Voice of Asia Feb 20 2015

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VOICE OF ASIA

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

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Vol. 28 No. 8 Friday, February 20, 2015 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

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LABAMA, (February 18, 2015) - Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley apologized on Tuesday to the government of India for a police brutality case that was captured on a squad car’s dashboard camera.

In a letter to the Consul General of India in Atlanta, Bentley said he deeply regretted the “unfortunate use of excessive force” by Madison Police.

Officers there seriously injured Sureshbhai Patel, 57, an Indian man in a confrontation that has brought renewed attention to excessive force by police.

Patel had been in the U.S. for a couple of weeks to help with a new grandson in Madison, a suburb of Huntsville in northern Alabama, when he was stopped by two officers responding to a call about suspicious activity.

The police video reveals a language barrier.

“He don’t speak a lick of English,” an officer says, complaining that Patel was walking away. Patel’s arms are then restrained behind his back, and Madison policeman Eric

Alabama Gov. apologizes to Indian Government in ‘Excessive Force’ case

Eric Parker faces third-degree assault charges in connection with the arrest of an Indian man, Sureshbhai Patel, who was partially paralyzed after his arrest in Madison, Ala., Feb. 6, 2015. (Photo: Limestone County Jail) Parker slams Patel to the ground, face down. He was hospitalized earlier this month with a spinal

cord injury and is undergoing rehabilitation.

Bentley says that state officials will investigate; an FBI probe already is underway.

“Please accept our sincere apology to your government, Mr. Patel and the citizens of India who reside and work in our state,” he wrote.

Patel’s lawyer, Hank Sherrod, says the family is grateful for the Indian government’s support, and welcomed the governor’s response.

“They really appreciate the governor making such a public apology,” he said.

Nevertheless, Patel has sued the Madison Police Department.

The police chief has also apologized and is firing officer Eric Parker, who has been charged with assault.

Parker’s attorney, Robert Tuten, says the officer will fight both the

dismissal and the charge.

Anupreet Singh, the president of the Huntsville India Association, says his group met with Madison city leaders Monday to

talk about ways to improve communication and cultural understanding.

Police stopped Patel after a neighbor called to report “a skin-

ny black guy” with a toboggan hat, thought to be peering into garages.

“I don’t want to blame that person for making that call.

But I do want to say that people have to know their neighbors — get around, meet them, see what they are about, learn their culture,” he says. “That’s what should come out of this incident.”

Chirag Patel stands in his neighborhood in Madison, Ala., where his father, Sureshbhai Patel, was severely injured by police. Photo Credit: Sarah Cole/AL.COM /Landov

Club 65 Celebrates Valentine Day

India’s Mohapatra mobbed at NY fashion week after Obama success

The First Lady wore a knee-length floral dress paired with a matching coat created by Bibhu Mahapatra (right). Photo: PTI/AP

by Jennie MATTHEW New York | AFP | - New York designer Bibhu Mohapatra is riding high since Michelle Obama arrived on a landmark visit to India wearing his dress -- his Fashion Week show was mobbed Wednesday.

Club 65 members enjoy music played by the Aarohar Bollywood Music Group.

by Jaseem Pasha

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here is something about Valentine’s Day that makes us conscious that we are most alive when we’re in love. When you love someone all your saved up wishes start coming out. Love is, after all, our true partner.

Finding the meaning of life by us alone is not an option.

As expected, the Red and Pink, the colors of Valentine,were all over the hall at Bayland Community Center, at 6400 Bissonnet Street, Houston, where the Houstonian seniors of the Club 65 celebrated the Valentine’s Day on February7, this year.

Approximately 75 plus members and Guests attended the event.

The members were happily socializing with smile on their

faces, complimenting each other, and taking pictures with their spouses and friends against the backdrop created especially for the event. Love was definitely in the air. One could see it, and feel it.

Dozens of people given standing-room tickets were turned away from a packed house at Lincoln Center, forced to watch the fall/winter 2015 collection on TV screens in the lobby as there was no more room.

The program started with a warm welcome from Paru McGuire, President of the Club.

Next came Latafath Hussain, the ex-President of the Club 65, who after a brief history of Club 65 invited the members to send in their thoughts on ways to make the Club financially independent.

The activity committee including Rozina Jafferali, Farida Bandali and Paru McGuire, with the help of Rahat Kalle kept the members engaged in Valentine theme games with Continued on Page 8

The collection was full of rich fur coats, both long and cropped, in white, brown, red and blue, mixed with elegant monochrome tailoring and structured evening gowns in red and electric blue.

TheAarohar Bollywood Music Group performing for Club 65

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the United States, first to study economics and then fashion.

“To be represented in my homeland by probably one of the most important persons and not only because of her fashion style or her following, but who she is and what she stands for, was a big deal for me,” he said.

It is not the first time Obama has worn one of his outfits, but selecting the blue flowered dress and matching coat to step off Air Force One with President Barack Obama on January 25 was a career high.

“I feel very fortunate that I’m in a very small way part of that history,” he said of the visit, which signalled a growing closeness between Washington and New Delhi.

“One billion people were watching on a live telecast and Continued on Page 7

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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

VOICE OF ASIA 2

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

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AAP’s victory in the current political atmosphere in India

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Anjali Kanojia, PhD

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

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he recent victory of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi was due to strong electoral faith and support for the third party, in the usual two-party dominant system that exists in India.

Arvind Kejriwal, the newly elected Chief Minister (CM) of Delhi had been labeled as bhagoda (a person who ran away) from power after a brief stint of 49 days in office as CM in early 2014, is now back at the helm.

Even in a multi-party system such as India’s, third parties have a tough time overcoming barriers and disadvantages, and third party voting usually occurs only under the most extreme conditions. How does one view AAP’s victory in the current political atmosphere in India, especially given the pro-Modi environment that has gripped the rest of country?

Usually, majority parties try to gather votes from each other, and they try to persuade minor party supporters as well, mainly by integrating issues positions of the third party into their party platforms, and employing other, more devious forms of campaigning tactics to delegitimize candidates from third parties.

Kejriwal however, seemed to have navigated his political campaign through the ups and downs of dirty politics and negative campaigning in order to emerge as a winner.

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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.

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Kejriwal and AAP clearly learned from their past mistakes. Instead of focusing on major, policy overhauls of passing the Lokpal bill, AAP has continued to focus on smaller (the term is subjective) policy issues such as water and power tariff issues. Their attention to all segments of Delhi society – the upper, middle and urban poor classes helped them tremendously in winning votes. Usually the poor, whose support is traditionally enjoyed by the Congress party, seemed to have voted for the AAP this time around. These phenomena are evident in the Indian

- The Publisher

Supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, celebrate their party’s victory in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015. The upstart anti-corruption party has won a smashing victory in elections to install a state government in India’s capital, officials said Tuesday, dealing a huge blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal). political system, where a group of people or even individuals are more likely to vote for a candidate who they believe has a chance of winning, even though he/she may not be from a party that they would normally support. Also, the minority vote (mainly the Muslim vote) which used to traditionally go to the Congress party largely went towards AAP, especially in the recent elections compared to the 2013 elections when Kejriwal was a serious contender.

AAP also managed to mobilize volunteers in large number for the party’s campaign, and similar to the BJP in the past few years, made excellent use of social media and technology to reach out to the common man. It did not help that Kejriwal’s opponent, Kiran Bedi - BJP’s front runner ran a negative and aggressive campaign against Kejriwal. Kejriwal and AAP fought back, but managed to do it less aggressively, and even by employing humor as means of fighting off Bedi and the BJP. The party realizing its past mistakes took the opportunity to sincerely apologize, and these moves made Kejriwal seem human. Since humans

are prone to make mistakes, the public seems to have accepted his apology, forgiven his bhagoda status, and given AAP yet another chance. The public seem to want hope in the current political system, and want to see corruption swept out of all sectors of society. Kejriwal, a seasoned bureaucrat seems to have leadership qualities that people desire. Kejriwal is seen as an outsider, yet also as a savvy politician who ran an effective campaign to gain power, though stating that he’s a staunch opposer of wanting power for the sake of being in power.

Is AAP’s win a verdict against Modi, or the BJP? In my opinion, this election is not a referendum on Narendra Modi’s performance, as approval ratings for any leader in power fluctuate over time. This election does indicate that the BJP could have perhaps chosen another front runner, instead of Bedi, who previously had ties with the Anna Hazare movement, and a history of working alongside Kejriwal. Bedi may have come off as someone who changes party affiliations easily and therefore seemed to lack sincerity. The results of this election mean that the

Congress party will have to take a serious look at itself in terms of re-evaluation of goals, policy positions, cultivating legitimate candidates, etc., in order to be seen as a viable party. The people of Delhi want simple governance, clean politics, and believe that Kejriwal will be able to deliver this with integrity.

The overwhelming win by AAP also shows that in a system yearning for change, third parties that usually don’t get a true chance can come out as winners. This election also shows the power of social media and technology as tools to reach out to voters, as well as the power of semi-positive campaigning and the importance of admitting mistakes. People, in general have short political memories, this combined with admitting that “I was wrong in the past, please give me another chance” seems to have worked for Kejriwal this time around.

Anjali Kanojia, PhD is lecturer and Assistant Director for the India Studies Program at the University of Houston.

Opinions expressed in this article are only those of the author and do not represent or reflect opinions or positions of the author’s employer.

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VOICE OF ASIA 3

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

Second Front Page

Friday, February 20, 2015 • www.voiceofasiaonline.com • Page 3 • Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com • Tel: 713-774-5140

Brick puja performed for future temple of Ma Gayatri

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music on stage. Many volunteers from Gayatri Pariwar San Antonio and Austin also attended the ceremony and provided their hearty support to the Houston center.

Gayatri Pariwar, Houston acquired an old warehouse on October 17th 2014 in Katy, a suburb of Houston, TX, which will be remodeled into “Center for Gayatri Consciousness”, a temple of Ma Gayatri. The remodeling is expected to be finished in the next four months. The center will also have Bal Sanskarshala for kids, Youth activities including meditation and Bhagvad Geeta workshops, weekly video pravachans, and will also perform different sanskars like punsavan, grih pravesh, naamkaran, vidyaarambh, vivah etc. at the temple or in your home.

The center aims at spreading the philosophy of Gayatri (righteous thinking) and Yagya (righteous actions) to the Greater Houston area.

ATY - With the blessings of gurusatta and Ma Gayatri, Gayatri Pariwar, Houston conducted the brick pooja (shila pooja) ceremony on Saturday, February 7th, 2015 for the upcoming “Center for Gayatri Consciousness” in Katy, TX. Adarniya Pushkar Raj ji from Shantikunj, Haridwar who conducted the ceremony, touched the hearts of all the attendees with his soulful message during the ceremony.

The attendees were asked to write 108 Gayatri Mantras on a piece of paper and bring to the event as their spiritual contribution which would be installed under the idol of Ma Gayatri along with a brick in the memory of their loved ones. Ashok Parikh and Garima Doshi presented the plan of the temple before the attendees along with giving a brief background about Gayatri Pariwar and its activities.

The ceremony was followed by aarti and dinner Prasad. A

Devotees during brick puja for Ma Gayatri temple.

Ceremonial Bricks that were used for the puja.

bhumi pooja ceremony at the temple site was also done in the presence of the local active volunteers.

The brick pooja ceremony was attended by around 250

Kirtans and bhajans being performed during the puja.

people who whole heartedly gave their support right now and for the future as well, for the construction of the Center for Gayatri Consciousness. Volunteers from Gayatri

Pariwar Houston – Sangita & Bharat Tailor, Mahesh andVarsha Patel, Jayani and Ashok Parikh, Deepak and Daksha Khatri, Niru and Suresh Bakshi, Madhu and Prabha

Barvalia, Jignesh Patel, Viral and Manisha Patel, Dinesh & Asmita Bhavsaar, Jitendra & Rekha Siddlagata, Ritu andHaresh Malkani, Madhu and Vandana Agarwal, Mahish

and Richa Sharma, Ketan & Garima Doshi worked very hard to make the program a success. Shri Dinesh, Asmita and Niketa Bhavsaar also accompanied Ad. Pushkarji for

Read this story and others online www.voiceofasiaonline.com

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VOICE OF ASIA 4

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

The People’s Lawyer www.peopleslawyer.net Richard M. Alderman Interim Dean of the Law Center

You can force the sale of jointly owned real estate Q. Two years ago my siblings and I inherited some land owned by our father. There are about 200 acres. Now, three of us want to sell but one refuses. Can we force our brother to sell the property?

A. In Texas, it is possible to force a division of property through a court ordered “partition.” Partition is the legal term referring to division of real property among joint owners. There are two kinds of judicially-ordered partition: partition in kind, which refers to the actual physical division of land; and a judicially-ordered sale of the property, when partition in kind is not feasible or cannot be achieved fairly and equitably.

Forcing a legal partition of the property will involve a lawsuit, and could result in excessive costs to be shared by all the owners. I suggest you speak with your brother and explain that one way or another the property will be sold or divided. The costs of a partition proceeding, and the fact that a partition sale often does not result in the best price, may be sufficient to encourage him to work with the rest of the family.

If you all were to meet with a real estate attorney, my guess is you will agree to voluntarily sell the property and obtain the best price.

Q. I had an accident. The person who hit me gave me his license and insurance information and left. The next day I learned his insurance has lapsed. What can I do now?

It doesn’t seem fair that he violates the law and I am out of luck.

A. You may not be out of luck. The person who caused the accident is responsible for your damages, regardless of whether he has insurance. I suggest the first thing you should do is contact the police and report the accident. Then contact the other driver and see if he will agree to pay. If he does not, you can file a claim against him in justice court. If you win and he doesn’t pay, he could lose his driver’s license and registration.

Q. I am unmarried and have three daughters. I want my oldest daughter to receive my home after my death. Can I give her a durable power of attorney so that she can simply transfer title into her name after I die? I do not have a will.

A. A power of attorney is not a substitute for a will. A durable power of attorney assigns only the power to do what you are capable of doing yourself. Because the power is “durable” it continues even if you become incapacitated, for example, due to Alzheimer’s disease.

Once you die, however, the authority granted by a power of attorney ends. If you do not want to transfer title until after you die, you must do so through a provision in a will. I should point out that in Texas, probating a will is not necessarily a complicated procedure and, depending on the estate, can be very simple and inexpensive. I suggest you speak with an attorney about preparing a will. Without a will, all your children will share your estate.

Q. My husband and I are separated. What do we do to make the separation legal and insure that the property we obtain is not community property?

A. There really is no such thing in Texas as a legal separation. If you want to insure property you obtain is not community property, you and your spouse must sign a partition and exchange agreement. You should have a family law attorney assist you with this document.

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he President and the Board of Directors of Samskriti mourn the death of our beloved Founder Executive Director Anil Kumar, husband of Artistic Director Rathna Kumar, Founder of Anjali Center of Performing Arts, Houston. Ever since Samskriti’s inception, Anil was an integral part of our planning, organizing and administrative operations. His creative genius and title in presenting “Bollywood Blast” and “Incredible India” for nearly ten years at the Miller Outdoor Theater that brought 5000 strong audience is in indeed incredible. His efforts helped Samskriti to bring to stage some of the finest of Indian performers, seminars and conferences.

He lived a good life of giving, sharing, caring, and smiling, and was above all he was a simple and a good person at heart. We will miss you always, Anil Kumar. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family to give them strength to bear the loss.

We remember you with this quote by Helen Keller “What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes part of us.”

Thara Narasimhan President, Samskriti

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 5

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

5th Stop Diabetes Movement camp concludes after 10 days

Dr. Virendra Mathur,seen addressing the campers.

by Swapan Dhairyawan OUSTON- A 10 day camp for Stop Diabetes Movement (SDM) concluded on Sunday February 15th, 2015. This was the 5th such camp being organized in Greater Houston by Sewa International in association with VYASA. In the recent past, the camps at Keshav Smriti, Katy, The Woodlands and Downtown Houston were very successful.

This 10-day camp was held at the beautiful recreational facility in Sugar Land, provided by philanthropist, Jugal Malani. The camp was attended by 24 participants every day for 2 hours. The camp instructors were Daksha Shah, Sarika Phalak and Armin Kasnavia. The integrated approach of yoga therapy for SDM is designed

by SVYASA yoga university based on concepts taken from the traditional Yoga scriptures (Patanjali Yoga sutras, Yoga Vasishtha and Upanishads) that highlight a holistic life style for positive health at physical, mental, emotional, intellectual and spiritual levels, Because one understand, that health is not just a state of absence of diseases, but a state of wellbeing at various personality levels. The integrated Yoga module includes a variety of practices and not just the physical yoga postures. The practices include joint loosening, breath exercises, postures, deep relaxation, meditation all of which

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is aimed at revitalizing and providing deep rest to the mind and body. Yogic counseling is aimed at understanding the need for life style change and preventing the relapses by yogic self- management of psychosocial stresses, Yogic concepts of health and disease, role of mind in managing Diabetes. They also explain how mind can heal the body through Yoga.

All these sessions were conducted by well-trained clinicians and yoga therapists. Dr. Sudha Rajan spoke eloquently about the epidemic “diabetes” and the effectiveness of yoga. Vishwarupa Nanjundappa

SDM Campers in Sugar Land spoke about the results which the camp participants noticed within 10 days. The graph (FBS & PPBS) results showed the results of sugar levels pre & post camp for the participants. In order for all the participants to qualify and achieve the accurate level of results; the camp would be continuing for another 10 weeks on Saturday only and the results will be measured at that point also.

Shri Arvind Thekdi was emcee of this concluding event. A cross section of participants were picked up at random and requested

to summarize their thoughts about their individual experience from the camp. Four of the participants shared as to how relaxation had helped them & relieved so much stress. Some of them mentioned that their energy levels on each day after the camp had risen and had led to more productivity. Among the invited guests were Councilmen of Sugar Land Harish Jajoo and Himesh Gandhi who were both amazed to see the results of what Yoga had to provide to our metaphysical body. Mr. Jajoo volunteered all the assistance which the City of Sugar Land can pro-

vide for such camps in the future & he would personally attend too.

Mr. Gandhi spoke about the mission of City of Sugar Land which promotes healthy Lifestyle and is considered among the top 10 cities which are health conscious.

Dr. Virendra Mathur, Houston’s accomplished cardiologist, was very impressed with the camp results and encouraged the SDM efforts of SEWA and VYASA. The other invited guests Jugal Malani and Gaurangbhai Nanavaty supported such endeavors and were keen listeners to the comments

from the camp participants. All the invited guests were given a book on Swami Vivekananda. The organizational update for SEWA was given by Arun Kankani & for VYASA by Smitha Vishwarupa.

The vote of thanks was proposed

by Vibhuti Shah after which the attendees were served with a dinner feast catered by Madras Pavilion and was generously sponsored

by Nexion Health. The program volunteers were Arvind and Manjula Thekdi, Vibhuti Shah, Pallavi Dhairyawan, Madhulika Tewary and Madhukar Adi.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

7th annual Indian Film Festival of Houston begins in March, 2015

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n March 2015, the 7th annual Indian Film Festival of Houston returns for its seventh edition. The inaugural festival’s success led to an even greater desire to spread the awareness of the Indian culture by expanding the horizons of an international audience through the film medium. We are host to a broad mix of consumers that cover the entire economic spectrum. This provides us and our sponsors a unique opportunity to widen name recognition in several different demographics.

The festival will span 3 nights and will present more than 10 screenings. This makes it one of the most unique and original Indian film festivals in the south. The festival will feature film screenings, special symposia and educational events presented throughout the Houston area. The full line-up for the 7th annual Indian Film Festival of Houston will be announced in January 2015, IFFH offers Jury awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Short and Special Recognition Awards for Industry Leaders As background, the Indian

Film Festival of Houston (IFFH) is an official event on the International Film Festival circuit and some of the previous winners have been recognized on the international film circuit – one is an Oscar winner and another is an Oscar-nominated film.

Sutapa Ghosh is the Founder and Festival Director of Indian Film Festival of Houston. Sutapa was born in Kolkata, India and moved to USA 20 yrs ago.

She earned her Master’s Degree (MS) from Rhode Island, USA and also has a Bachelor’s degree in Music (Sitar). Sutapa has produced two Bengali Feature Films, Utsab and Titli, both directed by Rituparno Ghosh.

Sutapa was also recognized as the 100 most Creative People in Texas in 2012.

IFFH has been chosen by Houston Press as the 2014 Best Film Festival of Houston.

The Indian Film Festival of Houston (IFFH) Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization devoted to education in the fields of film and television and in creating a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing quality films that honor entertainment

industry performers and film makers while promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian Diaspora through an annual event.

SCREENING 3rd March, Tuesday: Screening at 6.30pm, Theater # 1 For Here or to Go? 105 min – Feature, Comedy/ Drama, English. Director: Rucha Humnabadkar Star Cast: Ali Fazal, Omi Vaidya, Samrat Chakrabarti, Rajit Kapoor Young Silicon Valley software engineer Vivek Pandit is poised to become a key hire at a promising healthcare startup, but when they realize his work visa has less than a year remaining, the offer disappears. Having learned the hard way about the flaws in his “its just paperwork” mentality, Vivek battles forces beyond his control to get his visa extended, whether at his existing company or a new job. Along the way, his eyes are opened to the similar struggles of his own roommates and those around him. American in mind and Indian at heart, this is a con-

Still from the documentary Riders of the Mist temporary story of ambition and ambivalence fueled by one’s immigration status that characterizes the dilemma of modern cultural displacement.

4th March, Wednesday: Screening at 6 pm, Theater # 3 Dum Dum Deega Deega, 15 min - Short | Drama, Hindi with English subtitles, Director: Ayush Kapur The solution to your problem is often hidden in the problem itself; all you need is a different outlook. The story of a beggar child, Ajju, who lives on the streets of Mumbai, but dreams big.

4th March, Wednesday: Screening at 6.15 pm, Theater #3 Riders of the Mist, 64 min Documentary | Action | Adventure, Director: Roopa Barua Riders of the Mist is a documentary about a century old bareback pony racing tradition in the state of Assam, India. The ponies are free-grazing and live in the grassland river islands of

Jai Ho (II), 60 min - Documentary on A.R.Rahman. the Brahmaputra Valley. They come and participate in the annual racing event of a colonial era planters club in Jorhat, Assam.

This documentary is a portrayal of the races as they unfold, the jockeys and their lives and these ponies that become part of the tradition every year. The heavy mist that hovers over Jorhat during this time of the year is a fitting backdrop for this quirky phenomenon that has a fleeting presence for a few days every year and is gone almost as soon as it arrives.

4th March, Wednesday: Screening at 7.40 pm, Theater # 3 Cloth Paper Dreams, 12 min Short | Drama, English, Director: Greg Davis Journey to India’s Kumbh Mela, where every twelve years at the confluence of the three holiest rivers, untold millions converge to pray, commune and ultimately connect to something greater than themselves.

4th March, Wednesday: Screening at 8 pm, Theater # 3 Int. Café: Night, 13 min Short | Drama | Romance, Hindi, Director: Adhiraj Bose Star Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Naveen Kasturia, Shernaz Patel, Shweta Prasad A 13 minute film exploring two stories set inside a cafe in Kolkata, India. It follows the conversation of an elderly couple who have met by chance after a long interval, and a younger couple who are meeting for the last time on another table nearby. This is a story depicting the youthful, impulsive side of the unfulfilled love as well as the maturity of ageless affection, which are ex-

plored simultaneously in one night at a café.

4th March, Wednesday: Screening at 8.15 pm, Theater #3 Jai Ho (II), 60 min - Documentary | Biography | Music, Director: Umesh Aggarwal The Film brings to its viewers, a hitherto unseen and unheard narrative of one of the greatest musicians the world has ever known-A.R.Rahman. Allah-Rakha Rahman has the honour of

single-handedly catapulting Indian Film Music on to the world stage. Considered one of the world’s most influential people

by Time Magazine, his prolific body of work, over 120 film scores worldwide - at last count in a career spanning two decades, makes him one of the world’s alltime top selling recording artists.

The Film explores the evolution of his style of music - a fusion of Eastern sensibilities and Western technology.

5th March, Thursday: Screening at 6 pm, Theater # 1 Rough Book, 100 min – Feature, Drama, Hindi with English subtitles, Director: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan Star Cast: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Kaizaad Kotwal, Amaan Khan Rough Book is a hard look at the education system in contemporary India. Though one of the finest systems in the world, the lacunae in the system have created issues. The story is told to us through the eyes of a teacher, Santoshi Kumari, who rallies through a divorce with a corrupt income tax officer to become a teacher of Physics in a school.

DIASPORA

VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

India-born Punit Renjen India’s Mohapatra mobbed US lawmakers to address Indian American doctors to be Deloitte Global CEO at NY fashion week .....

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Punit Renjen. Deloitte image

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UMBAI: (17 Feb, 2015) Punit Renjen, the chairman of the board of Deloitte US, has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of Deloitte Global (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu), the first India-born senior executive to head one of the Big Four consultancies.

“Thank you for the trust you have placed in me and you have my commitment to serve the global network. I will do my best to serve the global network.....” Renjen wrote in an e-mail to all global directors and partners last Friday.

Renjen will replace Barry Salzberg as the global CEO from June 1, when the firm’s financial year starts. He got 98% of the 5,400 votes to become the global chief executive officer, according to a separate mail sent to all employees on Monday afternoon.

Deloitte LLP, the US member firm, recorded $14.91 billion in revenue in the year ended May 31, 2014.

“Renjen comes from an information technology consulting background and he was part of the team that was crucial in Deloitte around 1999-2000 when the Y2K issue was on top of everyone’s minds,” said a senior partner in one of the boutique firms

who earlier worked with Renjen in the US. Some were slightly apprehensive about Renjen’s appointment. “I don’t know if the global partners are prepared to take an outsider as their head,” said the India head of one of the Big Four.

“That is nonsense,” said another national head of auditing with the Big Four. “In fact, I have seen increased respect for anyone who has grown from within the organisation and who doesn’t belong to the 6-foot, Ivy League kind of definition. He has spent 28 years in the US and in Deloitte and I think we Indians are just happy with the reflected glory. He is more American,” he quipped.

The Big Four refers to the largest global accounting firms, the others being Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, EY and KPMG. Renjen’s father was a prominent businessman in Lahore before the partition. The Renjen family moved to Rohtak in Haryana where his father started an electrical switchgear manufacturing unit. Renjen completed his schooling from Lawrence School in Himachal Pradesh and worked in Usha International in New Delhi after his graduation.

Courtesy: ET Bureau

US First Lady Michelle Obama (centre) greets Indian officials upon arrival on Air Force One in New Delhi on Jan 25, 2015 wearing Mohapatra’s designer dress -- PHOTO: AFP Continued from Page 1 (the Obamas) being received by the prime minister of one of the largest democracies. Not bad!” he said.

The Obamas arrived in India on Saturday evening US time, and Mohapatra went straight to his studio and left the pictures on his team’s desks.

“I know that means a lot to them. And who doesn’t want to get validated for their work?

And I felt validated. I got so many phone calls, my phone literally rang all night -- for a week,” he said.

- More time in India Mohapatra’s success is the American dream personified.

He grew up in a middle class family in Orissa, on the east coast of India, and moved to the United States in 1996.

After earning a Master’s degree in economics from Utah State University, he enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

Before launching his epony-

mous label at Fashion Week in 2009, he was design director at French furrier J. Mendel for nine years.

Hollywood actresses Hilary Swank, Gwyneth Paltrow and Glenn Close have worn his clothes, but he says he would love to spend more time in India.

“I’m a bit of a nomad, I love to travel,” he told AFP. “I would like to be omnipresent, if I can be, because the world has become a really small place.”

Economic development has transformed the India he left in 1996 into a “very different” country, he says.

“It’s exciting. Every time I go back, there’s so much. We launched in India in 2014 so now we’re going to be doing more and more things. A few things are in the pipeline,” he said.

But Mohapatra also loves the United States. He lives in New York and spends his weekends upstate, where he keeps chickens named after supermodels.

ASHINGTON: (18 Feb, 2015 ) A number of influential US lawmakers would address Indian American doctors at the Capitol Hill in March during which they are expected to raise issues related to immigration and health care.

new schools and expansion of existing schools, the number of residency slots funded by Medicare has been capped at about 100,000 since 1997.

American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic organisation of physicians, representing over 100,000 physicians of Indian origin will hold the annual Legislative Day & Governing Body Meeting from March 26 to 28.

As part of comprehensive immigration reform, AAPI urged the Congress to include international medical graduates also along with international students graduating with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) being fast-tracked for Green Cards.

“The Legislative Day will have panel discussions on topics of importance to AAPI members and how they can be part of the process in the implementation of the health care reform in this country,” said Ajeet Singhvi, AAPI office bearer.

While medical school enrolment has climbed two annually over the past five years through

Increasing GME position will help to address access issues in United States, Ravi Jahagirdar, AAPI president said.

This proposal enables highlyskilled workers to remain in the United States after receiving their higher education in the states.

Among the areas where AAPI had sought US lawmakers to support their agenda included increasing 15,000 more Residency Positions. PTI.

Indian-American Amit Patel shot dead in US

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EW YORK: A 28year-old IndianAmerican businessman, who was gunned down by an unidentified assailant in his family-owned liquor shop in the US, has succumbed to his injuries, police said today.

Amit Patel from Edison was shot and killed in New Jersey inside Roseway Liquors in Irvington yesterday.

Patel was alone in the liquor store, owned by his father, when the assailant shot at him at close range, police said.

There was no damage to the store or indication of a robbery and only one shot was fired, they said.

When police arrived at the store, they found Patel injured from a gunshot wound. He was later pronounced dead, acting Essex county prosecutor Carolyn A Murray and acting Irvington police director Musa Malik said in a statement.

According to close family friends, Amit’s father was in the back office when the shooting took place.

“Somebody came in, shot him... fell down here,” family friend Rakesh Patel said.

“We don’t know if it was a robbery, nobody knows. They were alone here,” Bimal Patel, another family friend, was quoted as saying by nj.com.

“He was a nice guy. I don’t know what happened. Everybody’s nervous,” he said.

The victim got married only a year ago. Authorities said they were looking into whether the shooting may have been the result of a robbery, but said it was too early in the in the investigation to be sure.

The CCTV camera footage will be examined for any leads in the case, in which no arrests have been made so far.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 8

Club 65 Celebrates Valentine Day

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

Gaura Purnima at ISKCON of Houston

Continued from Page 1

March 5th & March 8th, 2015

members participating with zeal and vigor. Prizes were awarded to the Best Dressed Female, Best Dressed Male and Best Dressed Couple. The 2 judges Jamil Chunawala and Rashida Logher had to work extra hard at making the final choices, but none the less arrived at a decision after much deliberation.

During a short break for lunch, seniors enjoyed the delicious Chinese cuisine and a Valentine Day Cake for desert, which was planned by Asghar Alibhoy and his team.

The music group of Aarohar Bollywood Music packed the dance floor and dazzled the audience with brilliant streams of oldies. Preitu Dave, Anjan Kothare, Vijay Kalpathi and Nick Ganatra entertained the audience with a mix of romantic and melodious songs of the 50’s and 60’s, as well as some newer Bollywood songs.

Never has the dance floor seen so many members engaged in slow dances with their spouses and the loved ones.

Neither the music nor the dancing would have ended if it were not for the time restraints of the venue. The musicians thanked the audience stating that this was the most responsive and appreciative audience they

Abhishekh, the ceremonial bathing of the Deities being performed. File Photo.

Club 65 President Paru McGuire, (3rd from lt), Latafath Hussain, ex-President and other members. have ever had.

The Aarohar Bollywood Music Group offered their services totally free as a courtesy to the seniors of Club 65. The program that usually ends by 2.30 PM went on until 3.30 PM.

Club 65 is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of IMAGH (Indian Muslims of Greater Houston). To find out more about Club 65 or to become a member, please visit, www.imagh.org or call Paru Mcguire at 440-390-1763.

SPRING COLLECTION

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call 3-1-1 or visit: HoustonSolidWaste.org

This is a public service message from Voice of Asia Newspaper, Houston, Texas. © 2014

T

he International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) of Houston is celebrating Gaura Purnima, the auspicious appearance day of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on Thursday, March 5th and will host a cultural festival on Sunday, March 8th in continuation of the festivities.

The ISKCON movement traces its origins back to this divine Personality who brought the science of devotional service (Bhakti) to all humanity, notwithstanding the barriers of caste, gender or race. The Vedas have prophesized that in the age of Kali, Lord Sri Krishna would advent Himself in a golden avatar and propagate the worship

of Krishna through chanting of His holy names. Fulfilling this prophecy, in the early fifteenth century, on a full moon night, also known as purnima, Sri Krishna Chaitanya was born in Mayapur on the banks of the Ganges.

His golden bodily complexion earned him the endearment ‘Gaura’ - which means golden.

All over the world, devotees observe this festival by fasting through the day and breaking fast at moonrise.

Festivities start at 7 PM on Thursday, March 5th. You can witness the abhishekh, the ceremonial bathing of the Deities followed by a discourse on the glorious life of Mahaprabhu – given

by HH Rtadhvaja Swami.

There will be kirtan or congregational chanting of the

holy names of Krishna before ending the evening with delicious free vegetarian dinner prasadam.

If you would like to experience this offering of devotion again, join us on Sunday, March 8th. We will have kirtan along with discourse on glories of Mahaprabhu by HH Rtadhvaja Swami, leading up to more kirtans, followed by cultural programs and a grand feast at 7 30 PM. All are invited to join and celebrate this great personality’s appearance and gain a glimpse into the blissful purity of His devotion.

Connect with ISKCON of Houston on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Temple is located at 1320 West 34th Street, 77018.

Check Events Calender Updates On www.voiceofasiaonline.com

SOUTH ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 9

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

Rama Naidu, South India’s movie mogul dies at 78

by Udhav Naig and Suresh Krishnamoorthy

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Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s 100th film, Thirumaangalyam, in 1974.

e has produced 139 films in all official languages of India

Mr. Ramanaidu was born on June 6, 1936, into a well-todo family of farmers. Having taken up farming initially and overseeing the operations of a family-owned rice mill, he soon became unhappy with the vocation and decided to migrate to the then Madras to set up a brick factory.

Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner and veteran film producer Daggubati Ramanaidu died of cancer in Hyderabad on Wednesday. He was 78.

He has produced 139 films in all official languages of India, earning him the moniker “Movie Mogul.”

He has the distinction of working with some of the most popular Indian film stars, including N.T. Rama Rao, A. Nageswara Rao, Sivaji Ga-

Rama Naidu (1936-2015) nesan, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Sreedevi, Jayapradha, Madhuri Dixit and Sushmita

Sen, in a career spanning almost six decades. He has produced former Tamil Nadu

In 1963, he got an offer to partner as a film producer and set up a production company, Suresh Productions. He produced Anuragam, which was directed by G. Ramineedu, starring Bhanumathi and Jaggaiah and followed it up with

Ramudu Bheemudu, which had N.T. Rama Rao in the lead.

After holding fort for two decades, Mr. Ramanaidu, heeding to appeals from former Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh M. Channa Reddy and N.T. Rama Rao in 1986, was among those who helped lay the foundation for the growth of the Telugu film industry in Hyderabad.

He was among the first to set up a full-fledged production facility, the Rama Naidu Studios, in Jubilee Hills in 1989 and established the Rama Naidu Charitable Trust in 1991. He was conferred the prestigious Raghupathi Venkaiah Award in 2006, Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 2009, and the Padma

Bhushan in 2013.

He is survived by wife Lakshmi and sons Daggubati Suresh, a well-known producer, and Daggubati Venkatesh, a popular Telugu actor.

Great legacy: Kamal “It would be unjust to introduce Ramanaidu gaaru to the next generation as a Tamil or Telugu film producer. He is much more than that. National cinema sprang from Chennai and D. Ramanaidu was one of the doyens of it. He has left a great legacy behind and I would like to say thank you,” said actor Kamal Haasan. The Hindu

A Mass Chanting for World Peace: Guinness World Records recognizes HH Dr. Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji for Creating World History

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t a time of constant turmoil, mass killings, and natural disasters happening in different parts of the world, His Holiness Dr. Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji, pontiff of the Avadhoota Datta Peetham of Mysore, India led a mass chanting session on January 31st, 2015 in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh in India for the benefit of world peace. This mammoth effort, aimed at benefiting all beings and the atmosphere, has been aptly recognized by the “Guinness World Records.”

Leading the effort, Sri Swamiji clearly explained the merits of the chant and the virtues of repeatedly chanting the sacred verses. In the process, the 9th chant was recognized as the Guinness World Record attempt by the official adjudicator Ms. Fortuna Burke, who supervised the entire event. When the chanting continued a little over six minutes, Ms. Burke announced it as “the brand new

world record in the category of mass chanting,” with 128,918 participants singing in unison.

During the 27th and last chant, there were over 226,000 participants.

universe.”

In recent times, scientific research has also revealed that sound waves formed while chanting are converted into electro-magnetic waves and potentially provide enormous positive impact on beings and atmosphere.

Witnessing the event with great interest, the Governor of Tamilnadu, His Excellency Sri K Rosaiah, later presented the Record Certificate from Guinness World Records to Sri Swamiji. Speaking on the occasion, the Governor expressed his utmost happiness about the event and praised the large gathering of people who turned out from different parts of the world.

The Hanuman Chalisa, authored by Sant Tulasidasji Maharaj, consists of 40 verses and is famous globally, especially since it is believed to fulfill desires of those who recite it. According to Sri Swamiji, “Hanuman Chalisa is a very ancient prayer dating back over 500 years. This particular prayer

Dr. Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji being presented with the GuinnessRecord is especially chosen for chanting since the collective sound

vibrations will create positive impact thereby promoting uni-

versal brotherhood, and aiding in the well-being of the entire

Sri Swamiji’s love and devotion to Lord Hanuman knows no bounds. Hanuman, affectionately known as the Lord of the Apes, destroys sins and creates pure happiness. For the benefit of people in the US, Sri Swamiji is overseeing a major temple construction that is currently underway in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The Marakata Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple which will have the hanuman statue carved from a single stone of Marakata, or Emerald will be one of its kind outside India. Temples with Marakata statue are renowned to bring protection and spiritual benefits to those who visit. In Trinidad, Sri Swamiji has installed an 85 feet Hanuman statue, the tallest one outside India, in the Datta temple. The temple attracts thousands of people from around the world to the small island nation every year.

GuinnessRecord2 Based in Mysore, Sri Swamiji has established many ashrams and is involved in spreading the message of peace around the world. Swamiji supports several social projects to help the downtrodden and has setup hospitals and schools in India to help the poor and needy. Importantly, his healing music concerts that are specially performed for spiritual energy transmission are always a treat to everyone. People around the world have received immense benefit from physical healing to spiritual guidance.

Sri Swamiji has performed several such Healing and Meditation concerts all over the world for over 30 years now. Notably, he performed along with globally renowned violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam in a packed concert at the famous Lincoln Center in 2008 in New York City.

Other prominent venues include the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore, and the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Sri Swamiji has received praise and recognition for his work around the world. Recognizing Sri Swamiji’s international stature, the US government has granted special O-visa status to him to travel and perform throughout the USA.

Patanjali Yogpeeth (USA) Trust Self Development & Assistant YOG TEACHER Training workshop @ Arya Samaj Houston

February 27, 28 & March 1, 2015 The workshop integrates asanas, pranayam, mudras, meditation, bandhas, and self-reflection. Training by Dr. Dilip Sarkar & Shekhar Agrawal

• Fee = $151- includes 3-day teacher training, books and meals Call - Shekhar Agrawal: 281-456-3208 | shekharagrawal@gmail.com or Indra Singhal: 832-607-3977 | Indrasinghal@yahoo.com For more information, please visit:

www.pyptusa.org

“Good health is the birthright of all human beings” – Swami Ramdev

VOICE OF ASIA 10

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

12th Annual India House Gala Unity In Diversity

Saturday, March 21, 2015 6:30 pm to Midnight

Gala Chair: Devi Prasad Rungta Sugar Land Marriott Town Square 16090 City Walk, Sugar Land, TX 77479

SPONSORSHIP LEVELS BENEFACTOR: $50,000

GRAND PATRON: $25,000

PATRON: $15,000

GRAND SPONSOR: $10,000 One Table of 10 Half Page B/W Ad in Souvenir Recognition through Media

Two Tables of 10 Full Page Color Ad in Souvenir On Stage Recognition Recognition through Media

One Table of 10 Half Page Color Ad in Souvenir On Stage Announcement Recognition through Media SPONSOR: $5,000 One Table of 10 Quarter Page Color Ad in Souvenir Recognition through Media

One Table of 10 Full Page B/W Ad in Souvenir On Stage Announcement Recognition through Media

Cost of Advertising in Souvenir Book: Full Page Color Ad: $1000

COUNCIL: $2,500 One Table of 10 Quarter Page B/W Ad in Souvenir Recognition through Media

Full Page B/W: $500 Half Page Color: $500 Half Page B/W: $250 Quarter Page Color: $250 Quarter Page B/W: $100

India House strives to help the entire Houston community through its various programs and services. Join India House Board in accomplishing our mission. Visit us: www.indiahouseinc.org

Be a sponsor today!

ATTENDEES: Couples: $500 - Seating for Two Individual: $275- Seating for One

To Sponsor the Event, contact: Vipin Kumar Tel: 713-929-1900 Vipin@Indiahouseinc.org

VOICE OF ASIA 11

LIFESTYLE

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

Vol. 28 No. 8 Friday, February 20, 2015 Section 2 Page 11

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com Tel: 713-774-5140

Asian-born talents light up New York runway

by Prune PERROMAT

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wo of New York’s hottest Asian-born designers, Thakoon Panichgul and Prabal Gurung, lit up the runway on day four of Fashion Week, unveiling sexy and sensuous fall/winter 2015 collections.

The jet-set, models and fashion editors braved one of the coldest days of the year, picking their way through ice and huddling in fur coats in 16 degrees Fahrenheit (minus nine Celsius) weather outside.

The Singapore-born, Nepal-raised and New York-trained Gurung is marking the sixth anniversary of his eponymous label, which has dressed the likes of First Lady Michelle Obama and Britain’s Duchess of Cambridge.

Designer Thakoon Panichgul walks the runway at the end of his show at New York Fashion Week at SIR Stage37 on February 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Jp Yim)

He won rave reviews for his latest collection, which mixed sensuous negligee-style cocktail dresses with the comfort of sportswear, creating a sexy yet relaxed silhouette.

Always inspired by the mountains, this time Gurung turned to America’s Adirondacks for his muse, as well as sourcing hand-knit Nepalese cashmere and snow leopard printed calf hair.

Barely-there dresses were paired with beautifully tailored, fox and astrakan embossed velveteen coats and luxurious fur-trimmed hoods.

Skirts were slashed on one thigh, up both thighs or to the side, mirroring deep V-necks at the throat. Chunky knitwear and high collars were some of the few nods to winter temperatures.

“The inspiration was this idea of ease and sensuality and comfort, and the sensuality and glamour that comes with it,” Gurung told AFP backstage.

“I jut wanted to do this beautiful luxurious sportswear that... spoke about

A model walks the runway at the Thakoon fashion show during New York Fashion Week at SIR Stage37 on February 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Jp Yim).

Designer Prabal Gurung walks the runway at the end of his show at The IAC Building on February 15, 2015 during New York Fashion Week (AFP Photo/ Fernanda Calfat). rics that I was really loving are all textural, there’s a mohair wool, there’s velvet tapestry and there was a richness to it that was really reminiscent of Oscar Wilde,” he said in an interview.

“There are things that I love doing now, like taking menswear shirting and twisting it for women, that’s something that we didn’t do in the beginning.

“It was basically taking the idea of Bohemia but mixing it with 19th century dandy.”

“But as I designed, more and more, I discovered that I loved all the things like that, taking menswear elements, and mixing it with a feminine way,” he said.

The New York-based designer, who has also dressed Michelle Obama and Hollywood star Demi Moore, unveiled his first collection in September 2004 and is looking toward his next decade in the trade.

“I feel great,” he said. “Ten years, ago my presentation was in a tiny little space. It was jam-packed and we’re able to grow organically and it feels really wonderful.”

Models walk the runway at the Prabal Gurung fashion show during New York Fashion Week at The IAC Building on February 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Fernanda Calfat). the woman, spoke about the girl.

“And that’s my vocabulary. What I wanted to do was bring the glamour of the evening wear to the sportswear, and the ease and comfort of the sports wear to the evening,” he said.

The outfits were matched by delicate, stilettos made from snake, suede,

lizard and leather, in only Gurung’s second footwear collection.

“I wanted to do something that has really something elegant, chic and feminine but that had a little bit of bite, I always say that,” Gurung said of the shoes.

- Inspired by Oscar Wilde -

Earlier, Thai-born, Omaha-raised fashion designer Thakoon moved into his second decade in the business Sunday with a bohemian collection for fall/winter 2015 inspired by Oscar Wilde.

He says he still keeps in mind the same woman -- a feminine and artistic woman who is refined but also a tomboy -- though his collection has developed substantially over the past decade.

Thakoon put handbags on the runway for the first time, a season after launching them quietly.

“These really accompany the clothes really well, there is a personality to them that... they don’t scream bags, they scream just a little something to add to the collection,” he said.

For Thakoon, fashion is about fantasy.

“We all want to dream, there is a fantasy to fashion, that’s why we all love fashion... so it’s really about injecting that every season.”

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My House... Your House... Our House!

• ZUMBA Fitness Class: Starts Feb 7th, Saturday 9 am to 10 am • India House Charity Clinic: Every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm - By Appointments Only.

• Free Yoga Classes: Every Tuesday & Thursday from 11 am to 12 pm and Every Saturday from 10 am to 11 am.

• Free Meditation classes: Every Saturday from 11 am to 11:30 am.

• Free Immigration Consultation: Every Saturday from 1 pm to 3pm.

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HEALTH, SC & RES

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

Is Garlic Nature’s Best Medicine?

Recent scientific studies on the therapeutic benefits of garlic - PART II

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

Preterm (premature) delivery and other gynecological benefits Microbial infections during pregnancy raise a woman’s risk of preterm delivery, several studies have demonstrated. Scientists at the Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, wanted to find out what impact foods might have on antimicrobial infections and preterm delivery risk. The study and its findings were published in the Journal of Nutrition. Ronny Myhre and colleagues concentrated on the effects of garlic and other Allium vegetables and dried fruits, on reducing preterm delivery risk. The study authors concluded “Intake of food with antimicrobial and prebiotic compounds may be of importance to reduce the risk of spontaneous PTD. In particular, garlic was associated with overall lower risk of spontaneous PTD.” Research from gynecologists at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London showed that taking garlic during pregnancy can cut the risk of pre- eclampsia, a potentially dangerous condition affecting one in ten pregnant women and causing raised blood pressure and protein in the urine. Some studies also reveal that garlic may help to boost the birth-weight of babies destined to be too small.

Researchers found that taking standardized garlic tablets throughout pregnancy may decrease the chances of these types of complications at birth. They found that adding extracts of garlic to the placental cells of women likely to suffer from these conditions stimulated growth. In addition, the activity of key enzymes that are reduced in abnormal pregnancies were significantly increased when garlic was added.

ImpotenceFor centuries, garlic has been used by holistic healers as an aphrodisiac as it was thought to increase blood supply to the genitals.

However, more recent studies have found that an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase is primarily responsible for the mechanism of erection.

Studies have recently shown that garlic can stimulate the production of nitric oxide synthase.

Stomach ulcers Modern medical studies have found that numerous diseases - gastric ulcers, ulcerative colitis, coronary artery disease, Kaposi’s sarcoma and cervical cancer to name but a few - are triggered by infectious processes caused by bacteria or viruses. Garlic may be helpful in treating or preventing some of these conditions. Recent discoveries by Australian scientists show that stomach ulcers are either caused by the helicobacter pylori bacteria, or contributed to by it, and that garlic can relieve ulcers as it kills this type of bacteria. Other research has found that conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis may also be inflammatory diseases caused by or contributed to by the mycobacterium paratuberculosis bacteria, which again can be killed by eating raw garlic.

Blood clotting Garlic is an anticoagulant and could be helpful in protecting against the blood clots which can cause strokes. If you are taking aspirin to keep your blood from forming clots, garlic may be a more pleasant and natural alternative. Mixing aspirin or other blood-thinning medicines with garlic can be dangerous under some circumstances though. Always consult your GP before taking garlic supplements in conjunction with medications for blood thinning.

Digestion Allicin found in garlic pro-

Sprouted garlic

motes the secretion of gastric juices by stimulating the mucous membranes of the stomach. It also combines with the stomach’s natural proteins, reducing the excessive activity which can lead to indigestion. In addition, allicin regulates the functioning of the stomach by activating the large intestine, so helping guard against constipation and diarrhea.

Garlic counteracts virulent bacteria Aggressive multi-resistant infections constitute an increasing health problem all over the world. Bacteria are developing resistance at an alarming pace, so new pharmaceuticals that can combat this threat are in great demand. Garlic contains a sub-

stance that is particularly effective in encountering these bacteria. We know that there is a potent chemical compound in the garlic plant that neutralizes resistant bacteria by paralyzing their communication system. New research looks at the positive properties of the garlic plant. Ajoene is the substance present in garlic that specifically prevents the bacteria from secreting the toxin rhamnolipid which destroys white blood cells in the body. White blood cells are indispensable because they play a crucial role in the immune defense system, not only warding off infection, but also killing bacteria, Garlic constituent blocks biofilm formation, could benefit cystic fibrosis patients

and others Bacterial biofilms are far more resistant than individual bacteria to the armories of antibiotics we have devised to combat them. Now Tim Holm Jakobsen and Michael Givskov of the University of Copenhagen, and their many collaborators have pinpointed a constituent of garlic that attacks a key step in the development of biofilms, in an effort they hope may offer help in particular for patients with cystic fibrosis Don’t throw out old, sprouting garlic -- it has hearthealthy antioxidants Sprouted’ garlic -- old garlic bulbs with bright green shoots emerging from the cloves -is considered to be past its prime and usually ends up in the garbage can. But scientists report that this type of garlic has even more heart-healthy antioxidant activity than its fresher counterparts. They found that garlic sprouted for five days had higher antioxidant activity than fresher, younger bulbs, and it had different metabolites, suggesting that it also makes different substances. Extracts from this garlic even protected cells in a laboratory dish from certain types of damage. “Therefore, sprouting may be a useful way

to improve the antioxidant potential of garlic’.

The common cold Julia Fashner, MD; Kevin Ericson, MD; and Sarah Werner, DO, at St. Joseph Family Medicine Residency, Mishawaka, Indiana, carried out a study titled “Treatment of the Common Cold in Children and Adults”, published in American Family Physician.

They reported that “Prophylactic use of garlic may decrease the frequency of colds in adults, but has no effect on duration of symptoms.” Prophylactic use means using it with the intention of preventing disease.

Garlic is listed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Side effects include upset stomach, bloating, bad breath, body odor, and a stinging sensation on the skin from handling too much fresh or dried garlic. Handling garlic may also cause skin lesions. Other, more rare side effects that have been reported by those taking garlic supplements include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle aches, dizziness described as vertigo, and allergies such as an asthmatic reaction or skin rash.

Garlic acts like a bloodthinner. Too much garlic can increase your risk for bleeding during or after surgery. It may also interact with bloodthinning medications.

People with ulcers or thyroid problems should ask their doctor before taking garlic.

Drinking milk can prevent garlic breath, study finds Garlic is an excellent source of magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and selenium and is reported to have many health benefits. It also contains a high amount of sulfur compounds, which are responsible for the characteristic odor and flavor of garlic, as well as bad breath.

According to a 2010 study in the Journal of Food Science published by the Institute of Food Technologist (IFT), researchers from the department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University discovered that drinking milk while eating garlic-heavy food can reduce the malodorous breath associated with garlic consumption.

Both fat-free and whole milk lowered the concentration of volatile odor-emitting compounds from garlic in the nose and mouth. Due to its higher fat content, whole milk was found to be more effective.

LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 13

High-tech contact lenses zoom with a wink of an eye

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

‘Revenge porn’ law passed in England and Wales

by Jean-Louis SANTINI

S

an Jose - Swiss researchers are developing contact lenses that contain tiny telescopes to boost vision and zoom in and out with the wink of an eye.

The new, 1.55 millimeterthick contact lens contains an extremely thin, reflective telescope, which is activated by winks.

First released in 2013 and fine-tuned since then, the prototype was unveiled by Eric Tremblay from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in California on Friday.

The lenses come with smart glasses that respond to the wearer’s winks -- but not blinks -- so that the user can switch almost effortlessly from normal to magnified vision and back.

The wearer winks with the right eye to activate the telescope, and with the left eye to deactivate it.

“We think these lenses hold a lot of promise for low vision and age-related macular degeneration,” a vision disorder that affects older people, Tremblay said.

“At this point this is still research, but we are hopeful it will eventually become a real option for people with AMD.” The device magnifies objects 2.8 times, meaning AMD patients can read more easily and better recognize faces and objects with its help.

Funded by the Pentagon’s main research arm DARPA, the lenses were originally meant to serve as a form of bionic vision for soldiers.

“Small mirrors within bounce light around, expanding the perceived size of objects and magnifying the view, so it’s like looking through low

A new law banning “revenge porn” -- sexually explicit images shared online by a former partner without their ex’s consent -covers images shared on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as those spread by SMS, email and online (AFP Photo/Frederic J. Brown)

by Katherine HADDON Swiss researchers are developing contact lenses that contain tiny telescopes to boost vision and zoom in and out with the wink of an eye (AFP Photo/Karen Bleier) magnification binoculars,” the researchers said in a statement.

- ‘Huge leap’ Tremblay was careful to stress that the device was still at the research stage, though it could eventually become a “real option” for people with AMD. “It’s very important and hard to strike a balance between function and the social costs of wearing any kind of bulky visual device,” he said.

“There is a strong need for something more integrated, and a contact lens is an attractive direction.”

The contacts are made using large, rigid “scleral lenses,” unlike the soft contacts most people wear, but are nonetheless safe and comfortable, Tremblay said.

Several precision-cut pieces of plastic, aluminum mirrors and polarizing thin films form the lens, along with biologically safe glues.

Because the eye needs a steady supply of oxygen, the

scientists have worked on making the device more breathable, using tiny air channels that are approximately 0.1 millimeter wide within the lens.

The research team, which includes the University of California, San Diego as well as experts at Paragon Vision Sciences, Innovega, Pacific Sciences and Engineering, and Rockwell Collins, described its product as “a huge leap” forward, compared to glasses already on the market for people with AMD that have mounted telescopes but tend to be bulky and awkward to use.

Unlike the older models, which require the user to tilt his or her head and position the eyes just right in order to use them, the latest products can actually track eye movement, making them easier to use.

- Other advances Scientists also unveiled other research at the AAAS conference involving the latest advances in vision aids -- some of which could potentially help the 285 million people world-

wide with some form of vision impairment.

For one study, researchers developed camera-equipped glasses to aid vision for the blind and visually impaired.

Daniel Palanker from the University of Stanford in California discussed the project, for which the glasses are outfitted with a camera to send images to the retina via hundreds of nerves stimulated by photovoltaic cells.

These nerves could convert light into electric impulses, and transmit signals to the brain, allowing the user to “see.”

“Our chips are already working well in animals,” Palanker said, noting that researchers have so far been able to restore visual acuity to half the normal level in blind rats.

But “there is currently no solution for patients with macular degeneration,” he added.

Palanker hopes to begin clinical trials in 2016 in France in collaboration with Paris-based Pixium Vision.

Looking for love online?

Change your name to Aardvark

by Richard INGHAM

P

ARIS - Faces, bodies, status and humour are all important in Internet dating, but the biggest success factor of all could be your name.

The move was welcomed by women who featured in “revenge porn” shared by their former partners, as well as women’s groups.

Hannah Thompson, 22, discovered that her ex-boyfriend had been publishing explicit photos of her on his blog, tagged with offensive captions.

She campaigned for a change in the law and her case was quoted during debate on the issue in the House of Commons.

Thompson called the law change, plus guidelines for police on prosecuting cases and a new support helpline, “huge steps forward”.

“It’s a clear sign that they (the victims) are not to blame, they are not in the wrong and there is support out there for them,” she said.

- Intended to humiliate -

-- In your first communication, do not send a “wink,” meaning a signal to attract the attention of the other user. Instead, you should send a short personalised message focussing on one of the traits of your potential date.

“Starting with a screen name with a letter in the top half of the alphabet is surprisingly important -- because several measures of success, such as educational attainment and income, are linked to names higher up the alphabet.

AFP News/Gabriel Bouys - Scientists found that people whose online name began with a letter in the top half of the alphabet -- A to M -- get the most “looks” from others in Internet dating.

“Add to this the fact that search engines sort names alphabetically.”

could be termed a Statisticians’ Guide to Online Courtship.

Eighty-six of these met their criteria. The numbers were crunched, resulting in what

England and Wales join jurisdictions including Japan and the US state of California in banning such images.

She has now set up a website, Victims of Internet Crime (VOIC), to support others in the same situation.

“Several factors make a difference when looking for love in a digital setting,” said Khalid Khan, a professor at Queen Mary University of London.

They trawled through 3,938 studies into online dating, published in psychology, sociology and behavioural science journals.

The law means that people caught sharing such images on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter or via SMS and email could face up to two years in prison.

Folami Prehaye’s ex-partner shared explicit pictures of her on Facebook after she left him last year.

So say scientists who found that people whose online name began with a letter in the top half of the alphabet -- A to M -- get the most “looks” from others.

Khan and Sameer Chaudhry at Barts and the London School of Medicine sought objective data on how people conveyed their attractiveness on dating sites, and whether others responded to it.

L

ONDON - A new law banning “revenge porn” -- sexually explicit images shared online by a former partner without their ex’s consent -- was passed in England and Wales Thursday.

It appears, coincidentally in the runup to St. Valentine’s Day, in a specialised journal, Evidence Based Medicine.

-- Names with negative associations such as “Bugg” or “Little” should be avoided in favour something playful, such as “Fun2bwith.”

Here are other things the pair discovered:

-- For an attractive profile photo, go for a genuine smile (one that crinkles up the eyes), and tilt your head, a sign of interest.

-- Men prefer profile names that indicate physical attractiveness, such as “Blondie” or “Cutie,” while women prefer monickers for men that point to intelligence, such as “Cultured.”

-- Don’t limit your photos to selfies. A strong bet is a picture of you in the middle of a group having a good time.

You should touch someone else... but only on the upper arm. This will show you have

- Do’s and don’ts -

friends and are good company but are not grabby or lecherous.

-- Women find a man more attractive when they see other women smiling at him. And women can help their own pitch by wearing red, a colour linked to primal male drive.

-- Couch your headline message in simple language (complex terms are a turnoff in the initial encounter), use some humour and don’t lie. Discovering a falsehood can wreck whatever follows afterwards.

-- As your contact develops, your messages can get longer but you should avoid “long, scholarly theses” until you know your correspondent actually likes this sort of stuff.

“If you ca get the potential date to stop and think about your headline message, increasing the exposure time to your primary photo, this will increase their liking of you,” said Khan.

“Steer clear of fiction in your profile -- written information could come back to bite you.

And provide a 70:30 mix of who you are and what you are looking for.”

In the all-important blink-ofan-eye first encounter, people

While welcoming the changes, she said that more needed to be done to alter attitudes.

“A law change is a law change but it doesn’t necessarily deter people,” she told AFP. “When my ex-partner did that, I know he did it out of anger. I had pictures of him but I just deleted them -- that’s rational.”

The new law applies to “photographs or films which show people engaged in sexual activity or depicted in a sexual way or with their genitals exposed,” the Ministry of Justice said.

Some “revenge porn” offences were already illegal under existing legislation banning harassment and malicious communications.

But the new law toughens up the legal situation following technological advances which campaigners say have made the problem more common in recent years.

Campaign group End Violence Against Women welcomed the ban, saying “revenge porn” was “used by abusive partners and ex-partners as a way of threatening, controlling and hurting women.”

“So-called ‘revenge pornography’ is also extremely harmful because the person uploading or sharing does so without the victim’s consent and often with the intent to harm and humiliate,” acting director Sarah Green added.

“It is abusive behaviour and should be treated the same way as offline abuse.”

While the law does not force social media sites to remove “revenge porn”, the Ministry of Justice said it would “send out a clear message and make it easier for social media providers to act.” who seem eager to flash their qualifications could end up lonely, he warned.

“Bear in mind that likeability is more attractive than academic achievement,” said Khan. “A profile that appears genuine is more likely to generate interest.”

Khan and Chaudhry admit their investigation has limitations.

The methods used to collect data were not standard across all of the studies. This made it difficult in some respects to get a clear picture.

Nor did they know whether any real-life dates blossomed into long-term relationships.

Despite this, the implications of the probe “are many,” they say.

“Online daters focus too much on details without realising that likeability springs from subconscious initial impressions.”

Young Life

VOICE OF ASIA 14

Friday, February 20, 2015

Section 2

Page 14

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Dr. Pasrija discussed his decision to serve as the expatriate country manager of India for Lucent Technologies Power Division. In this job, he helped to develop a joint venture to spur on telecommunication technology in India. Despite the lower job security this post provided him, Dr. Pasrija showed that it allowed him to cultivate his passion for building something from scratch.

Dr. Pasrija explaining the fundamentals of being a leader to the YLDP students.

I

n January of 2015, the YLDP Class of 2015 had the opportunity to learn about leadership in business from Dr. Arun Pasrija, an experienced entrepreneur whose work has been centered on the

founding and executive-level management of companies in the global telecommunications industry. Dr. Pasrija’s message to the YLDP youth incorporated his wide range of experiences in entrepreneurship as well as his insightful advice regarding education, persistence, and prudence

in the context of business.

By describing the risks he took during his life, Dr. Pasrija conveyed that sensible, highreward risks, as opposed to haphazard gambles, are the key to achieving greater success in the modern world. For instance,

Similarly, Dr. Pasrija shed light upon a critical life skill and trait of successful enterprisers: perseverance. For example, Dr. Pasrija’s presentation involved the statistic that although over 80% of ďŹ rst-time startups fail, the majority of entrepreneurs return to the industry with better knowledge and experience.

Thus, Dr. Pasrija impressed upon the students the idea that truly successful leaders not only achieve triumph but also overcome past failures by learning and improving from their experiences.

Moreover, Dr. Pasrija emphasized that an effective social or business leader must be built upon a proper education. Dr. Pasrija stressed that the U.S.

YLDP Class of 2015 with Dr. Arun Pasrija has one of the best higher education systems in the world and that a pursuit for a leadership role in one’s career must begin with the fundamentals of a good education. Yet what fascinated me most about Dr. Pasrija’s presentation was his argument that education alone is not sufďŹ cient for effective leadership, especially in entrepreneurship. SpeciďŹ cally, Dr. Pasrija contended that a true leader must also be able to work with others in a courteous and efďŹ cient manner.

Hence, through a combination of education, personal experiences, and social and leadership skills, Dr. Pasrija indicated, one can establish a culture of leadership.

Minecraft Mania: Minecraft truck stops at Children’s Museum of Houston in celebration of National Engineers Week Feb. 28 at 11 a.m.

TexLUG showcases Houston’s largest LEGOÂŽ creations Feb. 28 & March 1 WHAT: The Children’s Museum of Houston is tinkering around with the science of engineering as we design, invent, ďŹ x and ďŹ ddle with things during National Engineers Week. We are bringing in a video game truck designed to get your creative juices owing and provide the ultimate Minecraft gaming experience. We are also inviting TexLUG to showcase their most fantastic LEGOÂŽ creations. National Engineers Week falls on Feb. 22 to 28. • Video Game Truck: Channel your inner engineer as you dig and build in the world of Minecraft.

Event Time: Saturday, Feb. 28 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Concrete Jungle • TexLUG: The Texas LEGOŽ User Group (TexLUG) will showcase the city’s largest LEGOŽ models.

Event Time: Feb. 28 and March 1, all day in Kid’s Hall. • Boomerang: Perfect your spin by making your own boomerang at Junktion. • Catapult Airplane: Launch a “slingshotâ€? airplane made by you at Junktion. • Woodpecking Bird: Make a paper woodpecker peck using rubber bands in Junktion. • Paper Sculptures: Bend, cut and glue paper strips into abstract art in Art Academy. • Nest Engineering: Gather natural materials to create a sturdy, homey nest in EcoStation. • Helicopter Plants: See how plants inspired engineers in designing the helicopter in EcoStation • Balloon Engineering: Use an inated balloon to move a car build by you at Inventors’ Workshop. • Shape Building: Explore the attributes of shapes and solids by building in ExxonMobil Math Cart. • Dangling Spoons: Experiment with sound using wood and spoons in Science Station. • Bridge Building: Learn about bridges and put them to the test in Science Station. • Hoop Gliders: Make a straw soar into the sky using aerodynamic hoop glider in Science Station.

WHEN: Minecraft Mania Video Game Truck, Saturday, Feb. 28 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

TexLUG LEGOÂŽ Creations, Saturday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, March 1, all day ***Activities, events and times subject to change.

WHERE: Children’s Museum of Houston, 1500 Binz St., Houston, TX 77004 MUSEUM HOURS: Tues. – Sat.: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sun: Noon – 6 p.m.

General Museum admission: $9 per person and $8 for seniors 65+ and for active duty military personnel. Children under one and Museum Members receive free admission.

For more information, visit www.cmhouston.org or call (713) 522-1138.

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National Engineers Week falls on Feb. 22 to 28

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FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

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VOICE OF ASIA 15

BOLLYWOOD MASALA

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

Friday, February 20, 2015

Section 2

Page 15

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

India police book Bollywood stars for comedy ‘roast’

Tel: 713-774-5140

“Aamir Khan, Mind Your Business,” Says Russell Peters

Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone at the ‘Umang 2015 Mumbai Police Show’ in Mumbai on January 10, 2015 (AFP Photo/).

MUMBAI - Mumbai police said Friday they have registered a case against a string of Bollywood celebrities, alleging obscenity in the staging of a comedy “roast” television show which sparked a furore over freedom of expression.

The image on the right was posted on Instagram by therealrussellp

by Gitanjali Roy

N

EW DELHI (February 16, -2015) - Actor Aamir Khan has been told to mind ‘his own business’ by stand-up comic Russell Peters, who is touring India currently.

A-list actress Deepika Padukone and filmmaker Karan Johar are among those named in the case over the show AIB Knockout, which was pulled from YouTube after causing uproar in India for its profanities and sexual references.

Police will now investigate the group -- as part of the “first information report” or FIR filed -- including for criminal conspiracy, obscene acts and songs, and words or gestures intended to insult a woman’s modesty.

“The FIR is registered against 14 accused at Tardeo police station,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni, spokesman for the Mumbai force, told AFP, listing the various organisers and participants accused.

AIB Knockout, hosted by Johar in December, comically insulted several Bollywood actors in front of a large audience strewn with celebrities such as Padukone, in a format common in Western countries but rarely seen in India.

The show included Johar and Bollywood actors Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh -- both also booked by the police -- singing a reworking

Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor performs at the annual ‘Umang 2015 Mumbai Police Show’ in Mumbai on January 10, 2015 (AFP Photo/) of a song with the Hindi word for penis substituting some lyrics.

A video attracted more than eight million hits in just a few days when it was uploaded on YouTube late last month, but it sparked a fierce backlash.

Religious groups urged police to file charges against the producers, and the right-wing government of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, ordered an investigation.

Earlier this month, the producers said they were pulling the video for “pragmatic” reasons, but added that India needed to confront the fact that freedom of expression was being curtailed.

The “roast” sparked a storm on social media, with a member of India’s powerful censor

board slamming it on Twitter as “a porn show on stage”.

But hundreds of supporters including Bollywood actors and producers also hit back, urging the right to freedom of speech.

India’s hardline groups often urge authorities to act against authors and artists whose works they consider insulting to their religion or against society’s perceived morals.

Acclaimed Tamil-language author Perumal Murugan announced last month he was quitting writing altogether following protests by right-wing Hindu and caste groups over one of his books.

British author Salman Rushdie, whose novel “The Satanic Verses” is seen as blasphemous by some Muslims, is still banned in India.

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Aamir has already faced public heat for branding the controversial AIB Roast ‘violent.’ A report Hindustan Times quotes the Canadian comedian as saying, “Seriously, who is he, the so-called artist, to say that he found it violent and that AIB and rest involved should have been responsible?

He did not even see it! Someone please ask him to shut up and take care of his own business.”

Mr Peters also said Aamir wasn’t a ‘real artist.’

Last week, the PK actor provoked an outcry when he said he didn’t think the Roast was funny and hadn’t watched more than two clips. “I felt it was a very violent event. Violence is not only physical, it can be verbal and emotional too. When you insult someone, you perpetuate violence,” Aamir said at an event in Mumbai. However, he was careful to clarify that there ought to be no witch-hunt against those involved in the Roast if no law had been broken.

This image was posted on Instagram by therealrussellp blogger and tweeted by Dostana director Tarun Mansukhani asked the 49-year-old star, “You know first-hand what happens when angry people don’t like content. Do you see

the anger as your fault?”

Meanwhile, it hasn’t been all work for Russell Peters, who is of Indian origin. He went to Agra:

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap responded indirectly by posting on his Facebook page a video from some years ago in which Aamir defends his film Delhi Belly. “I have already informed my audiences that it is an adult film. Please do not go with your kids and those who have a problem with this kind of language shouldn’t come either. I try my best to inform the audiences before-hand. If the audience is adult, they can decide themselves,” Aamir says in the video. 2011 film Delhi Belly, produced by Aamir and starring his nephew Imran Khan, ran into controversy over the lyrics of the song DK Bose, considered vulgar by a section of viewers. (Also Read: After Aamir Khan’s AIB Roast Putdown, Anurag Kashyap Reminds us of Delhi Belly) An open letter written by a

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VOICE OF ASIA 16

Friday, February 20, 2015

Section 2

Page 16

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Anti-smoking drug helps reluctant quitters: study

P

Previous research had found that teens are likelier than 20- to 35-year-olds to father a child with autism, low IQ, schizophrenia or spina bifida, although the risk is low in absolute terms.

People smoke in a designated smoking area in Tokyo, Japan, early this month. -- PHOTO: BLOOMBERG.

M

The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) was funded by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which makes Chantix, but was led by doctors at the non-profit Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

More than 1,500 smokers enrolled. All said they were not ready to quit in the next 30 days, but did want to kick the habit within three months.

Researchers randomly assigned some to receive the drug for six months and others to receive a placebo.

After six months, those who received varenicline were more than four times more likely to quit than those who took a sugar pill -- 32.1 percent on the medication stopped smoking, compared to 6.9 percent of the placebo group.

After a year, those in the medication group were twice as likely to have quit than those in the placebo cohort.

By that time, 27 percent on the medication had quit, versus 9.9 percent on the placebo.

The drug comes with side effects, ranging from nausea to thoughts of suicide, and did not help most of the smokers quit.

But researchers said analysis showed it was helpful than a placebo it came to long-term changes.

their more when habit

“This study is important because this opens the door to treatment for approximately 14 million smokers who have no intention of quitting in the next 30 days but are willing to reduce their smoking rate while working toward a quit attempt,” said lead author Jon Ebbert, associate director for research in the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center.

“Smokers should know that varenicline can help them quit smoking if they want to reduce their smoking prior to completely stopping,” he added.

“It’s an effective and safe way to increase long-term smoking cessation.”

Co-authors on the study came from the University of Vermont, University of London and Nebraska Medical Center.

Lab progress towards drug for auto-immune disease

P

ARIS, AFP | 2/16/2015 - Researchers said Monday they had pinpointed two compounds -- one naturally derived from fasting and intensive exercise -- that show promise for combatting arthritis, multiple sclerosis, gout and other auto-immune diseases.

The compounds throw a wrench into a molecular mechanism that causes inflammation, a driver of these diseases, the teams reported in Nature Medicine.

Called beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and MCC950, the compounds may open up an intriguing avenue in drug research, they said.

The hope is that the mechanism they target, NLRP3, proves to be common to all auto-immune diseases, regardless of which part of the body is affected.

“Drugs like aspirin or steroids can work in several diseases, but can have side effects or be ineffective,” said Luke O’Neill, a biochemistry professor at Trinity College Dublin, whose team worked with Australian scientists on MCC950.

“What we have found is a potentially transformative medicine, which targets what appears to be the common disease-causing process in a myriad of inflammatory diseases.”

M

Antibodies that protect against H7N9 avian flu make up a small portion of people’s immune response to the annual flu shot, “but appear to broadly neutralize H7 viruses and represent promising new targets for therapeutic development against a wide range of influenza strains,” according to the research by the University of Chicago and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“We have clear evidence that a normal immune response to flu vaccination offers protection against dangerous and highly unique strains of influenza such as H7N9,” said cosenior author Patrick Wilson, associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.

“We now need to develop ways of amplifying this response.”

The emergence of avian influenza A (H7N9) raised concerns because of its high mortality rate (about 30 percent), making it particularly dangerous.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, was based on 28 people who were vaccinated against influenza.

A total of 83 antibodies found in their systems reacted with H3N2, a common human flu strain. Seven of the 83 reacted against rare H7 strains, even though H7 strains were not included in the vaccines that participants received, said the findings.

Three of the antibodies “appeared to completely neutralize H7N9 avian flu,” said the study.

Researchers then took their experiments to lab mice, who were treated with each antibody before exposing them to a lethal dose of H7N9 virus.

Those who received the three antibodies survived, while the untreated mice died.

Then, researchers treated some mice with the three anti-

The youngest mother was 10.7 years old and the oldest 52.1 years, while the youngest father was 12.1 years and the oldest 70.1.

The sperm cells of teenage fathers had about six times more mutations than the egg cells of teenage mothers, the team found.

They also had about 30 percent more mutations than the sperm cells of 20-year-old fathers.

The study did not explore the health of the teenage dads’ offspring, but the findings offer a strong explanation for the problems that have come to light, said Forster.

Still unclear is why teen sperm mutations occur.

One reason could be that teenage sperm cells are “errorprone” when they replicate, said Forster.

The findings were “no cause for panic”, the researcher said by email.

It is a metabolite -- a product of metabolism that results from fasting, high-energy exercise or the low-carb “ketogenic” diet.

Overall, there are about 1.5 births with defects in the general population, and a 30-percent increase “means that teenage fathers would expect to have two percent of their children born with defects.”

Years of trials will be needed to see if they work on humans and are safe.

Flu shot protects against new strain H7N9: study IAMI, | AFP | 2/17/2015 - The flu vaccine may not have protected most people against influenza circulating widely this season, but a study Tuesday showed it was effective against the new H7N9 strain that emerged in China in 2013.

Delving into the phenomenon, researchers led by Peter Forster at Britain’s University of Cambridge analysed the DNA of more than 24,000 parents and their children in Germany, Austria, the Middle East and Africa.

BHB was found separately by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine.

So far, the compounds have lowered inflammation in mice with multiple sclerosis, a condition called Muckle-Wells syndrome and familial cold auto-inflammatory disease -fever and joint pain that occur after exposure to cold temperatures.

Evidence has accumulated in recent years of lower sperm quality in fathers 45 or older.

A study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry in February last year said people whose fathers were 45 or older at the

tinues to be the major reason people buy life insurance.

However, life insurance has a variety of uses, many of which are not blatantly obvious. You can help yourself identify the many ways in which you can use life insurance policies and understand how they can maximize their full benefit.

The principal economic purpose of life insurance is to provide capital when needed at the insured’s death. Although traditional investment vehicles are usually purchased to provide capital when needed, the unique feature of life insurance is that it ensures the payment of a predetermined amount of money— an amount referred to as the death benefit—at the time of the insured’s death, whenever that occurs. Life insurance is the only plan that makes this guarantee. Furthermore, death benefits are paid to the beneficiary generally free of income taxes.

In the family market, life insurance often helps provide replacement income when an insured, who may be the family’s principal wage earner, dies. However, an appropriate life insurance program does more than just replace lost income when an insured dies; it can also provide money to cover the expenses that occur after the insured’s death, such as: • funeral expenses • final medical expenses • taxes • probate costs • debt reduction or elimination • estate settlement costs • retiring a mortgage on the survivors’ home When life insurance is employed in business situations, it is often used to • buy out a surviving partner’s or stockholder’s interest in a business; • replace business income lost by the death of a key employee; or • fund non-qualified plan benefits.

time of their birth were 25 times more likely to have bipolar disorder than those whose dads were 20-24.

Children of older fathers were also 13 times more likely to have attention deficit hyperac-

“Although they are not always protective, H7-reactive antibodies can be found in almost everyone that’s been vaccinated.”

Researchers said their findings offer more reason for widespread use of the annual flu shot.

In a report last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this US winter season’s flu vaccine has been just 23 percent effective at preventing doctor visits for people of all ages.

Its lack of punch was blamed on multiple strains of the H3N2 virus that are circulating and making people sick, but that were not included in this season’s vaccine.

Sudhir Mathuria Contact: Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6650 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning.com Life insurance should be considered on the life of a spouse, regardless of whether he or she is a wage-earner.

While life insurance on the life of a wage-earning spouse helps to replace lost income, life insurance death benefits payable upon the death of a nonwage earning spouse can be used to provide funds to hire someone to perform the tasks that were performed by the homemaker, such as: • child care • housekeeping • all of the other jobs normally handled by a stayat-home spouse Life insurance can help families meet other needs as well, including • funding college education for children and/or a surviving spouse; • providing cash to support a surviving spouse during retirement; and • Ensuring the continuation of income to allow the surviving family to stay together and to enjoy a lifestyle similar to that enjoyed while the insured was alive.

Permanent life insurance can also provide “living benefits” to a policy owner through cash values. A life insurance policy’s cash values can be accessed by the policy owner through policy loans, cash surrenders and, in the case of universal life insurance, through cash value withdrawals. Additionally, a policy owner can pledge the cash value of existing life insurance as collateral for a loan from a bank or other lender.

Life Insurance contact Con-

tact Sudhir Mathuria @ 713-7712900.

tivity disorder.

The best time, biologically, to be a father “is between 20 and 35 years of age,” said Forster.

“But even older fathers have only a modest increase in risk.”

For more health news visit www.VoiceofAsiaOnline.com

bodies 24 hours after they were infected with the flu strain, and the treatment helped the mice survive.

“It appears more common than previously thought for antibodies induced by flu vaccination to offer cross-protection against H7N9,” said study author Carole Henry, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago.

Tel: 713-774-5140

Sperm Understanding Principal mutations Uses of Life Insurance point to risk The most obvious purpose of life insurance is to pay for teen death benefits to survivors when an insured person dies. fathers: Paying death benefits was the original purpose of life study insurance policies and conARIS | AFP | 2/18/2015 - Teenage fathers are likelier to have children with health problems because of mutations in their sperm, a study said Wednesday.

IAMI, AFP 2/17/2015 - A medication known as varenicline (Chantix) has been shown to help some smokers quit, even if they were not ready to give up cigarettes right away, international researchers said Tuesday.

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

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VOICE OF ASIA 17

ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

Friday, February 20, 2015

BUSINESS

Section 2 Page 17 Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Indian bike maker Royal Enfield to expand after Obama thumbs-up

N

The fund, in its latest report released Monday, said it still is reviewing 1,388 total claims for deaths and injuries linked to the ignition switch defect that may allow the key to unintentionally switch to the off position, turning off electrical components like airbag deployment while the car continues to move.

It took GM nearly 11 years before beginning to recall the cars after hundreds of accidents and deaths were reportedly linked to the flaw.

Aa Royal Enfield ‘Desert Storm’ motorcycle on display at a showroom in New Delhi (AFP Photo/ Money Sharma)

N

The company, based in southwestern India but rooted in British biking history, will spend five billion rupees ($80 million) this year on building two factories as well as other expansion plans.

“Royal Enfield will be investing Rs 500 crore in 2015 towards product development, capex and other development areas,” chief executive Siddhartha Lal said in a statement posted on its website.

“With a view to become the leader in the global mid-sized motorcycling, Royal Enfield will build two new technology

centers.”

The centres will be located in the southern Indian city of Chennai and the English county of Leicestershire and be completed by the second quarter of 2016 and the end of 2015 respectively.

The US president gave the iconic bikes a nod of approval after he saw India’s Border Security Force officers perform daredevil stunts on their shiny Royal Enfields during a trip to New Delhi last month.

“I saw the Republic Day daredevils on Royal Enfield motorcycles,” Obama said during the visit, describing the stunts as a highlight of the military parade to mark India’s Republic Day. “The secret service doesn’t let me ride motorcycles, especially not on my head,” he added with a smile at the audacious manoeuvres.

Lal said Royal Enfiel continued to grow at a “phenomenal pace” last year, selling 300,000 units and had plans to manufacture a total of 450,000 in 2015.

The manufacturer, owned by heavy vehicle and bus maker Eicher, also saw a record income of 30 billion rupees ($482 million) last year, the statement said.

Royal Enfield started life as a British company making single-cylinder engines that produce a distinctive “thump” sound more than 110 years ago, but it closed its last domestic factory in 1970.

Its Indian partner started making bikes under licence in 1955, and is today one of the oldest names in motorcycling.

In 2009 Royal Enfield launched a redesigned version of its classic retro-looking “Bullet” model, a move that saw sales take off.

Tel: 713-774-5140

GM ignition-switch death toll climbs to 56 EW YORK - The General Motors death toll from faulty ignition switches has climbed to 56 from 51 as the automaker’s independent compensation fund weighs claims after the massive car recall.

EW DELHI, India - Fresh from an endorsement by US President Barack Obama, India’s motorcycle manufacturer Royal Enfield announced it was speeding up expansion and production to meet booming demand for its British-origin bikes.

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

Kenneth Feinberg, the attorney in charge of the independent claims process set up by GM after recalling 2.6 million cars over the ignition-switch problem beginning last February, has indicated it will take at least a few months to process all the claims received by the January 31 deadline.

As of last Friday, according to the tally, the fund had received 478 death claims and 165 remained under review.

The number of claims for crippling injuries such as brain damage or double amputation that were deemed eligible edged up to nine, out of 288 filed.

Eligible claims for hospitalization or outpatient medical treatment rose to 78, with 3,546 claims filed.

GM will pay a minimum $1 million in death compensation, $300,000 for the surviving spouse and another $300,000 for each surviving dependent.

Financial and medical treatment compensation of at least

$20,000 will also be offered to those with eligible physical injury claims from an accident.

In January GM said it had spent up to $1.9 billion in 2014 on recalls and victim compensation.

The largest US automaker recalled some 30 million vehicles last year to fix problems and compensate victims of accidents tied to faulty ignitions.

GM is under investigation by Congress, regulators and the Justice Department over why it waited more than a decade after first uncovering the ignitionswitch problem to start recalling cars.

Lawyers for many victims have already filed a number of class-action suits that could cost the company far more than its promised payouts under the compensation program.

GM commits to produce Chevrolet Bolt electric car

Chevrolet revealed their electric concept car Bolt EV to the media at The North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

W

ASHINGTON General Motors’ Chevrolet division announced Thursday it would take into production the allelectric Bolt that it introduced in January as a concept car.

Taking on popular, but more expensive long-range electrics like the Tesla and BMW’s i3, GM North America President Alan Batey said the company is moving to production quickly “because of its potential to completely shake up the status quo for electric vehicles.”

“The message from consumers about the Bolt EV concept was clear and unequivocal: Build it,” said Batey.

As unveiled at the Detroit auto show last month, the Bolt

is a hatchback-looking “small crossover” that lowers the price of entry to a full-range electric to as low as $30,000 (once various tax breaks that some states give buyers are counted).

That would put it as a direct competitor to the electric sedan being developed by Tesla in the same price range. Tesla’s current electric car, the luxury Model S, starts at around $70,000.

Chevrolet says the new car will be able to go 200 miles (320 kilometers) on a charge, five times farther than its fiveyear-old Volt plug-in electric.

The new car will be built at General Motors’ Orion Assembly facility near Detroit, and is expected to hit the market in 2017

HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

Your Horoscope for the Week of February 20, 2015

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

READ YOUR COMPLETE HOROSCOPE ONLINE WWW.VOICEOFASIAONLINE.COM

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 Oct

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April Your need to find new ways to succeed. Before moving ahead on your own, think about ways to unite others. Human emotions cannot rule you, this time. You must try to look at things on an a more intellectual plane. Try your best to stay clear of those who try to bring you down to their level. You need to look beyond the immediate to understand how the bigger picture works. Everyone needs to feel secure, some may rely on luck but you have your own strategy in place.

Recent events have put your emotional and physical well being out of whack. Static energy will only cause you to short out your battery. Simple pleasures will be needed in order to help you to relax. Strong words will only bring strong re-actions. Realize that tempers may be short in those sensitive areas. You need a break from away from extreme solutions to dealing with simple problems. Stay confident in who you are and you’ll be ensured a smoother ride. A compromise on your part will restart stalled talks.

Scorpio (N,Y)23 Oct to 21 Nov

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May Act on your emotions. Sometimes, you may be too quick to re-act, but this week, you’re right to take a stance. Others are the same as always, but your perception of them will change radically. Be aware that your words and your actions will affect them greatly. You can probably talk your way out it, but everybody is watching to see the outcome. Stay calm and your confidence level will rise. Everybody wants security, but their concepts may be different than yours.

Get back to your basic needs and wants. Your dilemma is that everybody wants a piece of you. There’s usually a reason for everything that you do, but your creativity may be driven more out of necessity than talent. If you want to try to turn this situation around, you’d better start now. Use the raw materials you have on hand to demonstrate your idea of art and beauty. You’ll have no choice but to be yourself when you journey on this new adventure. The mysteries will start to wear thin and expose the harsh reality that really exists.

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June Your positive flow has actually put you in a better position than you were before. You may have to act before you think you are ready to do so. Trust your intuition and don’t allow others to intimidate you. Friendships and love relationships will flourish once you decide to speak strongly from your heart. Your wishes and dreams will thrive on the new secure place you’ve found within yourself. We may SEE the Archer shell out ‘like it or not’ and then “normal expense” would be the ‘mean line’.

Your motivation and positive reinforcement, will feel moved into proclaiming an alliance between yourself and your peers. Your message will come across in a way that encourages others want to join in. You know just which emotions to draw out of others and when to do it. You could combine valid points of view to provide a dynamic effort.

Supporters will rally for your cause. Look upward and forward. Doubts should not be considered an option. Teamwork is easy for you and it could prove to be very profitable.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July Someone who you’ve recently pushed away will try to return into your life. Everybody will want to be your friend, but your words may hurt your cause. You’ll have to work on being more understanding without losing your winning edge. The week end’s activities will provide you with food, friends and good conversations. The rest you get will help you to replenish your energy and improve your perspective. Get as much done early in the week as you can since cooperation is poor.

Bide your time. Others want answers right away, but you should take some time to analyze the whole picture. If you try to push the process faster, something will hit the fan. Unfounded suspicions and accusations will only make others more uncomfortable.

It’s better to keep quiet than to be negative. A surprise will shake things up and provide you with some answers. Try to be as discreet as possible. You’re ready to accept the news but not everybody is.

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

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August Put your ideas into motion. In order to accomplish your immediate goals, you must reach out and try new ways to get the job done. If you want to see results, you should know who can help. Maybe there really is a way to benefit from this power surge you feel. You have a great network of allies that can provide you with some solid support.

Several unreasonable requests may be brought to you. Try to hide any displeasure or disapproval. The week appears dotted with demands and duties, especially expense and emotional needs.

boundaries.

Although you usually work hard, lately you’ve been very lax in matters of importance. Everyone is a specialist or is in need of one. Prove that you know more than your history suggests. Save time and money by drawing on the resources that you already possess. If this strategy has worked for you in the past, then it will probably work again. Strike a happy medium with authorities who are being too rigid about your

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

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September Partnerships, which will bring you more resources than if you try to go it alone. Listen to reason rather than emotion. If you start to promote your own ideas others will find it hard to deny your requests. By week’s end, you should try to slow down your pace a little so you don’t forget certain details that are important to you. You’ll need a cool and level head while others are losing theirs. A secret will be revealed in time, so you’d better learn to wait. Know your limits and try to work within them. Open the pressure valve in your head and try to relax.

QR

Passion, excitement and the start of new ventures: The warmth you feel inside will spark your professional life. Get out there and enjoy all that life has to give. Look past others misgivings in order to take advantage of their expertise. You may not understand all the workings of a new technology, but you can figure out how to use it for your own purpose. Check your list and make sure you cover all the bases. Others will be ready to open up to you and to share all of what they have, both spiritually and physically. Duty may demand both attention/time and finance/costly choices!

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Know Your Words

Amazing facts from all over the WORLD!

• At birth dalmations are always white

• Elephants are the only

mammal that can’t jump.

• Niagara Falls could fill 4,000 bathtubs every second.

Please contact Vipin at 713-929-1906 or vipin@indiahouseinc.org

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(Please indicate in the subject line: “Accounting Position”)

• Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.

India House is seeking an Office assistant with Minimum two years of relevant administrative experience. Good knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint needed.

Knowledge of Microsoft Publisher, and Photoshop or equivalent will be a big plus. Strong verbal and written communication skills required. Immediate Hire.

Make Good Writing a Part of Your Skill Set

Good compensation for an experienced person

• Grasshoppers have white blood.

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• Other duties as assigned.

Now You Know!

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

Here’s your chance to be a Vocabulary Sleuth!

Accolade - praise Belligerence - aggression Cryptic - hidden

Dowager - an elderly woman of elevated social status Inept - clumsy

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ood writers distinguish themselves at work.

We write all the time — proposals to clients, memos to leaders, emails to colleagues — but we often don’t think about improving our writing. To communicate effectively and win business, learn to write simply, clearly, and precisely. The mistake many people make is writing prematurely. They work out thoughts as they’re writing, which makes their argument meandering and repetitive. Ask yourself: What should my audience know after reading this?

Make your point up front, and don’t use three words when one would do. For example, there’s no need to say “general consensus of opinion,” when “consensus” works. Similarly, avoid jargon. If you rely on $10 words too much, readers will think you’re on autopilot or don’t know what you’re saying. Avoid terms like “actionable,” “core competency,” “impactful,” and “incentivize.” And don’t be afraid to ask someone for feedback.

Adapted from “How to Improve Your Business Writing” by Carolyn O’Hara.

5

DAILY

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Branding

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