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Vol. 30 No. 47 Friday, December 1, 2017 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 24 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: voiceasia@aol.com

Trustee KP George announces for County Judge

UGAR LAND, Texas - Current Fort Bend Independent School District Board Trustee, Board Certified Financial Planner, father of three beautiful children, husband of a FBISD educator, and an Asian American citizen, KP George of Fort Bend County, is announcing his campaign for Fort Bend County Judge.

Historic Kumbhabhishekam at Sri Meenakshi Temple Over 4000 witness the and installation of 63 Nayanmargal, 12 Alwargal, 18 Holy Steps for Ayyappa

With immense changes in the county, the county must meet the demands of the 21st century and the communities that Continued on Page 6 KP George, FBISD Trustee

CHARULATA - A Love Saga

Devotees witnessing the Kumbhabhiskekam on Thanksgiving Day at the Sri Meenakshi Temple Society, Pearland, TX

Read report on Page 6 Visit

India’s 68th Constitution Day Ivanka Trump urges India to celebrated at Indian Consulate in Houston Read on Page 12

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boost women in workplace by Abhaya Srivastava

YDERABAD, India | AFP | 11/28/2017 - Ivanka Trump urged India on Tuesday to close its yawning gender gap in the job market, telling a business summit in her biggest foreign mission yet that this would bring huge economic benefits.

OF PEJMAN ICE MA A

F OF

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US President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter urged India to seize the untapped potential in women in a speech before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and business Ivanka Trump, advisor to the US President Donald Trump, (Left) speaks leaders in Hyderabad. next to Chanda Kochhar, managing director and CEO of ICICI Bank India is one of the during a panel discussion at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit at the world’s fastest growing Hyderabad on 29 November 2017 ( Photo: AFP) major economies but The World Bank has warned achieve its ambition of doublealso has one of the lowest that the country must reverse digit growth. rates of female employment, a trend of falling women’s a trend that has worsened Continued on Page 9 participation in jobs if it is to over the last decade.

n Saturday, November 25, 2017, an event to celebrate India’s 68th Constitution Day was organized at Indian Consulate, Houston. Mr. Surendra Adhana, Deputy Council General of India in Houston chaired the meeting. After India’s independence in 1947, India constituted a committee, a Constituent Assembly, to write a governing document for the country in the form of a Constitution. Constituent Assembly constituted a Drafting Committee to write this constitution and appointed Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as its Chairman. Drafting Committee submitted its Draft Commission in February 1948. Draft Commission was kept for review for 8 months for all the citizens of India. Dr. Ambedkar, on November 4, 1948 explained in details all the feaContinued on Page 7

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Deputy Consul General of India, Mr. Surendra Adhana with Mr. Raju Kamble, from Dr. Ambedkar International Mission Inc.

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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

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By CRISTIANO LIMA

VOICE OF ASIA Publisher: Associate Publisher: Editor-in-Chief: Austin Correspondent: Marketing Director: Office Manager:

he New York Times editorial board openly urged voters to contact their congressional representatives to express opposition to the Senate GOP tax reform bill on Wednesday, a rare move by one of the most prominent editorial boards in the country.

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

N.Y. Times editorial board issues rare call to action to oppose GOP tax bill

“This morning, The New York Times Editorial Board is tweeting here to urge the Senate to reject a tax bill that hurts the middle class & the nation’s fiscal health,” the board wrote on The New York Times opinion section’s official Twitter account.

Columnists: Legal: Richard M. Alderman Legal: Sharlene Sharmila Richards Research: Prof. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee Health Insurance: Sudhir Mathuria Astrology: Hardik Vyas Medical: Drs. Surya and Manjula Raguthu Opinion: Dr. Chandra Mittal

The @nytopinion account’s Twitter bio was changed to say the editorial board was “temporarily taking over” the platform. In a series of tweets, the account listed the phone numbers for the congressional offices of several key Republican senators in the ongoing debate over the GOP tax bill. They included Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bob Corker of Tennessee, James Lankford of Oklahoma and Jerry Moran of Kansas.

VoiceofAsiaOnline.com Editor Online:

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

Shobana Muratee

All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the consent of the publisher. Voice of Asia assumes no liability resulting from action taken based on the information included herein. Published weekly by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074. Tel: 713-774-5140. Fax: 713-7745143. Email for editorial submissions: voiceasia@aol. com; Email for advertising inquiries and submissions: ads@voiceofasiagroup.com

The seven lawmakers are considered to be persuadable votes in the GOP’s effort to overhaul the tax code, though some in the group have indicated they will support the bill.

It is the policy of Voice of Asia to publish letters to the editor which evidence a variety of viewpoints. The opinions expressed in any particular letter to the editor are not necessarily those of the management. Voice of Asia welcomes letters in reply to issues raised in letters to editor. In as much letters to the editor are not articles written or researched by members of Voice of Asia, it is not the policy of the Voice of Asia to perform any investigation or confirmation of any facts or allegations contained in letters to the editor. Moreover, Voice of Asia reserves the right to edit letters to the editor as necessary to correct errors of fact, punctuation, spelling and to comply with space constraints.

Slash and burn (Photo: J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP) It was not immediately clear whether The New York Times editorial board, which is separate from the news division, has ever directly called on constituents to oppose a bill by listing the phone numbers for their representatives. But the move signaled a rare call to action by the group, which has grown increasingly antagonistic to Republican efforts on tax reform.

and wealthy families.”

In an editorial published Tuesday, the opinion writers blasted the “enormously unpopular tax bill” which “lavishes benefits on corporations

A representative for The Times told POLITICO on Wednesday that the editorial board’s actions weren’t substantively different from its ev-

“Republican senators have a choice. They can follow the will of their donors and vote to take money from the middle class and give it to the wealthiest people in the world. Or they can vote no, to protect the public and the financial health of the government. There’s no compromise on that,” the editorial board wrote.

eryday work, but that the social media takeover was mostly an attempt to expand its efforts onto a different platform. “The Editorial Board has been writing for weeks about concerns over the tax legislation pending in Congress,” senior vice president of communications Eileen Murphy said in a statement. “This was an experiment in using a different platform to get that message out. We emphasized to our audience that this was the position of the Editorial Board in particular, not of Times Opinion generally.”

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Thanksgiving Day with grand kids Mrs. Moani and Mr. Koshy Thomas having a wonderful time with their 3 grandsons

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ASGH and Indian Consulate in Houston initiate children’s awareness project on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by Kanika Talwar, Arya Kishore Mandal member

n October 31st, the Consulate General of India, along with several other prominent Houston Indian community organizations, eminent speakers, and students of the University of Houston celebrated the 142nd birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India by coming together on the occasion and recognizing the statesmanship and legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the creator, unifier, and statesman of modern India. Arya Samaj of Greater Houston, along with the Consulate General of India, took it one step further by creating a brand-new project to spread awareness on the inspirational achievements of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to this community’s youth-an essay competition for all children in the greater Houston area. The topic of the essay competition was the “Life and Contributions of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel” for Junior and High School Students. After receiving enthusiastic response, the winner of the Middle School Junior competition was Alisha Flexwala, the runner-up was Khuishi Kawedia, and the second runner-up was Soumil Goyal. In the high school competition, the winner was Krishna Naik, the runner up was Jai Sehgal, and the second runnerup was Kanika Talwar. On Sunday, Nov 19th, at Arya Samaj of Greater Houston, the Deputy Consul General of India in Houston, Shri Surendra Adana, along with Arya Samaj’s own Shri Dev

Mahajan ji and Acharya Dr. Kavita Vachaknavee of the DAV Sansrkiti School, recognized these children for their hard work and thoughtful responses. These essays were the perfect way to impart motivation into the Indian youth community to go out and learn about this influential hero of India on their own, because they will carry this knowledge of their heritage with them for the rest of their lives. Shri Adhana’s speech reminded the entire Arya Samaj audience of India’s rich 5000-year-old history and its progress since independence. In fact, in 1947, India’s literacy rates were only 12%, and life expectancy was just 32 years! Today, India has earned for itself a literacy rate of more than 75%, and life expectancy has raised to 70 years, showing its clear transformation made possible by stalwarts like Sardar Patel. Sardar Patel was a person of genuine selflessness and perseverance. He was India’s first Deputy Prime minister and home minster. And prime unifier post-independence, creating the one political entity that is modern India out of 526 chaotic princely states. This celebration of his life helped create an understanding and feel of this leader who sacrificed himself for Indian civilization. The Deputy Consul General ended his speech by reciting and interpreting an ancient Subhashita (good speech, wise saying) sloka for younger audiences on five qualities of a student to prepare them for the next few decades. “Kaaka-cheshTaa bakod-

Essay competition participants Photo credit: Aditya Talwar.

hyaanam shvaana-nidraa tathaiva cha Alpaahaari brahmachaari vidyaarthee pancha-lakshaNam” Meaning: A student should have the agility of a crow (kaaka), the concentration of a crane (baka), light sleep like a dog (shvaana), be a light and healthy eater (alpaahaari), and explore the world (brahmachaari). These are the five qualities a student (vidyaa-arthee) needs to be a leader and to make this world a better place for all. Arya Samaj of Greater Houston can be reached at https:// www.facebook.com/AryaSamajOfGreaterHouston/ or http://aryasamajhouston.org/

Winners receiving the certificate from Dy. Consul General of India in Houston, Surendra Adhana.

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FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

FORT BE

Sugar Land, Katy, Stafford, Missouri City, R

BKM presents Pranamya to raise funds for Anjali Center

SL4B Joint CIP Grant Applications Due Jan. 2

UGAR LAND, TX ¬– The Sugar Land 4B Corporation is seeking applications for its Joint Capital Improvement Program grant program available to community-based organizations. Eligible projects include improvements such as enhancements to public parks, park facilities and public open space and must meet the following requirements.

Calssical dance performers choreographed by Rathna Kumar, Director , Anjali Center.

n a gesture of great generosity, Bharathi Kalai Manram presented the Anjali Dance Company in a fundraising program for the rebuilding of the Harvey-damaged Anjali Center. Pranamya: Obeisance to the Gods, as the program was called, was very well conceived and beautifully choreographed by Rathna Kumar, the Center’s Director. In deference to the organization, most of the dances were in the Tamil language. The show began with a soulfully rendered prayer by the young sisters, Pavithra and Bhargavi Chandrasekhar, students of Rathna Kumar and Vidushi Rajarajeshwary Bhat. Following tradi-tion, the dance segment commenced with a vibrant group rendering of Madurai R. Muralidaran’s Thunga Karimugam, in praise of the joyful dancing Ganapathy, performed by Ananya Gokhale, Divya Koothan, Keerthana Verma, Lakshmi Subramania, Nethra Subramanian, Radhika Daru, and Shriya Fruitwala. followed by an unusual Man-

dooka Sabdam, which, according to Rathna Kumar, is an original Kuchipudi song that was converted into a Bharatanatyam Sabdam by her Guru’s Guru, the iconoclastic Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai. This solo, with episodes from the Ramayana, was beautifully presented by Jvalanti Prasad, whose posture, grace and technique were enviably perfect. Agastya Mahamuni’s Sri Chakra Raja Simhasaneswari, choreographed and sung by Guru Narasimhachari, and performed with feeling and dignity by his student Venugopal Josyula, the Center’s Assistant Director, drew loud applause from the audience. The central piece of the show, a dynamic Varnam, Aadum Mayilmel Varuvaan, also by Madurai Muralidaran, described the peacockriding Lord Muruga and his various exploits. The rhythmic sequences were choreographed imaginatively, as for instance the first one, which was done entirely us-ing the mudra or hand gesture representing the peacock.

Students of Anjali School of Performing Arts performing

The stories were acted out in a very in-teresting manner by the group, each dancer playing a different character, making it easy for the audience to understand. Three more solos were presented before the unusual finale, performed by a quartet. Amulya Peri, with her big, expressive eyes, was the very personification of fury as she became Durga, the destroyer of Mahishasura, in Padma Vibhushan M. Balamuralikrishna’s unforgettable Omkarakarini. Samyukta Hari’s intense Neene Anaadha Bandhu (Purandaradasa) clearly proved her maturity as a dancer, considering the ease with which she changed roles from the wily Duryodhana to the wavering Yudhishtir, and from the evil Dusshasana to the helpless Draupadi. A powerful and high energy Sambhu Natanam by Isha Parupudi left the audience breathless as Isha alternately leaped, spun in circles, and froze in sculpturesque poses. Patan-jali’s paean to Nataraja was followed by Nrittaarpa-

• The project must be located within the city’s corporate limits and on public property, an easement or enhance or protect public property. • The applicant must contribute at least 50 percent (and must provide proof of financial ability to fund its share). • The applicant cannot have started the project or expended funds on any component of the project for which it is seeking funding through the Joint CIP participation program. • The budget for the fiscal year 2018 program is $100,000, with a maximum of $75,000 awarded per project.

One of the many spectacular classical dances of Pranamya. nam, a lively composition by veena maestro Rajesh Vaidhya, choreographed with many off beat formations and juxtapositions by Rathna Kumar and performed with élan by Divya, Lakshmi Shriya and Isha. The ensemble offered its final salutations through a Mangalam on Sri Rama. BKM President Thiru Ramachandran ex-pressed his appreciation for Rathna Kumar’s work in the community and the four decades old

bond between her and BKM. He hoped that BKM’s gesture will be one small step in helping the Anjali Center get back on its feet. Vijaya Ramachandran, Vice President Mani Subramanian, and Treasurer Priya Chandru were on hand to felicitate Rathna Kumar and the Anjali Dance Company. As a member of the audience commented at the end of the show - “it was a very classy performance”.

The Sugar Land 4B Corporation was approved by City Council and established as a non-profit corporation in February 1995 to promote, assist and enhance economic development activities and quality-of-life opportunities within the city of Sugar Land. Projects are funded by a portion of sales tax approved by voters for economic development purposes, which cannot be utilized to support the city’s general operations. For more information and to apply, visit http://sugarlandecodev.com/CIP.

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

VOICE OF ASIA 5

END VIEW

Richmond, Rosenberg and Meadows Place

Dulles High School student organizes science night fundraiser Student exhibits qualities of a compassionate citizen

ORT BEND ISD (November 28, 2017) – Dulles High School student Anika Patel was determined to do what she could for those affected by Hurricane Harvey. After hearing of her friends and family who had lost their homes and belongings during the storm, she knew there was something she could do, even as a student. “In order to raise money to help them, I organized the Science Night as I wanted to do something that would benefit both the donors and the recipients,” Anika said. Anika is a ninth-grade student in the Math and Science Academy at Dulles and has volunteered with many local science organizations. To solicit the organizations’ participation, she wrote emails and made presentations to encourage support. She wrote to Don Cooper personally, a NASA physicist

who worked on the Apollo 11 mission, and received a response within minutes. She also received a lot of support from Dulles administrators, including Brian Tucker, the academy coordinator, counselor Danna Geist, and assistant principal Cholly Ogelsby, as well as the DHS Science National Honor Society. “Everyone was very supportive and willing to help,” she said. “They readily signed up to present at the event and share their hobbies, interest and knowledge with everyone.” The Science Night will be on Friday, December 1 at 6 p.m. at Dulles High School (550 Dulles Avenue, Sugar Land 77478). The event will include interactive demonstrations and special guest, NASA physicist Don Cooper. The following organizations will have presentations and ac-

Facility tours, hot cocoa, snacks, a visit from Santa and a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. are planned. An existing building from Mayfield Park was relocated to the animal shelter to accommodate a planned increase in operations. Staff and volunteers spent the last several

months transforming the building into Whiskerville, a 2,400 square foot facility to house cats and kittens. The building will also include a veterinarian room, a break room and a managerial office. The existing 4,300 square foot building will be renamed Barksburg and will be home to dogs and puppies. The current facility houses 24 dogs and 35 cats, but the additional space will allow 62 dogs and 112 cats. The addition expands the shelter’s floor space by 56 percent to accommodate an an-

On Friday; Parade Is Saturday; Senior Party & Tennis Toy Drive Also on Holiday Schedule

tivities: Fort Bend Astronomy Club Fort Bend Photography Club Houston Gems and Mineral Society Houston Museum of Natural Science Wildlife Center of Texas Tickets are $10, and can be purchased online or at the door. All proceeds will be donated to the Fort Bend Forward Harvey Recovery Fund. To find out more about the fund, and to donate, visit Fort Bend Forward on YouCaring. “Many people have told me that no matter what happens, I should be happy as organizing this event has been a tremendous learning experience for me, but I hope this event will be successful in collecting much needed money for those who have been devastated by the storm,” Anika said.

Open House Set to Celebrate Expanded Animal Shelter UGAR LAND, Texas – An animal shelter open house and ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 12, from 3-5 p.m., at the newly expanded facility at 101 Gillingham Lane.

Annual Snowfest Festival

ticipated 30 percent increase in demand, ensuring the animal shelter is ready to serve the newly annexed residents of Greatwood and New Territory on Dec. 12. The shelter has come a long way in 10 years – from an outside facility prior to 2007 to the city’s first indoor shelter in 2008 to a major expansion project. For more information about the shelter, visit www.sugarlandtx.gov/petopia or call 281275-ADOG (2364).

The Parks & Recreation Department has a full program agenda that is fun for all ages. Residents can get in the holiday spirit with a number of festive events; see details below: Snowfest, Santa Shuffle & Parade The City’s annual Festival will take place this Friday, Dec. 1 in the City Hall Complex, 1522 Texas Pkwy. Prefestival entertainment will kick off the event at 5:30 p.m. and will follow with the tree lighting ceremony and fireworks. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., guests are invited to enjoy an array of event activities including a three-lane snow hill, moonwalks and photos with Santa. Then on Saturday, Dec. 2 staff will host the annual Snowfest Shuffle at 8:15 a.m.

at the Recreation and Tennis Center, 2701 Cypress Point Dr. Runners of all levels and ages are invited to participate. Free T-shirts will be provided, while supplies last. To enter, runners must donate an unwrapped toy for the Police Department’s Blue Santa Toy Drive. Following the Shuffle, the Snowfest Parade will begin at 9 a.m. at Public Safety Headquarters located on the corner of Cartwright Road and Murphy Road. The two-mile long procession will feature floats decorated in holiday themes and various organizations on foot. Roads will close at 7:30 a.m. along the parade route. Senior Holiday Party Area seniors 50 and older are welcome to attend this year’s Senior Holiday Party on Thursday, Dec. 14 from 5 p.m.

to 7 p.m. at the City Centre at Quail Valley, 2880 La Quinta Dr. The evening will feature a meal, piano performance and raffle prizes. Early bird tickets are $10 (the price increases to $15 after Dec. 1) and can be purchased at the Recreation and Tennis Center. Entry is limited to the first 150 guests. Tennis Toy Drive Join staff on Saturday, Dec. 16 for a social, competitive mixed doubles tournament focused on serving a good cause while having fun. Cost is $15 per player and an unopened gift for charity; the deadline to register is Tuesday, Dec. 12. Lunch is included in the cost. For more information, contact Tennis Administrator Cristina Escamos at 281.403.8629 or by emailing Cristina.escamos@missouricitytx.gov.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

Historic Kumbhabhishekam at Sri Meenakshi Temple

Devotees seen carrying Kalasam with holy water for the Vigraha Abhisekam. by S. Narayanan Photos: Setty Uncle & Srini Sundarrajan Thursday, November 23, 2017 Thanksgiving Day was an important historic Maha Kumbhabhishekam day for our greater Houston Community. More than 4,000 people attended to witness the great event. The weather was picture perfect and the priests did a superb job to bring the devotional atmosphere for everyone. Devotees were very happy to carry the Silver plated Kalasam with holy water for the Vigraha Abhisekam. The celestial wedding of Sri Subramania and Sri Sita Rama Kalyana Utsavam was witnessed by thousands of devotees. The Utsav Murthies procession was a sight to watch. The helicopter showered flowers to the Vimanas and Gopurams. Installation of the 63 Nayanmargal, 12 Alwargal, 3 Acharyars, 18 Holy Steps for Ayyappa made this Kumbhabhisekam a very unique one. The Yagasala puja and chanting by 30 priests was appreciated by all the devotees. Raja Veedi stood magnificently with 16 feet granite pillars, it gave

a new grand entrance for our great Temple. Devotees felt as if they were in India attending a Kumbhabhishekam. The new Nayanmargal and Alwargal Mandapams with 8 feet granite pillars created an ambiance of being in an ancient South Indian Temple built by kings. Devotees appreciated the new teak wood doors to the sannidhis. This CTRP project completes the vision of the MTS founders. This project expanded the Corner Mandapams and connected all four Corner Mandapams and the Main Temple with the Raja Veedi that has a magnificent sixteen feet ceiling and ornamental granite pillars. Now the devotees can enter the Main Temple complex and visit all the deities by walking underneath the covered structure. This will be very useful to all and specifically for children and senior citizens during inclement weather. Our Temple Sthapathi, Sri Padma Sri Muthiah Sthapathi, has been giving us continuous guidance from the beginning of this project. He was the Sthapathi for the original construction of the Temple in 1982 and has continued to guide us

The 18 holy steps for Lord Ayyappa were installed as part of the Kumbhabhishekam.

on all the expansions and improvements, including this CTRP project. We are thankful to Sthapathi for sending 16 shilpies from India to complete this project. I thank our architect Ashok Mungara for his drive towards excellence in the construction of the CTRP. The cultural program during the Kumbhabhisekam festivities were unbelievably good. Devotees proudly chanted Adi Shankaracharya Storams, Divya Prabhandham and Thiruvasakam. The audience was so involved with the music concert by Veeramani Raju, the whole auditorium felt the divine songs. Dr. Shoba Raju’s concert and releasing of new album will be remembered by everyone. The speech about Nayanmargal and Alwargal by Dr. Gnanasambandan was so good the no one wanted him to finish the speech. Sit down banana leaf lunch with delicious food was provided to all and everyone enjoyed the meal with gratitude. The parking arrangements were flawless for these many visitors. Chairman Narayanan thanked everyone who helped to make this project a real-

Thousands of devotees attended the Kumbhabhishekam on Thanksgiving Day. ity in particular secretary G.N. Prasad, treasurer Sasi Pillai, construction committee Chair AVN Reddy, Vinod Kaila, Ravi Vasu, Fundraising committee S. G. Appan, Venugopal Menon, Sam Kannappan, Kumar Bashyam, Tupil Narasiman, Dhani Kannan, T.A. Dorairajan, Muthuraman Solayappan,

Kumbhabhishekam committee Padmini Nathan, Sheila Sriram, Nachal Sethuraman, Sundar Arun, C. Vijayarajan, Chandrakala Gupta, Kamala Raghavan, Ramachandra Reddy, Ramamurthy Ramsundar, Bhargavi Golla, Mala Gopal, Malar Narayanan, Prema Prasad, Senthil

Invention, creation and innovation: HCC thrives at Houston Maker Faire

OUSTON [November 27, 2017] – Curiosity, imagination and a desire to make the world a better place through innovation were three of the common denominators shared by thousands of high school and college students who attended the Houston Maker Faire. The event took place Oct. 21 – 22 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. It brought together what many consider, the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“I am pleased at the public’s approval,” Knox said. “I am glad they thought my project was something needed. I got all thumbs up.” Bhaskar Sarkar, an international student who recently arrived at HCC from Bangladesh, was impressed by his peers’ vision of the future. “The Houston Maker Faire and the IDEAS pitch competition have been incredible platforms for talented young minds,” Sarkar explained. “I am in awe at how passionate my classmates are about changing the world for the better.”

Trustee KP George Announces for County Judge Continued from Page 1

For all Fort Bend County residents, KP George will fight for stronger emergency systems, total fiscal responsibility, increased government transparency, and constant community engagement and input. The KP George campaign will focus on giving a voice to the incredible diversity we have in Fort Bend County and fixing the shortcomings of the current county government.

Ravi Brahmbhatt, Director of Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship at HCC, took several students to showcase their work. He was inspired to see the growing enthusiasm of young problem-solvers.

One of the participants was Ursela Knox, an HCC Business Management student. Her invention was a transportation system that moves people from rural areas to sectors with better employment and educational opportunities.

To summarize, Great Religious ceremony, Wonderful Cultural Programs, Delicious Food. This is the 11th Kumbhabhisekam for Sri Meenakshi Temple and will be remembered by everyone for years to come.

live here. Fort Bend County residents deserve better emergency preparedness, real fiscal responsibility, and constant community support. While KP George neighbors and strangers alike during the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, it became clear that Fort Bend County was ill prepared to assist Fort Bend residents. After discussions with stakeholders, it is stark as daylight that there are flaws to the county’s response and changes need to be made to better assist the diverse group of Fort Bend residents.

The Houston Maker Faire is a massive gathering of students and educators, who show, share and compete with projects designed to solve problems. Houston Community College had its own Innovation Pavilion at the event. More than 100 HCC faculty and staff checked in as exhibitors. Students focused their efforts on topics that ranged from environmental issues to consumer needs.

“We had one of the largest turnouts this year,” Brahmbhatt said. “I am so proud of our HCC students for sharing their cool projects and classroom technology. We are also very thankful to our deans and chairs for coming and networking with the community.”

Devaraj, Muthukumar.

Ravi Brahmbhatt, Director of Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship at HCC with high school and college students who attended the Houston Maker Faire. Some of the winning projects presented by students included a system that uses drones and GPS tracking to identify swarms of mosquitoes to reduce diseases. Another winning invention was a fiberglass pipe for the oil and gas industry designed to reduce the possibility of spills.

open-admission, community colleges learning opportunities. To learn more, offering associate degrees, certifi- visit www.hccs.edu. cates, workforce training, and lifelong

Join KP George at his Fort Bend County Judge Campaign Kickoff Event on January 4, 2018 6pm-8pm at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce building (445 Commerce Green Blvd. Sugar Land, Texas 77478).

“By giving them tech and up-skill training, we help students gain tools to inspire action,” Brahmbhatt added. “We encourage students to come up with innovations. We believe they will trigger others to do the same.”

Read up on Community

About HCC Houston Community College (HCC) is composed of 15 Centers of Excellence and numerous satellite centers that serve the diverse communities in the Greater Houston area by preparing individuals to live and work in an increasingly international and technological society. HCC is one of the country’s largest singly-accredited,

Just recently, KP George was reelected as a FBISD Trustee this past May 2017 with 64% of the vote. KP George wants to thank his family, his friends, and God for helping him come from a small, poor village to eventually achieve the American Dream right here in Fort Bend County.

Visit us online

Visitors to Houston Maker Faire at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Visit: www. voiceofasiaonline.com

DIASPORA

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

India’s 68th Constitution Day celebrated at Indian Consulate in Houston

VOICE OF ASIA 7

US-India relations at decisively upward trajectory

he North Jersey chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO-North Jersey) on the timely topic of “Where India US Relations are Heading” on Sunday, November 5, 2017 at Jyoti Restaurant in Wayne, NJ.

speaker David Nachman, a leading Immigration Attorney with NPZ Law firm talked about the Immigration issues in which India US Relations have been caught up in the recent cross currents. Ram Gadhavi, GOPIO Intl VP, also conveyed greetings

stan and rid South Asia of terrorist safe havens. Similarly, the economic codependence between China and the US not to mention the US goal to contain North Korea will make the US hedge its bets between India and China. “It is only in securing the

Deputy Consul General Surendra Adhana with Speakers and members of Dr. Ambedkar International Mission Inc. Continued from Page 1 tures of the Draft Constitution. Dr. Ambedkar also explained the comparison of constitutions of countries such as U.S.A, Canada, South Africa and Australia. After this with three detailed article wise review/readings of the Draft Constitution, addressing 7546 comments received on the Draft Constitution, incorporating 2543 comments into the draft, was carried out throughout the year 1949, and thus Draft Constitution was finalized. On November 25, 1949, Dr. Ambedkar, finally submitted the finalized Draft Constitution to the President of the Constituent Assembly, Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The point to make here is that elaborate efforts were put in with the involvement of the best brains of the world to prepare this unique constitution. India’s Constitution has been a living document which not just holds the country together, but also encourages every individual citizen of India to work to its full potential ensuring equality, liberty, fraternity to everyone. More so it has gained strength year after year for the last 68 years. Every Indian is proud

to have such a document to follow. DCG, Mr. Surendra Adhana rightly said in his introductory speech that India’s Constitution has become a sacred document for all the Indians. Mr.Adhana highlighted in his address how India progressed from a literacy rate of 12% to 70% plus under our Constitution, a strong progress in every walk of time to become one of the powerful nation of the world. Dr. Premkumar Saganti, Regents Professor, Texas A & M University System gave his presentation on, “Constitution of India and its Architect – Dr. Ambedkar. Dr. Saganti compared features of India’s Constitution with that of United States of America’s. Abraham Lincoln’s observations, warning about the responsibilities of its citizen were quite matching with those of Dr. Ambedkar in presenting India’s Draft Constitution. Dr. Saganti provided all the statistics about the amendments done to India’s constitution including the last amendment #101 about the GST; again comparing with the philosophy of amending U.S consti-

tution. Mr. B. N. Rao, Vice President of Indian Association of North Texas, Dallas made his intervention mentioning about Panelists at the seminar, Attorney David Nachman, GOPIO Chairman Dr, Thomas Abraham, the strength of the Constitution, William Patterson Univ. Professor Maya Chadda and GOPIO-North Jersey President Rajul Shah which makes the functioning of the largest democracy of the The event was attended from GOPIO International and Indo-Pacific where India’s naworld to function smoothly. by over 60 people and even spoke about a number of activ- val contribution is clear and ities undertaken by the North can be substantial, that the Mr. Raju Kamble, from Dr. though was two days before the Jersey Chapter of the GOPIO. Indo-Us convergence is unAmbedkar International Mis- crucial Gubernatorial and State sion Inc (AIM USA), made a Senate and Assembly elecPrakash Shah, Co-Chair of questionably beneficial to both. powerful presentation on the tions, the attendance included GOPIO International Chamber Notwithstanding these caveats, “Salient features’ of India’s Con- the Deputy Speaker of the NJ of Commerce (GICC) and one Indo-Us relations have again stitution”. He mentioned that the State Assembly, a Senator, an of the original founders of GO- resumed a decisively upward founding fathers of the Constitu- Assemblyman and numerous PIO, introduced the political trajectory,” Dr. Chadda added. tion, particularly Dr. Ambedkar other elected New Jersey ofleaders and remembered the Attorney David Nachman ficials. Indian Flag hoisting ceremony addressed the issues of current had indicated during the review Rajul Shah, President of co-sponsored by GOPIO North hiatus in the issuance of H1B process of the Draft Constitution Jersey Chapter in Clifton NJ visas and the severe impact it about the role and the responsi- GOPIO North Jersey Chapon August 13, 2017. This was is having on both the India and bilities of the Indian people and ter welcomed the guests and attended by over 300 people. US High Technology Industhe political parties which will attendees and spoke about be the instruments of operation strengthening US India RelaAddressing the Geopoliti- tries. According to Nachman, of India’s Constitution. The suc- tions and the importance of a cal and Economic Issues, Dr. the US immigration and nacess of the constitution will al- meaningful dialogue that the Maya Chadda, Professor pf tionality law Arena is changing ways depend upon the behavior seminar represents. Political Science at William on a daily basis and presenting Thomas Abraham, Founder Patterson University asserted new challenges to immigration of the instruments which operate that the policy shifts under practitioners as well as for visa the Constitution. Same concerns and Current Chairman of GOpresident Trump has strength- applicants. were anticipated by the founding PIO International moderated the seminar and introduced ened India’s trust in a supportThe seminar was concludfathers’ of U.S Constitution. the speakers as experts in their ive United States, especially ed with a vote of thanks by Mr..Adhana appreciated the fields. The seminar focused on the issues of terrorism and Dhananjay Desai, VP, GOPIO exercise in his concluding re- on two key aspects. ProfesPakistan’s role in it but that North Jersey Chapter, He parmarks. He did find value in con- sor Maya Chadda talked about still doesn’t solve the basic di- ticularly thanked David Nachtinuing the event in the years to Geopolitical and Economic lemma for the US which needs man and NPZ Law firm for come. Relations while the second Pakistan to stabilize Afghani- sponsoring this event.

SOUTH ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 8

Bangladesh priest disappearance casts pall over pope visit by Shafiqul Alam

HAKA, Bangladesh | AFP | Wednesday 11/29/2017 - A Catholic priest has disappeared in Bangladesh, police said Wednesday, as the Muslim-majority country stepped up security ahead of a landmark visit by Pope Francis that follows a rise in Islamist attacks on religious minorities.

The UN and US say the Rohingya are victims of an ethnic cleansing

Gerves Rosario, bishop of the nearby city of Rajshahi, said he believed the priest had been kidnapped and that Catholics in the region were deeply worried.

A Bangladeshi Christian woman holds a picture of Pope Franics during mass in Dhaka ahead of his arrival. (Photo: AFP/Prakash Singh)

“He was organising for around 300 Catholics to travel to Dhaka to see the Pope and attend his holy mass. But his disappearance has marred their joy. They don’t want to go to Dhaka any more,” he said.

Since 2015 at least three Christians, including two converts from Islam, have been hacked to death in attacks blamed on the militant Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

News of his disappearance comes as Bangladesh tightens security in the capital Dhaka ahead of the arrival Thursday of the first pontiff to visit Bangladesh in more than three decades.

Bikash Hubert Rebeiro, the priest in Bonpara village where Rosario grew up, described him as a “good man” whose disappearance had cast a pall over the pope’s visit.

“He has been missing since late Monday. His mobile has been switched off,” local police chief Biplob Bijoy Talukder told AFP. The family received a phone call from someone using the missing man’s number to demand a ransom, but Talukder said police believed this was a hoax. They have not ruled out the possibility he was abducted by Islamist extremists, who have carried out attacks on religious minorities in the region in the past four years. - ‘Our joy is gone’ -

“Our joy is gone,” he told AFP by phone. “Everyone in the village is shocked. His elderly mother has being crying non stop.” Rebeiro said Rosario’s family was friendly with the relatives of Sunil Gomes, the Catholic grocer murdered outside his shop last year. Christians make up less than 0.5 percent of Bangladesh’s 160 million people and have for centuries lived in harmony alongside the Muslim majority. But community leaders say a rise in Islamist extremism has strained relations. Bangladesh authorities have escalated security in Christian areas of Dhaka in recent days as tens of thousands descend on the capital for an open-air mass on Friday.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that North Korea’s latest test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) “demands that countries further isolate the Kim regime.”

The three-day visit will be dominated by the plight of more than 620,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled ethnic unrest in Myanmar and taken refuge in Bangladesh.

During a phone conversation earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump asked President Xi Jinping

Their arrival has added to the huge challenges already facing the poor, overpopulated country, which has seen a substantial rise in Islamist extremism in recent years. In July last year Islamist militants stormed a Dhaka cafe and massacred 22 hostages including 18 foreigners in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Francis has previously spoken out strongly in defence of the Muslim group, calling them his “brothers and sisters” and rights groups had urged him to publically confront Myanmar on its treatment of the minority.

The government has denied the international group’s involvement. Since the attack, security forces have killed more than 70 alleged militants in a crackdown condemned by rights activists and opposition parties.

In a vigorous defence of the visit the first ever by a pope to Myanmar’s tiny Catholic minority - a Vatican spokesman said papal diplomacy had its limits.

The firing erupted as people left the Bab-ul-Ilm mosque following evening prayers in Islamabad's I-8 sector.

“I’m very happy that people think the pope is all powerful but he’s not.”

Haley said the ICBM launch had raised the threat of war.

Myanmar’s Catholic church had urged the pope not to stray into the incendiary issue of the Rohingya, whose very name is unacceptable in a Buddhist-majority where they are denigrated as illegal “Bengali” immigrants.

“The dictator of North Korea made a choice yesterday that brings the world closer to war, not farther from it.” “If war comes, make no mistake: The North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed,” she warned. Pyongyang on Wednesday tested its third ICBM -- which it claimed was capable of striking anywhere in the United States -- snapping a twomonth pause in missile launches.

sectarian violence, have claimed thousands of lives in the country over the past decade. However sectarian attacks in the capital are rare. The shooting comes days after a military-brokered deal ended weeks-long anti-blasphemy protests in Islamabad that saw seven killed and hundreds wounded in clashes with police.

"We wanted this protest to end soon after receiving intelligence information that miscreants might try to spark sectarian unrest by carrying out subversion at the protest," interior minister Ahsan Iqbal told a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday. "This was what we have been fearing," he added.

"Two gunmen approached a water cooler installed outside the mosque's main gate and filled their glasses with water, then opened fire indiscriminately on people as they came out," local police official Qasim Ahmad told AFP. He said the gunmen arrived on foot and then ran away after the shooting, disappearing into a nearby greenbelt.

“People are not expected to solve impossible problems and the moral authority of the pope stands,” Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told reporters at the tail end of a four-day trip to Myanmar.

Trump told the Chinese leader “that we have come to the point that China must cut off the oil from North Korea,” Haley said.

Gunmen kill 1, wound 4 at mosque attack in Pakistan capital SLAMABAD, Pakistan - Gunmen killed one person and wounded at least four others outside a Shiite mosque in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, police said Wednesday, days after an Islamist protest ended in the city.

campaign by Myanmar’s military that has sent 620,000 of them fleeing into Bangladesh since late August.

His visit has been as much political as religious in a country on the defensive after global outrage over the plight of the Rohingya.

The council was meeting at the request of the United States, Japan and

In recent months the Sangha has moved to rein them in, especially in

Pope Francis told Buddhist leaders in Myanmar they should conquer ‘prejudice and hatred’, but made no direct reference to the crisis gripping the Rohingya Muslim minority (Photo: AFP/Prakash Singh)

South Korea to consider next steps after three rounds of sanctions adopted in the past year failed to push North Korea to change course.

Haley also called “on all nations to cut off all ties with North Korea” and said the Security Council should take away North Korea’s voting rights at the United Nations.

Radical monks have played a key role in fanning Islamophobia in Myanmar and hardening attitudes towards the Rohingya.

“The pope’s visit is a matter of honour for us. We are organising the highest level of security for him,” police spokeswoman Sahely Ferdous told AFP.

to cut off China’s crude oil supplies to North Korea, a move that would deal a crippling blow to North Korea’s economy.

“That would be a pivotal step in the world’s effort to stop this international pariah,” she said.

prejudice and hatred,” the pope told the orange-robed monks of Myanmar’s highest Buddhist body, called the Sangha Maha Nayka.

On Tuesday police said they had killed three suspected Islamist militants in a raid on a house where they found hand grenades, pistols and bomb-making materials.

US makes push for China to cut off oil to N. Korea NITED NATIONS, United States | AFP | Wednesday 11/29/2017 - The United States on Wednesday urged China to cut off crude oil shipments to North Korea and pressed all countries to isolate Kim Jong-Un’s regime by cutting off all diplomatic and trade ties.

Pope ‘moral authority’ undiminished after Myanmar visit ANGON, Mynamar - The “moral authority” of Pope Francis is undiminished despite his failure to address the Rohingya crisis head-on during a visit to Myanmar, the Vatican said late Wednesday (Nov 29), defending a papal trip framed by the plight of the Muslim minority.

Walter William Rosario, a 40-yearold priest and headmaster of a Catholic school, went missing on Monday in a village in northern Bangladesh where suspected Islamist extremists last year hacked a Catholic grocer to death.

Police in Natore district said they had launched a major search for Rosario after his family reported him missing.

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

But “that doesn’t take away anything that the pope has said in the past nor what the pope can say in private,” Burke added. The pope has met in private civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar’s powerful army chief Min Aung Hlaing - an appointment, the Vatican said, was requested at the last-minute by the army. Earlier Wednesday, Francis called on Myanmar’s top Buddhist monks to conquer “prejudice and hatred” in a country ravaged by communal divisions. “If we are to be united, as is our purpose, we need to surmount all forms of misunderstanding, intolerance,

banning sermons by Wirathu - a monk whose vitriolic rants were widely disseminated via social media. LATIN SONGS BY NUNS Myanmar’s Catholic community numbers around 700,000 - a tiny fraction of the country’s 51 million people. For them the centrepiece of the papal trip was an open-air mass on Wednesday morning in which he delivered a message of forgiveness before a sea of Catholics in Yangon. Many wore colourful costumes from the country’s myriad ethnic groups. “I never dreamed I would see him in my lifetime,” said Meo, an 81-yearold from the Akha minority in Shan state. A choir of Myanmar nuns sang in Latin, accompanied by organ music, as Francis delivered a homily urging compassion - opening his speech with “minglabar”, Burmese for “hello”. “I can see that the Church here is alive,” he added. His caution so far will bring relief to Myanmar’s Catholic leaders, who had urged the pontiff not to wade into the treacherous issue for fear of sparking a backlash from Buddhist hardliners. Reactions to the pope’s handling of the issue have been mixed, with some Rohingya expressing disappointment that he did not directly confront his hosts in public on their suffering or even mention their name. But Kyaw Min, a former MP and prominent Rohingya activist, applauded his nuanced approach. “He said there were some people who have been bullied and need to get their rights ... this was about the Rohingya,” Kyaw Min told AFP. But hardline nationalist Buddhists swiftly claimed his visit as a victory. “We thank him for not using the word ‘Rohingya’... his speech about Myanmar was good,” Sithu Myint, a member of Buddhist nationalist force, told AFP.

Indian serial thief stole 120 hotel TVs

EW DELHI, India | AFP - Indian police have detaind a man who stole 120 TV sets from hotels over four months, officials said Wednesday. Vasudev Nanaiah booked into budget hotels in states across southern India with oversized bags to put the televisions in when he left. If the room television did not fit his bag, the 34-year-old Nanaiah would go out to a local market to buy a bigger suitcase, police alleged. Hotel staff never suspected him as he was very well behaved. Nanaiah also paid a small advance sum and told staff he would be staying for several days but generally left early, Chetan Singh Rathor, deputy commissioner of

Bangalore police told AFP. “We arrested him earlier this month when he was trying to sell TV sets to a shopkeeper, who alerted the police,” he added. The police say that they recovered around 20 stolen TVs and found that he had left about two dozen cases in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh states believed to have been used in the theft of about 100 other TVs over the past four months. Nanaiah told officials that he stole TVs because it was “relatively low risk and easy”, according to police. “He said that his recent thefts went to fund his lawyer and legal fees for previous TV theft charges in different courts,” Rathor said.

A Pakistani protester of the Tehreek-i-Labaik Yah Rasool Allah Pakistan religious group throws a tear gas shell back towards police during a clash in Islamabad on November 25 (Photo: AFP)

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Shiites make up roughly 20 percent of Pakistan's 200 million people. Attacks by Sunni hardliners against the minority group, along with other

The violence erupted over the weekend after police and paramilitary forces launched a bungled attempt to clear the sit-in, igniting fresh demonstrations in cities across the country, including in Lahore and Karachi.

The previously little-known hardline group Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan staged the demonstration demanding the resignation of Pakistan's law minister Zahid Hamid over a small, hastily-reversed amendment to the oath election can-

didates must swear. The demonstrators had linked the alteration to blasphemy, a profoundly sensitive charge in conservative Muslim Pakistan. The law minister resigned on Mon-

day with protest leaders saying the government had agreed to meet all their demands, sparking fears among many Pakistanis that a potentially dangerous precedent had been set after officials capitulated to a relatively small number of protesters. (-AFP)

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

ASIA/US

US threatens to ‘utterly destroy’ N. Korea regime

VOICE OF ASIA 9

Ivanka in India Continued from Front Page “Just consider, if India closes the labour force gender gap by half, your economy could grow by over $150 billion dollars in the next three years,” Trump told the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.

by Carole LANDRY / With Park Chan-Kyong in Seoul

NITED NATIONS, United States | AFP | 11/29/2017 - The United States on Wednesday warned that North Korea’s leadership will be “utterly destroyed” if war breaks out as it called on countries to cut all diplomatic and trade ties with North Korea -- including Chinese oil shipments to Pyongyang.

“I encourage everyone here today to come together, to learn from each other, and to find new ways to lift the barriers in our societies so that women are free to innovate.”

allied sectors are women.” Trump arrived to much fanfare and a red carpet welcome on Tuesday in the city of some six million people, which is home to the Indian operations of Google, Facebook and Amazon. Concrete highways were splashed with rainbow paint and giant billboards with the beaming Trump’s image were erected across the southern city. Colourful murals and festive lights adorned the streets leading up to the sprawling venue where more than 1,500 delegates from 150 countries have gathered for the three-day event.

Washington urged tough action at an emergency meeting of the Security Council called to respond to North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). “The dictator of North Korea made a choice yesterday that brings the world closer to war, not farther from it,” US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council. “If war comes, make no mistake: The North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed.” US President Donald Trump derided Kim Jong-Un as a “sick puppy” and threatened “major” new sanctions after Pyongyang tested its third ICBM -- which it claimed was capable of striking anywhere in the United States. The test ended a two-month lull in missile tests that had raised hopes for the opening of diplomatic talks. North Korean leader Kim said the test of the Hwasong-15 weapons system had helped his country achieve the goal of becoming a full nuclear power, as the international community expressed outrage. “We call on all nations to cut off all ties with North Korea,” Haley told the council. The US ambassador said Trump had called Chinese President Xi Jinping and urged him to “cut off the oil from North Korea”, a move that would deal a crippling blow to North Korea’s economy.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned Pyongyang that if war were to erupt, the North Korean regime would be “utterly destroyed” dropped that demand in negotiations on a sanctions resolution with China. - ‘The situation will be handled’ The Security Council met at the request of the United States, Japan and South Korea to consider next steps after three rounds of sanctions adopted in the past year failed to push North Korea to change course. Earlier, Trump -- who had traded barbs with Kim for months -- had asked Xi to use “all available levers” to press the hermit state. “Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled!” Trump said on Twitter. So far Wednesday, no new announcements were forthcoming. Last week, Trump announced new US unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang and returned it to a US list of state sponsors of terror.

December, arguing they would exacerbate tensions.

950 kilometers from its launch site.

“It is essential to take a step back,” said Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, who urged Washington “to revise its policy of mutual threats and intimidation.”

At least one Western expert said the missile’s lofted trajectory suggested an actual range of 13,000 kilometers -- enough to hit every major US city.

China once again pressed its proposal that the North stop missile and nuclear tests in exchange for a freeze of US military exercises -- a proposal Washington has repeatedly rejected. - Historic cause North Korean state media said the missile launched Wednesday was more sophisticated than any previously tested by Pyongyang. “The ICBM Hwasong-15 type weaponry system is an intercontinental ballistic rocket tipped with super-large heavy warhead which is capable of striking the whole mainland of the US,” the North’s official news agency KCNA said. State television brought out Ri Chun-Hee, a star presenter who only appears for significant developments, to announce the landmark.

“That would be a pivotal step in the world’s effort to stop this international pariah,” she said.

There are concerns in Seoul that Trump might be considering military action against the North that could trigger a fullscale war.

Piling pressure on China, Haley said that if Beijing does not act to cut off oil supplies “we can take the oil situation into our own hands.”

Seoul is home to 10 million people and only about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border -- well within range of Pyongyang’s artillery.

“Kim Jong-Un declared with pride that now we have finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power,” she said.

The United States earlier this year pressed for a full oil embargo on North Korea but

Russia urged the United States to scrap military exercises planned with South Korea in

Pyongyang said the missile reached an altitude of 4,475 kilometers and splashed down

Nearly 175 mn US shoppers hit stores over holiday: retailers

E W YORK, | AFP | 11/28/2017 - The 2017 US holiday shopping season remains on track to produce solid growth after more than half the US population made purchases over the Thanksgiving weekend, the National Retail Federation said Tuesday. NRF officials cited strong US economic data, US retailers expect holiday sales to rise nearly four percent compared to good weather and last year, after an upbeat start to the shopping season from Black Friday to an enterprising ap- Cyber Monday buoyed the outlook proach by retailers to discounting million buying online only, and Democratic leaders in Conboth in store and online as fac- more than 51 million spend- gress to cancel talks on a budtors boosting their continued ing in brick-and-mortar stores, get extension. North Korea also confidence in the outlook. while over 64 million spread moved back into focus, after The organization estimates total holiday sales will rise between 3.6 and 4.0 percent compared with last year. “From good weather across the country to low unemployment and strong consumer confidence, the climate was right, literally and figuratively, for consumers to tackle their holiday shopping lists online and in stores,” NRF chief executive Matthew Shay said in a news release. The US holiday shopping season officially opened last week with sales on “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving, and picked up momentum into “Cyber Monday.” During that five-day stretch, more than 174 million people made purchases, with over 58

their spending among both. The average spending per person over the five-day period was $335.47, according to the survey. The NRF’s upbeat appraisal came on the same day the Conference Board reported that consumer confidence stood at a 17-year high. The shopping outlook is consistent with other forecasts projecting an improvement on the last couple of years.

the country fired a ballistic missile, according to South Korean military officials.

Shay did not directly address either issue during a briefing with reporters, but cautioned that there are “4-1/2 weeks to go, so lots of things can change.” Even so, “we’re actively encouraged that we have a strong start.”

Still, retailers are aware the winter shopping season is protracted and a good start doesn’t always mean much, since outside factors could influence consumer spending decisions.

Also unknown at this point is the extent that heavy discounting will cut into retailer profits, even if overall sales are good. That can sometimes lead to disappointing results when retailers report earnings in February.

President Donald Trump raised the possibility of a government shutdown Tuesday in a Twitter statement that prompted

Shay said promotions are as aggressive as last year and buying items on sale remains a priority for many shoppers.

David Wright, an arms control expert and co-director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the flight parameters of Wednesday’s test pointed to a missile with “more than enough range to reach Washington DC, and in fact any part of the continental United States.” While Pyongyang has yet to prove its mastery of the reentry technology required to bring a warhead back through the Earth’s atmosphere, experts believe it is at least on the threshold of developing a working intercontinental nuclear strike capability. In September, Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and then fired an intermediate-range missile over Japan. - Raft of past sanctions Over the past year, the Security Council has imposed biting sanctions on Pyongyang aimed at choking off revenue to its military programs. These include a ban on North Korean exports of coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, trade restrictions and the blacklisting of a number of North Korean entities and officials. The council has also banned the hiring of North Korean guest workers and capped oil exports, in particular from China, Pyongyang’s main trading partner. Canada said it would host a meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the North Korean threat.

Ivanka Trump, advisor to the US President Donald Trump addressing Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad, India. Female participation in India’s workforce has declined since 2007, particularly in rural areas. Women remain in education for longer, but even collegeeducated women are staying out of the workplace -- just 34 percent of those with a degree are working, the World Bank reported in May. It said India’s female labour force participation rate was “uniquely low” for all levels of education. Trump, without directly referring to India, lamented inequitable laws and cultural pressures that in some countries prevent women from working or travelling freely. The 36-year-old White House adviser is in India promoting women’s empowerment in business and underscoring the growing friendship between the United States and the South Asian powerhouse. - City decked up “Indian women continue to lead in different walks of life,” Modi told the gathering. “We have provided for not less than one third of women representation in rural and urban local bodies, ensuring women’s participation in grassroot-level decision-making,” he added. “More than 60 percent of workers in our agriculture and

Police cleared hundreds of beggars off Hyderabad’s streets ahead of her visit and spruced up a 16th century mosque that she is likely to visit on Wednesday. But not everyone has welcomed the fuss around the Trump scion ahead of the summit, which has been promoted as an opportunity to champion female business leaders and entrepreneurs. “I want to know what criteria was used to select her as our leader. What special contribution has she made?” Sangeeta Agarawal, founder and CEO of a US-based startup, told AFP. “It’s being called an Ivanka Trump’s event. She has totally overshadowed the cause. It’s become only about her. By hogging all the limelight she is putting deserving women last.” But others saw Trump’s visit as a source of immense pride. “She is a global figure and we are quite excited about the visit. I hope she gets to see the city landmarks and enjoy local food,” said 22-year-old Rubina Bhatt, who volunteered to help at the summit. The visit has been clouded by US media reports questioning Trump’s clothing line and its supply chain as well as a snub by Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, who has reportedly refused to send senior staff with Trump to India.

VOICE OF ASIA 10

Sunandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Performing Arts Center (SPARC)

www.sparchouston.com

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

KINK

Annual Annual Dance Dance Presenta Present

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

KINNI

ation Of tation Of The The Students Students

2017

VOICE OF ASIA 11

Sunandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Performing Arts Center (SPARC)

www.sparchouston.com

ANNUAL EXTRAVAGANZA!

Sunanda Nair with her student and photographer Murali Santhana

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

CHARULATA – A Classical Presentation of a Love Saga by Shivangini Academy Kathak is one of the most prominent classical art forms of North India and traditionally started with bands of dancers moving from village to village telling a story (katha) to the willing crowds. Mrs. Shiva Mathur craft fully used the same technique of storytelling through two traditional village characters – Nat and Natty. These dancers would not only narrate the story using pure Hindi kavitts (short rhythmic poetry intertwined with pure ‘nritta’ or technical aspect of Kathak) but also bound the audience to the story line throughout the production with their skillful technically rich routines.

The ballet Charulata was presented in classical Kathak form.

n November 18th and 19th, the students of Shivangini Academy presented a Kathak based dance drama CHARULATA - based on the spellbinding story of Cinderella! It was an incredible experience for the audience as they watched the artistic unfolding of this epic saga of love and hope. The Director Mrs. Shiva Mathur, who is an exponent of the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak, showcased her creative skills to masterfully express this story weaving it with Kathak and the ‘Abhinay’ art that goes with it. The show started with several classical Kathak based dances interspersed with live Tabla and Dholak segments, intended to provide the audience a flavor of a student’s classical journey in the Academy. This section of the program was a prelude to the feature presentation and had students from all the three wings - Dholak, Tabla and Kathak of the Academy perform for a very enthusiastic crowd. The performers in the Charulata production itself, brought several magical moments from this classic tale to life in a very beautiful manner. Particularly enthralling scenes included one when the fairy godmother

appeared and dramatically changed the destiny of Charulata by transforming her into a gorgeous princess. The fast paced choreography was truly mesmerizing! Another captivating scene showed the Royal Ball and the bhav ntritya (focus on expressions) of the Prince and Charulata feeling attracted to each other. This was followed by the very dramatic transformation of Charulata back to being in rags when the midnight hour approached and her hurried departure, leaving her magical shoe behind! Several comic moments were also thoughtfully weaved into the performance such the shoe fitting scene where several village maidens came one by one to try their luck with the magical shoe. They had the audience in splits with their comic depiction! Every bit was perfectly choreographed with several ‘wow’ moments where audience could not help but applaud. The LED wall and its apt back drops changing with amazing precision further added a brilliant impact to the story telling. The audience gave a standing ovation to the performers - a testimony to the hard work that was more than apparent on the part of the students and their Guru!

Several sections of the dance-drama were supported by live music and vocals. Well known Sitar artist- Shane Monds and Vocal Artist Mrs. Neela Chakravarti, and Mrs. Mathur’s own Dholak and Tabla students performed the live segments adding a particularly unique and enriching aspect to the presentation. For the many non-Hindi speaking audience members, the barrier of language was artistically handled by presentations made by English speakers who theatrically engaged the audience throughout the production. To say the least, this production was by far one of its kind in terms of catering to all age groups and

Colorful costumes, spectacular sets brought to life the love saga of Charulata choreographed Mrs. Shiva Mathur, Director, Shivangini Academy.

ethnicities. That is truly commendable. There was much talk about the very appropriate casting particularly of the lead roles. Out of 205 students who participated on both the days of the recital, only 85 were hand-picked to participate in the Charulata production itself. The fairy god mother was wonderfully portrayed by a senior student – Muskaan Chaturvedi. The role of step mother was brought to life by another senior student- Bianca Chandwani. Step sisters were very well portrayed by Sanjana Puthigai and Mehek Sikka. The role of the prince was very well performed by Isha Borkar, and to perform Charulata in rags, a 12th year student -Swati Kundra was selected. For the role of the princess, Mrs. Mathur’s own daughter Tarika Nath was very appropriately selected and the audience was completely enthralled to see each of these gifted students perform far beyond any one’s imagination! The two sets of dancers who portrayed the role of the Nat Natty, highly praised for doing complete justice to their role, were Anika Saharia and Jilmil Das on the 18th and Anjali Asarpota and Misha Patel on the 19th. The royal messengers or the Rajdoots also had a very challenging role to perform and very ably presented by Riya Solanki, Riya Parikh and Sanjana Ganjam on the 18th and Shreya Dhutia, Eshna Parikh and Anjana Patel on the 19th. In attendance were several prominent members of the community including the Deputy Consulate General Mr. Surendra Adhana, Stafford City Council Member Ken Mathew, Dr. & Mrs. Durga Agrawal, Dr. & Mrs. Virendra Mathur and several respected teachers of Arts in the Houston area. The performance played to a packed hall on both the days!

A scene from Charulata

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BUSINESS

VOICE OF ASIA 13

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FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

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US launches trade investigation into Chinese aluminum imports

Workers ride on an motor rickshaw through an aluminium ingots depot in Wuxi, Jiangsu province in this September 26, 2012 file picture (REUTERS/ Aly Song/File Photo)

ASHINGTON | AFP | Tuesday 11/28/2017 - The United States on Tuesday stepped up its trade confrontation with China, ordering an investigation into imports of aluminum sheet worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year. For the first time since 1991, the Commerce Department said launched the investigation on its own initiative, rather than responding to a request from a US company. The department said it opened the probe into possible dumping and inappropriate subsidies of “common alloy aluminum sheet” from China, which may be harming US industry. “President Trump made it clear from day one that unfair trade practices will not be tolerated under this administration, and today we take one more step in fulfilling that promise,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement. “We are self-initiating the first trade case in over a quarter century, showing once again that we stand in constant vigilance in support of free, fair, and reciprocal trade.” The US imported over $600 million of the aluminum sheet from China last year. The product, used in building and construction, transportation and making appliances, may benefit from subsidies and may be sold in the US market below cost, the statement said.

Lack of speech is a

Washington’s aggressive use of the rare tactic capped a series of adversarial recent maneuvers on trade with China and followed President Donald Trump’s two-week trip to Asia this month, which included a stop in Beijing.

Among the steps it has taken, the Trump administration in April launched a national security investigation into Chinese aluminum production, warning that it threatened to undermine producers crucial to US defense needs, and has slapped punitive duties on imports of Chinese aluminum foil.

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The Commerce Department estimated anti-dumping duties of about 56.54 percent to 59.72 percent in the aluminum case. It said imports from China of the flat-rolled metal typically used in construction and in transportation and electrical equipment totaled about $603.6 million in 2016.

Modi inaugurates metro rail in Hyderabad

ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of Hyderabad Metro rail project billed the world’s largest public-private partnership in the sector, costing an estimated of Rupees 18,000 crore. The prime minister took a ride along with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Governor ESL Narasimhan in the newly inaugurated Metro rail. The metro will be thrown open to the public from Wednesday while smart cards have been on sale through the weekend. In its first phase, the 30 km-long stretch from Nagole to Miyapur has 24 stations covering several busy clusters and city landmarks, including the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Osmania University, Secunderabad Railwayof Station and major commercial hubs likeat Begumpet and sign autism. Learn the others autismspeaks.org/signs. Ameerpet. Besides the chief minister of Telangana and governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Modi was accompanied by the union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao and state BJP chief K Laxman. (-EasternEye.eu)

The inauguration ceremony in the capital city of Andra Pradesh, India (Photo: AFP)

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LIFESTYLE / LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 14

Prince Harry proposed to Markle over roast chicken

Britain’s Prince Harry stands with his fiancée US actress Meghan Markle who he says will be unbelievably good’ as a royal (Photo: AFP)

ONDON | AFP - Prince Harry revealed Monday that he proposed to US actress Meghan Markle over roast chicken, and said she would be “unbelievably good” at her new royal role despite its pressures. The couple said they were enjoying “a cosy night” at home in his cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace earlier this month -- “trying to roast a chicken” -- when he got down on one knee. “She didn’t even let me finish, she said, ‘can I say yes? can I say yes?’ and then there were hugs,” Harry said in the couple’s first interview since the announcement of their engagement earlier Monday. They revealed they knew little about each other when they were set up on a “blind date” by a mutual friend. Harry said he had never heard of Markle, while the actress added she was largely ignorant about the British royal family and just asked of their friend, “is he nice?” The date went so well they immediately met up again before going camping together for five days in Botswana just a few weeks later. “Then we were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure we had a chance to get to know each other,” Prince Harry said. - Corgis loved her They spent the first few months after that staying in, cooking dinner and watching television to avoid any public attention. They said the rest of the royals had been very supportive -and revealed Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved corgis had immediately warmed to Markle, lying on her feet while they had tea.

Harry said he thought his late mother Diana, too, would have been “best friends” with Markle, adding: “They’d be thick as thieves, without question. I think she would be over the moon.” Harry admitted he was nervous about bringing Markle into the royal family, given the pressures it entails and his mother’s own difficulties in the role. “You can have as many conversations as you want and try and prepare as much as possible but we were totally unprepared for what happened after that,” the prince said of early media interest in their romance. - Focus on ethnicity ‘disheartening’ -

always be together as a team,” he said. Markle, who is mixed race, said the focus on her ethnicity was “disheartening”, saying there were “a lot of mistruths” written about her but she refused to read it. Her parents Thomas Markle, of Dutch and Irish extraction, and Doria Ragland, an AfricanAmerican, said in a statement they were “incredibly happy.” Harry has previously spoken of his own struggles with his royal role, and his desire to share the responsibility. “All the stars were aligned... This beautiful woman literally tripped and fell into my life, I fell into her life,” he said.

When the news broke of the relationship, Markle was headline news in Britain -- prompting Harry’s office to issue a warning about press “abuse and harassment”.

“The fact that she’ll be really unbelievably good at the job part of it as well is obviously a huge relief to me, because she’ll be able to deal with everything else that comes with it.”

“It’s not easy for anybody. But at the end of the day she chooses me and I chose her and whatever we have to tackle together or individually, we’ll

Asked if they would have children, Harry said: “Not currently, no! One step at a time, and hopefully we’ll start a family in the near future.”

Grace Kelly, the American who married royalty

ctress Grace Kelly was at the peak of a glittering Hollywood career when she gave it up to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco in April 1956. Grace Patricia Kelly was born on November 12, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the third of four children in a wealthy Irish-Catholic family. The blonde beauty made her film debut in 1951 in “Fourteen Hours” and shot to fame the following year alongside Gary Cooper in “High Noon.” She won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for “Mogambo” in 1953 and the Academy Award for Best Actress the following year for “The Country Girl.” But Kelly is perhaps best known for her roles in three Alfred Hitchcock movies -- “Dial M for Murder,” “Rear Window” and “To Catch a Thief.” Kelly abandoned her career entirely when she married Prince Rainier after a whirlwind courtship. They had three children: Caroline; Albert, the reigning monarch in Monaco; and Stephanie.

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

South Africa’s new export Miss Universe

Miss South Africa 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (L) is crowned new Miss Universe 2017 by Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere (AFP Photo/Patrick Gray) comfortable, tense correcAS VEGAS | AFP The runner-up was actress tion and a deluge of internet Beauties from across Laura Gonzalez of Colombia, memes. the globe converged in who was followed by second Grammy-winning singer Las Vegas Sunday, where Miss runner-up Davina Bennett of Fergie and pop star Rachel South Africa was crowned Jamaica. Platten provided the musical Miss Universe. The current Miss Universe, entertainment for Sunday’s Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, 22, Iris Mittenaere from France, show. edged out her rivals from Co- crowned her successor to a din In the “Final Word” porlombia and Jamaica to take the of squeals and cheers. tion of the competition, Nelcrown. American comic turned TV Peters said “Miss Universe is Nel-Peters, a graduate in host Steve Harvey hosted the a woman who has overcome business management, said her event for the third time, mak- many fears, and by that she disabled half-sister has been ing several jokes at his own is able to help many women among her great inspirations. expense. overcome their fears.” In the pageant’s 66th year, In 2015 he famously made a “She is a woman that nothnearly 100 women from mistake heard round the world ing is ever too much to ask around the world -- including when he announced the wrong for,” she said. “And I think first-timers from Cambodia, person as Miss Universe, re- that is exactly who I am.” Laos and Nepal -- took part. sulting in an extremely un-

Different strokes: Taiwan’s creative campaign for traditional characters by Amber Wamg

AIPEI, Taiwan | AFP As a growing number of people around the world learn simplified Chinese instead of the more complicated traditional characters, young creatives in Taiwan are fighting to promote what they fear will become a dying art. Introduced by the Chinese Communist Party in the 1950s to boost literacy, the simplified version of the script uses fewer strokes and is now the predominant writing system in the mainland. Foreigners learning Chinese also tend to be taught the simplified characters, used in official documents by international organisations including the United Nations. Even in Taiwan, where most people still use traditional characters, there is a growing tendency to opt for the more convenient simplified script. And with an increasing number of the island’s young people pursuing higher education and careers on the mainland, the influence of the simplified system is expanding.

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Creators of a new Taiwanese app game called “Zihun” hope to help stem the tide.

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Players assume the identities of literary figures from ancient

Steve Tsai, a designer of Zihun, an app that hopes to encourage more people to use traditional Chinese characters instead of the more modern, popular simplified version (Photo: AFP/ Sam Yeh) China and compete on speed and accuracy in writing traditional characters.

“We hope the app reflects the cultural implications of the script.”

From filling in the blanks to “word solitaire” -- using the last word of a phrase to create a new one -- or matching simplified characters with their traditional version, players write the answers on their smartphone screens with their fingers or touch pens.

Predictive and voice activated messaging on smartphones is one of the reasons traditional characters are under threat, he adds, but says the initial reaction to the app has been encouraging -- over 5,000 people have downloaded a trial version ahead of the official launch in December.

“We see Taiwan as the sole place to pass on traditional Chinese characters,” says Kevin Ruan, chief executive of tech firm Whale Party, which developed the app with Soochow University.

Young Taiwanese design duo Wang Man-lin and Wang Chieh-ying hope their latest invention will make traditional characters easier to learn and fun to use.

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As a growing number of people around the world learn simplified Chinese, young creatives in Taiwan are fighting to promote what they fear will become a dying art (Photo: AFP)

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LEGAL

VOICE OF ASIA 15

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

The People’s Lawyer

Divorce and Property Division in Texas

www.peopleslawyer.net

Getting your name off a car note is difficult Richard M. Alderman Interim Dean of the Law Center

stopped payment. I went to his bank and they said it was not their problem. How do I get paid? Why doesn’t his bank owe me the money?

Q. Last year my ex-boyfriend purchased a car and I co-signed. After we broke up, he moved out of state and took the car. He has been making all the payments and so far everything is fine. I was wondering, from a legal standpoint, is there anyway I can take him to court to get my name off the note?

A. The bank does not owe you the money because a bank generally has no liability when a check is written by one of its customers. A check is simply the customer’s order to the bank to pay money to someone else. The bank usually pays the check, and that is the end of the matter. But if there is not enough money in the account or the customer tells the bank not to pay (by issuing a stop payment order), the bank will promptly return the check and it has no further liability. You should always view a check as the customer’s promise to pay, not an obligation of the bank.

A. As I have said many times before, don’t co-sign unless you are prepared to pay. Unless the creditor agrees to change the note, there is nothing you can do to get your name off the note unless he agrees to refinance in his own name. The creditor is not going to just let you take your name off the note. That is why they asked for you to co-sign in the first place. In fact, if your ex stops paying, the lender probably will just go after you rather than chasing down the car in another state. My advice is to try to get him to refinance in his own name as soon as possible. I should point out that if you do have to pay, you have the right to go after him to be reimbursed.

Fortunately, however, you are not out of luck. When a check is not paid, the person who wrote the check remains responsible. I suggest you let the person know you expect him to promptly pay the check with cash and that if he doesn’t pay you will file a claim in justice court. If you do have to sue, you can collect the amount of the check plus any fees your bank may have charged and the costs of filing the lawsuit. Q. I let a fried borrow the extra key to my apartment and he lost it. Can I require my landlord to change my locks?

Q. I did a small construction job and was paid with a check after I completed the work. I deposited the check in my account, but it was returned because the person who gave me the check

A. Under the law, a landlord has an obligation to change the locks at his expense, when a new tenant moves in. After

that time, the landlord must change the locks whenever the tenant requests, as often as the tenant wants. The tenant, however, must pay the costs of installing the new locks. In other words, you can require your landlord to change your locks, however, you must pay the costs. Q. I have a small estate. I am thinking about writing my own will. Is a handwritten will valid? Does it have to be witnessed or notarized? A. A handwritten will, called a “holographic will,” is valid in Texas. Basically, all that is required is that the will be written completely in your own handwriting. A holographic will cannot be typed or printed. Unlike other forms of wills, a holographic will does not need to be witnessed to be valid. There is no requirement in Texas that any form of will be notarized. Most wills are notarized, however, because this makes it easier to probate the will. Having said that, although a holographic will is simple and legal, in my opinion it is generally not a good idea. One mistake can end up costing your loved ones a great deal in time and money. Many attorneys will prepare a simple will for a very reasonable fee, and online will kits are inexpensive and are easy to use and usually come with good directions. As far as I am concerned, using one of these options is mo

Do you want to know more about your legal rights? Check out my website, www.peopleslawyer.net And if you have a question about a legal problem related to Hurricane Harvey, call 713-743-2165.

The legal profession is diversifying. But not at the top by Tracey Jan

inority lawyers now make up 16 percent of law firms -- a record high -- but remain scarce at the top, where only 9 percent of law partners are people of color, according to new data collected by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. Put another way, nearly half of their white counterparts make partner, while the vast majority of minorities remain associates. The disparity is also reflected in the corporate world, where only 11 percent of general counsels at Fortune 500 companies are black, Hispanic, Asian or

Native American even though minorities make up a third of the legal profession as a whole. Only 57 of the general counsels at the nation’s 500 largest companies are minorities. That figure represents a 50 percent increase from a decade ago, but improvement has stalled in recent years. “All these conversations and efforts are focused on diversity, but it’s just not changing at the top,” said Jean Lee, president and chief executive of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. The association, formed 20 years ago to advocate for the hiring, retention and promotion

of minority attorneys, plans to release a series of reports in December about diversity in the legal profession. Affirmative action and other diversity initiatives have helped one group noticeably: white women. Asian American lawyers are the largest minority group at law firms -- but the most underrepresented in firm leadership. There are now more Asian lawyers than Hispanic and black attorneys combined, but only 20 percent are partners, compared to 27 percent of African Americans, 31 percent of Latinos and 47 percent of whites. (-Washington Post)

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real property, such as the family home; personal property, such as jewelry and clothing; and intangible property, such as income, dividends, and benefits. The spouse who wants to keep an asset free from division must prove that it is separate property: that is, anything that belonged to him or her before marriage and was kept separate throughout the marriage, or property that was given to one spouse alone during the marriage. The latter might be a gift from a friend or a family member, or an inheritance.

Surendran Koran Attorney & Counselor at Law, PKS Law Firm, PLLC Question: I am in the process of getting a divorce in Texas. How will our shared property be divided? Answer: Texas is a community-property state. In most cases, all income earned, and all property acquired by either spouse during marriage is community property and belongs to both spouses equally. As a result, it must be split equally when the spouses divorce. Likewise, all debts that either spouse incurs during the marriage are considered community debts shared equally by both spouses. However, if there are “just and right” reasons why assets should be distributed in a different manner, courts may order an unequal result.

Also remember that if one spouse received money from a lawsuit or settlement because of personal injuries, that money remains the separate property of the injured spouse, unless it includes money that was intended as compensation for the loss of earning capacity during the marriage. Courts do have discretion when it comes to what they consider fair property distribution. But if they opt for anything other than equal distribution, they must have good reason. Variables in the process may include differences in the age, education, and health of the spouses, as well as differences in earning power, skills, and business opportunities. Courts also may look at whether a spouse is the primary caregiver for the couple’s children, and the amount of separate property

Courts work on the presumption that all property in a marriage is community property. The most common types of property in divorce proceedings are

each spouse has, among other facts and circumstances. Also important: whether one spouse was at fault in the failure of the marriage. Throughout the process, divorcing spouses can agree between themselves how to split community property. Usually, a court will accept a negotiated agreement. On the other hand, if the spouses cannot work together, or if there are areas of disagreement, the court will decide for them. In my next column I will consider how foreign properties are handled in divorces. Disclaimer: Information in this column is meant to be general and informational; it is not intended as legal advice. Consult an attorney regarding your personal situation before you take any action that has legal consequences. BIO: Surendran Koran is an Indian-born attorney in private practice in the Houston area. He is the founder of PKS Law Firm, PLLC. He is licensed to practice in Texas, United States District Court Southern District of Texas, and in India. To contact please email: adv. surendran@gmail.com

Trump’s ethics lawyer exits the White House

he ranks of former White House ethics lawyers available to comment on the ongoing controversies engulfing President Donald Trump’s administration has just grown by one — an attorney who’s certain to offer a much different perspective than the most prominent figures now

ensconced as seemingly permanent fixtures on cable news.

where he previously worked, Cozen O’Connor.

After almost a year in the White House counsel’s office tackling a raft of ethics and financial disclosure issues, James Schultz resigned last week and is returning to private practice at the Philadelphia-based law firm

Schultz insists his exit is unrelated to any of those myriad controversies, but simply triggered by a desire to get back to private law work and back to Philadelphia, where his family has remained. (-Politico)

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Young Life

VOICE OF ASIA 16

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

YLDP: The Virtue Of Leadership capacity to overcome anything. We agreed that ethics and morals are essential to leadership, because a successful person needs to feel a sense of community, and discipline themselves to make the “right” decision. We also recognized that leadership can present itself in any aspect of life.

By: Akhila Venuturupalli n November 18th, at the Houston Food Bank, YLDP of Houston had the immense honor of hearing the judicious words of Brian Greene, President/CEO of the Houston Food Bank. Brian Greene has an MA in Economics from The University of Tennessee, and had previously been the director of other Food Banks. Since he has taken up this job, Brian Greene has provoked exponential success by tripling distribution and has made the Houston Food Bank the largest in the country.

Brian Greene’s presentation explored various topics: workings of the Food Bank, non-profit management, and effective leadership. With his experience as an established leader, Mr. Greene described how leaders provide the “push” necessary to establish a vision among a group of people, and consider opinions of othersestablishing an opportunistic environment. Mr. Greene also depicted that leadership can be achieved through many different styles, emphasizing that it is essential for a leader to possess an array of technical and relationship skills, ethics, and morals. He also revealed how leaders permit others to accomplish more. An impactful aspect of Mr. Greene’s presentation that stuck out to my group, was his opinion on the diversity of leadership. For example, Mr. Greene presented that the common misconception that all leaders are extroverts was disproven when CEO’s of large companies were determined to be introverts. As a result, we learned that leaders can’t possess everything, but need the

In Mr. Greene’s engaging presentation, he showed that as a leader, one needs to be morally courageous with little acts. He emphasized that you need to get to know yourself to become an effective person and build yourself to make a difference. Mr. Greene captivated his audience of young leaders, teaching them that leadership isn’t something that is easily obtained, but is a virtue essential to the success of people in society.

Brian Greene gave a tour of the warehouse for the young leaders

Ivanka Trump, Chelsea Clinton, defend Obama daughter

Malia Obama

ASHINGTON Both sides of the US political divide are defending Malia Obama’s right to privacy after a video went viral showing the eldest daughter of former president Barack Obama apparently smoking. Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump were among the numerous defenders of Malia, 19, on Twitter after the video on Friday seemed to show her blowing smoke rings in a bathroom. “Malia Obama’s private life, as a young woman, a college student, a private citizen, should not be your clickbait. Be better,” Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Democratic former president Bill Clinton and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, wrote on Twitter. Malia Obama is a student at Harvard University. Ivanka Trump, the daughter of and an adviser to President Donald Trump, who defeated Hillary Clinton in last year’s election, similarly defended Malia’s right to privacy. “She is a young adult and private citizen, and should be OFF limits,” Ivanka Trump wrote on Twitter. (-AFP)

YLDP Batch of 2017 visit Houston Food Bank

Trump administration eyes easing student debt protections ey.

by Cyril Julien

The situation came to a head in 2015, when Corinthian Colleges filed for bankruptcy, after receiving a fine from California of $1.1 billion, and a federal one of $30 million for making false and deceptive statements.

ASHINGTON | AFP - Thousands of students who ran up unpayable debts at forprofit schools are anxiously waiting to see if US President Donald Trump’s administration does away with anti-fraud protections put in place by his predecessor Barack Obama. Some 95,000 cases of former students seeking forgiveness of their debt have been put on hold by the Department of Education, now led by Betsy DeVos, an ardent advocate of forprofit, post-secondary schools. Most of the cases now on hold involve former students at two giants of the for-profit college industry -- Corinthian Colleges and ITT Tech, which closed in 2015 and 2016. Students claim they were lured into enrolling in training programs by promises of jobs and diplomas that later proved worthless. “They laughed at my diploma,” said Danielle Adorno, describing the reaction of prospective employers. The 30-year-old New Yorker’s case is fairly typical. She wanted to become a baker so she borrowed $25,000

At issue now is whether the rule change will be reversed or modified under DeVos, who has ordered a review and frozen the loan forgiveness process.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is weighing whether to make for-profit colleges accountable for debt run up by students who feel they were defrauded but are unable to sue (AFP Photo) to pursue “culinary studies” at the Art Institute, a private group that ran several schools in the United States, including the one in New York that she attended. As she tells it, admissions officers used “deflection tactics” to persuade her to enroll, withholding information about graduation rates and how many graduates went on to find jobs. After nine months of train-

ing, Adorno is disillusioned, and has asked the Education Department to forgive her debt. - Naivete Adorno admits to a certain naivete in not having looked into the institute’s reputation before enrolling. But she feels she was lied to about the quality of the school and its program, and points to the fact that it went out of business as evidence of its

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shoddy quality. Adorno, like others in her situation, cannot sue the forprofits under the terms of (loan?) contracts they signed with the schools. Instead, she has asked the Education Department to forgive her debt. A rule change made in 2016 under former president Barack Obama allows the Education Department to forgive a student’s debt, and then sue the for-profit to recover the mon-

No requests for student loan forgiveness has been approved since January. The Education Department says it is overloaded with a backlog. Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU), an association of for-profit postsecondary schools, contends its members were the target of an ideological, agenda driven campaign during the administration of Barack Obama. “The Department of Education was a prosecutor, a judge and a jury, it was unfair,” CECU’s president Steve Gunderson told AFP. “We provide a very good niche in the sector of post-secondary education.” - Unmet promises -

Democratic Senator Richard Durbin disputes that criticism. “The sad reality is the education is not good in most of these schools so students who mistakenly sign up for these schools go deeply in debt and find themselves unable to finish school or if they finish, unable to get a good job,” Durbin said. “If the school promised you would have a job, and you did not get a job, they defrauded you, they misled you.” Clare McCann, an expert on higher education at New America, a public policy think tank, says the for-profit schools have a built-in incentive to maximize their profits at their students’ expense. And yet, she said, “many forprofit colleges get almost 90 percent of their money from federal grants and loans.” “Taxpayers spend $130 billion every year on these schools,” she said. McCann, who was involved in the 2016 rule changes, believes the revised rules will be ready in November 2018. Adorno has found a job as a secretary and obtained a temporary suspension of her payments. But she no longer has access to credit.

BOLLYWOOD - HOLLYWOOD VOICE OF ASIA 17

Section 2

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Wood Moy, Star of ‘Chan Is Missing,’ Dies at 99

Mira Kapoor shares a heartwarming picture of hubby Shahid Kapoor and little munchkin Misha

Wood Moy behind the wheel in Wayne Wang’s ‘Chan Is Missing’ (1982)

ood Moy, who starred as the cab driver in the acclaimed Wayne Wang noir film Chan Is Missing (1982), died Nov. 8, his family announced. He was 99. In the movie, Moy portrayed Jo, who is out to buy a taxi license with his nephew, Steve (Marc Hayashi). When Steve’s friend Chan disappears with the cash they need to purchase their license, he and his uncle become amateur detectives as they set about San Francisco’s Chinatown trying to locate the missing man and their money. The low-budget, black-and-white Chan Is Missing, believed to be the first Asian-American indie film, was named for inclusion into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 1995 for its cultural, historical or aesthetic significance. Roger Ebert called it “a small, whimsical treasure of a film. … The title Chan Is Missing is almost a pun, because Charlie Chan is missing, and what replaces him is a warm, low-

key, affectionate and funny look at some real Chinese-Americans.” A longtime member of the Asian American Theatre Company in San Francisco, Moy also appeared in such features as Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Howard the Duck (1986), Class Action (1991) and Final Analysis (1992) and on the TV show Knight Rider. Moy was born in Canton City, China, and first came to the U.S. in 1921. He earned his bachelor’s degree from New York University in 1941 and during World War II served in the U.S. Army’s 987th Signal Company, one of two all-Chinese-American outfits. In 1947, Moy came to San Francisco with his future wife and future brother-in-law to expand their magazine East Wind, which chronicled the Chinese-American experience. They later opened East Wind Printers in Chinatown.

Mira Kapoor has shared an all-smiles picture of daughter Misha Kapoor and husband Shahid Kapoor on Instagram with the caption, “Happiness #thankyougod.”

hahid Kapoor’s wife Mira Kapoor has an official Instagram account now. And her feed is filled with photos of her family including husband Shahid and cute little munchkin Misha. And this time too, Mira has shared an all-smiles picture of daughter Misha and Shahid on Instagram with the caption, “Happiness #thankyougod.” Wearing a red hearts top, Misha is stealing our hearts away with her adorable smile and as always Shahid looks dapper in his sun-kissed look. And looking at Mira’s caption we think she is as thankful for this photo as we are. Only a few days ago, Mira had shared a snippet of her mini trampoline session with her little one. She wrote, “I’ll be there to catch you when you fall, but I’ll also be the one to jump around

with you #bunnyrabbithophophop” While in the video, Misha and Mira can be seen jumping around on the trampoline, doesn’t Mira’s caption win all hearts? Recently, Shahid had also shared a selfie with Misha and fans were left wondering how quickly this little angel is growing up. Meanwhile, Shahid is also gearing up for his upcoming Sanjay Leela Bhansali magnum opus Padmavati. The actor plays the character of Raja Ratan Singh in the film and stars opposite the leggy lass Deepika Padukone, who plays his wife Rani Padmini. The film also stars Ranveer Singh in a negative role of Delhi Sultanate ruler Allaudin Khilji. It was supposed to hit the screens on December 1 this year but has been postponed by the makers. (-Indian Express)

Arjun Rampal on turning 46: “I’ve walked on the wild side, Universal Studios Hollywood’s now I like my life calm” His wife of 60 years, Mamie, died in 2007. (-Hollywood Reporter)

new Harry Potter Christmas

here’s no noisy birthday party for Arjun Rampal, who turned 46 on Sunday. The actor says he has walked enough on the “wild side” and prefers a calm life with a “rock-steady family life and an adventurous career”. “It’s just around 30 close friends, meeting up having a good time together. Nothing else,” Arjun said of his party plans. “After you reach a certain age, you no longer want to indulge in wild parties. You just want to be with close family and friends. I’ve seen enough of that life. I’ve walked on the wild side. Now I like my life calm. Spending time with my wife and two daughters gives me a bigger high than anything else,” he added. At 46, what are Arjun’s thoughts on his life and life according to Bollywood’s rules?

“Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” brings new light show, entertainment and holiday inspired food to Hogwarts Castle (File photo)

his holiday season, Hogsmeade Village gets a festive makeover at Universal Studios Hollywood’s new “Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.”

The village’s famous Butterbeer, available hot, cold and frozen, as well as pumpkin juice, is available to drink with roast turkey, pigs in blankets, vegetables and Christmas pudding at the Three Broomsticks restaurant.

The yuletide season can be celebrated amidst snowcapped shops, garland lined cobblestoned streets. There’s also plenty of Harry Potter holiday memorabilia for sale including Hogwarts mascot and crest ornaments for each house, tree toppers, stockings and Hogwarts Castle snowglobes.

As night falls, Hogwarts Castle is transformed throughout the evening with a fantastic digital light projection show featuring dancing ghosts, floating lanterns, snowflakes and flurries, Hogwarts students dancing at the Yule Ball and a Christmas tree all choreographed to a musical arrangement. (-Newsmax)

“Do I have to be reminded of my age? But seriously, I couldn’t have asked for more. I’ve a rock-steady family life and a career that is known for being adventurous. As far as the film industry is concerned, I see a lot of intolerance within the industry and from outside the film industry towards actors, filmmakers and our work. “This is very frightening. We must stop pre-judging art before the artiste puts forward his idea to the public.” On the career front, Arjun’s last release was his ambitious biopic on Arun Gawli. “Daddy got me what I wanted. It was meant to be a reasonably-budgeted film showing us a side to Gawli not seen before. My performance was appreciated. Everybody went home happy.”

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Arjun’s next release is J.P. Dutta’s Paltan, a war movie which the actor is thoroughly enjoying shooting. “It’s my first

On the career front, Arjun Rampal’s last release was his ambitious biopic on Arun Gawli (File photo) time with J.P. Dutta and also my first war movie. I’ve always enjoyed films of that genre, especially J.P. saab’s ‘Refugee’ and ‘Border’. I am glad to be in one,” he added. After that, Arjun goes into a film called Nastik, which as the name tells,

is about an atheist. “In real life too I don’t believe in God. I believe in worshipping the Universe. The film has an interesting script and the director Shailesh Varma is very talented. It is important to work with the new enthusiastic talent. That’s the only way to take the industry forward.” (-IE)

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VOICE OF ASIA 18

Voice of Asia

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

Section 2

HEALTHY

Trigger for most common form of vision loss discovered Burn victim saved by skin

grafts from identical twin by Brigitte Castelnau

ARIS, France | AFP | Thursday 11/23/2017 -

A man doomed to die after suffering burns across 95 percent of his body was saved by skin transplants from his identical twin in a world-first operation, French doctors said Thursday.

Jayakrishna Ambati, M.D., (left) and Nagaraj Kerur, Ph.D., have discovered a crucial trigger for macular degeneration, a condition which robs millions of their sight. The discovery may allow doctors to intervene early to halt the process. (Photo Credit: Josh Barney | UVA Health System)

HARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, November 27, 2017 - In a major step forward in the battle against macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss among the elderly, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered a critical trigger for the damaging inflammation that ultimately robs millions of their sight. The finding may allow doctors to halt the inflammation early on, potentially saving patients from blindness. “Almost 200 million people in the world have macular degeneration. If macular degeneration were a country, it would be the eighth most populated nation in the world. That’s how large a problem this is,” said Jayakrishna Ambati, MD, vice chairman for research of UVA’s Department of Ophthalmology and the founding director of UVA’s Center for Advanced

Vision Science. “For the first time, we know in macular degeneration what is one of the very first events that triggers the system to get alarmed and start, to use an anthropomorphic term, hyperventilating. This overdrive of inflammation is what ultimately damages cells, and so, potentially, we have a way of interfering very early in the process.” Potential New Treatment for Macular Degeneration Ambati and Nagaraj Kerur, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology, and their laboratories have determined that the culprit is an enzyme called cGAS. The enzyme plays an important role in the body’s immune response to infections by detecting foreign DNA. But the molecule’s newly identified role in the “dry” form of age-related macular degeneration comes as wholly

unexpected. “It’s really surprising that in macular degeneration, which, as far as we know, has nothing to do with viruses or bacteria, that cGAS is activated, and that this alarm system is turned on,” Ambati said. “This is what leads to the killing of the cells in the retina, and, ultimately, vision loss.” The researchers noted that cGAS may be an alarm not just for pathogens but for other harmful problems that warrant responses from the immune system. The enzyme may also play important roles in conditions such as diabetes, lupus and obesity, and researchers already are working to create drugs that could inhibit its function. “Because the target we’re talking about is an enzyme, we could develop small molecules that could block it,” Kerur said.

He underwent about a dozen operations, followed by months of hospitalisation and physical rehabilitation. Doctors had not publicly discussed the case until now. Dufourmantelle is today living at home with his partner, and is still receiving intensive therapy.

Consumed by flames while handling chemicals on the job, 33-year-old Franck Dufourmantelle received life-saving grafts from his brother Eric’s skull, back and thighs.

“It doesn’t hurt any more,” he said, noting that he had recently stopped taking painkillers.

“I had a fresco-like tattoo on my arm,” he recalled in a phone interview with AFP.

With the left hand, “I can pinch things, like with a claw,” he said. His right hand -- less damaged -- has healed to the point where he can write with a pen.

“But the only thing left is the word ‘life’,” in English, he said. Transplants from a genetically identical twin eliminates the risk that the recipient’s body will reject the donated skin or organ. Dufourmantelle’s accident occurred in September 2016 in northern France.

He is able to walk again, and is still recovering the use of his hands.

Miraculously, his face was mostly spared. Nearly half of his brother Eric’s skin was removed, and then stretched in a machine so that it would cover a larger area, according to the chief surgeon.

- ‘Get on the floor!’ The donor is today not “covered in scars,” Maurice Mimoun, a doctor at the SaintLouis Hospital in Paris, told AFP. “All one can see is a slight difference in the pigmentation.” In most burn cases, the skin of a deceased and unrelated donor is grafted onto the victim, even if doctors know that it will be rejected within a couple of weeks. That is usually enough time for new skin to start growing, or to be harvested from elsewhere on the patient’s body. Twin-on-twin skin transplants have been done before, but never over such a large area, said Mimoun. “It is the first time that such a skin graft has been done between twins for 95 percent of the body,” he told AFP. The previous record was a case where about 68 percent of the victim’s body was burned.

CMS Announces Special Enrollment Periods for Americans Impacted by Recent Hurricanes Agency provides special open enrollment periods for 2017 Medicare and Exchange coverage As a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will make available special enrollment periods for all Medicare beneficiaries and certain individuals seeking health plans offered through the Federal Health Insurance Exchange. This important step gives these individuals and families who have been impacted by the hurricanes the opportunity to change their Medicare health and prescription drug plans and gain access to health coverage on the Exchange immediately if eligible for a special enrollment period. “The lives of millions of Americans have been disrupted and impacted in some way by recent hurricanes,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “Setting up special enrollment periods gives Medicare beneficiaries and individuals seeking coverage on the Federal Exchange the opportunity to access health coverage during this difficult time and when they need it the most. We remain committed to doing all we can to help support the areas and individuals affected by these historic and catastrophic hurricanes.” CMS established the following special enrollment periods to support individuals impacted by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria: • Medicare special enrollment period: This special enrollment period will allow individuals affected by these hurricanes to enroll, dis-enroll or switch Medicare health or prescription drug plans. It is available at

the start of the incident period and runs through the end of the calendar year. Individuals may contact 1-800-MEDICARE to request enrollment using this special enrollment opportunity. • Federal Health Insurance Exchange special enrollment period: CMS created this special enrollment period for certain individuals impacted by these hurricanes who need to enroll in a 2017plan through the Exchange or make changes to their existing 2017 plan. This special enrollment period will apply to individuals who experienced a special enrollment period qualifying event between 60 days prior to the start date of the incident period and December 31, 2017, but were unable to complete the application, plan selection, and enrollment process due to a hurricane-related weather event in 2017. This special enrollment period will allow individuals impacted by the storms to select a new 2017 Exchange plan or make changes to their existing plan at any time through December, 31, 2017. Individuals affected by the storms may contact the Exchange Call Center at 1-800318-2596 to enroll in a plan. In addition to the special enrollment periods for the 2017, individuals who reside in or move from areas affected by a hurricane in 2017 will be eligible for a special enrollment period that extends the 2018 Annual Open Enrollment Period through December 31, 2017. These individuals may contact the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 to request enrollment using this special enrollment period after December 15, 2017. These special enrollment opportunities are in addition to the Medicare and Exchange annual Open Enrollment Periods this

Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6776 Southwest Freeway, Suite # 178 Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning.com

fall and any other enrollment period for which the individual may be eligible. CMS will continue to examine the circumstances in the areas affected by hurricanes and will consider taking action that reaches beyond December 31, 2017, if needed. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, M.D., declared public health emergencies in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands – areas all impacted by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. With the public health emergencies in effect, CMS has temporarily waived or modified certain Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements to provide healthcare providers, facilities, and suppliers the flexibility they need so they can focus on the health and safety of those impacted by the hurricanes. To choose right Medicare plan contact Sudhir Mathuria @ 713-771-2900.

VOICE OF ASIA 19

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Diabetes may lead to a greater risk for Alzheimer’s, dementia and memory loss

‘Smoking kills,’ US tobacco firms say in court-ordered ads

by Cindy Goodman

IAMI, November 26, 2017 - For people with Type 2 diabetes, there is an additional incentive for keeping the disease under management. Research shows a possible link between diabetes and cognitive decline, including increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

n Indian shopworker shows toilets to customers on the eve of the ‘World Toilet Day’ in a hardware shop in Amritsar on November 18, 2017. Image: Narinder Nanu/AFP.

ASHINGTON | AFP , 11/26/2017 - Smoking kills an average 1,200 Americans daily, US tobacco companies admitted Sunday in court-ordered “corrective statements” published in newspapers. The ads began appearing 11 years after District Judge Gladys Kessler, in a 1,682-page opinion, ruled in 2006 that the companies violated racketeering laws by deceiving the public for decades on the health dangers of smoking. She ordered them to publish corrective statements on five health topics, but the exact wording of those statements was held up pending tobacco company litigation. In 2014 the companies and the government reportedly reached agreement that the ads would be published in major Sunday newspapers as well as on prime-time television for a year, and elsewhere including on cigarette packages. “A Federal Court has ordered R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Philip Morris USA, Altria and Lorillard to make this statement about the health effects

of smoking,” said the full-page newspaper ad, consisting simply of plain black type on an otherwise bare newspaper page. “Smoking kills, on average, 1,200 Americans. Every day,” it said. The ad continued that “more people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes and alcohol, combined,” with the last word highlighted. It also listed various diseases and health conditions that “smoking also causes.”

ASHINGTON, November 26, 2017Novel research detects that almost half of cancer cases in the United States are engendered by probably resilient revelation. Nearly half of cancer diagnoses in the US are linked to preventable causes, with smoking, excess body weight and alcohol consumption the most common risk factors, according to a new study. Smoking, drinking, and excess body weight remain as top cancer factors. The list of factors that increase

Meanwhile, in South Florida, medical professionals are working with diabetic patients to minimize the risk of cognitive decline through a variety of methods that include lifestyle, medical and mental-health components. “Our message to diabetics is that the better people can control their diabetes, the more they can reduce risk of other conditions,” said Dr. Marc Agronin, director of the memory center and clinical research program at Miami Jewish Health. “Of course, that requires a lot of education and close attention.” On the lifestyle front, Agronin urges diabetics to exercise, maintain a healthy diet, lose weight if necessary

- ‘A significant victory’ Kessler’s ruling was part of a government racketeering case against major cigarette companies originally brought in September 1999. Further court-ordered ads with additional health messages will continue appearing in the newspapers of more than 50 major cities through April, said the American Cancer Society. Along with other health groups, the Cancer Society intervened in the case and made recommendations about the corrective statements.

Nearly half of cancers in US linked to lifestyle causes by Norman Carr

The scientific reason behind the link between diabetes and brain health is complex. Some scientists believe people with diabetes may also have insulin resistance or insulin deficiency that could damage brain cells enough to cause memory loss. Studies are underway to understand why 80 percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease also have some form of diabetes or disturbed glucose metabolism. However, so far, longitudinal research has not produced a consensus view regarding the link between blood glucose levels and cognitive impairment.

the risk of developing cancer, the researchers included smoking and passive smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption, consumption of red and processed meat, low consumption of fruit, vegetables, dietary fiber, dietary calcium, physical inactivity, ultraviolet radiation, as well as 6 associated with tumors infections. The numbers speak for themselves: 45 percent of all cancer deaths and 42 percent of all diagnosed cancer cased fall in this category. Among the risk factors, cigarette smoking proved to have the highest association with cancer cases at 19 percent and 28.8 percent of cancer deaths.

Their publication is “a significant victory for public health,” the Cancer Society said on its website. “What this case has succeeded in doing is to finally force the tobacco industry to ’fess up to what it has known and done for the past 50 years,” said Cliff Douglas, director of the Cancer Society’s Center for Tobacco Control. “The industry has deliberately addicted millions of people with a product it knew would kill as many as half of them years before their time.” A Cancer Journal for Clinicians published data from the American cancer society, according to which nearly half of cancer cases are associated with factors that it is possible to control. A poor lifestyle can lead to lung cancer and skin cancer cases. There were 76,910 cases of colorectal cancer and 28,290 deaths. It is the most common cause of death after heart disease and is responsible for one in four deaths in the country. Researchers belonged to the study have estimated a specific number of overall cancer reports and deaths for 26 sorts of cancer commonly found adults from an age group of more than 30 years old in the United States assigned to a modifiable exposures. Alcohol consumption was related to 5.6 percent of cancer cases and 4 percent of deaths.

Home remedies for diabetes include the use of apple cider vinegar, bitter gourd, fenugreek, cinnamon, aloe vera, water, mango leaves, alfalfa, jamun, curry leaves, and flaxseed oil in different forms. Exercising, healthy sleep patterns, and maintaining oral health are other good behavioral remedies for getting rid of diabetes in a natural way. Common causes of diabetes in our body are either the lack of insulin or the inability to utilize the available insulin in our body. Insulin is simply one of our hormones that is created by the pancreas, which can sometimes function improperly. This very serious condition related to insulin regulation is mainly caused by two things – stress and obesity.

and avoid being sedentary. “They need to adopt a brain-healthy lifestyle.” On the medical front, medical professionals are considering how early detection and glycemic control can prevent cognitive decline (memory loss). They also are considering how certain foods, supplements and medications can help diabetics with brain health. “If you have diabetes and you notice changes, you need to go to a memory center and get a workup to see your baseline,” Agronin said. Research shows some medications are promising. A 2015 pilot study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found specific doses of nasal insulin—which bypassed the blood/ brain barrier—significantly improved memory in people with early Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. A larger trial is underway. Some studies also have shown that the longer a patient used Metformin (a drug diabetics use to control blood glucose), the lower the individual’s chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia and cognitive impairment. At Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah, Dr. Monica Mejia Acosta, director of neurology, has found many of her patients with diabetes have had tiny strokes that eventually led to vascular dementia. “If you control the diabetes, you decrease the risk for those tiny strokes significantly,” she said. While there isn’t any medication to reverse vascular dementia, “you can prevent it from worsening by controlling your glucose levels” she said. When Mejia Acosta detects mini strokes, she recommends patients take a daily dose of aspirin. She also puts dementia patients on medications that

she finds effective in slowing progression. “Usually two medicines work better than one, but I start them on one at a time,” she said. Along with medication, there are natural supplements such as coconut oil, rosemary and certain vitamins that some medical experts believe can have positive effects on brain health. In addition, a group of doctors is looking at ways that stem cells can help. Kristin Comella, chief scientific officer at US Stem Cell, Inc. in Sunrise, said stemcell therapy and regenerative medicine are novel treatments for diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Comella said stem cells have been shown to improve the function of the overworked pancreas in diabetes patients. On the mental health front, Dale Pianko, a cognitive behavioral therapist and founder of the Aventura Memory Center, believes coping skills factor into memory decline. “Anxiety around a diabetes diagnosis exacerbates the mental health and could affect memory loss if it’s not addressed in an interventional manner,” Pianko said. She works with patients to create an individual memory plan, and has found that individuals who self-monitor their diabetes, stick to their plan, and control their glucose levels have sharper memories. “Medication doesn’t do anything without the right behavior modification,” she said. According to the American Diabetes Association, 27 percent of people 65 and older have developed diabetes. With scientists finding more evidence that links Type 2 diabetes with Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline, medical experts are finding early detection and effective ongoing management of diabetes may be more important than initially realized. (-Miami Herald)

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FASHION & STYLE

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

Stella McCartney: India acid attack victims defiant Fashion with a conscience on the haute couture catwalk

UCKINGHAM PALACE, 2013: Stella McCartney, the daughter of music royalty (yes, her father is Sir Paul) was recognized as fashion royalty, when Queen Elizabeth II honored Stella with an OBE, an officer of the Order of the British Empire. “I was very lucky to get the Queen, I have to say, ‘cause some days you don’t get the Queen,” McCartney said. “Yes, I got the Queen!” “So I go up and she goes -- and I’d just done the 2012 Olympic Games, drop the mic on that -- and the Queen looks at me and she says, ‘So, you seem very busy.’ And I was like, Oh my God, I was not expecting the Queen of England to say that I was busy. And I said, ‘Well, not quite as busy as you, ma’am.’” Hard to believe, if you saw McCartney in the final moments before her most recent runway show. The venue couldn’t have been more glamorous: the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris. For fashion, this event is the Super Bowl and World Series combined. Still, amidst the chaos, McCartney wanted her team to remember: All you need is love. “You know, I’m fine,” said McCartney. She says at her firm, “we try not to take ourselves too seriously. But you know what, having said that, it’s pretty stressful and pretty crazy. So don’t believe anything I just said!” International fashion critics were shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s most important retailers, and McCartney’s celebrity friends, including actress Salma Hayek Pinault and singer Kylie Minogue, and Stella’s husband, Alasdhair Willis, who’s also in fashion. Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld were in the crowd, too, though the comedian wasn’t there for the clothes. “I like the walking, yeah,” he said. A little more than just walking, of course -- the runway represents months and months of work for a show that lasted minutes. “I think you always think it could be better,” McCartney said of the result. “It’s never finished.” It’s a work ethic passed down from her parents. Stella’s mom, Linda Eastman, was an American photographer and musician. She and Paul, both vegetarian, raised their family in London and on an organic farm in the English countryside. She was also raised on the road, where her parents toured, post-Beatles, in the band Wings. “There were stage outfits in the wardrobe, you know, my mum’s thigh-high glittery boots,” McCartney recalled. “And then the other side was sort of Fair Isle knitwear from Scotland or corduroy trousers or jeans from horse riding.” McCartney was also inspired by her father’s classic, tailored look -- and the unconventional life her parents led. “I think I always knew (they were famous). But it was just the norm, you know? It was this kind of mad upbringing where one minute you’re hanging out with Michael Jackson, and the next minute you’re back on a horse in a field or, you know, getting on a school bus.”

EW DELHI (AFP) - Nine women disfigured by acid became defiant models Saturday at the first haute couture fashion show for the survivors of the growing scourge of acid attacks in India. The women, nearly all victims of husbands or close family, paraded in gowns donated by top Indian designers including Rohit Bal, Ranna Gill and Archana Kochhar. None covered their face. “I was very nervous,” said Meena Khatoon, mother of a young son after her venture down the catwalk. But the New Delhi woman, who was attacked by her ex-husband, insisted she had a point to prove. “People often looked away when I went outside. They would walk in the opposite direction when they saw me. I would face a lot of problems,” Khatoon told AFP. “But then one day I thought, if that’s the way you think, so be it. I have to build my life, I want my son to study and I have to support him.” Khatoon now runs her own small business fixing mobile phones. She has been helped by Make Love Not Scars which organised the New Delhi show. The group helps survivors reconstruct their lives and in many cases their faces. It also backed Reshma Bano Qureshi, 20, who appeared at the New York fashion week last year and who is now writing a book that will come out next year. Qureshi, who was attacked three years ago by her brother-in-law, who had thought he was throwing acid at his wife, was also afraid to leave her home. “I was scared it would happen again. I was bothered by how people reacted to me on the streets. People would look away.

Reshma Bano Qureshi, 20, was attacked three years ago by her brother-in-law. Initially she was afraid to leave her home, but last year appeared at New York fashion week and is now writing a book (Photo: AFP/ Dominique Faget) “People would say what happened to you? They would say no one will marry you. They’d say with a deformed face you’re not beautiful. But I’m proud and confident of who I am. I want people to know the face is not what makes you beautiful, it is your heart. “I am so happy because the other girls had the same opportunity to enjoy the experience that I had before.” - Hidden tragedies Hundreds of attacks are reported each year, but Tania Singh, vice president of Make Love Not Scars, believes the true figure is in the thousands. She said local governments do not report all cases, some women die before a criminal case is launched and some choose to stay with abusive families. “We had one case where a woman was attacked by her husband three times and she still continues to live

with him.” The Lalit hotel, where the fashion show was held, has provided a room for one woman who was attacked two weeks ago and is waiting for help. The fashion show was an important way to boost survivors’ confidence, Singh said. “A lot of them are just having a good time, they have never had such a good time.” Many of the women at first refuse to take off their scarves when they go to Make Love Not Scars. “They say ‘we can’t do it, we are pretty ugly’ and we tell them that’s not true you are not ugly, society is ugly.” The fashion show is “a chance to realise that they deserve acceptance, love and belonging. Now they can go back out there and they can tell the world that they don’t have to hide their faces and scars. It is the world that needs to change its thinking.”

Christian Louboutin x Sabyasachi footwear collab brings a taste of Bollywood to Hollywood

As a student at school, McCartney began to draw. “I was sketching always. I was 12 when I made my first jacket. And then I went to Paris when I was 15. I went and interned for Saint Laurent and Lacroix.” She studied design at one of the world’s most prestigious fashion schools. But she didn’t let on that her father was a Beatle. When she entered Central Saint Martins, she did not enroll as Stella McCartney. “No, I grew up always using a different name, really, going into school. I was always Stella Martin!” she laughed. “I was always aware that I wanted to try and do things on my own merit, you know? ‘Cause otherwise you’re quite insecure. You spend your whole career trying to think, ‘Did I get this because of that, or did that happen because of this?’ And I think you get to a certain stage where you just want to walk in the door with a clean slate and with no kind of baggage or heritage, to a certain extent.” It wasn’t always easy, especially at first. In 1997, at age 25, Stella was named creative director of the French fashion house Chloé. The industry was skeptical, to say the least. Some, like designer Karl Lagerfeld (who held the same title at Chloé years before) aired his doubts in public. “I remember when he said that. Look, I was just, like, ‘This is amazing, Karl Lagerfeld is even uttering my name!’ But I was very naïve. And I think that that naïveté served me really well. Because I just designed, and I just thought, ‘Nobody’s gonna know. Nobody’ll watch this.’ And let me just do what I would instinctively do.” It worked. Under McCartney’s direction, sales at Chloé quadrupled, and in 2001 she launched her own label. Her name is now on everything from perfume to sunglasses to platform shoes. McCartney’s brand uses no animal products (for example, her famous Falabella handbag looks like leather, but is actually a coated canvas). Until recently, that was unheard of in the fashion industry. “I do look at my upbringing; I think it enabled me to not have to compromise,” she said. McCartney says fashion is one of the least environmentally-friendly industries in the world -- and she wants to change that: “There’s a cheap price put on an animal’s life in the fashion industry. So I’m here to suggest that maybe it is broke, and it needs fixing.” Wouldn’t it be much easier to use leather or fur? “Yes, it would; it would be much easier,” McCartney replied. “And we’d probably be a much bigger company if we did so. But you know what? Life’s too short. And I love the challenge.” She’s worked closely with tech companies to develop new fabrics, like manmade silk, and materials made from ocean waste. “For me,” she said, “that is the future of everything.” It’s fashion, with a conscience. And it all comes back to how she was raised. Stella’s mom was able to see her daughter’s first show at Chloé, and then died from breast cancer not long after, in 1998. When asked what she thinks her mother would say about her success now, McCartney replied, “You know, I think she’d just want me to be happy and healthy. But I think at the end of the day, because she’s a mummy and I’m her baby, I think she’d just wanna make sure that I was doing okay.” And your dad seems to think it’s really pretty great, doesn’t he? “Yes, I think he’s very proud. And I think ultimately as a child, you only ever really want to make your parents proud, right? And now I just want to make my kids proud, and my husband, and the people that I encounter.” (-CBS News)

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, left, Rumer Willis, Christian Louboutin and Demi Moore in Hollywood (Photo: Billy Farrell)

OS ANGELES - Demi Moore and daughter Rumer Willis, Dita Von Teese and Langley Fox were a few of the bold-faced names that turned out at Just One Eye boutique in Hollywood last Thursday to fete an exclusive collaboration between French footwear de-

capsule collection for men and women features sneakers, loafers, sandals, booties and boots ranging in price from $1,095 to $4,995 as well as $2,450 handbags. Some of the lavishly hand-embroidered styles are made to order and use sari fabrics from Mukherjee’s archives. The collaboration is available only at Just One Eye, where it is sold alongside an exclusive, 60-piece Sabyasachi women’s apparel collection of jackets, tunics, skirts and dresses handmade at the designer’s atelier in Kolkata, India, and which marks the brand’s official West Coast debut.

In L.A. for the collaboration’s launch, the two designers looked on in delight as a troupe of dancers acted out a Sleeping Beautyinspired story, written by Louboutin, in which a woman in a deep sleep is finally roused by an exShoes in the limited-edition Christian Louboutin x Sabyasachi capsule collection quisite pair of Christian Louboutin x Sabyasachi boots. Just One Eye co-founder Paola Russo orsigner Christian Louboutin and Indian fashion designer ganized the performance, which had been choreographed and Bollywood costume designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. by Alex Magno, who has worked with Madonna. (-LA The limited-edition Christian Louboutin x Sabyasachi Times)

SPORT

VOICE OF ASIA 21

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

NFL Soccer Giants bench QB Manning Guardiola backs Silva after 210 straight starts to shine for years by David Mooney

EW YORK | AFP | Tuesday 11/28/2017 - Eli Manning’s run of 210 straight regular-season starts for the New York Giants will end Sunday when the struggling NFL team starts Geno Smith at quarterback against the Oakland Raiders.

ANCHESTER, United Kingdom | AFP | Tuesday 11/28/2017 - David Silva has all the attributes to cement his place as one of Manchester City’s leading lights for years to come, according to his man-

“Geno will start this week,” Giants coach Ben McAdoo said Tuesday, adding that over the final five games of the season the team would also give rookie quarterback Davis Webb a try.

weather, the tough conditions here.

the managers depend on the results,” he said.

“He looks skinny and he looks like he doesn’t run too much, but he’s never injured and every three days he’s fit and there.

“The players can continue in the club and I think the supporters should have more time with this kind of player.”

“It doesn’t matter if we play an important game, a friendly

Guardiola paid tribute to Silva’s attitude, putting that down as the reason he has been able

“It’s hard, hard day to handle this,” the 36-year-old Manning admitted in comments to reporters. His 210 straight starts date back to 2004, when he was traded to the Giants after his selection as the top overall pick by the San Diego Chargers. Manning said he never considered an abbreviated start just to keep the streak going. “Coach McAdoo told me I could continue to start while Geno and Davis are given an opportunity to play,” said the two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. “My feeling is that if you are going to play the other guys, play them,” Manning said. “Starting just to keep the streak going and knowing you won’t finish the game and have a chance to win it is pointless to me, and it tarnishes the streak. Like I always have, I will be ready to play if and when I am needed. I will help Geno and Davis prepare to play as well as they possibly can.” The Giants started the season

He is thought to be close to agreeing a new deal with the Premier League leaders as his current contract expires at the end of next season (Photo: AFP) ager Pep Guardiola. Manning’s 210 straight starts date back to 2004 (Photo: AFP) with a five-game losing streak and head into December at 2-9. “This is not a statement about anything other than we are 2-9, and we have to do what is best for the organization moving forward, and that means evaluating every position,” Giants general manager Jerry Reese

said. “I told Eli (Tuesday) morning that an organization could not ask for any more in a franchise quarterback. He has been that and more. Nobody knows what the future holds, but right now, this is what we think is best for the franchise.”

NBA LeBron’s long history of befriending former rivals by Jake Fischer

LEVELAND, Ohio - “He wants you to shoot that b---h when he passes it,” Channing Frye says. Cleveland’s sharpshooting center is perched courtside at Madison Square Garden, watching LeBron James loft jumpers before the Cavaliers’ morning walkthrough begins. James overhears the conversation and promptly stops his warmup. He raises his voice to a volume that is loud enough to be heard by those nearby but still too reserved to qualify as a commotion. The semantics, though, are more than pointed. “I didn’t know I was going to have to be the starting point guard when the season started,” James crows. A Cavs’ development coach pauses feeding James’s shooting pocket, chuckling along with the rant. “We weren’t doing much passing this summer,” James continues. “In the summer time we did a lot of catch-and-shoot, post-ups and sh--. We were feeling good. “I was like, ‘Oh sh--, we’ve got four point guards this year!’ Then we start the season and it’s like, ‘LeBron’s the point guard, holy sh--!’ he sneers directly at Frye. “So I gotta work on my precision passing more.” Of course, James has long manned lead ball handling duties during his second stint in Cleveland. Kyrie Irving performed as the team’s nominal point guard, yet Finals appearance after Finals appearance, James consistently carried the ball over halfcourt and initiated the Cavs’ explosive offense rather than punishing opponents off pin downs and other off-ball actions that could send him rumbling, untouched, towards the rim. This season, however, James has whizzed the ball almost exclusively to running mates who once feverishly sought to end his Eastern Conference reign. “Guys who compete on other teams, you always look at those guys like, ‘I wish I could play with him one day or coach him one day,’” says Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue. Lue himself was part of the last team, the 2010 Boston Celtics, to defeat James in the conference finals, as he studied under Doc Rivers. “LeBron was always looking over at our bench,” Rivers says. “He even told us one day, ‘I always see you guys over there scheming.’ You could see he

It is believed Silva, 31, is close to agreeing a new deal with the Premier League leaders as his current contract expires at the end of next season. Guardiola believes the Spain midfielder has shown the physical strength and durability to be able to cope with life in the Premier League for so long. “What I like the most with David, being a guy who is a little bit serious in his life and a little bit shy, is the fact that he has survived so well in this league,” he said. “I like how competitive and aggressive he is in winning duels. He’s a guy who is normally more technical, and more about the pass. “I admire him a lot because he suits Spanish football perfectly but he’s survived for a long time with the speed, the

game, bigger stages, or small stages, he’s always ready. “I like the guys who are like this - strong and want to play - but I like guys who are not afraid to play. With David you have that a lot.” Despite the headline-grabbing performances from Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane, Guardiola believes it is Silva who is the perfect example of what he wants in a player. Silva is now playing under his third City manager, having starred for Manuel Pellegrini and signed for Roberto Mancini in 2010. - Consistency Guardiola believes the consistency the midfielder has offered over the years has been crucial to City’s success. “The weak points in a club is always the manager because

to compete for so long in England, and urged him to put pen to paper on a new deal. “He came in at 22 or 23 years old and in the future he may not be able to play every three days, but he’s a guy who’s going to play in the important stages and especially in the bad moments,” he said. “I pay a lot of attention to how players react in the bad moments during the game or during the bad situations. “David is always there. I’m not talking about playing well or badly, but he will always be there. “So that’s why when he can finally sign the contract we’ll be so happy.” “What he has done for the club will be written in the record books in the future. I am so happy. Hopefully he can continue for the next years.”

Cricket England’s Ben Stokes in talks with New Zealand

Lebron James has been a sensational player for nearly a decade (Photo: AFP//File) was always observing what we were doing, especially our play calls—even our defensive play calls.” James would draw the Celtics in the conference finals once more this past spring, when Isaiah Thomas dropped 17 points and 10 assists in Game 1 before shutting down his postseason and Jae Crowder hounded the four-time MVP for 33 minutes a night, desperately trying to dethrone The King. Cleveland ended Boston’s season for the second time in three years. So when Thomas and Crowder ultimately comprised the Cavs’ return package in August’s blockbuster Irving trade, the longtime teammates at first struggled to grasp uniting with the enemy. “It took a minute for us to get outside of that,” Crowder says. “There were some real wars. Me and [James] used to go at it.” His phone pinged with a peace offering from James shortly after news of the trade broke. Crowder’s biggest rival quickly became his staunchest ally. “Before I even met him, he sent me a paragraph text after the trade went down, a couple hours later, just talking about what we can accomplish and what it’s going to take to accomplish that goal we want to work towards,” Crowder says. “That was just in a text. He’s taken, like, a big brother role for me. He’s the type of dude that likes to do gatherings and stuff and meet up for dinner.” James has a long history of fending off rangy Celtics wings. In an effort to extend Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen’s championship window, Boston general manager Danny Ainge swapped locker room lynchpin Kendrick Per-

kins for the Thunder’s younger Jeff Green in 2011. The Celtics simultaneously added more versatility while cleaning their cap sheet. “[Perkins] became so expensive to Oklahoma City that they had to move [James] Harden,” Ainge says. Green could also shadow James and the Celtics needed those exhaustive efforts in addition to a scoring attack complementary to the team’s stars. They most memorably sparred on March 18, 2013, when Green poured in a career-high 43 points and James countered with 37 points, 12 assists and a game-winning 21-footer in Green’s face with 10.5 seconds left. Green would drill a remarkable, buzzer-beating three in Miami the following November. But after three seasons of unmemorable basketball, Green didn’t hesitate when his former nemesis reached out this past offseason. “I don’t think he needs to recruit anybody,” Green says. “He sent me a text, T-Lue gave me a call, saying that he wanted me to come and that was all I needed.” (Even the Celtics’ original LeBron-stopper James Posey is a member of the Cavs’ coaching staff.) A Lue text message started Cleveland’s courtship of Derrick Rose this July as well. Only Rose’s 2011 MVP campaign interrupted James’s dominant stretch of winning the award, forcing him to settle for four out of five years. Their collision course funneled directly to the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, a highly-competitive five-game duel separated by just nine total points over the course of the series. James’s Heat ultimately vanquished Rose’s Bulls. (SI. com)

HRISTCHURCH, New Zealand - New Zealand side Canterbury have approached England all-rounder Ben Stokes about his availability to play for them, they said in a statement on Tuesday. New Zealand-born Stokes is suspended by England and not with the team in Australia after being arrested in September on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm in an incident outside a Bristol nightclub. Stokes, 26, was seen at Heathrow airport on Monday, prompting media speculation about that he was joining the England squad in Australia. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), however, said he was travelling to New Zealand to spend time with his family. Canterbury confirmed they had opened talks with Stokes. “Following the recent speculation surrounding Ben Stokes coming to New Zealand, Canterbury cricket can now confirm that they have been in initial informal discussions with Ben Stokes’ representatives regarding his potential availability,” they said in a statement.

New Zealand side Canterbury have approached England all-rounder Ben Stokes about his availability to play for them. (Photo: Indian Express)

Stokes in action against India in 2016 (Image: YouTube) Any deal would probably include a release clause allowing Stokes to join the England squad in Australia if the ECB wants him to.

Stokes has been told he will not be selected until further notice while police conclude their investigation into an the nightclub incident.

England lost the first Ashes test against Australia by 10 wickets. The second test begins on Saturday in Adelaide. (-Indian Express)

HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 22

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

Your Horoscope for the Week of December 1, 2017 READ YOUR COMPLETE HOROSCOPE

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

ONLINE WWW.VOICEOFASIAONLINE.COM

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 Oct

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April You could feel overwhelmed or overly sensitive, unable to make a move, but you can rise to fly again, perhaps higher than ever before. Positive flow from elderly person will set you into motion. Your motives could be challenged by those in authority, As Your rewards are long overdue. You will be able to achieve success, if you trust your gut feelings & remain loyal to your principles. Your universal appeal will help you dazzle even the dullest audience. A reunion with family, or with those who feel like family, seems appropriate.

Take care of all the fine details and you will receive the praise you are looking for. You should share your ideas wisely and let those you care about know where you stand. You can get ahead financially, however the emotional side of your life may be more difficult. You’ll be able to organize functions at work and earn the admiration of higher ups. A raise or promotion may be in order. You may even meet someone who interests you more than just as a friend. Vehicle related expense will pop up suddenly.

Scorpio (N,Y) 23 Oct to 21 Nov

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May A misunderstanding at this time may have big repercussions, which you would love to set right if only you could understand exactly what is going on! Being stubborn will only work against you. You will be in a position to help others. Give advice but hold back if they want cash. Get on with your life. New attitudes will develop through the company you keep. Take your time before making decisions. Re-direct any jangling nerves into some physical exercise if possible.

Take challenge and get involved in a joint venture. Avoid manual or technical tasks, try to work with others as much as possible. Try a little idea-generation and offer your assistance to colleagues. Don’t say things that may come back to haunt you. Personal problems will play on your mind. You must be willing to move on and let go of the past if you wish to get over the unpleasantness you’ve experienced. Your overhead may be causing undue stress that you can do without.

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June You will get ample of attention of outside world. You’re disciplined enough to accomplish anything you want. Problems with spouse may be alarming at home front, it’s time to make first priority to family & home. You should do things that involve family reunions. Get yourself into projects that will enhance your appearance and help you change your self-image. Be careful not to manipulate a situation to your own liking. Your emotions are frenzied. Opportunities to meet interesting people will help you to broaden your horizons.

Do the best you can and try to enlist some help from other friends or relatives. Helping others will be rewarding to you. Uncertainties regarding finances may upset you. Take a stab at doing your own thing or take time off to discover what you really want to do. Don’t take on other people’s problems. Make suggestions and get on with your own life. By week’s end, things will start to turn in your favor. Past friends may re-surface, causing you some confusion. You will have to give some thought to the reason you broke up in the past.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July Your willingness to confide in others could get you in a little uncomfortable situation. Think twice before sharing emotions. You may not think it’s very important, but it could be to someone else. Use discretion, and avoid saying too much. You sometimes feel like you have to do a balancing act. It’s okay to feel the security you have in your relationships, just be aware of deceit. Take this attitude wherever you go. Set your goals & focus on them full force. Help will arrive from existing networks.

Interesting things always attract & turn you towards your learning skills, but a daydreamer when forced to listen to boring, tedious chatter will frustrate you as well. You are quick to respond and always willing to help others. You will be upset with those who are stubborn, remain cool but don’t allow yourself to be used. You are used to giving your all and will be ready to blow up if you are forced to deal with lazy and inconsiderate individuals. Get sound financial advice, your cautious nature will help you to make the right choices.

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

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August You need to spare time to listen to the problems of family members & loved ones. Your experience and know-how will help them get back on track. Those experiences will provide insight and awareness that will come in handy in your day-to-day life. Satisfaction will be your reward. Financial investments will also be lucrative. You can persuade others to support your plans for the future. You will not be in a position to proposition others. Consider your personal needs before your professional ones.

Organize your resources into fruitful things. Debates will bring distance between you and your friends. You will be tempted to overspend, so leave money in the bank. You will gain respect and close deals by being your charming self. Don’t let anyone take you for granted. Don’t spend more than you can afford to part with. Organize activities that will include friends. You are bored with some of the connections you’ve made & need to re-evaluate things. Take part in competitive sports or games. As You need to neutralize your high level of energy.

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

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September Social life will be in limelight. A simple observation can provoke a strong response. You’ll need to have emotional contact with others. Even though your friends tend to show off their assets, you must keep a close eye on your budget. Best not to discuss your future plans with one who lacks your vision & imagination. Don’t allow them to dampen your enthusiasm. Someone with whom you have almost nothing in common may come to your aid. Utilize your ability to analyze data in order to meet deadlines, schedules. You’ll gain admiration for your honest, direct approach. Take the initiative & you’ll be able to deal with any situation this week.

Read your Weekly Horoscope Online

Special feelings about traditions, relationships & a new interest in financial opportunities will surface. You can start your own traditions, make plans, include everybody close to your heart. The support will give you the confidence you lack. Try to remove excess stress wherever possible, your loved ones will notice the difference, if you do. You’re not a great fan of detail but you need to focus your time properly. You could feel frustrated, or even feel personally criticized. That whining you hear in the corner could be coming from an overworked colleague, try to help in any way you can.

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Share Stories That Reinforce the Organization’s Values Too many companies rely on a vague, generic statement to articulate what matters to it. If you want employees to embrace and express your organization’s values, use stories instead of a mission. Look for stories about coworkers supporting one another, representatives providing excellent customer service, and customers being delighted by your products. Then find unique ways to spread those stories. You could invite a customer to share their stand-out experience at an allstaff meeting. Or you could play a video of one of your best stories at employee orientation. Storytelling teaches your employees to pay attention to the experiences of real people and helps employees feel good about the values your organization stands for. Source: Adapted from “Use Stories from Customers to Highlight Your Company’s Purpose,” by Erica Keswin

Pakistani Restaurant for Sale Located in a prime location on South West area on Highway 6. For more details please contact:

Ron Aga 832 423-6973 Construction Manager-at-Risk Services RFP Houston First Corporation requests proposals from highly-qualified construction management firms capable of providing pre- and construction-phase services through the construction manager-at-risk method relating to the restoration of the Wortham Theater Center and the Theater District Underground Parking Garages in downtown Houston, Texas. Please visit https://www.houstonfirst.com/do-business for full details.

Help Needed Help needed in a Eye Brow/ Threading Shop Located in Kingwood TX.Experience Preferred. For more details please contact: 832-631-5931

PET of the WEEK I need a loving home

GWEN - ID#A007025

MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE WEEK

www.hbr.org

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017

Staff named me *GWEN. I am a spayed female Domestic Shorthair I am about 2 years and 3 months old For more information about this pet, call: City of Sugar Land Animal Services at (281) 275-2364

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VOICE OF ASIA 24

FRIDAY, December 1, 2017