NEW YORK EDITIONVol.5 No. 12 July 7-13, 2012 60 Cents Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.infoSports 32 Bollywood 33 Humor 34 Spiritual Awareness 36NEW YORK EDITIONHillary apologizes toPakistan, supplyroutes reopenSubcontinent,Page 30India and UnitedStates: Closer than everA taste of Indiansummer inAmerican capitalVox populi: SouthAsians on adoptingUS citizenshipSpecial I DaySection, Page 26 Vol.5 No. 12 July 7-13, 2012 60 Cents Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.infoUS celebrates 236th birthday withspectacle and sentimentsNew York: From New York to Nevada and fromAlaska to Hawaii, Americans celebrated the 236thanniversary of the Declaration of Independence fromthe British with parades, concerts and cookouts lead-ing up to nighttime fireworks, led by Macys spectacu-lar show on the Hudson.On Fourth of July, millions of Americans, both fromsmall towns and megapolises, took part in family gath-erings and picnics, public events such as hotdog eatingcompetitions and enjoyed fireworks shows, somebursting firecrackers themselves. This time, someSouth Asian groups also held events in New York andNew Jersey celebrating Americas Independence Day. US President Barack Obama celebrated I day withmilitary personnel with barbecue, games and a concertby the presidential Marine Band. For the Obamas,July 4 has extra significance, as it is the birthday ofMalia, their elder daughter. In the nations capital, fireworks began shortly after9pm on the West Lawn of the Captiol. Entertainmentwas provided by Matthew Broderick, who performedtwo songs from the Broadway musical Nice Work IfYou Can Get It with Tony-nominated actress KeliOHara.Academy award winner Jennifer Hudson performedin Boston. Fireworks however had to be canceled dueto inclement weather conditions in some places.See our Special Section Celebrating AmericasIndependence Day pages 15-27. Manhattan silhouetted against the Macys fireworks extravaganza on Hudson river.Key to cosmic riddle, God particle, or Higgs boson foundGeneva: Scientists at the EuropeanOrganization for Nuclear Research(also known as Cern) announcedthis week that they think they havefinally found a Higgs boson, or the"God particle." The subatomic par-ticle could answer some basicquestions about the universe andthe creation of planets and life.It was a breakthrough that tookalmost half a century of deepthought, 30 years of painstakingexperimentation and a massive2.6bn machine, Cerns LargeHadron Collider.Discovering the Higgs bosonwould be one of the greatestachievements in science, rivalingthe discovery of the structure ofDNA and the Apollo Moon land-ings. It can explain why some par-ticles have mass, but others, suchas photons, do not.A Higgs boson particle is essen-tial to the so-called StandardModel of physics the generallyaccepted theory about how theUniverse works. Knowing defini-tively that it exists would show sci-ence is heading in the right The discovery has put the spotlight on Indian physicist S.N.Bose (1894-1974) from whosename the word boson is derived.He is seen here with Einstein withwhom he had worked.Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj conductsMeditation Marathon in ChicagoChicago: A week after returningfrom his European tour, H.H. SantRajinder Singh Ji Maharaj held anintensive meditation program here.Seekers from the world over cameto spend time with the spiritualmaster at the June 30-July 2 sum-mer holiday program held atMichigan Avenue Hilton in down-town Chicago.The last day of the program fea-tured a Meditation Marathon: fiveconsecutive meditation sittings, ahalf hour each. This proved that youcan find longer time to meditate ifyou divide your time into smallersegments. Sant Rajinder Singh JiMaharaj said it is devotion and astrong commitment to our goal thathelps us progress on the spiritualpath. Many distractions lure ourattention away it is important thatwe tune into the channel of Godregularly, through meditation.The weekend included a publictalk, Journey through Spiritual India Inc welcomes PM's promised action to fuel growthNew Delhi: India Inc Friday wel-comed Prime Minister ManmohanSingh's promised action on severalfronts to restore investor confidence,including clarity on tax matters."This is an opportune time toundertake financial sector reformsaimed at intermediating householdsavings to financial instruments thatcould be used for productive invest-ments," said Confederation ofIndian Industry (CII) Director-General Chandrajit Banerjee.Manmohan Singh in an interviewto an Indian daily Friday listed fiveareas as his priority in the short runto keep the India story going. Another industry lobby, FICCIalso welcomed the Prime Minister'sassertions that the government isfocusing on reining in the fiscaldeficit and attracting investments."Prime Minister's statement oncutting down infructuous proce-dures and reducing the time takenby the government to respond tobusiness proposals will surely go along way in erasing the impressionthat there is policy paralysis," saidR.V. Kanoria, president, FICCI.ASSOCHAM suggested that thePrime Minister' s Office (PMO)should be entrusted with the respon-sibility of monitoring the implemen-tation of projects within a timeframe.Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj and (right) initiating devotees inChicago. He is to hold spiritual programs in New York in September. Continued on page 6Continued on page 6Culinary delights, comfortable seats, great entertainment and much more... We take you to more than 200 destinations all around the world. We are Turkish Airlines, we are globally yours. *Wi-Fi service is free for a limited time and only available for selected B777-300ER flights.turkishairlines.com | 1 800 874 8875Istanbul Istanbulwith Turkish Airlinesa daytimes3baggagefree2on airWi-Fi*Flying toFlight Frequency1Baggage Allowance2In-ight Service3 Flying t Flying t Ist Ist tt ttoIst IstoIo tto tto nn ttan an tta t nbu nbu bb nn nn nbu nbu ul ull ss ss ss ss Is Is Ist Ist II an an an an tta t bb nbu nbuwnbu nbuwith T wit sh AAi Aul ulAiul ulllAir h kish urrk TTu e rrline li lines irrl 11 22 33 Tristate Community 5TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 7-13, 2012Lokesh MuniJi visitingAmericaNew York: Jain guru AcharyaLokesh Muni is visiting Americaform July 6 to July 24 for a lecturetour, and take part in religious pro-grams.Lokesh Muni founded AhimsaVishwa Bharati in Delhi as a vol-untary organization that aims atpromoting non-violence, peace,communal harmony, workingagainst female feticide and drugaddiction. He is a renowned writerand orator and was honored withthe national award for promotionof communal harmony and nation-al integration last year.During hisUS visit, the Acharya will partici-pate in Pratishtha Mahotsav at JainTemple in New Jersey on July 7.He will proceed to Chicago on July15 where he will give a talk onJainism and Healthy Living at thelocal Jain temple. From July 19, hewill again be in the New York-NewJersey area.Over half a million still without power in USWashington: Six days after a sud-den summer storm knocked largeparts of US powerless, more than580,000 homes and businesses inthe American capital and 11 stateswere still without electricity withtemperatures hovering around 37degrees Celsius mark in manyplaces.The number of households with-out power dropped considerablyThursday from a peak of aboutfour million from Ohio to NewJersey who lost power after lastFridays storm that also claimed22 lives.Many in Washington and affect-ed states of Indiana, Ohio, WestVirginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland,Virginia, Delaware, Kentucky,North Carolina, New Jersey andIllinois spent the July 4Independence Day in darkness.Thursday saw more swelteringtemperatures, from Chicago toWashington to Atlanta and beyondwith mercury touching 38.3degrees Celsius in Baltimore and40 degrees Celsius in St. Louis.Before it gets better, "the recordheat wave" could get worse, CNNreported citing the NationalWeather Service."The heat will begin to expandeastward over the next few days,with high temperatures andhumidity levels combining to cre-ate dangerous heat index values inthe triple digits," the forecast said.Meanwhile, in West Virginia,authorities and charities rushedcritically needed food and water tothousands of hungry people withempty pantries and "mass dump-ings" of spoiled food across thestate. With grocery stores in manyareas still unable to open due tolack of electricity, the AmericanRed Cross in West Virginiaplanned to serve up to 25,000meals a day beginning Thursday,CNN said citing Becky Howard,regional chief development offi-cer.Officials were sending "about 40big truckloads of water around thestate each day", Governor EarlRay Tomblin said. "Those affectedby the storm are beginning toreceive much-needed food."Anup Jalota enthralls audience at the ConsulateBy Ashok Ojha/SATimesNew York: At a fun filled eveningand a full house on July 3 at theBanquet Hall of the ConsulateGeneral of India here, BhajanSamrat Anup Jalota entertained theaudience with Bhajans and Ghazalsfor two hours. As he began singinghis signature song, Aisi LagiLagan, the audience responded inchorus with the next line of thesong, Meera ho gayee maganfilling the hall with laughter and joy.Jalota began by paying tributes torenowned ghazal singers, JagjitSingh of India and Mehdi Hassan ofPakistan, saying that we lost twogreat icons of Indian musical tradi-tion.At a press conference before theconcert in the Jewels of India series,Amb. Prabhu Dayal, the ConsulGeneral, congratulated Jalota forreceiving the Padma Shri this year.Jalota jokingly recalled his mothersreaction to the newsthat shehoped he will perform better afterthe national honor.Jalota dedicated the evenings pro-gram to an NGO, AgewellFoundation, which is engaged inhelping senior citizens in India. Theevenings program was sponsoredby Bank of India.Ambassador Dayal, in his speech,complimented Narendra Prasad, theoutgoing chief of US operations ofBank of India, for supporting Indianculture. He hoped that the bankwould continue to promote Indianculture outside India.Expressing his concern overdeclining interest of Indians in Urduand Hindi poetry, Jalota urged theGovernment of India to do more forpreserving the two genres. Thegovernment is very conscious aboutpreservation of wild life in India.There should be similar preferencefor preserving our language and cul-ture. No one should ever think thatUrdu is not Indias language whosedecline would be our great loss, hesaid. Jalota regretted that Hindimovies are no longer supportingmeaningful songs, bhajans andghazals. However, he was sure thatthe age old tradition of ghazal andbhajan poetry will survive the neg-lect of popular media. He added thathe has recently signed a film inwhich he will play the role of thelate Sathya Sai Baba.Given the response to Jalotasconcert, the Consulate has sched-uled another performance on thepremises on July 8. Preet Bharara is India Abroad Person of the YearNew York: Preet Bharara, dubbedthe Sheriff of Wall Street by Timemagazine, who became the firstIndian-American US Attorney ofthe Southern District of New York,has been conferred with the IndiaAbroad Person of the Year Award2011 at a ceremony at The Pierrehotel in New York City on June29.The awards presented by IndiaAbroad weekly newspaper ownedby Rediff.com, have been the mostcoveted community honor in theUS since inception in 2002.Celebrating achievements acrossa wide spectrum, representative ofthe increasing and far-reachingimpact of Indian Americans, thisyear nine awards were presentedin seven categories.Author Anita Desai, who hasthrice been shortlisted for theBooker Prize, was honored withthe Lifetime Achievement Award2011. The India AbroadPublisher' s Special Award forExcellence went to Neera Tanden,president of the Centre forAmerican Progress, a think-tank.Thomas Abraham, founder ofGOPIO, received the LifetimeService Award.The India Abroad Special Awardfor Achievement 2011 went tothree rising stars: Sukanya Roy,winner of the 84th ScrippsNational Spelling Bee 2011,Captain Pratima Dharm, the firstHindu chaplain in the US military,and Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi,the first turbaned Sikh to serve inthe US army in almost threedecades. Dignitaries attendingthe event included AmbassadorsNirupama Rao, Hardeep SinghPuri, Prabhu Dayal and ManjeevSingh Puri, actress MadhurJaffrey, Oscar winner MeganMylan, Grammy-nominated jazzmusician Vijay Iyer, oncologist DrDattatreyudu Nori, Junoon helms-man Salman Ahmed, and celebritychef Floyd Cardoz.Preet Bharara speaking on the occasion, and (right) Thomas Abrahamwith his Lifetime Service Award.Anup Jalota (middle) with Ambassador Prabhu Dayal and NarendraPrasad of Bank of India. (Photo: Ashok Ojha)Acharya Lokesh MuniPrinted Every Saturday by Forsythe Media Group, LLC ISSN 1941-933376 N Broadway, Suite 2004,Hicksville, NY 11801P: 516.390.7847 Website: TheSouthAsianTimes.infoUpdated Daily Chairman and Co-Founder Kamlesh C. MehtaCo-Founder: Saroosh GullPresident: Arjit MehtaBoard Advisors (Honorary) Ajay Lodha, MD, Lakhpat B. 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All rights reserved.6 Turn PageJuly 7-13, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoKey to cosmic riddle story Continued from page 3direction and will allowresearchers to concentrate theirefforts accordingly opening thedoor to new discoveries.One Nobel prize-winning physi-cist famously called Higgs bosonthe "God particle" because of itscentral role in theoretical physics although Professor Higgs andhis colleagues at Cern despise theterm and its religious undertones.Higgs, long retired from theUniversity of Edinburgh, was inthe audience in Geneva to hear theresults of the two largest experi-ments attached to the LargeHadron Collider that smashes sub-atomic particles together at enor-mous energy levels.Both sets of experiments hadneatly and independently con-firmed the existence of a new sub-atomic particle with a mass ofabout 125.5 GeV (gigaelectronvolts), which is about 133 timesheavier than the protons at theheart of every atom.Although the data just falls shortof absolute confirmation, the sci-entists were in little doubt thatwhat they had found was a sub-atomic entity fitting the descrip-tion of the God particle.The discovery at CERN has putthe spotlight once again onSatyendra Nath Bose, the Indianscientist from whose name theword 'boson' is derived."India is like a historic father ofthe project," said PaoloGiubellino, spokesman of theCern. Bose (1894-1974), a physicistfrom Calcutta) and a contempo-rary of German scientist AlbertEinstein, did ground-breakingwork on quantum mechanics inthe early 1920s, using maths todescribe the behavioral pattern ofthe bosons -- one of the two fami-lies of fundamental particles thatthe universe is classified into, theother family being fermions,named after physicist EnricoFermi.Bose worked with Einstein inthe 1920s, providing the founda-tion for Bose-Einstein statistics,and the Bose-Einstein condensate.He is also acknowledged as theperson who laid the foundation ofquantum statistics.However, Bose never won theNobel Prize, even though in lateryears the award was given severaltimes for research on bosons. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji story Continued from page 3Realms, attended by manywho, for the first time, were expe-riencing what it was like being inthe presence of a spiritual Master.Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj,a world renowned saint, has madethe teachings of Sant Mat avail-able to everyone, everywhere. Hetravels continually, teaching medi-tation and helping people meet thechallenges of the times, in boththeir worldly and spiritual lives.He has been honored by heads ofstate, civic and religious leaderseverywhere for his work towardpeace through spirituality.His Holiness will be in NewYork on Labor Day Weekend inearly September to give satsangs,meditation seminars and initia-tion.For more information aboutSant Ji and his schedule, visitwww.sos.org. 4 Star India networks launching withTime Warner in NY-NJ service areaNew York: All four ofSTAR TVs popularchannels - STAR IndiaPLUS, Life OK, STARIndia GOLD, and ABPNews are scheduled tolaunch in New Yorkand New Jersey toTime Warner Cablecustomers via sub-scription from July 10.A package includingall 4 STAR channelswill only cost $19.99 per month in addition to a TimeWarner Cable subscription.Time Warner Cable subscribers will have access toall of STAR TVs top Hindi channels includingSTAR India PLUS, officially India and U.K.s #1General Entertainment Channel, which is subtitled inEnglish for intergenerational viewing. Subscribersto the STAR TV package will enjoy entertainingsoaps, dramas, reality and talk shows, including theimmensely popular Satyamev Jayate, Diya AurBaati, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon and Devon KeDev Mahadev.The STAR TV networks will be available on thefollowing channel numbers throughout the NewYork/New Jersey service area for Time WarnerCable, including New York City, Mount Vernon &Staten Island, NY, and Bergen County, NJ:STAR India PLUS Channel 565Life OK Channel 566STAR India GOLD Channel 567APB News Channel 568Being available on Time Warner Cable willenable us to reach a broader audience and move clos-er to our objective: to ensure that the STAR Networkof channels is available to every South Asian in theworld, said Rajan Singh, EVP of InternationalBusiness for STAR TV. This will complement andenhance the array of Hindi-language channels beingoffered on Time Warner Cable.For more information, visitwww.twc.com/nynj/international.Continuations of page 33 fireworks watchers die as yacht capsizes off Long Island Oyster Bay, N.Y.: A yacht full offireworks watchers capsized offNew York's Long Island on theJuly 4, killing three people andsending 24 others into the LongIsland Sound, where many wererescued by fellow boaters, policesaid Thursday.The three dead were recoveredfrom the water near Oyster Bayafter a long overnight search, saidNassau County Deputy InspectorKenneth Lack. He would not release the ages ofthe victims. Several media outletsreported that children wereonboard.Preliminary causes for the acci-dent "could be a combination ofthe weather and a wake fromanother vessel," Lack said. He saidinvestigators will be looking atpossible overcrowding on the ves-sel. He said the first body wasfound shortly after the 911 callcame in at 10:10 p. m. onWednesday, and the two otherswere found later inside the yacht.Police said those on board werewatching a legal fireworks display.The boat remained under wateron Thursday. The NationalWeather Service said a thunder-storm moved through the area ofthe boat accident at around 10:30p.m., and winds never exceeded10-15 mph.Lack said some but not all pas-sengers onboard the 34-foot boathad been wearing life jackets.A boater told Newsday he sawthe yacht turn right and then tipover after it was hit by a wake. "Itwas like in slow motion," saidSammy Balasso of Oyster Bay."All of a sudden, a lot of bodieswere in the water."His nephew, 15-year-old FrankieBarbone of Bayview, said thewaves almost came up over theyacht.Balasso said he put the spot-light of his 38-foot speedboat onthe Silverton and then threw allthe life jackets he had with himinto the water. He said he rescued20 people who were later taken tothe shore in police boats.National Community 7TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 7-13, 2012Muslimgroup suesNYPD oversurveillance New Jersey: A New Jersey-based Muslim group has suedthe New York City PoliceDepartment over its secret sur-veillance of Muslim-Americansin the Garden State.Muslim Advocates and its co-counsel, Bhalla & Cho LLC ofHoboken, N.J., filed a lawsuitJune 6 in the United StatesDistrict Court in Newark, N.J.,alleging that the NYPD violatedthe U.S. Constitution when itsought to target New JerseyMuslims based solely on theirreligion. This is the A first legalchallenge by AmericanMuslims who say they havebeen victims of discriminatorysurveillance by the nation' slargest police department.The lawsuit seeks an injunc-tion prohibiting the NYPD fromtargeting Muslims for what itcalls unconstitutional surveil-lance, expunging all recordsand nominal damages on theNYPD for its actions, accordingto the Muslim Advocates web-site. It has been filed on behalfof nine plaintiffs in New Jersey."What makes America great isthat everyone is treated equallyunder the law. These plaintiffs are ordinarycitizens going about their liveswho law enforcement spied onsimply because of their faith,"Farhana Khera, executive direc-tor of Muslim Advocates, isquoted as saying in a pressrelease. "With New York offi-cials refusing to look into theNYPD's abuses, the New Jerseyattorney general saying hishands are tied, and the U.S.Department of Justice draggingits heels, this lawsuit is the vic-tims' last resort for justice toprevail." The plaintiffs in thelawsuit are as diverse as theAmerican Muslim communityitself: they include a decoratedU.S. Army reservist, FarhajHassan, a Pakistani-American;a small-business owner who isalso a Vietnam veteran; stu-dents and imams, the releasesaid.Surgeon uses da Vinci Robot to remove cancer in the esophagusOceanside, NY: A 67-year-old LongIsland man is thriving more than ayear after he was diagnosed withcancer of the esophagus and under-went a highly complex surgery toremove the thoracic section of hisesophagus. Once the section of theesophagus running from thediaphragm up to his chest wasremoved, his stomach was thenpulled up and attached to the remain-ing portion of the esophagus locatedin his neck.A multi-disciplinary team of surgi-cal, radiation, interventional andmedical cancer physicians at SouthNassau Communities Hospital, ledby Rajiv Datta, MD, FACS, medicaldirector of South Nassaus Gertrude& Louis Feil Cancer Center and chairof the Department of Surgery, andShahriyour Andaz, MD, FACS,director of thoracic oncology, collab-orated on the operation.The initial phase of the surgery wasperformed by Dr. Andaz. Workingbehind the heart, pulmonary vesselsand the trachea, Dr. Andaz used theda Vinci robotic surgical system toremove the thoracic section of theesophagus as well as 21 lymphglands surrounding and adjacent tothe esophagus.After Dr. Andaz completed theremoval of the thoracic esophagus,Dr. Datta followed with the mobi-lization of the stomach. Dr. Dattamade an incision in the neck to movethe stomach up into the neck andattach it to the esophagus.The expertise of the team com-bined with patient-centered surgicaltechnologies and the da Vinci systemresulted in an uneventful surgery andpostoperative recovery for thepatient, who was discharged homewithout any complications, said Dr.Datta. Recognized as the worldsmost advanced robotic surgical tech-nology, the da Vinci received itsname in recognition and honor ofLeonardo da Vinci, who invented thefirst robot and used incomparableaccuracy and three-dimensionaldetails to bring his masterpieces tolife.In like fashion, the da Vincirobotic surgical system helps sur-geons perform complex surgerieswith refined dexterity, precision andcontrol, through small incisions. Dr.Rajiv DattaFather, daughter indicted on fraud charges New York: A Connecticut-based father-daughter duoface 13 federal felonycharges accusing them ofdefrauding people, banks andbusinesses through a debt-elimination scheme run fromtheir home and using the postal serviceto deliver worthless "promissory notes"to victims.A federal grand jury on June 22 Acharged Deowraj "Deo" Buddhu, 69,and his daughter, Sunita D. Buddhu,also known as Sunita Thakur, 42, bothof Wethersfield, Conn., with running afraudulent debt elimination scheme.Both have been detained since theirarrests on June 11 and June 13, respec-tively, the Hartford Courant reported.If convicted, they face a maximumterm of 30 years in prison on eachcount of mail fraud, and a maximumterm of 25 years in prison on eachcount of passing fraudulent financialinstruments. The duo "preyed on strug-gling homeowners and defrauded themof thousands of dollarsthrough a fictitious debt elim-ination scheme," David B.Fein, U.S attorney for theDistrict of Connecticut, saidin a statement.The indictment alleges thatbetween February 2009 and June 2012,the Buddhus, operating through variousbusinesses, including ParadiseConsulting Service, Hema Inc. andSecured Redemption, sold a debt elimi-nation "program." As part of that pro-gram, clients who paid substantial feeswere told about a little-known govern-ment fund that could be used to pay offtheir mortgages and other debts, prose-cutors said. Deowraj Buddhu advisedvictims to stop making payments ontheir mortgages and other debts,including property taxes, and providedthem with fictitious promissory notes,as well as other frivolous documenta-tion, which he said they could use topay off their debts. Sunita Buddhu, alicensed notary public, notarized thefake documents. Victims were directedto present the fake promissory notesand other documentation to banks andother creditors, prosecutors said.The indictment alleges that theBuddhus prepared and directed victimsto file frivolous lawsuits, documents,motions and other purported legal doc-uments with state courts in Connecticutand elsewhere.Neeta Bhasin honored at Nassau CountyNew York: Neeta Bhasin, CEO and Presidentof ASB Communications was recognized asone of the recipients of the Nassau CountyAwards. She was honored by the Nassau CountyExecutive Edward P. Mangano, and otherelected officials, who were proud to celebratethe vibrant contributions that IndianAmericans have made to enhance the qualityof life in Nassau County and nationwide. The award is a commendation to Mrs.Bhasins continuous efforts and dedication ofher service within the community. The ceremony was held by the IndianAmerican Forum at the Indian American Nighton Sunday, June 24, 2012 at Harry ChapinLakeside Theatre at Eisenhower Park in EastMeadow, New York. Mrs. Bhasins dedication and compassionhas led her to become a pioneer in the multi-cultural advertising and marketing world.Through the firms marketing efforts, her com-pany has reached out to the South Asian com-munity across North America. Over the past five years, ASB has expandedto various ethnic markets including Asian,African, Middle Eastern, and the EasternEuropean communities. Other respectedmembers of the community, such as Mr.Jasbir Chopra, CEO Indus American Bank; Dr.Sukhvinder Ranu, President India Associationof Long Island; Dr. Sunil Mehra, PresidentAAPI QLI, Mr. Sher Singh Madra, NargisDutt Foundation; and Mrs. Sheetal Talati,CEO RAJBHOG Foods, were all bestowedwith the same honor.Neeta Bhasin receiving citation from NassauCounty Executive Edward P. Mangano. In thephotoEdward P. Mangano (Centre) withIndian American Night honorees. (From left)Sher Singh Madra, Sheetal Talati, SunilMehra MD, Dr. Sukhvinder Ranu, NeetaBhasin and Jasbir Chopra.South Asian community in support of Congressional Candidate GraceMeng. Seen in the photo: Grace Meng with Saleh Ahmed, MD JahruIslam, Congressional Candidate Grace Meng, Dilip Chauhan,Dr.Dhanajay Saha, Bilal Chaudhary , Mrs.Rana Chaudhary and others.8 National Community July 7-13, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoIndian couple gets $36.48 millionin accident compensationWashington, DC: An Indian couple, who sus-tained serious injuries in an accident in the US in2010, has been awarded a whopping $36.48 mil-lion as compensation by a California court.A Riverside County Superior Court juryawarded $36.48 million to Prakash Sheth, 64,and his wife, Jashiree Sheth, 58, from Mumbai,whose car was struck by a big-rig on Interstate10 in Beaumont two years ago.At the time of the accident, the Sheths werevisiting the US from India and were on their wayto an airport in Orange County for a family vaca-tion in Hawaii.According to the plaintiffs' attorneys, theSheths were being driven by an American rela-tive to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana whentheir vehicle was hit by an 18-wheeler truck thatwent around the victims' car but failed to com-pletely clear the sedan while changing lanes,Valley news reported."The impact of the truck caused the Sheths'vehicle to spin out of control across the freeway,where it hit the median barrier and was struck byanother vehicle," according to a statementreleased by Panish, Shea & Boyle, the law firmrepresenting the couple.All of the occupants were hurt, but Jashireereceived the worst injuries, including a spinalfracture that left her paralyzed. She now requires24-hour care, said attorney Brian Panish."The plaintiffs have suffered tremendously andwill continue to suffer for the rest of their lives,"he said. "The jury recognized this with their ver-dict. Justice was done."The jury award against the truck companySchneider National included $469,490 in pastmedical expenses, $4.8 million for future med-ical expenses, $6 million for past pain and suffer-ing and $22 million for future pain and suffering.It was not immediately clear whether Schneiderplanned to appeal the jury verdict and award.Company representatives could not immediatelybe reached for comment. There was no answerfrom Schneider National's corporate office. Acompany spokeswoman could not immediatelybe reached for comment.Washington, DC: A group of Indian MPs under-went a crash course at the prestigious Yale Uni-versity of the US, which was specially tailoredfor them incorporating issues like global eco-nomic governance, counter-insurgency efforts inAfghanistan and political developments in theMiddle East. During the six-day course on theuniversity campus, the 11-member Parliamentarydelegation headed by BJD's Baijayant "Jay" Pan-da participated in discussions with Yale facultyon global economic governance, US economy,corruption in government, counter-insurgency ef-forts in Afghanistan, Iran's nuclear program andpolitical and economic developments in China.Other topics that dominated the discussionswere political developments in the Arab world,US Presidential elections, economic and politicalcrises in the Eurozone and higher education in In-dia. There were also sessions on challenges ofleadership, strategy, negotiation and appliedgame theory. The India-Yale Parliamentary Lead-ership Program was launched in 2007. In total,more than 70 members of India's Parliament willhave participated since it was created.After completing the course which was organ-ized by the university in collaboration with Fed-eration of Indian Chambers of Commerce and In-dustry (FICCI) and the India-US Forum of Par-liamentarians, the MPs arrived here and metDeputy Secretary of State William Burns, formerUS Ambassador Tim Roemer and ex-top Ameri-can diplomat John Negroponte.Washington, DC: Recognizing India'sgrowing maritime power, the UnitedStates wants to maintain a "significant"relationship with India to help providestable and secure international com-merce through the sea lanes, accordingto a top US naval commander.Although India is only providingstaff personnel for the ongoing Rim ofthe Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2012exercise, India's participation is of sig-nificance for all 21 other participants,Vice Admiral Gerald Beaman, com-mander of the US Third Fleet andRIMPAC, said during a media telecon-ference Tuesday.India and 21 other na-tions are participating in what is de-scribed as the world's largest interna-tional maritime exercise being heldJune 27 to August 7, in and around theHawaiian Islands with 42 ships, sixsubmarines, more than 200 aircraft and25,000 personnel."The partnershipswe are building during the RIM exer-cise is exactly why we want to main-tain our relationship with India to helpprovide stable and secure internationalcommerce through the sea lanes," hesaid. "So I believe our relationshipwith India will remain significantthrough the coming years," Beamansaid noting that India and the US havebeen doing a large number of bilateralmilitary exercises in recent years.Washington, DC: As Pakistan agreedto reopen ground supply lines intoAfghanistan after a US apology ofsorts, the United States reiterated itssupport for India's constructive role inAfghanistan."We've been very encouraging andsupportive of the role that India isplaying, not just in encouraging re-gional integration and encouragingeconomic activity, but also in support-ing police training, et cetera inAfghanistan," State Departmentspokesperson Victoria Nuland told re-porters Tuesday.The Secretary of State Hillary Clin-ton "was in India not too long ago. AndAfghanistan was a huge subject of dis-cussion there, including endorsing thebusiness conference that was just heldin Delhi," she said when asked whetherIndia had been briefed about the dealwith Pakistan. Nuland also said thatthe US strongly favored "increased di-alogue, increased cooperation betweenIndia and Pakistan.""We have been very pleased to seethe economic warming. Our hope isthat that can lead to increased warmingon the political side, on the securityside. We work with both countries oncounterterrorism issues and will con-tinue to do so," she said.Clinton earlier announced that Pak-istan had agreed to reopen NATO'ssupply routes into Afghanistan aftershe told Pakistani Foreign MinisterHina Rabbani Khar that she was sorryfor the deaths of two dozen Pakistanisoldiers in American airstrikes in No-vember. Clinton said that in a tele-phone call Tuesday morning to Khar,they had agreed that both sides mademistakes that led to the fatal airstrikes."The Foreign Minister and I were re-minded that our troops - Pakistani andAmerican - are in a fight against acommon enemy. We are both sorry forlosses suffered by both our countries inthis fight against terrorists," she said ina statement. Commenting on the deal,Lisa Curtis, senior research fellow forSouth Asia at the conservative Her-itage Foundation said Clinton's apolo-gy deal is really incidental to the realissue at stake in US-Pakistan relations."The reality is that the US and Pak-istan are striving for different out-comes in Afghanistan," she said sug-gesting Pakistan is focused on ensur-ing that a regime friendly to Pakistanemerges in Afghanistan, and thatregime would most likely include ele-ments aligned with Al Qaeda."Until Pakistan aligns its goals moreclosely with those of the US andNATO in Afghanistan and confrontsthe Taliban and Haqqani networks in-side Pakistan, tensions between the USand Pakistan will persist," Curtis said.11 member Parliamentary delegation visited Yale University for a six-day courseIndian and US Navy personnel during joint naval exercise Malabar in April2012: Aircraft launch and recovery equipment officer Lt. Nomer Gatchalianbriefs distinguished visitors from the Indian navy and U.S. embassies andconsulates in India before a tour of the flight deck in the hangar bay aboardthe Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). (U.S. Navy photoby Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans/Released) Afghanistans Foreign Minister, Dr Zalmai Rassoul calling on PrimeMinister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi on June 29, 2012.Indian Members of Parliament attendcrash course at YaleUS wants 'significant' naval tieswith India to protect sea lanesUS reiterates support forIndia's role in AfghanistanNational Community 9TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 7-13, 2012 Milpitas, CA: The table tennis club wasbuilt by Indian immigrants who made theirfortunes in Silicon Valley. Its coaches wereimported from around the world. And itsstar players were born to immigrant parentsfrom China and Taiwan.This year, it will send three players torepresent the United States in table tennis inthe 2012 Olympic Games in London: LilyZhang, 15; Timothy Wang, 20; and ArielHsing, 16. All three teenagers trained here,in a nondescript warehouse, sandwichedbetween a strip mall and a trailer park,known as the India Community CenterTable Tennis Center reports The New YorkTimes. Almost overnight, the club hasbecome an unlikely incubator for talent. Ofthe four American players who have quali-fied for the 2012 Olympics, only one is notfrom the I.C.C.: Erica Wu, who is from theSouthern California town of Arcadia.The centers director, Rajul Sheth, cameto the United States more than a decade agoto study mechanical engineering. His pas-sion for the game got in the way. As ayounger man, he had played for Indiasnational table tennis team and among theyoungsters who came to play recreationallyat the community centers main campus, afew blocks south, he saw glimpses of talentand drive.In 2008, a dedicated table tennis centerwas born. By then Sheth had given up engi-neering to become its director and set hissights on the 2012 Games. He equipped theclub with tables identical to those used inOlympic qualifying matches. Same with thelighting and the flooring. To prepare femaleplayers to compete against an accomplishedchopper from Canada someone whoplays defensively and strikes the ball at adistance from the table he hired a coachwho specialized in chops.Most recently, he persuaded a formercoach for the Italian Olympic team,Massimo Costantini, 54, to take over ashead coach. Six other coaches are here onspecial work visas, three each from Indiaand China. But Sheths greatest asset arethe parents. For them, table tennis is noordinary extracurricular activity. It is nos-talgia, a symbol of childhood and home.The club has 145 youngsters in training,ages 6 to 17. Sheth is already planning forthe2016 Olympics even, for 2020.Indian run Table Tennis Centerpacks 3 players to US Olympic teamRajul Sheth is director of IndianCommunity Centers Table Tennis facilityNew York: Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak,Professor of humanities at Columbia Universityhas been honored with the annual Kyoto Prize,an international award honoring those who havecontributed significantly to humankind's scientif-ic, cultural, and spiritual development.Gayatri, who works for people who are dis-criminated, including immigrants, the workingclass and women, will receive a diploma, a goldKyoto Prize medal and a cash prize of 50 millionyen ($6, 30,000) at a function which will be heldin Kyoto in the month of November, reportsFirstpost. It will go to my rural education foun-dation. I will probably keep $50,000 for myselfand let the rest enrich the foundation. My teach-ers need higher salaries, Spivak told Firstpostregarding her plans to use the amount.Spivak established a literacy project namedPares Chandra Chakravorty Memorial LiteracyProject in the year 1997, intending to supportchildren of rural India by providing primary edu-cation. I dont really feel that I should bereceiving this huge prize, but I am very happy Igot it, said Spivak.Gayatri, who was born in Calcutta, completedher education from India and the U.S. She holdsa B.A in English from Presidency College,Calcutta and MA and PhD in English fromCornell University.Indian American professor wins Kyoto PrizeGayatri Chakravorty SpivakNew York hotels cash in on Olympics crazeNew York: The Olympics craze has spilledover to New York as well where the hotelsare offering various promotions to its gueststo revel in the spirit of the sporting extrava-ganza.Affinia Hotels, in a nod to the cam-paign to make yoga an Olympic sport, hascreated a challenge for its guests at its fiveManhattan locations. Those who completethree yoga poses when they check in (treepose, downward dog and head-to-knee) willreceive prizes like cupcakes, wine and a $25room credit.The Wolcott Hotel has enlistedits concierge to steer travelers to Olympic-centric activities throughout the city, includ-ing gymnastics classes, aquatics training andindoor volleyball games.Other promotions cater to guests whoseappreciation of the Games does not motivatethem to work out. The Chatwal, for example,provides daily event results via text at nocost, and AKA, an extended-stay brand withfour Manhattan locations, is giving guests afree bottle of wine every time their countryscores gold.10 National Community July 7-13, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoIndian sex workers tovideo connect withworld AIDS meet in US New Delhi: Sexworkers fromvarious parts ofthe country willgather inKolkata to con-nect throughvideo conferenc-ing to theI nt e r na t i ona lA I D SConference inthe US in July, arepresentative ofthe sex workerscommunity said Thursday.The proposed "global hub andsex workers freedom festival",to be attended by 900 delegates,will put across the community'srights-based issues at the confer-ence in Washington."We are holding 'global hub' inIndia because sex workers arenot allowed entry to the UnitedStates by US government. Theevent will allowus to participateand give sexworkers a chanceto give inputsinto importantdiscussions beingheld inWa s h i n g t o n , "said AndrewHunter, represen-tative of theAsian network ofsex workers."Sex workershave an important role to play incommunity responses to HIVand we will make our voicesheard loud and clear fromKolkata," Hunter added.Officials from the NationalAIDS Control Organisation(NACO) will represent India atthe 19th International AIDSConference in Washington to beheld July 22-27.Washington DC: The Federation ofTamil Associations of North Ameri-ca, or FeTNA, is holding its SilverJubilee convention on July 6-8 inBaltimore, MD. FeTNA is an um-brella organization of 40 local or-ganizations. Each year they congre-gate, celebrate their culture, recog-nize community achievements, or-ganize professional forums, enjoyMusic, Dance, Literature and The-ater performances, rejoice meetingmovie and TV artists, and hear emi-nent speakers/poets from India. Thelocals also get to showcase their tal-ent in this 3-day-mega event whichattracts nearly 2000 Tamils eachyear.At this years convention, FeTNAis anticipating attendance of 5,000Tamils from all over North America.It will honor an eminent Tamil liter-ary scholar Dr. Mu. Varadharajan,popularly known as MU.VA., andcelebrating his 100th anniversary.Prominent guests this time includemovie stars Surya, Trisha, comedyactor Vadivel, standup comedianMadurai Muthu, Tamil poetThamizhachi Thangapandian,Sagaayam, IAS, Madurai DistrictCollector, spiritual leader Sri SriRavishankar, actress Sarojadevi andTV fame Siva Karthikeyan.Maryland political dignitaries likeMartin O'Malley, Governor of Mary-land, Anthony G Brown, Lt Gover-nor of MD and Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of Baltimore, will alsograce the event. Balagan Arumu-gaswamy, of Maryland, is the Coor-dinator of the Convention. The Pres-ident of FeTNA is Dr. DhandapaniKuppuswamy of South Carolina.American Telugu Association(ATA)s 12th annual Conference andYouth Convention is being held inAtlanta, Georgia, also from July 6-8.ATA aims to assist and promote lit-erary, cultural, educational, reli-gious, social, economic, health andcommunity activities of the peopleof Telugu origin as well as to pro-mote exchange programs for stu-dents, scientists, and professionals ofTelugu origin between North Ameri-ca and India and other countries.Some of the invitees include NJ as-semblyman Upendra Chivukula, for-mer Indian cricket captain M.Azharuddin, classical dancer ShobhaNaidu, and of course many political,film, TV and literary personalities. Incidentally, another group, theNorth American Telugu Association(NATA) held its annual conferencein Houston the previous weekendfrom June 29-July 1. By Arun KumarWashington: The lights are back, the TVhas again started blaring, the air-conditioneris humming and the internet has come alive.It seems an eon since the hot Friday nightlast week when a savage storm plunged theAmerican capital into darkness, a situationmore familiar in Delhi perhaps.It's good to be back in good old DC as onehas known it for years. The storm had come almost unannounced,with strong winds swaying the trees, bring-ing lashing rains amid flashes of lightningand thunder to cool the city after a hot siz-zling day. Then the lights flickered once ormaybe twice before going out completely,enveloping the city in darkness as far as onecould see from the ninth floor window of anapartment complex in Alexandria, a Wash-ington suburb no more than a few milesfrom the Pentagon.The rain stopped as suddenly as it hadcome. But the lights did not come back. Nordid any inverters or mini-generators in therow of houses below. Who needs those in-fernal noise machines in a city that had nev-er gone dark -- until now.The exploits of Bobby Jindal and NikkiHaley and their dumping of "Obamacare" or"Obamneycare" as Jindal said in an 'oops'moment could surely wait for the morrow,one thought before turning in for the night.Saturday morning brought no cheer. Andas one sipped morning tea made on the gasburner that still worked, a call from the fam-ily in India brought the first ominous tidingsthat with over two million people hit by thestorm from Indiana to New Jersey, it may bedays before things returned to normal.The Washington Post landed outside thedoor in a pitch dark corridor with a reassur-ing thud after eight, a couple of hours laterthan usual but complete with Sunday sup-plements. A story about the hottest day inWashington, but there was not a single wordabout the storm!The cool morning turned into a hot andsultry afternoon as temperatures soared,leaving one to look for an old magazine ornewspaper to fan oneself and 'drink' someice-cream now melted into a cool shakefrom a glass.Sunday brought the warning that 'outages',as power failures are called in the US, couldlast for days. A call to the power utilitybrought no assurance. I trudged down nineflights of stairs in pitch darkness with thehelp of a torch to cool off in the pool.But the pool was closed too. Theconcierge in the lobby had no update on thepower situation and handed a one page tipsheet on how to beat the summer blues.The Sunday newspaper also enlightenedthe reader that the crippling 'thing' thatlashed DC was no hurricane or tornado. Itwas a "derecho", Spanish for straight line,that moves in a straight line striking every-thing in its path and that it visits Washingtonevery four years.As I stood on the patio peering into thedark at the end of another 'powerless' day,the question uppermost was not whether itwas 'straight' or a 'twister', but when powerwould return.Then suddenly there was a collective'Yay!' shout from the courtyard below. Thelights were back. The storm turned out to be a great leveler,reducing the world's most powerful and ad-vanced nation to a situation that is par forthe course for people back home in India. Sri Sri Ravishankar is to grace the FeTNA convention in Baltimore,MD, and M. Azharuddin is to attend ATAs meet in Atlanta.The freak storm last Friday left Washington DC in darkness for days.Community conventions July 4 weekendA taste of Indian summer in American capitalPranab row: Team Sangma toapproach poll panelNew Delhi:Presidential can-didate P.Sangma' s teamhas decided toapproach theE l e c t i o nC o m m i s s i o nagainst presiden-tial poll returningofficer V.K.A g n i h o t r i ' sapproval of UPAnominee PranabMukherjee's candidature. After a nearly two-hour-long meeting atBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj's residencehere, it was decided that the poll panel will be approached todemand a review of Agnihotri's decision. The option for going tocourt has also been kept open."We will go the Election Commission Saturday and complainagainst the returning officer. The Election Commission, underArticle 324, has the right to review the decision taken by the return-ing officer," BJP leader S.S. Ahluwalia told reporters after themeeting. Sangma's team had demanded that Mukherjee's nomina-tion be rejected, alleging that he was holding an office of profit aschairman of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) when he filed hisnomination June 28. Mukherjee, however, produced his resignationletter dated June 20 with acceptance from the ISI. Subsequently,Sangma's request was rejected and Mukherjee's nomination accept-ed by the returning officer. The BJP alleged that the signatures ofMukherjee on two documents were different. Mukherjee refutedthe charge. BJP sources say Sangma's team is mulling an electionpetition, a plea filed by any contestant if he feels malpractice hasbeen involved. The petition is heard by the high court of the con-cerned state after the election.India 11TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 7-13, 2012 ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 2012 ADMISSIONS.XAVIER OFFERS NEW SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE BASIC SCIENCES* 4 YEAR OR 5 1/2 YEARS MD PROGRAMFOR MOTIVATED STUDENTS* CLINICAL ROTATIONS IN THE UNITEDSTATES* LOW STUDENT/TEACHER RATIO* USMLE REVIEW WITH KAPLAN* SUPERIOR FACULTY AND IDYLLIC LOCATION FOR THE STUDY OF MEDICINE* PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS AVAILABLE Merit ScholarshipMCAT 25-29 $1500* PER SEMESTERMCAT 30-34 $2000* PER SEMESTERMCAT 35UP $3250* PER SEMESTER* MAINTAIN MINIMUM HONORS TO QUALIFY FOR FURTHER SEMESTERS* ONLY SEMESTER MD1 THROUGH MD4 Dalai Lama's 77th birthday celebrated in DharamsalaDharamsala: Thousands of Tibetan exilesand foreigners attended the 77th birthdaycelebrations of their spiritual leader theDalai Lama here in Himachal Pradesh onJuly 6. Large crowds began to assemblesince morning at the Tsuglagkhang templeto join the birthday celebrations. "Specialprayer sessions were held for the long lifeof His Holiness," Tashi, a Central TibetanAdministration (CTA) spokesperson, said.The Dalai Lama, revered by the Tibetansas a 'living god', attended the prayers heldat the hilltop Tsuglagkhang temple, closeto his official palace at McLeodganj.The 17th Karmapa, Ogyen TrinleyDorje, who has been residing here for thelast few years with his followers, alsoattended the function.A group of Chinese settled in variouscountries greeted the Nobel laureate on theoccasion.In a brief address in his Tibetan dialect,the Nobel Peace Prize winner, known forhis trademark maroon robes, thanked thegovernment of India and the people fortheir hospitality to the exiled Tibetans.He thanked the Tibetan for their heartfeltgreetings. The entire cabinet of the CTAand Prime Minister-in-exile LobsangSangay were present at the function.Born July 6, 1935, at Taktser hamlet innortheastern Tibet, the Dalai Lama wasrecognised at the age of two as the reincar-nation of the 13th Dalai Lama, ThubtenGyatso. He fled Tibet after a failed upris-ing against the Chinese rule in 1959, bas-ing his government-in-exile here that neverwon recognition from any country. India ishome to around 100,000 Tibetans.In Presidential race: Pranab Mukherjeeand PA SangmaThe Dalai LamaCBI committed errors in case against Maya: SPNew Delhi: The Samajwadi Party hasaccused the Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) of committing "techni-cal errors" in the probe against BahujanSamaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati in agraft case, leading to the Supreme Courtquashing the investigation against her."This is not Mayawati' s victory butCBI's defeat, as the investigation agencycommitted technical errors. The CBI wassupposed to investigate irregularities in thedevelopment of Taj corridor, however, aprobe into her assets was initiated, "Samajwadi Party leader Shahid Siddiquisaid. "Now, did the CBI commit this erroron purpose to save Mayawati or was it agenuine mistake, these questions need tobe answered," he added.The apex court quashed the CBI probeagainst the former Uttar Pradesh chiefminister in a corruption case related toassets disproportionate to her income.Quashing the first information report(FIR), the apex court bench headed byJustice P. Sathasivam described the filingof another FIR against Mayawati as illegaland without jurisdiction.Union Law Minister Salman Khurshidtermed the apex court judgment "of thehighest order", but refused to comment onit, saying he has not read it."People may think of court's decisions asbeneficial or harmful, but the fact remainsthat we have to respect it," union Ministerof Tourism Subodh Kant Sahai said.Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati12 IndiaJuly 7-13, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoJaipur Foot gets a boosterBy Prakash BhandariJaipur: The world famous JaipurFoot is on a firm ground. A residentof Mumbai, Gobind RewachandMansukhani has left a will whichmade the worlds largest organisa-tion for the disabled BhagwanMahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti(BMVSS) of Jaipur richer by Rs 40lakh.The BMVSS helps fit the JaipurFoot on the amputees and has bene-fited over 1.3 million people all overthe world. The fund would help1,800 amputees get artificial limbs.Mansukhani, a resident ofRajabali Patel Road who died onJuly 20 last year, willed his entireproperty to charitable institutions.According to Kailash Sharma ofBMVSS, Mansukhani wasimpressed with the work done forthe handicaps by the BMVSS and hehad donated Rs 1.10 lakh earlier ona visit to Jaipur. India-Pak talks: India pushes hard for 26/11 CBMNew Delhi: With 26/11 plotterAbu Jundal's disclosures creatingpublic outrage here, India pressedPakistan to prosecute the 26/11perpetrators and underlined thiscould be the biggest confidencebuilding measure (CBM).Islamabad, however, stronglyrejected any role of state actors inthe Mumbai carnage and offered ajoint probe.The foreign secretaries of Indiaand Pakistan, Ranjan Mathai andJalil Abbas Jilani, wrapped up twodays of talks on peace and securi-ty, including CBMs, Jammu andKashmir as well as the promotionof friendly exchanges.The talks underlined the politicalwill of both sides to keep the frag-ile dialogue process going, butfailed to bridge the gap on terrorthat has strained ties between thetwo subcontinental neighbours.Issues thrown up by the disclo-sures made by 26/11 plotter AbuJundal Hamza, which India saidpoint to the involvement ofPakistani state actors in the Nov26-29, 2008 terrorist attack inMumbai, topped the discussions."Terrorism is the biggest threatto peace and security in the region,and bringing the guilty to justicein the Mumbai terror attackswould be the biggest confidencebuilding measure of all," saidMathai."The arrest and the ongoinginterrogation of Abu Jundal hasnow added urgency to this matter.I did take up the issue withForeign Secretary Jilani and I haveshared information with him," hesaid.Mathai stressed that the investi-gation is under way and India willcontinue to pursue this matter toits logical conclusion.External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna highlighted outrage inIndia over the slow pace of 26/11justice when Jilani called on himlater in the day. Krishna, accord-ing to sources, conveyed the viewof the Indian political leadershipthat Islamabad must act on 26/11justice so that a congenial publicopinion is created to take thepeace process forward.Pakistan, however, refutedIndia's accusation of the involve-ment of Pakistani state agencies inthe Mumbai terror engineered by10 Pakistanis that left 166 people,including many foreigners, deadand 238 injured."I would very strongly reject anyinsinuation of any involvement ofany state agency in acts of terror-ism in India," he said.Jilani stressed that "tradingcharges will not help" and calledfor greater cooperation betweenthe home ministries and respectiveagencies of the two countries.Despite differences in percep-tions on the issue of terrorism, thetwo countries decided to pursuethe dialogue and stressed onenhancing bilateral trade thatcould produce win-win outcomes.The two sides discussed theJammu and Kashmir issue andagreed to find a peaceful solution"by narrowing divergences andbuilding convergences".The foreign secretaries also dis-cussed the date for the visit ofExternal Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna to Islamabad and willmeet again in Islamabad to pre-pare for the meeting of foreignministers in September.The two countries also discussedrevival of cricketing ties andfocused on enhancing sports andmedia exchanges.India shares information on the disclosures made by 26/11 plotter Abu Jundal Hamza with Pakistan;presses Islamabad to bring the perpetrators of 26/11 to justiceJundal was planning another26/11: InvestigatorsNew Delhi: Abu Jundal Hamza, oneof the handlers of the 26/11 attack-ers, was planning a similar strikewith an Indian Mujahideen (IM)module that he was setting up whenhe was nabbed in Saudi Arabia, ithas now been revealed.During Jundal's 15-day question-ing, he reportedly told Indian inves-tigators that the Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) to which he belonged hadclose links with the IM. With theLeT's help, new IM modules werebeing created in several parts ofIndia."Jundal was deputed by the LeT tohelp the IM in assembling arms andammunition to carry out another26/11-type terror attack in India. Butthe place was not yet decided," anofficer who questioned Jindal said.This has led investigators tobelieve that the LeT-IM combinemay still be planning and workingtowards executing the terror strike.Jundal was involved in the plan-ning of the 26/11-style attack whenhe was caught in Saudi Arabia anddeported to India on June 21. Hewas initially remanded to the cus-tody of the Delhi Police Special Cellfor 15 days and this was extendedfor another 15 days.Jundal told the police that theLeT-IM plan to carry out a terrorstrike at the Nasik police academyin Maharashtra on the lines of theLahore police academy attack by theTaliban on March 30, 2009, hadbeen busted following the arrest oftwo key plotters.The terror groups had watched avideo of the Lahore academy attackseveral times to study the modusoperandi of the Taliban and haddecided to stage a similar attack inNasik, Jundal told his interrogators."Wearing police uniforms, theLeT-IM module was planning tostrike at the Nasik academy. But thearrest of Mirza Himayat Beg andBilal, two key members, in theGerman Bakery blast case in Punein February 2010 led to the post-ponement of their plans," the policeofficer said.This, the officer said, was cited byJundal as proof of LeT-IM tiesstretching back several years."Jundal is the highest rankingIndian in the LeT. He also revealeda great deal about the terror groupand its links with the Pakistani stateplayers, particularly Inter-ServicesIntelligence (ISI -spy agency)," theofficer said.The LeT activist, with 26 aliases,has also confessed to his associationwith Mohammad Adil, a PakistaniIM operative arrested in November2011 with six others, the officersaid.The Jaipur Foot is a rubber-based prosthetic leg for people withbelow-knee amputationsOpen to Pak visit:ManmohanNew Delhi: Amid disclosures by26/11 plotter Abu Jundal linkingPakistani state actors to theMumbai carnage, Prime MinisterManmohan Singh has said he waslooking forward to visiting theneighboring country but stressedthat there have to be "suitable out-comes" for such a trip."I am looking forward to visit-ing Pakistan. No dates have beenfinalized for the visit," PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh told aleading Indian daily."As you know, there have to besuitable outcomes for such avisit," he said in an interview pub-lished in the Hindustan Times.The interview was published aday after the foreign secretaries ofIndia and Pakistan held talks here,during which the revelations madeby Abu Hamza Jundal, a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative linkingPakistani state actors to the Nov26, 2008, Mumbai terror spree,figured prominently in the discus-sions.Event 13Thesouthasiantimes.info July 7-13, 2012Rotary Dist 7250 officials installed at a ceremony Photos: Xitij JoshiCarle Place, NY: RotaryInternational District 7250,encompassing Brooklyn,Queens and Nassau County,held a glittering function atChateau Briand restauranthere on June 28 for installa-tion of the 2012-13 DistrictGovernor, Mario Moran.Kamlesh Mehta, CharterPresident of HicksvilleSouth Club, was appointedAssistant Governor for thesame district at the eventattended by RaviBhooplapur, formerGovernor of Dist. 7250.Dev Ratnam was installedas President of HicksvilleSouth club. FollowingRotary Club Presidents werealso installed the sameevening: Jericho Sunrise,Great Neck, WestHempstead, Glen Cove,Westbury and CentralQueens.In the over 100 years histo-ry of Chicago headquarteredRotary International, KalyanBanerjee, from Vapi,Gujarat, became the thirdIndian to serve as itsInternational President(2011-12) Mario Moran formally taking over as new Dist. 7250 Governor fromthe outgoing Governor, Gabor Karsai.Kamlesh Mehta, newly appointed Assistant Governor for RotaryDistrict 7250 for year 2012-13, with Dist Governor Mario Moran. The event was addressed by Ravi Bhooplapur, ofSyosset, who has served as District Governor(2009-10) and is Chairman of Gift of Life, India. Dev Ratnam, the new President of Hicksville South, with Runi Ratnam and Jagdeesan Poola. Group picture of Hicksville South members and officials at the event. Members of the Jericho Sunrise, a womens club, with other women Rotarians.Ravi Bhooplapur, Dist 7250 Trustee Eileen Gentilcore, JamesGentilcore, and Mario Moran.Mario Moran, from West Hempstead,NY, crooning at the event, his hat areminder that he grew up in Juarez,Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.Ravi Bhooplapur, Dist Trainer Sammy Hsiao, James Gentilcore,Mario Moran, Kamlesh Mehta, Nimmi Mehta, outgoing JerichoSunrise President Jayasheela Bhooplapur, and Dev Ratnam.16July 7-13, 2012TheSouthAsianTimes.infoGreatAmericanPresidentsGeorge Washington(1789-1797)Americas first President anduniversally regarded as theFather of his country, Washington also served asCommander-in-Chief of theContinental Army during theAmerican Revolutionary War and waselected unanimously to head thenation in 1789 and again for a secondterm in 1793.Washington also presided over theconvention that drafted theConstitution and set precedents of allsorts during his life. While wars werebrewing in Europe, Washington madesure to maintain a level of neutralityand keep his country as well-financedas possible as he suppressed rebellion.Washington established the ritual ofusing a cabinet system and deliveringan inaugural address. He felt that thatArticles of Confederation, an incom-plete prelude to the Constitution, wasinsufficient in its creation and execu-tion and so oversaw a much more pro-ficient written document. Some high-lights of his life: Defeated British in Boston in1776 After victory finalized in 1783,resigned rather than seize power Supported Federalist Party andAlexander Hamiltons programs topay off national and state debt Secured Jay Treaty in 1795 Freed all his slaves in 1799 Hailed as first in war, first inpeace, and first in the hearts of hiscountrymen upon time of death Honored by Washington stateand Washington D.C. named afterhim, dollar bill picture, Mt.Rushmore, symbol of Federalists andconsistent ranking of top three presi-dents of all timeJefferson was anotherAmerican Founding Fatherand was the third Presidentof America. He was the primaryauthor of the Declaration ofIndependence and representedVirginia while serving in theContinental Congress at thebeginning of the AmericanRevolution.Jefferson served two consecu-tive terms right at the turn of thecentury, from 1801-1809. Hepurchased Louisiana Territoryfrom France in 1803which atthe time doubled the size ofAmerica--and sent Lewis andClark to explore the west in1804. In 1807, he signed a billinto law that banned the import-ing of slaves into America, eventhough some historians still crit-icize him for a lack of efforts onthat front.Although his embargo lawsmanaged to do more harm toAmerican trade and the econo-my than previously anticipated,he is still mentioned in the samebreath as other great AmericanPresidents. The Declaration ofIndependence formallyannounced the dissolution ofAmerican colonies from Britishrule. Started the University ofVirginia Member of the VirginiaLegislature Wrote The Necessity ofTaking Up Arms, 1775 Helped Patrick Henrypersuade James Madison tomake the Bill of Rights Invented the plow,grandfather clock, copier,dumbwaiter, and was the firstman to say that tomatoes are notpoisonous Thomas Jeffersonspecial sectionThe Mount Rushmore National Memorial (right) is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmorenear Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States. It features 60-foot sculptures of the heads of four famous US Presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. It represent thefirst 130 years of the history of the country.(1801-9)Honest Abe, as he is sooften referred to, wasAmericas 16th Presidentand undoubtedly one of itsmost popular. He served from1861-1865, when he wasassassinated. The boldest facetof Lincolns resume would behis leadership of Americathrough one of its most tryingtimesThe Civil Warwhichwas a constitutional, moral andmilitary crisis.In the process, Lincoln pre-served the Union and endedslavery while promoting eco-nomic and financial modern-ization. He served as a countrylawyer, Illinois state legislator,Whig Party leader, and a one-term member of the U. S.House of Representatives. Heissued the EmancipationProclamation in 1863 thatencouraged border states tooutlaw slavery as well.Lincoln delivered hisGettysburg Address in 1863,which went on to become themost quoted speech inAmerican history. The Addresswas a clever and paraphrasedreminder of all the principlesthat America is founded upon. Assassinated in 1865,six days after the surrender ofConfederate commanding gen-eral Robert E. Lee; it was thefirst time a President had beenassassinated Honored by consistentranking of top three presidentsof all time and picture on five-dollar bill Brought together andheld together main factions ofthe Republican partyAbraham Lincoln (1861-1865)FDR was the 32ndPresident of America andwas a central figure ofthe nations mid-20th centuryobstacles and trying times. Hewas the only President that wasever elected to three terms,from 1933-1945. It was FDRwho led the nation throughWorld War II and also institut-ed the New Deal that wasaimed at national recovery dur-ing tough economic times.Roosevelt was also the 44thGovernor of New York beforebecoming President. Beforethat, he was assistant secretaryto the Navy, which followedhis seat in the Senate.He was a liberal and democ-rat, describing his politicalviews as being a little bit leftof center. Contracted polio (para-lytic illness) in 1921 that lefthim paralyzed from the waistdown Appointed eight justicesto the Supreme Court, morethan any other President otherthan Washington, who appoint-ed 10 Many polls rankRoosevelt as the 2nd or 3rdgreatest PresidentFranklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)(1861-1865)JFK was the 35th Presidentof America, serving from1961-1963, when he wasassassinated. Kennedy represent-ed Massachusetts in the U.S.House of Representatives, whichwas after he had served in themilitary. He served in the U.S.Senate prior to winning the pres-idential election against RichardNixon. JFK was the youngestPresident elected to the office atage 43 and was the first personborn in the 20th century to serveas President. He was the onlyCatholic President up to thatpoint and the only President toever win a Pulitzer Prize.Major events during his termincluded the Bay of PigsInvasion, Cuban Missile Crisis,the building of the Berlin Wall,the Space Race, the AfricanAmerican Civil RightsMovement, and the early stagesof the Vietnam War. Assassinated in 1963 byLee Harvey Oswald Said famous words atInaugural address: Ask notwhat your country can do foryou; ask what you can do foryour country Died at age 46, youngerthan any other President to date 16 million people visitedhis gravesite in the three yearsfollowing his deathJohn F. Kennedy(1961-63)By Vikas Girdhar14June 30-July 6, 2012TheSouthAsianTimes.infoChief Guest Mr TV Mohandas Pai, who will lead a workshop on philanthropy, and others who will present workshops at the Konkani Sammelan. Creative Writing WorkshopShobhan BantwalAward Winning AuthorShobhan Bantwal is an award-winningauthor of six published novels, includ-ing ' The Full Moon Bride' and ' TheUnexpected Son'. She is also a freelancewriter featured in publications such asThe Writer Magazine, India Abroad, IndiaCurrents and New Woman India. Herbooks deal with social-moral issues andoffer a peek into a side of Indian culturethat has rarely been dealt with in fictionbooks. Two of her short stories won hon-ors in national fiction contests sponsoredby Writers Digest and New York Storiesmagazines. She has written plays for pre-vious Konkani Sammelans. She works asa Supervisor at NJ Dept of Labor.Konkani SamskaraRaghuchandra BhatFounder Puja123.comRaghuchandra Bhat was born in a fam-ily of priests. They are the hereditarypriests for the Laxmi Venkatesh temple inGerosoppa (Karnataka).In 1975 he joined a vedic school namedShri Shrinivas Nigamagama Patshala,Mangalore managed by Samsthan KashiMath, Varanasi. There, he was exposed tothe (partially Krishna Yajurveda) ancientGurukula system. After graduation in1978, he came to Mumbai, where he start-ed his consulting practice and conductedpujas, taught Sanskrit, prayers and slokasto children.In 1999, he conducted the installationceremony of Hanuman, Ganesha and alsoS h i k a rPrathistapana atBadarikashramasIndia center inMadihalli. In2000, he wasinvited to joinBadarikashramain California astheir full time priest, serving the Bay areacommunity.In 2001, he joined the Hindu temple ofWisconsin, Pewaukee as its founderpriest. He helped install all the deitiesand worked on building a large devoteebase. He left in 2006, to found his inde-pendent consulting practice puja123.com.Raghuchandra Bhat is proficient inHindi, English, Marathi, Kannada &Konkani languages.HinduismSwami ShantanandaChinmaya Mission Tri-State Center,Cranbury, NJSwami Shantananda is a senior discipleof Swami Chinmayananda. He com-pleted his spiritu-al studies atS a n d e e p a n ySadhanalaya inMumbai (1978),and then spenttwo years inretreat in theHimalayas. Mesmerized byPujya Gurudev,Swami Shantananda (then Br. Raghavan),went to serve the Master for almost twoyears as his traveling secretary. Aftercompleting his Vedanta course inMumbai, Swamiji traveled to Taiwanwhere he successfully managed his ownbusiness while teaching Vedanta part-time. He has been instrumental in building theChinmaya Mission in Hong Kong, Taiwanand other parts of the world. Since 1992,when he was given Sannyas by Gurudev,Swamiji has dedicated his life to the full-time teaching of Vedanta in thePennsylvania, New Jersey, New Yorkarea. Swami Shantananda is an eruditescholar and gifted speaker. His indefatiga-ble energy and razor-sharp intellect arecoupled with a modern mind. In 2001,Swamiji undertook and completed 50Geeta Gnana Yagnas all around the worldas his personal tribute to Pujya Gurudev.Chief GuestT.V. Mohandas Pai Chairperson, Manipal UniversalLearning, Ex-CFO InfosysT.V. Mohandas Pai is the Chairperson ofManipal Universal Learning, a globaleducational services corporation & advisorto the Manipal Education & Medical Group.Mr Pai received a B.Com from St Joseph'sCollege in Bangalore and a law degree fromBangalore University and is a fellow of theinstitute of chartered accountants. He joinedInfosys in 1994, was elevated as a boardmember in 2000, and served as CFO ofInfosys (1994-2006). He was the mostinfluential, admired and widely emulatedCFO in India. He then became chief ofhuman resources, education & research atInfosys. He is a member SEBI (Securities andExchange Board of India) and served invarious capacities in financial institutions. He conceived and operationalizedAkshaya Patra Foundation in 2000, whichwas designed as a mid-day meal programfor school going children. Today it feeds1.2 million each day in 8,000 governmentschools across 9 Indian states with Rs.100crores revenue each year. Mr Pai has made personal contributions toenhance the educational infrastructure atseveral government schools and educationalinstitutions. His generous donations enabledthe establishment of many computer labs inseveral educational institutions across India.He has contributed for the farmers educa-tional program in Karnataka and teacherstraining programs for government schools.He gives an incredible 40 percent of hisincome to social causes and charities eachyear. In some years, he has given his entiresalary (estimated to be Rs. 3.5 crore) tocharity. He says, "I give because you cannotmake an island of prosperity amid rampantpoverty." He is one of the biggest contributors to theWorld Konkani Center in Mangalore. Afterretiring from Infosys, he has decided todevote his time for furthering education andfor social causes in India. Workshops on EntrepreneurshipAjit PrabhuCEO of QuEST GlobalAs the co-founder, CEO& co-chairman, AjitPrabhu provides the visionand strategic direction forQuEST Global. QuESTwas founded in 1997 todevelop expertise in theengineering services out-sourcing space.Ajit is a Six SigmaGreenbelt certificate hold-er. He gained practicalexperience at GEsCorporate R&D Center, inSchenectady, NY, whileworking on power genera-tion, aircraft engines,appliances and locomotiverelated engineering prob-lems.He is a Fellow of theRoyal AeronauticalSociety, UK. Vinodh (Vin) BhatCo-founder & CEO, SaavnVinodh (Vin) Bhat is acofounder and theCEO of Saavn (South AsianAudio Visual Network), aconsumer media and techcompany, which is thelargest digital rights holder,packager and distributor ofBollywood movies andmusic. Today, Saavnincludes Saavn.com as wellas its Saavn Chrome,Android and iPhone/iOSapplications. Vin Bhat began his careerat the investment bankDonaldson, Lufkin &Jenrette (DLJ), advising andfinancing media, telecom &technology companies suchas Voyager, Earthlink,AT&T, @Home andAkamai. He then co-found-ed and served as theDirector, Sales & BusinessDevelopment at Simile, amedia software and servicescompany that advised thebusiness units of TimeWarner, McClatchy, Scrippsand Hearst.Saavn.coms content isavailable and programmedin over 19 million TimeWarner, Cox, Rogers,Virgin and other digitalcable homes, on over 30Internet services such asiTunes, Amazon MP3 andRhapsody, and with allmajor wireless carriersincluding Verizon Wireless,AT&T, and Rogers. In addi-tion, the company reachesover 3M consumers throughits own direct web sitessuch as Saavn.com andSmashits.com, mobileapplications and servicesevery month. Saavn isbased in New York, withoffices in Boulder, CO,Sunnyvale, CA andMumbai, India.Ranjit DatePresident and JointManaging Director,Precision Automation andRobotics India (PARI)Dr. Ranjit Date receivedhis Engineeringdegree with honors atCollege of Engineering,Pune, and then a Graduate& Doctoral degrees fromRensselaer PolytechnicInstitute, NY. Ranjit was,in 1991, the youngest per-son to receive a doctoratein this field at RPI.After earning a doctoratehe returned to India. Hehoped to help automatefactory assembly lines inhis home country. Hiscompany, PrecisionAutomation and RoboticsIndia (PARI), has donethat.Ranjit is responsible forthe vision, business direc-tion, and mentoring atPARI. He is also responsi-ble for building the PARIbrand and formulatinggrowth strategies.PARI is amongst thelargest global automationcompanies with over 850+employees and 8 facilitiesworldwide. Its solid engi-neering strength enablesPARI to be a complete"Solution Provider", fromconceptualizing, designing,manufacturing, implement-ing and supportingadvanced factory automa-tion systems. More recent-ly it has begun sellingrobots to western manufac-turers like Caterpillar, Fordand Chrysler.Ranjit is a tennis and golfplayer. He enjoys travelingand sports. He has visitedpast 4 Olympic Games andis looking forward toLondon in 2012.Swami Vivekananda was the frst known Hindu sage to come to the West, where he introduced Eastern thought at the Worlds Parliament of Religions, in connection with the Worlds Fair in Chicago, in 1893. Vivekanandas speeches catapult-ed him to fame across US Memphis, Boston, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and St. Louis.After Indian independence until the end of the cold war, the relationship between the U.S. and India was often thorny. Dwight Eisenhower was the frst U.S. President to visit India in 1959. He was so sup-portive of India that the New York Times remarked It did not seem to matter much whether Nehru had actually requested or been given a guarantee that the U.S. would help India to meet further Chinese com-munist aggression. What mattered was the obvious strengthening of Indian-American friendship to a point where no such guarantee was necessary.From strengthening economic ties to deepening security cooperation, from meeting the challenges in South and Central Asia to work toward promot-ing a shared vision for the Asia-Pacifc, the relationship between India and the United States has been very strong. The United States and India are two great democracies with common values and increasingly convergent interests. Here is their spectacular journey..18special sectionIndia-US relations:road to gloryDuring John F. Kennedys period as President, he saw In-dia as a strategic partner against the rise of communist China. Kennedys ambassador was the noted Canadian-American economist John Kenneth Galbraith. While in India, Galbraith helped establish one of the frst Indian computer science de-partments, at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. As an economist. he also presided over one of the largests US-foreign aid program to any country.After the September 11 attacks in 2001, President George W. Bush collaborated with India to control and police the extreme-ly crucial Indian Ocean sea-lanes from the Suez to Singapore. The December 2004 tsunami saw the U.S. and Indian navies cooperating in search and rescue operations and reconstruction of affected areas. An Open Skies Agreement was made in April 2005. This helped enhance trade, tourism, and business by the increased number of fights. Air India purchased 68 U.S. Boe-ing aircraft, which cost $8 billion.Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made visits to In-dia as well. After Hurricane Katrina, India donated $5 mil-lion to the American Red Cross and sent two plane loads of relief supplies and materials to help. Then on March 1, 2006, President Bush made another diplomatic visit to expand rela-tions between India and the United States.In July 2005, President Bush hosted Prime Minister Man-mohan Singh in Washington, D.C. The two leaders announced agreements which further enhance cooperation in the areas of civil nuclear, civil space, and high-technology commerce.In December 2006, Congress passed the historic Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Cooperation Act, which allows direct civilian nuclear commerce with India for the frst time in 30 years. The legislation clears the way for India to buy U.S. nuclear reactors and fuel for civilian use.In July 2007, the United States and India reached a historic milestone in their strategic partnership by completing negotia-tions on the bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear coopera-tion, also known as the 123 agreement.SATimes BureauJuly 7-13, 2012Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru receiving US President Dwight D. Eisen-hower at Parliament House in 1959US President Richard Nixon with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1971US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with then Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab MukherjeeIn July 2005, President Bush hosted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife in Washington, D.C.Jacqueline Kennedy with Ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith in India in 1962MCOMMzhUMMCh.MOMCOMMzhUMMCh.MOMCOMMzhUMMCh.MOBy Jinal Shah/SA Times From New York to LasVegas and from Alaskato Hawaii, Americanscelebrated the 236th anniver-sary of the Declaration ofIndependence from the Britishwith parades, concerts andcookouts leading up to night-time fireworks.Millions of Americans, bothfrom small towns tocityscapes participated in var-ious public events, concerts,family gatherings, picnics andenjoyed spectacular fireworksshow. Fireworks also lit thenight skies over hallowed bat-tlefields from the war of 1812and Americas 19th centurycivil war.Fourth time in a row, USPresident Barack Obama cele-brated I day with military per-sonnel with barbecue, gamesand a concert by the presiden-tial Marine Band. For theObama family there was morethan just celebratingIndependence Day as July 4thalso marks Malia, Obamaselder daughters birthday, whoturned 14 this year. In the nations capital, fire-works began shortly after 9pmon the West Lawn of theCaptiol. Entertainment wasprovided by MatthewBroderick, who performedtwo songs from the Broadwaymusical Nice Work If YouCan Get It with Tony-nomi-nated actress Keli OHara.Academy award winnerJennifer Hudson performed inBoston. Fireworks howeverhad to be canceled due toinclement weather conditions.Manhattan skyline glowed indark as over 40,000 fireworkswere launched above theHudson River between NewYork City and New Jersey.Huge crowds lined up bothsides of the river to view the36th annual Macys mightydisplay. Pop sensation KatyPerry gave a rousing perform-ance along with her crew ofmilitary-style dancers at theBrooklyn Navy Yard.From fireworks to food. Bydowning 68 hot dogs andbuns, Joey Chestnut aCalifornian won his sixthstraight Fourth of July hotdog-eating contest at ConeyIsland on Wednesday. Sonya Thomas, ofAlexandria, Va., downed 45hot dogs to win the womenscompetition. She reached hergoal of eating 45 in the timelimit her age and tookhome her own pink champi-ons belt and $10,000.The Nathans FamousFourth of July InternationalHot Dog Eating Contest hasbeen a city tradition for 97years. Tens of thousands ofspectators gather to watch ascontestants shimmy, glide andbounce as they dip hot dogs inwater and cram them downtheir throats.Early in the day, about adozen wounded warriors visit-ed Ground Zero in New Yorkahead of the usual throng oftourists. The visit was intend-ed to honor the service m