Voice of Asia Jan 10 2014 by VoiceOf Asia

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VOICE OF ASIA Commemorating 25 years of dedicated service to the community

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

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Vol. 27 No. 2 Friday, January 10, 2014 Published Weekly from Houston 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: voiceasia@aol.com

Dr. Menon inducted as Fellow of Royal Society of Medicine, London

Dr. Venugopal Menon

r. Venugopal Menon was born in Kochi, Kerala as the eldest of seven children. After graduating from Maharaja’s college, he joined Trivandrum Medical College, the only one in the state at the time. Later he served the Indian Army for four years as a Captain in the Medical Corps during the Emergency war with China. Dr. Menon left India in 1968, spending a year in Scotland before coming over to the United States. He ﬁnished Residency in Pediatrics at the DC General Hospital and University of Connecticut, came over to Houston and completed Fellowship in Allergy & Immunology and got certiﬁed in Pediatrics and Allergy & Immunology. He joined the famous McGovern Allergy Clinic, becoming an associate and part owner, serving as its President for eight years. Dr. Menon retired after 35 years of practice. He has been a Clinical Faculty at Baylor College of Medicine. Married to Sreedevi in 1964, they have three children Sreelatha, Sreekala and Arun all married and settled. They have six grandchildren.

India House: From A Dream To Reality

by Dr. Virendra Mathur ndia House was a dream of the first few Indian American immigrants to Houston which started taking shape in June 2000, when a 10 acre land was purchased by India Culture Center in Southwest Houston. After a few challenges, it became obvious that a separate entity will have to take charge if we were to succeed in building a true community center to serve our own Indian American community as well as the mainstream community. That is when India House Inc. was born in 2003 and the entire community got behind the project. Finally on January 28, 2006, ground breaking took place with lot of fanfare attended by several thousand people, including the Mayor, Consul General of India and several dignitaries and blessings of 8 leaders of different religions of India. The most important thing that happened as we were concluding the Havan ceremony, we got a pledge from Jindal family for the first Million Dollar donation for India House and the first building was named “O.P. Jindal Center” Enthusiasm was at its peak throughout the community and most of the volunteers of India House got busy in presenting our case and soliciting donations from Indian American community as well as major charitable organizations, foundations, city of Houston, major banks as well as Houston Endowment. We would bring many people to our site, arrange meetings, visit different homes and offices, including one at 7.00 am on a real cold January morning as this was the only time we could get, to win their support. I remember vividly, it was February 16, 2007 and the Annual Gala of Asia Society was planned for the evening and our President Dr. Durga Agrawal invited many of us to join him on his table. Our Ambassador Hon. Ronan

L-R: Dr. Durga Agrawal, (IH past President) Chowdary Yalamanchili, (donor) Dr. Virendra Mathur and Jugal Malani, IH President. Sen was one of the invited guests. Dr. Agrawal thought that it would be a great idea to get the huge 8 foot model of the planned India House there, to show our plan to a large gathering. The organizers refused to allow such a large model to be displayed there, but Durga was not going to accept a no for an answer. He talked to his friend Mr. Charles Foster, the President of Asia Society who was very nice and overruled the objection and we managed to transport the model to the Hotel in time. Little did we know, what a blessing it would turn out to be. One of our friends Mr. Chowdary Yalamanchili and his wife Angela were also guests on our table. We requested Ambas-

sador Sen and all our guests to see India House model and explained the plan. Everybody was very impressed and our Ambassador encouraged us to work hard to get the project completed. The Yalamanchilis were also impressed and seeing the enthusiasm and passion in all the volunteers, decided that they will make sure that our project succeeds and pledged One Million Dollars on that fateful evening. We were so proud that a few days later, during the Foundation Stone laying ceremony on March 3rd 2007, Chowdary and Angela presented India House a Million Dollar check soon after the Havan. The Mayor in his prophetic remarks said that “If you have friends like this, you will not

have any problem in completing this project” And so, it has been ! Their support continues at every step and whenever we need help, they come forward. As our Health Clinic is expanding, they have supported India House again and they have donated another Quarter Million Dollars for its success. They have also agreed to become Trustees of India House. Mr. Yalamanchili, a very successful businessman and real estate developer is also a very generous and humble philanthropist and gem of a man. Our community owes him a lot and he is so passionate about community service that we feel secure in the future of India House.

Dinesh and Kalpana Patel Commit $1m to Univ. of Michigan College of Pharmacy ANN ARBOR, MI - As he accepted chairmanship of the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy’s $20 million campaign effort, Dinesh Patel, PhD’79, also made a generous $1 million commitment to the College. This commitment will holster the existing Chhotubhai & Savitaben Patel Fellowships, which were established by Patel and his brothers in 2005 in honor of their parents. “I am grateful to the University of Michigan for my education and am proud to contribute both resources and leadership to the campaign,” notes Dinesh Patel. Dr. Patel was the 2009 recipient of the University of Michigan Col-

lege of Pharmacy’s Alumni Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award and more recently was honored with BioUtah’s 2013 Utah Life Science Award. The College’s campaign is part of the larger comprehensive University of Michigan Victors for Michigan Campaign, which is the largest campaign ever taken by a university and includes an overall goal of $4 billion. Of the highest priorities to support students, Patel’s gift will directly support graduate students at the College. “We’re very pleased that Dinesh will be chairing our efforts and his commitment to the College is clear by evidence of his generous gift,” said

Dean Frank Ascione. The University of Michigan’s College of Pharmacy was founded in 1876 and is committed to educational excellence in preparing students for productive careers in pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, medicinal chemistry, clinical practice, and research. As a prominent entrepreneur and business leader in Utah, Dr. Patel has founded or co-founded multiple Utah life science companies. He was the founder and CEO of TheraTech, now a major Utah division of Actavis. As a co-founding managing director of vSpring Capital, he invested in many Utah-based life science companies, and supported more than 20 other companies as an angel investor.

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VOICE OF ASIA 2

OP-ED/OPINIONS/COMMENTARY by Adam Sobel (CNN)

n much of the northeastern quadrant of the United States, the past few days have seen the coldest weather in about 20 years. The Midwestern lows have been dangerously, frighteningly low. Near the coast, the weather is slightly less cold, but wilder. At 7 yesterday morning, the temperature outside here in New York City was 53 degrees Fahrenheit. This morning as I write, it’s 4 degrees -- that’s 49 degrees different.

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

LETTERS

Response

share the spirit of Publisher’s Note that appeared in January 3rd edition of Voice of Asia. I agree with your appeal to embrace USA – the land of opportunity that has changed lives of many families, villages and cities around the globe. With major immigration from Indian subcontinent taking place after the Second World War and Korean/Vietnam War, we have enjoyed phenomenal prosperity of this great nation that has served as an economic and civic refuge for many.

As known, the country we came from over 30 or 40 years ago has changed. It has prospered signiﬁcantly and has means to take care of the needy. But the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats have failed to tackle human issues that only government is equipped to handle. Let us face it; about 75% of folks who go to retire to their homeland invariably come back to USA. Indeed the family, friends and convenience that an individual is used to is only available in America.

Almost all who have come to the shores of America have succeeded beyond their own imagination. Yes we are an educated immigrant community with rich heritage and noble value system. And that has enabled us all to succeed exceedingly well. Albeit, some still live in the country they came from and have not fully embraced and assimilated in America. We cannot afford to be viewed as ﬁnancial vultures and not become part of the American mainstream. Everyone needs to remember that this is the homeland of our children and grandchildren. We need to plant seeds of virtue here in USA to secure desired reputation as a kinder and gentler community that is genuinely part of American Dream!

Another dimension of human life is religion. Yes religion and spirituality has place in life of each individual who believes. Many purveyors of religion and TV based palmist and healers stir up emotion and conscious of people to collect funds for their personal unaccountable missions. They are the master of exploiting human vulnerabilities. Think about the various horror stories that you have read and heard about many religious and social cause promoters. Do not allow them to inﬂuence what America truly means to you.

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Understandably there is a special attachment to the homeland. Over the years we all have directly or indirectly supported many worthy and less-than worthy causes to make a difference back home. At some point we must realize that 90% of us will take our last breath in this country – USA. We owe something to this nation that has made big difference in our lives. We must have a sense of gratitude to a place that now we call home.

It is amazing how self-made successful people fall for this emotional entrapment. Awake and think carefully, this country has been good to all. Embrace the openness and beauty of this nation and become part of this great mosaic. And frankly, if this is not a good place to call home, everyday numerous ﬂights are departing for other destinations – greener pastures. Show how proud you are by living and earning in a country where your heart is! Let us commit to set a greater example of an attitude of gratitude! God Bless America! Naren Patel

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

Record cold doesn’t disprove global warming

The numbers are indeed extreme. But in a larger sense, the current situation in the atmosphere is the norm -- just more so. Most of the United States lies in the midlatitudes. That means, between the tropics and the pole. We get our weather from both directions. Cold arctic air and hot tropical air can’t easily mix together to make lukewarm air, because the earth’s rotation deﬂects them sideways. The result is the jet stream, a very fast air current that blows from west to east at about the altitude (coincidentally) that jet planes ﬂy, along the top of the boundary separating warm from cold. (Sometimes our Northern Hemisphere weather maps show two jet streams, one north of the other. The northern one makes a loop around the pole with the coldest air inside. This cold air mass with the jet around it is what is being called the “polar vortex” in recent media stories.) But the cold and warm air can’t stay apart forever. The jet undulates, forming giant loops and eddies the size of one or more American states. These are highand low-pressure systems. They stir the atmosphere around on a giant scale. They can move the air north or south fast enough that it brings some of the climate of the latitude from which it came. Warm moist air coming north ahead of low pressure swirls around cold air plunging south

Travelers in Boston leave the Back Bay train station on January 3. behind it. Where they meet at the ground, temperature contrasts sharpen yet further as cold and warm are squeezed together along fronts. Baby, it’s cold outside Passenger: A lot of sleeping and hoping Florida farmers fear crop freeze Polar vortex freezes much of U.S. This is the normal state of affairs here in the midlatitudes. Our weather is always a study in contrasts, especially in winter. It’s just a more extreme contrast right now -- the jet is more distorted, the cold air plunging down harder against the warm. To be fair, one could say that any severe weather event is just an extreme case of normal weather. In a cosmic sense, Typhoon Haiyan or Superstorm Sandy were also just examples of the atmosphere going about its rounds. It’s when the extremes happen to strike people that we have a disaster -- and this cold event, too, is having serious consequences.

Voice of Asia (USPS 010-215) (ISSN#10705058) is published every Friday (for a subscription rate of $30 per year) by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074. Tel: 713-774-5140. Fax: 713774-5143. Periodical postage paid at Houston, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Voice of Asia, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074 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. - The Publisher

The difference is that Haiyan and Sandy produced conditions that were extreme by the standards of anywhere on earth. These low temperatures, on the other hand, are normal for the Arctic Circle. What makes this event extreme is not that the cold air exists at all, just that it’s roaming a little farther than usual. Why did it happen? With single weather events, as with single stock market ﬂuctuations or single football scores, we can ﬁnd proximate causes -- things that happened just before that seemed to cause the event. We often can’t go beyond that, and not just because our abilities are limited. The atmosphere is inherently chaotic and unpredictable, to the point that larger causes for single events really can’t be ascribed meaningfully. And, of course, the weather will change again quickly. But there can be larger causes for gradual changes in the probabilities that certain types of events will occur. Global warming is one such larger cause. Of course, the cold snap which the current jet distortions have brought us doesn’t contradict the fact of warming. It’s the exception that proves the rule. This is the coldest weather in about 20 years. But it has happened before, and cold weather is happening less often overall. As stated in the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it is “virtually certain” that daily minimum temperatures (as well as daily maximum temperatures) over land have increased since 1950. Globally, 2013 saw the warmest November in recorded history, and in recent times high-temperature records have been repeatedly broken much more often than low-temperature records. But low-temperature records will still fall sometimes -- when the jet’s wiggles happen to bring

cold polar air to somewhere farther south than usual, or bring it faster than usual, before the sun can warm it. Some scientists argue, in fact, that global warming may actually cause this to occur more often. The argument goes like this: A basic feature of global warming is that we expect the poles to warm more than the lower latitudes. Indeed, the North Pole is observed to be warming faster than anywhere else, melting sea ice. (This much is indisputable.) Since our cold snaps are just deliveries of polar air, we might expect them to get less cold. Most of the time they do, hence long-term warming. But because the overall midlatitude temperature contrast has weakened, the jet stream weakens with it. The weakened jet, the argument goes, starts to wobble and meander even more than before. The deliveries of cold air can come faster, or from farther north, than they used to on these bigger meanderings. This can overcompensate, at times, for the overall warming. This argument has been strongly questioned by other scientists, including myself. It is certainly counterintuitive, in that it implies that weaker temperature contrasts globally cause stronger temperature contrasts locally. I don’t think the research to date justiﬁes such a conclusion. But the research on both sides is all still new and hotly debated. Events like the current one highlight some of what we still don’t understand about the relationship of long-term climate changes to short-term extreme weather. We do understand the basics, though. On average, the high temperatures are getting higher, and the lows are getting higher too. Global warming is as real and serious as ever, it’s just exceedingly gradual compared with the dramatic temperature swings that are still part of living in midlatitudes in winter.

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VOICE OF ASIA 3

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

Second Front Page

Friday, January 10, 2014

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ISKCON Houston conducted Japa Retreat 2013 at Hare Krishna Dham

Devotees who attended the Japa Retreat 2013. Photo by Nawal Sharma

by Swathi Murali

OUSTON - The holiday season is ﬁlled with many happy occasions where people gather together to celebrate love, life and happiness. For devotees of Hare Krishna Dham Houston, this holiday season was made even more special due to the Japa retreat conducted by His Holiness Romapada Swami. Chanting the names of God is a form of worship that is common among all the great religions of the world from Christianity to Islam and is a common practice within Hinduism as well. Devotees of the primeval lord Krishna chant what is referred to as the Hare Krishna

Maha mantra. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare They do this in order to help reconnect with God (Krishna). Many people have a desire to understand who God is and what relationship they personally have with him but often times cannot ﬁnd the time or means to do so. This retreat provided the perfect opportunity for both obstacles to be overcome by providing the resources needed to enter into your relationship with God. With more than 150 persons attending the three day retreat it was

amazing to see how many people were more than willing to reconnect to the holy name of Krishna. The three day retreat, from the 27th to 29th of December, was held in the greater Houston area at Hare Krishna Dham (www.iskconhouston.org) where the presiding deities Sri Sri Radha Nila Madhava are worshipped with great care and attention. Many people from all over North America attended the retreat and gained tremendous spiritual beneﬁt from attending the lecturers by HH Romapada Swami, kirtans by world renowned musician and long term devotee HG Bada Hari Das and chanting and hearing in the

association of devotees. The highlight of the entire retreat was the 64 round (chanting of 108 times the Maha Mantra means ONE round) day where the attendees, having taken a vow of silence for that day called mouna vrata, worked toward entering deeply into the holy name by focusing all their attention on chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. This is the day where all the various resources given through the lectures and discussions are utilized by the devotees to reconnect with The Lord through the medium of His Holy Names. The ﬁnal day and often time the favorite day of the retreat the attendees share their realizations followed by a question

and answer session which is mainly focused on how you can take the retreat home with you. Unlike other retreats that one might attend, this retreat provides one of the rarest gifts and unveils to you the treasure of spirituality, love of God, in its purest form. Truly, there can be no better way to start 2014 than by re-establishing your transcendental relationship with The Lord in this wonderful way. We wish to take this opportunity to welcome you all to the Hare Krishna Dham Houston at 1320 W 34th St, Houston TX 77018 (713 686 4482) or visit http://www.iskconhouston.org for more details.

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FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

Entries sought for 2014 Texas The People’s Lawyer Gavel Awards www.peopleslawyer.net Richard M. Alderman Interim Dean of the Law Center

Time to clear up a few misconceptions about the law Q. I was shopping for a new car. After a long day of haggling I signed a contract. As soon as I got home I realized I had agreed to spend more than I really can afford. My friend told me I have three days to change my mind. Is this true? A. As far as the law is concerned, you generally do not have any time to change your mind after you sign a contract. There are only a few special types of contracts, such as time-share contracts, health-club contracts, door-to-door contract and contracts that place a lien on your home, where you are given a period of time to change your mind and rescind the agreement. In your case, unless you were misled or deceived into signing the contract you have no legal right to change your mind or be released from the agreement. The dealer, however, may still agree to release you from your once you explain your situation. Q. I had an accident that was clearly the other person’s fault. Unfortunately he has no insurance. I guess I am just out of luck? A. Whether someone has insurance does not affect liability. If the other person was at fault, and caused the accident, he is liable for the damage to your car. If he had insurance, the insurance company would pay. If he doesn’t have insurance, he still can be sued in small claims court. If he doesn’t make arrangements to pay after you win in court, he could lose his driver’s license. I should add that the best way to avoid this problem in the future is to make sure you have full coverage on your insurance. Q. I stopped paying a credit card account and was sued about eight years ago. I just received a letter for an attorney saying he was going to take steps to enforce the judgment against me. I told him it had been more than seven years and he could no longer collect. Am I right? A. There seems to be a lot of confusion about the time periods for collecting and enforcing a debt. First, a debt can be reported to the credit bureau, where it remains on your credit report for seven years. After seven years it becomes obsolete and generally is no longer reported. A lawsuit, however, must be filed within four years of when you stopped paying. After that time, you would have a defense you any lawsuit based on what is called the statute of limitations. Even after it is too late to sue, however, the debt still exists until it is paid or you file bankruptcy. If you are sued within the four-year period the judgment entered against you is enforceable to ten years, and may be renewed for another ten-year period. In your case, the creditor sued within the four-year period and was awarded a judgment. Based on what you say, the judgment is still enforceable. Q. I had an accident and fell in a local store. Although I am now fine, I did incur some medical bills. The store says it is not responsible and refuses to reimburse me. Can I take the store to justice court? Isn’t the store liable if I was injured while on its property? A. If the store is responsible, you can file suit in justice court to be reimbursed for your injuries. The store is not responsible, however, simply because the accident occurred on its property. For the store to be liable you must show that the accident was the store’s fault. Usually, this is done by showing the store was negligent, and that is why you fell. For example, if there was liquid on the floor and the store did not take steps to clean it up and as a result you slipped and fell, the store would be considered negligent and responsible. On the other hand, if you simply tripped over another customer and injured yourself, the store would not be at fault, and would have no responsibility. If you think your accident was caused by some fault on the part of the store, justice court may be the best place to get things resolved. Do you want to know more about your legal rights? Visit my website, www.peopleslawyer. net.

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Entries in the print, broadcast, and online categories will be accepted until 5 p.m. April 1. There is no entry fee. The Texas Gavel Awards program is coordinated by the State Bar of Texas Public Affairs Committee and judged by an independent panel. Awards will be presented Sept. 12 in Austin in conjunction with the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas annual conference. “Excellent journalism about our laws and legal system is essential to an informed citizenry and a well-functioning democracy,” said Rudy England, chair of the Public Affairs Committee. “The quality of life of every individual in our society depends upon it.”

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The State Bar of Texas is an administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Texas that provides educational programs for the legal profession and the public, administers the minimum continuing legal education program for attorneys, and manages the attorney discipline system. For more information, visit www. texasbar.com.

YOUR IMMIGRATION LAWYER Answers to your Immigration Questions by Sharlene Sharmila Richards, Immigration Lawyer: email at srichardslaw@aol.com

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS TO PERMANENT RESIDENCE: Sharlene Sharmila Richards Q: What is adjustment of status? A: Adjustment of status an application filed by a foreign citizen who is physically present in the United States to change his or her status to that of a lawful permanent resident. Typically, this application is filed after the petition whether family based or employment based has been filed and approved. Q: I am a US Citizen and my wife wants to apply for permanent residence. Can she adjust her status? A: She can only adjust her status if she is here in the United States. If she is not here, then she will need to obtain her immigrant visa from the US consulate in her present country of residence. To adjust status, she also must be able to show that she was lawfully admitted to the United States. Q: I currently hold H-1B status. I already filed for adjustment of status based on an approved I-140 petition. I also have my employment authorization card. Do you recommend that I continue to extend my H-1B status as it will be expiring soon? A: Yes, I certainly do recommend that you think about extending your H-1 status despite having the employment authorization. This is because if your adjustment of status is denied and your H-1B has expired, you will no longer have any status to remain in the United States. Q: I came to the United States illegally many years ago. I am now married to a US Citizen and have four US Citizen born children. Can I adjust my status to that of permanent resident? A: Typically, you will not be able to adjust status unless you are ‘grandfathered’ under Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. I advise that you consult with an immigration attorney to determine if you are ‘grandfathered’ and to evaluate if other options are available for you to eventually acquire lawful status in the United States. These options will include applying for the I-601A Provisional Waiver for unlawful presence, returning to your native country to consular process, various forms of relief from removal and also future immigration reform provisions that could apply to you. Q: I came to the United States on a Tourist Visa but my status has already expired. My company wants to file a petition for me. Can I adjust my status that way? A: Unfortunately, you cannot adjust your status this way unless you are ‘grandfathered’ under 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The general rule is to adjust status under an employer based petition, you must have continuously maintained lawful status until the time of your adjustment. Q: I am a J-1 visa holder and I got married to a US Citizen. Can I adjust my status? A: You can only adjust if you are not subject to the 2 year foreign residency requirements. If you are subject to such a requirement, then you need to either complete the two year foreign residency requirement by returning to your home country for two years and then returning here to adjusts or obtain a waiver of the foreign residency requirement. I suggest that your consult with an immigration attorney to determine whether your J-1 is subject to the two year foreign residency requirement or not. Disclaimer: Any advice provided in this article is general in nature and not intended to constitute legal advice for any specific case. Please consult with an immigration lawyer about the specific circumstances of your case. Sharlene Sharmila Richards is a licensed Immigration Lawyer practicing in Houston, Texas. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2000 and is a member of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and a member of the US Supreme Court. If you require advice or assistance, you may contact her at telephone number 713-623-8088 or by email at srichardslaw@aol.com to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case. Also you can visit www.houstonimmigrationattorney.com

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 5

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

New Year Celebrations 2014 The Grand Global Finale of at Sri Meenakshi Temple Miss Malayalee Worldwide

Transfer of Power at MTS (from left to right) : Srikanth Venugopalan (Incoming Secretary, P. Vaduganathan( Incoming Chairman) and Padma Golla (Incoming Treasurer) , MTS priests, Tupil Narasiman (Outgoing Chairman), Raj Mikkelineni ( Outgoing Secreatry) and Parthiban Dhanabalan (Outgoing Treasurer) by Chandana Golla and Akilan Gopal

EARLAND Sri Meenakshi Temple Society (MTS) started off this New Year with a day of celebration and prayer, bringing in almost 7000 devotees. Starting as early as midnight, devotees arrived to perform special Archanas and receive blessings from gods for the New Year. The morning started with Ganesha Homam and abhishekam for Prasanna Vinayagar in the newly built Ganesh temple. Over 500 devotee Archanas were performed for Venkateswara, Shiva, and Meenakshi. Laksharchana (100,000 archanas) which was started a couple of days in advance, was completed. The day was also particularly special for the society as they honored the 70th birthday and meaningful contributions of one of the original founders, Mr. Sam Kannappan. In addition, a special pooja was done to ask blessings for the passing of the torch between the old and new board members as the board membership was transitioned. The new board has a goal to raise money to work on the renovation of the main temple to make it more spacious over the next two years. Local restaurants sold food throughout the day, and the temple sold saris worn by the deities and special Meenakshi Temple Society calendars. A few times during the day, different deities dressed up in jewelry and adorned with ﬂowers went around the temple on poo pallakku or palanquin carried on the shoulders of 1620 volunteers. Enthusiastic crowds followed the pallakku each time in a procession. In the afternoon, Sri Meenakshi Temple hosted an entertaining cultural program, Anandam, highlighting performances from various regions of India. The program started with a three-year old girl Nithalakshya’s prayer song followed by a honoring of the new MTS Chairman, Dr. Vaduganathan. This commemoration was truly

Clean-up project targets student safety for schools in southeast Houston A clean-up project during the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday will help create safer routes to schools for students of Sterling High School and Thomas Middle School in southeast Houston. Volunteers are needed for the Collaborating for Safe Places clean-up project that the Houston AmeriCorps Alums and Houston Department of Health and Human Services (HDHHS) will organize Monday, Jan. 20, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Volunteers need to arrive at Sterling High School, 11625 Martindale Rd., by 10:30 a.m. to receive safety vests, supplies and instructions. Teams of volunteers will pick up litter and remove debris from various illegal dump sites to clear routes so students can safely walk to and from school. For more information, call 832-393-4999.

special as Dr. Kas Ranga crafted a Tamil poem to auspiciously laud the transition from Mr. Tupil Narasiman to Dr. Vaduganathan as MTS’s chairman. The afternoon was ﬁlled with a cultural road trip of India starring Mrs. Saratha and Dr. Ranga as they performed in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kanda, Malayalam, and more. Singing and dancing became the alternating themes of the show. Highlights of performances included classical BharataNatyam and Kuchipudi

performances by Divya Unni and Sunantha Nair’s students, modern Bollywood and Kollywood dance numbers, classical and light music ensembles, and magniﬁcent solo performances. Each of these shows portrayed unique talents that in culmination with the other performances portrayed the diverse and distinguishing cultural identity of India. Anandam, organized by Mrs. Mala Gopal and MR. Mahesh Iyer, concluded with an address from the new MTS secretary, Mr. Srikanth Venugopalan.

WINNERS: Anjali Verma crowned Miss Malayalee Worldwide (center), Dible Paul (lt) First Runner up and Sophie M John (rt) second Runner up. COCHIN - The Grand Global Finale of Miss Malayalee Worldwide, swearing in of Kerala Council and the formation of Miss Malayalee Foundation, welcoming the New Year with an energizing momentum and a synergizing bonding within the structures of WMC, all set to mark a new era in the annals of our World Malayalee Council. The Grand Finale of Miss Malayalee Worldwide was one of the rarest of occasions that marked a class apart, with its pomp and splendor, glitter and glamour, a pageant that Cochin has witnessed in truly international standards. In all fairness we could inform you that we have established a valuable international brand - Miss Malayalee Worldwide. Let me thank all the members of WMC who have worked for this noble cause. We are bound to the establishing the World Malayalee Centre and we can now announce with conﬁdence that the concept is close to being a reality and the successful implementation of MMW has laid a strong foundation to this structure. We look forward to the whole hearted involvement and participation in this project from all provinces and Regions of WMC, which in turn will be your contribution to our dream project of World Malayalee Centre. All in all, this festive day brought together people from as far away as India, to say farewell to 2013 and greet the

spectacular and promising New Year to come, receiving the blessing of deities and celebrating with family and friends.

MTS thanks the large contingent of volunteers who worked tirelessly for several days to make this event possible.

DIASPORA

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

Tech investor Vivek New Ambassador of India to the United States Wadhwa calls for Indian entrepreneurs to step up efforts man, and Under Secretary for Management, Patrick F. Kennedy.

Bio-proﬁle of Ambassador Dr. S. Jaishankar Dr. S. Jaishankar assumed his responsibilities as Ambassador of India to the United States in December 2013.

Ambassador Dr. S. Jaishankar

ASHINGTON, DC- (December 26, 2013)

The US is not the only market. Entrepreneurs can bring the technology to India, study and understand how it works and look to produce the same here,” Wadhwa said. NEW DELHI: Indo-American academic and tech evangelist Vivek Wadhwa has called for Indian entrepreneurs to come forward and meet the country’s myriad needs in energy and healthcare, stating that the domestic market held more opportunities for growth, given the massive unmet demands of India’s populace. “Entrepreneurs and startups have to look for solutions, given the high energy costs here, and low quality of water, which is a signiﬁcant cause of the majority of diseases that people in India suffer from. In the US, it is almost impossible to believe that there water-borne causes of diseases,” said Wadhwa, who was speaking at a Nasscom 10000 Startups event in the city on Sunday. The 10000 Startups initiative launched by Nasscom last year, has been created to support technology entrepreneurship in India. Sponsored by tech giants Google and Microsoft, along with network infrastructure major Verisign, the programme aims at creating 10,000 tech start-ups in India in the next 10

years The tech entrepreneur and investor pointed to the likes of countries such as Chile, which has been seeing startups developing cutting-edge technology within its borders, at a fraction of the cost incurred in developed markets, such as the US, and which were also well on their way to be market-ready. “The US is not the only market. Entrepreneurs can bring the technology to India, study and understand how it works and look to produce the same here,” Wadhwa said. He reiterated that startups were the future of India, and the country could not afford to depend on its large technology services companies such as Infosys and Wipro, as it moved forward into the 21st s century. “”India’s IT industry will last another decade at best. Startups are the future of India, and we will see the maximum innovation come out of early-stage ventures,”” Wadhwa said.

Dr. S. Jaishankar, Ambassador of India to the United States, presented a copy of his credentials to the US State Department on 26th December, 2013. Ambassador Jaishankar met with Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Wendy Sher-

Dr. Jaishankar comes to Washington, DC with more than three decades of diplomatic experience. Joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1977, Dr. Jaishankar has represented India’s interests and fostered friendly working relationships in countries around the world. Dr. Jaishankar’s ﬁrst postings abroad were as Third and Second Secretary (Political) at the Embassy of India in Moscow from 1979 to 1981. From 1981 to 1985, he served as Under

Secretary (Americas) and Policy Planning in the Ministry of External Affairs. He then spent three years from 1985 to 1988 as First Secretary handling political affairs at the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, followed by two years as First Secretary and Political Advisor to the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka. In 1990, Dr. Jaishankar became Commercial Counsellor in Budapest. After three years in that position, he returned to India where he served ﬁrst as Director of East Europe Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, and then as Press Secretary for the President of India. Following this service in India, Dr. Jaishankar went abroad again - to Tokyo in 1996 as Deputy Chief of Mission. In the year 2000, he was appointed the Ambassador of India to

Czech Republic and served in Prague till 2004. Upon completing his time as Ambassador in Prague, Dr. Jaishankar returned once again to India, where he led the Americas Division in the Ministry of External Affairs. After three years heading the division, he again left India in 2007 to serve as High Commissioner to Singapore for two years. Most recently, Dr. Jaishankar was the Ambassador of India to China from 2009 to 2013. Dr. Jaishankar holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil in International Relations and a M.A. in Political Science. He is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. Dr. Jaishankar is married to Kyoko Jaishankar and has two sons and a daughter.

Over 2,000 delegates to attend annual diaspora meet NEW DELHI: Over 2,000 non-resident Indians (NRIs) and people of Indian origin (PIOs) from all across the world are likely to attend the 12th edition of the annual diaspora meet beginning here Tuesday. The focus of the three-day event - which began in 2003 will be on engaging the youth diaspora in different sectors. “The event is expected to open new horizons of a strong network of young overseas Indians to contribute to India’s engagement with youth in all sectors,” Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said Monday. The event is organised every year by the ministry of overseas Indian affairs to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India

from South Africa. This is an effort to connect with the nearly 25 million Indian diaspora living across the globe. Addressing a media conference here, Ravi said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address the diaspora meet Wednesday, while President Pranab Mukherjee will deliver the valedictory speech on Thursday. Ravi said over 2,000 delegates from the heterogeneous and diverse overseas Indian community spread across the globe are likely to take part in the event. The 11th edition of the annual convention was held in Kochi in partnership with the Kerala government. Malaysian Minister of Natu-

ral Resource and Environment Datuk Seri G. Palanivel will be the chief guest. According Ravi, the purpose of the annual event called “Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)” is to have a meaningful interaction with overseas Indians in order to address their issues and concerns. Several states as well as the central government departments will also be pitching for investments from Indian diaspora participating at the meet. Chief ministers of different states including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Goa Chief Minister Manohan

Parrikar and Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh are scheduled to address the meet and seek investments for their respective states. On the first day of the event, there will be sessions directed at youths. In fact, the first day will be called “Youth PBD”, Ravi said. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry ( FICCI) will coordinate and manage the event, while the federal ministry of sports and youth affairs will be the partner ministry for the event. There will be a concurrent exhibition with participation from the state governments, corporates, financial institutions and non-government organisations at the event.(Source: IANS).

Indian-Americans to make phone calls Murder trial of Sarabjit to garner support for BJP Singh starts in Pakistan

AHORE: The murder trial of Indian national Sarabjit Singh began at a high-security Pakistani jail here on Wednesday with a court holding the first hearing against alleged killers. Two death row prisoners had brutally attacked 49-yearold Sarabjit at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in April last year. Sarabjit, who sustained severe injuries, including a fractured skull, died on May 2 of injuries sustained in the assault. Police had booked Amer Aftab and Mudassar for the attack. They reportedly told investigators that they had attacked Sarabjit because he had allegedly carried out bomb attacks in Lahore. Additional Sessions Judge Syed Anjum Raza started the hearing after the police filed a challan of the case before him. The judge adjourned the hearing till January 16. The jail administration is a complainant to the case. A jail official said that the police had submitted the challan against the two accused for their alleged involvement in the killing. Earlier, a single memberjudicial commission had held a “thorough” inquiry of the incident and recorded the statements of over 50 people including Indian prisoners and

jail staff. Some 30 or so Indian prisoners are currently languishing at the Kot Lakhpat Jail. “The commission’s report will also be presented before the trial court as it is a part of the investigation,” the official said. Both the accused had also recorded their statements with the commission, confessing to the murder of Sarabjit. They said: “We wanted to take revenge from him (Sarabjit) for killing the Pakistanis in bomb blasts in Lahore and Faisalabad,” the official quoted a part from their statements. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had declared Sarabjit’s murder “planned one”. Sarabjit was convicted for alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks in Punjab province in 1990 that killed 14 people. His family, however, said he was the victim of “mistaken identity” and had inadvertently strayed across the border. His mercy petitions were rejected by the courts and former President Pervez Musharraf. In 2008, the Pakistan People’s Party-led government had put off Sarabjit’s execution for an indefinite period. PTI

aking cue from Barack Obama’s successful campaigning strategy, the Overseas Friends of BJP has decided to create an army of Indian-American volunteers to call their friends and relatives back home seeking their

support for Narendra Modi in the next Lok Sabha polls. “Each volunteer is expected to make at least 200 calls,” president of OFBJP Chandrakant Patel said yesterday. “Thousands of volunteers are getting ready to work for ‘Mis-

sion 2014 BJP 272+’ in the US and some of them are travelling to India to campaign for the BJP,” said Patel. The objective of the campaign is to help BJP to win the parliamentary polls this year and have Narendra Modi as the

next Prime Minister, he said. The OFBJP will form a series of committees comprising of eminent Indian-Americans to work in various areas like social media, research and analysis, IT and web, youths and women.

Indian-origin man to face murder trial in UK

ONDON: An Indianorigin man accused of the murder of a British Sikh during a street clash over 17 years ago will go on trial later this year. Kiranjit Uppal, 36, was arrested at Heathrow Airport as he arrived on a plane from India in September last year.

Uppal is accused of killing Harminder Singh Jhaghra during a street altercation in Hayes, south-west London, in February 1996. He denied the murder charge and causing grievous bodily harm when he allegedly stabbed Jhaghra in the arm.

Uppal is due to stand trial at the Old Bailey?court in London in September?this year. The 28-year-old victim had suffered a stab wound to the arm but managed to ﬂag down a passing motorist to take him to safety at a nearby petrol station.

He was then taken to hospital by ambulance but was pronounced dead. A post-mortem found the knife had severed an artery in his arm. Detectives arrested several people in connection with the incident but all others were released with no further action. PTI

Bahrain-based Indian John Iype to receive ‘Bharat Gaurav’ award

UBAI: A Bahrainbased Indian was selected for the prestigious “ Bharat Gaurav” (Pride of India) award in recognition of his contribution to the community. John Iype, 63, has been chosen by the India International Friendship Society for the award. He will collect the award in New Delhi tomorrow. According to the Gulf Daily News, Iype has been living in Bahrain for over 40 years and

working as a construction manager.

Dev Anand, who have received the award in the past.

Iype will join the likes of Mother Teresa, cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and actors Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and

Iype has been volunteering in the community for 14 years. He had helped survivors of the 2006 Gudaibiya ﬁre in

which 16 people died, ensured employment for 800 workers after a garment factory went bankrupt and was instrumental in launching a free insurance scheme for poor Indian workers in Bahrain.

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

YLDP’s Session with Judge Ravi Sandill

YLDP batch of 2013 with Judge Ravi K. Sandill by: Suvi Jain

OUSTON - On Saturday, December 21st, 2013, the students of YLDP had the incredible opportunity to attend a session held by Judge Ravi K. Sandill at Houston’s Court House. For the past 5 years, Mr. Sandill has been a judge at the 127th District Court. He has the distinction of being the ﬁrst South Asian

to be elected into the district court bench in Texas, which is an extraordinary achievement. During YLDP’s visit, Judge Sandill made convincing points about the ﬁeld of law, staying positive, and the importance of good decision making. Judge Sandill’s journey in becoming an important ﬁgure in Texas’s District Court, inspired every single YLDP stu-

dent. His life was ﬁlled with numerous obstacles which he handled with rational decision making and by remaining optimistic. Mr. Sandill taught us to stay true to ourselves and to think with our heads straight. For example, one of the most crucial decisions Judge Sandill made in his career was saying “no” to a beneﬁcial job opportunity that supported something he did not believe in. Consequentially, this be-

came a turning point in his career and brought numerous advantages. From his experience, I learned that focusing on the present is just as important as focusing on the future. Additionally, his remarkable ability to stay positive in difﬁcult situations is extremely inspirational. He taught me that not everything comes as granted, so we need to work diligently and aim to achieve high goals. Us YDLP stu-

dents can apply this in their lives by aspiring to do our best in high school and then later in college. Furthermore, we should aspire to grab opportunities that will aid us in creating a better future. Judge Sandill achieved his accomplishments due to his dedication along with hard work he puts into everything he does. He is an inspiration to many aspiring lawyers and the South Asian community as a whole.

A New Year celebration at Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha year was wonderful and the coming year promises to be another good one for the temple and its growing congregation of devotees. There were so many good voices accompanied by harmonium, mridanga and other instruments. The congregation was particularly pleased with the high school students’ devotional singing. Everyone appreciated that there are so many devotees who sing so well and lead all in wonderful worship of the Deities.

Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha welcomed the New Year with a beautiful ‘Bhajan Sandhya’ (devotional singing), aarati and a sumptuous prasadam

feast. Over several hundred attended in the newly constructed 15,000 square foot temple. There was much to be grateful for and much to celebrate. Last

The melodies and words of bhajans are to carry our hearts to transcendental realm and remind us of the true reality often obscured behind the maya of daily life. It felt as if time were suspended at the New Years’ service.

Kirtan session Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha was founded by His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja, a renowned preacher of Vedic knowledge and author of over a 100 books on Gaudiya Vaishnavishm. The presiding Deities at the temple are: Krishna (Sri Govindaji) and Srimati Radharani; Sri Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu; and Sri Sri Sita Rama Laksmana Hanuman. The temple has six regular aarati and darshans every day along with several spiritual

classes during the week. Visitors are warmly welcomed anytime and are especially encouraged to attend our Sunday services. We have members from Punjab to Tamil Nadu, Bengal to Gujarat, and places across America. You will ﬁnd traditional Vedic teachings, worship and values in an American setting. The Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha temple is located between the Katy Freeway (I-10), the Northwest Freeway (290), Grand Parkway (99) and High-

way 6. It is very convenient for the following areas: Katy, CyFair, Sugar Land, the Energy Corridor, Memorial and Tomball. Every Sunday we have: bhajans and kirtan starting at 5 PM; Hari katha in English at 5:45; Aarati at 7:00 followed by Sri Tulasi puja; and delicious healthy prasadam afterwards. Bhakti Gurukula for children in grades K-12 starts at 5:45. The new Gurukula semester starts from Jan 12th. Hindi classes are at 5 PM. For more information, please visit the temple website: www.sggm.org

Memorial Hermann Medical Group Opens Heart Murmur Clinic on Memorial Hermann Southwest Campus HOUSTON, TX –Memorial Hermann Medical Group has opened a heart murmur clinic on the campus of Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital to better accommodate patients who are candidates for Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The clinic will serve as an additional location for current Memorial Hermann Medical Group physician: William Grinstead, M.D., Cardiovascular Diseases The office is located at 7787 Southwest Freeway, First Floor, Houston, TX 77074. The phone number is 713.778.6244.

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Fort Bend ISD joins Texas School Districts in honoring School Boards

ORT BEND ISD - January is School Board Recognition Month, and Fort Bend ISD joins school districts throughout Texas in recognizing their board members for their dedicated leadership in public education and continued service to our students. FBISD will honor its board on Monday, January 13, with a reception and special board recognition during the scheduled board meeting.

School Board Recognition Month helps build awareness about the many invaluable contributions board members make to our school districts and communities, and gives district staff and patrons the opportunity to show their appreciation to these elected ofﬁcials. FBISD is grateful for its sevenmember board, which devotes countless hours governing our school district, while keeping the best interest of all students at heart.

“We are proud to salute these advocates for education as they provide vision and leadership for student achievement, academic programs, district funding, and school facilities,” said Charles E. Dupre, Superintendent of Schools. “Our dedicated trustees deserve recognition and thanks for their signiﬁcant investment of time, and their unfailing commitment to the success of our students and staff now and in the future.”

SOUTH ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

B’desh Hindu leaders demand New Political Faces in India more protection for minorities

’desh Hindu leaders demand more protection for minorities Dhaka: Human rights groups and Hindu leaders in Bangladesh today demanded more security for religious minorities amid reports that members of the community were attacked in several parts of the country during elections. Activists of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its key-ally fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami attacked Hindu households in western Jessore and northwestern Dinajpur, local media reports said. The Daily Star and several other newspapers said the activists vandalised 130 Hindu houses and torched another 10 in Malopara village as they went to cast votes defying the opposition call for the boycott. Police, however, said 70 to 80 men attacked the village but joint forces comprising police and paramilitary Border Guard

Bangladesh chased them away. The activists threatened the Hindus of dire consequence for voting, sparking panic and prompting the army “striking forces” intervention. “We were on election duty. In spite of that we rushed here to protect the villagers,” Maj Rahman last night said, adding that a temporary police camp was installed at the area. “Some 400 Hindus were forced to ﬂee their homes and take refuge on the other side of the local Bhairab river fearing fresh attacks,” Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddho-Cristian Oikya Parishad vice president Kajal Debnath told PTI. Other reports said Hindus came under attack also at Pornia area in northwestern Dinajpur overnight where the opposition activists severely assaulted 10 elderly people of the community and vandalised over 10 houses for defying their calls for election boycott.

But army intervened, forcing the activists to ﬂee. “We demand intensiﬁed protection...We don’t want to be traded off politically or used for anybody’s political purpose,” Debnath told PTI in an apparent reference to a perception that the Hindus were traditionally supporters of Awami League, which pursue a policy of secularism. He added: “Keep me (Hindus) beyond (political) focus, I don’t want to be a victim.” According to media reports, only a small number of Hindus cast their votes in north-western Lalmonirhat and southwestern Satkhira either fearing attacks by opposition activists. They said most of the Hindu villagers were annoyed with the government for not taking adequate steps for their protection during earlier such attacks in recent months when the opposition spearheaded anti-government campaigns. PTI

Devyani Khobragade row set to go all the way to the White House by Chidanand Rajghatta

ASHINGTON: The row between India and the United States over the Devyani Khobragade episode is set to go all the way up to the White House. Secretary of state John Kerry is due to meet President Obama on Wednesday evening, even as bureaucracies on both sides have dug in their heels, leading to an impasse in the bitter face-off that has become more toxic with each passing day. It is clear that political intervention at the highest level will be needed to break the deadlock. The opening comes

on Wednesday when the President and the secretary have their ﬁrst meeting after they repaired for holidays before Christmas. President Obama returned from Hawaii on Monday by which time Kerry had left for the Middle East.

was initiated against Devyani Khobragade, ignoring the diplomat’s own legal initiative through courts in India to bring her housekeeper Sangeeta Richard, who was on the lam with an ofﬁcial Indian passport, to book.

Although no agenda is set for the 4.20pm meeting, Kerry will call on Obama soon after the swearing of Gregg Starr, assistant secretary for diplomatic security, who is one of the principals of the ongoing row.

The US insists that the diplomat broke its laws with false declarations in securing a visa for the housekeeper and underpaying her in New York and its laws should apply because as a consular ofﬁcial, she does not have full diplomatic immunity.

It was at the instance of the bureau of diplomatic security, primed by the US embassy in New Delhi, that the case

India maintains that the housekeeper is in effect an India government employee, under the charge of the diplomat.

new organization called the Common Man Party shook India’s political system in December when it took control of the government in the territory of Delhi, which includes the capital of New Delhi. Its rapid rise since its founding in 2012 suggests that many Indian voters are tiring of establishment politicians, especially members of the Indian National Congress Party, which has governed the country and Delhi longer than any other party but has lost favor in recent years because it has mismanaged the economy. Common Man — its ofﬁcial Hindi name is Aam Aadmi Party — is led by Arvind Kejriwal, a former tax commissioner who helped lead a popular movement in 2011 that campaigned for the creation of a powerful

federal anti-corruption agency. When lawmakers refused, Mr. Kejriwal and his supporters formed their party.

The recent election in Delhi, which has nearly 17 million people, was Common Man’s ﬁrst foray into elective politics. Its commanding victory — it won 30 percent of the vote in a largely three-way race against the incumbent Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party — stunned political analysts. If it is able to maintain that momentum in next year’s national election, Common Man could soon play an important role in Parliament as well. Common Man must now show that it can govern. Mr. Kejriwal’s ﬁrst challenge will be managing a coalition government. Because Common Man did not win an outright

majority of the seats in the Delhi Assembly, it will need support from lawmakers Mr. Kejriwal has criticized as corrupt and feckless. The party will also struggle to fulﬁll big promises like cutting electricity prices in half and providing free, clean drinking water to every Delhi household. Mr. Kejriwal, an engineer by training, will also be judged on how well he deals with major problems like Delhi’ air pollution and violence against women. It is impossible to know whether or how successful Common Man will be. But that it has come this far in such short order suggests a readiness among many Indians for change — and a willingness to use the democratic system to get it. SOURCE: The New York Times, Editorial Board. Published: January 1, 2014)

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The wage dispute between the two is not a matter for the US to intervene since she is not taxed under US laws. Besides, New Delhi has argued belatedly, the diplomat had full diplomatic immunity at the arrest. The case has now become incredibly complex, with questions not only over diplomatic immunity, jurisdiction, precedence etc, but also on social and cultural norms and differences between the two countries. The spat has virtually brought bilateral ties to a standstill with key visits, including that of US assistant secretary of state Nisha Desai Biswal and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, both due

in New Delhi in January, now on hold. President Obama has not spoken to the issue directly even once, although the White House has made some anodyne remarks about the importance of the relationship etc. The battle has now been joined in editorial columns of newspapers amid reports from New Delhi about punitive reprisals against the US embassy and missions in India, which India maintains are withdrawal of unilateral concessions that have not been reciprocated by Washington. This includes shutting down commercial activity by the US embassy in New Delhi.

The US media has been scathing about New Delhi’s response. “India is responding with investigations and administrative actions directed by the government for political ends — a tactic common in authoritarian states such as Russia or China but unworthy of a democracy,” Washington Post said in an editorial on Wednesday. “Its bullying measures have ranged from the petty — withdrawing the US embassy’s permit to import alcohol — to the irresponsible — removing security barricades from the street in front of the facility,” it further said

WORLD/US

VOICE OF ASIA 9

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

Canada reports ďŹ rst H5N1 bird ďŹ&#x201A;u death in North America by Michel COMTE

TTAWA, January 9, 2014 (AFP) - Canada announced Wednesday the ďŹ rst H5N1 avian ďŹ&#x201A;u death in North America, of a patient who had just returned from China, and said it was urgently contacting airline passengers on the victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ&#x201A;ights. It was also the ďŹ rst known instance of someone in North America contracting the illness, Canada Health Minister Rona Ambrose told a press conference, stressing it was an â&#x20AC;&#x153;isolated case.â&#x20AC;? The victim, who had recently returned from a trip to Beijing and had been otherwise completely healthy, was from the western plains province of Alberta, ofďŹ cials said, adding they were withholding the personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gender and other identifying details to protect the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s privacy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am here to conďŹ rm North Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst human case of H5N1, also known as avian ďŹ&#x201A;u,â&#x20AC;? Ambrose said, conďŹ rming the patient died on January 3. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to reassure the public this is an isolated case and the risk of H5N1 to Canadians is

very low. There is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission,â&#x20AC;? the minister added. The virus is contracted directly from birds, mainly poultry. The illness it causes in humans is severe and 60 percent of human cases are fatal. The victim began to feel ill during the December 27 ďŹ&#x201A;ight home to Alberta province, developing a fever and headache. They were admitted to hospital on January 1 when the symptoms worsened suddenly and they began falling in and out of conciousness. The patient died two days later. The federal microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, identiďŹ ed the H5N1 virus overnight from a specimen that had been taken while the victim was still alive. Doctors said the deceased had traveled with two companions who are not sick but will be kept under observation as a precaution for 10 days -- double the usual time it takes for the virus to manifest itself.

Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to cut 2,500 jobs in reorganization

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family is not showing any sign of illness. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission on airplanes. All evidence indicates this is one isolated case in an individual who is infected following exposure in China,â&#x20AC;? said Alberta Chief Medical OfďŹ cer James Talbot.

to Vancouver on Air Canada ďŹ&#x201A;ight 030 on December 27, then went on to Edmonton, Alberta, aboard Air Canada ďŹ&#x201A;ight 244.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know at this time how the individual contracted the virus,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Other recent fatal cases have been reported in Indonesia and Cambodia, in November.

Talbot said the victim had not traveled outside Beijing to the regions of China, and had not visited a farm, nor a public market. Canadian ofďŹ cials have notiďŹ ed China and the World Health Organization, but said they are at a loss to explain where or how the person caught the illness. Beijing had been believed to be free of the bird ďŹ&#x201A;u virus. Search for airline passengers Authorities have also secured passenger lists and were contacting others on the same ďŹ&#x201A;ights as the victim to reassure them of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;extremely lowâ&#x20AC;? chance of contagion. The victim ďŹ&#x201A;ew from Beijing

The personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ nal destination was not revealed, again for privacy reasons, but he or she was treated at an Edmonton hospital.

Avian ďŹ&#x201A;u viruses have been around for a long time in wild birds but do not generally cause disease in humans, though in rare cases they mutate and jump species. Strains of the H5, H7 and H9 avian inďŹ&#x201A;uenza subtypes have caused human infections, mainly following direct contact with infected poultry. None of the strains have yet mutated to become easily transmissible from person to person -- the epidemiologists nightmare. The H5N1 virus is the bestknown of the strains, having caused 633 conďŹ rmed ďŹ&#x201A;u cases in humans in 15 countries from 2003 to July this year, of whom 377 died.

Petition launched to take pregnant Texas woman off ventilator

ASHINGTON, January 9, 2014 (AFP) - Abortion rights activists launched a petition Wednesday to take a pregnant American woman declared brain dead off life support in Texas, as requested by her family. The body of Marlise Munoz, 33, has been maintained with technology for more than a month because of her pregnancy. She had collapsed at her home in late November due to

a possible pulmonary embolism as she got up to take care of her ďŹ rst-born son who is now 15 months old.

state of Texas respects their wishes and their privacy,â&#x20AC;? NARAL Pro-Choice America said in a petition.

She had told her husband and parents that she never wanted to be kept alive by a machine should tragedy strike, but a law in conservative Texas is stopping them from carrying out her wishes because she is pregnant.

It urged Abbott to â&#x20AC;&#x153;leave difďŹ cult, personal decisions in the hands of families and support the Munoz familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to take Marlise off of life support, as she wanted.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Munoz family deserves better than this -- and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to show them that the

The case is particularly sensitive because it involves several hot-button issues: abortion, euthanasia and interpretation of the law.

Munoz, who is under care at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, was declared dead there based on neurological criteria, meaning her brain can no longer keep her body alive and functioning. But state law demands she be kept alive so long as she is pregnant. â&#x20AC;&#x153;JPS has a responsibility to be a good corporate citizen while providing compassionate, quality care for our patients,â&#x20AC;? spokeswoman Jill Labbe told AFP.

EW YORK, January 8, 2014 (AFP) - US department store giant Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s said Wednesday it will eliminate 2,500 jobs as a cost-cutting move, equivalent to about 1.4 percent of its workforce. The move is part of an initiative to â&#x20AC;&#x153;sustain proďŹ table sales growth in the years ahead,â&#x20AC;? Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s said in a statement after the close of the market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have identiďŹ ed some speciďŹ c areas where we can improve our efďŹ ciency without compromising our effectiveness in serving the evolving needs of our customers,â&#x20AC;? said Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief executive Terry Lundgren. Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expects to save annually $100 million through the moves starting in 2014, and it will take $120-$135 million in

cost-cutting charges. Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 175,000.

employs

about

Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans to close ďŹ ve stores, but it also plans to open ďŹ ve new Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stores and three new stores of its upscale Bloomingdalesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chain. Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operates about 840 department stores in the US and generated sales of $27.7 billion in 2012. Separately, Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s said its comparable sales rose by 3.6 percent in the key November/ December holiday shopping period. The holiday shopping season was â&#x20AC;&#x153;successfulâ&#x20AC;? for the company, Lundgren said. The company conďŹ rmed its 2013 earnings forecast and said 2014 earnings would be $4.40$4.50 per share, above the $4.32 seen by analysts.

Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downgrades Qantas to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;junkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; status

YDNEY, (AFP) - Embattled Australian carrier Qantas faces a further increase in its borrowing costs after Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downgraded its credit rating to â&#x20AC;&#x153;junkâ&#x20AC;? status Thursday, just weeks after Standard and Poorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s took the same action. Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cited â&#x20AC;&#x153;a sharp deterioration in the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core domestic businessâ&#x20AC;? following the airline issuing a shock proďŹ t warning and slashing jobs in December. In cutting Qantasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rating to Ba2, or junk status, from Baa3, Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior vice president Ian Lewis blamed aggressive competition from domestic rival Virgin Australia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The downgrade to Ba2 reďŹ&#x201A;ects a worse-than-expected impact on Qantasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s credit proďŹ le of a marked sharp deterioration in the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core domestic business, which has been a key supporting factor of its previous investment-grade ratingâ&#x20AC;?, he

said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The cause of the deterioration in the operating proďŹ le is largely due to the aggressive competitive actions by Qantasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key domestic competitor, Virgin Australia Holdings.â&#x20AC;? S&P last month cut the airlineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rating from BBB-, the lowest investment grade, to BB+ and placing it on a credit watch with negative implications. The ratings put Qantas in what is known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;junkâ&#x20AC;? status among professional investors, increasing the cost of ďŹ nancing for the carrier and restricting access for investors that do not put their money in lower-rated companies. Qantas ďŹ&#x201A;agged a half-year loss of up to Aus$300 million (US$267 million) and said it would axe 1,000 jobs as it struggles under the weight of record fuel costs and ďŹ erce competition from Virgin.

Voice of Asia News Group

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LIFESTYLE

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India judge calls pre-marital sex immoral, against religion

EW DELHI (AFP) - An Indian judge has declared premarital sex “immoral” and against “every religion” and added that no educated woman should have sex believing that her partner will marry her.

eral occasions by promising to marry her. “Every act of sexual intercourse between two adults on the assurance of promise of marriage does not become rape if the assurance or promise is not fulfilled later on by the boy,” the judge said.

Sessions court judge Virender Bhat made the comments while finding a 29-year-old Indian man not guilty of raping a woman just because he had promised beforehand to marry her.

The woman must (also) “understand she is engaging in an act which not only is immoral but also against the tenets of every religion,” the judge added.

“When a grown up, educated and office-going woman subjects herself to sexual intercourse” she does so “at her own peril”, Bhat was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

“No religion in the world allows premarital sex,” the judge added. Dhat was presiding over a fast-track court set up in Delhi to deal with cases of sexual crimes against women.

Bhat made the statements late last month in a New Delhi court but they were only reported by local media on Monday.

The fast-track court was one of the reforms introduced after the fatal gang-rape of a student in December 2012 that shocked the nation and also prompted lawmakers to toughen laws against rapists.

Premarital sex remains taboo in many parts of India even as the country undergoes rapid social change after economic reforms in the 1990s opened up the country to the rest of the world. The comments come after a Delhi judge last year termed live-in relationships immoral and an “infamous product of Western culture”. Bhat was ruling in the case of a woman who filed a complaint of rape

An Indian couple going through the wedding ceremonies. against the man, an Indian employee of a multinational company, in May

2011. The woman alleged that the man,

whom she met through a chat website in July 2006, had sex with her on sev-

Two years ago, the Supreme Court dismissed a string of cases filed against south Indian actress Khushboo KhanSundar who was accused of violating public decency by voicing support for women to have pre-marital sex. The Supreme Court has also backed the rights of unwed couples to live together.

Meditation offers slight relief from anxiety: study WASHINGTON - Meditation may help ease anxiety and depression in certain patients, and in some cases the practice may be as effective as taking anti-depressant medications, said a study Monday.

in addressing psychological stress.” The systematic review and metaanalysis was led by experts at Johns Hopkins University and included 47 randomized clinical trials with 3,515 participants.

However, a review of scientific literature on mindfulness meditation published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the effects of meditation are limited.

Of the thousands of studies the authors found on the topic, just three percent were scientifically rigorous enough to meet the criteria for inclusion in the JAMA review.

For instance, little or no evidence could be found of meditation’s impact on positive mood, attention, substance use, eating habits, sleep and weight. Mindfulness meditation is a form of Buddhist self-awareness designed to focus attention -- not judgement-- to the moment at hand, the JAMA study said. “The evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation programs could help reduce anxiety, depression, and

Those that were reviewed found some small to moderate benefits, but lacked evidence of leading to better health. People meditate at Lafayette Park in front of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 20, 2011 (AFP/File, Jewel Samad) pain in some clinical populations,” it said.

ASIANET

“Thus, clinicians should be prepared to talk with their patients about the role that a meditation program could have

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“Contrary to popular belief, the studies overall failed to show much benefit from meditation with regard to relief of suffering or improvement in overall health,” said an accompanying commentary by Allan Goroll, a doctor at Harvard University.

“With the important exception that mindfulness meditation provided a small but possibly meaningful degree of relief from psychological distress.” The patients who received these benefits did not typically have full-blown anxiety or depression. Mindfulness meditation is usually practiced for about 30 minutes per day, and emphasizes acceptance of feelings and thoughts without judgment. It also requires body and mind relaxation. “A lot of people have this idea that meditation means sitting down and doing nothing,” said the JAMA study’s lead author Madhav Goyal, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “But that’s not true. Meditation is an active training of the mind to increase awareness, and different meditation programs approach this in different ways.”

Young Life

VOICE OF ASIA 12

Friday, January 10, 2014

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U.S. acts to keep minority, How to Solve the Educadisabled students out of jail tion Crisis - It’s all about

who you elect

Strong education leaders needed in 2014 elections by Jeanne Allen & Kara Kerwin

hanks to assessments of educational progress, we know where our children stand compared to other communities, states, and even nations. Now that the holidays are behind us, it’s time to take stock of how we are doing, and set resolutions for the New Year.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder speaks on stage during the annual meeting of the American Bar Association in San Francisco, California August 12, 2013. CREDIT: REUTERS/STEPHEN LAM by Ian Simpson he Justice and Education departments unveiled guidelines on Wednesday to prevent schools from violating civil rights laws and keep students out of jail after data found minorities and the disabled were more likely than others to face discipline or arrest.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the guidelines were aimed at giving direction to school law enforcement officers, protecting the civil rights of students, and keeping kids in the classroom. “A routine school disciplinary infraction should land a student in the principal’s office, not in a police precinct,” Holder said in a statement.

The guidelines came after the Justice Department sued Mississippi state and local officials in 2012 over what it called a “school-to-prison pipeline” that violated the rights of children, especially black and disabled youths. The lawsuit contended that police in Meridian, Mississippi, routinely arrested suspended students even when they lacked probable cause to believe they had committed a crime. The district agreed in March 2013 to change how it disciplined students. The guidelines’ principles call for improving school environments by training staff, engaging families and teaching students how to resolve conflicts.

They also urged schools to understand their obligations under civil rights laws, and the package outlines a host of federal resources regarding school discipline. In an accompanying letter, Education Secretary Arne Duncan wrote that department data show black students were three times more likely than whites to be suspended or expelled. Although students with disabilities make up 12 percent of U.S. students, they are 19 percent of students who are suspended and almost a quarter of those getting a school-related arrest. Holder and Duncan were scheduled to lay out the new guidelines at Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore on Wednesday. (Reuters).

Marketing efforts to uninsured youth ramp up

IAMI (AP) — The so-called “young invincibles” are so important to the success of the Affordable Care Act that supporters and detractors are spending millions to reach them with racy ads, social media campaigns and celebrity endorsements. The president is even (gasp) asking their mothers to help convince them to sign up for insurance. The federal government and states running their own exchanges have launched marketing efforts for this crucial demographic of healthy young adults, but it’s unclear if the messages are getting through. Eric Fisher, a 28-year-old from Salt Lake City, said he still hasn’t seen any of the social media campaigns — one of which targets Utah residents with images of people snowboarding and rock climbing. He tried to sign up online when the federal marketplace first launched but couldn’t because of the long wait times and other website glitches. He said he’ll try again at some point. He added that the historic health care overhaul isn’t a topic he and his friends spend much time talking about. “It’s not like a coffee table conversation,” Fisher said. According to a recent Harvard survey, many of Fisher’s peers are undecided. A poll by Harvard’s Institute of Politics shows about 40% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 are on the fence about whether to sign up, with the rest split fairly evenly between those likely to enroll and those who probably won’t. The survey of 2,000 young adults was conducted from Oct. 30 to Nov. 11, after the first month of enrollment on the health care exchanges and when sign-up problems were at their peak. Consisting of healthy college students and twenty-somethings, the so-called “young invincible” demographic is the holy grail of the Affordable Care Act. Insurers need their participation to offset the costs of covering older, sicker Americans. If enough young people decide not to buy insurance through state or federal marketplaces, it could throw off the market’s equilibrium and cause insurance rates to rise dramatically the following year.

Federal officials haven’t released detailed demographic information on who’s enrolled so far, so it’s not clear how many young people have signed up. Ad campaigns in many states are courting undecided young adults. In Colorado, a nonprofit group created a series of provocative “got insurance?” ads. One features a blonde standing next to a life-sized cut-out of celebrity heartthrob Ryan Gosling with the caption, “Hey girl, you’re excited about easy access to birth control and I’m excited about getting to know you. She got insurance.” Another touting “Brosurance” encourages men doing a keg stand not to tap into their beer money to cover medical bills. When the exchange launched, models wearing nothing but underwear and “Get Covered” signs passed out fliers in downtown Denver. Arizona and Utah ads targeting weekend warriors and other athletes note the risks of getting hurt without health insurance. Shmuel Johnson, who works in Los Angeles at a small sound studio, hasn’t seen any ads or perused the state’s health exchange. “There’s this elitist attitude that (politicians) think they know what’s better for us than ourselves and that’s part of why I take issue with this. I’m being forced to do something that’s not necessarily in my best interest,” said Johnson, a 31-year-old who’s never had insurance. “I don’t need insurance, man. I’m healthy.” He’ll wait until March to enroll and says he’ll select the cheapest, lowest-level of coverage available simply to avoid the fine. Experts expect many young adults, like Johnson, to wait until March. In 2012, 18 million 19 to 34year-olds lacked insurance — or 27% of all people in that age group, according to U.S. census data. The Obama administration is making the rounds on college campuses to encourage people to sign up and has enlisted celebrities including Lady Gaga and Kerry Washington in its Get Covered social media campaign. Jennifer Hudson and Olivia Wilde were featured in skits pushing the Affordable Care Act on the humor website

FunnyorDie.com. In the latest push, an Obama impersonator encourages young adults to tell their friends to get covered in an online rap. The president himself recently told a group of mothers visiting the Oval Office that: “Moms can tell young people who think they’re invincible that they’re not and prod them to at least get information.” California state exchange officials even tried to persuade women to pay the first month’s premium as a Christmas gift to their adult children and grandchildren. Experts say engaging young invincibles requires a nuanced touch. They prefer to talk with their peers about pragmatic things they can do to impact the world, but aren’t interested in ideological debates, said Morley Winograd, author of 3 books on millenials, including “Millenial Momentum.” But the cost of coverage will play the biggest role, experts say. More than 3 million young

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), U.S. students are lagging behind. 2012 results show the U.S. is on a rapid decline, ranking 36th in math, 24th in reading, and 28th in science. On the Nation’s Report Card (NAEP), only 34% of 8th graders are proficient in reading and math. Where have we gone wrong? Quite simply, we’ve elected the wrong people. In response to children demonstrating less proficiency, the Governors of the 1980s started a movement that reduced federal meddling in state policy and united both parties over issues of choice and accountability. Then-Governors Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Bill Clinton of Arkansas embraced transformative changes, coalesced other state leaders into an outspoken force, and brought their efforts to national prominence at a groundbreaking policy-making summit in Charlottesville, VA. Governor Tommy Thompson partnered with Democratic and AfricanAmerican lawmaker Polly Williams to enact the nation’s first voucher program for the neediest children. Bold leadership in the 1990s saw then-Michigan Governor John Engler buck his own party to equalize school funding, permit parent choices, and enact a charter school law that remains a national model today. Standards and accountability were heresy when Virginia Governor George Allen decided his state needed uniform measures to elevate outcomes. Pennsylvania’s Tom Ridge created a tax credit program to fund school choice scholarships and secured a adults have health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act because they remained on their parents’ health insurance, according to the feds. The law extended the age that children can stay on their parents’ plan to 26. Joshua Benson stayed on his parents’ insurance until he turned 26 last year. After that, Benson, who had his pancreas removed and needs daily insulin for his Type 1 diabetes, struggled to find coverage. He was either denied or quoted $2,000 monthly premiums, said the South Florida resident, who works part-time as a grocery

hard-fought charter school law. And Jeb Bush of Florida oversaw some of the deepest education policy changes the nation has ever seen. That fervor ignited a movement of educators, parents, and community leaders who started schools, turned around existing ones, became legislators, and created innovations in learning and school delivery, including digital learning. What was once a fast and furious run for school reform from the ground up has come to a steady crawl, incapable of reversing educational decline. When governors are strong, they counter special interests – teachers unions, school boards associations, and the like – that inhibit progress. When governors are weak, policies emanate from “above” to supplant state programs. Apathetic or timid governors wait for bills to reach their desks, allow special interests to organize, and govern by favorability ratings. The result is a lack of commitment to executing much needed changes. For example, charter schools are known to be hotbeds of innovation or providers of quality education. Despite numerous studies attesting to their progress in closing the achievement gap, charter schools are still expanding in low numbers in some states, and exist with policies that hamstring those who wish to open them in others. It sounds dramatic that 42 states and D.C. have charter laws, but only half that number have any vibrant charter environment that can help a small number of students. State leaders are key to creating more options, yet laws that need to be improved are compromised from the first discussions. Kentucky Gov. Steve Bashear recently remarked that his state didn’t need charter schools because the education system was improving, despite evidence to the contrary. He was confusing activity and effort with results, a common problem among today’s leaders. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corstore cashier. He recently enrolled in a platinum plan with no deductible that costs him $170 a month and even covers his endocrinologist. The federal government kicks in another $200 a month. Benson says he was amused by the Funnyordie.com skits, but said many other ads “are focusing more on getting our attention than actually giving us any valid information.” On the other side of the aisle, groups that oppose the health overhaul such as Generation Opportunity are spreading their message at college tailgate par-

bett once declared education a top priority but has achieved little reform despite his party’s full control of the state legislature. Even with Chris Christie, New Jersey moved forward in requiring teachers be evaluated as a condition of employment, yet the final compromise with unions resulted in more ways to skirt the system. Some state officials show promise of becoming tomorrow’s reform leaders. Wisconsin’s Scott Walker looked unions in the eye and didn’t blink. Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal has set records for positive education reform lawmaking in a state where a devastating storm served as a catalyst for a new public education landscape. Both have state legislatures excited to join them in fighting the status quo. Make no mistake – the U.S. education system remains in crisis and the achievement gap between poor and minority students and the rest of society remains wide. Most people are aware that the solution is not more money or superficial changes. The key to solving the crisis is electing governors who understand that they have the power to change a system, and holding them accountable to do so. With 36 gubernatorial elections underway in 2014, we should all resolve to make education our top priority when we take to the polls in November. Jeanne Allen founded the Center for Education Reform (CER) in 1993. Today she serves as senior fellow and president-emeritus. She is President of The Allen Company and currently writes and speaks regularly all over the country on education and cultural issues. Kara Kerwin is Allen’s successor as president. CER, based in the Washington, DC metro-area, is the leading national voice and advocate for lasting, substantive and structural education reform in the U.S. For more information or to join CER and its thousands of members, visit our website at www.edreform.com. ties. The organization gained a following after disturbingby-design social media videos featuring a creepy Uncle Sam popping up at gynecological and proctology exams went viral. The tagline urged young adults to keep big government out of their personal health decisions. The group’s recent tailgate party at the University of Miami had all the markings of the South Beach club scene: hired glossy-haired models handing out swag, free alcohol and a sea of sweaty twenty-somethings bumping and grinding to a live DJ.

VOICE OF ASIA 13

BOLLYWOOD MASALA

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

Friday, January 10, 2014

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Old Delhi comes alive with Bollywood film Paranthe Wali Gali

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Bollywood classic Sholay released in 3D after restoration, legal fight

Sholay poster by Udita Jhunjhunwala

UMBAI - Almost 40 years after one of Bollywood’s most famous films broke box office records, “Sholay” (Embers) has been restored for release Friday in 3D to a new generation of moviegoers.

A still from the film Paranthe Wali Gali. by Sahil Magoo

EW DELHI - Remember we told you about Delhi being Bollywood’s darling this year, with so many top actors shooting in the city this season? The coming few days will also see another movie that is perhaps the only one in recent times to have been shot entirely in Delhi. And, even if it does not boast of any oft-seen actors, the hero of the movie — Old Delhi — is an equal winner in itself. Paranthe Wali Gali (PWG), a film directed by Sachin Gupta and starring actors Anuj Saxena and Neha Pawar, spans the whole of the city with special emphasis on the Walled City and its old-world charm. “Several filmmakers in the past have only shown India Gate in the name of ‘Delhi’. I feel that Delhi has much more than India Gate, and my film will focus on other aspects of the city. I picked Old Delhi because it’s a character on its own, and is visually rich. I wanted to keep the real flavour of the city alive, and filmed at actual loca-

tions rather than studios,” says Gupta, acclaimed for his theatrical productions. The stills he shares with us show Purani Dilli in all its desi colour and culture, complete with joint terraces, pickle-making and the narrow bylanes. “Before shooting, we had done a recce and selected certain locations such as Kinari Bazaar, Nai Sarak, Khari Baoli and Chandni Chowk. The film aims to bring Delhi closer to people living outside the city,” adds Gupta. “My character is that of a self-assured, confident and fun-loving girl. She is like a ‘teekha parantha’,” says debutant Pawar, explaining the title. Tourism authorities, on their part, are happy that it’s not just the big production houses, but also small-budget filmmakers who’re exploring Delhi. “Delhi is the perfect mix of rich cultural heritage and modern infrastructure. Movies are the best way to showcase the beauty and heritage of any place, example Spain and Switzerland,” says Sudhir Sobti, Delhi Tourism, government of Delhi.

Also filmed in Delhi recently Boxer Vijender Singh recently shot here for his debut film, Fugly. Some of the locations featured in the Akshay Kumar production are Tughlaqabad Fort and Sultanpuri. Director Kabir Sadanand says, “Things have changed a lot in Delhi — people party a lot, on terraces, in clubs and across. That’s what I wish to depict.” * Youngistaan, starring actors Neha Sharma and Jackky Bhagnani, was recently filmed in Gurgaon and Delhi University * Actors Parineeti Chopra, Ranveer Singh and Ali Zafar will be seen around Rajouri Garden and Noida, shooting sequences for * Aditya Chopra’s Kill Dil. * Sunny Deol and Jacqueline Fernandez are shooting for their untitled films this month. * YRF’s Bewakoofian, and P.K., starring Aamir Khan, are the other big-ticket films shot here. (Courtesy: Hindustan Times).

The iconic Indian film, which stars Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Amjad Khan and other Bollywood greats, is an action adventure about two petty thieves hired by a police officer to exact revenge on a ruthless bandit. The movie, which borrowed heavily from the Westerns of the time, proved so popular after its release in 1975 that it screened for five years at a landmark Mumbai theatre, the longest ever run in India at the time. Producers Shaan Uttam Singh and Sascha Sippy said they wanted to restore the original film for new generations of movie watchers, while also giving it a 3D boost. Singh said the technical process took three years to complete, and was estimated to have cost more than $3 million. “First we scanned and digitised the original negative and then it was restored,” Singh told AFP.The background score was also modernised, while leaving

the dialogue untouched. “We pepped up the music a bit to make it sound modern,” said Sippy. “We first had to fill in the negative where there were holes, digitise the film, strip the sound, keep the dialogue, rerecord all the sound and music and also convert the film into 3D,” Sippy added. Sholay opens across Indian and United Arab Emirates cinemas on Friday in 2D and 3D. The classic, which, like all Bollywood movies, includes a love story, will be released in other countries later this year. Legal wrangling But torturous legal action had threatened to overshadow the release, with the original Sholay’s director, Ramesh Sippy, fighting with family members over who owned rights to the film. Ramesh Sippy lodged court action against his nephew, producer Sascha Sippy, and other family members who run several companies that own the titles to Sholay as well as other Bollywood films. Those films include some made by Ramesh Sippy’s father, G.P Sippy, who was also the producer for the original Sholay and who died in 2007. Earlier this year, a Mumbai court denied Ramesh Sippy’s

request for a stay on the new Sholay’s release until his rights to the film were restored. Sippy, who has had no involvement in restoring the film, lost an appeal against the court decision earlier this month. Film critic and author Khalid Mohamed said the original movie was considered one of Bollywood’s finest because of the performances of Amjad Khan, who died in 1992, and others under Ramesh Sippy’s stellar direction. Ranked the best Indian film of all time by the British Film Institute in 2002, Sholay was also given the unusual honour of being “maybe the burliest male love story ever made (in India)” by Time magazine in 2010. The popularity of Sholay also spawned remakes, spoofs and books, while lines from the movie continue to be used by Indian theatre-goers in everyday conversation. Considered a pioneering Bollywood film at the time, the original Sholay was also the first in India to use a 70mm format which doubled its size on the big screen and was the first Hindi-language film to be recorded in stereophonic sound. Sascha Sippy hinted at a sequel saying there was “an idea to reboot the entire franchise with a prequel and sequel - but these have to be discussed.”

Actor Uday Kiran was John and Priya Abraham found dead Jan. 5 night, an expecting a baby? apparent victim of suicide by Harpreet Kaur

ohn Abraham broke many hearts when he made a surprising revelation of his marriage to Priya Runchal on a social networking website. The `Dostana` actor`s act to drop this big hint is rumoured to be a hasty decision.

HYDERABAD, India

elugu film actor Uday Kiran, who was one the youngest winners of the Filmfare best actor award, allegedly committed suicide at his house here Jan. 5 night. The 33-year-old Kiran’s parents and his wife found his body hanging from the ceiling at his flat in Sri Nagar colony here last night, police said Jan. 6. He was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) V. Satyanarayana told PTI that as per the available information, it seemed to be a case of suicide and the actor was apparently suffering from depression. An autopsy would be carried out at Usmania General Hospi-

There`s yet to be an official word on the news from John or Priya, but his post on Twitter more or less confirms their status as a couple. 33-year-old Uday Kiran was found dead in his flat. tal and the procedure would be video-recorded), he said. “Only after getting the autopsy report we will come to know what caused the death. Exact circumstances leading to the death would be known only

after the probe,” he said. Kiran’s first three films were “Chitram,” “Nuvvu Nenu” and “Manasantha Nuvve,” earning him the nickname “Hattrick Hero.” Subsequently, he starred in romantic films including “Nee Sneham” and “Kalusukovalani.” In 2001, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor-Telugu for “Nuvvu Nenu,” and became the youngest winner of the Filmfare best actor award after Kamal Haasan. In 2006, he made his Tamil debut with the film “Poi,” directed by veteran K. Balachander. His other performances have been in the films “Sreeram,” “Avunanna Kaadanna,” “Nuvvekaddunte Nenakkadunta” and “Jai Sriram.” (PTI)

“Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed 2014! May this year bring you love, good fortune and joy. Love, John and Priya Abraham,” the actor, for whom 2013 turned out to profitable as a producer thanks to “Madras Cafe”, tweeted on Friday. According to a tabloid, the duo, who were supposedly dating for a long time, were rumoured to have tied the knot in 2011. It is also said that the actor-turnedproducer`s decision to disclose that he is single no more is maybe because Priya is expecting a child. Abraham has been tightlipped about his personal life and he didn`t mention the details about his marriage. The actor, who was last seen at Mumbai airport on December 28, with Priya to celebrate his new Year in US, was earlier

John Abraham and wife Priya Runchal in a relationship with actress Bipasha Basu, but the duo broke up in 2011. Ever since, John revealed about Priya, saying that she

was a banker, her folks lived in the US and that he met her through mutual friends – there have been rumours that they have secretly tied the knot.

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HEALTHY LIVING HEALTH

VOICE OF ASIA 14

Friday, January 10, 2014

Section 2

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Obesity ballooning in developing world: report to blame. The report found that North Africa, the Middle East and South America saw overweight and obesity rates increase to a level similar to Europe, around 58 percent. At 70 percent, North America still has the highest percentage of overweight adults. The report said there seemed to be little will among the public and leaders to take action on influencing diet in the future. “Governments have focused on public awareness campaigns, but evidence shows this is not enough,” said Wiggins. “The lack of action stands in stark contrast to the concerted public actions taken to limit smoking in developed countries. The report gave the example of South Korea as having made efforts to preserve healthy elements of the country’s traditional diet... by Robin MILLARD

ONDON, January 3, 2014 (AFP) - The number of obese and overweight people in the developing world nearly quadrupled to almost a billion between 1980 and 2008, a think-tank report said Friday. There are now far more obese or overweight adults in the developing world than in richer countries, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) said. The London-based institute said more than a third of all adults around the world -- 1.46 billion people -- were obese or overweight.

Between 1980 and 2008, the numbers of people affected in the developing world rose from 250 million to 904 million. In the developed world, the figure rose from 321 million to 557 million. This represented a rise from 23 percent to 34 percent of the world population.

certain types of cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks, putting an enormous burden on public healthcare systems.” The report said overweight and obesity rates have almost doubled in China and Mexico since 1980, and risen by a third in South Africa.

“The growing rates of overweight and obesity in developing countries are alarming,” said ODI research fellow Steve Wiggins, who co-authored the Future Diets report.

The study said the rise in obesity was down to diets changing in developing countries where incomes were rising, with people shifting away from cereals and tubers to eating more meat, fats and sugar.

“On current trends, globally, we will see a huge increase in the number of people suffering

The over-consumption of food, coupled with increasingly sedentary lives, was also

“Politicians need to be less shy about trying to influence what food ends up on our plates. The challenge is to make healthy diets viable whilst reducing the appeal of foods which carry a less certain nutritional value.” The report gave the example of South Korea as having made efforts to preserve healthy elements of the country’s traditional diet, via public campaigns and education, providing large-scale training for women in preparing healthy, traditional food. The report said it was “only a matter of time” before people would begin to accept and even demand stronger and more effective measures to influence diets.

New York may allow medical marijuana use: report

EW YORK, January 4, 2014 (AFP) - New York is planning to loosen its marijuana laws to allow limited use of the drug by people suffering serious illness, the New York Times reported Saturday, citing state officials.

The decision would see New York mirror a growing list of states which have taken an increasingly progressive stance on marijuana use. Colorado this week became the first US state to legalize the drug for recreational use.

The newspaper reported on its website that Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo -- a long-time opponent of legalizing medical marijuana -- was planning to announce the new guideline next week in an executive action.

The Times reported that New York’s new policy would be far stricter than in California, which has already loosened its rules on medical marijuana. In California, people suffering from mild ailments can ob-

tain prescriptions for the drug; in New York it will be made available in only 20 designated hospitals across the state for individuals suffering from cancer, glaucoma or other diseases.

Saturday’s report said New York hoped to have the infrastructure for dispensing medical marijuana installed later this year.

New York retains some of the most draconian sanctions of any US state for individuals caught dealing or using drugs.

The move comes amid a nationwide campaign to relax laws on marijuana use which has been buoyed by shifting attitudes on the drug.

However Cuomo’s apparent policy U-turn would inch it closer to the softer policies that are rapidly gaining traction in the United States.

In October, for the first time in a Gallup poll, a majority of Americans -- 58 percent -- said they favored the legalization of marijuana.

Tel: 713-774-5140

What is Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug plan costs?

nyone who has Medicare can get Medicare prescription drug coverage. Some people with limited resources and income also may be able to get Extra Help with the costs such as monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and prescription co-payments—related Sudhir Mathuria to a Medicare prescription drug plan. The Extra Help is Contact: Sudhir Mathuria estimated to be worth about Licensed Professional $4,000 per year. Many peo- Health Life 360 ple qualify for these big sav- 6650 Southwest Freeway TX 77074 ings and don’t even know it. Houston 713-771-2900 To find out if you qualify, www.MyMedicarePlanning.com Social Security will need to know the value of your savings, investments, real es- resource? tate (other than your home), We do not count: • Your and your primary resiincome. • Your For extra help dence; Social Sepersonal poscurity will sessions; • Your on Medicare need invehicle(s); • formation prescription drug Resources you about you could not easplan costs Call: ily and your convert spouse, if to cash, such 713-771-2900 as jewelry or you are married home furnishand living ings; • Property together. you need for To help Social Security de- self-support, such as rental termine if you are eligible property or land you use for Extra Help, you will to grow produce for home need to file an Application consumption; •Non-busifor Extra Help with Medi- ness property essential to care Prescription Drug Plan your self-support; • Costs (Form SSA-1020). Life insurance policies; • Social Security will use the Burial expenses; • Interest information you provide on earned on money you plan your application. to use for burial expenses; Certain other monResources and income and • ey you are holding is not What is the resource limit? To qualify for Extra Help, counted for nine months, your resources must be such as: Retroactive Social limited to $13,300 for an Security or Supplemental individual or $26,580 for Security Income (SSI) paya married couple living to- ments; Housing assistance; gether. Resources include Tax advances and refunds the value of the things you related to earned income tax credits and child tax credits; own. Some examples are: • Real estate (other than your Compensation you receive as a crime victim; and Reprimary residence); • Bank accounts, including location assistance from a checking, savings, and cer- state or local government. You should contact Social tificates of deposit; • Stocks; • Bonds, including Security for other resource exclusion. U.S. Savings Bonds; • Mutual funds; • IndividTo learn more about Inual Retirement Accounts come read the next issue. To (IRAs); and • Cash at choose right Medicare Plan, home or anywhere else. Medicare Prescription Plan What does not count as a or Obamacare Plan, contact Sudhir Mathuria

Polio vaccination for Pak travellers must from Feb 14

ndia on Friday announced that a new rule whereby all travellers from Pakistan would have to be vaccinated against polio would be implemented from February 14. India had said last month that it would be mandatory for all

persons -- adults or children -travelling to the country from Pakistan to furnish proof of vaccination against polio from January 30.

“The deadline for all travellers from Pakistan to India to obtain polio vaccination and certificate has been extended

to February 14, 2014,” said a statement from the Indian high commission. Indian diplomatic sources said the extension was made so that Pakistani authorities could make required arrangements. The Indian mission earlier said the step was being

Choco VitaTM – The smarter choice in healthy nutrition for your children

RINCETON JUNCTION, NJ. Jan 2, 2014 – Quikfoods, (the maker of QuikTea®) proudly announces the national introduction of Choco Vitatm, a malt food beverage that is healthier than its competitor Bournvita®. Choco Vita contains less sugar and more vitamins, making it the more nutritious choice.

Choco Vitatm contains 200% of the daily recommended allowance of Vitamin B12 in each serving. Cadbury’s Bournvita® contains no Vitamin B12. Quikfoods urges parents to make the smart choice in the nutrition of their children and for a limited time enjoy Choco Vitatm at an introductory discount. Ashish Shah, CEO of Quikfoods said: “Empower your child to be what they want to be, with a nutritious drink that tastes great, and has less sugar and more vitamins.”

For generations, mothers in India and around the world, have included a malt based chocolate powder in milk to enhance the taste and nutrition for children. Some of us use it even as adults because it just tastes so good! Based on the recommendation of the National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, and various studies, Quikfoods, the company, has reduced the sugar content in all its products, in an endeavor to help customers lead a more nutritious life. Sugar is a major culprit in childhood obesity and therefore Choco Vitatm contains significantly less sugar than the market leader in its category. Choco Vitatm, is fortified with Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep the body’s nerve and blood cells

About Quikfoods healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all cells. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent a type of anemia that makes people tired and weak. Additionally, according to the Diabetes Foundation of India, 60-70% of Indians have low Vitamin B12 levels and vegetarians are at a 4.4x higher risk of low Vitamin B12 concentrations. This lower level of Vitamin B12 can diminish your child’s potential. New studies published also link B12 deficiency to long term memory problems.

Founded in 2003, Quikfoods is a maker of the popular QuikTea brand of instant teas has enjoyed rapidly growing success with flavors like Masala, Cardamom, Ginger, Lemongrass & Plain Chai and coffee. QuikTea products, also available in unsweetened varieties, and are distributed nationally by Deep Foods and in Canada by Deep Canada. QuikTea range of products, including the recently introduced Chai latte K-cups are available at Indian grocery stores in all neighborhood and through their website – www.quiktea.com. & www.chocovita.info

taken to safeguard the country’s polio-free status attained after “sustained efforts and investment”.

The measure is applicable to all travellers from all countries where polio is endemic or where cases of polio have been reported. It will also apply to Indian nationals travelling from countries where polio is endemic. Travellers

from

Pakistan

will have to carry their vaccination records because evidence of polio vaccination will be requested for entry into India. Travellers should take Oral Polio Vaccine at least six weeks before their departure to India but not more than a year before the trip. Pakistan is one of only three countries where the crippling disease is endemic. The number of polio cases in Pakistan

touched 85 in 2013. The Pakistani Taliban have banned polio vaccinations in parts of the lawless tribal belt and militants frequently attack vaccination teams, accusing them of being Western spies and part of a plot to “sterilise” Muslims. The World Health Organisation recently said that polio that crippled 13 children in Syria was caused by a strain that originated in Pakistan.

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TECHNOLOGY

VOICE OF ASIA 15

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

Internet gap between Twitter co-founder black, white seniors: study launches app for asking about what you see W

ASHINGTON, January 6, 2014 (AFP) - African Americans over the age of 65 are much less likely to spend time online than their white counterparts, according to a study released on Monday. The Pew Internet and American Life Project survey found that just 45 percent of black seniors are internet users, compared to 63 percent amongst whites.

The study of “African Americans and Technology Use” also found only 30 percent of black seniors had broadband Internet access, compared to

51 percent of whites.

Overall, US blacks continue to lag behind whites in terms of Internet use and access to high-speed broadband at home. Some 87 percent of whites go on the Internet, compared to 80 percent of African Americans, while 74 percent of whites had broadband at home compared to 62 percent for blacks. The study, which analyzed findings from 6,010 American adults including 664 who identify as African American, found a greater parity amongst younger web users however.

Young, college-educated, and higher income blacks were just as likely to use the Internet and have broadband at home.

The survey found African Americans were flocking to micro-blogging site Twitter in greater numbers. Some 22 percent of blacks online use Twitter, compared to 16 percent of whites. Twitter had also cast a spell on younger African American web users. Forty percent of blacks between 18 and 29 use Twitter, compared to only 28 percent of whites in the same bracket.

NSA eyes encryption-breaking ‘quantum’ machine

AN FRANCISCO, January 7, 2014 (AFP) - Twitter co-founder Biz Stone on Tuesday took the wraps off a smartphone application that invites people to tap into their online social networks for answers about things they see.

Jelly, available free for Apple gadgets or mobile devices powered by Google-backed Android software, let people reach out virtually to friends, or friends of friends, when interested in finding out more about where one is or what is happening around them at a given moment. “Say you’re walking along and you spot something unusual,” said a blog post at the Jelly website. “You want to know what it is so you launch Jelly, take a picture, circle it with your finger,

and type ‘What’s this?’ “

time moments in life.

Jelly queries are submitted to friends who also have the application, and notifications pop-up when answers are provided.

Jelly also saw it as an advantage to let people ask questions with pictures.

Jelly meshes with people’s existing social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. Facebook last year modified its search features to allow members to tap into the social network’s public data for answers to general questions such as “What kinds of films do Republicans like?” but Jelly promises to provide insights to what is around a person at any time. Online forums at services such as Quora and Reddit let people delve into broad issues and topics, with Jelly again distinguishing itself by dealing with queries relevant to real-

“In a world where 140 characters is considered a maximum length, a picture really is worth a thousand words,” Jelly said in its launch blog post. “No matter how sophisticated our algorithms become, they are still no match for the experience, inventiveness, and creativity of the human mind.” San Francisco-based Jelly was co-founded by Stone, one of the creators behind globally popular one-to-many text messaging service Twitter, which made a blockbuster stock market debut last year. Stone fired off word of the Jelly launch at his @biz Twitter account.

Internet-connected toothbrush makes CES debut

The shadow of US Army General Keith Alexander, commander of US Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency (NSA), is seen as he delivers keynote remarks September 25, 2013 during the Cybersecurity Summit in Washington, DC (AFP/File, Jim Watson)

WASHINGTON — The US National Security Agency is making strides toward building a “quantum computer” that could break nearly any kind of encryption, The Washington Post reported Thursday. The Post said leaked documents from fugitive ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden indicate the computer would allow the secret intelligence agency to break encryption used to protect banking, medical, business and government records around the world. Quantum computing has been a goal among commercial firms such as IBM

because it could harness the power of atoms and molecules, vastly increasing speed and security of computers and other devices. But experts cited by the newspaper said it was unlikely that the NSA would be close to creating such a machine without the scientific community being aware of it. “It seems improbable that the NSA could be that far ahead of the open world without anybody knowing it,” Scott Aaronson of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told the daily. The NSA declined to comment on the report.

The Post said the leaked documents indicate that the agency carries out research in large, shielded rooms known as Faraday cages designed to prevent electromagnetic energy from entering or exiting. Because of its vast computing power, a working quantum computer would break the strongest encryption tools in use today for online activities, including banking and emails. Some technology firms such as Google and Yahoo have said in recent weeks that they were stepping up efforts to encrypt their communications following re-

they have missed hard-to-clean areas or are not getting a thorough brushing.

LAS VEGAS, January 6, 2014 (AFP) - Brush smarter. That’s the message from the makers of what is billed as the world’s first Internet-connected toothbrush.

cludes a sensor which detects how much tartar is being removed in a brushing. It also records brushing activity so users can maintain a consistent cleaning each time.

Unveiled Sunday at a preview event for the Consumer Electronics Show, the device from French-based startup Kolibree aims “to reinvent oral care,” according to co-founder Loic Cessot.

The device conveys the information wirelessly to a smartphone app -- a particularly useful aid for parents who want to monitor the teeth cleaning efforts of small children, according to Cessot.

“The technology in the industry has not evolved for years,” Cessot told AFP. “The idea is not to brush stronger, but smarter.”

“When you use a normal toothbrush you never really know what you’ve cleaned. It might be 30 percent. The only person who really knows is the dentist.”

The Kolibree toothbrush in-

But the app can tell users if

Orders will be available initially through Kickstarter from $99 to $200, depending on the model and will include a free mobile app.

ports that the NSA had been able to break or circumvent many of the current encryption standards. A September report by The New York Times, ProPublica and The Guardian, also based on leaked documents, said US and British spy agencies are able to decipher data even with the supposedly secure encryption to make it private. The documents indicated that the NSA, working

with its British counterpart GCHQ, accomplished the feat by using supercomputers, court orders and some cooperation from technology companies. If the reports are accurate, the highly secretive program would defeat much of what is used to keep data secure and private on the Internet, from emails to chats to communications using smartphones. IBM researchers said last year they had made advances

in quantum computing that has the potential to outperform any existing supercomputer. The new type of computing uses information encoded into quantum bits or qubits, putting into use a theory that scientists have been discussing for decades. Quantum computing expands on the most basic piece of information that a typical computer understands -- a bit, and thereby can perform millions of calculations at once.

The app, which is open for developers to add on other programs, aims to increase motivation and make the experience more fun, said Cessot. The self-funded startup created by Cessot and former Microsoft and Google executive Thomas Serval plans to release the toothbrush worldwide in the third quarter, getting a boost from a crowdsourcing effort.

VOICE OF ASIA 16

Friday, January 10, 2014

BUSINESS Section 2

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

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A Cult Motorcycle From Critical Gates memoir rocks India Takes On the World Obama administration

The Royal Enfield Motors factory in Chennai, India. The brand sold nearly 175,000 motorcycles in 2013.

by Samanth Subramanian

EW DELHI, India — The Royal Enfield Bullet, often described as the oldest continuously produced motorcycle in the world, is a cult product for enthusiasts who love it for its vintage feel as much as for the thrum of its engine. Muscular and pliant, the Bullet — an Indian-made avatar of an old British brand — has found renewed popularity over the last few years, as leisure motorcycling in India has blossomed. Its manufacturer, Royal Enfield Motors, sold almost 175,000 motorcycles —Bullets as well as three other brands — in 2013. The company is now looking to push harder into British and American markets, hoping to follow in the wake of other Indian motor vehicle manufacturers that have competed hard with overseas brands even as their peers in other industries have struggled. Royal Enfield’s newest model, a midsize “cafe racer” called the Continental GT, was introduced at an elaborate event in London in September. “It’s the first bike that we’ve developed keeping the world market in mind,” said Siddhartha Lal, who is credited with turning Royal Enfield around. Mr. Lal, age 40, is the chief executive of Eicher Motors, a manufacturer of buses, trucks and tractors that owns Royal Enfield. Uncommonly for an Indian executive, he sports sideburns and wears jeans and a bomber jacket to meetings. He was riding a Bullet when he was in university, well before Eicher, under his father’s management,

bought Royal Enfield in 1993. The sale price was “just pennies,” Mr. Lal said. Eicher reported revenue of more than $1 billion in 2012. The Bullet was first produced by a British firm named Royal Enfield, but after that company shut down in 1971, its Indian manufacturing unit – in the city of Madras (now Chennai) – bought the rights to the name and continued to produce the Bullet. But through the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Lal said, Royal Enfield’s management made a series of bad decisions and buried the company in debt. “The motorcycle was still resilient, though. It was probably selling 1,500 or 2,000 pieces a month,” he said. “Eicher bought Royal Enfield because at its core was the Bullet. That was the appeal.” Mr. Lal set himself to turn Royal Enfield around in 2000, when he was 27, and the company first sputtered and then roared back to life. Dan Holmes, who fell so in love with a Bullet he saw at a trade show that he opened a Royal Enfield dealership in Goshen, Ind., recalled how the quality of the motorcycles improved from the late 1990s through the 2000s. “Eicher started investing real money into their bikes,” Mr. Holmes said. The electric start grew more reliable while fuel injections and transmissions were revamped. The Royal Enfield motorcycle, whose basic profile changed very little over the years, appealed to buyers, he said, because one could tinker endlessly with it. Jay Leno owns one, as

does Billy Joel. Mr. Holmes himself owns what he calls “the two most modified Royal Enfields in the world,” which he used to set speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2008. As one of perhaps seven or eight exclusive Royal Enfield dealers in the United States back in the early 2000s, Mr. Holmes sold his motorcycles for $3,500 to $4,000 each, taking custody of them in dribs and drabs from a national distributor. In 2003, his best year, he sold 35 Royal Enfields. Exports remain limited, although they are growing, and Mr. Lal is ambitious about scaling up. Last year, Royal Enfield exported 3,500 motorcycles. Six hundred of those went to America, its biggest overseas market. Back in India, however, Royal Enfield has caught the beginning of a wave in leisure motorcycling. Kumar Kandaswami, a senior director at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India, said a split had emerged in the market, between riders who wanted light motorcycles just to commute and those who wanted the thrill of the machine itself. “Even at a rough estimate, there are easily half a million buyers out there who want to use motorcycles for leisure,” Mr. Kandaswami said. “There are active motorcycle communities now. Our highways have improved. People have more money to spend.” The vastness of this market attracted manufacturers like the British Triumph, which opened in India in 2013, and HarleyDavidson, which arrived in 2009. (The New York Times)

Infosys mulls double-digit pay hike to retain staff after many senior-level exits BANGALORE: Infosys is considering double digit pay raises as chairman NR Narayana Murthy looks to keep the workforce of 1.5 lakh motivated, people aware of discussions in the company said. Although growth is showing signs of picking up, several senior executives have left the Bangalore-based company in recent months, making it imperative for attractive pay raises to keep employee morale high. “Not only have they decided to hand out bigger pay increases, there will also be more promotions,” said a senior industry executive on condition of anonymity. “Hikes could fall in the 8 per cent to 12 per cent range to motivate employees,” the person said. Infosys usually announces pay increases in June. A spokeswoman for the company declined to comment. Last year, Infosys raised salaries for staff in India by 8 per cent on average, shortly after founder Murthy returned to lead the company as executive chairman in June. “I think Murthy’s going to offer higher wage hikes because a combination of hikes

US President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to outgoing defense secretary Robert Gates, June 30, 2011, at the Pentagon in Washington, DC (AFP Photo/Mandel Ngan) by Stephen Collinson

ASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House on Wednesday fought back against former Pentagon chief Robert Gates’s blunt criticism of President Barack Obama’s war leadership and damning of Vice President Joe Biden. Gates, who served six presidents in senior national security jobs, sent political shockwaves through Washington with his unsparing assessments of the administration in his new book. Among other accusations, the Republican accused Biden of being wrong about every big foreign policy issue for decades and alleged Obama lost faith in his own troop surge strategy for the Afghan war. The White House insisted that Obama had expected and welcomed constructive dissent in his foreign policy team after picking a so-called “team of rivals” in his first term cabinet. And in a rare move, press photographers were invited into Obama’s weekly lunch with Biden in the private dining room off the Oval Office, in an apparent show of unity. The defense of Biden also left the impression that White House aides are not averse to the focus being trained on the vice president, rather than Obama’s credentials as commander-in-chief. “As a senator and as the vice president, Joe Biden has been

one of the leading statesmen of his time,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. “He has been an excellent counselor and adviser to the president for the past five years.” “He’s played a key role in every major national security and foreign policy debate and policy discussion in this administration.” Tell-all memoirs by former administration officials looking to gild their retirement and bolster their legacies are nothing new -- and uniformly infuriate presidents, whichever party runs the White House. But the Gates bombshell was remarkable because of the pedigree of the former defense secretary and CIA chief, his long experience as a confidant of presidents, and his reputation for unruffled integrity. So it is more difficult for the White House to write off the book -- “Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary of War” -- due to be published on January 14, as typical score settling by a holdover from the George W. Bush administration who was kept on by Obama. In the most damaging revelations, Gates suggested Obama soured on his own troop surge strategy in Afghanistan and lost confidence in General David Petraeus and other military brass he picked to lead it. Obama “can’t stand (Afghan president Hamid) Karzai, doesn’t believe in his own

strategy, and doesn’t consider the war to be his. “For him it’s all about getting out,” Gates wrote, according to the Washington Post. Gates also slams White House aides for obsessive attempts to control US national security and foreign policy to the detriment of the State Department and the Pentagon, and excerpts from his book reek of a deep distaste for Washington and its political games. In comments which could reverberate in the 2016 presidential campaign, he says former secretary of state Hillary Clinton told Obama she only opposed a troop surge strategy in Iraq for political reasons during the heat of their primary battle. The political gang that Gates so disdained was out in the president’s defense on Wednesday. “He always indicated he had a good working relationship with the president,” David Axelrod, a former top Obama aide who remains close to the president, told NBC. Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley said on CBS that Gates’s memoir represented a “disservice” while the administration was still fighting the Afghan war. Gates’ stature gives the allegations extra currency and they are likely to linger in the political discourse in Washington for years, and in histories that will shape Obama’s legacy. While Gates said plenty of

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and other factors will be critical to retaining people,” said Ajit Isaac, managing director and chief executive of Ikya Human Capital Solutions, a staffing company that serves the Indian IT sector. Analysts said the decision to offer higher pay hikes is a welcome one although it could impact the company’s margins. “At this point, improving employee sentiment matters more than worrying about dip in margins,” an analyst with a foreign brokerage firm said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Attrition at Infosys was 17.3 per cent at the end of the September quarter, the highest among the tier-1 Indian IT providers, illustrating that the company had become fertile poaching ground for rivals, as demand picked up for the $108 billion outsourcing industry. In comparison, Tata Consultancy Services, which had announced a 5-10 per cent pay increase in April, had an attrition of 10.9 per cent at the end of second quarter. Last June, Wipro said it was raising salaries by 6-8 per cent for its employees.

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How a hunch led to stunning claim on Buddha birth date by Ammu KANNAMPILLY AT H M A N D U (AFP) - The two archaeologists had a hunch that the Buddha’s birthplace in southern Nepal held secrets that could transform how the world understood the emergence and spread of Buddhism. Their pursuit would eventually see them excavate the sacred site of Lumbini as monks prayed nearby, leading to the stunning claim that the Buddha was born in the sixth century BC, two centuries earlier than thought. Veteran Nepalese archaeologist Kosh Prasad Acharya had carried out excavations in Lumbini before in the early 1990s, when Nepal was still ruled by a king and a Maoist insurgency had yet to kick off. The project ended in 1996 but Acharya remained unsatisfied with the results. “My belief was that there was another cultural deposit below, which we had not uncovered,” the 62-year-old told AFP. He headed back to his government job in the capital Kathmandu and waited to retire, restless to return to Lumbini. The Buddha’s birthplace was lost and overgrown by jungle before its rediscovery in 1896, when the presence of a third century BC pillar bearing inscriptions allowed historians to identify it as Lumbini. Since then, it has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site, visited by millions of Buddhists every year, with numbers expected to rise exponentially in the following decades. Acharya had just retired from his last job, as the director general of the department of archaeology, when UNESCO asked him to co-direct an investigation of Lumbini’s foundations. The cultural organisation asked Acharya and his longtime collaborator, Robin

Coningham, Britain’s leading South Asian archaeologist, to head a team that would examine the site so conservators could develop it for growing numbers of visitors. Eureka moment “In 2010, our first year there, we were pretty much the handmaidens to the conservators,” Coningham told AFP in a phone interview from his office at Britain’s Durham University, which helped fund the UNESCO project. “The Eureka moment came in 2011, when we came across a brick temple located below the existing Asokan temple, and below that a sort of void. “It became clear then that there was much more to this excavation.” Over the next two years, archaeologists, geophysicists and hired workmen from Nepal and Britain worked on the site, digging in the presence of meditating monks and nuns. “It was a very moving, very special experience to dig for traces while pilgrims prayed and paid homage,” Acharya said. They dug for a few weeks each year and sent the samples to laboratories for analysis. Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence techniques were used to date fragments of charcoal and grains of sand found at the site. The archaeologists also found holes, apparently meant to secure posts, in the open void below the brick temple. “The intact holes suggested that whoever had built the brick temple had taken care not to damage the ancient structure below, suggesting the site was always considered holy,” Coningham said. Lab tests confirmed the existence of roots within the void below the brick structure, suggesting it may have been a shrine where a tree once grew, possibly the hardwood sal tree under which many believe the Buddha was born.

The discovery, revealed in November, sparked huge excitement, but some historians have urged caution, saying the ancient tree shrine could have been built by pre-Buddhist believers. Tree worship “The worship of trees, often at simple altars, was a ubiquitous feature of ancient Indian religions,” Julia Shaw, a lecturer in South Asian archaeology at University College London told National Geographic’s online edition. “It is also possible that what is being described represents an older tree shrine quite disconnected from the worship of the historical Buddha,” Shaw added. According to Coningham, however, if the Buddhists had appropriated the tree shrine from non-Buddhists, the site would not have survived relatively unscathed. “Also, the inscriptions at Bodhgaya (where the Buddha achieved enlightenment) reveal a thriving culture of tree worship, which suggests continuity,” he added. Much of what is known about the Buddha’s life has its origins in oral tradition. The earliest decipherable written records in the region, the inscriptions of India’s Buddhist emperor Asoka, are dated about 250 BC. Prior to this discovery, most scholars said that the Buddha -- who renounced material wealth to embrace and preach a life of non-attachment -- lived during the fourth century BC, founding a religion that now counts 500 million followers. Buddhists in Nepal and Sri Lanka, however, have always believed that the sage was born around 623 BC, a date that now seems more accurate. “It’s one of the great puzzles, this discovery reveals the endurance of oral traditions,” Coningham said. “This is one of those very rare times when tradition, belief and archaeology all come together.”

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Your Horoscope (For week beginning Friday, January 10, 2014)

Hardik Vyas, Astrologer Cell : 832-298-9950

As per Indian Vedic Astrology the Moon sign is considered, in which every Rashi has control over certain letters, which are initials of your name. Whereas in Western system of Sun Sign, all the people born in one month belong to the same sign. For example, every year approximately around 21 of March to 20th April, the Sun is moving in the Aries Constellation. So all the people born in that month belong to the Sign of Aries. If you were born in between those two dates then you are a Aries born.

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April Personal health issues which may inﬂuence your attitude. Dwell on what you can do, not what you can’t. Strive hard to get past old restrictions. Big expectations may bring unexpected pressure. You’ll need to keep your composure. Show how well you can work with teammates. Travel, errands, multi tasking and several ‘acts of kindness’ may dominate and ‘getting the horse before the cart’ IS a threat for expense, timing and decision making processes. Long talks that address ‘old problems’ are likely with good results.

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May Feeling like you have been working far too hard. You need to ﬁnd ways to change your old routine. Take the time to smell the ﬂowers. You may feel vulnerable to others criticism right now. Push those negative thoughts out of your mind. You will achieve all your desired goals. Vehicles, repairs, purchases, upgrades, travel/transportation, shipping, moving and ANY form of ‘distance’ expense is likely to be on the rise BIG time. News ‘for members’ tends to be good, especially in employment, income upgrades, prizes/awards and other forms of ‘bestowments’ favors done for them.

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June Discrepancies, which will be found within recent events. You will be worried about your future employment. Insist on receiving honest answers. Your future plans may not be envisioned by all. Others may look for fault, but you’ll appreciate the strong aspects that can help the most. Demands on your time appear to escalate dramatically while fatigue, minor illness/injury and other types of challenges may present some ‘juggling’ issues in a balancing act between ‘need and want’.

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July Realize, your immediate plans may not be as simple as you thought. You will need to look a lot deeper to be able to see your future more clearly. You will start to feel better once you begin to be your fun loving self. Even though times have changed, you need to hold onto your past. Busy, happy and productive energies about early in the week but the later may provide a few ‘close calls’ with regard to ‘worrying about other members’ especially elders, vulnerable personalities.

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August AThe feeling that weight of your many responsibilities. Once you get your routine right, you will have much more ﬂexibility with your time demands. Emotions are very high. You need to try hard to keep your temper under control. Once you understand the truth, cooler heads will prevail. Many demands, expenses and travel, vehicle or transportation needs may ‘gather’ to take an impressive bit out of your wallet/budget this week, especially IF you have educating youth in your household.

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September Your strong ties to your roots which will help you deal with a situation on a different perspective. You’ll see how one could be misunderstood. Some interesting news from far away may help you to understand recent events. Your research and investigations will ﬁnd the reasons. Cooperation is NOT good early in the week and frustration levels rise with spending needs, especially for elders and any households with ‘educating youth’.

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 Oct The fact that even though you do not always ﬁt the normal mould, you deﬁnitely have your own style. Aspects of your personality will shine this week. You may have to show your true colors to those who doubt your loyalty. If your heart is true then you will have nothing to worry about. A busy and demanding week is likely and your focus, especially, seems to be that ‘everyone should just get along’ and ‘harmony and balance’ are what you are shooting for.

Scorpio (N,Y)23 Oct to 21 Nov

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Get ready for knowing your goals, which should be solid. All eyes will be on your recent accomplishments. Take advantage of this opportunity to blow your own horn a little. Your change in focus will prove that you did in fact learn an important lesson. Teamwork will help accomplish the tasks you require. Good news from members is likely and may focus around announcements, expansion, moves, upgrades, employment, beneﬁts, awards or other types of ‘reasons to celebrate’.

Sagittarius (BH,F,DH,TH) 22 Nov to 21 Dec Good communications that will continue as long as you lead in the discussions. You will realize that you are very important to others plans. Whether you are preparing ﬁne dining or simple comfort food, your past experience give you that little edge on your competition. Keep your word/promise to a member or risk a real ‘back lash’ later or as far out as the ‘upcoming holidays’. Focus on spending issues and the commitment of ‘future income/ debt’ decisions with ‘a practical eye’ on ‘need vs. want’ especially if pleasing youth is involved.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan Experience the fact all roads you take this week will lead you to a sort of spiritual awakening. Use this time to refresh and rejuvenate your positive energy. Good relations with those you work with will enable you to spread your inﬂuence. Some interesting employment opportunities exist. Family members seem to ‘really need you’, even if you are a younger member who does not carry weight or ‘make the calls’ within the family.

Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21 Jan to 19 Feb Need to value the instinctive powers that you possess. Sharing your enlightenment with younger people will help you to progress. Your positive energy will help you to meet tight deadlines. You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish once you get started. A mistake could be costly IF you allow it to rob your focus and ‘rattle’ your cage. Remain calm, if discipline is required, make the time fit the crime and if it is a financial mistake, fix it and say nothing if a sibling, elder or partner is involved.

Pisces (D,CH,Z) 20 Feb to 20 March The bright expectations that may turn out not to be enough true information. You may have to look elsewhere for what you really require. Family and friends will invite you to join at gatherings. Take them up on invites and you’ll be able to ﬁnd new way to share your ideas. Your insights are almost ‘scary’ this week, when they are powerful and when they are ‘useful’ and could save time, money and a lot of ‘grief/work’ for yourself and/or others. Celebrations, planning gatherings/ parties/holidays, gifting and some vehicle expense may take a more serious bite out of your time/money budget this week.

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COMMUNITY EVENTS

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FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES & ORGANIZATIONS OF HOUSTON - call Voice of Asia 713-774-5140 Sri Meenakshi Temple Prog: Jan11th Saturday: Vaikunta Ekadesi: 9am: Venkateshwara Abhishekam; 10.30am: Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam Jan 12th, Sunday: 10am: Andal Kalyanam Location: 17130 McLean Road Pearland, TX 77584 Contact: (281) 489-0358 Web: www.meenakshi.org

Hare Krishna Dham (ISKCON) Prog: New Year’s Day celebration on Wednesday, 11 AM. Everyday, 7 Aratis and bhoga offerings daily. Sunday Festival: 5.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Location: 1320 West 34th St, Houston, TX 77018. Contact:281-433-1635/E-mail harekrishnadham@gmail.com Website: www.iskconhouston. org Shri Radha

Krishna Temple

Prog: Location:10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX77498. Phone: 832.541.0059. Website:www.chinmayahouston. org.

Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya Temple Hrs: 9 am to noon and 5 to 9 pm.;Sri Astalaksmi puja: 7 pm. Sri Laksmi Archana will be performed on request all day. Location:same as Chinmaya Mission. Website: www.saumyakasi.org;

Hindu Temple of The Woodlands Location: 7601 S. Forest Gate Drive at Woodlands Parkway, Spring, TX 77382. Contact: info@woodlandshindutemple.org, 832-585-0001 Website: www. woodlandshindutemple.org.

281.808.2159

Vedanta Society of Greater Houston Prog: Vedanta teachings Sundays at 10:30 AM Location: at 14809 Lindita Dr. Houston, TX -77083. Website: www.vedantahouston. org.

Prog: Darshan daily from 7.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.; Aarti daily from 7.45 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Location: 10080 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478 Phone: 281-530-2565 Web:

Prog: Every Friday Satsangh from 7:30 pm to 9 pm. Bhajans and Devi Puja, Discourses. Location: 12530 Ann Louise Road, Houston, 77086. Phone: Contact Vishnu at (832) 309- 7181.

Shri Satyanarayan Sai Puja Darshan Prog: Daily from 10:00 a.m. to 1:p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Every Thursday Abhishek Location: 16338 Kensington Dr, Ste 110, Sugar Land 77479. Phone: 713-933-8821 / 9359.

Shiridi Sai Durga Shiva Venkateswara Temple (Katy)

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Baitus Samee Mosque

Prog: Contact: 713-933-8821/ Udayakumar Gullapalli E-mail: gullapalliu@yahoo.com Website: www.sdsvt.org

Prog: Friday Prayer - 1:30 PM Children’s Classes | Interfaith meeting | Location: 1333 Spears Rd, Houston, TX 77067 Imam - Mohammed Zafarullah Contact : Work: 281-875-3400 | Cell: 713-874-4363 Zafarullah_Hanjra@hotmail.com www.Alislam.org

Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple

Dr.Ambedkar International Mission Inc. U.S.A

Hindu Worship Society

Prog.:Sanskrit classes and special worship sessions for all ages Location: 2918 Renoir, Sugar Land, TX 77479 Contact: 281-606-5607 or AVB.Houston@gmail.com Web: https://sites.google.com/ site/avbtexas/classes

Arsha Vidya Satsanga Prog: Website: www.avshouston.org Contact: 713-412-2923 / Email: ArshaVidyaHou@gmail.com

Chinmaya Mission

Prog: Location: India House 8888 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, Texas 77031

Ashirwad - A Blessing Temple Prog: Regular prog :Sloka Classes for kids and teens. Location: Katy, Hwy 249 & Sugar Land. Contact: 281.995.0930/

Website: www.godivinity.org

Lakshmi Narayan Mandir

VPSS Houston

Arsha Vidya Bharati

Divinity

ISSO

Prog Akhand Ramayan Path continues till New Year’s Day Wednesday January 01, 2014 Location:11625 Beechnut, Houston, TX 77072 Phone: 281-933-8100 Website: www.SRKT.org.

Location VPSS Vallabh Hall, 11715 Belfort Village Dr. Houston 77031. Contact:713-530-2900 Website:www.vpsshaveli.org

West Belfort 77031 Phone: (713) 855-9818 for details Website: www.jkphouston.org Weekly Radio Program-1460 AM Saturdays 10-11 a.m.

Gurdwara Sahib of SW Houston Prog: Sundays Dewan 10:00 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Langar Location:14811 Lindita Drive, Houston, TX 77083 Phone: 281-498-5200 Website: www.gurdwaraswh.com

Prog: Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra Parayanam: daily 6.30 p.m. Location:10098 Synott Road. Sugar Land, TX 77478 Phone: 281- 498-2344 Website: www.ashtalakshmi.org

Prog: Open all days except Thursdays (by appt). Regular Puja and Prasad. Sunday Service 11:30 AM to 1:30 Location: 2223 Wirtcrest Lane Houston TX 77055.

Barsana Dham Houston Chapter Prog: Satsang every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Location: India House, 8888

JVB Preksha Meditation Center Prog: Location: 14102 Schiller Road, Houston TX 77082 Phone: 281.596.9642 Website: www.jvbhouston.org

Patanjali Yogpeeth Center Prog: Free Yoga Classes every Sat/Sun from 8 am to 9:30 am Location: Arya Samaj @Schiller Road. Contact: 281-579-9433. Websites: www.pyptusa.org

Jain Center of Houston Location: 3905 Arc St. Houston, TX 77063 Contact: 281-606-JAIN; Email: ecjsh@jain-houston.org Website:www.jain-houston.org

Durga Bari Society Prog: Sandhya Arati at 6:30 p.m.; Sunday: 9:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m. Location: 13944 Schiller Road. Contact: 281-597-8100 Website:www.houstondurgabari. org

Gayatri Pariwar of Houston Prog: Sundays Satsang, Bal-Sanskar Shala, from 11am to 1pm. Location: 5645 Hillcroft, Suite # 307, Houston, TX 77036. Website: http://www.gayatripariwarhouston.org/ “

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Sri Guruvayurappan Our Redeemer Temple Church Prog: Bhajans: Sat.7:00 -8:00 p.m.; Sundays 9:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.Location: 1620 Ormandy Street, Houston, TX 77035 Contact: 713-729-8994

Govindaji Gaudiya Math Prog: Satsang every Sunday evening from 5 - 7 p.m. Vedic heritage classes for kids 5-14. Location: 16628 Kieth Harrow blvd. Houston, TX 77084 Contact: 281-499-3347/281-4914114.

Sathya Sai Baba Centers Prog: Sundays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at two locations Locations: Contact: (North) 832-418-3842 or (South) 281-788-4786. Website:www.saicenterofhouston.org

Telugu Christian Fellowship

Prog: Sundays worship 4:30 pm. Location: All Saints Lutheran Church 1211 West Belfort Avenue, Stafford, TX Contact: 281-686-4135 / Email: pastorvj@linchouston.org

Trinity Mar Thoma Church Prog: Sundays Malyalam service at 9:45 a.m. Every alternate weeks in English at 10:30a.m. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. Location: 5810 Almeda Genoa Road. Contact: 713-9771-1557/ 281261-4603.

Rekindle The Fire Ministries Prog: Houston Revival Meetings Every second Saturday of the Month. Location: New Song Christian Community Church near 59S and Wilcrest. Every fourth Saturday of the month join a lively youth revival meeting. Website:www.rekindlethefire.org

Prog; Every third Saturday 6:30 PM. Worship is in English Location: The Triumph Church, 10555 West Airport Boulevard, Stafford, TX 77477. Contact:713-301-6444 Website:

Indian Catholics of Houston

Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center

Islamic Society of Greater Houston

Prog: Daily classes in Raja Yoga Meditation To register call or email. Contact:832-379-8888/ Email: houston@bktexas.com Website: bktexas.com

Location: Eastside Drive Houston, TX 77098 Contact: (713) 524-6615

Bethesda Houston Tamil Church

Nair Service Society of Greater Houston Prog. Monthly “Karayogam” every fourth Sat. 6:00 PM. Tel: 281-261-4950/ 281-7788341

Prog: Prog: Sundays Tamil Worship: 5 – 7pm Sunday school : in English. Bethesda Family Fellowship: in English 10.30 am-12.30 pm Free Tutorial for all children Mondays & Wednesdays 5-6 pm. Ladies Bible Study: Thur 9 am. Location: 1092, Suite F&G, Stafford. Tex 77477 Tel:281-317-7331, 281-317-7331

Prog: Location: Claridge Drive Houston, TX 77031 Contact:: (713) 995-6811

GHNSS

Datta Yoga Center Houston Prog: Satsang on alternate Saturdays 5:30pm to 8:00pm. Free Kriya Yoga classes. Contact:713-854-7097 or 281-

VOICE OF ASIA GROUP To advertise, call:

Phone: 713-774-5140 E-mail: Adsvoa@yahoo.com Restaurants Bombay to Beijing 14025 Southwest Fwy. Sugarland.TX 77478 281-242-4242 www.bombaybeijing.com Indian Restaurant

Taste the difference! Cater your next event with us!

India’s Restaurant & Catering

for special parties and corporate events. Preferred Wine list, Authentic vegetarian & non-vegetarian dishes, ﬁnest Indian cuisine with chef’s special dishes

Ph: 713-266-0131/ 0805

Shiva Indian Restaurant & Catering specializing in North Indian cuisine, Ofﬁce and Corporate catering.

• 2514 Times Blvd. Rice Village, Ph: 713-523-4753 • 2130 Lone Star Dr. Sugar Land, Ph: 281-494-2981

Rooﬁng 522),1* VEEDONE CONSTRUCTION, LLC. - ROOFING Roofing, Siding, Gutters and Fence WIND & HAIL INSURANCE CLAIMS SPECIALIST

(281) 701-7760 www.VeeDone.com

Video TK Video

HD Video, Live Stream, Editing, Dubbing, Titles Call for Weddings, Anniversary, Baptism, Graduation

Call Tony Kalladanthyil at 281-799-4518

CLASSIFIEDS

VOICE OF ASIA 19

Have you been ABUSED, ATTACKED or INJURED?

NEWS ANCHOR/ REPORTER

Have you experienced a traumatic event such as:

KTRK-TV, the ABC/Disney owned station in Houston, TX is looking for an outstanding News Anchor/Reporter. The ideal candidate should have at least 3 years experience as a News Anchor and 5 years experience as a General Assignment Reporter. Applicant must display excellent Live ENG and SNG skills, be able to develop contacts, enterprise good, hard news stories and respond well to spot news. This position requires outstanding writing skills and leadership ability as an Anchor during Breaking News. This position will require weekends be worked. This is an excellent opportunity to join a ﬁrstclass station and live in a fun and affordable city. Candidates must apply online at www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume ﬁle. Please Reference Job ID: 157060BR on all materials submitted. Send non-returnable sample of your most recent work to the attention of Human Resources, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet; Houston, TX 77005 and include the job reference ID. No phone calls please. Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V/D.

A family needs a reliable Caretaker full time to take care of home, cook meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner, do some light house work, weekdays and weekends. Timings are: 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM daily, ﬂexible some evenings. Must be able to cook South and North Indian dishes. Please have a few references. Long term employment preferred. For details, call: 832-419-7537

Houston Community College Notice of Procurement Opportunities Project No. RFCSP 14-02 Austin Street Improvements & San Jacinto Memorial Green

Houston Community College Notice of Procurement Opportunities REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Project: RFP 14-07 Construction Inspection Services

Sealed responses to the above solicitation will be received in Procurement Operations, 3100 Main Street (11th Floor), Houston, TX 77002, until 2:00 pm (local time) on the submittal date, January 17, 2014, and publicly opened in Room No. 11A07 at that time. To obtain a copy of the solicitation documents go to our website at: www.hccs.edu (Click on: Business & Community / Doing Business with HCC / Procurement / Current Bids and RFPs). For assistance call: 713-718-5014 A non-mandatory preproposal meeting will be held by the Procurement Operations Department at 3100 Main Street (2nd Floor, Room Seminar A) Houston, Texas 77002 on January 08, 2014 at 10:00AM (local time). HCC is an equal opportunity/educational institution, which does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age or disability.

Sealed responses to the above solicitation will be received in Procurement Operations, 3100 Main Street (11th Floor), Houston, TX 77002, and are due by the submittal date, January 21, 2014 at 3:00 PM (local time). A non-mandatory preproposal meeting will be held by Procurement Operations, HCC Administration Building, 3100 Main Street (2nd Floor, Auditorium) Houston, Texas 77002 on January 9, 2014 at 10:00 AM (local time). To obtain a copy of the solicitation documents go to our website at: www.hccs.edu (Click on: Information For/ Doing Business with HCC /. For assistance call: 713-718-2777. HCC is an equal opportunity educational institution, which does not discriminate based on race, color religion, national origin, gender age or disability.

This is our Classiﬁeds Section 713-774-5140 Sell anything! From Garage Sales to Selling a Business Call us. Nothing is too trivial.

• Rape • Physical Assault • Child Abuse • A severe car accident • War • Natural distaster Does this continue to affect you with: • Upsetting memories • Irritability • Bad dreams or difﬁculty sleeping • Trouble concentrating • Lack of Interest in activities.

mood@bcm.edu

If you are a woman between the ages of 18 and 65, you may be eligible to participate in a study of an investigational medication for PTSD conducted by the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and the Mood and Anxiety Program at the Baylor College of Medicine. There is no cost for participation.

Call Voice of Asia at 713-774-5140

CALL 1-877-96-BCM-MOOD (226-6663), Visit www.bcm.edu/psychiatry/mood, or email us at mood@bcm.edu if you are interested in participating.

Restaurant for Sale PROFITABLE Korean/ Sushi

Restaurant for sale in San Antonio, TX in prime location.

If interested Call 866-908-5560 and ask for Pamela. Houston Community College Notice of Procurement Opportunities REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Project: RFP 14-11 Parking Lots and Parking Garages Cleaning Services Sealed responses to the above solicitation will be received in Procurement Operations, 3100 Main Street (11th Floor), Houston, TX 77002, and are due by the submittal date, January 16, 2014 at 3:00 PM (local time). A non-mandatory preproposal meeting will be held by Procurement Operations, HCC Administration Building, 3100 Main Street (2nd Floor, Auditorium) Houston, Texas 77002 on January 6, 2014 at 2:00 PM (local time). To obtain a copy of the solicitation documents go to our website at: www.hccs.edu (Click on: Information For/ Doing Business with HCC /. For assistance call: 713-718-2777. HCC is an equal opportunity educational institution, which does not discriminate based on race, color religion, national origin, gender age or disability.

Beauty Supply Stores for Sale

$450,000.

2 locations. 7000 sqft. & 3200 sqft. Great opportunity to get into Exclusive Hair Extension and Wig business. Direct accounts with Major Hair Companies with Zero Debt. Serious inquires only. Owner wants to retire and spend more time with kids. Email: sujeong95@hotmail.com

Seeking Bride

LEGAL NOTICE Neighborhood Centers Inc. (AGENCY), a non-proﬁt human services organization, announces Request for Proposal (RFP) #13-21 for Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program community outreach services partner that currently serves the Asian community. A mandatory Vendor’s conference is scheduled for Monday, January 13, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. (CST) at 3838 Aberdeen Way, Houston, Texas 77025. Interested vendors must submit a proposal for RFP #13-21 by the deadline, Monday, February 3, 2014 at 12:00 p.m. (CST). To receive RFP #13-21, e-mail Marlo Y. Dobbins, Assistant Director, Procurement and Contract Administration at mdobbins1@ neighborhood-centers.org. NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS INC. ENCOURAGES SMALL AND HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESSES TO APPLY.

Visit us on www.Voiceof AsiaOnline.com

Handsome groom, 30 yrs, Roman Catholic, 5 ft 10 inches tall (179 cms), working in Dubai as a Sales and Marketing Manager, educated in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering. He speaks English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Arabic. Seeking Bride between 22 and 28 years of age, who is a Malayalee, Christian Malankara, Marthoma, Roman Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Syro Malabar , Jacobite etc. Preferably holding a bachelors/Master’s in the following occupations: Engineering, Computers / Others, Bachelors/Masters in Nursing/Pharmacy. Brides from the U.S. India or Middle East may contact by sending details to joaugus@hotmail.com

Also post online weekly www.voiceofasiatvnews.com

Reliable Caretaker Needed

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014

Open House / Home for Sale! Open House is Optional!

Sell your Listing

FASTER!!!

1234 Main st, Houston, TX 77074 MLS #: 1234567890 | Year Built: 2006 3 Bed / 2 Bath / 2 Car / 1757 sq.ft Agent Name: John xxxxxxxx Phone: 123-456-7890 Open House: xx/xx/2013 4 - 6 pm

Your Photo here Company Logo Here (Optional)

*Need 2 week committment minimum to get this rate. Reg $45/week.

To get started, call: 713-774-5140 10,000 copies, 150 locations, weekly! Post it online, add $10 / wk.

The value of money is taught early! Earn Smart! Spend Wisely! A community message from Voice of Asia Group

Read Voice of Asia for Community News

Got a Car to Sell?

NEW FEATURE! $30/-*

for Real Estate Agents Post your listing!

• Advertise in Print $30 / wk (Reg $35) 5.29” x 2” size. • List it online $10 / wk (Reg $25) • Sell your car to Valid and Serious Buyers!* • Sell your car FAST! *Verify your buyer. Accept Cashier’s checks only! Call: 713-774-5140 Email us: ads@voiceofasiagroup.com Advertise online: www.voiceofasiatvnews.com

HINDI PRATHANA

Do you need PRAYER? Do you need a MIRACLE in your life? Can we pray for the CHILDLESS couple?

VOICE OF ASIA 20

FRIDAY, January 10, 2014