Voice of Asia October 17 2014

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FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

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Vol. 27 No. 42 Friday, October 17, 2014 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 24 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Magic Bus Has Houston’s Attention! Wells Fargo First Fundraising gala nets over $350,000 Lights Up Diwali by H Helping Give Children a Lifetime of Smiles OUSTON On October 10th 2014, a packed J.W Marriot ballroom welcomed an esteemed group of guests for Magic Bus’s first charity gala in the United States. Despite being scheduled during an active Indian wedding season, multiple Diwali dances and the North Indian celebration of Karvachauth, over 340 guests attended and made the event a resounding success. The gala was underwritten by Amit and Arpita Bhandari.

Magic Bus is a nonprofit organization (Magicbus.org)

W

Gala Chair Swatantra Jain presents a gift to Keynote Speaker Ram Shriram. (left).

The Executive Board of Magic Bus with (guest and emcee) Kevin Negandhi, (far left standing) and Matthew Spacie, the founder and CEO of Magic Bus (2nd from left seated). Photo (s) Credit: Bijay Dixit/Unique Photo Images. based in Mumbai that seeks to improve the lives of the many impoverished children of India by promoting the importance of school through the universal love of sports. With a dedicated network of 8,000 volunteers and operations that span across fourteen states, Magic Bus teaches over 250,000 children the importance of genderequality, education, health and

confidence by engaging them in games that reinforce positivity.

Meena Datt, host of Music of India and Ghungroo radio program, welcomed the diverse audience, passionately reiterated the importance of Magic Bus and then once again thanked everyone for their support.

Kevin Negandhi, the first Indian-American anchor for ESPN,

served as the master of ceremony, and enthralled the audience with his unique path into the sports journalism world. Drawing parallels with Magic Bus on the importance of sports had on his youth, Kevin stressed how proud he was to be an IndianAmerican and the magnanimity of the attendees.

Continued on Page 10

ells Fargo & Company is lighting up Diwali with community celebrations and partnerships throughout the country. In addition to supporting Diwali Festivals and other events across the country, Wells Fargo is working to help bring smiles during the New Year by collaborating with Operation Smile to provide free surgeries for children in India born with cleft lip and cleft palate.

Until Oct. 26, Wells Fargo will donate $3 to Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity, for every Wells Fargo ExpressSend® money transfer to India from an eligible account.* Wells Fargo will make a $25,000 minimum donation to Operation Smile with a maximum donation of $50,000.

More information about the collaboration is available at www. wellsfargo.com/diwalismiles.

Additionally, for the second year, Wells Fargo was a major supporter of the Diwali celebration in Times Square in New York City on Sept. 20. Other Diwali events Wells Fargo will be supporting across the country this year include the Diwali Mela in Pleasanton, Calif. and a Bollywood Movie Night Out in seven cities, including Washington D.C., Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey and the Bay Area.

Wells Fargo knows that many

Times Square Digital Diya families send money to loved ones in India to celebrate Diwali, and the company offers a $0 transfer fee for ExpressSend® customers sending more than $500 to India from an eligible Wells Fargo account. Also, new ExpressSend® customers with an eligible Wells Fargo account receive a $0 transfer fee on their first transfer when they sign up and send money from their account by December 31, 2014.

Wells Fargo has continuously contributed to local communities since the company’s inception in 1852. In 2013, Wells Fargo invested a record $275.5 million in 18,500 nonprofits, educational programs, and schools, including to organizations specifically

serving the Asian community.

In 2012, The Chronicle of Philanthropy named Wells Fargo the #1 corporate donor in the United States. *Open to residents of the 50 U.S. states and D.C. only. Void where prohibited. Wells Fargo will donate $3 to Operation Smile for each transfer made to India from an eligible ExpressSend account between 9/15/1410/26/14. Wells Fargo will make a $25,000 minimum donation to Operation Smile with a maximum of $50,000. This does not constitute an endorsement of any product or service by Operation Smile. To learn more about Operation Smile visit: operationsmile.org

VPSS hosts its 4th Annual Health Fair 2014 Over 500 receive professional medical services

by Shobana Muratee

T

he Vallabh Priti Seva Samaj (VPSS) held its 4th annual Health Fair 2014 on Saturday, Oct 11, at its Haveli premises under the dynamic Directorship of Dr. Snehal Desai and VPSS Chairman, Ramesh Parikh. It set a new record high with the screening of over 550 plus attendees this year. “We sure exceeded our expectations, we reached over 550 plus people. A lot of volunteers and 75 doctors (60 doctors last year) came to provide their services. It shows that it is a great community event that the VPSS puts on,” Dr. Snehal Desai said.

Over 31 companies were the proud sponsors of the Health Fair which started as early as 7:30 am mainly for the purpose of blood tests for those that had pre-registered and were fasting.

A healthy breakfast was also arranged for those fasting so they could stay on and avail the benefits of some other screening that were being offered like: physical exam, vision screening, dental screening, and EKG. For the first time, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure funded the Mammogram screening and was aided by the Indian American Cancer Network (IACAN) in collaboration with the Rose Clinic. Dr. Sewa Lega, VP, IACAN stressed the importance of early detection of breast cancers in which case the survival rate, he said, is increased significantly. Unfortunately, he said, that women come when the cancer has advanced. The VPSS provided a valuable platform where women could be educated as well as screened at the same place.

Continued on Page 10

Cardiologist Dr. Ramesh G Patel seen interacting with some of the visitors at the VPSS Health Fair 2014 on Oct. 11, 2014.

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T

HE EBOLA tidal wave is still flooding West Africa, running ahead of all efforts to contain it. This is the most urgent crisis and the one that requires maximum effort. Bruce Aylward of the World Health Organization predicted Tuesday that the case load could reach 10,000 a week

by December. Currently, the virus has caused 4,447 deaths and infected 8,914 patients, and there is disturbing new evidence that the mortality rate is now 70 percent, higher than previously thought. An exponential leap seems possible, and the international response is still lagging — pledges are only slowly being turned into treatment centers on the ground, patients are being turned away and told to go home and there remains a desperate need for health-care workers.

At the same time, the outbreak of the deadly virus has sliced through American politics and the media with a vengeance. Understandably, the specter of such a dangerous disease in the United States has bred fear. But it is remarkable

Keeping an even keel at home on Ebola how some public figures are inflaming that fear. Commentator Rush Limbaugh took flight on Tuesday, saying on the radio that “I don’t think anybody involved with Ebola knows what they’re doing. I don’t care if it’s the WHO or the Centers for Disease Control, I don’t think anybody knows what they’re doing.” This was an unfounded rant that can only deepen public disquiet. By contrast, in a vote of confidence and generosity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donated $50 million recently to the United Nations and governments that need the resources for emergency response to the crisis.

On Tuesday, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, donated $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation to help fight Ebola.

These rapid philanthropic responses to the outbreak reflect the best of American ideals and values.

The arrival of an Ebola patient in Texas, followed by his death and the subsequent

Dr. Chandra K. Mittal

by Chandra K. Mittal, M.S., Ph.D., FCP

W

ith the Monsoon (rainy season) behind us, now is the time for a series of Hindu festivalsin India and around the globe. There is joy, hope, celebration and happiness in the air everywhere as Hindus look forward to this time of the year with anticipation. The weather is mild and temperatures are comfortable.

Hindu festivals have a particular social significance as these promote amity among people, convey positive message and strengthen interpersonal human

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Cpl. Zachary Wicker shows how to put gloves on while in germprotective gear in Fort Bliss, Texas, Tuesday, October 14, 2014.

About 500 Fort Bliss soldiers are preparing for deployment to West Africa where they will provide support in a military effort to contain the Ebola outbreak. (Juan Carlos Llorca/AP) announcement that a hospital worker, Nina Pham, who treated him has tested positive for Ebola, has fueled dread that the disease could spread in the United States. One of the nation’s top public health authorities, CDC Director Thomas Frieden, had reassured the nation that the health-care system could handle Ebola if the virus

relationships. These are not isolated and disconnected freestanding religious rituals or exercises but renewed dedication for sharing and sacrifice for fellow human. Participation in the festivities generates positive energy and spiritenhancing cohesive interaction among people. At group level the festivals serve a positive psychotherapeutic purpose for the society at large as these yield inner peace, tranquility and happiness.

In the Western societies, Hindu festivals also trigger discussion, exploration, and curiosity about the Hinduism, its meaning and significance. Most in the West are baffled and express confusion and wonderment about it as they see the diversity of rituals, practices and belief system within the Hindu community.

This is something beyond the comprehension of the Western world which predominantly practices organized/institutionalized monotheism and considers polytheistic thoughts and believes to be inconsistent with their beliefs and understanding of God and the spirituality or divinity derived from it.

Hindu(ism) is, indeed, a philosophy of life involving a complex set of eternal laws to serve humanity regardless of nation states, geographical boundaries, or denominational believes. Hindu message transcends denominational views and is applicable universally.

This philosophy evolved with human experiences, knowledge, consciousness and wisdom over millennia. These eternal

laws deal with human intellectual capacity as manifested by activities, physique, as well as various form of natural energylike sun, wind, fire, etc.The Hindu Gods and Goddesses deities that people worship are either fictional humanoid (and sometime human-animal hybrid) physical embodiments of these eternal laws or various Saints and leaders who taught or practiced them in the past.

Lord Rama, Krishna, Shiva etc. come to mind in the latter category. Humanoid deities provide a visual platform for people to focus on the eternal laws to be followed in the conduct of their lives.

According to Hindu thinking God is not an external authoritative entity guiding ones conduct.

It is, indeed, within the individual and manifests itself through one’s deeds and actions. Since human beings are the creation of nature and have to depend on it for their survival, only abiding by these eternal laws can create harmony in society and result in positive outcome for life. Thus, human is responsible for his own actions and consequences that result from them.

There is also no concept of heaven or hell in Hindus, where one is destined to go after death.

These thoughts have been adopted from Western thinking to exercise regulatory control on human behavior. Hindu thinking primarily focuses on one’s duty and deeds, i.e. Dharma and Karma only.

Today, the world is embroiled in political divisions, conflicts, violence, mass hunger, human misery, pain, deprivation, desperation, boundary disputes, military confrontations, and institutional injustices. These problems transcend geography as people in both rich and poor nations are affected by this scourge. Spirituality is essentially missing as a genuine component of human behavior or the state policy. Instead, people are turning increasingly selfish and self-centered with no regard or concern for the fellow human. Selfishness is so rampant in some societies that anti-human social policies are being legitimized by some governments. Such practices are source of decay and mental stress to the citizens. This is best exemplified by global financial/economic meltdown

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landed here. Ms. Pham’s illness — it is still not known how she got it — has caused many to wonder, not unreasonably: Are hospitals really as prepared as officials have said? Is the system so fragile that Ebola could jump the fence in the United States?

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Hinduism - A Force for World Peace, Tranquility and Happiness

In the literal sense, the word “Hinduism” is a misnomer because there is no –ism in Hindu. Nor is it a denominational religion. In fact, religions like Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism have come out of Hindu belief system. The term Hinduism, while well-meaning, is the creation of Western scholars who could define, describe and equate Hindu Thoughts through their preexisting notions, perceptions and understanding of the monotheistic religions like Christianity, which started with Prophet Jesus. People who agreed with his message converted to Christianity. But no such practice of conversion exits in Hindus. Also, there is no Prophet, guidelines or “entryexit” rules to become a Hindu.

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of 2008 which enriched a few but caused serious damage to millions of people around the world. Rules are skewed in favor of the corrupt.

There are national, international and regional agencies that are active to monitor and address these issues at political, economic and social levels.

But these efforts are not effective in arresting or reversing the degeneration of human conditions. There are disagreements among groups and their leaders to reach a consensus. The primary cause of this failure is the nature and focus of the “message” that is being conveyed. It is generally felt that solution is materialistic (economic), which tend to become political, parochial and divisive in nature. But such approach ignores the basic source of the problem – damage to human inner spirit that direct and control human behavior.

While the Western world has made great progress in science and technology, and has contributed significantly to the material development in the society, it has never addressed the spiritual (non-materialistic) aspects of human life. Thus, there is an imbalance between the materialistic and spiritual aspects of life creating psychological instability and unhappiness at the societal level.

As the world struggles with these conflicts and crisis, and ponders over solutions to get respite from these problems, Hindu philosophy and thoughts are becoming more relevant and pertinent. There is serious need to fill the spiritual void that exits currently. Hindu thoughts based on eternal laws are universal in nature regardless of the countries, societies or denominations. The three pillars of Hindu philosophy, Karma (Deeds), Dharma (Duty), and Sahisnuta (Tolerance) are much needed by humanity today to retrieve the world from the brink of self-destruction and achieve inner peace, tranquility and happiness.

Chandra Mittal is Professor of Biotechnology at Houston Community College, and CoFounder of Indo-American Association, Houston. He can be contacted at drckmittal@yahoo.com or can be followed on @drchandramittal.

VOICE OF ASIA 3

C OMMUNITY VOICE OF ASIA

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Second Front Page

Friday, October 17, 2014 • www.voiceofasiaonline.com • Page 3 • Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com • Tel: 713-774-5140

Mahatma Gandhi Library observes Mahatma Gandhi Week 2014

M

ahatma Gandhi Library along with more than 100 organizations concluded Mahatma Gandhi Week 2014 with big fanfare on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at The Jones Plaza, Houston. The evening celebrated 145th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi Jayanti, celebrated as 1000 Lights For Peace.

The 9th Annual 1000 Lights for Peace, was another huge success. Each year Mahatma Gandhi Library or¬ganizes month long activities culminating in celebration of Gandhi Jayanti on weekend fol¬lowing October 2nd, Gandhiji’s actual birthday.

The spirits of the Houstonians attending the program at The Jones Plaza were inspired during this auspicious celebration. The weather was picture perfect. The brilliant day started with the Walk for Peace, beginning at the Jones Plaza in downtown Houston with garlanding of a picture of Mahatma Gandhi and the lighting of the authentic 1966 Olympic Torch by the Grand Marshall, Mrs. Sonal Buchar.

The participants walked almost 5 kilometers along the Buffalo Bayou on the Sabine Promenade, voting for peace with their feet and demonstrating that a life of peace is a daily steadfast commitment that requires the patience of a man trying to empty the sea with a cup. During the walk, many proudly displayed signs of Peace, Truth, Non-violence and Love spreading the message that resonated throughout the city of Houston Upon their arrival back at The Jones Plaza, they were welcomed onto the main stage by the musical tribute from the talented Katy McMeans Junior High band, conducted

by Mr. George Liverman.

The 1000 lights For Peace program, started promptly at 7pm with an invocation by Acharya Suryanarayan Nanda

Walk For Peace led by Suresh Shah dressed as Mahatma Gandhi. On the left you see Shrimati Sonal Bhuchar, Grand Marshall for the Walk For Peace

of Arya Samaj Greater Houston, Rev Daniel Domiguez from Centro Familiar Cristiano in Sugarland, and Dr. Basheer Khumwala from University of Houston.

followed by a beautiful poem recited by Saqib Mushtaq and interpreted by Imam Mubasheer Ahmad, both from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Dr. Manish Wani was a very informative Master of Ceremonies and kept the evening flowing with historical perspectives on not only Mahatma Gandhi, but also prominent international social reformers including Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and Malala Yousafzai.

The Ballet Folkorico “Raices del Peru” of Houston performed the first International act of the evening. This was

The Chief Guest for the evening, Dr. Josef Helfenstein, director of the Menil Collection, addressed the audience informing them about the new exhibition “Experiments with Truth: Gandhi and Images of Non-violence.”

The crowd then welcomed the more than 100 adorable and talented children from Houston’s St. Catherine Montessori Catholic Choir directed by Tim and Mindy Snow.

They brilliantly sang “Agnus

Six-year-old Rigved Sawale (from Cornerstone Elementary in FBISD) dazzled the crowd by reciting his winning speech from the 10 and under category titled “Values in life are more important than successes.”

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for greater Houston, was the Chief Guest for the evening and inspired the crowd with his speech about peace and its relevance in today’s society.

Atul Kothari, founder of Mahatma Gandhi Library, presented a plaque of appreciation to volunteer Mahesh Gandhi for his unconditional and everlasting dedication to the organization.

The next cultural item came from the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia performing Cendrawasih, a beautiful dance performed in duo about a famous bird in paradise, directed by Mr. Bambang Setyobudhi.

Dei”, “Light a Candle for Peace,” and “Dona Nobis.”

Mr. Sam Merchant presented a certificate from Congressman Alexander N. “Al” Green is the U.S. Representative from Texas’ 9th congressional district honoring Mahatma Gandhi and 1000 Lights For Peace.

Seven Lakes High School in Katy), winner of the 11 and over speech contest, inspired the crowd by reciting her winning speech titled “Trusteeship vs. Ownership: which is better for the world?”

Special guest Honorable Consul General of Bharat, India, Parvatheneni Harish, spoke about the ever-lasting legacy left by our beloved Bapu, Fa¬ther of Modern Bharat, India. A legacy, of which not only Bharat, India, is proud of, but the whole world is proud.

Consul General P. Harish, accompanied by his wife Mrs. Paravathaneni Nandita and Mr. Atul Kothari, presented the well-earned awards to more than the 30 winners of the city-wide contests held by Mahatma Gandhi Library.

The Gandhi Darshan Exhibit portraying the chronologic lifetime of Gandhiji with actual photographs from that era was also displayed at the Jones Plaza and was enjoyed by many visitors. The exhibition is now on display at the Lone Star College , Cy-Fair branch for the month of October.

The last international performance of the evening was a dynamic performance by the KoumonKe’le’ African Dance & Drum Ensemble, directed

by Ms. Christina Gerard.

The spectacular evening concluded with the lighting of a candle by all in attendance and a pledge to observe peace in their own lives. The candle lighting quickly spread throughout The Jones Plaza blazing downtown Houston.

The crowd reflected on the magical evening and how to emulate Mahatma Gandhi’s life listening to the soothing background music “We are the World” and “Jyot se Jyot Jagate Chalo.”

To view and learn more about 1000 Lights for Peace, please visit www.gandhilibrary.org

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COMMUNITY The People’s Lawyer www.peopleslawyer.net

Richard M. Alderman Interim Dean of the Law Center

Contractor has a reasonable time to begin work Q. I hired someone to repair my kitchen and rebuild a few cabinets. We agreed on a price and I paid a deposit to cover the cost of materials. That was six months ago and no work has been done. I have spoken with the contractor and he keeps saying he will start next week. What are my legal rights? We don’t have a written contract.

A. First, there is no need to have a written contract for your agreement with the contractor to be legally enforceable. Even if it is oral it is binding. If you agreed on what he would do and the price, but did not agree on a time for performance, the law assumes a “reasonable time.” In my opinion, a reasonable time to begin kitchen repairs is no more than a few weeks. Six months clearly exceeds any reasonable time period, and would be a breach of contract.

I suggest you let him know you expect him to promptly begin construction. Let him know if he does not, you will file a claim in small claims court. Your damages, if you were to sue, would be the amount you already paid him plus whatever amount above your agreed price it costs you to get the repairs completed.

Q. As my wife went thought our complex gate, it closed too quickly and damaged our car. What are our legal rights? How do we get reimbursed for the cost of repairing our car?

A. This is not an easy question to answer, and that is why it is so important to have full insurance coverage. In my opinion, a gate owner does not guarantee the gate will always operate properly. For the owner to be responsible he must be negligent. That means not acting reasonably to protect people from harm. For example if it was reported the gate was broken and the owner did not promptly take steps to fix it or warn people it could be considered negligence.

Also if the owner does not reasonably inspect the gate to insure it works properly he could be liable. On the other hand if the gate works fine and one day malfunctions, I do not believe the owner is responsible for the damage to a car.

I suggest you do a little research to see what the owner or management knew. Then make a demand for compensation and consider Justice Court if you don’t settle the matter.

Q. How many days do I have to return a new motorcycle? It is only one day old and has been driven about ten miles. Is there a Texas law saying it can be returned and if so, how do we go about returning it? I realized I cannot afford it.

A. As I have written many times in connection with cars, as a general rule when you sign a contract to buy something you are bound. There is no time limit within which you may just “change your mind.” It doesn’t matter whether it is a car, a motorcycle, a boat or a dishwasher. In most cases, to get out of a contract, you must show that you were tricked or forced into signing the contract by fraud, duress, deceit or misrepresentation.

There are, however, a few exceptions to this rule. For example, the law gives you the right to change your mind when it is a door-to-door sale, a health club or timeshare company contract, or it is a contract that places a lien on your home. In most cases, however, the best rule to follow is, don’t sign if you are not positive about your decision.

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FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Hindus of Greater Houston hold Diwali Food Drive, 2014

by Venugopal Menon

H

indus of Greater Houston wishes all a very happy Deepavali, the festival of lights. The ‘Festival of Lights’ signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. As an appropriate gesture, and corresponding to their 25 year observance of Janmashtami together, the several Hindu temples and orga- Jai Agarwal from Arya Samaj of Greater Houston volunteering for the drive. nizations of Houston are celebrating There are several food banks HGH coordinator Anshuman Diwali by helping the Food in Houston offering food to the Desai has been coordinating Bank of Houston and serving hungry on a regular basis, and the project this year with Arya the needy. there are periodic ‘food drives’ Samaj, Chinmaya Mission, Close on the heels of the initiated by various organiza- Sri Meenakshi Temple, VPSS, JVB Preksha Meditation, Sewa role of air and water, to sustain tions. life and to carry on the body ‘Feeding the hungry’ has International and Ashtalakshmi functions, the most essential remained an essential tradition Temple initiating the drive, as requirement is the availability of Hindu faith as it is in most more organizations would soon of food. And there is no better other religions. Hindu temples join the effort. expression of human compas- have always provided free food As a community we are sion than offering food to the to the devotees and the hungry; joining hands and pitching in hungry. According to WHO, Hindu homes have made it a our efforts as a united group. hunger is the gravest threat tradition to ensure that pass- As much as we have several to the world’s public health ers-by would be invited to eat. temples and different ways in and the biggest contributor to Before we closed the doors at the practice of our devotional child mortality, an estimated night it was a daily practice in adherence, our philosophy is three million dying every year our homes to call out for any- essentially based on our Eterwithout enough food. Even in one around who has not eaten, nal Vedic principles, Sanatan a land of plenty like the USA, and serving them food.

Dharma. And the food bank the distressing reality is that a ‘Athidhi Devo bhava’, the drive is an opportunity for us sizeable number of people are to present ourselves as a unifraught to get adequate food axiom meant that we consid- fied force. Being the third most for sustaining their lives. It is ered our guests, godly. practiced faith of humanity, it estimated that almost one in Hindus of Greater Houston is important that Hindus stay seven of our people, a stagger- have been involved in food organized and be recognized as ing 18 million household of the bank drive, during Diwali, ini- one group, for our presence and US population are not getting tiated by HMEC a few years the profound principles that we enough food to eat and about ago and this year we are doing believe in. It is our hope that 40 million live under poverty it collectively. As per the cel- each one of us stands up to that level. ebrated practice of our faith, all ideal and does our part, and Towards meeting the needs our temples and other organiza- does it with conviction and of such hungry, the world’s first tions will collect food and feed compassion. food bank was established in the hungry. Individual temples Let the Food Bank Drive prothe US in 1967, and since then are setting up the drive, col- mote our unity to provide for lecting the food and passing it several thousands of such have the deprived. come up all over the world. on to the common food bank.

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VOICE OF ASIA 5

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

T

o celebrate the 5th anniversary of a Broadway style Ram Leela Stage play in a professional theatre in Houston, Shri Sita Ram Foundation (SSRF) , came back to the same Theatre it started from in 2010. Cullen Theatre at University of Houston was decorated outside with Lord Ram’s Surya Patakas. The outside entrance was decorated with the help from folks from Mandap Creations and Lord Ganesha welcomed everyone in the lobby of the theatre.

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Ram Leela 2014 - A Spectacular Presention of the Saga

The stage play on 12th Oct., started with Sage Viswamitra coming to King Dashrath and asking for Ram & Laxman to protect the Rishis from the Demons and proceeded through the various acts leading up to the killing of the Demon King Ravan and Lord Ram’s coronation.

The Chief Guests who were invited to grace the occasion were Drs Renu and Suresh Khator and the Indian Consul P. Harish and Mrs. Nandita Harish along with several prominent people and sponsors.

The play was very much appreciated by the audience. This year’s play was unique as it left behind the gimmickry and unnecessary use of props on stage, to refreshing artistic depictions & fast paced acts . Each act left a message for the audience to grasp.

Nina Magon, the star of the NBC’s TV series “American Dream Builders, was the Emcee., who welcomed everyone and thanked the sponsors and supporters: Media Sponsors: Sangeet Radio, 95.1 FM ( Mr. Saeed Gaddi); All India Radio Houston ( Dr. Nik Nikam); TV Asia ( Manisha Gandhi) and Voice of Asia.( Koshy Thomas) Corporate sponsors: Grand Sponsors :Wells Fago Bank and Nova Asset Management Gold Sponsors: LMI Capital, InsGroup, and Capital One Bank, Silver Sponsors: Coleman Corp., HD Supply, and Briggs & Vaselka, Bronze Sponsors: Consolidated Distributors, Village Antiques, Capital Builders, IRAZOO, Contour Interior Design, and United AC, Other Sponsors: Mandap Creations, Costco and Met Life.

Individual sponsors: Gold Sponsors: Nidhika & Prasahant Mehta, Usha & Rahul Nath, Nalini & Virender Mathur and Sushila & Durga Agarwal,; Silver Sponsors: Saroj & Devi Rungta, Sen Pathak, Sarojini & Subash Gupta, Nik Nikam, Shoba and Ajay Agarwal, Rita and Bal Sareen, Bronze Sponsors: Renu & Bharat Agarwal, Alka and Pinakin Patel, Bimla & Swatantra Jain, Vijay and Ashok Dhingra, Alka & Ajay Gupta, Meera & Manohar Gidwani, Other sponsors: Kiran & Rakesh Verma , Prabha & Ashok Garg and Jaya & PC Sharma.

She also recognized the presence of 60 Heads of Organizations and temples who have supported and participated with SSRF in showcasing our rich Indian Culture to all Houstonians . Special thanks were offered to Orrisa Cultural Center for being a partner.

Next the Priests from different temples were recognized and finally the numerous volunteers who assisted SSRF to put the highly successful Dussehra & Diwali Festival and the Stage play in 2014.

retelling of the events of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana, centered on the narrative of Ram, the crown prince of Ayodhya. It is one of the disciples of Tulsi Das who is credited with depicting the works of Tulsi Das on stage. The stage play is very popular all over India and has become an annual affair in every locality , village, town and city during the days of Navratri ., before Dussehra.

Ram Leela 2014 was staged to a packed audience at the Cullen Theatre at University of Houston on Oct. 12, 2014. Photos by Bijay Dixit/Unique Photo Images.

To celebrate the 5th anniversary, SSRF had made the entrance to the Ram Leela stage play FREE to everyone had invited former Bolivian Ambassador to Washington, Dr. Reynaldo Cuadoras Anaya ( aka, Ranga Puri Das) who had translated Valmiki Ramayan to Spanish; to Houston to do the first book launch of the Spanish Ramayan on the 12th Oct. Had sponsored the 1st Ramayan Symposium at University of Houston on 10th Oct. 2014 Nina described the philanthropic activities of the Foundation briefly: e.g. supporting educational institutions, several non profit organizations, providing scholarships to deserving students and assisting elderly and needy persons of all communities. The Foundation financially contributed to

SSRF is humbled by the efforts put in by these mature actors in presenting this year’s play. The Setu bandhan scene with small children playing Vanars was a real heart stealer.

Launch of the Spanish Ramayan. Author Dr. Reynaldo Cuadoras Anaya (initiated name is Sri Ranga Puri das) (Left) who had translated Valmiki Ramayan to Spanish presents a copy to Dr. Renu Khatore and Dr. Suresh Khator Montes,Pima Medical Institute.

Nina Magon (Emcee) with father Dr. Arun Verma, founder of Shri Sita Ram Foundation going over the details of the program.

26 nonprofits and educational institutions this year, including University of Houston.

The Foundation also organizes the annual “Dussehra & Diwali Festival” attended this year by 10,000 Houstonians and the annual Ram Leela Stage Play showcasing the Indian Culture on a large scale to all Houstonians.

Six scholarships were given out in 2014 to 6 University stu-

The maturity of the play was evident with experienced actors like Venu Joysala playing the lead role of Ram, Arun Kumar as the inseparable Laxman, Smiriti Ramachandran as the young and beautiful Sita, Madhukar as the evil Ravan ,Dr. D. Batra in the role of Hanuman, Prem Baweja as Maharaja Sugriv, Kiron Kumar as energetic Meghnath, and Divyansh as the fearless Angad etc.

dents, namely: Divyansh Singh, Junior at University of Houston Surabh Chauhan, Junior at Univ. of Texas, Austin Meghan Kumar, University of Houston Priya Kumar, University of Houston Nanditha Raj, Houston Baptist University Darya Jazmin Benadives

The Play, this year was directed by world renowned Dr. Rathna Kumar; Assisted by Kiron Kumar of Infused Performing Arts; Venugopal Josyula, and Dr. Nik Nikam as the Technical Director. All of them were recognized on stage and received awards as having contributed significantly to SSRF’s events in helping promote Indian culture. Ketan Mistry and Kanan Amin of Mandap Creations also was recognized and received awards for handling all SSRF event decorations for the past 5 years.

Sage Valmiki in Sanskrit; later written by Saint Tulsi Das , a 16th Century poet in Hindi .

The core of his work is a poetic

The audience truly saw the Majestic & compassionate Ram on the stage in all his Glory, wisdom and power; a play to be remembered as the 5th anniversary special play. According to University of Houston Chancellor, Dr. Renu Khator the play was “unique, beautiful and awesome”.

SSRF thanks each and everyone associated with this year’s Ram Leela stage play.Visit www.shrisitaram.org for thier upcoming events.

Ram Leela is a depiction of Life’s journey of Lord Shri Ram with the overall message of the Victory of Good Over Evil. The play highlighted the acts of Lord Ram and his associates, exemplifying the characters of an ideal son, husband, brother, wife, mother, friend , King etc.

Ramayan was first written by

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VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Pratham Co-Founder And CEO Dr. Madhav Chavan Indo-Canadian is Canada’s Named 2014 Asia Game Changer By Asia Society new envoy to India · Malala Yousafzai, Education activist, For continuing to dream, and fight for girls the world over, after living a nightmare · Zhang Minxuan, Professor, Shanghai Normal University, For leveling the playing field by providing quality education to millions in China The honorees will attend the Asia Game Changer Awards Dinner and Celebration at the United Nations on October 16, 2014. Jack Ma, named Asia Game Changer of the Year, will give an address at the gathering. The evening will also feature a special video address from Malala Yousafzai and a live performance by Playing For Change.

Dr. Madhav Chavan

Asia Society to Honor Dr. Chavan at Awards Dinner at the United Nations on October 16

P

ratham has announced that Dr. Madhav Chavan was named by Asia Society as a 2014 Asia Game Changer. The award recognizes those making a transformative and positive difference for the future of Asia and the world.

Dr. Chavan was recognized for bringing the gift of literacy to millions of Indians.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Asia Society, especially alongside the luminaries this year,” said Dr. Chavan.

“More importantly, I hope that this sheds more light on our ongoing pursuit to bring quality education to every child in India.”

“The Asia Game Changer Awards are designed to fill a glaring gap—a lack of recognition of people who are transforming ideas into action and

improving lives in Asia,” said Asia Society President Josette Sheeran. “Our inaugural honorees represent an extraordinary range of geography and achievement. What they share in common are vision, passion and proven impact, wherever and however they happen to be changing the world.”

Honorees were selected based on input from Asia Society’s global network. The other 2014 Awardees are: · Game Changer of the Year Jack Ma, Chairman, Alibaba Group, For history-making business and philanthropy in China · Shigeru Ban, Founder, Shigeru Ban Architects, For finding beauty, and hope, in the landscapes of disaster · Illac Diaz, Founder, MyShelter Foundation and Liter of Light, For bringing light, literally, to so many lives · Fashion Girls for Humanity, For demonstrating that ‘looking good’ and ‘doing good’ can be one and the same

· Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Minister and Senior Advisor to the Indonesian President, For providing a brilliant blueprint for responding to disaster · Saad Mohseni, Chairman, MOBY Group, For bringing news, information and entertainment to a barren landscape · Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO, Acumen, For changing the way the world tackles poverty · Sharmeen ObaidChinoy, Founder, SOC Films and President, The Citizens Archive of Pakistan, For eyeopening films that give voice to the voiceless · Playing for Change, For using the power of music to spread a global message of hope · Pawan Sinha, Professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, For a truly visionary approach to treating India’s blind

For more information about the Awards Dinner and Celebration on October 16 and about the awardees, including bios, please visit AsiaSociety. org/GameChangers.

About Pratham Founded in 1995 to ensure that every child is in school and learning well, Pratham is now one of the largest nongovernmental organizations in India’s education sector.

Pratham employs low-cost, scalable methods and works in partnership with government and community stakeholders to deliver quality education to underprivileged children in communities across India.

In 2013-14, Pratham reached nearly 5 million children, adolescents and young adults through a range of programs in 20 of the 29 Indian states.

Pratham USA, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a four-star rating (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator, accepts tax deductible contributions from US donors to improve the quality of education in India. For more information, visit prathamusa.org.

Nadir Patel

C

anada’s new High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel is an IndoCanadian, one who was born in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state of Gujarat and speaks Gujarati at home.

Patel is barely 44. His appointment was announced Friday by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and International Trade Minister Ed Fast.

Patel’s appointment follows the appointment of Richard Rahul Verma, an Indian American, as the country’s next ambassador to India.

“We are pleased to announce the appointment of Nadir Patel as Canada’s new High Commissioner in the Republic of India,” said the two ministers. “Patel brings a wealth of experience and will strengthen even further the Canada-India relationship, including on bilateral trade and international security.”

Parliamentary Secretary to Baird, another Indo-Canadian Deepak Obhrai is also with the two ministers, all on board Air Canada that’s heading to India.

“I am delighted Nadir Patel is our new high commissioner,” Obhrai said. “He will join other distinguished Canadians who have had a strong hand in strengthening our relations with India, especially when my gov-

ernment has put relations with India as a priority.

“I am looking forward to working with him.”

Patel was born in Gujarat.

He was rather young when his parents decided to emigrate to Canada. Patel went to Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo (Ontario) where he finished his under-graduate in 1993 with political science as his major subject. After graduating, he joined the Federal Public Service and one after another he kept on incessantly moving in the rank.

Till three years back, Patel was Canada’s consul-general in Shanghai. On returning to Ottawa, he became assistant deputy minister for corporate planning, finance and information technology, and chief financial officer at Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada.

In the meantime, Patel also finished his MBA from New York University and London School of Economics and Political Science and HEC Paris in 2009.

While the two federal ministers, along with Parliamentary Secretary Obhrai, will introduce their new High Commissioner at the highest levels of government, their hands would also be full discussing with their Indian counterparts the question of security and trade.

Ekal Raises Rs. 1 Crore to Implement Clean India Campaign in Villages

E

kal Vidyalaya Foundation-USA (EVFUSA)’, recently (Oct. 3-5) hosted an international conference in Cincinnati, Ohio to address various issues facing rural education, hygiene, and integrated development in remote parts of India, where it operates. In opening remarks, Shyamji Gupta, founder of ‘Ekal Movement’ set the tone by challenging the gathering to undertake a new initiative for the rural masses. Inspired by the clarion call for a ‘SwachhaBharat’ (Clean-India) by P.M. Narendra Modi, Ekal volunteers whole heartedly adopted this campaign to create and implement a strategy to clean the Ekal Villages where 1.5 million children are being nurtured and groomed. The campaign will create awareness and develop sustainable approaches to keep the villages clean. This conference had brought together volunteers, field teams and philanthropists from across US,

India and Canada and astoundingly raised Rs. 1 Crore for this purpose.

Spearheading the on-the-spot fundraising efforts Himanshu Shah, CEO, Shah Capital, said “poor sanitation and lack of solid waste management has had tremendous negative impact on the health of Indians all over. It is time we address this issue”. He contributed significant amount of his own monies to the cause and matched donations raised by Ekal. Welcoming this impromptu generosity, Vinod Jhunjhunwala, President of ‘EVF-USA’ said, “while ideas are plenty, India often loses out on implementation. Ekal, with its reach in over 54,000 villages throughout India has wide grass-root network that can effectively implement this cleaning initiative”. Ekal uses education as a primary vehicle to bring holistic development of remote and rural villages. In addition to education, Ekal is

working on health, sanitation, agriculture and development.

Ajay Singh, Project Coordinator for EVF-USA, informed the gathering about the stateof-the-art approach adopted by ‘Ekal-India’ to administer and monitor various aspects of ‘Ekal’. He further elaborated that the teacher’s and student’s third-party assessment, automated school allocation as well as their ‘google-mapping’ was already underway. The movement has created so much excitement among youth in the U. S. that several college students are going to Ekal villages to study the movement. Recently, Rohan & Anjeli Sharma, brother-sister team, both less than 15 year old, spent three weeks in an Ekal Village, learning how Ekal had impacted villager’s lives. The reciprocal volunteerism of the Ekal model has also caught the eye of the Afghanistan community who feel that this unique model could be beneficial to the tribal-rural

villages of Afghanistan. A team from Afghanistan headed by Sunil Ishairzay, visited India, last year, with the sole intention of studying and replicating Ekal education model in Afghanistan.

Several innovative solutions to a range of issues including the use of technology for education and the micro-rural entrepreneurship were also discussed. In several villages, solar energy is already being used by the villagers for life’s basic necessities with help from ‘Ekal’. At the conference, Ekal also addressed the national tragedy of the floods affecting the Kashmir valley. Ekal USA has year-marked $150,000 for these flood victims. In short, Ekal Vidyalaya, the largest grass-root movement undertaken by NRIs and Indians is playing a key role in the lives of neglected masses for their self-sustenance and empowerment.

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VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

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COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 9

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Local attorney George Willy, hosts Annual Convention and 40TH Parish Day Celebrations of Trinity reception in honor of Sri Lankan Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara Mar Thoma Church Houston honored. All those who were served as office bearers during the past 40 years of the church will be recognized during this meeting.

by Jojy Jacob

H

OUSTON: As a part of 40th Year Thanksgiving Programs Trinity Mar Thoma Church is conducting a three day annual convention on October 16-18 (Thursday –Saturday) at 7 pm held at Trinity Mar Thoma Church sanctuary. Renowned evangelist Mr. Joy Pullad will be the main speaker for this year’s convention. Sunday October 19 will be celebrated as 40th Parish day and Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Themotheos Episcopa (Diocesan Bishop, Trivandrum-Kollam) will lead the Holy Communion Service.

Thimotheos Thirumeni will be the chief guest for the public meeting held immediately after Holy Communion service.

During this meeting senior members of the parish who are 70 years of age or above will be

Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Themotheos Episcopa

Mr. Joy Pullad, Keynote Speaker

Started as a small prayer group in 1974, the Trinity Mar Thoma church has now grown to a parish with 330 families.

Being the first Mar Thoma parish in North America the church has been a beacon of service and support to all those in need in India and the US. The vicar Rev. Kochukoshy Abraham explained the various humanitarian and mission projects the church initiated in this 40th year of thanksgiving, including reaching out to neighborhood communities and Kerala, India.

He also urged everyone to attend the convention and prayerfully participate Sunday’s Holy Communion Service and public meeting thereafter.

Miss America 2014 Anticipated For Rhythm’14-Bollywood Dance Showcase Shingari’s School of Rhythm is proud to announce the date of their sixth annual Bollywood dance show, Rhythm ‘14- The Heroine on November 1st taking place at the Stafford Civic Center. The Heroine, will pay tribute to the advances and the empowerment of South Asian women of our generation, presenting their struggles and difficulties, and illuminating the success achieved by many regardless of the obstacles. The show has confirmed attendance by prominent South Asian Women such as Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri. Ms. Davuluri, being a South Asian woman herself, is ecstatic to witness the showcase and will

grace the Houston community with her presence. The Heroine-Rhythm’14 will be held on the evening of Saturday, November 1st at the Stafford Civic Center and starts promptly at 6:00 pm. The talented dancers of the school will bring, once again, a night of unforgettable live entertainment to the city of Houston. Save the date and join Shingari’s School of Rhythm and Miss America 2014 - Nina Davuluri, and be a part of the compelling night of Bollywood Dance not to be missed.

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About Shingari’s School of Rhythm Shingari’s School of Rhythm is the leading Bollywood Cinematic dance school in Houston area, training talented students into majestic dancers for six successful years. The school, first established in 2008, has performed on various stages in Houston and around the U.S under the founder and director Shingari Kuriakose. Shingari’s School of Rhythm currently operates in Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, SF Bay Area, and Chicago, with the most prominent and flagship location in Houston, TX.

L-R: Chiranjaya Nanayakkara (son), Hon. Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Mrs. Shanti Willy, George Willy, Mr. Koshy Thomas, Voice of Asia Publisher, Mrs Moani Thomas and Minister’s PA.

by Shobana Muratee

S

UGAR LAND - A select group of about 50 guests attended the dinner reception hosted in honor of Vasudeva Nanayakkara, visiting Sri Lankan Min-

ister of National Languages and Social Integration, by Houston’s leading immigration attorney George Willy and his wife Shanti Willy at their residence in Sugar Land on Thursday, October 9.

rently, there are 13 political parties in the government, “So we have internal conflicts and at the same time we are allied together under some basic objectives like national sovereignty and freedom, democratic principles to be

Read your community stories Online www.voiceofasiaonline.com Hon. Vasudeva Nanayakkara with George Willy, Nat Murthy and another guest.

On Oct 8, Nanayakkara, was a featured speaker at the Asia Society where he discussed the efforts being taken to reconcile the Tamil and Sinhalese communities in Sri Lanka. Known as the fire-brand of Sri Lankan left politics, Nanayakkara, 75, is a veteran politician and former presidential candidate in Sri Lanka. He graduated as an Attorney-at-law and was a practicing lawyer. He also has a degree in law from the University of Peradeniya.

Nanayakkara started his political career in the 1950s as an active member of the Samasamaja Youth Movement and soon became its leader. In 1970 he entered the Parliament for the first time representing the people of Kiriella.

Nanayakkara is the General Secretary of the Democratic Left Front. As Minister of National Languages and Social Integration in President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s coalition government, he is charged with the task of unifying Sri Lanka by winning the hearts and minds of diverse ethnic groups that are part of the population of the island on the basis of equality.

Speaking about 30 long years of conflict with the Tamils in Sri Lanka, where an estimated 80,000–100,000 people were killed during its course, Nanayakkara said, “We had a conflict and it is ended now. We have to go beyond and now it the question of finding a common ground between the Tamilians and the government.” He also mentioned that there were now about 3-4 Tamilians and Muslims serving in the cabinet. The government headed

by President Rajapaksa, he said was principally single majority government, a combined alliance of parties represented by minorities. Cur-

followed, of which we have different opinions of what it means” he said.

Still there is challenge to find a common ground between the Tamil National Movement and the government of Sri Lanka. “The gap between what the Tamils want as a minimum and what the government wants to give as a maximum is still to be settled and the gap to be filled,” the Minister stated in a brief conversation at the reception. “We are getting there with reconciliation but it is a large mountain that we have to climb. Thirty years of conflict and antagonism. We are yet in the foot hills of these mountains but events will decide how fast we will climb.”

Speaking of his visit here in Houston, Nanayakkara said he found it very useful “I learnt what Houston is – it is a lotus pond of diversity,” he said. About the talk at the Asia Society he said, “Basically I was able to represent Sri Lanka in a balanced way and give a very authentic picture of what’s going on,” he said. He was grateful for the opportunity which he said allowed him to further strengthen his position and also verify his convictions.

“I would have loved to have answered more questions but time was a constrained,” he said. Commenting on Sri Lanka’s relations with US and Europe, Nanayakkara said that they were prejudiced because Sri Lanka does not follow their neo-liberal ideals, “We follow non-align policy,” he said Nanayakkara told us he speaks Sinhalese, Hindi, English and partially Tamil. He was accompanied by his son Chiranjaya Nanayakkara, a Houston based attorney with George Willy’s law offices, and also his personal assistance from Sri Lanka.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 10

Magic Bus ...

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

VPSS hosts its 4th Annual Health Fair 2014

Continued from Page 1

Amit Bhandari, the president of the Houston chapter, took the stage and expressed delighted-disbelief on the tremendous support from the community as well as the Houston board (Gala Chair The Magic Bus logo Swatantra Jain, Co-chair Jugal its unique peer-driven methMalani, Dr. H D Patel, Dr. odology provided significant Sunita Moonat, Brij Kathu- results on retention and enria, Gopal Savjani and Mona rollment rate. Showcasing Parikh) that helped propel the individual human impact, Magic Bus onto the national Magic Bus alumni Parvati stage. The Honorable Mr. spoke in now fluent English on Pavathaneni Harish, Counsel how the program helped her General of India, commented escape living homelessly on on how the political landscape constructions sites as well as has shifted in India and that it a possibly tumultuous childwas in a unique crossroads for hood marriage, and drove her remarkable growth. to be the first college graduate Following the tremendous in her family. Highlighting energy of the room, keynote the grass-roots community speaker, Google Board Mem- nature of the program, Suryber and serial Venture Capi- akhant, a bubbly 20-year old talist, Ram Shriram emotion- who was mentored by Parvati, ally recalled his childhood in expresses a new found respect Chennai and how his uncle for women and bright career taught him a lifelong lesson aspirations. on how one should always Finally during a lively give back to others—he urged pledge drive and auction, an the captivated audience to do- astounding $353,690 was nate and help change the lives raised throughout the night of the children in the slums. and then generously matched Matthew Spacie, the found- by Ram, shattering the funder and CEO of Magic Bus and raising goals. The night was officially christened “Indian completed with an elegant guy” by Kevin, spoke of his dinner and Bollywood music time growing up in Mumbai that drew the crowd to their and how a simple game of feet. The resounding success rugby with neighborhood kids and incredible turnout for sparked the idea for Magic Magic Bus’s first gala galvaBus. He detailed the amazing nized the community to action progress and efficacy of the and will surely lead to other Magic Bus program and how future fundraising events.

making the Health Fair a signature event of the VPSS. He commended the efforts of Dr. Desai who took the Fair to whole different level.

To encourage visitors to attend as many booths as possible, this year a raffle was an added attraction for participant visiting atleast 50% of the booths. This was well received by the vendors as well as the attendees.

Dr. Desai, who also sits on Board of VPSS mentioned that it took them almost a year to put the Fair together. “VPSS is the whole sponsor and this is one of the service events we do every year. For the doctors it a great day out with the community some came out with their families and it a good way to network with other physicians by getting new referrals and patients. It is als a good way of giving back to the community,” Dr. Desai said.

Dr. Snehal Desai introduces sponsors Higginbotham reps Joe Bloodworth (2nd from lt) as Mr. Ramesh Parikh and another rep look on. Below are other sponsors.

Continued from Page 1 The mammogram was nominally charged to attendees as part of community service.

“We have by about 20% increase in volume and our sponsorship was also increased by 25%-30% with the major sponsor being Bay Area Medical Center,” Dr. Desai said. The Bay Area Regional Medical Center was the Gold Sponsor for the event and other major sponsors included CHI St. Luke’s Health, Kindred Hospital, Susan G

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Komen for the Cure, Houston Methodist Primary Care Group, Higginbotham, a leading company in the health care industry sponsored lunch for the serving medical professionals and vendors. Joe Blooworth, Associate, business insurance e gave a company overview and spoke about certain types of insurance protection for the medical professionals that are generally not provided unless asked for.

Ramesh Parikh, VPSS Chairman thanked the sponsors and volunteers for their support in

VOICE OF ASIA 11

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Diwali “The Festival of Lights” Come celebrate with us!

Thursday, October 23rd Schedule: 6:30 pm - Bhajans 7:00 pm - Lecture 7:45 pm - Candle Light Aarti 8:00 pm - Feast

Govardhan Puja Festival Friday, October 24th

Schedule: 4:30 pm - Mangala Aarti 6:30 pm - Bhajans 7:00 pm - Abhishek

7:30 pm - Lecture 8:15 pm - Maha Aarti & Annakut Darshan 8:30 pm - Feast

VOICE OF ASIA 13

LIFESTYLE

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

Vol. 27 No. 42 Friday, October 17, 2014 Section 2 Page 13

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

Well in the desert: a healthy soak in Saharan sands past is a road sign pointing towards Timbuktu, a mere 52 days away by camel.

tourist staple, but with the economy biting, industry workers had to look elsewhere to attract business.

Their way of life ended after Morocco became a French protectorate in 1912, with the development of mining in the region, the emergence of urban centres and demarcation of the nearby border with Algeria.

“People come for sand baths... and to taste the local dishes we make using medicinal plants and herbs,” said Sadoq, who also heads an association to promote tourism in the Sahara.

Once-nomadic tribes had to find a new livelihood, and turned to cultivating date palms and tourism in the second half of the past century.

Visitors in search of a cure do not come only from abroad: many Moroccans also firmly believe in the power of the desert.

A tourist takes a sand bath in the dunes of the Merzouga desert in Morocco on August 30, 2014 (AFP Photo/) A tourist takes a sand bath in the dunes of the Merzouga desert in southeastern Morocco on August 30, 2014 (AFP Photo/)

by Jalal AL MAKHFI

“I really feel much better, and each year I come back here to spend a week,” said sciatica sufferer Ali Kallamouche from the central town of Beni Mellal.

- Focus now on health A sand bath at Merzouga costs up to 10 euros ($13), and when “patients” shake off the sand they are wrapped in hot towels to avoid the shock of a sudden cooling of the body.

Many come not just for the cure but also for the breathtaking sunsets over Merzouga’s erg -- the shifting sand dunes 20 kilometres (12 miles) long, five kilometres wide and up to 150 metres (500 feet) high.

M

ERZOUGA, (AFP) - As the morning sun rises over the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi in the Sahara, men and women dig holes for tourists who want to bury themselves in the sand.

Camel safaris and stays in the desert under canvas with the region’s Berber and Arab tribes are still a

Decades ago, tribal nomads settled here, living a traditional desert existence that has now had to adapt to changing circumstance.

Tourism is a cornerstone of Morocco’s economy -- contributing 10 percent of gross domestic product.

According to market experts, it is also growing, thanks to the development of wellness tourism.

In September, Morocco hosted the Global Spa and Wellness Summit where industry experts said the sector expanded globally last year by 12.5 percent, generating almost $500 billion.

Morocco topped the Middle East and North Africa list in health tourism, with the industry growing more than 67 percent since 2007.

In Merzouga, more and more people are signing up for a hot sand soak at the height of summer and other businesses, including those rooted in the recent past, are thriving as a result.

Ali sells camel milk which he insists does wonders for diabetes, anaemia and digestive tract problems.

“People come from all over the world to Merzouga for sand baths, and that helps us promote other products,” he said.

The dunes of Merzouga tower over the small community in southeastern Morocco, where the Berber Ait Atta tribe now makes a brisk living from tourism.

The formerly nomadic tribesmen have for years been running hotels and restaurants in Merzouga, a key stop on the Moroccan tourist trail on the edge of a sea of sand dunes.

Now they’re even turning to the sands themselves to attract visitors.

For around 10 minutes visitors are buried neck-deep in the hot sand for therapy said to cure those who suffer from rheumatism, lumbago, polyarthritis and some skin disorders.

The therapy has the same effect as a

A tourist takes a sand bath in the dunes of the Merzouga desert in Morocco on August 30, 2014 (AFP Photo/)

sauna session, helping purge the body of poisonous toxins, according to those tribesmen such as Abdessalam Sadoq who now work in wellness tourism.

“We offer every type of tourism here, but especially for health,” he said.

Making a living was not always

easy for the descendants of the Ait Atta nomads, and over the decades the sons and daughters of those who roamed the desert on camels have had to attune themselves to more modern ways.

The Ait Atta once accumulated riches from trans-Saharan commerce, but now all that remains of this

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A tourist takes a sand bath in the dunes of the Merzouga desert in southeastern Morocco on August 30, 2014 (AFP Photo/)

LEISURE

VOICE OF ASIA 14

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

“Krishna, Love Re-Invented” - where dance crosses all barriers of race, religion and geography

A

fter Sangamam, Dashavatar, Go to your room, Mother, Bollywood Blast, and The Life of Gautama Buddha, Samskriti brings to Houston an unusual production from Malaysia Krishna, Love Re-invented by Ramli Ibrahim and the Sutra Dance Theatre. This presentation is a perfect example of ‘dance without borders’, where art transcends religion and dance becomes the language of the soul rather than the body.

Ramli Ibrahim is an international icon in the field of Odissi today, but his path was not so smooth in the beginning. A trained Ballet, Jazz and Modern Dance exponent who had performed professionally with the Sydney Ballet, Ramli fell in love with the symmetry and beauty of Indian classical dance, travelled to India, studied first Bharatanatyam and then Odissi, and soon became an expert at these dance forms too. Back in Malaysia he met with opposition because of his pursuit of “Hindu” dancing, but with unwavering dedication he continued his training, and upon his return, established his

mated best. The moods, feelings and emotions of this love affair, an embodiment of Rasa (highest emotional state) become a sublime allegory expressing and affirming the highest love the individual soul has for God, in this case, Krishna. Love is able to transcend man-made restrictive morality and finds itself ‘re-conceived’ and ‘re-invented’ to accommodate our real, imagined and fantasized desires with complete abandon.

dance company, Sutra Dance Theatre in 1983, to promote the cultural diversity and vibrancy of Malaysian dance to national and international audiences. His message to his detractors was clear – that the timeless stories of Indian mythology, as told through India’s ancient classical dance forms, are the highest form of art, and therefore meant to be shared and enjoyed by the world. This broad-minded and visionary Muslim choreographer has Hindu, Christian and Buddhist dancers in his ensemble, and they are Malay, Chinese and Indian. At a time when the world is being torn apart by religious strife, Ramli has proved that art can bring people together.

Ramli Ibrahim exemplifies the perfect artist – one who pursues art for art’s sake, and is fearless and relentless in his pursuit of it. Ramli and his Sutra Dance Theatre have transcended all barriers of religion, geography and language.

Malaysian dance group Sutra Dance Theatre, led by renowned dancer Ramli Ibrahim

Kabir sang the praises of Ram, Ramli (indeed his name has ‘Ram’ in it) sings a paean to the Pastoral God Krishna in his Krishna, Love Re-Invented, which embodies the human spirit

that has always celebrated love in its many forms. In Hinduism, Bhakti or devotion remains a central tenet of its teachings.

Hindu saints and poets have ex-

plored love’s profound effects on the soul through the stories of the gods. The Krishna-Gopis idyll has become the all time symbol of romantic love at its subli-

As Sutra’s Artistic Director, Ramli has choreographed stunning works and nurtured some of the brightest dance talents from Malaysia. Ramli has been instrumental in transforming the dance scenario in Malaysia by boldly charting new paths and has gained fame for singlehandedly establishing Odissi as a widely appreciated dance form in Malaysia. He is acknowledged as a ‘Living Heritage’ by the Government of Malaysia and is the recipient of the highest and most prestigious title of Datuk from the Prime Minister of Malaysia. He is presently Chairman of Sutra Foundation. Ramli Ibrahim besides an acknowledged dancer in Bharatanatyam and

Odissi in India itself, Ramli was formerly with the Sydney Dance Company and plays important role in the interface of Asian & Western dance in redefining modernity from an Asian perspective.

Samskriti is very proud and happy to present artist extraordinaire Ramli Ibrahim and his Sutra Dance Theatre in their first major performance in Houston.

Krishna, Love Re-invented will be presented at the Cullen Theater, Wortham Center (in the Downtown Theater District) at 5 PM on Sunday, October 26, 2014. Tickets are available at www.explorehouston.org/ ticketing, www.sulekha.com and 832 275 9658. This program is funded in part by grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts and the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, and generous donations from Schlumberger and Hindus of Greater Houston. Samskriti is very grateful to the Classical Arts Society of Houston, Asia Society Texas Center, Dance Source Houston, and Kalaangan School of Odissi Dance for their unstinted support for this event.

Australian author Richard Flanagan wins Man Booker Prize many years, I discovered it was also me.

“And so I am a child of the Death Railway. I am a writer.

And sometimes it falls to a writer to seek to communicate the incommunicable.”

Flanagan worked on the novel for 12 years, and his father died the day that it was finished.

- Criticism over US entries Richard Flanagan is the third Australian to win the Booker prize, after Thomas Keneally and Peter Carey. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

by Naomi O’LEARY

L

ONDON, October 14, 2014 (AFP) - Australian novelist Richard Flanagan won the Man Booker Prize on Tuesday for his book “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”, inspired by his father’s experience as a prisoner of war.

The book tells the story of Dorrigo Evans, a surgeon imprisoned in a Japanese work camp on the Thailand-Burma railway.

“The two great themes from the origin of literature are love and war: this is a magnificent novel of love and war,” said academic AC Grayling, who presented the award at a glitzy ceremony in London’s Guildhall.

“This is the book that Richard Flanagan was born to write.”

Flanagan, 53, is the third Australian to win the prize, which includes a trophy and an award of £50,000 ($80,000, 63,000 euros).

The author of “The Sound of One Hand Clapping” (1998) and “Wanting” (2008), Flanagan said the idea of the socalled “Death Railway” had influenced his life.

“As a child, my father taught me the Japanese words ‘san byaku san ju go’. It was his number, 335, that he answered to as a slave labourer of the Japanese on the Death Railway,” Flanagan said.

“It was, I guess, a strange mystery.

Occasionally I glimpsed what that enigma might be in laughter, a grimace, a hand momentarily tensing on my shoulder, or the recited lines of others. After

The Australian writer left school at 16, before later winning a scholarship to the University of Oxford in England, where he completed a Master of Letters degree and worked as a river guide. He initially wrote history books, before switching to fiction.

The two US authors listed for the first time after the award was expanded to allow American nominees -- Joshua Ferris for his tale of identity theft “To Rise Again at a Decent Hour” and Karen Joy Fowler’s for her family drama “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves” -- went home empty handed.

The Man Booker prize, which began in 1969, guarantees a huge upsurge in book sales and a worldwide readership, and being shortlisted is itself considered an accolade.

Previously, the award had been limited to the best original full-length novel written in English by a citizen of the Commonwealth, Ireland or Zimbabwe.

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Man Booker shortlisted authors (l-r): Ali Smith, Neel Mukherjee, Howard Jacobson, Karen Joy Fowler. Richard Flanagan and Joshua Ferris. AP Photo.

The favourite to win the prize had been Britain’s Indian-born Neel Mukherjee for his Calcutta-based family saga “The Lives of Others”.

Also shortlisted were Britain’s Ali Smith for an art novel “How to be Both”, while 2010 winner Howard Jacobson was also in the running with a dystopian work, “J”.

The decision to include US authors was criticised by some in the industry who said it would change the character of the awards.

“There was and there is a real Commonwealth culture. It’s different. America doesn’t really feel to be a part

of that,” past two-time winner Australian author Peter Carey, 71, told The Guardian newspaper.

ONLINE .COM voiceofasiaonline.com

VOICE OF ASIA 15

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Young Life

VOICE OF ASIA 16

Friday, October 17, 2014

Section 2

Page 16

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Tel: 713-774-5140

‘The Fez Project’ brings Pakistani women hope for change after Malala Nobel win classical strains to the youth

Mother and son team: Faizan Khan and Zila Khan Pakistani students arrive at their school in the hometown of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai in Mingora in northwestern Swat valley on October 11, 2014 (AFP Photo/A Majeed).

by Saad Khan

M

INGORA, (AFP) Saima Bibi was just 13 when she was married off to settle a debt of honour, a common custom in Pakistan’s northwest Swat Valley where Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai grew up.

A top student who got the highest marks in class, Bibi was forced to drop out of school and give up her dreams of an education.

Now aged 22, she says Malala has given her the “courage” to speak up to her husband and inlaws to try to go back to school, and is determined her four children will finish their studies.

“When Malala’s picture was being printed in the newspapers, everybody in my family used to say it’s a conspiracy against Islam.

But I liked her from the beginning,” she told AFP on a visit to the doctor in Mingora, Swat’s main town.

Though derided by some for sullying Pakistan’s reputation abroad, Malala’s award has been widely hailed by the country’s political leaders and the press.

Pakistani rights activist Malala Yousafzai poses for a photograph after addressing the media in Birmingham, central England on October 10, 2014 (AFP Photo/Oli Scarff).

“I was fond of studying but... there were no middle and secondary level schools for girls in my village,” the 21-year-old told AFP in Mingora, as she prepared dinner at home while her two children played on the floor.

“My family did not allow me to continue education with boys in higher classes,” she added.

Khan also said she was inspired

by Malala.

It has also cast a spotlight on the abysmal rates of educational enrolment and literacy for children, especially girls.

“She gave me courage to resume my studies and now I am planning to study privately... I will raise my voice for myself like Malala.”

While the 17-year-old campaigner was forced to leave her country after being shot in the head by Taliban gunmen two years ago, millions of other children miss out on schooling because they are more valuable to their families begging, working in fields, or married for dowry.

Official figures show 69 percent of boys and 44 percent of girls are enrolled in primary schools in Swat, figures that drop to just five and two percent by the time they pass middle school aged 14 and enter secondary education -- broadly mirroring national trends.

The Taliban razed hundreds of schools when they ruled Swat from 2007 to 2009 and while the militants have mostly been pushed back into hideouts in Pakistan’s tribal areas, problems remain.

Iffat Nasir, a senior education official, said the majority of girls dropped out around the age of 13 to get married, while it is difficult for students in rural areas to access education.

Some 25 million children aged from five to 16 in Pakistan are out of school, 14 million of them girls, according to Alif Ailaan, an education campaign group.

“There is poverty in the region, so the girls start embroidery and tailoring work after primary school,” she said.

- Ghost schools Sumera Khan said she too was forced to drop out after eighth grade -- not because of marriage but for a lack of schools where she grew up.

“Families also use them for domestic labour.”

Such issues are by no means restricted to Swat or the country’s Islamist insurgency-wracked northwest, with chronic underinvestment leading to around

7,000 “ghost schools” where the buildings stand but no classes are taught.

Classes may also not occur because of a lack of teachers.

- ‘My father backed me’ Girls who are able to overcome the odds are often reliant on a strong male figure, like Malala’s father Ziauddin Yousafzai, to battle hostility from within their family.

M

umbai, October 1, 2014 – Acclaimed Sufiana virtuoso Zila Khan, and the young Faizan Khan introduce a movement that promises to shed new light on classical and traditional sounds.

Classical music has always been an integral part of the socio-cultural fabric of India.

With a burgeoning young populace there is a need to re-connect the youth with the rich musical tapestry of the Indian fabric.

Although the current music landscape is dominated by Bollywood, EDM and Pop & Rock, it is indeed heartening to hear some popular Bollywood tracks feature powerful Classical backdrops.

This is where ‘The Fez Project’, comes in – the brainchild of Zila Khan – one of India’s most prolific Classical & Sufi singers, and her son Faizan Khan.

Beginning with an album of 12 songs, The Fez Project will be established as a long-term digital brand that will release periodic music videos and tracks in a season-wise format.

The objective of the project is to package and present Indian classical music in a way that the

youth will connect with, imbibe, experience and enjoy. This is a concerted effort to bring back an art form that is increasingly at odds against the cacophony of varied global and more commercial sounds. For a while now the youth has been either having a hard time understanding, or has just been shying away from their rich classical heritage.

“We aim to bring about a reconnection to our roots, particularly with regard to the youth”, said Zila Khan. “We plan to release music videos which merge classical music with genres popular today, like Beat-box, Electronic, Flamenco, etc. Tags like ‘remix’ & ‘fusion’ have become run of the mill and done-to-death. We have been careful to ensure that we don’t dilute the quality of the songs, and yet marry the two genres while keeping the essence and relevance of each intact”, she added.

“We have several music festivals & music channels in India which are thoroughly promoting Bollywood music and now Indie music which is brilliant, but unfortunately no one is making an effort to revive classical.

And digital media is one of the most effective ways to reach out

Fazeelat Akbar, a 32-year-old doctor, said she hoped Malala’s success would help more men change their minds.

“I forced my family to let me continue my education after high school. I was determined to continue my studies and luckily my father backed me,” she said.

Observers have hoped the goodwill surrounding Malala’s Nobel win can be leveraged to improve the fortunes of all school children, but many are pessimistic.

“I don’t think (the government) will have a wake-up call and go ‘Oh gosh Malala won the Nobel now we have to make this a priority,’” said feminist writer Bina Shah.

“They will say that ‘It is nice, we are proud of her’ and they are going to go back to doing the same thing.”

Back at the clinic, AFP asked Saima Bibi’s husband Javed Alam what he made of her plans to finish her schooling.

“I am thinking about it, and I will let her know,” he said.

to a large audience, especially the youth. It’s high time that Indian Classical Music utilizes the power of the web and makes its presence felt”, said Faizan Khan.

Watch out for weekly drops of each music video. The first video - ‘Chaap Tilak’, came out in September. Also listen for ‘Mai To Piya Se’, ‘Halka Halka Suroor Hai’ and more on each exciting drop. You can watch the videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube. com/zilakhan The Fez Project has plans in place to work with several upcoming names on the music landscape, and already generated preliminary interest from current industry stalwarts for planned collaborations. Talks are also on for concerts and road-shows as the next season takes shape.

The project has caught the eye of stars like Anupam Kher who has endorsed this movement through a video byte in which he has encouraged the youth to follow the project.

Music lovers can get your updates for each exciting release at our Facebook Page: https:// www.facebook.com/pages/ZilaKhan/558436667534460 & Twitter profile: @zilakhansufi.

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VOICE OF ASIA 17

BOLLYWOOD MASALA

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Friday, October 17, 2014

Section 2 Page 17

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Football: New Indian league brings glamour, scepticism

Tel: 713-774-5140

Karva Chauth celebrated Bollywood style

SL founding chairperson Nita Ambani with the trophy at the launch of the Indian Super League. Photo credit NDTV.

by Trudy HARRIS

K

OLKATA, October 10, 2014 (AFP) - With Bollywood stars, cricketing greats and a slick marketing campaign, India’s new football league is gunning to become the next big thing in sport.

Shilpa Shetty celebrate with husband.

But just days before Sunday’s kickoff in the eastern city of Kolkata, the Indian Super League (ISL), which has lured a host of former international stars, is facing scepticism.

Some question the calibre of the league’s top players, who include veterans like the controversial French striker Nicolas Anelka and ex-Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg.

Neeta Ambani wife of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries with Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor.

Others say the tournament cannot hope to gain traction in a cricket-obsessed country whose sporting authorities have long failed to cultivate passion for the “beautiful game”.

Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV is showing the tournament, which is also being backed by sports management giant IMG and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries.

“They are has-beens, definitely not at the pinnacle of their careers,” said Dave Chattaway from British-based Brand Finance, referring to the marquee players.

Owners and organisers are eyeing India’s 1.25 billion population, especially its rising middle class and huge numbers of youth, for a windfall in the long term.

Not only are they hoping crowds will flock to stadiums, but also buy merchandise and lure more sponsors.

“You can’t wheel out a well-known player for the last 20 minutes of a game and let them kick the ball a bit,” added Chattaway, who evaluates sports leagues worldwide.

“It has to be top-level sport, fiercely competitive, to attract the crowds,” he said, adding that he hoped the league would be a success.

Modelled on cricket’s glitzy Indian Premier League, the eight-team citybased franchises have famous frontmen, including former Italy great Alessandro Del Piero, 39, for the two-month long competition.

Co-owners include cricketing icon Sachin Tendukar, Bollywood A-listers Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, as well as Atletico Madrid of Spain’s La Liga.

Cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced this week he has also signed as a co-owner, because he wanted to help create “world-class football” in India.

- Room for football -

Although cricket dominates the back pages, the English Premier League and other football competitions in Europe are a major driver behind the growth of satellite TV here.

Former Manchester City and Sunderland boss Peter Reid, who is managing the Mumbai team, said the potential for football’s popularity in India was huge, pointing to the game’s growth in the US. “I know India’s a cricket-mad nation and so am I (cricket-mad), but there’s room for football as well without a doubt,” Reid told reporters last week.

Ljungberg, 37, who announced he was coming out of retirement to lace up for the Mumbai team, said he hoped to help cultivate the game at the grass roots level.

“How they sold it to me is that young children, they so much want to play football but at the same time it’s difficult to find facilities etc (in India),” said the

Swede.

The ISL cannot compete with the English Premiership for quality, “but we (will) try to play as good as we can,” said Ljungberg, who has also played in Japan’s J-League.

The format -- attracting Bollywood and cricket stars and marquee players -- has proved successful in the IPL and in home-grown sport kabaddi, and to a lesser extent India’s hockey league.

But some think the task this time around is much tougher. Passion for football has long existed in pockets of India, including in former Portuguese colony Goa, and domestic competitions have attracted some reasonable crowds.

On a visit to India in 2007, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said India was the sleeping giant of world football.

But India’s national side languishes in the world rankings at 158, below even war-torn Syria and Afghanistan, and few can name its captain.

- ‘We play cricket’ -

Karva Chauth: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jaya, Sridevi and Shilpa celebrate with husbands at the Bachchan residence.

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ike every year, Bollywood celebrities ringed in the Karva Chauth festival with much fanfare. Aishwarya Rai and Jaya Bachchan broke their fast after seeing the Moon on Saturday at Jalsa. Unlike last year, Aishwarya’s husband Abhishek was present for the occasion this time. Shweta Nanda, Anil Ambani and Tina Ambani too joined the Bachchans.

“While Jaya was seen wearing a modest, green salwar-kameez, Aishwarya drapeed a cream Abu JaniSandeep Khosla saree in Gujarati style. Shweta Nanda wore an anarkali suit with heavy Rajasthani gota work on it. Tina Ambani wore a simple orange and black outfit,” Bollywood Life reported.

Novy Kapadia, the country’s best known football writer, blamed a lack of funding for stadiums and training grounds, and for youth development to harness the sport’s potential.

Meanwhile, Boney-Sridevi Kapoor, Sanjay-Maheep Kapoor, Raj-Shilpa Kundra were invited over to Anil Kapoor’s residence on the occasion of Karva Chauth.

“There will be initial curiosity for sure (for the ISL) but whether that curiosity turns into popularity and can be sustained is the big question,” Kapadia told AFP.

Interestingly, Manyata Dutt, whose husband Sanjay Dutt has been locked up at the Yerawada jail, paid him a visit. “Accompanied by her lawyer, Maanayata spent 15 minutes with

Dutt, following which she left for Mumbai,” The Times of India reported.

Some stars also took to Twitter to convey their best wishes: “And as we turn the night to morning, wives turn on the morning light to fast and pray for their husbands..

It’s Karva Chauth now!!” – Amitabh Bachchan.

“Happy Karvachauth to all the ladies observing...My favorite festival.

Sacrificing for the one you love...

Looking at your chaand...God bless.”

– Priyanka Chopra “What is the English movie name for Karvachauth ‘Fast and Furious’... one day Fast 364 days Furious.” – Arshad Warsi.

“Karva chauth 2moro the ladies r getting mehendi done. Hate it when @TheShilpaShetty fasts as out of guilt I end up also fasting! :) 5th time.” - Raj Kundra.

“Happy Karvachauth to all the lovely ladies, happy fasting have a great day!” – Arpita Khan.

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HEALTHY LIVING HEALTH

VOICE OF ASIA 18

Friday, October 17, 2014

Section 2

Page 18

Email: editor@voiceofasiaonline.com

Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Southwest Significantly Reducing Radiation Exposure during Heart Procedures According to the AHA, the collective dose that patients received annually from ionizing radiation during medical tests increased among the general population an estimated 700 percent between 1980 and 2006.

HOUSTON (Oct. 9, 2014) – In an ongoing effort to reduce radiation exposure for cardiac patients, Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular InstituteSouthwest offers an alternative surgical treatment option for arrhythmia, or an irregular heart rhythm.

MediGuide™ technology is a 3-D visualization system that uses electromagnetic signals to see inside a patient’s body and track medical devices in real-time on pre-recorded fluoroscopy, which is a rapid series of X-ray images. Automatic adjustments are made to the previously recorded images to compensate for cardiac motion, respiratory changes, and patient movement.

“Similar to how drivers determine the location of their car on a map, this technology enables us to see and track the precise location and orientation of our tools within a patient,” said Electrophysiology Medical Director Sohail Jalal, M.D. at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular InstituteSouthwest. “The real advantage is that it helps us perform safer procedures by reducing radiation exposure for all involved.” Photo: Memorial Hermann The current standard practice for viewing devices in the heart uses live fluoroscopy, with an average exposure time of more than 10 minutes. Using prerecorded images, instead of live x-ray during a procedure, reduces a patient’s radiation exposure by 60 to 90 percent.

Recently, a patient at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Southwest received only 30 seconds of exposure time.

Worldwide, physicians perform several billion radiationbased imaging studies annually and approximately one-third

of these studies occur in cardiovascular patients. This has led to a dramatic increase in exposure to ionizing radiation, which studies show may elevate a person’s risk of developing cancer and present other health hazards.

gy has proven to be a great benefit for our patients,” said Jalal.

“Performing this type of heart procedure with 90 percent less fluoroscopy is another example of how our team makes every effort to provide high quality and safe patient care.”

According to the American Heart Association, the collective dose that patients received annually from ionizing radiation during medical tests increased among the general population an estimated 700 percent between 1980 and 2006.

One of only 256 hospitals recognized nationwide, Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Southwest recently received the American College of Cardiology’s 2014 NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG Platinum Performance Achievement Award.

“The MediGuide Technolo-

Learn the 4 Types of Breast Cancer Breast cancer is uncontrolled growth of cells in the breast. Statistics reveal one in eight women will develop breast cancer, and according to the American Cancer Society, if detected early, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent.

A malignant or harmful tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into surrounding tissues or spread to distant areas of the body.

Most breast cancers begin in the cells that line the ducts, which are the tiny tubes that carry milk from the lobules to the nipple. However, some breast cancers begin in the cells that line the lobules or milkproducing glands, while a small number start in other fatty and connective tissue surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels.

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your healthcare team will work to find out the specifics of your tumor. This is done by examining a tissue sample from a breast biopsy or using your tumor if you have already undergone surgery. This

information helps your doctor decide which treatment options are most appropriate for you.

The four type of breast cancer are: Ductal Carcinomas More than half of breast cancer tumors are ductal carcinomas, which start in the ducts that move milk from the breast to the nipple. Lobular carcinoma starts in the glands of the breast that produce milk. In rare cases, breast cancer occurs in other areas of the breast.

Estrogen Receptor (ER) Positive Breast Cancer Many breast cancers have estrogen receptors on the surface of their cells, and as a result are sensitive to the hormone estrogen. They are called estrogen receptor-positive cancer or ERpositive cancer.

Progesterone Receptor (PR) Positive Breast Cancer Other breast cancer cells have progesterone receptors on the surface of the cell making them sensitive to progesterone. These tumors are called PR-positive cancers

HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Some women have HER2positive breast cancer. HER2 is a gene that helps cells grow, divide and repair themselves.

When cancer cells have too many copies of this gene, they grow faster.

Tumor cells can be any combination of ER/PR and HER2 positive or ER/PR and HER2 negative with an excess of receptors on the cells’ surface.

With more than 15 locations offering mammograms in the

by Kerry SHERIDAN ASHINGTON, October 15, 2014 (AFP) A second health care worker in Texas tested positive for Ebola, US officials said Wednesday, as concerns mounted worldwide over the possibility that airplane travelers could be exposed to the virus.

US President Barack Obama canceled a campaign trip to the

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greater Houston area, including nine luxury Breast Care Centers, Memorial Hermann is dedicated to providing the best technology available with skilled radiologists, surgeons, oncologists, and nurses, in a warm, healing environment to give you the best breast care experience available.

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Second US Ebola case as concerns mount over air travel

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What You Need to Know About Medicare Open Enrollment

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our once-a-year chance to change your drug coverage or switch plans has begun.

Here’s what to expect.

Medicare beneficiaries who want to make changes to their prescription drug plans or Medicare Advantage coverage can do so starting Oct. 15 during the Medicare’s program’s annual open enrollment period. There will be somewhat fewer plans to pick from this year, but in general people will have plenty of options, experts say.

Last year, the hospital became the first in Texas, and remains the only one in Houston, to employ St. Jude Medical’s MediGuide™ Technology - a device that uses global positioning system-like technology to guide heart catheters inside the body.

“Similar to how drivers determine the location of their car on a map, this technology enables us to see and track the precise location and orientation of our tools within a patient,” said Electrophysiology Medical Director Sohail Jalal, M.D. at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Southwest.

“The real advantage is that it helps us perform safer procedures by reducing radiation exposure for all involved.”

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US Northeast, instead convening a meeting of his Ebola response team at the White House.

Earlier, he had been due to hold a videoconference with leaders from Britain, France, Germany and Italy to discuss the latest on the epidemic, which has spilled into the United States and Europe and sparked panic across the globe.

The hemorrhagic virus has killed more than 4,400 people in West Africa since the start of the year, and the UN health agency has warned of the potential for a steep rise in infections in the coming months.

Airports in Britain, Canada and the United States have introduced stepped-up screening of travelers arriving from West Africa, where the disease has ravaged Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

But the European Union stopped short of recommending full continent-wide screening, suggesting instead that member states give medical information at airports to travelers from Ebola-hit countries.

Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert for all passengers who traveled on an October 13 flight from Cleveland, Ohio to Texas, seeking to interview 132 people who flew on a plane with an Ebola-infected health care worker who had not yet become symptomatic.

The woman was isolated at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas late Tuesday with a fever, and the crew on the flight said she had not been symptomatic when she flew a day earlier.

Ebola is only transmitted by close contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms such as fever, diarrhea or vomiting.

And although premiums aren’t expected to rise markedly overall in 2015—and in some cases may actually decline—some individual plans have signaled significantly higher rates. Rather than rely on the sticker price of a plan alone, it’s critical that beneficiaries compare the available options in their area to make sure they’re in the plan that covers the drugs and doctors they need at the best price.

The annual open enrollment period is also a once-a-year opportunity to switch to a private Medicare Advantage plan from the traditional Medicare fee-forservice plan or vice versa. Open enrollment ends Dec. 7.

Although the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released some specifics about 2015 premiums and plans, many details about provider networks, drug formularies and the like won’t be available until later this fall. Here’s what we know so far: Standalone Prescription Drug Plans The number of Part D standalone prescription drug plans (PDPs) will drop 14%, to 1001 plans. This is the smallest number of offerings since the Medicare Part D program began in 2006.

Even so, “seniors across the country will still have a choice of at least two dozen plans in their area,” says Tricia Neuman, director of the Program on Medicare Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

The drug plan consolidations that are driving the reductions in choices will likely shift many beneficiaries into lower cost plans, resulting in an average premium decline of 2%, to $38.95, according to an analysis by Avalere Health.

But that overall average premium obscures significant price hikes by some of the biggest plans. The average premium for the WellCare Classic plan, for ex-

“Individuals who are determined to be at any potential risk will be actively monitored,” the CDC said.

- Second US infection The second person infected with Ebola on US soil was, like the first, a hospital caregiver for a Liberian Ebola patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, who died in Dallas on October 8.

The first such case was announced Sunday, that of 26year-old nurse Nina Pham, who is currently in good condition in hospital.

The CDC is monitoring 75 more health care workers at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital for signs of Ebola.

“It may get worse before it gets better, but it will get better,” Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told a press conference.

Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called the second infection “unacceptable.”

The worst Ebola outbreak on record has so far claimed 4,447 lives, out of 8,914 recorded cases since the start of the year, most of them in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

“Ebola got a head start on us,” Anthony Banbury, head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, told the United Nations Security Council by remote link from Ghana Tuesday.

“It is far ahead of us, it is running faster than us, and it is winning the race,” he said. “We either stop Ebola now or we face an entirely unprecedented situation for which we do not have a plan.”

The World Health Organization also warned that the infection rate could reach 10,000 a week in

Sudhir Mathuria Contact: Sudhir Mathuria Licensed Professional Health Life 360 6650 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900 www.MyMedicarePlanning.com ample, will increase 52% in 2015, to $31.46, while the Humana Walmart RxPlan premium will rise 24%, to $15.67, according to Avalere.

Insurers are expected to continue to shift more costs to beneficiaries next year. The percentage of PDP plans with no deductible will decline to 42% from 47%, and, once again, about three quarters of plans won’t offer any coverage in the “donut hole”— the coverage gap in which beneficiaries are responsible for shouldering a greater share of their drug costs.

Underscoring the importance of evaluating plan options, 70% of standalone drug plan members will likely see their premiums increase if they stick with the same plans in 2015, says Ross Blair, senior vice president for eHealthMedicare.com, an online vendor.

Seniors, though, have historically not voluntarily switched plans in great numbers during annual enrollment. Between 2006 and 2010, on average only 13% did so, according to a 2013 analysis by researchers at Georgetown University, KFF and the University of Chicago.

Medicare Advantage Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans continues to grow: 30% of Medicare beneficiaries are now in the private plans, which typically are managed care plans that often provide additional benefits such as vision and dental coverage. Concerns that Medicare Advantage plans would disappear in large numbers as the health law gradually reduces their payments to bring them in line with the traditional Medicare program have proven unfounded to date.

To select right 2015 Medicare plan for you contact Sudhir Mathuria for your Health and Wealth Planning at 713-771-2900.

a worst-case scenario by the first week of December.

- ‘Hellish situation’ Liberian health workers late Tuesday ended a two-day strike to secure risk pay for Ebola, saying they put their country’s needs first following global appeals to end the protest.

Ninety-five Liberian health workers have died so far in the epidemic and their colleagues were seeking compensation for the risk of dealing with Ebola, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids and for which there is no vaccine or widely available treatment.

In the capital Monrovia, a hospital patient described scenes of desolation on local radio, with sick people climbing over a fence to escape after being deserted by striking staffers.

“One of our colleagues died because he was bitten by a patient,” said Alphonso Wesseh, a health worker who joined the strike.

“We are in a hellish situation.”

Liberia’s presidency said that the United States was set to give the country $5 million to pay health care workers.

CDC director Thomas Frieden said this week that a “breach in protocol” led to Pham’s infection.

US nurses have complained they were given little guidance on how to handle an Ebola case.

In Spain, 44-year-old nurse Teresa Romero -- thought to have caught Ebola while treating an elderly missionary infected in Sierra Leone -- was said to be in stable condition.

In Germany, however, a 56year-old Sudanese doctor who had worked as a UN volunteer in Liberia died of Ebola late Monday.

VOICE OF ASIA 19

HEALTH, SC & TECH

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Humans may only survive Embryonic stem cells clear key hurdle in eye trial 68 days on Mars: study

by Fabienne FAUR

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ASHINGTON, October 14, 2014 (AFP) - Space enthusiasts planning a move to Mars may have to wait to relocate: conditions on the Red Planet are such that humans would likely begin dying within 68 days, a new study says.

Oxygen levels would start to deplete after about two months and scientists said new technologies are required before humans can permanently settle on Mars, according to the study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The five-person team used data from Mars One, a Dutch-based non-profit group behind an audacious project to permanently colonize the Red Planet starting in 2024.

A shortlist of more than 1,000 people from an initial pool of 200,000 applicants will be whittled down to 24 for the mission -- an irreversible move to Mars, which is to be partially funded by a reality television show about the endeavor.

But conditions on Mars -- and the limits of human technology -- could make the mission impossible, for now at least.

“The first crew fatality would occur approximately 68 days into the mission,” according to the 35-page report, which analyzed mathematical formulas on oxygen, food and technology required for the project.

Plants required to feed the space colony would produce “unsafe” amounts of oxygen, the authors said.

“Some form of oxygen removal system is required, a technology that has not yet been developed for space flight,” the study concluded.

Shipping in replacement parts is an additional challenge and will likely boost the cost of the mission, which the researchers estimated to be at least $4.5 billion.

Mars One co-founder and CEO Bas Lansdorp agreed that sending spare parts to Mars could pose a problem.

“The major challenge of Mars One is keeping everything up and running,” he told Popular Science magazine.

But he claimed the researchers used incomplete data, adding that technology for Mars colonization was nearly ready.

“While oxygen removal has never been done in space, I disagree that the technology is not mostly ready to go to Mars,”

Lansdorp told AFP. “Of course, the actual apparatus that we will take to Mars still needs to be designed and tested extensively, but the technology is already there.”

Many people have voiced doubts about the mission, though the project has won support from Gerard ‘t Hooft, the Dutch 1999 Nobel Physics prize winner.

The Red Planet lies at least 55 million kilometers (34 million miles) from Earth and it would take a minimum of seven months to get there.

Last June, the entertainment company Endemol, a major reality television producer, agreed to film the participants as they prepared for the move to Mars.

Google Launches “Sameday Delivery” Subscription Service for $95/year What once was known as Google Shopping Express now has a new name: Google Express.

The service provides same-day (or next day) delivery of everyday items from stores in your area.

In addition to the name change, Google is also providing a yearly membership for heavy users of Google Express. In a clear shot at Amazon Prime — which now costs $99/year — Google Express will be offered for $95/year. The yearly membership fee will give you free same-day or overnight delivery on all “eligible” orders of $15 or more. Subscribers will also receive priority access to available delivery windows and can share the membership with one additional household member.

If you don’t want to pay the $95/year, you can also choose to pay $10/month (this would be handy, for example, if you just wanted to use the service around the holidays for gift buying) or

you can just pay the flat $4.99 per order.

Google also hopes to entice new users of the service with a free three-month trial.

Google has partnered with nearly 40 merchants (16 have been added within the past month) to ensure that just about all of your shopping needs are satisfied without even having to leave the comfort of your home.

However, despite the fact that the folks from Mountain View would like to see Google Express as a clear winner over Amazon Prime and Amazon Local Express Delivery, the service is only available in a handful of metropolitan areas across the U.S. (Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, NYC, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C.) and only reaches 7 million people for same-day service and 12 million for next-day service.

Source: Google

by Richard INGHAM

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ARIS, October 14, 2014 (AFP) - Embryonic stem cells transplanted into 18 patients with deteriorating eyesight restored some vision in more than half the volunteers, the longest study into the fledgling technology reported Tuesday.

Stem cells derived from embryos “could provide a potentially safe new source of cells for the treatment of various unmet medical disorders requiring tissue repair or replacement,” its authors said.

The study marks a new chapter in the long story of embryonic stem cells, which after their discovery in the 1990s were hailed as a miracle cure but then ran into problems.

Published in The Lancet, the paper looked at a US trial of stem cells among 18 patients suffering from two tragic, degenerative diseases of the retina.

Nine had a condition called Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, a leading cause of juvenile blindness, and nine had dry atrophic age-related macular degeneration, which occurs among the middle-aged and elderly.

There is no conventional treatment for either condition, which eventually leads to complete blindness as the retina’s light-receiving cells die out.

The participants were injected with one of three different doses of retinal cells derived from early-stage embryos -- 50,000, 100,000 or 150,000 cells.

The transplants were placed in a space under the retina of the worst-affected eye.

The patients were monitored for up to 37 months, for an average of 22 months.

Out of the 18 treated eyes, 10 showed substantial improvements in vision, as measured by the ability to read letters on a board. Of these, eight patients were able to read 15 additional letters in the first year after transplant.

In seven other patients, vision in the treated eye remained stable or improved.

But in one patient, vision decreased, falling back by more than 10 letters -- though the study did not clarify whether this was the expected degeneration associated with the disease’s progression.

Untreated eyes did not show any improvement, thus pointing to the apparent benefit of the transplant, the researchers said.

And there were no side-effects or evidence of rejection.

The investigation is the first to give a longer-term validation to embryonic stem cells.

Extraordinarily versatile, embryonic stem cells can differentiate into any tissue of the body -- an ability that has thrown up tantalising hopes of using them to replace tissue lost through disease, accident or war.

- Rewards and hurdles But scientists have had to face two major obstacles.

One is that donated stem cells, provoking an immune response, can be rejected by the body or cause cancer.

The eye is considered a promising site for transplants as it is located at a shield called the blood-ocular barrier where there is not a strong immune

response.

The other is ethical, with some arguing that an embryo is a human life.

The study was led by Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer at a Massachusetts biotech firm, Advanced Cell Technology Inc. The Lancet is a peerreviewed journal, meaning that studies are scrutinised by outside specialists before they are published.

In a comment carried by The Lancet, Anthony Atala, an expert in regenerative medicine at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina, hailed the work as a “major accomplishment”.

The next step should be to fine-tune the dosage, to see whether bigger transplants make a greater difference to vision.

Embryonic stem cells have been joined in clinical trials by induced pluripotent stem cells, called iPS. These are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to a youthful, versatile state. Their perceived advantage is that they are less likely to be rejected, as the cells can be derived from the patient himself rather than from a donor, and do not carry the moral baggage of embryonic stem cells.

In September, Japanese researchers carried out the world’s first iPS implant into a woman in her 70s with macular degeneration. The trial will be conducted on five other patients.

“Much work remains before (embryonic stem cells) and induced pluripotent stem cell therapies go beyond regulatory trials, but the path is now set in motion,” Atala said.

VOICE OF ASIA 20

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Friday, October 17, 2014

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Bank of America reports $70 Whole Foods now shows which mln loss on huge legal charge foods ‘responsibly grown’ NEW YORK , (AFP) - Bank of America reported a $70 million third-quarter loss Wednesday following a $5.3 billion charge to settle mortgage securities litigation.

The loss compared with earnings of $1.5 billion last year.

The bank also had a loss in the first quarter of 2014 due to hefty legal costs stemming from the financial crisis.

Despite the loss, BofA, the second-largest US bank by assets after JPMorgan Chase, notched earnings gains in four of five operating divisions.

Consumer and business bank-

ing profits rose on higher credit card issuance, larger deposits and a lower provision in case of credit losses.

Profits in global markets came in at $769 million compared with a loss of $875 million last year.

BofA cited increased trading activity due to greater volatility in the foreign exchange market.

Profits in global banking and global wealth also rose compared with the year-ago period.

Consumer real estate was the lone division with weaker performance -- a loss of $5.2 billion -- due to the mortgage-securities settlement.

“We saw solid customer and client activity and improved profitability in most of our businesses relative to the year-ago quarter,” said BofA chief executive Brian Moynihan.

BofA’s results translated into a loss of one cent per share compared with analyst forecasts for a loss of nine cents per share.

Revenues dipped to $21.43 billion from $21.74 billion a year ago and slightly above the $21.36 billion projected by analysts.

BofA shares advanced 0.9 percent to $16.66 in pre-market trade.

HBO stand-alone streaming service coming in 2015 NEW YORK, October 15, 2014 (AFP) - US media giant Time Warner said Wednesday it would launch a stand-alone HBO streaming service from next year, offering viewers without cable subscription hit shows like “Game of Thrones” and “Girls.”

The move allows HBO, also known for shows like “Sex and the City” and “The Wire” to enter the streaming-only video market dominated by Netflix.

HBO chief Richard Plepler told an investor meeting that the new service would be aimed at consumers without a cable or satellite subscription, who have not been able to watch the premium channel until now.

Plepler said the move would be “transformative for our company” by delivering the HBO service directly to consumers .

“Currently there are 10 million broadband-only homes in the US,” Plepler said.

“That number is expected to grow. Of today’s 10 million, about half subscribe to a streaming service. These consumers have no access to HBO. That is a large and growing opportunity, that should no longer be left untapped.”

Consumers currently can access HBO online through a service called HBO Go, but a subscription through cable or satellite is needed.

Plepler offered no details on a specific launch date in 2015 or fees for the new service.

He said “we will work with our current partners and we will explore models with new partners” in an effort to reach the 80 million homes which do not currently have HBO. HBO would offer consumers a streaming video service similar to that of Netflix, Amazon or

Hulu, but with a large amount of original content -- something the others have only recently begun to produce.

The new service specifically targets “cord cutters” who have been dropping costly cable subscriptions and other consumers who rely on streaming video.

Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said that for cable and satellite television providers which offer bundles and packages that include HBO, this news means “their worst fears have come true.”

“This move by HBO was inevitable from the moment that people started streaming TV shows online,” McQuivey said.

“HBO has some of the most prized content on the TV screen and it appeals strongly to the young, affluent, educated demographic that is most likely to cut the cable cord in the next five to 10 years.”

The new rankings for flowers and produce began Wednesday and take into account pesticide, water and energy use. Not all of what Whole Foods sells will qualify. The change aims to empower consumers.

by Candice Choi EW YORK (AP) – Whole Foods plans to start rolling out a system that ranks fruits and vegetables as “good,” “better” or “best,” based on the supplier’s farming practices.

Most notably, the supermarket chain says its “responsibly grown” labeling system for produce and flowers will prohibit the use of several common pesticides. The rankings will also take into account factors such as water and energy use.

The program will start appearing in the nearly 400 Whole Foods stores in the U.S. and Canada starting today, with the rankings being noted on signs where prices are listed. Not all produce and flowers that Whole Foods sells will qualify.

The standards were developed

by Whole Foods and are not an official government designation.

Whole Foods is trying to draw a sharper distinction between itself and its competitors, in part by making shoppers feel more empowered about their purchasing decisions. The grocery chain already has ranking systems for meat and seafood, which takes into account animal welfare and sustainability standards, respectively.

Whole Foods, based in Austin, Texas, has nevertheless seen its sales growth slow as traditional supermarket chains and big-box retailers have muscled in on the market for organic and natural products. To hold onto customers, executives have said they plan to more clearly state what makes Whole Foods stores different.

Matt Rogers, global produce coordinator for Whole Foods, said the “responsibly grown” program is major push toward eliminating the use of certain

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(Photo: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Tribune News Service ) pesticides that studies have indicated can be harmful to farm workers and children born to mothers exposed to them.

Although organic standards prohibit a more comprehensive list of pesticides, he said the “responsibly grown” program could encourage non-organic producers to stop using some pesticides.

He also noted it’s intended to address other factors people care about, such as water use.

The program shouldn’t result in higher prices for shoppers, but Rogers said such labeling typically helps boost sales because people feel better about what they’re buying.

Kari Hamerschlag of Friends of the Earth, an environmental advocacy group, applauded Whole Foods for prohibiting a fairly comprehensive list of pesticides to qualify for its rankings.

To achieve the “best” rating, however, she noted only four of the seven major pesticides shown to be harmful to bee populations were prohibited.

Information about what the rankings signify will be available online and in brochures in stores.

To achieve a “good” rating, Whole Foods says suppliers also have to take 16 steps to “protect the air, soil, water and human health.” The steps vary in difficultly, however. For instance, the first is that the supplier meets regulations regarding matters such as irrigation.

Michele Simon, a public health lawyer and author of “Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back,” said private retailers can play an important role in pushing suppliers toward better practices.

But she noted that such rankings by companies can also lead to consumer confusion if not done properly, especially if there isn’t transparency behind how they’re determined.

Whole Foods said suppliers will submit compliance information through an internal website.

If the applications raise any red flags, the company may ask for more documentation or perform on-site audits. Whole Foods declined to provide a comprehensive list of additional steps suppliers would have to take to qualify for the “better” and “best” rankings.

BUSINESS

VOICE OF ASIA 21

Harinath Medi earns National Luxury Home Designation Luxury Home Council, Inc. The Accredited Luxury Home specialist (ALHS) Logo is testimony to the agent’s training and expertise in the luxury home marketplace. To display the ALHS logo and be accepted into the Luxury Home Council, each member must successfully complete the Accredited Luxury home Specialist Course, meet minimum sale requirements and the agent must be in good standing with the National Association of Home Builders.

Harinath Medi

H

OUSTON, TX – October 10, 2014- Harinath Medi, Real Estate agent with Luxury Home council, Inc. in Houston was recently awarded the Accredited Luxury Home Specialist (ALHS) Designation from the

Mr. Medi joins an Elite Membership of top real estate agents throughout the United States and Canada. Members strive to provide exceptional service to affluent clients through rigorous education focusing on the luxury Home Market and their understanding of the special demands of affluent buyers and sellers.

Mr. Medi has been very active in the community rendering community service activities.

He is the past President of ICC (India Culture Center), And also the President and the Chairman of South Asian Chamber of Commerce. He is one of the Founding Trustees of Indo American Chamber Of Commerce.

Presently, he is the President of Osmania University Alumni association of America. At this capacity, Mr. Medi is engaged in the fund raising activities for some projects for his Alama Mater Osmania University In Hyderabad, India.

For more information, please contact Harinath Medi at 281498-4300 or The Luxury Home Council at www.LuxuryHomeCouncil.com

First-Time Home Buyers Get a Boost From HAWK

F

irst-time home buyers may benefit from a new program from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In order to make its loans more accessible to U.S. home buyers, HUD has introduced a new FHA program: Homeowners Armed with Knowledge (HAWK).

The HAWK program, which is slated to start October, 2014, will offer incentives to first-time buyers who participate in home counseling and financial education classes. Counseling classes will be taught by agencies approved

by HUD. The formal classroom sessions will focus on helping participants overcome obstacles to buying their first home.

There will be fees for the counseling, which could be paid by the counseling clients themselves, as well as by FHA approved lenders and governmental sources. The National Association of Realtors has expressed concern that the fees might be too high for some

clients.

According to the FHA, first-time home buyers who participate in counseling are 30 percent less likely to default or have delinquencies than those who do not undergo counseling. By reducing delinquency numbers, the FHA hopes to rebuild its reserves and potentially lower mortgage insurance premiums (MIPs) for all FHA borrowers.

Under the program, borrowers who take six-hour counseling classes before contracting to buy, and complete one additional hour of counseling before finalizing their purchase, can earn a 50 basis-point reduction in upfront MIPs when obtaining FHA mortgages, plus a 10 basis-point reduction in their annual premiums. Upfront MIP is 1.75 percent

of the total loan amount, while annual monthly premium costs are 1.35 percent.

Homeowners, who complete both counseling sessions, as well as an individual post-purchase session, and who, within the first 18 months of their loan, avoid a 90-day delinquency, will earn an extra 15 basis-point reduction in their FHA insurance premiums.

Borrowers who participate in the HAWK program can save an average of $325 per year or nearly $10,000 over the duration of the loan.

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

MassMutual Honors Diwali and Business Tradition of Chopda Pujan No-Cost Seminars Help Business Owners Secure Their Futures and Protect the Next Generation

S

PRINGFIELD, MASS., OCT. XX, 2014-- Almost three million Asian Indians in the United States are preparing to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, on Oct. 23. For the more than 300,000 AsianIndian owned firms* in the U.S., the holiday takes on an added dimension, as the celebration marks the beginning of a new business year. To help business owners prepare for the New Year ahead, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) is offering a series of free, no-obligation business seminars in five cities across the country this Diwali.

In a special Diwali ritual for businesses known as Chopda Pujan, new account books are opened and blessed. Business owners use this time to reflect on the past year while looking ahead to new opportunities for prosperity and wealth. It is said the goddess of wealth, known as Lakshmi, visits the homes of devotees on this day, and lamps light the way to welcome her.

A MassMutual study** found that although 77 percent of Asian Indian business owners believe financial planning for their business is very important, only 43 percent are concerned about who will run their businesses if they or another owner leaves, becomes disabled or dies; only 46 percent have a formal retirement plan.

“Entrepreneurial businesses are vital to our growing economic recovery, so it is concerning that so many business owners seem to be sacrificing their own and their family’s financial future,” says Nimesh Trivedi, Asian-Indian Market lead at MassMutual. “With help,

business owners can look past the seemingly overwhelming day-to-day demands of running their businesses and establish and meet their longterm financial goals.”

To help Asian Indian business owners open their new books this Diwali and plan for a prosperous new year, MassMutual is offering a series of free video-based seminars featuring stories shared by real business owners. The vignettes explore critical business planning topics, such as passing ownership on from one generation to the next, preparing for the unexpected, the death of an owner, retaining key employees, and proper estate and retirement planning.

Seminars addressing these topics critical to Asian Indian business owners will be presented in the following cities across the country this Diwali: • Houston, Oct. 14 • Atlanta: Oct. 18 • San Jose, Calif.: Oct. 24 • Edison, N.J.: Oct. 29 • Chicago: Nov. 6 For more information on the multi-city business owner seminar tour, contact Nimesh Trivedi, 413.744.1244. For more information on planning for your businesses’ and families’ financial futures, visit massmutual.com/asianindian or view a video at [hyperlink]. *2007 Survey of Business Owners Summaries of Findings, U.S. Census Bureau.

This information is the most current data available. **MassMutual’s Business Owner Perspectives: 2011 Insights in an Uncertain Economy, conducted by GfK Custom Research North America for Massachusetts

Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), 2011.

About MassMutual Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. The company has a long history of financial strength and strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policyowners consistently since the 1860s.

With whole life insurance as its foundation, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial needs of clients, such as life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement/401(k) plan services, and annuities. In addition, the company’s strong and growing network of financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions for the long-term.

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives.

MassMutual is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com or find MassMutual on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest.

CRN201610-187217

HOROSCOPE

VOICE OF ASIA 22

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Your Horoscope for the Week of October 17, 2014

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

READ YOUR COMPLETE HOROSCOPE ONLINE WWW.VOICEOFASIAONLINE.COM

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 Oct

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 April 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. Then you’re free to go on your way, unfettered and clear of resentments. You should have good luck selling or purchasing property.

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.

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

Scorpio (N,Y)23 Oct to 21 Nov

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.

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.

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

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 June 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. Look for humor everywhere, especially in those who are closest to you.

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.

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.

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. Start projects that bring more beauty into your home and lifestyle.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 Jan

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 July

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 August

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

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. Do yourself and others a big favor by investing in some background checks & research.

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

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

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 September 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. Try to see external events as a mirror for your own growth. Learn to be more flexible in your own patterns.

QR

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. You may be called to distant shores. If you feel an urge to travel, contact someone at a distance or follow your impulses about international projects.

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M.D. Associates LLP A full service CPA firm

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Faith & Worship Houston Tamil Church (.org)

• Welcome to our Sunday Worship Service @ 10 AM • Bible Study / Sunday School @ 9 AM • VBS Classes August 13, 14, and 15.

Rev. Duraimony Dickson • (281)208-8924

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Computer Services Computer Repair & Networking: Microsoft MCSE & A+ certified, low flat rates, free estimates, pickup & delivery; Web Design & Online Marketing: Increase your sales by search engine optimization. Certified in Yahoo & Google Adwords, PCNetworkGuru.com, Call Amit at 832-971-6807

Education Phoenix School of Holistic Health and Massage • Study holistic healing and receive a Texas License in Therapeutic Massage (LMT) • Join these fascinating classes and de-stress as you learn.

Quality Education in the Healing Arts:

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Residential & Commercial Free estimates on Residential Repairs & New Equipment replacement Call Saji Mathew Ph: 832.633.4347

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• 2514 Times Blvd. Rice Village, Ph: 713-523-4753 • 2130 Lone Star Dr. Sugar Land, Ph: 281-494-2981

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CLASSIFIEDS

VOICE OF ASIA 23

HINDI PRARTHANA

Bargain Sale $210,000 •Fully Furnished • 3 Bedroom • 2 Bath

Do you need PRAYER? Do you need a MIRACLE in your life?

Can we pray for the CHILDLESS couple?

Year Built 2005 Ready for Immediate Move-in

• Fully furnished, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, large living room, with patio and balcony outside with Covered Car Parking area.

2 Split A/C, Refrigerator, Microwave Oven included with sale of this home. Built in 2005.

C25 Saptagiri Duplex, (Opp hotel Taj Residency) Akota Road, Baroda 390020 Call 832-434-1422 for more details!

Contact Us 832-773-4457 today!

Read Voice of Asia for Community News

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014

Non-Linear News Editor (Part Time) KTRK-TV, and ABC owned station in Houston, TX has an opening for part time NonLinear News Editors. Candidates should have experience in editing on non-linear systems as well as knowledge of the Digital Newsroom and understanding of the digital workflow for broadcast news, in a deadline intensive environment. Serious candidates should also have a working knowledge of a server based digital media workflow.

Candidates should be able to edit in deadline situations, be creative, precise and be able to work fast. You must be able to take direction, and be a “Team Player” who is not afraid of an intense news environment. Hours will vary depending on the needs of the department, so flexibility to work a varied schedule is required. Candidates must apply on-line at www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume file, cover letter and list of references. Interested applicants should also send video tape sample of your work to: Human Resources, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005. Please Reference Job ID: 218783BR on all materials submitted. Equal Opportunity Employer – Female/ Minority/ Veteran/ Disability. No Telephone Calls.

Part Time Accountant

Office Executive Wanted

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

• Must have good working knowledge of Quickbooks and Excel.

• Experience in generating financial reports & bookkeeping.

• Other duties as assigned.

An established Private School in Sugar Land Area needs a reliable “Office Executive “ having basic knowledge of computers (Microsoft Excel ,Internet/Google etc.),experienced in book-keeping & management of multi-locations.

Good compensation for an experienced person

To apply please email your resume to:

princeville.investments@gmail.com

Visit us on www.VoiceofAsiaOnline.com

(Please indicate in the subject line: “Accounting Position”)

Please apply by sending your Resume to schooljobs@earthlink.net

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month We would like you to participate!

VOICE OF ASIA www.voiceofasiaonline.com

Voice of Asia is dedicating each issue in October for Breast Cancer Awareness. Send in your tributes to loved ones you lost to Cancer, share your personal stories of challenges and success, stories of how you or your loved one conquered cancer.

Will be celebrating Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Prakash Purab (Birth Anniversary) by releasing a Special Supplement in His honor

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VOICE OF ASIA 24

FRIDAY, October 17, 2014