Voice of Asia Oct 11 2013 by VoiceOf Asia

OP-ED/OPIONS/VIEWS

VOICE OF ASIA 2

by Kusum Vyas

Publisher: Associate Publisher: Editor-in-Chief: Austin Correspondent: Marketing: Production: Office Manager:

Koshy Thomas Sherly Philip Shobana Muratee Sherine Thomas Jacob David AR Vadlamani Priyan Mathew

Voice of Asia TV News Online Editor:

Shobana Muratee

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Physics Nobel It is unfortunate that S.N. Bose who ﬁrst put forward the idea of particles giving mass to matter a century ago has not been remembered by the world (“‘God particle’ theorists get Nobel Prize in physics,” Oct.9). The scientists who went forward from the prototype of his theory have won the Nobel. Satyendranath Bose should be remembered by his homeland. The government needs to recognise his efforts, though posthumously. S.G. Raveendranath, Thiruvananthapuram (The Hindu)

Voice of Asia (USPS 010-215) (ISSN#10705058) is published every Friday (for a subscription rate of $30 per year) by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074. Tel: 713-774-5140. Fax: 713774-5143. Periodical postage paid at Houston, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Voice of Asia, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074 It is the policy of Voice of Asia to publish letters to the editor which evidence a variety of viewpoints. The opinions expressed in any particular letter to the editor are not necessarily those of the management. Voice of Asia welcomes letters in reply to issues raised in letters to editor. In as much letters to the editor are not articles written or researched by members of Voice of Asia, it is not the policy of the Voice of Asia to perform any investigation or conﬁrmation of any facts or allegations contained in letters to the editor. Moreover, Voice of Asia reserves the right to edit letters to the editor as necessary to correct errors of fact, punctuation, spelling and to comply with space constraints. - The Publisher

hat could collectively be described as Kenya’s 9/11, occurred ten years and eleven days after the terrorist attack on America. September 21, 2013, heavily armed, well-trained al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab jihadists stormed into Nairobi’s swanky Westgate Mall and unleashed an unprecedented blood bath making it the deadliest terror attack on Kenyan soil since al Qaeda blew up the U.S. Embassy in 1998. During the four day siege, they held center stage, sending out a ﬂurry of tweets, evoking a chilling reminder that the international terrorist enterprise inspired by bin Laden is more complex, tech-savvy and lethal than ever before with the same intent and capability to strike indiscriminately. Kenyans saw up close and personal, gruesome images of defenseless men, women and children being maimed and mowed down by grenades and automatic ﬁre. By the fourth day, 69 civilians and foreigners had been killed, the mall

by Dilip Bobb

here’s nothing quite like Indian festivals to dispel the doom and gloom. From now till Diwali, it will be a riot (sic) of music and masti, feasting and fasting, gifting and getting, flush (cards, not toilets) and flash, praying and partying. The place where it all comes together is the traditional mela with its stalls, games, entertainment and fireworks. Here’s what to look forward to at this year’s fair. The Samosa Stall: This year’s version has been renamed the Lalu Special. Dumped in boiling oil, the samosas are moved from the frying pan to the fire and served on a newspaper with his famous comment: “Jab tak rahega samosa mein aloo, tab tak rahega Bihar main Lalu”. The courts may have knocked the stuffing out of him politically and demolished any pretences of politicians being sacred cows, but he still has the consolation of having the time to make hay while the son shines. The Roller Coaster Ride: Designed by the prominent firm of RG & Co, this high speed ride, called ‘The Congress Corkscrew’, takes everyone through scary twists and turns, so that those on top suddenly find themselves at the bottom, or suspended midair, thanks to sudden direction changes and backtracking. It’s a ride full of thrills and spills, mostly the latter, thanks to the design firm’s efforts at re-

From IQ Learning Desk

Prepare With IQ Learning for Your AP and Pre-AP courses

Q Learning is your onestop Center for all of your academic enhancement needs. IQ offers PSAT and SAT prep in the same location as Advanced Placement (AP) test prep courses for Physics, Calculus, Chemistry and Biology. A unique beneﬁt is that students can take a PSAT tutoring session and follow it up with an AP session in the same day. AP classes prepare students for college, and if the

students pass the post-course test, they will receive college credit hours. That gives them a competitive advantage, and saves them substantial tuition money. However, passing the test isn’t always easy. One-on-one tutoring with IQ’s resident experts greatly increases the chances of accomplishing that feat. Each session is two hours. The curriculum follows, and often exceeds the Fort Bend

IQ LEARNING Sugar Land

Where Excellence is the Norm, not the Exception

ISD requirements. Students work on practice sheets with their instructors to understand the concepts. Then, the students take home assignments that they later review with the tutors to master the subjects. Be it a pre-AP or an AP course, let IQ Learning help you master it. It is only with such a thorough training that you will be able to test out the collegiate courses, and advance to the next level ahead of the curve. Visit www.iq-learning.com.

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

Westgate Carnage: Kenya’s 9/11 Moment reduced to a pile of smoking rubble trapping untold numbers, images of which were so reminiscent of New York on 9/11. The gruesome attack has been painful for me since Kenya is my birth country where I have extended family and friends. I have personally known some of the victims, many my children’s age or younger. I mourn their loss and share the grief of my fellow Kenyans. A model of Africa’s economic success, a country widely perceived as an oasis of peace and prosperity in a troubled region, Kenya is a place of exquisite beauty and a cosmopolitan potpourri. Kenya’s GDP increased 5.2% in the ﬁrst quarter of 2013. Kenyans, who beneﬁted from economic advancement enjoy increased spending power, and together with expatriates, have

driven demand for property, luxury goods, fine dining, the arts and services. Ironically Kenya’s success is now imperiled by the vile ideology of the jihadists. Their target was not accidental: Westgate Mall is typically frequented by expatriates, diplomats and affluent Kenyans. It is a symbol of Kenya’s growing prosperity and intrinsically woven cosmopolitanism. As on 9/11, the jihadists were attacking an affluent, modern, democratic way of life. The victims were a cross-section of those who participated most fully in Kenya’s economic growth. However, the attack was about much more than Kenya’s economic success - it was a brutal way of punishing Kenya for its military intervention in October 2011 to oust al-Shabab from Somalia. It was timed for

Our Credentials:

From the moment the jihadists struck, it was obvious that there was a religious dimension to the attack. Media reports, substantiated by survivors, said the heavily armed attackers called out for Muslims to identify themselves and leave, while weeding out non-Muslims for execution by asking them to name Prophet Mohammed’s mother or recite the ‘Shahada’ the Islamic declaration of faith. The victims were lined up and gunned down with AK-47s after failing to answer correctly. The writer Kusum Vyas is the founder of Founder of Green Kumbh Movement. She can be reached at kusumvyasusa@ gmail.com

The Festival Frenzy engineering the existing apparatus, including the driving seat. The Teen Patti Table:This is where games of chance are played with an element of risk. This year’s version is also known as the Telengana Tangle, and is based on the “heads you lose, tails you win theory”. This means that you gamble on losing a few heads and hope that you gain the tails, a.k.a, voters, when the ﬁnals are played. This high-stakes game requires nerves of steel, a good sense of timing and a sizeable kitty to cover setbacks when your bluff is called. Merry Go Round: Always a popular attraction, this year it has been given a new spin. Painted in saffron and stamped with the lotus symbol, it revolves faster and faster so that all the faces become a blur, reduced equally in status thanks to the Power

of One. Accompanied by plenty of special effects and donning of NaMo masks, the ride can be heady and stomach-churning, so ensure there’s a toilet nearby. Hit The Wicket: The latest version is called the Srini Special, after its creator, and the game is all about Being in Control of Cricket in India (BCCI). It bears a strong resemblance to musical chairs, with the aim being to cement your place at the top of the table and use all sorts of googlies, doosras and other spot-ﬁxing methodology to stump the opposition, not to mention the courts, and stay on top of the game. It helps if the bail remains intact. The Food Stall: Visitors will miss the onion bhaji this year since it has shifted to another nearby stall stocking high-priced luxury items. But there is plenty of other

foodstuff on offer, available on presentation of your Aadhaar card, which involves running idhar and udhar to get the card, present it to those running the stall— who will have it home delivered—neatly wrapped in red tape and stamped “Compliments of Sonia Gandhi”. Pin the Tail on the Donkey: Hugely popular with the younger generation, this involves being blindfolded and trying to ﬁnd the right spot to pin a tail on the image of a donkey. This year’s version is more politically correct and the donkey has been replaced by crouching tigers or hidden dragons, to ensure that it is as close as possible to the manner in which voters will be exercising their franchise in the upcoming elections. (Courtesy; : Indian Express, Sun Oct 06 2013).

Don’t ignore the children

fter years of neglect, childhood tuberculosis — which accounts for over six per cent of the global TB burden — is finally getting due attention. WHO recently published its first-ever targeted road map outlining the steps needed to move towards zero childhood TB deaths. The report comes close on the heels of the organisation including for the first time the estimates of the global TB burden in children below 15 years in its 2012 global tuberculosis report. Last year also saw childhood TB getting special focus in the World TB Day theme. Though over half-a-million new cases are reported every year from across the world in those who are HIV negative, the actual TB burden must be much higher. The reasons are pretty obvious. Most of what is reported are only the cases of sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB. However, sputum smear-negative disease is most frequent even in pulmonary TB. Most often, all cases of extra-pulmonary TB go unreported even though this category of TB accounts for “approximately 20-30 per cent.” Unlike adolescents, children under five may not produce sputum for examination. In the absence of sputum samples, there is no highly reliable and easily usable di-

agnostic tool to confirm the disease, especially in developing countries where TB is endemic and malnourishment is high. Hence, developing reliable and affordable tests has become a great research priority. As a result, high burden countries like India, where 10-20 per cent of all TB occurs in children, need to find alternative strategies to target vulnerable children who are more prone to becoming infected and diseased. Implementing the WHO’s close contact screening of children under five from households where an adult has been newly diagnosed with sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB would go a long way in achieving the desired results. Adults would have spread the infection to children in the same household before seeking treatment. A

Old Name : BARKAT ALI ALIJI BHAI KAROVALIA New Name: BARKAT ALIJI KAROVALIA

www.iq-learning.com • Ph: 832-387-6250 • Email: contact@iq-learning.com

Programs Now Open for Grades 4 through 12

• Enroll for: • Math, ELA, Science, GT program prep (Elementary and Middle school) • SAT/ACT Prep • All Pre-AP and AP-level Science and Math subjects (High school) • Our Advancement courses prepare students for the coming year (www.iq-learning.com)

More than 95% of the enrolled school students improved their scores by more than a letter grade within a few weeks at IQ. 90% of the students have shown a 300 point minimum increase over their last scores in actual SAT tests. Students scoring B- in Math have become toppers in Calculus AP courses after only a few weeks at IQ Learning. Students who took the Physics Advancement Course at IQ Learning have represented their school in district level Physics tournaments. Most of the enrolled Elementary and Middle School students are now placed in their school GT programs after attending IQ Learning.

Read what our students say in the testimonial section of our website!

(Courtesy: The Hindu)

I would like to change my name as follows:

The best place for Learning, Tutoring and Test Prep in Sugar Land

Address: 3685 Hwy 6 S (@Settlers Way, next to Krogers), Sugar Land, TX 77478

clinical examination of children combined with laboratory conﬁrmation in suspicious cases would go a long way in revealing their TB status. This approach has twin advantages. While the diseased would be put on treatment without delay, the asymptomatic children would end up getting a preventive therapy. A prophylactic treatment using a single drug — isoniazid — once daily for six months would cut down the number of young ones who may become diseased. It would reduce the TB load and the mortality rate. Yet, in India’s TB control programme, contact screening is way down in the priority list. There are challenges, but training health workers and adopting minor changes to the existing system alone can yield good results. What’s the government waiting for?

NAME CHANGE

Regular tutoring available throughout the year. IQ Learning is open 7 days a week.

• • • • •

Saturday to inﬂict maximum damage when the mall was hosting a children’s day event and packed with young children and their families.

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

LIFESTYLE

VOICE OF ASIA 15

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

Vol. 26

No. 41

Friday, October 11, 2013

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Tel: 713-774-5140

Can your baby DJ? They can in New York by Jennie MATTHEW EW YORK CITY - If baby yoga seems so yesterday and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star so last century, then the newest craze among trendsetter New York parents is for you: Baby DJ School.

Weiss, who has taught experimental electronic workshops to older children, got the Baby DJ School idea when she showed a friend’s tot how her equipment works.

The boy is now one of the more enthusiastic class members. “(I) whipped it out, showed him the basics -- he picked it up like that,” she told AFP, clicking her fingers.

DJ, composer and playwright Natalie Elizabeth Weiss is offering an eight-week program to teach babies hip-hop, how to mix their own music and play air guitar with the best of them.

“He’s already working with buttons, knobs and levers in all his toys. It’s not any more complicated to move a volume knob up than it is to move a train across the tracks on a little wooden train set.”

And her clients? Professional families in Brooklyn, New York, one of the most competitive cities in the world where wealthy parents are notorious for lavishing cash and attention on their progeny’s early development. “Parents love it. They freak out. They all want to bring their friends. It’s growing so quickly,” Weiss told AFP. With songs such as “That’s Why Daddy Loves Disco,” and modern DJ equipment, she teaches tots under three about electro, hip-hop and house; how to play records, match beats and create funky samples. “Baby DJ, put your hands up, put your hands up, up,” raps Weiss at the start of the lesson as five toddlers sit or stumble around rugs on the floor of a vintage clothes and vinyl shop in Brooklyn. Some smile and look excited. Their parents push their children’s arms up and down in time to the beat. “Baby DJ, you got to get up if you wanna get down,” croons Weiss. She believes nursery rhymes -such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Baa Baa Black Sheep, which basically have the same melody -are not challenging enough. Instead she offers babies rhythm, and the chance to play with mixing songs. “They’re like geniuses -- just because they can’t say what they’re learning doesn’t mean they aren’t,” she told a local television network before the class. The children certainly love pressing the buttons and pushing the slider on her DJ deck, but in a 45minute class, not all the kids look convinced at all times.

Celeste Kidd, assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, says musical play offers young children a lot of potential.

With head phone on a toddler gets ready for his “Baby DJ School” class AFP Photo

“Let’s try the disco arm move,” cries Weiss, jabbing her arm diagonally into the air and down to the side. One toddler picks his nose and another chucks a record on the floor.

told AFP. “People take their kids to go swimming... there could be worse things that a baby could do at this age.

“I don’t know if this is going to be his profession when he grows up, but hey, it’s all about exposing your children to as many things as possible.”

“Young children are typically very good at identifying what sort of activities best suit their developmental needs,” she told AFP in an email. “There is a lot of learning potential in musical play, including DJing if a kid shows interest and someone is willing to offer their equipment to a toddler.”

But the parents are hooked, clapping on the beat and jiggling their hips. Alexis Langsfeld, mom to 20month-old Ellie and part-time emergency physician, is a big fan. “It’s kind of a combination of exploring the world, and physics and music,” she enthuses. If her daughter is too young to start traditional music lessons on a violin or piano, Baby DJ School is perfect. “This is much more like sliding and pushing and it makes a lot of sense. You’re using someone else’s tools for them to make their own music,” Langsfeld says. Ellie loves the classes, she adds, noting: “She definitely gets her little moves on.” Warren Bernard, an art school professor, has brought 22-month son Charles to his second Baby DJ lesson. “I figured, you know, DJ class let’s see what happens,” Bernard

A toddler takes part in a “Baby DJ School” class, aimed at preschool children to learn the basics on how to mix music, in New York, October 7, 2013. AFP Photo

DESI MATRIMONIAL SERVICES Helping the Desi Community to find a dream boy / dream girl for their loved ones. Meet your soulmate one on one in our office. All potential members are pre-screened for Immigration Status. Background check, Employment Verification, Credit Check & Kundali Match For more information contact, Meenakshi Manik at: 713-541-4357 or E-mail: meetursoulmate1on1@gmail.com Call: 713-541-4357 Visit us today at: 6666 Harwin Dr, Suite:603 Houston, TX 77036

ASIANET

A-One Dish International

IS NOW EXCLUSIVE TO

281-493-1888

DISH

get $50 off! * Referal bonus * Other Restrictions Apply! Call store for details.

www.aonedishnetwork.com 10148 Hwy 6, South Sugar Land, TX 77498

Young Life

VOICE OF ASIA 16

Friday, October 11, 2013

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

New York campaigns to boost girls’ self-esteem by Brigitte DUSSEAU

EW YORK CITY, (AFP) - In a city plastered with images of stick-thin models, New York is waging a new campaign to boost self-esteem among girls as young as seven.

This fall, 35,000 students from 1,200 schools in 37 regions nationally will take on this challenge in the 2013-14 Future City® Competition, as they are asked to tackle Tomorrow’s Transit: Design A Way To Move People In And Around Your City.

But this week the city sought to change all that by putting up posters on buses, in the subway and in phone booths declaring: “I am a girl, I am beautiful the way I am.”

The quotes vary but all emphasize their qualities. “I am funny, playful, daring, strong, curious, smart, brave, healthy, friendly and caring,” says the caption to a photograph of DeVoray, a sturdylooking African American of 12 years old. “I am creative, a leader, smart, daring, tough, loving, astute and outgoing,” says another.

Moving Urban Populations With Safety, Speed And Energy Efficiency Is The 2013-14 Future City Competition® Challenge

Body satisfaction hits rock bottom between the ages of 12 and 15, it added.

They have been photographed playing basketball and chess, or running. One holds a book, another a baseball bat. Several are overweight, others wear braces. One young girl is in a wheelchair.

What Will Tomorrow’s Transportation Look Like?

ASHINGTON DC, September 2013 – Whether it’s by foot, bike, car or public transportation, our ability to function in the modern world depends on our ability to move. Whatever you do, wherever you go, you need a way to get there. And, with global urban populations on the increase and energy and climate change issues front and center, the demand for creating transportation solutions that are quick, safe, reliable and sustainable has never been more urgent.

More than 80 percent of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat and by middle school, 40-70 percent of girls are dissatisfied with two or more parts of their body, says City Hall.

Fifteen young, smiling girls who are defiantly normal and come from the cross-section of New York society -- white, Latino, African American and Asian -- are fronting the campaign.

Tel: 713-774-5140

Over 35,000 Middle Schoolers from Across the United States Tasked With Re-Imagining Transportation Systems

Adult women the world over struggle with poor body image, but a publicly funded bodybeautiful campaign is trying to tackle the problem, targeting girls as early as elementary school.

The concept is to teach the women of tomorrow that their worth comes not from their appearance, but from their character, skills and attributes.

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

This image courtesy of the New York City Mayor’s Office shows a poster for New York City Girls’ self esteem. AFP photo. Real health benefits Samantha Levine, director of the New York City Girls project, says the campaign will extend later in the month to short videos played in taxis. “New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the nation with strong, successful women in every area of leadership,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in launching the campaign. “Yet girls are struggling with body image issues at younger and younger ages, a struggle that has negative public health consequences including eating disorders, bullying, alcohol abuse, early onset of sexual activity and obesity.” Although 63 percent of girls recognize that the female image pumped out by the fashion world is unrealistic, 60 percent say they compare their bodies to those of models and 48 per-

cent would like to be as thin. Nearly a third undereat or starve themselves to be thinner, city hall says. “Our goal is to help girls believe that they are valued for so much more than their appearance, and that they don’t need to struggle to meet someone else’s idea of beauty,” says Levine. Twanna Cameron, mother of DeVoray, says her daughter thought it was important “to show other girls that they are beautiful just the way they are.” The campaign runs for four weeks on buses and in phone booths, and for eight weeks on the subway. It will be followed by a pilot program in half a dozen schools and at 75 afterschool clubs. Free fitness classes are also being offered to girls.

The Power of Leadership

Speaker Vijay Goradia

of a leader, a point that he exemplified using his childhood experiences. He also taught me that almost anything can be viewed with a creative lens and that we should strive to redefine conventional boundaries as leaders. Yet the best aspect of Mr. Goradia’s speech was that he not only guided us on how to succeed, but also showed us how to cope with failure. All leaders no matter how intelligent will eventually face some failure, but according to Mr. Goradia it is the ones that turn the failure into an opportunity that can distinguish themselves.

Open any newspaper, read a blog or watch the news on TV and it’s quickly apparent why transportation is one of the most critical issues of our time. Transportation impacts our economy, competitiveness, productivity, health, energy needs, environment and quality of life. Decisions made today will directly affect generations to come. Future City puts its student competitors in real world situations and asks them to be the problem solvers as they brainstorm ideas and design solutions. Future City has been proven to deliver on its educational promise. In 2011-12, Concord Evaluation Group conducted an independent evaluation of the Future City Program. The study found that participating students built 21st century skills, learned how their communities worked, gained a greater appreciation for engineering, discovered team building skills and became more informed citizens. It also found a statistically significant improvement in students’ ability to apply the engineering design process to real-world problems. During the Future City Competition, students work as a team to design a virtual city using SimCity™ software. They research a city wide issue and write an essay with their find-

ings and solutions. They build a tabletop scale model of their city using recycled materials costing no more than $100 and they write a brief narrative promoting their city. In January, they present their version of the future to a panel of judges at Regional Competitions. The 37 teams that win their Regional Competitions receive round-trip transportation and hotel accommodations so they can compete at the National Finals held in Washington, DC February 16 – 18, 2014. Fierce competition over four days results in one team taking home the grand prize of a trip to U.S. Space Camp and $7,500 for their school’s STEM program (provided by Bentley Systems, Inc). Greg Bentley, CEO of Bentley Systems, a sponsor of the National Engineers Week Future City Competition for the past 18 years, said, “At Bentley Systems, through our role in providing the software to support the world’s road, rail, and transit designers, constructors, and operators, we can help investment in transportation infrastructure to sustain our economies and environment. But all of this is dependent upon successfully sustaining the infrastructure professions through programs such as the Future City Competition. For those of us on the technology side, it is exciting to be able to apply advances in information mobility for improving the mobility of people and the flow of goods and services. I can think of no better way to inspire students to become an infrastructure professional then to enable them to experience this same excitement as they learn about careers in engineering that combine technology and teamwork to help improve the world.” “The need to address transportation efficiency becomes more critical as the world’s population continues to grow,” said Michael Alvarez, Manager of Shell’s Workforce Development. “At Shell, we continue to evaluate solutions that allow for greater efficiency in transportation. We are proud to sponsor the Future City competition as

the students take on these important issues of tomorrow.” Sixth, seventh and eighth graders are eligible to take part in the competition which is a team-based STEM event. South Texas/Houston Regional Competition registration is now open to teams from all public schools, private schools, home schools, and service clubs. Schools can register by going to www.futurecity.org and register under Houston region. Regional coordinator (Dr Zafar Taqvi) Z.Taqvi@IEEE.Org can be contacted for addition information on the regional event. For all information about Future City, to register, or to volunteer, and for all educational resources, visit www.futurecity. org. The deadline to register is October 31, 2013. Future City is also looking for engineering and technical professionals who may be interested in serving as mentors. Major funding for the National Finals comes from Bentley Systems, Incorporated and the Shell Oil Company. Additional program support comes from S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, CH2M HILL and Electronic Arts. About National Engineers Week Foundation National Engineers Week Foundation is the parent organization of the Future City Competition. The Foundation works year-round to sustain and grow a dynamic engineering profession critical to public health, safety and welfare. The Foundation supports engineering outreach, education, and celebration through a network of thousands of volunteers in its partner coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies. Together we meet a vital need: introducing students, parents, and educators to engineering, engaging them in hands-on engineering experiences, and making science and math relevant. The Foundation and coalition are actively putting the E in STEM. For more information, visit www.eweek.org.

YLDP Directors with guest Speaker Vijay Goradia

by Gunalan Karun James E. Taylor High School

“

Why should anyone want to be led by you?” It is a question that plagues all leaders, experienced and inexperienced and for good reason: without followers a leader has nobody to lead. Although there may not be an absolute answer to this question, as part of the Youth Leadership Development Program of Houston (YLDP) I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to explore the captivating world of a leader. On September 28, 2013 the YLDP class of 2014 comprised of around 43 members met for the first session of the year at the Houston India House. Naturally most of us were nervous, but our doubts, if any existed, were quickly dispelled with the arrival of keynote speaker Vijay Goradia, founder of Vinmar International, who related his incredible story of hardship, sacrifice, and success. Mr. Goradia’s presentation was especially fascinating due to his use of highly specific examples from his life to portray his points, making his speech wholly authentic and relatable. For example, Mr. Goradia explained that passion was an essential quality

YLDP Batch of 2013 From the experience, I’ve come to understand that the unpredictability present in the road to becoming a leader is in fact a gift because it inspires me to find my own creative path. Regardless of where my life journey takes me I know one thing for certain: I will constantly strive to push the boundaries of what is possible and make a change that is remembered in the world. For more on YLDP, visit www.yldphouston.org/

Now you can read Voice of Asia Newsweekly Online. Visit www.voiceofasiatvnews.com For all your Community Stories

Oracle Training Choose IT as your career. Become an Oracle Database Administrator.

Oracle DBA training, certification preparation and guidance.

* Classroom training is provided at our facility in Spring, TX on weekends.

Zee Asad

info@zettafacts.com

www.zettafacts.com

LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 18

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

A guide to air-passenger rights in the U.S. and Europe by Ed Perkins | Smarter Travel

tion also requires that airlines provide “Article 9” care: meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to waiting time, hotel accommodations in cases where a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary, and transport.

hen something goes wrong on a trip, the first question many flyers ask is, “What are my rights?” The short answer is fairly simple: The U.S. and the European Economic Community (EEC) have established some very specific rights for air travelers. In addition, contracts of carriage between passengers and carriers establish some promised rights, but those heavily one-sided contracts seldom call for any specific compensation or enforcement teeth in the event the carrier fails to meet its “promises.”

The EEC directive does not limit this bumping compensation just to instances of overbooking. It applies to any instance except those related to weather or other “extraordinary circumstances.” Europe air-passenger rights: delays and cancellations

Either way, it’s important for passengers to know their rights when faced with air-travel snafus, from delayed flights to overbooked planes. The following is a primer on basic air-passenger rights in the U.S. and Europe. Honest fares in Europe and the U.S. When booking a flight, the price you see is the price you pay—that’s the law. The EEC and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) require airlines to display the full cost of an air ticket, including all mandatory airline charges, governmental taxes and user fees, in online postings and other advertising. Travel providers, from online travel agencies (OTAs) to airline websites, must clearly display full prices or face penalties. U.S. air-passenger rights: bumping The DOT mandates certain air-travel rights, including passenger rights in cases of involuntary bumping, by requiring airlines to cover them in their contracts. (Check the DOT’s FAQ sheet for full particulars.) When an airline bumps you involuntarily due to overbooking, it may owe you compensation—unless the airline can get you to your destination within one hour of your scheduled arrival, in which case it owes you no compensation. If your airline can get you to your destination between one and two hours of your scheduled arrival on a domestic flight, or between one and four hours on an international trip, it owes you compensation of 200 percent of the one-way fare to your destination, up to $650. If the airline can’t make these time requirements, it owes you 400 percent of the fare, up to $1,300. If your airline elects to arrange alternate transportation on another airline, it must cover all of the expenses and extras that the new airline might assess. In any case, you get to keep your original ticket, which you can use for a subsequent trip or have refunded. DOT adjusts compensation values for inflation every two years. As a practical matter, only about 10 percent of overbooked travelers get involuntarily bumped. Instead, most accept airlines’ offers of confirmed seats on later flights, plus vouchers for up to several hundred dollars toward future tickets and cash for meals. These rules also apply to “zero fare” tickets, most notably frequent-flyer awards, with monetary amounts based on the prices of similar tickets. They apply to all domestic flights and international

(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) flights departing from the U.S. but not to inbound international flights. Travelers must have confirmed reservations on scheduled flights and meet the airline’s check-in and gate-arrival deadlines.

theirs, and still other airlines only offer a seat on their own next-available flight. Neither customer-service plans nor contracts of carriage call for specific compensation when an airline fails to meet its commitment.

Involuntary-denied-boarding rules do not apply to flights on planes with fewer than 30 passengers (this is not a serious flaw, as almost all regional airlines now use larger planes). And, most importantly, these rules do not apply when an airline bumps a traveler for any reason other than overbooking—for example, as a result of a switch to a smaller plane, for weightand-balance issues on planes that seat 30 to 60 passengers, or if a flight is delayed or canceled.

U.S. air-passenger rights: tarmac delays

ulation EC261 establishes passenger rights similar to—and generally exceeding—U.S. DOT requirements. The current rules apply when you board a flight on either a scheduled or charter airline at any airport within an EEC member state and also when you fly into an EEC airport on an airline based in the EEC, Norway or Switzer-

EC261 says that if your flight is canceled, you’re entitled to Article 7, Article 8 and Article 9 provisions. The Article 7 financial compensation does not apply, however, if an airline notifies you of a cancellation more than two weeks before departure, if the airline notifies you seven to 14 days in advance and reroutes you to arrive in your final destination within four hours of your originally scheduled time, or if you’re informed less than seven days in advance but the airline can reroute you to arrive at your destination within two hours of your original arrival time. Cancellation penalties do not apply when the cancellation is caused by “extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.” In the event of a delay of three hours or more, you are entitled to the standard Article 7 compensation. Also, if the delay exceeds five hours, you are entitled to an Article 8 refund. These

U.S. air-passenger rights: delays and cancellations If, for any reason, your flight is canceled, substantially delayed or rescheduled, you have the right to reroute at no extra cost or to receive a full refund, even on a nonrefundable ticket. Airline policies vary, however, about what constitutes a “substantial” delay or schedule change. Federal rules require that domestic airlines and foreign carriers flying into the U.S. file “Customer Service Plans,” which describe what the airline promises to do in the case of a long list of circumstances, including delays, cancellations, and diversion events, among others. (For the most part, these commitments are restatements, in plain language, of the more detailed legalese of each airline’s official contract of carriage.) Contracts and service plans generally call for meal vouchers when a delay extends over a normal meal time and for hotel accommodations in the event of an overnight delay. But implementation varies by airline. In the event of a delay, a few airlines say that they will transfer you to another airline if that carrier can get you to your destination earlier than your original flight. A few others say they “may” transfer you, but the decision is

(Photo: Alex Grimm/Getty Images) During a lengthy tarmac delay in the U.S. (upon either arrival or departure), the DOT mandates that an airline may not keep you on a plane for more than three hours (on a domestic flight) or four hours (on an international flight) without allowing you to get off if you wish, subject to security and safety considerations. Each airline is also obligated to provide food and water after two hours of delay, provide updates to passengers every 30 minutes, and assure that airplane lavatories are operable. When an airline violates the tarmac rules, you receive no compensation. Instead, the DOT fines the airline. Europe airpassenger rights: bumping and overbooking The EEC’s Reg-

land. As in the U.S., you must meet check-in deadlines and other airline requirements for the rules to apply. And compensation applies if you’re on a frequent-flyer ticket. If an airline is unable to get you to your final destination within three hours of your scheduled arrival, EEC requirements call for “Article 7” compensation: €250 for passengers on flights of 1,500 km or less in distance; €400 for passengers on flights of more than 1,500 km within the EEC or flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km outside the EEC; and €600 for passengers on all flights of 3,501 km or more outside the EEC. All flights from the EEC to North America are longer than 3,500 km (2,175 miles). On connecting flights, the distance is calculated to your final destination, not to some intermediate hub. Upon request, airlines must also offer “Article 8” assistance, either rerouting bumped passengers or offering them full refunds. If you’re bumped, the EEC regula-

provisions also apply to extended tarmac delays. Europe air-passenger rights: enforcement It’s easy to print a complaint form from the EEC passenger-rights website and send it to the airline. But studies have uncovered many cases in which airlines did not offer compensation or inform travelers of their rights to it, as well as some cases in which airlines stonewalled legitimate claims. Reports also indicate that some U.S. citizens have had difficulties receiving compensation from European airlines for delays and cancellations on inbound flights covered by the EEC regulations. The situation is apparently bad enough that several online start-ups are offering legal assistance to travelers attempting to collect from recalcitrant airlines. Among the startups are refund.me, Flight-Delayed, and EUclaim. Typically, these outfits assess either a flat fee or 25 percent of the compensation recovered.

Start a Rewarding Career With a Great Company 165 years of ﬁnancial stability and strength

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try. By becoming a sales agent at New York Life, you’ll help families achieve the financial security they need and desire. You may also make a significant contribution to your community – and when you see the difference that can make, it’s more fulfilling than you might imagine.

Ramesh Cherivirala, Ph.D, LUTCF, CLTC Partner New York Life Insurance Company

3200 Southwest Frwy, # 1900 Houston, TX 77027 13135 Dairy Ashford Rd, Ste 550 Sugar Land, TX 77478

(281) 295-2726 rcherivirala@ft.newyorklife.com

www.newyorklife-india.com

EOE M/F/D/V

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTH

VOICE OF ASIA 21

Friday, October 11, 2013

Section 2

Medicare Open Enrollment October 15 Thru December 7

Only Comes Once A Year. Are You Ready? by:Sudhir Mathuria

s the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, you can expect to hear more about Medicare. That’s because October 15 – December 7 is Medicare Open Enrollment, and it’s your chance to review your health care coverage and see if you need to make any changes, or if you’re happy sticking with the plan you have. This year, you may hear a lot about the Health Insurance Marketplace. The Marketplace Open Enrollment period (October 1, 2013–March 31, 2014) overlaps with the Medicare Open Enrollment period (October 15–December 7, 2013). The Marketplace is designed to help people who don’t have any health coverage. If you have health coverage through Medicare, the Marketplace won’t have any effect on your Medicare coverage.

about protecting your personal information and your identity — plans aren’t allowed to call or come to your home without an invitation from you. And, it’s against the law for someone who knows that you have Medicare to sell you a Marketplace plan. In your computer-Comparing your plan choices is a good idea. Medicare Plan Finder is ready with all of the 2014 cost information to make it as easy as possible. Enter the drugs you take to find out how you can lower your costs. Take a moment as you enjoy these crisp mornings to tune into the Medicare information that’s out there. You may find a local event — and yes we can help you choose the right plan for you that serves your needs. Now’s the time to enjoy the choice and control you have

For example-Look through your mail carefully — you may get important notices from your current plan, Medicare, or Social Security about changes to your coverage or any extra help you may get paying for prescription drugs. Also look for your Medicare & You handbook. Like an old friend, it shows up around the same time every year. If you decided to “go paperless,” you’ll get an email pointing you to medicare.gov where you can get all the same information. You’ll also start to see brochures from companies that offer Medicare health and drug plans. Just remember, be smart

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

20 High calorie Indian dishes to avoid by Renita Tisha Pinto, Health Me Up Oct 3, 2013, Some Indian dishes contain healthy ingredients like vegetables, whole grains and other routine ingredients such as pulses, lentils and legumes. However, depending on the regional cooking style or how the dish is cooked, it may be high in calories. In fact, often times, some dishes are extremely high in calories because of additions like cream, ghee, butter and sugar. If you are looking to adopt a hearthealthy diet or just trying to watch your waistline, there are certain high calorie Indian foods that are best avoided. Let’s have a look. Chicken korma curry It’s a mild creamy-style chicken dish, popularly served in most of households.Main ingredients include chicken, ginger- garlic paste, Butter or ghee. Calorie intake - Appoximately 800-870kcal. Samosas Fried pastry with a savory filling such as spiced potatoes, onions, or peas. They are a popular snack especially in the evenings.. Main ingredients include potato-stuffing, chicken (rare), vegetable, oil and salt. Calorie intake - Approximately 260kcal for 2pcs (vegetarian samosas) and 320kcal for 2pcs (non-vegetarian samosas).

Look around – you’ll find a wealth of information about your Medicare benefits, especially in these everyday places:

Sudhir Mathuria

over your health care coverage. Call us to-day. Contact:: Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6650 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning. com

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

Tandoori chicken Tandoori chicken is a popular Indian dish consisting of roasted chicken prepared with yogurt and spices. Calorie intake - Approximately 264-300kcal for one entire leg of chicken. Chicken madras It’s a spicy curry that can be made with chicken, pork, beef and even mince beef or lamb as a Keema Madras. Calorie intake - Approximate-

ly 450-500kcal per 100-200gms

scenes, reports said Tuesday. PVR Pictures, Indian distributor of the critically acclaimed film, said the director considered the required additions -- written warnings that appear on-screen during smoking

scenes -- unacceptable, according to Dow Jones Newswires. India’s rules on showing warnings against smoking in films are part of a government drive to curb tobacco use. Some 1.5 million people

But Fouchier said Saudi leaders were not pleased by the new name either, so he and other investigators convened, discussed and agreed unanimously on a new name: MERS-CoV.

experts and parliamentarians said the name cast the city as a dirty place.

Influenza: Time For Your Flu Shot months of age and older. Even though the effectiveness of the vaccine varies in different age groups, it can lessen severity of illness, decrease complications, reduce hospitalizations and lower fatality rate.

Pilau rice A dish consisting of rice flavoured with spices and cooked in stock, to which meat, poultry, vegetables or fish may be added. Calorie intake - Approximately 449kcal per serving. Onion bhaji This is a spicy Indian snack that consists of a core, similar to potato fritters, with several variants. It is usually used as a topping on various Indian meals but has become popular to eat alone as a snack Calorie intake - 190 kcal per 2-3 pcs (depending on size). Chicken tikka masala Chicken tikka masala is a dish of roasted chicken chunks in a spicy sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, spiced and orangecoloured. Interestingly, this isn’t a traditional Indian dish. It got its name from the resemblance in spices to chicken tikkas, a popular starter in mughlai cuisine. However, it has become very popular in India and abroad. Calorie intake - Approximately 438- 557 kcal per small bowl (depending on amount of butter used) Chicken curry Chicken curry is a common delicacy in India. The main ingredients in this dish are chicken and curry. The curry powder along with an array of other spices including masala powder, saffron, ginger and so on, are mixed to form a sauce to blend in with the chicken. Calorie intake - Approximately 583 kcal per serving. Lamb rogan josh Rogan josh is an aromatic lamb dish, which is one of the signature recipes of Kashmiri cuisine. Rogan josh is cooked in oil at intense heat. (Times of India)

Woody Allen pulls “Blue Jasmine” from India over anti- smoking ads

NEW DELHI, - Woody Allen has pulled his latest movie “Blue Jasmine” from in India because he objects to mandatory anti-tobacco warnings being displayed during smoking

Tel: 713-774-5140

could die each year from tobacco use in India by 2020, a report by the International Tobacco Control Project forecast recently. The country’s anti-smoking rules have been challenged on

Dr Sudha Chittaluru

t is that time of the year when flu season begins. As a primary care physician, I encourage my patients to receive flu vaccination to prevent flu. Influenza is commonly known as the “flu”. It is caused by the influenza virus. Most common symptoms are fever, muscle aches, head ache, sore throat, cough, exhaustion and occasionally runny nose. Complications of influenza are greater in persons 65 years of age and older, young children, pregnant women in the second and third trimester and persons of any age with underlying medical conditions.

People who have a severe reaction to eggs should not take the flu vaccine. People with any active infection should wait until they have recovered to receive the vaccine. People with a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome or any other specific conditions should discuss with their physician if they are candidates to receive flu vaccine. Pregnant women should discuss with their obstetrician before receiving the vaccine. Other important methods of preventing flu are by good handwashing, avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth, covering the cough or sneeze properly and avoiding people with respiratory symptoms.

The best way to prevent flu is by taking the flu vaccine. It takes about two weeks to develop immunity after receiving the vaccine. A common myth among people is that the flu vaccine causes “flu”. The injectable vaccine has inactivated (killed) virus and cannot cause the flu. CDC recommends flu vaccination to anyone that is 6

As a primary care physician, Dr. Chittaluru emphasizes on a healthy life-style, lifestyle modifications and preventive care. She encourages annual physicals to detect conditions like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol etc. to get them treated timely. Physicals also include screening tests at appropriate ages for cancers of the prostate, colon, breast and cervix. She is accepting new patients, for appointments, call First Colony Primary Care at (281) 494-3460 or visit firstcolonyprimarycare.com or facebook.com/Dr.Chittaluru.

free-speech grounds, but its Supreme Court has upheld the compulsory warnings. The film, starring Cate Blanchette as a rich widow who falls on hard times after her husband is arrested for fraud, was slated for release in India last weekend. Critics have declared Blanchette’s performance could win her an Oscar, and say that “Blue Jasmine” is Allen’s best movie accomplishment in recent years. The warnings shown during smoking scenes in India are on top of graphic anti-tobacco warnings typically shown before movies start and during intermissions. The Woody Allen movie has

two smoking scenes that would require on-screen warnings in India about the dangers of tobacco use. PVR Pictures said: “He (Allen) feels like when the scroll comes, attention goes to it rather than the scene,” according to an Indian media report. India has also banned smoking in public places to fight tobacco use but the ban is widely ignored. Leading Indian filmmaker and producer Shoojit Sircar praised Allen’s action. Sircar said he was “glad Woody Allen took a stand. Those (anti-smoking) visuals are disturbing for viewers,” according to Indian television network CNN-IBN.

When diseases have a bad name, change is hard by Kerry SHERIDAN

ASHINGTON, (AFP) - Some diseases just have a bad name. But even when their commonly known labels glorify Nazi doctors or slander certain ethnic groups, old habits are hard to change, experts say. Medical conditions, viruses and even personality quirks have long been named after places, famous athletes, pioneering doctors and literary giants. The H1N1 influenza that sparked a worldwide pandemic in 2009 was initially called Mexican swine flu, while Pickwickian syndrome is another name for obesity hypoventilation syndrome, based on a fat character in a Charles Dickens novel. The most recent affliction to make headlines is Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, or MERS-CoV, which has killed 58 of the 130 people infected since 2012. The illness has been found in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Its name initially referred to Saudi Arabia, because an Egyptian scientist first identified it in a Saudi patient. But, according to Ron Fouchier, a leading scientist at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands where the analysis was done, Saudi officials “were not pleased.” “We then renamed the virus isolate HCoV-EMC for human coronavirus Erasmus MC, to take away any sensitivities,” he told AFP.

The World Health Organization approved the name in May, but added: “WHO generally prefers that virus names do not refer to the region or place of the initial detection.”

The enzyme was named New Delhi metallo-lactamase-1, or NDM-1, and its related gene blaNDM-1, after it was found in an Indian man who had settled in Sweden but became ill on a visit to India in 2007.

NO CENTRAL AUTHORITY

The superbug has since been found around the world, noted Ajai Singh, a doctor in Mumbai who has likened the label to “name calling.”

With no central regulatory body for names, diseases and conditions can end up with multiple or contentious labels.

He proposed creating an international commission for creating medical monikers -but it has not happened.

“Where there’s disagreement, it can get messy,” said Stephanie Morrison, an expert with the Genetics Home Reference at the US National Library of Medicine.

And “the name NDM-1 continues to be widely used. Habits die hard, even with scientists,” he told AFP in an email.

Some inappropriate names have quickly disappeared. HIV/AIDS was once referred to as 4-H disease, referring to Haitians, homosexuals, hemophiliacs and heroin. Another name that was introduced in 1982 but soon vanished was GRID, for Gay-related immunodeficiency. No longer are diseases regularly named after their discoverers, but many persist, like Alzheimer’s disease (after a German psychiatrist) and Tourette’s syndrome (after a French neurologist). Naming conditions after geographic places has created memorable descriptors -- but which tend to offend. The naming of a new drugresistant superbug in 2009 after New Delhi sparked outcry in India, where medical

NAZI NAMES LINGER Even when the scientific community agrees that a name should change, as in the case of a rare neurological defect named Hallervorden-Spatz disease after the Nazi doctors who first described it, the process can take decades. “I don’t want the disease to have anything to do with them,” said Patty Wood, whose daughter Kimbi, now 27, was diagnosed at age three when she gradually lost the ability to walk and talk. When Wood learned that Julius Hallervorden and his boss Hugo Spatz did their research on the brains of exterminated children, she changed the name of the advocacy group she founded to the Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA) Disorders Association and urged doctors to change their habits as well.

That was 10 years ago. Yet “there are still some doctors outside of the United States that give a diagnosis of Hallervorden-Spatz,” said Wood, mentioning families in South America and India. A study out last year said use of the term HallervordenSpatz has declined by about half since the 1990s, which researcher Michael Shevell of McGill University described as “an unconscious collective de-

cision by the neurologic community to ‘do the right thing.’” SHAKESPEARE ONE?

ANY-

Other names spring from less controversial sources. For instance, Irish doctors recently suggested naming the deathbed habit of grasping at bedclothes as “Henry V sign.” The description is seen in Shakespeare’s Henry V, in which Mistress Quickly describes the nearing death of

Falstaff, saying she saw him “fumble with the sheets and play with flowers and smile upon his fingers’ ends.’” Fergus Shanahan, chair of the department of medicine at University College Cork, said the name worked “because most people know Shakespeare to some degree.” “It is a kind of shorthand description for something that is quite complex but also very common.”

First Colony Primary Care 1111 Highway 6 South, Suite 130 (Imperial Medical Ctr) Sugar Land, Texas 77478

Internal Medicine - Board Certiﬁed

Primary Care Physician (PCP) for ages 17 and above! • Annual Physicals • Well-woman exams • Hypertension and High Cholesterol • Diabetes and Thyroid Management • Arthritis and Osteoporosis • Seasonal Allergies, common cold and ﬂu • Obesity and other adult illnesses

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

For appointment, please call (281) 494-3460

Sudha Chittaluru, M.D Internal Medicine - Board Certiﬁed

Dr. Chittaluru speaks English, Hindi and Telugu We accept most Insurances including HMOs, PPOs – We welcome Medicare and self-pay patients!

Open: Mon - Thurs: 8:30 A.M to 5:30 P.M Fri & Sat: 8:30 A.M to 12:30 P.M Visit us at ﬁrstcolonyprimarycare.com or www.facebook.com/Dr.Chittaluru

VOICE OF ASIA 22

HEALTH, SC & TECH

Big tobacco pushes into e-cigs by Paul HANDLEY WASHINGTON, October 2, 2013 (AFP) - The former Playboy centerfold strikes a sultry pose in a bar, the sleek black cigarette in her hand and a handsome dude at her side. “I love being single. But here’s what I don’t love: a kiss that tastes like an ashtray. Blecch,” she says. “Now that I’ve switched to blu, I feel better about myself. And I feel free to have one almost anywhere.” Sex and freedom: the slick advertisement for Lorillard’s blu eCigs, starring TV personality Jenny McCarthy, shows how Big Tobacco is pushing into electronic cigarettes. They are seeking to take command of a market they fear could one day supplant traditional tobacco. In just the past few months British American Tobacco, Lorillard, Reynolds American, Altria and others have launched e-cigarettes, with a message that they can be smoked or “vaped” anywhere that regular cigarettes are banned or disdained. “We see huge potential for this market, both domestically and globally,” said Richard Smith, spokesman for Reynolds American, parent of tobacco powerhouse RJ Reynolds and producer of the VUSE e-cigarette, which it recently introduced in Colorado to test the market. “Adult tobacco consumers are making it known that they want convenient tobacco products they can use in a variety of settings, giving them the freedom to enjoy tobacco on their own terms,” he said. Lorillard’s blu -- a brand it bought for $135 million (100 million euros) in April -- has stolen a march in the US market on competitors. Altria, parent of Philip Mor-

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

2 Americans, German win Medicine Nobel Prize for cell transport system

ris, has test-launched its MarkTen in Indiana, and BAT kicked off the Vype across Britain in July. Meanwhile NJOY, an independent with Silicon Valley and Hollywood startup capital, has also carved out significant market space. Bonnie Herzog, an industry specialist at Wells Fargo Securities, forecasts $2 billion in e-cigarette sales in the United States by the end of this year -two percent of the tobacco market -- and $10 billion by 2017. “Consumption of e-cigs could surpass consumption of traditional cigs within the next decade,” she said. Companies say the recognition level of e-cigarettes is already widespread in the United States and Europe. Some 37 percent of smokers in Europe have sampled them. But the takeup rate is still low, and the big tobacco firms say their challenge is to figure out why. “The experience is quite different than a cigarette,” said Des Naughton, managing director of Nicoventures, the BAT subsidiary behind Vype. “The product and how it performs is quite different from a cigarette. Obviously there are people who try it and find it’s not for them.” The products available are diverse: disposable and rechargeable, some designed to look like old-fashioned cigarettes and some striving to be different. Some stick to traditional tobacco flavors while others, like blu, explore tastes like those in an ice cream parlor: “Cherry Crush”, “Java Jolt” or “Pina Colada.” “The opportunity remains for companies like ourselves... to understand the potential, the technology involved, and improve what’s on offer,” said

TOCKHOLM: The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to Americans James E Rothman, Randy W Schekman and German-born Thomas C Südhof for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells. The 2013 Nobel Prize honours the three scientists who have solved the mystery of how the cell organises its transport system. Each cell is a factory that produces and exports molecules. For instance, insulin is

manufactured and released into the blood and chemical signals called neurotransmitters are sent from one nerve cell to another. These molecules are transported around the cell in small packages called vesicles. The three Nobel Laureates have discovered the molecular principles that govern how this cargo is delivered to the right place at the right time in the cell. Randy Schekman discovered a set of genes that were required for vesicle traffic. James Rothman unravelled protein machinery that allows vesicles to fuse with their targets to permit transfer of cargo.

Thomas Südhof revealed how signals instruct vesicles to release their cargo with precision. Through their discoveries, Rothman, Schekman and Südhof have revealed the exquisitely precise control system for the transport and delivery of cellular cargo. Disturbances in this system have deleterious effects and contribute to conditions such as neurological diseases, diabetes, and immunological disorders. The 2013 Nobel Laureates: James E Rothman was born 1950 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA. He received his PhD from Harvard Medical School

Naughton.

fancy.

‘You can smoke at a basketball game’

NJOY, in a pioneering television ad during the hugely watched Super Bowl championship in February, emphasized

“the look, feel and flavor of the real thing.”

Marketing too is still in in-

Naughton says the focus for BAT is still in enlightening consumers, persuading them to

in 1976, was a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and moved in 1978 to Stanford University in California, where he started his research on the vesicles of the cell. Rothman has also worked at Princeton University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute and Columbia University. In 2008, he joined the faculty of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, where he is currently Professor and Chairman in the Department of Cell Biology. Randy W Schekman was born 1948 in St Paul, Minnesota, USA, studied at the University of California in Los Angeles and at Stanford University, where he obtained his PhD in 1974 under the supervision of Arthur Kornberg (Nobel Prize 1959) and in the same department that Rothman joined a few years later. In 1976, Schekman joined the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley, where he is currently Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell biology. Schekman is also an investigator of Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Thomas C Südhof was born in 1955 in Göttingen, Germany. He studied at the Georg-August-Universität in Göttingen, where he received an MD in 1982 and a Doctorate in neurochemistry the same year. In 1983, he moved to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, USA, as a postdoctoral fellow with Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein (who shared the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). Südhof became an investigator of Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1991 and was appointed Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University in 2008. “give it a go.” Blu however has gone the lifestyle route, long a sure winner for cigarettes, emphasizing

BUSINESS

VOICE OF ASIA 23

Friday, October 11, 2013

Section 2

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Tel: 713-774-5140

Indo American Chamber of Commerce Finds New Ways To Showcase Its Business Members future relations with the origination. We hope to be part of this prestigious event in the forthcoming years”.

OUSTONThe Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston prides itself in opening doors and providing access to its members not only at IACCGH events but also at events hosted by its resource partners. On Tuesday, September 24, 2013 5 Chamber members had the opportunity to exhibit at the monthly “Greater Houston Business Procurement Forum” at the Houston Community College Southwest @ W. Loop South. The Chamber emailed its members offering them the opportunity to exhibit at the

Rajiv B Bhavsar, SVP/ Commercial Lending Officer, Wallis State Bank We thank IACCGH for the opportunity for TechOne Centre to participate as an exhibitor at the Sept. 2013 Houston Business Procurement Forum.

“

The event was rewarding to TechOne Centre. The “elevator pitch” by each of us for the entire audience generated interest and traffic to our tables. We made several contacts that are already leading IACCGH members participate at the TechOne Centre

very much for this opportunity! Without the initiative and hard work of IACCGH, we would not have participated in this event and gained from the exposure”. CV Rao, President www. TechOneCentre.com

“

Thank you very much for providing us an opportunity to participate in “Greater Houston Procurement Forum” through IACCGH support and sponsorship. w sincerely appreciate it. It was indeed great experience. We met a lot of potential new clients and have started talking with them about future business opportunity. I will keep you updated about our success but our attendance at event was worth the time and efforts”. Rupesh Sanghavi , CEO, ErgodE Inc www.GoOutSource.com

“

As usual the Chamber works hard to help its members by using its connections and contacts to open new doors to business opportunities and I was able to meet many potential clients at the business procurement breakfast”. Bijay Dixit, CEO, Unique Photo Images, uniquephotoimages.com,

“

Rajiv B Bhavsar, SVP ,Wallis State Bank with collegue Khan at their table (left) next to Go Out Source.

Bijay Dixit, CEO, Unique Photo Images with his exhibit. “Proud members of the IACCGH”

breakfast and five chamber members displaying banners that stated they were “Proud members of the IACCGH” benefited from the opportu-

tential clients and connected with other vendors for future partnering. We also met SBA representatives at the event which will hopefully lead to

nity as is evident from their testimonials. Wallis State Bank was honored to be part of the Greater Houston Business

“

Shahid Usmani, Sales Manager • 713-270-3900

Procurement Forum on September 24, 2013. Our bank was being well represented and the experience was priceless. We met many po-

to opportunities. We also had the opportunity to meet other exhibitors with whom we are building relationships and possible business. Thank you

STERLING MCCALL TOYOTA www.sterlingmccalltoyota.com

As a new member of IACCGH we found the opportunity to showcase our products and services at the breakfast a great opportunity to expand our business. We thank IACCGH for doing this for its members”. Nupur Kapadia, PNM Printing & Sign, Inc. www. pnmprinting.com

Shad Osmani, New & Pre-owned Sales & Leasing • 713-444-6544

9400 Southwest Freeway, Houston, Texas 77074 Sarwar Khan, Fleet & Internet Manager • 713-253-3401

Thousands of vehicles to choose from. Friendly Sales people.

Binesh “Bobby” Patel, New & Pre-owned Sales & Leasing • 713-927-5514

We speak your language!

George Kolacherril, Certi�ied Sales Consultant • 832-202-4332

M. Fatih, Finance Manager • 713-270-3774

Blazing RED HOT Deals! Talha Zubair, New Car Sales • 832-277-1095

Bashir Sattar, Credit Union Fleet Sales & Leasing • 832-368-6798 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA CM380505 $ 250 @ MONTH

Salim Adil, Internet Sales Manager • 832-758-9011

for most New Cars

2009 Toyota Prius # 97880023 $ 9,999

2011 FORD MUSTANG BS110888 $ 250 @ MONTH

2006 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE # 6C110146 $ 9,999

2009 SMART FORTWO # 9K245536 $ 9,999

Mohammed Mirza, New & Pre-owned Sales & Leasing • 832-715-5224

2011 Toyota Camry BU157822 $ 220 @ MONTH

$500

Oﬀ!

For Voice of Asia Readers. Please bring this Coupon with you! One per vehicle!

Omar Sattar, Used Car Sales • 281-912-8575

New & Pre-Owned Cars!

We have Certi�ied Used Cars!

BUSINESS

VOICE OF ASIA 24

Yellen Fed pick a new milestone for women in power jobs

ASHINGTON, October 9, 2013 (AFP) - Janet Yellen, nominated by President Barack Obama to run the Federal Reserve, will be the first woman to hold what Obama has called one of the world’s top policy-making jobs.

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

US giant Walmart and India’s Bharti end joint venture

The move reduces by one the number of top power positions in the US government that women have not held -- a list that includes president, vice president and head of the Supreme Court. But while the nomination marks a first for the US central bank, the United States is hardly a trailblazer.

Customers shop at a Walmart store in Chicago on August 15, 2013 (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File, Scott Olson)

CentralBankNews.info counts 14 women among the 180-odd central bank chiefs worldwide. Argentina and Russia have named women to run their central banks, as have Cameroon and Botswana in Africa, and Argentina, Honduras and El Salvador in Latin America. In the United States, women have been at the top level of central bank policy-making only since 1978, when Nancy Teeters joined the very masculine world of the Fed’s board of governors and the Federal Open Market Committee. Since then, around a dozen women have joined the Fed, either as governors or as chairs of one of its 12 regional reserve banks. Yellen has done both. She was a governor from 1994 to 1997, and president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2004 to 2010. Since

By Salil Panchal (AFP) – 2 hours ago Janet Yellen is slated to be the first woman to serve as chair of the Federal Reserve. AFP Photo then, she has been Fed vice chairman. But the US central bank remains mainly a province of men. One female member of the board of governors, Elizabeth Duke, resigned at the end of August. Another, Sarah Raskin, will soon depart for a job at the US Treasury. That will leave Yellen, Esther George, president of the Fed’s Kansas City branch, and Sandra Pianalto at the Cleveland branch. The process of choosing a replacement for Ben Bernanke as the foremost monetary policy maker in the US, and indeed the world, was steeped in gender politics.

Yellen was pitched against the man believed to be the White House favorite -- former Treasury secretary Larry Summers, who, like Yellen, is a brilliant economist but often a magnet for ire from women.

woman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the US bank regulator, said there was “a horrible whispering campaign in Washington” against Yellen that is “tinged with sexist arguments.”

“Janet Yellen is clearly is the best person for the job -- male or female,” the National Organization for Women said on its website when it called on Obama to back her.

As if he were aware that he was walking on eggshells, Obama goofed early on when talking about the two candidates, referring to both as “mister” before embarrassingly correcting himself to say “Mrs.” Yellen.

“But in addition, she would be the first woman Fed Chair and provide better gender balance to the circle of the president’s top advisers -- something that is sorely missing in his second administration.” Sheila Bair, a former chair-

When Summers -- who faced strong opposition from Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, which must approve the nomination -- finally pulled out, the path became clear for Yellen.

umbai — Walmart and Indian firm Bharti announced Wednesday they were ending their retail partnership, with the US giant saying India’s foreign investment rules were partly to blame for the split. The companies said they would “independently own and operate separate business formats”, ending an alliance aimed at building Walmart’s presence in India’s potentially lucrative retail sector. The world’s biggest retailer has operated since 2007 in India as a wholesaler via its partnership with Bharti, but it was restricted from selling directly to consumers. Walmart said it wanted to operate supermarkets in India after New Delhi moved last year to open up the retail sector to

overseas companies and spur economic growth, which has slackened to a decade-low. “This could further caution international firms looking to enter India,” said Saloni Nangia, president of consultancy firm Technopak, of Walmart’s announcement. “From a destination perspective, foreign firms want to be in India. But from a policy and doing-business perspective, it is different. The government needs to do more to facilitate this,” she said. Opposition lawmakers in the past have expressed concern over Walmart’s entry, saying it would hurt local “mom and pop” stores. With the Bharti venture ending, Walmart is not expected to rush into making fresh India investments, said Sonam Udasi, head of research with IDBI

US launches new $100 banknote

ASHINGTON, October 7, 2013 (AFP) - The United States launches on Tuesday a new $100 bill that comes with, for the iconic greenback, a new touch of color, as well as special features to foil counterfeiters. In its first remake since 1969, the $100 banknote, which takes a key role in cash transactions worldwide, sports the traditional portrait of statesman Benjamin Franklin, a leader of the American Revolution, on the front and a picture of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on the back. But it adds a yellowish “100” in one corner and, next to Franklin, a tan quill and bronze-colored inkwell that holds inside it the Philadelphia Liberty Bell in changing colors from darker brown to green, depending on

education at the Federal Reserve, told AFP. “It’s our most global bank note. Between a half and twothirds of them are circulating outside of the United States, and it’s also the most counterfeited of US denominations outside of the United States,” she said. “We want to stay ahead of counterfeiting threats, we want to protect the public.”

A view of a the new 2009 series $100 bill is displayed October 4, 2013 in Washington (AFP, Brendan Smialowski) the angle the note is held.

move as the note is shifted.

Cutting vertically through the middle of the banknote is a blue security ribbon that shows “100” and smaller Liberty Bells in darker blue, which appear to

The new design comes primarily to fight the increasing sophistication of counterfeiters, Sonja Danburg, program manager in charge of currency

The new note hits the streets in the United States on Tuesday, and it will take some days before banks ship them to branches and counterparts around the world. With some $900 billion of them still out on the market, and mostly abroad, Danburg stressed, the old $100 note will continue to be honored, with no time limit.

Apple planning iPad news: report

pple is planning to reveal iPad updates at an invitation-only event later this month, the technology news website AllThingsD reported Tuesday. The next-generation iPad is expected to be thinner than its predecessor and boast improved camera capabilities.

An upgraded version of the iPad mini is likely to list an improved screen among its features. The event will be held on October 22, according to AllThingsD. Apple declined to comment on the report, which cited unnamed sources.

The iPad remains the largest-selling tablet, according to surveys, but its market share is being eroded by rivals using the Google Android operating system. Apple was expected to discuss its computer operating system and its laptop line at the event, timed for the start of

the year-end holiday shopping season. Apple is coming off a wildly successful launch of two new iPhone models last month. The California firm said it sold a record nine million iPhones in the three days after launching two new versions of the smartphone.

Dollar firms as Obama taps Yellen for Fed

EW YORK CITY, October 9, 2013 (AFP) - The dollar Wednesday advanced against major currencies after President Obama tapped Janet Yellen to lead the US Federal Reserve, signaling a continuation of the Fed’s easy-money policy. Around 2200 GMT, the euro traded at $1.3523, down from $1.3572 on Tuesday. The greenback bought 97.37 Japanese yen, up from 96.86. The euro also rose against the yen, trading at 131.74 from 131.47. Analysts said Yellen’s nomination restored a note of normalcy to Washington, where a

A view of the Bharti Walmart Best Price wholesale store in Manawala, outside Amritsar, pictured on September 19, 2012 (AFP/File, Narinder Nanu). foreign companies as part of steps to boost a sharply slowing economy. But the group has been frustrated by the government’s new conditions for foreign direct investment (FDI), an internal bribery probe and the faltering relationship with Bharti, owner of India’s top mobile phone firm. Walmart told AFP in an email the decision to split with Bharti was based on “external and internal factors, including the new FDI policy”. “Under the requirements contained in the new FDI policy Walmart could not invest in multi-brand retail through the existing Bharti Retail business,” a Walmart India spokesperson said in the email, without elaborating. Walmart must now find another local partner to own 49 percent of the business if it plans to push ahead with operating supermarkets under the government’s rules. A year ago, New Delhi allowed foreign supermarkets to establish 51 percent joint ventures in the country as part of a drive to seek outside investment, but so far none have applied. Analysts said the split showed the government must do more to improve FDI rules to attract government shutdown dragged into a ninth day with no sign of political compromise on a budget for the 2014 fiscal year that began October 1. “While the selection of Yellen, a known policy dove, would generally be seen as negative for the dollar, an active Federal Reserve could be seen as positive for an economy that could become increasingly vulnerable to fiscal headwinds from a chaotic backdrop in Washington,” said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Forex Exchange. Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business Solutions, said that Yellen’s nomination “offered

capital. “Walmart will study the onthe-ground situation, particularly future government policies in retail,” he told AFP. Walmart said in July it was unable to meet the government’s requirements -- stipulating that 30 percent of its products must come from local small-scale industries -- for it to open retail stores. A senior Indian commerce ministry official late Wednesday said the government had “no plans to relax the 30 percent local sourcing norms”. India’s FDI policy “cannot be company specific,” the official, Saurabh Chandra, told the Press Trust of India. Under the breakup terms, Walmart will acquire Bharti’s stake in the wholesale business, giving it 100 percent ownership. Nangia said Walmart is likely to stay focused on its cash-andcarry business, which would help to build up its supply chain to support any future retail venture. Scott Price, president and chief executive of Walmart Asia, said the company would “continue to advocate for investment conditions that allow FDI multi-brand retail in India”. a momentary distraction to the only game in town these days, America’s ongoing political crisis in Washington.” Obama on Wednesday invited Republican and Democratic lawmakers to the White House to try to work through budget disagreements that have resulted in the partial government shutdown and threatens to cause a debt default if the two sides fail to raise the borrowing limit by an October 17 deadline. Among other currencies, the British pound fell to $1.5954 from $1.6084 Tuesday. The dollar rose to 0.9100 Swiss franc from 0.9037.

FEATURE

VOICE OF ASIA 25

Small university shop at centre of India publishing row

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

Your Horoscope (For week beginning Friday, October 11, 2013)

Hardik Vyas, Astrologer Cell : 832-298-9950

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

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April A rude awakening to situations around you. Your partners may paint a rosy picture but if matters don’t work out the way you expect, you could be very upset. Take a look at the truth of any situation, no matter what anyone else might say. Try not to go overboard with promotional efforts or the additional expenses. Be sure you don’t let ﬂattery lead you down the wrong road. You may be counting on unreliable sources of income now. If you trust that checks will arrive on time, hedge your bets and make sure they were mailed as promised.

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

Students pick up photocopied material from the Rameshwari Photocopy Service at Delhi University in New Delhi on September 18, 2013 (AFP/File, Sajjad Hussain)

by Ammu Kannampilly ew Delhi — A cramped, one-room shop tucked away in Delhi University seems an unlikely battleground for a publishing war that, academics warn, threatens quality of and access to education in the world’s second most populous nation. The busy shop, where photocopiers churn out papers for a steady stream of students for a small fee, is at the centre of a court battle brought by three venerable academic presses over the interpretation of India’s copyright law. The lawsuit, filed by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press and Taylor & Francis against Delhi University and the shop threatens production of “course packs” -- de facto “textbooks” made of photocopied portions of various books. Course packs are common throughout much of the developing world -- where most university students cannot afford to purchase new or even second-hand textbooks -- and are seen as key to the spread of education there. Distinguished Indian academics have lined up to express dismay over the suit, including Nobel Prize winner and Harvard University professor Amartya Sen, warning that these packs could become expensive, or unavailable altogether, hitting students hard. “As an OUP (Oxford University Press) author I would like to urge my publisher to not draw on the full force of the law to make these course packs impossible to generate and use,” Sen wrote in an open letter last September, a month after the case was filed in the Supreme Court. “Educational publishers have to balance various interests, and the cause (access to) of education must surely be a very important one,” he wrote. Experts fear that the case could set a precedent that forces the closure of such shops in India. Universities that still want to provide packs to their students could instead be forced into potentially expensive licencing arrangements with publishers to

reproduce the texts. Amita Baviskar, associate professor at the Institute of Economic Growth at Delhi University, who has campaigned against the suit, calls it “a case of big-name publishers bullying academics, students and a small shop to make more profit”. “If the court rules in favour of the publishers, access to educational material will become more expensive and the quality of students’ learning will suffer. Students will struggle without course packs,” Baviskar told AFP. Indian copyright law already allows students and academics to photocopy textbook excerpts freely for educational use, under a “fair dealing” provision, according to Baviskar. Publishers, however, argue that this provision, while allowing an individual to copy small numbers of pages for academic use, doesn’t extend to a profit-making photocopying shop generating entire course packs. According to Sudhir Malhotra, president of the Federation of Indian Publishers, “a photocopying shop which copies excerpts from various books and then sells the resulting course pack for a profit...this is not fair use, this is commercial exploitation of private property”. “It’s not as if photocopiers are doing it for free. So why blame publishers for wanting their share?” Malhotra told AFP. The practice of copying textbook excerpts is “typical of emerging economies”, according to copyright experts like Jeremy de Beer, associate professor of law at the University of Ottawa in Canada. His published work on the issue includes a 2010 book on copyright law and access to education in eight developing nations, including South Africa, Senegal, Egypt and Kenya. “What I found was that most universities lack the resources to buy brand-new copies of academic books, so photocopying is integral to the education there,” de Beer told AFP in a phone interview. Most libraries de Beer visited housed only one copy of

each textbook on the syllabus, making it necessary to photocopy whole books, he said. -- Licencing deals long resisted -Publishers do not expect a massive boom in textbook sales even if the lawsuit succeeds, he said. Instead Indian universities are expected to be pushed into new copying arrangements with publishers. “As far as this case in India is concerned, publishers have an ulterior motive. They want to create a system whereby the university obtains a copying licence from the publisher in exchange for a flat fee per student,” he said. So far, universities have been reluctant to sign licence deals, saying they can rely -- through their small photocopy shops -- on “fair use” legal provisions to photocopy material. The Supreme Court of Canada in 2004 ruled on a similar case filed by three legal publishers against the Law Society of Upper Canada. Its verdict supported the Law Society’s right to photocopy library materials. The crucial issue, according to de Beer, is whether an Indian court will regard a privately-held photocopying shop in the same light as a not-for-profit library, and whether the court supports licencing deals. “If the court in Delhi supports licencing then publishers can use India as an example to drive a global trend,” he said. “In the past, Indian courts have set precedents with important implications for other emerging economies,” he said, citing landmark rulings on issues like pharmaceutical patents that helped expand access to cheap drugs in developing nations. “This case has the potential to create similar shock waves.” Prem Vipin said his shop in Delhi University, with its sixodd photocopiers and mounds of papers, remains open as the court battle drags on. But he fears for the future, not just for his business but for the students too. “We face tough times. But it is the students who will suffer the most,” he said.

Experienced, Honest & Aggressive Email: uma@mantralaw.com SAN ANTONIO: 6 8 51 C i t i z e n ’ s P k w y, S t e . 2 2 5 San Antonio, TX 78229 Te l # ( 2 81 ) 8 2 7 - 3 8 3 6

NON-IMMIGRANT VISAS IMMIGRANT VISAS E-1 & E-2 Visas H-1B Visas H-1 Extensions L-1 Visas

Family Petitions Labor Certifications Naturalization Citizenship

BUSINESS CORP LAW

REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS OTHER CASES

Cancellation Bond Determination Voluntary Departure

REAL ESTATE LAW

Extensions RFE Appear for Interviews

FAMILY LAW

FREE CONSULTATIONS ON FRIDAYS BETWEEN 1PM & 3 PM BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

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

You need to get a better perspective on things. Make the effort to understand what is going on by having sensitive discussions. You need to get ready to accept all the good things that are coming your way, because this is a perfect time for new starts and there are indications of fabulous ﬁnancial conditions. Your mate could seem unpredictable to you. You might be tempted to let go of the relationship for all the wrong reasons. Look deeper in order to understand motivations.

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July Get yourself completely organized. You need to prepare for changes in your personal life as well as in public or professional situations. Your social consciousness could lead you to situations that might help resolve some global problems. You may feel as if you are plugged into a source of very high energy. Considering the opportunities that await you, you have good reason to be excited. Pay attention to gut instincts that tell you where the treasures of the world are buried.

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August Collect additional income that is owed to you. Financial matters demand your careful attention. To avoid going down the garden path of unfulﬁlled dreams, take care of all practical matters. Keep your eye on your goals, but take precautions. Secure the situation with practical measures. Partnership projects could seem uncertain. If someone you depend on lets you down or acts in an unpredictable manner, you may need to discuss the situation more thoroughly. You could discover that the actions of others have little to do with you.

Virgo(P) 23 August to 22 September Questions about areas of your life that come under ﬁre. You may be unwilling to confront the cost of an entertainment project until it’s too late. If you are disappointed as a result, you may blame yourself and may even become ill over it. Anything that is related to partnership activities or your home life could be a source of uncertainty. You may be uncertain whether you should take the next step toward a more exciting life or maintain the status quo.

Libra(R,T)23 Sept to 22 Oct

Friends and associates that could prove to be very unreliable. New responsibilities could seem burdensome now. You need to make an effort to adjust to the demands of you. If you’re under too much pressure, your health could suffer. You need to be needed and you may have to carefully structure your time to accommodate everything you want to do. With some patience and understanding on your part, however, you’ll realize what could occur in the lives of others to cause them to have to completely re-adjust their routines.

Scorpio(N,Y)23 Oct to 21 Nov Something or someone that tends to get under your skin. If you are resentful toward friends or associates, you may have to struggle with those feelings. You may find it difficult to keep a smile on your face when you see funds slipping through your fingers. A partner or your mate may appear to take the easy way out and ignore your struggle to balance everything that’s going on around you. Don’t let stress tempt you to play games or plan ways to get even.

Sagittarius(BH,F,DH,TH)22 Nov to 21 Dec Changes, even though you want your life could stay exactly the same. After all, that makes you feel safe and secure. Change doesn’t have to be frightening, in fact, major changes taking place in your creative life, could awaken you to new talents and abilities. Remember that there is always another step to take and that things may not actually be as they seem. Don’t resist these changes. You are developing new levels of consciousness, and these changes are part of that development.

Capricorn(KH,J)22 Dec to 20 Jan Working situations that could seem very stressful. Others may try to give you more than your share of the load. Learn to say no, especially if you’re tired and need rest. You may need to get extra rest to keep nervous reactions under control. Try not to get upset over misunderstandings. Others may tend to think out loud & cause you to lose your temper. You may need to blow off some steam. Utilize your natural sense of humor to help yourself to see things from a different perspective.

Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21 Jan to 19 Feb Strong emotional & physical ties may be waiting for you. You may be so high on life that you forget to look at the reality of some things. Be especially careful with ﬁnancial matters, because you could be overconﬁdent of your success. You may be very vulnerable and sensitive, especially when it comes to your own creativity and your need for self-expression. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do. Show your leadership and avoid overly aggressive behavior.

Uncertainty in your career. You may want to bury your head in the sand. Your awareness of something that is not fair or just at your job could make you want to walk away from some career situations. Be sure you don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. If some associates behave like traumatized children, treat them that way. Give people the attention they require.

Attorney and Counselor at Law

(713) 787-5297

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June

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

UMA MANTRAVADI

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

Travel & humanitarian issues, will lead you. Let your natural enthusiasm take you into uncharted territory. Explore the waters of new partnership activity as well. Life may be more abundant than you could have ever imagined. Don’t put on the blinders just yet. Sensitivity can be a positive and valuable commodity but when those feelings are close to the surface, they can turn into feelings of insecurity. Your sensitivity may come in handy when it comes to an appeal to others for aid.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

VOICE OF ASIA 26

FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES & ORGANIZATIONS OF HOUSTON - call Voice of Asia 713-774-5140 Mahatma Gandhi Library Prog: October 1, 2013. Gandhi Jayanti – Gandhiji’s Birthday, by Bechtel Diversity Advisory Council(DAC) on Tuesday , October 6, 2013.-1000 Lights for Peace on Sunday.

Mission Church of God Prog: Only Hindi Church In Stafford, TX. Hindi Prayers. Do You Need Prayer? Join us for services every Sunday 6 pm - 8 pm. Location: 235 Ave E, Stafford, TX 77477 Contact: Call 281-229-9979 for details.

Hare Krishna Dham (ISKCON) Prog: Diwali Celebrations on Sun. Nov. 3rd, 5:30 PM Govardhan Puja - Mon. Nov 4th 6:30 PM Drama & Cultural Events: Sun. Nov 10th 5:00 PM Everyday, 7 Aratis and bhoga offerings daily. Sunday Festival: 5.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Location: 1320 West 34th St, Houston, TX 77018. Contact:281-433-1635/E-mail harekrishnadham@gmail.com Website: www.iskconhouston. org

Shri Radha Krishna Temple Prog: Mataji Ki Chowki on Friday October 11, 2013 starting at 8PM. Prasaad will be served after Program. Location:11625 Beechnut, Houston, TX 77072 Phone: 281-933-8100 Website: www.SRKT.org.

Sri Krishn Dham Prog:Unmatched gift - classes conducted on how to stop self inﬂicted, miserable suffering. We meet on 3rd. Sunday of each month at 1 PM. Devotee volunteers are invited. Contact:Sushree Arjun Sang: 832-252-7272 or write to: duatvusa@gmail.com.

India House

Prog: Free Yoga classes every Tues, Thurs, & Sat Free Dance classes every Sun Free Computer classes every Mon, Wed, & Thurs Medical Clinic every Sat Cultural Library every Sun For info call 713-929-1900 Email: info@indiahouseinc. org Website: www.indiahouseinc. org

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

Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya

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

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

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

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

Sri Meenakshi

Temple Prog: October 5th through October 13th: Navrathri Celbrations: Daily special Alankaram , Golu and cultural events October 11th, Friday:6.30 9.30 pm: Suvasini Puja October 26th, Saturday: Free Health fair, all day festivities. Location: 17130 McLean Road Pearland, TX 77584 Contact: (281) 489-0358

Arsha Vidya Bharati

7.45 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Location: 10080 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478 Phone: 281-530-2565 Web:

AM Saturdays 10-11 a.m.

VPSS Houston

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

Prog: Health Fair 2013 on Sat. Oct 26, 7:30 AM -2:00PM Location VPSS Vallabh Hall, 11715 Belfort Village Dr. Houston 77031. Contact:713-530-2900 Website:www.vpsshaveli.org

Shri Satyanarayan Sai Puja Darshan

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

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

Gurdwara Sahib of Ahmadiyya Muslim SW Houston Community Baitus Prog: Sundays Dewan 10:00 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Langar Samee Mosque Location:14811 Lindita Drive, Prog: Friday Prayer - 1:30 PM Children’s Classes | Interfaith meeting | Location: 1333 Spears Rd, Houston, TX 77067 Imam - Mohammed Zafarullah Contact : Work: 281-875-3400 | Cell: 713-874-4363 Zafarullah_Hanjra@hotmail. com www.Alislam.org

Ashirwad - A Blessing Temple Prog: Regular prog :Sloka Classes for kids and teens. Location: Katy, Hwy 249 & Sugar Land. Contact: 281.995.0930/ 281.808.2159

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

ISSO Prog: Darshan daily from 7.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.; Aarti daily from

Houston, TX 77083 Phone: 281-498-5200 Website: www.gurdwaraswh. com

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

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

Barsana Dham Houston Chapter Prog: Satsang every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Location: India House, 8888 West Belfort 77031 Phone: (713) 855-9818 for details Website: www.jkphouston.org Weekly Radio Program-1460

QUICK REFERENCE SERVICES DIRECTORY

Accountants

Electrical Service

NARESH SETLUR, CPA

Superior One Electric

Certiﬁed, Quickbooks Proadvisor

Accounting, Tax Returns, Cost Accounting, Peachtree, Sales Tax, Franchise Tax.

Visit our website www.karanika.net

Retail, Manufacturing, Construction, Franchise Accounting

(832) 620.4757 - Email: setlurn@gmail.com

BOOK-KEEPING INCOME TAX Personal and Business Tax Returns, Payroll

Sales Tax, Income Tax Audits and Representations

S. Ram and Associates

Tel: 832-877-9625 Free Consultation asu2020.com

M.D. Associates LLP 3 Locations to serve you

visit us at : www.mdassociatescpas.com

Bakery • BAKERY • CAKE SHOPPE • CAFE

5700A Hillcroft Ave. Houston, TX 77036

713-785-1212 www.houstonhotbreads.com

EGGLESS cakes Available

Computer Repair & Networking Home & Business, Microsoft & A+ certified, low flat rates, free estimates, pickup & delivery.

www.PCNetworkGuru.com Call Amit at 832-971-6807

JVB Preksha Meditation Center Prog: Annual Family Camp “Understanding Joy & Sorrow” on March 29 - 31, 2013 (Good Friday Weekend) Bellville, TX. Location: 14102 Schiller Road, Houston TX 77082 Phone: 281.596.9642 Website: www.jvbhouston.org

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

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

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

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

Sri Guruvayurappan Temple

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

Govindaji Gaudiya Math Prog:Satsang every Sunday evening from 5 - 7 p.m. Vedic heritage classes for kids 5-14. Location: 16628 Kieth Harrow blvd. Houston, TX 77084 Contact: 281-499-3347/281491-4114.

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

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

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

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

VOICE OF ASIA GROUP To advertise, call:

Phone: 713-774-5140 E-mail: Adsvoa@yahoo.com Restaurants Bombay to Beijing

Commercial & Residential

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

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

IT Training For all your Online Training needs in

SAP HANA, SAP Businessobjects 4.0 Call 432-558-8326 Email: info@vteaminc.com Visit us at: www.vteaminc.com

A full service CPA ﬁrm

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

Lakshmi Narayan Mandir

Rooﬁng 522),1*

14025 Southwest Fwy. Sugarland.TX 77478 281-242-4242 www.bombaybeijing.com Indian Restaurant

Taste the difference! Cater your next event with us!

Gourmet India - Restaurant & Catering

for home and ofﬁce parties, Dine in Business Lunches, conferences & parties, On-site dining, corporate lunch packages

Ph: 281-493-5435

India’s Restaurant & Catering

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

Ph: 713-266-0131/ 0805

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

Shiva Indian Restaurant & Catering

(281) 701-7760 www.VeeDone.com

specializing in North Indian cuisine, Ofﬁce and Corporate catering.

You need this Space

• 2130 Lone Star Dr. Sugar Land, Ph: 281-494-2981

For more information

Visit Us

Call us today

713-774-5140

• 2514 Times Blvd. Rice Village, Ph: 713-523-4753

VoiceOfAsiaTvNews.com

Call us today! 713-774-5140