Voice of Asia E Newspaper March 04 2016 by VoiceOf Asia

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Vol. 29 No. 10 Friday, March 4, 2016 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: voiceasia@aol.com

Ashok Garg felicitated for Militants mount deadly attack on leading the Chamber in 2015 Indian consulate in Afghanistan

ALALABAD, Afghanistan | AFP | Wednesday 3/2/2016 Gunfire and an explosion echoed Wednesday as militants attacked India’s consulate in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing three people in the latest in a string of assaults on Indian installations in the country. No group has so far claimed the brazen attack, which coincided with a NATO change-of-command ceremony that saw US army general John Nicholson take charge of international troops in Afghanistan.

IACCGH thanks Past President Ashok Garg for an extraordinary year of leading the Chamber and elevating it to greater heights. His vision, innovative approach and commitment to the Chamber’s mission of promoting economic growth in the Greater Houston region made 2015 a banner year for IACCGH. Seen in picture are Dr. Renu Khator, Chancellor and President, University of Houston., Mr. Ashok Garg and Joya Shukla IACCGH president. Photo credit: Bijay Dixit.

Indian diplomats were not hurt, the foreign ministry in New Delhi said, after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the consulate’s entrance and four other attackers breached the compound. “All four of them were killed by our security forces,” government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP after the two-hour assault ended. “Three others -- two civilians and one policeman -- were killed and 19

Indo-American Heritage Day

An Afghan soldier inspects the site of an attack in front of the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, on March 2, 2016 (AFP Photo/Noorullah Shirzada) other people were left wounded.” The powerful explosion sent a column of smoke rising in the sky and blew out windows of nearby buildings, as Afghan troops hauled away bodies from the area littered with charred debris. The attack highlights the worsening security situation in Afghanistan as Taliban insurgents step up nationwide attacks and Islamic State jihadists make inroads in the volatile east.

Celebrations on March 26, 2016, at Houston’s historic Julia Ideson library HOUSTON – The preservation and promulgation of a community’s history are important aspects of a civilization. Through a decade-long community service, the Foundation for India Studies (FIS) has accomplished a remarkable series of projects to enrich the understanding of India’s contributions to the world as well as to the understanding of the role of the Indo-American community in Houston city’s multicultural tapestry. A celebration of FIS’ 10th anniversary and the completion of its 50 oral histories will take place on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at the historic and beautiful Julia Ideson library building in downtown Houston. Scheduled to take place from 1 pm to 4 pm, the celebration will include entertainment and light refreshments. A presentation will highlight the video recordings of the Oral histories.

India has been a key supporter of Kabul’s post-Taliban government, and analysts have often pointed to the threat of a “proxy war” in Afghanistan between India and Pakistan. Pakistan -- the historic backer of the Taliban -- has long been accused of assisting the insurgents, especially with attacks on Indian targets in Afghanistan, but denies the claims. - Uptick in violence -

“There is still much work to be done. We now find ourselves at an inflection point in our campaign,” outgoing NATO commander General John Campbell told reporters in Kabul.

Direct peace talks are expected to start this week in Islamabad between the Western-backed Afghan government and the Taliban, which has been waging a deadly insurgency for more than 14 years.

“(Afghan security forces) have come far but they still need our help. (Their) desire to improve and their resilience warrants our continued support in the critical years ahead.”

Delegates from Afghanistan, China, the US and Pakistan recently met in Kabul for a fourth round of talks aimed at paving the way for the nascent peace process.

Wednesday’s assault was reminiscent of a 25-hour gun and bomb siege near the Indian consulate in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif in January.

But the Taliban have intensified their insurgency in an apparent attempt to gain leverage before the planned negotiations.

Sugar Land Police Warn Citizens of Telephone Scam

UGAR LAND, TX - Sugar Land Police are warning residents to be aware of unknown suspects making threatening calls pretending to be Fort Bend County or Harris County Sheriff deputies.

Congratulatory messages from special dignitaries will be followed by a keynote speech by Dr. Stephen Klineberg, founderdirector of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Having conducted a series of demographic studies about the city of Houston and the role of immigrants, Dr. Klineberg will speak on the “Changing Face of Houston.” Continued on Page 5

Project Team (L-R): Krishna Vavilala (FIS Chair), Dr. Ponnada Narayana (FIS Event Chair), Judith Hiott (HPL Chief of the Houston Area Library Automated Network, Blanca Quezada (HPL Communications Specialist), Hiren Sarma (FIS Director), Roland Lemonius (HPL Digital Projects Manager) and Joe Martinez (HPL Special Events). Photo credit: Allen J. Westrick (HPL). Event venue: Julia Ideson Library building.

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By Boston Herald editorial staff Wednesday, March 02, 2016 There comes a point when denial is no longer an option and grim realities must be acknowledged. Last night was that point.

FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

Editorial: Election reality check

Super Tuesday’s presidential balloting has vastly increased the probability that Donald Trump will be the Republican Party’s nominee for president. At a certain point the delegate selection process becomes a game of mathematical probabilities. Second or even third place may count for something — just not enough. Now probability is not inevitability, but as winner-take-all primaries loom March 15 in Florida, an all-important state for Sen. Marco Rubio, and Ohio, the same for its governor, John Kasich, the delegate math gets even trickier. Even before last night the soul searching had begun among Republican leaders who clearly had sat on the sidelines for far too long. Trump was just a joke. Trump was a clown. That is until an angry electorate — according to exit polls in all but Texas and Vermont — heavily favored a “political outsider” and settled on a guy who reveled in being outrageous. The Trump “magic” continues to be lost on us, but apparently not on others in Massachusetts who swelled the ranks of those who took Republican

by Editors The Daily Free Press Open carry became the law of the land in Texas starting Jan. 1, but since its implementation, some Texas stores have been receiving complaints from customers, with many customers saying they don’t feel safe, The Washington Post reported. Because of this, many private businesses have put up signs that permit only concealed carry of firearms. All public institutions in Texas, however, now permit open carry. Gun rights activists are worried Texas’s lax gun laws will instigate a backlash of citizens demanding stricter gun laws. Ed Scruggs, a board member of gun control advocates Texas Gun Sense, told The Washington Post, “[Texas conservatives] just keep pushing it further and further. We’re not talking about safety. We’re not talking about preventing the accidental shooting of children. We’re not talking about any of that.” Republican Texas Sen. Craig Estes told The Washington Post, “Our concealed-handgun license holders have proved themselves to be responsible, law-abiding citizens, and it is my firm belief that they should have the right to carry openly.” It’s completely within Texan business owners’ rights to prohibit open carry on their premises. Though the Texas legislature hasn’t even been looking to pass legislation on this issue, they have no place telling a business what to do.

Voters cast ballots at a polling station in Lynnfield, Massachusetts for Massachusetts’ primary election March 1, 2016. Staff Photo by Chitose Suzuki ballots yesterday. Trump’s showing among what we used to call Reagan Democrats here (now at least briefly returned to the GOP fold) was impressive. But Donald Trump is certainly no Ronald Reagan — a man who was a genuine principled conservative with a wealth of experience as a governor, a uniter not a divider of people and most of all a winner.

Ah, yes, that. At a time when much of this nation is weary of eight years of Democratic rule and the mood seems right for a Republican White House win, the GOP primary system is settling on the least electable Republican ever to compete for the job. Meanwhile Hillary Clinton,

quite possibly the least trustworthy candidate (other than her utterly disreputable husband) to seek the highest office in the land, seems destined to be the Democratic nominee — her email scandal and an ongoing FBI probe notwithstanding. How did a nation with such a wealth of talent end up with such a dearth of it in its political candidates?

Editorial: Businesses are right to defy Texas’s open carry law A business’s decision to either follow Texas open carry law or defy it is inherently political. Private businesses are allowed to ban things their morals don’t align with. That isn’t to say doing something like banning gay people on moral grounds is OK. It’s not. You can leave a gun outside. You can’t do the same with your queerness. The only way businesses’ bans could turn into a major problem is if every store adopted a position against open carry and left open carriers without a place to shop. And H-E-B, a major Texas grocery chain, is coming close to that. The company now allows only conceal carry, leaving many gun owners the choice of leaving their guns behind or going grocery store-less. However easy hiding a gun in a pocket is, some people just can’t seem to manage that on a milk run. Concealed carry is a more comforting alternative. Instead of actually seeing a gun on somebody, it’s nicer to assume that people just don’t have guns. Remember that it’s not common for an open carrier to whip out a gun on someone, though. It’s just terrifying that people are allowed to walk around with a killing machine on their hips.

that people want to show off their guns. They need to acknowledge that not only does this intimidate dangerous people, but also everyone else. We should be able to incorporate guns into our culture in a way that’s not terrifying for a large number of people. Open carry doesn’t help. Foreigners come to America thinking it’s a safe place where everyone is respected, and then they see people walking around with guns on them. It’s more than a little jarring for people who aren’t used to seeing guns everywhere to go to a place that allows firearms to be carried in plain sight. Guns play a large role in some Americans’ lives. Everyone should be able to respect that. There just has to be a way for guns to be integrated into our society away from the public sphere. Texas is so big that everyone has very different political

views, and this is getting very mixed reactions because of that. As such, the state shouldn’t have such a negative reputation about this, either. People like guns, but not every person walks around with one on their hip. There are many Texans in favor of gun restrictions, as evidenced by the complaints about open carry in stores. From a 6-year-old child to a 60-year-old adult, the sight of a gun is one of the few things Americans have grown to fear. Being able to carry a gun on you isn’t something you really need. You probably won’t need to use a gun on a trip to the grocery store. And if gun owners don’t like the policy, they can take their business elsewhere. Tags: businesses, concealed carry, Craig Estes, customers, Ed Scruggs, firearms, grocery store, gun control, gun laws, gun license, gun owners, gun rights, guns, H-E-B, handgun, open carry, Texas, Texas Gun Sense

The issue is not about how much longer it takes to draw a gun with open carry versus concealed carry. The issue is

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FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

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CRY America Fundraiser - Making Children’s Dreams a Reality

Star attractions: Bollywood actress and super model Pooja Batra (4th from left) and comedian Dan Nainan with CRY members and event manager, Ruchika Dias of Bollywood Shake.

OUSTON: CRYChild Rights and You America Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization that works to restore the rights of underprivileged children, especially in India, hosted its first annual benefit dinner “Spread the Love” on February 28th, at the Stafford Civic Center, Stafford. The event was managed by Ruchika Dias of Bollywood Shake and food catered by Chef Sunil Srivastava of Great W’Kana Café. While India seems to hold the promise of being a potential engine of global growth with investments happening in manufacturing, insurance and other sectors, its children appear to be the most neglected segment, with the rights of children being vastly ignored. In 14 years of existence, CRY America’s work with 70 projects has resulted in 191,901 children being immunized, 104,972 child births registered ensuring them an identity, and 367 public healthcare centers activated. Further, 1,187 public schools have been activated and 498,738 children enrolled in public schools today. Speaking at “Spread the Love”, Patrick Bocco, Fund-

raising Manager of CRY America shared, “India has the largest child population in the world. Children have big dreams and given an equal opportunity, they can rise to their full potential and make their dreams come true. What we need is strong political and economic will to ensure children are part of the country’s growth.” “We need to address the various factors that come in the way of children achieving their dreams. Even today, 50% of India’s children continue to die due to malnutrition. Over 10 million children are forced by circumstances to do forms of work, often in hazardous or exploitative conditions. Girl children are killed in infancy or even while they are still in their mother’s womb. CRY America has been able to reach out to 600,558 children, a feat that would not have been possible without the support of our donors, volunteers and grassroots partners,” he added. “Spread the Love” was attended by more than a hundred high profile individuals from the Houston metropolitan area, who came together to partner with CRY America’s work to benefit underprivileged chil-

dren. Over $40,000 was raised at the event. These valuable resources that will be directed towards funding several projects to ensure lasting change for children. The key speakers at “Spread the Love” were inspiring personalities including Ms. Pooja Batra and Dan Nainan and the event was attended by prominent members of the South Asian community- Leela Krishnamurthy, Rick Pal, Ash Shah, Sam Kanappan, Anand & Dr. Ashima Chauhan and Sam Merchant.

“Spread the Love” Speaker at the event held on on February 28th, 2016. Photos by Murali Santhana. fortunately millions of kids in India don’t have the same fate. As people of Indian origin, we have a powerful voice and the resources to help organizations like CRY America who ensure the basic facilities to grow and hopefully be successful.”

While the problems faced by children in India are certainly no laughing matter, I’m very much looking forward to doing my best to raise as much as we can to help these very deserving children have happier childhoods and get an education.”

Also present at the event, Dan Nainan, Professional comedian, shared, “I’m honored to have been asked to be part of the event for CRY America.

Since its inception 14 years ago, CRY America has enabled people to take responsibility for the situation of underprivileged children. Mr. Bocco

concluded, “Your support will help us bring children’s dreams to life. It will allow us to continue to ensure many more children are able to go to sleep educated, healthy and protected. Your solidarity is needed today, more than ever.” He appealed for people to join CRY America as donors, volunteers and supporters. Visit www.america.cry.org for more information.

Guitar autographed by Paul McCartney of the Beatles, photograph autographed by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, and a baseball autographed by President Barack Obama were some of the items auctioned at the Houston dinner. Former Miss India, Bollywood actress and super model Pooja Batra at the dinner shared, “I am so happy to be a part of this event and help raise funds for the children in India. All of us are where we are today because of the opportunities we had in our childhood- family, good schools, healthcare, education, protection from abuse and exploitation. However, un-

Chef Sunil Srivastava of Great W’Kana Café with the Dinner Committee of the event.

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FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

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Answers to your Immigration Questions by Sharlene Sharmila Richards, Immigration Lawyer:email at srichardslaw@aol.com

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ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT H-1B VISA RELATED ISSUES

Richard M. Alderman Interim Dean of the Law Center

Sharlene Sharmila Richards

Just living together does not create a common law marriage Q. My daughter had a baby and is living with the baby’s father. Are they married? He says they are not. What rights does she have if he leaves? He is taking care of her and the baby but is threatening to leave her. A. Under the law, if he is the father of the child she has the right to receive support for the child. She is entitled to child support regardless of whether they are married. You seem to believe, however, that because they are living together with a child, they are married. That is not the law. For them to have a common law marriage based on living together, they must agree to be married and hold themselves out as married. If they are just “living together” and have not agreed to be married or held themselves out as married, they are not married. Q. I recently moved into a new apartment. The apartment pays a referral fee. I told them my friend referred me. When I told my friend he was going to get the money, he agreed to split it with me. Now he refuses to share. Can I take him to justice court? A. In my opinion, you do not have any basis for a lawsuit. Your friend promised to give you a gift. He simply agreed to share his money with you. Such promises are not enforceable. As a general rule, for a promise to be enforceable it must be a contract. To be a contract, the promise must have what the law calls “consideration.” This means that there must be something given in exchange for the promise. For example, a promise to pay for something you will receive, or in exchange for another person’s promise to do something is an enforceable contract. If your fried had said, “if you tell them I referred you, I will split the money with you,” his promise would be enforceable. He asked for something in return for his promise. On the other hand, his promise to share money was not given in exchange for any action on your part, and, therefore, in my opinion is an unenforceable promise to make a gift. Q. I am owed $16,000 from an unpaid loan. I know the limit in justice court is $10,000. Can I just sue for $10,000, so I can file in justice court? A. As you know, the limit in justice court is $10,000. The limit, however, is based on the amount of your dispute, not how much you request. You cannot ask for less than you are actually owed to get within the court’s jurisdiction. Q. My employer requires a doctor’s note, or our paid sick day will be credited as a vacation day. Usually, when I am sick a trip to the doctor is not necessary. I now have to go to the doctor and incur these costs, when it really isn’t necessary. Is this legal? A. Basically, as far as the law is concerned, your employer establishes the rules and you have to follow them. There is no requirement your employer give you paid sick days or vacation days. If the employer gives you these days, it has the right to establish the requirements for eligibility. Q. I let a fried borrow the extra key to my apartment and he lost it. Can I require my landlord to change my locks? I had my apartment number on the key chain. A. Under the law, a landlord has an obligation to change the locks at his expense when a new tenant moves in. After that time, the landlord must change the locks whenever the tenant requests, as often as the tenant wants. The tenant, however, must pay the costs of installing the new locks. In other words, you can require your landlord to change your locks, however, you must pay the costs.

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Q: We like to hire a foreign national on H-1B. Is there a minimum salary requirement? A: The H-1B employer is required to pay the prevailing wage or the actual wage normally paid by the employer to other workers who possess the similar skill and qualifications, whichever is higher. The prevailing wage is the average wage paid to similarly employed workers in that kind of job in the area of employment. This prevailing wage is determined by the Department of Labor and can be found in the Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network or O*NET at http:// online.onetcenter.org/. Q: What is a cap gap extension? A: A cap gap extension only applies to eligible F-1 students. It allows the F-1 student to bridge the gap between the end of his or her F-1 student status and the commencement of his or her H-1B status on October 1st. The effect of this is the F-1 student is allowed to remain in the US during that ‘gap’ period between the end of his or her F-1 status and the time he or she commences employment under the H-1B program. Q: Are all F-1 students eligible for this Capgap extension? A: No. This cap gap extension provision only applies to F-1 students who as of April 1st were either on approved OPT (Optional Practical Training) or those who are in their 60 day grace period and have already have a pending or approved H-1B petition which was filed before the expiration of their OPT or 60 day grace period. Q: Can you explain who can and who cannot work while under the cap gap extension? A: If your H-1B employer had filed the H-1B petition for you and it has been received by USCIS before the expiry of your OPT, you qualify for an extension of your OPT employment authorization. On the other

hand, if the filing and receipt by USCIS occurred after your post completion OPT expiration date but during the 60 day grace period after the OPT, your F-1 status and authorization to remain in the United States will be extended but you are not permitted to work. Q: I understand that there is a 65,000 visa cap for regular H-1B. What happens if USCIS does not select my H-1B petition? How does this affect the cap gap extension? A: For H-1B petitions that have been filed and receipted (i.e selected under the random processing), those F-1 students are eligible for the automatic cap gap extension until September 30th. In the situation where the H-1B petition was filed but not receipted and the OPT expires before June 1st, that student is only eligible for an initial cap gap extension thru June 1st. If the petition is subsequently receipted, he or she may then request for the automatic cap gap extension thru September 30th. Q: What is the effect on the cap gap extension upon the non-selection or denial of the H-1B petition? A: In such a case, the F-1 student will have several options – to depart the US within the 60 days grace period from the date of the notice or try to apply for change to another nonimmigrant status or apply to change to a different student program. Q: My OPT (Optional Practical Training) will expire this August. My present employer wishes to petition for the H-1B visa for me. Can I continue to work for my employer until October 1st, 2016 when my H-1B is approved? A: If your H-1B petition was filed before the expiry of your status you will be protected by the automatic cap-gap extension which will allow you to continue working until your H-1B petition has been approved for H-1B employment to commence on October 1st, 2016. Q: My OPT expires this March. My H-1B petition will be filed on April 1st. Can I continue to work for the employer until my H-1B has

been approved? A: No, you cannot. If the H-1B petition was filed after the expiration of your OPT but within the 60 day grace period after the expiration of the OPT, you cannot use the cap gap extension for work. You must cease working for the employer when your OPT ends. Q: I own a small company with one H-1B employee. I like to reduce the work hours for the H-1B employee and pay her only for the hours she works. Can I do that? A: This is called ‘benching’ and could result in problems for your company as your company when it filed the H-1B petition did attest that it will pay the employee the prevailing wage for the job. The rule is the prevailing wage must be paid even if the employee was nonproductive due to circumstances related to their employment. The other option would be for your company to terminate her employment or re-petition for reduction of work hours to part-time employment. Disclaimer: Any advice provided in this article is general in nature and not intended to constitute legal advice for any specific case. Please consult with an immigration lawyer about the specific circumstances of your case. Bio: Sharlene Sharmila Richards is a licensed Immigration Lawyer practicing in Houston, Texas. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2000 and is a member of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and a member of the US Supreme Court. If you require immigration advice or assistance, you may contact her at telephone number 713623-8088 or by email at srichardslaw@aol.com to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

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FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

Texas A&M University School of Law Distinguished Speaker Series

Mr. Harish Parvathaneni, Consul General of India in Houston delivering his Keynote address at the Texas A&M University on 24 February 2016.

OUSTON - February, 25, 2016- Mr. Harish Parvathaneni, Consul General of India in Houston attended as Keynote Speaker at the Center for Law and Intellectual Property Distinguished Speaker Series followed by a Panel Discussion co-hosted by Texas A&M University School of Law and Confedera-

tion of Indian Industry (CII) on Wednesday, 24 February 2016 at Texas A&M School of Law, Fort Worth, TX. Dean Andrew P. Morriss welcomed Consul General at the Texas A&M University School of Law. Consul General Harish gave an overview of the In-

dian economy, recent changes affecting the legal and business ecosystem, and flagship schemes and incentives of the Government for business and investors. He said that India has a robust Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime covering different kinds of IP such as Patents, Trade Marks, Industrial Designs, Plant Variet-

Attendees at the Center for Law and Intellectual Property Distinguished Speaker Series held on 24 February 2016. ies, Copyrights, Geographical Indications and Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout. He stressed on India’s compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Indo-American Heritage..... Continued from page 1 “FIS was established in 2005 as a non-profit 501(c3) organization with a vision to promote knowledge through education about India’s contribution to the world in the field of languages, literature, arts, sciences engineering, politics, economics, and spirituality,” explained FIS founding Chairman Krishna Vavilala. The Foundation’s first successful project was the initiation of India Studies program at the University of Houston, instituted in 2006. The program, which initially began

with Hindi language courses and classes in Hinduism and Jainism, was expanded to 12 courses and is now funded by the university. Students taking these courses are awarded a minor certificate in India Studies. Having successfully launched the India Studies program at the university, FIS embarked on a project called the “Indo-American Oral History Project”. Thus far, FIS has recorded 50 life stories of first-generation Indian immigrants to Houston. The project is being accomplished in partnership with the Houston Public Library (HPL)

and the Houston Community College (HCC). The recordings will be stored in HPL’s digital archives for posterity. Other FIS activities have included the India Bee Quiz, aimed at educating children under age 18 about India’s history and cultural diversity. FIS has also strived to bring together Indian and American universities for exchange of students and faculty by facilitating memoranda of understanding (MOUs ). An example of such an endeavor was the successful MOU signed between the Central University of Hyderabad and the University of Houston.

In order to connect India with mainstream America through Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence and peace, which Martin Luther King Jr. had adopted in his civil rights movement, FIS routinely participates in the annual MLK Grand Parade in downtown Houston and won last year MLK Grande Parade’s prestigious 2015 Grand Marshal Award. . The India Heritage Day celebration is free to the public. Parking will be free that Saturday on downtown streets. Free parking is also available in the

Consul General Harish highlighted India’s strong engagement with the U.S. and partner countries on IPR. He said that the Draft National IPR Policy has been released and discussions have taken place with all stakeholders regarding Government of India’s pro-active role in leveraging the strengths of the IPR regime for effective development and transfer of technology, promoting creative industries, stimulating innovations and empowering local underground parking below the main library (entrance on Lamar Street). “We encourage everyone in the community to join the celebration,” suggested Dr. Ponnada Narayana, FIS event coordinator. “It will be a great learning opportunity for young and old alike.” For sponsorship details, visit: www.foundationforindiastudies.org. For additional information, call Krishna Vavilala at (713) 795-5169 or Dr. Ponnada Narayana at (281) 804-4912.

communities in securing benefits from their knowledge base. The IPR regime is an integral part of the flagship projects of the Government of India such as Make in India and Digital India encouraging foreign companies to invest and establish their manufacturing, R&D and outsourcing bases in India. Professor of Law, Ms. Srividhya Raghavan moderated a panel discussion followed by Q&A featuring Consul General Harish and representatives of Indian industry, Mr. Kapil Sharma, Vice President Government and Public Affairs, WIPRO Inc. and Mr. Mani Iyer, President, Mahindra USA, who in their presentations explained the positive changes in business environment in India. They gave account of their hands-on experience of operations in India and the U.S. The event concluded with a healthy discussion between Professors specializing in IPR, students of the law school, the local bar, Chambers of Commerce, Indian lawyers and representatives of business and industry in the Dallas / Fort Worth areas.

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VOICE OF ASIA 6

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital opens new patient pavilion

FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

Neuroscience & Spine Center physicians help woman overcome rare condition

UGAR LAND— (February 25, 2016) — Physicians at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Neuroscience & Spine Center completed a complex, sophisticated surgical procedure to correct a rare congenital deformity that presented significant health risks for a Fort Bend County woman. Benita English had long suffered from a rare neurological disorder that caused a portion of her spine to protrude into her skull, compressing her brain stem. “I lost the use of my arms and hands and had difficulty walking,” says English. “I also had really bad neck pain, along with numbness and tingling.”

Lowell Stanton, CFO; Sue Chiang, Board Vice Chairman; Chris Siebenaler, CEO; Sally Shen, Associate CNO; William Schwer, Board Chairman; Lonnie Meadows, Board Member

UGAR LAND – (March 1, 2016) — Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital employees recently celebrated the opening of the hospital’s new six-story patient tower. A ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony were held on February 26 to mark the launch of the new Brazos Pavilion, which will house 104 patient care beds, bringing the hospital’s total bed count to 347. Brazos Pavilion’s 20-bed intensive care unit opened on February 29 and build-out for an additional 56 medical/surgical beds will be completed in May. An additional 28 beds will be added based on demand from our community. “The opening of the new Brazos Pavilion is the culmination of our $131 million expansion program that began in 2013,” said Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital CEO Chris Siebenaler. “We are proud of this significant investment

in the Fort Bend community and thrilled with our expanded ability to serve our patients.” In addition to the Brazos Pavilion, the expansion program added an 8,900-square-foot emergency center in Missouri City; a 75,000-square-foot facility for Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine; and a 20,000-square-foot Heart & Vascular Center, adjacent to the hospital’s Emergency Department. “Fort Bend’s medical needs continue to increase as the community grows,” says

Siebenaler. “We’ve worked hard to expand our physical footprint and enhance our facilities. At the same time, we continue to make available the latest, most sophisticated and complex procedures to our patients with the support of our medical staff.” For more information about Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or call 281.274.7500 for a physician referral. Visit our Facebook page at fb.com/methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

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A previous surgery in 2007 had stabilized her neck for a few years, but the condition worsened as she aged. When she finally came to Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Neuroscience & Spine Center, board-certified neurosurgeon Rajesh Bindal, M.D. recommended a new surgical approach that would give physicians better access to the specific area where the problems were occurring and enable them to correct her condition. “This was a very complex trans-oral surgery that required us to go through her mouth and back of her throat to access the juncture where her spine met the base of her skull,” says Bindal. “There are very few surgical teams in the Houston area who can perform this type of neurosurgery.” Bindal, along with neurosurgeon John Park, M.D. and ear, nose and throat specialist Clement Chow, M.D., performed the surgery at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. Once the surgical team had removed the base of English’s skull, they skillfully trimmed away excess bone that was compressing her brain stem.

Benita English After her surgery, English went through rehabilitation and physical therapy, and was able to begin walking comfortably on her own just a short time later. Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is the only institution in Fort Bend to have a full neuroscience program, capable of performing the most complex procedures. In addition to close collaboration between specialists, the Neuroscience & Spine Center employs a specially trained patient care navigator to help schedule appointments, answer questions and provide follow-up assistance. “Our team approach ensures that patients receive the most comprehensive care,” says Bindal. “Being able to call upon our colleagues in specific subspecialties as needed – as well as having access to stateof-the-art facilities and highly trained operating room staff – enable us to tackle complex cases that previously could not be performed in Fort Bend.” Physicians at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Neurosci-

ence & Spine Center specialize in neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedic spine surgery, and pain intervention. The Neuroscience & Spine Center treats patients suffering from: Alzheimer’s and memory disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), back and neck pain, brain and spinal tumors, epilepsy and seizures, migraines and headaches, multiple sclerosis, muscle and nerve injuries, muscular atrophy, myasthenia gravis, neuromuscular disorders, Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, peripheral neuropathy, sleep disorders, and stroke. “Our patients are always grateful to learn that we can help them so close to home, and I’m proud that we can offer this level of care to our neighbors,” says Bindal. To make an appointment with a physician at the Neuroscience & Spine Center, call 281.274.7979. Learn more at houstonmethodist.org/sugarland, or visit our Facebook page at fb.com/methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

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VOICE OF ASIA 7

5 Indian Women in Forbes World’s Billionaires List

FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

Possible debris from Malaysia flight MH370 found near Mozambique: NBC

Indu Jain, who chairs media conglomerate Bennett, Coleman & Co, was placed at the 549 rank globally. Savitri Jindal’s (RT) fortune has declined by close to $10 billion due to a downward slide in shares of her O P Jindal group of companies. Savitri Jindal and family was ranked at the 453rd place on the list. Image courtesy: Facebook.

EW YORK: Press Trust of India | March 02, 2016 Five Indian women have made it to the Forbes list of world’s richest people in the world, which saw 190 women billionaires - a little over 10 per cent of the total count. Globally, the number of women in the coveted rich list declined from last year. Of the total 1,810 billionaires this year, 190 were women, down from 197 in 2015. Moreover, women still account for just a small percentage - a little over 10 per cent of the total rich population. Among the Indian women on the list, Savitri Jindal and family was ranked at the 453rd place on the list with a net worth of $3.5 billion (Rs 23,639 crore at $1 = Rs 67.54). Forbes said that in the past five years, Savitri Jindal’s fortune has declined by close to $10 billion due to a downward slide in shares of her O P Jindal group of companies. Indu Jain, who chairs media conglomerate Bennett, Cole-

man & Co, was placed at the 549 rank globally. Her net worth stood at $3.1 billion (Rs 20,937 crore). Among others on the list, Smita Crishna-Godrej was ranked 810th on the list with a net worth of $2.2 billion (Rs 14,859 crore). This was her maiden appearance on the billionaires list by virtue of a onefifth stake in the family assets. Meanwhile, low profile heiress Leena Tewari debuted on the billionaires list. She chairs and owns privately held Indian generics maker USV, known for its drugs for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, among much else. Ms Tiwari was placed at the 1067th position with a net wealth of $1.7

billion (Rs 11,482 crore). Vinod Gupta, ranked 1577th with assets of $1.1 billion, is the wife of Qimat Rai Gupta, who died in November 2014. She inherited her husband’s shares in electrical firm Havells India, though she doesn’t hold an executive or board position. Globally, the grand dame of L’Oreal, Liliane Bettencourt and her children were ranked at the top among the richest women in the world. She was placed at the 11th position with a net worth of $36.1 billion, followed by Alice Walton (ranked 16th with assets of $32.3 billion) and Jacqueline Mars (27th, $23.4 billion).

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File picture of NGO activist Chandrika Sharma with her husband Narendran and daughter Meghna. Chandrika Sharma was one of the five Indian passengers of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 which disappeared en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014. Photo: The Hindu Report cites U.S., Malaysian and Australian investigators who have looked at photos of the same. A piece of debris found along the eastern African coast between Mozambique and Madagascar may be from the tail section of the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared two years ago, NBC News reported on Wednesday. Citing U.S., Malaysian and Australian investigators who have looked at photos of the possible debris, NBC said the piece could be a horizontal stabilizer from a Boeing 777, the same type of plane as the flight MH370 aircraft that was en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur when authorities lost track of it in March 2014. Authorities have no info Reuters could not immediately confirm the report, and Mozambican authorities have

no information on the sighting of such an object off the coast of Inhambane province, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Inacio Dina.

NBC cited sources as saying the piece looks like it belongs to a Boeing 777 and that Boeing engineers were examining the photos.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board declined comment, and referred questions to the Malaysian authorities who oversaw the investigation. Boeing also declined to comment, referring all questions to investigating authorities.

Search stepped up for plane

Found on a sandbank NBC said the debris was found on a sandbank in the Mozambique Channel by an American man who has been tracking the investigation into the missing flight. Engineers who have looked at the debris have said there is a good chance it belonged to MH370, NBC said, citing sources close to the investigation.

Australian authorities told NBC they were arranging for an investigation of the piece, which could have drifted to the sand bar. Authorities there have said they are stepping up their search for the missing plane, which had been carrying 239 passengers. The report comes after authorities said last year that they had found a piece of the plane’s wing on the shore of Reunion island in the Indian Ocean on the other side of Madagascar. Authorities have said other reported debris was not wreckage from flight MH370. Source: Reuters

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

Masi Magam celebrations at Sri Meenakshi Temple

Devotees at Sri Meenakshi temple during the Masi Magam. where all the pujas and festivals are done just like in India”. Several of the volunteers had prepared prasadams that was

Priest offering puja for Lord Murugan at Sri Meenakshi temple. by M.K.Sriram Masi Magam, a special event for Lord Murugan was celebrated by Sri Meenakshi Temple on Feb 22. This auspicious day usually falls on the Magam nakshathra of the Tamil month Masa (generally Feb. 15 – March 15). This year’s event had more significance because it coincides with Maha Magam festival celebrated once in 12 years for 10 days in the temple at Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu where millions of people take a dip in the holy waters of the giant temple tank. Sri Meenakshi Temple closely follows the traditions and customs of Madurai and this festival replicated the grand celebration at the ancient Thirupparankundram Murugan temple. The puranas say that Goddess Parvathy, in the form of Shakti (Supreme Power), blesses the divine weapon of Lord Muruga to ensure victory in his battle with the demon Surapadman. The abhishekam is performed on the Vel or spear of Lord Muruga. More than 100 ardent devotees partici-

pated in the beautiful puja. The priest performed Abhishekam to the accompaniment of chanting of the sacred Rudra veda mantram. This was followed by the singing of the melodious and popular Tamil hymn Kanda Shashti Kavacham that was composed by the 19th century poet Devaraya Swamigal. Dr Bala Iyer, gave a very informative presentation on the significance of the month of Masi and this day of Masi Magam. The devotees sang several other bhajan waiting patiently for the thirai (curtain) to open after alankaram. When it did open, there was a spontaneous cry of “Muruganukku Haro Hara, Vel Muruganukku Haro Hara” from all the devotees, seeing the spectacularly adorned deities of Lord Karthikeya with his consorts Valli and Devayanai. The final archana was performed, followed by Deeparadhana. This was truly a very divine and fulfilling experience for the devotees, aptly described by one of the visiting parents from India “We never miss Madurai or Mylapore when we are in Meenakshi Temple, Houston,

Baylor University and San Jacinto College Announce Partnership on New ‘Baylor Bound’ Transfer Agreement Agreement will help students transfer more easily between the two institutions ACO, Texas (Feb. 29, 2016) – Baylor University and San Jacinto College today announced the creation of a formal Baylor Bound transfer agreement that will help students transfer more easily between the two institutions and continue to expand educational opportunities for young people all across Texas. Baylor President and Chancellor Ken Starr and San Jacinto College Chancellor Brenda Hellyer, Ed.D., signed the partnership agreement during a ceremony at the San Jacinto College Maritime Technology and Training Center on the Maritime Campus. As one of its goals under the Pro Futuris strategic initiative, Baylor intends to create 10 Baylor Bound partnerships during the next five years. The Baylor-San Jacinto agreement is the eighth partnership, along with McLennan Community College in Waco, Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Blinn College in Brenham, Collin College in McKinney, Temple College in Temple, Alamo Colleges in San Antonio and Midland College in Odessa. The Baylor Bound program will serve highly motivated students from San Jacinto College who, upon meeting the program’s criteria, will transfer to Baylor to complete their baccalaureate degrees. “We are very excited about the possibilities and opportunities this Baylor Bound agreement will have for our students,” said Dr. Hellyer. “Part of our mission is to provide seamless transfers for our students, and this agreement and collaboration fall in line with that mission. We appreciate the opportunity and are honored to be a part of the Baylor Bound program.”

“We continue to be proud of the Baylor Bound programs as we add more esteemed institutions – such as San Jacinto College – to our growing list of partners. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with San Jacinto College on this important partnership, which expands educational access for students across our great state,” Judge Starr said. Students may declare their intent to transfer to Baylor by submitting the Baylor Bound application prior to enrolling at San Jacinto College or while enrolled as a full-time student. Admission to the program will be determined by Baylor’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Students at San Jacinto College who become part of the Baylor Bound program can choose a plan from 66 majors, all of which are articulated through specific MAPS – or Major Academic Planners – that will assist them as they move toward timely degree completion. More information about these majors and course transfer equivalency between Baylor and San Jacinto College is available at http://www.baylor.edu/university_advisement/ index.php?id=869884. Students must be enrolled in an approved A.A. or A.S. academic program leading to an approved Baylor B.B.A., B.A., B.S.W. or B.S. degree and refer to Baylor’s Major Academic Planner when planning coursework. Advisers from both institutions will help students select courses that satisfy program requirements to allow for a successful transition from San Jacinto College to full-time status at Baylor. For ore details www. baylor.edu/news

distributed along with dinner arranged by the coordinators. The puja was very well conducted by Priest Manicka Bhat-

tar, supported by other priests and temple staff. The event was coordinated by Shakuntala and Bala Iyer along with Sheila

Sriram, the Festival Coordinator under the leadership of the Chairman Narayanan and Vice Chairman Padmini Nathan.

Indo-American art organizations represented at Houston Arts Alliance

OUSTON - Two of our Indo American arts organizations were represented at a reception organized by the Houston Arts Alliance at the Wortham Center downtown on Monday, Feb 29.

Several Board members of Samskriti and Classical Arts Society of Houston were on hand at the reception hosted by the five arts districts of Houston to welcome the newly elected Mayor of the City of Houston and council members. The theme of the reception was “Five Districts, One City”. The Board members met Mayor Sylvester Turner and some of the councilmen present and made them aware of Indian arts organizations. Left to right are: Krishna Mudan, Sesh Bala, Sheela Rao, Sanchali Basu, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Rathna Kumar, Roopa Gir and Vish Bhaskaran.

SOUTH ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 9

PM Modi’s ‘Make In India’ Racks Up $222 Billion In Pledges are stuck in parliament. “Make in India is a great initiative and has created a lot of positive sentiments,” Vikas Agarwal, general manager of mobile phone maker OnePlus in India, told news agency Reuters. “Now the government needs to follow up with policies. That includes providing custom duty and export incentives, tax rationalisation and removal of ambiguous land acquisition policies.”

PM Modi had launched the initiative to emulate China’s export miracle.

UMBAI: (February 18, 2016) - The “Make in India” summit in Mumbai that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the weekend has closed with $222 billion or Rs. 15.2 lakh crore in investment pledges. Amitabh Kant, Secretary of India’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), said he expected 8085 per cent of the pledges to convert into serious business, much of it from foreign investors. It can take 18 months to three years for a memorandum of understanding to yield a final investment, he added.

Research commissioned by the free-market Friedrich Naumann and Cato institutes has found the rate of conversion of such pledges into real investments in India has typically been far lower - with no state exceeding 20 per cent.

On buzz alone, the effort got off to a great start, with the prime ministers of Sweden and Finland attending Saturday’s gala opening hosted by PM Modi. Nearly 50,000 delegates from 102 different countries attended the summit.

Among investments signed in the last seven days were a commitment by Oracle Corp for $400 million to set up nine business incubation centres.

But 20 months after PM Modi swept to power with a promise of growth and jobs for India’s 1.3 billion people, executives say more needs to be done, including improving infrastructure.

The week-long event is the boldest since PM Modi launched the initiative to emulate China’s export miracle back in 2014.

More pressingly, key legislation such as a goods and services tax and land acquisition bill

Indian man kills 14 members of own family, then hangs himself NEW DELHI (Reuters) Tuesday, 1 March 2016 |- A man in India stabbed 14 members of his own family to death, including seven children, before hanging himself, police said on Sunday, in one of the country’s worst - and grisliest - massacres in recent years. Thirty five year-old Hasnin Warekar killed his parents and several of his sisters and their children at the family home shortly after midnight in the city of Thane, about 27 km (17 miles) north of Mumbai, police spokesman Gajanan Kabdule said. One of Warekar’s sisters survived the attack, and is being treated for her injuries in hospital. “He used a big knife. He killed his parents, his sisters and his sisters’ children. He slit their throats,” Kabdule told Reuters. Police are investigating the possibility that a property dispute lay behind the massacre, although a motive is yet to be established, he said. Local media reported that Warekar had laced his family’s food with a sedative before slaughtering them, but Kabdule said this was unconfirmed as samples taken from the house were still being analysed.

Two Tibetans set themselves on fire: reports Beijing, China | AFP | Wednesday 3/2/2016 - Two Tibetans -- a monk in China and a teenager in India -- set themselves on fire on the same day to protest Beijing’s ironclad control of the Himalayan region, a rights group and reports said Wednesday. Kalsang Wangdu self-immolated in front of his monastery in a Tibetan area of Sichuan province on Monday, reported Radio Free Asia (RFA), which is funded by the US government. London-based campaign group Free Tibet confirmed his death. The monk’s action was the first such protest in China this year, and brought the total number in the country to 144, RFA said. As he burned, “he called out for Tibet’s complete independence”, it quoted an anonymous source in the area as saying. Police in Xinlong county, where the incident took place, could not be reached for comment Wednesday, and a woman at its religious affairs bureau said only that her department was “not very clear” on the incident.

Make In India has scored major wins, including a pledge by Taiwan’s Foxconn to invest $5 billion in a new electronics manufacturing facility. That has helped foreign direct investment to nearly double to $59 billion last year, the seventh highest level in the world, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Yet in critical aspects, India remains far behind its goals. The proportion of manufacturing to gross domestic product has been stuck at around 17 per cent for five years, below the government’s goal to ramp it up to 25 per cent, according to the Boston Consulting Group. India has only created 4 million manufacturing jobs since 2010, according to Boston Consulting. At the current rate, India may only create 8 million jobs by 2022, well below the government’s goal of 100 million. ($1 = 68.4550 rupees)

FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

Pakistani murders sisters in latest ‘honor killings’: police

AHORE, Pakistan | AFP | 3/2/2016 Pakistani police were Wednesday hunting a man who shot dead both his sisters in an apparent “honour killing”, days after a Pakistani director won an Oscar for a documentary on such murders. Mohammad Asif had previously murdered his mother four or five years ago, according to police, before being pardoned at the time by his family and set free. The latest killings occurred in the village of Noorshah in Sahiwal district, in the central province of Punjab “Mohammad Asif, who is in his late twenties, shot his two sisters late last night because he doubted their characters and was against their lifestyle,” local police official Allah Ditta Bhatti told AFP. He said the sisters died on the spot while Asif fled. “He had killed his mother around four or five years ago and was set free after his family pardoned him,” Bhatti said. The incident was confirmed by other officials at the local police station. On Monday a father in the eastern city of Lahore shot

dead his 18-year-old daughter because she could not account for where she had been for about five hours. “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” -- a film telling the story of a rare survivor of such murders -- won the Academy Award for best documentary short at the starstudded Hollywood ceremony on Sunday. Director Sharmeen ObaidChinoy met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently, turning a global spotlight on honour killings in the conservative Muslim nation. Hundreds of women are murdered by their relatives in Pakistan each year on the pretext of defending family “honour”. Pakistan amended its criminal code in 2005 to prevent men who kill female relatives escaping punishment by pardoning themselves as an “heir” of the victim. But it was left to a judge’s discretion to decide whether to impose a prison sentence when other relatives of the victim forgive the killer -- a loophole which critics say remains exploited. Sharif last week vowed to eradicate the “evil” of honour killings in Pakistan.

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To post or not to post: Defiant Pakistani teens’ growing dilemma by Diane DESOBEAU SLAMABAD, Pakistan - A pretty 15-year-old girl strikes a pose and pouts at the camera on her phone, so far so Generation Z, but unlike her teenage counterparts in the West, she stops short of posting the photo on social media, restricted in part by Pakistan’s social mores.

loving,” she declared in a Facebook video, going on to branding politicians “idiotic and disgusting”.

Baloch is derided and feted in equal measure in Pakistan, but the message appeared to tap into the frustrations of many young people tired of being told how to behave -- the footage has been viewed more than 830,000 times, and garnered 7,000 likes and counting.

It is a confusing time for the nation’s youth -- the arrival of 3G and 4G in Pakistan in 2014 and a massive surge in the sale of smartphones has seen social media use surge, making information about largely taboo subjects such as love, dating, even sex more accessible than ever.

She shot to fame in Pakistan in 2014 after a video of her pouting for the camera and asking “How em looking?” went viral. “People are going crazy -– especially girls. I get so many calls where they tell me I’m their inspiration and they want to be like me,” she told AFP.

Young people can communicate online in relative freedom, and the country even has a Kim Kardashian type figure -- Qandeel Baloch, who has become famous through her tireless self-promotion and suggestive “selfies” posted on social media, amassing tens of thousands of followers. But for the many in the deeply conservative Muslim nation, strict religious and familial controls still dictate behaviour -- the “duck-face” selfie shot, which is almost ubiquitous on the social media pages of teens in the West, can present a hazard in Pakistan. “In my pictures, I cannot pout anymore, I’ve stopped doing that, because otherwise people judge,” the young girl told AFP on condition of anonymity. “You cannot post a picture outside with your friends, because your relatives, or friends, or teachers will criticise you. They will say: ‘You look like a slut. Why are you smiling?’,” she explained. “So now, I barely change my profile picture anymore. When I started using social media, I thought I’d be a pretty girl with a lot of friends online. But I’m just an awkward girl with five friends.” The story is echoed by some of her classmates at a middle-income private school in Islamabad, where teenage boys and girls spoke candidly to AFP about their online experiences, but declined to be named. “It all comes back to religion. We are in an Islamic state. People here will judge you because Islam doesn’t

- ‘Don’t just blame society’ -Cyberspace can turn society’s rules upside down, said one 13-year-old boy.

Teenagers take a selfie at flower market in Islamabad (AFP Photo/Farooq Naeem). Pictures by Farooq Naeem ,AFP.

Another 15-year-old girl added social media provided them a unique platform for expression.

encourage girls to show their legs, or arms, and it doesn’t encourage boys and girls to interact,” said one 14-yearold boy who described being scolded by relatives after posting a picture of himself with a girl.

“It’s useful to us, it’s our own identity. In school you can’t always speak your mind. On social media, you can be more open about what you like. You get to be yourself.”

- Growing defiance -Globally the perils women face online are welldocumented but Pakistan’s teenage girls face multiple issues -- not only can their behaviour be judged as tarnishing the families’ reputation or honour, there are rising incidents of cybermisogyny and harassment. “When I post pictures I get these creepy stalkers who send me creepy pictures. It really messes you up,” said the 15-year-old girl, adding she no longer talks to boys online because of this. A male classmate agreed: “I don’t like selfies. And it’s not safe for girls, because it can attract some boy stalkers.” But there is also a sense of growing defiance in the country, where around two-thirds of the population -- roughly

“Online, guys write to girls ‘hey baby, let’s hook up,’” he said to a roar of laughter from his classmates. Once, he admitted to more scandalised giggles, it was the other way around. “A girl asked me to be friends in an online message. I was scared to death.”

Some of AFP’s interviewees said they knew of teenagers using fictitious profiles in order to protect their identities and behave more freely. One young girl commented: “In a Muslim country, it’s bad to talk to guys face to face so girls do it online. But it’s very risky, some people have fake accounts.” Still restrained: The arrival of 3G and 4G in Pakistan in 2014 and a massive surge in the sale of smartphones has seen social media use surge, but strict religious and familial controls still dictate the behaviour of the nation’s youth. 180 million people -- is believed to be under the age of 30. On Valentine’s Day, social media starlet Baloch donned a plunging scarlet dress and posted a message defying

the country’s president, who had issued a stern warning against the “Western” holiday. “They can stop people from going out, but they can’t stop people from

Despite halting the pouting photographs, the 15-year-old girl called on her peers to be more confident online, instead of hiding behind Pakistani cultural restrictions. She said: “You can’t blame society for everything... You can’t be a wimp all your teenage life and do nothing. And you can do (something) on social media.”

How generation body art has got under our skin Timothee’s mother Severine was very reluctant to give him permission to have a tattoo. “We did not want to affect his chances of getting work, and we didn’t want it to be visible, above all on his neck and face.”

by Marie Giffard

ARIS - Timothee clenches his jaw and grips his sweatshirt as the tattooist’s needle sinks into his skin. The angel he wants on his shoulder is not going to get there by itself. He is going to have to suffer for his body art.

But in the end he so won her over that she and her husband got tattoos themselves.

Like many teenagers, Timothee has not waited till his 18th birthday to get his first tattoos and piecings.

- ‘Body tuning’ -Corinne Dubosque, a tattooist in the suburbs of Paris, said most parents are realists: “They know (their children) will have it anyway so they prefer to check out the parlours themselves to make sure they are hygienic.”

In fact this is the blond 18-year-old’s seventh tattoo. He had the names of his parents tattooed on his wrist at 16, and six others elsewhere to go with his nose piercing and the little stud on the inner lobe of his ear.

Charlotte began by having her inner ear lobe pierced at 15, and two months ago had a “vertical labret” inserted, a lip piercing that comes out on the chin.

So far he has spent 2,500 euros ($2,800) on various bodily adornments, but he is far from finished. “For the next one I want something written down the length of my spine,” he said, convinced that he will never regret his tattoos.

“I felt my body didn’t suit me so I am carrying out some improvements,” she said. “It is going to take years and it is going to cost,” said the arts student, who lives in Metz in eastern France.

According to a 2010 Ifop survey, one in 10 French people -- and nearly a quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds -- have a tattoo. Every year Marina gets another piercing. She started with her bellybutton at 13, followed by each end of her lower lip. Next she had her earlobes stretched, before having her eyebrows, tongue and inner ear lobes pierced, and then topped it all off with a tatoo on her wrist at 17. Oh, and she has a nose ring too. Clementine couldn’t wait either for piercings between her breasts and on her temple. Since she was 12, the 17year-old has been begging her parents for a bull-style nose ring. “They didn’t want me to have it, they were worried what people would think. But in the end they gave in to piercings on her temple” when she was only 14. After a few more years of arguments her parents finally cracked and allowed her to get a nose ring after she had got her high school diploma. - ‘It’s my body’ For sociologist David Le Breton, author of “Signs of Identity: Tattoos, Piercings and Other Body Markings”,

French tattoo artist Corinne Dubosque (L) tattoos Timothee’s arm at her Atelier Paradise Tattoo in Plessis Trevise (AFP Photo/Marie Giffard). the need to alter their appearance is a “a way of saying, ‘It’s my body and I can do what I like with it... And I cannot stand the idea of anybody saying no to me.’ “For teenagers it is a way of taking back their bodies that they don’t believe they were responsible for creating. “So putting their own mark on themselves is a way of saying, ‘My body belongs to nobody but me,’” he said. No matter how intent teenagers are on transforming themselves, the law in most of Europe and US is clear. Minors need written consent from their parents, with many tattooists also demanding that they also bring their parents along. In Japan regulation is even tighter, with tattoos prohibited for anyone under 20.

In the United States, according to a Harris Poll study in 2012, one adult in five now has at least one tattoo, and while there is no federal law regulating tattoos or other body art or modifications, most of the 50 states allow tattoos for minors provided they have parental consent. In Europe, some 100 million residents have tattoos, or 10 to 20 percent of the adult population, according to figures cited in the publication “Tattooed Skin and Health”, which was published in 2015 for a medical congress entitled the Second European Congress on Tattoo and Pigment

Research, held in Belgium. So no matter how much a rebellious a teenager might be, they have to negotiate with their elders, even though a growing number are turning to socalled “scratchers” who operate illegally.

Timothee calls this “body tuning” while Clementine insists all her piercings have nothing to do with youthful rebellion or politics “but simple aesthetics”. And of course fashion has a lot to do with it too. “Younger people are more likely to follow trends, to imitate their peers or an actor, singer, footballer or swimmer,” sociologist Le Breton said.

VOICE OF ASIA 12

HEALTH, SC & TECH

FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

The Power of Prayer: Effects on the Brain

Prof. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee Rice University, Houston TX. by Prof. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee

rayer is an essential component in many religious tradition, and faith systems. But what does the act of prayer mean for those who engage in it? How does the human brain react to the practice? Beliefs are based on four key components—perceptions, emotions, cognitions, and social interactions—which are also deeply interconnected. These components all intersect in the workings of the human brain, which enables us to have all of our beliefs. Our beliefs begin to develop the moment that we are born, and we are preprogrammed to believe in certain ways. However, these ways are shaped by everything we think, feel, and experience over our lifetime. The brain also requires beliefs in order for us to survive. We need to hold beliefs about how the world works throughout our entire life. We need to expect certain things to happen, such as a person being nice to us if we are nice to them. But we can also have beliefs about meaning and purpose in life, about religion, and about the deep complexities of the universe. Because our beliefs are so important to our survival, we have a tendency to hold those beliefs very strongly, even when presented with opposing opinions or facts. Yet

the brain is also capable of changing beliefs if we are open to new ideas and respect the beliefs of others.

The scans showed that the frontal lobes and the language area of the brain experienced noticeably-increased activity.

Religious and spiritual experiences are typically highly complex, involving emotions, thoughts, sensations, and behaviors. These experiences seem far too rich and diverse to derive solely from one part of the brain. It is much more likely that many parts of the brain are involved. Additionally, very different patterns of brain activity may appear, depending upon the particular experience the individual is having. For example, a near-death experience might result in different activity patterns from those found in a person who is meditating. Such evidence indicates that more than a single “God nodule” is at work—that, in fact, a number of structures in the brain work together to help us experience spirituality and religion.

This is noteworthy for a number of reasons. Consider that most religions describe their prayer experience as a personal relationship in which they speak directly with God. Many times, a comparison is made between the faithful’s relationship with the Almighty and friendships that people have with one another. In this sense, God is viewed as a friend who is willing to listen and to speak back to those who pray. This description of prayer is important, seeing as the frontal lobes and language portions of the brain activate during conversation. As a result, it is believed that the brain reacts during prayer in the same way that it does when someone is talking to a friend, co-worker, etc.

The temporal lobes are clearly important in religious and spiritual experiences. The amygdala and hippocampus have been shown to be particularly involved in the experience of visions, profound experiences, memory, and meditation. However, Andrew Newberg, Professor and Director of Research Myrna Brind Center of Integrated Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital, feels that the temporal lobe must interact with many other parts of the brain to provide the full range of religious and spiritual experiences. Newberg has studied faith and religion for decades, specifically where these tenets intersect with neuroscience. In a recent study, the doctor injected subjects with a harmless radioactive dye. Then, while they engaged in prayer or meditation, he monitored their brain activity to see how the religious act impacted them. After being injected, the dye goes to the part of the brain where blood flow is strongest (i.e. the most active part of the brain).

“To the brain, talking to God is indistinguishable to talking to a person,” Interestingly, though, while atheists and nonbelievers spend time meditating or contemplating God’s existence, no impact on the brain is observed in the frontal lobe. The term “hard-wired” suggests that we were purposefully designed that way. Neuroscience cannot answer the question of purposeful design. However, what we can say is that the brain has two primary functions that can be considered from either a biological or evolutionary perspective. These two functions are selfmaintenance and self-transcendence. The brain performs both of these functions throughout our lives. It turns out that religion also performs these two same functions. So, from the brain’s perspective, religion is a wonderful tool because religion helps the brain perform its primary functions. Unless the human brain undergoes some fundamental change in its function, religion and God will be here for a very long time.

The main reason God won’t go away is because our brains won’t allow God to leave. Our brains are set up in such a way that God and religion become among the most powerful tools for helping the brain do its thing—self-maintenance and self-transcendence. Unless there is a fundamental change

in how our brain works, God will be around for a very long time. Research provides the link between religion and health. By understanding how the brain works during certain religious experiences and practices (e.g., meditation and prayer), we can begin to un-

derstand how religion affects psychological and physical health. For example, our model of brain activity during meditation indicates that there may be very demonstrable reasons why people who frequently practice meditation experience lower blood pressure, lower heart rates, decreased anxiety, and decreased depression.

Cheaper healthy food could save millions of lives: study

ASHINGTON, AFP | Scientists have been telling Americans about the benefits of healthy eating for decades, and yet more Americans are obese than ever -- more than a third of the country. Now, researchers at Harvard and Tufts Universities have laid out concrete steps officials can take by linking food prices to health effects. Reducing prices of fruit and vegetables while raising prices for sodas and other sugary drinks could save millions of lives, according to a study released Tuesday at the American Heart Association’s epidemiology and lifestyle meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. “A change in your diet can be challenging, but if achieved through personal choice or changes in the market place, it can have a profound effect on your cardiovascular health,” Harvard professor Thomas Gaziano, the report’s lead author, said in a statement. The researchers developed a computer model that predicted a 10 percent drop in the price of fruits and vegetables could reduce death from cardiovascular disease by 1.2 percent within five years and nearly two percent within 20 years.

The measures could decrease heart attacks by 2.6 percent and strokes by four percent over two decades, the report said.

day through food assistance programs such as the SNAP program -- also known as food stamps -- could have a significant effect, the researchers said.

It also found that deaths from cardiovascular diseases could decrease by nearly 0.1 percent within five years of a price increase of 10 percent on sugary drinks, and 0.12 percent within 20 years.

Several states and cities such as New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco as well as Native American tribes have attempted imposing sales taxes on sugary drinks. They have been met with little success.

The measures could decrease heart attacks by 0.25 percent in both timeframes and strokes by 0.17 percent in 20 years, the report said, adding that diabetes could decrease by 0.2 percent in five years and 0.7 percent in 20 years.

But there have been some exceptions.

Together, small price changes could prevent 515,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease and stop nearly 675,000 heart attacks, strokes and other events from occurring, the computer model predicted.

The tribe -- which numbers 173,600 people living in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah -- is spending the revenue on education campaigns and other programs to promote healthy behavior.

“These novel findings support the need to combine modest taxes and subsidies to better represent the real costs of food to health and society,” Tufts University’s Dariush Mozaffarian said.

A recent study showed that Mexico’s imposition of a small tax on sugary drinks also decreased sales.

Encouraging people to eat one more piece of fruit or one more serving of vegetables a

The Navajo Nation last year eliminated sales taxes on fruits and vegetables, while increasing them sodas and other junk food.

It’s not all bad news in the United States, too. Changing attitudes have helped sales of soft drinks fall more than 25 percent over the last two decades.

US legalized pot industry poised for major expansion Six plants are allowed in the US capital Washington, where marijuana advocates celebrated the city’s one-year anniversary on Friday for legalizing pot.

just over a week ago in Washington.

But the US Congress, which has some authority in the capital’s local governance, has prevented the city from regulating its pot market, which means buying and selling marijuana is still illegal.

- Fight against discrimination -For those entering the marijuana industry, the market has sparked particular worries and uncertainties such as the fact that all payments must be made in cash since banking services are not extended to the pot industry, the risk of Congressional intervention or even a price war.

The next president, who will be elected in November, could tip the balance in either direction at the federal level, experts told AFP at a marijuana tradeshow called CannaShow, held

Moreover growing cannabis, or “cannaculture” as it is called, is a costly endeavor, with plants needing gallons of water and a constantly warm environment, and thus electricity.

According to New Frontier, cannabis is the greediest of crops in terms of electricity, accounting for one percent of all electricity used in the US (the same amount as 1.7 million homes) at an annual cost of $6 billion. Electricity accounts for up to 50 percent of the wholesale price of cannabis. Despite these pitfalls, pot proponents are quick to point out that legalization of the substance has its societal virtues, such as putting an end to some discriminatory arrests.

Youngest Astrologer of North America The market for pot is in full bloom thanks to burgeoning industrial growing operations, marijuana edibles and a higher demand for equipment from those who want to grow -- or consume -- cannabis at home (AFP Photo/Josh Edelson) by Elodie MAZEIN

ASHINGTON, AFP - Legal marijuana is becoming more and more entrenched in the United States each year, and 2016 looks to be no exception. In fact, some observers say it could be a “tipping point” for an ever-growing industry already worth billions of dollars. By the end of the year, nearly a dozen states will decide whether to legalize pot -- with seven to determine whether they will allow recreational use. Already 23 out of 50 states, plus the nation’s capital, allow pot in some form, whether for medical or recreational purposes. At the beginning of 2016, 86 percent of Americans lived in a state permitting cannabis use in some form. As acceptance of the drug grows across the United States, so too do sales, which are expected to hit nearly $22 billion by 2020. “It is going to be a very, very competitive market in the next five years,” said John Kagia, director of industry analytics at New Frontier, a firm specializ-

Astrologer, Vaastu & Gem Stone Consultant

“HARDIK VYAS”

ing in the cannabis business. While possession, sale and consumption of marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, it is permitted for recreational use in four US states: Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, plus the US capital Washington. According to Kagia, “2016 will be the tipping point” for pot, with 11 states slated to decide whether to allow it in one form or another. The western states of Colorado and Washington pioneered recreational marijuana legalization in 2012, and sales have increased 30 percent per year on average since then in the United States, according to New Frontier and the ArcView Group, another firm focused on analyzing the cannabis industry. US pot sales climbed to $4.6 billion in 2014 and are expected to reach $21.8 billion in 2020, New Frontier says. The explosion in sales is due mainly to the legalization of recreational pot in some states. Although medical marijuana represented 92 percent of all pot sales in 2014, its share of the total is expected to fall to 47 percent in just four years.

- Budding entrepreneurs -The market for pot is in full bloom thanks to burgeoning industrial growing operations, marijuana edibles and a higher demand for equipment from those who want to grow -- or consume -cannabis at home. And while entrepreneurs see dollar signs behind every joint rolled, so too do state governments that stand to reap massive gains in the form of taxes. Last year, Colorado earned some $135 million in taxes and licensing fees on nearly $1 billion in pot sales, according to The Denver Post. The state of Washington, meanwhile, took in $70 million on statewide pot revenue totaling $257 million, a number that came in lower than expected after a pot shortage. As America falls for pot, competition has become increasingly fierce, and the variation in regulations and taxes from state to state has given rise to some tension. The amount of pot a person can grow varies as well, with up to four plants allowed in Oregon and six plants in Colorado, but none in the state of Washington.

Astrologer Hardik Vyas, a famous young face in Vedic Astrology from India is available in Houston. Call for guidance on Health, Wealth, Education, Career, Business, Property, Love & Passion, Marriage & Compatibility, HoroscopeMaking, Child Problem, Luck & Fortune, Peace & Prosperity, Karma & Economical Sources.

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Young Life

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Big Sports tries to win millennials by John BIERS

cial media tendencies, said Begona Sanz executive vice president at Real Madrid.

he sluggish pace of American football has not always been an asset, but Sky Sports executive Barney Francis thinks it could be key to the game’s success with emerging youth.

“This is where we are now - trying to create a platform which automatically gets the information to try to get the intelligence so that we can offer them what they want,” she said.

Francis’ sons, ages eight and 11, seem to be in natural sync with the American game’s short bursts of activity, which are interspersed with endless pauses, time-outs and referee decisions. They are more drawn to the game than soccer, which is a mainstay in Britain.

Olympics sponsor Procter &amp; Gamble plans segments profiling athletes of the 2016 games. However, the episodes must be easily clickable and easy to view when customers desire. “We need to learn how we can be better at providing exactly what they want to consume at the moment she wants to consume it,” said Janet Fletcher, a brand director at P&amp;G.

“They concentrate for five seconds of time and then they drift,” said Francis, managing director of Sky Sports. The appeal of bite-sized content to an increasingly smartphone-dominated society was a key takeaway from proceedings at the Leaders group’s Sports Business Summit in New York.

One upside of the flux is a greater willingness of star athletes and entertainment celebrities to take risks with a campaign if it seems original enough to break through the clatter, said David Droga, founder of advertising firm Droga5.

Participants, including teams, agents and advertisers, are still looking for the secret to keep the big money flowing in pro sports in an era of media flux. They rued declining attendance at many live sporting events and the effects of the decline of traditional media business models. Youth “are using devices more than ever before. Their spare time is more pressurized than ever,” Francis told AFP on the sidelines of the event. “They want new things all the time.”

The appeal of bite-sized content to an increasingly smartphone-dominated society was a key takeaway from proceedings at the Leaders group’s Sports Business Summit in New York. has enjoyed success with other youthculture mainstays, such as Twitter and Facebook feeds prepped in tandem with sporting events, or short behindthe-scenes segments on rising millennial golfers like Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth, said CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus. “Social media is a big opportunity

with the millennials,” he said. However, McManus described a tricky calculation with the bulk of the company’s advertising revenue still coming from traditional broadcast and cable. “The fact of the matter is the NFL gets the lion’s share of its revenue

from broadcast television and from basic cable television,” McManus said. “It is still a challenge to monetize the digital media.” Iconic football team Real Madrid is beefing up its smartphone app so that fans will be more engaged at games. The team is also keen to amass as much data as possible on its fans’ so-

- Digital revenues lag -CBS Sports

Sports apparel maker Under Armour supplied workout gear for actor Matt Damon for a movie trailer for the hit, “The Martian.” The brand’s distinctive “UA” logo gets star treatment in a way that is “seamless” to the ad’s minimalist look, Droga said. Droga said some celebrities are even willing to accept lower compensation if they are convinced of an idea. “Doors are open when everyone agrees there’s an avenue to explore,” he said. “No ask is too outrageous.”

US bishops hid abuse of hundreds HCC Interior Design students place at of children: grand jury

regional competition

by Jennie MATTHEW

EW YORK, AFP - Two American bishops spent four decades covering up sexual abuse of hundreds of children at the hands of 50 Catholic priests and clerics in Pennsylvania, a grand jury revealed Tuesday. The 147-page report came out two days after Hollywood movie “Spotlight” won an Oscar for best picture for chronicling a newspaper investigation into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and institutional efforts to cover up the crimes. The report uncovered a “secret archive” of damning evidence stuffed into boxes and filing cabinets in a church office in the central Pennsylvania diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, which is home to around 90,000 Catholics. Handwritten notes, letters and documents detail children being abused by members of the church, and show that Bishop James Hogan, who died in 2005, and his successor Bishop Joseph Adamec, 80, knew of the allegations and intervened to stop predatory priests from being arrested, the grand jury found. The bishops’ conduct endangered thousands of children and allowed predators to abuse even more victims, said Pennsylvania state attorney general Kathleen Kane, whose office made the report public. “The heinous crimes these children endured are absolutely unconscionable,” said Kane. “These predators desecrated a sacred trust and preyed upon their victims in the very places where they should have felt most safe. “Just as troubling is the cover-up perpetrated by clergy leaders that allowed this abuse to continue for decades,” she added. None of the criminal acts detailed in the report can be prosecuted because alleged abusers have died, victims are

Victims and relatives of children who claim they were sexually abused by the Catholic Church hold placards as they stand outside the venue for Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney, Australia, February 29, 2016. REUTERS/David Gray. too traumatized to testify and the statute of limitations on prosecuting cases has expired, prosecutors said. Between 5,700 and 10,000 Catholic priests have been accused of sexual abuse in the United States, but only a few hundred have been tried, convicted, and sentenced for their crimes, according to the watchdog Bishop Accountability. The “secret archive” was uncovered by investigators acting on a search warrant last August -- just one month before Pope Francis visited Pennsylvania as part of his inaugural visit to the United States. Francis has vowed to root out abuse and said following his return from America that bishops and officials who covered up sex crimes were themselves guilty. Among the staggering 115,042 documents impounded by investigators, were handwritten notes by Hogan, documents sent to Adamec, statements from victims and correspondence with offending priests.

Hogan was bishop of the diocese from 1966 to 1986, when he was succeeded by Adamec, 80, who retired in 2011. - ‘Monster’ -The grand jury alleges both bishops were at the fore of the church cover-up and details occasions on which police and prosecutors failed to pursue allegations. Prosecutors said one “particularly heinous” cover-up involved 70year-old retired parish priest Joseph Gaborek. In the early 1980s he was reported to police for sexually violating a boy, but Hogan intervened and assured police he would send Gaborek to an institution, the grand jury found. Instead, Gaborek went on sabbatical to a boys’ school, where no treatment was available, before being reassigned to another parish, the report found. The diocese’s own files admitted Gaborek would have been convicted “except that the bishop intervened,” the grand jury found.

Photo: HCC Interior Design students Candice Rogers-Rupp (left) and Samantha Bourgeois (right), won second and third place at the 16th annual International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Student Conference, Interior Design Charrette Competition in Houston.

OUSTON [February 29, 2016] - Two Houston Community College (HCC) Interior Design students won second and third place at the 16th Annual International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Student Conference, Interior Design Charrette Competition in Houston. Candice Rogers-Rupp and Samantha Bourgeois joined teams with other interior design students from various colleges and universities from across Texas and Oklahoma. Bourgeois was on the team that placed second and Rogers-Rupp was part of the team that placed third. Tech Revolution and Data Site were the titles of the conceptual solutions to the interior design problems that were presented at the charrette. All teams were given a theoretical, conceptual interior design problem to solve.

HCC has been an IIDA Campus Center for the last two years. Kevin Hamby is the faculty advisor for the HCC Campus Center and for iDesign, the HCC Interior Design Student Organization. HCC is the only community college included as a Campus Center within the entire IIDA Texas/Oklahoma Chapter. Campus Centers provide an environment for the development and exchange of knowledge among students, educators, administration and design professionals. Participation in a Campus Center adds further value to the IIDA student membership because it involves working closely with the IIDA Texas/Oklahoma Chapter and the IIDA Houston City Center to develop programs and events. To learn more about the HCC Interior Design Program, visit hccs.edu/ interiordesign.

VOICE OF ASIA 15

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B ollywood M asala Bollywood Masala

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Indian city’s cinemas under pressure over homophobia movie EW DELHI, India | AFP - Cinemas in the north Indian city of Aligarh were under mounting pressure Sunday to stop screening a movie set in the metropolis that tackles homophobia, following protests from right wing religious groups.

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Oscars 2016: Priyanka Chopra’s Red Carpet Look Breaks Google Records

The movie “Aligarh”, which opened nationally last week, is based on a true story about a university professor suspended from his post after a television news crew filmed him having sex with a rickshaw puller. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras was teaching at Aligarh Muslim University in 2010 when his private life made headline news in an undercover sting operation. He briefly fought to be reinstated, but was found dead in his apartment in suspicious circumstances two months later. The film has received favourable reviews and shines a rare spotlight on homosexuality in socially conservative India where gay sex is still illegal. But Aligarh mayor Shakuntala Bharti said the movie should be barred there for “tarnishing” the city with homosexuality, sparking an outcry on social media from gay rights supporters. “It is giving a bad name to the city. It is shameful and we don’t support it,” Bharti told reporters. Aligarh cinemas appeared to have scrapped plans to show the movie after street protests last week by fringe Muslim group the Millat Bedari Muhim Committee. “After this movie, people

Bollywood actors Rajkummar Rao (left) and Patralekha attend a screening of ‘Aligarh’ in Mumbai on October 30, 2015 (AFP Photo/). will obviously link the name of our glorious city, with a rich cultural history, to homosexuality, so we obviously have an objection,” the committee’s secretary, Jasim Mohammad, told AFP.

Priyanka Chopra arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/ Invision/AP).

“After our objections and the support they have received, the cinemas are not showing the movie,” Mohammad said.

by Post

The city’s cinemas themselves could not be contacted for comment on Sunday. But the Indian Express newspaper said those initially running it had now cancelled screenings. The movie’s director, Hansal Mehta, expressed his disappointment on Twitter, saying “so Aligarh has killed Prof Siras again”.

Asif Kapadia with Producer James Gay-Rees.

OS ANGELES (PTI) -- Indo-British filmmaker Asif Kapadia won the best documentary Oscar for “Amy”, a poignant examination of singer Amy Winehouse’s life and her tragic death at the age of 27. Kapadia, who had already won the Golden Globe and Bafta awards for the documentary, paid tribute to Winehouse, who died in 2011 following a battle with drug and alcohol. “Thank you the Academy for showing love to the film. We wanted to show who Amy really was, a funny intelligent, witty and a special girl,” Kapadia said. Producer James Gay-Rees

said the award was for all the fans and followers of Winehouse, whose support she always wanted. Kapadia’s documentary saw off competition from “Cartel Land”, “The Look of Silence”, “What Happened Miss Simone?”, “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom”. The film has been critics favourite since making its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Though the singer’s father Mitch distanced himself from the documentary, calling it a disappointment. Kapadia, 44, is known for directing “Senna” in 2012 and Irrfan Khan-starrer “The Warrior” in 2003.

n Monday, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, who, after making waves with her TV show Quantico, is set to make her big screen debut in Hollywood with Dwayne Johnson in Baywatch, also dominated the internet with her gorgeous white Zuhair Murad gown at the 88th Academy Awards. Chopra, according to Daily Mail, wore jewellery worth over $8 million. She was reportedly just behind Hollywood actress Olivia Wilde on Google search rankings related to the keywords “red carpet dress”, announced Google.

A scene from the film “Aligarh”. Photo: Publicity. Opposition Congress leader Manish Tewari, a former broadcasting minister, said “sad some

Hollywood

Asif Kapadia Wins Best Documentary Award for ‘Amy’

Prajakta Hebbar, Huff-

bigots in #Aligarh not able to deal with movie Aligarh”. Police initially suspected Siras committed suicide after traces of poison were detected in his body, but they later made several arrests, although no one was convicted and the case was ultimately dropped.

After Wilde and Chopra, users world over wanted to see what actresses Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron and Saoirse Ronan wore on the red carpet. In the past few years, the top searches from across the world for the best ‘Red Carpet Dress’ have been for Anne Hathaway (2013), Jennifer Lawrence (2013), Jennifer Lopez (2012), Lupita Nyong’o (2015) and Gwyneth Paltrow (2012). Google on Monday also announced that the 2016 Academy Awards saw an unprecedented 70 per cent growth in the queries and that India was among the top 10 countries to be gripped by Oscar fever this year.

US hails ‘honor killing’ Oscar film at Pakistan talks

ASHINGTON US Secretary of State John Kerry kicked off a round of strategic talks with Pakistan on Monday by hailing a documentary film credited with changing attitudes to so-called “honor killings”. “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” won the Academy Award for best documentary short Sunday at the Oscars ceremony, and was on Kerry’s mind as he opened the annual US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue. Welcoming Pakistani Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz to the State Department for what he said would be “frank and very important talks” on development, nuclear arms and security, the top US diplomat turned to the movie. “This film told the remarkable story of a very courageous young woman who survived an attempt at an honor killing by her father and her uncle,” Kerry told the assembled diplomats from both countries. “And yet even more remarkable was that after the initial screening Prime Minister Sharif pledged to change laws that allow such barbaric practices and murders,” he added. “And that is a sign of how a

Pakistani journalist and filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy accepts the award for Best Documentary Short Subject Film for “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” at the 88th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 28, 2016. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni great work of cinema can shine light on a subject on real world challenges and it can actually promote positive change.” Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently after the film screened in the conservative country, which has been plagued by violent religious extremism. The film follows 19-year-old Saba, who was beaten, shot,

dumped in a burlap sack and thrown into a river to be left for dead after she attempted to escape her family and marry a man.

journalist and filmmaker Chinoy in Islamabad, Sharif issued a statement vowing to “rid Pakistan of this evil by bringing in appropriate legislation.”

Under a controversial interpretation of part of Islamic law in force in Pakistan, men who kill female relatives escape punishment if their relatives buy their pardons through blood money.

After their opening remarks, the officials went into a closed session to discuss cooperation in the energy sector, the fight against Islamist extremist groups and nuclear safety and non-proliferation in the light of Pakistan’s tense relations with India.

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Fighting infections with viruses, as antibiotics fail by Elisabeth ZINGG

aris, | AFP | 2/29/2016 - When doctors told Christophe Novou that his leg would have to be amputated at the hip due to a raging bacterial infection, the 47-yearold Frenchman thought about killing himself. After surviving a crippling traffic accident and dozens of operations to repair the damage, to him life in a wheelchair just did not seem worth living. That’s when an article about a clinic in Georgia offering an obscure treatment for hard-to-treat infections using live virus -- something called phage therapy -- caught his eye. Within hours, he was on a plane to Tblisi. “Without it, I wouldn’t be here,” Novou told AFP on the sidelines of a conference in Paris about the mostly forgotten therapy, which remains marginal outside a few former Soviet bloc countries.

dramatic rise of antibiotic-resistant strains of deadly pathogens. WHO chief Margaret Chan warned last November of a “post-antibiotic era” in which common infections will become killers once more. - Show us the money -”Phage therapy is especially effective for infections that affect bones and articulation, but can also be used for urinary, pulmonary and eye infections,” said Alain Dublanchet, a doctor at the forefront of the movement to resurrect the treatment in France. Discovered during World War I and developed during the 1920s and 1930s, it has few undesirable side-effects. Dublanchet, now retired, claims to have cured at least 15 patients of infections they contracted mainly after road accidents, and for whom antibiotics did not work. Treatment usually lasts a few weeks, and is generally far less expensive than last-resort antibiotics which can cost tens of thousands of dollars or euros.

The treatment harnesses viruses called phages to attack and kill dangerous bacteria, including “superbugs” which have become progressively resistant to antibiotics.

Pharmaceutical companies have shown little interest in phage therapy, in large part because viruses cannot be patented, according to participants at the Paris conference.

In Novou’s case, it was Staphylococcus, a common bacteria which can cause anything from a simple boil to horrible flesh-eating infections.

“The laboratories have turned their back on this because the return on investment is just too small,” said Jean Carlet, an expert on infectious diseases and a consultant for the WHO.

Mostly ignored up to now by mainstream medicine, the alternative treatment has started to gain adherents over the last 15 years, especially in France, Belgium and the United States. The renewed interest is partly driven by a problem which the World Health Organization (WHO) recently described as a “global health crisis”: the

A few startups have invested in phage therapy, which the European Union classified as a medicine in 2011. But the cycle of drug trials can easily take a decade, so these are long-term -and perhaps long-shot -- investments. To date no virus used in phage ther-

Q and A about Health Care Information Forms for Individuals ...Continued

apy has been approved as a treatment. “It will take years and a lot of money,” said Jean-Paul Pirnay, a doctor at the Reine Astrid military hospital in Brussels, one of few actively researching the technique outside the ex-Soviet bloc. Because phage therapy is not recognised in France, Dublanchet and other practitioners -- working in a grey zone -- often wind up going to eastern Europe to procure the viruses. In the United States, the only phages on the market are used in the anti-bacterial treatment of food products. The EU has launched a clinical trial called “Phagoburn” to test the effectiveness of virus-based treatments on victims of severe burns. Half of a group of 220 participants are to be treated with established techniques, and the other half with phage therapy. Temporary authorisation for phage therapy may be granted in France “if the products are of sufficient quality and there is a presumption of efficacy,” said Caroline Semaille, a spokeswoman for ANSM, the French government agency that monitors drug approval and use. Novou spent 8,000 euros ($8,700) on going to Tbilisi in 2013 for his treatment, but has no regrets. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other French people with similar problems have done the same, said Dublanchet, and most come back in better shape. “It’s not a matter of replacing antibiotics with phage therapy,” he said. “They should be complimentary.” Dublanchet also warned of the possible spread of therapeutic viruses into the environment, saying medical use should be strictly monitored.

Zika can trigger severe neurological disorder: study by Marlowe HOOD

ARIS - Scientists on Tuesday said they had confirmed that the Zika virus sweeping Latin America and blamed for severe birth defects can also trigger a dangerous neurological disorder. In a study published in the medical journal The Lancet, a team probed Zika’s suspected role in a 2013-2014 outbreak in French Polynesia of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) -- a rare condition in which the body’s immune system attacks a part of the nervous system that controls muscle strength. Research into patients who fell ill with GBS, supported by blood tests, proved that the mosquito-borne virus was the culprit, they said. “This is the first evidence for Zika virus causing Guillain-Barre syndrome,” the study said.

Research into patients who fell ill with GBS, supported by blood tests, proved that the mosquito-borne Zika virus was the culprit (AFP Photo/Johan Ordonez)

The syndrome -- which can also be caused by bacterial infections as well as the dengue and chikungunya viruses -provokes muscle weakness in the legs and arms.

than a bad cold or a mild case of the flu. Sometimes there are no symptoms at all.

In rich nations, GBS is lethal in about five percent of cases, and another five percent suffer lasting disabilities. More than a quarter of patients require intensive care. With 1.5 million cases of Zika infection already recorded in Brazil, and tens of thousands in neighbouring countries, researchers warn that an outbreak of Guillain-Barre could strain healthcare facilities, especially outside of big cities. “In areas that will be hit by the Zika epidemic, we need to think about reinforcing intensive care capacity,” said Arnaud Fontanet, a co-author of the study and a professor at the Emerging Diseases Epidemiology Unit of the Institut Pasteur in Paris. “We know that a certain number of those patients are going to develop GBS, and 30 percent of them are going to need intensive care, especially for assisted breathing,” he told AFP. By itself, Zika is no more threatening

But the rapidly expanding virus -present in nearly four dozen countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) -- is suspected to be the cause a sudden increase in cases of neonatal microcephaly, a severe deformation of the brain and skull among newborns. Brazil reported last week 583 confirmed cases of babies with the irreversible birth defect since October 2015, four times the previous annual average. Zika is spread among humans by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is found in 130 nations. But recent evidence suggests that it can also be sexually transmitted by men carrying the virus. In the study, two dozen researchers identified 42 cases of Guillain-Barre in French Polynesia in the aftermath of a Zika epidemic that infected some 200,000 people. For Fontanet, there was no doubt that the virus caused the upsurge in GBS cases. “The links are as strong as they would

be for saying that tobacco causes lung cancer,” he told AFP. Three kinds of evidence supported this conclusion, he said. The first was a 20-fold increase in the number of GBS cases during the Zika epidemic. The second was that 90 percent the patients struck with the debilitating syndrome had been infected the week before by the mosquito-borne virus. - Taken by surprise -Both epidemiological findings were supported by blood analysis. “We found traces of the recent presence of Zika in 100 percent of the GBS patients,” including antibodies built up to fight the virus, said Fontanet.

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(Forms 1095-A, 1095-B, and 1095-C) From IRS. 8. Will I get more than one form? May be. You are likely to get more than one form if you had coverage from more than one coverage provider or if you worked for more than one employer that offered coverage. You are also likely to get more than one form if you changed coverage or employers during the year or if different members of your family received coverage from different coverage providers. The following examples illustrate when you may get more than one Form 1095 and what to do with the information on those forms. Example 1: You are single with two dependent children. At the beginning of 2015, you were unemployed, and you and your children were enrolled in coverage through the Marketplace. You received the benefit of advance payments of the premium tax credit to help pay for your coverage. In August of 2015, you started working 40 hours per week for an employer with 300 employees (an applicable large employer) that offered health insurance coverage to you and your children. However, that offer of coverage was considered unaffordable to you for purposes of the premium tax credit, so you did not enroll in it and instead continued your Marketplace coverage with advance payments of the premium tax credit. Early in 2016, you receive Form 1095-A (from the Marketplace) and Form 1095-C (from your employer). When you complete Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit, you will use the information on Form 1095-A to reconcile advance payments of the premium tax credit and to verify that you had health coverage for the entire year. You will use Form 1095-C to verify that your employer coverage was unaffordable for you. You will not attach Form 1095-A or 1095-C to your return, but you should keep these forms with your tax records. Example 2: You are single with no dependents. At the beginning of 2015, you were employed by employer A, which has 20 employees (and therefore is not an applicable large employer). You had coverage through A’s employer-sponsored plan, which is insurance that A purchases from health insurance issuer Q (i.e., not a “self-insured plan”). In June of 2015, you changed jobs and started working 40 hours per week for employer B, which has 500 employees (and so is an applicable large employer). You immediately began receiving coverage through that employer’s plan, which is insurance it purchases from insurance issuer R. Early in 2016, both insurance companies will send you a Form 1095-B providing information about the coverage in which you were enrolled. You also will receive a Form 1095-C from employer B, the applicable large employer, providing information about the health coverage B offered you. You will use the information on Forms 1095-B to verify that you had health coverage for each month during the year and will check the full-year coverage box on your tax return. You will not need to use

Sudhir Mathuria Contact: Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6650 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning.com Form 1095-C to help complete your return because the information about the offer of health coverage made by your employer relates to whether you are eligible for the premium tax credit and you cannot get a premium tax credit if you were not enrolled in a health plan in the Marketplace. You will not attach Form 1095-B or Form 1095-C to your tax return, but you should keep both forms with your tax records. 9. Will I get a Form 1095-C from each of my employers? Not necessarily. You will only receive a Form 1095-C from your employer if that employer is an applicable large employer, meaning it had 50 or more full-time employees (including full-time equivalent employees) in the year before the year to which the form relates. Most employers have fewer than 50 employees and therefore are not applicable large employers required to provide Form 1095-C to their full-time employees. Even if your employer is an applicable large employer, you will only receive a Form 1095-C for that employer if you were a full-time employee for that employer for at least one month of the year or if you are enrolled in an applicable large employer’s self-insured health plan, even if you are a part-time employee. 10. How are the forms similar? • They all provide information about your health coverage during the prior year. • They are all used to determine if you, your spouse and your dependents had health coverage for the entire year and if not, for which months you did have coverage. (The Form 1095-C includes this information only if your employer is an applicable large employer and the coverage you enrolled in was a certain kind of coverage referred to as “self-insured coverage”). • None of these forms should be filed with your tax return; they should be kept for your records with your other tax documents. To Be Continued…. For Health, Life and Retirement Planning contact Sudhir Mathuria @ 713-771-2900.

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IACCGH hosts free Tax Seminar with experts to educate community

CPA Swapan Dhairyawan speaking at the seminar. Photo by Bijay Dixit. by Manu Shah

ACCGH’s Outreach Program – a tax seminar designed to educate the community on various tax issues, attracted many members of the Indo American community on February 28th at India House. Hosted for the sixth year in a row, IACCGH Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia described the event as part of the Chamber’s efforts “to inform, educate and serve the mainstream community on issues that are relevant and helpful to them.” President Joya Shukla thanked the distinguished panel of 7 CPAs’ and tax consultants for volunteering their time and promised the gathering that they “will walk away with a lot of useful information.” One of the city’s renowned CPA’s Ajit Thakur moderated the presentations. He also highlighted three issues that were of growing concern – identity theft, tax reporting of Obamacare and online purchasing. According to the IRS database 700,000 people had their identities stolen last year. The IRS will combat this “nightmare” by henceforth requiring CPAs’ to identify their clients through their driver’s license. Regarding tax reporting of Obamacare, the matter is not clear as to whether taxpayers will get money back from Obamacare. Online purchasing is easy with the added benefit of zero sales tax but vendors are now required to supply the names and purchases to the IRS through the 1099K mechanism. The first presentation by CPA Imtiaz Munshi dealt with small businesses and Employment Tax issues. If a small business engages a worker as a Contract worker instead of an employee to save on Social Security taxes and benefits, the IRS will determine whether this is true based on payment patterns and other factors. Misclassification of an employee as a contractor can result in the IRS penalizing the employer 100% of the worker’s compensation and possible criminal penalties. However, the IRS allows a business to voluntarily switch the status of a worker from contractor to employee by paying 10% of the employee’s portion of the taxes for one year (VSPP Scheme). The other points raised were: • Compensation cannot be paid to family members through a W-2 if employed in the business. • Tax benefits can be availed if your children are below 17 and being paid to help in the family business • In case a husband and wife are running the business, paying the spouse compensation can help in adding up Social Security credits and save on taxes too • Small businesses can set up a Simple IRA Retirement plan where the employee puts in 12,500 a year. •

Deducting your home office

may act as a red flag for the IRS but deductions up to $1500 by the Simplified method is now acceptable to the IRS as long as the business is operating and some conditions fulfilled. The presentation by CPA Kershaw Khumbatta dealt with Annual Tax Updates. Some of the highlights were: • Taxpayers can deduct between $2,000 and $4,000 of qualified tuition expense which includes the purchase of computer equipment

CPAs’ Kershaw Khumbatta, Vikas Patel, Imtiaz Munshi, Swapan Dhairyawan, Rajiv Bhavsar, Second line: Rimple Mashruwala, Ajit Thakur, IACCGH President Joya Shukla, Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia, Mahesh Desai. Phot credit: Bijay Dixit.

• Energy credits can be availed for home and business improvements like heating and cooling systems, insulation and windows. Tesla owners can also get tax credits

will be assessed a penalty of only 5% instead of the OVDP program’s 27.5% penalty of the account.

• Teachers can claim up to $250 of unreimbursed classroom expenses. This has been made permanent in the Code • 401(K) and traditional IRA accounts can be rolled over to Simple IRA • IRS is limiting the number of refunds that are electronically deposited into a single bank account or a prepaid card to three only • A check is no longer proof of your charitable contribution of $250 and more. The IRS requires a bank record that supports the donation and a written receipt from the charitable organization. IRS has also introduced a very helpful Fresh Start Program - a voluntary program that encourages those who are behind on their taxes to pay up and avoid tax liens. Installment agreements and Offer in Compromise are also available with this program. CPA Mahesh Desai made an illuminating presentation on FBAR or the Foreign Bank Account Report that must be filed by June 30th. In 2014, the US Government signed an International Government Agreement (IGA) with the Government of India which would require financial institutions in India to divulge bank account details first to the Income Tax department in India and then to the IRS. This treaty is being implemented since August 2015. US citizens or Green Card holders who own overseas assets over $10,000 must report it to the IRS through the FBAR FINCEN Form 114. Non willful violation can allow you to come clean through the Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedures (SDOP) but if it is willful violation the penalty is criminal prosecution and half the value of your account. As compared to the Overseas Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP), the Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedures (SDOP) allows taxpayers to disclose their offshore assets with a lower penalty and a minimal tax. Taxpayers have to file 3 years of tax returns instead of the OVDP program’s requirement of 8 years of tax returns. Those

Foreign mutual funds, equity funds and hedge funds must be declared even if they are inherited. Dividends must be attached when filing Form 114. In case of inheritance, tax payers must be clear about filing obligations when bringing money overseas. Maximize savings and Minimize Taxes by funding your Retirement Plan was the topic of presentation by CPA Rimple Mashruwala. Saving early can have a big impact on retirement funds. Experts recommend saving 10%-15% of our income for retirement but a study by LIMRA showed that people were actually saving less than 5% of their income. According to Rimple Mashruwala, compound interest and time are key to a good retirement fund. The money invested is tax deferred and Compound interest earns more money. Citing an example, she stated that just saving $30 a month could generate $75,000 after 30 years! She also touched upon different types of Retirement plans such as Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Simple IRA and SEP IRA. The Rollover IRA is useful for those who change jobs and leave their 401(K) behind for the Company to manage. At the time of retirement, the individual can consolidate multiple retirement accounts in the Rollover IRA. Chair of the event, CPA Swapan Dhairyawan spoke about the “Dirty Dozen” scam list that targets innocent taxpayers under the guise of the IRS. Identity theft, a growing nightmare, has increased by 400% since the past year with 1400 incidents in the month of January itself. Telephone scams continue to threaten tax payers with deportation and arrest if they don’t pay the scam artists. These calls can be dismissed as the IRS never gets in touch through the telephone – they always send a letter as a prior contact.

personal information from your computer. Once again, these can be disregarded as the IRS never sends emails – always a letter. Some safeguards were suggested by the speaker. Return Preparer Fraud – involves dishonest tax preparers who perpetuate refund theft. One should also guard against those tax preparers who promise inflated refunds. Some of the other scams were Offshore Tax Avoidance and Fake Charities.

ness debts and obligations Corporations which could be an S Corporation or a C Corporation. The S Corporations are designed for small businesses, has Independent Entity Life, business expense write off are easier but its disadvantages are shareholder compensations requirements and operational hurdles. The C Corporations have limited liability, has its own identity, freedom to generate capital but has double taxation.

Swapan also offered statistics on those who get audited based on Tax year 2013 data. Those with no gross income had a 5% probability rate of getting audited, those in the income bracket of $100,000-200,000 had a 93% chance, $200,000-1 million had a 4% chance while those with more than $10 million AGI and above had a 16% chance of being audited.

By default, a new business is treated as a C Corporation.

Nonprofit organizations are not exempt from the scrutiny of the IRS. The most common charitable organization is the 501 (C) (3). Most nonprofits are exempt from taxation but some are not. All nonprofits are required to file Form 990. Non filing could result in severe penalties and losing their status as a nonprofit.

The tax issues to be considered are: Tax rates, Treatment of Losses, Liquidation/Selling of Business, Compensation, Distribution of Profits, and State Laws.

The last presentation was by CPA Vikas Patel on the different kinds of business entity structures and their pros and cons. They are: Sole Proprietorship which doesn’t have many regulations but can face difficulty raising additional capital and heavy burden administratively Partnership which includes General and Limited Partnership offers shared risk and responsibility but can result in disagreements and disruption of business Limited Liability Company or LLC’s offer limited liability for busi-

The non-tax issues that need to be considered while starting a business are Legal liability and Protection – to protect yourself from litigation, Capital Structure, Flexibility, Buy/Sell Agreement, Nature of your business and State Laws.

In the Q & A session several clarifications were offered such as: • Excess refund by the IRS must always be returned or face severe penalties. • Money sent to parents in India with your signature authority must be reported to the IRS if the amount in the account is more than $10,000. • It is advisable to obtain a PAN number in India • Mutual funds are a special category of foreign assets and subject to taxes on their appreciation even if not sold. Disclaimer: This seminar was for advisory purposes only.

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HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

Your Horoscope for the Week of March 4, 2016 READ YOUR COMPLETE HOROSCOPE

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

ONLINE WWW.VOICEOFASIAONLINE.COM

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 Oct

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April Plan outings with family or friends with fun filled conversation. Competition could help your team, especially if you approach it in a positive manner. The goal is not to beat the other person, but only to motivate one another. Utilize your ability to analyze data & you’ll be able to meet important deadlines. Your universal appeal will make you very popular & successful this week. There are plenty of opportunities in real estate or consumer products and services.

Don’t be afraid to take the steps necessary to feel happier with your life. An act of kindness or gesture of caring can melt the resistance and get you what you want. Unpredictable events may disrupt your progress greatly. Make plans, follow through & put your power behind your presence. When dealing with peers, be yourself & you’ll draw energy from deep inside. Follow your basic instincts & you’ll do very well. Exercise your rights & don’t fear the unknown. Discovery will become your passion.

Scorpio (N,Y) 23 Oct to 21 Nov

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May Your hectic pace needs to slow down to a more manageable level in order for you to focus yourself. Do your homework, look past the superficial. Once you’ve thought it out, speak your mind. Be fair to all concerned when negotiating or settling contracts, trading terms. Festive season is a good time to spend quality time with loved ones, but you must start planning your future. Your path will cross with someone who will show you simple ways to increase your potential income.

You may just find they really need more than you imagined. Try not to lose your patience, support will work better than criticism. Utilize your energy to organize, re-build & prepare for changes. Your personal magnetism appeal will give you an edge, this week. Be careful not about misunderstanding with others, be honest with your ideas. Recent personal changes in your lifestyle could prove to be a positive influence on others. You may be pleasantly surprised with other’s observations.

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June The struggle of busy family & social commitments & An intense conversation could be important to you. Reevaluate your past, try to bring out your best qualities, set aside your insecurities. You may need to test your talent of diplomacy & tact, while balancing your emotions. Try not to hurt feelings but you cannot please everybody. You can get others to do things for you if you use your charm. Dealing with “wishy-washy” people may test your patience.

The information that you’ve been seeking for weeks may come to you now, but it still might not be entirely clear to you. Pay careful attention in conversations where facts are handled carelessly. The clues lie between the words. Use your intuition to determine the truth. A person in authority may ask you an incriminating question. Think carefully before responding, because the answer could be potentially damaging to you or to someone you admire. The best way to combat problems is to set your own agenda.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July Use your creative talents to make changes in your domestic life. If you want to make long term plans, make sure you share them with those who will be affected. They’ll appreciate your consideration. Ask direct questions if you have any doubts. Give yourself some room to breathe. Don’t commit to too many new projects. Time limits will deter you from success. Focus on your priorities. Don’t allow your emotions to make decisions for you. It may cause trouble to control your actions or re-actions.

Your sense of self-esteem will rise as you realize just how talented you are. It’s not flash, however, that gets you where you want to go now. It’s solid, reliable work that earns respect, and possibly money. Of course, let’s not rule out the possibility of a fresh new idea! Sometimes you can step into a situation and see it better than anyone else in the room. This could be one of those times. You may think it’s logic that brings the right answer, but it’s intuition that provides you with the key.

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

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August

Try to reduce your social & professional obligations. Get as much work done, alone, as you can. This is not a permanent hermit condition, just a little time of needed time off, time away from other human beings. You can love people, but you don’t need to be with them, all of the time. You could reveal a secret, or someone else could spill the beans about you. In either case, discretion would be a wise course to take.

Your charisma is strong and your personal magnetism is evident. People will vie for your time & attention. You may be invited to travel for business, pleasure. Long distance communication will bring you closer to your goals. You could use an objective opinion to see the situation more clearly. Ask your partner or a friend for their input. Relationships are the main event. Avoid difficulties, by being more open and honest, with your natural gentleness. Investigate new possibilities in matters of business & trade.

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

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September You know it is impossible to accomplish anything, if you try to do it alone. Bring your leadership qualities to the surface & help organize your mutual efforts. Your ability to communicate effectively will help you implement new ideas, procedures. Pay close attention to detail & don’t put serious issues on the back-burner. Objectivity is needed for you to make the best decision. The better choice should become very clear to you. Much to your surprise, your efforts will be rewarded. Realize your potential.

A careless remark could get you into trouble with a colleague, watch what you say. What you consider meaningless information can be very important to someone else. Compassionate friends could help you overcome your feeling of isolation. Positive emotions will promote healing, understanding. Your knowledge & good sense will help more than you expect. When you do something for yourself your energy flows more freely. Loved ones will lend much support.

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VOICE OF ASIA 19

CLASSIFIEDS

FRIDAY, March 4, 2016

Restaurant for Sale

Hardware Store for Rent or Sale

Restaurant for sale in the heart of Sugar land (Town square) MUST SELL. OWNER HAS HEALTH RESTRAINTS. Fully furnished with walk-in-freezer and cooler, Refrigerator, Tandoori oven, cooking stove, etc. Serious buyers only.

Hardware Store for Rent or Sale about 10000 sq ft due to ill health.

Contact Raj Patel at 281-376-8912

Please contact: 713-502-4528

INVESTOR DREAM

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M/WBE Supplier Opportunity

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VOICE OF ASIA

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VOICE OF ASIA 20

FRIDAY, March 4, 2016