Voice of Asia December 05 2014

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Vol. 27 No. 49 Friday, December 5, 2014 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

1st US Mar Thoma Church - 40 Years of History Making

by Shobana Muratee

H

OUSTON - On the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov 28, over 200 Houston Marthomites gathered at the Trinity Mar Thoma Church located on Almeda-Genoa to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Mar Thoma congregation.

Three generations and two score years ago, a glorious legacy was born of the initial congregations in the early 70s by the first few Mar Thoma families that had come to the US. Today, 40 years later, it is the oldest Mar Thoma congregation in North America and its history began here in Houston, Texas.

Under the auspices of Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius, and 40 seniors from the parish, the 40th year Thanksgiving celebrations began with prayers and planting of 40 trees by senior members of the church and their families. “A span of 40 years would make the active years of a human,” Rev. Dr. Geevarghese said in his Opening Remarks. “Forty years is a very significant time for the parish and faith community.” Praising the congregation on their years

by Chittoor Ramachandran he month of karthigai (vrichikam) (NovDec) makes the premises of Sri Meenakshi Temple vibrant with numerous festive events individually distinct in the importance, intent and tradition. The 41 days of austere Ayyappa vrutham (Mandalam) and the associated worship of Sri Ayyappa (Sri Dharma Shasta) conspicuously bring out several disciplines recommended to take up in the spiritual path of life. The divine Sharana ghosham fill the air.

Ancient Hindu literature mentions about Sri Dharma Shastha as the authority of righteousness. According to the legend, Sri Dharma Shasta took birth in this world as Sri Ayyappa as a protector of His devotees in the present Kali Yuga. Sri Ayyappa reinstates the moral values in the society that are degraded during Kali Yuga. When the purpose of his incarnation was over, Sri Ayy-

Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius, (center) is seen planting a tree at the Trinity Mar Thoma Church with Rev. Roy A Thomas (lt) and Rev. Kochukoshy Abraham (rt) and the members of the church. Photo Credit: Murali Sannthana.

Steadfast Ayyappa devotees get the gratification of annadanam at MTS

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appa merged with Sri Dharma Shastha. Sri Ayyappa symbolizes a combination of powers represented by Sriman Narayana , the power that protects the universe, and Sri Mahadeva, the power that periodically re-absorbs the expressions in reality. Sri Ayyappa combines both these aspects of Brahman. Sri Ayyappa reminds us of the fact that there is no difference between the Brahman within all of us, irrespective of our physical and manmade demarcations. Everyone who takes the vow to observe Ayyappa vrutham is addressed as ‘Ayyappa’- a symbolic way to recognize that they share the same divinity of the Lord within them.

Strict adherence to the rules the Ayyappas follow is to help

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Devotees enjoying the grand feast after the Aiyyappa Puja at MTS. them purify themselves externally and internally (mind, action, body, diet etc. ). The basic principle that is modeled in the vrutham is that such austerities will create a habit that eventu-

ally will transform the way they treat others with respect, since others share the same divinity (satvic). According to the tradition, for those who intend to seek the darshan at Sabari

malai (the abode of Sri Ayyappa), vrutham is essential.

More information on Ayyappa vrutham is available in www.

HoustonAyyappas.com.

Special worship is conducted

of dedication and hard work, he said, “You have made history today with establishing a place of worship here.”

As the Mar Thoma congregation grew rapidly with a need for increased services, a permanent church had to be built. The Trinity Mar Thoma church was then built 30 years ago, in 1984.

“Prayer is the driving force for a few God conscious people to realize the need to have a place of worship,” Rev. Dr. Geevarghese said. On the occasion of Thanksgiving, he reminded the members that it was now “time to redeem for greater mercies, to accomplish greater things in the coming years.” He also pointed out that planting of 40 trees (“that will outgrow us”) was symbolic of passing on the legacy to generation to come.

Besides, he said it was also a way of expressing ecological concerns. “A church becomes relevant only when it realizes the challenges of the community,” he said, adding “Don’t lose sight of humanitarian concerns.” Rev. Dr. Geevarghese concluded his remarks with William Carey’s quote: “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” Continued on Page 6 daily in the shrine of Sri Ayyappa at Sri Meenakshi Temple throughout the season of Mandalam, led by Priest Sri R. K. E Parameswaran. Among the charitable activities MTS and Ayyappa devotees engage in, donating or sharing food (annadanam) is considered the most virtuous. The annual tradition of Shastha Preethi (Pooja followed by a Grand feast) was held on November 29 at MTS with unprecedented attendance of several hundred devotees.

This tradition is highly revered by ardent Hindus. It is believed that Sri Ayyappa Himself joins in the feast sitting next to the devotee. Therefore, participating in Shashtha Preethi is considered a blessing.

Many volunteers under the leadership of Sri Guruswamy Venkatesan and the RAC team of MTS deserve great appreciation. MTS extends helping hands to the hungry during the holiday season by collecting and donating food items to the needy.

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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

India’s Godman Syndrome; My Reflections

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Dr. Sulekh C. Jain

by Sulekh C. Jain

D

uring the last 2 weeks nearly all media in India and some in US carried the news of the arrest of the self-Styled Godman Rampal of Satlok Ashram in Haryana. Here is a sampling of some of the Headlines that I came across; • Operation to arrest Godman Rampal cost over Rs. 26 crore.

• Godman’ Rampal’s lavish lifestyle inside Satlok ashram.

• Haryana and Punjab High Court sent Godman Rampal in judicial custody till November 28.

• ‘Godman’ Rampal arrested, 15,000 followers freed, 492 held for violence.

• Special Investigating Team seizes arms, ammunition from Rampal’s ashram • Pregnancy kit, petrol bombs in Rampal ashram.

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FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

63-year-old Rampal was arrested on November 19 after a two-week tense standoff between his supporters and the police after close to 15,000 of his followers were evacuated from the sprawling premises.

The massive operation to locate and arrest controversial ‘Godman’ Rampal cost the exchequer over Rs. 26 crore. During the standoff between Rampal’s followers and the police, five women and a child had died, while more than 200 people were injured in the clashes.

One newspaper commented that “godmen do extraordinarily well in our country than in most others, and that is where the puzzle lies. Is our society more vulnerable? It is hardly surprising then that some of the godmen behave like magicians and their followers like that.

Many of the followers who visit them are miracle seekers.

People everywhere are prone to mystics, but what makes our godmen seem so powerful is that our politicians use them as baits to catch votes.

Modern gurus gain mass following through technologies such as the Internet, satellite television and social media...

Rampal, a charismatic orator started out with an anti-Arya Samaj treatise and then added on miracle powers to woo the gullible. Like other godmen, he was flush with funds too.

violence. Rampal is no exception. He had an army of highlytrained commandos at his beck and call. And he used them to the hilt when the police laid his ashram under siege. The “commandos” used bullets, stones, acid and petrol to send the police scurrying. Over a 100 policemen were injured.

While enjoying all these news coming from India, I have been thinking and reflecting too on the emergence of such selfstyled godmen in India. In every country and society there are always many such people like TV Evangelists in US, Jonestown Camp Massacre in 1978 in Guyana, and recently in the news Asaram, Nithyanand, Ram Rahim of Sachcha sauda and so many more. Some of the godmen own a vast empire of 100s of very lavishly furnished ashrams, thousands of followers, bullet proof enclosures and a large contingent of armed commandos to protect them.

With the ever increasing affluence of people in India, the number and the pomp and show of Godmen too is significantly increasing not just in direct proportion but may be in geometric proportion too.

It is not that people are gull-

ible in India only. The aura and attack of some of the godmen from India has reached here in US too. Last year I was told that one such Godman with his oratory and claims of charisma charmed one person in US who wrote a check of one million US dollars after listening to the Godman just for 20 minutes.

Later the donor found out that the Godman was absolutely a fraud and fake and sued him.

This victim donor himself told me this story how he was mesmerized and fooled by the fast talking Godman.

In another case this year, the former leader of the now defunct Hindu Temple of Georgia, Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar was sent to prison after a jury convicted him of defrauding his followers. He charged his followers fees in exchange for spiritual and related services, but then would run-up unapproved charges, using their credit card numbers, authorities said. “The Swami Ji traded on his perceived religious authority and spiritual powers to cheat the faithful who believed in him,” said United States Attorney. “The jury saw through his deception. “The money he made through fraudulent charges was used to finance his and

False accounts

I

t seems that some ‘cleaning up’ is finally required.

A few individuals have taken their complaints about fake Facebook accounts to the Federal Investigation Agency in the past.

Some cases have been reported in the media about how ill-equipped the FIA is to deal with cyber crime in general, amid the rising instances of statements on social media sites being quoted all around, taken at face value and attributed to the person in whose title an account is being maintained.

The news that now the ISI and the army have asked the FIA to investigate false accounts established in the name of some of their seniormost officers is just another manifestation of how dangerous the practice can be.

It confirms the long-acquired national preoccupation with spreading rumours and falsehood by camouflaging these in military colours.

An account in the name of the military would require some measure of denial before Pakistanis can be convinced that someone, near or far, has had the temerity to invade the privacy of and impersonate a member of the military that they are in awe of. In fact, the possibilities that such a false account can present to its operators are unlimited.

Considering that every muscle that is flexed in Pakistan is easily believed to have been flexed by military order and that all the sit-ins, sitouts and lounging about in places of power are said to

his family’s lifestyle, which prosecutors said included luxury vehicles, control of multiple homes and foreign bank accounts in India. Swami ji once owned a million-dollar home in Sugarloaf Country Club in Duluth, GA. My brothers and sisters, how do we remain vigilant and reduce this disease in the society is up to us. It is not entirely possible to completely wipe out fraud and deception by so called Godmen. It is a fact that as long as greed, a desire to get something for nothing, the increasing richness and affluence of the people coupled with the effective use and power of the media, internet and social sites like face book, this disease and menace will spread even more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Govt. has started a campaign of Swachchh Bharat by 2019. These self-styled godmen and their exploitation are a filth and disease too. I hope by 2019 , when India will celebrate 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi Ji, India will be cleaned to some extent of this filth and disease in the society as well. Let us all be vigilant, rational and do our best in this regard.

be controlled by the security establishment, there is a danger that someone with a mischievous bent of mind could really turn everything upside down.

There is no shortage on Facebook itself of those who conveniently disguise themselves as soldiers to let loose a volley of words often bordering on abuse, some invoking the worst kind of invective.

Hopefully, the FIA will now display the requisite urgency to come up with a plan that prevents this abuse of technology, and the effects of its efforts will be felt in areas beyond the specific accounts the military has complained about.

Source: Dawn (December 3rd , 2014).

Like Satlok Asharm of Rampal, there are nearly 100 deras (ashrams, cults) that dot rural Haryana and Punjab. The dera leaders are a variation of India’s godmen because they hold their supporters in thrall, mostly confine them to fortified ashrams and like most cults have deviant sexual practices (incest, polygamy, orgies), miracles and a religious mumbo-jumbo which is often a variation of known religious texts. These half-baked philosophies are then sold to the gullible. In all such deras, the magnetism and healing powers of the leader is basic to its success. But violence is a cult characteristic. Every deviant cult leader displays a streak of

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C OMMUNITY VOICE OF ASIA

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

Second Front Page

Friday, December 5, 2014 • www.voiceofasiaonline.com • Page 3 • Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com • Tel: 713-774-5140

Lighthouse for the Blind’s Shining Light of Guidance

The YLDP Batch of 2014 with Mr. Gibson DuTerroil, President, Lighthouse for the Blind, (rt seated) and Ms. Sandhya Rao (to his left).

by Smriti Ashok

F

or our third YLDP session on November 15, 2014, we paid a visit to the Lighthouse for the Blind on the basis of Philanthropy and Charity. There, we heard Mr. Gibson DuTerroil, President of the Lighthouse for the Blind, and Ms. Sandhya Rao, a frequent visitor of the organization, speak about the establishment and give insight about its purpose and its impact

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on the community. Mr. DuTerroil gave us a brief summary of the establishment’s purpose and goals and showed us around while pointing out how the building’s features were designed to help the blind. Ms. Rao told us her life story; she gave us details about her condition and how she overcame obstacles to become the successful law clerk she is today.

My group was very inspired by the

two individuals. We were blown away

by Mr. DuTerroil’s compassion for these individuals; he felt so eager to help them that he centered his job and lifestyle to help these people. Ms. Rao’s story was also insightful as it gave us a perspective that we do not get to see daily. She told us of her struggles, the discrimination that she felt, and her journey to become the person who she is today. Her story made us learn that

everyone has struggles and problems and we should not judge people on appearance since appearances are just the outer lying aspects of our character.

The two adults taught me as well as my group that compassion and understanding are essential in order to further one’s development. Understanding a person’s character and his/her surroundings are vital for a leader because the leader needs to be able to connect with

the people around him/her. Compassion is crucial as well because a little kindness can go a long way, and being warm and welcoming to another helps that individual feel comfortable and grow as well. In short, Mr. DuTerroil and Ms. Rao have taught me that judging people at first glance should be avoided and that understanding a person as well as showing them compassion is an important step in becoming a leader.

FIS Signs MOU with HCC

OUSTON, Texas (Nov.18, 2014) - Foundation for India Studies ( FIS) and Houston Community College System (HCC) have both signed a MOU at the Katy campus on November 18th.to partner in FIS’s Indo-American Oral History Project.

The MOU will facilitate HCC and FIS to collectively produce video recordings of oral history interviews of the first generation immigrants from India who came and settled in greater Houston area in the early 60’s,70’s and 80’s and have contributed to Houston’s economy and cultural diversity.

The video interviews will be transcribed and permanently stored in the digital archives of the Houston Public Library (HPL) under a separate agreement reached with HPL earlier.

The video recordings will not only benefit academia like the

historians,researchers, sociologists and students, but also will enable future generations of Indo-American children to trace back to their roots in India.

Under this MOU, HCC will make available their studios located at NW College Spring Branch campus and will ensure that the recorded interviews meet appropriate standards of quality. The MOU has no expiry date, and is signed by Dr. Edmund “Butch” Herod, Acting President of HCC Northwest College and FIS Chairman, Krishna Vavilala.

Thirty(30) interviews have been recorded so far,and the current MOU with HCC will certainly expedite the progress of the project.

Interviews are done on first come first served basis, To schedule an interview and for further details, the number to call is :713-7955169.

MOU signing Nov.18,2014 at HCC-Katy Campus,L-R:_Tejal Patel (HCC NW ... ), and Dr.Edmund “Butch” Herod (Acting President of HCC-NW).

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COMMUNITY

YOUR IMMIGRATION LAWYER

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

Store does not have to give a rain check Q. I just bought a present to give someone for Christmas. The store told me that if she didn’t lQ. Does a store have to give a rain check when it runs out of something? I saw an advertisement and got to the store right after it opened. The manager said they had sold out, and would not give me a rain check.

A. As a general rule, rain checks are a courtesy that the store extends to its customers, not a legal requirement. Generally, a store must have a reasonable number of items for sale to meet anticipated demand, but when it runs out it has no obligation to give a rain check. Of course, if the advertisement indicates how many will be available, the store must only comply with the terms of the ad.

Q. The house my husband and I live in is in his name because he purchased it before we married. If my husband dies without a will, would the home be given to his three grown sons or me?

A. Based on what you say, the house is what the law calls separate property, and upon your husband’s death it will go to his sons. You will have the right to continue to live in the house, but they will own it. If he wants the house to go to you, he needs to prepare a will.

Q. I saw a neighbor pull into his driveway with a young child sitting the front seat without a safety seat. I made a joke about how it wasn’t really safe, and he said his daughter was large for her age and could wear a seat belt. Is this the law?

A. Under the law, whether a child must be secured in a safety seat when a car is operated depends on both the age and the size of the child. The law says that any child under the age of eight must be secured in a safety seat system, unless the child is taller than four feet, nine inches. Once the child reaches that height the child must wear a safety belt. Basically, the law recognizes that it is the size of the child and not the age that determines whether the additional protection of a safety seat system is necessary.

Q. I am 67 years old. I don’t pay property taxes because of my exemptions. Someone just told me that when I die my estate would have to pay all the back taxes, plus interest. Is this true?

A. No, your estate will not owe any taxes. Your question, however, points out the difference between a tax “exemption” and a tax “deferment.” Under the property tax system, you pay taxes based on the value of your property. Some portion of that value is “exempt” and no taxes are due on that portion. The amount of the exemption increases at age 65. In your case, there are no taxes due because the amount of the exemption is greater than the value of your property.

On the other hand, if you owe taxes even when the exemption is applied, you have the right to defer the taxes when you reach age 65. This means that you do not have to pay when the taxes are assessed. The taxes, however, are still deferred, not forgiven. Taxes, plus interest, must be paid when you die or sell the property. If you had your taxes deferred, your estate would have to pay the taxes plus interest after your death.

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The credit card company recognizes that the check will take some time to arrive, and that is why there is a period of around twenty days between when your bill is received and when the check is due. Don’t rely on last minute mail delivery. To avoid a late fee and interest you should mail your check in plenty of time to arrive before the due date. A better option is to pay your bill online and avoid any possible problems with the mail.

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FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

Answers to your Immigration Questions

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

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DEFERRED ACTION PROGRAMS UNDER THE EXECUTIVE ACTION ANNOUNCED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA Q: Does the recent Executive Action announced by President Barack Obama convey any legal status to people who are here without authorization or have overstayed their status?

A: No, it does not. It merely provides to those who are eligible, temporary relief from removal or deportation (called deferred action). In conjunction with the relief from deportation, the recipients will receive work authorization to enable them to work legally in the United States.

Q: What do I need to show in order to qualify for the deferred action for parents?

A: To qualify for deferred action under Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA), you will need to have at least one US Citizen or Permanent Resident son or daughter (any age) as of November 20th, 2014; have continuously resided in the United States since before January 1st, 2010; are physically present in the country on November 20th, 2014 and at the time of filing the application; have no lawful immigration status as of November 20th, 2014; are not an enforcement priority (which includes individuals with criminal convictions including serious or multiple misdemeanors, felonies, aggravated felonies, those who are gang members or involved in terrorism and recent unlawful entrants i.e. those who entered the US after January 1st, 2014); present no other factors which would render the grant of deferred action inappropriate and have submitted to and passed a background check. The DAPA grant is valid for a period of three years.

Q: When can I apply for deferred action under Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA)? How much will the Filing Fee be? Can you let me know what documents I will need in order to prepare for the filing?

A: The program under DAPA should be made available within 180 days. It is anticipated that the filing fee will be $465.00. In terms of documents, you will need to have the Birth Certificates for all your US Citizen or Permanent Resident children, documents evidencing that you have continuously resided here in the US since January 1st, 2010 and documents showing your physical presence here on November 20th, 2014. Other documents may also be required for example documents evidencing your entry to the United States.

Q: I have an uncle who is currently in deportation proceedings for overstaying his student visa two years ago. He appears to satisfy all the requirements for relief under DAPA. He also has two US Citizen children. Will he still be deported since he cannot apply for deferred action under this program yet?

A: Even though the newly introduced DAPA program is not yet in place, the Department of Homeland Security has instructed that immigration, customs enforcement and border protection authorities identify individuals eligible for DAPA relief. In your uncle’s case, the policy will require that his deportation case pending in the immigration court should be administratively closed or terminated to enable him to seek DAPA relief from deportation.

Q: If I am granted relief under DAPA, can I claim public benefits?

A: Those who have been granted deferred action under DAPA are ineligible for federal public benefits such as housing subsidies, food stamps, federal financial aid and benefits that accrue under the Affordable Care Act (medical insurance) program. In terms of benefits accorded by the respective States with regards to matters such as Driver Licenses, it depends on the particular State. In Texas, for example, DACA (deferred action for childhood arrival) recipients have been able to obtain driver license valid for a period of two years.

Q: I am a parent of three children who received DACA relief under the 2012 program. I do not have any US Citizen or Permanent Resident children. Can I file for relief under DAPA? A: No, because DAPA requires that you have at least one or more US Citizen or Permanent Resident son or daughter as of November 20th, 2014.

Q: I did not qualify under the previous Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) announced on June 15th, 2012 as I was more than 31 years old at the time. Under the recent Executive Action, can I now file for deferred action under the expanded program?

A: Yes. Under the recently expanded DACA program announced on November 20th, 2014, the June 15th, 2012 DACA mandated age cap of 31 years old has been removed. In addition to that, the continuous presence requirement has been adjusted from June 15th, 2007 to January 1st, 2010.

Q: When can I submit my application under the expanded DACA program?

A: It is anticipated that the expanded DACA program should begin in about 90 days.

Sharlene Sharmila Richards

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

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

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 5

Memories of a Community: 40 Glorious Years Koshy Thomas, CEO, Voice of Asia Group.

by Koshy Thomas

C

ommemorations are often bittersweet. They often evoke fond memories of a time gone by all too quickly, but they also bring forth renewed aspirations and hopes for the future. This is the case as we celebrate 40 years of the establishment of the Mar Thoma church in Houston, Texas. When we commemorate this auspicious occasion, what we are really commemorating are the struggles and triumphs of a still emerging community to establish its identity, values, and ability to practice its faith.

Any such celebration must begin with a recognition of the men and women who, 40 years ago, had the vision and the commitment to establish a Mar Thoma church in Houston and elsewhere.

These men and women who are now in their seventies and eighties, struggled to establish a church at the same time that they were also struggling to raise their own young families in a new country. While they were juggling these responsibilities, they were also supporting the families they had left behind in India, to include siblings and aging parents.

To say that they succeeded in meeting their myriad responsibilities would be an understatement.

As we celebrate one generation of success, we need to ask the obvious but sometimes uncomfortable question: is the next generation

ready to continue the tradition?

We all hope so, but only time will tell if they are ready to take over the mantle.

My family was part of the struggle, survival, and success of the early Mar Thoma church.

We were part of the few families who arrived in the United States in 1971. We struggled to establish the first Mar Thoma congregation in New York.

This congregation was the first documented Mar Thoma congregation in the United States.

We cannot underestimate the difficulty of that initial struggle as we built the congregation.

At first, everyone seemed to dismiss our efforts because we were so small in number. However, as our numbers continued to grow, we finally started receiving support from various corners, to include the Metropolitan. This is how the story of the Mar Thoma church in North America started in 1972.

That story continued to grow as my family and I joined the Houston Mar Thoma church in 1978. At that time, the church as a parish was just 4 years old.

I became the secretary of the church in 1979. The immediate priority of the parish was the question of how we were to meet the religious needs of the young children in our parish. It is in response to this question that we started the first Sunday school class in 1979. We held the Sunday school class in the basketball court of St. Thomas Episcopal church in the Meyerland neighborhood of Stella Link area. Rev. T.J. Thomas, who was completing his doctoral studies, found time to spend with us and guide us in our planning for the future.

We have come a long way from holding services in basketball court, sitting on fold-

ing chairs and relying on an overworked doctoral student to lead us in worship.

We have much to be proud of, but still much to accomplish.

The looming issue before us now is not a place to worship. It is how we will address the needs of our elderly church members. The number of senior citizens in our church and all other churches is large, and the number keeps growing.

These senior citizens are the very same individuals who poured into the life of the church when it was in its infancy. It is their efforts that enabled the creation of the Mar Thoma church in the United States. They cannot, and must not, be forgotten.

As we celebrate this milestone of 40 years, we must ensure that as we move forward there is a true integration of the new generation with the old generation.

The future cannot come to fruition without an understanding and respect for the past. As we move forward we must also have a tender spot for the elderly and the women in our churches.

Both these generations have much to teach the other. The first step towards the next 40 years is to find that meeting place between the two.

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

Sankara Eye Foundation brings award winning community eye care to Rajasthan

R

ajasthan, literally means,” land of kings” and conjures the rich vibrant colors of the culturally rich and artistic part of India.

Endowed with natural beauty and a great history, tourism is a flourishing industry in Rajasthan, ranking it among the fourth highest among Indian states in attracting tourist visitors. Unfortunately, Rajasthan is also ranked the highest in blindness prevalence among the other states in India and depriving much of its rural poor from experiencing the rich and colorful state of Rajasthan. Along with Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan ranks highest with > 2% prevalence compared to 0.8% in other countries in the South Asian region of WHO (World Health Organization). Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF) is proud to bring its years of experience building state-of the-art hospitals and delivering rural community eye care across India, to the state of Rajasthan.

Sankara’s motto is to take comprehensive high quality free eye care services to the doorsteps of the poor who are least likely to seek out help. It is a daunting task with over 55 million people with visual impairment in India but Sankara’s tireless efforts have enabled: • Establish Nine state of the art Hospitals • Perform more than 1.2 million free eye surgeries as of 2014 • Achieve four star rating

A young boy being examined at one of the SEF facilities. from Charity Navigator multiple times • Recognize as one of the largest free community eye care institution in the world • Achieve numerous National awards in India for excellence This rich experience of community eye care will now bring the magic of light to the state of Rajasthan. SEF completed land procurement for the 225 bed community eye hospital in Jodhpur on Jan 14th 2014 and construction on this 2.12 acre plot will be started as soon as $2M are raised. The address of hospital location is Khasara No 126, Uchiyarda, Defence Lab Road, Jodhpur, 342006 and the name of the Village is Uchiyarda. When completed, the hospital will serve the districts of Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jalor, Pali, Ajmer, Nagaur, Bikaner in a phased manner. This effort from SEF along with the support of its donors

can bring about a change to the reputation of Rajasthan as the state with the highest need of community eye care.

SEF is seeking the help of donor community for the Jodhpur hospital . An anonymous donor has challenged to match one million dollars for upcoming Jodhpur Hospital. Join the matching challenge for the Jodhpur hospital by donating $ 1,000 or $ 500 (with company match) to become a founding donor and have yours or your loved ones’ name on the wall of the hospital for the life time of the hospital of your choice.

Please visit www.giftofvision.org or contact the SEF Houston Team via email sefhouston@giftofvision.org for more details.

This festival season, Give the “Gift of Vision”

Author, Koshy Thomas, is the publisher of Voice of Asia, for 26 years, the only English newspaper by a Malayalee in the US. He has also served as the Diocesan Assembly Member, Chairman of the Public Service Relations Committee, and member of the Editorial Board of the Messenger.

Rajasthan is ranked highest in blindness prevalence in India

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

1st US Mar Thoma Church - 40 Years of History Making

Later, Mr. Oommen Thomas presented a souvenir to Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius to be released marking the historical event.

Continued from page 1

Rev. Kochukoshy Abraham welcomed the gathering and dignitaries.

Consul General of India, Houston, Hon. Harish Parvathaneni congratulated the members on the occasion and in his profound message said, “Forty years of your growth here, and decades and centuries of your growth in India remind me what binds our two countries and peoples together.” On a lighter note, he said that he was deeply gladdened by the fact that there are only two important Fridays in

One of the highlights of the event was the grand procession by the members who sang hymns in praise of the Lord as they slowly marched to the Sanctuary led by the traditional Kerala Chenda drummers.

The celebrations were a mix of gaiety and somberness with meaningful messages. Prize distribution was done by Mr. Abraham George and Mr. Shajimon proposed a Vote of Thanks. The Malayalam Choir sang for the opening and at the conclusion of the program giving a fitting finale to a glorious event.

Visiting Mar Thoma high command, Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius with 40 other local and visiting parish members.

Photo Credit: V Joseph. the calendar year: Good Friday and Black Friday (both being important for completely different reasons). He also spoke about giving back to the community, a questioned that he is frequently asked by people.

“The best example we can learn from is from the life of Jesus,” who contributed his very life.

One’s time, energy and expertise is far more valuable than writing a check, he told the members and that each should take three to six months of their time to spend in the rural areas, imparting the skills that they would have learnt here.

Earlier, Koshy Thomas, Publisher, Voice of Asia introduced the Consul General and Har-

Mr. PM John with his family during the tree plantation.

ris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia who also gave his message on the occasion. Garcia urged everyone to love and honor their parents and grandparents who made sacrifices so they could have a better life. City of Stafford Councilman Ken Mathews also spoke on the occasion and offered his felicitations. “Be generous on every occasion,” he said. Following him were Rev. Saju Mathew and Rev Roy A. Thomas, who gave their messages and felicitations. A detailed presentation of the 40th Year Report was presented by Jojy Jacob, VP and Convenor, 40th Year Thanksgiving, who gave an insight of the various activities of the church.

Rev. Kochukoshy Abraham welcoming the gathering. Photo (s) Credit: Murali Sannthana.

Mr. Koshy Thomas and wife Moani Thomas.

A grand procession leading to the Sanctuary

My House... Your House... Our House!

India House Activities

HG Alexios Mar Eusebius Metropolitan, who was visiting Houston for the first time, offered his felicitations on the occasion. “40 years in Biblical history is a milestone,” he said, (referencing the 40 year time when Moses spent grooming himself as a diplomat, meeting people). “For 40 years we have developed congregations, established churches,” lauding the efforts of the members. HG Alexios narrated a delightful story about two boys who were sharing oranges, saying “one for you, one for me” among themselves in the cemetery. Meanwhile a passerby who only heard them (but didn’t see) rushed to the Vicar there and told him that he had heard God and Satan sharing the souls among themselves.

Certainly, there is no soul that God would ever share with Satan, he said. He later offered his prayers and blessing to all the future projects and endeavors of the Mar Thoma church.

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VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

Meet the woman spearheading The Kerala Center Honors the federal probe of Ferguson Malayalee Achievers Trailblazing lawyer Vanita Gupta is Obama’s likely pick to run the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division

by Holly Bailey,

V

anita Gupta was only weeks out of law school in 2001 when she began looking into a strange series of drug busts in a tiny West Texas ranch town named Tulia.

In 1999, a third of the town’s black population had been ensnared in the biggest drug bust the Texas Panhandle had ever seen. Forty-six people, almost all of them poor African-Americans who had prior run-ins with the law, were convicted on charges of cocaine dealing and sentenced to years in prison based solely on the testimony of a former rodeo clown turned undercover cop who had little experience investigating narcotics.

Gupta, then 26, had just joined the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, and she began assembling a team of attorneys and civil rights groups to look into the drug arrests, which didn’t smell right to her. It was her first case as an attorney.

Two years later, a Texas judge overturned many of the convictions, calling the cop’s testimony not credible. After the officer was found guilty of perjury, Gov. Rick Perry pardoned most of the defendants whose convictions had not been previously overturned.

It was one of the highestprofile cases of racial injustice in recent memory, and it branded Gupta, so young she still resembled a college student, a rising star in the legal world. “Don’t be surprised if she ends up on the Supreme Court someday,” the Houston Chronicle mused in 2003. And Hollywood took notice too, optioning a book about the Tulia case. Tentatively cast as Gupta: Halle Berry.

In the decade since, Gupta has gone on to become one of the best-known civil rights attorneys in the country — leading the charge on prison reform, immigration law, police overreach and other issues.

Now the 39-year-old lawyer, praised as a trailblazer on civil rights issues, is set to play a major role in how the Justice Department proceeds in its ongoing federal investigation into the events surrounding the shooting of an unnamed black teenager in Ferguson, Mo., last August.

Last month, Attorney General Eric Holder named Gupta as the acting head of the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, with the expectation that she will soon be nominated for the job permanently. The job puts her at the center of other politically sensitive issues, including the department’s lawsuits against Texas and North Carolina for controversial voter ID laws that Justice officials contend are in violation of the Voting Rights Act. But it’s how DOJ proceeds in the Ferguson investigation that is sure to be an early test for Gupta. A local grand jury declined Monday to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

But the Justice Department is still looking into whether Wilson, who is white, should face civil rights charges in the case.

At the same time, DOJ officials are continuing a broader inquiry into the widely criticized practices of the police department in Ferguson, a mostly black suburb of St. Louis that has had tensions for years with police and community officials who are largely white.

Gupta is already well acquainted with the issues in Ferguson. Before joining the Obama administration, she was the deputy legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union, where she spearheaded the group’s efforts on Ferguson. She was a co-author of a study, launched months earlier, looking into the militarization of local police departments — an issue that garnered new attention after violent protests erupted between the Ferguson

Vanita Gupta. (Kay Shaw/NAACP Legal Defense Fund).

Police Department and people angry over the death of Brown.

“What Ferguson has laid bare is something that communities of color, kind of at the target of the war on drugs, have known for the last several decades, that policing in their communities is often highly militarized,” Gupta said in an interview with New York’s WNYC radio in August. “The question will be that once the cameras leave Ferguson, once the Ferguson hashtag is no longer trending on Twitter, is there going to be the political will and resolve to actually address what has been a very alarming situation in local and state police departments around the country? Because there’s no question that this has really gone out of control.”

Gupta brings an interesting personal perspective to her new job. Born in Philadelphia, she is the daughter of Indian immigrants and spent much of her early childhood in England and France, where her father worked as a business manager for a multinational chemical company.

While she has told reporters that she’s not sure when she developed an interest in social justice issues, she’s also recounted vivid memories of a childhood in which she experienced discrimination firsthand.

In one incident in a London restaurant, she and her family, including a grandmother who was visiting from India, were the targets of slurs by skinheads who called them “Pakis” and threw french fries at them until they left. “It was just a very vivid demonstration of what it’s like to grow up as a person of color in a very troubled time,” Gupta told the New York Times in a 2003 profile.

She later attended Yale, studying history and women’s studies, prompting her family to tease her about what she was going to do with her life. But that soon became clear to her parents when, in 1996, Gupta, dressed in her graduation gown, skipped her commencement ceremony to demonstrate with Yale employees fighting for fair wages. She later graduated from New York University’s School of Law. In Gupta, the Obama administration sees someone who has not only the smarts and legal experience for the job but also the pragmatism to work across aisles. She is expected to be able to find common ground with conservatives on criminaljustice reform, one of the few policy areas where Democrats and Republicans have been able to work together. She’s won praise from staunch conservatives including Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform and former National Rifle Association head David Keene, who told the Washington Post that she “listens to and works with people from all perspectives to accomplish real good.”

While Gupta’s name has not been formally put before Capitol Hill lawmakers, her confirmation proces would presumably be easier than Obama’s last nominee. In August, the Senate rejected another NAACP veteran, Debo Adegbile, who was strongly opposed by Republicans and some Democrats because of his involvement in the defense of Mumia AbuJamal, a controversial prisoner who was convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer in 1981. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has been without a permanent leader since June 2013, when its former head, Tom Perez, became Obama’s labor secretary.

On Oct. 31, just days into her new job, Gupta made her first public appearance on behalf of the administration, appearing in Albuquerque, N.M., to announce a “landmark settlement”

between the Justice Department and the city’s police department after an investigation found that officers had been using excessive force against civilians. Under the agreement, the city accepted an independent monitor to oversee reforms for the next two years and agreed to adopt new policies aimed at easing conflict with the community.

The investigation offered hints of how the Justice Department might pursue a civil rights case against the Ferguson Police Department, which has faced similar claims from the community.

“Constitutional policing is key to building trust between police departments and the communities they serve, and trust is, of course, key to ensuring public and officer safety,” Gupta said in announcing the agreement.

It was a long way from Tulia, the case that launched her career. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News in 2005, Gupta spoke of that controversial episode not as an isolated problem but as something that was happening in cities all over the country. And it was pursuing that issue, she said, that made her feel alive.

“Civil rights work is what gets me up in the morning and makes me feel like I can live a meaningful life,” she said.

Meredith Shiner contributed to this report.

Kerala Center officials and banquet sponsors with award recipients. Front row from l. to r. Dr. Thomas Abraham, Baby Uralil, Suresh Nair, Abraham Pannikottu, Siby Vadakekkara, Thomas John Colacot, Dr. Gabriel Roy, Dr. Teresa Antony, Dr. Geeta Menon, Sreedhar Menon, Dilip Varghese and Gopalan Nair. Back row from l. to r.: E,M. Stephen, Varghese Ninan, James Thottam, John Vazhapallil, Shaji Babyjohn, G. Mathai, Jayasankar Nair, Thambi Thalapppillil, John Paul, Sunny Kulathakal, Abraham Thomas, K.V. Varghese, Abraham Philip, Jimmy John, Manohar Thomas and Alex Esthappan.

E

LMONT, New York - The Kerala Center held its 22nd Annual Awards Banquet at the World’s Fair Marina in Flushing, New York city on November 15th.

Attended by a sold out crowd of over 250 people eight Indian American Malaylees were honored at the banquet for their achievements in their fields or for service to the community.

The keynote speaker was Prof. Geeta Menon, 11th Dean of the Undergraduate College at NYU’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business and the Abraham Krasnoff Professor of Global Business and Professor of Marketing who was honored for her achievement in Education/ Other awardees are: Siby Vadekekkara, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Marlabs, New Jersey for Entrepreneurship; Suresh Nair, Head of Global Wealth and Investment Management Technology, Bank of America/ Merrill Lynch, New York for Corporate Leadership; Abraham Pannikottu, Principal and Operations Manager, American Engineering Group, Akron, OH in Engineering; Dr. Gabriel D. Roy – ONR Glob-

al, Fairfax, VA for Service to Government; Dr. Thomas John Colacot, Global R&D Manager of Homogeneous Catalysis at the Johnson Matthey Catalysis and Chiral Technologies (JMCCT), West Deptford, New Jersey in Applied Sci-

ences; Thelma Kizhakedan (Kollam Thelma), Dickinson, TX for Literature and Writing; Baby Uralil, former President, FOMAA Centereach, NY for Community Service; and Dr. Teresa Antony, Woodmere, NY with a Special Award.

U.S. Must Join BRICS and the New Silk Road

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

Yazidis in U.S. traumatized by crisis in Iraq Ethnic minority being slain, persecuted by Islamic State fighters

by St. John Barned-Smith, Houston Chronicle. (Updated: November 28, 2014)

H

aider Elias boarded a plane to the United States from Iraq five years ago, leaving a life of war, ethnic violence and, as a Yazidi, religious persecution.

The Yazidis are an ancient religious minority whose faith, neither Christian nor Muslim, has roots in Zoroastrianism.

Because he had worked as a translator for U.S. special operations forces during the war in Iraq, Elias was able to immigrate to the U.S. He now lives in southwest Houston, in close proximity to about 20 other Yazidi families.

His life here has given him ample opportunity. The 32year-old father of three works as a translator, but has also earned a medical assistant’s degree and even dreams of medical school.

But everything changed in August, when terrorist fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria swept through the Yazidis’ ancestral homeland in northwestern Iraq, murdering some and driving thousands of others from their villages. Elias started receiving panicked calls from relatives and friends.

They were fleeing toward Mount Sinjar, hoping to hide and find safety. His younger brother, Falah, was one person he managed to speak to.

Elias could hear him hurrying and out of breath as sounds of screaming and gunfire trickled through the phone.

“Call my dad, please, and then call me back,” Falah told him, before they hung up.

Minutes later, he received another call. ISIS fighters had just shot Falah in the head. He was dead.

“It was the saddest news I have ever received,” said Elias, who returned Monday from Iraq, where the Yazidi community remains in crisis, with as many as 10,000 stranded in the Sinjar Mountains and thousands more in refugee camps.

“It was very frustrating and very sad,” said Elias, a tall, slightly balding man with piercing eyes and a quiet voice.

He’d visited the camps, met with Iraqi officials and seen displaced friends and family living in unfinished buildings or in makeshift tents. He distributed blankets and infant formula, along with some socks and space heaters.

“It was very cold, and it was very hard for those families to live under that climate,” he said. “Many were using gaspowered heaters to heat their tents, which has led to many of the homes catching fire.”

One fire killed a cousin of his less than two weeks after she gave birth to a new baby, he said. There were children without enough clothes, and many of his friends had to cook outside in the late fall chill over open fires.

“I felt this was a genocide and disaster. I felt it when I saw it with my own eyes,” Elias said.

He estimates 300 of his friends and relatives have died in the last three months.

Seeking official U.S. help Like many Yazidis around the country, the crisis in Iraq has forced him and his friends to put their lives on hold and do what they can to help their families and communities still living there.

“It’s very difficult,” he said.

“Today I am in shock. I don’t process all these [memories.]

I try not to process them or it will cause major depression all day and all night.”

He and Murad Ismael, another Yazidi man now living in Houston who was also a former translator for the U.S. military, have joined with other Yazidis around the country and formed a nonprofit, Yazda.org, to organize relief aid and call attention to the Yazidis’ plight.

Immediately after that first attack in August, Elias, Ismael and hundreds of the approximately 3,000 Yazidis living in the United States leapt into action, contacting anyone who would listen for help. (The largest concentration lives in Nebraska.)

Within two days, Elias and Ismael and dozens of others from around the country traveled to Washington, D.C., where they helped stage a protest in front

him of other religious minorities.

of the White House. In meeting after meeting with highlevel government officials, they requested aid. They also pressed for airstrikes against ISIS to give the Yazidis breathing room.

Though India has had its own struggles between various religious groups in the past, Pallod said, it has also been a home for Zoroastrians, Christians, followers of the Baha’i faith, even the Dalai Lama.

Eventually, between U.S. airstrikes, help from Syrian Kurds and by their own resistance, many of the Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar managed to escape into other parts of Kurdistan. But hundreds of families and fighters remain stranded in the mountains and further ISIS attacks are an enormous concern, Ismael said.

As many as 5,000 Yazidis are believed to have been killed since the attacks began in August. At least that many women are thought to have been taken captive by ISIS militants and spirited away, to be used as sexual slaves or given to ISIS fighters as concubines or wives.

Many of the group’s holy sites and temples have been defaced or destroyed. And thousands who fled the massacre and survived are now living in precarious conditions far from home.

“The Yazidi people are in a real danger,” said Eszter Spat, research fellow in Department of Medieval Studies at the Central European University who spent years living with Yazidis in Iraq and produced a documentary about the group.

“Hindus have a long history of extending a helping hand and a warm embrace to beleaguered communities who are persecuted in their homelands,” he said. “I thought we should continue what we’ve been doing for centuries.”

40 tons of aid airlifted so far Pallod and his friends connected the Yazidis in the United States to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, an Indian Hindu spiritual teacher famous for his school of meditation, “The Art of Living.” Shankar’s nonprofit, the International Association for Human Values, has worked in Iraq for the last 11 years. Elias traveled with Shankar during his recent trip to Iraq. “(Shankar) cares about all minorities right now who are being kept by ISIS, being killed. They live in extremely difficult circumstances,” said Odabas-Geldiay, executive director of the association, which has helped collect more than 110 tons of aid, 40 tons of which have already been airlifted and dropped to the Yazidis in Sinjar.

Haider Elias recently visited Iraq

Even if the situation in Iraq can be stabilized, the group will still face another danger, she said, explaining that many Yazidis no longer want to return to their homelands even if they are able to. Instead, they prefer emigration to Europe.

“Such a mass exodus, provided it is even possible, would equal cultural genocide in the long run,” Spat said.

Persecution nothing new Meanwhile, Elias, Ismael and other Yazidis in Houston have turned to the city’s interfaith community for help.

“I’m in a country now, the U.S., that was founded on these values [of religious freedom]. When I ask people here to sponsor the Yazidis, I’m asking for what the fathers of this country tried to establish more than 200 years ago,” said Ismael.

At 31, he is a slim, with black hair, sheared short, and weathered olive skin. He lives in a small, spartan apartment on Briar Forest Drive which he shares with his 53-year-old mother, Mahabat.

“I’m asking for our country to be for Yazidis, for Christians in Iraq, for all the religious minorities in Iraq, so they can practice their faith, so they can live in peace,” said Ismael.

Like many other religious minorities, Yazidis are accustomed to persecution. Their religion predates Judaism and has links to Zoroastrianism, a monotheistic faith that believes God created the world and entrusted it to seven angels, the most important of whom is the Peacock Angel, whom God

As Elias distributed blankets in Iraq and lobbied Iraqi officials, Ismael kept making calls in Houston, advocating to anyone who would listen.

L-R: Vijay Pallod, Haider Elias, Achlesh Amar, Ravi and Murad Ismael pic taken on Sep.9 2014. damns to hell for refusing to follow orders but who he later forgives.

Islamic extremists believe the group is not one of the religions “of the Book” (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), and have labeled them as devil worshippers.

As non-Muslims in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, the Yazidis occupied a lower rung in society. They were barred from

holding certain government jobs, attending some schools, or holding certain elected offices. Under Saddam’s regime, they also saw their traditional towns razed, and were forced to relocate from mountain villages into more urban towns and cities.

found work interpreting for American troops. The war also brought carnage in 2007, when al-Qaida militants detonated four TNT-filled trucks in Yazidi communities in northwestern Iraq. Hundreds died, and more than 1,000 people were injured.

The U.S.-led invasion brought war but also economic opportunity, as Yazidi men like Ismael and Elias

Vijay Pallod, a Hindu activist based in Houston who has been helping Elias and Ismael, said the Yazidi plight reminds

281-825-5335 844-TAJ-4-YOU Los Angeles | Washington | Philadelphia Houston | Staten Island | New York Detroit |Chicago | Florida

He thought of the dead, of his friends, of the girls he’d gone to school with, who seem to have disappeared, perhaps dead, perhaps sold off as slaves or concubines. He thought of the Yazidi families still trapped on Mount Sinjar and the ISIS forces who still menace them.

“I’m still traumatized to this moment,” Ismael said, struggling for composure. “I still can’t believe this. Everyone I know has been killed, taken hostage, or is living somewhere, under a bridge, in an abandoned building … suffering, for just being Yazidi.”

SOURCE: Houston Chronicle).

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 9

Surangan school of music pays tribute to Bangladesh’s national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

Refugee youth are seeking help from Sewa International

Students of Surangan School of Music proudly display their certificates. Seen here with their guru

by Sanchali Basu

T

Volunteers working with Refugee kids at Los Arcos

hanks to the efforts of founder director Rupa Ghosh, the Surangan School of Music held its annual student appreciation day at the Maharaja Banquet Hall on November 21. Hailing from Bangladesh, it was only befitting that she and her students picked their national poet to pay tribute to and honor. They paid respect to him by packing the evening with songs, dances to songs and recitations composed by him.

Rupa’s passion for music started at the tender age of five when she trained under Sri Nirmalendu Chowdhury who made Bengali folk songs mainstream in the sixties and seventies. She then trained in classical music and Rabindra Sangeet under renowned Gurus. She brought this passion along with her to Houston and to enable the next generation to continue the tradition and connect with their roots, she has been successful in training students Bengali music with purity and authenticity for the last four years.

This passion reflected in the entire night’s proceedings which included group songs, group dances, solo songs and recitations. It was very encouraging to see the enthusiasm of the young budding performers attacking their performance with great gusto. The older senior students also did justice and enhanced the mood of the evening.

A series of solo song renditions were presented by Smita, Sedra, Tithi, Purnata, Puspita, Arita, Prionti, Naiza, Sharoni, Gronti, Shayon, Shawon, Banani, Fateema while solo recitations were presented by Sohan, Rameen, Rafid, Sriti, Jolly and Arun. Maqsud’s, “Aalgaa koro go khopar bandhon” received a huge round of applause.

The young dancers carried their colorful saris so capably and thoroughly enjoyed themselves in their four group dances. Raja Banga, director of the Prana School of Music, an eminent music school of Katy along with his few disciples delighted the audience with a Tabla Concert. He and Bidyut Ghosh on the mandira also provided the accompaniment to all the vocal renditions be it song or recitation.

The evening was compered very cheerfully with a lot of zest by PhD student at UH, Raju Ahmaad, who also got to screen his short documentary on Kazi Nazrul Islam. Maharaja reataurant provided boxed dinners for all present. Rupa finally took the stage and with her beautiful mellifluous voice charmed the audience with amongst others, “Aruno kanti”, a Nazrul kirtan, etc. At the end, on popular demand, she had to comply with the audience’s special request for “Anjali laha mor sangeete” although it was getting very late. She thanked the audience and handed over

H

OUSTON, TX, (1124-2014) - An unanticipated need for educational support for refugee youth has developed at the Los Arcos apartments in Southwest Houston. Each day, an increasing number of refugee children approach Sewa International’s field office asking for help with their homework.

Refugees face a host of vulnerabilities when adjusting to their new lives in the United States.

Rupa Ghosh, a visionary artist and founder, director of Surangan School of Music appreciation certificates to students and the night ended with a cake cutting.

All credit goes to Rupa Ghosh

for keeping the vision and commitment to continue the traditional genres of Bengali music alive in Houston for both adults and children alike.

They face educational, economic, and linguistic barriers.

Refugee youth, in particular, are at risk for educational gaps that later result in limited employment opportunities and reduced quality of life. To address these shortages, it is important to

recognize the unique needs of refugees and provide resources to address them. With the support of its staff, volunteers, and community members, Sewa International is working to develop an afterschool tutoring program for refugee youth at the Los Arcos apartments.

Sewa International’s Refugee Empowerment program provides long term empowerment services to refugees and immigrants in Houston, including educational support, mentorship, and various health services throughout the year.

Sewa International has a field office at the Los Arcos Apartments in Southwest Houston, where several of these services are provided. Sewa International first began working with Bhu-

tanese refugees in 2008, when they first started arriving in the United States. For several years, Sewa International has worked with Bhutanese refugees to address their needs as they work to adjust to drastic changes that life in the United States entails.

Sewa International is a nonprofit organization that works to provide various long-term services to families of diverse backgrounds, including family services workshops, yoga classes, and empowerment programs for refugees and immigrants. Our mission is to serve humanity in distress, aid local communities, and promote volunteerism. For more information, please contact Ruba Alafifi at americorps-houston@ sewausa.org.

VOICE OF ASIA 10

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

VOICE OF ASIA 11

LIFESTYLE

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

Vol. 27 No. 49 Friday, December 5, 2014 Section 2 Page 11

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

Trapped for $500 debts: the misery of Pakistan’s ‘slaves’

by Guillaume LAVALLÉE

which took the matter to court.

yderabad, Pakistan | AFP Ranjhan has spent 40 years working in a Pakistani brick kiln as a bonded labourer, tied to his employer by a debt his pitiful salary will never enable him to repay.

The owner and his men threw Kumar and his family in vehicles and drove them into the desert “chained like animals”, Kumar says.

H

After days being held in the desert, the 87 members of Kumar’s extended family, all from the Hindu minority, were recovered by the police.

He is one of more than two million Pakistanis that campaigners say are trapped in “modern-day slavery”, condemned to a lifetime of hardship and toil.

“It was slavery, what else would you call it? We were treated like animals, we worked day and night,” said Kumar.

There are laws in place to outlaw bonded labour, but still the cycle continues, with thousands of children sucked in every year by their parents’ supposed debts.

At an open-air factory on the edge of Hyderabad, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Karachi, tall, tapering chimneys belch out noxious smoke.

Crouching children gather lumps of clay and pack them into rectangular moulds. On the ground, long rows of unbaked bricks wait to go into the kiln.

These are the scenes that have been the backdrop to Ranjhan’s life since he was a child.

“I’ve spent the last 40-odd years in this grind, sometimes in one factory, sometimes in another,” he said.

He works every day of the week at the coal-fired kiln, where 1,000 bricks will earn him around $2, every cent of which goes straight back to his employer.

“I borrowed 40,000-50,000 rupees ($400-500) to buy food for my children. I will never pay it back before I die -- my debt will die with me,” the father-of-three told AFP away from the eyes of his boss.

A global survey of slavery published last month by the Australian campaign group the Walk Free Foundation said Pakistan had the third most “slaves” in the world, after India and China, most of them working in brick making or agriculture.

Walk Free says the government needs to act to tackle the problem, including by regulating brick kilns and enforcing anti-slavery laws.

- Wages go to boss -

25 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Khurshid Mumtaz, comforts her crying four year old daughter, Haima, while posing for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. — AP/File About the origin of his debt and that of his parents before him, Ranjhan says little.

From buying food to wedding dowries to hospital visits -- there is no shortage of reasons why these impoverished workers would go to their boss for a loan which they can then never pay back.

Once the debt begins, the employer too has no shortage of reasons to keep adding to it -exorbitant charges for accommodation and food are typical -- so the worker has no chance of ever paying it off.

“Everything we earn goes to our creditor who gives us food to eat,” said Ranjhan.

Brick factories and farms across the country run on these workers, who are fed for a pittance on bread, lentils, oil, sugar and onions.

Some small trade unions are trying improve the situation, lobbying bosses to raise salaries to the equivalent of $5 dollars a day and not to trap their workers in the debt cycle.

“Before the union, the workers here didn’t even have names, just numbers. If someone came and asked them their name, they’d say ‘Ask the boss, he’ll tell you’,” said Puno Bheel, who set up a brickworkers’ union in Hyderabad a few years ago.

But despite their best efforts

the unions are fighting a difficult battle. A few employers may have improved wages and conditions, but the unions have not persuaded any to free bonded labourers.

Village of the free’ But some, like Sajan Kumar, have been able to escape.

Five years ago the owner of a rice and pepper farm where he had worked for years with his family demanded $4,500, claiming their work had not covered the cost of feeding them.

Kumar’s uncle went to the Green Rural Development Organisation, a campaign group,

Once freed, the family pursued the matter further, accusing the landowner of illegal detention, an unusually audacious move in a country where the rich and powerful rule virtually unchallenged in rural areas.

Kumar and his family got more than $20,000 in an outof-court settlement -- a rare victory despite a law banning bonded labour being on the statute books since the early 1990s.

He now lives in the village of Azad Nagar, near Hyderabad, which is populated by former bonded labourers.

The family bought a minibus and Kumar opened a grocery,

but those leaving the practice face a difficult and uncertain future.

The life and economy of rural Pakistan is usually dominated by powerful local landowners -- they own the farms and factories that employ people and have enormous influence over the local authorities and police.

Ghulam Haider, the head of the Green Rural Development Organisation who set up Azad Nagar in 2006, said they had managed to free 28,000 people, but around half of them have ended up back in bonded labour for want of any other work.

For little Jenny, her hands worn from work at just 12 years old, the future looks bleak. She has already spent years feeding animals, working in the fields, cleaning houses and pumping water for a landowner.

“We only got to eat at the end of the day and they beat my brothers. We would say to them, ‘Why are you so cruel to us?’ and they would reply ‘Pay me!’,” she says.

Jenny and her family have been taken on by another boss now, but privately her father says little has changed.

Mentally ill Indian women ‘treated worse than animals’: HRW New Delhi, India| AFP | Intellectually disabled women in India are routinely locked up in institutions where they suffer sexual or other abuse and are “treated worse than animals”, a report by a human rights group said Wednesday.

Women are often dumped in overcrowded, state-run institutions lacking basic facilities in India, where mentally ill and disabled people are “ridiculed, feared, and stigmatised”, the Human Rights Watch report said.

“Once they’re locked up, their lives are often rife with isolation, fear and abuse, with no hope of escape,” said Kriti Sharma, the report’s author.

“Women and girls with disabilities face unique challenges -- including sexual violence and

denial of access to reproductive health -- that men do not.”

Called “Treated Worse than Animals”, the report is based on interviews with 52 women and girls who were in or had been in institutions, along with those of 150 doctors and family members.

“The house aunty (staff member) who drops me to school hits me. She hits me here (in the institution) too. She slaps me hard with her hand,” an 11year-old said in the report.

“When she hits me, I feel like crying and I feel sad. I feel like crying in school too. I want to leave this place.”

Some 1.5 million people suffer intellectual disabilities such as genetic Down’s syndrome in India, while another 722,826

suffer from mental illnesses such as bipolar, government census figures show.

But experts say those figures are strikingly low for the world’s second most populous country where many health issues go undiagnosed.

Vilas Bhailume, superintendent of a mental hospital in western Pune, said overcrowding was a major problem.

“We only have 100 toilets for more than 1,850 patients out of which only 25 are functional. The others keep getting blocked. Open defecation is the norm,” he said in the report.

Women with a range of disabilities and illnesses such as schizophrenia are often admitted against their will by their families or legal guardians, de-

spite the fact that forced institutionalisation is illegal in India.

“Relatives just dump patients at the hospital and think that’s it. They put fake addresses and phone numbers on the registration forms so we cannot contact them again,” a nurse at the Pune hospital said.

India’s government launched a national mental health programme in 1982 to provide community-based services, but HRW says it is largely ineffective and lacks oversight.

Sharma said many of the women she interviewed were desperate to leave, describing their treatment as unbearable.

“Long-term warehousing of women and girls with disabilities is simply not the answer,” she told AFP.

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VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 13

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

Winner of Kawan Kitchen Five Places to Travel in 2015 Predicted to Give the Mate Foodie hunt announced Best Bang for Your Buck Nov 28, 2014- After an intense online, Television, social media and print campaign in the quest to find the host of the upcoming show Kawan Kitchen Mate, the producers revealed the winner today.

Applicant Kunal Lamba of New York City was unanimously chosen from several hundreds applicants by the consulting panel of the show and the producers collectively.

Lamba, a self proclaimed Foodie at heart, will host the 13 episodes of the show which is slated to go into production December 2014. Born to a New Delhi family with roots in restaurant business in India, Kunal included culinary in his higher studies from Welcomgroup School in Manipal, India.

Texas Hill Country is predicted to be a top deal destination in 2015 by Travelzoo. PHOTO SOURCE: Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau

L

ooking to get more out of your vacation dollar? Before booking, take a cue from the experts.

Each year, Travelzoo predicts where American travelers are likely to find the best bang for their buck. Last year, they correctly forecast how European river cruises would offer tremendous value in 2014. This year they are highlighting five new destinations, including Texas Hill Country.

“Our 2015 prediction offers an eclectic mix of destinations, but all have a common theme: increased infrastructure and competition, which means deals, deals, deals for the American traveler,” says Gabe Saglie, senior editor for Travelzoo.

From Asia’s tantalizing cities to the vibrant colors of Rio de Janeiro, here is where Travelzoo says Americans can score a terrific deal in the coming year: Texas Hill Country The downtown landscapes of Austin and San Antonio are transforming at light-speed as visitors, businesses and new residents continue to flock to the two cities. To meet this demand, nearly a half-dozen new hotels are set to open in 2015, including properties from JW Marriott, Kimpton and Westin.

Brazil

Brazil had a great year in 2014 when hosting the World Cup, and the country has more to look forward to when it hosts the 2016 Olympics. All that investment in infrastructure will put pressure on domestic travel companies to entice international travelers to the region. Expect to see some great discounts on hotels -- including 400 new properties that will be operational before the Olympics. Travelers from Florida can also take advantage of the increased competition generated from new airline routes to Brazil.

Cruising Asia China might not seem like an obvious choice for cruising, but Shanghai has poured serious money into cruising infrastructure; including the Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, which can handle the world’s largest ships. As a result, cruise lines are adding new ships and itineraries throughout Asia, including China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Thailand. Royal Caribbean International is even moving its newest ship, “Quantum of the Seas,” to Shanghai. As cruise lines compete to fill their cabins, expect to see more deals.

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico has long appealed

to American travelers: no U.S. passports are required to visit, English is spoken and the U.S. dollar is accepted. Thanks to new routes and increased services from airports around the U.S. in recent months (from JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines), flights to Puerto Rico are now among the cheapest in the Caribbean. Travelzoo anticipates this trend will continue in 2015.

Dubai Despite a huge hotel expansion to support the upcoming World Expo in 2020, Dubai experienced its lowest occupancy rate in 18 years this past summer. Lots of space to fill equates to discounted hotel rooms. Add to this the fact that Dubai’s new Al Maktoum International Airport is gearing up for a $32 billion expansion over the next decade, and it could mean 2015 is the right time to get ahead of the crowds.

For more information and deals to Travelzoo’s 2015 Wow Deal Destinations visit www.

Travelzoo.com/Destinations/ wow2015.

If the experts have it right again this year, Americans will be able to save a small fortune on travel to once-in-a-lifetime destinations in 2015.

SOURCE: StatePoint.

Surprisingly, Kunal has never been a chef. He recalls how he was told by his mentor “though you have great appreciation for food you should not spend your life within 4 white tiled walls of a hotel/restaurant kitchen as you talk a lot”.

“This is a dream come true for me, and I am finally putting all my talents to use on one project and I am excited to meet these households and families”, said Lamba upon hearing the news.

The show premiers on leading General entertainment channel Star Plus in January 2015.

By sending an experienced FOODIE to each household, Kawan Kitchen Mate will introduce South Asian food and families to U.S. audiences while attempting to solve the commonly shared dilemma of what to make for dinner.

The idea is brilliant in its simplicity and universally appealing because of its applicability to daily cooking challenges.

While it’s common for most cooks to exchange recipes and cooking tips, most still find it challenging to come up with daily meals that excite and satisfy their families. Lamba will be the anchor who will add innovation to simple dishes with-

Kunal Lamba out needing the expertise of a professional chef. The beauty of the show’s concept is that families will learn how basic ingredients on their grocery list and in their fridge can be used to make new tasty dishes every week.

The show which is the brainchild of Executive Producer RAHUL WALIA, is part reality TV, part educational cooking show, and part entertainment as viewers meet families from across the U.S. and learn how to apply the Lamba’s solutions to their own lives.

“We all innovate, swap recipes, and come up with creative ways to keep everyone happy, but still the dilemma exists.

Our objective is to try and offer new ideas and think out of the box while getting to know our wonderful community, said,

Walia.

“Star Plus is excited to be breaking new barriers with this show which is for the NRI’s, of the NRI’s and by the NRI’s. The audience we cater to is ready for content that is locally generated and involves them on a regular basis. We look forward to seeing Kunal in action on the show, said Guneet Anand, Head of North America, Star India Plus.

“We are very happy with the selection of Lamba as the host and look forward to an exciting season of the Kawan Kitchen Mate,” said Tim Tan, International Business, Kawan Food Families can still apply to be considered as one of the households by simply applying at www.kawankitchenmate.com/ household.

Kim Kardashian wedding snap tops Instagram most-liked list

Supermodel Naomi Campbell launches Ebola fashion pop-up

Kim Kardashian’s Instagram wedding post.

W

Naomi Campbell launched a pop-up fashion shop in London to raise awareness of the spread of Ebola.

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ONDON (AFP) British supermodel Naomi Campbell launched a pop-up fashion shop in east London to raise awareness of the spread of Ebola on Thursday.

Sporting a thick fringe and wearing a plunging grey dress, Campbell showed off party dresses, glittery high heels and other pieces donated by designers and friends to be sold at the store.

The “Fashion for Relief” shop, a fundraising drive founded by Campbell after the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005, will be open for one week at the Westfield shopping centre in east London.

“Raising awareness for Ebola and educating about its prevention is crucial to help prevent the spread of this deadly disease,” Campbell said in a statement ahead of the opening.

“We hope the Fashion For Relief store will raise muchneeded funds and awareness, whilst offering amazing pieces at accessible prices.”

Campbell was joined at the

launch by fellow Londoners rapper Tinie Tempah and actor Idris Elba, famous for playing character Stringer Bell in TV show The Wire and Nelson Mandela in a 2013 biopic.

ASHINGTON, AFP - A tasteful image of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West exchanging a wedding kiss was the most-liked Instagram of 2014, the photo-oriented social media website said Wednesday.

famous bare-buttocked “break the Internet” cover photos from Paper magazine last month.

Posted in May when the couple tied the knot in Italy, the photo -- with the California reality TV star in a classy Givenchy gown -- drew 2.4 million likes.

Another pop star, Ariana Grande, came in third, with 1.84 million likes for a photo of her planting a kiss on songstress Miley Cyrus’s left cheek.

That was well above the combined 1.49 million likes she got after she posted two of her in-

In second place was an atmospheric black-and-white selfie of Justin Bieber with fellow pop star and ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez, with 1.9 million likes.

Bieber, Kardashian, Grande and Gomez are among the top five most-followed Instagram users.

Disneyland, in southern California, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and New York’s Times Square were the most geotagged Instagram locations -followed by the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok and Gorky Park in Moscow.

The sixth most geotagged location, the Louvre in Paris, was also the world’s most geotagged museum.

Instagram, acquired by Facebook two years ago, claims 200 million active monthly users who post an average of 60 million photos a day -- and register 1.6 billion daily likes.

Intel, Luxottica team up for smart eyewear

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EW YORK, | AFP US tech giant Intel said Wednesday it was joining forces with Italy’s Luxottica to develop connected eyewear, with the first products due in 2015.

“The ultimate goal is to help pioneer that change and deliver smart, fashion-forward products that are meaningful and desirable to consumers,” said a joint statement from the two companies.

Details of the new products were not announced. Luxottica already has an agreement to use its frames for branded versions of Google Glass.

The latest partnership underscores a commitment to wearable technology for Intel, which is best known for its computer chips.

Luxottica Group CEO Massimo Vian said the partnership will “lead the change to create frames that are as intelligent and functional as they are beautiful. Products that consumers will love to wear.”

“The growth of wearable technology is creating a new playing field for innovation,” said Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich.

“Through our collaboration with Luxottica Group, we will unite our respective ecosystems and bring together Intel’s leading-edge silicon and software technology with Luxottica’s design innovation and consumer expertise.”

US tech giant Intel is planning its own “connected eyewear”, similar to Google Glass (pictured).

Log on www.voiceofasiaonline.com for more reports

Young Life

VOICE OF ASIA 14

Friday, December 5, 2014

Section 2

Page 14

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

Tel: 713-774-5140

Unsafe bedding threatens Encourage Children to nearly 55% of US infants: study Learn More about Science

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and Nature at Playtime

ASHINGTON, AFP - More than half of infants in the United States are being placed to sleep with bedding that puts them at greater risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), researchers warned in a report on Monday.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other institutions found that despite regular warnings, unsafe bedding threatened nearly 55 percent of infants.

Cuddly toys and loose bedding, such as thick blankets, quilts and pillows, can obstruct an infant’s airway and pose a suffocation risk, the NIH has warned.

The organization has reiterated safety guidelines that infants should be placed to sleep alone, on their backs, on a firm sleeping surface such as a mattress in a safety-approved crib, covered by a fitted sheet.

The research found that unsafe bedding use dropped sharply from 85.9 percent in 1993-1995 but remained high at 54.7 percent in 2008-2010.

“Parents have good intentions but may not understand that blankets, quilts and pillows increase a baby’s risk of SIDS and accidental suffocation,” said the study’s first author, Carrie K. ShapiroMendoza, of the CDC’s Divi-

H

ave any budding scientists in your family? If your children are fascinated by nature, dinosaurs and other cool science subjects, you can help foster their interests by turbo charging their playtime to fit their favorite topics.

The US National Institutes of Health has warned that cuddly toys and loose bedding can obstruct an infant’s airway and pose a suffocation risk (AFP Photo/Joel Saget) sion of Reproductive Health in Atlanta.

The study, published online in Pediatrics, is an analysis of data taken from the National Infant Sleep Position Survey (NISP), which collected information on the influence of infant sleep position and safe sleep recommendations on infant care practices.

The survey collected information from a random sample of more than 1,000 caregivers in US households between 1992-2010.

Study author Marian Willinger said parents often received “mixed messages” about the kinds of bedding to be used with infants.

“Relatives may give them quilts or fluffy blankets as

presents for the new baby, and they feel obligated to use them.

Or they see magazine photos of babies with potentially unsafe bedding items. But babies should be placed for sleep on a firm, safety approved mattress and fitted sheet, without any other bedding,” she said.

SIDS is the unexplained death of a child within the first year of life. The rate of SIDS in the United States has fallen 50 percent since 1992, amid a welter of campaigns to raise awareness about safe bedding practices.

However, the decline has slowed since 2000 while the number of other unexpected infant deaths from causes such as accidental suffocation or entrapment in bedding material has increased.

Lost languages leave a mark on the brain

Canadian scientists studied children raised speaking only French, some who were Chinese-born, adopted and raised speaking French, and others that were fluent in both languages.

by Kerry SHERIDAN

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abies adopted across international borders may not remember the language they heard in their first days, but the words leave a lasting mark on their minds, scientists said Monday.

The study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is the first that employs brain imaging scans to show how we processes lost language, even years after it was last heard.

“What is kind of striking is that these traces are there even though they don’t really need them anymore,” said co-author Denise Klein of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University.

“The brain is responding to the information.”

The study by Canadian scientists included 48 girls, aged nine to 17.

Some were born and raised in a French family, speaking only French. Some were Chineseborn and adopted into French families, and learned to speak only French. Others were fluent in both Chinese and French.

All three groups listened to Chinese language sounds while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were taken.

They heard sounds like mama, spoken in slightly different tones. Those who don’t speak Mandarin would hear them just as sounds.

However, those with some

knowledge of the language would know that depending on the tone, “ma” could mean mother, hemp, horse, or scold.

The children heard three syllable sounds and were asked to press a button to indicate if the final syllables sounded the same or different.

- Linguistic relevance All the participants responded with high levels of accuracy to the quiz, but only some showed brain activity that indicated recognition, or what the study described as “linguistic relevance.”

The bilingual Chinese-French and the children adopted from China who had long forgotten any Chinese they’d learned as youths showed brain activity in the right and left hemispheres, while the monolingual French children showed brain activity only in the right hemisphere.

This signifies that those who had heard Chinese as babies were able to tell, somehow, that the sounds they were hearing were “language, or meaningfully related,” even if they no longer understood them, explained Klein.

The left temporal cortex was the center of activity in the bilingual and Chinese-adopted children, whose average age at adoption had been 12.8 months.

“These regions have consistently been recruited in previous research on tonal processing and are thought to be important for the processing of

tone in speakers of tonal languages,” said the PNAS study.

So even though they had little if any language ability by the time they were adopted, somehow their brains continued to process the sounds as meaningful an average of 12 years later.

But why? The study did not answer that question, but it intrigues scientists who would like to find out if there is some reason for the brain to retain this kind of recognition.

Klein described the MRI scans as showing that mental templates set up early in life are not overwritten by new pieces of information.

“Like everything in life we have to prune out what is irrelevant and focus on what is relevant,” she said.

Previous research has shown that babies initially respond to all languages heard in their environment, but as months go by, they stop responding to foreign tongues and turn their heads mainly when they hear their parents’ language.

The latest research goes further, showing the precise area of brain activity at play, and suggesting “a special status for language input obtained during the first year of development,” said the study.

Future work will seek to understand if language learning is easier or faster among those who retain these templates from early exposure, compared to those who were never exposed.

“Learning is not just for the classroom or a formal setting,” says Dr. Lise Eliot, early childhood development expert and member of VTech’s Expert Panel. “Teachable moments happen naturally every day, and you can create some of your own, too.”

Here are some great educational playtime ideas for your budding paleontologists and naturalists: • Dino-mite Makeover: Transform your child’s bedroom or play area into a prehistoric retreat with dino clings on the walls, stencils, and dinosaur bedding.

Help your child identify the different dinosaurs on each.

• Field Trip: Visit the dinosaur exhibit at a local museum. Some museums even have sleepovers where kids can sleep under the dinosaurs! Or take a trip to the zoo or aquarium. It’s the perfect way to expose children to a wide variety of animals that may be new to them.

Bring along a notebook and let kids sketch animals and make scientific observations about the animals’ behaviors.

• Dinosaur-Themed Toys: “Toys can be so much more than a distraction,” says Eliot. “Look for toys that let kids play creatively and engage in imaginative play.”

New innovative toys let kids act out prehistoric scenes. For example, Switch & Go Dinos Turbo, from VTech, a leader in ageappropriate and developmental stage-based electronic learning products for children, feature fun

Dinosaur Toys. Photo: StatePoint. and creativity. The toys combine dinosaurs and vehicles, providing a 2-in-1 imaginative and stimulating play experience.

A new dynamic remote control dino, Bronco the RC Triceratops, transforms with the push of a button and gets a turbo boost for a burst of speed. Also check out Digger the Woolly Mammoth, a prehistoric powerhouse that transforms into an excavator.

Kids can press the action buttons to hear cool, educational dinosaur facts and phrases, providing a fun and enriching playtime. More information can be

found at www.vtechkids.com/ switchandgodinos.

• Reading time: Foster a love of reading while encouraging kids’ natural wonder by visiting your local library and exploring subjects like dinosaurs, earth science and astronomy. By locating books that pique your kids’ interests, you can help develop a lifetime love of learning.

With a bit of creative parenting, you can maximize playtime, cultivate interests and encourage learning in one fell swoop.

SOURCE: StatePoint.

VOICE OF ASIA 15

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Friday, December 5, 2014

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Indian Film Festival of Houston at IFFI, Goa, 2014

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OA, India - Exotic Goa, specially its capital Panaji, was transformed overnight with illuminated trees and glamorized peacocks to welcome the 45th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) from the 20th to the 30th of November, 2014 which was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mr. Arun Jaitley. The chief guest for the event was Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth was conferred with the Special Centenary Award for Indian film personality on the opening night.

Invited to this prestigious event was the delegation from the Indian Film Festival of Houston (IFFH) led by Sutapa Ghosh, Founder and Festival Director and Amey Prakash, President. They were accompanied by Atul Badwal and Parul Fernandes, board members of IFFH. 75 countries were represented in the festival in which over 140 movies were screened.

In preparation for the upcoming Indian Film Festival of Houston which will be held from March 3rd to the 6th, 2015, many meetings were held by director Sutapa Ghosh and Amey Prakash. It was a hectic and fulfilling event for the IFFH delegation but proved to be extremely fruitful.

The Festival Director, Sutapa Ghosh announced that, starting next year, which is the 7th edition of IFFH, there will be a dedicated screening night at the Festival for a sister city of Houston. For 2015, the sister city paired with IFFH will be Nice, France.

For more information, visit http://iffhinc.org/

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Gauahar Khan slap episode turns into political row on social media

Gauahar Khan

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UMBAI: The attack on actor Gauahar Khan in Filmcity on Sunday during a reality television shoot has snowballed into a controversy with right-wing Hindu groups demanding a public protest while many Bollywood stars have expressed support for Khan on social media.

Khan was slapped by a youngster Akil Malik who objected to her dress. The Mumbai Police arrested Malik on Monday and charged him with violence and molestation under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. “Being a Muslim, Gauahar should not have worn such a short dress,” Malik was heard saying as police took him into custody.

TOP: Parul Fernandes, Amey Prakash, Sutapa Ghosh, Atul Badwal and BELOW: IFFH Team with writer director Gulzar. (seated).

Meanwhile, Bollywood threw its weight behind the actor.

Actor-director Farhan Akhtar tweeted saying “Dearest natural selection, please help us outevolve morons like the one who slapped Gau(a)har Khan. Sincerely...”

Director Madhur Bhandarkar

Music has no boundaries: Strings battle it out with Indian band Euphoria

said, “Shocked to hear that Gau (a)har Khan got slapped for alleged indecency. Absurdity just touched a new level. Disgusting and highly condemnable.” Television presenter Mini Mathur described the incident as “absolutely disgusting”.

Many right-wing Hindu groups, which are active on cyber space, took up the issue, demanding a public protest against the incident.

“Why are all the intellectuals who targeted Pramod Muthalik of Sriram Sene now quiet? This is a shocking incident and everyone must come out to protest.

But it is one rule for Hindus and another for other communities.

Fanatics from all communities must be opposed,” said a post by a right-wing blogger.

The posts went viral and were shared by hundreds of their followers. Some political activists responded to the post by saying that both Muthalik and people like Malik deserve to be condemned and acts of violence against women must be prevented.

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Palesh Sen (L) and Bilal Maqsood. - Photo: redbullcontentpool.com

Alarm and Security Services Rock bands Strings and Euphoria face off in the ultimate music battle. - Photo credit: redbullcontentpool.com

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akistani pop-rock band Strings and veteran Indian rockers Euphoria had a face off in a music battle in front of a crowd that exceeded 2000 people at the Red Bull Soundclash which took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre on November 28.

The hosts for the night were Pakistani singer and actor Fakhr-e-Alam and Indian music radio station City 101.6’s RJ Siddharth Vohra.

After four rounds of musical exchange and before the results

were announced based on how much the crowd cheered and applauded, Euphoria’s Dr Palash Sen and Strings’ Bilal Maqsood mutually decided to call off the announcement, describing music as a universal language and a unifying platform transcending all differences.

According to The National, Sen said: “Music can do what no amount of politics or diplomacy can do. It unites people.

That’s what it’s doing today.”

“And that’s why the only winner today is you guys,”

Maqsood added, addressing the cheering crowd. “All of you who came to the concert today and who cheered for both Strings and Euphoria, whether you are from India or from Pakistan.”

Euphoria’s full line up then made its way to join Strings on the stage for a finale that enthralled spectators.

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After dominating TV and Digital, ZEE America’s to enter Radio and Event Management Huge need gap in the South Asian space to be very rewarding for community and advertisers.

N

EW YORK, (November 27, 2014—) I n 1 9 9 8 , ZEE TV incubated the South Asian TV market in North America. Over the next 17 years the brand has not only become synonymous with entertainment but also an ambassador of Indian culture, abroad.

As per Nielsen US, a typical South Asian viewer spends an average of 2 hours 13 minutes per day watching Zee TV, making it one of the most loved channels in US,includingt he mainstream ones.

After being consistent#1 TV network– ZEEUS successfully ventured into the digital space in 2012 with Zee Dil Se, A Video based social media, that allows people to record a ‘Broadcast quality’ personalized video message and push it on TV at a click! Dil

Se platform was later on used to solve the local auditions problem thus allowing thousands of NRIs to participate in reality shows like the DID and SRGMP. Later in fall of 2013 Zee US launched a localized version of www.india.com with a positioning of ‘Proudly Indian’. In a short span of one year the site delivers 7 million unique visitors per month, just from US and Canada alone, thus making it one of the top sites for NRIs in North America.

The site already has all the leading advertisers from TV with annual spend commitments. India.com serves as a one-stop destination for news from India, Community News from US and Canada, Bollywood, Cricket, blogs, event ticketing and classifieds.

Now ZEE is all geared up to

get into Radio and Event management space. Initially the services will be started in top five South Asian DMAs. A respective business head supported by operations team will head each of this vertical.

“As a market leader we have to constantly reinvent and redefine our value proposition to our consumers. We have been looking at need gaps and two most visible opportunities sprung up that matched our strengths.

A strong 55% of South Asians use personal transport 5 times week for an average of 28 minutes per day, either work or leisure and strong 27% of South Asian woman are non working (Stay at home) at any given point in time. But do not have access to good Indian RJs. Of the 600 plus, small large South Asian events that take place in USA, only a handful

manage to put up a good show and attract couple of blue chip sponsors rest all struggle or depend on individual donations/ sponsors to make the ends meet. The most worrying sign at these events is the declining footfalls of the youth.

The mainstream brands completely recognize the arrival of the Indian community in USA but are hesitant to invest their dollars given the unorganized nature. These opportunities will allow us not only to bring, companion like RJs or entertain the South Asian community with exiting and enriching events (like an Indian Rock concert or Asian Indian corporate leadership summit) but also bring bigger and better sponsors to the market thus expanding the total market” states Sameer Targe, Business Head – Zee America’s.

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTH

VOICE OF ASIA 16

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Studies probe why osteoporosis drugs may prevent cancer

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iami, United States | AFP | Monday 12/1/2014. - International researchers said Monday they have made steps toward understanding why the most commonly used drugs for osteoporosis worldwide, known as bisphosphonates, may also prevent some kinds of lung, breast and colon cancers.

man EGF receptors (HER), the studies found.

This, in essence, shuts down the cancer’s ability to spread, and is of particular importance because HER cancers tend to be more aggressive than other types.

If confirmed in clinical trials, the findings could accelerate the use of drugs like alendronic acid (Fosamax), zoledronic acid (Reclast, Zometa) and ibandronic acid (Boniva) to prevent tumors or treat them in their early stages, according to two studies in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Our study reveals a newfound mechanism that may enable the use of bisphosphonates in the future treatment and prevention of the many lung, breast and colon cancers driven by the HER family of receptors,” said lead study author Mone Zaidi, professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

Bisphosphonates work by blocking the abnormal growth signals that are passed through a family of proteins known as hu-

“Having already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as effective at preventing bone loss,

and having a long track record of safety, these drugs could be quickly applied to cancer if we can confirm in clinical trials that this drug class also reduces cancer growth in people.”

non small cell lung cancer and 90 percent of colon cancers are driven by HER mutations.

Previous research has shown that some breast cancer patients have lived longer while taking the medications to prevent bone loss, and that those who take them also have fewer cases of colon and breast cancer than people who do not take them.

Researchers from China, Italy, Britain and the United States also found that the drugs did not work against colon cancer cells expressing low levels of HER.

About one in five cases of breast cancer is HER2-positive, meaning it contains a protein that promotes cancer cell growth.

The medications could have important implications for colon and lung cancer, too, since about 30 percent of cases of

Such cancers often become resistant to treatment.

The studies were done on mice and on cells in lab dishes.

Randomized trials in humans are needed in order to better understand the drugs’ effect on cancer.

However, researchers are encouraged that “bisphosphonates can potentially be repurposed for the prevention and therapy of HER family-driven cancers,” the study said.

Breast cancer vaccine shows promise in small clinical trial their advanced disease and exposure to chemotherapy.

“Despite the weakened immune systems in these patients, we did observe a biologic response to the vaccine while analyzing immune cells in their blood samples,” said Gillanders, who treats patients at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University. “That’s very encouraging. We also saw preliminary evidence of improved outcome, with modestly longer progression-free survival.”

A breast cancer vaccine designed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is safe in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Preliminary evidence from the small clinical trial, led by William Gillanders, MD, also suggests the vaccine helped slow the cancer’s progression. (Photo Credit: Robert Boston)

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ASHINGTON - (12-1-2014) A breast cancer vaccine developed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is safe in patients with metastatic breast cancer, results of an early clinical trial indicate. Preliminary evidence also suggests that the vaccine primed the patients’ immune systems to attack tumor cells and helped slow the cancer’s progression.

The study appears Dec. 1 in Clinical Cancer Research.

The new vaccine causes the body’s immune system to home in on a protein called mammaglobin-A, found almost exclusively in breast tissue.

The protein’s role in healthy tissue is unclear, but breast tumors express it at abnormally high levels, past research has shown.

“Being able to target mammaglobin is exciting because it is expressed broadly in up to 80 percent of breast cancers, but not at meaningful levels in other tissues,” said breast cancer surgeon and senior author William E. Gillanders, MD, professor of surgery. “In theory, this means we could treat a large number of breast cancer patients with potentially fewer side effects.

“It’s also exciting to see this work progress from identifying the importance of mammaglobin-A, to designing a therapeutic agent, manufacturing it and giving it to patients, all by investigators at Washington University,” he added.

The vaccine primes a type of white blood cell, part of the body’s adaptive immune system, to seek out and destroy

cells with the mammaglobin-A protein. In the smaller proportion of breast cancer patients whose tumors do not produce mammaglobin-A, this vaccine would not be effective.

In the new study, 14 patients with metastatic breast cancer that expressed mammaglobin-A were vaccinated. The Phase 1 trial was designed mainly to assess the vaccine’s safety. According to the authors, patients experienced few side effects, reporting eight events classified as mild or moderate, including rash, tenderness at the vaccination site and mild flu-like symptoms. No severe or life-threatening side effects occurred.

Although the trial was designed to test vaccine safety, preliminary evidence indicated the vaccine slowed the cancer’s progression, even in patients who tend to have less potent immune systems because of

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Of the 14 patients who received the vaccine, about half showed no progression of their cancer one year after receiving the vaccine. In a similar control group of 12 patients who were not vaccinated, about one-fifth showed no cancer progression at the one-year follow-up. Despite the small sample size, this difference is statistically significant.

Based on results of this study, Gillanders and his colleagues are planning a larger clinical trial to test the vaccine in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, who, in theory, should have more robust immune systems than patients who already have undergone extensive cancer therapy.

“If we give the vaccine to patients at the beginning of treatment, the immune systems should not be compromised like in patients with metastatic disease,” Gillanders said. “We also will be able to do more informative immune monitoring than we did in this preliminary trial. Now that we have good evidence that the vaccine is safe, we think testing it in newly diagnosed patients will give us a better idea of the effectiveness of the therapy.”

Source: Washington University School of Medicine.

Sperm can carry Ebola for 82 days: WHO

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ENEVA, Switzerland | AFP Friday 11/28/2014. Sperm can carry the Ebola virus for at least 82 days, the World Health Organization said Friday, urging men recovering from the disease to use condoms for three months after the onset of symptoms.

“Because of the potential to transmit the virus sexually during this time, they should maintain good personal hygiene after masturbation, and either abstain from sex (including oral sex) for three months after onset of symptoms, or use condoms if abstinence is not possible,” the WHO said in a statement.

In four studies, on a total of 43 patients, three men who had recovered from Ebola still had the live virus in their semen 40 days, 61 days and 82 days respectively after the onset of symptoms.

Tel: 713-774-5140

Last Chance to Review and Renew Your Medicare Plan During their entire working lives, Americans pay into the Medicare system, yet many fail to understand the basics of how it works and how to use it.

Medicare is governmentsponsored health insurance for Americans 65 and older.

As with any insurance, the goal is to get the most out of it for the lowest cost. Medicare is a complex, often confusing system that involves choices that users must understand to configure the right coverage for their needs.

By the time you reach the Medicare eligibility age of 65, you may find that you need regular medical care for one or more conditions.

This is particularly the case with the 23 million American women who are 65 or older.

Women tend to have more chronic conditions than men and, because they live longer, their care lasts longer. Yet, because they earn less than men, women have fewer resources to pay it, so using Medicare advantageously is especially important for women.

Misconceptions about Medicare abound. Contrary to popular belief, the federal government isn’t necessarily going to send you a Medicare card on your 65th birthday. If you are 65 and receiving Social Security retirement benefits or Railroad Retirement benefits, then you will be enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B automatically. But if you aren’t receiving these benefits, you’ll need to enroll in Medicare. Also, many people think Medicare has no cost for participants, but most pay monthly premiums. And there are co-pays. However, total costs for participants are far lower than those charged by private health insurers.

Another misconception holds that Medicare is a standard package of the same benefits for everyone, and that once you’re receiving them, nothing changes. In reality, Medicare benefits must be individually configured from several options, and choices offered can change annually.

As your needs for care can change significantly over time — for example, changes in the medications you’re taking — it’s a good idea to

Sudhir Mathuria Contact: Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6650 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning.com reevaluate current and anticipated needs against the new Medicare options as they’re presented annually. Like the private insurance industry, Medicare calls this annual opportunity to change options open enrollment.

Open enrollment for Medicare plans that start Jan. 1 is happening now, and lasts until Dec. 7. Information can be found on the federal Medicare website. (Medicare open enrollment shouldn’t be confused with the current open enrollment period for state or federally run health insurance exchanges created by the federal Affordable Care Act.) Open enrollment for current Medicare participants is entirely different than registering for Medicare initially. To be eligible for full benefits, you must have worked 40 quarters (10 years, cumulatively) and must have paid Medicare tax during those quarters -- for most people, through payroll deduction. People who meet this requirement can enroll at any time between three months before the month that they turn 65 and three months afterward. Waiting too long can bring costly penalties that might stay with you the rest of your life. (The system imposes these penalties to maximize participation, increasing premium revenue needed to run the system.) Regardless, you’ll want to enroll before you turn 65.

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Carbs more harmful than saturated fats: study

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ashington, United States | AFP | Saturday 11/22/2014 Long-derided saturated fats -- associated with an array of health problems such as heart disease -- caught a break Friday when research revealed their intake could be doubled or even nearly tripled without driving up their level in a person’s blood.

Carbohydrates, meanwhile, are associated with heightened levels of a fatty acid linked to increased risk for diabetes and heart disease, the same study showed.

“The point is you don’t necessarily save the saturated fat that you eat, and the primary regulator of what you save in terms of fat is the carbohydrate in your diet,” senior author Jeff Volek of Ohio State University, said in the report.

To conduct the study, which appeared in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists put 16 participants on a strict dietary regime that lasted four and a half months.

Every three weeks their diets were changed to adjust carbohydrate and total fat and saturated fat levels.

The scientists found that when carbs were reduced and saturated fat was increased, total saturated fat in the blood did not increase, and even went down in most people.

The fatty acid called palmitoleic acid, which is associated with “unhealthy metab-

olism of carbohydrates that can promote disease,” went down with low-carb diets and gradually increased as carbs were re-introduced, the study said.

An increase in this fatty acid indicates that a growing proportion of carbohydrates is being converted into fat instead of being burned by the body, the researchers said.

“When you consume a very low-carb diet your body preferentially burns saturated fat,” Volek said.

“We had people eat two times more saturated fat than they had been eating before entering the study, yet when we measured saturated fat in their blood, it went down in the majority of people,” he said.

The finding “challenges the conventional wisdom that has demonized saturated fat and extends our knowledge of why dietary saturated fat doesn’t correlate with disease,” Volek added.

By the end of the trial, participants saw “significant improvements” in blood glucose, insulin and blood pressure and lost an average of 22 pounds (10 kilograms).

“There is widespread misunderstanding about saturated fat. In population studies, there’s clearly no association of dietary saturated fat and heart disease, yet dietary guidelines continue to advocate restriction of saturated fat. That’s not scientific and not smart,” Volek said.

VOICE OF ASIA 17

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Biden: Tying immigration to US US CEOs see dimmer economic growth in 2015 budget would be mistake

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ASHINGTON, AFP, 12/2/2014 - US Republicans would be making a “mistake” if they use last-minute budget negotiations this month as leverage against the White House’s controversial immigration order, Vice President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday.

US lawmakers must strike a spending deal by December 11 in order to avoid a government shutdown, which would begin the following day if Congress does not act.

Some conservative House Republicans are urging party leaders to put up a fight over the next nine days by finding ways to rein in President Barack Obama’s recent executive order shielding up to five million undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Washington ,AFP, 12/2/2014 - Chief executives of major US companies are slightly less optimistic about the economy than three months ago and plan to cut capital spending next year, according to a survey published Tuesday.

“The economy ended the year essentially where it started -- performing below its potential,” said Randall Stephenson, chairman of Business Roundtable and chairman and CEO of telecom giant AT&T Inc.

The Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of leading companies, said its Economic Outlook Index for the coming six months fell to 85.1 in the fourth quarter from 86.4 in the third quarter.

Survey respondents said the two most significant factors hampering their investment spending were US tax policy and regulatory issues.

The index was a bit higher than the 84.5 reading in the 2013 fourth quarter, which included the October federal government shutdown over a budget dispute between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican lawmakers.

Expectations for capital spending took the biggest hit in the latest survey, falling 5.8 points to 73.3. Executives’ outlook for sales dimmed by 1.3 points to 115.1.

Hiring expectations rose, by 3.6 points to 67.1, following a decline in the third quarter.

Overall, the business leaders projected the US economy will grow only 2.4 percent next year, compared to 2.6-3.0 percent predicted by the Federal Reserve and a slightly faster pace forecast by the International Monetary Fund.

Thirty-nine percent of CEOs said that regulatory costs were their largest cost pressure over the next six months.

Stephenson called on Congress to extend business tax breaks due to expire at the end of the month and to give the president greater powers to negotiate trade deals, actions that would “encourage additional business investment in the United States to help the economy grow and create more jobs.”

Stephenson, in a conference call with reporters, said the US corporate tax rate should be in line with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s average of 25 percent. It currently stands at 35 percent.

He said the survey did not address the international impact on businesses’ economic outlook but that the weakness in Europe and Asia had “nothing but a suppressive effect on their sales outlook.”

But Biden warned against tactics that could cause another potentially devastating government shutdown.

“I think that’s a mistake for the country,” Biden told AFP in the US Capitol.

The House of Representatives is likely to initiate the legislation to keep government running, and Congress could end up passing what is known as a continuing resolution that funds government for a few months at current levels.

House Speaker John Boehner suggested that his caucus would not force a shutdown over immigration this month, but act on the issue once Republicans gain control of the Senate in January.

“Frankly we have limited options and limited ability to deal with it di-

US Vice President Joe Biden gives a press conference on November 22, 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey (AFP Photo/Bulent Kilic) rectly, but that’s why we’re continuing to talk to our members,” Boehner said.

“We’ve not made decisions about how we’re going to proceed, but we are, in fact, going to proceed.”

Some House conservatives signaled they were ready to avoid a December showdown but take action in the new year, when the Senate and House are under Republican control.

“We should send the Senate a bill that funds the government but also... restricts what the president did in his executive order,” Republican congressman Jim Jordan told reporters.

“And then if (Democratic Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid and the Senate don’t pass that, then OK, let’s do something very short-term and

wait for the majority in the Senate to change.”

In a Tuesday caucus meeting, Boehner put forward a two-step plan to fund government but also criticize Obama’s immigration action, The Hill website reported.

The House could first opt for a largely symbolic bill that would stress that the executive branch has no authority to delay deportations, the newspaper said.

It could then pass an “omnibus” spending package that funds most of government through September 2015, along with a shorter-term measure funding the agency that oversees immigration-related services, allowing the new Congress to tackle the issue early next year.

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HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, December 5, 2014

Your Horoscope for the Week of December 5, 2014

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 You are opting to take the difficult route and take on a new challenge. This will not be easy all the time, but the outcome will prove to be well worth the effort. Someone close to you could be a little defensive and you will have to watch your words. Choose what you say very carefully to avoid hurting other people’s feelings. You could have the feeling of being under siege, as several social events end up at your place, or people invite themselves around at the last moment.

Don’t let your space be invaded. Learn to put your foot down.

Personal plans for entertaining & career goals. You have the key to open a door to something new and exciting. Someone you know will bring you the chance to harness your potential and grow even faster. Your personal relationships require faith, trust and confidence, if you feel this is lacking, don’t take it out on the other person. When you have some time to yourself, don’t shut yourself away others. Stay with friends, seek out crowds and parties. Other people’s energy will recharge your batteries.

Scorpio (N,Y)23 Oct to 21 Nov

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May Don’t judge the book by its cover. If you scratch beneath the surface of someone you know, you may discover a true friend with similar feelings and experiences to your own. Things seem just too good to be true, and you wonder when someone will pull the rug out from under your feet. Rest assured, all is well and things are set to go from good to better. When tension mounts, or you feel tired or unmotivated at home, it’s time to get to the bottom of it all. You will discover just where all that energy is draining away to.

You have fascination with a new person or concept. Fulfill your creative needs by taking up a new activity. As you look ahead to the next few months, you wonder where you are heading. Now is the time to lay the groundwork for a new personal project. There is a new opening for you, but you don’t know enough about this matter to make the most of it. Gather more information and don’t be afraid to ask questions whenever you can. Financially you may feel that you are working flat out just to make ends meet, with little left over for fun and games.

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June The surprise announcement could leave you feeling somewhat disorientated. You will soon recover your wits and come up with the right response. Plutonic and intimate relationships come into the spotlight this week, as you are asked to make a greater commitment or prove your feelings. You come through all tests with flying colors. Luck is on your side, which means that games of chance are likely to bring dividends of some sorts. Take a few risks (well thought out ones of course) and you could double your money.

You don’t usually go in for gushing romance, something gets into you and you are all hearts and flowers. Enjoy yourself and let your imagination run wild. When you find you are constantly frustrated in close friendships, it’s time to ask yourself a few questions. Perhaps you are just drawn to the wrong kind of people. Expect to be feeling more enthusiastic for home affairs, as a new form of domestic energy takes hold of you, allowing you to deal with matters which are usually overwhelming for you.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July The new learning experience, Energy is a little low and you won’t feel like making much of an effort when it comes to socializing. But your charm, warmth and generosity will do the trick, so just be yourself. Conflict or misunderstanding is a possibility in love matters. A family situation is becoming increasingly complex, leaving you feeling baffled and confused. The air has to be cleared, but you will not be the one to make the first step.

You’ll be compensated for your ability to compromise.

Just as you were beginning to give up hope, your love life could give you a boost. Things become more active and a seemingly stagnant situation suddenly takes off. Secrets come out from their hiding places and ghosts spring from closets. This will help to clear the air and get family relationships off on a better footing. You have been struggling for too long, and now you’ve had enough. Support comes in both financial and moral forms, to give you new energy as far as home is concerned. Start doing research now and it will serve your well.

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August

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

Need to learn balancing & avoiding extremes. Once you climb off your emotional roller coaster, things will become easier. You are currently on an interesting path, paved with good intentions. Be warned, as you move on, you may be in for a bumpy ride. This will be a learning experience, but one which could take you by surprise. You are full of energy and ready to party this week, but try not to burn the candle at both ends. You need some rest and peace and quiet if you want to keep the pace.

Some events, that may leave you feeling a little nervous or confused. This is when you need to take refuge in your own home until you calm down. A part of you is avoiding commitment, preferring to keep all your options open. There comes a time when you have to choose, and a decision will have to be made in the next few weeks. No matter what others have to say, you are perfectly entitled to change your mind. Don’t be afraid to make a U-turn. You may be breaking your word but the outcome will be positive for all concerned.

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

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September You will see some family matters & making decisions. When you find it difficult to make a decision, there is no point insisting any longer. You’ll just end up going round in circles. When it comes to dealing with domestic affairs, just go with the flow. Don’t try to push things through when it becomes obvious that there is resistance. Wait for a new opportunity. Communication improves and so does understanding, as you make a decision to compromise and to adapt to existing circumstances. A badly thought out financial plan could go wrong, so make sure you think long and hard about your moves before going into action.

QR

Some of the people you care for most may prove difficult to get along with, through no fault of your own. That’s just the way the planets are lying and you will all have to learn to compromise. A forthcoming family gathering or reunion could be causing some strain. Don’t worry, all will go well. All you have to do is remain detached and not let others tell you what to do. Travel and distant places are high on your list of priorities at the moment. Then money issues appear to dominate while a spike in social events may have the family traveling ‘as a group’, spending/shopping in groups or AS a ‘whole’, or attending many of the same events via various vehicles or with various other people.

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MULTIMEDIA CONTENT CONTRIBUTOR Are you a news junkie who scans the morning headlines before getting out bed each morning? Are you tied to your twitter feed throughout the day? Can’t go to bed before watching the 10pm news? KTRK-TV, the ABC O&O located in Houston, TX is accepting applications for a part-time content contributor for broadcast and digital departments.

This is a great opportunity for someone looking to advance their career as a multi-media journalist. In this position, you will write and edit scripts, work on the assignment desk, contribute to digital platforms, sort scripts and run the teleprompter. Must be willing to work overnights, weekends, and holidays. The ideal candidate has experience gathering information and writing news stories - along with a good understanding of social media trends and apps. College degree preferred. All Interested applicants must apply online at disneycareers.com, ref job #236150BR. Please upload a cover letter, resume and list of references. In addition, please mail writing samples to: Robin Freese, Executive Producer, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005. Reference job # 236150BR. Equal Opportunity Employer – Female/ Minority/ Veteran/ Disability. No Telephone Calls.

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