Voice of Asia June 12 2015

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VOICE OF ASIA

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Over 26 years of dedicated service to the community

Vol. 28 No. 24 Friday, June 12, 2015 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

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FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

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VOICE OF ASIA Over 26 years of dedicated service to the community

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Business Owners’ Benefits Insuring Key Employees

Read more on Page 16 Call 713-771-2900

Vol. 28 No. 24 Friday, June 12, 2015 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Missouri City residents shaken by recent home invasion Malayalee associations, police will meet on June 14 to discuss burglaries

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OUSTON - The Malayalee Association of Greater Houston, (MAGH), South Indian US Chamber of Commerce, and Knanaya Catholic Community in association with various Malayalee organizations in Houston are organiz-

ing a meeting to discuss the repeated targeted crimes against Malayalees in the Houston area.

The meeting will be on Sunday, June 14, at the Houston Knanaya Catholic Community Center (2210 Stafford-

shire Road, Missouri City). Various city and county police officials and officers from the Sherrif’s office will address the gathering.

Two Malayalee Missouri City homes were invaded in the past two

weeks and the families tied up before the four masked gunmen ransacked the houses for cash and jewelry. The two families were known to each other.

For more information please con-

tact: K. Surendran 832 274 7507, Missouri City Police have an existing House Watch program in place.

For details visit: http://www.missouricitytx.gov/formcenter/police-10/ house-watch-50

Scammers Amiya and Apurva’s outstanding Manch Pravesh Preying on Blessed, praised by Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj-ji!

Fort Bend County Flood Victims

by Sunanda Vashisht

O

R

ICHMOND, TX - The Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management has been in contact with numerous residents who have reported individuals coming into their homes posing as Federal Emergency Management Agency officials. At this time there are no FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams operating within Fort Bend County, but FEMA contractors may visit your home if you have already filed a claim with FEMA. If a resident has not filed a claim with FEMA, individuals visiting their home claiming to work for FEMA are likely to be scammers.

These scammers may be advising residents to obtain loans, purchase home insurance coverage, purchase services, or worse.

If an individual comes to your home claiming to be from FEMA, demand to see identification. If they are not in a FEMA uniform and/or unwilling to show FEMA official identification, immediately dial 9-1-1. These scammers are dangerous.

The Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management is working closely with state and federal officials from multiple agencies to assemble an organized program of assistance for residents. When assistance teams are available, you will receive communication from our office, and the assistance teams will be in uniform and carrying official identification.

If you are ever in doubt about services or assistance being offered, visit an official website of the organization the individual is claiming to be from, and call their official phone number to ask questions. Information printed on forms and brochures left behind by scammers may be factual, but may also be fraudulent. All FEMA and county disaster services are provided free of charge; you should never be asked to pay anything to complete applications or receive assistance from the government.

If you have already had somebody in your home or on your property claiming to be from FEMA and believe you are a victim of a scam, please call the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office by dialing 281-341-4704 and file a report.

n May 29, 2015 all roads for music connoisseurs of Houston led to the Stafford Centre and the Manch Pravesh of Amiya and Apurva, disciples and daughters of leading luminary of the Mewati Gharana, Pandit Suman Ghosh. Honored and privileged to have blessings of their Grand Guru, the Living Legend and very face of Hindustani Classical Music, Sangeet Martand, Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj-ji who was present in the audience, the debut performance of these artists turned out to be a phenomenal concert of seasoned musicians.

This concert was yet another milestone in the accomplishments of the Center for Indian Classical Music of Houston (CICMH), an organization established by Pandit Suman Ghosh to spearhead the cause of Indian Classical Music. Organized impeccably with the characteristic attention to detail, the Stafford Centre Ballroom was tastefully decorated to create the right ambience. The MC, Smt. Namrata Sinha, presented the entire event seamlessly.

Continued on page7

Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj-ji world renowned Hindustani Classical Music Maestro speaking at the Manch Pravesh of Amiya and Apurva, seen here with their father and guru Pandit Suman Ghosh on May 29, 2015. Photo credit: Navin Mediwala.

ISSO’s 15th Anniversary Celebration

I

A Successful Health Fair, Highlight of the Celebration

SSO - Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple’s 15 anniversary celebration is under way with an awesome start. On Saturday June 6th, 2015 the weeklong event began with a successful Health Fair organized by ISSO Seva. ISSO-Seva’s mission is to provide needed resources to local communities in order to make a positive impact on society.

The Health Fair served over 150 members of our local community by providing numerous services free of charge.

Some of the many services available included Blood Pressure testing, Glucose testing, Hemoglobin A1C, Anemia Testing, Cancer Screening and Prevention, Cholesterol Testing, and Hepatitis C testing.

Services provided valued over $60,000 all of which was sponsored by Southside Pharmacy in coalition with Walgreens and major area hospitals.

While at the Health Fair patients had the opportunity to receive free consultations with prominent Doctors in the Houston Indian community. Later on this week we will be blessed with the presence of His Holiness Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharj and his family as the celebration continues with a Garba Night Comedy Show, Abhishek of the Murtis, and Ankot will be at the end of the week.

All events are free and MahaPrasad is served each day.

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VOICE OF ASIA Publisher:

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Columnists: Legal: Richard M. Alderman Legal: Sharlene Sharmila Richards Research: Prof. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee Health Insurance: Sudhir Mathuria Astrology: Hardik Vyas

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R

etired admiral William McRaven is no stranger to weapons nor enemy of the Second Amendment.

In fact, McRaven was the U.S. special operations commander who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Today, he’s the chancellor of the nineschool University of Texas System — and a strong opponent of letting college students carry concealed handguns on public university campuses.

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Campus-carry gun laws won’t make colleges safer: Our view

“The presence of concealed weapons will make a campus a less safe environment,� McRaven wrote to the Texas Legislature. Besides accidents and suicides, McRaven said, he’s worried that the system will have a harder time recruiting people from outside the state put off by the proliferation of guns on campus.

And did the legislature listen to this voice of experience and reason? Of course not. Prodded by the gun lobby, legislators passed a campus-carry bill last month. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign it any day now.

Texas would become the ninth state to allow concealed weapons on public post-secondary campuses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. (Arkansas allows only faculty to carry.)

Beginning in August 2016, students at least 21 with Texas concealed-carry permits will be able to bring their handguns with them into campus buildings. The bill doesn’t cover private colleges, and public college administrators can keep some, though not all, parts of campus off-limits to firearms.

The debate over guns on campus isn’t about whether a capable person with a weapon

Commencement ceremony May 1, 2015, at The University of Texas-Tyler.

(Photo: Andrew D. Brosig, AP)

might be able to stop a senseless tragedy. Yes, it’s conceivable that a student or teacher with a firearm might have prevented deranged student Seung Hui Cho from killing 32 people and wounding 17 at Virginia Tech in 2007.

But it’s a question of tradeoffs. The odds are small that a capable, cool-headed person with a gun would be at the scene of a shooting, or be able to react quickly enough to stop it. Jared Loughner, the deeply disturbed student who shot Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords and killed six people in Tucson in 2011, fired 32 shots in 15 seconds. And after unarmed people knocked the shooter down and took his gun, a man with a con-

cealed weapon almost shot one of the good Samaritans.

Weigh the tiny chance of stopping a shooting against the day-in, day-out risk of more and more students carrying weapons. More guns could change the atmosphere in classrooms and dorms. The possibility of accidental shootings and suicides goes up. Fights fueled by rage or alcohol can turn deadly.

While the gun lobby promotes its firearms-everywhere agenda, professionals who know weapons best think it’s a bad idea to let everyone carry all the time.

That’s why the U.S. military bars most troops from carrying weapons on their bases outside combat zones. And these are servicemembers with far more

training than the four hours it takes to get a Texas concealedcarry permit.

Gun advocates claim campuses are unsafe, but statistics show that college students are much likelier to be crime victims when they leave school than when they’re on campus.

As horrific as campus shootings are, they’re extremely rare.

They can be reduced by identifying disturbed students, getting them into treatment, stopping them from buying guns and keeping professional campus security forces at the ready.

There are better ways to keep students safe than asking them to settle things at gunpoint.

Source: USA TODAY (Editorial Board, June 10, 2015).

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STORY OF MAHATMA GANDHI Gandhi gains in stature as honest lawyer - Part IV

I

t was late in the evening when the train pulled into Pretoria. Gandhi stayed at a hotel that night and moved into a lodge the next day. There he began to study the Abdulla lawsuit. Even while he was working on it, he found time to call a meeting of the Indians in Pretoria.

“Gandhi, are you hurt?� asked a familiar, friendly voice.

“Why don’t you choose a good man, whom you both trust, to arbitrate between you?� he said. The parties listened to him with great attention. They were astonished at this new idea. This young man was not the kind of lawyer they were familiar with; they appreciated his stand and agreed to his suggestion.

An arbitrator was appointed, and he gave his award in favor of Gandhi’s clients. Although they had won, Gandhi persuaded his clients to be lenient with their opponent. They agreed not to demand the money due all at once, but in easy install-

“I have already forgiven him.�

Now that the Abdulla case had been settled, Gandhi thought there was no need for him to stay on in South Africa.

Towards the end of 1893 he went back to Durban to book his passage to India. Abdulla arranged a farewell party in his

Late that night the Indians held a meeting in Abdulla Seth’s house under the presidency of Seth Haji Muhammad, the most influential Indian merchant there.

They resolved to oppose the Franchise Bill with all their strength. Telegrams were sent

Great Summer Project For children! Enter Mahatma Gandhi Week 2015 Essay, I-Tribute, Poster and Speech contests. Visit gandhilibrary.org for registration and more information. All school going children can participate! These contests are being organized to create higher awareness of the inspiring life and work of Mahatma Gandhi to promote universal values of Truth, Non-Violence, Love and Service.

This he did with the help of Tyeb Haji Khan Muhammad, an influential Indian merchant.

Only a handful of Indians attended. It was the first time Gandhi had addressed a meeting. “There is too much division among us,� he said. “Why should we be kept apart by differences in birth, family, caste, and religion? Let us form a league, representing every group, and keep the Government informed of our difficulties and our needs.�

The audience listened to him with great interest. It was decided to hold regular meetings of all the Indians in Pretoria.

Meanwhile, Gandhi was entrusted with the task of translating into English all the correspondence between Dada, Abdulla & Co. and the rival party. After studying all the facts, he was convinced that his client’s claim was just. He knew, however, that if the case was taken to court it would drag on for a long time, so he called together representatives of both parties.

police constable. “That will teach you to obey the law,� shouted the policeman. “No Indian has the right to walk past the President’s house. Didn’t you know that?� The policeman kicked him.

It was Mr. Coates. He happened to be passing that way when he saw Gandhi being attacked. Mr. Coates warned the policeman.

Gandhi was not just preoccupied with his law practice but also gave time to social issues, especially those relating to the way Indians were treated in South Africa. His first success as a lawyer was not a crushing victory over an opponent, but the triumph of good sense and humanity. ments spread over a long period. Both parties were happy over the settlement. Gandhi’s first success as a lawyer was not a crushing victory over an opponent, but the triumph of good sense and humanity.

In the Orange Free State, Indians had been deprived of all their rights by a law enacted in 1888. They could stay there only if they did menial work.

Traders were sent away with nominal compensation. Under a law passed in 1886, Indians who wanted to live in the Transvaal were forced to pay an annual poll-tax of ÂŁ 3 per head. There they were not allowed to own land except in certain locations. They had no freedom to move about. If they wanted to go out of their

houses after 9 p.m., they had to carry a permit with them. They were not allowed to use certain highways at all.

Gandhi felt humiliated at the way Indians were treated there.

He thought it was his duty to defend their rights and remove their grievances. He often went out for an evening walk with an English friend, Mr. Coates, and he rarely reached home before 10 p.m. He had obtained a letter from the State Attorney allowing him to be out of doors at any time without police interference.

One evening Gandhi was alone, walking at his usual brisk pace, when he was suddenly attacked and knocked down. He was injured. He struggled to his feet to face a

“This man is my friend and a distinguished lawyer,� he said. “If he brings a complaint against you, I shall be his witness.� Then he turned to his friend and said, “I am very sorry, Gandhi, that you have been so rudely assaulted.� “You need not be sorry,� said Gandhi. “How is the poor man to know? All colored people are the same to him. I have made it a rule not to go to court in respect of any personal grievance.� “Just like you,� said Coates, who was still very angry at the policeman’s behavior. Coates turned again to the policeman and said, “You should tell an Indian politely what the regulations are - not knock him down.� “Never mind,� said Gandhi.

honor. While going through the newspapers that day, Gandhi was surprised to read that a bill was pending before the Natal Legislative Assembly which would deprive Indians of their right to elect members to the Assembly. He brought this to the notice of the people gathered there for the party. “What do we understand about such matters?� Abdulla Seth said. “We only understand things that affect our trade.� “This bill, if it passes into law, will make our lot extremely difficult,� Gandhi said gravely. “It is the first nail in our coffin. It strikes at the very root of our self-respect.�

The Indians now realized what was at stake; but they were unable to decide what to do. They requested Gandhi to postpone his departure and help them. He agreed to stay on for another month and organize resistance to the new bill.

to the Speaker of the Assembly and the Premier of Natal requesting them to postpone further discussion on the bill.

The Speaker promptly replied that the discussion would be put off for two days.

The Natal Indians then drew up a petition to the Legislative Assembly pleading against the bill. This was followed up by another petition to Lord Ripon, the then Secretary of State for the Colonies. This was signed by more than ten thousand Indians. Copies of the petition were circulated in South Africa, England, and India. There was much sympathy for the Natal Indians’ plight, but the campaign had started too late to stop the bill becoming law.

However, the campaign did do some good. For the first time, the people of India came to know of the conditions in Natal. An even more important result was the new spirit that now awakened the Indians in South Africa.

Read earlier stories on Gandhi www.voiceofasiaonline.com

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VOICE OF ASIA 5

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Second Front Page

Friday, June 12, 2015 • www.voiceofasiaonline.com • Page 5 • Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com • Tel: 713-774-5140

iEducateUSA Hosts 3rd Annual Explore! Science Workshop at Crockett Elementary School, the Largest to Date

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OUSTON - June 7, 2015 – From June 1-3, iEducateUSA, a 501c3 nonprofit focused on laying the foundation in science & math education at elementary schools, celebrated its third annual -Explore! Science Workshop- at Crockett Elementary School. This year’s workshop saw record attendance, with almost 75 kids in participation (double that of last year).The three-day workshop was designed to get elementary school students of all ages excited about science, and science-related majors and careers. Each day of the workshop focused on a different topic, which began with in-class lessons with subject matter experts, and ended with group hands-on activities.

This year’s workshop again focused on Earth & Space Science, Physical Science and Life Science, allowing students to explore topics ranging from genetics in space, to electrical

Dr Kamala Raghavan, President of Indo-American Charity Foundation, presents a generous $10,000 check to Roopa Gir, President of iEducateUSA. Summer Workshop Coordinator Joan Valladares looks on.

An anxious Crockett Elementary student answers questions about space, asked by Dr. Alamelu Sundaresan.

Crockett Elementary students pose for the camera with their DNA molecules, constructed with Twizzlers and marshmallows provided by Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Veeraraghavan, a Behavioral Neuroscientist from Baylor College of Medicine, speaks to the students about the importance of DNA.

circuits, to civil engineering.

astronauts performed their daily activities. The response to TSU/NASA related STEM from HISD elementary school kids has always been tremendous and reciprocal. TSU Osteoimmunology lab members Loretta, Ivory, elvis, Elvedina and Olivia also worked with the children on making DNA molecules with Twizzlers and marshmallows, sponsored by Baylor College of Medicine.

The workshop was led by John Aquino and Joan Valladares of iEducateUSA. It was supported by high school volunteers from the HISD Student Congress, as well as under graduate students from Texas Southern University and the University of Houston and University of Houston Downtown.

Professionals from Baylor College of Science, Schlumberger and NASA led discussions and hands-on projects. Schlumberger once again exhibited their impressive science demo unit and donated books on engineering to each of the participating students.

Dr. Veeraraghavan, a Behavioral Neuroscientist from Baylor College of Medicine, spoke to the students about the genetic bases of heredity and how the DNA is a critical determinant of inheritance. The students were fascinated by human genetics and the DNA molecule, and they had something else coming their way: the students made models of double-stranded DNA molecules using gummy bears and marshmallows, and had a blast while constructing the yummy models.

Dr. Alamelu Sundaresan and her Osteoimmunology Laboratory members from Texas Southern University (TSU) and NASA explained the ex-

citement of the USE of NASA technology on earth from “Velcro to therapeutics” and the effects of weightless in space or microgravity on human health.

She also spoke about the benefits of NASA-related research for life here on Earth, especially on the immune system and bone loss which are her areas of expertise. The importance of strong science and math in these innovations was expounded upon. Since students are the best visual role models for younger children, Olivia Madison, a Chemistry major at TSU, also made several presentations. The second graders were very interactive and asked a lot of questions about bacteria in space, and how the

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On June 3rd, the program concluded in a ceremony with students and their parents.

Teams from each grade presented summaries of what they had learned over the 3-day workshop. Clutching books full of notes after three days of lessons and hands-on activities explor-

ing genetics, the students were awarded prizes for correctly answering questions regarding what they had learned that week. During the closing ceremony, Dr. Kamala Raghavan, President of Indo-American Charity Foundation, presented a generous check of $10,000 to Dr Roopa Gir, President of iEducateUSA. Dr Gir added, “We look forward to the next year’s activity, and this donation will help us in expanding our program and touching the lives of more children”. For more information about you can impact a child’s math and science education through volunteering or donations, please visit www. iEducateUSA.org.

About iEducateUSA

iEducateUSA is a charity which strives to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in Math and Science through improved elementary school education. The program identifies motivated undergraduate students to work alongside HISD teachers as in-class tutors providing one-on-one support to struggling students. Founded by the late David Raj, iEducateUSA has been actively engaged in community outreach programs at Crockett Elementary school in Houston, Texas for a number of years and plans to expand to addition HISD schools for the 2014-2015 academic year.

For more details visit website: www.ieducateusa.org

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VOICE OF ASIA 6

YOUR IMMIGRATION LAWYER

The People’s Lawyer

Answers to your Immigration Questions

by Sharlene Sharmila Richards, Immigration Lawyer:email at srichardslaw@aol.com

www.peopleslawyer.net Richard M. Alderman Interim Dean of the Law Center

Child abuse must be reported Q. I have reason to believe that the child next door is being abused. I am considering reporting this. Who should I contact?

A. First, let me emphasize that if you suspect child abuse the law requires that you report it.

Abuse occurs when a person causes or fails to prevent injury to a child. It may involve mental or emotional injury, physical injury, sexual conduct, or child pornography.

If you suspect or learn that a child is being abused you should report it immediately to the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services or Child Protective Services.

You may contact the 24-hour toll-free abuse line at 1-800-252-5400.

Q. Like many others, I am very dissatisfied with the way our country is being run. I was fired for speaking my mind at work and expressing my political opinions. How is this possible in our country? What ever happened to freedom of speech? Can I sue my employer?

A. Free speech is a live and well, but so is a private employer’s freedom to choose how his business will be run, and who be will hire. The Constitution’s right of free speech basically means that the government cannot restrict an individual’s speech. If the government punished you or tried to prevent you from expressing your opinions, the restriction would probably be unconstitutional. The Constitution’s right of free speech, however, has nothing to do with a private employer’s right to discipline or fire an employee.

For example, if the government were to pass a law stating that you could not express your opinion on the 2016 presidential election, it would be an unconstitutional restriction on free speech. On the other hand, a private employer may have a policy that prohibits its employees from discussing politics in the workplace. This policy would be constitutional and you could be fired for violating your employer’s rules by expressing your opinion.

Q. I was shocked to find that my 16 year-old son “pawned” the X-box we gave him for his birthday. How is it legal for a child to sell his property?

A. As a general rule, a minor, a person under 18 year of age, cannot enter into an enforceable contract. If someone does contract with a minor, the minor has the right void the agreement and get back whatever he gave the other party. Texas law is even more specific when it comes to pawnshops. Under Texas law, a pawnbroker may not accept a pledge or purchase property from a person under 18 years of age, and must ask for proof of identification at the time of the transaction. In my opinion, the pawnbroker has violated the law and your son has the legal right to the return of his property.

Q. A friend told me you provide information and assistance with legal problems faced by victims of the recent flood. How do I contact your office?

A. You are correct that the Center for Consumer Law provides assistance to flood victims.

The best way to reach the Center is to go to my website, listed below, and click on the banner for flood damage assistance.

Q. Does a will have to be notarized to be valid?

A. A holographic will, that is one written entirely in your own handwriting, simply must be signed to be valid. There are no other requirements. In all other cases, for example, a form will or one prepared by an attorney, the will must be signed and witnessed by two witnesses. There is no requirement a will be notarized, however, it is a good idea to have a will notarized. A notarized will is easier and usually less costly to probate.

For flood damage assistance, or to learn more about your legal rights, visit my website at www.peopleslawyer.net.

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT IMMIGRATION INTERVIEWS Sharlene Sharmila Richards Q: I have been scheduled to attend my adjustment of status interview at the immigration office. My wife who is a US Citizen filed a petition for me. What do we need to bring?

A: You will need to take a photo I.D for identity verification. If possible, take all original documents such as your Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, all Divorce Decrees, your Passport containing your entry visa, proof of your wife’s US Citizenship and all documents evidencing that you and your wife have a bona fide marriage. These documents can be in the form of joint leases or mortgages showing that you both reside together and / or have purchased property in both your names; birth certificates of mutual children, if any; joint utility bills; joint bank and credit card statements; joint car insurance and photos of you and your wife and family taken before and during your marriage, including photos of your wedding.

Q: Will my wife and I be separated during our immigration interview?

A: Typically, the USCIS officer will interview the husband and wife together. During the course of the interview, the officer may then decide to conduct a separate interview if the officer finds something amiss for example if one of the spouses in unable to answer questions which the spouse is reasonably expected to know.

Q: My spouse’s English is very poor and I am worried that he will be unable to understand the questions and answer them properly if we are separated at the adjustment interview.

A: If you are concerned, then please bring an interpreter to assist him for the separate interview. It might also help to retain an attorney to help you both prepare for the interview.

Q: My wife and I are adjusting under Employment Based Preference Category EB1C. We were notified that we have to attend an adjustment of status interview. What is the reason we were selected for interview?

A: Generally speaking, for most employment based adjustment of status applications, no interviews are required unless there is some issue with the applicant or one of the applicants such as a prior arrest or conviction, maintenance of status or fraud issues or it may be simply that USCIS has randomly selected that particular application for an interview.

Q; I am an asylee and I already filed my application to adjust status to permanent resident.

Do I have to attend an interview?

A: In my experience, typically if there are no issues with the applicant, the interview is waived and the adjustment application will be granted without an interview.

Q: My husband and I have attended two adjustment and I-130 interviews in the past and both times, the petitions and applications to adjust status were denied. We are still married to each other and we have a real marriage and we filed again and this time we were successful as we placed our trust in you to help us prepare for our immigration interview. My question is this: Why did the officer approve our case this time without needing for us to submit any further documentation to evidence our joint lives together?

A: You and your husband were very well prepared this time and both your testimonies provided during your separate interviews were consistent. Because the officer was already convinced about the bona fides of your marriage based on just testimony alone, she did not need to see any further documentation.

Q: Me, my wife and two children are adjusting status through the Diversity Visa program.

What documents do we need to have with us during the interview?

A: In addition to photo identification documents for identity verification, you will need basic documents such as your Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, the principal applicant’s High School graduation certificates or work experience letters, the adjustment of status letter from the Kentucky Consular Center; maintenance of status documentation such as I-797 approval notices and I-20s where applicable and also proof of ability to support yourself and your family.

Q: I have a Naturalization Interview to attend. Do I need to take any documentation with me apart from my current and previous passports, permanent resident card and the interview notice?

A: If you are seeking naturalization under the 5 year rule, then the documents mentioned will generally be sufficient. If you are seeking naturalization under the 3 year rule (based on marriage to US Citizen), then in addition to those documents indicated, you will need to take your marriage certificate, all divorce decrees, if applicable and documentation evidencing that your spouse is a US Citizen and documentation showing your cohabitation with your spouse such as join lease agreements, joint tax returns for the past three years, joint car insurance, joint bank statements, birth certificates of your mutual children, photos of you and your spouse with family etc. Please also bring any arrest reports or conviction records, if applicable.

Disclaimer: Any advice provided in this article is general in nature and not intended to constitute legal advice for any specific case. Please consult with an immigration lawyer about the specific circumstances of your case.

My Bio Sharlene Sharmila Richards is a licensed Immigration lawyer practicing in Houston, Texas.

She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2000 and is a member of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and a member of the US Supreme Court. You may contact her at telephone number 713-623-8088 or by email at srichardslaw@aol.com to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Amiya and Apurva’s outstanding Manch Pravesh - Blessed, praised by Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj-ji!

Grand Guru Pt. Jasraj with Consul General P. Harish and wife Nandita Harish, Pt. Suman Ghosh and Sugar Land Council Member Harish Jajoo (in the back) Photo credit: Navin Mediwala.

Continued from Page 3 Music has always been an integral part of Amiya and Apurva’s lives. They have undergone rigorous training in the traditional guru-shishya parampara from a very young age.

The aesthetic depth, grace, confidence and poise, with which they sang, showed their years of hard work, single minded devotion, perseverance and sacrifice. Anuraag Shah, son and disciple of Tabla maestro Pandit Shantilal Shah, commendably accompanied the vocalists on the tabla.

Amiya and Apurva displayed their strength as singers through their sincere portrayal of unusual and challenging Raags. Each composition was a creation of and an offering to their Guru and the Grand Gurus. They brought to life the complex and melodious Raag Gorakh Kalyan through landmark compositions of their Grand Guru Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasrajji himself. Their portrayal of the rarely heard Raag Nagadhwani Kanada, through a delicate and masterly composition by his legendary father, moved Panditji to tears. The performance of Raag Jaijaiwanti by Amiya and Raag Shankara by Apurva mesmerized the audience; while the fast & de-

lightful extempore taans on a superb Tarana in Charukeshi, composed by Pandit Ghosh, set the gathering on fire and left the connoisseurs ecstatic.

Soulful bhajans, accompanied superbly by Anuraag, left the audience immersed in divinity.

The fulfillment and pride that the budding vocalists’ Guru felt was apparent to all.

The who’s who of the South Asian community attended and blessed the young musicians. The Consul General of India, Shri P. Harish himself felicitated the artists. The last word however, belonged to the doyen of Hindustani Classical music, Sangeet Martand, Pandit Jasraj-ji, who sprang to his feet as soon as the concert ended. Praising the sisters for the all-round technical and emotional maturity in their singing, Pandit-ji proudly announced with palpable emotion “Mewati Gharana can go on at least for the next 40 to 50 years with these girls at the helm”. He was also full of praise for his disciple, Pandit Ghosh’s pathfinding leading role in taking Hindustani Classical Music to newer heights. He highlighted the role of Smt. Shashikala Ghosh, as Amiya and Apurva’s mother and first Guru, and also the Guruma of the entire student body of the Saadhana Pariwar.

Sisters Amiya and Apurva seen performing with their guru Pt. Suman Ghosh accompanied by Anuraag Shah on tabla. Photo credit: Navin Mediwala.

US Surgeon General, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize to address AAPI Convention over 60,000 physicians of Indian Origin in the United States.

Over 2,000 physicians, health professionals, academicians and scientists of Indian origin from across the globe will gather at the Renaissance Sea World Hotel in Orlando, Florida for the 33rd Annual AAPI Convention and Scientific Assembly on June 17 - 21, 2015.

US Surgeon General Vice Admiral (VADM) Vivek H. Murthy.

O

RLANDO, Florida June 2, 2015 - One in seven patient encounters in the United States is with a physician of Indian origin. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) is the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States, representing

The five day summit also features ancillary events to be held at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Course and Universal Studios City Walk.

Attendees will engage with an impressive lineup of notable speakers and cutting edge medical and scientific information blended within a rich cultural backdrop of authentic Indian cuisine, fashion, yoga and entertainment from top Indian per-

formers. The event also includes the AAPI Golf Classic, AAPI’s Got Talent and the Be Fit Be Cool Walk in partnership with the Orlando Health Foundation as part of AAPI’s National Childhood Obesity program.

Notable Speakers at the event include: US Surgeon General Vice Admiral (VADM) Vivek H. Murthy, Kailash Satyarthi, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate recognized for his works against child labor; Arun Kumar Singh, Ambassador of India to United States; Sri Sri Ravi Shankar a humanitarian leader and a spiritual teacher; Preet Bharara, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York; and several top Indian performers including Mystic India, Jay Sean, Monali Thakur, Sonu Nigam and K J Yesudas.

The

conference

provides

an enriching platform for members comprised of medical and dental physicians in American to engage with the latest in medical technology, research and advances in the world of all types of medicine and dental. The convention includes CME and DME accredited courses as well as variety of panel discussions, presentations and a research competition. There are forums for AAPI Young Physicians Group (AAPI YPS) and for AAPI MSRF for medical students, residents and fellows. A nearly sold out Exhibitor Hall includes medical and pharmaceutical products, devices and equipment and medical and dental, practice-related services.

For more details, please visit: www.aapiusa.org

VOICE OF ASIA 8

4th person dies after Sedona crash with suicidal driver

COMMUNITY

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

3 members of an Indian family among the dead

Photo Credit Zack Garcia/Larson Newspapers

S

EDONA, AZ (KPHO/ KTVK) - Authorities in Sedona say a fourth person has died after a crash caused by a driver who fatally shot himself behind the wheel.

Sedona police say 29-yearold Swapna Ponnambalam of Phoenix died Tuesday at Flagstaff Medical Center.

Ponnambalam, her husband and her mother were traveling on state Route 89A Sunday when a car driven by 48-yearold Ross “Scott” Willoughby crossed the center line.

Willoughby’s Jeep Cherokee struck the family’s Toyota Prius head-on.

The Coconino County medical examiner determined Willoughby died when he shot himself before the crash.

Police say 33-year-old Moorthy Somashundarum and 66-year-old Bhuvaneswari Ponnanbalam died at the scene. The mother was a resident of India.

Authorities had been searching for Willoughby at the time of the crash because of reports he was suicidal. (AP).

Read more community stories Visit us at voiceofasiaonline.com

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 9

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Close collaboration between physicians at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Neuroscience and Spine Center helps Missouri City man walk again

S

UGAR LAND—(May 27, 2015) — The weakness in Aaron Sammut’s legs had progressed so rapidly that he could no longer walk.

That level of coordination is key to the expedited care available at the Neuroscience and Spine Center. In addition to close communication between physicians, the Neuroscience & Spine Center has a full-time patient care navigator to help facilitate scheduling and ensure prompt appointments.

By the time the 64-year-old Missouri City resident made an appointment with board-certified neurologist Larry Tran, M.D. – one of the specialists at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Neuroscience & Spine Center – he was confined to a wheelchair and was completely dependent on his wife and daughter.

Most importantly, the Neuroscience & Spine Center has the expertise and capabilities to perform even the most complex procedures.

Thanks to a coordinated effort between Dr. Tran and his colleagues at the Neuroscience & Spine Center, Sammut was up and walking before the end of the week.

“After an initial examination, it was very apparent that Mr. Sammut had overactive reflexes, which are often caused by damage to the spinal cord,” says Dr. Tran, who quickly scheduled an MRI for Sammut at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. That test showed a dangerous compression of Sammut’s spinal cord in the chest area, caused by a bone spur.

Arron Sammut “We went from MRI to surgery in less than 24 hours,” says Dr. Wang. “Dr. Tran didn’t need to search for a surgeon or put the patient through a lengthy

referral process. He just picked up the phone and called me.

Together we quickly got the patient back on his feet – literally.”

“Houston Methodist Sugar Land is the only hospital in this area to have a full neuroscience program, and we are backed by the latest technology and outstanding facilities and staff, including specially trained neuroradiologists,” says neurosurgeon Dr. Rajesh Bindal, M.D., medical director of the Neuroscience & Spine Center. “We are performing complex, sometimes life-saving, procedures right here in Fort Bend, every day. And because we work together so well, we can quickly

Physicians at the Neuroscience & Spine Center specialize in neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedic spine surgery and interventional pain management while offering a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Some of the center’s areas of focus include: • Alzheimer’s and memory disorders • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) • Back and neck pain • Brain and spinal tumors • Epilepsy and seizures • Migraines and headaches • Multiple sclerosis • Muscle and nerve injuries • Parkinson’s disease and

movement disorders • Peripheral neuropathy • Stroke “Much of the care we provide was previously available only in the medical center,” says Dr. Bindal. “Our patients are always grateful to learn that we can help them right here in Fort Bend, and I’m proud that we can offer this level of care to our neighbors.”

“These doctors at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Nueroscience and Spine Center are miracle-workers. What can I say? I went in paralyzed and walked out three days later,” says Sammut.

To make an appointment with a physician at the Neuroscience and Spine Center, email neuroscience@houstonmethodist.org or call 281.274.7979.

Learn more at houstonmethodist.org/sugarland, or visit our Facebook page at FB.com/ methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

India Culture Center Aids Nepal Relief Efforts

“This was a serious situation that needed immediate attention,” says Dr. Tran. “When you have this level of compression, the risk of permanent paralysis is always present.”

That afternoon, Dr. Tran called a colleague at the Neuroscience & Spine Center – board-certified neurosurgeon Vincent Wang, M.D. – and asked him to take the case.

Dr. Wang admitted Sammut to Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital immediately, where he started taking medication to reduce the swelling around his spinal cord.

The next day, Dr. Wang performed surgery to remove the bone spur. Two days later, Sammut was up and walking with minimal rehabilitation.

Today, he has fully recovered and the risk of further damage from his spinal compression is resolved.

and easily bring in a colleague with a subspecialty that our patients need and collaborate on their treatment. The end result is that our patients receive the best possible care in a comfortable, convenient location that makes it easier to recover.”

I

ndia Culture Center Houston (ICC) President Charlie Patel handing over check to Kaushik Chatterjee of Sewa International towards the funds raised for Relief efforts for the Nepal Earthquake victims The ICC Board of Directors and Trustees raised 2500$ for the Nepal Earthquake Relief and decided to give the same to Sewa International who has been doing incredible work in disaster prone areas. In the past ICC had also collaborated with Sewa International during the Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Katrina and Bastrop wildfire.

For more information visit www.icchouston.org ICC President Charlie Patel (rt) handing over check for Nepal Relief to Kaushik Chatterjee.

VOICE OF ASIA 10

COMMUNITY

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Houston Gearing For International Yoga Day On June 21

Jenny Buergermeister, MA

by Jenny Buergermeister,

D

Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi had said: “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being.”

The event is held in close coordination with Patanjali Yogpeeth (USA), The Texas Yoga Conference and Association, numerous other yoga schools, institutions and other social and cultural organizations. The celebration will bring together a large number of Houstonians, who can have free interactive yoga sessions and demonstrations by the experts such as local yoga teacher Robert Boustany. There will also be a “Yoga Fair” for shopping and information sharing.

Photo IDs are required and attendees should bring a yoga mat and flexible clothing. The event is free and open to the public and interested participants are asked to register online at http://iyogadayhouston.org/.

Robert B teaching Asana to students at TYC 2015

CELEBRATING HOUSTON’S

DIVERSITY

I AM PROUD TO LEAD THE MOST DIVERSE MAJOR CITY IN AMERICA.

More than 90 languages are spoken in Houston and nearly 20 percent of Houstonians are foreign-born.

I love Houston and chose to raise my children here because I wanted them to grow up in a city whose values, identity and future have been profoundly shaped by many different communities.

Please take a moment to look around you today, and join me in celebrating Houston’s amazing diversity!

MAYOR AN N I S E PAR K E R

POL. ADV. AN N I S E PAR K E R CAM PAIG N

on’t miss yet another amazing event to be held in Houston, TX supporting the practice of YOGA as a wellness tool! Yoga supports Houston’s initiative in health and wellness with mindfulness and relaxation practices to help people learn how to reduce stress and increase overall well-being. The Consul General of India Mr. Harish Parvathaneni has announced Houston’s FIRST Annual International Day of Yoga will be held on Sunday, June 21, 2015. With 2000 people already enrolled and 3000 expected, this FREE event is for yoga lovers all over Houston. The event will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m located at 1001 Avenida De Las Americas, Houston, Texas 77010.

Lifestyle VOICE OF ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 11

ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

Vol. 28 No. 24 Friday, June 12, 2015 Section 2 Page 11

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com Tel: 713-774-5140

New York exhibition plots rise of global fashion

P

aris, Milan, New York and London may reign in world fashion, but Asian and South American cities are ones to watch, according to an exhibition at one of the world’s best design schools.

tanbul, which started a fashion week in 2009.

Interest in couture in Brazil’s business capital dates back to the 1950s. The city also has very strong clothing and manufacturing industries, and since the 1980s has been creating its own designs.

Dubbed “Around the world in 80 Items” by Style.com, the museum at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology is charting a new generation of fashion-forward cities eying global prominence.

The exhibition’s flag bearer for Brazil is Alexandre Herchcovitch, whose 2007 jumpsuit fuses tribal-style beadwork and Brazilian colors into what the exhibition calls “a contemporary silhouette.”

The exhibition displays dozens of outfits and accessories ranging from a 1890 couture cape by the then-toast of Paris, Charles Frederick Worth, to a 2015 beaded dress by Nigeria’s Lisa Folawiyo.

- Promotion Sao Paulo Fashion Week -- the largest fashion show in Latin America -- was where Brazil’s Gisele Bundchen, the world’s top-earning model, retired from the catwalk in April, and made her debut.

It showcases the likes of Chanel, Prada, Alexander McQueen and Ralph Lauren with emerging talent from as far afield as Antwerp, Istanbul, Kiev, Johannesburg, Mexico, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo.

The exhibition calls itself “Global Fashion Capitals” and identifies 19 emerging cities, showcasing the work of many designers not well known or who have never shown before in the United States.

In the last 10 years, there has been an explosion in hundreds

Seoul, with its vibrant street style, and Shanghai, as the commercial capital of China, is attracting increased interest.

But Shannon Bell Price, assistant dean at Pratt Institute -another of New York’s leading design schools -- who has not seen the exhibition singled out Tokyo and Antwerp.

‘Global Fashion Capitals’ exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York of “fashion weeks” where designers display their latest collections to attract buyers and the media in a multi-billion-

dollar industry.

then who comes next?

Ariele Elia told AFP.

But if the four most important fashion destinations are Paris, New York, Milan and London,

“There are a lot of people vying for that fifth and sixth place,” exhibition co-curator

Her picks are Sao Paulo, Seoul and Shanghai, with a special mention for newbie Is-

Bangladesh urged to end child marriage epidemic: HRW

B

angladesh must step up efforts to halt an “epidemic” of child marriage throughout the country where nearly one third of girls wed before they turn 15, a rights group said Tuesday.

Although Bangladesh has cut poverty levels in recent years, numbers of child marriages remain huge, partly because of regular natural disasters that force already struggling families into greater desperation, Human Rights Watch said.

The campaign group urged Bangladesh’s government to abandon a proposal to lower the legal age for marriage for girls from 18 to 16, a move it said would only fuel the crisis.

“It will send the message to the parents that child marriage is okay. The government should act before another generation of girls is lost,” Heather Barr, author of a HRW report, told reporters in Dhaka.

Barr also called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to “follow through” on commitments she made at a global summit

last year in London on the issue to stop girls as young as 10 marrying.

Bangladesh has the world’s highest rate of marriage of girls under the age of 15, at 29 percent, despite it being illegal.

Officials are often bribed to fake birth certificates to allow the marriages to happen, the report said.

Last September, Hasina’s government unveiled a plan to lower the marriage age to reflect the reality of Bangladesh society, sparking an outcry from rights groups.

The report, based on some 100 interviews mostly with married girls, said girls were being denied an education and their health placed in danger, with many forced to have children before their bodies were ready.

Rashida said in the report that she was terrified of her husband after getting married at the age of 10 or 11.

“He forcibly entered me and I would cry so much that ev-

“Globalization has made manufacturing less important as a locale but the creative class and financial resources are essential,” she told AFP by email.

Antwerp and Tokyo’s emergence in the 1990s were spurred by “creativity and specific designers gaining global recognition,” she added, naming Rae Kawakubo and Issey Miyake, and the Antwerp Six. Emerging designers can “make it” without basing their businesses in Paris, Milan, New York or London but Price says “it is harder as the financing is in these places.”

Among those on show at the exhibition, Shanghai’s Masha Ma also has offices in Paris.

India’s Manish Arora presents his collections in Paris and Nigeria’s Folawiyo has shown her work in Milan.

Russian designer Alexey Sorokin, whose dresses are also featured, also visited New York to meet buyers. He told AFP his inclusion was a “very good promotion.”

Bangladesh has the world’s highest rate of child brides, despite it being illegal (AFP Photo/) erything would get wet from my tears. It was so difficult, so painful,” she said.

The report, called “Marry Before Your House is Swept Away: Child Marriage in Bangladesh”, said families often married off their daughters after losing homes or incomes to cyclones and other natural disasters that regularly hit the impoverished nation.

“Child marriage is an epi-

demic in Bangladesh, and only worsens with natural disasters,” Barr said.

“Some 60 percent of the girls I’ve interviewed have been affected by natural disasters, which have some roles in their families’ decision about marrying their daughter at a very young age.”

Slightly surprisingly, the curators also included Kiev, despite the Ukranian revolution, with a special nod to Daria Shapovalova, who has worked tirelessly to put her city on the fashion map.

“They still have a very strong fashion industry despite the revolution and fabric shortages,” Elia told AFP. “Despite a lot of political or economic difficulties, fashion can still exist.”

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SCIENCE & TECH

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Last year’s Ebola strain US research center suspends weaker than that of 1976: study activities after ‘deficiencies’ found

W

ASHINGTON - The Ebola strain that ravaged West Africa last year is less virulent than the first one that appeared in 1976, researchers reported Tuesday.

The results of the test on monkeys by scientists at the National Institutes of Health are considered important because they suggest the virus that caused at least 11,000 deaths is not becoming more severe.

“In fact, the new study suggests the current virus has a decreased ability to cause disease in their animal model compared to the 1976 strain,” the study said.

That one is known as the Mayinga strain, while the one that hit Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone last year is called the Makona strain.

In 1976, the Ebola outbreak was limited, killing 318 people in the Democratic Republic of

Congo, the former Zaire. The deadliest case with this strain came in Uganda in 2000 with the death of 425 people.

key two days later than the ones with the Mayinga strain.

These outbreaks had a weaker impact because they happened in rural, sparsely populated areas.

And the immune systems of the animals with the weaker Makona strain produced around three times as much virus-fighting protein as those with the Mayinga strain did.

In the NIH experiment, two groups of monkeys were infected with one or the other of the Ebola strains.

The virologists who conducted the study plan to do more research on how immune systems react to both strains of Ebola.

In three days both were spreading the virus, and the ones with the Mayinga strain developed a rash on day four and became extremely ill on days five and six.

But they believe that at least seven days are needed after infection to mount an effective response.

But the monkeys with the other strain did not get rashes before the sixth day, and severe symptoms did not appear until day seven.

Furthermore, liver damage, which is a typical result of Ebola infection, appeared in the Makona-strain-infected mon-

This response does not seem to happen in monkeys infected with the Mayinga strain because the disease progresses too quickly.

Several phase 3 trials are underway in Africa with two vaccines against the Makona strain.

They have shown promising results in terms of protection. -

Microsoft’s giant 84” touchscreen TV to go on sale in September - and will set you back $20,000

by Mark Prigg

M

icrosoft has revealed its giant 84 inch touchscreen TV will go on sale in September.

The firm has also broken with tradition by making the TV in the

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, located outside Washington, said it had suspended operations at its Pharmaceutical Development Section after Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigators found “a series of deficiencies.”

Microsoft photo.

US - the surface hub will be put together in Wilsonville, Oregon.

‘What struck us is that while there have been a number of devices designed to improve our productivity as individuals — from the PC to the smartphone to bands and watches — there has

yet to be a device truly optimized for a group of people to use together,’ said Angiulo.

The device has a built in fully featured PC, and two wide angle HD cameras so it can capture an entire room for video conferencing. Courtesy: Daily Mail.

The problems center around two vials of albumin, used in the administration of the drug interleukin in studies, which in April were found to be contaminated with fungus.

“Vials made from the same batch were administered to six patients, although it is unknown whether those or other vials were contaminated,” the NIH said.

“The six patients have been notified and are being followed closely for any signs of infection. At this time, none has developed signs of infection or illness.”

The research center announced a series of steps including the suspension of making products and the testing of materials for contamination.

FDA inspectors also found other problems including deficient cleaning and disinfecting systems.

“This is a distressing and unacceptable situation,” NIH director Francis Collins said in a statement.

“The fact that patients may have been put in harm’s way because of a failure to

Scientists out for dinosaur blood

by Mariette LE ROUX

P

ARIS - Scientists said Tuesday they have discovered what appear to be red blood cells and collagen fibres in dinosaur bones, a find that may boost prospects of prising organic remains from a much wider range of fossils.

Using molecular microscopy, a British team analysed eight bone fragments from dinosaurs that lived some 75 million years ago, in the Cretaceous period.

The fossils were so poorly conserved that it was impossible to tell precisely what type of animal some of them came from, study co-author Sergio Bertazzo from Imperial College London told AFP.

The giant screen will run Windows 10, and will cost $20,000 and the tech giant hopes it will replace traditional video conferencing systems.

However, for those on a tight budget, there will be a smaller, 55inch version for just $6,800. ’Surface Hub is the result of several teams across the company thinking holistically across hardware, software and cloud services to design a new kind of productivity experience to meet the needs of today’s modern workforce, Mike Angiulo of Microsoft said.

W

ASHINGTON - A top US federal research center has suspended some activities after the discovery of serious manufacturing problems and other issues requiring corrective actions, health officials said Thursday.

The samples included the claw of a meat-eating dinosaur, a few toe bones from a ceratopsid (a group that included the horned Triceratops) and a duck-billed hadrosaur, and rib fragments from an unknown species.

All the bones are from the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta, Canada, and have been in the Natural History Museum in London since they were collected about 100 years ago.

“What we found are structures that could be original red blood cells from the dinosaur specimens and also other structures that could be the original collagen fibres,” Bertazzo said by email.

Other researchers have previously found remnants of organic material in dinosaur bones, but in exceptionally well-preserved fossils -- which are few and far between.

“Therefore we indicate that the likelihood of finding organic material in fossils is much higher than previously thought, at least at the microscopic scale,” said Bertazzo.

It had long been thought that protein molecules cannot sur-

Undated picture released by the journal Nature on June 5, 2015 shows density-dependent colour scanning electron micrographs of samples extracted from ribs of an indeterminate dinosaur, displaying mineralized fibres. vive for longer than four million years.

while for us to be convinced of what we saw.”

Bertazzo and a team used a special microscope which uses a beam of heavy atoms to make infinitely small cuts in a sample at the nanometric scale (a nanometre is a billionth of a metre).

The team compared their ancient soft tissue to an Emu blood sample, and intriguingly found “similarities”.

“The same microscope also has a robotic arm with a micro needle that can be used to pick up and move things inside the microscope,” explained Bertazzo.

“So, combining the beam and the needle, we could cut small bits of the fossils and perform an analysis to check for any fragment of amino acids.”

The team had set out to analyse gaps left in bone by decomposed organic material, instead finding structures that appear to be red blood cells, and fibres similar to collagen, a protein which makes up the bulk of connective tissues in animals.

“Totally blown away!” is how Bertazzo described the team’s breakthrough, while cautioning that further evidence is needed to confirm the nature of the structures.

“This was absolutely not what we were expecting to find at all. It actually took quite a

Dinosaurs are distant ancestors of modern-day birds, and scientists are hoping this type of research will reveal how, and when, a cold-blooded lizard gave rise to warm-blooded birds with a fast metabolism.

In vertebrate animals, the smaller the blood cell, the higher the metabolic rate, said Bertazzo.

“If we can find blood cells in lots of different dinosaurs, the range in size might provide an independent line of evidence for when dinosaurs became warm-blooded,” he said.

The main breakthrough of the research is to show that this type of soft tissue preservation is likely much more common than once thought, and Bertazzo said he “cannot even begin to speculate about what can be found in future.”

As for the possibility of one day discovering DNA, however, “many more studies should be done before we are even able to say if it is possible or not”.

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VOICE OF ASIA 13

LEISURE

HMNS At Sugar Land!

From a face-to-face encounter with a T. rex to an outer space adventure in the Hall of Space Science, there is something to fire anyone’s imagination at the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land. There are a million experiences to explore.

Hall Of Paleontology The Paleo hall is a fabulous place to visit! Arranged in chronological order, it features several dinos including a triceratops, ankylosaurus, and stegosaurus, as well as many exquisite fossils from the Paleozoic era. The large collection of trilobites, extinct arthropods, stenopterygius, holzmaden, and a sea crocodile will fascinate any patron.

Admission to see this exhibit is included in general admission to the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land.

Earth Science Hall – New Microscope Lab Now Open!

Our Earth Science Hall has been recently redesigned to feature a microscope lab with both self-serve and teaching components. Our teaching collection includes 8 research grade microscopes and is used to study sand samples from around the world. Open to the patrons is our microscope bar that contains 6 simple microscopes. Explore one of the slide samples we have on site or bring your own “discovery” from home. Be sure to keep an eye on the website for details about live demonstrations and events in the lab. You’ll gain a whole new appreciation for the wonders of sand and the world around you!

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

India’s boxing champion to star as cartoon superhero

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UMBAI - India’s five-time world boxing champion and Olympic bronze medallist Mary Kom is to star in animated form as the country’s first cartoon girl superhero, the series’ production company said Tuesday.

The boxer has signed a deal with ScreenYug Creations, based in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, that will see a fictional childhood version of the national hero in “Mary Kom Jr”.

“She’s between eight and ten years old, and gets powers when she wears her boxing gloves,” Ashish Kulkarni, CEO of ScreenYug Creations, told AFP. “She does lots of good things like fighting villains,” Kulkarni added, saying the television series will be aired sometime in 2016.

It is the second time recently that Kom’s life has inspired a screen outing after the release last year of the Indian biopic

Mary Kom is one of India’s most successful sports stars and won gold at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea (AFP Photo/Indranil Mukherjee) “Mary Kom” starring Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra.

Kom, 32, is one of India’s most successful sports stars and won gold at last year’s Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

She said the animated series would focus on educating children about useful self-defence

moves, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

“I want girls to be confident, strong,” Kom said in quotes carried by PTI. “Parents are usually not keen on fighting games... but with all the crime going around, their eyes are now open and this will help,” she added.

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VOICE OF ASIA 14

Friday, June 12, 2015

Section 2

Page 14

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Tel: 713-774-5140

Chipotle to offer tuition reimbursement to hourly workers As job market tightens, younger workers demand more “At a place like Chipotle where consumers and workers really are trying to do better and better, by offering workers paid sick days and better wages, it’s going to set some standards for the rest of the fast food industry,” said Conti of the NELP.

by Heesun Wee, CNBC

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oping to boost recruitment and retention amid a tightening job market, Chipotle Mexican Grill has revealed it will offer new benefits for employees including tuition reimbursement.

Beyond corporations, individual cities and states are moving to boost pay.

The benefits—available to hourly workers—begin July 1 and also will include paid vacation time and paid sick leave.

Los Angeles recently joined other cities including Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago that have moved independently to raise wages beyond the current, federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

“We are always working to attract and retain the very best employees we can, and to helping develop our people so they can achieve their full potential,” said Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold in an email to CNBC. com. “As part of that effort, we are changing our benefits package,” he said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has gathered a special wage board to review and recommend higher hourly rates for state fast food workers. At a wage board hearing last week, advocates and workers who earn under $10 an hour testified in support of $15 an hour.

As competition intensifies for qualified workers, more younger employees are demanding attractive hiring packages.

“Younger workers these days, they understand their worth and they’re demanding more out of their employers,” said Judy Conti, federal advocacy coordinator for the National Employment Law Project. The nonprofit pushes for worker protections and higher minimum wages.

In April this year, Starbucks announced it’s expanding its employee college tuition assistance program to cover the entire cost of getting an online bachelor’s degree. The Seattlebased company launched the “Starbucks College Achievement Plan” with Arizona State University in June 2014. The company previously limited the program to juniors and seniors.

Chipotle restaurant workers fill orders for customers on the day that the company announced it will only use non-GMO ingredients in its food on April 27, 2015, in Miami. Getty Images Chipotle joins other corporations that have moved to boost benefits and in some cases raise wages.

wages are at $9 an hour, and that a move to $10 would have an effect, “but not too significant.”

Companies that have lifted hourly rates include Wal-Mart, Gap, McDonald’s and TJX. Chipotle recently revealed its benefit package changes in a conference presentation, though offered limited details. No press release has been issued, and there was no announcement about raising hourly wages for its workers.

Numerous studies show younger workers, in particular, are aware of corporations’ track record when it comes to social issues, ranging from the environment to wages. More younger consumers spend money based on their values. And companies including Starbucks and Chipotle are taking notice.

During an investor call with Wall Street analysts in January of last year, Chipotle co-CEO Monty Moran said average

Last month, Denver-based Chipotle announced it has achieved its goal of using only non-GMO ingredients. (GMOs are genetically modified organ-

isms.)

“These benefit changes come in addition to offering extraordinary opportunities,” said Arnold of Chipotle. “Right now, more than 90 percent of our managers come from within the ranks of our crews. Last year alone, we promoted more than 10,500 people who started as crew into management positions,” he said.

Decisions by specific companies and select cities to improve worker benefits and wages are shaping a national dialogue about work conditions and fair pay.

“We applaud Chipotle for its decision to expand paid sick days and paid vacation to its hourly employees,” said Ellen Bravo, executive director of Family Values at Work, in a prepared statement. The nonprofit works to promote paid sick days and affordable family leave.

“In an industry where the overwhelming majority of hourly workers have no access to paid time off, this move represents important leadership by Chipotle,” Bravo said. Advocates hope moves by bellwether corporations like Chipotle will prompt others to follow.

Beyond higher pay, advocacy groups hope to push employers to end “just in time” scheduling, which gives workers little if any notice of available hours.

Such benefits affecting Main Street workers and the minimum wage are likely to be flash point issues heading into the 2016 presidential election. And workers, young and old, will be on alert.

Fast food and retail chains, “they’re all competing for the same workers and they want the best workers,” Conti said.

“When it’s a race to the bottom, you don’t engender loyalty among your workers.”

Source: CNBC - Small Business, Jun 9, 2015.

Girl Scout Troop # 26176 Earned Girl Scout Bronze Award One of the highest awards that a Junior Girl Scout can obtain is the “BRONZE Award”

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hen you go for the Bronze Award, you represent what Girl Scouts can achieve in their communities. And, of course, you want to do that in a way

that’s fun for you— and for everyone else involved, too!

Earning the Girl Scout Bronze Award involves the time to complete a Journey, and then a suggested minimum of 20 hours

building your team, exploring your community, choosing your project, planning it, putting your plan in motion, and spreading the word about your project. The suggested hours help you think about your commitment to doing your very best with each step. You’re a Girl Scout, which means you will earn your award with courage, confidence, and character and make a difference in the world around you! In order to obtain this award Girl Scouts have to complete 20 hours of Community Service.

The Girl Scouts from Troop # 26176 did much more than that.

They chose to help out Friends of Koontze Animal Control Center, Koontze, Texas. They did this by sewing animal beds, braiding dog pull toys, making catnip sock toys, baking doggie biscuits, asking friends and neighbors for donations of animal toys, grooming tools, animal kennels, food, using their own money to purchase animal supplies and donating money to Dawlen Road Veterinary Clinic for spaying and neutering stray animals.

As a part of the pre-requisites for this award Troop # 26176 completed a three part Journey badge. For their Community Service projects they chose to plant vegetables and paint row marker pavers for St. Christopher’s Plant a Seed, Feed the Need Garden. They went

Girl Scouts Bronze Aware team members from Troop # 26176 First Row: Emma Boland, Alexandria Horne, Katie Mobley, Pratishtha Sharma, Mia Lewis, Ashlee Zachary. Second Row: Aubrey Musquiz, Ms Marlene Lewis, Makenzie Skinner; not pictured are Payge Pugh and Hannah Strickland Christmas Caroling and collected canned food for the annual Leiss Food Drive. They donated to Lakeside Lutheran’s Thanksgiving Food Drive and helped fill their food baskets for distribution. They sponsored a coat drive and collected coats for “One Warm Coat” then helped distribute them to the needy throughout the community. In addition to this several girls earned their Junior Aide Badge by spending a weekend

at camp teaching both older and younger brand new Girl Scouts how to cook, camp, and have fun. Junior Girl scouts are explorers when they go camping for the first time. They’re CEOs when they market and sell cookies. They’re scientists when they do energy audits and go on nature walks. And they’re product designers and writers when they earn their Innovation and Storytelling badges. Not to mention change

makers, big-idea thinkers, and future leaders. Super girls, indeed!

All of these Girl Scouts successfully completed the requirements for the Bronze Award as outlined by San Jacinto Council of Girl Scouts.

Troop Leader Ms. Marlene Lewis has been a constant coach, highly encouraging, very supportive and always available for the Girl Scouts of Troop 26176.

VOICE OF ASIA 15

Bollywood Masala

Friday, June 12, 2015

Section 2

Page 15

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Stars rock Malaysia at Bollywood’s Oscars

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Tel: 713-774-5140

Bollywood actress Aarthi Agarwal, 31, dies in her native New Jersey after ‘failed liposuction surgery’

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New Jersey-born Bollywood actress has died at the age of 31 after reported liposuction surgery went wrong.

Aarthi Agarwal, 31, died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Atlantic City after respiratory problems, according to her manager.

The death on Friday is thought to come roughly a month after the actress received liposuction surgery in the United States.

She made her debut in Bollywood at age 16, but shot to fame with her performance in 2001’s Nuvvu Naaku Nachav, according to the International Business Times.

The IIFA recognises both the artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood’s Hindi cinema and always holds its awards ceremony outside of India to demonstrate Bollywood’s international appeal.

by M JEGATHESAN

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UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - It was a night of Bollywood glamour and energy in Malaysia on Sunday at the International Indian Film Academy’s (IIFA) annual awards ceremony.

India’s biggest stars descended on the Malaysian capital for the event -- dubbed Bollywood’s Oscars -- dazzling the audience with the colourful musical dance numbers that India’s cinema is famous for.

Almost 4,000 fans gathered at the Putra Indoor stadium, just south of Kuala Lumpur, to see screen idols like Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha and Tiger Shroff -- who won the best male debut award -- perform on stage.

Anushka Sharma stole the show with her sizzling dance performance during the ceremony that saw films Haider, Queen and PK scoring big wins.

Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut snapped up the male and female awards for best performance in a leading role for Haider and

Queen respectively, while Rajkumar Hirani won best director for PK and Vikas Bahl’s film Queen was named best picture.

Deepika Padukone, meanwhile, was honoured with the Woman of the Year award, after a busy year with films Piku, Happy New Year and Finding Fanny.

The IIFA recognises both the artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood’s Hindi cinema and always holds its awards ceremony outside of India to demonstrate Bollywood’s international appeal.

“The way Indian movies are shot -- filled with glamour, beautiful dance and music -- is making people from Europe, China and Japan attracted to it with great interest,” Mumbaibased director Shyam Shroff told AFP. “Day by day all our traditional markets are growing by leaps and bounds. The next target of Indian movies should be the mainstream Americans,” he added.

The starry fiesta began with the Bollywood celebrities sparkling on the green carpet

as fans screamed and clapped with excitement.

Actress Padukone was in a maroon and gold embellished sari while Sharma was a red siren in a strapless gown.

Many of the actress opted for black, including Sinha in a backless dress and Parineeti Chopra whose strapless frock boasted an impressive train.

The awards were anchored by Bollywood’s funny duo Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor.

In February Indian police registered a case against the pair for singing a reworking of a song with the Hindi word for penis substituting some lyrics, in a case that sparked a furore over freedom of expression.

M

In 2005 she acted in a careerhigh five films, according to the Indian Express. However, she

also reportedly tried to commit suicide that year after a relation-

“Veda” will mark the Bollywood debut of British actress Wendy Glenn.

Onir’s will debut of British actress Wendy Glenn in his upcoming film “Veda”

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ational Award-winning director Onir’s upcoming film “Veda” will mark the Bollywood debut of British actress Wendy Glenn, who was earlier seen on American TV series “CSI”.

“Veda” becomes one of the first Bollywood films to have been extensively shot at Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford Upon Avon.

The action thriller is being produced by Virendra K Arora and Arjun N Kapoor.

Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan is all set to make a return to Hindi cinema as a director and actor with political drama “Amar Hai”.

The producers said they were excited to work with Haasan, who has an enviable profile as an actor, director, writer and producer with hits like “Nayagan”, “Sadma”, “Ek Duuje Ke Liye”, “Saagar”, “Moondram Pirai”, “Virumaandi”, “Dasavathaaram”, “Pushpaka Vimana”, “Apoorva Raagangal” and “Chachi 420″.

“Amar Hai’ is special to us in many ways. One, it is that iconic project which is sure to mark the much-awaited Kamal Haasan working for Hindi cin-

ship with a co-star soured and a lack of new movie offers. IE

British actress Wendy Glenn to make Bollywood debut

Shot in the city of Manchester, UK, “Veda” is a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”.

Penned by Haasan, “Amar Hai” revolves around political intrigue, finance and underworld.

The “Vishwaroopam” star’s last Hindi directorial venture was critically-acclaimed “Hey Ram” in 2000, though he acted in a Bollywood film “Mumbai Xpress” in 2005.

Aarthi Agarwal, 31

The two talented actors captivated Bollywood fans by aiming their jokes at actors Anil Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez, as they also took a stab at censorship.

UMBAI - Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan is all set to make a return to Hindi cinema as a director and actor with political drama “Amar Hai”, for which Saif Ali Khan has been approached to play the lead role.

“My character though not that of a conventional antagonist, would present a point of view that is far from ordinary,” the 60-year-old star said of his role.

The actress was particularly popular in the ‘Tollywood’ Telugu language film industry, but also starred in Tamil and Hindi films.

The pair drew big laughs with their witty repartees especially when they forced Bollywood hunk Sonu Sood to remove his shirt revealing his toned physique.

Kamal Haasan returns to Bollywood as actor-director

It is a dream film for Haasan, who has been scripting the film from past six years and is keen to collaborate with Saif, who has already been clued in about his involvement on the mega project. Two actresses are set to join the ensemble cast.

Despite being born in America, she soon became a rising star in Indian cinema.

ema. Two, the film will see Kamal Hasaan wearing multiple hats, that of an actor, a director and a script writer,” the producers said in a statement. Primarily set in Mumbai and North India, the movie will also be shot in Delhi, London, Dubai, Jordan and parts of the US. “We are in talks with Saif Ali Khan to be the leading man of the film as it could be a sparkling combination of contemporary classic and a modern age to be visualised on the silver screen,” the makers said. PTI.

“It is such a pleasure to be working with Onir, my co-actors, Bhavna and the team, and on such an amazing script. It has been a great experience so far, I cannot wait for the next schedule in India and to experience the magic that is India for the first time,” Glenn said in a statement.

Praising the actress, Onir said she immerses herself in her character.

“Wendy is a phenomenal actor and we are so happy to have her as part of the film. She immerses herself in the charac-

ter, which is such a wonderful quality. She is as stunning a person as she is as an actor,” the director said.

The “Sorry Bhai” helmer said “Veda” is very close to his heart.

“We have just completed the Manchester schedule of the film which has been a great experience and looking forward to the next schedule, working with my actors and team,” Onir.

The movie that was launched and announced by the former Deputy PM of the UK, Nick Clegg, last year, is expected to release in 2016.

Twitterati reacts to sudden death of Punjabi singer Dharampreet

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he sudden demise of Punjabi singer Dharampreet left the entire regional music industry and fans shocked across the world.

The singer, who was famous for his sad songs, committed suicide at the age of 38 by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his Bathinda residence.

He was exceptionally famous among the rural masses across the state and had released 15 music albums but had none after the year 2012.

Punjabi singer Dharampreet. Photo credits: Babushahi.com

People took to micro blogging social networking site, Twitter, to express their shock and grief over his death.

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VOICE OF ASIA 16

Friday, June 12, 2015

Section 2

Page 16

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

‘Female Viagra’ gets green light from US expert panel

by Jean-Louis SANTINI

tor Christina Chang, speaking to the panelists on behalf of the FDA, asking the committee to weigh in on the evidence of benefits and risks in women studied.

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ASHINGTON, 6/4/2015 - A US advisory panel on Thursday urged regulators to approve a drug nicknamed the “female Viagra” because it could help increase women’s sex drive.

Safety concerns include sleepiness, fainting, low blood pressure and the potential for hormonal contraceptives and alcohol use to make side effects worse, Chang said.

If the US Food and Drug Administration gives flibanserin the go-ahead, it would be the first drug on the market to boost female libido.

The FDA is not required to follow the advice of the panel, but it often does.

The experts voted 18-6 in favor of allowing the drug on the market, but with some additional risk-control measures to make sure doctors prescribe it only to patients who need it and that women are aware of

If the US Food and Drug Administration gives flibanserin the go-ahead, it would be the first drug on the market to boost female libido. AFP / Miguel Medina. the risks.

Flibanserin, which is aimed at pre-menopausal women, can have significant side effects in-

cluding nausea, dizziness and sleepiness.

“The treatment effects are numerically small,” said doc-

US doctors perform groundbreaking skull-scalp transplant

Experts at the hearing also raised questions about the possibility for the treatment to be used as a “date-rape drug” and the increased risk of breast cancer seen in one of two studies on lab animals.

But during the public comment period, women who had taken the drug said the benefits were considerable.

“I am one of the lucky 11,000 women that was a patient on the flibanserin clinical trial,” said Amanda Parrish, who said she lost desire for sex with her husband, and their marriage had suffered.

“What a relationship-saving eight months that was. As if the light switch had been turned on, so was I.” - Rejected before Two attempts at bringing the drug to market have already failed in 2010 and 2013, given what experts described as inconclusive advantages when compared to a placebo.

After it was initially rejected by the FDA, flibanserin was sold by its developer, the German laboratory Boehringer Ingelheim, to a US firm called Sprout Pharmaceuticals.

The operation, performed at Houston Methodist Hospital, was conceptualized almost four years ago, but wasn’t carried out until May 22, some 20 hours after doctors were told appropriate organs had become available (AFP Photo/Dominique Faget)

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ASHINGTON, AFP | 6/5/2015 US doctors hailed a complex operation as a world first after performing a skull and scalp transplant on a cancer patient who also received a new kidney and pancreas during the procedure.

James Boysen, a 55-year-old software developer, underwent 15 hours of surgery performed with the help of more than 50 medical professionals, the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston said Thursday.

It said that the historic surgery made Boysen the “first patient to receive the simultaneous craniofacial tissue transplant together with solid organ transplants.”

The operation, performed at Houston Methodist Hospital, was conceptualized almost four years ago, but wasn’t carried out until May 22, some 20 hours after doctors were told appropriate organs had become

available.

“This was a very complex surgery because we had to transplant the tissues utilizing microsurgery,” said Michael Klebuc, lead surgeon from the Houston Methodist Hospital plastic surgery team that helped perform the skull-scalp transplant.

“Imagine connecting blood vessels 1/16 of an inch under a microscope with tiny stitches about half the diameter of a human hair being done with tools that one would use to make a fine Swiss watch,” he said.

Boysen, a resident of Austin, was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer that attacks smooth muscle, on his scalp in 2006.

The cancer was treated successfully but left a large wound on his scalp and skull.

The Texas man, who was also diagnosed with diabetes at age five, had undergone a previ-

ous double-organ kidney and pancreas transplant in 1992, but those organs were needing transplanting again.

Because of his skull and scalp wounds, however, that procedure was not possible. Meanwhile his kidney and pancreas issues and the immunosuppression medications he was on because of them, made scalp reconstruction difficult.

Doctors solved the dilemma by carrying out all procedures at once.

“When I first met Jim, I made the connection between him needing a new kidney and pancreas and the ongoing antirejection medication to support them, and receiving a full scalp and skull transplant at the same time that would be protected by those same medications,” said MD Anderson’s Jesse Selber, one of the lead surgeons.

“This was a truly unique clinical situation,” he said.

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According to documents on the FDA website, women taking flibanserin reported on average 4.4 sexually satisfying encounters per month, compared to 3.7 in a placebo group and 2.7 before beginning the study.

The difference between flibanserin and a sugar pill was deemed statistically insignificant in 2010 after a debate among the committee members which included seven women and four men.

“What I know is that flibanserin, taken each night worked for me, and worked for my marriage,” said Parrish.

“For me the effects were not modest, but significant.”

Among the six who voted against the approval, concerns included negative interactions with alcohol, risks such as fainting and low blood pressure, the drug’s minimal effectiveness and the lack of long-term data on safety.

But the majority of the experts said the approval should provide an option for women who suffer from loss of interest in sex for the first time, as long as “certain risk management options beyond labeling” are instituted, such as doctor training and post-marketing studies.

The aphrodisiac properties of flibanserin were discovered accidentally when it was tested as an anti-depressant, the drugmaker said.

Viagra’s ability to cause an erection was discovered after it was tested as a heart medication. Other big drug companies have already thrown in the towel when it comes to developing a female version, including Pfizer and Procter and Gamble.

Tel: 713-774-5140

Business Owners’ Benefits Insuring Key Employees

C

overage for a key employee is another use to which business life insurance is often put. Key person insurance is owned by and payable to a business that insures the lives of the following types of employees: • those whose deaths would cause a significant economic loss to the business; • those upon whose skills, talents, experience, or business or personal contacts the business depends; and • those who would be difficult, costly, or impossible to replace.

A key employee could be one of the owners or a non-owner employee without whose unique talents the company would experience a financial loss. The need for key employee insurance is not limited to small companies, because companies of any size are likely to employ people whose contributions are important to the profitability of the business.

Small companies, however, are the principal buyers of key person life insurance because their generally smaller level of resources usually means that other employees are unlikely to be able to quickly fill an important decedent’s job.

Key employees are found at various positions, including members of management, highly paid people whose salaries reflect their importance to the company, high-impact sales or service people, or anyone else whose skills are highly valued and respected by the company or the company’s clients.

Because the purchaser of a life insurance policy on another person must have an insurable interest in the life of that person, the most important criterion for key employee insurance is that the employee’s death would result in economic loss to the employer.

Key employee insurance should be owned by and payable to the corporation, which should also pay premiums on the life insurance policy and should receive the death benefit if the employee dies while the coverage is in force. A corporate resolution should be documented, stressing that the coverage has been purchased to indemnify the business for potential loss at the death of a key individual.

Unlike other insurance-funded business arrangements, key employee insurance requires nothing but a life insurance policy that names the employee as the insured and the business or employer as the policy-owner and beneficiary. The insured employee owns no rights to the life insurance policy.

Key employee insurance varies with the particular situation. As in all insurance planning, the policy should fit the particular need. If the need for key employee insurance is short term, then a term insurance policy would be best. If the business or firm has cash flow problems or is a recently started business, term coverage would be recommended. How-

Sudhir Mathuria Contact: Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6650 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning. com ever, in most cases, the value of the key employee to a business increases over time. The term of the need, in this case, could be long.

Often, the purpose of key employee coverage is eventually changed to finance the employer’s obligation under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan for the key person when he or she retires.

The tax issues in key employee life insurance coverage are as follows: • Premiums paid by the corporation are not tax deductible.

• Death benefit proceeds may be free of federal income taxes.

Key employee life insurance plans also have many advantages. The value of the business owners’ investment and the ongoing credit of the business may be stabilized by key employee life insurance coverage.

During the insured’s lifetime, policy cash values are carried as a corporate asset and can easily, quickly, and inexpensively be made available to the corporation for a business emergency or opportunity. At death, the infusion of large amounts of cash serves as a shock absorber to cushion the impact of the loss of the key employee.

Key employee insurance proceeds can be used for many purposes, including the cost of the search for a qualified replacement, paying for the training of the replacement, replacing lost profits, and protecting the firm’s credit rating. It could be designated to provide benefits under one or more employee benefit plans or to finance a buy-out of one or more deceased or disabled business owners.

From the moment the first premium is paid, the business and its creditors have the assurance of instant capital at the death of the key employee.

Thus, key employee coverage can serve both as a form of commercial loan protection as well as collateral for securing future commercial loans.

To plan and purchase suitable life insurance from any major company contact Sudhir Mathuria 713-771-2900.

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New blood test can reveal past viruses

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ASHINGTON 6/5/2015 -A new and inexpensive test is making it possible to identify all of a person’s past and present viral infections by simply analyzing a drop of blood.

The method, called VirScan, provides an alternative to sampling blood for one virus at a time, said researchers, who described the new technology in the US journal Science Thursday.

The new approach, developed by scientists from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), helps health professionals identify multiple factors that might be affecting a person’s health, rather than just one virus.

It also helps researchers analyze viruses in a larger population, and can be performed at $25 per blood sample.

“We’ve developed a screening methodology to basically look back in time in people’s (blood) sera and see what viruses they have experienced,” said Stephen Elledge, an HHMI researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

The researchers have already used VirScan to analyze the blood of 569 people in the United States, South Africa, Thailand and Peru.

The test works by searching a person’s blood for antibodies to any of the 206 virus species that are known to infect humans.

Even after a body’s immune system has kicked a virus, it continues to produce the antibodies against that virus for years, which is what the scientists search for.

The researchers tested the method on blood from patients known to have specific viruses, such as HIV and hepatitis C. “It turns out that it works really well,” Elledge said.

The 569 people tested had an average of 10 different virus species each.

Elledge said his team was also using the method to look for antibodies that attack a person’s own tissue in autoimmune diseases that are associated with cancer.

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VOICE OF ASIA 17

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Consul General speaks on Indian economy, industry, business opportunities at Asian Chamber of Commerce

Consul General of India, Houston, Mr. Parvathaneni Harish presenting his talk at the ACC network event. Photo credit Priyan Mathew. government’s sales pitch to the world.

“How do you skill people?

How do you make doing business easier? How do you ensure that somebody can open a company in a day?” he posed.

Executive members of ACC and IACCGH with Keynote Speaker Mr. Parvathaneni Harish. Photo Credit Priyan Mathew

by Harsha Mary Pradeep with reporting by Shobana Muratee

H

OUSTON - The Asian Chamber of Commerce (ACC) hosted a talk and networking luncheon entitled “The Indian Economy: Opportunities for Business and Industry” led by the Consul General of India, Houston, Mr. Parvathaneni Harish on May 28 at the Holiday Inn Houston Westchase.

At the event organized in association with the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACCGH), Mr. Harish was introduced by the president of the ACC, Linda Toyota, who referenced an important re-

port on the state of Houston’s global economy released on May 27.

According to the report, Houston topped $250 billion for international trade in 2014.

Mr. Harish spoke at length on India’s investment potential and the policies enacted by the new government to attract foreign investors. He acknowledged a slowdown from the Great Recession that hit most globalized countries.

“India is the world’s largest economy, according to GNI, after the US and China. We had a period of high inflation after the 2007 financial crisis, but in the last year and a half

to two years, we’ve had a consistent period of low inflation,” the Consul General said. “The fundamental pillars of growth are intact.” l India’s demographic dividend remains a blessing with 62 percent of the population being working age, between the ages 15-59. l By 2030, it is expected to have the largest middle class consumer market, outspending China and the United States. l The country is an emerging knowledge hub with the third largest technical and scientific labor pool.

He pointed to the expected 7.4 percent GDP growth for FY 2015-16, up from the 6.9 percent growth in FY 2014-15.

Mr. Harish described the Modi government as “business-oriented, committed to improving investment climate, improving the macro economy, focusing on infrastructure and skill development in India.”

In this spirit, the government’s new Make in India program will foster partnership between the government and investors rather than simply functioning as a permit-issuing authority.

“A red carpet, not red tape,” Mr. Harish said, reiterating the

Skill development programs require young people to be seen, counted and connected to the government through programs like Aadhaar that has so far equipped 50 percent of the country with unique identification numbers that can be used to access government services and other resources.

Internet access is another big focus as the government works on improving access in rural areas. By the end of the year, India is expected to have more than 300 million Internet users, just after China and surpassing the US, opening up a huge market for online businesses.

Additionally, plans are in place to improve road and rail infrastructure and increase the ease of doing business. Caps on foreign direct investment (FDI) have been trimmed significantly, with India receiving $29 billion FDI in the last fi-

nancial year.

Mr. Harish highlighted the recent trade delegation undertaken by Houston Mayor Annise Parker at the urging of the IACCGH and other Indian American business leaders.

Jagdip Ahluwalia, Executive Director, IACCGH later said, “We have a new India with new opportunities,” as he lauded the success of the trade mission, which held six highlevel meetings with the help of the Consul General.

India has partnered with US industry to build smart cities in Ajmer, Allahabad and Vishakhapatnam. Google recently signed a deal to build its largest campus outside the US in Hyderabad.

Other initiatives include boosting tourism through visas on arrival and e-Tourist Visas for citizens of 76 countries, including the US. Later in the afternoon, Austin Zhao, Chairman–Elect, ACC, spoke about ACC’s initiatives and future programs and the Consul General responded to questions from the audience.

HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015

Your Horoscope for the Week of June 12, 2015 READ YOUR COMPLETE HOROSCOPE

by Hardik Vyas, Astrologer Cell : 832-298-9950

ONLINE WWW.VOICEOFASIAONLINE.COM

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 Oct

You will face practical concerns. What needs to get done will get done, because you are in a frame of mind to deal directly. Don’t fret about the fact that your personal independence may be a bit limited now. The work you do now is money in the bank for future freedom, maybe even that long-desired trip you’ve wished for some time. Good time for a sit down planning chat. Get out those maps and schedules. It’s not too soon to start thinking about that trip of a lifetime. You could meet a fascinating person who is destined to become part of your life.

Little concerns on your overall financial situation, as well as your long-term goals. You’ve got plenty of things you would like to do, but it is vital to be selective. If you attempt them all, you will scatter your forces. Take it one day at a time. Your relationships should move forward into a more promising territory. You may want to take time to look at & appreciate others intentions. Make sure to include your financial partner, who will not be critical, even if you are the one who has fallen into a spending pattern that’s hurting the big picture.

Scorpio (N,Y) 23 Oct to 21 Nov

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May Feel the reconnection to your roots. You may have a certain person on your mind, perhaps someone who was in your life until recently. You may have be the one to take the bull by the horns and make the date. It is highly possible that this reunion will prove something to both of you; you belong together, in every way. A sudden inspiration may hit. It may have to do with furthering your education levels. There is no question that information is power these days. If you feel stuck on your rung of the ladder, a course or a second degree could help you climb much faster.

Money, money & more money. You could be unhealthily focused on what you consider the inadequacies of your home environment. Don’t despair, do something! Even small cosmetic changes could make a huge difference, especially in your attitude. If someone else has to approve, approach him or her with a positive outlook. Give good reasons why your plan will benefit everyone. Wherever you land at week’s end, you will find yourself surrounded by agreeable people who share your mood.

Sagittarius (BH,F,DH,TH) 22 Nov to 21 Dec

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June Think about improvements and ideas about how they could be accomplished. The problem may be getting to the right people, with the right information, and you may be frustrated.

Keep on digging and you will find what you are looking for. In the meantime, it is vital not to make any rash moves or uneducated guesses. Calm your tensions in one of two ways. Discuss the situation with a trustworthy friend or get a strenuous physical workout. If your present relationship is not working out, now is the time to re-examine what you expect from a person you get involved with.

Smooth the waters, You’ll have plenty of spirit, more than one person may appear to want.

Don’t allow them to knock you off your course. It may be superiors who find fault. Fortunately you can take it with good grace and simply keep on trucking. You may find that mates or partners suddenly want to change the rules. Your partner may be reacting to a simple attack of nerves. You may have to be the one who changes their mind, both with a sunny disposition and possibly a logical explanation of why you do things the way you do.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July You need to concentrate on your goals. What you have to do seems not only tedious, but also somehow irrelevant. In a way, this is a blessing, because it opens you up to operating in a new, rather unconventional manner. People will notice and applaud your ingenuity.

Relations with the most important people in your life are, for the most part, positive. It is important not to focus on work while talking with your mate. Instead, talk of romantic times the two of you have shared and enjoyed. Turn on your charm.

Teamwork & compromise, as Anyone who interacts with you will find you not only delightful company, but a great teammate as well. You exude good feelings and you are sensitive to the needs of others. This general atmosphere spills over into your private life. Plan to spend the week-end, just the you & family, totally reveling in each other’s company. Something you have in mind, perhaps an old idea about redoing your space, may be a snare and a delusion. For one thing, cash may not be flowing too freely.

Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21 Jan to 19 Feb

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August Sweet harmony in your professional & personal life. You and your partner will find yourselves getting along about everything. You are very much in favor and may even enjoy an encouraging talk with a superior. It should make you feel more confident about your future and much more secure about in your position, right where you are.

Store up the compliments and feed on them during any rough days in the future. You may lack cooperation from work associates.

Mood swings that may have you full of optimism one moment, but frustrated at unexpected setbacks the next. Don’t get knocked off your feet if someone throws you a curveball.

You are certainly able to keep up your excellent batting average. Those around you may react giddily to sudden changes, you will be able to keep your head. Use this to your best advantage. In your romantic/partnered life, expect both peace and harmony to reign. Your mate will be a godsend. Don’t be tempted to fall into your more usual slapdash way of doing things.

Pisces (D,CH,Z) 20 Feb to 20 March

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September Be attentive on the next phase of an ongoing project, personal or professional. Now it’s time to deal with practical matters rather than the purely theoretical. This may involve a move or a purchase of new property. Because you are such a whiz at getting down to the fine print, you will have little difficulty squaring things. Fortunately, you have a cooperative and willing group around you, both at home and in other endeavors. Your energy should be high and your wits sharp. Keep them about you to avoid friction on the home front.

QR

You perhaps not being delighted with the upheavals around you, but at least you can handle them. You are able to deflect the possible barbs that are tossed your way, even those about your imperfections in word or deed. It is vital to bring your understanding of others to bear. You know why they are tossing guilt your way and you can empathize. It will help to focus on what all of you together could achieve. A discussion with your one and only who understands you will help you even more. Your insights are sharp, especially at how to ‘stop controversy’ and heal clashes, particularly with authority figures, in-laws, spouse, extended family over ‘money’ or ‘control/discipline’ issues.

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Now You Know!

Amazing facts from all over the WORLD!

• M&M’s chocolate stands for the initials for its inventors Mars and Murrie • The first Burger King was opened in Florida Miami in 1954 • The brand Nokia is named after a place in Southern Finland

MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY FROM HBR.ORG Be Specific When Asking for Employees’ Ideas When asking employees to speak up, be careful to not open the floodgates to a river of ideas that aren’t particularly thoughtful or useful. You want to encourage people to give input that is informed and constructive. Ask employees to think about issues from your perspective, factoring in potential constraints, obstacles, and multiple stakeholders. One way to do this is by creating targeted campaigns where, for a limited period of time, you encourage people to come up with ideas that address a particular strategic imperative or challenge. For example, if your organization wants customers to go to the website rather than call the toll-free number, you can clearly define the problem, along with any constraints or issues that need to be considered. Once employees understand the problem and the context, you can invite them to submit ideas, and then after three weeks let them vote on the best proposals.

Adapted from “Get Your Employees to Make Better Suggestions,” by David A. Hofmann and John J. Sumanth.

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