4 Filipinos in New York, New Jersey succumb to coronavirus

MANILA, Philippines — At least four Filipinos in New York and New Jersey have died due to the coronavirus disease  2019 (COVID-19), the Philippine Consulate General there said.
“Marami na rin po ang nag-positive dito po sa New York at New Jersey, apat na po iyong kababayan natin (ang) nasawi dahil sa COVID-19,” Philippine Consul General Claro Cristobal said in an interview on dzBB on Thursday.

“(Ang) ilang mga kababayan natin ang nasa ospital ngayon at nilalaban ang kanilang buhay,” he added.


Cristobal, said that there are around 143,000 Filipinos in New York and around 137,000 in New Jersey.

He said that New York was one of the first states to implement a stay-at-home order in a bid to contain the spread of the disease.

“Ibig sabihin, kung hindi essential yung paglabas-labas ng mga tao, ipinagbabawal yun,” he said.

Restaurants, department stores and other establishments that do not offer essential services have been temporarily closed, Cristobal added.


He said members of the Filipino community in New York and New Jersey have been following quarantine protocols set by local authorities.

“Ang kagandahan, nakikinig yung ating mga kabaayan at tayo po ay nagpapaalala sa kanilang lahat na patuloy na sumunod sa panuntunan ng siyudad,” Cristobal said.

He added that a field hospital has been set up at Central Park.

“Ang pinaiiral na panuntnan sa New York is kahit sino ka man, kahit meron kang papel dito o wala, kahit may pambayad ka o wala ay makakatanggap ka ng serbisyong medikal kung iyong kinakailangan,” he said.

“Ultimo dito sa Central Park na malapit sa opisina natin ay nagtayo na po ng tinatawag na field hospital at bukas na po yun so sa loob mismo ng pinaka malaking parke dito sa ay meron nang mga medical facilities na tatanggap ng ating pasyente, maging mga kababayan natin, kung kinakailangan,” Cristobal added.


As of Wednesday, 401 overseas Filipinos have contracted the disease, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Of the number, 270 are currently undergoing treatment while 118 have already recovered.

There are 13 deaths reported so far.

globalnation.inquirer.net

Man shot at New Jersey mall on Black Friday

ELIZABETH, New Jersey — A man was shot during Black Friday shopping at a New Jersey mall, sending terrified shoppers running and hiding in stores.

The man was shot in the wrist Friday night at The Mills at Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth, city spokeswoman Kelly Martins said. She said his injuries didn’t appear life-threatening.


No suspect was in custody, and the victim was not cooperating with police, Martins said. Police were reviewing camera footage.

The mall was evacuated after the shooting, which happened in a hallway between a Tommy Hilfiger and a Marshalls store, Martins said.

Carli Disla, her boyfriend and their 6-week-old daughter were in a Cohoes fashion store, heading to the cash registers, when the couple noticed people running.

“They were yelling, ‘Hide, everyone, hide! They are shooting!’” Disla, 22, told The Associated Press in an interview via Twitter.

She and her boyfriend grabbed the newborn out of her car seat, ran to the back of the store and hid in its receiving area. The store’s security gates were pulled down and the exits locked until police and state troopers told shoppers and staffers they couldn’t leave until everything was under control, Disla said. They were allowed to leave around 9 p.m.

"It was a horrible experience and very traumatizing,” Disla said.

But fortunately, the baby didn’t pick up on the fright — she slept through the whole experience.

Jeanette Bermudez told WPIX-TV she was working as a manager in a store when she suddenly heard people running so intensely they sounded like they were stomping. Bermudez and her coworkers shut the shop’s security gate and ushered shoppers into the back.

Geni Genuino was getting some food when the sound of gunshots suddenly erupted.

"Everyone started running out of the mall,” Genuino told the AP via Twitter, adding that the sound stopped for a few minutes, then seemed to start again.

Finally, Genuino found an exit and ran outside.

The mall had been open since 10 a.m. Thursday to accommodate Black Friday shoppers, and about 25,000 people visited throughout the two days, Martins said.

A call to the mall went unanswered, and a management representative did not immediately respond to an email.

Meanwhile, violence also broke out during the Black Friday rush at a mall in Syracuse, New York, where police told local media that two men were stabbed around 4:15 p.m.

It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the confrontation in a Macy’s store at Destiny USA. Officers found one man stabbed in the abdomen and another man wounded elsewhere on his body. Both are in their 20s and were taken to a hospital, police said.

The mall’s management said in a statement that the bloodshed was an “isolated incident” and “absolutely unacceptable.”

The management said it “strengthens our resolve to remain vigilant.” /atm

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

US mall on lockdown after shots fired

PARAMUS, New Jersey—Police are searching for a gunman at a mall in northern New Jersey after shots were fired inside it just before closing.

WCBS-TV reports that shots were fired at the Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall around 9:30 p.m. Monday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

People inside the mall tell the television station that it is on lockdown.

Frightened people are tweeting that they’re being escorted out by armed state troopers. One woman writes that she ran from the mall “screaming.”

Emergency radio transmissions say authorities called in SWAT teams. No contact has been made with a shooter.

The mall is located in Bergen County, about 22 miles (35 kilometers) southwest of Manhattan.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Red Hot Chili Peppers Pay Tribute to Adam Yauch in Newark

"We’re playing this show tonight for Adam Yauch!" Anthony Kiedis declared to the crowd gathered at the Prudential Center in Newark on Friday for the first of two sold-out Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts. Yauch, also known as MCA of the Beastie Boys, passed away on Friday after a long battle with cancer.

Tribute to Yauch would be the night’s theme; Sleigh Bells singer Alexis Krauss opened the night by paying her respects to the beloved rapper. Krauss and her partner Derek E. Miller grew up as fans of the Beastie Boys, but Kiedis and his crew were kindred spirits, as both emerged from bratty punk rock beginnings to embrace a broader, funkier vision as they matured into stardom. Both the Beasties and the Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month. Yauch was too ill to attend the ceremony, so the Chili Peppers dedicated their performance to him.

"He left the world with a lot of beauty," Kiedis continued between songs on Friday. "Adam was for real."

"I love that man," Flea added.

As for the music at Friday’s show, the band churned out hits like true veterans after three decades perfecting their white-hot blend of California punk cool, honed on the razor of the Los Angeles underground music scene in the Eighties. On their 2011 album I’m With You, their first LP since 2006’s smash Stadium Arcadium, newest Pepper Josh Klinghoffer churned out a guitar performance that almost measured up to that of his predecessor, the legendary John Frusciante. He was in fine form on Friday night, wailing away during "Under the Bridge" and "Can’t Stop." On the heels of the band’s Hall of Fame induction, the Peppers’ performance breathed the slick energy of a group who have truly embraced their transition to major rock stars.

Kiedis and Flea, both 49, show no sign of slowing down, though it’s been almost 30 years since the Peppers’ genesis. The boys still like to play: Kiedis made it only halfway through the set before ditching his shirt, and turned out a fine version of his frenetic hoedown jig, at one point kicking and skipping a circle around Flea and Klinghoffer, who were lying prostrate on stage playing their respective instruments. Drummer Chad Smith defied the salt-and-pepperness of his stubble by dangling precariously from a lighting fixture.

Flea and Kiedis have been trading bits onstage for years, and in between the barrage of hits – "Californication," "Dani California," "By The Way," – they’d do something of a comedy routine, making jokes about Newark mayor Cory Booker. Flea, still sporting his turquoise hair, walked in for the encore on his hands.

But as clean as an exercise in arena rock as the show was – the Peppers have come a long way sound-wise and production-wise from their vulnerable days under the bridge – the ache in the room was palpable. "It’s been a sad day," Flea told the crowd after the show’s final song, an athletic rendition of "Give It Away." "We want to offer our love and prayers to Adam." As the lights dimmed and the roadies began to pack up, "Fight For Your Right" floated over the arena’s loudspeakers, sending up the Chili Peppers’ final panegyric to their beloved friend.

source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/red-hot-chili-peppers-pay-tribute-to-adam-yauch-in-newark-20120505

U.S. Representative Donald M. Payne Dead at 77

U.S. Representative Donald M. Payne, a Democrat known fοr hіѕ work οn human rights аnd οn behalf οf thе poor, died from colon cancer Tuesday -March 6, 2012 at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, N.J. He was 77.

Payne announced last month he was under treatment for colon cancer but said that he is expecting to make a full recovery.

Jon Bon Jovi is Not Dead

Jon Bon Jovi fans were sad over the news that the 49-year-old rocker Jon Bon Jovi is dead, he was found "in a coma" at his hotel in New Jersey and taken to a hospital, where he "suffered cardiac arrest."

Jon Bon Jovi’s death made the rounds on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. This internet rumor which said Jon Bon Jovi is dead is just a HOAX. Jon Bon Jovi is Not Dead. He’s alive and well.