OP-ED/OPINIONS/VIEWS
VOICE OF ASIA 2
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FUN FACTS Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots. Every day more money is printed for monopoly than the US Treasury. The city with the most Roll Royces per capita: Hong Kong Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% Percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38% Barbie’s measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33 Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression “to get fired.” The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the “General Purpose” vehicle, G.P. The term “whole 9 yards” came from WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got the “whole 9 yards.” The phrase “rule of thumb” is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn’t beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
Voice of Asia (USPS 010-215) (ISSN#10705058) is published every Friday (for a subscription rate of $30 per year) by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074. Tel: 713-774-5140. Fax: 713774-5143. Periodical postage paid at Houston, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Voice of Asia, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074 It is the policy of Voice of Asia to publish letters to the editor which evidence a variety of viewpoints. The opinions expressed in any particular letter to the editor are not necessarily those of the management. Voice of Asia welcomes letters in reply to issues raised in letters to editor. In as much letters to the editor are not articles written or researched by members of Voice of Asia, it is not the policy of the Voice of Asia to perform any investigation or confirmation of any facts or allegations contained in letters to the editor. Moreover, Voice of Asia reserves the right to edit letters to the editor as necessary to correct errors of fact, punctuation, spelling and to comply with space constraints. - The Publisher
IQ LEARNING
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True Education Builds Foundations - 1
ducation, many intellectuals and scholars have said in the past, is something that no person can take away from you.
classroom, but it does not end there. Building a solid foundation is important in elementary school, or even in the years prior to that.
Having an education often separates careers from jobs. It separates people from a career with endless possibilities to working low-wage jobs with limited prospects.
Education molds character because good students learn the ethics of the classroom: follow the rules, listen to the teacher and be honest in studies. Teachers often reward students for following the rules or exhibiting good behavior and that only serves to enhance the character building experience.
Education can take someone in a situation of total despair and give them a surplus of hope in a way that money and other resources can never accomplish. Riches can be fleeting, especially with lack of money management skills, but education is permanent. According to academicroom. com, “education, as a discipline, is concerned with methods of teaching and learning in schools or school-like environments as opposed to various non-formal and informal means of socialization.” Education may start in the
In most situations, good elementary school students go on to become good students in high school, college and graduate school. They form good habits early on and follow through on them. This makes their families happy, and benefits society because it will provide the next generation of doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and government officials. How do we ensure good academic foundations? Read on in the next part.
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FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
Dangerous opportunism
T
elangana is now close to statehood on the strength of an untiring, intense mass struggle that had its basis in the assertion of historical political identities. To allow electoral calculations to decide the contours of the new state is to undermine the legitimacy of the aspirations that fuelled the original demand for statehood. Nothing but sheer political opportunism explains the new proposal to enlarge the proposed state by adding two districts of the Rayalaseema region, Kurnool and Anantapur, to create what in popular parlance has come to be known as Rayala-Telangana. This idea that has sprung out of cynical political calculations is illconceived, militating as it does against considered rationale for state formation. The proposal for Telangana in its original form includes only ten districts of Andhra Pradesh. That there is no popular underpinning for this concept either from the Telangana movement or the two districts shows that it is a politicallydriven calculation. To think such a forced political union could solve some of the difficulties in sharing water resources post-bifurcation is
naïve. If anything, the merger would add to the existing difficulties arising out of the bifurcation.
ing Committee passed a resolution favouring Telangana.
in the next election by undercutting the popular support of its main rivals, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the YSR
Although the backwardness of the Telangana region and the perceived political neglect were among the reasons that sustained the statehood demand, the redress sought by the Telangana movement was political, and not economic. Both Kurnool and Anantapur are backward like most of Telangana, but this is no reason for the people of the two districts to share any regional affinity with those in the proposed state. The people of Telangana insist on the implementation of the Mulki rules that specify domicile conditions for recruitment in government services. The differentiation between Mulkis (locals) and non-Mulkis is deep-rooted in Telangana. Thus, the forced union of the two districts with the new state of Telangana can only leave the peoples of both regions unhappy. While fast-tracking the creation of Telangana, the Central government seems to have placed a heavy emphasis on the interests of the Congress as a party. The proposal for RayalaTelangana is evidently meant to help the Congress make gains
A young protestor. Congress. Indeed, the Cabinet cleared the statehood demand only after the Congress Work-
Our Credentials:
tion, and put in jeopardy the lives and security of the people. (The Hindu)
Voting shouldn’t be seen as a chore but as empowering entertainment
T
he Election Commission and netas like LK Advani have been trying to sell the idea of voting to people by telling them that casting their ballot is their civic duty, a responsibility they must shoulder. This is entirely the wrong approach, and the wrong choice of words. Terms like ‘duty’ and ‘responsibility’, laudable as they are, have connotations of the wearisome burdens that the so-called aam admi must labour under in day-to-day life. The last thing that the aam admi wants to hear about is yet another duty, yet another chore that must be performed. How does one turn a dreary chore into an exciting enterprise? By doing what Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer did when he was given the task of painting the family fence. He went at the job with such gusto that he convinced his watchers that painting fences was a fun activity, and soon had them willingly do the chore for him. Those who want aam admi to vote should use Tom Sawyer’s carrot of exciting entertainment instead of the stick of stern duty. For most of the time, so-called common citizens are acutely aware — both in the metaphorical as well as literal sense, thanks to frequent electricity failures — that they are quite powerless.
Indian election in mind when he wrote: “Sceptre and crown/ Must tumble down,/ And in the dust be equal made/ With the poor crooked scythe and spade.”
Like painting Tom Sawyer’s fence, elections aren’t about doing one’s duty
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However, the one occasion they can turn tables on their rulers and wrest power from them is on voting day, when ejecting a smug incumbent from office or giving a brash contender a welldeserved comeuppance becomes as enjoyable and satisfying a spectator-cum-participatory sport as watching Sachin hit a sixer. Indeed, while cricket has its glorious uncertainties, what might be called the inglorious uncertainties of elections can provide for even greater sport. The poet might well have had an
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Like painting Tom Sawyer’s fence, elections aren’t about doing one’s duty and they shouldn’t be a chore. They are — or can be made — an entertaining and empowering activity. If that were to happen, then no one would need to sit out the dance of democracy and be a wallflower. Election time is an invitation to the populace to come and shake a leg. And while doing so, perhaps help to kick out — or kick in — a campaigning hopeful. (Times of India)
Soma Balasubramanian
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The government is tailing the party. Rank political opportunism and sordid electoral calculations must not be allowed to undermine the serious institutional process of state forma-
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25th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
VOICE OF ASIA 4
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
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Debt collector can call at work until you tell him to stop
Q. Can a debt collector call a person at work? I work as a receptionist for a company that often gets collection calls for an employee who works here. This person is unable to take the calls because he works out in the ďŹ eld. The calls are very harassing because they are often rude and have even resorted to calling me names because of my refusal to take these kinds of messages. What can be done to stop these calls? A. Based on what you say, my opinion is the debt collector is violating federal law. First, until a consumer tells a debt collector he is not allowed to receive calls at work, the collector has the right to call. You donšt say whether the employee told the collector to stop, so the mere act of calling may not be wrongful. Federal law, however, prohibits a debt collector from discussing the consumeršs debt with anyone else, harassing anyone, or even telling third parties he is calling about a debt. I suggest the employee send a certiďŹ ed letter demanding the debt collector stop this conduct, and ďŹ le a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. He may even want to speak with a private attorney about a lawsuit under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Q. My neighbor has a dead tree in his yard. The tree leans toward my yard. If it falls, it will take out my fence and may hit my house or garage. With all the recent storms I am concerned it will be blown on to my property. If it damages my property is my neighbor responsible? A. As a general rule, a person is not responsible for damage caused when a tree falls onto anotheršs property. This is because liability is based on negligence, and, in most cases, when a tree falls it was an act of God, not the fault of the property owner. When a tree is dead or diseased and the owner knows that it may fall, however, the law places a duty on the property owner to take steps to prevent the tree from damaging anotheršs property. Based on what you say, your neighbor has an obligation to prune or cut the tree to prevent it from falling on your property. I suggest you speak with your neighbor and make sure he is aware of the problem. If he still does not cut the tree, you may want to send a nice certiďŹ ed letter expressing your concerns and putting him on notice of his potential for liability. Hopefully, you will be able to work this out as neighbors. Q. Can I withhold rent if my air conditioning is not working properly? It broke down as soon as it started getting warm. A. As a general rule, a tenant must continue to pay rent even when there is a problem with the apartment. In no event does a tenant have the right to simply refuse to pay rent. There are a few situations, however, when a tenant may deduct from the rent and have the apartment repaired. Repairs and deductions may be made only when the problem is extremely serious and you have given the landlord proper written notice to repair the condition, letting him know that if he does not make the repairs you will. According to Texas law, the problem must involve either the backup or overow of raw sewage, the termination of water, or the failure to provide heat or cooled air after the landlord has received written notice from a local building or health ofďŹ cial. In other words, for you to withhold rent you must ďŹ rst send the landlord written notice, by certiďŹ ed mail, telling him your air conditioning does not work and asking him to repair it. You then must wait a Âłreasonable² time. In addition, the local health or building ofďŹ cial should be informed so it may give the landlord the appropriate notice. Only after all of these requirements are met may you repair the problem yourself and deduct the costs from the rent. Hopefully, once the landlord receives your notice he will remedy the condition.
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ant to buy a gift for that loved one but don’t know what to buy. Visit M.S. Enterprises, the authorized distributor for Panasonic, Sanyo, Emerson, Goldstar, Memorex, Kraco and many others Though M.S. Enterprises is basically a wholesale business, they do serve the subcontinent community with a retail market. “We have been in business for ďŹ ve years now and we carry a large variety of T.V., V.C.R. home stereo, car stereo, fans, microwaves and home appliances,â€? said Maqsood Siddiqui, owner of M.S. Enterprises. Originally from Hyderabad, India, Maqsood has been here for the last 7 years. “When I ďŹ rst came here I worked in an engineering company as a draftman, but I was laid off and so I decided to start a business of my own,â€? he said. Presently their location on Harwin is about 10,000 square feet and one step inside the store will completely awe you. M.S. Enterprises is ďŹ lled with
a complete line of Panasonics. According to Maqsood, they have the greatest variety of Panasonics in Houston. Another interesting item of the store is the different phones. Believe it or not but they have phones in the shape of apples, hot dogs, tomatoes, bananas, pianos, dogs and many others. Not only do they sell electronics but also does servicing and has different parts available, too. For your convenience, they accept all major credit cards
and also has an M.S. credit card which can be made available to you, if your credit is approved. “We can get an approval in 10 minutes for a credit line of $500,000,� Siddiqui said. Siddiqui is married and is helped by his wife, Hajra, at the store. He is a father of two sons; one two years old called Muzzamal and the other one called Muddasir who is 11 months old. Date of Publication: December 15, 1988
Families unite to celebrate diversity at Chinmaya Prabha by Padmashree Rao Photos courtesy Nilesh Shah
H
OUSTON - On a humid Saturday night of November 16, a cheerful crowd of 1200 members of the Chinmaya Prabha family came together in the beautiful courtyard of Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya to showcase diversity, and unite in a special celebration of the Dipavali spirit. While the traditional Dipavali puja was already conducted earlier during the actual occasion of Dipavali itself, the families of Chinmaya Prabha wanted to highlight the cultural variations of Mother India that make Dipavali a festival of unity with diverse folk avors. This new concept was welcomed by all, and the theme selected for this year was the Andhra region folk variation of the festival called the “Bathukamma Panduga (Bathukamma festival).â€? Bathukamma, meaning the “mother goddess of livelihood,â€? represents the village deity who is invoked in the form of an auspicious oral arrangement and then oated in the waters around the Telugu region during Navaratri festival. In the weeks preceding the event, Chinmaya Prabha looked like a unique village. After the weekly Sunday satsanga and Bala Vihar, there were joyful groups, singing, practicing the local dances; every member felt welcome to join any group and learn the dance of that region.
Then, on the night of November 16th, all the members, dressed in their cultural best, assembled in the Sivalaya courtyard. The long-stemmed owers they had brought lovingly adorned the two beautiful oral “Bathukammaâ€? forms
tor, introducing each of them. The proud Marathi region presented a graceful folk dance to the background of talented Marathi singers with the Lord of Pandharapur as the reigning deity. Northern India’s specialty came alive when the Hindi
The proud Marathi region presented a graceful folk dance. that stood four feet tall and looked majestic center stage. In the presence of the Acaryas of Houston, Gaurangbhai and Darshanaben Nanavaty, the temple priest, Sri Ganeshji, performed the arati to the Batkukammas representing Goddess Gauri. Later, all the members carried lighted lanterns and followed the beautiful Bathukamma procession Telugu dance taking pradaksina around Saumyakasi Sivalaya. As Bathukamma ceremoniously oated in the waters below the Sivalaya, the hundreds of glowing lanterns added a sacred glow which radiated through the courtyard. With Bathukamma blessing the festivities, the regional, cultural dances began with Jaya Chitale, the festivals coordina-
live music and spirited dancing made it another cultural treat. Then, a group of energetic children and adults brought out the authentic folk avor of Karnataka in their performance. With Nov.17th being Karthigai Dipam in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil group performed the Kavadi Chindu dance with Lord Muruga and the earthern dipams as focus. The Punjabi group made feet and heart dance with the Punjabi villeage folk dance, Bhangra and the vibrant Dhol. The Telugu dancers and ďŹ nally the Gujarati Raas performers gave a delightful ďŹ nale to the event. As the cultural dances ended, the spirit of unity was felt by all. The cultural extravaganza was Continued on pg 5
Creation through Rhythm the ecstatic meet of world cultures captivates art lovers by Chittoor Ramachandran
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he “Creation through Rhythm� event at Stafford Civic Center on Saturday (November 23) night was a pleasant tour of human civilization through the ages. Thanks to the Greater Houston Nair Service Society (GHNSS) for undertaking this event with sincere interest to attract a broad spectrum of people. By taking a lead in organizing such an event, GHNSS has accomplished its goal in (1) setting a stage for enjoying the vast cultural diversity of our town and (2) demonstrating the proud heritage of the Nair community as a major patron of the arts. Creation through Rhythm succeeded in revealing the wealth of leading performers of various international dance styles that Greater Houston has to offer. From the beginning to the end, Creation through Rhythm entertained the audience without a single monotonous moment during the 180 minutes of the show. More than 16 distinct dance styles were meticulously
presented. The costumes were spectacular and the accompanying music was outstanding. This mega production was presented with the collective effort of more than one hundred performers on
cisely deďŹ ned the presentations to follow. The boisterous chendamelam that greeted the audience was grandiose. The percussionists went beyond maintaining a cyclical pattern to precisely
Garba dancers at the Creaton through Rhythm event. stage. The auspicious beginning of the event was with the beautiful and soothing ancient sound of Gayatri, a mantra that extols the Sun, the source of inspiration of the Universe. The invocation dance that accompanied the mantra con-
declaring that something special was on its way. The earthshaking Punjabi Bhangra folk dance created incredible excitement in the crowd. When thinking about energy rich dances, the grand Continued on pg 6
COMMUNITY
VOICE OF ASIA 6
Ganesha resumes life in His new abode by Dr. Venugopal Menon
S
ri Meenakshi Temple concluded the weeklong festivities of Jeernodharana Ashtabandhana MahaKumbabhishekam of its new granite Prasanna Ganapathy temple. The event involved the restoration and renovation of the temple, reinstalling the Vigraha using eight special ingredients and embedded with Yantras (geometric representations of spiritual energy on metal) and Navaratnas (nine gems) and anointment with sanctified water from pitchers. Kumbabhishekam, is the consecration ceremony of invoking spiritual essentials of divinity into
Rhythm Continued from pg 4 finale resonates in my mind. In this, the directors Sunanda Nair,
a newly installed Murthi and periodically of reinvoking the same with existing Sannidhis. The procedure entails austere and elaborate Poojas of dedicated observance, presided by erudite priests, using a myriad of auspicious requisites. The stunningly unique, granite temple was sanctified through the sophisticated ritualistic observation on Friday, November 29, 2013. Adhering to the stringent guidelines of the Sastras, as instructed in Gopura Sthupi : Sri. Kalyana Sundara Bhattar preparing to pour sancContinued on pg 7 tified holy water over the Khumbam depicted multiple human feelings like joy, passion, and romance. There was much entertainment value in each one of them. Shivangini Academy’s Kathak dancers performed an incredible presentation with astounding
The earthshaking Punjabi Bhangra folk dance created incredible excitement in the crowd. Elizabeth Rodriguez and Gordon Solis combined Mohini attam, Waltz and the rhythm of chenda to create a powerful and attractive presentation. The performers were unimaginably vigorous and simply extraordinary. Several dance items conveyed specific feelings and messages through stories. In one of the distinct dances from the Dunhuang region of China (presented by Mitsi Dancing School), the solo performer depicted the painted clay sculptures in the Makao cave. With the theme of ancient Goddesses flying in the clouds, the dancer posed in numerous ways during her performance beautifully enhanced with soothing background music. In a folk dance from northeast region of China (presented by Dance of Asia America), a young girl excitedly acted like she was playing in snowflakes. The dancer beautifully created the feel of snow season all around her. With dazzling costumes and graceful swift movements, students of Divya Unni presented a well coordinated item of Bharathanatyam with mind boggling complexity and still with absolute precision. In the first look itself, the audience got the feeling that these were well trained dancers. The performance stood out prominently. In another group performance of Bharathanatyam by Upasana Kalakendra, an alluring demonstration of the popular Kavadi Chinthu was presented. The ardent devotion embedded in the folk tune as well as in the calm body movements in the dance and created the mood very successfully. Through an incredible solo performance, Kalasree Sunanda Nair elucidated the scope of abhinaya (facial expression) in Bharathanatyam and in other dances of India. In the entire show, this was the only item in which this aspect was clearly visible with minimum body language. Symbolizing the ancient warrior culture of Rwanda, Abatarutwa Traditional Dance Group consolidated the feeling of love and care in a beautiful presentation of Intore in a very elegant way. The pleasant interaction between the male and female dancers illuminated the human feeling in a variety of ways with minimum technical restrictions as if the entire dance was impromptu. Similarly, Bachata ( performed by Inspired Movements), as a partner dance, also had a theme on the emotional attachment of two individuals. No language barrier between the dancers and the audience existed while watching these dances. Likewise, Bolero ( by Misteriosa Dance Company)
technical precision. In a concise format they elucidated many aspects of the art form. The tremendous talent and the tradition they follow were evident in their (too) short performance. Shingari School dancers presented two powerful dances eliciting a whirlpool of exhilaration. Still one could measure the knowledge of classical dance in each performer. The dancers successfully achieved what they intended. They were incredible. The rhythmic body movement of the most popular partner dance Kizomba ( by Kizomba knights) of Angola thrilled the audience. The dance highlighted the sensuality, calmness and sexuality in human beings. Kizomba is a demonstration of the fact that dance in general springs from the human desire for personal
expression and social connection. The performers were well trained in this dance form, which was essential for their exact coordination. The electrifying Salsa dance (performed by Decorus Dance Company), the most sought after partner dance of Afro –Cuban Rumba was a treat. The rhythmic music in the background provided familiarity with the dance throughout the short performance. The graceful movements and poses of the dancers elicited enthusiasm on the floor. Café Dance Company presented two distinct and incredible dance forms – the Spanish Rumba Flamenco danced to African rhythm and Cumbia Colombiana with many aspects of elegant classical ballet. Like many others in the audience, this was my first opportunity to watch these art forms and it was a real treat.
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
Clear Lake youth donate to charity
A
t its annual Diwali Program celebrating the Indian New Year, ICCL had grand program spanning over 4 hours with numerous cultural items representing the diverse culture of India. It was attended by more than 500+ community members. The program ended with a sumptuous dinner. The highlight of the program was the India Culture Center of Clear Lake (ICCL) Youth Committee Officers’ hard work in raising funds for non-profit outreach programs both in the USA and abroad.
work, the Youth Committee considerably exceeded their goal, having raised a total of $1,850 for charity. This money was donated to two charities – Bay Area Turning Point and the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation. Bay Area Turning Point is a local organization dedicated to helping survivors of domestic violence and facilitating change within local communities. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation is an organization dedicated to education assis-
ICCL Youth Committee (YC) members, supportHe further ed by both the said “We ofICCL Executen take it for tive commit- Dance presentation (one of 30 items performed in the spirit of granted the tee (EC) lead Diwali) by Clear Lake & surrounding Indian community youth. education we by President receive and the Sonal Singh, Vice President tance and village development Yasmin Udawala – who was in rural communities of India. opportunities we have; thus, also a youth committee liaison, Representative Ashley Woo- when we decided to raise monand the parents of those Youth, dard from Bay Area Turning ey for charity, we wanted to be worked really hard to raise and Point and Nikhil Mehta from able to make a difference for donate funds to its two pre- Ekal Vidyalaya were there to the kids in our community, as ferred charities. receive the checks on behalf well as abroad (our homeland), and subsequently selected The ICCL Youth Committee, of their respective organizathese two organizations as our tions. Local Congressman comprised of 10 high school preferred charities. Steve Stockman of District 36 students, set a goal at the beWe strongly believe in the ginning of the year to raise was also present along with his $1,000 for charity. The team wife and the principal of Clear approaches which both orgaworked together all year co- View High School Mr. Mi- nizations take regarding their ordinating various fundraisers chael Houston to support the missions, and it’s our hope that more youth will become aware and helping to plan numerous local community. cultural festivals. Fundraising When asked why the ICCL of the problems in both their loevents included the youth car YC chose these two non- cal communities as well as back wash, social, and t-shirt sales. profit outreach organizations, in India and take action to try to As a result of all of their hard the president of Youth Club improve the lives of others.”
Hamara Desi Christmas 2013
The rapid and intricate turning patterns in Cumbia de Vueltas (by Sabor Vallero Dance Company) and EC Swing and WC Swing (by Brooke & Chris and Elizabeth & Gordon were two powerful and distinct dance forms that impressed me very much. The performers’ remarkable talent won the audience’s heart. Overall performances of this event elicited appreciation of the world cultures we all have inherited. The people who laid the groundwork and managed to bring us this incredible event deserve congratulations for their ardent effort.
The Dosa Factory in Top 6 list of New Restaurants in 2013
of ICCL, Kushal Kadakia, responded on behalf of the committee and said that “they wanted to give back to their community on a local level as well as on a cultural level. Both organizations are aimed towards the kids & youth themselves - Bay Area Turning Point helps children recover from abusive families, and puts them back on the right track to avoid violence and focus on education and change. Ekal Vidyalaya assists in educational outreach in rural Indian communities, and provides opportunities to under-developed areas to really ameliorate their quality of life.”
Celebration You are invited for an Evening to remember on Saturday, December 14th 6.00 PM to 9.00 PM at India House
8888, West Bellfort Avenue, Houston, TX 77031
Chief Guest:
Rep. Ed Thompson
District 29, Texas House of Representative
The Dosa varieties and the contemporary atmosphere the place lends to easy family dining makes it a hit helping it get repeat customers.
H
OUSTON - Six restaurants in Houston have made it on the Urbanspoon’s nationwide list of Top New Restaurants in 2013 worth visiting for its taste factor. Although not chosen in any order, the Dosa Factory is one of the top 6 restaurants that is a must visit on the list of New restaurants to try out before 2014 rolls in. The Dosa varieties and the contemporary atmosphere the place lends to easy family dining makes it a hit helping it get repeat customers. Another criteria to help restaurants make this list is “The majority of the restaurants on the list offer casual fare with a unique twist, which appealed to diners seeking something new yet approachable.” (Source: Chron.com)
In a release, the online restaurant guide said it added more than 46,000 new restaurants to its datebase in 2013. The chosen top 6 new restaurants are: Batanga www.batangahouston.com 908 Congress St, 713224-9500 Coppa Osteria www.coppaosteriahouston.com 5210 Morningside Dr., 713-5223535 Renae’s Homestyle Restaurant 1672 Cypress Creek Parkway in Spring, 281-440-7362 Simply Pho 2929 Milam, 713-677-0501 The Dosa Factory www.thedosafactory.com 5959 Richmond, 713-781-367 The Pass & Provisions www. passandprovisions.com 807 Taft, 713-628-9020
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VOICE OF ASIA 8
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
India’s anti-corruption party With new power balance in tested in Delhi polls Pakistan, Sharif cautious by Annie Banerji
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EW DELHI - A new Indian party rooted in an anti-graft movement that swept the country in 2011 faced its first electoral test Wednesday as millions voted in New Delhi
with inflation and anger over crime against women and corruption. Kejriwal cast his vote at a polling station in central Delhi early Wednesday accompanied by about 100 supporters wearing white Gandhi caps
sembly. The pollsters predicted the ruling Congress would bag 20 Delhi seats, down from its present 43 and said Kejriwal’s party would come third with 13, while three others will go to independent contestants. Kejriwal, 44, believes his promise of clean politics, young candidates and the pursuit of black marketeers, whom he blames for soaring food prices, will see his party surge to victory. He formed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) less than a year ago after a split from his onetime partner Anna Hazare, an elderly activist with whom he launched a nationwide protest movement in 2011 demanding a new anti-corruption law.
Arvind Kejriwal (Photo: PTI) state polls. The Aam Aadmi ( “Common Man”) Party, led by former tax inspector Arvind Kejriwal, is hoping for a victory in the Delhi election that would be a political earthquake ahead of national polls next year. The turnout broke all records and polling was allowed to continue until the last voter inside many of the city’s nearly 12,000 poll stations stamped his choice, Delhi chief electoral officer Vijay Dev said. “Nearly 66 percent of Delhi’s 11-million electorate voted until 6:30 pm (1300 GMT)... There is no limit to voting time,” Dev told a late Wednesday news conference. He credited the unprecedented turnout on Delhi’s burgeoning young voters. “The youth has broken all old stereotypes and have voted with enthusiasm,” Dev added. New Delhi has been run by the Congress party since 1998 but it is seen as struggling
which, along with a broom, has become the party’s trademark. “Broom! Broom! Broom!” said street food vendor Rajesh Sharma, 49, after casting his vote in the chaotic old city area. “Kejriwal deserves a chance to show what he’s got.” Four other states where staggered elections were held since last month too have reported a trend of unprecedented voter enthusiasm. All five polls are a litmus test for the Congress, in power nationally for nearly a decade, and for the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its hardline prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Modi has campaigned hard and will hope to see the BJP make gains when results are announced for all five state elections on Sunday. NDTV citing separate exit polls predicted a clear win for the Hindu nationalist BJP in three states and said it will be just one short of the half-way mark in the 70-seat Delhi as-
A survey on perceptions of corruption published on Tuesday by Transparency International showed India ranked at number 94 out of 177 countries. In the general elections next year, the left-leaning Congress is predicted to struggle to win a third term in power, with Modi and the BJP making headway but without enough support to win a majority. Delhi’s three-times Congress Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was criticised for her handling of the Delhi Commonwealth Games and related infrastructure projects in 2010 which were late, often badly built and riddled with corruption, according to auditors. She has also been under pressure to improve safety in the capital after the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus last December brought simmering anger about widespread sex crime in India to the boil. Turnout in elections in the central states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, western Rajasthan and northeastern Mizoram has been between 70-80 percent, breaking previous records. (AFP)
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by Zahid Hussain
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ARACHI - The months-long suspense was broken last week by the not-so-surprising choice of a dark horse as Pakistan’s new Army Chief. It was Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s way of playing safe and picking a relatively low-profile officer for the most critical and powerful post. Having been ousted by his handpicked Army Chief once and given his history of tumultuous relations with all others holding the post during his past two terms, Sharif has become more cautious and unsure. Hence an unassuming man with no past baggage and lower down in the seniority list was considered a safe bet. Gen. Raheel Sharif’s appointment signifies a complete break from the Musharraf-era military hierarchy. Together with a new chief justice at the helm the move has changed the political dynamics of the country, shifting the balance of power more towards the civilian government. But it may prove to be a temporary phenomenon if the Sharif government fails to deliver. It does not take much time for the pendulum of Pakistani politics to swing to the other side. The past bears witness to that. With the change of guard in the Army and a new chief justice about to take over, the transition of all the power centres of the state has been completed. Indeed, this remarkably smooth changeover that started with the transfer of power from one elected government to another marks a huge stride forward for the democratic political process in Pakistan. With a sizeable majority in the National Assembly and his party’s hold on the most powerful province, Mr Sharif appears to be comfortably ensconced in the driving seat at least for now
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistan’s retired chief of Army staff. (Photo: Aamir Qureshi/AFP) with the accompanying change of command in the two major institutions of the state.
to talks with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, but not on the militants’ terms.
A weak and fragmented opposition hardly presents any challenge to the government. But it is Mr Sharif’s performance or rather lack of it that could prove to be his undoing. His absentee government does not inspire much confidence for the future, despite its consolidation of power.
The apologetic response of the government over the killing of Maj. Gen. Sanaullah Niazi in upper Dir, the commander of 17 infantry division, and other recent terrorist attacks carried out by the TTP has added to the misgiving. The unprecedented condemnation of Jamaat-eIslami by the Inter-Services Public Relations for declaring Hakeemullah Mehsud, leader of Pakistani Taliban, a martyr demonstrates the growing frustration of the military over the policy of appeasement of militants being pursued by the political parties.
A critical issue is how civilmilitary relations evolve under the new military leadership. The exit of Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, who saw two democratic political transitions during his six years in office, lends the issue greater urgency. The role of the former army chief in making the fragile democratic system work cannot be underestimated. Although civil-military relations under Gen. Kayani may not have been smooth, there was no threat of the military derailing the democratic process. Seemingly, Mr Sharif got on well with Gen. Kayani, but some friction seems to have emerged recently between the civilian administration and the military over the proposed negotiations with the Taliban. The generals appear unhappy with the government policy of placating the militants. The military may not be opposed
US warns patience will run out with Sri Lanka
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ASHINGTON International patience could wear thin with Sri Lanka unless it takes action to address allegations of atrocities during the island nation’s civil war, the top U.S. diplomat for South Asia said Tuesday. Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal stopped short of endorsing a deadline set last month by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he would call for a U.N.-backed inquiry into allegations of war crimes unless there was progress on postwar reconciliation by March.
Since the Tamil Tigers’ 27year battle for an ethnic homeland ended, Rajapaksa’s grip on power has tightened. Recent reports of media harassment and rights abuses have also raised alarms, although a convincing victory for the main ethnic Tamil party in provincial elections in northern Sri Lanka in September were seen as a small step toward devolution of power.
Biswal, whose brief covers South and Central Asia, also voiced concern Friday about political violence in Bangladesh, where street clashes between rival factions have killed about A U.N. re40 people and port has sugwounded hungested Sri dreds in the Lanka’s milipast month. tary may have Assistant Secretary of State for The opposikilled up to South and Central Asia Nisha tion is resist40,000 civilDesai Biswal. (Photo:PTI) ing governians in the fiment plans nal months of the war in 2009 as it crushed to hold a general election on ethnic Tamil rebels, also ac- Jan. 5 unless Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina allows a neucused of atrocities. Biswal urged Sri Lanka tral caretaker administration to take concrete steps on its to oversee the polls. own, particularly on issues of accountability.
“We would like to see Sri Lanka address these issues through its own processes and we hope that can in fact be the case,” Biswal told reporters, adding that recommendations of a Sri Lankan-government appointed reconciliation commission pointed the way forward. She said without real progress, the patience of the international community “will start to wear thin.” The government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has so far ignored calls for a thorough local inquiry into war abuses and says it will not allow any international probe. He denies allegations of abuses by the army.
Biswal, who recently visited Dhaka, called for the major political parties to come together and work out a compromise “that will allow for elections take place that the people of Bangladesh have confidence in and feel are credible.” She said failure to achieve a peaceful political transition poses the greatest obstacle to Bangladesh continuing its progress of the past decade in areas such as reducing child and maternal mortality, and improving food security. Analysts fear the political chaos could exacerbate the economic woes of the country of 160 million people and lead to radicalization in a strategic pocket of South Asia. (AP)
The resentment seems to have been further heightened with a statement by TTP leaders directly targeting the military. In the statement, Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid welcomed the government’s decision not to appoint Gen. Haroon Aslam who he has described as the “butcher of Swat” for leading the commando operation in Puchar, the operational base of TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah in 2009. It will be a serious challenge for both the prime minister and the new army Chief to assuage the discontent in the military ranks. It is imperative for the civil and military leadership to be on the same page to combat militancy that poses a serious threat to democracy. The government’s dithering and not taking a firm position on militancy and extremism would not only be demoralising for the soldiers engaged in fighting the insurgents, but also prove divisive for the nation. The more important event for Sharif last week, however, has been the retirement announcement of the super proactive chief justice of the Supreme Court. Although a couple of weeks were still left for his departure, the President hastily approved the elevation of the senior-most judge to the post. Restored to his position after massive public support, Justice Chaudhry was seen as having overstretched the role of the judiciary to the detriment of the executive. Although the Zardari government may have borne the brunt of the rampant judicial activism, many of the decisions of the current government have also been overturned by the present Supreme Court — including the increase in power tariffs. Justice Chaudhry has spared no one. Many legal experts believe that his exit may restore the balance in judicial functioning and remove a major irritant hampering the political process. With a less proactive judiciary not impinging on the powers of the executive, the government would be given more space to take some important decisions, particularly those related to the economy and privatisation. But there is also a danger that a timid judiciary may remove the checks needed to maintain the balance of power in the system. Given Sharif’s tendency to amass absolute power, a weak judiciary could be dangerous for the survival of the current democratic set-up. For sure, the balance of power has now entirely shifted in favour of the Sharif government. But it is still to be seen how the prime minister uses this advantageous situation to improve governance and deliver on the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) promise to improve the economy and take a firmer position on the issue of militancy. Failing to do that may tilt the balance of power against him. Enough of foreign trips; it is now time to focus on burning domestic issues, Prime Minister. (Souce: Dawn)
ASIA
VOICE OF ASIA 9
Biden gets sharp rebuke in China
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ne day after he spoke with leaders in embattled neighbor Japan, Vice President Joe Biden met with officials in China on Wednesday amid an escalating argument between Asian nations that has attracted the attention of the
effective channels of communication” and spoke of a “new model of major country cooperation” that rests on trust.
Indonesia jails 14 Burmese over Buddhist killings
“Trust is the basis on which real change, constructive change, is made,” Biden
Myanmar Rohingya Muslims shout slogans as police place them at the court’s detention house in Medan, North Sumatra, on Dec 4, 2013. (Photo: AFP)
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US vice-president, Joe Biden, and Chinese president, Xi Jinping, meet in Beijing. (Photo: Lan Hongguang/Xinhua Press) United States.
said.
A meeting between Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping scheduled for only 45 minutes this week turned into a two hour ordeal and ended with the US senator-turnedsecond-in-command offering brief remarks but answering no questions before a press scrum in Beijing.
Xi declined to bring up the airspace rift as well, instead acknowledging only “undergoing profound and complex changes” in Asia.
Speaking with reporters amid a stalemate that started late last month between China and Japan over disputed airspace, Biden made no explicit reference to the conflict but expressed a need for trust to develop between all those involved. The relationship between the US and China, Biden said, “ultimately has to be based on trust, and a positive notion about the motive of one another.” Late November, Chinese officials declared a portion of the East China Sea long claimed by Japan to fall within their own air defense border, causing a row to erupt between both countries and then the US, which has so far also managed to involve the likes of South Korea and Taiwan. The Pentagon soon after deployed a fleet of B-52 bombers through the region unannounced in defiance of China’s orders, then moved a next-generation surveillance aircraft towards Japan to await orders, provoking criticism from the Chinese by way of some scathing newspaper editorials, including one that ran Wednesday in tandem with Biden’s Beijing visit. Biden was in Japan hours earlier on Tuesday, and said during a meeting alongside Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the US is deeply concerned by the recent events that have “raised regional tensions and increased the risk of accidents and miscalculation,” adding that neither Japan nor their American allies will tolerate “the attempt by China to change the status quo by force.” When Biden arrived in Beijing shortly after, an editorial in the official English-language China Daily warned that the vice president “should not expect any substantial headway if he comes simply to repeat his government’s previous erroneous and one-sided remarks.” “If the US is truly committed to lowering tensions in the region, it must first stop acquiescing to Tokyo’s dangerous brinkmanship,” the op-ed continued. “It must stop emboldening belligerent Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to constantly push the envelope of Japan’s encroachments and provocations.” When Biden finally emerged from his marathon meeting with President Xi on Wednesday, he appeared “solemn” and “weary-sounding,” according to the New York Times’ Mark Lander, and the Associated Press equated the meeting between men as an “awkward kickoff” for the vice president’s tour of China. Instead of directly acknowledging the disagreement between China and Japan during the press conference that followed his meeting, Biden said both nations need to make use of “crisis management mechanisms and
“Regional issues keep cropping up and there are more pronounced global challenges such as climate change and energy security. The world is not tranquil,” he added. Next on Biden’s trek through the region will be Seoul, South Korea, where he is expected to make appearances on Thursday following a meeting with China’s Premier Li Keqiang that will cap off his visit there. (Source: Guardian News)
EDAN, INDONESIA - An Indonesian court on Wednesday jailed 14 Muslim Rohingya men from Myanmar for nine months each for bludgeoning eight Buddhists from their country to death in an Indonesian detention centre. The Rohingya asylum-seekers in April killed the Buddhist men, who had been detained for illegally fishing in Indonesian waters, as sectarian tensions in their home country flared. The Rohingyas, aged 18 to 37, accused the fishermen of sexually harassing two Rohingya women and said the Buddhists started the violence in the detention centre, in the port town of Belawan near Medan city on Sumatra island. “The defendants have been proven legally and convincingly guilty of working together to blatantly carry out violence, which resulted in the loss of human lives,” chief judge Aksir told the Medan district court.
“We sentenced them to nine months in prison,” he said. The sentence was lighter than the two-year term sought by prosecutors and the maximum penalty for violence resulting in death, which is 12 years. The men, along with 100 Indonesian Muslim supporters, chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater) in the court room after the light sentences were handed down. According to court documents, a fisherman had tried to stab one of the Rohingya men, who retaliated by hitting him with a broomstick. A mass fight broke out and eight Myanmar Buddhists were found dead and bloodied when the police arrived at the scene. Three minors suspected to be involved in the attack were freed in July due to lack of evidence. The attack underscored the soaring Buddhist-Muslim tensions that have overshadowed
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
Can a sunken rock unite Japan and Korea? by Nisid Hajari
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ll the drama surrounding China’s declaration of a vast “airdefense identification zone” off its shores centers on the disputed islands known as the Senkaku by Japan, which administers them, and the Diaoyu by China, which challenges Tokyo’s claim. The new zone encompasses the airspace over the islands: Beijing wants any planes in the area to identify themselves beforehand or face unspecified, possibly military, action. Japan scoffs at this demand, as does the U.S., which has accused China of unilaterally trying to alter the status quo by threat of force. The issue dominated U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Tokyo today -- and will do the same when he travels to Beijing tomorrow. The Japanese have been pushing the U.S. -- which has recommended that American airlines respect China’s rules even if the U.S. military will not -- to take an even tougher stand against Beijing. If he really wants to undercut China, though, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should be focusing on another island entirely. political reforms in Myanmar. The men’s lawyer, Mahmud Irsyad Lubis, said the men would appeal for freedom. “They said they wanted freedom because there was no real evidence shown during the trial that they committed a violent attack,” he told reporters. In a separate case in Jakarta, an Indonesian on trial for
Well, not an island exactly. Socotra Rock is a submerged rock feature sitting 15 feet below the surface of the East China Sea. The nearest actual territory -- less than 100 miles to the north -- belongs to South Korea, which calls the rock Ieodo and has built a towering helipad and research station on top of it to reinforce its claim. China, which also claims the feature (which it calls Suyan Rock), has extended its air-defense zone to cover it as well. Outraged commentators in Seoul have called on the government to extend its own air-defense zone into the area -- something that wasn’t considered necessary when the zone was drawn (by the U.S. Air Force) in 1951. In fact, until now the only defense zone that included the airspace above Socotra Rock belonged to Japan, which has made no claim on the feature whatsoever. That last detail gives Abe an opening, as Rand Corp. analyst Scott Harold points out. The prime minister could score an easy PR coup by offering to redraw Japan’s air-defense area, in close consultation with Continued on pg 10 a foiled scheme to bomb the Myanmar embassy confessed to being the mastermind of the plot, saying he was “still at war” with anyone oppressing Muslims. Sigit Indrajid, 23, testified that he led a group of Islamic extremists that planned the attack to avenge the harsh treatment of Rohingya in Myanmar. (AFP)
WORLD
VOICE OF ASIA 10
Obama: Income inequality “the defining challenge of our time” by Jared Favole
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resident Barack Obama, seeking to renew focus on the economy after months of mostly bad news about the health-law rollout, said Wednesday that growing income inequality is harming the U.S. economy and called on Congress to increase the minimum wage. “The combined trends of increased inequality and decreasing mobility pose a fundamental threat to the American dream, our way of life and what we stand for around the globe,” Mr. Obama said in a 45-minute speech hosted by the Center for American Progress, a think tank closely aligned with the White House. The president’s speech was part of an effort to gain momentum for his second-term agenda, kicked off Tuesday by the start of a three-week campaign to persuade people to sign up for health insurance on what he described as a vastly improved HealthCare.gov website. Republicans criticized the White House for trying to distract attention
away from the problems with the health law. “Instead of addressing people’s frustrations he’s trying to change the subject,” said Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.), the House GOP whip. Liberal groups and many Democrats in Congress have long sought measures to address income inequality and pushed for an increase in the minimum wage. Mr. Obama used his 2013 State of the Union address to urge Congress to increase the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour and index it to inflation. The proposal hasn’t gained traction. The president listed a series of statistics to highlight what he said was troubling economic inequality in the U.S. “Since 1979, when I graduated from high school, our productivity is up by more than 90%, but the income of the typical family has increased by less than 8%,” he said. He said inequality has also made it difficult for Americans to improve their economic standing, and noted that it is easier for people in countries
such as Canada, Germany and France to move up.
C
to that country, saying that “The United States believes deeply that European integration is the best road for both security and prosperity for Moldova.”
Mr. Obama, in a nod to the stark divide in Congress about the country’s economic future, said he knows that resolving inequality won’t happen this year or next year. But he vowed to continue pushing for ways to reduce inequality and to challenge opponents of his economic ideas. Mr. Obama echoed many of the ideas he’s offered before: closing tax loopholes and using the increased revenue for infrastructure projects; unwinding the across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester; and raising the federal minimum wage, now at $7.25 an hour. (WSJ)
last week despite warnings from Moscow not to do so. Kerry added: “To the Ukrainian people, we say the same thing: you too deserve the opportunity to choose your own future.” Ukraine made a last-minute U-turn on a deal for closer ties with the European Union with President Viktor Yanukovych citing pressure from Moscow after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine’s decision have prompted the biggest protests since the 2004 Orange Revolution with thousands of demonstrators barricading themselves on Kiev’s main square amid police violence. Kerry criticised outside pressures on countries’ decision-making in an apparent reference to Russia.
Men kneel down while riot police stand guard near the presidential administration building during a rally held by supporters of EU integration in Kiev, December 1, 2013. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters) protests in the former Soviet state. Kerry praised Moldova for initialling an EU agreement during a visit
Moldova, a tiny former Soviet state, along with Georgia opted to sign partnership deals with the EU
“We are convinced that any country ought to be able to make a choice of where it wants to affiliate, where it wants to conducts its economic activities and in what way it conducts its affairs without external interference, and certainly without external pressures that have a profound impact on your people,” Kerry said. (AFP)
One year on, Newtown voices revive pain of massacre by Jennie Matthew
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ne year after a gunman burst into a US school and slaughtered 20 small children and six adults, the voices of their trapped and terrified protectors returned Wednesday to haunt survivors.
dibly upset woman. “I caught a glimpse of somebody there running down the hallway... there’s still shooting.” A man in the corridor told 911 that the front glass had been shot out. Over bursts of gunfire, he said: “It’s still happening.”
After a freedom of information lawsuit, US authorities released seven recordings of emergency calls made from Sandy Hook Elementary School as the killer stalked the classrooms.
The responder tells him to take cover as he orders officers to get everyone they can down to the scene. “I keep hearing shooting, I keep hearing popping,” the man said.
The tapes, released despite resistance from the families of some of the slain six-year-old victims, record eerily calm operators warning wounded callers to take cover and try to staunch their bleeding.
The Associated Press news agency took legal action to get the calls released and the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission ruled that the recordings should be made public. Although 911 calls are public records officials had argued they be withheld so as not to upset families of the victims.
On December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut, 20-year-old Adam Lanza took less than 11 minutes to carry out one of the deadliest school shootings ever seen in America. The tapes record how a teacher, shot in the foot, speaks calmly to the operator. She says her classroom door is not locked and that there are children in the room. “Try to apply pressure,” she is told, “People are coming.” “I think there’s somebody shooting in here, Sandy Hook school,” says an au-
Television channels were cautious on whether to broadcast part or all of the tapes, deferring a final decision until after they had listened to the recordings. Dean Pinto, whose six-year-old son Jack was killed, had told a hearing that the audio recordings could “further victimize the surviving children and teachers who witnessed their friends being killed and the families of those who lost their lives”. But Gilles Rousseau, whose teacher daughter Lauren was one of those
White House steps up bid to thwart new Iran sanctions
Mr. Obama also quoted Pope Francis, who used a papal exhortation called “The Joy of the Gospel” last week to criticize global capitalism and the idea of trickle-down economics. Pope Francis wrote: “How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?”
Ukrainians deserve to choose own future, says Kerry HISINAU - Ukrainians should be allowed to choose their own future, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday, after Kiev’s decision to put a key EU pact on hold sparked mass street
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
killed, said it was better to know. “I think the more the public knows there will be less confusion, there will be less people making up stories about what happened,” told NBC television before Wednesday’s release. The calls were made available a week after the official investigation was unable to find a motive for the massacre other than conclude that the killer was obsessed with mass murders. Lanza shot dead his mother in her bed, then drove to the school. He killed the principal and school psychologist in the hallway, then entered two first-grade classrooms, killing two adults in each room, 15 children in one classroom and five in the other. Police arrived less than four minutes after receiving an emergency call. But Lanza killed himself a minute later with a single shot with a pistol. The official investigation said Lanza had “significant mental health issues” and was obsessed with mass murders, especially the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado that killed 13 people. The weapons he used for the killings and a large number of firearms found in his home were all bought legally. (AFP)
Israel’s new ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Merav Zafari Odiz, attends the Board of Governors meeting at the UN atomic agency headquarters in Vienna (Photo: AFP)
T
he White House warned Congress that passing new sanctions on Iran - even with a delayed launch date - would give Tehran an excuse to undermine an interim nuclear deal. White House spokesman Jay Carney also warned a bipartisan coalition of senators who are suspicious of the pact reached last month and want to pile up more punishments for Tehran, that their move would be seen as a show of “bad faith” by US partners abroad. The White House stepped up its rhetorical push to forestall new sanctions amid intense behind-the-scenes lobbying by top Obama administration officials targeting key lawmakers from both parties. “Passing any new sanctions right now will undermine our efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to this issue by giving the Iranians an excuse to push the terms of the agreement on their side,” Carney said. “Furthermore, new sanctions are unnecessary right now because our core sanctions architecture remains in place, and the Iranians continue to be under extraordinary pressure. “If we pass sanctions now, even with the deferred trigger, which has been discussed, the Iranians and likely our international partners will see us as having negotiated in bad faith.” Carney argued that the passage of new US sanctions - even with a builtin six-month delay contemplated by hawks on Capitol Hill - would threaten the unity of the international coalition that has leveled punishing sanctions
Sunken Continued from pg 9
Seoul. In effect, Japan would cede the airspace over Socotra to South Korea to monitor. Abe could even earn a few brownie points by publicly calling the rock Ieodo -- an emotional issue for hardcore Korean nationalists -- and offering to collaborate in the marine research taking place there. Such a move would accomplish two critical goals. For one thing, it would underscore exactly what China did wrong in unilaterally declaring its defense zone. Beijing is right that 20 other nations -- including its two neighbors and the U.S. -- have established their own such zones. But in doing so, none of them tried to restrict airspace claimed by another country. Where zones butted up next to one another, as in North America, the countries involved hashed out the boundaries together. China’s zone is hardly so comradely. A show of cooperativeness here could also help thaw relations between Japan and South Korea, which have gone into a deep freeze. In recent weeks South Korean President Park Geun Hye has flatly declared that she sees no point in even sitting down to talk with Abe, whom she accuses of trying to whitewash Japan’s wartime record. U.S. officials have fretted that Park, who received a rock star’s welcome when she visited Beijing in June, was drifting closer to China than
on Tehran. He also said if the interim deal -which freezes aspects of Iran’s nuclear program in return for a slight easing of the sanctions that have crippled the country’s economy -- is not translated into a final pact that Iran abides by, the White House would support new sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Barack Obama’s domestic opponents have seized on the terms of the deal to claim that it enshrines the right of Iran to enrich uranium but the White House late Tuesday issued a statement which sought to clarify the scope of any eventual final nuclear deal.Bernadette Meehan, a National Security Council spokeswoman, said that the United States did not recognize that Iran has “a right to enrich” and that such a right was not included in the deal reached between Iran and six world powers in Geneva last month. Several groups of Republican and Democratic senators are working to reconcile various different sanctions measures, believing that they would strengthen Obama’s hand in negotiations. Under the deal reached between world powers and Tehran to freeze Iran’s nuclear program last month, Washington committed to “refrain from imposing new nuclear-related sanctions” for the six months during which world powers will seek to hammer out a comprehensive settlement. Carney, however, would not say whether Obama would use his presidential veto to halt any congressional effort to impose new sanctions. (AFP) to fellow U.S. ally Japan. Chinese officials clearly recognize that they’ve blundered by nipping off the airspace over Socotra Rock. They vow to resolve any issues with South Korea through “friendly consultations and negotiations.” But Beijing can’t afford to back down on the boundaries of its zone, not least because of raging nationalist sentiment at home. Japan can and should. Shrinking its own air-defense zone a bit wouldn’t materially threaten the country’s security or its claim over the Senkaku/ Diaoyu. Even if South Korean officials -- some of whom have started to make friendlier noises about Japan in the last few days -- don’t immediately respond, Abe would at least earn credit with the U.S. If Seoul embraces the idea, all three nations would be able to present a stronger, more united front against China. How to exploit that solidarity is a separate issue. In Tokyo, Biden said the U.S. was “deeply concerned” about China’s recent move but did not call for the zone’s outright rollback, knowing that would be an impossible demand. The best one can probably hope for is that China quietly does not enforce the zone against Japanese, Korean and U.S. military planes that fly through without identifying themselves. That will only work, of course, if the three allies don’t loudly publicize their defiance and China’s lack of response. Abe should remember that some grand gestures are worth making -- and some are not. (Bloomberg)
Branding
VOICE OF ASIA 11
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
VOICE OF ASIA
• kind, grade, or make, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like: example: the best brand of coffee. • to promote as a brand name.
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VOICE OF ASIA 12
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
LIFESTYLE
VOICE OF ASIA 13
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
Vol. 26
No. 49
Friday, December 6, 2013
Section 2
Email: voiceasia@aol.com
6 lessons couples must learn in their first year of marriage
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hen two people are in love and decide to be with each other for the rest of their lives, they promise to give one another a life of happiness. The first year of the marriage or the ‘extended honeymoon phase’, has a charm of its own. But besides the romance, this is also a time that gives your relationship a much needed foundation. Marriage teaches you a new lesson every day, sometimes sweet and sometimes bitter but always useful. Here are 6 such beautiful and important lessons that couples must learn in the first year of their marriage.
Love does not only have to last for the first few years of your marriage. The care and attention you give in nurturing your relationship in its first year, will make it last forever! Saying ‘I love you’ more often to each other not only because you have to but because you want to, is a great rule to abide by. Leaving each other love notes, going on date nights more often, trying to understand each other’s point of view without any ego and not holding any grudges will make your bond even more beautiful than ever before! Apologising goes a long way In every relation, out of the two partners, one is always more calm, composed and mature than the other. That is why they say that ‘opposites attract’! Never hold yourself back from saying sorry. This would not make you small or put you down. Instead, it will make your parter respect you even more. This will take you and your relation a very long way indeed.
Beginning of a beautiful friendship During your courtship period, right up to your wedding and the initial months after that, so many things happen that can bring a couple close to each other. Sharing a good equation with your partner not only physically but also emotionally makes you the best of friends. Trusting each other, keeping no secrets and always confiding in each other should be the thumb rule from the very beginning. This will strengthen your friendship and your relation.
Nurture your love to make it last forever
Prioritising
Learning these important lessons within the first year of your marriage will definitely make your bond strong.
One of the most important lessons to be learnt after getting married is to prioritise things. You need to decide for yourself- what is more important to you? Family interference, especially in the Indian set up, work pressures and
Panchamritam - Forgotten food The literal translation of panchamritam would be five (panch) ambrosias (amrit), which the Hindu scriptures regard as the elixir of immortality. Chef Manjit Gill reminds us that according to the Puranas, amrit was first produced during the Samudra Manthan.
I
n North India, milk is usually the base for the dish. In South India, it is bananas. While it continues to be offered in temples, few urban homes take the effort to recreate the recipe. However the dish is delicious enough to be enjoyed without any pious association.
Tel: 713-774-5140 just the usual stress can take a toll over your married life. Prioritising your life right from the beginning will make it easier for the two of you in the longer run. Making effort to take some time out for your spouse, respecting their opinion above the others and spending some quality time together every day will make your bond stronger. Nothing Changes People often say that lots of things change after you get married. True in some aspects, but if the two of you trust and love each other enough to give space to one another in the marriage, nothing has to change. Everything will remain the way it is- beautiful and blooming. Believe! This is forever Another lesson that marriage teaches you in a year’s time is that you need to stop living in the fear of ‘I hope our marriage works out and lasts forever!’ Believe in yourself, believe in your spouse and most importantly, believe in your love and understanding. In short, JUST BELIEVE! Have faith and know that marriage is for keeps. Learning these important lessons within the first year of your marriage will definitely make your bond strong and your love last, forever! (Source: Yahoo! India)
An amazing location for a warm, romantic winter holiday
Gill says, “We can use it as a relish and even as a dessert in itself. It is also a very good source of complex sugars—a tablespoon of it is sufficient satisfy sugar cravings for the day.” In the modern adaptation the five-ingredient rule is not obligatory: bits of fruit can be added to flavour the dish.
Panchamritam by Manjit Gill, corporate chef, ITC Hotels Ingredients: 5 ripe bananas, 500g jaggery (gur, powdered), 50g dates (seedless), 25g raisins, 25g mishri (raw sugar), 12g desi ghee, 3g green cardamom powder Method: Peel bananas, place in a bowl and squash till pulpy. Gently macerate the seedless dates along with the bananas. Add jaggery, raisins, mishri, desi ghee and cardamom powder. The mixture should be stirred continuously till it’s adequately viscous. Let it rest for few hours so that it’s slightly fermented. The result is a thick, jelly-like texture, dark brown or reddish in colour, with a sweet and slightly pungent taste.
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ocated on the border of Argentina and Brazil, Iguazu Falls is certainly one of the most picturesque scenes for visitors to South America. Two international airports (one in Brazil and the other in Argentina) service hotels nearest the wondrous falls. Bus and taxi service is available for couples, family and adventure travelers. Together with a few days in Buenos Aires or the cities of Southern Brazil, this retreat during the winter months is a splendid way to visit a warm holiday spot in the Southern Hemisphere .
Young Life
VOICE OF ASIA 14
Friday, December 6, 2013
Section 2
Email: voiceasia@aol.com
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
Tel: 713-774-5140
What I learned about myself, ‘Good Samaritan’ policy encourages students to America and the world dial 911 An international student’s education
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y first taste of the United States was a shrink-wrapped chocolate-chip cookie and a can of chilled Coke on an American Airlines flight to Raleigh, N.C. It was 1992, and I was one of 36,000 Indian students studying in the United States that year, according to the Institute of International Education’s “Open Doors” report. That flight was the beginning of an extraordinary journey for me that gave me a better understanding of the United States, my homeland and myself. In the two decades since then, much has changed in global higher education, including a surge in the number of students studying overseas and the rise of new technologies. But as I look back on my first days and weeks in a foreign land, I truly hope that today’s international students are still getting the eye-opening experience I had. As a young graduate student from India, attending North Carolina State University was as much an education in psychology (my chosen field of study) as it was a life lesson about cultural differences in how knowledge is imparted and acquired in the United States. I was encouraged to think much more critically than I had ever before, and was surprised that questioning your professor was actually a good thing and not seen as an affront as it would be in Indian universities (and I suspect in many other institutions and countries around the world). So while I balked when my American classmates casually referred to my adviser by his first name, I also sharpened my critical-thinking skills and felt an equal participant among my peers, men and women alike. What immediately struck me also about the American system was its sheer fluidity and openness. Taking full advantage of its cross-disciplinary approach, I was able to move easily across different departments, selecting courses from psychology, statistics, sociology, and developmental economics to fashion a degree that would prepare me for a career in international work. This sort of flexibility is almost unheard of in many countries, or it is certainly rare in India where even today rigid curricula are a deterrent to many American students who would like to study there. But my experience in an American classroom was also opening my eyes to the value of my undergraduate degree from the University of Delhi, where the focus was very much on rigor, theory and the fundamentals of an academic discipline. It was this solid foundation that enabled me to push the boundaries of knowledge within the free-thinking environment of an American classroom. My interactions with my American peers -- and those from all over the world -challenged me to expand my
by Rajika Bhandari worldview. In many ways, I was growing up and becoming an adult in the United States, being shaped by this country going forward as I had been by India for the first half of my life. As a student in the south I developed a much more nuanced understanding of black history and race relations in the United States. Through my Jewish American friends I learned about the full extent of the Holocaust, a subject that was covered cursorily in Indian history books back home. Conversely, most of my American friends had never heard of Harappa and Mohenjodaro -- two of the earliest world civilizations that are based in the Indian subcontinent -- and had no idea that the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 turned 12 million people into refugees, resulting in the single largest exodus in recent history. These were not details that my American friends or I had acquired in the classroom, for we were not history students. Rather, this was knowledge that was gleaned through conversations and debates that went beyond academic topics, the type of stimulating discourse that is possible only when young students from very different background have the opportunity to interact face-to-face and to explore their beliefs and knowledge (or lack thereof).
students came from a broader mix of countries; today, we see an unusual concentration of students from a handful of countries. In 1992, 18 percent of all international students were from China and India; today, that proportion has more than doubled to 39 percent. While this might provide students with a ready-made community on campus, it also has the unintended consequence of isolating international students from their American peers and those from other parts of the world and, ultimately, preventing them from fully partaking in the social and cultural benefits of international education. Indeed, a recent study found that 40 percent of international students report having no close American friends. And then there is the specter of shrinking finances: both for international students whose currencies are weak against the U.S. dollar and who struggle to afford the increasing costs of an American education, and for U.S. institutions that have to make tough choices about how to best allocate finite resources. I worry that U.S. institutions may reduce financial assistance to international students and scale back their support services for international students. I was very fortunate 20 years ago to attend an institution with a strong internationalstudent office, whose dedicated staff went above and beyond to ease my transition, from patiently explaining administrative and logistical details to helping me connect with the Indian students’ association on campus. These types of services are critical for helping international students navigate an education system that is probably completely different from anything they have known, and for helping them fully integrate into their campus community and not risk being isolated. In addition, I worry that MOOCs -- or whatever is the latest online flavor of the day -- will seem to some to be an adequate substitute for true international education. While technology can play a role in sharing knowledge around the world and in increasing access to education, it will never replace the type of lifelong learning that comes through a true international education experience.
Today international higher education in the United States and globally has been transformed in ways we couldn’t have imagined 20 years ago. International students have evolved from being passive recipients of information to becoming strategic, savvy consumers able to shrewdly assess the return-on-investment of a foreign credential. I attribute this shift to the Internet, which has revolutionized how students get information. The State Department’s EducationUSA network, which provides advising services to prospective international students in 170 countries, now relies on the Internet as a key tool for helping students explore their options and also has a userfriendly “app” for students on the go. At the Institute of International Education, too, all of our guides for international students are now online.
Indeed, the transformational power of such an experience remains indisputable. Just ask the over 4.1 million students who are currently studying outside their home countries. For most young students, it represents an intellectual and cultural coming of age, a type of holistic education that might occur on the fringes of a formal degree but that is invaluable in shaping the mind, soul, and character of a student.
The demographics of international students in the United States have also changed. Twenty years ago, international
This post first appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
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by Lexy Gross t college parties, students are sometimes faced with a difficult decision — whether or not to dial 911 when a fellow student’s life could be in danger.
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Charlie Shreiber, senior and student body president at the University of Miami, says this hesitation is the reason for introducing a new policy on his campus. Miami recently moved away from an older, medical amnesty policy to a new “Good Samaritan” rule. This policy states that any student who calls campus police or other emergency services for a student with an alcohol- or drug-related medical issue will not face legal consequences. “For a university that has had an ongoing problem with alcohol and drugs, it was hard for administration to go for a policy like this on campus,” he says. “But the most convincing aspect is that we’re trying to save student lives.” More than 11 states nationwide have their own medical amnesty policies, but colleges are taking steps to personalize them to their campus.
witnessed the effects of one of the first “Good Samaritan” policies while attending Cornell University. “It’s a psychology-based policy,” Eisenberg says. “Most of the time (prosecuting students) isn’t even an officer’s first concern.” Schreiber says there have been 30 reported cases on Miami’s campus of overdose or alcohol abuse this semester, which he believes is a result of the new policy. “The moment a student picks up the phone to call campus police, this policy is in place,” Schreiber says. “The fear of retribution is what we need to alleviate.” According to The Miami Student, three students died as a result of substance abuse in the last year. Excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for 79,000 U.S. deaths annually, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Recorded hospitalizations for alcohol abuse alone increased 25% from 1999 to 2008 among 18- to 24-year-olds nationally.
Evan Eisenberg, a student board member on the Students for Sensible Drug Policy, has combed through the details of the “Good Samaritan” rule on different campuses.
Hospitalizations for drug overdoses doubled alcohol rates at 55%. Combined, the U.S. has seen a 76% increase with nearly 30,000 cases alone in 2008.
The recent graduate of the University of South Florida helped write the first draft of the policy for his campus. Before attending USF, Eisenberg
Schreiber says many administration and policymakers at Miami are focused on trying to stop underage drinking, binge drinking and drug use on cam-
pus. “I mean it’s funny – if there was a policy to curb and stop underage drinking on campus period, I would be all for it,” he says. “It’s only realistic that students are going to drink. We can do everything in our power and it’s still going to happen. I just want students to know they can get help instead of letting someone get hurt.” Although it may appear that students can get out of any retribution by simply calling 911, Schreiber says those students involved in a dangerous situation are also required to take alcohol-safety courses. Eisenberg says this is common across campuses with the policy and many times, campus police keep track of “Good Samaritan” calls to make sure the same students aren’t using it continuously. Eisenberg emphasizes that the policies are not “get out of jail free cards” by any means. He says many times, opponents of the policy say that it makes drug use safer, therefore encourages illegal use. “There is absolutely no evidence of that,” he says. “There hasn’t been any change in drug use or behavior, there’s just been a change in the number of calls made for help. “I think we’re going to keep checking off one campus after another instituting this policy with a large amount of support.” Lexy Gross is a junior at Murray State University.
One out of three young graduates unemployed in India
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n what would surely come as intriguing information for policy-makers, a Labour Ministry survey has found that with an increase in education levels in the country, the unemployment rate was also increasing across age groups. One out of every three persons in the age group 15 to 29 years who have completed at least their graduation has been found to be unemployed in the report on ‘Youth employmentunemployment scenario, 201213’ which is based on a survey by the Labour Bureau in Chandigarh. Moreover, the survey found that the unemployment rate
among the persons who cannot read and write any languages or are considered illiterate was the lowest with 3.7 per cent without work in the 15-29 age group. In rural areas, the unemployment rate for graduates and above for the age group 15-29 years was estimated to be at 36.6 per cent. In urban areas, the same was 26.5 per cent. The unemployment rate in the age group 15 to 24 years was estimated to be 18.1 per cent. In the 18 to 29 age group, 13 per cent was the unemployment rate in 2012-13, the Labour Ministry report said today.
The Ministry said that the majority of persons employed under the age group 15-29 years were either self-employed or casual workers. It said unemployment rate in the 15-29 age group stood at 13.3 per cent. The survey was conducted between October, 2012, to May, 2013, in all states/UTs and covered all districts. In all, 1,33,354 households were covered:. Based on the survey, the labour force participation rate was estimated to be 31.2, 47.3 and 39.5 per cent, respectively, among age groups 15-24, 1829 and 15-29 years. (PTI)
VOICE OF ASIA 15
TECHNOLOGY
Apple buys analytics firm for $200 mn
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EW YORK - Apple has acquired social media analytics firm Topsy for more than $200 million, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
“with the only full-scale index of the public social web,” to help its customers “instantly analyze any topic, term or hashtag across years of conversations on millions of web sites.”
The newspaper, citing sources familiar with the deal, said it was unclear how Apple planned to use the firm but that it could be related to Apple’s new streaming music service.
The data can be used to analyze the effectiveness of a social media ad campaign, for example.
Apple did not specifically comment on the report, but a spokeswoman said in a statement: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.” Topsy, according to the report, is among a handful of Twitter partners which has access to the full range of data from the fast-growing messaging platform. Earlier this year, Topsy said it had created a searchable index of all the publicly available tweets ever made, to be available for marketers and others. Topsy did not respond to a request for comment. Topsy describes itself as a company
Danny Sullivan, analyst at Search Engine Land, said Topsy “is about the only decent third-party Twitter search service to have survived, in recent years.”
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
‘Cyber Monday’ highlights online holiday shopping rise
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he early buzz is that “Black Friday” shopping weekend was a bit of a disappointment for retailers, but hopes remained high that “Cyber Monday” would score big gains. This year’s installment of Cyber Monday, which offers up its own plethora of online promotions on
its appeal in enabling consumers to avoid mobbed shopping malls.
able for the big weekend, as well as for Cyber Monday.
Major trends that encourage even more online retail include the increased importance of online sales to brick-and-mortar retailers like Wal-Mart Stores and Best Buy, the proliferation of same-day and other fast-delivery options that could allow
But FedEx predicted that Monday would be the “busiest day in FedEx History,” with the shipping giant handling 11 percent more packages than last year at 22 million packages overall, more than twice a normal day.
“Topsy’s access to Twitter’s ‘firehose’ of tweets and focus on providing search results and analytical tools make it even more robust than Twitter’s own Twitter Search, for some queries,” Sullivan said in a blog post.
Cyber Monday “has historically been our biggest day of the year, and we expect to be again this year,” said executive vice chairman Johnathan Johnson at discount online retailer Overstock.com. “This is a day when the deals are deep.”
But Sullivan said it’s not clear if Twitter will continue to give Topsy “a sweetheart deal” for access under Apple’s ownership. He said that Topsy had become “the definitive Twitter search engine” and was likely sought by Twitter itself. Apple had a music-oriented social network called Ping, but shuttered that last year as it created sharing options through Facebook and Twitter. (AFP)
Why Apple needs Topsy by Virginia Backaitis Topsy is one of the few companies that has access to every tweet generated since 2006 and has the proven ability to analyze them all, both historically and in (near) real time, as they come in. While some see Topsy’s services primarily in the social realm, it’s also important to recognize its big data and analytical capabilities. Possible Reasons For The Acquisition Many of us think of hardware and devices when we think of Apple, but it’s also worth noting that as devices become more and more commoditized, the company’s bigger future may be as a platform provider. Here its main competitors, Google and Microsoft, are well ahead in the game; both companies have the basic requirements needed for entry into computing’s third era — namely social, mobile, big data and cloud — Apple falls short in at least two of them. While Apple is famously tight-lipped about how it plans to leverage its acquisitions, it no doubt plans to take advantage of Topsy’s primary assets, namely access to the rich data Twitter’s firehose generates and the ability to analyze it to detect social media trends via Twitter mentions, history, images and links around a particular keyword, time frame or company. That kind of information could theoretically be used in all kinds of ways. During the recent Soul Train Awards show, for example, singer Tamar Braxton was trending on Twitter. If Apple saw this coming, it could promote songs or albums before anyone else did. It could also learn about potential customers. It’s also worth noting that social is something that Apple has tried to do in the past. The late Steve Jobs introduced Ping in 2010 describing it as “sort of like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes,” but adding “Ping is not Facebook” and “it
A PayPal spokesman said that as of midday Monday, it expected Cyber Monday to “its busiest shopping day of 2013” based on the number of payments.
The tradition of Cyber Monday harkens back to the early days of the Internet, when consumers relied on faster Internet connections at work to take advantage of deals.
Cyber Monday sales soar after a disappointing Black Friday weekend for retailers. the heels of the aggressive “Black Friday” price-cutting, comes amid greater-than-ever signs of the increased importance of online shopping to the entire retail industry. Forecasters project just three to four percent growth in the entire retail sector this holiday season, while online shopping is expected to soar 13 to 14 percent in the 2013 season. “The overall season for November and December is off the roof,” Chris Christopher, director of consumer economics at IHS Global Insight, said of online trends. “Some of the retailers have sold out of all their online goods.” Christopher estimates that online shopping will account for 13.5 percent of the total retail shopping sales this holiday season, up from 12.3 percent last year. In an update released midday Monday, IBM Digital Analytics said that 2013 Cyber Monday online sales were on track to rise 21.4 percent from last year. Online shopping has always had
more shoppers to shop online until just before Christmas and the advent of new mobile technology tools to shop. Retailers consider the holiday shopping period, which has traditionally begun on Thanksgiving, as the most year’s most important season, accounting for 20 to 40 percent of an individual retailer’s overall sales. Analysts have described the US consumer as cautious in the 2013 season, owing to low economic growth and weak job growth. Wealthier consumers are considered somewhat more likely to spend this year, due to higher home prices and appreciating stock values. The National Retail Federation Sunday gave a somewhat disappointing early appraisal of Black Friday weekend, estimating that total sales reached $57.4 billion, a 2.7 percent decline from last year’s $59.1 billion. Analysts caution that early reports like the NRF figures are based on surveys and hard data is still unavail-
A survey by CareerBuilder found 54 percent of Americans will spend some time at work shopping online for the holidays. And Adobe Digital Index analysts project Cyber Monday to be the largest single online shopping day in the history of the Internet, with sales of $2.27 billion. ComScore, which analyzes online shopping trends, estimated that Americans spent $1.2 billion on line during Black Friday, an increase of 15 percent from last year. ComScore projects that online sales from personal computers will jump 14 percent to $48.1 billion this season and 13 percent to $7.1 billion from mobile devices. Overall US online retail sales will reach $508 billion by 2020 compared with expected online sales of $260 billion in 2013, according to a study by FTI Consulting. “The influence of the online channel has increasingly become a central component of the holiday shopping season, and our upward revisions reflect the fact that online sales in 2013 have exceeded our previous expectations,” said Steve Coulombe, a managing director at FTI. Tablet-enabled mobile commerce is “knocking down barriers in mobile transacting that the smartphone couldn’t,” Coulombe added. (AFP)
BlackBerry dismisses demise talk, says ‘very much alive’
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TTAWA, CANADA - BlackBerry’s new chief executive cast off persistent talk of the smartphone maker’s demise, vowing on Monday that the company would pick itself back up and was “here to stay.”
Topsy’s API can be inserted into other apps to help pull in social data for added relevance or personalization. is not Twitter,” instead describing it as “something else … all about music.” However nice Jobs’ idea might have been, it may be that sharing your musical “likes” with your friends on yet another social network wasn’t an attractive idea. Ping never caught on. Apple’s current CEO, Tim Cook, shut down Ping last year because no one was using it. iTunes and Topsy could be what Jobs wanted Ping to become. In this version, the social element would come from Twitter, where people already hang out. But lessons learned from the Ping experience shouldn’t be forgotten. Some concluded one of the reasons Ping didn’t succeed is that people like to share their favorite tunes with their friends in person. Will Topsy Inform Advertising? Either way, in our minds, using Topsy only in that way, might be both a mistake and a missed opportunity. Consider that social music providers like Spotify and Pandora still have less mass appeal than iTunes. Even if this wasn’t the case, Topsy has so much more to offer than helping customers discover music. It could, for example, also be used to revitalize iAd, an Apple feature which many of us have never even heard of.
Voice of Asia Group 713-774-5140
The bottom line here is that Topsy provides Apple with a whole host of opportunities. Knowing what people are talking about and their sentiments around those topics are like gold — so whether the acquisition helps Apple build a platform worthy of the future, helps it provide better recommendations for its customers or helps it advertise smarter, or all three — Apple now has new, big and significant possibilities, some of which we surely haven’t even thought of yet. (CMS Wire)
and that is how Advertising works!
“Reports of our death are greatly exaggerated,” John Chen, who was appointed interim chief executive last month, said in an open letter to customers. “We are very much alive, thank you.” The Waterloo, Ontario-based com-
pany helped create a culture of mobile users glued to smartphones, but lost its luster as many moved to iPhones or devices using Google’s Android software. BlackBerry still has some 70 million subscribers worldwide, but most of these are using older handsets, with newer devices on the BlackBerry 10 platform failing to gain traction. In September, the company announced that it was laying off 4,500 staff -- or one third of its global workforce -- after losing $965 million in its last quarter.
Two months later, it scrapped a search for a suitor and nixed a deal with its largest shareholder Fairfax Financial that would have taken the company private, sparking rampant speculation about its future. “Our ‘for sale’ sign has been taken down and we are here to stay,” Chen said, adding: “We’re going back to our heritage and roots -- delivering enterprise-grade, end-to-end mobile solutions.” In his open letter, he said BlackBerry is committed to its handsets, messaging service and servers that manage mobile devices for companies. (AFP)
Yahoo buys SkyPhrase to better understand natural language
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ahoo has acquired SkyPhrase, a startup that builds natural language processing technology, the company revealed today in a blog post. SkyPhrase will join Yahoo’s New York office, according to that company’s site, and will work with Yahoo to help continue its goal of “making computers deeply understand people’s natural language and intentions.” Back in October, we covered SkyPhrase, and noted specifically that its NLP tech could be used to advance fantasy sports, which is of course an area
where Yahoo excels and has a considerable investment already. The company has created an app that makes it easy for fantasy football players to search through stats and find only those relevant to making picks and monitoring their team, which would be very handy integrated directly into Yahoo’s fantasy sports products. Back when Rip spoke to SkyPhrase founder and CEO Nick Cassimatis in October, the entrepreneur and cognitive scientist said that what he really hoped to accomplish with the company was to make NLP tech useful to as much of
Sleeping on an ADVERTISED
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the world as possible via tailoring it to specific verticals in a way that’s easy for everyday users to access, and to make it easier for third-party partners to build NLP-powered interfaces for their own products, data and services. Now, SkyPhrase and its team will likely be focused more on helping improve Yahoo products. NLP tech can help with both those aims, and SkyPhrase was likely a good option because part of its existing focus was in a field where Yahoo already leads and would do well to shore up its existing advantages. (Source: TechCrunch)
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ENTERTAINMENT
VOICE OF ASIA 17
London hosts vintage Bollywood auction to mark Indian cinema centenary “With Bollywood such an ingrained part of our cultural identity and the timely centenary of Indian cinema, our first auction reflects India’s rich and vibrant history and artistic practices”
by Nyay Bhushan
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first of its kind auction of rare Bollywood memorabilia took place in London on Friday. Celebrating Indian cinema’s centenary, the auction was organized by London’s Conferro Auctions. The auction, held at the Westbury Hotel in Mayfair, featured collectibles, such as LPs, film banners and Bollywood posters from some of the milestones of Indian film history. The collectibles included items from such iconic films as period epic Mughal-e-Azam (The Emperor of the Mughals, 1960) and action-adventure Sholay (Embers, 1975), among a host of other landmark titles featuring some of Indian cinema’s biggest stars. “With Bollywood such an ingrained part of our cultural identity and the timely centenary of Indian cinema, our first auction reflects India’s rich and vibrant history and artistic practices,” said Conferro Auctions director Sharan Seth. Said London Mayor Boris
The strong cinematic links between London and India are illustrative of a historic and warm relationship that continues to flourish. Johnson: “The strong cinematic links between London and India are illustrative of a historic and warm relationship that continues to flourish.” He added: “I was thrilled to visit Mumbai last year to meet some of Bollywood’s leading movers and shakers, and I am pleased to help celebrate 100 years of this iconic cultural art form. ” The sales proceeds of two of the 150 items – as well as a percentage of all sales – were donated to Pratham UK, a char-
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ndian-origin novelist and scriptwriter Farrukh Dhondy, who is based in Britain, says Bollywood films are not at all popular with the western audience and it is the Indian population that goes and watches it.
“Despite everybody saying that Indian films are are a
Give your 100%, results will follow: Deepika
S
he has scored a hattrick of hits on the Bollywood pitch, with each film offering a different flavour of her versatile talent, but Deepika Padukone is in no mood to rest. She is raring to go with more multifarious roles and says she will continue to give them all her 100 percent. Her first big hit of the year, “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” saw her impress the audience as nerdy Naina, and she followed up its success with her South Indian act as Meenamma in the box office record-breaking “Chennai Express”.
ity that aims to provide basic literacy to India’s millions of illiterate children. “Since the 1990s, Bollywood has gone global on a new level, embraced enthusiastically by the Indian diaspora and through them has gained a presence in the mainstream of U.S. and U.K. culture,” said University of London, Royal Holloway senior lecturer Anna Morcom who also penned an introduction essay for the auction catalog. (Source: Hollywood Reporter)
Indian films not popular in the west: Farrukh Dhondy
Dhondy has scripted movies like Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Mangal Pandey - The Rising’, ‘Kisna’ and also been creatively associated with Shekhar Kapoor’s ‘Bandit Queen’.
Farrukh Dhondy: Bollywood not relatable to non-Indians. big hit all over the world, it is actually not true. Yes they are
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Deepika’s latest release “Goliyon Ki Raasleela RamLeela”, in which she plays a Gujarati girl, has also made its way to the Rs.100 crore club. “It is magical,” the 27-yearold told IANS on phone as she shared her sentiment post the film’s success, but she was quick to add that “nothing has changed”. Her debut in Hindi films was like a fairytale - she entered with Shah Rukh Khan in 2007 blockbuster “Om Shanti Om” and the reincarnation drama turned out to be a perfect springboard for the success and popularity that she continues to revel in even today. In fact, she is enjoying much more. However, a career graph can’t be “planned”, says the tall and dusky beauty, who made a natural transition from the modelling world to the big screen. “I’ve always believed that
well received in certain places in the world. Bollywood films are a hit in the US and Britain because there are 7 million and 2 million Asian respectively,” Dhondy said on the sidelines of IFFI.
the reason Bollywood films have not been able to capture the imagination of the western audience because people can not relate to the actors and what they do on screen.
“If you ask my sons and daughters who are half-British, they don’t know who Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan is. They don’t even particularly want to know and they have moved on with Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp,” he added.
“The Indian actors don’t look like or behave like Indian people. You wont find a person like Salman Khan on the streets. But you may find someone like Johnny Depp in the US. They can relate to such people,” Dhondy said. (PTI)
Dhondy also pointed out that
“I’ve always believed that everyone has one’s own pattern. The only thing that I can do is to work with the best of my ability” everyone has one’s own pattern, the only thing that I can do is to work with the best of my ability, to work honestly and whole-heartedly and to know that I’m giving your 100 percent. I think the results follow eventually,” said Deepika, who is the daughter of Ujjala and former badminton star Prakash Padukone, who was one of the world’s best badminton players in his time. She is also ready to take on more new kinds of films. Independent films? She drove the conversation to her first 2014 release - Homi Adajania’s “Finding Fanny”, an English language film produced by Saif Ali Khan’s Illuminati Films. “I’ll call it alternate, because it will be pitched differently and it will look slightly different from some of the other films that I have done in the past,” explained Deepika, who finds it “strange” to dissect her films into mainstream commercial and alternate cinema. “I think it is convenient from the audience’s point of view to categorise films, but for an actor, what I bring to a film is the same. The only thing probably different in ‘Finding Fanny’ is that it’s an English language film. That was the first time for me, but in terms of my approach to a film, in terms of
IN
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“It doesn’t matter if I am doing a ‘Chennai Express’, I’m less or more committed. My enthusiasm for every film will be the same, irrespective of the budget of the film or the way the film looks.” How about her experience of playing such different characters and yet getting the act right each time? “I think in my case, it’s just that the films are doing well commercially, that people are sitting up and noticing that each of my films is different from the other in terms of characters. “But if you step back a bit, you will realise that even in between 2009 and 2011, the films I did didn’t do well commercially, whether it was ‘Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey’, where I played a freedom fighter, to ‘Break Ke Baad’ to ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’... “I am including my first film ‘Om Shanti Om’, where I played a heroine from the 1980s... So, from the start of my career, I have had the opportunity to play various characters. I am glad that I haven’t been slotted as doing just one kind of character or just being stuck to doing one kind of cinema.” (IANS)
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what I bring to a film or character, that doesn’t change with the type of film I do.
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HEALTHY LIVING HEALTH
VOICE OF ASIA 18
Friday, December 6, 2013
Section 2
Email: voiceasia@aol.com
The pain is not the problem: How to fix America’s health-care crisis Lost in the Obamacare uproar is the fact that America still isn’t as healthy as it should be. That’s because we’re more focused on the pain than the root of the pain, argues a new book. By Elizabeth Bradley
I
n researching our new book on American health and health care, we met with more than a hundred smart front-line providers. One meeting in particular, with Pat Manocchia, longtime owner and director of a hybrid medical-fitness center called La Palestra in New York City, proved particularly prescient. We spoke about the ongoing health care reform efforts and his efforts to grow an organization that was refused to abide by the many perverse incentive structures in which more care was supposed to lead to better health. After the close of our time together, Pat said plainly: “The pain is never the problem.” He was referring to physical pain, the kind of which often brings his clients in complaining that they believe themselves to need surgery on this body part or another. Little did he know that the phrase would become a mantra for us in our broader investigations of the American health care sector. For more than thirty years, the cost of health care has been draining the wallets of citizens and the government alike. Disheartening statistics have flooded the media to suggest the system is broken in any number of ways: primary care doctors are overworked, insurance premiums are high, and medical
errors are common. Particularly in the past month, the vitriol hurled back and forth over the implementation of Obamacare is enough to make most sane people want to tune out. But the fundamental point is uncontested: we spend nearly twice what other industrialized countries spend on health care, and we are not any healthier for it. That’s the real pain. Although most people typically see health care providers as people who relieve the body of pain, the team at La Palestra takes a decidedly different approach. For them, pain is often the body’s way of signaling that something at the systems level is not working. As a result, intervening solely at the site of pain through traditional medical means is unlikely to resolve larger anatomical and biological issues. In fact, they remind us, medicine is dangerously capable of masking underlying issues, thereby setting a patient up for further damage in the future. When we think about recent efforts to improve health care in the United States, the same perspective provides new insight. Similar to those of Pat’s clients who expect surgery to resolve an aching back, the United States has repeatedly reformed its health care system— long ago with the advent
of Medicare and Medicaid, more recently with a push towards health maintenance organizations, and now with the ACA—with the expectation that these reforms will mitigate runaway costs and improve outcomes. Nevertheless, the impact of these efforts has been limited, leading us to believe, as Pat does, that the pain is not the problem. The financial
pain that health care creates is the system’s way of telling us something larger is not working. Strategically analyzing problems at the systems level can reveal surprising results. In counseling and rehabilitating their clients, La Palestra staff advocate a more integrative understanding of how to heal. Often, they find that clients have allowed key muscle systems to weaken— musculature patients may not even know they have—and have relied instead on isolated joints, bones, muscles, or tendons to accomplish
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necessary tasks. This overreliance is what causes the damage and ultimately the pain. Your knee hurts? Let’s consider the way your feet strike the ground as you run. Shoulder problems? Let’s retool the way you transfer your weight while serving a tennis ball. Re-engineering and strengthening supporting systems in this way has allowed his clients to avoid any number of costly medical procedures, which are only marginally effective and may delay action on the real issue. Adequate housing, nutritious food and reliable transportation are fundamental to health, and yet rarely enter into our current debate. Health care reform could benefit from a similarly strategic approach. Repeated efforts to create a healthy population through redesign of the health care system have largely failed to alleviate the financial pain. So perhaps it is time to ask—what other part of the body politic might be ailing? Are there other areas of American life that may be creating undue strain on the health care system? Over several years of research, we found the answer to this question to be unequivocally “yes.” Social services in this country are often under resourced (even more so now thanks to recent cuts in food stamps), and health care bears the brunt of these weakened social supports and resulting burden. Front-line hospital staff in particular expressed to us a sense of frustration, suggesting they were being asked to be all things to all people, when in fact they simply want to practice medicine. Many feel stressed and unable to deliver the optimum care the wish to. In one recent survey by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, surveyed physicians reported that if they could write prescriptions to address social needs these would represent 1 out of every 7 prescriptions they write. Taking a broader look at the root causes of our health care challenges unearths weaknesses in key social service systems. Adequate housing, nutritious food and reliable transportation are fundamental to health, and yet rarely enter into our current debate. This oversight continues despite considerable scientific evidence that health is created overwhelmingly by social, behavioral and environmental conditions (rather than medical care) and that investments in these arenas generate impressive financial returns to the health care sector.
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Of course, working at the systems level to alleviate a troubling pain is never easy. Pat joked with us that one day perhaps the United States would learn that “Advil is not a cure for a hangover. Not drinking forty beers is a cure for a hangover.” Real reform to the health care sector may have to reach well beyond the boundaries of health care alone, and will almost assuredly require a level of personal and cultural
discipline about the way we use medicine. The first challenge, however, is to accept that the real source of our health care pains may not be health care at all. ‘The American Health Care Paradox: Why Spending More is Getting Us Less’ By Elizabeth Bradley and Lauren A. Taylor. 272 pages. PublicAffairs. $26.99.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
VOICE OF ASIA 19
Adolescent AIDS rates up alarmingly, UN finds
T
he U.N. Children’s Fund says it is alarmed about increasing HIV and AIDS rates among adolescents over the last seven years and is advocating an aggressive program that includes condom distribution and antiretroviral treatment.
were living with HIV in 2012.
child transmission.
Nearly 90 per cent of children newly infected with HIV live in just 22 countries. All except one are in sub-Saharan Africa.
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UNICEF found dramatic improvement in prevention of new HIV infections among infants. Some 260,000 children were newly infected with HIV in 2012, compared to 540,000 in 2005. New, simplified life-long antiretroviral treatment known as Option B+ provides the opportunity to effectively treat women with HIV and to prevent the transmission of the virus to their babies during pregnancy, delivery, and through breastfeeding. The treatment involves a daily one-pill regimen. Some of the most remarkable successes were in sub-Saharan Africa. New infections among infants declined between 2009 and 2012 by 76 per cent in Ghana, 58 per cent in Namibia, 55 per cent in Zimbabwe, 52 per cent in Malawi and Botswana and 50 per cent in Zambia and Ethiopia.
Nearly 90 per cent of children newly infected with HIV live in just 22 countries. All except one are in sub-Saharan Africa. In a more positive development, UNICEF found that mother-to-child transmission of HIV has been dramatically reduced and estimated that some 850,000 cases were prevented in low- and middle-income countries.
the number of new infections among adolescents by 2020,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “It’s a matter of reaching the most vulnerable adolescents with effective programs — urgently.”
Its 2013 Stocktaking Report on Children and AIDS released Friday said AIDS-related deaths among those aged 10 to 19 increased between 2005 and 2012 from 71,000 to 110,000. About 2.1 million adolescents
High-impact include:
UNICEF said that globally, the number of AIDS-related deaths overall fell by 30 per cent between 2005 and 2012. (AP)
S
eahorses are unique among fish for having bent necks and longsnouted heads that make them resemble horses. The overall shape of their body, including the lack of a tail fin, helps make them “one of the slowest swimmers on the planet,” said Brad Gemmell, a marine biologist at the University of Texas at Austin. “They don’t swim very much — they tend to anchor themselves to surfaces like seagrass with their prehensile tails.” (Prehensile tails, like those of monkeys, can grasp items.)
Once copepods detect these disturbances, they can swim distances of more than 500 times their body length per second. In comparison, “a cheetah probably only runs 30 body lengths per second,” Gemmell said. If the average U.S. adult male traveled 500 body lengths per second, based on their height, they would move nearly 2,000 mph (3,200 km/h).
Gemmell and his colleagues were investigating how seahorses and other fish feed on microscopic shrimplike crustaceans known as copepods.
Unexpectedly, even though seahorses are slow swimmers, “they were very effective at capturing these very fast-swimming, highly evasive prey,” Gemmell told LiveScience.
“Copepods are really important,” Gemmell said. “They’re fed on by a wide majority of marine animals during some point in their life histories — in particular, a lot of commercially harvested fish.” Since virtually all marine animals like to eat copepods, “these crustaceans have evolved some very impressive escape behavior,” Gemmell said. “They’re very, very sensitive to disturbances in the water, such as those created by approaching predators.”
- Antiretroviral treatment. - Prevention of mother-to-
Seahorses use their arched necks as springs to pivot their heads forward and catch prey. This limits the distances at which they can seize victims to only the length of their necks, about 0.04 inches (1 millimeter). However, seahorses nevertheless could get close enough to copepods to capture them. “We found they captured copepods more than 90 percent of the time, which is extremely effective for any sort of predator, much less with such elusive prey,” Gemmell said. To find out how these fish catch their victims, the researchers experimented with the dwarf seahorse Hippocampus zosterae, which is native to the Bahamas and the United States and is only about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) long.
The latest ‘red list’ of endangered bird species released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) includes 15 Indian bird species, three of which are found mainly in Gujarat. These include the Great Indian Bustard, the Indian Vulture and Siberian cranes. All three are in the ‘critically endangered’ (CR) category. The decline in the population of these species is because of the growing human interference in areas where bird nesting and colonies exist, said the officials. (Source: LiveScience)
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The seahorse head’s shape helps the fish stealthily ambush prey
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FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
They suspended these fish with copepods in water loaded with hollow glass beads about one-sixth the average diameter of a human hair. They shone lasers into this water that illuminated the beads.
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By analyzing how the beads moved as seahorses preyed on copepods, the scientists could deduce how they made the water flow around them in three dimensions. They found that the water around the seahorse snout barely moves while the hunter approaches its victims, helping the seahorse to close in undetected. The seahorse appears to achieve this stealth by virtue of how its mouth is located at the end of a long snout. “This gives its head a narrow shape,” Gemmell said. “This is the same reason why ships and boats have triangular-shaped bows — it makes it easier for them to move through fluid, results in less drag and disturbance.” Gemmell and his colleagues Jian Sheng and Edward Buskey detailed their findings online Nov. 26 in the journal Nature Communications. Relatives of seahorses, such as pipefish and sea dragons, also have heads with long, narrow snouts, and so may also benefit from what the researchers call “hydrodynamic stealth.” In contrast, Gemmell and his colleagues found that fish with relatively blunt heads, such as zebrafish, could capture copepods by sucking in water as they move toward prey. “They suck in water at about the same speed as they move forward so they’re not pushing as much water in front of them toward prey,” Gemmell said. Future research can investigate whether structures on seahorse heads also improve hydrodynamic stealth, Gemmell said. (Source: LiveScience)
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VOICE OF ASIA 21
Queer language I will send someone to get you,” she says and hangs up, as I wait under the knotted cable wires in a three-storied building. Winter’s blowing into the Kolkata streets, and the moss on
guage to express these feelings, especially when he is expected to grow up in a hurry and take on men’s responsibilities?” For her parents, the idea of their son becoming a woman was beyond imagination. And so, Ranjeeta ran away and found people like herself; people who slipped into the social fissures where outcasts make their own ghettos. They formed their own familial band with a hierarchical struc-
by Nidhi Dugar Kundalia
Illustration: Satwik Gade the walls is turning from green to grey. A brawny young man, with neatly trimmed eyebrows and bell-bottom denims, comes down the alley and takes me up a flight of stairs to Ranjeeta Sinha’s one-bedroom flat.
ture in the Hijra society, with the naik at the top of the pyramid, and gurus (leaders) and chelas (disciples) below. Some of the oldest Hijras are the head gurus who teach the chelas how to cook, dress and act.
It’s a home like any other with speckles of tiny mirrors across a wall, a stack of fat books on a rickety coffee table, and clay dolls in a glass showcase. Only the photos in the frames are different. In them, Ranjeeta — formerly known as Ranjit — has her hands suggestively slung around the waist of the brawny man who came to get me.
Ranjeeta, though, isn’t a Hijra. She is a transgender who underwent a painful and potentially life-threatening surgery that meant a ceremonial break from her maleness. “Kinnars or Hijras aren’t always the result of birth defects. Medical advances like ultrasound now help detect embryo issues and resolve them even before the baby is born. Hijras are mostly castrated now, whether unwillingly as children or willingly as they get attuned to their effeminate nature,” says Ranjeeta, who travels across the country fighting for the rights of India’s third sex, hoping to get them a more secure place in the society.
“You read a lot of books on sociology?” I ask Ranjeeta, looking at her Malcolm Gladwell and Max Weber books. She looks up from her reading glasses and smiles. “I’m doing a Masters in Sociology from Jadhavpur University,” she says in a low falsetto voice, running her hand through her long, coloured hair. She is wearing a cotton salwar, and looks to be in her early forties. Unlike the articulated hyper-feminine fantasies of other Hijras — of being Cleopatra or Bobby Darling or fashionistas — Sinha’s dream is to become a full-time academician and activist. She is currently the head of the Association of Transgender/Hijra in Bengal. Dressing up as a girl for a festival dance and later finding herself unwilling to shed those clothes, Ranjeeta realised in her early teens that she had left the “real self behind”. “How does a boy in a small, provincial Indian village even find the lan-
Sibal
Hijras are mostly from lower income groups. Or even if they are from the upper classes of society, they have no support of any kind; not even from their families. Landlords refuse to rent out homes, schools suspend them for cross dressing, the law discriminates against them, and jobs in respectable institutions are hard to get. They have virtually no safe spaces that protect them from prejudice and abuse, not even familial. They are forced to live in cloistered groups, on the fringes of society and in extreme poverty. “For these reasons, they have developed this language called Gupti (the secret), as a weapon to defend themselves against any have no choice to build manufacturing sector in our country,” Sibal said.
Continued from pg 20 shown interest, he said, adding that India has no option but to develop manufacturing base to reduce trade deficit. If the country’s manufacturing base is not developed, there will be a trade deficit of $300 billion on account of consumer electronics. “The present import bill of crude oil is about $140 billion. Do you think Indian economy can afford to import $300 billion of consumer electronics. We will become bankrupt. We
He also raised the issue of visa hurdles being faced by for Indians trying to go to US. “You are a country that talks about liberalisation of global economy and yet you are increasing cost of our IT sector by trying to impose restriction on our people trying to go to US. I don’t think this is the right attitude for partners. “Remember we are the oldest and most powerful democracy of the world. Willy nilly, we are long term partners, whether you like it or not,” Sibal said. The minister called for change
infringement in their cocoons,” says Ranjeeta. And that’s where this story started from. At traffic junctions, or in baby-naming ceremonies, I always wondered about that distinct gesture of the Hijras, of flat palms striking against each other, with the fingers spread limply. A few published papers in journals such as International Journal of Humanities and Social Science imply that this is an extension of their physiological identity. It means ‘I am who I am’. “There is a sense of instant identification of the community they belong to,” says wellknown activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi. Sociologists think there are subtle variations in the taal (beat) of the Hijra’s clap that, apart from controlling the attention of ‘normals’ , are also used for internal codified messages. Besides, the visual beauty of the henna design on their hands gets a resounding slap — the accent on femininity is taken away. Gupti or ulti vhasa has remained an esoteric language till recently, as the Hijra community stonewalls attempts to probe. Even well-researched works like Gender, Sexuality and Language, an essay by Mary Bucholtz and Kira Hall in Encyclopaedia of Language and Linguistics edited by Keith Brown, have failed to take note of the clandestine nature of this language. Tariq Rahman, a Pakistani academic and intellectual, and author of Language, Ideology and Power: Language Learning Among the Muslims of Pakistan and North India (2002), brings to light many languages of the sub-cultures in the subcontinent but makes no mention of Gupti. Later, over the phone, Ranjeeta tells me why people like Mallika joined the community. “There is so much of woman in us that it’s hard to hide it most of the time. That makes us a social taboo. It’s hard to get jobs because of this and most people resort to joining the Hijra community for financial security. During the post-Mughal time women had to be hidden. They weren’t allowed to go out alone or reveal their faces. It was almost like the men were ashamed of them,” she says, her tone almost resentful. “But women have come such a long way. The last few decades were a struggle for them. We might have to undertake this struggle too.”
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As per Indian Vedic Astrology the Moon sign is considered, in which every Rashi has control over certain letters, which are initials of your name. Whereas in Western system of Sun Sign, all the people born in one month belong to the same sign. For example, every year approximately around 21 of March to 20th April, the Sun is moving in the Aries Constellation. So all the people born in that month belong to the Sign of Aries. If you were born in between those two dates then you are a Aries born.
Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April Strengthening ties with your loved ones which is very gratifying to you at this time. Domestic matters may involve new activities, sports, hobbies, or creative ventures shared with those you care about. Your energy level affords you with enough stamina to carry out your family obligations. You are protective, supportive, and a strong source of guidance to children and loved ones. You may be an active participant in recreation or educational events of children at this time.
Taurus(B,V,U)21 April to 20 May Your disregard superficial or pat answers to your questions now and you feel impelled to probe until you get to the bottom of some situation. Mysteries, unsolved riddles, and topics that people usually avoid or sweep under the rug occupy your thoughts. When speaking, you tend to be very insistent or even fanatical about your point of view, which will either utterly convince your listeners or repel them completely. Your ability to concentrate on mundane concerns and problems diminishes now.
Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June Intense emotions which may come up now, either passion or disappointment, compulsion or manipulation. You can love and hate at the same time so give yourself space for extreme feelings and use this time to air out old issues. Life could be feeling just a little chaotic right now. Order is not what seems to be happening with surprises popping up all over the place. You can feel a bit nervous, unable to sit still or concentrate. You need some space right now in order to break old habits and get out of the old routine.
Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July It’s being very wise not to stir up controversy when stating your views and opinions now. You may be eager to put your ideas and thoughts into operation, but lack cooperation on several fronts. Finding other people who support your position may seem impossible now. It may be best to let someone else take the lead now, even if you are not willing to go along with their plans. Your sense of pride can be wounded if you allow others to get the best of you.
Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August You may feel an urge to expand your awareness beyond the everyday duties and responsibilities of your work or domestic life. This is an excellent time to pursue higher knowledge in fields such as education, healing services, or in the esoteric realm. This can be a favorable period in the handling of legal affairs, children’s education, or increasing religious and spiritual values in the family unit. New acquaintances from faraway places may prove helpful to your own personal growth or aspirations as well.
Virgo(P) 23 August to 22 September A possible impasse regarding a concern at work. Although a minor setback or delay is possible, you may do best now by maintaining a low profile. Conflicts of interest may arise between you and a superior or co-worker, leaving you feeling you do not get the respect or approval you seek. Your own leadership qualities may not be noticed or appreciated in ways that support your professional interests. Try not to assess your self-worth only on the basis of what you can accomplish at work now.
Libra(R,T)23 Sept to 22 Oct
It’s being a good time to analyze what you consider meaningful and important in your personal and domestic relationships. You may not be able to resist getting involved in the superficial concerns of loved ones. This can lead you to overburden yourself with everyone else’s affairs except your own. You may have to disengage yourself before falling into the trap of having your life consumed by others now. Find time to pamper or indulge yourself in something which gives you personal satisfaction, rather than feeling pressured to meet expectations at this time.
in the mindset of global investors, saying that the economic model should look at ways to increase the buying power of Indian consumers which, in turn, will help grow the global trade. “The economic model has to change. You can’t sell goods to consumer in India when he has no capacity to buy. Perhaps 1-2% elite may buy your products, but 90% will not. You need to invest in Agriculture, medical electronics, education. Unless you help Indian economy at bottom of pyramid, you won’t be able to increase buying capacity of Indian consumers,” Sibal said. (Source: Business Standard)
Scorpio(N,Y)23 Oct to 21 Nov
Sagittarius(BH,F,DH,TH)22 Nov to 21 Dec Your feeling that this is a time to take a serious look at yourself. You can see things objectively with an eye towards making concrete changes. Others may perceive you as reliable, but you need to be very careful and patient in what you say. You seek deep involvement with family members and loved ones now. You feel compassionate toward your mate or children and have the desire to help them alleviate their fears or worries. You can offer the people you care about emotional support and inspirational love without needing reciprocation.
Capricorn(KH,J)22 Dec to 20 Jan Being self-inspired and can find yourself dreaming about a better life for yourself. This can be a time when you commit to a spiritual practice or to helping humanity by making a selfless contribution. Your sense of self-importance could be inflated now, so try to keep your feet on the ground even as you aspire to climb the highest mountains. This is a time for making longrange plans, seeing the big picture, and thinking about what is really important to you in the long run.
Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21 Jan to 19 Feb Need to have your focus and mental concentration on your work or vocational pursuits. You may have a clearer picture of what is required of you, as well as how to achieve your objectives. Daily responsibilities can be successfully accomplished through increased dedication to your job. You can make some effective changes in your work environment as superiors and co-workers are more likely to accept your ideas and methods. Contracts and agreements are also favored now. Also you can become obsessed about getting rid of something.
Pisces(D,CH,Z)20 Feb to 20 March
SAN ANTONIO: 6 8 51 C i t i z e n ’ s P k w y, S t e . 2 2 5 San Antonio, TX 78229 Te l # ( 2 81 ) 8 2 7 - 3 8 3 6 Family Petitions Labor Certifications Naturalization Citizenship
Hardik Vyas, Astrologer Cell : 832-298-9950
Hijras dropping this unique aural identifier in an attempt to assimilate into the rest of society? That could mean the birth of a new era for this long-marginalised community, and the death of a rich language, beautiful in its own way. (Source: The Hindu)
Experienced, Honest & Aggressive Email: uma@mantralaw.com
NON-IMMIGRANT VISAS IMMIGRANT VISAS
(For week beginning Friday, December 6, 2013)
Your mind is on bigger issues and long-range plans. You are optimistic and enthusiastic about your ideas, but disinclined to read the fine print or study all the facts, which can result in an error in judgment. Try not to be lax about important details. The craving for sweetness and comfort in the form of loving affection or food is strong now. This is a good time to baby yourself and also to spend time with the people who love and appreciate you the most.
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Your Horoscope
The first step may be giving up the Hijra clap. Laxmi Narayan Tripathi discourages its continuing use, as it has come to signify begging and extortion. “We have to blend in,” says Ranjeeta. “That’s the only way to be.”
UMA MANTRAVADI
HOUSTON LOCATION: 6200 Savoy Dr., Ste. 414 Houston, TX 77036
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
Your romantic and social responses are heightened now. During this period you tend to put more creativity and imagination into your life and important relationships. A healthy attitude toward your love life and social involvements can bring out the best in yourself, your talents, and strengths and a new clarity regarding your relationships. New contacts you make at this time can help give creative or artistic endeavors a tremendous boost. You may meet someone who shares your interests and intellect in this regard. A fast trip or visitors are very likely. Spending may spike but appear to be necessities like travel, vehicles, appliance and repair.
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COMMUNITY EVENTS
VOICE OF ASIA 22
FRIDAY, December 6, 2013
RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES & ORGANIZATIONS OF HOUSTON - call Voice of Asia 713-774-5140 Shri Radha Krishna Temple
Sri Meenakshi Temple
Prog: Location:11625 Beechnut, Houston, TX 77072 Phone: 281-933-8100 Website: www.SRKT.org.
Shiridi Sai Durga Shiva Venkateswara Temple (Katy) Prog: Contact: 713-933-8821/ Udayakumar Gullapalli E-mail: gullapalliu@yahoo.com Website: www.sdsvt.org
Arsha Vidya Satsanga Prog: Sundays Free Sanskrit classes in Sugar Land Website: http://sites.google. www.avshouston.org. Contact: 281-313-2366/Email: houston.avs@gmail.com
Chinmaya Mission Prog: Location:10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX77498. Phone: 832.541.0059. Website:www.chinmayahouston. org.
Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya Temple Hrs: 9 am to noon and 5 to 9 pm.;Sri Astalaksmi puja: 7 pm. Sri Laksmi Archana will be performed on request all day. Location:same as Chinmaya Mission. Website: www.saumyakasi.org;
Prog: Sat. Dec. 7 - Ayyappa Mandala Pooja. Asstabhishekam 10am, followed by Annadhanam 12pm-2:30pm. Location: 17130 McLean Road Pearland, TX 77584 Contact: (281) 489-0358 Web: www.meenakshi.org
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Baitus Samee Mosque Prog: Friday Prayer - 1:30 PM Children’s Classes | Interfaith meeting | Location: 1333 Spears Rd, Houston, TX 77067 Imam - Mohammed Zafarullah Contact : Work: 281-875-3400 | Cell: 713-874-4363 Zafarullah_Hanjra@hotmail.com www.Alislam.org
Dr.Ambedkar International Mission Inc. U.S.A Prog: Location: India House 8888 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, Texas 77031
Hare Krishna Dham (ISKCON) Everyday, 7 Aratis and bhoga offerings daily. Sunday Festival: 5.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Location: 1320 West 34th St, Houston, TX 77018. Contact:281-433-1635/E-mail harekrishnadham@gmail.com Website: www.iskconhouston.org
Ashirwad - A Blessing Temple
Hindu Temple of The Woodlands Location: 7601 S. Forest Gate Drive at Woodlands Parkway, Spring, TX 77382. Contact: info@woodlandshindutemple.org, 832-585-0001 Website: www. woodlandshindutemple.org.
VPSS Houston Location VPSS Vallabh Hall, 11715 Belfort Village Dr. Houston 77031. Contact:713-530-2900 Website:www.vpsshaveli.org
QR
Prog: Regular prog :Sloka Classes for kids and teens. Location: Katy, Hwy 249 & Sugar Land. Contact: 281.995.0930/ 281.808.2159
Vedanta Society of Greater Houston Prog: Vedanta teachings Sundays at 10:30 AM Location: at 14809 Lindita Dr. Houston, TX -77083. Website: www.vedantahouston. org
ISSO
Lakshmi Narayan Mandir
Govindaji Gaudiya Math
Trinity Mar Thoma Church
Prog: Every Friday Satsangh from 7:30 pm to 9 pm. Bhajans and Devi Puja, Discourses. Location: 12530 Ann Louise Road, Houston, 77086. Phone: Contact Vishnu at (832) 309- 7181.
Prog: Satsang every Sunday evening from 5 - 7 p.m. Vedic heritage classes for kids 5-14. Location: 16628 Kieth Harrow blvd. Houston, TX 77084 Contact: 281-499-3347/281-4914114.
Shri Satyanarayan Sai Puja Darshan
JVB Preksha Meditation Center
Sathya Sai Baba Centers
Prog: Sundays Malyalam service at 9:45 a.m. Every alternate weeks in English at 10:30a.m. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. Location: 5810 Almeda Genoa Road. Contact: 713-9771-1557/ 281261-4603.
Prog: Daily from 10:00 a.m. to 1:p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Every Thursday Abhishek Location: 16338 Kensington Dr, Ste 110, Sugar Land 77479. Phone: 713-933-8821 / 9359.
Prog: Location: 14102 Schiller Road, Houston TX 77082 Phone: 281.596.9642 Website: www.jvbhouston.org
Prog: Sundays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at two locations Locations: Contact: (North) 832-418-3842 or (South) 281-788-4786. Website:www.saicenterofhouston.org
Prog: Darshan daily from 7.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.; Aarti daily from 7.45 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Location: 10080 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478 Phone: 281-530-2565 Web:
Gurdwara Sahib of SW Houston Prog: Sundays Dewan 10:00 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Langar Location:14811 Lindita Drive, Houston, TX 77083 Phone: 281-498-5200 Website: www.gurdwaraswh.com
Patanjali Yogpeeth Center Prog: Free Yoga Classes every Sat/Sun from 8 am to 9:30 am Location: Arya Samaj @Schiller Road. Contact: 281-579-9433. Websites: www.pyptusa.org
Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple
Jain Center of Houston
Prog: Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra Parayanam: daily 6.30 p.m. Location:10098 Synott Road. Sugar Land, TX 77478 Phone: 281- 498-2344 Website: www.ashtalakshmi.org
Location: 3905 Arc St. Houston, TX 77063 Contact: 281-606-JAIN; Email: ecjsh@jain-houston.org Website:www.jain-houston.org
Hindu Worship Society
Prog: Sandhya Arati at 6:30 p.m.; Sunday: 9:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m. Location: 13944 Schiller Road. Contact: 281-597-8100 Website:www.houstondurgabari. org
Prog: Open all days except Thursdays (by appt). Regular Puja and Prasad. Sunday Service 11:30 AM to 1:30 Location: 2223 Wirtcrest Lane Houston TX 77055.
Barsana Dham Houston Chapter Prog: Satsang every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Location: India House, 8888 West Belfort 77031 Phone: (713) 855-9818 for details Website: www.jkphouston.org Weekly Radio Program-1460 AM Saturdays 10-11 a.m.
Durga Bari Society
Gayatri Pariwar of Houston Prog: Sundays Satsang, Bal-Sanskar Shala, from 11am to 1pm. Location: 5645 Hillcroft, Suite # 307, Houston, TX 77036. Website: http://www.gayatripariwarhouston.org/ “
Sri Guruvayurappan Temple Prog: Bhajans: Sat.7:00 -8:00 p.m.; Sundays 9:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.Location: 1620 Ormandy Street, Houston, TX 77035 Contact: 713-729-8994
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Telugu Christian Fellowship Prog; Every third Saturday 6:30 PM. Worship is in English Location: The Triumph Church, 10555 West Airport Boulevard, Stafford, TX 77477. Contact:713-301-6444 Website:
Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center Prog: Daily classes in Raja Yoga Meditation To register call or email. Contact:832-379-8888/ Email: houston@bktexas.com Website: bktexas.com
Bethesda Houston Tamil Church Prog: Prog: Sundays Tamil Worship: 5 – 7pm Sunday school : in English. Bethesda Family Fellowship: in English 10.30 am-12.30 pm Free Tutorial for all children Mondays & Wednesdays 5-6 pm. Ladies Bible Study: Thur 9 am. Location: 1092, Suite F&G, Stafford. Tex 77477 Tel:281-3177331 Contact: 281-317-7331 Website:bethesdahoustontamilc hurch.org
Our Redeemer Church Prog: Sundays worship 4:30 pm. Location: All Saints Lutheran Church 1211 West Belfort Avenue, Stafford, TX Contact: 281-686-4135 / Email: pastorvj@linchouston.org
Rekindle The Fire Ministries Prog: Houston Revival Meetings Every second Saturday of the Month. Location: New Song Christian Community Church near 59S and Wilcrest. Every fourth Saturday of the month join a lively youth revival meeting. Website:www.rekindlethefire.org
Indian Catholics of Houston Prog: Location: Claridge Drive Houston, TX 77031 Contact:: (713) 995-6811
Islamic Society of Greater Houston Location: Eastside Drive Houston, TX 77098 Contact: (713) 524-6615
BAPS Clear Lake Prog: Location: 520, W. NASA Parkway, Webster, TX - 77598
GHNSS Nair Service Society of Greater Houston Prog. Monthly “Karayogam” every fourth Sat. 6:00 PM. Contact: 281-261-4950/ 281778-8341
Datta Yoga Center Houston Prog: Satsang on alternate Saturdays 5:30pm to 8:00pm. Free Kriya Yoga classes. Contact:713-854-7097 or 281205-0905 Website: dychouston.org
Divinity Website: www.godivinity.org
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Parijat Controlware Inc. Programmer: VB.Net, MS SQL Server, ASP.Net, PLC, SCADA PC Hardware Technician: Electrical panel work Hiring a full-time entry-level position. Must have 6 months-1 year of experience. Having electrical exposure will be beneficial. Training will be provided. Must relocate on your own if necessary. Respond with availability, salary requirements, and any other relevant details with resume to Swati Verma at sverma@parijat.com or call 713-935-0900.
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INVESTIGATIVE PRODUCER KTRK-TV, the ABC owned station located in Houston, TX, is looking for an Investigative Producer to make our strong unit – stronger. We are looking for someone to work with our teams; researching, reporting, and helping craft finished pieces. We are looking for someone comfortable researching, writing and shooting when necessary. The ideal candidate will also have undercover newsgathering experience. We recognize the TV world is changing and are especially looking for candidates with strong ideas to move traditional television investigations on to our website and social media. We want the next step to successfully grow our connection with users on our website, digital platforms and social media. Take a look at some of our pieces at http://abc13.co/InvestigativeProducer and let us know what you could add to the body of work. All interested applicants must apply on-line at www.disneycareers. com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references. Interested applicants should also send samples of your news related work to: Human Resources, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005. Please Reference Job ID: 152794BR on all materials submitted. No phone calls please, and no third parties. Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V/D.
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