Maniolas

The Aquino administration must have been stung and mortified by the bitter criticism it got from the United Nations (UN) for its continued inability to provide basic needs and services for thousands of flood victim families who were displaced by super typhoon “Yolanda” two years ago. The UN also gave a negative verdict on the governments’ apparent continued inadequate attention in ensuring durable solutions for internally displaced persons. Chaloka Beyani, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) was in the Philippines for 10 day- fact finding visit last month to check on the Aquino’s government handling of flood victims in the devastated areas of Leyte and Samar. Beyani’s report indicated that thousands of families are still housed in “collective bunkhouses that do not meet necessary minimum standards for the provision of basic needs and services. This negative assessment by UN will have a tremendous impact on the future financial aid the Philippines will need. I’m sure that by this time, UN must have found out also that thousands of medical supplies it donated , including financial aid, have gone missing and remains unaccounted. If you were to ask fashion conscious Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, the whereabouts of the money and medical supplies, packed food and thousands of bottled waters, her most likely answer would be “It must’ve been swept away by rampaging flood waters.” The DSWD also admitted recently that some 2,000 flood victim families have been forced to remain in evacuation camps and makeshift Read More …

Geoff Eigenmann goes out on dates, but he’s not looking for a special someone.

lavote.net LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) Dean C. Logan will join Los Angeles County Supervisors Hilda Solis, Mark Ridley-Thomas, Sheila Kuehl, Don Knabe, and Assessor Jeffrey Prang to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act on Thursday, August 6 at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, Temple Street steps at 1:30 p.m. Adoption of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 is a historic milestone in national legislation that prohibits discriminatory practices from disenfranchising African Americans and minorities. Since its initial passage, the Act has expanded its reach with amendments that assist language minorities in the voting process by providing language-specific election materials to jurisdictions with large numbers of language minorities. “The Voting Rights Act of 1965 set the foundation of our representative form of government – that everyone has the right to vote,” said Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan. “In passing the Act in 1965, Congress made a strong and emphatic statement that in order for that foundation to remain strong the voting franchise has to be available to all eligible Americans regardless of race, ethnicity, language spoken, location and access. Fifty years later, we celebrate this strong foundation and its commitment to be our representative democracy.” The office of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) is also offering an exclusive downloadable tool kit for cities, counties and elected offices to use. The toolkit features a brief history of the VRA, a timeline, a sample resolution and social media posts to commemorate the event among other resources. Download Read More …

A total of 320 infants and toddlers are breastfed by their mothers during a simultaneous latch-on in Mandaluyong on Saturday. “Hakab Na! 2015” aims to raise awareness on the health and economic benefits of breastfeeding in celebration of Breastfeeding Month this August. (MNS photo) SACRAMENTO – California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith today reminds us that breastfeeding is the first step to a healthy life and forms a lasting bond between mother and child. The 2015 National Breastfeeding Month theme “Let’s Make It Work” sets the goal of empowering all women, no matter where they work, to successfully combine work with breastfeeding.  “As National Breastfeeding Month kicks off in August, California should be proud of its efforts to lead the nation in progressive laws that protect a mother’s right to breastfeed her baby,” said Dr. Smith. “Through public policy, California has committed to ensuring that women who want to breastfeed are given the best chance at being successful.” Not all working mothers in California have access to workplace support for breastfeeding, according to data from the Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (MIHA), an annual survey of new mothers. CDPH reports that only half of California mothers returning to work have a place and time to pump breast milk and low-income women are less likely to have access to these accommodations. Women with workplace support for breastfeeding are twice as likely to report exclusive breastfeeding at three months postpartum than women without accommodations. California Read More …

The 2016 Honda Accord: The car was unveiled at the new R&D center.©Honda Tokyo, Japan (AFP)  – Honda said Friday that net profit in April-June jumped nearly 20 percent as strong sales in North America and a weak yen helped offset the impact of an exploding air-bag crisis. The Civic maker’s bottom-line profit came to 186 billion yen ($1.5 billion) for the three months, up from 155.6 billion yen a year earlier, while sales jumped 15.5 percent to 3.7 trillion yen. Operating profit rose 16.4 percent, as a sharp drop in Japan’s currency benefits exporters such as Honda by making them more competitive overseas and inflating repatriated earnings. “In general, the Japanese auto sector has continued to enjoy the positive impact of a weak yen,” said Yasuo Imanaka, analyst at Rakuten Securities in Tokyo. Honda’s sales in North America and Asia rose from a year ago, but weak consumer demand at home saw Japanese vehicle sales fall. Japan’s number three automaker left its fiscal-year forecast unchanged at a net profit of 525 billion yen on sales of 14.5 trillion yen. In June, Honda revised down its annual earnings for the previous fiscal year, blaming the expanding recalls of faulty airbags made by embattled supplier Takata, which have been linked to eight deaths and scores of injuries. This month Honda, the hardest hit global automaker, said it was recalling another 4.5 million vehicles as the scare over a deadly defect in Takata-made airbags widened. The move took to 24.5 million the Read More …