Clear weather attracts large crowds, amid tight security
NEW YORK CITY (TIP): The 91st annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade wound its way through New York City to the store’s 34th Street location Thursday, November 23 morning.
Taking flight on Turkey Day were 17 giant character balloons including Olaf from “Frozen,” the Grinch, Charlie Brown and Scrat from the “Ice Age” movie series, along with 28 legacy balloons, 26 floats, 1,100 cheerleaders and dancers, 12 marching bands and six performance groups, Macy’s said in a news release.
“For more than 90 years, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has signaled the start of the holiday season for millions of families.” said Susan Tercero, group vice-president of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in a news release. “We are thrilled to once again come together as a nation to give this gift of joy and wonder to all.”
Featured stars included Harry Connick Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Harvey, Jane Krakowski, Gaten Matarazzo, Chrissy Metz, John O’Hurley, Martha Stewart and Thalia, along with performances by Gwen Stefani and the Radio City Rockettes.
LONG ISLAND, NY (TIP): An Indian American, 18-year-old dental student at Adelphi University, was brutally killed after being run over by a driver who crashed into her SUV on Thursday, November 9.
Taranjit Parmar, 18, got out of her SUV and attempted to exchange contact information with the person who accidentally bumped her vehicle in a fender bender near Long Island, New York. Once Parmar approached the pickup truck that was responsible for the crash, the driver revived the engine, ran over her and drove away, according to Newsday.
Parmar was on her way home from school and was only five minutes away from her destination when the tragic incident took place.
Nassau County Police Department Spokesman Vincent Garcia recounted the tragic event saying, “This was a minor auto accident and an 18-year-old girl lost her life.”
An eye witness claimed that both parties tried “to exchange information,” but the “red truck guy ran over the girl” before the issue could be resolved. Another witness claimed that Parmar held onto the red pickup truck to stop it from fleeing.
However, the witness added that he saw the truck driver drag Parmar about 30 feet before running her over and killing her in the process.
“I feel horrible because it could happen to anybody’s kid, it shouldn’t happen that way, 18-years-old, it’s a horrible thing,” the concerned witness expressed.
Local authorities are now seeking the aid of civilians and other eye witnesses in order to establish the identity of the red pickup truck driver. Investigators are now reviewing various surveillance footage to determine the perpetrator’s license plate number.
“Nothing anyone can do. She was four days away from her 19th birthday,” a family member exclaimed.
Meanwhile, the family on Thursday, November 16 started an Akhand Path in her memory at Gurdwara Nanak Darbar, Hicksville where, on Saturday, November 18, prayers, according to Sikh tradition, will be offered for the departed soul’s eternal peace. For further information, please call Ranjit Parmar at 516-512-2242.
LONDON (TIP): The UK will double the number of visas offered to non-EU nationals who show promise in the field of technology, art and creative industries, Prime Minister Theresa May has announced, as part of her post-Brexit strategy to present Britain as open to global talent.
The number of visas available through the Tier-1 (Exceptional Talent) route will increase from the current 1,000 to 2,000 a year to attract the “brightest and best” talent from around the world, including in digital technology.
May, who hosted digital entrepreneurs and innovators from across the country at Downing Street last evening here, said that the visa hike was part of a slew of measures directed at the digital tech sector.
“As we prepare to leave the European Union (EU), I am clear that Britain will remain open for business. That means government doing all it can to secure a strong future for our thriving tech sector and ensure people in all corners of our nation share in the benefits of its success,” she said.
“Our digital tech sector is one of the UK’s fastest- growing industries, and is supporting talent, boosting productivity, and creating hundreds of thousands of good, high-skilled jobs up and down the country. It is absolutely right that this dynamic sector…has the full backing of government,” she added.
The government said that the UK Home Office will look at how it can work with organizations across Britain to ensure wider take up of the additional visas outside London.
Alongside this, UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd is set to meet with technology experts to seek their input on making visa processes more efficient.
“Increasing the number of visas for these sectors will make sure that we continue to be at the heart of world culture and forefront of digital and scientific advances,” Rudd said
The 2,000 visas will be made available to individuals who are recognized as existing global leaders or promising future leaders in the digital technology, science, arts and creative sectors by one of five UK endorsing organizations Tech City UK; Arts Council England; The British Academy; The Royal Society; and The Royal Academy of Engineering.
The current allocation of the 1,000 visas which are already split between the five endorsing organizations will remain in place and the additional visas will be made available across all of the endorsing bodies based on their requirements.
“Britain is a world leader in digital innovation with some of the ‘brightest and best’ tech firms operating in this country. Working with us, they can provide technological fixes to public sector problems, boost productivity, and get the nation working smarter as we create an economy fit for the future,” UK Chancellor Philip Hammond said.
Among the other measures unveiled for the digital industry include a 21-million-pound investment towards the expansion of Tech City UK into a nationwide network called Tech Nation and another 20-million-pound fund to help public services take advantage of UK expertise in innovative technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Tech Nation will see the organization expand its successful hub model to more cities around the UK, including Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Birmingham.
“Under the Tech Nation banner, this country that has brought so much innovation to the world and leads in sub- sectors such as fintech, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, robotics and life sciences, will build a national network of digital excellence so that the UK will continue to be recognized as one of the best places in the world to start or grow a digital tech business,” said Eileen Burbidge, chair of Tech City UK.
The government also announced the launch of a 20-million- pound training program which will challenge thousands of young people, aged between 14 and 18, to test their skills against simulated online cyber threats.
Protests Force government assurance that Censor Board will weigh in Public Sentiment
NEW DELHI (TIP): The controversy over Bollywood film “Padmavati” has set India on fire. The situation took an ugly turn on November 16 when a leader of the Rajput Karni Sena cited Ramayana’s Surpanakha nose-chopping incident and warned Deepika Padukone against “inciting” sentiments.
Reacting to the development, the Mumbai police have stepped up the actor’s security.
Meanwhile, protests were held in several parts of the country, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, against the movie, which is slated to be released on December 1.
Amid raging row over Bollywood movie ‘Padmavati’ and Rajput Karni Sena’s open threat to actress Deepika Padukone, Union minister Uma Bharti said, November 16 she had been assured that the Censor Board would take care of the issues being raised by the Rajput community.
Her Cabinet colleague Nitin Gadkari also reacted on the issue. “Filmmakers must also keep cultural sensitivities in mind,” he said.
“I have been assured that the Censor Board will take care of all issues. I am confident that they are already informed about the concerns being raised by the people… The director and his associate are responsible for the film story. They should have taken care of the sentiments and historical facts,” she added
Just like disrespect to Padmavati was “immoral”, so was that to the film’s artistes (read Padukone), she said. “If we are talking about respect of Padmavati, it is our moral obligation that we respect every woman… Disrespect of any actress or actor of ‘Padmavati’ is uncalled for and immoral,” Bharti said, an obvious reference to the threat of physical harm to Deepika.
President of the Rajasthan unit of Karni Sena Mahipal Singh Makrana has been quoted as saying that they would not hesitate to chop off Deepika’s nose like Shurpanakha. “Rajputs never raise hand on women, but if the need be, we will do to Deepika what Lakshman did to Shurpanakha,” he said. Padukone had recently termed as “appalling” the violent protests over the film.
Meanwhile, Ajmer dargah deewan Sayed Zainul on Thursday, November 16, compared filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali with Salman Rushdie, Tasleema Nasreen and Tareq Fateh
He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ban the movie that hurt “religious sentiments” of every citizen, including Rajput community at large
“Bhansali’s character is like that of Rushdie, Tasleema and Tareq who always twists or distorts historical facts and hurts religious feelings of people, hence every Muslim should support the cause of Rajput community,” Deewan said in a statement in Jaipur.
‘Defending the film maker and the film artist Padukone, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor took a dig at those criticizing Padukone by questioning their silence during British era’.
“Every single one of these so-called valorous maharajas, who today are after a Mumbai filmmaker, were less concerned about their honor when the British were trampling all over it. They scurried to accommodate themselves. So, let’s face it, there is no question, that we were complicit”, said Shashi Tharoor.
The uproar against Padmavati has once again revived the question of freedom of expression. We may see the debate getting louder over the next few days.
Bill Signals G.O.P. Prioritizes Corporate Tax Cuts
WASHINGTON (TIP): In what appears to be the first major step in the direction of implementation of Trump’s agenda, the House passed a sweeping rewrite of the tax code on Thursday, November 16, by 227-205. The Bill seeks to enact $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for businesses and individuals and deliver the first major legislative achievement of President Trump’s tenure.
The House tax bill, which passed in the Ways and Means Committee last week, would cut taxes more than $1.4 trillion over 10 years. It cuts the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent, collapses the number of tax brackets to four from seven, switches the United States to an international tax system that is more in line with the rest of the world, and eliminates or scales back many popular deductions, including one for state and local taxes paid.
The House easily passed its tax bill, with lawmakers voting shortly after Mr. Trump came to Capitol Hill to address House Republicans. Representatives voted along party lines, except for 13 Republicans, many of whom fought to keep the deduction for state and local taxes. The Republicans who voted no were from New York, New Jersey, California and North Carolina. Zero Democrats voted for it.
Attention now turns to the Senate, which was grappling on Thursday with another setback after a congressional analysis found that their revised tax bill would actually raise taxes on lower-income Americans within a few years.
The Joint Committee on Taxation projected that Americans earning $30,000 or less would see their taxes increase beginning in 2021, if the Senate bill becomes law. The committee also projected that Americans earning $75,000 or less would face large tax increases in 2027, after the individual tax cuts expire. The updated analysis stems from the Senate’s last-minute inclusion of a provision that would repeal the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that most people buy health insurance. The repeal would lead many lower-income Americans to choose not to buy insurance, and thus not claim tax subsidies that currently help them defray the costs of health coverage.
The tax overhaul still faces significant obstacles, as Republicans must align the House legislation with the bill that is working its way through the Senate Finance Committee this week and contains big differences that will have to be bridged.
Republicans are under pressure to get legislation to Mr. Trump’s desk by Christmas, especially after failing in their attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act this year, even though their party has full control of government. Lawmakers also want to push the legislation through quickly to avoid giving lobbyists and Democrats time to mobilize.
Republicans do not wish to witness a replay of their health care catastrophe, during which the House managed to pass a repeal bill in May, but the narrowly divided Senate could never do so.
“For the first time in 31 years we are wiping the tax code clean and replacing it with one that is fairer and simpler for everyone,” said Representative Devin Nunes, Republican of California and a member of the Ways and Means Committee.
House Republican leaders were unable to win over a number of Republicans from high-tax states like New York and New Jersey, who have fought to preserve the deduction for state and local taxes. The House bill allows the deduction of up to $10,000 in property taxes, but that provision was not enough of a concession for them.
At least five Republicans from New York and three from New Jersey had come out against the bill before Thursday’s vote.
“I just have too many constituents who are going to see their taxes go up,” said Representative Lee Zeldin, who represents a district on Long Island and was one of several New York Republicans who spoke out against the tax bill on Thursday morning. “You’re taking more money from a place like New York in order to pay for deeper tax cuts elsewhere,” Mr. Zeldin said.
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) said: “The fact is, this bill is so skewed to benefit the wealthiest 1% in America that it could more accurately be named ‘H.R. 1%.”
Congressman’s statement further said, “On behalf of America’s future generations who will be saddled with an unsurmountable debt created by H.R. 1, the Republican tax plan, I strongly opposed this bill. This rushed piece of legislation will not only add more than $1.7 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years, but it will also shift the burden of paying for that debt to our hardworking families.
“Despite our Republican colleagues’ assertions that this tax plan will benefit the majority of Americans, numerous economists disagree. They note that nearly 45% of all households with children will see a tax increase, while 80% of our wealthiest citizens will receive a tax cut by 2027.
“Even more egregious, this tax bill seeks to eliminate the long-standing state and local tax deduction, subjecting every wage earner’s income to double taxation. This defeats the original framers’ intent to avoid a system of double taxation. The original tax code, drafted in 1913, consisted of three pages in its entirety and included the state and local tax deduction at the core of its responsible tax policy to ensure state and local governments could raise revenues for public schools, police, fire, and emergency services.
“Plain and simple, this tax plan is a tremendous windfall for our wealthiest 1% and large corporations. It favors large businesses over small businesses, it favors sending jobs overseas rather than creating jobs at home, it favors the wealthy over hourly wage earners, and it pays for these tax cuts for the wealthy by raising taxes on our middle class families to the detriment of Medicare, Medicaid, education, and other vital public services.
“The fact is, this bill is so skewed to benefit the wealthiest 1% in America that it could more accurately be named ‘H.R. 1%.’ In the name of the other 99% of Americans, I voted against H.R. 1.”
Taranjit Parmar, 18, daughter of Ranjit Singh Parmar and Kulvinder Kaur, and granddaughter of Joginder Singh Parmar, resident of Levittown, Long Island, New York, died in a tragic road accident, Thursday, November 9, 2017 in Levittown, a short distance away from home. She was a second year student at Adelphi University.
Taranjit’s funeral will be held at 132 Ronkonkoma Ave, Lake Ronkonkoma NY 11779 on Monday, November 13 at 11:30 to 1.00 pm.
NEW YORK (TIP): Over 3/4th of Veterans receiving care in VA facilities are considered to be overweight or obese and struggling with weight related issues. The epidemic of obesity across our country has adverse effects on morbidity, mortality, and healthcare expenditures. American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the most dynamic and ethnic organization representing more than 100,000 physicians of Indian origin, officially launched Veterans Obesity Awareness Campaign (VOAC) at a solemn ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York on Thursday, November 2nd, 2017.
Dr. Gautam Samadder, President of AAPI, addressing the audience: Leaders representing AAPI, WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF), Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO), VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS (VFW), and MOVE! Weight Management Program, after signing the official document pledging to work together in the campaign supporting in one hundred VA facilities throughout the continental United States
Dr. Gautam Samadder, President of AAPI, in his presidential address, said, AAPI has joined a team from VA in its mission to improve the Health and Healthcare of Overweight and Obese Veterans along with other organizations including WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF), Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO) and VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS (VFW) and MOVE! Weight Management Program in developing the “Veteran Obesity Awareness Campaign”. Leaders representing each of these groups signed the official document, pledging to work together in the campaign supporting in at least one hundred VA facilities throughout the continental United States.
“The goal of the campaign is to support in one hundred VA facilities throughout the continental United States,” he said. Towards this end, AAPI has formed an adhoc committee to oversee its functions, consisting of Dr. Samadder, President of AAPI, Dr. Vikas Kuarna, Chir; Dr. Uma Koduri and Dr. Satheesh Kathula, Co-Chairs.
“Coming from a nation that has given much to the world, today physicians of Indian origin have become a powerful influence in medicine across the world. Nowhere is their authority more keenly felt than in the United States, where Indians make up the largest non-Caucasian segment of the American medical community,” Dr. Samadder said. “The overrepresentation of Indians in the field of medicine is striking – in practical terms, one out of seven doctors in the United States is of Indian Heritage. We provide medical care to over 40 million of US population, caring for one in every seven patients in the nation. There are 150 AAPI Chapters across the nation and it has an ever growing membership of Indian American Physicians,” he reported.
Providing a brief back ground to the launch and initiative of the Obesity awareness program for the Veterans, Dr. Sammadder said, a few years back, AAPI organized a highly successful “Childhood Obesity Awareness Campaign (COAC)” with a goal to help fight the childhood obesity problem by providing education to the students & their parents. Starting with the Pilot program in 2013, AAPI adopted close to 80 schools across the United States where they are promoting “Wear Yellow” for Obesity & Childhood Obesity Awareness, 5-2-1-0 and Choose My Plate concept with the tag line of “Be Fit. Be Cool.” This success story has inspired AAPI to take on this major challenge among Veterans today, he declared.
Deputy Consul General of India in New York, who had inaugurated event with the lighting of the traditional lamp, said, “We are proud to host AAPI as it launches this significant event for Veterans.” While praising the contributions of Veterans, she said, the United States stands among the top nations of the world due the sacrifices made by Veterans. Describing Physicians of Indian Origin as a flourishing and highly influential community, the Indian official said, “This noble initiative is a great way of giving back to their adopted land.”
Joshua Starks, a retired Commander in the US Army, shared with the audience, his own personal experiences in his own family and among his colleagues in the Army, about the many challenges faced in tackling obesity among Veterans. Describing obesity as a “symptom of the many major problems” faced by Veterans, Starks told the audience about the ways in which the Veterans are affected physically, mentally and emotionally after they return from deployment around the world, while defending freedom and liberty. According to him, the efforts at the VA in Tulsa has helped hundreds of Veterans by the older Veterans becoming mentors of the younger ones, and in the process finding meaning and purpose in life.
Dr. Vikas Khurana, in his address said, “The collaborative launch of the Veteran Obesity Awareness Campaign (VOAC) is a way of seeking to acknowledge and to create awareness about obesity among veterans as a national problem.
Dr. Uma Koduri provided the audience with a brief description of her efforts in Tulsi, Oklahoma in successfully launching Childhood Obesity awareness campaign, which was later on adopted by AAPI at the national level and now the initiative to help Veterans has become a national movement with the larger AAPI taking it across the nation.
Dr. Satish Kathula told the audience of the enormous cost, $200 Billion a year, spent in addressing the obesity problem in the country. This new initiative by AAPI and its partners is a way to educate AAPI members of the problems and create awareness among them and enable them to work towards preventing obesity among veterans and the larger population, he said.
Dr. Raj Bhayani, Coordinator of the event, in his introductory remarks, called obesity a form of “terror” from within us. “If we do not run, obesity will run behind us,” he said.
Rajat Gupta, an Indian American businessman and philanthropist, in his address, said, “With a vision to use technology to enable philanthropy, WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF) is a non-profit organization, that is a pioneer in applying technology to provide solutions to issues related with water, health, education, energy, livelihood, and sustainability.” Founded by the alumni of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), the foundation partners with non-profits based in the U.S. and India to raise awareness and implement solutions for issues related to their six focus areas.
A section of the audience at the official launch of the Veterans Obesity Awareness Campaign
Dr. Sudhir Parikh, representing Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO), which is partnering with AAPI, in this initiative, said, GAPIO is a nonprofit organization and its vision is “Improving Health Worldwide”. GAPIO stands to empower physicians of Indian origin to achieve highest professional standards, to provide affordable good quality healthcare, to contribute to local and regional community development and thereby help to reduce health inequalities and alleviate suffering globally. While lauding AAPI’s efforts, Dr. Parikh offered whole-hearted support to AAPI in achieving the goals of the campaign.
MOVE! Weight Management Program, is another program, supported by VA’s National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (NCP), that is part of this larger initiative by AAPI to spread awareness about obesity among Veterans. MOVE! is a weight management health promotion program designed to improve the lives of Veterans. Their goals are to annually screen every Veteran who receives care at VA facilities for obesity, refer individuals to weight management services, and make available different treatment options that fit the needs and preferences of our Veterans.
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the nation’s oldest major veterans’ organization, is another partner with AAPI to work towards creating awareness of this major issue. VFW has an impeccable and longstanding record of service and stewardship. Their mission is to foster camaraderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts, to serve our veterans, the military and our communities & to advocate on behalf of all veterans.
AAPI is an umbrella organization representing dozens of local chapters, specialty societies and alumni organizations. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, AAPI represents the interests of over nearly 100,000 physicians, medical students and residents of Indian heritage in the United States. It is the largest ethnic medical organization in the nation. For more, please visit: www.aapiusa.org
Siva, a technician working at Goutami Eye Institute checks the eyes of the newborns at the neonatal intensive care unit in Government General Hospital in Kakinada, some 60 kilometers from Rajahmundry in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
He gently and carefully captures image of each eye of the prematurely-born babies with the help of portable Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Retcam machine to check the blood vessels.
Dr. Y. Srinivasulu Reddy, an internationally acknowledged vitreo-retina surgeon at the Institute in Rajahmundry is waiting for the beep sound of his Whats App messages and on hearing the melodious tone; he enlarges the photos on the screen and checks minutely the images of the eyes, one after the other.
He enlarges the images of the doubtful eyes sent on his laptop screen and then calls Krishna and identifies the infants that require laser correction or other forms of intervention to save their precious sight. The images taken by Siva are instantaneously transmitted from the field to one of India’s acknowledged retinal surgeons Dr Reddy in real time so that no time is lost. Welcome to digital India.
Dr. V.K. Raju (center) guides his assistants in conducting an eye check up on a child at Goutami Eye Institute in Rajahmundry
Goutami Eye Institute, founded by the visionary Dr VK Raju Regional Eye Associates/ Clinical Professor, Department of Ophthalmology; West Virginia University and Founder, President; The Eye Foundation of America, is a shining example how tele- Ophthalmology helps save the nearly lost eyesight of thousands of new born babies in India.
The retina surgeon and his team await the arrival of the infants with weak blood vessels at the hospital and perform the necessary laser correction to restore the eye sight – all free of cost. The 50-bed eye institute that imparts world class treatment at no cost to the hapless poor has been hailed as a lamp that lights the houses of the underprivileged and saves them from darkness.
The pre-mature babies checked are below 35 weeks and weighing less than two kilos and the new born in premature delivery are prone to weak blood vessels as they are formed towards the end of pregnancy and are hard to detect.
The ROP Ret cam brought to India first time by Dr Raju costing close to Rs one crore provides an invaluable tool to detect retinopathy in premature babies whose parents have neither resources nor adequate knowledge to understand the seriousness of the problem leading to permanent blindness if not treated early.
The technicians visit all the neo natal intensive care units of government general hospitals in East and West Godavari districts and carry out the screening with the help of the Ret cam. Plans are on to expand the screening in Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram and Visakhapatnam districts in the future.
The trained technicians are sent to neo natal intensive care units to take retinal images of the pre-mature babies and identify those at risk. Laser surgeries are performed free of cost to the poor and those who can afford pay a very nominal amount of Rs 2,000. Of the 1500 premature babies screened, 112 required laser surgery or other interventions to prevent childhood blindness, said V S Prakash, Chief Administrative Officer of the Institute.
The Institute is world class in the real sense as its one of the few centers in India to offer treatment to a disease where the eyeballs of the children keeps rolling or revolving. This results in the impairment of the vision permanently. Also known as Nystagmus or involuntary movement of eyeballs, the disease affects the new born. There are only 30 or so ophthalmic surgeons all over the world to correct the malfunctioning of the eyes with just a few in India, said VV Kumar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the Institute.
Dr. Richard Hertle of Akron Children’s Hospital in the US and one of the celebrated surgeons in the field to perform surgeries on the infants is the visiting faculty for the last five years.
The Institute has invited Dr. Richard Hertle of Akron Children’s Hospital in the US and one of the celebrated surgeons in the field to perform surgeries on the infants in Rajahmundry. Dr. Hertle is a regular visiting faculty for the last 5 years. He will not only perform the specialized corrective eye surgery free of cost between December 4 and 9 this year but will provide hands on experience to young Indian pediatric ophthalmic surgeons.
About two dozen young surgeons from across the nation will be invited to join the American specialist who will take them two per surgery he is doing on the infant by turns. The rest of them will interact with Dr Hertle in theater through video conference during all the surgeries. Using a sterilized microphone, he will clarify doubts and explains the procedure for correction while simultaneously performing the surgeries – all thanks to the vision of Dr Raju to make blindness free India.
The entire surgical corrections will be videotaped in high definition and shown to medical students. Dr. Hertle is expected to perform 150 to 200 surgeries during his stay in Rajahmundry. This will be first of its kind in India.
Dr. Leela Raju, world renowned cornea specialist, Leela Raju, chief of ophthalmology, Bellevue hospital, NY university Langone, New York and daughter of Dr Raju accompanied by Dr. Will Young and Dr Duncan Katherine also from the US, will be conducting free oculoplasty surgery on poor babies with corneal problems.
The team will be in Rajahmundry between December 4 and 7. The experts will operate on kids with unique disorders whereby the eyelids close involuntarily. These kids require a specialized surgery – a kind of plastic surgery- to correct the defects.
The Institute that focuses on preventable blindness among children will be doing massive eye screening camps in all government and municipal schools. Over 5 lakhs screened, and many thousands of children provided spectacles in the project supported by Government of India’s Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) and Gail India Limited till 2013.
The Institute has trained the primary school teachers how to check the vision of the children who have difficulty in reading from the black board (astigmatism) or those suffering from chronic head ache and refer them to the Institute for correction of refractive errors. The Institute has plans to revive the screening in East and West Godavari districts.
The Institute founded by Dr Raju in 2005 is working on 75 percent free treatment to be compensated partially by 25 percent of paying patients. On an average over 200 patients are seen every day and thousands are seen every year in outreach programs. in the outpatient department. Of which 25 to 30 patients undergo surgeries such as cataract, retinal surgery, pedantic cataract, squint correction for babies and adults. There are five full-time surgeons assisted by 75 para medical and other staff.
The Institute conducts rural eye camps in villages, identifies those require correction, brings them to the Institute for surgery. The patients are not only operated free but their three-day inpatient stay, food and medicines for three months are provided at no cost. One attender of the patients is also provided free stay and food.
For each patient fitted with Intraocular Lens (IOL) the government gives Rs 1000 as against the expenses of Rs 4,000 and the balance is absorbed by the Institute. The same cataract surgery is performed at a cost of Rs 6,000 in private hospitals.
The Institute also screens the current and retired employees of the State Government at every city and villages in Krishna, Guntur, East and West Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts under the state health insurance scheme. For each patient fitted with Intraocular lens (IOL), the government gives Rs 1000 as against the expenses of Rs 4,000 and the balance is absorbed by the Institute. The same cataract surgery is performed at a cost of Rs 6000 in private hospitals.
Termed as baby of Dr Raju, the Institute has gained from his expertise and international connection immensely. Visiting at least four to five times a year, he never carries any personal items as baggage but two suitcases full of medicines from the US for free distribution among poor patients. Such expensive medicines are never sold. The Eye Foundation of America started in 1979 is now working in 25 countries including India with the goal World without childhood blindness.
“Shakespeare Wallah,” the restored version of the 1965 movie is being released in New York on November 10
Watching the restored-version recent screening of 1965’s “Shakespeare Wallah,” brought back fond memories of the real life story of the Kendal family: Geoffrey Kendal, wife Laura Liddell, daughters Jennifer and Felicity staging scenes from Shakespeare works in the school auditoriums of India. In the late 1960s mine was one such school in Bangalore, India at the performances of which we were prompted to learn and sing in unison, Shakespeare’s songs, as “The Wind And The Rain” from “Twelfth Night.”
Shashi Kapoor with Madhur Jaffrey in a scene from Shakespeare Wallah
Accompanied by his wife Laura and, in later years, by his daughters Jennifer and Felicity, Kendal’s troupe toured India performing not only Shakespearean plays but also those of Sheridan, Shaw and Wilde from shabby village halls to opulent maharajas’ palaces, often joined by a variety of young local actors who later earned international cinematic acclaim, according to the British newspaper Independent.
Shakespeare Wallah, the 1965 Merchant-Ivory Productions film story and screenplay are by Ruth Prawer Jhabwala about a traveling family theatre troupe of English actors in India, who perform Shakespeare plays in towns across India, amidst a dwindling demand for their work and the rise of Bollywood. Madhur Jaffrey won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 15th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance. The music was composed by Satyajit Ray. The film was shot in black and white, and the Kendal family play their own fictionalized counterparts, “the Buckinghams”.
Shakespeare Wallah, James Ivory’s second feature film following 1963’s The Householder, is directly inspired by the diaries kept by actor Geoffrey Kendal of the experiences of the Shakespeareana Theater Company, a traveling troupe of actors in India founded and led by both British born Kendal and his wife, Laura Liddell, during 1947, the year India achieved independence.
Ivory had met the Kendal family when he was making The Householder and he was very interested in making a film with them. After he read Geoffrey’s diaries, Ivory knew he had found the right project, casting Geoffrey Kendal as troupe leader and director Tony Buckingham and Laura Liddell as his wife, actress and partner Carla Buckingham. The pair are, of course, portraying fictionalized versions of themselves: British stage performers who have made a life for themselves and their family in India, which they thought of as home. In this case the Buckingham’s daughter, Lizzie (Geoffrey and Laura’s real-life daughter Felicity Kendal, in her film debut), who was born in India and grew up in the company. Over the years, Lizzie graduated from stage assistant to supporting actress and occasional leading role in the troupe’s repertoire of Shakespeare plays that they would stage anywhere from village parks and school auditoriums to private manors and palaces.
Loosely based on the real-life actor-manager Geoffrey Kendal family and his “Shakespeareana Company” of travelling theatre, which earned him the Indian sobriquet, “Shakespearewallah,” the film follows the story of nomadic British actors as they perform Shakespeare plays in towns in post-colonial India. In this story, Tony Buckingham (Geoffrey Kendal) and his wife Carla (Laura Liddell) oversee the troupe. Their daughter, Lizzie Buckingham (Felicity Kendal), falls in love with Sanju (Shashi Kapoor), who is also romancing Manjula (Madhur Jaffrey), a Bollywood film star.
In real life, Shashi Kapoor fell in love with Felicity’s elder sister Jennifer Kendal. Their marriage would provide an important contribution to the Indian film industry until Kendal’s death in 1984.
In the 1960s post-colonial India, Tony Buckingham (Geoffrey Kendal) and his wife, Carla (Laura Liddell), are the British actor-managers of a troupe of English, Irish and Indian actors who travel about the country mounting stage performances of Shakespeare’s works.
One night, after visiting a maharajah for a “command performance,” the troupe heads off in two crowded vehicles for their next engagement. Along the way, one of the cars breaks down, and the company is stranded for some time before being rescued by a wealthy passerby, Sanju (Shashi Kapoor). He takes the troupe to his estate, where they all camp out in their tents on his lawn. While there, Sanju finds himself immediately attracted to Lizzie Buckingham (Felicity Kendal), Tony and Carla’s daughter, and he promises to attend Lizzie’s next stage performance. But instead, Sanju goes to watch a Bollywood film shoot in the countryside, where he observes the glamorous but self-centered actress Manjula (Madhur Jaffrey), with whom he has a relationship.
As Tony deals with the ongoing financial struggles of keeping his company afloat, Sanju woos Lizzie, though he remains involved with Manjula. He soon becomes enthusiastic about the seriousness of Lizzie’s theater work, particularly when he contrasts it with what he sees as the shallow nature of Manjula’s Bollywood films.
(Left) Laura Liddell with Felicity Kendal in a scene from Shakespeare Wallah Photos / Courtesy Cohen Media Group
Manjula’s mute servant reports to her in sign language that she has seen Sanju and Lizzie embracing, prompting Manjula to angrily inform Lizzie that Sanju belongs to her and that although he flirts with other girls, he always comes back to her.
Later, Sanju takes Manjula to see the Buckingham’s company perform Shakespeare’s Othello. While there, the vain Manjula intentionally disrupts the performance by making a scene with the usual Bollywood-obsessed autograph hounds. Sanju angrily tells Manjula to leave without him, and though Sanju’s relationship with Lizzie appears to be ruptured, he sincerely apologizes to her for what happened at the performance and she forgives him.
Noting the intensifying relationship between Lizzie and the Indian playboy, Tony and Clara grow concerned about their daughter’s future—along with the diminishing demand for their craft as the English theatre in India is being supplanted by Bollywood entertainments. The couple makes a life-changing decision and urges Lizzie to go back to England with them.
Meanwhile, Sanju notes how Lizzie is growing in popularity, attracting autograph hounds and leering comments from the audience and even inciting a fistfight at a performance. In the aftermath of the fight, Sanju tells Lizzie he doesn’t like her public lifestyle and that his izzat (an Indian sense of male pride) has been offended. He declares that if she is to be his love, she must be “his property” and be kept in line with his izzat. Lizzie tells Sanju that she would give up anything for him, including her way of life, if he asks her to. When Sanju does not respond, Lizzie senses that his love is not unconditional…and that another life in England is still beckoning.
Shakespeare Wallah’s popularity grew in the USA and across the world after that, and the film later became regarded as the feature that put Merchant Ivory Productions on the international movie map.
Director: James IVORY;
Producer: Ismail MERCHANT
Screenwriters: James IVORY, Ruth PRAWER JHABWALA
Actors: Felicity KENDAL, Geoffrey KENDAL, Laura LIDELL,
Madhur JAFFREY, Shashi KAPOOR, Partap SHARMA,
Utpal DUTT, Praveen PAUL, Prayag RAAJ, Pincho
KAPOOR, Jim TYTLER
Music Composer: Satyajit RAY
Editor: Amit BOSE
Cinematographer: Subrata MITRA
Costume Designer: Jennifer KAPOOR
Makeup Designer: Nate GROVER
Production Managers: N. KABIR, Mohamed SHAFI
Release: November 10, 2017, NY City
Runtime: 122 minutes
This advance screening at the QUAD cinema, NY city was hosted by the IAAC (Indo-American Arts Council), NY and was followed by a Q&A with the Silver Bear award winning actor Madhur Jaffrey moderated by IAAC Founder-CEO Aroon Shivdasani.
The movie opens on November 10 at the QUAD Cinema at 34 West 13th Street, NY city.
(Mabel Pais is a freelance writer. She writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, and Spirituality)
TORONTO (TIP): In what may bring cheer to thousands of Indians, especially from Punjab, looking for greener pastures abroad, the Canadian Government is set to open its “floodgates” for immigrants, allowing up to 3,10,000 newcomers in 2018.
The total annual allowance of influx of new immigrants is planned to rise to 3,40,000 by the end of 2020, sources in the government have said.
The ambitious plan suiting the political agenda of Justin Trudeau-led Liberal government — supported by a large section of minorities like Punjabis, both Hindus and Sikhs — will be implemented with better preparation and integration than ever before.
The move is aimed at bringing in more workers, particularly in the skilled category, and professionals who can propel Canada’s economy amid burgeoning skilled manpower shortage and to meet the shortfall of workers in the labor market.
Canadian Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussein has already cleared the air on the country’s manpower requirements and its plans to bring in more people from around the world by opening up doors to lakhs of applicants.
The maximum number of new settlers in the country comes from South Asia, particularly from Punjab (India) and China.
With 36.29 million people living in Canada in 2016, the proposed influx will almost be 1 per cent of the country’s overall population — the largest number of settlers allowed into the country since 1913, when nearly four lakh people had immigrated.
This year, the government plans to bring in around 3 lakh new immigrants or permanent residents. Of these, 58 per cent are will be professionals, skilled laborer’s and caregivers or nannies, while 28 per cent will be parents, children and grandparents. Refugees and other humanitarian cases will constitute 14 per cent of the total immigrants in 2017.
The proposed annual 3,00,000 arrivals will “normalize” the situation in respect to dwindling birth rate and ageing workforce of the country.
NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on November 12, will leave on a three-day visit to the Philippines where he will attend the Asean and East Asia Summits and hold a bilateral meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte, it was announced on November 9.
This will be Modi’s first official visit to the Philippines. “He will be going there to attend the 15th Asean-India Summit and the 12th East Asia Summit,” Priti Saran, Secretary (East) in the External Affairs Ministry, told the media.
With this, India would have undertaken high-level visits — President, Vice-President and Prime Minister — to all 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) members — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam — in the past three years.
“This shows the importance India attaches to its relations with the Asean,” Saran said. “It symbolizes India’s commitment to deepening relations with Asean member states, and with the Indo-Pacific region in general within the framework of our Act East Policy.”
While Modi will meet Duterte, also this year’s Asean Chairman, on November 13, the two leaders will participate in the two Summits the next day.
Modi will also attend the special celebrations to mark 50th anniversary of the Asean’s formation, a meeting of the leaders of the countries of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and an Asean Business and Investment Summit.
The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the Asean member states and the six states with which the grouping has free trade pacts — Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.
Asean accounts for over 10 per cent of India’s external trade. Asean and India together comprise a population of 1.85 billion, one-fourth of the global population, and a combined GDP of $3.8 trillion.
Saran said investments in India from Asean countries in the last 17 years had been over $70 billion, accounting for 17 per cent of FDI. Indian investments in Asean stand at over $40 billion.
Modi’s visit assumes significance as this year marks the 25th anniversary of the India-Asean dialogue partnership.
“Asean is central to India’s Act East Policy. Therefore, our Prime Minister’s participation in the Asean-India Summit and the East Asia Summit provides a very important opportunity to reiterate our commitment to the partnership,” Saran said.
India also has 30 sectoral dialogue mechanisms and seven ministerial-level interactions with Asean.
Saran said India supported Asean’s centrality in the regional security architecture, and enhancing physical, digital, economic, cultural and people-to-people ties was a key focus in the relationship.
New Delhi attached the greatest importance to the East Asia Summit, of which India is a founding member, she said.
The East Asia Summit is held annually by leaders of Asean countries and those of Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the US.
On the margins of the summits, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with some other leaders as well.
Modi and Duterte were expected “to set up the stage for a quantitative change in our bilateral relations with the Philippines”, Saran said.
She said there was immense potential to enhance bilateral economic ties.
In the Philippines, Modi will meet members of the Indian community, visit the International Rice Research Institute and the Mahavir Philippines Foundation, an associate center of the Bhagwan Mahavir Bikalang Sahayta Samiti of the Jaipur Foot fame.
NEW YORK (TIP): What accounts for the wave of Democratic successes in Tuesday’s elections? Health care was a key issue in Virginia, as well as in Maine, where voters chose to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. Some voters may have been motivated by the sense that their values were threatened by President Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric. And Republicans in Congress face some obstacles to their next big goal, tax reform: The House bill undercuts some key party positions, and the Senate just unveiled a competing plan.
In short, Trump policies have not gone down well with voters. His lowest approval rating at 38% is an evidence of voter disenchantment with Trump.
Elsewhere, like in Nassau County, involvement of County officials in corruption was a big issue which resulted in a serious knock out of Republican contenders.
By and large, it has been a tremendous gain for Democrats.
Victory of Phil Murphy as Governor of the Republican held New Jersey and victory of a host of democrats in that State must cause Republican establishment some anxiety. Similarly, victory of Democrat Dr. Ralph Northam as Governor of Virginia has rattled the Republicans no less.
Curran ran a fierce campaign to regain for Democrats the position of Executive of Nassau County held by a Republican Ed Mangano for two terms.
Certain other victories were almost taken for granted. Mayor de Blasio was never in danger of losing. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz was quite comfortable. And so were many more.
A number of Indian Americans have won the elections. They include Ravinder Bhalla, the first Sikh Mayor in New Jersey State. He was elected Mayor of Hoboken. Others include Raj Mukherji (NJ State Assembly); Vin Gopal (NJ State Senate); Santi Narra (Freeholder, Middlesex County, NJ); Viru Patel (Councilman, Woodridge, NJ); Samip Joshi (Councilman, Edison, NJ); Hemant Marathe (Mayor, West Windsor, NJ); Balvir Singh (Freeholder, Burlington County, NJ). Besides, a large number of Indian Americans have been elected to board of education seats as well.
The Indian Panorama will publish in the next issue detailed results and analysis by experts. However, we are giving here some comments.
New York Times editorial comment said, “President Trump’s critics and admirers have both often wondered whether most of the normal rules of politics apply to him. Trump, in his own graphic way, may have summarized the view best: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, O.K.?”
But it turns out that the normal rules of politics do indeed apply to Trump.
With his approval rating at a paltry 38 percent, Trump’s Republican Party took a whupping. It’s not just that the Democrats easily won the highest-profile race — the Virginia governorship. Democrats enjoyed a stunningly good night across the country. Consider:
Defying virtually all expectations, Democrats flipped more than a dozen of the 100 seats in Virginia’s house of delegates and, pending final vote counts, may have won control of it.
They won full control — legislature and governorship — in both New Jersey and Washington State.
Maine’s Republican governor has repeatedly vetoed Medicaid expansion. Maine’s voters effectively overrode his veto, by referendum, in a landslide.
Democrats won two traditionally Republican legislature seats in special elections in Georgia.
Last night’s results continue a trend. Democrats have done startlingly well in special elections this year, often in conservative districts.
As significant as all these wins are, they will also help shape the political future. Already, multiple House Republicans have announced their retirement, including two more yesterday. Idaho and Utah may now follow Maine and hold referendums on expanding Medicaid. Progressives will be energized to find candidates to run in traditionally Republican areas.
Donald Trump remains the most powerful person in the country, if not the world. But the election results show that he also remains the weakest first-year president in modern history.”
Elsewhere. “Enthusiasm matters,” writes The Atlantic’s Ronald Brownstein, noting that Ralph Northam, Virginia’s governor-elect, earned about 330,000 more votes than his predecessor had in 2013.
It wasn’t just that Democrats won up and down the ticket, but which Democrats won, notes Time’s Charlotte Alter. “A trans woman beat the guy who introduced the bathroom bill. A gun victim’s boyfriend beat a delegate with an ‘A’ grade from the NRA. A civil rights lawyer who sued the police department just became the top prosecutor in Philadelphia,” she tweeted.
White, rural areas of Virginia largely backed Ed Gillespie, the Republican, but were swamped by suburban and urban turnout for Northam. “The data out of SW VA suggest maybe you can turn your campaign into a McTrump franchise,” noted the pollster Kristen Anderson, “but that’s of limited value in a state Trump lost.”
“With all the evidence in front of us, Democrats are slight favorites to retake the U.S. House in 2018,” argues FiveThirtyEight’s Dave Wasserman.
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Gujarat Assembly election, scheduled for 9 and 14 December, is significant for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
While the former is eager to retain home turf, the latter is trying to mount a serious challenge to the BJP ahead of the 2019 General Election.
The BJP may have its numerous infrastructure projects and the bullet train to help sway votes, but the Congress has the saffron party’s flawed implementation of the GST and the demonetisation going in its favour.
The high-stakes battle in a state with only two major parties — BJP and Congress — will be contested on a number of issues that may well decide the outcome. The Gujarat election is considered even more important than Uttar Pradesh for Modi and a defeat will be embarrassing for the BJP.
With the quota agitation crippling Gujarat and the disenchantment growing, BJP might not find it easy to win the state and Congress appears to be putting up a good fight to counter the saffron party.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi created a stir, especially on social media, with his swipe that the goods and services tax (GST) was nothing but a “Gabbar Singh Tax”. By drawing a reference to the celluloid bandit Gabbar Singh, immortalized in the cult film Sholay, Gandhi was being anything but subtle in his criticism of India’s marquee tax reform.
THE PATIDAR PROBLEM AND THE DALIT DILEMMA
The two sensitive issues that rattled the state and forced Anandiben Patel to resign as the chief minister were the protests for reservation for Patels in jobs and educational institutions, and the angry response against the flogging of Dalits.
The BJP was at its wits’ end thanks to the fierce agitation led by Hardik Patel. Party leaders were not allowed to hold public rallies and they were barred from many Patel dominated areas in a show of increasing irritation with the saffron party.
The issue has still not abated and Hardik has emerged as an influential leader able to sway votes in favour of whichever party he chooses to endorse. According to the India Today-Axis opinion poll, the Patidars play a decisive role in 21 of the state’s 182 seats and makes up almost 16 percent of the electorate. Hardik can give a bump of two percent to whichever party he supports.
The drifting away of the Patidars from the BJP might alter the result of the election because the party has been banking on these votes for last two decades.
The other issue which can play a major role in the election is the Dalit uprising. Gujarat witnessed one of the biggest Dalit uprising that ever took place in the state last year.
Anandiben faced criticism after four Dalit youths were beaten up in Una on 11 July, 2016 for allegedly skinning a dead cow.
Her exit was seen as BJP’s message to Dalits that the party was concerned about the growing unrest in the community. The Dalit anger, as The Hindupoints out, is mounting.
Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani extended his support to the Congress and met party leader Ashok Gehlot.
They comprise seven percent of the electorate in Gujarat and their vote in favour of the Congress could represent a huge loss for the saffron party.
THE GST DECISION AND DEMONETISATION GAMBLE
As Hindustan Times pointed out, small and medium-scale businessmen and traders, who form the core of the BJP support base, have been hit by what they call implementation glitches in the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Textile traders in the state want a roll back of the GST on cloth. According to the Times Now-VMR opinion poll, about 40 percent respondents feel that the quality of life has worsened after the implementation of GST and demonetisation.
Fifty-three percent of the people are dissatisfied with demonetisation, according to the India Today-Axis survey. The Opposition, specifically the Congress party, has been very vocal and vociferous in its criticism of the new tax regime.
Rahul termed it the ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’ and the party will also observe Black Day on the anniversary of demonetisation. This might shift the stakes in the favour of the Congress.
Traders have traditionally been BJP’s principal vote base but the disenchantment over the GST and demonetisation might shift the favour.
In the Gujarati press, The Hindu reported, there are alarming reports of disenchantment with the BJP government, particularly due to unemployment.
DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Modi said that the election in Gujarat is a contest between development and dynasty.
“The elections for us are about politics of development while for the rivals it is about promoting dynastic politics. And let me tell you that the politics of development will win,” he was quoted as saying by Livemint.
BJP has perhaps been focussed on infrastructure projects because of this. Modi laid the foundation stone of Ahmedabad- Mumbai High-Speed Rail Network, commonly known as the bullet train, on 14 September in Gujarat along with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
He also laid the foundation stone of a bridge between Okha and Beyt Dwarka. He also announced six-laning of the Ahmedabad- Rajkot National Highway and four-laning of the Rajkot-Morbi state highway.
During his visit to Gujarat, the prime minister inaugurated the Bhadbhut Barrage that will be constructed over the river Narmada, and also flagged off the Antyodaya Express from Surat to Jaynagar in Bihar, The Financial Expressreported.
With focus on these infrastructural projects and promoting its development pitch, BJP may be able to sway some voters who are concerned about the development of the state.
Almost 16 percent of the voters, according to India Today-Axis opinion poll, agree with Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah that it is the most important issue.
ANTI-INCUMBENCY
The BJP is facing the anti-incumbency sentiment and the Gujaratis are showing signs of fatigue from being ruled by the BJP since 1995, The Indian Express reported.
With the change of chief minister in the middle of a tenure and the absence of Modi as the chief ministerial candidate, the anti incumbency sentiment is perhaps apparent.
Achyut Yagnik, a leading expert on Gujarat, told Rediffthat there has been a difference in administrative control since Modi was elevated.
“Modi had tight control over the bureaucracy, which was not the case with Anandiben Patel and Vijay Rupani,” she said.
According to OpIndia, “with 20 years being in power, the state BJP seems to have peaked and reached a saturation point. Of these 20 odd years, Modi was the chief minister for little over 12 years. In the three years that Modi has moved to Centre, Gujarat has had two chief ministers.”
WASHINGTON (TIP): House Republicans unveiled their long-awaited tax cut legislation on Thursday, November 2, after having delayed it by one day, kicking off a fight that many in the GOP believe they must win to preserve their congressional majorities in the midterm elections next year.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and GOP tax writers put forward a bill that would trim the number of tax brackets, while raising the standard deduction from $6,350 to $12,000 for individuals and from $12,700 to $24,000 for married couples.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is subject to change and faces lingering questions of how it will be paid for, would cut the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent, while eliminating the estate tax after six years.
CNN Money has published a rundown of key provisions that would affect individuals in an article What’s in the House tax bill for people by Jeanne Sahadi. Here is the published report
Here’s a rundown of key provisions that would affect individuals:
Reduces income tax brackets: There are seven federal income tax brackets in today’s code that are taxed at 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, 35% and 39.6%.
The House bill consolidates those into four brackets:
12% (on the first $45,000 of taxable income for individuals; $90,000 for married couples filing jointly)
25% (starts at $45,000 for individuals; $90,000 for married couples)
35% (starts at $200,000 for individuals; $260,000 for married couples)
39.6% (starts at $500,000 for individuals; $1 million for married couples)
Nearly doubles the standard deduction: The bill raises today’s standard deduction for singles to $12,000 from $6,350 currently; and it raises it for married couples filing jointly to $24,000 from $12,700.
Eliminates personal exemptions: Today you’re allowed to claim a $4,050 personal exemption for yourself, your spouse and each of your dependents. The House bill eliminates that option.
For families with three or more kids, that could mute if not negate any tax relief they might enjoy as a result of other provisions in the bill.
Expands child tax credit: The bill would increase the child tax credit to $1,600, up from $1,000, for any child under 17.
But that $600 increase won’t be available to the lowest-income families if they don’t end up owing federal income taxes. That’s because unlike the first $1,000, the extra $600 won’t be refundable. Refundable means that if your federal income tax bill is zero, you get a check from the government because of the credit.
The bill would let more people claim the child tax credit. The income level where the credit starts to be phased out would increase to $115,000 for single parents, up from $75,000 today, and to $230,000 for married parents, up from $110,000.
Creates two new family credits: The bill would create two different $300 tax credits, but they would be in effect only for five years and would not be refundable.
The first would be for nonchild dependents — for instance, any son or daughter over 17 whom you’re supporting, an ailing elderly mother or an adult child with a disability. The second is a credit for each spouse if they file jointly (or, in the case of single parents, the head of household).
So, a family of four — two parents, a 12-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son — could reduce their tax bill by $2,500, said Elaine Maag, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute. They would claim the $1,600 child tax credit for the daughter, the $300 nonchild dependent credit for the son and a $300 credit for each parent.
The income thresholds governing these two new credits are the same as for the child tax credit.
“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before,” Leonard Bernstein
“The significance of this concert is that people of all religions – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism – will be here together and will listen. Pieces of music like Beethoven’s Ninth unite people, giving them a message that we are in this world together and we have to work for peace. That’s the only way we can have some understanding,” Luna Kaufman
“Most remarkable is Maestro Jason Tramm as the University’s director of choral activities and an assistant professor. He has opened Seton Hall’s doors to new musical experiences since his arrival in September 2011 and this is another gift he has given to all of us.” Laurie Pine, Director, Media Relations, Seton Hall University.
Choir singing prayer for peace
Prayer for Peace: The Power of One Voice reunited members of the Seton Hall University Chorus and the greater Seton Hall community with the Mid-Atlantic Opera Orchestra, under the baton of noted conductor and Assistant Professor Jason Tramm. Renowned international guest soloists soprano Allison Charney founder and host of NYC classical concert series “PREformances with Allison Charney at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center,” baritone Mark Delavan, tenor Adam Klein and mezzo soprano Karolina Pilou of the Metropolitan Opera, and acclaimed violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins from Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof performed. Concert narration featured veteran actor Jordan Charney, star of stage, screen and television.
Inspired by Leonard Bernstein’s statement, “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before,” the concert seeks to celebrate peace messengers worldwide.
In keeping with this spirit, the concert honored lifetime messenger of peace, Luna Kaufman, and raised scholarship funds for refugees, said Laurie Pine, Director of Media Relations, Seton Hall University at South Orange, NJ.
Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations and College of Communication and the Arts premiered the second cycle of their “Prayer for Peace” Concert Series at NJPAC in Newark, New Jersey on Friday, October 27. Inspired by Leonard Bernstein’s artistic mandate, the classical music concert is dedicated to music’s role as an instrument of peace, and took place at NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.
Luna Kaufman wants this event to build bridges of peace among all peoples
Central to the concert was a unique performance of A Survivor from Warsaw by Arnold Schönberg to honor Luna Kaufman, Holocaust survivor, educator, activist, author and lecturer. A trustee and chairperson emerita of the Sister Rose Thering Fund for Jewish-Christian Studies, Kaufman is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Seton Hall University in 2009 as well as the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit, given to her by the president of Poland in 2011.
Kaufman’s life illustrates the theme of the Power of One Voice. Luna and her mother were the only two family members to survive the death camps out of 70 family members. Luna served as the New Jersey Opera Board President and was responsible for bringing Hans Krasa’s Brunidbar to North American audiences in 1988 and played a crucial organizational role in the creation of the Liberation Monument in New Jersey’s Liberty Park.
Today she is a tireless champion of Jewish-Christian understanding, having been inspired by the late Sister Rose Thering, the Catholic nun and Seton Hall professor who led the fight to eliminate anti-Semitism from school textbooks. Kaufman is acknowledged for teaching the truest and most profound meaning of forgiveness and reconciliation despite experiencing circumstances unimaginable to most people.
“When I first came to Seton Hall, they asked me to discuss my experiences. I was so bewildered. What do they want to know? To me, at that point, I didn’t talk about the Holocaust because who would talk about it? I was invited to come and talk for a Holocaust Observance in the Chapel. I had my prison uniform. When we left Poland, I was allowed to take only seven dresses, and among them I took this. They counted this as a dress. You know, a piece of fabric to buy and make myself a dress I can always do, but I wanted to have this as my memento. Why? I would never know. And I brought it and it traveled with me to Israel, and from Israel to here. They had it on the altar in the Chapel. I said, ‘Now we have arrived someplace. And now we’re joining hands and working together.’ Shortly after, I met Sister Rose and we became joined together. I was so impressed by what she was doing and the Sister Rose Thering Fund and the University in continuing this work.”
Kaufman shared why Schönberg’s A Survivor from Auschwitz holds a special significance for her. She was incarcerated in a concentration camp very close to Warsaw and saw the flames of the uprising, hoping to be liberated. In the last minute, owners of the factory, who had purchased her and the others for a few dollars each as slave laborers, sent them to Germany. There, she spent another two years in the camps.
“I returned to Poland on a trip with Governor Kean. We went to Auschwitz and Israel. The reporters asked me whether I feel some remorse or feeling like that. I said no.”
She said, “I felt like a victor. I said this is my victory because I survived through, though I lost my father. I lost my sister. We are not going to (lie) down. I said, ‘You know you have to go forward. You have to remember the Holocaust, but this is not enough. You have to do something about it. And you need to look at the other. When we were doing this concert this year I said make sure you include other genocides and other problems. This is a human issue, and we are part of humanity. To me this is a very important message that needs to be delivered.”
Kaufman wants this event to build bridges of peace among all peoples.
“The significance of this concert is that people of all religions – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism – will be here together and will listen. Pieces of music like Beethoven’s Ninth unite people, giving them a message that we are in this world together and we have to work for peace. That’s the only way we can have some understanding,” she explained.
Laurie Pine, Director of Media Relations, Seton Hall University with a sense of fulfillment, comments, “What an incredible tribute this is to messengers of peace both here and around the world! To witness more than a thousand people gathered together at the Prayer for Peace concert, expressing our humanity and embracing each other at such an important time in our shared history. It was a remarkable testament to what we all can achieve together. I was especially proud of our Seton Hall University students, who worked so hard to be able to achieve such a powerful message along with our friends from the MidAtlantic Opera Orchestra and such fabulous soloists, coming together as a community, making music, making art and inspiring us all to be messengers of peace. Most remarkable is Maestro Jason Tramm who infuses his love of music and teaching with a passion and purpose that continues to enrich the repertoire of Seton Hall. As the University’s director of choral activities and an assistant professor, Jason has opened Seton Hall’s doors to new musical experiences since his arrival in September 2011 and this is another gift he has given to all of us.”
(Mabel Pais is a freelance writer. She writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, and Spirituality)
WASHINGTON (TIP): This evening in Washington, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard delivered a keynote address at the Indian American Friendship Council’s (IFAC) 20th Annual Legislative Conference. The congresswoman, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Asia-Pacific Subcommittee and the Democratic Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, spoke about bipartisan support behind strengthening mutually beneficial economic ties, building upon the existing U.S.-India security framework and a shared fight against terrorism, and expanding educational opportunities between the U.S. and India. Other speakers included the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ed Royce, Democrat Ranking Member Elliot Engel, and fellow lawmakers.
The congresswoman was recognized with IFAC’s National Service Award for her leadership in strengthening the U.S.-India partnership. Most recently in Hawaiʻi, the congresswoman has worked with state and local leaders to initiate a Sister-State relationship between Hawaiʻi and Goa, which will be formalized later this year.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and others at the Conference
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said, “Over the years, the U.S. and India have made great strides in strengthening our important relationship, from cooperating in education to business to counterterrorism and so much more. As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans and through my work on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, I’m working to strengthen the friendship and bonds that our two nations already share, and to encourage new opportunities for growth. The Indian American Friendship Council’s work to promote mutual exchange of knowledge and ideas, further understanding between elected leaders and those in the private sector, and provide a voice to the more than three million Indian Americans living in the United States has furthered this progress and expanded the U.S.-India relationship for the benefit of both countries and their citizens.”
MORGANTOWN, WV (TIP): Morgantown resident Indian American ophthalmologist Dr. V.K. Raju was recently honored with a lifetime achievement award
Dr. V.K. Raju was bestowed the honor – the President’s Award for Lifetime Achievement- during the 2017 West Virginia State Medical Association Healthcare Summit earlier in August. The inaugural award recognized him for his WVMSA president Dr. Rahul Gupta said of Raju. according to information received.
WVMSA president Dr. Rahul Gupta said of Dr. Raju: “He continues to have a meaningful impact on the lives of scores of individuals across the globe by helping eliminate blindness and positively impacting the rural and remote areas of developing countries where there is no medical care or where the cost of medical is prohibitive,”
Raju prides himself in his innovational and outstanding dedication to patient care, according to his website.
He received his medical degree at Andhra University in India, then traveled to the University of London to complete an ophthalmology residency and fellowship. In the U.S., Raju completed an anterior segment surgery fellowship at Louisiana State University.
Dr. Raju currently serves as a clinical professor of ophthalmology at West Virginia University where he has been teaching since 1976.
Earlier, Raju spent two years teaching at the Royal Eye Hospital of London. He is also the director of the International Ocular Surface Society, the director of the Ocular Surface Research and Education Foundation, and the medical director and past president of the Eye Foundation of America.
Additionally, Raju is a participant in the Eye Relief Project under which he travels periodically to India and other developing countries to volunteer his surgical services and teach advances in ophthalmology.
Coming October 27, Dr. V.K. Raju will be honored with a lifetime achievement award by the Rotary Club at Vijayawada in India.
The deputy prime minister is the main casualty, after being found to have held dual citizenship when he ran for election.
CANBERRA (TIP): Australia’s conservative government has lost its majority after the deputy prime minister was declared ineligible for parliament.
Barnaby Joyce was one of seven politicians affected by a High Court decision which disqualified him because he held dual citizenship when he ran for election last year.
The crisis was related to a previously obscure 116-year-old law barring dual citizens from sitting in parliament.
Mr. Joyce said: “I respect the verdict of the court. “It’s a pretty simple story – we’re off to a by-election.
“I had no reason to believe that, you know, I was a citizen of any other country than Australia. That is the way it is.
“Now I am going to make sure that I don’t cry in my beer.”
The court’s decision means the government loses its one-seat majority in the lower House of Representatives as it awaits the by-election for Mr. Joyce’s seat in December.
Mr. Joyce will be able to stand for re-election, however, having renounced his New Zealand citizenship since the last election. He is expected to win.
Four of the other six senators were also ruled ineligible from sitting in parliament, including government minister Fiona Nash, who inherited British citizenship through her father.
The others were Greens’ Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam and One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts.
All said they had not been aware of their dual citizenship when they ran for election.
The disqualified senators will be replaced by members of their own party without an election, meaning the balance of power will only be affected by Mr. Joyce’s situation.
The saga began for Mr. Joyce in July after media inquiries to his office made him aware he might hold dual citizenship through his father, James Joyce.
The New Zealand High Commission told him he had been a New Zealand citizen in August and he renounced his citizenship after that.
The government had unsuccessfully argued in court that the phrase in the law “is a subject or a citizen…of a foreign power” should only refer to a person who has voluntarily retained that status.
But the court found Mr. Joyce was a New Zealander by descent at the time of his nomination last year.
The two senators allowed to stay in parliament were Matt Canavan, who the court heard might have inherited Italian citizenship from his Australian-born mother through Italian grandparents; and Nick Xenophon, who was born to Cypriot and Greek parents and had checked with both embassies to ensure he wasn’t a citizen of those countries.
He later found he was British because his father left Cyprus while it was a British colony.
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Election Commission (EC) on Oct 25 set the stage for the electoral showdown in Gujarat between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, its principal challenger.
According to the poll schedule for the 182-member assembly, Gujarat elections will take place in two phases—on 9 and 14 December. The first phase of election will see polling in 89 seats while the second phase will be for 93 assembly constituencies.
While the districts including Kachchh, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Surat will go to poll in the first phase, the districts of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara will go to poll in the second phase.
The Gujarat election results will be declared on 18 December along with Himachal Pradesh.
TWO PHASE GUJARAT ASSEMBLY POLLS ON DEC 9, 14
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Election Commission (EC) on Oct 25 set the stage for the electoral showdown in Gujarat between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, its principal challenger.
According to the poll schedule for the 182-member assembly, Gujarat elections will take place in two phases—on 9 and 14 December. The first phase of election will see polling in 89 seats while the second phase will be for 93 assembly constituencies.
While the districts including Kachchh, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Surat will go to poll in the first phase, the districts of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar,Vadodara will go to poll in the second phase. The Gujarat election results will be declared on 18 December along with Himachal Pradesh.
The face off is a key battle for the Congress and the BJP. While the Congress is the incumbent in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP is aspiring for a record fifth term in office. The poll has acquired an extra edge as the Congress will be led by Rahul Gandhi who is poised to takeover the party leadership and for the BJP by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—the former three-term chief minister of Gujarat.
In the 2012 Gujarat elections, the ruling BJP had won 115 seats with 47.8% vote share while the Congress, had won 61 seats with 38.9% vote share in the 182 member state assembly.
The ruling BJP has set a target of Mission 150-plus in Gujarat.
Modi has already organized at least five road shows and public meetings in the state, while Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has also held a series of public meetings in the state. Both sides have staked claim to the promise of development, thereby making it a central issue in the upcoming poll. Addressing a press conference A.K. Joti, chief election commissioner (CEC), said voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPATs) will be used in the Gujarat elections.
“After the February-March poll in Goa which saw the use of 100% VVPATs in all 40 constituencies, same will be done for Gujarat. All 50,128 polling stations will have VVPATs. Moreover, slips of one randomly chosen polling station will be counted to generate voter trust in the system,” he said.
The CEC also responded to charges levelled by a section of the opposition, including the Congress, over the delay in announcing the poll dates.
“Whenever EC takes decision to finalize dates many factors need to be considered. The issue here was unprecedented rainfall in July and August. The chief secretary of Gujarat had written to us that 7 districts of Gujarat were severely affected and 229 people had died in the floods. This only shows magnitude of the situation. We were requested to make schedule in a way that relief work doesn’t get affected,” Joti added.
Interestingly, the state has witnessed social unrest with protests by sections of the dominant Patel community, Dalits and other backward classes (OBCs). Normally the BJP has retained the majority share of votes of all these social groups.
The Gujarat elections is likely to figure in discussions during the winter session of Parliament, which is expected to start in November and continue till December.
Analysts say that for the first time in two decades Gujarat is seeing a resurgent opposition.
“Congress did not have much of a political will to fight after Narendra Modi took over as the chief minister of Gujarat. However, since Modi has moved to the Centre, Congress has got its first fighting chance. The party is also attempting a new caste alliance of the Patidhars, Kshatriyas and Scheduled Castes. There is discontent in the state but it is to been seen whether the Congress can capitalize on it,”said Amit Dholakia, professor of political science at Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara. Source: Livemint
WASHINGTON (TIP): “The American public expects — and deserves — its Government to provide as much access as possible to the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records (records) so that the people may finally be fully informed about all aspects of this pivotal event. Therefore, I am ordering today that the veil finally be lifted”. Donald Trump thus decreed, on October 26, 2017, the release of documents concerning John F. Kennedy’s assassination, setting off speculation about new information on an assassination that had shaken the American nation on November 22, 1963.
However, all records have not been ordered to be released yet. The 26th October order says, “At the same time, executive departments and agencies have proposed to me that certain information should continue to be redacted because of national security, law enforcement, and foreign affairs concerns,” he wrote. “I have no choice — today — but to accept those redactions rather than allow potentially irreversible harm to our Nation’s security.”
Still, he warned that agency heads should be “extremely circumspect” in asking for further postponing the release of any of the documents, saying: “The need for continued protection can only have grown weaker with the passage of time.”
President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Photo courtesy Newseum / PRNewsfoto file
Trump “wants to ensure there is full transparency here,” a senior administration official said at a briefing. He is “expecting agencies to do a better job in reducing conflict within redactions and get this information out as quickly as possible.”
The National Archives published nearly 3,000 previously sealed or censored documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Thursday, but the White House said it was delaying the release of others.
Under a 1992 law inspired by the conspiracist movie “JFK,” the National Archives was supposed to have released all of the remaining records by midnight ET — unless President Donald Trump objected on national security grounds.
In the end, the president allowed the release of 2,891 of at least 3,140 documents, with the rest subject to a 180-day review of redactions from objecting agencies. The White House said later that the remaining records would be released “on a rolling basis in the coming weeks.”
About 200 pages of the new batch are expected to delve into the six-day visit that Oswald, a onetime Marine who had defected to the Soviet Union, made to Mexico City just before Kennedy’s assassination. One of the juiciest stories is likely to be that of June Cobb, a CIA spy working in Cuba and Mexico, who reported that Oswald had been spotted in Mexico City.
Cobb, born Viola June Cobb in Ponca City, Oklahoma, died Oct. 17, 2015, in New York, where she was living in a Manhattan senior center, an official there and her former sister-in-law told NBC News.
As journalists, scholars and assassination buffs began scouring the thousands of pages Thursday night, it remained to be seen whether the document dump would satisfy the many people who still dispute the finding of the Warren Commission that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when he gunned down Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963.
NEW YORK (TIP): Zee TV has launched Those Who Made It, directed by Mayank Tripathi, which is a series that features an Indian American entrepreneur and philanthropist every episode. The show follows the individuals as they recount their path to success and share stories from their personal and professional lives. The series premiered on October 14.
The first episode followed Sheela Murthy, a successful lawyer who founded the Murthy Law Firm to help other immigrants like herself to maneuver through the complicated legal process. Her firm is ranked as one of the world’s leading U.S. immigration law firms. The upcoming episodes will relay the tales of Sant Chatwal, Frank Islam, AJ Khubani, Suri Sehgal, Javad Hassan and Mafat Patel – all of these enterprisers are an inspiration to South Asian immigrants who are pursuing their own American dream. Those Who Made It proves that as long as you believe and work hard, you can achieve success!
Zee TV, airing programs primarily in Hindi, made its debut in Hollywood by launching the first ever English language South Asian reality television show Made In America. It is no surprise that the largest Indian television network in the world is the first Indian channel to produce content targeting international audiences. Selecting six girls from a pool of 6,000 applicants, Made In America followed the contestants for 10 weeks as they competed in various challenges, displayed their individual talents and trained with different coaches. The reality show, which only features second generation South Asians, is hosted by Nina Davaluri, the first ever Indian American to be crowned Miss America. The finale of the reality show aired on October 12.
Sameer Targe, CEO of Zee TV America said, “We realized that there was a need in the marketplace to reach a younger South Asian audience who have an enormous desire to be in the glamour world. Zee TV is the flagship television network for South Asians in the US, we decided to launch ‘Made In America’ to fulfill their Hollywood dreams, and create a platform for them to be able to showcase their talents.” You can follow Zee TV USA’s new original programming at zeeoriginals.com.
ABOUT ZEE TV:
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited is one of India’s leading television media and entertainment companies. It is amongst the largest producers and aggregators of Hindi programming in the world, with an extensive library housing over 222,000 hours of television content. With rights to more than 3,818 movie titles from foremost studios and of iconic film stars, ZEE houses the world’s largest Hindi film library. Through its strong presence worldwide, ZEE entertains over 1 billion viewers across 172 countries.
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