voice of asia e paper may 22 2015

VOICE OF ASIA 1 FRIDAY, May 22, 2015

VOICE OF ASIAOver 26 years of dedicated service to the community

Vol. 28 No. 21 Friday, May 22, 2015 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: [email protected]


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713-774-5140VOICE OF ASIA

Over 26 years of dedicated service to the communityVol. 28 No. 21 Friday, May 22, 2015 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: [email protected]

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PlanningRead more on Page 16

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WASHINGTON DC - May 18, 2015 - In a Press Release the

Embassy of India in US in-formed that the Ambassador of India to the United States, H.E. Mr. Arun K. Singh presented his credentials on May 18, 2015 to the President of the United States of America H.E. Mr. Ba-rack H. Obama at the Oval Of-fice of the White House.

President Obama warmly wel-comed Ambassador Singh back to Washington and wished him success in his responsibilities as India’s next Ambassador to the United States. The President fondly recalled his visit to India in January and personal friend-ship with Prime Minister Modi.

Ambassador Singh, in his re-marks to President Obama, con-veyed warm greetings from the President and the Prime Min-ister of India to him and Mrs. Michelle Obama. Ambassador

After serving a no-table two tenures at India House, the old

Executive Committee makes way for the new sanguine and enthusiastic next generation.

India House has grown tre-mendously under the guidance of the previous Executive Committee. Having invested in the depth and breadth of community development, edu-cational programs, healthcare services, mind and wellness programs as well as social events including sports, arts, cultural and entertainment, the outgoing committee has laid an impressive and strong foundation by showcasing

India House elects new generation leadership for EC

New Executive Committee: Sitting Left to Right: Annie Aggarwal, Dr. Manish Rungta, Jiten Agar-wal, Nagraj Eleswarapu. Standing Left to Right: Jugal Malani, Ravi Goel, Mohit Agrawal, Vikie Agrawal. Not in picture: Sam Merchant.

India House at the fore-front of community-building. We thank our wonderful and sup-portive out-going Executive Committee for their tremen-dous performance led by Jugal Malani, President; Kul Bhush-an Uppal, VP-Operations; Brij Agrawal, VP-Finance; Jiten Agarwal, Treasurer; Devi Prasad Rungta, Joint Trea-surer; Sewa Singh Legha, Secretary; Rakesh Agrawal, Joint Secretary; Ashok Dh-ingra, Immediate Past Presi-dent; Sam Merchant, Council Chairman.

India House is thrilled with their experienced and young, energetic and vibrant newly

elected Executive Committee promising to take them to even greater heights. Unanimously elected during the elections held at India House on April 18th 2015, India House wel-comes their newest and confi-dent Executive Committee led by Dr. Manish Rungta, Presi-dent; Nagraj Eleswarapu, VP Operations; Jiten Agarwal, VP Finance; Mohit Agarwal, Trea-surer; Annie Aggarwal, Sec-retary; Vikie Agrawal, Joint Treasurer; Ravi Goel, Joint Secretary; Jugal Malani, Im-mediate Past President; Sam Merchant, Council Chair.

Continued on Page 7

India’s economic growth to surpass China’s in 2015-16: UN report

Singh said that he was commit-ted to work towards making the India-United States strategic partnership global in outlook, strategic in content and trans-

formative for India’s develop-ment, as decided by the leaders of the two countries in the sum-mits held in September 2014 and January 2015.

New Ambassador of India to the United States takes charge

UNITED NATIONS: (PTI | 19 May, 2015) - India’s economic

growth is projected to surpass that of China’s, with the GDP expected to zoom by 7.7 per cent in 2016, according to a UN report which said India will help accelerate economic growth in South Asia.

The mid-year update of the UN World Economic Situation and Prospects ( WESP), re-leased today, said India’s econ-

omy is projected to grow by 7.6 per cent this year and 7.7 per cent in 2016, overtaking China.

China is projected to grow by 7 per cent in 2015 and 6.8 per cent next year.

The report termed South Asia’s economic outlook as “largely favourable” since most economies are expected to ex-perience a strengthening of growth in 2015-16 on the back of stronger domestic consump-

tion and investment, and a pick-up in exports.

The region’s GDP is projected to grow by 6.7 per cent in 2015 and 6.9 per cent in 2016, up from an estimated 6.3 per cent in 2014--a significant revision of the previous forecast.

“This revision mostly reflects a higher growth trajectory in In-dia,” it said.

Continued on Page 8

H.E. Mr. Arun K. Singh assumed his new assignment on April 30, 2015.

Ambassador Mr. Arun K. Singh with U. S. President Mr. Barack H. Obama at the Oval Office of the White House.

VOICE OF ASIA 4 FRIDAY, May 22, 2015OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSISV AOICE OF SIA

Publisher: Koshy ThomasAssociate Publisher: Sherly PhilipEditor-in-Chief: Shobana MurateeAustin Correspondent: Sherine ThomasPrint & Media Marketing: Jacob DavidMarketing: Susan Pothanikat Production: AR VadlamaniOffice Manager: Priyan Mathew Digital Coordinator Harsha Mary Pradeep Columnists:Legal: Richard M. AldermanLegal: Sharlene Sharmila RichardsResearch: Prof. Meenakshi BhattacharjeeHealth Insurance: Sudhir MathuriaAstrology: Hardik Vyas

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Editor: Online & Newsletter : Shobana Muratee

All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the consent of the publisher. Voice of Asia assumes no liability resulting from action taken based on the information included herein. Pub-lished weekly by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074. Tel: 713-774-5140. Fax: 713-774-5143. Email for editorial submissions: [email protected]; Email for advertising inquiries and submissions: [email protected]

It is the policy of Voice of Asia to publish letters to the editor which evidence a variety of viewpoints. The opinions expressed in any particular letter to the editor are not necessarily those of the management. Voice of Asia welcomes letters in reply to issues raised in letters to editor. In as much letters to the editor are not articles written or researched by members of Voice of Asia, it is not the policy of the Voice of Asia to perform any investigation or confirmation of any facts or allegations contained in letters to the editor. Moreover, Voice of Asia reserves the right to edit letters to the editor as necessary to correct errors of fact, punctuation, spelling and to comply with space constraints.

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GREATER HOUSTON

A carefree and happy childhood in PorbandarThis is the story of a man born more than 130 years ago. As a boy, he looked no

different from the millions of other children born in India. Yet this was no ordinary child. He wasto fight and overcome a great empire and, without taking to arms, set his country free. He was to be called the Mahatma, the Great Soul. Having led his people to freedom, he was to lay down his life for their sake. Voice Of Asia will bring to you over the next several weeks, the story of this remarkable man who is still an inspiration to millions of oppressed people around the world.

In a small, white-washed house in Porbandar, on the coast of Kathiawad in the western Indian state of Gujarat, Mohandas Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869. His father was Karamchand Gandhi and mother Putlibai. Porbandar is an old sea-port, a little distance from the Barda Hills. Even in ancient days ships from far-off lands arrived there to trade. It was the ancestral home of the Gandhi family.

The grandfather and father of Mohandas were famous for their ability and for their upright character. Grandfather Uttamchand Gandhi, who belonged to a humble family of merchants, became the Dewan of Porbandar. He was succeeded by his son, Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Kaba Gandhi. Karamchand had very little formal education, but his knowledge and experience of state affairs made him a good administrator. He was brave and generous. He had, however, one fault - a bad temper. Putlibai, Karamchand Gandhi’s wife, was a deeply religious woman, lovable and strong-willed woman. She was widely respected for her wisdom and good sense. People often sought her advice on various matters. Mohandas was the youngest of the six children of Karamchand and Putlibai Gandhi. He was the favorite child of the family and was called ‘Moniya’ by his parents and their friends.

Moniya adored his mother. He loved his father too, but he was a little afraid of him. As a child, Moniya seldom liked to stay at home. He would go home for his meals and then run away again to play outside. If one of his brothers teased him or playfully pulled his ears, he would run home to complain to his mother. “Why didn’t you hit him?” she would ask. “How can you teach me to hit people, mother? Why should I hit my brother? Why should I hit anyone?” would be Moniya’s reply. His mother wondered where her little son got such ideas. Moniya was just seven years old when his father left Porbandar to become the Dewan of Rajkot. Moniya missed Porbandar, and he missed the blue sea and the ships in the harbor. At Rajkot he was sent to a primary school. He was shy and did not mix easily with the other children. Every morning he went to school in time, and ran back home as soon as school was over. His books were his sole companions and he spent all his free time alone reading. He had one friend, however; a boy named Uka. Uka was a sweeper boy and an untouchable. One day Moniya, was given some sweets. He ran at once to Uka to share them with him. “Don’t come near me little master,” said Uka. “Why not?” asked Moniya, greatly surprised. “Why can’t I come near you?”

THE STORY OF MAHATMA GANDHI

Mohandas Gandhi or ‘Moniya’ at age 7

Great Summer Project For children! Enter Mahatma Gandhi Week 2015 Essay, I-Tribute, Poster and Speech contests. Visit gandhilibrary.org for registration and more information. All school going children can participate! These contests are being organized to create higher awareness of the inspiring life and work of Mahatma Gandhi to promote universal values of Truth, Non-Violence, Love and Service.

“I am an untouchable, master,” Uka replied. Moniya took hold of Uka’s hands and filled them with sweets. His mother saw this from a window, and she ordered Moniya to come in at once. “Don’t you know that a highcaste Hindu should never touch an untouchable?” she asked sternly. “But why not, mother?” asked Moniya. “Because our Hindu custom forbids it,” she said. “I don’t agree with you, mother. I find nothing wrong in touching Uka. He is not different from me, is he?” His mother had no answer. She angrily told him to go, have a bath and say his prayers. Karamchand Gandhi loved all his sons, but he was specially fond of the youngest. He often said to him: “You must go to high school and college and take up a profession.” Moniya worked hard, and did his lessons carefully. But he did not like learning by heart and was therefore weak in Sanskrit. Geometry was his favorite subject because it involved reasoning. Once Moniya happened to read the story of Shravana. Shravana’s parents were old and blind, and he always carried them with him in two baskets slung on a yoke. Moniya was deeply touched by Shravana’s devotion to his old parents. Moniya’s brother had a friend named Sheikh. He was tall and strong. Sheik was a meat-eater and he often told Mohandas that if he ate meat he would also grow tall and strong.

There was also at that time a reform movement for a change in the orthodox beliefs and practices of Hindus. Mohandas himself had heard that many wellto- do people had started eating meat, so he, too, tried meat. He did not like the taste of meat but as time went on he started to like meat curries. Whenever Mohandas had a meat meal outside, he had to give his mother some excuse for not eating his dinner. He knew that his parents would not forgive him if they knew he had eaten meat. He was not against eating meat then, but he was against telling a lie to his mother. This feeling was gnawing at his heart and finally he decided not to touch meat again. Mohandas had also taken to smoking with Sheik, his brother, and another relative. He had to pilfer small amounts of money here and there with which to buy cigarettes. One day, in order to pay off a debt which his brother had incurred, Mohandas stole a piece of gold jew-elry. Stealing was a great sin. He knew that he had committed a great crime. He resolved never in his life to steal again. He wrote down a confession of his crime and handed the paper to his ailing father. Karamchand Gandhi read the confession. He tore up the paper without saying a word. The bits of paper fell to the floor. He sank back on his bed with a sigh. Mohandas left the room, tears streaming down his face. From that day, Mohandas loved his father more and more. Every day he hurried home from school to wait on him. His father’s condition grew worse and at length he died. The house was filled with sorrow. Mohandas was only sixteen when his father died. (To be continued)

A $15 Minimum Wage Bomb-shell in Los Angeles

There are many ways to look at the minimum wage increase in Los

Angeles from the current $9 an hour to $15 by 2020 — some hopeful, some cautionary, all good.

For starters, uncharted terri-tory is rapidly being charted. Los Angeles is the fourth city, and by far the largest, to enact a $15 minimum in the past year. The others are Seattle, San Francisco and Emeryville, Calif. (near San Francisco). A $15 minimum has been proposed in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Kansas City, Mo.

Opponents of higher wages — generally, business groups and their political allies — have raised the same objec-tions in Los Angeles that have been raised since the dawn of the federal minimum wage in 1938: that higher pay will lead to layoffs and business clos-ings or business migration. But experience and research involving actual minimum wage increases indicate other-wise: The added cost of higher wages is offset by savings from lower labor turnover and higher labor productivity.

Higher wages can also be offset by modestly higher prices, which haven’t proved measurably disruptive, in part because minimum wage in-creases make somewhat higher prices manageable. Wages can also be raised by paying ex-ecutives and shareholders less. Whatever changes employers may have to make in Los An-geles, the long phase-in of the planned increase gives them time to adjust.

A challenge will be to ensure that all employers are held to the new higher wage. Cali-fornia is already one of eight states that prohibit the deplor-able practice of subminimum wages for tipped workers. So waitresses and waiters in Los Angeles will be eligible for the higher $15 minimum wage along with everyone else. Policy makers at all levels of government should follow California’s lead in outlawing subminimum tipped wages.

The restaurant industry, how-ever, will not go down without a fight. The Los Angeles City Council has pledged to study the potential effect of allow-ing restaurants to add a service charge to bills to meet the in-creased costs. It is past time, however, to stop coddling an industry that has come to regard itself as entitled to special dis-

pensation. If restaurants can’t pay their servers the minimum wage, they need to pay higher earners less or raise prices. If restaurants are franchises that can’t afford to pay adequate wages, their corporate parents should share the burden.

California does not index its state minimum wage, currently $9, to keep pace with price in-flation. But in Los Angeles, the new minimum will be indexed to inflation starting in 2022, when the increase will be fully phased in for large and small employers alike.

An inflation adjustment is better than no adjustment, but it would be better to adjust the minimum wage to wage growth, since wages gener-ally rise somewhat faster than prices.

Perhaps most far-reaching, California is one of a handful of states that is prepared to ex-pose the extent to which low-wage employers get a free ride on taxpayers. When employ-ers do not pay living wages, workers are forced to rely on public assistance, in the form of Medicaid, food stamps and other programs. Starting in 2016, California will pub-

lish the names of employers with more than 100 workers on Medicaid, and how much these companies cost the state in public aid. This could help build and sustain public sup-port for higher wages.

The pay raise in Los Angeles challenges Congress and other states, particularly New York. In Congress, the latest Demo-cratic proposal calls for a fed-eral minimum wage of $12 an hour by 2020. That would be adequate, if a bit on the low side, and a huge improvement from the current $7.25 an hour, the level since 2009. The big problem is Republican oppo-sition to even considering an increase.

On the state level, 21 states that have not raised their mini-mums in recent years will be forced to face up to the fact that being a competitive place to do business means ensuring fair pay. Opponents of wage increases often raise the spec-ter of scary “wage islands” caused by businesses decamp-ing to lower-wage areas. The outcome is likely to be just the opposite. Businesses, especial-ly in service industries, would prefer to be where customers have money, and that’s likely

to be where wages are rising.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has recently earned well-deserved praise for creating a wage board to help raise the pay of fast-food workers, needs to realize, and quickly, that cities in Califor-nia have stolen his thunder. Establishing a wage board to look into fast-food pay is a big step in the right direction. But it is no substitute for establish-ing a separate higher minimum wage of $15 an hour for New York City, and no substitute for going to the mat for a state minimum wage that is higher than the proposal for $10.50 an hour currently on the table.

Workers’ share of the eco-nomic pie has been shrinking for decades as the gains from labor productivity have flowed increasingly to profits rather than pay. A result has been an economy that is less resilient and more unequal. Low-wage workers who have been dem-onstrating for higher pay are leading politicians where they need to go, and the real lead-ers among those politicians are following the workers.

Courtesy: The New York Times.

Photo Credit: Jenna Schoenefeld for The New York Times


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PISCATAWAY, New Jer-sey, May 7, 2015 – Di-rect Relief and the U.S.

Fund for UNICEF have been selected by BAPS Charities as the recipients of $25,000 and $30,000 respectively in support of disaster relief aid in the after-math of the earthquake in Nepal. BAPS Charities is in communi-cation with these organizations, as well as the Nepal Embassy and One Heart Worldwide, to determine greatest needs for fur-ther funding designation.

“Safety and livelihood are primary concerns in the face of devastation from mega-earth-quakes,” said NIlkanth Patel, President of BAPS Charities. “Health and education are two focus areas that significantly impact a community’s ability to rebuild, and so we felt the need to address those challenges in Nepal.”

Since news of the earthquake reached the United States early Saturday morning on April 25th, BAPS Charities has been raising funds to support the response ef-forts on the ground. BAPS Char-ities has a long history of relief aid in South Asia, particularly in 2001 following the earthquake in Gujarat, India, where volunteers reached Kutch within minutes.

The most recent situation re-port from the United Nations in Nepal cites urgent needs for orthopedic equipment and sup-plies in Kathmandu Valley in assisting injured patients who need post-operation follow-up and rehabilitation. BAPS Chari-ties has supported Direct Relief with the procurement of portable X-ray machines and ventilators, materials specifically requested from the organization by the Ministry of Health Partners in Nepal. Approximately 178,000 lbs of requested medical mate-rials including IV solutions, an-tibiotics, gloves, IV tubing, and other supplies departed the Di-rect Relief warehouse for Nepal on May 5th.

More than 80 percent of health facilities in the five severely af-fected districts have faced ex-tensive damage, with health services now being provided outside of the buildings. UNI-CEF is also working with the Ministry of Health to address diarrheal disease prevention and medicine supply. With support from BAPS Charities, UNICEF recently transported six emer-gency health kits that will help cover the needs of 180,000 peo-ple in affected districts for one month.

Over 14,000 classrooms were destroyed, and more than 9,000 have been damaged as a result of the earthquake. Provisional estimates indicate that approxi-mately 948,000 children will not have access to education unless

the government and partners are able to provide alternative learn-ing spaces. UNICEF is working to secure child friendly spaces and temporary learning space, as well as provide humanitar-ian health aid to children at risk. UNICEF is also executing an emergency immunization cam-paign to vaccinate over half a million children amongst the growing concerns of measles outbreaks.

Direct Relief has maintained a presence in Nepal for over sev-eral years, working with local health partners to meet the needs of patients across the country. “In response to the tragic quake in Nepal, Direct Relief was able to immediately mobilize resources based on the needs of its long-standing partners in the region,” said Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief. “One of the greatest needs for the Ne-pali people right now is X-ray machines to treat surviving vic-tims and thanks to BAPS Chari-ties this need is being met.”

UNICEF has increased child-hood education enrollment in Nepal from 64 percent in 1990 to more than 95 percent as of today. The earthquake has posed a seri-ous threat to the existing educa-tional infrastructure. Addition-ally, over 1.7 million children are in urgent need of humanitar-ian aid in areas hit hardest by the earthquake. “Working with BAPS Charities gives us the op-portunity to partner with an or-ganization that not only affects change around the world through its humanitarian and social ac-tivities, but does so through a

set of ideals that are important to us here at UNICEF,” said Rachel Steinberg, Assistant Di-rector of Civil Society Partner-ships at U.S. Fund for UNICEF. “Through our long-term part-nership with BAPS Charities, we have come to realize that value-based education and the overall development of children is something they take very seri-ously. This shared set of values makes our partnership effective and extremely valuable.”

About BAPS Charities

BAPS Charities is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit international

charity organization committed to sincerely serving the world by caring for individuals, families, and communities. It is affiliated with BAPS as an independent charity and social services arm. The 55,000 BAPS volunteers networked in over 3,300 centers around the world provide over 12 million volunteer-hours of service annually.

Among social service chari-ties, BAPS Charities is a well-respected and trusted name. It has amassed over 50 years of firsthand experience in initiat-ing, managing, and sustaining 160 humanitarian operations throughout the world in such di-verse fields as: medical services, environmental services, commu-nity services, tribal services, and disaster relief services.

For additional information on BAPS Charities and its interna-tional and local philanthropic activities, please visit www.bap-scharities.org

For further information Contact:BAPS Charities North American Headquarters Tel: 732-777-1414 ex 140. E-mail : [email protected]

BAPS Charities donates to Direct Relief and UNICEF for Nepal Earthquake Relief

Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief seen accepting the check from BAPS Charities.

BAPS Charities handing over the check to U.S. Fund for UNICEF representatives.

Relief efforts in the earthquake hit locations in Nepal.


Q. A year ago my brother was unemployed and I co-signed a car note for him. He now has a good job and has been paying the note on time. I discovered it is hurting my credit to be a co-signer on his note. What can I do to have my name removed?

A. Many people co-sign to help out a family member or friend but, unfortunately, they don’t fully understand the consequences. A co-signer basically has the same liability as the person for whom he signs and cannot just “have his name removed.” The only way to be removed as a cosigner is for the creditor to agree to remove you, or for the other person to refinance and pay-off the debt. The creditor is under no legal obligation to remove a co-signer, even if there is no longer any need for one.

I suggest you talk with the creditor to see if it will agree to refinance the note in only your brother’s name, or see if someone else will refinance the car for him. The important thing to remember about co-signing, however, is that once you sign, you have the same liability as the person for whom you co-signed, and it will affect your credit.

Q. I recently played a round of golf. I hit a ball that rolled under a fence and into a backyard along the fairway. The owner took my ball and refused to give it back to me. He also told me I would be trespassing if I ever climbed over the fence to get on his property to retrieve a ball and he would call the police. Is this right? Can he keep my golf ball just because it was hit into his yard?

A. As far as the law is concerned, you are the owner of the golf ball and you did not lose your rights simply because it rolled into another’s yard. On the other hand, the neighbor is correct that you would be trespassing if you came onto his property without his permission. So where does this leave you? As a legal matter, it is a standoff. You can’t go on his property, but he has no legal right to keep it. Hopefully, you could work things out by talking. If you can’t, you could complain to the local police that he stole your ball, or you could sue him in small claims court for the value of the ball. Neither of these options seems like something you would want to pursue. A complaint to the golf course may also help. My guess is that he has acquired a nice collection of balls. Sometimes asserting legal rights is just not worth it.

Q. At what age is it legal to leave a child home alone, or with our younger child while we go out?

A. There is no “legal age” at which a child may be left alone or stay with another child. The law requires that you, as a parent, not abandon your child or put the child in a danger-ous situation. These requirements establish the standard for leaving a child alone. Basically, if your older child is mature enough to safely stay at home alone, he or she is old enough. In my opinion, by age 12 most children can be left alone for short periods of time. By age 13-14, most children may be left alone for a longer period and many are mature enough to engage in baby-sitting and care for a younger child. The bottom line is that there is no “legal” age and your decision must be based on the maturity of your child.

Q. I thought it was illegal to discriminate based on age. How is it legal for an apartment to rent to only “seniors” and prohibit children? Isn’t this discrimination?

A. As a general rule, an apartment may not refuse to rent to a family with children because doing so would be unlawful discrimination. But there is an exception in the law for “seniors only” apartments. If an apartment complex is occupied solely by persons who are 62 or older, or 80% or more of the residents are over age 55 and it adheres to a policy that demonstrates intent to house persons who are 55 or older, the apartment does not have to allow children.

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COMMUNITY

Be careful when you co-sign

by Padmashree Rao

There is eager anticipation in the air as May 30th, the date for the premiere

of “On a Quest” in Houston, ap-proaches. The much-acclaimed biopic of Swami Chinmayanan-da, who is revered as Pujya Gurudev by Chinmaya Mission worldwide, promises to be an inspiring, introspective journey. It will be a nostalgic reminder for those who met and interacted with the spiritual Master. And, it promises to capture the minds and hearts of a great majority of people who know of His teach-ings only through the published vast legacy of his books, record-ings, and video lectures.

As part of the global launch of the Chinmaya Birth Centenary Celebrations (2015-16), Chin-maya Mission Houston invites the greater Houston community for an unforgettable glimpse at the transformational journey of a revolutionary skeptic journal-ist who heralded a modern spiri-tual renaissance.

The movie is a beautiful and poignant depiction of a seeker who evolved through many dif-ferent identities before he finally found himself; or, to be accurate, before he realized the Self. It is a story with many turning points in which a precocious Balakrish-nan (PBK) Menon grows into a fierce and fashionable atheist youth drawn to literature and law, and becomes a passionate freedom-fighter in the struggle for India’s independence. Later, he emerges as a restless journal-ist, whose sharp mind and pen sets forth to expose “the bluff of the swamis.”

Arriving at Rishikesh, Hima-layas, with relentless curiosity, PBK Menon is intrigued by the humble lifestyle of service and contemplation in the ashram of Swami Sivananda. Thereon begins a soul-stirring transfor-mation which culminates in a memorable sanyasa deeksha, presenting to the world, Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati.

“On a Quest” premiers May 30th in Houston

In search of the Highest Truth, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinma-yananda climbs higher and high-er up the slope of Vedantic phi-losophy to learn from the great Master Swami Tapovanam, who lived in great austerity amid the splendor of the Himalayas.

One afternoon’s dream on the banks of Mother Ganga sets the revolutionary Swami Chinma-yananda on yet another quest. Determined to reintroduce the wisdom of the Hindu scriptures to the anglicized educated people of free India, the energetic Swa-mi undertakes a divine mission. Using his mastery of the English language, his unbeatable logic of spirituality, and tongue-in-cheek humor, the unconventional Swa-mi begins to travel across India and the world, breaking tradi-tion and bringing the Holy Gita and Upanishads directly to the masses. From a handful to later tens of thousands, people flock

to the commanding presence in flaming orange whose booming voice and animated explana-tions systematically dispels their doubts, opening doors for maxi-mum people toward maximum happiness for decades to follow.

‘On a Quest’ is not about preaching religion and but about a daring pursuit for Truth that transformed an ordinary man into a towering modern Sage. So, prepare to embark ‘On a Quest’ – a shared insight that will inspire our own inward journey.

Special screenings of a biopic about Swami Chinmayananada, “On a Quest,” on May 30th and June 7th at 3:15pm at the AMC Dunvale. Buy your tickets on-line at www.chinmayahouston.org/onaquest. For more infor-mation, please visit www.chin-mayahouston.org or contact Jay Deshmukh 832-541-0059.

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VOICE OF ASIA 7 FRIDAY, May 22, 2015COMMUNITY

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by Sanchali Basu

Since the installation of the Tagore statue in Tagore Grove at the

Ray Miller Park two years back, it has become but natu-ral to begin Tagore’s birthday celebrations at the hallowed ground every year. This year was no exception. The after-noon of May 10 was cloudy and breezy, but Tagore admir-ers were able to complete the garlanding ceremony just in time before the rain set in. A couple of Rabindra Sangeet and recitation of poems, “Thou hast made me endless,” and “This is my delight” set the tone for the rest of the evening and made it memorable and reverential.

The celebrations of Tagore’s 154th birthday continued into the evening at the HDBS Sur auditorium where the audience was treated to enjoyable music programs, dances, and recita-tions. Ruma Acharya, presi-dent of TSH (Tagore Society of Houston) welcomed the audience and recited a Tagore poem. Young emcees Vikram Banga and Rini Roy took over. They were adorable and were

Rabindra Jayanti celebrated in great passion

India House elects new generation leader-ship for EC

Group Photo: Sitting Left to Right: Dr. Virendra Mathur, Jugal Malani, Dr. Manish Rungta, Nagraj Eleswarapu, Jiten Agarwal. Standing Left to Right: Vipin Kumar, Sam Merchant, Ravi Goel, Kul Bhushan Uppal, Devi Prasad Rungta, Mohit Agrawal, Vikie Agrawal.

the subjects of the crowd’s adu-lation. The opening dance by a group of four very young danc-ers in their pristine white tutus truly reflected the spirit of the song Momo chitte. Mrs. Nahid Sultan very soulfully sang 2 Rabindra Sangeet. Shalini Das danced beautifully in the Odis-si style to Mor bhabanare, set in the Dhrupad style of Rabi-ndra raag.

The Bangladesh-American Society of Greater Houston (BASGH) then took the stage and their children’s choir did an excellent job with 3 very catchy playful and fun Rabi-ndra Sangeet -Hriday Aamar Nachere, Phagun Haway Ha-way, Aj Dhaner Khete. What was extremely commendable was the perfect pronunciation and diction of the language by second generation Bengalis. All credit goes to teacher Rupa Ghosh, who led the choir. She was ably supported by Modhu-mita and Mukul who presented a small song-recitation-dance combination. The medley of dances Poush Toder and Aaji Dokhino Duar Khola per-formed by 6 beautiful young

dancers and the solo dance by Simmy Ahmed were very well received by the audience.

Aishani Saha was very grace-ful and poised in her dance, Jhoro jhoro borishe baari dhaara. Tareeq Mahammed presented a very powerful recitation of the Tagore poem, Aami.

Esho he Baishakh the presen-tation by Kamalpriya Roy and group was a select combina-tion of solo and chorus songs from Tagore’s summer prakriti songs of the Gitabitan. The four solos by Shamik, Shyama, Madhumita and Kheya were presented solemnly with deep sincerity. All the group songs and duet songs by Tushar, Sra-boni, Nandini, Anjali, Anirud-dha, Gargee Dona and Balaka were also nice. The script writ-ten by Kheya and narrated by Jaya and Aniruddha did justice to the overall presentation. Ac-

companiment by Raja on the tabla and Aloke on the mandira added the right amount of mu-sicality to make the presenta-tion effective.

Last, but not the least was a very energetic dance by Mona-li Biswas to Mor bhabona re in a contemporary style.

Shingara, ghugni and cha were all sold out and Choity Sarees had sarees and jewelry that appealed to the women-folk. Everyone was all praise and complimentary about the organization and quality of the program on their way out.

Thanks to the joint effort of all 3 Bengali associations in town, the Tagore Society of Houston, the Houston Dur-gabari Society and the Ban-gladesh-American Society of Greater Houston, the national poet of Bengal, Tagore’s birth-day was genuinely celebrated wholeheartedly.

The new Executive Com-mittee with highly qualified individuals bring in a new energy to India House. As an accomplished physician, Manish brings in his proactive and productive professional skills to the committee, along with Nagraj’s effective project management skills, Jiten’s tech and market savviness, and An-nie’s legal expertise, together they form a great team. Bring-ing in their business acumen, planning and financial strategy Mohit, Vikie and Ravi form the perfect support system for the committee. Jugal’s experience and advice will be the guiding light for the new elected com-mittee. Sam’s expertise and knowledge will help firm the grounding knowledge.

For regular updates like us on Facebook/IndiaHouse. For more information visit us at www.indiahouseinc.org

Continued from page 3

Tagore Society of Houston organizers at the Tagore Grove at the Ray Miller Park for the garlanding ceremony.

VOICE OF ASIA 8 FRIDAY, May 22, 2015COMMUNITYFIS Interviews Bengali couple: Dilip Dutta and Sukti Dutta

HOUSTON: FIS reach-es out to interview all language and ethnic

groups of India for its Oral His-tory project. It is estimated that there are about 2000 immigrant families whose mother tongue is Bengali living in the Greater Houston area. Among them are Mr. Dilip Dutta and his wife Sukti, residents of Richmond, Texas, who have resided in the Houston area for 38 years. They were the first Bengali couple to be interviewed for the Indo American Oral history project.

Mr. Niranjan Banik interviewing Dilip and Sukti Dutta for FIS’s Indo-American Oral History Project

The West Bengal state in Eastern India is the fourth most populous state in India. During India’s Independence struggle, Bengal produced national leaders like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and is known for its rich cultural traditions with literary giants like Rabrindranath Tagore, Sarath Chandra Chatterji and Nazrul Islam. For Bengalis Politics and Poetry and are a passion and it was also said, what Bengal thinks today, rest of India thinks tomorrow.

The life story of Dilip K Dutta represents the diverse tapestry of a typical Indo-American immigrant experi-ence.

Born in 1937 in Bengal, Mr. Dutta holds a Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering Degree from Jadavpur Uni-versity in Kolkata and a Mas-ters of Industrial Engineering from Penn State University. Mr. Dutta worked at Braith-waite and Co. in Kolkata - previously known as Calcut-ta, before immigrating to the

United States in 1970. There he started his engineering ca-reer in Philadelphia at Morris Wheeler. He then moved to Houston 1977 and started a long, successful career with Kellogg where he retired in 2011. During his time at Kel-logg he spent several years working across globe in plac-es like Indonesia, Venezuela, and Mexico. He married his wife Sukti in 1974. They have two sons, a daughter in law and two grandchildren all of whom reside in the Houston area.

Both Mr. Dutta and his wife Sukti have a deep passion for Bengali culture. This passion has driven them to work tire-lessly in the development of a strong Bengali community in Houston. Mr. Dutta enjoys music and art and has instilled this passion in his sons.

In this interview conducted by Mr. Niranjan Banik, Mr. Dutta describes his journey from India to America before deciding upon Houston as his home. Through hard work, perseverance, and some good fortune Mr. Dutta built a suc-

cessful engineering career while raising a family with his wife Sukti. Mr. Dutta talks about the demand for engi-neers in America driven by nuclear projects and the sub-sequent wave of Indian immi-gration to the US. He speaks about the challenges of bal-ancing cultures when raising children.

Mr. Dutta spends time dis-cussing the establishment of Indian American cultural or-ganizations in Philadelphia and Houston. He was involved in the creation of two Bengali cultural organizations, Pra-gati in Philadelphia and the Houston Durgabari Society. He touches on the new gener-ation of Indian immigrants as they begin to take leadership roles in local Indian Ameri-can organizations. He talks about the contrast between the recent Indian immigrants and the Second Generation Indian Americans.

Mr. Dutta speaks affection-ately of the opportunities pro-vided to him by America and Houston. The depiction of his life is both unique and quint-

essentially American. The interviewer Niranjan

Banik is a family friend of Mr. and Mrs. Dutta. He has a PhD in Physics from Purdue University and worked in the oil industry as an application geophysicist for thirty five years.

The Indo-American Oral History project is a signature project of the Foundation for India Studies (FIS), a 501(c3) a non-profit organization reg-istered in 2005 in Houston, Texas. Recorded video inter-views of the first generation Indian immigrants will be transcribed and archived in the Indo-American Oral His-tory collection of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center administered by the Houston Public Library.

For information and partici-pation in the project, please contact Ms. Veena Ponna-ganti @281-323-9515 or Mr. Krishna Vavilala @ 713-795-5169. Interviews will be con-ducted on a first come first served basis.

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It said the growth prospects for Iran and Pakistan have also im-proved moderately, although for both countries significant uncer-tainties remain.

Across South Asia, the expan-sion is expected to be driven by buoyant household consumption and a gradual recovery in invest-ment.

Private sector demand will be underpinned by a more benign macroeconomic environment, including considerably lower inflation.

In 2015, global consumer price inflation is expected to average 2.5 per cent, the lowest level since 2009.

With oil prices expected to re-cover slowly and global activity projected to pick up, average in-flation is forecast to accelerate to 3 per cent in 2016.

Average inflation in the region is also projected to fall to its lowest level in almost a decade, following the recent decline in oil and food prices.

As a result, monetary policy has become more expansionary in several countries, notably in India and Pakistan, it said.

However, despite the improved outlook, South Asia’s economies face, to varying degrees, long-standing development challeng-es including energy shortages, infrastructure deficits and politi-cal and social unrest.

The global economy will con-tinue to grow at a modest pace.

The UN report said growth of world gross product is projected to accelerate slightly from 2.6 per cent in 2014 to 2.8 per cent in 2015.

In 2016, global growth is fore-cast to improve to 3.1 per cent but there are still considerable downside risks to the baseline forecast, related to the upcom-ing move towards monetary policy normalisation in the US, ongoing uncertainties in the euro area, potential spillovers from

geopolitical conflicts and persis-tent vulnerabilities in emerging economies.

The overall subdued perfor-mance of the world economy since the global financial crisis has raised concerns of a “new normal” of lower growth, espe-cially in view of a broad-based weakness in investment.

In the United States, the eco-nomic recovery remains on track and the short-term outlook is relatively favourable, it said.

Following strong expansions in the second and third quarter of 2014, growth has, however, slowed noticeably.

The weak performance in ear-ly 2015 can be attributed to less investment in the energy sector, disturbances to international car-go shipping and bad weather.

Growth is expected to pick up over the next quarters and reach 2.8 per cent in 2015, before de-celerating slightly to 2.7 per cent in 2016.

Japan’s GDP is projected to grow by 1.2 per cent in 2015 and 1.0 per cent in 2016.

In 2014, the Japanese economy suffered from the consumption tax rate hike and fell into reces-sion by mid-year.

The report added that Geo-political tensions and conflicts constitute a significant downside risk to the economic outlook.

In several countries such as Ukraine, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, military conflicts have taken a heavy human toll and led to widespread destruction.

While the negative economic impact has so far been limited to the subregional level, the risks lie in possible spillover effects of any regional conflict to the global level.

Potential transmission chan-nels include trade, commodity prices and financial asset prices.

Geopolitical conflicts, espe-cially in Africa and Western Asia, also remain risk factors for the global oil market, it said.

India’s economic growth to surpass ....Continued from Page 3

VOICE OF ASIA 11 FRIDAY, May 22, 2015V AOICE OF SIA

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© AFP/File | It’s not just texting: American motorists admit to surfing the Web, posting tweets and even taking selfies while behind the wheel, a new survey shows

It’s not just texting: Ameri-can motorists admit to surf-ing the Web, posting tweets

and even taking selfies while behind the wheel, a new survey shows.

The poll released by AT&T as part of a safety campaign found almost seven out of 10 US smartphone us-ers acknowledged some kind of smartphone activity while driv-ing.

That included 61 percent who texted, 33 percent who read or sent emails, 27 percent who used Facebook and 14 percent who viewed or posted on Twitter.

More than one in four had surfed the Web behind the wheel, 17 percent said they had taken a

Americans tweet, text, surf ... while driving

by Talek HARRIS

SINGAPORE, Singapore - The explosive growth of mixed martial arts

(MMA) in Asia is putting the squeeze on boxing as it attracts millions of young fans and sells out venues across the region.

Just a few years ago, cage fighting was seen as a niche and grisly pursuit but it is moving into the mainstream with major TV and sponsorship deals and a planned $1 billion IPO for Asia’s main player.

Gyms are mushrooming across Asia and fights have been held in dozens of major cities across a region which groups about 4.4 billion people, two-thirds of the world’s population.

MMA has also taken hold in the Americas and Europe but it has a particular appeal in Asia, which is the birthplace of the martial arts but lacks home-grown sports heroes.

Its success is cutting into the fanbase of other combat sports, notably boxing, which is mak-ing a belated push for the Asian market with several big fights in Macau.

Even Manny Pacquiao, Asia’s best known boxer who lost this month’s “Fight of the Century” to Floyd Mayweather in Las Ve-gas, is a fan and investor in One Championship.

The growth of the Singapore-based company, the most prom-inent of several Asian MMA or-ganisations, is testament to the

Mixed martial arts goes mainstream in Asia

Working professionals practice mixed martial arts at Singapore’s Evolve gym during their lunch breaks (AFP Photo/Roslan Rahman)

sport’s rapid expansion in the region.

In just three-and-a-half years, One Championship -- renamed from One Fighting Champion-ship -- has grown to 24 events this year, including 10 in China.

- Billion-dollar baby - Sponsors include L’Oreal and

Sony, and a tie-up with Disney means One Championship pro-motes films such as “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and the forth-coming Star Wars.

CEO Victor Cui said by the end of 2017 the company aimed to hold one event a week, and that it planned a billion-dollar share listing in three years’

time.“Compared to MMA, boxing

attracts only the boxing fans whereas MMA is across all the martial arts,” he told AFP at a large MMA gym in downtown Singapore.

“The appeal base across Asia is quite different, because every Asian country has some form of martial art that they already do... whereas boxing is not as heavily rooted in every coun-try.”

In MMA fights, competitors can use a variety of martial arts to knock out their opponent or force a submission or stoppage,

as well as accumulating points on the three judges’ scorecards, making the action varied and sometimes vicious.

While opinions vary about the sport’s merits, it is attracting a large and young Asian fanbase, often male, fuelled by its preva-lence on TV and social media.

“There’s a misconception that it’s bloody, that it’s brutal, but there’s a lot of respect that goes on out of the cage,” said Matt Eaton, editor and publisher of the Hong Kong-based Rough magazine and website.

“They’re martial artists, they have a lot of respect for each

other.”He added: “Boxing has done

itself a bit of a disservice by re-maining relatively old school. People still like the spectacle of boxing... but what MMA has got going for it is that it’s a relatively new sport, it’s almost a native of this whole digital world.”

- ‘Hard to watch sober’ - Boxing’s schism with the

martial arts widened this month when the International Boxing Association (AIBA) decided to pull out of the 2017 World Combat Games, preferring to maintain its “noble” image.

AIBA officials were not avail-able to comment for this story when approached by AFP. But One Championship’s Cui said boxing faced “a bit of a chal-lenge” to reach prominence in Asia.

“The conversation we had with Manny (about investing) was, only Manny could fill out a 20,000-seater stadium in the Philippines, there’s no other boxer who could do that,” Cui said.

“Here’s our sport One Cham-pionship, we don’t have our Manny Pacquiao yet, but we’re filling 20,000-seat stadiums.”

A key element to the growth is the fitness boom and the trend towards more challenging and varied workouts than the traditional approach of lifting weights at a gym.

During AFP’s visit to the Evolve gym in Singapore, doz-ens of people were using their lunch break to punch, kick and grapple their way into shape.

“It’s just so stimulating, so challenging... I just wanted do something different with my life,” said Singapore zoo keeper Rachel Yeo, 27.

“selfie” picture with their phone during their driving and 12 per-cent had recorded a video.

Other activities on the road included using Instagram, Snap-chat or videochat services, the survey found.

Among the other findings: 62 percent keep their smartphones within easy reach while driving, 30 percent of people who post to Twitter while driving do it “all the time” and 22 percent who ac-cess social networks while driv-ing cite addiction as a reason.

The survey released Tuesday by AT&T polled 2,067 adult smartphone users and was conducted by Braun Research.

AT&T said it would use

the findings to boost awareness of the dangers of smartphone use behind the wheel under its “It Can Wait” campaign.

The carrier plans a nationwide virtual reality tour to help people understand that it’s not possible to drive safely while using a smartphone.

“When we launched ‘It Can Wait’ five years ago, we pleaded with people to realize that no text is worth a life,” said AT&T global marketing officer Lori Lee.

“The same applies to other smartphone activities that people are doing while driving. For the sake of you and those around you, please keep your eyes on the road, not on your phone.”

VOICE OF ASIA 12 FRIDAY, May 22, 2015SCIENCE & TECH

SAN FRANCISCO - Mu-sic-streaming service Rdio on Thursday ramped its offerings with a subscription that allows people to keep a selection of songs for off-line listening.

The San Francisco-based start-up created by Skype co-founder Janus Friis nearly five years ago made Rdio Select subscriptions available in a half dozen countries including the United States, Australia, and India.

Rdio Select costs $4 monthly and lets subscribers stream ad-free music and pick as many as 25 songs that they want to keep for enjoying on-demand, ac-cording to the company.

The price is less than some ri-vals which charge up to around $10 per month for streaming subscriptions.

Rdio Select works on gadgets powered by Apple or Android software and on a range of oth-er devices, including Chrome-cast and Roku.

“We’re excited to reach a new group of price sensitive music subscribers with Rdio Select and have designed the service to appeal to a wide audience,” Rdio chief executive Anthony Bay said in a release.

“We remain committed to

Rdio ramps up streaming music effort

AFP/File | Music-streaming service Rdio on Thursday ramped its offerings with a subscription that allows people to keep a selection of songs for off-line listening

offering customized streaming options tuned to different lis-tening audiences that includes the free listening experience.”

Rdio, which faces competi-tion from rivals such as Spotify, Pandora, and Apple, bills itself as one of the world’s largest li-censed music services.

Paris, France | AFP | 5/18/2015 -Scientists on Mon-day said they had unlocked a pathway for producing opiates from genetically-engineered yeast but feared the discovery could one day be a bonanza for drug lords.

Other experts agreed, saying anyone with basic skills could

Gene breakthrough sparks ‘home-brewed morphine’ fears

use such a yeast to churn out morphine, codeine and drugs using a simple home-brew beer kit.

The discovery, published in the scientific journal Nature Chemical Biology, comes on the heels of a study published last month in the journal PLOS ONE.

Together, the papers describe key steps towards bio-engi-neering yeast that would feed on sugar and exude opiates and other therapeutic drugs.

The goal is to provide cheap-er and possibly less addictive painkillers from a dependable source, as compared to the

The papers in the journal PLOS ONE and Nature Chemical Biology describe key steps towards bio-engineering yeast that would feed on sugar and exude opiates and other therapeutic drugs (AFP Photo/Odd Andersen)

poppy.

In Monday’s study, synthetic biologists at the University of California at Berkeley inserted an enzyme gene from beets to coax yeast into converting ty-rosine -- an amino acid easily derived from sugar -- into a compound called reticuline.

Reticuline is a molecular “hub”, meaning it is the spring-board for making morphine, codeine and oxycodone, as well as anti-spasmodic drugs like papaverine.

The team did not go on to make these drugs, but the pro-cess of going from reticuline to codeine and morphine in yeast is already known. What had been missing in the knowledge chain was getting from tyrosine to reticuline.

The discovery may be a boon in pharmaceutics, but it also “dramatically speeds up the clock for when home-brewing drugs could become a reality,” the researchers cautioned.

“We’re likely looking at a timeline of a couple of years, not a decade or more, when sugar-fed yeast could reli-ably produce a controlled sub-stance,” said John Dueber, who

co-led Monday’s paper.

“The time is now to think about policies to address this area of research. The field is moving surprisingly fast, and we need to be out in front so that we can mitigate the poten-tial for abuse.”

- Make-your-own morphine?

A group of leading academics rammed home a similar mes-sage.

In a bluntly-worded com-mentary in Nature, the leading journal of the Nature group, the trio said the way was now open for engineering a yeast strain that would do the whole drug-making trick.

That, in turn, offered golden opportunities for criminals if this strain fell into the wrong hands.

“In principle, anyone with ac-cess to the yeast strain and basic skills in fermentation would be able to grow morphine-produc-ing yeast using a home-brew kit for beer-making,” said the commentary, headed by Ken-neth Oye, a political scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“If the modified yeast strain produced 10 grams of mor-phine, users would need to drink only one to two millil-itres of the liquid to obtain a standard prescribed dose.”

In addition to tighter lab se-curity and tougher laws, the trio called for yeast strains to be en-gineered to produce drugs with limited street value, such as the painkiller thebaine.

Strains could also be engi-neered so that the yeast re-quires unusual food or labora-tory conditions to thrive, thus raising the technological bar for gangs.

But another commentator wondered if the genie was not already out of the bottle.

“One would not have to obtain the safeguarded strain,” Chris-topher Voigt, an MIT professor of biological engineering, was quoted as saying by Britain’s Science Media Centre.

“The information in this paper, combined with DNA synthesis, could be readily ap-plied to rebuild the strain with-out ever gaining access to the physical DNA or strain from the authors.”

NEW YORK: (May 16, 2015) - An Indian American student won the prestigious Intel Foun-dation Young Scientist Award Friday, while nine students from across India won awards in various categories and five US students were awarded sci-ence trips to India at the Intel International Science and En-gineering Fair (IISEF) in Ptts-burgh.

The IISEF honors the world’s most promising high school student scientists, inventors and engineers selected through

Tech firms, activists press US on encryptionSome 140 tech companies,

civil liberties and privacy ac-tivists urged the White House Tuesday to pull back efforts to weaken encryption or include law enforcement “backdoors” on technology products.

The effort marked the lat-est turn of events in a dispute between Silicon Valley firms and the US government, which is seeking ways to access en-crypted phones and other de-vices to root out criminals and terrorists.

In a letter to President Barack Obama, the signatories urged the administration “to reject any proposal that US compa-nies deliberately weaken the security of their products.”

“Strong encryption is the cornerstone of the modern in-formation economy’s security,” the letter said.

“Encryption protects bil-lions of people every day against countless threats -- be they street criminals trying to steal our phones and laptops, computer criminals trying to defraud us, corporate spies try-ing to obtain our companies’ most valuable trade secrets, repressive governments try-ing to stifle dissent, or foreign intelligence agencies trying to compromise our and our allies’ most sensitive national security secrets.”

The letter was a response to pleas from the FBI and Na-

tional Security Agency to al-low US law enforcement and intelligence services access to encrypted devices as part of lawful investigations.

Those comments in recent months followed moves by Apple, Google and others to enable encryption of phones and other devices, with the keys only in users’ hands, so the companies would be unable to unlock or provide data even with a court order.

Tuesday’s letter -- endorsed by Facebook, Apple, Micro-soft, Twitter, Yahoo and other tech firms -- argued that there is no way to enable this kind of access without weakening security.

“Whether you call them ‘front doors’ or ‘back doors,’ introducing intentional vulner-abilities into secure products for the government’s use will make those products less se-cure against other attackers,” said the letter.

“Every computer security ex-pert that has spoken publicly on this issue agrees on this point, including the government’s own experts.”

Kevin Bankston, of the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute, said the message is important for the White House to hear as it weighs its response on encryp-tion standards.

“We thought it important to

rigorous competitions held around the world. Many past winners have gone on to win Nobel Prizes and other presti-gious awards.

For his work on refining a system to help protect the seas from oil-drilling disasters, Karan Jerath, 18, of Friend-swood, Texas, received the $50,000 Young Scientist Award, the second highest prize at the IISEF. Source: IANS

9 Indian students win awards at international science, engineering fair

VOICE OF ASIA 13 FRIDAY, May 22, 2015LEISURE

BANGKOK, Thailand - A Chinese company is sending more than

12,000 people on a holiday to Thailand, tourism officials said Thursday, with one resort host-ing a series of back-to-back banquets catering to thousands of guests at a time.

Thailand’s tourism body said the enormous group of holiday-makers was one of the largest they had accommodated from a company in China, where employees and customers are often rewarded for meeting tar-gets.

“It will be a challenge but it’s one we relish,” Chattan Kun-jara Na Ayudhya, the executive director of the Tourism Author-ity of Thailand’s public rela-tions wing, told AFP.

The 12,700 tourists are being sent by Infinitus China, a direct sales company, and began ar-riving in Thailand on 10 May, Chattan said.

They will travel in groups of 2-3,000 at a time and will make a six-day trip to Bangkok and the nearby seaside town of Pat-taya, he added.

Those arriving include both employees of the firm as well as freelance sales staff and reg-

Chinese company sends 12,000+ on Thai holiday

Bangkok, Thailand

ular customers.

The visit comes less than a week after France received

more than 6,000 Chinese holi-daymakers from a single Chi-nese firm that booked 4,760 rooms in 79 four-and five-star

hotels.

Itthiphol Kunplome, Pat-taya’s mayor, confirmed that

the first batch of nearly 3,000 employees had begun arriving in his city.

“We are ready to welcome them and ready to facilitate their activities while they are in Pattaya,” he told AFP.

A tour guide involved in the colossal task of organising 400 coach trips to ferry the groups said 300 colleagues would be on hand until the last holiday-maker leaves on 23 May.

“The company chose Thai-land because they were im-pressed with our beaches, tem-ples, cultural performances and fruits,” he told AFP, asking not to be named.

Chattan said all the guests would attend one of a series of giant banquets at the Royal Cliff Hotel in Pattaya.

A planning schedule seen by AFP shows the hotel intends to host four nights of giant ban-quets, the largest of which will feed 3,935.

Tourism is one of Thailand’s largest earners, usually ac-counting for around 10 percent of GDP, and China sends the largest number of tourists.

But the industry has taken a hit thanks to ongoing politi-cal instability and a significant drop in Russian arrivals follow-ing the rouble’s depreciation.

WASHINGTON - Leading US air-lines are project-

ing a banner summer for air travel as international flights carry an all-time high num-ber of passengers, an industry trade group said Monday.

Airlines for America (A4A) estimated that US airlines would carry 222 million pas-sengers from June 1 through August 31, an average of 2.4 million per day.

That would mark a 4.5 per-

US airlines expect record summer international trafficcent increase, or 104,000 pas-sengers per day, from a year earlier.

International flights will car-ry 31 million of this summer’s passengers, a record high, the trade group said.

A4A said the top five most popular nonstop international destinations from the United States are, in descending or-der: Canada, Mexico, Britain, Germany and Japan.

Airlines are increasing the

number of available seats dur-ing the summer by 4.6 percent, or 126,000 additional seats a day, the most since the 2008-2009 recession, A4A said.

Year-over-year, the flights getting the biggest seat in-creases are between the US and Mexico, Britain and China.

“The continued rise in US consumer sentiment and em-ployment is leading to more people traveling more often, and air travel remains one of the best consumer bargains in

America,” said John Heimlich, A4A vice president and chief economist, in a statement.

“With 13 of the 15 busiest air travel days of the year fall-ing in the summer months, US airlines are well-prepared to accommodate the increased travel demand by adding flights and seats, and deploy-ing new and larger aircraft, along with a boost in staffing to enhance the customer expe-rience.”

Ten publicly traded passen-

ger carriers reported a com-bined net profit of $3.1 billion in the first quarter, up 8.4 per-cent from a year ago, the trade group said.

Their operating margin was 8.4 percent, up 1.1 percent from the 2014 first quarter. Nevertheless, the margin was weaker than the corporate average of 9.8 percent on the broad-market S&P 500 index.

The airlines invested a total of $3.6 billion in the first quar-

ter, putting them on track for more than $14 billion in capi-tal spending for the full year, A4A said.

The airlines are due to take delivery of 367 new aircraft this year, a pace of about one per day.

The 10 airlines are: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Ameri-can Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin America.


Friday, May 22, 2015 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

Young LifeIndian American teen wins ‘Young Scientist’ award for inventing device that shuts down undersea oil spills

WA S H I N G T O N -- An 18-year-old Indian-American

boy has won the prestigious Intel Foundation Young Sci-entist Award in the US for in-venting a device that quickly shuts down undersea oil spills. Karan Jerath of Friendswood, Texas, claimed the USD 50,000 top prize yesterday at this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (IISEF).

Jerath was also one of the five students selected for the Intel and Indo-US Science and Technology Forum Visit to In-dia Award. Jerath designed a sturdy device that can collect the oil, gas and water spew-ing from a broken well on the seafloor.

“Sensors inside the 350-ton device would measure the tem-perature, pressure and density

of the mix of gases and fluids erupting from a well,” Karan said. “A computer would then calculate how valves in the gadget should be adjusted so that the gas and oil can be col-lected. That should stop a spill in its tracks. The device could help prevent an ecological ca-tastrophe. It also would reduce cleanup costs.”

The top position was shared by two other teen researchers.

Winners Karan Jerath, Nicole Ticea and Raymond Wang

by Manu Shah

After graduating from Georgia Tech, Atlanta, with a degree in Com-

puter Science in 2013, Aman Sharma worked as a Software Developer at Epic Systems in Madison, WI for one year.

And then he did something many of us may never find the courage to do.

In August 2014, Aman quit his job and backpacked the world for 6 months visiting 4 continents, 14 countries and 40 cities.

Aman, now 22, is a vistarak, an HSS (Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh) worker who commits his full time for a duration of 1 week to 2 years to work for the HSS. He became a vistarak after he graduated from high school in 2010 and spent a month in North and South Carolina con-ducting a Vedic Math seminar – an experience he describes as “extremely rewarding, enrich-ing and motivating.”

Originally from Patna, Aman’s family moved to Houston when he was five. A high achiever, he graduated from college in three years rather than the customary four as a result of high school credits and overloaded semes-ters. Since he had an extra year compared to his peers, he decid-ed to use the year to give back to the society that had given him so much.

Stories from the epics, he says, sparked his interest in Hinduism. It taught him values that would prove to be invaluable when he hit the critical teenage years in America and dealt with an up-bringing that was culturally dif-ferent. His involvement with the HSS, he believes, helped him approach his college years with a confidence in himself and his Hindu identity. More impor-tantly, it prompted an aspiration in him to impart this wisdom to those younger and still trying to figure life out.

According to Aman, the HSS program is unique in that it provides a holistic education that helps develop the physi-cal, mental, spiritual and social traits in a person. His father, Arun Sharma, has been actively involved with HSS and Aman grew up attending its weekly program called a shakha. The group practiced yoga, played physical games, discussed top-ics relevant to Hindu youth in America and learnt Vedic con-cepts. As he grew older, he pro-gressed from being a student to a teacher.

At Georgia Tech, Aman start-ed an organization on campus called Hindu YUVA to repre-sent the interests of Hindu stu-dents. A defining moment and one he is justifiably proud of is a successful campaign to include Hindi as an official course in the School of Modern Languages.

While working, he continued

Social service comes naturally to this young Techie

his involvement with HSS start-ing two shakhas in Madison and also worked with Hindu teen-agers in Chicago coordinating programs designed to build their confidence, leadership skills and pride in their Hindu identity.

Interestingly, Aman is fluent in Hindi and says he made a concerted effort to learn so he could visit villages in India and continue to work for HSS.

After leaving his job, Aman worked for a month in Sep-tember helping organize Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Amer-ica and describes it as an “in-tense, eye-opening, and the greatest learning experience” he could have asked for. Com-ing from HSS, an environment where people tend to work in cohesion with no place for “ag-gression, big egos or selfish motives,” this one month, he admits, served as an effective lesson in dealing with all kinds of people.

When Aman broke the news to his parents about his decision to quit his job and travel, they were, to say the least, taken

aback. The idea of traveling the world was foreign to them and the idea of quitting a job even more so. They tried changing his mind but when he explained that this wasn’t an irrational de-cision and his career wouldn’t be impacted, they relented and eventually gave their blessings. Today, his parents, Meena and Arun are filled with “pride to see how much he thinks about giving back to the society.”

According to HSS nation-al Vice President, Ramesh Bhutada, - “not only is Aman very motivated but at a young age and growing up in the American environment, he un-derstands the value of the life learning experience of becom-ing a full time Vistarak. What he will learn in six months - to live happily without any ex-pectations - takes most of us a lifetime.”

Aman’s first stop was Tunja, a city in Colombia where he worked with a local group orga-nizing seminars on Yoga, medi-tation, Sanskrit and India’s con-tributions to science and arts. A highlight was when the Tunja

Aman (far rt) seen meeting with leaders of the Native Colombian Muisca community and presenting them with a gift.

State Government launched a pilot program incorporating the teaching of Vedic concepts in the high school curriculum. He also visited a number of coun-tries in Asia, Europe and Africa helping the HSS Chapters there. Aman considers himself fortu-nate that his travels introduced him to people such as Edwin Lopez, a Columbian, who nev-er having stepped foot in India, knew more about Hinduism

than anyone he’d ever met.The decision to travel for

six months was possible once Aman paid off his student loans. As a vistarak, HSS cov-ers the logistical costs of airfare and gas and staying with HSS families during his travels kept costs low. Today, his belief is even stronger – “that any amount of money means noth-ing compared to the experienc-es and life lessons of travelling

the world.” Now that he’s back home,

he’s even more motivated and intends to spend the next six months working full time for HSS in Washington DC. His objective is to expand HSS work in the DC area and help instill Hindu values in both children and parents that will influence them “to create a bet-ter community and ultimately a better America.”


Bollywood Masala Friday, May 22, 2015 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

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PANAJI - India - Ran-bir Kapoor, the scion of ‘Bollywood’s First Fam-

ily’, acknowledges his latest role as a streetfighter in Mumbai’s underworld marks a dramatic departure for an acting heart-throb long regarded as being to the manor born.

“But that kind of risk gets us all excited,” says the 33-year-old ahead of Friday’s release of Hindi film “Bombay Velvet”. “Even Spiderman has to take risks.”

Directed by Anurag Kashyap, “Bombay Velvet” is one of the most hotly-anticipated Bolly-wood movies of the year with a cast that also includes Anushka Sharma, girlfriend of Indian cricket star Virat Kohli.

Set in the 1960s, Kapoor plays Johnny Balraj, an angry young man who falls in love with a jazz singer (Sharma) in between ille-gal boxing bouts that leave him black and blue.

He hides his black eyes with sunglasses even in the darkest of nightclubs.

Kapoor, the son of Bollywood legends Rishi and Neetu Kapoor and grandson of iconic director Raj Kapoor, studied film mak-ing in New York before mak-ing his screen debut in 2007’s “Saawariya” (My Love).

Since then he has enjoyed a string of successes playing “coming of age” characters.

But now in his mid-30s, Ka-poor wanted to take on more challenging roles and ap-proached Kashyap when he heard that the director planned to make a movie out of a well-known book called “Mumbai Fables”.

- Web of lies - “Yes, there is pressure, but

one should feel the pressure oth-erwise the glory would not be great,” Kapoor told AFP in an interview at a hotel in Goa.

“I have done all these coming-of-age films and then to see me in this strata of society, in this character of Johnny Balraj, a boy consumed by the desire for a brighter future, who wants to be a big shot in the big bad world of Bombay but gets caught in this web of lies, was what excited me.

“I don’t have any song or dance number, the film is challenging the norm, form and content.”

Kashyap has a reputation for directing gritty movies such as the award-winning “Black Fri-day” based on a series of bomb-

Bollywood blue blood Ranbir takes walk on the wild side

Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor and actress Anushka Sharma answer questions during a promotion-al event for the forthcoming Hindi film ‘Bombay Velvet’ in Mumbai on May 7, 2015 (AFP Photo/Sujit Jaiswal)

In a first for a feature film entirely made in Bangla-desh, acclaimed director

Tanvir Mokammel-directed “Jibondhuli” (The Drummer), based on the story of a low-caste Hindu whose family is butchered by Pakistani soldiers during the 1971 war is set to be released in India this August.

Aurora Films, the prestigious film distributor from Kolkata, who has distributed Satyajit Ray’s films including “Pather Panchali” has been lined up to distribute Mokammel’s film in India, says the director.

An Indian censor certificate is required for the release of the film in India and Mokammel says he would be visiting Kol-kata later this month to obtain the certificate and firm up other details.

“This is for the first time a Bangladeshi film, totally made in Bangladesh, is going to be released in the distribution cir-cuit of India. Earlier, late Tarek Masud’s ‘Matir Moyna’(The Clay Bird) was released in Nandan theatre in Kolkata for a week but the film was shown as a movie ‘produced by France,’” says Mokammel.

Mokammel says Aurora Films owner Anjan Bose took a liking for “Jibondhuli” when it was screened in Kolkata in January this year and expressed keen-ness to distribute it in India.

MUMBAI - (15 May 2015 ) - Coincid-ing with the visit

of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China, the Chinese film regulators have announced three films that will amalgamate Chi-nese martial arts and Indian culture. Among the actors, Jackie Chan and Aamir Khan have been finalised to play the leads in one of the films.

The three films announced are commissioned under an agreement that was made be-tween the two countries and was signed during President Xi Jinping’s visit to India last year. The first film titled Kung Fu Yoga will star Jackie Chan and Aamir Khan in lead roles while the second film will be based on the life of a noted Buddhist monk Xuan Zang. Wong Kar Wai will be the executive producer for the film, which revolves around Zang’s journey to India to

Following PM Narendra Modi’s visit to China, Chinese film regulators have announced three Indo-China co-production ventures, one of which would star Aamir Khan and Jackie Chan in pivotal roles.

Jackie Chan, Aamir Khan join hands for ‘Kung Fu Yoga’

Jackie Chan and Aamir Khan

Feature film shot entirely in Ban-gladesh set for India release

Dil Dhadakne Do will be screened at IIFA Awards, one day after theatrical release

NEW DELHI, (PTI) - Director Zoya Akhtar’s multi-starrer

dysfunctional family drama Dil Dhadakne Do will be screened at the upcoming 16th Interna-tional Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Malaysia on June 6.

The film, which is releas-ing worldwide a day ahead of its screening in the South-East Asian country, has an ensemble cast of Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Farhan Akhtar, Anushka Sharma and Shefali Shah.

ood from last 38 years and there are very few films where everything goes right. And I am very lucky that in my upcom-ing film ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ I got the opportunity to work with a wonderful producer, director, technician and back-ground stars.

“Together we have created a gem and it will make us proud to be an Indian when it will have its screening. It will be the first screening of the film as we are not having any screening in Mumbai,” Anil, a friend of

IIFA, told reporters here.

“Dil Dhadakne Do” is co-produced by Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani. The film will be showcased in the IIFA Week-end section of the three-day ex-travaganza, starting from June 5.

Anil, 58, who has been a part of the award ceremony right from its inception in 2000, said he is excited about the event.

“I have been a part of it from last 15 years. Attending the

event is like meeting my broth-er, sister, wife or daughter. Ma-laysia is a wonderful country,” said the Ram Lakhan star. IIFA is returning to Malaysia again after its stint in 2002.

The Bollywood stars, who are expected to attend the fes-tival are Shahid Kapoor, Ar-jun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandes, Priyanka among others. Jacqueline, Aditi Rao Hydari, Lisa Hayden will also take the IIFA Rocks stage for some incredible performances.

Dil Dhadakne Do is said to be based on a sister-brother relationship. (PTI Photo).

By Ankita Mehta May 17, 2015 - Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor is among the few celebrities who can pull out all the stops when it comes to fashion.

Sonam, who is known as Bol-lywood’s fashionista, managed to charm the viewers with her Cannes Film Festival 2015 red-carpet look. Sonam, who has been attending the event for the

Cannes Film Festival 2015: Sonam Kapoor Out-shines Katrina Kaif‘Khoobsurat’ Actress Looks Stunning in Ralph & Russo Gown

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Katrina Kaif: and Sonam Kapoor at Canees 2015.

past four years, overshadowed Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif at the 68th Cannes Film Festival.

For her first appearance at Cannes 2015, Sonam chose to wear electric blue a Ralph & Russo Couture gown from the spring 2014 collection with chopard sapphire and diamond earrings and a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti sandals. Her side-swept

hair with curls and coral-red lips complimented her glamor-ous outfit.

The electric blue gown at-tracted the attention of shut-terbugs at the prestigious film festival. Earlier, actress Katrina made her red carpet debut at the film festival, but Sonam has taken the limelight from the actress. Courtesy: International Business Times).

ings in Mumbai in 1993 blamed on an infamous mafia boss.

Kapoor says his relationship with any movie’s director is key to its success.

“My challenge is to be great friends with the director. In fact it’s very important for the direc-tor and me to be in love with each other before we approach a film because the process is as fragile and as sensitive.”

Despite a number of recent flops, Kapoor remains one of Bollywood’s most in-demand stars and his forthcoming films include “Tamaasha” (Spectacle) and “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” (Oh heart, it’s difficult).

Even when his face is not plas-tered on billboards, Kapoor’s relationship with glamorous Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif ensures he is never out of the limelight.

- Paparazzi prey - When he and Kaif recently

moved into a new home, TV cameramen and photographers

followed them for five days.“The were following my car,

seeing where I got down, where Katrina got down, etc. All of that affects you and sometimes you feel life is a bit unfair,” he said.

“Also because of mobile

phones it is impossible to be free around your own city so you have to be stuck at home or travel a lot.”

Home to several family dynas-ties, the Kapoors have the edge in Bollywood with their long

line of famous actors and direc-tors stretching back generations.

While other Bollywood stars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are avid users of social networks, Kapoor has no intention of joining them.

“I have two simple reasons for staying off social media. The mystery of an actor is anyway dying. We are visible everywhere -- TV, endorsements, promoting films, dancing at awards shows, newspapers,” he said.

“I feel I can maintain some sense of longevity and mystery about myself by avoiding such platforms.

“Also I don’t believe an actor in India has complete freedom of speech because if I say some-thing or tweet something it is in-terpreted in many different ways and then I have the added burden of making people understand what I tried to say. Twitter is like a 24x7 press conference.”

He says the flipside of stardom is the inability to travel in one’s own country.

“I do wish I had travelled in India more. That’s something I miss,” he said.

“But I love the life I live and that I get to do what I love. Yes, your personal life takes a little bit of a backseat because you are constantly in a movie even though you are not working in a movie.

“But I guess that’s all a part of showbiz.”

study Buddhism. The third film, titled Da Nao Tian Zhu

will be helmed by Chinese star Wang Baoqiang.


HEALTHY LIVINGV AOICE OF SIA

Friday, May 22, 2015 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

Sudhir Mathuria

Contact: Sudhir MathuriaLicensed ProfessionalHealth Life 3606650 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77074 713-771-2900www.MyMedicarePlanning.com

The Effect of Personally Owned Life Insurance in Estate Planning

The effect of having life insurance included in a deceased’s federal gross

estate is to substantially increase the amount of the estate and thus to increase the taxes due.

Because life insurance is in-cluded in the deceased insured’s federal gross estate only if he or she owned the policy at death, a way to avoid its inclusion in the estate is to have a third party buy and own the life insurance policy on the insured’s life.

To avoid inclusion of life in-surance death benefit proceeds in the estate of a deceased in-sured, a person other than the insured must own the life insur-ance. An approach often used by wealthy individuals to keep life insurance policy death ben-efits out of their estate is to ar-range for life insurance to be purchased on their life by their adult children.

Alternatively, a wealthy indi-vidual could create an irrevo-cable life insurance trust—the ILIT discussed earlier, in con-nection with the use of life in-surance in charitable gifts.

When creating an ILIT, the trust grantor, i.e., the individual who creates the trust, names a trustee who then purchases life insurance on the life of the grantor. The policy is owned by the trust, and policy death bene-fits are payable to the trust. Typ-ically, whether the insured’s life insurance policy is owned by an ILIT or by the insured’s adult children, the insured arranges to make annual non-charitable gifts to either the trust or to the adult children, as appropriate, to pay the premiums on the life insurance.

Also offering certain tax ad-vantages is the use of annual non-charitable gifts to pay life insurance premiums on poli-cies owned by third parties. For example, consider the ILIT just mentioned. Suppose that Bill Jones and his wife, Susie, own a substantial estate and want to be sure that life insurance pur-chased on Bill’s life for purposes of providing estate liquidity will not be included in his estate. Ac-cordingly, Bill creates an ILIT, and his trustee purchases a $3 million life insurance policy on his life payable to the trust. The annual premium is $140,000.

Bill and Susie also have five living children who are trust beneficiaries. Bill can make a nontaxable gift each year equal to the annual gift tax exclu-sion. Currently, that amount is $14,000. If Susie joins in the gift—a strategy known as a split gift—the amount that can be gifted each year is raised to $28,000 for each recipient. In other words, Bill and Susie can give away $28,000 each year,

tax free, to each of their children (or to anybody else).

Because each of their chil-dren is a beneficiary of the ILIT, Bill and Susie can trans-fer $140,000 to the trust each year—the amount needed to pay the annual life insurance policy premium—and the entire gift avoids gift taxation ($28,000 × 5 = $140,000). For the transfer of the money to the trust to qualify for the annual gift tax exclu-sion, the gift must be a gift to the recipient of a present inter-est rather than a future interest. Present interest is a legal term that refers to a recipient’s right to current enjoyment of a non-charitable gift.

To ensure that the beneficia-ries have a present interest in the gift, the five beneficiaries of the trust must be given a limited right to withdraw the annual gift from the trust. Typically, the beneficiary’s right to access the non-charitable gift residing in the trust is limited to 30 days.

Further, because Bill and Su-sie are making nontaxable gifts each year of $140,000, they are effectively reducing their fed-eral gross estate by that amount in addition to the earnings (in interest/dividends) the $140,000 might have created. Without consideration of the gift’s earn-ings, ten years of such gifts ef-fectively reduces Bill and Su-sie’s federal gross estate by $1.4 million and also reduces the estate tax.

When Bill dies, the $3 mil-lion death benefit proceeds of the life insurance policy under which Bill was insured are payable to the ILIT. Because Bill never had any incidents of ownership in the $3 million life insurance policy, none of those proceeds are in-cluded in his federal gross estate.

To plan and purchase life insur-ance from any major company contact Sudhir Mathuria @ 713-771-2900.

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PARIS, | AFP | 5/14/2015 - Elderly men who do 30 minutes of physi-

cal activity six days a week are likely to have a 40-percent lower risk of death compared to couch-potato counterparts, researchers said Friday.

For men in this age group, just a small amount of regular exercise -- regardless of inten-sity -- is as beneficial as giving up smoking, they said.

30 minutes of exercise is key to health in old age

The evidence comes from a major project in Norway called the Oslo Study.

In it, doctors enrolled thou-sands of men born between 1923 and 1932, who were giv-en health checkups and volun-teered information about their lifestyle and physical activity.

The initiative was launched in 1972-3 with a first survey

among nearly 15,000 men.

In 2000, the survey was re-peated among the same group, of whom 12,700 had survived.

Of these 5,700 were able or willing to continue in the research. By 2011, deaths re-duced this total to just under 3,600.

The researchers were struck by the impact of regular

Elderly men who do 30 minutes of physical activity six days a week are likely to have a 40-percent lower risk of death compared to couch-potato counterparts, researchers said Friday (AFP Photo/Pornchai Kittiwongsakul)

GENEVA, AFP 5/18/2015 - Germa-ny’s Chancellor An-

gela Merkel on Monday urged all countries to help combat the misuse of antibiotics, which is fuelling drug resistance and al-lowing long-treatable diseases to become killers.

In an address in Geneva, Merkel stressed the intercon-nectedness of global health sys-tems, insisting all nations must work together to root out the problem of antimicrobial resis-tance -- when bugs become im-mune to existing drugs.

“What is important is to see to it that the effectiveness of the existing antibiotics is ensured and that we use them for purely medicinal purposes,” she told diplomats and health experts gathered for the opening of the World Health Organization’s main annual conference.

World must step up fight against antibiotic resistance: Merkel

Merkel said Germany had al-ready agreed to a global action plan for addressing the growing problem of antimicrobial resis-tance, drafted by the WHO, which is set to be considered by all member states during the two-week World Health As-sembly.

“I think each and every coun-try ought to agree such a plan,” she told the assembly, stressing that time was of the essence to halt the misuse of antibiotics both for humans and animals.

“We have to avoid these re-sistances from being built up,” she said, pointing out that “it is much more difficult once those resistances actually exist... to develop new drugs to combat them.”

A WHO report late last month however revealed “major gaps”

in all regions of the world in addressing the problem and reining in overuse and misuse of antibiotics.

The UN health agency has warned that without urgent ac-tion, the world could be headed for “a post-antibiotic era” in which common infections and minor injuries that have long been treatable once again be-come killers.

“This is indeed an issue that will be of crucial importance for humankind as a whole,” Merkel said.

- Learn lessons from Ebola -

The German chancellor also spoke of WHO’s widely criti-cised response to the west Af-rican Ebola outbreak, which to date has infected nearly 26,800 people and killed more than 11,000 of them.

She stressed the continued vital role of the UN health body, which has been blasted for reacting far too slowly as Ebola cases began multiplying in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in the first half of 2014.

But, she said, WHO’s decen-tralised structures needed to be rendered “more efficient” to ensure a faster reaction next time.

Merkel said it was a cause for celebration that Liberia, long the hardest-hit country, had been declared Ebola-free and that cases have dwindled in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

But, she said, the fight against Ebola “will only be truly won once we are well-equipped to weather the next crisis, once we have actually learned our lesson from this crisis.”

physical exercise during the 2000-2011 period, when the volunteers were aged in their seventies or eighties.

“A mortality reduction of 40 percent was associated with a moderate use of time (30 min-utes, six days a week) irrespec-tive of whether the activity was light or vigorous,” their study said.

Among those who exercised vigorously -- defined as hard training several times a week -- the lifespan was a whopping five years longer than among those who were sedentary.

The study, led by Ingar Hol-me, a professor at the Norwe-gian School of Sports Sciences, is published online in the Brit-ish Journal of Sports Medicine.

Volunteers who took part in the study after the relaunch in 2000 were the healthiest sur-vivors of the original batch, which potentially skews some of the data.

But even when this is taken into account, the benefits of regular exercise were clear, the authors said.

“Physical activity should be targeted to the same extent as smoking with respect to public health prevention efforts in the elderly,” they said.

by Rebekah M a r c a r e l l i (May 19, 2015) HNGN

A recent s tudy deter-

mined not all women with dense breasts have a high enough risk of breast cancer to require addi-tional imaging following a tra-ditional mam-mogram.

Women with specific types of dense breasts that also have a high five-year cancer risk are urged to discuss supplemental screening strategies with their doctors because the density can make cancers more difficult to detect, the American College of Physicians reported.

In a number of states, laws require women to be notified if they have dense breasts and are advised to consider addi-tional screening, but research-ers are concerned increasing screening could also lead to a

Breast Density Should Not Be Sole Factor Determining Need For Additional Cancer ScreeningA recent study determined not all women with dense breasts have a high enough risk of breast cancer to require additional imaging following a traditional mammogram.

higher rate of false positives.

A team of researchers looked at screening data from the Breast Cancer Surveil-lance Consortium (BCSC) to help pinpoint which women should undergo supplemen-tal screening to detect cancer that slipped by mammogra-phy screening. The findings revealed more than half of women with dense breasts did not have an elevated risk for interval cancers or aggressive cancers to be diagnosed within

a year of a mammogram.

The findings suggest breast density should not be the only factor influencing doc-tors’ recommendations for additional breast screening. The researchers wrote in an accompanying editorial to the Annals of Internal Medicine paper that federal legislation should focus on identifying if women have a high risk of interval breast cancer instead of solely relying on breast density.


Friday, May 22, 2015 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140 Business

V AOICE OF SIAONLINE.COM

voiceofasiaonline.com

by Rob Lever

US prosecutors have charged six Chinese nationals, including

three university professors, in a years-long scheme to steal trade secrets on mobile phone tech-nology for Beijing’s benefit.

According to a 32-count criminal indictment filed April 1 and unsealed Tuesday, the group led a long-running ef-fort to obtain US trade secrets for universities and companies controlled by the Chinese gov-ernment.

Among those charged were Tianjin University professor Hao Zhang, who was arrested upon entry into the United States on Saturday, US officials said.

Five others named in the in-dictment were believed to be in China, according to a Justice Department official who noted that this is the 11th case brought for economic espionage under a 1996 law.

All could face lengthy prison sentences if convicted. The charges they face include eco-nomic espionage, theft of trade secrets and various conspiracy counts. Each carries penalties that could include 10 to 15 years in prison plus fines.

The scheme led to the theft of so-called FBAR technology, which enables mobile phones and other devices to filter radio signals and improve perfor-mance.

“As today’s case demon-strates, sensitive technology developed by US companies in Silicon Valley and through-out California continues to be vulnerable to coordinated and complex efforts sponsored by foreign governments to steal that technology,” US Attorney Melinda Haag said in a state-ment.

David Johnson, FBI special

US charges China academics in trade theft scheme

agent in charge in San Fran-cisco, called the scheme a “me-thodical and relentless effort by foreign interests to obtain and exploit sensitive and valuable US technology through the use of individuals operating within the United States.”

Jeff Rathke, a State Depart-ment spokesman, told report-ers that “economic espionage is something that we take very seriously,” adding that the case shows “that the United States is committed to protecting US companies’ trade secrets and their proprietary business in-formation from theft.”

- Using stolen secrets - In a scheme that allegedly

dates back to 2006, the six are accused of working to steal trade secrets from California-based Avago Technologies and Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions.

A shell company called No-vana was created in the Cayman Islands but led by the Chinese academics and Tianjin Univer-sity, with Chinese government support, to manufacture rival technology products, according to US investigators.

The Chinese company, called ROFS Microsystems, used technology stolen from the US firms, according to US of-ficials.

Zhang, 36, is a former Sky-works employee and a full pro-fessor at Tianjin University.

The others charged included Wei Pang, 35, a former Avago employee who is also a full professor at Tianjin University; Jinping Chen, 41, a profes-sor at Tianjin University and a member of the board of ROFS; Huisui Zhang, 34, a Chinese national who studied with Pang and Hao Zhang at the Univer-sity of Southern California (USC); Chong Zhou, 26, a Tianjin University graduate

student; and Zhao Gang, 39, general manager of ROFS Mi-crosystems.

Pang and Hao Zhang met at USC in Los Angeles dur-ing their doctoral studies in electrical engineering, where they conducted research on the technology under funding from the US Defense Advanced Re-search Projects Agency (DAR-PA).

After earning their doctor-ates, Pang joined Avago and Zhang took a job at Skyworks.

ROFS was established as a joint venture between the Chi-nese university’s investment arm and several individuals, in-cluding some of the defendants, according to the indictment.

Investigators said the scheme focused on thin-film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) technology, which is an impor-tant component of mobile com-munications and which was kept under close guard by the two US companies.

The Chinese defendants schemed to steal the technology and filed for patents in the US and China, presenting them-selves as the inventors as they sought funding for the effort, according to the indictment.

They aimed to sell the FBAR components to mobile phone makers including Nokia, Sam-sung, Motorola and LG, noting that the market for the products was worth an estimated $1 bil-lion in 2006.

“The stolen trade secrets enabled Tianjin University to construct and equip a state-of-the-art FBAR fabrication facil-ity,” according to the Justice Department.

Zhang, arrested at Los An-geles International Airport, ap-peared before a US magistrate on Monday who ordered him held and transported to San Jose to face the charges.

There’s a new destina-tion for Indian snack lovers in Houston.

Masala Munchies, the fursan and mithai store at 6692 A Southwest Freeway in Hous-ton has launched an online store that ships Indian snacks right to your door. The fam-ily-owned business serves 100% vegetarian sweets and savory snacks prepared by parents Surekha and Naresh Patel and their team, while children Ajay Patel and Tan-ya Damani, along with their spouses Nita Patel and Amit Damani, handle all the logis-tics of running the business.

Tracing their origins in Gujarat, India, the Patel family moved from Mom-basa, Kenya, to Leicester in the United Kingdom, finally

Masala Munchies ships Indian snacks to you free!

AFRICAN-CHEVDOJEERA-PURIBANANA-PURI

Masala Munchies on 6692 A Southwest Freeway in Houston

making their way to Houston about 10 years ago. The fam-ily’s globe-trotting heritage is reflected in its delicious products that are 100% veg-etarian and feature namkeen like the African chevdo, one of their most popular prod-ucts along with Bombay mix and Jeera puri.

In November 2014, Masa-la Munchies opened their Houston location and intro-duced the city to a tradition of preparing and serving desi snacks that have been devel-

oped and distilled within the family for generations. The website and free shipping for savory snacks was added on to reach a wider audience all across ethnic communities in the United States.

“We want to target those who don’t have time to go shopping due to their busy life and we have designed a user friendly website to make the process simple and efficient,” says Amit Da-mani. “Whatever your taste - spicy, sweet or savory - you

are sure to find something you like!”

The Masala Munchies brand is characterized by a passion for cooking and de-livering high quality food consistently around the year. The process should be clean and reliable for its customers who depend on them. Masala Munchies also caters at wed-dings, baby showers, fes-tivals and other occasions. You can find them at www.masalamunchies.net or call 713-266-2646.

VOICE OF ASIA 18 FRIDAY, May 22, 2015HOROSCOPEYour Horoscope for the Week of May 22, 2015

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 AprilYour romantic and social responses are heightened now. During this period you tend

to put more creativity and imagination into your life and important relationships. A healthy attitude toward your love life and social involvements can bring out the best in yourself, your talents, and strengths and a new clarity regarding your relationships.

New contacts you make at this time can help give creative or artistic endeavors a tremendous boost. You may meet someone who shares your interests and intellect in this regard

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 MayNeed to have your focus and mental concentration on your work or vocational pursuits.

You may have a clearer picture of what is required of you, as well as how to achieve your objectives. Daily responsibilities can be successfully accomplished through in-creased dedication to your job. You can make some effective changes in your work

environment as superiors and co-workers are more likely to accept your ideas and methods. Contracts and agreements are also favored now.

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 JuneBeing self-inspired and can find yourself dreaming about a better life for yourself. This

can be a time when you commit to a spiritual practice or to helping humanity by making a selfless contribution. Your sense of self-importance could be inflated now, so try to keep your feet on the ground even as you aspire to climb the highest mountains. This is a time for

making long-range plans, seeing the big picture, and thinking about what is really important to you in the long run. The trivial details and business of day-to-day living does not dominate your attention now.

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 JulyYour feeling that this is a time to take a serious look at yourself. You can see things

objectively with an eye towards making concrete changes. Others may perceive you as reliable, but you need to be very careful and patient in what you say. You seek deep involvement with family members and loved ones now. You feel compassionate toward

your mate or children and have the desire to help them alleviate their fears or worries.

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 AugustIt’s being a good time to analyze what you consider meaningful and important in your

personal and domestic relationships. You may not be able to resist getting involved in the superficial concerns of loved ones. This can lead you to overburden yourself with everyone else’s affairs except your own. You may have to disengage yourself before

falling into the trap of having your life consumed by others now.

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 SeptemberYour mind is on bigger issues and long-range plans. You are optimistic and enthusi-

astic about your ideas, but disinclined to read the fine print or study all the facts, which can result in an error in judgment. Try not to be lax about important details. The craving for sweetness and comfort in the form of loving affection or food is strong now. This

is a good time to baby yourself and also to spend time with the people who love and appreciate you the most.

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 OctA possible impasse regarding a concern at work. Although a minor setback or delay

is possible, you may do best now by maintaining a low profile. Conflicts of interest may arise between you and a superior or co-worker, leaving you feeling you do not get the respect or approval you seek. Your own leadership qualities may not be noticed or appreciated in ways that support your professional interests. Try not to assess your

self-worth only on the basis of what you can accomplish at work now.

Scorpio (N,Y) 23 Oct to 21 NovYou may feel an urge to expand your awareness beyond the everyday duties and re-

sponsibilities of your work or domestic life. This is an excellent time to pursue higher knowledge in fields such as education, healing services, or in the esoteric realm. This can be a favorable period in the handling of legal affairs, children’s education, or increasing

religious and spiritual values in the family unit. New acquaintances from faraway places may prove helpful to your own personal growth or aspirations as well.

Sagittarius (BH,F,DH,TH) 22 Nov to 21 DecIt’s being very wise not to stir up controversy when stating your views and opinions now.

You may be eager to put your ideas and thoughts into operation, but lack cooperation on several fronts. Finding other people who support your position may seem impossible now. It may be best to let someone else take the lead now, even if you are not willing to go along

with their plans. Your sense of pride can be wounded if you allow others to get the best of you. You are better off waiting for a more opportune period to advance your personal and professional interests.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 JanIntense emotions which may come up now, either passion or disappointment, compul-

sion or manipulation. You can love and hate at the same time so give yourself space for extreme feelings and use this time to air out old issues. Life could be feeling just a little chaotic right now. Order is not what seems to be happening with surprises popping up

all over the place. You can feel a bit nervous, unable to sit still or concentrate. You need some space right now in order to break old habits and get out of the old routine.

Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21 Jan to 19 FebYour disregard superficial or pat answers to your questions now and you feel impelled to

probe until you get to the bottom of some situation. Mysteries, unsolved riddles, and topics that people usually avoid or sweep under the rug occupy your thoughts. When speaking, you tend to be very insistent or even fanatical about your point of view, which will either utterly convince your listeners or repel them completely. Your ability to concentrate on

mundane concerns and problems diminishes now.

Pisces (D,CH,Z) 20 Feb to 20 MarchStrengthening ties with your loved ones which is very gratifying to you at this time.

Domestic matters may involve new activities, sports, hobbies, or creative ventures shared with those you care about. Your energy level affords you with enough stamina to carry out your family obligations. You are protective, supportive, and a strong source of guidance to children and loved ones. You may be an active participant in recreation

or educational events of children at this time. Several discussions, possibly over needs OR incidents that arose are likely.

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

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Servile- overly submissive; groveling

Profound- having deep meaning

Parity- equality

Marshal- to gather together

Usurp- take someone’s position (usually by force)

Part Time AccountantProperty Management Company in Houston is looking for a part-time accountant with the following qualifications:

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MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY FROM HBR.ORGEffective Coaching Requires the Right Approach

Whether people change is largely determined by why they change. And they are most successful at changing when they choose to change. This is where coaching can cre-ate problems, because it’s often imposed rather than invited. When we feel something is being imposed on us — even if it’s for our own good — our natural reaction is to resist. So if you’re trying to help someone change, your first consideration must be to approach him or her in a way that en-hances, rather than damp-ens, his motivation. Focus on asking more questions and giving fewer lectures. Your job is to help people uncover and strengthen motives they already have, so they’re more inclined to take action. If you think of your coaching conversa-tions as interviews instead of sermons, you’ll be far more successful in helping people change.

Adapted from “You Might Be the Reason Your Employees Aren’t Chang-ing” by Joseph Grenny.

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