Voice of Asia Jan 3 2014 by VoiceOf Asia

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

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014 Understand Small Business Health Care Tax Credit. Read more on Page 15 OR Call 713-771-2900

Vol. 27 No. 1 Friday, January 3, 2014 Published Weekly from Houston 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: voiceasia@aol.com

Indian capital’s new chief felled by ‘Delhi Belly’, tweets symptoms ply.

Kejriwal, whose pledge to ﬁght for India’s “common man” won over voters in New Delhi state polls, had been set to start governing the capital on Monday after being sworn in at the weekend.

Dr. Renu Khator named Deputy Chair of Dallas Federal Board

But after weeks of rallies in a gruelling election campaign that pitted him against the two main political parties, Kejriwal said he been taken ill with diarrhoea and a severe fever. “When the chief minister gives you a minute-by-minute update on his bowel movements -- hail democracy,” said Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Congress party spokeswoman. Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi party was born out of an anti-corruption mass movement two years ago, had pledged to give free water to households in New Delhi. He has also vowed to slash consumers’ electricity bills. Kejriwal’s party asked well-wishers and supporters in a tweet to stop ﬂocking to his home in the suburb of Ghaziabad, saying he needed to rest. Anti-corruption champion and Aam Admi (Common Man) party leader Arvind Kejriwal addresses supporters after taking his oath of ofﬁce at a ceremony in New Delhi, on December 28, 2013 (AFP, Raveendran)

EW DELHI, December 30, 2013 (AFP) - The Indian capital’s new chief minister caused a sensation Monday when he tweeted about missing his first day at the office due to a stomach upset -- but he battled through to fulfill a top campaign pledge of supplying free water. The news that Aam Admi (“common man”) Party chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had honored one of his major promises was overshadowed by his candour about his symptoms. The anti-corruption champion, sworn in at the weekend, swept to power on a promise to provide greater transparency and he was true to his word, tweeting freely about the “Delhi

belly” that had spoiled his first day. “Running 102 fever since yesterday. Severe loose motions. Sad that I won’t be able to attend office today,” the former tax official said on his verified Twitter account. He has more than 961,000 followers on Twitter and regularly tweets to share his views. His latest comments were an instant hit on the micro-blogging social media network, with plenty of offers of sympathy -- and jokes. “Wow (you’re) such a wonderful Aam Aadmi (common man). Talking publicly about loose motions. History is made!” said social worker Suryanarayan Ganesh.

True to his famed workaholic nature, Kejriwal ignored a high fever and diarrhoea to chair a meeting of water board ofﬁcials at his modest apartment. “It was decided all domestic consumers with metered connections will get 20 kilolitres (20,000 litres) of free water every month,” the head of Delhi’s water board, Vijay Kumar, told reporters outside Kejriwal’s apartment. That decision by the Aam Aadmi Party government, sworn in at the weekend, works out at nearly 700 litres per day. Critics have said giving out free water will encourage wastefulness in a country where water is in short sup-

Unlike his predecessors, Kejriwal, whose backers range from taxi drivers and teachers to business proprietors and servants, has said he and his ministers will not occupy the sprawling bungalows surrounded by lush lawns built by India’s former British colonial rulers. Congress’s rout in Delhi and three other state polls has been seen as one more sign the powerful Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which has given India three premiers since independence, may be about to lose ofﬁce in national elections due in May. Kejriwal’s party is leading the Delhi government with outside support from the Congress party, which rules nationally but was pushed to a distant third place in the Delhi elections. “Will Arvind Kejriwal pass the motion? That is the question we are asking tonight,” tweeted television editor Ritupana Chatterjee.

Dr. Renu Khator, HOUSTON: (29 Dec, 2013 ) Dr. Renu Khator, the highest ranking Indian-American in the education sector and the Chancellor of University of Houston, has been named deputy chair of the Dallas federal reserve branch for 2014. Khator served on the Dallas Fedral Board since 2011. The Federal Reserve Board in Washington DC on December 13 made the appointments for the 12 Federal Reserve Banks nationwide. Each Federal Reserve Bank has a nine-member board, and every year the federal board of governors appoints three of the local directors and designates a chair and a deputy chair. JC Penney Inc CEO Mike Ullman was named chair of the Dallas federal reserve. Khator took the dual position of chancellor and president at University of Houston in 2008, becoming the varsity’s ﬁrst foreign-born president and the ﬁrst Indian immigrant to head a comprehensive research university in the US. (PTI)

Doctors have grim outlook on Michael Schumacher’s condition

File picture shows German Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher skiing during a press day in Madonna di Campiglio, northern Italy on January 15, 2004 (AFP/File, Vincenzo Pinto)

GRENOBLE, France (AP) -- Doctors offered a grim assessment of Michael Schumacher’s head injuries Monday, providing no prognosis for the Formula One driving great after his skiing accident in the French Alps. Schumacher has been placed in a medically induced coma to relieve pressure on his brain, which suffered bruising and bleeding when the retired seven-time world champion fell and struck a rock Sunday while skiing during a family vacation. “We cannot predict the future for Michael Schumacher,” Dr. Jean-Francois Payen, the doctor in charge of Grenoble University Hospital’s intensive

care unit, said at a news conference. “He is in a critical state in terms of cerebral resuscitation,” said Payen, the chief anesthesiologist treating the 44-year-old German driver. “We are working hour by hour.” Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, daughter Gina Maria and son Mick were at his bedside. “The family is not doing very well, obviously. They are shocked,” his manager, Sabine Kehm, told reporters. Schumacher earned universal admiration for his uncommon driving talent, which led to a record 91 race

wins. His single-minded dedication to victory sometimes meant he was denied the same affection during his career that he received Monday. Schumacher “gave the image of someone indestructible, powerful,” France’s four-time F1 champion Alain Prost said on iTele TV channel. “It’s a banal accident compared to what he’s done in the past . It’s just a dumb thing that ended badly.” Schumacher and his 14-year-old son were skiing Sunday morning in the French Alpine resort of Meribel, where the family has a chalet. He fell and hit the right side of his head on a rock.

VOICE OF ASIA 2

OP-ED/OPINIONS/COMMENTARY by Barnik Maitra and Adil Zainulbhai

n a village 100 miles from any cities in Andhra Pradesh, a young woman, three months pregnant, is getting her first and only medical check-up. This is happening on board a visiting medical van that now comes to the village every month. The paramedic gives her basic vitamins and enters various vital parameters into an online data base. Two weeks later, when she feels a little unwell, she calls a tollfree number from her family’s mobile phone, connects a $1 monitor to it, and talks to a doctor. He studies her vital signs through the monitor and reassures her that everything is fine this time. Five months and five such virtual check-ups later, it is time for her to go to the hospital. The online doctor sends her an ambulance, which drops her 90 miles away at the nearest hospital, for a safe delivery.

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE Let Us Unite

Koshy Thomas

oice of Asia has completed 25 years of glorious committed services to the community and we are now entering into our 26th year. When I named my paper Voice of Asia, 25 years ago, my intention was to integrate the community beyond all our cultural, regional and religious

Thousands of mothers in Andhra Pradesh and around India are beneﬁting from the frugal technologies of wireless connectivity, sensors, software, and having a safer childbirth.

barriers through this medium. I visualized a new order and greater challenges ahead of us. Now we are ﬁnancially, politically and professional very strong as a community. We have also changed with the new generation. Those who came ﬁrst and the generation followed them, willingly and knowingly denounced their loyalty to India and embraced United States as their country. We are not Rajasthanis or Madrasis anymore, we all wear one hat and are known as Indian Americans. Let us all unite under one umbrella. We are not players in India anymore. We are only onlookers.

The combination of cheaper devices, easy connectivity and the high aspirations of the population could help India leapfrog development in several areas. Broadband internet can transform primary and secondary schooling by bringing the best teachers and techniques into every classroom. In Reimagining India: Unlocking the

ASHINGTON: The year 2013 will be remembered for the challenges it threw up for the ties between the world’s two largest democracies, including a row triggered by the arrest and strip-search of an Indian diplomat in the US.

It is my humble submission to continue to serve the community with the same vision and determination in the coming years. Let us all work together

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a successful meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House and Vice President Joe Biden made a rare trip to India, but the strain in bilateral relations was evident throughout 2013 especially over India’s nuclear liability act.

Get your Community Stories visit our website: www.

Also, over 200 American lawmakers made an unprecedented move to vent their ire against India’s economic policies.

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How India can leapfrog to the future Potential of Asia’s Next Superpower, edited by McKinsey & Company, digital educators Salman Khan and Shantanu Sinha argue that “replicating for hundreds of millions of aspiring learners what a few thousand previously experienced in the lecture halls of Harvard, MIT or Stanford would require an absurdly large investment. But now, this information is available to anyone with a cheap laptop and a broadband connection.” Indeed, today, Indian students are the largest users of massive open online courses from MIT and Harvard. Healthcare offers similar possibilities. Cheap devices (GE’s X-ray costs $50), sensors and broadband connectivity will open up access to healthcare, and at lower costs than the standard brick and mortar solutions (often at a ﬁftieth of the comparable U.S. cost). Swasthya Slate (a tablet device for patients to perform self-diagnostic tests including electrocardiograms, blood sugar, blood pressure, and heart rate readings) and “msteth” (mobile stethoscope to transmit heart data) are smart, affordable substitutes for over half of all doctor visits. This is life-changing in a country like India, where the doctor to patient ratio is a meager 1:1,700 (compared with 1:400 in the

United States). A better future awaits India in areas like energy and infrastructure as well. InReimagining India, venture capitalist Vinod Khosla argues that rather than building more highways to accommodate more cars (like the developed countries), India could think about the best transportation system for selfdriving (or driverless) vehicles. Schneider Electric’s President and CEO, Jean-Pascal Tricoire hopes that India will seize the golden opportunity to create an intelligent electrical grid that relies on more end-use efficiency and renewables, effectively leapfrogging conventional energy systems and becoming self-sufficient without incurring all the costs and collateral damage of the traditional model. Ram, a villager from the state of Uttar Pradesh, had no national identity papers, and so could not access government benefits when he migrated to Delhi as a construction worker. Through the Unique Identity Card program (UID Aadhar) Ram can now receive government benefits directly in his bank account, which is linked to his UID number. New technologies for biometric information ($10 retinal scanners), new database technologies, and new software made it possible

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 same breakthrough is possible in access to all government services, retail services, banking and financial inclusion, agriculture, medical care, education at all levels and in many other fields that we haven’t even thought of yet, and may help India to drive faster inclusive development for its population. In true Indian tradition, the potential for technology to leapfrog is enormous – and so are the barriers. As experience shows, progress may be fitful, but when India can imagine, mobilize, and leapfrog, ten years can change almost anything. (CNN) Barnik C. Maitra is a partner at McKinsey & Company’s Mumbai office and co-editor of Reimagining India. Adil Zainulbhai is Chairman of McKinsey India and co-editor of Reimagining India. The views expressed are their own.

2013, a challenging time for India-US relationship casions when an Indian diplomat was detained overseas, the India-US ties came to a standstill. Even earlier, many experts had said that it has plateaued. This was mainly because both the Congress and the inﬂuential American industry the main drivers of India-US ties in the past decade - openly expressed their anger and anguish over India’s economic policies. Through a series of letters, more than 240 Congressmen

and Senators and Corporate America sought Obama’s help to address what they described as policy paralysis in India. But when Prime Minister Singh held his highly successful meeting with Obama in September, which was preceded by India visits by Vice President Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, it looked like the two countries were working together to address their differences and take steps to strengthen bilateral ties.

With Obama himself showing personal interest in deepening ties with India, which he considers central to re-balancing his policy for the Asia-Paciﬁc region, the White House meet resulted in a US-India Joint Declaration on defence cooperation. The joint declaration, a product of what is being called the “Clinton-Menon” initiative, put India at par with the closest American allies and paved the way for joint defence co-development and co-production. (PTI).

Following the arrest, one of the rare oc-

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to roll out Aadhar to 400 million Indians in record time – at a tenth of the cost in developed countries, and in one-ﬁfth the time. If successful, Aadhar can fundamentally change the delivery of government services for 1.2 billion people. For example, if food subsidies went directly to recipients (as cash or vouchers), instead of distribution through “fair-price” shops, half the current outlay could feed all of India’s poor.

However, the events of the year were capped by the arrest of senior diplomat Devyani Khobragade, the Deputy Consul General in New York, on visa fraud charges. While the US asserted that by arresting her, it was enforcing the law of the land, India fought back by taking a series of reciprocal measures like withdrawing special privileges of US Embassy personnel in New Delhi.

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FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

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Winner of VOA Photo Ekal Vidyalaya FounContest ‘Capture Houston dation Appoints New, 2013’ Announced Dynamic President of Knowledge’ taken at the location: University of Houston, Houston, Texas. He wins $50 Dinning Certiﬁcate.

Thejas K Rajaram

OUSTON- Voice of Asia announces its Photo Contest ’Capture Houston 2013’ winner as Thejas K Rajaram whose winning photograph was titled ‘Light

Thejas says, “Wild Life photography got me interested in the art of photography. A little while later, I moved to photographing people, architecture and landscapes.” A Financial Strategist at Air Liquide, Houston, his passion for photography ﬁnds him chasing sunrises and sunsets at beautiful locations around Houston during the weekends. “It is helpful that my wife understands and supports my hobby. My father

is a hobby photographer himself, and often helps me with tips about taking good pictures,” he says. Other than photography, Thejas loves traveling, especially to places with hills and mountains, such as Colorado and Alaska. “I like meeting new people during my travels. It is exciting to listen to stories of people from different places that I believe is good for understanding our world better. Also, I like hiking, and reading non-ﬁction,” he adds. Voice of Asia wishes him best of luck in pursuing his dreams!

by Prakash Waghmare, National Coordinator For Media Affairs

kal Vidyalaya FoundationUSA, (EVF) recently concluded its annual fund-raising session partly through a series of 46 concerts during the ﬁrst half of the year, with grand success. This was also Ekal’s ‘Silver Jubilee’ year (25 yr) of its operation. Every year, “EVF” raises millions of Dollars for eradicating illiteracy and promoting integrated development in rural-remote parts of India, including JammuKashmir. As of this moment, there are 52,000 ‘Ekal-Schools’ dispensing basic Literacy and Healthcare training to nearly 1.5 millions underprivileged children, irrespective of their caste, creed, and religion. With New Year 2014, ‘Ekal Board’ has appointed Mr. Vinod Jhunjhunwala as the new President of “Ekal Vidyalaya FoundationUSA” for his entrepreneur skills and dedication to ever expanding Ekal operations. Before taking over this new responsibility, Mr. Jhunjhunwala had been an Executive Vice President of ‘Ekal’ since 2011. A graduate of St. Xavier’s College in Kolkata and M.I.T. (Boston), Vinodji has been a very successful businessman for past 36 yrs and has been instrumental in establishing family & friend’s various businesses on ﬁrmer grounds. Mr. Jhunjhunwala has ambitious plans to effectively use modern technology, not only to channel donor’s contributions but also to track progress of village-based empowerment projects in India. He has been a well-known Philanthropist in the Indian Community and, coincidentally, happens to be the son-in-law of Ekal founder, Mr. Madanlalji Agarwala who also introduced him to “Friends

Vinod Jhunjhunwala appointed as the new President. of Tribal Society” earlier in his career. Vinodji has graced many social and community organizations in an executive capacity and promoted their causes that beneﬁt the masses. While taking the reins of ‘Ekal’, he has resolved to put emphasis on strengthening Ekal-Chapters, build Donor relations, and promote Ekal activities. He is going to represent “Ekal-USA” at Swami Vivekananda’s 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations in Kolkata on January 5, 2014 and also at ‘Parinam Kumbh’ in Dhandad, Bihar in March 2015 where “Ekal” really started. Commenting on Mr. Vinod Jhunjhunwala’s induction as the new President, Mr. Subhash Gupta, Chairman of Board of Directors said,” Vinodji is going to be a great asset to the Organization with his proven management skills and his total grasp of Ekal’s grass-root functionality for better tomorrow.” For Media Affairs call 973-525-2250.

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VOICE OF ASIA 4

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

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

Debt collector can call at work— until you tell him to stop Q. Can a debt collector call a person at work? I work as a receptionist for a company that often gets collection calls for an employee who works here. This person is unable to take the calls because he works out in the field. The calls are very harassing because they are often rude and have even resorted to calling me names because of my refusal to take these kinds of messages. What can be done to stop these calls? A. Based on what you say, my opinion is the debt collector is violating federal law. First, until a consumer tells a debt collector he is not allowed to receive calls at work, the collector has the right to call. You don’t say whether the employee told the collector to stop, so the mere act of calling may not be wrongful. Federal law, however, prohibits a debt collector from discussing the consumer’s debt with anyone else, harassing anyone, or even telling third parties he is calling about a debt. I suggest the employee send a certified letter demanding the debt collector stop this conduct, and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. He may even want to speak with a private attorney about a lawsuit under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Q. My neighbor has a dead tree in his yard. The tree leans toward my yard. If it falls, it will take out my fence and may hit my house or garage. With all the recent storms I am concerned it will be blown on to my property. If it damages my property is my neighbor responsible? A. As a general rule, a person is not responsible for damage caused when a tree falls onto another’s property. This is because liability is based on negligence, and, in most cases, when a tree falls it was an act of God, not the fault of the property owner. When a tree is dead or diseased and the owner knows that it may fall, however, the law places a duty on the property owner to take steps to prevent the tree from damaging another’s property. Based on what you say, your neighbor has an obligation to prune or cut the tree to prevent it from falling on your property. I suggest you speak with your neighbor and make sure he is aware of the problem. If he still does not cut the tree, you may want to send a nice certified letter expressing your concerns and putting him on notice of his potential for liability. Hopefully, you will be able to work this out as neighbors. Q. Can I withhold rent if my air conditioning is not working properly? It broke down as soon as it started getting warm. A. As a general rule, a tenant must continue to pay rent even when there is a problem with the apartment. In no event does a tenant have the right to simply refuse to pay rent. There are a few situations, however, when a tenant may deduct from the rent and have the apartment repaired. Repairs and deductions may be made only when the problem is extremely serious and you have given the landlord proper written notice to repair the condition, letting him know that if he does not make the repairs you will. According to Texas law, the problem must involve either the backup or overflow of raw sewage, the termination of water, or the failure to provide heat or cooled air after the landlord has received written notice from a local building or health official. In other words, for you to withhold rent you must first send the landlord written notice, by certified mail, telling him your air conditioning does not work and asking him to repair it. You then must wait a “reasonable” time. In addition, the local health or building official should be informed so it may give the landlord the appropriate notice. Only after all of these requirements are met may you repair the problem yourself and deduct the costs from the rent. Hopefully, once the landlord receives your notice he will remedy the condition. Do you want to know more about your legal rights? Check out my website, www.peopleslawyer.net.

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VOICE OF ASIA 5

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

Expansion in the future for Sugar Land temple

JVB Preksha Center Presents Play On Raja Harishchandra

by Rick Weber | December 26, 2013, Houston Chronicle hary Tamirisa started the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land in 1995 because he wanted a small place where a teacher could come and talk. It would be a place where everybody was welcome. “There is no denomination that is not welcome, because we have Hindus, Christians, everybody,” he said. “Everybody that believes in God can come and worship. As a matter of fact, all of our prayers end up praying for universal peace and prosperity. So we pray for all.” People came to the temple that started in a small trailer at 10098 Synott Road and then expanded to a 15,000-squarefoot structure in 2008. People are coming in such numbers that a much bigger temple is planned, with an architect in India drawing up a design that will include a building in the shape of a lotus ﬂower, which has symbolic meaning for many Asian religions, especially in India. In Hinduism, the lotus (padma in Sanskrit) primarily represents beauty and nonattachment. “The ﬂower lotus represents the Lord in our culture,” Tamirisa. “The way the Lord is constructed is so beautiful, so we will be making the temple in the shape of lotus, with a pond, and we will have a concert of the Lord in three different forms: standing, sitting and lying down, displaying the different forms of nature. “We want to make a unique place so it’s not just a runof-the-mill place. It must be something peaceful and tranquil. That’s what is missing for us nowadays. Nobody has any peace. So when we

OUSTON - JVB Preksha Meditation Center is preparing to present – Raja Harishchandra – A play in Hindi – An epic tale of The Power of Truth. The upcoming play is the 5th in the series of previously appreciated performances. It is scheduled to be held on Saturday, January 11th, 2014 at 5:00 PM at Cullen Performance Hall – University of Houston Main Campus. This epic ancient Indian tale has been known to people for generations. It is based on the great king of Ayodhya - Raja Harishchandra. He and his family were tested in many ways, and despite enduring multitude of hardships they never faltered from practicing truth. The story goes like this: A monk’s deer is accidently killed by Raja; which infuriates the monk and he demands Raja pay for his misdeed. Raja donates his kingdom and promises to pay the monk 1,000 gold coins within a months’ time. During this month Raja, Rani and their young son, face dire situations and hardships. Rani gets sold in the labor market as a domestic help to gather 500 gold coins. Raja is also sold as a slave for 500 gold coins to repay the monk, and becomes a caretaker at a funeral place. Both the king & queen work

relentlessly, with little or no food, and no complaints. One day their son is bit by a snake and dies. This mishap creates a very interesting conclusion to the play which should not be missed. Come enjoy this movement to experience “The Power of Truth” on January 11, 2014 at Cullen Performance Hall, UH-Main. The play includes tragedy, comedy and suspense. Several characters are going to be on the stage including Raja Harishchandra, Rani Taramati, Prince Rohit, Tapas, Nakshatra, Brahman, Brahmani and others, who

have been working hard for the past 6 months to bring this play to life. Without doubt, this presentation will be interesting and enlightening; it will also include a dance sequence. The JVB Preksha Meditation Center envisions a blissful and peaceful society through Yoga, Preksha Meditation and Education of Non-violence. It is open for all irrespective of beliefs. For more information or to purchase tickets online, please visit www.jvbhouston. org or www.sulekha.com or call the center at 281-5969642.

duty, and that’s what called karma. Karma is nothing bur forming your own duty. People say, “I don’t do any karma.” That’s wrong. If you don’t breathe, you will die. Karma is essential for survival. You do your duty. As a surgeon, I operate to the best of my capacity. But I don’t know what the result will be. Will the body heal? It’s really not in my hands. So the teaching is, ‘do your duty to the utmost,’ but you don’t take

responsibility of the results because the results are not in your hands. That is unconditional, total surrender. “The basic philosophy of our temple is that all human beings have the same supreme Lord in a form in themselves. In India, when we greet somebody, we say namaste. We don’t say hello. It means, ‘This is not mine. This is yours. Oh, Lord, everything is yours.’ If I see a black man and white man or

somebody in front of me, if I see that is the same God in him as me, I can never hate him. The hatred doesn’t exist. Our philosophy is, serve your own and respect all. That’s our motto. We see God in every human being. It could be a dog, it could be an animal, it could be a tree, it could be a stone. It has a life in it. We regard everything in nature as life and a form of the Lord.” Courtesy: Houston Chronicle.

go there, we have to be at total peace. Sit down for 10 minutes, close your eyes and meditate upon your own mind, and you’re at peace. That’s the whole idea. “We want it to be a place Houstonians should be proud of-a place that there is nothing like. We have to have library, classrooms, auditorium. We need to create water around it. It’s going to be a nice place.” Tamirisa, 62, estimates that $15 million will be needed, so they are embarking upon a capital campaign to raise the money. To kick off the campaign, the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple is presenting Siddhendra Yogi Natyotsavam 2013 - aChandalika Kuchipudi Dance Ballet - at 4 p.m. Dec. 28 at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, 5601 S. Braeswood Blvd., in Houston. All donations will go toward the temple project. “We need to get some local people to help us out,” Tamirisa said. “We are all a bunch of doctors or engineers trying to do this, and none of us is really trained in how to raise the money.” The temple has worship daily from 6:30 a.m. to noon and 5:30 to 9 p.m. On the weekends, many functions draw 500 to 700 people. More than 900 attended the Festival of Lights, or Diwali, on Nov. 5. “We believe that light signifies knowledge and darkness signifies ignorance,” Tamirisa said. “So when there’s light, darkness is gone. And when there is no light, it’s full of darkness. Because of wisdom, light signifies victory. So we celebrated the victory of good over evil.” The previous month, the

temple celebrated Bathukamma Sambaralu with record attendance of 1,200. Bathukamma is a popular festival in several southern regions of India that brings people closer to celebrate life. Bathuku in Telugu means life and amma means mother. It is essentially a floral festival, with a flower stack arranged with seasonal flowers on a plate-like base in several concentric layers. Preparing bathukamma is an activity for the entire family - more than 70 bathukammas in distinct colors and sizes were specially made for the occasion by the participating families. Tamirisa said the fundamentals of the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple are derived from the teachings of Ramanuja, an Indian Brahman theologian and philosopher who was born in 1017 an died in 1137. He is regarded as the single most influential thinker of devotional Hinduism and provided an intellectual basis for the practice of bhakti (devotional worship) in three major commentaries: the Vedarthasamgraha (on the Vedas, the earliest scriptures of Hinduism), the Shri-bhashya (on the Brahma-sutras) and the Bhagavadgita-bhashya (on the Bhagavadgita). “He said that all human beings are the same,” Tamirisa said. “He made Vishishtadvaita. It means God is microform in all of us. Human life is the most supreme form of life that God ever gave. We have as human beings discrimination in thinking. No other creature has the property of discrimination in thinking. “Our teacher, Ramanuja, said the easiest way to reach the lord is bhakti, unconditional surrender to the Lord. It simply means you do your

Raja Harishchandra – A play in Hindi presented by JVB Preksha Meditation Center on Saturday, January 11th, 2014.

DIASPORA

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

Indian student assaulted by thugs in Australia

US presidential award for two Indian American scientists

ELBOURNE: A 20-year-old Indian student in Australia suffered serious injuries after he was brutally attacked with stick and robbed by thugs here.

the victims’ mobile phones and ﬂed.

Foley said, “It was just an opportunistic target from the offenders, they’ve just seen them there and approached them and done what they’ve done.”

Singh was taken to The Alfred hospital where he remains in an induced coma.

Meanwhile, victim’s brother Yanwinder Singh has pleaded for justice.

The winners, including Karunesh Ganguly of San Francisco VA Medical Center and Hardeep Singh of Houston VA Medical Center, will receive the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers at a ceremony here next year.

vancements that will ensure America’s global leadership for many years to come,” he said.

Manrajwinder Singh from Reservoir landed in the hospital with serious injuries after a gang attacked him yesterday.

The third man, a 20-yearold from Noble Park, was not assaulted and managed to run away to seek help.

ASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has named two Indian-Americans among 102 scientists as recipients of a presidential award -- the highest honour bestowed by the US on young science and engineering professionals.

Another man suffered swelling and abrasions to his face. He was treated by paramedics at the scene.

“He said ‘I want to see the city, I haven’t seen Melbourne city I’ve been working and studying,’” his brother was quoted by ‘The Age’ report today.

“The impressive achievements of these early-stage scientists and engineers are promising indicators of even greater successes ahead,” Obama said in a White House statement.

Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientiﬁc leadership, public education, or community outreach.

According to local police statement today, the?man was sitting near the footpath with two other friends, east of Princess Bridge, when they were approached by eight men, perceived to be of African appearance. The offenders assaulted Singh by kicking him on the head and hitting him with a stick. The group then punched his friend on the face, the statement said, adding the offenders stole

Melbourne detectives have released the CCTV images of eight men and a woman who they believe may be able to assist with their investigation. Singh was here to study accounts. The incident has been described as a cowardly attack by the Detective Senior Constable

Adam Foley.

“He said I want to see the city I’m not a child and I said ok then go.” “I just want these culprits to be punished, that’s all, they should get caught so that my brother, he should get justice.” PTI.

Six Indian-origin persons among top 100 South Africans

OHANNESBURG: Five Indian-origin persons and the controversial Gupta family have been named in a list of 100 prominent people in South Africa by an inﬂuential daily here. The list prepared by ‘The Star’, one of the oldest newspapers in the country, featured people in 10 categories. Farouk Araie and Mohamed Saeed featured in the Letters category, Zakeeya Patel in Television, Imtiaz Sooliman in Heroes. Iqbal Surve in Business, and the Gupta family in the Newsmakers category. The controversial Gupta family unwittingly achieved third place in the Newsmakers category behind the late former President Nelson Mandela and the alleged killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by Oscar Pistorius, the world’s

The Guptas arranged the biggest wedding ever in the country at Sun City for a daughter, and ﬂew in a jet full of guests from India to the Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria, allegedly with permission from President Jacob Zuma, said to be very close to the family.

Patel came third in the Television category after she was named the ﬁrst Indian-origin winner in the sixth South African edition of the series ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. Sooliman, founder of the internationally-renowned Gift of the Givers humanitarian and relief aid organisation, won 10th position in the Heroes category after intervention in Syria where volunteers and staff set up mobile clinics.

Indian to seek judicial review on bail conditions

Surve was placed 9th in the business category after he successfully led a bid to buy out the Independent News and Media group, the oldest in the country, for R2 billion from Irish owners who had taken it over from locals some years earlier.

INGAPORE: An Indian, part of 25 alleged rioters who participated in Singapore’s worst outbreak of violence in over 40 years, plans to seek judicial review on the conditions that the authorities have imposed on him.

migration, “ICA has the power to impose whatever conditions they want when they issue an ‘S’ Pass”.

Arun Kaliamurthy, 28, was in Singapore on tourist social visit pass when the riot took place in Little India on December 8.

Responding to Lu’s statement, Kaliamurthy’s lawyer M Ravi said that his client was being “unequally treated”, given that the other accused continue to enjoy the beneﬁts of their work permits, and only he had his social visit pass cancelled.

An enquiry cleared Zuma and named two high-ranking ofﬁcials as having allowed the illegal landing of the plane. Proliﬁc letter writer Araie headed his category for a letter decrying the continued racism after 19 years of democracy in South Africa, blaming it on economic deprivation of the masses. Saeed was placed fourth for commenting on the civil war in

“If you ask me as a socialist what workers deserve, they deserve the value of what they produce,” she told the Times. An idea that was central to Sawant’s campaign was a USD 15 minimum wage in the city, matching the highest in the nation. The report said the spotlight on Sawant, as one of only a handful of “self-avowed” socialists to be elected to a city council in a major American city in decades could be intense. “If she remains only an activist, she’ll be a one-shot wonder,” said Rich Lang, the pastor of University Temple United Methodist Church in Seattle and a Sawant supporter. But if she moves too far towards the centre, “she’ll be shot down from the left as a compromiser. “There’s tremendous pressure on her,” he said. She said she was shocked and radicalised seeing sharp income inequality in

Kaliamurthy, currently out on bail, had last week asked the court to change the “unilateral decision” of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) - to report to them on a daily basis to get his special pass - to a weekly one, in line with court-ordered bail conditions. But Deputy Public Prosecutor John Lu today told the court that as Controller of Im-

An economics teacher and immigrant from India, Kshama Sawant will don her new role in Seattle’s nine-member City Council on January 1, representing the Socialist Alternative Party.

Sawant won her seat to the Council by defeating a veteran Democrat by a margin of 3,100 votes of about 184,000 cast in a citywide contest.

Syria, describing the level of suffering, cruelty and violence as being beyond imagination.

“Ask her about almost any problem facing America today, and her answer will probably include the “S” word as the best and most reasonable response,” the report said, adding that according to her, socialism is the path to real democracy.

Indian-Americans unveil smartphone app for voter registration

ﬁrst double-amputee to participate in the able-bodied elections.

EW YORK: A 41-yearold Indian-American woman has emerged as a rising star on Seattle’s political landscape, having been elected to the City Council and becoming one of the few elected socialists in the nation.

Heard in Seattle’ said Sawant “heartily embraces” the label of a socialist, a political brand most politicians run from.

“We are grateful for their commitment to generating the scientiﬁc and technical ad-

The awards, established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, are coordinated by the Ofﬁce of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Ofﬁce of the President.

ASHINGTON: Indian-American youths in US have developed a smart phone application to help the unregistered voters in India, in particular youths, to register their names in the electoral rolls. The android app “Vote for a Better India” was unveiled over the weekend at an event “Big Ideas for a Better India” organised by the ‘Overseas Volunteer for Better India (OVBI)’, which among

‘Socialist’ Indian-American to join Seattle City Council

A report in the New York Times titled ‘A Rare Elected Voice for Socialism Pledges to Be

Sawant left software engineering and began studying economics and now teaches the subject at Seattle Central Community College. She had run for the public of-

The android app will be used to power Voteathon - an inter college voter registration competition that is expected to have over 10,000 participating colleges with the goal of registering over 30 million voter. In his address Sri Sri Ravi Shankar emphasised on increasing the voting percentage

“That’s an executive decision, and unfortunately this court has no power to review that decision,” said Lu.

Ravi indicated that he will seek a judicial review in the High Court on the matter, The Straits Times reported. The case has been ﬁxed for a pretrial conference on January 29. It was “extremely oppressive and unreasonable” to be required to report

during elections. Referring to the high voter turnout in the recently held Assembly elections, he called for increasing the turn out to 95 per cent. The OVBI, in a statement, called upon the non-resident Indians to register themselves to vote and travel to India for a fortnight to contribute to voter education drive. It also urged them to encourage their family and friends to vote for a better India.

to the ICA daily, Kaliamurthy said. He is among 25 Indian nationals being charged for rioting in Little India, a precinct of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs where most South Asian workers take their Sunday break. The trouble started after a private bus fatally knocked down an Indian pedestrian in Little India on December 8. Some 400 migrant workers were involved in the rampage that left 39 police and civil defence staff injured and 25 vehicles -- including 16 police cars -damaged. Singapore previously witnessed violence of such scale during race riots in 1969. Fiftysix Indians and a Bangladeshi have been deported from Singapore for allegedinvolvement in the riot.

7 Indians Deported From Saudi for Visa Violation

Socialist Kshama Sawant America when she immigrated here in her 20s.

others was addressed by the eminent spritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living.

ﬁce two years ago but lost when she challenged a Democrat for a state legislative seat. But she said she learned a valuable lesson in targeting voters and this year, she aggressively and successfully courted transgenders and other groups.

DUBAI | DEC 29, 2013 Seven Indian workers have been deported from Saudi Arabia for visa violation, reports said today. Some of the workers violated visa regulations intentionally, while the rest were cheated by

their sponsors.

day morning.

They were deported after being released from the Abha detention centre in Asir province on Thursday, Arab News reported.

“Of a total of 22 Indian inmates in the Abha detention center, only seven are eligible to return home,” said Indian social worker Ashraf Kutichal.

Four of them ﬂew home Fri-

The Abha chapter of the Overseas Indian Cultural Congress paid 1,000 Saudi riyals (around USD 265) each for the release of the expatriates as penalty for not being in possession of a valid “Iqama”, a residency permit for expatriates in Saudi Arabia. Ashraf said the remaining 15 face various charges and would not be allowed to leave the country. “We are very happy going back home. We faced a lot of difﬁculties...It was very cold inside the deportation centre, especially at night,” one of the workers said. Mohammed Shamsuddin from Andhra Pradesh said, “I was going to the labour court to show my passport which I ﬁnally received from my sponsor but without an exit stamp. I was suddenly apprehended by the security patrols who brought me to the deportation centre where I have spent 55 days.” Arshad Khan from Gurgaon, Haryana, said he had paid 2,000 Saudi riyals (around USD 533) to his sponsor so that he could return to India but still ended up at the deportation centre.

SOUTH ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

Pakistan appoints ďŹ rst fe- Annadhata Charities Ltd. Holds its male judge to sharia court First Fund Raising Event

Federal Shairat Court Chief Justice Agha RaďŹ q Ahmed (R), receives an oath from Justice Ashraf Jehan (L) in Karachi on Monday. -AFP Photo

ARACHI, December 30, 2013 (AFP) - Pakistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national sharia court, which hears cases under the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Islamic legislation, on Monday appointed a female judge for the ďŹ rst time in its 33-year history.

misation of Pakistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s institutions.

Ashraf Jehan, 56, who was serving as an additional judge at the high court in southern Sindh province, made history as she took the oath in Karachi.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There was no bar in the constitution to make a woman the judge of Shariat Court and there is no discrimination between men and women,â&#x20AC;? Ahmed said.

It examines the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s laws to check them for conformity with Islamic injunctions and hears appeals under religious legislation known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hudood Lawsâ&#x20AC;?, which run parallel to the penal code.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a historic oath-taking ceremony today when an able lady judge had joined the Shariat Court,â&#x20AC;? Agha RaďŹ q Ahmed, the chief justice of the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan, told AFP.

The chief justice of the Shariat Court, who rarely speaks to the media, said he was pleased to comment on an historic moment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I took the initiative as it would send the message in the world that we are enlightened people and would dispel many misconceptions,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The court was established in 1980 during the rule of military dictator Ziaul Haq as part of a sweeping Isla-

Police defuse bombs found near Musharrafâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house

akistani police today defused four small bombs found near former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharrafâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farmhouse here, nearly a week after explosives were discovered on the road he was to take to a court.

Each packet contained around 400 to 500 grams of explosives and there were two detonators, police ofďŹ cials said. A passerby spotted the devices a short distance from the farmhouse. On December 24, Musharraf could not attend the ďŹ rst hearing of a special court set up to try him on a charge of high treason when explosives and a detonator, which had not been assembled into a bomb, were found near a road close to his home.

According to the police, the improvised devices containing explosives in packets were found in a forested area on Park Road near Musharrafâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s villa at Chak Shahzad.

From L - R) Veera Chinta, Raja Reddy Dr. Prasad Thotakura, Bhaskar Reddy, Prasad Gujju and Sudhir Medapati

ALLAS - Annadhata Charities Ltd., is a registered non-proďŹ t charitable organization in USA is dedicated to assist senior citizens who are unable to support themselves in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh. It held its ďŹ rst fund raising event at Pasand Indian Cuisine in Irving, TX presided by Bhaskar Reddy Padala, the President of Annadhata Charities. The invitees were received by Raja Reddy, Board of Trustee and Veera Chinta Secretary of Annadhata. Sirisha Reddy and Prasad Gujju welcomed the chief guest Dr. Prasad Thotakura, a renowned Indian American community leader and other guests and were presented with bouquets of ďŹ&#x201A;owers. The program began with a prayer by Saroja Reddy. Prasad Gujju moderated the meeting and presented the mission of Annadhata organization, its humble beginning, the progress, and the plans for the future. Currently nine

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ticular need to feed the really needy, hungry elderly people. He appreciated the cause of Annadhata Charities and exhorted those present to donate liberally in support of the mission. The presentations were followed by a questions and answers session where several clariďŹ cations and explanations regarding the activities of the organizations were provided. The top two donors Dr. Rajendra Singh Chouhan and Srinivas Reddy Konala of U.K. were honored with bouquets. Sudhir Medapati, the Assistant Secretary of Annadhata presented the vote of thanks. The response to the appeal for the support of organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission and activities was enthusiastic. Annadhata was able achieve support from 20 life donors who have pledged to support 29 seniors every year. The event was attended by well over 100 people and several attendees contributed liberally to the cause of the organization.

VOICE OF ASIA 8

Aries

YEAR FORECAST

A mixed note and you can not expect anything big in the beginning of the year. This year aligns up with so many transits of all major planets, you will see things keep changing frequently than usual. The second half of the year looks excellent and end of this year looks very severe testing period. Be wise making important decisions, if not, you may get cheated. Family Life : Avoid arguments & conflicts with life partner, You will see many problems getting solved on their own, in the second half of the year. Don’t give more space to third person between you & your life partner. Health: You must do Yoga & Meditaion & chant the mantra “JUST RELAX”……………….., there is no excuse to it………………… Love Life : Same problems will keep continue of the last year but you will feel peace & relax by the end of year. Job/Business/Career: RELAX, Though u might be fed-up with current working, DON’T GIVE-UP. You will definitely rewarded with sweet fruits. Your hard work will defiantly pay you in this year. Change in partnership is due, Be cautious for new partnership. Students: Keep your mind & eyes focused, you may get distracted & miss your targets. Leave everything else aside. You are surely going to score excellent.

Taurus

You just need to bring self conﬁdence & rest your good planets will work for you. A good year with lots of opportunities in all directions, predicted for you. Family Life : Everything will settle down easily, nice co-operation from family members. Health : You will be in If you have previous health problems, will get rid of it & will start enjoying healthy life. If you are already healthy than you will maintain good health through out year. Love Life: Nothing special this year for love life, although it shows painful break off by the year end, so be prepare for it. Job/Business/Career: In spite of some struggles you will achieve your goals & targets for sure. You need to remember the golden rule “Failure is a key of success”, so don’t give up, you are in the right direction only. Students : You need to get serious. Leave or reduce all the other activities like watching tv & going out. The coming 3 years will give you tough time, your marks/ grades will be shocking, if you stay overconﬁdence.

Gemini

Excellent year in 360 degree of success. You can move in fast speed, there is always a green light for you to move in any direction. You just need a good vision, if you have it, you will defiantly achieve it. Take elderly advice, really it will benefit you a lot. Family Life: Some tension about your kids will make you worry. You need to guide & advice your keeds & need to pay more attention to them. Then everything will be alright. Health: You will be fit & fine throughout the year. All the disease will stay away from you & you will fill good mental & physical energy. Love Life: “HUMPTY DUMPTY” ride in your love life. It shows more problems than co-operations, may lead to painful break off. Please keep yourself busy in other things to divert your mind or you may go in hight level of stress level. Job/Business/Career : Luck will be in your favor in the job for the whole year but Risky investments should be avoided at all costs. You will forge ahead and make valuable gains in finance and business. Students: Little tough time for students, You need to be serious about your study & concentrate more, otherwise you will see negative grades.

Cancer

HOROSCOPE

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

Positive & negative, both types of effects you will see. But overall, Little cautious tone for you. Don’t take any kind of risk throughout the year. Mother or mother inlaw’s health issues make you worry. Also there are chances of theft at your home, so be cautious. Drive slowly. You may face some home or car related major expenses. Eligible candidates will meet their soul mates this year & proceed to marry by the end of year. Family Life: Family problems are on rise from last year & it will as it is till june. But RELAX, If you will be able to control your anger & frustration, you will be successful to deal with any type of family problem. Avoid arguments & follow elderly advice that will make you calm.

Health: Upset mind will lead to little health issues. But be calm. Do some yoga, meditation & prayer that will help a lot, for sure. Love Life: You are already getting many proposals but be wise in choosing someone good or else you will realize your mistake in coming months/years. Job/Business/Career: Your loses will be repaid by the end of this year. Forget past & be prepared for the excellent growth opportunities ahead. Its like you will be standing on runway for the Take Off………..& You Will Fly In The Sky By Year End. Students: please be serious, your life will get turn around, it all depends on how seriously you take the studies or else there be disaster in your results.

Leo

Excellent Year is predicted for you. This year will be characterized by increased responsibilities and spending money on acquisition of assets and luxury goods. Apart from some family problem at home, your carrier will shine & will lead you ahead then others. Family Life: You will experience happiness and peace at home. Only little dispute can arise with brothers & sisters. Health: You & your family will be blessed with good health in this year. You will recover speedily even if you fall ill. You might also get relieved of any old disease. Leaving minor issues, this whole year will cause you no trouble from the health front. Love Life: Enjoy love, peace & co-operation. It will lead to a successful marriage this year. Job/Business/Career: Increase in earning sources clearly predicted. Business & job related foreign tours are visible. There will be an increase in your earnings. Increased income will lead you to increased savings. Any new source of income will help in strengthening your ﬁnancial position. Blocked money will easily come back. Students: Better than expectation. This is a good year for education. In case, you are appearing for competitive exams, the result will be positive.

Virgo

A good year with the real results manifesting. This year can actually change your life in every positive manner if you put your mind and resources to it. This underlines the necessity to make decisions and to take responsibility not only for your own words and actions, but also for that of your close acquaintances. And there’s nothing to be done as God helps those who help themselves. Family Life: Avoid yourself getting involved in family disputes or so. If you are angry don’s speak anything & be silence because your words will do more harm in the coming period. Health: Diseases are not likely to occur. It is advised to be careful about the body at the end of March and in April, as these months will bring a fall of power and acute conditions. In the second half of the year November is a hard month, and special attention should be taken in trips and while driving. Love Life: The confusion regarding love affair will end, a new romance will start in your life, which may lead to marriage. Your patience will surely give you sweet results. There will be real Joy from love. Job/Business/Career: A new success story will be written in your life. Diversiﬁcation of business indicated. Initially, tough. Still you forge ahead and will be successful. You will see smooth cash inﬂow and major plans will be realized. Don’t afraid from the changes, it be best whether you are doing Job or Business. Students: Excellent year for students. Get information of every detail of the institution you are planning to get enrolled. This is a good time for those who are planning to study abroad.

Libra

2014 will not bring you positive results in every aspect. Matters related to family and love might cause trouble. This is not a good year in terms of health. Overall, the year will not be much fruitful for you. A 360 degree change is coming in your life. A much better year than the last year, is predicted for you in all respects. You will get mental peace and solutions to your problems. If you plan and move then by the year end you will be happy and contended. You have trumps in your hands, and it is important to play them in a right way. Family Life: Your opinion will differ from others in your family, try to listen elders & take their advice. Keep in mind that you can not be right always. Health: So Much of positive change will

occur at mental & physical level which will lead to good health, if you learn to adjust with situations. Love Life : Long awaited new romance will start & lead to marriage. Although family may disagree on your choice but in the end you will be the winner. A new romance will make your life fresh & colorful. Job/Business/Career: Job or business will deﬁnitely have huge positive change, just have patience. Money problems get solved and developments in career clearly predicted. Promotions will be there. Students: Marked improvement in concentration levels. Scholarship prospects are bright.

Scorpio

Past running problems are not going to end soon. You have to be patience that is the only solution. Take the life as it is & don’t expect more. Suddenly there will be turn around in your life by the year end. Till then manage to control the expense. Family life: The overall negative period effected your family life also & there is no peace & co-operation in the family but suffering will make you strong & don’t loose the hope, you will see the happy days sooner. Health : Be serious for the health. Don’t take any chance. Make your life regular. Do some yoga & meditation along with family members to reduce doctors bill.. Love Life: Having so much of problem without love & co-operation is a difﬁcult job but you will get love by the end of this year. Job/Business/Career: You will get better opportunities this year. First half will be good but second half will be little depressing. Don’t take much risk or liability on your head. Your target will not be achieved. Bad economy is going to impact you if you don’t consider overall scenario. Any gambling should be stopped immediately other wise that will lead to huge loss. Students: Medium year for you, if you work hard you will get success.

Sagittarius

The first half of the year will be much better. You must exert yourself in the first six months to forge ahead in career and profession. This year pays special attention to career and ambitious expectations. The feelings are also of a great importance. Be guarded against health problems. Family Life:You have to maintain control over your temper to ensure that domestic harmony is maintained. If you are rash then unwanted quarrels will spoil your peace of mind. July onwards you will experience relief. Happy occasions will be celebrated in the family. Health: In the first half of the year the energy level is high enough and diseases are not likely to occur. In the second half of the year acute conditions are possible or new illnesses may appear. Love Life: You will feel that you are strongly heading towards blind love. Be practical in your life, you need to see the ground reality. You shouldn’t do anything for which you have to be miserable in future. Job/Business/Career: Confusion & frustration of the past is over. Your luck will start favoring you. 2014 will bring financial stability. You do not have to worry much about your finances. An increase in income is seen and earnings through business will rise. Students: Concentrate more on studies, tough year for you. Don’t be too serious with friends or in love, it can spoil your carrier. Take study seriously.

Capricorn The word “change” will rule you out this year, it can be in terms of residence, job & in all forms. Although

By Hardik Vyas

2014

the change will be little tough initially but later it will give you good progress. Family Life: Apart from you busy work schedule, give some time to family, do some outing & fun loving things on weekend. Try to keep balance in your professional work & family life. Health: This is a good year in terms of health. Stay alert as there are strong chances of accident. Love: All the problems in your love life ended & no more emotional hurting. The journey of love will be romantic. Although with you busy work schedule you won’t be able to give more time for your love life. But over all it shows good going. If you are searching for someone you will get him/her & also will lead to marriage this year. Job/Business/Career: Major change is expected in job, so be prepared. And yes the change will be positive. The change will be little tough initially but will be highly beneﬁcial for you. Students: need to be care full, little bit distraction will bring un success. Over all its good period for education, you have to move or change the location for study purpose. You might not get admission in ﬁrst attempt but second attempt will bring success so try hard, do not give up.

Aquarius

Excellent year for you, as success & good luck will follow you wherever you go & whatever you do. Your wish will come to reality & your aims & targets will be achieved very soon. Family: This is a great year from family point of view. Environment at home will be peaceful and happy. This year will give you strong peace of mind on matters related to family love, peace & harmony. Health: Health will be your wealth this year. You will be fit & fine person, not only that but you will gain some weight. Love Life: As you will be busy in your carrier making, there will be no time to think on romance or love in the first half. But in second half you may realize that you need some charm in your life & will get some one suitable for you. Job/Business/Career: Very favorable year, in job & business. Al the hurdles & financial problems ended with 2012 & new better opportunities will be visible & that will lead to higher growth. Students: Excellent year for education. You will succeed in all areas whether you are high school student, college student or doing PHD, you will score higher this year & even get better internship.

Pisces Bad start with good end & further ahead excellent is predicted for you. Many of the problems that you have been facing from the last year get solved. The year sees you forging ahead with conﬁdence and zeal. Marked improvements in all spheres of life. Family Life : Over all family life shows disputes with family members, although you will get nice co-operation with life partner to solve any kind of family problems. Health: Take proper care of yourself, as you are lazy in that. With proper lifestyle you can avoid upcoming health problems. Love Life: Too much arguments & less of happiness. But be patience, bad days are going to end sooner. Job/Business/Career: Favorable year, Promotion in job & expansion in the current business will be visible. Second half will be excellent for growth, although ﬁrst half will be little negative. Students: A good year for achieving academic excellence. If you work hard you will get the desired results.

Prepared By: Hardik Vyas Astrologer , Vaastu & Gem Stone Consultant

Cell: 832-298-9950 Email: askfuture@hotmail.com • Web: www.toaskfuture.com

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 9

How Do We Reach The Youth?

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

Is your blood pressure too high, too low or just right? Free heart seminar & screening

Dr. John Passmore, M.D., cardiologist and Earl Mangin, Jr., M.D., cardiologist.

Caption for picture titled Stitch 4: First Lady Michelle Obama addressing the audience, National President Ramya Ravi, the President’s seal, Former National President, Varun Mehta and the program for the event.

n the brochure distributed at the conclusion of the White House Youth Summit on December 4th, 2013, there was a short story behind the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln. The story retells how the President, weary from greeting guests for the New Year’s Day celebrations, found his hand shaking as he prepared to sign it into law. Concerned that a shaky signature would be interpreted as hesitation to sign this monumental document, he paused to steady himself. This story itself only occupied a single page in the palm-size pamphlet, but the message it conveyed stopped me in my tracks. While none of the other stories from the brochure had made a particularly significant impact on my memory, I found this story swirling through my thoughts many weeks after the conference. It also made me think: “How can I relay a message that also can take root in someone’s thoughts?” Throughout the conference, the underlying theme was how to convey messages, such as the one above, to young adults across the country in an effective manner. Young Americans are typically underrepresented in political, cultural, and religious organizations. As the White House Youth Summit specifically focused on the effects of the upcoming healthcare legislation on young adults, the question that was constantly raised was: “How do we convey the significance of this legislation to Young Americans across the United States?” While there are many issues that directly impact young Americans, the messages aren’t reaching this targeted audience. As an attendee at the summit representing the Hindu Students Association, I internalized this by asking myself: How do we reach out to the young American Hindu population? What sets our generation apart from the older cohorts? How can we change to make ourselves more accessible and user-friendly to young Americans? One suggestion made was using emotionally touching stories to attract the attention of young adults. One of the attendees mentioned the effectiveness of the “It Gets Better” campaign targeting LGBT youth, which uses personal stories and expe-

riences to prevent teen suicides. While statistics have the power to move the older generations, younger Americans prefer to see a face, hear a story, and connect to the individual conveying the message. HSA, similarly, has used their monthly newsletters to provide opportunities for members to share personal stories and experiences. A member, Mrinalini Vijalapuram, wrote in a recent issue of her experiences in Rwanda and Ugan- National Correspondent Hari Venkatachalam holding up da and how learning a sign during the initiative. about the Hutu and Tutsi conﬂict had ditional media sources. The Millennial helped her understand the concept of generation eschews newspapers, but forgiveness in Hinduism. Stories, such scans online articles. They avoid long as these, bring life to the face of Hin- political columns, but retweet stateduism and hence have a lasting impact ments issued by the politicians they on the audience. follow. They rarely listen to radio talk At another one of the workshops, show hosts, but download podcasts an attendee referred to the importance fervently. HSA’s use of technology is of using humor to reach out to young exempliﬁed through facebook pages Americans. Half-jokingly, she men- and youtube videos. At one point, I tioned that young Americans were was even able to share HSA’s “What is more likely to absorb more informa- Yoga?” video with a fellow attendee, tion about current politics from the who was impressed with the quality of “Daily Show with John Stewart”, then the video. HSA has made great strides from a lifetime of NPR broadcasts. in this area, and the use of online disAlthough the comment extracted cussion groups, e-blogging, etc. will chuckles from the rest of the group, it only help HSA further reach out to the did raise an important point. Multiple young Hindu American population. bloggers at the conference reiterated While the young American populathis by giving examples of how comi- tion can often be mistaken for being cal public service announcements disconnected to the political and sowere far more effective than ones with cial issues of our age, the Youth Sumstartling facts and statistics. Whether mit proved that young Americans are discussing politics, culture, or faith, eager to partake in these discussions. people have a tendency to raise their To hear from other young adults on guards. Discussions and communica- how they have successfully reached tions about Hinduism can be incor- out to our generation was eye-openrectly interpreted as “preachy” or “an ing, whether it was through the use attempt to indoctrinate.” Humor, on of humor, a non-traditional media the other hand, has the ability to relax source, or through a personal story. the listeners and make them more will- With these tools in hand, I hope that ing to hear and internalize the message our organization’s impact is as strong being conveyed. as the story of Lincoln’s signing of Finally, most of the attendees men- the Emancipation Proclamation was tioned the importance of using non-tra- for me.

UGAR LAND—(December 27, 2013) — High blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease and stroke, two leading causes of death in the United States. Low blood pressure can cause dizziness, confusion and be a symptom of serious illness. Blood pressure that’s “just right” is an important component of overall good health. So what is “just right” blood pressure and how do you maintain it? “Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart beats,” says Earl Mangin, Jr., M.D., board certified cardiologist with Methodist Diagnostic Cardiology of Houston. “Your blood pressure reading is made up of two numbers measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Systolic pressure, the top number in your blood pressure reading, is the measurement of pressure when your heart beats, pumping blood through the body. Diastolic pressure, the bottom number, is the pressure in between beats, when the heart is at rest. In general, your blood pressure is considered normal if it’s above 90/60 and less than 120/80 mm Hg.” Sometimes called the silent killer, high blood pressure (HBP), or hypertension, can damage your body for years before it causes noticeable symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated one-third of American adults have hypertension and another 30% have pre-hypertension, slightly high blood pressure that is likely to become hypertension. Left unchecked, high blood pressure can have deadly results. A 15 mm Hg rise in systolic pressure may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (including stroke, heart attack and heart failure) by 56% in women and 32% in men. HBP also causes arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), eye damage and vision loss. Also called hypotension, low blood pressure occurs when the force of blood being pumped through the body is lower than normal, which can reduce the supply of blood traveling to your brain and the rest of your body. Although low blood pressure is more loosely defined than HBP, most normal blood pressure doesn’t dip much below 90/60 mm Hg. And any significant and sudden

drop in blood pressure of 20 mm Hg or more can cause problems. Symptoms of low blood pressure include blurry vision, confusion, dizziness, fainting, light-headedness, weakness and sleepiness. If you experience symptoms of low blood pressure, sit or lie down and raise your feet above the level of your heart. Also, talk to your doctor. It’s important to ﬁnd the exact reason for your drop in blood pressure to determine its seriousness and which treatment is best. Recent studies indicate that, when it comes to blood pressure, lifestyle choices may outweigh the effects of aging. • Shed extra pounds. Blood pressure generally rises as weight increases. • Hop to it. Thirty to sixty minutes of exercise a day can lower blood pressure by 4 to 9 mm Hg. • Add a DASH of healthy eating. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. • Slash sodium and boost potassium. High-potassium/lowsodium diets improve your blood pressure. Choose potassium-rich leafy greens, blackberries, grapes or grapefruit rather than sodiumpacked packaged snacks. • Check your blood pressure regularly to make sure you’re within normal limits. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Mangin or another cardiologist with Methodist Diagnostic Cardiology of Houston at the Sugar Land or Houston ofﬁce, call 713.776.9500.

FREE HEART SEMINAR & SCREENINGS To learn more about heart disease please join us on Thursday, February 27 at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s conference center. Knowing your risk is the ﬁrst step to heart health. Join us to learn your 10-year risk for heart disease and receive cholesterol and blood pressure screenings. Screenings by appointment only from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Seminar presented by Dr. Earl Mangin, Jr., and Dr. John Passmore from 7 – 8 p.m. Registration required. Call 281.274.7500 or register online at houstonmethodist.org/events.

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WORLD/US

VOICE OF ASIA 10

Evacuation in North Dakota town after ﬁery oil-train explosion CHICAGO, December 31, 2013 (AFP) - A freight train loaded with crude oil derailed in the US state of North Dakota Monday, sending a massive plume of toxic smoke skyward and forcing the evacuation of part of a small town, US media reported. The accident took place near Casselton, in Cass county, and no injuries were immediately reported, Valley News Live television reported. Still, authorities urged part of the town of Casselton to evacuate, the station said. Authorities also asked everyone living within a 10mile radius of the accident to

Russia on alert after suicide bombings kill 31 by Stuart WILLIAMS MOSCOW, December 31, 2013 (AFP) - At least 14 people were killed Monday when a suicide bomber blew himself up on a packed trolleybus in Volgograd, raising new concerns about security at the Sochi Olympics a day after a deadly attack on the southern Russian city’s train station. President Vladimir Putin ordered stepped-up security across the country after the trolleybus bombing at the peak of the morning rush and Sunday’s suicide attack blamed on a suspected female suicide bomber which claimed 17 lives. The attacks on Volgograd, which until this year had no record of recent unrest, raised alarm about whether the ongoing anti-Kremlin insurgency in the Northern Caucasus could affect the Sochi Winter Games which open on February 7. The force of Monday’s blast destroyed the number 15A trolleybus, which was packed with early morning commuters and was turned into a tangle of wreckage with only its roof and front remaining. Health ministry spokesman Oleg Salagai told Russian state

television that 14 people were killed and 28 wounded. Russian investigators have opened a criminal probe into a suspected act of terror as well as the illegal carrying of weapons, the Investigative Committee said. “The explosives were detonated by a male suicide bomber, fragments of whose body have been found and taken for genetic analysis to establish his identity,” said spokesman Vladimir Markin. He said four kilograms (nine pounds) of TNT equivalent had been used and noted that the explosives were identical to those used in Sunday’s train station bombing. “This conﬁrms the theory that the two attacks are linked. It is possible that they were prepared in the same place,” he added. Olympic security fears The United States called for closer security cooperation with Russia after the bombings, saying it had offered Russia its full support and warning Americans to stay vigilant. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said Washington “would welcome the opportunity for closer cooperation for the safety of the athletes, spectators, and other participants”. IOC head Thomas Bach condemned the attacks but said he was conﬁdent security would be solid at the Olympics. “The Olympic Games are about bringing people from all backgrounds and beliefs together to overcome our differences in a peaceful way,” he said. UN leader Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council said they were “outraged” by the latest attack.

remain indoors amid concerns that if winds changed, the smoke could reach homes. “Information from the National Weather Service indi-

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

cates a shift in the weather resulting in a high pressure system that will push the plume of smoke down increasing the risk of potential health hazards,” it warned.

Putin has assured Ban “that Russia would work within the bounds of international law to bring the perpetrators to justice”, said UN spokesman Mar-

Investigators work at the site of a blast on a trolleybus in Volgograd on Dec. 30, 2013.

tin Nesirky. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also condemned the attacks. Putin ordered security stepped up across Russia, with a special regime to be imposed in Volgograd, which lies 690 kilometres (425 miles) northeast of the Black Sea resort of Sochi, the national anti-terror committee announced. Federal Security Service (FSB) chief Alexander Bortnikov ﬂew to Volgograd and asked citizens to be understanding about the extra security that may involve spot checks. “It is a necessary measure,” he said. Russia is already preparing to impose a “limited access” security cordon around Sochi from January 7 which will check all trafﬁc and ban all non-resident cars from a wide area around the city. The head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Alexander Zhukov, said there was no need for extra security measures in Sochi as “everything that is necessary has already

been done”, ITAR-TASS reported. The search for the perpetrators is expected to focus on Russia’s largely Muslim North Caucasus region where Islamist militants have for years been ﬁghting the Russian security forces. Doku Umarov, the leader of militants seeking to impose an Islamist state throughout North Caucasus, has ordered rebels to target civilians outside the region and disrupt the Games. “This looks like the North Caucasus underground. They promised to stage acts in big Russian cities ahead of the Olympics. It seems they are fulﬁlling their promise,” military affairs commentator Pavel Felgenhauer told AFP. Hitting the Russian heartland Moscow city hall’s security chief Alexei Mayarov said precautions would be stepped up in the capital ahead of New Year, the biggest holiday of the year in Russia and traditionally marked by mass outdoor gatherings. Reports said Russia’s second

city of Saint Petersburg had already cancelled its planned New Year ﬁreworks display. Militant strikes have become part of daily life in the North Caucasus. But the Volgograd blasts will be a particular concern to the authorities as the bomber struck a city of more than one million people in the Russian heartland. The city, known as Stalingrad in the Soviet era, is of huge importance to Russians as the scene of one of the key battles of World War II that led to the defeat of invading Nazi forces. The city was previously attacked on October 21 by a female suicide bomber with links to Islamists who killed six people on a crowded bus. Russia’s double Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva, Volgograd’s best known current inhabitant, told ITAR-TASS she felt “terrible, simply terrible” after the attacks. The blasts are the deadliest in Russia since a suicide bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport killed 37 people in January 2011.

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LIFESTYLE

VOICE OF ASIA 11

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

Vol. 27

No. 1 Friday, January 3, 2014

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Chinese cricket on sticky Wicket

by Tom HANCOCK

EIJING, (AFP) - White-clad Chinese cricketers roared as a homegrown bowler sent the bails flying in Beijing -- to the unfamiliar clatter of leather on plastic. The national universities’ tournament, the country’s top competition, was held on an astroturf baseball field in the capital, where the pitcher’s mound had been removed, the stumps were made of plastic and the boundary marked out by orange discs.

He rendered “googly” -- a type of delivery bowled by a right arm leg spinner -- as a “cross-eyed ball”, and bowlers send down “bright spin” rather than “off spin”. The spin delivery known as a “Chinaman” has been bowled in the country but remains untranslated, although the cricketers’ cry of “Howzat!” is apparently universal.

“If we want to get better we need to study abroad, there are not enough high level matches here in China,” said Jiang, a floppy white hat framing his face.

Across the Himalayas, cricket-obsessed India are top of the world rankings in one-day internationals. But despite an even larger population, China are listed last but two in Asia, ahead of only Myanmar and tiny Brunei.

“If cricket is to be successful here, it needs to become an Olympic sport,” he added. Crushing defeats Chinese sport remains governmentdominated, with vast sums ploughed into training athletes for events which can bring Olympic glory and other disciplines disregarded, experts say.

“When I got here, everyone was holding the bat like it was baseball,” said Rashid Khan, the former Pakistani international who now coaches China’s national team, one of the few spectators at the university event.

The country’s only cricket stadium was built for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, where there is no adult Chinese team to use it.

“Now they can play good cricket,” he added, as players hooked balls towards the baseball netting. “The bowlers at least are bowling with a decent action.” This picture taken on October 3, 2013 shows Chinese cricketers applauding during a match in Beijing. AFP Phto by Wang Zhoa.

But while the British Empire spread the game to Australia, South Asia and the Caribbean amongst others -- its former territory Hong Kong recently qualified for next year’s World Twenty20 in Bangladesh -- mainland China resisted complete colonisation and the sport never caught on.

But that has not prevented China from investing in the game abroad -- it reportedly funded $132 million worth of cricket facilities in the West Indies in recent years, including a $30 million loan to Jamaica for a 25,000 seater stadium. The loans were dubbed “cricket diplomacy” by Caribbean media, as Beijing seeks to win friends in a region where several island countries still have diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

The Malaysian-based Asian Cricket Council funds the national team, and Briton Matt Smith, who coaches at a university in the northeastern rustbelt city of Shenyang, said: “We’ve begun to build a cricket culture.” There are expatriate sides in China’s major cities, but according to the statebacked Chinese Cricket Association (CCA) the vast country has only 68 homegrown teams, in schools and universities. Smith has carried balls and bats -not easily found in China -- back from Britain but one of his toughest tasks has been translating cricket’s unique lexi-

ASIANET

China’s men’s side meet mostly crushing defeats in international matches, but its women cricketers have occasionally fared better, notching victories against Malaysia and Thailand in the 2010 tournament, before being on the wrong end of a 128-run thrashing from Pakistan. Nonetheless they are still ranked jointbottom in Asia. Terry Zhang, of the CCA, admitted that there were “no funds from the central government”.

Now a wave of sports governing bodies from American football to rugby at pushing their wares in China, hoping to secure a slice of its vast market after basketball and soccer won tens of millions of fans in recent decades.

Back on the mainland, one of its own top players, Zhang Yufei, described as the first Chinese cricketer to score a century in a competitive match -- against an expatriate side -- is on the verge of retirement at just 21.

This picture taken on October 3, 2013 shows a Chinese cricketer’s gloves and bat in Beijing. AFP Phto by Wang Zhoa.

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Smith brokered a deal to send Shenyang-based batsman Jiang Shuyao to the English North Sea resort of Cleethorpes for local matches last year -- the first time a Chinese cricketer had played in a foreign league.

It was a sign of the lack of government support for the non-Olympic sport in China, where only around two dozen homegrown teams play regular competitive matches and a few foreigners are trying to drive it forward.

The first recorded cricket match in China was played in 1858 between a team of officers from the British navy’s HMS Highflyer and a side from Shanghai.

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Zhang says his professional career may be over before it has even begun, and he is preparing to start work at an engineering firm run by his father. “There is no chance to make a living from cricket,” he laments.

Young Life

VOICE OF ASIA 12

Friday, January 3, 2014

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

Tel: 713-774-5140

US boy, 9, scales South America’s highest peak

UENOS AIRES, December 27, 2013 (AFP) - It’s no small feat to scale South America’s tallest peak -- especially when you are nine. That’s what Tyler Armstrong managed to do on Christmas Eve, joined by his father and other climbers -- with special permission from authorities for the underaged adventurer.

Aconcagua soars almost 7,000 meters in the Andes on Argentina’s Mendoza province along its border with Chile. Armstrong broke the record for the youngest person to scale Aconcagua, said the head of his expedition, Nicolas Garcia, on local C5N television. His mom, Priscilla Arm-

strong, wrote on the young climber’s website: “Super proud of you honey! I can stop worrying now! Actually, you will probably keep worrying me if you keep being so adventurous! Great- more grey hair!” Earlier this year, Tyler scaled Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa’s tallest peak at 5,900 meters.

Indian-Origin Birmingham Schoolboy Makes Mensa Cut Armstrong has broken the record for youngest person to scale Aconcagua, said the head of his expedition, Nicolas Garcia, on local television. Photo courtesy: The Economic Times.

Hong Kong in quest for youth as ageing population looms Genius: Niraj kumar has an IQ of 160. Photo Courtesy: Birmingham Post and Mail Aditi Khanna

ONDON: A 13-yearold Indian-origin schoolboy, whose brain is said to rival that of Albert Einstein and Bill Gates, has been classified among the top one per cent of Britain’s brightest after he scored 160 points in an IQ test. Niraj Kumar from Birmingham was to be welcomed into the high IQ society Mensa. According to Mensa, those topping 140 are considered to be geniuses as an average adult’s score is 100. This picture taken on October 25, 2013 shows a man from Hong Kong social awareness program Eldpathy wearing an artificial impediment suit that helps limit a person’s vision and motion to recreate what elderly people deal with on a daily basis. by Aaron Tam

ONG KONG, (AFP) - Schools replaced by care homes and a once-vibrant economy dulled by one of Asia’s oldest populations: experts fear this is the Hong Kong of the not-too-distant future. One in three people in the city is expected to be 65 years old or above by 2041, threatening to curb economic growth in the major financial hub, the Hong Kong government has warned. “It is a huge concern for our population development,” Hong Kong University social sciences professor Paul Yip told AFP, explaining that the economy will take a hit if the ageing trend continues. “There will be more people but less that are working, so fewer people will be contributing to the economy of Hong Kong,” Yip said. While some critics argue that government forecasts for 2041 fail to make allowances for migration or those who will continue to work beyond the retirement age of 65, the territory faces clear challenges on an economic and social front. The impending demographic problem is reflected in programmes such as Eldpathy, set up by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology students, which aims to foster more empathy towards the elderly by encouraging teenagers to try on special movementrestricting suits designed to simulate the sensation of age on the body. “The plight of the ageing population in Hong Kong is getting more and more serious,” Eldpathy co-founder Samantha Kong told AFP. Choosing pets over kids

For others, the problem is not so much a high population of elderly but Hong Kong’s lack of children. Financial pressure, careerdriven mentalities, limited space and exorbitant property costs are seen as key drivers of a fertility rate that is one of the lowest in the world by some measure, with an average 1.20 births per woman according to the World Bank. “Young people do want to get married, but they just cannot afford to rent a place to live,” Yip said. They tend to stay with parents longer in the hope of saving enough money to buy a flat, meaning that they end up waiting longer before getting married and having children, he said. Social trends in Hong Kong

also indicate that an increasing number of women are choosing not to get married. Those who do tie the knot do so much later and have a very small time window to start families, he said. Many married couples “would rather have a pet than a child”, added Yip. Based on current fertility and mortality rates, if Hong Kong does not do anything about its ageing problem it will have a median age of 56.3 years by 2040, according to the United Nations. Based on the same factors, Singapore will hit 50.3 years, China 45.9 years and Thailand 45.7 years, according to UN data. A higher life expectancy and low birthrate will also raise Hong Kong’s dependency ratio from 355 dependent persons

“I was really happy when I found out I had been accepted. per 1,000 people now to 712 per 1,000 in 2041. Hong Kong’s semi-autonomy from China expires in 2047, and experts say it is not clear how this will affect its demographic make up.

It is a great honour,” Kumar told Birmingham Mail. “I enjoy school and my favourite lesson is maths. I want to go to Oxford University but I haven’t decided what to study yet. There are so many options,” he said.

him on a par with Albert Einstein and Bill Gates,” said his mother. The Year 9 pupil of King Edward VI School in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham also enjoys playing chess.

His father Sandeep and mother Sejal Kumar, who run the Lichfield Road News shop in the city, described their son as “special”.

He has entered countless tournaments as a member of the English Chess Federation and even received a certificate of excellence at Gold Level for his performance.

“He has always been very bright since he was very young. I always thought he was special but I didn’t know just how much. He had two IQ tests and they said it put

“I can confirm Niraj Kumar scored 160 on the Cattell III B IQ test, which makes him eligible to join Mensa,” a spokesperson for Mensa said. (PTI)..

The former British colony was returned to China in 1997 with its own political and legal system, that guarantees civil liberties not seen on the mainland, until 2047.

Carrie Lam, who heads a committee which in October started a four-month public consultation on the issue, said the city must broaden and diversify its workforce to tackle the challenge of ageing.

Hong Kong chief secretary

VOICE OF ASIA 13

BOLLYWOOD MASALA

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

Friday, January 3, 2014

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

16th Bharat Rang Mahotsav festival from January 4-19

EW DELHI: The Bharat Rang Mahotsav, the National School of Drama`s annual theatre festival, is back with its 16th edition and will showcase 71 plays from 17 Indian states and 6 international countries.

Tel: 713-774-5140

Farooq Sheikh: ‘A natural actor’

The veteran Bollywood actor died of a cardiac arrest in Dubai on Saturday, December 28

The festival will kick off from January 4 with a performance by the NSD Repertory Company. The play, titled `Chhaya Shakuntalam`, is directed by KN Panikkar and is a take on Kalidas` classical text Abhigyan Shakuntalam. This year, theatre groups from 17 Indian states - representing North, South, East, West and 6 international countries - Japan, Israel, China, Germany, Sri Lanka and Poland - will showcase their performances on this international platform. Some of the plays include `Pampa Bharata` (Kannada), `Raaze Pather` (Kashmir), `Hey Manush` (Bengali), `Balkan Women` (Urdu/Hindi), `Nokiyampo` (Assam), `Bhavai` (Gujrati) and `Bastarband` `Chattisgarh`. From the international arena plays like `Sindu Kirilli` (Sri Lanka), `The Woman Who Didn`t Want To Come Down To Earth` (Israel), `The Diary Of Anne Frank` (China), `Awk-

ward Happiness` (Poland) and `Mephisto Waltz` (Germany) will be showcased. The highlight of the festival is also the addition of 11 performances from Folk and traditional theatre, making the event a platform for education and interaction. “I am very new to the festival since I took on the position few months back. It was difficult since we didn`t have much time but we have tried our best to bring in the best talent. This year we are aiming at reviving the identity of Indian theatre. We want quality over big names,” said Ratan Thiyam, Chairperson, NSD. As part of the festival, two seminars will be held this year

on `Global Exchanges, Local Encounters` and `Use and Abuse of Tradition in Today`s Theatre`. NSD has also planned a poster and photographic exhibition on in house Shakespeare production through out the festival period. As a parallel festival, Bharat Rang Mahotsav will for the first time travel to North East with six plays. Three international plays from Israel, Japan and Sri Lanka and three Indian plays will be performed in Imphal and Guwahati from January 9-16. Thiyam revealed that NSD also has plans to open more institutions on the same lines in different regions. (PTI).

Dance India Dance USA Edition a Sold Out Show

DID judges and hosts Feroz Khan, DID Winner Salman Khan and Arya Dance Academy Founder Rupal Patel. Punar Vivah’s Karan V. Grover. NEW YORK, N.Y. (December 11, 2013) ZEE TV Americas, together with Arya Dance Academy International, presented the first ever Dance India Dance USA Edition on Saturday, December 7th. The event was judged by DID 4 Judge Feroz Khan, DID Winner Salman Khan and Arya Dance Academy Founder Rupal Patel. Punar Vivah’s Karan V. Grover hosted the evening’s festivities. A total of 20 contestants demonstrated their unique styles of dancing—from Bollywood to Contemporary to Classical Indian Dance. Contestants ranging from 14 to 30 years old were selected from 5,000 auditioners in over 16 cities. The dancers graced the stage with selfchoreographed performances. The judges were pleasantly surprised by the fresh and energetic talent onstage. Both Salman and Feroz expressed their willingness to return to the US to work with the contestants again. Punar Vivah sensation and host for the night, Karan V. Grover, with his charismatic smile, entertained over 1,200 audience members. He kept the audience in splits and rallied them to chant “Dance it Out!” The audience seemed to share in the energy and enthusiasm of the dancers. . The final 7 contestants competed in a suspenseful danceoff. 3 winners took home a total of $7,500 and a Dance India Dance taqdeer ki topi. Although only 3 winners went home with prizes , most of the contestants were ecstatic to be a part of the event. One contestant said, “Getting the valuable feedback of Master Salman and Master Feroz means more than winning a trophy.” Another contestant said, “I am so grate-

ful to ZEE TV for bringing DID to the US and providing me with the opportunity I thought I’d never have!” The Arya Dance Academy Instructors and Professional Dance Company also lit up the stage with beautiful performances and set designs.

categories represented.

Farooq Sheikh will be remembered for his effortless acting and gentle nature

by Vikas Pandey, The BBC Monitoring. Looking back at the actor’s celebrated career. arooq Sheikh had a style of his own humble yet assertive, straightforward but polite and his warmth both on and off screen was hard to miss. He was not very active in films in the past few years but the news about his sudden death has shocked his fans and colleagues. The actor died of a cardiac arrest in Dubai on Saturday, leaving the world of Indian cinema and theatre in a state of sadness. Many describe Sheikh as a suave artist who had equal command over theatre and films. But he will be most remembered for his roles in realistic films of the 1970s and 80s. Cult film Born on 25 March 1948, Sheikh started his career in 1973 with the political film Garam Hawa (Hot Air). The film dealt with problems of a Muslim family affected by India’s partition in 1947. He played the role of a young student in the classic drama and established himself as a natural actor. Chashme Buddoor (Far be the evil eye) was released in 1981 and soon became a cult film of the charming actor’s career. He played the role of a college student with perfection and his natural style immediately touched a chord with

audiences. His pairing with fellow actress Deepti Naval went on to become one of the most memorable in Indian cinema. They acted together in eight more films including the 2012 release Listen Amaya. The actress was heartbroken after hearing about her co-actor’s sudden demise. “I am known for Chashme Buddoor. Our pairing was great and we acted in eight more films later on,” she said, adding that Sheikh was a “natural and very sensible actor”. Farooq saab, as he was popularly known among his friends, made a niche for himself in the 70s when Bollywood was awash with films based on violence and legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan was slowly crafting his on-screen image of an “angry young man”. He quietly occupied a space for himself in the world of cinema and went on to act in realistic films like Katha (Story), Umrao Jan (Story of a courtesan), Saath Saath (Togetherness) and Gaman (Departure). These films cemented his image as an actor who portrayed complicated characters with ease and made them look simple and real on screen. Shabana Azmi, who acted with Sheikh in films and theatre, said she has lost a dear friend and and an exemplary colleague. “I am heartbroken. Our friendship goes back to college. We started in theatre together - our relations go a long

way back. It’s very difficult for me to talk about Farooq in the past tense,” Azmi told Times Now channel as her grieving voice choked several times during the interview. Memorable The actor was equally celebrated in the world of theatre for his elegance on stage. His play Tumhari Amrita (Yours Amrita) has been popular since its inception in 1992 by playwright Javed Siddiqui. The story revolves around love letters written by the characters to each other in the play. Azmi and Sheikh were the lead pair of the play and and left their fans spellbound every time they came on stage together in the past two decades. Sheikh was also active on TV and gave a memorable performance in the Hindi adaption of the British comedy Yes Minister. His acting achievements aside, Sheikh will be remembered for his humble nature and his unbiased opinions on matters which affected the country and the world. In the past few years, he appeared frequently on TV debates on the country’s political issues and became popular for his frank opinions. “God! Farooq Sheikh passes away. A true gentleman, a wonderful colleague. A quiet honesty about him. Very very sad,” this tweet from Amitabh Bachchan sums up the mood of Farooq’s fans across the country.

“Dhoom:3, First Week World-Wide GBO: $58 Million!”

Sameer Targe, General Manager of ZEE TV Americas says, “We are very delighted to see how successful this event has turned out to be. We will make sure, going forward, this is an annual feature. I personally was amazed to see such good quality of talent amongst second generation South Asians. Strategically, it was very important for the brand to connect locally.” Find out who takes home the taqdeer ki topi! Don’t miss the Dance India Dance USA Edition telecast on ZEE TV on Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 9p ET, 6p PT. Dance India Dance is India’s largest dance-based reality show in India. The show premiered on ZEE TV on January 30, 2009. The first season was hosted by Tarana Raja; since then it has been hosted by Indian television personality Saumya Tandon with Jay Bhanushali. The show features a slew of dancers from open auditions, out of whom 18 Top dancers are chosen to compete week-to-week to advance to the next stage and, eventually, to win the title of DID Superstar. The show features a variety of Indian cultural and international dance styles ranging across a broad spectrum of classical, contemporary, Bollywood, hip hop, jazz, Kalaripayattu,Salsa, Samba and musical theatre styles, amongst others, with many sub-genres within these

Dhoom 3 poster

HOOM:3 lived up to its name and raked in a staggering US$ 58 million at the Domestic and International Box Office, making it the biggest Bollywood film opener EVER! WEEK 1 - WORLD-WIDE GROSS BOX OFFICE: INDIA (US$) (in Million) $40.95 OVERSEAS (US$) (in Million) $17.02 TOTAL WORLD-WIDE $57.97 TOP 5 International territories: USA / Canada US $ 5,755,000 (Highest opening ever) UAE / GCC US $ 4,293,000 (Highest opening ever, with only 6 day week as the film opened on Friday instead of the Traditional Thursday release) UK US $ 2,490,000 (Highest opening ever) Australia US $ 1,396,300 (Highest opening ever) Pakistan US $ 1,171,800 (Highest opening ever) International territories opening up in the coming days: Maldives, Rwanda, Egypt, Germany, Peru, Romania, Japan, Russia, CIS, Turkey and others to follow. The high-octane franchise returns

with a bang! This time, the cops and robbers story takes us to Chicago where the drama unfolds, when the Indian master criminal Sahir (Aamir Khan - he’s cool, stylish, elegant and he is a man on a mission, and will not stop till he achieves it) outwits the local police and keeps leaving tell-tale signs in the form of a joker face and some message in Hindi at the scene of each crime. The backup team is required to figure out his next move, and 2 most unlikely partners Jai (Abhishek Bachchan) and Ali (Uday Chopra) are called in all the way from Mumbai. The hunter and the hunted, engage in a game that thrills, entertains and surprises at each turn. Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Uday Chopra, Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya Producer: Aditya Chopra.

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VOICE OF ASIA 14

Friday, January 3, 2014

Section 2

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Talk and die: The invisible threat from brain injuries by Richard INGHAM, Elisabeth ZINGG

ARIS, December 30, 2013 (AFP) - Blows to the head can be silent killers for which swift diagnosis is often the only recourse, say doctors. Even if there is no damage to the outside of the head, the impact may inflict catastrophic damage to the brain inside, they say. Because a shock that smashes the brain, a 1.3-kilo (2.8-pound) organ with the consistency of soft jelly, against the hard protective shell of the skull, can damage nerves, brain cells and blood vessels. Blood clots and bruising then result, which in turn causes pressure to build up and squeeze the brain, worsening the damage and amplifying the risk of permanent handicap or death. Doctors looking at suspected brain trauma can call on X-rays or hi-tech 3-D scanners as diagnostic tools, but treatment options are relatively few. Drugs may ease rising pressure in the brain but sometimes surgery is required. In the case of Formula 1 star Michael Schumacher -- diagnosed immediately after his skiing accident on Sunday -neurosurgeons first operated to tackle bleeding and bruising and then placed him in an artificial coma after a post-operative scan showed “widespread lesions” on both sides of the brain. The lesions “are not good

Strong safety Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers goes down with a head injury after making a tackle on offensive tackle Steve Maneri #68 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter on November 27, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri (Getty/AFP/File, Peter Aiken). news”, said French expert JeanLuc Truelle, a retired professor of neurology at the Foch Hospital in the Paris suburbs. “It shows that there is bleeding across the brain’s function centres.”

oxygenate his brain as much as possible,” said Jean-Francois Payen, head of intensive care at Grenoble University Hospital Centre, where Schumacher is being treated.

Tried and tested, the coma reduces the patient’s temperature to around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) to reduce swelling. By being unconscious, the brain is also switched off to sounds, light and other triggers that cause the organ to use up oxygen as it processes the stimuli.

It can take up to 48 hours for symptoms of brain injury to emerge, which is why anyone who suffers even mild concussion should seek medical attention, said Truelle.

“Right now, our goal is to reduce all external stimuli and

According to a 2007 Australasian study in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, around one in every 40 cases of head injury documented over a 10-year

period at a major trauma centre were of so-called “talk-and-die” syndrome. This means the patients initially felt okay after the incident but subsequently deteriorated and died from intracranial causes. One suspected “talk-and-die” case is that of actress Natasha Richardson, the wife of star Liam Neeson, who died after an apparently innocuous tumble on a beginners’ ski slope in 2009. Other celebrity casualties on the ski slope have been Sonny Bono, Dutch Prince Johan Friso and Kennedy clan member Michael Kennedy. Brain injuries may also result from repeated concussive blows, rather than a single extreme incident, which is why high-impact sports such as American football, rugby and ice hockey are under close scrutiny at the moment.

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Former players of American football between the ages of 30 and 49 are 20 times likelier to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, dementia or another memoryrelated impairment than the general population, according to a 2009 National Football Leaguecommissioned report. Adam Hampshire, a neuroscientist at Imperial College London, said he was shocked to examine the frontal lobes of 13 retired American football players who took part in cognitive tests. There were “some of the most pronounced abnormalities in brain activity that I have ever seen”, Hampshire said in October. “It is highly likely that damage caused by blows to the head accumulates towards an executive impairment in later life.”

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TECHNOLOGY

VOICE OF ASIA 15

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

With selfies, the world turns the camera on itself by Robert MACPHERSON

his fellow Reddit users.

tuck on a ledge halfway up a 3,000-foot (1,000-meter) cliff in Oman, his climbing rope sliced in two by sharp rocks, Jimmy Chin did what anyone else would have done in his predicament.

In Norway, popular fitness blogger Caroline Berg Eriksen snapped herself in a mirror, wearing bra and panties, showing off a firm flat tummy just four days after she gave birth. Critics branded her selfie a “disservice” to women, but Eriksen struck back, saying she took it -- and shared it -- “because I’m proud of myself and my body for something as tough as a pregnancy/birth.”

He took a selfie. “I had some time to figure out what I was going to do,” said Chin, a National Geographic photographer whose images of extreme climbing by the Straits of Hormuz appear in the magazine’s January issue.

And then there was the young woman in New York who snapped a selfie with the Brooklyn Bridge -- and an attempted suicide leap -- in the background. That image caused a stir when it made page one of the New York Post.

“That’s when I took the selfie,” he told AFP. “It was one of those moments when, ‘Well, I’m a Nat Geo photographer’. I had to document (the moment). It was pretty classic.”

“A selfie is a sort of perversion (and) a conquest of social virtual terrain,” said Paris-based travel photographer Jean-Francois Vibert, who blogs at www.macandphoto.com.

Self-portraiture has been around for centuries, but the global proliferation of smartphones with built-in digital cameras -- plus the ability to share photos instantly on social media -- has taken the genre to a new level. With 2013 coming to a close, the publishers of the hallowed Oxford English Dictionary, arguably the final authority in anglophone lexicography, declared selfie to be their “word of the year.”

Israelis take a selfie in Jerusalem as snow falls on Dec. 12, 2013. AFP photo by Menaham Kahana)

“Selfie: noun, informal. A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website,” according to Oxford. “Also: selfy. Plural: selfies.”

Kennel, curator of photography at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, who admits to taking the odd selfie herself.

Internet search provider Yahoo meanwhile estimates that in 2014, about 880 billion photographs will be taken. That’s 123 photos for every man, woman and child on Earth. Many will be selfies.

US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron got tongues wagging when they took a selfie with Danish leader Helle Thorning Schmidt at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in South Africa.

In Britain, a survey for Samsung found that 17 percent of men, and 10 percent of women, take selfies because “they enjoy taking good-looking photos of themselves.”

“What an incredible sign of the times,” children’s photographer Sarah Sloboda, author of the e-book “How to Take the Best Selfies,” told AFP.

“I think ‘selfie’ is a term of endearment for the self, in a way,” said Sarah

“It does reflect a kind of narcissism in our culture,” she told AFP.

“That’s the kind of thing you can put in a time capsule to represent this period.”

No one knows if Obama and friends had even heard of Selfies at Funerals, an equally controversial Tumblr compilation of, well, selfies taken at funerals, mainly by young people. “When a teen tweets out a funeral selfie, their friends don’t castigate them,” its founder Jason Feifer explained in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. “They understand that their friend, in their own way, is expressing an emotion they may not have words for. It’s a visual language that older people -- even those like me, in their 30s -simply don’t speak.” The year also saw Pope Francis in a selfie with teenagers at the Vatican, as well as pop diva Beyonce turning up in a smiling fan’s selfie in Australia, to

cite a couple of Time magazine’s “11 most memorable selfies of 2013.” From Los Angeles, gossip blogger Perez Hilton declared a pink-haired Miley Cyrus posing for herself in a skimpy Lil’ Kim Halloween costume his favorite among countless celebrity selfies over the past 12 months. But there’s no need to be famous to become famous for a selfie. Thanks to Reddit and other social media websites, goofy selfies of a proud twentysomething dad in the Pacific Northwest state of Oregon mimicking the faces of his newborn baby daughter went viral overnight. “We just watched the camera screen and copied whatever face she was making,” explained Eddie Wheeler to

Mumbai’s last generation of letter writers signs out Sometimes the customer “didn’t know what they were saying,” he added, somewhat dismissively. In the era of instant messaging, Twitter and Facebook, letter writers are not the only vanishing messengers. In July, India halted the world’s last major telegram operation, after 163 years of service. Once the main form of long-distance communication, 20 million messages were dispatched from India during the traumatic partition of the subcontinent in 1947.

A man stitching a parcel as others wait for customers at their roadside stalls located opposite the General Post Office in Mumbai. by Rachel O’BRIEN MUMBAI, December 27, 2013 (AFP) - Letter writer Shakil Ahmed is a proud keeper of secrets. For decades he penned the missives of Mumbai’s illiterate workers, whether lovers pledging devotion to faraway sweethearts or prostitutes sending home money while concealing their trade. Today, Ahmed is lucky if he gets to write an address. “Thousands of people used to come -- we didn’t have time to eat. But in the last seven years or so it’s been going down,” the scribe said at his weathered wooden desk, perched opposite the city’s domed century-old General Post Office. “I will stay as long as I can,” he added. “But I can’t say how long that will be.” There used to be 17 letter writers in this bustling corner of the city’s south. Now there are eight, whose tasks are largely reduced to packing parcels and filling out forms. The men huddle by a disused stone fountain, also home to a mini Hindu temple and a feeding pen for a con-

“Happily, perversion is not prohibited,” added Vibert, who namechecks the flamboyant pop star Nicki Minaj for selfies “so ‘trash,’ it’s self-mockery. On that level, the selfie is decadence for a totally decadent era.”

stant flurry of pigeons. A bamboo-propped blue tarpaulin keeps the birds from the writers’ heads. On Ahmed’s desk sit piles of muslin wrapping and an old tin of pens, next to a seal engraved with his initials and a wax candle to stamp his work. While the tools of his trade may have barely changed since he began 40 years ago -- aged just 14 -- the methods of communication have been transformed. The mobile phone revolution and the rise of instant bank transfers have left little desire for cumbersome dictation and “snail mail” -- even though a quarter of Indians remain illiterate. “Now they have mobiles, people can talk in five minutes,” said Ahmed, who regularly checked his own phone while discussing his job. “Without a mobile, you can’t do anything.” The father-of-five said he earns 200 to 400 rupees ($3-6) a day -- “enough to feed my family” -- although a colleague at another desk bemoaned the ten rupees he had made all morning.

While they talked, a pair of western backpackers approached the writers to parcel up their souvenirs. Older local customers sought help filling out money order forms. The scribes’ latter-day clerical duties hardly match their earlier status as the primary conduits between city and village life. As Mumbai, the financial capital, sucked up rural Indians in droves, the new arrivals needed to send back hardearned cash to their families -- and selected versions of their news. “A lot of prostitutes used to come and never tell us what they were doing in Mumbai,” Ahmed explained. “They just said they were doing a job here and getting this much salary.” The writers’ respect for privacy was therefore key to their success. “We had to keep secrets. If the customers didn’t trust us, they wouldn’t come. It’s a matter of trust only,” he said. Yet Ahmed would not shy away from a tweak or flourish to their prose -- “for the sake of the person they were writing to”.

But since their jobs disappeared, several of Mumbai’s telegram delivery men have become gatekeepers and clerks at their old office building -- now home to a telephone and broadband provider. Such job switches look set to continue as digital technology strengthens its grip. More than 40 percent of India’s 1.2 billion people own mobile phones, and just a fraction of them smartphones, yet the country has already overtaken Japan to become the world’s third largest smartphone market. Internet penetration remains low, but grew by 31 percent from 2012 to 2013 -a pace second only to Brazil, according to digital research firm comScore. “My father also did this job, but it won’t continue,” said Ahmed of his letter writing trade. “Now business is not coming, why should I invite my son to do this? A lot of other jobs are there.”

Kennel said self-portraits are as old as photography itself. The National Gallery’s current exhibition of the work of Charles Marville features selfies of the 19th century French photographer in which he styles himself as a suave Parisian boulevardier -- the hipster of his day. Meanwhile, in London, the National Portrait Gallery has just put out a call for selfies to be included in a panel discussion on January 16 entitled “The Curated Ego: What Makes a Good Selfie?” In announcing the event, organizers identified Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia as “one of the first teenagers to take a selfie.” That was in 1914, when she was 13. Alas, she had no Facebook or Twitter account to share it on.

Facebook dominates in US rush to social networking by Rob Lever WASHINGTON, December 30, 2013 (AFP) - The surge into social networks is gaining pace among Americans, with Facebook dominating but with many people using multiple platforms, a study showed Monday. A Pew Research Center survey found 73 percent of Americans over age 18 on the Internet use at least one social network -- or about 63 percent of the total adult population. Facebook is the preferred network, used by 71 percent of online adults, or 57 percent of all American adults, according to Pew researchers. However other platforms like Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter are making gains, and a growing number of people are using multiple social networks. Pew found that 42 percent of Internet users (or 34 percent of all American adults) use two or more of the five most popular social networks. Use of Facebook rose to 71 percent of online adults from 67 percent a year ago, the study found.

to 21 percent of online adults, from 15 percent a year ago. Pew said that women are four times as likely as men to be users of the bulletin-board style social media platform. Some 18 percent of online adults use Twitter, up from 16 percent a year ago, Pew said, with adoption levels particularly high among younger adults and African-Americans. Instagram use rose to 17 percent of online adults from 13 percent a year ago, according to the survey. Much of this growth came in the 18 to 29 age bracket and among AfricanAmericans. Pew found that Facebook and Instagram drew high levels of “user engagement,” with a majority of users checking in on a daily basis. Some 63 percent of Facebook users visit the site at least once a day, and 40 percent do so multiple times throughout the day. That compares with 57 percent of Instagram users who visit the site at least once a day and 46 percent of Twitter users.

A large part of the growth for Facebook came from older Americans: Roughly 45 percent of Internet users over 65 are using Facebook, up from 35 percent in late 2012.

The researchers also found considerable overlap among the leading social networks. For example, 93 percent of Instagram users also use Facebook, as do 83 percent of LinkedIn members.

Four other social networks, including Facebook-owned Instagram, are battling for the number two spot for US users.

Some 53 percent of Twitter users also use Instagram, and 53 percent of Instagram users use Twitter, the survey found.

LinkedIn is used by 22 percent of online American adults and is especially popular among college graduates and those in higher income households. That is up from 20 percent a year earlier.

The report is based on telephone interviews conducted from August 7 to September 16 among 1,801 adults age 18 and older. For the total group, the margin of error is estimated at 2.6 percentage points and 2.9 points for Internet users.

Online

Pinterest usage grew sharply

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BUSINESS Section 2

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Zomato looks for a wider platter, to reach 22 countries over next 2 years

Shreya Nandi

every street in the cities that the service has been launched in is covered. “The information needs to be relevant and constantly updated,” Chaddah said.

EW DELHI: Zomato is planning to double the countries it is present in to 22 over the next two years as the popular, cash-rich eat-out guide tries to replicate the success of its maiden international foray in the United Arab Emirates, a senior executive said. “Post our latest round of funding (Rs 227 crore) from Sequoia Capital and Info Edge, we’ve been following through with our global expansion plans aggressively. Over the next two years, we plan to take Zomato to 22 countries across the Americas, Europe, South East Asia, and Australia,” cofounder and chief operating officer Pankaj Chaddah told ET. The funding is and will be used for setting up offices in the 22 countries, hiring people and teams, etc, the company said separately. Zomato, which offers its services through a website and a mobile app, is currently present in 40 cities, across 11 countries. The cities include four in Brazil — Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Porto Alegre — and Hamilton in New Zealand. Every month, over 15-million users globally visit the Zomato website to search for places to

The five-year-old popular restaurant-listing site was the brainchild of two exIITians,Deepinder Goyal and Chaddah, who quit the leading consultancy firm Bain& Co, after a year of dabbling with hosting restaurant information on the web.

The funding is and will be used for setting up offices in the 22 countries, hiring people and teams, etc, the company said separately. go out for a meal, get home delivery, catch up at a cafe, or enjoy the local nightlife. The website and app are also more global, being available in languages like Turkish, Portuguese and Bahasa, apart from English. Zomato’s mobile app has also been quite popular with about twomillion downloads in India and around 0.75-million overseas. The company’s plans in Brazil have been fuelled by the football World Cup, which is expected to attract tourists by

the millions. “We’re aiming to be the goto guide for anyone visiting the venues and looking for a place to eat, enjoy the nightlife, or catch a game over drinks. World Cup aside, Brazil has tremendous potential as a market,” Chaddah said. The main challenge to Zomato’s global strategy is from identifying and hiring the right people. “We try our best to ensure that people are cultural fits — skill alone does not cut it for us.” That apart, the company has to make sure each and

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

Having established itself in all the major Indian cities, the company ventured overseas by launching services in the UAE in September 2012. “The response that we received in the UAE market was a catalyst and gave us the confidence that our product could work globally,” said Chaddah. Outside of India, Zomato’s website gets its maximum traffic in the UAE. Zomato’s major source of revenue is based on selling advertising space to restaurateurs, which they intend to continue with. A marked shift towards Internet and mobile platforms across the globe has helped them to significantly widen their user base. The company now plans to increasingly tap into the surging mobile traffic globally and wants to be a mobile-centric company in the future.

Tel: 713-774-5140

US pending home sales inch up in November

ASHINGTON, (AFP) - US pending home sales rose slightly in November, ending five consecutive months of declines, the National Association of Realtors said Monday.

The November figure was the first gain in pending home sales since May, when mortgage interest rates began rising after the Federal Reserve signaled a scale-back in its monetary stimulus.

NAR said its pending home sales index -- a contract-based indicator of activity in the residential real-estate market -edged up 0.2 percent to 101.7 in November.

Compared with a year ago, the pending home sales index was down 1.6 percent.

The November number was much weaker than the 1.5 percent average forecast of analysts. NAR revised sharply downward the October data to a fall of 1.2 percent, double the prior estimate. Pending home sales are a forward-looking indicator that reflects contracts signed but not closed. “We may have reached a cyclical low because the positive fundamentals of job creation and household formation are likely to foster a fairly stable level of contract activity in 2014,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “Although the final months of 2013 are finishing on a soft note, the year as a whole will end with the best sales total in seven years.”

Yun predicted that higher mortgage rates and strong home price gains would yield more modest growth in home values in 2014. Cooper Howes of Barclays Research said that the year-end softness was due in part to the jump in mortgage rates. “This effect has been diminishing, however, and we would expect that pending home sales will gradually resume their upward trend given the subsequent easing in financial conditions,” Howes said. Robert Kavcic of BMO Capital Markets also said the market remained on the recovery track. “We continue to believe that the US housing market will absorb the upward move in mortgage rates and push higher in 2014, helped by still-attractive affordability, better job growth and improved confidence in the recovery,” he said.

India clears Vodafone, Tesco Asian shares mostly up as tough year draws to a close investments worth $1.5 bln by Penelope MACRAE NEW DELHI, December 30, 2013 (AFP) - An Indian panel on Monday cleared investment plans by British giants Tesco and Vodafone worth over $1.5 billion, as foreign firms show new interest in the country since New Delhi eased barriers to foreign capital. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) sanctioned a proposal by the world’s biggest mobile phone company Vodafone to buy its joint venture partners’ stakes in its Indian arm for 101 billion rupees ($1.6 billion). Tesco, the world’s thirdlargest retailer, had applied to the board for permission to invest an initial $110 million in the Tata conglomerate’s retail business Trent Hypermarket. “The board gave permission to Tesco and to Vodafone. Now the applications must go to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs,” a senior foreign investment panel official told AFP on condition he was not named. The move by Vodafone to buy out its partners comes after India opened the telecom sector to 100 percent foreign ownership five months ago and comes despite a bitter tax row

with the Indian government over its Indian investment that is under conciliation. Before that, foreign ownership in phone firms was capped at 74 percent. New Delhi moved last August to open up its large and potentially lucrative retail sector to foreign companies to try to boost the slowing economy. “We are pleased to have obtained FIPB approval to increase our stake in Vodafone India,” Ben Padovan, spokesman for the British group, said in an emailed statement to AFP. The two British firms are seeking to tap growing affluence in the emerging market giant and offset saturated domestic and other developed markets.

Tesco already supplies about 80 percent of the goods in Tata’s 16 Star Bazaar and Star Daily stores in southern and western India after signing an agreement in 2008. Until India relaxed retail ownership laws last year, foreign multi-brand retailers had been unable to sell directly to consumers. If Tesco’s proposal is successful, the British firm and Tata will have 50-50 ownership of Trent, the retail unit of tea-to-steel group. Trent said earlier this month “its understanding of the Indian market” coupled “with Tesco’s unparallelled global retail expertise will allow us to leverage the tremendous potential of the market”.

Indian consumers are expected to spend ever increasing amount on goods from food, communication services to cars even though the economy has slowed sharply.

Tesco has leapfrogged Walmart in entering the retail sector in India. The US retailer put plans to open up supermarkets in the country on hold after winding up a wholesale partnership with the retail arm of India’s biggest phone company Bharti Airtel.

Analysts say Tesco’s entry could prompt other foreign retailers to take a plunge in the Indian retail market, expected to be worth nearly $1 trillion annually in sales by 2023, according to industry estimates.

The world’s biggest retailer is expected to stay focused on its wholesale business, which would help to build up its supply chain to support any future store venture in India, analysts say.

ONG KONG, (AFP) - Asian markets mostly rose on Monday, with Tokyo cheered by the yen’s fall to a five-year low against the dollar and regional traders broadly upbeat towards the end of a tumultuous year. Tokyo enjoyed its best performance in more than four decades in 2013, while Chinese stocks were the worst regional performer. Tokyo rose 0.69 percent, or 112.37 points, to close at 16,291.31 as the index surged 56.72 percent over the past 12 months, the best annual performance since 1972. Sydney added 0.61 percent, or 32.7 points, to 5,356.8 and Seoul closed 0.45 percent higher, adding 9.06 points to 2,011.34. Shanghai slipped 0.18 percent, or 3.72 points, to 2,097.53. Hong Kong ended flat, edging up 1.63 points to 23,244.87. Manila and Bangkok were closed for public holidays. The Nikkei, which is closed on Tuesday, was boosted for the final trading day of the year as the yen came under further selling pressure, boosting exporters. “This has been a boom year

-- it’s been a long time since we’ve seen such a robust performance,” said Hikaru Sato, a senior technical analyst at Daiwa Securities of the Tokyo stock market’s rise. “The rise beat most investors’ expectations and many seem to think it will be another boom next year.” Exporters were the main beneficiaries, as the weaker yen makes their goods cheaper overseas and swells the yen value of their repatriated earnings. Yen tumbles against dollar, euro The dollar hit 105.41 yen in the morning session, its highest since October 2008. In the afternoon it sat at 105.38 yen compared with 105.13 yen in New York Friday. The euro fetched 144.87 yen against 144.37 yen in New York, after touching 145.69 yen Friday, also its highest since October 2008. This year the yen has lost about a fifth of its value against the dollar and more than a quarter against the euro. Europe’s single currency bought $1.3750 Monday against $1.3743 Friday. The euro has enjoyed strong buying since Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann, who sits on the European Central Bank’s Governing Council, told a German newspaper last week that soft inflation figures should not justify unfettered monetary easing. On Wall Street Friday the Dow edged down 0.01 percent and the S&P 500 dipped 0.03 percent, after ending at record highs again in the previous session. The tech-rich Nasdaq slipped 0.25 percent. In Shanghai shares gave up earlier gains to end down Monday as dealers remain wary about a possible slowdown in the Chinese economy. There are also worries about growing debt in the country that some analysts fear could hammer the financial system. Traders this week will be watching the release of manufacturing data from around the world, which will provide the latest snapshot of the state of the global economy. Global markets have seen a mixed year, with most enjoying strong buying in the first half thanks to the US Federal

Reserve’s stimulus programme, which provided cheap cash for investment in mostly emerging economies. However traders began pulling out of emerging markets from May after Fed chief Ben Bernanke said the bank could begin to wind down its bond-buying operations as the US economy showed signs of strengthening. In oil trade New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for February delivery, was down 11 cents at $100.21 in afternoon trade. Brent North Sea crude for February gained 31 cents to $112.49. Gold fetched $1,203.35 at 0810 GMT compared with $1,211.56 late Friday. In other markets: -- Mumbai fell 0.24 percent, or 50.57 points, to 21,143.01. Private Gintanjali Gems fell 9.04 percent to 67.95 rupees, while the second largest software outsourcer Infosys fell 1.70 percent to 3,501.65 rupees. -- Kuala Lumpur’s main index gained 16.96 points, or 0.62 percent, to 1,872.52. Shipping company MISC added 2.9 percent to 5.71 ringgit, while telecommunications provider Maxis rose 1.7 percent to 7.30. Utility Tenaga Nasional lost 0.9 percent to 11.50 ringgit. -- Jakarta ended up 1.45 percent, or 61.20 points, at 4,274.18. Palm oil firm Sinar Mas Agro Resources jumped 12.95 percent to 7,850 rupiah, while Bank Permata slipped 0.56 percent to 1,260 rupiah. -- Singapore closed up 0.11 percent, or 3.53 points, at 3,153.29. Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation rose 0.20 percent to Sg$10.20, while real estate developer Capitaland dipped 0.33 percent to Sg$3.02. -- Taipei rose 1.04 percent, or 88.39 points, to 8,623.43. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co added 1.44 percent to Tw$106.0 while leading chip design house Mediatek was up 1.95 percent at Tw$444.5. -- Wellington ended flat, edging up 1.62 points to 4,768.98. Telecom rose 0.21 percent to NZ$2.34 while Fletcher Building was unchanged at NZ$8.52.

FEATURE

VOICE OF ASIA 17

Olympics: Indian flag hopes on ice ahead of Sochi Games

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

Your Horoscope (For week beginning Friday, January 3, 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 Partnerships, which will bring you more resources than if you try to go it alone. Listen to reason rather than emotion. If you start to promote your own ideas others will ﬁnd it hard to deny your requests. By week’s end, you should try to slow down your pace a little so you don’t forget certain details that are important to you. You’ll need a cool and level head while others are losing theirs. A secret will be revealed in time, so you’d better learn to wait. Know your limits and try to work within them.

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May India’s Shiva Keshavan Kannan Palan practices for the luge event at the Whistler Sliding Centre in preparation for the Vancouver Winter Olympics, on February 10, 2010 (AFP/File, Peter Parks) by Kuldip LAL

e may be India’s main medal hope in February’s Winter Olympics but Shiva Keshavan still doesn’t know if he will compete under the national flag when he hurtles down the ice on his luge in Sochi. Keshavan, a veteran of four previous Olympics, is well accustomed to obstacles in his career representing a country better known for its sun-baked cricket pitches than frozen speed tracks. At his first Olympics in Nagano, Japan, in 1998, the then 16-yearold competed with a borrowed sled, an oversized jacket and ill-fitting shoes. And he was only able to enter the 2010 Vancouver Games when a group of Indian lawyers clubbed together to buy him a $10,000 re-

But the elections are not due to take place until February 9 -- two days after the Sochi Games begin -- and the IOC has already ruled out lifting India’s suspension until new officials are in place. ‘No mention of India’ IOC president Thomas Bach has indicated that while Keshavan would not be barred from competition, he and three fellow Indian qualifiers -- all of whom are skiers -- would be officially classified “as independent athletes under the Olympic flag”. “Indian athletes can participate in the Winter Games if they qualify,” Bach announced on December 10. “But if there is no election before Sochi which meets the approval of the IOC, there will be no Indian flag in the Sochi Games, there will be no mention of India.”

grew up in an area which is a hub for winter sports. His penchant for risk-taking was evident from an early age when he and his boyhood friends used to make their own skis and sleds out of wood. The son of an Italian mother and Indian father, Keshavan has no doubt where his loyalties lie. “I was offered Italian citizenship, but I refused because I am an Indian and want to spend my life here,” Keshavan, who lives in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, once told AFP in an interview. “So what if they don’t know what a luge is.” While winter sports struggle for publicity in the cricket-mad country, Keshavan is something of a cult hero.

Put your ideas into motion. In order to accomplish your immediate goals, you must reach out and try new ways to get the job done. If you want to see results, you should know who can help. Maybe there really is a way to beneﬁt from this power surge you feel. You have a great network of allies that can provide you with some solid support. Several unreasonable requests may be brought to you. Try to hide any displeasure or disapproval. The week appears dotted with demands and duties, especially expense and emotional needs.

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June Someone who you’ve recently pushed away will try to return into your life. Everybody will want to be your friend, but your words may hurt your cause. You’ll have to work on being more understanding without losing your winning edge. The week end’s activities will provide you with food, friends and good conversations. The rest you get will help you to replenish your energy and improve your perspective. Get as much done early in the week as you can since cooperation is poor.

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July Your positive ﬂow has actually put you in a better position than you were before. You may have to act before you think you are ready to do so. Trust your intuition and don’t allow others to intimidate you. Friendships and love relationships will ﬂourish once you decide to speak strongly from your heart. Your wishes and dreams will thrive on the new secure place you’ve found within yourself. We may SEE the Archer shell out ‘like it or not’ and then “normal expense” would be the ‘mean line’.

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August Act on your emotions. Sometimes, you may be too quick to re-act, but this week, you’re right to take a stance. Others are the same as always, but your perception of them will change radically. Be aware that your words and your actions will affect them greatly. You can probably talk your way out it, but everybody is watching to see the outcome. Stay calm and your conﬁdence level will rise. Everybody wants security, but their concepts may be different than yours.

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September Your need to ﬁnd new ways to succeed. Before moving ahead on your own, think about ways to unite others. Human emotions cannot rule you, this time. You must try to look at things on an a more intellectual plane. Try your best to stay clear of those who try to bring you down to their level. You need to look beyond the immediate to understand how the bigger picture works. Everyone needs to feel secure, some may rely on luck but you have your own strategy in place.

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 Oct Passion, excitement and the start of new ventures. The warmth you feel inside will spark your professional life. Get out there and enjoy all that life has to give. Look past others misgivings in order to take advantage of their expertise. You may not understand all the workings of a new technology, but you can ﬁgure out how to use it for your own purpose. Check your list and make sure you cover all the bases. Others will be ready to open up to you and to share all of what they have, both spiritually and physically.

Scorpio (N,Y)23 Oct to 21 Nov A handout picture taken during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay on December 21, 2013 (Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee/AFP/File, -) placement for a sled that he had smashed in training just before departing for Canada. But having secured financial backing from Bollywood stars, the proud patriot’s biggest worry this time is whether he will be able to represent India, given its current suspension from the Olympic movement. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) froze India’s membership in December 2012 after its national association elected a number of tainted officials to key posts. The officials in the row included Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary-general Lalit Bhanot who faces corruption charges linked to the chaotic 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. The IOA did agree earlier this month to revise its constitution, keep tainted officials out, and hold fresh elections.

Keshavan, who is currently training in Japan, has expressed hope that the situation will be resolved before competition begins on February 7 and that he can take part in the Games as an Indian athlete.

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ actress Freida Pinto is among a group of Bollywood stars who have raised nearly $15,000 to enable Keshavan to compete on a world-class sled in Russia.

“There is no greater joy for a sportsman than to compete for his country,” Keshavan said in a recent interview.

Sports Minister Jitendra Singh has supported calls to the IOA to advance its elections for the benefit of athletes headed for Sochi.

“It can be quite embarrassing when people ask why India has been suspended.”

“We are making efforts to persuade the IOA to have elections by the last week of January or the first few days of February,” Singh said.

Now aged 32, Keshavan is at the top of his game and his victories at the Asian championships in 2011 and 2012, and a silver in the recent 2013 edition, have raised hopes that he could become the first Indian to go home from the winter games with a medal. Himalayan hero Born in a small village in the foothills of the Himalayas, Keshavan

“Once the elections are held, I am sure our suspension will be lifted.” But with the IOA in disarray, sources within the association said no decision had been made to hold the elections earlier than scheduled. “It’s a long and complicated process, nothing has been finalised yet,” one board member told AFP on condition of anonymity.

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Sagittarius (BH,F,DH,TH) 22 Nov to 21 Dec Bide your time, Others want answers right away, but you should take some time to analyze the whole picture. If you try to push the process faster, something will hit the fan. Unfounded suspicions and accusations will only make others more uncomfortable. It’s better to keep quiet than to be negative. A surprise will shake things up and provide you with some answers. Try to be as discreet as possible. You’re ready to accept the news but not everybody is.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan Your motivation and positive reinforcement, will feel moved into proclaiming an alliance between yourself and your peers. Your message will come across in a way that encourages others want to join in. You know just which emotions to draw out of others and when to do it. You could combine valid points of view to provide a dynamic effort. Supporters will rally for your cause. Look upward and forward. Doubts should not be considered an option. Teamwork is easy for you and it could prove to be very proﬁtable.

Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21 Jan to 19 Feb Get back to your basic needs and wants. Your dilemma is that everybody wants a piece of you. There’s usually a reason for everything that you do, but your creativity may be driven more out of necessity than talent. If you want to try to turn this situation around, you’d better start now. Use the raw materials you have on hand to demonstrate your idea of art and beauty. You’ll have no choice but to be yourself when you journey on this new adventure. The mysteries will start to wear thin and expose the harsh reality that really exists.

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

UMA MANTRAVADI

HOUSTON LOCATION: 6200 Savoy Dr., Ste. 414 Houston, TX 77036

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

Recent events have put your emotional and physical well being out of whack. Static energy will only cause you to short out your battery. Simple pleasures will be needed in order to help you to relax. Strong words will only bring strong re-actions. Realize that tempers may be short in those sensitive areas. You need a break from away from extreme solutions to dealing with simple problems. Stay conﬁdent in who you are and you’ll be ensured a smoother ride. A compromise on your part will restart stalled talks. A slow start may make you feel like jumping ship but stay with it as once emotions clear, the pace picks up fast and accomplishments are swift, cheer is on the rise but cooperation wells down fast into ‘do it yourself’ land where soft peddling issues is advised, especially with in-laws, spouse ‘over money’ behavior or ‘attendance’ issues.

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Read your detailed horoscope on www.VoiceofAsiaOnline.com

COMMUNITY EVENTS

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES & ORGANIZATIONS OF HOUSTON - call Voice of Asia 713-774-5140 Sri Meenakshi Temple Prog: New Year’s Day on Wednesday, 01 starting 8:30 AM -10PM 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

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.

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.

VPSS Houston

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

Arsha Vidya Bharati 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:10353 Synott Road,

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

Dr.Ambedkar International Mission Inc. U.S.A 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/ 281.808.2159

Vedanta Society of Greater Houston

Website: www.jkphouston.org Weekly Radio Program-1460 AM Saturdays 10-11 a.m.

Sri Guruvayurappan Our Redeemer Temple Church

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

Divinity

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

ISSO 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:

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.

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

Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple 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

Hindu Worship Society 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 West Belfort 77031 Phone: (713) 855-9818 for details

Website: www.godivinity.org

Lakshmi Narayan Mandir 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.

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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• BUSINESS ENGLISH English Express: 713-337-3775 www.englexpress.com

A full service CPA ﬁrm

3 Locations to serve you

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

visit us at : www.mdassociatescpas.com

Bakery • BAKERY • CAKE SHOPPE • CAFE

5700A Hillcroft Ave. Houston, TX 77036

713-785-1212 www.houstonhotbreads.com

EGGLESS cakes Available

Electrical Service Superior One Electric Commercial & Residential

KHOA TRINH, Electrical Technician Tel: 832-359-5447 Free Estimate TECL# 27099

* Repair/ Remodeling * New Installation * Ceiling Fans * Light Fixtures * Electric Panel * Trouble Shooting * Services Upgrades

Music & Entertainment DJ Bollywood & Sound

Business Services Lower Processing Credit Card rates & Fees 25% of the monthly agent commission Call 1-800-518-9776 Mon-Fri (9am-7pm EST) http://MatchRatePLUS.com/CashBack/ Use Promo Code: 34510

Call for Weddings, Birthdays & Parties Experience professional, high quality sound, including live singing shows on demand. Decoration & Catering services available.

Riaz Sanu 24 hr. hotline 832-883-6986 Anywhere in Texas

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; 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:

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

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

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 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 Website:bethesdahoustontamilc hurch.org

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

Datta Yoga Center Houston Prog: Satsang on alternate Saturdays 5:30pm to 8:00pm. Free Kriya Yoga classes. Contact:713-854-7097 or 281205-0905 Website: dychouston.org

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

Visit Us www.VoiceofAsiaOnline.com

Call us today! 713-774-5140

CLASSIFIEDS

VOICE OF ASIA 19

When you ﬁnd some time, READ!

Have you been ABUSED, ATTACKED or INJURED?

Reliable Caretaker Needed 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.

Have you experienced a traumatic event such as:

• 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.

For details, call: 832-419-7537

This is our Classiﬁeds Section 713-774-5140 Sell anything!

READ DAILY! 15 - 30 minutes of reading daily helps your brain focus better. Grab a novel!

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.

From Garage Sales to Selling a Business Call us. Nothing is too trivial.

A Community message from Voice of Asia Group

Call us at 713-774-5140

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.

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We are happy that VOICE OF ASIA gives us SO MANY CHOICES! It makes our daily life easier!!! Thank you VOICE OF ASIA!

• POST JOBS, OTHER CLASSIFIEDS, @ $30 WEEKLY!

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FRIDAY, January 3, 2014

O E D I V 0•N feature your business, restaurant • feature yourself in an interview! • video ads for your business! • unlimited views for content. • low cost for video ads!

*One time production cost, applies on all video content and ads made by Voice of Asia. Our costs are reasonable and our advertising rates are highly competitive online and in print. Our minimum requirements must be met. Call us for more details! © 2013 This is an advertisement, not a real endorsement. Photo copyright, author exclusive.

• CARS FOR SALE CLASSIFIEDS @ $30 WEEKLY! (3.47” X 2”) • QR BUSINESS DIRECTORY $10/WK

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FRIDAY, January 3, 2014