Voice of Asia April 3 2015

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Rama Navami – Lord Rama’s Appearance Day celebrated at ISKCON of Houston

R

ama Navami – Lord Rama’s Appearance Day was celebrated at ISKCON of Houston on Saturday, March 28th with spiritually satisfying program and packed cultural performances.

Hundreds of devotees crowded into the temple at ISKCON of Houston to take part in this very special and auspicious celebration. Lord Rama is one of the main incarnations of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is celebrated as the incarnation of the Lord who set the perfect example of an ideal king, son, brother, husband, and master. He is also called maryada-purusottama or the “one who exhibits ideal behavior in all circumstances.”

Devotees celebrate Rama Navami at the new ISKCON of Houston Temple. Photo credits: Ruchi Sinha and Amitabha Bhakta.

The festival in the temple room began with an ecstatic kirtan (melodious chanting of the holy names of the Lord) led

Deities were adored in colorful outfits

by Jivanand Das and a Maha Arati (offering of ghee lamps and auspicious articles to the Lord) by devotees. The altar was beautifully decorated with flowers, fruits and the Deities wore colorful outfits - the ultimate attraction of the day. The deities of Sri Rama, Sri Lakshman and Sita Devi made a special appearance on the altar,

Sita Rama Kalyanam at Sri Meenakshi Temple

giving Their merciful darshan to all that attended.

Nainamrita Das gave an inspiring spiritual talk on Lord Ramachandra’s pastimes from both the Ramayan and the Srimad Bhagavatam. All the devotees and guests were eagerly involved in the hearing of the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra. The program in the temple concluded with an ecstatic kirtan led by Dwarakanath Das. The Celebrations continued in ISKCON of Houston’s auditorium, Gauranga Hall, with cultural presentations by the local talent. These performances included dances, vocal and instrumental concerts and video presentations. Many of Houston’s elite dance and music schools took part in the cultural program with various artists presenting Kathak, Oddissi, Bharathnatyam, Classical Violin and Tabla performances.

Also featured was a video presentation for Goswami Academy – one of North America’s holistic academic school based on the teachings of the Vaishnava spiritual tradition.

The festival at ISKCON Houston ended with a sumptuous feast prepared by the temple devotees. A perfect ending to a perfect Saturday Evening!

Jai Shri Rama!

For more information on the temple and the Sunday Feasts, Goswami Academy, Sunday School and other various programs, please visit www.iskconhouston.org or come see us:

Seer Varisai commenced at Ganesha Temple after Viswakshena Aradhana

Read Report on Page 9

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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

VOICE OF ASIA 2

by Mayank Vahia (dna)

Publisher: Associate Publisher: Editor-in-Chief: Austin Correspondent: Print & Media Marketing: Marketing: Production: Office Manager:

Koshy Thomas Sherly Philip Shobana Muratee Sherine Thomas Jacob David Susan Pothanikat AR Vadlamani Priyan Mathew

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

“Someday you may tax it” Michael Faraday’s response to William Gladstone when asked to comment on the utility of his blue-sky research into the newly discovered phenomenon of electricity.

Make In India: Why affordable education is a must

Making education expensive by reducing funding, letting private players exploit it for financial gains and ideologues hijack it to find cheap cannon fodder would be disaster. tion to break out of the forces that bind them at their birth.

They then also need support to become entrepreneurs that will seed the future. So unbridled and unconditional support, not driven by any ideology is essential. Let those who wish to drive people to their own ideology ask for recognition from the educated and not misguide the uneducated or impressionable minds. The idea is to reduce the number of uneducated to such a small level that no one should be able to find people who can be blindly led down the alley of ignorance. For this secular, affordable education is a must.

“.. this new knowledge has all to do with honour and country, but it has nothing to do directly with defending our country except to help make it worth defending.” RR Wilson in response to a query as to why USA should spend money on pure science.

VoiceofAsiaOnline.com Editor: Online & Newsletter : Shobana Muratee All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the consent of the publisher.

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“

The Stone Age did not end because humans ran out of stones. It ended because it was time for a re-think about how we live.” - William McDonough

The above three quotes make an interesting case study about the need for pure science in the development of a society.

While a Nobel Prize may add to prestige etc. a lot of research is more fundamental in nature providing an incremental improvement in society. Most of it is a result of a faceless scientist in a laboratory because the final step that produced the technology was based on a lot of earlier work and hence it is difficult to credit a single individual. Typically, controversies that surround the awarding of a Nobel Prize highlight this issue with great precision.

So what is the role of blue sky research and society? One can, in principle, import technology, train engineers to run it and become a great power.

China, Korea and even Japan are classical examples of economies based on ‘reverse engineering’ where a technology is purchased, cheaper alternatives of mass production are found and the same technology is made available at a lower cost to the world. One can survive and even flourish on this.

But is this a good long term solution for a nation? For one thing, it makes the nation permanently dependant on reverse engineering, cost control and quality control. This is fine to quickly set up shop in the international market place but such economies will remain a small time merchant who give 10% discount on small purchases – no great creativity can be expected from them.

Great nations need to think for themselves and find solutions for themselves. Great nations look for a place at the great table of ideas and debates that will chalk out new paths for human development and organisation of human societies. Such nations are not traders in small marketplaces of cheap products. However, it is also true that a pompous nation, with no capability to look after its own people, will never find a place in the international

Indian students: Credit: dna Photo. tables that debate ideas and future. A delicate balance has to be found.

So each country must find its own place by judging its capabilities and the quality of what it has achieved. No matter how hard it tries, the model of social organisation pursued by North Korea will never find a place on this table and no matter what you may think of a historically young United States of America, you are not going to dislodge them from the table because of its ability to generate ideas remains unparalleled.

India has ambitions to be a permanent member of this table and every prime minister from Nehru onwards has harboured an ambition of laying claims of taking India to this table.

But the road to that table is not laid by one person or a small group. It is a path that requires consent and acceptance by the international community at large. And such groups are filled with inertia, a certain amount of xenophobia and a desire for status quo and one has to make a very strong case to get on the table. To find a place on this table, society needs to make a case, and make it repeatedly over generations to find acceptability. Some nations have adopted the alternative approach of building up a huge armament industry and standing army that can be tangible threat to others. But this comes at the cost of the wellbeing of its own people. In this case also, you can attract the attention of other nations to yourself. Such threats don’t go very far and the world will always find ways of neutralising such threats. But that is a separate issue.

Others have used their large wealth to win friends in the world with little to show for it.

What is respected is a cultured nation, interacting with them is an enriching experience. Only such nations that provide nations with humane ideas and ideologies eventually find unconditional acceptance and friendship with nations. Many countries have put up statue of Gandhi but Mao’s statues have only been pulled down.

It’s not that the leaders of India have been unaware of this point and fact. Since independence, India’s focus has been to lay ground for technological advancement supported by indigenous work on new ideas and new sciences. To ensure this and help the middle class reach its goal of prosperity, the Indian education system has been run on massive subsidies for affordable education and state sponsored research in all aspects of human learning from science and technology to arts and literature. The idea is to create a large base of men and women who would be the fountainhead of ideas and creativity which the world would recognise, even as it helps in creating wealth and alleviating poverty.

Has this worked? The answer will vary depending on where you stand and what you are looking at. Our healthcare does not compare with Cuba’s and our child mortality rate is higher than in Sri Lanka with much lower per capita income.

On the other hand, we run the most reliable and cost effective space programme and there is no technology which we cannot fully master in a reasonable amount of time. In the great world of ideas, India has not done badly and is seriously knocking at the door of the UN Security Council, viewed by many as the ultimate badge of honour on having arrived at the great table of debate. But many a nation has achieved great acceptability even without being on this table, due to their intrinsically noble cultures and great creativity.

However, to stay where we are and to go where we want to, unbiased and continuing support to education, especially higher education and research is a must. It allows people with modest means to dream big and to achieve the necessary educa-

Soma Balasubramanian

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

To make the nation selfreliant and capable of creating ideas and technologies, research in the widest sense of the word needs to be supported and encouraged. For you never know which next idea will be a game changer. A nation of reverse engineers will not have the necessary technological flexibility to manage this. It also needs intellectual freedom and a backing from the nation to pursue it.

Whatever the government and whatever its short and long term objective, it would do well to remember that affordable education and a well-funded research environment where ideas can breathe free is central to this great ambition of the nation. This is a delicate and easy to break system as debating and argumentation is at its core and to choke this freedom is very easy. But such actions will leave behind a damage that can be severe and difficult to recover from. If short term economic considerations choke this line, even for a short time, the damage it does to its core will be long lasting. Any government would do well to keep this in mind. The government will find some rogues taking undue advantage of academics to run free with their ideas, but the cost of attempting to remove these rogues should not be so great that you throw out the baby with the bath tub. To make education and research commit to an ideology, however lofty, is to undermine the very root of learning and education. It is a sure way of getting yourself thrown out of the great table of debate of ideas on human societies. No right thinking Indian would want this.

Import, improve (or make cheaper) and sell is not what great nations do. They add ideas and invention to the world. This can only be done with well nurtured high quality education that is affordable to all. Ideas are not the prerogative of the rich. They come from all directions.

Making education expensive by reducing funding, letting private players exploit it for financial gains and ideologues hijack it to find cheap cannon fodder would be disaster. To suffocate intellectual freedom, however unpalatable, is to strike at the root of creativity.

To cut support for education and research is to cut the very branch on which the nation’s long term well-being lies. It can only bring the nation to grief.

The powers that be, would do well to understand this.

Source: dna.

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VOICE OF ASIA 3

C OMMUNITY VOICE OF ASIA

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Second Front Page

Friday, April 3, 2015 • www.voiceofasiaonline.com • Page 3 • Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com • Tel: 713-774-5140

IACAN hosts education outreach event on Navigating Health Resources

Ms. Elizabeth Brackeen presenting on topic “Finding Free and Reliable Health Information”

Ms. Arlene Mathew, Ms. Bunmi Ogunleye, Dr. Deborah Banerjee, and Ms. Elizabeth Brackeen

are preparing for or trying to understand results from lab tests try www.labtestsonline.org to learn more. If you are having an x-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, radiation therapy or another radiological procedure, www.radiologyinfo. org will be very helpful. There are a lot of great websites for finding health information and if you are looking more information about a specific type of cancer, try out our Pathfinders at www.MDAnderson. hen searching for inorg/tlc for more recommended reformation about cansources. cer, its treatment, side If you are on your phone or your effects, coping or nutrition you tablet, you have even more choiccan get overwhelmed very quickly es for health information in the and it can be difficult to determine App Store and the Play Store. The what information is reliable. The www.cancer.net mobile app is a best thing you can do is to start good example of what is available with a source that you trust. The for those dealing with cancer. This National Cancer Institute www. app can help track medications, cancer.gov and the American symptoms, treatments and side efCancer Society www.cancer.org fects and you can write or record are both excellent resources for questions for your doctor. One cancer patients and their families. last app recommendation is Ask Both of these sites are compreThe Nutritionist http://www.danahensive in the cancer information. farber.org/nutrition-app.aspx You When those resources have been can find great health recipes and exhausted and you go searching read questions and answers from for more information, it is good nutritionist such as nutrition tips to have a critical eye when reador information on cancer-fighting ing unfamiliar websites. The three From Left to right: Mr. Sarvesh Bhavaraju, Mrs. Indu Gosar, Ms. Elizabeth Brackeen, Dr. Deborah Banerjee, Ms. nutrients. Keep in mind, no webmost important things to look for Bunmi Ogunleye, Ms. Arlene Mathew, Mrs. Kumud S Nilekani and Dr. V. K. Dorai. site or app can replace the knowlare the organization that is proedge of your clinical team. If you viding the information, the date you to pay and also beware of those third party”. have been evaluated using strict qualare uncertain about something you the information was written or last sites that take your demographic inA great place to find website rec- ity guidelines. In addition to great read online, they are the ones to ask. updated and the name of the person formation without telling you what links for health topics, MedlinePlus who wrote the post or article. In ad- they will and will not be doing with ommendations for any health or includes a medical dictionary and For more details on IACAN call/ dition to those elements, it is good that data. You should look for lan- medical topic is the National Library medical encyclopedia, tutorials and email/visit: iacannetwork@gmail. to be wary of sites that is making guage that says something like “We of Medicine’s www.medlineplus. videos as well as information on com; (713) 370-3489; www.iacanamazing claims or sites that want will not sell your information to a gov. The sites listed on MedlinePlus drugs, herbs and supplements. If you network.org

Summary of presentation

by Elizabeth Brackeen, MS; Senior Librarian, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, at IACAN’s community education outreach event “Navigating Health Resources” held on Sunday, March 22nd, 2015 at India House.

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 4

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Part 1

The People’s Lawyer www.peopleslawyer.net Richard M. Alderman Interim Dean of the Law Center

Landlord cannot change the terms of a lease Q. Can the new owner of an apartment complex no longer accept checks, money orders or cashiers checks and make me pay online? It clearly states in my lease that I can pay online or at the management office by check or cash.

A. Your rights and obligations as a tenant are what you agreed to in your lease. Once a lease exists, neither the landlord nor the tenant may change the terms without the other’s consent. For example, if you decided you wanted to pay rent on the 5th instead of the 1st, you would have no legal right to do so, and the landlord could insist you pay on the 1st.

The same rule applies to how you pay. Your lease determines how you may pay your rent.

In my opinion, the landlord, even a new owner, may not unilaterally change the terms of the agreement. If you lease states you may pay at the office by cash or check you and the landlord are bound by that term.

Q. I have a fence between my property and my neighbor. He installed his sprinkler system close to the fence, directed at the fence. Due to the constant watering, as well as children kicking their ball against the fence, I have replaced the fence several times in the past few years. I’ve asked my neighbor if he would at least help pay half of the fence cost, but he says he is not responsible. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and helpful.

A. Unless your community association or homeowner’s association has rules about fences, as a general the owner of the fence and the property on which it is located is responsible for replacing or repairing it. Neighbors generally have no legal responsibility to help pay for the fence or share the cost of repairs.

On the other hand, neighbors do have an obligation to not damage the fence. If your neighbor’s actions are causing the fence to deteriorate faster than it should, in my opinion, your neighbor is responsible for part of the cost of repair or replacement. I suggest you let your neighbor know that his sprinklers and children are damaging your fence and that you expect they will take steps to correct the problem, and pay for necessary repairs or replacement. The failure to stop watering the fence and kicking a ball against it could be considered negligence and the neighbor would be responsible for the damage he causes.

Q. If credit card debt is more than ten years old can you be forced to pay the debt? We are getting calls every day from a debt collector. Can we be sued?

A. Under a law known as the statute of limitations, if the debt is more than four years old it is too late for you to be sued. If you were sued, you could defend the lawsuit by asserting this law. You still have a moral obligation to pay, and they can politely ask you to pay, but they cannot “force” you to pay or threaten a lawsuit. I also should add that after seven years, the debt becomes “obsolete” and even if transferred to a new debt collector is no longer reported on your credit report.

If you have decided that you are not going to pay the bill, you have the legal right to stop the debt collector from continuing to contact you. Under federal law, if you send the debt collector a letter demanding that he stop all further communications, the debt collector can contact you just one time and then must stop.

Q. I have an old felony conviction. An apartment recently refused to rent to me based on this conviction. Is this legal? I served my sentence; why should I continue to be punished?

A. It may not seem fair, but there are no laws protecting against discrimination based on a criminal record. Each landlord is free to consider your past criminal record and act as he or she feels is appropriate. All you can do is explain that you have turned our life around, and ask the landlord to reconsider.

Remember, the next session of the People’s Law School will be held the morning of April 4th in Houston. This free program teaches short classes in fourteen different areas of law. Knowing the law can help avoid problems and resolve disputes. To learn more about the People’s Law School or register for the classes, go to www.peopleslawer.net

Plan Your Wedding According to Vastu Do you know even location and entrance of marriage hall can also give you a happy married life?

Wedding is one of the biggest events in one’s life as it is a turning point and almost everything after the wedding changes. During the wedding days, whole space of your home gets charged up with excitement and joy, and entire Chetan Patel family and extended families are in celebrations mood.

However, there are a few questions that continue move around in everybody’s mind: Do the bride and the groom make a compatible couple? Will they be able to adjust and live happily ever after?

If MahaVastu is to be believed then most of the marriages fail not because the couple decides to break them, but because the environment of the place where marriage takes places as well as the house in which they move in after marriage, is not conducive enough for the relationship to continue. Only if the couple and their respective families learn simple principles of Vastu Shastra and follow Vastu advice, then they can come out of the most complex situations that break relationships and can continue to live with love and harmony forever.

Guidelines for marriage halls Of late, marriages have moved from homes and temporary pandals to concrete buildings with large halls, specifically made for marriages. Since these halls are also a form of a building, all Vastu principles apply to these buildings. Hence, you must choose a marriage hall which is constructed on Vastu principles. Some of these principles are discussed below: Entrance of the hall is from the East or North while parking should be in North-West or South-East.

Ensure that the stage in the hall is positioned in the West and the newlyweds on the stage face East.

According to Directions of Alchemy in Vastu Shastra, the dance floor and music system should be in East-North-East zone. Out of 16 Vastu zones this zone belongs to fun and recreation.

Transformer and other electrical systems should be in North-West zone of the building.

The food should be directed towards North-North-west or North while sitting arrangement for guests must be in North-East or East.

The mandap should be arranged only in the South-East zone and the holy fire should be lit in South-East corner of the The writer, Chetan Patel a well-known mandap.

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VOICE OF ASIA 5

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Over 100 Students Participate in the IITAGH /C@deFest// at Clements High School

Students, volunteers and organizers at IITAGH /C@deFest// at Clements High School.

Participating students seen seated at the tables in main area wit their laptops ready to begin.

S

UGAR LAND, TX (March 28, 2015) On a bright Saturday morning, over 100 students checked in at the registration desk at Clements High School for the IITAGH /C@ deFest//. The event hosted by the IIT Alumni of Greater Houston (IITAGH) and Clements High School focused on teaching students how to code a website in a day.

The students came in, met with their friends, settled down at the tables in main area, and opened up their laptops ready to begin.

Anne Beckman, coordinator of the Global Studies Academy (GSA) coordinator at Clements High School welcomed all the students.

She introduced Pratish Kanani, President of IITAGH, who spoke for a few minutes about graduating from an engineering university where he learned about problem solving and structured thinking, concepts that they would learn during the day. Pratish then introduced Anand Chauhan, the instructor for the day, who walked the students through

the fundamentals about computers, the differences between the internet and the web, how to use HTML tags and JavaScript code to create webpages, and how to integrate multiple webpages into websites. Anand finally walked the students through how to upload their website to the internet.

There were 15 volunteers from the Clements Computer Science Club that helped the students as they developed their own custom webpages. Lubna Lorena, who teaches Computer Science classes at Clements High School commented, “As I look at the energy and enthusiasm in the participants, I believe this is the start of a great tradition.”

“It was a really good and fun experience,” commented one of the students at the end of the class. “This is a really good camp and I hope that it stays set up for a really long time.”

“We started with 30 students last time, we had about a 100 students this time, and

we plan to have 250 students at the /C@deFest// at the next event,” said Pratish Kanani. Students had been invited from a number of schools including, Clements High School, Fort Settlement Middle School, First Colony Middle School, Sartartia Middle School, from the International Business & Marketing Academy at George Bush High School.

IITAGH /C@deFest// is intended to be conducted many times a year. Conceptualized and envisioned by Anand Chauhan, an IIT-Madras 1998 graduate with over 15 years of coding experience in the industry/academia and supported by IITAGH, /C@ deFest// is the Houston’s only premier introductory coding workshop of its kind that’s designed exclusively for the kids with no coding experience that aims to spark interest and satiate young mind student’s curiosity to consider Computer Science as a major and a career.

“I look forward to more successful events in the future and expanding this op-

R E V O C S I D R U O Y ER POW 2015 3 0 Y A M N O T S HOU IN FRONT OF MINUTE MAID PARK

Instructor Anand Chauhan,

portunity to more students in Fort Bend ISD as we grow our partnership with IITAGH,” said Anne Beckman.

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Cancer Center celebrates National Cancer Survivors Day – June 5

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Cancer Survivors Day Celebration.

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UGAR LAND— (April 1, 2015) — Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is joining nearly 14 million American cancer survivors in celebrating the 28th annual National Cancer Survivors Day® this year. Also being recognized are the many family members, friends and health care providers whose contributions to, and support of, cancer survivors help make the

celebration possible.

their strength and courage.”

“Surviving cancer is more than just living. It’s an attitude about life and living each day to the fullest,” says Frances Goerlich, director of Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Cancer Center. “You will find our Cancer Survivor’s Day event filled with joy, camaraderie, hope, compassion, faith and love as we honor cancer survivors for

“National Cancer Survivors Day is a great opportunity for cancer survivors, caregivers, friends and family to come together and affirm the possibility of quality of life after a diagnosis of cancer,” added Clive Shkedy, M.D., radiation oncologist and medical director of Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Cancer Center.

An afternoon with theater legend Debesh Chattopadhyay at Houston Durga Bari of each actor to invest long hours towards rehearsals, despite their extremely busy schedules, he has been forced to reciprocate. He said that it has been a new learning process for him and overall has been a great fulfilling experience for him to go back to the basics to train the amateurs.

Debesh Chattopadhyay

by Sanchali Basu

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t was a pleasant early spring afternoon, when I got to meet Mr. Debesh Chattopadhyay at Houston Durgabari last Sunday. With the soft breeze blowing his hair, cigarette in hand, he was in a relaxed, leisurely mood taking a break between his very hectic drama rehearsal schedule. It was a pleasure chatting with this theater director, actor, playwright from Kolkata. For the last 27 years he has worked in this field and is currently in the forefront of the Bengali theater scene and has now even made strides in documentary film making.

Mr. Chattopadhyay was in Houston on a special assignment to conduct a theater workshop and drama rehearsal with the local theater buffs. He has taken on the responsibility of staging a play under his direction with the amateur actors here, at the North American Bengali Conference (NABC) to be held in Houston at the George Brown Convention Center July 10-12, this year.

I was able to catch a glimpse of the rehearsal in progress and there was pin drop silence excepting the actors saying their lines and an ambience of intense seriousness in the air. On talking to the amateur actors, I found that they were very enthused by his guidance and were trying to live up to his high expectations. They were all very grateful at getting this great opportunity to learn the tricks from the master of the trade right in the middle of Houston.

Debesh was very impressed by the sheer dedication shown by the amateur actors. There was the initial shock which he had to overcome, since he is only used to working with professional actors. But seeing the serious interest and willingness

An integral part of the Bengali theater group Sansriti, Debesh has been instrumental in directing several of their successful full length and short plays. He explained to me the definition of the word Sansriti, which is derived from the Sanskrit words Sam and Sriti.

It means journeying together towards a common and unified

goal and essentially reflects and highlights the ascent of the theatrical journey of human beings towards a better world.

He was very happy and proud to announce that he will make his presence felt in a big way at the upcoming NABC with three different productions.

He will be staging his professional Sansriti production with actors from Bengal, the second production will be with the amateurs from Houston, and of course the third will be his latest Bengali film, Natoker moto.

He wanted to reach out and invite all prabashi Bangalis (Bengalis living outside of Bengal) to attend the NABC in Houston, and thus bear fruition to all the hard work and effort being put in. To register for NABC please visit www. nabc2015.org.

Anyone living with a personal history of cancer-from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of lifeis a cancer survivor, according to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation®. Additionally, the foundation says that more people are surviving cancer than ever before, which can be attributed to advances in prevention, early detection, treatment and follow-up care.

Cancer, however, does come

with many challenges, such as hindered access to cancer specialists and promising new treatments, inadequate or no insurance, financial hardships, employment problems and psychological struggles.

“Despite these difficulties, cancer survivors can live active, productive lives,” says Dr. Shkedy.

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Cancer Cen-

ter welcomes all local cancer survivors and a guest to join us as we honor survivors living with a history of cancer.

The Cancer Survivors Day Celebration and Luncheon will be held Friday, June 5 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Conference Center. RSVP Required. Call 281.274.7500 or visit houstonmethodist.org/events to reserve a seat.

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DIASPORA

VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

India Network Foundation issues travel 4 Indian-Americans among 40 advisory to all US bound travelers on top professionals in New York visitor health insurance requirements

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RLANDO, FL (PRWEB) March 31, 2015 - India Network Foundation, sponsor of Visitor Accident and Sickness Insurance programs, issues a travel advisory to all USA bound international travelers on health insurance requirements. Health care costs in the United States are higher than many other countries and procedures cost many times than even in developed countries. For example, a coronary artery bypass graft costs about $22,694 in Canada while the same procedure costs about $34,358. Visitors are advised to get a thorough medical exam before embarking on a trip to the United States and purchase a good insurance program that covers both pre-existing conditions, new problems and accidents. India Network Health Insurance program provides invaluable coverage for visitors of all ages (0-99) at affordable premiums.

Many insurance companies offer overseas travel insurance in India and in the United States for visitors traveling abroad.

However, not all programs adequately provide coverage.

For example, certain programs offered exclude urinary tract infections, a common problem among elderly. Almost all programs exclude coverage for major medical issues such as heart attack, stroke, and brain hemorrhage, among others and those over 60 years of age. All visitors planning a trip to US or Canada are welcome to contact India Network office in the US for assistance in choosing the right health insurance policy

that adequately cover them during travel and stay.

More than 500,000 Indian parents and grandparents are expected to visit the United States during this summer 2015. Most elderly from India have ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues and other preexisting conditions. India Network Foundation has conducted an evaluation of many visitor health insurance plans in 2014.

The study consistently identified contractual language which is likely to help deny claims for sickness and hospitalization due to existing medical conditions identified within the past two to five years as well as high blood pressure and diabetes, known or unknown to the visitors. Due to these limitations, India Network Foundation continues to sponsor visitor health insurance plan that covers adequately preexisting conditions, new medical conditions, and accident for all ages, 0-99.

Dr. KV Rao, India Network Foundation founder said that “many visitors from India are unaware of serious medical conditions such as diabetes, blood pressure, etc. and even if they are aware, they consider them as normal and not serious medical problems. Several India Network members living in the United States express surprise when they were told the BP, Sugar, etc are indeed preexisting conditions. It is essential part of trip planning to get a good travel health insurance to cover not only accidents, but sickness and hospitalization due to preexisting medical is-

sues.”

India Network Foundation advises seniors to consider US based insurers that offer simple to understand preexisting condition coverage.

One such option is available through India Network with a newly enhanced insurance plan to provide coverage for preexisting conditions on par with new problems, providing outpatient, in-patient coverage, accidental death and dismemberment, medical evacuation and repatriation benefits. The new plans have lower deductibles with the added benefit of including out-patient benefits for preexisting condition coverage, previously available only for new issue and accident coverage. The network based (80/20) plan will continue to use Multiplan Network of PPO providers and the scheduled benefit Standard Plan and Premier Plans will continue as open network plans.

About India Network Foundation India Network Foundation, established as a US non-profit organization, has been helping the Asian Indian community in North America with programs and grants to academics from India for more than two decades. India Network Foundation sponsors visitor health insurance to tourists, students, temporary workers (H1 visa holders) and their families. All insurance products are administered by India Network Services.

For more information visit http://www.indianetwork.org

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EW YORK: Four Indian-American entrepreneurs figure in a list of the 40 most talented and dynamic professionals under the age of 40 here in New York City.

The four Indian-Americans in the Cairn’s 2015 Class of “40 Under 40” list are Amy Jain, Aditya Julka, Reshma Saujani and Nina Tandon.

Choosing from more than 450 firms, the business magazine’s choices range from a gifted ballerina to a charismatic marketing guru.

“Our dynamic city attracts the best and the brightest, and this year’s 40 Under 40 honorees represent all that you can achieve with determination, hard work and vision,” Jill Kaplan, the vice president and

publisher of Crain’s New York Business, said in a statement.

Amy Jain, 32, jewelry designer launched BaubleBar--the accessory answer to the fast-fashion movement that has taken over the retail industry.

“You need to prove a value proposition and that the brand is cool and fashionable-that’s the biggest hurdle,” Jain told Crain’s.

Aditya Julka, 33, is the CEO and co-founder of Paddle8, an online auction house described as one of the fastest-rising stars in the art market.

“I take business problems and break them down into small experiments we can test,” Julka said. “That’s how we manage risk,” he said.

Reshma Saujani, 39, is the founder of Girls Who Code, a three-year-old nonprofit that teaches computer skills to girls from low-income communities.

“This is more than just a program. It’s a movement”, Saujani said.

Nina Tandon, 35, Chief executive of EpiBone is a startup that has successfully grown face bones for pigs and aims to move to human trials in three years.

“Our product is a platform for your own cells to go in and repair your body,” Tandon said.

Class of “40 Under 40” describes the most talented, driven and dynamic professionals under the age of 40 who are working in New York City today.

Indian-American doctor gets 9-months jail for bribery in US

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ASHINGTON: An Indian-American doctor has been sentenced to nine-months in jail for taking kickbacks for diagnostic testing referrals of his patients and failing to file tax returns on $1 million of income over a three-year period.

Yash Khanna, 72, of Livingston in New Jersey, had last year admitted to earning income of more than $381,000 in 2008, $400,000 in 2009 and $214,000 in 2010.

The justice department had said that he intentionally failed to file tax returns or ask for extensions during those years.

From 2009 through to 2011, Khanna owned and operated his own medical practice, Family Medicine and Pediatrics LLC, according to court documents.

He received cash kickbacks from Orange MRI for diagnostic tests performed on Medicare and Medicaid patients and met with an Orange MRI representative at his office on October 4,

2011, and November 10, 2011, taking envelopes with cash, the documents had said.

He had further accepted to earning income of more than $381,000, $400,000 and $214,000 in the years 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively.

In addition to imprisonment, judge Cecchi sentenced Khanna to one month of severe house arrest and three years of supervised release. He was also fined $30,000 and ordered to forfeit $10,400.

Indian-origin Singaporean nurse to be given achievement award

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INGAPORE: An Indian-origin nurse here will receive an international achievement award for her work in the healthcare sector of women and refugees, becoming the first Singaporean to get the prestigious biennial prize.

Dr Subadhra Devi Rai, a nurse and a senior lecturer at the School of Health Sciences (Nursing) at Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore, will be bestowed by this year’s International Achievement Award by the Florence Nightingale International Foundation.

Rai was selected as the recipient of the award for her outstanding work in the health of women and refugees.

The International Achievement Award will be presented to Rai at a conference in Seoul on June 21.

FNIF is the International Council of Nurses (ICN) premier foundation. Its purpose is to support the advancement of nursing education, research and services.

The award recognises Rai’s work in the health of women and refugees, and is the first

time a Singaporean will be awarded the biennial award since its introduction in 1999.

Speaking to the media today, Rai said she felt “honoured and humbled to receive this recognition” and hopes that this award sends a “powerful message to other nurses to

serve beyond the healthcare setting”.

“Without a strong understanding and awareness of the people you are helping, there would be a mismatch between the support rendered and what is needed,” Rai was quoted as saying by the local media.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 8

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FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

HOLI - Festival of Colors Rocks Houston!

new place always brings a sense of excitement, with a tinge of apprehension. A new university, new home, new workplace, a new city… or a new HOLI location. Success was soon evident as over ten thousand poured into the Houston Farm and Ranch, flooding the organizers Sunil and Sandhya Thakkar of Masala Radio with positive feedback. “This is the best Holi I have seen.”

“Packed with young people and so many non-Indians” “This Park is more central.” “I love the barn - an escape from the craziness!” “Beautiful Park surrounding by trees.”

Aapka Colors, MODIA Home Theatre and Tara Energy presented Houston Holi 2015 on Sunday March 22 featuring the Mercedes Benz Sugar Land sponsored concert with Sunny Brown and Lomaticc. A sea of fans rocked and swayed to their favorite songs “Bombay Bo” “Roses” and “Soniyea Ni”.

3 rocking DJ Parties with DJ Nish and DJ Rizz, DJ Zee and Hush Puppy DJs Geo / Dholi Tamim jamming with the latest Bollywood tunes unleashing pent up energy at the crowds swelled and color powder flew in the air. Opening for Lomaticc was Arjun of “K for Kishore” who won over the crowd with Kishore classics and Holi songs like “Rang Barse.” Three days of rain gave way to the most beautiful day for Holi, as the sun and cottony clouds competed to take in views of the colored revelers below. It seemed like a huge color and music festival

street foods stands: DGN Factory, Madhuram Mirch Masala, Hyderabad House, Vishala Restaurant, Spice Soda, Great American Cookies and Mayuri Resturant. New this year were Trifles – amazingly luxurious dessert layers of mousses, custards, and fruits, and Hot Breads gourmet cheese pizzas and baked goods.

Hosts Sunil and Sandhya Thakkar of Masala Radio with their crew merged with traditional Hindu festivities of the Holi Pooja and Pragitya (bonfire) by the Gujarati Samaj of Houston and Hindus of Greater Houston, SKAI Foundation Rath Yatra, and ISKCON Kirtan. ICC fueled the kid’s tenacity.

Record crowds swelled around the Entertainment Stage with fast paced dances from Naach Houston, Infused

Performing Arts, Shingari’s School of Rhythm, Rhythm India, Rice Chowl Bhangra, Rice Rasikas, Katy Kung Fu, Bollywood Shake, Houston Jannat, Bollywood Dancing Stars, Ek Do Teen Dance and H-Town Divas. Masala Radio Jockey Dilip Kanabar climbed to the top of a 15-man human pyramid to crack the matki in the Ramji Matki Phod. Moid

Khan of Bollywood Shows for U presented awards to Ajay Chunchu, Malika Ghei and child singer Aryan of the Aapka Colors Houston’s Got Talent Challenge. Mihir Mody awarded prizes (at daughter Alisha’s on-stage request) to all 3 DJs – Nish – Tamim – GEO in the Modia DJ Spinoff which sent the crowd into a dancing frenzy. As the finale revel-

ers cooled off and washed off in the Alings Rain Dance with showers created by three 40foot rain towers.

The misinformed fashionablydressed struggled to stay clean, hovering in the barn-shaded giant inflatable Kids Rides and Petting Zoo sponsored by Britannia and Keemat Grocers.

For many, their happiness was complete at the tantalizing

The only challenge with this otherwise perfect location was the parking.

Had everyone been able to park, the event would have boasted over 20,000 people. However, 2000 parking spots were at full capacity at 1pm and there were lines for up to an hour to get inside parking lots until 4PM. Yet faithful patrons arrived as late as 4:45 PM and insisted to go in even for 15 minutes of Holi play. This year saw the most diverse crowd. Tara Energy had over 250 RSVPs from their diverse office attend the event, and guests from all corners of Houston flocked to play “HOLI”. Sunil Thakkar said, “At least 30% of the crowd were non-Indians. I believe it’s time to take the event to the next level, a bigger park with 4000-5000 parking spots and appeal to all of Houston.”

Masala Radio thanks over 100 sponsors, 100 volunteers, and the dream team Masala Entertainment management crew Munira, Rinku, Devangi, Shah, Shameet, Nathan and 35 event managers, 20 Masala Radio Jockeys, and especially Eddie of Houston Farm and Ranch for yet another smashing HOLI!.

Bura Na Mano, Holi Hai!

Neuroscience & Spine Center patients benefit from support of care navigator

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UGAR LAND—(March 27, 2015) — The Neuroscience & Spine Center at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital provides diagnosis and treatment for the widest possible range of neurological issues, including Alzheimer’s and memory disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), back and neck pain, brain and spinal tumors, epilepsy and seizures, migraines and headaches, multiple sclerosis (MS), muscle and nerve injuries, Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, and stroke.

Maureen Lall, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, who serves as the patient care navigator for the Neuroscience & Spine Center, is part guide, part counselor and part guardian angel. In her role, she helps current and past patients schedule appointments

with the appropriate specialist based on their symptoms.

She also works behind the scenes to facilitate communication and coordination between the various Neuroscience & Spine Center specialists, who work as a team to deliver the best possible care for patients.

And when needed, she is just there to listen.

“We are fortunate to have a number of knowledgeable, highly trained specialists Maureen Lall, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, in the Neurosci- Neuroscience & Spine Center patient care ence & Spine Cen- navigator

ter, which enables us to utilize a multi-disciplinary approach to patient care,” says Lall.

“My role is to help the patient easily navigate that process.

At the same time, I help the physicians share information and ideas that can lead to better outcomes for our patients.”

Because every patient has unique needs, the role of a patient care navigator varies from day to day. Lall provides assistance and support wherever she can, working directly with patients and their family members to ensure that questions are answered and treatments are on track. And she works hard to ensure that every patient who needs to see a specialist can get an appointment within five business days.

“Today, patients who have suffered a stroke or who have

diseases such as Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis can live for many years with their disorders,” says Toby Yaltho, M.D., a neurologist with the Neuroscience & Spine Center. “As a result, patients and caregivers often struggle with the impact these conditions have on daily living. So we focus a great deal on improving our patients’ quality of life, and we collaborate across our specialties and subspecialties to develop treatment plans that can have the greatest positive impact. Maureen plays a major role in helping us maximize those efforts with our patients.

She is an important part of our neurosciences service here at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.”

“Having access to needed services within the community

is important to ensuring that patients maintain independence and are able to take advantage of all available resources,” says Lall. “Being able to stay in the community for care means a great deal to our patients. Many of our patients have trusted Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital for years and they are pleased to learn that we offer the most sophisticated and advanced care possible close to home.”

To make an appointment with a physician at the Neuroscience & Spine Center, call Maureen at 281.274.7979 or email neuroscience@houstonmethodist. org. Learn more at houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or visit our Facebook page at FB.com/ methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 9

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Sita Rama Kalyanam at Sri Meenakshi Temple

Srirama Parivar with Sita, Lakshmana, Anjaneya Swamy on Sita Rama Kalyanam

by Nalini Sadagopan

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ita Rama Kalyanam celebration, an annual event at the Meenakshi Temple Society of Pearland, felt even more auspicious this year as the date coincided with Sri Rama Navami on March 28th 2015 on Saturday. The stage was decorated so beautifully with the Rama parivar (Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman) that it brought in the celestial ambience. The blissful wedding took place with every step of the way being carefully explained by the knowledgeable priests (Sri Pavan Kumar, Sri Sridharan and Sriman Narayana Charyulu) at the altar while those gathered to sponsor the event diligently followed the

ritual. Right from the bedecked bride and groom, to the décor, to the spread of sweets made by devotees, the spectators were blessed to be part of this holy matrimony. Highlight in the sweet display was the paruppu thengai , a cone shaped delicacy made specifically for wedding s in the Southern India. Rituals included tying the kankanam, kanya dhanam (offering of the bride to the groom), mangalya dharanam (tying the knot), and homam ; the entire ceremony took place colorfully and sequentially.

The Houston devotees proved to be ardent supporters of the Sita Rama wedding and had flocked fervently to take make it a huge success. There was

Devotees gathered around Ratham during the procession in front of the Rajagopuram enthusiastic participation from the board members at the event and rava laddu specially made by the committee was offered as prasadam to the attendees.

Following the wedding, the

celestial couple was carried around the temple premises in the silver chariot in a procession. Other notable activities were - the rendering of Raguveeragadhyam by priest Srid-

haran, Nama Ramayanam and Bhajans by devotees during the festival and a sumptuous lunch.

Kudos to the MTS volunteers and board, especially the event coordinators – Bhargavi Golla,

Swaroopa Reddy and Kumari Mikkilieni, for tirelessly bringing such great events to the community in an effort to keep our rich Vedic and value-based traditions alive.

Kailash Cancer Hospital & Research Centre Tackles Cancer Muni Seva Charitable Foundation – a section 501(c) 3 certified non-profit

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here are many different causes of cancer – some are known and others are yet unknown. Of the known causes, tobacco tops the list. Tobacco has no nutritional value, yet contains many poisons such as arsenic, tar, ammonia and acetone... then, why do we consume tobacco?

In India, 275 million people consume tobacco.

This is like every men, women and children of the United States, except California, consumed tobacco! Of these, 462,000 people die of cancer each year.

Or, 52 deaths every hour. Of these, 20 die due to cancer of throat and mouth. Majority of them are caused by consumption of chewing tobacco, pan parag, mawa-masala or Ghutka. Would you believe that two men are responsible for causing many of these deaths? If you are a middle-aged person like me, these two men would have been your favourite Bollywood stars of the 70’s. They are no other than the super heroes of the silver screen – Shammi Kapoor & Ashok Kumar! You can find it in YouTube by searching for “Shammi Kapoor Pan Parag.” But, this article is not about condemning our idols or advocating role-models.

People are aware that CANCER is a fast-spreading and a very deadly disease. Gujarat state boasts the fifth highest cancer deaths in India. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are next in line. There is a very high usage of oral tobacco in all three states, especially amongst the tribal population. When poor villagers are diagnosed with cancer they must come up with several lakhs of rupees to treat the dreaded disease or face slow and excruciatingly painful death.

Pay-what-you-can!

It was precisely this hopeless situation that is addressed by Kailash Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (KCHRC) located in the tribal heartland of Gujarat. It provides worldclass treatment facilities and many leading edge treatment options. But the most striking feature of the hospital is this: nothing is free, but every service is on a pay-what-you-can basis! No one is turned back for lack of funds.

Villagers come here to get free help, international patients travel thousands of miles to get cutting edge medical care, and city folks in dire situations can even get shuttles to make it here. Naturally, there are cons who take advantage of the system but 15% of the clients will end up paying 50-100 rupees, 55% would be given 50-60% concession, and the balance 30% pay whatever is suggested.

With a staff of 33 full time doctors & RMO’s and 20 visiting doctors, the hospital treats 68,000 outpatients and 12,500 cancer consultations, 2000 complex cancer surgeries; and 17,000 patients treated through radiation and chemo therapies

every year.

KCHRC does not confine its activities only to treatment. For prevention, KCHRC educates school children to stay tobacco-free for life. An oncologist

and a social worker visited 100 schools last year and addressed more than 10 thousand children against the ills of tobacco. It is a small wonder that KCHRC is considered as the leading can-

cer treatment centre of India.

An info-entertainment cum charity event has been scheduled for April 25, 2015 from 3-7 PM at the VPSS hall of W Bellfort Street. Dr. Vikram Pa-

tel, Chairperson of Muni Seva Ashram will address everything about this topic and other focus areas such as Social care, educational effort and sustainable solutions. Snacks and dinner

will be provided. Also the famous group of Hemang Thakkar will entertain with Bollywood’s songs. Admission is by RSVP only. Please register at http://greenashram.org/RSVP

VOICE OF ASIA 10

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

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VOICE OF ASIA 11

LIFESTYLE

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

Vol. 28 No. 14 Friday, April 3, 2015 Section 2 Page 11

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

Top 25 Indian designers bring end to AIFW A-list designers like Rohit Bal, Sabyasachi and Ritu Kumar brought an end to the 25th edition of Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) by taking over the runway.

This was the first time that 25 top Indian designers teamed up to pay an ode to the rich crafts of India at the AIFW, which celebrated its silver jubilee.

With the set designed like a Rajasthani fort and the sketches of puppets in it, designers Manish Malhotra, Wendell Rodricks, Suneet Varma, Tarun Tahiliani, Raghavendra Rathore among others presented their two best ensembles inspired by the rich Indian craft in the hues of orange, pink and red.

Varma’s collection brought out a lot of drama on the stage with female models sashaying down the ramp in shimmering outfits accessorized with turban.

“Thank you everyone, for being here and thank you Amazon for this incredible collaboration with FDCI. I speak for myself and lot of people over here. We were looking at the show backstage and wondering why we had never thought of something this spectacular. I don’t think this will ever happen in the near future. It’s a real fraternity of Indian fashion,” Varma said.

Actress Sonal Chauhan was the first showstopper at the Amazon India Fashion Week 2015. She walked the ramp for designer Nikitha Tandon as a showstopper of her fashion show.

The AIFW was spectacular show of the year.

Padma Shri awardee Wendell Rodricks had quite a bold outfit on display. His orange dress had the sides open from top to bottom.

The Goa-based designer remembered the first edition of India fashion week on the silver jubilee celebration.

“I just want to thank the Press for being with us all this while.

I still remember the first India Fashion Week...From all of us a big thank you,” he said.

Rahul Mishra, who just returned from Paris Fashion Week, said it was a great moment for him to showcase his collection with stalwarts of Indian fashion.

“I have come from Paris last month and when I heard about this concept, I was really excited. It’s my honour to share the stage with them,” said the designer, whose collection had a light weight dress which “one can even wear during a tennis match”.

Anamika Khanna’s collection had sarees worn in a dhoti style.

She completed the Indian look with loads of accessories.

A-list designers like Rohit Bal, Sabyasachi and Ritu Kumar brought an end to the 25th edition of Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) by taking over the runway.

“Such a proud and gorgeous moment for all of us to be here together. I feel thrilled,” she added.

Jodhpur-based designer Rathore stuck to his Jodhpuri bandhgalas and achkans. Similarly, Ritu and Sabyasachi drew inspiration from the old Mughal tradition, while Rajesh Pratap Singh introduced electronic head gears worn over kaftans.

Bridal outfits were ahit at the AIFW. Ritu said, “While we are standing right now we are not aware that we are the only country where we have such an indigenous fashion handwriting. I think that is saying a lot.”

“I think it’s unity and diversity. It’s fantabulous. We are one big family,” Gaurav Gupta said.

Designer-duo Pankaj and Nidhi was excited to present their

collection for the first time in the finals.

“This is my first finale here.

It felt amazing. There was so much positive energy on the ramp. This was the most incredible and I am very happy to be a part of it,” Pankaj said.

The five-day extravaganza commenced from March 25 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

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HEALTH, SC & TECH

VOICE OF ASIA 12

Juicing for health: Grapefruits Part I

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Goodbye, range anxiety?

Electric vehicles may be more useful than previously thought

Prof. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee Rice University, Houston, TX

by Prof. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee Tart and tangy with an underlying sweetness, grapefruit has a juiciness that rivals ever popular orange and sparkles with many more health promoting benefits. Although available throughout the year, they are in season and at their best from winter through early spring.

Grapefruits usually range in diameter from four to six inches and include both seed and seedless and red, orange, pink and yellow/white varieties. The wonderful flavor of a grapefruit is like paradise as is expressed by its Latin name, Citrus paradisi. It was first discovered in the forests of Caribbean island, Barbados. Today, it is one of the widely cultivated fruits in the United States, particularly in Florida, California, and the other semi-tropical southern states. Grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids) and vitamin C. It is also a good source of pantothenic acid, copper, dietary fiber, potassium, biotin, and vitamin B1. Grapefruit also contains phytochemicals including liminoids and lycopene.

Health Benefits Rich in the Nutritional Powerhouse Vitamin C Grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, a vitamin that helps to support the immune system. Vitamin C-rich foods like grapefruit may help reduce cold symptoms or severity of cold symptoms. Vitamin C also prevents the free radical damage that triggers the inflammatory cascade, and is therefore also associated with reduced severity of inflammatory conditions, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin C is beneficial in promoting cardiovascular health and is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes including heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Enjoy Benefits from the Antioxidant Lycopene The rich pink and red colors of grapefruit are due to lycopene, a carotenoid phytonutrient. (PLEASE NOTE: Lycopene is only found in pink and red grapefruit. Lycopene is known to have anti-tumor activity. Among the common dietary carotenoids, lycopene has the highest capacity to

Grapefruits range in red, orange, pink and yellow/white varieties help fight oxygen free radicals, which are compounds that can damage cells. Choosing to regularly eat lycopene-rich foods, such as pink/red grapefruit, and drink green tea may greatly reduce a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer, suggests research published the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Jian L, Lee AH, et al.).

Practical Tip: Get in the habit of drinking green tea and eating lycopene-rich foods.

Grapefruit Juice Ranked among Those Highest in Antioxidant Activity Not all fruit juices are the same. They differ markedly in the variety of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity, according to Alan Crozier, Professor of Plant Biochemistry and Human Nutrition, who, with colleagues at the University of Glasgow, evaluated 13 commercially available popular juices. Concord grapes came out on top with the highest and broadest range of polyphenols and the highest overall antioxidant capacity. Other top scorers were grapefruit juice, cloudy apple juice and cranberry juice.

Dr. Crozier’s findings come shortly after those of the Kame project, which indicated that long-term grapefruit juice consumption can provide protection against Alzheimer’s disease, and suggest that, since each fruit juice contains its own array of protective phenols, drinking a variety may offer the best protection. Practical Tip: “The message is to mix these juices during the week.

That way you will get all the compounds with anti-oxidant activity. If you drink only one juice you risk missing out on the compounds in the others,” explained Crozier.

Limonoids Promote Optimal Health Phytonutrients in grapefruit called limonoids inhibit tumor formation by promoting the formation of glutathione-S-transferase, a detoxifying enzyme.

This enzyme sparks a reaction

in the liver that helps to make toxic compounds more water soluble for excretion from the body. Pulp of citrus fruits like grapefruit contain glucarates, compounds that may help prevent breast cancer.

In animal studies and laboratory tests with human cells, limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon. Now, scientists from the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have shown that our bodies can readily absorb and utilize a very long-acting limonoid called limonin that is present is grapefruits in about the same amount as vitamin C. In grapefruits, limonin is present in the form of limonin glucoside, in which limonin is attached to a sugar (glucose) molecule. Our bodies easily digest this compound, cleaving off the sugar and releasing limonin.

Limonin’s bioavailability and persistence may help explain why grapefruit limonoids are potent anti-carcinogens that may prevent cancerous cells from proliferating. Researchers are now investigating the potential cholesterol-lowering effects of limonin.

Conclusion part Next week

Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

by Julie Chao (Phys Org)

I

n the first study of its kind, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) quantitatively show that electric vehicles (EVs) will meet the daily travel needs of drivers longer than commonly assumed. Many drivers and much prior literature on the retirement of EV batteries have assumed that EV batteries will be retired after the battery has lost 20 percent of its energy storage or power delivery capability. This study shows that the daily travel needs of drivers continue to be met well beyond these levels of battery degradation.

Samveg Saxena, who leads a vehicle powertrain research program at Berkeley Lab, analyzed real-world driving patterns and found that batteries that have lost 20 percent of their originally rated energy storage capacity can still meet the daily travel needs of more than 85 percent of U.S. drivers. He and his research team also analyzed battery power fade and found that even after substantial loss in battery power capabilities performance re-

common battery retirement threshold.

amounts of battery capacity due to degradation.”

To conduct the study, the researchers took nearly 160,000 actual driving itineraries from the National Household Travel Survey conducted by the Department of Transportation.

These are 24-hour travel itineraries showing when a car was parked or driving, including both weekend and weekday usage by drivers across the United States.

As the battery continues to degrade down to 50 percent of its original energy storage capacity, the research found that the daily travel needs of more than 80 percent of U.S. drivers can still be met, and at 30 percent capacity, 55 percent of drivers still have their daily needs met. “Even if a driver has a long, unexpected trip beyond the normal daily travel, an EV battery with substantial capacity fade can often still make the trip,” Saxena said.

The researchers then assumed all itineraries were driven using a vehicle with specifications similar to a Nissan Leaf, which has about 24 kilowatt-hours of energy storage capacity, similar to many other EVs on the market, and 400 kW of discharge power capability, which was based on battery cell-level measurement data for the chosen vehicle.

This data was fed into the team’s unique simulation tool, V2G-Sim, or Vehicle-to-Grid Simulator. Developed by Saxena and other Berkeley Lab researchers, V2G-Sim quantifies second-by-second energy use while driving or charging for any number of different vehicle or charger types under

The Berkeley Lab scientists also analyzed power capacity fade, or the declining ability of the battery to deliver power, such as when accelerating on a freeway onramp, as it ages.

They modeled the impact of power fade on a vehicle’s ability to accelerate as well as to climb steep hills and complete other drive cycles. They found that power fade for the chosen vehicle does not have a significant impact on an EV’s performance, and that a battery’s retirement will be driven by energy capacity fade rather than by power fade.

“In fact, our analysis showed

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This chart shows the fraction of U.S. drivers whose daily travel needs are no longer met as a result of energy capacity fade for each level of capacity fade down to 30% remaining capacity. quirements are still met.

varying driving conditions.

“There are two main reasons people are hesitant to buy an EV: first, they’re unsure it will satisfy their mobility needs, and second, they’re afraid the battery won’t last the whole life of the car and they’ll have to replace it for a lot of money,” said Saxena, who has a PhD in mechanical engineering. “We show that, even after substantial battery degradation, the daily travel needs of most people are still going to be met.”

Then for each of the itineraries, they changed different variables, including not only the battery’s energy storage capacity, but also when the car was charged (for example, level 1 charger [standard 120V outlet] at home only, level 1 charger at home and work, level 2 charger [240V outlet] at home and level 1 charger at work, and so on), whether it was city or highway driving, whether the air conditioner was on, and whether the car was being driven uphill. More than 13 million individual daily state-of-charge profiles were computed.

The analysis of battery life was published online recently with open access in the Journal of Power Sources, “Quantifying EV battery end-of-life through analysis of travel needs with vehicle powertrain models,” which Saxena co-authored with Jason MacDonald of Berkeley Lab and Caroline Le Floch and Scott Moura of UC Berkeley.

With today’s EV batteries, “end of life” is commonly defined as when the storage capacity drops down to 70 to 80 percent of the original capacity. As capacity fades, the vehicle’s range decreases. The Berkeley Lab researchers decided to investigate the extent to which vehicles still meet the needs of drivers beyond this

“People have commonly thought, ‘if I buy an EV, I’ll have to replace the battery in a few years because I’ll lose the ability to satisfy my driving needs, and it’s not worth it,’” Saxena said. “We have found that only a small fraction of drivers will no longer be able to meet their daily driving needs after having lost 20 percent of their battery’s energy storage capabilities. It is important to remember that the vast majority of people don’t drive more than 40 miles per day on most days, and so they have plenty of reserve available to accommodate their normal daily trips even if they lose substantial

that the battery pack we studied, the Nissan Leaf, has a large margin of extra power capability,” Saxena said. “Energy capacity fade is really the limiting factor for this vehicle, not power fade.”

The researchers thus conclude that “range anxiety may be an over-stated concern” since EVs can meet the daily travel needs of more than 85 percent of U.S. drivers even after losing 20 percent of their originally rated battery capacity. They also conclude that batteries can “satisfy daily mobility requirements for the full lifetime of an electric vehicle.”

Given these results, the authors propose that an EV battery’s actual retirement may be delayed to when it can no longer meet the daily travel needs of a driver, leading many EV batteries to have a longer lifetime than is commonly assumed. Future work will involve providing personalized EV information for drivers, which takes into account an individual’s driving behavior.

“In sum, we can lose a lot of storage and power capability in a vehicle like a Leaf and still meet the needs of drivers,” Saxena said.

LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 13

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Beep it! Bans fuel fears of Apple chief Cook to give intolerance in India his wealth away: Fortune became the first openly gay chief executive of a Fortune 500 company.

Reach for comment, Apple said Cook had nothing to add to what was published in Fortune. Changing the world is a higher priority than making money at Apple, Cook said in the article.

Tim Cook Apple chief Cook to give his wealth away: Fortune Getty Images

S

AN FRANCISCO -Apple chief Tim Cook is joining Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and other technology titans who have vowed to donate their wealth to charities, according to a report in Fortune magazine.

A government-appointed board of censors has blocked the release of the erotic movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” in Indian cinemas. AFP/File / Mark Ralston.

by Annie BANERJI Don’t eat it, read it, see it, feel it,” sings the Michael Jackson impersonator as she raps her way through a list of pleasures banned by India’s conservative government before chorusing: “Just beep it!”

As the world’s largest democracy, India has long been proud of its tradition of artistic, cultural and religious freedoms.

But a series of bans, ranging from eating beef to watching the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie, has sparked accusations of a growing climate of intolerance under Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Critics say the bans show how “thin-skinned” their politicians have become in the Internet age where attempts to put a lid on offending material are likely to backfire.

The spoof of Jackson’s classic “Beat It”, which was made by the Indian comedy trio Enna Da Rascalas, has gone viral since being uploaded on YouTube last week, reflecting the backlash against blacklists.

Announcing a ban earlier this month on a British-made documentary about an infamous 2012 gang-rape in Delhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the comments by one of the rapists could fuel public anger.

Days later, a governmentappointed board of censors blocked the release of the erotic movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” in cinemas, despite being shown a toned-down version.

And a comedy “roast” show that featured several Bollywood stars has fallen foul of the authorities after being uploaded on the Internet and is now at the centre of an obscenity investigation over some of its sexually explicit jokes.

“For this government, it seems a ban becomes the quickest way to eliminate a problem,” Shiv Visvanathan, a sociologist based in Haryana state, told AFP. “Bans do not tolerate disorder

“

but without debate and disorder, you can’t have a free democracy. It is just making life complex.”

Historians point out that the centre-left Congress party which has ruled India for most of the post-independence period has its own track record of bans, particularly during the 1975-77 “Emergency” under Indira Gandhi.

British author Salman Rushdie’s 1988 book “The Satanic Verses” was for example banned here for allegedly insulting Islam.

But the last two decades has seen a general relaxation on the part of the watchdogs with TV channels able to air shows like “Sex and the City” that would have once been considered too racy.

Even the Rushdie novel “Midnight’s Children” -- which is scathing about the Emergency -- was released in Indian cinemas in 2013, albeit without the nudity.

- ‘Climate of intolerance’ Shashi Tharoor, a best-selling author who is also a Congress lawmaker, says the cultural climate has definitely changed since Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party came to power last May. “Our mounting concern is that there is a climate of intolerance that has unfortunately been given free rein,” Tharoor told AFP. “Positions which had always struck the Indian mainstream as being fringe positions have suddenly become acceptable to the powers that lead.”

The former diplomat made his name with “The Great Indian Novel”, a satire that came out in 1989 and is based on the epic Sanskrit poem Mahabharata. Were it to be published today, Tharoor suspects it would be banned.

Acclaimed Tamil-language author Perumal Murugan quit writing altogether in January following protests by Hindu

and caste groups who felt insulted by one of his books.

Pressure from Hindu activist groups was also instrumental in the passing of a ban on beef earlier this month in the western state of Maharashtra, which encompasses the largest city Mumbai. Cows are sacred to Hindus.

The move has been interpreted in some corners as another sign of growing intolerance in a country that is overwhelmingly Hindu but also has sizeable Muslim, Christian and Buddhist minorities.

But Pavan Verma, who has written extensively about cultural and religious history in India, said a certain amount of censorship was understandable in order to avoid causing offence in such a diverse country.

- Co-existence “India is a country of wide social discrepancies... that try to coexist with each other and it’s not an easy job to keep everyone happy all the time,” Verma, a former head of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, told AFP. There was widespread condemnation in India of January’s murderous attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris which had printed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

But when the editor of a Mumbai-based Urdu magazine reprinted one of the cartoons as a gesture of solidarity, she was arrested under laws against insulting religion.

Tanmay Bhat, one of the AIB comedy team at the centre of the obscenity row, said the wave of bans made little logical sense but did reflect a general intolerance.

“We (Indians) tend to have... an ostrich kind of mentality,” he said at a New Delhi event last week.

“We want to put our heads into the ground and be like, ‘if I don’t like something then it’s got to go away’.”

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“You want to be the pebble in the pond that creates the ripple for change,” Cook was quoted as saying in a Fortune story focused on how he has brought his own winning style of leadership to the iconic California company more than three years ago.

creetly, but intends to adopt a more systematic approach.

He did not specify causes he might target. Cook has spoken out on issues including civil rights, AIDS, immigration reform, and protecting the environment. Cook, 54, last year

A Giving Pledge movement launched by billionaires Warren Buffet and Gates urges the world’s richest people to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.

Those taking part in the pledge include Facebook cofounder Zuckerberg, Oracle founder Larry Ellison; and powerhouse Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr, according to the givingpledge. org website.

Cook plans to give away his entire fortune, after setting money aside to pay for a 10-year-old nephew’s college education, according to the Fortune article available online Friday and to appear in a printed version of the magazine due out at the start of April.

His net worth was estimated at about $120 million, based on the amount of Apple stock he owns. Cook also owns restricted shares that could be worth $665 million if they become fully vested.

Cook told Fortune that he has been donating money dis-

An empowered but persecuted Arab woman, as a violin

by Shaun TANDON Scheherazade, the story-telling Arabian queen from “One Thousand and One Nights,” has captured the Western artistic imagination for centuries. In her latest incarnation, she is depicted by a violin as an empowered yet persecuted modern woman.

John Adams, one of the leading US composers, has created a new Scheherazade who is chased by religious fanatics in the turmoil of the Arab Spring in a work which premiered Thursday evening at the New York Philharmonic.

Adams called his 40-minute work a dramatic symphony -the term coined by Berlioz for an orchestra pushing the boundaries of narrative -- and the violin expresses the full range of emotion of Scheherazade.

Violinist Leila Josefowicz, a frequent collaborator of Adams, offered an intense performance as Scheherazade. Playing without notes, she visibly assumed the persona of her character, at times gazing steely with the poise of an opera singer.

Adams brought to stage a cimbalom which from the very start of the work offered a Middle Eastern tinge to music rooted in the Western classical tradition.

A lush tone emerges in the second movement as two harps portray Scheherazade falling in love. Adams, in what he acknowledged was meant to be a provocative move, suggested that the relationship may be with a fellow woman.

The third movement is entitled “Scheherazade and the Men with Beards.” Zealots are represented arguing and condemning Scheherazade through blaring trombones, brusque movements of the string bass and imposing bass drums, as the violin responds

In her latest incarnation, a 40-minute dramatic symphony by US composer John Adams, Scheherazade is depicted by a violin as an empowered yet persecuted modern woman (AFP Photo/Gabriel Bouys).

with shriek-like arpeggios.

Scheherazade ultimately escapes and finds refuge, but the work ends not with a black-andwhite triumph but with a gentle touch of the violin as if showing doubt about the future.

- A modern heroine Scheherazade -- depicted in “One Thousand and One Nights” as the queen who reads a tale each night to appease a jealous king who put to death his previous brides -- has been a favorite theme for Orientalist artists in the West who rejoiced in exotifying the Islamic world.

Musically, Scheherazade inspired works at the turn of the last century by the French composer Maurice Ravel and the Russian Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Partially in tribute to the still-popular Rimsky-Korsakov composition, Adams entitled his dramatic symphony “Scheherazade.2.”

Yet it is difficult to cast Adams as a simple neo-Orientalist. He has devoted himself to tackling complex contemporary events including the September 11 attacks and the dawn of the atomic

age.

Most controversially, Adams wrote “The Death of Klinghoffer,” a 1991 opera that explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the killing of wheelchair-bound Jewish American Leon Klinghoffer by Palestinian hijackers on the Achille Lauro cruise ship.

The opera enraged some pro-Israel groups, especially as Palestinian characters make anti-Semitic remarks. Protesters repeatedly disrupted a production last year at the Metropolitan Opera, around the corner from the New York Philharmonic.

Adams said he was inspired to write the dramatic symphony after a visit to Paris where he saw an exhibition on Scheherazade at the Institut du Monde Arabe. He later reread “One Thousand and One Nights.”

“I was absolutely shocked and appalled by how casual the brutality towards women was. And at the same time, I was looking at the Internet and seeing these images of women being oppressed by ‘true believers,’” he said in brief remarks at the premiere.

VOICE OF ASIA 14

Friday, April 3, 2015

Young Life Section 2

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FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Tel: 713-774-5140

‘Animal House’ or house of horrors? US fraternities at a crossroads

by Fabienne FAUR

said Smithhisler, who praised the way national fraternity leaders acted “swifted and decisively” in the Oklahoma and Penn State cases.

W

ASHINGTON, AFP 3/29/2015 - Fraternities have long been a fixture of American college life, but revelations about sexual assault and racism are casting a pall over hard-partying “Greek life” on campus.

- To each their own African-American fraternities have existed since 1906, and all-female sororities since 1851. Upstarts cater to Latinos, Asians and gays.

Some are going so far as to question the future of fraternities, an institution that dates back to the earliest days of the United States.

But it is predominantly white fraternities that are able to “garner benefits” from the university system, including access to social and economic capital, said Rashawn Ray, a sociologist at the University of Maryland at College Park.

“This is the biggest outcry I have seen in the past 50 years,” Laura Hamilton, a sociology professor at the University of California at Merced, told AFP.

With their own premises, they can “control social environments, reduce the involvement of authority figures, maintain privacy and choose when to be viable and invisible,” he said.

In recent weeks, several fraternity chapters have been suspended or dissolved at a pace the Chronicle of Higher Education newspaper has described as “an unusually rapid clip.”

Video of racist chants by members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at the University of Oklahoma touched off a national furor with their reference to lynching and use of the N-word.

The chapter was promptly shuttered and two students expelled.

The Penn State chapter of Kappa Delta Rho has been suspended for a year as police investigate a private Facebook page featuring images of naked and unconscious women who attended its parties.

And the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity at the University of Michigan has been suspended after its members were involved in vandalizing a ski resort, wrecking 44 rooms at an estimated cost of more than $400,000.

Booze-infused frat parties and hazing rituals that morph into sexual assault, accidents and even death have turned up regularly in US news media over the years.

Claims of a gang rape at the University of Virginia, reported in Rolling Stone magazine, were later discredited, yet fueled a nationwide debate about sexual assault on American campuses.

Students walk on the University of Oklahoma campus on March 11, 2015 in Norman, Oklahoma. AFP Photo.

- Under-age drinking With their own, often historic premises, fraternities “generally have a monopoly on alcohol consumption for those under 21,” said Hamilton, who studies the sociology of university life.

Over the years, they have “reinvented themselves as fun sort of party houses,” with no policing of what goes on within their doors, she said.

Hollywood has perpetuated the image with movies like the 1978 hit “Animal House” starring the late John Belushi and, more recently, the Seth Rogen and Zac Efron vehicle “Neighbors,” about a frat house that turns a quiet neighborhood upside down.

“Greek life” harks back to 1776, when Phi Beta Kappa -- which means “philosophy is the guide to life” -- was founded as a forum for discussion at the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

“Fraternities

exist

on

college

campuses to create opportunities of friendship and brotherhood, leadership, academic success, and philanthropy and community service,” said Peter Smithhisler, president of the North-American Interfraternity Conference.

“Because when you break it down, it really is about creating cliques and clubs and being exclusionary,” said the actor, a Delta Tau Delta member during his University of Southern California student days.

Fraternities are male-only, but “not specific to race or religion,” said Smithhisler, whose group represents 5,500 chapters at 800 US and Canadian campuses, making up a total of 350,000 freshmen.

The front gates are chained up at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, members of which were shown in a video singing a racist chant while traveling on a tour bus, on March 11, 2015 in Norman, Oklahoma. AFP Photo.

“Each organization chooses their membership based on a core set of values” as well as academic and community involvement standards, he said.

Fraternity membership can have long-term career benefits: most Supreme Court justices, senators, cabinet members and Fortune 500 executives were frat men, as well as 18 US presidents since 1877.

Students who run afoul of their fraternity’s honor code can expect “appropriate disciplinary action,”

India police arrest 1,000 over fresh exam cheating scandal

Hollywood star Will Ferrell, whose 2003 comedy “Old School” centered on three friends trying to revive their frat-house glory days, said the Oklahoma incident makes “a real argument” for ditching the fraternity system altogether.

Child poverty impacts brain development: study

P

ARIS | AFP, 3/30/2015 Children of richer, better-educated parents have bigger brains and more cognitive skills than their less-fortunate peers, but social help and teaching can help to overcome the differences, a study published on Monday said.

The distinctions Child poverty impacts brain development: study were most profound in regions of the brain supporting language They compared parents’ income and reading, executive functions like memory and decision-making, and and education level to children’s spatial skills, experts in the United brain surface area, measured by States reported in the journal Nature scans, as well as their cognitive test scores.

Neuroscience.

The impact was “meaningful in terms of the way the brain is working in these kids”, study co-author Elizabeth Sowell of the University of Southern California told AFP. In this photo taken on March 19, 2015, relatives of students taking school exams climb the walls of the exam building to help pass candidates answers to questions in Vaishali in the eastern state of Bihar (AFP Photo/)

N

EW DELHI, India | 3/30/2015 Police in eastern India have arrested around 1,000 aspiring constables for using “middlemen” to sit their exams for them, in the latest cheating scandal to hit Bihar state, an official said Monday.

Some 50,000 candidates sat the written exams last October for a highly-sought after place in the police force in underdeveloped Bihar, senior superintendent Jitender Rana said by phone from state capital Patna.

But many of those candidates who sat the tough exam were not the same ones who turned up for the next stage of the selection process, Rana told AFP. “The fraud was detected when

the signatures, photographs and fingerprints of the candidates were matched with those who had appeared for the exam,” Rana said.

“We don’t have the exact figures but approximately 1,000 people have been arrested so far over the last few days. These cases are of impersonation and providing false and forged documents.”

While most of those arrested had hired doubles for the exam, others were fingered for submitting documents which turned out to be forged.

The Mail Today tabloid said some candidates had admitted paying nearly 150,000 rupees ($2,395) to so-called middlemen to enable them to clear the exam.

Earlier this month, police in the same state detained more than 1,000 people over another cheating scandal that saw relatives scale the walls of a school exam centre to help students.

“We found that the relationship between brain (structure) and family income impacted kids’ cognitive functioning,” Sowell said by email.

The study stressed that solutions lay within reach, including better school lunches, motivated teaching and community programmes to encourage children.

TV channels and photographs showed dozens of people clinging to the windows of a four-storey building to pass cheat sheets to candidates.

“It is not too late to think about how to impact resources that enrich the developmental environment, that in turn help the brain wire itself together,” Sowell said.

The images went viral on Twitter and made national headlines, stirring Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his government into action.

Socioeconomic inequalities have long been seen as linked to differences in cognitive development, but the extent to which it affected brain structure was unclear until now.

Cheating often occurs in India although rarely on such a scale. But in 2013, more than 1,600 students were disqualified in Bihar after similar cheating videos emerged.

In what is claimed to be the biggest study of its kind, Sowell’s team tested 1,099 typically developing boys and girls aged three to 20, from diverse population groups.

They corrected for other potentially confounding influences on brain structure such as genetic ancestry.

Aside from the differences observed between the brain surface area of children in the lowest and highest income levels, there was also a striking disparity between income groups at the lower end of the scale.

There was a bigger difference, for example, between the results in kids from families earning either $30,000 (28,000 euros) or $50,000 per year, than those earning either $90,000 or $110,000.

Sowell said the reason behind that difference was unclear.

“It seems reasonable to speculate that resources afforded by the more affluent (nutrition, child care, schools etc) help ‘wire’ the brain through development,” she said.

“The most important point we want to convey... is not ‘if you are poor, your brain will be smaller, and there is nothing that can be done about it.’ That is absolutely not the message!”

VOICE OF ASIA 15

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Katrina Kaif: Madame Tussauds to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, farmer’s son turned unveil Bollywood star’s statue ‘Hindi indie’ star

T

he Madame Tussauds waxwork museum is due to unveil its latest Bollywood superstar - Katrina Kaif.

I

t is a story worthy of a Bollywood plot: the son of a north Indian farmer, one of nine children, rising to become the face of independent Hindi cinema.

The museum is marking 15 years since its first Bollywood statue was created.

Kaif, the daughter of a British mother and a Kashmiri father, will be at the museum in London on Saturday for the unveiling, Madame Tussauds said.

But Nawazuddin Siddiqui is still getting used to his success.

“When someone is looking at me, I feel they are looking at someone standing behind me, not at me,” the 40-year-old confessed to AFP during an interview at a Mumbai hotel.

Kaif made her debut in Bollywood in 2003 with Boom and has become one of the most sought after actresses in India, correspondents say.

“I have not got used to it and I won’t allow myself to feel like a star.”

For the wax statue, a team of about 20 sculptors and artists worked with the actress over four months - hundreds of measurements were taken and the museum said the statue cost £150,000 ($222,297).

Winning awards for his roles in internationally-feted films such as Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012 and The Lunchbox the following year, Siddiqui has become one of India’s most respected actors.

In the wax model, Kaif will be in a dancing pose and dressed in a sequined outfit, BBC Hindi’s Vandana, who uses only one name, reports.

Madame Tussauds unveiled its first Bollywood figure of superstar Amitabh Bachchan in 2000 when it asked the public to vote for an Indian actor who deserved a place in the museum.

It is a long way from his humble beginnings in Uttar Pradesh state, where he became the first graduate from his village with a degree in chemistry.

home to help out on the farm.

Aside from Talaash and the 2014 action film Kick with Salman Khan, he has mostly avoided Bollywood blockbusters, tending towards more serious Hindi indie roles.

But his forthcoming features are big budget flicks alongside A-list superstars -- much to the delight of his family, who travel 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the nearest cinema hall to watch his films.

He will appear again with Salman Khan in upcoming romantic drama Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and with Shah Rukh Khan in Raees (Rich Man), in which he plays a cop who is chasing Khan’s mafia character.

Siddiqui says he admires Bollywood megastars for their longevity -- “they’re very wellmaintained” -- and he wouldn’t rule out doing a song-and-dance number himself, despite his reservations about Bollywood musicals.

He describes them as a “bor-

Katrina Kaif in black posses next to Madame Tussauds waxwork of Kaif.

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India Is Making Its Own Game Of Thrones TV Series

by Rob Bricken (109 the future).

W

hen you play Rani Mahal, you win or you die.

I think. Actually, all I really know is that “Rani Mahal” is the title of an upcoming Indian TV drama — which is reportedly “inspired by” George R.R. Martin’s Game

of Thrones.

Before you freak out, you should know the show is actually set on Earth, in India, in 1857. However, there will be characters based on Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow and Cersei Lannister, so while there may or may not be dragons, there will probably be plenty of drama. One thing the show almost certainly won’t have is

the giant budget HBO gives it, even though Rani Mahal is being produced by Sony Pictures Television.

Pic on the right: From left to right above: Sakshi Thanvar has been cast as the Daenerys character, while Anita Hassanandani will play Cersei, and Parth Samthaan will presumably know nothing as Jon Snow. Works for me.

But he faced years of struggle and bit parts, often earning little cash, before he really became established.

The year 2012 was perhaps his best to date: along with the Wasseypur gangster epic and Miss Lovely, both selected for the Cannes Film Festival, he turned heads in crime thrillers Kahaani (Story) and Talaash (Search).

He said his family are still surprised by how far he has come.

“And you cannot blame them.

I am a five-foot six-inch, dark, ordinary-looking man. People didn’t imagine that I would make it,” he said. “It is the mindset of our country too, that people like (me) don’t become stars. Maybe it’s a result of 200 years of colonial rule.”

Industry outsider Being this “ordinary-looking” outsider to a dynastic industry, Siddiqui struggled to get a designer suit for his first red carpet appearance at Cannes in 2012.

But three years later he just has to pick up the phone, and when he comes to meet AFP he is accompanied by a manager, a valet and a publicist.

Despite his success he says “nothing much has changed”.

He still hangs out with old friends “who remind me of our days of struggle”, and goes

rowed culture”, not rooted in the Indian tradition of folk music and classical songs and dance.

“However I would do one such formula film to prove that I can dance and romance a heroine,” he said.

Siddiqui is also appearing in his first Hollywood film, with two scenes in the upcoming drama Lion directed by Garth Davis, and starring Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire fame. But he is “not dying” to do more foreign movies.

“I am very proud of the films I am doing here because they are of an international standard,” he said.

“I am very confident about my work because I have worked very hard.”

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTH

VOICE OF ASIA 16

Friday, April 3, 2015

Section 2

Page 16

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

US aims to cut Boys, girls are equal in number at conception: study antibiotic use

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A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that boys and girls are equal in number at conception, but more female fetuses die during pregnancy, leading to a slightly higher number of males being born (AFP Photo/Loic Venance)

M

IAMI, AFP 3/30/2015 - Boys and girls are equal in number at conception, but more female fetuses die during pregnancy, leading to a slightly higher number of males being born, researchers said Monday.

The study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is based on the largest dataset ever analyzed in the search to explain what is known as the human sex ratio, which has been poorly understood until now.

Documentation came from the United States, and included “the sex ratios of fetuses at different gestational ages, including three-to-six-day-old

embryos produced by assisted reproductive technologies, induced abortions, chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis, and United States census records of fetal deaths and live births,” said the PNAS report, authored by researchers at Harvard University and Oxford University.

Scientists found that the human sex ratio is equal at conception, but that during gestation, there were certain times when male embryos were more likely to die than females, particularly in the first week after conception when there tended to be more abnormal male embryos than female embryos.

During the next 10 to 15

weeks, females faced a higher risk of mortality in the womb.

Later in pregnancy, male miscarriages were higher in number than female miscarriages, particularly in weeks 28 to 35, the study found.

But overall, more female died in the womb than males, the study showed.

“These are fundamental insights into early human development,” the authors wrote.

Their findings contradict previous research that suggested more males are conceived than females, and that more males die during pregnancy than females.

ASHINGTON, AFP, 3/27/2015 - US President Barack Obama on Friday rolled out plans to cut inappropriate antibiotic use by half, in an effort to tackle drug resistance.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” kill 23,000 people a year in the United States.

“Antibiotic resistance is one of the most pressing public health issues facing the world today,” Obama told Internet health portal WebMD. To reduce the toll, the new plan aims to cut inappropriate antibiotic use by 50 percent for outpatients, and 20 percent for inpatients.

Measures include developing diagnostic tests to determine whether an infection is bacterial or viral.

“Over-prescribing is a serious problem,” Obama said. “We need to give doctors the information and guidance they need to make the right call in hard situations.”

The plan would also encourage the development of new antibiotics.

But critics say measures fail to tackle one major source of antibiotic over use: farming.

“The Obama Administration needs to do more to reduce antibiotic use in animals that are not sick,” the Natural Resources Defense Council said.

“Our government should be taking steps to reduce antibiotics to protect our health, rather than protecting poor industry practices.”

The plan may also hit funding problems. Obama needs Republicans in Congress to back a budget that pays for the measures.

More Differences Than Similarities Are Found in Autistic Siblings while Cameron draws back. Thomas loves his iPad, whereas Cameron has no interest in computers. Thomas is an “escape artist,” continually on the move, while Cameron prefers to park himself in one place.

The new study provides a good biological explanation for those differences — and should put to rest the sort of predictions the Souths got before having Among their many behavioral differences, Thomas South, right, loves to exThomas. plore, while his brother Cameron prefers to stay put. Credit J. Adam Huggins “This study makes for The New York Times us step back and realize we’re not necby Benedict Carey (Jan. 26, people, perhaps more, to tell essarily going to get as much 2015,The New York Times). any meaningful story about its predictive value out of genetic biological basis. mapping as we thought,” said ost siblings with a Experts said the report, in the Helen Tager-Flusberg, a dediagnosis of autism do not share the journal Nature Medicine, would velopmental neuroscientist at same genetic risk factors for the most likely encourage changes Boston University, who was not disorder and are as distinct in in clinical practice. Some hos- involved in the research. their behaviors as any brothers pitals analyze the genetic proThe report is the latest twist in and sisters, scientists reported file of the eldest affected sibling a genetic plot that seems only to to try to understand an infant, thicken. In recent years, scienon Monday in a study that came as a surprise to many doctors, if or to advise parents of the odds tists have isolated gene mutaof having another child with the tions that steeply raise the risk not to parents. same disorder. That approach is of autism. But those glitches acScientists analyzed genetic not informative in most cases, count for only a tiny fraction of material from 85 families, us- the study authors said. cases, and the number of them ing a technology called whole“This is very important work continues to increase — to genome sequencing. Unlike for people like me,” said Val- about 100 now, and counting. other approaches, which illu- erie South, an emergency nurse Scientists have not been able minate a sample of a person’s in Oakville, Ontario, outside genetic material, the whole- Toronto. Her sons Cameron, to tell a coherent story about genome technique maps out the 20, and Thomas, 14, have se- causation. It could be that comentire voluminous recipe, every vere autism. In a family of four mon variants — that is, gene biological typo, every mis- or more, the odds of having two variations that many people placed comma or transposed children with autism is about carry, which cause no apparent problems — increase the dorletter. Each of the families had one in 10,000. mant possibility for the disortwo children with a diagnosis of In 1998, she and her husband der, in some combinations. autism. consulted doctors about the The investigation focused on The researchers focused their risks of having another child analysis on about 100 genetic with autism. At the time, they 85 families with two children glitches linked to the develop- had Cameron and an older son, on the autism spectrum. “We ment of autism. They found Mitchell, who has no develop- anticipated that, more often than not, there would be shared that about 30 percent of the 85 mental problems. inheritance” in siblings, said the sibling pairs in the study shared “We wanted Mitchell, who is project’s research director, Dr. the same mutation, and about 70 percent did not. The sib- a great brother, not to have to Stephen Scherer, a professor ling pairs who shared a genetic carry the burden all by himself,” of medicine at the University glitch were more similar to each Ms. South said. “They told us of Toronto. Dr. Scherer is also other, in their habits and social that the odds of having another director of the Center for Apskills, than those pairs whose Cameron were tiny. And even plied Genomics at the Hospital genetic risks were different, the if it happened, they said, it for Sick Children. “That wasn’t the case.” wouldn’t be a severe case.” study found.

Experts not involved in the They did not get another The finding drives home the exasperating diversity of au- Cameron — or another Mitch- study said the finding was contism, even in the most closely ell. They got Thomas, who vincing and important. “The related individuals. And it sug- shares Cameron’s autism di- study is very well designed, gests that scientists will need agnosis, but who is very dif- the end result is somewhat to analyze tens of thousands of ferent. Thomas will walk right surprising, and it reiterates the up to strangers, Ms. South said, complexity of the underlying

M

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

genetics of autism,” said Dr. Yong-hui Jiang, an associate professor in the department of pediatrics and neurobiology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

The report is the first major finding from a large-scale collaboration financed by Autism Speaks, an advocacy group, and based at the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children. The researchers are analyzing genetic material from a registry of more than 2,800 families who have at least one child with a diagnosis. The registry, funded by both the National Institutes of Health and Autism Speaks and managed by Autism Speaks, includes comprehensive medical and behavioral histories and is the largest of its kind.

In a first, the study coordinators, working with Google, published the data and analysis tools online, in a cloud-based format available to any user.

In previous genetic studies, it has typically taken researchers months or years to make their data available, if they do so at all, Dr. Scherer said. Autism

Tel: 713-774-5140

Understanding Principal Uses of Life Insurance. Continued

I

n a whole life policy, the guaranteed cash value is exactly equal to the face amount once the insured’s age is 100, at which time the face amount is paid in cash to the policy owner. When the policy endows, this means the cash value (equal to the policy’s face amount) is paid to the policy owner. If the insured dies before the policy endows, the beneficiary receives only the policy’s face amount. The beneficiary does not receive both the policy’s face amount and the cash value, because the cash value is part of the death benefit.

A transfer of cash or other property to certain charitable, religious, scientific, educational, or other organizations, known as a charitable gift, can have favorable income and estate tax results for the donor. Income taxes can be reduced and estate taxes can be saved.

For some, charitable giving is an important estate and financial planning strategy, because it reduces the amount of the taxable estate and reduces taxable income.

Under certain charitable giving strategies, a charitable gift can actually increase the client’s net spendable income while benefiting a charitable organization that is important to the client.

Life insurance can be used in a charitable gift to accomplish several client objectives.

For example, life insurance can be the “property” that is presented as a gift. Such a gift increases the value of the gift to the charity because of its death benefit.

Life insurance also plays a major role as an assetreplacement vehicle when a donor wants to make a charitable gift in trust but also wants to ensure that his or her heirs are not shortchanged by the gift.

For example, a business owner of a substantial and successful business may want to retire and sell his or her interest in the business. However, because of a small cost basis, the owner may find that most or all of the funds received on the sale are subject to capital gains tax. To overcome that tax problem, a business owner may choose to make a charitable gift of his or her business to a charitable remainder trust. Such a trust can sell the business without diminishing the proceeds by taxes and can provide an income to the donor for life.

The value of the trust would be paid to the charity upon the donor’s death. specialists said that the study findings were a welcome confirmation of a common observation. “After you get over the surprise and think about it, we all know that the kids are different in these families,” Dr. Tager-Flusberg said.

The ratio of siblings with autism who have a common genetic basis for the disorder versus those who do not — now 30 percent to 70 percent — may be less lopsided as researchers analyze more such families, some

Sudhir Mathuria Contact: Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6650 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning.com When life insurance is the subject of the charitable gift, certain requirements must be met. The requirement for the charitable use of life insurance is that the gift of the policy or other property must be made to a qualified charity, such as a nonprofit school or hospital, a church or synagogue, or a local or civic organization.

The organization that is the recipient of the charitable gift must meet three conditions to qualify the gift for a tax deduction: • No part of the earnings of the organization can be used to benefit any private shareholder or similar individual.

• The organization cannot have been disqualified for tax exemption by attempting to influence legislation or by intervening in any political campaign on behalf of a political candidate.

• The organization must operate exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes.

Another requirement for a life insurance policy to be used for charity is that the donor must give up all interest in the policy. Generally, no deduction is allowed for a gift of a “partial interest.”

For example, the donor must maintain records, preferably in the form of canceled checks payable to the charity or a receipt from the charity, showing the date, amount, and the identity of the donor and the identity of the charity receiving the gift. In addition, the gift must be made before the end of the taxable year, even if the policy owner pays taxes on an accrual basis.

To evaluate your needs, compare quotes from all major life insurance companies contact 713-771-2900. experts said. The study “used a quite liberal approach for variants relevant to autism, and the finding, while solid, may be less general than implied,” said Dr. David B. Goldstein, director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at Columbia University.

A version of this article appears in print on January 27, 2015, on page A11 of the New York edition with the headline: More Differences Than Similarities Are Found in Autistic Siblings.

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VOICE OF ASIA 17

ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

Friday, April 3, 2015

BUSINESS

Section 2

Page 17 Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

India aims to double exports to $900 billion

jobs to India when he swept to power last spring.

But sceptics say the government will first have to tackle corruption, unreliable power supplies and the country’s dilapidated infrastructure.

Analysts said the new export target looked ambitious.

“The hurdle will essentially be the global environment, where the growth is moving up but the growth in trade is not moving in the same way,” said D.K. Joshi, chief economist at Indian ratings agency CRISIL. “There are also issues with India’s export non-competitiveness, which is essentially on domestic factors which the government can control and address,” he told AFP. India’s Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government would encourage domestic manufacturing to increase exports from $469.5 billion in the 2013-14 financial year (AFP Photo/ Sam Panthaky).

N

EW DELHI, 4/1/2015 - India on Wednesday set an ambitious target of almost doubling its annual exports to $900 billion in the next five years as it seeks to boost the economy and provide jobs for a growing population.

Commerce Minister Nirmala

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Sitharaman said the government would encourage domestic manufacturing to increase exports from $469.5 billion in the 2013-14 financial year.

She said the government wanted to increase India’s share of global exports from the current two percent to 3.5 percent.

Sitharaman said the government would focus on “addressing constraints within the country”, including weak infrastructure and red tape.

“This new policy lays out a stable and sustainable roadmap for India’s global trade engagement in the coming years,” Sitharaman said at a press conference.

“Our target is to move towards a paperless working environment,” she said, adding that the government was working on allowing exporters to submit documents electronically.

Right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to bring development and new

Defence and e-commerce would be priority sectors, Sitharaman said.

Tel: 713-774-5140

Arvind arm, US coompany to pay $3.2m to Ralph Lauren

A

HMEDABAD: City-based textile conglomerate Arvind on Monday said its subsidiary Arvind Lifestyle Brands (ALBL) and US Polo Association (USPA), USA will jointly pay $3.2 million (Rs 20 crore approx) to Ralph Lauren Corporation (RLC) USA to settle a lawsuit filed by it in a US court in 2013.

Ralph Lauren had filed a case in a district court in US against ALBL and USPA alleging breach of agreement due to non-compliance in respect of disclaimers to be printed on USPA products sold in India. ALBL has licence to manufacture and market USPA-branded products in India.

“The parties got into good faith discussions and agreed to enter into an amicable settlement without admission of liability of any party,” Arvind informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Monday.

The company further said, “Under the terms of the settlement, ALBL and USPA have agreed to pay

jointly settlement amount to RLC. As per the settlement agreement, ALBL shall pay $3,200,000 in full settlement and satisfaction of the dispute between the parties.”

Ralph Lauren had first issued a notice for arbitration to be held in India against ALBL and USPA and the company was successful in obtaining a temporary injunction against the commencement of the arbitration from the jurisdictional court in India. Later, Ralph Lauren went ahead and filed a lawsuit in the US Court.

Arvind has a large portfolio of owned and licensed brands and retail formats. The company’s own product brands include Flying Machine, Colt, Ruggers and Excalibur, among others, while its licensed product brands have global names like Arrow, Gant, Izod, Elle, Cherokee and US Polo Assn, among others. It also has a joint venture in India with global major Tommy Hilfiger. The company also has retail brands like Megamart, The Arvind Store, Club America, Next and Debenhams. (TNN | Mar 31, 2015).

Obama unveils sanctions program to fight cyberattacks

by Rob Lever ASHINGTON, 4/1/2015 - President Barack Obama on Wednesday ordered a new sanctions program that could block assets of US and foreign hackers and of companies that seek to profit from cyberattacks.

Obama said the threat from cyberattacks was a “national emergency” and that the sanctions could help strike back against those involved in attacks on US targets.

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“Starting today, we’re giving notice to those who pose significant threats to our security or economy by damaging our critical infrastructure, disrupting or hijacking our computer networks, or stealing the trade secrets of American companies or the personal information of American citizens for profit,” Obama said in a blog post on the Medium website.

He added that cyber threats “pose one of the most serious

economic and national security challenges to the United States,” and that the sanctions will take aim both at hackers and “against companies that knowingly use stolen trade secrets to undermine our nation’s economic health.”

Obama said in his statement that hackers in China, Russia and Iran were among those attacking US targets and added that “it’s often hard to go after bad actors, in part because of weak or poorly enforced foreign laws, or because some govern-

sphilip@llppc-law.com

ments are either unwilling or unable to crack down on those responsible.”

The announcement comes after an epidemic of incidents reported in recent months, including a devastating attack against Sony Pictures, and data breaches that stole credit card or health data on tens of millions of Americans.

Under the order, the US Treasury would be able to freeze or block assets of those involved in attacks on “critical” US com-

puter networks, such as banking systems or electric power, or the theft of data such as credit card information, and of companies that profit from such attacks.

“Cyber intrusions and attacks -- many of them originating overseas -- are targeting our businesses, stealing trade secrets, and costing American jobs. Iranian hackers have targeted American banks,” Obama said.

“The North Korean cyberattack on Sony Pictures destroyed data

and disabled thousands of computers. In other recent breaches that have made headlines, more than 100 million Americans had their personal data compromised, including credit card and medical information.”

The executive order allows the Treasury and Attorney General’s office to impose sanctions on hackers posing “a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States.”

HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Your Horoscope for the Week of April 3, 2015

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

READ YOUR COMPLETE HOROSCOPE ONLINE WWW.VOICEOFASIAONLINE.COM

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 Oct

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April Use your ability to laugh at yourself when life throws you a curve. You can be compassionate when it comes to the way you feel about others. During these expensive times, your charge card feels like a magic wand. Resist the urge to overspend. Lovers don’t have to impress anyone. Your dedication and determination will help you master whatever you set out to do. It’s all about support. Whether you’re lending a receptive ear or turning to trusted friends for backup, all agree on what is important.

You always have love for the arts, Whether it be music, literature or theater, you’ll be impressed with a new discovery and will want to tell the whole world. The energy you feel will help you to reach your goals. Express yourself with passion & you may discover new ways to impress your style. This is the time to turn on the charm and attract interest both professionally and personally. You will hold the attention of those with whom you come in contact.

Scorpio (N,Y)23 Oct to 21 Nov

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May You need to tighten your belt and look for things to do that don’t cost so much. This is a good time to set new goals and break bad habits. Emotional difficulties are likely, control your reactions to incompetence. Choose conservative investments and forget about becoming an overnight millionaire. Consider attending lectures to broaden your awareness of your professional goals and direction. Travel will help you to understand those from different cultural backgrounds better.

You need to be good to yourself and those you love. The real world is strange enough without making things worse. Don’t trust anyone who won’t look you in the eye. You have to disconnect your emotions from a difficult situation. Once you do, your energy will increase. Use your resources to find new ways to complete your tasks. This is a time for accomplishment. You are a champion for those who need an advocate. You can make the impossible look easy. The services that you perform now are sure to earn you points.

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June Recognize time, schedules and your ability to know when to stop working. You can make headway early in the week, if you put your mind to it. You will be offered an opportunity to work some magic. Problems that older relatives face will become part of your life. Try to do what you can to help, but allow others to lessen your load. You don’t have to let their troubles disrupt your personal life. By week’s end, your excitement will overtake your serious side. You’ll become a master at the art of change.

Feeling of things getting back on track. Somehow, lately it has felt as if you’ve been wasting your time. You’re now ready to give everything that you have to get what you want.

Potential is everything this week. Many people are making promises, reaffirming their faith in you. You’re ready to act in ultimately successful ways. You need to start enjoying life a little more. Although you’d rather hold the answer in your hands, envisioning it helps you find it more easily. You’d prefer not to cause problems, but you know the fallout is unavoidable.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July Not to let everything get to you. You’ll be surprised by the differences that you see in strangers. You need to make your points but you also need to listen to other’s perspectives. Don’t overreact to criticism. Events push you into an activity that you like.

You’re happy to work hard at something that you love. Settle down and work on your future goals. Look at yourself in the mirror and discover who you really are and how much you have to offer. It’s time to believe in yourself and to raise your self-confidence.

Stay focused during this eventful week. Communication is very important. With the preliminary steps taken, you’re ready to launch into something more complex. Your best partners are the people who always know what you mean. Bring your greatest asset to the forefront, your confidence. It’s time to make some choices. Reach out and draw someone new into your circle. A hint of strength is far better than an actual display. You’re sure to get people’s attention.

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

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August Come up with solutions to problems. Unexpected short trips may be necessary. Sit back and relax, close friends may shed some light on your situation. Your insightful, trend setting way of putting things together will be admired by others. Participation in family outings or social activities will bring you added popularity and respect. New friendships or romantic connections will be stimulating, even intense. You’ll be able to make travel arrangements by week’s end.

You need to let go of your inhibitions and feel free to experiment. Socializing will bring you in contact with romantic possibilities. Get out and have fun. Help spouse by taking care of his/her duties or problems, you’ll be glad you did. Romance will unfold through workrelated events. Opportunities to advance are evident, but you must keep your emotions well hidden if you wish to accomplish your objectives. You can make progress at work by refraining from idle chatter or disagreeing with your boss. Focus on your own projects.

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

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September Feel the changes in the order of things. You’ll remain unchanged, however the differences lie in how you present yourself to the world. Give a little, take a little. If someone else wants to run the show, don’t object to it. You could find yourself facing a choice when you least expect one. Talk to people who matter. Use a little creativity to show that you are dependable, stable and willing to do whatever you can to help. You’re a lively contributor and a giving individual who will gain respect and approval from those in authority. Don’t forget to attend to your inner needs.

QR

Make fresh, new things happen while affirming that which has always been. You’ll feel vital and in control. Leadership is a big plus for you. Your words may be quoted.

Your actions may have an effect on others, but it doesn’t all go to your head. Study your opponent or objective from a distance. You may find you need an altogether different approach. Be cautious in how you use your resources, don’t be hasty. Your willingness to listen is enough for someone who wants your attention. It’s too easy to take sides during an overheard dispute.

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• Welcome to our Sunday Worship Service @ 10 AM • Bible Study / Sunday School @ 9 AM • VBS Classes August 13, 14, and 15.

Sales Tax, Income Tax Audits and Representations

HoustonFlooringStore.com

Tel: 832-877-9625 Free Consultation asu2020.com

M.D. Associates LLP A full service CPA firm

3 Locations to serve you

Houston 713-774-6533 Spring 281-251-2205 Dallas 214-722-7545

visit us at : www.mdassociatescpas.com

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Computer Services Computer Repair & Networking: Microsoft MCSE & A+ certified, low flat rates, free estimates, pickup & delivery; Web Design & Online Marketing: Increase your sales by search engine optimization. Certified in Yahoo & Google Adwords, PCNetworkGuru.com, Call Amit at 832-971-6807

Electrical Service Superior One Electric Commercial & Residential

KHOA TRINH, Electrical Technician Tel: 832-359-5447 Free Estimate TECL# 27099

* Repair/ Remodeling * New Installation * Ceiling Fans * Light Fixtures * Electric Panel * Trouble Shooting * Services Upgrades

Phone: 713-774-5140 E-mail: Adsvoa@yahoo.com Moving Service

Home Improvement

S. Ram and Associates

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Faith & Worship

BOOK-KEEPING INCOME TAX Personal and Business Tax Returns, Payroll

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CARPET*WOOD*LAMINATE*TILE Wood flooring starting @ $1.99/per sq. ft.

Laminate starting @ .89¢/per sq. ft.

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KITCHEN & BATHROOM REMODELING 10x10 Kitchen Cabinets starting @ $2990 installed

Granite Countertops starting @ $21.99/per sq. ft. installed Call 281-410-1030

Home Improvement

CUSTOM BLINDS & SHUTTERS www.SugarLandBlinds.com Call: 713-966-9215 2.5” faux wood blinds starting @ $39.99/window* installed

Apt., Home, Office 23 Years in Business

Restaurants India’s Restaurant & Catering

for special parties and corporate events. Preferred Wine list, Authentic vegetarian & non-vegetarian dishes, finest Indian cuisine with chef’s special dishes

Restaurants

Ph: 713-266-0131/ 0805

We cater from 10 people to 800 people for all occasions.

We deliver to your venue.

Madhuram Mirch Masala 10758 FM 1960 West Houston, TX 77070 281.955.9878 216.338.3940 (cell)

Shiva Indian Restaurant & Catering specializing in North Indian cuisine, Office and Corporate catering.

• 2514 Times Blvd. Rice Village, Ph: 713-523-4753 • 2130 Lone Star Dr. Sugar Land, Ph: 281-494-2981

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CLASSIFIEDS

Part Time Accountant Property Management Company in Houston is looking for a part-time accountant with the following qualifications: • Degree in Accounting or Business preferred.

• Must have good working knowledge of Quickbooks and Excel.

• Experience in generating financial reports & bookkeeping.

• Other duties as assigned.

Good compensation for an experienced person

To apply please email your resume to:

princeville.investments@gmail.com (Please indicate in the subject line: “Accounting Position”)

Now You Know!

PROJECT: City of Houston - LLPS Direct Connect and PRS at EWPPP BID DATE: April 16th, 2015 @ 10:30am . Garney Construction is looking for SBE, MBE, WBE, & DBE Contractors and Suppliers. Contact Bret Crandall at PHONE: 816278-5950 ext 622 FAX: 816-2782932

Here’s your chance to be a Vocabulary Sleuth!

• An ostrich’s eye is bigger than it’s brain.

Staunch- loyal; faithful; dependable.

• Goldfish can see both infrared and ultraviolet light

Vilification- blackening someone’s name.

Atrophy- waste away from lack of use.

• Cats spend 66% of their life asleep.

Drawl- speak slowly with words running together.

• A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21 inch tongue.

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Amazing facts from all over the WORLD!

• A bear has 42 teeth.

Houston Community College Request for Competitive Sealed Proposals (CSP) RigOne Drilling Training Center Project No. 15-11 Documents can be obtained at: www.hccs. edu/district/departments/procurement.

Sealed proposals will be received in Procurement Operations (3100 Main Street, Room No. 11A06, Houston, Texas 77002) until 2:00PM (local time) on Tuesday, April 14, 2015. Pre-proposal meeting will be held on March 26, 2015 at 10:00 am at 3100 Main Street, Seminar Room B, Houston, Texas 77002.

FRIDAY, April 3, 2015

Insurgent- a rebel.

Free community events on: www.voiceofasiaonline.com Calendar!

Free community events on: www.voiceofasiaonline.com Calendar!

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VOICE OF ASIA 19

for Real Estate Agents Post your listing!

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Three Ways Your Technology Can Help You Go Green this Earth Day tion.

Solar Chargers You may rely on multiple devices to get you through the day, from your mobile phone to your tablet to your laptop.

It’s easy to keep these items running without draining electricity, even when you’re on the go. Solar chargers come in all shapes and sizes these days -- clam shell, tree branches, foldable -- you can even buy a backpack or laptop case equipped with a solar panel.

With so many manufacturers greening their offerings, consider taking stock

Visit our Website www.voiceofasiaonline. com For the latest on Community News, National & Global Enjoy stories on LEISURE & LIFESTYLE To Advertise online email: adsvoa@yahoo.com or call 713-774-5140

VOICE OF ASIA Technology aids environment. PHOTO SOURCE: (c) Warakorn - Fotolia.com

T

hese days, there’s no reason why you can’t be both tech-savvy and an environmentalist. More gadgets and technical appliances are trending green, and this Earth Day is the perfect time to learn how you can adopt some of these innovations in your life.

To reduce your family’s overall impact on the environment, consider this lineup of eco-friendly technologies: Green Apps There are hundreds of apps designed to help you make earth-friendly lifestyle changes -- from PaperKarma, an app which helps you stop the flow of junk mail to your home, to

the Green Gumshoe, which facilitates the reporting of environmental incidents to the correct authorities.

Lamp-Free Projector Technology

example, Casio’s Lamp-Free Projectors consume 1/3 less power per unit than traditional lamp-based projectors by using a Laser & LED Hybrid Light Source. Guided by Intelligent Brightness Control, you can conserve power up to 50 percent because the projectors automatically adjust brightness to suit the room.

For every 6,000 hours of use, that amounts to approximately $800 dollars saved compared to a traditional lamp-based projector.

If your home, school or business could use a green makeover, an easy place to start is by replacing an outdated projector with something more energy efficient. For

In addition, Casio’s portfolio of projectors, including its SLIM series, takes environmental consciousness a step further by eliminating harmful mercury bulbs from the equa-

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a good resource for finding and locating the best green apps.

What’s more, they offer developer tools for those wishing to make their own green apps using EPA data.

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