Voice of Asia e paper July 1 2016 by VoiceOf Asia

VOICE OF ASIA 1

HAPPY 4th OF JULY

VOICE OF ASIA

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

U.S. Health Spending Has Slowed Dramatically

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Vol. 29 No. 27 Friday, July 1, 2016 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: voiceasia@aol.com

IACF Aids 21 Houston’s Charities

New York’s Empire State Building to go dark for Turkey

EW YORK, | AFP | 6/29/2016 - New York’s famed Empire State Building will go dark on Wednesday in tribute to the 41 people killed and 239 wounded in a suicide attack at Istanbul’s main international airport. The tribute has become a somber ritual following a string of high-profile attacks, including bombings in Paris last November, in Belgium in March and the Orlando nightclub shooting earlier this month. The landmark building said it would darken its world-famous lights in sympathy for the victims and those affected by Tuesday’s attack.

IACF president Nanda Vura, (far left), Board of Directors, Charity Partners and supporters at the 2016 Fund Distribution event on June 23, 2016 held at Madras Pavilion, Sugar Land. Photo credit: Roy Photography. by Shobana Muratee

New York’s famed Empire State Building will go dark on Wednesday in tribute to the 41 people killed and 239 wounded in a suicide attack at Istanbul’s main international airport.

Turkey and the CIA have pointed the finger of blame at the Islamic State extremist group based in Iraq and Syria. There has been no claim of responsibility.

Witnesses described scenes of terror and panic as the attackers began shooting indiscriminately and then blew themselves up at the entrance to Ataturk airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs.

UGAR LAND - The IndoAmerican Charity Foundation (IACF) took a humble bow at the overwhelming appreciation it received at its funds distribution event held on Thursday, June 23rd, at Madras Pavilion in Sugar Land, where 21 local charities were presented with donation checks. This was a hat trick for IACF, a feat it was striving to accomplish after two successful earlier

events this year: Walkathon “I Walk I Care’ and Scholarship Awards where 30 outstanding Fort Bend ISD high school students received scholarships. Welcoming the guests and representatives of the recipient charities, Dr. Vanitha Pothuri, IACF President Elect and Emcee briefly introduced the names of the charities and presenters. IACF’s 2016 Charity Partners included: Indian American Cancer Network, Literacy Advance, Indian

Continued on Page 3

Mayor Turner hosts “Meet the Press” Lunch by Shobana Muratee OUSTON-(June 28, 2016) - Houston’s newly appointed Mayor Sylvester Turner invited members of the local media to lunch at the City Hall’s Legacy Room to brief them on the City of Houston’s status as to “where we are, where we are going and how we are going to get there.”

Houston’s Turkish community calls for Prayer Vigil and Press Conference to stand against terrorism

There were about 50 media representatives from mainstream and ethnic media outlets who attended and chatted over lunch for an hour and a half. This was the first time a mayor has met with this many members of the media at one time. Mayor Turner said he wants to maximize on Houston’s diversity. “This is one attempt to showcase that diversity,” he stated. Mayor Turner was joined by his staff Janice Evans, Director of Communications, Darian Ward, Press Secretary and Melissa Ragsdale, Social Media Director.

OUSTON - Following the recent terror attack in Turkey, the American Turkish Community in Houston called the community join its members in a Prayer Vigil and Press Conference on Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 11:00 am at the Istanbul Conference Center at Turquoise Community Center, Houston, and to recognize and pay tribute to those who have lost their lives in this tragic and heartbreaking incident on Tuesday June 28, 2016 in Istanbul Turkey . “It is time to show our solidarity”, Mehmet Okumus , President/ CEO American Turkish Community in Houston stated in his message “As with the rest of the world, we bear witness to this mournful attack that have hit our homeland, with a heavy heart and believe we must gather together to reflect and remember the innocent lives that were lost. We must stand united to resolve the issue of terrorism in order to safeguard our liberties and countries.”

Doctors Charity Clinic, PEACE (Parent Engagement for Active Child Enrichment), KNOW Autism Foundation, Indian Senior Citizens Association, AVANCE Houston Inc., Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP), Houston, iEducate USA, SEARCH (in kind), Asians Against Domestic Abuse, Richmond State School, REACH Unlimited,

Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner, staff members Janice Evans, Director of Communications, Darian Ward, Press Secretary, and Melissa Ragsdale, Social Media Director with members of local media at the “Meet the Press” luncheon at the City Hall on June 28, 2016. Photo credit; Mayor’s office.

After brief introductory remarks, Mayor Turner had a Q & A round with the media members. While most of them touched on the current issues like the potholes, jobs, and the budget, some were curious to know about the Astrodome, what

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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

VOICE OF ASIA 2

BREXIT – A Warning for all Industrialized Nations

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

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

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

VoiceofAsiaOnline.com Editor Online:

Shobana Muratee

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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FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

by Chandra K. Mittal The morning of Friday, June 24, 2016, America woke up to find out that overnight the British voted to leave European Union – a politico-economic organization of 28 European States, and became politically “independent” to exert their full sovereignty. Some 52% of the British citizens expressed their will to take charge of their own political and economic destiny rather than be bound by the bureaucracy of an international Treaty that created European Union some seventy years ago after Second World War. Brexit, as it is being called represents a major policy departure for UK with serious geopolitical implications for not only Europe but the entire global economic village. The news of “Brexit” spread quickly like a wild fire around the globe taking down with it the financial and equity markets. So much so that UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron resigned within few hours of Brexit vote

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.

as world leaders, politicians and economists scrambled to explain this “political” storm the heart of Europe. After all it is United Kingdom, one of the most significant geopolitical entities in the world for centuries and the center and bedrock of economic and political stability in the historically volatile Europe. UK’s move away from EU which it joined in 1973 for its economic integration among the industrialized nations also has implications for the rest of the EU members.

While all the repercussions of Brexit and the full impact of this “divorce” will unfold over the course of next few years as the process of separation takes effect, the immediate economic scenario does not appear favorable for UK as apparent from recent developments. Immediately following the Brexit vote, Standard and Poor downgraded the country’s sovereign rating from AAA to AA, projecting the event to lead to a less predictable, stable and effective

policy framework that will not be conducive to investing and economic growth in UK. Similarly, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned UK not to expect benefits of membership without fulfilling its obligation toward EU and wants UK to speedily formalize the exit process to stabilize EU functioning. On the wider scale also Brexit symbolizes negativity for Continued on page 6

Letters to the Editor Brexit and Donald Trump : Random reflections Dear Editor, It came as a surprise that Brits have voted to leave the European Union (EU). of which they have been a member for the past 43 years. EU,with 27 countries in it, was deemed to be a counterweight politically and economically to the Americas across the Atlantic. When I lived in England in the sixties, I used to watch Conservative Tories and Liberal Labour party members fiercely debate the pros and cons of joining the European

Common Market and thought the matter was settled once for all, but apparently not Even though the concept of EU was to have free movement of people, goods and services across the EU, the British were more afraid of immigrants, particularly that of color coming into their country through the European routes. That fear was exploited in 1968 by a Conservative Tory MP, Mr. Enoch Powell through his inflammatory speech known as “Rivers of bloods” made in Birmingham,UK. The essence of his speech was that if more colored people are allowed into

the country, there would be race riots and blood will flow in the streets as rivers. The presumptive Republican Presidential nominee, Donald Trump brings to my mind bad memories of Enoch Powell who played upon fears rather than hopes and aspirations of people, Trump’s irresponsible utterances about Mexicans and Muslims in particular may cost him the job he is seeking. Krishna Vavilala Houston,Texas.

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THE STORY OF MAHATMA GANDHI

Gandhi’s first experiment in Satyagraha

n December 1902, a cable reached Gandhi from South Africa urging him to return as promised. Joseph Chamberlain, the Colonial Secretary, was arriving from London on a visit to Natal and the Transvaal and the Natal Indian Congress wanted to present their case to him. Gandhi kept his promise. He reached Natal in time to lead the Indian deputation, but the Colonial Secretary gave the deputation a cold reception. The Indians felt disheartened. From Natal, Chamberlain proceeded to the Transvaal. The Indians there also wanted Gandhi to present their grievances to him. Before the Boer war, Indians had been free to enter the Transvaal at any time, but now they had to obtain a permit from the newly created Asiatic Department. The new rule was designed to separate Indians from the whites. To get a permit was no easy matter. The officers of the Asiatic Department did their best to prevent Gandhi from entering the Transvaal but he had his way in the end. He got a permit and went to Pretoria. He was not allowed, however, to lead a deputation and present the memorandum he had drafted. Gandhi now decided to stay in the Transvaal and fight the color bar which was taking such ugly shape there. He realized that now he would not be able to leave the country, as he had hoped to. He therefore settled down and prepared to do his utmost for the cause of the colored people, particularly the Indians. He was enrolled in the Supreme Court at Johannesburg. He rented a place and established his office. He made good earnings from his practice, but his heart was in the service of the people. Meanwhile, he continued his experiments with vegetarianism. He gave up all luxuries and pleasures. His idea was to

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 enforce the tax on the unwilling Zulus. They wanted to put down all resistance and deny the colored people their rights in their own land. The Zulu Rebellion was finally over and Gandhi returned to Johannesburg. His presence was needed there to look after the interests of the Indians, for they were facing all kinds of oppression from the white settlers.

tune his physical body to his spiritual self. It was at this time that a friend, Madanjit, came to Gandhi with a proposal to start a journal called Indian Opinion. Gandhi liked the idea and in 1904 the journal was launched. Mansukhlal Naazar was the editor. Gandhi helped the journal generously, contributing money and editorial work! The journal, published every week in Gujarati and English, reflected his ideals and gave the Indian readers a liberal education. With absolute frankness Gandhi pointed out to them their failings and prejudices. Indian Opinion also gave the Europeans a correct picture of the difficulties faced by the Indians in South Africa. After the rains in 1904 there was a sudden outbreak of plague in one of the gold-mining areas near Johannesburg. It soon spread to the Indian quarters. Gandhi rushed to the spot and organized preventive measures. With the help of friends, he set up improvised hospitals and looked after the sick. Another thing that happened that year was that Gandhi met H. S. L. Polak, then a sub-editor of The Critic. The two soon became fast friends as their outlook on life was similar. Polak presented to Gandhi a copy of a book by John Ruskin called Unto This Last. This book on economics presented many new ideas, and it influenced Gandhi a great deal. He then hit upon the idea of starting a farm and founding a community with a true sense of brotherhood. His friends supported the project enthusiastically. About 100 acres of land was acquired at a place called Phoenix near Durban, and a farm was set up. In the beginning six families were settled there. The office of Indian Opinion was moved to Phoenix, complete with press. Members of any race could freely go and live on the farm, tilling the soil

The Indian Ambulance Corps was formed. It consisted of a squad of 24 men, and was in active service for six weeks, nursing and looking after the wounded.

In August 1906 an ordinance was issued by the Transvaal Government requiring all Indians — men, women, and children — to register themselves and obtain a personal certificate bearing name and thumb impression. This card was to be carried by all individuals at all times and had to be shown on demand. Anyone failing to produce the certificate was liable to be fined, imprisoned, or deported. The police even had orders to enter private houses and check certificates.

Gandhi realized that the whites were determined to

“This is too much to bear,” Gandhi told his colleagues. “If

Gandhi in his law office or working at the press. Gandhi, however, could stay in the Phoenix Settlement only for brief periods. His headquarters were at Johannesburg where he continued his practice as a lawyer. He knew that it would not be possible to return to India in the near future, so he decided to send for Kasturbai and the children. They soon joined him. Whenever he found time he undertook the task of educating his three sons. He also pursued the experiments with his diet. “I intend to be the ruler of my body,” he would say. “The spirit can only rule me if I am free of earthly wants.” He gave up drinking coffee and tea. Next to go was milk. Sometimes he would fast, taking only water. Kasturbai watched all this silently. She knew it was useless to argue with her husband on such matters. In 1906, the Zulu Rebellion broke out in Natal. It was a notax campaign. The Zulus were only asserting their rights, but the whites got panicky and declared war against the Zulus. Gandhi’s sympathies were with the Zulus, but they were fighting against the British and Gandhi believed that the British Empire existed for the welfare of the world. He considered it his duty to help the British. He offered to form an Indian Ambulance Corps. The authorities accepted the offer.

we meekly submit, it will spell absolute ruin for us in South Africa. We must take action immediately if we are to live here.” The Indians decided not to submit to this humiliating and insulting measure. They resolved to fight it. But how? Gandhi saw here the need for passive resistance or satyagraha. He explained to the people his concept of satyagraha. First, he said, they must be prepared to observe absolute nonviolence. The authorities would take all measures to put down the agitation. They might use violence, arrest people and send them to jail, but all this must be faced without resistance, “Merely disobeying the government’s laws will not be enough,” Gandhi told them. “You must have no hatred in your hearts and you must cast away all fear.” — To be continued

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VOICE OF ASIA 3

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

C OMMUNITY VOICE OF ASIA

Second Front Page

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IACF Aids 21 ....Charities Continued from page 1 Advocates of Fort Bend, Turning Point Center Women’s Center, Daya, Friends Helping Friends, Naomi House, Overcome, and PAIR (Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees). The arduous process of IACF’s Funds Distribution Committee was meticulously led by Prem Cholia, Director and assisted by Dr. Kamala, Dr. Ramesh Sreeni, Dr. Vanitha and Abhijit. Presenters included past presidents and supporters of IACF: Abhijit Gadgil, Racheal Varghese, Ven Bontha, Sam Kannappan, Dr. Appan, Subbu Neti, Dr. Manish Gandhi, Randy Briones, Col. Vipin Kumar, Shamanth Kumar, Sajid Khan, Dr. Sushmita Katikaneni, Dr. Paul and Manmeet Likhari, Swatantra Jain, Nalinakshi Rangala, and media partners: Koshy Thomas, Sheshadari Kumar and Vanshika Vipin.

L-R: Dr. Vanitha Pothuri, Nanda Vura, Dr. Manish Gandhi (IDCC) and KC Mehta (IDC) receiving the check. Photos credit: Roy Photography.

A section of the audience at the 2016 Charity Partner’s event. cal Committee, Health, and Yes Hours committees,” he added. He also thanked charity partners, valuable supporters, donors, community and corporate leaders who have participated and made the IACF-2016 funds distribution event a grand success. His singular message to charities was a request to INVOLVE IACF in their programs and give opportunity to serve.

Addressing the gathering, Nanda Vura, IACF president said, “This year, we have funded 21 charities working in the fields of four pillars of IACF focus: Education, Family, General Needy and Healthcare. In line with the charter of IACF, three of the 21 charities funded this year are new and emerging charities.” Vuru also outlined the organization’s mission as being a charity which helps the underprivileged and needy with monetary and volunteer work contributions through established and emerging organizations [501(c)3] in the Greater Houston Area. “This event fully showcased the mission and vision of IACF which is “We Live Here, We Give Here”. The gathering represented the entire ecosystem of what IACFs stands for and operates on. We had an opportunity to present the new and expanded vision of IACF to ‘give more’ to the charities we support by making available services of new constituted auxiliary committees of volunteers: the Techni-

Dr. Sushmita Katikaneni, handing the check to IACAN president.

The evening was an uplifting experience with numerous charitable organization doing yeoman service to the communities. One of the presenters Dr. Sushmita Katikaneni, who is a cancer survivor, shared her story as she handed the check to Indian American Cancer Network. IACF’s past presidents that were present praised the leadership for its

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VOICE OF ASIA 5

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

Yoga at NASA - A experience of a lifetime! by Manu Shah

and suryanamaskar under the clear and crisp instructions of Director of SVYASA, USA’s Vishwarupa Nanjundappa. Emphasizing the importance of synchronizing the breathe with the body’s movements and fusing insights about the instant benefits of yoga, Vishwarupa concluded the 45 minute session with some pranayama practices.

The Orbiter’s replica at NASA, Houston’s premises inspired awe with its outer engineering but the sight of 300 yoga practitioners who had gathered there on June 26th to work on their inner engineering for calmness, clarity and health was no less a striking scene. A rapidly growing movement, Yoga is a holistic exercise that appeals to different people for different reasons regardless of ethnicity, religion or color. This was clearly evident from the broad mix of people that turned up at the event organized by the Indian Consulate in Houston. For instance, Victoria Garcia was drawn to yoga after she lost her son in a tragic road accident but observed that as a staunch Christian “yoga did not clash with her faith and in fact enhanced it.” While many like Indrani Parthasarthy came for the flexibility that yoga offered or Dustin who “found it the best way to start the day and clear the mind”, some like

The event ended with the recitation of a mantra from the Upanishad which sought blessings for happiness and peace and freedom from illness and suffering.

300 yoga enthusiasts Yoga at NASA. Photo credit; Vijay Pallod Jorge Bonilla noticed that yoga made him “less grumpy.” His wife confirmed this statement! The yoga session at NASA was a sequel to the 2nd Inter-

national Day of Yoga celebrations in downtown’s Discovery Green. NASA’s choice of venue in the words of Consul General Anupam Ray was the best place “to link the ancient science of

India to the present day cutting edge technology which brings the modern and the ancient together in a very interesting way.” Mallik Putcha, a retired NASA Contractor Systems Engineer and Project Management Specialist played a key role in securing the necessary permissions from NASA. A practicing yogi himself, CG Ray also thanked the 15 plus organizations and volunteers who “worked so hard to make the event successful without expecting anything in return.” He later joined the gathering for the yoga workout. Welcoming the gathering, Shekhar Agrawal observed that Yoga takes “care of our hardware – the body and our software – the mind and makes it

virus free.” He began the session by inviting the attendees to put all their energies together by joining in a powerful Rig Veda mantra that emphasizes the unity of minds to create happiness and harmony for all. Brother Mark, from the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center in Houston has been practicing yoga for 25 years and describes it as a “medicine to conquer stress.” He led the gathering in a brief meditation practice “to harness the power of the mind” and set it in a powerful consciousness so as to get the maximum benefit from the day’s yoga practice. This stilling of thoughts was followed by several asanas such as tadaasana, vrikshasan, padahastasana, ardhachakrasana

Interestingly, VYASA, Houston, a renowned Yoga Institute, has a collaboration with MD Anderson since 2003 conducting yoga classes every day for breast cancer patients. They are currently running the biggest study in the world with 600 patients where they offer each patient 18 sessions of yoga during chemotherapy and radiation. According to VYASA’s Director Nanjundappa, the study shows that regular practice of yoga can combat the side effects of cancer treatment and helped patients improve sleep patterns and quality of life. He cited the case of a patient who had been taking sleeping pills for 30 years and at the 11th session announced that she had for the first time in 30 years “slept like a baby” without the medication. Volunteers of Sewa International, USA provided a respite from the hot sun by distributing bottles of cold water and bananas to an appreciative gathering.

Sugar Land Ballroom Consul General Anupam Ray addressing the participants at NASA> Photo credit: DroneforceStudios.

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BREXIT – A Warning ..... Continued from Page 2 not only Europe but other industrialized countries. Alan Greenspan, the former Chairman of US Federal Reserve recently called Brexit the “tip of the iceberg” with a potential to create a contagion effect on other EU members for the same underlying reasons as faced by UK. According to his diagnosis, it is primarily the fall in people’s real incomes over past decades which caused Brexit. Perhaps for same reasons the slogans like Fraxit, Nexit are being heard from nationalists in France, Netherland, Sweden, etc. Closer to home, England is hearing renewed voices for another referendum by Scotland to secede from UK. Expressions of such disintegrative sentiments in the European spectrum portend negativity for a large European economic block. Most experts on Europe politics have attributed excessive globalization and indiscriminate immigration into UK as the primary trigger for vote in favor of Brexit. Globalization has been a controversial mixed blessing for all industrialized nations. Whereas it has created wealth for the investor class, the working class has taken the real beating by way of job losses and depressed incomes levels. For example, US has not seen real increases in wages for the past few decades despite

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“economic booms” on the Wall Street. The flight of capital from industrialized economies to low-cost manufacturing hubs has created serious wealth disparities and anger among citizens in developed societies. Such economic scenario coupled with unregulated and indiscriminate immigration into the industrialized nations has added fuel to the fire and has further aggravated the wage situation because of the availability of large number of less educated and low-skilled migrants replacing national citizens. This can hardly harbor goodwill towards the immigrants in any country under economic distress. All speculating and surmising about Brexit aside, a parallel economic scenario is developing in the United States with blind globalization and immigration except their larger dimensions. Although it is accepted universally that both economic globalization and immigration are the realities of modern times, so far, these have proven to be a double-edged economic sword for nations as characterized by Pundits and scholars including former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, an economist. The real challenge, however, lies in making this “double-edged” sword work for all citizens, and not just for the elite, the financiers and the investor class.

Brexit essentially represents the repudiation of status quo in UK and is simply symptomatic of popular anger and dissatisfaction with the present governing policies in industrialized nations. This is also the prototype for things to come in the future. These times demand for leaders and political custodians of industrialized nations not to be beholden to investor class only but formulate responsible and equitable policies to affect both globalization and immigration. There is need to balance these with national domestic interest. Globalism and nationalism are not mutually exclusive pursuits as one is not at the expense of the other. In fact, both compliment to each other. After all globalization is only possible if supported by sound national economy. Let the Brexit serve as a warning or wake up call for all the industrialized nations of the world to find political solutions that maintain their national integrity, honor and sovereignty while participation in globalization and immigration. Chandra Mittal is Professor at Houston Community College, and Co-Founder of Indo-American Association, Houston. Contact: drckmittal@ yahoo.com or follow on Twitter @DrChandraMittal.

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VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

Four Indian Americans honoured with Manoj Singh Joins Pratham prestigious Great Immigrants Award USA Board Of Directors group of US supporters,” said Manoj. “Pratham’s data-driven approach to improving learning for India’ s poor is admirable. It will be interesting to see how its application of mobile and tablet technology will affect the organization’s growth and also education in India.”

The annual award of the Carnegie Corporation would be presented to them at an event in New York on June 30, said a June 28 statement. For 2016, the Corporation named 42 honourees, who represent some 30 different countries of origin, a wide range of personal immigration stories, and inspiring professional accomplishments.

One of the awardees is Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, pictured speaking during a ‘Google for India’ event in New Delhi, India, on December 16, 2015 (AFP).

ASHINGTON DC, Wed, 29 Jun 2016- PTI - Indian-origin Google CEO Sunder Pichai and three other IndianAmericans are among the 42 US nationals honoured with this year’s prestigious ‘Great Immigrants: The Pride of America’ award.

The other three Indian-Americans are Hari Sreenivasan, anchor and senior correspondent, PBS NewsHour, Vikram Malhotra, Chairman of the Americas at McKinsey & Company and Bharati Mukherjee, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author.

“These accomplished Americans are immigrants like our forefathers, who founded this nation of nations,” said Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York. “They are representative of the millions of immigrants who have come to the United States for economic opportunity, education, political or religious asylum, security, or reunification with families and relatives. They, like all Americans, share a common faith in this country,” he said. Pakistani American Shaiza Rizavi, Partner, Gilder, Gagnon, Howe & Co is also among the list of awardees.

India continues to get more H-1B visas despite fee hike: Richard Verma

YDERABAD, India, 24 Jun 2016 - India continues to get the “lion’s share” of the H-1B visas from the US government despite the fee hike, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma said today. “India continues to receive the lion’s share of H-1B and L1 and even after the fee increase, they continue to get 70 per cent of those H-1B visas,” Verma said on the sidelines of ‘The Future is Now: From COP21 to Reality’ conference here. “We understand the concern about the fee hike. I think there is an ongoing conversation. We also know this is an important part of travel and commercial enterprise in the US. And again, there is an increase in the number of visas issued, in fact, there is a slight increase,” he added. The US, under the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, has imposed a special fee of USD 4,000 on certain categories of H-1B visas and USD 4,500 on L1 visas.

Almost all Indian IT companies would be paying between USD 8,000 and USD 10,000 per H-1B visa as per the hike. According to Nasscom, this is expected to have an impact of about USD 400 million annually on India’s technology sector. Earlier in his speech, Verma said the ongoing deforestation and poor land management is responsible for nearly Richard Verma. a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions outbreaks. as each day, greenhouse gases emitted by “Receding ice sheets in the Arctic and human activities trap the same amount the opening of new sea passages raise of heat energy as would be released by concerns about maritime security and 400,000 atomic bombs. freedom of navigation,” he said. “Climate change is not just an enviAccording to Verma, Prime Minister ronmental challenge; it is a national seNarendra Modi’s 175 GW target for recurity issue. Changes in climate could potentially damage critical infrastruc- newable energy deployments is among ture, create shortages of food and water, the most ambitious in the world and the and lead to mass migrations and disease US has done a great deal to support this effort.

Manoj Singh, Board of Director.

EW YORK, NY, JUNE 28, 2016 -- Pratham USA is pleased to announce the appointment of former Deloitte executive Manoj Singh to its national board of directors, effective immediately. Manoj spent 36 years in senior leadership positions with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., including head of Deloitte Consulting in the Americas, CEO of the Asia Pacific region and, since 2007, chief operating officer. Handpicked as one of four global managing directors reporting to the global CEO, Manoj led client growth in the emerging Asian and African markets and advised global organizations on how to navigate complex business challenges, with a focus on technology, manufacturing and the energy industry.

Manoj serves on the business council for the Wildlife Conservation Society and on the board of trustees of the Rubin Museum of Art and Carnegie Mellon University, from which he is a distinguished graduate. A frequent speaker on college campuses, Manoj has appeared on Bloomberg, the BBC and CNBC, and was recognized as one of the top 25 consultants in the US by Consulting Magazine. “Manoj’s illustrious career speaks for itself,” said Pratham USA Chairman Dinyar Devitre. “His considerable expertise and experience will no doubt help to advance Pratham’s development and mission. We are thrilled to have him take on a larger role within our organization.” ABOUT PRATHAM Founded in 1995 to ensure that every child is in school and learning well, Pratham is now one of the largest non-governmental organizations in India’s education sector. Pratham uses low-cost, scalable methods and works in partnership with government and community stakeholders to provide quality education to underprivileged children across 20 of India’s 29 states.

A longtime Pratham supporter, Manoj has become more actively involved with the organization since his retirement from Deloitte in 2015. He is particularly interested in the role technology can play in catalyzing children’s learning. “I am honored to have been invited to join this passionate

Pratham USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a four-star rating (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator. It accepts tax-deductible contributions from US donors to create educational reform throughout India. To learn more about Pratham and its programs, visit prathamusa.org.

Through the US-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy, or PACE, nearly USD 2.5 billion have been mobilised for clean energy projects in India and another USD 1.4 billion in climate finance for solar projects was announced during the Prime Minister’s visit to the US.

tween now and 2035, investment in the global energy sector is expected to reach nearly USD 17 trillion. That’s more than the entire GDP of China and India combined,” Verma said.

“India’s success is critical to global success and I firmly believe, clean energy will be one of the biggest growth opportunities in the years ahead. Be-

The US is actively supporting India’s solar targets through the Government of India-led International Solar Alliance and bilateral initiatives, such as rooftop solar cooperation and solar resource mapping, he said

VOICE OF ASIA 8

COMMUNITY

Mayor Turner ..... “Meet the Press”

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

We need a paradigm shift on mobility oriented development • We must employ a multimodal approach • We must have an efficient freight system • We must be more strategic in pursuing mobility funding • We must have enhanced coordination and partnership among regional agencies

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner By Mayor Sylvester Turner

Continued from Page 1

Mayor Sylvester Turner addressing the members of the media at the luncheon held at the City Hall on June 28, 2016. Continued from Page 1 were the unexpected on his job and also how he picked out his outfit for the gay parade, which seemed to have humored the Mayor. “It is a roller coaster situation right now but will take off in a major way,” Turner said, referring to the oil and gas crisis, and layoffs. He assured us that the transportation was going to boom, especially with the growth projection of more than 3 million additional people over the next 20 years. The population in the Greater Houston region is approximately 6.5 million. “It is so diverse that in the next 15-20 years from now, this is how the United States will look like,” he said. Mayor Turner mentioned that the city is looking to build a major amusement park, not on the outskirts but within (just 640 sq. miles outside) the city limits. Events like the Livestock Show & Rodeo and Super Bowl are not here permanently, and children need a place to go to enjoy especially during the summer, he said. Mayor Turner said that he would be limiting his travel and does not expect to leave for the next eight to ten months. His future plans for travel include trade missions to Cuba, Mexico, South Africa and China in the next year. Mayor Turner concluded, noting that Mayor Sylvester Turner with Koshy Thomas, Publisher/ Houston is diverse and he wished to make CEO, Voice of Asia. sure that we are being inclusive.

If the regional demographers are right, there will be 3.5 million more people living in the Houston region by 2040. That’s a total of 10 million people living together in the eightcounty area. We are not just growing out, we are also growing up. Mobility is vital to meeting the demands of this growth. It is time for a paradigm shift in how we tackle the mobility challenges before us. This is so important because the decisions we make today will shape our future growth patterns. There are five strategies that are key to our regional success in this area: • We must encourage wellconnected urban centers and transit-

I do not intend to run for another office when I am done being Mayor, and I am fully committed to making sure we do all that we can; that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past; that we build a transportation network that will meet the economics interest of the people in our region; that we provide a system that can move people efficiently and effectively from point A to point B; that we are futuristic in our approach, and that we are not bound or limited by existing natural resources. It will take bold leadership to ask people to do more, to pay more, to give more. But you cannot have more, if you are not willing to do more and pay more. So, let us go boldly into the future, and let us recognize that we are not just competing with Dallas, we are competing with cities across the globe. In this city, and in this region, we are not just thinking about today, we are thinking and acting on tomorrow. Houston is going to lead the way and I look forward to working to make it happen!

Ken Mathew continues as City Council member STAFFORD - As a result of cancellation of the City election Ken Mathew, continues to serve as the long term member City Council, it was declared Ken Mathew has served on City Council since May 2006. Prior to that, he was on the Board of Directors of the Stafford Economic Development Corporation and was a member of the Stafford Planning and Zoning Commission. He is committed to helping the community and works closely with Houston Community College, Fort Bend, as an Advisory Board member. He is a member and a Sunday school teacher of the St. Thomas Orthodox Church. He is the past Chief Editor of the news magazine of MAGH. Council member Mathew adds to his credentials an MBA degree from the University of Detroit. He is the Accounting Manager with Flextronics Systems Texas Ltd. in Stafford. He is married and has two daughters.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 9

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital hosts annual National Cancer Survivors Day® Luncheon

Fort Bend’s Fourth of July festivities to be held

he Fourth of July is serious business in Fort Bend County. Communities throughout the county are planning parades, gatherings and fireworks displays. Fulshear Fulshear will devote its Fulshear Friday Night to celebrating Independence Day. Festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a parade along Second and Harris streets. The evening also will feature the Lil’ Mister & Miss Fulshear Firecracker and the Miss Fulshear Friday Night pageants across from Fulshear United Methodist Church, 8201 Harris St. Fireworks will begin after dusk. Details: 281-3461796. Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Cancer Survivors Day Celebration Cinco Ranch

UGAR LAND—(June 27, 2016) — Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital joined nearly 14 million American cancer survivors in the annual celebration of National Cancer Survivors Day®. Also recognized were the many family members, friends and health care providers whose contributions to and support of cancer survivors help make the celebration possible. The celebration was led by associate chief nursing officer Sally Shen, M.S.N., R.N., NEA-BC. Shen briefly shared how cancer has affected her family before introducing Mary Nugent, this year’s patient speaker, and Sindhu Nair, M.D., hematologist/oncologist at Houston Methodist Oncology Partners, who delivered the physician perspective as well as the survivor acknowledgment. “You are our inspiration, and I thank you for that,” said Nair. “Here in this room, we have husbands and wives,

sons and daughters. We have doctors, nurses, physical therapists, nurse navigators — a community. They are what makes this perhaps difficult experience, easier to get through.” Anyone living with a personal history of cancer — from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life — is a cancer survivor, according to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation®. Additionally, the foundation says that more people are surviving cancer than ever before, which can be attributed to advances in prevention, early detection, treatment and follow-up care. Cancer, however, does come

with many challenges, such as hindered access to cancer specialists and promising new treatments, inadequate or no insurance, financial hardships, employment problems and psychological struggles. “Despite these difficulties, cancer survivors can live active, productive lives with the support of other survivors,” said Nair. For more information on Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or call 281.274.7500 for a physician referral. Visit our Facebook page at fb.com/ methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

Read more community stories online Visit: www. voiceofasiaonline.com

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch will present its Big Backyard Barbecue at 5 p.m. Saturday in Heritage Square, at 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. The day will include live entertainment by Eleventh Hour, clowns, food and a fireworks display. The Patriotic Outpost, presented by the Katy Veterans of Foreign War Post 9182, will sell patriotic items and dinner. Proceeds will benefit Katy VFW programs for active and retired military personnel and their families. Overflow parking will be available at Cinco Ranch High School. Details: www.lacenterra.com. Meadows Place The city of Meadows Place will present its annual Fourth of July Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday along Dorrance and Mulholland, ending at the field house on Brighton Street. Residents along the parade route are invited to decorate their homes. The first-, second- and third-place winners will receive gift cards. Parade floats can compete for best youth, spirit and commercial entries. Details: 281-983-

www.ci.rosenberg.tx.us/.

2935. Missouri City Missouri City’s 25th annual Independence Day celebration will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Buffalo Run Park, 1122 Buffalo Run Drive. Entertainment will include the Tejas Brothers Band. Break Shop, a troupe of acrobatic break-dancers, will perform every hour, beginning at 5:45 p.m. Those who arrive before 6:30 p.m. can buy $3 wristbands for unlimited use of the rockclimbing wall, extreme jump, gyroscope and basketball toss. After 6:30 p.m., the wristbands will cost $5. At 6 p.m., guests will be able to star in music videos with help from Dance Heads. Also planned are animal adoptions from Missouri City-based Zeke Animal Rescue and a stuffed toy booth, along with food, drinks and a beer garden hosted by theOyster Creek Rotary Club. The Missouri City Pops will perform during the 9 p.m. fireworks display. Details: 281403-8500, or www.missouricitytx.gov/. Rosenberg Rosenberg’s Family fourth Independence Day Celebration is set for 4-10 p.m. Saturday at Seabourne Creek Park, 3827 Texas 36 S. The Radio Disney DJ and Road Crew of KMIC-AM 1950 will present “crazy cool” games, arts, crafts and contests onstage from 4-6 p.m. Let it Ride will take the stage at 6 p.m., followed at 8 p.m. by Doubleback. Also planned are horse-drawn wagon rides, a KidZone with inflatables and dunking booth, a display by the Rosenberg Railroad Museum and equipment displays by the Rosenberg Fire Department and the Texas National Guard. Fireworks will begin at 9:15 p.m. The city of Richmond is supporting this event. Details:

Stafford Stafford’s Independence Day activities will span two days: Friday and Saturday. The parade will begin at 7 p.m. Friday at the Stafford Municipal School District football parking lot and end at the Civic Center in the Municipal Complex. The parade will be followed by a cake reception for parade marshals Mike and Sharon Johnston. Festivities will resume at 7:30 p.m. at 1415 Constitution with food and drink booths, carnival rides and free children’s games and hayrides. A free street dance with music by the Spiffingtons will be 8-11:30 p.m. Set for 5-7 p.m. Saturday is the Freedom Rights Concert at Stafford Centre, 10505 Cash Road, featuring the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra. A fireworks display will begin at 9 p.m. Details:www. cityofstafford.com/ about_ stafford/. Sugar Land The city of Sugar Land plans to tie its Independence Day celebration in with its 50th anniversary. The 24th annual Red, White and Blue- fest is set for 5-10 p.m. Saturday at Oyster Creek Park, 4033 Texas 6 S. The day will feature live performances by Password, along with solo artist Andrea Baras. Children’s activities will include rock walls, bounce houses, water slides, face painting, and a children’s stage with clowns and magic shows, line dancing, a snake show and the Fort Bend Chinese American Association, which will present Chinese martial arts and dragon dancing. The city will honor its anniversary with a customized fireworks display set to begin at 9:30 p.m. Details: 281-2752885 or visit www.sugarlandtx. gov/.

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Saudis urged to say ‘no’ to Ramadan begging by Ian Timberlake with Kamal Idris in Mecca

One youngster hoping for money clings to the simple ihram cloth worn by a pilgrim.

IYADH, Saudi Arabia | AFP - Clad in black and with a baby in her lap, a woman sits on the ground shaking a cardboard box outside the door of a Saudi mosque.

The beggars are reluctant to talk and careful to avoid local authorities stationed in the area to catch them. A few kilometres (miles) from the Grand Mosque, AFP spoke to one beggar sitting outside a mini market. She gave her name as Um Mohammed and said she came from Chad seven years ago on a pilgrimage.

She says she is from Jazan, a southern region of Saudi Arabia bordering Yemen, and begs every day outside the mosque in a Riyadh neighbourhood of migrant workers. Many of the South Asian men attending the mosque are low-paid labourers but they still spare a riyal for her. The box fills quickly as they drop the equivalent of 27 US cents after their prayers.

She never left. “Good people like to give to the poor and needy. We are poor,” said Um Mohammed. “We take what we need to survive and send the rest to families in Chad.”

Charity is one of the main principles of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month when Muslims around the world fast from dawn until dusk.

She says she receives 30-60 riyals on a normal day. In a good month her earnings can rise to 5,000 riyals ($1,300), more during pilgrimage season.

Each Ramadan, which began this year on June 6, many more beggars take to the streets of oil-rich Saudi Arabia, Islam’s spiritual home. But this year a leading charity is urging Saudis to channel their generosity elsewhere. Alwaleed Philanthropies, the charity arm of billionaire Saudi businessman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, says begging is linked to “street gangs” and substance abuse. “Cases of begging rise by 50 percent in the month of Ramadan,” the organisation said in a statement announcing its campaign, warning that giving money “only serves to perpetuate the problem”. It said the “reality of streetbeggars” involved practices including “faking disabilities”

Riyadh police arrested 90 beggars including 34 children during the first four days of Ramadan, the Arab News reported. A woman sits and begs outside a supermarket on a main street in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on June 20, 2016 (AFP Photo/Fayez Nureldine) and taking advantage of children, and that more than 700 million riyals ($187 million) was made in Saudi Arabia every year from begging. The campaign provides a website directing people to “the right charities”. - ‘Forced labour’ Elsewhere in Riyadh, boys with cleaning fluid and squeegees offer their services as windshield cleaners in a variant of begging at traffic lights.

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report said. The presence of so many foreign beggars is due in part to the country’s role as a destination for Muslim pilgrims. Millions of pilgrims from around the world visit Saudi Arabia every year for the hajj and the lesser umrah pilgrimage, which is popular during Ramadan. The United Nations children’s fund (UNICEF) has said that many poor families

who enter Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage visa stay on illegally and become beggars, or leave children behind to beg and send money home. Many beggars can be seen in the holy city of Mecca and at its Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site. They are mainly women of various Arab, Asian and African origins, often accompanied by children. - ‘People like to give’ -

Yet many are undeterred. At a sprawling Riyadh intersection, a woman clad in black walks slowly along a line of cars with a finger raised, hoping for handouts in the mid-day heat that exceeds 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). She tells AFP she is from Mecca, and claims to be a novice beggar. “I just came today,” she says, clutching a one-riyal note given by a passing taxi driver.

LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

Chinese Internet on edge of outrage Hong Kong has overtaken Angola’s after Lady Gaga meets Dalai Lama capital to become the costliest city in the world for expats: Mercer’s

annual survey

The Dalai Lama greets Lady Gaga, right, before a question and answer session at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis, Sunday, June 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy). Beijing, China | AFP | 6/27/2016 - Poker faces were in short supply after Lady Gaga met the Dalai Lama, with Chinese social media users erupting in fury Monday. The pop star met with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader at the United States Conference of Mayors in Indiana, where the Nobel laureate gave the keynote speech. After Lady Gaga posted a photo of the two of them on Instagram, a photo sharing site owned by Facebook, the image was inundated with abusive comments.

“The way the Chinese feel is just like you were shaking hands with Bin Laden,” one poster wrote.

independence policies around the world” he said, adding: “We hope people can see through to his true nature.”

Another said: “This is proof that she can love and respect a Chinese terrorist. She fundamentally looks down on Chinese fans, and even all Chinese people.”

The Dalai Lama’s speech mainly focused on hope for the future, US reports said.

Asked by AFP if the meeting would lead to a “bad romance” between Chinese authorities and the singer, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei did not recognise the recording artist. “Who?” he asked. The Dalai Lama was “touting his Tibetan

“Now, the time has come that America should be the leading nation in the promotion of human compassion, human love in order to achieve compassionate world,” he said, according to the Indianapolis Star newspaper. “I think in my lifetime we can achieve that. But effort must start now.”

Hong Kong has overtaken Angola’s capital to become the costliest city in the world for expats, Mercer’s annual survey says (AFP Photo/Philippe Lopez). After topping the Cost of Living report for three consecutive years, Luanda was pipped by the Asian city in 2016, owing to a stronger Hong Kong dollar. The survey by the Mercer consulting group compares the cost of over 200 items in over 200 cities, including housing, food, transport and entertainment. It takes New York as its base for comparison and measures currency movements against

Barcelona to raise fine for illegal homerental lodgings to 600,000 euros

ARCELONA, Spain Barcelona city hall on Tuesday announced a 20-fold hike, to 600,000 euros ($660,000), in the maximum fine that can be levied against home rental sites such as Airbnb if they promote illegal accommodation. Under a 2012 regional law, any apartment rented to visitors in Catalonia must be logged in the province’s Tourism Registry and have a permit. In December last year, Barcelona authorities slapped Airbnb and its rival HomeAway with a fine of 30,000 euros, then the maximum, for offering for rent homes which lacked the permit. This maximum will be increased to 600,000 euros under the decision announced Tuesday. Barcelona, one of Europe’s

most popular destinations for short-term holidays, has been massively affected by the rise of home-sharing sites. Their popularity has caused the private vacation rental market to surge -- and many local people are unhappy as a result. They complain of rising realestate prices as family accommodation is snapped up for business use, and late-night noise and partying in neighbourhoods favoured by tourists. Urban planning councillor Janet Sanz said the rise in the maximum fine came after the two sites continued to advertise holiday apartments that did not have permits. “This illegal offer has a very hard impact on our neighbourhoods, it raises rental prices, fuels the underground economy and generates conflicts between

neighbours,” she told a news conference. “The municipal government will introduce changes in the penalties that are applied. We want to reach maximum fines of up to 600,000 euros.” San Francisco-based Airbnb insists that it provides a useful service -- it says it helps visitors find affordable temporary lodging while enabling homeowners to supplement their income. Since taking office in June 2015, Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, a former anti-eviction activist, has pushed ahead on a pledge to curb a visitor boom

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In addition to fining firms like Airbnb -- which matches people wishing to rent out their homes or rooms to temporary guests -- that market lodgings without proper permits, Colau in July 2015 halted the issuing of new hotel licenses for one year.

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the dollar, which has appreciated significantly over the past year. The Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the greenback. “Generally speaking, prices remained stable across the world,” Bruno Rocquemont of Mercer France told AFP, attributing steep rises or falls in cities’ rankings chiefly to exchange rate fluctuations. A strong yen propelled Tokyo six places higher to become the world’s fifth-most expensive expat destination, behind Zurich and Singapore in third and

fourth place respectively. The cost of living in several US cities also rose on the back of the strong dollar. Conversely, cities in countries whose currencies have slumped became more affordable, with Moscow recording one of the most spectacular price slides, falling from 17th costliest city for expats to 67th. Bottom of the table of 209 cities was Namibia’s capital Windhoek.

Jerusalem holy site closed to non-Muslims after violence

ERUSALEM, AFP Israeli authorities announced Tuesday they were closing Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound to non-Muslim visitors after a series of clashes between worshippers and police. The decision will apply until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan next week, a police spokeswoman told AFP. Clashes between Muslims and Israeli police have been taking place every morning since Sunday over Jewish visits to the site, with youths throwing stones and security forces firing tear gas and spongetipped bullets. Prior to visiting hours on Tuesday, a stone hit an elderly Jewish woman in the head at the adjacent Western Wall pla-

za, police and medics said. She was taken to hospital with light injuries. Islamic officials accused Israeli authorities of breaking a tacit agreement on non-Muslim access to the site during the last 10 days of Ramadan. The period, which began on Sunday, is the most solemn for Muslims and attracts the highest number of worshippers. Non-Muslims, including Jews, are allowed to visit the site during set hours but are barred from praying to avoid provoking tensions. Revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, the mosque compound is located in east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

VOICE OF ASIA 13

HEALTH, SC & TECH

Bisexuals, gays, lesbians face greater health risks: study

ASHINGTON, | AFP | 6/27/2016 Bisexual, gay and lesbian adults are more likely to experience psychological distress and engage in unhealthy behaviors, possibly as a result of being the target of discrimination, according to a study published Monday. The study in the US medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine analyzed the results of the 2013 and 2014 National Health Interview Survey, which for the first time included a question on sexual orientation. “Findings from our study indicate that LGB adults experience significant health disparities -- particularly in mental health and substance use -likely due to the minority stress that LGB adults experience as a result of their exposure to both interpersonal and structural discrimination,” the study said. The analysis showed that 40.1 percent of bisexual men and 25.9 percent of gay men reported moderate or severe lev-

els of psychological distress, compared to 16.9 percent of heterosexual men.

bisexual women at 4.2 percent. The rate among heterosexual women was 3.4 percent.

Heavy drinking was reported by 10.9 percent of bisexual men, compared with 5.7 percent for heterosexual men and 5.1 percent for gay men.

The negative findings for bisexual adults may be linked to their “marginalization” by heterosexuals and “stigma” from gays and lesbians, according to the study, led by Gilbert Gonzales of Vanderbilt University.

Rates of heavy smoking were also highest among bisexual men at 9.3 percent, compared to 6.2 percent for gay men and six percent for heterosexual men. Among women, 46.4 percent of bisexuals and 28.4 percent of lesbians reported moderate and severe psychological distress, compared with 21.9 percent of heterosexual women. Bisexual women also had the highest rates of heavy alcohol consumption, 11.7 percent, compared with 8.9 percent for lesbians and 4.8 percent for heterosexual women. Heavy smoking was most prevalent among lesbian women at 5.2 percent, followed by

“The Astrodome: Eighth Wonder of the World” A Documentary Screening at the Houston Public Library

JAMA Internal Medicine Deputy Editor Mitchell Katz wrote in an editor’s note that it’s important for medical professionals to ask patients openended questions. “For example, asking a new patient whether he or she has sex with men, women or both indicates openness and acceptance,” he said. “In caring for people who have experienced bias and discrimination, support is a very potent medicine.” The study compared responses from 525 lesbian, 624 gay and 515 bisexual adults with those of 67,150 heterosexual peers. The average age of participants was nearly 47.

The Houston Astrodome. Photo source pinterest.com

he Houston Public Library’s (HPL) Astrodome Memories Project is hosting a screening of “The Astrodome: Eighth Won-

Micro-camera can be injected with a syringe

ARIS, France | AFP | 6/27/2016 - German engineers have created a camera no bigger than a grain of salt that could change the future of health imaging -- and clandestine surveillance.

It could also be deployed in virtually invisible security monitors, or mini-robots with “autonomous vision”. 3-D printing -- also known as additive manufacturing -makes three-dimensional objects by depositing layer after layer of materials such as plastic, metal or ceramic.

Using 3-D printing, researchers from the University of Stuttgart built a three-lens camera, and fit it onto the end of an optical fibre the width of two hairs. Such technology could be used as minimally-intrusive endoscopes for exploring inside the human body, the engineers reported in the journal Nature Photonics.

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

A 3D printer is displayed in the “3D Print Show”exhibition in Paris on November 15, 2013 (AFP Photo/Joel Saget).

Due to manufacturing limitations, lenses cannot currently be made small enough for key uses in the medical field, said the team, which believe its 3-D printing method may represent “a paradigm shift”. It took only a few hours to design, manufacture and test the tiny eye, which yielded “high optical performances and tremendous compactness,” the researchers reported. The compound lens is just 100 micrometres (0.1 millimetres or 0.004 inches) wide, and 120 micrometres with its casing. It can focus on images from a distance of 3.0 mm, and relay them over the length of a 1.7metre (5.6-foot) optical fibre to which it is attached. The “imaging system” fits comfortably inside a standard syringe needle, said the team, allowing for delivery into a human organ, or even the brain. “Endoscopic applications will allow for non-invasive and non-destructive examination of small objects in the medical as well as the industrial sector,” they wrote. The compound lense can also be printed onto image sensor other than optical fibres, such as those used in digital cameras.

der of the World” on Thursday, July 14, 2016 at 6 PM. The event will take place at the Central Library Program Place (4th Floor), 500 McKinney, 77002. “The Astrodome” is produced by Chip Rives and his company, Texas Crew Productions, in conjunction with the MLB Network. The hour-long documentary tells the story of the Astrodome’s beginnings and its place in the cultural history of Houston through contemporary interviews, vintage footage, and archival sources. The event will include an informal discussion following the screening with the filmmaker, Chip Rives, facilitated by Mike Vance of Houston Arts and Media. This event is free and open to the public. For more information call 832-393-1313. About the Astrodome Memories Project The Astrodome Memories Project provides access to a broad collection of Astrodome-related materials, including items contributed by the public and major archives from the Houston area and the state. The collection contains oral histories, photographs, blueprints, and audio-video materials related to the construction of the Astrodome, as well as pamphlets, scrapbooks, and memorabilia documenting the use of the Astrodome for the last fifty years. Astrodome Memories is a project of the Houston Public Library in partnership with the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, the Harris County Archives, the University of Houston Libraries Special Collections, Woodson Research Center at Rice University’s Fondren Library, and the Harris County Public Library. This project has been made possible in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services provided by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Oral histories and various items that have been scanned can be found online at the Astrodome Memories Project

website at www.astrodomememories.org. About the Astrodome The Astrodome, located in the NRG Park (formerly Reliant) complex, provided many exciting and memorable moments in the lives of countless Houstonians as well as visitors from around the world when it opened in 1965 until it closed in 1999. Dubbed the “The Eighth Wonder of the World,” after its opening, its history is a significant and important part of the City of Houston. The Astrodome was the first fully-domed and air-conditioned sports stadium in the world, the first stadium with luxury sky-boxes and the first stadium to install artificial turf. Owned by Harris County, it was host to cultural events ranging from sporting events to rock concerts, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, to the housing of evacuees from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. About the Houston Public Library The Houston Public Library (HPL) operates 35 neighborhood libraries, four HPL Express Libraries, a Central Library, the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, The African American Library at the Gregory School, and the Parent Resource Library located in the Children’s Museum of Houston. With more than eight million visits per year in person and online, HPL is committed to excellent customer service and equitable access to information and programs by providing library customers with free use of a diverse collection of printed materials and electronic resources, Internet, laptop and computer use, and a variety of database and reference resources with live assistance online 24/7. For further information visit the Houston Public Library at www.houstonlibrary.org on Twitter @houstonlibrary or call 832-393-1313.

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VOICE OF ASIA 14

Section 2

Young Life

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

Tel: 713-774-5140

Shiamak Workshop in Houston Shiamak Davar Dance Academy in association with Bollywood Shake & Agni organized a special dance workshop in Houston last week. Bollywood Shake hosted these workshops for

Ruchika Dias, CEO of Bollywood Shake, said “We decided to invite the Shiamak Dance Academy to conduct these workshops to give Houston a flavor of worldclass Bollywood dance edu-

at the workshop and got to learn so many dance moves. Thanks to Bollywood Shake for bringing this wonderful workshop to Houston”. Shiamak Davar is an Indian

Photo credit: Murali Santhana

kids, adults and advanced students at the Bollywood Shake studio in West Houston and the India House from June 19-25, 2016. Students experienced an energetic workshop and received training in various dance styles by Shiamak’s senior instructor, Lester Fernandes. The workshop gave them an opportunity to learn dance and express themselves creatively!

cation”. Pavana Gadde, who attended the workshop with her 2 kids stated “Lester is a great instructor! This is the most fun I’ve had in a class ever, even though every part of my body is sore! My kids loved it too and looked forward to class every day!” Amrita Banerjee who is a regular Bollywood Shake student and attended the Shiamak Adult workshop last week remarked “I had a great time

dance choreographer who has revolutionized choreography in Bollywood. Singer, choreographer, performing artist Shiamak Davar is known as the “Guru of Dance” in India. He is largely responsible for modernizing India’s dance scene especially in the film and theatre industry. In 1998, he received the prestigious National Award for choreography for the film Dil Toh Pagal Hai and went on

to choreograph blockbusters such as Taal, Kisna, Dhoom 2, Taare Zameen Par, Rab Ne Bana De Jodi and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. With Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Shiamak’s choreography reached international shores. World class shows on national and international platforms such as the IIFA Awards have made Shiamak the most sought after choreographer. With the motto Have Feet. Will Dance. ™, Shiamak Davar International is the

world’s biggest dance academy enriching the lives of over a million dance enthusiasts across India, Canada, Australia, U.S.A, UAE and the UK. Spreading the joy of dance to ages four to eighty four, his faculty teaches his original dance styles including Shiamak Style (Contemporary), Shiamak’s Bollywood Jazz ™, Shabop (Hip Hop & Street Funk) and Shiamak’s Yoga – Inner Dance Movement amongst many others. With an aim to provide quality dance training and making

dance available to all, SHIAMAK USA dance classes run in New York & New Jersey and have multiple workshops in other states. Houston got to experience Shiamak USA’s world class quality workshops lastweek! After the success of these workshops and due to public demand, we hope to see more Shiamak USA dance workshops in Houston in the future. For more information visit www.BollywoodShakeHouston.com

My Experiences of YLDP Miss Teen USA axes ‘outdated’ bikini competition

YLDP Batch of 2016 by Viswajith Kumar rom the very first session, the Youth Development Program (YLDP) in Houston has been an extremely enlightening and inspiring experience. As an organization, YLDP has brought in exceptional leaders, both Indian and non-Indian, from around the Houston area in order to introduce students to innovative and instrumental ways of becoming successful, change-driven leaders.

The opportunity to interact with these individuals has been a great honor and an exceptional experience— one that has definitely created a more robust sense of leadership among the students. YLDP has also made a great

effort to allow students to not only learn from others, but also to apply the skills they have acquired throughout the course. Group discussions and presentations at the end of every session mixed with service projects at areas such as the Houston Food Bank and Lighthouse of Houston have aided significantly in allowing students to hone and observe the real world applications of their skills.

tance of leadership abilities in pursuing success in any sort of field, YLDP consistently encouraged students to work on developing these skills, and provided students with much needed mentorship throughout the entirety of the course. Being a student in YLDP has been a truly amazing experience as I have had the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds of the next generation of leaders.

As a student of YLDP, I found the leadership-based approach towards education to be quite unique. Education in schools and other institutions is focused more on pure academics, thereby placing less emphasis on leadership and communication skills. On the other hand, given the impor-

Furthermore, YDLP has instilled within us a strong sense of leadership, and an ability to understand the qualities and actions necessary to achieve success in the endeavors we pursue. It is this dedication towards developing real-world skills that makes YLDP such a top-notch leadership program.

Miss Teen USA 2016 Katherine Haik (R) congratulates Miss District of Columbia USA 2016 Deshauna Barber during the 2016 Miss USA pageant at T-Mobile Arena on June 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada (AFP Photo/Ethan Miller)

EW YORK, | AFP | 6/29/2016 - One of America’s top beauty pageants has axed its swimsuit competition, ditching bikinis for sportswear to fend off years of complaints that parading in a bikini is sexist and demeaning.

Michelle Obama urges Liberian girls to stay in school

USA first lady Michelle Obama (L) looks on as she visits a woman education program in Monrovia on June 27, 2016. (AFP Photo)

AKATA, Liberia | AFP | Monday 6/27/2016 - US First Lady Michelle Obama urged girls in Liberia on Monday to fight to stay in school, as she visited the west African country where the

vast majority drop out due to financial pressures. Obama launched her “Let Girls Learn” education initiative in March 2015, and has since travelled the globe to call

for greater support for the millions of girls kept away from school or forced to abandon their studies.

and stay in school,” she told the girls.

Obama met girls and young women at a project named GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) aimed at boosting active citizenship, run by the US Peace Corps in Kakata, east of the coastal capital.

Her venture has particular poignance in Liberia, where just 37 percent of 15 to 24-yearold girls are literate, according to UN figures, and enrolment at the secondary level hovers close to 40 percent, with real participation much lower.

Speaking about the value of women’s leadership and access to education, the Harvard-trained lawyer said she was “here to shine a big bright light on you.” “I want you to keep fighting

She was accompanied by her two daughters Malia, 17, and Sasha, 15.

She was also due to visit a school in Unification Town, further inland. The school stop would see the First Lady hold a discussion with adolescent girls “who have faced serious obstacles in attaining an education,” according to a White House statement.

Miss Teen USA, open to women aged 14 to 19, said on its website that “in a society that increasingly prioritizes feminism and equality, watching women parade across a stage in bikinis can feel outdated.”

The reform was welcomed by reigning Miss Teen USA, Katherine Haik, who called it “a great way to celebrate the active lives that so many young women lead and set a strong example for our peers.”

The Miss Universe Organization, which operates the pageant, said from now on contestants would be judged on athletic wear, in addition to the evening wear and personality competitions.

The 2016 Miss Teen USA pageant, which is broadcast online, will be held in Las Vegas on July 30. Each year, a woman from each of the 50 states and one from Washington DC compete for the crown.

“Miss Teen USA’s transition to athletic wear reads as less exploitative and more focused on the importance of physical fitness for its younger participants,” it said.

Miss Universe was for years owned by billionaire Republican White House candidate Donald Trump. He sold it last year to a talent management group.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) meanwhile announced Monday millions more dollars of funding would be made available to support the Let Girls Learn Initiative in Liberia.

ticular, “roughly half of schools don’t even half basic sanitation, so that’s a particular issue for girls,” he added.

Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative for Liberia, told AFP many parents see school as a luxury they can ill afford.

Obama will continue her tour in Morocco on June 28 and 29, accompanied by actress Meryl Streep, to participate in a conversation with adolescent girls.

“Often families see it as a cost, losing labour by sending children to school,” Yett said. And for female pupils in par-

Some 62 million girls around the world, half of them adolescents, are not in school.

She will deliver a speech in Madrid on June 30 about the education initiative before meeting Spain’s Queen Letizia.

VOICE OF ASIA 15

Section 2

Bollywood Masala

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Salman Khan Sends Lawyer’s Response, But No Apology, For Rape Remark

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

Tel: 713-774-5140

Indian historical epic sweeps ‘Bollywood Oscars’

IBollywood superstar Salman Khan has sparked controversy in India by saying his heavy training schedule for an upcoming film left him feeling “like a raped woman” (AFP Photo/). Actor Salman Khan has not apologised for remarking that he felt “like a raped woman”, a comment that ignited public outrage and prompted the National Commission for Women to ask for a public apology. Lalitha Kumaramangalam, who heads the women’s rights body, told NDTV that she has received a response from Mr Khan’s lawyer. She said she could not share details of the note, but “from the first prelude of the letter, he hasn’t apologised”. “I have been told by people who know him that he does not apologise,” Ms Kumaramangalam told NDTV, adding that after she reviews the legal response from the actor, she will examine what action is possible by the agency she heads. Mr Khan, 50, ignored a request to appear before the Women’s Commission in Mumbai today, which has now summoned him on July 7. Salman Khan was in Madrid last week attending the IIFA Awards and is now back in Mumbai. Earlier this month, while speaking

with reporters about his new release, Sultan, Mr Khan said that his training for the role of a wrestler in the film was so gruelling that he felt “like a raped woman”. His supporters point out that a few minutes later, he told journalists that he shouldn’t have made the comment. Sultan releases next week. However, he has after that refused to address the controversy. His father, Salim Khan, a noted script-writer, tweeted an apology on the actor’s behalf. His brother, Arbaaz Khan, a producer, stressed that Mr Khan’s “intent was not wrong”, that a comparison on “works like a donkey” would not have elicited similar anger, and that the analogy, while a poor choice, should not be misconstrued as insensitivity towards women Mr Khan spent a week in jail in Rajasthan on charges of shooting an endangered gazelle; another case accusing him of running over a homeless man sleeping on a Mumbai pavement in 2002 is being heard by the Supreme Court after a Mumbai court acquitted the actor. Courtesy: NDTV

Bollywood actors Shahid Kapoor, Farhan Aktar seen arriving on the green carpet moments before the International Indian Film Academy Awards in Madrid (AFP Photo/Cesar Manso). by Daniel SILVA

this year.

Singh in turn said he learned “how to be singleminded and uncompromising in the pursuit of excellence” by working with Bhansali on the film.

ADRID, Spain | AFP | 6/26/2016 - Indian historical epic “Bajirao Mastani” swept the “Bollywood Oscars” early Sunday, taking home awards for best director, best supporting actress and best male actor for leading man Ranveer Singh. The movie, which sees Singh play an 18th century Maratha warrior, picked up nine other technical awards at the International Indian Film Academy awards, including for choreography and best cinematography. “I am quite overwhelmed by all of this,” the movie’s director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, said as he picked up his prize at the International Film Academy awards being held this year in Spain for the first time.

“I don’t want to thank anyone for this film. I think thank you is just not enough for this film,” he added to applause from the 5,000-strong crowd gathered at Madrid’s IFEMA congress centre for the event. Obstetrics, Gynecology, Infertility, Laser and Micro Surgery “Bajirao MasComprehensive Care for Women and Adolescents tani” made around 3.5 billion rupees ARDMS Certiﬁed Ultrasounds on Premises ($52 million) according to industry 713-271-2708 estimates, and it has already picked Methodist Sugar Land S.W Memorial Hospital up a number of In16605 S.W Freeway, Suite:365 7777 S.W Freeway, Suite:748 dian film awards Sugar Land, TX 77479 Houston, TX 77074

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“I hope we will continue to make magic together,” the 30-year-old actor, who impressed audiences in his 2010 debut as a street-smart Delhi wedding planner in the romantic comedy “Band Baaja Baaraat”. The best picture award went to “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” staring Salman Khan, whose character embarks on a journey to reunite a mute six-year-old Pakistani girl stuck in India with her parents in Pakistan. The movie was the biggest-grossing Bollywood film of 2015, earning around 6.26 billion rupees.

with a ball with their heads and a mariachi band in white suits. In the opening ceremony Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan, accompanied by dozens of dancers, performed the flamenco-themed song “Senorita” from his 2011 film “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”, a road movie shot largely in Spain. Spanish tourism promotion agency Turespana worked closely on the production of the film and it was one of the sponsors of the awards ceremony, which is expected to bring 15,000 extra visitors to Madrid. Spain is seeking to diversify its tourism base beyond the traditional northern European sunseekers that account for the bulk of its visitors and officials hope hosting the awards will draw more Indian visitors.

Sridevi Kapoor, considered by many to be the first female superstar of Hindi cinema, was honoured with a lifetime achievement award.

Madrid city hall was illuminated with the colours of the Indian flag over the weekend in honour of the awards.

The award show, which celebrates the Hindi language film industry known as Bollywood, takes place in a different city outside of India every year in the hope of luring new audiences to the genre.

“Dear friends it is so nice to have you here. I am really, really pleased and at the same time very proud of your choice,” Madrid mayor Manuela Carmena said at the start of the awards ceremony.

- Donkeys and footballers The co-hosts of the show, Bollywood stars Farhan Akhtar and Shahid Kapoor, arrived on the stage for the start of ceremony -- which got underway two hours behind schedule -- riding donkeys. They were followed by young men wearing football jerseys who did tricks

The broadcast of the awards attracts approximately 800 million viewers worldwide. Launched in 2000 at the Millennium Dome in London, other cities to have hosted the glitzy event include Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore and Toronto. It was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last year.

VOICE OF ASIA 16

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

HEALTHY LIVING VOICE OF ASIA

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

In US, heart disease mortality no longer in steep decline

IAMI, | AFP | 6/29/2016 - Heart disease remains the top killer in the United States as a long-term trend of declining mortality has leveled out in recent years, possibly due to rising obesity and diabetes, researchers said Wednesday.

Heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States since 1921. The mortality rate has declined in recent decades due to advances in medical treatment and prevention, the increased use of statins and aspirin, fewer people smoking and more getting adequate exercise and controlling

“Obviously the people [who made the initial estimates] were wrong by 2.6 trillion dollars,” Gary Claxton, vice-president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit health policy institute, said Wednesday. Doctors perform an open-heart surgery in a cardiac surgery unit at the CHU Angers teaching hospital in Angers, western France, on October 24, 2013. © AFP/File | their blood pressure, the study said. Researchers had expected cancer to overcome heart disease as the top US killer sometime around 2013, but the latest research shows that has not happened, and may not happen anytime soon. “From 2000 to 2011, cancer was on track to bypass heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States,” Rana said. “Based on the current findings, this may not happen.” “Given this startling trend, the cardiovascular health care community needs to reaffirm its commitment to developing innovative ways to im-

prove heart disease prevention at the population level,” he added. The rate of decline would have to reach an annual two percent in order to achieve the American Heart Association’s strategic goal of reducing deaths from both cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent between 2010 and 2020, said lead author Stephen Sidney, director of research clinics at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. Mortality from cancer has declined at a steady rate of 1.5 percent annually from 2000 to 2014, according to the study.

Guided procedures ensure accuracy of therapeutic injections OUSTON – (June 23, 2016) – When it comes to pain in the hip, knee or shoulder that requires therapeutic injections, be sure to seek a physician who is trained in image-guided procedures to deliver the medication accurately, says a physical medicine and rehabilitation expert at Baylor College of Medicine.

including osteoarthritis. In many instances, these conditions are not immediately operable. Injections of steroids or other medications may be necessary to treat these issues, and using either ultrasound or fluoroscopy to guide these procedures can ensure the accurate placement of the medication for the most optimal therapeutic outcome.

“When we’re doing therapeutic injections, in order to ensure the accuracy of the injections and the placement of the needle in the correct location, image guidance is always the ideal option, whether it be ultrasound or Xray-fluoroscopy guided,” said Dr. Paul Paily, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Baylor.

Guided procedures also can be useful for diagnostic reasons, such as confirming the location and cause of the pain.

Patients can suffer hip, knee and shoulder pain for a variety of reasons,

Two available methods by which guidance can be performed are ultrasound and fluoroscopy, which is a form of X-ray. The former requires the use of an ultrasound machine to view the area which is to be injected, while the latter requires the use of an

X-ray machine called a C-arm and the injection of a contrast material into the joint to ensure correct placement of the needle and medication. Since the latter requires the use of radiation, though only a minimal dose, it is not recommended for pregnant patients. There are several risks of not using image guidance to deliver medications accurately, says Paily, including missing the injection site and injury to surrounding structures. Additionally, the diagnostic value of the injection diminishes if the physician is uncertain of correct placement of the medication. “The deeper and more complicated the injection, the greater the need for image guidance,” said Paily. www.bcm.edu/news

Deaths from heroin, opioid drugs in US rise sharply

HICAGO, | AFP | 6/28/2016 - The Obama administration on Tuesday emphasized the need for funding to treat opioid and heroin addiction, releasing new statistics showing explosive growth in overdose deaths. From 2010 to 2014, the number of heroin overdose deaths in the United States more than tripled, while deaths from opioid drugs such as fentanyl -- which killed the singer Prince -almost doubled, according to a new report by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Drug overdoses now kill more Americans than car crashes.

Spending growth is slower in Medicare, Medicaid and private Insurance.

The new projections indicate that the U.S. will spend approximately $2.6 trillion less on health care in the five-year period ending in 2019 than estimated, despite a brief spike in health spending in 2014, the authors say.

The decline has slowed to less than one percent a year since 2011, however.

“Despite significant improvements in heart health over the past century, the increase in these chronic health conditions in epidemic proportions may be driving the recent slowdown,” said senior author Jamal Rana, a Kaiser Permanente cardiologist.

U.S. Health Spending Has Slowed Dramatically Health spending in the U.S. appears to be dramatically lower than analysts had projected immediately after passage of the Affordable Care Act, a new analysis suggests.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Cardiology, showed that the US national heart-and stroke-related mortality rate declined at an average of 3.8 percent per year between 2000 and 2011.

Although the study did not investigate reasons for the slowdown, experts said causes may include increases in obesity and diabetes.

Tel: 713-774-5140

were addicted to heroin. Heroin and opioid abuse are related. Addiction to an opioid drug such as Oxycodone, Hydrocodone and Methadone -- three drugs most commonly involved in overdoses -- can lead to heroin addiction when the prescription painkiller is no longer available. Officials say the phenomenon is fueling drug-related violence and crime. According to the Centers for Disease Control, heroin-related deaths have risen most acutely in the US Midwest -- a region encompassing states such as Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

“The death and destruction connected to heroin and opioids is indeed unprecedented and horrific,” DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg said in a statement. “The problem is enormous and growing.”

The White House, which is asking Congress for $1.1 billion to fund treatment programs across the country, sought to underscore the crisis in the Midwest by inviting officials from Wisconsin to speak with reporters on a conference call.

More than 16,000 died in 2014 alone from heroin and opioid drug abuse. Nearly half a million people that year

The state is home to House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican who will play a key role in deciding the fate of

Health spending slowed in Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance. Analysts at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have predicted that spending will be $455 billion lower than expected. Medicaid spending, they now say, will be $1.05 billion lower than predicted. Even spending for private health insurance was $664 billion lower than the government’s forecast. Different factors account for slowed spending in the three insurance sectors, experts say. Medicare spending was a target of the Budget Act of 2011, which in April 2013 forced Medicare to trim 2 percent from its payments for all services. There were also cuts in payments to private Medicare Advantage plans and in annual payments to hospitals and other institutions. In addition, use of Medicare services hasn’t grown as quickly as some predicted, despite a growing proportion of elderly in the U.S. population. “You wouldn’t think that the elderly would be very affected by the economy, but the utilization patterns during the recession and recovery showed a clear reduction in use. It’s hard to explain why,” Claxton says. “Maybe people worry about their savings, even if their income doesn’t change.” Medicaid growth slowed because of a sluggish economy and lowerthan-expected prescription drug spending. Private health insurance spending slowed more than expected because of the halting economic recovery, a shift to high deductible plans and greater cost sharing. While cost sharing may help push national health costs down, it pushes personal health expenditures up,

Obama’s funding request.

or inadequate coverage.

“We find that if we get to the individuals before they become so dependent upon this (that) they either lose their lives or turn to crime, we’re going to really, really improve the situation,” said Tom Barrett, mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s largest city.

Bradley Wentlandt, police chief in the Milwaukee suburb of Greenfield, spoke of one family that lost their retirement savings and took out two

Addicts often have trouble getting into treatment programs, according to officials, because there are too few of them. When treatment is available, patients often struggle with costs because health insurance programs offer no coverage

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“The interesting thing is that, over the last couple of years, we managed to greatly increase the number of people with access to care and increase their benefits and still maintain low rates of growth,” Claxton says. “The question is how long these low growth rates will go on.”

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Sudhir Mathuria Contact: Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6650 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning.com Claxton says. “There’s a little concern about the higher cost sharing in some policies that’s probably a contributor to lower growth, but it does stress people who use health services.” Physician payment reforms may have had a small impact, not least by making it easier for economists to predict physician costs, he says. Reforms in delivery system itself – such as the creation of accountable care organizations and the shift from volume to value – may not have produced big savings so far, but they may be key in the future, says Katherine Hempstead, a senior advisor to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funded the analysis. “They’re hard to measure because they’re so new,” she says. PROTECT YOUR BONES Brittle bones could shatter your life. Every year, more Americans are diagnosed with osteoporosis—a disease that causes bones to weaken and become more likely to break. You may not know that you have this “silent” disease until your bones are so weak that a sudden strain, bump, or fall causes your wrist to break or your hip to fracture. Medicare can help you prevent or detect osteoporosis at an early stage, when treatment works best. Talk to your doctor about getting a bone mass measurement—if you’re at risk, Medicare covers this test once every 24 months (more often if medically necessary) when your doctor or other qualified provider orders it. Learn more about what puts you at risk for osteoporosis and how to prevent and treat it at the National Osteoporosis Foundation. For Medicare planning contact Sudhir Mathuria @ 713-771-2900.

mortgages on their home to pay for their son’s treatment. “He started at age 16 when a friend shared a single Vicodin pill,” Wentlandt said.

VOICE OF ASIA 17

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Indian American banker couple charged with hiding over $40m from creditors Pethinaidu Veluchamy and his wife, Parameswari Veluchamy, were the principal shareholders of first mutual bancorp of illinois inc.,

HICAGO, June 22, 2016 - An Oak Brook couple who owned First Mutual Bancorp of Illinois and other financial entities intentionally hid cash and assets from creditors after defaulting on $40 million in personal and corporate loans, according to an indictment returned in federal court in Chicago. PETHINAIDU VELUCHAMY and his wife, PARAMESWARI VELUCHAMY, were the principal shareholders of First Mutual Bancorp of Illinois Inc., a holding company for Mutual Bank. In June 2009, according to the indictment, the couple defaulted on personal and corporate loans totaling $40 million. The following month, Mutual Bank was shut down by federal regulators. Prior to the shutdown and continuing until at least November 2015, the couple hid millions of dollars in assets by falsifying documents, moving money into domestic and foreign bank accounts, and directing employees to destroy financial records, the indictment states. The couple also transferred cash to their two adult children, with nearly $8.5 million going to one and more than $10.1 million to the other, according to the indictment. The 12-count indictment was returned yesterday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. It charges Pethinaidu Veluchamy, 70, with four counts of bank fraud, two counts of destroying records to obstruct a bankruptcy proceeding, two counts of making a false statement under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding, and one count of making a false statement in an application for a U.S. passport. Parameswari Veluchamy, 65, is charged with four counts of bank fraud, two

counts of destroying records to obstruct a bankruptcy proceeding, one count of making a false statement under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding, and one count of making a false statement in an application for a U.S. passport. Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled. According to the charges, Pethinaidu Veluchamy caused his relatives to obtain legal judgments against him for loans for which he knew he was not personally liable, so that he could later assert those liens as superior to a bank cred-

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

itor’s anticipated judgments. In a 2011 deposition in a separate court case, Pethinaidu Veluchamy fraudulently claimed that certain funds transferred to his adult children represented indemnity obligations for their investments in First Mutual Bancorp, according to the indictment. He produced a document to support this claim, but when questioned about the timing of the creation of the document, Pethinaidu Veluchamy claimed the computer he had used to create it crashed in a snowstorm, according to the indictment. The indictment was announced by Zachary T. Fardon,

United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Each count of bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Destroying records to obstruct a bankruptcy proceeding carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. The maximum sentence for making a false statement under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding is five years, while making a false statement in an application for a U.S. passport is punishable by up to ten years.

Tel: 713-774-5140

Ikea to recall chests of drawers after child deaths WASHINGTON, United States | AFP | 6/28/2016 - Furniture giant Ikea said Tuesday it would recall its hugely popular Malm model of chest of drawers after six children were crushed to death when the dressers tipped over.

that can result in death or serious injuries to children,” the CPSC said.

The recall affects 29 million chests of drawers sold in the United States, said Elliot Kaye, head of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The recall affects some eight million Malm chests and dressers, and 21 million additional children’s and adult chests and drawers, all manufactured between 2002 and June 2016, Kaye said.

“If you have, or think you have, one of these drawers... please act immediately,” said Kaye, speaking in Washington. “We’re imploring you.” The recalled models are unstable if not properly attached to the wall, “posing a serious tip-over and entrapment hazard

New Nestle CEO to lead health pivot

URICH, Switzerland | AFP | 6/28/2016 Analysts on Tuesday praised Nestle’s choice for its new chief executive, healthcare manager Ulf Mark Schneider, as the food giant took a further step in its bid to become a leader in nutrition. Schneider, 50, will take over on January 1, replacing outgoing chief Paul Bulcke who has been nominated to become the company’s chairman. In tapping Schneider for the post, Nestle bucked its near century-long track-record of picking in-house candidates for its top job. The last time the company selected an outsider as chief executive was in 1922, when banker Louis Dappels was brought in to reverse financial losses. Nestle said Schneider’s se-

REAL ESTATE

lection points towards a shift in the company’s strategy.

wrote.

With concerns about rising obesity on all continents, the company that has long been associated with fattening packaged foods wants to get in front of a global pivot towards nutrition and health.

The new chief’s plans may include a “radical” streamlining of the company’s product portfolio, especially in traditional areas like chocolate and US frozen foods, while pursuing new opportunities in the health sector, according to Bertschy.

In announcing Schneider’s hiring, the company’s board “reconfirmed the long-term orientation for Nestle as a Nutrition, Health and Wellness company,” a statement said.

“Nestle is in need of fresh legs,” Jefferies analyst Martin Deboo said, according to the Bloomberg news agency. “Schneider’s track record is exceptional.”

Markets welcomed the move, as Nestle’s stock closed Tuesday up 3.31 percent at 73.45 Swiss francs ($74.80, 67.74 euros) on the Swiss exchange.

Schneider, who will begin at Nestle for a transition period in September, said he was honoured to join “an iconic global company”.

- ‘New era’ -Choosing Schneider, a German-US national who thrived as the head of the healthcare company Fresenius, was consistent with that strategy, the board said.

“With consumers around the world taking a deeper interest in their personal health and wellbeing, Nestle’s industryleading global food and beverage business positions it well for advancing the vision of Nutrition, Health and Wellness,” he said in a statement.

“Schneider will trigger a new era at Nestle,” Bank Vontobel analyst Jean-Philippe Bertschy

In a study released this month, the UN-linked Global Nutrition Report said nearly two billion of the world’s estimated seven billion people are either obese or overweight. The World Health Organization has said that affordable, healthy snack options generated by private sector companies are crucial to long-term health on the planet. Jon Cox, an analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux, said the hiring was a “positive and a clear signal” that Nestle will “leverage nutrition and health into its food portfolio to drive growth.” The later years of Bulcke’s tenure saw turmoil, especially a damaging recall in India of Nestle’s massively popular Maggi noodles, which the government banned over lead levels. An Indian court called that decision arbitrary and the noodles are back on the shelves, but the crisis has hurt Nestle’s position in a key Asian market.

Customers can get a full refund or have Ikea personnel come to attach wall anchors at no charge.

A further 6.6 million of the units were sold in Canada, the CPSC added. Kaye said he commended Ikea for taking “this leading step for furniture safety.” A spokeswoman for the Ikea group, Kajsa Johansson, told AFP in Stockholm that the drawers “meet all mandatory stability requirements on all markets where sold,” and said the bureaus were “safe when anchored to the wall” as instructed. The Swedish group said six deaths had been reported in the past 13 years involving Ikea chests of drawers, all in the United States, including three since 2014. None of the chests had been anchored to the wall. In 2015, Ikea launched a campaign in the United States and Canada to encourage owners of the Malm chests of drawers to anchor them to the wall. The units include Malm three, four, and five-drawer units, as well as various other models. A full list of the affected furniture can be found on the Ikea-USA. com website.

Airbnb to be valued at $30 bn after additional investment: report New York, | AFP | 6/29/2016 - Airbnb is in talks to secure a new round of investment that would value the company at around $30 billion, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

For many of us there is always something going on when talking about real estate. The word ‘Real Estate’ is commonly referred to in this context as someone buying a home or trying to sell one the family has held for a while. Everyone knows that the real estate market at any given time and in any given area has its own shape and future. Many of us always keep asking this question to our friends at parties or to someone who appears to have a better handle on such topic. The family who has this burden of moving out or moving in is many times ill-advised when a limited discussion across the table with friends. Listed below are some pitfalls most fall into: Pitfalls: 1. Lack of true awareness of the market even when talking with a real estate professional. 2. Having no concept of ‘buyer’s agent’ and ‘seller’s agent’ when looking to buy or sell a home 3. New Construction homes where there is only ‘one agent’ who shows the new home or the site 4. Little idea about the price offered or to look for when buying or selling a home 5. Overall situation in the community being thought of moving in for new buyers 6. No real idea of what is involved in buying a home with long term implication on family budget 7. No self-commitment for the best result 8. Confused in offers/rewards during closing 1 to 3 % versus seeking the best home of choice End Result: 1. I am glad we bought this house 2. I wish I had bought that other house 3. I wish I had waited little longer 4. I wish I had sold my home when was offered that price, now no buyer 5. There are too many wrongs in the house we just bought 6. I think I paid too much for this house Learnings offered in this column, stepwise, will be: 1) What is TREC, TAR, NAR, what do the realtors do, their need in the network market today 2) Your rights as a new potential owner or seller of a home 3) What is the best advice from a real estate professional? 4) How to price your purchase or sale keeping in mind some fractions 5) Multiple Listing Service -- MLS, your home, and the Agent Contributed by Dilip Kapasi, Real Estate Agent. Dilip can be reached at dilipmeena@yahoo.com for questions you may have.

If it succeeds in securing the new funds, the short-term home rental company will have tripled its valuation in two years, the Times said citing anonymous sources. The daily reported that the San Francisco-based Airbnb plans to use the financing for additional growth, including plans to expand internationally. Airbnb has been rapidly expanding in new markets over the last two years, with a 700 percent increase in business from Chinese travellers, the company has said. Airbnb is also experimenting with alternative lines of revenue, for example, by letting tourists include add-on services in their trips like restaurant reservations and museum tours, the Times reported. News reports earlier this month said Airbnb already has secured a $1 billion debt facility, the Times wrote.

Sri Lanka says exports will be hit by Brexit ‘nightmare’ Colombo, Sri Lanka | AFP | Tuesday 6/28/2016 - Sri Lanka said Tuesday its trade would be hurt by the United Kingdom’s “nightmare” vote to leave the European Union, with $1 billion in annual exports to the British market now clouded by uncertainty. The South Asian nation famed for its tea and spices is on the brink of signing up to a scheme with the European Union that would grant it lower tariffs on many

goods. But with Britain its largest EU export market, the shock Brexit vote will make things tougher for the cash-strapped island, likely leading to new restrictions. “We knew it was going to be a nightmare,” Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva said. The dramatic fall in sterling is likely to inflict extra

pain on Sri Lanka’s exporters, the minister added. De Silva and colleagues had travelled to London last week to urge voters of Sri Lankan origin to support the “remain” campaign. Britain is Sri Lanka’s second biggest export market after the United States, accounting for about 10 percent of outbound goods. De Silva said Colombo

would now look to fast-track separate free trade agreements with China and India to counter the damage. The government hopes to finalise a free-trade deal with Singapore within a month and is discussing similar agreements with Japan and South Korea. Sri Lanka this month received the first tranche of a $1.5 billion bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund.

HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

Your Horoscope for the Week of July 1, 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 may be very vulnerable and sensitive, especially when it comes to your own creativity and your need for self-expression. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let anyone tell you what you can and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do. Show your leadership and avoid overly aggressive behavior. Make sure that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t push anyone too strongly, because you could inadvertently push good things away. You could be tempted to run away at the wrong moment. Take a step backward, gain new perspective, and try to attract the right people and situations into your life.

Financial matters demand your careful attention. To avoid going down the garden path of unfulfilled dreams, take care of all practical matters. Keep your eye on your goals, but take precautions. Secure the situation with practical measures. Partnership projects could seem uncertain. If someone you depend on lets you down or acts in an unpredictable manner, you may need to discuss the situation more thoroughly. You could discover that the actions of others have little to do with you.

Scorpio (N,Y) 23 Oct to 21 Nov

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May You may want to bury your head in the sand. Your awareness of something that is not fair or just at your job could make you want to walk away from some career situations. Be sure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cut off your nose to spite your face. If some associates behave like traumatized children, treat them in right way. Give people the attention they require. Then youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re free to go on your way, unfettered and clear of resentments. You should have good luck selling or purchasing property.

New responsibilities could seem burdensome now. You need to make an effort to adjust to the demands of you. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re under too much pressure, your health could suffer. You need to be needed and you may have to carefully structure your time to accommodate everything you want to do. With some patience and understanding on your part, however, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll realize what could occur in the lives of others to cause them to have to completely re-adjust their routines. Try to see external events as a mirror for your own growth.

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June If you are resentful toward friends or associates, you may have to struggle with those feelings. You may find it difficult to keep a smile on your face when you see funds slipping through your fingers. A partner or your mate may appear to take the easy way out and ignore your struggle to balance everything thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on around you. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let stress tempt you to play games or plan ways to get even. Do yourself and others a big favor by investing in some background checks & research.

Sensitivity can be a positive and valuable commodity but when those feelings are close to the surface, they can turn into feelings of insecurity. Your sensitivity may come in handy when it comes to an appeal to others for aid. You may be called to distant shores. If you feel an urge to travel, contact someone at a distance or follow your impulses about international projects. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let anything else distract you. You may find it somewhat scary to react impulsively to pure instinct.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July You may need to get extra rest to keep nervous reactions under control. Try not to get upset over misunderstandings. Others may tend to think out loud & cause you to lose your temper. You may need to blow off some steam. Utilize your natural sense of humor to help yourself to see things from a different perspective. Look for humor everywhere, especially in those who are closest to you. Find a balance between the excitement that goes on around you and your need for serenity.

Take a look at the truth of any situation, no matter what anyone else might say. Try not to go overboard with promotional efforts or the additional expenses. Be sure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let flattery lead you down the wrong road. You may be counting on unreliable sources of income now. If you trust that checks will arrive on time, hedge your bets and make sure they were mailed as promised. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let the grass grow under your feet.

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

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August Change doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be frightening, in fact, major changes taking place in your creative life, could awaken you to new talents and abilities. Remember that there is always another step to take and that things may not actually be as they seem. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t resist these changes. You are developing new levels of consciousness, and these changes are part of that development. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll enjoy work projects that relate to the communications field.

You need to prepare for changes in your personal life as well as in public or professional situations. You may feel as if you are plugged into a source of very high energy. Considering the opportunities that await you, you have good reason to be excited. Pay attention to gut instincts that tell you where the treasures of the world are buried. Even the best-laid plans can go awry and you could feel that your equilibrium being disturbed unless you find alternatives.

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

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September Anything that is related to partnership activities or your home life could be a source of uncertainty. You may be uncertain whether you should take the next step toward a more exciting life or maintain the status quo. Some situations could be very beneficial to you, but you may be tempted to zig when you should zag. Your timing may be a little off. Financial matters continue to be a burden on you. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in danger of feeling too much pressure from projects, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make decisions until the picture is clearer.

Make the effort to understand what is going on by having sensitive discussions. You need to get ready to accept all the good things that are coming your way, because this is a perfect time for new starts and there are indications of fabulous financial conditions. Look deeper in order to understand motivations. Start projects that bring more beauty into your home and lifestyle. Financial situations with groups and friends may demand your time & careful attention.

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(832) 620.4757 - Email: setlurn@gmail.com

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

281-242-1928 & 832-605-3031

You need this Space

Sales Tax, Income Tax Audits and Representations

For more information

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

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M.D. Associates LLP

713-774-5140

S. Ram and Associates

A full service CPA ďŹ rm

3 Locations to serve you

Restaurants

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

visit us at : www.mdassociatescpas.com

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Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant & Catering for special parties and corporate events. Preferred Wine list, Authentic vegetarian & non-vegetarian dishes, ďŹ nest Indian cuisine with chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special dishes

Restaurants

Ph: 713-266-0131/ 0805

We cater from 10 people to 800 people for all occasions. We deliver to your venue.

5BSJR DFMM PÄ&#x17D;

Madhuram Mirch Masala

You need this Space

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

For more information

Shiva Indian Restaurant & Catering

Call us today

specializing in North Indian cuisine, OfďŹ ce and Corporate catering.

713-774-5140

â&#x20AC;˘ 2130 Lone Star Dr. Sugar Land, Ph: 281-494-2981

â&#x20AC;˘ 2514 Times Blvd. Rice Village, Ph: 713-523-4753

VOICE OF ASIA SERVICES

Newsweekly 10,000 copies weekly. 520,000 copies annually. Reach over 2 million readers. Get your business promoted. Call us for print advertising at the number below. www.voiceofasiaonline.com/e-paper

Medical Magazine 30,000 copies quarterly. 120,000 copies annually. Reach 500,000 readers. Get your business promoted. www.healthlinemag.com/magazine

E-blast

Send out Specials, Sales and Promote your Events. Reach 8,000 to 11,300 people. We are here to help get your business branded. Call 713-774-5140.

Web / Digital Advertising Reach out locally and worldwide. Web banners, Video advertisements, classiďŹ eds online, product advertorials, news press releases, social media promotions to engage visibility for your business.

ClassiďŹ eds

Place classiďŹ eds of any nature. Employment, Job Wanted, Car for Sale, Garage Sale, Business for Sale. We also offer them online. Call us for details.

Video Interviews

Engage audiences and gain viewership by displaying and talking about your product or service. Your video will be 3 to 5 minutes displayed on our website and on our YouTube channel. Call us for details.

Call us at: 713-774-5140

Amazing Opportunity!

If you invest a little over $2 a day (Less than the price of a cup of coffee) in VOICE OF ASIA, you can reach over 2 million potential customers!

VOICE OF ASIA NEWS GROUP

www.voiceofasiaonline.com â&#x20AC;˘ www.healthlinemag.com

To advertise, call: Phone: 713-774-5140 ads@voiceofasiagroup.com

VOICE OF ASIA 19

CLASSIFIEDS

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

Houston Community College Request for Proposals (RFP) Structured Cabling Services

Houston Community College Request for Proposals (RFP) Truck Driving Simulator

Project No. RFP 16-16

Project No. RFP 16-39

Sealed proposals will be received in Procurement Operations (3100 Main Street, Room No. 11B01, Houston, Texas 77002) until 2:00PM (local time) on Tuesday, July 26, 2016.

Sealed proposals will be received in Procurement Operations (3100 Main Street, Room No. 11B01, Houston, Texas 77002) until 2:00PM (local time) on Monday, July 25, 2016.

Documents can be obtained at: www.hccs.edu/procurement.

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

M/WBE Supplier Opportunity

Visit us

Blue Duck Education Ltd is bidding on Project 16-03-10 District Instructional Software for the Houston Independent School District. We are looking for possible M/WBE subcontractors to provide Customer Support, Account Management and Teacher training. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Amber Yeshpaul Johnson at amber.yj@mangahigh.com by Thursday July 7th 2016.

@ www.

MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY

Focus on What You Have in Common When Working Across Cultures When working with a person from another culture, your instinct might be to try to identify cultural differences so that you can alter your own behavior to avoid any faux pas. But focusing on differences alone won’t help you build connections. To do that, you have to focus on similarities. Perhaps it’s a hobby you have in common, a shared love of football (European or American), or the fact that both of you are trying to Skype your families back home. You can discover these commonalities in conversation, through basic research, or simply by noticing the pictures and memorabilia on the person’s desk. The possibilities are endless. By focusing on similarities, you have the power to create connections and build relationships that either supersede cultural differences or make them irrelevant. Source: Adapted from “To Connect Across Cultures, Find Out What You Have in Common,” by Andy Molinsky and Sujin Jang WWW.HBR.ORG

For Classified call 713-774-5140 Visit us online www. Voiceofasiaonline.com

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READ OUR HEALTHLINE MAGAZINE ONLINE

healthlinemag.com VOICE OF ASIA Subscription Renewal Form Fax this form to: 713-774-5143 Scan and E-mail us: ads@voiceofasiagroup.com

Name: __________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________ City: ______________ State:___________ Zip:___________ Ph: ______________ E-mail:_________________________ Credit Card No: ____________________________________ Name on the Card: _________________________________ CVV #: __________ Exp Date:___________ Amount: $______ Signature: __________________________ One Year $30 Two Years $55 Five Years $100 We will mail 52 issues to your home or ofﬁce! 8303 SW Freeway, Suite 350, Houston, TX 77074

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VOICE OF ASIA 20

FRIDAY, July 1, 2016

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WELLNESS EXPO

Empowering families to live healthy lives through education This expo provides a great opportunity for families to get to know Healthcare businesses and Insurance Providers on a one-on-one basis.

WHEN:

Saturday 10 AM - 4 PM September 17, 2016

WHERE: STAFFORD CENTRE - 20,000 sq.ft hall The most convenient place in Fort Bend County with easy access from major highways like 59, Main 90 and highway 6.

SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES & BOOTHS AVAILABLE Call : 713-774-5140

We thank these businesses for donating door prizes! Amzer - Fitzer Beauty Pro-clip Hair Salon Gift cards Escalante’s Sugar Land Restaurant Greatwood Smiles Prime Laser Center More coming soon!

Booths going fast. Get your booth today! For more details, visit us online: www.healthlinemag.com OUR SPONSORS

Meet and Greet Houston Police Department

Part of our proceeds will go to beneﬁt H.O.P.E non-proﬁt organization to help Autistic children live better lives.

Win Door Prizes Every 30 Minutes!

Stafford Fire Department Safety Display

Health Topics Addressed by Professionals to Beneﬁt Families 10:30- 11 - The Rose Speaker: Chris Noble “Breast Cancer - Prevention and Treatment”

11:45 AM - 12:15 PM Fort Bend Regional Council Payal Patani and Lauren Ibekwe. “Drug Trends Among Youth and What Parents Need to Know”

12:30 PM - 1 PM Know Autism Non-Proﬁt Judy Blake, Founder, Understanding Autism Detecting Autism in Early Childhood

3 More Speaking Sessions Available. Speakers on Health Issues invited! Call 713-774-5140 or Email: ads@voiceofasiagroup.com today.

Mark your Calendars. Reserve your date. Come prepared with your questions for healthcare providers. *With sponsorship packages.

• FREE ENTRY & PARKING FOR EXPO • GET A FREE BOOTH*