam and now serving as the president. During 2007 he joined Knight of Columbus, the global Catholic organization and elevated to fourth degree as Sir Knight for his dedications. In 2016 he was elected as the regional Vice President of FOKANA Canada region.

Roopsi Narula has been  prominent  with her presence in the digital marketing sector. Roopsi who has attained MBA from USA, is also holding Masters in Sociology.  She has been active for the last ten years with her print and  digital chain of telecasting in the ZeeTV Americas, TV Asia, Oxford University Press, and The South Asian Times.

The new elected Public Relations Officers (PRO) are O.K. Thyagarajan, Teresa Tom and Shibi Roy. Originally from Kannur, O.K. Thyagarajan is based at Vancouver, Canada. He is the editorial board member of Jai Hind News. He studied law and journalism and worked with the Kairali TV channel also. He has published a collection of short stories.

Shiby Roy is theOwner/CEO and Lead RJ of Mallu CafeMalayalam Radio U.S.A available @99.5 FM. Her radio station is based at Houston but streaming is available through out the world. She is also a director board member of the Greater Houston malayalee Association. This year she was elected as the womens representative of the Malayalee Association.

Teresa Tom is a well known as a Writer and Columnist, publishing many poems and articles in Newspapers, magazines. She has published two collections of her poetries and two collections of her essays of social importance and women empowerment. She was the Chairperson of the Literary Seminar held by the WMC. Teresa is an active member holding different positions of IAPC since its inception.

IAPC was formed with the lofty goal of realizing a long-felt need to bring together the media groups and the Indian American media persons across the North American continent  under one umbrella to work together and support one another, and thus giving them a powerful voice in the media world and the larger society. IAPC members are dedicated to fulfill the vision of enhancing their own journalistic skills while striving to help fellow journalists and future generations to work towards the common cause of enhancing the well being and efficiency of all peoples of the world. For more information, please visit: https://indoamericanpressclub.com

Report Dr. Mathew Joys, Las Vegas

MY Thoughts On US Leaving World Health Organization

Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

1. It will have adverse effects in the World post Trump sanctions against WHO, specially to third world countries. Of course President Trump has promised that the amount US was donating to WHO in the amount of $450 million dollars, would be distributed as per the will of the Trump administration. I am sure some of the countries that are under US sanctions will have diverse effects specially countries like Iran,Venezuela etc.
We all feel, it is absolute loss to humanitarian work in health care across the world.

The problem is WHO failed in their duties to protect the world on Corona, because of Chinese dominance in WHO, even though it was contributing just over $ 45 million or so. I am glad that India has been given the prestigious position as chair of WHO, that may change the world out look of WHO. Will have to wait and see.

I think it is a huge rebuff to China by the USA and it is almost open war with deteriorating relationships between US and China. President Trump did not hesitate to condemn China in his White House press conference this week.

2. US President is absolutely justified in criticizing the misuse of WHO funds in favor of China during Covid Pandemic and its inability to forewarn the world of insufficient and unequivocal measures taken by WHO on behest of China are unpardonable.

3. Yes absolutely China is being looked down in US and there is demand to boycott Chinese imports and put limitations on Commerce, and cultural relations between the two nations. There is a strong move in US congress to de list Chinese companies in New York stock exchanges that will be a big blow to Chinese industries.

President Trump has gained enormous sympathy in his fight against China and WHO. This will greatly help in his re election campaign come November 2020.

Dr. Sampat Shivangi (drssshivangi@aol.com) is the National President of Indian American Forum for Political Edu

Harvard professor says this odd activity is a game changer for dealing with stress

Staff ReporterHealth 0

Right now is stressful. We’re trying to stay healthy, reevaluating values and questioning what we’ll define as normal going forward. We all need breaks to heal our minds and bodies from time-to-time and to renew motivation. But sometimes our house or streets are too full of distractions to help. Although needed, many of us can’t take the time or money out for therapy.

Try forest therapy, meditative practice of walking through the woods using all your senses.

“Unlike a hike or guided nature walk aimed at identifying trees or birds, forest therapy relies on trained guides, who set a deliberately slow pace and invite people to experience the pleasures of nature through all of their senses. It encourages people to be present in the body, enjoying the sensation of being alive and deriving profound benefits from the relationship between ourselves and the rest of the natural world,” said Dr. Susan Abookire MPH, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

The practice of forest therapy is shockingly healthy for your body. Sounds silly? It was touted in Japan in the 1980s to help people relax from a culture of stress and overwork. It might help you. There are many benefits to getting into some greenery.

Getting in nature relieves stress. One of the first effects is that forest bathing or forest therapy relieves cortisol, a stress hormone. A research review showed, “In all but two included studies, cortisol levels were significantly lower after intervention in forest groups if compared with control/comparison groups.”

Forest bathing may also boost immunity. The essential oils trees put off, called phytoncides,  have antimicrobial properties. Dr. Abookire said, “One Japanese study showed a rise in number and activity of immune cells called natural killer cells, which fight viruses and cancer, among people who spent three days and two nights in a forest versus people who took an urban trip. This benefit lasted for more than a month after the forest trip!”

 Just a short trek in the woods can boost health. Studies suggest spending just about two hours can help people report better health. Another study shows that depression, anxiety and high blood pressure can all be relieved by forest therapy. By walking in the woods, taking in the wind rustling the leaves, we absorb many of the helpful effects tree oils produce. It can also make you feel and look less inflamed. So getting outdoors makes you look and feel better.

Looking at nature shortens the time it takes to heal. Looking out a window can boost healing. In one study from decades ago, patients that had a window to look out of, and patients with gallbladder surgery left the hospital quicker.

Green spaces or even pictures help focus. If you’re stuck inside, just looking at photographs of nature or touching tree bark can get you back in tune with senses. And doing so improves focus.

How to recreate it in your situation

Sitting: Get into the greenest space you can, take a deep breath supporting the spine and close your eyes. Take in the sounds. If you’re stuck in a city, put up posters of natures and put on earbuds. Bilateral sound, in both ears, helps you feel and connect sound to your mind.

Walking: Go very slow for ten minutes or so, touching, feeling and seeing all you can. “Be present in nature, and discover what nature has to present you,” said Jane Burress, a forest therapy guide.

If you do live near nature, check out the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy to find a guide to walk you through the practice. Take some time to breathe this week, and notice the green leaves of the trees, even the stray weed or two. You’ll feel chiller for it.

Ram Shriram, Chandrika Tandon Named Ellis Island Medal Recipients

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Two Indian Americans, Chandrika Tandon and Ram Shriram are among the 93 honorees to be honored at the 35th annual group of 2020 Ellis Island Medals of Honor recipients

According to the NECO website, “the Ellis Island Medals of Honor embody the spirit of America in their celebration of patriotism, tolerance, brotherhood and diversity. They recognize individuals who have made it their mission to share with those less fortunate their wealth of knowledge, indomitable courage, boundless compassion, unique talents and selfless generosity; all while maintaining the traditions of their ethnic heritage as they uphold the ideals and spirit of America. As always, NECO remains dedicated to the maintenance and restoration of America’s greatest symbol of its immigrant history, Ellis Island.”

“The Ellis Island Medals of Honor embody the spirit of America in their salute to tolerance, brotherhood, diversity and patriotism,” said the organization in a press statement. “Honorees may be native-born or naturalized, but most importantly, they are individuals who have made it their mission to share their wealth of knowledge, indomitable courage, boundless compassion, unique talents and selfless generosity with those less fortunate.”

Ram Shriram, Chandrika Tandon Named Ellis Island Medal RecipientsChandrika Tandon is a business leader, Grammy-nominated artist and humanitarian. Composer and vocalist, CHANDRIKA, has been trained by masters in Hindustani, Carnatic, and Western Traditions. Her album – Soul Call – topped world music charts, garnering great acclaim, and earning a Grammy nomination. All four of her albums were released under her not-for-profit label, Soul Chants Music.

A graduate of the Madras Christian College and the Indian Institute of Management, Tandon is chairperson of Tandon Capital Associates and a member of the board of directors at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Berklee Presidential Advisory Council of the Berklee College of Music, according to her bio.

Tandon is also the vice-chairman of the board of trustees at New York University, chair of the President’s Global Council, and chair of the board of the Tandon School of Engineering, which she brought the naming rights to in 2014 for $100 Million. She also serves on the boards of the NYU Stern School of Business and the NYU Langone Health System.

Chandrika is a recognized leader in the worlds of business, education, and the arts, dedicated to public service. In addition to being founder and head of her financial advisory firm, she is a member of the Board of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the Berklee School of Music’s President’s Council. Additionally, the Berklee Tandon Global Clinics connect world-class music faculty from the US to other countries. At New York University, she is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chair of the President’s Global Council, Chair of the Board of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and she serves on the Boards of the NYU Stern School of Business and the NYU Langone Health System.

Chandrika has received several awards for integrity and leadership – the Gallatin Medal, New York University’s highest honor for outstanding contributions to society; the Walter Nichols Medal for leadership and integrity; and the Polytechnic Medal, recognizing her involvement in science and engineering. In recognition of her efforts on behalf of higher education, she was inducted as a Sterling Fellow at Yale and into the Harold Acton Society of New York University. She was named an Inaugural Distinguished Alumnus of both the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Madras Christian College – her two alma maters. Chandrika is Chair of the Krishnamurthy Tandon Foundation.

Ram Shriram, Chandrika Tandon Named Ellis Island Medal RecipientsShriram is a billionaire businessman. He is a founding board member and one of the first investors in Google, his bio notes. He earlier served as an officer of Amazon.com working for Jeff Bezos. Shriram came to Amazon in August 1998 when Amazon acquired Junglee, an online comparison-shopping firm of which Shriram was president.

Before Junglee and Amazon, Shriram was a member of the Netscape executive team, joining them in 1994, before they shipped products or posted revenue, the bio said. Shriram earned a degree at Loyola College Chennai and the University of Madras.

Shriram was born in the port city of Chennai, which is located on the Bay of Bengal on the southeast coast of India. The city, once known as Madras, was renamed after India won its independence from Britain in 1947.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Madras in 1977.

After graduating, Shriram moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he worked for Bell-Northern Research and its sister company Nortel Networks Corp. In 1983, the job brought him to Silicon Valley.

Shriram became a vice president of Netscape Communications Corp. in 1994, the year the web browser company was founded. (It was acquired by America Online – AOL – in 1998 and later disbanded.)

In 1998, Shriram became president and chief operating officer of Junglee Corp., a Sunnyvale startup whose search engine – developed by former Stanford computer scientists – allowed online comparison shopping.

Later that same year, online retailing giant Amazon bought Junglee. Shriram became vice president of business development at Amazon, working for company founder, Jeff Bezos. Shriram left Amazon in January 2000 to start Sherpalo.

Shriram is a founding board member of Google Inc., which two former Stanford students – Larry Page and Sergey Brin – started in 1998, and 24/7customer.com, which provides business process outsourcing from Asian call centers.

He is married to Vidjealatchoumy “Vijay” Shriram, and the couple has two daughters, both of whom are students at Stanford.

The couple has served on Stanford’s Parents Advisory Board since 2006. In addition to various philanthropic programs in India, they have endowed the Shriram Family Professorship in Science Education in Stanford’s School of Education.

 “Our recipients are the leaders taking our nation powerfully into the 21st century. They are the innovators and visionaries who are defining their generation and shaping our future. They also respect the value of their ethnic heritage and appreciate the importance of America’s immigrant history,” it says on the website, www.eihonors.org.

The Ellis Island Honor Society chair Nasser J. Kazeminy said in a statement that the honorees will be recognized at a formal gala, though it has been indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian Americans on Joe Biden’s Unity Taskforces

Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

Several Indian Americans are part of the Unity Task Force announced by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders with the purpose of use to promoting Democratic party unity by hammering out consensus on top policy issues, additional members have been announced.

Two Indian Americans had already been named as co-chairs of the Health panel: former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his chief primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced on Wednesday the members of a joint task force meant to unify the party ahead of November’s general election, bringing together figures from different wings of the party, ranging from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to former Secretary of State John Kerry.

Indian Americans on Joe Biden’s Unity TaskforcesThe news comes a month after Sanders joined Biden via video stream to endorse him. The pair pledged to create these task forces to focus on shared policy concerns. “Now, it’s no great secret out there, Joe, that you and I have our differences, and we’re not going to paper them over; that’s real,” Sanders said at the time. “But I hope that these task forces will come together utilizing the best minds and people in your campaign and in my campaign to work out real solutions to these very, very important problems.”

Biden and Sanders put together six of the “unity task forces” to handle policy in these areas: the economy, education, immigration, health care, climate change, and criminal justice reform.

South Asians for Biden said May 21 that these additional Indian Americans have also been named members of the Unity Taskforce:

  • Chiraag Bains, director of Legal Strategies for the think tank Demos, will serve as the co-chair of the Criminal Justice Reform group;
  • Former Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, now president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, will also serve on the Criminal Justice Reform group;
  • Varshini Prakash, executive director of the Sunrise Movement, a leading organization focused on climate change among young people, will serve on the Climate Change group; and
  • Sonal Shah, policy director for Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign, will serve on the Economy group.

Indian Americans on Joe Biden’s Unity TaskforcesThe taskforce brings together a number of prominent Democrats with subject matter expertise to guide the Democratic Party heading into the November general election on critical issues.

“We are thrilled to see that a number of South Asian leaders have been selected to serve on the Unity Taskforce, which will have an impact on the Democratic Party platform for years to come,” said Neha Dewan, National Director of South Asians for Biden. “South Asians represent the second-most rapidly growing demographic group in America. In this critical election year, the South Asian community has a stake in key policy questions that affect our communities, and are deeply impacted by issues spanning immigration, civil rights, and healthcare. Such a robust representation of South Asians on the Unity Taskforce reflects the growing voting strength of the community,” said Ritu Pancholy, a member of the communications team for South Asians for Biden.

South Asians for Biden is a national, grassroots organization that is dedicated to engaging, educating, and mobilizing the South Asian community to help to elect Joe Biden as the next president of the United States.

First Human Trial Of Possible COVID-19 Vaccine Triggers Rapid Immune Response, Few Side-Effects

Staff ReporterHealth 0

As the worldwide number of COVID-19 cases reaches five million, the search for a vaccine has taken an important step forward. Researchers say the first human trial of a possible vaccine has been found to be safe and may effectively fight the virus.

Scientists in China say 108 healthy adults were given a dose of adenovirus type 5 vectored COVID-19 (Ad5-nCoV) during the trial. The drug uses a weakened strain of the common cold (adenovirus) to deliver genetic material which codes itself to find the protein in SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19. These coded cells then head to the lymph nodes where the immune system creates antibodies that can recognize the virus and attack it.

“These results represent an important milestone. The trial demonstrates that a single dose of the new adenovirus type 5 vectored COVID-19 (Ad5-nCoV) vaccine produces virus-specific antibodies and T cells in 14 days,” Professor Wei Chen of the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology said in a statement.

Although Ad5 was found to create a rapid immune response in the body, scientists warn there’s no guarantee the drug will effectively fight the coronavirus.

“These results should be interpreted cautiously… The ability to trigger these immune responses does not necessarily indicate that the vaccine will protect humans from COVID-19. This result shows a promising vision for the development of COVID-19 vaccines, but we are still a long way from this vaccine being available to all,” Chen explained.

The test group of 18-60 year-olds was split into three groups of 36 and given either a small, medium, or large dose of Ad5. Researchers found that none of the patients suffered from serious reactions to the vaccine after four weeks. The most common side-effects included mild pain in the injection area, fever, and fatigue. The symptoms typically lasted for less than two days.

Rapid Response

The study, published in The Lancet, found that nearly every patient had more binding antibodies after 28 days. The antibodies, which learned to attach to the coronavirus, had increased by four times in 97 percent of the test group. Among the patients given the large dose of Ad5, 75 percent were found to have antibodies that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in their systems.

Patients also saw their T cell response increase rapidly, with nearly 93 percent seeing a rise in the body’s ability to fight off infections.

Vaccine Roadblocks

Researchers cautioned that Ad5 still has some issues. The biggest problem is that humans could be immune to adenovirus type 5. About half of the trial patients were found to have a pre-existing immunity to the cold virus which may have slowed the progress of the vaccine.

“Our study found that pre-existing Ad5 immunity could slow down the rapid immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 and also lower the peaking level of the responses,” said Professor Feng-Cai Zhu from Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The final results of the Ad5 injections will be evaluated after six months. Researchers are hoping the patients will show a continued resistance to the coronavirus.

A second trial involving 500 healthy adults is already underway in Wuhan, the alleged starting point of the worldwide pandemic. This trial will also see how the drug affects patients over the age of 60.

An experimental vaccine against the coronavirus showed encouraging results in very early testing, triggering hoped-for immune responses in eight healthy, middle-aged volunteers, its maker announced May 18.

Study volunteers given either a low or medium dose of the vaccine by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna Inc. had antibodies similar to those seen in people who have recovered from COVID-19.

In the next phase of the study, led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, researchers will try to determine which dose is best for a definitive experiment that they aim to start in July.

In all, 45 people have received one or two shots of the vaccine, which was being tested at three different doses. The kind of detailed antibody results needed to assess responses are only available on eight volunteers so far.

The vaccine seems safe, the company said, but much more extensive testing is needed to see if it remains so. A high dose version is being dropped after spurring some short-term side effects.

The results have not been published and are only from the first of three stages of testing that vaccines and drugs normally undergo. U.S. government officials have launched a project called “Operation Warp Speed” to develop a vaccine and hopefully have 300 million doses by January.

Worldwide, about a dozen vaccine candidates are in the first stages of testing or nearing it. Health officials have said that if all goes well, studies of a potential vaccine might wrap up by very late this year or early next year.

More than 4.7 million infections and 315,000 deaths from the coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide since it emerged in China late last year. There are no specific approved treatments, although several are being used on an emergency basis after showing some promise in preliminary testing.

Sen. Kamala Harris Introduces Bill to Provide Monthly $2,000 Payments During COVID-19 Crisis

Staff ReporterHealth, Politics, U.S. 0

U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Ed Markey (D-MA) May 8 had introduced the Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act, legislation that provides a monthly $2,000 check to those struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic. As rent comes due and bills continue to pile up, Americans desperately need assistance to financially survive this crisis, said a press release.

“The coronavirus pandemic has caused millions to struggle to pay the bills or feed their families,” said Harris. “The CARES Act gave Americans an important one-time payment, but it’s clear that wasn’t nearly enough to meet the needs of this historic crisis. Bills will continue to come in every single month during the pandemic and so should help from government. The Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act will ensure families have the resources they need to make ends meet. I am eager to continue working with Senators Sanders and Markey as we push to pass this bill immediately,” the Indian American senator said in the release.

“As a result of this horrific pandemic, tens of millions of Americans are living in economic desperation not knowing where their next meal or paycheck will come from,” said Sanders. “The one-time $1,200 check that many Americans recently received is not nearly enough to pay the rent, put food on the table and make ends meet. During this unprecedented crisis, Congress has a responsibility to make sure that every working-class household in America receives a $2,000 emergency payment a month for each family member. I am proud to be introducing legislation with Senators Harris and Markey to do exactly that. If we can bail out large corporations, we can make sure that everyone in this country has enough income to pay for the basic necessities of life.”

The Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act is endorsed by Economic Security Project Action, Humanity Forward, Community Change Action, High Ground Institute, LatinxVoice, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Income Movement, People’s Action, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Golden State Opportunity, MyPath, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Heartland Alliance, One Fair Wage, Caring Across Generations, End Child Poverty CA/The GRACE Institute, Coalition on Human Needs, Black to the Future Action Fund, ParentsTogether Action, RESULTS, and Forum for Youth Investment.

The Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act:

  • Provides up to $2,000 a month to every individual with an income below $120,000 throughout and for three months following the coronavirus pandemic.
    • Married couples who file jointly would receive $4,000.
    • $2,000 per child up to three children
    • Retroactive to March
    • Begins to phase out after $100,000
  • Ensures that every U.S. resident receives a payment, regardless of whether or not they have filed a recent tax return or have a social security number.
    • Uses the data from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income, (SSI), Medicare and housing assistance programs
  • Forbids debt collectors from seizing the rebate payments.
  • Ensures the homeless and foster youth receive payments.

Hot & Crispy Caramelised Onion & Beef Samosas

Staff ReporterAmmu's Hearty Treats 0
It’s  monsoon in India and the thought of hot crispy samosa in rainy weather is very tempting and appetising. The samosa recipe that I’m sharing with you today is a tasty snack and appetiser!
How I developed this recipe-
Hot & Crispy Caramelised Onion & Beef SamosasIn my childhood, I have travelled twice through train to cities in neighbouring states of Kerala. As a kid, one of the most exciting part on my journey on rails were of small crispy onion samosas sold by street vendors through the train windows during when the train pauses during the trip at each stop at every station it passes. The taste of those bite sized crispy samosas filled with mildly spiced caramelised onions are still in my best memories. This inspired me to make a similar samosa, still a much refined recipe with the addition of beautifully spiced beef meat and perfectly caramelised onions in a homemade make-ahead samosa wrapper.
What makes this recipe special?
. Caramelised onions-This is the most special addition to your basic meat samosa recipe that adds a ton of flavour and subtly sweet goodness to it.
. Herbs & spices– I’ve used coriander and mint leaves as fresh herbs and spices including coriander-turmeric-garam masala powders to make this dish extra flavourful packed up with health benefits that helps in better metabolism.
. Make ahead recipe– You can make the wrappers and filling separately,  fill and deep freeze the samosas for about a month or more. You just have to thaw and fry it whenever you need them as a quick snack.
. Bonus samosa wrapper recipe– The samosa wrapper for which a recipe I’ve given below is a keeper for it can be used as a spring roll wrapper as well!
Hot & Crispy Caramelised Onion & Beef Samosas. Baked version– For people worried about all the oil that’d go in to your body on deep frying your samosas- You could brush your thawed samosas with a little oil on all sides and bake at 200 degree Celsius for 8-12 mins-flipping for equal browning.
What you’ll need-
For filling-
  • 3 big red onions
  • 2 long green chillies, chopped
  • 1.5 cup beef meat, cut into small cubes
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • Half teaspoon turmeric
  • Half teaspoon black pepper powder
  • One by fourth teaspoon cumin powder
  • Half teaspoon ginger paste
  • 1 teaspoon garlic paste
  • Salt
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves
  • Hot & Crispy Caramelised Onion & Beef Samosas1 tablespoon of finely shopped mint leaves
For wrapper-
  • 1 cup All-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • Water to knead
  • Flour for dusting
How to make-
For filling-
Hot & Crispy Caramelised Onion & Beef Samosas. Marinate cut beef with all the spices ,salt to taste and ginger-garlic pastes.
. Cook it in 2 teaspoons of oil for a few minutes in a non-stick pan until the beef is well-cooked and dry.
. In another pan, caramelise the onions, heating 1 tablespoon oil.
. Shred the cooked beef into minces pulsing for 5 seconds in a small mixer jar and stir into the caramelised onions.
. Add the green chillies into the above mix and sauté well.
. Keep aside to cool.
For the wrapper-
. Mix the dry ingredients and knead into a soft dough adding oil and enough water —until non-sticky.
. Form small lime sized balls and roll into small tortilla- like round flatbreads using a rolling pin, dusting generously with flour- preventing each of it from sticking onto the other.
. Stack it up with flour inbetween each.
. Make stacks of 4-5 each and roll out each stack to make thinnest possible sheets without sticking to each other.
. Heat a tawa (flat wide open non-stick crepe pan)and heat both sides of each stack without drying it out-untill it starts to slightly puff.
. Remove from pan and seperate each layer carefully ,without tearing,after cooling a bit .
Hot & Crispy Caramelised Onion & Beef Samosas. Cut each round sheet into semicircles.
Folding the samosa-
. Make a paste with 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon water -to use as gum to stick your wrapper sheets after stuffing it.
. I have attached an image from google with stepwise demonstration on how to wrap your samosa.
. Freeze your samosa in an airtight container/ziplock bag and fry them in hot oil (neutral oil, eg. canola/sunflower) and drain on kitchen towel before serving with you favourite dips.
Notes, tips & suggestions-
.Hot & Crispy Caramelised Onion & Beef Samosas You can use tamarind chutney, chilli tomato chutney, coriander-pudina chutney, pickles or even ketchup as dips for your hot samosas.
. Thawing your samosa before frying is important as if fried frozen, there are chances that your samosa will stay cold in the centre part of the filling even when the outer part is brown enough.
. If you are planning to use the wrappers for making spring rolls, keep it round – skip cutting into semi-circles.

Research Shows Electroceutical Fabric Eradicates Coronavirus Infectivity On Contact

Staff ReporterHealth 0

By Allison Gasparini (Courtesy: FORBES)

In the fight against Covid-19, protective personal equipment has played a central and critical role for the safety of healthcare workers. However, the virus can attach to the surface of PPE where it may continue to be infectious for an extended period of time. There’s a risk that a person removing their face mask could touch viral particles latched onto the outside and further spread the virus.
A preprint paper published recently by scientists from Indiana University suggests a fabric which eradicates the infectivity of coronaviruses on contact by generating an electric field could be the answer to the problem.
Last month, a team of researchers determined a hybrid combination of one layer of cotton and two layers of chiffon is the most effective fabric for a face mask. They noted the high-efficiency of the combination is likely due to the combined effect of mechanical and electrostatic filtration of infective particles.
The new study from IU further explores the potential of electrostatic forces to act against Covid-19.
The research is a part of a still-growing field of medical devices known as “electroceuticals” — a fusion of the words “electrostatic” and “pharmaceuticals.” Electroceuticals use weak electric fields not harmful to humans to treat a variety of conditions. Pacemakers, which are used to treat arrhythmias, are one common example.
Chandan Sen, the paper’s lead author and director of the Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering, previously worked on developing the current-generating fabric for antimicrobial applications. Bioelectric technology company Vomaris Inc currently commercializes the electroceutical fabric for use as a pathogen-killing wound dressing.
The fabric is polyester printed with little metal dots made of zinc and silver. The geometric, alternating pattern of zinc and silver make microcell batteries which generate an electric field upon exposure to moisture. When used in wound care, the electric field prevents biofilms from forming and reduces the risk of bacterial infection during the healing process.
Knowing viruses rely on electrostatic forces to assemble and attach to cells, the researchers suspected the electroceutical fabric could be used to destabilize the coronavirus as well.
As a control for their test, the team used a polyester fabric without the microcell batteries on the surface. They then exposed both fabrics to an aqueous solution containing cells with a respiratory coronavirus at room temperature and allowed it to absorb.
Their subsequent analysis revealed that just one minute of contact to the electroceutical fabric led to significant reduction in the electrokinetic property of the viral particles. Additionally, researchers monitored the infected cells recovered from the electroceutical fabrics and noticed an absence of the cytopathic effects expected in the presence of viral invasions.
The team reported the cells from the electroceutical fabric were as healthy as non-infected cells, indicating the virus had lost its infectivity, while cells from the control fabric didn’t receive the same protection.
Though further studies are needed to characterize the structural change of coronaviruses in exposure to electroceutical fabric, the researchers hope their findings are the first step toward receiving FDA Emergency Use Authorization which will allow the technology to be distributed widely for use as face masks.

Indian American students connect patients with the medicines they need

Staff ReporterEducation, Health 0

Aarogya, a social-enterprise nonprofit created by three President’s Engagement Prize winners and graduating seniors, will bring affordable medicines to low-income people living in India.

Each year, 500 million patients in India living with chronic conditions like diabetes—to name just one—go without medicines they need because they can’t afford them. After witnessing this first-hand as a volunteer two years ago in a private charitable hospital in Bangalore, observing a child with chronic juvenile diabetes walk away without medication, Shivansh Inamdar also saw an opportunity to make an impact.
The idea: leverage pharmacies’ unsold medicines—ones that have not yet reached expiry but have passed their sell-by date—and get them, free of charge, in the hands of people who need them with the help of secure and transparent technology.
Proposing the mission first to Aditya Siroya, a senior in the Wharton School, and later Artemis Panagopoulou, a senior in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Arts and Sciences, they combined skills and perspectives to tackle the problem in the best way they could, and submitted an application for the President’s Engagement Prize.
Founded by Penn President Amy Gutmann in 2015, the 2020 President’s Engagement Prize is intended to empower students to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world. Each prize-winning project receives $100,000, as well as a $50,000 per-student living stipend.
“This seems like such a natural solution to this problem,” muses Inamdar, a senior in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, discussing their winning project. “But the status quo has really not allowed the pharmaceutical companies to be looking for a second distribution channel for these medicines.”
Three to five percent of medicines are returned to pharmaceutical companies’ warehouses each year in India and later incinerated upon their expiry, all at a cost of millions of dollars to store and eventually destroy. Which, too, comes at a global price of 1.5-2.6 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Aarogya, which is interpreted to mean “freedom from disease” in Sanskrit, will solve the problem of medicine wastage by using a tailor-made digital redistribution platform, with a decentralized blockchain system set up for traceability, to bridge the divide between pharmaceutical companies and charitable hospitals.
“Of course, this is an inefficiency in a sense that you have these unused medicines lying idle when they should be used for what they were made for, which is to treat people,” Inamdar says. “We thought this was a relatively easy inefficiency for us to come in and solve. Which, on an individual company level, is quite small, but across the [Indian] health care system is quite significant.”
Siroya adds that it’s a financial problem that seems minor across each company, but adds up to a much larger problem when considered together—with no one able to individually “devote bandwidth to the problem,” he says.
Through a four-month pilot in a small village in Karnataka, they’ve already gotten $6,300 worth of medicines to 900 low-income people and proven Aarogya’s concept. They also established partnerships, toured warehouses, and spoke with doctors, administrators, and, really, anyone who would allow them to learn more about the problem. They will now take what they’ve learned from the pilot and flesh out their platform—which, they emphasize, is more timely than ever in the COVID-19 pandemic, and can be completed without interpersonal interactions.
The platform itself, they further explain, is designed to accommodate systems already in place in the health care system to ensure there are no added barriers or burdens for hospital administrators, doctors, or pharmaceutical companies. Hospitals list medicines they need, the pharmaceutical companies list information about what medications they have, and an algorithm built into the platform matches the two. A strip with a QR code is used to track the shipments at checkpoints and notify involved parties.
“What we’re asking them to do is just have a small additional step of entering their stock in our platform,” says Panagopoulou. “And then at the same time, on the other side, the charitable hospitals can again list what they need, and then we can use some optimization algorithms given some aspects like distance, quantity, and other [variables] that are a typical supply chain optimization problem, to deliver the medicines through the best possible way and get it where it’s needed most.
“It’s essentially matching supply and demand.”
Mark Pauly, the Bendheim Professor of Health Care Management and Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School, has been advising the team on their project, pointing out potential concerns from pharmaceutical companies as they’ve continued negotiations, and has largely been delighted by their enthusiasm and research.
“Their knowledge on the ground is of great value, and they came back [from their pilot] even more thoughtful,” says Pauly. “And I like that this team is multinational as well as multi-school. The University’s idea of making [ideas] actually happen in a real-world setting is on display here and I’m excited about it.”
Aarogya will partner with pharmaceutical companies, a charitable institution, and a charitable hospital to provide access to $1.19 million worth of unused medicines and approximately 12,500 low-income patients per day.
“Now more than ever, it is imperative that we find new ways to get life-sustaining and life-saving medicines into the hands of those who need them most,” says Gutmann. “Aditya, Artemis, and Shivansh are harnessing the power of purpose-driven technology to efficiently and ethically ensure that the right medicines reach the right hands in the right place and at the right time.”

Indian government allows OCI cardholders to travel back to India

Staff ReporterIndia, Travel 0

Giving a major relief to the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders stranded abroad, the Ministry of Home affairs on Friday relaxed the visa and travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 lockdown for certain categories.

The MHA Spokesperson in a tweet said, “Relaxing visa and travel restrictions imposed in wake of COVID-19, certain categories of OCI cardholders stranded abroad have been permitted to come to India.”

The MHA in a detailed notification said that the categories now eligible to return to India for minor children born to Indian nationals abroad and holding OCI cards, OCI cardholders who wish to come to India on account of family emergencies, such as a death in the family, couples where one spouse is an OCI cardholder and the other is an Indian national, and they have a permanent residence in India and University students who are OCI cardholders (but are not minors) and whose parents are Indian citizens living in India.

The MHA also said that travel restrictions imposed on May 7 would not apply to any aircraft, ship, train or any other vehicle deployed for bringing back the above-mentioned categories of OCI cardholders who are stranded abroad.

The decision comes in the wake of several complaints raised by the Indians stranded abroad. The OCI card is issued to people of Indian origin, allowing them visa-free travel in most cases.

Over 23,000 Indians, who had been stranded abroad after the lockdown was imposed in March, have been repatriated from dozens of countries under the government’s “Vande Bharat Mission”.

The government has deployed Air India passenger jets and Indian Navy warships to the United States, Europe, the Gulf region, Australia and several countries in Southeast Asia, as well as neighbouring nations like Nepal and Bangladesh, to bring back Indian citizens.

On Thursday the government said the “Vande Bharat Mission”, whose second phase was to end today, had been extended to June 13, with nearly 50 countries being covered. (IANS)

‘Human development on course to decline after 30 yrs’

Staff ReporterFinance/Economy, Health 0

Global human development, which can be measured as a combination of the world’s education, health and living standards, could decline this year for the first time since the concept was introduced in 1990, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) warned.

“The world has seen many crises over the past 30 years, including the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-09. Each has hit human development hard but, overall, development gains accrued globally year-on-year,” UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency on Wednesday.

“COVID-19, with its triple hit to health, education, and income, may change this trend.”

Declines in fundamental areas of human development are being felt across most countries, rich and poor, in every region, according to a UNDP statement.

The worldwide COVID-19 death toll has increased to 328,095, while the global per capita income this year is expected to fall by 4 per cent, it said.

With school closures, UNDP estimates of the “effective out-of-school rate”, the percentage of primary school-age children, adjusted to reflect those without internet access, indicate that 60 per cent of children are not getting an education, leading to global levels not seen since the 1980s.

The combined impact of these shocks could signify the largest reversal in human development on record, the statement said.

The negative impacts on women and girls span economic — earning and saving less and greater job insecurity — reproductive health, unpaid care work and gender-based violence.

The drop in human development is expected to be much higher in developing countries that are less able to cope with the pandemic’s social and economic fallout than richer nations.

“This crisis shows that if we fail to bring equity into the policy toolkit, many will fall further behind. This is particularly important for the ‘new necessities’ of the 21st century, such as access to the internet, which is helping us to benefit from tele-education, tele-medicine, and to work from home,” said Pedro Conceicao, director of the Human Development Report Office at the UNDP.

The UNDP is the leading UN organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change.

Working with its broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, the UNDP helps nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. (IANS)

Himesh Reshammiya, Udit Narayan and Javed Ali to Present Anthem Saluting Covid Heroes at ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’s ‘Ek Desh Ek Raag’

Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

As India’s longest-running non-fiction franchise, “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” completes 25 years, Zee TV celebrates the power of music in uplifting everyone from the gloom of this pandemic through an industry-first initiative—“Ek Desh Ek Raag.”

It will start May 23 with a 25-hour Music Marathon across the Facebook pages of 11 ZEE channels. The 25-year milestone will then culminate in a grand concert on May 24 in 10 national languages across 19 ZEE channels with artistes singing from the confines of their homes.

But that’s not all. A special anthem saluting the relentless and unflinching spirit of the frontline workers is also being created as a special act that will be performed at the initiative. The evocative song will be sung by Himesh Reshammiya, Udit Narayan and Javed Ali alongside other prominent artistes who have been the faces of “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” across Zee Network channels including Hindi, Bangla, Tamil and other regional clusters.

Playback singers including Swetha Mohan and Mithun Jayaraj from Zee Malayalam, Hema Chandra from Zee Telugu, Srinivas from Zee Tamil and artistes like Rajesh Krishnan from Zee Kannada, Juilee Joglekar and Rohit Raut from Zee Marathi, Manmath Mishra from Zee Sarthak and Tripti Shakya and Rajesh Pandey from Big Ganga will also be an integral part of the specially curated, inspirational anthem titled “Hum Honge Kamiyaab.”  Through the song, the artistes will not only pay a tribute to the COVID warriors, but also try and uplift the mood of the audience and motivate them to stay strong in this fight against the pandemic.

Talking about the track, Reshammiya mentioned, ““Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” has been the most definitive singing reality franchise in India and I am honored to be performing during the concert to mark 25 years of this much revered platform. I can’t wait to perform for all the music lovers across India and cheer them up during these testing times. To be able to lend my voice to such a soul-stirring track is really a huge privilege for me and I am sure it will go on to touch many hearts. I will be singing with Javed Ali and Udit-ji and I can’t wait to see the audience’s reaction towards the song.”

Ali added, “At a time when the world is grappling with a seeming insurmountable challenge, I am proud to partner with industry stalwarts like Himesh Reshammiya and Udit-ji to present an anthem that acknowledges the efforts of those who have put their lives at risk to beat the pandemic. I am sure the whole country will sing along and salute the heroes through this emotional and inspirational track.”

The price of good health is eternal vigilance

Staff ReporterHealth 0

By Michael Sainsbury (Courtesy: UCANews)

Second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic are beginning to emerge across the Asia-Pacific region, even though other nations have barely felt (at least officially) the impact of the disease’s first surge.

With predictions of a vaccine not being available until 2021 at the earliest, these new surges will not be the last.

A corollary of this is that the disease, like all viruses, is also random in the way that it spreads, but contagion is usually denser in urban areas where close human contact is nearly unavoidable.

This means that outbreaks have been patchy. In India, for instance, Mumbai is in all sorts of trouble while Kerala seems largely safe, at least for now.

Similarly, in Indonesia, Jakarta is the epicenter of the virus but far-flung islands like Flores and Bali have been relatively unscathed so far.

Of course, a lack of testing accounts for some of this, but not all. Yet it is a major mistake to think that any particular town, city or region will escape the coronavirus. Its contagion is such that one infected person can infect many.

In Singapore, authorities were forced to ramp up lockdowns after infections surged in the dormitories of migrant workers, the city’s largely “out of sight, out of mind” underclass.

In South Korea, bars and nightclubs were shuttered almost as quickly as they were reopened — a matter of days — when nightspots turned out to be the center of fresh clusters on infections.

And let’s not forget China where a growing number of towns and cities are being locked down as infections spike, especially in the northeast near Russia and North Korea. Chinese experts have openly spoken about future waves of the coronavirus.

“The majority of Chinese at the moment are still susceptible to Covid-19 infection because of a lack of immunity,” Dr. Zhong Nanshan, a senior medic involved in China’s top-level response, was reported as saying. “We are facing a big challenge; it’s not better than other countries, I think, at the moment.”

He also tacitly admitted that China’s infection numbers may be under-reported, a widespread problem in the region according to experts.

The message from these countries, all of whom have been held up as having responded best to the virus in terms of containment, is that this disease requires constant vigilance in the absence of any vaccine or cure.

Second waves of outbreaks are also emphasizing the discrimination through Covid-19 shaming that has emerged during the still-early stages of this pandemic and which is fast become a toxic byproduct of the virus.

In Singapore, foreign workers are being blamed for spreading the virus — a reaction that is unfortunately commonplace in the region.

In Malaysia, migrant workers from Indonesia and Myanmar have been blamed for carrying and spreading it when in fact the first recorded hotspot was at a middle-class Muslim summit.

In South Korea, many LGBTQ people are in hiding because a gay nightclub was named as a recent hotspot.

Chinese people were racially targeted initially in the region and around the globe. Then in Asia, it was the turn of Europeans who were accused of bringing the disease back to Asia after outbreaks in southern Europe.

Over time, there will be second, third and fourth waves of the virus simply because this slippery disease is so highly contagious. It is therefore imperative that we find sustainable new ways to interact, to work, to socialize and to worship.

As we do this, we must keep in mind that this disease knows no borders and does not respect race, class or ideology. Fighting and protecting ourselves against this virus should be something that brings us together, not something which tears us further apart.

Understanding the electoral college in US Presidential Election

Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

When Americans head to the polls to vote in this November’s general election, they won’t actually be voting for the President of the United States directly, but rather they’ll be telling their electors which candidate they want as president. The electors then have their own election in which they select the new president and vice president.

If that sounds needlessly complicated and somewhat undemocratic, that’s because it is.

Electors – of which there are 538 – are supposed to be representatives of the electorate who meet on a state-by-state level and select which presidential and vice presidential candidates will earn that state’s votes. This group of electors and their assemblage is what is known as the “electoral college.” When a presidential candidate receives support from a majority of the the electors – 270 votes – they win the presidency.

s he will not stand as third-party candidate

The number of electors is based on the number of members in the US Congress. A state is allocated one elector for every member of the House of Representatives (which has 435 seats in all) and every member of the Senate (which has 100) representing that state. That number can only change when a new legislator is added to the Congress, which means changes to the electoral college only happen once every 10 years, and even then only if the Census reports a significant state population shift.

States with small populations – like Alaska, Delaware, Vermont, Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana – have fewer Congressional representatives and thus fewer electors. Each of those states have three electors, and thus three electoral votes. Likewise, the District of Columbia, which has no Congressional representation, also has three electors.

On the flip side, states with huge populations – like California and Texas – have dozens of Congressional representatives and thus dozens of electoral votes. California has 55 electoral votes and Texas has 38.

The electoral college was implemented by the Constitutional framers for a number of reasons, some good, some not-so-good.

The Good
The framers wanted to prevent elections from becoming provincial competitions, pitting states against each other to see which would rule the government. Instead, by divorcing the vote from simple one person, one vote rule, the framers hoped to avoid factional coalition building that could cause fractures in the country.

They also wanted to ensure that the country wasn’t simply going to be representative of the will of the most populous states.

The Not-So-Good
It was established as a compromise between framers who believed the people should choose the president, and those who worried that allowing for a direct one person, one vote rule would make the American South a permanent minority. To help ensure the South wasn’t dominated by the more populous North, the 3/5s Compromise was enacted, in which every 3 slaves out of 5 would count as a “person” for legislative and taxation purposes. As a result, human beings who weren’t even allowed to vote were used as a means of giving more political power to their captors.

In trying to protect states with smaller populations from having their electoral desires crushed by states with larger populations, the electoral college has actually undermined the voting power of people who live in denser urban areas, resulting in five elections where the president of the United States actually lost the popular vote but still won the election.

Both President George W Bush and President Donald Trump won the US presidential elections despite losing the popular vote.

In the 2000 election, Mr Bush defeated Democrat Al Gore despite Mr Gore having more than 500,000 more votes. In 2016, the gulf between the electoral college and the popular vote was substantially wider; Mr Trump lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes.

Prior to 2000, the last time a president lost the popular vote but won the election was when President Benjamin Harrison won against Grover Cleveland in 1888. Whether Mr Trump’s and Mr Bush’s victories are flukes or indicative of inherent flaws in the system hasn’t changed its popularity among voters.

According to Gallup, a majority of American poll respondents have favoured a Constitutional amendment to adopt a nationwide popular vote – thus eliminating the electoral college – since 1944. The only exception to that was a poll taken in late November 2016, just after Mr Trump’s victory, during which Americans were evenly split on the topic.

Since World War II, the electoral college has almost always been opposed by the majority of the American people.

Why does the US keep the system?
First and foremost, because smaller states that have inflated voting power granted by the system vote to ensure they don’t lose that power. Even without smaller states working against the changes, abolishing the electoral college would still require an amendment to the US Constitution, which is an enormous obstacle in and of itself. While it would be difficult, it wouldn’t be impossible – the electoral college has been changed three times in the past via Constitutional amendment – but it would require broad majorities in Congress.

Biden Leads Nationally and in Crucial Swing States

Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, leads President Trump in most national polls, and surveys conducted even this far out have tended to roughly resemble the eventual general election results, as FiveThirtyEight’s Geoffrey Skelley explained in an article this week. Of course, national polls measure the national popular vote, which is really only indirectly related to who will win the White House — Democrats have won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College in two of the last seven elections and could do so again in 2020. U.S. presidential elections are really a contest of states.

Several polling firms released surveys of Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in April. Former President Barack Obama carried all four states in 2012. Trump flipped all four in 2016 (as well as Ohio and Iowa, neither of which has much recent polling.) And Biden appears to lead in all four now. (North Carolina, which has gone Republican in both of the last two cycles, was also polled pretty often in April, with Trump and Biden looking basically tied there.)

A new Marquette Law School poll finds former Vice President Joe Biden with a 46% to 43% lead over President Donald Trump in Wisconsin, reports CNN.  The poll matches the last poll from Marquette, which also had Biden up by 3 points in Wisconsin.

One of the big questions when we look at national polls is whether or not they’re an accurate representation of what is going on at the state level. One of the easiest ways to check is to compare state poll results to the past presidential vote in a given state. I did so for all telephone polls that called cell phones since the beginning of April.  When we average out these state polls, they suggest that Biden’s running about 6 points ahead of Hillary Clinton’s final margin.

 

“In other words, the state level polls suggest that Biden has a national lead of around 8 points.

That’s actually a little greater than the 6.6 points Biden has in the high quality national polling average taken during the same period,” wrote Harry Enten, CNN. “I should note that if we weight the average of state polls to each state’s population, we get a margin just north of that 6.6 point mark. (Weighting by population leaves us somewhat more susceptible to outlier polls, as we have fewer polls from the most populated states.)  Either way, all methods agree that Biden has a fairly sizable national advantage.”

Examining the state polls has the advantage of having a lot more data points to play with, so I feel fairly secure that they’re giving us a decent snapshot. We’re looking at more than 20 polls and more than 15,000 interviews. The aggregate margin of error is small.

The presidential race in key states according to early polls

Average margin in states where at least 3 polls were conducted in April

State Number of polls Biden Trump Average Margin
North Carolina 5 47% 46% D+1.0
Wisconsin 4 48 44 D+3.3
Florida 4 47 43 D+3.5
Pennsylvania 5 48 43 D+5.4
Michigan 8 49 43 D+6.1
U.S. 50 48 42 D+6.4

Includes polls conducted partly in March 2020 but finished in April. Polls that released results among multiple populations were included only once, counting the narrowest sample — registered voters over adults, and likely voters over registered voters.

Source: Polls

Additionally, we can look at states we expect to be at least somewhat competitive (i.e. those where the margin was within 10 points last time) and those that we don’t think will be close in 2020.

In the competitive states (where most of the state polling has been conducted), there has been an average swing of 6 points toward Biden compared to Clinton’s 2016 result. The same is true in the non-competitive states.

At least from this state level data, it does not seem that either candidate is running up the score disproportionately in areas that were already friendly to him.

Biden has posted leads of greater than 5 points in places like Michigan and Pennsylvania. He is ahead in more than enough states to capture 270 electoral votes, if the election were held today.

We can test our data, too, to see what would happen if the polls are underestimating Trump like they did in 2016.

Biden would still be ahead, even with a 2016 sized mishap. The polls underestimated Trump by 1 point (RealClearPolitics) or 2 points (FiveThirtyEight) in the aggregate of the states we currently have polling from. Applying that 2016 bias to our current data, Biden would have a 6- to 7-point lead nationally.

Biden’s margins in these states are slightly smaller than his advantage in national polls. It’s worth thinking about the race at the state level in these relative terms because there’s still so much time for things to shift. If Biden’s lead nationally narrowed to 2 to 3 percentage points, these states would likely be much closer, if not lean toward Trump. Also, as The New York Times’ Nate Cohn wrote recently, Trump is likely to look stronger when pollsters start limiting their results to “likely voters.” Most of the April surveys in these four states were conducted among registered voters or all adults, two groups that include some people who may not vote in November.4

In other words, this data suggests Trump may have an Electoral College advantage again — he could lose the popular vote and win the election. Of course, this data also suggests that if Biden is winning overall by a margin similar to his advantage now, Trump’s potential Electoral College edge really won’t matter.

Concentrating on just the competitive states, the polls undersold Trump by 2 points (RealClearPolitics) or 3 points (FiveThirtyEight). If the polls in the competitive states were off by as much as they were at the end in 2016, Biden would still be ahead in states like Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Of course, it may not be wise to expect a 2016-sized polling era in 2020. The polls in these states that had major statewide contests in 2018 were pretty much unbiased. No matter what set of states (all or just competitive) and which aggregate, the polls were not more favorable to Republicans than the final result.

In a state like Wisconsin, the final 2018 Marquette poll nailed the final Senate margin and underestimated the Democratic candidate for governor’s margin by 1 point.

The bottom line is Biden’s ahead right now nationally and in the competitive states. The good news for Trump is he has about six months to change the course of the campaign, which is more than enough time to do so.

Coronavirus: Trump’s ‘inconsistent and incoherent’ response’ slammed by The Lancet

Staff ReporterHealth, Politics, U.S. 0
Editorial calls for the president to be voted out
(Courtesy: The Independent)

One of the world’s oldest and best-known medical journals slammed Donald Trump’s “inconsistent and incoherent national response” to the novel coronavirus pandemic and accused the administration of relegating the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to a “nominal” role.

The unsigned editorial from The Lancet concluded that Mr Trump should be replaced. “Americans must put a president in the White House come January, 2021, who will understand that public health should not be guided by partisan politics,” said the journal, which was founded in Britain in 1823.

The strongly worded critique highlights mounting frustration with the administration’s response among some of the world’s top medical researchers. Medical journals sometimes run signed editorials that take political stances, but rarely do publications with The Lancet’s influence use the full weight of their editorial boards to call for a president to be voted out of office.

“It’s not common for a journal to do that – but the scientific community is getting increasingly concerned with the dangerous politicization of science during this pandemic crisis,” said Benjamin Corb, public affairs director for the nonprofit American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. “We watch as political leaders tout unproven medics advice, and public health and science experts are vilified as partisans – all while people continue to get sick and die.”

The Lancet published the editorial as the death toll in the United States surpassed 85,000 and many states moved to reopen businesses and ease coronavirus restrictions that experts say are necessary to contain the virus.

The journal said that while infection and death rates have declined in hard-hit states such as New York and New Jersey after two months of virus restrictions, new outbreaks in Minnesota and Iowa have raised questions about the efficacy of the Trump administration’s response.

The authors accused the administration of undermining some of the CDC’s top officials, saying the agency “has seen its role minimized and become an ineffective and nominal adviser”. They said the agency, which is supposed to be the primary contact for health authorities during crises, had been hamstrung by years of budget cuts that have made it harder to combat infectious diseases. The editorial also alleged the administration left an “intelligence vacuum” in China when it pulled the last CDC officer from the country in July.

The Lancet took the CDC to task too, criticizing its botched rollout of diagnostic testing in the critical early weeks when the virus began to spread in the United States. The country remains ill-equipped to provide basic surveillance or laboratory testing to combat the disease, the journal said.

“There is no doubt that the CDC has made mistakes, especially on testing in the early stages of the pandemic,” the editorial said. “But punishing the agency by marginalizing and hobbling it is not the solution.”

“The Administration is obsessed with magic bullets – vaccines, new medicines, or a hope that the virus will simply disappear,” it continued. “But only a steadfast reliance on basic public health principles, like test, trace, and isolate, will see the emergency brought to an end, and this requires an effective national public health agency.” A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday morning.

The Lancet editorial board has criticized the actions of government officials before, although rarely, if ever, has it waded into electoral politics. During the Obama administration, a 2015 editorial from the publication demanded an independent investigation into a US military airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in northern Afghanistan that killed 42 people. The Lancet called the attack a violation of the Geneva Conventions and dismissed then-president Barack Obama’s apology for the bombing.

Editor of The Lancet Richard Horton has decried the British government’s response to the pandemic in editorials and public statements published under his name. In a tweet earlier this week, he said Boris Johnson had “dropped the ball” in containing the virus.

100 Ways Pope Saint John Paul II Changed the World

Staff ReporterCulture/Religion 0

Book by Patrick Novecosky Who Knew Polish Saint Makes You Know Him Better Too

How can one possibly try to wrap their mind around, somewhat rapidly, the countless ways a beloved pontiff, genius, and now saint, changed the world during his 26-year pontificate that drew with a close on April 2, 2005, on Divine Mercy Sunday?
A new work by Patrick Novecosky, titled ‘100 Ways John Paul II Changed the World,’ and published by Our Sunday Visitor, seeks to do just that, and does so as today, Monday, May 18, marks the 100 year anniversary of the Polish Pontiff’s birth.
The American Catholic communicator who has traveled to 26 countries, met Pope St. John Paul II five times, often in private venues in Rome, and is a husband and father of five. The award-winning journalist has edited and written for some of America’s top Catholic publications and has been published in five languages. Patrick is Managing Partner at NovaMedia a public relations firm specializing in the Catholic space.

Shattering the Mold

In his book, he examines in one or two pages per chapter, the mystical beloved Pope’s remarkable and difficult upbringing. Remembering his friendships, and unforgettable, as well as less known, moments, it also examines his impact on the world, including being an incredibly important force in the eventual collapse of Communism in Poland and Eastern Europe.
The Pontiff who made 104 trips, and traveled enough that he, in his 775,000 miles, could have circled the planet ‘30 times’ covered two thirds of the world’s countries, and was arguably “most seen person in history.” As the author recalls, Pope Paul VI was the first pope to “break the mold” with his international travels, but John Paul II “shattered it.” The Pontiff visited almost all of Africa, during the course of 14 trips, and in addition to making important church appointments, he canonized various African saints.
He also spoke about the Pope’s affinity for the US, where he made five official visits, with stops even in Alaska. He expressed his appreciation for the ‘warm hospitality’ of the American people.
The author gives a tender look at the Pope’s friendships, including with Mother Teresa of Calcutta, US President Ronald Reagan, Padre Pio, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński (his superior, the Primate of the Poland, when the Cardinal Wojtyla was Archbishop of Krakow), Sister Faustina Kowalska, and Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
In 1984, the Polish Pope and President Reagan had established full diplomatic relations between the United States and the Holy See.

My Best Friend…

In 1989, ex-President Ronald Reagan, the book notes, received two Polish Americans and Solidarność [Solidarity] labor union representatives, whose movement, supported by John Paul II and the former US President, constituted the first independent labor union in the Soviet bloc and contributed “the first crack in the Iron Curtain, and it sent shock waves through the entire Soviet Union” beginning from the Polish Pope’s 1979 visit to his native country.
When they asked Reagan for words of political wisdom for the Solidarność members, he told them to listen to their conscience as that is where the Holy Spirit talks to you.
“Reagan then pointed to a picture of John Paul: ‘He is my best friend. Yes, you know I’m Protestant, but he’s still my best friend,’” he said.

Miraculous Cure…

Padre Pio also had a dear friendship with John Paul II, confiding in Wojtyla details he never told others.
“During a visit to Rome in 1962,” the book also recounts, “’Archbishop Wojtyła learned that one of his Polish friends was dying. He wrote to Padre Pio, asking his intercession. The letter was hand-delivered to the friar, who reportedly replied: “I cannot say no to this request.’”
“’Eleven days later, Wojtyła sent Pio a second letter thanking him for his intercession: ‘The lady who was ill with cancer was suddenly healed before entering the operating room.’”

Statues in Poland to Commemorate

The first time Wyszyński and John Paul II met after his election as Successor of Peter– Novecosky also remembers– became “one of the most touching moments” of his pontificate.
“The Polish cardinal approached the new pope to kiss his ring in Saint Peter’s Square on the day of his inauguration, but John Paul quickly rose, embraced his mentor, and kissed his cheek,” he said, observing that now hundreds of statues across Poland commemorate the moment.
The book also reflects upon the special bond and friendship he had with Joseph Ratzinger that began in 1978 during the conclave where John Paul I (Albino Luciani), would be elected, and that would lead to Wojtyla eventually making Ratzinger his closest confident, and staying, even when he would have liked to go home to his native Bavaria.  The author recounts how the two used to meet every Friday night at 6 o’clock when Ratzinger was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, not only as collaborators but as dear friends.

Saint Factory, or Recognizing Holiness

The book recalls that some accused the Vatican under this Pope of being a ‘saint factory.’
“Over the course of his papacy, John Paul canonized 482 saints— more than all popes of the previous 500 years combined — and beatified 1,341 men and women,” the author explains. Some of those saints included, Padre Pio, Maximilian Kolbe, Edith Stein, Faustina Kowalska, and Katherine Drexel.
He recalls that the Pope whose legacy would be impossible to give justice, lost his mother at age nine, from kidney disease and congestive failure, and his father by 21, and his brother as well. Being effectively ‘orphaned’ while still in university, he turned to Mary, and developed a filial relationship with Our Lady of Czestochowa.

Bringing God to Where He Was Denied

He also sheds light on how Wojtyla was an actor, wrote poetry and five plays, and, having discovered his vocation, worked during the day in a stone quarry, while having to study meanwhile for the priesthood in secret. Wojtyla kept his eyes on Christ, during his personal heartbreak, and during Nazi Occupation of Poland and subsequent Communism.
He practiced what he would later preach, when he would tell young people: ‘Do not be afraid.’
Early in his ecclesial career in Poland, when they created at Nowa Huta, outside Krakow, as a ‘Worker’s Paradise’ and forbid that a church be built, Wojtyla as a young bishop, and for 20 years, used to celebrate an open-air Mass there every Christmas, until eventually a church could be built. He did not hesitate to challenge authorities when one was being deprived of Christ.

No Compromising the Faith

While advancing ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, and attention to the environment, poor, China and the persecuted, the Polish Pontiff voiced a conservative, uncompromising faith, even to those who disagreed with him. He used to confront politicians whose policies did not protect life without reservations.
Pope John Paul II marked the first world leader to visit largely-Roman Catholic East Timor, ever since Indonesia invaded and annexed it in 1976. When the Polish Pope was in East Timor, and called on Indonesia to respect human rights, his fearless affirmations resulted in various newborns—the author remembers—being named John Paul in the Asian island nation.
In working toward dialogue, John Paul II became the first Pope to enter a mosque during his trip to Syria in 2001.
John Paul II, the book reminds, told the United Nations in 1995 that it must “safeguard the fundamental right to freedom of religion and freedom of conscience, as the cornerstones of the structure of human rights and the foundation of every truly free society.”
“No one,” he said, “is permitted to suppress those rights by using coercive power to impose an answer to the mystery of man.”

Mary’s Hand Guided the Bullet

Looking again at the pontificate itself, the author also recalls the assassination attempt on May 13, 1981, and how John Paul II, met, without handcuffs and televised, his aggressor, and forgave him. Moreover, he stresses how the Polish Pope would credit Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life, saying “one hand pulled the trigger, and another guided the bullet.”
Later the bullet that lodged closest to John Paul II’s heart was removed and welded into the crown of Mary’s statue in Fatima.
The book dives into Wojtyla’s efforts to protect religious freedom, promote a ‘culture of life,’ and combat against a ‘culture of the death.’ Reflecting on the ‘Pope of the Rosary,’ Novecosky remembers details about the Pope’s own personal prayer life, and his encouragement for families to pray the rosary together, essentially suggesting that a family that prays together, stays together.
Always sensitive to the terror attacks against the Twin Towers and Pentagon on 9/11, the Polish Pontiff also said to pray the rosary to combat against ‘terrorism.’
Looking at who he said could be considered the ‘most productive’ pontificate in history, the author looks at how under his watch, the Code of Canon Law was effectively revised in less than 11 months, as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992, and various other texts.
Examining the impact of the World Youth Days, and the spiritual fruits they have given youth worldwide, Novecosky remembers how the news led the world to believe the Denver WYD in 1993 would be ‘a bust,’ when rather there was incredible attendance for the 73-year-old Polish Pontiff, and how subsequently numerous apostolates were born in Denver.

Led the Way for Francis in Havana

There are also reflections on the Pope’s disappointment that he never was able to go to Russia, nor meet the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, as hoped, in 1997, to sign a joint declaration with Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow, an act that Pope Francis would be able to achieve for him, in 2016, when meeting Alexey’s successor, Patriarch Kirill, in Cuba, on his way to Mexico.
The Pope also made great strides diplomatically, including establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and Palestinian Authority, urging an end to Catholic-Protestant violence during his 1979 trip to Ireland, and speaking out against conflict, such as violence provoked by apartheid in South Africa, the conflict in Bosnia, and against the First Gulf War, and 2003 United States-driven Iraq War, as he encouraged those involved to not be afraid “to take a chance on peace.”
He combatted against abuses of Liberation Theology, confusion promoted by some orders in the Church, and against child abuse, even if this continues to be the weak spot of his legacy, given that many argue more should have been done.
The Pope’s personal secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz—the author recalls in the book—has reflected that with time, the Church learned much more about what was actually happening and its gravity.

Couldn’t Say No

The author expresses that beyond his own research and personal experiences, he spoke to and drew inspiration from other experts on the Pope, including papal biographer George Weigel.
The author also shares about his moments with the Pope, including the following anecdote recalling how Wojtyła began writing poetry as a university student in 1939, often using pseudonyms, and how he continued writing poems well into his papacy.
“Among this author’s most treasured possessions,” Patrick Novecosky shares, “is a copy of The Place Within: The Poetry of Pope John Paul II, signed by John Paul on July 31, 1998,” noting: “I used to own a signed deluxe edition with a slipcover, a gift from a friend with connections to the papal household.”
“But then came a call from the Vatican in 1999: the pope did not have a deluxe version in his private library and was requesting my copy. I couldn’t say no. In return, they sent me a “lowly” hardcover version — along with the knowledge that my deluxe edition made it into John Paul’s personal library.”
This and many more anecdotes are waiting in this work for future readers….
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