Voice of Asia June 06 2014 by VoiceOf Asia

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ead about Taking Advantage of Your Health Care Beneﬁts. Page 15 Or Call: 713771-2900.

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Vol. 27 No. 23 Friday, June 6, 2014 Published Weekly from Houston 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

India House Holds Its First Spelling Bee Competition

Houston: The City With No Limits campaign launches GHP-led effort highlights quality of life, limitless opportunities found in region

OUSTON (June 3, 2014) Greater Houston Partnership (GHP) unveiled its new community image campaign today, highlighting the vibrancy of the Houston region and its position as a great place to live and build a career. The Houston: The City With No Limits campaign features fresh, exciting imagery highlighting all that the community has to offer including great restaurants and a dynamic cultural scene along with boundless public green spaces all the while coupled with a booming business environment that delivers great jobs. The campaign, designed to span multiple years, will address numerous objectives, supplementing work already being done by GHP to attract trade and capital investment and facilitate business recruitment and retention. A primary focus of the campaign

will be to strengthen Houston¹s ability to attract top young professional talent to the region. Continued on Page 8

Convenience store clerk, Satish Patel killed in shootout

OUSTON - Houston Police are searching for at least three men responsible for killing a store clerk in northeast Houston late Sunday night. Investigators say 58-year-old Satish Patel was working at the Phillips 66 off of Highway 59, just north of Beltway 8 when three masked gunmen stormed inside just before midnight. The robbers were seen in security video opening ﬁre in a matter of seconds. Anand Patel is the victim’s cousin and owner of the business. “If you’re the guy who works seven

days a week, 14 hours or 12 hours a day, the last thing you want to do is die of a gunshot. You don’t expect yourself to get shot down, he never hurt anybody,” Patel explained.

HOUSTON – (May 28, 2014) – Anil Kulkarni, MSc, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, was awarded a highly competitive Fulbright-Nehru Scholarship Award for Academic and Professional Experience to travel to India this fall to teach immunonutrition and functional foods in the global health era.

1st runners up (loosing finalist) got a cash prize of $250, medal & a certificate. There were four, 2nd runners up and they all got cash prize of $100, medal & certificates. All the spelling bee contestants received certificate of participation.

The victim is survived by his wife, daughter and son. His immediate family lives in India and are trying to get plane tickets to ﬂy to Houston to be with family. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call HPD Homicide or Crime Stoppers at 713222-TIPS. (Courtesy: (KPRC).

By Darla Brown, UTHealth Medical School

Continued on Page 3

cash prize of $500, a gold medal & a certiﬁcate.

The suspects took off in a truck that was later found abandoned about half mile away but so far there have been no arrests.

UTHealth’s Anil Kulkarni Awarded Fulbright Scholarship

Fulbright grant recipients are chosen by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, a 12-mem-

L-R: Col Vipin Kumar, GM India House (Organizer of the event), Malla Mekela , Infodat International, Inc. (Grand sponsor), Shalu Keswani (Coordinator), Rudy Kainth (Event Judge), Joseph Elkhadem (Event Judge), Dr. Virendra Mathur, Trustee India House, Andy Bhardwaj, Infodat International, Inc. (Grand Sponsor)

Anil Kulkarni, MSc, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School.

All the volunteers who helped in making this completion a huge success were also given certiﬁcate of recognition for the hard work they had put in. Dr. Virendra Mathur, speaks on the occasion.

OUSTON - India House organized its ﬁrst Spelling Bee Competition on May 31, 2014 at India House, 8888 West Bellfort, Houston TX 77031. The contestants ranging from age 8 years to below 14 years eagerly participated in this friendly competition. There were 2 groups- one below 10 years and the other was 10 years to below 14 years. Congratulations to Neil Nimmagadda and Nandika Mansingka, who navigated their way through some very difﬁcult words to become the champions of respective groups. Dr. Virendra Mathur, one of the Trustees of India House and Mala Mekala of Infodat International Inc., who also was the grand sponsor of this event, gave winners of each group a

It’s always an impressive sight when a battle of the minds comes down to a building made of natural materials, like sand and clay mixed with water and sticks. We were amazed at intellect of all the participants. They all showed drive and the willingness to learn and better themselves. The purpose of the Spelling Bee was to help students develop memorization proﬁciency, approach to skill practice and mastery, collaboration, and poise in a public forum.

SPELLING BEE WINNERS Below 10 years Group:Winner of Prize $500: Neil Nimmagadda, 9, Sienna Crossing Elementary 1st Runners Up of Prize $250: Kareena Kamal, 9, Quail Valley Elementary School. 2nd Runners Up of Prize $100.00: Neel Maddali, 9, River Oaks Elementary 2nd Runners Up of Prize $100.00: Shweta Nanaware, 9.5, Kilpatrick Elementary Ten years to Below 14 years Group:Winner of Prize $500:Nandika Mansingka, 13, Harmony Science Academy Ist Runners Up of Prize $250 Rajyk Bhala, 10, Colony Meadow Elementary 2nd Runners Up of Prize $100.00: Tanya Roysam, 11, Friendswood Junior High. 2nd Runners Up of Prize $100.00: Kalyanee Nanaware, 13.5, Woodcreek Junior High

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n Monday, the state of Telangana was finally brought into existence. Both Telangana and the remainder of the state of Andhra Pradesh - generally called Seemandhra - share the Telugu language. Many will see the creation of Telangana as the first explicit acceptance that linguistic unity is no longer the primary basis for state organisation, although some would argue that the principle of linguistic unity had been ignored even earlier while reorganising some of the principally Hindispeaking states in the northern part of the country. In the runup to the creation of Telangana, much attention was focused on the status of Hyderabad. In effect, votaries of the new state - led by its new chief minister, the head of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, K C Rao - wanted to leverage Hyderabad’s location in Telangana to jump-start the development of the surrounding region. It was felt that while Andhra Pradesh overall and Hyderabad had prospered, too much of that prosperity had been funnelled because of state politics to the influential coastal districts of the state. It is worth noting, however, that by many metrics Telangana is not the most deprived part of the erstwhile state - that dubious honour goes to the districts of Rayalaseema in the south. However, Telangana had just enough of a separate identity within Andhra, born of a separate preIndependence political status as the heart of the Hyderabad princedom, to sustain a demand for statehood, purportedly in order to restore regional equity. Whether or not the demand was justified is beside the point. It is clear with hindsight that once statehood was promised by then Home Minister P Chidambaram in December 2009, it would eventually be granted. The question now is what path the state will take.

Telangana game plan

New state government must focus on rural infrastructure

Telangana ﬁrst Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. AFP Photo. do to ensure that this happens is to maintain law and order. No reprisals against those from coastal Andhra who live and work in Hyderabad can be permitted; news of anything of that sort would grievously hurt the city’s chances of attracting investors. However, what will make or break the new state is a focus on its rural districts. Telangana excluding Hyderabad suffers from a severe deﬁcit of infrastruc-

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ture. From 1991 to 2010, for example, foreigners invested only Rs 1,658 crore in Telangana ex-Hyderabad, compared to Rs 5,500 crore in coastal Andhra. It is 10 percentage points lower in terms of irrigation intensity than coastal Andhra. These are all infrastructure deficits crying out to be bridged, and they must be the first focus of the new state government. This will also give the fledgling state’s economy a certain dynamism and help in the creation of indigenous industrial and construction groups. India’s recent experience with freshly created states has not been ideal. Telangana has an opportunity to buck the trend. (Source: Business Standard Editorial Comment)

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UTHealth’s Anil Kulkarni Awarded Fulbright ......

SAMSKRITI presents yet another winner - GTYRM!

Continued from Page 1 ber group appointed by the president. Grants are made possible through funds appropriated by the U.S. Congress and by contributions from partner countries and the private sector. “Immunonutrition may be a modern term, but through the ages humans and animals have learned how to maintain and restore good health by modifying food intake that could enhance the body’s defense system,” Kulkarni explained. On his Fulbright fellowship, Kulkarni will work with four universities in India: Sikkim Manipal University Institute of Medical Sciences, Amrita University Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi, Deccan Education Society afﬁliated Pune’ University and its Fergusson College, and Haffkine Institute in Mumbai afﬁliated with the University of Mumbai.

A scene from the drama GTYRM. Picture credit: Navin Mediwala

es, GO TO YOUR ROOM MOTHER - an En Acte’ production presented by SAMSKRITI, indeed won the hearts of all those who saw it on May 25th . Sold out house, Laugh a minute and repeated applause are a proof enough to declare the play as a clear winner. Parents are old fashioned. Something none of us contemplate in youth.The stubborn mix of bitterness,frustration, unfounded nostalgia that seem to blossom when one is past clearly middle age because of the fear of the future, and the fear of loneliness…. this seems to be the theme of for a comedy that playright Sanjiv Desai has captured it superbly in GTYRM, cleverly directed

by Vinita Sud Belani , enacted by a few theatre enthusiasts from California. Set in Delhi, One might think the play would sink under the weight of all those cultural references. Surprisingly , good acting and good direction made it very appealing even to the mix of diverse audience The beauty of any comedy – are the punch lines. They were admirably delivered with right timing , pauses and amazing clarity. Of course, good script, good voice projection and great direction helped all these come together to elicit laugh a minute .Kudos to Basab Pradhan and Sindu Singh in the lead, Seema Karnik and Rashmi Rustogi as the central characters, Satish Ullal ,Ravi Bhatnagar and Ravi Chopra in the cameo roles.

er and shorter but for the lighting glitches, too many transition related delays between scenes. Interestingly , people did not seem to mind this at all . As I was walking out of the theatre ……the audience were still mulling over the great comic elements of the play, one also said ‘ I can imagine my life with my kids when I Visit them’…..and on …… overall , nothing but appreciation and joy everywhere ! Finally……as the play narrative mentions it sure was a rib-tickling and rip- roaring contemporary comedy about life after kids . Great production en acte’ players. Great presentation Very innovatie choice for the 2014 season indeed SAMSKRITI.

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“The Fulbright fellowship will allow me to teach the discipline in various academic institutions of higher and medical institutions in India and learn more about the state of medical education in this field in India. I will then be able to write and improvise a course curriculum for this neglected and ignored field in U.S. medical schools and health science centers,” he explained. Kulkarni said he first became aware of the impact of health and disease on society as a young boy growing up in rural India. “Our family was raised on culture of Ayurveda and yoga practice. At that time, my grandfather had a home cottage industry preparing a preserve made with several herbs and spices from markets in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. When taken daily, this preserve would improve physiology by increasing blood cells, stamina, and overall health,” he recalled. “I wondered about having a career in

medicine, or getting involved in advocacy of proper nutrition and preventive health care. Eventually, I graduated with a Ph.D. degree in Faculty of Medicine from The United Kingdom.” Moving to the United States in 1970 to pursue his education and career, Kulkarni joined the UTHealth Medical School faculty in 1999. Kulkarni said India is ripe for study and educational opportunity in this field. “Because of the social and economic inequality in India, public health issues vary widely. The country faces numerous problems arising from poverty; such as malnourishment and infectious diseases, as well as problems in the wealthy; such as, increased incidence of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases,” he said. “In the last decade or so India has experienced extraordinary economic growth which has had an alarming impact on the rates of lifestyle diseases; such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and cancer. In the next decade, lifestyle diseases are expected to grow at a faster rate than infectious diseases in India.” As part of his fellowship, one of his goals back home in Houston will be to establish the Center of ImmunonUTrition, which will feature the development of basic and translational curriculum in these specific areas. “This will be first of its kind organization in the world,” Kulkarni said. “We will seek collaboration and cooperation from all the medical and educational institutions in the world’s largest medical center, the Texas Medical Center.” Kulkarni said immunonutrition has a place in all countries. “My background and professional experience, for almost last four decades, has convinced me that there is a greater than ever need for immunonutrition education of the society at all levels,” he said.

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Take steps to insure your security deposit is returned Q. I gave proper notice to my landlord and moved out. When I left, I told him my new address. It has been more than two months and I still have not received my security deposit. How long does he have to return my money? A. The Texas Security Deposit Law basically provides that a landlord must either return your deposit or give you written itemized notice why it is not being returned within 30 days after you move out. If he does not, he could be liable for up to three times the deposit. The law, however, requires that the tenant be current in her rent, provide proper notice before moving out, and, of special importance to you, give written notice of her forwarding address. Until you give the written notice of your new address, the 30-day time period does not begin to run. “Telling” your landlord your new address does not start the clock ticking on the 30 days limit. I suggest you promptly give your landlord written notice of your new address. Then, if he does not comply with the law within 30 days you may ﬁle a claim in Justice Court. Q. My mother passed away with no will. I am one of six children. Three of my siblings are no longer alive. Do the remaining three siblings inherit everything, or do the children of the three deceased siblings also inherit their parent’s share? A. The law provides that if the parents of the intestate decedent predecease the intestate, children of deceased siblings of the intestate decedent take by representation of their parents along with the surviving siblings of the intestate decedent. In simple English, the estate is divided into six shares. Each surviving child takes one share. The children of each deceased spouse divide his or her parent’s share. Q. I was sued and a judgment was entered against me eight years ago. Now the creditor who sued me has frozen my bank account and taken my money. Can he do this? I thought after seven years he could not collect? A. There are several time periods that matter when it comes to your creditors. First, generally after four years the statute of limitations runs and they cannot sue. Second, after seven years negative information on your creditor report becomes obsolete and generally may no longer be reported. A judgment, however, remains enforceable for ten years, and may be renewed for another ten years. In other words, the creditor had the right to take steps to enforce the judgment, including garnishing your bank account. Q. I ﬁled bankruptcy about eight years ago. It is still on my credit report. How do I get it removed? A. Under the law, you do not have to take steps to have obsolete information removed from your credit report. The credit bureau will automatically stop reporting it. Most information in your credit report becomes obsolete after seven years and is no longer reported. A bankruptcy, however, may be reported for ten years. Q. I own rental property. After all the rain for the last 4 days, part of a tree on the property fell on the neighbor’s fence. Am I responsible for the cost to repair the fence? A. You are not liable for damage to the fence if the tree fell due to an act of God. For you to be liable, you need to have been “negligent,” which means not properly caring for your property. For example, if the tree was dead or diseased and you did not properly prune it or cut it down and that is why it fell, you would be liable. On the other hand, if a healthy tree fell due to too much wind and rain, you have no liability for damage caused by the tree. In my opinion, however, you are responsible for removing the tree. You still own the tree and must remove it from your neighbor’s property. Do you have to learn more about your legal rights? Check out my website, www.peopleslawyer. net

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A: USCIS has indicated that you do not need to re-submit documents already submitted at the initial grant of the deferred action. You will only need to submit new documents such as those pertaining to a new criminal conviction, new citations or arrests. It is advisable that you have in your possession all documents previously submitted at the initial deferred action application so you may provide them if requested by USCIS. Q:

Is the total ﬁling fee for deferred action for childhood renewals still $465?

A: Yes, the ﬁling and biometrics fee is still $465.00 for the renewal of the deferred action and employment authorization. Q:

What happens if I do not apply for the renewal of my deferred action?

A: You will no longer be able to be legally employed in the United States as your employment authorization would have expired. Upon the expiry of your deferred action, your status reverts to the same status you had prior to your initial application for deferred action. Being out of status or having initially entered without inspection, you will be at risk of deportation. Q: I want to travel when my renewal for the deferred action has been granted. I understand that I must not travel while my application for advance parole is pending. Can I travel with an approved advance parole? A: This is a very good question. In order to receive the advance parole, you must first demonstrate that your travel is related to a humanitarian, educational or employment purpose. This is an issue to discuss with your immigration attorney who will also need to determine if other grounds of inadmissibility apply to you apart from unlawful presence. DACA recipients who prior to their travel were more than 180 days unlawfully present could certainly face a problem returning to the United States even with the advance parole. USCIS and CBP have yet to issue any clear policy decision on this aspect of travel. Case law such as Matter of Arrabally Yerrabelly 25 I. & N. Dec. 771, though encouraging and state that the unlawful presence bar will not be triggered on those who have advance parole while their adjustment application is still pending have yet to be broadly interpreted to encompass DACA recipients who have been out of status or been here illegally for a period of more than 180 days. Q: When I applied for deferred action almost two years ago, I was in school and my application was approved. I have not been able to graduate from the school and had to drop out. I like to renew my deferred action when it expires in February 2015. What do I do about this matter as I am not currently being in school? A: You should re-enroll or register for school to continue deferred action eligibility. “School’ for the purposes of deferred action for childhood arrivals encompasses (a) elementary, middle or junior high school or high school; (b) an education, literacy or career training program or (c) programs to assists students in obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent or passing a General Educational Development (GED) or other equivalent State-authorized exam. Q: An immigration consultant told me that he can help me speed up my deferred action renewal application if I paid some extra fees. Is that true? A: No, this is not true. You cannot pay extra for speedy processing of your deferred action renewal case. Further, it is advisable to avoid using the services of immigration consultants or notarios as these individuals are not licensed to practice immigration law and are not in a position to give you proper legal advice. Do not fall prey to them. Disclaimer: Any advice provided in this article is general in nature and not intended to constitute legal advice for any specific case. Please consult with an immigration lawyer about the specific circumstances of your case. Sharlene Sharmila Richards is a licensed Immigration lawyer practicing in Houston, Texas. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2000 and is a member of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and a member of the US Supreme Court. You may contact her at telephone number 713-623-8088 or by email at srichardslaw@ aol.com to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

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ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT RENEWAL OF DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS

A: If she received her deferred action for childhood arrival (DACA) from USCIS after August 15, 2012, she must wait until USCIS issues the new form before she can ﬁle for her renewal. Do not use the present version of Form I-821D (edition dated 06/25/2013) to renew her deferred action status. In addition to that, it appears that USCIS will not accept renewal requests made more than 150 days (or 5 months) before the expiration date of the deferred action and employment authorization. It is thus advisable to submit the renewal request about 4 months before the expiration of the deferred action. If your sister is among the small group of individuals granted deferred action by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) before August 15th, 2012, she is permitted to renew her deferred action at the present time using the present edition of the Form I-821D. Note: USCIS has yet to publish the new form which is a dual version to enable initial and renewed ﬁlings for deferred action.

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VOICE OF ASIA 5

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

Sunandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Performing Arts presented Kinkini 2014 by Rita Winter Shirer

of the youngest students with infectious joy. Other dances dedicated to Ganesha included Ananda Narthana Ganapatim - a lively and athletic presentation of statuesque poses and crisp synchronization. A ladies group performed Ananda Ganapati in the Mohini Attam style with ďŹ&#x201A;owing elegance. This is a devotional piece showcasing Ganeshaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attributes of power and grace, inherited from Shiva and Parvati. The Ganesha Kauthuvam also spotlighted Ganesha in all His muniďŹ cence.

n Sunday May 25th, Kinkinni 2014 unveiled the talent of 250 students of Kalashree Sunanda Nair. The annual recital of Sunandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Performing Arts Centre brought the rich tradition of Indian Classical and Folk Dances to the jam-packed audience at Cullen Hall. From the gentle sways of Mohini Attam, to the crisp jathis of Bharata Natyam, to the explosive merriment of Folk Dance, the touch of Smt. Nair showed in every glance and step. The emcees introduced with poetic description each dance, and each dance fulďŹ lled its promise. Ancient stories of Ganesha, Krishna, Shiva and Shakti came alive onstage through dynamically choreographed and beautifully performed dances. The costumes were also exquisite, diverse and colorful. The ďŹ rst dance dedicated to Ganesha, Maha Ganapatim, was presented by some

Dancers portray the divine powers of Shakthi.

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Shakthi, the divine feminine power, was given its due when the dancers took over the stage in Pancha Shakthi. Such athleticism, agility and beauty are honed only after years of dedication. The Goddess Devi showed her radiant face and majestic walk in Udurajamukhi. The dancers manifested the grace and power of Saraswathi, Lakshmi, Parvathi, Durga and Kali. The Goddess Lakshmi was invoked in Bhagyada Laksmi Baramma, through the tender expression and jathis of these young dancers. Adikondar Antha Vedikai,

the young childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dance to Nataraj, showcased their athletic prowess as they danced with integrity and precision beyond their years. In Muruga Kauthuvam, the swift footwork, powerful leaps and abhinaya depicted Murugan in his benevolence and beauty. The senior students paid homage to the Lord of Dance in the Shiva Stuti with ďŹ nesse and power. A Thillana radiated the stage through intricate, swift jathis and regal poses. Dheem Tana followed, portraying some of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest dancers in all their youthful energy and joy. Shining like jewels, the young dancers also told the story of Yashodha and her motherly love for Krishna. The ďŹ nale was an explosion of colour, sound and merriment. To have such precise and intricate choreography executed so brilliantly and energetically by so many dancers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; shows the mark of a Guru, and the dedication of students who respect the rich heritage to which they pay homage.

Dancers portrayals of Krishna as a child brimmed with playfulness

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The young studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; joyous portrayals of Krishna as a child brimmed with playfulness as they described Krishnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s divine beauty in Keshadi Padam. Their smiles were irresistible; their elocution a tribute to months of hard work and dedication. In Kuzhaludi Manam Ellam, the gopisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; devotion to and longing for Krishna was performed by a ladies group with tenderness and beauty. The healing powers of Krishnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compassion were expressed

with dignity and reďŹ nement in Kubja. The Kaliya Mardhanam presentation was captivating â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from the sweeping portrayal of Krishna playing with friends, to His victory dance over the sea serpent. In Muralidhara Kauthuvam and Aadinaya Kanna, the dancers took us to the banks of the river Yamuna to join in the fun, dancing to the irresistible sound of Krishnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ&#x201A;ute.

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VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

Inaugural Pooja for the Lakshmi Sanctum with Vimanam

Devotees waiting outside Ganesha temple for the Lakshmi Thayar to lead the procession to the main temple. Sri Mahalakshmi entering the main temple Rajagopuram_with devotees carrying Golden bricks by Ranjana Narasiman, Photos by Srini Sundararajan and Koushik Govindarajan)

now by many names: Padmavathi, Devi, Thaayaar, Mahalakshmi…..and more……our Goddess Lakshmi in the form of Moolavar, the installed deity at Sri Meenakshi Temple’s main sannidhi and in the form of utsavar, the procession deity who sat majestically today, on a decorated podium at the newly renovated Ganesh Temple. She presided over the gold wrapped bricks which are to be used to build her a new sanctum with vimanam at the main temple so that her devotees can worship her with more pomp and splendor beﬁtting her majesty. This Lakshmi Puja was the inaugural puja for the Main Temple Renovation project (MTRP). Over 300 devotees sat in front of Sri Lakshmi who received all the fruits and ﬂowers and homemade prasadams brought by them with utmost love for Her. It was a beautiful day when the sun’s rays seemed to be piped in through the skylight, illuminating Her and in turn She radiated that energy to her devotees who very devotedly recited the 1000 plus names of Her, some from rote memory and others by reading from the word document with her names cleverly projected on the screen. The hall was

charged with devotion as the priests (Sreedharan Raghavan and Manickasundaram Bhattar) ended the puja with an archana using golden Lotus ﬂowers specially made for the Goddess who gives us the wealth to sustain ourselves on this earth. After the Maha Aarathi, sanctum sponsors carried one goldwrapped brick each in a procession with the goddess from the Ganesh temple to the main temple and placed it at the spot where the new sanctum is being conceived. After a grand aarathi for all the presiding deities, the pradhana murthis……… Meenakshi, Sundareshwarar and Venkateshwarar, the devotees were invited to lunch at the youth center. It was a very satisfying experience for all the board members, organizers, priests, staff, volunteers and devotees to be a part of this grand event. The fact that the golden bricks were a sold-out event is testament to our love for the Goddess and our longing for her to have a splendid abode and an auspicious start to the Main Temple Renovation Project (MTRP). MTS chairman Dr. Vaduganathan thanked the Fund raising committee for the successful start to the MTRP effort and the event coordinator and MTS secretary Srikanth Venugopalan thanked all the volunteers, devotees and board members for the team effort in making the event successful.

New Houston Methodist Emergency Care Center opens July 15 in Missouri City

UGAR LAND—(June 4, 2014) — Missouri City residents will soon have convenient access to Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s leading emergency care capabilities. The new state-of-the-art Houston Methodist Emergency Care Center opens July 15 in the heart of Missouri City, at 8200 Highway 6 between the Sienna Plantation and Riverstone communities. The center will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to treat patients of all ages who are ill or injured. The 9,600-square-foot facility includes 10 private treatment rooms, full-service X-ray, CT

and ultrasound capabilities. Most importantly, Houston Methodist Emergency Care Center is staffed by board-certiﬁed emergency medicine physicians specializing in emergency care from pediatric to geriatric patients, working alongside specially trained nursing and ancillary staff with extensive experience in emergency care. “The new Houston Methodist Emergency Care Center gives Missouri City residents a ﬁrst-class ER right in their own neighborhood,” says Chris Siebenaler, CEO of Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. “Patients treated at the new center will have direct, expedited ad-

mission to Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital if needed, along with personal assistance from patient representatives in scheduling necessary follow-up appointments. And the center will accept all insurance plans that are in-network with Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.” “Our goal is to provide a streamlined, easy-to-navigate system for patients who enter the center,” says Dr. Scott Rivenes, emergency department medical director of Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. “The new facility will enable us to quickly assess patients as they come in, enabling them to see a board-certiﬁed emergency med-

icine physician as efﬁciently as possible. Since we have onsite imaging and laboratory services, we have access to the full range of diagnostic services our physicians need without patients leaving the building.” The new center is just part of Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s $131 million expansion to better serve patients from Fort Bend and surrounding areas. To learn more about Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, please visit houstonmethodist. org/sugarland, and visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/ methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

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VOICE OF ASIA 7

3 Indian women on Forbes’ 2014 list of 100 most powerful women

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

5 Indians charged with participating in visa, ﬁnancial fraud in US

ew York, May 30: Five Indians have been arrested and charged with participating in a wide-ranging student visa and ﬁnancial aid fraud schemes in the US. Suresh Hiranandaney (60), Lalit Chabria (54), Anita Chabria (49), Seema Shah (41) and Samir Hiranandaney (27 ) face student visa fraud, wire fraud and student ﬁnancial aid fraud and were presented before US Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gorenstein in Manhattan federal court on Thursday.

hree Indian women – Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chanda Kochhar and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw – have made it to the annual Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women of 2014. On this list of the world’s most powerful women, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stands first, followed by former US Secretary of State and First Lady of the US Hillary Clinton at Rank 6, and current US First Lady Michelle Obama at Rank 8 among the 100 names. Forbes is known Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (left), Arundhati Bhattacharya (top right), and for compiling its Chanda Kochhar (bottom right). RNA Research & Archives list of 100 women with the most imAt rank 92 is Kiran Maexchange, treasury, retail oppact. Power is no longer judged by the tradi- erations, human resources zumdar-Shaw, the founder of tional understanding of eco- and investment banking. India’s leading biotechnolnomic or political power. It Bhattacharya has been the ogy enterprise, Biocon Ltd. has become a volatile force, face behind major reforms With a net worth of $655 with its interpretation ever in agriculture, industry and million, she is the wealthiest changing. The list includes the financial sector. She has self-made woman. Biocon is top politicians, finance and also been there for her female famous for making low-cost business leaders, activist, bil- counterparts by introducing drugs for chronic diseases, lionaires and celebrities who policies that benefit child or everything from head and matter and make a difference elderly care, and serving on a neck cancers to diabetes, and across the globe. They are team to create blueprints for delivers affordable medical products to partners in 70 ranked by their net worth, av- the first all-women’s bank. countries. This year she set enues of influence, plan of acNot too far behind Arund- a benchmark by developing tion and media coverage. hati Bhattacharya is Chanda an affordable HER2-positive In this reputed list, Arundha- Kochhar, the CEO-Managing breast cancer treatment. She ti Bhattacharya, Chair-Man- director, ICICI Bank, at rank is a recent donor of an handaging director, State Bank of number 43. She is the care- some amount of $5 million India (SBI), ranks at number taker of assets worth $125 for a new research unit at 36. She holds a net worth of billion. She has been the her cancer hospital in Ban$380 billion in assets, mak- wave of change after the bank galore. ing her a powerful figure in suffered a financial crisis in Sonia Gandhi, the Presithe Asian sphere of influence. 2008. Her innovative idea to She makes history for being stress on “mobile banking” in dent of the Indian National one of the first women, along rural areas to gain more cli- Congress appeared on the with being one of the young- ents has been widely appreci- list in 2013. However there est, to hold such a high post. ated. She has also been a vo- is no mention of her in the From 1977 to 2013 she has cal advocate of more explicit new 2014 list. It seems that worked tirelessly to move up banking laws with the help of her party’s loss has not only the ladder. She has been seen the new Central government had serious national repercusworking in multiple roles in led by new Prime Minister sions, but international too. (DNA). the SBI, including in foreign Narendra Modi.

The charges carry prison time from five to 20 years. “Through their for-profit schools, the defendants defrauded the government and exploited their students. For their personal financial gain, the defendants allegedly made false certifications about the schools’ compliance with visa and financial aid regulations when, in fact, they were not,” Manhattan federal prosecutor Preet Bharara said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent-in-Charge James Hayes said the defendants allegedly

“orchestrated a wide ranging fraud scheme, which included the falsification of student and financial aid files and failure to report to the government students who were non-compliant with the terms of their student visas, that victimized American taxpayers.” According to the complaint, the five were associated with for-profit school Micropower Career Institute (MCI) which had five campuses in New York and New Jersey, as well as with the Institute for Health Education (IHE). Suresh Hiranandaney was MCI’s President, his sister Anita Chabria was MCI’s Vice President, his brotherin-law Lalit was MCI’s Vice President and IHE’s President. Suresh’s son Samir was a director at MCI campus while Shah was a high-level employee at MCI’s Manhattan campus. The five represented to immigration authorities that MCI and IHE were legitimate institutes of higher learning where foreign students carried full course loads. In reality, the majority of foreign students at the schools did not attend the required num-

ber of classes. The defendants did not report this to authorities and continued to collect approximately USD 10,000 in annual tuition from each of these students. When a campus of MCI came under regulatory scrutiny, the defendants would simply transfer students with delinquent attendance to an affiliated school that was not under scrutiny. The accused also fabricated and manipulated documents in student aid files at MCI to hide the school’s widespread noncompliance with Department of education regulations. The department provides financial aid to low-income post-high school students to assist them in affording higher education. MCI did not comply with federal laws and regulations governing the administration of such financial aid. Foreign citizens are granted F-1 student visas to remain in the US as long as they are pursuing full courses of study at approved schools. If a student fails to attend classes as required, the school is required to inform immigration authorities, so that the authorities may terminate that student’s visa. PTI

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VOICE OF ASIA 8

Houston: The City With No Limits campaign.....

COMMUNITY

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

Legacy of selďŹ&#x201A;ess community service and teamwork marks farewell of VHPA volunteer Sharad Patel HOUSTON, (April, 6, 2014) It was a moment of commemorating selďŹ&#x201A;ess social service of Houston, Texas based Hindu community leaders. Three generations of leadership showed up at farewell function organized by VHPA Houston chapters making farewell of VHPA associate Sharad Patel a memorial experience. Four decades of committed social service of three generations and experience brought out emotions, joy, making audience proud of being associated with VHPA (Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America), a 40 year old; New Jersey based social organization with chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nationwide USA and programs fulďŹ lling requirements of American Hindu community.

One of the proďŹ le posters released by GHP as part of the campaign. Continued from Page 1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Houston has a well-deserved reputation as a great place to do business with a thriving economy,â&#x20AC;? said Jamey Rootes, president of the Houston Texans and GHP board member. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Houston is a vibrant, diverse and welcoming community with an amazing array of entertainment and cultural amenities that make it a fun place to visit, raise a family, and call home. This community-wide effort will allow us to tell the full story of Houston as the great American and global city that we know it to be.â&#x20AC;? Key message points center around the areaÂšs conďŹ dence, ambition, supportive nature, harmonious spirit, openness, and forward-looking perspective. The messaging highlights characteristics of the region that were identiďŹ ed through an extensive research process based on focus group data, interviews, surveys, and quantitative studies. As part of the campaign, a new website (TheCityWithNoLimits.com) has launched to discover the boundless opportunities available in the Greater Houston region. Key features include area facts and statistics, a neighborhood quiz matching user personalities to communities, real Houstonian proďŹ les, links to campaign social media pages, and a brand hub for widespread community adoption. The site also houses the ÂłBest Day of my LifeÂ˛ video, a three-minute feature depicting HoustonÂšs limitless activities, careers, culture, and quality of life. The campaign evolved from

the work of a GHP task force led by Rootes in 2013 with the mission to enhance the image of the Greater Houston area, attract talent, and continue the regionÂšs robust economic growth. The group had participation from the Houston MayorÂšs OfďŹ ce, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, Houston First, multinational corporations, area chambers of commerce, and other community leaders. Two Texas ďŹ rms Houstonbased MMI Agency and Austinbased Avalanche Consulting conducted extensive market and brand research, created the brand architecture, and developed the creative elements. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This has been an exciting, collaborative effort involving numerous community partners,â&#x20AC;? said Bob Harvey, president and CEO of GHP. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This campaign encapsulates everything that makes our region limitless. We are proud of this effort and hope the community will embrace it with open arms.â&#x20AC;?Houstonians will see campaign content through a number of vehicles including TV, online, outdoor, print publications, and on Facebook and Twitter through the fall, when promotion efforts will extend beyond the region to increase awareness of HoustonÂšs limitless opportunities. About Houston: The City With No Limits Launched in 2014 by the Greater Houston Partnership, Houston: The City With No Limits is a community image campaign with the overarching goal to strengthen talent attraction to the 10-county Houston region. Primary communications

dience thanked him. Audience gave testimony of challenging situations VHPA faced with times and how Sharad Patel communication skills, leadership vision and humility helped organization move ahead. Subash Mehta, co-founder of VHPA, updated audience on era of 1970â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when advance technology wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t present and most work was done via in person visits requiring heavy travel and sacriďŹ ce of family life. Pravin Vyas, Sharad Patel, Sanjay Mehta,VHPA Gen. Secy.

Event was marked with visit of Sanjay Mehta (VHPA National General Secretary), who updated audience on VHPA mission and projects. Most importantly educating all on meaning of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaâ&#x20AC;? (Dharma will protect the one who protects Dharma), which means that protection, preservation and sustenance of Hindu Dharma should be ďŹ rst priority for Hindus. If Dharma is protected, society conďŹ dence and prosperity elevates, which leads to empowerment of families. Event saw prominent Hindu luminaries like Dilip Mehta, Subash Mehta, Dhaval Joshipura, Pravin Vyas, Sharad Amin, Yogesh Naik and others. Members of young N Houston Chapter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Shalini Kapoor, Manish Aima, Sachin Chitlangia, Bhavesh Joshi were also present. Event started by Hindu unity song by Nitayana Naik, later Sushma Pallod (VHPA Greater Houston Chapter secretary) invited Girish Naik (ex- president VHPA Greater Houston chapter). Girish Naik gave a brief presentation on legacy of VHPA, Texas based VHPA chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution towards Hindu society. He also updated audi-

messages focus on promoting the quality of life and limitless opportunities available in the region. Houston: The City With No Limits campaign is funded by GHPÂšs Opportunity Houston 2.0 program. About Greater Houston Partnership Greater Houston Partnership works to make Houston one of the worldÂšs best places to live, work, and build a business. It represents 10 counties: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto, and Waller. With more than 2,000 member organizations, GHP represents approximately oneďŹ fth of the regionÂšs workforce.

L-R: Padmakant Khambhati, Pravin Vyas, Ramesh Bhutada, Dhaval Joshipura, Dilip Mehta, Subhash Mehta, Sharad Amin, Sanjay Mehta, Yogesh Naik with other senior leaders. ence on massive contribution of Sharad Patel (VHPA national body member and coordinator for Hindu Vishwa â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a quarterly magazine that reaches more than 2000 Hindu families in USA), Sharad Patel has been an active member of VHPA since decades and has played signiďŹ cant role in furthering VHPA mission at regional and national level. Rahul Chandra, president of

North Houston VHPA chapter talked about programs of N Houston chapter and its important role in serving N Houston based Hindu community. He thanked national leadership of VHPA and Executive board for supporting formation of N Houston VHPA chapter.

Program ended with thank note to all community leader and VHPA Texas chapters appreciated visionary leadership of national general secretary Sanjay Mehta under whose stewardship VHPA chapters and projects across USA see a new dawn in expansion and social service culture that fosters brotherhood and teamwork among various Hindu organizations.

Later Sanjay Mehta gave an appreciation plaque to Sharad Patel and all members and au-

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VOICE OF ASIA 9

13 members of Hindu outﬁt arrested in Muslim techie murder case in Pune

28-year-old software professional was bludgeoned to death allegedly by persons with suspected links to a Hindu outﬁt near here, police said today. A total of 13 persons have been arrested by police in connection with the murder of Shaikh Mohasin Sadiq in Bankar Colony in Hadapsa area on Monday night with six more people being arrested today. The trigger for the attack was apparently uploading of derogatory pictures of warrior king Shivaji and late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Facebook, which led to a protest bandh on Sunday. The murder of Sadiq, who hailed from Solapur, sparked tension in the area, police said. The victim worked in the IT department of a textile ﬁrm in the city. The accused have been booked under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 147 (rioting) of Indian Penal Code. They are said to be linked to Hindu Rashtra Sena, a right wing organisation. The victim was thrashed with sticks at Bankar Colony by the accused and he succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a nearby hospital, police said. Two other youths too had been

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepts Obama invite, off to US in September

EW DELHI - Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted an invitation from US President Barack Obama to have bilateral discussions in Washington in September, potentially opening a new chapter in a sometimes edgy relationship between the world’s two biggest democracies. Government sources in Delhi said that the United States has offered September 30 as the date for the meeting, and the Indian side has asked for it to be advanced to September 26, around the time of Modi’s maiden address at the United Nations General Assembly.

Shaikh Mohasin Sadiq. Picture source: Twitter attacked and injured in stone throwing at the same spot on the same night, according to police. Commissioner of Police Satish Mathur told PTI this evening that “situation in Hadapsar was totally peaceful” and people were going about their normal lives. Mathur said that the six people picked up today belonged to the same outﬁt of the seven members who were earlier arrested. The seven persons arrested earlier were remanded in police custody till June 9 by a local court today.

Police said the case was handed over to Crime Branch and they have appealed to citizens not to believe or spread rumours as the situation is peaceful. Security has been beefed up in the area. When asked if the fatal attack had any connection with the protest over Facebook pictures, DCP Manoj Patil said, “There is no direct connection.” He, however, did not rule out indirect fallout of the Facebook posts. Patil also said the situation was now “peaceful and under control”. (Source: PTI).

Telangana is born, KCR vows policy push Vows to provide transperent and corruption free administration

S Jaishankar, the Indian ambassador to the United States, is ﬂying to New Delhi on June 8 for consultations with South Block

Rao constituted his Cabinet with 11 members — five slots short of the upper limit — who were also administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor E S L Narasimhan at a simple ceremony in the Raj Bhavan at 8.15 am. KCR’s son K T Rama Rao and Harish Rao are members of the cabinet. Telangana is the 29th state of the country. The state, especially capital Hyderabad, witnessed festivities, as people came out in large numbers to celebrate the formation of the new state. People had gathered at the historic Hussain Sagar lake to witness the grand fire-

Addressing people after the swearing-in ceremony, KCR promised to provide a transparent and corruption-free government and also stressed that he would not tolerate political corruption at any level. “Transparency in governance is a necessity to effectively work towards meeting the aspirations of the people of Telangana. I will not only ensure transparency in governance process but will also ensure no misuse of public funds,” he said. KCR vowed to make Telangana a power surplus state in the next three years. Terming industrial development as a key to development and creation of jobs, he promised to bring in the best industrial policy in the

country. “Just to show my commitment in this regard, a system of single-window clearance put in place and would be directly attached to the chief minister’s ofﬁce for close monitoring,” KCR said. He also promised to protect and enhance the brand image of Hyderabad city as a peaceful and investmentfriendly destination. KCR said he would implement all the election promises, including the Central pay scales along with a special increment to government employees, waiving of farm loans up to Rs 1 lakh, two-bedroom house at government expenditure to each household of people from weaker sections, Rs 1,000 per month to old people and widows and Rs 1,500 per month to physically-challenged persons among other things.

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But there could be a meeting of minds on economic ties: Modi has spoken often of the need to make India’s diplomacy tradefocused, and wants big ticket investments from mega corporations like GE, IBM and Microsoft. The US companies, while broadly enthusiastic about India, have turned skittish of late due to stalled economic reforms, slow growth, and issues over tax, intellectual property and preferential market access. With Modi’s entry into the PMO, the Indian embassy in Washington has started serious diplomatic efforts to lure investment. For their part, some US defence contractors are keen to sell military. (HT).

Speaking to MQM’s international secretariat in London over telephone, he advised the party activists and sympathisers to show courage and remain peaceful.

The MQM chief vowed to continue his struggle for the party

cracker show on Sunday night, while several impromptu rallies were taken out even past midnight.

The meeting between Modi and Obama will mean that the US view on the Indian PM has come full circle from the time it imposed a visa ban on him in 2005 in connection with the Gujarat riots three years earlier. The process of rapprochement started in February, when its recently retired ambassador to India, Nancy Powell, went to Ahmedabad to meet Modi, then a PM candidate. It also comes after an especially difﬁcult period in the relationship, sparked by the arrest and humiliation of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York over allegations of visa fraud, and a particularly sharp retaliation by the

Indian side.

ARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, who is currently being held by London Police on charges of money-laundering, urged his followers and party workers late on Wednesday night to remain peaceful and not to take the law into their own hands.

“I have never disappointed the nation in the past nor will I do so in the future,” said Hussain, adding that the current circumstances were not new and that he has faced tough times before as well.

ew Delhi, India -Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) was on Monday swornin as the ﬁrst chief minister of the new state of Telangana.

and the prime minister’s ofﬁce (PMO), and will brief Modi on the relationship and how to take it forward.

Altaf urges MQM workers to remain peaceful, respect law

Hussain also apprised the party members of his health.

KCR was sworn-in as the ﬁrst CM of Telangana state by Governor E S L Narasimhan

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

MQM) chief Altaf Hussain. Photo credit Dawn. cause and said that he was still indomitable. Rabita Committee’s senior deputy convener Nadeem Nusrat, party members and ofﬁce bearers and a large number of activists were present on the occasion. The party workers in London, Karachi and elsewhere expressed their joy upon hearing the voice

of their leader. Meanwhile, upon conclusion of an emergency meeting by the MQM’s Rabita Committee in London, the party has appealed to traders and transporters in Karachi and other cities and towns of Sindh to resume their businesses. However, it added that ongoing sit-ins across the country would continue.

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ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

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Workspace of the future: everywhere television comedies, but Jay Liew of Double Robotics says companies are warming to them. “We’ve had customers tell us they can’t remember when the person was really there and when the robot was there,” Liew told AFP. “After the initial excitement wears off, it’s not just a robot. It’s John. It’s Connie, from the Seattle ofﬁce.” And the person working remotely can get be a part of the “team” by moving around the ofﬁce, chatting in the break room, or “stopping by” a colleague’s desk to ask a question. Another technique allows people to interact in a cartoon-like world via their “avatars” -- or images they create.

Journalists work on laptops next to Mitt Romney’s campaign plane, at Denver International Airport, on September 23, 2012 (AFP/File Mandel Ngan)

Jeremy Bailenson, director of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University, said virtual meetings can in many cases be better than those taking place face-to-face. - Virtual handshake “People say there is nothing like the handshake and eye contact,” he said. “I build systems that allow you to have that handshake and eye contact.”

by Rob Lever

he workspace of the future is a lot more than a typical ofﬁce cubicle.

It may be a coffee shop, the living room, an airport terminal, or anywhere technology can provide connections.

Bailenson says an individual can tweak his or her avatar to produce features and body language.

Laptops already allow many people to work remotely, but the trend is gaining momentum with advances such as virtual reality avatars and telepresence robots.

“So I can do things in a virtual meeting that can make me a more effective sales person, make me a better leader,” he told AFP.

“People are working not only from home but from wherever it is convenient,” says Ted Schadler, an analyst at Forrester Research who studies mobile collaboration technology. “Some people may leave early and then work at home after they put the kids to bed.” A 2012 survey by software ﬁrm Citrix found 90 percent of US employers allowed “mobile work styles.” And the practice is almost as widespread in China (85 percent), Brazil (81 percent), India (77 percent), Britain (72 percent), France and Germany (71 percent each).

“People are working not only from home but from wherever it is convenient,” says Ted Schadler, tion of technologies to allow robots or virtual reality to ﬁll the gap of faceto-face communications. So-called telepresence robots allow a kind of videoconferencing.

The next leap may be the introduc-

A product made by California startup Double Robotics uses an iPad attached to a self-balancing scooter which can roam around an ofﬁce and interact with colleagues. The robots have been satirized on

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Bailenson said virtual reality offers a host of advantages such as reducing commuting fuel costs and road accidents and saving time.

But for it to gain mass adoption, it should be more natural, without the cumbersome helmets and sensors now required.

Bailenson added that Facebook’s $2 billion acquisition of the virtual reality firm Oculus Rift suggests the trend may be accelerating. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg recently visited his lab “so maybe we are at a tipping point.” Ford has begun using virtual reality in its Immersion Lab, allowing design engineers to collaborate on items like sideview mirrors and concealed windshield wipers. - Like ‘Second Life’ The auto giant says the collaboration is “like a Second Life game,” referring to the popular 3D virtual world game. “We now have Ford designers and engineers around the world working together virtually - inside and sideby-side - on the same product,” said Ford virtual reality specialist Elizabeth Baron. Kori Inkpen Quinn, who studies human-computer interaction at Microsoft Research, said her studies suggest colleagues are comfortable with video interaction such as with a telepresence robot but that most are not ready for the cartoonish avatars of virtual reality. “Even if I’m comfortable looking like a cat, you might not be comfortable having a business meeting with a cat,” she said. Lindsey Pollak, a workplace consultant for the insurance firm The Hartford, says changes may be driven by younger tech-savvy people coming into the workforce. “They are digital natives and expect the workplace will be as digital savvy and as flexible as they’ve seen in the consumer market,” she told AFP. One problem is that employees may face more stress because they never really stop and disconnect from work. A recent Gallup survey found onethird of full-time workers say their employer expects them to check email and stay in touch after the business day ends. “This is becoming the new normal and it is creating tremendous stress,” Pollak said. “Stress and depression is one of the reasons Millennials are taking disability leave.”

LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

Obit

Book Release:

A Befitting Tribute to India’s Noble Heritage

India Unveiled : Spirit, Tradition, People

Iconic US author, poet Maya Angelou dies at 86 She moved to San Francisco during World War II to study dance and acting, where she also held down a number of odd jobs -- including a stint as the city’s ﬁrst black female cable car conductor -- to support herself and a baby son.

obert Arnett, author, photographer, and publisher of the multi award-winning, internationally acclaimed, India Unveiled has done it again. The expanded sixth edition of the beautifully produced coffee table book is stunning!

In the early 1950s she brieﬂy married a Greek sailor named Anastasios Angelopulos. She tweaked his surname to come up with her own professional name, which she ﬁrst used as a calypso dancer.

Not surprisingly, it is getting rave reviews. At the ofﬁcial book release at the Consulate General of India, Atlanta, on May 22, 2014, Ambassador Ajit Kumar, the Consul Gener-

US writer Maya Angelou, pictured in Washington, DC on November 21, 2008 (AFP Photo/Tim Sloan) by Robert MACPHERSON

ASHINGTON, May 28, 2014 (AFP) - Maya Angelou, the beloved African-American author and civil rights activist renowned for a searing memoir charting her childhood in the racially segregated South, died Wednesday. She was 86. Angelou was best known for the first installment of her memoirs “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” the first non-fiction best-seller by an African-American woman. A friend of slain civil rights hero Martin Luther King, she was widely respected in the United States and abroad as a strong voice for both black people and women. Ambassador Ajit Kumar, Consul General of India, Atlanta, officially releasing the new edition of India Unveiled at the Consulate. L-R. Mrs. Madhu Sheth; Dr. Jagdish Sheth, internationally renowned Professor of Marketing at Emory University who has donated over a thousand copies of India Unveiled to schools in Georgia and across the country; Ambassador Ajit Kumar, Consul General of India, Atlanta; Author and Photographer Robert Arnett; Editor and Book Designer Smita Turakhia; Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award recipient Subash Razdan; Mrs. Raj Razdan. al of India said, “The new edition of ‘India Unveiled – Spirit, Tradition, People’ written by renowned writer Robert Arnett, is one of the best books written by any foreign writer on India. It captures the essence of Indian civilization and its traditions. His extensive travelogue portrays a beautiful depiction of India’s people and culture. His insight into the regions and states of India is fascinating. In fact, this is an excellent book which presents a comprehensive picture of India. It is a great honor to release his book ‘India Unveiled.’” Many of the new, breathtaking images were captured during a recent trip to India. The new volume contains 308 pages and 307 photographs beautifully reproduced on acid-free archival paper. In addition, the text has been strengthened considerably. A long time Houston area resident Smita Turakhia, who is the editor, book designer, and contributing photographer of the book commented, “While acknowledging India’s modernity, the new edition addresses important topics such as the mother aspect of God, the symbolism of murti, the symbolism of Aum, why Hindus respect cows, and the caste system. The photographs visually enhance the text.” India Unveiled: Spirit, Tradition, People includes a timeline

of India and the World, which is more in line with archeological discoveries and India’s ancient texts and history, rather than based on colonial influenced, dated ideas about the history of the country. The book has given full credence and further explanation of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, the four religions that originated in India. The book has an excellent glossary that is extremely useful for first-time readers of India and is especially helpful for younger generations that grew up outside of India. It includes quotes on India by notable people including Einstein, Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain, Marco Polo and others. Arnett’s journey to India was not that of a casual traveler. Having a graduate degree in history and being a collector or Oriental, African and primitive art, he chose places with cultural significance, or found significance in them in the light of his scholarly background and artistic and philosophical interests. He brought back not only his understanding of an ancient civilization…but also a pictorial and narrative record of his travels. From the soaring temple gates of Tamil Nadu to the delicately carved marble temples of Jainism, to the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar, to the spectacular arati ceremony at Hardwar, India Unveiled truly reveals the

diversity and sacredness of the oldest continuously living civilization on earth. Indian-Americans in particular will appreciate this work, which focuses on their rich and noble lineage. Arnett’s simple style of writing along with the captivating photographs will give all a deeper appreciation of their heritage. India Unveiled will be the centerpiece of discussions in many homes where there is curiosity about India and a respect for her tradition. India Unveiled is in over 10,000 schools and public libraries and classrooms across the country and is greatly appreciated by superintendents, principals, and librarians. Thanks to the generosity of Houston’s Dr. and Mrs. Bharat Raval, Dr. and Mrs. Virendra Mathur, Dr. and Mrs. Durga Agrawal, Mr. and Mrs. Vijay Goradia, and others, the previous edition of India Unveiled and Arnett’s children’s book, Finders Keepers?, illustrated by Turakhia that is set in India, is in all elementary, middle, and public high schools in the Houston metro area. For more information on India Unveiled: Spirit, Tradition, People (ISBN: 9780965290098) visit www.AtmanPress.com. Books can be purchased from Amazon.com or autographed copies can be ordered directly from Atman Press (706-323-6377).

Indian child trafﬁcking saga opens London ﬁlm festival

hard-hitting ﬁlm about the brutalities of India’s illicit child trafﬁcking industry opened the London Asian Film Festival (LAFF) here.

terday.

‘Lakshmi’, based on the reallife story of a 14-year-old girl kidnapped from her village in Andhra Pradhesh and forced into prostitution, has been written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor.

“It is a kind of scarring that one would live with for a long time. However, Lakshmi now is a happy, intelligent woman working at the same rescue shelter which gave her refuge,” added the director behind successful off-beat ﬁlms like ‘Hyderabad Blues’ and ‘Iqbal’.

“This is the kind of film that changes you. It will move and repulse audiences but I don’t think it would be possible to be dismissive about child trafficking after this,” said Kukunoor, who also takes on the role of a nasty pimp in the film. “I would just like to say that the violence in the film is all clever editing, I have never hit a woman in my life,” he told an extremely moved audience at the end of he film’s UK premiere at Tricycle Cinema in London yes-

In her real life avatar, Lakshmi goes on to eventually testify in court against her trafﬁckers, setting a precedence for such cases in the legal arena.

‘Lakshmi’ kicks off a 12day celebration of independent South Asian arts and cinema across London as it returns for a 16th year. Among other highlights of this year’s festival include ‘Remembering Yash Chopra’ - where Pam Chopra, the wife of the late Bollywood ﬁlmmaker, and actor Anupam Kher will be in conversation with Rachel Dw-

yer, Professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) here on Saturday. Dr Pushpinder Chowdhry, organiser of the festival, said: “The late Yash Chopra is regarded as the king of romance in Indian cinema who presented the notion of falling in love with a sense of aspiration, escapism and adventure. “His love for Britain is evident in his iconic films like ‘Lamhe’ and ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ as he leaves behind a unique legacy of visual aesthetics that continue to inspire a new generation of filmmakers.” This year’s LAFF, which is presented by not-for-profit organisation Tongues on Fire and runs until June 14, also includes a tribute to another late Indian filmmaker - Rituparno Ghosh in association with. PTI

Her son Guy Johnson said his mother “passed quietly in her home” in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and expressed thanks that “her ascension was not belabored by a loss of acuity or comprehension.” “She lived a life as a teacher, activist, artist and human being. She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace,” he said. President Barack Obama led the tributes, hailing Angelou as “one of the brightest lights of our time - a brilliant writer, a ﬁerce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman.” Former President Bill Clinton, who invited Angelou to give a reading at his 1993 inauguration, said America had “lost a national treasure.” “The poems and stories she wrote and read to us in her commanding voice were gifts of wisdom and wit, courage and

grace,” Clinton said in a statement. Angelou’s close friend television icon Oprah Winfrey spoke of Angelou’s “unshakeable calm, confidence and fierce grace.” “She will always be the rainbow in my clouds,” Winfrey said. Angelou had reportedly been in poor health, and had cancelled a scheduled appearance in Texas where she was to have accepted an honor later this week. - ‘Listen to yourself’ “Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God,” she wrote in what would become her last message on her @DrMayaAngelou Twitter account, posted on May 23. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928, in Saint Louis, Missouri, Angelou experienced hardship from an early age -- her parents’ breakup, racial segregation and, at the age of seven or eight, rape at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend. The traumatic impact of the sexual assault and its aftermath -- her attacker was murdered -saw Angelou retreat into a selfimposed silence for six years, a period where she first began writing. “I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone,” she wrote.

The same decade found Angelou on the stage, performing in off-Broadway theater and in a touring production of “Porgy and Bess.” At the same time she became increasingly involved in the nascent civil rights movement, getting to know many of its key figures. - Travelled abroad In the 1960s she traveled abroad, spending much of that tumultuous decade in Egypt and Ghana. Upon returning to the United States, the African-American author James Baldwin encouraged her to put pen to paper with her remarkable life story -- encouragement that led to the publication of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” which covered the first 17 years of her life. A small library of books and poems would follow, as well as a screenplay (the 1972 Swedish-American drama “Georgia, Georgia”) and an Emmy-nominated turn on the breakthrough US television miniseries “Roots” in 1977. Angelou’s recording of one of her most famous poems, “On the Pulse of the Morning,” at Clinton’s 1993 presidential inauguration went on to win a Grammy award. Angelou made her debut as a director with the 1998 film “Down in the Delta,” about a young big city drug addict dispatched to the ancestral home in rural Mississippi where she discovers her family roots. She also published cook books and, in 1996, narrated a Sesame Street children’s film titled “Elmo Saves Christmas.” Barack Obama presented Angelou with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2011.

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VOICE OF ASIA 13

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Sonakshi pleasantly surprised on Birthday!

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

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‘Kochadaiiyaan’ – toughest film in A.R. Rahman’s career

irthday girl Sonakshi was literally swept off her feet when post her lovely birthday party at a Mumbai hotspot, she got a surprise visit from good friend Shahid Kapur.

Sonakshi turned 27 on June 2. The two actors also went for a long drive. Although persistent rumours abide that there is more than just good friendship brewing here, both Shahid and Sonakshi have ﬁrmly maintained otherwise claiming that there are really fond of each other and tend to spend lots of time in each other’s company.

Sonakshi Sinha

onakshi Sinha has taken the subtitle of her film ‘Holiday: Soldier is never off duty’ a little too seriously. The actress, who earlier partied with her friends from the film fraternity at a posh Mumbai club, spent the rest of the day shooting for the film.

.R.Rahman, who has composed the music for the animated ﬁlm, Kochadaiiyaan, said that it is one of the toughest movies in his career.

The film, which was recently released, has animated characters of actors including Deepika Padukone, and is the first film in the Indian cinema to use motion capture animation technology. In his recent interview, A.R. Rahman also thanked all those who supported for the success of the film. Meanwhile, the film has grossed 42 crores in the first week of its release.

Pakistani film ‘Freedom Sound’ set to release this year

Sonakshi celebrated her birthday on the sets of her upcoming action-romance ﬁlm ‘Holiday – A Soldier is Never Off Duty’ with co-actor Akshay Kumar and producer Vipul Shah among others. Sonakshi informed her fans that her producer did not give her an off on her birthday, hence she ended up celebrating the day on the sets of the ﬁlm. Sonakshi shared a picture of her birthday celebrations saying, “Holiday – Sona is never off duty. Not even on her birthday!! Cutting my 12th cake with @akshaykumar. The blur behind is Vipul Shah our producer who dint give me

an off :p”

Earlier, Sonakshi ushered her birthday with her ‘Tevar’ co-star Arjun Kapoor, actor Sidharth Malhotra, Lootera director Vikramaditya Motwane at a Mumbai club. On her birthday Sonakshi also surprised her fans by getting inked, as a birthday present to herself. Sonakshi got a tiny star near her collar bone, which she says is her guiding star.

akistani ﬁlm, Freedom Sound, is set to release later this year.

Produced by Sehban Zaidi and directed by Nadir Hussain Shah and Sehban Zaidi, the ﬁlm is set 30 years in the future, and tells the story of a man who sees Pakistan under the command of a powerful leader.

TOLLYWOOD

The ﬁlm’s visual effects were provided by Lucid Studios in Pakistan and stars Adeel Hussain and Mehreen Raheel.

Ram Charan’s Govindudu Andarivadele set for Shahrukh Khan named world’s second richest actor Dussehra release The ﬁlm with supporting cast of Srikanth, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Vennela Kishore, Harsha Chemudu has music composed by the super talented Yuvan Shankar Raja. Govindudu Andarivadele is touted to be a village entertainer with Ram Charan reprising the role of NRI who visits his family in the village and strives mend the bonds that are threatening to be severed for ever.

Ram Charan Teja in the ﬁlm Govindudu Andarivadele.

he shooting for Magadheera star’s next flick Govindudu Andarivadele is going on breakneck pace and the film is expected to hit the screens on October 1. The widely publicised Ram Charan Teja flick Govindudu Andarivadele

directed by Krishna Vamsi will see the light of the day on October 1,2014. This means fans are up for a Dussehra treat as the ﬁlm Govindudu Andarivadele will bring together the hot pair of Ram Charan-Kajal Agarwal to scorch up the screen.

The film’s audio release is tentatively scheduled on September 1. The crew is set to fly to London to shoot two songs after completing the schedule in Hyderabad which starts from June 5. The makers are hoping Ram Charan Teja- Kajal Agarwal jodi would rock the box office given their sizzling chemistry in blockbusters Magadheera and Naayak. With Govindudu Andarivadele set for Dussehra release, coveted Mani Ratnam project in the pipeline and producing his father Chiranjeevi’s 150th film, Ram Charan Teja’s career seems to be heading in the right direction

he 48-year-old Bollywood star, popularly known as King Khan, has emerged as the second richest actor in the top 10 combined rich list of Bollywood and Hollywood stars, with an estimated fortune of $600 million, reported The Times of India. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld topped the rich list with an estimated net worth of $820 million. Khan, who was the only Indian actor in the list, was found to be richer than Hollywood giants like Tom Cruise and Johny Depp. Tom Cruise came in third at $480 million followed by Johny Depp at $ 450 million.

Pawan Kalyan fans angry with Mahesh Babu’s Aagadu? Aamir Khan Says Instagram he teaser of Mahesh Babu’s Account is Fake Aagadu has not gone well with

Power Star fans as the 1: Nenokkadine star seems to be taking a dig at Attarintiki Daredi actor

The Mahesh Babu starrer Aagadu has had its fair share of controversies. Latest we hear that the film’s teaser has irked Pawan Kalyan supporters. The 50 second teaser which shows Mahesh Babu in fine form, taking an indirect dig on Pawan Kalyan with its outrageously bold dialogues. Mahesh Babu’s lines on Tollywood’s popular punch dialogue culture and the habit of comparing big budget mass heroes with lions and tigers has angered the Power Star fans. Also many feel that the looks and body language of Mahesh Babu seems extremely similar to Pawan Kalyan’s bad cop act in Gabbar Singh. The way the Businessman actor Mahesh Babu Obstetrics, Gynecology, Infertility, Laser and Micro Surgery sits on the jeep or the way he delivComprehensive Care for Women and Adolescents ers his lines eerily resemble to the anARDMS Certified Ultrasounds on Premises tics of Pawan Kalyan. The Aagadu 713-271-2708 teaser itself closely Methodist Sugar Land S.W Memorial Hospital matches with the 16605 S.W Freeway, Suite:365 7777 S.W Freeway, Suite:748 Pawan Kalyan’s Sugar Land, TX 77479 Gabbar Singh. Houston, TX 77074

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y wife, my life and my everything -” it appears that these words were NOT written on Instagram by actor Aamir Khan. Nor have the photos on this account been posted by him. In fact, Aamir says he’s not on Instagram at all. Get it right. The person who posted this was not Aamir: I shouldn’t be uploading at this time but my manager went through every single comments and most of the direct messages from

all of you and I extremely appreciate all the love and support. Thought I’d bid good night by uploading a drawing of me that a fan sent me which my manager notiﬁed.. I’ll try my best to share a pic with you all everyday, good night and love. A. (Also read: Aamir Khan clueless about his son Junaid’s plans) It was somebody pretending, very convincingly, to be him. Posts include a photo with wife Kiran Rao, a picture ‘sent by a fan,’ musings on Maya Angelou.

VOICE OF ASIA 14

Friday, June 6, 2014

Young Life Section 2

Page 14

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Teens become first joint US spelling champions in 52 years

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

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Star Learning hold Open House for Community

Star Learning Open House: L-R: “Sonia Guimbellot (Emcee & Star Learning’s Communications Coordinator), Tarik Celik (President/CEO of Star Learning), Judge Jay Karahan, K.P. George, Mike Ben (Star Learning’s Director).

Ansun Sujoe, left, 13, of Fort Worth, Texas, and Sriram J. Jathwar, right, 14, of Painted Post, New York, hold the championship trophy after winning the 87th Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland outside Washington on May 29, 2014. by Robert MACPHERSON

XON HILL, May 30, 2014 (AFP) - Two young American teenagers of South Asian heritage made spelling history Thursday when they became the ﬁrst co-winners of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in more than half a century.

An American institution dating back to the 1920s, the National Spelling Bee has been clinched for the past six years in a row by young Americans of South Asian heritage. AFP she can follow in his spelling footsteps.

Ansun Sujoe, 13, and Sriram Hathwar, 14, hoisted the glittering gold cup together after they saw off 10 other ﬁnalists before taking turns to exhaust the competition’s demanding word list.

Sujoe, whose interests include programming robots and helping out at a senior citizens’ home, also competed last year. Champions are ineligible to return to future National Spelling Bees.

In the nail-biting ﬁnale, Hathwar correctly spelled stichomythia, meaning a dialogue of altercation in Greek drama.

This year’s 281 contestants, aged eight to 15, hailed from all 50 states plus the Bahamas, Canada, China, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan and South Korea as well as schools in Europe for US military families.

Then Sujoe stepped up to the microphone and learned he and Hathwar would be co-champions if he nailed the last word of the night. He did. It was feuilleton, a noun for a newspaper supplement, which he spelled ﬂawlessly despite admitting later that he’s sometimes uncomfortable with French-based words. “Correct,” said ofﬁcial pronouncer Jacques Bailly, a classics professor and 1980 bee champion, triggering a shower of confetti and a standing ovation from the ballroom crowd in the Gaylord resort outside Washington.

Last year, Arvind Mahankali, a 13year-old New Yorker who placed third in 2011 and 2012, won top honors when he correctly spelled knaidel -- a kind of dumpling -- after a grueling 2.5-hour elimination final. Of the 12 finalists this year, four were girls, and six hailed from families with South Asian roots -- a reflection of the popularity of competitive spelling among Indian immigrant families.

Many of the winning words over National Spelling Bee history have taken their place in everyday English, such as condominium (1956), catamaran (1959), chihuahua (1967) and croissant (1970). But Thursday’s words amounted to a cornucopia of obscure terminology like bamboche (a Haitian fete), croquignole (a hair-waving method) and shibuichi (a Japanese alloy). Crowd favorite Jacob Daniel Williamson, a wise-cracking 15-year-old in a checkered shirt from Cape Coral, Florida, shouted “I know it!” from the stage when asked to spell kabaragoya, a kind of aquatic lizard. Delight immediately gave way to defeat, however, when Williamson heard the dreaded bell after he erroneously started the word with a C. Another ﬁnalist who struck out was 14-year-old Kate Miller of Abilene, Texas, who looked on the bright side after fumbling exochorion,the outer layer of an insect egg. “I don’t need to study spelling anymore,” she said. “I’m going to go home and watch every horror movie on which I can get my hands.”

The ﬁrst joint champions since 1962 will each take home their own trophy cups as well as more than $30,000 in cash prizes, savings bonds and reference works. The boys are also the seventh and eighth youngsters of South Asian heritage since 2008 to conquer the National Spelling Bee, an American institution since the 1920s.

UGAR LAND - Star Learning of Sugar Land, Texas, held their open house for the Indian Community on May 31st, 2014. The special keynote speaker was KP George, Fort Bend ISD Trustee, Position #5. Star Learning offers various specialized programs to meet the needs of students including: Gifted & Talented, SAT/ACT courses, Science and Singapore Math. For more information, contact Star Learning at 832-999-4921 or visit their website, www.starlearning.com Star is known for challenging the GT (gifted & talented) and ﬁlling gaps for those wanting to advance

HISD to Kickoff Summer Food Program Free Summer Lunch Available at over 200 campuses

OUSTON – Texas Hunger Initiative is joining the Houston Independent School District in celebrating the kickoff of the free Summer Food Service Program for children and teens at Herrera Elementary School ( 525 Bennington, 77022) on Wednesday, June 4th at 11:00 am and at Gallegos Elementary School ( 7415 Harrisburg Blvd, 77011) on Thursday, June 5th at 11:00 am. As part of Share Our Strength’s® Texas No Kid Hungry Campaign, the Texas Hunger Initiative is partnering with HISD, the City of Houston, The Houston Food Bank, CitySquare, and several school districts to help connect more Houston children and teens to free summer meals by raising awareness about the program and making it easier for families to ﬁnd a Summer food provider site. Free summer meals will be provided to all children and youth ages 18 and younger. The HISD campuses will be open for free breakfast and lunch to all children and teens 18 and younger, including youth not enrolled in summer school. The No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices reports that among low income families, only 40% report being aware of locations for free summer

“I try to study as hard as I can. I try to be true to myself (and) hope for the best,” Hathwar, who wore a small American and Indian ﬂag button on his white polo shirt as a token of good luck, told AFP.

from their current level. The curriculum is tailored to each students ability to learn and succeed. Star maps out a structured plan to ﬁrst give a complimentary diagnostic then a personalized lesson plan that goes to an instructional setting for quality learning and it is time for a mapping benchmark test that pulls together back to a personalized lesson plan. The teachers make the difference since they are more than degreed. They are degreed, certiﬁed, have experience plus other accomplishments such as Math coach of Texas and Nationally recognized. Star reaches for the stars & wants to bring your child with them!

food and only 17% report their child/ children having received those meals. In the past, lack of awareness about the program, stigma, and getting kids to a nearby site are just a few of the barriers families face. New tools include visiting summermeals.org, texting FOODTX to 877877, or calling 2-1-1, can help families ﬁnd several locations near their home. Who: Houston Independent School District ACE the Healthy Fox Texas Hunger Initiative United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) What: Houston’s Summer Food Program Kickoff When: Wednesday, June 4th , 11:00am-1pm Thursday, June 5th, 11:00am-1pm Where: Herrera Elementary School Gallegos Elementary School 525 Bennington, Houston, TX, 77022 7415 Harrisburg Blvd, Houston, TX, 77011 Visuals: Children and teens participating in Summer Meals program.

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It was his fourth time at the National Spelling Bee, where he placed third last year. He once produced a TEDx talk on his competitive spelling experiences.

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“What do I do next? Get back to normal stuff,” added Sujoe, sporting a snappy red bow tie. He now expects to start coaching his younger sister so that

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Nanny-cams help busy parents stay in control Monitoring devices keep an eye on children and maids by Nada Al Taher

bu Dhabi: For mothers who spend long hours away from home, relying on nannies to care for their children may bring up safety issues that cause concern. That is why several parents in the UAE have opted for installing surveillance cameras that can be accessed remotely to keep an eye on the situation at home. Abu Dhabi Police regularly issues warnings about the limited safety that is provided to children when they are left with caretakers other than their own parents. Palestinian mother of one, Noor Samir, who is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree and therefore has to spend some time away from her two-year-old son, said: “I was constantly worried about him and thought about what I would do if I had to travel or be gone for some

time. So, I installed two cameras — one in his room, where he normally plays, and one in the hallway.”

I have phones and tablets compatible with the program being used to access the camera at home so it makes us feel relieved,” he said.

Noor refrained from placing a camera in the living room for fear of making invited guests feel uncomfortable about being watched. “I can access all footage remotely, and frequently open the link that allows me to get a live feed of what is happening inside my house. I installed the camera in front of the nanny so that I could indirectly tell her that it is not an issue of trust but that I am just worried about my boy. If she was previously doing anything that makes her worry about being seen or caught, she has just stopped. I was not looking to apprehend her or punish my nanny for anything,” the 25year-old mother said. Meanwhile, 40-year-old Fadi Zaiter, an HR manager and owner of a restau-

Monitoring made easy rant and a typing centre, says he uses these cameras at work and at home. As a father of one, he has placed two cameras — one in the living room, which is his daughter’s regular play area, and one at the entrance of the house. “Not only do I get remote access to see my child all the time but it also helps that I can hear my child at home and often speak to her through the equipment I have installed at home. My wife and

The Syrian expat also pointed out the beneﬁts of the camera, which can not only monitor but also help make fair judgements in sensitive situations. “If my daughter claims that the nanny hit her, for example, it is up to me to rewind the video and see whether the nanny committed this act or not. So, in a sense, it is also there to protect the nanny’s rights, so that we do not wrongfully blame her for doing something,” he added. However, some parents have also encouraged the use of these remotely accessed cameras at their children’s schools, claiming that the devices would help put parents at ease by being able to virtually see their children at any time.

Although Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) regulations stipulate installation of cameras in school halls and playgrounds, not all Abu Dhabi schools agree with the notion of placing them in classrooms. Darcy Reynolds, Associate Superintendent for the Canadian International School in Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News: “I do encourage the placement of cameras because of emergencies, but we rarely ever use them for that purpose. Our children are so well-behaved and both our students and staff have good values and are very respecting, so the presence of these values acts as a preventative measure against situations that may need monitoring. We do, however, use our cameras to help students ﬁnd an iPad or a mobile phone they might have misplaced, and by retracing their steps we often end up ﬁnding the lost item.”

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTH

VOICE OF ASIA 15

Friday, June 6, 2014

Section 2

Page 15

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Obesity weighs heavily on global health: study

What are my preventive care beneﬁts?

ARIS, May 28, 2014 (AFP) - Nearly a third of adults and a quarter of children today are overweight, according to a report Thursday that said no country has turned the tide of obesity since 1980. Traditionally associated with an afﬂuent lifestyle, the problem is expanding worldwide, with more than 62 percent of overweight people now in developing nations, said the report. There are some 2.1 billion overweight or obese people in the world today -- up from 857 million 33 years earlier.

The United States also stands out with nearly 75 percent of men and 60 percent of women overweight or obese, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study published in The Lancet medical journal. “Obesity is an issue affecting people of all ages and incomes, everywhere,” said Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, who helped collate the data for the period 1980 to 2013. “In the last three decades, not one country has achieved success in reducing obesity rates, and we expect obesity to rise steadily as incomes rise in low- and middle-income countries in particular, unless ur-

Women sit on a bench in Mexico City on May 20, 2013 (AFP Photo/Ronaldo Schemidt) gent steps are taken to address this public health crisis.” One is considered overweight with a weight-to-height (BMI) ratio of 25 or over, and obese from 30 upward. A staggering 671 million people now fall within the obese category, said the study -- 78 million of them in the United States, which accounts for ﬁve percent of the world’s population, but more than a tenth of its grossly overweight people. China and India, with much larger populations, trailed 2nd and 3rd in the top 10 obese countries with 46 million and 30 million people respectively, followed by Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Germany, Pakistan and Indonesia. Overweight people are more prone to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoar-

thritis and kidney disease, and the soaring numbers are placing a heavy burden on health care systems, said the study.

and 13 percent in developing ones were overweight or obese -- up from 16 percent and eight percent in 1980.

Excess body weight is estimated to have caused 3.4 million deaths in 2010, and previous research has warned that an unabated rise in obesity could start eating away at life expectancy.

Thirteen percent of American children are obese, almost 30 percent if you include overweight -- up from 19 percent in 1980.

The study, based on data from 188 countries, said the prevalence of obese and overweight adults grew by 28 percent worldwide, and by nearly 50 percent for children. For men, the increase was from 29 to 37 percent, and for women from 30 to 38 percent of the population. - Fat child, fat adult? The study authors expressed concern that nearly a quarter of kids in developed countries

Breast cancer gene also points to lung risk: study by Mariette LE ROUX PARIS, June 1, 2014 (AFP) A notorious breast cancer gene has been shown to also increase a smoker’s risk of developing lung cancer -- by almost double, a study said Sunday. The finding, published in the journal Nature Genetics, opens possible avenues for treatment and for screening of those at risk, said the authors. “Our findings provide further evidence for inherited genetic susceptibility to lung cancer,” they wrote. “All smokers are taking a considerable risk with their health, regardless of their genetic profile, but the odds are stacked even more heavily against those with this genetic defect,” added Paul Workman, deputy chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), which took part in the study. A meta-analysis of four studies found that about a quarter of smokers with a specific defect in the BRCA2 gene will develop lung cancer in their lifetime, compared to 13 percent of the general smoking population.

cer and defective BRCA2, known to increase the risk of breast, ovarian and other cancer, was particularly strong in patients with the most common lung cancer sub-type, called squamous cell lung cancer,” said a statement from the ICR. - Strongest genetic link Other genes have been linked to lung cancer risk before, but the role of BRCA2 was unknown. The defective variant, carried by about two percent of the population, “is the strongest genetic association with lung cancer reported so far,” the study authors said. The research also threw up a second, new gene, CHEK2, which plays a smaller role in lung cancer risk. “The results suggest that in the future, patients with squamous cell lung cancer could beneﬁt from drugs speciﬁcally designed to be effective in cancers with BRCA mutations,” said the ICR.

The analysis had compared the DNA of 11,348 people with lung cancer to those of 15,861 without.

“A family of drugs called PARP inhibitors have shown success in clinical trials in breast and ovarian cancer patients with BRCA mutations, although it is not known whether they could be effective in lung cancer.”

“The link between lung can-

All the study subjects were of

European descent, and it was not clear if the findings would apply to other groups, the authors said. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 (for BReast CAncer susceptibility) genes are the best-known inherited cause for breast cancer. Last year, Hollywood star Angelina Jolie announced she had had both breasts surgically removed as a preventative measure after tests revealed she carried the specific BRCA mutation, despite not having been diagnosed with cancer. The main cause of lung cancer is smoking, although genetics are known to increase the risk. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, lung cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer -- estimated to be responsible for nearly one in five, or 1.59 million, deaths in 2012.

“Particularly high rates of child and adolescent obesity were seen in Middle Eastern and North African countries, notably among girls,” the study authors noted. Other regional differences included a slower rate of increase in developed countries, but fast expanding waistlines in the Middle East, North Africa, Central America and Paciﬁc and Caribbean Islands -- regions where many countries’ overweight rates exceed 44 percent. Fast gains were measured in Britain and Australia. Women are heavier in developing countries and men in developed ones, said the study. The World Health Organisation aims to halt the rise in obesity by 2025, a target the study authors said appeared “very ambitious and unlikely to be attained without concerted action and further research”. One solution, said Klim McPherson from Oxford University, was to return to the BMI levels of 1980 -- which would mean an eight percent drop in consumption across the UK alone, at a cost to the food industry of some 8.7 billion pounds (11 billion euros) per year. “The solution has to be mainly political,” he wrote in a comment on the study. “Where is the international will to act decisively in a way that might restrict economic growth in a competitive world, for the public’s health? Nowhere yet.”

Preventive health services for adults Most health plans must cover a set of preventive services like shots and screening tests at no cost to you. This includes Marketplace private insurance plans. Free preventive services All Marketplace plans and many other plans must cover the following list of preventive services without charging you a copayment or coinsurance. This is true even if you haven’t met your yearly deductible. This applies only when these services are delivered by a network provider. 1. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm one-time screening for men of specified ages who have ever smoked 2. Alcohol Misuse screening and counseling 3. Aspirin use to prevent cardiovascular disease for men and women of certain ages 4. Blood Pressure screening for all adults 5. Cholesterol screening for adults of certain ages or at higher risk 6. Colorectal Cancer screening for adults over 50 7. Depression screening for adults 8. Diabetes (Type 2) screening for adults with high blood pressure 9. Diet counseling for adults at higher risk for chronic disease 10. HIV screening for everyone ages 15 to 65, and other ages at increased risk 11. Immunization vaccines for adults--doses, recommended ages, and recommended populations vary: • Hepatitis A • Hepatitis B • Herpes Zoster • Human Papillomavirus • Influenza (Flu Shot) • Measles, Mumps, Rubella • Meningococcal • Pneumococcal • Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis • Varicella 12. Obesity screening and counseling for all adults 13. Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention counseling for adults at higher risk 14. Syphilis screening for all adults at higher risk 15. Tobacco Use screening for all adults and cessation interventions for tobacco users Do Marketplace insurance plans cover mental health and substance abuse services? Yes. All Marketplace insurance plans cover mental health and substance abuse services as an essential health benefit. Mental and behavioral health services are essential health benefits Health insurance plans available in the Marketplace must cover 10 categories of essential health benefits. One of these

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categories is mental health and substance abuse services. (Substance abuse is also known as substance use disorder.) These services include behavioral health treatment, such as psychotherapy and counseling. They also include mental and behavioral health inpatient services and substance use disorder treatment. Your specific behavioral health benefits will depend on the state you live in and the particular health plan you choose. You’ll see a full list of what each plan covers when you compare plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace. Mental and behavioral health and pre-existing conditions Marketplace plans can’t deny you coverage or charge you more just because you have a pre-existing condition. This includes mental health and substance use disorder conditions. Coverage for treatment of pre-existing conditions begins as soon as your Marketplace coverage is in effect. There’s no waiting period for coverage of these services. No lifetime or yearly dollar limits for mental health services Marketplace plans can’t apply yearly or lifetime dollar limits on coverage of essential health benefits. This includes benefits for mental health and substance use disorder services. Parity protections for mental health services Marketplace plans must provide certain “parity” protections between mental health and substance abuse benefits on the one hand, and medical and surgical benefits on the other. This means that in general, limits applied to mental health and substance abuse services can’t be more restrictive than limits applied to medical and surgical services. The kinds of limits covered by the parity protections include: • Financial, like deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket limits • Treatment, like limits to the number of days or visits covered • Care management, like being required to get authorization of treatment before getting it For selection health plan of your choice contact:Sudhir Mathuria 713-771-2900.

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“We know that the single biggest thing we can do to reduce death rates is to persuade people not to smoke, and our new ﬁndings make plain that this is even more critical in people with an underlying genetic risk,” said study leader Richard Houlston.

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Among the most striking statistics: more than half the population of Tonga is now classiﬁed as obese -- a dangerous level of overweight -- as are more than 50 percent of women in Kuwait, Libya, Qatar and Samoa.

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VOICE OF ASIA 16

What’s New and Beneficial about Walnuts - Part I Next week in Part II: Major Health Beneﬁts.

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

Smart lifestyle takes centre stage at Asia tech show by Laura MANNERING

AIPEI - Asia’s largest tech trade show will be a battleground for smart innovations when it kicks off in Taiwan Tuesday -from car systems which warn when you are driving badly to a toothbrush-style camera that ﬁlms the user’s teeth. More than 1,500 exhibitors, including some of the world’s leading technology brands, will set out their stalls at Computex, in the capital Taipei, with 130,000 visitors expected for the ﬁve-day event.

Prof. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee, Rice University, Houston.

by Prof. Meenakshi Bhattacharjee

alnuts are revered since ancient times as a symbol of intellectuality, since their kernels have convoluted surface inside the shell resembling as that of brain! The nuts are enriched with many health-benefiting nutrients, especially Ω-3 fatty acids that are essential for optimum health. Walnut is an edible seed of the tree nut Juglans regia. The plant originated in India and the regions surrounding the Caspian Sea, and in the 4th century AD, the ancient Romans introduced the walnut to many European countries. The tree serves a multitude of uses; it can be used as food (edible seed), medicine, furniture and dye. Researchers are convinced—more than ever before—about the nutritional benefits of walnuts when consumed in whole form, including the skin. It is know that approximately 90% of the phenols in walnuts are found in the skin, including key phenolic acids, tannins, and flavonoids. People tend to remove the walnut skin— that whitish, sometimes waxy, sometimes flaky, outermost part of shelled walnuts. There can be slight bitterness to this skin, and that’s often the reason for removing it. However, it is encouraged not to remove this phenol-rich portion. The form of vitamin E found in walnuts is somewhat unusual, and particularly beneficial. Instead of having most of its vitamin E present in the alpha-tocopherol form, walnuts provide an unusually high level of vitamin E in the form of gamma-tocopherol. Particularly in studies on the cardiovascular health of men, this gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E has been found to provide significant protection from heart problems. Most U.S. adults have yet to discover the benefits of walnuts. A recent study has determined that only 5.5% of all adults (ages 19-50) consume tree nuts of any kind! This small percentage of people actually do a pretty good job of integrating tree nuts (including walnuts) into their

diet, and average about 1.25 ounces of tree nuts per day. But the other 94.5% of us report no consumption of tree nuts whatsoever. In a recent look at the nutritional differences between tree nut eaters and non-eaters, researchers have reported some pretty notable findings: on a daily average, tree nut eaters take in 5 grams more fiber, 260 milligrams more potassium, 73 more milligrams of calcium, 95 more milligrams of magnesium, 3.7 milligrams more vitamin E, and 157 milligrams less sodium! Phytonutrient research on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits of walnuts has moved this food further and further up the ladder of foods that are protective against metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular problems, and type 2 diabetes. Some phytonutrients found in walnuts—for example, the quinone juglone— are found in virtually no other commonly-eaten foods. Other phytonutrients—like the tannin tellimagrandin or the flavonol morin—are also rare and valuable as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. These anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phytonutrients also help explain the decreased risk of certain cancers—including prostate cancer and breast cancer—in relationship to walnut consumption. Walnuts Nutrition Facts: Walnuts are high in protein, vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, trace minerals, lecithin and oils. Compared with other nuts, which typically contain a high amount of monounsaturated fats, walnuts are unique because the fats in them are primarily polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and are the only nut with a significant amount of alpha-linolenic acid. Moreover, walnuts have insignificant amounts of sodium and are cholesterol free.

Calories in Walnuts: An ounce (28g) of (chopped) walnuts contain 183 calories of which 153 calories come from the fats. Vitamins and Minerals in Walnuts: Walnut contains a large amount of vitamins B6 (0.2mg per ounce of walnut) providing 8 percent of the daily requirement. It also has plenty of folate and thiamin and useful quantity of vitamin E in the form of tocopherol. Walnut is a rich source of manganese, one serving contributing to almost half of its required daily value. It is also rich in other minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus and iron. Omega 3 in Walnuts: Omega 3 and Omega 6 are two essential fatty acids required by our body for cell growth, immune function, blood clotting and disease prevention, but our body cannot make them on their own. So these fatty acids have to be obtained from our diet. Our body needs two critical Omega-3 fatty acids, (eicosapentaenoic acid, called EPA and docosahexaenoic or DHA) and walnut contains a precursor Omega-3, called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body converts to EPA and DHA. An ounce (28g) of walnuts provides 18g of total fat of which 13g are PUFA and 2.5 g are ALA. Cholesterol Content in Walnuts: Walnut helps prevent heart disease and are the fruit recommended for lowering cholesterol. It is an established fact that coronary heart disease (CHD) is associated with high total cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol levels. Studies carried out across United States, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Israel indicated that consuming 2 to 3 servings of walnuts daily decreases cholesterol levels sufﬁcient to lower risk of CHD.

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This year sees the launch of a new SmarTech area featuring smart wearables, 3D printing, intelligent vehicle systems and security -- a move which organisers say reﬂects the increasing role of smart technology at all levels of everyday life. “We’re looking to interest everybody, from ordinary people to government level,” said Li Chang, deputy secretary general of the Taipei Computer Association, co-organisers of the show.

Girly names make for deadliest hurricanes: study WASHINGTON - Hurricanes with feminine names may kill three times as many victims because people do not perceive them as being as threatening as storms named after men, scientists said Monday. Hurricanes are named by a pre-determined, alternating order that has nothing to do with the strength of the approaching storm. Scientists developed in the system in the 1970s to avoid the perception of gender bias. However, the result has been deadly, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences which spanned more than six decades of Atlantic hurricanes. Researchers at the University of Illinois analyzed data on fatalities from every hurricane that made landfall in the United States from 1950-2012. “A hurricane with a relatively masculine name is estimated to cause 15.15 deaths, whereas a hurricane with a relatively feminine name is estimated to cause 41.84 deaths,” said the study. “In other words, our model suggests that changing a severe hurricane’s name from Charley to Eloise could nearly triple its death toll.” Scientists even disregarded two major storms in their analysis -- Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Audrey (1957) -- because they took an outsized number of lives and could have skewed the results. “In judging the intensity of a storm, people appear to be applying their beliefs about how men and women behave,” said co-author Sharon Shavitt, a professor of marketing.

Computex trade fair in Taipei on June 2, 2014. Watches, rings and wristbands that connect to Internet cloud services which collect and analyse data is a dominant trend for the new generation of wearables being showcased, says Chang. “Smart wearable is not a new technology, but combining it with cloud computing means the wearer’s data is collected all day every day, is analysed and can predict your body’s condition, giving warnings of potential health problems,” he said. Taiwan’s leading personal computer maker Acer announced Friday the launch of its first wearable device, the Liquid Leap smartband, which will make its debut at Computex. The one-inch touchscreen smartband has fitness tracking, phone and SMS notification and music control, and will be sold together with the Liquid Jade smartphone. The devices will also link to Acer’s new cloud services as the struggling company tries to transition away from PCs to revive its fortunes. - Adapting to changing times “I think the introduction of the SmarTech area shows how dynamic Taiwanese companies are,” Singapore-based tech blogger Alfred Siew told AFP. “Computex has traditionally been a very PC-focused show because there are a lot of PC and component manufacturers there. “But since last year there has been a prominent shift towards mobile devices -- tablets and phones. Taiwan is a very dynamic economy when it comes to adapting to change,” he said. The show will also have a zone dedicated to convertible tablets as they try to elbow lap-

“This makes a female-named hurricane, especially one with a very feminine name such as Belle or Cindy, seem gentler and less violent.” Researchers also found that when they asked people to imagine being in the path of a hurricane named Alexandra, Christina or Victoria, they rated it as less risky and intense than imagined storms named Alexander, Christopher or Victor. “This is a tremendously important ﬁnding,” said Hazel Rose Markus, a professor in behavioral sciences at Stanford University, who was not involved in the study. “Proof positive that our cul-

tops out of the market, a “touch display” area and a section for mobile cloud computing. Microsoft, Intel and Taiwan’s Asus are among the major players attending Computex, but it is also a platform for lesserknown brands and start-ups. Taiwanese company Abeltech won a pre-show Best Choice award for its Cloud Intraoral camera, which is shaped like a toothbrush and videos the inside of the user’s mouth, linking the high-deﬁnition footage to smartphones and tablets. And the intelligent vehicle offerings will include a car system which gives a warning to drivers if they swerve out of lane, organisers said. “There are a lot of small innovative start-ups in Asia which will want to use Computex as a place to show their technology,” said Nicole Peng, Shanghai-based analyst for market research ﬁrm Canalys. But, while the latest smart devices may deliver the biggest wow factor, the less glamorous aspects of computer technology, from motherboards to components, will also play their part at Computex -- and are essential to the region’s success in the tech world, Peng says. “The region is not as outspoken or as loud as Silicon Valley, but I think a lot of mainly smaller-scale innovations happen here, on the components side and materials side. “There’s a need to keep on innovating because now, in the hardware area, the key is new materials and new components -- for example sensors are very important these days for innovation,” she added. “Many Silicon Valley startups look for their components here, in Korea, Japan, Taiwan. That’s still a very important area for them.”

turally grounded associations steer our steps.” Prior to the decision in the late 1970s to alternate male and female names, hurricanes were only given feminine names, a practice born out of the belief that storms, like women, were unpredictable. Researchers said their study suggests that another change may be in order. “For policymakers, these ﬁndings suggest the value of considering a new system for hurricane naming to reduce the inﬂuence of biases on hurricane risk assessments and to motivate optimal preparedness,” the study concluded.

44 Indians shortlisted for one-way trip to Mars

PACE-MARS/LONDON: Forty-four Indians, including 17 women, are among 705 aspirants shortlisted for an ambitious private mission to send four people on a planned one-way trip to Mars in 2024 to colonies the red planet. The Netherlands-based nonproﬁt organization Mars One announced that 353 hopefuls from around the world have been eliminated from the selection program to become the ﬁrst human Mars colonists. The number of people remaining in this “once in many lifetimes opportunity” is now just 705, including 44 Indians of whom 27 are men and 17 are women.

The Indian aspirants come from cities such as New Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune and Thiruvanathapuram. The applicants came from over 140 countries and more than 20,000 Indians had applied for the ﬁrst round. The remaining candidates will be interviewed by the Mars One selection committee. “We’re incredibly excited to start the next phase of Round 2, where we begin to better understand our candidates who aspire to take such a daring trip. They will have to show their knowledge, intelligence, adaptability and personality,” Mars One Chief Medical Ofﬁcer Norbert

Kraft, said. In December 2013, Mars One announced the selection of 1058 candidates, including 62 from India, from the original pool of over 200,000 applicants. Mars One asked them to complete two tasks by March 2014: to provide a medical statement of health from their physician and open their on-line Mars One applicant proﬁle to the public. The 418 men and 287 women who successfully completed both tasks will be invited for a personal interview. 313 candidates originally come from the Americas, 187 from Europe, 136 from Asia, 41 from Africa, and 28 from Oceania.–PTI

VOICE OF ASIA 17

BUSINESS

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

Friday, June 6, 2014

Section 2 Page 17

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

MassMutual Introduces Team of Financial Professionals to Serve South Asian Community in Metro New Jersey

Tel: 713-774-5140

American Society Of Indian Engineers Hosts Director Krueger

General agency Emerald Financial adds a team of representatives; Reafﬁrms focus on important South Asian clients

ASIE Executive committee with Dan Krueger, Director of Public Works, City of Houston.

MassMutual has for the ﬁrst time had a South Asian-only sales unit in the heart of this community.

RIDGEWATER, N.J., June 2, 2014 – Underscoring its commitment to the financial needs of the vibrant South Asian community in Metro New Jersey, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), along with general agency Emerald Financial Resources (Emerald Financial), today are introducing their local team of financial professionals who will be dedicated to serving the that fiscally astute group. Emerald Financial, a MassMutual general agency, has been serving the Bridgewater and surrounding area since 1998, helping more than 11,000 clients achieve their financial goals. The new members of the Emerald Financial team will be working with South Asian clients, developing the combination of products and services that best meet their individual needs. The addition of the team marks the first time MassMutual has had a South Asian-only sales unit in the heart of this community. The new associates, who have nearly 75 years of combined industry experience, are Deepak Malhotra, Al Devji, Shamsha Devji, Hal Gandhi, Varsha Patel, Anil Sharma, Sanjeev Shah and Alpesh Shah. “MassMutual and the South Asian community are meant for each other,” said Nimesh Trivedi, director of multicultural marketing for MassMutual, specializing in the South Asian market. “The company’s longevity, financial strength and flexible line of superior financial products can help South Asian fami-

lies secure their future and protect the ones they love.” “Our new team of South Asian financial professionals is wellplaced here in the heart of New Jer- MassMutual team sey, among the largest South Asian population in the country,” added Michael Vesuvio, Emerald Financial general agent. “It is comprised of experienced and knowledgeable professionals who come from – and are a vital part of – the community they serve. We look forward to providing keen insight and strategic guidance to those whom we will serve.” A recent MassMutual 2013 State of the American Family Study echoed the strong tendency of the South Asian community to put family first, with South Asian respondents sharing that their top two financial priorities are saving for children’s college education and keeping the family financially shielded:

future. • Seventy percent noted it is important not to burden their own children with the cost of caring for them when they get older. “We share the same values and concerns of our community,” added Deepak Malhotra, one of the managers on the Emerald Financial South Asian team. “We understand the importance of protecting our families and providing a college education for our children to this community and can help our neighbors prioritize these goals in their future plans.”

• Sixty-seven percent of South Asians said they think about what is best for the family when making ﬁnancial decisions.

To reach Mr. Malhotra and his team, call (908) 704-1800, email DMalhotra@ﬁnancialguide.com or logon on to emeraldfinancialresources.com. To get help starting to plan for your ﬁnancial future, logon to massmutual.com/asianindian.

• Three quarters of South Asians indicated they believe that it is important to educate their children about ﬁnances to ensure a strong economy in the

For more information, visit www.massmutual.com or ﬁnd MassMutual on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest.

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by Dinesh Shah he American Society of Indian Engineers (ASIE) had their May 2014 luncheon meeting at HESS with the Director of Public Works, City of Houston, Dan Krueger as the featured speaker. A large gathering of almost 160 engineers from all walks of fields were in attendance. Thirty three consulting engineering companies sponsored the event, the proceeds of which were dedicated to be spent on scholarships to deserving students pursuing engineering education. Mr. Sekhar Ambadapudi, the current president of ASIE welcomed the gathering. He reiterated the efforts of ASIE in providing networking among various engineers and thanked the Director for consenting to be the featured speaker. Mr. Ambadapudi said that “this year, ASIE will be celebrating its 20th anniversary and we will be hosting a gala to celebrate the occasion” and went on to say that the scholarship program has been working well for ASIE. Last year, ASIE awarded several scholarships to students in an amount of $10,000. He said all this was possible due to active participation of engineering consultants, contractors and suppliers in sponsoring the events. Mr. Raj Basavaraju, the current Treasurer, then recognized all the sponsors for today’s meeting. He was then followed by Showri Nandagiri, Vice President who introduced Mr. Krueger to the audience. He said Mr. Krueger, being the director of public works for City of Houston since July 2010 is a very familiar public official among the engineering community of Houston. He said that Mr. Krueger directs the operations of one of the larger departments under Mayor Parker, and that he is responsible for overseeing the Department’s services to Houston citizens through the planning, operations, maintenance, construction management and technical engineering of the City’s public infrastructure. His Department of Public Works and Engineering is staffed with a trained work force of approximately 3,900 employees and operates with an annual budget of approximately $1.2 billion. Director Krueger in his remarks commended the efforts of ASIE in organizing the events which help the students with financial assistance. He reminded the fact that this week was National Public Works Week recognizing the contribution of engineers to the community. Mr. Krueger said engineering was a blend of Math and Science, and engineers apply these two branches in a most appropriate manner to assist the community in a variety of ways. He went on to advise the audience that they should always be responsible, innovative and honest in whatever they do. In conclusion he told the engineers that they should continue to provide the

good service they are providing to the City of Houston. Sekhar Ambadapudi then presented a plaque to the Director. Mr. Rajesh Tolikonda, Secretary, proposed a vote of thanks. ASIE is a Houston based non-

proﬁt organization established in 1994 with speciﬁc objectives for engineers, architects, and engineering technicians of Indian origin. For more information visit www.asiehouston.org

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HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014

Your Horoscope for the Week of June 6, 2014 by 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.

READ YOUR COMPLETE HOROSCOPE ONLINE WWW.VOICEOFASIAONLINE.COM

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 Oct

Remind others of how inventive you can be when you have to be. Enjoy the learning and Try to Accept others misgivings, honestly. The attention you receive will be encouragbring the light to those who share your ideas. Check security issues and viable solutions ing rather than distracting. Your judgments could play a big role in their lives. A high will come to you. Everything will seem to be going in the opposite direction from what level of conﬁdence will announce to others that you’re ready to get down to business. you had anticipated. Instead of letting it get to you, look on the bright side and be dazzled by what you Communicate your intentions clearly from the very beginning. The secret to your sucsee. Quick thinking could save everything. Strategy will take over once you can no longer accept thecess will lie in ﬁnding a compatible partner to bounce off of. If you continue to argue on every point, way things are. then you may need to look elsewhere.

Scorpio (N,Y)23 Oct to 21 Nov

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May Talk to a trusted friend about their experiences. If possible, try to get an extension on your deadline. Hasty actions could be worse for you than not acting at all. If you have more time, try to devote it to getting it right. Someone close to you will disappoint you. There’s no point in pretending to be objective, but at least you can be fair with your feelings. Partners in an intense friendship have many ways to communicate. Once you’re able to express your pent up feelings, you’ll be able to forgive then move on.

Share your creative ideas. Everyone will be fascinated with your conversations. Your showmanship & flair may be questioned by those in authority. Exhibit the benefits of the new venture. Peers may try to question your motives, respond with positive financial data. Collect & study the facts, you may be tested to remember, later. Don’t be too ready to accuse someone without knowing the facts, but you probably shouldn’t trust everything you hear.

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June Put things into a better perspective. Accent is on using your personality to open new doors of opportunity. Your cycle is high. You need to be cautious about who you trust with your personal & ﬁnancial matters. Time is on your side, so don’t rush any big decisions. Remember that a relationship is as much about friendship as it is about obligation. Use your imagination & you’ll come up the winner. Small details, errands and ‘minutia’ that MAY lead to misunderstandings, arguments and certainly disagreements are possible.

You’ll be able to achieve your immediate goals if you learn to listen closely to others. Verify your information and obtain written reference material. There’s no reason to take everything quite so personally. Don’t jump to any conclusions right away, allow some time to soften your overall view of things. You’ll need the time to digest your thoughts & emotions. Patience will be required in order to understand others perspective. Reconnect with what excites you and rejoin the life that’s going on outside your door.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July Opportunities for travel, romance & communications. Whether it be for business or for pleasure, take advantage of the situation before you. Set the standards, keep the ﬂow positive & don’t try to preach your morals to others. Keep your private life private and your social life social. Your excess energy might put you in danger of saying or doing something inappropriate. Others may not be in a mood to have their limitations challenged. Allow room for variation. Mutual literary interest could bond a relationship.

Transform information and data into a valuable opportunity. Take the time you need to streamline procedures and improve techniques. Once you do, you’ll be able to reap rewards beyond your expectations. Gather together with others who share your passion and want to succeed. Your ability to encourage them will pay off in many ways. Their gratitude will be overwhelming and surprising. Family members will try to bring you into their web.

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

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August

You may connect with a new network of learning. Once you do, you’ll feel more conﬁdent in who you are. Volunteer work looks good on your resume, which can not only help others, but yourself, as well. By removing money from the equation, you allow yourself new avenues of exploration and expression. New friends can lead you to new avenues of social & professional exposure. Be yourself & you’ll be accepted & loved by all. Encourage others to pursue their talents. Community spirit might be upstaged by individuals who lacks rational.

Use your wit & wisdom to help make others feel comfortable with new ideas. Invite others to join you while you step into a new realm of learning. Stress your independence, creativity and style. Your personality will be bubbling. Take on the leadership role & make sure you listen your own words. Relax and make yourself feel at home. Be aware of the limits to which a business relationship can be stretched. Be open to new experiences, and remember to say thank you. By week’s end you’ll have an extra burst of energy.

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

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September With new beginnings and a reconnection to the past, You could ruin your chances by using your most effective ammunition too early in the week. Rude or impulsive behavior is not easily excused. Regrets have a way of softening the hard edges. An old wound may be slow to heal. No one ever said it was going to be easy, but you know it’ll be worth it. Open your eyes to the reality that exists not what you perceive through your rose colored glasses. Look deeper and you will be able to make needed changes.

Changes in your career objectives, Your skills are a valuable asset to any team on which you’re a player. Hold off on making your report ﬁnal until you have listened to others concerns. There will also be changes in your domestic affairs. A chance meeting will be the start of a fresh new things. Spend some quality time & realize how special you feel. Your entire outlook will be transformed. Gatherings may be heated, refuse to take sides in family disagreements.

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