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Trump vs. Clinton: How they line up on health Read on Page 16 or Call 832-806-1000

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MTS Corner Temple Renovation Project Reaches Milestone

Magsaysay award for Wilson, T.M. Krishna

July 24th CTRP Fund Raising Dinner A Huge Success - A Total of $630,000 Raised.

MANILA: Karnataka-born Bezwada Wilson, a prolific campaigner for eradication of manual scavenging in India, and Carnatic singer T M Krishna from Chennai, were today chosen for the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2016. Apart from the two Indians, four others have been selected for the award -- Conchita Carpio-Morales of the Philippines, Dompet Dhuafa of Indonesia, Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and ‘Vientiane Rescue’ of Laos. Wilson, the national convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), has been named as an awardee for “asserting the inalienable right to a life of human dignity” while Krishna was chosen for the award under the ‘Emergent Leadership’ category for bringing “social inclusiveness in culture”. “Manual scavenging is blight on humanity in India. Consigned by structural inequality to the dalits, India’s ‘untouchables’, manual scavenging is the work of removing by hand human excrement from dry

latrines and carrying on the head the baskets of excrement to designated disposal sites,” states Wilson’s citation. “A hereditary occupation, manual scavenging involves 180,000 dalit households cleaning the 790,000 public and private dry latrines across India; 98 per cent of scavengers are meagerly paid women and girls. While the Constitution and other laws prohibit dry latrines and the employment of manual scavengers, these have not been strictly enforced since government itself is the biggest violator,” the citation said. 50-year-old Wilson, born into a dalit family involved in manual scavenging in Kolar Gold Fields township in Karnataka, was the first in his family to pursue a higher education. “Treated as an outcast in school and acutely aware of his family’s lot, Bezwada was filled with great anger; but he would later channel this anger to a crusade to eradicate manual scavenging,” the citation said. Wilson has spent 32 years on Continued on Page 10

Sri Meenakshi Temple Society’s Chairman Narayanan (Seated center), Fund raising Co-chair Dr. Appan(2nd from left seated) with other members of the temple’s society and supporters at the Madras Pavilion in Sugar Land. Photo credit: MTS.

UGAR LAND - On a hot balmy July evening, about 130 of Sri Meenakshi Temple society’s devotees had gathered at the popular culinary place, Madras Pavilion in Sugar Land, MP as it is fondly referred. The mission was pretty focused, to reach the $ 500,000 Fund raising milestone by the end of the evening for the Corner Temple Renovation Project (CTRP).

The special group of attendees had heeded the call to upgrade beyond the Core donor level ($1,000) and generously partook in the Upgrade Pledge initiative with nearly fifty families participating. The event started with a prayer to the almighty and Chairman Narayanan welcomed the gathering. Treasurer Sasi’s message was pointed to encourage participation from the gathering. MTS’s inception

and growth were recounted by Honorary President Sam Kannappan, including work to enhance the corner Sannadhis in the late’90s. Fund raising (FR) co-chair Dr. Appan, who had conceived the idea to hold the Fund raising event and had worked tirelessly on its planning for this evening, explained the nexus between the three religious area

upgrades, which includes the current Corner Temple Renovation project, CTRP being the third phase; as well as the recent past projects (Ganesh Temple Renovation, GTRP; Main Temple Renovation Project, MTRP). Dr. Venugopal Menon then joined the stage and in his inimitable style encouraged all to participate in Continued on Page 5

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard nominates Sanders for president

HILADELPHIA, 07/27/2016, PTI - Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard nominated Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders as the Democratic party’s candidate for the November general elections at the national convention here. As expected, Sanders lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton, who has become the first woman to be a presidential nominee of a major political party. Gabbard, the first Hindu to be elected to the US Congress, underscored Sanders’ popularity and issues he raised during the Democratic primaries in her nomination speech. “Because this movement is a fueled

by love, it can never be stopped or defeated,” Gabbard said. “Now on behalf of millions inspired by aloha, determined to seek a future reunited in love, passion and justice for all. I am truly honored to nominate Bernie Sanders for president,” the Hawaii lawmaker said as she proposed to nominate Sanders as the party’s presidential candidate. A day earlier, Sanders had asked his supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton. However, his fiercely loyal supporters pushed to ensure that he got a rollcall vote. Gabbard was among the few Democratic lawmakers to have supported Sanders.

On Monday, the Vermont Senator said he would continue to work for a political revolution and announced the formation of a new group called Our Revolution. Sanders had received some 13 million votes during the primaries. Clinton now aims to seek the support of these votes. After the roll-call votes, Sanders made a surprise appearance. He called for suspension of rules to pave the way for unanimous nomination of Clinton as the party’s presidential candidate. With this the party is now expected to show a united front before the November general elections.

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THE STORY OF MAHATMA GANDHI

In Champaran, “face-to-face with God, ahimsa, truth”

he annual meeting of the Congress was held in December 1916 in Lucknow. The Congress was divided. There were the moderates and there were the extremists, but at Lucknow the Congress met without tension between the two wings. The President, Ambika Charan Mazumdar, spoke in terms of Swaraj, which previous leaders had demanded. A resolution was passed appealing to His Majesty’s Government and demanding that a definite step should be taken towards Indian self-government by granting the reforms contained in the scheme prepared by the AllIndia Congress Committee and adopted by the All-India Muslim League. In Lucknow the Congress and the Muslim League came to an agreement. This was later known as the Lucknow Pact. For the sake of the unity of India the Congress conceded many points demanded by the Muslims. For two years Gandhi had travelled extensively in India and had talked at different places. He now wanted to start some work connected with labor. His interest first centered on the problem of indentured labor, the system under which poor, ignorant laborers were enticed away from India to work in the British colonies. He had fought this system in South Africa and he wanted to see it abolished. The Viceroy, Lord Hardinge, announced that His Majesty’s Government had agreed to abolish the system’ in due course. Gandhi, however, wanted a definite date before which the system would go. So now Gandhi started a great agitation on this issue. He went to Bombay and consulted all the Indian leaders there. They fixed May 31, 1917 as the last date for the abolition of indentured labor. He then went around the

Mercury News Editorial 07/26/2016

s sad as the sale of internet pioneer Yahoo is to Silicon Valley, the loss of one of the valley’s rare female CEOs is more disheartening: One more role model to show girls they can fit in a tech career slips out of the CEO spotlight. Marissa Mayer stumbled in her struggle to reinvigorate Yahoo, a goal many thought from the start was impossible. She succeeded, however, in raising the profile of women in tech. And the more women girls see at the top of the field, the more likely they’ll be willing to forge into what now is a male-geekdominated career. Silicon Valley is facing a workforce shortage in the coming decades, and the obvious place to look for aspiring software engineers and inventors is the roughly 50 percent of today’s students who are female. Girls and young women now see tech as a career for guys, just as men see, say, kindergarten teaching as a women’s job. Even women who start out studying computer science and related fields often end up on a different career path. So it’s a shame the valley’s Big Three of women CEOs -Mayer, Hewlett-Packard’s Meg

The back-to-back acquittals of actor Salman Khan in two poaching cases must shock the conscience of every rightthinking Indian (July 26). It gives credence to the perception that the Indian justice system is the repository of the rich and powerful. Though it is the duty of a lawyer to provide the best defence possible to his or her client, the way these particular cases have progressed in the form of ‘drama’ is akin to destroying the edifice of the criminal justice system. Credible criminal investigation agencies and prosecution wings are missing in India as investigative officers and evidence can be easily influenced through money and muscle power. Episodes like these call for better

As a result of the agitation, the Government announced that the system of indentured labor would be stopped before July 31,1917. Gandhi had heard about an obnoxious system of agricultural labor prevailing in Bihar. In the Champaran district of Bihar, the cultivators were forced by Europeans to grow indigo, a blue dye, and this imposed on them untold sufferings. They could not grow the food they needed, nor did they receive adequate payment for the indigo. Gandhi was unaware of this until an agriculturist from Bihar, Rajkumar Shukla, met him and told him of the woes of

Whitman and Oracle’s co-CEO Safra Catz -- is on the verge of being reduced to two. When Mayer came to Yahoo in July 2012, the company was in disarray. It had had four CEOs in three years. By the time Mayer arrived on the scene, Yahoo faced a rocky path trying to develop gamechanging new products. The likes of Google, Apple and Facebook make billions, but 90 percent of startups in the tech industry are failures -most of them headed by men. And as Mayer discovered, the only thing harder for a CEO than making a startup successful is breathing life into a fading giant. Think Netscape, Silicon Graphics, Atari, and on and on. Mayer bet heavily that the purchase of Tumblr (for $1.1 billion in 2013) and invigorating Yahoo’s content team, hiring Katie Couric and other high-profile journalists, would dramatically increase revenue. The gambles didn’t pay off, and on Monday, the news broke that Verizon was the winning bidder for Yahoo’s internet business at $4.8 billion.

Yahoo President and CEO Marissa Mayer. Photo Credit AP, Eric Risberg). Within minutes of the announcement, critics hammered Mayer, saying she had a tendency to micromanage and didn’t come close to changing the way people approached search on mobile, as she’d promised. Don’t feel sorry for her. Like male CEOs, she has a golden parachute ($55 million) if Verizon sends her packing as expected. The bigger question is whether she’ll be given another shot at leading a major tech

firm. She certainly should. She was a rising star at Google when Yahoo tapped her. And failure doesn’t doom men in the field. Steve Jobs and others experienced massive failures in their careers. Silicon Valley culture is supposed to celebrate failure as something to learn from and move on. Men typically have these opportunities. Women should, too. Girls will be watching.

Visit us @ www. Voiceofasiaonline. com TODAY! Bollywood actor Salman Khan implementation of police and judicial reforms. (Also read report on Page 15).

Gaurav Singhal, Rewari, Haryana. The Hindu

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. Call 713-785-3900 or visit www.mahatmagandhilibrary.org the people of Champaran. He requested Gandhi to go to the place and see for himself the state of affairs there. Gandhi was then attending the Congress meeting at Lucknow and he did not have time to go there. Rajkumar Shukla followed him about, begging him to come and help the suffering villagers in Champaran. Gandhi at last promised to visit the place after he had visited Calcutta.

Gandhi went to Champaran with Rajkumar early in 1917. On his arrival the District Magistrate served him with a notice saying that he was not to remain in the district of Champaran but must leave the place by the first available train.

Meetings were held in all important places. Everywhere there was a great response. Even Gandhi said that he had not expected so much public support.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

When Gandhi was in Calcutta, Rajkumar was there too, to take him to Bihar.

country to get support for this view.

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

Gandhi disobeyed this order. He was summoned to appear before the court. The magistrate said, “If you leave the district now and promise not to return, the case against you will be withdrawn: “This cannot be,” said Gandhi. “I came here to render humanitarian and national service. I shall make Champaran my home and work for the suffering people.’ A large crowd of peasants was outside the court shouting slogans. The magistrate and the police looked nervous. Then Gandhi said, “I shall help you and calm these people if you let me speak to them.” Gandhi appeared before the crowd and said, “You must show your faith in me and in my work by remaining quiet. The magistrate had the right to arrest me, because I disobeyed his order. If I am sent to jail, you must accept that as just. We must work peacefully. Any violent act will harm our cause.” The crowd dispersed peacefully. The police stared at Gandhi in admiration as he went inside the court. “That day in Champaran was an unforgettable event in my

life ..... It is no exaggeration, but the literal truth, to say that in this meeting with the peasants, I was face to face with God, ahimsa and truth,” Gandhi wrote later. The Government withdrew the case against Gandhi and allowed him to remain in the district. Gandhi stayed there to study the grievances of the peasants. He visited many villages. He cross-examined about 8,000 cultivators and recorded their statements. In this way he arrived at an exact understanding of their plight and the causes. He came to the conclusion that the ignorance of the cultivators was one of the main reasons why the European planters could exploit them. Gandhi set up voluntary organizations to improve the economic and educational conditions of the people. They opened schools and taught the people how to improve sanitation. The

Government

Gandhi’s strength and devotion to his causes. They themselves then set up a committee to enquire into the grievances of the cultivators. They invited Gandhi to serve on that committee, and he agreed. The result was that within a few months the Champaran Agrarian Bill was passed. It gave great relief to the cultivators and land tenants. Gandhi could not stay longer in Bihar. There were calls from other places. Labor unrest was brewing in Ahmedabad and Gandhi was requested to help settle the dispute. Gandhi hurried back to Ahmedabad. Before taking up the labor dispute Gandhi wanted to move his ashram. The Satyagraha Ashram was in a village near Ahmedabad, but the surroundings were not clean and plague had broken out. It had spread there from Ahmedabad.

A rich merchant of Ahmedabad, who was closely associated with the ashram, volunteered to procure a suitable piece of land. Gandhi went about with him looking for land and at last they chose a place on the bank of the Sabarmati river, near the Sabarmati Central Jail. The land was purchased and there the famous Sabarmati Ashram was started. In Ahmedabad there were many textile mills. Prices had gone up and the mill workers were demanding higher wages. The mill owners would not agree. Gandhi sympathized with the workers and took up their cause. He launched a struggle and resorted to peaceful resistance. The workers proudly followed Gandhi and pledged their full support to him. They paraded the streets with large banners, and said they would not go back to work until a settlement had been reached. — To be continued

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FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

C OMMUNITY VOICE OF ASIA

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Ekal Vidyalaya’s Phenomenal Swami Ramdevji Yoga camp Fund-Raising Success in 2016 in Houston Oct. 9th by Manu Shah

oga is an ancient science given to the world by Indian sages and is practiced by millions of people in parks, living rooms and exercise studios around the world. What makes it unique is that it needs no fancy equipment or machines, not only burns calories but also clears the mind and is practiced by saints and the common man alike. Today it is a global phenomenon and India’s most famous export. A great deal of the credit for making yoga a worldwide movement goes to Yogrishi Swami Ramdev Baba, India’s most renowned yoga proponent. Yoga camps and televised yoga sessions led by him throughout the country won him legions of followers who strongly believe

A section of the audience at the gala. by Prakash Waghmare

s India is emerging as an economic power on the world stage, there is another contrarian reality by its side which is quite unsettling. Even in this technologically advance new millennium, there are tens of thousands rural-tribal areas in India, which are yet to be touched by the existential necessities and amenities, that we all routinely take for granted. Many of these areas seem frozen in time. There are no approachable roads nor basic educational or healthcare facilities within their reach. “Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation”, has been supporting functional-literacy, healthcare, and integral development in such places, for past 27 years. As of now, there are 53,000 Ekal-schools (and counting), in almost 30 states throughout India, including in Nepal & Jammu-Kashmir. For just $365, Ekal is able to provide education and healthcare training to a group of 30-40 children

Yogrishi Swami Ramdev Baba he turned their health around by teaching them a range of yoga postures (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayama). In short, he spearheaded a revolution that advocated the use of an ancient holistic technique for modern mind-body ailments. At this year’s International Day of Yoga, he helped lead over 100,000 people in a mass yoga session at Faridabad, India. Swami Ramdev Baba has been invited by the Federation of Indian Association (FIA) to be the Chief Guest and bless their 70th Independence Day Parade in New York on 21th August. As part of his North American tour, he will also be visiting Toronto on 19th and 20th August and Houston on 23rd August to address yoga teachers, Patanjali Yogpeeth members and yoga practitioners.

Concert in full swing. Artists from Indian gave a live performance as part of entertainment.. (termed as one Ekal school) for the entire year. The main objective of this social-venture is not only to eradicate illiteracy, but also, to empower these

rural lives by providing sustainable village-based skills. ‘Ekal’ achieves this objective by raising funds, primarily in India and USA.

Every year Ekal-USA, hosts a series of fund-raising concerts, between February and Continued on page 5

A farmer’s son, Swami Ramdev was drawn towards spirituality from an early age and spent several years in the Himalayas practicing meditation and yoga. He started the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust in 2006, named after the first compiler of the Yoga Sutras in Indian history. Along with encouraging the practice of yoga, the Trust runs several charitable hospitals, Ayurvedic schools and research centers to propagate natural foods and remedies. Patanjali Ayurved

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His visits unfailingly draw huge crowds of people eager to listen to the man who has not only done more to spread the practice of Yoga than any other human being but also passionately espoused the cause for a corruption free India. Not least, he electrifies audiences with his mindboggling yoga postures and abdominal exercises.

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FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

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iya Nair a eleven year old, now getting into seventh grade at Fort Settlement Middle School is an Honors student, a vibrant and enthusiastic girl pursuing, Indian classical music, and dance. It is said competition brings out the best in people and Siya has shown us that by winning the Star Kalakaar trophy in Dallas this year. She has been training in Indian classical dance for a four years,but, its after watching her friends march up to the podiums receiving prizes and accolades, sparked in her the need to do better in class and be more focused.

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The journey to the trophy and the title was not an easy task. She had to pass through two elimination rounds and was placed first in her age category for Bharata Natyam. Later in June she had to compete with participants who were all winners in their respective age groups and was declared the winner and title holder of the contest. She was placed at the top of the Classical Competition and was also well received in the non classical categories (3rd Place). In time the young lady is poised to make a mark in the performing arts arena following in the footsteps of her illustrious mother Dr. Sunanda Nair.

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MTS Corner Temple Renovation Project .....

Mayor Turner Creates Justice Complex Commission HOUSTON - Mayor Sylvester Turner announced today the creation of a Justice Complex Commission to study all available options for developing, acquiring and financing a new justice complex that will provide police officers and other members of the Police Department and Municipal Courts a fully functional facility to serve and protect the City of Houston and its citizens. The commission will begin its work by reviewing prior plans that identified the increased cost and loss of functionality of existing facilities. “Timing is key for the for-

CTRP team with the fundraising committee members and supporters of MTS at the Madras Pavilion in Sugar Land on July 24, 2016. Continued from Page 1 the Upgrade, with many witty comments. Two of the FR team members that have been instrumental in bringing many donors to join, Dr. T. Dorairajan and Kumar Bhashyam covered the significance of Nayanmars and Alwars. Construction details was presented by Vinod Kaila and Ashok Mungara. This was followed with the individual acknowledgement by the FR team members who read the names of all upgrade donors, individually recognizing them. There were also many new upgrades from those gathered including the FR team’s Dhani Kannan ($ 25,000) and Sundar Arun ($ 15,000). As the evening progressed MTS chairman Narayanan and his wife Malar completely floored those gathered by announcing an unprecedented level of upgrade to the Grand Sponsor level donor with a pledge of $ 100,000. Chairman Narayanan and his wife Malar deserve our appreciation for setting the bar high with their generosity. The great support from the donors easily allowed the target of $ 500,000 total to be exceeded. When the final

tally was announced the Fund raising total stood at close to $ 630,000, which exceeded by far the goal to reach $ 500,000. All this accomplished by the Grace of almighty in fewer than 110 days and bodes well to strive to reach the $ 750,000 target on the MTS annual gala event on August 28th.

concluded Secretary Prasad thanked all the Fund raising team members including AVN Reddy, Tupil Narasiman, Padmini Nathan, Somarajan Nair, Parthiban Dhanabalan, Ganesh Rajamani, Bhaskara Rao Mutyala, Narayan Dave, Vinay Kumar, Chandrakala Gupta and C. Vijayarajan.

The supporters gathered were treated to a sumptuous delight served by Rajan Radhakrishnan of MP; the dinner was sponsored by the Fund raising team. MTS’s Asthana photographers included Srini Sundarrajan , whose handiwork graces recent MTS calendars and the great volunteer/ original MTS photographer and current Board member Shetty uncle. As the event was

MTS staff present included Silpi Ramanathan whose handiwork had created the beautiful MTS model on display, and administrator Venkat and Vimal of MTS. Among the FR team young volunteer Muthuraman deserves special thank you for running the projection and preparing the Pledge list. Indeed it was a special evening for all to savor the milestone reached on this special summer day !

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FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

mation of the Justice Complex Commission as the real estate market is experiencing changes due to the sustained slump in oil prices, which has dramatically impacted commercial real estate in downtown and other business districts around the city” said Mayor Turner. “The decline in energy prices, the extensive development of new commercial buildings and the downsizing of the private sector have created a perfect storm opportunity for the City to consider leasing or purchasing millions of square feet of office space for a project such as the Justice Complex.”

The Commission will be cochaired by Barron Wallace, a partner at Bracewell LLP, and Louis Sklar, a retired senior executive from Hines. The Commission will also include other individuals with critical knowledge of finance, engineering, space planning, procurement, real estate development and other disciplines that will enable the panel to provide recommendations for a long term solution for HPD and the Municipal Courts. “Louis and I are looking forward to working with all of the stakeholders to achieve a financially prudent and sustainable solution for the City,” said Barron Wallace.

Ekal Vidyalaya’s ....Fund-Raising .... Continued from page 3 June, in all major U.S. metropolises by bringing well-known Artistes from India. In addition, the funds are also raised by direct appeals to consistent, major donors. In recently concluded fund-raising efforts, ‘Ekal’ hosted 62 concerts, all across U.S. through its satellite ‘Chapters’. According to Dr. Jawahar Taunk, Regional President of Florida, $400,000 was raised in his region alone. Through concerts only, Ekal has raised more than $4 Million so far this year. In addition, for newly initiated ‘Endowment Fund’, $1 Million has been pledged by couple of generous donors in U.S. and Canada. A handful of entrepreneurs have also picked up their own specific projects based on necessities in certain areas. Inspired by Hon. PM Modi’s clarion call for ‘Clean-India’ campaign, Himanshu Shah of ‘Shah Capital’, has taken responsibility to make a cluster of villages ‘environmentally clean’ by devoting his personal resources. Moreover, considering 30% of total funds come into Ekal-coffer, each year, during November-December, Ekal is pretty confident to cross $7.5 Million mark, this

year, just for USA alone. This is also a great tribute its 1,000 strong selfless dedicated volunteers in USA. This year ‘Ekal’ had invited two groups of artistes to headline its various events. One group was headed by ‘Rajdeep Chatterjee & Pallabi Roy Chowdhuri’ and another was headed by ‘Anand Vinod & Vibhavari Yadav’. All the concerts pulled record crowds everywhere confirming, once again, not only the popularity of the quality programming by Ekal, but also, people’s overwhelming support to this divine cause. All concerts were preceded by DVD-briefing on Ekal’s major activities and futuristic plans. During the concerts, the people were also treated to highly focus ‘PowerPoint’ presentation that depicted Ekal’s historic progress from its inception, allocation of funds and the model for accountability, at every level. It is worth noting that Ekal renders its services without any credence to caste, creed, religion and region and its overhead is in single digit. Iconic CEO of ‘ZEETV’, Dr. Subhash Chandra’s induction as the Chairman of ‘Ekal Global’ has been a boon to

“Ekal Abhiyan” in attracting major industrial houses and entrepreneurs. Earlier this year, while releasing Subhash Chandra’s autobiographical book, ‘ZEE Factor’, Hon. PM Modi also lauded Ekal’s awe-inspiring comprehensive rural work as a role model for other organizations to follow. Now, Students and young adults around the country are also gravitating to Ekal to play a key role in this ‘people’s movement’. Earlier this year, “Health Foundation for Rural India (‘HFRI’)”, a health wing of “Ekal Abhiyan” had taken a group of Medical student from USA to Indian villages under its ‘Internship Program’. The rationale behind it was, not only to acquaint them with unique healthcare problems in rural areas, but also, to groom them for selfless service for these neglected masses. Every month, new donors are coming on board to support Ekal as they realize that it is the largest grass-root NGO movement of its kind, globally undertaken by Indians and NRIs. Ekal is in dozen countries, including in some ‘Middle-East’ regions. For your support and participation in ‘Ekal Movement’, kindly visit its web: www.ekal. org

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

Indo Americans launch “IAM4HILLARY” to support Hillary Clinton for President

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

WE CARE 2016 by Andrea Garza

OUSTON - On July 15th, the Houston chapter of the international non-profit named Sewa held its first annual fundraiser gala “We Care 2016” at the Houston Baptist University Campus. The gala included a silent auction and a formal recognition of various community leaders in the Brays Oaks District, such as Councilman Larry Green and Richard Rodriguez,

donors such as Nexion Healthcare, Dr Raman, and Subash Sreeram were recognized for their donations which have helped the ASPIRE Tutorials improve the lives of the Houston immigrant and refugee communities. The silent auction showcased several items that were donated by other leaders in the Houston area, such as Tickets for the Houston Astros, donated by

volunteer work each during the ongoing summer. The college interns have been helping as instructors at the ASPIRE Tutorials program. The ASPIRE Tutorials program is a free afterschool tutoring service dedicated to helping immigrant and refugee children in the Houston area with their homework and English speaking skills. Sewa Houston is one of thirty-eight Sewa branches located

Ashok Rao, Jagad Kamdar, Roopa Gir, Ramesh Anand, Sanjay Ramabhadran, Rana das Gupta and other supporters of Hillary Clinton. OUSTON - As, Hillary Clinton was officially the Democratic presidential nominee, making history as the first woman ever to secure the backing of a major American political party, Indo Americans from Greater Houston launched a national initiative to support Hillary Clinton as the next President of USA called ‘IAM4HILLARY’

join us. Our website will soon allow you to contribute to Hillary Clinton’s campaign – no amount will be found wanting to make history happen.

‘IAM4HILLARY’ is a grass root campaign to gather and demonstrate support for Hillary Clinton by use of social media that include our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook. com/iam4hillary/ ; a Facebook Group that all are welcome to join – “iam4hillary”; follow us on Twitter at @iam4hillary and website www.iam4hillary.com

Indo Americans lead the country in being the most highly educated ethnic community. Let us now put it to the right use and make an educated decision and educate others too.

‘IAM4HILLARY’ is a volunteer run group that traverses the United States and welcomes all likeminded individuals to

‘IAM4HILLARY’ invites you all to stay informed of events that are being planned to educate on why it is important that Hillary is elected as the next President.

According to Jagat Kamdar, one of the founders of Indo American Political Action Committee of Greater Houston, Hillary is competent, steadfastness on Children’s rights, women’s right, minority rights, foreign policy depth and experience, pragmatic and goes for

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the achievable goals. Sheela Rao, Former President of the Indo American Charity Foundation had this to say” IAM4HILLARY because America is ready for a strong, highly experienced ‘woman’ whose policy agenda pushes the boundaries of the possible.” Latafath Hussain, founder of Indo American Muslim Association of Greater Houston had this to say – IAM4HILLARY because she is uniquely qualified for the highest job in the country: community activist, First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State. For 40 years she has been fighting for ordinary Americans and she will fight for me the next four years. Contact for more information: Ramesh Anand at rhappy@ gmail.com or call 832-7316133. Jagat Kamdar at jagatk@ aol.com or call 281-460-6771

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Expert says sleep is essential on road trips Driving late at night or driving through adverse weather conditions becomes increasingly dangerous when people are sleep deprived. “We know that most traffic accidents that occur at night are singlevehicle accidents – not multi-vehicle accidents. These accidents don’t happen because there Dr. Philip Alapat explains the imare too many cars on portance of getting enough sleep to the road. It’s because ensure safe and fun road trips. people are falling asleep Photo credit: Baylor College of at the wheel and run Medicine off the road or run into something on the side OUSTON – (July 27, of the road because they 2016) – Road trips are have driven off the path,” Alaa summer tradition for pat said. “Driving in adverse many families, but some are so weather requires people to focused on reaching their final be even more alert than they destination that drivers tend to would be otherwise, and someignore their bodies’ need for one who is fatigued or sleepy sleep. However, Baylor Col- already has a compromised lege of Medicine’s Dr. Philip ability to pay attention.” Alapat explains the importance of getting enough sleep to enIn order to avoid falling sure safe and fun road trips. asleep at the wheel, Alapat said to be aware of and not to ignore Alapat, assistant professor signs of sleepiness including of medicine and an expert in droopy eyes and an inability to sleep disorders, said sleep de- stay alert while driving. privation can be an issue before people even pull out of the Alapat suggests that if peodriveway. ple do find themselves feeling fatigued, they should switch “People may be sleep de- drivers or pull over at a rest prived because they stay up stop. He warned that caffeine late preparing the night before should only be used to increase for the trip and then want to get alertness for brief periods. an early start,” he said. Large caffeine doses actually are counterproductive since According to Alapat, sleep they contribute to poor quality deprivation on road trips also sleep. can occur because people try to stay awake to drive late into Alapat said the best way to the night instead of sleeping. prevent sleep deprivation is simply to sleep. “All of these situations can lead to chronic sleep depriva“Respect your body’s need tion that will inevitably end up for sleep and try not to power causing excessive sleepiness, through,” Alapat said. “It is a which is obviously very dan- better idea to take a break and gerous while driving and try- arrive safely.” ing to maintain attention on the road,” Alapat said.

Sewa Houston volunteers. Photo credit: Nik Nikam Network.

Source: Baylor College of Medicine

Guests at the gala. Photo credit: Nik Nikam Network. executive director of the Brays Oaks Management District. The event helped collect funds which will be directed to the ASPIRE Tutorial program that Sewa Houston created a little over two years ago. Guests at the gala included the executive team of Sewa Houston chapter, Roopal Shah as the keynote speaker, Council member Larry Green’s representative and Brays Oaks management districts’s executive director, Richard Rodriguez. At the gala several financial

the president of the Westbury Civic Club, Becky Edmonson, two art pieces, and jewelry. Up Art studio donated street artist, 212’s piece titled “Geisha”, while local artist, Gopaal Seyn, donated a piece titled “Tears”. The two necklaces auctioned were by donated by Import World Inc. a company that specializes in sterling jewelry. At the gala interns and volunteers that work with Sewa were recognized for having completed more than 200 hours of

within the United States. For over ten years Sewa Houston has been part of a larger international movement which aims to serve humanity irrespective of religion, gender or nationality. Sewa Houstonaims to help those most disadvantaged within its local community with programs focused on refugee empowerment, public health outreach, and improving the education of immigrant and refugee students. Sewa is dedicated to the ideal of “Service above Self”.

DIASPORA

VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

Indian-American, Raja Krish- Indian-American to raise $10 million namoorthi to be recognized as for Donald Trump, hold mega rally emerging Democratic leader HILADELPHIA, PTI | Jul 27, 2016 - Indian-American Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic Congressional candidate from Illinois, will be introduced as one of the party’s emerging leaders during the ongoing Democratic National Convention here.

Krishnamoorthi, 42, is among only two Congressional candidates to have been invited on to the DNC stage here as the party’s rising star or emerging leader. Stephanie Murphy from Florida is the other Congressional candidate to be recognized by the Democratic party in this category. Having won the Democratic Party’s Congressional primary in Illinois on March 16, Krishnamoorthi faces Peter DiCianni of the Republican party who ran unopposed during the primary. He has raised a whopping $1.6 million more than his opponents and is considered to be a heavy favourite. If elected, he would join Ami Bera in the US House of Representatives in the next Congress beginning January 2017. Bera, meanwhile, is seeking his third-term in the November general elections. Krishnamoorthi has the distinction of being endorsed by US President Barack Obama. “I know he’ll fight hard in Congress to create more good jobs, empower more Americans to start businesses, and help working families afford to put their children through college,” Obama said in his endorsement last month. He has also been endorsed by other top Democratic leaders including Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the US House of

Krishnamoorthi, 42, is among only two Congressional candidates to have been invited on to the DNC stage here as the party’s rising star or emerging leader. Image source: r ajaforcongress.com> Photo credit PTI. Representatives. Krishnamoorthi previously was the policy director and a senior advisor for Barack Obama’s 2004 US Senate campaign, and also served as an advisor to Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign. He served as Deputy Treasurer of Illinois from 2007-2009 under Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, and in 2010 ran for the Democratic nomination for Illinois State Comptroller, losing to David E.Miller by less than one percent of the vote. Born in New Delhi on July 19, 1973, his parents immigrated to Buffalo New York when he was three months old. Krishnamurthy currently serves as president of Sivananthan Labs and Episolar Inc, small businesses that develop and sell products in the national security and renewable energy industries. He is a co-founder of InSPIRE, a non-profit organisation that provides training to Illinois students and veterans in solar

technology, and was formerly Vice-Chairman of the Illinois Innovation Council, whose mission is to promote innovative technologies that support economic growth and job creation in Illinois. The eighth Congressional district has a strong presence of Asian-Americans with a sizable population of Indian-Americans.

Kumar said he is planning to hold a mega rally sometime in September in the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to showcase the support of Indian Americans for Trump. LEVELAND: An Indian-American supporter of the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has announced to raise a whooping $2 million for the Trump Victory Fund and hold a mega rally with estimated 50,000 people in support of the real estate tycoon from

Student Registration Module for Indian Students Washington, DC July 26, 2016 The Embassy of India, Washington DC notified in a press release that a student registration module is now available on MADAD portal on the given link https://portal2.madad.gov.in/ AppConsular/welcomeLink The homepage of MADAD portal provides basic guidance on how students can register themselves on this module All Indian students in the USA are kindly requested to register themselves at the earliest. For deatils: Website: https://www.indianembassy.org/

New York. Chicago-based Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar, who heads the Republican Hindu Council (RCH) told a group of Indian reporters yesterday that he and his family have already donated $1.1 million to the Trump Campaign. With this, he is among the top 14 donors for the Trump campaign. “The Kumar family in total would contribute $2 million for the Trump Campaign and the Republican Party. It is in the best interest of the India US relationship that I have decided to work for the victory of Trump in the November general elections,” he said. Kumar said he is planning to hold a mega rally sometime in September in the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to showcase the support of the real estate tycoon from New York. Chicago-based Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar, who heads

the Republican Hindu Council (RCH) told a group of Indian reporters yesterday that he and his family have already donated $1.1 million to the Trump Campaign. With this, he is among the top 14 donors for the Trump campaign. ““The Kumar family in total would contribute $2 million for the Trump Campaign and the Republican Party. It is in the best interest of the India US relationship that I have decided to work for the victory of Trump in the November general elections,” he said. Kumar said he is planning to hold a mega rally sometime in September in the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to showcase the support of Indian Americans for Trump. He met the Republican presidential nominee last week and claimed that Trump’s presidency would take India-US relationship to new heights.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 8

Trading Zumba for low-impact exercise A woman’s determination to work out despite a physical challenge pays off at the YMCA munity Health for the YMCA of Greater Houston. Not only does it reduce arthritis symptoms with safe and low-impact exercises, it helps anyone needing exercise of a more gentle nature, she added. The class consists of a warmup, balance exercises and strength training techniques that incorporate ankle and wrist weights. “I added more weight every week and felt a noticeable improvement,” Barbas said.

Tina Barbas (far left) with her workout friends at the YMCA. Photo by YMCA.

s a regular YMCA member, Tina Barbas, 67, worked out with gusto, taking classes such as power yoga, pilates, Body Pump, Body Combat and Zumba. Yet, when bursitis began to affect her left hip, the pain prevented her from enjoying highimpact workouts.

D. Bradley McWilliams Family YMCA designed for people with arthritis and other physically limiting conditions. The YMCA began offering EnhanceFitness, developed by Senior Services (Seattle, Wash.) in partnership with the University of Washington and Group Health Cooperative, in 2015.

Determined to keep active, Barbas signed up for an EnhanceFitness program at the

The results have amazed Barbas. “It has helped me to maintain my whole body strength, improve my balance and gain

back the strength in my arms and legs,” she said. “This is a good class for older adults who are not very active, but I found it is also beneficial for people like me who have had injuries and cannot participate in more rigorous classes.” EnhanceFitness is a proven senior fitness and arthritis management program that improves endurance, strength, balance and flexibility, explained Lharissa Jacobs, director of Com-

It has been recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other national organizations committed to improving the health of older adults, as research has shown that being physically active decreases pain, improves function and delays disability, according to the CDC. “I observed a lot of people in my class, and I watched them improve over time,” Barbas said. “They felt stronger as a result of light-weight exercise.” For more information on EnhanceFitness classes at the YMCA, please contact Jacobs at 713-758-9186 or ljacobs@ ymcahouston.org.

Read these stories and more Visit us online Visit: www. voiceofasiaonline.com

Indoor allergies can flare during dog days of summer HOUSTON – (July 26, 2016) – During the dog days of the summer, many people might find themselves staying indoors more often to avoid the heat and humidity, but a Baylor College of Medicine expert warns that there may be something to be cautious of when staying indoors: allergens. He offers tips for reducing indoor allergens and some treatment options.

avoiding liquid based vacuum cleaners, which wet the rug and promote the overgrowth of fungus and the rapid re-accumulation of mites in the long run.

“In terms of indoor allergens, the things that we worry about the most are mites, particularly dust mites, which accumulate in fabrics such as carpets, mattresses and pillows,” said Dr. David Corry, professor and chief of the section of immunology, allergy, and rheumatology at Baylor.

Buy a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate arresting) filter Look for alternatives to clothbased furniture, or clean clothbased furniture using vacuum attachments regularly Have a room HEPA filter, which helps keep particulate matter out of the air Corry also reminds to be aware of the use and inspection of an air conditioner.

Other insects, such as cockroaches, that tend to congregate in the house also can cause allergies as can the buildup of fungus, which tends to thrive in the same areas as dust mites, Corry said. “There’s an ecosystem at work in which mites and fungi mutually feed off of each other and may support each other’s growth,” said Corry. “Every house has these organisms to some extent.” Corry said that simply being in the house more, whether walking around or even sitting or lying in bed, can stir up the remains of these organisms. Inhaling them or rubbing them into the skin can trigger allergic reactions including allergic rhinitis, asthma and even skin conditions such as eczema. The best way to inhibit the buildup of these materials is to get rid of fixed cloth-based textiles as much as possible. For those with severe allergies, this can include getting rid of carpeting in the home and replacing it with hard surfaces for floors. While throw rugs are acceptable to have in the home, Corry recommended cleaning these rugs with a dry vacuum and

Since it can be cost prohibitive to change all of the flooring in a home, Corry makes the following additional suggestions for those who suffer severe indoor allergies:

“Air conditioners can sometimes become heavily contaminated with mold, so when the air conditioner is turned on, it can blow mold spores into the air,” said Corry. He emphasized the importance of having an annual inspection of the entire system and particularly the duct work for signs of mold. Corry also suggested having older homes inspected for other mold issues, which can arise from water intrusions due to rain or leaky pipes. Any mold problems that are identified should be immediately repaired. To determine whether allergies or asthma might be related to the home environment, Corry said to be aware of the pattern and timing of symptoms. For example, if symptoms are occurring outside of the home, such as in the workplace, but there’s a relief from symptoms when at home, then the problem may be in the outdoors or the workplace. However, if the opposite is true and symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, itchy and watery eyes and asthma attacks are disrupting sleep or are worse in the morning, this could indicate that the

problem is in the home. The standard approach to treating allergies is using an inhaled nasal steroid or an antihistamine. Rinsing the nose and sinuses with salt water also is helpful and can be done through a neti pot or saline spray. Corry also recommended that people with severe allergies get tested to determine the cause of the allergies. This will allow doctors to treat using immunotherapy or allergy shots, which desensitize individuals to the allergens by exposing them to the allergen in small doses that are gradually increased. This resets the body’s immune response to the allergens. Finally, for those with severe allergic disease that is not responsive to standard therapy and prevention, research from Corry’s laboratory suggests that in many instances such disease is due to a fungal infection of the airway, termed

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

Nader Ayub, D.O., joins Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

UGAR LAND – (July 25, 2016) — Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine at Sugar Land is pleased to announce that Nader Ayub, D.O., will be joining the group and will begin seeing patients in August. Ayub is a primary care sports medicine physician who will office at Houston Methodist Primary Care Group’s new building located near Sienna Plantation at 8330 Highway 6 in Missouri City. His focus is on family medicine and the treatment of common sports injuries. He will also have office hours every Wednesday in Sugar Land at the Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine facility, located at 16811 Southwest Frwy., Suite 200. Ayub is a graduate of Texas A&M University in College Station. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth. He recently completed the Houston Methodist Sugar Land Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. He specializes in providing primary care and sports medicine for adolescents and young adults. He can handle everyday illnesses and provide specialized care for sports injuries, concussion management and orthopedic conditions. This unique blend of expertise is ideal for active pre-teens and teenagers, as well as others who have outgrown their pediatrician. “Primary care sports medicine is a rapidly growing field

that provides significant benefits to patients who actively participate in sports,” said David Braunreiter, M.D., primary care sports medicine physician with Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine at Sugar Land and mentor and fellowship director of the Houston Methodist Sugar Land Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. “With his training and background, Dr. Ayub will be a tremendous asset to our team as well as to our patients.” Ayub will be a team physician for Rice University Athletics and for Fort Bend ISD schools. He has extensive experience in sports and family medicine, completing a residency in family medicine and serving on the medical teams for both the Houston and The Woodlands Marathons. Before joining Houston Methodist, he coordinated high school athletic physicals and conducted preseason physicals for athletes at Houston Baptist University. Ayub was also a venue physician for the 2016 NCAA Final Four in Houston as well as a physician for the 2016 Houston Texas Livestock Show and Rodeo. He is also an athlete himself, enjoying basketball, bodybuilding, soccer, softball, volleyball and scuba diving. To schedule an appointment with Nader Ayub, D.O., or another Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine physician, visit houstonmethodist.org/appointments or call 281.690.4678. To learn more about Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, please visit houstonmethodist. org/orthopedics.

VOICE OF ASIA 9

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 10

India, US hit upon Indian Ocean natural gas discovery

Mum says Pakistani starlet slain by brother over taunts

EW DELHI, India | AFP | 7/26/2016 - Scientists from India, the United States and Japan have struck upon a large natural gas deposit in the Bay of Bengal, the first potentially producible discovery of its kind in the Indian Ocean.

HAH SADAR DIN, Pakistan | AFP | 7/27/2016 - The mother of a Pakistani celebrity murdered in a so-called ‘honour’ killing said her son strangled his sister after being taunted by his friends over her behaviour.

A research expedition carried out jointly by the three countries discovered the natural gas hydrate -- an ice-like form of the fuel -- off India’s east coast, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said in a statement Monday.

The death earlier this month of starlet Qandeel Baloch, who shot to fame for her provocative selfies and videos in the conservative Muslim country, shone a spotlight on such killings and re-ignited calls for legislative action to curb the crime.

Energy-hungry India is heavily dependent on imports to meet its oil and gas needs and is hungry to secure more of its own supplies.

The amount of natural gas locked in hydrate form worldwide is believed to be far greater than the volume of all known conventional gas resources, the United States Geological Survey said (AFP Photo/Greg Wood).

“The results from this expedition mark a critical step forward to understanding the energy resource potential of gas hydrates,” said USGS Senior Scientist Tim Collett.

The expedition involved experts from India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and

The discovery in the sand reservoirs of the Krishna-Godavari Basin contains “what we believe to be several of the largest and most concentrated gas hydrate accumulations yet found in the world,” Collett said. The amount of natural gas locked in hydrate form worldwide is believed to be far greater than the volume of all known conventional gas resources, USGS said. Yet producing the fuel from hydrates is extremely technically challenging. “Advances like the Bay of Bengal discovery will help unlock the global energy resource potential of gas hydrates as well help define the technology needed to safely produce them,” said Walter Guidroz, USGS Energy Resources Program coordinator. The next steps will involve testing to determine if production of the deposits is practically and economically viable.

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

USGS as well as Japanese drilling and marine-earth specialists.

Magsaysay award ..... Continued from Page 1 his “crusade, leading not only with a sense of moral outrage but also with remarkable skills in mass organising, and working within India’s complex legal system.” “In electing Bezwada Wilson to receive the 2016 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the board of trustees recognises his moral energy and prodigious skill in leading a grassroots movement to eradicate the degrading servitude of manual scavenging in India, reclaiming for the dalits the human dignity that is their natural birthright,” the citation said. The other Indian awardee, 40year-old Krishna has been hailed in the citation as “showing that music can indeed be a deeply transformative force in personal lives and society itself.” Krishna, born to a privileged, Brahmin family in Chennai,

was trained from the age of six in the aristocratic Carnatic music under masters of the form. “Though he earned a degree in economics, Krishna chose to be an artist and quickly rose to become a highly-admired concert performer of Carnatic classical music,” his citation said. “An ancient vocal and instrumental musical system, Carnatic music started centuries ago in temples and courts but was subsequently ‘classicised’ to become the almost exclusive cultural preserve of the Brahmin caste -- performed, organised, and enjoyed by the elite who have access to it,” the citation said. “While grateful for how Carnatic music has shaped his artistry, Krishna would question the social basis of his art. He saw that his was a castedominated art that fostered an unjust, hierarchic order by ef-

Speaking to AFP from her home in the village of Shah Sadar Din, Baloch’s mother Anwar Wai wept as she recalled the shocking death at the hands of brother Muhammad Wasim. “He killed my daughter after being taunted by his friends. They would infuriate him and tell him she is bringing you dishonour,” she said, surrounded fectively excluding the lower classes from sharing in a vital part of India’s cultural legacy,” it said. In the 1990s, he was president of the Youth Association for Classical Music, that took Carnatic music to the youth and the public schools. During the period 2011-2013, Krishna brought his passion and artistry to war-ravaged northern Sri Lanka, the first Carnatic musician to tour that region in three decades, and launched two festivals to promote “culture retrieval and revival” in that country. “While much of his work is still ahead of him, he is embarked on an important path. Krishna is resolved to break barriers of caste, class or creed by democratising music, cultivating thought-processes and sensibilities that unite people rather than divide them,” the

Waseem (right), brother of Qandeel Baloch, a social media celebrity, is escorted by police after arrest in Multan on July 16, 2016 by her husband as well as an adult son and daughter. The desperately poor family, who live in a three-room house with mud for flooring, said they depended on Baloch financially citation said. “In electing Thodur Madabusi Krishna to receive the 2016 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership, the board of trustees recognises his forceful commitment as artist and advocate to art’s power to heal India’s deep social divisions, breaking barriers of caste and class to unleash what music has to offer not just for some but for all,” it said. Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is considered Asia’s highest honour. It celebrates the memory and leadership example of the third Philippine President after whom the award is named, and is given every year to individuals or organisations in Asia who manifest the same selfless service and transformative influence that ruled the life of the late and beloved Filipino leader.

and did not know how they would cope without her. Baloch supported around a dozen relatives. “She was an amazing daughter. I have no words that do her justice, and she took care of us much more than our sons including financially,” she said, adding the family were being put up in a house that Baloch (real name Fauzia Azeem) had in Multan. “She would phone us four or five times a day. If she wasn’t able to call one day, she would tell us ‘I’m sorry, I was working.’” Pakistan’s law minister last week announced that bills aimed at tackling “honour killings” and boosting rape convictions would soon be voted on by parliament, after mounting pressure to tackle a pattern of crime that claims around 1,000 lives a year. The perpetrators of so-called honour killings -- in which the victim, normally a woman, is killed by a relative -- often walk free because they can seek forgiveness for the crime from another family member.

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VOICE OF ASIA 11

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FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

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Olympic Village controversy lingers, Brazilians pessimistic by Javier Tovar and Sebastian Smith

io’s mayor and Australia buried the hatchet Wednesday in a row over shambolic conditions at the Olympic Village but controversy lingered, as a new poll showed Brazilians are deeply gloomy about the Games. Mayor Eduardo Paes kissed Australia delegation chief Kitty Chiller on the cheek, handed her a symbolic key to the city and apologized for the construction hiccups at the Village, which included blocked toilets, dangerous wiring and leaks. “I saw the things. This was the worst building. I recognize the problems you faced,” a repentant Paes said. Paes’ speech was a far cry from his apparently combative reaction Sunday after Chiller lambasted the accommodations as the worst she’d seen in five Olympics. The mayor’s quip that a kangaroo should be sent to make the Australians feel better fell flat, being widely interpreted as a jibe and quickly surfacing on Twitter as #kangaroogate.

However, new concerns emerged over the race to finish the Village with just nine days to go before the August 5 opening ceremony. Labor inspectors accused the Olympic organizing committee of using some 630 workers without contracts and in exhausting shifts. “If a worker suffers any sort of accident or is killed, then the family will not have this (contract) guarantee,” inspector Hercules Terra told G1, saying organizers would be fined. Asked how much the rush job was costing, Paes responded: “I don’t know.” - Public apathy and gloom The Olympic Village’s teething problems are another embarrassment for Brazil, which is struggling to show it can cope with the pressure during a severe recession and political crisis. Organizers are already facing questions over low ticket sales, public apathy, fears over the Zika virus, and a spike in street crime as police complain of lack of resources.

Paes explained Wednesday he’d not meant any harm and offered “a formal apology, almost a diplomatic thing.”

A poll published in Sao Paulo’s Estadao newspaper found that 60 percent of Brazilians believe the Olympics will bring more bad than good to the country.

Flanked by Australian athletes, Chiller praised Brazil for the “passion and the commitment” in carrying out emergency repairs -- and gave Paes a stuffed kangaroo.

The Ibope poll, published in Sao Paulo daily Estadao, found only 32 percent of Brazilians expect the first Games ever held in South America to be more positive than negative.

Olympic Village under construction in Rio. AFP Photo This split showed a darker mood than on the eve of the last major sporting event hosted by Brazil, the 2014 football World Cup. Then, 40 percent expected more negative outcomes compared to 43 percent who were optimistic. Paes brushed off the poll, telling Estadao that “the city of Rio is already benefiting from the legacy, the population is already benefiting.”

When Brazil won the Rio hosting rights back in 2009, the economy was booming and then president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was immensely popular.

Amnesty International on Wednesday highlighted bloody police violence in Rio by laying 40 body bags in front of the Olympic organizing committee headquarters -- each representing people killed by city officers in May alone.

Today Brazil is in economic retreat, while Lula faces serious corruption allegations and his handpicked successor Dilma Rousseff faces being removed from office in an impeachment vote shortly after the Games end.

“Our main worry is that there is an escalation of police violence as we get closer to the Games,” said Amnesty expert Renata Neder.

Color is power for brightly-dressed Queen

ONDON - They may look garish for some but Queen Elizabeth II’s brightly-coloured outfits are a power dressing tool that allow her to make an impression, according to a new exhibition opening on Saturday.

“The Queen is well-known for block colour dressing using vivid and bold colours to ensure she is easily visible on important occasions,” Caroline De Guitaut, the exhibition’s curator, told reporters. De Guitaut said the dresses reflected the multi-faceted role the Queen plays as sovereign not only of Britain but also of the Commonwealth states, as well as being commander-in-chief of the British army.

Exhibits at the Buckingham Palace show range from her christening gown to the eye-catching bright green woolcrepe and silk dress she wore at one of her 90th birthday celebrations earlier this year. The queen’s wedding dress from 1947 and the one she wore at her coronation in 1953 are also exhibited together for the first time in “Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from the Queen’s Wardrobe”.

The curator said that hats also played an important role in making her easier to spot in large crowds, which is why they often have elaborate trimming. Curator Caroline de Guitaut adjusts displays during a press preview for “Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen’s Wardrobe”, an exhibition at Buckingham Palace in London, Monday July 4, 2016. (Lauren Hurley/PA via AP)Buckingham Palace.

The monarch’s preferences for headgear range from cloche hats made popular in the 1960s to the Breton style of

the 1970s and 1980s. Nowadays, she is rarely seen in public without a hat. Details such as colours and design gained a whole other level of significance during her state visits. “The Queen’s ensembles are carefully designed to ensure they are appropriate for the climate like the oriental-flower patterned dress Her Majesty wore to a state visit to Singapore,” De Guitaut said. Others respect religious or social conventions like the ensemble worn for her state visit to the Middle East in 1979, in which the Queen was covered as much as possible to respect local traditions.

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VOICE OF ASIA 12

Japanese ‘rent men’ who are paid just to listen

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

Indonesian toilet cafe serves up stomach-churning food

EMARANG, Indonesia | AFP - A toiletthemed cafe where customers dine on meatballs floating in soup-filled latrines may not be everyone’s idea of haute cuisine, but Indonesians are flocking to become privy to the latest lavatorial trend. Guests at the “Jamban Cafe” sit on upright toilets around a table where food is served in squat loos. On a recent visit to the venue, in Semarang on Java island, traditional Indonesian “bakso” -- a type of meatball -- bobbed in a murky soup in one toilet, while a second contained a brightly-coloured, alcohol-free cocktail.

sion has a key difference -- it aims to educate people about sanitation and encourage the increased use of toilets.

Owner Budi Laksono, a public health expert who used to work for the local government, hosts discussions with customers and shows them videos as he seeks to encourage people to use dedicated facilities for their bodily functions.

“I was disgusted at first, but I eventually ate some of the food out of curiosity,” said customer Mukodas, a 27year-old who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name.

Millions of Indonesians live below the poverty line and the country has one of the world’s highest rates of open defecation -- defecating outside and not in a designated toilet -- a practice blamed for spreading disease.

“I think the idea is pretty interesting because if you try to have a campaign without a gimmick like this, the information won’t stick.” Another customer, 15-yearold Annisa Dhea, conceded she initially found the toilet treats “a bit unappealing” but felt somewhat reassured after

“This café serves as a reminder that many people in Indonesia still do not have

“There’s a different ‘me’ depending on whether I’m with my friends, my family, or my boyfriend,” says 24-year-old Nodoka Hyodo after her session with Nishimoto (AFP Photo/Quentin Tyberghien) by Karyn NISHIMURAPOUPEE

OKYO, Japan | AFP - From lonely pensioners to Japanese schoolgirls with shattered dreams, Takanobu Nishimoto and his crew of middle-aged men will lend an ear to clients who would never dream of spilling their guts to a therapist or worse, their families. Anyone in need of company can sign up to his online service to rent an “ossan” -- a man aged between 45 and 55 -- for 1,000 yen ($10) an hour. “For me, the service is a hobby more than anything,” says Nishimoto, who first came up with the concept four years ago and who now has a growing network of some 60 men across Japan. “The initial idea was to improve the image of guys my age, people who might not be spring chickens anymore and not taken so seriously.” And while the 48-year-old professional fashion coordinator is used to renting himself out, he insists conversation is all he offers to between 30 and 40 clients a month, roughly 70 percent of whom are women. “The people who rent me are just asking me to keep them company for an hour or two, mainly to listen to them,” he tells AFP between sessions, giving the example of a woman in her 80s who would book him every week for a walk around the local park. “I almost became like her

son,” he says. Other clients include a fisherman who was sick of waiting in solitary silence for a catch, a college student with ambitions to get into show business but who lacked family support, and an awkward young employee who did not know how to behave around his direct supervisor. Japan has struggled with problems of social isolation, most notably the phenomenon of “hikikomori” where people, often teens and young adults, refuse to leave the house or engage socially, instead opting to play video games or remain in their rooms. - ‘Express yourself’ -But the people who come to Nishimoto do not suffer from detachment from society or challenges adjusting to it. Rather, those who use the service say it allows them to forget the expectations of their family and friends and speak freely -- an option which experts say is especially useful in Japan, where social roles can be tightly defined and expectations rigid. “There’s a different ‘me’ depending on whether I’m with my friends, my family, or my boyfriend,” says 24-year-old Nodoka Hyodo after her session with Nishimoto. She explains: “I create a ‘me’ in relation to others. Here, all that disappears because I’m talking to someone I don’t know -- thanks to him, I feel like I’m understanding myself better.”

Psychologist Hiroaki Enomoto stresses that in Japan there are social norms governing what can and can’t be said even with close associates. “When you come up against something new, it might be difficult to talk about this with someone because you might not necessarily have a suitable person in your existing circles,” he tells AFP. “It’s difficult to know how to express yourself without bothering someone else.” But by renting an “ossan” the relationship becomes a commercial one and thus follows different rules. In recent years, a number of agencies have been offering “rent-a-friend” services paid by the hour. Customers can rent an agency employee as a fake friend, family member, or companion for various occasions such as weddings, funerals and parties. Some use them just to have a conversation partner to ease times of loneliness and isolation in old age.

Customers being served meatball soup from a squat toilet during a meal at the toilet-themed “Jamban Cafe” in the city of Semarang on Java island. PHOTO: AFP

For those who found the whole experience too nauseating, there was a sick bag hanging by the entrance. Other places, such as Taiwan and Russia, are home to similar themed restaurants, but Indonesia’s modest ver-

The married Nishimoto says he has considered stopping the service several times, but found that he needed his clients just as much as they needed him.

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“Many critics say the café is inappropriate and against Islamic law,” he said.

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The café -- whose name “Jamban” means toilet in Indonesian -- has been open since April and currently only welcomes small groups who book ahead.

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HEALTH, SC & TECH

Yoga Therapy: Unlocking the Hidden Vitality -Part II brain. Additionally, excessive cortisol has been linked with major depression, osteoporosis (it extracts calcium and other minerals from bones and interferes with the laying down of new bone), high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Lowers blood sugar

Prof. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee, Rice University, Houston. TX. Continued from last week Drains lymph’s and boosts immunity When one contracts and stretch muscles, move organs around, and come in and out of yoga postures, there is an increase in the drainage of lymph (a viscous fluid rich in immune cells). This helps the lymphatic system fight infection, destroy cancerous cells, and dispose of the toxic waste products of cellular functioning. Regulates adrenal glands Yoga lowers cortisol levels. Normally, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to an acute crisis, which temporarily boosts immune function. If cortisol levels stay high even after the crisis, they can compromise the immune system. Temporary boosts of cortisol help with long-term memory, but chronically high levels undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the

Yoga lowers blood sugar and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and boosts HDL (“good”) cholesterol. In people with diabetes, yoga has been found to lower blood sugar in several ways: by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, encouraging weight loss, and improving sensitivity to the effects of insulin. If blood sugar levels are down, that decreases the risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness. Makes you happier and helps to focus Studies have found that a consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the levels of monoamine oxidase (an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters) and cortisol. An important component of yoga is focusing on this aspect presently. Studies have found that regular yoga practice improves coordination, reaction time, memory, and even IQ scores. Maintains nervous system Some advanced yogis can control their bodies in extraordinary ways, many of which are mediated by the nervous system. Releases tension in limbs Do you ever notice your-

self holding the telephone or a steering wheel with a death grip or scrunching your face when staring at a computer screen? These unconscious habits can lead to chronic tension, muscle fatigue, and soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and face, which can increase stress and worsen your mood. With the practice of yoga, you begin to notice where you hold tension. Prevents IBS and other digestive problems Ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, all of these can be exacerbated by stress. So if stress is less, you suffer less. Yoga, like any physical exercise, can ease constipation and theoretically lower the risk of colon cancer because moving the body facilitates more rapid transport of food and waste products through the bowels Increases your self-esteem and gives you inner strength Many of us suffer from chronic low self-esteem. If you handle this negatively by taking drugs, overeat, work too hard, sleep around you may pay the price in poorer health physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you take a positive approach and practice yoga, you’ll sense, initially in brief glimpses and later in more sustained views, that you’re worthwhile or, as yogic philosophy teaches, that you are a manifestation of the Divine. Yoga can help you make changes in your life. In fact, that might be its greatest strength. The tapas you develop can be extended to the rest of your life to overcome inertia and change dysfunctional habits.

Helps keep you drug free If the medicine cabinet looks like a pharmacy, maybe it’s time to try yoga. Studies of people with asthma, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes), and obsessive-compulsive disorder have shown that yoga helped them lower their dosage of medications and sometimes get off them entirely. Builds awareness for transformation Yoga and meditation build awareness. And the more aware you are, the easier it is to break free of destructive emotions like anger. Studies suggest that chronic anger and hostility are as strongly linked to heart attacks as are smoking, diabetes, and elevated cholesterol. Yoga appears to reduce anger by increasing feelings of compassion and interconnection and by calming the nervous system and the mind. It also increases your ability to step back from the drama of your own life, to remain steady in the face of bad news or unsettling events. The integration of mind and body is very important for the healing process, but perhaps the main area where yoga comes in handy is the inclusion of the ‘spiritual’ realm into the equation. Even if the student or patient belongs to no religion, or even if she or he does not acknowledge the existence of spirit, the practice of some of these techniques can eventually integrate this aspect of the self. After all, the Earth is spinning, and it does not need our acknowledgment, nor does it need us to push it!

Smartwatch market slips on Apple decline: survey WASHINGTON - The global smartwatch market took a sharp downward turn in the second quarter on falling sales of the industry-leading Apple Watch, a survey showed Thursday. Research firm IDC said global sales of smartwatches tumbled 32 percent from a year ago to 3.5 million units. Apple remained the market leader with an estimated 47 percent market share, but sales fell by more than half from the same period last year to 1.6

million, according to IDC. The other top vendors including Samsung, Lenovo, LG and Garmin boosted sales over the quarter, according to IDC, which said Apple lost momentum after last year’s muchawaited launch and strong holiday season sales. “This is a very cyclical market,” said IDC analyst Ramon Llamas, who noted that consumers appeared to be waiting for a next-generation Apple Watch with improved features.

IDC said consumers are expected a new Apple device and operating system later this year, which led to lower sales in the past quarter. “Apple still maintains a significant lead in the market and unfortunately a decline for Apple leads to a decline in the entire market,” said IDC’s Jitesh Ubrani. “Every vendor faces similar challenges related to fashion and functionality, and though

‘Thrifty’ Samoan obesity gene found: study

ARIS, (AFP) -Scientists revealed a “thrifty” gene variant Monday that likely helped Samoans store fat and survive in bygone lean times, but has made them among the portliest people in times of plenty. The variant in the gene CREBRF was common among Samoans -- it was present in 45 percent of some 5,000 participants in a study, a research team reported in the journal Nature Genetics. “Those with it were likely to have a higher BMI than those who didn’t have it,” they wrote -- referring to the international measure of “body mass index” -- a ratio of weight-to-height squared. Having the variant was associated with 35 percent higher odds of being obese, said a statement from Brown University in the United States, which was involved in the study. The variant is virtually nonexistent in Africans, Europe-

ans or their descendents, and is “very, very rare” in East Asians. According to the study authors, 80 percent of Samoan men and 91 percent of Samoan women were overweight or obese in 2010. And while genetics cannot bear all the blame, it does complicate matters. “We believe that this variant became so much more common in Samoans because it was historically advantageous to them as a population,” study author Stephen McGarvey of the Brown University School of Public Health told AFP. A gene that makes the body “thrifty” by storing fat and energy would have been useful in the face of food scarcity when early Samoans first settled the South Pacific islands. This would have led to natural selection favouring those carrying the gene variant, and it becoming more prominent.

But today’s reality of highcalory diets and limited exercise “may place people with this variant at an additional disadvantage in terms of being overweight and obese,” he said. On the other hand, it did seem to offer protection against type 2, so-called adult-onset, diabetes, which is linked to overweight.

we expect improvements next year, growth in the remainder of 2016 will likely be muted.” Apple does not release data on smartwatch sales, and IDC relies on its own surveys and data from distributors and suppliers for its estimates. The survey showed number two vendor Samsung boosted sales 51 percent from a year ago to around 600,000, giving it a 16 percent market share. China’s Lenovo was third with nine percent, while South Korea’s LG captured eight percent and Garmin four percent. Llamas said the decline does not necessarily mean a pullback for the overall trend toward smartwatches and other wearable devices. “We are still in the early stages,” he said. “Let’s give it some time and wait for a more robust application selection, and a smartwatch that can go through a cellular connection without a smartphone.” Llamas said one new trend is traditional watch makers entering the smartwatch market.

“Samoans weren’t obese 200 years ago,” said McGarvey. “The gene hasn’t changed that rapidly -- it’s the nutritional environment that changed that rapidly.”

“To date, only a small handful of traditional watchmaker brands have entered the smartwatch market, trailing far behind their technology brand counterparts,” he said.

But this did not mean obesity was inevitable.

“This seems to be changing, albeit slowly, as key vendors like Casio, Fossil, and Tag Heuer have launched their own models to the market. Still, participation from traditional watchmaker brands is imperative to deliver some of the most important qualities of a smartwatch sought after by endusers, namely design, fit, and functionality.”

“Don’t take this as ‘You are Samoan, you are fated to be obese,’” he said. “We don’t think that’s true. We don’t have any evidence that that’s the case. A healthy diet and physical activity are still key to maintaining a healthy weight.”

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

Scientists cut “Gordian knot” in the human genome 3-D genome surgery on female’s silent X chromosome alters folding of inch-long loops HOUSTON – (July 18, 2016) – Females have two X chromosomes in each of their cells. Fully unfolded, each copy is two inches long. One of these two X chromosomes is inactive – its genes are turned off. This copy folds into a structure called the Barr body, a mysterious configuration that was discovered in 1949. Recently, scientists have shown that the Barr body contains massive superloops bringing DNA sequences at opposite ends of the chromosome together inside the nucleus of a cell. Now, a team of scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, Florida State University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has determined which part of the DNA code is responsible for these superloops and has shown that it is possible to use this information to change the structure of the Barr body as a whole. The report, which sheds light on female development in mammals, appears today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “X inactivation is fundamentally important for female development,” said Dr. Miriam Huntley, co-first author on the study. “Without it, females would generate too much of every gene product of the X chromosome.” Huntley recently received her Ph.D. at Harvard University, where she worked with co-senior author Dr. Erez Lieberman Aiden, assistant professor of molecular and human genetics, a McNair scholar and director of the Center for Genome Architecture at Baylor. In earlier work, Huntley and her colleagues in the Aiden lab created the first genome-wide map of loops – positions where the genome folds back on itself in the nucleus of a cell and points that lie far apart along the contour of a chromosome come together in 3-D. In the process, they demonstrated that the Barr body – the inactive X chromosome that is present in females – contains superloops, structures that have no analog in men. “The typical loop in a male genome spans about 200,000 letters of the DNA code. If fully stretched out, it would be about three thousandths of an inch long. But the loops in the Barr body can span as many as 77 million DNA letters – an inch of DNA,” said Huntley. “We call these giant structures superloops.” Independently, the laboratory of Dr. Brian Chadwick at Florida State University had been studying X inactivation with a different set of techniques. “We had found that the human inactive X was organized into at least two different types of silent DNA that alternated along the chromosome. At one of the intersections was a strange DNA element called DXZ4, where a single sequence repeated, over and over again, for hundreds of thousands of letters,” said Chadwick, co-senior author of the new study. “I’ve always been fascinated with what the purpose of this repeat was. Other large repeats in our genome perform structural roles, such as the centromeres and telomeres. I was convinced that the role of DXZ4 was just waiting to be discovered.” In the new study, Huntley, co-first author Emily Darrow and their co-authors show that superloops are not unique to humans; they are found in rhesus macaque monkeys as well as in mice. In all three species, DXZ4 was at one end of superloops. “The presence of DXZ4 at one end of human superloops could have been a coinci-

dence,” said Aiden, who also is a faculty member at Rice University in computer science and at the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics. “But the fact that DXZ4 lies at the site of superloops in all three species was a critical clue. It’s a bit like seeing the same suspect at the scene of multiple crimes. The chances are higher that you’ve found the culprit.” The team also showed that the superloops create a hub in which many distant pieces of the X chromosome come together. “We introduced an approach called concatemer ligation assay, or COLA, which allows us to track collisions between three or more positions in the genome,” said Huntley. “It’s similar to looking through someone’s photo album. Eventually, you might notice patterns, such as the same group appearing together in many of the pictures. COLA made it clear that the superloops were bringing many pieces of the inactive X chromosome together, all at once.” “The inactive X hub is a unique structure in the mammalian genome,” said Aiden. “The loops that form it are macroscopic objects – but, like a Gordian knot, they pack that extraordinary length into a tiny space, a microscopic corner of the cell nucleus.” With so much evidence pointing to DXZ4, the team took the final step; they checked what happens when you delete it. All of a sudden, the hub was disrupted, and the inch-long loops anchored near DXZ4 were gone. “This work assigns the first known function to this type of tandem repeat and confirms that, like centromeres and telomeres, DXZ4 performs a structural role that in this case is unique to the inactive X chromosome,” said Chadwick. The results also have consequences for the emerging field of 3-D genome engineering. In a recent study, scientists at the Center for Genome Architecture showed that it was possible to engineer the smaller loops that are present in both males and females, adding and removing them by design. “Disrupting the inactive X hub was much more ambitious,” said Darrow, a graduate student in the Chadwick lab. “After all, it is vastly larger.” “The ability to modify how a genome folds in 3-D is an emerging frontier,” said Dr. Eric Lander, director of the Broad Institute and co-corresponding author. “As we understand more and more of the DNA elements that play a role in genome folding, our toolbox will continue to expand.” “These results suggest a promising future for the field of 3-D genome engineering,” said Huntley. “The deletion of DXZ4, several hundred thousand DNA letters, led to predictable changes in folding at the scale of an entire chromosome, spanning over 150 million letters. This is another step toward the dream of precisely sculpting the 3-D organization of the genome.” Other contributors to this work include Olga Dudchenko, Elena K. Stamenova, Neva C. Durand, Zhuo Sun, Su-Chen Huang, Adrian L. Sanborn, Ido Machol, Muhammad S. Shamim, and Andrew P. Seberg at Florida State University, Baylor College of Medicine, Harvard University, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Medical School, Rice University, and Stanford University.

VOICE OF ASIA 14

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Young Life

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FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

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District F Health Fair Day - host Dirty water stunts millions of soccer tournament for youth and Indian children: study free screening for all

More than one third of India’s 62 million children aged five or less are stunted in their growth, according to a global report (AFP Photo/Noah Seelam).

Youth players from our soccer tournament hosted by District F Health Fair

OUSTON - On July 23, 2016, City of Houston Council Member Steve Le, in collaboration with community organizations including Voice of Asia, hosted the District F Health Fair Day at the Alief Community Center. The Health Fair promoted good health to the community through free immunizations, Zika and cancer awareness and free health screenings and onsite consultations.

The City of Houston and Council Member Steve Le commends Voice of Asia for their work in promoting a healthy lifestyle to all of the residents of the City of Houston as well as playing a key role in the success of the District F Health Fair.

Host Council Member Dr. Le (in blue) with a client receiving a check up at the District F Health Fair Day

Some of the major sponsors were Cigna, Hope Clinic, Houston Area Women’s Center, Access Health, Alzheimer’s Association, Ibn Sina Community Medical & Dental Center, Tornado Bus Company and Voice of Asia.

National Education Policy 2016: India deserves better. Now by Shail Kumar ndia’s higher education system is in crisis. It is disconnected from the needs and aspirations of the students and parents. It also fails to serve both industry and society and does a disservice to the nation. This is not news for anyone who has studied in India. Nor is it a surprise to politicians, bureaucrats, or corporate executives. Such is the extent of the crisis that reports and leading lights in the nation are deeply alarmed:

“There is a quiet crisis in higher education in India which runs deep.” — Sam Pitroda, Chairman, National Knowledge Commission, Report to the Nation (2006–2009). “Just pumping money and resources into a fundamentally broken university system is a mistake.” — Boston College’s Philip G. Altbach and Tata Institute of Social Sciences N. Jayaram wrote in 2009. More recently in 2014-15, when this author met tens of top corporate executives, the assessment was even more blunt — “There is tree rot.”, “Higher education has failed India.”, “Sick system that is not worried that it is sick.” Report of the Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy, which was chaired by Mr. T.S.R. Subramanian, and is the precursor to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2016, noted that, “It will not be an exaggeration to say that our education system is in disarray.” The entire nation is paying a

New Delhi, India | AFP | Tuesday 7/26/2016 - 06:03 GMT | 385 words India is home to the world’s largest number of stunted children due to a lack of toilets, dirty water and poor hygiene, according to a new study published on Tuesday. Despite high economic growth in recent years, India has more stunted children than Nigeria, Pakistan, China and the Republic of Congo combined, with 48 million under the age of five -- about 30 percent of the global total, a WaterAid report said. Stunting is a form of malnutrition in which children are shorter than normal for their age and is largely irreversible after the age of two. If they survive, they grow up physically and intellectually weaker than their better-fed peers. WaterAid says a lack of toilets and clean water are causing high levels of stunting in India.

AUSTIN, July 21, 2016 — The deadline is July 31 for Texas families to enroll their newborns in the Texas Tuition Promise Fund® and prepay for all or some future tuition and school-wide required fees at Texas public colleges and universities. Newborns are children younger than one year at the time of enrollment.

“For Texas families concerned about rising tuition costs, now is a good time to start planning early and con-

Is another NEP or commission the answer? Far too many committees and commissions have studied India’s education system since independence. Before NEP 2016, there was the National Policy on Education (NPE) in 1968 and 1986. Just in the last decade, there have been several national level efforts such as the National Knowledge Commission (2006-2009), the Yash Pal Committee (2009), and the Kakodkar Committee (2011). All of them are unanimous about the importance of education and the deep crisis. It would not be surprising that all these well-meaning commission reports are gathering dust on some bookshelf. In the same vein as the past reports, NEP 2016 has also done a remarkable job in acknowledging key issues facing India’s education landscape — none more important than

the severe lack of access to excellent education at all levels. It also recognizes the diversity of needs across India’s vast economic, social, cultural, and demographic landscape. If one reads the draft NEP 2016, especially where it extols the virtues of education, it would appear that education is one of the top three priorities of the nation. It is not. Alas, the “crisis” or “disarray” prove the point that education has not received the level of importance and attention it deserves. How can NEP 2016 deliver to the nation and its people? First, Prime Minister Modi and the Minister of Human Resources Development (HRD) Javadekar must acknowledge the severity and urgency of the crisis. Second, they must tackle it with the same fervor that made the Green Revolution a success. The nation needs a Gray Revolution for its higher education system. It must focus

Data collated by WaterAid showed that 140,000 children die every year from diarrhoea in India, while 76 million do not have access to safe water and 774 million live without adequate sanitation. “India has the highest number of people in the world... practising open defecation, which spreads deadly diseases and makes children more susceptible to diarrhoea and other infections,” said Megan Wilson-Jones, WaterAid health and hygiene analyst. “So it is no surprise that so many children in India suffer from stunted growth,” she added. Open defecation has long been a major health and sanitation problem in India, where almost 594 million people -- nearly half the population -defecate in the open, according to UNICEF.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed the need to clean up India since storming to power in 2014 and has repeatedly urged every household to have a toilet within four years to end the spread of disease. Nigeria ranked second with 10.3 million stunted children while Pakistan stood third in WaterAid’s study with 9.9 million. Impoverished Bangladesh fared better than its bigger, wealthier neighbour India, recording 5.5 million cases in its 160 million-strong population. The country has almost eliminated open defecation in just over a decade through a concerted campaign to build toilets. East Timor was the country where stunting was most prevalent. Nearly 58 percent of the young nation’s children suffered from the condition, while Germany had the lowest rate at 1.3 percent.

Texas Prepaid Tuition Program Enrollment Deadline Approaches

Under the Texas Tuition Promise Fund, the state’s prepaid college tuition program, participants can purchase tuition units and lock in costs based on today’s prices.

huge price for its dysfunctional system.

That is because high rates of open defecation lead to contamination that can spread disease and infection.

on three key dimensions — 1) scale and speed, 2) scope and structure, and 3) excellence and impact. This author’s book Building Golden India: How to unleash India’s vast potential and transform its higher education system. Now. examines Indian higher education in great detail and proposes a comprehensive framework as a solution. The prerequisites to transform the system are an inspirational vision and a capable team. It also needs to clear the stumbling blocks that are coming in the way to achieving success. First the prime minister himself has to forge a vision of “excellent higher education for all”. Second, the leader is only as good as his lieutenants. The prime minister needs fresh blood in his team. Those who have created the crisis cannot be trusted to solve it. New people with deep expertise and proven track record in leading world-class multidisciplinary

sider enrolling your newborn in this program,” Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said. Enrollment at 2015-16 prices closed Feb. 29 for children older than one. The next annual enrollment period begins on Sept. 1 and is based on Texas public college and university tuition and school-wide required fees for the 2016-17 school year. Complete plan information, including plan description and agreement, current prices, enrollment forms and more is available online at TuitionPromise.org, or by calling 1-800-445-GRAD (4723), Option 5.

consider the risks, administrative fees, service and other charges and expenses associated with the contracts, including plan termination and decreased transfer or refund value. Purchasers should read these documents carefully before purchasing a contract. Participation in the plan does not guarantee admission to any college or university. COMMENTS OR COMPLAINTS: Comments or complaints may be forwarded to the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Program, Office of the Comptroller of Public Accounts at P.O. Box 13407, Austin, Texas 78711-3407, or by calling 512-936-2064.

Purchasers should carefully research universities are exactly the minds the prime minister and HRD minister needs. This team also needs important stakeholders such as talented and dedicated students, committed parents, young professionals, and leading entrepreneurs and industry executives. Third, the license, control, and inspector raj has not worked. Regulations are stifling. They lead to corruption and mediocrity. Thus, it is time to eliminate archaic regulations. Under British rule, jobs were available for Indian students who passed the British-approved matriculation examinations or graduated from colleges recognized by the British government. University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and regulatory bodies have perpetuated this discriminatory practice that has only led to rampant corruption to get approvals and licenses. This imperial-era practice must be immediately stopped. Similarly, the regulatory bodies must not be involved in licensing, controlling, or inspect-

ing roles. Also, they must not be involved in directing curriculum, the number of seats, or fees. These decisions belong to each college and university. Thus, the role and existence of regulatory bodies such as UGC, AICTE, Medical Council of India, and the Bar Council must also be reexamined. Any future role on their part must also be conducted in a single-window mode for those who may still need their services. Tsunami-scale waves of young men and women are arriving at the rate of 20-26 million per year. They will require education and jobs. The clock is ticking. The time for seizing the opportunity is now. It is time for India and its leaders to start with a bold vision. It must empower a team of capable, dedicated, and driven people to bring that vision to reality. India deserves better. Now. Shail Kumar, author, Building Golden India: How to unleash India’s vast potential and transform its higher education system. Now. (www.shailkumar.com)

VOICE OF ASIA 15

Bollywood Masala

Section 2

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Houston Desi groups organize Flash Mob at Kabali opening

Bollywood’s Salman Khan cleared in poaching cases

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

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Newcomers don’t have inhibitions while working: Nana Patekar

JODHPUR, India | AFP | Monday 7/25/2016 - An Indian court on Monday acquitted Bollywood superstar Salman Khan of killing protected wildlife 18 years ago, ending the latest long-running case against the actor. Khan was convicted in 2006 of hunting rare gazelles while he was shooting a film in the northern state of Rajasthan eight years earlier. He was sentenced to one and five years in jail for two separate cases of shooting the animals, but the actor has filed appeals that have kept him from serving the stints. WhatsApp groups: Houston Desi Friends & US Desi Gals. Photo credit: Sukesh Sista

High Court judge Nirmaljit Kaur cleared the actor in both cases, ruling that the pellets recovered from the animals were not fired from Khan’s gun. “The honourable high court has not agreed to the prosecution evidence or its documents in both the cases. Definitely, it’s a good thing that an innocent man has received justice,” Khan’s lawyer Hastimal Saraswat told NDTV. The 50-year-old bachelor was not in court in the northern city of Jodhpur to hear the judgement. Indian courts are often known to take several years -- and sometimes decades -- to pronounce verdicts because of a lack of resources and too much paperwork.

Sponsor Umang Mehta, of Deep Foods seen cutting the Kabali poster cake with children and supporters. Photo credit: Sukesh Sista

OUSTON On Thursday, 21st July, 2016 Houston saw some hard core fans of Thalaiva queued outside the theaters for the screening of Superstar Rajnikanth’s new release KABALI. It has been a while since the viewers have seen the Superstar appearing in a don avatar and the dazzling teaser had created an impression all across the globe. The first day first show in Houston began with a huge celebration organized by Houston Desi Friends & US Desi Gals – two major social media WhatsApp groups in Houston & Radio Hungama, first Telugu radio in Houston. Houston Desi Friends group with 3000 members on WhatsApp and Facebook is a brain child of Kishore Ramaraju

who brought all the Indians in Houston to a common platform. This non-profit group conducts seminars on immigration, finance, digital marketing, college education on a monthly basis. US Desi Gals is a WhatsApp based group founded by Kavitha Vijay with an intention of sharing info, deals, events in and around Houston amongst the Indian women community & help in empowering them. The Kabali fever had so much popularity that the event witnessed hundreds of audiences who had come for watching the movie. The event was sponsored by Deep Foods, Cinegalaxy Inc & Fun Asia, Carmike Theatres, Radio Hungama, Hot Breads Houston, United Real Estates, Pepon Inc., TV9 & NTV. The pro-

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gram had fun filled games and contests wherein the Thalaiva fans created a buzz and won Kabali T-shirts and gift hampers from Deep Foods. The eye stealer of the show was the dance performance by US DESI GALS dance team to the tunes of famous Rajini songs. The dance was choreographed in a short notice of time & performed by a group of US DESI GALS members who are not professional dancers but had a passion for dancing. Thalaiva fans also tapped their feet to the tunes of “Neruppu da” along with the dance team. Sridhar Dadi, owner of Radio Hungama enthralled the whole crowd with his wit . The show ended with the cake cutting ceremony by the sponsors and an open flash mob.

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Khan still faces a separate case of using unlicensed firearms to shoot black bucks, a protected species of native antelope, in Rajasthan. The actor, known for playing a tough guy in Hindi films, is one of the Indian movie industry’s biggest draws and has starred in more than 100 films and television shows. But he is no stranger to controversy and was last year cleared in another long-running case of killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run crash.

Nana Patekar

UMBAI, Jul 26 (PTI) Veteran actor Nana Patekar believes afilm with debutants is always more special as they don’t haveany inhibition while working. Patekar attended the launch of veteran action directorShyam Kaushal’s younger son Sunny’s debut film “Sunshine MusicTours and Travels”, yesterday. The film sees producer Shailendra Singh turning directorfor the first time. Addressing the director, Nana said, “You have taken allnew kids. I remembered ‘Ankush’ days, when N Chandra had takenall new kids and I was one of them. Such films hold moreimportance, there are no inhibitions in the way these kidswork...”The 65-year-old actor said it is difficult to gauge theinterest of viewers as they seem to make even bad films a hit. “Don’t know about the public, what film they like. Goodfilms don’t work and ‘behuda’ (bad) films work. So what can Isay about your film, (just), all the best.”Nana and Shyam, whose elder son Vicky Kaushal is also anactor, have been friends for

more than 20 years now. Shyam said it was a special moment that the “Ab TakChhappan” actor came to support his son Sunny on his big day. “Nana ji is like an elder brother to me. There arerelations which are not blood relations, and our relation isbeyond that. He had given me break with ‘Prahaar’ and as afather, there couldn’t have been a bigger moment that he ishere to bless my son,” Shyam said. “He stood by me, not only professionally, but alsopersonally, when I was dying in the hospital and there was nochance of me surviving, he was the person who was standing inthe operation theatre till I became conscious.”Remembering the tough time, Nana said, “When he was verycritical and they were taking him to the operation theatre, hesaid, ‘sell the flat that we purchased and shift the familyinto a small flat, if something happens to me’. I told him,’first die, only then I will be able to do something’.”Also present at the event were Vicky, director MadhurBhandarkar and cricketer Kapil Dev. “Sunshine Music Tours and Travels” is scheduled to releaseon September 2.

Fawad Khan is NOT bound by a contract for Dharma Productions! Neither Karan Johar nor any three film deal with Dharma is holding back Fawad Khan from taking up Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati. by Rashma Shetty Bali Bollywoodlife.com

fter Kapoor & Sons‘ success buzz was that the Pakistani sensation had signed an exclusive three film deal with Dharma however seems like these were just rumours… Fawad Khan came to Bollywood and literally took the industry by storm not just with his good looks but also his acting prowess. Karan Johar had openly admitted how his mother was a huge fan of this Pakistani import. In fact, B Town ladies irrespective of their age were going gaga about Fawad. While his debut Khoobsurat did not exactly launch him in the bigger league of stars his role in KJo’s

Fawad Khan Kapoor & Sons catapulted him in the best performers group. It was believed that Karan had specially added more meat to his cameo in Ranbir Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai starrer Ae

Dil Hai Mushkil. Hush hush talks in tinsel town also suggested that Sidharth Malhotra felt sidelined by Fawad and even had a grouse against his mentor about K&S.

VOICE OF ASIA 16

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HEALTHY LIVING VOICE OF ASIA

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Tens of thousands of babies may Trump vs. Clinton: How they be born with Zika disorders: study line up on health by Mariëtte Le Roux

n a presidential campaign that has been much more about personality than policy, here’s some news: A lot of Americans really do care about health care.

ARIS, | AFP |Tens of thousands of babies may be born with debilitating Zika-related disorders in the course of the outbreak sweeping through Latin America and the Caribbean, researchers said Monday.

Terrorism and the personal attributes of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton top a list of 10 issues that registered voters consider “extremely important” in a recent poll, but not far behind are gun policy, the economy and, at No. 5, health care. The Kaiser Tracking Poll found 37 percent of voters checked off this issue.

Mathematical projections suggest about 93.4 million people may catch the virus -- including some 1.65 million pregnant women -- before the epidemic fizzles out, a team reported in the journal Nature Microbiology. Eighty percent of people will develop mild symptoms or never even be aware they have the virus. But for babies in the womb Zika can be devastating -- linked to a braindamaging disorder called microcephaly that can lead to stillbirth or severely disabling birth defects. Among women in a high-risk early term of pregnancy, anything between one and 13 percent have foetuses develop microcephaly or other Zikarelated complications, said the multidisciplinary research team from the United States, Britain and Sweden. This meant “somewhere on the order of tens of thousands across the whole of Latin America and the Caribbean who could realistically end up developing microcephaly or a related condition,” said study co-author Alex Perkins of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and specified this referred to “live births.” The projection was “a worst-case scenario” he told AFP, “but a realistic one”. It did not account for women who may be postponing conception or having abortions as a result of the outbreak. “I know that does not provide a very precise number, but I think it’s valuable in that at least it gives an order of magnitude guess, which is better than having no idea whatsoever.” The team used data on the usual number of pregnancies, the prevalence of the mosquito species spreading the virus, weather conditions and socioeconomic conditions that make people

Health insurance

This file photo taken on February 26, 2016 shows a child remains at the Maternity and Children’s hospital in Tegucigalpa. AFP / ORLANDO SIERRA. more vulnerable, and disease spread dynamics. - Conservative estimate? Mathematical models of disease progression are notoriously prone to inaccuracies, as estimates can be skewed by such factors as the infectiousness of the virus, the adaptative response of the immune system and social and economic factors that help it to spread. Experts not involved in the study said the new estimate may be conservative. Derek Gatherer of Lancaster University noted recent research which found that as many as 29 percent of babies of Zika-infected mothers develop problems. If so, “over half a million” children may ultimately be affected, he said. Whatever the final number, a support system for affected babies and their families “needs to be put in place as soon as possible,” said Jimmy Whitworth of the London School of Hygiene &amp; Tropical Medicine. “Over 1,700 affected babies have been born in Brazil so far, and the numbers are going to continue to increase in the months ahead,” he said in comments via the Science Media Centre.

The research team predicted Olympics host Brazil will suffer more than double the impact of any other country, with about 580,000 pregnant women out of 37.4 million total infections. Other affected countries include Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, Argentina and the Dominican Republic. Another recent study had put the annual number of pregnancies in the Zika-affected region at about 5.4 million. But many of those, the new paper said, would not be affected by Zika, due to the effects of “herd immunity”. This is a natural process whereby people become immune to a virus after their first exposure, eventually reaching the point where mosquitoes cannot find enough susceptible people to keep the epidemic going, and it dies out without infecting everyone. Earlier this month, a study in the American journal Science predicted the outbreak should be over within three years. The virus, first discovered in Uganda in 1947, took the world by surprise when it emerged, and with such virulence, in Latin America last year. There is no cure or vaccine.

Early menopause may speed up aging in women: study IAMI, (AFP) - Women who enter menopause early may age faster than women in whom menopause arrives later, said a study Monday that could help pinpoint women at highest risk of age-related diseases.

The findings could settle a longstanding debate, said Steve Horvath, a professor of human genetics and biostatistics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. “For decades, scientists have disagreed over whether menopause causes aging or aging causes menopause,” said Horvath, senior author of the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “It’s like the chicken or the egg:

which came first? Our study is the first to demonstrate that menopause makes you age faster.” Horvath and colleagues analyzed DNA samples of more than 3,100 women in a 15-year study of postmenopausal women, known as the Women’s Health Initiative. Measuring the biological age of cells from blood, saliva and inside the cheek, they were able to pin down the relationship between each woman’s chronological age and her body’s biological age. “We discovered that menopause speeds up cellular aging by an average of six percent,” said Horvath. “That doesn’t sound like much but it adds up over a woman’s lifespan.”

For example, a woman who enters early menopause at age 42 would age more rapidly over the next eight years than a woman who entered menopause at age 50. By the time the 42-year-old reached age 50, her body would be biologically a year older than a woman who began menopause at 50, said the report. Since blood appears to age faster once menopause kicks in, the rest of the body is likely deteriorating faster too, with possible implications for disease. But Horvath said the news isn’t all bad for women. Someday, doctors may use women’s epigenetic clock -- tracking changes to DNA over time -- to help decide on treatments such as hormone therapy.

“Instead we can use the epigenetic clock to monitor their cells’ aging rate and to evaluate which therapies slow the biological aging process,” he added. “This could greatly reduce the length and costs of clinical trials and speed benefits to women.”

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She would allow undocumented immigrants to buy insurance through the exchanges. In what is seen as a nod to Bernie Sanders’ supporters, she is affirming support for a socalled public option that would allow people as young as 55 to buy health insurance through Medicare. Trump opposes requiring individuals, even those who can afford it, to buy health insurance. He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He proposes to make coverage more affordable by allowing sales of health insurance across state lines and permitting people to deduct health insurance premium payments from their taxes. He would emphasize taxdeductible health savings accounts (HSA’s), where funds could accumulate if they are not used. He wants to require price transparency by healthcare providers so that individuals can shop around for the best prices. He also wants would-be immigrants to certify that they can pay for their own health care. Prescription drugs

“No longer will researchers need to follow patients for years to track their health and occurrence of diseases,” he said.

Primary Care Physician

Clinton wants to improve the Affordable Care Act. She wants to reduce the cost of health insurance purchased on exchanges and provide a tax credit of up to $5,000 a family to offset out-of-pocket costs and premiums above 5 percent of household income. She would expand current tax credits and cap the cost of premiums at no more than 8.5 percent of family income. She also calls for fixing the “family glitch” so families can access coverage in the exchanges when their employer’s family plan is unaffordable.

Clinton wants to eliminate tax breaks that pharmaceutical companies get for direct-to-consumer advertising, and require those that benefit from federal research spending to reinvest profits into research. She also would ban legal settlements in which pharma companies pay competitors so they will hold off on introducing generics and would allow consumers to reimport cheaper drugs from countries such as Canada. She supports allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and would cap out-of-pocket costs for people with chronic health problems. Trump calls for a free market for prescription drugs, including allow-

Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6776 Southwest Freeway Suite # 178 Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning.com ing consumers to import them from countries that regulate prices. This practice is now illegal, though the law is not firmly enforced. Medicaid Clinton supports President Obama’s proposal to let states that sign up for Medicaid expansion to receive a 100 percent match for the first three years. Would expand access to Medicaid and children’s health insurance. Trump wants states to get their federal Medicaid funding through block grants, which could mean fewer dollars for many states, but would give local officials more authority over expenditures. Medicare Clinton has vowed to fight proposals to privatize or phase out Medicare, and she would give Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug costs. Trump: After seeming to agree with his then-opponent Ben Carson about replacing Medicare with health savings accounts, Trump last October spoke on MSNBC against the proposal. “Abolishing Medicare, I don’t think you’ll get away with that one. It’s actually a program that’s worked. It’s a program that some people love, actually,” Trump said. Social Security Clinton opposes privatization, reducing annual cost-of-living adjustments, and raising the retirement age. She would expand Social Security for some, such as widows and caregivers, and help to fund the benefit through a wealth tax. Trump has voiced support for Social Security and called it “honoring a deal.” He has said Republicans cannot win elections if they seek to change it substantially. For Medicare planning contact Sudhir Mathuria @ 713-771-2900.

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Fed leaves rates unchanged but says US economy improving ASHINGTON, | AFP | 7/27/2016 - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left key interest rates untouched but acknowledged improved economic performance, suggesting a rate increase may be on the horizon in 2016.

Despite weak job creation in May, the Federal Open Market Committee, which sets the monetary policy, said employment and economic growth had grown at a moderately since their mid-June meeting.

Federal Reserve policy makers said the US economy was increasingly robust and that near-term threats to stability had lessened. the economy was, and voted nearly unanimously to hold off on raising rates. The Fed has repeatedly said it wants to see increasing job growth and signs of stronger inflation, before it raises rates.

They also appeared to see less threat to US growth from Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, which took place a week after the June FOMC meeting.

While Wednesday’s statement cited moderate increases and growth in employment and growth, it said inflation was expected to remain low in the near term.

“Near-term risks to the economic outlook have diminished,” the FOMC said in announcing the outcome of the closely watched two-day meeting in Washington.

According to Steven Ricchiuto, chief US economist at Mizuho Securities USA, continued job growth could tip the balance in favor of a rate hike.

Inflation rate hawks and doves had been split at the June meeting over how strong

This was likely given that the committee believes the risks to economic growth are

now lower. “This suggests that the countdown to a rate hike in September/December will start in earnest if we get another strong jobs report for July on August 5th,” Ricchiuto said. Following Wednesday’s announcement, the dollar was slightly weaker against the euro at $1.1005. Bond yields were also marginally lower. Ten-year Treasury bills were trading at 1.52 percent, down from 1.54 prior to the FOMC announcement. The S&amp;P 500, a broadbased measure of stock prices, pared losses and was down 0.1 percent on yesterday’s close at 2167.88 at about 1845 GMT.

The Commerce Department said on Wednesday non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, increased 0.2 percent last month after a downwardly revised 0.5 percent decline in May. These so-called core capital goods orders were previously reported to have declined 0.4 percent in May. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core capital goods orders rising 0.3 percent last month. Overall orders for durable goods, items ranging from toasters to aircraft that are meant to last three years or more, tumbled 4.0 percent last month, the biggest drop since August 2014, after a downwardly revised 2.8 percent fall in May.

Orders for transportation equipment slumped 10.5 percent as bookings for aircraft plunged 58.8 percent. Orders for automobiles rose 2.6 percent. Source; Reuters

Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple, which Apple chief executive Tim Cook visited in May, allows generous devotees to transfer their stocks electronically to an account run by the religious site’s trust. “We have opened up a ‘share and securities’ option for devotees globally,” trust chairman Narendra Murari Rane told AFP, adding that the stocks would be converted into cash.

Hundreds of thousands of worshippers pray at Siddhivinayak temple -- dedicated to the elephant-headed deity Ganesh -- every day, including Indian cricketers, politicians and Bollywood film stars. Situated in the south of India’s financial capital, it is one of the wealthiest temples in India, receiving donations of around 750 million rupees ($11.19 million) a year in cash, silver and gold. As well as donations, Hindus also seek the blessings of their favoured gods by making religious offerings at shrines, such as fruit, incense sticks and flowers.

t hours are Monday thru Friday 8am till 5pm.

“The stocks cannot be used

Rane hopes Indians who like

“Many devotees who enter the Indian stock market want an auspicious start. Hence, they might seek blessings by promising to donate shares to the temple,” he said. The temple trust decided to pursue the scheme after another temple in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh last year became the first to accept stocks as donations, Rane added. The trust uses donations to finance charitable hospitals and schools for underprivileged societies across India’s western Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital.

“The market is very concerned we’re going to go through the summer with high gasoline inventories and that’s going to continue to weigh on the market.” US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for September delivery shed $1.00 to $41.92

After topping $50 a barrel early last month on the back of output disruptions, crude prices have tumbled about 15 percent as crude and gasoline inventories have mounted in the past two months and gasoline consumption has been lower than some expected. Wednesday’s data also showed higher supplies at the closely-watched Cushing, Oklahoma oil-trading hub and lower refinery utilization. “Oil prices were trying to muster a recovery today before another underwhelming weekly inventory report has extinguished the bullish mood,” said Matt Smith of ClipperData.

REAL ESTATE

In previous sections of this series real estate forms were mentioned. It is important for our readers to know that your real estate agent fills out these forms with only the correct the information provided by you. Also important to note that unless you have any factual statements or business details to add, these forms remain in the format and the nature of their contents as available per their latest edition. An advice is to strike out what is not applicable and fill in the blanks where required or type in ‘N/A’ where required. Buyers and Sellers of the property should know that use of these promulgated real estate transaction forms make possible to enter into binding agreements without the need of hiring a real estate attorney. Many of these forms are put out by TREC/TAR/NAR. Prior article on July 12 explained more about TREC while we address TAR/NAR here below.

In June, orders for electrical equipment, appliances and components increased 0.8 percent. But orders for machinery, primary metals, computers and electronic products fell.

to invest on the Bombay Stock Exchange will be inclined to give some of their shares to Siddhivinayak in the hope that it will boost their fortunes.

“Oil is down on the back of very disappointing inventories statistics,” said energy consultant Andy Lipow.

Brent North Sea oil for September delivery shed $1.40 to $43.47 a barrel in London, also the lowest since April.

Business spending has weakened since late 2015, in part as lower oil prices squeezed profits in the energy sector, forcing companies to slash capital spending budgets. Uncertainty over global demand and the upcoming U.S. presidential elections are also making companies cautious about spending, economists say.

Shipments of core capital goods, which are used to calculate equipment spending in the government’s gross domestic product measurement, fell 0.4 percent last month after sliding 0.5 percent in May. That suggests business spending probably fell again in the second quarter.

for trading purposes,” Rane explained.

With the latest increases, commercial oil inventories now stand 13.4 percent above year-ago levels, while gasoline stocks are 11.8 percent higher, according to US Department of Energy data.

closing price since April.

Knowing About Forms

Prospects for a pick-up in business spending remain dim against the backdrop of lackluster corporate profits.

UMBAI, India | AFP | Wednesday 7/20/2016 - One of India’s most high-profile Hindu temples said Wednesday it now accepts shares of listed companies as donations in a novel departure from the usual gifts of cash and gold.

ed to the lowest level in three months Wednesday after US data showed an unexpected increase in commercial stockpiles of oil and gasoline.

Durable goods orders were previously reported to have declined 2.3 percent in May.

Business investment remains soft despite data ranging from retail sales to housing suggesting the economy has regained speed after growth almost stalled early in the year. Economists say weak business spending could be one of the factors that could encourage Federal Reserve officials to keep interest rate unchanged when the end a two-day meeting later on Wednesday.

Indian temple accepts stock market shares as donations

Tel: 713-774-5140

US durable Oil prices hit threegoods orders month low as US stockfell 4.0% in piles mount June vs. 1.1% NEW YORK, AFP | a barrel on the New York Merdrop expected 7/27/2016 - Oil prices retreat- cantile Exchange, the lowest ew orders for U.S. manufactured capital goods rose modestly in June, but weak demand for machinery and a range of other goods suggested business spending will remain subdued for a while.

Policy makers had not been expected to raise rates, out of concern that a hike could stifle fragile growth. Their improved view on economic conditions was therefore likely to raise market expectations for an increase in the benchmark federal funds rate, now at 0.25-0.50 percent, by December.

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

July 26, 2016

TAR: Texas Association of Realtors commonly known as TAR works to strengthen the real estate industry. TAR promotes and protects the private-property rights. TAR is the website of Texas Association of Realtors that helps people buy, sell, and lease real estate property. Licensed agents and brokers become member of TAR and draw from its valuable benefits. Those that become TAR members are known as Texas REALTORS . NAR is the National Association of Realtors that is the umbrella organization for TAR. As TAR members the agents and brokers are required to follow the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practices of the NAR or those as set forth for the State of Texas. Together, TREC/ TAR / NAR provide promulgated forms for the use of the realtors to facilitate real estate transactions. When negotiating any binding contracts, a real estate licensee shall use only those contract forms promulgated by TREC (Texas Real Estate Commission). This, then, becomes the central reason why someone needs a competent real estate agent to carry out a transaction as it also moves the liability due to mistakes done, if any, to the real estate company representing in the transaction. Remember that Real Estate transactions are important documents that tie the parties up for a long time. Realtors are the professional people who have learnt their trade to offer their knowledge in these transactions to work you through these papers in an understanding manner so you, the customer, do not have to struggle to learn the whole nine yards, and still benefit yourself all the way to carry your transactions to the ultimate success. Next week forum will address concerns that a family expressed while purchasing a home from a builder. Continued… Dilip Kapasi is a licensed Real Estate Agent in Houston. He can be reached at dilipmeena@yahoo.com for any question you may have.

US home price gains slow; new home sales pick up

EW YORK, AFP, 07/26/2016- US home price gains slowed to a more sustainable pace in May as more properties, including newly built homes, hit the market, S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices reported Tuesday. S&amp;P’s Case-Shiller index for home prices in the 20 top cities fell 0.1 percent from April and was up 5.2 percent from a year ago, slower than the 5.4 percent pace the previous month. The strongest markets continued to be the northwest hubs Seattle and Portland, as well as Denver, Colorado. Previously hot markets New York and Washington, DC have slowed as buyers resist higher prices.

“Overall, housing is doing quite well. In addition to strong prices, sales of existing homes reached the highest monthly level since 2007 as construction of new homes showed continuing gains,” said David Blitzer of S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices in a statement. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department reported that new home sales across the US ac-

celerated in June to the fastest pace in eight years. June sales rose 3.5 percent from May to an annual rate of 592,000 units. “Much stronger than expected, with no sign of any loss of upward momentum,” said Jim O’Sullivan, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics.

More on BUSINESS Log on for regular updates

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HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, July 29, 2016

Your Horoscope for the Week of July 29, 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 Friends may not be as forthcoming to your cause as you would like them to be. They may still need your shoulder to lean on. Listen to their excuses or reasons for their behavior, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give into their logic for it. You know how to be supportive but you cannot continue to support everyone. Once you make that clear, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll learn a lesson youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never forget. People are just people, they are only human & their emotions can sometimes rule their actions.

Your sharp tongue can sometimes get you into trouble, tone down your emotions & present the situation a little more objectively. No need to let other walk all over you, but you must acknowledge their perspective. The square peg just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fit into the round hole. If you are unable to obtain the respect you need, you may need to relocate to a place where people will accept you as you are. An apparently limiting experience serves to broaden your overall vision.

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May

Scorpio (N,Y) 23 Oct to 21 Nov

Realize that things go around in a circle, sometimes. You subconscious can open new doors of discovery. Take the time to educate yourself on the fundamentals of meditation & youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find more enjoyment in your spiritual side. Speak your mind, especially to people who tend to pick on the weak or sick. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet have to choose between right and wrong, but that day will come, soon enough. Sleep on it, and listen to your dreams.

The new routine that has you completely out of sorts. News and gossip fall quickly on hungry ears. Whether you play the hero or the fool, everyone will know about it. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter who started the whole thing. The Golden Rule has never looked more attractive. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make any promises that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deliver. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to relax yourself with comforting activities. Like bubble baths or a good aerobic workout will be just relaxing for you.

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June An interesting twist in your personal life. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll feel unusually popular & could start to feel more comfortable with who you are. Your natural charm & wit will be extremely sharp. Let an assuring tone of voice and sincere facial expressions take the place of a complex vocabulary. You want people to believe you as well as understand you. The facts will speak for themselves. You may be attracted to the experience & skills of other people. Be ready to learn new things in your life.

Some sort of sadness of something passing or leaving. Your outburst surprises an associate who has never seen this side of you. Spontaneity drives you careening along a series of existing channels. Now that you know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible, do whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s necessary. Be it in your professional or personal life, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll feel a significant loss. Bring with you an optimism in future endeavors. Instead of losing a best friend, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll really be gaining new allies. A new network of contacts will provide you with all the work & pleasure you need.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July Either others canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t follow your thinking or theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just not interested in participating. Be direct about your opinions, but be careful of the impression that you leave behind. Your name could be mentioned for the wrong reasons. Realize that lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too short to waste on trivialities & gossip. Put some of your positive energy into helping others find their way. Wake up from the uneasiness of a repeating dream of doom & gloom. You can make a real difference to others, if only you can get past your insecurities.

You may notice a tendency to lose patience with anyone who distracts you. Rebels would do well to hide behind the rules. The odds of a risky venture are running against you this week. By giving the forbidden a rest, you ensure that it will be even more exciting next time you decide to venture your luck. Love and camaraderie could be enhanced by time spent apart. Team players get to gauge their own worth as solo artists.

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

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll accumulate personal power in some unexpected places. You may have been feeling a little down in the dumps lately. Events that happen this week, will now re-new your old spirit & confidence, to make you feel on top of the world. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go overboard on the celebrating, you need to get your beauty rest. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to put out a lot of energy to keep up with the scheduled activities. Someone close to you may disappoint you or hurt your feelings.

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September Enjoy the attention, be confident in who you are & where you are going. Be sure to take your time to examine all of your possible options. As they say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;All that glitters is not necessarily goldâ&#x20AC;?. Take a closer look behind the scenes & be sure of what you get yourself into. Investigate until you have satisfied all of your doubts. Even if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t decide to accept the offer, you know you have given the right impression to those who matter. Your professionalism will shine.

You may have felt a little like a balloon, lately, getting ready to burst. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sweat it! Delegate some of those tasks to others while maintaining the overall control of things. Relax and enjoy the scenery, while you contemplate your next move or direction. Feel confident in your ability to organize & get the job done effectively. You know some secrets to getting the job done with a minimum of effort on your part. Apply your honest approach to your personal life & youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to relax at home, as well.

Pisces (D,CH,Z) 20 Feb to 20 March Reflect on times when life was simpler & family values were followed. Take the time to include everyone close to you to participate. Your effort will mean a lot to someone special in your life. Others tend to learn from your example. If your actions & habits reflect a healthy lifestyle, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll influence & encourage others to take a closer look at their own situation. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to accomplish tedious tasks youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been putting off, lately. Sometimes simpler is better, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.

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MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY Simple Steps for Giving Difficult Feedback by Dana Rousmaniere Not all leaders are comfortable giving employees feedback — especially when it’s negative. The fear of hurting people’s feelings and dealing with potential drama holds too many managers back. But people thrive on feedback, which is why giving it early and often is so important. The next time you need to have a difficult feedback conversation with an employee, use these guidelines: Be direct but kind. Don’t beat around the bush. Include specific examples of desired behaviors to help illustrate what you mean. Listen. This provides a space in which both people feel respected. Don’t make it personal. Imagined slights and malice are toxic, but if you acknowledge the emotions being felt, you open a relief valve for the stress. Be present. Show up fully for the discussion, and don’t rush off once it’s over. Follow up later so afterthoughts don’t create imagined distance. Inspire greatness. Be sure to communicate your aspirations for the person you’re giving feedback to. Source: Adapted from “Two-Thirds of Managers Are Uncomfortable Communicating with Employees,” by Lou Solomon WWW.HBR.ORG

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JOB POSTING – Sports Intern KTRK-TV, the ABC Owned station located in Houston, TX is accepting applications for a paid Sports Department Intern for the upcoming semester. Internships are available to undergrads currently enrolled college students in their junior or senior year pursuing careers in the television/media ﬁeld and must receive college credit for the internship. The internship program is designed to provide students with an on-site educational experience that complements their academic studies. Interns will have an opportunity to observe and participate in the daily work and operations of major market sports coverage. Candidates should be detailed-oriented and be willing to learn all areas of production including editing, producing and shooting video. As an intern you will gain valuable experience in all areas related to producing a television sportscast – including the important relationship between our broadcast and digital platforms. The sports intern will also accompany photographers/reporters on sports stories on occasion. The candidate should have a good working knowledge with the use of social media for news gathering. Applicants must be currently enrolled in college and supply written veriﬁcation of eligibility to receive academic credit for the internship at the start of the internship. Additionally, applicants must be able to work at least one day per week during the afternoon and evening hours. Some weekend and evening hours will be required. All interested applicants must apply online at www.disneycareers.com, Job Req # 386314BR. Please upload a cover letter, your resume outlining other internships, degrees earned, work experience, related clubs and organizations, current major course of study, expected graduation date and extracurricular activities. Equal Opportunity Employer –Female/Minority/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity. No Telephone Calls

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