Voice of Asia e paper July 15 2016 by VoiceOf Asia

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FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

HHS Proposes To Streamline Medicare Appeals Process

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Vol. 29 No. 29 Friday, July 15, 2016 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: voiceasia@aol.com

OUSTON, TX - Orissa Culture Center (OCC) and Sri Sitaram Foundation in collaboration with many cultural and religious organizations celebrated the 9th Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannatha of Puri Dham on 9th July, 2016 at the India House on West Bellfort.

OCC Chariot Festival in Houston - A Taste India to hold of India’s Grand Celebrations in Puri two roadshows in Houston

About 2000 devotees from many parts of greater Houston attended the day’s event. By all measure, this year’s celebration was a grand success in keeping with the mission of OCC to spread the philosophy of universal brotherhood and bring traditional art and culture such as dance, music and literature closer to the people of Houston. India’s minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

An auspicious beginning was marked by the Vedic tradition of “Havan” or the fire worship. This was officiated by the head priest Pt. Bibhudutta Mishra and the president of OCC Dr. Debananda Pati.

OUSTON | July 13, 2016 (PTI) : India will promote bidding of 67 discovered small oil fields in two international roadshows here which will be attended by Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan.

The main “Yajamana” doing the fire worship was Dr. Arun Verma accompanied with his wife Vini Verma.

Pradhan will pay an official visit to Houston, known for its oil and gas industries, and Washington between July 13 and 18, during which he will launch the international road show for the 67 DSF in Houston.

The Free Health Fair was organized by many doctors and the staff and they served many people continuously from morning till about noon. The main ritual of the deities started with “Naba Jaubana Darshana” around noon time. In this ritual, the deities of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva and

Image on the right: The Chariot carrying Lord Jagannatha seen leaving India House in a procession (Rath Yatra) on July Continued on Page 6 9th. Photo(s) credit: Debi.

“The two-day road show in Houston from July 14 will be held to promote the 67 Discovered Small Fields (DSF) Continued on Page 9

Turner, local leaders call for global peace at prayer vigil by Shobana Muratee

OUSTON - On Saturday, July 9th communities gathered in front of BangladeshAmerican Center for a prayer vigil to commemorate victims who died in the July 1 bombings in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Organized by BangladeshAmerican Center and American Bangladeshi community, it was also a unified stand against terrorism not only in Bangladesh but anywhere in the country and in the world. Addressing the gathering, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke about Houston’s diversity and called for global peace, harmony while condemning all acts of violence and terror. U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee gave her message of

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peace and Congressman Al Green also spoke about the #BlueLivesMatter movement and urged Houstonians to respect the serving officers. Other dignitaries present included State Rep Gene Wu, City Controller Chris Brown, Former Sheriff Adrian Garcia and community leaders. “The human values of respect and tolerance and dignity are not ‘Western’ but universal. We all here today because you care, ” Shah M Haleem, Chairman, BangladeshAmerican Center said at the vigil. “We must stand firmly against those who apologize for the terrorists and who misrepresent terrorist atrocities as ‘resistance’,” was his message.

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VOICE OF ASIA Publisher: Associate Publisher: Editor-in-Chief: Austin Correspondent: Print & Media Marketing: Marketing: Office Manager:

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

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All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the consent of the publisher. Voice of Asia assumes no liability resulting from action taken based on the information included herein. Published weekly by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074. Tel: 713-774-5140. Fax: 713-774-5143. Email for editorial submissions: voiceasia@aol.com; Email for advertising inquiries and submissions: ads@ voiceofasiagroup.com

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t is natural to look at last week’s horrific events and hope they are a turning point in our country’s tortured history of race relations and policing. In one three-day period, two black men were killed by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, and five officers in Dallas watching over a peaceful protest of police violence were shot to death by a black Army veteran upset at the treatment of black people by police. We’ve been here before, wracked by unspeakable tragedy. We’ve listened to our leaders eloquently implore their fellow Americans to change course. And the spirit of unity that emerges eventually dissipates, and the carnage continues. Will this time be different?

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

The United States needs a turning point away from racial violence There is optimism in the powerful symbolism of those who took the stage in Dallas Tuesday for a memorial service for the fallen officers, led by President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush. Democrats and Republicans, men and women, different races from different regions with different upbringings, sounding similar themes. And though it might be too much to expect one afternoon of speeches to change this thorny equation, we hope it’s a catalyst. Obama and Bush, in

particular, reflected each other. Bush’s repeated exhortation of “at our best” was echoed by Obama’s “the America I know,” each an appeal to our better selves. Bush correctly warned about disagreements that escalate too quickly into dehumanization, saying that all of us too often judge others by their worst behavior while judging ourselves by our best intentions. Obama rightly noted that for all the progress made in race relations, bias still exists, and that if each of us is honest, we might admit

we harbor our own prejudices. There is no legislative solution to our race problem. We know that, too. For a president who so often has pleaded for reform of gun laws, this time he focused on what’s in our heads and in our hearts, not what’s in our hands. Have an open heart, a new heart, he implored. Will we listen, at last, and rally around his words? Or be separated by them, and destroyed? Courtesy; Long Island Newsday Editorial Board.

he Madras High Court in Chennai, India, delivered a decision on Tuesday that was remarkable for its eloquence on the right to freedom of expression, on the centrality of this right to India’s democracy and on the state’s duty to protect it.

In India, a Spirited Defense of Writers

The decision was written by Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul in a case involving the Tamil-language author Perumal Murugan, who last Januarydeclared literary suicide, announcing: “Perumal Murugan, the writer is dead.” He had received threats from people who objected to his writings. His novel was publicly burned. He was also forced by local officials to write a humiliating apology after local caste groups and activists associated with the governing Bharatiya Janata

Justice Kaul concluded with this message: “Let the author be resurrected to what he is best at. Write.” A buoyed Mr. Murugan vowed, “I will get up.”

It is the policy of Voice of Asia to publish letters to the editor which evidence a variety of viewpoints. The opinions expressed in any particular letter to the editor are not necessarily those of the management. Voice of Asia welcomes letters in reply to issues raised in letters to editor. In as much letters to the editor are not articles written or researched by members of Voice of Asia, it is not the policy of the Voice of Asia to perform any investigation or confirmation of any facts or allegations contained in letters to the editor. Moreover, Voice of Asia reserves the right to edit letters to the editor as necessary to correct errors of fact, punctuation, spelling and to comply with space constraints. Although paid advertisements may appear in Voice of Asia Group Publications in print, online, or in other electronic formats, the Voice of Asia Group does not endorse the advertised product, service, or company, nor any of the claims made by the advertisement.

Party and its right-wing affiliate, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, charged that the book offended and demanded it be banned. Mr. Murugan’s novel, published in English translation in 2014 as “One Part Woman,” tells the story of a woman who plans to take part in a local religious ritual in which childless women have sex with strangers in order to conceive. Justice Kaul dismissed the idea that Mr. Murugan’s book be censored: “All writings, unpalatable for one section of the society, cannot be labeled as obscene, vulgar, depraving, prurient and immoral.” He underscored that, “One of the most cherished rights under

our Constitution is to speak one’s mind and write what one thinks.” Finally, he chided the book’s detractors with simple advice: “If you do not like a book, throw it away.”

This decision sends a strong message at a time when freedom of expression is under threat from government attempts to muzzle dissent, and from self-appointed morality enforcers affiliated with conservative groups. In May, Human Rights Watch issued a scathing report on the many

threats to free speech in India, including vaguely worded laws that criminalize speech on grounds of sedition or defamation, the use of the police to arrest people for free-speech offenses - rather than to protect citizens’ right to freedom of expression - and an alarming official tolerance for mob violence in pursuit of censorship. The decision belongs at the top of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reading list. Perhaps it will inspire him to remind officials and the police of their duty to protect citizens’ rights and to amend or repeal laws that are routinely used to stifle speech. Courtesy: New York Times Editorial Board.

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THE STORY OF MAHATMA GANDHI

First victory for the Satyagraha experiment

here had been a recent court decision in South Africa holding that Indian marriages were not recognized by law. The women could not brook this attack on family ties. They openly broke the law and were imprisoned in large numbers. In the coal mines at Newcastle, in Natal, Indian workers went on strike protesting against the repression. The arrests, the deportation of passive resisters, and the untold sufferings of Indian families angered the people of India. A large amount of money was collected for the relief of the victims. Now read on: Many satyagrahis were beaten and flogged, and some were even killed. Gandhi, who felt intensely the humiliation his people suffered, took a triple vow of self-suffering. He decided to dress like a poor laborer, to walk barefoot, and to have only one meal a day, till the poll-tax and other injustices were abolished. Gandhi found the Government relentless. There was no solution in sight. He had to take further measures. In October 1913, Gandhi organized a march of over 6,000 Indian workers from the Natal mining area into the Transvaal, although crossing into the Transvaal without a permit was not allowed by law Gandhi said, “We are going to march peacefully together across the border into the Transvaal. The Government will arrest us and put us in prison. We are to remain peaceful. This is the nonviolent way of protesting against the polltax, against the Government’s decision not to recognize our marriages, and against all the laws that are made against us. We are fighting for just causes, we will not harm anyone.” He then cried out to the people, “Are you ready to face arrest and harsh treatment, remaining always nonviolent?” Roars of assent assured him of everyone’s support. They were ready to follow Gandhi anywhere. And so the march into the Transvaal began. Late in the evening Gandhi was

Gandhi with Kasturbai in 1913 roused from sleep by several uniformed men. “I know,” he said, “you have come to arrest me. I am ready.” Gandhi and many other Indians were jailed. The mines were cordoned off by barbed wire and converted into temporary jails. The satyagrahis were beaten and flogged to force them to go back to work, but without success. The authorities could not make them return to work. Gandhi had aroused in them the spirit of quiet, dignified resistance. Soon the movement of passive resistance, or satyagraha, spread all through Natal and the Transvaal. The Government did not know what to do, because none yielded to their cruel treatment. The prisons were overflowing. At last General Smuts was obliged to act. He appointed a Commission to study the situation. In December 1913 Gandhi was released, but he would not give up the struggle. Gandhi threatened Smuts that he would start another march if his demands were not met. That march, however, never took place. The European employees of the railways in the Union went on strike, and this made the Government’s position extremely difficult. Gandhi decided to drop the idea of the march at such a critical time as he did not wish to embarrass the Government further. Gandhi ordered every Indian to go back to work, at least for the

Great Summer Project For children! Enter Mahatma Gandhi Week 2016 Essay, I-Tribute, Poster and Speech contests. Visit gandhilibrary.org for registration and more information. All school going children can participate! These contests are being organized to create higher awareness of the inspiring life and work of Mahatma Gandhi to promote universal values of Truth, Non-Violence, Love and Service time being. His decision created a good impression on the Government and even General Smuts recognized this courtesy. The Inquiry Commission reported in favor of all the essential reforms demanded by the Indian leaders. The Indians’ Relief Bill was at last passed and signed by the Governor. It abolished the polltax on indentured workers, declared absolutely legal all Indian marriages, and removed penalties for crossing from one State to another. Gandhi had won. And so had the satyagraha movement. Gandhi had been active in South Africa for 21 years and had contributed much to the welfare of the Indians in South Africa. Gandhi now felt that his mission in South Africa was over and he wanted to return to India. At that time Gokhale was in England. He wanted Gandhi to meet him ill London before returning to India. Gandhi promised to do so. Gandhi announced his decision to Kasturbai. “You are going to London with me,” he said. “From England we will go back to India.” Gandhi, with Kasturbai and Hermann Kallenbach, the white South African farmer sailed for England on July 18, 1914. On August 4, two days before he reached London, the first World War was declared. On arrival in London, Gandhi heard that Gokhale had gone to Paris for reasons of health. Communications were cut off between London and Paris because of the war. Gandhi was disappointed. He did not want to return to India without seeing Gokhale, so he stayed on in London. The war was on. What could Gandhi do in England? At the suggestion of some Indian friends, a meeting was called of the Indians in England. Gandhi expressed the view that Indians residing in England ought to do their bit in the war. English students had volunteered to serve in the army and Indians should do no less. There were objections to his views and many Indians were of the opinion that the war provided an opportunity to get freedom for India and that Indians should assert themselves and claim their rights.

Gandhi felt that England’s difficulty should not be turned into India’s opportunity. He insisted on rendering all possible help to England. He organized an ambulance corps which, in spite of many difficulties, helped the British in their time of need. After some time Gokhale returned to England. Gandhi and Kallenbach went to see him often and they talked together about the war and other matters. Then Gandhi had an attack of pleurisy and Gokhale and his friends were worried. Dr. Jivraj Mehta treated Gandhi but there was little relief. Gandhi was

still ill when Gokhale returned to India. As the pleurisy still persisted, Gandhi was advised to go back to India as soon as possible. He accepted the advice and returned to India. Gandhi was back in India after 12 long years. A great reception awaited him in Bombay. Gandhi was overwhelmed by the great love shown to him by the people. Gokhale was in Poona and was in poor health, so Gandhi went to see him. Gandhi told Gokhale that his plan was to have an ashram where he could settle down with his Phoenix family. They

had already reached India and were at Santiniketan. Gokhale approved of the idea and promised whatever help he could. Gandhi went to Rajkot and Porbandar to meet his relatives and then went on to Santiniketan. There Gandhi met poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore for the first time, as well as C. F. Andrews who was there too. During his short stay at Santiniketan Gandhi heard the sad news that Gokhale had passed away. He immediately left for Poona, C. F. Andrews accompanying him as far as Burdwan. — To be continued..

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C OMMUNITY VOICE OF ASIA

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

Second Front Page

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TAMFORD, CT: The Maheshwari Mahasabha of North America’s 8th biennial convention, hosted by the New England Chapter, was held at Stamford Hilton, July 1 to 4, 2016

Tel: 713-774-5140

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Maheshwari Mahasabha of North America International Maheshwari Rajasthani Convention 2016: A Youthful Gathering

The Chief Guest, Hon. Mrs. Mridula Sinha, Governor of Goa, was unable attend in person. She sent a video message complimenting the work of MMNA in bringing the community together to keep Rajasthani sanskar (heritage) rooted in the younger generation.

The Saturday Chapter Bollywood Masala Night (tarang night) was a fierce yet friendly battle among all chapters’ enactment of Bollywood stories with individual twists. The New England host chapter produced a welcome musical extravaganza with its own unique song composition.

Guests of Honor, Mr. Vinod K. Agrawal, Special Chief Secretary, Govt. of Telangana, Mr. Govind Chandak, prominent businessman, and Dr. Kamal Taori, retired IAS officer, all spoke at length about the issues close to their hearts. A lifetime achievement award was conferred on Mr. Hanuman Das Lahoti hailing from Detroit, Michigan. This award is given for dedicated lifetime service and for helping in the advancement of the Maheshwari community.

The RAYS (The Rajasthanis Abroad Youth Samaj) at the Rajasthani Convention

MMNA President, Parag Bajaj, was given a special excellence in leadership award for his many initiatives including matrimonial website and for his inclusive leadership style.

The convention catered to all age groups with their diverse interests. Both Sakhis & RAYS held several breakout sessions to keep the Rajasthani culture and tradition alive and increase awareness among the youth.

A number of breakout sessions were held for all age groups through-out the three day convention that included College Planning, Business and Entrepreneurship, Taxes/Estate Planning, Retirement, and Matrimonial. While the young singles connected through speed dating, their parents pooled their resources in two matrimonial sessions.

During Sakhi Milan, snack packs and backpacks with school supplies were assembled and later donated to Inspirica homeless shelter in Stamford and Cradles to Crayons located in Boston. Women assembled pencil pouches with supplies for a school in Rajasthan and made plush toys for hospitalized children in Stamford. In keeping with the spirit of 4th of July, women made bracelets and wrote letters to US troops.

MMNA maintains a matrimonial website with profiles in its database limited to US residents only. Since its creation, several alliances resulting in marriages have taken place. Explaining the rising rate of youth participation, the Convention Convener, Mona Khaitan surmised that “frequently families tend to hold a mini reunion during the convention. Once here, the youth identify with the inclusive and relevant programming organized by RAYS and

“We were pleasantly surprised with the number of youth who not only attended the convention this year, but also actively engaged in our RAYS events! After months of hard work and planning, this weekend definitely exceeded our expectations,” said Priya Malani

The first evening spotlight was on Youth 13 to 35 years old who entered into a friendly competition in MMNA’s Got Talent (rang night). The audience was amazed at the variety and sophistication of the acts. The non-competing New England host chapter’s grand opening performance of modern day composition of the Ramayana got rave reviews. The visuals in the background were superb and the modern era songs fit the historical story of Ramayana perfectly, all done with great finesse and sensitivity.

Special Guest of Honor, Consul General of India in New York, Mrs. Riva Ganguly Das, delivered a message of goodwill towards the community and looked forward to working with the community leaders.

The most notable highlight of the convention was the record attendance by the Maheshwari youth as 120 of the 650 attendees were youth ages 21 to 35, known as RAYS (The Rajasthanis Abroad Youth Samaj).

join future events willingly without any need for further coaxing.”

Manchanda, President of RAYS. Heartened by the enthusiastic response from the younger generation, one of the founding members of MMNA, Vimal Sodhani of Sodhani Foundation, declared a major initiative to assist MMNA in providing seed money to develop young entrepreneurs. The foundation plans to donate $100,000 each year to MMNA. Said Vimal Sodhani, “I felt that there is great potential of developing a few of our youths as entrepreneurs by helping them financially.” MMNA has an existing Educational Fund that has helped scores of needy students. Over $40,000 was raised during the convention to augment this fund. Little known are the many Mahesh-

waris that still reside in Pakistan. A record contingent of 60 people of Pakistani origin attended the convention

On the very glamorous Sunday Gala Night (umang night), several New England luminaries in singing and dancing performed. All the artists lead professional lives as IT consultants, engineers, and faculty while being passionate about music as well. One of the lead singers - Anuradha Palakurthi unveiled a new song written in Marwari specifically composed for the convention. Emcees Archana Panda and Preteesh Shrivastava kept the audience engaged with situation appropriate poetical humor and could not restrain themselves from dancing with the audience towards the end of the program. Three internationally recognized kavis, Ana Dehalvi, Mahendra Ajnabi, and Sardar Manjit Singh visiting from India, joined our own well known kavitri Archana Panda from Bay area on stage for Kavi Sammelan. The laughter was loud and two hours appeared to vanish in a few minutes! For more information on the convention, contact Vijay Pallod at 713.562.1920 or visit www.mmna.org

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Consul General hosts Iftar to Indian Muslims in Houston

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The Consul General Anupam Ray addressing the gathering at his residence during the Iftar.

Guests at the Consul General Iftar function seen offering prayers. OUSTON - An Iftar was hosted by the Consul General of India in Houston Anupam Ray at his residence on Briar Drive, on Wednesday, June 29 in observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan. Indian American Muslims, friends and media were invited to partake in the celebrations.

Members of Houstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many faiths including leading Indian American Muslims organization, IMAGH were among the guests present. Indonesian Consul General and his wife were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.

Addressing a gathering larger then expected, including some traveling from Dallas to break fast together with fellow Houstonians, CG Ray said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Food, consequently is being served in disposable tableware. Amongst other things, the attendance today may convince my bosses in Delhi that my office needs more resources! Perhaps faith will overcome our legendary bureaucracy.â&#x20AC;?

Welcoming the guests, Consul General Ray said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I come

And Indians have been observing Ramadan for centuries.

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FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

OCC Chariot Festival in Houston - A taste of India’s... Continued from Page 1 Devi Subhadra were put on gorgeous attire and appeared with newly decorated and beautified form in front of his beloved devotees. The afternoon rituals included the “Chappana Bhoga” or the offering of fifty six types of delicious food for the Lords and a devotional session by devotees of OCC and other organizations. Prominent among them was the ‘Namadwara’ of Pearland headed by Sri Sriram Ji. Devotees sang the glories of Lord Jagannatha in the form of

Head priest Pt. Bibhudutta Mishra and the president of OCC Dr. Debananda Pati initiated the program with Havan.

Devotees seen carrying Lord Jagannatha to the chariot. Photos by Debi.

Spectacular Odissi dance performances by local dance schools teachers and students. Gita Govindam, Dasavataram and the chanting of the name of the Lord. The “Nrityanjali” cultural program of the evening consisted of several classical and folk dances presented by Houston based dance schools such as “Anjali School of Performing Arts”, “Kalangana School of Odissi”, “Abhinaya School of Performing Arts” and “Natya Upasana Dance Academy”. The visiting dance troupe Adruta left the audience mesmerized through their skills in the classical as well as folk dances. The last dance item portraying the Vedic Philosophy around

the stories of creation was a treat for the soul. During this segment of the program, the yearly publication of the Rath Yatra magazine “NANDIGHOSHA” was distributed among the assembled devotees. The magazine covers many aspects of Jagannatha Philosophy and also recognizes sponsors of the event. The last segment of the celebration was the Pahandi, Chariot Pulling and Dinner Prasad for all devotees. The celebration of this scale is possible with the help of many supporting organizations. The Houston City Art Alliance sup-

Ladies carry Devi Subhadra adorned in gorgeous attire

Children seen performing and participating in the puja.

Kroger introduces Online grocery Shopping in Greater Houston HOUSTON (KTRK) -- ClickList service offers customers access to purchase 40,000 products from their desktop or mobile device for curbside pick-up. ClickList, an online grocery ordering service, at select stores in the area, including Baytown (6315 Garth Road), Cypress (9703 Barker Cypress Road), Galveston (5730 Seawall Boulevard), Kingwood (25651 U.S. Highway 59 North), Tomball (24350 Kuykendahl Road) Willis (12605 I-45 N), Rosenberg (24401 Brazos Town Xing) and Friendswood . As an introductory offer, Kroger will waive the $4.95 service charge for a customer’s first three orders. Twenty-two locations are expected to operate the new CLICK LIST service by the beginning of this Fall. How does ClickList work? A customer goes to www.kroger.com and creates a free, online account.

Next, the customer selects a participating store and selects from 40,000 offered products, which are categorized and sorted for easy viewing and selection. The customer builds their digital cart by clicking and adding products. Once the customer has completed their online shopping, they select an available pick-up time. A dedicated ClickList employee is then assigned the order and handpicks the customer’s items based on personal preferences provided. The products are stored appropriately (including refrigeration or freezing) until the customer arrives for pick up. Finally, the customer drives up to the clearly marked pick-up area to notify the ClickList team of their arrival, and to pay and have the groceries loaded to their car. Over the next few months, Kroger plans to introduce ClickList to additional stores located in Beaumont, Cypress, Energy Corridor, Oak Forest, Northeast Houston, Katy, Kingwood, League City, Richmond, Spring, Sugar Land, and West University.

ported and sponsored cause of ADRUTA dance academy that fosters and nurtures orphaned, abandoned and neglected children. For details, about the mission and different projects under taken by the Orissa Culture Center please visit www.orissaculturecenter.org. For details about the present and past chariot festivals organized by OCC, please visit www.houstonrathyatra. org. You may also connect on https://www.facebook.com/ HoustonRathYatra. For Orissa Culture Center (OCC) and Sri Sitaram Foundation.

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DIASPORA

VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

Harvard Medical Symposium on Integrative Indian-American named US university dean Medicine and Role of Yoga and Ayurveda

Dr. Kinshuk, dean of University of North Texas College of Information in the US. Photo credit: ci.unt.edu

Speakers and experts on Ayurveda who attended the Symposium on Integrative Medicine and Role of Yoga and Ayurveda BOSTON, June 29, 2016 - A one-day Symposium on Integrative Medicine and Role of Yoga and Ayurveda was convened by multiple organizations spearheaded by the Indo-American Health Initiatives at the Gordon Hall of Harvard School of Medicine, Boston. Experts in the field of research, and integrative practice of Yoga and Ayurveda came together to deliberate on the current status, challenges and future growth of Integrative medicine. Today the entire health and wellness industry faces challenges of access, rising cost, standardization and quality control. The purpose of this symposium was to address the solutions to these key issues by bringing in the experts that will contribute to transform the healthcare of the emerging world with integrative approach bringing ancient systems of Ayurveda and Yoga with conventional medicine via research and development, high level education and entrepreneurial business partnership. Mr. Kanchan Banerjee, Vice President of Global Indian

Business Council and Co-Convener of the Symposium, as a chair of the inaugural session provided the initial objective of the effort to serve the society. In his welcome address Dr. Darshan H. Mehta, Medical Director, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Harvard Medical School, expressed his pleasant surprise on the fast pace rise of the use of Yoga and Ayurveda in the practice of medicine. Mr. Shripad Yasso Naik, Minister of State, Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India could not attend the even due to last minute engagement in New Delhi sent a video message and promised full support to advance the knowledge and practice of Ayurveda and Yoga for healthcare worldwide. He called this event as a historic step forward for Integral Medicine. This was followed by several keynote addresses. First was Dr. H R Nagendra, Chancellor, SVYASA University in Bangalore India outlined a list of scientific research for the past 30 years, and requested scientists and physicians to join hands with Indians

scientists and experts in Ayurveda and Yoga to place these practices on solid foundation. Dr. Greg Fricchione, Director, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, suggested that resilience to stress, as practiced in yoga, has been verified at the systems biology level. He also added that traditional sciences approach and understanding of human dynamics is at a high level in relation to energy and function. The session concluded with a detailed presentation by the state Health Commissioner of Massachusetts Dr. Monica Bharel, who was emphatic in her support to Ayurveda and Yoga for providing holistic healthcare especially to underserved communities. A session reviewing basic research in Yoga and Ayurveda was chaired by Dr. Dinesh Patel, former Chairman of Board of Registration in Medicine, State of Massachusetts and Associate Clinical Professor Harvard Medical School and a well-known Ortho surgeon at MGH. He noted that access, quality, safety and affordability in Health and welfare of

millions should be the mission health care professionals and this event is significant towards this direction. Several speakers spoke on various related subjects. Dr. Manjunath S K, Director International Affairs & Director R&D, S-VYASA, India: Research and funding status on Ayurveda & Yoga in India and worldwide. Dr. Sara lazar, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School: Impact of Meditation on brain, body and mind. Dr. Richard Fletcher, mobile technology group at MIT DLab: Mindfulness Research. Dr. Robert Saper, Chair of the Academic Consortium of Integrative Medicine and Healthcare at Boston University, suggested that Ayurveda take cue from the success of Yoga to become popular by more research to ensure safe and effective use. Dr. Ariana Vora, Harvard Medical, Spaulding Rehab and Mass General Hospital spoke to the effect of continuous exchange and education between conventional medicine and traditional systems, integrating the best of the east with the best of the west.

OUSTON, July 13, 2016 PTI | An Indian-American professor with a diverse set of academic experience in the field of science and technology has been named the dean of a leading US university.

tional Science and Engineering Council of Canada.

Dr. Kinshuk, who goes by single name, has been named the dean of University of North Texas College of Information in the US.

“We look forward to Dr Kinshuk working with our faculty to articulate a clear vision for the future of the College of Information.”

He received his doctoral degree from De Montfort University in England, a master of science in mechanical computer aided engineering from Strathclyde University in Scotland and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from University of Rajasthan in India.

Kinshuk will start his new position from August 15.

Since 2010, he served as an associate dean at Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada, where he helped lead the Faculty of Science and Technology. In that role, he helped start new graduate programmes, gained external research funding, developed strategies for student recruitment and promoted senior students and alumni to serve as mentors for new students. Prior to this, he served as director in the School of Computing and Information Systems. Kinshuk also served as Industrial Research Chair in Adaptivity and Personalisation in Informatics for the Na-

“Dr Kinshuk brings with him great leadership and research experience,” Finley Graves, provost and vice president for academic affairs at UNT, said in a statement.

“I’m really looking forward to joining such a progressive university and my esteemed new colleagues. I know the College of Information has high expectations and I hope to meet them and raise those even more,” said Kinshuk. Kinshuk’s career also includes a variety of other academic positions. At Massey University in New Zealand, Kinshuk was the director of the Advanced Learning Technologies Research Center, as well as an associate professor, and before that, a senior lecturer. He also was a research fellow for the German National Research Centre for Information Technology in St. Augustin, Germany. Earlier in his career he was an instructor at the Academy of Computer Education in India, as well as a part-time lecturer at the Government Polytechnic College in India.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

Mayor Turner Invites Creative Indo American Forum of Fort Placemaking Grant Proposals Bend plans a busy Fall Season to share, care and support!

Mayor Sylvester Turner is calling for Houston’s best ideas to endorse for the national Our Town grant program.

culture, and you won’t find a better place to ignite the power of the arts across sectors, than right here in Houston.”

The National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town grant is interested in projects that bring arts and culture to impact community priorities such as public safety, health, blight and vacancy, environment, job creation, equity, local business development, civic participation, and/ or community cohesion. Successful projects will improve the livability of communities, create opportunities for all and empower local residents.

The Our Town grant program supports creative placemaking projects that help to transform communities into lively, beautiful, and resilient places with the arts at their core. Our Town requires partnerships between arts organizations and government, other nonprofit organizations, and private entities to achieve livability goals for communities. This grant provides an opportunity to embrace the expanding role culture plays in our community.

“I know the depth of talent and creativity we have in this city,” said Mayor Turner. “Houston is one of the best places in the world for arts and

The National Endowment for the Arts limits the number of Our Town grant applicants per city and requires a letter of en-

dorsement from the Mayor. Applications that respond to the City’s Arts and Cultural Plan will be most competitive for an endorsement.

In order to be considered for endorsement, applicants should submit their complete Our Town applications no later than August 8, 2016 to Cultural. Affairs@houstontx.gov. Successful applicants will receive endorsement notification by September 1, 2016. For more about the Arts and Cultural Plan visit: http://www. houstontx.gov/culturalaffairs/ artsandculturalplan.html. For more about the Our Town grant program visit: https:// www.arts.gov/grants-organizations/our-town/introduction.

Expecting and new moms invited to Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Community Baby Shower

UGAR LAND – (July 11, 2016) — Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Birthing Center invites expecting and new moms – along with their partners and babies – to its annual Community Baby Shower on Wednesday, Aug. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature demonstrations on how to safely use baby carriers, presentations on the importance of safe sleeping practices, and a Sugar Land police officer will be speaking about car seat safety. In addition, lactation consultants from the Birthing Center

nity for new moms to speak directly with someone who understands their concerns,” said Donna Timmer, lactation consultant. “In the past, we’ve had great discussion at this event, and it’s been a very beneficial experience for our attendees.” Timmer says new moms, their partners and babies are welcome to stop by any time during the shower, which will be held in the Sweetwater Pavilion on the Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital campus. Demonstrations will be repeated several times throughout the event, and light

From L to R, IAF board members, Naren Patel, Subodh Bhuchar, Sarah White of Second Mile Ministries, and Harish Jajoo

it’s also a great outreach program,” said Timmer. “Our goal is to celebrate new and expecting moms and help them master the techniques they need to know in order to care for their newborns. Sometimes a mom gets home from the hospital and realizes that she needs additional support or information, and we’re here to help.”

ORT BEND - Even as the dead heat of the summer grinds on, the Indo American Forum of Fort Bend is busy at work planning its two signature events, the grand Navratri Garba, always a highly popular event, playing to a packed house, scheduled for September 24 at the Stafford Center.

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital hosts its annual Community Baby Shower in recognition of World Breastfeeding Week. For more information about Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Birthing Center, visit hous-

This will be followed by the Spirit of the Holidays Gala, on Friday, November 11, at Safari Texas, which will highlight the diverse holidays celebrated in Fort Bend and honor a wide spectrum of charitable organizations with donations of sup-

port. Both events help the Indo American Forum of Fort Bend raise funds to extend support to a variety of non profit organizations in Fort Bend which provide education, shelter, food and resources to those in need. In fact, in response to the recent severe flooding disaster, IAF responded promptly to the urgent need of so many displaced families in need, by making a donation to the Second Mile Ministries, who were the coordinating agency of the relief effort. While the opportunity to dis-

tribute free water at the Memorial Day service was cancelled because of the river flooding, Indo American Forum of Fort Bend donated the water to the ARC of Fort Bend to use for its Special Olympics. IAF also invites its membership and families to a Back to School Hawaiian Luau and General Body Meeting set for Sunday, August 28, details of which will be sent to the membership. Indo American Forum of Fort Bend invites the community to participate in and enjoy these events and thus make significant contributions to important causes, as a unified body.

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Brigitte Tomek, Yamuna Mangaly, Judy Jacob-Mathew, Amy Cheng, Pat Henke, Julie Valenzuela, Donna Timmer, Lindsey Salazar, Debbie Roehm. Mona Seele and Anita Joseph. will be available to talk oneon-one with moms and provide guidance and support.

refreshments will be provided. Attendees can also participate in several drawings.

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ployees (doctors, nurses, and non-clinical staff) and aims to improve the patient experience. The hope is that visitors will find the art work comforting, and even provide something to talk about during their time at MHMC.

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 9

Indian Muslims to host 7th Annual Eid Milan by Hafeeza Shaik

OUSTONIndian Muslim Association of Greater Houston (IMAGH), will be celebrating Eid Milan this Saturday, July 16, 2016. This will be the 7th annual Eid Milan serving the Houston community. This event is held every year to celebrate Eid – ul –Fitr, a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Congressman Al Green is the Chief Guest and Indo American Political Action Committee (IPAC) is the Guest Organization. The new Consul General of India, Dr. Anupam Ray will be the Guest of Honor (if he

comes back from Washington in time). Dr. Fatima Mawji, a noted Community leader is the Event Chair. Munir Ibrahim and Dr. Yunus Langha are the Organizing Committee Co- Chairs for this year’s Eid Milan. The event will hold a Cultural Fashion Show by Jasmeeta Singh and also include a short skit about unity of all religions by Fatehali Chatur. As every year, there will be a live performance by a well- known musician and this year, Vishwakarma Raj will entertain with his rendition of Mohammed Rafi’s songs. The Eid Milan event promotes the message of peace, unity, tolerance, and continues

to break the boundaries between communities, cultures, and religions. IMAGH is a non-profit, non-religious, and non-political organization serving the South Asian community. IMAGH is the umbrella for two other organizations, Club 65 and South Asian Youth Alliance (SAYA). Club 65’s purpose is to provide activities for seniors and keep them educated, entertained, and active in the community. SAYA is a platform for the youth to explore their heritage, promoting South Asian identity, networking, and developing leadership. For more information about the event, call its President, Latafath Hussain, at 713-2696171 or at latafath@imagh.org

Houston Fights Hunger Season With Summer Meals Free Summer Meals Continue to be served at Hundreds of Locations across Houston [HOUSTON] – The Texas Hunger Initiative and Houston Parks and Recreation Department, are excited to announce the Keep Summer Going campaign. Jeremy Everett, Executive Director of the Texas Hunger Initiative, will join State Senator Sylvia Garcia, USDA Southwest Regional Administrator Bill Ludwig, and City of Houston Director of Education Juliet Stipeche to serve summer meals to children and teens. The celebration at Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center will help connect more area youth to healthy and nutrition resources by raising awareness about the free Summer Meals Program. “For many kids, summertime means food, friends and fun. For families who count

on school breakfast and lunch, however, the summer months can be stressful and family food budgets often have to be stretched even further,” Everett said. “During the summer, kids can also lose out on multiple months of learning and physical activity that they would normally get at school.” The Summer Meals program works to address both needs, as sites often have physical and educational activities to go along with free meals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers free summer meals to all kids and teens ages 18 and younger at various sites across Houston including community centers, churches, recreation centers, parks and more—all summer long. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of children eligible for free or reducedprice lunch participated in the free Summer Meals program

last year. The Keep Summer Going campaign aims to heighten awareness of and provide information about the Summer Meals program to increase participation, as well as to highlight the strong local leadership of community partners. Free summer meals will be provided to all children and youth ages 18 and younger. Children do not need to be enrolled to participate. No paperwork, registration, or proof of income required. Families can visit www.summerfood. org, call 211, or text FOODTX or COMIDA to 877-877 to find the nearest meal site. Who: State Senator Sylvia Garcia USDA Regional Administrator Bill Ludwig Texas Hunger Initiative Director Jeremy Everett City of Houston Director of Education Juliet Stipeche

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FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

India to hold two roadshows ... Continued from page 1 Bid Round 2016,” a Petroleum Ministry source here told PTI. Pradhan will also hold meetings with various think-tanks working in hydrocarbon sector both, in Houston and Washington. He will also visit technology centres working in oil and gas spheres, petroleum ministry said in a statement. Pradhan will be accompanied by K D Tripathi, Secretary, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Senior officers and Chairman and Managing Directors of leading Oil companies ONGC. During the Interactive meet scheduled to take place on July 14 and 15, the delegation of senior government officials and leaders of Indian oil & gas companies, led by Pradhan will

interact with CEO’s of USbased E&P companies, group of Indian scientists from the field of Hydrocarbon research, members of US India Business Council (USIBC) and group of investors. Pradhan will also inaugurate the ‘Data Centre’ in Houston on July 13 which can be accessed by all interest investors to view the technical data related to the small fields being offered under the upcoming bid round. These DSF of the Oil and Natural Gas Commission and Oil India could not be monetized during the previous years and are being offered for international bidding now. Bidding will open between July 15 and October 31. The offered fields hold 625 million barrels of oil and gas reserves. Of the 46 small fields, 26 are on land, 18 offshore in

shallow water and two in deep water. While 28 discoveries are in the Mumbai offshore, 14 others are in the east coast’s KrishnaGodavari basin. Eventual operators will be issued a single licence for exploration of conventional and nonconventional hydrocarbons and will have the freedom to sell oil and gas at “arms length” market prices. The auction will be under the new Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) approved in March, based on a revenue-sharing model as opposed to cost-and- outputbased norms earlier. Pradhan is also likely to visit Washington on July 18 where he may meet US Secretary of Energy Ernest Jeffrey Moniz to review issues of bilateral hydrocarbon cooperation.

VOICE OF ASIA 10

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

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Global push to make Mediterranean diet sexy again

It also puts at risk of extinction local skills and traditions such as harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry and conservation. Healthy eating has not fallen by the wayside completely: the Mediterranean diet is a hit with “educated people and those who belong to higher social classes” in Greece, Trichopoulou said. “It is more related to a social problem and education than money, because vegetables and fruits are relatively cheap,” she said, but people are cooking less and advertisements promote sugary or preserved products.

by Céline CORNU

ILAN, Italy | AFP | - It may be on the UNESCO heritage list, but global experts warn the Mediterranean diet, prized for its health benefits, is losing so much ground to the fast food culture that the decline may be irreversible.

But the diet, which the United Nations also praises for promoting hospitality, neighbourliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, is going rapidly out of fashion.

E W DELHI, India | AFP | 7/9/2016 - India’s peaceful tourist hotspot Kerala has become the first state in the country to impose a “fat tax” on junk food in a bid to counter rising obesity.

While India has high rates of malnutrition, The state’s fi- lifestyle-related health problems including nance minister diabetes and obesity are also major issues, Thomas Isaac an- particularly in cities. AFP nounced a 14.5 percent tax on a deterrent,” Rajan N Khobrafood including burgers, pizzas gade, the state’s commissioner and sandwiches sold at restau- of commercial taxes, told The rants and fast-food chains, as Times of India newspaper. part of the local government’s However, most high-fat annual budget. snacks and other fast-food The government said it hopes items in India are still sold that the move will not only by largely unregulated street generate additional revenue for vendors rather than branded the state but also deter people chains. from consuming junk food. While India has high rates of “There has been an alarming malnutrition, lifestyle-related trend in growth of unhealthy health problems including diaeating habits among Keralites betes and obesity are also major and we hope the fat tax will be issues, particularly in cities.

‘Princesses have hair’: French women fight fuzz stigma

Rich in vegetables, fruits, cereals and extra virgin olive oil, the Mediterranean diet is based on a moderate consumption of fish, dairy products, eggs, red wine, and a small amount of meat. Found to varying degrees in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, it was named in 2010 onto UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list for seven countries, from Croatia to Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

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India’s Kerala imposes ‘fat tax’ on junk food

costs, dropping the diet also has an impact on the environment since “almost 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from food production,” he said.

A chef is peeling fruits at the kitchen area of “Philoxenos,” the main dining facility at the Olympic Village in Athens, on the day of its official inauguration, July 29, 2004. (AFP).

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

ARIS, AFP - French women took to Twitter with pictures of hairy armpits and legs Tuesday to fight the stigma over female body hair -- a divisive topic which had many bristling.

Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity could prevent many diabetes cases, experts say (AFP Photo/Giulio Napolitano). Between 20 to 30 percent have ditched it altogether, Serra-Majem said.

“In Greece, it has decreased by 70 percent over the last 30 years, in Spain 50 percent”, Lluis Serra-Majem, head of the International Foundation of Mediterranean Diet, told AFP at a recent conference in Milan.

And it’s the same in Greece, says Antonia Trichopoulou from the Hellenic Health Foundation. Unsurprisingly, over 65-year- olds are the best at eating traditional dishes, while the youngest generations have succumbed to the lure of fast food.

The experts, from Israel to New Zealand to Sweden, explored ways to revive the diet, from making it appealing to teenagers, to persuading people to buy fresh and sometimes costlier food in a period of economic crisis.

“The decline has various causes. We are witnessing a globalization of eating habits, with (the spread of) the ‘Western diet’”, said Serra-Majem, pointing a finger of blame at the growth of the tourism sector in particular.

In Spain, celebrities like actress Penelope Cruz may add some glamour with their love of Mediterranean cuisine, but ever fewer people are enticed.

It has been more marked in coastal areas, particularly in Spain or on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

Less than 15 percent of the Spanish population still eats a Mediterranean diet, while 50 to 60 percent do so sometimes.

“Uncontrolled tourism leads to high urbanization and... increased consumption of meat, refined flours and a reduction of

the traditional diet, “ he said. - Oranges in Ibiza The change in eating habits is having a significant impact on public health with the rise of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes among populations previously known for their longevity. Seven in 10 Greek adults are now overweight or obese, and about 11 percent have diabetes, according to Trichopoulou. The Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity could prevent many diabetes cases, said Serra-Majem. While some regions are doing better at resisting fast food -- such as southern Italy and northern Africa -- the race is on to find a way to slow or reverse the diet’s decline, with the meeting in Milan just one such bid to save it.

What’s needed is to encourage initiatives in local communities and find a way of selling sustainable tourism -- including a return to local food production -- even in mass tourism areas, says independent expert Florence Egal. In Spain’s Balearic Islands, including the hugely popular Majorca and Ibiza, “thousands of tourists eat at buffets in large hotels”, while “in the countryside orange trees are weighed down with unpicked fruit”, which rots because imported oranges cost less. And she warns, as groves are abandoned and migration to cities increases, the Mediterranean diet takes one more step towards becoming a thing of the past.

The hashtag #LesPrincessesOntDesPoils (Princesses have hair) was the top trending topic on French Twitter with over 25,000 mentions as a furore erupted over whether women should remove body hair or go au naturel. The hashtag was launched by 16-year-old Adele Labo, who told AFP she had “suffered enormously” from mocking and teasing at school when she refused to shave. “I think society stigmatises women, there is massive social pressure over body hair,” she said. From the middle ages when Queen Elizabeth I removed her eyebrows to modern debates over stars like Madonna seen with a bit of arm hair, female body fuzz has long been a contentious topic. Labo, who already has a blog with pictures of her natu-

ral hair, invited others to post images of theirs. While many praised her initiative, she was also the target of insults from both men and women who declared the pictures “disgusting” and those who posted them “feminazis”. The teenager said she does not think all women should steer clear of razors and wax, but they should merely be allowed to freely choose how to treat their bodies. Body hair removal dates as far back as ancient Greece and Egypt, but really took off in the 20th century when Gillette sold the first razor for women in 1915, declaring body hair “unsightly”. From feminism in the 1960s and 70s making it fashionable in some circles to leave the body as it is, to the growth of pornography popularising pubic hair removal, it has been a hairy ride for female grooming. Several tried to lighten the mood on Twitter, with men posting pictures of their hairy torsos -- while others merely put up pictures of their pets.

As well as the health fallout and associated medical

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Pokemon Go mania drives players into wild outdoors

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

Myanmar to deport Spanish tourist for Buddha tattoo: police

ANGON, Myanmar | A Spanish tourist faces deportation from Myanmar over a Buddha leg tattoo that offended monks, police said Monday, in a country where the influence of religious hardliners is growing. The man was initially detained in Bagan, an ancient town in central Myanmar where tourists flock to visit thousands of picturesque temples and pagodas. “Monks in Bagan saw a Buddha tattoo on his right leg because he was wearing shorts. They informed us as it’s not appropriate,” a police officer in Bagan told AFP, requesting anonymity, adding that the Spaniard was promptly sent back to Yangon. A police official at Yangon airport, who also asked not to be named, confirmed the detention and said the man would be deported to Bangkok on Monday evening. People play the augmented reality mobile game “Pokemon Go” by Nintendo in Bryant Park, New York City, U.S. July 11, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Kauzlarich.

by Glenn CHAPMAN

AN FRANCISCO - Pokemon Go mania has quickly swept the US as players armed with smartphones hunt streets, parks, rivers and elsewhere to capture monsters and gather supplies in the hit game. The free application based on a Nintendo title that debuted 20 years ago has been adapted to the mobile internet age by Niantic Labs, a company spun out of Google last year after breaking ground with Ingress, a game that merged mapping capabilities with play. By Monday, Pokemon Go had been downloaded millions of times, topping rankings at official online shops for applications tailored for smartphones powered by Apple or Google-backed Android software. According to the research firm SimilarWeb, the game was downloaded in more than five percent of Android phones in the first two days of release and had outpaced the dating app Tinder. The game uses GPS and mapping capabilities in mobile phones to let players roam the real world to find “PokeStops” stocked with supplies and hunt cartoon character monsters to capture and train for battles. PokeStops can also dispense monster eggs, which players incubate by racking up walking distances. Players can also visit “gyms,” where captured cartoon creatures can be conditioned as combatants to seize such training facilities. “It’s cool to actually play as a Pokemon trainer in real life,” said Lucas Garcia, a 17-year-old California boy who has been a fan for more than a decade.

“It is nice to have a video game that makes you actually walk around instead of sitting in front of a TV screen holding a controller.” - ‘Ingress’ footsteps -People who played Ingress will recognize PokeStops and gyms, many being monuments, signs, businesses or other real world spots that served as “portals” that could be captured in the earlier Niantic game. “We have helped users all around the world have fun, socialize, and get more fit as they play and explore,” Niantic chief executive John Hanke said in a blog post when Pokemon Go was released last week in the US, Australia and New Zealand. A tidal wave of interest in the game has bogged down servers hosting the software, frustrating some players and delaying plans to launch Pokemon Go in more countries. “I downloaded it because everyone that I know has liked Pokemon since before fifth grade,” said California teenager Owen Fairchild, who is now in college. “Now that I have it, I get it. I never really walked around, but a couple of days ago, I walked across the island... and I hatched two fivekilometer (three-mile) eggs.” A young woman playing Pokemon Go came upon a dead body in a Wyoming river while hunting a water monster in the game, according to US news reports. Pokemon Go comes with warnings to players to remain aware of their surroundings. Fairchild told of being so engrossed in the game that he has walked into things on sidewalks.

Some US authorities are advising players to avoid breaking the law by trespassing in places that aren’t open to the public in the search for cartoon creatures, and saying that some players have been targeted by criminals. “If you use this app (or other similar apps) or have children that do, we ask you to please use caution,” the O’Fallon, Missouri Police Department said on its Facebook page. The department also warned that robbers were preying on players drawn to rich troves of Pokemon monsters in parking lots or other places where victims might be vulnerable. - Catching monsters Pokemon monsters can be seen through smartphone cameras, with characters appearing in whatever real settings are in view. They are caught by hitting them with virtual balls tossed by swiping across touch screens. “I’ll walk up to a PokeStop and see all of these people standing around flicking their fingers across their phones,” Garcia said. “It’s comforting to know there are a lot of us nerdy types out there.” Pokemon Go is not just heavily downloaded, it is being kept by players and, in the majority of cases, played daily on a scale that already rivals the use ot Twitter, according to industry trackers. People are also spending money to buy virtual items. “I have always liked the idea of going around the real world to collect and catch Pokemon; it has been a dream of mine,” Garcia said. Nintendo, Google and Pokemon Company all invested in Niantic after it spun off from the California-based Internet company.

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Portrayals of Buddha can land foreigners in hot water. Last year a New Zealand bar manager spent 10 months in jail for “insulting religion” by using a Buddha image to promote a cheap drinks night. A Canadian tourist and practising Buddhist was detained in 2014 for sporting a leg tattoo of Buddha. Although many Buddhists, particular Western adherents, boast tattoos of the religion’s founder, it can cause offence in some nations where the faith is practiced. A British nurse was thrown out of Sri Lanka in 2014 for a Buddha tattoo on her arm despite her insistence she was a devotee who got inked as a mark of respect. In Thailand, airports put up posters warning visitors not to get Buddha tattoos or buy statues. Countries like Myanmar and Thailand believe the body becomes less sacred from the head down, making Buddha leg tattoos particularly problematic.

Stop taking stupid selfies, Croatia tells tourists

AGREB, Croatia | AFP | Croatia’s mountain rescue service has urged tourists to stop putting themselves in danger taking “stupid and dangerous selfies”, after a Canadian man was almost killed falling down a 75-metre cliff. “Dear tourists, we respect you. It’s time for you to start respecting yourself. So, stop making stupid and dangerous selfies. Thank you,” the service said on Twitter. The appeal came after the young Canadian plunged off a 75-metre (250foot) viewpoint in the Plitvice Lakes

national park while trying to take the perfect selfie. The 20-year-old miraculously survived, as tree branches broke his fall, but he sustained serious injuries, police said. Last year a 54-year-old Slovak tourist was killed when she fell from a rock in the same national park, also while trying to take a photo. Tourism is a key sector of Croatia’s economy, and last year the country of 4.2 million people welcomed more than 14 million visitors, with most heading to its pristine Adriatic coast.

Strip clubs get ready for Republican convention

ASHINGTON, AFP - On paper, the Republican Party classifies pornography as a major public health problem.

Ditto for porn king Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club. “We’re fully prepared,” a female manager who goes by the name London told AFP by phone.

But just in case delegates to the nominating convention here next week forget that, Cleveland’s strip clubs are going all out to get ready for the party, due to embrace Donald Trump formally as its presidential candidate.

Club managers said it will be all hands on deck in terms of staffing, too, for the duration of the July 18-21 convention.

As always during big sporting and political events in America, the Ohio city’s bars, restaurants and gentlemen’s clubs are girding for a flood of visitors.

“The club is just beautiful as it is. But I’m sure our girls will be wearing the appropriate attire,” said Diana, a hostess at Diamond Men’s Club.

For the strip clubs, that can mean sprucing up with the red, white and blue of the US flag.

And the clothes strippers take off will reflect the occasion.

Cleveland expects an influx of some 50,000 people, in a city with a population of just under 400,000.

“We always decorate according to what’s going on,” said Bob Fischer, general manager of Christie’s Cabaret.

The invading herd will include around 15,000 people working for news media and some 5,000 delegates and alternates -- those who will actually vote to make Trump their man.

More important, the city authorities granted the club’s request to stay open later -- until 4:00 am instead of the usual 2:30 am.

The delegates will also adopt the party’s newly drafted official platform, which calls pornography a “public health crisis.”

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Female doctors earn $20k/yr less than men: US study IAMI- (AFP) Female doctors at public medical schools across the United States earn about $20,000 less per year than men, a study found Monday, offering more evidence of a persistent pay gap between men and women.

employee salary data highlights the importance of physician salary transparency to efforts to reduce the malefemale earnings gap,” said the study, led by Anupam Jena, a doctor at Harvard Medical School. The biggest gaps were seen among specialty surgeons, and women at the top of their profession scale earned about as much as men at mid-level ranks.

The findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine were based on salary data for academic physicians at 24 public medical schools in 12 states.

“Salaries for female full professors ($250,971) were comparable to those of male associate professors ($247,212),” it said.

In all, more than 10,000 physicians’ salaries were analyzed. About one third of those in the study were women, “a proportion comparable to that seen among other US medical schools not included in the study,” said the report. In raw numbers, without accounting for factors such as age and experience, women earned $206,641 per year, compared to $257,957 for men -- a difference of more than $51,000. A closer look revealed that faculty rank, age, years since residency, specialty, clinical trial participation and

Women tended to be younger than men, and more women specialized in internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women earned on average $19,878 per year less than men (AFP Photo/ Karen Bleier). having had one’s research published accounted for some of the pay differences, but not all.

ers, women still earned on average $19,878 per year less than men, said the report.

After factoring in these modifi-

“Our use of publicly available state

Age, sex of blood donor may impact patient outcome: study Miami, United States | AFP | Monday 7/11/2016 - 15:00 GMT | 348 words

male donor red blood cells, said the study.

Blood that comes from donors who are young or female may be linked to poorer outcomes in the patients who receive them, researchers suggested on Monday.

When researchers looked at younger donors of either sex, they also found an eight percent higher risk of death among recipients of donations from people aged 17-20, compared with recipients of red blood cells from donors aged 40-50.

The findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine are based on a study of more than 30,000 transfusion patients in Canada, and the more than 80,000 donors that provided the blood. The patients had an average age of 66 and were followed for between two and seven years after their transfusion. Those who received red blood cells from female donors has an eight percent increased risk of dying for any reason, compared with recipients of

There was a six percent higher death risk associated with donors aged 2030. But since the study was observational in nature, researchers could not prove cause-and-effect. Rather, they say, more investigation is needed to better understand what is going on. “These results are intriguing and suggest that if you require a transfusion, your clinical outcome may be affected by the blood donor’s age and sex,” said senior author Dr. Dean Fer-

gusson, director of the clinical epidemiology program at The Ottawa Hospital, where the study was conducted from 2006 to 2013. “However, it is important to remember that our study was observational in nature, which means it cannot be considered definitive evidence.” In the meantime, experts continue to urge all people to donate blood if they are eligible. “Though our research suggests that we should investigate what’s behind the associations that we found, there is no definitive evidence yet that proves that one type of blood is better or worse for patients,” said co-author Jason Acker, senior development scientist with Canadian Blood Services. “This study opens up new areas of investigation where we can really dig into the biological explanations and understand true cause and effect.”

Meds lower risk of HIV in couples having condomless sex

IAMI | AFP | Tuesday 7/12/2016 - Antiretroviral therapy vastly lowers the risk of spreading HIV for couples in which one partner has the virus and the other does not, even when they have condomless sex, researchers said Tuesday. The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is the largest of its kind to examine the question of how risky it is for so-called serodiscordant couples to have unprotected sex when the infected partner is suppressing his or her viral load with medication. The research involved 900 couples -- about two thirds of whom were men who have sex with men and the rest were heterosexual. After a median of 1.3 years, the study found no cases in which the HIV-positive partner, who was taking medication to suppress the virus, infected the partner. There were, however, 11 cases in which a partner who was HIV negative at the start of the study became infected with the virus that causes AIDS.

Ten of these cases involved gay men. Researchers said eight of the newly HIV-positive partners admitted to having had unprotected sex outside the relationship.

“For individuals who want to routinely or intermittently not use condoms with an HIV-infected partner, clinicians can indicate that the risk of HIV transmission appears small in the setting of continued viral suppression,” they wrote.

In no cases could the person’s HIV infection be molecularly matched to the partner’s, giving researchers an incouple transmission rate of zero.

The HIV-positive partner should be using antiretrovirals for at least six months before the couple engages in condomless sex, they said.

However, they cautioned, more follow-up is needed.

“Moreover, clinicians need to be clear that even though the overall risk for HIV transmission may be small, the risk is not zero and the actual number is not known, especially for higher-risk groups such as MSM” (men who have sex with men).

“Although these results cannot directly provide an answer to the question of whether it is safe for serodifferent couples to practice condomless sex, this study provides informative data (especially for heterosexuals) for couples to base their personal acceptability of risk on,” said the study, led by Alison Rodger of University College London. An accompanying editorial in JAMA by Eric Daar and Katya Corado of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, warned that couples should not take the study to mean that their risk of transmission is zero.

They added that “more research is needed with larger numbers of couples and longer follow-up.” The condomless sex occurred during periods when the HIV-positive partner had HIV-1 RNA load less than 200 copies/milliliter, said the study. The research was carried out at 75 clinical sites in 14 European countries from 2010 to 2014.

“Women also had fewer total pub-

lications, were less likely to have funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and less likely to have conducted a clinical trial,” said the report. An accompanying editorial in the journal called for the “courage and leadership of women academic physicians... to advocate to eliminate” the pay gap. “Fixing the pay gap between male and female physicians in academic medicine requires more than just studies showing that it exists; concerted efforts are needed to understand and eliminate the gap,” wrote Vineet Arora, a doctor at the University of Chicago. “It is time that the ‘woman card’ be worth the same amount as the ‘man card.’”

How one man spread a killer virus in hospital Paris, France | AFP | Friday 7/8/2016 - 22:30 GMT | 317 words A single patient infected 82 people with the deadly MERS virus in an overcrowded South Korean emergency room in 2015, according to a scientific investigation released Saturday. The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, maps a lethal outbreak of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea that caused 186 known infections in all, including nearly 40 fatalities. The case is the most prolific transmission of MERS virus from one patient outside the Middle East. As long as the highly-contagious respiratory disease -- with a 30-40 percent mortality rate -- continues to circulate in the Middle East, governments and health care providers should be prepared for sudden outbreaks elsewhere, the researchers warn. “This study is the first to document the spread of MERS virus through a hospital,” Doo Ryeon Chung and YaeJean Kim of Samsung Medical Center -- where the outbreak occurred -- said in a statement. “Our results show the increased po-

tential of MERS virus infection from a single patient in an overcrowded emergency room.” The outbreak in South Korea began with a 68-year old man -- known as “patient 1” -- who had travelled to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the Spring of 2015. Correctly diagnosed, he was admitted to Samsung and isolated from other patients. But unknown to doctors and health officials, he had already infected several other people, including a 35-year old man with whom he shared a ward in another health facility. It was this younger man, “patient 14,” who later spread the virus through Samsung’s emergency ward. The researchers estimate that nearly 1,600 people were exposed to patient 14 in the emergency room. Of the 82 who were infected, 33 were patients, eight were health care workers, and 41 were visitors. Patients staying in the same zone of the emergency room had a 20 percent chance of contracting MERS, the study found.

Facebook Messenger to offer strong encryption

ASHINGTON | AFP | - Facebook announced Friday it would roll out optional “end to end encryption” for its Messenger application, following a trend aimed at stronger security and protection against snooping. The US technology giant said this feature would be known as “secret conversations” which can be read only by the sender and recipient. “Providing more ways for people to safely share is an important part of making the world more open and connected,” the social network’s vice president David Marcus said on his Facebook page. “Whether you’re asking a doctor for medical advice, sending sensitive account information to your spouse, or even your Social Security number, it’s important to have options available for sharing these kinds of very sensitive messages.” Facebook earlier this year began implementing this end-to-end encryption on its WhatsApp messaging service, and Google, Apple and others have been making similar moves.

Some law enforcement officials and lawmakers have criticized these moves, saying the strong encryption can allow criminals and other bad actors to operate in secret where traditional wiretaps don’t work. A Facebook statement said the new feature will be optional “because many people want Messenger to work when you switch between devices, such as a tablet, desktop computer or phone” and that the encrypted messages may only be read on one device. “Secret conversations are available on a limited test basis right now, but we will be making the option more widely available this summer,” the statement said. The US government this year locked horns in a legal battle with Apple, seeking to compel the iPhone maker to help decrypt a device used by one of the attackers in the San Bernardino shooting rampage. Authorities eventually dropped the case after finding a way to break into the iPhone without Apple’s help. Facebook said in April that Messenger has over 900 million users, close to the billion for WhatsApp.

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Children: Paris fashion’s latest Charlie robot new best buddy for kids must-have accessory with diabetes

Models present creations by Elie Saab during the 2016-2017 fall/winter Haute Couture collection fashion show on July 6, 2016 in Paris (AFP Photo/Francois Guillot). by Fiachra GIBBONS Don’t put your daughter on the stage,” Noel Coward, the great chronicler of the follies of fashion, once warned in his song “Mrs. Worthington”. His advice has not quite made it to the catwalk, where nearly a dozen little girls toddled down the runways of the Paris haute couture shows Wednesday. French designer Franck Sorbier dressed up half a kindergarten class as little tsarinas with fez-like pillbox hats and red fur trimmed cloaks as a colourful contrast to the mourning weeds of his aristocratic Russian black widows. And Elie Saab, whose ball gowns are often the thing of little girls’ princess fantasies, also sent two children out as mini-me versions of their catwalk mothers trailing clouds of organza, feathers and glitter. - Waders for madam? Wellington boots have been awfully stylish for some time now. But who in their wildest dreams who would have thought that fishermen’s waders would too? After the trendsetting French brand Vetements set jaws dropping with their silk Manolo Blahnik stiletto waders that reach right to the ribs on Sunday, John Galliano went full rubber Wednesday. The English-born designer has long been in love with a very 18th-century kind of aristocratic anarchy, and in his new collection for Maison Margiela, his fantasy punk duchesses went to the ball in wellies. A wench who seemed like she has just led the storming of the Bastille powered down the runway in waders under an Empire line gown, while another in a pirate tricorne hat waded ashore in search of booty. “A sense of the incredible and the impossible spins throughout the collection,” Galliano wrote in his notes, adding that his “fantasy is tempered by the jarring authenticity of today’s reality”. “Napoleon and Josephine meet skate culture,” quipped the New York Times’ Vanessa Friedman on Twitter. - Squared shoulders Although little of haute couture -which is destined for the wardrobes of the world’s richest women -- filters down to the malls, you can be sure that you will be seeing squared shoulders on the high street this winter. Fashion’s top table, Chanel, Dior and Giorgio Armani, all pushed their

“

shoulders out in their new collections, and the trend which has also been percolating through the men’s shows last week, seems unstoppable. In what will almost certainly be her last collection for the Italian house Valentino before taking over at Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri added the merest of puff shoulders to the odd dress. But she would not be deflected from her glorious recreation of a Renaissance court, all ruffs, regality and silk breeches. If this is the sort of unstated grandeur she will bring to Dior, Paris will gladly open its gates to its new queen. - Back to the woods -That eternal sprite Jean Paul Gaultier ran deep into

the Japanese forest for inspiration for his show. And by the amount of fur he put on the catwalk, he probably come back via Siberia. With the world the way it is, we need “to breathe the air, get away from it all, and get closer to nature,” he told AFP. With a palate of deep bark-colored coppery reds and browns, he dressed his women like wood spirits and fairy queens, their faces framed by haloes of fur or wool. Others seems to have escaped from some Middle Earth, though even in their wildest fantasies no Hobbit noblewoman would ever dream of looking this good.

Texas winner Priya Patel, Age 10 winning recipe Tex-Mex Veg-Head Lasagna

First Lady Michelle Obama, WGBH Boston, And PBS Announce Winning Recipes In Nationwide Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Winners to attend Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House on July 14

ASHINGTON, D.C., June 08, 2016 – First Lady Michelle Obama, PBS flagship station WGBH Boston, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today the winners of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, a nationwide recipe challenge for kids that promotes cooking and healthy eating as part of the First Lady’sLet’s Move! initiative. Winners representing all U.S. states, five territories, and the District of Columbia will attend a Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House hosted by Mrs. Obama on July 14. The 56 aspiring young chefs and a parent or guardian will join the First Lady for a healthy lunch, featuring a selection of the winning recipes, followed by a visit to the White House Kitchen Garden. “For the last five years, kids across the country have cooked up nutritious and delicious dishes as part of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, and each year, I continue to be impressed by their talent and creativity,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “Kids are truly embracing and enjoying healthy eating and preparing healthy meals

for their families, and I look forward to meeting this year’s winners here at the White House for the Kids’ “State Dinner” and trying some of their tasty creations.” This is the fifth year of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Kids’ “State Dinner” in which 8 to 12-year-olds across the nation were invited to create a healthy, affordable, original, and delicious lunch recipe. Entrants were encouraged to reference ChooseMyPlate.govto ensure recipes met the USDA’s recommended nutrition guidance by representing each of the food groups, either in one dish or as parts of a lunch meal, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy. In addition, in celebration of the MyPlate, MyState initiative, this year’s challenge put a spotlight on homegrown pride across the country and encouraged entries to include local ingredients grown in the entrant’s state, territory, or community. The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge received over 1,200 entries featuring wholesome, tasty ingredients. To make the challenge possible for kids and their families across America, support is being provided to WGBH by Newman’s Own Foundation. More on site,LetsMove.gov, USDA. gov, and Ed.gov.

AFP photo by Bruce Adams by Jo Biddle DE, Netherlands | AFP | Cheeky Ruben is just seven and learning to read. But thanks to his new knee-high buddy Charlie robot he can expertly measure his blood sugar and count carbohydrates in a glass of milk.

Such skills could be life-savers for the blonde Dutch boy diagnosed with childhood diabetes just over a year ago. Just like other kids his age, he enjoys birthday parties, riding his bike or playing video games. But these can all play havoc with his blood sugar levels, and unlike his peers, Ruben has to learn how to navigate such potential minefields while managing a disease he will have all his life. There are roughly some 6,000 children across The Netherlands with Type 1 childhood diabetes. And at least one a year dies from the disease. Now thanks to a unique collaboration between healthcare professionals, robotics engineers and academics in the Netherlands, Italy, German and Britain, families struggling to learn about the illness and manage it on a daily basis have a new life coach on their side. He’s a friendly red-and-white robot called Charlie, with arms and legs, big round eyes and speakers disguised as ears, who can talk and dance. Some 40 Dutch children have so far been involved in the testing -- the first phase of a four-year EU-funded project launched in March 2015. Young patients can chat with Charlie during clinic visits -- currently two hospitals in The Netherlands and one in Italy are participating. And the kids have access to Charlie’s avatar twin whenever they want on their tablets and computers at home. There’s a staggering amount to learn. “A child and a parent with diabetes thinks about diabetes every 10 to 15 minutes a day,” said paediatrician Gert Jan van der Burg, medical director at the Gelderse Vallei hospital in the Dutch town of Ede. - Coma risk -In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas fails to produce the hormone insulin needed to break down sugars in the blood to convert into glucose

used for energy. These can then build up to dangerous levels. The only way to control the disease is by regularly taking in insulin either through injections or a pump. Children and parents must figure out injections, blood sugar levels, carbohydrate intake, knowing how much insulin to take. Too much or too little can cause shock, seizures and even coma. “It’s a huge burden and that’s why a lot of children with diabetes also have a lot of social problems,” Van der Burg told AFP. Parties awash with cake, or trips to kid-friendly fast food places, sports days, even an hour on a favourite video game can all send blood sugar levels soaring dangerously too high or too low. “What must you do if you are feeling hypo?” Charlie asks Ruben in one play session, referring to hypoglycemia when blood sugars are too low. Charlie can talk -- in Dutch and Italian at the moment -- but the questions are also written out on a tablet in front of the child, with an answer and a line “true or false?” The mini robot is currently aimed at children between the ages of seven -- as they can read a little -- and 13 to 14. “We’ve noticed that he is counting his carbohydrates much more,” said Ruben’s mum, Caroline van As. Although it’s faster if she intervenes, she knows that “he has to learn, it’s his life”. “We try to live as normal a life as possible, even if we know he could suffer for it the next day.” Unlike the more common Type 2 diabetes which develops more often in adults and results from unhealthy lifestyles, the exact cause of Type 1 is unknown. Genetics play a role, but researchers believe there is also an as yet unknown environmental factor, such as possibly a slow acting virus. The $4.5 million project called Personal Assistant for a Healthy Lifestyle (PAS) is a collaborative effort between the Dutch Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, TNO, and its Italian and German counterparts FCSR and DFKI as well as TU Delft university and Imperial College in London.

Children’s character Curious George observes Ramadan has called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States.

EW YORK - In our story from July 6, please correct lead to say that Curious George is xxx celebrating Ramadan xxx. The character does not fast himself in the story. Herewith a corrected repetition

US author Hena Khan “wanted to focus on the celebratory aspects” of Ramadan, so George attends family gatherings and accompanies his friend Kareem, who is fasting, to a mosque to put together charity baskets, she told AFP.

The beloved American children’s book character Curious George is celebrating Ramadan this year -with chocolate-covered bananas, of course. The just-released children’s book “It’s Ramadan, Curious George” teaches kids about the Muslim holiday.

A writer of Pakistani origin from Rockville, Maryland, Khan has already written two children’s books about Islam, “but there’s something different about having Curious George, a mainstream, well-known, iconic character recognize your tradition and make you feel included.”

It comes amid rising tensions fueled by worries about Islamist extremism and a heated presidential campaign during which Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump

The story assumes the humorous tone of other volumes in the series, which has sold more than 75 million books since it debuted in 1941 and went on to become an animated tele-

A child reads “It’s Ramadan, Curious George” in New York on July 5, 2016.

vision series and 2006 feature film. Khan said the publisher granted her freedom to shape the project, and that she focused on making the holiday approachable. “It was really a reflection of the way Americans that I know celebrate and observe Ramadan, in a very simple way that’s understandable for children,” the mother of two said. The book’s release coincides with a particular rise in anti-Islamic rhetoric, she noted. “There’s a very dangerous narrative being spread about Muslims and inaccurate things being said,” the author said. The book “comes at the right time in terms of trying to promote understanding and tolerance.”

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Stars at the promotion of the new film Mohenjo Daro

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Case filed against Salman Khan, Anushka in Muzaffarpur

UZAFFARPUR, India A complaint case against Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, actor Anushka Sharma, film director Ali Zafar Abbas and others was heard in a local court in a case of alleged cheating. Mohammad Sabir Ansari alias Sabir Baba, a resident of Muzaffarpur, in a complaint case filed in the chief judicial magistrate’s court here on July 8, had contended that Salman Khan, the hero of Bollywood flick ‘Sultan’ released last week, had promised to give him Rs 20 crore as royalty for making a film based on his life. His counsel Sudhir Kumar Ojha said that Sabir had narrated his tale to

Salman Khan in Mumbai in 2010 and the actor then promised the money if a film was made based on it. The case came up for hearing today before the CJM, Muzaffarpur, Ram Chandra Prasad, who transferred it to the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, S K Tripathi and fixed July 26, 2016 as the next date of hearing. The case has been filed under vaious sections of IPC including 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).

Salman Khan surprises over 1200 kids at a special Sultan screening by Book A Smile

Hrithik Roshan poses with Pooja Hegde during the promotion of the new film Mohenjo Daro. Mohenjo Daro is an Indian epic adventure film which is set in the era of the Indus Valley civilisation and is scheduled for release on August 12, 2016. (AFP).

Hrithik Roshan – Pooja Hegde’s Mohenjo Daro which is set to release on August 12, along with Akshay Kumar’s Rustom, is described as a love story set against the backdrop of Indus Valley civilisation. The makers have just come out with the first look of the leading lady Pooja Hegde who is named Chaani in the flick. She is seen wearing a floral head gear and an ensemble made out of fabric which looks like chiffon. The bust is embellished with sequins and the silhouette of the outfit overall has a modern, contemporary look. Salman Khan with children at BookASmile’s special ‘Sultan’ screening. Photo credit: prnewswire

‘Dhilluku Dhuddu’ box office collection: Santhanam’s film grosses close to Rs. 13 crore

UMBAI, July 12, 2016 (PTI) -- Bollywood superstar Salman Khan took time out to an event on July 9th morning to surprise over 1200 kids at a Book A Smile special screening of his latest blockbuster ‘Sultan’. Book A Smile is the charity initiative of BookMy Show, the largest online entertainment ticketing platform in India.

by Prakash Upadhyaya anthanam’s “Dhilluku Dhuddu” has been welcomed by the Tamil audience, and the movie has got a good start at the box office. The Kollywood film has raked in close to Rs. 13 crore in its four-day weekend in Tamil Nadu.

Cama Balpande, Head of BookASmile initiative,said, “Sultan is a story about true sportsman spirit and an attitude that teaches you to never give up in life. We instantly felt that a movie like this will be an enriching experience for the children. To make this screening unforgettable, we requested Salman Khan to surprise the kids, to which he graciously agreed.

“#DhillukuDhuddu had a solid 4 day opening weekend.. TN gross close to 13 crores.. @ThenandalFilms @iamsanthanam [sic],” journalist Kaushik LM tweeted. The Kollywood movie was released on July 7 in over 325 screens in Tamil Nadu. “Dhilluku Dhuddu” had managed to generate a good buzz, which translated into a good opening, say trade experts. The Tamil flick has done well despite getting mixed reviews. In fact, a section of the audience was not impressed with the first half. In Chennai, “Dhilluku Dhuddu” has collected Rs. 1.48 crore in its first weekend. The movie had 243 shows and faced good competition from Salman Khan’s “Sultan,” which earned

The children were absolutely thrilled to meet him and thismade their day even more memorable .” “At BookASmile, we work towards enriching the lives of the less fortunate across India through the medium of experiences and enjoyment. We believe that alternate education, in form of sports, culture, music, art, movies, is as important and helps in developing well-rounded personalities,” added Farzana. The screening was organized at PVR Juhu (Mumbai) for students from K.K. Raj Popat School by collaborating with Raichel Joseph Foundation. The event also had children from Spark A Change Foundation and Angel Xpress.

Dhilukku Dhuddu Movie still Rs. 1.29 crore from 165 shows. It has to be seen how “Dhilluku Dhuddu” will perform in the coming days. The film should do well for at least a week in order to make profits. “Dhilluku Dhuddu” has been written and directed by Rambala and produced by Sri Thenandal Films. It features SS Thaman’s music, Deepak

Kumar Pathy’s cinematography and Gopi’s editing. Shanaya plays the female lead in the film, which features Karunas, Mottai Rajendran, Anandaraj, Saurabh Shukla and others in the supporting cast.

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The comedy elements and the performance of Santhanam and other comedians have won the hearts of the audience.

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Scientists outline stategy for AIDS cure HHS Proposes To Streamline Medicare Appeals Process by Marlowe HOOD

ARIS, France | AFP | Calling the AIDS epidemic “the most important global health challenge in modern history,” more than 50 top scientists pressed their case Monday for a drive to stop the killer disease in its tracks.

Anchored by Nobel Medicine laureate Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, the group unveiled an aggressive research strategy for an outright cure -- an objective once seen as unrealistic and out of reach. “Not long ago, few considered the possibility that a cure for HIV infection could some day be possible,” said Barre-Sinoussi, who in 1983 helped identify the mysterious virus that causes AIDS. Today, “the search for a cure has become a top priority in HIV research,” she said in a statement, hailing a “new optimism” among experts. The blueprint is published in the journal Nature Medicine ahead of a meeting of specialists on July 18-22 at the 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa. The scientists take stock of many recent gains in treating the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but argue that the solution for ending the pandemic lies in a cure.

retroviral (ART) drugs, which reduce the symptoms of people carrying the virus.

- ‘Daunting’ situation-But less than half of an estimated 37 million people worldwide living with HIV receive therapy. Helping them to grasp that lifeline will require a huge, lifelong commitment. On top of that, the powerful drugs can have toxic side-effects. Those problems are “daunting” and the economic costs “might be unsustainable,” the strategy warned.

One prime target is so-called CD4plus T cells. These play a central role in the body’s immune system, which defends against viral and microbial intruders.

HIV finds secret hideaways in longlived “memory” versions of these cells, but how the virus does this is not fully understood. Another objective is to strengthen the immune system.

As a result, preventing and destroying the virus should be top priorities.

Foot-soldiers known as “broadly neutralising antibodies” may be able to recognise these latently-infected cells, and then call on specialised “killer” cells to destroy them.

On the prevention scoreboard, experimental vaccines show promise, but are probably years away.

Better lab tools are needed, the scientists added, for measuring HIV persistence.

As for eradication, scientists understand far better now how HIV remains barricaded in tissues -- such as the lymph nodes and the gut -- after being beaten back by ART therapy, the standard drug cocktail given to HIV patients.

A common idea is that HIV only needs a few CD4-plus T cells to hideout. But sequencing of viral genomes suggest the disease’s reservoir could be much larger.

Research has found starting ART therapy early limits the ability of the virus to establish a redoubt.

In 2004, AIDS deaths peaked at more than two million.

The scientists also outline an array of tactics for identifying how the virus tucks itself away inside the human body, and methods for flushing it out and killing it.

Last year, the toll was around 1.2 million lives -- a decline attributed in large part to the success of anti-

But, they say, “the challenges... remain substantial,” and there are still many pieces missing in the puzzle.

Barre-Sinoussi launched the cure initiative in 2010 among a small group of scientists, some of whom were doubtful that eradicating HIV -- as opposed to holding it in check -- was feasible. Two years later, the group developed its first long-term strategy, which is now being updated. Global investment in finding a cure has risen from $88 million (80 million euros) in 2012 to $202 million (183 million euros) in 2015, most of which came from the US government.

HPV cancers on rise in United States: govt ASHINGTON | AFP | 7/7/2016 - The number of cancers associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is on the rise in the United States, reaching nearly 39,000 each year, a government report said Thursday.

The case estimate by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spanned 2008 to 2012, and was higher than the just over 33,000 seen yearly from 2004 to 2008. HPV cancers are commonly found in the genital areas of men and women, as well as the cervix, head, neck, and throat. The cancers described in the report included nearly 11,700 cases of cervical cancer in women, and more than 12,600 cases of oral cancer among

men.

prevented by HPV vaccine,” the federal agency said.

Vaccines exist to prevent HPV, which is a common sexually transmitted infection, and are available to both boys and girls from age 11. However, many teens do not get the vaccine, which is typically delivered in three doses. Among adolescent girls aged 13-17 in 2014, just 60 percent received one dose and 40 percent received all three, said the CDC report. Among boys, the vaccine rate was even lower, with 42 percent receiving one dose and 22 percent receiving all three. “CDC scientists stress that 28,500 cases of HPV-caused cancer could be

“Cervical cancer screening can find pre-cancers before they develop into cancer.” Electra Paskett, co-director of the Cancer Control Research Program at The Ohio State University, described the current vaccination rates in the United States as “extremely sad.” “In order to increase HPV vaccination rates, we must change the perception of the HPV vaccine from something that prevents a sexually transmitted disease to a vaccine that prevents cancer,” said Paskett. “This is better than a cancer cure -it’s cancer prevention.”

Redhead gene may boost skin cancer risk: study

ARIS, France | AFP | 7/12/2016 - A gene variant carried by people with red hair, pale skin and freckles may boost skin cancer risk even without exposure to the Sun’s rays, researchers said Tuesday.

The risk, rather surprisingly, is also higher for people who possess the genetic DNA signature but not the telltale physical traits, reported the international team. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, are based on a genetic analysis of skin cancer tumours from more than 400 people. It revealed that tumours from people with a redhead variant of the MC1R gene had 42 percent more mutations -the equivalent of 21 years of additional Sun exposure in people without it. Though most gene mutations are innocuous, the more that occur, the more likely a normal human cell will be to change into a cancer cell. The findings suggested that people with an MC1R variant are more susceptible to mutagenic processes, such as UV exposure for example, that can trigger skin cancer, known as mela-

noma. “This work is significant because its conclusions apply to a high proportion of the population, those people that carry at least one copy with a genetic variant in MC1R,” study co-author David Adams of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute told AFP. In some countries, such as England and Ireland, this could be as much as a third of the population -- though only about one or two percent of all people have red hair. Many of those at risk will not even know that they carry the variant, said the researchers. Redheads receive one copy of the gene variant from each of their parents. But people who get a copy from their father or mother alone, will probably not have ginger hair -- and may remain oblivious of their particular genetic makeup. It has long been known that redheads burn easier in the Sun and are more suspectible to the mutagenic effects of UV light -- thus also at higher risk of skin cancer.

But the new study suggests there are more ways, “possibly UV-independent” in which MC1R variants can increase the risk of melanoma, said Adams.

It also revealed for the first time, the risk to non-redhead carriers of the gene variant. “These people should exercise extra care when going out in the Sun as they might be highly susceptible to UV radiation and other mutagenic mechanisms, something that many people carrying MC1R genetic variants don’t realise,” said Adams. People with red-haired relatives have a higher chance of carrying an MC1R variant, and should take extra care, said the team. It was not clear whether the mutations mean that melanoma in redheads is more or less severe.

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he Department of Health and Human Services Tuesday proposed key changes in the Medicare appeals process to help reduce the backlog of more than 700,000 cases. The measures “will help us get a leg up on this problem,” said Nancy Griswold, chief law judge of the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals. If there was not a single additional appeal filed and no changes in the system, it would take 11 years to eliminate the backlog, Griswold said in an interview. Her office has faced increased criticism from health care providers and beneficiary advocates lately for its inability to speed up appeals and reduce the backlog. The latest critique came earlier this month in an investigation from the Government Accountability Office. This latest effort still falls short of what is needed, said Tom Nickels, executive vice president at the American Hospital Association. “We are deeply disappointed that HHS has not made more progress in addressing the delays despite the more than two years since the delays began,” he said. The new proposals, as well as increased funding requests, are expected to eliminate the backlog by 2021 by streamlining the decisionmaking process and reducing the number of cases that go to the third level of appeals, where many cases linger waiting for a hearing and then a decision from an administrative law judge. From the day of the hearing, it currently takes an average of slightly more than two years for a decision in appeals from hospitals, nursing homes, medical device suppliers and other health care providers. Among the proposed changes: • Designate some decisions from the Medicare Appeals Council, the last of four stages of appeals, as precedents that decision-makers at lower levels would have to follow. That could eliminate redundant appeals and resolve inconsistencies in interpretation of Medicare policies. • Allow senior attorneys to handle some of the procedural matters that come before the administrative law judges, such as dismissing a request for a hearing after the appellant has withdrawn the request, Griswold said. • Revise how the minimum amount necessary to lodge an appeal is determined. Under current rules, an appeal must involve payment of at least $150, based on the amount the provider charged. HHS is proposing to use Medicare’s allowed amount instead, which tends to be lower, and that could reduce the number of claims that could be appealed. • Eliminate some steps in the appeals process to simplify the system. Although advocates have sought

Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6776 Southwest Freeway Suite # 178 Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning.com changes to speed up the appeal process, Alice Bers, an attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy, was skeptical about some of the proposals. The effort to set up a system of precedents, she said, “could restrict coverage for needed items and benefits for seniors that they are entitled to by law.” And the change in calculating the minimal amounts “could make it harder for beneficiaries to reach that threshold,” said Bers. It might not sound like a lot of money, Bers said, “but for an elderly woman living on Social Security that’s several meals or co-pays for medicine.” The proposals do not address what hospital representatives say is a key cause of increasing appeals, independent audit contractors who can reject payments to hospitals. The American Hospital Association contends that those contractors unnecessarily cut off many payments and that hospitals frequently win the appeals. According to the GAO study, audit-related appeals decided at the administrative law judge stage — the third level of appeals — increased 37-fold from 2010 through 2014, compared to only 1.5 times for appeals of other kinds of claims. But Griswold said that currently only about a third of the pending cases at this stage involved recovery audit contractors, after settlements were reached with hospitals who agreed to accept partial payment in return for withdrawing more than 220,000 cases. Griswold also said Medicare will continue to process beneficiary appeals before those from hospitals, doctors and other health care providers. The practice began in 2014. The proposed changes will be posted on the Federal Register website and open to comments through Aug. 29. This story was corrected to add new information from HHS that the settlements with hospitals involved more than 220,000 cases. For Healthcare such as Medicare and Obama care planning contact Sudhir Mathuria @ 713-771-2900.

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Hanmi Bank Introduces Its New Brand Tagline

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Jerry Seinfeld to open Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land Legendary comedian to open new entertainment destination

OS ANGELES, CA – June 27, 2016—Hanmi Bank today introduced its new brand tagline “Bank on Your Dreams” with a brand advertising campaign.

the Hanmi brand by concisely capturing Hanmi’s role as a leading community bank that is committed to helping its customers to achieve the American Dream.

The new tagline introduction is a part of Hanmi’s overall rebranding effort, which began in last June with a launch of its new corporate logo. Hanmi’s corporate logo “H”, which resembles a bridge, embodies the Bank’s desire to connect, partner and grow with its customers. The new tagline “Bank on Your Dreams” further reinforces the core concepts of

“Hanmi Bank was founded in 1982, purely by the capitals of the working immigrant to support the local community. Our rich heritage in growing with our customers and community to realize their American Dream is very much embedded in our new tagline. Our new tagline expresses Hanmi’s role as a financial partner to enable and empower our customers

to realize their dreams. With a completion of our new corporate identity development, Hanmi will actively market to its diverse customer base,” said C. G. Kum, President & CEO of Hanmi Bank. Hanmi’s new brand advertising will be executed on various media including TV, print, radio, online, and outdoor billboard. It will target Korean, South Asians, Chinese, Vietnamese as well as mainstream audience and will cover California, Texas, Illinois and other eastern regions where Hanmi has its branch networks.

UGAR LAND, TX (July 11, 2016) – The Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land is thrilled to announce Jerry Seinfeld will headline the grand opening festivities on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 7pm. Tickets for the performance will go on sale this Friday, July 15 at 10am on Ticketmaster.com. “We plan to offer our guests a wide range of performances, including concerts, children and family entertainment, theatrically-staged productions and of course comedy,” said Randy Bloom, General Manager of the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land. “Jerry Sein-

Global rally lifts US stocks to new records

EW YORK | AFP | Tuesday 7/12/2016 - Wall Street stocks climbed to new records early Tuesday, advancing with a global rally following betterthan-expected earnings from Alcoa. The S&amp;P 500 added to a record high set Monday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading above its alltime closing high. “It appears that the momentum trade is back again, as participants are riding the tape (and the rails) of a market that seemingly has no inclination to dwell on the negatives,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare in a client note. About 30 minutes into trade, the Dow was at 18,327.84 points, up 0.6 percent and just 24 points below an intraday record. Its all-time closing high was 18,312.39 in May 2015. The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.6 percent to 2,149.43, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.7 percent at 5,023.13.

Frankfurt’s DAX 30 surged 1.3 percent (AFP Photo/Boris Roessler) Alcoa advanced 3.7 percent after reporting second-quarter adjusted earnings of 15 cents per share, five cents above analyst expectations. Banking shares were on a tear ahead of earnings later this week. JPMorgan Chase rose 1.6 percent, Bank of America

2.7 percent and Citigroup 2.5 percent. Petroleum-linked shares rallied with oil prices. Chevron rose 1.0 percent, Halliburton 2.7 percent and ConocoPhillips 2.5 percent. Airline shares jumped after

US economy looks strong with 287,000 jobs added in June by Paul HANDLEY

ASHINGTON | AFP | 7/8/2016 - US employers added new workers at a surprisingly strong rate in June after an unnerving stall in May, in a clear demonstration of economic resilience, the Labor Department reported Friday. The much better-than-expected numbers gave a boost to markets in the US and Europe, which have been battered down by worries that Britain’s vote to withdraw from the European Union will drag down economic growth. Private businesses and government authorities across the United States generated 287,000 new positions last month, 112,000 more than analysts had expected. The strongest hiring was in the health care, hospitality, information and retail sales sectors, while government hiring also picked up. That largely compensated for the poor numbers from May that had shocked policymakers and markets, sending the dollar lower and contributing to the Federal Reserve’s decision last month to put off an interest rate hike. The May job creation numbers in fact were revised downward in Friday’s data from the original 38,000 reported to just 11,000. - US, European markets surge -June’s hiring levels boosted the monthly average of the last three months to a solid

147,000, which economists say is adequate to keep bringing down unemployment overall.

pace for the last three months to 2.5 percent, compared with the 12-month rate of 2.6 percent.

“This is a good trend but nothing spectacular. It suggests that hiring has taken a step down since late last year but that job growth is still strong enough to absorb slack in the labor market,” said analysts at Nomura Global Economics in a client note.

And the unemployment rate, which is based on a separate database from the job creation numbers, rose by 0.2 percentage points to 4.9 percent, though still near the lowest level in more than eight years.

“Most important, today’s report quells any concerns of a broader economic slowdown in the US.”

That rise was mainly due to a large jump in the number of people reported rejoining the workforce, diluting the impact of the hiring surge on the jobless rate.

Markets reacted positively, with the S&amp;P 500 surging 1.5 percent to a fraction shy of an all-time record. In Europe, Frankfurt’s DAX index gained 2.2 percent Paris’s CAC 40 added 1.8 percent, while in London the FTSE 100 barometer rose 0.9 percent. As analysts said the data increases the chances that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at least once before the end of the year, early in the session the dollar jumped and US bond yields, which had plunged in recent weeks, spiked higher. But by the end of the day the dollar had retrenched to $1.050 per euro, only slightly up from Thursday. And the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond fell to a new all-time low of 1.366 percent. The jobs numbers were not unequivocally good. Wage growth, another indicator of economic strength, slowed slightly, bringing the annual

In May the unemployment rate had fallen from 5.0 percent to 4.7 percent after the volatile data showed a huge number of people had dropped out of the labor force. - Brexit remains a worry -Analysts remained cautious over what the hiring surge means for the economy going ahead, saying US businesses could remain cautious in the coming months, concerned Britain’s vote to withdraw from the European Union, which is expected to hit economic growth in Britain and Europe. “We believe the trend remains more than strong enough to keep the unemployment rate declining over time, consistent with additional upward pressure on wage gains,” said Jim O’Sullivan, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics. But O’Sullivan expects the Federal Reserve will continue to keep US interest rates on hold at its end-July meeting.

United Continental reported that it expects a key industry benchmark for second-quarter revenue per passenger to drop between 6.5 percent and 6.75 percent, near the high end of expectations due to better international performance. United Continental gained 7.2 percent, while Delta Air Lines rose 4.2 percent and American Airlines 8.4 percent. Sage Therapeutics surged 38.5 percent after announcing positive clinical results for its treatment for postpartum depression. Seagate Technology, which sells electronic data storage products, soared 19.7 percent after announcing that fiscal fourth-quarter revenues and profit margin are now expected to exceed its prior forecasts.

feld was the perfect choice for our opening night as he is beloved by multiple generations, representing the wide audience range we hope to attract.” Jerry Seinfeld will entertain the Smart Financial Centre’s inaugural audience with his iconic stand-up performance. Currently performing a yearlong residency, Jerry Seinfeld: The Homestead at New York’s Beacon Theatre. Seinfeld has been hailed for his uncanny ability to joke about the little things in life that relate to audiences everywhere. “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Jerry Seinfeld to the Smart Centre,” said Larry Seidl, CEO of Smart Financial Credit Union. “Having such a renowned, well-loved performer take the stage as our opening act will surely make for an unforgettable guest experience.”

Sugar Land is the region’s new state-of-the-art, indoor performance that is equipped to host a wide array of performances, including national comedy and music artists, children and family entertainment, theatricallystaged productions and cultural and performing arts attractions. The venue’s flexible seating configuration is a unique feature that will allow for the intimacy of a small theatre space to an expanded yet still intimate larger configuration. “The Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land will be an iconic venue known by residents and visitors alike for high quality performances across all genres, further positioning the city as an entertainment and cultural destination,” said Allen Bogard, Sugar Land City Manager.

The Smart Financial Centre at

For more information, please visit www.smartfinancialcentre.net.

REAL ESTATE

by Dilip Kapasi

July 5, 2016 - TREC: Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) exists to protect the citizens of Texas. TREC’s programs of education, licensing and industry regulation ensure that real estate service providers, such as the agents and brokers are honest, trustworthy and competent. For those lookers and sellers of homes in Texas, TREC requires that these Real Estate professionals meet and maintain specific levels of education to hold their license to act as your agents. All real estate agents are required to follow all of the Rules of TREC in all transactions and to deal with the public in a competent and honest manner. TREC requires that these agents also follow all of the continuing education requirement on time basis. It is important to note at this time that while TREC is responsible for licensing and regulating real estate professionals in Texas including: Sales Agents, Brokers, Real Estate Inspectors, Residential Service Companies (such as the Home Warranty Companies), and Easement of Right of Way agents, TREC DOES NOT regulate Real Estate Developers, Home Builders, Homeowners Associations, Mortgage Brokers, Property Tax Consultants, Title Insur-

ance Companies (like Stewart, etc.) and Auctioneers. All public records, contract forms adopted by TREC are available to any person. RE Agents are required to use these forms. These TREC forms are intended for use primarily by the licensed real estate brokers or sales agents who are trained in their correct use. Mistakes in filling out these forms may result in financial loss or a contract that is unenforceable. TREC does not offer any legal advice to the public on private contractual matters. TREC promulgated contract forms are used or should be used when negotiating contracts binding the sale, exchange, option, lease, or rental of property in the State of Texas. A buyer or a seller of a property is advised to contact the Real Estate Agent to understand what is the true meaning of these promulgated forms to buy / sell exchange etc in a binding contract and still not require an attorney to draw up a contract. More next issue Dilip Kapasi is a licensed Real Estate Agent in Houston. He can be reached at dilipmeena@yahoo.com for any question you may have.

HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

Your Horoscope for the Week of July 15, 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 You will become emotional at this time, especially about people, places, or causes you have a strong attachment to from the past, such as your alma mater or your home town. You care more passionately and respond instinctively and emotionally to whatever happens to you at this time. Also, you are energized and refreshed now and eager to be involved in projects that benefit your children, family or home. Feelings of tenderness and love for family is very strong at this time.

You will realize that being with people and especially giving something of yourself and your talents to others with benefit you in the long run. However you want to be seen and noticed. You receive appreciation and a positive response and possibly an opportunity or personal contact which will be quite beneficial. There are opportunities for deep sharing and powerful, meaningful contacts with others, especially people who share common goals or ideals. An opportunity for a leadership role is also likely.

Scorpio (N,Y) 23 Oct to 21 Nov

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May Your drive for freedom, independence, and absolute authority over your own life is quite strong. You tend to be very sensitive of others. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best for you not to try to cooperate too much or slow down your pace to suit other people too much. You need to follow your own rhythm. You are likely to actually act on some of the more unusual or strange impulses you feel from time to time: you crave excitement. This is a time for getting a little loose with friends, going dancing, or doing something out of the ordinary that is real fun.

You are more detached from your daily affairs than usual, and you step back to reflect on the overall course of your life. You are very concerned with your responsibilities to important people in your life and you may give a special gift or provide practical assistance to parents, spouse, or children. You may also feel very strongly that a relationship has fulfilled its purpose and decide to end a long-term relationship, ......

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June Unsolved or puzzling problems and the hidden or behind the scenes aspects of a situation interest you most, until you discover the truth. An interest in psychology or other peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; talk comes to the top. A goal or vision you have been working toward comes into fruition now, or gains momentum and positive recognition from others. You feel expansive and inclined to take risks, and you may be overly extravagant now. You are inspired creatively, artistically, or spiritually at this time.

You will use charm, humor, and a light touch to get your point across now. And your friendly attitude makes a favorable impression on others. Your artistic sense is heightened now and interest in literature, poetry, and culture is strong. Serious and demanding mental work should probably be put off for another time, as either your mind is more on matters of the heart or you simply want to relax and think of lighter topics.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July You will be sharp, clear & decisive. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stand being idle now; you are ready for challenging, intellectual activities and attacking difficult problems on the job. Selfconfidence and courage run high, so this is a fine time to undertake any project or challenge that confronts you, especially if it involves competition or asserting yourself vigorously. You are inclined to take charge or assume a leadership role at this time.

Your imagination and intuition are very keen now. If you are involved in an imaginative area such as art, music, theater, or writing fiction, you will find that fresh, new insights and creative inspirations give added touch and originality to your work. Whether you are directly involved in these areas or not, you will encounter imaginative works that inspire and uplift you now. Your sense of creativity and wonder expands now, allowing you to appreciate life to a greater extent.

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

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August During this time period you may begin planning big things for the future. You become excited about an idea that promises much greener results for you. Your enthusiasm and optimism are so strong that it is difficult for you to realistically evaluate the situation. If others question or doubt your plan, you quickly brush their concerns aside, as you pursue a grander vision. Hopefully, you have done your homework or else your grand dream can go up in smoke.

Your more conventional ways and habits may need reconditioning or updating in order to achieve your objectives. Issues of self-worth, confidence, and determination may cause you to neglect important responsibilities at this time. You are apt to put yourself down or compare your talents and skills to other individuals now. You may also experience frustrations or setbacks to your ambitions like creativity, business skills or intellectual talks.

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

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September A sense low confidence to effectively compete and assert your own will. Some anger and resentment over the frustrations and obstacles you confront now may further complicate matters. This is not a good time to begin a new venture or to ask for a promotion or try to expand your activities in any way. Patience and perseverance are required now. But be willing to wait. Your problems and inadequacies seem more real and difficult than they actually are, so try not to become too discouraged.

You will think of something thrill and excitement, and you want to do something new and out of the ordinary. Your mind soars to a broader, more encompassing view and perspective. You should not rein your thoughts in; the only warning is to be careful when making practical decisions based on these ideas. You can easily overlook the importance of practical details needed to successfully carry out a plan. There will be peace & harmony in the family life, that will help you to concentrate about better planning for future.

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VOICE OF ASIA 19

CLASSIFIEDS

JOB POSTING – Web Producer Are you a Digital Content Guru? Someone obsessed with major news and top trending stories of the day? Do you have a knack for producing creative digital content that generates high engagement? KTRK TV, the ABC owned station located in Houston, Texas is looking for a Full-time Digital Producer to be part of the station team leading the charge to take our digital efforts to the next level. Ideal candidate must have: Gift for Recognizing and Creating Impactful, Innovative and Distinctive Digital Content. Extensive Newsroom Digital Background (Supervisory Skills a Plus). • Unerring News Judgement. • Knack for Writing Powerful and Accurate copy and headlines • Ability to manage multiple projects at one time, while utilizing resources from multiple departments to produce the best product • Proven Social Media Expertise in both content creation and strategic optimizing • Working knowledge of Digital enhancement and publishing tools. • Working knowledge of Digital Analytics and how to use them to optimize station’s brand recognition. • Ability to Excel in fast-paced news station environment and willing to work under deadlines. • Flexibility with Work Schedule depending on station needs and projects. • Strong Leadership, Organizational and Communication skills. • To be considered, candidates must apply on-line at www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume ﬁle, cover letter and list of references. Please Reference Job ID: 384483BR on all materials submitted. Equal Opportunity Employer –Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity. No Telephone Calls

JOB POSTING – Non-Linear News Editor KTRK-TV, and ABC owned station in Houston, TX has an opening for a part time Non-Linear News Editor. Candidates should have experience in editing on non-linear systems as well as knowledge of the Digital Newsroom and understanding of the digital workflow for broadcast news, in a deadline intensive environment. Serious candidates should also have a working knowledge of a server based digital media workflow. Candidates should be able to edit in deadline situations, be creative, precise and be able to work fast. You must be able to take direction, and be a “Team Player” who is not afraid of an intense news environment. Hours will vary depending on the needs of the department, so flexibility to work a varied schedule is required. To be considered, candidates must apply on-line at www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references. Please Reference Job ID: 384484BR on all materials submitted. Equal Opportunity Employer –Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity.No Telephone Calls

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FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

Houston Community College Request for Proposals (RFP) Bank Depository Services Project No. RFP 16-38 Sealed proposals will be received in Procurement Operations (3100 Main Street, Room No. 11B01, Houston, Texas 77002) until 2:00PM (local time) on Friday, August 5, 2016. Documents can be obtained at: www.hccs.edu/procurement.

MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY Respond to Complicated Emails First Thing in the Morning by Anjali Vishwanath We’ve been warned repeatedly that it’s a bad idea to start your day by checking email — it hurts your productivity and focus. But waiting until later in the day to tackle your inbox actually presents a different problem: Email that requires you to make difficult decisions often doesn’t get answered. Research has shown that our decision-making capacity is finite and declines throughout the day. So the longer you wait to respond to that tricky email, the harder it’s going to be. To counteract decision fatigue, try to tackle your most complicated emails first thing in the morning. Set aside 20–25 minutes when your mind is clearest. Doing so will allow you to finally respond to those emails that are languishing at the bottom of your inbox. Adapted from “Actually, You Should Check Email First Thing in the Morning,” by Dorie Clark

Clerical Help Needed Immediate need, part-time clerical help near Westheimer & Hwy-6 (West Oaks) area. Must have good computer and Social media skills. Send resume to: MediHari@yahoo.com or Call: 832-244-3100

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281-407-6335 Medical Office Staff (Cypress) Immediate opening for fluent ENGLISH and HINDI speaking candidate for doctor’s office.

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Source: Adapted from “Actually, You Should Check Email First Thing in the Morning,” by Dorie Clark WWW.HBR.ORG

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VOICE OF ASIA 20

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016

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