NEW JERSEY(TIP): Philadelphia based Bollywood Singer/Songwriter Vickyy Kohhli who is coming with new music album KAHANIYAAN did a grand rock concert in New Jersey to promote his new song.
Various community leaders, like Rajeev Bhambri from 8K miles media and India Abroad, Sunil Hali Exec. Director Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), Col. Virendra Tavathia and Seema Jagtiani from Shradhaa Foundation came to grace the occasion. Talking to media, Vickyy said this is the first show of multi-city tour he has planned to do within USA to promote his new song. He said this is the most direct way and efficient way of marketing his song just like old days rock bands used to do in America. The show was a great success and guests had a great time dancing to Bollywood tunes, Punjabi Challa and Jugni in Vickyy’s own Rock style as well as Vickyy’s original songs including KAHANIYAAN which has great potential to be the next hit song.
NEW YORK CITY(TIP): On Thursday, August 02, 2018 Consulate General of India & Navatman Inc. presented Drive East Opening Night at the Consulate wherein Navatman’s Co- Artistic Director – Sridhar Shanmugam and Sahasra Sambamoorthi announced the schedule for their annual Indian dance and music festival – Drive East. This year Consulate is participating in “Drive East” with an ICCR sponsored Kathak! Ensemble.
Navatman, Inc., is an organization dedicated to supporting the Indian classical arts, emphasizing Indian classical music and dance. This year, Navatman will present 35 concerts in 14 days and in 2 major cities – New York (August 13-19) and San Francisco (August 22-26) at the LaMama Experimental Theater Group and in San Francisco, California, at the Joe Goode Annex.
From Bharatanatyam to ghazals, Drive East will present international, award-winning artists from all over the world. However, the highly anticipated performance is in New York on Friday, August 17 of Kathak, by a group of acclaimed performers from India produced by Battery Dance Company, sponsored by Indian Council of Cultural Relations and Consulate General of India, New York. Kathak will feature acclaimed Kathak dancers – Sandip Mallick & group with Anuj Mishra and group. Joining them will be Piyush Chauhan and Preeti Sharma. The entire schedule for Drive East is available on http://www.driveeastnyc.org/index.html
NEW YORK(TIP): Sushil Kumar Gupta, of the Rotary Club of Delhi Midwest, Delhi, India, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2020-21. He will be declared the president-nominee on 1 October if no challenging candidates have been suggested.
Gupta wants to increase Rotary’s humanitarian impact as well as the diversity of its membership.
“As individuals, we can only do so much,” Gupta said in a statement. “But when 1.2 million Rotarians work together, there is no limit to what we can achieve, and in the process, we can truly change the world.”
Gupta has been a Rotarian since 1977 and has served Rotary as district governor, training leader, and resource group adviser, and as a member, vice chair, or chair of several committees.
Sushil Kumar Gupta, of the Rotary Club of Delhi Midwest, Delhi, India, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2020-21.
He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the IIS University, Jaipur, in recognition of his contributions to water conservation.
He has also received the coveted Padma Shri Award, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, conferred by the president of India for distinguished service to tourism and social work.
Gupta has also received the Distinguished Service Award from The Rotary Foundation for his support of its humanitarian and educational programs. He and his wife, Vinita, are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation and members of the Arch Klumph Society.
Gupta is chair and managing director of Asian Hotels (West) Ltd., and owner of Hyatt Regency Mumbai and JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity. He has served as president of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India and on the board of directors of Tourism Finance Corporation of India Ltd. He is the president of Experience India Society, a public-private partnership between the tourism industry and the government of India that promotes India as a tourist destination. He is also vice chair of the Himalayan Environment Trust and serves on the board of Operation Eyesight Universal in India. There are 16 members of the Nominating Committee for the 2020-21 President of the Rotary International.
Sushil Gupta is a founding patron of the Gift of Life India, since its inception in 2002. He currently also serves an advisor. Past District Governor Ravishankar Bhooplapur honored him in 2012, at the Crest Hollow Country Club on Long Island, with an Angel Award for his outstanding humanitarian services and help for setting up Gift of Life India project. Gift of Life India so far has saved 6,000 children’s lives.
In the 110-year history of the Rotary International he is the 4thIndian to lead the organization, which consists of 1.2 million Rotarians in over 170 countries. We have no doubt he will take the Rotary to the next level.
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ(TIP): Students in the United States enrolled in the US funded Startalk Hindi Summer Programs, will have a new opportunity to further their literacy skills: starting 2019 they could travel to India under the ‘Know India Program’, exclusively designed for them.
Making this announcement at the Graduation Event of Sangam-Franklin Startalk Hindi Program in Franklin Township, NJ, August 2, Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty, the Consul General of India, said that the new ‘KIP’ program will be launched in the summer of 2019. He was responding to a suggestion made by Ashok Ojha, program director of the Sangam-Franklin Startalk Hindi Program. Ojha suggested that ‘Know India Program’ should be expanded to include Startalk Hindi learners so that students could continue Hindi learning in the native setting.
The Consul-General of India was speaking as the Chief Guest of the Graduation ceremony where he extended his support to promotional and educational initiatives for Hindi. He said that India is a multi-lingual country where more than two dozen languages flourish. “The Government of India was committed to support all Indian languages as they were strong vehicles for strengthening our culture and friendship with USA”, he commented. Later the Consul-General distributed completion certificates to Sangam-Franklin STARTALK Hindi Program students, most of who were born and being raised in USA. During his interaction with students the Consul-General took out the tricolor pin from his coat and presented to one of the students who had expressed interest in the tricolor pin the Consul General was wearing.
Consul-General Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty took out the tricolor pin from his coat and presented to one of the students during the event.
‘Know India Program’ is a three-week orientation program conducted by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India for Diaspora youth aimed at promoting awareness about India and its accomplishments in various fields. The program provides a unique forum for students of Indian origin to visit India, share their views and experiences and to develop closer bonds with the contemporary India.
According to Ojha, Startalk, a federally funded three-week summer intensive program, offers a robust summer intensive program for Hindi learners in USA where authentic audio-visual teaching material is used to provide comprehensible language and cultural input to all students. He said that Sangam-Franklin STARTALK Hindi Language and culture Camp was conducted by Hindi Sangam Foundation, a New Jersey based non-profit organization in collaboration with Franklin Township Board of Education. “During the program students performed role plays, songs and skits to present messages of unity, honesty and integrity. In groups students interviewed each other to find out their role models and what they liked about them. They created multimedia presentations related with various stories.”
A number of invited guests including Dr. John Ravally, Superintendent of Franklin Township Board of Education, Daniel Lougharn, Assistant Superintendent, Rajiv Prasad, Franklin Councilman, members of Indian-American community and parents attended the valedictory event. Mrs. Purnima Desai, Vice Chair, Hindi Sangam Foundation, presented a cultural song in praise of Hindi. She also presented certificates to students. Instructors of the program directed students to perform a variety of theatrical performances.
Ojha said that 50 Middle and High School students were enrolled in the program, out of which 36 completed. The program started on July 16 at Franklin High School, Somerset and ended on August 2, 2018. “The aim of selecting authentic material is to integrate language content and culture in all our teaching material. We provide Hindi texts in comprehensible manner, so students could understand cultural products and share it with their friends in Hindi. Throughout the day we engage them into many theater-based activities and enactments in order to empower them with the language and culture”, he said. Sangam-Franklin Startalk Program was launched in 2016. Since then more than one hundred students have improved their Hindi skills.
“The three-week program was divided into three parts of ‘Personal and Family Stories’, ‘Cultural Stories about animals and birds’ and contemporary stories about role models, each of which was implemented in a week. Various forms of traditional storytelling such as puppetry and street performances were used by instructors during the program”, Ojha explained, “Our program is very popular among Middle and High School students where they are taught by STARTALK trained instructors. They also practice yoga during the program and experience authentic Indian meals every day.”
Ojha also directed another STARTALK program in partnership with North Penn School District in Lansdale, PA from July 18 to July 6 where he taught 45 Elementary and Middle Schools. The overarching theme of the program was, ‘My virtual trip to India’. “We enrolled Heritage learners at both programs where students are engaged in varieties of language functions and learn to apply it in real life situations.
About Hindi Sangam Foundation and Yuva Hindi Sansthan: These two NJ based organizations are involved in promotion of Hindi through conferences and educational activities in USA and beyond. Ashok Ojha is the president of both organizations. He can be reached by phone on 732-318-9891 and by email: aojha2008@gmail.com
Aroon Shivdasani, Executive and Artistic Director retires after 20 years of glorious service. Say, will continue as Brand Evangelist Advisor.
NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Dr. Nirmal Mattoo has been appointed by the Board of IAAC as its new Chairman effective July 1, 2018. In its evaluation, the Board concluded that Dr. Mattoo’s background as a philanthropist supporter of the arts and artists, educator, author, humanitarian doctor and successful businessman with a strong track record of building non-profit centers of excellence made him uniquely qualified to head and lead a precious asset of the Indo American community, says a press release issued by Sunil Hali.
This announcement was made at a gala gathering at the Indian Consulate in New York on July 30th attended by over 160 people from the arts, media and Indo American community. Consul General Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty welcomed the IAAC members in his opening remarks.
The IAAC Board thanks Aroon Shivdasani who has announced her retirement, for her exemplary sacrifices and contributions over the course of a lifetime in founding and building IAAC to the point that it is the premiere art and cultural organization of the Indo American community. The existing Board members and advisors have also retired, and their services are acknowledged with gratitude. Finally, the heart and soul of any community is its volunteers and it is gratifying that they will all continue to serve IAAC.
Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty presents a plaque to Aroon Shivdasani
Dr. Mattoo stated, “Aroon has been a trailblazer in fostering the arts and the artist community in a non-judgmental, nurturing manner that has inspired love, understanding, pride and joy. Her pioneering effort has resulted in a vibrant week-long film festival, a stimulating book festival, ecstatic dance and music festivals, an art festival and much, much more. She has built a supportive group of patrons that exceeds 64,000 in the Tri State area which is an outstanding accomplishment. Many cultural organizations across America have been incubated by Aroon by interning those who wanted to emulate her creation.”
Aroon Shivdasani stated, “The IAAC Board had a choice among many parties who wanted to take responsibility for IAAC but concluded that nobody else could match the fiduciary spirit that Dr. Mattoo would bring to the IAAC mission and in taking it to the next level. I am truly fortunate that IAAC brand has generated such a positive response over the years from the community. I thank my key team members Aseem Chhabra, Ramneek Kang, Nili Lakhani, Rohan Gupta, Monty Kataria, Abhi Chintakunta, Suman Gollamudi and the hundreds of volunteers who joined me in this cause. I truly look forward to supporting the team and the new Board in achieving their goals.”
Ambassador Chakravorty presented Aroon Shivdasani with an award plaque and also a shawl in recognition of her services. He stressed the importance of propagating Indian arts. Dr. Mattoo also presented Aroon with a plaque on behalf of IAAC.
Rajeev Kaul, Board Member IACC, Aroon Shidasani and Dr Nirmal Mattoo, Chairman IACC
Dr. Mattoo announced the appointment of the new Executive Director of IAAC, Mr. Sunil Hali, as also incoming Vice Chairman of the Board, Rakesh Kaul, Board Members Anil Bansal, Anurag Harsh and Rajeev Kaul while Professor S. Sridhar, Yakub Mathew and Gaurav Verma join the Advisory Board.
Dr. Mattoo stated, “Sunil Hali is a leader in the field of South Asian media, art and entertainment field and marketing. Besides founding and guiding premium media properties such as The Indian Express North American Edition and Divya Bhaskar and biggest South Asian Radio Zindagi, and television channels such as GARV SHREE and PTC Punjabi, he has launched several iconic corporate brands in North America. He was the organizer for historic The Music Festival of India (1997), Building India Excellence Awards (2016), Zee Gold Bollywood Awards (2000) among others. In total, he has organized over 200 community festivals-events which is a testimony to the formidable strengths that he brings to the IAAC mission of community goodwill and understanding. We are fortunate that he has accepted this role.”
Executive Director, IAAC, Sunil Hali addressing the gathering
Sunil Hali said, “I am humbled by the community opportunity that has been entrusted in me by Dr. Mattoo. I will count on his support, and that of the Board and my IAAC executive team. I thank Aroon for her commitment to continue as an advocate of IAAC and support me. I am pleased to announce that our very first event will be a literary event with noted author Ramchandra Guha on October 2nd followed by a grand music festival featuring the world famous Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, and his sons Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan, at the Zankel at Carnegie Hall in October 2018. We will hold the always exciting New York Indian Film Festival from May 7th to May 12th, 2019. More details and event announcements will follow in due course.”
Dr. Mattoo continued, “I am pleased to announce new IAAC Board appointments. They bring an eclectic background and exemplify the renaissance spirit that IAAC promotes.”
Rakesh Kaul will be joining as Vice Chairman of the Board and will support Dr. Mattoo in the mission ahead. Rakesh is a successful author, technologist, business leader with a strong record of contributing to the arts and nurturing non-profit initiatives. His experience and learnings as Chairman of the Board of the largest marketing services company in the world, serving the non-profit sector, will be invaluable in scaling up IAAC.
Anurag Harsh is a global leader in artificial intelligence, digital media and marketing. He was the founding executive of Ziff Davis, the world’s largest tech, health and lifestyle digital media company. Anurag is a published author of seven books and over 500 columns in the Huff Post, Forbes and other leading publications. Anurag is also a gifted Hindustani music vocalist with a Sangeet Alankar (Master’s in Music) inspired by and trained under Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Pandit Chandrakant Apte. He has performed two sold-out solo concerts at the Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center including contemporary collaborations with percussionist Sivamani, pianist Utsav Lal, and keyboardist Stephen Devassy. A Wharton and MIT grad, board member of the Elisabeth Morrow School and ex-broadcaster for BBC World, Anurag will serve as the patron and mentor of the music festivals of IAAC.
Anil Bansal is a successful finance, real estate and technology business leader. He was the co-founder and Chairman of Indus American Bank. He has incubated many startups. He is a regular supporter of many Indian cultural and religious organizations. He served as a President of Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce.
Professor Shikaripur Sridhar is Distinguished Professor of Linguistics and Director of the Center of India Studies at State University of New York, Stonybrook. He is the author of several books and academic papers. He will serve as the Mentor for the Literary Festival.
Gaurav Verma is the Chief Operating Officer of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF.org), whose primary objective is of strengthening U.S-India bilateral and strategic partnership. Gaurav is an Advisory Council Member of the Global Institutional Investors Forum, Advisory Council Member of One Globe “Uniting Knowledge Communities” in New Delhi, and a Member of the Board of Women’s Education Project (WEP) in New York. He brings global corporate and sponsor connectivity to IAAC.
Yakub Mathew is a Managing Director with Citibank where his responsibilities include building and managing the Ultra High Net Worth business. He is a continuing Advisory Board member of IAAC and has taken a leading role in enabling Indo American non-profits to scale up.
Dr. Mattoo shared, “It is our intention to add to IAAC at the Board level, at an executive level, at a creative level and the advisor level. To ensure the highest standards of governance I have appointed Kaul Group, a leading CPA firm, to serve as accountants for IAAC. Rajeev Kaul, the founder, is a strong supporter of the arts and a good fit with IAAC. Along with agreeing to serve on the IAAC Board and also as it’s Secretary, he serves on the Board of WEP and has set up a non-profit in India to support girl’s education.
We look forward to serving the community and invite volunteers, interns, members and contributors to renew their commitment to IAAC and its mission.”
EDISON, NJ(TIP): Sohum Sukhatankar of Dallas, TX correctly spelled the word “Dasyuridae” (a family of polyprotodont marsupials that includes the native cats, pouched mice, banded anteater, Tasmanian devil, and related forms) during the 2018 South Asian Spelling Bee finals to clinch the title of national champion and took home a cash prize of $3,000.
Abhijay Kodali from Flower Mound, TX was the National 1st Runner-Up at the Touchdown Media initiative on Aug.2, which was taped live for broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television.
The initiative was organized by leading multicultural advertising firm, Touchdown Media Inc. Sony Entertainment Television Asia will broadcast the initiative across the globe in over 120 countries, Kawan Foods returned as the powered by sponsor for the initiative which is now in its 11th year.
The South Asian Spelling Bee celebrated a decade of bees, which included some special guests at the finals such as 2017 South Asian Spelling Bee National Champion, Sravanth Malla and 2014 South Asian Spelling Bee National Champion, Gokul Venkatachalam.
“It fills my heart to see such talented young spellers from across the country who make us proud as a community. The initiative is unique in its reach and engagement and this year with the introduction of the SAS-Bee program we were able to give even more spellers the opportunity to win it all and raise the bar even higher. My heartiest congratulations to the winner,” said Rahul Walia, Founder.
The initiative was open to children up to 14 years of age and was held in 7 regional centers across the United States. These areas included, New Jersey, DC Metro area, Dallas, Chicago, Bay Area, Charlotte, and the returning international center in Ghana.
Over 600 spellers from these centers participated from which 24 finalists took the stage at the Finals. 12 of which were through the new SAS-Bee program introduced this year.
“We are extremely happy with Sohum’s win at the Bee as today’s South Asian kids are all-rounders and highly dedicated to their craft. We produced a special section called “Meet the Spellers where the viewers will have an opportunity to get to know some of the spellers including Sohum better,” said Tim Tan, Managing Director, Kawan Food, makers of the world’s most popular Roti Paratha Brand in the world – Kawan Paratha.
“Nail Biting contest year after year and I personally was unable to get up during the bee! It’s amazing to see the pool of talent from our community and am happy for Sohum Sukhatankar’s win and excited to get to know him and some of the other spellers better in the “Meet the Speller” series airing shortly on Sony,” said Jaideep Janakiram, Head of North America, Sony Entertainment Television-Asia.
Children up to 14 years of age were eligible to participate and the contest saw spellers of even 6 years of age compete and make it past a few rounds. Registration for 2019 will open in October this year and for more information and to register your child, please visit www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.
Find us on Facebook at South Asian Spelling Bee and you can follow us on our Twitter handle at Spell South Asian.
About Touchdown Media Inc.:
Touchdown Media Inc. is a specialized South Asian advertising and promotions firm based in New Jersey. Now in its 16th successful year, Touchdown has helped clients, both mainstream and otherwise, reach out to the lucrative South Asian market. Touchdown Media represents more than 35 years of collective experience in this niche market. As a full-service ad firm, Touchdown has helped many clients achieve their media and marketing goals within the South Asian diaspora in the United States.
About Sony Entertainment Television Asia:
Since its launch on the Indian subcontinent in 1995, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) has enjoyed rapid success, leading to the establishment of European, North American and African feeds known as SET Asia. SET and SET Asia are now available in over 150 countries. The channels offer their viewers a distinctive blend of entertainment programs twenty-four hours a day, including, soap operas, dramas, sitcoms, concerts, movies, and game shows. For more information, visit www.setasia.tv.
FLUSHING, NY (TIP): Shri Shirdi Saibaba Temple, the oldest house of worship in the US for the revered saint, has taken out a palanquin procession marking the culmination of weeklong Guru Purnima celebrations.
The celebrations, part of the centennial of Maha Samadhi of Shirdi Saibaba, drew a total of 5,000 devotees. The highlight of the annual celebrations was undoubtedly the procession, which this year was renamed as Ek Yatra.
The banner of Ek Yatra, with devotees following
The procession is usually known as Palki (also known as Palkhi or Pallaki) Yatra. Ek Yatra, in which representatives of all religions formed a major interfaith segment, comprised nine parts representing each of the nine forms of devotion to god. Saibaba propagated and worked for the unity of all Indian and other world religions in his lifetime, mostly spent at Shirdi village in Ahmednagar revenue district of present-day Maharashtra.
A dance troupe and a music band representing Indian ethnic groups — mainly Maharashtrian — drew particular applause from participants in the procession and onlookers on the sidewalks of the Flushing neighborhood in Queens, New York City.
Shiva Haran, the temple president, estimated that 1,200-1,300 people participated in the celebrations on Saturday, July 28 afternoon, when the yatra was held. There were also scores of people waiting in the house of worship to receive the participants.
An interfaith group
The re-enactment of Chavdi Utsav (the festivity at a public place in an Indian village), which used to be taken out from Dwarakamai (a dilapidated mosque that Saibaba made his home) at Shirdi, was another feature of the yatra. The person who appeared as Saibaba, all through the procession with full makeup as the saint, drew tremendous praise along with his associates such as Hemadpant, Madhvrao Deshpande, Nanasaheb Chandorkar and Kaka Mahajan. A horse also formed part of the procession to give authenticityto the yatra.
Haran and other temple officials appreciated the temple volunteers, numbering more than 100, who helped conduct the yatra in an orderly manner.
One such volunteer spoke to some participants in the procession. “It was excellent. Unbelievably great,” said Haran, who also walked as part of the yatra. “I should say it is perhaps the biggest such event outside India. The Punjabi-Maharashtrian dhol; women wearing Marathi-style saris dancing to the rhythmic music; and the all-round enthusiasm of the participant-devotees as well as the onlookers remind us all of our motherland. I felt as if the Chavdi Utsav was re-created here in Queens.”
A man dressed as Sai Baba
The band-and-dance troupe, as well as the horse, came from neighboring New Jersey, exclusively for the event.
Narasimha Rao Bonda, the main coordinator of the procession, was equally enthusiastic. “Baba himself helped us stage the spectacular event. It has never happened here (in the US) and might not happen again in our lifetime. He was there everywhere and showered his blessings on everyone,” Bonda said with excitement.
According to Madhavan Krishnamachari, who holds his own religious events twice a year, said the procession – with Ek Yatra and the ethnic music and dance segment – should become an annual feature of the Saibaba temple. He was glad that all this happened in 2018, the centenary year of Maha Samadhi of the saint.
An IT consultant in New York who is in his 40s, Satish Sabarad, was the cynosure of all eyes. He appeared as Saibaba. When he was coming out of the temple, a few devotees were seen bending and touching his feet. He himself sounded highly devotional.
“It was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to appear as Baba,” he said. “I came to know about my role in the yatra just three weeks before the event.
I was initially hesitant, but persuaded by B.R. Surendra (aka Barasu, the makeup man for the whole Saibaba team of associates). Sabarad acted in a few stage shows, but never before he had this type of role.
Harvinder Singh Karir felt as if he literally went back in time when he played the role of Kaka Mahajan, a senior Baba associate. The 49-year-old, who works with the federal government, appeared in black coat and with the traditional Maharashtrian headgear of that time walking along with the man appearing as the saint.
A 53-year-old attorney, Srinivas Kaveti, opined that even in India it is not easy to re-enact this kind of processions. “It simply was amazing,” he added.
Mukund Khisty works for India Roots, a nonprofit based in New Jersey that does charitable work in India, mostly Maharashtra. He and his 100-member group consists of professionals such as doctors, engineers and lawyers.
Jallosh Dhol Tasha group
The group staged the music-and-dance show during the three-hour procession. “We do this kind of shows, but I feel this was our exclusive performance.”
A member of the interfaith segment said that along with other houses of worship, he visits the Saibaba temple once a month. Raj Bhushan’s is a multi religious family as he married a Muslim, his daughter-in-law is Jewish and daughter is married to a Christian. “If one tries to understand others’ religions and cultures, the world will be a more peaceful place to live in,” he remarked. Known also as Brother Oneness, Bhushan — a retired person — still occasionally takes up immigration issues.
A woman who practices Yoruba, a religion mainly based in Nigeria, said ruling classes in several African nations practice it. Nana Zakia, who lives in Harlem in NYC and sporting shiny stripes on her face, had just one thing to say: “Spread everything that is good and be tolerant of others.”
The Flushing temple, though formally inaugurated in 2010, has been in existence for the last 30 years. There are nearly 50 houses of worship in the US dedicated to the Shirdi saint. During the centenary year, the Flushing temple’s activities include the Maha Samadhi celebrations (set for the third week of October during the Navaratri) and a major fundraiser to be held later that month.
There is also an ongoing quiz program on the life and times of the saint. Prizewinners will be felicitated later this year, and the top scorer will have a chance to get a roundtrip ticket to Shirdi (courtesy Air India).
That person will be eligible for a VIP darshan. There is a second spot, which is worth $500, and two third prizes. There is also a possibility of a few consolation prizes. For further info, please visit www.dwarakamaishirdi.org
“I’m always supposed to make what I’m not comfortable with” – Young Jean Lee
“Fascinating! A compassionate and stimulating new play written and directed by the ever-audacious Young Jean Lee” –The New York Times
”Young Jean Lee is Transforming Broadway… (she) shakes up Broadway with Straight White Men” – O Magazine
ABOUT SECOND STAGE THEATER
Under the artistic direction of Carole Rothman, SECOND STAGE THEATER produces a diverse range of premieres and new interpretations of America’s best contemporary theater by living American playwrights, including 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner Between Riverside and Crazyby Stephen Adly Guirgis; 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner Next to Normalby Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey;
2012 Pulitzer Prize winner Water by the Spoonfulby Quiara Alegria Hudes;among many others.
The company’s more than 130 citations include, over the last 16 years, about 13 Tony Awards in several categories, 20 Lucille Lortel Awards, 30 Obie Awards, 8 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 3 Clarence Derwent Awards, 13 Drama Desk Awards, 9 Theatre World Awards, the Drama Critics Circle Award and 23 AUDELCO Awards.
SECOND STAGE THEATER ON BROADWAY
Second Stage Theater purchased the historic Helen Hayes Theater, located at 240 W. 44th Street, in 2015 and has enlisted David Rockwell and The Rockwell Group to make renovations and updates to the 104 year old landmark building. The company will continue to lease and operate the McGinn/Cazale Theater on the city’s Upper West Side and The Tony Kiser Theater in Midtown Manhattan.
In addition to Straight White Men, Second Stage Theater’s inaugural Broadway season included the Broadway Premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero, directed by Trip Cullman and featuring Michael Cera, Chris Evans, Brian Tyree Henry, and Bel Powley, which recently completed its limited engagement run on May 13, 2018.
This inaugural season kicks off Second Stage’s mission of creating and building a permanent home on Broadway dedicated exclusively to American plays and living American playwrights.
Second Stage Theater is investing in its future on Broadway by co-commissioning established playwrights through its STAGE-2-STAGE program, launched with Los Angeles’s Center Theatre Group (CTG). This ongoing program will provide a pathway to Broadway, with each play receiving an initial production in Los Angeles at one of CTG’s three theaters before moving to New York. The commissioned playwrights are Jon Robin Baitz, Lisa D’Amour, Will Eno, Lisa Kron, Young Jean Lee, Lynn Nottage, and Paula Vogel.
Second Stage Theater is also co-commissioning a new work from Bess Wohl for Broadway, through a partnership with the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and new works for Broadway from Lydia R. Diamond and Dominique Morisseau, which will be developed in association with Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theater.
SECOND STAGE THEATER OFF-BROADWAY
Second Stage Theater’s current season at The Tony Kiser Theater includes the New York premiere of Tracy Letts’ Mary Page Marlowe, directed by Lila Neugebauer currently in previews.
In 1999, Second Stage Theater opened The Tony Kiser Theater, its state-of-the-art, 296-seat theater, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2002, Second Stage launched “Second Stage Theater Uptown” series to showcase the work of up-and-coming artists at the McGinn/Cazale Theater.
The Theater supports artists through several programs that include residencies, fellowships and commissions, and engages students and community members through education and outreach programs.
Straight White Men” poster – (left) Young Jean Lee, (right) Anna D. Shapiro Photo / Joan Marcus
Second Stage Theater(Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director) presents Young Jean Lee’s dark comedy, STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, directed by Anna D. Shapiro.
The production features Kate Bornstein, Josh Charles, Ty Defoe, Armie Hammer, Stephen Payne and Paul Schneider. Ms. Bornstein, Mr. Charles, Mr. Defoe, Mr. Hammer and Mr. Schneider are all making their Broadway debuts with this production.
The pre-show music is deafening….. deliberately. It may also be the first time a Broadway audience is greeted with loud, explicit female rap music as they walk to their seats.
(l to r): Stephen Payne, Josh Charles, Armie Hammer & Paul Schneider Photo / Joan Marcus
Before the play begins, and as soon as the lights dim, a curtain speech is made by two charmingly dressed “persons in charge” — Kate Bornstein who defines herself as a “non-binary” (neither man nor woman) and Ty Defoe, a member of the Oneida and Ojibwe nations who defines himself as “transcending gender.” They take the stage to apologize for any discomfort the music might have caused. “Kate and I are well aware that it can be upsetting when people create an environment that doesn’t take your needs into account,” Mr. Defoe says, tongue in cheek.
When the play opens, it’s Christmas Eve, and Ed has gathered his three adult sons to celebrate with matching pajamas, over board games, trash talking, and Chinese takeout. But when a question they can’t answer interrupts their holiday cheer, they are forced to confront their own identities.
Obie Award-winning playwright Young Jean Lee takes a hilariously ruthless look at the classic American father-son drama. This is one white Christmas like you’ve never seen before.
About Young Jean Lee
With STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, playwright Young Jean Lee becomes the first Asian-American female playwright to be produced on Broadway.
Lee has garnered a reputation for creating theatre that is bold, adventurous, and singularly boundary defying. “I’m always supposed to make what I’m not comfortable with,” says Lee. She cares deeply both about her audience’s experience as well as the challenge of wanting to write impossible plays.
She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, two Obie Awards, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Prize in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a PEN Literary Award and a United States Artists Fellowship.
She is currently working on a Broadway commission for Second Stage with Center Theatre Group.
About Anna D. Shapiro
Anna D. Shapiro is making her Second Stage directorial debut with this production. The Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, Ms. Shapiro won the 2008 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Awards for her direction of August: Osage County (play by Tracy Letts).
In addition, she has several Broadway and Off-Broadway credits. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Columbia College, the recipient of a 1996 Princess Grace Award, as well as the 2010 Princess Grace Statue Award. Shapiro is the Marjorie Hoffman-Hagan Chair in Theatre at Northwestern University.
STRAIGHT WHITE MEN features scenic design by Todd Rosenthal, costume design by Suttirat Larlarb, lighting design by Donald Holder, sound design by M.L. Dogg, choreography by Faye Driscoll and casting by Telsey + Company.
For more information on the show, package prices, membership rates and for tickets, visit www. 2st.com or Telecharge.com, or call Telecharge at 212-239-6200.
Location: Helen Hayes Theater, 240 W. 44th St., Midtown West, 212-239-6200, 2st.com
Genre: Broadway,Comedy/Drama, Play
Runtime: 1 hr. and 30 min.
Credits: Written by Young Jean Lee; Directed by Anna D. Shapiro
Cast: Kate Bornstein, Josh Charles, Ty Defoe, Armie Hammer, Paul
Schneider and Stephen Payne
Starts: June 30, 2018
Closes: Sept. 9, 2018
(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, and Spirituality)
The way China, an increasingly powerful nation in the midst of a great power competition with the United States, interacts with the rest of the world will have significant global implications. Syria could be a key test case of China’s willingness to intervene on a global scale in a more direct way in pursuit of its interests.
Both China’s ambassador to Syria as well as its military attaché in the country have raised the possibility of Chinese military operations in Syria alongside the Syrian government. Chinese Ambassador Qi Qianjin reportedly stated that the Chinese “military is willing to participate in some way alongside the Syrian army that is fighting the terrorists in Idlib and in any other part of Syria,” while military attaché Wong Roy Chang reportedly said the Chinese military could participate in an operation to retake rebel-held Idlib if Beijing made the political decision for it to do so.
It is important to stress that neither statement is a confirmation that China is about to send military forces to participate in combat operations in Syria. However, the comments, if true, would mark the closest confirmation we have had of such a possibility.
Active Chinese military involvement in Syria would mark a substantial step forward in overall Chinese involvement in the Middle East and in a global sense as well. Except for operations under the United Nations peacekeeper mandate, China has largely avoided military operations beyond its borders or its immediate region. A military operation in Syria could open the door for further such Chinese involvements around the globe.
China has also long been concerned about Uighur militants in the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) operating in Idlib. Given the extensive combat experience of TIP’s Syrian branch and its significant capabilities, Beijing has an interest in seeing Uighur militants destroyed before some of them return to Central Asia or even China. Primarily for that reason, it makes sense for China to consider a more active involvement in a battle to retake Idlib.
However, even if China does participate in the campaign to retake Idlib, which is far from certain, it’s involvement would remain fairly low key. China’s focus in Idlib would be to see key TIP leaders and fighters killed. To that end, the most likely Chinese deployment would primarily involve military advisers, intelligence personnel and perhaps some special operations forces for specific direct-action missions. In terms of the latter, this would likely involve small-scale deployments of specialized Chinese People’s Armed Police Force units such as the Snow Leopard Commando Unit, which has considerable counterterrorism experience. Still, even such a low-level commitment by China would mark a remarkable departure in the overall Chinese strategy and would signal a new approach by Beijing to its involvement in the Middle East and further afield.
If China decides to wade into the Idlib morass, it would have to factor in the large number of involved parties, including Russia, Turkey and Iran. Idlib technically falls under a “de-escalation status” arrangement agreed to by the listed countries in the Astana peace process. Nevertheless, significant differences remain between Russia, Turkey and Iran. Ankara, which has provided support for TIP in the past, is striving to maintain the de-escalation zone and prevent a loyalist offensive that could result in yet another massive spillover of refugees into Turkey. Moscow is also keen to maintain its de-escalation zone agreement with Turkey but is getting impatient with the continued existence of dangerous factions in Idlib such as TIP and Tahrir al Sham (known as HTS) that continue to attack Russian and loyalist targets. Finally, Tehran and Damascus would prefer to see the de-escalation zone agreement scrapped and a full offensive on Idlib launched, but they are wary of proceeding without active Russian support given the considerable Turkish presence in the province.
All of these considerations ensure that China will have to carefully approach any military involvement in Syria, particularly with regard to Idlib. Careful coordination with Russia, the Syrian government and Turkey would be necessary for Beijing to avoid severe complications in Syria, particularly given its substantially smaller footprint in Syria compared with the other countries.
After holding Dreamers and immigrant families hostage, Trump now seems determined to escalate the strategy. Documents from within the administration indicate that he now has his sights on U.S. citizen children living in poverty. In leaked drafts, the administration proposes increasing the penalties on immigrant families whose U.S. citizen children receive means-tested public benefits such as Women Infants and Children (WIC), Medicaid, and Supplemental Nutritional (SNAP).
This summer, the country has focused its attention on the forced separation of immigrant families at the U.S. southern border. Initially touted by the Trump administration as a policy to deter illegal immigration, the decision drew rare bipartisan condemnation.
Under intense pressure, President Trump eventually signed an executive order in June to reverse the practice of family separation. By that point the damage had been done. Now, weeks later, hundreds of families are still not reunited, and doubts are growing that they ever will be.
This hasty “zero tolerance” policy is the administration’s latest in a series that use children to advance a regressive immigration agenda. These policies demonstrate the White House’s dwindling hesitation to increase penalties on the most vulnerable in order to advance its nativist objectives. All signs indicate that U.S. citizen children are its next targets.
Surrounding the president’s campaign against immigrants, policymakers will recognize a familiar theory to explain migration: “push” and “pull” factors. Push factors are circumstances in the country of origin that force migrants away, while pull factors are those that attract them to a destination country. The push factors driving the current surge of refugees from Central America include gang and societal violence, poverty, and a culture of impunity.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently suggested, with little evidence, that the U.S. asylum system is also a pull factor because it is ripe for fraud and abuse. But the administration has not yet articulated the pull factor animating its cynical stance on family separation — the desire of parents to provide safety and protection for their children.
For the majority of Central Americans I have represented, faith in American rule of law and commitment to human rights are the major draws to the U.S. Trumpian policies pervert these pull factors and use them to punish immigrant parents and children seeking protection.
Trump’s willingness to bargain with the welfare of children and families began last year, with his attempt to terminate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA offered protection to undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children by their parents. Ensuing debates about the status of DACA recipients failed to yield a legislative fix — in part, because of the President’s shifting stance on DACA legislation.
Trump opportunistically used the uncertain future of DACA to call for construction of his pet border wall project. He also blamed DACA for encouraging crossings into the U.S., despite the fact that new arrivals would not qualify for the program’s protections. This view of DACA as a “magnet” for migration falls into line with his administration’s efforts to subvert family integrity as a factor attracting immigrants to the U.S.
The Trump administration is not the first to try to neutralize pull factors to deter migration. In the 1980s, policymakers created penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented laborers, relying on the theory that job opportunities in the U.S. were the primary pull. Ten years later, the Illegal Immigration and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 theorized that the availability of government welfare attracted newcomers. That law penalized immigrants — documented and undocumented — by conditioning their immigration status (or the opportunity for future status) on the avoidance of welfare benefits.
Neither one of those laws succeeded in meaningfully reducing irregular border crossings (in fact, unauthorized immigration surged in their wake). Nevertheless, the Trump administration is preparing to dust off this old theory — this time, with an unconscionable new variation on the theme. While the desire to secure a better future for one’s family has pulled several generations to the U.S., never before now has the U.S. government sought to cut off that magnet by brazenly targeting children for punishment.
After holding Dreamers and immigrant families hostage, Trump now seems determined to escalate the strategy. Documents from within the administration indicate that he now has his sights on U.S. citizen children living in poverty. In leaked drafts, the administration proposes increasing the penalties on immigrant families whose U.S. citizen children receive means-tested public benefits such as Women Infants and Children (WIC), Medicaid, and Supplemental Nutritional (SNAP).
The administration is calling for immigrants whose families use these benefits to face denial of immigration status and deportation. According to a recent report by the Migration Policy Institute, these changes could affect an estimated 9.2 million U.S. citizen children’s access to vital services to which they are legally entitled.
These leaked policies demonstrate the administration’s continued commitment to policies that most deeply punish those with no choice in creation of their circumstances — the children of immigrants. Any justification about the deterrent effect of these policies is wholly illogical in view of the steep toll paid by children.
Even if these policies could effectively deter desperate families, we as a country must still reject them outright. The pull to opportunity, protection, and family unity are at the core of what we have come to understand as the American dream. While the need for immigration reform is real, any changes in law and policy must reflect these ideals.
Despite the administration’s contrary view, enforcing the law also includes upholding the current system’s emphasis on family unity and humanitarian protection. Instead, these new policies exploit desperate families in order to punish, scapegoat, and traumatize — all under the banner of law and order.
(The authorteaches law at American University Washington College of Law where she supervises an immigrant rights clinic)
ALEXANDRIA, Va.(TIP): Over the course of eight days, Paul Manafort’s criminal-fraud trial has featured testimony about extravagant wardrobes, secret offshore bank accounts, fake loan applications and doctored bank accounts, an ostrich jacket and a fall from wealth, a USA Today report says.
The newspaper has listed certain takeaways from the trial until now.
The trial has attracted packed galleries to the federal courthouse each day, with U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III setting a pretty brisk pace for the proceedings, the first case to come to trial as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
The prosecution is expected to rest its case against President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager as soon as Friday, the ninth day of the trial. As Manafort’s defense team gets ready to take over, here are some key takeaways:
Prosecutors have offered substantial evidence from documents and witnesses saying Manafort and his business partner Rick Gates – who is testifying under a grant of immunity – established a web of secret offshore accounts, based mostly in Cyprus. Prosecutors allege they stashed and moved millions of dollars in unreported income to the U.S. to support Manafort’s extravagant lifestyle.
An IRS revenue agent testified that, between 2010 and 2014, Manafort moved $16.4 million in untaxed income into the U.S. to pay bills for high-end clothing, cars and real estate.
As Manafort’s lucrative consulting business in Ukraine began to dry up, his pursuit of bank loans took off. The government showed how Gates – at Manafort’s direction – dummied documents to support the loan applications. Prosecutors said the applications were full of fraudulent claims, including classifying a rental property as a second home, and a failure to disclose an existing mortgage on other property. In addition, Manafort’s income was allegedly inflated by as much as $4 million in documents submitted to the Bank of California, they said.
Gates’ admission that he embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from Manafort came as a surprise and only raised more questions about his damaged character. But the government has a possible back-up: much of what is alleged against Manafort is contained in emails and bank documents.
Ellis, known for his wit and his impatience, has set a torrid pace in the Virginia courtroom. That could present a double-edged sword for the jury of six men and six women. Is testimony coming at the jury too fast for the six men and six women to grasp a complex white-collar case involving complicated international financial dealings? Or does the speed benefit the government by saving the jury from hours of dry testimony about incremental financial transactions?
Right now, the defense is a big question mark. Lead Manafort attorney Kevin Downing engaged in an aggressive effort to discredit Gates, pointing out how he stole from his former boss to pay for the expenses of a mistress in London. But their questioning of other government witnesses has been uneven and spare. Now it’s their turn to present their case.
WASHINGTON(TIP): President Trump’s lawyers on Wednesday, August 8, submitted a counteroffer to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s proposal for the terms of a possible interview with the president, the latest turn in the protracted negotiations over a sit-down stretching back to January, according to a report published in Wall Street Journal.
The counteroffer largely sticks to the terms the president’s legal team outlined last month, a person familiar with the matter said: The president’s lawyers would be open to questions about collusion with Russia but wished to limit inquires related to obstruction of justice.
Rudy Giuliani, one of the president’s lawyers, said in an interview that the team’s proposal was “a little bit different than what we recommended before, but not terribly.”
He said the legal team had “left open” the possibility to investigators that the president would answer a question on obstruction of justice “if they can show us an obstruction question that they need an answer to, where they haven’t gotten an answer.”
Mr. Giuliani said that in the special counsel’s last offer, Mr. Mueller agreed to decrease the number of questions posed to the president but hasn’t agreed to the Trump team’s request to curb obstruction of justice inquiries.
A spokesman for Mr. Mueller, who has not publicly commented on the negotiations, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Mueller is investigating whether Trump associates colluded with Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election, and whether Mr. Trump sought to obstruct justice by firing Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey in May 2017, while the FBI’s Russia probe was under way. Mr. Trump has repeatedly denied collusion and obstruction, and Moscow has denied election interference.
The special counsel’s team of investigators and prosecutors has netted guilty pleas from several Trump campaign associates and indictments of a dozen Russian intelligence officials on hacking charges, among other prosecutions. Mr. Trump’s one-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort is currently being tried in Virginia on bank and tax fraud charges.
The special counsel this year outlined for the president’s legal team more than 40 questions he planned to ask in a possible interview with Mr. Trump. The questions focused largely on the president’s decision to fire Mr. Comey and his public criticisms of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other top law-enforcement officials.
Mr. Giuliani has said the reasons Mr. Trump has given in public for firing the former FBI director are “more than sufficient” and that as president, he had the power to fire any member of his administration.
The president’s legal team has been negotiating the terms of a possible interview with Mr. Mueller for more than eight months. Mr. Trump has said he is eager to sit down with Mr. Mueller. It is unclear how long the two sides will allow the negotiations to continue.
Mr. Giuliani said Wednesday that the legal team wants to see the Mueller investigation “over with” by Sept. 1, ahead of the November midterm elections. He said Mr. Trump’s lawyers would make a final decision in the coming weeks whether or not the president would sit for an interview. The president’s lawyers have previously offered timelines in which they would decide on an interview, only to see those end dates pass by.
“It really depends on how badly they want it,” Mr. Giuliani said of an interview. “This is about the last couple of days that you can really putz around.”
WASHINGTON(TIP): The federal deficit jumped 20 percent in the first 10 months of the 2018 fiscal year, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported Wednesday, August 8.
Spending outpaced revenue between the beginning of the fiscal year, on Oct. 1, and July by $682 billion, $116 billion more than over the same period in the last fiscal year.
The rising deficit is largely the result of the tax cuts President Trump signed into law at the end of last year, as well as a bipartisan agreement to boost spending, according to CBO.
Tax revenues from individuals rose, even as revenues from corporate taxes dropped.
The Trump administration has argued that the tax cuts would bring down the deficit, as economic growth led to higher tax revenue. The economy did expand in the second quarter by 4.1 percent.
But economists have argued the growth would have to be much larger to reduce the deficit.
The CBO projects that the deficit will reach $793 billion by the end of the year and approach $1 trillion next year. White House estimates have the deficit surpassing $1 trillion in 2019.
Budget watchers have warned that interest payments — the amount the Treasury has to pay just to service the debt — are slated to become the fastest-growing annual expenditure.
The CBO projects that in 30 years, the government will spend more on servicing debt than on Social Security or defense.
Six years ago, on August 5, a neo-Nazi entered the Oak Creek Gurdwara and opened fire on the Sangat, killing six Sikh Americans and wounding four, in one of the worst acts of violence at a place of worship in US History. Join us in reflection on this terrible attack on our community that took the lives of Satwant Singh Kaleka, Paramjit Kaur, Sita Singh, Ranjit Singh, Prakash Singh, and Suveg Singh Khattra.
In the days, months, and years that have followed, we have seen the Sikh American, and wider American community, join together to dedicate themselves to Seva (selfless service), to hosting events to dispel misconceptions about Sikh Americans, and to support the families of the victims.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, as Americans we have shown that we are stronger when we come together as one people, and a unified nation.
In spite of the progress we have made as a nation and as a community there is still a lot of work to be done. In this past year we have seen a rise in hate crimes as stated by the FBI and even this past week there was a hate crime committed near San Jose, CA. “At a time when divisive rhetoric has taken over our country, we have to remain vigilant while still staying in steadfast to our beliefs and principles,” said SALDEF Executive Director Baldev Singh. “The Oak Creek sangat remains a shining example for how Sikhs should be and help us keep renewed spirits of Chardhi Kala.”
Join us to the honor the memory of the Sikh Americans killed at the Oak Creek Gurdwara by sharing your thoughts and prayers for the families or the wider American community, via email or connecting with us on SALDEF’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the hashtag #RememberOakCreek.
As always, we encourage you to practice your faith freely and with pride.
Aries:Ganesha says there is a lot going on in the family, including, possibly, an inheritance tussle. If you have been having it easy all along, the time has come for you to pull up your socks. The focus of this period will be solely on family affairs. Your health is good. Your love life gets a hike too. There could be international travel, expensive purchases, a possible change of residence, an addition to the family, fun and festivities.
Taurus:You sign deals and flirt and flit around like one possessed. Yet, you may go empty – headed. There could also be illness in the family. There could be time spent with the law and some out-of-court settlements. You also spend time with the NGOs and helping with the less fortunate. You could exhibit an independent and rebellious streak. On the flip side, your sensitive, accommodating, kind, helpful, compassionate and spiritual side gets a leg up.
Gemini:You are frank, free and fearless. You take other people’s breath away with your open-ended comments and remarks. There are expenses and indulgences. There are fun times as you meet up with new people and open new vistas to your life. As the period ends there are energy, focus and creativity. You are ambitious and make headway in your career. You win kudos, applause, awards and rewards.
Cancer:There are expenses but also several new deals in the offing. Those associated with realty do exceedingly well. You are prone to speculation. Your heart strings could also be pulled. The health of family members may be a cause for concern, though children bring joy. You could take bonding to new heights. You reach out to others, network furiously and plan new ventures. There could be secret deals and powerful love.
Leo:You have a high self-image, confidence and vigor, and it seeps into all your dealings. You are assertive without getting in the way. There is maturity and repose. You are filled with drive, gusto, ambition and self-belief. This can be indulgent phase with holidays, business expansion and new collaborations. As the period ends there could be international travel and several new deals in the offing. There are money and vital associations that pitchfork you into stardom.
Virgo:The trends are propitious. The stars tell you in no uncertain terms that this is the time to sow; you will reap in bushels. The period is bullish till the period ends and everything you touch turns to gold. Mid period your golden run continues unabated. Your love for the arts is stimulated. You have an intellectual appreciation of beauty. As the period ends you are irrepressible. You go from strength to strength. You look for new experiences and a break from routine.
Libra:You are looking to becoming incomplete. You go searching for a guru and look for answers in tantra, mantra and yantra. You are looking at detoxification, regeneration and rejuvenation. Mid period, your plate is full and overflowing and it is time to decide on the direction to take. You are ambitious, even avaricious. As the period ends you roll up your sleeves and get down to the hard slog. You love and live large. There are expenses and family issues to deal with.
Scorpio:You pulverize your opponents and emerge as a person of considerable substance. You could get through examination and interviews with flying colors and have the pick of plum job offers. Mid period sees secret deals and liaisons. An old flame may enter your life and shred sanity to pieces. The health of elders and children also causes concern. As the period ends there are maudlin notes that seize you in its coil. You take time off and help with social work. You could also be communicating with others with great alacrity.
Sagittarius:You take calculated risks and come out trumps. This is a great period for collaborations. You also spend time with the family and are enriched by it. Mid period sees expenses, passions, ego drives, optimism, energy and genuine fellowship. As the period ends you could get self-indulgent and experiment with recreational drugs. Family life can be in disarray. You look for salvation. Old wounds open their hoods. You go looking for a guru and take recourse to yantra, tantra and mantra.
Capricorn:This is a phase of deep anguish as you are unable to activate your thoughts. It is an impotent period. There are expenses and many domestic challenges. You are pushed to the brink. Mid period sees you back on terra firma. You get down to the business of making a living. As the period ends you are ready to perform miracles. You are the toast of your peer group. This is a fantastic time for creative folk and those in the visual arts. At home, the health of elders will be a cause for concern.
Aquarius:You lend a shoulder and an ear where necessary. You are the toast of your neighborhood as you espouse causes common to all. You excel in group discussions, contractual negotiations and conferences. There could be international travel too. Mid period is a great period for those in realty and the stock market. As the period ends, there are expenses, ego drives, passions, altercations and misunderstandings. Family life sees many ups and downs and the troughs will be difficult to cope with. You are also in line for a windfall, possibly an inheritance.
Pisces:You want to serve others and there are no full stops in your yearning to do so. You want to give back to society and the stars support you. There is new love, and fellowship too. Mid period sees you want to be a person of renown, a person of letters, someone who can be respected. But for that to happen, you will have to get out of your comfort zone and work like one possessed. As the period ends you roll up your sleeves and sort out your priorities.
LONDON(TIP): Indian-origin businessman Ravi Ruparelia has been jailed for a year and two months for crashing his luxury sports car into a 68-year-old war veteran on the streets of London and then fleeing the scene in November last year.
Ruparelia, 30, who runs a successful hotel and catering business in London, lost control of his McLaren 540C Coupe; in London’s Park Lane area, jumped a red light and hit Anthony Davis who was waiting to cross the road at a junction.
The victim was knocked unconscious and left with a broken leg in the crash. Ruparelia pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident.
Judge Martin Beddoe, at a hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London, said Ruparelia’s decision to flee was “almost as bad and as callous an example of that as one could contemplate,” the media reported.
“There has been nothing to prevent him (Ruparelia) since the accident contacting the victim and saying how sorry he was,” the judge added.
The court was told that Mr Davis had been on his way to a Remembrance Day parade in Whitehall, held annually to honor the war dead, when the crash happened on November 12, 2017. He was left temporarily wheelchair-bound and unable to work as a security guard.
Besides a 22-month jail sentence, Ruparelia has also been banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay 5,000 pounds as compensation to the victim.
Prosecutor Carol Summers said Mr Davis had stopped for the light to turn green but “heard a high-speed racing car coming in his direction”.
“He could hear the engine revving and said it was going really fast,” Ms Summers said.
Mr Davis decided not to cross the road even though the light turned green. But the next thing he knew he was on the ground surrounded by paramedics and police, she said.
CCTV showed Ruparelia looking towards the victim, before pulling his hood over his head and fleeing.
TORONTO(TIP): Indian Origin 19-year-old Sikh teen was shot dead outside his home and his cousin was injured by so far unidentified persons in an apparent targeted shooting in Canada, police said.
Gagandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was known to local police but had no criminal records, got home on Sunday, August 5 with his family following a wedding reception. He then went to the garage to hang out with his cousin, and it was at that time when the shooting started, his family told the media.
The Abbotsford Police Department said officers responded to a report of shots fired at a home around 11:30 pm. Upon arrival, they found two men who had been shot.
Mr Dhaliwal was pronounced dead shortly after arriving in hospital and his cousin is in hospital receiving treatment, the report said.
His cousin, who is “roughly the same age” as Mr Dhaliwal, is expected to survive. The injured man has not been identified, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said in a statement.
“It’s not clear what the motive was but investigators believe the shooting was targeted,” Corporal Frank Jang with the IHIT said.
“Whenever, you know, some person or persons decide to discharge or fire a gun in the community, there’s always that concern that it could hit someone else. In this case we believe the bullets hit their target. We believe Dhaliwal was targeted for murder,” he said.
Mr Jang said they believe “an unknown person approached the residence and shots were fired but have not yet determined a motive.
“Right now, it’s too early to tell if it’s gang-related or drug-related or a personal conflict with somebody,” Mr Jang said, adding that no arrests have been made so far.
Family friend Jaskarn Singh Dhaliwal said “All of sudden, someone came over and started shooting them.”
“Something went wrong and when, why, we have no clue yet. Police are working on it. His family tried hardest to keep him on track. The family is in shock. The whole community is in shock.”
Mr Dhaliwal was working as an electrician’s apprentice.
The incident has rattled neighbours, who said there had not been any problems at the home before.
The government reportedly tried to deport a woman and her daughter while their case was still being heard in court.
WASHINGTON(TIP): A federal judge on Thursday, August 9, erupted at the Trump administration when he learned that two asylum seekers fighting deportation were at that moment being deported and on a plane to El Salvador, a CNN report says.
DC District Judge Emmet Sullivan then blocked the administration from deporting the two plaintiffs while they are fighting for their right to stay in the US — reportedly excoriating the administration and threatening to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and The Washington Post.
The government raced to comply with the court’s order, and by Thursday evening the immigrants had arrived back in Texas after being turned around on the ground in El Salvador.
They asked for asylum. Instead, they say they were sent to a prison and treated like criminals
They asked for asylum. Instead, they say they were sent to a prison and treated like criminals
Sullivan agreed with the ACLU that the immigrants they are representing in a federal lawsuit should not be deported while their cases are pending.
The emergency hearing in the case turned dramatic when attorneys discovered partway through the hearing that two of their clients were on a plane to El Salvador.
During court, Sullivan was incensed at the report that one of the plaintiffs was in the process of being deported, according to the ACLU and The Washington Post. Sullivan demanded to know why he shouldn’t hold Sessions in contempt, according to the Post and the recollection of lead ACLU attorney Jennifer Chang Newell.
Chang Newell said the administration had pledged Wednesday that no one in the case would be deported until at least midnight at the end of Thursday. But during a recess in the proceedings Thursday, she got an email from attorneys on the ground in Texas that her client, known by the pseudonym Carmen, and Carmen’s daughter had been taken from their detention center that morning and deported. After investigating during recess, she informed government attorneys and Sullivan what had happened.
“He said something like, ‘I’m going to issue an order to show cause why I shouldn’t hold the government in contempt, I’m going to start with the attorney general,’ ” Chang Newell said, explaining that Sullivan was suggesting he would issue an order that would require the government to explain why they didn’t deserve to be held in contempt. Such an order has yet to be issued by the court.
He ordered the plane turned around or the clients brought back immediately, the ACLU said.
“This is pretty outrageous,” Sullivan said, according to the Post. “That someone seeking justice in US court is spirited away while her attorneys are arguing for justice for her?”
“I’m not happy about this at all,” he continued, adding it was “not acceptable.”
The lawsuit was brought by immigrants only referred to by their pseudonyms in court: Grace, Mina, Gina, Mona, Maria, Carmen and her daughter J.A.C.F. and Gio.
After the hearing, Sullivan issued an emergency order halting the deportation of any of the immigrants as he considers whether he has broader authority in the case.
Sullivan also ordered that if the two being deported were not returned, Sessions, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Lee Francis Cissna and Executive Office for Immigration Review Director James McHenry would have to appear in court and say why they should not be held in contempt.
The lawsuit brought by the ACLU is challenging a recent decision by Sessions to make it nearly impossible for victims of domestic violence and gangs to qualify for asylum in the US. That decision was followed by implementation guidance from the Department of Homeland Security that almost immediately began turning away potentially thousands of asylum seekers at the southern border.
According to their lawsuit, Carmen and her young daughter came to the US from El Salvador after “two decades of horrific sexual abuse by her husband and death threats from a violent gang.” Even after Carmen moved away from her husband, he raped her, stalked her and threatened to kill her, the lawsuit states. Further, a gang held her at gunpoint in May and demanded she pay a monthly “tax” or they would kill her and her daughter. Carmen knew of people killed by their husbands after going to police and by this gang and thus fled to the US.
But at the border, the government determined after interviewing her that she did not meet the “credible fear” threshold required to pursue an asylum claim in the US, and an immigration judge upheld that decision.
The ACLU is using Carmen’s story and the similar experiences of the other immigrants to challenge Sessions’ ruling on asylum.
LONDON(TIP): An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to six years of imprisonment for the death of two women in a road accident in northern England in 2016. He was checking his mobile while driving.
The 26-year-old youth has also been banned from driving for nine years.
Mohmed Patel was checking his mobile phone and did not see Shelby Maher, 17, and Rachel Murphy, 23, as they crossed the road in Preston, Lancashire, in April 2016.
While Rachel Murphy died on the spot after being hit by Patel’s BMW, Shelby Maher died in a hospital later.
Another teenage girl in a group of five crossing the road was also seriously injured in the mishap. She was in hospital for a week.
Patel was sentenced to six-year imprisonment by the Preston Crown Court on August 7, which concluded that his distraction while driving had resulted in the crash.
“No text was so urgent that it was worth the life of these two young women. It is clear the defendant failed to see any of those people in the road,” Judge Altham said after being told that Patel’s phone revealed he had sent two text messages to his girlfriend around the time of the crash asking her whereabouts.
The court was told that 42 seconds after he sent the text, he was calling the 999-emergency number from the crash scene.
Patel claimed that he had sent text to his partner while stopped at a nearby set of traffic lights and then replaced the phone in the glove compartment. But another motorist told the court that the accused had overtaken him shortly before the crash and he had seen Patel holding a mobile phone in his hand as he rested it on the steering wheel.
“This was plainly an avoidable distraction. So distracted was he that at the point of collision he may as well have been driving with his eyes closed,” the judge said.
He also noted that Patel had shown “no significant remorse” but rather “sadness for the predicament he now finds himself in” and jailed him for two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
Patel had admitted that his driving, while taking his mother and sister on a shopping trip, was careless, but denied the more serious charge of dangerous driving.
“I do accept I should have seen the pedestrians in the road. I don’t know why I didn’t see them. But it was not because of my mobile phone,” Patel had told the court.
Meanwhile, the victims’ families said they were disappointed with the length of sentence.
Shelby’s mother Melanie Maher said: “He has ruined all our lives, my child’s life, I’m never going to see my daughter again because of him and I hate him.”
WASHINGTON(TIP): Indian American Sri Preston Kulkarni decided to quit his dream job at the US State Department last December to run for Congress. Preston found it difficult to defend the Trump administration’s policies as a diplomat especially over race and immigration.
Mr Kulkarni, whose family traces its roots to Maharashtra and Karnataka, says on his website that he spent his career trying to reduce conflict in other countries…”but right now hostility and conflict are being inflamed in our own country through the politics of anger and demagoguery”.
“I have worked under Democratic and Republican administrations before, but the current situation is different and should concern all Americans of conscience,” he said on his website.
After quitting his job, Mr Kulkarni announced that he will run for the 22nd Congressional District of Texas, to be part of the policy making, and not implementing them.
Six months later, he won the Democratic primary and is pitching for a tough battle against five-term Republican incumbent Pete Olson.
“There is a little bit of nervousness on the other side about (my) campaign,” Mr Kulkarni told the media.
Mr Kulkarni’s family immigrated to the US in 1969 to Louisiana, where he was born in 1978. Soon thereafter they moved to Houston, where Mr Kulkarni grew up.
After completing his college, he joined the US foreign service in 2003 and worked in various capacities in both inside the US and overseas. This summer he was posted as spokesperson of the US Embassy in New Delhi.
Being an Indian American, representing the US was very important, he said.
“But I think the 2016 election for me actually drove home as some of these issues are still unresolved for America,” he said.
“During that election, there was so much anti-immigrant sentiment being spread that it was a real blow to me personally. When I came back to the State Department, I said (to myself) ‘I’m just going to continue to be a professional and I’m going to do this job’,” he said.
But, there were two incidents that changed his mind and made him feel that he couldn’t continue in the State Department.
“One was the Charlottesville rally one year ago where we had Nazis in the street screaming about white supremacy and my government could not make a clear distinction. That’s absolutely morally unequivocally awful. I was asked to explain this when I was overseas. Why is it that they’re very fine people who were Nazis and why is it that both sides are the same? I couldn’t do that,” Mr Kulkarni said.
At the rally last summer, white supremacists and counter-protesters clashed in the streets before a car plowed into a crowd, killing 32-year-old counter-protester.
The second was the Roy Moore campaign, Mr Kulkarni recollected.
“He was molesting 14-year-old girls and he said that our families are stronger when we had slavery and that Muslims shouldn’t be able to hold a public office in the United States. To me that’s just beyond what’s acceptable in the kind of democracy and the kind of society that I believe in,” he said.
Roy Moore was the Republican nominee in the 2017 US Senate special election in Alabama to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions. Moore, who had faced multiple allegations of sexual assault during his campaign, was backed by President Donald Trump. Later he lost to Democratic candidate Doug Jones.
At the time of these incidents, Mr Kulkarni was in Jamaica on a temporary assignment. His next posting was at the US Embassy in New Delhi as its spokesperson.
“I decided that I was going to resign to come back home and run for office. Because I think we need to stand up against this idea that we should be divided up by, by race, by ethnicity, and that some people are less American than other people. That’s when I started the campaign,” Mr Kulkarni said.
Mr Kulkarni resigned from the foreign service in December.
He says that it is not about just one person, Trump as an individual.
“It is more about these ideas that we should be divided against each other, Muslim versus Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Hindu versus Christian or black versus white or Asian versus white. That ideas are the more dangerous thing than a person,” he said.
He said the social fabric of America was being torn apart and Americans were blaming immigrants for everything.
“If the fight is against illegal immigrants, then why H-1B program is being threatened. Why are we trying to reduce legal immigration and family reunification?” he asked.
“It doesn’t have to do with illegal immigration. That has to do with anti-immigrant sentiment. The anti-immigrant sentiment is something that should worry all of us because we are an immigrant country and honestly, without immigrants, most of our fortune 500 companies wouldn’t be here,” Mr Kulkarni said.
“But whenever any group is discriminated against, it’s a threat to all minority groups. If a Muslim is being discriminated against, it still affects me as a Hindu,” Mr Kulkarni said.
Now running an effective campaign, Mr Kulkarni, pollsters say has considerably reduced the poll numbers against his rival Olson, who is considered to be a friend of India in the US Congress.
Mr Kulkarni, who is a cousin of BJP Member of Parliament Poonam Mahajan, hopes that the entire community would come out to vote in November.
NEW YORK(TIP): Indian American Sikh man was brutally assaulted and spit at by two unidentified men in California. This is the second attack on a community member in about a week that has raised concerns over increasing incidents of hate crimes in the country.
Disturbing footage from a surveillance camera showed 71 year old Sahib Singh Natt walking alone on the side of a road early morning on August 6 in Manteca, California when two men, wearing hoodies, walking from the opposite direction approached him.
Mr. Natt ,stopped on seeing the men and the two men were seen talking to him. Mr Singh then walked past them but they continued to follow and talk with him.
After a brief argument, one of the men, who was wearing a black hoodie, suddenly kicked Mr. Natt in the stomach and the elderly man fell down on the road, with his turban coming off.
He tried to get up and defend himself but the man again kicked him in the stomach. He fell on the road as the man who attacked him came close to him and appeared to touch his face and spit on him. They then walked away as Mr. Natt was lying on the road.
A few seconds later the man in the black hoodie ran back and viciously kicked him thrice near his head as he laid on the street. He then started leaving again, paused, turned around, and then spat at Mr. Natt.
This was the second attack on a Sikh man in about a week in California. On July 31, 50-year old Surjit Malhi was attacked while putting up campaign signs in support of incumbent Republican Congressman Jeff Denham and other local Republican candidates.
While beating Mr. Malhi, the attackers yelled “Go back to your country!” and spray painted the same message, along with hate symbols, on his truck. Local police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
Sikh advocacy group The Sikh Coalition wrote on their Facebook page that while it does not have any immediate evidence that the attack on Mr. Natt was bias-related, the group is quickly investigating the details to learn more. He has received serious injuries and a photo of him shows him in a collar brace.
A report in the Manteca Bulletin said Mr. Natt has had heart and other health issues. Manteca Police say the incident appears to be a robbery attempt, but they are not ruling out the possibility of it being a hate crime.
Co-founder of National Sikh Campaign Rajwant Singh said “we are disturbed and appalled by the recent attacks on Sikh-Americans. The fact that Sahib Singh was assaulted and had his turban ripped off his head should be a peaceful call to action for our community and the many supporters of our campaign – Sikhs and Non-Sikhs alike. This situation serves as a painful reminder that there is still much work to be done in bringing Americans of all faiths, colors, and communities together.”
He said America is going through an “incredible time of polarization” and hateful rhetoric has been inserted in the public domain. “The Sikh community could be the easy target of the people who are either enraged or misguided. We hope that civic sense prevails in this nation and we continue to make this nation stronger and harmonious,” he added.
Executive Director of NSC Gurwin Singh Ahuja said Sikhs wear turbans to stand up against inequality, injustice and the poor treatment of the oppressed. The organization had launched the National Sikh Campaign & We Are Sikhs last year to spread awareness among Americans about their Sikhs neighbors, what the community stands for and the contributions it makes to the country.
Indian American Impact Project, a non-profit organization focused on Indian American political participation, had condemned the attack on Mr. Malhi saying hate violence targeting the Indian American community and the broader South Asian American community, has surpassed post-9/11 levels.
WASHINGTON(TIP): An Indian American law professor and legal expert has been nominated by US President Donald Trump to an agency on privacy and civil liberties.
Aditya Bamzai, a professor at University of Virginia’s School of Law, has been nominated by Donald Trump to be a member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board for the remainder of a six-year term expiring January 29, 2020.
The agency works to ensure that efforts by the executive branch of the government to protect the nation from terrorism are balanced with the need to protect privacy and civil liberties.
According to Mr Bamzai’s profile on the university website, he teaches and writes about civil procedure, administrative law, federal courts, national security law and computer crime.
He joined the University of Virginia School of Law’s faculty as an associate professor in June 2016.
Mr Bamzai has argued cases relating to the separation of powers and national security in the US Supreme Court, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, DC Circuit and other federal courts of appeals.
He is a graduate of Yale University and of the University of Chicago Law School, where he was the editor-in-chief of the law review
Before entering the academy, Mr Bamzai served as an attorney-adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel of the US Department of Justice and as an appellate attorney in both private practice and for the National Security Division of the Department of Justice.
Earlier in his career, he was a law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia of the US Supreme Court and to Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
ASHLAND, KY(TIP): Monday, August 6, was a day Taj Sardar, the owner of a Shell gas station in Ashland, will never forget after an off-duty Portsmouth ambulance employee went on a racist rant on his Facebook page — even accusing Sardar as a terrorist.
Sardar says it all began Monday around lunch when the man came in to eat at his restaurant. He says the man ate, then left without a word being said.
When outside, the man then took a photo of his restaurant and took to Facebook to not only voice his displeasure with the food, but also the people inside.
Portions of the post read “I reluctantly entered to order Monday’s meatloaf special and was greeted by a tribe from India.” The post continues, “I’m ashamed that I probably just funded Al Qaeda.”
While WSAZ was at the gas station covering the story, Sardar left a statement with police because he says when he reads those comments he fears for his family’s safety.
The post has sparked outrage for many across the Tri-State, even catching the attention of the man’s employer at the Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Services. That agency told WSAZ early Wednesday afternoon that the man has not been suspended following an internal investigation.
They later released this statement after choosing to not participate in an on-camera interview:
“We wish to apologize to anyone who was offended by those posts. We do not agree with, or condone, them and are in the process of handling them accordingly.”
WSAZ has the full statement in total at the bottom of this story. WSAZ has not been updated on the current investigation.
Sardar says his and his family came to America legally in 2006 and moved from upstate New York to Ashland in 2010 to open their store. He says although this is a black eye to the problems of racism, he knows that the good in the area overwhelm the bad.
The name of the ambulance driver involved has not been released at this time.
FULL STATEMENT
“At Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Services, we take pride in the service we provide to our patients, but also in the way that we treat them. As an organization, we have an obligation treat everyone in our community with dignity and respect, regardless of their background or ethnicity, and we expect our employees to do so as well.
“We recently became aware that a member of our staff created several posts on social media that fall far short of that standard. On behalf of Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Services, and all 650 members our team, we wish to apologize to anyone who was offended by those posts. We do not agree with, or condone, them and are in the process of handling them accordingly.”
MICHIGAN(TIP): Indian American Democrats Shri Thanedar and Suneel Gupta lose in Michigan primaries on August 7. Entrepreneur and scientist Shri Thanedar finished third for Michigan governor, which was won by former legislative leader Gretchen Whitmer.
Thanedar, from Ann Harbor, polled 199,574 votes, while Whitmer received 586,074 votes.
Abdul El-Sayed, who was endorsed by former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, was second with 340,560 votes.
Suneel Gupta, brother of physician and television personality Sanjay Gupta fell short by more than 5,000 votes in Michigan’s 11th congressional district. Gupta received 19,149 votes. The eventual nominee Haley Stevens received 24,232 votes.
Thanedar, who grew up in Belgaum, in the south Indian state of Karnataka, self-financed his campaign to the tune of $11 million.
His website says Thanedar purchased or sold eight different businesses—many of them chemical testing analytics firms.
The controversial businessman had toyed with the idea of running in the Republican primary before filing papers to run as a Democrat, according to reports. Ultimately, he ran as a progressive.
Gupta, whose mom was the first female engineer hired by Ford half a century ago, ran on a progressive platform, including education, environment, healthcare and jobs creation.
“Taking this country back from Donald Trump—that’s job one,” Gupta, who holds a law degree from Northwestern Law School and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, said in one of his campaign ads.
He founded Rise, a healthcare technology company he set up, with the help of his brother Sanjay Gupta.
OHIO(TIP): Indian American Democrat candidate Aftab Puravel from Ohio’s first congressional district received former President Barack Obama’s endorsement on August 2.
The Hamilton County Courts clerk is one of the dozens of Democrats the former president — who’s considered the de facto leader of the party — endorsed via twitter in what’s billed as the “first wave of mid-term endorsements.”
Last week, political analyst Larry Sabato’s “Crystal Ball” moved the district to the “Toss up” column, indicating that it will be one of the dozens of districts that will decide which party will control Congress after November. Previously, Sabato had deemed Ohio-1 as “Likely Republican.”
Pureval is the only Indian American endorsed by Obama on Wednesday. In all, the previous occupant of the White House endorsed more than 80 Democrats who are running for various state and federal offices that include governor, lieutenant governor, US Senate and US House of Representatives.
Pureval, who won the Democratic primary unopposed, has so far outraised Chabot by more than 2 to 1 margin, campaign finance data by the Center for Responsive Politics shows. Through June 30, he raised more than $1.5 million, compared to $950,000 raised by the congressman.
Pureval, 35, is the son of an Indian father and Tibetan mom. He is a former Special Assistant US Attorney for the Department of Justice and the first Democrat to get elected as the Hamilton County Courts clerk in a hundred years.
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