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Texas bids a hero’s farewell to fallen Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal

By Shobana Muratee

H

OUSTON, October 2, 2019 – The image of a young boy being hugged by a Sikh police officer in a blue turban will forever be etched in the minds of thousands. The public have been following the story of Sandeep Dhaliwal, the Harris County Sheriff's deputy who was gunned down during a traffic stop last week.

Tens of thousands of people across Texas turned out to pay their respects at a final farewell to Deputy Dhaliwal, who was described as "a trailblazer" for being the first Sikh deputy in his agency. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said about Dhaliwal, "He wore the turban, he represented his community with integrity, respect and pride." The outpour of the community was a testament to what he was described as “kind,” “caring,” and “a great friend of the community.” Sheriff Gonzalez described Dhaliwal, a father of three, as "a man of dedication, faith, love, and compassion."

Houston’s TV channels provided live coverage of the final farewell.

Members of the national Sikh community arrived from all over the country and have asked people attending to wear navy blue. Law enforcement personnel from the U.S. and Canada attended a law enforcement ceremony, and a Sikh religious ceremony was held at the Berry Center in Cypress, KTRK reported. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, the nation's first Sikh state's attorney general, said Dhaliwal "inspired an entire generation of Sikhs to public service," KTRK reported. As part of the traditional Sikh

funeral was the singing sacred hymns by the priests. After the service, members of the Harris County Sheriff's Office bid farewell to Dhaliwal with full honors and a 21-gun salute.

Voice of Asia extensively covered the pioneering Deputy when he was made a sheriff deputy.

Deputy Dhaliwal had been in law enforcement for 10 years. Elders said

he was pious man who regularly attended religious services at the Sikh National Center with his family.

Deputy Dhaliwal is survived by his wife and three children. The Indian American community in Houston is holding a Prayer Vigil for Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal at India House on Friday, October 4th between 7 pm to 8 pm.

Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office

IACF Gala 2019: Focuses on increased scholarship funds

Grants Distribution event, where $50,000 was given in grants to charitable organizations in Houston.

by Shobana Muratee

S

TAFFORD - The 31st annual fundraiser of the Indo American Charity Foundation, themed as “Share Your Heart – Texas Way,” was held on September 13 at the Stafford Center, with general appeal to the philanthropic spirit of the Indo-American community.

Leading up to the annual 2019 gala, the IACF hosted a series of its signature events in support of its founding principals: Education, Family, General Welfare and Healthcare. Early this year, IACF held the 'I Walk, I Care,' a 5k Walkathon in collaboration with IDA in aid of Indian Doctors Charity Clinic.

This was followed by the Scholarship Awards program that gave 30 outstanding FBISD and AISD high school students scholarships as financial support, and finally the

“We have been working in unison and determination to achieve a single goal: “Enhance the Quality of Life” in the community we are today and where our future generations will make their marks,” said Venkat Iyer, IACF President, welcoming the gathering of nearly 600 guests.

Lighting the lamp are IACF President Venkat Iyer (left), Fort Bend County Judge, KP George, Stafford Mayor Scarcella, Councilman Ken Mathew, Bal Sareen,and IACF President Elect, Joseph Ellankil. Credit Roy Phography.

“Continuing on the legacy of the past presidents, I have been focusing on making deeper inroads and reaching out to our brethren, and trying to drive the point home that IACF is the only Indo-American organization that ploughs back 100% of its proceeds to enrich the community we live in,” Iyer said.

Continued on Page 3

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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS D An open letter to PM Modi:

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ear Prime Minister Modiji, I want to bring to your attention the unjust and totally citizen unfriendly transfer of an honest and dedicated official Dr. Rohini Sindhuri in Karnataka. By all account her principled stand of ensuring transparency in awarding contracts was not liked by some bureaucrat and she was transferred.

This is not the first time she has been given “punishment” transfer. You had recognized her for outstanding performance in Mandya when she contributed to building 80000 toilets there. As she was looking forward to implement her plans to contribute to your flagship initiative, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, she was abruptly transferred in 2015.

In 2018, she was trying hard to fight corruption in Hassan against the mighty and also against sand mafia. One of them was the district-minister in Charge, A. Manju and the other was all powerful Deve Gowda’s son Revanna. They tried to transfer her. However she succeeded in fighting the transfer by going to the court.

However all those responsible for her transfer were not held accountable.

I was one of those 50000 in Houston’s NRG stadium listen-

by Atul Varadhachary, MD, PhD

T

he visit of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Houston is nothing short of extraordinary. As a hub for biotech and pharmaceutical research and development, and home to an extensive community of Indo-American physicians and scientists, Houston should embrace Modi’s message to encourage continued investment in India. There is an opportunity for the city to play a key role in bringing innovations to the Indian market, once India opens its gates to foreign players under the right regulatory and policy conditions.

India is the leading provider of generic drugs to the U.S. and Indian pharmaceutical companies are now starting to enter the innovation space.

But it is China that is leading production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and significantly expanding innovative new drug development.

Please help improve governance by stopping the punishment transfer of honest official like Dr. Sindhuri. ing with rapt attention to your eloquent address. When you so beautifully stated that “every thing is fine in India” in several Indian languages, I was very happy.

However when I read the story of Dr. Sindhuri’s transfer the next day in the paper, I started to have doubts about the implications of your statement. As Justice Santosh Hegde stated in his recent talk, “ One of the commonest method by which the bureaucrat could be made subservient or even corrupt is by way of ‘transfer". Justice Hegde had made a recommendation that transfer should not be the prerogative of the politicians and the power of transfer should be vested with the bureaucracy.

Since your government is interested in good governance and world class administration, how can it be ensured if officials like Dr. Sindhuri are transferred at the drop of a hat

by the elected leaders as is happening today.

Let me give the example of Ashok Khemka who has been transferred 52 times in 27 years.

Again he was “punished” because he was trying to expose corruption at high levels. In his case also 2013 SC judgment ensuring assured tenure did not help him. I am sure that you are fully aware of these punishment transfers. My purpose in writing this letter is to request you to put this problem high on your agenda which already has many burning problems.

As an urgent measure, can you ask the Karnataka government to institute an enquiry commission to find out the reason for Dr. Sindhuri’s transfer to be completed in one week, and to reinstate her back into her old position. After the inquiry, please hold those who were responsible for her unjust transfer accountable.

You have taken several bold steps to improve governance.

One of your bold steps was the use of aadhaar to implement direct benefit program to help the poor. And in oil sector alone, you have stopped the mother of all corruption by preventing the leakage of residential LPG and the generation of about Rs 25,000 crores of black generation every year.

As Justice Hegde argued one way to reduce corruption is to take power of transfer from politicians. Please implement the needed administrative reform to enforce SC transfer judgment and if needed adapt a new law to eliminate frequent transfers of the officials.

Yours sincerely, Bhamy V. Shenoy, Consumer activist from Mysuru 6/1 Vivekananda Road Yadavagiri, Mysuru 570020 India

A closer look at India’s take on fostering biomedical innovation China took a fresh perspective to reform policies concerning the regulatory review and approval, intellectual property protection, and pricing and reimbursement for new innovative drugs. This new approach –from a more transparent regulatory system and acceptance of oversees clinical trial data to a stronger intellectual property system – is fuelling the growth in foreign direct investment and building China’s biopharmaceutical industry.

Today, India’s share is less than three percent of the world’s bio-pharma industry.

Its mission is to reach 5 percent by 2022, a target that will require significant international support and investment. The health care industry in Houston is worth $48 bil-

lion annually— a market that could greatly benefit India.

India must expedite the implementation of formal policy changes that reward investment in biopharmaceutical innovation and drive economic growth in India. This will encourage allies to become partners in advancing health care in India. The country should also take a page from the Chinese pro-innovation playbook and leverage its consular network and vast diaspora to grow relationships and gain know-how from life sciences experts in the US and around the world. For example, my firm, Fannin Innovation Studio, which is Houston’s most active early-stage life sciences development group, is actively engaged with several Indian pharmaceutical companies

and has hosted visiting delegations from India. Our approach to early therapeutic and medical device development model could easily be adapted to the Indian environment if the right policy environment were in place.

While there are several policy changes that could help the Indian pharmaceutical sector grow, it would be especially impacted by a further streamlining of the approval process to conduct clinical trials in India. With a rigorous regulatory and ethics approval process in place, many more clinical trials can be placed in India for the benefit of all the groups involved. Overseas biopharmaceutical companies can obtain high-quality clinical research data more rapidly and inexpensively. Local clinical investigators and medical experts gain experience with early-stage drugs, diagnostics and medical devices. Indian partner companies learn from world-class research and development programs, and local contract clinical research organizations and hospitals benefit economically. And most critically, patients get earlier access to high-quality biomedical innovations in areas of unmet medical need.

With President Donald Trump joining Prime Minister Modi’s visit in Houston, the time is right for the two countries to strengthen their ties and reaffirm their strategic partnership by resolving outstanding issues to bolster the US-India trade relationship.

However, without new policies to spur investment in the innovative biopharmaceutical sector, we are unlikely to see India fulfil its potential to deliver new innovative solutions – drugs, diagnostics, medical devices – for the benefit of Indian citizens and people around the world. Let’s turn this historic visit to Houston into action for the health of people everywhere.

Atul Varadhachary, MD, PhD, is Managing Partner at the Fannin Innovation Studio in Houston, Texas, and is President of TiE Houston, Former President of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, a Member of the Healthcare Advisory Board of the Greater Houston Partnership, Board Member of BioHouston, and Adjunct Professor of Management at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University.

Varadhachary’s commentary represents his personal views.

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IACF Gala 2019: Focuses on Future, Expands Scholarships

IACF “Angels of Charity” honorees. Photos credit: Roy Photography Continued from Page 1 This year, as part of the educational initiative, three families had committed to make donations of $10,000 for five years toward scholarships, mainly toward STEM programs, Iyer announced. IACF Director, Dr. Sushovan Guha pledged $1000 for five years towards scholarships.

On the occasion, a moment’s silence was observed in the memory of two former IACF Presidents: Sonal Bhuchar, FBISD Board President and Kamna Sharma. As a tribute to their contribution, a scholarship was instituted in the memory of both Sonal Bhuchar and Kamna Shawas was announced.

Also this year, IACF also lost its dedicated director, Sreeni Nakirekanti.

Fort Bend County Judge KP George in his Keynote address said, “Today we gather to celebrate the great strides IACF has made in the past 31 years to better the lives of residents in communities all across the Houston region. Your efforts to feed the homeless, care for the abused, and educate lowincome students in the evergrowing field of STEM have helped pave the way for entire generations of success.”

Judge George, a regular guest at the IACF gala and a longtime supporter of the organization said, “In our community’s most dire time of need, the IACF garnered $200,000 to put toward relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Harvey. This gala not only serves to acknowledge those great feats, but also to acknowledge the people behind them. Without the tireless work of our volunteers, staff, and members, and the invaluable contributions from our donors, such great efforts would have been unimaginable to accomplish,” he added.

The event’s highlights were the awards and honors that IACF bestowed on those who have been actively involved with charitable organizations in Houston. ‘ This year IACF honored seven couples as “Angels of Charity” and the recipients were: Leela and Nat Krishnamurthy, Kanwal Kaur and Col Raj Bhalla, Dr. Swati and Sameer Joglekar, Roopali and Amit Mittal, Dr. Shweta and Dr. Shilpan Shah, Ranjana and Tupil Narasiman, and Neera and Vipin Kumar.

IACF honorees for “Friends of Charity” award included: Srini Chittaluru, IT Consultant, Ramesh Maddi, President, Maddi Soft Inc, Carl Pham,

Vice President, Whitney Bank, Mahesh Desai, Mahesh Desai, CPA & Financial Advisor, Peri Vaduganathan, MD, MRCP, FACC, Sam Kannappan, CEO and President of ABI Enterprises, and Ravi Varre, Founder and CEO, Camelot IS Inc. This segment was organized

by Dr. Purvi Parikh and Rajesh Dikonda.

During the pledge drive sporting a cowboy hat in tune with Texas theme - Houston’s singer-songwriter and actor Zelda Dashiell tugged the heart-strings of the audience with her original songs “Cease the Fire" and “World Peace.”

Service is her passion, she said, and was grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community. IACF directors and several young volunteers were also assisting in the pledge drive, handing out cowboy hats to the happy donors.

Mistress of Ceremonies Lakshmi Peter was efficient juggling her task. Between presentations, she managed to give a classical dance performance accompanied by her sister Veni. Students of Anjali Center for Performing Arts also gave a stunning performance choreographed by its Director, Dr. Rathna Kumar. Earlier, National Anthems were rendered by Sanvitha Sridhar (American) and Lakshmi Peter (Indian)

IACF or “Friends of Charity” honorees. Credit: Roy Photography most sincerely.

Conceptualized by Saadia Ahmed, the Indo-Texas Fashion Show by Munaari Designs added vibrancy to the event.

Guests feasted on the sumptuous dinner catered by Biryani Pot as they browsed through the Silent Auction in the hall. .

President Elect, Joseph Ellankil, proposed a Vote of Thanks recognizing the generous contributions of the sponsors and donors, the dedications of the director, support of the partnering organizations, enthusiasm of volunteers and service of the vendors.

Zelda Dashiell singing her original "Cease the Fire" About IACF Indo-American Charity Foundation was founded in 1988 by a group of Houstonians of Indian origin (IndoAmerican) compelled by an altruistic desire to give back to their local community. Their mission to help the underprivileged originated with the effort to fight hunger, and has now developed into a multi-faceted philanthropic endeavor to help those in need of health, education and human services in the Greater Houston Area.

To learn more iacfhouston.com/

visit http://

Sisters Lakshmi and Veni performing calssical dance.

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FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

Mahatma Gandhi Sesquicentennial 150th Birthday, Celebrations with a Speech Contest

H

Marianne Duterte.

OUSTON - Saturday, September 28, 2019: Children of all ages and backgrounds gathered at Arya Samaj Greater Houston for the 16th Annual Speech Contest, commemorating Mahatma Gandhi’s Sesquicentennial, 150th birthday. As the children registered for the contest with Ms Alka Agarwal they were excited, a bit nervous, but peaceful.

Speaking on “My dream of World Peace”, the 10-and-younger children inspired the audience. They spoke about how to be an agent of change and learn from Gandhi’s practice of non-violence, truth, environmental consciousness. Afterwards, many of the attendees participated in the Poster Contest, coordinated by Namita Sutaria. This round was followed by a round of speeches by a group of kids 11 and older, in which they spoke about the “Eternal Gandhi Museum – What I’d Like to See”. They presented their ideas to the Gandhi Library on how to present Gandhi’s teachings and life stories in new light.

The contest was a fitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birthday. The volunteers that made the event possible were Dr. Rakesh Agarwal and Karam Gupta, coordinators of the contest, Shreya Chawla, MC, Rishika Sawale, Time Keeper, Aditya Talwar and Riya Gorji, Video and photography, Rita Kothari, snacks, Tej, audio, Rajan Chawla and parents of the participants. Many thanks to School of Science and Technology of Sugar Land who participated in this contest for the first time. Thanks to Arya Samaj Greater Houston for hosting this event.

Speech contestants, judges and organizers at the Speech Contest organized as a part of yearlong Mahatma Gandhi Sesquicentennial celebration on Saturday, September 28, 2019, at Arya Samaj Greater Houston.

*Please mark your calendar to attend the 1000 Lights for Peace program at Miller Outdoor Theatre on Sunday, October 6, 2019 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM to listen to the inspiring speeches from the contest winners and enjoy international multicultural dance and music show dedicated to peace. For more information, please visit www.gandhilibrary.org

The Gandhi Library’s goal is to attract the current, technology minded generation to the museum, which is slated to open in Houston in 2021 as indicated on www.eternagandhi. us. One of the speakers wanted the museum to be a celebration of ideas and not simply a collection of memorabilia.

Another wanted Gandhi to be shown as an ordinary man, like you and I, with human fallacies and how he conquered them all. Yet another participant expressed her wishes to have the museum accommodate for the hearing impaired and blind.

The judges, Colonel Raj Bhalla, Dr. Renu Jain, Jasmine Pirani and Dr. Nidhi Trehan, were so impressed that each one of them took turn to iterate the high points and praise effort of the children at the end of the contest. The 10-and-under group had a tie for the 1st place between Ayushi Kawedia and Nathan Ndisang.

The 3rd place winner was Ishan Narkar. First place winner of the 11-and-above group was Anusha Sathya. Second place went to Eesha Nair; third, to

THE STORY OF MAHATMA GANDHI

National tragedy follows Independence

A

fter the defeat of Japan in August 1945, Britain agreed to a planned withdrawal from India in friendship and with no bitterness. All through his life Gandhi had worked for unity between Hindus and Muslims, without much success.

There was a large section of nationalist Muslim in the Congress but leaders of the Muslim League were drifting further and further away.

Gandhi was not the man to give up hope, however, and he pursued his efforts to bring about a settlement. On the other hand, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, was hostile to the idea of unity. This is the concluding installment of the story of Mahatma Gandhi.

The Viceroy invited all leaders to Simla and tried to find a solution and bring about Hindu-Muslim accord.

Jinnah would not agree to anything except a separate Muslim state of Pakistan.

Britain announced an election in India and the election was held. The Congress won most of the nonMuslim seats and the Muslim League won most of the Muslim seats.

The deadlock continued.

“We can settle the Indian problem in ten minutes if Mr. Gandhi agrees to the creation of Pakistan,” said Jinnah.

“Cut me in half,” cried Gandhi, “but do not divide India in two.”

He spoke to the deaf. In February 1946, the British government sent a Cabinet Mission to India. It consisted of Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and A.V. Alexander. The task of the Cabinet Mission was to study the situation and make recommendations. After careful

consideration, the Cabinet Mission issued a statement proposing the withdrawal of British authority from India. They had the idea of a united India.

On August 24, 1946, the Viceroy announced the formation of an Interim National Government to replace the Viceroy’s Executive Council.

Jawaharlal Nehru was the VicePresident of the Interim Government. The Muslim League declined to join on the ground that it had not been given the right to nominate all the Muslim members.

After the installation of the Interim Government, Gandhi was anxious to return to Sevagram, his ashram near Wardha, but the Congress leaders prevailed on him to stay longer in Delhi because they wanted his advice. Then the Muslim League decided to join the Interim Government and an announcement was made to that effect on October 15, 1946.

Gandhi once again felt free to return to Sevagram. He was about to leave Delhi when news came of disturbances in Bengal. There was widespread communal rioting in Calcutta and in the Muslim majority district of Noakhali in East Bengal, with murder, arson, looting, forced conversions, forced marriages, and abduction.

Gandhi was confused and griefstricken. Instead of returning to Sevagram, he set out for Noakhali to try to bring peace there. The communal riots spread. There were similar riots in Bihar and the Punjab. Sev-

“unity is impossible... we have to accept it (division of India). Otherwise this deadly turmoil will never cease.” Gandhi bowed his head to hide his despair.

On June 3, 1947, British Prime Minister Attlee announced the plan for partition. The Congress and the Muslim League accepted it. For Gandhi it was a spiritual tragedy. With infinite sadness he said, “All of India must accept Pakistan in loving resignation.

We have no choice. Hindus must lead the way to a friendly settlement.” Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy, was anxious not to delay the usherMahatma Gandhi Week in Houston ing in of independent India Call 713-785-3900 or visit www. and independent Pakistan. mahatmagandhilibrary.org He shortened the time limit for the British to quit India.

The date for the declaration eral thousand were killed and of Indian independence was injured. Gandhi was greatly fixed for August 15, 1947. distressed by these events. He Thus on August 15, 1947, tried to calm and reassure the India’s long struggle and sufpeople. fering for freedom was over. A He walked from village to new nation, although split in village and from house to two, was born. Lord Mounthouse carrying his message batten hailed Gandhi as “the of peace. Wherever he was, architect of India’s freedom there was peace, at least out- through non-violence.” Ganwardly, but the general situa- dhi had never given his aption in India was worsening. proval to partition, but when Rioting spread from the towns it was done he accepted it and to the villages. In Bihar the did everything possible for the Muslims were suffering and attainment of Hindu-Muslim Gandhi went there to instil friendship. Yet the tension courage into the Muslim mi- between Hindus and Musnority. The situation in India lims continued to increase. was so dreadful that the Con- As a result of partition over gress leaders realized that the 700,000 Hindus, Sikhs, and best way open to them was to other non-Muslims, fearing accept Jinnah’s demand for a the Muslims, in Pakistan left division of the country. Nehru their homes and set out tomet Gandhi to inform him of wards security in India. From this decision.

India about the same number Gandhi asked him, “Is there of Muslims, fearing the Hinno way out? No hope of a unit- dus, left their homes for Pakied India?” Nehru was sad and stan. The miseries attendant grave. “Bapuji,” he replied, on this mass migration, one

of the greatest in history, were manifold.

One and half million people on the move were exposed to starvation, disease, and death on the way. Gandhi was on his way to the Punjab when he stopped in Delhi, hoping to quell the riots that had broken out there. Gandhi’s gospel of forbearance and forgiveness towards Muslims marked him as a traitor in the eyes of many Hindu extremists. In the face of fanatical opposition, Gandhi redoubled his efforts and the major disturbances in Delhi subsided, but there were still disturbances here and there. Gandhi decided to do penance by fasting, which he thought would bring about a change in the attitude of the Hindu fanatics. The fast began on January 13, 1948. There was gloom all over India at the news of Gandhi’s fast. People thought that he would not be able to survive another fast.

The whole world watched as Gandhi, 78 years old, fasted to save his country from destruction. On January 18 a peace committee, representing all communities, met and signed a pact pledging unity and the protection of life, property, and faith to the Muslim minority. Gandhi was informed of the pledge and he broke his fast. Gandhi was staying at Birla House. Every evening he held a prayer-meeting in the grounds. During his prayer-meeting on January 20, a bomb was thrown at him, but it missed its target.

Gandhi continued his prayer meeting as if nothing had happened. “Bapuji, a bomb exploded near you,” said a voice.

“Really?” Gandhi said. “Perhaps some poor fanatic threw it. But let no one look down on him.” On January 30, after a

midday nap, Gandhi woke up at 3.30 p.m.

The whole day he had had a stream of visitors. Sardar Patel went to see him at 4 p.m. Nehru and Azad were to come after the evening prayer. Gandhi left his room at 5 p.m. and went towards the prayer hall. He passed through a cordoned-off path, accompanied by Manu and Abha, his grand-daughters.

As he was walking along a youth came forward as if to seek his blessings.

But he stood in front of Gandhi and at point-blank range fired three shots in quick succession. All the bullets hit him. Gandhi fell, uttering the prayer, “Hay Ram.” Gandhi was dead. The assassination gave the world a tremendous shock.

Nehru went on radio to tell the country of Gandhi’s death, his voice choked with emotion: “Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere. I do not know what to tell you and how to say it.

Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the Father of the Nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that.

Nevertheless, we will not see him again as we have seen him for these many years.

The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. The light that has illumined this country for these many, many years will illumine this country for many more years, and a thousand years later that light will still be seen in this country, and the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts.”

— Concluded

Sponsored by Houston Arts Alliance in honor of Mahatma Gandhi Sesquicentennial Houston celebrations.

Great Summer Project For children! Enter Mahatma Gandhi Week 2019 citywide contests: Essay, I-Tribute, Poster and Speech contests.

Visit gandhilibrary.org for registration and more information. By participating in these contests not only will the children make good use of their vacation time, they will also learn universal values of Truth, Nonviolence, Love and Service by participating in these contests.

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India-US trade deal soon: Jaishankar after meeting Mike Pompeo

W

ASHINGTON External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that the trade talks between India and the United States have progressed and an agreement will come into being soon.

Jaishankar made the comments after he met Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in Washington DC. Both the ministers held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral issues including trade.

The meet comes two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to New Delhi after concluding his week-long trip to the US. The two ministers expressed satisfaction over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's September visit.

"Trade issues have progressed," he told reporters at a press conference saying that

the two countries would reach a trade deal "soon".

N

EW DELHI | AFP | Wednesday 10/2/2019 -E-commerce giants Amazon and Walmart-backed Flipkart kicked off a crucial battle for shoppers on Sept 29 ahead of India's massive festive season as retailers search for a muchneeded boost to sales amid a slowing economy.

But sales this year have been hit by falling consumer demand as a liquidity crunch crimps personal loans and unemployment soars to its highest level since the 1970s.

The minister also said that India and the US are in the advanced stages of trade discussions with prospects of an early resolution.

"The two of us discussed the trade issues and how it has progressed and we have seen some early results out there. The two ministers and the negotiating teams have been talking to each other and are discussing how to address the trade frictions," Jaishankar asserted.

Monday's dialogue is also the fourth meeting between Jaishankar and Pompeo in the last four months. The meeting came at a time when New Delhi and Washington are in advanced stages of trade discussions aimed at reaching a trade deal soon.

Tensions on the trade front between the two countries had emerged in June after US President Donald Trump revoked preferential trade privileges, in response to which India imposed tariffs on 28 US products, including almonds and apples.

India had been the biggest beneficiary of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), a programme designed to help developing countries sell to US consumers.

The External Affairs Minister is on a three-day visit to Washington DC during which he is also scheduled to meet US Defence Secretary Mark Esper, the new National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien and Kevin McAleenan, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security.

- DNA India

Tel: 713-774-5140

Sales galore as Indian web giants woo reluctant festive shoppers

October and November – when much of India's 1.3 billion population celebrates several major Hindu festivals and consumers traditionally go on spending sprees – are critical for retailers, with some raking in almost half of their annual sales during the period.

EAM S Jaishankar and Mike Pompeo. (Photo: PTI)

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

"Things are difficult," Rakesh Kumar Yadav of the Federation of Sadar Bazar Traders Association, which represents some 40,000 wholesale traders in the capital New Delhi, told AFP. "The festival season is around the corner... and a lot of these corporates are coming up with various schemes to prop up demand and woo the consumers," India Ratings principal economist Sunil Sinha told AFP. "But my own sense is that despite all the efforts, overall consumer sentiment is so down-and-out that we won't see similar kinds of spending that we have seen in the past."

- Sales wars With their deep pockets, Amazon and Flipkart are taking on India's local familyrun stores, known as "kirana" shops, that have dominated

Commuters walk past a train with advertisements of the upcoming festive sale of an online e-commerce portal. (AFP Photo) streets for decades.

Less than 5% of India's US$600bil (RM2.51tril) retail market is online, but the sector is expected to expand to 8-9% of the market by 2022 thanks to smartphone adoption and a rising middle class, according to RBC Capital Markets.

Amazon – which recently opened a massive campus for 15,000 employees in the southern city of Hyderabad – has taken out full-page newspaper ads to promote its "Big Indian Festival" sales and is offering discounts of up to 90%.

Flipkart has Indian megastar cricket Virat Kohli as the face of their "Big Billion Days" sales campaign and has slashed prices on fashion items and home appliances.

The two platforms – which have almost 75% market share of the e-commerce market – hope to attract cash-strapped shoppers with financing options, and have hired hundreds of thousands of temporary staff to cope with expected increased demand.

Their six-day festive sales are estimated to reach

US$3.8bil (RM15.91bil), up from US$2.9bil (RM12.14bil) last year, despite the wider economic slowdown, Forrester Research senior forecast analyst Satish Meena said.

Bricks-and-mortar retailers are also ramping up their visibility to keep pace with the online behemoths.

"These are difficult times and consumer sentiment has been tilted towards the negative for some time now," J. Suresh, the managing director of Arvind Lifestyle Brands, told the Economic Times about why the 1,300-store owner was increasing ad spending by up to 20% this year.

Meanwhile, economists said a raft of recent government measures to revive the flagging economy, including a corporate tax cut, would improve sentiment in coming years.

"It's a good beginning... The likelihood is that we've almost reached the bottom and if the government continues to do its bit and corporates remain upbeat because of these announcements, things will start looking up," Sinha said.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

Yakeen Ka Safar - Journey of Trust hit musical benefits FCCRS

Y

akeen Ka Safar - Journey of Trust presented by FCCRS (Foundation for Children's Cancer Research And Support) on September 28th,2019 at Stafford Centre. This mesmerizing dance drama staged by Local American Children from Katy ISD and Local artists was presented to raise awareness and gain support for the the FCCRS cause.The students of KatyISD reflect the diversity of ethnic background of Houston. Participants were Americans of Japanese, Korean, French, Albanian, Indian, Iranian and Chinese descent.

Dance Drama Journey of Trust - a story inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’ Kabuliwala. Acting by Amit Ronghe as Kabuliwala, Smita Ronghe, Kiran Ketkar and outstanding performance of Mini played by Suhani Ronghe and older Mini Rini Roy and Gunjot Singh as Kabuliwala's daughter, pulled off the show. Mesmerizing dancing by kathak dancers Souvik Chaktaborty, Ritusri Choudhury, Deepa Devsena, and Arpita Roy were the highlights. The music score was directed by Som Chakrabarty with his band members Sanjiv Bhattacharjee, kamalika Chakraborty and Sudipta Gain. The choreographer Sajid Jamal and his hard work with Taylor High and Seven lakes High school of Katy ISD added the grandeur to the musical.

Performers and presenters of Yakeen Ka Safar

The musical performances were mesmerizing

Spendid performances by kathak dancers

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

“Bhajan Idols 2019” crowned at JVB Preksha Meditation Center’s Unique Bhajan Competition

H

OUSTON - About 30 talented singers from the Greater Houston area from ages 7 through 70 competed in JVB Preksha Meditation Center’s 2nd Bhajan Competition held on Sunday September 29th, 2019.

put forth by the Tabla & Harmonium accompanists – Haman Ramnarine & Ms. Smriti Shrivastava. All three winners are invited to perform again at JVB’s 10th anniversary celebrations cultural evening on October 12th, 2019.

The competition was held as the initiation of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the center, and part of the commemoration of the centenary year of Jain monk Acharya Mahapragya Ji; at its Pyramid Hall at 14102 Schiller Rd. Houston, TX 77082. Jain nuns Samani Punya Pragyaji & Samani Jigyasa Pragyaji (disciples of Acharya Mahashraman) presided over the event.

The competition was split into 3 age groups, the first being - Rising Stars 7-11 years, Energetic Youth 12-17 and Evergreen Adults 18 and above.

Participants sang a multitude of bhajans, some of the most popular ones sung by multiple singers were – “O PalanHare, Choti Choti Gaiya & Humko Man Ki Shakti Dena.” The audience was mesmerized by some wonderful performances by kids as young as 7 years. It was a joy to the ears to hear American born kids sing beautiful bhajans in Hindi.

JVB Houston senior members Hasmukh Patel, Shashi Jain, Virendra Khemsara, & board member Pramod Bengani felicitated the judges & musician with plaques; and the judges thereafter distributed the trophies to the winners. This unique program ended with the recitation of Mangal Paath by Samanijis, & a short prayer of remembrance for fallen Houston Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal. Nikhil thanked all for their attendance and thanked all the tireless volunteers without whom the event would have lacked the charm. Special mention was made of Bhajan Idol 2019 event chair & JVB VP Ashok Jain; and audio-visual team of Samji Dedhia & Mayank Jain for capturing the exciting moments in video & stills.

Bhajan Idol 2019 Winners

The JVB Preksha Meditation Center conducts regular Preksha Meditation sessions which is the practice of purifying our emotions, consciousness and realizing our own self. Mediation augurs attitudinal change, behavioral modification and integrated development of one’s personality. Started in 1970, Preksha Meditation is the result of the untiring efforts of Ganadhipati Tulsi and Acharya Mahapragya. Preksha Meditation is for everyone, irrespective of his or her race, religion, language, color, gender and belief.

After a quick welcome by JVB President Shashank Jain, Samanijis provided an auspicious start to the event with the Jain prayer of Navkar Mantra.

Thereon, event emcee Nikhil Jain took over and kept the competition lively and interactive. The competition was tough and the judges’ panel of local music gurus - Surendra Talwar, Dipti Kanhere & Sonny of Riyaaz Qawaali chose a winner for each age group. Pooja Ratan won in the kids’ category for her beautiful rendition of “Humko Man Ki Shakti Dena.”

The youth category winner was Mahi Tomar for “Tora Man Darpan Kahalaye”. The adults’ category saw great performances by 15 contestants, and the winner for first place was Soma Chatterjee also for “Humko Man Ki Shakti Dena.”

Local Houston talent was also

Sambhav Jain

JVB Preksha Meditation Center is home to a specially designed Preksha Dhyan ‘Pyramid’ Meditation Hall and is located at 14102 Schiller Rd, Houston, TX 77082. Upcoming events include 10th Annual day celebrations planned for October 12th & 13th; celebrations will include a Adhar Abhishek Pooja, a cultural evening with a hilarious play in Hindi & a speaker panel discussion on Meditation: Stress Management & Beyond.

Apeksha Bandi

India House Houston UNIVERSITY of HOUSTON COLLEGE OF MEDICINE A gift to Houstonians by the efforts of Chancellor Dr. Renu Khator

India House presents the Founding Dean of the College of Medicine, STEPHEN J. SPANN M.D., M.B.A. Wednesday, October 16, 2019 7:00 to 9:00 pm @ India House Stephen J. Spann is a family physician leader, educator & researcher, and Founding Dean of the University of Houston College of Medicine.

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Topics Covered: Growth of University of Houston under Chancellor Renu Khator in the past decade, and the similar expected growth of the College of Medicine.

Tuition paid in full for the inaugural class of the UH College of Medicine.

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Event followed by Q&A Session.

Refreshments will be served after the event.

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DIASPORA

VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

First Indian curator appointed to the British Museum visits Houston and presents on the Kama Sutra

H

OUSTON - Archaeology Now, the Archaeological Institute of America – Houston Society kicked off its 20192020 season, “Stories,” with a story about love and sex at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston on Thursday, Sept.

26.

Amy Poster, curating consultant on South Asian Art for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Dr. Sushma Jansari, the Tabor Foundation Curator of the South Asia Collections at the British Museum, visited Houston to help dispel the misperceptions of one of the most well-known but misunderstood texts of all time, The Kama Sutra.

Dr. Jansari, the first curator of Indian ethnicity to be appointed to the British Museum, lectured at both Rice University and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, placing the Kama Sutra in context and showed how it has influenced Indian cultures for centuries. She explored the role, agency, and representation of women in ancient Indian by looking at and decoding some of the most important and beautiful surviv-

Dr. Sushma Jansari presents shatters stereotypes of the Kama Sutra to a packed house at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. (Photos courtesy Archaeological Institute of America – Houston Society)

Sravana Borkataky-Varma, Dr. Sushma Jansari, and Samhita Shah.

ing sculptures discovering in South Asia.

ham, owner of The Bake Lab, Pondicheri Café held a pri-

vate reception for Dr. Jansari and other VIPs.

- Archaeological Institute of America – Houston Society

nizations with well-developed distribution channels that are in need of compelling content.

These on-the-ground collaborations are nascent but promising.

other developing countries. It became clear that researching and then making the case for changes to these laws would be much easier to do collectively than individually.

rative of philanthropic complementarity, for which our most sophisticated stakeholders have long advocated, were also important.

Prior to the event, Archaeology Now and Anita Jaising-

How 11 humanitarian organizations collaborated to strengthen Indian Americans’ giving and impact Two years after nearly a dozen India-focused organizations in the United States began discussing how they could combine forces to achieve humanitarian goals, they have launched the India Philanthropy Alliance and revealed insights into making complex collaborations work.

by Alex Counts & Bala Venkatachalam

T

here occasionally comes a time when nonprofit organizations working toward similar ends decide that the costs of working in isolation outweigh its benefits, and that a collective approach can bring about greater change. Recently, 11 US-based organizations working toward humanitarian and development goals in India made that leap: the Akanksha Fund, American India Foundation (AIF), Arogya World, CRY America, Dasra, Ekal USA, Foundation for Excellence, Indiaspora, Magic Bus USA, Pratham USA, and VisionSpring. Together, they formally established a coalition called the India Philanthropy Alliance, which publicly launches tomorrow.

As the part-time staff director and a founding member of this group, we are eager to share how we got to this point and some of the lessons we’ve learned along the way.

We believe the highest calling of a nonprofit organization is to identify effective and efficient solutions to address the root causes of societal problems. Today, there are some formidable obstacles to realizing this ideal.

For one, the number of US nonprofits (more than 1.56 million at last count) continues to grow while private donor support shrinks, in part due to the 2017 tax law. Partisan gridlock at many levels of government means that effective policy changes informed by nonprofits’ experiences are difficult to enact, while budget deficits make the allocation of largescale public support for innovative solutions challenging. Furthermore, potential donors and employees make ever-greater demands of the nonprofits that compete for their attention.

These issues impact many nonprofit organizations. The members of our coalition, who all raise money in the United States for humanitarian and development work in India, face additional challenges. Apart from a few notable exceptions, surveys show that a robust culture of philanthropy has yet to take root among Indian Americans—our natural, though far from only, constituency. This is despite their growing affluence. Indeed, one recent study estimates that Indian Americans give at one-third the rate of the overall US population. This is exacerbated by the growing disconnect we observe between second- and third-generation Indian immigrants and the land

of their ancestors. We observe the increasing success of leading universities in capturing seven-, eight-, and even ninefigure commitments from Indian Americans while our own organizations secure very few gifts that large. We hear lingering doubts about the honesty and efficiency of nonprofits in India, despite the success of many of them in professionalizing.

Furthermore, the proliferation of organizations raising money for causes in India and repeatedly asking donors to participate in their many events (especially gala dinners) has led to calls for consolidation and occasional cries of fatigue. There is also a growing perception that India’s needs are disappearing as its overall economy grows. Finally, like many developing countries, India’s philanthropic sector is governed by laws that, while presumably well-intentioned, sometimes stymie effective responses to societal problems from nonprofit organizations.

In this environment, some troubling trends are becoming more common. For example, nonprofit leaders frequently sign grant agreements they know they’ll have difficulty fulfilling.

They also often neglect nurturing connections with leaders of other organizations doing complementary work, resulting in limited peer-level sharing of useful information and insights.

When donors or public officials ask about other organizations working toward similar goals, nonprofit staff and senior volunteers focused on India and raising money in the United States tend to claim ignorance, share dated information, damn with faint praise, or even lightly criticize their competitors. Indeed, we have noticed a “circular firing squad” dynamic becoming more common as the desperate scramble for resources accelerates. Above all, precious little time remains for leaders to: • Explore programmatic synergies with peers.

• Analyze, much less influence, giving trends.

• Advocate for more enlightened public policies related to philanthropy in the United States and India.

We must act now before our fragmented individual efforts undermine the greater good.

Open and honest conversations are a great place to start.

Beginning With Candid Dialogue and Collective Analysis

More than two years ago, a group of leading nonprofits with operations in India and constituency-building efforts in the United States began coming together monthly to chart a different, more collaborative course. Spurred by a concept note written by Alex Counts (co-author of this article and then-CEO of the American India Foundation) and Silicon Valley philanthropist M. R. Rangaswami, as well as by the determined efforts of Bala Venkatachalam (also co-author of this article) and his Pratham USA board chair Deepak Raj to attend the kick-off meeting, the group began to explore things it could do collectively that no individual organization could likely accomplish alone.

Core principles of the collective impact approach to social change—including setting a common agenda, engaging in mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and establishing a lean “backbone” support team—heavily influenced our process. We also drew important lessons from the marriage equality movement’s success, particularly the benefits of recasting self-defeating messages and ensuring that multiple organizations consistently use them in their external communications.

These lessons became powerful filters through which to view the volunteer recruitment and fundraising stagnation many of our organizations were experiencing. Our monthly conference calls and semi-annual, day-long retreats sometimes meandered.

At times, the larger organizations seemed to have little in common with the smaller ones and doubted whether the partnership was worth it. But over many months, we discovered three opportunities our collective action made possible: 1. Active learning and new potential partnerships. Simply building familiarity and rapport among leaders of competitor-peers has proven powerful.

Leadership can be lonely, and first-time nonprofit CEOs in particular can benefit from comparing notes with others navigating similar terrain. Having a platform to facilitate such communication on a regular basis makes it more likely to happen.

In a few cases, relationships we built up around the table are leading to active collaborations.

There are emerging partnerships between an organization that has valuable content on topics such as diabetes prevention but lacks robust distribution channels, for example, and other orga-

2. The power to influence public policy. The group identified a number of public policy changes that, if enacted in the United States or India, could have a galvanizing impact on the entire community’s ability to deliver value to marginalized populations. For example, Indian nonprofits are currently unable to establish even small endowments, include non-Indians (including Indian Americans) in their governing bodies, or bring their own social innovations to

Time is running out to help India reach or exceed its Sustainable Development Goal commitments and realize a better world that so many of us envision. Organizations going it alone make success harder for themselves and others with shared goals, while by working together we can achieve the changes we all want to see.

3. Clearer, more consistent messaging. We concluded that the cacophony of inconsistent, confusing, and ineffective messages, sometimes delivered at events scheduled in the same city on the same night due to lack of coordination, was a factor contributing to the lower levels of Indian American giving, especially to India-based causes. Antiquated approaches to fundraising and the inability to consistently articulate a nar-

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FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

Deaths from heavy monsoon Outcry as Pakistan appoints rise to nearly 140 in eastern India new envoy to UN

I

SLAMABAD, Pakistan | AFP | Tuesday 10/1/2019 - A decision by Pakistan to appoint a former diplomat as its ambassador to the United Nations has sparked criticism over his alleged involvement in a domestic violence dispute in 2002.

Munir Akram "has been appointed as Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in New York, in place of Dr. Maleeha Lodhi," the country's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement late Monday.

Akram served a previous stint in the post from 2002 to 2008.

With overflowing drains throughout the city, water has also entered different houses in many localities of Patna. (Photo: PTI)

P

ATNA, India | AFP | Tuesday 10/1/2019 The death toll in eastern India from torrential late monsoon rains has risen to nearly 140, officials said Tuesday as hospitals and schools were inundated with dirty rainwater.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the current monsoon has been the heaviest since 1994, classifying it "above normal", and this year's season has been longer than usual.

Bihar, government officials told AFP.

Over the past four days 111 people have died in Uttar Pradesh state and another 28 lost their lives in neighbouring

Although the rains have stopped, large swathes of the city remained submerged, with schools and shops shut.

Some 900 inmates had to be shifted from a Ballia district prison in Uttar Pradesh to "ensure their safety and health" after rainwater flooded the premises.

Residents of Patna -- the capital of Bihar, home to two million people -- used lifeboats to escape heavily waterlogged homes.

Images showed rainwater swamping hospital wards and residential areas where disaster management officials delivered milk, bananas and drinking water pouches on inflatable boats.

The woman told police dispatchers that the envoy had smashed her head into a wall, that her arm hurt and that he had hit her before, according to the newspaper accounts.

"In spite of late monsoon onset and large deficient rainfall during the month of June, the seasonal rainfall ended in above normal category," the IMD said on Monday.

The case could have had potentially embarrassing diplomatic ramifications.

by Shahid Hashmi

K

ARACHI, Pakistan | AFP | Wednesday 10/2/2019 - Pakistan thwarted a spirited career-best century by Danushka Gunathilaka to defeat Sri Lanka by five wickets in the third and final one-day international in Karachi on Wednesday, taking the three-match series in the process.

Pakistan won the second match by 67 runs while the first match was rained off without a ball being bowled -- both also in Karachi.

Pakistan were indebted to Fakhar Zaman (76) and Abid Ali (74) who provided a solid 123-run opening stand in 20 overs before Haris Sohail (56) and Iftikhar Ahmed chipped in with a 22-ball 28 not out.

"It wasn't an easy target but thanks to Abid and others who showed positive intent, they helped us chased it down," said Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Sri Lanka skipper Lahiru Thirimanne praised his young team who had been depleted by the withdrawal of 10 top players due to security fears in Pakistan.

"I am really happy with this team's performance," said Thirimanne. "We scored a good total of 297 but then did not execute our plans in the first ten overs of bowling.

"Overall I am happy with the team and the arrangements in Pakistan and will encourage other teams to come here and play."

Pakistan needed 37 in the last five overs as Iftikhar cut loose, hitting a six and a boundary to bring up victory -- Pakistan's eighth consecutive ODI win over Sri Lanka since 2017.

Sohail and Iftikhar hit three fours and a six apiece.

Abid drove 10 well-timed boundaries in his 67-ball innings and looked set for his second hundred in his fourth ODI before he was trapped leg-before by spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.

Zaman hit seven fours and a six in his 91-ball knock before becoming paceman Nuwan Pradeep's first of two wickets for 53 runs.

Babar Azam, who struck a brilliant hundred in the second game, made 31 before being trapped lbw by Pradeep skipper Sarfaraz managed 23.

According to press reports, New York police were called to Akram's home on December 10, 2002 by a woman who alleged the envoy had beaten her.

The annual monsoon season usually lasts from June to September but late heavy rains have continued to lash several parts of the country this year, wreaking havoc.

Gunathilaka century in vain as Pakistan clinch series

Gunathilaka's 134-ball 133 lifted Sri Lanka to a challenging 297-9 in their 50 overs but Pakistan chased down the target in 48.2 overs for their first series win in 15 months.

But in January 2003 the United States asked Pakistan to waive Akram's diplomatic immunity so that he could be prosecuted on assault charges.

At the time, Pakistan was a key US ally in the war on terror, and had just taken up a seat on the UN Security Council, which was then considering whether to authorise military action against Iraq.

Munir Akram served a previous stint in the post from 2002 to 2008 (AFP Photo/Stan Honda) Akram, who enjoys full diplomatic immunity, was never charged.

Even so his return to the post ignited a swift backlash Tuesday, many from women angered over the decision.

"In the age of #MeToo, the appointment... sends absolutely the wrong message to Pakistan men AND women; being a domestic violence perpetrator will earn you not just protection from the government but also not harm your career," wrote feminist author Bina Shah in a statement posted on Twitter.

Others decried Akram's age -- he is in his 70s -- and his hawkishness over Pakistan's arch-rival India, with Pakistani media suggesting that his ap-

pointment hints at a new, more aggressive policy by Islamabad over the disputed region of Kashmir.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals are high after New Delhi in August moved to strip the portion of Kashmir which it runs of its autonomy.

However many also praised him as a seasoned diplomat who would take up the role just as Pakistan is trying to rally the international community to challenge India over Kashmir.

The widely-respected Lodhi, who had served in the post for four years, said on Twitter that she had planned to move on after last week's UN General Assembly, and wished Akram luck in the role.

Pakistani Kashmir leader sees hope in US, China response to India

by Shaun Tandon

W

Pakistan won the second match by 67 runs. (AFP Photo)

Anshuman Gaekwad resigns from CAC

A

nshuman Gaekwad, on Wednesday (October 2), sent his resignation from the Cricket Advisory Committee to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri.

The former India opener said that he didn't wish to be a part of the CAC, which had appointed the head coaches of the Indian men's and women's team, after he learnt that the two other members - Shanta Rangaswamy and Kapil Dev - had resigned from the Committee.

"I decided to resign since was given to learn that Kapil Dev and Shanta had also resigned from the position and that Mr (Vinod) Rai believed that the committee does The matches revived oneday international cricket in Karachi after a gap of ten years.

International teams had mainly stayed away from Pakistan following the deadly attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009.

Pakistan did not stage international cricket for six years before Zimbabwe toured in 2015 followed by visits from a World XI, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

- Gunathilaka stars for Sri Lanka Earlier, Gunathilaka anchored Sri Lanka's innings after they won the toss and batted.

The 28-year-old left-hander hit 16 fours and a six for his second ODI hundred.

Gunathilaka, suspended twice for breaches of discipline in the last two years, held the innings together with stands of 88 with Thirimanne (36) for the second wicket, 50 for the third with Angelo Perera (13) and 74 with debutant

"I decided to resign since was given to learn that Kapil Dev and Shanta had also resigned from the position." not exist," Gaekwad told Cricbuzz. "I sent my resignation just so that even if there was any technical ground on which the committee still existed, I didn't want to be a part of it."

DK Jain, BCCI's Ethics officer, had earlier sent a notice to Gaekwad over conflict of interest over his position of being a director in the Indian Cricketers Association while also being involved with the CAC. - Cricbuzz Minod Bhanuka (36) for the fourth.

He was finally dismissed in the 45th over, bowled by paceman Mohammad Amir who was the best Pakistani bowler with 3-50.

It was Amir who gave Pakistan an early breakthrough when he had Avishka Fernando caught behind for four

by Sarfaraz who was leading Pakistan for the 50th time in an ODI. Gunathilaka defied Pakistan's bowling with guts and determination, improving his previous ODI best of 116 he made against Zimbabwe at Hambantota in 2017.

Thirimanne hit four boundaries off 54 balls while Bhanuka had two sixes in his 39-ball knock.

All-rounder Dasun Shanaka hit a 24-ball 43 with five fours and two sixes as Sri Lanka added 50 in the last five overs.

The two teams will now play three Twenty20 internationals -- all in Lahore -- on October 5, 7 and 9.

ASHINGTON | AFP | Tuesday 10/1/2019 - The leader of the Pakistani side of divided Kashmir is hopeful that India's clampdown in the Himalayan territory has reached a turning point -bringing US pressure.

Sardar Masood Khan was visiting Washington to meet lawmakers, media and experts after India on August 5 rescinded autonomy on its side and sharply curtailed ordinary people's communications.

Sardar Masood Khan, president of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, says he sees growing pressure on India (AFP Photo/Mandel Ngan)

"There is a palpable shift in the United States," Khan, president of the section that Pakistanis call "Azad," or "Free," Kashmir, told AFP.

Kashmir, the trigger for two full-fledged wars between the nuclear-armed powers, has long inflamed passions in both countries.

"The pro-India sentiment here in the United States prior to the August 5 steps was very strong because of the strong economic and strategic ties between the United States and India. But this is changing fast," he said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, addressing the United Nations last week, accused India of plotting a "bloodbath" by sending in troops.

As evidence, he pointed to how a number of lawmakers have criticized the Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies in what had been India's sole Muslimmajority state.

This week, 14 Democrats led by Representative Pramila Jayapal urged Modi to restore internet and cellular service for Kashmiris, saying in a letter that US residents had been unable to reach relatives.

President Donald Trump has literally rallied behind Modi, joining him at a mass gathering last month in Houston, but the State Department has asked India to bring back communications and release detained political leaders.

Khan said he was also grateful to US and international media, who have faced restrictions in Indian Kashmir.

"The media has after decades spoken up for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and not the Indian establishment, so that's a major change," he said.

India justifies its measures by saying it wanted to better integrate Kashmir and was trying to avoid trouble stirred up

by Pakistan, which it accuses of arming and training guerillas.

- 'Seething with anger' -

But he has also publicly discouraged infiltration into the Indian side, which he said would hurt the cause.

Sardar Masood Khan said that youths in Pakistani Kashmir were "seething with anger" and wanted to "fight for the rights of their brothers and sisters."

"While we respect their sentiments and we share their sentiments, we do not want any unregulated activity across the Line of Control," he said.

India also ended restrictions on non-Kashmiris buying land in the Himalayan territory formerly known as Jammu and Kashmir.

Khan accused India of following an Israeli model, encouraging Hindus to settle in Kashmir and "reduce the Kashmiri or Muslim majority in the state."

But Khan said he recognized the rights of Kashmir's historic Hindu community, known as Pandits. Some 200,000 Pandits fled the Kashmir Valley after an insurgency against India erupted in 1989.

"They should be brought back, they should be reintegrated into the mainstream and they should be given all sorts of guarantees for their protection -- physical protection and protection of their rights," Khan said.

Khan, a former Pakistani am-

bassador to Beijing, hailed the role of China which arranged a rare Security Council meeting on Kashmir in August.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also mentioned Kashmir in his address to the United Nations, calling for neither side to "unilaterally change the status quo."

"The people of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan are grateful to China for speaking up for the Kashmiris," Khan said.

The United States has questioned why Pakistan is not also raising concerns about China, which according to rights groups has detained around one million Uighurs and other Muslims in re-education camps in western Xinjiang region in a step Washington says is reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

Khan -- who accused India of "genocide" in Kashmir -- said that the two situations were "completely different."

"Occupied Kashmir is a disputed territory that doesn't belong to India and what they're doing now is colonization," he said.

Speaking of his past experiences in Xinjiang, Khan said China was "taking affirmative action to develop the region economically" and to "integrate" ethnic groups.

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, who was also visiting Washington, said China had no business raising Kashmir as New Delhi had not changed the status quo on the international front.

But he also declined to join US criticism of China on Xinjiang, saying: "Human rights comments are a much greater part of the Western political culture than the Asian."

WORLD / US

VOICE OF ASIA 10

US election 2020

Sanders, Buttigieg post solid fundraising numbers

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

Trans woman aims to make history in US Supreme Court

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ASHINGTON | AFP | Tuesday 10/1/2019 - Six years after losing her job at a Detroit funeral home, Aimee Stephens is taking her case to the US Supreme Court for a landmark hearing on whether a civil rights law barring sex discrimination at work protects transgender people.

"I was raised on a farm. I'm not afraid of getting a little dirty," said Stephens.

In a week, the nation's highest court will examine for the first time the rights of a community that, despite growing visibility, are still a major target for discrimination, particularly at work.

Stephens's sacking will be at the heart of the debate. She's taking a risk but is determined to champion the cause of transgender workers at the United States' highest court.

Senator Bernie Sanders raised $25.3 million in the third quarter to fund his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. (AFP Photo/Scott Eisen)

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ASHINGTON | AFP | Tuesday 10/1/2019 - Senator Bernie Sanders and Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced solid fundraising numbers on Tuesday that position them to stay in the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination race despite soft poll results.

The Sanders campaign said the 78-year-old senator from Vermont raised $25.3 million in the third quarter of the year from 1.4 million donations.

Sanders raised $18 million in the second quarter and a total of $61.5 million since launching his bid for the Democratic White House nomination in February.

The Buttigieg campaign said the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, raised $19.1 million during the July through September period from 580,000 unique donors.

Buttigieg raised $24.9 million in the second quarter and a total of $51 million since the

beginning of the year.

lution," Shakir said.

The campaigns for frontrunners Joe Biden, 76, Barack Obama's former vice president, and Elizabeth Warren, 70, the senator from Massachusetts, have not yet released their fundraising totals for the quarter.

The Buttigieg campaign said in a statement that it has the "resources to go the full distance, and to win, the 2020 nominating contests."

The latest average of national polls by the RealClear Politics website has Biden leading the crowded field with 27.2 percent, Warren at 23 percent, Sanders at 17.8 percent, Buttigieg at 5.4 percent and California Senator Kamala Harris at 4.6 percent.

"Bernie is proud to be the only candidate running to defeat Donald Trump who is 100 percent funded by grassroots donations," Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said in a statement.

"Media elites and professional pundits have tried repeatedly to dismiss this campaign, and yet working-class Americans keep saying loudly and clearly that they want a political revo-

The 19 Democrats in the field had until Tuesday to be selected -- on the basis of their polling and donor numbers -- for the next Democratic debate to be held on October 15 at Otterbein University in Ohio.

The official list of the as many as 12 candidates allowed to take part in the debate has not been announced yet.

Born a boy 58 years ago, Stephens sensed the conflict in her identity since the age of five.

But social opinion was not favorable towards questions of gender identity, so Stephens lived as a man, marrying and working as a funeral director.

In 2010, suffering from depression, Stephens came out to her wife, who accepted her true identity. Stephens then began dressing as a woman at home, or for small outings. But for work, she continued to dress in men's clothing.

"I had been living two lives: one at home, one at work. As time goes on, I got to a point where being two people was becoming downright impossible,"

Sanders undergoes heart surgery

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en. Bernie Sanders experienced “chest discomfort” on Tuesday night and will suspend campaigning “until further notice” after doctors treated a blockage in an artery, senior adviser Jeff Weaver said in a statement Wednesday.

“Following medical evaluation and testing he was found to have a blockage in one artery and two stents were successfully inserted,” Weaver said. “Sen. Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days."

Aimee Stephens, a transgender woman, has taken her fight for workplace protections against discrimination to the US Supreme Court. (AFP Photo/Charles William Kelly) Stephens said Monday during a press conference in Michigan, where she lives.

The weight of her double life became so much that she began to contemplate suicide. "I ended (up) in my backyard with a gun on my chest," she said.

But "I realized I liked myself too much to just disappear."

Stephens decided to assume her female identity completely, beginning by telling some colleagues. In the summer of 2013, after a long internal debate, she wrote a letter to her employer to explain her situation and request a female uniform.

Two weeks later, the response came: "This is not going to work," her boss wrote, firing her. He offered her three months' salary if she agreed to forego any legal action.

"It hurt," Stephens admitted.

"I went home, talked with my wife. She agreed that it wasn't right, that we need to do something about it."

Stephens took her case to court, explaining that "it was time that somebody stood up and said enough is enough."

The first judge ruled in favor of Stephens's former boss Thomas Rost, a devout Christian, citing a law that protects religious freedoms.

Stephens struggled to find an-

other job and finally had to give up the hunt due to a kidney failure that requires her to undergo dialysis three times a week.

Her financial situation deteriorated, as did her morale.

But things started to look up in March 2018: a federal appeals court ruled that her firing violated federal law forbidding sex discrimination in the workplace.

Rost appealed again, this time to the Supreme Court. He said Stephens's case imperiled his freedom of conscience, as well as risked upsetting his clients during their mourning process.

Rost has found an ally in President Donald Trump. The billionaire Republican has already rolled back several protective measures for transgender people, most notably his predecessor Barack Obama's decision to allow trans soldiers to enlist in the military.

The Trump administration claims that federal law barring discrimination on the basis of sex only applies to biological sex, not sexual identity or orientation.

On Tuesday, Stephens will be in Washington for the hearing, where she hopes to run into her former employer. "They never really got the chance to see me as the woman I am," she said.

WE HAVE A PLAN FOR TRAFFIC. 500 miles* of travel improvements whether you ride or drive.

75 miles of new METRORapid bus service that operates like light rail, including an extension to Bush Airport

21 new or improved suburban Park & Rides and transit centers 16 miles of light rail, with a METRORail extension to Hobby Airport 110 miles of a Regional Express Network including two-way HOV Lanes

290 miles of BOOST and Signature bus service, plus accessibility and usability improvements for the disabled and seniors

Find out more at:

*Approximate mileage pending final implementation

METRONext.org

VOICE OF ASIA 11

Fort Bend View

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

Sugar Land, Katy, Stafford, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenberg and Meadows Place

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

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www.voiceofasia.news

FBISD Board approves new Deputy Superintendent and Chief Human Resources Officer

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ORT BEND ISD (September 27, 2019) ― At a recent Board meeting, the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees approved Diana Sayavedra as the new Deputy Superintendent and Gwyn Touchet as the Chief Human Resources Officer.

Diana Sayavedra recently served as Fort Bend ISD’s Chief Academic Officer. Prior to that, she held the position of Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Pflugerville ISD. Sayavedra holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master of Science in Education Administration from Texas A&M International University. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Education Administration at Texas A&M University.

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The seminar – titled “Super Charged: Powering Your Way through Your Cancer Journey” is open to anyone who has experienced cancer, from those recently diagnosed to individuals who have completed treat-

Tel: 713-774-5140

Going Up! Sugar Land City Council approves several tax rate hikes

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ugar Land City Council approved a $272.6 million 2020 budget at its meeting Sept. 17 and along with it, they approved a tax rate hike of 33.4 cents, the city announced in a press release Thursday.

Water Utility Rates: The city has also instituted a 5% increase to water and wastewater rates and a 10% increase to surface water fees in January 2020.

Gwyn Touchet was named Chief Human Resources Officer after currently serving as Executive Director of Talent Management for the District.

She has 11 years of experience in Fort Bend ISD’s Human Resources Department.

She began her career in education as a middle school science teacher.

Touchet earned her bachelor’s degree at McMurry University, and a Master of Education at the University of Houston – Victoria.

ment. The seminar is scheduled on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fort Bend Family YMCA, 4433 Cartwright Road in Missouri City.

Breakfast and lunch will be served, and each survivor may bring one caregiver.

“At Houston Methodist Sugar Land, we recognize that cancer survivorship begins at the moment of diagnosis and continues through treatment and beyond,” said Amy

Sebastian-Deutsch, director of oncology and infusion services at Houston Methodist Sugar Land. “The journey is disruptive and involves a great number of emotional and physical challenges. But learning what to expect and how to respond can be extremely powerful.

With the proper information and support, survivors can take back control of their lives.”

The seminar will focus on the four key elements of cancer

Residential Tax: "Overall the average residential tax bill will only increase $24, or approximately 2 percent, due to a strategic increase to the homestead exemption from 10 percent to 12 percent approved by the City Council in June," the city wrote in the release.

survivorship – physical, social, psychological and spiritual well-being.

The morning activities will begin with a panel discussion on managing the side effects of cancer treatment, featuring Kirtan D. Nautiyal, M.D., medical oncologist with Houston Methodist Oncology Partners in Sugar Land; Waqar Haque, M.D., radiation oncologist with Houston Methodist Radiation Oncology Group at Houston Methodist West Hospital; and Channon Hudgins, M.D., palliative care specialist at Houston Methodist Sugar Land. The other morning session will focus on the finan-

Solid waste rates will increase by 2.5% — from $18.91 to $19.38 — consistent with the contract for services.

What this means for program funding

They will continue to invest in technology to enhance traffic and mobility responsiveness

What this means for residents' wallets Diana Sayavedra (left) will be the new Deputy Superintendent and Gwyn Touchet (right) has been chosen to be the Chief Human Resources Officer. (Photos: FBISD)

Solid Waste Rates:

The city will give priority to increasing funding for infrastructure, rehabilitation for streets, sidewalks, facilities, parks and drainage

The city says these changes would "directly benefit residents and enhance the quality of life in Sugar Land with little change in the average residential tax bill."

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital offers free cancer survivorship seminar UGAR LAND — Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is offering a free seminar designed to help cancer survivors overcome the many challenges a cancer diagnosis brings.

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Section 2

They will supplement traffic safety resources They will prioritize the final phases of projects previously approved by voters This means residents' monthly bills will see an approximate 7% increase which amounts to an average $5 more per month.

You can find more information about this on the Sugar Land city website: www.sugarlandtx.gov

cial and social implications of a cancer diagnosis, featuring Stephen King of King Insurance Services and other invited presenters.

engines’ to deal with their diagnosis and discover ways that they can thrive despite their challenges,” said SebastianDeutsch. “We will give survivors and caregivers the tools and momentum they need to help them along their journey.”

After lunch, the seminar will include more intimate sessions on the emotional and psychological aspects of cancer, featuring a local psychologist, and an uplifting look at the critical role that spiritual strength can play in overcoming challenges, featuring Thomas Thompson, program director of hospital missions at Houston Methodist Sugar Land.

“The seminar is called ‘Super Charged’ because our goal is to help participants ‘rev their

Individual registration is required and space is limited. Sign up today by visiting events.houstonmethodist.org/ supercharged-sl or by calling 281.274.7500.

To learn more about Houston Methodist Cancer Center at Sugar Land, visit houstonmethodist.org/cancer-sl or houstonmethodist.org/sugarland.

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

BOLLYWOOD - HOLLYWOOD Section 2

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www.voiceofasia.news

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Email: voiceasia@aol.com

'Shakuntala Devi': Vidya Balan and Sanya Malhotra star as mother-daughter roles Vidya Balan and Sanya Malhotra who play mother and daughter in 'Shakuntala Devi' start their script reading session.

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idya Balan has kickstarted the shoot of her upcoming film, Shakuntala Devi in which she plays the titular role. For the uninitiated Shakuntala Devi was a mental calculator who was also called as the human-computer. Just a few days after unveiling Vidya's first look from the film, the makers announced that Sanya Malhotra has been roped in to play her onscreen daughter Anupama Banerji in the film. Sanya also shared her excitement on bagging this role.

Earlier talking about being a part of Shakuntala Devi, Sanya said in a statement, "I am very excited to play the iconic Shakuntala Devi’s daughter -

'Shakuntala Devi': Onscreen mother-daughter duo Vidya Balan and Sanya Malhotra kickstart script reading session for film. (Image: Instagram) Anupama Banerji. Everyone knows the achievements of the math genius Shakuntala Devi. I’m thrilled to bring onscreen this dynamic mother-daughter relationship and equally thrilled to work with Vidya Balan. Also looking forward to my first association with

Sony Pictures Networks Productions and Vikram Malhotra."

The film is being helmed by Anu Menon and shooting is taking place in London. Shakuntala Devi is releasing in Summer 2020.

Aleppo film-maker vows to continue showing reality of Syria

by Linda Abi Assi

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ONDON | AFP | Thursday 9/26/2019 - A Syrian filmmaker whose documentary on the siege of Aleppo brought a Cannes audience to tears has said she wants to show the world the reality of her country.

For Kateab, the film is more than the story of one family's struggle.

Saif Ali Khan will be the first guest on Kareena Kapoor Khan's radio show reboot and they were an absolute delight to watch outside the sets!

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UMBAI, Monday, Sep 30, 2019 - Kareena Kapoor Khan is back with the second season of her radio show 'What Women Want'. The Bollywood actress, who recently wrapped up the grand finale of her Television show 'Dance India Dance', is ready to take on the radio show yet again.

Interestingly, as the reboot of What Women Want takes place, Kareena Kapoor Khan would introduce the

first guest as her very own husband, Saif Ali Khan. Saif and Kareena, who shot for the first episode of the show, wrapped it up, and later ended up posing for the papparazzi.

Putting their fashionable food forward, even in casuals, both Kareena and Saif complimented each other well. Saif went all out since he even held a coffee mug which belongs to Kareena's show.

- DNA News

Trouble over Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan's property, case filed

Waad al-Kateab's powerful and intimate film "For Sama" is a love letter to her infant daughter, documenting the desperate conditions she and her husband were living through, in case they didn't survive.

Charting five years of her life from student protester to wife and young mother in Syria's battle-ravaged second city, it won an emotional standing ovation at the Cannes film festival in May.

Kareena Kapoor Khan reboots her radio show and hubby Saif Ali Khan to inaugurate it

Waad al-Kateab's film 'For Sama' won an emotional standing ovation at the Cannes film festival in May, and left many in the audience in tears (AFP Photo/ Loic Venance)

"It's a realistic depiction of everything that's happening now in the country," she told AFP on Wednesday in London, where the documentary is touring.

"Unfortunately, the world is deaf and blind to what is happening, but as Syrians, our goal is to continue to tell and share Syria's story."

Kateab was just 20 when pro-democracy protests broke out, triggering a bloody crackdown by loyalists of President Bashar al-Assad that has killed 370,000 people and displaced millions.

The northern city of Aleppo suffered some of the heaviest fighting after rebels seized its eastern sector in 2012.

The case has been filed against property dealer. (Photo: AFP)

The young film-maker's goal was to document the desperate conditions of life in the city as regime forces closed in -- along with the joy of falling in love and the excitement of becoming a mother.

run and they were forced into exile, leaving the city as part of a huge civilian evacuation.

Kataeb then set about bringing her footage together into a feature-length production that would capture the imagination of audiences "tired of war films or films on Syria".

When she and her husband Hamza, on a trip to Turkey to see his sick father, heard regime forces were poised to cut off the city's east completely, they decided to return.

"So our challenge was to come up with a film that was different," she said.

Within an hour, they had packed and were on a treacherous journey, dodging shells and sneaking past government troops into the now-besieged part of the city.

The result is a brutally honest, moving portrayal of life under siege: the absurdity of laughter as missiles crash down overhead, the snowball fights, the aching grief of two boys grieving over their brother.

Hamza, a medic, threw himself into work at a hospital which at one point hosted 300 casualties in a single day -before itself being hit by an air strike.

Kataeb dedicated herself to filming the situation, while wrestling with the question of whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter.

After six months, Aleppo was over-

Kataeb said her aim was "to continue to describe in a way that is true and real what is happening in Syria".

Waad al-Kateab poster

www. voiceofasia.news Read the latest articles and news on BOLLYWOOD /HOLLYWOOD & ENTERTAINMENT Visit : www. voiceofasia.news

"It's not a civil war, it's a revolution, and unfortunately, we the Syrian people are the ones paying the price," she said.

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UMBAI - Actress Sara Ali Khan's ancestral property worth crores is now embroiled in legal trouble.

Uttarakhand Police had set up an SIT to probe the purported sale of the land and following its report indicating fraud, an FIR has been filed.

Talking to IANS, Inspector General of Police, Garhwal, Ajay Rautela said that a case of fraud was filed at the Clement Town police station on Sunday.

"Prima facie, the allegations seem justified. We will conduct a detailed probe. So far no one has been arrested."

The IG said that the case has been filed against property dealer Dinesh Juyal, who had negotiated sale of the land in question to a party for Rs 39 crore, and between April 29 and July 4, a sun of Rs 6.25 crore had already been handed over.

According the Clement Town police, Juyal began delaying the registration of the property, and when the buyer talked to the actual owner, it was found out that no sale process had been initiated from their side.

The Bimbet family, of which Sara is a maternal descendant, had around 20 bighas of land in Clement Town.

Till January 19 this year, it was in the name of Madhusudan Bimbet, the maternal uncle of Sara's mother and former actress Amrita Singh.

There was also an ongoing dispute between Amrita Singh and her aunt Tahira Bimbet over the property.

However, after the death of Madhusudan Bimbet in January, Tahira Bimbet became the owner, and it was then Juyal stepped in and complicated the matters.

- IANS

VOICE OF ASIA 13

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

HOLLYWOOD - BOLLYWOOD Section 2

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www.voiceofasia.news

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Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Star DiCaprio urged to cut support for India river project

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio takes a photograph in the gardens of the Taj Mahal during a visit to India in 2015. (Photo: AFP/STR)

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EW DELHI | AFP | Thursday 9/26/2019 - Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio has been asked by Indian environmentalists to withdraw his backing for a contentious river rejuvenation programme led by a celebrity globetrotting mystic.

The Coalition for Environmental Justice in India said DiCaprio's endorsement of the so-called Cauvery Calling tree-planting campaign was ill-advised.

The campaign, the brainchild of Indian guru Jaggi Vasudev, aims to revive and replenish the Cauvery river in southern India, a lifeline for millions.

Vasudev, widely known as Sadhguru, is the founder of the Isha Foundation -- a non-profit that boasts millions of followers.

It propagates spiritual health through yoga and meditation.

DiCaprio endorsed Sadhguru's campaign on his Facebook page last Saturday, calling on people to join the Isha Foundation in its "fight to preserve the Cauvery river".

The 'Titanic' star and his environmental charity Earth Sense hosted

A plan to plant trees along the Cauvery River has met with resistance.

The Cauvery Calling campaign was launched by the NGO Isha Foundation, led by the globe-trotting mystic Jaggi Vasudev, who's widely known as Sadhguru

Sadhguru Vasudev has defended his foundation's tree-planting campaign (AFP Photo/Money Sharma) Sadhguru at an event in Los Angeles last year.

Slamming the endorsement, Leo F. Saldanha said Sadhguru's programme did not take into account the river basin's realities and its future well being.

"It appears to be a programme that presents, rather simplistically, that the

river can be saved by planting trees on banks of her streams, rivulets, tributaries and the floodplains of the river," he wrote in an open letter to DiCaprio.

Such a programme could result in drying up of streams and rivulets, he said, upsetting the ecological balance of the region.

The letter has been endorsed by some 90 environment protection groups and activists.

Last month, Sadhguru was photographed with his flowing white beard aboard a superbike as he kickstarted an awareness drive about the campaign, which aims to plant some 2.4 billion trees in the river basin in exchange for online donations.

In a statement mailed to AFP Thursday, his foundation said the concerns expressed in the letter were mis-

Asia's top film festival opens in shadow of 'Parasite'

placed.

"The Cauvery Calling campaign is a comprehensive plan to plant trees on a portion of private farm land in Cauvery basin districts," it said.

"Nowhere have we said about planting trees on any public land on the banks of the river."

Sadhguru regularly attends Hollywood and Bollywood events, gives interviews to celebrity hosts and hands out advice to the rich and the famous.

Couple marry in the first ever Bollywood wedding at Disneyland Paris

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couple just fulfilled every Disney fanatic’s wildest dreams after they tied the knot in the very first Bollywood wedding at Disneyland Paris.

Varun Bhanot, 29, and Anisha Seth, 29, said “I do” in the history-making affair over a magical two-day bash held at the French capital’s fairytale kingdom.

Merging Bollywood and Disney, the newlyweds exchanged vows in a midnight ceremony outside of the worldfamous castle and later threw a Hindu gathering by the theme park’s lake.

On the big day, 350 guests feasted on a banquet inspired by Aladdin with Indian and Middle Eastern gracing the tables

This year's Busan International Film Festival opens with Kazakh director Yerlan Nurmukhambetov's 'The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time' (AFP Photo/Ed Jones)

by Mathew Scott

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USAN, South Korea | AFP | Tuesday, 9/30/2019 - Organisers of Asia's top film festival, which opens in Busan this week, warn that a surge of global interest in the critically acclaimed South Korean movie "Parasite" masks a damaging underinvestment in local independent cinema.

Bong Joon-ho's darkly comic tale of class war in the Seoul suburbs won the Palme D'or for best film at Cannes and is firming as an Oscar favourite next year, in what would be the first ever win for a Korean film.

It has been sold to 192 international markets -- a record for a local production -- and has already grossed just over $90 million ahead of its highly anticipated October 11 release in the United States.

The film is a crowning achievement for veteran director Bong, whose works have been lauded by the likes of Quentin Tarantino and two-time collaborator Tilda Swinton.

His work has long been championed by the Busan International Film Festival, a gala event dedicated to both unearthing new independent Asian talent and connecting emerging filmmakers with financiers.

But Parasite's breakout success "hides a crisis" in the local film industry at large, said Nam Dongchul, programme director at BIFF. Nam said investors and cinema chains needed to help smaller independent productions find an au-

If that wasn’t enough to make the event worthy of the small screen, the newlyweds shared their first dance with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy - who all danced to Bhangra at the one-of-a-kind bash.

dience in a market dominated by Hollywood-funded blockbusters.

"We have indeed been lazy with building a strong foothold where new talents can blossom," he said.

"We can take advantage of opportunity only when independent and art films have a stable market share."

In traditional fashion, the bride wore a grand total of four dresses which included a white wedding gown followed by a series of vibrant lehengas.

Celebrating the wedding well into the early hours of the morning, guests danced the night away in a Moulin Rouge-themed disco.

- Star-studded programme Bong is not slated to appear at BIFF this year as he tours the world promoting his latest work, but the spotlight will shine on an impressive collection of acclaimed international award winners.

"Call Me By Your Name" star Timothee Chalamet and Indian Oscar winner A.R. Rahman of "Slumdog Millionaire" are expected to either grace the red carpet during the opening gala on Thursday or make an appearance in the days that follow.

"Leaving Las Vegas" director Mike Figgis will head the jury for the festival's main awards, while Japanese auteur Kore-eda Hirokazu will be in town to collect the Asian filmmaker of the year award and to present his latest feature, "The Truth".

The Korean star parade will be led by opening night co-host Lee Hanee, fresh from the success of her actioner "Extreme Job", now the second-highest grossing in Korean cinema history.

Local films will take pride of place with 20 world premieres in the Korean Cinema Today section alone.

There's a nod to the rising influ-

AR Rahman will appear at the opening ceremony of BIFF. (Photo:Reuters)

ence of streaming platforms with four Netflix original productions on the programme, along with the world premiere of the much-anticipated Malaysia-HBO co-production "The Garden of Evening Mists".

Thursday's opening film is acclaimed Kazakh director Yerlan Nurmukhambetov's "The Horse Thieves.

Roads of Time", starring 2018 Cannes best actress winner Samal Yesleyamova.

His last appearance at BIFF saw him awarded the prestigious New Currents prize for early career directors with his drama "Walnut Tree" in 2015.

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O O R P

BIFF runs from October 3 to 12 and features 303 films from 85 countries.

The bride, who is a self-confessed fan of ‘Cinderella’ and ‘The Lion King’, said: “It was amazing but tiring, and I know our guests had a great time.

I think it was definitely one of those things that you know has never been done.”

- Yahoo! Style UK

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VOICE OF ASIA 14

Section 2

Young Life

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

www.voiceofasia.news

In US capital, teen honors victims of everyday gun violence

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

Tel: 713-774-5140

Does your child or teen experience migraines?

What to know

Guideline say there are effective treatments for children and teens for migraine attacks when they occur. (Photo: dragana991 / iStock via Getty Images Plus) Lauryn Renford, now 17, was the driving force behind a Washington DC mural in memory of five African-American teens killed in gun violence. (AFP Photo/Alastair Pike)

by Ian Timberlake

W

ASHINGTON | AFP | Tuesday 10/1/2019 - The row of trendy restaurants surrounding an office of the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington reflects the refined tastes of a gentrifying capital.

But down an alley, a mural depicts a very different drama playing out almost daily elsewhere in the same city.

There on the wall are the faces of five African-American teens shot dead, including Lauryn Renford's boyfriend, 16-year-old Zaire Kelly.

Renford, 17, was the driving force behind the mural, a recently inaugurated memorial to the slain youths.

"I think there's something very special about these five on the wall," says Renford, who sees their stories as representing other victims too.

In a country where mass shootings dominate the headlines, the mural is a reminder of more common, everyday gun crime, the victims often AfricanAmericans, their deaths too frequently overlooked except by grieving friends and family.

Kelly was attacked in an apparent robbery attempt on his way home from studies. Jamahri Sydnor, 17, was shot while driving, the victim of an "unintended killing" according to DC Witness, a website that tracks Washington homicide cases.

going to wake up in the morning and find out that I've lost another student".

In a Washington with more and more condominiums and sleek restaurants, but a declining African-American population, Renford says making the city safer should be a task for everyone and not just a "black and brown conversation."

She joined two other Thurgood Marshall students to found an activist group, Pathways 2 Power, because they want "a seat at the decision-making table" on issues surrounding gun violence.

- Poverty, inequity The group helped her raise the roughly $12,000 needed for the mural painted by local artist Martin Swift on donated wall space.

Renford sees many roots for the violence, including poverty, gentrification, localized "beefs," and "not valuing the lives of people around you...

not even your own life."

Lee highlights the need to address the inequities between Washington's wealthier neighborhoods and those where people struggle.

Armed police officers wait at the front steps of Thurgood Marshall while students in tan pants and burgundy shirts file into Martin Luther King Junior Avenue Southeast, where cars pass playing rap music.

Across the street is Bethlehem Baptist Church, the "Black Workers and Wellness Center," and a parking lot advertising the "Stop the Violence Jam" and other music shows.

Back in the alley, two elderly white women accompany a white man walking unsteadily with a cane. In front of the mural, one of the women stops and seems to call to the others. All of them look.

Paris, Jamahri, Steve, Taiyania and Zaire are looking back.

What to know about eye health this open enrollment season

Steve Slaughter, 14, and Taiyania Thompson, 16, are also pictured along with Paris Brown, 19. All were killed in 2017 and 2018.

Brown and Kelly, as well as Renford, were students at Thurgood Marshall Academy in Ward 8, one of two districts east of the Anacostia River where poverty is disproportionately clustered.

"I realized that families and even just general residents of DC should have a place to grieve the people that we've lost and always honor their legacies, and work to preserve those that are left," Renford says.

Dozens of evenly-spaced red roses symbolize others lost to gun violence but whose youthful faces aren't pictured on the wall.

That could include Maurice Scott, 15, shot dead in May, or Steffen Brathwaite, 16, gunned down the day before AFP interviewed Renford.

They are among at least 131 homicide victims this year in the city of about 700,000 residents, up from 118 at the same time last year.

Nearby Baltimore, with a slightly smaller population, has recorded around 255 homicides in 2019.

- 'I hear gunshots' In contrast, 64 people have been gunned down nationwide since January in mass shootings where four or more people were killed, according to a Washington Post database.

Most of Washington's gun crime occurs in Ward 8 and adjacent Ward 7, police data show, but the mural is in a more peaceful neighborhood.

There, it helps broaden awareness among better-off residents who "don't necessarily know much about the violence" elsewhere in the city, says Renford, a first-year undergraduate hoping to study public health.

Karen Lee, a Thurgood Marshall teacher who guided Renford in creating the mural, says she is "really proud" of her.

"People are having to deal every day with violence, with shootings," says Lee, who is white and lives in the academy's neighborhood.

"I hear gunshots and I wonder if I'm

W

hile most people care about their vision, fewer people take steps to protect their eye health. Open enrollment season, running through December, is the time to weigh your vision insurance options for the following year’s coverage.

Indeed, nearly everyone (97 percent) agrees that having healthy eyes is important, but only half of those surveyed by VSP Vision Care and YouGov get annual eye exams.

Unfortunately, even fewer people are aware of how important this preventive care is -- only 1 percent of respondents in the same survey reported knowing that signs of serious diseases and conditions like high blood pressure, autoimmune disorders, thyroid diseases and certain types of cancers can be detected through a comprehensive eye exam.

children should receive their first eye exam at six months old, according to the VSP Vision Care and YouGov survey. Obtain comprehensive coverage that can help you protect your children’s eye health too.

• Eye your options. Get the most out of your vision benefits by ensuring your coverage gives you access to a large network of vision providers with practices located near you. In the case of VSP Vision Care, members have access to more than 40,000 VSP network doctors.

• Calculate your savings. Enroll in vision insurance that allows you to save money while keeping your eye health a top priority. For example, VSP members save an annual average of $445 and have access to exclusive special offers. Such benefits may be why 87 percent of its members stay covered with the provider For those with access to vision for life. coverage through an employer, get• Consider any recent changes in ting started is as easy as checking your life. If you go through a life a box to enroll. If you’re looking event like getting married, having to enroll through your employer, a baby or moving to a different zip the experts at VSP Vision Care are code, you are eligible to enroll in offering the following tips to help coverage outside your typical enrollyou find the right coverage for your ment period. However, open enrollneeds: ment is always a great time to make • Think about your overall health needs. Remember vision coverage isn’t just for people who need glasses or contacts -- getting an annual comprehensive eye exam helps maintain overall health and wellness and can even aid in the early detection of chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes.

• Consider your family’s needs.

Only 12 percent of parents know

sure you’re covered.

For more tips on navigating vision coverage, visit SeeMuchMoreVSP. com.

Make the most of this open enrollment season. Learn more about your options and get covered for a year of good eye health.

-StatePoint

T

he pain and symptoms that accompany migraines can be debilitating. For children and teens, it can mean missed school days, absence from social or sporting events and activities at home.

To evaluate migraine treatment in children and teens, new guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the American Headache Society looked at two areas: acute treatments to stop or lessen pain and other symptoms during a migraine, and treatments to prevent or reduce how often migraine attacks occur.

“The good news is that there are effective treatments for children and teens for migraine attacks when they occur,” says guidelines lead author, Dr. Maryam Oskoui, McGill University, and an AAN fellow.

Based on the guidelines, families dealing with pediatric migraines should consider the following: • Clinicians make a migraine diagnosis based on the intensity and duration of pain, how many attacks a person has had, and whether they’re accompanied by associated symptoms like nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Those with migraines should get a diagnostic evaluation that includes a careful medical history, as well as general physical and neurological examinations conducted by a neurologist or headache medicine specialist. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system • Triggers can vary, so families should identify and address the factors associated with their child’s migraine attacks. These can include lack of physical activity, being overweight, excessive caffeine intake, poor sleep habits and dehydration. Many of these issues can be addressed with healthy habits, like nutritious foods, regular exercise, adequate hydration and sleep.

• Ask your child’s neurologist about the risks and benefits of preventive medication and appropriate acute treatment. For example, in studies, the drug amitriptyline combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) -- which employs techniques like relaxation and coping strategies -- was more beneficial than amitriptyline combined with headache education in reducing migraine attack frequency and migraine-related disability. However, it’s important to note that amitriptyline may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior.

“The benefit of CBT alone or in combination with other treatments in migraine prevention warrants further study,” says Dr. Oskoui.

• Treat migraines as soon as your child or teen becomes aware of one starting. For children and teens, medications such as ibuprofen and triptans can help relieve pain during an attack.

For teens, consider the combination sumatriptan/naproxen.

• Families and neurologists should carefully weigh the use of treatments not proven to be effective in children and teens. For example, while botulinum toxin is effective in preventing migraine in adults, it hasn’t shown the same effectiveness in children and teens. And while some of the newest treatments, including calcitonin generelated peptide antibodies and other similar drugs and devices are effective for adults, the study of their pediatric use is only beginning.

To learn more about migraines, visit BrainLifeMag.org/PedMigraine, the AAN’s free patient website and magazine, and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Though common, pediatric migraines are painful and can be debilitating. Talking to your child’s neurologist about the latest treatments is recommended.

StatePoint)

Ransomware hits hundreds of US schools, local governments: study

W

ASHINGTON | AFP | Tuesday 10/1/2019 - Hundreds of US municipalities, schools and health organizations have been hit by ransomware in 2019, leading to massive service disruptions, researchers said Tuesday.

The security firm Emsisoft said at least 621 government entities, healthcare providers and school districts, colleges and universities were affected by ransomware in the first nine months of 2019.

The attacks which lock up computer networks if a ransom is not paid has led to disruption of municipal and medical services and the closing of some schools, the report noted.

The researchers had no prior year data for comparison but said ransomware appears to be surging as hackers seek vulnerabilities in older computer networks and use cryptocurrencies to anonymously get payments.

"There is no reason to believe that attacks will become less frequent in the near future," said Fabian Wosar, chief technology officer at Emsisoft.

"Organizations have a very simple choice to make: prepare now or pay

later."

The researchers said the use of cyber insurance may be making ransomware more profitable than it otherwise would be and "incentivizes further attacks."

A report earlier this year by the Internet Society found global losses from ransomware rose by 60 percent last year to $8 billion.

Emsisoft said at least 68 state, county and municipal entities were hit by ransomware including widely publicized incidents in Baltimore, Maryland, and New Bedford, Massachusetts, where a $5.3 million demand was issued.

The report found 62 incidents involving school districts and other educational establishments, which potentially impacted up to 1,051 individual schools, colleges and universities.

At least 491 ransomware attacks this year affected US health care providers, in some cases forcing hospitals to turn away emergency room patients or cancel surgeries, the researchers said.

While law enforcement and security experts say it is unwise to pay hackers, many organizations have ended up accepting ransom demands which cost less than rebuilding computer systems.

VOICE OF ASIA 15

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month

Section 2 Tel: 713-774-5140

4 ways Medicare Part D is changing in 2020

Choose a plan that's best for you. (c) Rawpixel.com / iStock via Getty Images Plus)

I

f you have Medicare and are looking for ways to save on the ever-increasing cost of medications next year, consider adding a prescription plan known as “Part D.” By making medications more affordable, Part D plans can help you stay on track to achieve your 2020 health goals.

Choosing the plan that’s best for you can seem daunting at first, so familiarizing yourself with how Part D plans work is essential. First, compare how much you can expect to pay as you go through the “four stages” of a plan’s coverage, as the cost of your prescriptions will increase or decrease depending on the phase you are in. Then, find experts that can help you make an informed decision about the plan that will work best for you and take time to learn how the changes happening in 2020 will impact your bottom line.

Read on for a brief summary of the changes that will affect each stage of coverage next year.

Deductible Stage You may need to pay more

before your plan kicks in. A deductible is the amount you need to pay before your plan starts paying its share of the cost.

Next year, the deductible could be as high as $435. That’s an increase of $20 from 2019.

Initial Coverage Stage Your plan may cover more of the cost before you reach the “Donut Hole.” During this stage, you pay a set amount for your medications. Your plan covers the difference. In 2020, the initial coverage limit is up to $4,020. That’s an increase of $200 from 2019.

Coverage Gap Stage You will receive higher discounts for branded and generic medications. You will receive a 75 percent discount when purchasing a brand-name medication. For example, if your medication costs $100, you will only pay $25. If you need a generic, you will never pay more than 25 percent of the total cost of the drug. In 2020, you will remain in this stage until your total out of pocket costs of your covered medications is $6,350.

Catastrophic Stage

You will only have to pay a minimum amount. Once you reach this stage, your costs will remain the same through the year. During this stage, you pay $8.95 for brand-name drugs and $3.60 for generics, or 5 percent of retail costs, whichever is higher.

Next Steps If you are currently enrolled in a Part D plan, be sure to check the Annual Notice of Changes (ANOC) mailed by your plan. The ANOC details how these and other 2020 changes may impact your wallet next year. You can also go to roadmapformedicare.com for more detailed information about these changes, where you’ll find a free easy-to-use tool that will help you compare plans and choose the one that works best for you.

Don’t let Open Enrollment pass you by. Compare plans now and choose the one that best fits your needs and budget – this may save you money next year.

- StatePoint

Walgreens joins CVS in suspending sales of heartburn medicine Zantac during safety review

by Mallika Mitra

N

EW YORK, (Sep 30, 2019) Walgreens is the latest retailer to suspend sales of Sanofi’s heartburn medication Zantac and other generic ranitidine products while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reviews their safety.

“We are removing Zantac and ranitidine products from our shelves while the FDA continues its review of the products,” the company said in a written statement.

CVS Health announced Saturday it was discontinuing sales of the medication as well as its own generic ranitidine products.

The news comes after Valisure, an online pharmacy company, alerted the FDA earlier

individuals to stop taking ranitidine at this time; however, patients taking prescription ranitidine who wish to discontinue use should talk to their health care professional about other treatment options,” the FDA said in the statement when it announced the probe.

Earlier this month, the FDA said that although NDMA may cause harm in large amounts, the levels it is finding from preliminary tests aren’t much higher than what’s found in

Packages of Zantac, a popular medication which decreases stomach acid production and prevents heartburn, sit on a shelf at a drugstore on September 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo: Getty Images) this month that Zantac includes an impurity that could cause cancer.

Health officials said they have been investigating the

carcinogen, called N-nitrosodimethylamine or NDMA, in blood pressure and heart failure medicines since last year.

“The FDA is not calling for

common foods. The FDA is evaluating whether low levels pose a risk to patients.

“We are working closely with the FDA and are conducting our own robust investigations to ensure we continue to meet the highest quality safety and quality standards,” Sanofi told CNBC in a written statement.

Sanofi said it remains “committed to being transparent with our patients and consumers and will share an update

when one is available.”

Several blood pressure drugs have been recalled after NDMA was found in them earlier this year. Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Camber Pharmaceutical said they would recall products with losartan, which is used to treat high blood pressure, and Teva Pharmaceuticals said it would expand a recall of its heart medication after the substance was found in it.

Source: CNBC

VOICE OF ASIA 16

Section 2

Senior Living

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

All you need to know about Vitamin D, importance, deficiencies and diseases Continued from last week

Meenakshi Bhattacharjee Rice University, Houston TX

by Meenakshi Bhattacharjee, (Last week risks associated with Vitamin D deficiency were mentioned: Type 1 Diabetes, Multiple sclerosis (MS), Lupus and Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)). Continued...

Autoimmune disease • Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD),Graves disease and Hashimoto disease and thyroiditis: In a review of 20 studies, they found that AITD patients has lower levels and were more likely to have vitamin D deficiency compared with controls. In a review sun is the primary source of vitamin D, researchers are looking to see what role it plays in skin cancer. Some believe that enough sun exposure to keep

your vitamin D levels up, while protecting your skin from damage, is beneficial to skin cancer survival. There has also been research to show the protective effect that vitamin D has with the development of other cancers, including colon, breast and prostate cancer. The antiinflammatory properties of vitamin D may also be able to assist with lowering pain levels in cancer patients when deficiencies are corrected.

Cognitive disorders •

It's been shown that

vitamin D plays a crucial role in brain development, brain function regulation, and a healthy nervous system. Vitamin D deficiency has been found to be common in patients with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Schizophrenia, depression, anxiety disorders, dementia, and older adults with cognitive decline. It's been suggested that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D levels throughout life may help to prevent age-related neurological disorders.

Cardiovascular disease (heart disease) • Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increases in hypertension (high blood pressure),hyperlipidemia, peripheral vascular disease, coronary artery disease, myocardial infraction, heart failure and stroke. The anti-inflammatory effects of vitamin D may be the reason for this, and studies are ongoing to examine this relationship.

Infections

• It's possible that maintaining adequate vitamin D levels could lessen the length and severity of upper respiratory infections and possibly even prevent them from occurring in some people. The role of vitamin D in reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections, such as pneumonia, bacteriamia, urinary tract infection, Inflammation reduction • Many of the health benefits associated with vitamin D may come from its role in decreasing inflammation.

Research has shown a decrease in levels of C-reactive protein , a marker of inflammation, with increased levels of vitamin D. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) • When there is an inability to properly absorb nutrients in the GI tract, there is a higher risk for nutritional deficiencies. Vitamin D's role goes beyond this in that the level of deficiency may impact the severity of IBD, and maintaining adequate levels may keep you in remission longer. There has even been evidence showing larger numbers of cases of IBD in northern latitudes suggesting it has a role in prevention, as well.

Obesity • A study including over 500 adults found that vitamin D deficiency was linked to greater fat mass, but only in those with elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH), suggesting the cause may lie in controlling that level.

Skeletal disease • Vitamin D enhances the absorption of dietary calcium by 30%-40% and phosphorus by 80%. Without it, only 10%-15% of calcium and 60% of phosphorus is absorbed.

Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and maintains blood calcium levels to enable normal mineralization of bone and prevent abnormally low blood calcium levels that can then lead to tetany.

Continued next week

How risky is eating red meat for your health?

R

esearchers' advice that adults keep 'current unprocessed red meat consumption' draws sharp reaction from other experts.

Cutting back on red meat is standard medical advice to prevent cancer and heart disease - but a review of dozens of studies has concluded that the potential risk is low and evidence uncertain.

In new guidelines published on Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, a panel of researchers from seven countries suggested that "adults continue current unprocessed red meat consumption".

The advice - which immediately drew a sharp reaction from other experts - added that adults should also "continue current processed meat consumption".

The research, published in the journal edited by the American College of Physicians, analysed multiple studies that, taken together, showed that reducing red meat consumption by three servings per week could lower cancer mortality by seven deaths per 1,000 people.

eases and diabetes was "very low".

"There are very small risk reductions in cancer, heart disease and diabetes, however, the evidence is uncertain," Bradley Johnston, an epidemiology professor at Canada's Dalhousie University and director of the NutriRECS group that put together the guidelines, told AFP news agency.

"So there may be a reduction - or there may not be.

"People need to make their own decisions. We are giving them the best estimate of the truth."

Steaks, sausages back on menu?

The researchers said they want to change the "old school" approach of giving general nutritional recommendations and to bring more focus on evidence of individual benefit.

"People should look at this and hopefully make more wellinformed personal choices, rather than being told what to do by authoritative organisations," Johnston said.

Researchers said any such decline was modest and that they had found only a "low" degree of certainty about the statistic.

Eating less red meat and processed meat has been a cornerstone of dietary guidance for decades in many countries and from leading health groups.

They added that the quality of evidence linking processed meat with cardiovascular dis-

The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer says that

processed meat is carcinogenic, while red meat is "probably carcinogenic".

In response to the latest guidelines, the World Cancer Research Fund said it would not change its advice.

"We maintain our confidence in the rigorous research conducted for 30 years," said its director of research, Giota Mitrou.

Marji McCullough, epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society, said the researchers had taken into account people's personal values and preferences.

"It's kind of like saying: 'We know helmets can save lives, but some people still prefer the feeling of the wind in their hair when they ride bikes. And let's face it, most people won't crash'," she said.

"But everyone agrees you should wear a helmet."

Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at Britain's Open University, said the lack of hard scientific evidence meant there were few clear answers.

"Depressingly, all this tends to indicate that after all these years and all these millions of research participants, we still don't know much," he said.

www.voiceofasia.news

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

Tel: 713-774-5140

Relief from pelvic floor disorders offered at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital

S

UGAR LAND – (September 27, 2019) — If you suffer from a pelvic floor disorder, you’re no doubt familiar with the pain and discomfort that can accompany it, along with the feelings of embarrassment or isolation that many patients report.

You’re not alone. These disorders are more common than you think, and the good news is that pelvic health physical therapy, offered at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, can help manage and, in some cases, alleviate the symptoms of these debilitating conditions.

Studies show that as many as one in four women suffer from a pelvic floor disorder. The most common problem is urinary incontinence, along with fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, sexual dysfunction and pelvic muscular issues.

A well-designed pelvic health physical therapy program can reduce pain and give patients improved bladder control by identifying the problem muscles and increasing their strength and coordination through individualized exercise treatment.

“A lot of patients are afraid to admit – even to their doctor – that they’re suffering from pain or incontinence, or they’re afraid they’ll need surgery,” said pelvic health specialist Kristyn Richard, PT, DPT, board-certified physical therapist at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. “So they just live with their symptoms and find ways to manage them by using adult diapers or medication. Fortunately, we have a proven alternative for patients struggling with these problems. Our pelvic health physical therapy program is extremely effective in treating both pain and incontinence,

Kristyn Richard, PT, DPT and some patients even see improvements after one session.”

Richard says that pelvic floor disorders have increased in both women and men in recent years. The number of American women with at least one pelvic floor disorder is expected to increase to 43.8 million in 2050, up from 28.1 million in 2010, and the number of women with urinary incontinence is expected to increase by 55 percent.

Physical therapy treatments for pelvic floor disorders begin with an examination and review of the patient’s medical history, symptoms and how long they’ve been experiencing the problem.

From there, Richard uses a variety of methods to train the patient to enhance their pelvic floor muscle function and coordinate these muscles with their abdominal muscles.

Pelvic health physical therapy typically involves one to two sessions a week for four to 12 weeks.

“We want our patients to get the most out of their physical therapy, so we encourage

them to take the lessons home and integrate these exercises in their dayto-day activities,” said Richard. “Pelvic floor exercises are great because you can do them while sitting at your desk, cooking in the kitchen or even lying in bed at night. I also encourage patients to make lifestyle changes that can ease stress on the bladder, such as avoiding irritants like caffeine and spicy or acidic foods. We work with the patient to develop an easy and effective treatment plan so they can begin seeing improvement and feel like they’re taking control of their lives again.”

To schedule an appointment with Kristyn Richard, call 281.275.0450.

Physician referral is required.

Visit houstonmethodist.org/therapysl to learn more about therapy services offered at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. For the latest news, events and information, visit our Facebook page at fb.com/ methodistsugarland.

VOICE OF ASIA 17

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

Home&Real Estate How human-centric lighting is changing the way we illuminate our homes Quick questions on human-centric lighting with Lori Brock, head of innovation at Osram Americas, on human-centric lighting, the current state of research, and commercial developments Editor’s note: This interview was prompted by an inquiry about whether human-centric lighting can help people adjust better to daylight savings time changes. During the course of our discussion, Lori Brock let me know that the more pertinent opportunities to positively impact the human physiological response to light run more to circadian entrainment on a regular basis, to stabilize the human sleep-and-wake schedule when traveling across time zones, and to provide performance and productivity boosts as a result of stimulation with the right spectrum of light at the appropriate times. by Carrie Meadows

S

o today we are going to talk about human-centric lighting. But I just wanted to start with a little perspective on your experience.

So how does your research background inform your current role at Osram?

Lori Brock: Good question!

Well, I’m currently the head of innovation for the Americas region for Osram. And in this role, we’re responsible for the technology innovation, responsible for the technology backbone of Osram and our future direction. And it’s very broad.

We work on lots of different research activities including human-centric lighting applications, new products for humancentric lighting, to answer your question.

Q: With regard to that — we’re calling it human-centric lighting… [and] we’re going to continue to go with that as a very broad term, but at LEDs Magazine we kind of expand on the concept a little bit by calling it “lighting for health and wellbeing” so it can include a broad spectrum of things. In what ways right now is Osram active in this field of study?

LB: Well, as you know we collaborate very deeply with the Lighting Research Center and Mariana Figueiro, and other researchers in the topic, who are doing the fundamental research on how light affects the human condition — our biology, our psychology, etc. But then we take that knowledge from the scientific community and we convert it into applications and products for everyday people. And some of the things that we’re launching in the market, for example, are our human-centric lighting eyeglasses that deliver light directly to the retina of people. We’ve tested these on travelers on airplanes and in airports, for example, to help mitigate jet lag. And we work with professional athletes like skiers, swimmers, football players, and racecar drivers to help them use these things to increase their alertness and improve their performance.

We’re also bringing to market special lounge chairs that have this lighting built into the chair, so that someone can sit down, at say, an airport lounge or in

A real-estate mogul is behind the hottest stock in the oil patch

by Ryan Dezember

H

OUSTON - The hottest stock in the oil patch has a wellknown real-estate investor to thank for its more than doubling in recent weeks.

Shares of Houston-based Contango Oil & Gas Co. surged in September as the Houston energy producer refinanced with a stock offering and new credit line and announced two acquisitions. The driver of those moves was John C. Goff, a real-estate magnate who has been making big bets on small energy producers since oil prices collapsed in late 2014.

Illustration: Dwell.com

their home or their office; they get recharged and refreshed during work. So we use the scientific knowledge from the universities and the medical institutes and we translate it into products that people can actually use in their everyday life.

Q: In regard to daylight savings time, can we improve the human response to time changes and seasonal shifts? What right now are you involved in — whether research-oriented or commercial - that can address the needs of people who are feeling the seasonal issues with their circadian rhythms?

LB: It’s a minimal impact in the fall. […] I do believe that human-centric lighting can help prepare you to adapt to daylight savings time faster and minimize a lot of negative effects such as not being able to get up in the morning during the spring forward [period], so you can prepare in advance and use human-centric lighting to minimize those effects.

You can also use human-centric lighting techniques like a cup of coffee — increase alertness when you’re feeling tired or sleepy, and this can help you be more productive and be in a better mood in the days following a time change. And you can use the things like the chair or the glasses or even just exposing yourself to natural daylight during the mid-daytime... All those things will definitely help with daylight savings time, especially when you spring forward.

“It’s a 24-hour solution when it comes to human-centric lighting.” — Lori Brock Q: Interesting! So if you had to figure it out right now and you had to take a take a look into the future, from your vantage point, where is humancentric lighting headed? And in your view, how do we get there?

LB: Well, I think in the future, say, 20 years from now, all lighting is going to be humancentric lighting. so lighting will have moved on from using LEDs to save energy to using LEDs to optimize performance — whether the performance is in an office or on an athletic field — I mean, that depends on the application. So I think all of it’s going to be around

human design needs, around people, at least in applications with people.

Q: I find it very interesting that you zeroed in on that right away because I have heard only one or two times so far in direct conversations and one of them is with a colleague — Bob Steele, who is one of the co-chairs of the Strategies in Light conference. He made a comment about that a couple years ago now. We talked about human-centric lighting and he said, really in my view all lighting is human-centric or will be human centric because we design it for the purposes of various functions or applications in which humans need light. He said if you want to get more detailed into it, eventually more and more of it will be less about illuminating the space and more about how we use the light to have other impacts on the human condition or the built environment. I’m looking forward to seeing how many other people pick up on that thought.

LB: I fully agree! I mean, you have visual perception so lighting has to work for people to be able to see, to illuminate objects in spaces so people can see, but then there’s a whole slew of nonvisual effects of light such as circadian entrainment and a lot of other things that people are beginning to learn about in our biology. And I think that lighting is going to start to — the lighting profession, the lighting professional — they’re starting to pay a lot more attention to these nonvisual effects of light. And in the future, we’re going to have to balance the visual and the nonvisual. That’s what human-centric lighting essentially is. The nonvisual effects of humancentric lighting have nothing to do with the rods and cones in your eyes that enable you to see.

Q: Right, so you start out with a with a premise of light quality now over energy efficiency because we’re there. We’ve pretty much established that you can achieve better energy efficiency; you can cut down on carbon emissions when you’re using less electricity; and you can achieve those goals with LED lighting when properly designed and specified for the

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Mr. Goff and affiliates own about 35% of Contango’s stock and say they aim to use the company to gobble up oil-andgas wells that have been repossessed by lenders or those that are owned by teetering rivals or private-equity investors under pressure to sell.

“There are far too many small public companies, ourselves included,” Mr. Goff said in an interview. “Either they need to be consolidated or they need to go away.”

Energy stocks, particularly those of smaller producers such as Contango, have had a rough run in recent years.

Those included in the S&P 600 index of smaller companies have lost about 20% of their value this year and more than 80% since late 2014. They bounced back in the first half of September along with rising oil and natural-gas prices but have given up the gains over the past two weeks as energy prices retreated.

U.S. oil prices lost 3.3% Monday to close at $54.07 a

John C. Goff, real-estate magnate (File photo) barrel, bringing them below levels before the Sept. 14 attacks on Saudi oil-production facilities that sparked the rally in crude.

Meanwhile, natural-gas futures fell to $2.33 per million British thermal units Monday, which is about where they began September before an unseasonable and ultimately short-lived rise.

While most energy stocks followed the arc of oil and gas prices in September, Contango kept climbing as it struck deals to bolster its balance sheet and add drilling fields where oil and gas were already flowing.

The shares ended Monday at $2.78, up 12% for the session and 184% for the month. They started September under a dollar.

The latest deal came late last week, when Contango won a bankruptcy auction for the assets of White Star Petroleum LLC with a last-minute bid.

White Star, which filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May, is one of several oil-and-gas producers left behind by late shale pioneer Au-

brey McClendon, who died in a March 2016 car wreck. Contango agreed to pay $132.5 million for White Star’s Oklahoma drilling land and several hundred producing wells.

Two weeks earlier, Contango sold $50 million of stock, a big slug of which was bought by Mr. Goff, and said it would use some of the cash to pay for the assets of Will Energy Corp., a closely held concern that had been cobbling together bankowned oil fields. It also struck a new agreement with banks for a credit line.

“Everyone else is sitting around playing defense,” said Wilkie Colyer Jr., a lieutenant of Mr. Goff who was installed as Contango’s chief executive last summer. “The entire exploration and production space needs to enter into a huge wave of consolidation.”

Mr. Goff, who is chairman and chief executive of Crescent Real Estate Holdings LLC, made his fortune putting together a multibillion-dollar portfolio of commercial real estate, selling it to Morgan Stanley for $6.5 billion.

-Wall Street Journal

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Week of October 4, 2019 21 March to 20 April There’s a nice balance between your love life and other things during the Libra moon’s appearance at the beginning of the week.

Keeping things in perspective helps. Your power planet Mars enters Libra at the end of the week, so you might lose some of your aggression.

21 April to 20 May This period brings the risk that you might avoid necessary assignments. This is a lucky time for job interviews. The energy supports making any sort of long-term change. Do your best and even put in some extra time at work. This will gain the approval of higher-ups.

21 May to 20 June This week you’re moving through some relationship drama. Things you thought were implicit between you and your bosses, mentors, or employees may be misunderstood or criticized. Let it roll off your back and be clearer next time.

21 June to 22 July Despite being a romantic sign, you could feel too overworked and rundown to be bothered with love. However, there’s hope. Eat plenty of protein, fresh vegetables, and fruits and give your system a chance to build up strength. A workout wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.

23 July to 22 August This week, you may feel as though you’re beginning to run with the tide rather than swim against it.

As powerful Pluto pushes forward in your lifestyle and work sector, the problems that have plagued you over the past months may begin to melt away. And you may now feel the benefits.

23 August to 22 Sept If you’ve felt frustrated by the lack of progress in a romantic bond or creative project, the week ahead can be the start of a more progressive phase. You could go through a positive gear change. Things can begin to shift your way over the coming weeks.

Horoscope.com

23 September to 22 Oct If there are times when you’ve wondered if your family life will ever get back on track, that moment may be approaching. With radical Pluto changing direction in your home zone, the attitude to certain relatives or family members may begin to shift.

23 October to 21 Nov You may have had many opportunities to push ahead over the past months, but something stopped you. That something may have been sobering Saturn and powerful Pluto rewinding in your sector of talk and thought.

22 November to 21 Dec Have money matters been an issue over past months? If so, powerful Pluto forging ahead this week means things can turn to the positive. With Saturn already on its forward trajectory, the coming weeks could see a marked improvement.

22 December to 20 Jan The focus on the topmost sector of your chart is enhanced from this week with powerful Mars moving in for a six-week stay.

This will ramp up your energy level and determination to accomplish key goals.

This is the time to go for it.

21 January to 19 Feb The intensity you may have felt over past weeks can begin to melt away as warrior Mars moves into your sector of travel and far horizons this week. Everything may seem lighter and brighter, and you could feel a lot easier in general. This is a wonderful opportunity to explore new possibilities.

20 February to 20 Mar If your social life has been going through some turmoil over the past weeks and months, you could emerge from this with a renewed sense of who your friends really are. Positive developments may contribute to a greater sense of well-being in this area.

ACROSS 1. Will alternative 6. Put into service 9. Ball on a string 13. Conversation starter 14. "Platoon" setting 15. "Four" prefix 16. Macaroni shape 17. Dunk value 18. *"The Dark Knight" star 19. *Marion Crane stops at a motel 21. *Eccentric scientist teleports himself 23. Sonny and Cher, e.g.

24. *What "The Swarm" attackers do 25. Hot tub feature 28. Think, archaic 30. Kentucky Derby sound 34. *"American Psycho" weapon, pl.

36. Andy's radio partner 38. Dished out 40. Drunkard 41. Type of turn, pl.

43. Spare in a trunk 44. Pore in a leaf 46. Straight out of bottle, as in whiskey 47. Port of Yemen 48. Angry growl 50. Whiskey grain, pl.

52. Is in Paris 53. "What a ____!"

55. Car nut 57. *Chris Washington meets his girlfriend's family 60. *Girl bullied at school 63. Type of renewable energy 64. Caviar 66. Abstains from food 68. Opposite of binary 69. Barley bristle 70. Web mag 71. Department store department 72. *Sematary resident 73. Saw again

SOLUTION: SCARY

DOWN 1. *"____-Wolf of London" 2. Counseling, e.g.

3. Priestly vestments 4. Frank Wright's middle name 5. Showing cleavage 6. "Do ____ others..."

7. *Photographer and oncologist trapped by Jigsaw 8. Bring character to life 9. Bone to pick 10. And others 11. Pretentiously artistic 12. Morse Code dash 15. Like Murder Mystery Party 20. Pertaining to hours 22. Type of farm house 24. Two for the price of one deals 25. *It terrorized Amity 26. Highway departures 27. Part of mortise joint 29. *Boy brings grief to adoptive parents, with The 31. 9th letter of Greek alphabet 32. Move like on ice 33. *Jack Torrance's catchphrase "____ Johnny!"

35. "Brave New World" drug 37. Don't go 39. Fender-bender damage 42. Funerary art form 45. Weapon storage 49. Romanian money 51. The Beach Boys' "____ Girl" 54. Seatbelt, e.g.

56. Feed in a meadow 57. *"____ Girl" 58. Panache 59. Before feathers 60. One tenth of a dime 61. a.k.a. The Islamic State 62. Tallest volcano in Europe 63. Math class total 65. Be in the red 67. Do needlework

MOVIES on Page 19

VOICE OF ASIA 19

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Houston Community College Request for Proposals Automated External Defibrillator (AED) ZOLL Brand Only Project No. 20-02

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Houston Community College Request for Proposals (RFP-C) CISCO Network End of Life Replacement Project No. 20-06

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STYLE & FASHION

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Fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 files for bankruptcy

FRIDAY, October 4, 2019

Model walks Vivienne Westwood catwalk in a giant fish hat at Paris Fashion Week

L

OS ANGELES | AFP | Monday 9/29/2019 - Global fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 said it was filing for voluntary bankruptcy Sunday, the latest US brickand-mortar chain to embark on restructuring as shoppers migrate online.

The move will see the retailer close up to 350 of its stores worldwide, including up to 178 in its main US market, the Wall Street Journal reported a spokeswoman as saying.

The Chapter 11 filing for bankruptcy protection is a "deliberate and decisive step to put us on a successful track for the future," the firm said in a statement.

Commonly known as a "reorganization" bankruptcy, the Chapter 11 filing ensures Forever 21 will retain control and possession of its assets while restructuring is carried out.

Founded in Los Angeles in 1984 by South Korean husband and wife Do Won and Jin Sook Chang, Forever 21 became a ubiquitous presence in shopping malls across the US, offering teen customers imitations of high-fashion brands at rock bottom prices.

Competing with brands like H&M and Zara, the chain

Shoppers walk past a Forever 21 store in central London. (Photo: Steve Taylor/SOPA Images/ LightRocket via Getty Images) launched an aggressive expansion into menswear and footwear after the 2008 crash, increasing the number of its stores worldwide to 800.

But analysts say it failed to react to the rise of online retailers, as well as shifting consumer sentiment against the environmental impact of

fast fashion and concerns over working conditions in the factories where its $10 tops and $15 dresses are made.

Earlier in September the company announced it would close all of its 14 outlets in Japan by the end of October.

And in the same month US pop star Ariana Grande sued

the retailer for using her trademark style to promote its products without her permission, including adverts featuring a "look-alike model."

The lawsuit, seeking $10 million, claims the campaign was intended to trick consumers into believing Grande had endorsed Forever 21's products.

Stella McCartney's plea for planet after deal with fashion's richest man

Bella Hadid at Andreas Kronthaler For Vivienne Westwood SS20 Runway during Paris Fashion Week. (Photo: Ik Aldama / AFP)

by Danielle Fowler

P

ARIS | Yahoo Style UK | September 30, 2019 Fashion Week regulars are well-versed in the weird and wonderful trends that grace the runway but the latest accessory at Vivienne Westwood even managed to surprise the

Keeping the rest of the look a little more low-key, the model also wore an oversized blazer with an asymmetric skirt, spotty tights and a ribbon neck-tie.

The hat was actually crafted from scraps of sequins found lying in an old box in the design studio cupboard and Kro-

by Fiachra Gibbons

P

ARIS, France | AFP | Monday 9/30/2019 British designer Stella McCartney pleaded for fashion to "wake up" and help save the planet Monday after her first Paris show as part of the industry's biggest luxury conglomerate.

"The world is crying out for change and it is our responsibility to act now," said the creator, whose label is a pioneer of ethical fashion.

"We aren't perfect... and like all businesses, we are part of the problem," McCartney admitted.

A model graced the runway in a giant fish hat at Vivienne Westwood (Photo: Getty Images)

"But we are pushing the boundaries every day to find solutions that do exist in an industry desperately in need of change."

For the SS20 show, designed

by Westwood’s husband and partner in the business, Andreas Kronthaler, a model stepped out in a giant fish-shaped hat.

Her comments come days after LVHM's billionaire owner, Bernard Arnault -- the second richest man in the world -- attacked Greta Thunberg at the launch of his group's environmental drive.

He accused the Swedish teenager of "surrendering to total catastrophism" over climate change and depressing young people.

- Attack on Greta Thunberg "She doesn't offer anything other than criticism," he told reporters in Paris after the event, where McCartney also spoke.

The designer has become Arnault's personal advisor on sustainability since he bought into her brand in July, although she remains the majority shareholder.

Arnault's LVMH group, whose huge stable of luxury brands includes Dior, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy, is seen as lagging behind its French rival Kering.

Last week Kering -- which owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen -- said it had gone carbon neutral and would half the greenhouse gas emissions in its supply chain within five years.

LVMH refused to join Kering in signing "The Fashion Pact" on the fighting climate change at the G7 summit last month.

Kering owned half of McCartney's label until she bought them out last year.

McCartney said it was time brands got serious about the climate emergency, saying, "It's time to wake up."

- 'Not just a trend' Sustainability "is the future of fashion, not just a trend", she said.

"The younger generation are standing up and telling us that our house is on fire and that we need to respond like we are in a crisis, because in fact it is a crisis," she said.

most experienced crowd.

Paris Africa: French designer Agnes b mixed classic Paris cool with African 'sapeur' dandy looks in her Paris fashion week show (AFP Photo/Christophe Archambault) The vegetarian said that she had never used fur, leather, skins, feathers or animal glues since she founded her label in 2001,

If you could steal your eyes away from Bella Hadid’s Marie Antoinette bridal gown for one moment, you’ll have noticed that the supersized headgear swam amongst pointy capes, giant hair bows and clothing

nthaler wanted to inspire others to recycle, upcycle and buy less.

“What I believe is that we should buy less and really love the things that we buy,” Kronthaler told The Guardian. “I have reduced the collection to its essence - if people are going to buy less, then I should be making less - and then to stretch it into a show I make some pieces with fabric that is dormant around the studio.”

To the sound of Donna's Summer's "Love to Love You Baby", McCartney projected images of coupling pangolins, Artic foxes and other endangered species onto the Belle Epoque ceilings of the Opera Garnier in Paris.

Clips of zebras, ostriches and elephants also getting up to some monkey business helped get fashionistas in the mood.

The designer -- daughter of Beatle Paul McCartney and animal rights activist Linda McCartney -- listed her long record of finding environmentally friendly alternative materials in a lengthy press release to go with the show.

US model Kaia Gerber wears a flower print dress at Stella McCartney's Paris fashion week show (AFP Photo/Thomas Samson)

Vivienne Westwood, center (File photo)

Influential critic Godfrey Deeny of the Fashion Network said McCartney had a to walk a delicate diplomatic line "because within the LVMH empire are a series of giant brands -from Fendi to Louis Vuitton -who use exotic skins and furs."

hangers forged into makeshift hats.

Perched atop a suit-decked model’s head, the bizarre headpiece was smothered in black and gold sequins with jazzy eyes and a surprisingly chic tulle fin.

He said reminding people "that she has always put her money where her mouth is" may have been to counter "any suggestion that she might be selling out".

- Lace and classy grace -

made from "second life plastic".

McCartney insisted her classy spring summer collection was "the most sustainable ever" and included raffia bags made by female artisans in Madagascar, with the material coming from communities fighting deforestation.

It also included a luxuriousfeeling new fake fur called Koba, made from plant-based plastics and recycled polyester, and shoes with sustainable wooden heels and sneakers

With Kaia Gerber -- the daughter of 1990s supermodel Cindy Crawford -- wearing one of a series of ingenious flower print dresses, the catwalk was dominated by elegant lace and Mughal crenellation fringed creations.

Wake up call: British designer Stella McCartney warned that fashion has to change after her Paris show (AFP Photo/Thomas SAMSON) Stella McCartney

Critics also lapped up her mix of chill English formal wear and sexy streetness, with transparent lace blouses under business jackets and a run of

Although it wasn’t the only environmentally conscious move within the collection, as a t-shirt dress emblazoned with a tiger’s face also walked the runway to support Fauna and Flora International - the world’s first international wildlife conservation organisation.

stripey, chevron looks.

The most Parisian of designers, Agnes b, put old maps of the French capital on some of her clothes.

But it was the Africans who walk the city's streets that she celebrated in her show, with Malian-born French rapper Oxmo Puccino performing as models walked in a mix of classic French cool casual wear and African wax and "sapeur" dandy-inspired outfits.