Voice of Asia Nov 14 2014

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FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

O

bamacare and Medicare Enrollment Begin. For Prompt Enrollment call 713-771-2900. Read on Page 16.

Vol. 27 No. 46 Friday, November 14, 2014 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

President Barack Obama meets PM Modi; calls him a ‘man of action’

“Cancer is going to fall to the axe of science,” Dr. Ronald DePinho Houston Business Journal.

US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met each other for the second time in six weeks. Photo courtesy: IE.

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AY PYI TAW, MYANMAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a brief interaction here Wednesday night with Barack Obama during which the US President called him a “man of action”.

Modi and Obama met each other for the second time in six weeks at a Gala Dinner in Myanmar capital after the President played host to the Prime Minister at the White house in Washington in the last week of September.

“Prez Obama greets PM @narendramodi at Gala dinner – ‘You are a man of action!,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin tweeted after the dinner.

The dinner was hosted by Myanmar President Thein Sein for world leaders attending the ASEAN and the East Asian summits.

On the eve of their summit talks, Obama had hosted a rare private dinner for Modi at the White House on September 29.

Modi was welcomed by Obama who greeted him in Gujarati, “Kem Chho?” (how are you?), the mother tongue of the Prime Minister.

Set in an informal ambience, the dinner was the first opportunity for both the leaders to interact with each other.

Dr. Ronald DePinho, President, UT, MD Anderson Cancer Center delivering his lecture on Nov. 7, 2014. Photo by Bijay Dixit. (Unique Images Studio).

by Manu Shah

I

n a riveting talk by Dr. Ronald DePinho, President, MD Anderson Cancer Center at the IACCGH Distinguished Lecture held on November 7th at the Hilton, members and guests listened in rapt attention to the tremendous strides made in research and the treatment of the “merciless experience” of cancer.

The event was sponsored by Shell and

IACCGH Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia welcomed the gathering and recalled the crucial role played

by IACCGH in taking the first MD Anderson delegation to India 12 years ago and the resultant MOU with the Tata Memorial Cancer Center in Mumbai.

IACCGH President Sanjay Ramabhadran outlined the Chamber’s mission as well as honoring the founding promise of being the voice of the Indo US business community in Houston since its inception 15 years ago. Promoting the economic interests of the Greater Houston region is at the core of what the organization does and he was happy to announce that IACCGH was leading two trade delegations to

India with Judge Ed Emmett this December and Mayor Annise Parker in April, 2015 to tap “the tremendous investment opportunities in India.”

As President of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. DePinho comes with an impressive array of credentials and awards for his groundbreaking work in the treatment of cancer.

Introducing Dr. Ronald DePinho, IACCGH Board member Karen Francis stated that Dr.DePinho brought new vision and great energy to the institute and was also “setting the stage for MD Anderson to continue to be a world leader in cancer treatment.”

Describing MD Anderson as “the NASA for cancer care and a research powerhouse”, Dr. DePinho stated that MD Anderson was elevating the standards of care for cancer. By adopting a multidisciplinary care approach where a patient was seen not by “a doc” but a team of doctors, the collective wisdom developed a personalized best possible regimen for every single patient. He reiterated MD Anderson’s mission which is to end the “great humanitarian crisis” – cancer, in the world.

Continued on Page 3

Sankara Eye Foundation Initiative: ‘Vision 20/20 by the year 2020’ is scalable!

Hon. P. Harish, (2nd from Lt) with Dr. Ramani and Dr. Radha Ramani, Sankara Eye Care Institution Founders, and Mr. Murali, SEF Founder.

Photo by Sudhakar Chinasumala.

Read Report On Page 8

L to R - IACCGH Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia, Ashok Garg, Joya Shukla, Dr. Ronald DePinho, Karen Francis, Swapan Dhairyawan, Dr. Atul Varadhachary, President Sanjay Ramabhadran, Shell VP, Ken Coon Photo by Bijay Dixit.

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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

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P

resident Obama was ebullient during his historic visit to Myanmar in November 2012, the first by an American president to a nation that appeared on the cusp of a democratic transformation after five decades of authoritarian rule. But, in the two years since, the military-dominated, quasicivilian government in Yangon has moved far too slowly on the commitments to reforms it made to the United States when the two nations pledged to begin a new relationship.

On his second visit to Myanmar, which begins Wednesday, Mr. Obama might be tempted to be circumspect about the dispiriting state of change in Myanmar. That would be a mistake.

Officials in Myanmar saw the importance of engaging with the United States to put behind an era of sanctions and international isolation. Mr. Obama should firmly remind them that his administration still has tools to accelerate, or delay, that process. Between now and next fall, when Myanmar is scheduled to hold a general election, there is time to press forcefully for meaningful democratic reforms and an end to the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims.

The political shifts this year have not been promising. President Thein Sein vowed early this year that “any citizen” would be allowed to run for the presidency. Yet a parliamentary committee in June voted against a constitutional amendment to fix a rule that forbids the country’s leading opposition leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, from being eligible for that office because her children hold British citizenship.

Besides disqualifying Ms.

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espite two decades of organizational efforts to achieve gender diversity and equality, women are not progressing in their careers. If current approaches continue unchanged, just onethird of executive positions will be held by women in the next 10 years. And in the mature economies of the United States and Canada, the number drops to one-fourth of women who will hold executive positions by 2024. Female representation in developing countries is expected to grow more rapidly.

These are the findings from Mercer’s global research, “When Women Thrive, Businesses Thrive.” The research, which analyzed workforce data for more than 1.7 million employees in 28 countries, including more than 680,000 women, identifies what organizations can do to fully engage women in the workplace, ensure diversity thrives, and achieve business success.

“While the diversity efforts of the past several decades have resulted in some improvements in women’s participation rates and career trajectories, our research shows that we ‘re still decades away from true gender equality — if we keep doing what we’re doing,” said Pat Milligan, president of Mercer’s North America region. “It’s time to act differently to realize the benefit of their full participation and address the unique needs of female employees.”

Read Community Stories and Events Online www.voiceofasiaonline.com

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The research, which broadly assesses the impact of organizational practices and policies on the representation and advancement of women in the workforce, organizations are still far from achieving gender equality. Despite making up 41% of the workforce globally, women’s highest representation among all career levels is in support staff roles. Women make up 40% of the workforce at the professional level and 36% at the managerial level, but only 26% of senior managers and 19% of executives.

Mr. Obama’s Message to Myanmar

The Myanmar government holds Rohingya, a Muslim minority, in camps in western Rakhine State.

Credit Tomas Munita for The New York Times Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president, officials in Myanmar appear to be laying the groundwork for an electoral system that would prevent her party, the National League for Democracy, from ever holding a majority by reserving seats for military officers and representatives of ethnic minorities. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi deserves a shot at leading the nation. This would happen only if the country’s Constitution is amended substantively to give political parties equal footing in future elections.

Beyond the dismal state of political reforms, Myanmar’s

leaders have been callous in their response to a crisis sparked by the slaughter in 2012 of hundreds of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. The government has done little to prosecute the perpetrators of a campaign that human rights activists say amounted to ethnic cleansing. Now the authorities appear intent on further marginalizing the Rohingya through a naturalization policy most would be ineligible for, a tactic that appears designed to drive more into exile. More than 100,000 Rohingya are now confined to miserable camps.

Our Credentials:

No one expected that Myanmar would become a model democracy overnight. And there have been some remarkable changes. Most political prisoners have been released; brutality by security forces has ebbed; and the media is less censored. Mr. Thein Sein may argue that his government needs more time to make good on the promises he made when Mr. Obama visited in 2012. Some may reasonably take years to carry out; others won’t. Mr. Obama should not mince words when he evaluates the progress on those promises. (SOURCE: The New York Times, NOV. 10, 2014)

Efforts to Boost Gender Diversity Not Improving Women’s Workforce Progress “It is clear that incremental change does not significantly move the needle. Disruptive change does,” said Aniela Unguresan, co-founder of EDGE Certified Foundation, which collaborated with Mercer on the research.

A key finding in the research shows that the active involvement of senior leaders in gender diversity leads to greater, accelerated representation of women in executive roles more so than accountability alone.

Yet, just more than half (56%) of organizations indicate that their senior executives are actively involved in diversity and inclusion programs.

Also, a dedicated team responsible for pay equity leads to more women in senior roles while common policies (those intended to ensure equity through flexible work schedules and leave programs) are, in the absence of management, associated with slower improvement in the number of women in leadership positions. “ ... Employers that are focused on holistic solutions to build diversity are most successful — and organizations applying predictive analytics to link specific programs and

talent strategies to the advancement, engagement and retention of women are most effective,” said Brian Levin, innovation leader for Mercer’s North American workforce strategy and analytics consulting business.

Nontraditional solutions to gender diversity positively affect an organization’s long-term ability to engage and retain female talent, according to the results. For example, more diverse retirement programs, including monitoring savings by gender, providing investment training customized to different gender realities, and genderspecific health education campaigns correlate with greater representation of women at senior levels. Yet, fewer than 15% of organizations monitor savings and offer retirement programs customized to different gender behaviors.

From a global perspective, women make up 41% of the workforce, with higher representation in the United States and Canada (48%) and significantly lower in Europe/Oceania and Latin America (37% and 33%, respectively).

In terms of hiring, women in the United States and Canada lag their male counterparts at

However, organizations in Europe/Oceania could make substantial gains in gender equality at the top of the house in the next 10 years as organizations in this region are expected to increase the number of women in executive roles from 18% to 47%. Latin American organizations also could show significant growth in female representation at the executive level in the next decade with growth expected to advance from 12% today to 39% by 2024. (SOURCE: WorldatWork, Nov. 10, 2014. )

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FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

VOICE OF ASIA 3

C OMMUNITY VOICE OF ASIA

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

Second Front Page

Friday, November 14, 2014 • www.voiceofasiaonline.com • Page 3 • Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com • Tel: 713-774-5140

MPMM’s 7th annual Daal-Bati “Cancer is going to fall to the axe picnic at Bear Creek, funfilled of science,” Dr. Ronald DePinho portfolio. He felicitated MPMM for keeping roots of India alive in USA and also shared of great progress possibilities of India under leadership of our Prime Minister. This live Phone Call was coordinated by Jitendra Muchhal of New York, who also belongs to MP and an avid DaalBati fan.

For the past couple of years, response to this picnic has been so overwhelming that RSVP had to be closed 2 weeks before the event, to ensure that picnic is managed well by the volunteers.

Volunteers serving meals to he picnickers. Photos by Navin Mediwala

M

adhya Pradesh Mitra Mandal (MPMM) organized its 7th annual Daal-Bati picnic on Sunday, Oct 26th at Bear Creek Park, in Houston, Texas. It was attended by approx. 200 people who enjoyed fresh made Daal-Bati, Poha-Sev, Jalebi, Jiraman and garma-garam Chai during this daylong event. The feeling of togetherness, the bonding between families & friends and the fun atmosphere made this gathering quite unique and entertaining.

Everyone joined hands to volunteer in various areas: cooking batis, serving food or performing on stage.

After new families made introduction, everyone played Picture Housie (Tambola) which was prepared by one of the members.

This was about places in MP or personalities who belong to MP. Everyone got to know interesting facts from MP while enjoying the quizzes. Weather being perfect for outdoors, several members took on sporting avatars to play Cricket and other games.

One of the highlight of the event was live message delivered via phone by Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, Cabinet Minister from Madhya Pradesh who handles Housing & Environment as well as the urban development

MP Mitra Mandal is an informal community group made up of people who have come from Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh to Texas. These states reflect “unity in diversity” in true sense which is visible amongst the people who attend MPMM events in Houston. This group was started by Ashish Bhandari & Nikhil Jain in Houston in the year 2002. Today it’s grown to over 200 families belonging to various cities like Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Bilaspur, Raipur, Gwalior etc., who are also registered on the group’s website http://www.mp.abindore.com .

This unique Annual event has been covered by various media groups in Houston as well as in India in the past.

Shell’s VP of Human Resources, Ken Coon seen presenting a plaque to Dr. DePinho while IACCGH President Sanjay Ramabhadran looks on. Photo by Bijay Dixit.

Continued from page 1 bserving that this “was a game changing time in the history of science, medicine and technology” Dr. DePinho believed that the cracking of the genetic code in 1953 gave us the fundamental understanding of how

O

life works and the basis for disease. As a result of these and other groundbreaking research, we have reached a point where we now have the ability to understand the disease, the aging process, the knowledge to manipulate the aging process and thus eliminate the disease.

A chilling fact, Dr. DePinho shared, is that one out of two runs the risk of cancer. While the primary causes of cancer are smoking, obesity and sun exposure, the good news is that 50% are easily preventable.

He also shared the profound impact of breakthroughs such as the “dream come true” HPV vaccine which will prevent certain cancers and extraordinary drugs for leukemia, melanoma, breast and ovarian cancer which are giving durable responses if not saving thousands of lives. He also believed that in the next ten years, a simple and cost effective blood test will allow the detection of cancer at an early stage.

An achievement, he was particularly proud to announce

was the Texas legislation banning access to tanning beds for children under 18 as just 11 sessions of tanning increased the risk of melanoma decades later by a staggering 85%. He also urged the gathering to do “all the commonsense things” such as exercise, eat fruits, vegetables, stay away from processed foods and sugar, not smoke and manage stress – factors which could dramatically reduce the incidence of cancer.

Dr. DePinho concluded by stating that “many centuries from now, we’ll be known as the generation that understood life, put others before ourselves to make an impact not just in our families but families around the world.” He was also proud that MD Anderson was making cancer “history not only for Houstonians but for all of humanity.”

Shell’s VP of Human Resources, Ken Coon presented a plaque to Dr. DePinho, remarking that the brilliance and passion Dr. DePinho brings into a room is an inspiration for everyone.

Read these stories and more Online www.voiceofasiaonline.com

Members of the MPMM at the Bear Creek Park on Oct. 26, 2014. Photo by Navin Mediwala.

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COMMUNITY

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

President Obama likely The People’s Lawyer to take action on immigration before year’s end www.peopleslawyer.net

Richard M. Alderman Interim Dean of the Law Center

Parent is not responsible for accident caused by child

Q. What are my legal rights as far as forcing the parents of a child my son was playing with to pay our medical bills? My five year-old son was playing on their property with other children, and was accidently hit in the eye. Shouldn’t their homeowners insurance pay for this injury?

A. As a general rule, the parents of a young child are not responsible for injuries caused by that child. For the parent to be responsible, the injury must have resulted from the parent’s failure to properly supervise the children. In other words, if your son was injured due to an accident that occurred between two five year olds, the parents have no liability. On the other hand, if the parent was not watching the children, and that is why the injury resulted, the parents would be liable. The fact that the accident occurred on their property also does not matter. A property owner is not automatically liable for accidents on his property. To establish responsibility you would need to show negligence or fault on the part of the owner.

I also should point out that these liability rules are not affected by whether the family has homeowner’s insurance. The existence of insurance does not alter the laws regarding liability. Insurance simply pays amounts for which the homeowner would otherwise be responsible.

Q. I have a debt collector calling me at work. I have told him that my employer prohibits such calls and I could lose my job. His answer was, “then you better pay me because I am not going to stop calling you.” How can I stop these calls?

A. Debt collectors are regulated under a federal law called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This law defines the term “debt collector” to mean anyone collecting a debt for another—a third party debt collector. It does not apply to a creditor collecting its own debts. Assuming the person calling you fits this definition, the law prohibits the debt collector from calling you at work once he knows your employer prohibits such calls. If the debt collector continues to call, you would have a claim for damages and penalties. I suggest you let the debt collector know you know about the law and if he doesn’t stop you will immediately contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a private attorney. My guess is that will end the calls.

by Rahul Reddy & Emily Neumann

P

resident Obama discussed immigration in an interview with “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer, which aired on November 9, 2014. He again confirmed his intention to use his executive authority to act on immigration by the end of the year. Frustration with the lack of congressional action and stubbornness of the opposition in dealing with a system which everyone agrees is broken has motivated the President to take temporary action while the legislative branch works towards a permanent fix.

The President indicated that his action will not include everything that needs to be done and will take time to implement. The three areas that may be addressed by Executive Action include border security, making the current legal system more efficient, and providing a chance for undocumented immigrants with American children to legalize.

A. Your relationship with your employer is just a matter of contract law. Basically, your employer proposes the terms of your employment, and you can either accept, make a counter-offer, or refuse. Unless you have a contract or union agreement that says otherwise, the hours you work are part of this negotiation. If you refuse to accept the terms offered, the employer has the right to fire you. Of course, if you work overtime, he must pay you overtime pay.

“I’d prefer, and still prefer, to see it done through Congress.

But every day that I wait, we’re misallocating resources, we’re deporting people that shouldn’t be deported, we’re not deporting folks that are dangerous and need to be deported,” the President said. Although House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have both warned the President against taking action on his own, Mr. Obama reminded them that no one is stopping Congress from acting in parallel. After Congress failed to act for over a year, Mr. Obama holds out hope that a bill can still be passed. If so, he indicated that he will sign it and it will supersede any executive action taken.

Q. I own a timeshare. I can no longer afford the maintenance fees and taxes. How do I get rid of this thing? Can I force them to take it back? Can I just tell them I no longer want it?

While details of the President’s plan remain unknown, any application for benefits

Q. I buy lottery tickets each week with a group of friends. Do we need a formal written agreement to insure that we split any winnings?

A. As far as the law is concerned, you need a valid legal agreement; however, it does not have to be in writing. An oral agreement to divide the proceeds from any winning ticket would be enforceable. As a practical matter, however, putting things in writing is always a good idea. We have all heard stories of the person who bought the winning ticket trying to avoid sharing the proceeds. I suggest you write a simple agreement and have everyone sign it.

Q. Can an employer enforce mandatory overtime for its employees? I have been told if I don’t work overtime, I will be fired.

A. Unfortunately, “getting rid” of a timeshare interest can be difficult. Unlike personal property, you cannot just abandon real estate. Even if you tell them you do not want it, it still belongs to you and you will be responsible for the maintenance fees and taxes. To end your ownership you must either get the company to agree to take the property back, sell it to someone else, or donate the property to another entity.

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will likely require an individual to establish identity, when entry to the United States occurred, and continued physical presence in the country. Steps can be taken now to preserve evidence that might be necessary for documenting that the requirements for relief have been met. The following list of documents may be helpful for this purpose: • Valid AND/OR Expired Passport, Visa, I-94, any Receipt from USCIS. • Any Identification Card (Such as Driver License, Identification Card, School ID, etc.).

to confirm the possible documents that may help to establish eligibility. Until the President’s plan is announced and the application process is implemented, take care to avoid scams. Follow these tips from the American Immigration Lawyers Association to escape being taken advantage of: • Do not believe it if someone tells you about a secret new immigration law or claims to have connections or special influence with any government office or agency • Don’t pay money to someone to refer you to an immigration lawyer

• School Records (Such as Transcripts, report Card, etc.)

• Walk away if an immigration lawyer doesn’t have a license

• Medical Records from hospital or doctor visits.

• Never sign an application that contains false information, and try not to sign blank forms. If you must sign a blank form, make sure you get a copy of the completed form and check to make sure all the information is correct before it is filed

•

Lease Agreement

• Utility Bills (such as phone, electricity, gas, cable, internet, etc.).

• Official Records from Religious entity in the USA, such as records of baptisms, weddings, etc.

• Travel Records such as transportation tickets, hotel receipts, etc.

• Money order receipts, vehicle registration, insurance policies, etc.

• Any receipts from Western Union.

•

Traffic Tickets.

• Any major purchases like furniture or car repairs.

• bus and air tickets from travel within the U.S. • Any mail that you received while you have lived in the U.S. •

Hotel stay invoices

• Records from county or city libraries.

The above list is not intended

• Always get proof that your papers have been filed– ask for a copy or government filing receipt whenever anything is submitted in your case Only a licensed lawyer or accredited representative is authorized and qualified to assist with an immigration case. Before paying any money or filing any case, check whether an immigration lawyer is in good standing and licensed by contacting the state bar.

Rahul Reddy & Emily Neumann practices business immigration law and are partners in Reddy & Neumann, P.C. in Houston, TX. Neumann writes a blog on immigration law (immigrationgirl.com) and shares updates on Twitter (@immigrationgirl) and her Facebook page to help her clients stay informed of the latest news.

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VOICE OF ASIA 5

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

IACAN Promotes a Healthy Lifestyle for Survivorship

by Radha Rani Dixit

ment, therefore she encouraged patients to avoid inactivity and to return to normal activity as soon as possible.

She encouraged exercising 150 minutes a week with at least two days of strength training. Nutrition, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle must be priorities for all survivors in order to combat some of the side effects of cancer treatment such as fatigue and feelings of sadness. She cited studies which demonstrated that regular exercise could reduce the risk of cancer and that being overweight could increase the risk of cancer.

T

he Indian American Cancer Network held a very informative community educational outreach event at India House on Sunday, November 9th entitled Everything a Cancer Survivor and His/Her Family Should Know about Healthy Living. The two hour event consisted of a panel of four medical experts who covered a range of topics pertaining to a healthy and active lifestyle.

Kanchan Kabad, president of IACAN introduced the event by reiterating the goals and vision of the organization.

The vision that no Indian American will take the cancer journey alone and that IACAN will spread cancer awareness by engaging in educational outreach events for the community.

IACAN has also formed a cancer survivor’s network to help with emotional support and patient navigation for newly diagnosed patients who may need assistance in different areas. IACAN is now holding free yoga classes for cancer survivors every Thursday evening at a Sugarland location. Mrs. Kabad was also delighted to announce that the SAHNA (South Asian Health Needs Assessment) survey was complete and the results would be released at India House on February 8, 2015.

The first speaker and moderator of the afternoon’s event was Dr. Polly Niravath, MD, an assistant professor of breast oncology at Baylor College of Medicine. She was very enthusiastic to see the community engaging in the topic of cancer since it is a disease which so many in our community do not like to speak about. She stated that the main objective for the afternoon was cancer survivorship and healthy lifestyle habits. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in America with an 89% survival rate due to multimodal treatments including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy. The main reason for improvements in breast cancer care is screening mammograms.

In simple terms, if you catch it early through screening you may be able to cure it. Dr. Niravath pointed out that exercising and maintaining a healthy body weight was extremely important for survivors. She encouraged physical activity such as walking at least three to five hours a week. She reminded everyone that losing weight and exercising helped regulate blood pressure, sugar levels, bone, heart,

IACAN President, Kanchan Kabad, Board of Directors and Panelists. Photos by Bijay Dixit.

Panelists from L-R; Polly Niravath, MD, Luis Rustveld, PhD, RD, LD. , Anna Lisa de Joya, PT, DSc, NCS and Smitha Mallaiah,DYS. mental, and overall health. BMI should be within the range of 20 and 25. She also recommended a low calorie healthy diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, poultry and fish. Alcohol should be limited to less than three glasses of wine per week.

Luis Rustveld, PhD, a licensed dietician and assistant professor from Baylor College of Medicine spoke

about tips for healthy eating. Keys to overall good health include achieving a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep (6-8 hours). Some strategies to prevent weight gain include drinking 8 8oz glasses of water, monitoring portion control, avoid eating while watching television or talking on the phone, limiting intake of juice to one per day, eating a balanced diet, and exercising regularly.

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An example of a good balanced meal would include a half plate of nonstarchy vegetables, a fourth plate of grains, and a fourth plate of meat or meat substitute. Fruits could be used as a dessert and a side of yogurt would also be beneficial. He also addressed behavior modification. He said we should pay attention to what we do and change our habits to fit a more healthy lifestyle. We should strive to make healthy habits a priority such as using stairs, parking further and walking to the supermarket, opt for fresh or frozen vegetables and healthy snacks over fast food. Eating healthfully and being physically active are lifelong behaviors. He summed up by saying that one should always keep an eye on one’s efforts and make adjustments to deal with the planned and unplanned changes in one’s life.

Anna Lisa de Joya, PT, residency director for neurologic physical therapy residency program at TIRR Memorial Herman spoke about the importance of staying active . Exercise is FREE and it works so everyone should avail of its benefits. She pointed out that cancer survivorship starts upon diagnosis not after treat-

The final speaker, Smitha Mallaiah, DYS, a mind body intervention specialist with the integrative medicine program at MD Anderson Cancer Center discussed the topic of living the anticancer mind through yoga. She described the mind body link and how stress can cause a number of health problems including its impact on tumors and their ability to grow and spread. Unmanaged stress leads to helplessness and hopelessness which is associated with high rates of death. Yoga benefits include improvements in sleep, lowering fatigue, and regulating stress. Yoga at the physical level helps to loosen joints, stretch muscles, and provides deep rest to the body system. The mind should be involved with each movement and to take it a step further the breath, body, and mind should all work in unison for a complete experience. She encouraged long slow deep breaths and mindfulness in the flow.

She also stated that one’s perception of one’s self and one’s state of mind can make changes in one’s physical body. Yoga should become a way of life. Positive emotions should be reinforced. A strong mind will result in better will power. Meditation and mindfulness helps in calming down the mind to be in the present moment.

The mind body-breath connection results in a relaxed body and a calm and happy mind. She summed it up, “one should evolve from regular medication to regular meditation.” She also went through a quick meditation session with all the attendees which helped everyone relax before the question answer session and snacks to end the wonderful educational afternoon.

For more information about IACAN email: iacannetwork@gmail.com www.iacannetwork.org

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

New York, November 10, 2014: CRY America: Giving Wings to Children’s Dreams

C

RY, Child Rights and You America Inc (CRY America), a 501c3 non-profit that works to restore the rights of underprivileged children, especially in India, hosted its annual gala dinner ‘Pledge 2014’ on November 7, at the Taj Pierre in New York.

Pledge 2014 was attended by over 100 high net worth guests from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, who came together to partner CRY America’s work to benefit underprivileged children, including prominent personalities Madhur Mittal, Vipp Jaswal, Dr. Roshini Raj, Scarlett Pildes, Shikha & Mohit Bhatia, Anita & Ajay Agarwal, Maureen & Gerard Devas, Rishikant Singh, John Phillip and Rajeev Bhambri.

Paintings donated by famous Indian artists, Late Badri Narayan, Prakash Deshmukh, Anu Kulkarni, Dattatraya Thombare; Cricket bat autographed by Captain Sourav Ganguly, Jewelry donated by Surat Diamonds and a Beatles Album autographed by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, among other items were auctioned at the event by Priyanka Mathew, Head of Sales & Vice President of Contemporary South Asian Art at Sotheby’s.

Madhur Mittal, Indian actor from Slumdog Millionaire & Million Dollar Arm felt that it is time to give children their due. Recalling his experience of working with children in the slums of Mumbai, he said “You can unlock the potential of children when they are given a chance. Education plays a key role in the development of children and goes a long way in giving them the platform to realize their potential.”

Vipp Jaswal, Head of International Affairs, Fox News urged people to support the cause by sharing, “Most of us are lucky to have received the education

31st Annual National Night Out on Tuesday, Oct. 7th.

Catering, Quality Sweets, Sajawat Decorators, Babu Kundu New York Life, Sardar Patel Foundation, Sufi Wines and Amrita Singh Jewelry for their support. Our thanks also goes out to our New York and New Jersey Chapter Volunteers, Photographer Ravi Bhatia, DJ Suren, Yaadein Events, One Stop Framing Shop, AHA Designs and the Mall at Oak Tree!

Over 12 years, CRY America’s work with 70 Projects has resulted in 324,368 children enrolled in schools, 9,519 children freed from child labor, 177,814 children immunized, 95,444 births registered, 358 public healthcare centers strengthened and 501 villages free from child labor.

Speaking at Pledge 2014, Shefali Sunderlal, President of CRY America shared, “All children have dreams and aspirations. However, obstacles such as malnutrition, child labor, child marriage and lack of education destroy their childhood. CRY America has given wings to the dreams of 450,832 children by ensuring education, healthcare, nutrition and protection from exploitation. This achievement has been possible only because of the support received from 20,000 generous donors and 2,000 committed volunteers.”

HPD participates and promotes in “America’s Night Out Against Crime”

About CRY America:

Madhur Mittal, Indian actor from Slumdog Millionaire and Shefali Sunderlal, President, CRY America at the CRY America Gala Dinner and healthcare that has resulted in us being successful today. It is important for us to support organizations like CRY that ensures children have better opportunities to succeed in life.”

Also present at the event, Dr Roshini Raj, Physician at NYU Medical Center and founder of TULA skin care; feels that, “A healthy start in life goes a long way in setting a strong foundation for children. We cannot let lack of awareness or access to healthcare be a deterrent in a

girl’s life.”

Ms. Sunderlal appealed for people to join CRY America as donors, volunteers and supporters and visit www.america.cry. org for more information.

CRY America would like to thank it’s media partners Star TV, TV Asia, India Abroad, Indian Panorama, Mera Sangeet and it’s event sponsors Air India, Stratus, Nanak Foods, Taj Pierre, NetIP, Garnet Constructions, Deep Foods, Sukhadia

CRY - Child Rights and You America Inc. (CRY America) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is driven by its vision of a just world in which all children have equal opportunities to develop to their full potential and realize their dreams. With the support of over 20,885 donors and 2,000 volunteers, CRY America has impacted the lives of 450,832 children living across 2,642 villages and slums through support to 70 Projects in India and USA. For more information: Visit http://america.cry.org; Email support@cryamerica.org; Call 617-959-1273

HPD Officer Muzaffar Siddiqi with Houston’s Mayor Annise Parker at the “America’s Night Out Against Crime,” event.

The introduction of National Night Out, “America’s Night Out Against Crime,” in 1984 began as an effort to promote involvement in crime prevention activities, police-community partnerships, neighborhood camaraderie, and to send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. More info at www.houstonpolice.org

The HCC Northwest Counseling office is hosting the series ‘Empowering Women’ on Nov 25th, 2014 The HCC Northwest Counseling office is hosting the series “Empowering Women: We All Belong” at HCC Spring Branch. The next event in the series is titled “Women and Mental Health,” featuring guest speaker Noor J. Ferrell, DO, PLLC. After graduating from Emory University in Atlanta, Dr. Ferrell attended medical school at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a four year Psychiatry residency training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston where she served as the administrative co-chief resident as well as the chief resident of the Baylor Psychiatry Clinic.

Dr. Ferrell is board eligible for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, North American Society for Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynecology, Texas Medical Association,

Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians, Fort Bend and Harris County Medical Societies, Houston Psychiatric Society, Houston Group Psychotherapy Society and Association of Women Psychiatrists. In addition to her private practice, she maintained her affiliation with Baylor College of Medicine as Clinical Assistant Professor.

Her interests include psychodynamic psychotherapy, group therapy, evidence based medication management, anxiety, depression, palliative care and trauma related illnesses. She is also trained in reproductive mental health, which is a specialty that focuses on psychiatric conditions that develop in relation to specific points in a woman’s reproductive life cycle, such as menstruation, pregnancy, infertility and menopause.

Event on Tuesday, Nov 25th, 1:00-2:30 Pm at Spring branch Campus, The Eagle Room.

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VOICE OF ASIA 7

This 13-year-old is so impressive, Intel is investing hundreds of thousands in his startup

S

hubham Banerjee, the 13-year old CEO of the Braille printer-maker Braigo Labs, had no idea what Braille was until last year.

“When I found out the cost of a Braille printer, I was shocked,” Banerjee told Business Insider. “I just wanted to help the visually impaired. I had a Lego Robotics kit, so I asked, ‘Why not just try that?’”

Built out of Lego’s Mindstorms EV3 blocks and little pieces from Home Depot (Braigo stands for Braille and Lego), Braigo Lab’s printer turned out to function quite well. It earned Banerjee a lot of recognition, too, including The Tech Awards 2014 and an invitation to the White House Maker Faire, an event that awards student entrepreneurs and innovators.

But most importantly, Banerjee believes it could solve a decades-long problem that has been holding back so many visually impaired people around the world: the high cost of Braille printers.

W

Hardikar, who till recently was director of the LGBT Leadership Council at Democratic National Committee, replaces another Indian-American Gautam Raghavan at the White House, who has now joined the Gill Foundation.

Braigo Labs CEO Shubham Banerjee.

Banerjee says his printer could significantly cut down the price of Braille printers, to less than $500. According to his website, there are 285 million visually impaired people worldwide, and 90% of them live in developing countries. It is not easy to drop a couple grand on a printer, even by a developed country’s standards.

investment was not disclosed, it is reported to be a few hundred thousand dollars. That makes Banerjee the youngest tech entrepreneur ever funded by a VC firm.

“I want to tell (big company manufacturers) to stop taking advantage of blind people,” he says.

With Intel’s funding, Braigo Labs plans to build a new prototype that better resembles a regular printer and bring it to market by next year. Banerjee says he has no plans to expand into other product categories at this point, but Braille printers seem to be just a part of a bigger dream he has in mind.

Impressed by his product and vision, Intel came calling last September and told him it would invest in his company.

And last week, the investment was made official at the Intel Capital Global Summit, when Braigo Labs was mentioned as one of the 16 tech startups Intel was investing in this year. Although the exact amount of the

“I didn’t think such a big company would ever invest in my company; that was pretty amazing,” Banerjee says.

“I want to do engineering in the medical area when I grow up,” he says. “And I want to finish college.” (Courtesy: Business Insider)

Community leaders hail Richard Rahul Verma’s nomination as India’s US envoy WASHINGTON: The nomination of Richard Rahul Verma as the US Ambassador to India is a “crowning moment” for Indian-Americans, members of whose have been appointed in record numbers by President Barack Obama, according to eminent leaders from the community.

Verma, if confirmed by the Senate would be the first-ever Indian-American to be the US Ambassador to India.

“It is a crowning moment for us (Indian-Americans). Not only has the president appointed many Indian-Americans here, but he has found someone worthy of representing the country in India. I would view

Indian-American Aditi Hardikar named new White House LGBT liasion ASHINGTON: Indian-American Aditi Hardikar has been appointed to a key White House position to liaison with the LGBT as well as the Asian American and Pacific Islanders communities, an official said.

It was only when he came across a fundraising flyer for the visually impaired that he started to wonder how blind people read. So, like any other seventh grader would do, he asked his parents. His father’s response: Go Google it.

As Banerjee searched the web, he discovered the high cost of Braille printers, which usually cost upward of $2,000.

He also learned more about Braille, the tactile writing system used by the visually impaired.

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

this as a crowning moment,” Silicon Valley-based M R Rangaswami, a successful entrepreneur, community builder and philanthropist, said.

“He has a strong relationship across the United States Government. He is equally popular among both the Democrats and Republicans.He has a deep understanding of India and India US relationship,” said, Swadesh Chatterjee, who played a key role in the civilnuclear deal.

Indian-American Republican from Texas, Ashok Mago said, “It is exciting to see that finally an American of Indian origin with great credentials have been nominated to represent

According to a White House official, Hardikar yesterday started as the new Associate Director of Public Engagement in the Office of Public Engagement.

“In her role, she is the White House’s primary liaison to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community,” the official said, yesterday.

Aditi Hardikar, courtesy of the White House. organised progressive young Americans for the Campus Progress team at the Center for American Progress in Washington.

Prior to joining the White House, she served as Director of the LGBT Leadership Council and Director of the AAPI Leadership Council for the Democratic National Committee, where she raised resources and mobilised community leaders around democratic issues.

She also served as a White House intern in the Office of Public Engagement, where she worked on LGBT issues.

She also served as the LGBT Finance Director for the Presidential Inaugural Committee in 2013, and the Deputy Director of LGBT Voter Outreach and LGBT Finance for the 2012 Obama-Biden President Campaign.

Raghavan welcomed the appointment of Hardikar to the White House.

Aditi planned events and

A graduate of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, she earned her BA in Economics and Political Science.

“Aditi has served President Obama for many years -- including on his 2012 campaign and at the DNC -- with distinction, integrity, and grace,” he was quoted as saying by Washington Blade.

“She will bring fresh energy and perspective to the position and its portfolio. I also think it’s worth noting that she will be the first woman of colour to serve as the White House LGBT Liaison -- reflecting the talent and diversity of the LGBT movement as well as this President’s Administration,” he said.

Human Rights Campaign also welcomed her appointment.

“Aditi Hardikar has already been a tremendous advocate for our community in her work with the Democratic National Committee,” Stephen Peters, its spokesperson said.

“We are thrilled she will be joining the White House team and look forward to working with her on important issues in our ongoing fight for full equality,” Peters said. (PTI).

USA to one of the most important nation”.

“We all have great hopes for Rich (Verma) to take relations between to great nations to new heights. He has opened door for other Americans of Indianorigin to be considered as US ambassadors to India,” he said.

The United States Senate has not yet announced the date for confirmation hearing for Verma.

Neera Tandon, President of Center for American Progress - a top US think-tank said, “I have always known him to be a brilliant thinker, very strategic, very sharp, very quick, and just incredibly capable.”

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VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

Sankara Eye Foundation Initiative: ‘Vision 20/20 by the year 2020’ is scalable!

SEF’s Houston Chapter Hosts First Banquet on Nov. 8th, 2014 spend six months training in rural areas, a requirement, he said, was resisted by many. But here in the USA he said he observed that even in the remote rural areas like Nebraska, where there are small medical facilities, he found that doctors of India origin serving. “I think there needs to be a change in mindset and they need to go to the rural areas in some part of their careers and serve there,” he added emphatically.

SEF boasts of over 300 volunteers in several cities including Houston pursuing its mission to strengthen and expand the infrastructure and outreach programs to all parts of India through its fundraising efforts. America’s largest charity rating agency, Charity Navigator, has accorded SEF a prestigious fourstar rating (out of four stars) for its

accountability and transparency for two consecutive years, a feat achieved by only 19% of the charities in the United States.

The banquet dinner featured multilingual musical entertainment by Swaramadhuri Group that showcased the talents of Houston’s young singers. Sound system was provided

by Darshak Thakkar. The goal of the banquet was to raise SEF awareness in Houston while raising funds to support free eye surgeries, screenings, and capital expansion projects in India.

Please visit www.giftofvision.org or contact the SEF Houston Team via email sefhouston@giftofvision. org to receive more information about the banquet.

Houston SEF team with Hon. Consul General P Harish and Guests doctors Ramani and Radha Ramani, founders of the Sankara Eye Care Institutes in India, Mr. Murali, SEF Founder and Dr. Nik Nikam. Photo credit Sudhakar Chinasumala

by Shobana Muratee

I

t was only a matter of time before the leading institution in eye care in India, the Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF), established its origins in Houston, Texas. On Saturday, Nov. 8th the SEF’s Houston Chapter held its inaugural banquet and fundraiser at the India House. The event also celebrated the 1.2 million free eye surgeries that were completed to date in India and commemorated the inaugural of SEF’s ninth eye care hospital in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. SEF is set to launch its tenth hospital in Rajasthan next year.

Delivering the SEF initiative of “Vision 20/20 by the year 2020” were doctors Ramani and Radha Ramani, founders of the Sankara Eye Care Institutes in India whose years of pioneering work has been benefitting the Sankara Eye Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1988, for the past sixteen years in eradicating curable blindness.

Houston’s noted cardiologist Dr. Nik Nikam was the apt Master of Ceremonies for the banquet as he made a compelling presentation with slide on of how blindness impacts one’s life. Without mining his words he made a direct appeal to help SEF in their efforts to eradicate curable blindness in India and achieve their goal by 2020. He introduced the special guests’ doctors Ramani and his wife Radha Ramani as well as Mr. Murali, SEF Founders to the guests earlier that evening. Dr. Ramani made a detail slide presentation of the SEF operations in India and also narrated the history of growth the Sankara Eye Care Institutes in India explaining how they were started as voluntary services rendered by him and his wife Dr. Radha Ramani. Besides the many facts about two institutes that are growing exponentially, it was interesting to learn that the

Consul General P Harish with the Swaramadhuri Group (not in order): Akhila Mamandur 19, Lasya Dhulipala 7, Sneha Mokkala 11, Manusre Bhatter 14, Hemanthi Marvella 11, Sreya Gorthi 12, nad Sai Vachan Ponnapali 12 (not in pic). Photo credit Sudhakar Chinasumala.

doctor couple that pioneered them were family medicine specialists and not eye specialists.

In India, over 55 million people are visually impaired and 8 million are blind. Over 80% of the blindness such as cataract and glaucoma are considered curable. Sankara’s efforts based on state-of-the-art infrastructure and aggressive outreach programs have enabled over 3 million patient screenings and over one million free eye surgeries with a network of state of the art hospitals across India. SEF is today the largest totally free eye care provider in the world, performing about 150,000 free eye surgeries per year.

Speaking on the occasion, Consul General, P Harish, said that the fact remains that 90% of cases of preventive blindness occur in the developing countries and India accounts for significant cases. He said that these cases are mostly in the rural areas

basically it boils down to lack of human resources. The focus has been in Ophthalmologist wherein the real issue is in the lack of trained Optometrists. We atleast 130-140 Optometrists in India, we barely have 50,000 (and they are not employed in the rural areas). “As a result the essential ‘ice-creaming’ is a burden taken by the ophthalmologists who also do surgeries and other necessary eye procedures.” Unfortunate, in India, he said, that there exists a ‘single window system’ for all eye related problems which should not be the case. He lauded the efforts of SEF who are increasing trained optometrists and other eye screening and eye care specialties in India. He also said that it doesn’t cost much to train an optometrist; in fact it costs less than training an ophthalmologist. Pointing out the fact that there are about 100,000 doctors in the US who did their undergraduate courses in India where it is required they

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VOICE OF ASIA 9

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

VOICE OF ASIA 10

WORLD/US/ASIA

US Supreme Court weighs racial ‘gerrymandering’ case

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ASHINGTON, November 12, 2014 (AFP) - The US Supreme Court on Wednesday heard a case brought by black legislators and Democrats from Alabama who claimed officials had rejigged electoral districts to help Republicans.

The redrawing of voting districts along party lines is known as “gerrymandering” and has long been a contentious issue in the United States.

The Supreme Court must determine whether this redistricting was unconstitutional, or a violation of equal protection laws.

The case was brought by the Alabama Democratic Conference and the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus, a group of African American elected officials who say the changes were elec-

toral gerrymandering where race was a “predominant factor.”

They say the new voting map is unconstitutional because it lumps black voters, who tend to vote Democrat, in other districts where the elected officials are already black.

The result, they claim, is that black voters are deprived of having an influence in whiter -- and more Republican -- voting districts.

“If you look at the map, what they did is that they cornered out the black” voters, said Donald Verrilli, a lawyer for the Obama administration.

It is true that “many African Americans vote democrat” said Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, one of the nine judges that sit on the nation’s top court.

“Our position is race can’t be used excessively and in an unjustified way ... for a partisan purpose,” said Richard Pildes, a lawyer for the Black Caucus.

The change meant nine mainly southern states with histories of racial discrimination at the polls no longer have to check with the federal government before changing voting practices.

In 2012, Alabama Republicans drew up new voting districts for the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Supreme Court decision is expected in June.

“We feel that Modi’s domestic agenda is exactly the sort of agenda which G-20 is prioratising...which is domestic economic reforms, ease of doing business and a big focus on infrastructure,” he said, while talking to reporters ahead of the G-20 summit.

The important agenda of the G-20, he said, includes raising global growth by an additional 2 per cent in the next five years, promoting investment in infrastructure sector, boosting global trade and dealing with taxation issues concerning Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS).

Besides Modi, the meeting will be attended by US President Barack Obama and other world leaders.

N

EW DELHI - Expecting India to “shine” at the upcoming G-20 Summit, host country Australia today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make a “terrific contribution” to this grouping of top world economies.

The two-day Summit of the leaders of 20 major economies of the

world would begin in Brisbane on November 15.

“From our perspective, we think that Modi will make a terrific contribution to the G-20. We think India will shine at G-20,” Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling said.

NATO says Russian troops in Ukraine amid fears of all-out war

Last year, Alabama brought another case in which the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, which guards against racial discrimination in US states with a segregationist past.

Australia expects Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make ‘terrific contribution’ to G-20

We feel that Modi’s domestic agenda is exactly the sort of agenda which G-20 is prioratising...which is domestic economic reforms, ease of doing business and a big focus on infrastructure.’

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

Modi will also address Australian Parliament. “This is historic visit for us...it will be first address to the joint session of Parliament

by Indian leader ever... That will come a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping address to the Australian Parliament. So that will be in itself fascinating,” Suckling said.

During his stay in Australia, Modi will also interact with the members of the Indian community at Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. (PTI).

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) discussed the Ukraine crisis with his US counterpart Barack Obama on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing, on November 11, 2014 (AFP Photo/ Alexey Druzhinin).

DONETSK, November 12, 2014 “We are deeply concerned by the pos(AFP) - NATO on Wednesday ac- sibility of a return to full-scale fightcused Russia of sending tanks, troops ing,” UN Assistant Secretary-General and military hardware to east Ukraine, Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen told raising fears of renewed all-out fight- the Security Council. ing and calling into question the Minsk Ukraine’s Defence Minister Stepan peace deal.

Poltorak said Kiev was preparing for Moscow denied the claims as “unfounded” and the deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Alexander Pankin, told an emergency Security Council meeting that the alliance was making “another foray into propaganda.”

The United States warned it was ready to work with allies in Europe to slap more sanctions on Russia for supporting pro-Moscow separatists in east Ukraine, who have been battling Kiev since April.

“We have seen columns of Russian equipment, primarily Russian tanks, Russian artillery, Russian air defence systems and Russian combat troops entering into Ukraine,” US General Philip Breedlove, NATO’s commander in Europe, said in Sofia.

“We do not have a good picture at this time of how many. We agree that there are multiple columns that we have seen,” he added.

The claims come amid growing fears of a return to all-out conflict despite a two-month ceasefire which has stopped much frontline fighting but not shelling at strategic flashpoints.

a possible new round of fighting after seeing “increased activity” by Russia and pro-Moscow rebels in the east.

“The main task I see is to prepare for combat operations. We are doing this, we are readying our reserves,” Poltorak said at the start of a cabinet meeting in Kiev.

Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reported seeing a convoy of 43 unmarked military trucks -- five towing Howitzer heavy artillery pieces and another five towing multi-launch rocket systems -- travelling into the rebel stronghold of Donetsk on Tuesday.

It was the latest in a string of recent sightings of unmarked trucks and heavy weapons heading towards the frontline in rebel-controlled areas.

Pro-Moscow separatists in east Ukraine have been fighting Kiev since April in a war that has left more than 4,000 dead and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes.

A peace agreement signed in Minsk in September has yet to take hold.

VOICE OF ASIA 11

LIFESTYLE

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

Vol. 27 No. 46 Friday, November 14, 2014 Section 2 Page 11

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

Freezing Eggs To Halt The Biological Clock

by Brigitte DUSSEAU

N

To keep their hopes alive, these New York women have spent tens of thousands of dollars on freezing their eggs in a practice that has become increasingly popular.

Facebook recently began covering costs of egg freezing for employees and Apple will do the same starting in January.

The younger the woman, the more fertile her eggs, and fertility drops rapidly after 35. So women freeze their eggs while there is still time, in order to use them later.

Sarah Elizabeth Richards was one of the first to take advantage of the technique, which the American Society for Reproductive Medicine considered experimental until 2012.

She froze her eggs eight times between the ages of 36 and 37, first in Canada where it was cheaper, and then in New York.

She has put aside 70 eggs, she told AFP in her tiny apartment in Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

She used her savings. Her parents helped out. In total, she spent $50,000.

“It is an extreme amount of money to spend on something like this, but I always knew I wanted kids,” she said, adding that she is still looking for the perfect man.

“And when I thought, ‘where could I spend the money? A house, a vacation or a chance to have a family?’ it seemed like a very easy choice.”

- Sense of relief She has written a book called “Motherhood Rescheduled: the New Frontier of Egg Freezing and the Women Who Tried it” and said putting aside her eggs gave her a “profound sense of relief.”

She knows her chances are slim but still hopes to have a child in the next two years by thawing the eggs and having in-vitro fertilization, which would cost thousands of dollars more.

She said egg freezing should not

Sarah Richards answers questions about the techique of egg freezing during an interview at her Upper West Side apartment on October 22, 2014 in New York (AFP Photo/Don Emmert) be done for the sake of a career, but welcomes debate about the problems of juggling a family and a career in a country where that is still difficult.

“Child care, maternity leave, this is a big American problem, but the answer is not to delay motherhood,” she said.

Susanah, a graphic design producer for TV, also froze her eggs between 36 and 37, after hearing about it “around the water cooler” at work and because she does not feel ready to have kids.

But she gets angry when people talk about women delaying a family for the sake of their career.

“Dating is notoriously terrible in the city. I have many friends who are successful, beautiful, in their late 30s and single,” she said.

“If they had met the guy five years ago, they would have.”

The fact that her boyfriend is 11 years younger also played a role in Susanah’s decision.

“It gave him a peace of mind too, because he is dating a woman right at that age where the biological clock is ticking.”

Twice she has undergone two weeks of hormone injections to ripen multiple eggs, which are then harvested by surgical intervention.

- False hope? “It takes time, it is uncomfortable and time-consuming, but it is worth it,” she said, proud to talk about it even if she does not want to give her family name.

It cost $16,000 each time and while she says at first she was hesitant about the expense, she was persuaded by a friend that freezing her eggs was worth her savings.

“A friend told me ‘you have your whole life to pay for a mortgage, you don’t have your whole life to do that.’”

She is giving herself five years.

“When we decide, I will try naturally and then, if that doesn’t work” she will think about resorting to the frozen eggs.

Even in 2012, when ASRM decided the technique was no longer experimental, it still did not recommend the procedure.

“Marketing this technology for the purpose of deferring childbearing may give women false hope and encourage women to delay childbearing,” it said in a report.

But demand has only increased, said Sheeva Talebian, a fertility specialist at Reproductive Medicine Associates New York, which describes egg freezing as a “revolutionary technique.”

New York University Fertility Center director Jamie Grifo said success rates are “relatively equivalent” to in-vitro fertilization.

He puts them at 55 percent for a 30 year old, 27 percent for a 40 year old, 15 percent at 42 and six percent at 44.

But the procedure is never foolproof, Grifo said.

“This is a hope, not a promise.”

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by Sajjad Tarakzai, Guillaume Lavallee.

ESHAW A R , (AFP) Mohammad Shahid’s eyes lit up when he saw his once bald cousin come home one day with a head full of hair and a strutting gait to Mohammad Shahid, in Pakistan, undergoes a hair transmatch.

A handsome plant, a growing trend amongst Pakistan’s male populabut follically- tion. (AFP Videos). challenged young “After the hair transplant... by man, he decided the time was ripe to restore his honour, battered by years Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif (his of taunts that follow the barren-headed brother, the chief minister of Punjab province) this has become very popuand the beardless in Pakistan. lar,” said doctor Fawad Aamir at his In the northwestern city of Pesha- Peshawar clinic, among a group of pawar, home to underground Taliban tients seeking new manes. hideouts and a gateway for trade to “(Before) they were very afraid of Afghanistan, men go about their business in the crowded dusty streets, their this, that something is going to hapfaces covered by bushy black beards pen, that cancer will develop, that inthat would make Captain Haddock fection will lead to the brain.” proud.

Among them was the son of Farid The city’s roads are filled with giant Khan Khattak, a big man who fills the billboards of celebrities once bald but room with hearty laughter. now all smiles. They extol the virtues “My son had some kind of inferiorof manhood restored surgically with a ity complex because he had some gaps few well-placed tufts of hair. in his hair,” he said.

“When I saw my cousin return from “One of my friends told me that his procedure, I was in shock. I said to instead of a hair transplant I should myself: I have to have it too,” said the buy a motorbike for my son. But my thirtysomething excitedly as he pre- son insisted: ‘Instead of a motorbike I pared to have the procedure at a local want a transplant’, so it’s for his haphair transplant clinic. piness.”

“Hair is like our weapon against soSince 2006, Mohmand has conductciety.” ed 8,000 operations compared with In Pakistan, hair is synonymous with 1,000 during the previous five years. virility to the point that even some In Pakistan’s conservative society Taliban fighters buy ointments to give where arranged marriages remain the their long locks and beards a lustrous norm, surgeons recall the anguish of finish. patients whose engagements have Woe to those without: they are la- been scuppered by baldness. belled “ganjas”, a deeply derogatory “One of my clients had lost a lot of term. hair and two or three marriage propos“Here, calling someone a ‘ganja’ is als did not mature,” said the doctor of a stigma but over there (in the West), a female patient. saying ‘bald’ is not that bad,” ex“After that, she came to give me the plained Dr Humayun Mohmand, one invitation to her wedding. That day, of the first doctors to offer the treat- she had tears in her eyes. She said, ment in Pakistan.

‘You are the person who has made my life’.”

- The ‘Nawaz effect’ - Hair tourism Mohmand opened his practice in the early 2000s, but transplants, done unToday, there are nearly 120 hair der local anaesthetic, did not take off transplant clinics in Pakistan, accordimmediately. ing to official figures, with a dozen in The breakthrough moment came at Peshawar. the end of 2007, when Nawaz Sharif, The operation generally costs from who was balding when he was deposed $400-$1,000, with some top clinics as prime minister by General Pervez charging up to $6,000 -- a fraction of Musharraf eight years earlier, returned what it costs in the West, but still well from exile with a full head of hair. out of reach for most Pakistanis.

P

EW YORK, November 1, 2014 (AFP) - She is 44 and single, but journalist Sarah still dreams of having a child, while TV producer Susanah, 38, is waiting for her younger boyfriend to be ready.

Susanah jokes of taking advantage of the progress in medical science as an “insurance policy” even if the chances of conceiving are still stacked against her.

Hair transplants: Pakistan’s new weapon of mass seduction

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VOICE OF ASIA 13

Historic Deal to Impact Regional Landscape with State-of-the-Art Performance Venue

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

New York cuts speed limit to save lives NEW YORK, November 7, 2014 (AFP) - New York reduced speed limits on most roads from 30 to 25 miles per hour on Friday in an effort to cut down the number of traffic accidents, transport officials said.

Some zones, particularly around schools, will have a lower limit still, while major arteries will retain the previous speed restriction of 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour, the Department of Transportation said.

The old limit had been in place since 1964.

The move, which came into effect immediately, was part of the city’s bid to “eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries,” it said.

“By getting New York drivers to slow down, we will prevent

crashes, protect New Yorkers from injury and save lives.”

About a quarter of all traffic accidents in New York are caused by speeding, the traffic department said.

The new law is part of the Vision Zero action plan introduced by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to slash the number of road accidents.

Traffic fatalities in New York have fallen drastically in recent decades, from 701 in 1990.

But some 4,000 people are seriously injured and more than 250 people are still killed in traffic accidents in America’s largest city each year, according to Vision Zero.

De Blasio said New Yorkers would be offered a period of flexibility to get used to the new limit.

Amazon debuts Siristyle virtual assistant in speaker SAN FRANCISCO, November 6, 2014 (AFP) - Internet retail titan Amazon on Thursday introduced a home virtual assistant always at the ready to answer questions, fetch news, play music or help with to-do lists.

The cloud-based brains referred to as “Alexa” are built into Echo speakers and seen as a challenge to “Siri” virtual assistants in Apple’s coveted mobile devices.

An artist version of the upcoming indoor performance venue in Sugar Land. Top: Elevation and Bottom: inside view.

S

UGAR LAND, TX, Sugar Land City Council approved a guaranteed maximum price of $74.3 million to build an indoor performance venue that will be the first of its kind in the region and set a new standard for “the theater of the future.”

Construction is expected to begin with a formal groundbreaking event on Dec. 9.

The venue -- located on a portion of 38.5 acres of City property southeast of U.S. Highway 59 and University Boulevard -- is designed to host a wide range of performances, including national music and comedy artists, children’s and family entertainment, theatrically staged productions and cultural and performing arts attractions.

With an approximate indoor seating capacity of 6,430, the indoor performance venue was conceived and designed for flexibility, essentially creating several venues in one building.

Through the use of innovative moveable walls, Sugar Land’s facility will literally expand and contract to create intimate settings of approximately 3,300 to larger shows of over 6,400.

The venue will feature comfortable, spacious theater seating with cup holders; luxury suites; corporate hospitality areas; quality finishes and convenient parking. It will create an iconic landmark visible to motorists on U.S. Highway 59 and anchor a mixed-used development envisioned to include retail, office, commercial and residential surrounding a public plaza and possibly a full-service hotel and conference center.

It’s a concept that doesn’t currently exist in the Houston market. As one of the most flexible and advanced indoor performance venues in the nation, it’s expected to set a new standard in the touring industry and change the entertainment landscape in the “Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land” metro region.

Sugar Land partnered with ACE SL, LLC (ACE) to design and construct the state-of-theart facility. ACE, whose parent company is ACE Theatrical Group, brings an experienced team of locally-based entertainment industry professionals to the project, led by Allen J. Becker, TONY Award-winning founding chairman of PACE Entertainment Corporation.

The ACE executive team also includes Brian E. Becker, Gary D. Becker, David M. Anderson, Gary A. Markowitz and Kirk B. Feldmann. Together, they offer more than 175 years of experience and success in

local, national and international entertainment ventures, including pioneering the development of new music and theatrical venues, as well as the entertainment to fill them.

“This new performance venue will allow residents of Sugar Land and the surrounding area to experience a level of live entertainment that until now has not been available,” said ACE Theatrical Group Chairman Allen Becker. “Bringing a first class cultural entertainment venue to the City of Sugar Land is an exciting opportunity, and ACE is grateful to be a part of the project from the start.”

The economic development strategy for Sugar Land’s indoor performance venue was structured to establish Sugar Land as a destination location for culture and entertainment as well as creating an amenity that is commercially self-sustainable.

A 2008 Market Analysis and Feasibility Study and an updated 2012 study performed

by CSL International identified that the Houston market did not have a 6,500-seat live entertainment venue and concluded that market demand would support the first financially feasible and commercially sustainable venue of its size in the region.

Studies show this venue will promote capital investment, create new jobs, enhance educational opportunities, increase tourism and create unique destination activities attracting local and regional visitors. Additionally, the venue and surrounding plaza will be a major focal point of what is planned to be a vibrant, commercial district – an environment that will certainly be attractive to major corporations, residents and visitors.

“A feasibility study conducted in 2012 shows the project will provide an annual benefit to the community of $26.1 million or a return of $572 million over 30 years,” said Mayor James Thompson. “The venue has the potential of attracting more than 260,000 paid attendees in year one, growing to more than 300,000 by year five.”

Based on voters’ approval of the financing tools in 2008 and the City’s goal to create a financially feasible, operationally self-sustaining facility, the indoor performance venue will be funded through a unique package of special funding sources.

The City’s partner, ACE, made a $10-million equity contribution to the project. A portion of sales tax revenues that may only be used for economic development purposes

and a portion of hotel occupancy tax funds that are restricted to tourism initiatives will be dedicated to the project. In addition, substantial rent revenues generated by the facility and paid by ACE will also fund the performance venue.

No general fund tax dollars will be spent on the project that is expected to create an iconic venue for the region.

About ACE Theatrical Group ACE Theatrical Group, LLC, is an entrepreneurial, fullservice, theatrical and development company formed by entertainment industry veterans, specializing in the design, construction and operation of preeminent live-performance theaters across North America.

Longstanding success working with municipalities, nonprofit agencies and community groups enables the company to design, build and restore spectacular performance facilities with state-of-the-art improvements and amenities, emphasizing the patron comfort, technical specifications and diverse programming.

ACE Theatrical Group Chairman is Allen J. Becker, the Tony-award-winning producer who co-founded PACE Entertainment Corporation in 1966.

Over three decades, PACE and its core divisions became nationally acclaimed producers of live attractions and distinguished leaders in developing and managing outdoor amphitheaters. ACE Theatrical Group executive principals bring more than 175 years combined experience to each project. ACE Theatrical Group is based in Houston, TX, with presence in New York, Brooklyn, San Antonio, New Orleans and Sugar Land, TX. About the City of Sugar Land The City of Sugar Land is an award-winning community 20 miles southwest of Houston.

This master-planned community has achieved its sustainable, strong local economy through a strategically focused and aggressive economic development program creating new wealth and jobs. As a regional employment center, the City is home to numerous high-profile regional and international corporations housed in more than 25 million square feet of commercial space, including Minute Maid, UnitedHealthcare, Texas Instruments, Schlumberger, Fluor Corporation, Noble Drilling Services, Inc., Bechtel EO and Aetna.

Sugar Land has also uniquely

Echo became available on an invitation-only basis at a price of $199, or $99 for those who pay for the Seattle-based company’s Prime subscription service.

“Echo’s brain is in the cloud, running on Amazon Web Services so it continually learns and adds more functionality over time,” Amazon said at a web page where people could request invitations to buy the Bluetooth-enabled speakers.

“The more you use Echo, the more it adapts to your speech patterns, vocabulary, and personal preferences.”

A demonstration video online revealed a female voice responding to questions or commands preceded by the trigger word “Alexa.”

A ring of microphones built into can-shaped Echo speakers enable the devices to identify voices even when music is playing, according to Amazon.

built for smartphones powered

by Apple, Android or Amazon’s Fire operating software.

- Making homes ‘smart’ Internet titans such as Apple and Google are eager to make their platforms hubs that exploit powers of smartphones, tablets or other devices to serve as controls for entertainment, information, temperature, lighting, and more in “smart homes,” according to Forrester analyst James McQuivey.

Echo could let Amazon jump ahead in that race with the first device in homes that will be listening and ready to act whenever people might think of something they want or need to buy.

“Sure, it doubles as a connected speaker and some people will end up buying it for that, but the Echo will only achieve its real purpose when you start asking it questions, having it complete tasks for you -- especially shopping tasks -- just the way Apple hopes its users will interact with Apple Watch,” McQuivey said.

“Amazon has a unique ability to monetize the microphone, principally by putting microphones in places where you will think of things you want to buy -- the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room -- things which Amazon can then easily fulfill.”

Echo can also be managed remotely using free applications

The debut of the Echo likely caught rivals off guard, especially with Amazon still stinging from the lack of consumer interest in a Fire smartphone it recently released to compete in that market, according to the analyst.

positioned itself as a hub for premium shopping, dining and entertainment. Venues such as the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land, Constellation Field, as

well as the future indoor performance venue and Sugar Land Heritage Museum, further establish the community as a cultural and historical destination.

Echo accesses news, weather, streaming music and more using wireless Internet connections.

Germans convicted of stealing from Egypt’s Great Pyramid CAIRO, November 11, 2014 (AFP) - An Egyptian court sentenced three Germans and six Egyptians to five years jail on Tuesday for stealing fragments of a pharaonic artefact from Cairo’s Great Pyramid, a judicial source said.

A court in Giza, south of the capital, sentenced in absentia three Germans -- who had claimed they were researchers -- for stealing pieces of an ancient scroll bearing the name of the Pharaoh Khufu as well as rock samples, the source said.

The Great Pyramid -- also known as the Pyramid of Cheops -- is the biggest and most famous of the three Giza pyramids. It houses the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu, and is the only surviving one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Six Egyptians, including three employees of the antiquities ministry, two pyramid guards and the director of a travel agency, were also jailed for five years for aiding the robbery, the source said.

The crime was discovered at

Dominique Goerlitz and Stefan Erdmann who visited the Egyptian pyramids in April 2013 now face criminal charges for their attempt to prove their “alternative history” conspiracy theories through vandalism. the end of 2013 by Egyptian authorities, who announced in August that the missing fragments had been recovered.

The judicial source said that the German researchers took the scroll pieces in order to de-

termine their age and bolster an unorthodox theory that the pyramids may be several millenia older than the construction period accepted by most Egyptologists.

The source said the court

also ordered and enquiry to determine the role in the theft of Egypt’s former head of antiquities, Zawi Hawass.

“These remarks are totally unfounded,” Hawass told AFP.

Young Life

VOICE OF ASIA 14

Friday, November 14, 2014

Section 2

Adam Kermally Chosen for Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Washington, DC

Page 14

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Tel: 713-774-5140

UT Austin Celebrates Diwali - The Festival of Lights

O

n October 23rd, 2014, students of The University of Texas at Austin gathered together in front of the renowned UT tower to celebrate Diwali.

The yagna was followed up by a performance segment

by UT students. The segment started off with a bang with Dirty South Dandiya, and was also fueled by classical art-

A traditional welcome: Tikka being applied to a guest.

Adam Kermally SUGAR LAND, TEXAS — Adam Kermally, a 10th grader at Hightower High School of Missouri City has been nominated to attend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Washington, DC on November 14, 15 and 16th, 2014.

The Congress is an honorsonly program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The purpose of this event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be physicians or medical scientists, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal.

Adam was nominated by Dr. Connie Mariano, the Medical Director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists to represent Texas based on his academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.

During the three-day Congress, Adam will join students from across the country and hear Nobel Laureates and National Medal of Science Winners talk about leading medical research;be given advice from Ivy League and top medical school deans on what is to expect in medical school;witness stories told by patients who are living medical miracles; be inspired by fellow teen medical science prodigies; and learn about cutting-edge advances and the future in medicine and medical technology.

“This is a crucial time in

America when we need more doctors and medical scientists who are even better prepared for a future that is changing exponentially,” said Richard Rossi, Executive Director, National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. “Focused, bright and determined students like Adam Kermally are our future and he deserves all the mentoring and guidance we can give him.”

The Academy offers free services and programs to students who want to be physicians or go into medical science. Some of the services and programs the Academy plans to launch in 2014 and 2015 are online social networks through which future doctors and medical scientists can communicate; opportunities for students to be guided and mentored by physicians and medical students; and communications for parents and students on college acceptance and finances, skills acquisition, internships, career guidance and much more.

The National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists was founded on the belief that we must identify prospective medical talent at the earliest possible age and help these students acquire the necessary experience and skills to take them to the doorstep of this vital career. Based in Washington, D.C., the Academy was chartered as a nonpartisan, taxpaying institution to help address this crisis by working to identify, encourage and mentor students who wish to devote their lives to the service of humanity as physicians, medical scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians.

Members of the Hindu Students Association, University of Texas, Austin host a grand Diwali in front of the UT tower.

This event was put on by Hindu Students Association, with sophomores Namita Pallod and Bharath Lavendra leading the charge. Preparation for the event began in May. When asked about the goal of this event, Bharath Lavendra explained “Our motivation from the start was to really bring the spirit of Diwali to campus, by bringing together the Austin community to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and instilling a sense of togetherness.”

This year, the program began with an interactive yagna led by Girish Chaitanyaji. As students entered the yagna, they were marked with a red tikka and then were given individual aarti plates, adding a very homely feel to this university celebration.

At the same time, main mall was buzzing with the activity stemming from the booths.

Students strolled through Main Mall, enjoying the celebrations by partaking in different booths, which ranged from candle-making to rangoli designs. Out of all of these, the mehendi line could be seen snaking throughout Main Mall as students eagerly awaited for a mehendi design.

Yagna being led by Maharaj Girish Chaitanyaji where students participated. ists Priya Gupta and Preethi Menon. The performances left the audience members clapping with shouts for encores.

The night was topped off with a magnificent four minute firework show. The fireworks were shot straight from the UT tower, and captivated the audience immediately. These fireworks serve as the trademark of Diwali at UT, since the only

other time fireworks occur on campus are at University Commencement.

HSA has been hosting diwali on campus for many years, and all events are open to the entire Austin community. It was attended by students of all faiths and colors, as well as many non-UT students. Tiffany Yung said “I was drawn to the event by all the lights and the sound of the festivities,

and it ended up being the best night of my semester!”

This year marked a new height however, with unprecedented attendance of over 800 people. Aneesh Angirekula, president of HSA, noted “Students from all over the 40 acres can appreciate and enjoy the fireworks, much like how every student can appreciate the theme of Diwali: victory of good over evil.”

Pakistani schools network observes anti-Malala day

I

SLAMABAD - An association of Pakistani schools held an “I am not Malala” day on Monday, condemning young Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai for what it called her support for controversial novelist Salman Rushdie.

The 17-year-old has been hailed around the world for standing up for girls’ rights to education, but the response to her in Pakistan has not been universally positive, with some seeing her as a “Western agent” on a mission to shame her country.

Education campaigner Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban in October 2012 but recovered and went on to win this year’s Nobel peace prize.

The All Pakistan Private Schools Federation last year barred its members from buying Malala’s memoir “I am Malala” because of what the group said was its “anti-Paki-

Laundry soap pods dangerous for young kids: study

W

ASHINGTON, November 10, 2014 (AFP) - Laundry detergent pods could be dangerous for young children, researchers warned Monday, as reports grow of kids under six swallowing the capsules in the United States.

The detergent pods -- on US shelves since 2010 -- are just the right size for a single load of laundry, eliminating the need to measure out a liquid or powder.

More than 17,000 incidents from 2012 and 2013 were reported to US poison control centers of children under six being exposed to the detergent chemicals -- equivalent to one child every hour -- according to the new study.

“Laundry detergent pods are small, colorful, and may look like candy or juice to a young child,” said co-author Marcel Casavant, toxicology chief at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and medical director of the Central Ohio Poison Center.

“It can take just a few seconds for children to grab them, break

them open, and swallow the toxic chemicals they contain, or get the chemicals in their eyes.”

In one case, the child died, while some 769 children were hospitalized, a rate of more than one a day.

Two-thirds of the cases were among toddlers -- children just one or two years old.

Children who put the capsules in their mouths can quickly swallow a large quantity of concentrated chemicals, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital researchers warned.

Nearly half the children, 48 percent, vomited after ingesting the detergent, the study found.

Other effects included coughing or choking, eye pain, drowsiness and pinkeye.

Most of the detergent capsules are sold in clear, easy-to-open containers. One manufacturer last year switched to an opaque package with an additional latch and a warning label, but the study authors said this was not enough.

stan and anti-Islam content.”

It said the book, written with British journalist Christina Lamb, was too sympathetic to British novelist Rushdie.

Rushdie in 1989 became the target of an Iranian fatwa, or religious edict, calling for his murder for allegedly blaspheming Islam and the Prophet Mohammed in his book “The Satanic Verses”.

her novel “Lajja” (Shame), in which a Hindu family is perse-

cuted by Muslims.

Blasphemy is a sensitive is-

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Mirza Kashif Ali, the president of the schools’ federation, said in a statement it was “clear that Malala has nexus with Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasrin, and also has alignment with Salman Rushdie’s ideological club”.

“We severely condemned the chapter of the book in which Salman Rushdie’s book has been mentioned as freedom of expression by Malala while referring to father’s views,” Ali said.

He said walks, seminars and press conferences were held to highlight the “I am not Malala” day.

Bangladeshi author Nasrin was forced to flee her homeland in 1994 after radical Muslims accused her of blasphemy over “It is not clear that any laundry detergent pods currently available are truly child resistant; a national safety standard is needed to make sure that all pod makers adopt safer packaging and labeling,” said senior author Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

He urged households with young children to use traditional detergent.

sue in Pakistan also, where it can carry the death penalty.

Vaastushastra, the ancient science of land.

Fix and appointment for personal visit to your home, plot, business/office, shop, factory, and hotel. To gain peace of mind and prosperity, by doing little changes as per Vaastu Shastra. Simple, Easy, Scientific & Affordable solutions/remedies to overcome problems in your Horoscope and Vaastu.

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VOICE OF ASIA 15

BOLLYWOOD MASALA

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

Friday, November 14, 2014

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Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth to attend IFFI 2014

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any issue. He is a man of stature and we wanted to begin the festival with him,” Rathore told reporters here.

EW DELHI: Two of Indian cinema’s biggest superstars -- Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth -- will share the stage at the opening ceremony of the 45th International Film Festival of India, starting in Goa on November 20.

Apart from Bachchan and Rajinikanth, celebrated Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at the 11day festival with his latest project ‘The Grandmaster’ being the closing film.

Bachchan, 72, will attend the festival as Chief Guest while Rajinikanth, 63, will be conferred with the special centenary award for Indian film personality of the year, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting announced today.

When asked whether Bachchan was chosen as the chief guest for his proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the previous government did not invite the actor, he said it was purely on the basis of merit.

“His name was selected purely on talent. Nothing happens without merit in Modiji’s government. I think the previous government also gave him some award and I don’t think there is

The Bachchan clan – Amitabh, wife Jaya, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai inaugurated the 20th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival along with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s blue-eyed boy Shah Rukh Khan in a grand ceremony on Monday (November 10), at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in the City of Joy. (Source: Express Photo by Partha Paul)..

China is the focus country this year with a special delegation flying down to meet Indian filmmakers here. “China is now competing with Hollywood. Their films will be screened during the festival and they are also bringing a working group that will engage with Indian filmmakers here to discuss on collaborations. The two countries have a cooperation treaty. We hope to collaborate on films and release our movies in the Chinese market,” the minister said.

The event will begin with the screening of ‘The President’

by Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf. A special tribute has been planned for the stars who died this year including Richard Attenborough, Robbie Williams, Zohra Sehgal, Suchitra Sen, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Farookh Sheikh and A K Nageswara.

The festival has also a special retrospective on this year’s Dada Saheb Phalke winner Gulzar. The Northeast will be in focus during the festival with acclaimed director Jahnu Barua’s retrospective and the screening of women-centric movies from the eight states.

There will be 75 international countries participating in the festival along with 61 films from the world and seven movies from Asia.

When asked about Modi’s increasing popularity outside the country, the new-inducted minister said that the prime minister is being seen as a world leader because he symbolises efficiency.

PTI

At the KIFF 2014, a special tribute would be paid to legendary actress Suchitra Sen with screenings of seven of her works like ‘Devdas’, ‘Andhi’ and an exhibition on her contribution to the film industry. (Source: Express Photo by Partha Paul).

Indian Film Personality of the Year award for Rajinikanth

T

he Centre has named actor Rajinikanth as winner of the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year. This was announced by Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of State, Information and Broadcasting, on Tuesday.

Tanuja attended the inaugural of the 20th Kolkata International Film Fest on Monday. (Source: Express photo by Partha Paul).

V

eteran actress Tanuja who was hospitalised Monday night after she complained of breathlessness, has been discharged, a doctor said.

“She complained of breathlessness. She has been discharged… she is fine now,” Subir Mondal of Belle Vue Hospital told IANS Tuesday.

Tanuja attended the inaugural of the 20th Kolkata International Film Fest Monday.

During her speech she chose to sit down as she felt pain in her limbs.

The Chennai-based actor would be receiving the honour at the 45th International Film Festival of India to be held in Goa from November 20 to 30.

Social media was agog with excitement as fans posted messages congratulating their ‘Superstar’, as he is fondly known.

The 63-year-old actor is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour which he got in 2000.

He has also won a number of awards from the Tamil Nadu government.

Hailing from a modest background, the actor had a dream

Actor Rajinikanth. Photo: M. Vedhan. Credit: The Hindu. debut in K. Balachander’s Aboorva Ragangal in 1975 and fans are eagerly looking forward to his upcoming Lingaa.

“His contribution to cinema

is immense and no amount of awards is enough. This award is a recognition for his pan-Indian popularity,” said Bobby Simha, actor and a fan of Rajinikanth.

Proud to be a part of Vikram Phadnis’ debut film ‘Nia’: Bipasha Basu

B

ollywood actress Bipasha Basu is proud to star in fashion designer friend Vikram Phadnis’ debut film ‘Nia’, also starring Telugu star Rana Daggubati.

The ‘Raaz’ actress also feels that her character Samaira in the film will be one of her best role of her career.

“It’s been 14 years but I have never heard a film like this. The role of Samaira will be one of my best role in my career. I am confident that this film will touch every single person,” she said.

Bipasha Basu is proud to star in fashion designer friend Vikram Phadnis’ debut film ‘Nia’, also starring Telugu star Rana Daggubati. (Source: Varinder Chawla).

“My film stars Rana and Bipasa and the storyline has nothing to do with their past film ‘Dum Maaro Dum’. ‘Nia’ is strong story and for that I needed two sensible hearts which Bipasha and Rana have,” Vikram told reporters here. (Source: Varinder Chawla) Bipasha is eager to star the project helmed by her designer friend as their working sensibilities match. “He has a great mind who thinks from his heart. I also someone who thinks from the heart. I could see the reflection of a

fabulous director in him. He is a very real person,” she said. Her last film did not do well at the box-office and the actress said that she was completely unperturbed by the number game.

“With every passing year I realise I am happy and independent and I have money so I want to do things at my pace. I was never into the hard race of the industry. I love the selfless love which I got from the people,” she said.

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Bipasha, 35, who was last seen in Vikram Bhatt’s ‘Creature 3D’, said she was overwhelmed to hear the new film’s first narration. “It’s a proud moment for me to be a part of this film, which Vikram (Phadnis) has written, lived and now he will direct too. I must say the narration which he gave me is one of the beautiful narration I ever heard. It was an overwhelming experience just to hear the first narration,” Bipasha Basu told reporters.

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VOICE OF ASIA 16

Friday, November 14, 2014

Section 2

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New York relaxes pot possession law

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EW YORK, November 10, 2014 (AFP) - People in New York carrying only a small amount of marijuana will not be arrested, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday, adding to a growing debate in the United States over pot.

Bratton.

Starting November 19, anyone carrying less than 25 grams (0.9 ounces) of pot in New York will instead likely be fined up to $100.

De Blasio said the relaxation in policy was particularly aimed at young people who would no longer have a criminal record for the rest of their lives because of an “error.”

“We’ve seen a great reduction in unnecessary stops (by police)... Today is another important step,” de Blasio told a press conference, flanked by New York police chief Bill

“Too many New Yorkers without any prior convictions have been arrested for lowlevel marijuana possession,” added de Blasio, whose daughter Chiara last year revealed in a YouTube video that she had smoked while in college.

“This is part of a long-term effort to make us safer,” he added.

Bratton said that possession

of less than 25 grams would be considered “a violation, not a crime.”

Proponents of a more relaxed policy on small amounts of marijuana possession say it will free police up to spend more time on serious crime.

Alaska, Oregon and the US capital Washington voted to legalize marijuana last week -- a new high for the marijuana lobby, two years after two western states -- Colorado and Washington -- led the way in approving cannabis for recreational use.

But opponents say the drug causes long-term psychological damage, especially in people who used it in their youth.

Anti-typhoid gene found, may improve vaccines: study

P

ARIS, November 10, 2014 (AFP) - Scientists said Monday they had found a variant of a gene that confers a near five-fold protection against typhoid fever, which kills millions of people each year.

The discovery, that came from screening the genomes of hundreds of infected people and healthy controls in Vietnam and Nepal, may aid the development of better vaccines for typhoid and other bacterial diseases, said the authors of a study published in Nature Genetics.

study co-author Sarah Dunstan of the University of Melbourne said in a statement.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 21 million people are infected with typhoid fever every year, and an estimated 216,000 to 600,000 die.

It is caused by the Salmonella typhi or Paratyphi bacteria carried in contaminated food or water, said the study authors.

The gene they found protects against infection by recognising proteins from invading bacteria, thus stimulating an immune response.

fective and are not suitable for young children -- the group most at risk, according to the study authors.

“Consequently, these vaccines are not widely deployed in the populations with the greatest need,” they wrote.

“Notably, there is currently no licensed vaccine against enteric fever caused by S. Paratyphi pathovars, potentially constituting a huge problem as the incidence of S. Paratyphi A infection is increasing in many countries across Asia.”

R

AIPUR, November 11, 2014 (AFP) - Eight women have died in India and dozens more are in a critical condition after a state-run sterilisation programme designed to control the country’s billion-plus population went badly wrong, officials said Tuesday.

More than 60 women are in hospital after suffering complications from the surgery over the weekend and 24 of them are seriously ill, authorities in the central state of Chhattisgarh said.

“Reports of a drop in pulse, vomiting and other ailments started pouring in on Monday from the women who underwent surgery,” said Sonmani Borah, the commissioner for Bilaspur district where the camp was held.

“Since Monday, eight women have died and 64 are in various hospitals,” he told AFP by telephone.

State governments in India frequently organise mass sterilisation camps under a national programme whereby women are given 1,400 rupees ($23) as an incentive to undergo the procedure.

Under pressure to meet targets, some local governments also offer other incentives such as cars and electrical goods to couples volunteering for sterilisation.

Although the surgery is voluntary, rights groups say the target-driven nature of the programme has led to women being coerced into being sterilised, often in inadequate medical facilities.

Vaccines against S. typhi do exist, but are not always ef-

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh ordered four top health officials suspended over the deaths, while a police complaint was lodged against the surgeon who performed the operations.

L

OS ANGELES, November 7, 2014 (AFP) - Veteran US comedian Jerry Seinfeld says he thinks he is on the autism spectrum, describing it as an “alternate mindset.”

“I think, on a very drawn-out scale, I think I’m on the spectrum,” Seinfeld told NBC’s “Nightly News” late Thursday.

The multi-millionaire actor -- famous for his semi-autobiographical 1990s sitcom “Seinfeld” -- said he was “never paying attention to the right things.”

“Basic social engagement is really a struggle. I’m very literal. When people talk to me and they use expressions, sometimes I don’t know what they’re saying,” Seinfeld explained.

“But I don’t see it as dysfunctional. I just think of it as an alternate mindset.”

The cause of autism, a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social withdrawal, is thought to be roughly split between genetic and environmental factors, according to experts.

Singh also announced compensation of 400,000 rupees ($6,500) for the each of the families of those women who died.

Angry residents took to the streets of Bilaspur where many of the women have been hospitalised demanding action against those responsible.

- Women dumped in fields The women had undergone laparoscopic sterilisation, a process in which the fallopian tubes are blocked usually under general anaesthesia.

The Indian Express daily said the surgeries were carried out by one doctor and his assistant in around five hours.

“There was no negligence.

He is a senior doctor. We will probe (the incident),” the chief medical officer of Bilaspur R.K. Bhange told the newspaper.

The medical superintendent of the main hospital in Bilaspur said it was difficult to say what could have caused the deaths.

“It would be premature to speculate on the reasons for this tragedy. We are giving priority to treating the women admitted here as their blood pressure has gone down,” Ramnesh Murthy told reporters late Monday.

“We will know the reasons

The team said their discovery may lead to “improvements in the rational design of vaccines” for this and other bacterial infections.

only once the post-mortem is completed.”

Last year, authorities in eastern India came under fire after a news channel unearthed footage showing scores of women dumped unconscious in a field following a mass sterilisation.

The women had all undergone the procedure at a hospital that local officials said was not equipped to accommodate such a large number of patients.

In 2011, the government issued guidelines outlining the standard operating procedures for sterilisation services in camps.

But a 2012 report by Human Rights Watch urged the government to set up an independent grievance redress system to allow people to report coercion and poor quality services at sterilisation centres.

It also said the government should prioritise training for male government workers to provide men with information and counselling about contraceptive choices, but despite the recommendations to the national government, problems persist on the ground.

India’s family planning programme has traditionally focused on women, and experts say that male sterilisation is still not accepted socially.

Government figures from 2008 show that around one third of the 54 percent of the population that reported using any form of family planning opted for female sterilisation.

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US comic Obamacare open enrollment starts November 15, 2014 and Seinfeld ends February 15, 2015. says on During the open enrollment period you can enroll, switch autism plans, and get subsidies your plan. Open enrollment is the only time of year you can spectrum health get a major medical plan that

Colon cancer could Eight Indian women die, dozens surge critical after mass sterilization among young: study “We found that carrying a particular form of the HLADRB1 gene provides natural resistance against typhoid fever,”

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

W

ASHINGTON, November 5, 2014 (AFP) - Colon cancer among people under 34 may nearly double over the next 15 years, raising new concerns about how to fight one of the most common and deadly cancers, researchers said Wednesday.

The rise in incidence in the younger population -- blamed on lifestyle choices -- goes against a long-running decline in colon cancer among people over 50.

The decline was largely due to tougher screening and regular colonoscopies.

The projected rise in the young is based on unhealthy eating and other lifestyle factors, said the findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association Surgery.

By 2030, more than one in 10 colon cancers and nearly one in four rectal cancers will be diagnosed in patients younger than 50, said the study conducted by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The projected increase was based on factors including obesity, lack of physical activity and a Western diet, which could “exponentially” increase risk, it said.

“We’re observing the potential real impact of colorectal cancer among young people if

count as minimum essential coverage in the individual and family market without qualifying for a special enrollment period. This is true both inside and outside the health insurance marketplace.

• There is an annual open enrollment period for the health insurance marketplace each year. This year open enrollment 2015 runs from November 15th, 2015 to February 15th, 2015.

• Open enrollment is the only time that you can enroll in a plan or change plans, unless you qualify for a special enrollment period.

• The only way to get subsided insurance is by enrolling in the health insurance marketplace.

• The only way to avoid the per month fee for not having insurance is to obtain minimum essential coverage and maintain it throughout the year or to qualify for an exemption. All marketplace coverage counts as minimum essential coverage.

Fee or Penalty in 2015 If you don’t have coverage in 2015, you’ll pay the higher of these two amounts: • 2% of your yearly household income. (Only the amount of income above the tax filing threshold, about $10,000 for an individual, is used to calculate the penalty.) The maximum penalty is the national average premium for a bronze plan.

• $325 per person for the year ($162.50 per child under 18). The maximum penalty per family using this method is $975.

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In order to avoid the mandate you’ll have to obtain “minimum essential coverage”. Basically this includes all Government and job based insurance and most private insurance. As a rule of thumb if you have insurance already you don’t have to worry about the mandate.

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in the individual market, including a qualified health plan offered by the Health Insurance Marketplace (also known as an Affordable Insurance Exchange) • Medicare Part A coverage and Medicare Advantage plans • Most Medicaid coverage • Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage • Certain types of veterans health coverage administered by the Veterans Administration • TRICARE • Coverage provided to Peace Corps volunteers • Coverage under the Non-appropriated Fund Health Benefit Program • Refugee Medical Assistance supported by the Administration for Children and Families • Self-funded health coverage offered to students by universities for plan or policy years that begin on or before Dec. 31, 2014 (for later plan or policy years, sponsors of these programs may apply to HHS to be recognized as minimum essential coverage) • State high risk pools for plan or policy years that begin on or before Dec. 31, 2014 (for later plan or policy years, sponsors of these program may apply to HHS to be recognized as minimum essential coverage) For prompt enrollment in Obamacare or Medicare health plan call Sudhir Mathuria for your Health and Wealth Planning at 713-771-2900.

no changes are made in public education and prevention efforts,” said principal investigator George Chang.

doctors should be aware of symptoms that might otherwise be dismissed in younger people.

Nearly 137,000 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer in the United States this year, and more than 50,000 will die of the disease, according to statistics in the article.

“Identifying these patterns is a crucial first step toward initiating important shifts in cancer prevention,” Chang said.

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women, and the third leading cause of cancer death.

The study was based on a registry that included more than 393,000 patients with confirmed colon cancers between 1975 and 2010.

Researchers found that the annual incidence rate for these cancers in patients under age 34 was “increasing across all stages of disease.”

The study stopped short of recommending a change to screening guidelines, but said

An accompanying commentary in the journal by Kiran Turaga of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, described the report as “unsettling.”

“Assuming that this increasing incidence of colorectal cancer in young adults is a real phenomenon, it begs the question of why this is occurring and what one should do about it,” Turaga wrote.

While more colonoscopies could lead to higher costs without much benefit, “this report should stimulate opportunities for development of better riskprediction tools,” Turaga said.

Virus may affect mental abilities: US researchers

by Kerry SHERIDAN

W

ASHINGTON, November 11, 2014 (AFP) - People with an algae virus in their throats had more difficulty completing a mental exercise than healthy people, and more research is needed to understand why, US scientists say.

A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that the virus was present in about half of 92 human subjects studied, and those who had it performed worse on certain basic tasks.

The virus, known as Acantho-

cystis turfacea Chlorella virus 1, or ATCV-1, also appeared to limit the cognitive abilities of mice.

or public health,” said lead researcher Robert Yolken, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

35 years, said senior author James Van Etten of the University of Nebraska, an expert on algal viruses.

The mice had a harder time navigating a maze and noticing new objects in their surroundings after they were infected.

“We do think that there is a need for additional medical and scientific studies of the effects of infectious agents which are common in the environment on human health and cognition,” Yolken told AFP.

Van Etten joined the research four years ago when Johns Hopkins scientists found ATCV-1’s DNA sequences in the brain tissue of people who had died with mental disorders such as schizophrenia.

The virus was found by accident while scientists were analyzing microbes in the throats of healthy humans for a different study.

“This finding was certainly surprising to us,” Van Etten told AFP.

It remains unclear if the virus was truly driving the drop in mental functioning. Researchers have not yet shown the cause and effect between the virus and the intelligence results.

“At this point we do not think that this virus should be considered as a threat to individual

Experts have been studying viruses similar to ATCV-1 for

“These viruses are ubiquitous in fresh water ponds and streams throughout the world,” Van Etten said.

He noted that the virus -- previously thought to only infect algae -- could make its way into the human body when people swallow water while swimming.

There might also be another host in nature, such as mosquito larvae, he said.

But the nature of the disease is still in the early stages of analysis.

It is also unknown if the virus’s effects on the brain are lasting or temporary.

Scientists have long understood that viruses interact with DNA, and further studies could

shed more light on the role of the virus on cognition.

“As more studies like this are conducted, I believe we’ll find out there’s even more interaction between viruses, bacteria and fungi that are either ingested or breathed into our noses and mouths and the overall human condition,” said Jordan Josephson, ear nose and throat specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, who was not involved in the study.

“I believe this new research is just the tip of the iceberg in linking viruses in the human oral cavity to the development of various health conditions.”

VOICE OF ASIA 17

ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

Friday, November 14, 2014

BUSINESS

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

Section 2 Page 17 Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Tel: 713-774-5140

South Asian Youth Alliance (SAYA) hold its Maiden Event: Coffee With The CEO and Sohail Hassan, CEO of One Stop Green.

The event started with a social hour where everyone in the room got to spend some time getting to know each other. This was the ice breaker, as many of the Young Adults were meeting each other for the first time.

Mr. Hassan was the guest speaker at SAYA’s first event for 2014.

Latafath Hussain, President of IMAGH (Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston) welcomed the two CEO’s and SAYA members. He was appreciative of everyone present there giving up their family time to be here. He discussed the importance of this event: SAYA promotes mentorship, leadership, and the connection to our heritage. He said that

za Shaik, Secretary, and Nimra Haroon, Jt.Secretary, then introduced themselves, as well as all the participants. Dr. Salman Mirza Baig, and his wife Humera Baig , are very active in organizing many activities for Youth in The Woodlands area, and had brought in a great number of participants.

Mr. Safeer is the CEO of American Risk Insurance Company and considered an expert in the field of Property and Casualty Insurance and has been in the insurance industry for over a decade. Mr. Hassan is a well-respected entrepreneur in Texas and makes smart decisions and produces realistic solutions for problems. He is well-liked by his peers who admire his contagious positive

by Hafeeza Shaik

H

OUSTON: Houston is known for its diversity of cultures, religions, and races. Society itself is divided into many sectors and the people in these sectors help their communities to grow. South Asian Youth Alliance (SAYA), an initiative of Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston ( IMAGH), was launched on April 27, 2014, to help the South Asian Young Adults, find mentors, develop leadership skills, build a peer supported network, and learn about their heritage.

SAYA’s goal is to have young representatives from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan as its members.

SAYA had its first event, Coffee With The CEO on Saturday Nov 8th at the Marriott Westchase . The event was a huge success with many new members and faces joining the organization. This event is a discussion based series

Stop Green, a renewable energy company. He is an accomplished professional in the renewable energy sector with his educational background being diverse in International Affairs, Political Science, Sociology, and European Union Politics with an understanding in law and organizational management. Mr. Sohail promotes academics and advised to keep learning and growing especially in education.

Mr. Sohail shared that he focuses on the long term impact of a business while his elder brother Mr. Safeer said that he is constantly looking for great ideas to develop, monetize and move on to the next project.

Both the brothers focused on the fact that if you don’t have something that motivates you to work and grow, then you cannot move up the career ladder.

After the young CEOs had shared their story, the room was opened up for discussions.

There were many questions regarding business, education, entrepreneurship, internship, growing up South Asian etc. etc.

SAYA is an organization dedicated to the development of young adults in the South Asian community.

Safeer Hassan, CEO of American Risk Insurance Company and Sohail Hassan, CEO of One Stop Green in conversation with the SAYA members. with CEOs from many different companies coming to share their success story. This first event was Chaired by two great entrepreneur brothers, who grew up in Sugar Land, but each with a different style and educational background, Safeer Hassan, CEO of American Risk Insurance Company

we all have leadership qualities and we’ll try to hone and polish these skills through such events. He added that focus, knowledge and dedication is the only recipe to reach career goals. The Executive Committee consisting of Mohammed A. Khan, President, Joel Kurien, Vice President, Hafee-

attitude, laser sharp focus, and extremely high standards for customer service. Mr. Safeer is also the President of the Lamborghini Club and his love for cars also motivates him to be successful.

Mr. Sohail Hassan is the founder and CEO of One

Their second event, Coffee with The CEO is with Ms. Yani Keo, founder of Alliance of Multicultural Community Services , at Mariott Westchase ( 2900 Briarpark Dr, Houston, TX 77042) on November 22nd.

RSVP is required and refreshments will be served.

For further information, call Latafath Hussain at 713-2696171 or Email: saya@imagh. org or Facebook: www.facebook.com/SAYouthAlliance.

Twitter CEO Unveils Instant Timeline to Attract New Users

by Sarah Frier

T

witter Inc. (TWTR:US) Chief Executive Officer Dick Costolo said the company will unveil products to attract new users and others who don’t normally pay attention to the microblogging service, as it works to extend its reach beyond the base of regular users.

Costolo said today at the company’s first analyst day in San Francisco that Twitter will roll out an “instant timeline” to “remove all that friction for new users.” The product will let consumers see what’s going on on the site without having to first follow people. The CEO also said the company is working on new mobile applications besides Vine and added that more than 500 million people come to Twitter each month without logging in.

Twitter is on a mission to explain its prospects to appease investors who are disappointed after several quarters of slowing user growth and questioning whether the product may ever reach the scale of Facebook Inc. (FB:US), which has 1.3 billion members or about five times the users. Costolo has prioritized improving the company’s product even if users are logged out of the service and coming into Twitter via a link to a tweet, or to view someone’s profile.

Twitter’s monthly active user count rose 23 percent to 284 million in the third quarter, down from 24 percent growth the prior quarter.

Shares rose 3.4 percent to $40.95 as of 12:33 p.m. in New York. The company went public at $26 a share last November and the stock has been under pressure this year amid investor questions. ((Bloomberg News).

HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

Your Horoscope for the Week of November 14, 2014

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

READ YOUR COMPLETE HOROSCOPE ONLINE WWW.VOICEOFASIAONLINE.COM

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 Oct

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April Reconnect to your roots. You may have a certain person on your mind, perhaps someone who was in your life until recently. Whatever the status of your relationship, there appears to be a romantic, sensual glow in the atmosphere. You may have be the one to take the bull by the horns and make the date. It is highly possible that this reunion will prove something to both of you; you belong together, in every way. A sudden inspiration may hit. It may have to do with furthering your education levels.

Sweet harmony in your professional & personal life. You and your partner will find yourselves getting along about everything. You are very much in favor and may even enjoy an encouraging talk with a superior. It should make you feel more confident about your future and much more secure about in your position, right where you are. Store up the compliments and feed on them during any rough days in the future. You may lack cooperation from work associates. Take the initiative the 1st and get it done yourself if other members fail you.

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 May

Scorpio (N,Y)23 Oct to 21 Nov

Great time for a fling, whatever kind suits you best. For some, it will be a romantic adventure, reaching a new and higher plateau in a relationship that has leveled off. For others, it may be a fling at the nearest salon for a totally new hairdo. Don’t you love the way people react to something as simple as a different styling? Relax, but do not let a mood of apathy keep you from progressing. It would be a shame to waste your effort. Others may react badly if you do. If your partner wants to have fun, participate!

Improvements and ideas about how they could be accomplished. The problem may be getting to the right people, with the right information, and you may be frustrated. Keep on digging and you will find what you are looking for. In the meantime, it is vital not to make any rash moves or uneducated guesses. Calm your tensions in one of two ways. Discuss the situation with a trustworthy friend or get a strenuous physical workout. If your present relationship is not working out, now is the time to re-examine what you expect from a person you get involved with.

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June Mood swings that may have you full of optimism one moment, but frustrated at unexpected setbacks the next. Even so, this is an excellent time to make plans for a better and more prosperous future. If you have something to sell, now is the time to put it on the market and get a positive response. It could just propel you on a course of extravagance. Don’t let loose with any temperamental words this week, they could come back to haunt you in the weeks to come.

High activity, You’ve got plenty of things you would like to do, but it is vital to be selective. If you attempt them all, you will scatter your forces. Take it one day at a time.

Your relationships should move forward into a more promising territory. You may want to take time to look at & appreciate others intentions. Make sure to include your financial partner, who will not be critical, even if you are the one who has fallen into a spending pattern that’s hurting the big picture.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July Distractions & your need to concentrate on your goals and practical concerns. What needs to get done will get done, because you are in a frame of mind to deal directly.

Don’t fret about the fact that your personal independence may be a bit limited now.

The work you do now is money in the bank for future freedom, maybe even that longdesired trip you’ve wished for some time. Good time for a sit down planning chat. Get out those maps and schedules. It’s not too soon to start thinking about that trip of a lifetime.

An unhealthily focus on what you consider the inadequacies of your home environment.

Don’t despair, do something! Even small cosmetic changes could make a huge difference, especially in your attitude. If someone else has to approve, approach him or her with a positive outlook. Give good reasons why your plan will benefit everyone. Wherever you land at week’s end, you will find yourself surrounded by agreeable people who share your mood. Join in the revelry, but avoid excesses of any kind. If dinner is part of the plan, choose your dishes wisely.

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August

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

The fact others find you, not only delightful company, but a great teammate as well.

You exude good feelings and you are sensitive to the needs of others. This general atmosphere spills over into your private life. Something you have in mind, perhaps an old idea about redoing your space, may be a snare and a delusion. For one thing, cash may not be flowing too freely. For another, your significant other may have plans for investing rather than spending what you have.

You can be a star and a standout at work. It’s not unusual for you to come up with new, more productive and easier ways to do things, but now you may just astonish higher-ups with your creativeness. The good stuff doesn’t stop at the office door, either. Moonlight and roses may be part of the menu. For some, it will involve a new romance. Look forward to the thrill of getting to know somebody mighty attractive who could become a mainstay in your social life. You may have to rethink how you react to authority figures.

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

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September Feeling that others are not carrying their weight, do not react in an emotional manner. Simply ask for what you need without leaning on anyone. You should lean on the soft shoulder of a supportive spouse or live-in and pour your heart out. Don’t hesitate to treat yourself, as well as him or her, to something beautiful, expensive, and totally unexpected. Though money worries may be on your mind, they should not put you off your stride.

Your partner will offer their encouragement. Look forward to a pleasant week-end of compatible conversation in which you seem to agree on everything, for once.

QR

Keep many balls in the air at one time, but even you have a limit. There appears to be a conflict between your devotion to home and devotion to work. You need to cut down somewhere, and only you know where. The best advice is to throw career and money cautions to the wind and spend a spectacular time out and about with that very special person. Let your partner arrange the plans. You could have the greatest time, with or without that crowd of people you always love to have around you. For best results, make it just the two of you.

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Part Time Accountant Property Management Company in Houston is looking for a part-time accountant with the following qualifications: • Degree in Accounting or Business preferred.

• Must have good working knowledge of Quickbooks and Excel.

• Experience in generating financial reports & bookkeeping.

• Other duties as assigned.

Good compensation for an experienced person

To apply please email your resume to:

princeville.investments@gmail.com (Please indicate in the subject line: “Accounting Position”)

Houston Community College Request for Proposals (RFP) Waste Collection and Disposal Services Project No. 15-04 Documents can be obtained at: www.hccs. edu/district/departments/ procurement.

Sealed proposals will be received in Procurement Operations (3100 Main Street, Room No. 11A06 Houston Texas 77002) until 2:00PM (local time) on Wednesday, December 10, 2014.

HINDU TEMPLE/MANDIR FOR SALE OR LEASE A well settled Hindu Temple/Mandir currently in full operation is for sale in Houston ( Baytown), Texas. The temple is located 20 minutes from the Houston Hobby Airport and Clearlake, 35 minute to the Hillcroft Indian area, and 25 minute drive to downtown Houston. The temple is located on 5 acres unrestricted land with $11,000 sq temple place, paved parking for over a 100 cars. The adjacent 5 acres with a 5 bedroom home is presently used as priest quarters is also for sale. The temple has the biggest Shivalinga in the U.S, Vishnu/Balaji, Kal Bhairave, Ganesh Ji, 6’ Durga Ma, Lord Shanidev, Lord Gurudev, nandhi Ji, and it also has many panchaloka murthis-vigrahas such as Lord Muruga with Valli, Dhevanai, Ramseetha Lakshman Pariwar, Panchamukh Hamunan Ji, Sathyamarayana, Prapiyankara Soolini Ma, etc.

FRIDAY, November 14, 2014

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS CONSTRUCTION MANAGER-AT-RISK High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) Bid Package 2 – Site Excavation & Structural Concrete Houston INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT (HISD) Cadence McShane Construction as Construction Manager-at-Risk for HISD, in accordance with Texas Government Code 2269, will receive bids or proposals from all qualified subcontractors for the Bid Package 2 - Site Excavation and Structural Concrete.

A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held Thursday, November 20, 2014 at 1:00 pm at the Houston offices of the AGC located at 3825 Dacoma St., Houston, TX 77092. A Site-Visit of the project will be held immediately following the pre-proposal conference for those interested.

Bids or proposals are due Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 2:00pm, and bids or proposals should be emailed to houstonbids@cadencemcshane.com or mailed/ delivered to the Cadence McShane Construction, 7701 W. Little York, Suite 400, Houston, TX 77040. Late bids will not be accepted.

There will be no public opening of bids or proposals. All bids or proposals shall be available after award of contract, or the 7th day after final selection of bids or proposals, whichever is later. After receipt of bids or proposals, Cadence McShane, will conduct its evaluation of the subcontractor bids or proposals in relation to the project requirements and will select the bid(s) or proposal(s) that offers the best value to HISD. Cadence McShane, is committed to meeting the M/WBE goals set for this project. M/WBE forms, schedules and statements, as required by the package documents, shall accompany each bid or proposal that is submitted. Bids or proposals submitted without all required information, and in the order and manner specified, may result in the bid or proposal being considered non-responsive.

HISD, the Owner, reserves the right to waive any informality and/or to reject any, or all bids, or proposals.

Contact Eddie Smith at esmith@cadencemcshane.com or Wm. Earl Finley, C.P.M., A.P.P. at wfinley@houstonisd.org for additional information on this project Drawings and specifications are available on iSQFT (www.isqft.com) and in the Cadence McShane office located at 7701 W. Little York, Suite 400, Houston, TX 77040.

Drawings and Specifications may also be reviewed at: Associated General Contractors, 3825 Dacoma Street, Houston, TX 77092, (713) 843-3700 • McGraw Hill Construction/Dodge, www.construction.com Virtual Builders Exchange, 3910 Kirby, #131, Houston, TX 77098, (832) 613-0201

Serious Inquiries only. Owner financing available For more details contact the temple at 281-424-5218, Temple chief priest- 408-829-7780 Radha Krishna Mandir 7600 Bayway Drive Baytown, TX, 77520 www.texaskrishnamandir.org avtemple@aol.com

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