Voice of Asia June 07 2013

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FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

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ANNIVERSARY 1987-2012

Vol. 26 No. 23 Friday, June 7, 2013 Published Weekly from Houston 713-774-5140 24 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: voiceasia@aol.com

Indian Americans hold prayer meeting for Houston’s “Fallen Heroes”

by Shobana Muratee

H

OUSTON – Just four days after Memorial Day, when the nation paid its tribute to ‘fallen heroes’, tragedy struck again on Friday, May 31 when four firefighters from the Houston Fire Department died in the line of duty.

A black ribbon remains strapped across Station 68 and Station 51 where first responders to a 5-alarm fire in Southwest Houston on that fateful day, described as by the Mayor Parker as the ‘the deadliest fire in the history of fires in Hous-

ton’, when four heroes: Captain EMT Matthew Renaud (35) of Station 51 who began his career with the Houston Fire Department in October of 2001, Engineer Operator EMT, Robert Bebee (41) of Station 51 who began his career with the Houston Fire Department in August of 2001, Firefighter EMT Robert Garner (29) of Station 68 who began his career with the Houston Fire Department in October of 2010 and Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan (24) of Station 68 who graduated from Houston Fire DepartContinued on Page 5

Captain EMT, Matthew Renaud (35) of Station 51

L-R:Dr. Mathur, Durga Aggrawal, Chief Juan Adame (Sugar Land) Ken Mathew, Councilman, Stafford, Jugal Malani, president, India House, Consul General P. Harish, PV Patel, president India Culture Center. Photos left and right by Shobana Muratee (VOA)

Engineer Operator EMT, Robert Bebee (41) of Station 51

Probationary Firefighter, Anne Sullivan (24) of Station 68.

Firefighter EMT Robert Garner (29) of Station 68

Representatives of different faiths who offered prayers. L-R: Dr Surya Narayan Nanda (Hindu), Parimal Pragyaji and Vikas Pragyaji (Jain), Pradeep Pandya (Hindu) Bhai Paras Singh and Bhai Charanjit Singh (Sikh). Not in picture: Rev. Roy A.Thomas (Christian) and Hoshang Sethna (Zoroastrian).

Incredible India 2013 presents fabulous Gatha Odissi dances

by Sesh Bala

H

ouston’s “Samskriti” Indian Performing Arts organization, in collaboration with Orissa Culture Center, presented a fabulous Odissi group dance as a part of its “Incredible India 2013” series on May 31 at the Miller Outdoor Theatre. A troupe of 10 artists, 4 women and 6 men, kept a packed audience spellbound through every one of its 5 dance numbers, together titled “Gatha Odissi: The Journey from Temple to Stage”. The lead dancer and choreographer was Guru Aruna Mohanty, the dynamic Director of the Orissa Dance Academy.

The other dancers were Yudhistir Nayak, Pabitra Kumar Pradhan, Biswaji Das, Arupa

Gayathri Panda, Prashant Kumar Behera, Rajesh Kumar Palai, Rudra Prasad Swain, Puja Jena and Shipra Avantica Mehrotra. All except Houston’s own Shipra Mehrotra are artists visiting from India. Jayadev Das from India was the lighting designer for the event.

The five dance numbers consisted of Krupanidhana (an old traditional composition that celebrates Lord Jagannath), Khamaj Pallavi (a pure dance with lyrical movements of sensuous grace), Rasa in Ramayana (presenting nine universal emotions each conveyed through a different episode from the Hindu epic Ramayana), Krishna Saranam (depicting seven episodes from the life of Lord Krishna) and finally Swargaadapi Gariysai – Vande Mataram (a trib-

ute to the motherland India).

Extremely well choreographed and rehearsed, each dance was enhanced by related images, scenes and wellscripted explanatory supertitles projected on a screen mounted behind the dancers. The pre-recorded music for the dance was clear, melodious and pleasing.

The introductory narratives enhanced the audience understanding of the storyline and lyrics of each dance. The entire program lasted about two and a half hours including a 10-mintue intermission.

International Odissi dance performers at the Incredible India 2013. Pictures are by Amitava Sarkar

Samskriti with its Artistic Director Rathna Kumar, her husband Anil Kumar and the Orissa Culture Center should be commended for bringing Continued on Page 3

OP-ED/OPIONS/

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Publisher: Koshy Thomas Associate Publisher: Sherly Philip Editor: Shobana Muratee Austin Correspondent: Sherine Thomas Marketing: Jacob David Production: AR Vadlamani Office Manager Priyan Mathew

Voice of Asia Online Online Editor:

Shobana Muratee

All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the consent of the publisher.

Voice of Asia assumes no liability resulting from action taken based on the information included herein. Published weekly by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074. Tel: 713-774-5140.

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STUDY New research points to turning point in human diet

By Laura Zuckerman (Reuters) - Human ancestors in Africa about 3.4 million years ago expanded their diets beyond the leaves and fruits preferred by most primates and began eating grasses and grass-like plants, setting the stage for expanded habitats, according to new research.

The research, by University of Utah geochemist Thure Cerling and an international team of scientists, refutes the previously held belief that those early humans shared the diets of forestdwelling primates.

The research was published in four studies published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The studies analyzed the tooth enamel of ancestors of humans and great apes to show early man gained a taste for grasses and sedges,

grass-like plants with edged stems.

“It was like the opening of a new restaurant and they didn’t have to eat the same old stuff,” Cerling told Reuters on Tuesday.

No longer dependent on forests for their supply of food, the change in diet helped pave the way for early man to explore new habitats, Cerling said.

The question of whether those ancestors were pure herbivores or carnivores remains unanswered.

“That is a mystery still to be unraveled,” Cerling said.

Earlier studies indicate that early man did not scavenge for meat until 2.5 million years ago and did not begin hunting for game until about 500,000 years ago.

(Editing by Edith Honan and Peter Cooney)

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It is the policy of Voice of Asia to publish letters to the editor which evidence a variety of viewpoints. The opinions expressed in any particular letter to the editor are not necessarily those of the management. Voice of Asia welcomes letters in reply to issues raised in letters to editor. In as much letters to the editor are not articles written or researched by members of Voice of Asia, it is not the policy of the Voice of Asia to perform any investigation or confirmation of any facts or allegations contained in letters to the editor.

Moreover, Voice of Asia reserves the right to edit letters to the editor as necessary to correct errors of fact, punctuation, spelling and to comply with space constraints. - The Publisher

by Ramesh Ponnuru (Bloomberg) epublicans on Capitol Hill are abuzz with the possibility that the scandal at the Internal Revenue Service will lead to tax reform. Media strategist Frank Luntz is advising them to harness public outrage to reach this goal.

This path will dead-end.

Republican tax-reform plans remain vague, because that’s the way they stay popular. And the leading Republican taxreform ideas have no real relation to the facts of the scandal. Republicans generally want to broaden the tax base, lower rates and reduce the number of brackets. The IRS could have harassed conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status -- the core of the current scandal -- even if we did all of these things with a flat tax.

R

Conservatives disliked it when Democrats responded to the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, by proposing gun regulations that wouldn’t have done anything to stop it, and that disconnection is one reason the regulations didn’t have enough political momentum to pass. That example should make Republicans think twice about using the IRS scandal to flatten taxes.

The Real Scandal at the IRS Some conservatives would like to get rid of the corporate-income tax, which actually would prevent such a scandal from happening again.

Republicans have enough political sense, though, not to propose that. So the default response is continued vagueness: They’re saying we should “abolish the IRS” without noting that they would almost certainly have to create another large, intrusive tax-collection agency to replace it.

Government Power Republicans had a better response to the last round of IRS scandals, in the 1990s. In 1997, congressional hearings revealed that IRS agents were being pressured to meet quotas for back taxes and penalties. Agents, sometimes anonymously, admitted that these quotas had led aggressive collectors to squeeze taxpayers for money they didn’t really owe.

A bipartisan commission recommended reforms to rein in such practices. The Clinton administration resisted some of the recommendations, but many of them ultimately became law in 1998.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, Recently, we have heard of great successes and great tragedies on the local and national fronts.

Another bright young Indo-American wins the National Spelling Bee. Tragedy hits Oklahoma more than once in the last ten days. Closer to home, we Houstonians lose four brave Houston Firefighters as they serve their community by fighting a monstrous fire of an Indo-American owned business establishment.

These events must not go without acknowledgement.

Just as we celebrate the successes of our people in this great country, we must be of support to our local communities in moments of tragedy. Now is the time that the IndoAmerican community come together publically and visually to mourn and support the families of the fallen firefighters. Now is the time for local IndoAmerican organizations such as SEWA, who has already pledged financial support, and others such as Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, IndoAmerican Charities, and others to create a fund or contribute to an existing fund to show financial support of the grieving families and their chil-

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

dren. There is much that the Indo-American organizations can do to be a visually active part of the American mainstream community. Let those moments not be only during successes, but also during tragedies.

Amanda Vavilala Houston, TX

Senator Rob Portman, the Ohio Republican who helped lead the commission as a member of the House back then, points out that these reforms played a role in uncovering today’s scandals.

The 1998 law created an inspector general within the Treasury Department to police the IRS for abusive practices, and it was a report from this office on the targeting of conservative groups that brought the latest scandal to light.

“You could argue that we would know nothing about this if not for the law,” Portman told me.

The earlier IRS scandals produced useful reforms partly because the Republicans who did the most to publicize them weren’t focused on pinning the blame on President Bill Clinton. They instead wanted to demonstrate the dangers of letting the federal government have too much power, and in finding ways to reduce those dangers.

We could use a congressional investigation with the same spirit today. The targeting scandal has led to other troubling revelations about the IRS. The Taxpayer Advocate of the U.S. has, for example, reported that a whopping

69 percent of people who claimed the adoption tax credit for 2012 were audited -- even though most of the returns were clean.

(The IRS hasn’t disputed these facts.)

And news reports have suggested that the IRS may have targeted a broad range of conservatives -individuals as well as organizations -- for audits.

One conservative writer, Anne Hendershott, has accused the IRS of singling her out for political reasons. Even if that speculation is incorrect, the details of the story she tells -- that an IRS agent summoned her to a meeting and forbade her from bringing her husband -- point to the possibility that some IRS practices still need reform.

Why, for example, should the agency be trying to predict whether new tax-exempt organizations will comply with the law? Brett Kappel, a lawyer at Arent Fox LLP’s political-law group, says it shouldn’t: “A better approach is to do away with this asking for permission in advance.” The IRS should confine itself to checking whether groups already in operation have in fact followed the rules.

Larger Threat Robert Schriebman, a tax attorney based in Los Angeles who was involved in the last round of reform, believes that enforced tax collection -liens, seizures and the like -- should be placed under the supervision of independent judges, so that the IRS is not its own “judge and jury.” It should also be easier for taxpayers to record meetings with IRS officials.

Portman cautions against legislating before we know all the facts about the scandal: “We have to get to the bottom of this first to find out what happened, how it happened and why it happened.”

That’s right. But Congress shouldn’t just investigate a political scandal.

It should look at the larger threat of abusive behavior by a fearsomely powerful government agency.

(Ramesh Ponnuru is a Bloomberg View columnist, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a senior editor at National Review.

The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this article: Ramesh Ponnuru at rponnuru@ bloomberg.net.

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Fun filled evening at the The Chariot Festival: Radio Masti 4th annual event Shree Jagannath Rath Yatra – 2013

by Sanchali Basu

Radio Masti, Houston’s oldest Bengali radio station held its 4th annual event at the Houston Durgabari’s Sur auditorium on June 1, 2013.

Sutanuka Sinha and Jaya Ghosh, two of its radio jockeys served as emcees. Jaya Ghosh who has been with the program almost since its inception, reminisced about how excited she was to hear Bengali on the radio for the first time four years back.

The evening started with a presentation of Ganesh Bandana in the Bharatanatyam style by the Piyal dance school. Kalaangan School presented Odissi dance. Two other dance presentations by the students of the Nritya Pallavi Academy of Dance was well choreographed. A semi classical dance was also presented by three young dancers of the Nupur Dance School.

Deepayan Bhattacharya, entertained the audience with some Karaoke renditions of popular Bengali and Hindi film songs. The featured guest artist of the evening, Smt. Mandira Lahiri, gifted classical vocalist kept the audience captivated with her fine woven laykaaris, taankaris and sargams. She sang a Meera and Durga Bhajan, a ghazal, a Nazrul Geeti, an Assamese song, and all of them with great depth and emotion. She was ably accompanied by Radio Masti producer, Shyamal Bhattacharya on the tabla and Khalid Zulfikar Khan on the percussion.

Shyamal Bhattacharya, producer Radio Masti on the tabla and Smt. Mandira Lahiri vocalist.

Incredible India 2013....

dic Philosophy. The event will be started with a “Maha Yagna” or the fire worship in the morning followed by different rituals of the three deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhdra.

The major attractions of the festival are planned for the late afternoon hours and include the chariot pulling by thousands of devotees, devotional kirtans and bhajans, Kids activities and maha arati. The admission and parking are free. This year OCC is proud to present a live vocal devotional concert by world renowned vocalist/Bhajan Samrat Shri Anup Jalota.

The evening ended with a very colorful Bhangra presentation by Texas Bhangra the young energetic students from UT Austin. Miss Dee from Houston also joined them on stage with her dholki and got the crowd going. There were raffle drawings interspersed throughout the program and certificates with flowers were presented to the artistes.

The event was well organized by Radio Masti producer, Shyamal Bhattacharya and his group of 16 core volunteers which included his biggest supporter and better half Mita Bhattacharya. There were several stalls which brought their wares and did brisk business, the food stall being the most popular. Well-wishers of Radio Masti came to the event to show their support and encouragement. Nirvana Indian Restaurant, Khalid Zulfikar Khan, Mr. & Mrs. Dilip & Sukti Dutta, Mr. & Mrs. Proshanta & Sharmila Mitra and Mr. & Mrs. Ajay & Daksha Nagar were the co-sponsors for the event.

The three deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhdra will be draw in a festive chariot follwed by devotees singing and chanting.

Anup Jalota to sing bhajans during the festival.

O

Mrs. Nandita Harish felicitates Director of Odissa Dance company Mrs. Aruna Mohanty Far left - Rathna Kumar,Artistic Director of Samskriti .

Continued from Page 1 such high caliber events to Houston for the enjoyment and enrichment of the Houston population.

Miller Outdoor Theater and the City of Houston should be commended for

enabling the presentation of such Indian programs, with free admission, so a broad cross-section of the city’s population can witness such international cultural presentation. It was a diverse crowd that attended this fabulous Odissi group dance.

rissa Culture Center (OCC) and Shri Sitaram Foundation are preparing to celebrate the sixth chariot festival. For the last six years the festival has been providing a ground for spreading the message of peace and universal brotherhood among the people of greater Houston and surrounding cities. The venue for this year’s festival is 11715 Bellfort Village Drive., Houston, TX, 77031 and the date for the celebration is set for Sunday, July 14, 2013. The day’s events are planned to include aspects relating to Shree Jagannatha and Ve-

Celebration of this festival is possible by generous support of participating organizations and individuals.

The event is partially funded by a grant from Houston City Arts Alliance. The OCC and Shri Sitaram Foundation, Houston, cordially invite everyone from Houston and neighboring cities to participate in this year’s chariot festival and experience the oneness that binds all humanity.

For information, please visit www. houstonrathyatra.org or call 832-2252376 or e-mail at rathyatra.hou@ gmail.com. You may connect on https://www.facebook.com/HoustonRathYatra.

(Houston Rathyatra 2013 Organizing Committee)

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VOICE OF ASIA 4

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Open Letter: My Painful Walk

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

Repair shop may not be responsible for stolen motorcycle Q. I brought my son’s motorcycle into a local repair shop. Someone broke into the shop and stole several bikes, including my son’s. The police are investigating, but I doubt we will ever see the bike again. Does the shop have to pay to replace the motorcycle?

A. Whether the shop is responsible will depend on the nature of the theft. The shop is not responsible simply because the motorcycle was on its property. For the shop to be liable you must show they did not exercise ordinary care in protecting the bike from theft, and that is why the theft occurred. For example, if they left the building unlocked, or didn’t fix broken lights or a broken fence, and that is why the thief was able to get in, the shop could be considered negligent and responsible. On the other hand, if this was just a break-in that could not be avoided, and the shop took all reasonable precautions, the shop would have no liability. Many people believe that if something goes wrong on another’s property, that person is responsible. That is not the law. This is why it is so important for all of us to have comprehensive medical and property insurance.

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

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

Q. My husband and I signed a one year lease. Shortly after we moved in he became abusive. I have obtained a protective order against him and moved out. Now the landlord says I will still be responsible for rent if my husband does not pay. Why should I owe rent if I can’t live there?

A. As a general rule, your landlord is correct. Even if a co-tenant moves out, he or she usually remains obligated to pay the rent. The problems between co-tenants are not the fault of the landlord, and do not terminate the tenant’s obligation to pay rent. Under the law, however, a tenant may terminate his or her obligations under a lease and avoid future liability for rent, if the tenant is a victim of family violence who has obtained a temporary injunction or protective order. To exercise your rights under this law you must move out and deliver a copy of the order to the landlord. From that point on, you have no liability for rent. In fact, if the landlord attempts to collect rent in violation of this law, he is subject to a civil penalty of one-month’s rent plus $500.

Q. I inherited $25,000 from my aunt. Do I need to pay inheritance taxes?

A. The person who inherits property does not pay taxes. It is the estate that pays taxes. Under current law, estate taxes are due only if the value of the estate is over $5,250,000 Q. My father recently remarried. I understand he has a will that leaves everything to my stepmother. Can he do this?

A. I assume you are concerned because he has left nothing to you. Under Texas law, a person may leave his or her property to whomever he or she wants. The bottom line is that this is your father’s property and he can do what he wants with it. Without a will, you would be entitled to part of his estate. With a will, the property is distributed in accordance with his directions.

Q. How do I get a copy of my credit report? How much should it cost?

Under federal law, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus, once a year. I suggest you stagger your requests, and get one every four months. This way you will always get current information. To obtain information about your free report, just click on the “Legal Topics” section of my website, listed below.

Would you like more information about your legal rights, visit my website, www.peopleslawyer.net

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Srinivasa Rao Gadam

M

y name is SRINIVASA RAO GADAM, I am a “cancer survivor”. As Winston Churchill said ” If you are going through hell, keep going “, I did the same thing during my three years struggle with cancer, I never stopped my painful walk.

I am writing my story to tell you my struggle for sustaining life and its improvement, because I believe that the most holy thing in the world is ‘fighting for life’. I was born in a middle class family from a small village in Andhra Pradesh, India. I was very lucky for having education with the help of my grandfather. In 2001, I was accepted into a fine medical school on merit basis. I was very happy to pursue the medical career.

After doing bachelors in Medicine and surgery from Rangaraya Medical College, India, I made my journey towards United States of America in August 2008 for higher education. While continuing my studies in Kaplan Medical Inc, the unexpected happened in my life. On February 11, 2010, at the age of 27 years, on my birthday, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a kind of blood cancer. At that time, I have no money, I have no insurance, I don’t know anyone in United States, I have no family member to take care of me and my education was stopped.

I did not lose my heart, I moved forward trusting god. I searched for the treatment options I had and went through the painful treatment of hyper CVAD chemotherapy at Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston, TX from February to July 2010.The complications of chemotherapy were very severe in my case, In July 2010 I had severe infection, it was so severe that it made me go into septic shock and coma.

I was in the hospital for 2 months and had many complications like the gangrene on my feet, lung failure, kidney failure and peritonitis etc.

One night, doctors said to my friends, that night would be my last night, they also said, if this boy comes out of the ICU, it is a miracle. Every one thought that I am going to die. But I did not, I stood firm. I remember that night, a nurse came to my room, hold my hand and prayed. I did not die that night, a miracle happened, I came out of the ICU after some days. At that time my mother came from India to take care of me, ” The angel of my life”. I did recover slowly from all the complications, but I was unable to walk because of severe pain due to gangrene in my legs and confined to the wheel chair.

The definitive treatment for my cancer is bone marrow transplantation, so I started searching for the transplant centers, where there is a research for new chemotherapy drugs and stem cell transplantation, because I did not have the money to effort the cost of transplantation. I knocked every door hoping that someone would open and someone did.

A nurse at Bentaub General hospital told me about American Cancer Society and I reached them, they guided me to Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), and the people at PAF found out a research program at NIH/NCI ( National Institute of Health/ National Cancer Institute ) Bethesda, Maryland. I contacted the people at NIH/NCI and they found a cord blood match for me. I went to NIH/NCI hoping to get the transplantation, but after evaluating for a week, they rejected me because of

the gangrene on my feet. I came back to Houston,TX. The gangrene on my feet took 6 months to heal and made me suitable for the surgery. The plastic surgery doctors at Bentaub general hospital operated on my legs, cut my both foot in the middle and did some skin grafting.

But the wounds on my right leg were very severe and they were deep into the bone, the skin grafting was failed. My doctors did the skin grafting again on my right leg, even that was also failed. After some months, even though I have wounds on my right leg, I gained some strength and started walking with a cane. I started going back to school in August 2011, but the cancer came back in my brain. I still continued to go to school while taking the chemotherapy into my brain. But I was sent out of the school, because I was unable to maintain the required study hours.

The school management told me to leave the country. If I left the country at that time, that would jeopardize my treatment and my life. I did not leave, I stood firm. Immediately, I did apply for the medical visa and continued my treatment, after some months, my medical visa was approved.

In November 2011, a miracle happened in my life, I was accepted into MD Anderson Cancer Center, ranked number one hospital in the world for cancer care and I continued my treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The chemotherapy into my brain has its complications too, I had a neurological complication called hydrocephalus (fluid accumulation in the brain), and the doctors at MD Anderson cancer center did an emergency brain surgery on 01/25/2012 to put a ventriculoperitonial shunt ( connecting brain cavities with the abdomen) and saved my life.

As I already got a match for the cord blood transplantation, I should go for the transplantation as early as possible, because it is the definitive treatment for my cancer. But the open non-healing wounds on my right foot were the main obstacles. The plastic surgeons at MD Anderson Cancer Center were planned to do a muscle grafting, but it was being delayed because of other complications. But I am running out of time, so I took the painful decision to cut my right leg below the knee, which would help me to move forward towards the transplantation. The below Knee amputation was done on 02/29/2012. I recovered from

the surgery and prepared myself for the transplantation.

The more and more I fought, more and more difficult situations raised, but I am becoming stronger and stronger, as Winston Churchill said ” Never, never, never, never give up ” I will fight until the last movement of my breath.

My stem cell doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center started the process of transplantation in April 2012. Before going for the transplantation, I had to go for severe radiation treatment and chemotherapy.

I did complete the radiation treatment to my brain & spinal cord, and high dose chemotherapy into my body in April 2012, without many complications. The cord blood transplantation was done on 05/29/2012.

My transplantation was successful. It was like being born again. All my struggles were paid, god gave me the second chance to live. During the month of October 2012, I gained the strength to walk, and I started walking with a prosthetic leg. I want to restart my education, I want to pursue a career in Psychiatry, my dream is still alive inside me. I don’t want to let my past poison my future. I wrote GRE and TOEFL exams again and applied for the universities. I got admission for doing masters in Psychology at the University of Houston Clear Lake. But I am having severe pain in my left leg to go to school. Again, I took the painful decision to cut my left leg below the knee, so that I can complete my studies. I want to move forward with my head held high and my heart filled with hope.

I might have lost some battles and wounded, but I won the war. I may fall some times in my future, I may or may not have the strength, but my mind, my heart and my soul keep on telling me ” get up and move forward, get up and move forward ” and I will do the same, because “life is a fight for me”. Thank you for reading my story and your blessings. Thank you.

Sincerely, Gadam Srinivasa Rao Srinivasa Rao can be contacted by email address : sanctionofvictim@gmail.com Phone number : 4178496741 Visit website for details: http://www.helpsrini.com/ For contributions: PayPal ID: preciousproton@gmail. com

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VOICE OF ASIA 5

Continued from Page 1 ment Academy this past April

and was assigned to Fire Station 68, all went into the burning building to ensure no one was trapped inside. Suddenly, the building collapsed on them, killing these brave souls and injuring 13 others.

On Tuesday, June 4, Houston’s Indian American community gathered in hundreds at the India House to offer their support, prayers and condolences to the grieving families. Leaders of many faiths: Dr Surya Narayan Nanda of the Hindu faith, Parimal Pragyaji and Vikas Pragyaji of the Jainfait, Bhai Paras Singh and Bhai Charanjit Singh of the Sikh faith, Rev. Roy A.Thomas of the Christian faith, and Hoshang Sethna of the Zoroastrian faith offered prayers and gave their soulful messages on the occasion. Dignitaries were also present to share their thoughts and prayers with the community. A message from Houston Mayor Annise Parker was read out. She urged members to pray and raise funds for those who have lost their lives. Jugal Malani, president of India House announced that the India House members had donated $30,000 and others are expected to reach the targeted amount of $50,000+ towards the cause. “You can write a check to your own organization or to India House,” he said.

In his profound message, Consul General, Hon. P. Harish, said “Every incident of this nature where fellow brothers and sisters have laid down their life for a greater cause is an occasion for us to remember their supreme sacrifice in the public interest and general good. But for the community, it is also an occasion to introspect how best we can contribute to general safety and security,” he observed.

The Consul General urged the community leaders and the many professionals present to see how best in their own

COMMUNITY

Indian Americans hold prayer meeting for Houston’s “Fallen Heroes”

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

and a few other conveyed the sentiments of their members on the occasion. Hasu Patel, Director, Asian American Hotel Owners Association emceed the Prayer Meeting and stated that 515 rooms were reserved by AAHOA for the visiting firefighters to Houston on Wednesday for the memorial service of the “Fallen Heroes.”

Over 500 Indian Americans attended the Prayer Meeting that evening coordinated

by ICC Trustees, Swapan Dhairyawan and Vijay Pallod to share the grief of a colossal loss. A soulful song was presented by Kashmira Naik earlier that reflected the solemn mood of the event.

A public memorial service was held for the four Houston Firefighters on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 at 10 a.m. at Reliant Stadium in Houston where over 15,000 people attended.

A wall sized flag served as the back drop at the stadium and four hundred flags lined up along the street leading to venue. Bagpipes and drums welcomed 5000 firefighters from all over the country and Canada attending the service.

Heads of Indian American organizations who attended the Prayer Meeting at the India House to extend their support.

About 150 firefighters from Dallas came homes. livan, a Sugar Land resident to Houston to cover for Like many who grew up there and at the officers other calami- the age of 18 started at the attending ties natural Sugar Land FireAcademy. the memoand otherwise “Many of my firefighters acrial service. which have tually trained her so we have Nothing been lashing a connection,” the Chief said. was spared the country Speaking of the nature of such to show in the recent service, Chief Juan J. Adame, gratitude past, commu- whose father was father was and respect nities unite and a firefighter and whose son is for Houssupport. Like also a firefighter said, “One ton’s heroes Sugar Land common thread that we all which was Fire Chief Juan have is that, the pledge to put truly a TexJ. Adame sim- ourselves between the citizens as size tribply put it, “I that we are sworn to protect ute. Housdid not know and the danger that they may ton Fire these Hous- have to face. The firefighters Rev. Roy A. Thomas giving his message Department ton firefight- of this country are the first notified that ers but I love line of defense,” he said with Heads of the leading Indian contributions are being acChief Juan Adame (Sugar Land) their courage a deep sense of pride. and commitStafford City Councilmem- American organizations, PV cepted at: 100 Club Survivors ment, and their ber Ken Matthew and Coun- Patel of India Culture Center Fund, 5555 San Felipe – Suite circles they can help spread the message and train people selflessness,” resonating the cilmember Danny Nguyen (ICC), Nisha Mirani, presi- 1750, Houston, TX 77056. Or to ensure safety and security sentiments of many that were of Missouri City also paid dent Gujarati Samaj of Hous- they can be made at The 100 in the workplaces and in their present. He spoke of one of tribute to the fallen heroes ton, Sharad Amin, president, Club website: www.the100the firefighters, Anne Sul- and gave their condolences. Hindus of Greater Houston club.org

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

Local student to walk in footsteps of U.S. leaders Dave Ghosh, a 7th grade student at the Harmony School of Excellence- Houston will be attending the Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC) conference during June 8th through June 13th this year in Washington D.C. Dave will be among over 250 outstanding middle school students from across the United States who will take part in this extraordinary leadership conference in Washington, D.C. themed “Voices of Leadership: Reflecting on the Past to Create the Future”. JrNYLC introduces young people to the rich tradition of leadership throughout American history, while helping them to develop their own leadership skills.

Dave was nominated to represent his school this year by his teacher Ms. Hannah Frank as a result of his outstanding academic achievement and demonstrated leadership potential. He has gotten distinguished honor roll (grades above 90%) with a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA throughout his student life.

Dave is a fierce debater and has won several debate awards. He is also in the school’s Robotics Team and is a member of National Junior Honor Society.

“The aim of the Junior National Young Leaders Conference is to inspire students to recognize their own leader-

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Dave Ghosh, 7th grader ship skills, measure their skills against those of current and former leaders and return home with new confidence in their ability to exercise positive influence within their communities,” said Marguerite Regan, Ph.D., Dean of Academic Affairs for the Congressional Youth Leadership Council (CYLC), the organization that sponsors JrNYLC. “Young

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people are not only welcome in Washington, D.C., they actually keep this city and our country running.”

During the six-day program, students take part in educational activities and presentations and explore relevant sites, such as Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.’s museums and memorials.

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Dallas youth dies in car accident The Diocese of North America & Europe Diocese of North America & Europe received news that four youth members from Dallas met with a road accident on a mission trip to Oklahoma. “One of them by name Patrick Maruthumoottil, a member of St. Paul’s Mar Thoma Church, Dallas was air lifted to the Sparks Hospital, Fortsmith. Arkansas and passed away on the way,” the message said.

More details can be obtained from Achens in Dallas, particularly Rev. O. C. Kurian, the Vicar the email stated.

Stan Mathew, St. Paul’s MTC, Justin Mathew, St. Paul’s MTC, and Amy Varghese, Carrollton MTC were also in the car. They have gone to the hospital for a check up.

“Kindly uphold all the youth members and the dear ones in your prayers. Rev. Shibi Varghese and Mr. O. C. Abraham are attending the youth members. They were all together in a mission programme among the Native American Commu-

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Reshma Saujani Statement On Women’s Equality Act are the majority of New Yorkers, the majority of college graduates, the majority of the national labor force and, as new data shows, increasingly the primary breadwinners in their families. It’s time for the legislature to stand up and end the sexist and discriminatory policies that hold us back and confine our choices.

Reshma Saujani Patrick Maruthumoottil, reportedly died in the fatal accident. nity at Broken Bow, suburb of Oklahoma. There is a prayer meeting today at St. Paul’s

MTC, Dallas where all the youth members have gathered together for a time of prayer.”

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EW YORK, NY -Reshma Saujani, former Deputy Public Advocate and founder of the national non-profit organization Girls Who Code, released the following statement today in support of Governor Cuomo’s Women’s Equality Act.

“I applaud Governor Cuomo’s leadership in introducing this important, progressive legislation that will create better opportunities for women in the workplace and stronger protections against discrimination and violence. Women

As the founder of Girls Who Code, I work to empower young women from underserved communities to get good jobs in technology fields, and as Public Advocate I will fight for equal rights for women and girls at every turn. I am proud to stand with men and women alike today in support of New York making history with the Women’s Equality Act, and I urge the legislature - and especially the State Senate - to give women the respect of bringing this bill up for a vote as quickly as possible.”

DIASPORA

VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Indian-origin Cambridge Professor US honours 3 Indian-Americans Partha Dasgupta, Oprah Winfrey with ‘Champions of Change’ award honored at Harvard University degree for his pioneering work in helping bridging the gap between economics and other disciplines — from anthropology to nutrition to ecology — by studying the relationships among poverty, population growth, and the environment.

Partha Dasgupta

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asgupta was honoured on Thursday with a Doctor of Laws degree for his pioneering work in helping bridging the gap between economics and other disciplines. Partha Dasgupta, an Indian-origin economics professor at Cambridge and famed talk show queen Oprah Winfrey were among nine people conferred with honorary degrees at the annual convocation of Harvard University.

Dasgupta was honoured yesterday with a Doctor of Laws

70-year-old Dasgupta, was born in the then-Indian city of Dhaka in 1942 and educated in Varanasi, New Delhi and in Cambridge, UK. He received his doctorate in economics from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1968.

Winfrey, 59, was conferred with a Doctor of Laws degree as one of America’s most respected and influential public figures. She rose from humble roots to create a global media empire.

“The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which ran from 1986 to 2011, topped the daytime talk show ratings for 24 consecutive seasons and revolutionised the genre.

In 2011, Winfrey launched

the Oprah Winfrey Network, a cable channel that reaches two-thirds of American households.

“Oh my goodness. I’m at Harvard! Not too many girls from rural Mississippi have made it all the way here to Cambridge (Massachusetts),” she said.

The others conferred with honorary degrees included Venezuela’s musician, economist, and educator Jose Antonio Abreu, African-American doctor Donald R Hopkins, Scientist Robert May, Boston’s longest-serving mayor Thomas M Menino, Elaine Pagels, expert on the religions of late antiquity.

Two others conferred with honorary degrees were C Dixon Spangler Jr, President of both the University of North Carolina (UNC) and Harvard’s Board of Overseers, and JoAnne Stubbe , Novartis Professor of Chemistry and a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

NRI hotelier Joginder Sangar gets ‘Pride of India’ award

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ONDON: NRI hotelier Joginder Sangar has been conferred with the prestigious ‘Pride of India’ award for his outstanding contributions towards promoting art and culture of India in the UK. Sangar, the CEO and Chairman of a Group of Hotels in Central London and West London, was conferred with the ‘Pride of India’ award for 2012 by India International Foundation.

Britain’s transport minister Stephen Hammond, MP presented the award to Sangar at

Marriott Heathrow Hotel last night in the presence of leading dignitaries like Lord Swraj Paul and S S Siddhu, Minister (Coordination) in the Indian High Commission here.

NRI solicitor Hari Singh, founder Chairman of HSLaw Solicitors and Notary received the award in the field of Judicary/Law while Deepak Kuntawala, Founder of DVK, a global commodity trading and finance boutique company enhancing interests in private equity, wealth management and fund management was chosen for the award for his achievement in the field of

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Receiving the award, Sangar who played a key role in building the new Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan centre here, said Indian culture is appreciated all over the world and “we must not only preserve them but also try to promote them.”

He said he always considered business as secondary.

“Deep in my heart, I always gave prominence to social work, art and culture. Without taking interest in our culture, business has no meaning.”

The citation said, “Sangar

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ASHINGTON The three — Shradha Agarwal from Chicago, Riddhiman Das from Kansas and Amar Sawhney from Massachusetts — were presented with the award at the White House.

The US has honored three Indian-Americans with the prestigious Champions of Change awards for their achievements as immigrant innovators and entrepreneurs.

The three — Shradha Agarwal from Chicago, Riddhiman Das from Kansas and Amar Sawhney from Massachusetts — were presented with the award at the White House.

They were among 11 people honored on Wednesday.

The Indian-Americans and others were felicitated at the “Champions of Change” event at the White House that highlighted immigrant innovators and entrepreneurs - the best and brightest from around the world who are helping create American jobs, grow the economy, and make the US more competitive, an official statement said.

“Immigrants have long made America more prosperous and innovative, and the Champions we are celebrating today represent the very best in leadership, entrepreneurship, and public service,” said the US Chief Technology Officer Todd Park.

“We are proud to recognize these leaders who work every day to grow our economy, advance science and technology, and support their home communities,” Park said.

The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature groups of Americans - individuals, businesses and organizations - who are doing exdevotes much of his time to fundraising and philanthropic work with success.”

Other recipients were Kamel

From left: Shraddha Agarwal, Amar Sawhney and Riddhiman Das. traordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities.

Shradha Agarwal from Chicago is co-founder of ContextMedia and she always had a passion for communication and launched her first media enterprise at age nine in India.

“While building ContextMedia from the ground up, she branded the healthcare media company as “for-benefit”-a successful for-profit enterprise that exists for social benefit-and focused on organizational culture architecture,” the White House said.

“As an undergraduate student, he co-founded three startup tech companies and is also heavily involved with a Kansas City-based technology startup that has commercialized the Eyeprint Verification System as a simple, safe replacement for entering passwords on smartphones,” the White House said.

An inventor and serial entrepreneur in the field of medical devices, Amar Sawhney holds over 120 patents, which form the basis for several first-of-akind medical devices that have helped millions of patients worldwide.

Riddhiman Das from Kansas came to the United States in 2008 to pursue an American college education and studied Computer Science, Mathematics and Entrepreneurship.

“He has founded six companies, which account for over 1,600 jobs created and over USD 1.5 billion in revenue to date. Amar helps foster entrepreneurship by mentoring young innovators and creating companies through Incept, a medical device incubator he helped co-found,” the White House said.

Hothi, Head of Nice Markets at Lloyds TSB responsible for Asian Strategy; Deepak Khazanchi, pioneer of modern Bhangra (Art and Culture);

Sonal Minocha, Dean, University of Bedfordshire Business School, (Achievements in Education) and Natasha Mudhar (Achievement in Media).

Based in Chicago and New York City, Agarwal is also an angel investor, conference speaker and startup advisor.

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VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Third time lucky for US tourist gang-raped in Pakistan’s Sharif? - Profile northern India: police

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akistan’s incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif is assuming the reins of government for a historic third term in what is being described as a test of his political statesmanship and acumen.

The 63-year-old, who was sentenced to life in prison after being deposed in a military coup in 1999, has a power base rooted in Pakistan’s richest and most populous province, where he is known as the Lion of the Punjab.

A hugely wealthy steel tycoon, considered strong on the economy but soft on the Taliban, he inherits enormous problems of sagging finances and a stifling energy crisis.

He seems soft-spoken and shy with international media but earned a reputation for combativeness during his two previous terms as PM, from 1990 to 1993, and from 1997 to 1999.

Veteran political analyst Talat Masood said the Sharif of 2013 is a different man from the hothead of the 1990s who

riled Pakistan’s powerful military.

“I personally think that he has gained a lot in these last several years. He is a far more mature politician, he has understood the dynamics of the civil-military relationship,” Masood told AFP. “He is a much more mature, balanced and experienced third-time prime minister.

He has been seen as a pragmatist in the West but raised eyebrows by calling for peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, blamed for killing thousands of Pakistanis in the past six years.

And on Friday he publicly criticised a US drone strike that killed the militants’ second-in-command in northwest Pakistan as a violation of sovereignty, echoing Islamabad’s longstanding complaint about the controversial missile attacks.

Born on December 25, 1949 into a wealthy family of industrialists in Lahore, the capital of Punjab and the political nerve

centre of Pakistan, Sharif took a law degree before joining his father’s steel company.

He entered politics and under the patronage of military dictator Zia-ul Haq became first finance minister and then chief minister of Punjab -- a post he held for five years from 1985 until he was elected prime minister in 1990.

He beat arch-rival Benazir Bhutto in the polls and served a three-year term until he was sacked on corruption charges and replaced by Bhutto, before returning to power in a landslide in 1997.

With a huge majority behind him, he set about cementing his liberal economic policies and in 1998 won huge popularity when he made Pakistan a nuclear power, but his government buckled under tensions with the army, which seized power in 1999.

Sharif was sentenced in a military court to life imprisonment for hijacking and terrorism, but was allowed to go into exile in Saudi Arabia in 2000 and return in 2007.

Indian firm slams UK retailer over radioactive belts NEW DELHI, May 30, 2013 (AFP) - An Indian supplier of belts that were recalled for being radioactive accused British online fashion retailer Asos Thursday of acting without proof.

The London-listed retailer said on Tuesday that it had recalled a batch of belts -- made of leather and covered with metal studs -- in January after US customs officials found traces of Cobalt-60 in one of the products.

But Royal Ascot Leather, the Indian firm which supplied the belts, claimed Asos was un-

fairly seeking compensation over the recall and had failed to provide evidence of a safety threat.

“We asked them to return the belts so that we could send them for inspection,” said Mohammad Shuja, owner of Royal Ascot, which is based in the northern Indian city of Kanpur.

“Asos has refused to do so.

Instead they are asking for a hefty compensation citing an old British law,” he told AFP. “Asos has recalled our belts on the assumption that if a person wears it for more than 500

hours, he can get cancer. It is baffling how they arrived to such an assumption.”

The Royal Ascot factory has been forced to shut down over the controversy, he said. Workers have been staging protests against Asos outside the premises demanding that their factory be reopened.

The recall put another question mark on growing concerns over toxic waste disposal methods and safety regulations in India where demand for scrap metal has soared because of a boom in construction and manufacturing.

by Rupam NAIR

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EW DELHI, June 04, 2013 (AFP) - A US tourist was gangraped by a truck driver and two accomplices after hitching a ride in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, police said Tuesday.

The incident follows the alleged rape of a 21-year-old Irish charity worker in Kolkata at the weekend and comes as the country attempts to tackle widespread sex crime with tougher anti-rape laws.

“The 30-year-old was raped by men in a truck on Monday night. They offered her a lift and she accepted it,” police Inspector Abhimanyu Kumar told AFP from Manali, a tourist destination in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Mass protests erupted in the capital and other cities in December and January following the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi, a crime which brought simmering anger among women to the surface.

Kumar said medical tests confirmed the tourist was raped and police were hunting for the accused in the Manali area, some 500 kilometres (300 miles) from the capital New Delhi.

“The woman cannot remember the number plate of the truck

and she could not understand what the accused were talking about. They drove the truck to an isolated spot and raped her for nearly one hour,” he said.

Kumar said every truck driver in Manali has been ordered to report to the local police station as part of the investigation.

The woman, who cannot be identified under Indian law, arrived in Manali on Monday and will stay on in the town, a popular back-packing destination, to help investigators, police said.

“She will have to identify the accused when they are arrested,” said another senior police officer V.K. Dhawan.

The woman was on a holiday with three other Americans and was returning to her guest house alone after bathing at a hot water spring.

The natural water spring, called “Vashist”, is a tourist spot renowned for its temples and bathing tanks.

“The victim’s friends wanted to spend more time at the spring but she was tired and decided to walk alone to the guest house,” Dhawan added.

“It is a big challenge to trace the accused,” he added.

More than 2,000 trucks a day ply the Manali highway which connects the town with

remote Himalayan villages.

Police put her in touch with the US embassy officials in New Delhi.

“We are in contact with authorities but due to issues of privacy we have no further comment,” a US embassy spokesperson told AFP. The incident comes a day after police in eastern India arrested a local businessman for allegedly drugging and raping an Irish woman after her birthday party at the weekend.

A survey by a trade body earlier this year found the number of foreign women tourists visiting India had dropped by 35 percent following several sex attacks that have made global headlines.

A Swiss cyclist was gangraped in the central state of Madhya Pradesh in March. A South Korean tourist was allegedly drugged and raped in the same state in January by the son of the owner of a hotel where she was staying.

New measures passed by Indian lawmakers in March increased punishments for sex offenders to include the death penalty if a victim dies and a minimum 20-year prison sentence for gang-rape.

Debt burden drives Indian family to suicide

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HMEDABAD, India — Four members of an Indian family mired in debt and under pressure from local money lenders to repay loans committed suicide in the western state of Gujarat, police said Monday.

A married couple and three of their children consumed poison on Sunday at their home in Bavla town, 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Gujarat’s main city and commercial hub Ahmedabad.

“A woman and three children died immediately and the man was rushed to the hospital. He is still undergoing treatment,” police officer A.Y. Bhaloch told AFP. The couple were deeply in debt and lived on a small monthly income. According to police they had taken loans from several money lenders at very high interest rates to set up a business.

However when they were unable to repay 600,000 rupees ($10,000) the money lenders started harass-

ing the couple.

The news of family suicide shocked the residents of Bavla, many of whom closed their businesses to mourn the deaths.

Police have registered a criminal case against six money lenders for abetting suicide.

More than half of India’s 1.2 billion population is forced to turn to unscrupulous money lenders who charge exorbitant interest rates because many towns and villages have little access to banks.

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ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 9

by Sarah Williams

B

OSTON — For the second consecutive year, an Asian has won architecture’s top award.

Japanese architect Toyo Ito is the newest recipient of the Pritzker Prize, considered to be the “Nobel Prize” of architecture. Ito traveled from Tokyo to receive the award at a recent ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.

Last year, Wang Shu of China won the prestigious award.

“I’m very much honored and surprised,” Ito said.

Observers had been predicting for some time that the 72year-old architect would be selected one day for his profession’s highest honor. “I understand that this always happens without your expectation, and it depends on how the jury members consider that year’s highlights, so I understand it’s worth the wait,” he said.

One of the 2013 jury members was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, an architecture buff who helped with the design and construction of Boston’s federal courthouse. “[Ito’s] a very important architect throughout the world, he has built all kinds of buildings throughout his career, including quite a few public buildings,” Justice Breyer said. “He spends a great deal of time thinking about them, and they have been successful; they invite the public in, they have an atmosphere of calm, of light, space and it is attractive space.”

Ito was born in 1941 to Japanese parents in what is now Seoul, South Korea. He was educated in Tokyo, and opened his own architectural practice there in 1971. His prominent buildings include Municipal Funeral Hall in Gifu, Japan, the 2002 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London, and his personal favorite, the Sendai Mediatheque Library, which survived Japan’s 2011 earthquake.

[Ito’s] a very important architect throughout the world, he has built all kinds of buildings throughout his career, including quite a few public buildings,” Justice Breyer said. “He spends a great deal of time thinking about them, and they have been successful; they invite the pub-

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Asia Again Takes Architecture’s Top Prize But he is impressed by Ito’s efforts to assist those affected by the 2011 disaster.

“What Mr. Ito did, posttsunami, and post-earthquake, in working with housing for the displaced, as well as what he’s done on some of his grand buildings, demonstrate to me a flexibility and an agility to work on projects of variety of scales and with different needs,” said Pritzker.

in that sense in Tohoku [the 2011 earthquake] hardly any of the buildings went down, which means the earthquake resistance technologies have improved,” he said. “But as far as the tsunami is concerned, it’s still very difficult to be prepared for such disasters.”

Pritzker believes the awards draw much-needed attention to the profession. “It sort of blends art with practicality,” he said. “The people who emerge as Pritzker laureates are very deep thinkers, and active doers, and they’re fun people as well, so from a personal point of view it’s quite fulfilling.”

Ito said being named the second consecutive Pritzker Prize winner from Asia a sign of Asia’s growing economic clout, which in turn boosts construction and the need for architects.

And he said he believes Asian architecture increasingly is showing its own identity.

Tom Pritzker, president of the Hyatt Foundation which funds the prizes, was not on the jury.

“In Japan, for more than 100 years, we’ve been importing the technology and architects,

Toyo Ito, left, receives the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize from Thomas J. Pritzker, at ceremonies in Boston, May 29, 2013. lic in, they have an atmosphere of calm, of light, space and it is attractive space.”

thusiasm and passion for reopening the facility as soon as possible,” he said.

Ito was born in 1941 to Japanese parents in what is now Seoul, South Korea. He was educated in Tokyo, and opened his own architectural practice there in 1971. His prominent buildings include Municipal Funeral Hall in Gifu, Japan, the 2002 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London, and his personal favorite, the Sendai Mediatheque Library, which survived Japan’s 2011 earthquake.

The transparent library building is composed of structural tubes that support the floors, and is designed to withstand earthquakes. “It took me six years to develop,” said Ito. “At the beginning we had a lot of resistance from the neighbors, but in the end, when it was completed, everybody received it very favorably and everybody enjoyed the building, which is quite a happy thing for me.”

Japan’s recurring earthquakes have forced architects to prepare for them, according to Ito. “After the great earthquake in the Hanshin area [in 1995], Japanese buildings have been improving in terms of earthquake resistance structure, so

A dramatic video shot in the Sendai Mediatheque during the 2011 earthquake shows the building swaying, but remaining intact. The architect says the structure has a special technological system, designed to withstand temblors. While suffering some damage, the building reopened two months after the earthquake. “I was impressed by the people’s en-

Chinese website bans searches for ‘yellow duck’

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EIJING, - A popular Chinese microblogging service banned searches for “yellow duck” after users circulated a mocked-up image of a famous 1989 Tiananmen square tank protest with the military vehicles replaced by plastic ducks, results on Wednesday showed.

The picture, a parody of the iconic “Tank Man” photograph of a civilian staring down a long row of tanks, circulated Tuesday, the 24th anniversary of the Tiananmen protests’ suppression.

A large yellow duck artwork is currently on display in Hong Kong, and imitations have been put up in several mainland cities.

Sina Weibo, China’s most popular microblogging site, blocked searches for “yellow duck”, with attempts to do

so returning a message reading: “Due to relevant laws and regulations... the search result is not displayed.”

Other search terms banned by the service include “1989” and numerical formulae such as “63 + 1”, used to refer to the date of the crackdown -- “6.4” in US-style date order, which is also blocked.

Discussion of the Tiananmen crackdown, in which at least several hundred people died, is strictly controlled by China’s ruling Communist party, which is wary of challenges to its authority.

Reports say that Sina, the company which runs Sina Weibo, employs teams of censors to delete posts, generally exercising self-censorship rather than receiving direct instructions from from the Party

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basically, from Western countries, we always try to make Western architecture an example,” he said. “However, going forward, we like to make architecture which is more open to nature.”

Justice Breyer, who served on the previous jury which selected Shu, says it seems Asia is becoming a new center for architecture.

“They’re building things,” Breyer said. “And when they’re building things all over in China, in Japan, in Asia, maybe that reflects the economic boom, the technology boom, you’d have to ask others on that, but since a lot of architectural work is going on there, it’s not surprising at all to me that a lot of architects are interested in the buildings that go up there.”

For his part, Ito believes architects should never lose sight of their humanity. “Young architects are chasing fashionable architecture, and they are following only the expression,” he said. “I always say to young people, think to whom architecture should be created.”

Noting that “architecture is very restrictive, and people are confined by a lot of restrictions,” Ito was asked what an architect’s goal should be. “To get freedom,” he said.

WORLD/US

VOICE OF ASIA 10

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Anxiety over student loans as More than 60 countries sign US lawmakers play politics arms trade treaty on first day

by William Edwards

B

OSTON, June 6, 2013 (AFP) - Recent Northeastern University graduate Greg Dube hopes to launch a bright engineering career soon, but like many young Americans, he is haunted by a looming financial burden: some $150,000 in student loan debt.

“I think I’m going to end up paying back more than double that in total,” said the 23-year-old, predicting it will take 20 years to repay his loans -- if he’s lucky enough to find a decent job.

Millions of students take out loans to pay for the skyrocketing cost of college in the United States.

Federal interest rates are as low as 3.4 percent for financially needy students, but that rate is set to double

by July 1 if Congress does not act, adding hundreds of dollars per year to a borrower’s costs.

About $20,000 of Dube’s tally is in such federal loans, but the rest of the borrowing was from private banks, which sometimes charged more than nine percent interest. The first bills are due six month after graduation.

“That’s the most daunting,” Dube told AFP. “That’s almost my deadline for finding a job.”

Two thirds of students finish university in debt, with an average loan bill that topped $26,600 in 2011. In all, more than 37 million Americans are paying off student loans.

Student debt has more than tripled since 2004, to $986 billion as of March 31, more than the accumulated nationwide credit card debt

and auto loan debt, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

President Barack Obama used the issue to his advantage in 2012, courting young voters on the campaign trail as he pressured Republicans to avoid the rate hikes.

It worked, and Congress froze for 12 months the 3.4 percent rate of the subsidized Stafford federal loans.

But with partisan bickering a perennial blood sport in Washington, the brinkmanship is back, and students could be faced with higher college costs unless action is taken in the coming weeks.

While he has been less confrontational this year, the president nonetheless stood with college students at his side in the White House Rose Garden on Friday, recalling how low-interest loans helped put him and First Lady Michelle Obama through college and law school.

Obama wants to peg student loan rates to the 10year Treasury note, plus overhead charges of 0.93 percent for low-income students and 2.93 percent for other students. The plan would lock in the rates for the life of the 10- or 20-year loan.

Republicans want a similar market peg, although without a lock-in but with an 8.5 percent cap.

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed such a bill last month, but Obama called it “not smart.”

“It eliminates safeguards for lower income families,” he said. “It could actually

cost a freshman starting school this fall more over the next four years than if we did nothing at all.”

Senator Johnny Isakson said neither party’s plan will get the necessary 60 votes to overcome blocking tactics from the other side, and predicted that “we’ll come together and make a compromise.”

Among supporters of the subsidized rate, experts agree it is imperative to maintain low interest levels for those preparing to enter the labor market.

“It’s important that loans stay affordable and people can afford college so that they can go on to buy a house and to buy a car and be productive economic engines of growth,” said Anne Johnson, director of Campus Progress, the youth division of the Center for American Progress.

US college costs have soared over the past decade, to as much as $40,000 per year for top schools.

Renea Gooch knows the long-term costs better than most.

Having graduated with a degree in molecular biology at the height of the financial crisis in 2008, she said that even now that she’s got a good job, her debt burden of more than $100,000 has weighed her down.

“I’m in my mid-30s and I still live with roommates,” she said.

“There’s no way I could possibly afford to get married at the moment. I can’t really think about having children either, which is kind of scary considering my age.”

U

NITED NATIONS, J(AFP) - More than 60 countries on Monday signed a landmark conventional arms trade treaty, but the United States held back from joining the first wave of signatories while Russia and China are expected to stay out of the accord.

The UN-brokered treaty is the first covering weaponry of any kind for more than a decade and aims to bring transparency and protection of human rights into the often dubious $85 billion-ayear global trade.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the treaty will “put an end to the ‘free-for-all’ nature” of weapons dealing, according to his spokesman Martin Nesirky.

The treaty covers tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, as well as the vast trade in small arms.

Countries which ratify the treaty would have to evaluate before making a deal whether it risks breaching an international embargo, violate human rights law, or could be used by terrorists or criminals.

The opening of signatures was described as an “extremely important milestone” by ministers and other representatives of Argentina, Australia, Britain, Costa Rice, Finland, Japan and Kenya which sponsored the first 2006 UN resolution calling for treaty talks.

“It is vital that the treaty comes into force as soon as possible and is effectively implemented,” the seven said in a statement before Argentina became the first of 63 countries to sign the treaty on the first day.

Fifty ratifications are needed for the treaty to come into force. Finland’s Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said this

A child stands in front of Indian soldiers of the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) on June 2, 2013. could be done within a year.

told reporters.

“It is only then that the international community will have an effective tool to address the unregulated and illicit conventional arms trade thjat causes unspeakable human suffering,” the statement by the seven added.

“France hopes for a rapid entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty, a major step for human rights,” said France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in a statement.

The UN General Assembly passed the treaty in April when 154 countries voted in favor, but Syria, North Korea and Iran voted against and Russia, China, Egypt and India were among 23 countries to abstain.

Russia and China are not expected join the treaty any time soon.

Among major arms exporters, Britain, France and Germany all signed the treaty on the first day.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwell called the treaty a “historical breakthrough” but said more had to be done on limiting the arms trade.

Britain’s deputy foreign minister Alistair Burt said doubters of the treaty were now under pressure to join. “The force behind so many states wanting to conclude an arms trade treaty after so long meant something.

The world is now different,” he

The United States, the world’s biggest exporter of arms and ammunition, played a key roll in getting the treaty passed but was not among the first signatories.

“The United States welcomes the opening of the Arms Trade Treaty for signature, and we look forward to signing it as soon as the process of conforming the official translations is completed satisfactorily,” said US Secretary of State John Kerry in a statement.

He said the many of the controls in the treaty were already enforced in the United States.

But Kerry added that “the treaty is an important contribution to efforts to stem the illicit trade in conventional weapons.”

The US administration has faced pressure from the domestic arms lobby over the treaty but Kerry said it “will not undermine the legitimate international trade in conventional weapons, interfere with national sovereignty, or infringe on the rights of American citizens.”

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VOICE OF ASIA 11

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

VOICE OF ASIA 13

LIFESTYLE

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Vol. 26

No. 23

Friday, June 7, 2013

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Queen Elizabeth marks

60 years since coronation

Online Muslims more open to Western culture: poll analysis WASHINGTON, (AFP) - Muslims outside the United States who use the Internet are more likely to have a favorable opinion of Western popular culture than those who don’t go online, the Pew Research Center said Friday.

Crunching the numbers of its recent wide-ranging survey of Muslims in 39 countries, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found a median of 18 percent of respondents use the Internet at home, work or school.

Internet use varied widely, however, between the African, Asian, European and Middle Eastern nations surveyed -- from two percent in Afghanistan to 59 percent in Kosovo.

Focusing on 25 countries with enough Muslims using the Internet to allow a detailed analysis, Pew found that Muslims who go online are more inclined to like Western movies, music and television.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth arrives with Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her coronation in London, June 4, 2013. (ANDREW WINNING/REUTERS)

Q

ueen Elizabeth II was marking the 60th anniversary of her coronation in private on Sunday after indulging in her passion for horses with a day at the races.

At the Epsom Downs course, the monarch, an avid racing fan and a noted racehorse breeder, seemed in good spirits, while Prince Philip followed the action through binoculars.

The brand has teamed up with some sporting specialists for new baseballthemed Father’s Day gifts, handcrafted in the USA.

The queen and her 91-year-old husband were marking the actual anniversary day in a low-key fashion at Windsor Castle, west of London, where they regularly spend the weekend.

“They are spending the day privately,” a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman told AFP. “The main focus is obviously on

The three-piece capsule collection contains a baseball bat and glove as well as a special limited edition wallet crafted from leather recovered from vintage mitts.

Princes William and Harry were also among the members of the Royal Family to attend. GETTY IMAGES. Tuesday’s service.”

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip will return to duty on Monday, attending a reception for the Royal National Institute for the Blind at St. James’s Palace in London.

The coronation anniversary is being staged with far less fanfare than the diamond jubilee celebrations last year.

This year’s events include exhibitions of memorabilia, gun salutes and a series of garden parties.

Royal thoughts are now turning to the birth expected in July of Prince William and Catherine’s baby, who will be third in line to the throne.

Tuesday’s service will mark the first time the couple have attended an event at Westminster Abbey since their wedding there in April 2011.

The queen’s coronation was the first to be televised and more than 20 million people in Britain watched it live while another 11 million listened on

ment is harming morality in their country,” said Pew, which posted its analysis on its www.pewforum.org website.

That remained the case even when such factors as age, education and gender were taken into account, the pollsters said.

The difference was especially marked in countries like Kyrgyzstan, Senegal, Russia and Indonesia, where Internet users were at least 30 percentage points more like to have a positive view of Western entertainment.

Muslims online tended to be younger and better educated than those who don’t use the Internet, and men slightly outnumbered women.

Internet use did not appear to make much difference in Muslims’ interpretations of their faith, although those who are online were “somewhat more likely” to see things in common between Islam and Christianity, Pew said.

Coach goes baseball crazy for Father’s Day

T

Queen Elizabeth took the throne on February 6, 1952 upon the death of her father king George VI, but to allow for a period of national mourning, she was only crowned 16 months later in London’s Westminster Abbey.

The queen will be joined by the royal family and 2,000 guests at the abbey on Tuesday for a service celebrating the anniversary.

“They are (also) somewhat less inclined to say that Western entertain-

he US luxury lifestyle brand Coach has got some fun gifts with a sporty edge this Father’s Day, set for June 16 in the US.

The 87-year-old monarch and her husband Prince Philip spent Saturday at the Epsom Derby, echoing the events of a year ago that kicked off her four-day diamond jubilee party.

Tel: 713-774-5140

the radio. The event sparked the popular growth of television in Britain.

On Sunday the BBC broadcast for the first time a digitally remastered version of its original black-and-white footage from 1953.

It was broadcast 60 years on to the very minute: from 10:15 am to 17:20 pm.

Recounting the events of June 2, 1953, Lady Moyra Campbell, one of Queen Elizabeth’s maids of honour at the coronation, told Sky News television it was an “unforgettable day”.

“There was that amazing sincerity

The gloves, produced by Massachusetts-based company Valkyrie, will retail at $348, with a choice of seven different colors, and will be available in 128 stores.

The painted bats (which come in four different colors), were made in collaboration with Texas wooden bat specialists the Warstic Bat Co. and will sell for $248 in 11 select Coach boutiques.

The collection hits Coach stores in the US on Saturday, June 1 and will be available at Coach.com from early June. with which she made those incredibly solemn promises and I, for one, thank God that I have been blessed with a life long enough to see those promises fulfilled in a way that I would challenge anyone else to do,” she said.

The Mail on Sunday newspaper said in its editorial: “We couldn’t have known it at the time but 60 years ago today we crowned one of the greatest monarchs in our history.

“Despite six decades of service, despite being the most recognisable person alive today, she remains the same quiet, humble servant she was that day.” (Reuters).

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VOICE OF ASIA 14

Friday, June 7, 2013

Young Life Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Youth beats ‘German curse’ to win US spelling title

sachusetts, a crowd-pleaser with her tension-breaking jokes, finished forth.

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Tel: 713-774-5140

Pak students find new solution to end loadshedding

The youngest finalist, Vanya Shivashankar, 11, from Kansas, the sister of 2009 champion Kavya Shivashankar, fell in the fifth round after a strong and engaging performance.

The National Spelling Bee has been an American institution for decades.

This year, more than 11 million children took part in local qualifying competitions in the United States and abroad.

In a fresh twist, organizers announced -- seven weeks before the championships at the Gaylord resort outside Washington -- that contestants would for the first time be tested on vocabulary knowledge as well as spelling skills.

Arvind Mahankali of New York holds his trophy after winning the National Spelling Bee at National Harbor in Maryland - Photo credit: Reuters

by Robert MacPherson

N

ATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland, May 30, 2013 (AFP) - The US-born son of immigrants from India overcame his dread of German-derived words Thursday to win the 86th Scripps National Spelling Bee. Confetti rained on a suddenly speechless Arvind Mahankali, 13, from New York City, after he correctly spelled knaidel, a type of dumpling perhaps better known as a matzah ball.

He becomes the sixth youth of south Asian heritage to win the coveted title in the last six years, and also the first male champion since 2008.

Mahankali, the eldest son of an IT consultant father and a physician mother, had placed ninth in 2010, then third in 2011 and 2012. More often than not, it was obscure English words of Germanic origin that denied him victory.

“The German curse has turned into a German blessing,” he quipped after

besting eight other finalists in a nailbiting finale to nationally televised competition that kicked off Tuesday with 281 contestants from eight nations.

Earlier in the evening, Mahankali aced such words as tokonoma (an alcove in a Japanese living room), kaumographer (someone who prints a design onto cloth with a hot iron), and galere (a group of people who have something in common).

The forward-looking youngster plans to save the $30,000 cash prize -- plus a $2,500 US savings bond -- for college, where he hopes to get a doctorate degree in physics by the time he’s 23 years old.

“I hope to make some kind of major contribution” after university, he said.

“I’ll see how it looks.”

Second place went to Pranav Sivakumar, 13, from Illinois, while Sriram Hathwar, 13, from New York, came in third. Amber Born, 14, from Mas-

Doing so has reaffirmed the bee’s educational purpose, in a time when some hard-driving parents have been using custom-made software to turn their offspring into bee-winners through hours upon hours of rote memorization.

Mahankali’s father Srinivas Mahankali, who came to the United States from Hyderabad in southern Indian in the 1990s, said the family encouraged his interest in competitive spelling, but did not pressure him to win.

“It’s an unpredictable thing. You can get any word in the dictionary. It’s unfair to expect anything in this,” he told AFP as his son fielded questions from reporters such as whether he’d ever eaten a knaidel. (He had not.)

Both father and son agreed that education is the reason why the children of immigrants have come to dominate spelling bees.

“They want to prove that they can learn the English language,” said the younger Mahankali, who is fluent in English and Telugu, the family’s native tongue, and picking up Spanish in school.

“At home, my dad use to chant Telugu poems from forwards to backwards and backwards to forwards,” added Mahankali senior. “We value language a lot... Wealth is fickle, but education is number one.”

PakTurk students with medals and certificates earned in the International Computer Projects Competition held in Romania.

I

SLAMABAD - Two students from Islamabad have bagged silver medal in the world finals of the International Computer Projects Competition held recently in Romania by giving solution to end loadshedding and resolve issue of energy theft.

Shahbaz Khattak and Abdul Muizz Lodhi of PakTurk School Islamabad have designed a GSM-based Automatic Meter Reader (AMR) which was presented in the Infomatrix Romania where their project won silver medal in the category of Hardware Control.

AMR can collect consumption data from power, gas and water meters without involvement of meter readers.

It transmits data to central database of service providing company for billing, troubleshooting, and analysis.

AMR saves utility providers the expense of visiting every location to read a meter, its billing is based on actual consumption rather than estimates, past or predicted consumption.

Moreover timely information can help utility providers and customers’ better control usage and production.

It provides accurate data, track usage, improve energy management, detect tempering and cut operational costs by discouraging wastage to boost profit. It can be used for security and fire alarm systems.

Khattak and Lodhi said that metre reading will no more remain a time consuming and labour intensive manual process if gas, power and water utilities employ ARM which will also settle the issues of complaints by

consumers and increasing energy theft presently estimated at Rs250 billion annually.

Also, some modification can enable power companies to switch off air conditioners and other home appliances drawing extreme amounts of energy remotely which will end the need of loadshedding in Pakistan where over 5000MW is consumed by A/Cs in summer, the students said.

Commenting on the development PakTurk officials Kamil Ture and Turgut Puyan said that participation in global competitions and winning prizes has become a regular feature for Pakistani students which reflect their talent.

Educational institutions should encourage young to apply their imagination, passion, and creativity to make a difference.

The competitions are not just about promoting professional excellence; it also serves to promote intercultural dialogue and cooperation, said Ture.

Hundreds of students from many countries including United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Russian Federation, Macedonia, Belgium, Romania, Poland, Hong Kong, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tanzania, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Vietnam, Hungary, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ecuador, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Laos, Colombia, Kenya, Albania, Iraq, and Malaysia participated in the event and presented projects covering a wide variety of topics.

Oprah Winfrey tells Harvard graduates to learn from mistakes high they might rise, but that “there is no such thing as failure — failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.”

She said she was asked to speak at Harvard after her newly launched Oprah Winfrey Network had been declared a flop by the media, and that she wondered what she might tell graduates “in the very moment when I had stopped succeeding.”

Inspired by Media mogul Oprah Winfrey acknowledges the cheers from students and audience as she the words of a receives an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during Harvard University’s 362nd Commencehymn and knowment Exercises in Cambridge, Massachusetts May 30, 2013. — Reuters Photo ing she would be delivering the Harvard adAMBRIDGE, Massachu- of empowerment than any generation dress, Winfrey, 59, said she found the setts: Talk show host, entre- in history. determination to move forward. preneur and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey used the struggles of In a commencement address at the “I am here to tell you today, I have her television network on Thursday to Ivy League school outside Boston, try to inspire Harvard graduates, say- Winfrey told the graduates that they turned that network around,” she said. ing they were armed with more tools were bound to stumble no matter how “Learn from every mistake because

C

every experience, encounter and particularly mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more of who you are, and then figure out what is the right next move.”

In the US political system and the media, she said, “we often see the reflection of a country that is polarized, that is paralyzed and is self-interested.”

Winfrey joined a long list of politicians, policy makers, captains of industry and authors — including Bill Gates and J.K. Rowling — who have offered their wisdom and advice to Harvard’s graduating classes.

“We all know that we are better than the cynicism and the pessimism that is regurgitated throughout Washington and the 24-hour cable news cycle,” Winfrey told the graduates.

Long a fixture on Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people list, Winfrey has been popular on the college commencement circuit, speaking at Stanford University, Duke University and Spelman College in recent years.

Winfrey said she found a renewed sense of purpose in 1994 when she interviewed a 9-year-old girl who collected pocket change to help people in need, inspiring the celebrity to start her Angel Network charity, which has raised funds to send underprivileged students to college, among other things.

“It helped me decide that I wasn’t just going to be on television every day,” she said. “What became clear to me was that I was here on earth to use television and not be used by it, to use television to illuminate the transcendent power of our better angels.”

The vast majority of Americans realized that gun rights could be balanced with efforts to reduce gun violence, she said, and that US immigration laws could be enforced while offering a clear path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

“Your generation is charged with this task of breaking through what the body politic has thus far made impervious to change,” she said.

She said the Class of 2013 was “armed with more tools of empowerment than any generation in history,” referring to social media and its potential for mobilizing humanitarian efforts.

Earlier in the day, Winfrey was also awarded an honorary doctorate. Boston Mayor Thomas Merino was among the other recipients of honorary doctorates at Harvard’s 362nd graduation ceremonies.

LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 15

Demand for a separate menswear entity Gul Ahmed introduced champion colours in their kurta line, some of them with digital print back, sworn over shaded churidars besides formal/casual shirts and more. Overall, the presentation remained powerful with some strong style influences and trends being introduced which could gain a fan following.

Model present creations by Pakistani designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin on the final day of Men’s Fashion Week in Karachi late on May 28, 2013 (AFP).

by Faisal Quraishi

K

ARACHI: Day Two of the concluded Karachi Fashion Week — Men’s Fashion opened with designer Vasim Asghar’s Lahore to London which featured embossed print kurtas also in block prints and embroidered cuffs. The colourful collection attempted to recreate a new look by way of fusion and desi funk with both the cities of Lahore and London as inspiration.

His western line was clear-cut with sharp, defining lines featuring cropped pants.

Sameer Ali’s collection saw bold gemometric prints in suits, jackets, kurtas with block print necklines, attempts to reinvent the kurta shalwar and finally with performer Sadaf Kanwal as his showstopper.

Models present creations by designer M. Yahseer.

Menswear brand Bonanza sought to encompass a wider appeal for its collection targeting different age brackets and individuals from various socioeconomic backgrounds. It clicked and so did the ‘I Voted’

statement armbands, besides including Aijazz and Faysal in their design team. Actor, model and designer Aijazz Aslam was the showstopper in that segment.

At this point, in an expression of thanks from Triple E Events, office-bearers Arshad Siddiqui, Sheheryar and Muneer gave away bouquets and trophies to HSY, Hanif Bilwani of Bonanza, received on his behalf by Lamia, Omer Tariq from Gul Ahmed, TDAP DG Daud Pota, who pledged support to all such future events from the organisers and stylist Nabila, received

by Tabish Khoja of N-Gents.

Internationally acclaimed couturier Hassan Shehryar Yasin showed distinctive Pakistani and Middle East-inspired designs in kurtas and grooms’ sherwanis with a strong underlying western influence and design inspiration in both embroidery and cuts. The look remained vintage and classy with awesome design sensibilities.

With a base of black on beige and vice versa featuring metal work, resham thread work and bling, the collection boasted outstanding concepts in elemental design and an outfit for every taste. The choreography in that segment remained exceptionally outstanding.

In his closing remarks, HSY thanked everyone present for lending their support to the cause of men’s fashion, one which he hoped was here to stay indefinitely.

Yahoo! Mail to analyze users emails

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This move is designed to enable Yahoo! to provide new features, but also to target ads

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Vending machine gives out free drinks for Facebook like

P

epsi has launched its latest salvo in the ongoing cola wars, with a new vending machine that dispensed free drinks with a simple Facebook like.

Debuted at a BeyoncÊ concert in Antwerp, Belgium recently, the Pepsi Like Machine offered concert goers a free can after liking Pepsi’s Facebook page either via their smartphone, or from the machine’s built-in touchscreen.

BeyoncÊ is one of the brand’s celebrity spokespeople.

After a successful run at the concert, meanwhile, the Like Machine is set to roll out in other markets.

It’s the latest in vending machine innovations.

In Singapore, Coca-Cola created a machine that gave out free cans in exchange for a ‘hug.’ Last Christmas, the cola giant also created a karaoke vending machine that distributed free bottles of Coke Zero in exchange for a Christmas carol.

And Argentinian beer maker Cerveza Salta also rolled out a ‘Rugbeer’ machine that dispensed free beer for a rugbylike, full-body tackle.

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

New York police called in line: women can go topless

N

EW YORK, (AFP) As the summer sun shines in New York, many city dwellers will head to Central Park to soak up some vitamin D. And if police see topless female sunbathers, they have been reminded to let them be.

In February, the New York Police Department (NYPD) issued a somewhat unusual memo to its officers, and multiple reminders since then: a 1992 court decision states that women can bare their breasts without penalty. “Members of the service are directed not to issue summonses, or take other enforcement action, against male or female individuals who are simply appearing in public unclothed above their waist,� an NYPD memo says.

The freedom to go topless is one embraced by artist Holly Van Voast, who has made it a point to bare her breasts in pub-

lic as often as possible. But she says the police are not playing by the rules.

She claims to have been arrested dozens of times. On occasion, she says she has been handcuffed, detained for hours before being released and received summonses for “indecent exposure.�

The colorful artist -- a platinum blonde with a fake dark mustache -- filed a complaint last month in a federal court in New York against the city and the NYPD, accusing them of harassment.

Her complaint states she was once “detained in the psychiatric hospital against her will for approximately six days� after being arrested near an elementary school in March 2012.

Her complaint recalls the 1992 ruling and cites the NYPD memo. She is seeking unspecified punitive damages and compensation.

Cat caught smuggling cell phones into Russian jail

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he Russian prison service said Monday it had caught a cat being used as a courier to smuggle banned cell phones and chargers into a prison camp in the country’s remote far north.

The prison service in the Komi region said on its website that the cat was detained Friday evening as it climbed the fence of the region’s Number One corrective labour camp with two cell phones, batteries and chargers strapped to its back

using tape.

It posted a photograph of the black-and-white cat held up by the scruff of its neck by a guard with the bulky package still stuck to its fur. “They have foiled various attempts to smuggle banned objects into Prison Colony Number One before, but in the case of the cat, the prison colony is at a loss: nothing like this has happened in the prison’s history,� the regional prison service said.

Coach goes baseball crazy for Father’s Day

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he US luxury lifestyle brand Coach has got some fun gifts with a sporty edge this Father’s Day, set for June 16 in the US. The brand has teamed up with some sporting specialists for new baseball-themed Father’s Day gifts, handcrafted in the USA. The three-piece capsule collection contains a baseball bat and glove as well as a special limited edition wallet crafted from leather recovered from vintage mitts.

The gloves, produced by Massachusetts-based company Valkyrie, will retail at $348, with a choice of seven different colors, and will be available in 128 stores.

The painted bats (which come in four different colors), were made in collaboration with Texas wooden bat specialists the Warstic Bat Co. and will sell for $248 in 11 select Coach boutiques.

The collection hits Coach stores in the US on Saturday, June 1 and will be available at Coach.com from early June.

Indian tycoon buys Madonna’s penthouse

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EW YORK: (PTI) Pop diva Madonna has sold her New York penthouse for a loss to a US-based Indian business tycoon Deepak Narula.

Madonna had purchased the six-bedroom Harperley Hall home in Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 2009 for a reported $ 32.5 million and spent millions more renovating the apartment, reported New York Post.

She recently lowered the price to just under $ 20 million as she

struggled to attract potential buyers for the property when she listed it in November (12).

However, the ‘Material Girl’ has since agreed to hand over the keys to Narula, who allegedly scored the property for “considerably less� than the asking price.

The place comes with views over Central Park, a library and an eat-in kitchen, as well as interior decoration by Madonna’s brother Christopher Ciccone.

Beers for Summer Ginger-spiked beer, fruitflavored brews and and shandies in a can are what’s on tap this summer when it comes to refreshing backyard beverages out of the beer industry this year.

With summer rounding the corner, liquor store shelves and coolers are increasingly making space for seasonal, summer beers developed to quench heat-induced thirst.

Molson Coors, for example, is promoting a raft of lighter versions of its products in target markets around the world such as Canada, the US, and Europe.

Blue Moon’s limited release Sunshine Citrus Blonde, for instance, is the latest version of citrus-flavored brews being promoted in time for patio season and is pitched as being an ideal accompaniment to summer salads, grilled pork, and fruit-based desserts.

Sunshine Citrus Blonde joins existing brands like Carlsberg Citrus and Foster’s Radler.

Liquor stores in Canada, meanwhile, will be lined with Rickard’s Shandy, a blend of lager and classic lemonade -- a lemon-lime flavored, carbonated spritzer.

Canadian consumers will also get a Molson-branded cider made entirely from Canadian apples -- the first time the Molson trademark will be used for anything other than beer in its 226-year history.

Over in Europe, meanwhile, beer lovers in the UK and Ireland will be offered Carling Zest with a Hint of Ginger, and two new additions to the popular Molson Coors Europe beer mix range, Bitter Orange and Blackcurrant & Lime.

In an effort to attract the female market, breweries have been coming up with sweeter, fruit-flavored brews. After releasing a Lime-A-Rita beer last year, Budweiser, for instance, has come out with a strawberry margarita version dubbed Straw-Ber-Rita.

VOICE OF ASIA 16

BOLLYWOOD MASALA

Friday, June 7, 2013

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Award-winning Indian director Rituparno Ghosh dies at 49

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Tel: 713-774-5140

Bollywood actress Jiah Khan commits suicide: police

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EW DELHI: News reports say Indian film director Rituparno Ghosh, whose work includes award-winning films in the Bengali language, has died of cardiac arrest at age 49.

Press Trust of India quoted his family as saying Ghosh died on Thursday at his home in the eastern city of Kolkata.

Ghosh directed around 20 feature films in the Bengali language, and many earned awards. He first shot to fame by his direction of a children’s film ‘Hirer Angti’ in 1994. His film ‘Unishe April’ went on to win the national film award in 1995.

Other widely acclaimed films of Ghosh include ‘Dahan’, ‘Asukh’, ‘Chokher Bali’, ‘Raincoat’, ‘Bariwali’, ‘Antarmahal’ and ‘Noukadubi’.

His 2007 creation, ‘’The Last Lear’’, in the English language, centered on

Rituparno Ghosh a retired actor who is persuaded to return to cinema to reprise the lead role in a production of Shakespeare’s ‘’King Lear’’.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan starred in the film that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.

Ritu da left a void in the world of progressive work: Big B Mumbai, May 31 (PTI) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who worked with maverick filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh in his first English language film ‘The Last Lear’, said his death has left a huge void in the world of progressive cinema.

The 12-time National Award-winning filmmaker died of cardiac arrest yesterday at his south Kolkata residence.

Bachchan, 70, took to his blog to express his ‘shock’ on the sudden demise of the 49-year-old Bengali filmmaker.

“Rituparno Ghosh, that young and most respected director from Bengal, passed away this morning... Suddenly, and most unexpectedly!It has been extremely shocking for all of us and indeed the entire film fraternity, at this

ing Shakespearean stage artist, who lived in seclusion in his old age until he is approached by a filmmaker to act in his film.

Rituparno Ghosh directing Amitabh Bachchan for his film. most rude and unbelievable news. 49 years is no age to die, but Ritu Da as we affectionately called him has gone, and left a huge void in the world of some of the most progressive work done in recent times,” Bachchan posted on his blog.

‘The Last Lear’ is the story of a fad-

Bachchan remembers how the whole unit used to speak in Bengali during the shoot and at the end of the day Ghosh used to call up Jaya Bachchan to laugh on the wrong pronunciations he made.

“The unit spoke in Bengali, which was a joy, for it gave us all an opportunity to pick up the second most sweetest language in the world. The first being French. At the end of a days work he would call Jaya and share a laugh at all the wrong pronunciations that I was making in my Bengali...,” he added.

The ‘Sholay’ star also said that the filmmaker was a delight to work with.

“My mother was not the reason for break-up” - Ranbir

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ollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor has denied reports that his mother being the reason behind his split with actress Deepika Padukone, claiming it was their own individual choice.

There were reports that the actor broke-up with the `Cocktail` star because Ranbir`s mother Neetu Kapoor did not approve of their relationship.

On being compared with the late `Junglee` star, Ranbir said, “Let me tell

Police were interviewing her neighbors, a police officer said, adding that no suicide note was found.

“We suspect she hung herself at her home” late on Monday, the officer told AFP, saying her body has been sent for a post-mortem examination.

Khan, who was born in New York before moving to London and then Mumbai, made her Bollywood debut in 2007 with the controversial film “Nishabd” (No words), playing the role of a teenager in love with her best friend’s much older father, played by Bachchan.

The movie won attention because of its provocative storyline and Khan was praised for her bold acting.

Khan, who changed her name from Nafisa Khan, went on to star alongside actor Aamir Khan in “Ghajini”, a boxoffice hit.

India’s film industry reacted with shock and sadness to her death.

Actor Sonam Kapoor tweeted: “Nobody should be in so much pain and a state of such hopelessness. I hope her soul finds some respite in death. #ripjiahkhan.”

Actor Aamir Khan said he was “deeply pained to hear this very tragic news. Jiah is a close family friend and I can only imagine what grief her mother and family must be going through”.

“I wish I had known that she was troubled and needed help,” he told AFP.

Bangalore-based multilingual actress Sanjjanaa Archana is courting trouble for her “close friendship” with tainted cricketer S Sreesanth, according to a report

by MailToday..

Ranbir attended the show to promote his latest release `Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani` alongwith co-star Deepika.

In Ayan Mukherji directed film, which hit theatres today, Ranbir is seen doing some similar dance steps as his uncle Shammi Kapoor in `Badtameez Dil`.

The 25-year-old, who grew up in London before moving to India for a career in Bollywood, was found dead in her home by her family.

in a country which is still pretty closed on aspects of sex and relationships,” Khan later recalled in an interview.

Police to grill actress Sanjjanaa for link with Sreesanth

“It’s an issue between two individuals, but people work on several theories and then disturb things. My mother loves me a lot and wants me to live my own life. My mother is also very fond of Deepika. So, at least this was not the reason for the split. I want to clarify, my mother was not the reason for the break-up,” Ranbir said on Rajat Sharma`s TV show `Aap Ki Adalat`.

“We have been friends since our break-up and shall continue to remain friends,” Deepika added.

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UMBAI, June 04, 2013 (AFP) - Bollywood actress Jiah Khan, who made her debut starring opposite acting legend Amitabh Bachchan, died in an apparent suicide at her home in the Indian city of Mumbai, police said Tuesday.

“It was quite a controversial subject

Ranbir, 30, and Deepika, 27, began dating when they met on the sets of ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ in 2008 and the couple split after a year.

However, the actress says that despite their break-up Ranbir continues to be one of her good friends who gives his feedback on her performances.

Jiah Khan (from her official website http://www.therealjiahkhan.com)

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Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor you a big secret. Shammi Kapoor was technically not a good dancer. His steps were wrong, but his greatness was that he brought wonderful expressions while dancing, whether romancing or enjoying himself on screen. I never tried to copy his style. People say there is some shadow of Shammi Kapoor on my dancing because of my family, but

I`ve never copied him.”

Ranbir also expressed his desire to work with three Khans - Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir - in a film.

“Even if they just stand behind my sofa, with me in front, that film would be runaway hit,” he said.

The show will be aired on June 1.

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anjjanaa has been a regular at the IPL post-match parties and seen in the company of Sreesanth on many occasions.

In 2009, she was caught on camera dancing intimately with Sreesanth at a discotheque in Goa, which sparked rumours about the duo’s courtship.

However, Sanjjanaa rubbished the rumours claiming that she has not been in touch with Sreesanth after 2009.

“Our meeting in Goa was blown out of proportion by the media. I never dated Sreesanth. Of course I have

bumped into him subsequently. But we were never really close friends. I am disgusted with this whole IPL spotfixing scandal,” MailToday quoted her as saying.

The actor, who has delivered multiple hit movies in Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam, also denied that the police had questioned her on IPL spot-fixing scandal.

Apart from Sanjjanaa, Kannada actors Lakshmi Rai, Daisy Boppanna and Surveen Chawla are said to be close friends of Sreesanth and been dragged into the spot-fixing controversy.

VOICE OF ASIA 17

by Udita Jhunjhunwala

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UMBAI, (AFP) - New Bollywood film “Bombay Talkies” is billed as a milestone not only for marking 100 years of Indian cinema -- it is also one of the country’s few mainstream movies ever to have shown a gay kiss.

ENTERTAINMENT Bollywood’s 100-year kiss sparks debate on gay films

But Deepa Mehta’s 1996 film “Fire”, which looked at a lesbian relationship between two sisters-in-law, had to be pulled out of cinemas after protests from far-right Hindu groups.

The short film from director Karan Johar features a kiss between a young man and his best friend’s husband as part of an exploration of sexual identity and marital discord.

While such scenes in the past may have elicited catcalls in India’s populist single-screen theatres, this time the kiss has been winning applause from audiences, according to gay rights advocate Nitin Karani.

“That’s a positive reaction, which may indicate that society is more ready than film producers when it comes to gay stories,” he said.

And with one of the characters in the kiss played by ‘sex symbol’ actor Randeep Hooda, the film “shatters stereotypes faster”, Karani believes.

In another of the short stories, director Zoya Akhtar shows a young boy exploring his feminine side by emulating and dressing up as Katrina Kaif, his Bollywood heroine.

“Bombay Talkies was an important film for Karan and Zoya as it was projected as a movie celebrating 100 years of cinema,” said Karani. “So for them to take up issues of sexuality and gender was commendable.”

The tales in “Bombay Talkies” have sparked debate over such issues in Bollywood, where homosexuality has long been kept in the closet -- or portrayed in stereotypical roles.

“Mainstream Hindi cinema has portrayed gay characters as feminine, over the top, obsessed with sex, and to be

Miss India World 2013 ready to act, but no intimacy please! definitely on her mind.

“I dance, but I am not a professional dancer. I would rather act.

I might go for a Charlie Chaplin act. It will be more about expressions and no words. It would be that or something on similar lines,” Dhillon told reporters.

broached the subject with success, such as 2007’s “Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd”, a comedy drama about six couples on a honeymoon bus tour, including two newlywed men attracted to each other.

The centenary film, which had a special screening at Cannes, comprises four selfcontained short stories by leading directors looking at the impact of Indian cinema on people’s lives.

A still from Bollywood film “Bombay Talkies”

Vajir Singh, editor of trade magazine Box Office India, believes that a conservative society such as India will take time to warm up to such themes.

laughed at,” said director Onir, who only uses his first name.

Onir’s 2005 film “My Brother... Nikhil” won acclaim for portraying the story of a gay relationship and the issue of HIV with both maturity and sensitivity -- traits that remain confined largely to the independent and documentary fields.

But alternative films are gaining ground with wider audiences: last week saw the fourth Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film festival, the first such event to be held in a mainstream Indian theatre.

Organisers picked 132 films from 40 countries, including 18 from India, on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) themes, from about 300 entries.

Numbers for this year are not yet collated but last year saw about 1,000 festival-goers attending, a third of whom were not LGBT themselves, said festival director Sridhar Rangayan.

She wants to go with some prior training to make the act perfect.

Navneet Kaur Dhillon

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ew Delhi: She can dance but believes she can act better - Pond`s Femina Miss India World 2013 Navneet Kaur Dhillon is ready to follow in the footsteps of her predecessors and break into the acting world. She however says she won`t be comfortable with intimate scenes.

Dhillon is currently gearing up to compete at Miss World 2013 scheduled to be held near Jakarta Sep 28. While most past Miss India contestants chose to dance at the pageant`s talent round, the 20-year-old wants to do something different. Acting on stage is

“When they are not stereotyped like this, they are shown as boyfriend stealers or homebreakers,” he said, pointing out than even “Bombay Talkies” shows “the gay boy hitting on his best friend’s husband”.

A scene from the movie “Bombay Talkies” Despite the growing success of the festival, Rangayan -- whose own films on gay topics include “Gulabi Aaina” (The Pink Mirror, 2006) -- said homosexual themes remain underexplored even after 100 years of Indian cinema.

“If films are being made, but not seen, then they are still in the closet. Kashish tries to spotlight these films and issues but we are only able to reach a small audience.”

Homosexuality remains a generally taboo topic in India despite a 2009 court order decriminalising gay sex -- a decision that met with strong opposition.

A few mainstream films have

“These themes do not have the support of big actors or big names enacting the parts. It’s usually newcomers or lesser known actors,” he said.

“If a brand-name filmmaker or actor were to make a gay love story, people would watch it. But you need a brand.”

While a Bollywood superstar is yet to step up to the role, filmmakers such as Reema Kagti, who directed “Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd”, are upbeat about the industry’s evolution as it enters another century.

“Hindi cinema is not as divorced from reality as it was, say, in the 80s. There is far greater awareness of sexuality and sexual choices,” she said.

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

“I shared my idea with the organisers and told them that I was more comfortable with acting, but without an expert, I won`t be able to do it on my own,” she added.

Dhillon is trying her best to increase her chances of bringing back the coveted crown to the country after 12 years. Priyanka Chopra, now a successful National Award winning Bollywood actress, last won the Miss World pageant for India way back in 2000.

“I would like to work with Ranbir Kapoor and Akshay Kumar,” Dhillon said, but added: “I won`t be comfortable with intimate scenes.” (Courtesy: IANS)

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTH

VOICE OF ASIA 18

Friday, June 7, 2013

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

‘Obamacare’ improves Medicare funding outlook

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ASHINGTON Funding for Medicare health insurance has improved due to health care reforms, but the US Social Security trust fund was still expected to run out in 2033, the government reported Friday.

force the Obama administration to dramatically reform entitlement benefits like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, the health care program for the poor, in order to pare longterm deficits and government borrowing.

Medicare, the public healthinsurance program for seniors, will deplete its main trust fund in 2026, two years later than projected last year, thanks to President Barack Obama’s new health-care law, said Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.

The challenges remained significant in the report.

But the trust fund for the Social Security program, which provides retirement and disability benefits, was projected to be exhausted in 2033, the same estimate as last year, according to the annual financial review of the programs.

The review came as fresh budget negotiations loom for the White House and Congress, with the long-term challenges to funding retirement and other entitlement programs in focus.

Republicans are seeking to

For Medicare, after 2026 the government projected that funding with payroll tax revenues would shrink “slowly” to 87 percent of needs in 2033 and about 70 percent in 2050, according to the review.

When Social Security exhausts its full funding after 2033, payroll tax income was projected as enough to finance “more than three quarters” of scheduled benefits through 2087.

Lew credited Obama’s health care reforms with the Medicare funding gains.

“The Medicare report demonstrates, once again, the importance of the Affordable Care Act, which has strengthened

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Medicare’s finances by reining in health-care costs,” he told a news conference.

The act, a centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s administration and a flashpoint for opposition Republican critics, began to roll out in 2012 and will take effect in 2014.

Among its Medicare provisions, the act expands coverage for preventive services for less cost and offers a discount on certain brand-name prescription drugs. Eligibility for Medicare benefits begins at age 65.

“Social Security and Medicare are meeting their commitments today, and they will continue to meet their commitments in the years ahead,” said Lew, acknowledging the programs face “long-term challenges.”

“But more must be done.

The president recognizes how essential reform is, and he is determined to work on a bipartisan basis to put Social Security and Medicare on a stronger footing,” the Treasury chief said.

Tel: 713-774-5140

India battles tainted drugs factory tag

Fish oil and Heart Health

NEW DELHI, (AFP) - India, known as the “pharmacy to the world”, defended Monday its lucrative generic drug industry as safe and tightly regulated, after the nation’s biggest drug firm pleaded guilty last month to US charges of making adulterated medicines.

The government also charged that “isolated reports” of spurious drugs found in global markets allegedly from India represented “desperate attempts” by other countries to hurt the strength of the fast-growing Indian pharmaceutical industry.

India’s “pharmaceutical sector is a highly regulated one and exports are heavily guided by various regulatory regimes of the importing countries”, the government said in a statement.

India’s drug exports totalled $14.6 billion in the financial year to March 31, marking growth of nearly 11 percent from the previous year.

The statement came after New Delhi-based Ranbaxy Laboratories, India’s largest drug company by sales, pleaded guilty to US criminal charges of making adulterated medicines and agreed to a $500 million settlement.

Probiotics alter brain function

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with emotion, said Dr. Kirsten Tillisch, an associate professor of medicine at UCLA`s David Geffen School of Medicine and lead author of the study..

ASHINGTON, (ANI): UCLA researchers have found that bacteria ingested in food can affect brain function in humans.

In an early proof-of-concept study of healthy women, they found that women who regularly consumed beneficial bacteria known as probiotics through yogurt showed altered brain function, both while in a resting state and in response to an emotion-recognition task.

The study was conducted by scientists with UCLA`s Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress and the Ahmanson– Lovelace Brain Mapping Center at UCLA. The discovery that changing the bacterial environment, or microbiota, in the gut can affect the brain carries significant implications for future research that could point the way toward dietary or drug interventions to improve brain function, the researchers said.

Researchers have known that the brain sends signals to the gut, which is why stress and other emotions can contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms. This study shows what has been suspected but until now had been proved only in animal studies: that signals travel the opposite way as well.

The small study involved 36 women between the ages of 18 and 55. Researchers divided the women into three groups: one

group ate a specific yogurt containing a mix of several probiotics — bacteria thought to have a positive effect on the intestines — twice a day for four weeks; another group consumed a dairy product that looked and tasted like the yogurt but contained no probiotics; and a third group ate no product at all.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans conducted both before and after the four-week study period looked at the women`s brains in a state of rest and in response to an emotion-recognition task in which they viewed a series of pictures of people with angry or frightened faces and matched them to other faces showing the same emotions.

The researchers found that, compared with the women who didn`t consume the probiotic yogurt, those who did showed a decrease in activity in both the insula — which processes and integrates internal body sensations, like those form the gut — and the somatosensory cortex during the emotional reactivity

task.

Further, in response to the task, these women had a decrease in the engagement of a widespread network in the brain that includes emotion-, cognition- and sensory-related areas. The women in the other two groups showed a stable or increased activity in this network.

During the resting brain scan, the women consuming probiotics showed greater connectivity between a key brainstem region known as the periaqueductal grey and cognition-associated areas of the prefrontal cortex.

The women who ate no product at all, on the other hand, showed greater connectivity of the periaqueductal grey to emotion- and sensation-related regions, while the group consuming the nonprobiotic dairy product showed results in between.

The researchers were surprised to find that the brain effects could be seen in many areas, including those involved in sensory processing and not merely those associated

The knowledge that signals are sent from the intestine to the brain and that they can be modulated by a dietary change is likely to lead to an expansion of research aimed at finding new strategies to prevent or treat digestive, mental and neurological disorders, said Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine, physiology and psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study`s senior author.

By demonstrating the brain effects of probiotics, the study also raises the question of whether repeated courses of antibiotics can affect the brain, as some have speculated. Antibiotics are used extensively in neonatal intensive care units and in childhood respiratory tract infections, and such suppression of the normal microbiota may have longterm consequences on brain development.

Finally, as the complexity of the gut flora and its effect on the brain is better understood, researchers may find ways to manipulate the intestinal contents to treat chronic pain conditions or other brain related diseases, including, potentially, Parkinson`s disease, Alzheimer`s disease and autism.

The study will appear in the June edition of the peer-reviewed journal Gastroenterology.

David Jeyaraj, MD

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here is a broad spectrum of heart disease prevention with fish oil supplements.

• Cholesterol: Fish oil reduces triglyceride levels very well. People with elevated triglycerides have a high long term risk of getting heart attacks and strokes, liver problems and pancreatitis.

• Prevent the after meal surge of fats in the blood stream, which also serves to protect against heart attacks.

• Slows plaque growth, prevents blood clots in the arteries and stabilize plaques, thus preventing heart attacks.

• Prevent arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.

Fish oil and arthritis: Fish oil is a safe alternative to NSAIDs and other medications. EPA and DHA which are present in the fish oil are potent anti- inflammatory substances relieving pain,

stiffness, swelling and redness of the joints. Fish oil is effective for both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It is useful to think of fish oil as lubricants for the joints, especially the worn out, inflamed joints.

Fish oil and the skin: When I was growing up in India, our family lived all over the country, since my Dad worked for State Bank of India. Among the many places we lived were Trivandrum and Calcutta. I remember my Mother commenting that Malayalees and Bengalis have excellent skin because they eat a lot of fish.

Omega 3’s make the skin smoother, softer and look more radiant. When the skin is thus properly nourished, it shows no signs of aging.

Dr. David Jeyaraj is board certified in Internal Medicine and has been in practice for 14 years. When he faced a personal health crisis, he at first turned to conventional medicine. He exercised, ate right, took his medications regularly.

He transitioned from conventional medicine to full time age management medicine .

Dr. Jeyaraj is certified in age management by Cengenics Institute, Las Vegas and is a member of the Age Management Medicine Group. He can be reached at: 713.271.0705 www.texasami.com

Vegetarians live longer and prosper: study

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ant to live longer and keep the grim reaper at bay? A new study suggests dropping meat from your diet.

After following more than 70,000 men and women over six years, researchers at Loma Linda University in California -- a Seventh-Day Adventist health institution -- concluded that those who followed vegetarian lifestyles had reduced rates of mortality.

As part of their religion, Seventh-Day Adventists are encouraged to follow vegetarian diets.

Findings were published online by JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Internal Medicine this week with an accompanying commentary of the study.

After categorizing study participants into five dietary groups -- non-vegetarians, semi-vegetarians, pescatarians, lactoovo-vegetarians, and vegans -- authors found that vegetarian

groups -- the lacto-ovo-vegetarians and the vegans -- tended to be older, more highly educated, and more likely to be married, drink less alcohol, smoke less, exercise more and be thinner.

Mortality rates were also lower among those who followed meat-free diets --12 percent lower than their carnivorous counterparts. This was particularly noteworthy among male participants, who showed a significant reduction in cardiovascular and ischemic heart disease-related deaths, researchers point out.

The overall mortality rate was six deaths per 1,000 person years, or 2,570 deaths over a follow-up time of about six years.

It’s the latest study to tout the benefits of a meat-free diet. Earlier this year, researchers from the University of Oxford found that the risk of hospitalization or death from heart disease is 32 percent lower in vegetarians than their counterparts.

Simple vinegar test cuts cervical cancer deaths

by Mira Oberman CHICAGO, June 2, 2013 (AFP) - A simple vinegar test cut cervical cancer rates among Indian women by nearly a third and could prevent 73,000 deaths worldwide each year, the authors of a large-scale study said Sunday.

Wealthy countries have managed to reduce such fatalities by 80 percent thanks to the widespread use of regular Pap smears that can detect the disease at an early, treatable stage.

But it remains the leading cause of cancer death among women in India and many other developing countries lacking the money, doctors, nurses

or laboratories for widespread screening.

The inexpensive vinegar test, which has a comparable accuracy to Pap smears, offers a solution to that problem.

A primary health care worker swabs the woman’s cervix with vinegar, which causes pre-cancerous tumors to turn white.

The results are known a minute later when a bright light is used to visually inspect the cervix.

Aside from the cost savings, the instantaneous results are a major advantage for women in rural areas who might otherwise have to travel for hours to see a doctor.

The test could also be useful in the United States, where 40

percent of women do not get treatment following an abnormal Pap smear, said Electra Paskett, a gynecological cancer expert at Ohio State University.

“We have a problem with follow-up,” Paskett told AFP at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago where the study was presented.

“The thing in their program that was really wonderful is they assured follow-up -- their completion rate was phenomenal.”

The randomized study of 150,000 women living in Mumbai slums found that the vinegar test was able to reduce

cervical cancer deaths by 31 percent through early detection and treatment.

The 15-year study also found that the vinegar test sidesteps a common problem of overdiagnosis. The incidence of cervical cancer was essentially the same among the women who were screened every other year and those who were simply taught how to watch for warning signs.

“We hope our results will have a profound effect in reducing the burden of cervical cancer in India and around the world,” said lead study author Surendra Srinivas Shastri, a professor of preventive oncology at Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital.

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“This is the first trial to identify a cervical cancer screening strategy that reduces mortality and is feasible to implement on a broad scale throughout India and in other developing countries.”

India has already established a vast network of community health workers who deliver basic services such as vaccinations to people in rural or remote areas and those living in urban slums.

Establishing widespread screening will only require adding a month of training to their core competence, said Rajendra Badwe, director of Tata Memorial Hospital.

Health officials in the state of

Maharashtra, where the study was conducted, are preparing to train those primary health care workers to provide the vinegar screening to all women aged 35 to 64 in the state.

The national health service has also begun implementing a plan to train paramedical workers across the country, starting with six districts in each state.

India accounts for nearly a third of the world’s cervical cancer cases and deaths. Nearly 142,000 new cases were detected in 2010 and more than 77,000 result in death.

Mortality rates have nonetheless fallen drastically over the past decade - from 28 to 11 per 100,000 women -- as women

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SC & TECH

VOICE OF ASIA 19

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Houston Science Group honors Startup glasses overlay Consul General P. Harish Internet on real world

by Glenn Chapman

M

OUNTAIN VIEW, California, May 30, 2013 (AFP) - While Google prepares to release eyewear that provides a window to the Web, a startup on the edge of its campus is readying glasses that overlay the Internet on the world in 3D. Atheer Labs on Thursday provided the first public look at prototype eyewear that lets people manipulate virtual objects, maps and more in the air in a style reminiscent of a scene in the film “Minority Report.”

“The whole idea is that technology is becoming smart enough to wrap itself around you,” Atheer co-founder and chief executive Soulaiman Itani said while providing AFP a demonstration.

(Sitting from L to R) Moani Thomas, Nike B. Luqman, Robert Curl, Raj Chhikara; (Standing L to R) Koshy Thomas, Manik Talwani, Jagat Kamdar, Kapil Mehta, Krishna Dronamraju (host), Consul General Harish Parvathaneni, and Durga Agarwal.

H

OUSTON - Consul General Harish Parvathaneni was honored by the Houston Science Group, hosted by Dr. Krishna Dronamraju, at the Narin’s Bombay Brasserie Restaurant.

Both Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Houston Mayor Anise Parker were represented at the meeting and messages were read honoring the Consul General by the U.S. Congress and the City of Houston.

Among those gathered for the occasion are: Nobel laureate from Rice University Robert Curl, Kapil Mehta, Durga Agarwal, Jagat Kamdar, Koshy and Moani Thomas, Krishna and Michele Dronamraju, Manik Talwani, and Raj Chhikara. Also present were Ms. Nike Luqman the Senior Protocol Manager for Houston

who represented Mayor Anise Parker and Ms. Deirdre from the office of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Indian Consul General In Houston Mr. Harish Parvathaneni is a distinguished member of the Indian Foreign Service and an experienced diplomat. Since joining the India Foreign Service in 1990, he has learnt Arabic at the American University of Cairo and passed the examination with distinction.

He has served in India Mission in Cairo and Riyadh and headed the Post as India Representative to the Palestinian Authority stationed in Gaza city. He was on Secondment to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as the Chief

of the Policy Analysis Unit at UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza.

He thereafter worked in the East Asia and External Publicity Divisions in the Ministry of External Affairs. For a period of five years since 2007, Mr. Harish was the Joint Secretary and Officer on Special Duty to the Hon’ble Vice President of India and Chairman of the council of States of the Indian Parliament, Mr. M. Hamid Ansari.

Mr. Parvathaneni Harish is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from Osmania University College of Engineering, Hyderabad. He is married to Mrs. Parvathaneni Nandita and has two daughters, Ayushi and Amani. Mr. Parvathaneni Harish assumed charge as the Consul General of India, Houston on 30th July 2012.

Bill Gates backs social network for researchers SAN FRANCISCO, (AFP) Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates on Tuesday joined backers of a social network aimed at promoting scientific breakthroughs such as life-saving medicines.

Gates and others pumped $35 million into Berlin-based ResearchGate, which was started five years ago by three friends intent on making it easier for researchers to collaborate and share information.

“Our goal is to free knowledge from the ivory tower, to digitalize it and make it accessible for everyone in order to accelerate scientific progress,” said ResearchGate cofounder and chief Ijad Madisch.

“We’re excited to add to our group of investors whose goals are perfectly in line with ours, and who understand the relevance of what we are doing -- not only for science, but for society.”

The roster of ResearchGate investors includes Founders Fund and Benchmark in Silicon Valley.

Madisch, a virologist and com-

puter scientist, was working on research in Boston when he was vexed by the likelihood that others had wasted money and time doing the same failed experiments that he was trying.

“I was very frustrated with the fact that science is broken,” Madisch said.

“My primary goal is to facilitate breakthroughs by connecting the right people with each other.”

People must have email addresses at scientific institutions to join ResearchGate, which has grown to about 2.9 million members in 193 countries, the top being Germany, India, Britain, and the United States.

“Just as I witnessed at LinkedIn and Facebook, a true networkeffect business like ResearchGate has the power to change the world,” said Benchmark general partner Matt Cohler, who is on the ResearchGate board.

“We are just beginning to see the transformative impact of removing the arcane barriers to scientific collaboration and sharing.”

Triumphs in the online community include a Nigerian scientist seeking the cause of a girl’s death in Africa sharing data with a professor in Italy who then discovered that a dangerous yeast had mutated from plants to humans.

“This would not have been possible if they had not connected on ResearchGate,” Madisch said after recounting the story.

“We have many more examples; in green chemistry, cancer research, engineering...”

This third round of funding will enable ResearchGate to beef up its platform for publishing results and to build software tools for members, according to Madisch.

ResearchGate is looking into the potential to make money with job boards where companies or schools can recruit talent, and with advertising focused on equipment needed for experiments.

Data at ResearchGate was to remain free and open.

“I call it open science,” Madisch said. “This will benefit all of us.”

“It is an opportunity of taking the Internet and making it much more immersive, connected and helpful in a nonintrusive way; like our hidden guardian angel.”

Itani and Atheer chief technology officer Allen Yang described what their team is building as an extension of the trend of sophisticated mobile technology bringing Internet services to people when they want.

“The next step, we believe, is natural interaction through computer vision,” Itani said.

“We worked hard to do that in portable fashion,” he continued. “This is like putting the Xbox and the Kinect and the Internet in your pocket running on a battery.”

Atheer is working on ver-

sions of the eyewear that access the Internet by wirelessly connecting to smartphones or Wi-Fi hotspots and which have telecom chip capabilities to link to mobile phone networks.

turned off.

A prototype device in the Atheer office in a building on the Google campus in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View allowed a virtual map to be scanned with the turn of a head and virtual objects manipulated.

The system will include a way to verify if someone has disabled the eyewear camera.

“It is basically a system for letting people say that on their land, you can’t take video without their permission,” Itani said.

“In the end, these things are really decided by society,” Itani said. “Our role is to give them all the options.

News stories could have images come alive with what Itani and Yang called “Harry Potter style” pictures.

Itani and Yang would not discuss what, if any, talks they have had with Google about their project.

“It is like the Internet now is stuck behind these windows we look through,” Itani said.

“Breaking that and putting it in 3D around you everywhere is a great shift.”

“Google is really the pioneer in this field with Glass, and in many ways this complements that,” Yang said.

He gave the example of a wearer pausing to window shop and having discounts, exclusive items or other information pop up for them to see.

Atheer is designing voice controls and camera capabilities into the Android-powered eyewear, which will keep Internet imagery invisible until it is needed or until summoned with a gesture.

“Our mobile 3D platform fundamentally alters the way people access information on the go, adding a natural interface that can be controlled with natural gestures and motions,” said Itani.

To address the kinds of privacy concerns that have been expressed about Glass, Atheer is developing a way for businesses or property owners to detect when devices enter and ask that camera features be

Atheer is building a network of developers to craft useful or fun applications for the eyewear and partners for making the gear fashionable.

A product wasn’t expected to be ready for consumers until next year.

Google Glass was a common sight early this month at a software developers conference in San Francisco, where software savants here shared visions of games, weather reports, news and more delivered to the Internet-linked eyewear.

Glass connects to the Internet using Wi-Fi hot spots or, more typically, by being wirelessly tethered to mobile phones.

Pictures or video are shared through the Google Plus social network.

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said recently that it will take “a while” before consumer versions of Glass are available.

Social networks hot targets for hackers: McAfee

S

AN FRANCISCO - AFP McAfee Labs on Monday reported a surge early this year in malicious software aimed at stealing passwords at social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

The security firm cited a “significant spike” in a “Koobface” social networking worm and a “dramatic increase” in spam in the first three months of 2013.

According to the quarterly global McAfee Threats Report, variations of Koobface, named in a play on the spelling of Facebook, in the first quarter of this year

nearly tripled from the previous three-month period.

Koobface is designed to worm its way through people’s social networks, using messages to trick friends into installing the code in computers which hackers can then use for more malicious purposes.

The Koobface rise came with a continued increase in the number and complexity of targeted attacks, particularly in the financial sector, crafted to steal information that criminals could turn to their advantage, McAfee reported.

“Cybercriminals have come to appreciate that sensitive personal and organizational information are the currency of their hacker economy,” said McAfee Labs senior vice president Vincent Weafer.

“The resurrection of Koobface reminds us that social networks continue to present a substantial opportunity for intercepting personal information.”

After stagnating for three years, the volume of spam email leapt, driven by “pump-and-dump” schemes designed to drive stock prices to artificial highs by inducing people into buying shares.

Intel introduces fourth generation processors TAIPEI, (AFP) - Intel Corp. unveiled its fourth generation processors in Taipei on Tuesday in a bid to give personal computers a new lease of life amid stiff competition from smartphones and tablets.

The US chip giant said the new processors -- introduced at Computex, Asia’s biggest IT trade fair -- have been designed for its thin ‘ultrabook’ laptops to combine the performance of a PC with the mobility of a tablet.

“It’s (the ultrabook) a tablet when you want it, and a notebook

when you need it,” said Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s PC client group.

The “two-in-one” ultrabooks using the new processors will allow a 50 percent rise in battery life and also offer faster data encryption when compared to the third generation chips, he said.

“This is the largest generationover-generation gain in the company’s history, equating to over nine hours of battery life for some ultrabooks based on the new pro-

cessors,” Skaugen said.

The new chips will also allow for sharper resolution graphics and boost the speed of online games, he added.

The launch of the new chips came as J.T. Wang, chairman of Taiwan’s leading computer vendor Acer, pronounced the “PC is not dead”.

Intel, the world’s biggest maker of chips for PCs, has been struggling to make inroads in the surging market for small processors for smartphones and tablets.

VOICE OF ASIA 20

Friday, June 7, 2013

BUSINESS

Section 2

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Tel: 713-774-5140

HSBC Sued by New York Over Rupee flirts with lifetime Alleged Foreclosure Violations low as India’s woes a settlement conference within 60 days.

by David McLaughlin & Chris Dolmetsch (Bloomberg)

H

SBC Holdings Plc (HSBA), Europe’s largest bank, was accused in a suit by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman of violating the state’s foreclosure law and putting homeowners at increased risk of losing their property.

A state investigation found that HSBC failed to give homeowners a chance to negotiate loan modifications, as required by law, leaving them languishing in foreclosure proceedings, according Schneiderman, who sued HSBC yesterday in New York state Supreme Court in Buffalo.

“Companies like HSBC are brazenly ignoring state law, leaving homeowners across New York stuck in a legal limbo where they can’t even get the legally required settlement conference that could help them keep their homes,” the attorney general said.

The suit underscores Schneiderman’s continuing scrutiny of banks’ foreclosure practices after all but one of the nation’s attorneys general reached a $25 billion settlement last year with five mortgage servicers including Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) HSBC wasn’t part of that accord.

Schneiderman said in May he was prepared to sue Bank of America and Wells Fargo for allegedly violating terms of the nationwide settlement, which set requirements for servicing mortgages and provided financial relief for homeowners. Schneiderman said the lenders have

Required Paperwork The state found that HSBC failed to file the required paperwork in hundreds of foreclosure cases in New York, putting New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman speaks at a news off the request conference in Buffalo, New York, on June 4, 2013. for judicial intervention failed to comply with standards for processing applications from homeowners in some instances for more than two years, Schneiderman said. A sample of for loan modifications. foreclosure filings in Bronx, Erie, Mon‘Applicable Laws’ roe and Suffolk counties found almost “HSBC is committed to compliance 300 instances where HSBC failed to with all applicable laws, which includes file the paperwork in time, according to those related to foreclosure,” HSBC said Schneiderman. in a statement. “We will respond approHSBC continued to charge interest priately to the state AG in this matter.” and fees, increasing the amount owed The HSBC case is based on New by homeowners and reducing the likeYork’s law governing foreclosures. It lihood they would qualify for a loan requires court-supervised settlement modification, according to the state. conferences where homeowners can try Schneiderman cited as an example to negotiate alternatives to foreclosure Rebecca Karm, an Erie County resident such as a loan modification that would who lost her job and is suffering from lower monthly payments. health issues. Karm waited more than Lenders and servicers who sue to fore- 500 days for a settlement conference close in New York must file a request after HSBC filed proof of service in for judicial intervention at the same November 2010 while failing to submit time they file proof of service on the a request for judicial intervention until foreclosure action. The process requires June 2012. That added about $23,000 in accrued fees to Karm’s principal balance, the attorney general’s office said.

Dollar higher as market awaits Japan PM speech

T

OKYO - The dollar rose against the yen in Asia on Wednesday as investors await a speech by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his growth strategy for the economy.

The greenback bought 100.18 yen in Tokyo morning trade from 99.98 yen in New York late Tuesday while the euro also edged up to 130.96 yen from 130.79 yen.

The euro bought $1.3072 against $1.3079 in New York.

Abe is due to deliver a speech later Wednesday that observers hope will provide details on his policy to stoke growth.

“I’m guessing he might give lip service,” a senior dealer at a major European bank in Tokyo told Dow Jones Newswires.

Abe’s policy of active government spending coupled with the Bank of Japan’s aggressive monetary easing has boosted Tokyo stock prices to multiyear highs, but the market has been prone to recent wild swings.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 0.23 percent in mid-morning trade Wednesday.

In the present febrile atmosphere, any fresh comment from Abe on encouraging financial investment or easy-money policy could send stock prices higher, fuel risk sentiment and drag the yen down.

Media reports on Wednesday said Abe would say that his government aims to boost the nation’s per-capita income by 1.5 million yen, or by a third, over 10 years.

National Australia Bank (NAB) said in a note that “the key theme in markets remains the timing of the Fed’s expected easing back on purchases of bonds.”

Investors have been jittery over the timing.

The market appeared to believe the chances of a near-term tapering of the Federal Reserve’s programme had receded after weak US manufacturing data Monday.

Damages, Restitution Schneiderman is seeking restitution and damages for homeowners “injured

by HSBC’s illegal practices” and to force HSBC to file the required papers in pending foreclosure actions and future cases.

In cases where HSBC hasn’t filed requests for judicial intervention, he asked the court to order the bank to waive all interest charges, penalties and fees that accrued 60 days after proof of service was filed and to pay restitution.

“For homeowners facing foreclosure, time is their greatest enemy,” Schneiderman said.

“Every day spent waiting for a settlement conference is a day that the lender piles on additional interest, fees and penalties and the homeowner falls further behind.” homeowner falls further behind.”

mount

by Penelope MACRAE NEW DELHI, June 05, 2013 (AFP) - India’s rupee is flirting with lifetime lows against the dollar as risk-wary investors favour the greenback over Asia’s third-largest economy which is beset by sharply slower growth, worsening public finances and political turmoil.

The so-called “India story” has faded with the shortfall in the current account -- the broadest trade measure -- ballooning to just under five percent of gross domestic product in the last financial year from 4.2 percent the previous year, and growth at a decadelow of five percent, analysts say.

“I don’t see anything that can turn the rupee around for a while,” Mitul Kotecha, Credit Agricole global foreign exchange strategy chief, told AFP. “The currency is generally suffering from higher risk aversion which has sent people into US assets and a slew of domestic concerns like politics.”

The currency, Asia’s worst performer in May after falling five percent, was trading at 56.66 against the dollar Tuesday -- less than a rupee above its all-time low of 57.32 rupees reached last June.

The currency’s woes all add up to bad news for the left-leaning Congress government led by Premier Manmohan Singh, which is struggling to rein in subsidies and overspending under pressure from international ratings agencies.

The weaker rupee makes imports costlier, especially of foreign oil on which India relies on heavily, and will stoke already high consumer inflation.

The country is now heavily reliant on fickle portfolio inflows -- foreign purchases of shares and bonds -- to cover its current account gap.

Particularly worrying are figures showing a 38-percent drop in foreign direct investment (FDI) -- seen as long-term investment in infrastructure

and other projects -- as overseas investors have given India a wide berth.

Meanwhile, foreign institutional investors or FIIs last year chasing short-term returns poured a record $26 billion into Indian shares and bonds markets.

This makes India vulnerable to a balance of payments crisis in the event of a new financial crisis or conversely an economic recovery in which better returns are offered in the developed world and investors repatriate their capital.

The rupee could face “an unpleasant shock”, noted CLSA economist Rajeev Malik, adding India “appeared to be ill-prepared” for a reversal in fund flows.

Memories are still sharp of India’s humiliating 1991 balance of payments crisis when it rapidly depleted its reserves, resulting in a currency devaluation.

Singh’s administration is battling a host of graft scandals that have stalled politically contentious steps to spur domestic demand before elections due

by May 2014.

“It’s going to be tough to get much done (legislatively) with the elections coming,” said Kotecha.

The central bank has maintained a “hands-off” approach toward the currency with the Reserve Bank of India’s chief saying this week that he was not targeting any particular level.

Analysts say the bank can not intervene heavily to buttress the currency as it must retain enough foreign reserves pay for imports. Right now, it only has sufficient reserves for seven months of imports -- the lowest cover in 13 years.

Some analysts expect the currency to fall to 57 to 58 rupees to the dollar by year-end and to 60 in the 2014 first-half.

With traders expecting more cuts in rates to spur the economy, possibly at the central bank’s June 17 meeting, the currently is facing relentless pressure as lower rates usually translate into a weaker exchange rate.

Congratulations 2013 South Central Region Small Business Award Winners

Texas Small Business Persons of the Year

N

Aziz Mansoor, Ahmed Mashnoon, and Mueen Akhter Netbrands Media Corp Houston, TX

etbrands Media Corp is a manufacturer and online retailer of promotional products and printed materials. The owners started the company in 2007 when they entered a $20 billion industry with a $2,000 investment from each partner. Operating out of a small garage, the partners began selling customized silicone wristbands online while they developed a business strategy.

Now in their fifth year of business, Netbrands is generating sales of about $3 million a month with more than 300 employees. Their product line includes wristbands, lanyards, tyvek, buttons/mylar, tattoo paper, koozies, totbags, bottles, signs, stickers, pens and apparel. Netbrand Media customers include NBA, NFL, Ford, Google, Fortune 500 companies, as well as small businesses, schools, churches and non-profit organizations.

SBA loans propel Houston company to 300 jobs, plans for more

By Collin Eaton, Houston Business Journal

M

ay 30, 2013 Mueen Akhter’s 5-year-old company had never taken out any loans before last year, when it borrowed $6.3 million in government-backed debt to buy manufacturing materials and a 135,000-squarefoot facility in Houston.

Since July, when Houston-based Netbrands Media Corp. took out two U.S. Small Business Administration loans from Wallis State Bank, the company has boosted its head count from 120 to 300 manufacturing jobs in Houston, and it wants to grow that number to 500 next year, the young CFO told me Thursday.

Shipping manufacturing jobs from China — where the manufacturer and online

retailer of promotional products had previously operated — to the U.S. was an added bonus to its full-throttle, debtbacked growth, said Akhter, CFO of Netbrands. And moving to the U.S. meant the company could take more control of its operations and ship products at high speeds, he added.

“Everyone wants their product the next day: That’s our business model, and that’s why we’ve grown. We’re adding 15,000 clients per month,” and that includes everything from Fortune 500 companies to small churches that want to promote themselves on wristbands, Frisbees, T-shirts and the like, he said.

Netbrands started up in a garage in 2007, fueled by just $2,000 investments from each of its founders. Now the young company, a unique

breed in a $20 billion industry that outsources its manufacturing to China, garners about $3 million a month in revenue.

“It’s exactly what we’ve said in the (SBA): focus on creating jobs here,” said Yolanda Garcia Olivarez, an SBA regional administrator who oversees Texas and four other states.

While SBA recognized Netbrands’ top executives for an award — “Texas Small Business Person of the Year” — the company is just one of hundreds that took a piece of the $678 million in SBA loans lenders made in Houston last year.

The SBA’s fiscal 2013 goal for Houston is $650 million to $700 million, Manuel Gonzalez, Houston district director for SBA, said at the award event Thursday.

FEATURE

VOICE OF ASIA 21

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

Your Horoscope

India’s Africans keep ancient customs alive

(For week beginning Friday, June 7, 2013)

Hardik Vyas, Astrologer Cell : 832-298-9950

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

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

Sidi tribal children play outside their homes in the village of Jambur, some 480kms south-west of Ahmedabad. —AFP (File) Photo

by Ammu Kannampilly The tiny Sidi community, descendants of ninth century African migrants, have lived quietly along India’s west coast for hundreds of years while never losing touch with their ancient traditions.

“A Certain Grace”, a new book

by Indian photographer Ketaki Sheth reveals how the community, many of whose members live in poverty, has assimilated in India while keeping its distinctive culture alive.

At the book’s launch in Mumbai last month Sheth recalled her first brush with the community during a 2005 holiday in Gujarat state in western India.

“I first saw the Sidi in Sirwan, a village in the middle of the forest given to them by the Nawab (Muslim prince) ... in recognition of their loyal services,” she said.

“I was intrigued.”

Estimated to number between 60,000-70,000 in a nation of 1.2 billion, the Sidi originate from a swathe of east Africa stretching southwards from Ethiopia.

The fiercely proud community discourages marriage to non-Sidis and outsiders are unwelcome, as Sheth found out when she was greeted by a group of young men eyeing her suspiciously at the entrance to another village, Jambur.

“If looks could kill, honestly, I would be dead. I could sense irritation, hostility, perhaps even resentment to this very obvious ‘outsider’,” she said.

Two of those boys -- “still angry and daunting” -- would later turn up in a portrait shot by Sheth, their resistance apparently having faded over the five years she spent working on the project that blends portraiture and street photography.

Jambur would become an occasional backdrop to her photographs, all shot in black and white using a manual camera.

Often described as descendants of slaves brought to India by Arab and other troops, the Sidi mostly live in villages and towns along India’s west coast, with a few groups scattered across the rest of the country.

Anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at New York’s Columbia University, says many came to India not as only as cheap labour but also as soldiers, with some rising quickly through the ranks and even acquiring royal titles Successive waves of migration saw Portuguese invaders bring slave-soldiers from modern-day Mozambique to India, Mamdani writes in an introductory essay to Sheth’s book.

“Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty.

In this context, slaves are best thought of as lifelong servants of ruling or upper caste families,” he writes.

Those deemed most loyal were given land that is now home to villages inhabited exclusively by Sidis.

-- Reinventing African tradition -US-based academic Beheroze Shroff, who has studied the Sidi for years, told AFP that they, like other migrants, “have reinvented their traditions”.

Some customs have disappeared, while others, involving music, dance and the addition of Swahili words to the Gujarati dialect spoken in Sidi settlements have survived.

Shroff said that Gujarati Sidi Muslims in particular still practise “elaborate rituals and ceremonies, which involve drumming and ecstatic dancing called goma (a Swahili word that means drum, song and dance)”.

“This is handed down, learned by each subsequent generation, from childhood,” said Shroff, who teaches at the University of California in Irvine.

The Sidis, considered a marginalised tribe since 1956, have been the beneficiaries of affirmative action policies in India.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) even launched a special Olympics training centre in Gujarat in 1987, in an attempt to capitalise on the athleticism of the African-origin Sidis.

That experiment ended nine years ago amid reports of petty politics and infighting among administrators but it produced a string of national-level athletes, such as Mumbai-based Juje Jackie Harnodkar, featured in Sheth’s book.

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A mixture of energy from your emotional moods, Special feelings about traditions, relationships & a new interest in financial opportunities will surface. You can start your own traditions, make plans, include everybody close to your heart. The support will give you the confidence you lack. Try to remove excess stress wherever possible, your loved ones will notice the difference, if you do. You’re not a great fan of detail but you need to focus your time properly.

You could feel frustrated, or even feel personally criticized. possibly can.

Gemini

(K,CHH,GH) 22 May to 21 June

You Will be ruled out with high emotion & excitement. You could feel overwhelmed or overly sensitive, unable to make a move, but you can rise to fly again, perhaps higher than ever before. Positive flow from member of the opposite sex will set you into motion. Your motives could be challenged by those in authority. Your rewards are long overdue. You will be able to achieve success, if you trust your gut feelings & remain loyal to your principles. Your universal appeal will help you dazzle even the dullest audience.

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July You need to communicate clearly & effectively. A misunderstanding at this time may have big repercussions, which you would love to set right if only you could understand exactly what is going on! Being stubborn will only work against you. You will be in a position to help others. Give advice but hold back if they want cash. Get on with your life. New attitudes will develop through the company you keep. Take your time before making decisions. Re-direct any jangling nerves into some physical exercise if possible. Try not to get too upset if you are summoned to take care of someone’s affairs.

Leo (M) 23 July to 23 August The realization that you need the love & attention of others. You’re disciplined enough to accomplish anything you want. Rid yourself of bad habits. Problems with older woman in your family may be alarming. You should do things that involve family reunions. Get yourself into projects that will enhance your appearance and help you change your self-image. Be careful not to manipulate a situation to your own liking. Your emotions are frenzied. Opportunities to meet interesting people will help you to broaden your horizons. Be honest in expressing how you feel, especially this week-end.

Virgo (P) 24 August to - 23 September You will be able to fit into new situations & surroundings. Your willingness to confide in others could get you in a little trouble. Think twice before sharing information. You may not think it’s very important, but it could be to someone else. Use discretion, and avoid saying too much. You sometimes feel like you have to do a balancing act. It’s okay to feel the security you have in your relationships, just be aware of deceit. Take this attitude wherever you go. Set your goals & focus on them full force. Help will arrive from existing networks.

Libra

(R,T) 24 Sept. to 23 Oct.

Scorpio (N,Y) 24 Oct. to 23 Nov. You need to get away from reality, sometimes. Take care of all the fine details and you will receive the praise you are looking for. You should lay your cards on the table and let those you care about know where you stand. You can get ahead financially, however the emotional side of your life may be more difficult. You’ll be able to organize functions at work and earn the admiration of higher ups. A raise or promotion may be in order. You’ll gain admiration for your honest, direct approach. Take the initiative & you’ll be able to deal with any situation this week.

Sagittarius

(BH,F,DH,TH) 23. Nov. to 21 Dec.

Lucrative business opportunities are likely. Take the plunge and get involved in a joint venture. Avoid detail-oriented tasks, try to work with others as much as possible. Try a little idea-generation and offer your assistance to colleagues. Don’t say things that may come back to haunt you. Personal problems will play on your mind. You must be willing to move on and let go of the past if you wish to get over the unpleasantness you’ve experienced.

Capricorn

We speak Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam & Spanish Not Certified by Texas Board Of Legal Specialization

(B,V,U) 21 April to 21 May

Make a difference, You know how to listen to the problems facing family members.

Your experience and know-how will help them get back on track. Those experiences will provide insight and awareness that will come in handy in your day-to-day life.

Satisfaction will be your reward. Financial investments will also be lucrative. You can persuade others to support your plans for the future. You will not be in a position to proposition others. Consider your personal needs before your professional ones. Business trips will be enjoyable, but you can mix business with pleasure. You may even meet someone who interests you more than just as a friend.

UMA MANTRAVADI

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

Your sense of timing & luck. Your universal appeal will make you very popular. You may find yourself in the public eye. A simple observation can provoke a strong response. You’ll need to have emotional contact with others. Even though your friends tend to show off their assets, you must keep a close eye on your budget. Best not to discuss your future plans with one who lacks your vision & imagination. Don’t allow them to dampen your enthusiasm. Someone with whom you have almost nothing in common may come to your aid.

Utilize your ability to analyze data in order to meet deadlines, schedules.

(KH,J) 22 Dec. to 20 Jan.

Your ability to make connections that help you discover who you are and what your goals are. Do the best you can and try to enlist some help from other friends or relatives.

Helping others will be rewarding to you. Uncertainties regarding finances may upset you. Take a stab at doing your own thing or take time off to discover what you really want to do. Don’t take on other people’s problems. Make suggestions and get on with your own life. By week’s end, things will start to turn in your favor. Past partners may re-surface, causing you some confusion.

Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21st Jan. to 18th Feb.

You certainly are a master when it comes to learning the things that interest you, but a daydreamer when forced to listen to boring, tedious chatter. You are quick to respond and always willing to help others. You will be upset with those who don’t pull their weight, remain cool but don’t allow yourself to be used. You are used to giving your all and will be ready to blow up if you are forced to deal with lazy and inconsiderate individuals. Get sound financial advice, your cautious nature will help you to make the right choices.

Pisces

(D,CH,Z) 19th Feb. to 20th March

You will have no problem finding ways to get others interested in what you are doing. Organize events that require endurance. Spend time with those who have similar interests & morals.

Channel your energy into making money. Debates will bring distance between you and your friends. You will be tempted to overspend, so leave money in the bank. You will gain respect and close deals by being your charming self. Don’t let anyone take you for granted. Don’t spend more than you can afford to part with.

Organize activities that will include friends.

SR &

S&R

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COMMUNITY EVENTS

VOICE OF ASIA 22

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES & ORGANIZATIONS OF HOUSTON - call Voice of Asia 713-774-5140 Indo-American Charity Foundation (IACF) Prog: Silver Jubilee Celebrations at Hilton Americas on Sept 21st, 2013 . For more information, call Gala Chair Ramesh Cherivirala at 713875-4336.

VSNA, Houston Prog: Monthly Mahamane event. Puja, Vachana Sahithya discourses, Aarthi and Prasad Contact: vsnahouston@gmail. com/832-545-1185 (Jyoti Biradar) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VSNA.HOUSTON Website: https://sites.google. com/site/bsusorg/home

Hare Krishna Dham (ISKCON) Prog: Everyday, 7 Aratis and bhoga offerings daily. Sunday Festival: 5.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Location: 1320 West 34th St, Houston, TX 77018.

Contact:281-433-1635/E-mail harekrishnadham@gmail.com Website: www.iskconhouston. org

International Hindi Association (IHA) Houston Prog: 16th Biennial Hindi National Conference on August 30, 31 and September 1 (Labor Day weekend) at VPSS Haveli.

For registration and more information contact Sangeeta 281 7889750 or Swapan 281 3820348 or visit www.hindi.org

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

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

Ashirwad - A Blessing Temple Prog: Regular prog :Sloka Classes for kids and teens.

Location: Katy, Hwy 249 & Sugar Land.

Contact: 281.995.0930/ 281.808.2159

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

Website: www.vedantahouston. org

Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya Temple Temple Hrs: 9 am to noon and 5 to 9 pm.

Sri Astalaksmi puja: 7 pm.

Sri Laksmi Archana will be performed on request all day.

Location:10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX77498.

Phone: 832.541.0059.

Website: www.saumyakasi.org;

BAPS Prog: Location: 1150 Brand Rd. Stafford, TX. Contact: 281-765-2277 Web:

Sri Meenakshi Temple Prog: Location: 17130 McLean Road Pearland, TX 77584 Contact: (281) 489-0358

QR

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

VPSS Houston Prog: Location VPSS Vallabh Hall, 11715 Belfort Village Dr. Houston 77031.

Contact:713-530-2900 Website:www.vpsshaveli.org

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

Phone: 713-933-8821 / 9359.

Shri Radha Krishna Temple Prog: Location:11625 Beechnut, Houston, TX 77072 Phone: 281-933-8100 Website: www.SRKT.org.

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

Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple

Hindu Worship Society

Prog: Location:10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX77498.

Phone: 832.541.0059.

Website:www.chinmayahouston. org.

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

Lakshmi Narayan Mandir

Hindu Temple of The Woodlands

Gayatri Pariwar of Houston

Location: 7601 S. Forest Gate Drive at Woodlands Parkway, Spring, TX 77382.

Contact: info@woodlandshindutemple.org, 832-585-0001 Website: www.woodlandshindutemple.org.

Prog: Sundays Satsang, BalSanskar Shala, from 11am to 1pm.

Location: 5645 Hillcroft, Suite # 307, Houston, TX 77036.

Website: http://www.gayatripariwarhouston.org/ “

JVB Preksha Meditation Center

Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya

Prog: Annual Family Camp “Understanding Joy & Sorrow” on March 29 - 31, 2013 (Good Friday Weekend) Bellville, TX. Location: 14102 Schiller Road, Houston TX 77082

Prog: Location: Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land -TX 77498.

Contact: 281.568.1690 Website: www.saumyakasi.org

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Govindaji Gaudiya Math Prog:Satsang every Sunday evening from 5 - 7 p.m. Vedic heritage classes for kids 5-14.

Location: 16628 Kieth Harrow blvd. Houston, TX 77084 Contact: 281-499-3347/281491-4114.

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

Website:www.saicenterofhouston.org

Telugu Christian Fellowship Prog; Every third Saturday 6:30 PM. Worship is in English Location: The Triumph Church, 10555 West Airport Boulevard, Stafford, TX 77477.

Contact:713-301-6444 Website:

Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center Prog: Daily classes in Raja Yoga Meditation To register call or email.

Contact:832-379-8888/ Email: houston@bktexas.com Website: bktexas.com

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

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Durga Bari Society Prog: Sandhya Arati at 6:30 p.m.; Sunday: 9:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m.

Location: 13944 Schiller Road.

Contact: 281-597-8100 Website:www.houstondurgabari. org

NARESH SETLUR, CPA (832) 620.4757 - Email: setlurn@gmail.com

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

Prog: Every Friday Satsangh from 7:30 pm to 9 pm. Bhajans and Devi Puja, Discourses.

Location: 12530 Ann Louise Road, Houston, 77086.

Phone: Contact Vishnu at (832) 309- 7181.

Electrical Service

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Jain Center of Houston

Prog: Location:3845 West Bellfort, St., Sugar Land, TX 77498 Website: www.babamandir.org

Accountants

Retail, Manufacturing, Construction, Franchise Accounting

Prog: Free Yoga Classes every Sat/Sun from 8 am to 9:30 am Location: Arya Samaj @Schiller Road.

Contact: 281-579-9433.

Websites: www.pyptusa.org

Shirdi Sai Jalaram Mandir

QUICK REFERENCE SERVICES DIRECTORY

Accounting, Tax Returns, Cost Accounting, Peachtree, Sales Tax, Franchise Tax.

Patanjali Yogpeeth Center

Prog: Satsang every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Location: India House, 8888 West Belfort 77031 Phone: (713) 855-9818 for details Website: www.jkphouston.org Weekly Radio Program-1460 AM Saturdays 10-11 a.m.

Sri Guruvayurappan Temple

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

Chinmaya Mission

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Gourmet India - Restaurant & Catering

for home and office parties, Dine in Business Lunches, conferences & parties, On-site dining, corporate lunch packages

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

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

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

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Call us today! 713-774-5140

VOICE OF ASIA 24

FRIDAY, June 7, 2013