A Monthly Publication of the Federation of India Community Associations (FICA) Since 1967INSIDE

Free Monthly Subscription - A Non-Profit & Tax Exempt Organization - Tax ID# 34-1215066

July 2012 - Volume 0712Non-Profit

OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDCLEVELAND,

OHIOPERMIT NO.

1051

FEDERATION OF INDIA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONINDIA COMMUNITY CENTER12412 CEDAR ROADCLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH 44106

Or Current Resident

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FICA Current Events 2Community NewsPerson of the Month 3 Newsmakers 4Clevland 216 years and AIHP 5Personality development 6Upcoming Events 7Youth 8Health and WellnessBasil 9BC’s Corner 10

Did you know ? 11

LOTUS TEAM

Editor-in-ChiefSangita Bafna lotus@ficacleveland.org

EditorsBal KaramchandaniCheryl DmelloKookie LambaKanta Singh

Public Relations/CreativeParamjit Singhparam36@yahoo.com

Over 100 multi-ethnic community members of greater Cleveland attended a Mother Tere-sa fundraiser hosted by Federation of India Community Associations (FICA) at the ICC on May 30, 2012. Leaders from the African American, Hispanic, Asian, Arab, Jewish and European communities represent-ing different faiths came together to

help the Albanian immigrant community raise money to install a statue of Mother Teresa at the new Albanian Cultural Garden on MLK Jr. Drive. This joint initia-tive was a brain child of Richard Herman, immi-gration attorney, Asim Datta, new president of FICA and Dona Brady, Cleveland City Council. In addition to these three speakers, a 1974 televi-sion interview of Mother Teresa was presented and Sister Valerie Sweeney, from the Diocese of Cleveland, led the attendees in prayer. There was also plenty of time for all to

socialize and savor In-dian and Albanian del-icacies to the rhythms of Albanian and Indian music. A l t h o u g h Mother Teresa was Al-banian by birth, she became an Indian citi-zen and spent her life helping the indigent in Kolkata. Clearly, 14 years after her death, Mother Teresa continues to inspire diverse communities to work together in the spirit of compassion. The statue will be dedicated in the Albanian Cultural Garden on August 25th of this year at 691, MLK Jr. Drive.

Mother Teresa Fundraiser held at the India Cultural Center (ICC) -By Sujata Burgess

ANNOUNCEMENT:

WE WOULD LIKE TO CREATE A WALL OF ILLUSTRIOUS INDIAN LEADERS FROM ANY WALK OF LIFE.

FOR EXAMPLE: GANDHI, PATEL, AZAD, BHAVE, TILAK, NEHRU, RAJENDRA PRASAD, TAGORE, VIVE-KANANDA, RAMAKRISHNA, DAYANAND etc. THESE ELEGANT PORTRAITS WILL BE APPROXIMATELY

TWO FEET BY THREE FEET AND WILL INCLUDE A BRIEF BIO OF THE LEADER.WE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS AND/OR ORGANIZATIONS TO SPONSOR FOR A

MINIMUM DONATION OF $5000.OOSPONSORS WILL BE RECOGNIZED BELOW THE PORTRAIT.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: RAMESH SHAH(Rameshcleveland@gmail.com),

CHITTARANJAN JAIN(C.Jain@csuohio.edu)SUDARSHAN SATHE(Sudarshan@new-concepts.net)

Mother Teresa was a most humble and unassuming woman who is revered the world over for her total gift of self on behalf of all people, especially the poor and abandoned. Her mission was to unite people of all nationalities, faiths, and social levels in love—love for God and love for each other. She would be thrilled that people from both her home countries of Albania and India have joined together in her memory, to honor her not only through the dedication of a statue, but by their generous commitment to making the world a better place for all. Let us bow our heads and join in this prayer, which I based on Mother Teresa’s own words:

Good and loving God, it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving. A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, and must empty ourselves. Oh God, help us give ourselves fully to you. Use us to accomplish great things by believing more in your love than in our own weakness. Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands this day, their daily bread, and by our under-standing love, give them peace and joy. Amen.

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From the President’s Desk - an open letter to the community - By Asim Datta

FICA Current Events

Dear YOU, By the time you finish reading this, you will know who you are. For long, I have wondered, and had this urge to ask - where are you? where have you been? And why the reluctance to join us while we wait for you, expectantly? We have been waiting for you for so long!! I have been bewil-dered on the one hand, and frustrated on the other, by your absence in the arena that is the Indian Community in Northeast Ohio. You are certainly proud of your Indian heritage? Is it anything about the letters FICA that discourage you from participation? It seems you’ve been AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave, sort of Missing in Action, while we’ve been working hard in FICA to rally around our Tri-color identity and heritage, to gain in strength, demanding to be acknowledged, recognized, celebrated as a people of value in the larger community. FICA was created by visionaries more than thirty years ago to provide a voice and a platform for all of India’s children in Northeast Ohio. You and I have so, so much in common, we are almost indistinguishable from one another!! Just like me, you were born in some province, some city, some town, or some rural corner, in Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Bengal, and all the other wonderful states of India. We took great pride in our diversity, and our regional uniqueness, and identified ourselves as Punjabis, Gujaratis, Bengalis and so on. Like me, you grew up nurturing a burning pride in the culture that is unique to your region. You developed an appreciation for that fish or the cauliflower curry prepared in that special way so unique to your region; not surprisingly, so did I !! Growing up in West Bengal, I fell in love with Tagore, and his songs, his poetry, and his literature, and his philosophy. And I know for sure that you too felt an emotional bond much the same way, for some literary work, a certain musical style, or a special food item quite unique to your own region. But all of the above notwithstanding, just like me, you enjoyed watching the Republic Day Parade on Rajpath in New Delhi, and experienced that very special feeling in your chest, as you looked at India’s Tri-colors and the National Anthem was played. Did you not join millions of other proud citizens as you cheered the Indian cricket team beat out an arch rival in a thrilling one day international match? Much the same way I did? Were you not proud the day Gandhi won the Best Picture Oscar because the film was about one of our heroes? And did you not feel the same excitement watching Slumdog Millionaire chosen as another Best Picture Oscar winner? Incidentally, both films were produced outside India, but that fact did not dampen our spirit one bit. And surely, we felt those moments of pride as INDIANS, not with our provincial identities. You and I share much resemblance in the way we look. We both grew up sharing a deep sense of pride in our common identity, that WE WERE INDIANS. You and I are proud children of India. You grew up, with dreams of spreading your wings beyond the shores of India, and make your mark on the world stage. And I did too. You had this drive inside you to show the world that your talents were no lesser than anyone else’s, anywhere in the world. And now, here you are. You have undoubtedly made your mark in your chosen field of endeavor. Your successes have brought you individual recognition. And nothing separates you from your rich Indian heritage!! So, as I look at the nearly twenty thousand of my fellow children of India in Northeast Ohio, I find myself quite baffled by your disconnectedness from our united effort to preserve our national heritage and identity in this land of our adopted home. At FICA, all that we are offering is a platform to come together and celebrate our common, and proud, heritage. Join us, please, as we all walk, hand in hand, and shoulder to shoulder, down the Main Street of North-east Ohio toward a destination we so richly deserve. I urge you join FICA, become a member, and work together to build a strong collective identity befitting our heritage..

Sincerely, Asim Datta

FICA StaffBoard of Trustees

Executive Board

Dr. Chittranjan Jain, Chair (440) 942-4369 c.jain@csuohio.eduMona Alag, Past President (440) 256-3247 monalag@yahoo.comAsim Datta, President (216) 394-8720 point-to-point@usa.netKathy Ghose, Vice-President (440) 785-5940 kathy.ghose@pvfsb.comSapna Reddy, Secretary (617)-272-5240, (216)-236-3727 sapna.reddy@gmail.com

Board MembersMona Alag (440) 256-3247 monalag@yahoo.comSanjay Garg (440) 892-1317 sangarg@aol.comSangita Bafna (216) 906-9064 sangitabafna65@gmail.comAnjan Ghose (216) 214- 4317 anjan.ghose@tri-c.eduMichael Sreshta (216) 403-3012 sreshtamichael@gmail.comMeera Kansal (440)-572-3857 meerakansal@hotmail.comKen Kovach (216)-921-0900, (216)-952-9501 KennethJKovach@WowWay.comVinod Nagpal (440)-821-0479 VinodNagpal626@hotmail.comSujata Burgess (440)-465-1790 burgess@asiainc-ohio.org

Project SevaSanjay Garg (440) 892-1317 sangarg@aol.com www.projectseva.com

FICA MissionTo preserve the rich cultural heritage and values of India by effective partici-pation in civic forums, economic growth and development of the region, provide opportunity for growth by partnering with the larger community to promote goodwill and understanding for people of India who have emigrated to the USA.

FICA VisionTo be recognized as an organization that fosters strong citizenship family values of India founded in a civilization 6000 years old. FICA will be a valued resource and leader of the community contributing to the economic develop-ment, cultural enrichment and commu-nity responsiveness.

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Newsmakers!

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Community News

Person of the Month - By Cheryl D’Mello

The mesmerizing Anup Jalota in concert - By Dr. Narayan Dravid

Murali D. Nair, Professor and Director, School of Social Work, Cleveland State University; Co-Director, Center for Healing Across Cultures; Director, India Experience Program. Q: How long have you been in Cleveland and in the U.S.?A: I have been in Cleveland for 20 years (at Cleveland State University), and 42 years in the U.S.

Q: What is your educational background? A: Master of Science (MS) in Computer Science, New York Institute of Technol-ogy; Doctor of Social Welfare, Columbia University, New York;Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Columbia University, New York.

Q: How did you get interested in social work?A: Through my active participation with the “fourth world movement”, a co-hort of volunteers doing volunteer work with the “poorest of the poor” in the developed countries such as U.S., Canada and Europe. Also my fascination with the concept of “social technology” - what we can learn from the ancient traditions of countries such as India, China, Japan, Native Americans, etc. and how to utilize it for modern application.

Q: What are some of your significant contributions in your field of work?A: I have written ten books and produced eight mini documentaries on areas such as alternative health systems, secrets of long life of centenarians, disaster management, service, and engaged learning.

Q: What awards/recognition have you won?A: The Bharat Joyti Award – India International Friendship Society; Outstand-ing Social Scientist Award–Kerala-India Association of North America; Senior Fulbright Scholar-South Asia; President’s (White House) Volunteer Action Award; Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching & Service (CSU); Multi-cultural Leadership Award (CSU); Certificate of Special Congressional Rec-ognition for Outstanding Services to Community; Distinguished Professor (honorary), Amrita University, India; U.S. Professor of the Year (nominee) The

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Education. Q: Were you the first in Cleveland to organize trips for students to India?A: Yes. During the past 14 years, I have taken eight groups. Students have a unique opportunity to be immersed in the life of Kerala, India. They learn about important social issues while earning credits.

Q: What is your interest and involvement in medicine in different cultures? A: With modern technology, we have improved the quality of life. However, at times we forget the ancient traditions and its significant contributions are still not reaped or understood. I sincerely wish more and more scientists embark on understanding the healing traditions of different cultures. I have been do-ing field research on this area for the past thirty years. So far, I have traveled to all the continents, except Australia.

Q: What has influenced your life?A: The simple lifestyles of the “common person”.

Q: What is the name of your spouse? Where do you live? What about your kids?A: My wife is Vijaya Lekshmi Nair. Though she has been living in the U.S. for the past 40 years, I am very proud to note that she never wears any thing other than sarees! We live in Solon. My daughter Munnu Sudan, a Physician (Internist), is married to Nimit Sudan, an Oncologist- Hematologist, and they have three children. One of my sons, Unni Krishnan Nair, an MBA Gradu-ate from Case’s Weatherhead School of Business, is a Sustainability consultant with Pricewater HouseCoopers, and my other son Mohan Krishnan Nair is a student at the Ohio State Fisher College of Business.

Q: Do you have any message for the Indian community?A: I would request them to try to appreciate thousands of years of Indian tra-ditions and communicate at least a few of the positive aspects of Indian culture to a non Indian. The media around us is full of negativism. Think positive and vibrate the positive energy within you to your friends and contacts. It does not cost any thing. For more details about Prof. Nair’s work, please visit: http:// academic.csuo-hio.edu/nair_m and http://academic.csuohio.edu/india_experience/

On June 22, 2012, the Greater Cleveland Shiva Vishnu Temple pre-sented a mesmerizing music concert by Bhajan Samraat and Gazal Maestro Padmashri Anup Jalota. For a total of three hours, a fairly enthusiastic crowd of over 400 people enjoyed the feast of Bhajans and Gazals till the very end. The audience was varied, from the experienced to the novice, but the enjoyment was uniform. Mr. Jalota also kept the audience enter-

tained with his judiciously interspersed jokes which, of course, related to the music he was presenting. The evening began with a melodious ‘Meera’ bhajan and continued with a stream of bhajans and gazals. It is strange but true that while bhajan and gazal originated from two different religious backgrounds, their effect on the audience was the same.

Attending Mr. Jalota’s concert is not like listening to a string of songs; it is a feast where each piece is absorbed not just by the ears but also by the eyes. He makes the audience feel that they too are part of the concert. He tells stories associated with the lyrics as well the composers. Mr. Jalota paid tribute to the memories of two well known gazal singers, Jagjit Singh and Me-hedi Hassan, not in prose but in gazals. That brought tears to many eyes.

While Mr. Jalota plays his own harmonium, he was accompanied on guitar, banjo, and, of course, tabla by eminent players. Mr. Jalota talked about their high musicianship and played many musical duets with them to prove his point. With his basic background of Indian Classical music, Mr. Jalota was able to show how all that was related to the light music he presented. This gives the listener satisfaction on two levels, intellectual and emotional.

Music from Jalota family has been a tradition at the Shiva Vishnu Temple; it is hoped it will continue.

Newsmakers!4 Community News

Richik Sarkar, a partner in Ulmer & Berne LLP in its Financial Services & Securities Litigation Practice Group, has been appoint-ed the Vice President of the Board of Trustees for the Cuyahoga County Community Improvement Corporation. The Corporation is committed to advancing, encour-aging and promoting industrial,

economic, commercial and civic development in Cuyahoga County. Sarkar was originally appointed to this Board by the Greater Cleveland Partnership. In May 2011 he was appointed one of 11 Trustees charged with serving as Cuyahoga County’s review agent for industrial revenue bond fi-nancing. Sarkar’s practice focuses on business and commercial litigation, com-plex and class action litigation and public law with significant experience in

the areas of business torts, contracts, corporate governance, securities and fi-nance, commercial and consumer financial services, real estate and real prop-erty taxation. He is on the Board of Trustees for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, is active with the ABA Business Law Section and serves on the Membership Impact Committee for the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Commission on Economic Inclusion, the board of The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, the WKSU Community Advisory Council, and the Rainey Institute Board of Managers. Sarkar was named to the 2012 Ohio Super Lawyers list and was recog-nized as a “Rising Star” by Law & Politics magazine from 2005-2007, and in 2009 and 2011. Born and raised in Midland, Michigan, earned his B.A. with honors from the University of Michigan. He moved to Cleveland in 1995 and earned his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He lives in University Heights with his wife and his parents who are from Kolkotta and Gauhati.

Richik Sarkar appointed VP of Board, Cuyahoga County Community Improvement Corporation - By Cheryl D’Mello

Cliff Anthony, local journalist and professor, publishes first novel “Page–A1” - By Cheryl D’Mello

SABA congratulates and supports Srikanth Srinivasan, nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals, for the District of Columbia Circuit

Cliff Anthony, journalist and assistant professor of Journalism at Lorain County Community College, has just released his first novel titled Page-A1. The book is presently available on Amazon and Kindle, and will be in bookstores soon. Anthony did his M.A. in Journalism at Kent State University. He has about 25 years of experience as a journalist in Mumbai, India (Free Press, Mid-Day, Blitz), Oman (The Daily Observer), New York (News India) and in Cleveland (Sun Newspapers). He was the bureau chief for The News-Herald before he

moved to a full-time teaching position at Cleveland State University for three years. At present, he teaches journalism at Lorain County Community Col-lege and helps bring out the student newspaper. Previously, he also taught part time at Lakeland Community College and John Carroll University. Anthony has dedicated his novel to overworked, underpaid journal-ists who live in perennial poverty. There are not many novels available about

the world of journalism. His book takes a humorous look at a fictional small-town newspaper. He skillfully weaves the challenges faced by journalists and publishers. Page-A1 highlights the deceptions and hypocrisy in the news me-dia that revel in exposing the wrongdoings of others. “I always wanted to write a book,” said Anthony, who worked for five years on it, juggling commitments to work and family. For more information, visit www.Page-A1.com The book will make you laugh, ponder and will prompt you to buy a copy of your local newspaper, just to support its employees. Unlike tradi-tional fiction, Page-A1 is written in newspaper style. Tom Moore, news anchor for Clear Channel Radio Cleveland, says that the book provides “about as inside a look at the journalism business as you can get!” Anthony is a board member and past president of the Society of Pro-fessional Journalists’ Cleveland Chapter and volunteers many hours to this organization. He lives with his wife and daughter in Euclid.

The South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of Ohio congratulates Srikanth (Sri) Srinivasan on his nomina-tion to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Co-lumbia Circuit. Mr. Srinivasan currently serves as Prin-cipal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States, having assumed the Office in August, 2011. Srinivasan is the first South Asian American to be nominated to a seat on a federal circuit court. He is also the first person of Asian descent to be nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Colum-bia. Srinivasan earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1989. He later earned his

JD and MBA from Stanford in 1995. After law school, Srinivasan served as a law clerk with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and with the United States Supreme Court. He later worked in private practice before returning to the office of the United States Solicitor General.

While the South Asian community comprises over 2.8 million people in the United States, there are currently only two South Asian Americans who serve as Article III judges in the entire nation. SABA Ohio President Neelam Gill and board of directors Sanjeev Bhasker, Krishna Grandhi, Richik Sarkar, Ruby Singh, and Annal Vyas applaud President Obama’s efforts to appoint more South Asian Americans onto the federal bench. SABA Ohio is pleased that President Obama has recognized this critical need and strongly supports the nomination of Sri Srinivasan to the DC Circuit. SABA Ohio and its Board urge Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Port-man to endorse and approve this nomination and request the opportunity to meet with Senators Brown and Portman to discuss this important appoint-ment. SABA Ohio encourages other South Asian community and profession-al organizations to support this nomination and request meetings with their respective Senators to help ensure that Srinivasan is appointed to the bench. For more information, please contact: SABA of Ohio President: Neelam Gill, J.D - newmediadirector@sabaohio.org

5 Community News

Join FICA in celebrating Cleveland’s Cultural Birthday extravaganza!! Cleveland is celebrating its’ 216th birthday with diverse cultural organizations that make up this great city! Join us and experience amazing ethnic cuisines, fashions from different cultures, music from every genre – all in the company of people from diverse backgrounds! This event will also provide a taste of different cultural festivals that take place in Cleveland, throughout the year.

Cleveland’s birthday bash will be held on:

Sunday July 22, 2012 from 1:00-6:00 PM

at Jacob’s Pavilion in the Flats.

FICA is a partner in this Cultural Birthday Extravaganza and will be sponsoring a booth at the event. FICA will also participate in the international fashion show and other stage entertainment. So, bring your friends and fam-ily down for live entertainment, fashion shows, fireworks, and special perfor-mances to be announced.

**For more information from the organizers of the event, visit ohio homecom-ing’s website: www.ohiohomecoming.com or contact Jamila@ohiohomecom-ing.com or Kris@ohiohomecoming.com . **For information on FICA’s participation, contact Sujata at sburgess@asiainc-ohio,org or Asim at point-to-point@usa.net

Cleveland is 216 years old and FICA is there to celebrate!! - By Sujata Burgess

AIHP continues to grow... - By Jacqueline Ruiz

FICA on Facebook!Join our group on Facebook -

“Fica Cleveland.”

See photos and videos of past events and post comments and information about future events! Be sure to “LIKE” our page!

The Asian Indian Heritage Proj-ect (AIHP) continues to grow. Kiwi Creative has opened up their vision-ary doors and is generously donating a logo to the Asian Indian Heritage Proj-ect (AIHP). Jessica Laurello, under the innovative eye of Jen Lombardi, will be creating an original design for AIHP to display. Under the leadership of Jen Lom-bardi Kiwi Creative was founded in 2007. Her sincere commitment to qual-ity coupled with imaginative and eye-catching work quickly led to a loyal customer base. Jen has built Kiwi Cre-ative’s reputation on delivering effec-tive marketing strategies which are “both on-target and on-budget”. Upon entering the office one feels the creative energy sizzling in the air. In

a laid back atmosphere Kiwi Creative closely works with their clients listening, informing and asking the right questions. This one stop studio is able to offer a range of services including graphic design, website design, online advertising and social media needs. You can visit Kiwi Creative at their website - www.kiwicreative.net The AIHP YouTube channel has expanded to become a video archive for all videos pertaining to Asian Indians in the Northwest Ohio region. If you see a video that was overlooked please let us know. Please note at this time we do not upload videos to YouTube, other than videos created by AIHP. Also, we do not edit videos or descriptions under the videos. Visit the AIHP YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/TheAIHP?feature=mhee AIHP continues to lay the groundwork for an oral history project of first generation immigrants. If you have names of potential interviewees please email their name and contact information to jruizemail@gmail.com.

DHARMINDER L. KAMPANIATTORNEY AT LAW

General Practice of Law Including : • Business • Wills and Probate • Real Estate • Personal Injury • Landlord/Tenant Law • Domestic Relations

17140 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44111

Phone (216) 251-8023

2850 Round Hill Dr, Akron, OH 44333,Ph#: 330-668-1255, Web Site: www.balajiusa.org

Sree Venkateswara Temple

Richfield, Ohio

Cordially invites you to a

FUNDRAISER GALA DINNER & BOLLYWOOD MUSICAL NIGHT

ENTERTAINMENT BY A VERY POPULAR PROFESSIONAL YOUNG MUSIC GROUP (TORONTO, CANADA)

FEATURING SENSATIONAL AND MELODIOUS SINGER

JONITA GANDHI

CURRENTLY ON A USA TOUR WITH SONU NIGAM

Saturday September 22, 2012 at 6:30pm (Reception followed by formal dinner and entertainment)

Days Inn and Suites 4742 Brecksville Rd, Richfield, OH 44286

Tickets: $50 Please make checks payable to Sree Venkateswara Temple

Donations of higher amounts are very much needed, very much appreciated and are tax deductible

Please mail all checks to 2850 Round Hill Drive, Akron 44333

Bring your family and friends! Listen and dance to your favorite numbers

Please Support your Balaji Temple

For more information call: Haritha Dakapagari 330 467 4645 Rama Bolisetty 330 655 5341 Jayanthi Ramanan 440 212 2743 Shanti Raghavan 440 845 8912 Padma Bandi 330 668 1255 Subhash Agarwal 330 867 3195

6 Community News

The following article was originally published by Madhu Gorla (Age: 16) in the journal ‘Tapovan Prasad’, Chennai, India in June 1985. The article won the Second prize among the articles from teenagers who attended the Chinmaya Pittsburgh Camp in USA arranged in 1984. Permission to reprint in Lotus has been granted by the publishers of Tapovan Prasad. Today Madhu Gorla practices at the Chicago Glaucoma Consultants. He is the director of medical student education and professor in the Ophthalmology department at Rush University in Chicago. He has extensively published on topics related to glau-coma and ocular surface disease. He lives in Glenview, Illinois with his wife Seema and his children Sanjeev (7), Jahnavi (6) and Pavan (4). As I pondered this question in an objective fashion, L began to’ look for one specific answer. But as I later delved into the conno-tations of this question, I realized that there Is not one answer, but as many answers as the number of diverse personalities on the face of the earth. But before trying to solve this’ perplexing question we must first know the meaning of one’s personality. A personality is not a tangible object, but rather an abstract thought of mind which each one of us possesses. There is not a model personality for which all of us mortals can strive to reach, but each individual should try to utilize the power we possess in controlling and expanding our own personality. Each one of us has a unique personality, which is affected byour friends, parents, our environment, and our greeds. Many people may not admit to these greeds, but every mor-tal has at one time experienced greed in their lives. These greeds are caused by the person’s intrinsic desire to do better than their peers at any cost; some call this competition, if you will. This impetuous trait in all of us changes our actions in certain circumstances, and sometimes it dominates our entire thought process. People may be-come so infatuated with greed that this bad propensity may cause them to be overly competitive, cheat, and steal. Surely you know someone who fits this description. This is the person who constantly cheats, receiving higher marks than you. This is the person that makes you feel that cheating isn’t that bad after all. This is the person who is always the ‘sore loser’ and ‘bad winner.’ This is the person who remarkably never gets caught. Ultimately, though, this is the person with the scar on their mind. I believe that the term used in our language for this is a “guilty con-science.” But whatever the term, this can be extremely detrimental to an individual. This person just characterized does not deplore the fact that he cheats,’ and becomes callous to his conscience. He also ignores the fact that he is an impulsive cheater, and this ulti-mately causes him to be unfair in everything. I brought up this example for two reasons: 1) We all can identify with this type of person, and 2) This is a prime example of what we all should try to avoid-being a person who, self imposed, shysters his way throughout life. As you can clearly see from this example, a general sketch has been drawn of what your personality should not encounter: greed, egotistic values, and dishonest tactics. At the SVT Temple Youth Camp the past summer, our sched-ule for the day included free discussion. As I listened to these dis-cussions, I realized that some of the questions pertained to the concept of striving for utmost co-operation between family mem-

bers, and obtaining a good path of communication. When several of these questions were brought up, I couldn’t help but think to myself that to obtain co-operation with your parents (or any other friend or family member), trust and respect from both parties are instrumental. I cannot help but mention a few of the arguments erupting from some of the discussions at the camp. Some of my peers vehe-mently argued that they should be able to ‘go out’ or do whatever they pleased, whenever they pleased. Others complained that their parents were overprotective, and that they were restricted in their freedoms. As these arguments continued, growing more verbose and more illogical at each discussion, I was reminded of an event that I encountered when I was five years old. On one summer after-noon, I went to the bank for the first time with my father. After asking him, my dad explained to me how the bank works. Fie told me that it depends on how much money you put into the bank to determine how much you will get out at a future time. In an in-nocent manner, r asked ‘Why can’t we just take all of the money T Then my dad replied, ‘Then it wouldn’t be fair to the bank, would it?’ This example closely parallels the predicament of American so-ciety, .and more .recently of our Indian Society. The youth of our society basically feel that their parents should give them all of the freedoms that they desire. This irremediable attitude by youths in the present age represents the little boy in the story who asked why he should give money to the bank. Youths of today need to develop sincere respect toward their elders in order to receive respect back. As in the case of the bank adage, you will receive enormous amounts of respect and trust de-pending on how much you put into the relationship. This fairly easy step of showing sincere respect toward your parents could have solved countless arguments between parent child, with the basic argument being that of trust, freedom, and respect. I am ear-nestly appealing to the youths of our society to try to gain the re-spect of their elders before asking for their trust and respect In re-turn. Furthermore, we cannot forget the teachings of both the Be-loved Swami Chinmayananda and the Beloved Bri. Pavitraji. In beautiful, concise terms, they explained our potential to be an as-set to society. With great perseverance, both of these Masters ex-plained to us the values of each Individual to society, and how self-improvement is a virtue that all should be’ ever striving for. Even then, when Swami Chinmayananda and Bri. Pavitraji were trying to convey these messages to members at the camp, we disrespectfully ignored their orations and mused ourselves, with other activities. This disrespect was clearly evident, and we all should show a far greater amount of deference, toward our Teach-ers, let alone toward our parents and other: elders. Thus from this essay hopefully you have gained further’ in-sight on how your personality development can be changed so eas-ily with divine actions, but yet can deteriorate just as fast: I do not believe that anyone has yet grasped the entire philosophy of total personality development. But with good communication and good morals, along with continued reverence of our elders, we can im-prove our personality and insight to the gratification of ourselves and everyone around us.

Total Personality Development

7Miscellaneous

Ariel Ventures invites you to join

Honorable Mayor Frank G. Jackson, Ambassador Prabhu Dayal

the Consul General of India - NY, and other dignitaries for the

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Grand Opening Reception for

The Ariel International Center

a catalytic one-stop center for international business and intercultural events

�� Thursday, July 12, 2012

4:00 pm to 6:30 pm

Skyline Lake Room

Ariel International Center

1163 East 40th Street, 4th Floor, Cleveland, 44114 (free parking) ��

Please RSVP by July 9th, to Radhika Reddy, Ariel Ventures, rr@arielventures.com, 216-577-2420

4:00pm to 4:30pm: Meet & Greet

4:30pm to 5:15pm: Program / Ribbon Cutting

5:15pm to 6:30pm: Reception / Global Cuisines / Building Tours

Ariel International Center, is a historic 68,000 sq.ft. building on 3 acres, overseeing the Lake and

the Cleveland Skyline, and is expected to serve as a catalytic one-stop center for International

business development and International events in Northeast Ohio, celebrating the region's global

diversity and contributing to the economic development of the region.

Ariel International Center is being developed by the partners of Ariel Ventures, LLC, a mission

driven, entrepreneurial, 100% women-owned and minority firm that has worked on over $1.5

billion in public private finance for real estate, renewable energy, small business, international

business and economic development projects

Plans for the Ariel International Center include:

� International business incubator - with shared international business, finance, tax, legal and

economic development finance services provided by Ariel Ventures and other professionals

� Skyline Lake Room Event Center - for meetings, events, trade missions, and conferences

� Office space - for international businesses and organizations

� International restaurant and gift shops - showcasing cuisines, music, books and gifts from

different countries to experience the richness of the global diversity of the region

Thank you and look forward to seeing you on July 12th

Partners: Radhika Reddy, Lynn Selzer, Irene Zawadiwsky

www.arielventures.com & arielinternationalcenter.com

2012 FICA CRICKET MATCHESON SUNDAY AUGUST 19TH AT 8.00 AM

Celebrating Indian Independence Day!

Close to: 35000 PORTZ PARKWAY, SOLON, OHIO – 44139

Come and watch the game PLEASE CONTACT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE FOR MORE DETAILS

By August 10th if you wish to play in one of the teams.

Debabrata Ghosh: ghoshdebabrata@hotmail.com 216-312-3254

Abhijit Nath : abhijitnath@yahoo.com – 440-749-0512

WATER, LIGHT REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED.

2012 FICA TENNIS TOURNAMENTFriday AUGUST 17TH AT SOLON TENNIS COURTS AT 6.00pm

(Children)

Saturday August 18th at SOLON TENNIS COURTS AT 7.00 am (adults)

Close to: 35000 PORTZ PARKWAY, SOLON, OHIO - 44139

HAVE FUN!! ENJOY A GREAT GAME!! WIN PRIZES!!

SIGN UP EARLY - LIMIT 10 ENTRIES PER CATEGORY! ( minimum of 6 participants per category required)

ADULT SINGLES LIMIT IS 16 ENTRIES.

BOYS AND GIRLS PLAY SEPARATELY IN TWO AGE GROUPS - SINGLES ONLYPLAYERS BELOW 12, AND PLAYERS FROM 13-16

AGES 17 AND ABOVE PLAY WITH ADULTS.

PLEASE SIGN UP WITH YOUR FULL NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER by August 10th

(Include Partner’s name if signing up for Doubles)

LEVI MATTHEW – 440-248-4809 kollam4illam@yahoo.com

MICHAEL SRESHTA- 216-403-3012 sreshtamichael@gmail.com

Kishore Dokiburra 240-449-6728 dgkishore@gmail.com

COST: CHILDREN (16 and under) $5.00, ADULTS $10.00

BALLS, WATER, LIGHT REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED.

SAVE THE DATE

2012 FICA GOLF OUTINGSUNDAY AUGUST 26TH

FOWLER’S MILL GOLF COURSE

CHESTERLANDDETAILS TO FOLLOW SOON.

Upcoming Events

LOTUS AD RATES - 2012

Ad must be received by LOTUS Editor in camera-ready high resolution format (JPG, TIF, PPT, MS Word, PDF, etc.) by the 10

th

of the month, for publication in the following monthís issue. LOTUS/FICA will try its best to have the following monthís issue distributed by the end of the same month or by the first week of the month for which the issue is dated (e.g. ad for May 2012 issue of LOTUS must be received by the 10

th of

April 2012. LOTUS will try to distribute the May 2012 issue by the end of April 2012 or by the first week of May 2012). Please be assured that it is our utmost desire and aim to have the month of issue distributed by the end of the previous month. Ads that are not camera-ready will be charged a one time fee of $50.00 for making it print ready. Please note: copies of documents that are not print ready will result in blurry images for which we will not be responsible for.

lotus@ficacleveland.org Please e-mail ad request or request for information to:

Additional contact info:

LOTUS/FICA

We hope that you will support the LOTUS, the oldest Indian Community Newspaper in U.S.A. and the only non-profit Indian Community newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. The newspaper is currently distributed to approx. 3,000 households and businesses which are primarily of Asian Indian heritage. In the future, we plan to distribute the LOTUS to libraries and other institutions which show interest in ethnic heritage.

Thank you on behalf of LOTUS Board and the entire Federation of India Community

Associations, Ohio.

Monthly (less than 12

months) Yearly (12 months

consecutive) Maximum Ad Size (may be customized)

1/16 page -$50.00 1/16 Page -$360.00 1/16 Page ñ 4.5-inches x 1.5-inches 1/8 page -$80.00 1/8 Page -$720.00 1/8 Page ñ 4.5-inches x 3-inches

1/4 Page -$120.00 1/4 Page -$1,200.00 1/4 Page -6inches x 4.5-inches 1/2 Page -$200.00 1/2 Page -$2,100.00 1/2 Page -9inches x 6-inches 1 Page -$350.00 1 Page -$3,600.00 1 Page ñ 12-inches x 9-inches 1 col. Inch -$20.00 1 col. Inch -$180.00 1 col. Inch ñ 2-inch x 1-inch

“Orange High School Student Wins Race Re-lations Prizes Sponsored by Princeton Uni-versity.” Two other students from the Indian Community receive Certificates of Accom-plishment.

First launched seven years ago in Boson and Washington, DC, the Princeton Prize in Race Relations was created to identify and commend high school students who are working to increase understanding

and mutual respect amongst all races. This is an annual awards program that recognizes exceptional high school students who go above and beyond in their efforts to improve race relations, teaching understanding of different cultures and promoting mutual respect among all races within their schools or com-munities. The project entries are judged by local Princeton Prize committees, which consist of invited guests and local alumni of Princeton University. Win-ners of local contests held in over 20 regions throughout the nation each receive a cash award of $1,000. Local Princeton alumni Sandhya Gupta initiated the Cleveland Com-mittee of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations, which is offering the Prize annu-ally. From the moment Sandhya (now Cleveland Chapter co-chair) first heard about the Princeton Prize, she believed her hometown of Cleveland should offer one of its own. Diligently Sandhya started working on this project, gath-ering other local alumni to make this event happen in Cleveland, where it is the only Prize program in Ohio. This year, the committee has chosen 3 students, of which one is the award winner and the other two are receivers of “Certificates of Accomplish-ment.” The three students are: Demi Zhang (Orange HS), Prateek Singh (Solon HS) and Shivangi Bhatial (Orange HS).

Demi Zhang, a gifted zith-er player, is a freshman at Orange High School and is the winner of the Cleveland area’s Princeton Prize in Race Relations for 2012. Zhang is the second student to receive the Princeton Prize in the Cleveland area, as this is the sec-ond year Princeton University has sponsored the Prize in Cleve-land. Gregarious Zang actively pro-

motes a better understanding of her Chinese culture through music, dance, po-etry, painting, calligraphy and traditional ceremonies – throughout Northeast Ohio. Devoted to racial and cultural harmony through teaching others, she also runs a Chinese club for neighborhood children who are non-Chinese. Her goal in doing this is to form cultural connections at a very young age, so they can grow up to understand the ethnic facet of Cleveland. She helps the young kids establish a general cultural acceptance that she hopes they will “practice and share for the rest of their lives.” Here is a paragraph from her eloquent speech she had prepared for the evening. “The goal for all of us who seek to improve race relations is a world of diversity and understanding. However, this world is incomplete wit merely the coexistence of differences. Walls of foreignness restrain us with fear of apa-thy, and judgment without understanding. But differences are not meant to separate us, but to create a world in which every nuance of being has its own form of beauty to offer.”“When our opinions and ways of life clash, we find them harder to connect with and easier to reject. Differences can exist in every aspect of our lives and cul-tures and I needed ways to communicate these differences in a way that people can accept and appreciate. I found my answer in the universal languages of art and music. Sharing and accepting culture may not seem like much, but it can reach out and touch people. Those who learn to accept other cultures, carry light to those around them. Our duty is to instill this sort of heart into our fel-

lows, for the sake of a stable era to come. “ This gifted Orange High School 9th grader – a student of Mrs Vandana Marwaha at Orange HS - is busy promoting harmony, understanding and respect among people of different races!! Two other Cleveland-area students—Prateek Singh, a freshman at So-lon High School, and Shivangi Bhatia, a sophomore at Orange High School—received “Certificates of Accomplishment” for their work. Pratik Singh moved here from California, where he did not experience racism. He had his first taste of racism in Cleveland and that’s when he de-cided to use the “power of pen“ to fear-lessly raise the issue of racism. He began raising awareness about race relations and stereotyping by publish-ing 2 articles in local and community newspapers, urging his fellow students to eliminate racial profiling that he wit-nessed at his high school. Prateek now actively promotes understand and in-clusion between different ethnicities in his school and community. – challeng-ing his peers to question stereotypical behavior. He says he sees and feels the difference in the way students interact now vs. before his efforts. Prateek is also a student of Mrs Vandana Marwaha - through the Hindu Heritage School in Solon. Congratulations Prateek!

Shivang Bhatia has demonstrated leadership at her school in many ways but the one she was honored for is: Raising awareness about the Darfur geno-cide amongst her peers, teacher and school administrators. After seeing a movie on Darfur and genocide, Shivangi was moved. Not knowing anything about Darfur, even its’ location, she decided to educate herself and enhance her knowledge on it before creating awareness for others at school. As the President of Orange High School’s

chapter of Amnesty International, Shivangi orchestrated and implemented a day of awareness to raise money for Darfur, selling T-shirts at her school and educating everyone around her about the genocide. She wanted to make a lasting difference and she did! The momentum caught on and she sold over 90 t-shirts in one day, raising over $500.00 which will be donated to the Darfur fund! Shivangi is also a student of Mrs Vandana Marwaha.Congratulations Shivangi! The efforts of these young adults make you realize that racial relations have to be given attention in order to make a difference and have a significant, positive impact on the society. To get rid of differences, we must create oppor-tunities to share and accept other cultures/other people. One does not have to give up one’s race, religion or culture to live in this coun-try. No race has monopoly on talent; no race is superior. All are equal. This country is a melting pot of beautiful, diverse cultures - one very different from another, yet similar in some ways. Differences are not meant to separate us; we just have to work with the differences in order to promote harmony, under-standing and respect for one another. These young winners were honored for their tireless efforts on Thurs-day, May 24, 2012 at the Tudor Arms Hotel in Cleveland. The keynote speaker was Honorable Solomon Oliver Jr. The talented Sandhya Gupta was the Mas-ter of Ceremony. The event was organized in a breathlessly beautiful, elegant, old-world ballroom at the Tudor Arms hotel. Although there were quite a few people at the event, there was only a handful of familiar faces from the Indian community, including Raj Pillai, Vandana and Ravi Marwaha, Rohit and Mona Bhatia, Sheetal and Parul Jain, as well as Pratik’s mother Mrs Singh. For additional information on the Prize, as well as an application, students should go to princeton.edu/pprize. They may also text PPRR to 9900, or e-mail pprize@princeton.edu.

8 Youth

The winners of Princeton Prize in Race Relations -By Sangita Bafna

9 Health & Wellness

Basil, or Sweet Basil, is a com-mon name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum , of the fam-ily Lamiaceae(mints). Basil has round leaves that are oftentimes pointed. They are green in color, although some varieties feature hints of red or purple. Basil looks a little like peppermint, which is not surprising since they be-long to the same plant family.There are various types of basil. Thai

or holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) is popular in Asia. Some types of basil are annuals while others, like the African Blue and the Holy Thai basil, are peren-nial plants. The leaves may taste somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, often sweet smell. While the taste of sweet basil is bright and pungent, other varieties also offer unique tastes: lemon basil, anise basil and cinnamon basil all have flavors that subtly reflect their name.Basil is originally native to India and other tropical regions of Asia, having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years. History of Basil One is that the word basil comes from the Greek word basileus, meaning “king.” Another theory is that it comes from the Latin word basilicus, meaning “dragon.” In India where it grew originally, it was held in great admiration and was actually used in courtrooms to have the Indians swear their oaths upon. In Italy however, basil symbolizes love. When an Italian suitor wanted to show his love he would place a sprig of basil in his hair to win his heart’s desire. It is the same in Mexico where people would keep basil in their pockets in hopes

that the man or woman that they loved would return their love forever. In Romania, they followed much of the same legend, where the man would give basil to his love and they would officially be engaged. In ancient Rome basil has also long been revered. They called it Basilescus, which refers to the Basi-lisk, the fire-breathing dragon.

Uses Cultivated as a culinary herb, condiment or spice; source of essential oil for use in foods, flavors, and fragrances; garden ornamental. The green aromatic leaves are used fresh and dried as fla-vorings or spices in sauces, stews, salad dressings, vegetables, poultry, vinegar, confectionery products, and the liqueur chartreuse. Basil extract has been report-ed to have antioxidant activity. Cultivars with purple foliage, such as ‘Dark Opal’ are grown as ornamentals, but can also be used as flavorings. The essential oils and oleoresin are used extensively, reducing the need for dried leaves in the food industry; used in perfumes, soaps, and shampoos. Holy Basil (Tulsi) has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda for its diverse healing properties. Its extracts are used in ayurvedic remedies for common colds, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning, and malaria. Basil is an excellent source of vitamin K and a very good source of iron, calcium and vitamin A. In addition, basil is a good source of dietary fiber, man-ganese, magnesium, vitamin C and potassium.

Basil

Taste of KeralaWelcome to Taste of Kerala, a South Indian take out restaurant located at

5850 Mayfield Road, Mayfield Heights, Ohio-4412Phone #440-461-9212; 440-461-9242. Fax # 440-745-6686

Email : spillai@tasteofkeralam.com, akumar@taste of keralam.comWebsite : www.tasteofkeralam.com

We serve authentic Keralite Cuisine using fine ingredients and family recipes passsed down through the years

Great Takeout South Indian food at affordable prices!!!!!Few dishes from our menu list

Samosa: Single: $0.75, Over 25: $0.70, Fifty and above: $0.65

Iddly(Four) with Sambar $3.99Iddlyappam with Chickpea Curry $3.99

Three Chapatti (Roti) with Veg.Curry $3.99Veg. Biriyani $5.49

Three Chapatti (Roti) with Chicken Curry $4.99Iddlyappam with Chicken Curry $4.99

Chicken Biryani $6.49Fish(Kingfish) Curry $5.49

And more....

Please come and enjoy the taste of South India

TimingsTuesday through Friday 11AM to 9PM

Saturday 12Noon to 9PMSunday 12Noon to 7PM

Monday - Closed

10

“BC’s Corner”

Safe Handling of Canned Foods What exactly is “canning” and how does it work?Canning provides a way to store foods for ex-tremely long periods of time. First, food is washed and prepared before packing it in tin-coated steel cans or glass jars. To prevent food spoilage and kill any pathogenic organisms, the container is then subjected to high heat - at least 250° F - for a spe-cific length of time depending on the food being canned.

As the food cools, a vacuum seal is formed that prevents any new bacteria from getting in to can. Since the food in the container is commercially sterile, it doesn’t spoil. Once the can is opened and

Health & Wellness

-By Bal Karamchandani

exposed to air, bacteria can enter and begin growing in the food, so any unused portions must be refrig-erated within 2 hours. How should canned goods be stored in our kitchen cupboards, basements and so on to ensure they are safe? First, remember to always store canned foods and other shelf-stable products in a cool, dry place. Never put them above the stove, under the sink, in a damp garage or basement, or any place exposed to high or low temperature extremes Both can affect the integrity of the can or jar, negatively.What is the recommended time to keep these foods?Commercially prepared canned foods, whether meat and poultry or non-meat types -- such as canned vegetables and fruit - are classified in two general categories: high-acid and low-acid foods. High-acid foods, such as tomatoes and other fruit, can be stored up to 18 months. Low-acid foods, such as meat and vegetables, can be kept 2 to 5 years. NEVER EVER USE food from containers that show signs of botulism: leaking, bulging, rust-ing, or badly dented cans; cracked jars; jars with loose or bulging lids; canned food with a foul odor; or any container that spurts liquid when open-ing. DO NOT TASTE THIS FOOD! Even the tiniest amount of botulinum toxin can be deadly.

Best way to check food can for the seal integ-rity is to press frequently the top of the can and hear for “Tick Tick” sound. Any sound, means can seal integrity has been compromised and food in the can is bad. Chances are that the top of the can surface is bulgy and will be convex shape. What do codes can mean?Cans must have a packing code to enable tracking of the product in interstate commerce. This enables manufacturers to rotate their stock as well as to lo-cate their products in the event of a recall. These codes, which appear as a series of let-ters and/or numbers, might refer to the date or time of manufacture. They aren’t meant for the consumer to interpret as “use-by” dates. There is no source which tells how to translate the codes into dates be-cause each manufacturer determines its own coding system.

Cans may also have “open” or calendar dates. Usually these are “best if used by” dates for peak quality. Don’t go by these dates on the can or jar if can/jar is leaking, bulging, rusting, or badly dented cans; cracked jars; jars with loose or bulging lids; canned food with a foul odor; or any container that spurts liquid when opening.

Question: Why are certain brands of sugar sweeter than others? I have found that to be true. - By Mona Alag

Answer: Artificial sweeteners are sweeter than reg-ular sugars, not as much is needed which is what minimizes the calorie count and they don’t contrib-ute any carbohydrate so “people with diabetes can enjoy their favorite foods without affecting their blood glucose levels.” Saccharin is the oldest artificial sweetener and is 200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar. Saccha-rin is considered safe for human consumption and is marketed under the names “Sweet N Low, Sweet Twin and Necta Sweet.” Aspartame was approved in 1981. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar and is considered safe for the general public. It is marketed under the names “Equal and NutraSweet.” Sucralose comes from sugar, but is 600 times sweeter. It isn’t absorbed by the body and does not

add calories to food. It was approved for home use in 1999 and can be used in home baking. It is marked under the name “Splenda.” Neotame is a cousin to aspartame and is 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar and was approved in 2002. Neotame doesn’t have a brand name. Stevia and Truvia - Stevia is a plant native to portions of Paraguay and has been used as a sweet-ener for 200 years. It is a member of the chrysanthe-mum family. Truvia is the sweetener made from the Stevia plant. It is not in market yet.Are Sugar Substitutes Safe? It’s natural to be skeptical of the unfamiliar. Since sugar substitutes were first introduced, they’ve been greeted with more than their share of apprehension. But despite the nega-tive myths, sugar substitutes (known as nonnutri-tive sweeteners in the science world) are safe in the amounts consumed today.Sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potas-

sium, and neotame all have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as food addi-tives, provided the amounts consumed are below the Acceptable Daily Intake - ADI (the level a per-son can safely consume every day over a lifetime without risk). Studies observing how much chil-dren, people with diabetes, and adults in general consume show that even with regular consumption, people consume a small amount of the Acceptable Daily Intake. That’s because these amounts are generous, and it is unlikely you would ever exceed this level. For example, you would have to eat or drink the following amounts of these low-calorie products per day to reach the maximum . Acceptable Daily Intake foraspartame: Twenty (20) 12-ounce diet soft drinksForty-two (42) 1/2 cup portions of sugar-free gelatinNinety-seven (97) blue packets of Equal

-By Bal Karamchandani“BC’s Corner” – Q & A

11 Did You Know ?

“Quote of the Month!”

“Things turn out the best for the people usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever

been.”

~ Albert Einstein

Website of the Month!Try This link for 24 hrs of non sTop

Mohd.rafi. Enjoy !

hTTp://TunEin.coM/TunEr/?sTaTionid=132016&#

<hTTp://TunEin.coM/TunEr/?sTaTionid=132016&%20>

Joke of the month

A man was in his front yard mowing grass when his attractive blonde female neighbor came out of

the house and went straight to the mailbox.She opened it then slammed it shut and stormed

back in the house.A little later she came out of her house again went to the mail box and again, opened it, slammed it shut again. Angrily, back into the house she went.As the man was getting ready to edge the lawn, here she came out again, marched to the mail box, opened it and then slammed it closed harder than ever.Puzzled by her actions the man asked her, ‘Is

something wrong?’To which she replied, ‘There certainly is!’

My stupid computer keeps saying, ‘YOU’VE GOT MAIL!’

Interesting Triva - Hey did you know?-Source Unknown

1. Look at your zipper. See the initials YKK? It stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabush-ibibaisha, the world’s largest zipper manufacturer.

2. 40 percent of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.

3. 315 entries in Webster’s 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.

4. On the average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.

5. Chocolate kills dogs! True, chocolate affects a dog’s heart and nervous system. A few ounces is enough to kill a small sized dog.

6. Ketchup was sold in the 1830’s as a medicine.

7. Leonardo DA Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

8. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

9. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

10. Leonardo DA Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa’s lips.

Please send us your feedback on LOTUS - lotus@ficacleveland.org

12

HEALTH TIP: Melatonin to slow the aging

process….

A study published in Free Radical Research Ex-perimental Gerontology, the Journal of Pineal Research and Frontiers in Bioscience suggests that taking daily melatonin beginning be-tween age 30 and 40, could prevent or delay such age-re-lated illnesses as Parkinson’s disease and the complica-tions of diabetes in humans. Small amounts of melatonin occur in bananas, cherries, corn lemon, mint, oat cere-als, onions, rice cereals, sage,

thyme and redwine.